I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving filled with plenty of food and family. I hope too that you were able to take some time to be enlightened to all the good things in your life. Cliche, perhaps. But never the less, it is often this time of year that we ARE especially in touch with the blessings God has lavished upon us. Now that we've gotten our fill of turkey and green bean casserole I pray that we would begin to move deliberately into this most Holy of seasons.
As we begin the celebration of Advent, I encourage you to reread the Christmas story. For it is, afterall, because of the miracle of Christ's birth, the wonder of His life, and the graciousness of His death that we are each making this journey in the coming month. During this time of year I pray that we be reminded of not only Christ's redemptive sacrifice through death, but His miraculous yet quiet entry into our world. When we read Luke 2:1-7 we find that Jesus reset the standards even in birth. His presence in our world, as foretold years before, was radical even from infancy. The King of Kings did not come in a flashy display of glittering robes and crowns. He came humbly that we may be open to the presence of God in everyday places. So many years later, I pray that we are still conscious of His gentle and often silent presence in our lives.
What is God doing in your everyday places during this Advent Season? Today seek the ways that God is using the everyday familiar places to work out His divine plan for your life and for the world. How can you be preparing your spirit to receive Him during your time in Africa? Let us ask for softened hearts and child-like wonder so that Jesus may enter in and steal our certainties and self-dependencies. May you be open to the moving and molding of the Holy Spirit today and always.
Prayer: God of Prophecy and Perfect Plan
We travel the journeys of paths that our known to us each day. Yet, we long for your will to break through our every day familiar places. We sing the familiar hymn “O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray. O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel,” and we long to make that prayer our own. Take our history, our everyday, and enliven us to see the ways you are at work and present within and through it all. Open our hearts to receive your coming this Advent Season. Use our everyday places to bring about your unexpected plan for our lives and for the world. Our hearts yearn for you, O God, and our lives seek to rejoice in your grace. Bring forth your power and will in our everyday, and shine your light upon us all the days of our lives. In the Shepherd’s name we pray. Amen. *
In praying today, I encourage each of you to begin praying especially for the Ugandan leaders we will be serving. Give thanks for their willingness to live and move with the Spirit's guidance; to step faithfully along the path that God is calling them to. Pray that their spirits may be strengthened and empassioned with the grace and love our Jesus has for each of them. Pray that these saints know and trust that His goodness will follow them everywhere they share God's love. Give thanks that they have the hearts to love on kids and to bring the light Jesus into the midst of a very dark continent. Humble us away from thinking that we could possibly have anything to offer them on our own. Ask for compassion, for broken hearts in meeting with them on common ground; in realizing that we are all children of a great and loving God.
"Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too" ~ Frederick Buechner
*as taken from First Cup Advent Devotion- Westminster Presbyterian Church and Rev. K Threadgill
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Good morning! So I know I'm a day behind and was going to consider waiting until next week to start the devotions, but I'm thinking late is better than, well later...
God has been oh so good to bring this trip together and call us each to be a part of it. Keeping in mind His grace and love for each of us I thought I would start this thread by sharing the following:
"The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among the wolves." - Luke 10:2-3
It seems today that everywhere you look there is plenty of work to do. There is never a dull moment and often times we are consumed not only by the day's business, but the ever present busyness that seems to crowd our time and thoughts. Every time you turn around there will be something else or someone else who needs tending- someone who needs to hear and feel God's love, some situation that needs prayer and encouragement. Just as Jesus challenged his followers so long ago, He challenges us to be alert to the needs and dangers of this world and to pray for God's help as we serve one another. He nudges us to be open and willing to GO, to answer the call "whom shall I send?". If we are faithfully abiding in Him, Jesus will equip us with the strength to answer "Here I am, send me!".
A Prayer
May today there be peace within
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you
May you be content knowing you are a CHILD OF GOD
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love
It is there fore each and every one of us.
~St. Theresa
God give us your vision and courage to see the plentiful challenges and tasks you put before us as divine opportunities. Give us grace to step away from our 'to-do' lists and simply be available to be vessels of your love, agents of mercy and kindness to those around us in the name of Your Son. Amen.
Books to Read:
-Celebration of Discipline per Drew's suggestion
-The Shack by William Young
-Dance Children Dance by Jim Rayburn III ("If you want people to come to Sunday school, don't have it on Sunday and don't call it school" - Jim Rayburn)
Movies to see:
The Last King of Scotland
Invisible Children documentary
Songs to listen to:
Albertine by Brooke Fraser
The Saints Are Coming by U2
Signature of Divine (Yahweh) by NeedtoBreathe
God has been oh so good to bring this trip together and call us each to be a part of it. Keeping in mind His grace and love for each of us I thought I would start this thread by sharing the following:
"The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among the wolves." - Luke 10:2-3
It seems today that everywhere you look there is plenty of work to do. There is never a dull moment and often times we are consumed not only by the day's business, but the ever present busyness that seems to crowd our time and thoughts. Every time you turn around there will be something else or someone else who needs tending- someone who needs to hear and feel God's love, some situation that needs prayer and encouragement. Just as Jesus challenged his followers so long ago, He challenges us to be alert to the needs and dangers of this world and to pray for God's help as we serve one another. He nudges us to be open and willing to GO, to answer the call "whom shall I send?". If we are faithfully abiding in Him, Jesus will equip us with the strength to answer "Here I am, send me!".
A Prayer
May today there be peace within
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith
May you use those gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you
May you be content knowing you are a CHILD OF GOD
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love
It is there fore each and every one of us.
~St. Theresa
God give us your vision and courage to see the plentiful challenges and tasks you put before us as divine opportunities. Give us grace to step away from our 'to-do' lists and simply be available to be vessels of your love, agents of mercy and kindness to those around us in the name of Your Son. Amen.
Books to Read:
-Celebration of Discipline per Drew's suggestion
-The Shack by William Young
-Dance Children Dance by Jim Rayburn III ("If you want people to come to Sunday school, don't have it on Sunday and don't call it school" - Jim Rayburn)
Movies to see:
The Last King of Scotland
Invisible Children documentary
Songs to listen to:
Albertine by Brooke Fraser
The Saints Are Coming by U2
Signature of Divine (Yahweh) by NeedtoBreathe
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
So here is a link to the actual company I think we were talking about using...Adrift. Check it out. I know one thing... I'll be trying not to swallow the river (that, and I'll be ironing my clothes!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu16HdpsC0Y
Looking forward to so much more than rafting! God is truly amazing and I can't wait to share these 2 weeks with each of you. Keep praying and listening!
Gentle me, Holy one,
into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting go of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties,
of dead certainties,
that softened by the silence,
surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple,
and filled with the joy
that is You.
into an unclenched moment,
a deep breath,
a letting go of heavy expectancies,
of shriveling anxieties,
of dead certainties,
that softened by the silence,
surrounded by the light,
and open to the mystery,
I may be found by wholeness,
upheld by the unfathomable,
entranced by the simple,
and filled with the joy
that is You.
-Ted Loder Guerrillas of Grace, Prayers for the Battle
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For those of you asking for it...a small clip to get you excited about getting wet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_RlTSwTy-8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_RlTSwTy-8
Friday, November 7, 2008
UGANDA TRIP 2008
these brothers of mine, you did for me." MATTHEW 25:40
UGANDA 2009 TEAM,
*Please be sure to let me hear from you to confirm the following items...
1. If we still haven't received your INITIAL DEPOSIT of $150, I need for you to get that in the mail to me asap, at our office address listed further down below.
2. Are you planning to RAISE $ SUPPORT to cover either all OR a portion of the Trip Cost...? Have you MAILED out a Support Letter...?
3. Please email me your MAILING ADDRESS.
*SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENTS :
- Group Roster : Phone #s included.
- Shots / Passports : You need to be sure you have a valid Passport, that's not expired. More information provided in attachment.
- Flight Schedule : Note that we'll be both departing from / returning to Atlanta as a Group.
- Fundraising Guidelines + Sample Support Letter : Instructions to follow... Should give you some helpful ideas & direction re/ how you might proceed to raise support for this type of trip.
- List of Items to Donate : Items we'll work to collect to take with us to donate & give away to the Staff/Leaders/Community we're going to serve in Uganda. We'll talk more about the List, at our next Trip Meeting on November 16th. If you should see something you can or want to be on point for collecting/bringing, please let me know.
- Packing List : Your goal will be to pack all of your Personal Gear in # 1 large duffle bag, 50 pounds max. We'll pack #2 duffle bag full of Donated Items, 50 pounds max, we've collected to take with us to give away. You can also pack a Backpack, etc, as carry-on.
- Info re/ Travel Safety
- Background Info on Uganda
*IF NOT FUNDRAISING :
You can make a Check out to "Young Life Expeditions" for $2,100, to cover your Airfare, which you can mail to me at our Office Address listed below. Same goes for Field Costs ($900), to be received by deadline given further below. Even if you're not raising $ support, you may still want to send out an Email or Letter to friends & family, asking for Prayers & to share with them about our Trip. Above all else, we need people at home to be committed to Praying for us.
*IF FUNDRAISING :
Those of you Raising Support, should be working now to get your Support Letters & Mailing Lists done ASAP. Be sure to carefully follow the directions in the "Fundraising Guidelines" Packet that I've attached, & remember that in your Letter, you want to be sure to ask for PRAYERS as well as $ FINANCIAL SUPPORT. Another way to raise support, would be to organize a group or individual Fundraising Event. I really encourage you here, to remain PRAYERFUL, & to be creative & open to how the Lord leads, as you move forward in this process.... You'll want to be sure to communicate to potential donors, that the focus of our trip mission will simply be to serve & support YL Africa's local outreach ministry today in Uganda. You can also note that a portion of your Personal Fundraising Goal of $3,000, will go purely as a donation to support YL's mission in Uganda. We encourage you to put as many names on your Mailing List, as you can come up with & feel lead to. You can have donations sent to our office at the address below. That way I can track them here, & keep you updated periodically of your progress, so you can be sure to thank each of your donors. Please email me a copy of both your Letter & Mailing List if you would...
ATTN: Drew Voyles - Africa Expeditions
Young Life Northwest Atlanta
PO Box 724731
Atlanta, GA 31139
All costs up $3,000 are tax-deductible, thru YL. Your donors will receive a tax-receipt in the mail, after their check has been processed. Note that donations may continue to come in all the way up until & after we leave. Remember that we're Raising Support as a Team... if you should raise above your fundraising goal, extra funds will go both towards the purchase of supplies/materials associated with the Trip, or else to anyone who's still short on support....... If you want to, you can invite people to send you their Email Address so we can add them to the Mass Email List we'll use to send Email Updates home from Uganda. We'll then compile a Mass Email List using the email addresses you send us. If you have any concerns or specific questions about Fundraising, etc, you can reach me either via email or on my cell (# 770-851-2949).
*DEADLINES :
Group Airfare Payment ($2,100) is due November 25. Field Costs ($900) are due December 10. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions. If on Nov 25, you're still short of cost of airfare, then you can simply send us a check for the difference you owe, & we'll reimburse you later after we've received checks from your donors.
*LINKS to Give Friends/Family/Supporters:
- Trip Blog : yltanzaniatrip2008.blogspot.com
Folks at home can view updates & photos of our Trip which we'll be posting from Uganda. They can also
write & send comments to our Group...
- YL Africa Trips Info : www.nwatlanta.younglife.org (Click on Africa Trips Link)
- YL Africa Website : www.africa.younglife.org
- YL Uganda Homepage : Offers some general background info & the story of YL's mission in Pallisa,
UGANDA, put together a few years ago in 2005, following my first Trip there to be with Simon
& his Leadership Team. Includes Photos collected over 3 Trips to Uganda over the past few summers.
*PRAYER TIME / MEETINGS:
Those of you in Atlanta are invited to meet to PRAY with us over our Trip @ YL Office, every Wednesday Morning @ 8am, up until we leave. Those of you outside Atlanta, I want to challenge you to commit to Pray for the Trip on your own, every Wednesday Morning at the same time.... Bottom line, NONE of this is about us. Period. PRAYER will remain our absolute #1 priority & commitment as the Lord prepares our Hearts for the AWESOME journey He has in store ahead of us. This service opportunity we're so BLESSED to get to be a part of, is absolutely ALL about the Lord, His Heart, & His awesome movement today in & through the relationships He's building, uniting more of us together with our brothers & sisters serving Him over in Africa. Lives are absolutely being transformed here, for HIS Glory, through the awesome power of HIS Love. This is about God's Kingdom. Although it's up to you, I do want to encourage each of you to begin keeping a JOURNAL of your thoughts, prayers, etc, leading up until we leave in late December.....
*FACEBOOK GROUP : If you haven't joined the group yet, please do so. We want to use this Page to serve as another way to communicate with each other up until we leave for Uganda.
*TRIP BLOG : Same goes for our Trip Blog... I really encourage you all between now & when we leave, to post ANY thoughts, encouragement, expectations, prayer requests, personal introductions, ridiculous humor... that you want to share with rest of us. After we come home in January, you'll each receive a copy of the Blog, along with a bound copy of our Group Journal, which we'll talk more about later.
*READING : Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline :
I really want to encourage you to read the 2 Chapters on "Simplicity" & "Solitude".
*MOVIE : "Last King of Scotland" :
You may also want to check out this movie, set in Uganda, if you get an opportunity to.
Our Next Trip Meeting will be back at our YL NW Atlanta Office on Sunday November 16th, @ 7pm... we will then begin talking about who's going to be ON POINT for what, re/ the Camp & Leadership Training we'll be hosting, in addition to other important responsibilities associated with the Trip. In the meantime, PLEASE don't hesitate to Call or to Email me if you have any specific questions re/ Fundraising, Shots, Passports, Packing, Donated Items, etc. Remember that I'm here to serve you... & am praying for each of you today. Thanks Everyone!
KEEP PRAYING... Pamoja Pamoja
in HIM,
Drew
Cell # 770-851-2949
Office # 770-850-1888
The Focus of our Trip's engagement will be to serve & support YL Uganda Staff & 25+ Volunteer Leaders, who will be coming from all across the country to be with us... We'll be hosting a Leadership Training Camp, doing Contact Work, running Clubs, Program, etc... Together, we'll be serving in communities in Pallisa & Ginja, Uganda, where Simon Okiria (YL Uganda Staff) & his leaders have been praying/building relationships/loving kids/laying groundwork, trusting the Lord to help them pioneer YL's mission across their country, & reach Uganda's next generation with Christ's love. During our time with the leaders, we'll have the opportunity to do a group homestay, visit their families, play with their children, etc. Anyone whose been to either Pallisa or Ginja before, will tell you what a very, very special people & place this is. Simon & his Team of Volunteer Leaders are truly some of the most giving, God-loving, servant hearted brothers & sisters you will ever meet. In addition, at the tail end of the Trip, we're looking at spending 2 days rafting on the Nile River, which begins at Lake Victoria in Uganda - this is still to be confirmed.
"If you CLING to your life, you will LOSE it, but if you GIVE it up for me, you will FIND it..."
MATTHEW 10:39
Young Life Africa - www.africa.younglife.org
Young Life Expeditions - www.Expeditions.younglife.org
*PARTNERSHIP - YL NW Atlanta + YL Africa
"A couple of nights ago we met with all of the Uganda Leaders for the first time to have dinner together with them. After dinner, we worshipped… to hear all of our voices together as one chorus glorifying the Lord was something I will never forget. Not all of them knew the English songs we were singing, & although I learned the words to the Swahili song we sang, I had no idea what they meant just that they were praising the name of Jesus. But it didn't even matter… for even the rocks surrounding us will praise His name. God is so BIG. I have been humbled greatly here in Africa."
Jenn Anderson – YL Uganda Trip 2007
*First-Ever YL Uganda Outreach Camp.
"Look at the nations and watch, and be UTTERLY AMAZED. For I am going to do
something in YOUR DAYS that you wouldn't even believe if you were told." HABAKKUK 1:5
"We are committed to real Partnership and Friendship between African Young Life staff and ministry, and Young Life in the United States. We Pray for a Great Movement of the Holy Spirit among young people in Africa and in your home America." AUGUSTINE (YL Uganda Leader)
*YL Uganda Staff & Volunteer Leaders
"My own VISION & FAITH is nothing compared to that of Simon & his Team of Ugandan Volunteer Leaders here. I realize now that I Pray too small, & don't truly believe when I Pray that God will & can use me to do something GREAT. We must all plant a mango tree. God is so BIG. I have been humbled greatly."
Stirling Douglas – YL Uganda Trip 2007
"Our group of 29 has been serving together alongside 25 YL Uganda volunteer leaders, as the Work Crew for around 220 kids, at the first-ever YL Uganda outreach Camp, out here in the heart of rural Uganda. There's no doubt, the Lord is moving to make history here before us. We're running the camp on power using a tiny generator loaned to us by the community mayor. The village has been without water or electricity for more than 2 weeks... & honestly, thats just the beginning." Email Update I sent Home – YL Uganda 2007
*YL Club Say-So
"These Africans just give, give, give, & share, share, share. Although they have nothing, they give away everything. They so openly share their possessions with us and among themselves, so openly share their lives. With their dance, there is no shame, their struggles, their story… they are confident in who they are in Jesus." Randy Harding – YL Uganda Trip 2007
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"To become neighbors is to BRIDGE THE GAP between people. As long as there is distance between us we cannot look into one another's eyes. We forget that they LOVE as we LOVE, care for their children as we care for ours, become sick and die as we do. We forget they are our BROTHERS and SISTERS." HENRI NOUWEN
"He must become GREATER; I must become LESS." JOHN 3:30
"We must LOSE our life to SAVE it." MARK 8:35
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"The Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing , & forceful Men lay hold of it." MATTHEW 11:12
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