Snow

I find myself thinking about snow a lot lately... probably because we're covered in it up here in the hills of Northern Pennsylvania. It was snowy when we got here and it's been snowing ever since. Friday night we left for a concert for a few hours and when we got back you couldn't even see our tracks from earlier in the day. I usually don't like snow, especially when I have to go out in it. But something about this place makes it enjoyable to go out in the snow and walk from building to building. I've even enjoyed driving around in it (which is something that usually terrifies me).

I should explain where we are... on Thursday we arrived at Penn-York Camp and Retreat Center in Potter's County, PA. We're staying in cabins for 5 nights (yay - we get to unpack!) and playing at different churches and schools in the area. (For those from home - it reminds me of Pinebrook, but a little bit nicer!) It really has been a blessing to be able to stay here for the week, and we're taking full advantage of the retreat atmosphere. Several have gone cross country skiing, there have been snowball fights, soccer games in the gym, devotions by the fire, and hours of pool and ping pong in the fellowship hall.


We've had 4 performances here so far - 3 youth concerts and a Sunday service. We've had very different responses at our three youth concerts - tonight's concert had the students on their feet dancing along, while Friday night it was all we could do to hold their attention... but it's our prayer that even when we don't see a response from the audience, God is still working through what we present. We have another concert tomorrow night at a home for troubled youth. Last year's team played here as well and the students really enjoyed it. Please pray that our ministry there would be effective in pointing the kids toward Christ.

Anyway, back to snow... all this thinking about snow reminded me of the different ways the Bible uses the image of snow, in particular - to demonstrate God's power and His forgiveness:



"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor." Job 37:5-7


"He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?" Psalm 147:15-17


"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?" Job 38:22-23


"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Psalm 51:7


"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

I've especially been impacted by this reminder of His forgiveness. Watching the snow this week - how bright and clean it is, and the way it covers everything that has been there before - has been an awesome reminder of our position in Christ. No matter what happened in the past, no matter how dry and dead the ground underneath may be, we have been covered completely by the purity and righteousness of Christ. Wow.

So, that's what's been on my mind this week. :) Thanks for reading and please keep praying!

Renee

New way to be human (taken from www.xanga.com/selaheto)

"we are all the same, human in all our ways and all our... pain"...

it's been almost three weeks since i last blogged. i've been trying to develop this entry for quite awhile now. i think it's about time for me to try and "write this on paper" and see where it'll take me. while we were playing at a coffee house one night in Grantham, PA, one of their very own missionary was sharing something along the lines of how he struggled sometimes as a missionary. he felt like he had to play "the perfect christian". that was the very same night that i felt God reaching out to me and screaming in my face. it's been awhile. it's about time again...

a common misconception about missionaries, i believe, is that they have to be somewhat "ready" for ministry. and hence all the sophisticated application procedures from all the missions organizations as well as churches. there's intensive training to ensure that people are "ready for ministry". there's nothing inherently wrong with that. i believe it's an essential quality to have - spiritual maturity, or even just discipline. it's important that people are signing up for what they're signing up for. it's true. but at the same time. that's what gives us the unnecessary pressure that we feel sometimes don't you think? as worship leaders, as missionaries, as Christian bands, or even, as Christians, we feel the pressure. we feel the pressure that we have to be somewhat "holy-er" than the people we're "ministering" to. we feel like we have to have life all figured out. we feel like we can't fail. we feel like, we just can't be "human"...

i'm often asked to write something on the blog from the ministry that i'm a part of this year. i'm often asked to share more with others about the things that i'm learning. i'm often asked by others to update them on what we're doing as a team on the road. when these requests come up, i feel the need to live up to a certain level of expectation. i feel like i have to tell them all these glorious "God-stories". i feel like i need to tell them about how much we're learning as a team, how much we're growing as individuals, how we're getting along really well, how we're traveling to all these cool places meeting new people, how all these lives are being touched and changed "as a result of our ministry". basically, i feel that people want to know that all is well, and that "their prayer" is "working"...

this time around, it's a little different... but not at the same time. you'll know what i mean in a moment... but this is my God-story...

"we are all the same, human in all our ways and all our pain..."

that's a line from the song We Believe by Good Charlotte that we cover. this, lately, has been one of my favorite things to share with whoever i'm "ministering" to on stage. i've been reminded that we ARE indeed, all the same. i was reminded that even though i've been chosen to be a "full time minister" this year, that i don't need to be perfect. i'll never be perfect. i need to STRIVE to be like Christ, but i will never... be Christ, himself. i was reminded that it's ok to struggle. it's ok to slip. i'm not saying that it's ok to indulge in sinning. but it's ok to be a sinner. it's ok to be human!

that sounds like Eliot is starting to be all apathetic about his faith and his walk with God...

think again. i think you're wrong.

"we are all the same, human in all our ways and all our pain...

(so let it be) there's a LOVE that could fall down like rain,

(so let us see) let forgiveness wash away the pain,

(what we need) no one really knows what they are searching for,

(we believe) this world is crying for so much more!" - We Believe, Good Charlotte

that's our message isn't it. we struggle. God helps us. we slip. He encourages us. we fall. He picks us up. we sin... over and over again... he died for us... ONCE and FOR ALL!

that's our message. our message is that we're NOT perfect. we're human. we're all the same. whether it's inmates, Christian students, non-Christian students, seniors, single moms, the abuser, the abused, the broken, the empty, the losers, the nerds, the rejects, the jocks, class clown, the pastor, the average Joe... we are all the same. human. that's what we are. that's who we are. we can't help ourselves. we are all the same. we can all somehow relate to each other. we're born sinful. we're sinful no matter how hard we try. we all struggle. we will always struggle no matter how hard we try. we are... all the same...

that's our message. we are all the same. but God wins! he conquered death and has washed away all our sins, that's only if WE BELIEVE.

so what do we do? I believe... you believe... but so what you might ask. well it might be somewhat of a rhetorical question. but this is why we do what we do - we believe... in this Love. we are just the same as the people that we minister to or maybe even just those that we come into contact with day to day - at Wendys for brunch, at Subway for dinner, at church setting up, at host homes tearing down, on the streets playing ball, and wherever else doing whatever else. we are all the same... the key word in this phrase is this... human in all our WAYS and all our PAIN! that's why we want others to hear the message isn't it? we are all human. we're all sinful. and as a result of a sinful nature... as a result of sin... PAIN! that's why we do what we do...

it's so easy, as a minister, as a Christian (i believe those two words are synonymous), to think that ministry is JUST a responsibility. it's JUST an obligation. it's JUST... part of what you signed up for. NO. i think those are all TRUE. but there's MORE. let me draw ANOTHER example from ANOTHER song that we cover...

"there are many prodigal sons, on our city streets they run, searching for shelter

there are homes broken down, peoples' hopes have fallen to the ground from failures.

there are schools full of hatred, even churches have forsaken, Love and Mercy.

may we see this generation, in its state of desperation, for your Glory." - Tears of the Saints, Leeland

the song goes on to say that "this is an emergency". that's why we do what we do, yea?

"there's a new way to be human"... a line taken from a Switchfoot song. im just stealing this line to develop my blog. i believe that MY new way to be human... is to EMBRACE the fact that i'm human. i failed. i fail. i'll always fail. He won. He wins. He'll always win. He loved. He loves. He'll always love... he can't NOT love. because He himself... is LOVE... we are to live with a sense of urgency, not necessarily to CONVERT people. but imagine this, there're people rolling on the floor with agonizing pain. on the other hand, you've got what it takes to heal the wounds. what would you do? it's not about scoring "Christian points". it's not about a salvation rate. it's about a love. it's about LOVE, Himself

"there's a love that could fall down like rain... let forgiveness wash away... YOUR pain..."

there's a new way to be human... just BE human... and not anybody else... embrace your humanity. embrace... his supremacy, sovereignty... and mercy...

Love. really is more than just a four letter word...

just speak without sound... that's Love...

on the road again...

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I have been shamefully neglecting of my responsibility to post on this blog... I don't even want to admit the last time I blogged. BUt I am alive, my team didn't kill me off, or leave me Duluth somewhere :) . Don't worry Mom!

Life is going amazing! I am just sitting here in my host home, in Raleigh, NC and just wondering what it is that I should highlight on these past few weeks...

We have just come out of a wonderful time in Florida! We spent about two weeks there and have been loving the change from our cold-weather homes to the warm, breezy, and wonderfully sunny Southern states! I think we are all perfectly content to "slave-away" in these conditions. :)

We set foot first in Florida and before we had time to get excited, we arrived Pensacola, Florida. We got to spend some quality time with Jolene and Christian McArthur (CTI Alums) for a couple days. Really awesome, they treated us really well! Even treated us to haircuts! I don't know if that is cause Jolene is a sweetheart, or because she was sick of looking at our shaggy musician dos...


Pretty soon afterwards, we were in Navarre, Florida, where we spent time 5 days working in and around the Hurlburt Airfield. We meet up with Greg Copeland "Cope" and his wife Susan and all their adopted kids at the youth group there at the chapel on base. Seriously, one of our favorite stops; hands down. These people have such a testimony and such an amazing journey that they have had to face the past year. In August, Cope's son, Jarren was hit by a drunk driver and died instantly. The previous CTI Team in 2006/2007 had a chance to meet him & found out what a passionate guy he was for his family, Christ, and life.

To be taken away at such a young age was a huge blow to his parents, his sister, family, and his friends in the youth group and church community. We had a chance to work with them during those five days, and believe me, we learned more than we realized. Taught us more about the beauty of life and the beauty of God's love in such concrete terms in just those couple days. The youth just rallied around Cope and his family, it's overwhelming and very touching; blew me away with the love they show and how at the end of the day, they are still able to admit that God is faithful. We had a chance to play in the church, for the youth group, for a outreach night, and at a detention center. It was emotionally draining, but really a blessing.

Cope was pretty sure that the detention center was the reason we were brought to Navarre, to the Airbase. We got a chance to play a concert and present the gospel for some of the young guys there...all of which were around 13-19 about. We were touched and burdened when they came up to us after the concert and just wanted to talk about their lives, asked prayer requests, and just wanted advice...It was really cool.

we learned a lot that week...I can't speak for the whole team, but we all had our own stories to tell after that...

Picture 1 :(trying on the airbase parachute outfits)
Picture 2: (hanging out at the beach)
Picture 3: (with the youth group at Hurlburt )

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We then headed out to St. Petersburg for the week/weekend and played a couple school chapels and church concerts/youth concerts. We had a chance to go canoeing in the area, which was a
mazing! Woo hoo....And with pictures to prove our fun, we were content :) After a 3 hour long trip we rush to our concert, filled with sand and salt water, but feeling very happy with ourselves...

We headed to Titusville and meet up with Amanda Beesley (Summer teamer 07' ) and then headed out to Palm Beach to spend more time with Alums - Nick and Kristen Castiglione (Fulltime members 04-05) . Palm Beach had lovely weather and lovelier people, we played for school chapels mostly. School kids are so high on life, especially the middle schoolers...I'm surprised they are conscious at 6 am.

Then it was goodbye Florida and hello South Carolina! I think Jessie and I had the real luxury, cause we got to go to Swan Lake and spend a God-filled morning just getting to do nothing but take in the beauty of the place. Seriously, thinking of the place, makes me feel poetic...


Now we end up in North Carolina! Where I am right now! I love , love it here...seriously...great place to stop, beautiful place. Lovely people, except for the bitter rivalry between Duke and UNC...but thats for them to work out... :) but i like it here.


We just played at Hillsong Church in Chapel Hill, NC this morning arrived in Raleigh this afternoon. It's great, cause this is where our president and program director of CTI grew up, so you can guess all the stories that we will glean from their past life embarrassments . It is very enlightening :)

Such kind hearts and amazing accents...i love the south :) too much , they are too much :)

Anyways, i think we are having to much fun. Tomorrow is a day off and after doing the emails to the office and other "work" related items, we are going to find a mini golf and grasp this warm weather the life of it, and enjoy it for maybe the last time.


Things to pray for:

- team unity
- renewed focus (we are halfway through tour!)
- our families and situations back home that distract us...
- that we don't take life for granted
- Cope and Susan and the community at Hurlburt Airfield
- blessings on the host families that have offered to open up their hearts and homes to us...

...to the southeast...

We left St. Louis and continued to travel southeast into Indiana. There, we got to hang out with Tim's family and home church, Harvestime Temple. When we arrived, we set up and then spent some time with some of their youth. They have a program there that disciples kids into music ministry - it was a privilege to play a few songs and talk to them about ministry.

We played a concert the next night for the energetic youth group, and even got to have a tour around historic New Harmony (thanks to Sherry and the Boettchers!). It was great to get to meet Tim's family and friends and minister with them.

We traveled on from there to Tennessee. Our route took us near Nashville, so we took an extra hour to stop there and hang out. We made it to the Grand Ole Opry, and then drove around until we ran out of time. Maybe next time we can stop and do something... :)




The Biers hosted us for the next couple of days. It was a blast hanging out with them, and even though Lydia (CTI alumnus) wasn't around, the rest of the family welcomed us with open arms. Shawn, Renee and I got a tour around the area by foot, while the others played games and watched a movie. A big thanks to the Bier family for a very relaxing pit stop!







After that, we drove down through North and South Carolina to Lawrenceville, GA. The people of Georgia got a big surprise - they actually had a half inch of snow, which hasn't happened in 5 years! We weren't sure how many were going to brave the weather, but we're so happy for the good turn out - it was so neat to minister there. We did a youth concert for Grace Evangelical Church, and led worship the following day. While we were there, we had the pleasure of spending time with CTI full-time alumnus, Dale Madden. I believe at last count, we had seen 18 alumni on tour, since we started in August!

From there, we rode down to Ft. Valley, GA, to do a program for Grace Evangelical's sister church, Grace Pointe. We had a blast playing for the youth there. They actually invited 8 churches, and it's a good thing several of them didn't come - because the sanctuary was full!

Afterwards, there were 40 pizzas for us to fill our bellies with, which was more than enough for everyone there. Thanks to the Grace churches for an awesome weekend.



We finally made it down to Florida! We stopped and visited CTI alumnus Jen Auld in Tallahassee before continuing to Pensacola to stay with Christian and Jolene (more CTI alumni!). (I do have a question - whose idea was it to make the panhandle of Florida be Central Time Zone??) Christian and Jolene were so generous with their time and resources, and we are greatly indebted to them for all that they did! It was so awesome hanging out with them and resting. Thanks, guys!



Thanks again - more to come later!

CTI releases new studio album!

We're proud to announce the release of Speak Without Sound, our new studio album for 2008!

Featuring members of our 2007 - 2008 fulltime ministry teams, Speak Without Sound is a concept album that we hope will take each listener on a journey, encouraging them as they seek the God that we serve and the life that He calls us to live.

We know it's kind of an odd title for an album (especially for one produced by a ministry that seeks to use music as a primary way to communicate our message!) But we also recognize that music simply provides us with an entryway into worlds that we would not have an opportunity to interact with otherwise. But it only opens the door. On the other side, our very lives must speak without sound if our message is to be understood and believed, for we know our words will be void if the fruit of Christ-likeness is not evident in us.

What opens the door for you?

The song from which the title is drawn goes on to proclaim "Your love is so loud!" How amazing and true it is that something as intangible as love is demonstrated most clearly in ways that speak louder than any message we can communicate audibly!

At CTI, we recognize that our greatest ministry takes place beyond the music, in the moments when we speak not through microphones, but through who we, as individuals, are striving to be. And that's a ministry opportunity that is available to everyone.

Saint Francis of Assisi admonished those under his charge to "preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." We hope you'll join us in discovering the ways that we are all called to speak without sound.

You can preview or order the CD online by clicking the links to the right, or by visiting CTImusic.org

From the midwest...

Wow - a lot of ministry has happened since our last post, so here are some pictures and more updates!

Here is a shot of the ladies' group that gave us the quilts! We had such a great time with them.


In Iowa, we ministered alongside Pastor Bruce, doing the events that Shawn mentioned in his last post. We also got to stay with Bob Eggen, and the best part is that we will be in Prairie du Chien at the end of the tour - so we'll get to see them again!


After leaving Iowa, we headed down and spent a day with Matt Duncan's (team 14:22) family. It was a blast hearing stories of when team 14:22 was there. Thanks, Duncan family! When we left, we headed to St. Louis, and took some time to see the Gateway Arch.



After the Arch, we joined Kim Tsui and Eric Hong (both CTI alumni) at St. Louis Chinese Gospel Church. We had an outreach concert at their church, and then led worship the next day during their English service. It was awesome ministering with them. On Monday, we had some time and got to visit the St. Louis Zoo with Kim and Eric. Thanks for a great time, guys!


More to come later...

Coffee, Quilts, and Church

Its been a while since i have posted a blog but God has been teaching me a lot about myself these days so i would like to share what has been happening these days, we started a new tour about a week and a half ago and we started in Iowa, the love that we were shown in that small town was amazing, we played in two church services and spent time with the people of the church at a potluck the next day was at a public school, it was a lot of fun with those kids, then the next day was a retirement home, the folks there really enjoyed us coming and playing, the day before we left we visited a ladies quilting group and as a gift we were all given a quilt, those ladies were amazing
our next stop was at a chinese church its been a lot of fun hanging out playing shows and just enjoying each others company and seeing God at work in all of us,
oh and there have also been many times with coffee

Aug-December Video Summary

Here's just a brief 6 minute video that I made as sort of a wrapped up update for all of you about our year so far. I hope you enjoy!




Jessie

christmas break

hey peoples... we are all fanally at our real homes for christmas!! this is the first time in five months. i left the ministry thursday night at eight and didnt get home till one in the morning on friday.

The Face of Christ

I haven't blogged for a while, and as much as I have wanted to, I have been selfish with the short time we have to spare. But now, as we sit occupying the tables of a McDonalds, I prepare this blog.

Last week, we were blessed to go to a homeless shelter. The lyrics of Chris Rice's "Face of Christ" was stuck in my head constantly during our time there. I want to share some of those words with you all:
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"He shares a room outside with a dozen other guys
And the only roof he knows is that sometimes starry sky
A tattered sleeping bag on a concrete slab is his bed
And he's too cold to talk tonight, so I just sit with him instead and think….

How did I find myself in a better place
I can't look down on the frown on the other guy's face
'Cause when I stoop down low and look him square in the eye
I get a funny feelin; I just might be dealin
With the face of Christ

So you had no choice which day you would be born
Or the color of you skin, Or what planet you've been in
Would your mind be strong, Would your eyes be blue or brown
And if daddy would be rich, Or if mama stuck around at all

So if you find yourself in a better place
Don't look down on the frown on the other guy's face
You gotta stoop down low and look him square in the eye
And get a funny feelin; you just might be dealin
With the face of Christ"
___


Wow is that a good reminder. God has put us where we are (whether rich or poor, in any circumstance of life) so that we may bring glory to Him. It's sort of like something we talked about in our CTI prep-training, though slightly different context: It is like trying to jump to the moon (which can represent God for this example - without getting theologically critical). Say that the person next to me was born shorter than me, so when they try to jump to the moon, they can't jump very high at all. I could either stand there snickering in pride that I can jump higher…or realize…Even if I can jump higher, what is a couple feet compared to the distance to the moon.

God loves you, me, and the rest of the world just the same…unconditionally and perfectly. The more I understand that, the more I am just blown away with who God how indescribable He truly is.

Shopping Carts and Humble Hearts

How many shopping carts would it take to hold all of your earthly possessions?

On Thursday, November 15th we had the opportunity to play for Mel Trotter Ministries, a homeless shelter in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. We got there pretty early, so we decided to walk through a display called "A Walk in Their Shoes" - run by the ministry. The display took us on a walk through the different "stages" of a homeless person's life, including living out of a car, taking shelter in doorways, finding warmth near trash can fires or exhaust grates on buildings, and why so many homeless use shopping carts. At each different exhibit there were reflection questions to get us thinking about ministry to the homeless. Questions like, "How do you feel when you see a homeless person sleeping on a park bench?" or, "Do you think it's their fault that they are homeless?" and, at the exhibit describing the importance of a shopping cart to a homeless man or woman, one of the questions was, "How many shopping carts would it take to hold all of your earthly possessions?"

As we continued through the afternoon and evening at Mel Trotter, that question stuck in my brain. I have a pretty good idea of the answer because it was only three months ago that Brad and I packed up our whole apartment to head out to Minnesota. I thought about how much I have been given and how much I have been entrusted with, and I really thought about the way I'm using what I have. Am I using it to build up my "kingdom" or to build up God's?

Later that evening we played a concert for the women that are housed at the shelter. It was such a blessing to play for these women. They received our ministry with open hearts, many had tears in their eyes as we worshiped. During the Dare You to Move drama they cheered loudly every time Jesus defeated the demons. I had the opportunity to give my testimony, and as I was speaking I felt so much love radiating from their faces. We went there to minister to them, but they ended up being so much more of a blessing to us because of their love for the Lord, and their excitement about what He has done for them, even though they faced really hard circumstances. It was a really humbling experience. A line from our song Hallelujah says, "Whatever's in front of me, I'll choose to sing Hallelujah." These women were such an awesome example of that decision.

- Renee

Update and November Tour

Hello to all!

We have spent the last week and a half "debriefing" (it's a CTI buzz-word) our experience from Singapore, as well as learning 8 and a half new songs and gearing up for our November tour. Thanks to all of our Singaporean friends for a fantastic month of October!

We are preparing to head out to do some concerts in Illinois, Indiana, and (wait for it)... CANADA! We are going to cover a lot of ground, and have several long driving days. But we have at least one concert a day (minus Mondays) for the next 3 weeks! Please keep us in prayer as we utilize the many tools and experiences that we learned in Singapore, as well as the new music we have been handed. The Lord is faithful, and He will provide!

Thanks to everyone for prayers and for reading. See ya!

-Brad

Oops!

I accidentally loaded the wrong video...try this one...

To Our Singapore Brothers and Sisters...

Yes...this is our welcome home gift. Burrrr!!! We miss you all and I am sure missing the warm weather too.

God bless!

-Jessie

HOME SAFE!

Just a quick note to let you all know that the team has made it home safe. We're doing debriefing with them today in Willmar. Tomorrow will be a much deserved day off!

Only one more day...

Hey everyone,


Well, it's our last full day in Singapore and we're all feeling a little sad as we think about saying goodbye to all of the new friends we've made over the past month. We still have two concerts to do this afternoon, then we are packing up the equipment and preparing to leave. (But not without a trip to the Singapore Night Safari!)


I remember from my trip to Honduras with CTI in 2003 that leaving was a lot harder than I expected, and I'm finding that the same is true here in Singapore. It's been a challenging month, adjusting to a new culture, stepping out of my comfort zone and doing things I've never done before, meeting tons of people everyday, and so on. But God has done awesome things both in us and through us this month, and it's sad to see that time come to an end. The time we've spent with the SYFC staff and volunteers has been such a blessing, and it's hard to say goodbye.


But we know that God has things in store for all of us - those returning to the States and those who are staying to minister in Singapore, and it will be exciting to see what He has planned. So we look forward to that.


Thank you so much for your prayers this month! Please continue to pray for us as we wrap things up here and prepare to travel home.


For 1421,


Renee


Ps. The rest of the team says hello. Jessie says that she's staying in Tokyo for awhile, then flying back to Singapore. :) (Don't worry Chris and the Milsteads, Brad will make sure she makes the flight back home.) Oh, and for those who know me... I still have my purse, but not my glasses.


Pps. Hey 1422! We miss you and can't wait to see you! Race you home...

Just thought I would update you, while I'm taking a bit of a breather. We just got back from leading chapel at a secondary school from 6am to 1 pm.

The past couple days have been pretty indescribable. This past Friday and Saturday we had two GARAGE events. The car park of the YFC building was decked out in an American theme, tables were set up, stage, lights, and real life crowd was added to the night for an experience for all the youth that came out. It was going to be a chance for us to be able to share the gospel & describe our purpose for coming to Singapore; to share our passion for Christ.

The first night, Friday, went over so well! We had been traveling and touring with students during the past week going to various POLY, ITE,and secondary schools. The result of all our time spent with the students was overwhelming. We played a sold-out show, squishing students into the carpark for some good food, music, and great company.

Personally I came out of that night with a heavy heart and feeling a bit uneasy. By now I've come to LOVE the youth here...they are awesome! That night I just wanted to tell them about my passion. I wanted them to respond to Christ...and it broke my heart to think that they didn't understand the kind of life that they could be living right now.

This was a thought that I carried with me to the next morning. I was in tears, just thinking about all those Singapore youth desiring them to understand what a life with Christ could be like. Ever since coming to Singapore, my prayer has been to "break my heart for what breaks Yours and to show me how to love like You have loved me." (a line from one of my fav. songs) That morning after our staff meeting and prayer for the night to come, I couldn't stop the tears and the pain that I felt for them...I felt the pain Christ felt for the lost and it tore me up inside...

That night, the second GARAGE concert, was just as amazing. I sat at a table with a group of 4 girls and one guy. Later that night, after sharing my personal story, one of the girls, Amanda, asked me if I would show her how to get the kind of life we were talking about. Her mother was a Christian and her father was a Buddhist, but she had decided that she'd follow her father before that night. I got to lead her to Christ and teach her how to pray...wow :)


...a couple of ways that God schooled me that night...

1.Working in weakness: I'm the type of person that doesn't think before I speak, so I end up talking so much just to try to clarify my point. Half the time I never say what I want. But this time, ahhh...the words just came out. I talked bout my life story, about Christ, His love, forgiveness and mercy...and with time to spare! how cool...

2.Showing me He cared: Even though that morning I was overwhelmed with a desire for Christ to be known to the youth, I really didn't need a someone to make a commitment to make me feel better. That night was an answer to a prayer I never said. But it was what made my heart full & and thankful , because I have a love that gives more than I need.

3.Slamming my Skepticism: We did street evangelism the week before, handing out tracs, inviting people to fill out surveys, talk about their religion, and invited them to GARAGE. Back in North American...I would have laughed at the possibility of this bringing results. But the girl that I lead to Christ that night was one of the girls I had a 5 minute encounter with on that Singapore street. crazy!

4. The little things : I was supposed to be placed on another table, but was moved because Jessie swiped my table and started chatting to them first. So I was placed on her previous table, allowing me to be able to share my story.


Amanda said to me that night, that the thing that got her was the moment I talked about love. About how unconditional it was...she said it was too beautiful to pass up...

anyways...God's been too cool to describe...this is glimpse of what we, or I, am learning. Keep the prayers shooting up!


~ Michelle


Shout Outs:


Eliot: 31000 ba, ma and "yun", just wanted to let you know that i'm getting FAT and am still ALIVE. please pray for me as i'm getting fed WAY too much and WAY too well (some call that suffering for Jesus). on a serious note. shout outs to the Bomstads, the Drauses, Lauren, and of course to the awesome office staff esp. my therapist in Willmar! shouts to the spedies, rozzie, clau and grace. i miss you all. and of course to my lovely Bethel kids and Salties (if you guys are still there!). don't worry, i'll be back soon church!!! shouts to team 14:22 and keep up the good work in the BEST country in the whole wide world. ngo oi ALL OF YOU and miss YOU lots!!!! i think i miss my laptop and... skype... 31001!




Michelle: Mom, Dad, Julie, Tim, Dan, Hannah, Reuben, I'm alive & loving being in Singapore again! So much to experience...I tried turtle the other day, hmmmm good! Dave and Judy: prep some good Blonde jokes for me...I'm running out of the old ones, have fun in Hawaii! Ruthie:can't wait to talk your ear off :), Jimmy , thxs for the surprise visit b/f leaving, Ernest: Meredith is too cute!! & i miss Moe,ok....life is good :)14:22 : can't wait to catch up & missing you TONS! :)

More from Singapore

Hello friends and family!

Well, it's been over a week since our last post so we thought we'd give you an update of what we've been doing and what's coming up for 1421 in Singapore.

Last week we had several events with students from the 5 Singapore Poly's. During the week we went out in groups of 2 and met with the Christian students at their weekly prayer meetings to encourage them to share their faith with their friends. It is so neat to see the excitement of the students and to hear how they came to Christ. I have learned a lot about sharing the gospel by working alongside them at our evangelistic events.

Our first big event with the Poly students was an evening barbecue at the beach. Many Christian students came and invited their friends, and we ended up having a great turn out. We played some games, sang some songs, ate some food, and several of us had the opportunity to share the gospel with our groups. A few students said that they were interested in finding out more about Jesus, so please be praying for us and the SYFC as we follow up with these students at future events. And of course be praying for the students themselves, that God would continue to work in their hearts and bring them closer to Himself.

The next big event was our food tour! (Notice how our events tend to revolve around food... the YFC staff claims that eating is their favorite pastime!) This was a really fun evening. The seven of us "hid" in a clothing store in Chinatown, and students were given blurry pictures of us and they had to come find us in the store. We were each assigned to a group, and our group took us around several places in Chinatown and we got to sample various types of yummy food. I don't remember what any of them were called... except for carrot cake, which we renamed "radish omelet" because it's nothing like what we think of as carrot cake. During dinner (yes - we had a big dinner after we finished sampling all that food) we had another opportunity to share the gospel with the students that were with us. I got to "tag-team" with one of my new Singapore friends, and I was so impressed by her boldness in sharing her faith with a girl from her school.

On Saturday we had a breakfast with Chinese students that are studying in Singapore. (Again... food related! We are definitely not going hungry on this trip!) We had so much fun playing games with the students and getting to know them. We were able to perform a couple of songs for them, and many signed up to come to our upcoming events.

Another fun thing we did was film a short "MTV" (or music video) for one of our rep songs. We all got a chance to show off our melodramatic acting skills, and the finished product is quite nice! One of the student volunteers put it together - it was his first MTV and he did such a great job. Can't wait to show it to you when you get back. They will play the video behind us as we perform the song to help lead into our gospel presentation and our theme of "Alive."

Yesterday was our first official concert in Singapore. We played at one of the Poly's, which was a huge answer to prayer! The SYFC has been trying to get a group into the Poly's to perform for 5 years now, and this was the first time they've been given permission. We won't know whether or not it went over well with the students and teachers until next week, so please be praying for that. It did seem like we had a good response, though! We were there to publicize our "Garage" concerts coming up this weekend, and many people signed up to come from this school. We were not allowed to share the gospel or talk about our faith at this school, so we are praying that many will come to Garage so that we can share with them there.

Which brings me to today... today we played at a local Christian secondary school, which was a really cool experience. We played 3 times throughout the day for students on breaks between classes, and we got a chance to talk with them and hang out between sets.

Upcoming events:
*Evangelistic concert tomorrow (Friday morning) at a secondary school.
*Garage! Friday and Saturday night
*Church evangelistic event on Sunday
*Primary school chapel services on Monday
*Barbecue and Shopping Tour later in the month

I think that's it for now. It's taken me two days to write this update - hopefully it won't take you two days to read it.

Prayer requests:
*Besides a few very temporary and minor setbacks, we have all been healthy so far! No one has had to miss an event due to illness. Thanks for your prayers, please keep praying!
*We will be very busy for the next 2 weeks, so please pray for energy and endurance as we serve.
*Thank God for the awesome SYFC staff who are taking such good care of us, supporting us in every way they can, and teaching us so much in the process. We have been so blessed by them.
*Continue to pray for our boldness in sharing the gospel in small group or one-on-one situations. For most of us, it's so much easier to do from stage!
*And above all, that God would be glorified in every big or little thing that we do, and that lives would be changed.

Goodbye for now!

Renee

Ps. We miss you, 1422! We're praying for you!

Singapore blogspot

Just a note to let you all know that you can see pictures and videos of the team in Singapore on a blog that SYFC keeps updated: www.carpenterstools.blogspot.com

We've made this link available in the link bar to the right.

How's it goin', la?

Hello from Singapore!

On behalf of the rest of the team, Jessie and I (Michelle) just thought we would blog to let you all know we are alive and thriving.

Life really has been amazing. We met up with the YFC staff and have been working in and around the ministry building for the past couple days. They have been so generous and excited to share their culture, to the extent that two of the outreach events they have planned for us are to have students take us on a shopping tour and a food tour around Singapore. This coming week we will be working with Polytechnical school students (level after highschool). We will be meeting with them, encouraging the Christians in their faith and helping them to witness to their friends.

A lot of the ministry that we will be doing is one-on-one and more personal/relationship based. Coming in, that wasn't what we expected, but it's becoming so clear how important that really is. We are working at just developing friendships with the youth here, which we love! Last week, we met and chilled with some of the ITE students (a hands-on school, college age). The whole afternoon we played board games, ate CANADIAN pizza (*yay!*), and were able to encourage & be encouraged by them.

The weather here is very warm. You never have to check the weather channel to decide what to wear. The past two days, there has been a lot of rain, which has cooled the temperature for a bit. The staff has been taking us around and letting us try all kinds of food.

We have also gained an entire new rep of songs! Including Good Charlotte, The Fray, The Corrs, Craig David, Howie Day, and....Highschool Musical! We are also learning new dance moves and a drama for our school programs. The past couple days we have been trying to nail down our new rep. The other day, we spent the morning attempting one of the new songs. Later that day, after spending "so much time" on it, the YFC staff asked if we would play it for some of the ITE students. We were honored that the SYFC thought we were ready to play it! We also performed our Chinese song, "Yeong Chee," as an encore, which they started cheering for after the first 3 notes and which Renee has learned to sing in perfect dialect. Praise God!

Though our feet are just getting wet, we are encouraged, challenged and eager for what is to come. Please continue to keep our ministry and time with the YFC in your prayers.

Specifically, please pray:
- servant hearts
- healthy bodies
- words to speak when we evangelize and tell our testimonies, that we wouldn't be afraid and that we would allow Christ to speak through us
- willing and receptive hearts to hear
- SYFC leadership that are currently on a retreat..to be refreshed and encouraged
- keep us humble and patient
- unity on and within our team


p.s. for those who know Roy...he's getting married to Eleane on Saturday!

To home friends and family: We are excited to share all the stories and pictures, Moms we are all alive,

To CTI family: hello office! we miss checking mail and your encouragement. Singapore food costs definately help lighten the budget, you're welcome Donna :)

check out our YFC blog for us....www.carpenterstools.blogspot.com

until next time,
Blessings and Love from the other side of the world!

Team 14:21 (Brad, Renee, Tim, Shawn, Eliot, Jessie, and Michelle)

Safe arrival in Singapore

Brad called this AM (Minnesota time- it was 10 pm Singapore time.) The team landed in Singapore late Wednesday night and connected with our YFC partners there.

They spent the day on Thursday setting up and working through their program for the YCF staff. Their upcoming ministry will involve lots of promotion for YFC outreaches, appearances at local churches to help connect them with YFC, and lots of interaction and "relational evangelism" with kids who are a regular part of YFC programming but don't necessarily know the Lord.

The team should rest well tonight in their Singaporean host homes! Singapore is 13 hours ahead of the US Central time zone, so they've got a bit of an adjustment to make convincing their bodies to go to bed before lunch!

-Chris, for 14:21

Off We Go!

Well, in 6 1/2 hours we begin the long trek to Singapore. We are not exactly sure if or when we will be able to throw a post out while we are over there, but if we can we will post an update on God's continued work in Singapore. Pray for us; that we go as servants of Jesus Christ to serve His people, whether that means washing clothes, cleaning toilets, or playing music...may we be humbled to become more like Jesus. Thank you all for your support and love. May God bless you all!

Team 14:21 (wronged) and Team 14:22 (thieves)

It started as an ordinary day....life was good in the little town of Wilmar...

Two teams...

...harshly torn apart, separated for two weeks...reunited under the same of name of community...

They looked upon each other with sheer delight & rejoiced at the beauty of their friendships

Until that cold, dreary Tuesday morning...

Rehearsal was progressing nicely. There was a strong camaraderie between the teams
...or so they thought.

It all changed when the lunch bell rang. They exchanged delightful comments during the course of their noontime meal...both basking in the beauty of the lunch meat, pretzels, and eliquent conversation.

A group of individuals vacated the building, leaving good memories with the people still inside....BUT thieft was fresh on their minds...In walking outside, the individuals began to covet after a particular motorized vehicle, kindly known as Luther.

(* Let the record show...that Luther was a very special motorized vehicle and so the group of coveting thieves were overcome with emotional bitterness at the cold reality that Luther would never be theirs. They struggled with the acceptance of reality and in a moment of weakness....allowed their bitterness and feelings of strong emotion take over)

Unbeknownst to the owners, their beloved Luther was taken right out of their grasp. They soon realized upon exiting the building, that they had been seriously and unforgivably wronged. Being the mature individuals that they were, they decided that anger would not be the path they would chose to tread, but instead, revenge, sweet revenge.

Nocholantly the scheming began. It was obvious to the wronged, that the thieves needed to be taught a lesson. No one, I mean, NO one, could steal a piece of their heart and get away with it.

As these poor distressed individuals arrived at their destination in a beat up, deterioriting, sadly pathetic, and floor stained motorized vehicle, they purposefully parked in a most inconvinient and remote area of the deserted parking lot.

Joy filled their hearts when they saw that Luther, although traumatized, was still alive and well! Knowing full well, the extent of the malicious behavior of the thieves, they decided, as a preacaution, and safe guard against further attack, to temporarily sacrifice the ability for Luther, to fulfill his man made duty. And so, wires were to be crossed. It was difficult to cause pain to a dearly loved motorized vehicle, but they knew, it was for the best.

With eager anticipation they ran through the doors of the religious building, happy that Luther was safe and their future looked bright. But then, they remembered, times of sweet fellowship, of kping, and playing apples to apples, and laptop parties at coffee houses and the pain that being seperated for two weeks had caused these two groups of people. So, being, the amazing and benevolent individuals they were, they decided, to...... green line!

So they treated the thieves with kindness, and love, and compassion and remembered above all, to never gloat about having the newest, biggest, and best, motorized vehicle ever.

Life lesson= Jesus.

Even though... I'm pretty sure the answer is squirrels!

We love you guys! Consider yourselves Pung yaued!

To all thieves and wronged,
Vanita and Michelle ( 2 out of 4 coolest homeschoolers in the Full Time program)

End of Tour...

A few more quick notes and pictures, so we can officially wrap up the training tour (blog-style!). After leaving Lakeview Christian, we finished our tour by playing in three services for Mission Covenant Church in Poplar, WI. It was so much fun playing in the church, because the people were so kind. It's much easier to do our jobs when the reception we get is positive, and this is definitely one of those occasions. The room we played in was beautiful, with a large stage and climbing wall! Unfortunately, we didn't get to scale the wall while we were there, but we still had lots of fun hanging out at Dinah and Rick's house. Below are some pictures of a bonfire we had.





Special thanks to Carey and his family for hosting our time at Mission Covenant. It was great, we'd love to come back!

After that, we headed back to Willmar. We arrived around 7:30 on Sunday evening, and dispersed from there. We spent Monday recharging, and dove back into training this morning (Tuesday). From here, we prep for Singapore, and we leave on Tuesday morning! Thank you all for your prayers and comments. Seeya!

-Brad

Wow am I glad team members are good with time/place details to be able to update happenings so well. Thanks guys! I am sitting here on the computer wishing I were back on the road. We had a day off today (Monday) after getting back to Willmar last night, and I am homesick for the road. It was the first day in over 2 weeks that we all weren't together as a team, and for me I was missing everything a lot. God has really fueled my passion for this ministry over these past two weeks, and I am so on fire to get to Singapore! Wowzers, that is only a week away!! YAY! As much as I miss the road though, it is nice to be back in Willmar again...actually able to unpack my mobile-home (suitcase). So tomorrow we kick off a fast-paced week of training to prepare for overseas. We've got quite a bit to do, so thank you all for your prayers and support. Well, I guess I ran out of things for now. God bless!

Jessie

More touring...

Last weekend we got a chance to hang out with the crew from Our Savior's Lutheran in Illinois. We had an opportunity to participate in two of their services on Sunday, and then we played for their youth service in the afternoon. It was neat getting to know some of the kids there (Hi Lyle!), and the youth group was kind enough to make dinner for us!

We were hosted by with Priscilla and Tony, and their three kids: Renee, Mateo, and CeCe. What a fun family! They shared their home with us for 4 days, and made sure we had everything we needed. It was so cool to meet them and hang out there, we didn't want to leave when we were done! Thanks to everyone at Our Savior's for making our stay fabulous! (Side note from Renee: It was so fun to stay with another Renee - and we found out that our middle names are the same, too. What are the chances?)




The Team with Tony & Priscilla Austin - our awesome hosts!


Renee Nicole Austin & Renee Nicole Marshall

Following the weekend, we visited Valley Christian School in Wisconsin. They set us up in their cafeteria and we played for two chapels - first for the high school/middle schoolers, and then for the elementary kids. It was so much fun to play for them and just to talk and play afterwards. Several of the kids signed up to possibly join a team later on! After the chapels, we had lunch and chilled with the kids. Several of them got hall passes (Michelle had never had a hall pass before) to visit with us, and we played outside with the elementary kids during recess. Thanks for having us, guys!




Michelle's first hall pass










We made our exit that afternoon, and headed northeast to Christ the King Lutheran, also in Wisconsin. We rolled in and set up in their sanctuary (a beautiful place with big glass doors in the back). This was definitely one of the bigger crowds that we have played for thus far, being close to 250 or 300. It was so much fun to be able to encourage them and lead worship with them, and even recruit a few young people! It's always great to meet people who are excited about the Lord's work. The following morning, they sent us off with a prayer.






Thursday was just a long driving day, as we had to cover 7 hours to get to Duluth, Minnesota. Chris, Renee, and I took shifts driving.

We arrived at Lakeview Christian School, and they showed us the chapel room where we would be playing. Since we couldn't setup in the evening, we went home with our hosts after that. Apparently, the previous full-timers had to sleep at the school, but this time several of the faculty decided to open their homes to us. Sorry previous FTers, but we got spoiled! Renee's and my hosts, Brooke and Jesse, took us out with Michelle and Jessie's host, Melissa, to have Chicago-style pizza at The Green Mill. It was so delicious - I'm kinda surprised at how infrequently we have pizza, so it's a real treat when we get to.

We played the High School chapel the next day, leading worship and singing with the students and staff that were there. The room was small enough that I didn't need to use the drum wall - and Jessie got to share her testimony with the students. My only regret about the time we spent there was that I didn't get to say goodbye to Brooke or the other staff members I met, since we were in a hurry. But it was a blast to play there. Thanks, Lakeview!

Well, that's all for now (I'm trying to do this in installments). See you guys later!

-Brad

Fun with Former Full-timers

Hey everyone! Time for a new update. I'll try to pick up where Brad left off. While we were ministering with Uwezo ministries we were staying with 06-07 team member Adam Falkenstein. We had an awesome time staying with him and found out that in addition to his musical talents, Adam is also quite an excellent chef!

After leaving Adam's on Wednesday, we set out for the home of Dan and Cathy Swenson in Wisconsin. Cathy is a former board member for CTI. We were sad that we only got to spend one night there because it was such a beautiful farm house - very peaceful and refreshing. We got to spend some time bonding as a team - playing ping pong, foosball and Apples to Apples, all of which we have been playing quite regularly on this tour! We're going to be pretty good by the end of the year.

On Friday we played a concert at the Rockford Rescue Mission in Illinois, which provides meals and ministry to the homeless. The men and women come in for a service before meals, and we had the opportunity to lead the service for the evening. It was awesome to see the dedication of the chaplains and the volunteers that work there, and we were really blessed to be part of their ministry. It was more of an evangelical focus so we were able to use the Creation drama to present the gospel.

Below are some pictures and a video from rehearsal for that show.










During our ministry in Rockford, we stayed with Josiah Sjostrom (another 06-07 team member!), and we had a great time hanging out and getting to know him and his family. We left on Saturday with lots of good memories from their home, and great little metal puzzles that keep us occupied for hours in the van! I'm still stumped by most of them. I think we have a video somewhere of us working on them; we'll have to post that sometime. Before we left the Sjostroms we got to add our signatures to the walls (and ceiling, in some cases) of their clubhouse, along with friends, family and both of last year's full-time teams. What an honor! :)








It was really neat that all of our hosts for this week have strong connections with CTI! Thanks so much to all of you - we really enjoyed the time we spent with you. That's all I have time for right now, but there's lots more to come, so keep checking!

-Renee

First few concerts...

Hello Everyone!

What a great start to our year these past few days have been. We had a wonderful time hanging out with our brothers and sisters from Memorial Lutheran in Afton. We had a youth concert on Saturday night and participated in their Rally Sunday Service as well. At the youth concert, Michelle gave her testimony and we got a chance to meet with Mallory Kroschel (CTI Summer Team 2002) and her family, also. On Sunday after church, we spent some time walking in the Afton State Park, courtesy of Liz Kroschel.







We were blessed by the church's response to our ministry and pray that the Lord will continue to work through our time there. We want to thank Jon Kroschel and Pastor Greg for all of their help last weekend! Thanks to everyone at Memorial Lutheran, it was great to hang out with you!


On Tuesday, we had a chance to minister with Uwezo ministries, visiting some inmates at St. Croix County Jail, and a family group as well. In the morning, we visited with the inmates and played an acoustic set - Renee and Eliot shared some encouragements with the inmates, and everyone at the event seemed to really enjoy the time! Diane (with Uwezo) described the time by saying that the spiritual darkness had been lifted during our time there. Andrea and Jacob (also with Uwezo) opened their home to us to give us a place to hang out in between events. We played some tennis, caught a movie, and played some games. I (Brad) especially enjoyed playing Playstation with my new friend, Alex!

In the evening, we had a concert for friends of Uwezo ministries, as well as some families of inmates. We shared a similar program for them as we had done in the morning, with Eliot sharing his testimony. We even had an encore, thanks to Andrea! They were very encouraging in their comments about the program, and we all left blessed by the event. Thanks to Uwezo ministries for a wonderful day!











Thank you guys for reading, hope you enjoy the pictures! This is Brad from 14:21, signing out. Peace.

The Divine Intercepts Liturgy

I walk in the front doors, I see the beautiful decor, I stand in awe as the Spirit connects with mine, the service starts, we are the worship leaders today, discouragement starts to take hold of me, crowd participation is lacking, the people sit and stand as we ask, minimal movements, the service ends, it was a beautiful service, the words spoken were full of meaning, surely the Lord is with us this day, they called it rally day so we stay for ice cream, the expression of thanks in the simple form of words is all it took to sweep me away, through all our thought and planning the Divine was encountered in ways we could never dream, numbers dont mean everything, quality is important but even our mistakes turn into blessings, a touch, a smile, a word can revel the Divine through Liturgy, its something I cant quite grasp

hey guys, we are all here " suffering for Jesus". today we got all of our shots that are required for going overseas. practicing all day after being stuck like a pin cushion really isnt all that its cracked up to be. we will catch up with you later!!

hey everybody, this is Tim. we have been working hard for this weekend. it's finally time for our first tour!!!