Update from the Field

Carrie (Team 14:21's leader) called this morning from Honduras to update us. The team has not had internet access for several days and may not have it again prior to their return to the U.S.

She reported that the team is doing great! They are ministering in the area surrounding the YFC's camp in the Copan region of Honduras. They have been averaging 1-2 outreach concerts per day. In their free time they have been seeing much of what the country has to offer, with Mauricio (YFC National Director) as their guide.

They'll be leaving the camp early on Saturday morning to head back down to San Pedro Sula. From there, the team will catch their flight back to the U.S. on Sunday!

Check back for updates on the team's arrival back in the U.S. and for stories from their time abroad!

- Paul, on behalf of Carrie and Team 14:21

To Love - the greatest commandment

I know it has been a whole week since writing and we apologize but we haven't had a moment to stop and reflect and I don't have much time now but wanted to fill you all in a bit. Each day has been so full of concerts and new experiences. We have been loving it and being reminded daily that it's not about us and what we have to offer but instead about loving God above all and sharing this love with those we meet. So far we have played 18 concerts in the last 9 days and when we aren't playing a concert we have been doing things like climbing waterfalls (lesson in trust), watching futbol games (lesson in joy), swimming at the beach(reminder of God's beauty), or riding on the bus(reminder of God's sense of humor). :) But through all of this I have been reminded of one thing that is the most important of all. We are called to LOVE. There is no greater thing than to love God with all we are. And when we learn to focus our lives on him then we can pour out that same love onto others. And with all the different concerts and interactions with the Hondurans here we have been given many opportunities to love them and learn how to love one another on the team better as well.

So thank you for all your prayers as we continue with our last 9 days here in Honduras. Tomorrow we head to Copan where Mauricio has a camp which is his pride and joy. We are really excited to see it and be able to spend some time with him there "in his element". We won't have internet so we won't be able to update again but keep praying for us and for YFC here. And may we all be reminded to LOVE God with all we are and LOVE other likewise because when it comes down to it that is the greatest commandment.

Pouring out Love,

Carrie on behalf of 1421 :)

Hola from Honduras

Hola everyone!!

We are safe here in Honduras. So far we have already played 5 concerts, and even though the weather is pretty hot, we have been enjoying ourselves with our contact Mauricio (who is the head of the Honduras YFC).

Thank you so much for your prayers! Please keep praying for us as we will be playing 3-4 concerts a day, and will be meeting many people everywhere we go.

And as a bonus, we are going to the Futbol game of Honduras vs. USA! We decided as a team that we will cheer for Honduras, and Mauricio was kind enough to buy us all Honduras jerseys for the game, what a blessing!!!

Thank you again and God bless you!!

Kylie and Bo

Team 14:21 Reports Safe Arrival in Honduras!

Team leader, Carrie VanderHorst, called this evening to report the team's safe arrival in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The team met up with Mauricio (YFC National Director) and have settled in at the YFC base.

Their equipment made it safely and there were no hiccups in their travels at all!

The team will be splitting their time in Honduras between San Pedro Sula and a camp that the YFC has built in the Copan region of Honduras.

They are excited to play their first concert tomorrow morning!

Check back in the coming weeks for updates from the field!

14:21 Checks In Safe and Sound!

Team 14:21 had a safe smooth check in this morning at MSP airport.
Check back soon for news of their arrival in Honduras as well as
updates from their time overseas!

Honduras

Hello everyone!!

We are about to leave and head to the airport today. Our flight to Honduras will be 6:30AM on Monday.
I am very excited, but at the same time a little nervous about being in a different place for 3 weeks.

If you could please keep the team in your prayers:
-Please pray for smooth check-in process
-Please pray for safe travel and safety in Honduras
-Some of the team members are sick, if you could pray for speed healing and recovering, also health for the whole team while we are there
-Please pray for team unity
-Please pray for FOCUS on God
-Please pray for our hosts (YFC), people we are going to meet, and ministry opportunities

Thank you so much for your love, your prayers, your time, and your supports.

God bless,
Kylie

A snapshot of training tour

Ahhhhhhhhh.

We are back in Willmar (as of two hours ago) and are about to embark on a week of training for our overseas adventure starting next Monday (October 5th). Training tour was absolutely fabulous while it lasted, and now we are pumped for a week of overseas preparation and then leaving again! A huge thank you to all of our hosts, contacts, schools, churches and gazebos: we love you all and we can't thank you enough. You gave us amazing memories and inside jokes that we will be using for the next month at least, I'm sure :)

Here are some pictures from the past three weeks! Enjoy :)

Our Hosts, Thank you!

We are really grateful for all our hosts, and we are very thankful for all their hospitalities. I (Kylie) personally feel so blessed that we get to meet new people everywhere we go. The stories we have heard from our hosts and the relationships we have built are so valuable and precious.

So, thank you so much our host families!!! You are amazing!

Picnic with the hosts at Pella, IA.

We girls with our host at Milwaukee, WI.

SEEK HIM... FIND HIM

Last night we had the privilege of for playing at Ascension Lutheran in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin. Now we had driven from Pella, Iowa after leading Pella Christian High School in a time of worship and came into the evening a bit tired from the 6 hours in the van. But we loaded out and set up ready for action. Julie, who is the youth director, asked us to be a part of the youth group's time before the concert and wanted us to share about ourselves. We answered the question of which animal we would choose to be and after many laughs and such answered a bit about why we were with CTI. When we had each finished answering the questions Julie hit us with a deep question. "You all shared about how God made it clear to you that CTI was your next step, but HOW does God make it clear to you?" Whoa, how to answer that one. Chris stepped up to the plate and shared the verse, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Then shared with the kids how we need to first seek God and in the end His desires will be planted in our hearts and our "fleshly" desires will fade. When we seek God with all we are His desires becomes our desires and we will be able to follow God as He leads because when we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him. (Duet 4:29)

Now you may be wondering why I'm sharing this but it just hit me last night how often I just say things like "God made it clear" or "I just followed His call" without really thinking through HOW I know that or WHY I follow His lead. So I've been thinking more deeply about the whys and hows of following and listening to God's leading. Sure it's not always clear as day, but I am learning what it means to seek Him with all my heart and the joys that come when I am able to find Him and make His desires my own. I have a ways to go, but don't we all??

So thanks to Julie for prompting me in this thought and may we all begin to SEEK HIM with all we are so that we will be able to FIND HIM and follow those desires that will be planted within us.

Learning to Seek,
Carrie Joy :)

"One Way... Jesus!"

~chris

Leading morning worship for Pella Christian High's retreat

~chris

Go Bulldogs!

1421 takes in a high school football game in Boscobel,WI before playing an evening concert sponsored by Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In His freedom

well hey there (:

We are officially in Wisconsin at this very moment. And I say officially because for the last couple of days we have been border hopping between Iowa and Wisconsin to find meals or a cherished cup of coffee. We've been playing in the curious little town of McGregor, Iowa, since Saturday and we moved on to Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, yesterday. So far, life on the road is wonderfully sweet and we are enjoying it very much. Not to say that it hasn't come with lessons and craziness also, because it definitely has. We got the privilege of spending four days in McGregor, being able to minister to two churches, a happy group of people in a park (while we played from a gazebo, of all things!) nursing home residents and several other individuals. God is so good to us and we can't express that enough and how thrilled we are to be meeting all these wonderful people who have blessed us so much. Many of us have already expressed certain lessons that God has been embarking on us in the short time that we have set off on this journey, and already we can see similarities and bridges between these new changes that are happening inside of us. I think one of the main prayers of our team is that God would become more in our lives, our devotions, our ministries, our van, our conversations and our music, and that we would become less. I find myself being too much in my own life; trying to pour out love without being filled or having nothing to pour outside of myself, is impossible. We as 14:21 have a desire for the knowledge of God and how to be models of Phil. chapter 2. So while some of us are very far from home and others are just a few states away, God has been imparting huge lessons on us of worth and of breaking strength. In Christ we are finally satisfied and ready to pour out from His love. Christ's love has completely and utterly overwhelmed us and takes away any scars we might have had before. As one of songs states, we have "received another name" and are worthy to receive Christ's love. Knowing that we are free and that the lie of guilt has been cast off is one of the biggest freedoms I've ever experienced. In turn His love empowers us to go out and pour His love into other people's lives. In His freedom we choose to live, and our prayer is that this year He would fill us up, ready to pour us out and that we would make Him everything in our lives, diminishing ourselves to absolutely nothing without Him.

Ahh, the road...

Day one, on the way to Iowa...

Team Overview

Hey all!

This post is coming to you from Aaron Briggs, drummer for 1421! First off let me say that these first two and a half weeks have been so much fun just getting to know each other and our trainers and leaders and also just learning more from God and what his plan is for us. So now then, Lesley for team 1422 kinda did a rundown of their team and a little quip about them so i thought i should give you the pleasure of learning about members from 1421.

First off, our team leader, Carrie Vanderhorst!, Vocals
- Carrie is a crazy baker and makes yummy and delicious creations that don't have a snowball's chance in Africa when they enter the CTI kitchen. She has a killer voice and even killer-er egg shaker skills. She is what keeps us on task during rehearsals and we appreciate her leadership a ton! Carrie is also our spiritual leader and is always the one to lead us in our Bible Study and Prayer, and that is one of the most important things that she can do as our leader and for that we thank her!

Next, Kylie Yueh from Taiwan!, Vocals
- Kylie is also a vocalist, and even though she has a slight speaking accent when she sings it all comes out in a beautiful harmony that makes Simon Cowell go nuts. She is a ton of fun to be around, and despite what she says is amazing at Volleyball :) "Why Would You Do THAT?!?!?!?!?" Anyway, we love having Kylie on our team to lead us vocally! Kylie blesses us as a team by being the helpful one to take out cases, wrap cords, and do anything that we need her to do. She is a blessing to all of us on the team!!

Next up, Steve-O Buhler!, Bass
-Like Ferris, but cooler. My rhythm buddy shreds some mad licks on the rep songs we have this year without breaking a sweat! He is a fun-loving Manitoban who enjoys picnics and long walks on the tundra. Just kidding ya Steve-O :) Steve hails from Brandon, Manitoba along with 1422's drummer, Denny. there are quite a few Canadians on the teams this year which is awesome! Steve is always there to liven up the mood whenever we get down on ourselves or if we have a bad practice. He is the first to say, yeah guys we really messed up that song, but is also the first to hand out compliments when we nail a song so Steve is our encouragement buddy!

Next, Rich Scott, Rhythm Guitar
-Rich's coolest feature has to be his middle name. He has the coolest middle name ever, WEBSTER! :) Being one of the oldest on our team, Rich is always there with the wisdom we need, but is also there having fun just like the rest of us. he is always there for an encouraging word, or the lyrics/dance moves to any 70's/80's or 90's tune :) We are so glad Rich is on our team and that he sacrificed leaving his family and girlfriend for a year! We love ya Rich!

Next, Jim Dernell, Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
-Aside from carrying a ginormous voice with an even ginormous-er range, Jim carries some powere on teh 6-string as well. not only does Jim have to learn lead for 25 songs, including one by Lincoln Brewster, he also has to sing lead on qutie a few of them. As if doing one or the other isn't hard enough, Jim has to do both, and he excels at them both too! We love Jim for his work ethic getting down the songs and the lead vocals parts and for the fact that he never complains about them! Plus, Jim can sing just about any song by journey, higher than Steve Perry can.

Next, Nicola Losik, Keyboard, Vocals
- Nicola Losik is a piano master. Also, aside from tickling the ivories, she also sings, and very well at that. We commonly refer to her as , the Glue, meaning her diverse keyboard play is really what brings the songs together. Without the keyboard in there, it really doesnt sound the same, so we are glad nicola is with us! Nicola posesses the sweet and gentle spirit that works well on our team because of how we are as individuals. Nicola is always there to give an encouraging word or a smile and will be indispensable on the road when we get tired and grumpy. Thanks Nicola!

Next, Ken Simerly, Sound, Vocals
-Michael Jackson + Steve Perry = Ken Simerly. Ken posesses the great dance moves of Michael Jackson with the amazing voice and vocal range of Steve Perry. Plus, he makes us all sound good form the soundboard. Ken is an integral part of our team not only for his knowledge of sound and electronics but the fact that he is a returning fulltimer means that he can also lead us on the road when we meet certain situations he can show us what worked well for his team last year, and in turn, what we may do this year on our team. We love KEN!

Finally, Aaron Briggs, Drums, Percussion
-Aaron hails form Spokane, Washington and is a multi-faceted musician. In addition to drums, he also plays guitar and bass, and actually tried out for CTI on those instruments but got the position on the drums. He is thankful to God for every moment he spends at CTI with friends, leaders, trainers and the like. He also hates speaking about himself in third person.

Well, its kinda long, but this is us! Team 1421!!!!!!!!!!

For now, GOD BLESS!!!!!
- Aaron

Practice concerts

~chris

And here's a recent 14:21 picture:

"You must complete your training..."

It’s been a week and a half here with CTI, and already I am exhausted. I haven’t put so much effort and been so deeply involved in something for… well, since last year’s CTI experience, but other than that, for a long time. I am really looking forward to diving in this year, and giving fully of myself not only in commitment to the program, but as completely as I can to God and what He has for me. Already He has been pruning and challenging me, getting to it right from the get go there, eh?! But I have been assured over and over again by those who have gone before that it IS worth it. So often I find I really don’t believe that when wagering obedience and devotion to our God. Hmm… Other than that, I think I am pretty set as far as musical challenges go for the year, Lincoln Brewster will have me practicing for the next five years to get that stinking solo. We have a heck of a team, and I am very excited to go out and to grow with them. We’ve got smarts (Carrie), wit (Kylie), sunshine (Nicola), insanity (Steve), wisdom (Rich), ease (Aaron),’I don’t know what you call that’ (Ken), maybe this can become the team name via acronym or something. SWSIWE – Idkwyct…(“I” for short)… oh what will we come up with? However, since this is indeed the first official blog of the year, all this chatter is simply the precursor to the message - training for CTI has begun and will continue, but this is only within the greater context of God's training for our hearts and lives throughout this year - indeed we must complete it!... and press on toward the goal as the year progresses, holding fast to the hope we have in Christ's saving work. Let's see how it unfolds...Day 1...

Meet the new crew!

Introducing CTI 14:21 '09-'10:

Music In Worship

Here is a video i put together over break, I hope you enjoy. Its a low quality so i could fit it on the blog, but its still worth it. -TaCo