ON OUR WAY TO GETTYSBURG

Well the team went about Central Park yesterday and used the cards to talk with a lot of very interesting people. The Park is amazing and the most difficult part was finding people who spoke English. Afterwards we went to see Times Sqare and catch a meal. By the time we took the Staten Island Ferry to our vehicle and made it back to the hotel, it was almost three a.m.! We are all blurry eyed and have a 6 hour drive ahead of us. However, we are still excited. We have tons of interviews to put into the computer, however our modem is giving us trouble. I am on a borrowed computer at the hotel. Please be patient, we are hoping to have the records in after Gettysburg.

By His blood and our words

Sunday night we had the chance to go to the Apostles church in New York City. While we were there we had a time of worship. One of the songs that we sang had a portion in it that went, "We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Everyone overcome." That part of the song has been playing through my head yesterday and today, so I took some time to pray it through. As I was praying, I realized that in that one line of a song, the author had summed up the entire purpose of our being on this missions trip. God has called us to overcome the world. How are we doing that? We are spending time daily in an intensive discipleship course and in other studies as well. Through this, we are striving toward a stronger relationship with Him. It is through that relationship with Him that we are going out in the knowledge of His mercy and grace to evangelize. How are we evangelizing? By the blood of the Lamb-sharing how Jesus loved us enough to die for us- and by the word of our testimony- sharing the amazing effect God has had in our lives. Ultimately we know that it is God who draws sinners to repentance. However, by sharing what He has done in my life, I am realizing how grateful I am for my relationship with God, and I want others to know the same powerful God that is now living in me. We begin our first day of witnessing in New York tomorrow. My prayer is that God will give us the strength to overcome what awaits us all for His glory!

-Jessica Eubank

Busy Streets

Today I got up way earlier than I needed to, so it gave me some time to think about some stuff. Last night we all got on the subway and we got to walk around queens... The streets were busy, crowded, and just full of people. Seeing so many people makes you remember just how great God is. God not only sees all the people in the world, He knows them by name. He knows how many hairs are on their head, what their struggles are, He knows their heart, and most importantly He wants them to know Him too. So as we walk around New York today and talk to as many people as we can, pray for us. Pray that we realize how much God loves all these people and know how to show them that love.
-Amber

Apostles Church

Today, we arrived in NY. We settled into out hotel and headed to Apostles Church NYC. We took the subway and it took two hours to get there, but it was an interesting experience. We parked Albatross (the van) in Queens and caught the subway there.
Church was amazing!! Worship was awesome and the teaching was great in the very tall cathedral-looking church. The church was beautiful. I think it was built in the 1700s... or something like that. It was old.
J.R. Vassar (the head pastor) was out of town, which bummed me out at first, but the guy who taught was soo good. I'm really glad that we made it in time for church... We got there right when it started.
They had a reading from the Bible before the teaching started, and I thought this was a little odd at first, but I actually really liked it. They also had communion a bit different than I'm used to. It was a lot like Catholic communion except they said, "his body was broken for you" when we got the elements of communion. It was so cool.
I'm thankful for the worship and teaching time today... It was much needed. Tomorrow we head out to Ellis Island to sight see and then we will go witness in Central Park. Please pray.

-Nea

A Precious Couple

Today Dorothy and I met with a couple at a very trying time in life. He has just been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of cancer that the doctors say will take his life in a matter of weeks. He had just learned this diagnosis last Thursday. This in addition to being estranged from his son made his trip to the beach one of intensive reflection. God lead us to this encounter and we talked for the better part of an hour. They were wonderful and honest, neither professing a faith in God. We explained how God loves them, has done all to save them and is the source of hope and peace. After our visit we prayed together and exchanged hugs. In interest of their privacy I won't share their names but please pray for this precious couple in New Jersey. God is faithful.

Street witnessing does work

Before this trip, I always thought that street witnessing was an ineffective way to give the gospel. The whole idea of it just seemed ridiculous to me. I mean, telling complete strangers that they need Jesus or else they are going to hell sounded like a really bad way to reach people. However, I've been street witnessing on the Jersey Shore and I've realized that most people are open to have deep conversations on things like life after death, the nature of man, and the purpose of life. People are searching for a purpose and for meaning in their lives, and they are willing to hear my opinion on these pressing issues. I've been telling people about Jesus, the only one who can save us and give purpose to our lives. I've been sharing the hope that is in me to everyone who asks, with meekness and fear! (1 Peter 3:15)

-Nea

Boring, Boring, and then there was Yoga guy!

Today we were witnessing as is usual, we used different teams today, it was me and Amber instead of me and Daniel. Me and Amber were having some boring experiences it seemed like nobody was interested in what we had to say after they had given us their belief. we finished up with this lady, and she didn't really have much to say to us. We talked to each other about how the conversation had really been dead, we then decided the next person we came up to would be further questioned on just exactly what it was they believed. We walk just a little bit further and see this guy, tons of tattoo's which were awesome, but my nerve's got to me so I walked a little more sideways. Amber then insisted we talk to him. We turned and walked up to him, then started talking to him, he agreed to give us his time and we began to give him the question's. He gave us his first card which was polytheism. The man then began to tell us he was a yoga instructor and very delved in it's philosophies, me and Amber welcomed the opportunity then something crazy began to happen, I would converse with him on what cards he was picking and Amber would suddenly pop out with these crazy challenging questions. I was amazed at his friendliness even to the challenging questions. We were finishing up and I asked if he wanted us to pray for him, he indirectly said no, but I felt like I should anyway disregarding his decision I prayed for him (Haha...oops). Me and Amber talked with him for nearly 50 minutes! He was an awesome guy but he needed some direction so please everyone who reads this pray that God would give him direction.

Light and Darkness

It's day 4 and God is already doing amazing things! I have learned so much about myself and how God can use me. The past two days we have been in Ocean Grove N.J. at Bridge Fest. Ocean Grove is only about a square mile and it seemed that just about everyone is already saved. It is a beautiful community and when I walk along the streets it seems so peaceful. Next to Ocean Grove is a small town called Asbury. Separating the two towns is an old casino that has been turned into a walkway along the beach. Today as we were out talking to people a couple of team members and I noticed that when in Ocean Grove our spirits seemed calm and peaceful; however, once we crossed into Asbury something changed and we could feel it in our spirit. It was the weirdest feeling I have ever had! A couple of people I talked to in Asbury told me that I might not want to waste my time talking to them, that there are more religious people in Ocean Grove. It made me really sad to think that these people did not believe they were worth my time. This made me think of  Matthew 9:12 

"When Jesus heard this, he said, 'Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do.' " 

While in Ocean Grove Jessica and I had the opportunity to talk with two lovely ladies who are Christians and prayed over us. They were actually the first people we approached on the tour. It was really encouraging that these ladies took time out of their day to pray over us. 

Tomorrow we leave N.J. and are heading to N.Y. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travel and the God will give us boldness to share His word! 

-Kristen

Amazing Witness Tool

So going flatfoot witnessing can feel dangerous, but it has been a blast! The cards have been terrific. All of the team is getting in great discussions with all kinds of wonderful people from diverse backgrounds. We went along the boardwalk in Asbury park and today we are gong to try the beach in Ocean Grove. God is faithful to provide divine appointments and the team has been faithful to share scripturally. You can join the project by going through the cards at whatdoyoubelieveamerica.com and clicking the WDYBA Cards button. Let us know what you think!

12 people + 1 elevator = bad idea

Today we arrived in Hazlet, New Jersey. We settled in and worked on our video that should be finished tomorrow.
We were in the lobby and decided to work on the video in room. So, we all started packing into the elevator. We were going to take two trips, but Pastor Shaun and nearly everyone else thought that it would be fun to fit all twelve of us inside the elevator at once. The weight limit was 2000 pounds, and we only weighed a 1887 pounds! We all joked about how awful it would be if we got stuck..
The door closed and a few seconds later we realized that the elevator wasn't moving. Pastor Shaun tried pushing the "open door" button, but nothing happened. We all began to laugh nervously as we realized that we were stuck. We began to freak out a little bit as about a minute went by. It was hot and extremely stuffy in the elevator. This created a nightmare for us, and for those who are claustrophobic, it created a horror story.
At that point, Danny prayed and asked for comfort. It calmed me down. The power of prayer never ceases to amaze me! Soon after that, the door opened and we were released from the sauna we had created. I'm so thankful that we were not trapped for a longer amount of time!
Tomorrow, we will officially begin our ministry at Bridgefest (although, we did minister and use "the game" in Baltimore, which was amazing!!). Please continue to pray for the team.

-Nea

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Baltimore, Washington International."

3am Wake up
4:30 get to Airport
6 depart
11am land in Baltimore Washington area
12:30 check into hotel
2pm eat at Chipotle
3pm return to hotel for books.
4:30pm arrive at Starbucks to practice role playing witnessing
5:10pm unexpected Witnessing begins
5:30-7:45pm witness to more than ten people!
8pm leave Starbucks
9pm debrief in park
9:30pm arrive at wal-mart
10pm eat dinner
10:30 begin posting and getting ready for bed
11pm go to sleep?
We've only just begun.

Two awesome guys

So today when me and charlie were at starbucks practicing with our evangelism cards, we decided to talk to these two guys that were speaking some other language. We later found out that they were Turkish and that they were very VERY responsive to our questions. So me and Charlie kept at it and they accepted what we had to say and took our prayer cards. We were surprised that they were open to what we had to say. All in all, they were awesome guys. Please pray that the lord continues to open hearts and minds and that he gives us the words to speak and that people wil be responsive.

Daniel G.

Day 1!

Just about done with the first time! Oh my what a day starting at 3:00 a.m. and now ending at 10:00 p.m. and still have a few weeks to go! Really the high light of today was going to Starbucks and using the "Moment of Truth" cards. At first it was hard getting used to the cards, but watching Pastor Shaun talking with a few people was really encouraging! After Starbucks we went to the park and talked about what we think we are hoping for this trip. I am really looking forward to see what God has in store for the next few weeks. Tomorrow is to New Jersey so hoping to get some good rest. God Bless!
-Jacob Colby Robbins

Greetings From Baltimore

Day One complete. We arrived in Baltimore, Maryland for the first leg of our tour. Praise be unto God for a safe (yet turbulence filled) flight and for provision for a van that fits us all and our luggage. We also had our first chance at outreach today, which was completely Providential. WE ended up at a Starbucks to practice the cards we would be using for evangelism, but ended up encountering people ready to hear the Gospel.
We are headed to New Jersey tomorrow and would appreciate your prayers for traveling mercies and Divine appointments.
-Frank Joseph Espinosa II

Frantic Offerings

~Shaun Gibson~
OK so we a little more than a day out and things are a little frantic. This trip is looking awesome! We are finalizing the webpage which will have an interactive "game" that allows you to pick cards that represent your perspective on six powerful questions. Each time the game is played it will record the results and hopefully allow people to view anyones responses. The team has a physical version of the "game" as a deck of cards which we will use to dialogue with people we meet. In additon we have been working on a civil war era bible and newspaper that we will use while working with the U.S. Christian Commission.
Making final arranglements, going through checklists, and packing gear, it is all a little crazy! Yet in all the commotion, we know that God is in control and this is His trip. We are simply the tools in His hands. May He be glorified even in our frantic offerings.

Lights, Camera, Generosity that saves.

Everything has a cost. In order to clear up any misconceptions in the future: we did not pay a church or an organization to do this. We paid for our own way and nothing more. We have a budget and we live by that budget the whole trip. This budget was figured by preliminary pricing and estimated costs, being said each team member was required $2360. It isn't terrible for 3 weeks at $4 a gallon. Paying for this became a little tricky.

One month ago I owed 1900 on this trip not bad no stress.

2 weeks ago I owed 1200 OK start stressing

2 days a go I owed $400 and I had peace

It was strange having peace in such a tight situation but then I think about how God has done the impossible before through incredible circumstance. only through God did David take down a giant. Through God, Joshua tore down the walls of a huge city just by shouting. through God, two years a go when I did the first trip, without any large donation I received $3000 in my hands to experience the first trip...The impossible became possible in all these situations. There are only 12 team members, but through God was an incredible contribution through so many people, we consider "partners" in seeing the will of God go forth. We as a team thank everybody that made some kind of sacrifice to see this happen.

We are just one day away from: imperative action in the kingdom of God, incredible conversation, significant impact, life-changing memories, heart breaking reality, amazing testimony, and Jesus using 12 clay pieces to start the revelation of His Son stirring within the souls of men. It was through generosity that God made this possible. Thank you to everyone for your being a part in such an epic event and please as we prepare and go out, keep us under six feet of prayer.

~Charles A. Chavez~

Do not fear!

We are almost there! So excited! Its crazy to think about - awhile back, I made up my mind to start saving some money for a road trip I wanted to plan out. Now, jumping ahead about two years, I still haven't gone or even planned out the road trip, however I did have the money saved. Then, the opportunity arose up for this "Moment of Truth" tour. At first, I was a little fearful, but with the help of asome advice from a few folks, I made up my mind. I was going on a mission trip! Now that we are leaving soon, nerves are getting tense and the fearfulness I had felt came back again. Then, just the other day I heard this from my dad. Throughout the Bible, God said, "Do not fear" 365 times. Now if you didn't catch it, that is once for each day of the year. Now, that is intersting! God must have meant it if He said it that much. So yes this is nerve-racking, but I am far more excited for what is in store for us! See you on the road!

-Jacob

God is with us

"With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land.

Job 12:13-15

God brought these verses to my attention today, and He showed me that He is mighty and if He wants to do something nothing is in His way.

I get nervous thinking about all the things we are going to be doing in the next three weeks and all the people we are gonna share the gospel with. It's going to be a challenge for me to approach those people, but these verses really give me comfort.

God is more powerful than we can even comprehend, nothing stops Him, and the works of His hand are righteous and great.

So, even though we aren't powerful in ourselves, God is, and He is for us.

-Amber

From whence comes my help?

I came across a passage in my devotional reading the other day, and as the chaos of leaving in only two days begins to set in, I have constantly been reminded of this chapter. It has been such an encouragement as I begin to step out of my comfort zone, and I would like to share it with you. It comes from Psalm 121.

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.... The Lord shall preserve you from all evil: He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and forevermore." (Psalm 121:1-2, 7-8)

I am trusting that as it is the Lord who has called me to go on this trip, it will be the Lord who preserves me and helps me through the butterflies that have taken up residence in my stomach. I am excited about conducting this tour, and cannot wait to see what happens as we discover what worldviews other people hold.

-Jessica Eubank

"Though He Slay Me...

In preparation for the trip we as a team have been engaged in an Intensive Discipleship Study (heavy emphasis on the Intensive). Part of that study requires us to read large portions of the bible every day. This week we are reading in Job. To those who don’t know the story of Job it goes like this. Job was a righteous man who was blessed tremendously by God (See Job 1:1-3). God knew that Job was an upright man and declared it to Satan, who answered God by saying the only reason Job loved God was because God had blessed him with a good life. So God allowed Satan to torment Job by taking everything he held dear to him; including his family, his livestock, his servants, and even his health, but Job still would not curse God. Then Job’s “friends” came to him and gave him some terrible advice telling him to repent or curse God, yet even still Job remained blameless. That’s where we find this verse:

Why should I take my flesh in my teeth

And put my life in my hands?

“Though He slay me,

I will hope in Him.

Nevertheless I will argue my ways before Him.

- Job 13: 14-15 NASB

In less than two days we will begin our incredible adventure. We have a lot that seems uncertain and daunting, but I have a God who I can trust in. And even if He slay me, still I will hope in Him.

-Frank Joseph Espinosa II

Paralyzed By Fear

Hello everyone!

Today I was reminded of a story that someone told me a long time ago. It is about a man who died and when he got to heaven he saw hundreds of thousands of people standing before him. At the front of the crowd stood Jesus, ready to greet the man as he entered heaven. The man stood in awe of how many people were before him. He looked over to Jesus and asked, “Are these all the people I helped to save?” Jesus replied, “No, these are all the people you could have helped save, but you were too afraid to do anything.”

When I first heard this story it hit me like a ton of bricks! How many times have I been too afraid to talk to someone about Jesus and His love for us? My fear is that one day I am going to be that man because I let my fear paralyze me. Often times I have been afraid that I will not know what to say, or people will not take be seriously because I am young.

As the time to leave on the tour approaches I pray that God will give everyone on the team boldness to speak to people. I know that when the time comes for us to talk to people, God will give us the words to speak.

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.” Jeremiah 1:6-9

~Kristen~

God loves us!

Hello all! I just wanted to share a little bit of what I have learned while studying different world religions. So far, we have completed lessons on Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It has been enlightening to see how different their gods or ultimate realities are compared to the God of the Bible.

In Islam, Allah is regarded as The Harmer (Al-Darr), The Bringer of Death (Al-Mumit), and The Most Proud one (Al-Mutakabbir). This greatly contrasts what the Bible says about God who loves so much that he sent His only Son to save us (Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us").

Hindus believe that "The gods are indifferent; they do not love people or care about their problems."As with Hindus, Buddhists believe that "'God', or ultimate reality, is an impersonal and abstract void." Joshua 1:9 says, "For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" and I Peter 5:7 says, "cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."

After studying the nature of these religion's deities, I am greatly comforted that my God is compassionate and loving. How awesome is it to know that the God of the universe has eternal love for us!

I am thankful for this eye-opening study and can't wait for the trip. We leave in four days! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to depart on this three week mission.

-Nea

Haman, Jesus, You and Love/hate.

~Charles A. Chavez~
Have you ever found yourself hating someone? hatred is easy to acquire but when it grows it consumes all that you are. Haman began his campaign against the Jews after his anger had grown. His anger became so strong he couldn't focus. God loves people so for us to Hate those who God loves we have become an antonym of God. in Romans it says "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" It bears a lot of weight because if God loved us so much to die for people shouldn't we in our affection for God, love people? I used to think christianity was all about God and People, but in the past few months that has majorly changed. I realized christianity is all about Jesus. The sacrifice we must make because we love him who first loved us.
In philemon it says:
"Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, Jesus, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
God loved us so much he made the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus, himself told us this was the greatest sacrifice for love he could make. He said "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." it is because Jesus was so radical about us, that we are so radical about Him. Paul says "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." for these next three weeks we have to be love because without it were really not going to be loving Jesus. Our goal is to be a synonym not an antonym of Jesus because we as humans have a desire to be like those we love. Hell is a real threat to these people Jesus understood that. We need to grasp the fact that we are clay trying to be like the potter. it is impossible for us to be Jesus but not for us to be like Him. Pray for us as we do this, we wouldn't want to, in our own desires, be an antonym of jesus or a reproof to those who do not know him. So as we begin our journey Can I challenge you to begin yours? Lets love Jesus together. I challenge anyone who reads this to consider whether they themselves are an antonym of Jesus. Then take the easiest option; change, because the only alternative is hell.

4 days left

Welp, it's gettin close, and the Lord is really crackin down. We are learning so much about world religions, I thought this little exert about Buddhism was interesting

"There are ten commandments for monks, with four of them matching those of the bible, plus 251 precepts, and 227 regulations. There are also 3 praiseworthy acts, the 4 places of pilgrimage, the 5 obstacles, the 6-fold duty of a monk, 7 kinds of wealth, 8 causes of the earthquake, 9 types of person, 10 objects of contemplation, and 11 kinds of happiness. A Buddhist will encounter there as he or she progress through the thirty-one planes of existence. Does Buddhist doctrine confuse you? It should! Part of Buddhism's appeal is that it doesn't make rational sense, which gives it a mystical quality that draws in spiritually hungry people. The contradictions and confusion in this and all false religions are a natural result of their not being inspired by the one true God."

Please pray for all the people in the world that are lost and don't know the ONE TRUE God. And also for everyone on the team, that God gives us the words and knowledge to talk about these things with lost people.
Daniel

EL-ROI "The Strong One Who Sees"

-Frank Joseph Espinosa II

We are just under a week away from heading out. At this time next week we will be on the ground in Baltimore, beginning this great adventure set before us. Every emotion from exuberance, to apprehension, to pure awe is running through my mind, and rightly so from a natural perspective. We are leaving the comforts of our calm, New Mexican lifestyle and entering into the most populated, diverse, and just plain daunting part of the entire country, all to share with, what could be hostile, people, who our God is. It's a pretty intimidating task, IF we forget just who our God is.

“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’ ”
“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,
And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
I stretched out the heavens with My hands
And I ordained all their host.
-Isaiah 45:9-12 NASB


God has been showing me lately a simple truth that we often forget as Christians. HE IS SOVEREIGN. Our God reigns supreme in every aspect of our lives; including this trip. Whether it's financially, socially, or anything in between God has his mighty hand directing our path before we even embark. When we truly understand that the God of the universe is sovereign this trip doesn't seem so daunting.

Keep checking up on us, as we get ready to leave, and most importantly KEEP PRAYING FOR US. I know God will do amazing things on this trip and am uber-exited that He has allowed me to be used to glorify the great and awesome Name of our God.

" For if you keep silent...."

Hello everyone!

We are going through the book of ester in our study right now, and as I was reading it this morning this verse stuck out to me:

"For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Est 4:14 I think this verse really shows why I chose to go on this trip. God can reach the lost out there without our help, He doesn't depend on us, but yet he still tells us to go out and reach those lost. Its amazing that God would give us the opportunity to be used by Him in sharing the gospel and to see people saved, so why wouldn't we want to use that opportunity?

Please pray that our team would just have boldness, and that we would remember that it is a gift from The Lord that we get to be used by Him "for a time such as this".

Amber

Time, Love, Fear...

Hey Charles here,
We are one week away from the trip and I know for me personally the words: excitment, Nervous, Joy, fear, stress, preparation, all synonyms of what's going on in each and every team member. This kind of anxiety is a good one, it's only healthy for us to feel emotion like this. Three weeks across the east coast, not knowing what's in store for us, it's quite the endeavor and we covet your prayers. We want to be representatives of Jesus. A kingdom minded group whose heart really in the same way as God is for people. we don't want to get into arguements that produce no repentance or time of contemplation; nor do we want someone to frown on Jesus because of our inequity. So if you would pray that we would be good examples of Jesus: slow to anger, quick to listen, bold as lions, innocent as doves. We have been doing a study on world religons and as we've gone through Islam and Hinduism our hearts ache for the lost more and more. Pray that we would really shake peoples worlds afterall that's really what were going to do; shake the foundations of peoples faith. It's eternity we're dealing with and our eyes really need to be opened to that. 1Cr 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified
-CAC