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Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Day 5- Ignite Extravaganza
So I'm late on writing this blog (Sorry to Sean and all others who have been so vigilant in keeping up with the blog). Hopefully you can forgive me one day :)
The morning began with a debriefing on the weeks events with Chad and Levi at the church. We were able to share what part of the week had had an impact on us, and what all we were able to learn from the folks in Florida. It was great to hear from both Chad and Levi how much of an impact we were having for the kingdom (without us even realizing).
After a time of reflection and prayer about the week, we headed to FGCU campus to help set up for the big on campus event. Ignite brought a bunch of activities to the campus in order to engage students on campus. Some of the things that ignite brought included Lazer tag, soccer, corn hole, a rock climbing wall, jousting, etc. It was a blast connecting with students that we had met over the week as well as making new friends from the people who came by. By God's grace we had clear weather all day as well.
Once we packed up and headed off campus, we went to Chad's house to make burgers and fellowship with some of the students we had met (Shout out to Nikky, Michelle, Danielle) and debrief from the day. We ended with a great time in prayer that really brought the week home for us. Then we headed to our homes to get ready for part 2 of the day
Around 9:30 we headed back to campus to hang out at the freshman cafeteria (this was unusual because everything closes down around 9 or 10 in Florida. There aren't many things to do at night on the campus so this was a great opportunity to make new connecting points for ignite). It turned out to be a great success, so many people came and stayed past midnight! We shared stories, took pictures, ate pizza, and just lived life with people. Once it came time to leave, we were all so sad to leave all our new found friendships that we lingered til almost 1. None of us wanted this trip to end. Unfortunately we had to leave to go pack and get ready for our trip back to Texas. The flights went as planned and all made it back safely. Please pray for Kelly because she got sick the last day and is still not doing very well.
This is the end of the Florida Journey. Thank you for following and we might continue to update the blog as things come up in Austin that we have learned from the great people in Florida. We love you guys! All of you come visit!
Love,
Florida Team
The morning began with a debriefing on the weeks events with Chad and Levi at the church. We were able to share what part of the week had had an impact on us, and what all we were able to learn from the folks in Florida. It was great to hear from both Chad and Levi how much of an impact we were having for the kingdom (without us even realizing).
After a time of reflection and prayer about the week, we headed to FGCU campus to help set up for the big on campus event. Ignite brought a bunch of activities to the campus in order to engage students on campus. Some of the things that ignite brought included Lazer tag, soccer, corn hole, a rock climbing wall, jousting, etc. It was a blast connecting with students that we had met over the week as well as making new friends from the people who came by. By God's grace we had clear weather all day as well.
Once we packed up and headed off campus, we went to Chad's house to make burgers and fellowship with some of the students we had met (Shout out to Nikky, Michelle, Danielle) and debrief from the day. We ended with a great time in prayer that really brought the week home for us. Then we headed to our homes to get ready for part 2 of the day
Around 9:30 we headed back to campus to hang out at the freshman cafeteria (this was unusual because everything closes down around 9 or 10 in Florida. There aren't many things to do at night on the campus so this was a great opportunity to make new connecting points for ignite). It turned out to be a great success, so many people came and stayed past midnight! We shared stories, took pictures, ate pizza, and just lived life with people. Once it came time to leave, we were all so sad to leave all our new found friendships that we lingered til almost 1. None of us wanted this trip to end. Unfortunately we had to leave to go pack and get ready for our trip back to Texas. The flights went as planned and all made it back safely. Please pray for Kelly because she got sick the last day and is still not doing very well.
This is the end of the Florida Journey. Thank you for following and we might continue to update the blog as things come up in Austin that we have learned from the great people in Florida. We love you guys! All of you come visit!
Love,
Florida Team
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
DAY 5 - WAY TOO EARLY!
Here, hopefully, is a link to some pictures of our trip!
http://s999.photobucket.com/albums/af120/FtMyers2010/FT%20MYERS%202010/?action=view¤t=f92e66b9.pbw
http://s999.photobucket.com/albums/af120/FtMyers2010/FT%20MYERS%202010/?action=view¤t=f92e66b9.pbw
Day 4- "I got a feelin'... Woo Hoo!"
Today was a different day. Today we... Rested. On a mission trip. WHAT??
At first, a few of us who are very used to a busy life style, were slightly baffled at what to do with a day of rest on a 5 day mission trip. However, there were many lessons to be learned.
Lesson #1: Prayer
We woke up this morning with hopes to get to the beach at least once before we leave florida. Unfortunately, the weather forecast had been saying rain all week. So we had been praying for sunshine once we woke up. The clouds were here early that morning, yet gratefully (and after much prayer) the skied opened up and gave us beautiful sun for a few hours (the same hours we were on the beach). God is good when we are faithful
Lesson #2: In awe of His creations
At the beach, we were able to spend a long time just walking along the water edge, talking to people, laying in the sun, and collecting shells. We were all appreciative of the beautiful surroundings that the Lord had created for us to live in and enjoy. Although it was still a little chilly, we all had a moment of awe and wonder at the ocean in front of us or at the shells/coral that God created. It was good to slow down and simplify things for a while.
Lesson #3: Life is a mission trip
One of our fellow trippers asked how we could justify taking a day of rest on such a short trip. The boys on the trip tackled this question beautifully. One suggested that we shouldn't have to suffer or toil on a mission trip to bring God glory. Another suggested that we are doing exactly what we would be doing (missional living) back in ATX, so we won't lose that "mission trip high" because its the same lifestyle. Lastly, another person suggested that Life should be full of joy, and even God took a day of rest.
Lesson #4: Resting in Him
After our beach trip, the girls and guys split up (boys went to a bible study, girls when to pray with some Floridians for the campus) and then we met up to debrief and fellowship. We discussed the blessing that we had in this day of rest and how God showed up in ways that we weren't expecting. It was very encouraging to hear how people could see God moving on just another normal day. We ended by playing a few games and meditating on how great our God really is.
Psalms 46:10- "Be Still and Know that I am God. I am exalted in all the nations, I am exalted in all the earth"
Be Still. and Know.
Love,
The Floridian Texans
At first, a few of us who are very used to a busy life style, were slightly baffled at what to do with a day of rest on a 5 day mission trip. However, there were many lessons to be learned.
Lesson #1: Prayer
We woke up this morning with hopes to get to the beach at least once before we leave florida. Unfortunately, the weather forecast had been saying rain all week. So we had been praying for sunshine once we woke up. The clouds were here early that morning, yet gratefully (and after much prayer) the skied opened up and gave us beautiful sun for a few hours (the same hours we were on the beach). God is good when we are faithful
Lesson #2: In awe of His creations
At the beach, we were able to spend a long time just walking along the water edge, talking to people, laying in the sun, and collecting shells. We were all appreciative of the beautiful surroundings that the Lord had created for us to live in and enjoy. Although it was still a little chilly, we all had a moment of awe and wonder at the ocean in front of us or at the shells/coral that God created. It was good to slow down and simplify things for a while.
Lesson #3: Life is a mission trip
One of our fellow trippers asked how we could justify taking a day of rest on such a short trip. The boys on the trip tackled this question beautifully. One suggested that we shouldn't have to suffer or toil on a mission trip to bring God glory. Another suggested that we are doing exactly what we would be doing (missional living) back in ATX, so we won't lose that "mission trip high" because its the same lifestyle. Lastly, another person suggested that Life should be full of joy, and even God took a day of rest.
Lesson #4: Resting in Him
After our beach trip, the girls and guys split up (boys went to a bible study, girls when to pray with some Floridians for the campus) and then we met up to debrief and fellowship. We discussed the blessing that we had in this day of rest and how God showed up in ways that we weren't expecting. It was very encouraging to hear how people could see God moving on just another normal day. We ended by playing a few games and meditating on how great our God really is.
Psalms 46:10- "Be Still and Know that I am God. I am exalted in all the nations, I am exalted in all the earth"
Be Still. and Know.
Love,
The Floridian Texans
Day 3- "You know You My Fran"
Wow! What a day!
We had an ignite staff meeting (where we got Dunkin' Donuts... first time for some people) and then we went to the Summit Staff meeting. It was such a blessing to be a part of the movement that is happening here on FGCU. The staff spent a while sharing stories of success for the week and then prayed in depth about the things they wanted to see change or happen on the campus. Such an amazing experience to see grown men teary eyed and deep in prayer for the lost on the campus. It really had an effect on our team. Then we sang songs of praise to the Lord for the things that He has done and for the things He is going to do.
Next we traveled back to campus! We couldn't wait to get back and talk to the people we engaged with yesterday. We ate at the Perch again and then we went to pass out fliers for the big event that happening on campus (you'll have to wait until Thursday to hear all about that :) We ran into many of the same people we talked to on Monday, and it was easy to see that we were drawing a lot of attention (Texans? In Florida Gulf Coast University? On Spring Break??? Weird...) After handing out fliers for a few hours, we went out to eat (Red Robin.... Yummm) and then headed back to the church to help set up for their college night called Ignite (basically its similar to the 405 that we have at Hill Country Bible Church UT)
During Ignite, Levi got up and spoke about "Jesus Stories" or the parables that Jesus told. We read through Luke 14 and Levi spoke about how important it is to give God your whole heart. Our words, our actions, our resources, our time, it all means nothing if our heart isn't involved (and the heart is usually the hardest thing to give fully to God). He posed a few questions for us at the end:
1. How do you see people? Do you see them as souls, or just part of the scenery?
2. Where do we use our resources?
*** Levi used a great analogy about clothing. How much money do we spend on clothing that's original purpose was to protect us from the elements? How much time do we invest in our outer appearance?****
3. Is God low on our priority list?
4. Do we have an affection for God?
After Ignite, we all went to Dairy Queen (or as they called it, the "DQ") and spent some time in fellowship with the Igniters. They had to keep the Dairy Queen open 2 hours longer than they normally would in order to accommodate us (Everything here closes at 10 or earlier... its crazy). It was a blast!
Once we were done with the DQ, we went back to Sarah, Amanda, and Kelly's place in order to debrief and plan for the next day. We talked in depth about the questions that Levi had asked at Ignite, and how we could apply these things to our lives or bring them back to the UT campus.
All in All, it was a busy yet fulfilling day. "Be still and Know that I am God. I am exalted among all the nations. I will be exalted in all the earth" -Psalms 46:10. As we are getting weary and our strength is failing, we continue to lean on this verse to know that God is Lord, and He is in control of all that we do, and all that we are.
"He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
- Luke 10:47
In His Name,
Florida Team
We had an ignite staff meeting (where we got Dunkin' Donuts... first time for some people) and then we went to the Summit Staff meeting. It was such a blessing to be a part of the movement that is happening here on FGCU. The staff spent a while sharing stories of success for the week and then prayed in depth about the things they wanted to see change or happen on the campus. Such an amazing experience to see grown men teary eyed and deep in prayer for the lost on the campus. It really had an effect on our team. Then we sang songs of praise to the Lord for the things that He has done and for the things He is going to do.
Next we traveled back to campus! We couldn't wait to get back and talk to the people we engaged with yesterday. We ate at the Perch again and then we went to pass out fliers for the big event that happening on campus (you'll have to wait until Thursday to hear all about that :) We ran into many of the same people we talked to on Monday, and it was easy to see that we were drawing a lot of attention (Texans? In Florida Gulf Coast University? On Spring Break??? Weird...) After handing out fliers for a few hours, we went out to eat (Red Robin.... Yummm) and then headed back to the church to help set up for their college night called Ignite (basically its similar to the 405 that we have at Hill Country Bible Church UT)
During Ignite, Levi got up and spoke about "Jesus Stories" or the parables that Jesus told. We read through Luke 14 and Levi spoke about how important it is to give God your whole heart. Our words, our actions, our resources, our time, it all means nothing if our heart isn't involved (and the heart is usually the hardest thing to give fully to God). He posed a few questions for us at the end:
1. How do you see people? Do you see them as souls, or just part of the scenery?
2. Where do we use our resources?
*** Levi used a great analogy about clothing. How much money do we spend on clothing that's original purpose was to protect us from the elements? How much time do we invest in our outer appearance?****
3. Is God low on our priority list?
4. Do we have an affection for God?
After Ignite, we all went to Dairy Queen (or as they called it, the "DQ") and spent some time in fellowship with the Igniters. They had to keep the Dairy Queen open 2 hours longer than they normally would in order to accommodate us (Everything here closes at 10 or earlier... its crazy). It was a blast!
Once we were done with the DQ, we went back to Sarah, Amanda, and Kelly's place in order to debrief and plan for the next day. We talked in depth about the questions that Levi had asked at Ignite, and how we could apply these things to our lives or bring them back to the UT campus.
All in All, it was a busy yet fulfilling day. "Be still and Know that I am God. I am exalted among all the nations. I will be exalted in all the earth" -Psalms 46:10. As we are getting weary and our strength is failing, we continue to lean on this verse to know that God is Lord, and He is in control of all that we do, and all that we are.
"He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
- Luke 10:47
In His Name,
Florida Team
Monday, March 15, 2010
Day 2- The Campus
Hey to all!
Today was an amazing day in Fort Myers! So much happened that it'll be hard to talk about everything, but I will try to fit it in.
First, we met up with Chad and Levi to discuss Missional living and contextualization. By studying John 4 (the woman at the well) They taught us that's about learning how to meet people in the place they are in instead of trying to bring them into our world. Jesus met the woman and really got to know her. We are called to get to really know people well, and meet their needs. Chad also really pushed the idea that we can't force our own experiences on people. Not everyone has the same experiences and we can't expect them to learn about the Lord through our experiences only. This was a great lesson for our team and we really enjoyed it.
Next we went and took a tour of the campus. It was stunningly beautiful and we even got to see an alligator! We grabbed lunch in their student union (called "The Perch") and then we were sent out to meet some of the folks on campus. We began practicing engagement by talking to a lot of people on campus and really got to know some of them. We played frisbee, volleyball, and just hung out on the campus. We made ourselves available to hang out and talk, and everyone loved the "Texas people". We were happy to make a positive impression on the campus and can't wait to come back tomorrow!
Later we cooked spaghetti for dinner at Chad's house, and then had a debriefing session at Summit Church. We went over all that we learned today and how we can bring it back to UT to influence our people groups and our church. We are all very excited to get back to the campus tomorrow and continue engaging with all the wonderful people in Florida!
Love,
Florida Team
PS. SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW ALL THE PICTURES!!
Today was an amazing day in Fort Myers! So much happened that it'll be hard to talk about everything, but I will try to fit it in.
First, we met up with Chad and Levi to discuss Missional living and contextualization. By studying John 4 (the woman at the well) They taught us that's about learning how to meet people in the place they are in instead of trying to bring them into our world. Jesus met the woman and really got to know her. We are called to get to really know people well, and meet their needs. Chad also really pushed the idea that we can't force our own experiences on people. Not everyone has the same experiences and we can't expect them to learn about the Lord through our experiences only. This was a great lesson for our team and we really enjoyed it.
Next we went and took a tour of the campus. It was stunningly beautiful and we even got to see an alligator! We grabbed lunch in their student union (called "The Perch") and then we were sent out to meet some of the folks on campus. We began practicing engagement by talking to a lot of people on campus and really got to know some of them. We played frisbee, volleyball, and just hung out on the campus. We made ourselves available to hang out and talk, and everyone loved the "Texas people". We were happy to make a positive impression on the campus and can't wait to come back tomorrow!
Later we cooked spaghetti for dinner at Chad's house, and then had a debriefing session at Summit Church. We went over all that we learned today and how we can bring it back to UT to influence our people groups and our church. We are all very excited to get back to the campus tomorrow and continue engaging with all the wonderful people in Florida!
Love,
Florida Team
PS. SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW ALL THE PICTURES!!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Day 1- The Arrival
Day 1- we traveled lightly on our flights.
and we were greeted with warm delights.
The people here were very nice
They served coke and lots of ice.
We played some games and met some friends
we hoped this day would never end.
Unfortunately, its getting late
and tomorrow is an important date.
So for now, know that we are safe and sound
I hope this poem hasn't caused you to frown.
Good Night All. We will have more to tell after tomorrow. Sleep tight!
Sincerely,
The Amazing Florida Team
and we were greeted with warm delights.
The people here were very nice
They served coke and lots of ice.
We played some games and met some friends
we hoped this day would never end.
Unfortunately, its getting late
and tomorrow is an important date.
So for now, know that we are safe and sound
I hope this poem hasn't caused you to frown.
Good Night All. We will have more to tell after tomorrow. Sleep tight!
Sincerely,
The Amazing Florida Team
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