7holycrap Orphanage Trips

Nepal Update – Tomorrow is looking good America!

Good morning from Nepal! This morning, Yolanda said something and I referred back a conversation Jesus had with the disciples. She said, “now today is Monday and it is still Sunday night back home.” Simple enough, but I thought of Matthew 6:34 that says…
34 “So don ‘t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
When God tells us not to worry about tomorrow, He isn’t saying it because he lives in the same “time zone” that we are in. Many times we forget that God is already in tomorrow (as we are in Nepal and you are in America) and can see what is coming.
So I can tell you that your tomorrow is going to be great. 🙂 haha
Notice too that the scripture does not say there will be NO trouble in tomorrow, but only to rely and trust in His provision, as stated in the verses previous to 34. Worry is something that can affect everyone and anyone. I remember when I was going through my physical stuff and I would worry so much about tomorrow that I would allow the devil to steal the joy of my today. We are either listening to God and the authority of his Word or our finite flesh with all its trappings. Choose today to keep your eyes on your today combined with your mind on God’s Word. A winning combination that will ensure you have the kind of tomorrow that God desires for you; one that is trusting wholly in Him.

Today we leave for the Nepal/Tibet boarder to do more dental and eyeglass ministry. Not sure how much Internet connection we will have up there but will do updates when we can. Again, thanks for praying and blessings!

7holycrap Orphanage Trips

Thanks for the prayers! The orphan supplies made it!

You will notice the notes we added to the suit cases for people to not steal our supplies. You never know who is in your bags when you are traveling overseas. 🙂 Notes to thieves combined with prayer makes all the difference in the world!

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7holycrap Orphanage Trips

Nepal Orphanage update! First day of our clinic

Greetings from Nepal!!

We had a great day yesterday doing dental work along with handing out some eye glasses. Our kids did awesome considering the fact that they had never seen a dentist before in their entire lives. I know for me it is always an “interesting” experience when I go to the dentist back in the states (and I don’t mean it is enjoyable – haha) Today we are doing dental and glasses for a school in the area and then packing up to get ready to head to the Nepal / Tibet boarder for help in the village there. God is doing great things and thanks for continuing to pray!!

This morning I was reading in 1 Samuel 7 where Samuel was talking to the people of Israel about requirements for following God and dealing with idols in their lives. This is what it says;
1 Samuel 7:3-4
3 Samuel spoke to the whole community of Israel. He said, “Do you really want to return to the LORD with all your hearts? If you do, get rid of your strange gods. Get rid of your statues of goddesses that are named after Ashtoreth. Commit yourselves to the LORD. Serve him only. Then he will save you from the powerful hand of the Philistines.”
4 So the people of Israel PUT AWAY their statues of gods that were named after Baal. They PUT AWAY their statues of goddesses named after Ashtoreth. They served the LORD only.

Are you PUTTING AWAY your idols that you put in front of God or DESTROYING them? Those are two different foundations to serve God from. In verse 4, it says they served the LORD only.
We can still be serving God today but have idols that we have not destroyed or hidden for when we want to honor our flesh and not God. When you get rid of something you are saying that you don’t want to rely on it anymore. When you “put away” an idol you are essentially saying, “God you are awesome…but if this thing goes crooked with following you then I have a back up plan”. Right now in Nepal is one of the big Hindu festivals and there are plenty of physical “idols” around town that people are worshipping and sacrificing to. In America, it is much more subtle but still as deadly. Don’t mistake the difference with putting something away in your life and destroying it. God is worthy to be praised, followed and honored in all circumstances and will take care of those who destroy everything else in their life that can bring a false sense of security, which is the primary definition of an idol.

7holycrap Orphanage Trips

We made it to Nepal!!

Today we got up and had a delicious breakfast at our hotel and (of course) Masalla Tea, which is one of my favorite beverages on the planet. We went to church today and it never ceases to amaze me how much the Napali people worship/love God. Coming to church is actually one of my favorite experiences because it helps put into perspective not just American overindulgence economically, but American UNDER-indulgence Spiritually back home. This is one of the best reasons to go on a missions trip and really experience God from a Spiritual “world-view.” The funny thing is that its not really about “loving and worshiping Jesus” like a Nepalese. It’s the seeking of God with the same wreak-less abandon that looks past the distractions of life. The love and care of the “church body” in Nepal is amazing and I love watching the team we brought experiencing God in a different way than they are used to. More adventures to follow including setting up the clinic today and working on the eyes and teeth of the orphans. Tune in for more updates and thanks for praying!!

7holycrap Orphanage Trips

T-Minus 3hours 15 Minutes

I am typing this post from my home computer before we leave for Nepal tonight.  Everything is packed and we are ready to roll!  Please be praying for protection as we travel as well as no sickness or lost bags on the flight over for the next 2.5 days of flights through three country’s.  Thanks so much to everyone who gave in some way financially, vitamins, scarves etc. for the kids.  We totally appeciate it and know it is all going to help build the Kingdom!!  Thanks and let the journey/adventure begin!!

7holycrap Orphanage Trips

Nepal May trip update

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Well we are in Nepal again and it has been another wonderful trip. We had great flights on Qatar Airlines (definitely recommended if flying in this part of the world) and it was only 26 hours of flight time which was the shortest of the three trips we have made over here. If anyone knows anything about Nepal they know that the government has “challenges” which is an understatement. There is going to be a bandh tomorrow and Monday which is where groups of people that are protesting the current government shut down the city traffic and force all the shops in the city to close down. We have really been working hard to get the majority of our shopping for orphanage supplies done the first couple of days to avoid the shutdowns around the city. So far for me this trip has been about perspective and my life back in the states. Everyone in the US will admit that the past few years we have undergone some pretty serious problems with our economy and just the government fighting and not getting a lot done no matter if you are democrat or republican. Here, it is just absolutely insane. The country has 7 days left to write and ratify a constitution for all the people, and opposing people groups are shutting down entire cities because they don’t like what is going on. The people here live in abject poverty yet these party’s find time to strike and not make income to support their families and the government in general. Things like this would NEVER happen in America and it is something that helps me be thankful for what we do have back home. What we have is not a perfect system but we don’t have the level of disorganization like what is happening over here every day.
It was also refreshing to go to an all Napoli church today and not understand a blessed thing that was said except for “Jesus” occasionally. 🙂 It helped me to gain a perspective of/for people who come to my home church who don’t speak English and how they feel. I can now understand that there would definitely be a greater emphasis on the worship/music because they could recognize the melody and sing the songs in their language.
The passion that people have for God in church is so unreal. I do believe that the US church has people who genuinely love God, but when the church here gets done singing an old 80’s song like “Lord I Lift Your Name On High” and then break into open worship for about 5 solid minutes it is no contest in comparison with America. I have always wondered what the difference is from foreign lands to America and I really feel it has to do with distractions and not quieting ourselves and letting God reveal himself in deeper ways. We get distracted with things we can’t control (work, sickness, family issues, etc) but also with things we can control (tv, music, entertainment, etc) It is so refreshing to get re-calibrated over here as well as spending time with these kids we love so much.
Tonight we get to buy the kids pizza and play some games with them. With all the crap going on with the government the next couple of days we get to spend more time with the kids because they will not be in school so that is one plus. More updates to come!

7holycrap Uncategorized

A great story of provision that’s not just about my iphone 4 :)

I have been wanting an iphone 4 for quite a while and have learned recently that the more I “push” for something that I want the more God provides the resistance I need to keep me in check (which sucks sometimes but is necessary for good ol Bri).  The journey to my iphone 4 starts with me talking with my Dad about helping me buy an unlocked iphone for our orphanage manager in Nepal.  Our manager had mentioned that he would like one and was willing to give me money to buy one for him but I wanted to be a blessing to him.  My dad agreed to help me out and I started to search craigslist for a good deal on a nice 3gs.  It was like the more I pushed the crappier the deals on craigslist got.  I could not find any phones within the price point I was looking for.  I finally just prayed (too bad this ends up being the end and not the beginning sometimes) about finding a phone for Emanuelle (our manager). My friend Scott said he and his brother had 2 3GS phones that I could have for a really cheap price (within my budget) and they are on there way here as I type this blog.  For a point of reference, when the Playstation 2 came out many moons ago my friend Scott bought me one and surprised me one Christmas as well as giving me an old skool XBox back in the day and bought me my first Sony PSP.  Needless to say, he has been an amazing blessing to me in a way that may seem stupid to some people because these are “things” but to a pastor not making great money through the years, it was a great thing to have these blessings in my life and Scott knows that I appreciated each of them including the iphones this week.

During this time, I had been saving money to put towards an iphone 4 eventually but saw the ridiculous prices on craigslist.  During all of this I had a conversation with my friend Eliphaz and I was teasing him about always having what he wanted and he told me something that really changed my perspective on God’s blessing and favor in my life.  He said that God had always provided for him and that he was not nervous about God supplying all his needs (including a desire to have cool electronics) 🙂 I know that seems like such a simple principle, but it was something I needed to hear at the perfect time.  I took the same attitude with my iphone 4.  An amazing phone, but I wanted it to be God’s timing and not be a mental distraction like “things” can be so often in our lives.  Technology is my challenge to keep in check in my life but we each have things that we maybe try and “keep from God and manage for him” which is wrong.  When we come to the place of surrendering our desires to God we actually have more provision than we know what to do with.  So back to my iphone story.  I found a guy on craigslist who would trade me my 3gs (thanks again Christy) for an iphone 4 and some additional money that I had saved.  We met today and it was awesome.  We ended up sitting for about 45 minutes and I got to talk to him about God, pray over his phone business and invite him to church.  He not only gave me a better phone with 8 months left on a warranty but also a case for the phone.  Of the 2 phones my friend Scott is sending me (thanks again Phillip and Scott) one is going to be a blessing to our manager in Nepal and the other will be hopefully sold to help Yoli buy her iphone at the end of the year. 🙂 The motivation for all these stories in this blog is about God’s provision and not the provision I was seeking in my life.  In all of this, we were able to have money to pay for new blinds downstairs in our house, a phone for our manager in Nepal, extra money to save (staying within the budget we set for all these things) and I got an iphone 4 with a case and 8 months left on a warranty.

All I have to say is WOW and thank God for his provision and blessing in my life.  Again, I know this is a story about “things” but I can see the hand of God so clearly through all of this situation.  So remember to always let God have control of ALL areas of your life including desires that YOU think God doesn’t really care about.  Things” in life are not wrong when those desires  are surrendered to God so he can give the multiplied provision.

7holycrap Jesus thoughts, Life Lessons

The end of the world…or is it?

I was reading 2 Thessalonians 2 for my devotions this am and was thinking about all the “end times” talk that we hear from time to time. There is a billboard on Broadway that has a self proclaimed prophet who says that he knows when the end of the world will be and that the tribulation has already started. This blog is not to talk about whether I think he is wrong or not (although I do believe differently) but more the fascination with trying to predict when Jesus will return. First, I think trying to predict the end of it all is a waste of time. 2 Thessalonians and even other sections of the Bible says that no one will know the exact day but can see the seasons changing. I do agree that there are many things pointing towards a one world government for example. Look at the disaster in Japan and the effect it is having on the global market including Toyota car production even here in the US which says it will have to cut back or suspend some cars for now. Look at the debt we operate in around the globe and our gas prices that are so connected to the oil production of countries experiencing unrest right now.
The bigger question to me is what is the motivation of people who claim to know the end of the world? Some are just plain crazy. That has been proved over time and has had some disastrous consequences. Some people are possibly so dissatisfied with life that they want to know the end of it all just to get it over with. I know when I went through my eye stuff and had thoughts of suicide I really didn’t care about living anymore. Other people use it as spiritual manipulation to get people to convert to Christianity which I think is also wrong. The people who follow God the best and make the best spiritual decisions are the ones who have come to the end of themselves and have no more answers inside and have to look to a loving God who wants to fill that God shaped hole in their heart. Not ones who are motivated or operate in fear and just “don’t want to go to hell.”
I want to live my life everyday to the fullest whether I live to be 100 or I die tomorrow or the world ends in 2012 🙂 I want my life to be a reflection of the love of Christ and I want to see people through God lenses. So don’t waste your time on this earth looking to see when it will all end. There are going to be “wars and rumors of wars” like it says in the bible but we need to be focused on Christ and who he can be in our lives. If you don’t have a real relationship with Jesus I encourage you to find a good bible believing church this Easter and listen to the message about how a loving God sent his son to die for your sins. Let the “end” be to the things you used to do to gratify your flesh and start living for a higher purpose. God created you, he loves you and you have the ability to be everything this world needs you to be for the glory of God. Have a great day and God bless.

7holycrap Uncategorized

I got an iPad but I’m keeping my Kindle…and this is why

Well i broke the first “tech commandment” of mine and bought a first generation iPad. I am actually typing this blog on it right now in fact. My wife and I talked about it and we felt like we didn’t need to wait for the next generation iPad coming out in the next few months and had Christmas money that we had a saved. I have had a Kindle for almost a year and really loved it. Now you would think that because i now have the mighty iPad that i would sell my Kindle but you would be mistaken. I am going to keep both my Kindle and iPad and here are the reasons why.

1. Battery life while reading books on the Kindle
Even though the battery life on my iPad is really great it cannot keep up with my Kindle. I can get almost three weeks of battery life out of my Kindle where i get about 10 hours out of my iPad.

2. Reading books on the Kindle is not stressful on the eyes
If I read a lot i can tell when my eyes get stressed on the iPad but on the Kindle i can read for hours. It really is like reading a newspaper with the technology it has. I like having the ability to use my iPad for games and typing things (like this blog) and my Kindle for reading books.

3. My Kindle is much smaller and lighter than the iPad for holding with one hand
After using the iPad i can tell that to hold it a lot with one hand for any length of time
would be just about impossible. I love the portability of the Kindle especially with the long flights that my wife and i take to Nepal at least once a year. The profile is nice and small on the Kindle but the screen is large enough to read and there are many font options as well.

4. I am sharing my iPad with my wife
This may sound funny, but this is the first piece of technology that i am sharing with her. Not saying that is a bad thing, just a change of what i am used to. It is nice to have my Kindle if I want to read a book and my wife can. Use the iPad. I am actually proud of her for how far she has come with not only being able to use technology but really enjoying it as well.

These are just a few reasons why i am keeping my Kindle and everyone knows how awesome the iPad is now and the iPad 2 in a few months is going to be. I really feel like this was a good purchase and that i will not regret breaking the “tech commandment” of not buying a first generation of anything.