Along the Way

Someone last week mentioned to me that one of the things that blows them away is the number of times she meets someone and then in some completely different context they come back into her life years later.

Honestly, I don't think that I am ever very aware of this phenomenon in my life. First of all, my curse in life is to be forgettable. Really. You may or may not agree, but the plain fact is that I am CONSTANTLY reintroducing myself to people that I have met.

Mostly, I find it funny and a good story. But lately, I am wondering if it isn't partly my fault. How available do I make myself? Am I too reserved when first meeting someone? Do I allow my own insecurities keep me from being welcoming? Do I try to connect with people? Am I authentic at first pass?

Those can be pretty tough questions. And ones that for some reason keep coming up for me.

And despite all of that, there are occasions when an old friend suddenly comes back into my life. Amanda and I use to be a part of a prayer group that I miss terribly. For me the group was about the closest I have come to experiencing what authentic Christianity should be like. Now, Amanda is in Kenya serving the poor and sick.

I just found out that she is coming to Kampala! She is going to be volunteering alongside us. Pretty cool, huh? I am so glad that we are crossing paths again and I can't wait to see her.



Please know that I am aware that these posts have been kind of serious. I promise that there will be something funny soon.

Why Go?

Some of you (that is if there is someone reading this) have already heard why I decided to go to Uganda this summer. But the reminders of why keep blowing me away.

This trip is not easy. It's cool, certainly. (Come on, Passion in Africa is cool.) But it isn't easy. It is right on the heels of my busiest time of year. It is incredibly expensive and everything within me wants to rebel at the idea of raising support. I don't really know the other people going all that well.

And that's why I am going.

It's been a while since I have knowingly put myself in a position where the outcome will undeniably rest solely on God. Most of what I do everyday can be accomplished by me. And usually, the outcomes are pretty good. I live in safety and predictability.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying, "Lord, prove your faithfulness to me by making this trip a success." I am not testing God. I am simply acting in the belief that He asks us to do things in which we can claim no credit for how it goes.

And this is a little scary. I still have doubts. I am far from raising the needed support. I still feel nervous about going with a team I don't really know and flying alone. I still wonder about my role on the team. And things certainly haven't gotten less busy. But God is faithful to remind me of why I said yes.

I am currently working through Solo: The Uncommon Devotional. Today's study was of Judges 7:1-7. It is the story of Gideon going to war. Before going into battle God pares down Gideon's army from 32,000 to 10,000 to 300 all because God tells Gideon "You have too large an army with you. I can't turn Midian over to them like this—they'll take all the credit, saying, 'I did it all myself,' and forget about me."

I think that we are called to do things bigger than ourselves so that we can't take the credit and forget about God. For me, one of those things is Passion::Kampala. And I am so grateful for the reminder that came today.

What about you? What are you asking God for that is bigger than you? I would love to join you in prayer for it.

Judges 7:1-7

Jerub-Baal (Gideon) got up early the next morning, all his troops right there with him. They set up camp at Harod's Spring. The camp of Midian was in the plain, north of them near the Hill of Moreh.

God said to Gideon, "You have too large an army with you. I can't turn Midian over to them like this—they'll take all the credit, saying, 'I did it all myself,' and forget about me. Make a public announcement: 'Anyone afraid, anyone who has any qualms at all, may leave Mount Gilead now and go home.'" Twenty-two companies headed for home. Ten companies were left.

God said to Gideon: "There are still too many. Take them down to the stream and I'll make a final cut. When I say, 'This one goes with you,' he'll go. When I say, 'This one doesn't go,' he won't go." So Gideon took the troops down to the stream.

God said to Gideon: "Everyone who laps with his tongue, the way a dog laps, set on one side. And everyone who kneels to drink, drinking with his face to the water, set to the other side." Three hundred lapped with their tongues from their cupped hands. All the rest knelt to drink.

God said to Gideon: "I'll use the three hundred men who lapped at the stream to save you and give Midian into your hands. All the rest may go home."

Passion :: Atlanta Update

One of the really cool things about Passion is the emphasis on being the Body of Christ now and serving the least of those among us.
In Atlanta last week, every student and volunteer was asked to bring a pair of socks and a towel to be donated to local homeless shelters (it's the two items they need the most). In addition we partnered with Blood:Water Mission to provide the funds to build wells in Africa so that whole villages can be transformed by access to clean water. And finally, an offering was received on Saturday evening to help fund the World Tour.
Read about the AMAZING results here.

Going to Passon :: Kampala

Dear Friends and Family,

As most of you know, during the last 5 years I have been fortunate enough to be able to use my time off in the summers and during holiday breaks to be part of short term mission trips. Though I originally thought that I wouldn’t be going anywhere this summer, I was wrong.

You see, for the past several years, I have been involved with Passion Conferences. The heartbeat of the conferences is found in Isaiah 26:8, “ Yes Lord, walking in the way of Your truth, we wait eagerly for You, for Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.” Passion exists to glorify God by uniting students in worship and prayer for spiritual awakening in the generation of 18-25 year olds. At a time in their lives when many students walk away from their faith, Passion seeks to ignite a passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ and a desire to spread His fame.

My first mission trip was with Passion. I went to help serve on the prayer team at One Day 03 in a field on a farm outside of Dallas, Texas. Despite a very scary night of storms, 20,000 students gathered to worship and pray for an awakening in their generation. In January of 2006, I was able to go to Passion06 in Nashville, TN. The following year, it was only natural that I found myself in Atlanta for Passion07. At the end of spring break last week, I spent time at the Gwinnett Arena here in Atlanta to help with the Atlanta Regional Event. I tell you all of this because I am committed to the vision and message of Passion. I have had the privilege of witnessing thousands of college students dedicate their lives to live for the fame of Christ.

Now, Passion is going to the nations. The following is from the Passion website but it expresses the purpose so much better than I ever could:

Passion is a movement made up of young people who have abandoned the idea of living simply for themselves and are daily giving everything so the world can see Jesus more clearly. Passion is about the glory of God, inspiring a wave of students to taste and see that He is good and to do something now to change the world in Jesus’ name. We’ve discovered that every major city in the world is a university town, most home to hundreds of thousands, and in some cases millions of students. So, Passion is off on a crazy journey to the cities of the world in 2008, uniting university students around the globe in a story so much bigger than our own.

I have been invited to join the Passion team as they travel to Kampala, Uganda. Despite my plans to stay in the States this summer, I believe that God has other plans. I am excited to see what God is going to do in Kampala, a city of 1.2 million on the north shore of Lake Victoria.

This world tour stop will take place May 30^th and 31^st. It will be an outdoor, 2 day event, reminiscent of OneDay03, with as many as 30,000 worshipers, led by Louie Giglio and various lead worshipers. I will be leaving for Uganda on May 24^th (the day after school gets out, YIKES!) and will join the rest of the American team to prepare for the event at the end of the week. Right now, it looks like my role will be to head up the Touch Team (information and making sure that students feel welcomed) or to head up the Prayer Team. I will be returning on June 2^nd or 3^rd.

As I am sure that you can imagine, this is going to be an expensive trip. The plane ticket alone is $2000. When you include other expenses, I need to raise between $4000 and $5000. And I need to raise it quickly since we leave in 8 weeks. (Another YIKES!)

Some of you are long time supporters of my mission trips and others are getting my support letter for the first time. In both cases, I hope that as you read this you are excited with me, and for me. Please hear me when I say that I hope you in no way feel obligated to financially support this trip. I fully trust that God will provide the financial means necessary for this trip. If after prayerful consideration, you don’t feel led to give, know that I completely understand. I will still covet your prayers and want to keep you informed about my travels.

However, if you would like to support me on this trip, you can do so by writing a check made out to Passion Conferences with my name and Kampala written on the memo line. You can mail the check directly to me (4840 Beckford Place, Powder Springs, GA 30127) or to the Passion office (PO Box 5 Alpharetta, GA 30077).

I also ask that you would pray for the students of Uganda and East Africa. Pray that they would fall in love with Jesus. Please pray for our team as we move forward with planning a conference on the other side of the world. And it’s never too early to start praying for the flights; right now, there is a possibility that I may be flying alone, which as you probably know isn’t my ideal way to travel.

I am sorry that you are getting this through email, but because of the quick turn around time needed, this is the fastest way. My goal this year is to do a better job of keeping you informed of the trip. Thank you for your patience as I grow in this.

Please let me know if I can answer questions and thanks for taking the time to read this letter.

Love,

Beth

For more information about Passion Conferences & the world tour check out www.268generation.com