Chris got a Job!

Philippians 4:19, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

                                        

Thank you all for the prayers for financial provision. Boy has God answered our prayers in a big way. Chris got a job! He has applied at every place imaginable, but it was the place that he didn't apply at that gave him the job. Is that God or what! Not only did a recruiter scout him out, it is a job similar to the work he did in Houston. They built the job around Chris, he got to choose his hours. It is full time, with great pay and benefits! It will be a busy semester for Chris going to school full time and working full time, while doing ministry full time, but we know that God will give him the strength to make it through the semester.

Preteen Impact

When I got back from Hollywood, my family was already involved in KFN (Kids for the Nations), a summer camp for the kids. It has 3 weeks of day camp, and then a week of overnight camp for the pre-teens called Preteen Impact. I was asked to play my cello on the worship band for Preteen Impact. I was super excited to play, but I had no idea what was in store for us. Not only did we have an amazing band, filled with top notch musicians, a cello, and a rapper, but we also had an amazing speaker, Will Hart. I had never heard him speak before, but he spoke with so much love for the children. You could just see the Holy Spirit just radiating from him as he spoke. The service went long every night, as the Spirit showed up! This caused the kids to miss out on the nightlife we had planned for them, full of talent shows and s'mores, but the kids didn't mind. They rather sit in the service the whole night! That was just how powerful the services were.  

My Top 3 Greatest Memories...
1. On the second night, we had a night full of miraculous healings. Jesse prayed for a girl who had broken her foot the first night during a dance she performed during the opening rally. We had prayed for her that night, but she still felt pain. She was wearing a boot/like cast on her foot to protect it as it healed. She has had this injury before. However, on the second night Jesse and some others around her began praying, and she got miraculously and completely healed. She ran up to the stage, and started hopping on the foot to show that it was healed. That was just one of many miraculous healings that occurred that night!

2. From there on out, we had children laying hands on each other, praying for each other while moving in their prophetic giftings. It was so beautiful. It was an honor that I was able to be in the band, and had a front row seat to this. Only, I wasn't just an observer, no Holy Spirit had big plans for me as well. I felt inner healings happening within me, as well as opening up a seer gifting in me. Now, I have seen visions before, but now the visions are growing and I am seeing amazing things from Heaven. I can't stop it, and I love it! I love being able to have direct line to the Father. We all have it, sometimes it is just difficult for us to realize that it is there. Nevertheless, God has used me powerfully since this gifting has been uncovered.

3. The last day during the service, the Spirit's presence was so strong. Chris, Jesse, and I were able to minister together as a family, and it was amazing! I know how we always talk about how powerful the family unit is, but sometimes I don't think we realize just how powerful it is. Chris and I went to pray for someone, and we felt almost electricity as we prayed over this man. He even felt it. It was powerful!

God is so amazing, and I was so blessed to participate in this! I am sold on the idea of doing KFN again next summer. Chris and I have been selected to be on the leadership team. I am so excited!

Stories from Hollywood - Terry

Pershing Square is an interesting place. I love the eclecticness of it, both in the appearance and the people. We did ministry at this park on 2 different days. On my second visit, we were passing out pizza to the homeless. My ministry partner and I strolled around the park, seeking the Lord. During our stroll we passed a gentleman on three separate occasions during our stroll. I felt inclined to speak to him. We waited until he found a place to sit, and joined him. I complimented his ring, in which he indicated he had made. Instantly, there was a connection. He graciously accepted the pizza. His name is Terry, and he was an artist of all sorts, but mainly a make up artist from Nashville. He has lived all over the country, but had never been homeless until he moved to LA. He came to LA in search for a dream, but was left with betrayal, homelessness, and broken dreams. This seems to be a common story amongst the homeless in LA. The largest struggle that Terry faced was the betrayal of friends. Yet even though he had a lot of heartache, he still had a love for the Lord, and that is what brought him hope even in what seemed to be the darkest of times.

We were able to bring to him encouragement, and prayer. The prayer I prayed over him was completely Spirit lead. I can't remember a word I said - it seems that my ministry partner also prayed a spirit lead prayer, as when we were done Terry had tears in his eyes. He said that we prayed exactly what needed to be prayed. He was so encouraged by our prayer. He said he was about to give up, but that we came at the right time to encourage him. In reality, Terry encouraged me.  It was truly a divine appointment.

Stories from Hollywood - John

There are so many wonderful stories to tell of the wonderful things God revealed to us in Hollywood. What sets this story apart is that this didn't take place on one of our outreaches. This actually took place on one of our days off. It just goes to show that God doesn't take a day off, and that we don't need a huge outreach planned to do His good works.

This story begins on a beautiful Sunday morning. We had a bunch of sausage biscuits from McDonalds for breakfast. There were a lot left over, so I went with a couple of members from our team to streets. The streets were blocked off for a Farmer's Market. I loved the crisp, cool, California morning air. It was fun seeing all of the different stands at the Farmers Market. There were all kinds of foods, drinks, and even performers present. The beauty of the Hollywood area are all of the creative people. I was intrigued by a lady sitting behind a type writer. On her stand was a sign that signified her as a "Poem Store." She was willing to write a poem from any word given, and you name the price. I am amazed at all of the creative people God has placed in this world. Could you imagine what this world would look like if they all would use their gifts and talents for the Kingdom?

We turned the corner away from the Farmer's Market, and saw a few homeless that accepted our gifts. One in particular's name was John. He was a young man with blue glasses and a gray hat. He was very gracious for the biscuit. We asked if we could pray for him, and we did. He was so blessed by our kindness. He admitted to using drugs, and for just not caring. He was so impressed that we took the time to care for him, a man who didn't even care for himself. We had given John 2 biscuits, and because of our kindness, he was inspired to give his second biscuit to another man waiting at the bus stop.

This is what it is all about - giving hope to the hopeless.

Stories from Hollywood - Ruby

My mission trip to Hollywood was life changing. I don't know if I can ever adequately tell the tales of Hollywood, but every story is worth mentioning. I plan to take you along the journey that I took to Hollywood through stories...

The story actually begins months before I even placed a foot on the grounds of LA. The majority of our preparation for the trip was spent in the prayer room. I had visions and dreams leading up to the trip, and I knew that we were breaking ground for something amazing. One of the things that we prayed for was prophetic dreams. One of the prophetic dreams I had was of a young girl, very beautiful with long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.

On the first day of our trip, we did a scavenger/ treasure hunt to learn our way around the city. My team took the subway to Pershing Square. While on the subway, I noticed a girl that looked strangely familiar; however, I quickly dismissed the thought of familiarity. Later that night, we took a prayer tour of the city, which ended with a walk down Hollywood Blvd. I noticed the same girl crouched against the wall to an abandoned building holding a homeless sign. I nudged a girl from our group who had been with me the whole day, and asked her if she remembered the girl from the subway. Nope, she never even noticed her. That night we were told to pay extra close attention to people we see multiple times - they just may be our divine appointments. At that moment, I was reminded of the girl. Later that night, after rummaging through my journal, I realized the reason this girl looked so familiar - she was the girl from my dream. After that, I began praying for her on a regular basis. I saw her another time on one of our outreaches, but I was unable to stop to talk to her. Finally, on a late night outreach, towards the end of our trip, I saw her again. This time, I was able to stop to talk. I found out her name was Ruby. I revealed to her my dream, and the word of hope God had given me for her. She introduced herself as Ruby, and she was a Christian. She and her family was from Australia, and due to unfortunate circumstances found themselves stranded on the streets of Hollywood. Her mother was uncomfortable by my presence. Ruby explained to her that I was a Christian, in which she abruptly replied, “That’s what they all say.” I handed her a track from the Oasis to show that I was a Christian, and to give the Oasis contact information. I invited Ruby and her younger sister to Club Zion. Ruby was familiar with the Oasis and Club Zion. While Ruby’s mom did not want me praying for them on the street, I promised Ruby I will continue to pray for her. I could see by the end of our conversation both Ruby and I were impacted by each other’s kindness. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Ruby again. I will never forget her bright blue eyes, overwhelmed by sadness, but gained a glimmer of hope by the end of our conversation.

If I had not prepared myself through prayer before the trip, and learned how to break out of my comfort zone by talking to people, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to talk to Ruby that night. Yes, my heart is forever changed by Ruby. This is just one of many examples of how God showed me how to break past my timidity to talk to people and show them the love of Jesus.

First Year Recap

I know we are a bit late in the game in setting this up, but here is a recap of the top 5 highlights from our first year (In no particular order):

# 1: Move In Week!

We officially moved to Dallas on August 12, 2013. By the end of the week we had our apartment looking like a home. The first week we had orientation, an Encounter retreat, and lots of settling in to do. Classes started the next week, and boy did we enjoy our classes. Our classes consisted of Biblical World View, Principles of Faith, Intercessory Prayer, and Foundations in

Creation Science. Along with our classes we had Chapel every morning at 8 am, Lectures in Practical Theology at 11 am everyday, in which we often heard from a guest speaker, and TNE every Tuesday Night - where we were blessed with guest speakers. We also quickly made some new friends, which made settling in that much easier.

#2: Children's Pastors Position: 

1. In September, we accepted positions at a small church as children's pastors. Our job was to set up a children's ministry at the church. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. We love ministering to children, and this gave us plenty of opportunities to do that.

# 3: Sights to See:

Visiting the Ft. Worth Zoo was one of our favorites sights to see. The baby animals were adorable, and the Texas Town was fun. Plus they had Blue Bell Ice Cream! We also enjoyed a field trip to the Creation Museum in Glen Rose, Texas.

 

 

#4: Events at the School:

Being a student at CFNI has it's advantages. Some include attending special events such as the Voice of Healing Conference with Heidi Baker, Resonate Conference, and Reformation Day - praying for Justice. We even had a visit from the prayer bus, where we got to pray for America!






#5: Worship:
CFNI is the perfect place to find time to worship. Whether it is in the prayer room on campus, in the chapel services, or simply a gathering of families in our apartment, I love having a time to corporately worship our Lord and Savior!

The Call

Chris and Christina are students at Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI). The journey to get here has been long, but not unfulfilled.  It began in 2008 - a small group of believers gathered in a home, amongst them was a prophet. The prophet gave Chris and Christina a word about coming to Christ for the Nations Institute. Up until that point, attending Bible School was not on their radar. Christina was in the middle of climbing the ladder to success in her career in biomedical research compliance. Chris was currently working nights, and Jesse was attending a Christian private school. They were a happy family living the American Dream. Shortly after this word, the Lord gave them the call through Genesis 12:1, "Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you." They always knew they wanted more than just being Sunday morning Christians. They had taken to heart James 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Chris was actively involved in leadership in the Children's ministry at the church. Christina volunteered at the local pregnancy center as a client advocate. However, they had no idea what was to transpire the next few years after accepting the call.

 

Years past by, and while the vision was fresh in their hearts, they knew the timing just was not right. When 2011 came, the Lord reminded them of Genesis 12. Could this be the right time? Chris and Christina scheduled a campus tour that Spring to visit Christ for the Nations. Just days before they left, Chris suffered an injury. The result, a broken ankle with torn ligaments. The doctors indicated that the only treatment for it was through surgery. With the foot freshly wrapped, and crutches in hand, Chris knew they could not pass up the opportunity for the campus days. Within the first hour of being on the CFNI campus, a young man laid his hand on Chris' foot, and prayed for him. Immediately following the prayer, Chris put full weight on his ankle, and knew it was completely healed. The rest of the visit continued without crutches. This just brought further confirmation that this was the place they needed be. However, as they began the application process to become students that fall, they knew that this was not the right time. By the end of the year, both Chris and Christina had taken on new jobs - Chris accepted a position as a sample technician at a chemical engineering firm, while Christina continued the path of her career upping her pay grade at another university. Years continued to pass, yet they never lost sight of CFNI.

 

Then the beginning of 2013, the voice of the Lord became louder and clearer. Everywhere Chris and Christina went, Genesis 12 found it's way to their attention. They knew without a doubt this was the year. They began their application process. They then took their son Jesse to visit the campus that summer. It began to feel like home. In August of 2013, Chris and Christina had both quit their jobs, left everything and moved to Dallas, TX to become students at CFNI - just a step closer to answering their Genesis 12 call, getting training to fulfill the James 1:27 command.