Hi everybody, Stacey here - Holly asked me to update all of you on her most recent adventure!!
Starting Yesterday (July 28th) - Holly and the rest of the Celebrants will be in the Philippines!!!
They will be returning Tuesday, August 12th.
Please be in prayer about this adventure in whatever way God leads you.
Specific Requests -
Cultural Barriers Removed
Aware of any attacks from Satan
The team will be able to spiritually prepare for this trip
God being able to move through this team
God being able to provide the rest of the funding needed
Holly told me in her message that God has been growing her so much! So God is amazing! :) Yay! I expect you will be hearing from her when she gets back!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Body is Weak but the Spirit is Willing
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..." Philippians 2:14-15
Today, or technically yesterday, was our fourth day of no air conditioning on our bus. On the third day I found myself ready to burst into tears. Do you want to know the honest truth why? *sighs* I wanted Ice Cream.
See, everyday we make a stop for lunch were we can eat our sack lunch and have the opportunity to buy some food also. Since Friday (the first day without A.C.) all I wanted was a McFlurry to chase away the heat. It was now Monday and I still had not had that McFlurry or any ice cream for that matter and we stopped at a KFC and my heart sank.
I could not get my mind off of wanting that treat. I just thought it would make me better, happier and less hot (driving through texas on a bus with no A.C. is a very . . . growing experience). I was holding back tears. Luckily, for me and for others who would have to deal with me on a bus, sweet Sylvia saw a place that sold ice cream, bought some, and gave a few bites to me. It stopped me from crying, but I still wasn't happy, not the way I thought it would have made me.
Every day on the bus we have a devotional time where one of us speaks about a topic with a verse and after words we have our own private time. After Lunch the verse above was presented and it just opened my eyes.
I had been complaining about the heat. Complaining that I wanted ice cream, that I didn't get it. How I was giving in to the lie that anything of this world would make me happy! It is only God alone! And I was letting it steal my joy! For the rest of that day I was still hot and sticky but I had this simple song in my head: 'The Joy of the Lord is My Strenth". And it was, and I was finally joyful and at peace. God is good.
Today, or technically yesterday, was our fourth day of no air conditioning on our bus. On the third day I found myself ready to burst into tears. Do you want to know the honest truth why? *sighs* I wanted Ice Cream.
See, everyday we make a stop for lunch were we can eat our sack lunch and have the opportunity to buy some food also. Since Friday (the first day without A.C.) all I wanted was a McFlurry to chase away the heat. It was now Monday and I still had not had that McFlurry or any ice cream for that matter and we stopped at a KFC and my heart sank.
I could not get my mind off of wanting that treat. I just thought it would make me better, happier and less hot (driving through texas on a bus with no A.C. is a very . . . growing experience). I was holding back tears. Luckily, for me and for others who would have to deal with me on a bus, sweet Sylvia saw a place that sold ice cream, bought some, and gave a few bites to me. It stopped me from crying, but I still wasn't happy, not the way I thought it would have made me.
Every day on the bus we have a devotional time where one of us speaks about a topic with a verse and after words we have our own private time. After Lunch the verse above was presented and it just opened my eyes.
I had been complaining about the heat. Complaining that I wanted ice cream, that I didn't get it. How I was giving in to the lie that anything of this world would make me happy! It is only God alone! And I was letting it steal my joy! For the rest of that day I was still hot and sticky but I had this simple song in my head: 'The Joy of the Lord is My Strenth". And it was, and I was finally joyful and at peace. God is good.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Brooklyn, New York
This weekend was very touching. We were at a Catholic church called Church of the Holy Innocence. CHI is an average working class family church in Brooklyn with many immigrant families and cultures. Saturday we did a night mass and Sunday we had four masses; two in English, one in Spanish and one in French (do not be fooled we did sing the Mass in Spanish, but we sang in English at the French one). It was a very long day, Sunday, and we had a concert to do also at 6:30 and we were all physically tired.
I was worried about the concert because our prayer time was cut down to only 10 minutes, which is normally 30 minutes before each performance. So our time to focus and gain strength was shortened drastically. However, God honors all prayers, long or short, and as we prayed there seemed to be a desire to just worship the Lord last night.
And the Spirit was strong there. I tend to struggle with tuning out the crowd and just worshiping God, but last night I felt so free just to sing to Him. At the end of each service we give a call for those who want to except Christ as their Savior and for those who want to rededicate their lives (and then for any other prayer requests laid on their heart). Normally only a small percentage of the church raises their hands for prayer, but not at the Church of the Holy Innocence. A third of the people raised Their hands, all at once -- it was so powerful. All I could do was praise the Lords name! There were so many people that instead of meeting them at their pews, we formed a line in the front of the church and they had to come to us.
The one that touched me the most was a girl by the name of Amillia, who was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade and she wanted to except Christ as her Savior. I am not the best with words but the emotions I feel are excitement, awe and humility.
Each night I am still amazed at how God is using our ministry - seeing the Holy Spirit work through us to touch individual churches. To think that all I am doing is praising and worshiping the Lord and somehow God is using that to transform lives, Amazing!
The next three days (Monday through Wednesday) we are traveling to Texas. We were going to have two concerts on Monday and Tuesday, but they fell through, but I feel for the better. With such a strong experience like that I feel that I, personally, need to spiritually recharge. Like, when the disciples came back from their mission work and Jesus took them to a private place to rest, I need to rest with God, and these two days are a blessing in my eyes.
My throat is still soar, but pray that these two days will help me to recover. Also, by Monday (technically today) we are suppose to have raised $18,000 to go to the Philippines. Pray for God to provide, because it is All from Him. I have faith that He will.
Matthew 9:29 According to your faith will it be done to you
I was worried about the concert because our prayer time was cut down to only 10 minutes, which is normally 30 minutes before each performance. So our time to focus and gain strength was shortened drastically. However, God honors all prayers, long or short, and as we prayed there seemed to be a desire to just worship the Lord last night.
And the Spirit was strong there. I tend to struggle with tuning out the crowd and just worshiping God, but last night I felt so free just to sing to Him. At the end of each service we give a call for those who want to except Christ as their Savior and for those who want to rededicate their lives (and then for any other prayer requests laid on their heart). Normally only a small percentage of the church raises their hands for prayer, but not at the Church of the Holy Innocence. A third of the people raised Their hands, all at once -- it was so powerful. All I could do was praise the Lords name! There were so many people that instead of meeting them at their pews, we formed a line in the front of the church and they had to come to us.
The one that touched me the most was a girl by the name of Amillia, who was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade and she wanted to except Christ as her Savior. I am not the best with words but the emotions I feel are excitement, awe and humility.
Each night I am still amazed at how God is using our ministry - seeing the Holy Spirit work through us to touch individual churches. To think that all I am doing is praising and worshiping the Lord and somehow God is using that to transform lives, Amazing!
The next three days (Monday through Wednesday) we are traveling to Texas. We were going to have two concerts on Monday and Tuesday, but they fell through, but I feel for the better. With such a strong experience like that I feel that I, personally, need to spiritually recharge. Like, when the disciples came back from their mission work and Jesus took them to a private place to rest, I need to rest with God, and these two days are a blessing in my eyes.
My throat is still soar, but pray that these two days will help me to recover. Also, by Monday (technically today) we are suppose to have raised $18,000 to go to the Philippines. Pray for God to provide, because it is All from Him. I have faith that He will.
Matthew 9:29 According to your faith will it be done to you
Friday, July 11, 2008
God can Move Mountains
Hello Everyone! I hope your summers have been going well. For a quick update, after McHenry, Il we heading into Michigan, and spent the 4th of July in Toledo, Ohio. Today I am writing to you from Gettysburg, Penn. and will soon be on the road to Brooklyn New York! (I'm very excited!)
In this post I wanted to share with you a few ways I have seen the hand of God on our ministry. First off, for the past week and a half my throat has been getting soar. It isn't because we sing everyday, but it is because I am not able to get a good 8 hours of sleep every night. But what I have been experiencing is amazing! I will have a soar throat all day and night, but when I get on stage to sing my throat does not hurt at all and I am able to sing with ease.
A girl on our team, Angela our piano player, has experienced a healing as well. In January she found out she had a lot of back problems; her neck was not on her spine correctly, and there was something wrong with her individual vertebres so sitting for a period of time is very painful for her. Even if someone would lightly touch her back she would scream in pain and we would constantly find her lying in the back of the bus on her back to try and ease her constant pain. Well, in Colorado she was playing the piano for a host family and she had to stop because she could not bear the pain anymore, and they asked her, "Do you want to be healed?" She did, and they prayed for the specific things that were wrong and she felt an warmth come upon her back and could feel movement. She has felt no pain for two weeks. God is amazing!
I wish I could tell you more, but I must be going. But the Spirit is so strongly in our performances. God is moving and I am so humbled to be apart of it. Pray that I would continue to trust in Him and depend on Him and not go into a ritual of performance.
Pray for our bodies that they would stay health
Please also pray for financials. Our team still needs to raise $18,000 by Monday or we will not go to the Philippines. Pray for God to provide!!
Thank you and the Lords Blessing be upon you!
Holly
In this post I wanted to share with you a few ways I have seen the hand of God on our ministry. First off, for the past week and a half my throat has been getting soar. It isn't because we sing everyday, but it is because I am not able to get a good 8 hours of sleep every night. But what I have been experiencing is amazing! I will have a soar throat all day and night, but when I get on stage to sing my throat does not hurt at all and I am able to sing with ease.
A girl on our team, Angela our piano player, has experienced a healing as well. In January she found out she had a lot of back problems; her neck was not on her spine correctly, and there was something wrong with her individual vertebres so sitting for a period of time is very painful for her. Even if someone would lightly touch her back she would scream in pain and we would constantly find her lying in the back of the bus on her back to try and ease her constant pain. Well, in Colorado she was playing the piano for a host family and she had to stop because she could not bear the pain anymore, and they asked her, "Do you want to be healed?" She did, and they prayed for the specific things that were wrong and she felt an warmth come upon her back and could feel movement. She has felt no pain for two weeks. God is amazing!
I wish I could tell you more, but I must be going. But the Spirit is so strongly in our performances. God is moving and I am so humbled to be apart of it. Pray that I would continue to trust in Him and depend on Him and not go into a ritual of performance.
Pray for our bodies that they would stay health
Please also pray for financials. Our team still needs to raise $18,000 by Monday or we will not go to the Philippines. Pray for God to provide!!
Thank you and the Lords Blessing be upon you!
Holly
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