We're Home

We wrapped up the week in Lytle on Thursday by finishing day 4 of our Sports Camp in the morning.  A total of 5 kids accepted Christ this week during our camp, along with one adult who prayed to receive Christ on Monday.  Praise God for those lives changed forever.  Those kids that attended who were already believers got some tools to share their faith with others.  On Thursday afternoon, our kids got the opportunity to go swimming while we cleaned the church and got things put back together in the classrooms we were painting this week.  The kitchen remodel crew finished up all they had to do for the week and the church is well on their way to having a brand new kitchen.  On Thursday night we hosted an award night for the kids who were in Sports Camp, giving each child an award and a Bible.  We served free hot dogs, snow cones and nachos to kids and parents and had an opportunity to share Christ with that group.  After we cleaned and packed the trailer, the members from FBC Lytle joined with our group for a brief time of encouragement as well as the sharing of the Lord's Supper.  It was a sweet fellowship between these two bodies of believers.  

We hope you will continue to hear more stories from the individuals and families that went on this trip and we will try and post more pictures in the coming days.  Please pray for FBC Lytle as they have the task of following up with the families who attended the camp this week and discipling the kids who have accepted Christ.  Thank you for praying for our team.  We are changed because of the work God has allowed us to be a part of for His kindgdom's sake.  We pray for more opportunity to continue serving Him.  Blessings!

Sports Camp Days 2 and 3

Tuesday and Wednesday have both been great days.  Tuesday we had our second day of Sports Camp and had more kids than the first day - 94 kids.  The kids all seemed to have a good time even though it has been very hot - we have a good crew from FBC Lytle keeping our water jugs full of cold water and ice.  The kids get a break every day with craft/snack time and Bible story time to sit and rest but most importantly hear God's good news.  Tuesday afternoon was the second day of painting in the afternoon.  We were able to complete painting 5 classrooms with all our adult and kid helpers.  The kitchen remodel has been happening every day and that crew has worked hard painting and setting cabinets.  We ended Tuesday night with a fish fry (thanks to the Lee and Dimarzio families - yum) and the kids got to blow off some steam with a water balloon fight.  We are all exhausted by the end of the day!

Wednesday was day 3 of Sports Camp.  We had a few more kids than Tuesday - 96 kids.  Each day the campers have been learning about the colors of the wordless book.  Gold for heaven, Black for sin, Red for the blood of Christ shed for you, White because Jesus' blood makes us clean, Green for growth and Blue for baptism.  Through today we have covered gold and black but today we went over red and white.  We presented the gospel completely today and 3 kids have accepted Christ.  Some knew the stories and understood but you can see the Spirit working in others who don't know Christ as their Savior.  Our coaches and kids have been encouraging the campers and listening to them, taking every opportunity to share the truth.  We pray we will see more fruit and praise God for the ones today who have accepted Christ.  We had free family day this afternoon and it was a much needed break for our families!! 

Please pray for our team.  Tomorrow is our final day of Sports camp.  Pray for opportunities to keep sharing God's good news with those who are at camp (both kids and adults).  Also, tomorrow night from 6 to 8 p.m., we will be hosting a cook out in the park for the kids and parents who attended this week.  We will give out awards to our campers but most importantly, we will be sharing the gospel with these families.  Pray that more will come to know Christ as their Savior.  Pray for FBC Lytle as they follow up with all these families.  Pray also for our team as they finish up the kitchen remodel and in the afternoon as we clean and put the church back together after the painting we have done - we will have a short time to complete this and will all need an extra boost of energy to get it done.  Thank you for praying for us and checking in on what God is doing here.  I'm sure we will compile alot pictures over the next few weeks and hope to post a lot of them here.  Keep checking.  We will try and post tomorrow night if we get the opportunity so you will know how we finished up the week. 

Sport Camp Day 1

Today was the first day of our Sports Camp in the city park.  We had 86 kids from the community attend.  They participated in various sports - football, basketball, soccer, cheerleading and baseball.  Pastor Grady, the pastor at FBC Lytle, had the opportunity to share Christ with one of the dads at the camp and he accepted Christ today!  All the children that came to the camp experienced the love of Christ first hand as they learned about their sport, did a craft and heard about Jesus from our kids and adults.  We were so proud of our Prosper kids - they all worked really hard today and were true servants.  The kitchen remodel at the church began this morning as well with that team. They also got an amazing amount of work done on that very large project.  We will post before and after pictures some time later in the week.  Those guys are working very hard all day on getting that done for the church.  

In the afternoon, we focused on painting several classrooms at the church.  Our kids got right in there and we got several rooms primed to finish up tomorrow.  After dinner, many of the kids and some adults played a game of kickball with some families from FBC Lytle.  We are all exhausted tonight but it was a GREAT day and we look forward to what God will do tomorrow as we serve Him by serving the kids He has brought our way.  Keep praying for us - for spiritual eyes and ears to be obedient to what God says.  Pray for us to have good rest as well as for our health and safety.  

Sunday in Lytle

Our Sunday started out with morning worship at FBC Lytle.  It was such a joy to worship with this congregation and our children helped us lead out in the music part of worship.  Many FBC Lytle church families adopted our Prosper families so we could eat lunch together and mingle. We had a great time getting to know all these new people.  Once lunch was over, we broke up into teams and set out to canvas Lytle, inviting kids to our Sports Camp that starts tomorrow. We have around 50 pre-registered.  It was HOT but we all made our rounds and most of us ended up at Sonic or Dairy Queen to cool off.  We had some down time while the guys figured out the "outdoor kitchen."  Since the kitchen is being remodeled, we had to work out how to prepare meals and they did a great job making it work! We had a delicious fajita meal, a short prep meeting and back to our home away from home (The Value Place Inn) to get to bed and begin early tomorrow.  Please pray for us tomorrow as we encounter kids and adults from this community.  We need God's Spirit to reach these kids for His kingdom.  Pray for safety for all doing the camp as well as those working on the kitchen remodel (it's pretty extensive).  More soon.....

Rehearsal before worship service.  It was GREAT to have our kids up there!

Prayer time Sunday morning.

Neighborhood canvassing.

Canvassing with a FBC Lytle member, Savannah.  

She was a huge help telling us who lived where!

Soccer goal assembly.

Kitchen remodel talk. Demo's been done, but now it has to be put back together.

 

A friendly game of "keep away" gets out of control with the big kids!

Outdoor kitchen dinner prep.

Sunday night fajita dinner.  YUM!

We Have Arrived

Our team has arrived in San Antonio safely.  We've had some minor mishaps today but nothing that could keep us from getting here safe and sound.  Tomorrow we lead out in worship at FBC Lytle and hopefully skype in to FBCP to say hello.  Pray for Khris tomorrow as he preaches at home and gets on a plane to join us here for the week.  Pray for our team as we canvas neighborhoods after church tomorrow inviting kids to Sports Camp.  We have had fun today traveling so enjoy some pics of our adventure to San Antonio (we are staying on the South side).  We will post more soon on this blog and watch our FBC Prosper page on Facebook for mobile uploads.  

A pit stop at Dairy Queen - Texas Stop Sign!

Dinner at Mi Tierra, San Antonio Market Square.  The kids got a kick out of the mariachis singing Happy Birthday to Joy Holland - her birthday is Tuesday.  

Dinner at Mi Tierra - yummy!

Family Mission Trip

Please pray for our group of 13 families as we prepare to leave this Saturday for Lytle, Texas. We will be leading worship at FBC Lytle on Sunday and running a Free Community Sports Camp for kids on Monday through Thursday as well as helping FBC Lytle with some painting and remodeling. We are very excited about this trip and our kids have been preparing for weeks - doing a daily quiet time, memorizing scripture and practicing their parts of presenting the gospel this week to kids who attend our camp. Keep us in your prayers as we are gone - that many kids and adults will come to know Christ this week, for our team's health and safety, traveling mercies for each family, and the church we will be serving with, FBC Lytle and Pastor Grady Summers. Check back here often for updates (we will try to update each day). Here are a few pics below of Thursday night's loading up party!

We Are Home!!

Well, here I am sitting at my desk in my office and the East Asia trip is officially over! If I were to try to summarize the trip I would have to say:
1) It was taxing physically
2) It was disorienting being in such a vastly different culture with a vastly different language.
3) It was beyond humbling - the passion for the Gospel and the risks that they are willing to take to share that Good News is something that I think will always humble me and motivate me!

I am more convinced than ever that we MUST have a presence in East Asia if we are going to call ourselves a missional church. If we are committed to taking the Gospel to all people of all nations then we must take it to the largest nation in the world where they are so hungry to hear the Good News. I believe that their are no excuses and no outs - we must commit ourselves to taking the Gospel to these people.

I do not say this to minimize the efforts that we have in other countries, I remain deeply committed to those endeavors. But I do believe that East Asia must take its place alongside these mission opportunities and become a driving force in our missional efforts!

I challenge you to begin to pray now about whether God would have you be a part of our next trip to East Asia - I can promise you that you will be forever changed by what God is doing in that area of the world!

Well that concludes the blog post for the Spring 2009 trip to East Asia - I hope that you were encouraged by the posts and that they will serve as a motivator for prayer that God would continue to do something mighty for His name throughout the world! I look forward to reading the posts from our next trip!

Blessings - Khris

In Hong Kong

Well we are now in Hong Kong! One of my best friends now lives in HK and he had invited us to take a detour to see this incredible city! It is really an amazing place!! We are going to site-see for a couple of days and will head home on Tuesday. This is a welcome retreat after a busy and tiring week! I can't wait to be back and see you all! We have some incredible stories and pics!
Blessings - Khris

Incredible Retreat!

Today we attended a retreat for some of the believing college students. 21 of them came together to study, praise and prepare to share the good news about our Father! Most of these students have only been in the family for a short time but they were ready to share with others.

Today they had times of study and fellowship and tomorrow they are going to a campus where there is no known influence from our family! They are going to share the truth that adoption into the family is possible! I am yet again blown away by their commitment!

The girl that became a part of the family early this week while Shawn and I were on campus was at the retreat and she was ready to share with others!

Oh that we would grasp the urgency of the task the way that these students do!!

Blessings to you - Khris

A Great Lunch

Today was a great day but most of it I can't talk about until we are back in the States. The locations that we visited and the vision that was cast must wait for face to face encounters for security purposes!

But we did get to have lunch with an incredible group of young men. Most of them have only been members of our family for a very short while. But as we sat at lunch they started asking questions about the Book and about how to live their lives according to our Father's will. Their passion of Him and His will was overwhelming. These young college students have sacrificed so much just to be a part of the family and they are not going to do it half-way!! I was humbled by their striving after our Father. It was a great lunch!

Blessings - Khris

Now That Will Humble You!

Tonight we had the opportunity to sit in on another secret gathering. They started by going around the group talking about their week. One by one they shared how they had told someone about our Father and how they had responded to the News. I was blown away with their commitment to expanding our family! I thought, "They are here in a dangerous place where it is illegal for them to talk about our Father and yet they do it all the time! But even though I am allowed to do it any time I want to, I so rarely take the opportunity." I want to be more like those men! I want to be driven the way that they are driven, I want to be passionate as they are passionate, I want to be more like them!!! I have a lot to learn!

Humbled - Khris

Even Worse Than Stinky Tofu

Okay - I did not think that anything could be more gross than Stinky Tofu...but I was horribly wrong!!! Today they took us to the market and we were walking by all of the food stands. At one of the stands they had a shish-ka-bob that was baby chicks that looked like they had been hard boiled in the eggs, removed from the egg and then skewered on a stick (with feathers still attached) and were ready for grilling. It started out with all of us staring in amazement and disgust; but then the mob mentality took over and it became about who would be brave enough to actually eat one. Patrick stepped forward to say that he would eat it, but now it meant that everyone's Man Card was at stake! So one by one we all braved this new world of flavors and gagging!!! Within a few short minutes it was finished and everyone was still in possession of his Man Card (and a very upset stomach)!!!

Another Miraculous Day!

The last two days have been powerful! Last night David had the opportunity to give a lecture on leadership and team building at one of the universities. During the Q&A a student asked him the key to his success in business. David was able to respond that it was because of his relationship with our Father that he was able to do anything with his life. He said, "He is great, I am not great!" It was really powerful!

Then today was absolutely incredible!! We started this morning with a tour of the Great Wall (breathtaking)! After lunch we had the opportunity to go onto one of the campuses. We just walked around and engaged students in conversation. We had the chance to share with one, but he was very cynical. Then we struck up a conversation with another and he seemed very interested. He called his girlfriend who then joined him. We were able to clearly tell him about his opportunity to be adopted into our family and both he and his girlfriend asked if they could have our Father in their lives. We listened as they gave themselves to our Father - it was INCREDIBLE!!!

There is no doubt that our Father is doing powerful things in this place - I am in awe!!

Blessings - Khris

New Family Member

Yesterday during the Gathering I told you that Shayna was talking with a woman about our Dad. They talked for about 1 hour and then the girl had to go home. Today Shawn and I were walking around campus asking our Dad to show His might in that place when we ran into the girl. We sat down with her and began to talk and she decided that she wants to be a part of our family and asked Dad to forgive her! It was incredible. Then she asked Shawn if she has to keep asking Dad to let her be a part of the family and Shawn replied, "No you only have to do it once." She cried out in English, "Well that's FANTASTIC!!" It was an incredible moment!

Blessings - Khris

Stinky Tofu!

I forgot to mention that yesterday I had the opportunity to try Stinky Tofu (yes I said "stinky" not "sticky"). Stinky tofu is exactly what it sounds like...stinky tofu - seriously it smells like an outhouse! It is one of the most rancid smells that I have ever encountered!! Well it is a delicacy around here, but no one would try it...but you know me I had to try! It actually was not that bad, but the smell stays with you for a while! Ahh the joys of a new culture!

Today begins the real work - talk to our Father on our behalf and ask for His might to be at work!

Blessings - Khris

Awesome Day

What an incredible day!

We started with worship at the International Christian Fellowship here. This church is only for those who are not nationals - they check your passport at the door! It was really incredible seeing how so many different people give praise!

Then we went to the Summer Palace and to the Olympic Park. These are truly incredible people who could do much in the spread of our Father's name!

Then we capped off the night with a Skype call to our great family!

Our Father is doing great things! We should all strive to love Him more!!

Blessings - Khris

Confidential Meeting

Last night we went to one of the Company's confidential meetings. It was a truly humbling experience to watch these men and women meet to give thanks to our Father. These simple meetings can become so routine for us and yet for them they are an incredible gift - we have a lot to learn from them!!

On a side note we were able to get some sleep last night so hopefully the worst of the jet-lag will be behind us.

I hate that I will miss our meeting in Prosper on Sunday - looking forward to seeing each of you!!

Blessings - Khris

We Made It!!

Okay that was one incredibly LLLOOONNNGGG flight!! But we are here and checked into our hotel (24 hours after leaving Prosper). The culture is so entirely different that it leaves you bewildered - we have been so thankful for our friends here that have helped us to get where we need to be!

There is no doubt that our Father is at work in this place and that many more are soon to join our family! It is going to be an incredible time!

We Have Begun!

Well we just arrived in San Francisco and now we await boarding for East Asia!! After the four hour trip from DFW to San Francisco the coming 14 hours seems all the more daunting! It is at moments like this that I am most aware of my ADD and the fact that airline seats were not made for men my size!

We are all very excited about the coming days - I know that our Father will do mighty things for His name!

I will try to update the blog several times a day so check back often!

Blessings - Khris