Super Breakfast

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal, but this one was something super…

Last week I went on a road trip with seven other guys from YWAM San Diego/Baja to Phoenix where we attended the NFL Experience and the Athletes in Action Super Bowl Breakfast. I KNOW! The tickets were a gift to us—and it’s things like this that always make me smile and shake my head. I mean, I have been able to travel the world and tell people about Jesus, but I never expected to get into exclusive events like this. 

Highlights included:

• Seeing a large crowd moving slowly through the NFL Experience with Katy Perry right in the middle of it. (I KNOW!)
• Having dinner with Larry and Lynn Eisenhauer at our friends' house. He played DE for the Boston Patriots from ’61 to ’69. (I KNOW!)
• Hearing Benjamin Watson clearly share the good news about Jesus Christ at the Super Bowl Breakfast honoring Peyton Manning. (I KNOW!)

Closest I've ever been to a star!!! Hahaha!

Tony Dungy and Bart Starr Jr. Presented Peyton Manning with the Bart Starr Award

Homes of Hope in Costa Rica

Fernando always had a huge smile on his face as he worked tirelessly with the team on his new Homes of Hope house. 

Recently, I was the staff photographer for a Homes of Hope build in San Jose, Costa Rica. Over the course of two days, fourteen families from Texas flew down and built two homes for two wonderful families. I loved it when the teams handed over the keys to the new homes. A highlight of this trip was that so many of the families' neighbors helped out. Some of the helpers had already received a house through the Homes of Hope ministry, but most of them had not. It was cool to see that we were a catalyst for neighbors to take care of each other. But my favorite part had to be when Fernando, (one of the new homeowners), said with tears in his eyes, "I am inspired by your generosity. I make a commitment to God to be generous like you have been to me." 

Maria, Fernando, and their kids receive the keys to their new home.

“I am inspired by your generosity. I make a commitment to God to be generous like you have been to me.”

— Fernando

Hazell, a new homeowner, receives a Bible from a member of the team, with an exhortation to make the Word of God the foundation of her new home. 

The Catch the Wave Book

Over the last 20+ years in YWAM I’ve done a lot of cool projects. And one of my latest ones was interesting. It’s a book that encompasses a whole lot of the mission’s history. I’ve only designed a few books, (like the Mission Adventures Journal), and I was surprised how many little details there are in creating this kind of document.

This is a book that was used at the western North America YWAM leaders’ gathering. It is 132 pages of historical documents, several ofwhat we call signpost messages, and several letters from YWAM’s founding generation. 

I attended the gathering a few weeks ago, and I was surprised at the number of compliments I received. It turns out that a lot of leaders really appreciated having access to all these documents in one place. 

This project had to be done fast, but even though there wasn’t a lot of time, I’m pleased with how it turned out. 

Record Flooding in the Amazon

More Homes of Hope Needed!

I just got off the phone with Kay Charlotte. Normally, that’s not much of a headline, but today it was totally unexpected to get a call from her—see she’s in the middle of the Amazon rainforest in Brasil—not the place you usually make a phone call from. She’s visiting our partners at Youth With A Mission Porto Velho. She’s there for a week to teach in their Discipleship Training School and to meet with our Mission Adventures leaders there. (Shout out to Genim and Helaine!)

Kay Charlotte is in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. 

Kay Charlotte called to give me an update of the situation in Porto Velho. The 2014 rainy season has been devastating for the people who live along the Madeira river. Seasonal rains regularly cause the river to overflow its banks, so people build their homes on stilts. But this year’s flooding set records and has left many poor families homeless and destitute. The local government estimates that as many as 5,000 families have been affected. The Youth With A Mission property adjacent to the river has also received damage from flooding. The river side portion of the property is covered in slick mud. At least one building was completely flooded and has several feet of mud inside. In response to the crisis, the local YWAMers closed their primary school in order to take in 7 families who have lost everything. Please join with Kay Charlotte and I in praying for those that have lost their homes. 

YWAM Porto Velho has built several houses as part of our Homes of Hope initiative. Back in 2011, Kay Charlotte and I were able to visit a family who received one of these homes. But, as you can imagine, now more than ever, there is a desperate need for more Homes of Hope. Again, join us in prayer for strategies, resources, and teams to be able to provide housing for those who’ve been devastated by this disaster. 

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Another Homes of Hope in Uganda

Last week we got back from our trip to Jinja, Uganda. Here are a few of our impressions:

Three Out of Four

There are a number of things that stand out in my mind regarding our recent trip to Africa. The first one being that Craig, Taylor and I went and Levi stayed in California with dear family friends. As un-impactful as that sounds, it was significant to me because I was forced to kick-in to a different gear of faith with God. Most of the time, when we travel, either the entire family goes or Craig or I stay back with the kids. I didn’t realize how faith building it was, but I stretched my faith in the area of God’s protection for my children. I really needed that.  Now that the kids are getting older, I assume that might be happening a lot more in the future. YIKES! 

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Levi Got to Go Skiing with Family Friends

Levi's Shot of the Slopes

Jet Lag Leads to Life Change

The second thing that stands out in my mind was when Taylor and I had the amazing opportunity to pray for 3 prostitutes and their pimp to make life changing decisions to follow Christ. The women asked specifically for Taylor to pray for them. She was so sweet when she asked Jesus to help them get jobs so that they didn’t have to sell their bodies. It was precious and so reflected her purity and the heart of God towards these ladies.

Sharing the Gospel

New Friends

Who knew sleeplessness would lead to this!

Just when I thought that it couldn’t get any better after leading 4 people to the Lord, I strike up a conversation with my taxi driver and through a translator, he too asks Jesus to become the Lord of his life. WOW! God was really at work drawing people to himself. My most humbling moment was when this new convert asked me to give him his new Christian name. So, I said a very quick prayer and within seconds the wonderful name of Joshua popped into my mind. I explained who Joshua was in the Bible and that God was going to use him to be a Joshua for Uganda and to lead others into their destiny. He was challenged and excited about his new journey. 

The First Homes of Hope with YWAM Hopeland

Last, but certainly not least was the wonderful opportunity to put up a Home of Hope for an elderly gentleman named Mikaya. He cares for many of his grand children and great grand children. He was so grateful for the house with windows, doors, and even a concrete floor. He was also happy to receive the new bicycle, 100lbs of rice and beans as well as a new tea kettle and other sundries. What a thrill to be able to make a difference so quickly to someone’s life. 

We are honored to be able to go and humbled to be sent by you. Thank you for your partnership with our family as we go to the ends of the earth for the Kingdom of God. 

And more pics will be coming soon! 

So, I'm a V02 Max Guinea Pig

Last weekend I did a “Volume of Oxygen Max” test. Erika Brown and her lab group at SDSU needed a guinea pig as they prepared for a practical exam, so I thought I’d volunteer. (Yes, I'm kind of a nerd… or is it geek?). This test measured how much oxygen the body uses during exercise. It’s often used as a measure of athletic performance… and so as a very amateur runner, I was curious as to what my V02 max might be. Elite endurance athletes typically achieve max scores in the 70’s and above. Cyclist Oskar Svendsen, scored a 97.5—the highest recorded according to topendsports.com.

Wired Up

I wore a heart rate monitor, a super cool (not) mask and a clamp on my nose. The mask had a one way valve that allowed me to breathe fresh air in, but when I exhaled, all my air would go through a hose to be analyzed for oxygen and carbon dioxide content. I’m terribly sorry, (not) but I was unable to snap a selfie with this equipment. ;)

The Protocol

After fitting the mask, putting on the nose clamp, and pairing the heart rate monitor, I warmed up on the biggest treadmill I’d ever seen. I started at 5 miles per hour, and the speed of the treadmill was increased every minute by half a mile per hour. Initially, the mask really was uncomfortable. I felt like I couldn’t get any air, and I’m pretty sure that I hyperventilated a few times during the test. But as the speed increased, I was able to find a rhythm. Oh, and the “Max” in V02 Max means to go until you can’t go anymore—as in maximum effort. So I maxed out shortly after hitting 10 mph somewhere close to 11 minutes. It was weird in that I felt like I could run faster, but the mask made it seem to me like I just couldn’t get enough air. 

The Results

The Raw Data

10.8 

Minutes

55.6

V02 Max

10

Miles Per Hour

I’m kind of surprised by the results. Well, either Erika’s lab group was being kind, or those numbers are respectable. Apparently, for a man my age, the 55.6 score puts me in the “Superior” category. *blushes* I’m no Oskar Svendsen, but I guess I did good for an old man

Pray with Us for Homes of Hope in Africa

We're going back to Uganda to build another Homes of Hope house. Here's how you can pray with us: 

PRAY FOR THE HOME BUILDING GEAR:

The Spiffy Control Box Thingie™

The Barrels of Cool Stuff that Become Foam™

The Spray Nozzle Thingie™

The Mold: The block mold was shipped weeks ago, and should arrive in time for the advance crew to make us enough blocks to build a home. Of course, there may be delays in shipping or customs, so pray everything is in place on time.

The Barrels: The barrels of polyurethane foam (that the blocks are made out of) were also shipped weeks ago. We have conflicting reports on whether they are in port or still in transit. Pray that the shipping company can straighten this out and that these supplies also arrive in time.

Please note: If these barrels do not arrive in time, we may be able to secure some alternate chemicals in Kampala. If that falls through we will build a masonry home, like we did for Faith and her family in Bulanga. Don't worry, we will build a house!

The Spray equipment: Our advance team, ("The Guys" below),  will be bringing in the spray equipment next week. This consists of some long hoses, a nozzle "gun" assembly, a control box and pumps that fit into the barrels. As you can imagine, most customs officials probably have never seen anything like this equipment. Pray for favor and smooth entry into Uganda. Oh, and pray for no lost luggage!

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Johny

Sergio

PRAY FOR THE GUYS

Sergio and Johny fly to Uganda on Monday. Pray for safe travels. Pray that they are able to enter with no problems and are able to get everything set up in Jinja and ready for our arrival. These two will be our expert builders, and I know they need your prayers! 

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PRAY FOR A WAY FORWARD

Finally, pray that this trip results in a way forward—we hope and pray these are the beginning steps of a home building movement among the poorest of the poor in Africa. Our hope is that our efforts will inspire African churches to take up the challenge of helping their own people out of poverty. Our team is the catalyst for getting the block building equipment in country. And we will be building the first house of this style in Uganda. As with any pioneering effort, there are many obstacles to overcome. However, through prayer, we can depend on God, and work hard to see Him use us to accomplish His purposes!

Thanks for your prayers!

This is a polystyrene block.

This is the block-making mold thingie™

Here's what the block wall looks like as it's being built!