Casey Wells - The World Race 2006

Nov 8th

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

November 8, 2009

International day of prayer for the persecuted church

Day of the orphan

I fly to New Zealand!

I'll be gone for 11 days. I get to travel with one of the Jan '10 squad leaders " Kyla Cornelius. Our job is to get ministry setup for all 18 teams that are going to be there in January! It's a huge job, especially since I currently don't have anything lined up for our time there " needless to say I am overwhelmed with everything that needs to get done both in New Zealand as well as all of my normal work that is piling up. Please keep Kyla and I in your prayers over the next couple of weeks :-)

July 08 Racers Safe in Mozambique

Fri, 9 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello from Southern Africa! This is Stephanie (the July '08 squad leader) and I just wanted to give a quick update to all the parents and supporters who read the blogs as the racers internet access will be scarce over the next few weeks. We all arrived safely to South Africa and immediately traveled up to Mozambique. The 80-90 degree weather was a pleasant shock to our systems after witnessing snow in London only 20 hours before!

Kiatera, 5-Alive and Bold are working with HIM (Harvest International Ministries) in Southern Mozambique, and Pi, JOY and Gracers are partnering with a South African who runs an orphanage further North. Both teams will be living out of their tents in the bush (countryside) and will be church planting, providing training for pastors and working with kids. The Holy Spirit is moving like crazy through this country and I know each individual will be a part of this incredible revival that is taking place in the hearts of Mozambiquans! Please pray for miracles!

3 racers stayed back in South Africa for the week to seek medical attention for various reasons. We have already been in to see the doctor and all are on the mend! Praise the Lord that this all happened so quickly. But please continue to pray for healing and for the health of everyone in Mozambique.

Thank you for your prayers and I will keep you as informed as possible.

Blessings,
stephanie

changing...

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

i just wanted to let you all know that since i am no longer on the world race, and will now be part of aim staff i now have a new blog site. i will no longer be posting on this site. i don't have much up yet, but don't worry it's on the list of things to do :)

so check out my new site for future updates. (it's just like this one, only on a different web address.) make sure that you go up to update alerts on the new site so that you know when i post something new.

http://caseywells.myadventures.org

thanks blessings love

casey

fears

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

when i was 10 years old i made the decision to get water baptized. it wasn't something that anyone told me i needed to do or asked if i wanted to, i just knew that i wanted to let the world know that i was giving my life over to christ. so early on a sunday morning i waited for my turn to be baptized infornt of my church. i don't remember a whole lot from that morning. there wasn't anything super 'spiritual' or crazy that happened as i was dunked in the water wearing a white robe. but there was something that happened that changed my life forever...

the man that was baptized before me was a refugee from africa. he had fleed from his home land to the united states, because he was going to be killed for his faith in jesus christ. he had come to the states looking for freedom. this man had a wife and children still in africa, he had no idea if they were dead or alive. he had decided to get baptized because he was going to find out if he had received his greencard the following week or two. he would either be allowed to stay in the united states and bring his family over, or would be forced to return home to be murdered. either way he was going to praise jesus name.

it was this man who changed my life forever. i do not know what happened to him. but from that moment i fell in love with africa. i wanted to go. i wanted to spread the name of jesus in africa. to be the hands and feet of jesus in africa.

i now have the opportunity to go to africa. to live in this place that stole my heart so long ago. i am not afraid of: the people, war, aids/hiv, being mugged or threatened, of dirt and disease, or anything else that comes along with living as a minority in a third would country... my biggest fear is that i will not have the funds to go and live in a place that has stolen my heart. it sounds so silly, but it rips my heart in two. i've seen god provide so many times and yet this fear still grips it's tallens deep inside.

lord i am willing... send me... provide for your daughter to go... let me be the hands and feet that change a generation.. that bring a hope and a light amid the darkness.

the questions continue...

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

so i've been sitting here the last two days reading everyone's blogs... quite a chore i must say...

god has been speaking to me some of the same things that he's been talking to the racers about - the whole concept of being rather than doing. he's been speaking to me about this for quite awhile now, so i've had time to impliment it and really let it soak in...

so now the tables have turned once again... i am set back into the reality of the world. i have decisions i must make. i must go back out and find a job (what do i want to do for the next few months?). i really do need to make a decision on what i am going to do in swaziland (am i going to help with the new training base aim is starting to buid or am i going to lead the june world racers?) it's come to the point where not having a specific answer just will not work anymore.

i sat down with one of my pastors yesterday and was challenged with some tough questions: what is the long term affect/goal of these ministries (for the people they are reaching as well as for those involved), what are your long term goals, where do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years, how is what you choose to do now going to affect what you want to do in the future, how is it going to help you reach your future goals, what is it that you are wanting from us as a church to do...

the reality is, i don't know. i've been seeking god for so long about what i am supposed to do, and along with that who he wants me to be...

so please pray with me and for me that i would begin to find the answers i've been looking for... that god would show me really clearly exactly where he wants me to ' be'.

Thanks Jan '07

Mon, 5 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

i had the awesome opportunity of spending the month of january in mexico with the january 2007 world racers! what a mind blowing trip! having only been home for a month and then to pack back up and leave once again... a month seemed like it would take forever! but it sadly came to an end all to quickly! if you've been following the racers blogs than you have a bit of an understanding of what a great trip it was....

i will admit it.... when i first heard that there was going to be 50 racers for the january trip i thought seth was nuts! i mean there are still so many little things that need to be worked out. my trip might have been the first to go, but that doesn't mean that this group isn't going to be pioneering! even when i first started to meet the group i was still a little worried... but i must say, they totally got rid of every hinderence i might have once had. they are an awesome group of people who are totally prepared to go out on this great adventure with christ! i know that they will change people's lives for the better, and that they will be better people for it.

saying goodbye was to difficult to even attempt... so i just settled for 'see you later' - i will be seeing the teams in swaziland in june, and it can't come fast enough! reading the blogs just isn't enough, i can't wait to sit down with cups of good coffee and chat once again.... but until then.... thank you!...

for letting me join you...

for letting me be myself...

for helping me find my passions once again...

and for oh so much more! i love you!

on your knees?

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

when was the last time you were on your knees in prayer?

when was the last time you spent more time during a church service in prayer than listening to a sermon?

this is the life of the church here in southern mexico!

what its all about...

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

so even before i left the states, i was asking god why do you want me in mexico? what do you want me to do while i am with the jan 07 world racers? what is it that you want to do in my life?

but i have realized this week that those questions arent really as important as we make them out to be. you see its not about what i do or dont do while i am here. sure the experiences ive had help me to be able to share with the group, but its not even about my experiences. its about how those experiences have changed me, made me more into the person god has created me to be. you see i have been a blessing not because of the things i have done or taught while here in mexic, i have been a blessing because i have been myself.

i learned a lot just `sitting at the feetof andrew, gary, seth, and bob the last few days. as i served them, prayed with them, talked with them and listened to them. its not about doing, its about being. its not about dying everyday, its about living everyday.

the best gift i can give to anyone is to just be myself. to be the fullness of who god has created me to be. it sounds so easy, yet i have lived most of my life trying to be someone that i am not, trying to fit into the mold of the people around me. but the truth is that a part of me is dying inside when i am not allowing myself to do all the things that i normally want to do. i am ok with the fact that i will never be like everyone else, and to be honest i am happy about that.

so here and now i start living life to the fullest.... i am going to be myself everyday, in every way, no matter who else is around or what the circumstances might be. i am no longer going to hide what christ has placed inside of me.... i am no longer to deprived the world of the gifts he has placed in my life.... i am no longer going to deprive myself of being free to be me

here again, yet not the same...

Sat, 6 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

well after one more red eye flight i made it from seattle down to mexico. to be honest i wasnt really sure how it would all turn out. i dont think that any of the world racers knew i was coming, i was often asked the question - so what team are you on a or b? and with a big smile i would just say - well actually i am an 06er : )

it has been such a joy and priveledge to get to know all of the racers! they are amazing people so excited to go out and serve the lord. sharing stories of last year and answering questions about what is to come has been a lot of fun. the amount of training that they are getting is amazing. i would sit there and think, wow that would have been awesome to know, or im glad they dont have to learn that the hard way. after the practicle stuff last week and the ministry / god stuff this week i know that they will be fully competent to finish the race.

to close i just wanted to share a couple of quick words from the sermon that the local pastor preached our first day in mexico - - - - - - he spoke from joshua 1:8-9 - god doesnt fail us, we fail him .......... the devil doenst sleep, he waits for an opportunity - dont give him one......... try to do a little bit more for the lord that is going to be one of the challenges that i set before myself this year, to not give the enemy any opportunities, and to always be trying to do a little bit more for the lord. it seems like such a simple little thing and yet there are so many times i fail to acknowledge that it is the enemy who is attacking me and only give to the lord , failing to give him my best. what are the challenges that you are going to set before yourself this new year when it comes to your relationship with the lord?

the adventure continues...

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

well i've been home for a month... enjoying being home and being close to family and friends... it's been a blast! i've been working full time for See's Candy (i have so much fun working with all the gals there! it's one of those places you always look forward to going. it's like being a kid in a candy store, oh wait - i am a kid in a candy store!). i also spent sometime volunteering for Ronald McDonald House Holiday Cruise - we take care of all the wonder and majic as the families get to be together for Christmas Eve, it is always such a joy to bless someone else in absolute ubundance as we celebrate Christ's birth.

tomorrow i start the adventure all over again... i will take three different flights over night to go and join the world race 07 for their training in mexico. i am really looking forward to being around the new group of racers. i've seen their passion for the lost, their desire to love each other, and a glimpse of how much fun they are going to have while reading some of their blogs. i can't wait to see and hear how god is going to use them on this amazing adventure that they are going to have with him.

so please pray for me as i join the world race 07 for the next month. pray that they get all the training that they need, that god will speak through the men and women who will be doing the training, finances, travel, safety, and that we have a lot of fun as we get to know each other and share the love of christ to everyone around us!

love and blessings,

casey

it's over... but it's only the beginning

Fri, 1 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The Race is over! We've completed everything that we were sent to do and now we are all back home, back in the "Real World."

It has taken me a long time to write my last blog, because well, what can I really say?

So I thought I would share with all of you the thing that changed and affected me the most this last year. . . .

I could tell you how the kids at the orphanage challenged how dedicated my own faith is, or how sleeping on the streets made me think of how I have viewed the homeless in the past, or how seeing the mountains and the sunsets all over the world made me realize again how incredibly big God is . But . the one thing that changed my life the most is none of the things that we saw or even really the places that we went, it was the people I was living with. You see, because I had been on the mission field before, I had been to many of the places and seen many things before. I'd even been to some of the same countries before, so I had already experienced the impact that happens to everyone the first time around, and God had a more personal experience for me this time.

This time well it wasn't really about changing everyone and everything else this time God wanted to change me. This time wasn't about living and working with other people it was about loving them and being loved by them.

God used this year to sometimes gently, and sometimes not so gently come to the realization that loving other people wasn't just about them, but that it brought great healing and happiness to my own life. Just because others didn't understand me at first, they didn't stop trying to get to know me and to love me. They challenged different areas of my life not necessarily by what they said, but by the way that they lived their own lives. I saw different things in their lives, different aspects of their character that I wanted in my own life. I began wanting to spend more time with them as they did different things because I wanted the beauty I saw inside of them to rub off on me. They let me be myself and yet have the freedom to change and grow. There was always someone there to encourage me, make me laugh; help me get through the rough patches when I just wanted to cry, and to give me the best hug ever!

You see I am a better person, more of the woman God created me to be not because of anything that I did or the places I went to. I am a better person because of the ones who loved me . Anna-Marie, Anita, Ashley, Cathy, Chad, Clara, Dude, Estee, Gary, Jacques, Jessica Friske, Jessica Sisson, Katherine, Kim Kinsley, Kimmy Lynch, Lana, Laura, Liesl, Lloyd, Paul, Sarah Cruz, Sarah Rinn, Stefan, and Tauna.

Thank you!

Love always,

Casey

even today....

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

when we were doing beat the drum, i was walking along the main street getting craft supplies .... i was handed a flier from a lady on the street.... this is what it said:

HERBAL CLINIC PROF. ----- & ASSOC.

members of international traditional healers and researchers of traditional herbal medicine plus strong spiritual powers. come and be treated with international medicine, example japanese, chinese, arabic, indian, masal, xhosa/african muti(s). plus strong spirits in teh world (no side effects)

1. WOMEN PROBLEMS: 1 those who want to produce and have spent many years looking for a baby. 2 those with menstraul problems 3 those with pains in the stomach and the body generally 4 those who are experiencing miscarriages 5 thosse who have passed their days for giving birth

2. MEN'S PROBLEMS: 1 - 3 all 'men' stuff

3. COURT CASES: 1 those who have a court case, big or small

4. LOVE AFFAIRS: 1 to bring back a lost lover 2 if you have taken long time looking for a lover 3 removal of all misunderstanding with your partner 4 if you wan tto be loved very much by your lover

5. BEWITCHED PEOPLE: 1 if you have a mental disturbance 2 if you believe someone bewitching you.

6. WORK AND BUSINESS: 1 if you are looking for a job 2 if you w ant a promotion at work or to pass an exam. 3 if you want your business to prsper or have a boom

7. BAD LUCK: 1 if you are not lucky in your activities 2 to prevent thieves from attacking your home, business, car.

8. GENERAL: 1 if you are troubled by demanding debts. 2 if you suffer from asthma/ diabetes / cancer/ back pains / chest pains. 3 divorce cases 4 permanent love 5 women 'problems' 6 protect your home, car, family, and yourself.

CONSULTATION FEE R20.00 ONLY (that's about $3US)

HIV PEOPLE CAN BE HELPED. you only pay after success s achieved - time to change your life forever.

the sad thing is that people believe this... they spend the last of their hard earned money to try and make their lives better, without realizing that they are just making it worse. south africa maybe a 'civilized' modern country, yet the past still holds firm when it comes to the spiritual realm. please continue to pray for the people of south africa, that they would see the truth and that it would set them free!

letters....

Sat, 4 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

one of the things that we do during beat the drum is to put out a box where the kids can write annonymous letters that we will personally respond to either in class or write them a letter if they wish to put their name on it. because we don't have much time with the class this is a great way for us to be able to know more about them and help answer their deep questions.

here are some of the questions that students in our grade 10 class asked us:

i am the only one of my friends not having sex.... they tease me and call me names.... i am confused..... so now i am thinking about having sex.

what do i do: my parents abuse me and tell me to go to my boyfriend.... my cousin has HIV..... and my mother shouts at me everyday.

why do people have sex after marriage?

why do people want to have sex with a lot of other people?

my boyfried said that if i loved him i would have sex with him.... i loved him but wouldn't have sex.... so he broke up with me.

is it good and cool to have sex with my young age girlfried?

it is good to take revenge on someone you hate.

my father doesn't live with us anymore. my mom doesn't have a job, so we are struggling. i try to talk with my dad, but he will not talk to me. my step-mom even gets in the way to keep me from talking or even seeing him. sometimes i feel like i don't belong in this world. please help!

when i was 13 i had sex with an older lady who is my neighbor. we used a condom. but afterwards i found out she has HIV. what should i do?

Another Last Minute....

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

so once again i made a last minute decision ... i talked with annamarie and decided to go ahead and pack my bag.... i am with my team and doing Beat the Drum!

i had a wonderful time with the lord just praying and reading last week. god was quiet, but it was refreshing to just have as much time as i wanted and needed to spend with him. the rest was refreshing and has given me the energy that i will definetly need for the next two weeks of ministry.

i am living with laura from the brown team with a wonderful house family!! they treat us like queens!!! what an abundant blessing! i am also working with laura to teach the grade 10 C class. it will be a new thing for me and a change of pace for her as she was working with the grade8 last week at a different school. we showed the Beat the Drum video yesterday to all of the kids, who behaved quite well. please continue to pray for us as we do the program. they got a great responce from the kids and teachers last week (their only negative was that they want us to do it for the Whole School next time!). we are hoping to also open up the church the last night we are here to show it to our host families and anyone else who has a desire to see the film.

we will be leaving early friday morning to go help counsel at a youth camp over the weekend. we are planning on having about 80 grade 7 kids. it will be a typical camp only that we are allowed to share the gospel, yea! we are greatly looking forward to it.

so that's the scoop of what's up.... till next time....

casey

A Change of Plans...

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

well i made a last minute decision and decided to stay behind while everyone else went ahead to another town to do the beat the drum presentations a a couple of schools.... i could have gone with them, but between me and my leadership we felt it might be better for me to take a break.... so i have had sometime to myself for what seems like the first time on this trip... it been amazing to just relax with god and to enjoy the beauty of the beach and sunshine here in jeffery's bay, south africa.

i do have an option to go back upto johannesburg to the aim base there and spend sometime just praying with some of the staff there.... i am not yet 100% sure if this is what i want / need to do. although i feel a lot better and a bit more re-energised i don't feel like i am strong enough to jump right back into ministry yet. god is being pretty quiet about exactly what i should do, and about basically everything at the moment.

please pray that i will hear from god clearly, that he will fill me back and do whatever clean-up work that needs to be done. thanks.... blessings....

South Africa

Sun, 8 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Yes... we are in J-bay South Africa. it has been so nice to be back here after 5 years! it is so beautiful here, i love it!

we are going to be working with beat the drum in a couple of differnt schools this next week - focusing on aids and abstinence. it is a huge task and unknown territory for many of us. but by god's grace we will be able to impact these youth with the love of god and help them to love their own lives!

please continue to pray as i know that i am extremely spent and finding myself struggling to keep motivated even though we are almost done....

need to run... blessings,

casey

back in Kenya

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

hey everyone.... just wanted to let you all know that we made it safely to Kenya last night. the bus ride was much nicer, cleaner and quicker than our ride to Uganda, an answer to prayer. we saw a couple groups of zebra grazing on the side of the road which was a nice treat :)

we will be staying here in nairobi, kenya until we fly out to south africa with the rest of the red and brown team. we will probably help out with a little ministry as well as try and catch up on our rest as our time in Uganda took it's toll.

thanks so much for your prayers....

Uganda Update

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Dear family and friends

Hello from Africa! The last month has been amazing as we've been able to see and be apart of what God is doing here.

We got off to a rocky start when 16 of our 22 bags didn't make it on the plane from Egypt to Kenya. We just said God was teaching us about living simply and sharing even what little we have with each other. So we spent a couple of days in Nairobi before catching a bus to southern Uganda (Bugiri). We were greeted by pastors and the wives of the ministry leaders with great joy and expectation.

Our time in Uganda was mostly spent sharing the story of Jesus Christ in the 'neighborhoods' (villages) around the current churches and church plants (brand new churches that don't even have a building yet). As we got to know the people we saw the lack of education and resources that they had available. Thanks to a generous gift we were able to provide Bibles to some of the pastors and believers. We also did a seminar at each of the four churches, we split the people into three groups: one for adults on the 10 commandments, one for the teens on real life issues (AIDS, alcohol, abuse, etc.), and a walk through the Bible with the children. We even did a special seminar for 15 of the pastors focusing on prayer, counselling, deliverance/witchcraft and how to follow up with the over 470 new converts! I loved being able to teach from Gods word!!! It was the best feeling to share with them things that they had never heard before and encourage them in basic foundations. We had a great time in Uganda and will never forget the things that we saw God do while we were there!

The next step will be flying from Kenya to South Africa on September 29. We have the option to stay in South Africa or work in Lesotho. At this time I am not exaclty sure where we will be, but wherever we go we know that God will be moving and using us.

Please continue to pray for me, the Blue Team and all the World Racers: health, safety, hear God's voice clearly, boldness to do what God asks, strength and energy as we are getting worn out as time comes slowly to an end, that God would begin preparing us for going home and the things we'll do there, and that the rest of our support money will come in.

Thank you so much for your continued prayer and support! God is so faithful and I can't wait to see what he has coming up next.

Blessings from Uganda,

Casey

sometimes it just takes time....

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

six years ago i was in my final year of high school... sitting in my english class just waiting for it all to be over. in order to graduate we had to do a special project. we could pick anything that we wanted, as long as we completed the required hours and did a special presentation at the end. unlike many of my class mates i wanted to do something that i might never do otherwise, i wanted to do something that would change my life, change the way i think about things.

so i chose to study sudan, uganda, and rwanda ... to look into the affects of the genocides and civil wars on these three countries. the more i read about them, the more i wanted to know. i fell in love with these far off countries that i might never know otherwise. the tradegies that were still occuring broke my heart and i longed to be able to do something to help, but didn't know what.

in the summer of 2002 i had the priveldge of going to rwanda and doing a summer program at an orphanage with Friends in the West (the African Children's Choir). it was amazing!! the country was beautiful and i was finally able to see the place i had once read about... so much had changed from what i had read. you could see hutus and tutsis spending time together. it was a short time, but something i will never forget. those children were amazing and it showed me once again that when we put our love of jesus christ first he can help us through anything.

as i was home a year ago praying about what god wanted me to do i had two different opportunities, i could go with my mom's church and work at a refugee camp in northern uganda (where my heart is really at) or i could come on the world race. it was a hard decision at first. what do i chose? do i follow my heart and got to africa or do i put it aside and go around the world for a year? after some thought and prayer, i obviously chose to come on the world race. i knew that god would one day allow me to go to uganda.....

well after many years, i am finally here in uganda. no, i am not in the north.... but i do get to claim uganda in jesus name after all he says that he will give us everywhere that we place our feet - and well, i want uganda. god is doing great things here and it is awesome to be apart of it....

the moral of the story hold onto your dreams and desires, you never know when god will help make them come true.

so grose!!!

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

so much like anyother day we started off with 'door to door' evangelism. it went pretty well. we aren't seeing the same numbers as before, but the priveledge of sharing Jesus Christ with people for the first time is still amazing! often it seems like we are walking through mud as we share, it's a bit of a struggle.... but the excitment that we get with the ones who pray outloud and invite Jesus into their lives is worth it.

we decided that in the afternoon we would spend our time in the 'towns' around the villages that we had been sharing in. by town i really mean the dozen tiny shops that have odds and ends in them to supply the local villagers with so that they don't have to go all the way to town.

it was a little rocky but things were going good. the ugandan pastors were starting us off with worship under a great big tree right next to the road. a crowd started to gather - tons of children up front and adults scattered in the back. it seemed like everyone that was walking by was stopping to hear what was going on.

chad got up and began to preach.... he was going good.... got a little lost when a drunk came and interupted but he picked it right back up and kept going.... and then it happened....

a little girl got pooped on by something in the trees - yuck! we looked up but couldn't see any birds in the tree. the little one left to go get cleaned up and only a few minutes later the reality of what was over head in the trees hit us (well at least me and a few locals ) the BATS overhead woke up!! and what do you normally have to do when you first wake up, that's right people - pee! so sad and discusted to say it, i was peed on by the disturbed bats!!!

needless to say us girls quickly moved from under the tree while chad kept on preaching. it was a difficult crowd and only a few people wanted prayer. we were able to go back to the village the next day and see a few of the same faces from the night before and there were even a few who came to the lord! i don't know if we will go back to that village or town again, but one thing i know - i will not be standing under that tree again!!!!

Off We Go....

Fri, 1 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Well, this might be my last blog for a bit...... not really sure.... we leave Cairo, Egypt tonight and fly into Nairobi, Kenya!! I am sad that we will not be flying in during the day you can see monkeys and giraffe as you drive away from the airport! But it will be nice to be back in the continent that has stolen my heart. (Yes Egypt is technically Africa, but it feels more like the Middle East.) Sadly I will not be staying in Kenya, but to my excitment and antisipation my team will be the only ones going to Uganda!!! We are looking at leaving right away by bus to Kampala, Uganda. We have heard that the trip is beautiful! I hope I get enough sleep to be able to stay awake and enjoy it!

Please keep us all in your prayers as we travel to our different locations. It will be another long and tiring journey. But it will be worth it!!!!

Did you invite him in?

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

When did you see a stranger and invite him in?

Matthew 25:34-45

We were only in Turkey for a week and a half, but the people showed us so much hospitality! Even if we didn't have much time we were always offered at least Turkish tea or Apple tea (both of which we really enjoyed). While we were traveling we even had a guy offer to let us come to his house to shower. He had seen us sleep on the deck of the ferry sprawled over our bags (obviously desperate for sleep). When we arrived at his place he even ran out to get us something to eat and drink for breakfast.

Now I know this might be the best idea for most of us I am definitely not suggesting that you pick up the first person / traveler you meet and offer to let them make themselves at home.' That could be a little scary!

But have you asked the guest speaker or missionary over for dinner? Or invited the first time visitor to the church out to coffee or lunch after church? Or offered to have a friend who is traveling through to stay at your place instead of at a hotel, even going to the extent of having a welcome basket or breakfast made for them?

We had a family show up at our camp site with chicken soup they knew that our budget was tight, that we were limited in what we could cook, so they brought dinner for us. For them it was just something small they could do for us, but for us it was amazing! It was good / healthy food in our belly, and a little taste of home. It's not the quantity or even the quality that counts, it's the heart and attitude that you do it with.

To our surprise the often the places that we have loved the most on this trip are the ones where the people have been the most hospitable. The people who have shown us hospitality have changed our view of the beauty of a country.

So maybe you can't invite in a stranger but you can feed the hungry, give something to drink to the thirsty, care for the sick, give clothes to those in need, and visit those who are lonely. Who can you bless this week? This month? This year?

The Big Block

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

This is obviously something that has plagued my ministry career from the beginning, finances. I don't know exactly why, lots of different things I guess. More than anything I want to break this cycle of not having enough! It is not God's desire for His workers / children to go without. A worker is worthy of his wages.'

I have known for many years that this is what I am to do to work and serve God in fulltime ministry in missions. I have already signed up to be on staff for next year, and will once again need to support myself (or have others support me).

Right now I am in need of almost $4,000 to just finish up this year because our expenses (especially travel) have been more than we expected, my team is in need of this money to come in. The thing about not having all of your finances in, is that it affects everyone, not just you. We have been able to purchase plane tickets to get from Nairobi, Kenya to Johannesburg, South Africa! Praise God!!! But this ticket on top of the one from Turkey to Egypt (another unexpected large purchase) has taken a huge chunk out of our dwindling budget.

Please spread the word, believe in faith, and if you can, help support me for not just the money that I need for this year but also for the years to come. My desire is to not just finish, but to finish strong. To complete what God has called me to do.

Egypt

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The last couple of weeks here in Egypt have been enlightening and challenging. Staying at and working with the Coptic (Egyptian) Orthodox Church has reminded me that God is still using many different denominations. As long as our core beliefs are the same and we want to bring glory to the Father by the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will do mighty things through us! We are one body, with different organs. How often we forget this and focus only on our denomination or the way that we have seen God move in the past.

I was also reminded how we are made to live in community and show hospitality although I don't mind giving and receiving the hospitality part, the community part is still something I am working on. Yes, even after living in community for almost 4 years now, I am still not 100% comfortable with it, my shy and reserved side tends to take over and not care for some of the aspects of community life. But I guess that is why God still has me in community life, He is wanting to continue to show me how He created us to be. To live a lifestyle of community.

The majority of my time was not spent in 'ministry', rather I spent my time helping Evelyn get things ready for her kindergarten class. It was time spent investing in things that will help to change a life and last forever, plus it gave Evelyn more time to spend with us and the church memebers.

Of course being in Africa / the Middle East, it was a great time of seeing how far we could bend with out breaking (flexibility). Things seemed to change several times and then end up being totally different once we got there. Sometimes they were on 'African time' - late or changing the time, and sometimes they weren't and they were ready to go ahead of time. You learn a lot about how patient you are really quickly, as well as if there is a hint of anger that rises up because of frustration.

Egypt has been a time of self-reflection and being on our toes.. it has helped to prepare us for the rest of the trip and remind us what it is all about coming together as one body to bring glory to the Father, by the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

the band awats....

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

hey everyone! know said was gong to fill you all n on what god has been saying to me.... but well something else came up for this quick blog tonight.....

please pray for us!

tomorrow night - Saturday, August 12, there will be a huge concert just outside of ancient ephesus....

No Longer Music will be performing!

For those of you who do not know about the band No Longer Music - they are a radical group of Christans who formed a band in order to reach more of the secular youth.... they use theatrics, musc and ther testimones to share and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ!

we are super excited to be able to lift these guys up in prayer! we will be passing out fliers in the early afternoon as we cover the place in prayer..... during the performance we wll continue to lift them up n prayer....

please join wth us in prayer:   safety, a good crowd, open ears and hearts to hear the message of Christ, and that people would receve Christ as the one and only God.....     pray for the band, those who attend, the authortes (the police wll be present), and for us who wll be praying.

it's going to be a total change of pace for us but we are excited to be a part of it!

if you want to find out more check out ther website....     http://steiger.org
(that's where i stole the photos from)

UPDATE:

Hey guys. Thank you so much for your prayers! The concert went really well! It was the first time they had done it in a Muslim nation. For a trial run it went great. There was a good crowd of over a couple hundred people, mostly locals. The band had to cut out a couple of items from their normal performance, but it was still great. There was one recommitment that we are aware of (the guy even came to church for the first time the next morning! - a huge thing for someone to do in a Muslim culture!). But we do know that a bunch of people heard and saw the gospel presented, many for maybe the first time. The band was unable to have an alter call (invitation to receive / learn more about Christ) in any fashion, and the police also stopped the group from passing out tracks. But there were a few of us who were able to have long, in depth conversations with people. It was also neat for our WR team to see another way of preaching and reaching out to another group of people. We loved it!!! Please keep Steiger Ministries and No Longer Music in your prayers, and check out their website. Also pray for those who did hear the gospel in Selcuk, that God would continue to stir inside them and that there would be no backlash from the government or locals towards the Christian community.

i am hungry....

Wed, 9 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

ok... so yes we are not eating what we normally would like - europe is expensive..... but that is not what i am talking about....
ever since we were in BiH i have had a huge desire to know more about God - i can not get enough of scripture. it seems like the more time i spend in the word and in prayer the more time i want and the less we seem to have.
i had no strong desire to go to greece or turkey ... but God has been doing great and amazing things ... it seems like He keeps revealing Himself to me - especially as we continue to go to the places where He once moved so powerfully
there is so much that i want to share.... but it will just have to wait for now.....
blessings -
casey

the hardest part of being away from home...

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and in the age to come, eternal life."                                                  Luke 18:29-30

Yes, it's hard to leave behind all of your belongings, your favorite foods, your church, your friends and your family.

Stuff is only stuff (and there will always be more stuff to collect along the way). You can always find food that is at least close to what you are looking for. . .

All of my family members are spread across different states (only my mom and step-dad live close by, just down the hall)... and well lets face it, my friends are spread all across the world...    Thanks to the world of technology they don't always seem so far away.

The hardest part of being so far away is not necessarily missing your family and friends, it's missing the important events in their lives . . . it's those things that only come around once in a life time, the things that change their lives forever.

In less than two weeks, on August 3 (yes, it's a Thursday), my younger sister, Krista, is getting married!

I almost broke into tears when I first heard the date and had to tell them that I wouldn't be able to be there on their special day. But I had a choice to make do I go on the World Race knowing I will miss the most important day in a young woman's life, or do I follow God's will for my life for the year?   As you can tell I made the choice to go on the World Race, and gave my sister and her fiance (Teddy) my blessing as I said goodbye.

I don't yet know exactly where I will be on August 3, but I do know that my thoughts and prayers will be with them in Idaho.

It's times like these that leaving home, mother, father, and sisters for the sake of God's kingdom is difficult. But I know that God will be here with me and my new family, the Blue team, at the same time that He is uniting Krista and Teddy in marriage. I also know the work for God's kingdom is eternal, while my sister's wedding is only one day. I know that God will bless my sacrifice of chosing Him and that Krista and Teddy will be blessed in their marriage and for allowing me to serve God.

Please lift Krista and Teddy up in prayer as they begin a new lift together on August 3rd. I love and miss you guys! God Bless... may it be a beautiful and glorious time of worship to the Lord!

Sad Day....

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Just wanted to let all you worried moms, dads, family and friends that our route has changed.....

We will no longer be heading to Israel...

Due to the events that have taken place the last couple of weeks in the middle east, leadership has decided to look into other routes for our journey.

Please continue to pray for guidence as we seek God to find out where else He wants to take us.

Blessings,

Casey

in the night...

Sun, 16 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

And afterward I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Joel 2:28

Recently God has found that the best way to wake me up in the middle of the night to pray is to make me have to get up to go to the bathroom (it's three sets of stairs, so by the time I get back to my room I have started to wake up a little).

So the other night God woke me up... I felt like I was to pray for the Ecuador team from Mostar. As I prayed I 'saw' a picture (like in a dream) ... the Ecuador team was an army preparing to step into war (looking much like they would have in the Renassonce). They were on a hill ready to come down and fight. Brooks was on a horse - to oversee and to lead the team into battle. It's the youths turn to fight ... they've had their time of training, now it's time to do it! This time the battle is under the watchful eye and guidance of their leader ... but one day they will have to have trained their own army and lead them out to war as they fight for the eternal lives of the people around them.

God has been showing me that many of the missionaries around the world are just preparing the people to be able to train and lead / disciple others. This is what I feel is happening with the Ecuador team as well. They have been gone for only a few short days, but I miss them already! I know that God has great things instore for them and that they are going to come back with wonderful stories of how they have grown in the Lord and how He used them on their trip, I am just sad that we will not be here to hear them face to face.

I think it's time that we all start / continue to ask God to pour out His Spirit on us. That we would dream dreams, see visions, and that we would prophesy over others as well as have others prophesy over us. Most of us dream, we just don't remember them in the morning.... ask God to remind you of your dreams when you wake up, and that He would give you the interpretation (what they really mean). I don't suggest that you ask God to wake you in the middle of the night to pray, because He will take you up on that request! Be prepared for God to answer your prayers and for Him to pour out His Spirit!!...

a time of prayer...

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

We spent a week just praying with the people from Novimost. To most this would sound totally Boring! Why didn't we spend that time going out and preaching and evangelizing? Well if you haven't done a week of prayer before, let me tell you it is a lot of work!!! Whenever we had any down time, it was sleep time!

Our hearts and souls poured out into this community and nation as we asked for God to move. The great thing was that it was people from all over united together in prayer over Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina. There were people from Bosnia Herzegovina, England, Scotland, and the United States all working together to bless this nation and to push back the enemy. We spread out all over Mostar and even went to other cities to prayer walk basically pray as we walk, because the Bible says that God will give us every place that we step ( Deut 1:36 ).

We don't yet know how our prayers will be answered, but we do know that God hears our prayers and that He is moving here even now.