Crossroads Bible Church, Team Holland 2006 Official Blog Site
Dates of our trip: July 12--July 30, 2006.
The team has been assembled and preparing since January, 2006.
Departing Flight Information July 12: British Air Flight #2192, Departing DFW 4:20PM. Arriving London Gatwick 7:20AM. Connecting flight from London Heathrow, British Airways flight #434 to Amsterdam Schipol arriving 1:45PM.
Return Flight Information July 30: British Air Flight #8110, Departing Amsterdam Schipol 7:00AM, arriving London Gatwick 7:10AM. Conntecting flight from London Gatwick, British Airways flight #2193 to Dallas/Fort Worth arriving 2:30PM.
You can also use the links on each of these sights to find out even more information!
In order to prepare for the nature of direct outreach in a postmodern culture, our team read the book "How Should We Live Then" by Colson & Pearcy. It's an excellent read for an introduction to worldviews, their effects and their results.
Some of the most influential books on the subject of postmodernism would be by Francis A. Schaeffer, including "The God Who Is There," "Escape From Reason," & "How Should We Then Live" (which obviously influenced Colson). If you're interested in some basic quotes on postmodernism, you can get them here:
2003: Brent McKinney, Rob Edwards, Deb Stevenson, Jess Semmelbeck, Liz Stevenson, Alicia Garcia, Jude Miniat, Christy Thrasher, Abby Lorenc, Cristina MacGilvra, Matt Eaton, Justin Bascue, Faith Oldenburg, Kayti Edwards, Kim Church.
2006: Brent McKinney, Steve Davis, Debbie Schmidt, Michelle Davis, Thomas Egbert, Schuyler Crabtree, Kayla Russell, Alex Ehrich, Keila Lorenc, Bailey Price, Olivia Schmidt, Maria MacGilvra, Alicia Garcia
First and foremost, this trip is 17 days long and for many team members it's the longest they've been away from home. We'd love to hear from you, so feel free to check back often and comment by clicking on the spaces beneath each entry!
Secondly, pray for the team members and those they'll come in contact with. This ministry is entirely relational...and each day we'll simply be waking up and trying to find someone to share the Gospel with. We'd truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers!
Finally, when this team left, we were short of our financial goals. If you're so inclined to donate, simply go to the church website and click on "contact us," send an e-mail saying you'd like to contribute, and you'll be given the necessary instructions.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Shoarma...And Then Some
It all started in 2000. We met Michael. He visited our church over his Christmas holiday before we moved into the new building. We're friends.
I saw him again in 2003. He was over to the building every day. That's when Joshua Rudd introduced me to my new brother in Christ. Michael accepted Christ.
Tonight, he promised to take the group to the best Shoarma place in town. It's lamb. You get it on bread and have your choice of a variety of topics. It's an Indian food, but they do it really well in Holland. Kinda like the U.S.A. does pizza.
Anyway, on the ride there, he started telling me about how much he enjoyed the groups from Texas. He then listed off every single team member of the team in 2000. He told me that Rob (Edwards) was the coolest person he knows.
He then listed the names of every single team member in 2003. He asked which ones were still single in case he wanted to become a U.S. citizen (joking, of course). He's pretty much convinced he's like to marry Abby Lorenc (at least I think he's joking, but he mentioned how much fun it would be to have Christmas at their house with Keila, so I can't be sure) to both become a citizen and have a happy life.
Then he rattled off all our team member names this year.
I asked him why he went to all the trouble to remember everybody's names...I couldn't even remember them all.
His countenance changed.
He looked at me in disbelief that I'd even ask such a question.
His response (as best as I can remember it even though it happened about an hour ago) was, "I want to thank you and all the Texas teams. When you come every three years and I come there we care about each other. Your teams are so much fun. The Texans told me the best news I ever heard...even if it's hard to grow here in Holland in my life with Christ. When I see people who are only 16 who walk with Christ so well and are so much fun it makes me happy. My Texas friends remind me of this every time I see them, and I just want to say thank you."
I stammered some sort of embarrassed response that I'd just as soon forget. Whatever it was it didn't do justice to his words.
He then asked me if this was my job. To just tell people about Christ and how to walk with Him. I pretty much said, "Yep." I was looking straight ahead and pedalling more or less to keep from falling into the fetal position and just crying in humble gratitude.
He then said, "So, you get to help people you love grow in Christ. You get to be family with cool people like Rob. You get to spend all day with other people who love Jesus, too. You get to live in a place like Flower Mound where people can grow in a big church like yours. Sounds to me like you have the best job in the world."
I couldn't have said it better and can't believe I'm not attentively thankful for that reality 24/7/365 (366 in leap years).
I do indeed have the best job in the world, Michael. Thanks for reminding me.
And, Merrikay and the rest of the missions committee at CBC, I hope you can overlook the reality that I plan on picking up whatever tabs he runs up having coffee and/or dinner with him from now until...
...oh...
...say...
ummm...
eternity.
Brent 5:53 PM