Since yesterday our group has found ourselves in an incredible amount of dependence on Christ for a couple of reasons.
The first is that we are now pretty much on our own. James and Katy have left for the rest of the week to meet up with their friends traveling from Oklahoma to show them (the friends) where they will be serving when they are finally moved here full time. We will meet back up with James and Katy when we go to the camp next Thursday. For now, we have the missionary family in town to aid us from time to time but those times will be more like check-ups. Right now, for the most part, we will be doing this all alone.
Secondly, Tyler took a nasty spill down the stairs in our new place last night before bed. He slipped near the bottom of the wooden staircase and landed hard on the corner of one of the steps. The corner impaled his back, near the underside of his shoulder blade and it's bruised pretty bad. The underside of his arm is also pretty marked up and bruised all along his left tricep. We feel like he may have separated part of his shoulder. Thankfully, I happened to have a first aid kit in my bag so we were able to clean it up, put some ointments on it and bandage what needed covering. He's in pain this morning but he's doing alright. We'll talk with the missionary after we end our morning meeting.
Please pray for Tyler as he works toward recovery. He isn't able to move is arm hardly at all without feeling incredible pain. Also pray for witnessing opportunities this accident could introduce. We know God has a plan with this injury.
Yesterday went well. We met some people around town with James and Katy and got more familiar with the arrangement of the city. We now know where all of the important places are like our homes, food, sports facilities and the missionary's home.
We also met a few Serbian Christians when walking with the missionary who speak pretty good English and are willing to help us whenever we may need them.
Today we'll be on our own without James and Katy, trying our hands at speaking to people, maybe playing some pickup games with nationals at the park, and doing our best to order food, etc. We're pretty nervous about it but had a good devotional time this morning out of 2 Timothy 1:7-14 that I led. The passage talks about having a spirit of power and love and good judgement, something we'll need a lot of on this trip. It was a charge to not be afraid of looking stupid or saying the wrong things, but to do everything we can to reach these people regardless of how helpless or dumb we appear in the process. We have to do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Without relying on the holy spirit here, we will be entirely ineffective this week, or month for that matter. As Americans we carry a lot of pride. Pride will be a tool the enemy will use to keep us from being effective this trip, and we can't let him do that.
Please pray that we will find our courage to trust in Christ for the power to work through us and into this city. Amazing things will happen if we step out of our comfort zones and rely completely on Christ.
James was fluent in the language and ordered all of our food, made all of our contacts, and did everything for us travel wise and beyond. Without him and without the missionary holding our hand everywhere we go, it'll be much harder to operate. Pray for peace with that, and again for those spirits of power and not of timidity.
Tyler just left to meet a Serbian guy we were introduced to yesterday at the gym like they planned. Pray for that spirit of good judgement as he works out to keep that arm protected and to work through that relationship regardless of Tyler's injury. We're anxious to see how that arm will affect the rest of this trip. We're confident that God will use it and give Tyler an amazing testimony a month from now.
More to come!
The first is that we are now pretty much on our own. James and Katy have left for the rest of the week to meet up with their friends traveling from Oklahoma to show them (the friends) where they will be serving when they are finally moved here full time. We will meet back up with James and Katy when we go to the camp next Thursday. For now, we have the missionary family in town to aid us from time to time but those times will be more like check-ups. Right now, for the most part, we will be doing this all alone.
Secondly, Tyler took a nasty spill down the stairs in our new place last night before bed. He slipped near the bottom of the wooden staircase and landed hard on the corner of one of the steps. The corner impaled his back, near the underside of his shoulder blade and it's bruised pretty bad. The underside of his arm is also pretty marked up and bruised all along his left tricep. We feel like he may have separated part of his shoulder. Thankfully, I happened to have a first aid kit in my bag so we were able to clean it up, put some ointments on it and bandage what needed covering. He's in pain this morning but he's doing alright. We'll talk with the missionary after we end our morning meeting.
Please pray for Tyler as he works toward recovery. He isn't able to move is arm hardly at all without feeling incredible pain. Also pray for witnessing opportunities this accident could introduce. We know God has a plan with this injury.
Yesterday went well. We met some people around town with James and Katy and got more familiar with the arrangement of the city. We now know where all of the important places are like our homes, food, sports facilities and the missionary's home.
We also met a few Serbian Christians when walking with the missionary who speak pretty good English and are willing to help us whenever we may need them.
Today we'll be on our own without James and Katy, trying our hands at speaking to people, maybe playing some pickup games with nationals at the park, and doing our best to order food, etc. We're pretty nervous about it but had a good devotional time this morning out of 2 Timothy 1:7-14 that I led. The passage talks about having a spirit of power and love and good judgement, something we'll need a lot of on this trip. It was a charge to not be afraid of looking stupid or saying the wrong things, but to do everything we can to reach these people regardless of how helpless or dumb we appear in the process. We have to do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Without relying on the holy spirit here, we will be entirely ineffective this week, or month for that matter. As Americans we carry a lot of pride. Pride will be a tool the enemy will use to keep us from being effective this trip, and we can't let him do that.
Please pray that we will find our courage to trust in Christ for the power to work through us and into this city. Amazing things will happen if we step out of our comfort zones and rely completely on Christ.
James was fluent in the language and ordered all of our food, made all of our contacts, and did everything for us travel wise and beyond. Without him and without the missionary holding our hand everywhere we go, it'll be much harder to operate. Pray for peace with that, and again for those spirits of power and not of timidity.
Tyler just left to meet a Serbian guy we were introduced to yesterday at the gym like they planned. Pray for that spirit of good judgement as he works out to keep that arm protected and to work through that relationship regardless of Tyler's injury. We're anxious to see how that arm will affect the rest of this trip. We're confident that God will use it and give Tyler an amazing testimony a month from now.
More to come!
Thank you for doing this, Dylan. What a blessing it is to know the immediate needs your team has so we can all be praying. Know that Tyler is being lifted up. Eager to see how God will work to both heal and to use this injury in the lives He's prepared for this time. He's so intentional and so good. I'm sorry for the pain Tyler's experiencing. I think often God ENTRUSTS us with affliction for great purposes. Praying also for divine opportunities, courage and power these next many days as you interact with the Serbs you meet. I love you very much.
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