And a Child Will Lead Them

So I am now through six weeks of the program, and am overjoyed with God's provision for me during this time. The week before last, we did a 5 day missions adventure program and got out of the house for a week to stay at a local church. We had a very intense five days which included a great diversity of service. We picked up litter, spent some time trying to love prostitutes, led a fellowship service at the youth prison, and watched some very informing videos focused on various aspects of global justice. It was so nice to get out of the house for a week, and to plunge into our urban setting in a more intentional manner. The lord was more than mystical throughout the week, and proved his faithfulness to me on a few occasions. One evening we all crammed into the YWAM minivan and drove around the different tracks for prostitution in Downtown Winnipeg. To our surprise, one of the three main tracks is Ellice Avenue, a street we walk down every day and live within a block of. Realizing how to identify a girl working on the street opened all of our eyes. I had the great privelage of giving a rose and some words of encouragement to a young lady, who in desperation, offers her body for cash. I felt God moving in and through our team throughout the night, and it was an experience I will not soon forget. This past week we were back at the house, and Jack McNeill spoke to us about Global Missions. He is an anthropologist deeply rooted in first hand experience in missions. Jack is an incredibly wise and learned man who, as well as being a full time YWAM'er, is a professor at Providence College. I learned a great deal about the cultural complexities of missions, and also about the common motivations for wanting to be in missions, disecting the possible advantages or problems that could stem from them. Other highlights from the last few weeks include a conference last weekend with renound author Phyllis Tickle. She is a delightful and spunky seventy five year old with a vast wealth of information and insight into the "emergence" our world is swept up in, and how different parts of the Church are responding.
All is well here, and your continued prayers are welcomed and felt.