RA Training

I'm unable to tell any specifics of what happened during our off campus training period (Res life requested that we keep what happened a secret, in order that future RA's in the process won't build up any expectations), but fortunately I'm able to write about what I learned. Off campus training was incredible. I wasn't exactly looking forward to off campus training primarily because my summer was packed and I really needed some rest and solitude to process my experiences. It turned out that my time in off campus training was exactly what I needed. I was able to really process through not only my summer, but also my life. There have been some reoccurring themes that I've been aware of recently in my life. I specifically believe that God has been teaching me the significance of holistic leadership and living.
The leaders of Resident Life and the Resident Directors are some of the deepest characters, some of the greatest leaders, and some of the funniest people I now know. I'm not usually a huge fan of training in the classroom, but this past week of training has been very beneficial and I've found that I've really adopted the vision of Res Life, which I've been amazed over. Imparting vision from the top down, bringing people to the point where they grasp the vision in their hearts is never easy, its always a process. And I think the entire RA team realizes that being an RA isn't just about planning, staff meetings, and a class, but its about growing deeper in character as a person. I am blessed to be working under our new RD, and am excited for this next year and what God has in store for the entire Res Life team and Biola as a whole.
Up until this past summer, I was aware of a huge disconnect between the reality of what God's Kingdom should look like individually and communally, and what it actually appears to be, at least in America. My involvement in Sri Lanka and under the leadership of the Biola Res Life team has blessed me immensely with a glimpse of what authentic living and loving ones neighbor looks like. I am now convinced that leadership cannot be learned in a classroom. And I think that idea actually reflects a deeper principle. The principle that the human mind grasps truth better when transformation is witnessed on a practical, sociable level as opposed to pure book knowledge. Much of my time thinking as of late has been entirely devoted to what it means to live out the Word of God as a means of teaching the Scriptures as opposed to merely learning God's Word on paper. My thoughts on living out the Word of God then brought me to question the definition, meaning, or purpose of a word. A word in and of itself belongs to a set language and is seemingly arbitrary. Words represent ideas and principles that fit under the category of Logos, or reason. An idea can be as simple as words on a page, or it can be as complex as a play, which includes words and actions to convey the authors message.
Some of the most powerful ideas and messages I've come across, however, have not used words to convey themselves, but actions. The action both includes and transcends words. The Samaritan who crosses the road for the man who is beaten and left for dead is a story with words conveying a message. Stories move people because the intellect is grasped through the door of emotion.
The purpose of life is first to glorify God. In our glorifying of God and reflecting upon His heart, we delve deeper into who we are as people. In our acknowledgment and faith in God as the only One who can adequately affirm us, we discover a place of complete security. Out of that security, we are able to press on as Disciples of Christ, disregarding and truly reflecting the words and lifestyle of Paul who counted all things as rubbish in comparison to Christ Jesus. When we are secure in Christ, we are no longer preoccupied with fears or praises springing from false affirmations. Some people are haunted with those fears, and others are haunted with a fear of who they could be, of their incredible potential of impact. With a deep rooted security and affirmation set in Christ, people are able to love their neighbors freely without having to worry about performing or building up some kind of reputation. The things that burden us, that tear us down, that break us are all things that have taken root in insecurity. Many people, Christian or not, are weighed down with guild from past sins or the idea that because of their past sins, redemption seems foggy and the potential of an incredible life of impact seems mostly gone. In Christ, all of that is redeemed. There is new life.
These are the ideas and the perspective I long to truly adopt and grasp not only with my mind, but also with my heart. My prayer is that in my relationships this coming year, I would find my affirmation not in performance, failures, or the ways people think of me, but in God. With a floor full of new students, the importance of security and footing in Christ cannot be overstated. There is ample opportunity for growth and development, but insecurity in leadership creates insecure people. My prayer is that I would lead with authenticity. That I would lead out of the fullness of my own being rooted in a sense of deep belonging to the family of God and acknowledgment that I am loved fully by God. Out of my time with God, I want my love to be proactive. I want people to feel safe when they converse with me, that I listen attentively and know how to love like the Father has loved us. I pray that God would teach me to how to help people reach the point in their minds where they grasp concepts with their own hearts and minds.

Gratitude

It all started at the helm of our second semester. Sri Lanka 2010. God
put a desire in my heart to co-lead the trip. It was a long process,
leading up to the trip. There was much anticipation. Excitement.
Assurance. Frustration. Doubt. Worry. Questions. Reassurance.
Weariness. Reliance. Amazement. Preparedness. Unpreparedness. And then
we hopped on a plane. all 8 of us. From the airport to the end of the
trip I was on an emotional roller coaster. There were periods of
irritation I had as a leader. Testing of character. Perseverance.
Wondering. Learning. Lots of it. Loving. Applying. Transformation. I
won't forget our hosting family. Pastor Adrian who took us in. His
wife, who cared for us and cooked for us. Their son who spent time
discussing with us the challenges of the Sri Lankan people and the reconciliation issues the youth are overcoming. Their
daughter who sacrificed much family and friend time to be with our
team, lead us around, translate for us, keep us alive. I won't forget the kids at the farm whose lives were living testaments to the grace, power, and faithfulness of God. I cannot possibly forget the conquering joy that these kids displayed despite unimaginable pasts. I knew I would learn from my experiences and the teachings throughout the trip, but I was never sure how much I would learn from my time spent with the kids. I learned a lot from them. I will never look at complaining the same. I won't forget our driver, who was kind meek, steadfast, and loyal. I won't forget
the ladies at Ape Kedella who cooked and cleaned up after our messes,
and showed us hospitality. I won't forget the Australian pastor and
the two guys from Bangladesh who shared stories with us and answered
our questions. I won't forget the leaders of Ape Kedella, who were
always so kind to us, who always had a smile for us. I'll be forever
indebted to those in Sri Lanka who poured so much into our lives most likely often
without even knowing it. It was the people here who so radically
changed my world perspective on doing ministry and church altogether.
I will never think of faith in the same light again. God remains always faithful. I will faithfully live out my thanks to the significant people I built relationships with in Sri Lanka, and I will live out my thanks to God for allowing me to spend an entire month in Sri Lanka.
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

The Final Days

I never posted on the happenings of my last week in Sri Lanka, but wish to do so now. My last week in Sri Lanka was incredible partly because the week in itself was filled with more life lessons and partly because I was able to reflect back upon my time in Sri Lanka. As I wrote down in my journal that day, I wrote this: "As I write now, I'm a few hours from leaving the Ape Kedella farm for the final time. The last few days have been incredible. Playing Jenga with the sick kids in the boys home. Helping the kids with their English, and attempted to help them with their math, but that didn't work out so well! One of the things I wanted to do was to help the kids pronounce their r's. The R is one of the letters and sounds in the English alphabet that Sri Lankans have a particularly difficult time in pronunciation. Later in the day we went outside and played some more games with the kids, I continued teaching some of them how to throw the football, which we enjoyed. Last night was a significant highlight. I was able to have a time of good discussion with one of the Discipleship training guys at the farm. We shared our testimonies with each other, and I was really blessed in hearing his story.
Earlier in the day the team and I had prepared and been planning for our skit and the puppet show we were going to perform for the kids at night. In the evening the kids had prepared skits and dances for our team in appreciation for the time we spent with them. After we had finished with the skits we had planned, we all had a feast together. Some of the boys pulled me over to their table, I really enjoyed eating with them, and simply being able to see their joyful hearts. After our feast we had a time of dancing together. I'm really going to miss the kids here, the people here, the farm, Sri Lanka, the memories".
On Friday we said bye to all the girls and boys. There were tears, and we all left with heavy hearts. Pray that God would continue to be a refuge for these kids. Pray that He would restore them and heal them. That He would place godly people in their lives to disciple them, and love them consistently.
"Church was incredible this morning. Observing the Sri Lankans worship God filled and overwhelmed me with praise and gratitude to God for allowing me to witness members of the body of Christ faithfully praising Him. When I got up to share my testimony of experiences, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Sadness that we'd soon be leaving. Gratitude for such hospitality, love, care, and humility shown to us by our hosts. I scrapped what I had prepared to say and just spoke from what God had place upon my heart that morning. God is faithful. When I had finished, the pastor along with the elders and leaders of the church gathered around us and prayed for us. The pastor prayed for each on of us individually. I remember some of his prayer for me. He prayed that God would reveal His plans to me. That God would grant me dreams and visions. And that God would speak through me. When the pastor had announced that he would pray for our team, I could not hold back tears. Tears of gratitude and tears of joy that God would even allow me to receive His love through His people in ways that I had never before experienced. "
Later that night we attended a house church, which was also a great blessing. I was able to experience the structure of the house church and understand the significance and effectiveness of house church's. The pastor of the house church spoke on the importance of fellowship with God paired with responding to the transformation and renewing of the mind that happens when reflecting upon the heart and character of God. Response to the transformation God brings comes through actively loving people. The pastor brought a bicycle to illustrate his message. The front tire was fellowship and time with God, and the back tire represented living a life filled with actively loving people.
Our last day in Sri Lanka, Monday, we spent packing, last minute gift shopping, and we had lunch and dinner at the pastors house. The senior pastor invited over some of the church elders and leaders for our lunch, and they prayed for us.
God is incredible. And my thanks to Him and the people of Sri Lanka cannot be carried out through words. Words can never express my true thanks. I must live out faithful to God, transformed and renewed in my mind with new perspectives and stories of God's power coming through in countless lives. God is faithful

Faithfulness through Suffering

Last weekend was hectic for our hosts here in Sri Lanka. Monday through Thursday an Asian Access conference was planned and annually a dearly loved professor from Gordon-Conwell, Dr. Gary Parret was planning to teach. On the way to the airport in Korea the bus he was in attempted to dodge another car but instead hit the barricade on the side of the road and fell 30 feet. 12 people were instantly killed including a close friend of Gary's and the rest of the people were critically injured. Gary was rushed to the hospital and had sustained multiple broken bones, a punctured lung, and some brain damage which may result in some memory loss. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/asia_pacific/10498724.stm
Please continually pray for his healing and the comfort of his family who has joined him in Korea.
I was amazed at the response to the news from the Pastor and the congregation here. There was mourning, and there has been passionate prayer and intercession for Dr. Parret, and they have continued to trust in God in the midst of the pain. I was blessed by the faithfulness and decision from Pastor Adrian to still hold the Asian Access conference.
On the first day, I learned of how we as Christians are to compassionately love the poor. In the session we studied the parable of the Samaritan and the man who was robbed and beaten alongside the road. As pastor Adrian said, the poor are not held in poverty because of a lack of wealth, they are held by poverty because they have a mindset of rejection. He told a story of how he once was given money from a missions organization to give to a group of people called the untouchables in Sri Lanka. By night time, everyone in the village was drunk and they had slaughtered their chickens for a feast. Learning from that experience, he then took various people out of the village, separated them, put them into a home with new clothes, new names, and connected them with a local church. To this day, almost all of them have been successful. Some are pastors, some are chefs, and some are businessmen. Part of escaping poverty is restoring a sense of dignity, worth, and identity.
This past week I was extremely blessed to be a part of an Access conference which occurs about once every three months. Pastor Adrian De Visser is the South Asia president for Asian Access, and so whenever a meeting is held, it often takes place at Ape Kadella. Asian Access is a ministry that gathers together pastors from all over the nation and for a period of four days, the pastors discuss church issues and challenges and are trained by various scholar practitioners from around the world who are also involved in the organization. The ministry has been expanding to different nations all over Asia and is currently in Mongolia, Japan, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, and four other countries. Asian Access is looking into spreading the ministry to involving Myanmar as well. There were two guys representing Bangladesh trying to get a feel for the ministry and looking at having the ministry started in Bangladesh. I really enjoyed conversing with these guys from Bangladesh and hearing their stories. It was an incredible experience to simply sit under, ask questions, and learn from so many pastors leading their church's in the midst of persecution. On Wednesday the president of the ministry arrived with a friend and a native Sri Lankan who is currently pastoring a church in Austrailia and helped in mentoring pastor Adrian. I specifically enjoyed asking questions, conversing, and learning from the Austrailan pastor. My eyes have really been opened through my experience here of holistic ministry. The Sri Lankan doing ministry in Australia said he was really struck by what he had heard at a hillsong conference years ago. "Would the city be hurt and at a loss if the church were to suddenly disappear?" Since then, the church has created a daycare in which many parents in the city have enrolled their children into. Everyone in the church is involved with multiple small groups throughout the week. One of the small groups is a Bible study. The church has also provided various other small groups which have different topics that nurture fellowship. One small group gathers to dialogue and share on world war II war strategies. Once a year, the church also renovates a local public school, paying at least $100,000.00, with no strings attached or catches. These different public schools have now begun asking the church to provide school chaplains. "Our people built a center which is not the church, but they, the church, meet inside the center". The Church allows the city to use the massive center for many of its typical events. This is long term relational church, aimed at nurturing the process of discipleship. The pastor shared with me a certain scale. The scale goes from a negative 8 all the way to a positive 8. The pastor remarked that for those who are at a negative 8 response to the Gospel message, the aim is to bring them to a negative seven, six, and so forth. A theme I consistently heard throughout the week was "process". Discipleship is a "process". I gained tools from these Asian Access classes centered on compassionately reaching the needs of people through a creative viewing of each different cultural atmosphere. Most of all, our time in ministry must be rooted in a deep and daily reflection on the heart of God, we must live out of the overflow of our devotion to God. When we become distracted and pulled away from the heart of God, ministry simply becomes another avenue wherein we seek to fulfill our desire for affirmation. The pastors were warned against doing ministry and serving for the uplifting appraisal of the congregation rather than the glory of God.
The team and I have continued spending time with the boys at the boys home and have enjoyed getting to know them better and are not looking forward to leaving these kids who have become attached to us, and us to them. The opportunity to learn from these kids and their joy in the midst of a painful past has continued to be a blessing. The opportunity to bless these kids with love and a genuine heart of compassion has been incredible.

Healing and Newness

It's been quite a long time since I last posted, and the past two weeks (almost) have been very eventful. I have been challenged mnentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Over the past weekend, the annual youth camp at Ape Kadella was held and more than one hundred youth from all over the nation attended. I was able to meet a wide variety of people, some could speak decent english, and others could not. It was a moving experience, to witness brothers and sisters from an entirely different culture come before Jesus and worship Him. The topic of the camp was focused on challenges the youth face, and emotional healing was emphasized. In Sri Lanka, many of the youth are looked down upon and as a result they often look in the wrong places to fill their need for acceptance.
The camp was intense and it was packed. There were multiple sessions each day, followed by group times and games. On thursday the game time included an obstacle course where we climbed a cocunut tree and grabbed on to a rope. We pulled ourselves along the rope and underneath waited a pond to swallow those who fellow in! Another highlight in the camp was observing and participating in the worship/song time. Apparently I dance well in Sri Lanka!

The camp culminated with the last sessions taking place on Sunday, wherein Adrian De Visser spoke about the power of healing and restoration found through Jesus Christ. There were about 40 in the camp who had yet to place their hope in Christ, and just about all of them went forward, indicating a desire to be healed in the power of Christ. Many of the youth in Sri Lanka have come from a Buddhist background.
At one point it became evident that one of the guys had been demonized. When pastor Adrian prayed for him, it was as if the demon inside shuddered in fear, the guy put his arms over his face and shrunk back. After some intense prayer, the teenager was delivered as he was able to speak freely the name of Jesus Christ. Please keep him in your prayers. I was excited at being able to make some friends through the camp, and certainly hope to keep in touch with them.
During this past week we have been painting and spending time with the boys and girls of Ape Kadella. It has been an incredible experience for me to see the joy that these kids have found in Christ, and the hope that they have discovered. At times, I have felt emotionally sick, thinking of the past lives many of these kids have lived through. Most of them have been sexually abused, and most of them are under the age of 10. I have found a verse that has been quite applicable to these kids and their experiences. In one of his letters, Paul writes that our present suffering and hardships canin no way compare with the future hope and riches laid up for those who have followed Christ. When I focus on how much transformation these kids have gone through in Christ, I find much joy. Pray for these kids.
This weekend we have traveled down south to Pastor Adrian's church. In a few minutes we will be going to a high school where Thillini's brother Prashan will be speaking. On Sunday we will be going to church.
Please continue to pray for the work of God's hands through His people here in Sri Lanka. Pray for our team. Most of us have been sick already, and one girl we had to take to the doctor, but she will be fine and is already feeling better. Pray for defence against the oppositions of the evil one. Pray that we would be filled with joy and that we would experience the full presence of God. Most of all, pray that we along with the Disciples of Christ in Sri Lanka would be glorifying God.

Mind-Blowing

The last two days have been incredible. My life perspective has taken a dramatic turn. I often feel inadequate or as if my words can in no way truly express my feelings and what I have learned even in the last two days. But I will try to explain to the best of my ability.
All of my life has been a product of rich intellectual and financial blessing. Most people living in the American Christian culture (in a general sense) have had similar opportune life experiences. Of course there is nothing inherently wrong with opportunity and blessing. I've recently questioned why the American life often seems to be so despised by other people. From time to time I observe non-westerners ranting about why Americans are so ignorant and obnoxious. I now have a more clear idea and understanding of why it can be so difficult for others to adapt to the American culture. Our major complaints concerning the most minor issues ranging from cafeteria food to the clothes we wear are despised by those who have been forced to complain over sexual abuse, human trafficking, and disease.
I have not been more challenged in all of my life than in the past two days in my adjustment to the Sri Lankan culture. I have encountered the most hospitable people who have lost more in life than anyone I currently know. The Sri Lankan people have completely gone out of their way to show respect and honor to us as their guests. The cultural mindset here at the camp in Sri Lanka is, "God blesses His children that they may bless others". "God does not bless His children so that they may learn to expect blessing after blessing".
I have been monumentally challenged in my faith. I realized after last night that my faith is weak. I am weak. And I embarked on this trip terribly unprepared. I have received a glimpse of what it means to really trust in God when everything seems to be chaotic. I have often proclaimed, "All we must do is trust in God, and all will be okay". As I survey my life up until now, I have realized that the "all" generally is okay because the "all" is really not much of anything. Yesterday I met a man who embodied Abrahamic faith. No planning. Faith. And in five years, a completely sustainable community sheltering more than 80 people has been built. This community basically lives off of its own resources. They have chickens, pigs, cows, fish, turkeys, fruit, educational resources, a library. This cycle is eliminating poverty through creating a self sustaining, holistic community based upon a faith that says, "God will provide in His own way, in His own time."
It is the most refreshing thing to find such a profound theology springing and flowing not from extended book reading (as a primary means to doing theology right rather than a secondary means) but proactive faith. A proactive faith births the unlocking of mysteries containing the most profound yet simple theological truths. Fellowship with God opens the door to faithfully trusting in Him. It all begins with faith in God's promises. A man selling a plot of land for $20,000 gives it away for $12,000 when approached by the founder who mentioned that God had a plan for the land. With a 10 acre plot of land and no money left over, the founder continued to step out in faith and eventually a self sustaining community was built. More than 20 self sustaining communities have been built up around the country. That kind of faith does not have at its core a "Jesus and me" theology but it is centered on the belief that God is missional and in His heart He desires the expansion of His family to include peoples of every tongue and nation.
I have greatly enjoyed my time thus far, and have been spending time with the kids, playing soccer, frisbee, praying with, conversing in English as much as possible, learning from the culture, and helping prepare newly built structures for the housing of more than 200 youths coming for a camp. I believe I am learning exponentially more from Sri Lankan people than I can ever teach them.
Tomorrow we are going to the first session of an inner healing conference which will be led by the founder of the Kithu Sevana ministries, Adrian De Visser. After that we will be helping at the youth conference being held at the camp wherein more than 200 Sri Lankans who have yet to place their faith in Christ will be attending. Pray for the team. Pray for me. Pray that we will be free from spiritual oppression from Satan, and that we will be filled with an unspeakable desire to fellowship more with God and truly lean on Him in everything.
In Christ

I'm making this post a quick one because I'm at a wifi station in the Singapore airport not too far from the Sri Lanka gate. It's been an exciting past few "days"! We were in Hong Kong this morning and the scenery was wonderful! We spent a few hours traveling around in Singapore today and I must say that I loved the place!
Please continue to pray for our team as we will be arriving in Sri Lanka in about 5 hours!