It has been a non-stop last couple week.
Conference
June 29- July 2 I headed out to Kassel for a extreme sports gathering, it was really a really good time being together with others who love Jesus and are involved in extreme sports, as well as networking with them. I think one of the highlights was with my friend John. I’ve written about John a few times in my blog. He was planning on coming back to Norway from New Zealand, I texted him 2 days before the event and asked if he knew when he was returning to Europe, he said he comes to Germany on Thursday the day the gathering was starting. I asked if he wanted to come to the Gathering with me, he had no flight from Germany to Norway so he said “yes” and we got to spend a few days together before he to Norway.
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Local Ministry
Local ministry and relationships have been really growing and doing well. Daniel and I have been working allot on building stronger relationships with them. Six months months ago I was skating at the local park in Nuremberg, there was a kid there wearing a Chicago Bulls hoodie. I thought it would be a good conversation starter, our conversation didn't go that well and was pretty awkward. Fast forward to June, I'm skating and introduce myself to him not knowing I had already met him 6 months before but this time was different and we hit it off well. Maybe a week or 2 after that I was skating and he came up to me so happy and showed me a skate video he had made ands first kick flip he landed.
Another day I was skating at the local spot with everyone, there was a guy that was there who didn't speak German. I started talking with him and low and behold he was a christian in the army who skates. I began to share what we do and about skate church. He was super stoked and wants to be involved in some way. This is another way that God is opening more doors.
Zac
Zac came on the 4th, which was so great! It was the first time I've seen him since Christmas. It was so great hearing about what God did with him through DTS as well as with the Ireland event I organized.
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| Zac and Daniel in Berlin being weird as always. |
It was really rewarding hearing the stories from Ireland. I really enjoyed organizing the skate park and the team for the event, even though it was hard not being there I was really stoked on the outcome. One of the skaters over there got to pray for many people and quite a few were healed, others gave their lives to Jesus over all it was a great opportunity to serve at the youth conference and see God work through our little mini ramp.
Berlin Outreach
Two days after Zac came we headed up to Berlin for the skate outreach with Calling all Skaters. Ever since moving to Germany I’ve had the dream to see a skate outreach happen and it did. There were 15 of us in all including Zac, Daniel and myself, it was so great! We skated with quite a few Berlin locals and internationals that were skating there.
Another dream was building a ramp at a refugee camp and teaching skating to the kids there. We did it!! The kids lined up and couldn't get enough of it, it was a dream come true seeing skateboarding used to impact the lives of refugees. Hearing the stories from the kids were intense and being able to show love made it really special because many didn't receive love at home. We also had a chance to build a wheel chair ramp for a new family at the camp, it brought so much joy to them seeing that their little daughter could now get into their home with a wheel chair.
I wanted to challenge the skate DTS in a different way to serve and love outside the bounds of skate ministry. One morning we decided it would be a good idea to make a handful of sandwiches and hand them out to homeless people. We broke into a couple groups and headed out, so many good conversations were started. There were some that were sleeping on sidewalk, we left sandwiches on their backpacks as they slept.
I sat down on the sidewalk and started talking with a guy with a shaggy beard and dog. He told me a bit about his life and how long he had been on the streets. When I asked if he knew Jesus he responded, yes. We asked if we could pray for him, he was so thankful.
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| Ramp and skating at refugee camp. |
I guess this is maybe one of those traditional outreach stories everyone might share but its still real life, he was a real guy that needed love. How many time do we walk by the homeless and drop a nickel in their cup and not even ask for their name. Maybe love is more powerful then money.
Zac and I headed home the 15th and had a couple down days before Zac flew out the 19th. The 19th Zac got on a train for Frankfurt to fly home and I on a bus back up to Berlin to finish the rest of the outreach and do meetings about future stuff with Calling all Skaters.
We finished the outreach the 20th as they flew to Latvia. It was such a great time with them and so rewarding to now begin to see God bringing more people to Germany and more stuff begin to happen. Its been allot of work over the past almost 2 years but now beginning to see more fruits.
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| Calling all Skaters group singing for Encounter Night in Berlin |
Visa
The day I got back to Nuremberg, I had a received letter from the foreign affairs office in in my city, I wasn't sure what to expect so I opened it a little hesitantly. It was a letter saying that my visa was accepted for another year in Germany! Praise God!!! Its been a long process but God came through!! Thank you all for your prayers regarding that!
I would really like to thank all of your for your prayers and continued support, God is fully at work here and its so rewarding seeing the fruit of what he is doing.
Prayer Request
Skate Ministry
As skate ministry is growing here and as we work with partnering with others around Europe, the need for help is great. Please pray that God will send others to work along side us.
We have started a network to gather christian skateboarders around Germany together. The goal is to search out the christian skaters in Germany and connect them with other locals in their city/area that they might not know about to connect and build relationships and be disciple makers in their community. Please pray that God will build this network so that skate discipleship can begin to take place in other German cities.
Daniel and I are building stronger and stronger relationships with local skaters and are now at the point to take the next step. Please keep this in your prayers as we work towards starting a skate church and bring the Gospel more and more into everything.
Personal
Financial support
Clear perspective
Wisdom in leadership
Encouragement
