Well, a year after the team prayed, I got to spend Christmas with my family. The day of, We went to my Uncle Ronnie's house, and got to visit my family there. I was so blessed to be there with family. God does answer prayers.

The next day, we had my Uncle and Aunt from Arizona with one of their sons come over and help drywall and mud a room for my dad that will eventually be his TV room again, but with upgrades. We spent the weekend on this project, along with my cousin Eli and his son Dustin. We were so blessed here as so many people contributed drywalling and cooking food for the manual laborers. Praise the King for experiencing His love through others!

It has been really cool to see family (and friends) rally to help my dad in anyway possible. From the day we got home they've come in to encourage and help do various tasks as well as offer to do anything we've needed. From taking my dad for a ride to getting down and dirty working on the room, we've been blessed by everyone's involvement. The Lord has defintely been showing that He is our helper.

God answers prayer! He hears and He acts! Praise the King for His goodness!

Oh man, Mary is in trouble...

So, I was reading a bottle of arrowhead water today that stated, "a typical 12 oz. soda contains the equivalent (notice "equivalent" to you high fructose corn syrup intakers, of which I am often included) of 10 tsp. of sugar. Water has no sugar. Replacing one soda daily with water can cut 3650 tsp. of sugar from your diet."

Is Mary Poppins partially responsible for pushing America's obesity? "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.", she says. So much for pushing 3 tsp. into my system to get me drugged up, that's a tablespoon. 3 tablespoons is 1/4 cup.

Just in case you didn't know, 3650 tsp of sugar is about 101 1/3 cup of sugar a year! I didn't drink a soda today... did you? Have any medicines lately???

Poor Mary... you might have a lawsuit coming your way. Diabetes? =0)>

On a more serious note... today the Lord put Dee in my path, a man who is suffering from lung cancer. I got to talk with him a little bit about his family today. As I asked him if I could pray, he told me, "No. Religion is a private thing to me." He does believe in Jesus, but please pray that his heart would be softened to even allow someone to pray for him, but mainly that he would truly receive Jesus' love.

God is Good!

So, this week I got to work with John Little Catering. Such a blessing! God has provided for me!

My dad is in the hospital, getting checked out for what could possibly be liver cancer, but, doctors are not sure yet. We are in Palm Springs at Desert Regional Medical Center. So, we are awaiting a biopsy on the liver, and a couple of other tests including a colonoscopy for him. So please keep him in your prayers.

The pastor from the foursquare church in blythe came over to check on my dad, he and his wife. They brought in some sermons and a cd player so my dad could hear the word! how rad, eh? God is good! My dad has been visited by tons of people this week, which was a blessing, especially when I was in San Diego. God provided love for him.

I met a guy named Ted here who is suffering from some internal bleeding by the liver. I met his mom on the elevator and the Lord led me to pray for him yesterday. No instant healing, but I do trust that God's love was revealed to him, a former inmate in a number of prisons here in California. Please pray for him to come to Jesus!

Be blessed and be a blessing!
JE

In Due Time...

Well, this week, I took my dad to the doctor's office in Palm Desert to get an MRI, and... no clue as to what's causing the pain in his back. I was also supposed to start teaching english at the school yesterday too, but to no avail. All is in God's due time. No official job yet, but serving the family, practicing teaching and serving at the church here is what occupies my time... not to mention a couple of bike rides a week into town, 7-10 miles one way (which is usually all I go).

God is good though, in spite of what may seem negative, it is an opportunity for Him to show Himself faithful on my behalf. So, I look forward to seeing Him work in my dad's life, the high school students, and the church body. Praise the King!

So, as I told you all in the last blog, the Lord has been working in my life in more ways than one. However, the latest is this: Sunday the church is starting a "youth" ministry. So, Sunday nights are the nights to reach out to them at this church... for now. Until I leave, this is where I've been plugged in. The Lord is definitely strengthening my heart for His ministry by way of examining my motivation, and putting my confidence in Him. So Sunday this begins and the valley of Blythe, CA needs your prayers.

*Please pray for the youth of this valley to get saved, plugged into God, and to see His love for them, following Him the rest of their lives.
*Please pray for the chains to be broken of sexual immorality, lust, drunkenness, and rebellion here.
*Please pray that He would impact my heart to be a tangible demonstration of His love and constant witness in word and in deed.
*Please pray for the church to be strengthened in His power and flowing in the gifts of the Spirit.
*And please pray for me, that I may preach the gospel as I should, focused on others (and not myself all the time) connecting them with our Daddy.

Other than that, I've been reading this book I got for my birthday, "The Heavenly Man" By Brother Yun (from China). Great read, and very challenging. A definite good read for any professing Christian. So check it out!

And my physical family is in need of your prayers too. My dad, "Bubba" is having many pains and problems in his back, and the doctors are being very slow to move at this point to figure out what it is. My Brother Delbert is having eye problems (it gets swollen about once a week), and my mom and sister have quite a bit of stress with these things (among jobs too).

a 94th birthday?

So, this week was my nana's (great grandma) 94th birthday. Had a great time and I was so blessed my family got together as a (somewhat) whole for the occasion. It was truly an answered prayer. The pictures here are of the event and the cake my mom and I made her. Her brother (86 yrs.) came out from Connecticut.

God is so good. Last year, the India team joined me in prayer for my family to get together - that was for Christmas, but who says it won't be this year, eh? But God is also showing His faithfulness on my great grandma's behalf. Psalm 127 says this:

1Unless the LORD builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the LORD guards the city,

The watchman keeps awake in vain.

2It is vain for you to rise up early,

To retire late,

To eat the bread of painful labors;

For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

3Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

5How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

They will not be ashamed

When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

So my great grandma has a great reward... five generations are alive on my mom's side of the family. God is so good!

The Lord has blessed me with getting involved in a church here as well. As I came into Blythe, I was a bit hesitant to get involved, since my time here was so short, but upon learning that my time here will be extended until January, I plan on getting involved as much as possible. God had already been speaking to the pastor and his wife about me a bit. It was good to sit and hear Robert and Pam's vision for outreach here. They just want the Lord to move powerfully here and save some souls. During my time here, the Lord has opened the doors to begin being involved with the musical protion of worship, and just to serve His body by being an usher, greeter, pretty much just serving where needed. I am blessed though, I get to play a song for offeratory this weekend! Please pray for me though, that God would truly give me a heart-deep understanding of the fact that I am nothing and He is everything, seeing as though I struggle with a bit of pride.

Earlier in the week, He spoke to me out of Matthew 23:8-12, which says:

"But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."

It was good to think and meditate upon (and still is, of course). Just to know mentally, that I am no one and that He alone is my Teacher (not for me to consider someone beside Him that), my Father (no one else can fulfill that role perfectly), and my Leader (the only One who can guide me into His perfect will). It was good to see this, because if I look to anyone but Him for these roles, I begin to serve man (and get puffed up in my fleshly ego) and become self-righteous. But when I look to Him for these, I truly serve Him in the roles He was meant to fulfill in my life, and His righteousness shines forth in His perfection through His Spirit. ( a little confusing? I hope not.)

Anyway, that's all for now! Be blessed! Praise the King for His goodness, He and He alone!

This week, the Lord met me at a yard sale I had. I didn't make much cash, but as I sat in a period of no customers, I began reading in Hebrews. The Lord met me in Chapters 9 and 10, just revealing how He has COMPLETELY forgiven me, and how I am a part of a family of faith. There was a cool revelation too in Chapter 9, which God showed me a timeline of humanity's existence. We started outside of the temple, then God moved us into the outer court. When Jesus came, He brought us into the historical period of the Holy of Holies, where we can have close intimate fellowship with God, having been washed by His blood, which was also the sacrificial price for our sins, sprinkled on our hearts, giving us a clean conscience. So... BOOM... He revealed this nugget and the FACT that He will come again WITHOUT REFERENCE TO SIN... totally cool!

The last verse in chapter 10 leads into chapter 11, revelaing that through faith we have a heritage of faith with our fam in Christ! so rad!

I got two books for my birthday (september 3) from my parents - the father heart of God by Floyd McClung Jr; and the Heavenly man by chinese brother Yun. Great books so far, and I have totally been blessed by them as well.

As the Lord blessed my socks off this week, I got to share with one of my old high school friends, Manuel. I shared how the Lord freed me from alcohol and pornography. Please pray for Him, that through that testifying to God's grace He'd be softened even further to the gospel. I have been praying that I'd get to see at least one person get saved here in Blythe.

Please pray for my family too, that God's love would permeate each of our hearts for one another, and that He would create an environment of love super-NATURALLY, not being forced by me specifically (since I desire the environment to change here).

A short time later

Well, I got to wash some more cars this week, observe an ESL class at my old high school, find out about teaching there for a practicum, and 125 bucks later, here I am. My relationship with the Lord took a little dive this week as I have been adjusting to working here and all, meaning I haven't scheduled in time and stuck to it. This next week, I hope to spend more time with the Lord, and get my physical done, apply for volunteer status at the high school and apply for my visa, as well as wash my brother's cars, mom's truck, and mom's boss' suv. We shall see what happens....

The Town of Blythe

Well, on Friday, the 19th of June, I came out to Blythe in an attemp to earn some cash for going to teach English. As of today, I am going to wash my brother's cars and my mom's boss' car. But also, I am going to talk to the lady at Starbucks to try and get a job. So, we will see.

Cashing in

Well, today I was blessed by the Fagans letting me work for them. I got to wash their cars and clip a tree. Totally cool! Thanks guys!