Hola amigos! Como estan? Bien? Bueno.
I´m writing from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our team has been here for a couple weeks now, and I thought it was about time to update this blog.
I bet it´s pretty cold in Minnesota, but here it´s, well, not cold at all. Today, it´s just over 100 and it´s always pretty humid here. So I´ve been drinking a ton of water and eating a ton of ice cream. The ice cream (helado) here is amazing.
So we´ve been staying at a church here and they have been incredibly nice and hospitable to us. They cook for us every day and night and the food is amazing. And they´ll offer you seconds and thirds and I´m sure they´d give you ninths if for some inhuman reason you made it there. They just love to feed us and help us out and hang out with us.
Our ministry has consisted of mostly dramas and testimonies and some preaching. We go to a lot of churches around the area - there seems to always be a church service somewhere, every time and day of the week, not just Sundays. We also have just set up shop in certain public places. There is a walking area in downtown Quilmes (the suburb area of Buenos Aires where we are staying) where there are tons of shops and always tons of people. We´ve done some programs there and some people stop to watch and listen to us. It´s pretty cool. And we pray for divine appointments to be set up and we can already see that taking place sometimes. For example, a few days ago we did a program in a park where afterwards some guy came up to Mark (one of our leaders) and said he had come there to just think and he was really moved by the dramas.
The churches here are pretty sweet. None of them are very modern and nice, but man, do they worship. You can really see the passion here and it´s inspiring. I love it. It´s also pretty spontaneous. Back home when I help lead worship for North Heights or wherever else, I´m used to knowing what songs we´re playing a week ahead of time or something and then practicing with the band 2 hours before the service and always having chord sheets. They wanted me to play the past couple evening Sunday services at the church we´re staying at here and I had none of that. No practice, no chords, no words. Just play. It was actually pretty fun and it was actually amazing. It was the most intense time of worship I´ve experienced in my life, let alone led. We were singing a Hillsong tag over and over that goes ¨Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Our God Reigns¨and we probably played that for at least 20 minutes straight. People were crying, on their knees, hands in the air, and it was just so cool to worship with mixed culture like that.
Please pray for our team, that we would continue to be unified and build deeper connections with each other, and just that we would be excited about our ministry, that it wouldn´t just become routine and boring. I really want to be open to the Spirit´s calling and what God has for us, but most importantly, those we meet. I want to give this outreach my all, otherwise I won´t get everything out of it that God has planned. That would be a bummer. So please just pray for excitement and motivation and inspiration and a heart for the lost, so that we can show them at least a glimpse of hope. At least a glimpse of true life. A glimpse of Jesus.
LoveChris
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
shooting
I'm going to just paste an email I sent out to friends and family:
Hey everyone, so I'm sure you all have heard of the recent tragedy here at YWAM Denver. I want you all to hear from me personally. Early Sunday morning around 12:30, a gunman entered our base and shot 4 staff. I was coming home from a concert in downtown Denver, just pulling into our parking lot when I (along with two other guys) heard the shots. We didn't know what they were at first, then seconds later saw the gunman running out of the building towards the lake behind our base. He got away before we could get out of the car and see who he was. At this point, though, we still didn't know what was going on. Then a student ran out towards us and was yelling and obviously distressed, but we still couldn't make sense of what she was saying. Then a staff member opened the door the gunman had just run from and she was yelling, "Somebody call 911! Call Peter! Go get Peter! Call 911!" Then I looked towards the door and I saw Tiffany (staff member who was shot and later died) lying near the door and I saw the blood. Then it became real.
Anthony (staff member intending to drop us off at the base) told us to get back in the car, so we did and we drove to Peter Warren's house. Peter is our base director. We told Peter and his family and a few minutes later left to go back to the base. By this time, police were all over the place. An officer had a pistol pointed at us and yelled at us to stay back. So we left and headed to Anthony's house, all the while in absolute shock. It was unreal. I was shaking like crazy. I have never experienced such terror in my life. The minute we arrived at Anthony's house, we got a call to go back to the Safeway parking lot by our base to talk to police. So we did that, sat there for a few hours, eventually got on a bus and headed to the police station.
We were at the police station all night. I was considered an eye-witness and I was interviewed for an hour or so. It was at 4 a.m. or something like that and it seemed like forever. I got no sleep that night and around 11 a.m. we got on a bus to go up to Eagle Rock, which is YWAM Denver's second campus, located about 40 minutes up into the mountains. We stayed up there until this afternoon (Tuesday), because until yesterday it was unknown whether YWAM's shooting and New Life Church's shooting was linked and whether the YWAM shooter was still on the loose.
This afternoon we moved back into our base. Tiffany and Phil's memorial service is tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at Faith Bible Chapel - right by our YWAM campus. Peter and others continue to declare that this is going to be a celebration of their lives, because we know that they have never been more alive than they are right now. I did not know either of them too personally, although I have talked with them multiple times.
Personally, I've experienced waves of pain, sadness, anger, confusion, depression, fear, shock, and just plain numbness. But I'm not lying when I say that I've never been more thankful to be alive. I ask 'why' a lot, and we may never know the answer to some things life and why things happen, but I do know this - God is good. God is faithful. God is love. And God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the one constant in life. Wow, all I can say is my life is not my own. It is Christ's alone. And to be honest, I've never been more excited in my life to just.... live. And to live for Christ alone. There's nothing better.
And that's what I'm learning through this experience.
I can't tell you how much it means to me and how much it means to us as the YWAM Denver community to hear from all of you and the prayers and support from you. Let me tell you, when you pray for us, it's doing stuff. I can already see it, even though it's been just a couple days since the event. I'm so excited to see how God is glorified through the aftermath of this tragedy.
Our team still plans to leave Thursday for Argentina. Please continue to pray for us as far as our outreach and also just for healing and the families of the victims and just this community.
The past couple days, everyone asks everyone how they're doing. Yesterday when someone asked me that I said, "I'm ok. I'm alive. And if I wasn't... I'd be even better." That's the hope we have in Christ.
I love you all.
Chris
Hey everyone, so I'm sure you all have heard of the recent tragedy here at YWAM Denver. I want you all to hear from me personally. Early Sunday morning around 12:30, a gunman entered our base and shot 4 staff. I was coming home from a concert in downtown Denver, just pulling into our parking lot when I (along with two other guys) heard the shots. We didn't know what they were at first, then seconds later saw the gunman running out of the building towards the lake behind our base. He got away before we could get out of the car and see who he was. At this point, though, we still didn't know what was going on. Then a student ran out towards us and was yelling and obviously distressed, but we still couldn't make sense of what she was saying. Then a staff member opened the door the gunman had just run from and she was yelling, "Somebody call 911! Call Peter! Go get Peter! Call 911!" Then I looked towards the door and I saw Tiffany (staff member who was shot and later died) lying near the door and I saw the blood. Then it became real.
Anthony (staff member intending to drop us off at the base) told us to get back in the car, so we did and we drove to Peter Warren's house. Peter is our base director. We told Peter and his family and a few minutes later left to go back to the base. By this time, police were all over the place. An officer had a pistol pointed at us and yelled at us to stay back. So we left and headed to Anthony's house, all the while in absolute shock. It was unreal. I was shaking like crazy. I have never experienced such terror in my life. The minute we arrived at Anthony's house, we got a call to go back to the Safeway parking lot by our base to talk to police. So we did that, sat there for a few hours, eventually got on a bus and headed to the police station.
We were at the police station all night. I was considered an eye-witness and I was interviewed for an hour or so. It was at 4 a.m. or something like that and it seemed like forever. I got no sleep that night and around 11 a.m. we got on a bus to go up to Eagle Rock, which is YWAM Denver's second campus, located about 40 minutes up into the mountains. We stayed up there until this afternoon (Tuesday), because until yesterday it was unknown whether YWAM's shooting and New Life Church's shooting was linked and whether the YWAM shooter was still on the loose.
This afternoon we moved back into our base. Tiffany and Phil's memorial service is tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at Faith Bible Chapel - right by our YWAM campus. Peter and others continue to declare that this is going to be a celebration of their lives, because we know that they have never been more alive than they are right now. I did not know either of them too personally, although I have talked with them multiple times.
Personally, I've experienced waves of pain, sadness, anger, confusion, depression, fear, shock, and just plain numbness. But I'm not lying when I say that I've never been more thankful to be alive. I ask 'why' a lot, and we may never know the answer to some things life and why things happen, but I do know this - God is good. God is faithful. God is love. And God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the one constant in life. Wow, all I can say is my life is not my own. It is Christ's alone. And to be honest, I've never been more excited in my life to just.... live. And to live for Christ alone. There's nothing better.
And that's what I'm learning through this experience.
I can't tell you how much it means to me and how much it means to us as the YWAM Denver community to hear from all of you and the prayers and support from you. Let me tell you, when you pray for us, it's doing stuff. I can already see it, even though it's been just a couple days since the event. I'm so excited to see how God is glorified through the aftermath of this tragedy.
Our team still plans to leave Thursday for Argentina. Please continue to pray for us as far as our outreach and also just for healing and the families of the victims and just this community.
The past couple days, everyone asks everyone how they're doing. Yesterday when someone asked me that I said, "I'm ok. I'm alive. And if I wasn't... I'd be even better." That's the hope we have in Christ.
I love you all.
Chris
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Outreach
Hey. Life is good in Denver. God is good, God is faithful, God amazes me.
So a couple weeks ago I went home for Thanksgiving and was able to be with family and friends and it was wonderful. And then I was sick last week. But now I'm getting better. And in just a few days we're heading to Argentina! Wow. These past two and a half months have just flown by for me, and I'm really excited for outreach. Here's our team:
So a couple weeks ago I went home for Thanksgiving and was able to be with family and friends and it was wonderful. And then I was sick last week. But now I'm getting better. And in just a few days we're heading to Argentina! Wow. These past two and a half months have just flown by for me, and I'm really excited for outreach. Here's our team:
This past week we had outreach prep, which was preparing for outreach with dramas, learning how to preach, learning how to teach English to kids, skits, songs, games, and other things. I'm in our dance, one skit, and three dramas. My two favorite are Marionettes, which is a really creepy "attention-getter" drama, where I act as a demon and control someone else. It's weird and creepy, but I think it's way sweet. And it'll definitely get people's attention I think. My favorite is Forgiveness, which we act out to a song by Underoath. It's intense at the end, and I think it will definitely move people. I play Jesus.
This week we have one last speaker come in to speak on Bible study. Hopefully I'll learn some good stuff. Then on Thursday at noon we leave the base for the airport. And off to Argentina. Pray for us. Love you all. I'll update if and when I can on outreach. Until then, adios amigos.
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