One Chapter to the Next

This summer has been a truly life changing experience for all of us. It has been filled with memories that will never go away, both joyous and alarming. We have so many inside jokes that we will remember forever. God blessed us with the opportunity to share the Gospel with many people, and I am very thankful for that. 

God is on the move, but there aren't enough Christians joining Him. 

Short term trips are a wonderful thing that can be used to prepare long termers and assist long termers, but there aren't enough people here doing long term work. I have spent 2 months on the most densely populated island in the world passing by many people who, as of now, will spend an eternity in Hell. Men's souls are dying without hearing any of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Through our team about 200 people heard the good news which is truly an awesome thing, but we passed by more people each day who haven't heard. 

Here are a few things I learned this summer:

1. We must go share Jesus to the unreached people groups urgently.
2. We must pray for the lost urgently.
3. We must give our finances to sending agencies urgently.
4. We must mobilize in churches and share a world vision urgently.
5. We must break the cycle of our daily routine and fight for the souls of men, being led by the spirit, urgently.

All of these things have two things in common. They are required to fulfill the Great Commission, and they state the importance of doing these things urgently. 

• Pray for workers to be sent to the unreached people groups
• Pray for God to move in a swift and mighty way
• Pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven
• Pray for mosques to be useless buildings of the past
• Pray for those mosques to be turned into Churches
• Pray for the Great Commission to be completed in this generation

-Urban Catylysts 

A Universal Team

Hello all, we are at the half way point of our summer here in Southeast Asia. The Lord was at work again last week. God used us to spread His gospel of grace to Uber drivers, small business owners, a factory worker, a motorcycle taxi driver, a head of security, as well as the unemployed. Although to this point no one has to our knowledge come to faith in Jesus Christ we know that when God's word is proclaimed it does not return void. This energizes us and keeps us motivated to keep speaking the truth of the Gospel to people that we come into contact with in our city this summer. It is an honor just to be a part of God's team and to have His name on the back of our Jersey (so to speak). 

I mainly want to share how cool it has been to see how God has orchestrated His team to work together to accomplish the same mission. So this summer Michael, James, and I are located in an urban area where there is little Gospel presence and few who speak our language. However, in the months leading up to our decisions and preparation for this summer, God has been at work stirring and preparing the hearts of many student age believers in our city. 

A few days after arriving in our city in June we went to an English speaking church that is primarily comprised of college students who speak both the local language and English. So very early on through attending this church we met and became friends with people our age who were familiar with the area and language that we weren't familiar with. The awesome thing is that our friends love and serve the same God that we do. God has been doing a mighty work in this local body of believers and in recent months, weeks, and days more and more students have become more and more burdened for the lost in their community. Almost every day at least one local believer has volunteered to come out and partner with us in sharing the Good News of Jesus. Had God not been preparing the hearts of these students and had He not led us to a very mission minded church the first week we were here, I'm not sure how we would have had all of these Gospel conversations. 

God does the work, He provides partners and translators, He provides everything. All we have to do is say "here I am, send me". Now with this in mind we as a team also know that God opens the heart of the lost man and God opens his ear and the Lord puts a song of Praise in his mouth. It is not our job to get the lost to sing praises to God. We are aware of the Grace and mercy God has revealed to us through Christ and that inspires us to share what we have been shown. We hope and desire to tell of His praises with whoever and wherever and we pray that God allows many to hear and respond.
Psalm 40:2-3 says "He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord."

• Pray that the Lord would continue to provide partners to share and translate the Gospel alongside of James, Michael, and I. 
• Pray that this week The Spirit of God would move and work and that a soul would see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. 

-Urban Catalyst Team

Strongholds, Part 2

As the month of Ramadan comes to and end, many people have left and traveled back to hometowns to visit family and celebrate the end of the fast. This past week has been marked by hot days and empty streets. But the Father has been faithful to always put someone in our path that needs to hear.

As we were walking and praying through our neighborhood one afternoon we stopped to take a break in the shade. As we talked with one of the security guards that works in the area, three young boys, ages 10-11, came up and surprised us with a jovial, "Good afternoon, how are you misters?" They were eager to practice the little English they have learned in school and to discuss American pop culture. The first thing I was asked is if I knew Justin Beiber or Taylor Swift!

All three had been taught by their parents to keep the fast, and our hearts ached for them. Cason was faithful to try and share a Bible story with them, of Jesus and Zaccheus, but as soon as they heard the name "Isa" (Arabic for Jesus), they put up their hands, motioning for him to stop. They explained that they had been taught differently, only to trust the Quran. This was a sobering glimpse into the stronghold that is established in the hearts of our cousins, from a very early age.

But praise Father that he has the power to tear down strongholds and dispel darkness from hearts.

• Pray for these strongholds to be torn down by the truth that saves.
• Pray for the millions of children that are like these boys, and for their fathers. Honoring parents is so important in this culture, and it is very hard for children to throw off the yoke their parents have burdened them with.
• Pray that we would witness stories like Cornelius from Acts 12, that whole households, under the influence of husbands and fathers, would come to repentance and believe.

Strongholds

This has been a busy week for us, full of joy and frustrations. We have had the opportunity to share the full truth, with a response time, with about 11 people this week. Though many of those we were led to were open and even said that these things could be or are true, they fall back into Islam saying they still follow it. We are joyful that we are seeing an increase of openness to truth, but frustration comes when people fall back into their Islamic "safety net." 

One instance of the Father leading us to the open is when we met Pak S. We were prayer walking in our neighborhood when we came across him at a mosque. He was happy to talk to us and eagerly invited us to the steps of the mosque. We didn't share the truth with him there but I had the opportunity to meet with him again. The next time I saw him I was able to share the full truth with Pak S, and he believed it to be true, but that it was not the only way. He believed his bridge prayers were sufficient for his salvation, even though he is not sure of his salvation. He wants to hear more, so we are trusting the Father to work in his heart.

We believe there is power in the name of Jesus to break down the strongholds we are seeing here. The enemy is trying its best to drag these people into the pits, but with fervent prayer in the name of Jesus these people can break free of their chains.

• Pray that the spirit continues to lead us daily
• Pray that strongholds created by Islam will be demolished
• Pray that mosques here will become isolated buildings of the past
• Pray that God will create an awakening to the truth of Jesus here in SE Asia

- Michael

Worthy Conduct

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. Philippians 1:27

So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God...Colossians 1:10

Team of the Day: Urban Catalysts

Country of the Day: Southeast Asia

Please pray for team members to seek to please Christ in every thought, word, and deed. Please pray for team members to be unified in sharing the Gospel.

First Few Days: Urban Catalyst

We made it to Coffee Island! Thank you to everyone who was praying for us during training and while we were traveling. We touched down in Pepper Port Wednesday night, met up with the local workers D&R, and made it to our dorm (or kost, as the nationals call it) without incident.

These first couple of days have been crazy, but rich. We are still recovering from jet lag, so please continue to pray for a quick recovery. The food is also taking some getting used to; rice, rice, and more rice! The nationals have a saying, “You didn’t have a meal unless you had rice.” We have already made some new friends that are locals are can translate for us, and we were even able to share the truth with some cousins.

-Urban Catalyst Team

Meet The Team: Coffee Island Urban Catalyst

James, Michael & Cason

Michael

Hey my name is Michael, or as they call me in Southeast Asia, Bako (or Marco, or Mikaut, etc). It’s nice to meet you. I am from Arkansas, the natural state, where I study music education at Arkansas State University. I am 19 years old, so I am the youngster of the gang. I’m just so excited to be here and am appreciative of your prayers and support for our team. Thank you for your attention and I now pass the baton of introductions down to…

James

I’m the old man of the group, clocking in at 24 years. I’m currently a graduate student at Auburn University pursuing a master’s in Mechanical Engineering. I love a good salad (something the nationals here have no grasp of), and I’m an avid movie goer (so I’m really excited about the theaters here, because I’ve heard they have arm chairs and you can order food). I really appreciate your prayers this summer, especially for my mental and emotional endurance. I’m an introvert by nature, and I know this summer is really going to stretch me.

Cason

Hey my name is Cason. I am 21 years old. I am a Junior at Auburn University studying Political Science. I love sweets and junk food. I eat copious amounts of sugar. One thing I have learned in a few days of being on the field is that things do not go as easily as planned and so it is necessary to enjoy the time and have fun with whatever the situation is. My being here is simply an offering back to the Lord and so the results of my serving are in His hands. I hope to also have fun this summer and enjoy unexpected situations and the time I have here.