Blog to change

For those interested and following, the blog name will soon change from 2010 Olympic Ministry: Vancouver to Olympic Ministry: London. There is much planning to be done and interest in the opportunity is expected to be high. Keep checking in as things will start rolling before we know it!

Home

Team 1 made it home safely last night. On our way in from Charlotte, we stopped in Gaffney, SC to grab a quick bite to eat and when we returned to the church bus we were riding, someone had placed a note on the driver's door that read:

"To Whomever,
Please pray for me. I'm in desperate need of prayer. God will know who I am and my prayer needs. The devil has me. I'm at my end.
God Bless U
Crying out"

We looked to see if we could find who may have left the note, but didn't really see anyone. We stopped and prayed for this individual and I ask you to do the same. It serves as a reminder that we are surrounded by hurting people who need to know that God cares for them. We may come home from a mission trip, be we never leave the mission field.

As promised, there are some pictures up. Great first blog Christy! Keep it up.

Carrying on the Torch

Well this is my first time ever to "blog" (Bryan, aren't you proud of me?!) so I will try to spell things right and do it correctly.

As you know, the rest of Team 1 left today and when I woke up this morning (for the last time) it felt very strange to be here all alone. I missed my teammates and the CO team that was also staying here at Royal Heights Baptist in Delta, BC. I had a leisurely morning and then headed out on my own to meet up with a good friend and fellow missionary, Debbie Wohler (NAMB missionary for over 30 years in Tahoe, CA). We spent the day today enjoying the beauty that God has created here in the city of Vancouver through Stanley Park. As we walked and walked and walked, God brought several people across our path to share "More Than Gold" pins with. Our day together ended with meeting up with Stasia again -- Bryan has already blogged about her. Danielle was also with her today and it was good to speak with them again. Stasia and I both commented on how crazy it was that we continue to run into one another. As Bryan said earlier, I really do feel that God has brought us together for a reason -- so please continue to pray with me that He will open the door for more conversation with this young lady.

I was able to end my day on a high note -- riding on the train or bus always seems to be the best opportunities to encounter people that we can share with. There was a family of 6 (Mom & Dad, Grandpa, and 3 children) who got off the train with me and we were all waiting on the same bus together. The children were young (2, 5, and maybe 8) and had a long, tiring day and the little guy especially was just a wee bit cranky. I began to converse with them as we waited for the train and asked them if the children had gotten into pin trading yet. Mom replied "No, but their Dad had a bunch of pins at work and left them there. But he's going to bring them to them tomorrow!" I asked where he worked and he replied the Vancouver airport. I asked what he did and he said he was a fireman there. Immediately I thanked him for helping to keep the airport safe for us. He looked at me and said, "No one has ever said that to me before!" A simple act of saying "thank you" to someone who spends their life's work serving and protecting others can go such a long way! We can do this whether we are on a mission trip to the Olympics or just checking out at the grocery store at home. I challenge all of us to spread the love of Jesus just by going that extra mile to be kind.

Anyway, I pulled some of the Visa mascot pins out of my pocket and presented each child with their very 1st olympic pin and you would have thought I'd given them gold. I proceeded to give them each a More Than Gold pin from Athens, I think (thanks Lee!); and then gave Mom a Vanocouver MTG pin. You see, as Christians we really do have something to offer the world that is worth More Than Gold -- a relationship with Jesus Christ. I told her a little bit about it and then she read the back of the card that explains the colors out loud to her family right there at the bus station! She proceeded to tell me that they were also Baptist and she had helped to prepare hot chocolate earlier in the week at another transit station. What a blessing this encounter was to me!

Teams 2/3 arrive tomorrow and I plan to go to the train station and meet them. Continue to pray for us and for all the volunteers serving through MTG throughout this next week. I will talk to you again!

Christy

Back to the U.S. Eh!

Well our time here has quickly come to an end and I write this while we wait for our 3:30 a.m. ride to the airport. We have had many great experiences that have made an impact on us. I want to encourage you to continue to follow the blog as I will continue to post about any follow up reports I receive and members from Teams 2 and 3 should be blogging right here to keep you up to date on Olympic ministry. (I promise pictures will come shortly after I get settled in at home.)


As ready as we are to be home, it is always a little sad to leave a place you have grown to know and love in such a small amount of time. We won't know the results a cup of hot chocolate or a pin will have, but we can pray for the seeds that have been planted. Other teams have had the privilege of being involved with people making decisions to become Christ followers. That is what it is all about. So whether we get to be present when it happens or find out down the road, it is great to hear and see God working in the hearts of people. Not only can you see Him at work in Vancouver, you can feel that He is doing something big and we are grateful to be a small part of it.

As the Olympics continue for another week, my goal is to take advantage of the opportunities that will be present at home when people see an Olympic pin or shirt and ask questions. Keep praying for Olympic ministry in general as soon we’ll turn our attention to the possibilities that London 2012 and Sochi 2014 present.

One of our team members, Christy, will be working with the next teams that arrive on Saturday. We have run into a young lady name Stasia (Anastasia) three times now. We think there is a reason for it and Christy will be the one to find out, so please continue to pray for her.

As I wrote earlier, keep following the blog. There are some stories that have yet to be written, thus they have yet to be read. Here is a brief one now.

I commented on the amazing worship service we had Sunday. The church we have called home for 10 days now is really doing some big things here in Delta, BC. They have already had 21 baptisms this year! In fact they baptized two that morning and will baptize three more this Sunday. The pastor challenged the congregation to have 500 people here for the Easter service. They are not afraid to think big.

They have a wonderful praise and worship band and at times the leader sounded like the lead singer from Pearl Jam. I know that comparison can be interpreted different ways, but as I said, the band is wonderful.

Another church story has to do with where we prepared our hot chocolate and coffee that we served. We worked in the Holy Rosary Rectory at the Holy Rosary Cathedral. Before we left for the last time tonight I asked if we could see the cathedral. One of the priests was kind enough to take us in. Built in the 1930s, it is a beautiful facility. The priest told us how the site was chosen, when the first building was built and later renovated and how the organ had to be removed and refurbished. I knew from hearing similar stories when my high school choir would sing in various churches that this process was not cheap. I looked at the priest and said, “That had to cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars.” “Oh, much more,” he said, “it was at least six figures.” We waited until we left the cathedral to laugh at the exchange and make sure that hundreds of thousands of dollars were still in the six figure range!

The Team

I cannot describe in detail the experiences the others are having, but there are some great stories to tell. I'll give a quick summary by way of introducing our team members, which I should have done earlier.

Lee is our walking GPS. He has us well trained in how to get around the city. His ability to quickly learn the transit system has allowed him opportunities to speak and share with people as we travel.

Vickie has become a pin trading machine and she uses it to springboard right into where people are spiritually. She has yet to meet a stranger.

Christy has a great casual way of talking to people that opens more doors than she realizes. The great thing is that she steps right through without hesitation.

Marie is a senior in college who is bound for foreign missions and has used her personality to draw attention from the locals and start some great conversations.

George also uses pins to connect with people and he has a way of making you feel you’re being invited to talk a while.

We have all used our southern accents to get into conversations with people. Well, almost all of us. It works "ya'll." While we're in a group people will guess we're from Texas or Georgia or Alabama. I have had people guess I am from all over the map! From a local Vancouverite to a Brit to a New Englander and on a few occasions a correct southeastern US guess.

I still need to blog about the amazing service we experienced at church on Sunday. It was neat to wake up and already be at church for worship! I'll see if I can get some of the team to share a story from the trip. It has been amazing. Keep praying for all the volunteers, More than Gold as they ready to welcome a new wave of teams and for what God is doing in Vancouver. He is doing things we have yet to fully recognize.

Walkabout

Since I have not completely explained what we are doing other than telling you about hot chocolate, I'll do that. We basically mass produce hot chocolate. We then transfer it into insulated canisters that go inside insulated backpacks with a dispensing arm attached-it is very cool. I'll try to have some pictures up soon. (I said try.) We head out like pack mules and offer free hot chocolate, (and sometimes water or coffee). We then give out around 800 cups in a four hour period. The work isn't hard, but the weight of the backpack wears on your knees and back. It is, however, worth its weight in gold as a conversation piece.

One such conversation was with Jamie. I met him on Sunday when he stopped for some hot chocolate. He is from Adelaide, Australia and is in his sixth month of a walkabout. A walkabout is an Australian term for a journey of discovery, self or otherwise. That may not be the most accurate definition, but that is what it basically is to me. We had a good conversation about various things for about 45 minutes and he got a refill and went to find his hostel.

I was kind of surprised when he was back again today ready for more hot chocolate. I took the opportunity after a short while to ask him what he was looking for on his walkabout. He said he just wants to see all of the different places and cultures before he narrows down to the main thing he thinks he is supposed to find. I used that as an invitation to ask him what his spiritual thoughts were and he said he grew up in the Anglican Church.

We had a light discussion of the various approaches the Anglican, Catholic, and Protestant churches take on spiritual concepts and I the shifted the conversation towards Jesus. I used the More than Gold pin and the symbolic colors to describe what Jesus had done.

I told him about the temple veil being torn from top to bottom after Jesus died on the cross and we now had direct access to God. This point was important because he had stated he didn't think the approach of needing to see a priest to communicate was God was right. And Jamie is right.

Now at some point in our conversation, Jamie sat down a bag. I had really paid no attention to it or its contents, but then an odd thing happened. When I was talking about the temple veil being torn, with no rhyme or reason, the bag fell over and the heavy bottle of alcohol rang like a bell against the sidewalk. I think it was one of those simple, overlooked moments that God used to say to Jamie, that He is what he needs to be seeking. The look on Jamie's face at the sound of the bottle falling was not embarrassment over the revelation of what was in the bag, but one of shock as if the ringing bell was a wakeup call.

I shared my own spiritual walkabout with Jamie and he appreciated the use of the Aussie concept and said he would stop by on Wednesday to get a copy of the book of John. Please pray that God will do an amazing work in Jamie's life and let him know without a doubt that God loves him and wants a relationship with him.

Again without being present, it is hard to describe how conversations go in certain directions and you find yourself wondering why we talked about certain things-feel free to ask about anything that doesn't make sense. I wish we could share all the encounters we are having as they are many.

We have a day off tomorrow (thank you More than Gold) and we are going to Whistler for the Women’s luge finals. We're looking forward to the opportunites we'll have while on the transportation to the mountain.

I'll let you know about it!

From Russia- with love?

We arrived at our set-up site (Holy Rosary Rectory) early to begin making coffee and hot chocolate. Shortly after we arrived, we were joined, unexpectedly, by a team of Russian volunteers. We quickly taught them what they were supposed to be doing and then sent them out with some of our team members to show them around.

The cultural difference was immediately made known. They asked if they could "preach at" the people after they gave them a cup of hot chocolate. I explained that "preaching at" would not be received very well by the people we were trying to minister to. Vancouver residents are very warm and welcoming and accepting of many things, which is good and bad. One thing that turns them away is the approach our Russian friends wanted to take. They couldn't understand that at first, so I told them to just hand out the hot chocolate and engage the people in conversation and see where it leads. When one of them passed out a cup of hot chocolate, he looked at the lady and took a tract from his pocket and said, “Here, you need to read this.” She immediately turned and walked away.

I explained to them again the importance of staying within the guidelines we were asked to work in and that there is a reason for it.

Eventually, three teenage girls walked up for some hot chocolate. One spoke with a British accent, but her American friend quickly pointed out that she did that all the time to see if people would be able to tell if it was a fake accent. I asked the American where she was from and she answered Washington State. I said I am from the States too and she thought I was joking because she didn’t pick up on a Southern accent. When I said I am from Greenville, South Carolina, the friend with the former British accent, got really excited and asked, “Is that near Sovereign Grace?” (A church in the Greenville area.) In shock, I said yes, my church is not far from there at all and asked how she knew about it. She has friends there. It turns out that she and her friend who likes to talk with an accent are Christians!

This is where it gets fun. The third friend, April, is not a Christian and thinks there is no physical evidence to support the claims of Christianity and the life of Jesus. Remember, our Russian friends are watching all of this unfold before their eyes. One of them chimes in and asks, “Who do you think built the pyramids in Egypt? It was the Jews,” April responded, “Well I know it wasn’t aliens.” I didn’t know where the Russian was headed with his evidence, so I literally and quietly prayed, “God, please shut this guy up.” I know that sounds terrible, but his approach was not getting anywhere with April.

So, I looked at April and I asked; “What kind of physical evidence are you looking for? She said just physical or scientific evidence. I knew she wasn’t going to immediately accept Biblical evidence, so I said, “Let’s look at governmental histories.” She said ok, so I started with the Roman Empire. It was the first world power to encounter Jesus. We know that Jesus lived because Roman history records how it dealt with Jesus. She accepted that. You can’t doubt the existence of someone who Rome proudly admitted they crucified.

April then admitted that Jesus lived, but she thinks He was a really big fraud that deceived a lot of people. There were some background comments she made that to include would lengthen this blog beyond the length you’re willing to read, so to jump to the point I knew of a statement I could make that would blow her away. (I had already quietly asked God to guide our conversation.) Not all of you will agree with what I said, but the West Coast view of the church is that all we do is try to force religion on people. With that in mind, I looked at April and asked, “What was Jesus’ message?” She said she didn’t know. I told her about the woman at the well and that Jesus’ message was simply that He loves us, regardless of where we are, but we need to be forgiven of the wrong we have done. She admitted that people sin, and said “look at society.” Here is what I said that I told her would blow her away; “The church at times has really messed up the message of Jesus and some have taken an approach that have pushed more people away from Jesus rather than bring them closer to Jesus.” Her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. She said, “I can’t believe you said that, wow. I don’t what to say.” A huge wall came down after that statement.

I asked her, “What do you have to lose if what you believe is wrong?” She said she just thought the purpose of life was to die, and go back into the earth, but there was no overall purpose, maybe to be happy. I asked, “Why is it important to be happy, with no greater purpose?” She didn’t have an answer, so I said, God’s purpose for our lives is to have a relationship with Him and He was so set on that purpose that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. She said, “Yeah, that’s what my friends always tell me.” I said, “Do you know why they tell you that?” She answered, “Because they don’t want us to die and them go to heaven and me go to hell.” I said, “Exactly! They are telling you that because they love you.”

“Why doesn’t He just make us worship Him, if He’s God?” she asked. “Because that wouldn’t be relationship, He wants us to choose to worship Him,” I said. The story about Adam and Eve in Eden helped her understand and she said it made sense, but it was still hard to understand. She said the part of her that thinks she is right is larger than the part of her that thinks she’s wrong. She admitted that the part of her that thinks she is wrong scares her. I told her “That is because you have a lot to lose if you are wrong.” “Yeah, my friends have told me about hell and what is it, eternity?” she asked.

She made a comment about her mom going crazy if she knew she was talking to someone from a cult. I laughed and said, well, we’re not a cult. She laughed and said she knew that, but her mom has the same view of religion. (Pray for her mom not to be a barrier to her accepting Christ.) As the conversation was winding down and I sensed the Holy Spirit was really working in her, you could tell she was struggling. She asked what day it was and I said it was Saturday. She asked, “God, why is this happening today?” I looked at her and said, “Because today is the day God wanted to tell you that He loves you.”

Her friend, who had been standing with her the whole time, put her arm around her. April said it was just too easy to believe in this stuff. I said, actually it is the hardest thing to do because you constantly have to confront all of this stuff that you have been dealing with.

I asked her friend to help her with the Bible April told me she had been given by her. I said take her through Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, answer whatever questions she has. I asked April to look at it objectively and that the truth would reveal itself.

I recommended a book she should read that speaks to people exactly where she is. I even gave her friend the money to buy it and they went to the book store to look for it.

I know without having been there to personally observe this hour long conversation, parts of the story don’t make sense, like me buying a book, but know that God is doing something in April’s life and she needs a lot of prayer for Him to do what He is trying to do. It was an amazing experience and even though the trip isn’t over, I feel it was that exact encounter that God brought me here to have.

Our Russian friends took in all of this in amazement and went away with a better understanding of how to interact with people. I told them they had free reign when it came to speaking with Russians because no one else would know what was being said anyway. They laughed and were happy with that freedom.

If you have read this far, thank you! Please pray for April and the two Christian friends God has placed in her life. Keep the team in your prayers and pray for the opportunities we have yet to experience.

Let's get it started

We enjoyed watching the Olympic flame a couple of times yesterday. We got a break from orientation to watch it come by and then we attended a lighting ceremony in Vancouver where it spent the night. Today it will make its way to Olympic Stadium and light the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony. Vancouver is excited and ready for their moment in the spotlight.


We headed out from Delta this morning and made our way over to Granville Island and had fish and chips for lunch. After that experience we headed over to work in the Granville Station area.

We worked passing out coffee and hot chocolate to passers-by and served over 280 cups. Most people were very appreciative and interested in what we were doing and some were skeptical that anyone would give something for free. One person even commented that we shouldn't be giving away items to people who can afford to come to the Olympics. Some people saw our Salvation Army decals and thought the beverages were only for the homeless. Needless to say, there are plenty of opinions and people are glad to share them.

The team is doing a great job adjusting to the time change and has really been flexible. We are having a lot of fun serving together. We are expecting to interact with a lot of people over the weekend, so please pray for us and the opportunities that will be all around.

I hope you watched the Opening Ceremony. We saw some of it, but were travelling back to the church during the cauldron lighting. Tell us what you thought of it!

We learned late in the afternoon that SC had gotten a great snowfall. We're jealous! There is no snow in Vancouver.

Welcome to Canada

We arrived in Vancouver at 11:45 PST and headed to customs. The rest of the team made it through fairly easily. My boarder agent however, felt like playing 20 questions. It started out simply enough.

"Why are you coming to Vancouver?" For the Olympics.

"What else?" Well, we were invited by some of the local churches to do some volunteer work.

"What do you mean?" We're going to be working at hospitality stations passing out water, coffee, and information to visitors. This is where it got fun.

"Ok. Are you receiving any kind of benefit for your work like housing or monetary gain?" No, it cost me money to come here.

"Where do you work back home?" I'm a minister at a church.

"What church" Lee Road Baptist

"Is that just a Baptist church or Southern Baptist?" Yes, it's Southern Baptist. (At this point I'm thinking who is this guy and why does he know the difference between Baptist denominations?)

"So, are you an official volunteer?" We're not VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee) official, but we're with More than Gold, which has partnered with VANOC to help provide hospitality service during the games. After that, he looked at me a few seconds longer and finally stamped my passport and welcomed me to Canada.

We picked up our luggage and then took the train to the parking lot where our transportation was waiting to take us to Royal Heights Baptist Church. Things only got more interesting once we arrived as we were informed of the schedule for showers: men in the evening, ladies in the morning. Since it was evening, the men went ahead and showered and then settled into the cold, cold room and tried to sleep on the air mattresses. The church operates a preschool during the school year. Thus, some of the rooms they thought were available for volunteers to sleep in were not available.

We met with the team from Colorado for a devotional and prayer time this morning. We have orientation from 1:00 to 8:00 this evening and start work tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thank you!

Well, February 10 has arrived. Team 1 departs for Charlotte at 11:30 so while I wait for the team to arrive, I thought I would send out some "thank yous."


A lot goes into mission trips and while the people going get a lot of the attention; there is a huge supporting cast that makes it possible. So to the SCBC that said, let’s get involved in this opportunity and for helping us put teams together, thank you.

To the churches represented by the various team members; your prayers, support and encouragement are a vital part of making this trip a possibility, thank you.

To the families represented by the team members; for allowing us the time to be away, for understanding why we are going, and for your continuous love, prayers, and encouragement, thank you.

And most of all, we thank God for allowing us to be a part of His plan to tell people of His great love. He is the reason we go!

So close

As I watched the half time show of Super Bowl XLIV (Congrats Who Dat!) the lights and lasers got me thinking about how close we are to the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Less than two years ago, our Beijing team stood in the midst of close to a million people watching in amazement the fulfillment of all the planning and artistry the Chinese poured into their spotlight moment. I began wondering then if any future host country would be able to present a more spectacular Opening Ceremony than that. We'll find out Friday.

I got to thinking about the story we hope to share with people while we're in Vancouver. As Jesus' story plays out in my mind, I often think about how He came into the world. The details leading up to His arrival are incredible, but I find myself lingering on the part where His birth is heralded. The angels and heavenly host, the shepherds, the star, The Baby. And we think we've witnessed some amazing celebrations!

Next I think about the setting that created the mood at Calvary as Jesus died on the cross. The darkness, the earth shaking violently, the tears, the fear, the blood, the tomb. Wouldn't you love to hear some of the people who were there tell their stories in person? To be able to close your eyes and picture the stone rolling away from the tomb. To see the frozen guards and the folded grave clothes. To watch the reaction of the disciples as the risen Jesus appears to them. Now think about what it was like in heaven during that time! And humans think we can create the wow factor with fireworks and lights!

While none of us can give eye-witness accounts of Jesus' birth, death, or resurrection, we can give accounts of what those events mean in our lives. When God rolled the stone away, all mankind was invited to the greatest Opening Ceremony of all time. We were invited to no longer be spectators, but participants in the celebration. It's my prayer that as we watch the fanfare of the Olympics unfold before us on February 12, that we would be reminded of the great privilege we have been given to share the love of Christ and invite others to join the celebration.

Down to the wire

Our first team leaves for Vancouver next Wednesday, February 10! The time between when we started visioning for the trip and when we leave has flown by. We'll be housed at a church in Delta, BC with a team that is driving in from Colorado. The 40 of us will share two showers and sleep on air mattresses, lest anyone be concerned we're being spoiled while we're away!

The weather in Upstate SC has prepared us for the upper 40s and rainy days of Vancouver. We have been told to expect to walk a lot and be prepared to be outside for long ours. We will primarily be working at greeting stations that have been setup throughout the city. Our job will be to pass out information and welcome packets along with coffee and water. Our prayer is that we'll have many great opportunities to have meaningful conversations.

The beauty of the Olympics is its ability to bring together a very diverse group of people from around the world. Regardless of the location of the host city, Olympic ministry always takes on an international feeling because the world literally comes to that one place. We look forward to sharing stories with you about the people we meet and where they are from.

Please keep all of the volunteers in your prayers as well as the people we'll meet. Pray for Vancouver and the great work God can do.

Six days...

One Month!

One month from today the capital of the sports world will be located in Vancouver, British Columbia as the 2010 Winter Olympics are kicked off on February 12. The South Carolina Baptist Convention is sending two teams of volunteers to Vancouver to assist in projects such as working at hospitality stations passing out water, coffee, and information, along with working at concerts and other events.

Team One leaves on February 10 and will return on February 19 after being relieved by Team Two on February 18. Please continue to pray for the team members as we prepare to go. Pray for safe travel and the people we will meet along the way. Pray for God to use the Olympics in a major way to show people His love for them.

Be sure to check the blog often, especially after February 10 as blog updates will swing into high gear with information about what is taking place. Feel free to post questions or comments and we'll work hard to answer you and keep you informed.