Matt's Many Adventures

Hello again,

I have recently returned from a two-week trip to Europe. I am thankful to all of you for all of your prayers and support. Without your support I wouldn’t have been able to go over to Europe for two weeks. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet the TWR-Europe team, as well as many of our partners. Now I feel like I have a little  better grasp on what it is that I will be doing with the tech team in Europe. It was nice getting to practice a bit of my German, ordering a couple of meals, and being reminded that, oh yeah, you have to ask for the check when you want to pay, they don’t just give you one when you finish the meal.

I am excited to return as soon as my support is raised, and hope to be there soon. But I know that God has a perfect time for me to go to Austria, and that when His timing is met, then I will be going to Austria. Until then I hope to continue to grow in my walk with Him, and to continue to work on my German. I am still humbled that God is allowing me to use my electrical engineering degree to help further his kingdom, and I hope to wisely use my gifts toward that end. Continue to keep me in your prayers during this time of partnership development, it can be quite the roller coaster ride. But, the best part of it all, is getting the opportunity to talk one on one with people who I wouldn’t have otherwise talked to. I am also thankful that I know there are people praying for me during this time, and while I am in Austria.

I am very thankful, that the team in Vienna has a good sense of humor. The team feels like one big family, and it was encouraging to feel like a part of the team. Oh, and something that I found funny, one of the team members, his name shall be left out, speaks a more Bavarian dialect of German, so his wife told me that when he pronounces my name, Matt, he would tend to call me Mad, so he would talk about Mad Willy. Looks to me like I might have a new nickname now, Mad Willy!

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support.

Matt.

As many of you know, I am currently in Europe, attending a conference in Slovakia, and meeting with the team in Vienna. The theme of the conference this year is Women, Media and the future. The talks are centered on how can we use media to better reach women with the hope of the gospel.

The conference began with how the message of the gospel brings hope to all people. It brings freedom to those who are oppressed. It frees those who are enslaved to the power of sin. This offer of the gospel is open to all people. We also saw, how the Bible treats women with dignity, and how much God loves women. We also heard about many of the women in history, who through prayer and following the call of God, were able to transform society. Many times it is the mothers who train their children about God, and it is the women, who many times help to keep the traditions of the family passed on to the next generation. Yet, we are told in many societies, that women, are much less valuable than men. Many societies teach, that women are to remain ignorant, and to do whatever they are told by men. We also discussed the double standard of shame in society. When a woman is unfaithful shame is brought upon her, but society tells us that when men are unfaithful, they are just being men, and they are not shamed.

The speaker tonight, the founder of TWR’s ministry to women, Project Hannah , told us, the three most dangerous words in the world today are, “It’s a girl.” In many societies today these words are spoken with disappointment, and derision. In many cultures today, women are treated as though they are unwanted and worthless. She also pointed out how slavery today, through human trafficking, is worse than it ever was during the height of the slave trade in Africa. In many countries, baby girls are left to die, just because they are not a boy. It was heartbreaking to hear story after story of women, who had been taught since a child, that their whole goal in life is to marry, to have children, and to please their husbands no matter what.

Never the less, not all hope is lost. Through the ministry of Project Hannah, and the prayers of thousands all over the world, women are able to hear about the love of God for them. They are told that they are not worthless, and that the are loved by the best Father in the World. They are also taught that they are human beings, and that they can help make a difference in the world. There are countless stories of Project Hannah bringing hope to women, and they in turn leading the entire family to Christ, through their steadfast prayers for their families, and through their example of Christ’s love.

I am thankful that God is allowing me to be a small part of TWR, and that the work that I will be doing in Europe will help change the lives of many people throughout the world. So far this trip to Europe has been very encouraging, and I am excited, and hopeful to return to Europe soon. I am continually blown away, that God would allow me to have a small part in helping to extend His kingdom.

Thank you for all of your prayers. Please remember to keep the ministry of Project Hannah in prayer, and feel free to visit the site, and check out some of the different programs that are on the site.

Danke schön,
Matt

Hello again.

As most of you know this week I have been attending the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course. It has been a lot of information to digest, and think over. Some of the big takeaways for me as of right now are:

1. How important it is to God, that a people from every tongue, tribe and nation are brought to God. Even from the beginning of the creation of the world was this God’s intent. The entire Old Testament is filled with passages describing God’s heart for all nations. The Covenants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all point to this fact. God tells them, that He will bless them, so that they will bless all nations. So many times we are quick to see the promise of blessing from God (the top line), while ignoring that we are to then bless others (the bottom line.) We also see that God has many ways of accomplishing this. 1st is a voluntary going (Paul and Barnabas, on their missionary journeys), 2nd is a voluntary coming (people coming to see Israel during the reign of Solomon), 3rd an involuntary going (Israel being scattered for failing to reach out to the nations, and the scattering of the church during the first persecution), and finally an involuntary coming (the surrounding nations being mixed in with Israel during the Babylonian captivity).
2. The importance of making sure to repent of sin quickly. We see from the example of Israel, God blinds the people to His will, when He knew that they wouldn’t obey Him. He did this, so that He wouldn’t have to wipe them off the face of the earth, and thereby defame His own name. If we truly desire to love and obey God, then He will open our eyes to His word. When we refuse to obey what He has told us, then He blinds our eyes to true understanding. It is only when we seek to obey God, and be quick to repent of our sins, that He is able to reveal His word to us.

Overall, this week has been a huge blessing. I am so thankful for the ability to learn more about God’s heart for missions. I look forward to having some time later to reflect on what I have been taught, and work on apply what I have learned.

Please be praying that I would have a safe flight back tomorrow, and continue to pray for my upcoming trip to Austria next week. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I really appreciate all of your prayers.

Thank you,

Matt

Hello everyone,

I realize it has been a long time since I last updated my blog. To give everyone a quick update of what has been going on, I have been working with my Pastor in the Person and Work of Christ, and we have now started working on the art and science of hermeneutics. It has been enjoyable being able to have a better understanding of what I believe as a Christian, and to be more sure in my faith. Though I haven’t been continuing with daily updating my blog on each of the reading through the Bible in 90 days passages, I have been keeping up with the program, and will be finishing it tomorrow. It has been great being able to see the big picture again, and to see how God has been working since throughout history. It has been a good start to the year, and I would like to do this again next year. This past Sunday, I spoke at a church in Phoenix, the Orangewood Presbyterian Church. I really enjoyed my time speaking to a group of around 20 – 30 people about my time in West Africa and what TWR has been doing in Europe, and how I hope to fit into that big picture. I also had the opportunity to spend time with a retired TWR engineer, Joe. It was neat to be able to talk to someone who had been so faithful working for the Lord as an engineer. I’m thankful for Joe’s passion for God, and to see how God was able to direct him, and prepare him for ministry, even when Joe didn’t know that is what God was doing.

Here is a picture of Joe and I outside of Orangewood Presbyterian Church.

Now, as many of you know, I will be heading to Minneapolis Minnesota from April 9th – 17th for a week long intensive Perspectives course to learn a bit more about the biblical foundation of missions. I am working on reading through the materials for the course. I still have quite a few pages to read through. Already, I have been seeing a better picture of God’s desire to bring all peoples to Himself, and how we as believers all called to further His kingdom. I know many times I tend to have a pessimistic outlook on the future good to be reminded that God has already won the war, He just has some battles to continue fighting before bringing everything under His reign.

Then from April 22nd – May 4th, I will be traveling to Europe for two weeks to attend a conference with TWR’s partners in Europe, and to meet with the team I will be working with in Austria. I am excited to meet with people from all over Europe, and to hear about how media is being used to reach Europeans for Christ. I am also excited to meet the team in Austria, and to get a chance to see the area that I hope to be living in for three years!

The next month should be exciting, and is going to fly by. I will try to continue to keep everyone updated on what is going on over the next few weeks, and will make sure to include lots of pictures from my trip to Austria.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support,

Matt

I have been keeping up with the 90 day reading plan so far for the past week, I just didn’t post some of my thoughts on the days readings. So today is a bit of a catchup day.

Started out reading more about Moses receiving more of the commands from God entailing how the priests are to dress, and more instructions on some of the various rooms in the tabernacle should be designed. While Moses is talking with God, the people of Israel, start asking each other, ‘What has happened to Moses.’ They find Aaron, and ask for him to create a god for them to worship. As the people begin making loud noises and worship this golden calf that Aaron has made Moses goes down the mountain. On the way down he is greeted by Joshua, who thinks that the people are fighting a battle based on all the noise. When Moses arrives he smashes the two tablets on which God has written His commandments on, and calls for those who follow the Lord to put on their weapons, and to strike down those who are worshiping the golden calf. The tribe of Levi joins Moses. Because of this they are given the right to serve the priests in the temple.
God speaks with Moses and tells Moses that He will send the people into the land, but that He will not go with them. Moses reminds God of His promises to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. Here we see Moses is growing in his relationship with God. He is more concerned with God’s reputation then with his own, or with the people’s reputation.
In Leviticus we see all of the requirements that God lays out for the people. We see the practice of animal sacrifice being instituted. We also see the concept of the Day of Atonement, where the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and present a sacrifice on behalf of the people of Israel, and on his behalf to cover over their sins. All of this is a picture pointing us to Christ who will make the ultimate sacrifice as the lamb of God, taking away all of our sins.

Today I am thankful for everyone who has been praying for me, and who is continuing to pray for me. Thank you all so much!

Again, today’s prayer is for the World.

Today’s reading continues with Moses leading the people of Israel. One of the first major challenges the people face is a lack of water and food in the desert. We seed God again providing for his people by first at a bitter water source, God has Moses take a log and put it in the water and cleanses the water to provide drinking water. For food God provides a wafer like substance that the people call mana, or “what is it?” God commands them to only take what they need for each day, promising to send more each day. When some of the people decide to try to store extra for the next day, the mana becomes bad, and has worms in it. Also God commands the people on Fri to take a double portion of food for the Sabbath, so that they rest of the Sabbath. Some of the people ignore this command and only take a days worth of food, expecting mana to be on the ground on the Sabbath. God rebukes the people of Israel for these to instances for disobeying Him, and failing to trust Him.
We also see the Lord giving to Moses the 10 Commandments. Each of the 10 Commandments is given as a reflection of the character of God. By looking at the 10 Commandments we can get a glimpse into the character of God, and what He requires for obedience to Him. God also institutes the priesthood of Aaron and his sons. Along with the priesthood God also gives Moses the plans for building the Tabernacle. We see God is very specific in the building of His dwelling place. We also see the introduction of the Holy of Holies separating God’s holiness from the people of Israel. Only the chief priest after following a very strict cleansing regimen was able to enter he Holy of Holies once a year to redeem the sins of the people and for himself. No one else was allowed in the presence of the Lord, or they would be struck down dead.
It is very humbling to know that now we do not live under the Old Testament sacrificial system. We have a great High Priest in Heaven to whom we can appeal at any time. Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest advocating on our behalf before the Father.

Today I am thankful for my Great High Priest Jesus Christ.

Again today’s focus for prayer is the World.

Today’s reading begins with the story of a new Pharaoh taking over Egypt. This Pharaoh doesn’t remember Joseph and enslaves the descendents of Israel. Because the descendents of Israel continue to grow in number the Pharaoh decides to tell the midwives to kill all the baby boys. The midwives who fear God refuse to kill the boys, so Pharaoh tells his soldiers to kill any baby boys. This sets the stage for Moses, who is placed in a basket in the Nile river to hide him. The daughter of Pharaoh finds baby Moses, and picks him out of the water. Later Moses is raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Despite this Moses still defends his people. When he sees one of his people being mistreated Moses strikes the man down and accidentally kills him. Fearing for his life he flees to the desert. While Moses is gone in the desert the Pharaoh dies and one of his son’s takes his place.
Many years later God appears to Moses in a burning bush and calls him to go save his people. Moses comes up with several excuses as to why he shouldn’t go, but God doesn’t let any of Moses’s excuses stick. Finally Moses goes to Egypt where he meets his brother Aaron. They go before Pharaoh and ask him to let the people go. After a series of 10 plagues each of which causes Pharaoh to initially say he will release the people followed by changing his mind. Finally after the death of every first born son of the Egyptians Pharaoh let’s the people go. This event is kept in memory by the Israelites as the passover.
After finally letting the people go, Pharaoh again changes his mind, and decides to go and bring the people back into slavery. God prevents this by causing the water in the Red Sea to divide allowing the people to cross. As the Egyptians begin to follow them, God causes the Egyptian’s chariot’s to get stuck, and then brings the walls of water to come down on them drowning the Pharaoh and his men.
Through this passage we see God taking care of His people, and using the plagues to prove Himself as greater than all other gods.

Today I am thankful for a good run.

Today I received the Operation World Book in the mail, so now I will be following the book for praying for the World. So today’s prayer is for the World.

Today’s reading focuses on Joseph. It begins with Joseph in prison, telling two other prisoners the meaning of their dreams. After promising to tell Pharaoh about Joseph, the cup-bearer forgets to tell the Pharaoh, until 2 years later when the Pharaoh has a strange dream. Then the cup-bearer tells Pharaoh about Joseph and how he told him what his dream had meant while he was in prison. Pharaoh brings Joseph before him to tell him about his dream. Joseph tells the Pharaoh, I cannot interpret your dream, but God can.
Later we see Joseph placed as second in command of Egypt. We also see, due to a widespread famine Joseph’s brothers bowing down before Joseph, fulfilling the dream that he had head when he was younger. Later when Joseph reveals who he is to his brothers, he tells them not to be angry with themselves, because, God had placed Joseph in this very spot in order to save a remnant of His people. I know that I don’t have the same attitude as Joseph, when things don’t go the way I would like them to I tend to get upset. I want to be more like Joseph, and see that God is ultimately the one in control.
Finally we see Israel (Jacob) blessing his sons, for which he is listed in Hebrews in the book of faith, for believing in the promise of God, by passing that promise on to his children. Joseph is also listed in Hebrews for believing that Israel would again return to the land that God had promised to them, by telling them to take his bones with him when they leave Egypt.

Today I am thankful for nice weather.

Today’s country for prayer is Bhutan

Today’s passage focuses mostly on Jacob, and Joseph. In this passage we see why it is a bad idea to have more than one wife. Jacob’s wives get into a competition with one another trying to bear him the most children. Counting his two wives and their servants Jacob had a total of 4 wives. That had to be a nightmare taking care of that many women. We also see Jacob has met someone his equal in the area of deception. Laban tricks Jacob into marrying his oldest daughter first, and then over the next 13 years he changes Jacob’s wages 10 different times. In spite of Laban’s deception God blesses Jacob. We also see Jacob wrestling with God, and receiving a new name, the name of Israel.
Another downside to having multiple wives, Israel (Jacob) loves his son Joseph more than the rest of his sons. This causes bitterness in his sons and leads to them kidnapping him, and selling him off as a slave. An interesting side story is the story of Judah, and his daughter in law Tamar. After the death of his two sons, Judah withholds his third son from Tamar. So, Tamar dressed as a prostitute and tricks Judah into believing she is. She is pregnant with two sons, and one of them is mentioned in the genealogy of Christ.
Finally the story shifts over to Joseph, as he is sold into slavery in Egypt. God blesses Joseph in all that he does. Unfortunately his master’s wife decides to try to get him to sleep with her, but Joseph flees, and is accused of trying to rape her. So he is thrown in prison, but even there, God is with him, and gives him favor with the jail guard.

Today I am thankful for mountains.

Today’s country for prayer is Bosnia.

Today’s reading continues with Abraham, and moves to Isaac, and Jacob. Starting out, God again promises to bless Abraham, and all of his descendents. This is also the point where God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, and Sarai’s name to Sarah. Both Abraham, and Sarah, laugh when told that God will give them a child.
We also see the destruction of the cities of Sodom, and Gomorrah. Before destroying the cities we see Abraham, interceding on behalf of his nephew, and the people of Sodom, that God might spare them, if He finds 10 righteous people in the city.
Moving from Abraham, we see God promising to Isaac the same blessing, that He had promised to his father Abraham. Also we see Isaac following in the footsteps of his father, and telling people that his wife is his sister, out of fear of being killed. Also like his father, Isaac’s wife is barren. Isaac prays for his wife, and the Lord hears his prayer, and gives them two sons. God tells them, the younger shall rule over the older.
Moving on to Jacob, we see 2 instances of Jacob’s name fitting the person. When his brother returns from a hunt, Jacob asks his brother for his birthright in exchange for soup. Next we see Jacob and his mother deceiving his father Isaac, by pretending to be Esau, in order to steal his older brother’s birthright.
It is good to see that even the old testament father’s struggled with weaknesses, but yet they are mentioned later in Hebrews in the Hall of Faith. In spite of our weaknesses, God is faithful and He always keeps His promises, even when we are not.

Today, I am thankful for my parents. Though they are not perfect, I am thankful for their love and support for all these years.

Today’s country to pray for is Austria!