July 24, 2012 TodayI leave for London. Please pray for safety, divine appointments, and for my family at home. Pray God would BIND Satan from bringing about any harm or distraction that would cause me to take my eyes off the calling He has given me for the next 11 days.....sharing HIS story with anyone who will listen.

God Did Immeasurably More

Every Olympics God has given me the honor of leading at least one person to Christ. Although I have had many opportunities to share, until today no one I spoke with prayed to accept Christ. I had in some ways settled in my mind that the ministry God had for me this Olympics was one of encouragement, counsel and prayer for those I had encountered. I should not have been surprised when God just showed up and acted like God.

We left our place of lodging late morning after our team meeting. Our team had barely walked 5 minutes when we were stopped by a couple of college students. We chatted for a few minutes then Mickey began to share with one girl and I shared with the other. I was only a few minutes into sharing when I saw her tearing up. I could feel God working on her heart. Long story short, this sweet young lady prayed to receive Christ right there on sidewalk only minutes from our hostel. God is so good.

Guess what? I am not through yet. We continued to walk toward "live city" to minister in that venue. We stopped for lunch at a Greek fast food establishment. I finished eating and walked outside. There was an older woman walking by. After reading the writing on my parka and she stopped to ask me, "Just what is a sports chaplain?" Of course, that is a loaded question and an easy bridge to share the gospel. I began to share with her. As we stood there talking, I felt God working on this woman also. She too, prayed to receive Christ. This was barely 30 minutes after the first amazing salvation experience.

Am I through yet? No way. We finally entered the venue and began to mix and mingle with the people. While there God opened the door for me to share with a Ukrainian security guard, Boris. For those of you that know me, you know I have a deep passion for the people of Ukraine. Boris has only lived in Canada for 2 years. He is Orthodox, but I am pretty sure does not have a personal relationship with God. He listened carefully and promised me that he would this seriously more about this big decision. Please pray for Boris.

Right before we left the venue, we were approached by several older teens. The four girls in the group started talking with me. God gave me the opportunity to share the gospel with them but also to talk to them about making healthy choices in their life. One young lady in particular seemed to take special interest in the conversation. I pulled her aside and we talked privately. She is 18 and could tell she had been drinking. We talked about how poor choices can lead to bad circumstances. I prayed with her and as we parted she hugged my neck 3 times and said, "I want you to know that our conversation today has changed my life." God knows her face. God knows her name. Please pray for this precious girl that God will press on her heart the desire to make healthy choices.

As I sit her tonight and think back on the day, I am finding it hard to wind down. We are trying to back and settle down because we have to leave for the airport at 4am! I am not sure how much sleep I will get, but that is OK.

Thank you God for today. Thank you for the last 10 days in Vancouver.

USA vs Finland

All of the ladies and one brave man, Keith, went to USA vs Finland this afternoon. One of our team members, Paige, came in this week and brought three American flags with her. Paige, Peggy and I decided to get into the USA spirit and we wore our flags to the game. It drew much attention. In fact, we were stopped for pictures and had the opportunity to share so many times that we were late for the game. No worries, that is why we are here... to share wherever the opportunity arises.

It is funny and quite surprising. I am now a fan of hockey. I think I have finally figured out most of the rules. From what I could tell, Finland actually had a pretty good women's team. But our Team USA was still the winner again today. It is looking more and more like a Canada vs USA match up for the gold.

It was fun watching the game and talking with all of the US fans sitting around us. I talked with some sweet elderly folks from Colorado, some college students from Wisconsin (who by the way still hate Brett Farve). Then as I mingled in the commons area I talked with some spectators from Finland. It was a great day and I believe God's Word will NOT return void!

The Mis/Lou Team

Today I had the honor of working with two other Mississippians (MaMa Jean Prather who is in the picture with me and Mickey Bailey) and Mickey's son, Jonathon Bailey from New Orleans LA. It was a wonderful day.

As we worked our way down Granville Avenue walking toward Gas town, we were stopped numerous times. God allowed us to share the gospel and to minister to many people along the way. One blessing to me was when a young lady that I had shared with a few days ago approached me to 'just talk'. She is due to have her first child very soon and I had prayed with her when we spoke several days ago. What a blessing to minister to this young woman and then have her come back just to chat.

It is hard for me to believe that we have been here a week. Wow, the window of opportunity is slowing closing for me to share in Vancouver since I will be leaving on Saturday. As with every Olympic ministry, this one has been very different. God simply amazes me as He continues to open new doors of opportunity to minister to people around the world.

Sharing at ice hockey

Several of us attended USA vs Russia women's hockey today. As usual our ministry happens in route to the event on the bus or while at the event. God gave us multiple opportunities to share with people on the bus and at the hockey event.

One conversation stands out in my mind today. It was on the return bus ride. I began to talk with a young professional sitting beside us on the bus. She was recently divorced and seemed like fairly content woman. Even though she offered the typical lead in question, "what does a sports chaplain do?" I did not feel led to jump into the gospel presentation using the pin. I asked her about her beliefs. She responded that she did not have a "spiritual" belief and really had not had a need for it. Her opinion was that we are all a flame and eventually our light goes out. Interesting concept, to say the least. As we chatted on the bus, I eventually had the chance to share what I believe. She was respectful and somewhat receptive. I gave her a pin but challenged her to seek truth. I suggested that she read The Case for Christ and she actually wrote down the title as if she would pick up a copy. I pray she will seek truth and will find that life and etermity is more than a flame that eventually burns out.

Thank you God for divine appointments. It is easy to get discouraged if you don't see the immediate results from witnessing. But I am reminded daily, my charge for the Lord is to share the truth. I do not have the power to convict and change hearts...that is a God thing.

Thank you God for allowing me to have a small part in your Kingdom work!

What a blessed day. What a fun day! I saw my first ever hockey game and got to share Jesus along the way.

Sharing at the food court

Me and my team spent most of the day in the coke pavilion. There are several informative tents sponsored by acer, coke, and others. Plus there are two gigantic screens in the courtyard to watch the games. We found the best spot to interact with people was the food court. We pretty much ran out of pins and had to head back to the hostel to re-load.

One particular conversation stands out in my mind. I was talking with 3 young girls from Vancouver - nationality Chinese. The two younger ones said they attended church locally. However, the older sister, (i am not going to use her name) attends college. She and I pretty much carried the conversation. She was so sweet and curious. She is majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism. This gave us an instant connection since both of my children have degrees in Communications.

Long story short, she has not made a decision on spiritual matters. But she was certainly engaged in our conversation related to Jesus. She promised me that she would read the pamphlet at least 2 more times before going to bed. And that she would consider all I had said.

Please pray for her as she searches for truth.

Pray for Raymond

Granville Avenue is packed with people. At night it is really crazy. Sometimes it is overwhelming as we share with so many people and feel the coldness of their hearts to the gospel. Today was certainly one of those days. I cannot understand how people function without God in their life.

I had the opportunity to share with two Canadian guys probably both in their mid twenties One of them, Raymond, was really engaged in the conversation. He had attended college in the U.S. but Vancouver is his home. His friend kept interrupting me as I shared the gospel and each time Raymond asked him to just be quiet so he could hear the story. Raymond was so engaged as I shared the gospel and talked to him about accepting Christ. Raymond did not pray to received Christ but I could feel the Lord working on him.

Please pray for God to use the power of His spoken Word to pierce Raymond's heart and bring him to Christ.