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.

Ministry thoughts

My favorite part of this Olympic ministry is experiencing the divine appointments God provides every day. In the last 2 days, God has again showed his hand on this ministry. Vancouver is a very busy place and there are many opportunities to share.

Last night I met a lady that was really hurting. Although she was 20 months clean from drugs, she was still involved in alcohol abuse and trying to break free from an abusive relationship. I took her to McDonalds and purchased dinner for her. I talked with her about her destructive choices and how that God loved her and wanted to give her the strength to overcome her past. As I looked into her young face my heart broke as I saw eyes full of hurt and hopelessness. Her name is Ester. Please pray that God will speak to her and put her on the path of hope.

Today several of us traveled up to Whister Mountain to see ski jumping. It was quite interesting. As I watched these guys fly through the air I thought, "what drives a person to jump off a mountain?" It looked pretty scary to me but the crowd loved it. God gave me the opportunity to share with numerous people. But three in particular come to mind. One was a Olympic volunteer from Mexico City and the other was a couple from Brazil. Both conversations were great. I could tell they were engaged in the message of the gospel. Although each one was of the Catholic faith, I do not think anyone of them had a personal relationship with Christ. Please pray for these three people specifically that the power of the spoke Word of God will touch their heart.

Safe arrival to Vancouver

Most of the team arrived safely in Vancouver around midnight. We finally got settled into our hostel around 2am Vancouver time which is 4am Mississippi time. Today we traveled around the city to investigate the the potential 'hot spots' for ministry. It was cold and wet but a great day of sharing the gospel with many people.

Specific prayer requests: Continue to pray for divine appointments for our team. Pray for team member Jan Feldman. She found out upon arrival in Vancouver that she has to return to Mississippi immediately due to a death in the family. Please pray for this family.

Headed to Vancouver

It has been a crazy week. I love my job, but it has been stressful this week as I try to disengage and get ready for Vancouver. Please pray for me as I finish up a few more projects before I fly out tomorrow.

Taking the Word to the World

On February 10th I will arrive in Vancouver Canada with a team of Sports Chaplains as we come together to share the gospel at the 2010 Winter Games. This my 5th Olympics to be a part of this ministry sponsored by Action Ministries International.

To be honest, street evangelism was really not on my radar as a possibility until I was introduced to this unique ministry that uses lapel pins specifically designed as a tool for sharing the gospel. It is such an easy conversation starter and makes for a great transition into spiritual truths. Trading pins is a huge ordeal at the Olympics. People set up tables and tents strictly to trade pins. Olympic stores sell thousands of pins throughout the Olympic season. Sports teams and companys design and distribute their own pins as a way to build a fan base or promote their product. It is a big deal!

Our pins have been nicknamed the "Jesus" pin because it has the name of Jesus written on the pin. We will not trade our "Jesus" pins but we will give one away to any person that will take the time to listen to the story behind the pin. You guessed it...the story is the plan of salvation.

Our daily task is to walk slowly through the crowds looking for the divine appointments that God provides. It may be at a coffee shop, on the bus, or even in line at the restroom. Wherever the opportunity arrises, we use it to share the good news.

The Olympic venue is unique. It lends to free and open conversation with total strangers. The world comes to us for a few weeks and they want to know who you are, what you do and why you are there. God places people from all over the world in our path. Then as we share the gospel, we have the priveledge to watch the power of the spoken Word pierce the heart of unbelievers. Many times we have had the honor to pray with people who have heard the gospel for the first time in their life. I know that is hard for us to grasp when we live in a country where evangelical churches are on every corner.

Equally surprising is the number of people we encounter who believe that a relationship with God is based on good works or church attendence. Again the power of God's Word shared through the "Jesus" pin and the conviction of the Holy Spirit brings so many of these people to a saving knowlege and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a God thing!

So, how can you be a part of this ministry. Easy....pray, pray and pray some more.
Pray for divine appointments
Pray for protection from the evil one
Pray for the hearts of the people to be tender to the Word of God and the voice of the Spirit
Pray for health and safety of our team
Pray for unity on the team
Pray for our families and businesses at home that things will be smooth and without issue
Pray that we will be free from distraction

Check my blog often. I will be posting specific prayer requests, pictures and testimonies.

Satan does not want this ministry to be successful. We are basically going to war every day with the evil darts Satan shoots at our team. Please pray and stand in the gap for us.