Dear Saints,
Well, No Shave November is almost up and you know what that means, I still have nothing to show for it. But that is ok. I cannot believe that I have been in Albania for 4 months now! Where has time gone? That is the Torchbearer time for you. We also only have two more weeks of first semester! The weather here has been sunny and in the 60’s almost every day for the past two weeks. It is November? Almost December? Wouldn’t have guessed.
Now that the greetings and weather is out of the way, lets talk about my past month. There has been so much that it is hard to think back and recall everything that I have done. We went to Sarande for travel weekend, had a pumpkin carving contest and costume night, have had three different teachers and four different subjects, the students had an outreach week, I went to Greece and lots of card games, food, and soccer in between. Wow that is a lot.
First, the travel weekend. It was great to get out and see Albania a little more. Sarande is on the west coast of Albania, on the Ionian Sea. The water was warm enough to swim in and we did. It was crystal clear and beautiful! During that time, we went to visit different sites, including a ancient Roman colony called Butrin and two castles. Only in Albania are you allowed to climb all of the castles and explore anything you want, so that is what we did. One of the best parts would have to be one evening, after coming back from Butrin, we stopped by a soccer field and watch some kids having their practice. We said hi then started talking to the coach and he asked if we could come and play, so we did. We ended up whomping them but we had a lot of fun. They were about 13 but still really good for their age. We were just a little bigger also.
The Friday after coming back, we had a pumpkin carving contest. It was a lot of fun seeing the different designs that people did along with the costumes that some put together. The Stoscher kids were really excited for this event and went all out with the costumes and pumpkins. I also put together a costume of my own. I brought out the Paul Bunyan in me and was a lumberjack with the flannel, work boats, axe, hat and beard (not a real beard but I drawn on one, I wish it was real).
As I have said so many times before, God is faithful. Since the beginning of the year, we were playing for the students to go on a week long outreach to Durres. Two weeks for they were to leave, there were some miscommunications and the organization that was supposed to have the students couldn’t do it that week anymore. This caused a big panic for us because we didn’t know what to do in that short amount of time we had. Doing the only thing we could do, we brought it to the Lord. And oh did He come through. Instead of going to Durres, the students went to three different places, Leskovik, Bilishti, and here in Erseka. In those three locations, they put on two different programs, one for older youth and one for kids. This was all planned by the students, they did everything with not much direction from the staff. I am glad we did this because we really saw them come together as a group and plan everything they wanted to do, even with two different languages being spoken. The first day was for high schoolers here. The core group from the church showed up a long with a couple of new comers. Then two days in Leskovik. Leskovik is a really hard place. Missionaries have been there for a long time and there still isn’t a big church foundation there. So the students, and the staff, we thinking that only 10 high schoolers and maybe 20 children would come. We could never have been more wrong. Expect the unexpected. About 60 high schools showed up the first day along with 90 children the next. God provided! Hear the students share about this brought one word to mind, miraculous. There is nothing other explanation to what happened besides God. Hearts were opened and almost ever child raised their hand to accept Christ into their life. I hope we are able to go back there to keep in touch with the youth and children that made a step in their life that day. The next day was here in Erseka once again with children this time. There were about 70 that time and I was able to sit in on the program and see the students at work. They work so well together and put on a great program. Then they were off to Bilishti, where Skender is from and a leader in the church there. They did a program on Friday for high schoolers then two on Saturday, junior high and children. They were also only expecting the core group for all of these programs also. And they did have only the core group for the high schoolers but not with the others. Over 100 junior highers and 140 children! Praise God! We do not know where they came from but they showed up. And on Sunday, a lot of the kids came back to church. Lavdi Zoti (praise God in Albanian). Overall, it was a miraculous experience for all of he students. They grew so much together as a body, through the good and bad, and depended on God the whole way.
Last night we had a huge Thanksgiving meal. The Americans were very happy for this. It was a great time of fellowship and food. The Stoscher kids also did a small program explaining to the Albanians how Thanksgiving got started, it was very cute. We also had a time to talk about what we were thankful for. I would like to share that with you. I am thankful for my family. I have two amazing parents who have taught me, through example, what is it like to love God and have a giving heart. They have given me so much and continue to do so, thanks Mom and Dad! I also have two wonderful siblings, Jon and Hannah, and I am very thankful for their hearts for the person of Christ as well. Jon and my relationship has continued to grow each year as we get older and I look up to the example that he is in my life. I continue to pour my heart and love into Hannah hoping that I can be as good of an example to her as Jon is to me. I see a young woman of God who is wise beyond her years and has such a compassionate heart for those around her. I am also very thankful for you guys, for praying for me, for giving out of the kindness of your hearts, and for the example of Godly men and women you are. God has sure blessed me with a great family of Christ all around me, all over the world. Who am I to deserve this? I don’t know but just thinking about that makes me praise God and brings me to tears. I am blessed to be a blessing and I pray that Christ can be that, through me, to everyone I come in contact with.
Looking ahead. In two weeks, I leave to Germany to spend Christmas at Bodenseehof with Peter and Gaby along with the other staff that will still be around. I am really excited for be able to sit around and relax and read. I now understand how important that is. I am also very happy that I will be able to make it to Advent International and a week of school back at Bodenseehof. It will bring back memories. Then, for a week, I will be skiing in the Alps once again for the annual ski conference. I will be teaching this year and am really excited for that.
Prayer requests. Lets see if I can accurately get them from my head and onto paper with them making sense. Pray for the last two weeks of the semester. Since it is only two weeks, the students, and myself, may want to take it easy and not do much. Pray that we can push through and finish strong in our homework and relationships. Pray for Christmas break as the students leave. Pray they won’t take a “break” from God but use this time to apply what they have learned the past 11 weeks to their life in travel. Pray God would bring people into their lives, whether on planes, trains, or automobiles, to share His grace and love with. And that we may further His kingdom at no matter what the cost. For me personally, I would greatly appreciate if you would pray, not necessarily for safety but that I may further His kingdom during my travels, no matter what the cost because I know that God has me in His hand and His will will be done. I know this may be hard Mom and Dad :) Since the year is almost half way over, I am now starting to think about life after Albania. I don’t know what to do, where to go, or how I am going to get there. Pray God will make clear His will for my life, as clearly as He did this past year. Pray that I can trust Him in my future and not only that, but in my finances. I need His help in my spending. When I am in Germany, I will see so many things I want because there isn’t much here in Albania. Pray I will trust Him to provide my needs not my wants. To be honest with you, I don’t know how I am going to get home. Since the beginning, I have just trusted that God would provide the money for me to get a ticket home when He wanted me to go home. Now that it is getting closer to April, I am getting a little anxious. Pray that I will truly be able to trust Him in that area. Last but not least, pray I would continue to grasp the life changing truth of Christ in you, the hope of glory. I am starting to understand it more, but on paper and in books. I want to know it in my life and experience it.
Thanks for the prayers and thoughts. Once again, keep me updated with life at home and things I can pray for in your life, along with what God has been teaching you. I love to hear about that. I do learn a lot from what you tell me about you life, past, present, or future. You can read other updates on my blog at abes08.blogspot.com
In Him,
Luke Abrahamson
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" -Hebrews 12:28-29
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Faith says, "Thank you."
On this beautiful, sunny, cloudless morning in Erseka, Albania, I am sitting here thinking about what this day, Thanksgiving, should me to me as a follower of the person of Christ:
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus continually says, "I can do nothing with out the Father." Along with that, He says, in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, He will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." In other words, we can do no more without Jesus than He could do without the Father. And how much, than, can the Father do through Jesus? Everything! Because Jesus made Him self available to Him each and everyday. "It please the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." Colossians 1:19 In that sense, how much can Christ do through us? Everything! It all depends on how much of ourselves we give to Him to use! "For in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ." Colossians 2:9-10 As Major Ian Thomas puts so well, "How may you be saved by His life, as you have already claimed to be redeemed by His death? This is the critical question of Christian experience, and the answer is simple "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17)." Faith. It is that simple. Faith that trust in Him. Faith that says, "Thank you" That makes me think about today, being Thanksgiving. We are told that today is a day to give thanks to anyone and everyone. But I believe it is so much more than that. Today should remind us that each and everyday should be lived by saying "Thank you". I am not meaning to say thank you to every living person, which wouldn't be bad, but to say thank you to our Father. Paul says it in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks!" In what? In everything.
With this in mind, shouldn't we say thank you to every situation that we are in? That is living by faith. Know that Jesus, in all of His fullness, can take care of our problem. He is bigger than our problem that we are facing at the moment. If you don't think He is, look outside at creation, look at the stars in the sky and think again. That is the true meaning of Thanksgiving. And should be carried on to our everyday lives. Start the day with this prayer, "Dear Lord, thank You for Your Holy Spirit. I yield my will to Him, and by His gracious presence I share Your life and Your victory. I know I cannot ... See Moreovercome the principle of sin within me, nor put my flesh to death, but I thank You that You can and You did, when You died upon the cross and I died with you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, for He alone can make this real in my experience, mortifying those deeds of my bod which have their origin in Satan. I am willing for You to invade my soul, to control my mind, to control my emotions, and to control my will, so that every decision within my soul will be in perfect harmony with my spirit, and my spirit in perfect harmony with You, so that my whole being may declare Your praise. Lord Jesus, I can't, but You can! Thank you so much."- Major Ian Thomas, The Indwelling Life of Christ.
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" -Hebrews 12:28-29
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus continually says, "I can do nothing with out the Father." Along with that, He says, in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, He will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." In other words, we can do no more without Jesus than He could do without the Father. And how much, than, can the Father do through Jesus? Everything! Because Jesus made Him self available to Him each and everyday. "It please the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." Colossians 1:19 In that sense, how much can Christ do through us? Everything! It all depends on how much of ourselves we give to Him to use! "For in Christ all the fullness of Deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ." Colossians 2:9-10 As Major Ian Thomas puts so well, "How may you be saved by His life, as you have already claimed to be redeemed by His death? This is the critical question of Christian experience, and the answer is simple "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17)." Faith. It is that simple. Faith that trust in Him. Faith that says, "Thank you" That makes me think about today, being Thanksgiving. We are told that today is a day to give thanks to anyone and everyone. But I believe it is so much more than that. Today should remind us that each and everyday should be lived by saying "Thank you". I am not meaning to say thank you to every living person, which wouldn't be bad, but to say thank you to our Father. Paul says it in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In everything give thanks!" In what? In everything.
With this in mind, shouldn't we say thank you to every situation that we are in? That is living by faith. Know that Jesus, in all of His fullness, can take care of our problem. He is bigger than our problem that we are facing at the moment. If you don't think He is, look outside at creation, look at the stars in the sky and think again. That is the true meaning of Thanksgiving. And should be carried on to our everyday lives. Start the day with this prayer, "Dear Lord, thank You for Your Holy Spirit. I yield my will to Him, and by His gracious presence I share Your life and Your victory. I know I cannot ... See Moreovercome the principle of sin within me, nor put my flesh to death, but I thank You that You can and You did, when You died upon the cross and I died with you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, for He alone can make this real in my experience, mortifying those deeds of my bod which have their origin in Satan. I am willing for You to invade my soul, to control my mind, to control my emotions, and to control my will, so that every decision within my soul will be in perfect harmony with my spirit, and my spirit in perfect harmony with You, so that my whole being may declare Your praise. Lord Jesus, I can't, but You can! Thank you so much."- Major Ian Thomas, The Indwelling Life of Christ.
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" -Hebrews 12:28-29
Thursday, November 19, 2009
One year ago
A year ago, I experienced something that changed my life and I would not be here in Albania today if I did not experience it. I went to Serbia on a week long outreach with my sing team and a few others. Taylor Remington wrote something about the experience after and it is a magnificent piece of writing that put into words something that I could not do myself. Here is it:
So this past week I was in Serbia doing an outreach for Gypsy kids. They are awesome kids who don’t know anything about other people in the world other than rejection. They are the most looked down upon race in the world. They are given no opportunity to go to school. Many of them do no know how to read or write. And if they do go to school, their parents pull them out when they are 10, to help them with their work. Many of the young girls at the camp, spend their days begging on the street. Going up to cars asking for money. They don’t beg because they want to, they are begging for their lives. For life. Some of the boys get up at 4 in the morning everyday and work all day, bringing produce to and from places. They wont get hired because they are Gypsy, they are kicked to the curb and are cursed by all society. But they are humans too. They get treatment that should disgust us all. Its one thing if a people are poor because of the lack of a stable government. But they live in the worst conditions because they are blamed for everything bad and were stomped down upon to poverty. Through the week at the camp we just communicated through love to all the kids. And on Wednesday 5 young men became believers. Then we went into Belgrade and saw where they lived. And what shocked me wasn’t the conditions, which were terrible, what shocked me was they were forced their to the place they live and they are the most overlooked race in the world. They have become completely forgotten. It’s disgusting.
In all sense of the reality of life, some things are more prevalent than others, some are good and some are bad. And in the scope of it’s meaning you try to detect what is the feeling you have received or gained, and though the sense of sight I believe we use cheaply. Through sight we seem to be ignoring the dark things in life even though they are screaming in front of our faces. Selfishness seeps through our bones without any thought of it, it goes unnoticed. It is not regarded and we desire to block out the reality of things we try hard to forget. Things all of us have heard about, but we blow it off and we worry about our own lives because we feel they are much more important, We think that reaching for money doesn’t come with a price tag in our own lives. And in its sense maybe it doesn’t, but it does have a price tag for those unseen. For those everyday who beg for money and scream for love. What is wrong with us? Our flesh takes over our Holy Spirit and consciousness. The ignorance is vaster than we can imagine. It fills the empty holes of the universe. And what will cause us to change? Maybe through a personal experience or something else. But it must involve the true love and testimony of Jesus. How can we say we are Christians if we forget those who are living in conditions worse than unimaginable? In a sense, we spit in their faces and don’t give them any chance to change who they are, or who they will become. Obama says our government needs to change in order to save America. But that is not where the change is needed. The change is needed in our hearts. We need to lift our selfish blinding shades and look to the poor and needy. Our failure to accept others as a body needs to change. No more judging and casting out those who we think are unworthy. We must reach out to the hurting in every way. Americans have everything to be thankful for, but we don’t do a thing. We moan and complain, we worry about or next meal, we worry about the next meeting, the next shorts/pants we want to buy. We all worry about our own selfish desires and we are all slaves to it. We are bound down by it like gravity and we don’t see it. And maybe that is why we have so many non following or weak Christians. The faith they learn is fake which makes them fake. We have no love, no Christ, no vision for helping others. It does not exist in the Church as a whole. We have shot the Church and have lost our beacon of light to the world. No doubt the Church of Jesus Christ should be different. The excuse that all religions are the same should not exist. Through love we should be separate. It should be as distinct as black and white. But our faith has just become salvation insurance. And that is not what God had in mind. He didn’t want it to be all about our own individual selves. Of course he wants us to be saved, but that should just be the beginning. We should be then acting upon it and loving others. In our group we had no verbal communication with the Gypsies, we could not understand each other. But through the love of Jesus Christ we were able to reach their hearts. When the kids had come home from the camp, they cried. They didn’t cry because they were coming home to awful conditions or cry because they were back to their old horrible lives. They cried because for the first time in their life they had been loved. Loved for just being alive and with us. They missed us.That generation of young men in that Gypsy community are going to start something new for the people their. Nothing can ever change who they are or why they lack so much motivation. They have been a defeated people for years and only God can change that. The young men are going to bring the love of Jesus there and they will change that community through Jesus. I have had a deep burning feeling the Church needs to change, unfortunately denominations, and non-denominations that are denominations within themselves exist. We are not bound together by Jesus as a whole, which we should be. We have to start loving and doing more through love. It begins and ends with love. For God so loved the world…. I know Jesus was smiling when he saw the smiles on the faces of the community of Gypsies. The Church in this present time is either going to go one-way or another. We are at a cross-roads yet nobody sees it. It will either spiral down into a sinful abyss that will present no hope for revival or change, Or we could revive now, people are hungry for love of Jesus and the understanding and meaning of life. We waste so much time trying to prove God through science or debate when we should be serving. As believers we should know that God created science and there is no need for that. Out reality of life is so simple we will never be able to understand the vastness and the complexity of all things in the universe. We have restrictions that are needed. We are held back in understanding just like gravity holds us down on earth. The only way people can believe now is the example of love and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in all of those who believe, and we need to start using it. The Word is of course is extremely important because God speak to our hearts through the word. And we can learn and grow from the Word. It is extremely vital to all parts of the Christian walk. But that doesn’t mean we should forget about the power of the Holy Spirit and love. The Holy Sprit shows the world something is out there we can’t see or control. And it shouldn’t be used for ourselves, to strengthen our own faith, but it should produce through our faith. God gives us gifts and we use them through the Spirit. We should always be using our gifts for expanding Jesus’ kingdom. But the church is dry. We shouldn’t be bickering and arguing about doctrine, about Revelation, predestination, mega churches, certain pastors. It doesn’t matter. God will control what is needed. We should be standing together in unity through Jesus, and then and only then will see true change. The movement of Jesus’ love can be so powerful. Enough to rock the middle east, enough for Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Hindus or whatever to start seeing there is a true living God. We don’t know the possibility it has. But why not strive for the impossible. God is on our side and He is here to help us. For me personally I don’t know where to start. Maybe going to Serbia was the beginning, and then from there to start serving and loving. Serving and loving are a start because words aren’t everything. Words are extremely shallow in every sense when communicating with others. The only things that they touch are our minds and maybe sometimes our soul. But love encompasses all, it binds everything together. Jesus came to the world to serve, and to save us because He loves us. All through love. He rebuked the knowledge of the Pharisees because they did not act upon what they knew. They did not serve at all. Jesus is screaming inside all of us to start acting upon our faith. Not to ourselves, or to the community of our own Church, but to the world, the people living in darkness all around us. Jesus wasn’t just talking about Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, when he said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” He was talking about us. How many us would give up everything we own to do what God wanted? We love possessions because we think we need them. But we don’t. We have Jesus and that’s all we need. For the believers we have conquered death, and now we must begin to save others. We need to unify the Church through love, the Holy Spirit and the Word.
So this past week I was in Serbia doing an outreach for Gypsy kids. They are awesome kids who don’t know anything about other people in the world other than rejection. They are the most looked down upon race in the world. They are given no opportunity to go to school. Many of them do no know how to read or write. And if they do go to school, their parents pull them out when they are 10, to help them with their work. Many of the young girls at the camp, spend their days begging on the street. Going up to cars asking for money. They don’t beg because they want to, they are begging for their lives. For life. Some of the boys get up at 4 in the morning everyday and work all day, bringing produce to and from places. They wont get hired because they are Gypsy, they are kicked to the curb and are cursed by all society. But they are humans too. They get treatment that should disgust us all. Its one thing if a people are poor because of the lack of a stable government. But they live in the worst conditions because they are blamed for everything bad and were stomped down upon to poverty. Through the week at the camp we just communicated through love to all the kids. And on Wednesday 5 young men became believers. Then we went into Belgrade and saw where they lived. And what shocked me wasn’t the conditions, which were terrible, what shocked me was they were forced their to the place they live and they are the most overlooked race in the world. They have become completely forgotten. It’s disgusting.
In all sense of the reality of life, some things are more prevalent than others, some are good and some are bad. And in the scope of it’s meaning you try to detect what is the feeling you have received or gained, and though the sense of sight I believe we use cheaply. Through sight we seem to be ignoring the dark things in life even though they are screaming in front of our faces. Selfishness seeps through our bones without any thought of it, it goes unnoticed. It is not regarded and we desire to block out the reality of things we try hard to forget. Things all of us have heard about, but we blow it off and we worry about our own lives because we feel they are much more important, We think that reaching for money doesn’t come with a price tag in our own lives. And in its sense maybe it doesn’t, but it does have a price tag for those unseen. For those everyday who beg for money and scream for love. What is wrong with us? Our flesh takes over our Holy Spirit and consciousness. The ignorance is vaster than we can imagine. It fills the empty holes of the universe. And what will cause us to change? Maybe through a personal experience or something else. But it must involve the true love and testimony of Jesus. How can we say we are Christians if we forget those who are living in conditions worse than unimaginable? In a sense, we spit in their faces and don’t give them any chance to change who they are, or who they will become. Obama says our government needs to change in order to save America. But that is not where the change is needed. The change is needed in our hearts. We need to lift our selfish blinding shades and look to the poor and needy. Our failure to accept others as a body needs to change. No more judging and casting out those who we think are unworthy. We must reach out to the hurting in every way. Americans have everything to be thankful for, but we don’t do a thing. We moan and complain, we worry about or next meal, we worry about the next meeting, the next shorts/pants we want to buy. We all worry about our own selfish desires and we are all slaves to it. We are bound down by it like gravity and we don’t see it. And maybe that is why we have so many non following or weak Christians. The faith they learn is fake which makes them fake. We have no love, no Christ, no vision for helping others. It does not exist in the Church as a whole. We have shot the Church and have lost our beacon of light to the world. No doubt the Church of Jesus Christ should be different. The excuse that all religions are the same should not exist. Through love we should be separate. It should be as distinct as black and white. But our faith has just become salvation insurance. And that is not what God had in mind. He didn’t want it to be all about our own individual selves. Of course he wants us to be saved, but that should just be the beginning. We should be then acting upon it and loving others. In our group we had no verbal communication with the Gypsies, we could not understand each other. But through the love of Jesus Christ we were able to reach their hearts. When the kids had come home from the camp, they cried. They didn’t cry because they were coming home to awful conditions or cry because they were back to their old horrible lives. They cried because for the first time in their life they had been loved. Loved for just being alive and with us. They missed us.That generation of young men in that Gypsy community are going to start something new for the people their. Nothing can ever change who they are or why they lack so much motivation. They have been a defeated people for years and only God can change that. The young men are going to bring the love of Jesus there and they will change that community through Jesus. I have had a deep burning feeling the Church needs to change, unfortunately denominations, and non-denominations that are denominations within themselves exist. We are not bound together by Jesus as a whole, which we should be. We have to start loving and doing more through love. It begins and ends with love. For God so loved the world…. I know Jesus was smiling when he saw the smiles on the faces of the community of Gypsies. The Church in this present time is either going to go one-way or another. We are at a cross-roads yet nobody sees it. It will either spiral down into a sinful abyss that will present no hope for revival or change, Or we could revive now, people are hungry for love of Jesus and the understanding and meaning of life. We waste so much time trying to prove God through science or debate when we should be serving. As believers we should know that God created science and there is no need for that. Out reality of life is so simple we will never be able to understand the vastness and the complexity of all things in the universe. We have restrictions that are needed. We are held back in understanding just like gravity holds us down on earth. The only way people can believe now is the example of love and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in all of those who believe, and we need to start using it. The Word is of course is extremely important because God speak to our hearts through the word. And we can learn and grow from the Word. It is extremely vital to all parts of the Christian walk. But that doesn’t mean we should forget about the power of the Holy Spirit and love. The Holy Sprit shows the world something is out there we can’t see or control. And it shouldn’t be used for ourselves, to strengthen our own faith, but it should produce through our faith. God gives us gifts and we use them through the Spirit. We should always be using our gifts for expanding Jesus’ kingdom. But the church is dry. We shouldn’t be bickering and arguing about doctrine, about Revelation, predestination, mega churches, certain pastors. It doesn’t matter. God will control what is needed. We should be standing together in unity through Jesus, and then and only then will see true change. The movement of Jesus’ love can be so powerful. Enough to rock the middle east, enough for Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Hindus or whatever to start seeing there is a true living God. We don’t know the possibility it has. But why not strive for the impossible. God is on our side and He is here to help us. For me personally I don’t know where to start. Maybe going to Serbia was the beginning, and then from there to start serving and loving. Serving and loving are a start because words aren’t everything. Words are extremely shallow in every sense when communicating with others. The only things that they touch are our minds and maybe sometimes our soul. But love encompasses all, it binds everything together. Jesus came to the world to serve, and to save us because He loves us. All through love. He rebuked the knowledge of the Pharisees because they did not act upon what they knew. They did not serve at all. Jesus is screaming inside all of us to start acting upon our faith. Not to ourselves, or to the community of our own Church, but to the world, the people living in darkness all around us. Jesus wasn’t just talking about Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, when he said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” He was talking about us. How many us would give up everything we own to do what God wanted? We love possessions because we think we need them. But we don’t. We have Jesus and that’s all we need. For the believers we have conquered death, and now we must begin to save others. We need to unify the Church through love, the Holy Spirit and the Word.
Update: October 2009
Dear Saints,
The school year is well underway by now! Praise God that all of the students made it safe and some with adventures, but from personal experience, those stories will be with you forever. The students arrived on September 25th and right away we were into things. That first week was more of a get to know you week. We played games, did activities, climbed a mountain, rock climbed a couple times, went canoeing and went camping for a night; no big deal. Hearing from the students, it was a great week and well worth with all of the achievements, despite all of the pain for some. For many, summating Gramozi was the best part. It took just under 9 hours but it was a great battle for most in the group, including me.
That first week flew by! And the next week we jumped right into lectures starting with Doni Lilo, one of the principals, and Mark Stoscher, the director, teaching that week. This was my first week to really know what my schedule would be like for the year. It was pretty relaxed! I could go to any of the lectures I wanted or stay in my room and read or go to town. I had to make sure that the students did their jobs correctly and do some odd jobs here and there. Overall, everything was, and still is, really relaxed for me. The week after that, the third week, the students had a cross-cultural week, meaning each students went to a different host families house and spent the week there. The students would go to their families in the afternoon, have dinner there and sleep. Then come back after breakfast for lectures and lunch. During this time, Mark had discussions (I say this because we all sat in a circle and discussed the different ways we felt culture shock, the different stories, and everyone shared their thoughts) on cross-culture. From what I heard after, the students really enjoyed this and still keep in contact with their families. Last week, we had our first guest lecturer and even though we had been in school for three weeks already, this is when it really felt like we began.
That is the past couple weeks. They were filled with lots of laughter, some late nights, plenty of card games, a lot of sweat, tons of stories, and, of course, Christ. Now looking forward. We have our first travel weekend coming up this weekend and we are going to a city called Siranda. It is on the coast of Albania and really close to Greece. From what I hear, it is beautiful. Then two weeks after that, the students go on a week long outreach to Durres. And three weeks after that, it is Christmas Break!! Time is flying by and will only get faster.
As I said earlier, my schedule is really relaxed. Although I now have more responsibilities, I do have a lot of time to myself. Since I have already been through a whole year of lecturers, some of the subjects are repeats to me. During these times, I spend most of them in my room, on my bed, with a book in my hands. I have grown to love reading even more. I am almost done with all of Joel Rosenberg’s books and have loved all of them. I would highly suggest those books. I have also spent time in prayer and in the Bible, as well as listening to lectures, and at times postcasts from Paul Allen on KFAN. God has really used all of these, Paul Allen as an exception, to “rock my world”. As I have asked God to do, He has really shown me areas in my life that I need to get ride of and fully depend on Him. He has also begun to reveal to me the mystery of Christ in you. This is something that I heard a lot last year but is not starting to make sense until now. It gives such excitement, as much as a sense of peace, to know that Christ indwells me. With this, it makes me realize how much more I need to get ride of those areas in my life that are hindering me, such as pride, unbelief, impurity and many more. If you could be praying for this, that would mean a lot to me. One verse that struck me this week was 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 "We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." It has been in my head since and had begun to humble me greatly.
This year, we have a great group of students. Each students brings something different to the table. They all have connected really well and from what I can tell, no one is left out. What an answer to prayer! This makes my life really easy. Although I have to lay down the law late at night sometimes, so far, there have not been many issues. Once again, an answer to prayer. I personally have felt like I have gotten to know some of the students pretty well over the past weeks, although that is something that I would like to improve. As I may have mentioned before, we have 11 students this year. I would like to introduce you to a couple with each newsletter:
Ben: He is from Chicago and the nephew of Eric Gundy, one of the principals. Me and him have something in common in that way, I too was the nephew of a principal. He is 22 and has had a couple years in University. He has a great heart and is really after God owns heart. He has a gentle spirit but can also get pretty intense in the soccer cage, a great teammate to have there.
Skënder: He is 42 and from Belishti, Albania. Although he is old enough to be my dad, he still acts like a kid at times and loves to mess around and have fun. He has a wife and two kids back home and travels back there on the weekends where he is also very involved with his church. A lot of the other students really look up to him for wisdom and advice. He also has a great volleyball serve. Recent news with him. While he was home this weekend, he wife became ill. They went to the hospital and found out that she had a urinary tract infection. Along with the stomach pain, she also had a bad head ache. Two years ago, she had a very serious surgery to remove some tumors in her brain and the doctors are afraid that the head aches may be connected to that. On top of all this, Skënder’s two sisters are in the hospital as well. Keep their family in your prayers. That would mean a lot to me and him as well.
Gretchen: She is from all over the world. Gretchen is a missionary kid and was adopted from Japan at a young age. She lived there for a while, then moved back to the states, where her parents are from, and actually moved back to Minnesota! She lived near Cambridge for a couple years then went back into the mission field in the Philippines. After some years there, her family moved back to Japan last year. Gretchen is a great volleyball player and loves to get people involved in everything, whether volleyball or card games. It is great to have another person from Minnesota here!
On October 22, I went with some high school students from the church here in Erseka to a concert in Elbasan put on but two singers from Albania who have been traveling around doing these and sharing Christ with young people. Even though it was in Albanian, I will wanted to go to be with the students and to see what it was like. It was about a 4 hour drive there and even though the concert was only an hour, meaning I spent 8 hours traveling for an hour concert, but it was still worth it. I used this time to listen to music, think and listen to some lectures from last year. One of them was Peter Reid’s lecture on Colossians. I came to a realization during this time. In the past letters, I have asked for prayer about what it means to be a RA and what I should do in that. That is still a prayer of mine but when Paul prays for the Colossian church, he prays that they will first be in tune with the will of God, second, walk with the Lord, and then third, bear fruit with all works. The process goes: will, walk, work. While I have been here in Albania, I have been so concentrated on the third step, work, while forgetting the walk part continually. I got an email the other week that touched on this subject but I did not fully think about it till now. “I would always look for “my fruit” which is exactly what got me into searching for it even more and more and then forgetting either my own personal relationship to Christ or the main reason I was there. In other words, if you feel like you only up doors, get balls for students, and make small talk at meals with them… don’t worry… if you are doing what you are called to do and doing it in right relation to Christ… then the fruit, the usefulness and all that is in his responsibility. Or as someone once said: be yourself.” That is my prayer now. That I would focus on the person of Christ. I would let Him control my every move, thought, and word. That I would not focus on my fruit like I have been doing.
Once again, I would love to hear about what is going on in your life back home and hear about what God has been doing. I am sure you have a lot of advice that you want to share with me also. And if you have prayer requests, please send them. That is way that I can feel connected to friends and family all over the world and back home.
“To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen”
Grace be with you,
Luke Abrahamson
The school year is well underway by now! Praise God that all of the students made it safe and some with adventures, but from personal experience, those stories will be with you forever. The students arrived on September 25th and right away we were into things. That first week was more of a get to know you week. We played games, did activities, climbed a mountain, rock climbed a couple times, went canoeing and went camping for a night; no big deal. Hearing from the students, it was a great week and well worth with all of the achievements, despite all of the pain for some. For many, summating Gramozi was the best part. It took just under 9 hours but it was a great battle for most in the group, including me.
That first week flew by! And the next week we jumped right into lectures starting with Doni Lilo, one of the principals, and Mark Stoscher, the director, teaching that week. This was my first week to really know what my schedule would be like for the year. It was pretty relaxed! I could go to any of the lectures I wanted or stay in my room and read or go to town. I had to make sure that the students did their jobs correctly and do some odd jobs here and there. Overall, everything was, and still is, really relaxed for me. The week after that, the third week, the students had a cross-cultural week, meaning each students went to a different host families house and spent the week there. The students would go to their families in the afternoon, have dinner there and sleep. Then come back after breakfast for lectures and lunch. During this time, Mark had discussions (I say this because we all sat in a circle and discussed the different ways we felt culture shock, the different stories, and everyone shared their thoughts) on cross-culture. From what I heard after, the students really enjoyed this and still keep in contact with their families. Last week, we had our first guest lecturer and even though we had been in school for three weeks already, this is when it really felt like we began.
That is the past couple weeks. They were filled with lots of laughter, some late nights, plenty of card games, a lot of sweat, tons of stories, and, of course, Christ. Now looking forward. We have our first travel weekend coming up this weekend and we are going to a city called Siranda. It is on the coast of Albania and really close to Greece. From what I hear, it is beautiful. Then two weeks after that, the students go on a week long outreach to Durres. And three weeks after that, it is Christmas Break!! Time is flying by and will only get faster.
As I said earlier, my schedule is really relaxed. Although I now have more responsibilities, I do have a lot of time to myself. Since I have already been through a whole year of lecturers, some of the subjects are repeats to me. During these times, I spend most of them in my room, on my bed, with a book in my hands. I have grown to love reading even more. I am almost done with all of Joel Rosenberg’s books and have loved all of them. I would highly suggest those books. I have also spent time in prayer and in the Bible, as well as listening to lectures, and at times postcasts from Paul Allen on KFAN. God has really used all of these, Paul Allen as an exception, to “rock my world”. As I have asked God to do, He has really shown me areas in my life that I need to get ride of and fully depend on Him. He has also begun to reveal to me the mystery of Christ in you. This is something that I heard a lot last year but is not starting to make sense until now. It gives such excitement, as much as a sense of peace, to know that Christ indwells me. With this, it makes me realize how much more I need to get ride of those areas in my life that are hindering me, such as pride, unbelief, impurity and many more. If you could be praying for this, that would mean a lot to me. One verse that struck me this week was 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 "We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God." It has been in my head since and had begun to humble me greatly.
This year, we have a great group of students. Each students brings something different to the table. They all have connected really well and from what I can tell, no one is left out. What an answer to prayer! This makes my life really easy. Although I have to lay down the law late at night sometimes, so far, there have not been many issues. Once again, an answer to prayer. I personally have felt like I have gotten to know some of the students pretty well over the past weeks, although that is something that I would like to improve. As I may have mentioned before, we have 11 students this year. I would like to introduce you to a couple with each newsletter:
Ben: He is from Chicago and the nephew of Eric Gundy, one of the principals. Me and him have something in common in that way, I too was the nephew of a principal. He is 22 and has had a couple years in University. He has a great heart and is really after God owns heart. He has a gentle spirit but can also get pretty intense in the soccer cage, a great teammate to have there.
Skënder: He is 42 and from Belishti, Albania. Although he is old enough to be my dad, he still acts like a kid at times and loves to mess around and have fun. He has a wife and two kids back home and travels back there on the weekends where he is also very involved with his church. A lot of the other students really look up to him for wisdom and advice. He also has a great volleyball serve. Recent news with him. While he was home this weekend, he wife became ill. They went to the hospital and found out that she had a urinary tract infection. Along with the stomach pain, she also had a bad head ache. Two years ago, she had a very serious surgery to remove some tumors in her brain and the doctors are afraid that the head aches may be connected to that. On top of all this, Skënder’s two sisters are in the hospital as well. Keep their family in your prayers. That would mean a lot to me and him as well.
Gretchen: She is from all over the world. Gretchen is a missionary kid and was adopted from Japan at a young age. She lived there for a while, then moved back to the states, where her parents are from, and actually moved back to Minnesota! She lived near Cambridge for a couple years then went back into the mission field in the Philippines. After some years there, her family moved back to Japan last year. Gretchen is a great volleyball player and loves to get people involved in everything, whether volleyball or card games. It is great to have another person from Minnesota here!
On October 22, I went with some high school students from the church here in Erseka to a concert in Elbasan put on but two singers from Albania who have been traveling around doing these and sharing Christ with young people. Even though it was in Albanian, I will wanted to go to be with the students and to see what it was like. It was about a 4 hour drive there and even though the concert was only an hour, meaning I spent 8 hours traveling for an hour concert, but it was still worth it. I used this time to listen to music, think and listen to some lectures from last year. One of them was Peter Reid’s lecture on Colossians. I came to a realization during this time. In the past letters, I have asked for prayer about what it means to be a RA and what I should do in that. That is still a prayer of mine but when Paul prays for the Colossian church, he prays that they will first be in tune with the will of God, second, walk with the Lord, and then third, bear fruit with all works. The process goes: will, walk, work. While I have been here in Albania, I have been so concentrated on the third step, work, while forgetting the walk part continually. I got an email the other week that touched on this subject but I did not fully think about it till now. “I would always look for “my fruit” which is exactly what got me into searching for it even more and more and then forgetting either my own personal relationship to Christ or the main reason I was there. In other words, if you feel like you only up doors, get balls for students, and make small talk at meals with them… don’t worry… if you are doing what you are called to do and doing it in right relation to Christ… then the fruit, the usefulness and all that is in his responsibility. Or as someone once said: be yourself.” That is my prayer now. That I would focus on the person of Christ. I would let Him control my every move, thought, and word. That I would not focus on my fruit like I have been doing.
Once again, I would love to hear about what is going on in your life back home and hear about what God has been doing. I am sure you have a lot of advice that you want to share with me also. And if you have prayer requests, please send them. That is way that I can feel connected to friends and family all over the world and back home.
“To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen”
Grace be with you,
Luke Abrahamson
Joy
During this past 4 months, I have felt a lot of different emotions. Some good, some bad. A lot of times, I feel as though I am in a desert spiritually. But I rejoice in those times because I know that I am growing in my relationship with God and He is using that time to break me and humble me. I am not one who dwells on emotions a lot because I know that Satan can use those against you a lot of times. But right now, for the first time in a long time, I feel joy. After a weekend and couple days of immense struggles, the joy I feel now is such a relief and I know that it is only because of God. His timing is amazing. It is funny how He can use little things like packages in the mail to bring joy to your life, a long with a sunny day and warm weather. Thank you Lord for this time. It has given me renewed strength to fight the good fight and persevere to the end. Last night and today are nothing short of miraculous, there in no other explanation except for God. That is how the Christian life should be lived.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Worship
What is worship?
Ever since February of last year, I have been thinking about this question. And I still have not come to a conclusion. It is something that is so highly held in today's Christian culture. There are worship nights, worship concerts, lessons on worship, worship bands, everything. But what does it all mean? I am not saying that it is a bad thing at all. It is throughout the Bible but I just want to dig deeper and really figure out what the Bible says about it. When I was in Germany, at bible school last year, we would worship on Sunday mornings but it was really different than I have experienced before. We had an acoustic guitar, piano, a cajon and singers. We would sing a lot of hymns and older songs. I really began to think about the words I was singing and well in love with those older songs. I liked how it wasn't a production but something that was from the heart. Then when I came back to the states, the first week I experienced worship again at another church. I felt awkward. I didn't know what to do. I felt as though that everything was about "feeling" the presence of God. I heard people speak in tongues. There were a lot of lights. It felt like a production. And since that point, I have been really skeptical about worship. I started thinking about the words I sang. It was hard for me to do this thing called worship. And it has been that way ever since. Since then, when someone prays or sings a song, I really think about what they are saying, taking it into my mind and mulling it over, comparing it to the knowledge that I have and seeing if it was correct. This would happen everywhere. And it wasn't till this morning that I realized something. I realized how big my pride is. I think my way is right and everyone should pray the way that I think is theologically correct. All of the songs that are sung should be correct also. I am wrong in doing that. I should look at the heart of those words, knowing that the person who is praying or singing them means them. I need prayer. I need guidance but most of all, I need Jesus. Look what happens when I think my way is better than God's. I am still seeking what it means to worship but I have found something, I need to get my own pride out of the way to do so.
"I can't- He never said I could, but He can and said He always would."
Ever since February of last year, I have been thinking about this question. And I still have not come to a conclusion. It is something that is so highly held in today's Christian culture. There are worship nights, worship concerts, lessons on worship, worship bands, everything. But what does it all mean? I am not saying that it is a bad thing at all. It is throughout the Bible but I just want to dig deeper and really figure out what the Bible says about it. When I was in Germany, at bible school last year, we would worship on Sunday mornings but it was really different than I have experienced before. We had an acoustic guitar, piano, a cajon and singers. We would sing a lot of hymns and older songs. I really began to think about the words I was singing and well in love with those older songs. I liked how it wasn't a production but something that was from the heart. Then when I came back to the states, the first week I experienced worship again at another church. I felt awkward. I didn't know what to do. I felt as though that everything was about "feeling" the presence of God. I heard people speak in tongues. There were a lot of lights. It felt like a production. And since that point, I have been really skeptical about worship. I started thinking about the words I sang. It was hard for me to do this thing called worship. And it has been that way ever since. Since then, when someone prays or sings a song, I really think about what they are saying, taking it into my mind and mulling it over, comparing it to the knowledge that I have and seeing if it was correct. This would happen everywhere. And it wasn't till this morning that I realized something. I realized how big my pride is. I think my way is right and everyone should pray the way that I think is theologically correct. All of the songs that are sung should be correct also. I am wrong in doing that. I should look at the heart of those words, knowing that the person who is praying or singing them means them. I need prayer. I need guidance but most of all, I need Jesus. Look what happens when I think my way is better than God's. I am still seeking what it means to worship but I have found something, I need to get my own pride out of the way to do so.
"I can't- He never said I could, but He can and said He always would."
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Faith like Abraham
I got an email right now and in the body, it said this:
-I have been studying the story of Abram and Sarai this week. This is a story with which many of us are familiar. God makes many promises to Abram….promises that seem impossible to keep (a man fathering at child when he is 100 years old…..really?) But Abram is a man of incredible faith. He walks out in faith to a foreign land….as the Lord had told him. He waited and waited for a child….a child the Lord had promised would be born. And after waiting so long for this child to be born, he was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac….as the Lord asked him. Through all of this, Abram was faithful and God fulfilled His promises to Abram. Paul has this to say about Abraham in the book of Romans: Romans 4:20: “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.”-
In Hebrews 4:12, it says this, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." This verse in Romans did that to me. Looking back onto the life of Abraham and how God did bring him into a foreign land, made these promises and then came through with them when, at times, it did not look like He would. This really got me thinking about my own life. How God brought me into a foreign land. He brought me here to Albania, and looking back, it was only because of Him that I am here. He has always made promised to me, through the Bible, and will always keep them. But there is a way that I am nothing like Abraham. After God came through in giving Abraham a son, Abraham was willing to sacrifice Him. Looking into my own life, there are so many things that I am not willing to sacrifice. Why? Why can't I believe that God's way is better and just gives these things up in my life that are hindering my walk with God? If you could pray for me. Pray that I can find sufficiency in the person of Christ, knowing what I have IN Him and then appropriating that to my own life. I have EVERYTHING in Him! But I still think I need the things of this world. Pray that my faith cannot be MY faith but His faith. Pray that I may truly believe that His ways are better than mine.
There have not been a lot of times when a verse has brought me to tears, but tonight was one of them. I now truly believe that verse in Hebrews and have personally experienced it. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3
-I have been studying the story of Abram and Sarai this week. This is a story with which many of us are familiar. God makes many promises to Abram….promises that seem impossible to keep (a man fathering at child when he is 100 years old…..really?) But Abram is a man of incredible faith. He walks out in faith to a foreign land….as the Lord had told him. He waited and waited for a child….a child the Lord had promised would be born. And after waiting so long for this child to be born, he was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac….as the Lord asked him. Through all of this, Abram was faithful and God fulfilled His promises to Abram. Paul has this to say about Abraham in the book of Romans: Romans 4:20: “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised.”-
In Hebrews 4:12, it says this, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." This verse in Romans did that to me. Looking back onto the life of Abraham and how God did bring him into a foreign land, made these promises and then came through with them when, at times, it did not look like He would. This really got me thinking about my own life. How God brought me into a foreign land. He brought me here to Albania, and looking back, it was only because of Him that I am here. He has always made promised to me, through the Bible, and will always keep them. But there is a way that I am nothing like Abraham. After God came through in giving Abraham a son, Abraham was willing to sacrifice Him. Looking into my own life, there are so many things that I am not willing to sacrifice. Why? Why can't I believe that God's way is better and just gives these things up in my life that are hindering my walk with God? If you could pray for me. Pray that I can find sufficiency in the person of Christ, knowing what I have IN Him and then appropriating that to my own life. I have EVERYTHING in Him! But I still think I need the things of this world. Pray that my faith cannot be MY faith but His faith. Pray that I may truly believe that His ways are better than mine.
There have not been a lot of times when a verse has brought me to tears, but tonight was one of them. I now truly believe that verse in Hebrews and have personally experienced it. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3
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