Help! And Other Weapons of Noise

For the first time in my life, I feel like I actually know what I want to do when I grow up. It's like everything's changed. And I am so freaking excited!

First things first, I'm sorry I haven't updated this in so long. Things have been developing quite a bit recently and now I feel like I finally have enough solid information that I can properly update all y'all.

I have a job. I'm working at the Chick-fil-A right by my house. Which is where I was before I left for DTS, it's nice to come back and feel loved and welcome. I'm working somewhere close to 30 hours a week. I've been there about a month now.

Also, I've officially decided to go to college. I'm planing on getting a degree in Music Therapy. I want to get the first gen eds done by doing CLEP tests and going to Red Rocks Community College, then pop my musical self up to Fort Collins and finish up all my studies at Colorado State University (CSU). 

Why Music Therapy?

Its taking two of my greatest passions: music and people, and discovering how they influence each other and makes money all at once. Plus also, the aim is to help people simply by using music as the primary weapon... I mean tool. Basically, music therapy is helping people overcome obstacles that traditional therapy cannot achieve, or just using music as therapy to help people (it can range from treating people with PTSD to alzheimer's). 

In other news, Karissa and I now have promise rings. No, it's not engagement, but a just greater level of commitment. We humorously call it 3/4th engaged based off of the teaching about how a man must have the "4 P's:" Prophet, Priest, Protector and Provider. Basically, according to Mr Krebs (Karissa's dad) I have everything but the "Provider" part. So 3 out of the 4, making it 3/4th engaged. To Karissa and I, the promise ring signifies our commitment to stay pure until marriage and to be preparing our relationship for marriage. To, in effect, "one day get married."

Now, help!

"help!" is actually a team comprised mostly of a YWAM family whom have recently finished training with YWAM in Australia. About two weeks ago they were at my church looking for people to join them as they do a 30 day tour (missions trip) in the U.S. They asked me to join them, after I prayed about it, I said yes.

We leave the 10th of May and return the 9th or 10th of June. We'll hit the states west of Colorado from Arizona through California. Thankfully God has given me favor with Chick-fil-A and I can just come right back to my job after I come back to Colorado mid-June. Check it out here: www.helpwt.com

Now I believe we are all caught up to date.

My next blog update will be sometime after the help! tour.

Continue to keep me in your prayers as I continue to seek God and make Him known!

In Christ,

T. D. Ardent

Battle Plan: Wait

Hello friends! It's been a while, and I'm sorry about taking so long to update. I'm thinking a realistic time frame of updating my blog is going to be monthly. So now that our expectations are set, let me show you what God has been doing in my life.

Things have been moving slow. Really slow. But still things have been happening.... let me back up and give you my present battle plan:

Right now, I'm looking for work. I don't have a job as yet, but it's looking like I'll have something by April.

After I get a job I'll be scouting out my greater aim: missions. I'm going to be meeting with missionaries and learning what exactly it means to become a missionary. 

As I do that, I'll be looking into if I want a degree or possibly a trade, for various reasons.

Then, hopefully with money I've been saving up from my job, I'll begin training and preparing to become a full time missionary.

In the mean time I've not been idle. I've Skyped a friend and leader at YWAM Montego Bay Jamaica. I'm going to cast a vision to YWAM about embracing 24/7 intercession and worship. I'll be creating a video and I'll link to it on my next blog update.

Karissa and I have also been having a weekly night of worship at her house. So far not many people are able to come, but we worship nonetheless. It's always an amazing time to be with God.

There is potential that Karissa and I join a family as they minister to a trailer park this upcoming summer. We are praying about it right now.

Other than that I'm keeping my eyes open to involve myself in ministry around the Denver metro area. 

For me this is a season to cement my relationship with God before I step out and begin engaging with my passion for missions. I'm investing much of my time in reading the Bible and worship. It's not glamorous, but it is glorious.

That's a brief and fairly all encompassing  overview of this past month. Keep praying for clarity as I seek God's perspective of my life. I'm excited to see what He has in store.

In Christ Alone,

T. D. Ardent

Not Abandoned

Now I'm allowed to let you know where my outreach was: India!

Outreach was so completely adventured-filled. I feel as if I could tell the stories from my time in India for years. I probably will never tire of sharing all these stories. So I will settle for simply sharing just a few experiences on this blog, and that way I don't have to spend months on a single update and you don't have to spend hours reading it on a blog. If you want to hear more stories, just hunt me down in a friendly manner and preferably bring tea with you. Because tea is kind and very hospitable.

We traversed to three separate locations during our stay in India. So I shall share a story from each location. 

At our first location we were just beginning to learn about Indian culture and how to interact with them. We shared at different churches as part of our ministry. The first church we shared at was most assuredly not in English. We shared through a translator. It was something to get used to--being around people who did not know English very well. There was much adjustment that took place over the course of outreach. After the church service a young boy approached me with his Bible opened. He looked at me and asked for an autograph. I responded that I would not sign a Bible but I took out a piece of paper and signed that for him. Feeling like a famous person was a theme of outreach. 

In the second location, our seemingly constant fame was yet again proven powerful. We were walking around a community praying silently to see God change the destiny of the people in that area. As we were walking through the community, a man approached us and invited us into his house. It was simply a gesture of the hospitality that is held by most Indians. We shared candy with the children in the home and gave them clothing for their little girl. Our host in that general area (a pastor) was so amazed that God used this as an opportunity to literally open a door to begin to forge relationship with this Hindu family. Relationship is the best strategy for bringing Jesus to those who have yet to meet Him.

As we sped along for 35 hours via train, and the buildings morphed and changed in reflection to our geographic movement, our strategies continued to shift and grow. We were able to shift to the streets instead of the four walls of the church and grow by declaring Christ in the midst of the street. One day we were worshiping on the street corner. As we were worshiping, we were approached by a man from a nearby school and he asked us to play for his school event that day. Of course we said yes. So we followed him a few blocks away to the school. When we arrived, we were confronted by loud speakers and boys feet throwing dirt into the air as part of the sports day that the school was in the split middle of. We were seated as guests of honor in the judges section as we awaited our time to shine. A few more races later we were handed a microphone and the crowd was drawn with faces shining in anticipation. The Jamaican songs were sung, my harmonica was flaunted, we danced and shared the story of David and Goliath. It was a moment of Indian hospitality and an open door. I was so blown away at how amazing the opportunity was.

As I said, I have a plethora of memorable moments. These are just a few. God used my encountering the power of darkness in this nation to break my heart for those who sleep in the hapless heaps of rubbish remaining along the edges of the whole of India. I learned so much that I'm not even completely sure to what extent my entire worldview has changed. My definition of normal has shifted and transformed to the point where returning to the normal that I have claimed the last nineteen years seems improper. God has used India to change me. And it's okay. I trust Him.

This is a song I wrote to express to the lost in India that they are not abandoned.

"Not Abandoned"

Chorus:

You are not abandoned/Your voice is not unheard/left completely stranded/Your cause is not absurd/you are of great value/this is completely true/he won't leave you empty/he wants to set you free

Verse one:

Let's beat back the darkness/as we fan the flame of light/finding hope in the hopeless/to human is too trite/heaven was made empty/so you could be made full/my so he hears your plea/he has paid the total toll

Verse two:

Run and hide no more/he is seeking you out/he has so much in store/spit in the fave of doubt/refute every single lie/exchange it for what's true/no more shall demons fly/you shall be made new

Bridge:

The burning trash will not burn out/every stranded plea and shout/he will let out every slave/after all he came to save

Thank you so much for all your prayers! The next update I post will be about my next step. I will be attempting to keep up on this blog and post about weekly. I'm excited to continue to follow God. Here's to this next year!!!!

In Christ,

T. D. Ardent