Thirsty Tucson

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east, from the west, from the north and from the south.”

“Some wandered in the desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.” Psalm 107:1-5

Going on a mission trip in the desert is not an easy thing to do, especially in Tucson, Arizona- a beautiful but thirsty city. It is thirsty both physically and spiritually and the climate of Tucson is somewhat reflective of the spiritual condition of the people there: dry, lifeless, thirsty. They need Jesus. Being #12 on the top post-Christian cities in the United States and 5th poorest city, Tucson is starving for substance, thirsty for Truth.

While reading Psalm 107, I couldn’t help but think of the spiritual desert in Tucson, where “their soul(s) faint(s) within them” and they wander looking for hope. But there is hope. The verses before and directly after tell us so. The chapter begins with the reminder that the Lord is good and His love endures forever, then the Psalmist tells us that some wandered in the desert. “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” How beautiful is the redeeming power of the Lord? How good is He?! 

Praying Pelican Missions is involved with a variety of ministries in Tucson, including a foster community, homeless ministries, Gospel Rescue Mission, Native American ministries and the list keeps growing. Partners like Pastor Diana at Church on the Street, or Rick at GAP ministries work hard to help the people in a spiritual desert by sharing the goodness of the Lord with them. Our partners pray hard that one day those in the desert will cry out to the Lord and that He will deliver them. That one day, those wandering in the desert will drink from the overflowing cup to never thirst again and see the goodness of our Lord.

Will you join them in praying for the people in the desert? Will you partner with us to help reach as many people as possible and share the love of Jesus with them? We need people like you to go to the desert to come alongside our partners, to minister and to pray for the Lord do mighty things. Come experience the desert like never before.

“He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;  they sow fields and plant vineyards and get a fruitful yield. By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their livestock diminish.” -Psalm 107:35-38

The first page of an unlikely Love Story...

Photo Cred

Knowing that God is doing an incredible work in Tucson brings me unending joy.

Once upon a time in an old old town, I fell in love. The month was April- the year- 2014. When I fell in love, I fell fast. I fell hard, I fell and I didn't even realize I was falling. But what I did realize was that I will never, ever, be able to look at the city of Tucson the same again. When I visited that city two months later- my love only grew deeper.

I went to Tucson June 6-July 1 and July 16-August 2 to lead 5, week-long mission trips and serve with some amazing people. I knew God was doing a work in Tucson- I could feel it when I went down in April, but I got to experience it during my last journey. My first week there I had three churches, one from Minnesota, Kentucky, and Florida. They did some construction, service projects, and sports ministry/evangelism. Every night we went down to a park in San Manuel and played basketball with a bunch of local teens. Side note- San Manuel has a large problem with teen drug use. As a matter of fact, the first night we arrived at the basketball court we saw some kids that were already high on drugs. We talked and played some basketball with the kids and guess what- we didn't tell them how to live their life or that they should stop smoking pot. Instead, we listened to them share their plans for their life, their hopes, their dreams. We talked with them about our life, and how Jesus changed us- we encouraged them, we prayed for them and we gave them New Testament Bibles. And ya know what? They didn't ignore us, they begged us to back. They didn't just throw the Bibles away, I saw many of them actually open them up and start reading, even when they thought we weren't looking. They felt important, valuable and heard. It was awesome. And that was just the first week.

The second week I got to be part of a group from Georgia that re-tiled a home for house-parents who take care of 10 foster kids. The group worked hard, long, 10 hour (or more) days to complete the project And God showed up in an incredible way. The day of the project, the group began repairing a part of the foundation with concrete, after coming back from lunch and noticing the concrete was still a little wet, they decided to write a bible verse on it- which would later be covered by tiles. In the concrete they wrote, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." A beautiful verse for a family who has sacrificed so much to help out these foster children. However, shortly after they finished writing that, and just shortly before they began the last few tiles, the house parent came in and saw the verse and immediately began crying. This was the first time the group had actually met the house parent, so they weren't sure exactly what to think or do- then the mom explained that her mentor had been praying for their foundation to be fixed and had specifically been praying that verse over their foundation. God- in his greatness- answered her prayer using that verse and allowed the mom to see it before it was covered with tile, never to be seen again. Isn't it amazing?

God is so good.

His goodness is more than I will ever be able to comprehend.

The beginning of the Summer marked the beginning of a cherished and incomplete love story. One that continues to deepen and strengthen the more I see. hear. touch. and know about the Old Pueblo.

            There's more to my journey this Summer- stay tuned for the epic Summer finale... 

Big Changes

Big Changes are coming. And they are coming FAST.

Last Friday, May 16th, 2014, I graduated from The College at Southeastern with a degree in English and Christian Studies. On Monday, I started a new full-time job with Praying Pelican Missions. Sometime this week I will be closing on a home and moving.

So much change. So many things that could go wrong. So many things already have gone "wrong". But ya know what? God is still in control. He has constantly reminded me of that through the past few weeks. God, the Almighty, is in control. Sure, things may not turn out exactly the way I thought they would or should. For example, I was really working hard to make all A's and B's this semester, but I didn't. We were hoping to close on our house at the beginning of May, but it is now nearing the end and we still haven't closed on the house. I just started my new job, which I was hoping to start in my new house with an office, completely organized and ready to go. I started yesterday with my office either on my couch or outside (the only two places I have cell service). I started without being able to be fully "in control" of my surroundings and be entirely organized.

But God is fully in-control. He knows whats going on. He knows what I need. I just need to work to the glory of God no matter my surroundings. No matter whether or not I have closed on our house yet. No matter if I get all A's and B's. I need to make sure that my first focus is glorifying God. Which leads me to my main point...

I think too often, that my focus changes from glorifying God to wanting to glorify myself. I wanted great grades so I could show off my intelligence. I wanted to close on the house earlier because I wanted to show off my house. You get my drift. But God took that from me. And I can't thank Him enough for it. I MUST remember that God is in control of my life, not me. He gets the glory for everything, not me. I am merely a vessel for Him to use. This morning I was reading in 1 John and I was reminded that I can not love the things of the world, "For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life-- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:16-17).

Without obedience to God, my life is worth nothing and will die away with this world. With obedience, I will abide with God forever.

Being in control, wanting my life to mean something because of what I do... Those are my sins that I have to bring to Jesus on a daily basis. Those are my sins that I struggle with. I need Jesus to remind me that I am NOT in control, but that He is. I need Jesus to remind me that I am His and He is mine and my life MUST reflect that in my obedience to Him for His sake, not mine.

A Glimpse of my New World!

As many of you already know, working in missions has been my dream since I was a little girl. I have always wanted to be involved in sharing the gospel here and internationally, as well as meet the immediate needs of those around me. I attribute this to the talents and personality that God has given me. I can take no credit.

In 2009 during a trip to Mexico I fell in love. I fell in love with what God did. I fell in love with the opportunity to be a part of it. I fell in love with the people, the culture, the language, the community. I fell in love with the vision of Praying Pelican Missions.

For the past three years, I have served part-time on staff with PPM during the summers. I have served all over Belize and in parts of Mexico. Each time I went, my desire to be there grew.

Which leads me here. In January 2014, PPM graciously offered me a position as a Missions Coordinator. This position starts for me May 19th, the Monday after I graduate. God is good.
Now, I do have some responsibilities prior to my start date including fundraising, conferences and training in leading trips. I ask that you pray for me as I enter this joyous journey!

 Some of you might be wondering who in the world PPM is...
     Let me tell you a little bit who they are and what I will be doing.

Praying Pelican Missions is an organization called to further the Kingdom of God by providing international short-term mission trips for churches, small groups, families, and individuals throughout North America. By building partnerships between churches and communities we are able to effectively serve churches, pastors, and communities throughout Belize, Jamaica, Haiti, Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, South Africa, and the United States.

My main goal as a Missions Coordinator is to create long-term partnerships between churches in North America and churches in the countries where PPM serves.

In order to make that happen, I am involved in 4 main areas:

1. Team Recruiting: Much of my position as MC is recruiting people to partner with PPM. I get to speak with churches, schools, and other mission-minded people to help determine what type of missions trip they are interested in and then begin planning those trips.

2. Trip Setup: Once I know which groups want to serve, I can begin setting up their trip. We work directly with local churches in each community and match up serving groups to fulfill the specific needs of our partnering pastors.

3. Trip Leading: On average I will lead 8-10 one-week trips a year. This summer, my focus is Tucson, AZ where I will be for about 7 weeks this year. Each trip is personalized and can look very different depending on the community, type of ministries we are involved in, and the participating team.

4. Last, but not least, I will be involved in fundraising, as a portion of my income is dependent upon it. As of right now, my goal is to raise about $1000 a month in order to meet our monthly budget. I know we are all at a different place financially, but I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with me on this journey. If you would like to support me, please click here and scroll down to my name.You have the option of a monthly support payment or a one time support payment. All support is tax-deductible!

If you would like to receive more information about PPM, what I am doing, or how you can help, please email me at deanna@prayingpelicanmissions.org!

A Fierce Irony

Fierce.

marked by unrestrained zeal or vehemence.

Irony.

 a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems to be the opposite of what you expected. 

Click here for more definitions.

Romans 6:23a.

"For the wages of sin is death."

I am

sinful

I have lied, stolen, cheated, gossiped, had idols. 

                 I have been impatient & downright rude. 

                             I have dishonored my parents, thought unkind thoughts.

I deserve death. Eternal death. 

But.

(and this is a REALLY big one)

Romans 6:23b

"the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ"

But through Jesus Christ I have life.

I get grace, mercy, unconditional love.

I have hope, forgiveness, redemption. 

I have joy, peace.

I have victory over death. 

^"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:37-39

Through Christ
I get nothing I deserve & everything I don't.

 

Stop. Read the entire chapter of Romans 8. Now.

& that my dear friends, is what I like to call a fierce irony.