My thoughts

Hey everybody,

well I just got back from the last bible quiz meet ever where i will be a quizzer. It was a really good time, but also sad. I'm going to miss everyone so much, being a coach or quizmaster or official won't be the same. I learned a lot too. Being supportive and an encouragement costs us so little and yet the difference it makes in the lives of others is just incredible. The worst that can happen is that somebody will totally reject us or the encouragement, but even then they will still probably deep down appreciate it. I know for myself I was encouraged so much there and learned better how to encourage. Ask God that he would make you an encouragement to those around you and I'm sure he will.

Man I also can't get over how much God has blessed me with so many cool little things that are so special to me in personal ways. Only God could have known how to make my day so well. I will name a few things that he has given me. Ever since I was like 2 years old 17 was my favourite number, whenever I had a chance to pick a number I would always pick 17 and still do. But anyways it was so neat because for the quiz meet my dad saw the list of the order that they pick people for Internationals. Every year they take the top ten quizzers out of almost 500 in our district to go to Internationals. Not only did I not have room in my summer or really want to go, but I also didn't study anywhere near enough to go. But my dad saw that my name was number 17 on that list, and that encouraged me so much. Haha God is so nice. Also they had all the quizzers stand on Sunday morning that were going to be involved in Missions of some kind this summer. This included summer camps, so I stood and when Steve asked people to tell where they were going I said Dallas Valley. Then in the lunch line one of the coolest nicest girls in quizzing introduced herself and it turns out she is going to be a wrangler at Dallas Valley this summer and doesn't really know anyone, so that was really cool to meet her and find that out.

Haha so much is going on in this week alone in my life, another cool thing happened when i got back from the quiz meet. I checked my email and a really nice girl from camp last summer invited me to be her escort at Grad. So that was exciting and will be a lot of fun. Then I read one of the most intense books ever, I got it for free from here

http://www.gfa.org/gfa/

It talks a lot about the way we deal with money and how much we have compared to christians all over the world and how it is our duty to be good stewards. It convicted me hardcore, instead of sponsoring a world vision or compassion international child where there is a slight slight chance they might become a christian through your love. Here you can sponsor a native missionary, they live with nothing to give everything to the people they are reaching. They do a phenomenal work and it costs them about $120-$180 a month for all their food, shelter, tracts, family, and transportation. That is so crazy, Almost none of the western missionaries are willing to live in those kind of conditions with that kind of passion for the people they are ministering to. I decided to sponsor two each month for $30 each a month, then pray for them each day. To think that we can be such a part of bringing people to christ in the most unreached parts of the world is so exciting. I can't wait to get the pictures of my missionaries and their testimonies in the mail. It almost makes me want to get a job before summer camp counselling to help support more, haha but I don't think I want to give up the last months of high school. Maybe later.

The more I rely on the holy spirit day to day the more amazing my life becomes. I've had so many more oppurtunities this year for Christ than ever before in my life simply because I'm praying more every morning. If before you had asked me if Prayer worked I would say "Absolutely!!" and then go on pray a few times a week, a few feeble and not bold prayers for things like safety and forgiveness. In my mind I believed it but I had never experienced God's power for myself. At street Invaders I started writing down a list of everything that God has clearly done in my life, but I think that there is no way I could keep that up anymore. and I am still such a wuss and pathetic when it comes to stepping out in faith or making sacrifices for God. The longest I have ever fasted in my life, like really fasted not 30 hour famine or anything. Was from going asleep one night to 8:00 the next night. Haha and that was really tough for me. I am so used to appeasing every desire. That deliberately saying No to my flesh, and saying that God is more important than food to me is just super tough.

But yeah, it was cool to write all this. I wonder if I will keep blogging. God bless you all!

-david

Habakkuk 3:2
LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.