Where to begin…
Greece came and went, and the Shiloh Retreat at YWAM is over. I am left alone, with God.
Since March 28th I have traveled 14,200 miles, seen two nations, and encountered countless people that have forever impacted my life. I was the “vessel” bringing the Gospel, but it feels more, and more like the people I met were the tools God was using on me.
The friends I met in Greece from all over the world will never be forgotten, even if I never see them face to face. Thankfully, through certain apps, and email I have kept contact with eight guys I met in Camp Moriah, from Congo, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. Unfortunately, it seems their optimism has dissipated from the level we were able to spark while there. Soon after we left the Summer heat began taking its toll, while the overall Greek budget for the Camp dwindled. The first to go was the generators. It has been tough attempting to encourage from a totally different world away, when we both know a favorable outcome does not look likely. However, I am reminded, and I do my best to relay the message I wrote on a tent wall in Olive Grove, “My HOPE is determined internally. I choose to have a GOOD DAY!”
HE loves them, and through the storm HE is LORD. JESUS is the cornerstone of HOPE.
This past week saw the fruition of a dream that myself, and many near to my heart have shared. I had the privilege of organizing an eight day retreat for Shiloh Ministry at YWAM Tyler. It was an incredible, groundbreaking week. We had FUN, created FRIENDSHIPS, and spent the nights WORSHIPPING. This video is a glimpse into the week.
Arise to Freedom | Summer 2017
Recently while reading Ecclesiastes a verse in the first chapter painfully stood out, “in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases in knowledge increases in sorrow.” The past three months I have definitely increased in knowledge, but true to this verse it came with seeing some tough situations. So what is Solomon saying? What is his solution? How does this pertain to present-day? While working at the epicenter of a humanitarian emergency like the European refugee crisis, I felt like an ostrich getting his head pulled out of the sand. Realistically this situation is not going to end well for most, and that hurts me. I continued in Ecclesiastes, and the truth Solomon stands on is found in chapter 3, and it requires the relinquishing of the desire to know what God is doing. Once that expectation is given up he concludes, “(we) cannot see the full scope of God’s work from beginning to end…there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can…for these are gifts from God.” You see, God is sovereign, and as a Christian we must be okay with that. Isaiah 40:12 describes God measuring the “depths of the ocean in the palm of HIS hands”, and even after all I’ve seen, I am quite comfortable being right there.
Until next time,
Anthony
Anthony & Emily's Experiences 