No Skating in The Rain

It rained almost non-stop this weekend. A preview of the winter months here in Santiago. It means no skating and a lot of bored youth with pent up energy. That's just one of the reasons why UA continues to seek an indoor skatepark / youth center.




















UA and the local church are currently working on an MOU together with the hope that in the end the church will see the youth center / skatepark as one of their projects. We believe if the church takes this type of ministry on, the way it has in the US, then it could reach way more people for many years to come!


What did you do during rainy seasons as a youth?

The Sound Carries Up

John:  I can't believe we can still hear dogs barking and car alarms going off from all the way up here!

Habacuc: Yeah. The sound carries up. Hmmm. That could be a good worship metaphor!

John:  Huh. Yeah. Really good!

Thousands of meters up in the Andes mountains, we still clearly heard the noises of the city. Although God isn't really just "up", we tend to think of Him in that direction. Even the scripture talks about prayers going up to God.

If the sound carries up so well to our finite little ears, just imagine how well the sound of our prayers and good works carries up to the ears of the Infinite Almighty who is "higher" than all mountains and all things!

I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;

    he heard my cry for mercy.

  Because he turned his ear to me,

    I will call on him as long as I live. 

                               - Psalm 116:1-2

This is part of the good news about God that we seek to share with the skaters here in Santiago and with every person who has not heard.

When was the last time you really felt like God heard you?

A Night in the Life

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden... ...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:14,16

Thursday night Habacuc went out to do some filming and photography with 5 skateboarders and one BMX girl. They decided to go to a new spot downtown. Check out this list of a few things that happened during the session:

• Prostitutes stopped by and asked to be in the photos
• Coke heads sat in the middle of the skate area to snort a line and then run off.
• A homeless man set up his box for the night and wouldn't even say, "Hola".
• One of the youth, whose dad had recently committed suicide, brought his dad's camera so that Habacuc could teach him how to use it
• One of the skaters agreed to read the Bible with Habacuc sometime
• Habacuc and all of us connected to the UA team got to be light shining into darkness 

Not all of our nights look like this. Not all of Habacuc's nights look like this. But we are all called to be light in dark places. 

Have you ever planned on a simple evening, but ended up with an unexpected one like Habacuc's? Did you realize in the moment that you were being led to be light in darkness?

Change The World In One Hour

If you knew for sure you could spend the next hour of your life watching the newest episode of your favorite show on Hulu or significantly changing the world, which would you choose?

I believe in just one hour a week you can change the world!

How?

You have wisdom, knowledge, life skills, and a deeper journey of faith than others. I know you do!

I know you do because I know the world is full of youth and people younger than you in general. They haven't journeyed as far as you have in life, and they are in desperate need of mentors.

Maybe right now you're thinking, "I don't even have a mentor myself." Exactly! But that's no excuse not to start investing in someone else's life now.

And if you do have a great mentor or mentors, than you should be especially grateful and ready to share the gifts you've been given with others.

I wonder, if we aren't willing to invest one hour a week in a younger person - are we not failing to love our neighbor? Could this be part of the reason why so many youth today are saying to the church, "You lost me"?

Last week Habacuc and I (John) invited two skaters to a cheap Peruvian sandwich shop after their evening skate session. One hour of conversation about their lives and some spicy chicken - nothing complicated or difficult to prepare. But I'm willing to bet those two guys will never forget that evening. That's just the way it works.

At the same time, Liz also had one of the girl skaters, who is a new mother, over for conversation and dinner. They all had a great time and a meaningful hour or two together!

I remember when my youth minister used to take me and my friends to Taco Bell. He couldn't have been any cooler to me! He didn't have any agenda for the evening. He just let us talk to him about what was going on in our lives. He gave us insight as he could. And we all enjoyed lots of nachos and Mountain Dew!

Don't underestimate your gifts, wisdom, life experiences, or time.

You really have no idea how much one hour a week of your time can impact the life of a younger person.

Are you currently investing an hour a week in someone younger? How do you spend the time?

100th Like

If you're reading this you've probably already "liked" us of Facebook, but if you haven't - what are you waiting for?! Just go here: UA Facebook

We can't wait to hit 200!!!

You Lost Me

Many young people feel that older adults don't understand their doubts and concerns, a prerequisite to rich mentoring friendships; in fact a majority of the young adults we interviewed reported never having an adult friend other than their parents.

If you are an older believer, become a mentor who is committed to nurturing the faith and life of a young Christian. When you spend time with the teen or young adult whom you are mentoring, don't just talk about the Bible (thought that's important). Get together because you enjoy each other's company and friendhship. Be attentive to what matters to the young adult. Help him or her get into the right school. Offer money for tuition. Be ready to guide decisions about gap years and dating relationships. Humbly share your struggles and your wisdom. Avoid impatience and the intent to control. Help the young person find God's unique and empowering vision for his or her life.  

The two paragraphs above came from page 29 and 209 of David Kinnaman's excellent book You Lost Me. It should be required reading for all followers of Christ thirty years old and up. Get a copy today here: You Lost Me

Have you read You Lost Me? What stood out most to you?

Are you mentoring any young people? What kind of activities do you do together?

DIOS TE AMA

Before leaving my apartment to go to my local church I opened the window and prayed.

A cloudy cool autumn morning, my favorite!

I saw the mountains and the city. I thanked God for his amazing works and love.

Then I looked down at the Assembly of God church on the corner of the street.

Their rooftop likes to remind me, "DIOS TE AMA" - GOD LOVES YOU.

Who did they paint that on their for? My building is new, so I imagine a few years ago no one would have been able to even see it. So who thought to themselves, "Hey, I'm going to paint the words 'God loves you' on the roof. It's gonna be awesome!"

I'm afraid sometimes we, the church, are that way. We want the whole world to know that Jesus loves them, but we put that truth somewhere unseeable.

I wondered if anyone from that Assembly church ever walked four blocks over to the skatepark to spend time with the youth and show or tell them that God loves them.

It's scary and takes a sacrifice of time to share the good news that we want everyone to know. But shouting from the rooftops is useless if no one can hear or see.

We have to ask Jesus for courage, commit time, and go build relationships.

Many people are still waiting for us to share that hidden rooftop message:

"GOD LOVES YOU!"


Is there a way you wish you were sharing the good news, but keep putting it off?