Hi Lovely people,
Its been a long time since I updated you on my blog, I am sorry.
SO many things have happened but I will try and keep it detailed but yet brief. I know without a doubt that I have been stretched beyond my comfort zone in every area of life- spiritual, physically and emotionally.
My first big blow last semester was losing a team member, Cochran was a great addition to the team but he didn't realise the commitment and decided to leave in later October, I could not help but think that I could have done more to keep him here with us on mission but once he made his mind up, he was gone.
To be honest it was defiantly a blow to my leadership ego but also personally. When your on a team, your together all the time more so then any family member or best friend could be and you become like family in a very short time.
I do believe that God had a plan and I know it wasn't a surprise to Him. We had to move around a lot of things but we are still passionately serving on mission. We have become wiser in our work instead of trying to compensate for our team turning into 2 girl band.
God is so good he has given us more opportunities to partner with the other team in the Arlington area and we have been able to speak to more students and lead Bible study then I thought possible....
November we began to lead a strong group of students in mentoring- helping them gain understanding of how to be a good example, a Godly leader and servant to the community.
Our Students are so passionate about serving they really needed people to come along side them and encourage them to pursing showing people the kingdom of God in there serving.
It reminds me of A service project we had for students in December: we invited students to help with a service project day our aim to serve 3 charities and present the gospel message with children and play games face paint kids faces at a apartment complex in one day.
We invited our students to arrive at the church at 8am to rehears the gospel message and go onto serving our first Charity only 3 students turned up . it was quite funny because it was two guys and one girl. Both guys are quite and one in particular is super quite, it made me sad that many didn't turn up - but my heart was so overjoyed that these 3 did overall the group of students are quite and reserved but I was excited to see how God moved on these students hearts.
The practiced the play and then we moved onto help a safe house with the yard work and some basic housecleaning chores. Not once did we here are students complain. How crazy amazing is that, students who don't complain..WOW !!
We also went to the apartment complex and the students loved on the kids and painted faces and played games and when we presented our play some kids knew about jesus but some did not and Praise God 5 kids prayed the sinners prayer kids style.
It was such a glorious day.
Days like that are one of the many reason why I am passionate about what I do. My students ministered to variety of people, they stepped out of there comfort zone and poured there time, strength and grace upon people that were in need, that didn't know about God. His Kingdom came and was shown by there acts....
My teams in Arlington blessed me with a great gift money to go home and I wanted to thank you all for your sponsorship and support in doing that it was very much needed and was so glad that I was able to visit my crazy, lovely family and friends. I got to rest, eat and top up on some family time. My family are doing well but still need Jesus in there lives. My Nana of 88 is still passionate for the Lord and is continue to pray for me and the ministry she is what you call a firecracker :)
January came around and Bam! Our youth pastor stepped down due to work, a baby on the way and the commute to Dallas and Arlington.
I was the youth director assisting the youth pastor and now all of a sudden I am in the youth pastor role, I call myself the youth director, I don't feel comfortable calling myself a pastor and I still am grasping to juggle being a Hub leader managing everyone in Arlington, being a team leader and speaking in schools and mentoring kids and also lead and manage a youth group.
On paper it doesn't make sense in my mind.. its a bit jumble and in day to day it can be really crazy but God has given me this to shepherd these people to pour more wisdom that God has given me into the students, into the youth group and the other team.
I really appreciate your support in time and prayer and your sponsorship.
Thank you
if you could please keep me in prayer specifically about:
Next year my next step in what I should do with my visa, I have one more year with Pais and I have the next month to think about what I would like to do go home and find a new ministry to be a part of or begin the process getting my green card.
I miss my home but I also have a rule in life: "remember the last thing God clearly told you, to do with your life and stick at it until he says other wise" the last thing was Join Pais and go to America and since praying about this since October , I have heard the same thing over and over again. If you could pray for me and the whole crazy process that would be great.
I want to lift this up to God as I will need to give my answer to Pais in the next 2 weeks.
p.s
please let me know about your lives, I miss the world not filled with teens, please let me know how your doing and what your up to,,,,
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Team- Pais Arlington Central
Hi Lovely saints, Friends, family.
We have had such an incredible journey these past few weeks. We have lead a lesson on Goals at a local JRH:
We have lead FCA: nine students gave there lives to Christ: Praise God !!!
Prayer at the Pole
Lead FCA Games at Local Jrh
Supported Students at there games
Served with students and built relationships
All with my lovely team
and also invited and challenged our students at youth group come along side us and serve the community.
You did this all, through your prayer and support, through your encouragement. Thank you!!!!
And my team, what an amazing group of people who want to serve and show God Kingdom to the 1,000's of kids we have met this past month.
We have taught lesson, we have handed out flyers, we have prayed with our student, served with them and minster to them and to see my team connect with students like Sarah who was invited by the team to youth group and showed up and enjoyed hearing the gospel or Tray who is a student at the local Jrh who came to youth group and really just jumped in with the other students... All of these things great or small are apart of the journey you are taking with our Father and with me....
We have come against some tricky obstacles but God has found a way FCA at local high school. No kids were expected to come but we went out to the hall ways and invited them in, 20 students came 15 stayed and 9 got saved, who knows what God has in store for all the students that did show up but our God made it possible to allow all of these amazing things to occur at the right time. Praise God that we are living our lives as He would have it
"May His Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven"
This was just a quick picture update, please keep me and the team in prayer, another up date is always round the corner... Don't forget, I want to hear about your lives, I love hearing update on my friends and family and remember Prayer request are always welcome....
Peace and Grace
Adrienne
p.s
Please pass this blog on, the more the merrier
We have had such an incredible journey these past few weeks. We have lead a lesson on Goals at a local JRH:
And my team, what an amazing group of people who want to serve and show God Kingdom to the 1,000's of kids we have met this past month.
We have taught lesson, we have handed out flyers, we have prayed with our student, served with them and minster to them and to see my team connect with students like Sarah who was invited by the team to youth group and showed up and enjoyed hearing the gospel or Tray who is a student at the local Jrh who came to youth group and really just jumped in with the other students... All of these things great or small are apart of the journey you are taking with our Father and with me....
We have come against some tricky obstacles but God has found a way FCA at local high school. No kids were expected to come but we went out to the hall ways and invited them in, 20 students came 15 stayed and 9 got saved, who knows what God has in store for all the students that did show up but our God made it possible to allow all of these amazing things to occur at the right time. Praise God that we are living our lives as He would have it
"May His Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven"
This was just a quick picture update, please keep me and the team in prayer, another up date is always round the corner... Don't forget, I want to hear about your lives, I love hearing update on my friends and family and remember Prayer request are always welcome....
Peace and Grace
Adrienne
p.s
Please pass this blog on, the more the merrier
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Wheel's are turning...
Dearest Friends,
What a month it has been for me, the teams are now on the ground and running towards the goal of spreading the gospel and Christ love for His creation, it truly is a site to see...
But with all this hassle and bussle of things, I see how God is humbling me but also making me into a person of more Character then I ever thought possible. I am not boasting here I am boasting of my weakness but it is Him that is giving me the wise words and plans to lead the teams.
This semester I was given a challenge to connect with the Director of Personnel for Arlington ISD (School governing body) and once I connect with the director work with him to find a way to get the international Pais' into the volunteer system aka allowing them to visit students who are part of the local church they lead in and also make connection with teachers who would allow them to teach in the class rooms.
It was crazy but through prayer and persistence, we finally got an answer that was simple and easy but it had been a problem for years but God's favour was upon us and we finally have it resolved.
Building the youth group:
Our youth group is very small and our challenge as soon as we got to town was laying foundations for the youth to grow . We decided to bring in an holistic model to get the students to discover there faith, pursue it . Which basically means that the students each week would have a different experience: 1- wk it would be pray and worship, 2-wk Bible Study, 3- service project//serve the community 4-fellowship.
The students have just gone through the first month of the model and already we have seen 4 students who's family are apart of the church get connect and regularly attend Wednesday night youth group.
PRAISE GOD !!!! These students who were outsiders are now becoming people who belong not because of there parents but because of there desire placed in them by God.
We are seeing students wanting to serve the church , family, community when before they had no avenues to do so..
This Month my personal aim was to connect with girl students that seemed quite distant in the youth group:
One particular girl, seemed very standoffish towards me and the team and it just seem very upset by our present but once again, I really felt that I need to make it a point to connect with her and we finally got to talk this week, she seemed very open to me once I started to talk about she was into and her busy school life. So my hope is to see her in a play next month. GOD is so good, I have no clue why she was upset the past few weeks I tried to talk to her, I don't know why she doesn't want to join or like youth group but God made a way for me to talk with her ....My hope and desire is to pursue more time with her and actually get her more connected with the church.
It is a big shock to me that people can come to the church for many year but not want to be connected to the Body and I know God has put this girl in my path to really show her the love, joy and peace God has for his people who fellowship with other people and my fear is that many students do this and walk away from the church because they never experience Gods amazing community... God Community is such an amazing place to understand more about God, His love and who we are as people..
Finally I need to tell you about our first girly hangout :
it was GREAT...The typical girl stuff occurred, dance generation was played on the wii, junk food and loads of giggles but as we settled down to sleep I was able to talk with one of the girls I hope to mentor this year. Through all the random stories of life, she began to share her heart and the hardship that she had gone through this pass 3 yrs and I was once again blown away by God's divine skill to drawn people together.
I met this girl 3 wks ago and was instantly was drawn to her.... Although I felt this girl seemed to have it all together and it didn't seem to want or needed a mentor, I had no idea that what she was about to reveal to me, teenage heartbreak, misunderstanding and so much more, it just broke my heart...
While in the mist of all the heartbreak this girl had experienced I was touched because I heard how God had restored her, brought her out of darkness and the journey of how God was and is restoring her, How much it reminded me of my own teenage years and how much now more then ever I see that God was always with me, watching, waiting yearning for me to call upon Him and how He still is for theses teenagers today ....
It will always amaze me that while I am trying to minister to others they are being used by God to minister to me, it wasn't just another conversation with a teen girl, it was an honour, a privilege to see the amazingness of God through her testimony....
Thank you so much for your support, Friendship and time for reading this....it doesn't go unwanted please continue to keep us in pray as a team and for me in leading and guiding these missionaries who are making the generation of missionaries.
If you would like to pass this on to others please do....
Peace and Grace
Love
Adrienne
What a month it has been for me, the teams are now on the ground and running towards the goal of spreading the gospel and Christ love for His creation, it truly is a site to see...
But with all this hassle and bussle of things, I see how God is humbling me but also making me into a person of more Character then I ever thought possible. I am not boasting here I am boasting of my weakness but it is Him that is giving me the wise words and plans to lead the teams.
This semester I was given a challenge to connect with the Director of Personnel for Arlington ISD (School governing body) and once I connect with the director work with him to find a way to get the international Pais' into the volunteer system aka allowing them to visit students who are part of the local church they lead in and also make connection with teachers who would allow them to teach in the class rooms.
It was crazy but through prayer and persistence, we finally got an answer that was simple and easy but it had been a problem for years but God's favour was upon us and we finally have it resolved.
Building the youth group:
Our youth group is very small and our challenge as soon as we got to town was laying foundations for the youth to grow . We decided to bring in an holistic model to get the students to discover there faith, pursue it . Which basically means that the students each week would have a different experience: 1- wk it would be pray and worship, 2-wk Bible Study, 3- service project//serve the community 4-fellowship.
The students have just gone through the first month of the model and already we have seen 4 students who's family are apart of the church get connect and regularly attend Wednesday night youth group.
PRAISE GOD !!!! These students who were outsiders are now becoming people who belong not because of there parents but because of there desire placed in them by God.
We are seeing students wanting to serve the church , family, community when before they had no avenues to do so..
This Month my personal aim was to connect with girl students that seemed quite distant in the youth group:
One particular girl, seemed very standoffish towards me and the team and it just seem very upset by our present but once again, I really felt that I need to make it a point to connect with her and we finally got to talk this week, she seemed very open to me once I started to talk about she was into and her busy school life. So my hope is to see her in a play next month. GOD is so good, I have no clue why she was upset the past few weeks I tried to talk to her, I don't know why she doesn't want to join or like youth group but God made a way for me to talk with her ....My hope and desire is to pursue more time with her and actually get her more connected with the church.
It is a big shock to me that people can come to the church for many year but not want to be connected to the Body and I know God has put this girl in my path to really show her the love, joy and peace God has for his people who fellowship with other people and my fear is that many students do this and walk away from the church because they never experience Gods amazing community... God Community is such an amazing place to understand more about God, His love and who we are as people..
Finally I need to tell you about our first girly hangout :
it was GREAT...The typical girl stuff occurred, dance generation was played on the wii, junk food and loads of giggles but as we settled down to sleep I was able to talk with one of the girls I hope to mentor this year. Through all the random stories of life, she began to share her heart and the hardship that she had gone through this pass 3 yrs and I was once again blown away by God's divine skill to drawn people together.
I met this girl 3 wks ago and was instantly was drawn to her.... Although I felt this girl seemed to have it all together and it didn't seem to want or needed a mentor, I had no idea that what she was about to reveal to me, teenage heartbreak, misunderstanding and so much more, it just broke my heart...
While in the mist of all the heartbreak this girl had experienced I was touched because I heard how God had restored her, brought her out of darkness and the journey of how God was and is restoring her, How much it reminded me of my own teenage years and how much now more then ever I see that God was always with me, watching, waiting yearning for me to call upon Him and how He still is for theses teenagers today ....
It will always amaze me that while I am trying to minister to others they are being used by God to minister to me, it wasn't just another conversation with a teen girl, it was an honour, a privilege to see the amazingness of God through her testimony....
Thank you so much for your support, Friendship and time for reading this....it doesn't go unwanted please continue to keep us in pray as a team and for me in leading and guiding these missionaries who are making the generation of missionaries.
If you would like to pass this on to others please do....
Peace and Grace
Love
Adrienne
Monday, August 29, 2011
Beginning of the 4th .....
 |
When I heard three year ago the call to join The Pais Project, I thought that It would be just one year a year. As I transitioned from team member to team leader and then repeating my role as team leader last year, I had no clue What God had planned. That He was bubbling inside of me a new season that would force me to grow and rely on Him more deeply then ever before. Once more show me that its nothing to do with me but its all about Him...
Is it not a shocker that your in the mist of living your life, suddenly realize the many things you don’t know about Him and some of those revelations of who God is, is not even the tip of the ice berg. I mean you grasp an understanding of God in certain areas of your life and then God is also showing you His path is not a game or win or lose or even of luck and chance but of providence or His will and of His heart.
I am just overwhelmed but happy and grateful that God is in the business of shocking and surprising this daughter of His....
I am in my first officially week of being a ...wait for it... Its a big title...Hub Leader, Youth Director, Team Leader....in other words I am overseeing two teams while leading another and building structure into our youth group. Its a lot to take in... My prayers turned from my own desires and then into His desire, so once I placed my life in His hands the statement that came forth was Trust in me a little bit more, lean into me more then you ever have and again with some nervousness in my heart, I said yes
Yes to loving people into growth, to challenging teams to push behind the norm and to never settle, Yes to Him and No to me and instead of seeing loads of Oh No’s and eeekkks and I am beginning to see so many more Yes’s and possibilities in my life in then I could every have imagined
My life is in his hands and it really is the best place to be ...
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Strange
"Rejoice in hope,be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12
I have the strangest of dreams some are of flying, others of weird planets that don't make sense and safari animals . Now granted its often when I need to take allergy medication and I have had a crazy day but its still strange.
Its that time of year again when everything is about to change. For me its making another step into what God has for me and that is staying on Pais and working as a Missionary.
Strangest thing dreams, sometimes they become a reality and one day you wake up and realise "hey I am living it"
I laugh now but God gave me a sweet and small dream, to see students come to know the Lord and develop and lead others to know Him. Sometimes this dream is easy to live out and somedays its difficult. Its be filled with Joy, Kindness, Growth, trails and hiccups and all the while God has truly had me.
Don't you Love our Father, that His not just happy to give us a life that we want but He wants to give us a life we couldn't imagine for ourselves. I couldn't imagine I would meet a student who would hear the word, take the calling and not only run and tell others about her amazing Father in Heaven but give them rides to church and lead people into bible study only just becoming a believe in less then a year or one of our shy male students lead us outside of his campus in prayer.
WOW Lord just a word, just a glimpse, just a touch and BAM! you make something, you make my world spin and use it for your glory and what's amazing about it all, is that you who are reading have amazing stories of the amazing strangest things God has done, you who live in London or Australia, Rome have testimonies of How God is faithful and good to His children.
I am so very overwhelmed sometimes with the things that God has asked me to do and to be honest, I have no idea sometimes what I am doing, I make mistakes, I get inpatient with my team or sometimes students and I don't know how God provides for me and I get disappointed when God asks me and push me to ask for help and nothing happens. But I know when it seems so very strange that all of this is in my life. I look to Him who called me and I need to trust Him because He know best. Then I remember all them many splendid things he has done. The friendship he has given, the comfort he has shown, the patience he has portioned out for me and I am in owe.
this verse comes to mind in
Romans 12; 12a comes to mind "Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame" (MSG) such a sweet message for me at this time, when the strangest of things happen...
Strangest things happen, when God gives you a dream it cause some amazing things to happen, when you say yes with your heart and and inch step with your feet.
Note:
If you would like to support me in my next year as a missionary or know of someone who would like to read my blog and in turn partner with me this year on Mission. Please pass on the blog and my contact details below. Thank you once again for reading.
Peace and Grace
Email: adriennemcpherson1@gmail.com
adriennemcpherson@paisproject.com
I have the strangest of dreams some are of flying, others of weird planets that don't make sense and safari animals . Now granted its often when I need to take allergy medication and I have had a crazy day but its still strange.
Its that time of year again when everything is about to change. For me its making another step into what God has for me and that is staying on Pais and working as a Missionary.
Strangest thing dreams, sometimes they become a reality and one day you wake up and realise "hey I am living it"
I laugh now but God gave me a sweet and small dream, to see students come to know the Lord and develop and lead others to know Him. Sometimes this dream is easy to live out and somedays its difficult. Its be filled with Joy, Kindness, Growth, trails and hiccups and all the while God has truly had me.
Don't you Love our Father, that His not just happy to give us a life that we want but He wants to give us a life we couldn't imagine for ourselves. I couldn't imagine I would meet a student who would hear the word, take the calling and not only run and tell others about her amazing Father in Heaven but give them rides to church and lead people into bible study only just becoming a believe in less then a year or one of our shy male students lead us outside of his campus in prayer.
WOW Lord just a word, just a glimpse, just a touch and BAM! you make something, you make my world spin and use it for your glory and what's amazing about it all, is that you who are reading have amazing stories of the amazing strangest things God has done, you who live in London or Australia, Rome have testimonies of How God is faithful and good to His children.
I am so very overwhelmed sometimes with the things that God has asked me to do and to be honest, I have no idea sometimes what I am doing, I make mistakes, I get inpatient with my team or sometimes students and I don't know how God provides for me and I get disappointed when God asks me and push me to ask for help and nothing happens. But I know when it seems so very strange that all of this is in my life. I look to Him who called me and I need to trust Him because He know best. Then I remember all them many splendid things he has done. The friendship he has given, the comfort he has shown, the patience he has portioned out for me and I am in owe.
this verse comes to mind in
Romans 12; 12a comes to mind "Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame" (MSG) such a sweet message for me at this time, when the strangest of things happen...
Strangest things happen, when God gives you a dream it cause some amazing things to happen, when you say yes with your heart and and inch step with your feet.
If you would like to support me in my next year as a missionary or know of someone who would like to read my blog and in turn partner with me this year on Mission. Please pass on the blog and my contact details below. Thank you once again for reading.
Peace and Grace
Email: adriennemcpherson1@gmail.com
adriennemcpherson@paisproject.com
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday, Thank you's
What a crazy weekend at the Passion Conference, I went for one thing and God totally showed me His and Yet am still not sure how much I fully grasped. Here are a few things I wanted to lift up and Thank Him for:
31) Men that cry for Christ's grace
32) Honest conversation with friends
33) Questions that run deep
34) Tender hearts
35) Leaders that care
36) Passionate Students
37) Fundraising
38) Justice
39) Worship
40) Serving the weak
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Good Grief !
I have been told many times that there are five stages of grief: Denial, angry, Bargaining depression acceptance. I wonder if God goes through some of these stages. I know I certainly have. I went to a funereal this week and as I sat in a pew to say goodbye to a person I never met but meant so much to my dear friend. I realized that grief effects us all in so many ways than just the five stages suggested. I have seen grief bring truth, healing, restoration to communities and to the calling that one, once lost. Grief can make you selfish and introverted, it can also awoken your heart to opportunities of selflessness and expression of love.
When it happens to you or someone close this is not what we see or feel, its the opposite. I think God's grief time after time has turned into expression of love: Genesis 6:6 say that God regrets making man due to there crazy mistakes but he turns that sadness into great doors of redemption.
In Matthew 9:36 say that Jesus saw the people harassed and helpless and he had compassion on them.
I am not a schooler or trying to change the word of God but I place myself in that passage and I feel saddened, deep lose for those in distress and I think good grief, what do you do in that situation and what does Jesus do? He builds up the disciples and creates opportunity to heal, serve, teach ,love for these people in distress then, now and always.
On a personal note: grief these pass week or shall I say loss has opened my eyes to the way people deal with it. Some mothers cling tightly to the children in hopes that grief will not infect them and there family , some have a new lease on life, others become lost in deep thought about the purpose of life and many of us carry on with no regard for the passing of the dead and all to some degree is good in the right balance but what its done to me is think that maybe, I need to seek Him in my grief not just on how to handle it but also how to rest in Him. The person that died wasn't a relative but its somehow trickled down and effected me through my outlook, my walk and even through my work /ministry. Questions have arisen : What am I doing? I'm I doing things right? How can I do things better and where do I stand on this and that? None bad but grief has brought somethings in to question....
Questions aren't bad, if the answers are searched out and somewhat answered. I have been told that there are five stages of Grief Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, but what if there's another point to consider that when it says in the Bible to rejoice through, in our suffering that God knows something more then we do that Grief is Good.
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