the real story of St Patrick

I had the privilege of learning the true story of St. Patrick a few years back when I took the class: Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (a class i HIGHLY recommend). St Patrick was pretty much amazing...he ended up as a slave/shepherd who heard from God and boldly moved to challenge the pagan religions of the Irish people in the 400s. St. Patrick set up the first monasteries and planted thousands of churches. These monasteries provided Bibles translated into the vernacular so common people could read the word of God. Below is a brief write up of Ireland's spiritual history....St. Patrick's legacy. May his abandon for Christ be on your heart on St Patrick's day tomorrow.

taken from prayeurope.com

With the arrival of Christianity through the ministry of St Patrick in AD 432, Ireland experienced what we would term in our day as a revival. The word of God spread like wildfire, and many were converted through the national ministry of St Patrick. Ireland entered in to a monastic era- where monasteries were established nationwide and became hubs of studying the word of God, and evangelism was a major trademark as Irish missionaries established religious houses all over our island- and further too.

The Irish contribution to Europe and beyond was hugely significant. Men of passion sought adventure and left on journeys to England, France, travelling through to Italy and further, bringing good news with them. Men like St Colmcille who began a monastic settlement on the island of Iona, that soon became a thriving community with scholars coming from far and near to train as ministers. St Columbanus left Ireland to go to France, and set up many settlements across the continent, and his disciples went on to Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Poland.

These monastic settlements that were established by these Irish men were the equivalent to universities of our time. During the Dark Ages the word “Scotus” meaning Irishman and the word “Scholar” became synonymous. The great Irish settlements of Clonmacnoise, and Glendalough became renowned across Europe and were to Europe then what Oxford and other university cities are to our culture.

So now we face an uncertain economic future, a nation steeped in a religion that has failed them, and a church bruised and broken. In light of all that calls itself impossible, we believe in the God that parted the Red Sea, that broke down the walls of Jericho, that slays the giants, and that raises from the dead. We know He has a plan for our nation, a restoration of hope, of peace, and of broken lives being made whole. We trust Him to be the hope of our nation- not any one prophet, or denomination, or book or 5-step guideline. We look to him alone as the author and finisher of our faith, knowing he is faithful to complete that which began thousands of years ago.

Pray Europe

Pray Europe is a 40 day call to prayer over Lent. Everyday a new country is lifted up in prayer in hopes of igniting a revival in the spiritually hardened countries of Europe. To learn more and to receive information about a different country daily visit their main website: www.prayeurope.com

I've loved knowing how to enter into the spiritual needs of these countries and long to see Christ exalted once again in Europe.

prayer for haiti

i (kristin) was reading in isaiah this morning and came upon a verse which became my prayer for the people of Haiti.

Isaiah 41:17
"when the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them."

may they know that they have a Savior and Provider who is their very present help in time of need...a Savior who is not unable to empathize with the suffering they are experiencing. please join us in praying that the Lord may be their hope and peace.

as we've prayed, we've also felt led to give...here are a few sites for gospel-centered ministries that allow direct giving online:

World Vision
Global Aid Network
Compassion Int'l

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I know this is a bit late, but we wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We just finished with our annual student conference in Minneapolis called TCX (Twin Cities Xperience) We had a record number of students attend this year - 1600 - from our region (iowa, minnesota, north & south dakota, and wisconsin). The speakers included John Piper, a well known pastor based in Minneapolis, Crawford Loritts, a nationally known speaker and pastor from Atlanta, and Millie Welsh, a regional director with Campus Crusade in the Southeast region of the U.S. They spoke on a variety of topics including prayer, lordship, recognizing idols in our lives, and seeking a holy, God-given ambition for our lives. You can watch any of the sessions from TCX by clicking here. Choose TCX:Radiate to hear talks from this year. I'm sure you'll be blessed and challenged by the speakers as well as gaining some insight into what our TCX conference looks like.

We are currently on the road again...braving the negative temps of Minnesota as we meet with potential ministry partners. Please pray with us that we might complete our team by May so we can help offer leadership for one of Campus Crusade's summer projects.

Thanks so much for your prayers and faithful partnership with us. Know that we're grateful for you and praising God for your generosity as we enter a new decade. May your 2010 be a blessed year!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

As we prepare to head down the road to Iowa for Thanksgiving, know that we're thinking of you and praying that your holiday will be sweet. We are SO thankful for you...for your prayers, your financial support, your encouragement. We are so blessed to have such an amazing team of partners. Thank you!!!

Have a great turkey day! :)

prayer request!

Matt and I decided recently that we wanted to choose some specific goals related to our ministry partner development process....so after some prayer, we've decided to trust God to provide $1500 in monthly support by January 1. This definitely feels like a faith step, but we've been asking God daily to provide in this way for us. Would you join us in praying for this specific goal?

Please always let us know of specific ways we can be praying for you as well! We'll keep you updated on the Lord's provision that He might receive the glory!

Michigan conference

We just got back from a conference in Michigan that was a follow up to our training this past summer. We received some GREAT financial training as they led us through the Good Cents financial course. We were also refreshed through spending time with friends who are in the same phase of ministry, trusting God to provide their team of ministry partners. Here's a shot of our group...all the new staff who joined this summer from the Great Lakes and Upper Midwest regions of the country.