Recycle

The trip is 8 days away, and I'm finally getting a new blog post in.

How to start it?

Maybe like Snoopy, I can start with:

"It was a dark and stormy night"

Actually, that part is true.  It IS a dark and stormy night tonight.  I'm not making that part up.

Perhaps a status report is in order, last weekend we met with some other folks that have been to Estonia before to pray for our journey.  Three weekends ago, we escaped Atlanta for a weekend to the beach at Hilton Head, thanks to Kevin's grandfather for donating his one bedroom, one bath condo for 6 singles for the two days.  6 people - one bathroom - that's a lesson in flexibility there.

We shared our stories with each other, and we Skyped with Daniel (the youth leader at Risttee) where we talked a little about the retreat details.  And you may have heard the retreat theme if you follow any of us on Facebook.  The theme is:

"Recycle your life"

Given what I wrote to my supporters when I started on this fourth journey to Estonia, this camp theme is definitely fitting.  And given the theme of our stories, this is what we experientially get to share with the students we are going to be hanging out with.  I like the theme, and here's why...

It's what they (and we) need.

Our lives are broken in some way, and we need to exchange it..

For something better.

Something useable.

Something valuable.

Something amazing.

And this is what God does with our lives, our mission, our relationships when we surrender up the broken things that are part of... wait.... are our lives.  Like an emptied, disgusting Coke bottle, he takes it...

And transforms it.

And fills it.

And returns something greater than what we gave up.

I'm excited to be talking about this over the course of the week.  Imagine not only what can be done with our lives when we surrender up what is ultimately useless, and we get back something infinitely valuable.  When we consider that these students are indeed the future leaders of Estonia, imagine what this could mean for a culture.

Exchanging the fear of Soviet past.  Exchanging mistrust.  Exchanging a life that depends on and ultimately ends with "me"

And getting hope.  Getting life.  Getting God's blessing.

That is awesome.  That is what I'm praying for.

Join me in this... will you be willing to pray bigger than you've ever prayed for Estonia before?  Are you willing to pray like you believe that God is as huge as He is.

I am.  So let's also recycle our prayer.

That nugget is free :-)