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Check these out and join us as we meet with the Lord every Friday night.

All We Need Charlie Hall

From the Inside Out Hillsong United

David Crowder Band Remedy

Treasure Desperation Band

We Shine Fee

Never Let Go Matt Redman

No One Like You David Crowder Band

Walk This World Charlie Hall

Before the Throne of God Above Shane and Shane

Hosanna Hillsong United

Song of the Redeemed Charlie Hall

Beautiful Phil Wickham

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In the gospel of Mark 6:34 we see Jesus heart for those around Him who did not yet know God.

Take a minute and read these words of Jesus that reveal His heart. Ask God to make your heart like His toward those who are not yet Jesus’ children.

“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”

This is where it starts when it comes to God using you to reach your friends, family and everyone that surrounds you in God’s world.

“Give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken-hearted. The ones who are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten. Give me your eyes so I can see.” -Brandon Heath

Check out this video and let me know what you think.

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Enjoy the video and tell us what you think about Phil and his music.

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Most athletes don’t realize that the beginning to being successful in the heat of the battle is truly trusting in the Lord for everything. He’ll give you peace in the pocket. He’ll be your strength up at bat.

God bless.

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“You’ve got a whole lot of living coming to you.”

Our day at the Children’s Emergency Hostel can be summed up by the answer of one 11 year old boy, named Kendell.

You see, the Children;s Emergency Hostel is an orphanage for children who are still in elementary school. The tough thing for all these kids is #1 there are a lot of them so they can’t really go places and #2 because there is so many of them they never really get any one-on-one attention or affection.

So this hot and humid Monday in the Bahamas, we would pick up these children and take them to a beach called Goodman’s Bay. When we got to the orphanage we packed the bus with as many children as possible. The goal was to spend the entire day with two to three children, getting to know them and just simply lavishing them with God’s love.

Well, back to the story. We had been playing with the children in the beach but now it was time for lunch and let me tell you, you don’t know what hunger is until you go with us on one of these trips. Before lunch we gathered all the children onto this kind of stone ledge where they could sit. Carol and Rebecca did some kids songs with them that they totally got into and then I shared a bit with them on Jeremiah 29:11.”For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.”

Well, this is where Kendell(picture with Tim, up to the left and all the way to right) comes in. I asked the group what the word “FUTURE” means. I called on Kendell and his answer was classic and quite possibly the best definition of future I’ve ever heard. He said, “You’ve got a whole lot of living coming to you.” His statement struck me as I stood there on that beach. I thought yeah, now that you’re a christian you can be sure that, ‘you’ve got a whole lot of living coming to you.’

So, we played football on the beach. We threw a couple of kids in the air in the water and it turned into a line of kids where I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to lift my arms again. One little girl, probably about 9 years old, must have come over to Brad and I about 30 times. We’d have them curl up like a cannonball and we would shoot them over the oceans surface like the cannonballs that came from the pirate’s ships that once filled the Bahamian Islands.

To you, this may seem insignificant but that we were spending time with them as a father or mother would spend time with their children was as they say it, “just what the doctor ordered.” These little children on the ride home were falling asleep with our arms around them feeling like they may not have felt loved for possibly their entire lives (picture bottem left).

What a place to spend your life? Talk about meaning and purpose. These children need people like you in their lives.

Well, when we got back to their orphanage we decided to stay there for a little while. When I initially arrived there was one young man that I was looking for. He was a 13 year old Bahamian boy named Sydney. Last year I spent the whole day with him but unfortunately he was punished when we got there so he didn’t get to go to the beach with us.

I spent some time with him when we got there. He looked good. He was having some trouble in school but oh how I longed to see him know the Lord and be put in an environment where he could grow in a relationship with God.

We would soon have to leave…but I don’t want to leave out Nate “Indian Jones” Malone. There was this sky scraping palm tree with humungous coconuts. You know, the kind you see and say oh, only if I had a fire truck and could climb up its ladder then I could get those coconuts down. Well, next time you’ll say only if I had a fire truck or a Nate Malone around.

Let me tell you, he climbed all the way to the top of the tree next to the palm and began to whack the coconuts on the Palm Tree like you wouldn’t believe. It was amazing. He must have hit some of those coconuts 50 times each. But it was all worth it when one of those coconuts would drop out of the sky and the kids would run for it with utter excitement.

Sydney got a hold of one and he made sure I ate as much of it as I wanted. I just remember his extra large smile. What a special young man.

As much as none of us wanted to go, it was time and regretfully we loaded into the bus on our way back to the ALC. We’ll never forget that day and we’ll never forget those children.

On a seperate note, it is so important that we don’t get lost in the American Dream. We, must live for more than a family, two cars, a house, and a job. Jesus!!! He must be our Lord and leader of our lives and we must be willing and then Go when the needs arises.

There is too many without for us to occupy all our time and energy on the attainment of “stuff.”

Can I tell you that when you get it, you’ll find like everything else you’ve trusted in, it’s not what it seems.

Spend your life on something that matters. If its spending your life in the Bahamas and giving your life in service to the Lord by being with these children, then go.

God bless.

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Wow!!! God is doing something new on TBN. How cool is it that Chuck Smith was sharing about the importance of teaching through the Bible to all the TBN viewers. Check it out and let me know what you think?

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[audio:http://www.havenyouth.org/audio/messages/20080912_judges4.mp3]

Recorded LIVE at the HAVEN, Friday, September 12, 2008.

Listen above or download here.

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What are some dreams, goals, and visions you have for God to do in this upcoming year in your school, family, youth ministry and neighborhood? Don’t just think big, think God.

1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard,nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Alright people, lets think bigger than big.

What does God want to do this year? Comment on it with the great things your going to ask God to do?

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So, the previous day was exhausting and that’s why church and our snorkeling excursion were exactly what we needed.

Church started at 9:30 and everyone needed to bring their bathing suits with them because we were going straight to the boat for snorkeling from church.

Traveling in the Bahamas is much different then here in the states. First off, they drive on the opposite side of the road then us. Also, it’s not a large country, much smaller than just the state of NY we live in. And the other thing is, just like we have to watch out for hitting a deer here in NY. In the Bahamas they have potcakes. I’m not sure if I’ve told you about them already but man are they everywhere. You’re probably like what the heck is a pot cake? Well, a pot cake is a dog and they’re everywhere. They call them pot cakes because when the women would cook rice in the huge bowls and the bottem would get burnt they would go out back and dump out the pot cake. Well these stray dogs all over the island would come and chow down hence the name pot cake.

So anyhow, church was great. The worship was sweet. There was actually a white Bahamian man leading the worship team and it was crazy. You could clearly see he was white but when he spoke he had the thickest Bahamian “hey mon” accent.

The message was great also and it connected right in with what our devotions had been on that week. It’s crazy how God orchestrates things. He was definitley in control our entire trip.

After church we headed over to Stewart’s Cove, the name of the place where’d we be going snorkeling. Everyone signed there lives away and you’ll find out in a minute why. Soon after, we boarded the boat to leave. We were given our mask, snorkel and flippers but I was a bit shocked everyone didn’t get some sort of weapon as we would be jumoing in the water in the the middle of the ocean.

Our first stop was incredible. There were fish everywhere and the water was beautifully amazing. Neko, Reshawn and I swan off together and we actually saw a shark swimming in the open waters. It was a bit intimidating to say the least. The weird thing that still kind of freaks me out when I think about it, is that we were looking at the shark and I wanted everyone else to see it too, so I picked my head up out of the water and started yelling for the rest of the team so they could come… I didn’t want them to miss it. Well, when I put my head back in the ocean the shark was gone. I was looking very carefully all around for it when suddenly from right under neath me I felt the current of the water shift and like a powerful train the shark breezed right below me. I thought I was going to lose it.

Neko and Reshawn seemed to love every minute of it.

At our second stop Nathaniel and I were swimming around and we saw a huge sting ray. Nathaniel followed it around and we were just in awe of how this animal glided through the ocean. It was absolutely spectacular.

While we were on the boat from on stop to the next Brad started to talk to one of the Bahamina guys on board. Eventually he sent the guy over to me. His name was Deano. When he first cam over he thought Brad had said we were on a fishing trip but I explained that we were on a mission trip and that this was kind of like our day off. IHe asked me what type of stuff we were doing there and I told him aobut the outreach at the park, and the trip to the orphanage and the ministry in the AIDS camp.

Then, the weirdest thing happened. He said to me, “so, what are you guys doing next?” I said, after this we’re going to a neighborhood called Adalaid. He looked at me with a quizical look on his face and responded, “oh wow, that’s where I live.” There was a strange pause and then he had to go becasue we had gotten to our next stop.

Now this was the stop of all stops. The dive of all dives. When the captain shut the engine off and we looked over the side of the boat there were sharks circling the boat. When I say shark I am not sure what image pops into your head but I know what I see in my mind. It was the huge shark that was along side of us there. I had never seen a shark that close outside of an aquarium. It was unthinkable that anyone in their right mind would actually get in the water with these man eating beasts. But, as the thought was passing through my mind, I saw Nate Malone being the first person to slip in amongst the man eaters. Eventually, I saw as everyone on the team, even Eileen “I wish the sharks were trying to eat me” Hughes was in the water with the sharks. That’s when I realized it was my turn. Wow!!! What an experience.

After we all came back to our senses and climbed into the boat, we were back to shore before we knew it. What a day… I was absolutely exhausted.

We got back on the bus with the expectation to go to Adalaide, a small village on the out skirts of the Bahamas.

When we arrived, it seemed like there was no one any where to be found. We drove through and I was ready to go, but our camp guide, Jen suggested we drive down to there little beach front and see it. We pulled onto this one lane road that led down a long way to the beach. Everyone got off and started to stroll toward the beach when I realized that a small white pick up truck was trying to back down the road but our bus was in the way. I could tell that Jen was trying to back out but the road was so narrow. Narrow road, hmm I think there’s an illustration there. As I was leading her back out on the narrow road, a man walked up to me who was selling a carribean fruit called kanips(spelling is probably wrong).

He and I walked and talked all the way down to the beach. I don’t remember how it started, but before I knew it we were talking about the things of God and I saw Rebecca and Carol praying. I knew they were praying for this man and the salvation that God was planning for him and his household.

I shared with him that Jesus became sin for us and that He gave us His righteousness if only we would believe. At the end of our time together, and Carol and Rebecca praying, this man, Fado, asked what he needed to do to receive Jesus. It was absolutely a plan that God had ordained before I woke up that morning (more like before I was born).

While we were leading Fado to the Lord, the rest of the team met up with an unlikely person. Deano, our shark guide from our snorkeling expedition, had come to the beach after he got off of work and hooked up with the rest of the team. Nate Malone and the team were sharing with him about the love of God displayed through Jesus.

How incredible is it to be used by the Lord?

Just ask everyone who went to the Bahamas.

More to come soon.

God bless

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So, where did I leave off…

Yes, yes, yes. We got a good nights rest the night of Junkanoo(we got a good nights rest every night in the Bahamas because we were so tired and it was so incredible hot…in a good way).

The day ahead of us would be a hard one. We had decided to move the time of the Jump Off at Pinewood Gardens Park from a start time of 11 am to a start time of 4 pm. You see, the day before, we were passing out fliers when a christian Bahamian woman told me that the only people crazy enough to go outside at 11 am in the Bahamas were us and that we should move the outreach to later in the day when it wasn’t so hot. (Lets put it this way, I’m sweating just thinking about how hot it was). 

So, the first thing we had to do was go to the park, put up posters with the new time on them, and pass out updated fliers.

When I got back to pick up the team they told me that at least 50 children had already showed up for the event @ 11 and there was one 15 year old guy who told me that he was going to wait there for us until 4. I laughed and said, ‘see you later then.’

We got back to the ALC, prepared all the supplies, sports equptment and food for the outreach, had lunch, a moment to rest and then off to the park once agian.

Now, last year we had between 50-75 young people show up and it was amazing.

Well, when we arrived at the park this year kids were already waiting. Nate and a young girl walked around picking up glass because there was trash and broken beer bottles all over the park. Edy and Eileen prepared their face painting booth. Nate, Time, Carol and I began to set up the kids olympics, and Owen set up the grill for all the hamburgers and hot dogs.

Before 4 o’clock even came there was so many young people waiting that we decided to start. Now remeber there was only a total of 11 of us on the team, so how many people could we really run an event for? Hmm. I guess we’d soon find out.

I’m not sure exactly what happened next because so many people were there, but at one point in the midst of a footall game I was playing, I stopped and looked around and saw the Children’s Olympics going on, Nate playing football with at least 15 people, Edy and Eileen painting kids faces and so much happening and I just stopped for a moment and praised God for how He was using us.

On a side note, there’s nothing like being a tool in God’s hands when He’s using you to help others.

Well, the food was ready, but I knew that before we did the food we should have a time for all that were there to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. I shared with them the infamous t-shirt analogy, decribing how Jesus switched shirts with us. We explained to them how Jesus wants to take their dirty shirt and give them His perfectly clean shirt. It’s always interesting to see the spiritual light go on in people hearts when they get that Jesus Christ already paid for their sin and that He wants to give them His perfection.

Now, it was time for food. We tried to keep order during this time but it was like trying to plug a hole in a dam with only your finger. It would be like the eleven of us trying to get a stampede of 500 bulls to stop dead in their tracks. We didn’t have nearly enough hamburgers and hot dogs so we cut them in smaller pieces and thy we gone it seemed before we could blink our eyes. Also, school supplies and prizes and candy were given out to all the kids.

What a blast we had? How cool it was to hang out with all of those kids. I can still see many of their faces in my minds eye. Oh Lord, do something fantastic in their lives.

Neko, was with us all day, watching us serve in his coomunity, and this was the beginning of him learning to serve the Lord by serving others also. Reshawn came to the event and brought some friends and ended up leaving with us and staying with us for the rest of the week.

Neko and Reshawn were such a blessing the whole trip. Day by day they became more and more part of the team.

The Jump Off in Pinewood Gardens park was a testimony of what God + a group of surrendered christinas can do. The odds were against us 250-11 but truly God + you always equals the majority and the victory.

Oh yeah, I almost forget to tell you that yes, even in the Bahamas, when the Jump Off takes place it always rains, but no worry, God was there and He was glorified.

Coming up next:

Trip to Orphanage

Salvation of Fado, Trip to AIDS camp, Salvation of airport security guard & more.

God bless and I hope all of you can come with us next year. Hike!!!

Pastor Billy