inside #10/2011 - October 2011

On a journey with God!

Hello, my name is Tim, I am 19 years old and come from Lüdenscheid, Germany and I am a member of the "FCJG" (the parent ministry of HELP for all Nations) over there. In the beginning of August I came to Austin to start ten-months of volunteer service with the HELP for all Nations team. Already in these two months I have had many experiences with the ministry. Even upon entering the country I witnessed a little miracle, after a lot of back and forth I finally had my visa for 12 months in my hands.

The first thing I noticed, leaving the airport was the, literally, "breathtaking" weather. The following months were constantly hot and dry which lead to fires, of which you may have read in one of the last issues of "inside". That was a really extreme situation for me, because I never experienced something like this before and it really felt a bit surreal to be that close to such a disaster. I noticed one more time that it is very important to realize that God is bigger than all of this, and to trust him in this situation.

A constant part of my daily life are the outreaches with the "Cream and Sugar" trailer in Austin. Every outreach is something special to me and it is awesome to spend time with the homeless, listen to their stories and to share something myself. I remember one situation during my first outreach when a man, who joins us on a regular basis, said he experienced God for the first time during the worship service. This "little" incident showed me that we really have great opportunities and that God is using us in order to change hearts and lives.

It is very helpful for me to live with Chris. He is a participant of the "LIFE-Training". He joined us one year ago, left his old life on the streets and started anew again. Besides the outreaches, I spend most of my working time with him. At the moment we are renovating our new "community house", taking out the floor and fixing the walls. Although the work requires a lot of patience sometimes it is really fun to work there with a view of the end-result.
In this time God has lead me to new depths and meets me in new ways. For me it is awesome to invest in a year for God, not being distracted but being focused. It is great to experience how God stands with me in my decision to be here. Gods influence has been apparent in getting my visa, finding friends and feeling totally comfortable.
I also have been blessed financially. I recently received approval for a German financial support program, which is really helping me. I previously have enjoyed blessings in regards to finances. This is truly awesome! It is really encouraging to me. It is so great to be on a journey with God!

Thank you!

We're so excited about God's faithfulness and your support! End of July we moved the new community house onto our property and today we already have half of the finances we need for the renovation and the set up of the infrastructure. This is so encouraging.
A big THANK YOU for your generosity and continual assistance in that project!

Your HELP for all Nations Team