Hitting the Streets...

It´s mid May and we have been going out into the streets of the West End for a few weeks now. We´re out at night from 11:30 pm until 5:00 am (sometimes later), and our goal is to help people. Sometimes that means listening, or praying, and other times that means sitting with them in their vomit because they´ve drunk a little too much. It´s still early on in the Ibiza season, but already things have began to kick-off!

 Last night I was out on the streets with Becky when we ran into two workers who we´d met briefly a few days before. Almost instantly the conversation turned to God, and I was amazed as I got a chance to share my testimony with one of them. I love having chats about God in the West End, and this was a good one! One of the worker´s who I´ll call Trevor was full of questions, and seemed to have a genuine curiosity about God and Christianity. We chatted for a while, and for every question I answered he had ten more. We parted ways before we were able to answer all the deep questions of the universe, but I know that God is doing something in his heart. Since he´s a worker, I´ll see him again, and the chat will continue.

I feel like this season so far has been full of small deep moments where people are pouring out their hearts and asking great questions about God. I love it when people are full of questions, because to me it´s a sign that they´re thinking about God. They´re searching for an understanding of who he is and what that means for their lives. Our prayer is that those questions will lead them to salvation.

 I once heard a pastor say that the truth can stand up to questioning. We believe that God is truth and that
 he´s big enough for all our questions!

It's That Time Again...

Time for another of my monthly newsletter's. This month we've gone for the video update again, so CLICK HERE and check it out!

Here We Go!

It's May 1st which means opening day for us here at 24-7 Ibiza. Today our worker's center opens, and tonight will be out first night out on the streets for the season.

Today I was reading in John, when this verse caught my eye:

"So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was FULL of UNFAILING LOVE and FAITHFULNESS. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son." (John 1:14)

The word full really stuck out to me as I was reading, and it excites me that it's there. Jesus didn't just come with a little unfailing love...no he was full of it! The bible is full of verses that document God's unfailing love towards us, and in 1 John 4:8 we learn that "God is Love".

As I sat and thought about the fact that God came equipped with a vast amount of love for us, it made me realize that if God truly is love, then everything he does he does out of LOVE. I want to strive to do that as well. I want to be full of God's unfailing love, and in all that I do I want to reflect that to people. Not only this summer, but throughout every area of my life.

I'll be praying that God reminds me of that verse when it's 4am and I'm sitting with someone in the west end who's too drunk to tell me what hotel their staying at. And when I get to give out bibles, or pray for people this season, Let it all be done in LOVE!

Hello Jet-Lag My Old Friend...

After 17 hours of flying, I can finally say that I am back in Ibiza again! I arrived on Easter Sunday, just in time to drop my luggage and get ready for church service.

Bye-Bye Las Vegas! 

It seems like a long time to travel, but my flights were actually great. I had two layovers (both one hour long), great seats (all windows towards the front of the plane), and a nice curry dinner!

I'm currently staying with the Clayton's (the leaders of 24-7 Ibiza) at their lovely apartment. I'll be moving into the team apartment in a few weeks. Charlie and Abby have been so gracious, and I've even managed to get Charlie to eat a few all veggie meals!

Just a few days after I arrived it was already time for us to welcome one of our first short term teams of the summer...the prayer team. It's a team that's near and dear to me since my very first trip to Ibiza was as a member of the prayer team in 2009. I love having them here, not just for the prayers they'll pray, but also because it really focuses me on what's coming. The summer isn't all that far off, and this week is really just the beginning.

Me...awake at 3 am...

 I'm nearing the end of my first week on the island, and I'm hoping to get over my jet lag very soon. There's a nine hour time difference between Las Vegas and Ibiza, and as of Friday, I still haven't managed to sleep through the night yet. Fingers crossed that'll happen soon!

That's it for now. If you haven't already, make sure you're signed up for my newsletter. I'll be sending them out once a month while I'm here for the summer. You can sign up by filling out the form on the side bar to the right ----->

Bye for now...

Ready for Your...

I like all kinds of music. The other day I was in the car on the way to work listening to "Ready for your Love" by Gorgon City. As I was driving I zeroed in on the lyrics, and it seriously felt like my heart was singing them!

I'm ready for the start of something new
I'm ready to depart from what made me blue
I'm ready for my heart to let you through
But most of all, most of all...

I'm ready for the rain to pour down on me
I'm ready for a change to come and set me free
I'm ready for my loss to become victory
But most of all, most of all...

I'm ready for your LOVE
I'm ready for your LOVE
I'm ready for your LOVE

And that's just the first verse! If you've been reading this blog, you know how EXCITED I am about heading to Ibiza this summer. I've been thinking a lot about LOVE. Not only about sharing God's LOVE with the people around me, but also about receiving it. I think when we open ourselves to receive God's LOVE in our own lives, it makes us better at actually loving other people.

Let's be honest. It can be hard to accept that LOVE at times. Mostly because our little human minds can't begin to grasp why God would care about us. We look at our own lives and hearts, and we see how often we've failed to do what's right, and we wonder why God doesn't just disown us!

The amazing thing is that even through our failings God shows us great LOVE.

My prayer is that my heart would be open to receive in full all the LOVE that God has for me, so I can turn around and lavish it on everyone I meet...

"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

Mountains in the Distance...

Today marks 10 days until I leave for Ibiza!

Going back stirs up two feelings for me...Excitement and Fear. I'm excited because Ibiza really does feel like my home, and I can't wait to be back there working with 24-7. The fear comes from the unknown things that lie ahead for my Ibiza journey. My goal is still to go to Ibiza full time, but as I stand on the road and look down at the mountains in my way, I'm just not sure how that will ever happen.

Lately I feel God reminding me to keep my focus on today, and to let tomorrow worry about itself! I read this fantastic bit in the "Jesus Calling" devotional:

"You see huge mountains looming, and you start wondering how you're going to scale those heights. Meanwhile because you're not looking where you're going, you stumble on the easy path where I am leading you now...But you don't know what will happen today. much less tomorrow. Our path may take and abrupt turn, leading you away from those mountains. There may be an easier way up the mountain than is visible from this distance... If I do lead you up the cliffs, I will equip you thoroughly for the climb."

It's funny because I read this back in February and wrote about it in my journal, but today I felt God remind me to keep my focus on where my feet are today.

I get so passionate about Ibiza, because there's a fire inside me that just burns for that place! I really believe God planted that love for Ibiza in me, and one day it will be my home. But today I'm reminded to not let the mountains get in my way this summer. I'm going for 3 months and not for good like I would prefer.  But if I keep my focus on what God wants to do in those 3 months, I really do think amazing things can happen.

Why worry about those mountains that are looming in the distance, when the God I serve, who is ALL POWERFUL, could tomorrow decide to level them at my feet!

"He moves mountains before they know what’s happened, flips them on their heads on a whim." - Job 9:5 (The Message)

Poppy in Ibiza 2014 - April Newsletter