Home again yet still a stranger.

I am home safe and sound yet different from when I left. The World Cup is over. While traveling home on the plane from Germany and thinking of all the different memories and experiences this past month, one prominent thought came through from Psalm 119:19. “I am a stranger on earth…”

In some instances, while talking with people from around the world about Jesus and his teachings, people looked at me like I was crazy. I felt like Peter when he wrote in 1 Peter 4:4,

“They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation…”

After touching down on the first leg of my plane trip back to Virginia Beach, I saw a lady in the airport wearing a T-shirt that read; “Is this what I got out of bed for?” For a moment, I wondered, what message or hope will restore this world again?

I was reminded on the next plane. In God’s divine seating chart, I was placed alongside a German family traveling to my same city hometown where they have been assigned to live for a 3-year mission. I was able to build a relationship with them and share what I had been doing in their country this past month. My spirits soared as I was able to give them a copy of the JESUS film for kids and a soccer testimony DVD to their 10 year old son who was more then happy to receive it.

While on this trip I gained a desire to pray more often for the residents that do call earth their home. As a willing stranger I want to continue to love others and like Peter again in 1 Peter 4:6,

“For this reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.” I know there is no spirit like the spirit of God. All good things come from Him. I cannot wait till I get home. For if I am servant of the Lord, my home cannot be anywhere else then with Him.

Thank you to the many different people that stayed up to date on our bus team and who prayed for the Athletes in Action World Cup. Those prayers were so valuable to our trip. I pray you were encouraged by this blog of what God did. I’m glad we could all share in it together.

Zach

Thoughts on the World Cup

France versus Italy for the championship this coming Sunday that comes around only every four years. Did you pick them to be in it? How did your team do? (Since, my team is the US team, I have had more time than others to work through the grieving process, especially the Germans who saw their team depart heroically two nights ago in the final minute of overtime.) What fun to support and cheer on your team on this grand international stage!

Being in Germany this past month, I have been in restaurants, city centers, Fifa fan fests, youth parks, peoples’ homes and churches, experiencing the magnitude of the World Cup and how it has captured this particular society at this moment in time. I have seen faces painted, banners raised, songs created, parties started on every game day and location. I have laughed and experienced joy in places I never thought possible over a game. As the Cup runneth down and not over in these final days these experiences are evaporating literally from the front pages, magazines, TV stations and notably, peoples hearts and passions.

I cannot help but ask my Savior, “What does it look like for every tribe, tongue and nation to raise the banner for you, to sing the songs of praise for you, to throw all day parties in your honor, in those very same bars, parks and homes? What does it look like to delight ourselves and give all that we have for something better? What does it even look like for people to know there is something better? Better yet am I convinced?”

My feeble mind at times looks to the seen rather then the unseen. I have seen the power that idols can have, this month more so then others, and in myself more so then others. I have come to understand though, that power has borders, and anything with borders can be defined. Our Lord’s power is border-less and limitless. It is true, his power is not always seen but always the one that wins in the end. The World Cup or much of anything else is usually not the problem to this perspective but in how we abuse these things in our own hearts, the place that we try and will them too.

I am suprised in how I have transferred or changed my perspective in each time I have found my heart inching closer to these worldly things back to God and saw something new or more wonderful about His character. I want to fall for Him and nothing else for eternity, ever four years just does not cut it. My prayer is the same for all of us, especially me.

Zach

Pray for the final closing ceremonies this Friday for the Kickoff organization that we would be able to see what worked well and hear amazing stories and learn from our mistakes. Several big name soccer stars will be sharing.

End of the Road (Bus Tour)

Hello everyone (to all who have prayed and supported us),

Our team is done and had an amazing final three days in Berlin and Chemnitz, Germany. We finished strong and our team was unified through the end. In our 21 days on tour and 12 locations we had over 4,100 people come through our bus or play in our street soccer unit. That does not count an estimated 10,000 people who walked by or received a a soccer-ministry DVD or Bible. We have had numerous follow-ups from the churches we worked with, one reporting up to 150 new FAMILY CONTACTS in their area due to our bus being in their communities. THIS is a HUGE PRAISE and help to the churches in Germany. Without your prayers and giving this would not be possible!

In the beginning of this tour we looked back to Paul and his four misionary journeys. We asked what made them successful? We discovered it was the quality of the company he took with him (God brought together and amazing team), the power he relied on (God and His Spirit versus our own strength), and the message he brought, (the gospel). We made these principles a point to remember and apply in all circumstances. At our debriefing dinner we all agreed that God had worked in our own lives as well as accomplishing the mission with the vision of the tour bus.

Please pray for the churches in Germany that the country that bore the reformation would again awaken and arise to something more then a World Championship but to their loving King, Jesus and that our small yet significant trip with our Bus would have eternal impact!

I am now traveling the country with two other AIA staff doing our own personal ministry which I will still update here till the end of the World Cup. As the German national team is still in the competition this gives the churches to continue their outreaches in continuing to show games in their churches and having special events, pray for these encounters to soften the hard reputation of Christians and the Church in the country!

~Zach

The Final Stretch…Bus tour

We had another good day here in Paderborn. A highlight for our team was the kids who came today, some of the most enthusiastic of our whole trip! They were clamoring to get into the bus and onto the street soccer court all day. Now three weeks into the trip the 2-hour setup can sap the energy out of you, so the reaction of these kids was rewarding.

Back at the church tonight we took time to pray for the kids. Most of them had come from communities not open to church or had parents who were highly skeptical. In our devotion a couple of days ago, our bus team looked at the power of God. Some questions we pondered included, “Do we really believe that God can change people’s hearts?” and “Does the gospel really have the power to change this world?”

It’s been tiring going from community to community. Currently, we all wish to finish well in these last three days in Berlin, a city that is evolving more so than any other city in Germany.

Please pray for our team that we would not only bring smiles and a fun easy going energy to these next sites, but believe in our hearts God has the power to do immeasurably more then we could ever hope for!

~Zach

On the Road again…Bus tour making way to Berlin

We now have 10 team members with two late additions in Adrienne and Brad Bartz helping our team in the last stage of the tour. The last two days we have been in Brauwnschweig in the city center. Our street soccer tournament there was sponsored by Joey’s pizza, a major chain in Germany, that gave away free pizza all day!

We have had excellent opportunities to talk with people of other faiths and give numerous soccer DVDs and Bibles away. We’ve seen several people take these items, go to a park bench and explore through them for the next hour! Who knows the ripple effect these tools will have.

The churches continue to be impressed by our spirits and believe that us coming to them will give provide numerous contacts to follow up with when were gone.

Now our team makes its way to Berlin and finishes up in Chemintz on June 29th.

Continue to pray for our strength and the power from God and his gospel to change hearts and to refresh us every day!

~Zach

Cologne Bus Tour update

It is our last day in Cologne. I am writing from the city center in an internet cafe.

In less then one hour we gave over 350 DVDs and 100 Bibles away! Today there is a match in the city of Cologne, England vesus Sweden. The city is bursting at the seams with people and there is already a German match being played in Berlin to add to the mayhem. We have been amazed by what God has done in the last three days here.

We have had several conversations with people about faith, spirituality and the person of Christ. Most are suprised yet grateful that we are here and have enjoyed talking with our staff. Tonight we plan to watch the game in several open-screen cafes and cheer on the teams. This is by far the most hectic area we have been to, but our team is more composed, more dependent on each other and God to work through all the snags and holdups each new location brings.

Please continue to pray for unity and for visible works of God to encourage us during hard times. I cannot convey the blistering pace we are on, the energy required, or the trust we need in God to be effective! ~Zach

Cologne

Today our bus team will arrive in Cologne one of the 12 hosting cities, that are hosting games in their stadiums. Each of these cities has setup FIFA fan camps or festivals with big screens to allow those without tickets to enjoy the games. Our bus team will be right in the middle of that action. Today could prove to be one of our busiest days.

Meanwhile, our team is so thankful on the many different families of churches that have partnered with us. They’ve provided homes for us to sleep in, huge meals and have driven us to and from our bus, helping us get to our new location on time.

Please pray for today that the bulk DVDs and Bibles would find the right hands. Also, today we are on our own. There will be no church to help us set up or give things out. Our team of eight will have to really work together. We are a little over half way on this trip and spirits are as good as can be expected, there is a strong belief and faith in what we are doing! Thanks to everyone that continues to pray for us!

~Zach

Frankfurt again!

Our bus team arrived last night outside Frankfurt and we have a beautiful location to set up in the middle of the city of Oberhousen. We enjoyed our day off in Stuttgart two days ago and were able to enjoy the activities of the FIFA fan camp and watch the game on the big screen with 20,000 Germans in the city center.

Mattias Hipp, the last addition to our team, has finally joined us giving us eight again. His help is much needed in the continual setup and take down of the street soccer court, huge tent, sound and video systems. It takes our team about two hours to move all the equipment from our traliler and set it up properly. We continue to be well recieved by the churches and communities who say our presence is helping them in ways unseen to us.

After two days in Frankfurt we move on to Koln where we will be in an actual FIFA fan camp which is sure to be our busiest day. Pray that our interactions with the German people and the materials we pass out will be used. Our team is starting to jell, understanding our strengths, weaknesses and trusting God for his comfort and power.

~Zach

FIFA fan camp in Stuttgart

A Day Off

Our Tour Bus team just finished 4 straight days in the Stuttgart area. We worked with two churches and setup in city centers and near a school one day where hundreds of kids came out. We continue to be amazed at the passion of the churches here to reach their communities. Some of them have really organized and mobilized so well for this event. We saw several members of the church working all day in the 90 degree sun handing out The Prize DVDs and signing up the youth for our street soccer court.

Please continue to pray for our team. Picture a rock group on tour, except they are not only in charge of the show but also the setup and takedown of their equipment. It can become quite tiring. We have had some excellent morning-team devotionals reminding us to rejoice in everything even when our plans are disrupted! Today is our day off and we plan to spend it together in Downtown Stuttgart! Thanks to everyone who is keeping posted on this remarkable tour!

~Zach

Munich to Stuttgart in 3 days

Over 40 soccer matches have been played on our street soccer court in three days. More than 300 hundred kids and teenagers have gone through our tour bus, playing video games and conversing with our ministry team. These tools have provided amazing access to the people of the towns we have interacted with.

June 8-9 we were in Munich which hosted the opening match. We could see the stadium where the game was being played in the distance. A church we're partnering with in Munich asked us to set up in a rough part of town, an area they have never really tried to reach out to before. Our location proved to be very challenging- working with troubled youth in the area. At the end of the day, we invited the team that won the soccer tournament to come back to the church and watch the opening game with us. To our AMAZEMENT the whole team of five showed up.

Our team of eight was encouraged to see lives being changed, God at work after just one day.

Please Pray that we would work out the kinks in logistics and set up in each location. This is the beginning of the tour and each location provides new challenges. Managing the field and playstations with the hundreds of kids that want to be involved is quite a feat!

Pray for our team. We have worked long hard days. Pray we would continue to serve with Joy despite frustrations in difficult setups and not knowing details ahead of time.

~Zach