water, hamburgers and sun burns

So yesterday was really fun as well. William,this boy that lives next door...went to church with me. This is his second time, he seems to like it. Then we stopped by Taco Bell and we talked about the sermon. The sermon was about Grace and he really seemed to understand it...really smart kid. So then he came over to do some watercolor and play some pool and stuff, he liked that, we usually play basketball but it was just wayy to hot to be outside without water. SO then William and his 3 sisters Carmen, Vanessa, and Angie came with us staff to our BBQ that we had over at Sam's apartment. We did some swimming in the pool.That was lots of fun. I threw William quite a bit in the pool and showed off my strength.. After a couple of housrs of swimming we got out and ate some hamburgers and hot dogs. William and his sister Vanessa and Katie, Rich's daughter...really really wanted to go back to the pool. So I said..fiiine..really didn't want to, especially didn't want to get wet, but I went anyways because no one else would. SO they got in the pool and I stayed back and they kept trying to splash me and they kept trying to push me in the pool. Each of them kept getting out of the pool. Then all of a sudden..after like 30 minutes of them trying to do this, somehow they all got out of the pool at the same time and totally pushed me in the pool shirt and all!...Those kids, I wasn't really mad, I was pretty impressed, I really didn't think they'd get me in. It was a really good time. It was cool to have Carmen and Angie and Vanessa around other girls and mingle and stuff. We played 20 questions which apparently I play it wrong...I play it where you pick something and they got 20 questions to get it. The way they play I guess is you just ask someone 20 questions about themselves as a kinda get to know you game thing...I like my game better. I really love being a part of their family and I feel that party was a really important ingredient of ministering to their family. I have been hanging out with William a lot, and Carmen has been around our building volunteering for different things, but it was cool to have the whole family out, hopefully, God willing they will all come to church and youth group with me. The staff really liked how I am with the kids...I was like...well they are just really good kids and I love them. God has definitely given me a father heart. I have been the replacement for many young boys' life's..its one of the things I love to do and am really excited that my friendship with William is starting to have fruit. His dad is gone, in Central America..not sure if he is coming back, its a chance...but while he's gone I'm here. It is really cool that he is right next door. Literally he is like 5 feet from the base. It is really handy like now when I am really busy he can just pop in and say hi or I can find him outside playing basketball and bug him for a few minutes. I would hate to not be in his life everyday which I pretty much am. Thank God for the callings He puts on us. You give good gifts God!

first outreach of the summer!

So this weekend was really crazy and full, but wayy awesome! Sam and Beth and I prepared an amazing spread for brunch including waffles, fruit, muffins and awesomeness...then we packed up and headed to red rocks for some intense sweaty hiking. I didn't really feel like goin to Church after a long day of hiking in the heat, but I felt it was right to go anyways and I 'm really glad I did. Pastor Johnathan talked about how God is way more concerned with our hearts than with our works. He gave the analogy of the pomegranate tree; how it takes them 4 years to produce any fruit. sometimes it is like that, we have so much growing to do that we don't have much to show for it for may years...what is more important is cleaning the inside of the cup than the outside.Anyways after that was evangelism which I kinda had a bad attitude about, but that went away quickly. Man that was an awesome time...Paul and I prayed for three people. I believe them to be exactly who we were supposed to talk to. The first guy was this guy named Mike, I have seen him before; he is a street preacher. He was holding a sign that said Hell is a bad place..something like that. Immediately I get a bad taste in my mouth about those guys because the seem self righteous, and sometimes are...but I really felt like I should just go pray for him. I was sooo good, I just told him what I do in the city and told him I was thankful for what he is doing and that I just wanted to bless his work here in the city and he prayed for me and Paul too. Paul then really wanted to go inside the casino at Bilaggio, so we walked around the gaming area for a bit. Paul found this guy who ended up being from Chile. I can't remember his name......anyways, he was really cool, a real pleasant guy, kinda weirded out that we would talk to him, he said people were so much nicer and respectful in America than his country...I was like....um.........ok...not sure if I would agree, but thanks..He told us he was Catholic and that He is mainly Catholic because his family is..but also because God is good. I think he really enjoyed talking to us, he kept thanking us for what we were doing and kept saying that there needs to be more people in Las Vegas like us, he was very edifying! Then we went off walking, walked to the other end of the Billagio past the atrium. It was really cool, because Paul saw this guy sitting by himself and he leaned over to me and said Brett I really think you are supposed to talk to that guy and I will pray for ya. There was one chair open to him and it might be a bit intimidating if two guys come up to him at once..anyways, I started a nice conversation up with him right away. Turns out he's from Kansas City, so we talked about Kansas for a while. Then he asked about what I do so I talked about YWAM and India which he struck interest in and had me write down our website and my email address. I talked about missions and things for like 10 minutes and then I asked him if he was a christian; which made the conversation turn really weird. He said he was a christian, but when I asked him what church he went to, he said he didn't belong to a church because he doesn't believe in it. He said he has seen too many preachers possessed by demons that he doesn't trust that the church. I tried to tell him what I thought about church and that for me church is for the edification of the believers. Everyone, including him, has something to offer to encourage and help others in their journey with Christ. He was talking about some Mormons and Muslims that were both good and bad. He said yes there are some that are possessed by demons, but there are some that are really devout and because they have never known anything else...they will go to heaven because of their dedication...even if they have never heard the good new, which really isn't what the bible says..but we got off that and I tried to encourage him to think about joining a church. He then started saying well maybe I should just start my own church. It could be that he was being sarcastic, but I wouldn't know because I don't understand sarcasm..I was like yeah sure, and he was like maybe you should be my assistant pastor, I was like...well I don't have the pastoral gifting, at least not right now. Then he was like well maybe we can have a bar and slot machines in this church, and I was like..well sure if that's what God is doing sure.. Then he pulled out some verse from 2 Timothy..he asked me if i knew it, I said I had read it which is true because I have read the whole new testament many times. h was like..oh I'm testing your biblical knowledge...which is funny because I looked the verse up later and there is no chapter 5 in 2 Timothy..ha..jokes on him!!! It is 1 Timothy 5:23 which says " no longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequencies infirmities..basically his point was that if you just focus on that verse, they you can do whatever..but that's not really the point of the verse because it is for their physical health, not to get drunk and whatever..but I did agree with him that if you focus on any one verse or part of the bible and hold it over any other parts, it becomes religious which more man made than God made..which isn't really what God wants. Anyways, it ended OK and he thanked me before he left, didn't let me pray for him, but I think he enjoyed the conversation and I did too. Usually when I get into more of a debate rather than just a chill conversation, I get a bit flustered. This time, I was really consumed by God's peace and didn't let frustrations get the best of me. I hope Ed emails me and I get to pour truth into him more. The coolest part of this outreach was that me and Paul were used equally. I picked out the first guy and we both prayed for him. He picked out the second guy and we both talked to him and prayed for him. Then He picked out Ed and I talked to him. I love the tag-team aspect of it...me and Paul were a great team, that doesn't always happen, but it's so good when it does. Then to top it all off I saw my friend Ronoldo in the bathroom at the Billagio, he is the bathroom attendant. I always talk to him and give him whatever cash I have, which isn't ever much, but he is really appreciative. I always ask him how he is doing and he always says ..no good..not very much tips...so I like to bless him..good guy, he's from the Philippines...really nice guy!

summer...........!!! I love Jesus

its soo hot..but thank God for good clean water!!! So the summer staff has arrived and are amazing. I am really looking forward to what God does through us all. Today is our team building day, we spent a couple hours at the park being blindfolded and trying to recite one through ten in alphabetical order. It was much fun, many laughs shared and also some serious bonding. I am hoping to grow in my confidence in the Authority I have in Jesus in all areas...not just with the students and on the strip but around the staff and to my friends and family. I know that by dying to myself, Christ lives in me, giving me the power and Authority of Christ. Sometimes I let my self doubts or my anxiety take control and I don't end up doing anything. I'm sick of taking baby steps back and forth. I am ready to do some serious growing in the lord this summer. Pleas pray for me as I struggle through this journey.