Le temp et arriver

Hey all,
I want to begin by first thanking everyone for keeping me in prayers and for supporting me on this missions trip back to Gabon.  I just finished my Spring Semester of my Junior year at Toccoa Falls College, thank goodness exams are over :)  I can hardly believe it, but I leave in exactly 9 days for Gabon.  WOW, it's been a process, but God is faithful and le temp et arriver (the time has come).  Most of the monies needed for my trip have come in, I still lack a few hundred dollars.  Thank you once again for those who have contributed-May God bless you even more for you kind hearts.  I'm heading back up to Pennsylvania on Monday to spend some time with my Girlfriends family and with my Grandparents and then flying out next Friday from Pittsburgh.  Please keep up with me in my summer events as I will be adding more posts to my blog weekly.  Love you all and God Bless.

Eric

Praise the Lord

Hey all,
wow I'm very sorry that I have not written a new post in a long long time.  Well I guess a general update which most already know, is that I have my plane ticket for Gabon this summer.  That's a huge praise!  I've also been able to raise most of my funds for the summer, I still need $1300 to complete it, but God will provide.  I just received some Evangelism soccer balls to do a sports ministry this summer in a village in Gabon, so keep in your prayers as I try to set up a soccer evangelism opportunity.  School is going well and I only have about a month left, which means time is flying by.  Soon I'll be on my plane to Gabon and kicking it off with Envision.  I had an opportunity to go to Nevada to do some rock climbing with a friend, and I had a great time catching up with some close friends.  I was reminded in chapel today at school that our trials we encounter are strengthening opportunities in our faith in Christ.  The speaker used the example of iron that is refined over and over again to remove the impurities, and the more impurities that are removed from the metal, the stronger that metal is.  Like that metal being refined, we encounter trials that refine us and remove/teaching us lessons and strengthening our relationship and faith to Christ.  So take heart in whatever you may be encountering at this moment.  James 1:2- "But count it all joy when you fall into various trials."

In Christ,

Eric

Summer Update

Friends and Family

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains." Colossians 4:2-3.

Thank you all so much for devoting yourselves in prayer and giving toward my missions trip to Gabon this summer; God has truly blessed me with amazing friends who are willing to give for Him.  Currently I have recieved $1000 and I still need $3000 before the 18th of May in order for this trip to take place. Please continue to lift me up in prayer for this upcoming summer and thank you all for considering this.

I trust God in all he is doing and pray the same for you.

Sincerely,

Eric Bill

Summer Trip

Hey all,
I'm trying to raise funds for my summer trip back to Gabon.  If you'd like to contribute and help me out on this, let me know and I"ll get you the information.  I'm hopefully planning on leaving May 18, but I guess that will depend on how finances are, please join me by praying that monies will come in to cover my expenses for the summer.  I"m getting excited for what the Lord is going to do through me in Gabon.  Thanks everyone and God Bless.

Eric

I want to be like Paul!

So I"m flying back to Atlanta from visiting my brother in Kansas City, and I did my devotions this mornings at 6 am, nice and early :)  Anyways, I read in Philippians 1 which was really awesome.  Paul shows in verses 3-4  how much he is thankful for his friends and prays for them and lifts them up before the Lord.  "I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy."  I just read somewhere like either in Psalms or Corinthians (I can't remember), that we should bear one another's burdens.  That act of love for one another is important and we should lift one another up in prayer all the time.  Then in Philippians 1:12-14, Paul talks about the things that have happened to him in jail and how he has influence other cell-mates and palace guards toward the gospel of Christ.  -And he goes on to say that those who have become believers in the jail are now more bold to speak about Christ.  I look at Paul and that's the testimony and witness I want to have.  I want to be a living testimony of Christ's love to the point where it influences others and encourages other believers to be stronger in their faith-Don't you!   Later on Paul describes his feelings for being torn of this world and not of this world.  Paul shows us that he would rather be in heaven with Christ because it is FAR BETTER than this world, but at the same time, he knows he needs to be on earth because there are lots who still have not heard the good news of Jesus Christ.    

How great it will be in Heaven :)    I want to be more like Paul

Barnabas Group

Yesterday was the kickoff for my 2nd semester Barnabas group.  This is the first time for me to lead this group of guys, but all them I have played with on the TFC soccer team.

Last semester my friend Travis was leading, but told me ahead of time that this semester he couldn't due to his student teaching at another school-so he asked if I would take on the challenge.  After praying for a few weeks and pondering about what I would do, I sensed a bit of a push and challenge from the Lord and of my own desire to go ahead with this.  Thankfully, I somewhat knew what I wanted to pursue in these group of guys, and Barnabas group on Thursday fit just right.

I guess I have categorized this years "theme" in my walk with the Lord as He has repeatedly brought up in the past few months, as being INTENTIONAL to practice offering myself daily to the Lord.  By this, being REAL and open with the Lord to be dependent on His Spirit to convict, guide, lead, speak, empower  .  The whole practicing to reflect each day on what the Lord has opened my heart and eyes too.  Giving my time to share, encourage, reflect with other brothers and sisters in Christ is a way in which we worship the Lord and sometimes I feel that many of us yearn for this opportunity, if only someone would be willing to listen.

I hope for this Barnabas group to come to that point where they are comfortable in sharing their thoughts, feelings, struggles, convictions, questions, and amazing things God is doing in their lives with others in the group.  I know that there are some who desire this opportunity to simply want to share the awesome things God has been teaching them.  A verse I read not long ago reminded me that my relationships with my friends is up to me to be there for them.  Galations 6:3 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  "Love your neighbor as yourself!"

Well that's just a bit of what my Barnabas group is going to be focusing on this semester.

Buffalo Bills

Well my vacation in Congo is just about to end! I"ve been in the Rep. of Congo since December 11 spending Christmas break with my family.  I had another amazing trip with my dad hunting out on the safari plains.  This ended up being one of the biggest hunts of my life as my father and I took down 3 buffalo in the first day of hunting.  But what makes me reflect more on this day is how AWESOME the Lord answers the littlest of our prayers.  Before we set out to go hunting, my father and I sat down and just spent some time in prayer for the safety of out hunt and to actually find some buffalo.  Sure enough, we came back with 3!  hahhahaha, the Lord is GOOD and enjoys to give us our desires-even buffalo :)  So be encouraged to bring everything before the Lord in prayer, even if you seem it is ridiculous.

Bill out