Reflections of a Summer with the Nations

In some ways it is sad that the Global Student Program has ended, especially since we don't know when we might be able to see our new friends again.  But in many ways, it is a joy to reflect on all that God did this summer and that we got to be a part of it.  I am having a really hard time deciding what to write or what story to share that will best capture the summer, our experiences, what we did, what we learned, and how all of us are walking away different in some way.  I think that the best I can do for now is share some pictures and a few stories and hope that in some way this will give a glimpse of what this summer was like for us.  Get ready for several pics!

We spent most of this summer in the book of Philippians- studying, memorizing and applying it.  I was really impacted by this study, and I know that I wasn't alone in that.  Constantly I heard students and staff referring to the things they were learning and how they were growing through their study. I can definitely relate to Paul when he says in Philippians "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you..."  I am so thankful for these people that we got to work with this summer!

We learned so much this summer from some amazing speakers.  Pictured above is us with Jim Downing, the oldest living Navigator and definitely one of the most wise.  One of the goals of the summer was to train and develop staff and students in heart, vision, and skill so they could go back to their home countries more equipped to labor.  

Of course, we did lots of fun stuff together.  One of my favorite things to do is to host people in our home.  One night I had all the ladies over to have some quality girl time and it was so much fun!  I had plans for swimming and games but of course we just ended up talking and sharing life the whole time.  I grew to love these women so much this summer!  Pictured above is Naitu (Kenya), Tisa (Canada), Kavee (Kenya), Lindsay (Colorado), me, Mary (Colorado) and Zhetu (South Africa).

By far one of the best fun days was our trip to see the Colorado Sky Sox.  I've never had more fun at a baseball game in my life!  (Now remember, this was most of GSP's first time to go to a baseball game ever).  To start, we all got free baseball gloves.  Since it was Navigator Night at the stadium, we also had a box we could go up and watch from and get free drinks.  Plus it was 50 cent hot dog day!  All that was good, but the best part was that for some reason our group singled out Charlie Blackmon as their favorite and cheered for him the whole game.  Now, when I say cheer I don't just mean a little "Go Charlie" here and there.  I mean loud, continuous hollering and African chanting like baseball has never seen before.  I couldn't tell if Charlie liked it or not, but at the end he scored the winning run and had us all on the field to celebrate and get signed baseballs and take pictures.  

Pictured above, looking at the camera and holding our free baseball gloves- me, Tisa (Canada), Lydia (Alabama), Jemimah (Kenya).  These women are amazing and I loved every moment that I got to spend with them this summer!

You know who we are!

I love this picture!  Pictured above is Xiaosong (China), Lazzy (South Africa), and Winda (Indonesia).  

Pictured above is Princess (Ghana) and me with Sox the Fox!  Princess and I spent a lot of time together this summer and she is a joy to be with.  Her name is a perfect fit for her too!

 This is Andy and Ben (Scotland).  They spent a ton of time together this summer and grew very close.  I think we were able to be a blessing in Ben's life over the summer and he definitely was in ours.  

 

And here we are with the famous Charlie!!

Another highlight this summer was international dinners where each country represented had an opportunity to share food, culture, and ministry stories.  We learned so much about each other and grew in our understanding and awe of what God is doing all over the world.  It is so easy to forget that He is bigger than what is going on in our individual lives.  Pictured above is some of the women from Africa Night, Kedi (South Africa), Thato (South Africa), Jemimah (Kenya), Mercy (Kenya) - aren't they beautiful?!

Luke (Australia) and Andy.  These guys played a ton of chess this summer!  Not only that, but they connected deeply on a spiritual level and grew very close.  Luke starts University soon and we can't wait to visit him when we get to the South Pacific, and we are excited to see how God uses his life!

Nii Ayi (Ghana), Efrian (Mexico) and Lazzy (South Africa) on the way to the top of Pikes Peak.  Such cool guys who grew so much this summer!

Sami (Jordan), Ben (Scotland), Sam (Wisconsin), Andy, Pete (Colorado), and Xiaosong (China).  

Andy and Lazzy (South Africa), who Andy so enjoyed spending time with this summer and driving all around Colorado Springs!

Rebeca (Mexico) and me.  I love this girl!  She is beautiful inside and out and God did some huge things in her life this summer and she will never be the same!  It was a joy to be a part of her life. 

Yep, that's us again :)

Winda (Indonesia), Mary (Colorado), Zhetu (South Africa), and me.  Each of these women hold a special place in my heart!

Below, our final banquet... tears...

Us with Mike and Chris Treneer.  Mike, the international president of The Navigators, shared with us at our final banquet about our calling to make disciples of all nations.  It was an amazing way for us to be sent back home, inspired and enabled by what God has called us to do.  One of mine and Andy's highlights this summer was that we got to live with the Treneers for 5 days- what an amazing couple!  We feel like we learned so much from them just observing how they lived life and loved each other. We wouldn't trade that time for anything.

And that's all for now.  Thanks for taking the time to learn a little more about our summer!  

Standing on the Promises

Throughout our time here at GSP we have been incredibly blessed by the various input that we've received. Shortly after the students arrived we heard briefly from our International President, Mike Treneer. I've been really blessed by his teaching and input over the years, and this was no exception. He shared how very often in these settings (conferences, summer training programs, etc.) people have "mountaintop" experiences where they feel like if they just would put out their hands they could touch God. However, he shared, very often after people leave these settings and return to "normal life" they can descend into the valley having the same struggles that they had before, and the mountain tops can make the valleys seem even deeper. This leads to a rollercoaster experience of the Christian life. Mike shared that this had been his experience, and it has been mine to. (I'll share personally, but the main thoughts and ideas here are Mike's).

I've had many "mountaintop" experiences in my Christian life thus far. I can remember many of them very vividly. I've also experienced many "valleys" and know the sting of defeat and the disillusionment that follows. Often on these mountaintops we make promises to God: "God, I'll never do this again" or "I promise to only live for you each and ever moment of the rest of my life" and on and on and on. All too often, in my own life and in the lives of friends that I know and love, these promises can become the standing of our faith. We can think well I know I'm growing in my walk with God because, well look at the promises I've made. Or I must be a committed follower look at all the promises I've made.

Then when we leave these peaks and resume our normal lives, we realize we can't keep these promises and we feel even worse. "Wow, I must really be horrible if I can't do this or continue doing that." And we experience the rollercoaster. As Mike shared about this he also shared the story where he really felt confronted by the Lord about this. He was in a place where a close friend of his had died and he felt he needed to pray and recommit himself (i.e. make a new promise to God). He felt like the Lord was saying to him, it's not about your promises, but about the promises I've given you! How amazing, that the basis of our life stands not on our promises to God but on His promises to us!!!

Mike shared that he still experiences highs and lows, but that in the midst of them he has learned to look not to his words to God, but on God's Word to him! I was so blessed and encouraged by this. I've found myself thinking on this again and again throughout the past weeks. I'm reminded of one of my favorite passages of Scripture: one that Kathryn and I had read at our wedding and one that I pray through and think on often.

"And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul." - Jeremiah 32:38-41

What strikes me about this passage is how all of the "they wills" (what God's people will do, their promises so to speak) flow from the "I wills" of the passage (what God is promising to do). I find myself standing on these promises often, preaching the gospel to myself from this passage (truly these promises find their fulfillment through the life, death, resurrection, exaltation and soon coming return of Christ)! This message from Mike has been a huge blessing to Kathryn and I this summer as we continue to wait for our visas and pour out our lives to these fantastic internationals here in Colorado! I hope it is a blessing to you as well.

Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs

It was just last Saturday afternoon (the 24th) when we noticed some billows of smoke in the distance.  Having lived in Iowa the past several years, we didn't think too much of it- probably just a little fire somewhere in the forest, right?

We then got news that the fire was in Waldo Canyon, which is really close to The Navigator Headquarters and Conference Center at Glen Eyrie (a beautiful historical monument in Colorado Springs- check out our earlier Blog Post "Getting Started" to see some pics of the Glen and it's castle). We also learned that the fire was a bigger deal than we realized, covering 300 acres on the first day.  The Global Student Program as well as all other Navigator staff were evacuated off of the Glen Eyrie property.

Not only was Glen Eyrie at risk, but so was Eagle Lake, our Navigator summer camp for kids.  Pictured above is a view of the fire from Eagle Lake. By Tuesday morning, the fire covered about 5,000 acres and by Tuesday evening it covered around 16,000 acres (it tripled in one day).  For several days, over 1200 firemen and women came from all over the US to fight the fire, which was deemed the highest priority fire in the US.

Pictured above is a helicopter dropping 400 gallons of water into the fire over and over again.  There were also C-130's dropping flame retardant into the worst areas.  The smoke got really really bad over the course of the week.  We have never experienced anything like it and several people were sent to the hospital because of it (none from our group).

Above is a picture from Tuesday, when the fire breached the ridge and raced down toward the city.  This was the scariest day by far.  The following pictures were taken in the midst of these neighborhoods being evacuated, many were scrambling to grab things and get out of the city.  Within an hour over 20,000 additional people were evacuated from their homes. 

Above is a picture of the smoke covering the sky and the sun (which at several points throughout the evening looked blood red). 

When the fire went over the ridge, people had only minutes to evacuate from their homes because the fire was moving so fast.  Pictured above are homes burning from about 10 miles away.  Around 350 homes were burned down in the fire, including the homes of 9 Navigator Staff (one being the US President of The Navigators).  Several businesses were also lost, including The Flying W Ranch.  

Miraculously, in the middle of thousands and thousands of acres of burning forest, Glen Eyrie and the main section of Eagle Lake remained untouched.  We are rejoicing over God's protection of our Navigator property, but are mourning with so many who have lost everything that they own.  We have been reminded and are thankful that in Christ we are storing up treasures in Heaven that moth, rust and fire cannot destroy.  Though we are definitely thankful that God protected our buildings, we feel so blessed to be a part of a ministry that isn't made up of buildings but rather is made up of people.

GSP in the Midst of the Fire

In the midst of everything, it was amazing to watch God provide for the GSP.  Just as a reminder, GSP is made up of Navigator staff and students from 12 countries around the world. Can you imagine being away from your home country only to find yourself in a foreign nation currently in the middle of it's #1 natural disaster at the time?  Students were scared, parents were concerned and our GSP director had a lot of big decisions to make.  However, the fellowship, spiritual conversations and unity that came about were amazing and truly a blessing.  

We found great comfort in Psalm 121 which says "I lift my eyes up to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber... The LORD will keep you from all evil, He will keep your life.  The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."  As we looked to the hills and saw the fire, we had confidence and assurance in the promises of God.

We were displaced on Saturday and headed toward a church to stay for the night.  However, that church was then evacuated and we were sent to another church where GSP and Eagle Lake counselors spent the night.  The next day all of our staff and students were placed in different homes where they have all been until today (they finally got to move back onto the Glen today!).  

Throughout this week several businesses provided an abundance of food for us, and we were able to carry on with the program as normally as we could.  Below are some pictures of the food God provided for us, for free! We still heard from our regularly scheduled speakers including Jim Downing, Paul Stanley, Randy Raysbrook and so on.  Teams were still meeting in their host homes for Bible Studies, One on Ones, etc. A group of 12 of us even got to help Jerry and Jane Bridges clean their home after the smoke cleared out!  That was a treat!

Yesterday GSP began to clean up at the Glen.  It has been a lot of hard work getting the smoke out and getting the conference center ready for business, but our staff and students have been working hard to serve in whatever way we can.  Thanks for all your prayers for our safety, provision and protection- God has answered!

We are incredibly thankful for the firefighters, policemen, and other officials who risked their lives to protect us and so many!  We are also thankful for the businesses and families that sacrificed to graciously provide for us! 

A Taste of America

We took the GSP group to play mini golf last week during our fun night.  Most of the group had never done anything like it before- it was such a good bonding experience!  It is so funny how people from all over the world can get frustrated with this sport :)

This was our team for mini golf- Naitu (Kenya), Zethu (South Africa), Thato (South Africa), me and Andy (yep, only guy who made the team)- posing in front of the Statue of Liberty.  

Everyone's favorite part was the batting cages!  Now, this is a good American experience!  Pictured above is Ben from Scotland- he was a pro!

Andy and I took the group on a hike up the canyon to the punch bowls.  It is a beautiful hike and we had lots of great photo opps along the way.  The punch bowls are pools of freezing water from melted snow that flows down from the top of the mountain.  Several people took a short swim in them!

Lastly, this is our program director Drew and Nii Ayi who is from Ghana at Baskin Robins enjoying a taste of America  :)

We  been here at GSP for 2 weeks now and we are amazed how well we have gotten to know and love these students and staff already!  From what we have experienced so far, we feel like there probably isn't a better way for us to get such hands on training for the diverse mission field at the University of the South Pacific.  Also, the input and training that these staff and students are receiving this summer is just awesome.  Tonight we will be hearing from Jim Luebe, the US Collegiate Director of The Navigators (the single largest entity of all the Navigator work) on "The Great Commission" and how we all are called to be a part of it.  If you think about it, please pray for me (Kathryn) as I will be sharing my testimony as to how God put the nations and the great commission on my heart. Pray that it will be an encouragement to those who hear!

Getting Started!

We arrived in Colorado Springs late Sunday night and have begun to welcome students from all over the world to the Global Student Program!  It has been an exciting time! There are already students here from Mexico, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada and the US.  We have had so much fun getting to know them already!  I had a great conversation today at the soccer field with a student from Kenya who grew up in Tanzania as a missionary kid- amazing!  She shared with me that this summer she really wants to get to know God in a deeper way and she is hungry to have more time in His Word.  Having grown up in a Christian home she feels that her faith is just beginning to become her own.  I am excited to see what God does in her life this summer!  Please join us in praying for each of these students, that they will grow deeply in their relationship with God and that they will experience deep friendship and community with each other despite their cultural differences.  Pray also that God will raise up laborers from among these students to take His gospel into the nations!
We are getting to experience a beautiful picture of the body of Christ this summer!  "...and behold, a great multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb..."

Here is a sneak peak of where these students will be living and where we will be working this summer...

Nav Headquarters at Glen Eyrie.  I love this place!  Hmm, which direction should we go...

This is just outside the Carriage House where students tend to hang out, read, or spend time with the Lord.

This is Glen Eyrie Castle- isn't it beautiful!  Students will eat here often and some will even work here.  It is also nice to get some one on one or small group time on the castle terrace.

Stepping into the Blogging World

We have wanted a blog for a long time but have delayed stepping into the blogging world because we wanted our blog to be just right.  Finally, after much time, preparation and hard work, we deleted everything we had done and started over today!  So here it is, fresh from the presses- our first blog post!

Since this is our first time to blog, it was hard to know what to write about.  Do we share about our ministry and ways God is graciously using weak vessels like us?  Do we share about our lives and our family of two and the quirky things that we do together?  Do we share about our travels, or our hobbies and interests?  After much debate we finally decided- let's just do all of it!  It is too hard to separate all these different things going on in the life of the Iversens, and we know that God doesn't separate them- He is with us through it all!

A verse that would sum up the season of life that we are in is Psalm 31:14-15a "But I trust You Lord.  I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hands."  We are in route to The University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji with The Navigators, however we are waiting for our visas to come through.  As we are waiting, God has given us the opportunity to work in Colorado Springs this summer with college students from all over the world at a program called Global Student Program.  We trust God will use this time to continue to prepare us for what He has in store for us in the future.  So, that's where we are starting and we will work hard to keep you in the loop of our lives.  The Iversen Times truly are in God's hands!