hey y'all! i know it's been a while since i last updated everyone. things have been super crazy! =)

so... back tracking a little bit... since taiwan, we've gone on our fall tour, which took us from Minnesota to bits of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ontario Canada. it was waaaay fun and there were certainly good memories of those 3 weeks. here's a tidbit of what went through my mind.

after 23 years, i finally got to visit the niagara falls. totally cheese i know... such a typical tourist thing to do. but. this is what i thought while looking at one of the said wonders of the world. i heard from a few people that the amount of water that's dumped out by the falls can actually be controlled. craziness right? dunno if that's true or not... but the thing is, the niagara falls was created by a God who spoke the thing into existence. and He didn't just stop there... this little planet we call home, amongst the numerous stars, was also spoken into existence. God controls every little thing. and even though we chose to try and control our own lives and sinned against Him, God chose to show a love that still blows me away.

Denny looking out at the falls

Pretty exciting right?! after fall tour ended, we headed back to willmar to participate in 2 CTI projects... the winter calling drive and the CD recording project. here's a snapshot of what occurred in the studio.

guitar gear madness. my rig set up for live mic tracking.

Rachelle laying down scratch keys for a song. Yes, she's standing in a kitchen.

Denny and Dan laying down both drum and bass tracks for a song. I think it was Jars of Clay's "Two Hands"

teams 14:21 and 14:22 collaborated to record 5 songs per team (amongst other things like album art, theme, title, etc...) at studio 14 (aka Chris Reed's house). the album we recorded, titled "Stepping Forward" will be available for purchase sometime late January/February. exciting eh? =)

Recording was a pretty interesting experience. it was fun at times but definitely intense. although i didn't do any singing on this album, there are a number of different guitar tracks i had to lay down. playing in the studio requires every little bit to be perfect: no excess noise b/c the mic will pick it up, no tempo deviations, no mistakes, no nothing. and we definitely strived for that... searching hour after hour for that illusive "it" tone-wise, dealing with a different type of amp and all (fender deville). and at the end of the entire process, a couple of us got to hear a treat. turns out that a couple years ago, Jars of Clay had their pro-tools files for their song "dead man" available for download on the internet. so we got to hear how the pros do it. pretty cool. =)

so now i'm back home in orlando. so if y'all are in town, let's catch up! i'd definitely like to hear about all the great things God has been showing you and doing in your life!

comin' at ya from the other side of the world...

Hey y'all. So we've been in Taiwan since last week and our second week of ministry is quickly coming to a close. Things have been going as well as they could I suppose. There are definitely some things that God has been showing and reminding me of through my time here.

There is one thing that God has constantly reminded me of through the entire time I've been here.

One of the things I noticed as we travel around here is just how dirty everything is. The first day I was here, I was really taken aback by the sights I was seeing and the smells I was smelling. There is this one scooter mechanic's shop we pass by almost everyday as we walk to downtown Dan-shui... and inside of the garage bay, there's just heaps of junk everywhere. Broken scooter parts, cracked pulleys, etc... stuff that in America, I wouldn't hesitate to toss out. And stinky tofu! I had only heard things about it... and as a trained chef, I try to have an open mind to food. But man does that stuff stink! One night, we were just going up and down the night market in Dan-shui, I kept smelling it and was determined to figure out what smelled so bad. And then we passed by the booth and I actually saw people eating it. There's tons more examples of this. And there's some of us on the team who are "going native" with this too as CTI calls it... Just the other day, as we were walking up a mountain to go to a Nursing, Medical, & Management college, it was raining fairly significantly. And one of our team members happened to spot a half ripped and broken umbrella in the midst of some brush in a gutter on the side of the road. And he picked it up and used it. It obviously wasn't worth using... the Taiwanese person who owned it didn't even think it was worth keeping. But this guy was OK using this broken umbrella. And even though the rest of us were telling him that it wasn't worth the effort to continue using it, he wouldn't hear anything of it and used it until we got to the school.

Here's what God showed me and reminds me through these experiences. These people don't see this stuff as junk. They cherish it. They'll keep heaps and piles of it. I can tell them all I want that the things that they have are worthless... and I'm sure that if it came down to it, they'll go out of their way to prove to me that I'm wrong like my teammate did with the umbrella. They'll eat tofu that smells like dead things and they find such joy in it. But if you think about it, how different are they than we are? We cling to things that we think are valuable... maybe it's not material possessions. Maybe it's what we value. Or how we spend our time. And a lot of times, don't we go out of our way to prove people wrong about what they think of our "treasures"?

To tell you the truth, the first few minutes roaming the streets in Dan-shui, I was disgusted by the dirtiness and smelliness of it all. I couldn't believe that people were content living in what I thought was a pretty dirty and ghetto place. Now don't get me wrong, it's not all that bad. There are places I've been that are a lot worse. But I kept thinking, "A lot of these people think they're living a pretty good life. At least in Tampa, the people who live in the ghetto know that there's so much more."

In contrast though, Jesus Christ, in His everlasting mercy and grace, came down to the slums of earth. He walked in the dirty dusty roads. He was friends with tax collectors and prostitutes. He healed people, taught people, and after living 33 years without even an ounce of grumbling, He died the most shameful death for us. "Not my will but Yours be done." He could have easily had the same reaction I had... "these people live like this?!" and yet, He chose to serve us and made a way for us to have that relationship with our Father. And that my friends, is what what we should treasure.

The bible tells us to become more like Christ. And I hope that the little time I have remaining in Taiwan, I can continue to shed this attitude and humble myself more as Christ did so I can serve the people here. And even as we go back to the states.

There's lots more that God has shown both me as well as my teammates and I'm sure that He'll continue to show us more things.

Keep praying for us! Miss all y'all back home. =)

Cheers,
Jon

hey y'all. i'm currently in forest city, IA, after having been in ft. dodge (lytton), IA, where we've been to visit a couple correctional facilities (jails). we visited a medium security facility 2 days ago and went to a minimum security one last night.

i've been wondering this since the service we led yesterday ended. why is it that the students at the schools we visit and the congregation members of the churches we visit always worship like they're actually in prison; like they're forced to be there against their own will? and why is it that the inmates in a medium security facility, where it takes 30 minutes to go through a security checkpoint, worship like they're not in a prison?

it's amazing... we have all this freedom to move around and do what we want to do. we have the ability to, in the blink of an eye, have the world at our fingertips. and yet, while some of us may "choose" to be at church, we don't act like we chose to be there. we act like we shouldn't be there. we act like we don't want to be there. a lot of what i see when our teams go to schools is people standing there with crossed arms, often glancing at the clock. or maybe glazed over looks.

but these prisoners, who have to ask permission to take a leak, who sometimes can't even go to a church service because the quota for the cell wing for prisoners allowed is maxed out, find such joy in worshipping.

These prisoners know the gravity of their sins. They're in prison for what they've done. Everywhere they look, they see the consequences of their actions. They can't do anything as they want to. But, when they worship God, they understand that He is so much bigger than their sins, no matter how bad it was or how big their failures were.

they acknowledge the fact that they're sinners. but they also embrace the almighty saviour, Jesus Christ, who paid the way for them. they truly understand what it means to have the ability to worship our God freely. What an eye-opener, eh? friends, let's strive to worship God like these prisoners do.

Keep praying for me! pray that i'll worship our God in the same way as well.

as far as prayer topics and needs, here's some.

1- for our group. we'll be heading to Taiwan soon! our training tour ends next monday. after we get back from our last venue in south dakota, we head back to willmar and train for a few days for our ministry in taiwan. and then we head off overseas the week following that (october 5th). pray that we'll continue to grow closer to each other, spurring one another on towards love and good deeds. pray that we'll continue to have a unified vision of worshipping and leading people into deep intimate worship. pray that we'll continue to have open eyes and compassionate hearts

for those who we'll be ministering to.

2- health. a few of us have some sort of throat thing and others, including myself, are suffering from the dryness and have had cracking and peeling skin. gross, i know. but keep our health in y'all's prayers.

3- for those we'll be ministering to. pray that God will open their hearts and that the testimonies we speak, the songs that we sing, and the skits that we perform, will really show them the love that our Father has shown us. and pray that our team will stay humble as God uses us.

4- financial support. i'm not sure where i'm at financially because i guess i haven't gotten any in lately so the finance office at CTI hasn't been bothering to print off new ones. if y'all are considering partnering with me financially, please continue to prayerfully consider it. =)

that's about it. miss all y'all back home! 'till next time.

cheers,
Jon

hey y'all.

so i'm currently sitting in a caribou coffee shop in duluth (MN, not georgia) and in about 20 minutes, my team will be heading off to pine city, MN for the next 4 or 5 days.

sorry about the lack of updates. we really haven't had too much of a chance to get online (lack of internet at host homes) and when we actually do, i'm usually super tired.

tour so far has been pretty interesting. it's definitely not what i expected at all, but it is too.

the thing that gets me every stop we make is just the hospitality people offer to us. at every stop we make, we're usually sleeping at a host home. now these are people that we've never met before but they take us in like they've known us for years. parents take us in like their own children and the kids interact and treat us like we're their siblings as well. and even though some people might not have much, the fact that they're willing to go out of their way to make us feel at home by talking with us, sharing a meal with us, opening their homes, churches, schools, even their bathrooms for all 8 of us, really speaks to me.

touring and playing my guitar everyday is pretty awesome... i'm still pretty shocked that i have the opportunity to do it. and also sharing my testimony and the word of God with people has been pretty awesome too. i really enjoy that aspect of our ministry.

CTI says that even though we're a music ministry group, it's not really about the music. and that's totally true. and i'm so glad that it's not all about the music because i do enjoy getting to know people and seeing where they are. and having that opportunity to minister to them and be ministered to outside of the music context has been a blast.

now there are a few things and a few needs and i really ask y'all (who are reading) to pray for these.

1- my team. we've only been together for a little over a month. things are going good for the most part but i think honestly, things can be better. please pray that we'll continue to be unified in our goal to lead people in worship. and please pray that we'll have the smarts to make living together for the next year a possibility.

2- my team leader. please PLEASE keep jeff in your prayers. he has a lot on his plate and honestly, without God's strength, he can't make it happen.

3- for me. please pray that i'll continue to seek God, not the approval of man. there's been some things i've been struggling with for quite a long time and slowly God's been showing me His goodness.

4- equipment issues. so all this trip, i've been having a whole multitude of issues with different things. i'm still having big problems with my stratocaster... it hasn't electrocuted me lately but the electronics are starting to go bad so there's a lot of scratching, popping, and crackling noises coming from it. there's also a dead spot in the 1st string in some of the upper frets.

also, my 9"x14"x22" luggage ripped in the side! i could just put some duct tape on it but i'd really like to get it replaced before i leave for taiwan (which is in 2 or 3 weeks!)

there's also a whole host of other slight electrical gremlins and such but i won't bore you with the details. unless you wanna know. =)

5- financial support. i'm only slightly above 20% right now.

ok... team's heading out. much love to all y'all! i'll update when i get a chance.

Cheers,
Jon

hittin' the road...

so in about 6.5 hours, team 14:22 will leave for our fall tour.

i'm both nervous and excited to see what'll happen. it's our first time actually touring around.

these last 3 weeks of training have been awesome. challenging, informative, and fun overall. there's so much we learned and experienced... it'll take a while to process and all.

i'll post more in depth at a later time. but for sure there was lots that happened and i'm really looking forward to keeping y'all updated in regards to what's occured these last few weeks. and also about life on the road as we travel around minnesota as well as bits of iowa.

please keep me and my team in your prayers! we need them now more than ever.

cheers,
Jon

the echoes of the saints lingering in my thoughts...

So 2 Fridays ago was bittersweet. I had gotten some great news in terms of my CTI trip (team and overseas tour destination was told) and got some pretty hard news about a friend of mine, Victor Paek. Victor was a 16-year old, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, who had been attending our church for about 9 months. Victor passed away last Friday during a multi-organ transplant and I was getting only bits and pieces of what happened as I was driving to Atlanta.

So. Sunday. The atmosphere at church was unexplainable. We were all mourning the loss of Victor. Yet, we were glad that he went to be with our Lord. "No weeping, no hurt or pain, no suffering, You hold me now..." One of the things DL spoke about was the impact Victor had made in all our lives. How everyday was lived as if it was his last. I know that's cliche and whatnot but it really spoke to me.

I realized a few things. One of the big things is this; I keep saying "I have xyz number of days until I'm in Willmar for CTI and have this worship opportunity." how sad is it that i have to depend on a missions opportunity to get super excited to lead worship? don't get me wrong... serving on harvest_PT is great. i enjoy it. but i can't remember the last time i said "zomgzzzzz 27 hours until I get to lead a friday night worship service!!!"

i wanna live to make His name high. Today is the day! Keep praying for me y'all. 8 days left in Orlando.

Some small updates on my trip.

I found out my team. They're all pretty awesome people. I'm not sure what to expect. And I realized that I made a huge boo-boo. I'm on an 8-person team... I miscounted the number of vocalists on the team. eek! So pray for all 8 of us.

I'm only at 2% of my support right now. Oops.

I also got my music. There's some songs on there that I know but a lot of it's new to me or hard for me to pick the parts out. Anyone know how to play the song "Never going back to OK" by The Afters on electric?

For those of you guys who wanna come see me off at the airport, I leave on August 14th, which is a Friday. I'm flying Southwest Airlines. Flight's at 9:35AM but i'll be there at around 7AM or so to get all my gear and luggage checked in and such. So 7AM next friday! come one, come all.

That's it for now. Much love. oooh! Keep praying for the Harvest Ecuador team.

Cheers,
Jon

Hey all!

So I just got back from a short vacation in Atlanta. We didn't really do much... just ate well.

On the drive over there though, I got a call from CTI updating me on my trip.

They told me that I will be on team 14:22 and our overseas destination is Taiwan! And I will be getting my music next week. Not sure what to expect.

I also met with the senior pastor of our church and told him about my trip. It's good to know that the Korean congregation, however different we may be, will be supporting my trip through prayer and possibly financial support.

Speaking of financial support, I got a letter last week from CTI telling me to get the ball rolling raising it. =/ oops.

Keep praying for me! It's much needed.

Cheers,
Jon

New Blog, New post

So... I decided to make this blog to journal and write down thoughts in regards to my music ministry opportunity.

Hmm... what to write. There's so many things going on in my mind, it's hard to write down.

Dang y'all. I leave in 27 days to head off to Willmar to meet my teammates and start practicing together. I still have to raise a big bulk of my financial support, get my music and start memorizing everything, and all the other logistical stuff.

Got a lot of stuff prepared on my end these last couple of weeks. Found a possible laptop to take on my trip. Pedalboard is mostly completed (need some more decent cables... might try a few lava cables instead of the George L's). Got the callaham parts for my strat and installed them. Equipment end is good (still need to stock up on strings though). Man... I didn't know just how much went into being a traveling gigging musician. It's been a real interesting informative journey though getting everything together. Training packet was completed and sent in too.

I feel so out of the loop here though... part of me feels like I already left. I want to hang out with people before I leave but it seems no one wants to? I know that sounds mad depressing and all. =/ maybe it's just me. Forreal y'all. let's hang out. Let's grab a bite to eat. Watch a movie. Visit Guitar Center. Go crab hunting. Go-cart racing. Whatever. It's all good.

It all seems so unreal. 27 days isn't a lot of time... I'll have 3 Friday Night Fellowships and 4 Sunday services to lead worship during. Maybe less if I have a chance to visit friends outside of Orlando and all. It'll be interesting leaving Harvest_PT for a whole year. I've grown so close to a lot of you over these last 5 years or so. I've grown so used to having a group of young, humble, extremely talented servants to play in a worship team with. I really wonder what my teammates at CTI will be like and wish they were like you.

Man. I need prayer big time. I dunno what it was but this last week was so discouraging. There was actually a day where I wasn't looking forward to going and having second thoughts about it all. Maybe it was the day I got my Hepatitis A shot. hahaha. But in all seriousness, I'm honestly really nervous about it all. I kept having these "what ifs" pop into my head. "what if i'm not as talented of a musician as they need me to be." "what if they send my music a week before I leave and i don't have anything down (because they still haven't sent my music)." "what if i don't mesh well with my team... i know i'm not the easiest person to live with..." One thing that encouraged me though is the amount of prayers lifted up these last few weeks for our summer missions teams. Shoot. If people fervently prayed for these short term trips... ya know?

So yeah. Not much else to update everyone on. The day approaches. Keep praying for me. =)

Cheers,
Jon