Hello! I feel very humble to have been given this amazing opportunity to share with you what God has been doing in my life. I would like to thank Tyler Tenbarge for giving me this platform to give glory to God in the work He is doing in someone so undeserving of His gifts- me.
First, I'd like to briefly tell you how I got here. I grew up going to church, knew that I needed Jesus to be saved from hell, and was baptized in the second grade. I would always point to that as evidence that I was a Christian no matter what my life looked like daily. So even though I claimed Christianity I lived a life centered around myself and complete apathy towards God. However, any good thing that I would do, to me, showed proof to God that I deserved heaven. Heaven was no longer a gift but something to be attained through me doing good things in my life. When I got to college I met a couple guys that shared the gospel with me. They were persistent and loving in sharing the greatest gift anyone could receive, and eventually God's Word broke me down to turn to Him and away from myself and my selfish motives. Since then, my heart has never been the same as He promises (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26).
This post is specifically directed towards my supporters of my mission trip, both financial and through prayer. Without both of these my trip would not have been possible. I thank you so much for that support, but my hope is that you will continue your support of carrying out Christ's great commission.(Matthew 28:18-20)
Our trip to Poland was life changing. I believe that each of us that were sent came back with some form of growth in our walk. Our team had an amazing experience serving alongside the Polish ministries and hanging out with some really cool Polish kids.
The camp that I worked in included kids ages 13-17. There were approximately 60 kids there, 13 of which broke off into our English camp. The others there were at the camp for the climbing portion of the camp. The camp was like an American vacation Bible school. The kids did activities, sports, crafts, Bible lessons, talks, etc. We (my group from my church which included Ruth, Hannah, Robin, and me) became very close to our 13 kids and even more exclusively with our small groups of about 3-4 kids that we went through our English lessons with. Developing relationships with the English campers was a great blessing. By the end of the camp, we felt very close to the kids and the times I got to share with them will always remind me of how great our God is. (Ephesians 2:10)
Hanging out with the campers was amazing. But my favorite part of the trip was talking to the Polish counselors that were my age. They were kids that had grown up in a completely different culture, and heir view of the world should have been so different, instead I found that they had the same beliefs and view as me. This discovery, at least to me, doesn't display their character or mine. Instead, it proved to me how global God is, how faithful He is, and how intimate He is. Because the God that I serve is a God that changes lives around the world, not just in my hometown or at my university or even America.(Habakkuk 1:5) I got to see what I had heard and read about over the last year and a half; I got to see my Lord work around the world.
To wrap up, our trip will have a huge impact on my life and my walk with Christ. My thoughts and prayer life have unexpectedly become more centered around the work God is doing worldwide. God has definitely opened my eyes to a blind spot in my faith. I look forward to growing and knowing more about my God and his perfect, only son Jesus. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that it encouraged you and has given you a little insight on what God is doing in my life. My hope is that this short message shows that we serve a mighty, loving Creator that changes lives of those that least deserve it.
First, I'd like to briefly tell you how I got here. I grew up going to church, knew that I needed Jesus to be saved from hell, and was baptized in the second grade. I would always point to that as evidence that I was a Christian no matter what my life looked like daily. So even though I claimed Christianity I lived a life centered around myself and complete apathy towards God. However, any good thing that I would do, to me, showed proof to God that I deserved heaven. Heaven was no longer a gift but something to be attained through me doing good things in my life. When I got to college I met a couple guys that shared the gospel with me. They were persistent and loving in sharing the greatest gift anyone could receive, and eventually God's Word broke me down to turn to Him and away from myself and my selfish motives. Since then, my heart has never been the same as He promises (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26).
This post is specifically directed towards my supporters of my mission trip, both financial and through prayer. Without both of these my trip would not have been possible. I thank you so much for that support, but my hope is that you will continue your support of carrying out Christ's great commission.(Matthew 28:18-20)
Our trip to Poland was life changing. I believe that each of us that were sent came back with some form of growth in our walk. Our team had an amazing experience serving alongside the Polish ministries and hanging out with some really cool Polish kids.
The camp that I worked in included kids ages 13-17. There were approximately 60 kids there, 13 of which broke off into our English camp. The others there were at the camp for the climbing portion of the camp. The camp was like an American vacation Bible school. The kids did activities, sports, crafts, Bible lessons, talks, etc. We (my group from my church which included Ruth, Hannah, Robin, and me) became very close to our 13 kids and even more exclusively with our small groups of about 3-4 kids that we went through our English lessons with. Developing relationships with the English campers was a great blessing. By the end of the camp, we felt very close to the kids and the times I got to share with them will always remind me of how great our God is. (Ephesians 2:10)
Hanging out with the campers was amazing. But my favorite part of the trip was talking to the Polish counselors that were my age. They were kids that had grown up in a completely different culture, and heir view of the world should have been so different, instead I found that they had the same beliefs and view as me. This discovery, at least to me, doesn't display their character or mine. Instead, it proved to me how global God is, how faithful He is, and how intimate He is. Because the God that I serve is a God that changes lives around the world, not just in my hometown or at my university or even America.(Habakkuk 1:5) I got to see what I had heard and read about over the last year and a half; I got to see my Lord work around the world.
To wrap up, our trip will have a huge impact on my life and my walk with Christ. My thoughts and prayer life have unexpectedly become more centered around the work God is doing worldwide. God has definitely opened my eyes to a blind spot in my faith. I look forward to growing and knowing more about my God and his perfect, only son Jesus. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that it encouraged you and has given you a little insight on what God is doing in my life. My hope is that this short message shows that we serve a mighty, loving Creator that changes lives of those that least deserve it.
To view pictures- http://www.flickr.com/photos/coltonspictures
Sincerely,
Colton Allen
One Life, One Chance
One Way, One Lord (John 14:6)
Sincerely,
Colton Allen
One Life, One Chance
One Way, One Lord (John 14:6)
Thanks for posting, Colton. You have been given a gift for reaching others. (To whom much has been given...) Know that you are welcome to continue posting your own stories on our blog. I am grateful to have been part of the group praying for your trip.
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