I started the year with those words, and as my time in Asia is coming to a close, I realize how true they are.  A year ago, I thought I was an office worker: a planner and make-stuff-happen guy.  But was I cut out for life and work in Asia?  I didn’t think so.

I know now that I am made for life here.  I love it.  The people, the culture, the food, the work we do – all of it is for me.  I signed up to spend a year here, but I feel like I might end up spending a lifetime.  Of course I don’t know what the future will look like, and my role in CT makes me evaluate where I’ll be used best every year, but for the foreseeable future I hope to live in Asia.

In August, just three short months away, I am planning to return with a small team of people to my city, K-town, to reach one of the new campuses here.  It’s a top-100 caliber university (think Harvard, Yale, etc.), a place where we will be reaching the future influencers and leaders of this country.  I’m really excited to be returning here to lead the team and train them how to reach the students.  I’ll also meet with friends and study the language to further my own work here.

All of this is setting me up for a whirlwind summer after I get back later this month, and I’m excited to get started!  I’ll be speaking a few places, catching up with friends and family, and perhaps most exciting, seeing my sister get married!  She’s so grown up…   In the meantime, please drop me a line, and let me know how you’re doing.  And please lift us up as we’re in the home stretch!  We’ll be back in two weeks!

In Him,

Ben

“Ding dong,” my tiny electric doorbell rang.  Chuck came shuffling into my apartment with a look of concern and despair on his face.  I’ve never seen him so worked up, so you can imagine my surprise when in the first two minutes he said “I think I need to follow Jesus to help me in my spiritual life.”  Ehh, wasn’t this the guy who we didn’t have one spiritual conversation with during our whole two-day visit just last week?

It turns out his part time job was really stressing him out, and he realized he needs God to give him true peace in his heart and hope for his life.  I was amazed as, over the next hour, Chuck basically talked himself into the Family.  With little input from me, he answered his own questions and overcame his lingering doubts, and before I knew it he was following me in a prayer to ask God into his heart!  Come on, Jesus!

That night in March, Chuck came into the family, and I got a powerful lesson in how small I am and how big God is.  All night I was distracted, slow to provide good answers, and mostly just an observer as He moved in Chuck’s heart to bring him to trust Him.  It was a wonderful privilege to watch Him move, and I’m so thankful I got to be a part of it.

Will you please pray for Chuck over these next weeks and months?  He’s a great guy, and I’m sad to be leaving soon for the summer.  Also, please lift up all of us over here as we sprint to the finish in meeting with friends, packing up apartments, and planning for the future.  Oh, and speaking of the future, stay tuned for my next email soon – I’ll be talking about my plans for next year!  Yay!

In Him,

Ben

This quick trip to our friend’s house was not all that special because of me being particularly spiritual or “on” (I wasn’t, after nearly four weeks of continuous travel and crazy schedules in my life), or because of our amazing conversations about the Lord (we barely had any), but rather because we got to spend time with one of our key friends, staying in his house, sharing meals with his family, and showing him with our actions that we care about him.  I’m glad we got to spend time with Chuck, and we believe that he will come into the Family this semester, and one day be a rock and foundation of the church here.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support over the last month and a half.  It’s been crazy: a two week visit by my family (yay!), 10 days in Thailand, a spur-of-the-moment two-day trip to Chuck’s house, a week of special teaching for the city while our friends were gone, and now we’re diving back into a “regular” schedule.  On top of that, I’ve had some other cool things happening in my life – shoot me an email if you want to know more! 

Can I ask you to pray for a few key things in this next month?  They are:

• Help for me to focus on friends in the home stretch of our time in Asia.  There are many things, all of them good, also calling out for my attention as CT changes and we start looking ahead to planning for next year, and I need wisdom to integrate all of these things with my primary mission of planting a “family party” here on campus.
• Good health and energy, not just for me (I’ve got the sniffles today, but nothing too bad), but for our whole team so we can finish well in our last 2 ½ months here.
• Our Stateside team, as they do a blitz of recruiting for next year, prepare for our April training event and get ready for all of us to come home in May.  We only have two workers back home this year, and they’ve got a lot on their plate!

Thanks so much for your love, prayers, and support.  We’re reaching Asia together!

Ben

Well, this was my first Christmas away from home, and while it may have been a bit lacking in the electronic gadgets category, I was able to help someone receive their best Gift ever. We have this friend, Tom, and he’s been in contact with CT people for the last year. He came to Bible studies, and even talked to God sometimes, but was never really able to commit to following Him with his whole life. He seemed so close, yet not quite there, for what felt like forever.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we had some big talks with him about seeing the wrong things in our lives and how the only way to be free of them is by the Son. He came to our big Christmas party and heard a clear presentation of the whole Story, but still no decision.

Then he came to our house the next night. Leonidus, my partner, was sick and in bed, so it was just me and Tom (and the Holy Spirit). We had a great time of catching up, and then our conversation turned to God. I had him read through the Romans Road that week, and as he shared with me his thoughts on it, I could see that something was different. Something had clicked in him over the last week, and he got it all: the sin in his life, his need to turn away from it and toward the Son, all of it. As I asked him if he wanted to make a decision to follow Him with his whole life, I was nearly in tears. After a year of hard work by two different teams and many prayers, he was in.

We now have a new family member! He’s been doing great and growing every week that we see him. Thank you so much for your thoughts and support over the last year. It has been a journey, and at times quite a difficult and challenging one, but when I think of Tom, it’s all worth it. Things here are great, and we’re heading into a new and exciting time. In the next month all of our friends are going away for their winter holiday, my family is coming to visit for two weeks, and all of CT and TM are heading to Thailand. Please lift us up in these areas as you think of me:

• Powerful work to happen in the 2nd semester so that a regular meeting can be planted on our campuses before we leave.
• Fresh vision and wisdom for the rest of the year and for the future, for me, our people, and for CT as an organization.

Thank you so much! You mean a great deal to me over here, and it’s only by your sacrifice that my work is possible.

In Him,

Ben

The best part of the evening was the natural transition these decorations gave me to talk about the real meaning of Christmas. It seems incredible at times, but most of our friends have no idea that this season is about Jesus coming to save people, and it was a special privilege for me to get to share about the love that our Father has for us that compelled Him send His Son to earth. I’m hopeful that this message, and others like it that we’ve gotten to share over the last few weeks, will help people make a decision to follow Him at our upcoming Christmas party. This is the biggest party of the year for us, so will you please think about my team and our friends over the coming days as we share the message with them?

Also, I should mention that one of our team members needed to end her year early, and she flew back to the States this week. It’s sad for her and our team, so please be lifting her up, asking for a smooth adjustment to life back home, and that she receives everything God wants for her in this next season of life.

Thank you so much for your financial support and thoughts in this season, and I hope you enjoy these last few days before Christmas!

Merry Christmas,

Ben

As we began to share about the things for which we’re thankful after the meal, many of our friends shared thoughts about God’s blessing in their life. I was amazed at how many of them were glorifying Him –– yet only a few of them are believers (so far)! It has been incredible to see Him moving in their lives, and even though we haven’t seen any of our guys make a decision to follow Jesus yet, many of them are thinking about Him more today than ever before. I can see without a doubt that He has been having a significant impact on them, and I’m so thankful that I get to be a part of the work here.

I hope you are doing well as you read this, and that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you think of me and the team here in Asia, please pray for us as we head into the Christmas season. We will have many opportunities to share about the Story with people in the next month, and we want to see great fruit in our friend’s lives. Also, I feel that I should ask people to specifically talk to God for my sleep. Many people in my city have problems sleeping, and I am no exception as I’ve regularly had weird, disturbing dreams that rob me of rest at night. Will you please stand with me against the attacks of the enemy in this way?

Thanks so much for your “thoughts” and support –– great things are happening here! Have a great Thanksgiving, and eat a turkey leg for me!

In Him,

Ben

As we hop on the bus to take us across town, Leonidus sits down and says that his stomach is bothering him after dinner.  Immediately, I feel like the Lord wants me to pray for him, out loud, in front of our friend Ed.  Now, you have to understand, Ed is a very educated guy.  He’s hung out with a lot of western people, has been to church, and decided it’s not for him.  So I’m a little nervous to pray for a healing right in front of him.

After a few minutes of waffling, the Lord gets through to me and I say to Leonidus, “Hey, man, can I pray for your stomach to be healed?”  Just then, Ed looks really interested and says, “Oh, cool, I want to learn how to pray for people.”

“What!?” I say on the inside.  Leonidus and I exchange a glance that says, “Did he just say that?”  Right away I dive in and start talking about how God wants to demonstrate His love for us by miraculously working in our lives.  We told the testimony of a few people who got healed over the last few months, and then I prayed for Leonidus.  A few minutes later he said he felt fine, and we had a great conversation with Ed about the power of God.

Ed didn’t get saved that night, but we got to plant powerful seeds in his mind and heart about God’s love for us because of my willingness to step out and pray for healing.  Come on, Jesus!  He wants to perform signs and wonders so that people will come to know Him, and we’re getting to see them in our everyday life.  Will you please pray for more of these miracles so that all of our friends will know the power of God for themselves?

The last two months here have been great.  It’s not easy, but I feel like God is speaking to me all the time, and He has given us more friends than we are able to meet with every week.  Thank you for your prayers and financial support – they are making a difference!

In Him,

Ben

Anyway, after my eye-opening tour, we headed over to my (comparatively luxurious) apartment to play cards with my roommate, Leonidus. By the time we had played a bunch of hands, I had been hanging out with this friend for at least an hour and a half, and no significant conversation was on the horizon. We talked a lot about the differences between Asia and America, and other such topics, but nothing about the Good News.

I shot up a quick, silent request: “Okay, God, please do something, because this is going to be a pretty lame meeting if You don’t show up.”

Five minutes later, as our friend was shuffling the cards, he looked over at me during a lull in the conversation and asked, “So, do you read your Bible every day?”

What!? Where did that come from!? “Why, yes, yes I do,” I could barely reply, which started a powerful 20-minute conversation about what we each believe and why. It was incredible to see how quickly He answered my request, and by the end of the time, we had roughly sketched out why Jesus died for all people. I even asked him if he would ever consider becoming a Christian, to which he said he would have to think about it, and he seems open.

Thank you for thinking of me over the last month as we have settled into life here. You’re making stories like this one possible! God has given me a great deal of grace for many aspects of life here, and, while not every day has been easy, they have all been good because of the doors He is opening and the lessons He is teaching me. Please continue to lift me up, along with Leonidus, Ginger (my team leader), and the whole team here in K-town. God is doing great things, and I’m thrilled that you are supporting me!

In Him,

Ben

“Just walk onto a strange campus where I don’t speak the language and make a friend?” I thought. “Crazy.”

But that was our assignment, so Leonidus (my partner) and I headed out. A few awkward “Hello! Do you speak English?” questions and blank stares later told me that I can’t communicate with many people here. Saying hello to random strangers is definitely out of my comfort zone, and I was getting discouraged pretty quickly.

But then I heard a friendly “Hello!” from behind me and turned to see a smiling college student. It turns out he’s from Mongolia (very cool) and likes to throw Frisbee (even cooler). In no time we’re tossing the disc around on the soccer field and chatting as best we can. It turns out that his English is not very good, but we had a good time hanging out, and it was a great connection right when we were getting discouraged. It was awesome to see God provide in that way, and He has been faithful to give us a number of other new friends in the days since then!

We’re getting settled into life here in Asia, and it’s been a crazy week and a half. We have an apartment literally next door to our campuses, which is a great location, and I’m diving right into language study. Would you please lift up a few things for me?

1) Our leaders. They are awesome men and women of God, and they are working hard all day long to find apartments, get them furnished, show us the campuses, line up language lessons, hold meetings, show us newbies around, and all the while, they need to keep themselves rested and healthy. It’s a hard job, and please ask for a great grace to be on them as they run hard in these initial days.

2) I’ve been sick for the last 24 hours or so. I’ve had worse, but it’s no fun to not really know how to take care of myself in a place like this. I feel like I’m on the mend, but please think of all of us while we adjust to different schedules, foods, and a whole new way of living. It’s a challenge!

Thank you so much – you’re part of a great work over here! Your thoughts and support mean the world to me!

In Him,

Ben

“Ben, come on up here and play this thing.”

I really hoped I heard him wrong, but there was no fighting it.  In seconds I was up on stage in front of 600 of my co-workers, friends, and family members of CT’ers clanging away on the cowbell.  It was all I could do to keep the beat while inwardly thinking “Don’t look like this is hard, don’t be a distraction, don’t concentrate too much on the cowbell, don’t look like an idiot.”

I think I succeeded, but it was definitely a challenging experience.  I guess that’s what I get for being on the front row during worship. I’m now getting plenty of “nice cowbell” comments from friends, and from at least one complete stranger.  Thanks Jay-z.

Now it’s currently 5am, and I’m five hours from boarding the bus that will take us to the airport and start us on our journey.  People ask me how I feel about leaving, and mostly I want to answer “tired!”  It’s been a pretty amazing 48 hours, in which I’ve:

• Launched v2.0 of the Campus Target website.  It’s totally sweet – go check it out at: www.campustarget.org
• Totally packed and loaded my apartment in my parents’ trailer (thanks for taking my stuff, Mom & Dad).
• Packed for 9 months in Asia
• Signed and mailed 90 letters
• Did about two hours of last minute shopping
• Attended two church services
• Ate two family dinners

Not bad, eh?  But more than feeling tired, I’m excited about leaving to go serve God in the nations for a year.  I’m full of life and enthusiasm from the last four weeks of training, and now I just want to go do the actual work.

I’d like to leave you with a few final thoughts before I leave:

• Please keep in touch throughout the year.  You can email me at this address and I’ll do my best to get back to you.  Please be careful about the Christian-y words you use, but don’t worry too much about that, as my wonderful and amazing sister will be checking my messages, making them safe, and sending them on their way to me.
• Please keep me in your prayers in the next week or so.  Transitions are always challenging, and I want to be available for everything God wants of me.

Thank you so much for your prayers and expectation on my behalf.  I want to see great things happen this year, and I know you do too.  Please pray for me, the other 60 workers that we might always experience the love of God in even greater ways this year.  We want Him more than anything.

I’m pulling an all nighter tonight right now, so I really apologize if this update is terrible.  I’m not very experienced at writing at 5am.  Thank so much for your love and prayers – I’ll talk to you from the other side!

In Him,

Ben

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