My Frustrations & God's Redemption.

**Attention**
If you were at The Chill on friday, I want to make sure everyone understands what I meant during the prayer time at the end. I am so thankful for those of you that came to me to thank me for the message (although, all credit belongs to God), I have never had that many people comment positively to anything God decided for me to preach. However, one person sent me an e-mail that I want to address. I asked people to raise their hands if they feel frustrated or helpless to reach their school...I think I said sometimes feel, but I am not sure...because honestly, I don't have much clue what I said at all. So...if any of you were offended by my statement "if you didn't raise your hands then you are either perfect or don't care" I am so sorry! Almost everyone raised their hand and the idea there was that everyone would raise their hands as a sign that they need prayer. I was frustrated that some hands didn't go up, which was clearly a misunderstanding. I will say this, you need prayer...we all do, all the time. I am so tired of sitting in meetings and bible studies were when prayer requests are taken, no one has any prayer requests! Let's be real, life is never perfect, we can always pray for SOMETHING for EVERYONE! So, once again...sorry about any confusion.


I have no scripture to go with what I am going to blog about, I am reading in Job right now and I definitely don't have it that bad!! On my way home from church last night, I followed Perry's advice of turning everything off in my car and asking God to speak. He definitely did. God told me to do several things...first, I have to start journaling again...second, I have to join a home group of men my age that are single...third, I have to lay my frustrations at the feet of Jesus. Here were the things I laid there. The reason I am putting this stuff on the Internet is so that those who read this blog will pray for me. Please, please, please pray for me.

1) Working at a school and actually caring about kids spiritual lives is hard.
I am definitely very sure of God's calling on my life and know I am very blessed to do what I do. However, when you begin to see the things that happen involving students and former students, it weighs on you. Let me make sure everyone understands...I am a sinner, I have to constantly ask God for forgiveness for sins that I struggle with...one of those sins actually stems from my involvement with high school kids. I find myself battling frustrations when it seems that kids aren't getting it. I am so thankful for the handful of Christian kids at TLH that do get it...that really understand how tough the Christian walk is.

God showed me through talking to some incredible people that I have to keep from getting discouraged about things I cannot control.

2) Sometimes I just have to shut up.
This is hard because when you are the adult around lots of students its so easy to be condescending, especially when they show their ingorance about certain things...but lately I have realized that sometimes I have to just keep quiet.

3) I am guilty.
I am guilty. I do the same things that so many students do, just in a different form many times. They neglect telling their friends about Christ, I neglect telling my fellow teachers...what a hypocrite I am. Students refuse to get up early for The Chill, and I sometimes become angry.

Here is the bottom line from my heart to this blog...I have to recognize that I am to love unconditionally. It is so easy to allow kids to affect my attitude towards them. There are some kids in the school that do not like me...I don't know what I have done to them, but I have to get over it...I must continue work in my mission field and must continue to help lead students towards Christ.

4) I am still a little immature.
I just am...I still find myself wanting to argue about stupid stuff. What an idiot.

5) I need to spend more time reading.
I realized through prayer that I need to read my bible more...

In conclusion,

please pray for the following
1) That I will not become frustrated by what I cannot change.
2) I will have discernment on when to speak and when to shut up!
3) That I will work in my mission field
4) That I will continue to mature.
5) READ READ READ...and journal.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

My Summary of the Book of Esther. "Near Holocaust and a Soverign God"

First of all, King Xerxes was rocking a pretty huge empire at this time...486-465 B.C. Maybe you have heard of it, its called the Persian Empire and Xerxes was one of the most powerful men in the world. If you have seen the movie 300, you know who I am talking about, that movie was based on a battle that took place during Xerxes 6th year as king, 480 B.C.

In chapter 1, we see how rich the King is and how he just does work wherever he goes. His Queen, Queen Vashti refuses to come to the King when he calls for her. So King Xerxes banishes her from the Kings presence and he has a "beauty pageant" to pick his next queen.

In Chapter 2, Esther becomes queen because she is the hottest thing in the empire. Xerxes thinks she is incredible and "she was admired by everyone who saw her" (2:15). Xerxes did not know that she was a Jew, but her decision to keep quiet about it would prove to be one of the most important decisions in the history of the Jewish Nation. Finally, near the end of the chapter, Mordecai (Esther's Cousin/Adopted Father) overhears some men plotting against the King and he quickly told Queen Esther and the men were found to be guilty.

In Chapter 3, Haman becomes the most powerful official in the empire. Haman required that people bow to him when he walked by to show that he was the most important man in the empire, outside of King Xerxes himself. But, Mordecai refused to bow to him, causing great anger. Then, Haman found out the Mordecai was a Jew and decided that all Jews in the empire need to be killed. So they decide that on March 7, 474 B.C. that ALL Jews will be killed. This is a near Holocaust situation, all Jews had been exiled to the Persian Empire, so the entire race would be destroyed!

In Chapter 4, Queen Esther is asked to help. She is hesistant at first, but Mordecai gets here with the sentence from verse 14 "Who knows if perhaps you were made Queen for such a time as this."

In Chapter 5, King Xerxes agrees to do whatever Queen Esther wants because he is completely blown away by her. Meanwhile, Haman is still planning to kill Mordecai, then all of the Jews around a year later.

In Chapter 6, The King finally honors Mordecai for his good deed in Chapter 2! Its kinda funny because the King was struggling to sleep, so he ordered an attendant to read the history of his reign to him. When he did, he was reminded that Mordecai saved his life. At that same time, Haman is in the outer palace planning out how to kill Mordecai! Xerxes calls him in and asks him what he should do to honor Mordecai (without telling Haman that was who was to be honored). Haman says that he should be paraded through the the streets...so Xerxes tells Haman to go and get Mordecai and parade him through the streets!! Haman was obviously humiliated by this turn of events.

In Chapter 7, Queen Esther cleverly calls Haman to the palace for dinner with herself and King Xerxes and eventually Haman is impaled on a pole that he made to impale Mordecai on.

In Chapters 8-10, the Jews are saved from destruction and Mordecai becomes Prime Minister of the Persian Empire.

In Conclusion, God is soverign. God knew that at this exact time in history the Queen had to be a Jew if His chosen people were to be saved. God also let an enemy of the Israelites make his own impaling pole and not know it. Being an enemy of God is like standing on a stool, with a noose around your neck. He can kick the chair or wait for you to fall on your own but either way...the enemies of God will be destroyed. I love this book and the courage of the Jewish Nation during this time of possible annihilation. What a great story of God keeping those he loves.

Chase Culbertson

Above and Beyond.

I have been so busy lately that I have neglected to blog regularly. But I was reading 1 Samuel yesterday and felt like I needed to blog some stuff. I learned yesterday that I need to go above and beyond for the cause of Christ. Yes, I have been called to be the teacher sponsor of The Chill and to lead a small group at FUSE. But, how about other things that I could do to further the kingdom? I have been guilty in the past of saying that I am only going to do what God calls me to do, but that was almost always an excuse to be lazy in some way. God hit me with something in 1 Samuel 18:24-26.

"When Saul's men reported this back to the king, he told them 'Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.' But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight. David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king's requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him."

1 Samuel 18:24-26 (NLT)

The king asked David (a man after God's own heart) to bring him 100 foreskins, which is a pretty gross request, but David brought him 200! God spoke to my heart and said "why are you only bringing me 100 when you could bring me 200?" Wow...such a weird passage for such a strong conviction from God!

So...after that I had to start examining myself and challenge you to do the same. After all, we can rest when we die! :)
1) God, what can I do better for you?
2) God, what are other things I can do for you?
3) Am I giving you 100 or 200?

I pray that God will convict and bring all of us closer to him today.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Even so...It is well with my soul

So...I had a tough little ordeal yesterday that was out of nowhere. My dad was admitted to the hospital with a severe headache and numbness and we were afraid it was a stroke, however, it ended up being a migraine headache, which he had never had before. Anyway, as I was driving to the greenville hospital, something hit me. There is nothing that will shake my faith in Christ. I thought to myself 'if God decided to take my dad tonight, even so...it is well with my soul.' The Lord is faithful and his plan for our lives is better than anything we can conjure up in our wildest dreams. I found such peace and hope in the uncertainty as I drove the 35 minutes to greenville and learned that I WILL NOT be shaken...Christ is my only hope. It is in those moments of uncertainty, when our faith is tested, that we see our true hearts. If you would ask me how I would handle that situation, I am not sure how I would have answered, but Christ is more than enough for me.

Let me stress that this is Christ and the Holy spirit working in my life to bring this peace, it is not something that I have earned or deserve...it is the greatest gift...the GIFT of Salvation. In that salvation, the holy spirit lives inside of me and brings peace. I cannot say this enough, I suck...I fail all the time...I am an unworthy recipient of God's grace.

After getting to the hospital, I was calm and peaceful, knowing that whatever happened God was completely in control.

I left the hospital last night with no idea of what had happened to dad and still wondering if he would be ok...but I woke up this morning to read and read 1 Samuel 2. Samuel's mother, Hannah, said an amazing prayer that I want you to see...

Then Hannah prayed, "My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
-1 Samuel 2:1-2

She continues with her prayer and here are some of the verses that stuck out to me...

"The Lord gives both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up." 2:6

"The Lord makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up."
2:7

How amazing is our God?? How incredible is his power?

I know one thing for sure...no matter what life throws at me, I will not be shaken.

Even so...it is well with my soul.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

The Week in Review...

This was an amazing week and God has done some amazing works in many lives! We have tons of work to, but God will provide. Here are some things that I learned this week...
1) I underestimate God.
2) I underestimate students.
3) I underestimate my abilities through God.
4) I underestimate the importance of true worship.
5) A week of following hard after Christ cannot be ruined by any circumstances.

Here are some verses that rocked me this week:

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
-Ephesians 6:18

"People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives."
-Proverbs 16:2

Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
-Proverbs 13:20

Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.
-Proverbs 28:7

And my favorite...

"A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace."
-Proverbs 10:5

What a convicting passage! Lord, I pray to never be a disgrace to you. May I work, for the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Luke 10:2).

Ironically, in my own quiet time, I am not reading any of these books...I am currently in 1 Samuel and read a couple chapters in Judges and the Book of Ruth last week. As I was getting ready for The Chill service this week, I started flipping through Proverbs and the before mentioned scriptures caught my eye.

Lastly...here is a recap of The Chill service from yesterday. The series is called Distraction and week one was about 5 things that show your BF/GF is distracting you from God...we had 150 students there, btw!!

1) Your Quiet Time
2) Your Motives
3) Your Thoughts
4) Your Involvement
5) Your Christian Friends' Opinions

God is doing work...are you?

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

My journey through the book of Judges.

So I haven't been blogging much lately, mostly because I have been too busy, but also because the first 12 chapters of Judges are basically the same. God appoints a judge, the judge dies and the Israelites start worshipping false gods and God punishes them. But, a great story starts in chapter 13, it is the story of Samson. I know that many of you know Samson's story, at least the part about Delilah, but I had forgotten the beginning of the Story. Here are the things I learned in chapter 13

1) God calls his people to give up things.

In the story of Samson's parents, the angel of the Lord appeared to them.

"In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah's wife and said, "Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food."
-Judges 13:2-3

With her becoming pregnant, God told her to not drink alcohol or eat forbidden or unclean food. If God was going to do a miracle in her life, she had to first submit to His will for it! What is God calling you to give up so that he can do a work in your life? It may not even be in Scripture directly, but if God calls you to give up something and you refuse, you are living in rebellion to the Lord.


2) God is too awesome for us to fathom.

"Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, 'What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.' 'Why do you ask my name?' the angel of the Lord replied. "It is too wonderful for you to understand."
-Judges 13:17-18

Look at this passage closely...
1) THE angel of the Lord....not an angel of the Lord...this is God himself in this passage! God came to them, spoke to them directly!!
2) They had faith...it says for WHEN all this comes true, not IF! Praise God!
3) God reminds them who they are...you can't handle to even hear my name. These were Godly people, however they cannot understand.

3) We must fear the Lord.

"We will certainly die, for we have seen God!"

Manoah was convinced that this encounter was the end of them, however, it was just the beginning! Look at his wife's reply...
"If the Lord were going to kill us, he wouldn't have accepted our burnt offering and grain offering. He wouldn't have appeared to us this wonderful thing and done these miracles." -Judges 13:23

WOW! Let that sink in...she understood that God had an amazing plan for their life. A child that would save the nation of Israel was about to be born! What an amazing story of fear and confidence intertwined within a family. Manoah's first reaction was intense fear, but his wife talked some sense into the situation! (I hear that happens in marriages all the time).

I firmly believe that God chooses people that fear Him to do the most amazing things for Him.

This school year is setting up to be amazing...keep this scripture in mind.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

My Heart.

We had sting night tonight, which is a fundraiser that athletes do at T.L. Hanna for the Booster Club. I started seeing former students and I just loved to chat with them and find out about their summers. I had a great time with them all and I am reminded of my purpose when occasions like this arise. After being in Peru for the summer, I have a new zeal and passion for TLH. I love the school, students, and fellow teachers and can't wait to see the school changed by Christ this year. I am excited about what is in store for the school that I love. I want all TLH students to know that I pray for our school and for them everyday. Here are a couple of requests for the students I love so dearly:
1) Come to The Chill
2) Go to a church
3) Love Others
4) Love God
5) Love me :) (Just Kidding, well...kinda)

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

What I learned about myself this summer

First of all, I cannot express how incredible this summer has been and how God has revealed himself to me. We didn't see any fruit this summer, but we tilled the ground for next years group and I know that our work was not in vain. Here are the things I learned this summer:

1) I am called to Anderson, SC.
After three days in our village God placed a burden for Anderson on my heart. I know at least for now that I am supposed to be a NewSpring, T.L. Hanna, and the sponsor of The Chill.

2) I can get very discouraged and frustrated when things don't go as planned.
Up until this point I thought I was pretty easy going, but when things didn't go well in the village I found myself frustrated and discouraged.

3) Working for Christ without evidence of life change is hard.
Going to a church like NewSpring, where Gods power is on display every week is awesome! However, I was not prepared for the very opposite environment, which is an area with very few Christians and none that want to share their faith.

4) I am prideful and selfish.
I realized that I can become very prideful and selfish, especially after discouragement and frustration set in.

5) I am not called to foreign missions.
I know that for now I am not called to foreign missions, but, I am called to equip others to go and do what I did in Peru.

In conclusion, God is just as real in a village in Southern Peru as he is here and the same God that conquered Satan will change lives whereever the Gospel is preached.

My blog will continue even though I am back home and the "I Will Go" motto will remain...because I will go anywhere to share the Gospel, but right now that "anywhere" is Anderson.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Back in Juliaca, til Thursday.

Well, we are basically done for the summer. The plans for the rest of my time in Peru is hopefully set. We fly out of here on Thursday afternoon and will then spend a couple of days near Lima before I fly back to the States. I am really excited about getting home, but I am enjoying my last couple of days here in Peru.

I don't have too much to say right now...other than I was very sick yesterday, but I am better now. I will post one more before coming home, it will be the ten things I learned about myself this summer, I hope it is enlightening to you all.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

In Juliaca

We decided to leave a day early from Orurillo, so our time there is over. I have way too much packed and I am wondering how I will keep up with it for the next week!

Today, we handed out around 45 blankets to families in extremely rural areas of Southern Peru. We traveled wayyyyyyyy off the beating path to meet some shepherds and give them some blankets. In the mountains, it is even colder that in the villages, so these people deal with freezing weather even more than a villager. We did see snow again today, which was awesome! To give you an idea of how remote it was, it took us an hour to get there, from our village of 3000, which is still fairly small. I would tell you where these people lived, but I have no idea where we were, other than not in any village. It was a great ending to our time in orurillo and I will never forget our last day there.

Tomorrow, we will travel to Chupa, with 50 blankets...somehow.

Here are the plans

July 26th-28th: Chupa
July 28th-30th: Juliaca
July 30th: Fly to Lima
July 31st-August 1st: Final Debriefing
August 1st: To da airport.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Let it snow...

Not a whole bunch going on, we are basically wrapping up our time here. But, this morning...IT SNOWED. It snowed for about 15 minutes, but none stuck. It was really pretty though and I tried to get it on camera, but not sure if I had any luck! It was the first time Claudia had been in snow, so that was exciting! Also, since I am a geography teacher, I feel I should explain how unique this was! Ok...the Southern Peru mountains have a wet season and a dry season, which is different from the U.S. The wet season is during their summer and the dry season is during their winter. It is almost always cold enough to snow at night in the winter, but the air is too dry for such. There have been many days that it has been cloudy and it will look like it is gonna snow or rain, but it never does, because the air is so dry. But, this morning...I heard something hitting my roof and it was sleet, the sleet quickly changed to snow and I knew that I was seeing a very special thing.
I still can't believe it...

Wow...ok, with that said, it is so cold here today! The sun is still behind the clouds and although its nearly noon here, it feels like its in the low 30's outside and windy. Maybe we will see some more snow, but I would be ultra shocked if that happened! I am cleaning up my room and packing to leave Orurillo for good and getting really excited about seeing everyone and giving my family presents! I am gonna have to pay for excessive baggage on my flights but its totally worth it!

Let me leave you with a verse from Judges, the book I am reading currently...

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out "Oh, Sovereign Lord, I'm doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face." "It is all right," the Lord replied. Do not be afraid. You will not die.
-Judges 6:22-23

We must fear the Lord if we are to do amazing things for Him. Later in the book of Judges we will find out that Gideon is an amazing judge and man of God. Let's be more like Gideon today!

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Back in Orurillo...at least for now.

We (the Ayaviri Team and myself) left at 7 this morning from Puno, to meet Claudia and Kelly in Juliaca to pick up 200 blankets that a church had donated money for. This operation was very frustrating, but we managed to get all the blankets to their respective villages. We will be here in Orurillo until Sunday morning and plan on handing out 50 blankets soon, with the help of the doctor. We will do our final things here and try to encourage these people to do bible studies!! Here is the schedule for the rest of the summer.

July 23rd-26th: Orurillo
July 26th-28th: Chupa via Juliaca
July 28th-30th: Juliaca
July 30th: Fly out of Juliaca at 2:40 Arrive in Lima at 5:25
July 30th-August 1st: Final Debriefing
August 2nd: FLY HOME.

I am so amazed and excited that I will be flying to Lima a week from today and flying home in a week and a half! Continue to remember us in your prayers because we will be traveling quite a bit over the next week or so. Thanks.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Another Day in Puno...

Quick Update on Kelly...Kelly is doing much better. Her and Claudia actually went to Juliaca yesterday to buy some blankets for the people of the village. Claudia e-mailed me letting me know about the blankets and kelly's condition.

We will be staying in Puno for another day. I am DONE spending money, so I don't know what we are going to do. At least we are staying at a nice hotel and we can always walk around Lake Titicaca...and eat a bunch!

I will try to get some pictures up on Facebook of Lake Titicaca and some floating islands from a boat tour we took a couple of days ago.

Continue to remember us in your prayers, there is a strike today, but tomorrow morning we will leave to head back to Ayaviri. Then, I will leave for Orurillo, if we get back in time for that. If not, I will return to Orurillo on Friday.

On another note...I am ready to go home! This is the longest I have been away from home, by far. I will miss the people I have met and a couple parts of Peru...but, I can't wait for real pizza! Which we will be having on Sunday, August 2nd at 8:00 at Pizza Buffet in Anderson! Come on out...its gonna be awesome, well...decent pizza. :) Also, I MISS MY CHURCH AND FAMILY SO MUCH!!

Well, not much going on here...just a bunch of Americans wishing to be in the South!

BYE YA'LL

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Why do we even make plans?

So...we found out late yesterday that Puno would be striking for two days, the 21st and 22nd. Therefore, no buses are traveling to anywhere for several days. We are going to try this morning to find a bus to Juliaca, but from there it will be nearly impossible to get to Ayaviri. We thought about leaving last night, but we would have arrived in Juliaca late, with no way of getting to Ayaviri at that time. Therefore, since Juliaca is a sketchy town, I thought it would be better to stay here. Anyway, we are going to get back to Ayaviri on either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on transportation, then I will go back to Orurillo that day, probably.

I was reading in Judges this morning and saw interesting and very blunt verses. I really liked it and thought I would share it with all of you.

Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers. Yet Israel did not listen to the judges but prostituted themselves by worshiping other gods. How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord's commands.
-Judges 2:16-17 (NLT)

What have we been prostituting ourselves for...money, lust, greed...what are we truly worshiping...our job, family, children, success, fishing, golf...

Let's re-focus our eyes our Jesus Christ today.

Less than two weeks remaining.

Here is a quick update. I am in Puno, going to Lake Titicaca today. The rest of my team (Kelly and Claudia) are in Orurillo as Kelly recovers from a parasite. I will be back there on Wednesday and will give a more detailed update then. Also, NewSprings' youth group left for The Gauntlet this morning! I wish I was there but instead I guess I will just have to pray for them...may God move like never before!!

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Another Update.

Ok...so that tentative schedule is out.

Here are the new plans for me. Kelly and Claudia are staying here until Kelly gets better but my plans are different.

July 18th-19th: In Ayaviri
July 19th-21st: In Puno, Lake Titicaca
July 22nd: Back to Orurillo
July 23rd-26th: In Orurillo
July 27th: To Chupa via Juliaca
July 28th-30th: In Chupa
July 30th: Fly to Lima
July 30th-August 1st: Final Debriefing
August 2nd: Fly Home

An Update.

Ok...so here is the deal, we are still here in Orurillo, at least for a week or so. Kelly has an amoeba, which has made her very sick, so she is on lots of meds. She should start to feel better very soon. Because we had planned on being in Chupa at this time, we have nothing planned in town for the next 3 days, so we will try to meet with some people in town and have bible studies with them, but we will go to their houses unexpected.

On another note, Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee, and several others are in concert on August 28th in Atlanta. I am thinking some small group guys may want to go, i'm just saying!

Lastly, Beth is back in the States now. She is a very sweet and tender person, so she is great with children and women who are emotional, both of which are definitely not my strong points! So, pray for us that we can be compassionate and loving to those we speak to.

Here are the tenative plans for the rest of the summer...

Here until 26th: Schools around here are out, so we are gonna be trying to meet with people in the plaza, homes, etc.
Juliaca to Chupa: 27th through 29th or 30th
Juliaca Airport: 30th
Lima to Final Debriefing: 30th through August 1st
Flight back home: August 2nd, 12:20 A.M.

Here is a list of prayer requests, since I haven't done that in a while...
Orurillo Team (Health, Safety, Vision)Kelly, Claudia, and Myself
Ayaviri Team (Penny Jo, Jourdan, Jared)
Chupa Team (Lidman and John)
ESL Arequipa (Sarah, Nathaniel, Stacey)
ESL Cusco (Several Guys from Samford University in AL)
Research Team (Lydia, Phillip, Jess) Jess is sick, so remember her.
Soccer Team
Creative Ministries Team
All Barnabus Teams
People of Orurillo...Fausto (Sick), his wife Victoria
People of surrounding villages...Batsapata, Miraflores...
Doctor and Nurses at the Hospital (interest in Bible studies)
Me...Pray that I stay focused on the task at hand.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Plans have changed again...

Alrighty, so today we were supposed to drop Beth off at the Juliaca Airport, but Kelly is really sick, so Claudia and Beth went to Juliaca and Claudia is coming back tonight. Kelly went to the doctor this morning and she has to go back at 2, so we will hopefully know more then. Right now, the doctor thinks its parasites. So, remember Kelly in your prayers, please.

Yesterday, the Ayaviri Team visited us to see Beth before she left. It was nice to see them and they left with Claudia and Beth around 530 this morning.

We have no plans at all for what do to here in Orurillo today, after all, kelly is sick and I don't speak Spanish, so I guess today will be pretty uneventful, other than trying to get kelly well.

I read this morning in Joshua 9, where the Israelites were deceived into signing a peace treaty with a town that God had called them to take. Here is the most powerful verses that I read.

This bread was hot from the ovens when we left our homes. But now, as you can see,it is dry and moldy. These wineskins were new when we filled them, but now they are old and split open, And our clothing and sandals are worn out from our long journey. So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.
-Joshua 9:12-14 (NLT)

Let's consult the Lord on our decisions today. He is the Great Counselor.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

God is Good and Powerful

Alrighty...so yesterday was one of the more fun days I have had here in Orurillo. Tuesdays are market day and I found some good deals. Alpaca Wool blankets for 10 U.S. dollars, thats right. I shopped for hours, it was like the Flea Market back home, only way cheaper! The only appointment we had yesterday morning was to go to the school in Batsapata to make Salvation Bracelets for them and to leave them a book about Jesus. Anyway, the kids there were sad that we were not coming back to see them again, but hopefully in future years, missionaries will get to talk to these amazing 9 and 10 year olds. Beth was having issues with her eye, so she stayed at the hostel, that was sad because Beth is definitely the best with kids of our group. I just kinda stare at them and smile...its hard to connect when all you can ask them is how they are doing. The conversation pretty much ends there for me! Anyway, I went shopping, then bugged Claudia while she tried to check her e-mails, then we walked to Miraflores to see Corina, a believer at the church in that small village, but she was not there. So, we tried again at 6:30, still no luck. Hopefully we can meet with her today.

Today's plans...nothing in the A.M. and I think we are meeting some people for a bible study this afternoon, but other than that, nothing really. It's a slow day here and we will make the best of it. A couple of prayer requests on top of the ones I have already put on here...Kelly, one of the girls on my team, did not feel well yesterday, so please remember here. Beths eye is better now, but she is flying back to Lima tomorrow to go home, so remember her as well. Also, Jourdan from the Ayaviri team has been sick for several days, so pray for her. They (the Ayaviri Team) are supposed to be coming to Orurillo today, if Jourdan feels better.

Now back to my journey through Joshua and the reason for the title of this blog...

Joshua 8: The Israelites defeat Ai

Yesterday I blogged about the disobedience of Achan, how he took expensive clothes, gold and silver from Jericho, when God had commanded that they not do so. So, Achan and his entire family was killed, stoned to be exact and then their bodies were burned. Pretty graphic, right? Wait until this chapter...if the Old Testament does not make you fear our Lord, then nothing will.

God is good.
The the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. You will destroy them as you destoyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town. -Joshua 8:1-2 (NLT)

If Achan would have just listened to the Lords commands, he would have eventually gotten all that he wanted and needed from the town of Ai. If only he would have obeyed the Father, he would have had more than enough. After all, God is good...he knows what we need, before we even know we need it. Wow. What powerful verses! I am blown away by Achan and this story...wait, I am as guilty as he is...

God is Powerful
When the Israelite army finished chasing and killing all the men of Ai in the open fields, they went back and finished off everyone inside. So the entire population of Ai, including men and women, was wiped out that day - 12,000 in all. For Joshua kept holding out his spear until everyone who had lived in Ai was completely destroyed. Only the livestock and the treasures of the town were not destroyed, for the Israelites kept these as plunder for themselves, as the Lord had commanded Joshua. So Joshua burned the town of Ai, and it became a permanent mound of ruins, desolate to this very day. Joshua impaled the king of Ai on a sharpened pole and left him there until evening. At sunset the Israelites took down the body, as Joshua commanded, and threw it in front of the town gate. They piled a great heap of stones over him that can still be seen today. -Joshua 8:24-29 (NLT)

Wow...that sounds violent huh? That is the wrath of God in 5 verses. He is powerful and because of the Grace of God through his son, Jesus Christ, we do not have to face the wrath of God. Death. I am learning as I read Joshua that my view of God is skewed by religion. Jesus and his flowing hair is a humanized version of God. God is both good and powerful, can I explain why the town of Ai had to be destroyed entirely? Or why the king was impaled?? No, I can't explain that, but what I do know is that God had it destroyed for a reason. God is completely sovereign and just in all of his decisions, so although I can't explain it, I know that God ordained it.

What in your life is unexplainable?
How does reading such passages change your view of God?

God is good and powerful...

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Greed.

I am going to give a quick update on what is going on here, then I am going to turn my focus to something I was reading this morning. Here we go...

Yesterday, we went to Batsapata High School, but no kids were there. We aren't sure why, but that is ok. Then we went to Batsapata Primary School and were told that because of the strike they were behind and needed to catch up, so we waited for about 2 hours for an opportunity to talk to the kids. We acted out a skit of Lazarus and the Rich Man, which was fun and the kids seemed to follow it really well. Then we practiced the stuff we had already taught them (this was our 4th? time with them). Then, we headed back towards Orurillo. A couple of interesting (not necessarily good) things that happened...
1. We found out that the kids are on break from July 15th through 31st for the Independence Holiday (so today will be our last visit to schools)
2. Some of the younger kids were screaming that "the gringos are going to take us" which is a common belief among the natives here.
3. I had some of the best fried chicken from a roadside stand in Batsapata.

Then, in the afternoon, the girls went to meet with a believer, but I my head was pounding, so I laid down for a little while. Around 6, we ate our typical egg sandwich for dinner and went to meet with Victoria, the wife of Fausto, who is in the hospital in Ayaviri. However, she was not there so we came back and the girls made chocolate oatmeal cookies, which I gladly ate.

Today, we will be going back to Batsapata (by automobile this time) to talk to the kids one last time :( Then, we have bible studies in the afternoon/evening.

Now to my journey through Joshua...

We all know the story of Joshua and the Battle of Jericho in Joshua 6, but there is a story in Joshua 7 that I think is just as powerful.

Here is a summary...Joshua and the Israelites are moving towards the next town, the town of Ai. Joshua's generals are so confident that they tell Joshua that they only need about 3,000 men to do the job. So, they went on to fight the people of Ai and were soundedly defeated and ran back to camp. Then Joshua cried out to God, asking God why he allowed this to happen. God replied that there was sin amongst some people in the camp. You see, God had told them not to take anything from Jericho, but as we find out later in the chapter someone broke this commandment, causing God to turn his back on his people in anger. Then, God told Joshua that he would call all the people together and make known the person who had done this...I will quote the verses for you...

Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth. Make your confession and tell me what you have done. Don't hide it from me." Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. Among the plunder I saw a beautiful robe from Babylon, 200 silver coins, and a bar of gold that weighed more than a pound. I wanted them so much that I took them. They are hidden in the ground beneath my tent, with the silver buried deeper than the rest." -Joshua 7:19-21 (NLT)

Achan's sin did not go unpunished, actually the Israelites stoned him and his entire family, then burned their bodies. Then, the Lord was no longer angry with them.

Do we realize how much God hates sin?
Do we understand that God is angry with us when we have sin in our lives?

We are blessed that Jesus died for our sins so that we aren't stoned to death for the greed in our lives. Achan did what many of us would have done, he saw gold, silver, and expensive clothes that God told him to stay away from...but he took them anyway. Ever bought anything that you KNEW you shouldn't buy? Greed is a dangerous sin. I was so convicted by this passage...our lives aren't about how nice our clothes are or how much money (gold and silver) we have. Its about pleasing an all mighty God.

So, lets stop being greedy and start pleasing God.

Do we think we can hide our sins from God?

Achan buried his treasure in the ground under his tent...I don't think I need to speak further on this...we can't hide sins from God.

Wow...Joshua 7 really brings the heat. Man, my God be with us today so that we do not fall into the trap of greed.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

What's Going On...

"Then Joshua told the people, Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you."
-Joshua 3:5 (NLT)

One quick thought, then I am going to talk about whats going on here in Orurillo. What is God asking you to clean from your lives so that he can do a great work in your life? Just as Joshua commanded the Israelites to clean up their act, God often calls us to do the same thing. We know in scripture that God was about to dry up the Jordan River so that the Israelites could walk through, and although in our lives it may be much simpler, maybe it isn't. Maybe God wants to change the world through you...so "purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you."

Now to Orurillo...

Yesterday we went to church in Miraflores for the third time. This time I was asked to speak, then do a sermon. I had NOTHING prepared, but it was fine. At first, I got up and spoke from Jude and encouraged the believers to work together to grow in their faith...mainly have Bible Studies! Then, I sat down and about 10 minutes later they called me up again to do a sermon...hmm, ok. So, I read the story of Paul standing in front of King Agrippa from Acts 26 and challenged them to be bold in their faith where God had changed their lives. God changed Paul on the way to Damascus and Paul first preached in Damascus. I have actually blogged about Acts 26 and the Book of Jude before and have no doubt that is why God laid those passages on my heart. I didn't have notes, just what I remembered from my blog posts and the words God was giving me at that time. I hope that the people at this small church will heed the words of God and start making disciples here. After that, we went back to Orurillo and the girls washed clothes while I watched The Office until I fell asleep. After that, we ate dinner and watched a sermon from NewSprings' Beautiful Series called 'Caught.' If you do not subscribe to NewSpring Audio or Video Podcasts, that needs to change. Wow, what an amazing sermon about God's love and forgiveness!

Today, we are going to Balsapata High School and Primary School. It should be an interesting day because we are riding bikes or walking, both choices that I do not care for.

Thanks for the prayers, please continue to pray for all of the ReapSouth SMT.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

What I saw in Revelation...

Ok...so I read Revelation in two days and it definitely is a mystery to me. I could list the 1,000 things I don't understand about this book, or focus on what I learned from this amazing prophetic book of God. So, here are ten things I saw...

1. God is going to kick some tail.
2. God's wrath is gonna suck for those who do not believe.
3. Many Christians are going to be persecuted in the last days.
4. God will show final mercy to the Jews.
5. Unconfessed sins are ALWAYS punished.
6. We should all fear God, all the time.
7. He is coming back, dipped in blood.
8. He loves us.
9. The new Jerusalem is going to be awesome!
10.The enemy will be defeated once and for all!

This passage is the hope we have for our eternity...

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever." And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making all things new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars – their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death."
-Revelation 21:1-8 (NLT)

On another note, God is not anti-war...clearly. It is in the New Testament and the Old...i'm just sayin' Are there unjust wars, of course there are...but war in and of itself is not wrong.

This is my prayer for all of you today...

Heavenly Father,
Please be with all who read this today. May your blessings fall upon them as they live their lives to please you and you alone. May they find hope in your future for them, both on Earth and in Heaven. May you show Yourself to them so clearly that they have no choice but to praise and exalt You wherever they may be. May You be lifted high in all of their lives because you have rescued them from the fiery flames of judgment. We all deserve hell, that is a fact, but thanks to Jesus' blood on the cross, death and hell have been defeated! Lord, help us to never forget that fact. Remind us daily of the grace and mercy you continually show us. For anyone who is reading this blog that may not know you...may your convicting power captivate them and may your grace change them even as they read this. Lord, you alone are worthy of praise, you alone are perfect, you alone are majestic, you alone are our Lord. May all we do glorify you. Amen.

Now that I have finished the New Testament, I am having a hard time deciding where to go next, I read the first 5 books (well, most of it...I got bored) and the minor prophets in the winter...so I am not sure what to read next. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

My B-Day and Beyond.

My birthday was yesterday and it was a great day! I miss my family and would have loved to spend the day with them and many of the amazing people doing mission work in this area. We left for Ayaviri around 11 and got there for lunch, where I got Roasted Chicken and French Fries with several people from the soccer team. The food was pretty good, then we went to an internet place, then as I was walking towards the market by myself, Jourdan from Ayaviri team saw me and we walked around the market for a while. After that, I got a chance to hang out with Jared. I then followed the Ayaviri Team to their English class in the municipal building, and had way too much fun goofing off during that. After that, we all went to eat Chinese food, there were about 20 of us, although a lot of them went to other places to eat and met us there for my b-day. The Ayaviri Team bought a cake for me and we went back to the hotel to eat the cake. Then, I finally talked some of them to go to "da club" with me, but it was sketchy, so we went back to the hotel. Then, we (well, all the girls on the soccer team, Ayaviri Team, and Orurillo Team, Jared, and Myself) watched "Just Friends" it was a good movie and a nice way to end my b-day.

I am so thankful for so many amazing people that cared about me enough to celebrate with me. God has truly blessed me with some giants in the Faith.

I am reading Relevation in my Quiet Time, but soon I am hoping to read something that doesn't confuse the heck out of me! Just saying!

We have had some luck here in Orurillo with bible studies, but with us leaving town from the 16th through 20th, we need to get these people to meet without us!

Here is our schedule for the rest of the summer:
11th-14th: Work here in Orurillo
15th: Ayaviri Team is coming to visit!
16th: Juliaca to take beth to the airport
16th-18th: Barnabus Team work in Chupa
18th-20th: Going to Puno and Lake Titicaca with Chupa Team, Ayaviri Team, and Orurillo Team.
20th-29th: Who knows.
30th: Fly back to Lima
31st-August 1st: Final Debriefing
August 2nd: Home.

The Day before my b-day...busy busy.

Yesterday we were able to meet with some believers in town and encourage them to do bible studies. Also, the soccer team played some pick up games at a small court at the police station, where orurillo's finest do absolutely nothing! However, most of the day I sat in my room as the soccer team took turns using my computer, which was cool because we had some good conversations. It has been a welcomed site having them in town and I have loved getting to know many of them.

Today is one of our busiest days since we have been here. We have bible studies at 9, soccer matches at 10 and 1, more bible studies at 4, then 6 with dinner at 5. It should be an interesting day, I really hope we can get someone in town to start a bible study soon! Hoping to find time to trim my beard (which is massive) and my hair today because the soccer team has hair trimmers with them.

Tomorrow we are spending the day in Ayaviri for my b-day and I am excited about that. Twenty gringos celebrating my b-day should be fun! Also, I haven't bathed in a longggggg time, so I am taking a shower on my b-day. It will be a happy day for me and anyone who has had to be around me lately!

P.S. The strike is techinically still on, but it is only transportation, stores were open all day yesterday. Today is the last day of the strike, they know better than to strike on my b-day (just kidding).

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Another Productive Day...

Yesterday, I kept to myself for most of the day. I am not used to being around people all the time and I think it was starting to wear on me a little. But, around 3, I was ready to sociable again. It was a perfect day to be a hermit because with the Strike going on, we couldn't go anywhere. The rally in the plaza ended around 3 and the soccer team arrived around that time. So, we all hung out for a while then ate dinner at 5. The hostel owner cooked dinner, which is good because there was nothing to eat in town.

In the evening, half of us went to see the doctor and myself and the other half went to Miraflores to visit a member of the church there, it is about a 15 minute walk, but she was very welcoming and invited us into her little mud hut. So, we crammed in there and told bible stories together, she knew a lot of the details. We are encouraged that she may start bible studies eventually, she is a very sweet lady.

Today, we are going to basically follow the soccer team around. They have a game today in town and I hope they win!

The strike is techinically still on, but shops opened last night and we hope today will be a normal day here in orurillo.

I want to leave you with a passage from a book that all of you should read if you haven't. This passage is from the Book of Jude:

"But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most high faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God's love. And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives."
-Jude 20-23

Continue to lift us up in prayer as I will you.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

11 Years Ago...

So I became a Christian on July 7th 1998. I'm not sure if I have shared this story with many of you, so here it goes.

I grew up in church and always considered myself a good person. I thought I was saved at the age of 10, but it became clear as I entered middle school that I had no relationship with God and really didn't understand anything about Him. So I went on living my life and then in the Spring of 1998, after years of goofing off in church with the youth group at another church, my family decided to change churches. The youth pastor, Tim Ballard, continually asked me and my best friend Blake to go to the Go Tell Camp at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. However, neither one of us wanted to go. After a couple of weeks, we agreed to go and this camp changed my life forever. Several nights went by at the camp and I fought with God. But, on the night of July 6th, 1998 the preacher that night prayed that anyone whovdid not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior would be restless that night. We went back to our dorm and I went straight to sleep, although I knew that God was calling me. I woke up the next morning and my eyes were burning like I hadn't slept in days, I was totally restless. I continued to deny it through the morning service and afternoon activities, but that night I could not run any longer. I remember standing up to go down front, but I also felt weightless, like God himself was carrying me, I will never forget that feeling as long as I live. Then, we went backstage and a college kid led us through the sinners prayer and I felt the weight of sin lifted off of my shoulders. I didn't understand everything, but I did understand the Jesus lived, died, and three days later rose again defeating death, sin, and hell on my behalf! I am so thankful for my story and amazed by how much I have grown in the past 11 years. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, but through the storms, God is still there and he is faithful to be there in the future.

What is your story?
Do you know that you know?
Can you remember a time that defines you and changes the course of your life?

All I know is I was lost and now I am found...the great Shepherd rescued me...has he rescued you?

Today...we are hanging out because of the Strike, everything is uncertain right now, but one thing is for sure, God is not.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Manic Monday.

Today was a great day here in Orurillo. We started this morning around midnight with the sound of Carson, one of the men from the church in Louisiana throwing up right beside my bed (not the greatest part). However, once the day started, it seemed like it was gonna continue to be pretty rough. The van wouldn't start, so we pushed it to a battery shop in town. Then, it was off to Batsapata, a little town near here that we had visited before, but the teachers at the High School won't give us a clear sign on whether they want us there so we left for the Primary school. Unfortunately, the primary school was closed because today is Teacher Day in Peru and what better way to celebrate than a day off!! However, we did get to meet with Felix, a believer, and hopefully encourage him.

In the afternoon, we went hiking and I took some awesome pictures! Then, it was off to the hospital to talk to some nurses, but they were too busy.

The evening consisted of dinner with the Catholic Priest (a charming man) and then a nice conversation with two believers, the town doctor and a nurse. They both seem very passionate about reaching others but feel they are too busy with their jobs to make a difference (sound like anyone back home). We told them that they can be Jesus to anyone at anytime.

The nationwide strike starts at midnight...it could be bad, please pray that it is not!!

Also, I almost touched a llama today, those things are quicker than they look, especially wild ones.

I got saved 11 years ago tomorrow...you best believe an awesome post is planned.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Encouraged.

A (not so) quick update...

We are meeting with nurses and doctors in town, talking to High School kids and seeing some interest in the Gospel. The end. Just Kidding.

We have been back in Oruillo for a couple of days, however, yesterday we had to go to Juliaca to pick up Beth who is returning from Lima after dental work. We left pretty early on Saturday morning and picked her up. Then we ate lunch and headed to Ricos Pan...an awesome Bakery! Then, we headed back to the airport to meet the two guys from Grace Works Church in Baton Rouge, LA. They are great men of God and they have encouraged me greatly. They had with them a translator and a driver of a rented van. We then went to eat again (I am never opposed to that) and they paid (even better). After that, we drove to Ayaviri, where I saw three of my favorite people on the planet (all of which will be speaking at THE CHILL this year) and talked with them for a minute or two, then it was off to Oruillo...now, for the encouragement...

1) They bought us heaters! (in the teens at night is no fun without them)
2) They brought us candy!
3) They brought coffee, cream, sugar and a french press (yes please)
4) We are riding around in a sweet van for several days.
5) They are guys!! (we have talked SEC football for two days now)

Apart from somewhat trivial things...we have had some encouraging encounters at church today. We went to two different churches, both in Quechua (that is an ancient native language). We were able to hear hymns in Quechua that I will put on Facebook when the internet is fast enough for it. At the other church, 3 high school guys played traditional music for me and I video taped it too!! I also asked them if they meet together as young men of God to study the Bible and they said they did every Saturday and that they invite lost friends!! These churches are not in the village of Oruillo, but they are close-by and could be the start of a movement of God here. Lastly, the doctor in town is a believer. She is only here for a year, but she is interested in teaching others the Bible! She is meeting us for dinner at 7 tomorrow.

Tonight, Claudia went to the city radio station to tell the villagers why were are here.

On another note, there is a nationwide strike on July 7-9 that could get violent in big cities (not here). There is even rumors of an overthrow...that would not be good! Anyway, the men from LA are supposed to leave Wednesday but will probably have to leave on Monday because of the strike situation.

Here are the "plans" for this week...

Monday: Go to Balsapata Primary School and High School
Meet with Nurses at Hospital
Meet with Doctor at 7
Tuesday: Shop at the market (tuesday is market day)
Meet with locals in the plaza
Wednesday: Soccer Team will be here, so we will follow them around
Thursday: Same as Wednesday
Friday: MY B-DAY PARTY in Ayaviri with Ayaviri Team, Oruillo Team, and Soccer Team.

Be praying for us as we work here...we are relatively healthy and happy. I am so excited to be here and ready to work some more. We will continue to be obedient and let God do the work (after all, our works are filthy rags).

Now, about THE CHILL...Claudia wasn't feeling well the other day so I had some time to work and pray about the direction of THE CHILL. God totally just hit me with EVERY SINGLE THEME for the whole year!! BE EXCITED! You think last year was good...wait until you see what God has in store for this school year.

Also, THE CHILL...we are going to Peru next June for two weeks...I am taking up to 10...start saving and praying!

I am so encouraged here and encouraged about the future of things back home...God is great and greatly to be praised.

I want to leave you with this passage...

"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise (to return) as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent."
-2 Peter 3:8-9 (NLT)

Repent of your sins and accept Christ because "he is coming as unexpected as a thief in the night." -2 Peter 3:10

I love you all...

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Back in Oruillo...what a journey.

I will just start by saying that bus rides at night suck. They just do. Anyway, I did get to sit with Jourdan, which is nice because she is a cool chick. But, Jared got his laptop and camera stolen...it was a long story but basically the most massive peruvian cop ever got on the bus and retrieved the laptop, but Jared didnt realize his camera was missing until we were off the bus and walking to Ayaviri (at 3in the morning). Obviously, we were all upset and Jared was ready to head to Juliaca to find the guys who stole it (the bus was headed for Juliaca so it only makes sense).

This morning, Claudia, Kelly and myself said goodbye to the Ayaviri Team until my b-day, when we party it up :) and got a Comvii back to Oruillo. It is freezing here as winter moves further and further along, so please pray for us that we stay healthy.

This afternoon, we met with some nurses and talked with lots of people in town, I really think a bible study may happen soon. They are a little friendlier this time because they recognize us, so that is good.

In conclusion, tomorrow we are having tea with a nurse and hopefully explaining some of the Bible to them. Please pray for us.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

An Update.

Since we left the mid-summer retreat, we have embarked on a 14 hour bus ride from 1:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. where I may have slept for an hour. Along for the journey was Jared, Ginny, and Hannah of the Ancahuasi/Barnabus Team, Jourdan, Penny Jo, and Jared of the Ayaviri Team, and Claudia, Kelly, and myself of the Oruillo/Barnabus Team. Beth had to leave for Lima for dental work after the horseback accident. She is hopefully coming back, but she has to stay in Lima until Tuesday, at least. So, when we arrived in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incan Empire, I was exhausted. So, we went to a restaurant called Jack's Cafe and it was pretty good. The cool thing about Cusco is that it is one of the biggest tourists attractions in the World and there are Europeans and some Americans, but along with that, normal food! Anyway, after dinner, I went to sleep around 6:30 P.M. and woke up at 8:30 A.M. so I got my sleep back.

The next day, we met for breakfast/lunch and I got French Toast, Bacon, and a freshly squeezed orange juice...yep, it was awesome. Then, we went shopping and I bought a lot of random stuff, but it was tons of fun. I was able to hang out with Jourdan and Penny Jo of the Ayaviri Team for most of the day, because Jared and Claudia were getting Jared squared away after leaving his passport at a restaurant in Nazca, never to be seen again. I had a great time hanging out with those amazing girls, they even helped me shop a little. The coolest thing about the day for me was that I found lacoste polos for 35 soles (around 12 dollars) with the tags still on them that say 92 dollars...so I bought every one of them in my size! We also bought North Face jackets for 45 soles (around 15 dollars).

In the evening, we went to McDonalds for dinner and I ate 3 hamburgers...its weird because I don't really go to McDonalds back home, it just felt right! Anyway, peruvian ketchup is different than american ketchup (its sweeter/gross) but McDonalds had REAL KETCHUP! We met up with Hannah (from the Barnabus team near Cusco), Kelly (newest member of my team), and Jared (Ayaviri Team) at McDonalds completely by accident and ate together. Claudia was not feeling well and had a fever, so she went back to the hostel to lay down. Our plans were to leave that night, but Claudia was too sick for that, so we stayed last night. However, Jared, Penny Jo, Jordan and myself decided to stay in a nicer hostel for the night, so we moved our stuff down the hill, then hit the town. It was more shopping, followed by dessert at this restaurant in the plaza, then just hanging out. It was nice to spend so much time with one of the teams that my Barnabus Team is ministering to and I am going to miss them so much when we drop them off in Ayaviri tonight.

Today, we are meeting for breakfast/lunch again, then going to some Incan Ruins and shopping more, then we will eat dinner and get on a bus for Ayaviri, as long as Claudia is feeling better. The last thing we need is to leave the city for the "boondocks" if Claudia is sick, so it is really up to how she feels today.

Just in case you were wondering, we are not going to Macchu Picchu, it is really expensive to get there! Anyway, they are shooting fireworks outside and have been since before 8 this morning, so pray that I do not lose my mind! Apparently there is a festival in town soon. We should be headed back to the village tonight, it is about 5 hours in Ayaviri, then 1 1/2 hours to Oruillo, so more traveling...yay.

Prayer Requests:
Beth (Dental Work)
Claudia (Sick)
Ayaviri Team (Penny Jo, Jourdan, Jared)
Barnabus Teams (Ginny, Kelly, Hannah, Beth, Claudia, Jared, Me)
Chupa Team (John and Lidman)
Research Team (Phillip, Jess, and Lydia) (They travel on some terrible roads, pray for safe travels)
ESL Arequipa (Sarah, Stacey, Nathaniel)
Creative Ministries Team (John, Ashley, Brittney, Hayes, Hannah, Brandon and Arturo)(They are traveling north of us for the rest of the summer, pray for safety)
*John is doing much better, by the way.
The Soccer Team (They are headed to our village next week)
Oruillo, Puno, Peru...its a dark place.
Coping with the Freezing Cold (as it gets warmer in the States, it gets colder here, it is wintertime, so coooooooooold)
Getting re-adjusted to 12,000 + feet elevation.

We have a little less than a month before leaving our villages and heading back to Lima for final debriefing, so we have to DO WORK! Well, off to my last hot shower indoors for a while...

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Mid-Summer Retreat.

I don't have a whole lot to say except that I have met some amazing believers and strong warriors in the Faith this weekend! I want to talk about one man that I met that really encouraged me. His name is Arnold Austin Sr, he is an amazing warrior for Christ. He was such an amazing man...he put it very plainly...

we don't pray enough.

do you?

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Ica, then Nazca...

Here is a verse that encouraged me this morning...

"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
-James 4:7

It is a war everyday, resist the devil, win the battle today!

We are in Ica for a couple more hours, then to Nazca for Mid-Summer. There isn´t much to what we are doing right now. We rode on a bus all night from Arequipa to Ica, and that was scary to say the least...mountain roads + bus + front row side = terrifying experiences.

Continue to pray for all of us.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Last Day in Arequipa.

This morning I was reading in James and wanted to remind people about some truth in James 1.

"If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless." -James 1:26

If you are on leadership or attend THE CHILL or if you go to church all the time, but you gossip, slander, and use offensive/profane language, you are useless to the Kingdom of God. Obviously you may slip every once in a while and gossip or maybe a "bad word" comes out, repent and move on. However, a lifestyle that glorifies such behavior sends your friends down a path to hell. No great leaders for the movement of God have ever used profane language regularly that we know of, what makes you think that you are better than those? I am ranting a little today just because I can, but it is a serious thing, so what if using profanity doesn't offend you, that does not matter in Christianity, its not about us. I know of several people that do not go to NewSpring youth service because they say that they hear to much profanity, in the youth building! I pray for any of you that struggle with these things and pray harder for those of you that have been blinded by Satan to think it isn't a big deal...you will get angry reading this, thats how you will know if you are blinded :)

Ok...now for the last day in Arequipa. Yesterday was Sarah's birthday, she is an amazing woman of God that serves here in Arequipa (tough life) and teaches English at a Church, she also does Bible Studies in town. So, the Ayaviri Village Team, one member of Chupa Village Team, ESL Arequipa, Research Team, and Oruillo/Barnabus Team are all in town to celebrate! We went Horseback riding in the mountains for about 3 hours and I am feeling that today...wow. Well, Beth and Claudia both fell off there horses and Jared of the Ayaviri team got kicked by a horse in the ankle. Beth had a tooth chipped and Claudia had some minor bruises. Please pray for all of them.

Then, most of us went to Gauchos for dinner. Gauchos is a steakhouse...and for 30 soles (10 dollars) you get a HUGE steak, all you can eat fries and salad, the steak was one of the best I have ever had, it was great! Then, we went back to Sarah's apartment and watched a movie and ate some more, then we left. It was a good day and another lovely "vacation" day. Today we are going to the movies and shopping...I am gonna buy a few things here, but everything is a little more pricey here than in the State of Puno.

This is it, the last day :( I LOVE THIS PLACE. I WILL RETURN AT SOME POINT IN MY LIFE! Tonight at 7, we leave for Ica, it is a 9 hour bus ride...I think. Then, after a day in Ica, we will travel 1 1/2 hours to Nazca for Mid-Summer Retreat! By the time these days are over, I will be geared up to work in Oruillo!

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Invisible

Here we are in Arequipa and I am sitting in a beautiful room looking up at snow-capped volcanic mountains and reading the Word. Sounds like a great start to a morning...and it was! I decided to re-read Hebrews 11, then continue to finish the book but Hebrews 11:27 stopped me in my tracks. Here is what it says,

"It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the King's anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible."

I could talk about not caring what man can do to you, to be a rebel for Christ, but that isn't what hit me this morning.

Hmm...he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible?? WOW! That is complete and total faith. I cannot imagine a more amazing verse about our faith in God than this one.

I mean, think about it, we have faith in lots of things we cannot see. I am sitting in a chair, and of course you have all heard that analogy, so I will let it be. How about the force it takes to type the keys on this laptop? I cannot see the force, but I can definitely feel it when the keys are pressed in and words form on the screen. God is the force that tells the story of our life, it is an amazing force that we will never understand, however, we trust in Him for our life plans. What key is Jesus typing on your life's screen? I don't know what words Jesus is going to write on my life's screen, or when...or even why! But, I have faith in the invisible and with my eyes focused on Him, the rest is up to Him. Praise the One who knows beginning from the end and has my life in his hands.

So do you trust the one who is invisible?

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Travel Blog Number One.

I call this post Travel Blog because I was just a tourist today! Arequipa is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. People in Arequipa are nicer and cars actually stop at crosswalks! There are tons of tourists here, apparently Europe knows how awesome this place is! Americans need to get their act together and experience this place, it rivals any place I have ever seen, even in pictures. The plaza and cathedral are the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I am completely in awe of this city and have loved the 24 hours I have spent here so far. Now for the goings on of today...

This morning we were headed to Sarah's apartment (ESL Arequipa team/Journeywoman) and were stopped by a hostel staff member with fresh orange juice, so of course we stopped. Then he brought fresh bread, jam, butter, and coffee. The cool thing about the cafeteria here at the Buena Vista Hostel (look it up, its incredible) is that you can see the huge volcanoes that are right outside of the city. We eventually made it to Sarah's for French Toast Casserole...which was from Heaven.

Then, John, Nathan (ESL Arequipa, Summer Missionary) and I went out on the town. We went to the Plaza, Cathedral, and shopping in the market. Although none of us bought anything except some cookies at Cusco Coffee (Amazing) it was a great time.

The afternoon started with a trip to the mall and Pizza Hut for lunch. It was good to have a Meat Lovers Pizza and tasted pretty fantastic. There is Burger King, KFC, and Pizza Hut at the awesome mall in Arequipa. After that, the guys went back to the Hostel for about an hour before merengue dancing lessons, which I was less than excited about, but it was a ton of fun.

Then we went to capricios and it was good, but I just wasn't very hungry. After that, it was back to coffee at Cusco Coffee and then to ESL classes at Jerusalem Baptist Church. There we got to meet about 10 peruvians that are trying to learn English through Bible Stories, it was encouraging to meet them!

Lastly, this is an awesome place and a great vacation from the work we are doing in the Mountains, I pray that God is preparing the hearts of the people in the State of Puno for an amazing move of God in July!

Arequipa...you need to get here...yes you. It has everything you could possibly want, at cheap prices compared to the States.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

So much for plans...again!

Yesterday after I wrote the post about the plans for Monday, it was totally changed! The Ayaviri team had heard that a strike was starting at midnight in their village and since we had to go through Ayaviri, it only made sense that we would all leave together. So, we packed up and headed to Ayaviri to meet the Ayaviri team and CMT to head to Juliaca to pick up John from the Chupa Team. After that, we loaded a bus and headed to Arequipa. Our team started traveling around 1130 and got to Arequipa around 11, with stops in Ayaviri and Juliaca.

This is our mid-summer vacation, although I have only been here two weeks, everyone else has been here a month and was in much need of some R & R. Arequipa is a beautiful, modern city that rivals anything I have seen. It is gorgeous and everyone should put this city on their list of places to travel.

The guys, Me, John of Chupa Team, and Jared of Ayaviri Team are living it up in a nice hostel with controlled temperatures in the rooms, cable, hot water, and great mattresses. The triple room is 45 dollars a night, so split that in three and its 15 dollars a night, so in Peru, expensive, but totally worth it!

Be praying for us as we enjoy this city for a few days. We are all excited about this break and I will keep everyone updated on its awesomeness.

Faith and Upcoming Plans.

This is the last day we will be in Oruillo until July 2nd. Here is our schedule:

23rd-25th: Arequipa through Ayaviri and Juliaca

26th: Nazca through Ica

26th-28th: Nazca

29th-1st: Cusco

2nd: Back here in Oruillo

Today we are going to talk to some people here in town and hopefully teach some people the Bible. We have spent some time at the local hospital trying to encourage nurses to start a bible study and they seem interested. Help us pray for creative ways to interest these people in studying about God. We are leaving some Bible stories with some people here in town and we are encouraging them to start bible studies while we are gone for a little while. We pray that when we come back on the 2nd that they will be ready to have a self-sufficent bible study.

We have all been reading in Hebrews and I love Chapter 11 so much! It is so nice to read of the faith of the great men of God from Biblical Times. May this verse help and encourage you: Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."

I was asked a tough question the other day while hanging out with some locals for lunch. The question was "How do we know there is a God?" First off, I was amazed that anyone here would ask that because God's creation is so beautiful all around us. But anyway, I told him that we have to have faith that he exists. Then, I said it is better to believe in God and be wrong than to not believe and be wrong. He pushed back with, "has there ever been a time when you felt God?" I told him about countless times when I would pray for guidance or peace and God would grant it to me. I told him about the many times that I would ask for a Bible verse for something I was dealing with and God would lead me straight there. He nodded his head and appeared content with my answer.

We visited a church in another village yesterday and it was awesome to see them worship Jesus in their native Quechua language. These people have very little compared to most in America, but they are thankful and faithful to God. There was one woman that had to be 90 and during prayer she would raise her frail, old hands to God and pray. Her life of faith has not gone unnoticed by me and I only spent 2 hours around her.

Now for my two tough questions for us...since I had to answer two tough ones the other day!
Will your life of faith go unnoticed?
Are you faithful with what you have been given?

May God strengthen all of us and help us to be faithful people.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Happy Fathers' Day

Please remember Fathers here in Peru on your day of celebration. Many fathers here are alcoholics and the amount of males involved in church is much lower than females. This is a common problem in many countries and cultures, but it seems to be the norm here.

I am so thankful for my father today and excited for August 2nd when he picks me up from the airport and we go to Cracker Barrel for lunch!

Today, we went to church at a Quechua speaking church. Some of the people there do not speak any spanish, its all Quechua. Anyway, none of us know this ancient Native language, so it was interesting to listen to.

In Conclusion, it is so important that we make our Heavenly Father famous today...

The Weekend is here.

**Update on John of the Creative Ministries Team**
John is recovering in Juliaca and should be able to stay in Peru! He had an intestinal blockage, which was fixed, now he is on meds for an infection in his pancreas, but it is minor and he will be fine!

We had a productive Friday but also very busy! We started out by biking to Batsapata, about 3.5 miles away. I am starting to get used to the elevation and didn't have to hard a time getting there. One thing that has surprised me is that I get sunburnt very easily here. I didn't think about how thin the air is and how high in elevation we are. After all, we are about 11,000 feet closer to the sun than I am used to! Anyway, we told bible stories, taught English, played volleyball, sang songs, and got to see the primary school practicing a native dance for the big competition this week! It was awesome!! They even brought us chairs to get a good view and we just enjoyed the performance.

In the afternoon, we made our trek back to Oruillo. We took an hour break, then it was out on the town! We went to a store and talked about Jesus, we went to a Hospital and talked about Jesus, and we were able to get people to allow us to come back and teach them more! The main objective of our trip is to start bible studies that continue after we leave and this curiousity is the first step in that.

Today...we are going to stay in Oruillo and mingle with the locals. We are revisiting some people and doing bible studies with them.

Tomorrow...we are going to church in a nearby village, about 15 minutes walking. They have service from 10-12, 1-3 so we will attend those and then come back to do a bible study at the Hospital at 4.

The work here is slow, but we are confident. Many of these people are Catholic, but when you ask them what they know about the Bible, they can't answer. It is just like what I teach in small groups and at THE CHILL, you have to be in the Word!!

Pray for Divine Appointments for us.

We are leaving on Tuesday for Arequipa, I will have my computer, but updates may be slow.

On an amazing note to anyone who knows me...I have not had anything Carbonated all week. Also, I have had less than 3 cups of coffee all week.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

An Update on What's Going on

Ok...so Wednesday and Thursday were pretty eventful. Wednesday we had the opportunity to visit Oruillo Primary School, but no kids were there. So, we went to an area of town where everyone was gathering and the CMT started playing songs and many of us got to share the Gospel. I spoke about how God stands at the door and knocks on our hearts, others used the Romans Road, Creation Story, and other places. We were able to share the Gospel in several different ways to about 100 people. Many people had questions afterwards and others just wanted prayer. That was a pretty amazing morning. Then, off to lunch and then we went to the plaza to mingle. Beth was able to form a bond with a little Down Syndrome girl named Cynthia. This girl is precious! I was able to kick the soccer ball around with her for a little while. Please pray that God will open the eyes of the villagers here to see that we are here to love them unconditionally and don't want anything from them!

Thursday started out with a visit to Oruillo Primary School, where the kids were there and playing that day. We were able to play soccer and the CMT did some puppet shows for the kids, it is amazing how many different ways the Gospel can be presented! Praise God that he just wants everyone to know and doesn't care what angle we take! After that, John of the CMT was really sick, so Ashley and I took him back to the hostel to get some rest. But he kept getting worse so the CMT left for Ayaviri, a bigger town about 1 hour or so away. The plan was to drop most of the team off there, but John was too sick to leave, so they took him to the clinic there. They figured out that he has a intestinal infection and needs to go to Juliaca for further treatment, they left last night and I haven't received an update yet.

We haven't seen any salvations yet, but the Gospel were never return void. We have presented the Truth to hundreds of people in Oruillo and Batsapata and have full confidence that God is moving.

Today we are headed back to Batsapata and hopefully we will ride a Convii (A big van/small bus that carries people from town to town for a small fee) because walking sounds like no fun at all! Anyway, we are going to present the Gospel to Batsapata Primary School today and then hopefully hang out at the High School for a while!!

Please remember John of the CMT in your prayers.

I will update when I know something. We are unsure about how long we will stay in Oruillo because Claudia may need to go to Ayaviri to translate for the CMT if John stays in the Hospital for an extended period of time (the other translator is at the hospital with John).

Anyway...although we are completely uncertain of God's plans, God is not!! We are just here for the ride!

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

All of Me

Yesterday while we were at the High School, a young girl, probably around 16 asked us to translate a song for her. The song was all of me by evanescence and it apparently came with her cell phone. So claudia translated while the song played through the cell phone and I didn't think anything else about it until this morning. Something hit me...this girl had heard the song, she knew the voice was beautiful, she was intrigued by the song, artists, etc...but she had NO IDEA what she was listening to! All of the sudden, once she had the song translated, she understood the song. It was no longer a mystery.

Translate the Gospel for your friends and family...it doesn't have to be a mystery to them forever.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

High School in Peru and CMT Arrives!

Ok...so today has challenged me physically. I had not been feeling well when I went to bed last night and woke up feeling weird. I was never sick, but I just didn't feel well. It is a combination of dehydration, sunburn, and exhaustion...which comes from the dehydration and sunburn. I wasn't able to eat breakfast because I felt terrible, but I ate a couple of potatoes for lunch and drank enough powerade and water to drown a small child. So I am feeling a little better, and I am excited to eat dinner tonight!

This morning we went to the High School in the same village. We were asked all kinds of questions, but I ended up answering the most since I teach high school in the states. After answering questions about life in American High Schools, I was bombarded with questions about America in general. It was very fun to enlighten these high schoolers to the world outside of the altiplano of Peru. Since I had their attention, I shared my testimony and hopefully a seed was planted there. After my testimony, I showed them all the pictures I had on my camera and explained them...The Chill, My Classroom, My House, Some of My Family, etc...they were intrigued by all of them.

After being at the high school for a couple of hours, we started walking back towards Oruillo...luckily a Van with the CMT (Creative Ministries Team) pulled up and gave us a ride! It is a good thing because I know I was not going to make it back walking...I was too weak! But, the Lord provides!

We all came back to Oruillo and ate lunch, however, I felt weird so I ate very little, downed some Powerade and took a 2 hour nap.

Today was challenging, no doubt, but I can feel your prayers!

Tomorrow...we are going to the Primary School here in Oruillo so that the CMT can do skits, songs, and puppet shows. The CMT is an amazing group of college kids with a passion for serving Christ! Remember them in your prayers! They are college kids from all over the country, from FL to WI.

So recap on prayer requests :)
Oruillo Village/Barnabus Team (US)
Chupa Village Team
Ayrivi Village Team
Creative Ministries Team.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Today...

Ok...so today was pretty great and very challenging. We went to a small village about 3.5 miles away and told bible stories at a primary school. Public schools in Peru really have no rules against Christianity in school, so we were allowed in. Before arriving at the primary school, we passed through the village. Many people there were not very welcoming of us. What we have figured out is that there are some misconceptions amongst the locals about gringos (white people). They have found minerals in the area and many locals believe that we are only there to get their money and resources. Others actually think we want to steal their babies! I know, it is crazy, but we need to remember the locals in our prayers.

At the primary school we played with them during recess and I scored a goal! It is true that they are only up to age 11 or so, but still! Then we went inside a 6th grade class (in Peru, that is about 10 or 11) and taught them the colors in English, using the Salvation Story to represent them. Then we taught them a song in Spanish and movements to it. After spending time in the 6th grade class, we went to a younger class and did the same thing, only we added greetings in English because Beth and Claudia had been in that class the week before.

After going to the primary school, we went to the high school to talk with the principal. The principal told us to come back tomorrow to talk with teachers about our experiences teaching in America! So...we are in the high school now too!

The only problem...the creative ministries team was supposed to be in Oruillo today but there was a local strike in their village which made travel impossible. Hopefully they will make it tomorrow!

Tomorrow's Schedule
9:00 Back to the Primary School to teach more English and Bible Stories
10:30 To the High School to talk with teachers.
1:00 Back to Oruillo

Thanks for all your prayer and support! The laborers are so few here but we are trying to break down Satans stronghold on these commmunities, continue to pray.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Open the Door.

God hit me with something this morning that I felt I should share. I woke up around 7 o'clock here, 8 back home...and since the bathroom at the hostel is downstairs and outside, I made the trek down to brush my teeth and use the facilities. As soon as I opened the door to my room, a spider dropped right in front of me...a big spider. So, I promptly killed it and continued on my way. A couple steps further and I saw one of the dogs that lives here at our hostel/home shivering in front of my room. I felt so bad for the little dog, so I tried to get her to come into my room, which is a little warmer, but she wouldn't move. So I went down and used the restroom and headed back up to my room, the dog would still not move.

You are probably asking, how did God hit you with something...so here it goes...

The Spider: I could have been paralyzed by fear and went back into the room, but I had to go to the bathroom. If I let that spider keep me from going to the bathroom, I would have missed an opportunity to help something in need! I would have been so consumed with my circumstances that I wouldn't have even noticed the burden right outside my door!

The Dog: It's true, the dog would not move. But in a spiritual sense, it is not our job to make people in need move. Yes, your friend or loved one needs a savior, but you cannot make them move. The dog would have found warmth and I would have wrapped her up in some of my clothes until she stopped shivering, but she refused.

Who are the dog and spiders in your life? Are you fearful? Are you discouraged by the refusal to move?

All I know is that God still calls us to live without fear and to create opportunities for others to come inside and find the warmth of God.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

There finally.

It is pretty funny that it took us this long to get to our village! The crazy thing is that we didn't leave Juliaca last night as planned, because we had another setback. This setback was the same one as before, my luggage was at a church, the pastor came back around 3 yesterday, but he didn't have a key! So, we had to wait on someone with a key, which was too late for a bus to Oruillo. Anyway, we ended up leaving Juliaca this morning and the pastor brought my luggage to the hostel! I am positive that all three of us were happy to leave Juliaca behind, especially after Beths I-Pod was stolen...its a sketchy city :(

We stopped off in Ayaviri, a beautiful town, and met with the Ayaviri Village Team. These college students are doing amazing things for Christ and have English Classes planned in a Government Building there! They have been ministering to the staff of the hostel and God is starting to work and move there! They are all from Texas and it was a pleasure to meet them, remember them in your prayers!

Lastly...this village is beautiful, but very small and only one restaurant! However, they do have llamas and wifi!!!

Thanks for the prayers...my heart goes out to all of you and I am praying for you daily.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

Still in Juliaca...

So the plans were to leave Juliaca yesterday or this morning...no luck there! We actually left my luggage at a church here in town and planned on going to get it after breakfast and head to another city on our way back to Oruillo...I say back there because my team was there before. It will be my first trip to our village...I hear there are llamas in the streets and a beautiful lake nearby, so I am excited about that! However, the pastor is not in town until 430 today...so we will be leaving then, at least thats the plan (I am learning more and more that our plans are more like hopes). Anyway, we will do what we can where we are...after all, this whole country needs Jesus, not just our village.

Now about Juliaca...I have read terrible stuff about this city, but I kindof like it! Sure its dirty and cold...and the people hate having their pictures taken, so my camera has stayed in my backpack. But...we did see a pretty cool parade today with a marching band and native dress and dance...it was pretty cool. Also, the people are pretty friendly, especially if you are friendly to them.

Enough about that stuff...this is all about Jesus! We were able to eat breakfast with the Chupa Village Team this morning, this team of four is amazing and really loves the Lord. Two girls from Spartanburg, one guy from Tennessee and another guy from Peru have been serving the Lord in Chupa...a village with fairly primitive accomodations! Please remember Chupa and the Chupa Village Team in your prayers. We had a great breakfast, with decent coffee and now its almost lunch time here and I am hoping for more amazing food.

As we continue to work for our Lord, please continue to pray for us. I have been praying for THE CHILL, NewSpring, and TLH and will continue to for the rest of my time here.

In conclusion, I want to leave you with something that I have been reading that has challenged me.

"And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching"
-Titus 2:7

Souls around you are lost...this is serious, this is real serious.

May God bless and strengthen you as you do His work.

P.S. I haven´t bathed since Tuesday morning...you know.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

So far, so good...

So I have been in Juliaca, Peru since yesterday around 3. The hostel is pretty clean and I basically slept from 5 to 7 the next morning...14 good hours!

Today we did some errands for a church here. Everything has been pretty good. I have had a slight headache, but no nausea. This altitude and climate change will not stop me! Anyway, its pretty cold here at night (25-30), with no heat, but God will give us the strength.

We have two options right now, we will travel to Chupa to help the village team there, which is actually here in town now...now for that story!

We were on our way at 5 am to see them tomorrow in Chupa, which would have stunk because they were here! We ran into them randomly on the streets of Juliaca...which is pretty crazy considering this is a pretty big city! I shouldn´t say random, it was God appointed! Gods plans are better than ours EVERYTIME!

Second Option...we go to our village in Oruillo. I have never been to either one, so i´m cool with whatever!

Please be praying for Peru and the State of Puno, which is where we are staying...they held a strike yesterday and there was busted glass in the streets were they had been demonstrating. These strikes are of no danger to us as long as we stay away, but they can be quite a hassle. They have another big strike planned from the 23-26, which will make travel near impossible...remember us in your prayers as well, we are all healthy and upbeat...ready to do work for the Lord.

I WILL GO
Chase Culbertson

The Start of "Winter Break"

First of all, its wintertime here in Peru which means flu season and all the airport workers are wearing masks over their faces...which made me feel real uncomfortable! Anyway, God is in control of this whole trip so I am gonna trust in Him. I am currently sitting in the Airport in Lima, Peru waiting for my next flight...then Claudia and Beth will pick me up at we are going to Chupa until Sunday! There we will be serving alongside some amazing college kids who are sold out to the cause of Christ.

When flying from Atlanta to Miami last night, we flew around a Thunderstorm. It was the most awe-inspiring and beautiful thing I have ever seen. To me, there is nothing on Earth that displays Gods power and beauty more than a thunderstorm. I sat there staring out the window of the plane and tearing up at the thought that the God that made that amazing display of beauty and power holds me in His hand!! Praise God! I am humbled and in awe of our God.

Next thing....pray for me. I am exhausted! I cannot sleep on planes, I just can't do it! I didnt want to take a sleep aid because I already get "randomly screened" everywhere I go! My guess is because I am traveling by myself and I am a man...but I don't know for sure, basically I didn't want to be drugged up when I get asked questions!

Last thing...I met a youth group from First Baptist Church, Oxford, MS...remember them in your prayers, they are serving the Lord in Northern Peru through the International World Changers!

TO THE LOST.
Chase Culbertson