Last week, my father in law and I took my 7 year old son Ethan on a wilderness camping and fly fishing trip in the Colorado mountains. It was a challenge for me personally, because I saw so many pressing ministry needs happening at Haskell University, a Native American college where we have been mentoring student church planters for the last year. The needs of our young student leaders seemed really great. At the same time, this seemed like a really critical time in my son’s life, where some time away with dad was really important. It was a key marker in my life to realize this,

“If we love our wives and family as Jesus loved the church, Jesus will show us that He is truly the one who builds His church.”

Among our numerous adventures, we survived the steering going out on our truck and almost driving off the mountain. We caught trout. We photographed elk, antelope, and mule deer.

We had a powerful time together.

And the student churches grew more while I was away then they had the entire semester.

Here is one story that happened while we were away, as told by Jessie, a student church planter who has been living with us the last several months:

Yeah!!! Haskell student enters into the Kingdom!

So two nights ago Robert and I were in OK Hall in our endeavors to have simple church. We were randomly inviting people. One student returned from football practice and replied as he passed, “Is this a church thing? God knows I need it!” He returned and we proceeded to talk to him afterwards. This guy has had dreams. He described one,

“There was a fire and my people were dancing around it in a circle. Out of this group of people one figure stood out. There was Satan amongst them pointing his finger mocking and laughing at them. They couldn’t see him, but I could. He turned and looked right at me.”

 He’s always felt like a protector. So I get to share with him what his people need protected from and why Satan was laughing in his dream. We talked about Jesus and why Jesus is so important in the equation and how it is only through him that we can be delivered from the grasp of Satan and sin. By the end of the night he repented, named people he had to ask forgiveness from and prayed and committed to serving Jesus!