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OGN 2009 – God Speaks

guest — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:49:48 +0000

The other day when I was finding a spot to spend time with the Lord, I ran into a lady named Gloria. She was walking her dog, and then stopped me to ask what I was here for. I explained to her that I was here for a mission trip, staying at Point Loma, and also learning about and sharing my faith. After that, she just stood there, expecting me to ask her a question. I asked her what she thought about God, heaven and hell. She explained to me that she is very thankful for her life and the blessings God has given her. As the conversation progressed I asked if there was anything I could pray for. God really spoke through my prayer, and touched her heart. When I opened my eyes to conclude our conversation, Gloria was in tears. I realized that God had spoken to her; I truly feel that God left a mark on her. I am very thankful for this conversation. God really works in times that you don’t expect! -Meagan P.

OGN 2009 – LAST DAY!

jdart — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:46:08 +0000

It’s hard to believe but today is the final day here.  Would you pray that God would help each student to finish strong?  We are very grateful as God
has really blessed us with good health, great attitudes, safety, etc.

Last night was another powerful session of worship and teaching.  As we wrap things up tonight let’s also pray expecting that God would send each
student off with a clear sense of His presence and His purpose on their lives.  Might the events of this trip and each students' connection with God
make this trip a key mile marker in their journey with Christ.

These pictures of are from one of the beaches we’ve been going to (Imperial Beach), and others were taken before our evening session.

As we sign off here for the last time I again want to say thanks for coming on this trip and praying.  God is working in undeniable ways, so thanks for
bringing this trip before the Lord.

See you in Omaha!

OGN 2009 – Day 5

jdart — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:26:53 +0000

Training, fasting (from some), sharing, and baseball! Once again we heard stories after the afternoon sharing… some really cool ones, others challenging. It’s fun to see our students hanging in there on the tough ones and encouraging each other with stories from the ones where God is evidently at work. God is definitely giving us a greater heart for those far from God.

Would you pray today that we see people as God sees them. I saw a glimpse of this last night as we came home from the baseball game. On one particular block near the stadium as we walked to our vans we walked by a group of homeless people sleeping there on the sidewalk covered with cardboard boxes. Without prompt a student in our van said, “Hey, lets pray for those guys”… everyone followed. I love trips like these as you see God do things you don’t expect. You see students’ faith energized and their hearts tender.

The pictures below are from the game last night… it was a blast! There was a lot of hype over the return of Manny Ramirez and with the fireworks show afterwards; the stadium was full. We had a great time!

Today like tomorrow is a normal day. The beaches and parks will be FULL today so please pray that God really leads our students to the right people… might today again be the day of salvation for some!

Happy 4th of July from San Diego! -Jeff

OGN 2009 – God’s Touch

guest — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:06:49 +0000

Greeting from San Diego! As day 2 of OGN comes to a close, I can only sum up our students’ experiences as amazing. I am continually impressed with our group’s desire to intently seek God and His will on our trip.

I want to share a couple of experiences today that were super encouraging to me.

1. I began my day by walking down to the cliffs that overlook the ocean. As I drew closer to the cliffs, I was overwhelmed by our students. Scattered across the sandy dunes were around 20 students, engrossed in their daily devotions with God. It was so cool to see all these kids worshipping our Lord amidst the beauty of His Creation.

2. We met as a group after dinner to encourage one another and to update the group on our individual experiences witnessing on the beach. Several of our students shared very challenging conversations they were able to have and one student even had the opportunity to pray with someone to receive Christ. -Praise God!

To close, I want to leave you with some things to pray about: pray for continued safety as we travel and talk with people on the beach, pray for encouragement for our students when they are met with opposition or rejection, pray for the whole group to encounter God in an awesome way. -Cara Sietstra

OGN 2009 – God Leads

guest — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:36:16 +0000

We were praying to God and asking him to lead us and help us. God was leading us to this lady standing nearby. When we started talking we found out she had never come down to the beach before, but always ran by it. She said that God had been leading her to the beach. That really made our conversation with her very meaningful to her and to us. It is amazing to see God work before your eyes when your needing it the most. –Chris M.

OGN 2009 Day 4

jdart — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:23:24 +0000

Now that I have my own kids and I’m missing them this week I find that a picture of them is like gold! So let me try and paint you a picture that I wish I could have caught for you. Imagine our 27 students crowding the front rows of the auditorium… I was in the third row with most of our students in sight. At one point in our worship I caught a glimpse that was so cool. I saw the students fully engage, hands raised in awe, caught up in worship… truly an authentic God sized moment. It was a picture that as a parent you can only hope to see your child in. I’ve got to tell you that this group is really special! I’m very encouraged and impressed at how this week has gone!

Today we’ll hit the beaches again in the afternoon and then we’ll head to the baseball game (Padres vs. Dodgers) tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll be back to the normal training, sharing, and evening events.

Thanks for praying and joining us on this trip. Enjoy the pictures! –Jeff

OGN 2009 Day 3

jdart — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:20:57 +0000

Thanks for praying yesterday! I have yet to see in my times here such an encouraging first day of evangelism. Everyone really pressed in and pursued conversations.

Last night after we ate, we met as a team and it was fun to hear numerous stories of conversations that went well. Each day there are also a handful of students/leaders that stay back to fast and pray…it was also fun to hear how that experience went for them. God is evidently leading and we are grateful for that.

Last nights session was all about having courageous faith (Acts 1-5)…it was great. Everyone remains healthy and I think a bit more rested today. The food is great…that’s always a plus. It’s been a little cool here…lower 70’s I think. As we near the 4^th of July the beaches will continue to fill with people so that will be good for us.

Today’s prayer request: I’ve heard numerous students look back at OGN and identify a life altering moment(s). Let’s pray today that each student would have one of those this week…that God’s word and the power of the Holy Spirit would speak mightily to them.

OGN 2009 Day 1-2

jdart — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:36:54 +0000

We made it!

It was a great trip down, no delays, no problems. This is a great group of students! Yesterday upon arriving we went to the beach for an hour or so before registering at the campus. We checked in at 3:30…the rooms are great…the ocean is very close! God’s creation shines very brightly here! After checking in we went for dinner and then back for the evening session. It was a great first day. Ed spoke last night from Philippians 3…the students love him.

This morning it was breakfast at 7:00, time alone with God and now it’s off to training in preparation for the afternoon of sharing. The students are doing well…God has definitely blessed us already on this trip and we look forward to what is to come. This afternoon will be sharing till 4:30, then dinner, some team time, a session, and lights out.

Prayer request: As students go out this afternoon for the first time, pray that we would have courage and a passion to share Jesus. Have a great day and thanks for praying!

OGN 2009 Mission News

csvajgl — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:23:43 +0000

Welcome to the Oasis blog!

Check back soon for the latest news about what’s going on with the team at OGN!