Final Stages

Hello Friends and Family,
     Since my last blog post I have been on many adventures. My class and I organized local outreaches that included going to a mentally handicap facility to help garden and clean their facilities then sung karaoke with those that live there. We went to two different homeless shelters and ate with the people and hung out. We also had prayer ministries at the local Community College, a local mall, and at numerous parks where we also picked up trash. This Kansas City Outreach week was designed to minister to, serve, and bless others and also to get us (the students) planning and organizing our own outreaches. It was a great experience and I learned much about the complexities of planning a simple outreach like working with a homeless shelter. I learned about humility and God's heart for others, servant-hood and giving myself and my abilities to others, leadership, prayer, group unity, and obedience.

     My class also had what we call "Kairos games" to help prepare us physically for our boundary waters experience. The class of 15 was split up into three groups and we had two days of physical tests to not only compete, build rivalry, and excite us for boundary waters but to get us nervous and training for the physically challenging aspect of the trip. During Kairos games we had to run a 5k, go through an obstacle coarse, walk a mile with a 30lb backpack, do push-ups and sit-ups, and throw ninja stars at a target, all as a team. This was also a humbling experience because as the old saying goes "your as weak as your weakest link," meaning I had to be patient and encouraging for some people on my team that were struggling despite my need to win. Unfortunately my team took last place but we did have the most spirit and funniest outfits.

     We then headed up to the Boundary Waters on the border of Minnesota and Canada for a 5 day canoe trip. It was awesome!!! The 3 teams that competed during the Kairos games were the 3 teams in the Boundary Waters and I had a blast with my team, the blue team. The picture on the right is all 8 of us. During this trip we paddled 38 miles and portaged a ton too. Portaging is when you have to carry your canoe and your gear from one lake to another because there is no river connecting it. The longest portage my team did was 220 rods which is about 3/4 of a mile. During the week we also had a lot of other tasks to accomplish and a scavenger hunt to build up points to beat the other teams. The intention of the trip was an outdoor leadership experience where each student on the team had to lead their team for a day, making decisions, reading the maps, setting times for everything, distributing tasks and what not. The trip was also designed to enjoy nature and meet God there, outside many peoples' comfort zones. We saw deer, eagles, turtles, beavers, loon, Native American pictographs, Canada, awesome sunsets and sunrises, mushrooms, hard access lakes, high peaks overlooking the lakes and canals, and much more. It was a once in a life time experience and I'm so thankful that the weather was in the mid 70's with calm wind and no rain!

I am leaving tomorrow to go to Lewistown, Illinois for training camp. I am in the last stage of Kairos which is the summer program of Reign Ministries called Royal Servants. I will be at training camp from June 14th until July 5th. for the first week of training camp my Kairos class and I will be helping the staff prepare everything before the student leaders come. Once they come I will be joining them for the week of preparation to go overseas, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Then the last week the students come in and the student leaders guide them through the same process. We stay in tents in a hay field the whole time and it is a crazy experience. On July 5th I will be heading overseas with my Ireland team to both Ireland and England. In Ireland we will be partnering with churches in both Londonderry and a small beach town outside of Dublin called Skerries to do performances and build relationships with the locals. We do a lot of coffee house ministries in Ireland! I am stoked to see the culture, to talk with people in English, and to disciple the boys that I will be leading. My team then goes to London for about 5 days to debrief their trip, enjoy London, and focus on coming back into the culture of the US. Reverse culture shock will be a bigger problem for teams like Sierra Leone, India, and Nepal, but some of the students going to Ireland will experience it and we prepare them for that. I am so excited for this summer and what God is gonna do!
     I still need to raise $2500. Can you please pray about being a supporter and investor in both me and God's kingdom? I know God will bless your generosity and your willingness to serve. My team and I also need a lot of prayer while we are gone, prayer that:

• God would transform our hearts over the summer and draw us closer to Him
• Satan has no power over us and that his lies dont penetrate our hearts and minds
• We have humility, boldness, and love with each other and with those we are ministering to
• That I have discernment, wisdom, grace, and love to help my students fall more in love with Christ and others and that I have the humility to repent when I screw up.
• That the hearts of both my students and those we minister to would begin to soften and that God starts to pursue them like a hungry "Hound of Heaven."

Thank you for your prayers and love and I will be praying for you as well. I will try to keep you posted but I don't know if I will have any opportunities to use the internet so if not God bless you and I will tell you all about it when I get back! Have a blessed summer and may God's love also revolutionize your heart this summer.
                                              By the Grace of God,
                                                       Stephen Reynolds

My Perfect Belayer

"If I should say, "My foot has slipped," Your loving-kindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul." - Psalm 94:18-19


"Rescue is the constant pattern of God's activity." - Francis Frangipane



     There is a quote that really resonates with my heart these days, and it goes, "I desire with almost sickening intensity something never to be described." The weeks past feel like months and minutes. Months because I look back at what God has done in my heart and in my life and I cannot understand how He does so much forging in such little time, minutes because so much is going on that I hardly have time to take my heart and mind off Christ and what He is doing or showing me and I am just having too much fun living the life He designed for me!

     I am overwhelmed with God's knowledge, blessings, Truth, Way, and Life He has set before us. It is so crazy! I am learning so much about prayer and God's heart that I cant contain my love for Him. I am experiencing His power and blessing that is driving me further into a relationship with Him and I cannot hold back a smile and my heart flutters whilst my soul dances with Him! "I consider," states Paul in Romans 8:18, "that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us." But I propose that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with our present joys. The peace that resides on a soul abiding in Christ has limitless joy in the relationship with Christ. My Lover, Jesus Christ, has been answering my prayers faster than I imagined He would. I pray for romance, the flowers bloom and the Spirit of God brushes my cheek in the wind. I pray for a hunger for His word, verse after verse blow the flames of passion and love of my heart into a raging fire. I pray He would transform me into and grow me into the man He intended me to be, band aids are removed for healing and broken pieces are picked up and reassembled in my heart. I pray He will supply me and guide me, He first whispers to me that I step forward faithfully and He will bring success, and He proves Himself faithful. I can do nothing but respond and give my love and life back to Him.

     This past Sunday to Tuesday, my team and I took a short trip to Arkansas. We arrived there at night and slept over in a church. We then woke up in the morning and went to be guests at a company called Northstar. They are a business as missions (BAM) and God is blessing their dedication and generosity. They give %51 percent of their profits to missions and missionary families. They have a very awesome building in Feyetteville, Arkansas and a thriving company. We showed up there Monday morning and led worship for the employees, led a teaching, and a prayer time (they do this every Monday morning!). We then sat in their business meeting and saw how they functioned then the founder gave us a power-point presentation of the business, BAM's, his background, and Perspectives. It is such an awesome ministry and God is doing huge things through them and other BAM's they shared with us.

     We then went to a campground called the Devils Den and went cave exploring. It was SO AWESOME! It sometimes took 45 minutes to go through the caves tunnels. They were filled with bats and nooks. We had to trust our headlamps and the instruction of the person in front of us in our train of people. The cave at most points got so narrow that you could not walk through without shuffling sideways. There were parts where you are suspended above a 10 foot drop with your toes on a tiny rock lip or rock edge called a "knifes edge." The exits of the cave were so small that we had to crawl through as if it were a doggy door! I fell in love with Arkansas that day. It was such a great experience.

     The guys also went rock climbing on Tuesday Morning. It was good bonding time with all the men in the group and a challenge in trust, fear, and dependence on uncontrollable factors. We climbed two 5.10 routes and a 5.7 which are intermediate climbs. We also caught a few snakes, learned to tie a few knots, and shared some good laughs. The picture on the left was a route called "the sticky spots." I was able, with the coaching and suggested maneuvers by my belayer, to make it up and over the lip on the top as the other guys cheered me on. It was a great accomplishment!

     This week we started learning about church history, reading "Spiritual Leadership" by C. H. Spurgeon, memorizing verses, and preparing for our Kansas City outreach. A month from now we head out and up to Minnesota to go to the Minnesota boundary waters for 5 days and then we will go to Minneapolis and work with the Reign headquarters serving them and experiencing behind the scenes work of the ministry.

 Prayers needed:

• That God teaches me Christ like leadership that I may encourage and influence others to Himself
• That I learn to serve others out of love and not obligation to love
• That I learn freedom from fear through the love of Christ
• That my support continues to come in through miraculous ways that can edify others and glorify God
• That God continues to amaze me and draw me into Himself so that my heart can become like His heart
• That God starts to prepare the hearts of the small group of guys that I will be leading this summer
• That Christ can be a protector and a revealer of Truth to me thwarting Satan and his schemes.

     "And we Know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

     "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." 2 Chronicles 16:9

                                      For His glory,
                                                   Stephen Reynolds

Faithful Friend

       God is so faithful! I was reading through John and came across the verses where Jesus says, "If you ask Me anything in my name, I will do it." (John 14:14) "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7) "Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you." (John 16:23) I dont really understand these verses in their depths but I am so grateful that God is the perfect giver and willing to answer our prayers! I recently started praying that God would break me to remake me into the man I was intended to be and He is answering that prayer. I have gone through so much this last week. It is as if God is remodeling my heart and I feel like my mind and heart is in a blender, yet I know that God is the man pushing the buttons making me into the most delicious drink.

      I am more often than not at a loss for words for what God is doing in my heart yet I don't know if Jesus would want me to share the intimate details of the love story and romancing that He is bringing me through. On my last Royal Servants summer mission trip to Costa Rica (that's a mouthful) one of the boys I was leading shared with me the quote "when Jesus is all you have, you realize He is all you need." It is not a common thing to watch someone willingly throw aside everything to get to know Christ more... again I mean EVERYTHING: family, money, jobs, skills, intelligence, friends, abilities, lies, routines, comforts and the list goes on and on. But I realize that is what it takes. I pray that God continues to teach me how to open my grip from around the things I hold onto so dearly and when I won't do it willingly I pray that He will pry them open! Here at Kairos we explain this feat as the "Holy two by four" which is often needed to knock some sense into us.

     Lately, Christ has been trying to teach me about my pride and insecurities; that I needn't live to affirm myself in the eyes of man. This is such a struggle for me to understand. From what I see, peoples love is conditional. There are those who will love me "unconditionally" but because of who I am. I received a "heavy revy" (revelation) from a quote in an AA book that states, "People treat you the way you train them to treat you." My actions and attitudes determine peoples responses to me. So with all that said, I have yet to figure out who I am at the core of my being, and how to live that out without being insecure, living to get certain responses from people, or manipulating people to feed my pride; or essentially to live naked, clothed in the Truth of God. But oftentimes living with this garment, or rather, without them, scares people, confuses people, convicts people.. generally it brings negative emotions and people withdraw or it is so in my own mind. It has been a very challenging wrestling match in my mind and my emotions are haywire. This is just one of the many many things God is bringing me through. It is also challenging because I understand how immature my faith and my emotional and mental age is and a lot of this comes with time if I embrace the lesson and learn from it and others'.

     But God is faithful! And even if I have it all wrong, I trust He will bring me into the truth in time, the right time. We just recently finished the book "The Master Plan Of Evangelism" by Robert E. Coleman that explains the method of discipleship Jesus uses to evangelize. It was an awesome book and I recommend it to all. My Kairos team and I are also planning 5 days of ministry in Kansas. This can look like anything we would like it to look like. The staff just explained a few things and said here you go! It is up to us to plan whatever it is we have a passion for. I will let you more know details as they come along. This Sunday my team and I are also leaving to go to Arkansas to work with a business that gives 50% of everything to missions and also to go camping for two nights. I am excited to see what a business serving God in huge ways like this looks like. I enjoy an opportunity to see many different styles of everything from missions, to churches, to people, states, businesses, countries, Gods activity...

    



I like to update you with pictures but this is the only new picture I have taken in the past week. This is a little rabbit we found getting attacked by a dog. We rescued it, named it Lilly, and returned it to its home.







PRAYER UPDATES!!!

• I need to raise $2,600 by April 15th and I would love some prayers that God brings in this money
• Pray that God continues to show up in my life and work in amazing ways growing me and teaching me
• Pray against satan and his deception and dissension he causes in my heart and in my group
• That my team has safe travels to and from Arkansas, that our eyes are open to Gods work in this time, and that we grow more unified as a team body and in Christ
• That I am open to see Gods romantic love for me in my life
• That my roommate Keegan and I continue to grow closer

Thank you all so much, I love you all so deeply, and I am also praying for you!

                                                   It is all for Him,
                                                          Stephen Reynolds

Hello Friends,

     I want to apologize for the overdue blog post. I have no excuses : / I slipped up. And boy do we have lots to cover! Thank you all so much for being intentional about learning about my life and what God is doing in, through, and around me. It is truly amazing and overwhelming, with God's help, I pray that you can begin to see His amazing transforming work in my life.

     God is in the process of teaching me some very basic yet crucial aspects about Him, myself, and our relationship. There are so many dynamics to it that my thoughts are still a jumbled mess like disorganized puzzle pieces. I recently read the book Fathered By God by John Eldredge where he encourages men to step up and step out; to not be afraid or thwarted of the hard walks of life but to pursue them, for it is in these times of struggle and strife with life that, by God's grace, we can grow to be better men. I am so thankful for a program like Kairos where I am forced out of my comfort zone. It is agonizing for me to watch people float by in life like chaff in the wind, affected by it rather than yielding up the victory and authority given us by Christ. If only I were able to articulate my experiences and passions so that they might be encouraged by God's glorious and majestic present and working hand. "We should attempt something large enough that failure is guaranteed unless God steps in." Dang! Imagine the impact we could make on the world for God with faith like this!

     One of my struggles lately is my assumed inability to hear God. I pray and think and ask and still I hear nothing. Has He already spoken to me? Does He not speak to me to prevent me from hurting myself if He knows I wont obey? Is He not speaking to me because it stretches me, or perhaps He wants me to pick? Or when the tides turn and the consolation, God's comforting grace, turns to desolation, God's unseen and un-felt presence in my life, I am flustered. Have I done something wrong to hinder my unity with God? Is this desolation wrought by God, so He can stretch me? I am discovering over and over that many of the issues that come between my relationship with God and I are merely lies. Please pray for me that God would reveal His truth to me. The list goes on and on of what I am learning in Christ: what my grace really means and that nothing I do can twart it, God's immense heart for me and longing for me to be in unity with Him, God calling me to give everything up to Him... EVERYTHING... all my stresses, fears, insecurities, blessings, actions, thoughts, longings, desires, dreams, faults, sins. Everything. Here is a daring prayer:

Father, I want you to take me and break me until you mold me and make me into the man you want me to be.

   H
   O
   N
   D
   U
   R
   A
   S



     I recently returned from Honduras. It was incredibly beautiful, incredibly divine, and incredibly challenging. The picture above on the right is of a lice clinic my team did. We washed, combed, and braided hair. We also painted the girls' nails and gave them physical touch and love. We tried to non-verbally tell them how beautiful and loved they are. There is a culture in Honduras that requires no responsibility of men (Satan sure knows how to attack leadership to break down systems, ie family systems). The boys grow up not knowing their father or just seeing Him drunk on the streets or when he comes by the house for 30 minutes to spend time with the wife. Many fathers don't hold down jobs and use their money on alcohol. They have numerous families and numerous women they make their rounds to. The women grow up seeing their mothers work for food and upkeep for the house. The mothers have 5 to 10 kids each from different fathers. The kids are kicked out at an early age and must fend for themselves. the vicious cycle is passed down and not much changes. The small mountain villages we went to are also remote and unrecognized by the government. The people live in the moment for pleasures, whereas America tends to live to the future for comfort. Many Hondurans don't understand to look and plan ahead so when crops are harvested they eat too much and starve for the remaining months during crop growth. They also dont think to solve problems like leaky roofs or detrimental issues.

     The ministry my team partnered with is called Mercy International and they are a long term mission group there to equip the locals to have a faith of their own, to problem solve and correct issues like lack of schooling for their children and planning. They invest in kids (through certain requirements and the Holy Spirits leading) and send them to college and encourage them to learn tools to help their community and to pursue professions such as becoming teachers or doctors or lawyers, which are all needed in these small villages. They also build houses for people and are friends of the locals so they can have a Christ like model and grow. They do many amazing things: marry people, support single moms, invest in local businesses, and the list goes on. They bring in short term mission teams like Kairos because the teams bring a passion and energy and resources that they cannot always get a hold of, and they understand the impact of short term missions trips have on the team and the effect of the discipleship making in the experience. While we were there we put a roof on a church and built a house for a family, we visited 2 villages and spent time building relationships, hosting health clinics, doing activities and teachings for the children, held and attended their church services, played soccer with them. It was an awesome experience and I thank God for taking me there and for growing me in more ways than I know.

     I am now back in Kansas for a small number of weeks learning about leadership and ministry and before I know it we will be back on the road going to Arkansas, Minnesota, and overseas once more. I am so stoked and need to be constantly reminded to enjoy one day at a time, to enjoy the small gifts of love God gives me to enjoy with Him.

     "God is most glorified when you are most satisfied in Him."

The picture on the left is of 4 kids that brought Erika, Dalton, and I to their house to show us around. The picture below is of a house we saw on our 6 hour Cloud Forest hike from one village to the next. Bugs nest in the thatch roofing and bite and infect the host thus tin roofs are very necessary.

Please continue to be praying for me and my team. For financial support, for Gods blessings and leadings, that I continue to grow more in love with Him, that Satan has no power over the group, and that God continues to make me the man He desires me to be. Thank you all so very much for all you do. I am so blessed to have people loving on me and supporting me through this season of my life for it is very much needed. I am so thankful for God's way of love and relationships. I will write back very soon and keep you posted with more!


                                       Its all for Him,
                                                 Stephen Reynolds

Daddy

Daddy,

You are the Father of my heart, worthy of my praise;

yet I turn from You to glorify myself.

In Your love You call out to me.

I hear nothing.

I push You away and worship myself.

I clothe myself with lies and I dance in the seduction of death.

My soul is groaning in anguish; crying, pleading for life.

Although I turn from You I cannot escape Your truth, 

I cannot escape Your Love.

In Your mercy and by Your grace You still pursue me.

My heart cannot resist You.

My desires lead to You.

Do not let me be led astray,

I beg of You; guide me, pull me, and prod me back to You, 

that I may find Life, find You, and return home.

Receiving the New Year

Hello!

    I hope you had a great Christmas and an awesome New Year! I was fortunate enough to come back to Huntington Beach for ten days to spend time with family and friends for the Holiday. I flew back into Kansas and the next morning of the 27th I took a train from Kansas City to St Louis to attend Urbana. Urbana is a massive 5 day mission conference hosted by Intervarsity. This year 16,000 people attended from around the world! I had an amazing experience living in God's love while I was there. It felt as if He was walking with me hand in hand as I learned about Him and His children who are so passionate about seeking and serving Him.

    While I was at Urbana I had also discovered a ministry, language surveying, that has been stirring up a passion in my heart since. The task of a language surveyor is to go to villages with unwritten languages and through a series of surveys and tools they create an alphabet and eventually a written language for the people so a bible can be translated. They use a system of phonetics, a lot like the tool of pronunciation in the dictionary, which covers all the sounds of the human mouth, and record and write down what is spoken. The alphabet is then given to other groups of people who will translate the bible and  teach the people to read. It is an amazing process that I am excited to continue to learn about. If you have any questions or stories I would love to hear them!

On the left is a picture of Urbana and its 16,000 attendees from inside Edward Jones' Dome in St Louis, Missouri. The picture on the right is the arch in St Louis behind a historic Catholic Church. The architecture of downtown St Louis was very impressive and beautiful.

     Upon the return to Kairos on the 5th of January, we have jump started and shifted into high gear. Last week a man named Doug Easterday came in and shared His life, passion, and revelation given to Him by God. He spoke to us of the Father heart of God and brought us, over the coarse of the week, into a time of forgiveness. It was an extremely impactful time for the class and has made a big affect on many of our lives. He helped us understand the truth of God's character and our relationship with Him, stripping the lies from us which Satan has been using to twist our view of God. Doug shared his testimony with us and a quote that was God inspired to keep his heart right with God despite difficult trials; "Do not base your understanding of God on what you dont know, base it on what you do know." All that he doesnt understand of God he says, he places on a shelf and approaches God saying, "I dont know this, but I want to live in Your Truth which you have so graciously given me." He stated the number one attack of Hell is to prevent Christians from believing or understanding the love of God. I am going to spend my time meditating on this and discovering the truth in it for myself.

    This week we have practicing testimonies and dramas and coming Friday the team and I will be loading up into two vans and heading to North Carolina and Tennessee for our Speaking Blitz. The Blitz is focused on mission mobilization. I am very nervous to be getting up in front of hundreds of youth and young adults to encourage them to serve God through missions. It is a time for the team to be stretched and grown and to put our dependence on God.

The weather in Kansas has been near record breaking. The snow has been on the ground for close to three weeks now and the temperatures at one point didn't exceed 2 degrees during the day. And that's without wind chill!!! The picture on the right right is some of the students and I in downtown Kansas City.


Prayer Requests:

• That God keeps our team humble so that team unity can be more possible and our eyes can be off ourselves and on God ready to serve Him in ways unexpected.
• That God speaks through us and into the hearts of the students we will be encouraging.
• That I trust God that He will be faithful in using me for His glory and that He opens me up to allow Jesus to shine brightly in my life.
• That Satan doesn't use fear to prevent Kairos from serving Jesus Christ.
• That my finances come in and God gives me strength and confidence, stripping fear from my heart in the process.

Thank you all for your prayer support and for following me through this exciting stage of my life that God is preparing me, teaching me, and guiding me through. I pray also that God blesses the unity of the body of believers and that He blesses you abundantly for your heart for: His children and His kingdoms advancement.

                                        With Love and Blessings in Christ Jesus,
                                                          Stephen Reynolds

Christmas Craze!

Hello everyone,
       Christmas is nearing and the water is freezing. Its supposed to snow a little bit here in Kansas in the next few days. By next Wednesday the forecast says the temperature will be 6 degrees... I don't know if I even have warm enough clothes for that type of weather and an ice scraper is definitely on my next shopping list.

        We recently had a Thanksgiving break in which I went up to Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with extended family. It was nice spending time with them and catching up. They also took me pheasant hunting which was a blast! The picture on the right is my Uncle Corky and I in Wisconsin on a hunting farm. We Got 9 out of 10 birds. Unfortunately I had to return to Kansas that day so I was unable to enjoy my catch but i'm sure they had a great dinner with all this food. I am loving the midwest. I do miss home a lot though and I am excited for my 10 day visit starting Wednesday, December 16th. Until then we have been cramming in a lot of assignments and preparing for our outreaches. The Kairos class and I have been practicing a few plays which we will perform for Christian schools and youth groups to inspire them to become passionate about serving our Lord. I recently heard that the greatest need in missions work today is mission mobilizers. This is the focus of our 18 day East Coast road trip called Speaking Blitz. We return from the Speaking Blitz and leave 10 days after our return for our Honduras trip. I am really excited for the busy year ahead of me.


       I have been really getting to know the other people in the program with me and we have become a really good group of friends. We all recently went to a 24/7 prayer ministry called International House of Prayer (IHOP). It was an awesome and stretching experience. Today we helped World Vision set up a big display for Africa in which people come and walk through to experience life in a specific African Village. The experience takes about 20 to 30 minutes and it takes you through a real persons life if Africa. They are expecting thousands of people to come through in the week that it is set up. The picture on the right is a picture of the setup from above.

         I started a new book for Kairos recently called Abbas Child by Brennan Manning and I am doing a book study on Philippians also. The homework is very tedious but I am so excited and thankful for everything I get to learn. Some of the topics we have been learning in class lately are: how to hear God's voice and how He speaks to us, understanding God's guidance and how to seek His will, and have also been learning about self image and how to have confident humility. God has really been expanding my understanding of His power, character, the greatness and uniqueness of his Kingdom, and of the Body of Christ (both as individuals and as churches as the parts to a whole) which He works through. I am so thankful to be a part of His inheritance. Next week a man named Wick Nease is coming to teach us about The Father Heart of God. There is a quote I heard yesterday from the pastor of Life church written by Costa Deir that states, "The greatest crime a Christian can commit is to limit a limitless God." I love this because it is humbling and is a reminder to me to trust in Him and to allow Christ to work in and through me rather than living on my own and checking in on Him.
     
Prayer requests:

• That God blesses the host families who have opened up their doors to us students and that we students might be a light of Christ to them
• That God takes our fears and expectations of the outreaches to come and turns them into a sense of peace through which He can teach us how to trust Him better
• That through all the commotion and busy work, I, and the other students, stay dependent and focused upon God
• That I am not anxious or stressed about my support raising and I continue to trust God that this is where He wants me and that He will continue to supply me for all my needs
• That God continues to break me and mold me into the man He created me to be

Thank you all for your love and support and I pray that you have a blessed Christ Centered Christmas Season. Through my experience of you as a family supporting me and remembering me and loving me, I am really able to empathize with the early Christian Missionaries such as Paul when He would write back to the churches He was so deeply in love with, thanking them for their support and living with them for Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to be living in Christ with you and for being able to call you family, my brothers and sisters in Christ. I love you all and I look forward to seeing you soon.
                                 With Love and Blessings in Christ Jesus,
                                                                           Stephen Reynolds