The Gang

This Saturday team 14:22 leaves for fall tour, traveling through Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario. I get to spend the next 3 weeks in a van with these awesome people:
Denny, Dan, Jon, Rachelle, Matt, Jeff, and Eric. And I couldn't be happier. What an awesome adventure we have ahead of us.

Happy Friday! Pray for safe travels and great ministry opportunities.

Reflections on Taiwan

CTI 14:22 playing at Valentine Bridge at Fisherman's Wharf, in Danshui, Taiwan

CTI team 14:22 has returned safely from Taiwan! I can honestly say that the three weeks I spent overseas has changed my life, and taught me so many lessons about myself and my faith. When you're halfway around the world, and experiencing culture shock, and don't speak the language, and have spent 36 hours traveling, and you're sick with a nasty cold, and have no time to rest, and really miss people back home, and you have to be upbeat and enthusiastic about sharing God's love when you don't even feel it yourself at the moment...you reach a breaking point. About three days into our trip I just felt so...done. I had come to the end of myself, and had no more to give. I was exhausted. I felt so broken. I didn't like being in Taiwan at all. I wanted to be anywhere else than where I was. And I had more than two weeks left to get through!

It was in that weakness and complete brokenness that I learned an incredible lesson. I knew that I didn't want to waste my time in Taiwan, and that even though I wasn't feeling it, I was so blessed with the opportunity to be there. And the only way that I could really embrace that was by giving the situation to God. I was at the end of myself, and needed God to take over. I had to give up my selfish wants, give up trying to control everything, give up my expectations of the trip, and allow God to change my heart and my attitude. That was my prayer that night...for God to change me, for Him to open my eyes to the experience and opportunities that were before me in the coming weeks.

And oh my goodness, did I change. I felt like I had gotten past myself, pushed through what was holding me back, and it was only then that I was able to do what I had traveled 36 hours to do - use my voice and my words and my heart to minister to others.

I want to share with you a story of how I saw God at work in Taiwan. I wrote this as part of my written reflection to CTI right after we got back earlier this week:

We played a concert at a medical university in Chung-Li, Taiwan, in an atrium that many students passed through on their way to classes. The show was hosted by the college's campus ministry, but was open to all students, and by having the concert in a passageway the hope was to get people's attention as they walked by and share the message with those who might not know about God. After the concert was finished, each of us on the team were asked to lead a small discussion group where the students had the chance to ask us any questions they may have about us personally, and us as a ministry.

CTI 14:22 in Chung-Li, Taiwan

In my small group all the students were Christians, except for one girl – but I didn’t know this, and I assumed everyone there was already a believer. The group asked me to share my testimony, which I did. After telling my story, I could see that this girl was a little uncomfortable, and wanted to say something. She then told me that she wasn’t a Christian, but she knew about God and had been thinking about coming to Him - but she felt that since she hadn’t known Him all her life and wasn’t baptized that she was not good enough or not worthy to. I saw this as a huge opportunity from God to share more with her – since I didn’t grow up a Christian I could completely relate to where she was, being in her early twenties and feeling that pull towards Christ, but being unsure and a little afraid of it too. God gave me this amazing opportunity to share the story of how I came to Him, to share some of the struggles I encountered along the way, and to share the story of my baptism last year. I have often felt that because I’ve only been a Christian for a few years, and because I have made so many mistakes along the way, I’m inadequate to share God with others because I don’t feel qualified to do so. I don’t feel like I have the experience, or the authority to minister to others. But at that moment, I felt like my experience and struggles and my journey towards God was a tool to help someone, instead of an obstacle to ministry. And I could see on the girl’s face she was reassured, and so encouraged by the fact that someone else had felt the same as her. I hope that her life has changed, and that she has the confidence and assurance to walk towards God now. Although I won’t ever know for sure, I feel like the seed I planted in her may have changed her life; and I trust that God is working in amazing ways.

Playing a concert at a nursing school in Taiwan, and meeting with the students afterwards

We're back in Minnesota now, and have another week of training before we leave on our USA/Canada fall tour. Bring on the adventure! There is no one like our God, and there is nowhere else I would rather be this year than serving Him.

With love,

God at Work in Taiwan

Fisherman's Wharf in Danshui, Taiwan by Yueh-Hua

After a little over a week in Taiwan, I am so amazed at how God is at work here. Despite cultural differences and the language barrier (I can still only say "hello" and "thank you" in Mandarin!), our team has really been reaching out to those we have encountered here. To see the excitement on the faces of the people at our concerts (my goodness, girls were crowd surfing at one of our shows!), and to hear the joy in their voices when they come to us after the concerts to ask about God and our walks with Him...it just blows me away what an honour and privilege it is to be here, and to share our stories and share the love that God pours on us.

Earlier this week I got an email from Christian Harger, a former CTI full-timer, and he had this advice for me while overseas:

"Have such a fantastic time spreading the love of our savior and NEVER be afraid to tell somebody about Him."

We will, Christian. For sure.

Thanks so much, everybody, for your love and support. Being in Taiwan has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me, especially adjusting to everything at the beginning (36 hours of travel, the 13 hour time difference, a busy schedule, and not being able to communicate well with the people here because of the language), but with my prayers and yours, God really has changed my heart. Instead of being resistant, frustrated, and exhausted with the situation like I was last week, I've learned to appreciate every moment here and embrace the amazing experience in Taiwan that God has blessed me with. I have so many photos and videos to share (including some video clips from our concerts)...look out for them here in a couple of weeks when I'm back stateside!

Love,

Lesley.

Hello from Taiwan!

After 36 hours of travel, a nasty head cold, and lots of time spent in airports (3 hours in Chicago and almost 8 hours in Korea), team 14:22 has made it safely to Danshui in Taipei County, Taiwan! I'm so excited to be in this incredible city, and even more excited to see how God uses us with every person we encounter here. Please pray for good health for the team (a number of us are sick), pray for us to keep our eyes open for ministry opportunities, and pray that we can use our music to help YWAM (Youth With A Mission) share God's love with those in Taipei.

Love,
Lesley.

Preparing for Overseas Ministry

Early Sunday morning in Bagley, MN

I've now been with CTI for 7 weeks, and these have been the most incredible, life-changing weeks of my life. To see how our music and our actions have impacted those we've met in churches, schools, colleges, and prisons just blows me away. God really does show Himself through the people we encounter, and I truly believe that CTI is equipping us for ministry this year, and for always. Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Taiwan (first flying to Chicago; then Seoul, South Korea; and finally into Taipei, Taiwan), and I am so excited to see how God will use our team overseas!

CTI Team 14:22 setting up in Edgerton, MN

On Friday night, CTI had a special "Commissioning Service" for us at a local church. Kind of like a send-off for the teams heading overseas, with time of worship, reflection, and communion. I thought I'd share something I wrote after coming home from that service:

We had our Commissioning Service tonight at First Baptist Church, and it was amazing. I wasn't expecting it to have that much of an impact on me. But I got so lost in prayer, and so overwhelmed when I started thinking about the amazing blessings in my life that I totally don't deserve, that I almost started to cry. To just reflect on how good God has been to me - blessing me with great friends, family, CTI, and this amazing life where I get to live every day for Him - really humbled me and blew me away. It's so easy to take life for granted, and to be thinking about the past or the future, but to just "be" in the moment with God, and to really be aware of how He's moving in my life is so incredible. I don't deserve this. Any of it. I'm selfish. Insecure. I've made some poor choices. Lots of really poor ones, in fact. I've sinned. I don't always put others first. I take for granted all the things I have. And despite all this, despite all my very obvious flaws and faults, God still pours His love on me. Without holding back, without judging, He just unconditionally loves me. And this might be one of the first times I've really, truly felt that. God never lets go. Even when I pull away from Him, He never leaves me. He loves me always, and deeply, and without conditions or reservations. And I know now that I have to run to Him. To always listen to His voice, even when it's a challenge. Even when my selfishness and ego says "no", or "you're crazy", or "that's not really God talking!". I was thinking tonight about how just a couple of months ago, when I was still in Toronto, I thought I was happy. And I was, at the time. But I know now that this, where I am today, is happiness. To have given up my job, my apartment, my comfort, and my stability for God's will was one of the biggest challenges I've faced, and has brought me the most joy I've ever felt in my life. All of this to say...I want to continue to live fully for Christ. To give up "me" for "Him". To truly rid me of myself, to die to me, and belong to Him. To live in whatever way and whatever place and whatever circumstance He may present me with. My life will not be normal, will not be what society/friends/family expect. But you know what? I don't think there's much about me that's normal anyway. :)

CTI's Display Table in Duluth, MN

I am so excited to see how God will use me and our team to minister and encourage those in Taiwan. Please keep CTI team 14:22 in your prayers as we head to Taiwan (and also team 14:21 as they travel to Honduras!). Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your love and support. I'll be back in a month to share stories and photos of CTI's overseas adventures!






PS. More pictures from my CTI trip can be found here.

The Awesomeness of Host Homes

CTI team 14:22 has been on the road for a little over a week now, and I’ve just been blown away by the love that God has shown us – specifically through our host families. To arrange meals, accommodations, and showers for a team of 8 musicians (plus our awesome CTI staff member, Paul) is quite a burden, yet every place we’ve stayed so far has done so with grace, kindness, and incredible generosity. One specific example that sticks with me is our time last week at the University of Minnesota in Morris, MN. Rachelle and I were hosted by some of the members of the Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) group – four awesome girls named Ellie, JoJo, Katie, and Chelsea, who lived in a tiny 2-bedroom campus apartment. Not only did they make dinner for our entire team (and then got up crazy early to cook everyone pancakes at 6:45am the next day!), they gave up their beds so we could have a good sleep, stayed up late getting to know us, and just blessed us with their enthusiasm and love. I felt like they gave us so much during our brief stay there…they just filled us up so that we could be sent out to continue to minister to others. And this is something that I never would have expected. I know that we are here with CTI to be God’s servants, but I didn’t realize that so many people would be serving us in return with sincere joy.

For the past couple of nights, we’ve been in host homes where there are musical instruments present. And I’m sure you realize, guitars + a piano + a group of musicians = SPONTANEOUS JAM SESSION! Totally unplanned, we’ve ended up leading these awesome acoustic worship sessions with our host families, with everyone singing along and praising God together. And this is what I love so much about CTI – it really isn’t about us being performers on a stage. The important stuff happens off the stage, in our host homes, with the people around is. It’s about the love, the community, and building relationships.

14:22 Singing Chris Tomlin's Unfailing Love in Edgerton, MN

To everyone who has hosted this group of musicians so far, and everyone in the next year who will host us – thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. We know we are here to serve, and not be served. So to have all this love pouring out on us and be so blessed by you…well, I don’t think there are words to express our gratitude.

Bonjour from Willmar!

Three weeks ago today I flew to Willmar, MN to start my trip with CTI, and I'm in disbelief at how much my life has changed already. To suddenly not have a job or apartment or cell phone, to be spending my days with a group of 16 new people, to give up control of my schedule to live on CTI's time...let's just say that for an organized control freak like me, this has been a major adjustment! But already, I can see the good in letting go of control and allowing this amazing ministry to lead me and guide me this year.
We've spent the last few weeks in training, putting in 12-hour days of music rehearsal, team time, devotionals, and seminars. All 16 team members spend nearly all day together, and at first this overwhelmed me (I've been living on my own for two years and I'm used to having quiet time!), but already I've grown to love each and every one of the people here with CTI. We're like a big, ridiculous, loud, supportive family, who sometimes act like thugs, or gather around a laptop to watch Charlie the Unicorn, or spend their free time goofing around on a playground.
What I love about everyone here is that not only are they a blast to be with, but everyone has such a heart for God and for missions work. Music is only a small part of what CTI is about - music is just the vehicle we use to get our audience's attention. Once we get their attention, once the music is over - that's when the real important stuff will happen. To get to talk with youth from all over North America, to share stories of how God is working in our lives, to encourage young people to get involved in missions, and to challenge people to love others - that's what CTI is really about. I feel like God is stretching me and changing me to prepare for this. It's certainly not easy (and I've had to make some hard decisions and changes in my own life), but I know that through struggle comes triumph, and that this is not an easy path I've chosen. But I know that God is with me, and that all He asks is for us to come to him in our weaknesses.
We leave tomorrow for our first tour, and I'm beyond excited. To get out on the road, to spend time with the team in the tour van, and to start playing music and ministering to people - that's what I came here for, and I know that even though it will be challenging, it will be so, SO WORTH IT.
We had a photo shoot earlier this week, and these promo photos will be going on CTI's website and all of our printed material. Until they're posted by CTI, here's a little sneak peek of the gang:
Each team also has their own tour blog that will be updated weekly during our year, so make sure to check out what all 16 of us are up to. My team's blog can be found here, and the other team's blog is here.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we prepare for our first journey on the road!

Happy weekend!