Dreams Really Do Come True!

What an awesome missions trip it was!

Our team left the Monterey Bay on Friday afternoon December 16th for the missions field of downtown Los Angeles. There was much fellowship along the way. Upon arriving to Denny's Restaurant in an aptly named way-point called Lost Hills, I pulled out the team from their car and thus began a crash course in leadership development and teambuilding.

I held them in the frigid air to give them an apreciation for all the ministers around the world who at any given second endure cold and nakedness for the cause of Christ. We stayed under a bright street light in the Denny's parking lot in plain view of all the patrons who were walking into and out of the restaurant. We attracted a lot of attention to say the least. This was entirely the point. I wanted the team to realize that the call of minister will take them way out of their comfort zones. We circled up and prayed there in front of everyone, which became a requirement wherever we stopped or before we began a journey. This point was to illustrate the constant prayer that is involved in ministry.

Just before praying, I told our young adults that they had to chose individual team names which began with the title "Minister" to emphasize the point that all Christians are called to ministry and to build team cohesion and uniformity with a touch of creative individualism. Our team was thus composed of:

Minister Diamond
Minister Sonic
Minister Zion
Minister Firefox
and me ... Team Leader Drill Sergeant

As we entered Denny's, the Lord spoke to me and instructed me to teach the missions team a language that they were to assume they knew nothing about. They were to develop this language, they were to find new ways of expressing it, they were to, like all students of a new language, find those who speak this language fluently so that they could practice it with them, they were to even ask God to dream in this new language, they were to consciously attempt to speak this language at all times - the first syllables out of their mouth, and they were to lastly learn how to speak this language even in silence when no one else knew they were speaking it. The language they were to learn from this point on as if they had never known it before was the Language of Love. It is the language of the Promise Land and the Mission Field we had been called to - the language of the Kingdom of God and the Land of God's Heart.

The Missions Team straightwith found creative ways to express themselves in this new language. It was an accelerated language course for new missionaries and they passed the initial tests with flying colors. I constantly reminded them whether they were speaking in the language and I pointed to examples of how they had indeed spoken in this language whether they knew it or not.

As the team finished their dinner, they wrote a note to their server with a blessing on the receipt - in their newfound language of love. After a filling dinner, we headed out to Los Angeles. Along the way, we received a call from our good friend, Pastor Roger Ovalle of Bakersfield's Templo Calvario blessing our trip.

We arrived at our sponsor's home. Like many missionaries, we would stay in the home of pastors for our missions trip. My in-laws, Rev. Fernando and Norma Torres Spanish Pastors at Harbor Christian Center in Wilmington California were our sponsors for the team. They treated the team as royalty, with comfortable furnishings and awesome cooking. The team castigated me a little for not having introduced them earlier to Sister Martha's family.

That Friday night, I kept the team up until 2:00 in the morning. I wanted them to feel the pain of a sleepless night for the ministry. I read to them a devotional from 2 Corinthians 11:23-30. It is a message of the true meaning of taking up the cross for Jesus and what the cost of ministry is all about. It is a message for all those who feel they are really suffering for the ministry, it is a message to all the consumers in the body of Christ who should be producers, it is a message to all those who are afraid of becoming mentors because they feel weak or because they are afraid of failure, and it is a message to all those who make this excuse or that argument for not fulfilling their callings even though so many like the Apostle Paul gave so much for them to do so:

2 Cornthians 11:23-30:
23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

The last thing I shared with the team that night was about how the Lord had first showed me the importance of seeking the gift of love. He did it through a remarkable sign and wonder that involved a supernatural visitation that my father had. The story can be found at our Light the Fire Ministries site: The Radiant Face of My Dad. Before they went to sleep, I told the team that my prayer for them was that they would meditate on 1 Corinthians 13, a Scripture nestled between the Ministry Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and that they would dream in the Language of Love.

The next morning, we awoke to a wonderful breakfast made by Pastor Norma. I gave them a ministry topic to meditate on throughout the day.

To Minister Diamond: Excellence and how it relates to Ministry
To Minister Zion: Sacrifice and how it relates to Ministry
To Minister Sonic: Obedience and how it relates to Ministry
To Minister Firefox: Committment and how it relates to Ministry

They are to provide to me a three point sermonette as follow-up and follow-through, two of my favorite "F" words in ministry.

Pastor Fernando Torres also took the time to speak into their lives that morning to encourage the team, for this we are so grateful.

Then we were off to the Dream Center and the historic Angelus Temple! On our way there we sang Praise and Worship songs and invited the Lord into our midst while Bro Izzy navigated the terrors of the mission field highways and byways in Greater Los Angeles.

The Short Term Missions Staff had made room for our team as all the outreaches had been cancelled that weekend to focus all efforts on this year's Dramatic Musical Production - "The Joy of Christmas."

We so thank their Staff for making our dreams come true for this missions trip. Our team was to be the final act in their Christams production! As the cast and crew applauded the exiting inner city children, we would be at the tail end right there with Pastor Matthew Barnett to pass out wrapped Christmas presents to the children. Our team made up the bulk of the Christmas Giveway crew. We were there to make dreams come true to inner city children!

We were so blessed in so many ways by our support to the Dream Center and Angelus Temple. We had the chance to see the Christmas production not once but twice. For anyone who has ever seen a production at Phoenix First Assembly of God where Pastor Matthew Barnett's father pastors, they would know the level of excellence that goes into these productions. We had full backstage passes and had the privilege of telling ushers and crew that we were a part of the production! We learned so much about the Dream Center and Angelus Temple from their awesome staff.

After the production, we bumped into the coolest crew of young adults who are involved in a new ministry amongst actors and movie professionals - Bro David, Bro June and Bro Chris you guys are hillarious. Go Team Turtleneck! We wish you guys all the best and are praying for you...

We drove back to Sister Martha reheating delicious green-chile enchiladas prepared by Pastor Norma. We sang anointed songs of worship into the night using Pastor Fernando's guitar.

The next morning, we attended Harbor Christian Center and were treated to an awesome worship service led by Minister Liz Guiterrez and a powerful message from the Word by Senior Pastor Don Ezell. That morning, he spoke on the Miracle Gift of every created life and a moving story called Two Babies in a Manger.

After service it was back to the Torres home for one last meal and a final farewell to the team. The Lord had put words in my heart for each team member. It was such a blessing as we prayed with them and hugged them goodbye. Sister Martha, the boys, and I left them in the care of our family as we left to start our vacation with a special treat by my nephew and his girlfriend at Chuck-E-Cheese's. It would be a while before we'd see them again as we leave for the mission field as Young Adult Missionaries. What an amazing missions trip it was. Our dreams really did come true!