profile written by Philip Edsel for the 100 people project
At the prospect of being on camera, Clark Johnson* says he is nervous - but when it comes to talking about the Lord's call on his life to move to Central Asia, he is nothing but resolute. Meet Clark, a recent graduate of the business program at the University of Texas, and the third of 100 missionaries being sent out from The Austin Stone to reach the nations.
A self-proclaimed outdoorsman with a love for backpacking, hunting and fishing, it's no surprise that Clark sports well-worn leather cowboy boots. But these are no ordinary cowboy boots. Nineteen years ago, Clark's father bought those boots and wore them so much that the soles have been replaced seven or eight times. Just a few years ago, his father gave them to Clark when his entire family left their home in Dallas and moved to the Middle East. So how did Clark, son of a pig farmer-turned Middle-East-businessman, feel a similar call to leave his life in Austin to take the Gospel to the nations?
"My freshman year I caught the vision for high-intensity environments. Right after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, I took a couple of trips to help with the reconstruction effort there. Just being around the devastation and destruction of New Orleans and trying to breathe new life into the community by resurrecting their culture really got me interested in doing that as a career," recounts Clark. "Just few months ago, I got an email asking for those interested in [KEEP READING]
ASCC Family serves Haiti relief in creative ways
Christie Neville and her children (Luke-7, Kiki-5, & Nate-2) spent their MLK vacation by setting up a lemonade stand and raising over $250 to contribute toward the relief efforts in Haiti.
You can read more about their story on KXAN's local news site here: http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/making-lemonade-out-of-lemons-for-haiti
Recently ASCC Partners Chris & Erika Snapp, Cara Jane Welch, Robin Inks, and others from Makarios responded to the earthquake by bringing supplies to a hospital on the border between the Dominican Republic, where they live and serve, and Haiti.
Check out the Makarios website to hear more about their trip, what they will be doing in the future, and how you can participate.
This is so exciting! God has raised up #1 and #2 GOERS of the 100 People Network. And they are twin sisters! They are leaving THIS SUNDAY for 2 years of Christian service in East Asia. They are going to a "village" of ~1 million people where there is little evangelical Christian presence.
Here is their story, in their own words:
So my sister and I are flying half way across the world (11,700+ miles) to live in a city of about a million people in East Asia. These people don't look like us, speak like us, or act like us. We will be foreigners in an instant, strangers in a strange land.
Why would anybody do something like this? Well, here's our best shot of explaining:
Hudson Taylor. Jim Elliott. Moses. We hear these names and think ‘what great people' - and so they were. But at the time of their lives on this earth they were neither spiritually elite nor super human. In fact, they were normal, scared, flawed human beings like us. Only at some point, they decided to take God at His word. They decided to believe Him.
My sister and I became Christians our freshman year of college, and have been following Jesus for about 5 years. What we have found is that it's pretty freaking scary living this way. There are promises in the Bible we are meant to take to heart and trust in. There are ways of living that look at others' needs more than our own. There are calls to give up your life, to bring hope to the world, and to believe He is who He says He is. It's hard.
And I think it [KEEP READING]
See our God, Gospel, Mission blog HERE.
[The Following is a post from ASCC Partner and Area Minister, Jeremy Hager]
Well we are about halfway through our time in the Dominican and so far God has really been faithful to reveal himself to us! We arrived in Santiago on Friday night, and then drove the rest of the way to Puerto Plata the next morning. Since our first two days here were over the weekend our trip started off restful, and we were even able to visit a local Church Sunday morning. Once Monday came though, the work began!
We spent the day getting the new addition to the Makarios School ready to be painted. Makarios has added a second school building with 3 rooms which will give them the much needed room to [KEEP READING]
Did you know that Albert Einstein, Madeleine Albright, Chopin, and Victor Hugo (author of "Les Misérables") all used to be refugees?
To read/learn more, click here for 136 vignettes of refugees that have made a difference in the world.
(HT: Anna Melvin)
[written by Shanna Wright, an Austin Stone partner that recently returned from a family trip to the Dominican Republic]
I have been thinking about this post for a long time. It was funny to see that through all my reflecting, the answer was sitting there in a simple conversation I had the night after we returned from our travel to the Dominican Republic. Here is my answer to what it was like to take our sons, ages 6 and 8, on a mission trip to a foreign country...
I was talking with a friend who wanted to know how the boys did on our trip. We were really just two moms sharing about our kids...a very natural thing for moms. Honestly, they were Americans. They complained about the heat. They turned up their noses at food they did not recognize. They cried when they were overtired or embarrassed. They were spoiled and rotten. Now to be really honest...we all were. The adults on the trip were also hot, tired, did not always like the food, and were sometimes embarrassed by a lack of skills. However, we are adults. We are trained to keep those things inside so we do not look self-absorbed. But honestly, the ugly truth is still there. In our flesh, we want things our way. As we watched the boys struggle, our first inclination was to press them to rise to the occasion. We tried conversations, persuasion, even a little nudge to the back of the arm with a look of disapproval. Ultimately, this did nothing. All our earthly parenting skills did nothing. We did what we should [KEEP READING]
CHECK THIS OUT! Everyone you see serving are folks from The Austin Stone serving in North Africa this summer!!
Will you join them? If you're interested in serving in North Africa, email us.
[This is an incredible update from one the Stone's summer workers in North Africa..]
"And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him." (James 5:15)
We got to witness this verse in action at a clinic about a week ago. We went to one of the Sudanese refugee camps that I had not been to before. There were not very many patients that needed to be seen, so we just kind of sat around pretty discouraged. Finally, a lady came in with her son. It became obvious very quickly that he had cerebral palsy (basically a gradual and continual loss of muscle control and tone....this seems to be common here in this country). This little boy was six years old. He was sitting in his mothers lap and had no control over his legs, arms, or neck. He wouldn't really respond to questions at all or make eye contact. His mom was basically holding his head up and he was having lots of muscle spasms. We were moved by the condition of this boy and there was really nothing we could do to help him. One of the girls on the Austin Stone team knew a lot about physical therapy. She asked the mother if she was doing exercises with him and she told us she did these everyday and demonstrated what she was doing.
There was nothing more we could do other than pray. We gathered around this boy and just begged God for healing.
After we were done, I left the room to check and see if there were any [KEEP READING]
[Written by one of our summer workers in North Africa]
We really have been trying to lean into God and allow Him to provide us with these signs referred to in Mark 16:17-20. In one clinic that we have held often there are twin sisters in their late fifties that attend this clinic promptly. Starting out these women were both showing signs of poor health just as the rest of the patients. After watching their progress they both had developed large swelling in their lymph nodes and had numerous rock hard lumps in their breasts. One of our nurses (there are 2 nurses from the Austin Stone serving at this time in North Africa) advised that both women receive a mammogram so that they would be able to receive a proper diagnosis, but between a doctor and two nurses the symptoms were obviously showing a fast moving case of breast cancer.We sent them off with prayer and submitted their physical needs before the Lord.
The following week when we returned the sisters were back at the cinic to hand back the results of the mammogram that had been requested. Much to God's praise these women had run a completely clean test and after the nurses checked the sisters for themselves they showed none of the symptoms that were present just six days prior! It was as if they had been made new again.
All that I can say is that God really loves His people and He is willing to bear His arm right in front of those who love Him in return. What I was able to witness was the [KEEP READING]
My name is Melissa Silva and I was a partner at The Austin Stone during my time at UT. I transferred to UT as a junior and was glad to find a church quickly after moving to Austin. During my time at the church I served the as a small group leader for 2 years in the Kidstuff ministry. As I desired to grow in my knowledge of the Word I participated in various get trained classes and helped others grow in their knowledge as a table leader. I also desired to see the vision of the church made known to others as I co-led a community group during the vision series.
The Lord gave me a powerful vision at the importance and power of even just one person coming to know Christ. I received my degree in elementary education and at the beginning of the teaching program I went through, the Lord began to show me how as a teacher each year I am going to have the opportunity to pray for at least 20 students by name, as well as show them the love of Jesus. Over the course of just 5 years, that is 100 children that will be prayed for by name!
He pushed me a step further by showing me what could happen if even just 5 teachers prayed for their students. I looked around at my classmates and realized that only 1 of my 18 classmates knew Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I began to pray for my classmates in the teaching program and started to share the gospel with them. It was evident that the Lord was working in their hearts! I took a step of faith and began a book study on Max Lucado’s 3:16 [KEEP READING]
written by Branndon Bargo
I remember as a boy going on trips with my missionary grandfather to Mexico. It was exciting to visit remote jungle villages, experiencing a different culture. But, I remember not looking forward to the boring church services. I thought if only I could just go exploring and forget the church stuff it would be perfect. I enjoyed my time with my grandfather, but thought the mission life was not for me.
It is now 20 years later, and I am both an explorer and a missionary; the best of both worlds, to share His story and His beauty. I have always had a thirst for life, and a child like sense of dreaming. As I have grown older nothing has changed with my dreams, except that now I am achieving each of them one by one. As with each of my dreams they are like flames that are eternally burning. They do not go out unless they are first attempted and then accomplished. I know now it is because they are not just dreams, but desires that Christ has placed in me.
My most recent dream is one that is so huge that I know that it is completely from God. I know this because as I was sharing my dream with a Ugandan pastor he told me, "I know this vision you have is from God because you will never accomplish it without His help and the help from many other people." He then said, "God does not want you to do things that are so small that He is not needed, He wants you to lean on Him, and that is done when you dream big." I had my confirmation, and I thanked [KEEP READING]