Outreach started! Houston

Saturday:
We left at 9 on Saturday morning with one van, 1 trailer and 13 people. Our first stop was at the YWAM Houston base leaders house for orientation. We spent some time there introducing ourselves and they told us about their ministry and the "what to and not to do". We left their house and went to the rescue center in the third ward of Houston to drop off the girls and the couples then the guys went to the MLK community center to drop off their stuff and figure out our sleeping situation. We were told that at the community center (gated in buildings) not to leave the property and ask if we are ok to play basketball outside, it was a very bad community to be hanging around in.

The first night we were there we went to a tree in the center of Montrose and did worship and prayer. After that we went out in groups to the streets of montrose and did our first ministry time. We walked around with bottles of water and snacks and talked to pimps, prostitutes, drag queens, gays, homeless, drug addicts and more. we just gave them a bottle of water, snack, talked and prayed with them. What could be a better way to be Christ to someone than just be kind and loving to them and praying for them. It is amazing just talking to them and treating them with love they recognize the wrong themselves and you have no need to tell them about it.

Sunday:
We got up and went to a church to do a service. It was a small church of about 50 people and they met in a Chuck E cheese kinda place. We did our dances, Dramas, testimonies and one of the girls in our group did a lesson on shame, how it was something that just held us in our sin and kept us from our growth with Christ. After the service we help them clean up and they took our whole team out to lunch.

Monday:
We got up and worked at the rescue center. The rescue center is a small gated in block with 4 houses in it. The girls took care of the kids and sorted clothes while the guys emptied out the buildings and organized all the junk.
in the afternoon we had a meeting about what to do for the service that night and we headed our for an hour and a half drive to Galveston, TX. We were going to a youth retreat for one of the Houston churches......a church of over ten thousand and half of the youth group was there which was about 250 teens. Their team led worship then they turned the service over to us. our plan was:
-dance (Spanish hip hop dance)
-introductions and information
-dance (called Jump)
-Me speaking on taking a leap of faith
-Clincher drama
-David Elliot
-Personal time of prayer
It was an amazing night. At the end our team was spread out all over the room to pray with people and hear their stories and confessions (if they wanted to). Its an amazing thing to get your problems off of your shoulders and tell someone and get prayer for it.

We had been going from early in the morning till late at night so a few of us decided to hit the energy drinks.

Tuesday:
We got up and went Downtown for a time of prayer. We went up to the 60th floor of the Chase bank tower, where there is a lookout. We spent time praying for the "7 spheres of influence"
-Business
-Art/Entertainment
-Media
-Family
-Church
-Government
-Education
We just spent 40 minutes praying and interceding for those influences in Houston.

When we were done praying, we went out to eat. The base leaders treated our team out to Chipotle, if you don't know it is a burrito restaurant with delicious and large burrito.
After eating we went down to the planned parenthood building to pray and do worship over that. On that one city block there is a planned parenthood abortion and planning clinic and on the other half is a Christian run pregnancy clinic. We prayed over both of them and a lady came out of the pregnancy clinic and told us about how she had been working there and they were reopening to compete with the planned parenthood clinic.

Wednesday:
We got up in the morning and went to a place called open door ministries, a place for recovering alcoholics and drug users. We worked in the kitchen from 10:30 until 2 organizing the pantry, freezer, refrigerator, and doing other miscellaneous jobs.

That night we went to a parking lot in the Montrose to do a service called "Street Church". A church service for anyone from the streets; pimps, prostitutes, gays, homeless, drag queens and anyone else from the streets. We did the service then gave out meals and clothing.

That is our time here so far. I am trying to keep this as up to date as possible, but it is kinda hard being so busy.

As far as finances go, I am still in need of another $1500 for outreach. We leave for Germay on the 9th of July.

Thank you
God Bless
-Ben

No even a week left.

Well, I has been good. I only have a few days left before we head out for stateside outreach on Saturday. For our stateside we will be going to Houston, TX and working with the YWAM base there. We will be doing street ministry in poorer and downtown areas, working with a churches and street kids.

Next Saturday we leave Houston for Chicago. In Chicago we will be taking Urban outreach Classes, learning about how to do outreach in large cities. In the afternoons and the nights we will be putting what we have learned into practice.

Then on the 9th of July we will be leaving for Germany. We are flying out of Dallas with one layover in Germany.

I am very excited about this outreach. There is so much we are going, and great things are going to happen. I am going to be honest and tell you that I am also freaking out about it. During my first school the school took so long and outreach was something that we couldn't wait for it to happen, as much as I am excited about it.......this school has gone by so fast that it feels like there should be more.

Please keep my in prayer. First for my focus on what I should be doing during this time, and second for Finances. I still only have $750 in so far for the outreach and I am in need of $1,850 to play off the plane ticket and the grounds fees. I know That God will supply for what he has called me to do.

Thank you
-Ben

The end of week 7

This has been a great week, we are back to classes. Our teacher was a man named Ed Sinke a pastor in El Paso,TX. He was speaking on Evangelism. One of his main points was being real, being a real person when doing ministry and living out a Christian life. He wanted us to think about our walk and what we believe, not just follow it because we have to but why we do and why it is worth it.
This next week we have a lady named Bev Kline, who started the Fatherheart living alternatives ministry here in Lindale. Fatherheart is a place for young unwed mothers to have their children and learn to raise their kid. She will be speaking for 3 days this week and then on Thursday we will be volunteering at the ministry.
This weekend is a conference for all the staff that are part of this base and the ministrys pioneered from it. So this base will be empty from Friday to Monday. So with nobody around I don't have much to do. I will be doing security for those nights and working at the entrance guard shack during that time.
We are still not sure where we are going for out stateside outreach. We are still going to Chicago for the Urban outreach. We leave for Germany around the 7th of July. I am still in need of the money for outreach, but my tuition is fully paid off. I know that God will supply for all those needs.

God Bless
-Ben
-Ben

A Gift from God

I have been playing guitar more and leading worship a few times. Something I have rarely dome before. I am still lower level guitar player, So I am working on that.
A few weeks ago I was trying to sell my Playstation Portable(PSP) and my acoustic guitar, but it wasn't working out. I tried going to local pawn shops to trade them in for a nice acoustic/electric. At all the shops I went to they would only give me $120 for both of those items, and the guitars were at least $200
I went into one one shop and found a guitar That I liked. I asked the lady there about trading those items for that guitar, but the owner of the shop was not in. So I waited a while and played, then talked with her for a while. She was a Christian lady who had supported YWAM since she had moved to Texas. When the Owner Got back (Her son), she told him who we were and what we were doing. Thought the trade was in my favor, he did the trade directly for the guitar. He said "I know you will put the guitar for good use for a good purpose.".
So that is my Gift from God. I am trying my best to put it to good use and learn to play better
-Ben

Current Needs

Ask and you shall receive. I have a few needs that I would like to bring up, God has called me here and it is a time of dependence on him. I have a few needs that I would like to bring to your attention. I would like you to ask God if you are to be a part of it or not.

Needs:
-$2400 for Germany Missions trip
-$ spending money for the trip
-Prayer covering

Please, don't feel like I'm just wanting you to reach into your wallets, because I don't. I want you to pray about it and ask God what you are to do. I would rather receive a dollar that God has blessed and spoken to people about, than a thousand that he hasn't.

Checks can be written to: YWAM, with a separate note for "Ben Collins outreach". if my name is on it it cannot be used as a tax write off
support for the trip can be sent to:
YWAM
C/O accounting
P.O. Box 3000
Garden Valley, TX 75771

Anything sent to me personally
Ben Collins (SOE)
P.O. Box 3000
Garden Valley, TX 75771

Thank you
God bless
-Ben

The Beginnning of the Half way week (6)

How does time fly? It feels like I just arrived. I am now entering the sixth week of the Lecture phase of the school. This week is Ministry prep. week, the week where we learn and practice the dramas, dances, and music for our trip. I'm not sure what I will be part of for this trip, but I will give you that update when I know. This week is usually a hard week to go through, there is usually a big spiritual attack on the schools because you are preparing for ministry, so please keep that in prayer.
We meet every Monday for missions team meetings. Last Monday we talked about what will be happening during the trip. It is a lot of walking around, street ministry, youth gatherings, church events, and prayer meetings. We will be staying at one of the YWAM bases in Germany....its a castle.
Last weekend I volunteered at one of the bases to help do grounds work at one of the schools. that night they had a bonfire for us. this is a picture of a few of us who were there.
We are trying to get a bunch of people to volunteer time in town on the weekends. we are not sure exactly what we are going to do yet, but we are trying to hook up with some of the local churches in order to get something going. last week we were talking about revival in America, not just a small revival but the country as a whole. We figure that God has called us to do more than nothing on the weekends. Faith without works is dead, and works without love is worthless so we are really trying to go into this with the most Christ like view on things. God didn't call the government to take care of the poor, hungry, or those living in sin; he called the church to do it. Two weeks ago we had classes on the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was quite a different week and a new experience for me. Thursday of that week she prophesied over the class individually. I will try to get that up so you can hear it as soon as possible.

2 weeks down, 10 to go

The nice thing about our base is, when you leave, you feel like you have never left. Not too much changes around here and you always feel like you have been here a long time even if it has only been a week.....or two weeks. I Love It!

The first week we where here was an orientation week. We went over a lot of what happened during the lecture phase of the school, basic rules, and basic class sessions. The second week we had a teacher named Larry Allen speaking on the Atonement of Christ and God revealing his character to us. Larry Allen is the teacher of another school called the School of the Bible at our Dayspring campus in Tyler, Texas.

I have enjoyed getting into the swing of things again. I am trying to not use my car very much, so I went to the dump pile in the back of the base and picked up about 5 bikes, and built my own to ride around the base, and get some exercise. We have some professional mountain bike courses in the back of the base, so I have been hitting those after dinner on some nights. I got all muddy the other day after it rained.

After getting muddy on the trail, I went to the girls dorm to wash off the bike and myself. When I went to spray the bike I stepped on a board that was laying on the ground and realized it had nails sticking up out of it.......after stepping on one of them and putting it about a half inch into my foot. It ended up being a fun night, I had to go to the hospital, get and x-ray, and get a tetanus shot. So please keep that in prayer that it heals well.

For my DTS I paid for the tuition, and God has provided for all that was owed so far, and will provide for the rest of what is needed. It cost $3,345 for the tuition on both of the schools, $2,200 for South Korea and over $2,400 estimated cost for the trip to Germany. God provided for the costs in the past and will for the future. There is still $955 due for the school tuition and another $2,400+ for the Germany outreach.

Three years ago when I was wanting to go to the Summer of Service and Training program here in Texas God provided for that and more, he provided enough for me and two other people. I paid for the tuition of the Discipleship training school, but God provided for the outreach. God as provided enough for me to get into the School of Evangelism, and I know that he will provide for the rest of what is needed.

If God calls you to something, he will provide for what is needed, that is where you come in. I'm not just talking about money, which is a big need, but I am also talking about prayer. A ministry bathed in prayer is the most successful. I need your support in keeping my ministry focused, wise and fruitful. I am also in need of your help financially, your help and support is what keeps me doing this, without you I would not be here. God doesn't supply a money tree, he supplies others to support you. I don't consider you my supporters, I consider you my partners. You partner with me in what God is doing in and through this ministry. I would like to to thank you for your past, present and future support, may God bless you and keep you

-Ben