God

Hey all, this is Elliot. I'm sure most of you current servants know who I am as I served in Diakanos last year but I'm back again for this summer and beyond God willing. Then again, it's not who I am that's important but who we are in Christ.

Let us remember that we are, as GCC often says "tools", but at the same time we are a ton of other things for God as well. The Bible calls us something along the line of tools but also vessels, temples, slaves, sheep, dust, etc etc. Let that humble us and let that perspective never depart from the way we look at one another and ourselves because we are finite humans and sinners. And yet, let us not consider ourselves too useless as with an omnipotent God as our God we have infinite potential to be tools and vessels to impact significant improvements and additions for the Kingdom of God that is in creation and is to be made complete when the time is right.

For the past week, I think God gave me a conviction to become more convicted that all things are possible through Him when it's for Him. Sometimes we lack the faith and more critically the heart to believe that God can really do anything significant in these peoples lives.

I know that when I'm trying to share the love and gospel of Christ to atheist homeless people it's hard to continue when they so coldly and outrightly reject the love, let alone existence, of God. But it's wrong to be discouraged completely by that because we know that although we are powerless to move hearts, God is powerful to cause miracles. I even saw this miracle in my closest childhood friend completely addicted to drugs and alcohol and more critically completely agnostic and rebellious. When I saw him turn 180 degrees to become one of the most passionate and powerful missionaries I know I realized that God's miracles do happen even today.

Knowing that our God is capable of preforming those miracles, I think we have reason to believe that those we minister to can be completely changed in such a way as well. And in faith in what the Word teaches us, our powerful God is Willing to do just that and more through us if only we earnestly ask Him to do that through the vessels of Christ that we are.

But in order to be effective tools for God, I think we need to open our hearts to that. If we partially close our hearts, doubt enters, faith diminishes, and what's worse is that we partially don't allow God to use us to work those incredible miracles. If only we completely open up our hearts to God will our hearts be clear, transparent, open, and wide channels for God to pour out more of his power and miracles all the more. Let us open up our hearts, and if we can't, pray that we can.

To go along with that, I think what's all the more important to make that happen is simply our personal relationship with Christ. If we are lukewarm Christians, we will only have lukewarm fruits that aren't really efficacious in creating serious impact in those around us. Thus we need to be not lukewarm but zealous Christians. More accurately, we need to be children of God who constantly seek, adopt, and depend on His grace, mercy, love, and power daily. We need to be believers whose every motive and desire revolve around what He wants and values. Some people say that's impossible or takes a lifetime to get to that state of belief. But I want to tell you right now that that happened to those around me and it can happen to us because God is a loving God of miracles who wants to make the most of our lives to create the greatest impact for His Kingdom as much as possible. God does not want us to waste our time simply trying. He wants us to be like His Son right now to work for His Kingdom right now. If only we are completely open and willing to risk all of ourselves for His miraculous power to change our lives...to become all the more wholehearted and joyful servants for His Kingdom.

This is all to say that although our purpose as Diakanos servants is to spread the love of God and evangelize to them through our good works, the strength that will make us most effective and true to God will be our personal relationships with God and the relationship we have with God as a body of Christ. So let us not diminish the importance of our own spirituality and connection with Christ while trying to make disciples of all nations.

I think a practical way to apply this would be to hold longer prayer time before we go out to Diakanos. If we start on time on the dot at 6, and if we finish making the food shortly after, then we'll have more time to pray before we go out. Today we had a lot of time left over. If we use that time to pray instead before we go out, I think we would have better hearts to better serve through.

Some of the things we ought to pray for is simply to be more open to God's potential and to do that to pray that we lose the fear of losing idols that we still hold dear to our hearts that define our identities and give us security. Let's pray that we can sacrifice our bodies and our idols, that we can be willing to give them up everyday any day in order to become more Christlike and thereby more powerful agents, passionate and more joyful servants of God who can perform wonders for His Kingdom.

I don't want to make this about putting on a grand show. What I do want to make this about is the fact that there are too many lost people out there that needs to be taken into the arms of God, and that there aren't enough of us to do them, and that we can do so much more, saving so many more people out of His affection, if only we become more Christlike servants who are willing to deny themselves completely, pick up the Cross, and be willing to follow God wherever that may be despite our current treasures and circumstances.

I will pray about this more everyday and I hope that you guys can join me in this desperation.

Love, your brother under Christ,

Elliot

The Best In Me

Well, this is pretty neat. I mean blogging. Anyways, this blog will actually be somewhat similar to what I posted in facebook earlier this week. However, I really want to say that I had a very blessed time going out on Monday. Brother Elliot and I were talking to a woman in the park and she talk about wanting to go to college I immediately said that she should do it if that is what she wants to do. It's not too late to do it. But I also loved the fact that she was willing to share so much of her story with us. Tidbits of her family life, her wanting to go to college. In that instant, I thought "Wow!" She not that much different from us college kids. I sometimes wonder if we bother to even think that our brothers and sisters out in love park could really have dreams and aspirations to want better. Well, I know the answer to that question is Yes!! However, I think that we stay in our Christian bubbles so long that we fear stepping outside of those boundaries and really pouring out our love to others.

That is a struggle that I do face almost daily. To step outside boundaries in order to make a difference in the lives of others. This is something that I pray about because I know that my growth is being stagnated by my fears. I pray that I will be more like Jesus and to love the people that society and even, dare I say, the Christian Church has told me not to love. God is love and he sees the best in all of us. Think about it, why would God send his only son into this earth to die for our sins if he did not love us. And let's not forget, even those who persecuted Jesus were the same people that Jesus died for. So here's hoping that those in love park as well as those who are in poverty around the country and in the world will receive the message of God's love for us.

P.S. I still have doubts and jitters about going to diakonos every Monday but I really think that I am getting better at it with God's help.

McRefugee

hey diakonos! it's been a while!

i wanted to share a quick story from china (hong kong, to be specific). one night while we were in hong kong, sol and i got locked out of the place we were staying, and as a result, we had to find a place to spend the night. as a result, we found refuge at a mcdonald's in the center of the city. it was a humbling experience, sitting at a table alongside others who were "homeless," nervous that the employees would kick us out at any moment.

with that said, i learned a valuable lesson about what we own. the truth is that everything can be taken away from us, from our money to our shelter (in my case, temporarily). i can attest that during those times, we are forced to recognize what we rely on, whether it's our Heavenly Father or worldly possessions.

i thank God that he will never leave me or forsake me, He has prepared a room for me in His Kingdom.

planted seeds... now trees...

(From a former Diakonos member):

dear diakonos,

very strange to say this but most of you probably don’t kno me.
crazy but its already been two years since I graduated penn, so its been 2 years since ive served with diakonos :(
(for those of u that dont kno me, i tend to write long emails so feel free to skim through :p)


well. i just wanted to share but also encourage and thank you all for doing what you do.

a couple weeks ago I was waiting for my coworker to catch a train. he was running late coming so I was waiting for him with both our tickets in hand with about 20 min till departure. I saw a guy standing by a café asking ppl for change so I asked him if I could buy him a sandwich instead. while I was waiting for him to pick his meal my coworker rushed into the station. I handed him his tickets and quickly explained I was just waiting to pay for his meal.

he wanted to get to our gate asap. (and don’t get me wrong, he’s a really really great guy. I love working for him). he asked how much the food was and pulled out his wallet. he only had 20s and asked if I had change. I told him I had cash, handed the man $7.... It didn’t feel right.

walking away he asked how I got talked into that situation and I told him that I had offered.

once we got on the train he began telling me about how the meeting went but for the next couple hours all I could think about was that man – was he offended in anyway; did the $7 include a drink. I wasn’t as concerned about his physical hunger as I was of his heart. did I help him realize he was a lovable son of god, or did the way we rushed away from him hurt his heart even more, or was his heart already too hardened to feel anything.

I silently lifted up a prayer for him, and as I was praying for him I was filled with thankfulness, thankful that I was still aware of the father’s heart. that my values and priorities were different from this world. that my hearts main concern was on his lost children…

i miss diakonos a lot. i miss being able to freely love and share the gospel. its really a privilege.


for those of u graduating, especially if you will be working, I want to remind you to fight for your heart to be pure and holy.
fight for all your passions to be rooted in god. fight to love what he loves and hate what he hates. it may start with one homeless person you walk by without even realizing, it may be cutting back your prayer times just 5 minutes, but don’t be let yourselves deceived in the small things.

that’s one of the reasons I still stay on this listserve. walking from my office in dc, running to/from the airport, i see ur emails. although its meaningless to me when/where you'll be meeting next it reminds where I should be and who I really am. do what u need to do, but don’t take it lightly, don’t go unprepared. God has amazing plans for you so its only natural for the enemy to attack you.


well. im almost done... just one passage and i'll be done. i promise.

psalm 56:10-13

In God whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise
in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
I am under vows to you, O God; I will present my thank offerings to you.

For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life

indulge in that life he's given us. to the fullest.
bless you allll looots. miiiisss you!!


hugs.

juhee

we are ONE in our mission

I just wanted to share some thoughts I had about Diakonos and its role in GCC's unity. After Grad Night last night, I had an awesome time of fellowship with everyone. It seemed that I was able to strike up conversations with almost everyone there. I definitely have Diakonos to thank in part for that, for this group has given me the opportunity to draw closer to those at the Temple site.

I don't say this enough, but thank you so much for being a part of this family. Looking back on the Tuesday nights at Kathryn's house, in the underground, and at Love Park, I've grown to love you guys so much more than I expected to, given the brevity of my time with you all. From "maximizing efficiency" with the plastic wrap to taking a poll about whether watermelon is a DESSERT or FRUIT, the inside jokes always bring a smile to my face. You all have a special place in my heart, and I have learned what a selfless heart truly looks like by observing you all every week.

Our ministry is special; it requires patience, love, and a faith that God can use unworthy vessels to do big things (albeit slowly and steadily. I pray that God will continually break our hearts, and that as we engage in our mission together, we will encourage one another to run this race with vigor.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.

Surely, I am Always With You

This is the passage that first comes up to my mind when I think about evangelism:

-Matthew 28:19~20-

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

To be honest, when I think about Diakonos/evangelism I don't feel qualified enough to be doing God's work. According to the passage above, God has commanded me to "teach them to obey everything that I commanded you"; but, how can I teach someone to obey God's will, when I refuse to follow Him. How can I teach people about Bible, when I don't even understand it fully? All these negative thoughts about myself overwhelm me every Monday.

After three months of Diakonos, I still don't feel confident about myself. However, I am proud of being involved in God's work. Every week, I witness something great about God's Kingdom. One week, one brother showed his tears after we prayed for him. Another week, one sister randomly comes up to us and asks for a prayer. Another week, after we prayed for one brother, he decides to pray FOR US. Couple times, passing-by Christians join us with prayer. Every week, people are willing to share their struggles with total stangers like me.

Every Monday, I feel God's presence hovering over city of Philadelphia. Although some proclaim that they will never believe in God, although some say that our works are not making any differnece here, although some judge us as hypocrites, although some rebuke us for our actions, I still feel God. God has graciously given me a privilege of witnessing his presence in this city.

Yes, I still struggle. I do not know how to start a meaningful conversation with people; I do not know how to bring Gospel into a "Hi, How-are-you-doing?" conversation; I do not know how to effectively pray for people; I do not know what exact Bible passages to speak of. However, before Diakohos, I always pray God that He would just use me; He would speak through my tongue so that words are not mine, but HIS; He would reach out through my heart so that all my works are not done by my compassion, but for HIS passion.

After all, God has promised "surely, I am always with you, to the very end of the age." As long as I believe in this word, I won't stop trying to share Gospel.

What we give

I've always wondered how I could help other people. As some of you know, I have a different kind of background. Rather then immigrating to America for opportunity, I was actually born here, lived in Maryland for 9 years, then moved to the Philippines for (what ended up to be) the next nine years. So, let me tell you a little bit about my experience. Coming from an upper-middle background, moving to a third-world country was definitely the biggest shocker in my life.

While there are different 'cities' in the Philippines, Manila (the capital) is surrounded by a number of cities and there is no real distinction (besides map-drawn boundaries) separating the different cities. As you might imagine, the city that I lived in was incredibly populous. And as is ever-present in every city, there was poverty. However, unlike in developed countries, the poverty in the Philippines is more massively widespread. It's so bad, that the gap between rich and poor is very large. When we first moved, seeing the poverty all around me (I lived in a very poverty stricken neighborhood for the first 6 years) really moved me and I wanted to help them. But eventually, I guess I hardened my heart and the want to help subsided.

When I first joined Diakonos, I realized that the bagged food that we offered was honestly nothing special. In fact, the people we were meeting often looked fairly well-fed and in comparison to what some other service groups bring, it's not that great. So after my first (and second) Monday, I was kind of confused. I didn't know if I was actually making a difference.

What really inspired me was when I went on a few more trips. It was when I saw some of the other members and how they interacted with the people they came across. It was by watching these other people that I realized that we weren't doing this to provide food and supply their basic needs. No, what we were really giving to them was someone to listen and to spend time with them and hopefully, reflect God's love for them.