Sometimes God Says No

          The last time I updated you, plans were underway for 2-3 weeks in Costa Rica. Thanks to Eric Swanson, I had been connected to Sarah and Daniel from Horizon Church Jaco, and was working with them to figure out my stay. They are absolutely wonderful and have been so incredibly helpful! When figuring out the details of my trip, the timeline was narrowed to the second half of July because a majority of their staff are gone until then, and I have to be home for a school commitment in early August. Sarah quickly began searching for a host family for my visit, but nothing popped up. We kept persevering, but unfortunately all potential host families are already hosting or out of town during my timeline. Sarah also gave me the option of staying in a local hostel/hotel instead. When discussing it with my family, we decided that we were not comfortable with that option, as I have never traveled solely by myself or in a foreign country. For a trip of this nature, I would like to be fully immersed in the culture and live like the missionaries and locals who call Jaco home. All things considered, my family and I have decided to not force this trip to Costa Rica to happen. I believe that sometimes, God says no, and I believe now is one of those times. We thoroughly considered every possible option and fought until the end to make this opportunity work, but we know that if God wants it to work out, it will. That being said, I will not be traveling for missions at all this summer. I am disappointed, but know that God's plan is greater than my own! My relationship with Daniel and Sarah is great and we have already discussed the potential opportunity to go and serve with them next summer. Keeping you, my supporters, informed is one of my highest priorities and I hope you understand why we made the decision we did. Thank you for all your prayers and support through this growth-filled experience, and I will update you again in the next couple months as I begin to research gap-year options and missions for the next summer. If you have any questions, please please ask. 

Much love, 

Emory

Little Bit of Change

 Hey, guys!

        I wanted to give you a quick update on how everything is going and where we are at! As many of you know, I was going to go to Chile for two months with AFS-USA. However, after praying over it and looking over all the details with my family, we decided to not pursue that opportunity. After going over that tough decision, I realized that God really is leading me in another direction that I feel way more confident about and that I am not going to change. That being said, I have been in constant contact with Adventures in Missions, and have decided to participate in one of their two-week missions. I with either be venturing to Guatemala or Nicaragua, and right now it looks like it will be Nicaragua! I am extremely excited about this trip and can't wait to get everything finalized. Right now I am scheduling my final interview for sometime in the next couple weeks. I started fundraising on October 3rd and so far I have raised $696 which is 30% of the way to being fully funded ($2300). Praise God! Thank you all so much for your continued support, and I will be sure to keep you updated in the coming weeks! Fundraising efforts are going to continue to ramp up, and I would love if you would keep me and this trip in your prayers. I love you all, thank you so much! If you have any questions, would like to know more, or would like to support me, send me an email at emory.ferguson@gmail.com or visit http://sendemorytothenations.weebly.com or http://facebook.com/sendemorytothenations

Thank you!

It's Time!

           Hey everyone! I want to say thank you for all your support and prayers thus far on this incredible journey. If you haven't heard about it, talk to me or check out the blog below (you can also visit http://facebook.com/sendemorytothenations or http://sendemorytothenations.weebly.com). A quick update: I completed the pre-application process through AFS-USA about a week ago and have received the final heavy-duty application! This final step in the application process will most likely take me a couple weeks to complete, as there are so many different elements. After talking with multiple people from AFS, it seems that I will have no problem being accepted into the program (God-willing, of course), as I have a passing GPA, no medical conditions, no dietary restrictions, and am within the eligible age range.
            That being said, it is time to start fundraising! Right now, I need $900 by November 9th to confirm my spot in the program. This money will begin to cover the costs of training, airfare, international safety precautions (emergency assistance, medical needs, etc), food, ground transportations, materials, and housing.  Any amount donated would be greatly appreciated, whether it is $5, $10, or $300. This opportunity means more to me than merely exploring another country. It means being able to help hurting communities, love people, develop life-long relationships, and prepare for a gap year in mission work! I truly can not do this without you and I am thankful for all your support! If you would like to support me or track my progress, click here: http://www.rockethub.com/projects/33590-emory-to-chile

 Again, thank you all so much for you prayers. I know that God is present and guiding me through this entire process, and I thank you for supporting me in that way as well! God is so faithful and only through Him would any of this be possible. 

Much love, 

Emory

"Who is like You, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and Your faithfulness surrounds You." ~Psalm 89:8

Wanderlust

There is something about traveling. Something happens when I step out of a car onto a dusty road after driving for hours on end. Something about the way the air smells: sweet, unedited, dynamic, new. And how the same blue sky stares at me no matter where I am. There is also something about traveling that I cannot explain through words: the joy it brings, the experience it provides, the relationships it builds, and the passion it creates. 

I want to wander. I want to take on the world and be in the midst of its unfathomable beauty, and the time is now. With this in mind, I am taking steps to begin that journey and have applied for two summer programs. A summer home-stay program in the stunning country of Chile, and a group mission in gorgeous Guatemala. You may ask yourself, Why? Well, I would love to talk to each of you about it! Let’s grab coffee and talk :) For all of you whom I am unable to meet with because of distance, this is for you! My basic answer to the question of “Why?” is this: I feel called. And if the application process goes smoothly, I’ll only feel more encouraged as to where God wants me to be. The mere possibility of receiving the opportunity to travel and love people around the world is thrilling! 

One of the programs is a home-stay in Chile and is through AFS-USA (American Field Services), and they have been around for more than 60 years. Every year, they host 13,000 students worldwide, with the goal of sending people like me out to experience the world for themselves, whether that be in a gap year, summer, or semester program. For the program I applied to, the objective is for students to be completely immersed in Chile’s culture during their 7-week stay.  By living with a host family, students learn the ways of Chilean life and have the opportunity to go to a local school. I would get the opportunity to love the people of Chile, explore the country, aid in the community, be immersed in Spanish, and more importantly, create life-long relationships. If I went to Guatemala, I would be traveling with Adventures in Missions, which has been around since 1989. Since they have been founded, they have sent more than 100,000 people on mission trips around the world. Ultimately, I hope to be accepted to their Passport Immersion trip: a nine-month journey across three continents, which embarks September of 2015 after I graduate. AIM’s mission is for students to “disciple as Jesus did...that God would use [AIM] to raise up a generation of radically committed disciples of Jesus Christ.” For this specific trip, the goal is for students to disciple to and begin to mobilize the people of Guatemala through relationships and service. I would love to be able to not only assist in that goal, but also to build relationships with fellow teens across the U.S. 

The benefits of receiving an opportunity like this are tremendous. Unlike many high schoolers, I do not just take Spanish class for the credits; I truly want to use it in the future for the good of the planet. Spanish has always been one of my favorite classes and I hope to be fluent one day, and these programs give me an opportunity to move toward that goal. For me personally, not only would it help advance my Spanish language skills, but it would also help me grow in my faith, experience another cultures, force me to learn to adapt to different environments, and help me figure out who God made me to be, whether that be in Chile or in Guatemala. Not only that, but it would help prepare me for the mission work I hope to do with AIM after I graduate. I would also be able to aid in practical ways--whether it be volunteering, talking, or listening in the communities of Chile, Guatemala, or in the future in Colorado. Community is not just where you live, but who you are with. To me, it is a group of people who care for the well being of each other, and a trip like this will give me the opportunity to build a community. Not only that, but I will expand my knowledge and experience to be able to do similar mission work in the area surrounding my home. My mission is to love the people of Chile or Guatemala while preparing myself for a gap year in missions, to experience traveling independently and immerse myself in an unfamiliar culture, and to spread the love of God while growing in my own faith. I hope to be a part of such a wonderful opportunity and reach the people of the beautiful world we live in, and I can not do it without you!

My hope is that you will partner with me in raising the financial support I need for this trip. Any amount donated would be greatly appreciated, whether it’s $5, $10, or $500. This money will cover the costs of training, airfare, international safety precautions (emergency assistance, medical needs, etc), food, ground transportation, materials, and housing.

I would love to talk to each of you about this incredible opportunity. If you have any questions, please call or shoot me an email, and I will be sure to get back to you! Like I said, if it is possible, I would love to grab coffee and talk. If you would like to support my journey, you can click this link, and know that your gift will be truly appreciated. I also have a website and a Facebook page; both links are here: http://sendemorytothenations.weebly.com and http://facebook.com/sendemorytothenations , and I also have a campaign at http://igg.me/at/sendemorytothenations/x/4831877 Thank you all so much!

Much love, 

Emory

Urban Immersion--Finally!

           A purpose, a calling, a mission: that is what inspired 30 high school students to leave the pool, their friends, and oh-so-important technology in the heat of July. We drove thirty minutes. Thirty measly minutes to a place so desperate to be loved, and I can only hope that we filled that need, even if it was only through face painting, wiffle ball, and a giant soapy slip-n-slide. The differences were shocking: Boulder, median income just over $57,000 a year, a primarily Caucasian community, and the outskirts of Denver, median income not quite $30,000 a year, a primarily Hispanic community. When parents struggle to make ends meet, the children of this community do not always receive the opportunities children in Boulder do. It is not so simple to text a friend, go to a movie, or even go on a field trip. Children rely on books and the local park for entertainment, and that does not mean that it is always safe. A young girl about 10 years old (I’ll call her Angel), told me about some local teenagers who frequently visited the park. When she caught eye of them driving up one afternoon in a very expensive vehicle (especially for the area), she quickly whispered, “Those boys steal cars. They left home, took their parents’ cars, and are now living on their own. They come to the park to act tough and scare us or to eat when people are having a barbecue.” Those boys she was speaking of? Well, they were probably about my age. The reality of a rundown community set in at that moment. It seems in Boulder that the worst thing a teenager could do is be caught at a party, but in the outskirts of Denver? No, there is a possibility of going to jail for common teen activities. And not just juvenile detention, either, but years of time. Angel’s dad was in jail, her mom had done time, her older brother was currently awaiting a court date. It shown through her brown eyes: this is normal. It is a place where the cost of keeping the cable on is sometimes prioritized above feeding yourself, where people work multiple jobs and can barely keep their home, and where marijuana is a cultural norm and is smoked constantly--whether they are around their children or not. 

We came, we saw, we reached. Going door to door, you see the heart of the community. The love they wish they could have and share. The trust they had when sending their kids to the park with us. We fed them, played games with them, did crafts with them, and most importantly listened to them. It is not every day when you can hear the distress in a woman’s voice as she explains how she does not have enough money to pay rent or to eat in a way that is healthy or to have the kids she desperately desires. And nothing breaks your heart more than to say goodbye to a child like Angel that you have become so close with who says they never want you to leave. 

        I have been attempting to write this blog for a little over two months now, but haven't found the words. We returned from Urban Immersion late July, and now the sentences have formed to hopefully give you a little perspective into what we experienced while down there. I hope you enjoyed! Thank you to everyone for their continuous prayers over this trip and the people we encountered. Please continue to pray as we set out again in October for another (mini) immersion! 

"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." ~Psalm 82:3-4

Interning for Christ

        Lately, I've been feeling disconnected. It may be because I'm working 32 hours a week at two jobs and am always rushing around trying to be on time. It may be that I've been overly concerned with my relationships. It may be because church and youth group aren't the only things I do other than volleyball. I now swim, play volleyball, staff middle school youth group, work like I mentioned, participate in church and youth group, and try to make time for relationships with my friends and family. What I've realized through this, however, is that I can't have excuses. I need to make time for God and focusing on Christ. Without that, I can't be successful in anything I mentioned above. It's time to get my priorities in order. No more doing one devotional a day and mindlessly reading a couple passages before bed. Time to get back into high gear. I may be interning at NOAA which is awesome, don't get me wrong, but that's not my life purpose. Ultimately, I'm interning for Christ. Analyzing hours and hours of data will not further my relationship with our heavenly Father. I am ready to commit myself every day to learning Christ's ways and imitating Him for others as best as possible. I am ready to be challenged in my faith and to focus on how to glorify God in everything I do. I love you, whoever may be reading this! Hopefully more posts to come.

Thank you!

~Emory

Outsider

          I was going to start off by explaining what sparked my interest in blogging, but something else has come up. It's come to my attention the last week or so how lonely I feel. Yes, I have a wonderful family and I have friends, but every day is a struggle. Unfortunately, some of my friends went other directions my freshman year and I can honestly say that I probably would have considered following if I didn't have my faith. While my freshman year was a terribly tough time in my life, I would not trade it because it taught me so much. I still have those friends, but it's really tough to not have a constant support system at school. I have friends at youth group, but I only see them  a maximum of three days a week. People at youth group challenge me in different ways as well, because most of us know the problems we are each facing day to day. Loving people where they're at without receiving anything in return is more than okay, don't get me wrong, but I do not have much inflow. I attempt to replenish my "cup" so to speak with daily devotionals, prayer, and service outside church, but sometimes I need the support of peers my age. It's a domino effect: the people who know what love feels like concentrate on those who don't. The people who don't know that love may start to feel it, but are also battling internally (and possibly externally as well), which distracts them from loving others in return. They may not not know how to love others back yet either, which is totally fine. By doing this, though, those people giving the love do not focus on loving one another. One time, the Sunday after getting back from a week long excursion to Wyoming with the youth group, a friend of mine seemed to be ignoring me. Are they mad at me? I thought and later asked. Their response was that they wanted to focus on the people who weren't on the trip and who didn't experience the community we did. As lovely as that is, did I experience their love and encouragement? No, and neither did the people on the trip. Those of us that understand love no longer receive it. It's a cycle, and let me tell you, it's not fruitful. What I'm getting at is that I don't feel like I have a place where I am pouring into others while being poured into as well, at least for now.
          Scratch that. I do. I do have friends that care about me (Christians or otherwise). Even with them though, I have noticed a trend. "Emory, you don't get it." I hear it all the time. Here are a few I've heard: "Emory, you don't get it, you're a teenager." "Emory, you don't get it, you're an underclassmen." "Emory, you don't get it, you're from Boulder." "Emory, you don't get it, you have a good family." "Emory, you don't get it, you're white.""Emory, you don't get it, you're smart." "Emory, you don't get it, you're skinny." "Emory, you don't get it, your family is well off." "Emory, you don't get it, you're American." "Emory you don't get it, you're a Christian." I get more than they know. I fully accept that I will never understand their lives because, put simply, I don't live their lives. But by stating that I don't get it, they imply that I will never get it and that more importantly, that they think I'm not trying to get it. I try every day. And every day I'm told that I'm an outsider. Thank goodness for God. I would lose my mind without Him. I came home last night and did my devotional, prayed, and reflected on this whole thing. Make no mistake, I'm actually thankful for all of this. Christ is my best friend! Could it get better than that? No, no it could not. Praise.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful and I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14