A few weeks ago I got back from Haiti and I can say without any hesitation that I would go back in a second if the opportunity came up again. I was challenged, stretched, broken, strengthened, encouraged, and smacked right in the face with my materialism, pride, and selfishness. Many of you followed us on Facebook at the Alexandria Youth Haiti Trip group and your prayers were definitely felt.

I think we have all heard someone say “Thank you for your prayers. They helped me a lot” and thought to yourself “Do my prayers really do anything?” I have wondered that many times. During my trip to Haiti I realized why that thought comes to my mind. It is because I don’t pray with expectation or for specific things given to me by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Several times on our trip we had times called “ATL” (Ask The Lord) where we would pray for people in our group or for ourselves and ask God to reveal what to pray for that person. We didn’t ask them “What can I pray about for you?”, instead we started praying and asked God to reveal what to pray for that person. It is amazing what happens when we ask our Father for the right words to pray. We know that the Spirit intercedes for us when we don’t know what to say or how to say it, but do we ever give the Spirit an opportunity to actually do that? Typically I make sure I know what I’m going to say before starting to pray for someone. I don’t want to look bad or stumble around with my words. But is that what prayer is all about? At its core, is it about speaking clearly and knowing what to say? I used to think that way but now I know differently.

When I pray it is to an Almighty Creator who has made everything around me, including me (Act. 17). When I go before God’s throne and enter His presence in prayer for someone else I believe God already knows what is going on in that persons life. If I truly believe that then why shouldn’t I ask God to show me what to pray for that person. Is it easy? No. Is it kind of scary to take that step of faith? Yes. It is especially scary if you don’t know what the voice of God sounds like. If you don’t know your Shepherds voice then you won’t know what He’s saying. We can either hear God’s voice, our own voice distracting us, the world’s voice, or Satan’s distracting voice. There are options and deciphering which voice we’re hearing is a learned skill through discipline in God’s Word and in His presence. It takes a heart that is willing to be humble and open to His voice to be able to actually hear His voice. Ps. 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” That’s not a suggestion, it’s a command. Quietness is essential to hearing the voice of God. Silence is a part of prayer. I don’t always have to be saying something to be praying.

Here is my challenge for you. Take some time today to ATL what He wants you to do with the rest of your day. As a Christian it is so easy to say we trust and follow God but are we willing to actually put that into practice and ask Him to lead us today? Go ahead and try it and I guarantee you will be blessed and encouraged more than you can ever imagine. In 2 Kings 4:1-7 God blesses a widow beyond her wildest dreams by not only giving her enough oil to sell and pay off her debts but enough to sell it and live off the profit!!! When we come to God with an open heart and truly seek His face He will meet us where we are and answer our prayers. The answer may not always be “Yes” but He will answer us. Try it and see what He does today!

Below is a link for some pictures from my Haiti trip. If you are on Facebook you can check out more videos and pics there too.

Haiti Pictures

The purpose of the trip is to follow through with many of the promises and aid sent to Haiti. Adventures In Missions is an organization that has had a presence in Haiti for many years and is committed to ministering to people where they are- on the streets and in their homes- which creates a very unique opportunity in Haiti at the moment. Over the past few months millions of dollars worth of supplies have been sent to Haiti through AIM and those supplies need to be distributed and given to the Haitian people. One of our main objectives on this trip is to deliver these supplies to communities in need and use it as an opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ with those we meet. We will also be building shelters for families to use while their homes and lives are slowly rebuilt. There are a number of reports coming out of Haiti right now that tell of a great revival sweeping through the hearts of the Haitian people. We intend to be full participants in that revival effort by intentionally being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit when it comes to talking to, praying for, and serving the needs of everyone we come in contact with.

I know many of you supported me when I worked at TreeHouse and I really appreciated your financial and prayer support during the two years I worked there. I am in the process of raising the needed funds to go on this trip. The plane ticket, lodging, and passport costs have already been made so I am asking you to pray and see if God is leading you to support me on my trip to Haiti in a few weeks. I need to raise a total of  $1,249. If this is something you want to do please contact me at dan@schmoyer.net and I’ll give you a few different options for sending support. I have included a breakdown of the funding I need below for you to see and pray about.

I am very excited about the trip and also curious to see how God uses the experiences and challenges from this trip to grow me and make me more like Him. If you have any questions or want to discuss it further please call or email me and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have. We also have a Haiti Mission Trip Facebook group started for people to join so they can know how to pray for us while we’re preparing for the trip as well as how to pray for us while we’re on the trip. To join the group CLICK HERE and add yourself to the group.

Amount of funding total for trip:

Adventures In Missions (place to sleep, meals, group leader/translator) $390

Plane tickets with hotel stay in Miami during layovers $648

Passport documentation $211

TOTAL: $1249

Resources and Information:

Adventures In Missions Website

Tim’s Website with some videos and info: Life In Student Ministry

Again, if you want more information or would like to know how to send financial support please email me at dan@schmoyer.net.

Ruby Swimming

Ruby Swimming #2

Dan

This past year has been crazy with school, internships, and working part time as a counselor at a local charter school. We are all glad this process is finally over. We are also excited to see where God leads as I start working in a setting I hadn’t exactly anticipated when I left TreeHouse. I guess that’s why I’m not the one who makes the decisions for how my life goes

Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, and encouragement over the past year and specifically the past few months. Make sure you check back here for updates and more information on work, family, and where God is leading our family.

Maggie is doing well. She is due with Baby #3 around Christmas time. We have named him Eli (yes, we know it’s a boy!!!) and are still deliberating about the middle name.

At the moment that is all that is going on around our house. We’ll try to keep you up to date more often. Enjoy your weekend!!

Click on the picture to see more!

Dan

ps. I am biased and think my kids are pretty darn cute

Enjoy!

Titus and Ruby playing in the pool

I will be transitioning out of TreeHouse this August. My last day will be Friday, August 15^th. The reason I have come to this decision is because I feel like my first responsibility is to God, then Maggie, followed by my kids. My career and vocation fall into fourth place. I feel God is calling me to transition in to the field of school counseling so I can have a more structured schedule with more opportunities to invest in the lives of my wife and kids.

The past two years have been amazing years of growth, blessing, stretching, learning, encouragement, and clarity. I believe that God has placed me at TreeHouse for the past 2 years so I would have a desire to work with teens who want someone to listen to them. I have polled many kids at TreeHouse about their school counselor and the #1 characteristic they wish was changed was that “they would listen”. I am striving to be someone who listens and genuinely cares about my students.

I have been offered a job as a part-time guidance counselor at Spectrum High School in Elk River, MN and will start working there in August. This is the first year they have had a guidance counselor so I will be breaking new ground at the school. I am also coaching the schools first ever season of girls volleyball. I am excited to see how God is going to use me at Spectrum as the school grows and expands.

Please pray for Maggie and I as we try to figure out how to balance our lives as a family and a couple over the next year. I need to go back to school to take the required classes for my school counseling licensure and it is going to take time and lots of money. The last 2 years of support raising have proven to us that God is in total control of our finances and will continue to provide for us. Keep praying for us to trust Him.

I want to tell you all how humbled and honored I have been to represent you at TreeHouse. Without each one of you supporting me in my ministry I would not have experienced the blessings and spiritual growth I enjoyed ay TreeHouse. I believe in the ministry of TreeHouse and I hope you have seen how amazing and transforming TreeHouse is in the lives of so many youth.

I want to encourage you to continue supporting TreeHouse. Hopefully when life settles down I can volunteer at TreeHouse because I believe God is using TreeHouse is a HUGE way to reach hurting teens. It gives them a chance to hear the gospel message and see it personally lived out. If you decide you want to continue to give to TreeHouse please let me know and I will let you know how to direct your gifts. Thank you all for your prayer and financial support. PLEASE do not stop praying for us! If you have any questions or want to talk about our decision please feel free to leave a comment and I’ll send you my email address or phone number. Thanks.

For more Boundary Waters Pictures Click Here

Time really flys!!! I used to hear “old” people say that when talking about their kids growing up and getting older. I would always dismiss their statements because time seemed to go so SLOW for me as I grew up. Well, I have joined the ranks of the “old” people because Titus and Ruby have gotten so big, so quickly! Titus can stand up by himself and loves to crawl to any place that allows him to stand. He loves to wave “Hi” and is always excited to see Ruby. He is doing much better with his eating since we started the Glutton Free diet for him. He actually enjoys eating his crackers and rice milk, which is a HUGE improvement from one month ago. He is so fun to play with and does something Ruby never did at his age, or even now—-cuddle! He lays his head down on your shoulder and will sit with you and snuggle with you. It is so fun and cute

Ruby is a great big sister! She is the perfect “go-for” and enjoys being around Titus. To be completely honest she isn’t always the nicest sister (she is learning how to share and not be Titus’ mommy). Despite her faults she is still a loving and caring sister who is always ready to help with anything we are doing. She loves being outside and is a great helper when it comes to mowing the lawn, raking the yard, and cleaning out the garage. Ruby is a huge book worm and will sit with you and read books all day long of you allow her. She likes all the Dr. Seuss books as well as the Bernstein Bears collection. She is getting very excited about Mark and Grace coming to visit next week because she likes having other people around to entertain.

Time goes by VERY quickly with 2 kids. I am amazed at how fun they are, how much energy they expend (and take from us!), and how exciting it is to watch them grow and learn new things. God sure created kids with a unique set of characteristics- cute, fun, tiring, hard, smart, and rewarding.

I will try and update our photo page soon so check back there for the Spring 2008 folder.

Have a great day!

Dan, Maggie, Ruby, and Titus (and Timber and Grizzly for the weekend)

Have a great day and I’ll talk with you all later!

Dan