Cedarville University

These guys were huge.

Earlier this week Alise told you that we were able to partner with The Power Team. The Power Team is a dynamic ministry that uses great feats of human strength as an analogy for how much God can do in our lives if we choose to follow hard after Him.

We had an awesome time with Bonzai, Timber, and Jamie. Really great guys with so much talent. Not only could they bend steel with their hands and teeth, break concrete and baseball bats over their backs, and break Hayden in half, (just kidding, Hayden is fine) but they were also great speakers and singers! These guys are more than just muscle. The last night we were with them they broke about a million pounds of concrete with their hands and FACES. . . yes, their FACES. And after the carnage, Timber, probably one of the scariest guys I’ve ever seen, picks up the mic and starts singing Revelation Song with the band. You can check out Timber’s singing voice on HeartSong’s YouTube channel.

We have had a blast being with LiFT this summer, but this week has been special. Not only because we’re home, but because we were able to partner with yet another amazing ministry and see students come to know Jesus through that partnership. We are blessed to be a puzzle piece in God’s plan. Pray that He continues to use HeartSong.

Check out The Power Team on their website at www.thepowerteam.com

Way to go Christy! You can pick up the metal they can bend with their mouths.

Heartsong is back at Cedarville!  We’ve followed LiFT camp right back to our home and we’re excited to be here.  The 1300+ campers with us this week have an abundance of energy and hit 129 decibels this morning during morning fun.  Thanks, Brady, for having a stash of earplugs for us all!   It’s great to be back in familiar territory after being out of Ohio for so long, although the atmosphere of a LiFT service is slightly different than that of regular Cedarville chapel.

For instance, this week we have the Power Team here and they have been breaking and destroying all kinds of things for the campers’ (and our guys’) enjoyment. What’s really cool, though, is how, at last night’s service, after tearing phone books and breaking some Louisville Sluggers, the Power Team shared a great salvation message and 113 campers met Jesus for the first time last night!!  It never ceases to be amazing to watch dozens of students come to the cross and experience true love and forgiveness.  As a team, we have been talking about how powerful Jesus’ blood truly is and how we don’t give Him the credit He deserves.  We are so blessed to be able to witness the Holy Spirit moving in so many lives.

We’re praying that the rest of the week (and next week, which is our last) just keeps building and kids keep making decisions to live for our Lord.  He has been incredible in providing for us this summer.  We are each so grateful to Him and are excited by what He is doing with Heartsong, with LiFT, and within our own hearts.

Alise and Heartsong

Fun times in the Big TX

HeartSong has arrived in Texas!  It’s big and hot and humid.  We’ve already had the opportunity to get to know a lot of Texans in our short time here.  Saturday and Sunday morning we were at First Baptist Church in Joshua, TX, which claims Fort Worth as the nearest big city.  The church put us up in Southwestern Baptist Seminary’s guest center.  The boys all enjoyed the complimentary bathrobes in the guest rooms (see the picture!).

Complimentary is always nice

Sunday morning we were blessed to worship with the members of the church and spend some time getting to know them.  Brittany and I had a privilege of talking for a while with a woman who just recently returned to Christ.  It was encouraging to talk with her and realize that God is teaching her a lot of the same things He is teaching us.

Sunday night we were in Kemp, TX.  We each got to stay with host homes and really enjoyed getting to know the people of Calvary Baptist Church.  For me personally, I got to stay with yet another woman who had recently returned to the church and she was really on fire for God.  We got to have a great long talk Sunday night.     Now, we are at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, serving with LiFT again.

We’re having a blast getting to know the students here.  There are over 500 students here this week, so we have plenty to hang out with.  We were all pleasantly surprised to see our director Jim walk in while we were setting up yesterday afternoon.  It’s nice to see a face from home after having been on the road for over a month.  Also, during our concert last night, Ryan broke his first drumstick – so we’re all very proud of him!

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.  We greatly appreciate them.  Continue to pray that we can truly learn to love and serve those around us, especially the campers we come in contact with.  Also, please continue to pray for physical health and travel safety!

Love, Alise and Heartsong