Today is 05/06/2010, and I have officially been in Canada for one full day.
It's such a blessing to be able to travel as much as I do. I am constantly reminded of this by countless friends who would either do anything to live in California weather, or would love to experience the Canadian lifestyle.
However, as much as I would like to emphasize God's favour in granting me this opportunity to travel and study abroad, recent realizations suggest that this next trip is less about me being the beloved son of Christ, and more about my development into the faithful warrior/ defender of God's Kingdom. Thus, the question is, "Do I have what it takes?"
For those who are wondering who I am and what this is all about, My name is Tristan Smith. I came to Canada in 2007 and, after two years at one school, I decided to transfer to Christian University in Langley, B.C. called Trinity Western. Last year was my first year at Trinity and 'what a blessing' it was. I was accepted into the school by way of a leadership scholarship; hence, I was required to become actively involved around campus.
From managing community service hours and opportunities within athletics, to organizing a social awareness and leadership group for athletes, God blessed me with an opportunity to, trully, get comfortable with relating to all sorts of interesting and knowledgeable people. Likewise, through my involvement within the school I was able to generate enough sponsorship to fund a missions trip to South Africa, which I will be going on May 13th - May 27th.
Initially, when I found out that I had been selected along with six others to go on the trip, my excitment arose from the idea that Africa is one of those places that the majority of people want to go to, but never actually experience. I pictured myself dancing with the tribal people, playing soccer with the neighborhood kids, going on a three day safari, and living out a true and honest vacation. However, after completing all of my coursework and finals from my last semester, I returned home on April 25th to realize that God has other plans for this trip and expects much more of me.
From the moment I arrived in California, God began to reveal how much He has scuplted and influenced me spiritually over the past few years that I have been in Canada. I was able to get my mother and gandmother to commit to going to church through several talks that we had. I spoke with the mother of a dear friend of mine and was able to refresh her faith by revealing how God used a past conflict that we had as a tool to help both of us grow. I was able to speak life into several other friends, as well; and, in return, God used many of these same people to speak life into me, regarding what He is calling me to do next. As my journey unfolds, I will go more into detail about how God uses people and relationships to shape and confirm a persons destiny.
On my way to Canada, I had a pretty interesting conversation with the man sitting next to me on the plane. For the majority of the plane ride we were, merely, two silent Christians who were both reading our seperate books of Wisdom. I was reading a book called, "Fathered By God," while he was reading the Bible. Interestingly enough, we had both been reading about the same thing. Moreover, when I finally developed enough courage to reach out to my fellow believer, we ended up having a conversation that led us to the same piece of scripture that we had both just finished reading:
Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV)
I went on explaining my plans to travel to S. Africa just before the man began to describe for me the people that he had just encountered, while ministering at a prison in Louisiana. He ended up giving me some great advice on how to approach people about following Christ. A few days prior, Pastor Bill Dancy also illustrated a three step rubric on how to get people to submit to the Holy Spirit: 1) Confess what you are struggling with 2) Relinquish the enemies power over you 3) Ask God to reveal His truth about the situation. Likewise, the same day that I spoke with Pastor Dancy, I encountered three other pastors who all proclaimed that they felt an annointing over me, by which I have been called to be a strong leader within the church.
I am mentioning all this to say that my calling from God has never screamed louder in the 23 years that I have been on this earth. Furthermore, as much as I want to enjoy this trip to Africa, I feel compeled to use this experience as a way to honor the Lord and unveil the Christ-like spirit within me, by reaching out to as many souls as possible with the Word of God. As I document all of my experiences, I pray that God will use my words to touch the hearts of all of you who are choosing to follow this blog in the same way that He has touched mine. God Bless you all! And, welcome to the start of what I anticipate to be an amazing journey.
~Tristan
It's such a blessing to be able to travel as much as I do. I am constantly reminded of this by countless friends who would either do anything to live in California weather, or would love to experience the Canadian lifestyle.
However, as much as I would like to emphasize God's favour in granting me this opportunity to travel and study abroad, recent realizations suggest that this next trip is less about me being the beloved son of Christ, and more about my development into the faithful warrior/ defender of God's Kingdom. Thus, the question is, "Do I have what it takes?"
For those who are wondering who I am and what this is all about, My name is Tristan Smith. I came to Canada in 2007 and, after two years at one school, I decided to transfer to Christian University in Langley, B.C. called Trinity Western. Last year was my first year at Trinity and 'what a blessing' it was. I was accepted into the school by way of a leadership scholarship; hence, I was required to become actively involved around campus.
From managing community service hours and opportunities within athletics, to organizing a social awareness and leadership group for athletes, God blessed me with an opportunity to, trully, get comfortable with relating to all sorts of interesting and knowledgeable people. Likewise, through my involvement within the school I was able to generate enough sponsorship to fund a missions trip to South Africa, which I will be going on May 13th - May 27th.
Initially, when I found out that I had been selected along with six others to go on the trip, my excitment arose from the idea that Africa is one of those places that the majority of people want to go to, but never actually experience. I pictured myself dancing with the tribal people, playing soccer with the neighborhood kids, going on a three day safari, and living out a true and honest vacation. However, after completing all of my coursework and finals from my last semester, I returned home on April 25th to realize that God has other plans for this trip and expects much more of me.
From the moment I arrived in California, God began to reveal how much He has scuplted and influenced me spiritually over the past few years that I have been in Canada. I was able to get my mother and gandmother to commit to going to church through several talks that we had. I spoke with the mother of a dear friend of mine and was able to refresh her faith by revealing how God used a past conflict that we had as a tool to help both of us grow. I was able to speak life into several other friends, as well; and, in return, God used many of these same people to speak life into me, regarding what He is calling me to do next. As my journey unfolds, I will go more into detail about how God uses people and relationships to shape and confirm a persons destiny.
On my way to Canada, I had a pretty interesting conversation with the man sitting next to me on the plane. For the majority of the plane ride we were, merely, two silent Christians who were both reading our seperate books of Wisdom. I was reading a book called, "Fathered By God," while he was reading the Bible. Interestingly enough, we had both been reading about the same thing. Moreover, when I finally developed enough courage to reach out to my fellow believer, we ended up having a conversation that led us to the same piece of scripture that we had both just finished reading:
Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV)
I went on explaining my plans to travel to S. Africa just before the man began to describe for me the people that he had just encountered, while ministering at a prison in Louisiana. He ended up giving me some great advice on how to approach people about following Christ. A few days prior, Pastor Bill Dancy also illustrated a three step rubric on how to get people to submit to the Holy Spirit: 1) Confess what you are struggling with 2) Relinquish the enemies power over you 3) Ask God to reveal His truth about the situation. Likewise, the same day that I spoke with Pastor Dancy, I encountered three other pastors who all proclaimed that they felt an annointing over me, by which I have been called to be a strong leader within the church.
I am mentioning all this to say that my calling from God has never screamed louder in the 23 years that I have been on this earth. Furthermore, as much as I want to enjoy this trip to Africa, I feel compeled to use this experience as a way to honor the Lord and unveil the Christ-like spirit within me, by reaching out to as many souls as possible with the Word of God. As I document all of my experiences, I pray that God will use my words to touch the hearts of all of you who are choosing to follow this blog in the same way that He has touched mine. God Bless you all! And, welcome to the start of what I anticipate to be an amazing journey.
~Tristan
Trist God is going to Bless you beyond what you can imagine & this Season will be a life changing experience just like the ones you have previously completed and God has revealed Himself to you through! I Praiise God for you and your Testimony! He honors your stance and you're truly walking in your designed destiny! God Bless you and Go Forth with God in the Midst of it all !!!
ReplyDeleteTrist!! Paul Speaks of 7 different Gifts: "We have different gifts according to the Grace given us. If a mans gift is Prphesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is servin, let him serve; if its teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is LEADERSHIP, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully" Whats ur core Gift? Discover it, develop it, and then dedicate it to Gods highest service!! Trist if you notice you have every single one of these gifts I seen them all in 2days & you are exactly where you're suppose to be! I'm speechless & so Blessed to see a man of God at you surrender to God whole heartedly and walk in all 7 of your God given gifts! Be strong and courageous with God anything is possible & ur impact on the children, men and women in Africa is going to be beyond what mans eyes can see and take in because if your beautiful spirit & your heart of Gold!! In our weakness Gods strength comes in full force soo stand and know He us God & your Heavenly Father who has called you according to His Purpose!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rey! Your words are always encouraging. I am glad that you notice all of those things about me; however, at this point, I am not sure what my core strength or strengths are. Though I believe God will reveal this in due time, if I just work to remain in His presence. We have had our talks about standing in the likes of God's will; thus, I am glad to see you mentioning it here. It shows how through your different interactions with people God has placed something on your heart that you continue to hold firm to, and that is awesome. You will be blessed for your diligence...Actually, I think I will write something about that in my next blog. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteYou're soo welcome Trist! God is so faithful and where we would be without Him? I don't know! I do know that we can't live out our Designed Destinys without Him and fulfill our passions and Hearts Desires without His Powerful Hand of Mercy & Grace and His Orchestrated Guidance!
ReplyDeleteBaby, you have grown up to be such a wonderful young man. I am very proud of you.
ReplyDeleteLove Aunt Jackie
Tristan, Mom and I say Hello. I say, get ready for your journey. This is going to be an exciting one and God is in the mist. Stay prayed and focused on Him, for He has much for you to do. God Bless you, Pop Banks
ReplyDeleteTristan, I am a 35-year friend of your mother's and I must say I am more than impressed with the caliper of your daily documentation. Tawny must be the most proud mother in Northern America! I look forward to reading your entire blog, and commenting as I go.
ReplyDeleteStay blessed and highly-favored,
Sherri Terrell