Ambassador Academy 13- Exodus 4

This weekend I attended the Ambassadors Academy in LA put on by Living Waters.  I thought I would take this time to tell you about my journey.  This will be a two part series so stay tuned to next week also.

Before going to the Academy I spent most of the last 3 years trying to figure out how to support Carl in our ministry and to overcome some deep fears of what people thought about me and public speaking.  It has been a long journey for me.  I had handed out a tract or 2 to an actual person.  I was more of a “drop and run type tracter”.  I was deathly afraid someone might ask me about the tract and I would not have the words or courage to talk to them.

The idea of this weekend started stirring in my soul in May 2009 when Carl returned from AA #10.  After hearing his stories and experiences and seeing how God had changed him I started feeling like I should go.  We discussed it and thought about August.  August wasn’t God’s timing so as I prayed about it more I felt a stronger and stronger calling to go.  The decision was made to go in March 2010 and the application was sent it.  Not long after the application was sent in the floodgates of spiritual attack began.  I started questioning so many things.  Were the teaching of Living Waters biblical? Were people caring out The Great Commission in the right way or was it to confrontational? Could I do it and why should I?  All of my questions were answered.  And the answer to all was YES!

Carl and I arrived in Orange County on Wednesday early afternoon and had some time to hang out and meet others that were already there.  Wednesday night we had a great time at the opening sessions.  Tony Miano spoke as well as EZ of Living Waters.  Wednesday night we had a great time meeting others in the Academy.

Thursday began with an interesting twist. I was still on Dallas time so I was up @ 5 a.m. Carl had coughed all night and was getting sick.  I found the team leader and asked if they could take him to the dr. just to make sure it was not serious.  Praise God it was not!

We spent Thursday in Training and got some GREAT information.  Kirk Cameron spoke on Apologetics and their place in biblical evangelism.  It was really neat as I don’t know much about Apologetics.  I think I will investigate it some more here in the near future.

We learned about transition conversations, Open Air, why we are commanded to evangelize, and the most important message of all “Don’t Quit” when times are rough or your alone in your endeavor to save souls.  Thursday night we had the most incredible worship experience sitting in the meeting room.  45 men and women about to go to battle praising the Lord—I have never felt that close to so many people at one time as I did that night.  It was AMAZING!  Singing those songs with everyone will be forever etched in my mind.  It was AWESOMENESS to the max!  After that we broke up into teams for a team meeting.  Brett our leader encouraged us to go to the corner and practice stop light preaching.  I got up but just read the back of one of our tracts and stared at the tract the whole time.

Friday morning we loaded up to head out.  This was the day that we were touring Living Waters headquarters, going to Hollywood Blvd, and Glendale.  My goal for the day was to hand out some tracts and have a one on one conversation.  I had made it clear to everyone who would hear that I would NOT be open air preaching.  Our first stop was Living Waters headquarters.  What a cool place.  A mortuary turned into a ministry to support those who are sharing the good news with the lost and spiritually dead.  Some of our group did some stoplight preaching practice. I knew God was up to something when I couldn’t stop crying while listening to the people practice.  The message was the same one I had heard so I knew it was not the message.  It was God taking on my self built wall of fear and anxiety.  Earlier in the week I was working on a bible study and came across these verses from Exodus 4:10-17.  I was amazed to read that Moses, whom God used for mighty things, was also afraid of public speaking.  As we unloaded the buses near Hollywood Blvd you could see the craziness that was Hollywood Blvd during Academy Awards preparation.  What a bonus for us.  We were with “The Academy” right?  I thought it was a good line that Tony gave us.  Our group started out in front of the wax museum and the Chinese Theater.  Handing out Celebrity Millions was so easy.  “Hey did you get your souvenir from the Academy?” was my favorite line.   Just about everyone would take one.  Several people open aired.  One to one conversations were hard to get going.  My mentor Liz was AWESOME and we tried just couldn’t get it going.  At this point my nervous stomach was growling for lunch so Carl, Debbie, and I went to eat lunch.  We found a place upstairs in an outside mall type area.  We were blessed to be able to eat with Mark Spence and 2 others from Living Waters staff.  I could barely eat my stomach was in such knots.  I knew God was telling me to get on the box but my mind was saying “NO WAY!”  When we finished eating we were heading down to the subway station to meet our group.  We walked by a Claires and with out knowing why I just bolted in there.  I went right to the tiara section and picked out a little girls tiara with big jewels on it.  We walked down and found our group.  I have always said that God has a sense of humor.  In all of his hilariousness he had me on the box preaching.  I couldn’t believe it. I had come here to hand out tracts and learn how to have a one on one conversation not to preach.  I hadn’t even had a one on one conversation yet.   I found myself on the box preaching about the difference between my being a princess as a daughter of the King and the princesses that society has made that would be walking down the red carpet on Sunday. 

It was totally a surreal experience.  I remember thinking that what I was saying didn’t make sense and then getting off the box and crying in Carl’s arms.  It was amazing and nerve racking all at the same time.  I’m not even sure I can explain it in words that would help you understand the feeling.  We moved to another corner and yet again I was on the box.  This time shorter and it seems to make more sense.  Our time was up on Hollywood Blvd and it was time to head to Glendale.  While in Glendale I got to teach Debbie how to go to the bookstore and leave bookmarks for people who buy books. It is really fun!  I had the privilege of having my first one on one conversation and witnessing tag team with Carl.  What an awesome ending to the day!  God was glorified. 

Saturday was Huntington Beach day!  Carl woke up with no voice, it was supposed to be raining all day, and breakfast was slim pickings.  As we were coming out of our room on our way to breakfast our team leader Brett slowed down to tell us good morning.  He noticed Carl’s voice condition and said to me ” Guess you will have to be his Aaron today.”  Brett had no idea that the verses he was speaking of had been my motivation and life verses for the past week.  My dreary day turned to a glorious day with that reminder that God is in control and His work will be done no matter what.  Thanks Brett!  You helped me to put my center back on Christ that morning.  Off to Huntington Beach we go with the back up plan of going back to Hollywood Blvd if  it was raining.  We get there and one of the leaders says it is raining and no one is out so we are going to Hollywood Blvd.  The bus turns around and heads to Hollywood.  Less than 10 minutes later we were turned around again and headed back to the beach.  God had answered the many prayers going up and cleared the skies.  The people came out and we had a wonderful day.  Talked to several people, stop light preached, saw Ray Comfort preach, and saw the Gospel painted in scenes.  It was an awesome day!

God transformed my life this weekend.  He showed me not only could I over come my deepest seated fears and grow closer to Him, but he also showed me a whole new level of marriage I have never experienced before.  It was AWESOME!

Please check back next week for part 2.