Destination Tijuana

Monday evening...

Do you want the good news, or the bad news? I think I'll give you the good news first.

The ministry is going really -- we have had POWERFUL ministry times, great services, a dynamic team, over 100 kids on our first day of VBS, etc. ect.! Thank-you for your prayers. We are having a great time and have 3 days of VBS left. We also will be ministering in churches every night.

Now for the bad news...our van rental (a 2008, 12 passenger van) was stolen from a parking lot yesterday while we were having lunch. The parking lot security was in on the theft (obviously). 3 guitars were in the van (one of them was Levi's), as well as a passport, camera, ipod, cash, including my wallet. So I have been busy making reports with the police and chasing bad guys around TJ. Oh well. This is what happens because of sin and greed. We are moving on and are thankful that the van was insured, and we are trusting the Lord to restore what was lost.


Friday afternoon, August 1st

We have been busy here at Life Pacific College, preparing a VBS, working on testimonies, forming ministry teams, forming worship teams, and getting ready for our early morning departure tomorrow. All is going well and this appears to be a great group of kids and leaders. The largest youth group is from Camas Washington, and we have kids from as far away as Arkansas.

Tonight we have a commissioning service followed by our "No Talent" talent show. In the morning we make our way into Tijuana and begin the real deal.




Thursday: It's 4:50 a.m. and I am waiting for our ride to the airport. That's what family is for (early morning rides to the airport...Thanks Shaun!). We're headed for San Dimas to join up with the team of approximately 60 youth and adults. We'll have two days of training at Life Pacific College before crossing the border for a week of service and outreach at the Foursquare Churches of TJ. This is no vacation -- our accomodations are "rough" by any American's standards. It will be a great experience. I'm praying that it will be the best possible cross-cultural for every team member. It is potentially life changing for every team member. Thanks for your prayers. I'm leaving my computer at home and might not get to update this blog until I get home on Saturday, August 9th.

Levi, Kyle Erickson and I set out to do the Tatoosh traverse (Pinnacle, Plummer, Denman, Lane, Wahpenayo, Chutla, Eagle) on Sunday and Monday. This was an undertaking that I would find out was quite a bit beyond our capability and preparation. The Park Ranger told us that no one had completed the traverse this year, as far as he knew. Still, the snow has been melting off quickly and he gave us the “thumbs up” with our plans. The hike up to the Pinnacle Saddle was uneventful under bright skies. We ditched our packs at the saddle and began our scramble of Pinnacle Peak. The route to the summit was very elusive to us – after 4 attempts to find the summit (all of which were very close), we decided to move on.

Plummer Peak was a fun, easy hike with rewarding views. Returning to the saddle we then headed for Denman. This is when we went the wrong way. According to “75 Scrambles in Washington” you are to “find a boot path traverse on the southern side of the ridge heading west past tarns. Descend 200 feet to pick up the ridge and head Northwest to the wooded summit of Denman.” We traversed the southern side of the ridge which comprised Plummer Peak. I guess our emphasis should have been on “heading west”. The ridge in reference is insignificant. Anyhow, we ended up on the southern side of Plummer bush-wacking our way towards nowhere before returning to the saddle, realizing our error. From there we made quick(er) progress to Denman where we arrived pretty well spent (Kyle Erickson also had some really BAD blisters). At that point I had a good view of what was ahead and knew Lane and Wahpenayo were beyond reach as well as my party’s ability. We spent the night on Denman before heading back to Reflection Lake. The surise was colorful as the clouds poured in. My son and I will return to make a faster traverse (with as few peaks as possible) later in the season. Our thought is to go light and fast (no overnight), skipping the first 4 peaks, and trying to summit Wahpenayo, Chutla and Eagle. Hopefully we will do this in September. The views were awesome, the terrain is formidable and wild, and the adventure still beckons us to come back.
View all my photos of the trip here:
http://flickr.com/photos/matt_messner/sets/72157606453192390/

Three Weeks of Mission & Adventure

I will be out of the office for the next three weeks. I look forward to the following plans:

• July 28-29: Hike the "Tatoosh Traverse" in Rainier National Park with Levi.

• July 31 - August 9

Lead a mission team with my family to Tijuana, Mexico. We have about 60 people signed up for this team. We do two days of training at Life Pacific College before crossing the border for a week of ministry. This team is made up of Jr. High - College students and their leaders from various parts of the U.S.

• August 10-11: Guide a climb from the Legacy Auction up Three Fingers Mountain.



• August 13-17: Do a wedding for my close friend Colin Blair at Sugar Hollow Retreat in Tenessee. Will have to do some hiking on the Appalatian Trail while I am there.



• Back to work on August 19th.

Not exactly a restful time away, but it will definitely be a change of pace.

The Breastplate of Righteousness - Complete Notes

HERE are the notes from the sermon I preached on the weekend of July 19-20 at Eastside Foursquare Church. It was the 2nd part of the series that we are doing on the "armor of God" from Ephesians 6. HERE is my Power Point as well. HERE is the audio from the 9 a.m. service.

Bryant Peak

Yesterday evening I set out from the Denny Creek parking lot towards Malakwa Lake (Mosquito Lake) heading for an obscure mountain called Bryant Peak, located between Chair Peak and The Tooth (near Snoqualmie Pass). It was a perfect night for climbing and the enthusiastic group set out at 6:05 p.m. (TNAB - Thursday Night After Burners). Snow was sporadic on the trail throughout the hike, but it was easy to hike on. From Hemlock Pass to the summit we used maps and descriptions to find our way to the mountain and eventually to the summit. It required some "bush wacking" but our route finding was excellent and took us to the top. The biggest challenge was getting my dog (Kona) to the summit. He did great, but I had to lift him up two ledges right at the summit. After the sun set we headed back with the help of headlamps and were at the cars at 11:15 p.m. All my photos can be found HERE.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Last weekend Pastor Jim began our summer series on "The Armor of God." In the lives of most people, all is not as well as it seems. The statistics are alarming when it comes to the challenges that people are dealing with behind closed doors. Broken marriages, estranged relationships, fearsome addictions, financial trouble, and other crises frequently impact us directly or indirectly. This series will surely help us get to the core issues in the daily struggles that we and others face spiritually, relationally and morally. In these battles many people fall, but the Lord wants to help us "stand" in His strength. I don't want to be another statistic and this battle takes honesty, humily, confession, right choices, and using the tools/weapons that God has given us...Stay tuned for more. See Ephesians 6:10-18.

Small Group for Couples

Heidi and I are forming a small group designed for married couples.

It will meet at our house, approximately every other week (during the summer we will meet just once a month). – Our first meeting is Saturday night, July 19th.

This group is designed for couples wanting to invest in and strengthen their marriages – something we all need to do.

We decided to meet on Saturday nights, after service (from 8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.). We will hold tightly to that ending time.

The basis of our discussions will come from a book: The Marriage Builder, by Larry Crabb. Feel free to order a copy of your own.

Here is our schedule:

July 19
Aug 23
Sept 13
Sept 27
Oct 11, 25

Please let us know if you have any questions and whether or not you will be able to attend.

Mens 800m Final Olympic Trials '08

I grew up watching meets at Hayward Field and this race captures the "magic" that has historically characterized that place. An Oregon sweep (1-2-3) in a distance event at the Trials is amazing, and the dive at the finish is even more amazing.