How fantastic the journey... Chris Youell -

A post about a place with some kind of big wall or something like that....

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Ok, so I'm about to head into the wonderful land of China... that's a good thing.... however, I will not be able to get online for a few weeks.... that's a bad thing... well, kind of...

I am anticipating this month to be hard. What better way to end a trip like this than to go out with a challege right? I look forward to it and am expecting good things for this month... and I look forward to sharing them with you when I get back.

So I hate to leave you all but I will return soon enough. I'm sorry that I don't have a nice picture I could post right here so that you could remember my lovely face, so instead of a picture of me, I'll leave you with this picture of Tom Selleck...

Love you all. Thank you for your prayers!

Big

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

As far as I'm concerned, to be 6'3" is not an abnormal occurance. I have, for the most part, thought myself to be an average height. I guess living in America, there are enough people around that are close to my size, that I've not thought anything of being this tall...

However, I have found that in the majority of the world, I am considered, by most, to be a kind of giant.

Sure there were some along the way that have been close to my height, but for the most part, it seems that most places around the world are not made for anyone over 6' tall. I don't fit in vans, busses, tuk tuks, motos, houses, boats, planes, beds, chairs and pretty much anything else you can name. It's lead to back pain, sore necks, my knees crack everytime I move and I haven't been able to really strech out when I sleep as long as I can remember...

So from all this one might think that being big would be quite a burden and could even discourage us tall folk from entering into this field... well that's just silly... so stop thinking that! :)

The benefits of being big easily outweigh the negative parts. It draws people to me, I can easily make people laugh by hitting my head off of their ceilings or doorways or anything else that's hanging low... but the best thing about being big in these places is that it automatically turns this hesitant and somewhat socially akward guy into an instant jungle gym! I have had kids in every country crawling up my leg, hanging from my neck, jumping on my back, swinging from my arms and having a blast just being around me. It takes some getting used to it and usually leaves me unable to move very well at the end of the day, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

For the most part, it's fun being big....

My Boys.... a blog with only pictures...

Tue, 3 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

These are my boys! They're awesome.... more to come later...

A Blog Without Pictures?

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

...crazy I know. Unfortunately I'm sitting at the world's slowest internet cafe... at least it would seem that way. :)

I figured it's about time for an update, since it's been far too long since I've said anything. Right now I sit in Swaziland, Africa... yeah, I hadn't heard of it either before the race, so don't feel bad if you haven't either. We've been here for a few weeks, having debrief and all that fun kind of stuff and now have gotten to the point where we are ready to set out in search of the ministry God has for us these next few weeks.

For the first time, the media team is stepping out on our own. We aren't following any other teams, we aren't teaming up with anyone else, it's just us! How exciting! We are currently staying in a small school house, Telfer and I in one room and the ladies in another and it's nice to be just us for a change.

Telfer had recieved an email from a friend of his that worked in this area not too long ago asking us to find a little girl she had worked with and so we have set out in search of her. We know the area she is in and have somewhat of an idea of how to find her but until we do, we are in search of this orphan girl. Fun stuff!

Please be praying for us as we continue this and as we get used to being on our own and having to relearn all kinds of new things about each other. This will definetly be a fun adventure! Pictures to come when I can get a faster connection!

Revolution...

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Shall We Dance?

Tue, 1 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Yes, Im still around. Just havent posted anything on here for a while, Ive been busy with lots of other stuff, getting ready for Africa and the exciting things that are going to be coming along with that.

While here in Buenos Aires for a week, taking time to regroup with the other half of the media team and prepare for the things ahead, we took the ladies out one night for a tango lesson, dinner and a show. It was much fun...

Please continue to pray for us as we travel and as we step into new territory, both in physically and spiritually. I believe Africa is going to be very different than the past 4 months in Latin America.

I know I dont usually post things, just wanted to let everyone know Im still here and kicking and say thank you to you all for your support and prayers. My focus is towards the videos and such so if you want to know whats going on with me, watch them and youll get a good idea. :) Hopefully Ill be in touch more often but not sure how well that will pan out in Africa but well see!

Nessa

Fri, 9 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

After spending a month with these wonderful people, working side by side with them here in Nicaragua, it finally has come to an end and the next leg of the race will continue. I have no idea who I'm going to be with next month but I hope they're as great as Nessa was. :)

For your consideration....

Thu, 8 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Well, at long last, your hopes and dreams have come to realization. That's right, I have finally stepped out from behind the scenes and will now impress you with my amazing skills both behind and in front of the camera.... So without any more delay, I give you my first video blog... prepare to be dazzled.

The Heart of Worship

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday I got help lead my first international worship service. Thankfully, Meagan knew the spanish lyrics to a couple of the "american" worship songs that I've been playing for years now and while I have played these songs many many times before, this time things seemed different.

I'm used to getting together with our worship team once during the week to go over which songs we are going to play, then Sunday mornings, we get there early, set everything up, run sound checks, make sure all the levels are right, get the guitars sounding good, then practice the songs through once before we do them for the service. Yesterday was different. We picked the songs out about 20 mins. before the serivce, ran through them a little bit, then headed out to play. I borrowed one of the guys guitars here so I could actually plug into the system, but we didn't run any checks or practices or anything, we just plugged in and went.

There was no EQ on the guitar, it sounded awful, no level checks, I barely had time to tune up. Half way through the set, the high E kept dropping out of tune, I would forget chords here and there, mess up and go to the wrong part of the song (it's hard to follow the words when they're all in spanish) and over all, had it been a service back home, I would have felt terrible.

So why is it that while I was playing, I felt wonderful? Nobody cared that the guitar sounded bad, nobody cared that I messed up on a chord here and there and actually, I don't know if it's that they didn't care or if they just didn't notice. Everyone was so focused on worshiping the Lord, that they could care less if there was even a guitar playing. It really struck me, that in the midst of some of the poorest people on the planet, people who literally have next to nothing, can be so joyful and so willing to seek out the Lord. Some of these people actually walked 2 hours to get the the service!

A friend of mine once told me when they came back from a mission trip that "You never realize that God is all you need, until God is all you have." God is all that these people have, and they are loving it. They don't need a fancy band, or expensive instruments, or even the ability to clap on beat. These people were there to just worship and sing praise to the Lord with all their heart no matter what it sounded like. It's things like this that help me to realize that while this world is so huge and complicated, at the same time, it's quite small and simple.

The Best Videos in the World

Thu, 8 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hey, check out the latest World Race videos at:

http://www.youtube.com/theworldrace

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Thu, 1 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

...and so Mexico has come and gone. From reading other people's blogs, I'm sure that you know there is a lot that has been going on. I apologize for not writting more. I'm not much of a writter and everyone else has been saying things so much better that I can, so keep reading theirs. I will try better these coming months to post more often. If you want to see my take on how things are going, you'll have to wait for the DVD. :)

Mexico have been amazing. Everyday I've been awed by how amazing the Lord is. Be it getting up at 5:00 and watching the sun come up, hanging out the back of a truck as we drive through the mountains, or the amazing movement of God's hand touching the lives of the people around us, simply put, Mexico has been wonderful.

We came, we saw, He conquored....

Now we head south... next stop, Guatamala / Nicaragua!!!

All in the Family

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

So I am guessing that most everybody else has posted some kind of blog talking about how awesome their team is and all that kind of junk and me being the quick one that I am, have decided to post one about the same, just a few weeks behind everyone else....

That being said, here we go....

I honestly find it hard to be able to connect well with people. It takes a long time for me to get used to someone^s personality and to watch how they react to certain situations and all that kind of stuff. Guess it is that psychologist wanting to come out... *shurgs*

Strangely enough though, I have seemed to have hit the jackpot on this one. The Lord has placed me with a fantasic group of people to live and grow with over the next year.

My brothers. Thank the Lord for brothers. Nothing against sisters, but they just don^t seem to get me quite like the guys do. Thankfully not only do they get me, but they are pretty much just like I am. Same humor, well for the most part, similar personalities, and best of all, an amazing hunger for the Lord. Chris, Tim and Chad (I don^t have any pictures of the men all together yet) are such invredible guys and I am so blessed to be walking along side of them on this journey. (Also, that^s not Chad in the picture above, that^s Jeff on the left... this is Chad)

My sisters. What can I say? They are simply some of the most incredible women I have ever met. From Anne^s quiet wisdom, Meagan^s huge heart, Jenny^s warmth and Erin^s amazing strength, rarely have I met such strong women of God and am so blessed to have them as my sisters this year.

I could not have asked for a more amazing family for the next year. Sure we have our ups and downs and sometimes I cant stand them and sometimes they probably want to punch me in the face, but the great thing about family is that no matter what happens, when I wake up in the morning, they are still there. Through all the crap, they dont bail, they hang in there and tough it out. Its all about trust. Thats what I am learning and having to grow in. Trust and know that they are with me. :)

Ok enough gushing and gross displays of emotion, this was mainly for the people at home to make sure they know everything is going well and prayers have been answered.

New Ministry Project

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here is something that some people back home have been working on in conjuction with the media team. It is an online magazine that brings some of the radical stories from the World Race and other places, capturing the essence of a surrendered life to Christ, to challenge and awaken America. Please share this with your friends, family, and church members:

www.wreckedfortheordinary.com

Mystic River

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Yeah, I know... I hate the movie, but it was the first title that came to mind dealing with a river.

For those who do not know, for the past 10 or so years, I have had a fairly strong fear of water. Anytime I would get near a body of water I would pretty much freak out.

Why? No idea. I did not have any tramatic experiences that scared me away from water or anything like that. One day I just started to freak out.

Long story short, after 10 years, the fear was finally overcome. With the helpful encouragement of my team and the disregard for any feelings that arose, I finally went for a swim... in a Mexican river of all places.

Might not seem like a big deal to you guys but for me it was pretty big. It is interesting to see how often we let little things get in the way of the bigger picture. Little fears that pop up for whatever reason that cause us to stop what we are doing and turn the other direction.

This is something that I have been having to learn over the past month. There are going to be things coming up quite soon that I am scared to death about but I have to lay down my selfishness and put it in Gods hands and trust that He will take care of it all.

Am I scared in the water? Heck yeah! However, eventhough I am scared, I have to have faith that everything is going to work out alright....

Alive and kicking.... hard....

Sat, 6 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

...so after a lovely 30 hours on a bus (which by the way, is probably the equivilant of torture allowed by US government) we have all made it safely to Palenque. The trip down was a long one and I got about a total of 2 hours of sleep the whole trip but it was still a good trip. The lady beside me held a little guy on her lap the whole trip, he was about 4 or 5, and had this lovely little star wars toy that would play the theme music every time he would hit the button, and he hit it often, it was still fun though to get to play around with him and make some kind of connection.

One of the things I think I learned on the ride down is that even amidst all the distractions around me, the noisy people, or crap movies playing on the bus, I was able to just sit back, put my head phones on, and worship. I could look out the window and see a whole new world that I have never seen before, a world that is only a glimps of what is to come, and it excited me.

We finished the first leg of the race, and now the good stuff starts!

...and so it begins...

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Today I left "home".

Actually, I'm writting this while I sit here in Mexico and I get my first taste of what it's truly like to be an outsider. Being that I don't know a word of Spanish, I can see already how hard it's going to be trying to communicate with people all over the world.

One of the great things though is that even through language barriers and cultural differences, the Lord's work will be done. We may not speak the same language, but on this trip we all carry a message that needs to be and will be heard by people all over the world. One way or another God will make Himself known and right now I'm hanging on for the ride and waiting to see where we're going....

My Two Weeks Notice...

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Well America, I just wanted to give you the heads up, I'm putting in my two weeks notice...

What?

Yeah, I just thought I should let you know that in two weeks I'm going to be leaving.

I don't seem to understand... why? Why are you leaving?

You know, that's a good question... one I've asked myself a few times over the past few months but I think it's time now that I leave. It's time to move on to other things....

...but don't you like it here?

Oh, sure... I mean it's nice... don't get me wrong, I love this place, I really do. It's safe, and it's comfortable and a real nice place to be, it's just time to move onto new things now....

I'll admit, I didn't really expect this... not many people leave here... I mean, especially to give up everything and go to another place... a place that's not as safe and secure and nice to be at....

That's alright, I didn't really expect you to understand it completely... doesn't seem like many people do... but it's just something I have to do....

Well.. alright. I guess if you have to go... then, good luck...

Thanks.

Will you bring me back something?

Oh.... you just wait and see....

Oh yeah....

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

I won't lie.... I hate taking out the garbage. It's a pain in the rear. I mean, I'm in the middle of doing something ever so important when I remember "oh yeah, it's trash night!"

So I have to stop whatever it is I'm doing, go around the house and round up all the garbage cans, empty them into the bigger bag in the kitchen, then go down in the basement and gather up all the ones we've accumulated from the week, then take them all out to the alley. Easy enough.

For some reason though, it always seems like a struggle to do it. I don't want to stop what I'm doing just to take the stupid trash out. So it puts me in a bad mood. I mean, I've got lots of things to be doing and get done before I leave here in a few weeks right? I can't take the time out of my schedule to be bothered with such a little task right?

So I try to get it done as fast as I can, and of course that just makes things worse. I end up knocking one of the cans over and it spills. Now I have to clean that up! Then I get to the kitchen and as I try to empty them into the bigger bag, I miss and it spills on the floor. Ug. Finally I get all the bags and I try to take them all out in one trip so I don't have to waste more time. Of course now I am juggling about 4 or 5 bags in my hands while trying to keep the cat from running outside as I go out and one of the bags gets stuck on the door handle and another bag catches one of the bricks on the side of the house and tears open and the cat doesn't seem to understand he's not allowed outside and this simple task turns into such a huge deal.

It's funny though, by the time I get out to the alley and drop off the bags and rub the indentations I now have in my arms from the bands on the bags, I'm in such a foul mood. Happens everytime I take the trash out... and everytime I take it out, I look up at the sky and there is never a cloud in the way. I get a full view of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Stars. Everywhere! In the cool, quiet night, I can silently stand in my back yard and stare up at the stars and every little thing that had upset me just seconds before is gone.

So I stand in my back yard until I remember it's cold, but before I remember that, I remember to myself, "oh yeah, He's really big!" Remembering that makes all those problems, all the stress of trying to get things ready for this trip, worrying about finances and every little thing that can get in the way of us taking the time to think about Him, just disappear.

Psalm 8: 3-4

3 When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
       the son of man that you care for him?

Why Me?

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

You ever sit back and ask, "Why me?" Sure you do. Everybody does. You just finish washing your nice new car and the kind flock above you shows you where you missed a spot.... why me? You're late for a meeting, so naturally the speed limit is optional, right? The flashing lights behind you say differently.... why me? You're in the middle of the mall, ton of people around, you drop your keys and as you bend to get them you hear that wonderful sound of fabric parting and a nice new breeze makes its way in your trousers..... why me?

Sure we ask that question a lot. However, the pattens seems to show up primarilly in unfortunate situations. How often do we bring this into a positive light? It would seem that the majority of us don't often think about this when something good happens. We assume that since we've had such a long run of bad luck that we are due for something good. We get all green lights on the way to work. We get a nice parking spot at the grocery store. You get a raise. Whatever the circumstance, whenever something good happens to us, we rarely seem to ask why.

Well, this is something that I've been asking myself for the past few months and it is in no way a bad situation. Most of you reading this probably already know this, but for the few that don't allow me to recap the past few months. In late July, a friend of mine asked me if I'd be interested in helping her possibly lead a short term mission trip this coming summer through an organization called Adventures in Missions. We have done trips with them before in the past in our church. I was very interested in this prospect, so I jumped on their website to see what kind of trips they were running in the summer.

As I ran down the list of trips, there were places all over the world that seemed somewhat interesting but nothing really stuck out to me. At the bottom of the list was a trip called "The World Race." I was looking at it and thought, well this is kind of neat, but still wasn't sold on anything. Right below the link to that was "The World Race - Media Team." This caught my eye right away, being as I have had a strong desire for a while to get involved in some type of video ministry overseas. So I clicked on it, read the bio of what the trip was and instantly I knew right away that this was the path that God had laid before me. I talked to my parents about it that night and applied the very next day.

Within a week I had a phone interview, and shortly after that I was accepted to the trip. Within the course of just a few weeks, my life made a complete direction change. A few weeks after that I flew down to Georgia for 2 weeks of training where I met the people I will be spending the next year of my life with.

This entire process was such a leap of faith because all along I really had no idea what I was doing or what to really expect from all of this. All I knew was this is what the Lord had been calling me to do for a long time and the door finally opened and I had to run through it as fast as I could before it closed. The task that lies before me: For the next year, I will be traveling with about 60 missionaries all over the world, ministering in about 14-15 different countries, making one whole lap around the globe. I have been put on the "media team" which is basically a sort of documentary crew, that in addition to ministering some to the other countries, is responsible for getting the message of what's going on in this trip back to the people here in the states. We are the eyes and the ears of everything that is going on, and it is our responsibility to communicate the message of God moving all over the world to the people here who would otherwise never know about it.

So here I am, 2 months away from embarking on this year long expadition around the world, and I'm still asking.... why me? Why, of all the people in the world, has the Lord chosen me for this task. There are easily more qualified people technically, spiritually, mentally, physically. I am your average joe, never even finished college, was working as a cook for the past year right until God called me to do this.

Why me? I often think about all the people in the Bible that had to of thought of the same thing. As He called Moses to free His people, David to become King, the disciples to walk with Jesus. How many times along their journey would they have asked, why me Lord? This is so big, why in the world would you pick me to do this?

I think if they were to ask God, He would respond the same way He would if I were to ask Him this. Simply, "I picked your because I wanted to pick you. I created you for this very reason. So that through you, and your actions, I will be glorified among the nations. I picked you because I have given you exactly what you need to do this. Nobody else could do it like you, because I didn't pick them to do it. I picked you."

Wow. To think that the Lord of ALL Creation would use me to reveal Himself to others. Not only is it a great responsibility, but one of the highest honors we could ever receive. The task is huge, and the road is long, and while it still boggles my mind.... why me? It's simply because God chose me. That's why.

Am I crazy....

Wed, 4 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

You betcha!

I mean who in their right mind would drop everything they've got going in their life and spend an entire year living on the complete opposite end of the spectrum? I won't lie, I'm very used to being comfortable. Nice house, nice family, nice church, nice stuff. So why would I abandon it all to go off and do something crazy like this? Well... there are many answers to that question. I think it all boils down to God just getting me to the point where He needed me to be, which is a place of discomfort with being comfortable, if that makes any sense. People ask me why I would willing leave behind all of this and live out of a backpack and a tent for an entire year...
I've started to get frustrated with the way we do things around here and how we take so much for granted. I want to be able to show the world that there are things going on this very moment that are actually important. There are people who, instead of complaining that the burger we ordered isn't cooked the way we asked for it and we want a new one, have to actually worry about where they are going to find their food for the day. Instead of going out and paying $10 for a meal, they have to work all day to get even a fraction of that in hopes they can afford to buy food for their whole family.

I don't know, I don't want to come across as sounding as if I'm trying to condem people for doing these things, but it just really bothers me that so often these kind of things are at the forefront of our minds and not the people who are in need. I think God has really opened my eyes up to this, and put me in a position to where I am able to show the rest of the world this.

I'm quite thankful that the Lord has kept poking me until I got to the point where I am no longer comfortable with being comfortable.
I'm looking forward to being in places where important things are actually important things.
Am I crazy? Probably. If it's "normal" to worry more about paying $10 to go see a movie than to put our money to better use, then sure, I'm crazy...

Howdy

Sun, 1 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Hey everybody! Go watch our promo video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjWD1_9FuEw