Walk on Water

So my last blog was a short summary of what we have done while here in Africa. Yesterday we arrived in Kenya and headed up to Nanyuki. After blogging we are headed out to the bush to minister to a Maasai village. While there we will do some evangelism and play with orphans. I'm expecting God to do some amazing things with our team and through me.

      This past week my team went out into the village by Torroro, Uganda. I really liked it there because of the simplicity of life. As I talked with Pastor Francis he told me that they worry about each day as it comes. They don't have "jobs." But they don't need any because they grow everything they need to survive. My favorite part of the week was getting build relationships with the people there. The ministry didn't go so smoothly because everyone was out in the field working. But at the end of the day children from every where would show up ready to play futbol! These kids loved playing with the soccerball. It was so awesome to play with these kids and just pour some love onto them. One of my favorite days was sitting around the lunch table with the team and the church leadership and just having great fun conversations.

      God called me to Africa to show these people His wonderful, over-abundant love. And at times it is difficult and tiring but through God it is completely worth it! I have struggled with what God wanted me to do while in Africa and whether or not this was right for me. But I remembered that my goal for this trip is to lean on God more and to get out of the boat and walk by faith on water knowing that if/when I fall and sink Jesus Christ is there reaching out to save me. I want that faith to walk forward towards God no matter what I face whether giants, waves, or mountains. In the end it will be greater to say I made it through this trip only because God brought me through it day by day instead of saying this trip was awesome everything went perfectly and exactly the way I wanted it to go. I will walk in faith; will you?

I am in AFRICA!!!!

Hey everyone! I am in Africa and having a great time! God has been showing me so much of his power and magnitude and beauty in everything here from the Nile river, to the tops of mountains, to the children running around in teh streets! it has been a jam packed week so far we've rafted the Nile, been in an Ugandan wedding, prayed at a hospital, went to church, taught at a primary school, and evangelized door to door. Earlier today we climbed a nearby mountain. God is continuing to speak to me through the places and people i have seen and met. This is just to let you know what we've done and how i am doing continue to keep me in your prayers and ask God to speak to me! This is just the beginning of the summer so let God work in you! He is a beautiful and powerful God. Please respond with prayers and encouraging words! Thanks and God bless. Til next time.
-Josh

Nothing is Impossible

     Wow it has been a while! Sorry about that there have been plenty of times for me to write I just haven’t wanted to...but I need to. So my trip to Africa is in about 16 days and I am almost 100% paid for and have almost all of my supplies ready to go! Can the Lord get an amen! Go ahead shout it out loud He deserves it. So the one thing that I can never get enough of for this trip is.....prayer. 
     Lately I have been putting myself first and God along with this trip second. I’ve worried about school, life and future more than the one who has given me school, life, and still holds my future in his hands. And I have been wondering why I’ve been stressing and why it seems like things aren’t getting done. It’s because I haven’t put God first. I am trying to do so. 
     As of the past few days by spending more time in His word and I’ve also been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I know it’s been out for a while but I kept putting it off...So I finally have gotten into it and yesterday I was reading it and the words just began speaking to me. I don’t if it was God getting me to pay attention more or pointing things out to me but He was telling me to love. To love like He does. 
     I got to thinking and that is really hard! I mean to love like God does means I have to be ready and willing to sacrifice for even the least of people whether or not they love me in return. I’m sorry but I can’t do that. Why would I stick my neck out for someone who I probably will never meet in person? Because He did so for me. “He replied, 'What is impossible for people is possible with God.’”(Luke 18:27). With God nothing is impossible and I believe that. Nothing can stand in the way of God and when we as believers come together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ nothing is impossible. 
     So I ask you now as you read this to lift me up in prayer to God and ask Him to bless me for this trip in a few specific areas. 
     First ask Him to give me eyes to see what He sees. May I see the hearts of the people and the brokenness. Pray that He gives me hands to do what needs to be done. Feet to go where He wants me to go. And a heart that goes out to the lost souls I will come into contact with. 
     Second ask him to give me strength to resist the Devil in all temptations and be able to fight him. For endurance during the multiple attacks. The wisdom and knowledge to know when to flee and when to fight and the scripture to use against Satan. The boldness and courage to stand when no one else will. And for God to guard my heart with a hedge of protection that no demon can penetrate.
     Next ask God to protect not only me but also my group physically so that we don’t get sick or hurt during this trip. So that we can bring glory and honor to the Lord’s name and be able to come back and encourage and tell others of the great things He did on this trip.
     And Finally ask God to go before us and prepare the way and bring people to us. Ask Him to have them flock to us in uncountable numbers. May the things we do be far greater than any of us can imagine. 
     I thank you for reading this and lifting myself and my group in prayer. I ask that you do this continually and believe faithfully that God will answer these prayers beyond anything you could ever envision. May He be lifted higher in this moment and may you praise Him for the wondrous things He has done!


-Josh

For My Africa Trip!

Ok so I've been posting for a few months and not necessarily on a regular basis but I now have my team blog or at least a team blog for my Africa trip! So I will be posting everything on here as well so here is the first one and it is a short bio about ourselves. Hope you enjoy!...

     Hey everyone! I am Joshua Hudgens but you can call me Josh. I live in Marshall, Texas where I go to school at East Texas Baptist University (ETBU). I was born in Mesquite, Texas and lived there since then, well sort of ha. I have two of the greatest parents who have loved me and set a wonderful example for what it means to have a God-centered relationship. My brother, Chris, is 18 and goes to school here with me. He lives more for God everyday. I look up to him a lot whether he knows it or not. 

     So I am a Speech Communications major with a Religion minor. I like to talk and want to be a speaker at youth events and summer camps. I'm not exactly sure how I will get to that but I have a passion for youth and children. While here at ETBU I work in the Speech Comm. department running errands (if there are any) it doesn't pay very much but it's something.

     I have been going to a church in town for the past few months and have been hanging out and working with the youth group there on Wednesday nights. I help lead a small group there and just recently started mentoring a kid, but I'm not all sure what to do there because I've never done that before. So obviously I love God, family, friends, school (well learning), running, swimming!, sand volleyball, soccer (all-time favorite sport to play), football, reading (on occasion), riding my bike, and working out. I love to be adventurous. We climb building here in Marshall. My friends and I recently found an abandoned rock quarry that we go swimming in when it’s warm. I love to go camping so I can't wait to be sleeping on the ground in a tent this summer!!! haha Probably my biggest fear is needles, mostly IV's I've been known to pass out : / but other than that I try not to show fear I like to do crazy things and have fun at the same time, but I do think before I leap. 

     I've been on mission trips before but they were in the U.S. and only for a week. Once to Seattle, Washington; Austin, Texas; Houston, Texas; and twice down by the Texas/Mexico border. I've done VBS, construction, starting gardens, walking the streets. I've done most of these things as an intern for my church back home. In all of this I've never brought anyone to Christ though. Not that I can save people or anything but I still live my life in a way that I don't need to preach or use words to share the Gospel. 

     God has put Africa on my heart for several years now so I can't wait for us to get there! I want to show these people and especially the kids love, more specifically God's unconditional love. I don't feel that I am there to save these people but just love them and set an example. I will leave the saving to God. I am nervous I've never been anywhere for a solid two months without seeing my close friends or family. That will be hard but I know I will have you guys and God to encourage so it's not too big of a deal. I just don't want to go through the trip and get done and wish that I had done something, or spoke to someone. I want all my fear to leave me so God can use me. I want to grow so much closer to him and just learn that he is more than enough for me.

     Well that's is just a preview of what is to come this summer from me. Hope you're as stoked as I am. God is going to do amazing things. I pray he prepares and breaks the hearts and minds of us and everyone we come into contact with from here on out for him and his glory! Always be joyful and pray continually! 

-Josh 

I Just Want To Sit At Your Feet.

I've felt like this before. It's sad to say that even though I know God delivered me from this before I am still worried, confused, and stressed. I feel alone. It seems as though I can't go to any of my friends or roommates for anything because they will tell their girlfriends or their girlfriends will tell other people. If God created us to be in community, where is it?
There are three friends of mine that I feel I could go to, but two of them are two plus hours away. The only way to communicate is to text or call them and I need more than that. (I don't blame ya'll for that it's just hard sometimes.) The other is here at school with me, but I don't want to go to her. I mean I want to but I can't not right now. I know she cares about me but I don't feel that right now. So I'm away from everyone who truly cares about me.
I know God is there and that I can trust him and his will for my life is good; better than anything I could think of. So I feel alone, here at school surrounded by all of my "friends." And in a few months I will be backpacking through Africa 8,000 plus miles away with people I've never met reaching people groups I've never heard of or seen. Besides God putting everything together I am alone! Physically I will more alone than I am right now. I can't even begin to think how I will feel mentally.
So far I have had very little support from friends and family for this trip. I have received a lot of "good lucks" and "I'd like to helps" but I can only answer those with "thanks" and "here's how..." Other than that I haven't got a lot of spiritual or financial help. God said he will provide for this trip through friends and family. So far I've had just over ten people give donations of $25+. I have less than $800 paid and my trip costs $5300. I need support. I need help. Prayers are so important for this mission. So if you could first pray and ask God what you should do for this trip specifically. Second act on what he instructs. Please show love to me by sending me to Africa. God called and ask "whom shall I send?" I answered "Send me. I'll go."
I am selling wristbands for $5 and they say "Send Me! I'll Go!" because that is what God wants of us. No hesitation. No looking right or left just following and trusting him.
I hope in writing this I don't sound too depressed. I know that this time in my life however bad it might seem will bring me closer to God. That's what I need and that's what I want. Listen to "The More I Seek You" and pray that that is true for you. In God we have peace. I just want everyone to know what I am going through and what I am preparing for. Less than 130 days from now I will on a plane to Africa. Pray for me. If you could pray specifically for my physical, mental, and spiritual abilities to be at where God needs them most. That God goes before me and prepares my path and opens the hearts and minds of the people I come into contact with. Also lift up my group that I will be backpacking with. And pray that this entire trip and your's and my lives glorify the LORD.
"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
-Josh

Peace and Happiness???

Thanksgiving just happened yesterday. It was nice getting to relax but it didn’t feel like Thanksgiving and I’m afraid Christmas might not feel like Christmas. I think we’ve lost the meaning of it all. Thanksgiving isn’t a time to be thankful for what we have or a time to be with family anymore. It has become a time to complain about a football team; a time to tear down each other; a time to worry if everyone will like the turkey; a time to stress; and a time to ask what you want for Christmas. This past week I was watching a commercial and it was a countdown for a countdown??? Seriously and before Thanksgiving was over people were already starting to get ready for Christmas. We can’t even have one day of thanks?!?!  My family is limiting the presents that are passed out this year and at first I wasn’t too happy about it but the more I think about it the more I realize that I am already blessed with so much that I truly have forgotten what Christmas is about. We live from moment to moment seeking whatever is most fulfilling for us. “Whatever makes me happy.” I don’t want to live or think that ever again. “We need to live in the moment” as one of my English teachers would always say. This time of the year was not started to cause stress and headaches but peace and happiness. We’ve lost that somewhere along the way. Be thankful for the many blessing you have and know that this is the season of giving because God gave to us first.
-Josh

God is the Joy

So where to begin? I'm going through some confusing situations. I feel as though I'm running on a tred mill. You know you run and run and run but you haven't gone anywhere. You're still right there. So things happened that kinda opened up my eyes and heart. No I'd say they blew it open! Feelings I thought were gone came up not exactly the same but I know it's not just a coincedence or maybe it is or maybe it's God saying this is what I want for you. The thing is I see the end result but what I don't see is how I'm going to get there. Which is kind of scary since "there" is so far ahead. At least I think it is. But this probably isn't making any sense because I'm not being specific but I can't not here. Not now. When I talk to my roommates about it I get the same advice; just be patient and pray about it. Well I am and have been praying about it. I've never been good at patience though. I'm more of a "let's jump in the middle of it and go from there" not a "sit on the sidelines" kind of guy. I want to be the knight and rescue my beauty from the turmoil. I want to rush in and save the burning building. I don't want to sit and watch it burn. I don't want to sit and watch her die. But yet I listen to them and feel that that is what God wants for now. If I would continue to listen it will work out. I have grown this year mostly in the past few months. Not physically, at least I don't think so, but spiritually. I feel that I am closer to God. This gets me excited because of everything that is happening. Right now I am learning to find joy in the LORD even when everything around me is sad and ways me down. Even in the worst situation here on Earth I am still one of God's sons and loved by him with a love that is unfathomable.
Real quick on the Africa Expedition. I should be getting the wrist-bands tomorrow which means my parents will bring them Friday or Saturday. Then I can start selling them. I need money! This trip is expensive and I don't have any yet. Please support this, it is for the kingdom of God. Also, I still need prayer, never cease praying whether for me or others, never cease. It's neat to try and go a whole day with out saying amen. Try walking around campus and when you see a random person pray for them and then the next and next. Whether it brings you joy or not and I guarantee it will. You will have impacted lives for Christ. We are here to show the love of Christ! So let's do that! Let the joy inside of you overflow! Thank you for your time. I leave you with these two quotes. 
"if there is no sacrifice, if there is no hurt, it probably isn't love" - Michael Morgan Donehey
"God grant me your wisdom, give me your loving endurance, strengthen me to live out your will, and create in me a joy that overflows to all around me." - Me (ask God for this and he will rock your world!)
-Josh