Wow, where has the time gone??? We're half way through our lecture phase in DTS! I'm leaving for Brazil in about a month and a half. Time has flown by so quickly, yet there's still a lot to do before August. We have six weeks of class, and then seven weeks of outreach. It ain't over yet!

We were in Albuquerque, New Mexico all of last week doing prison and youth detention ministry. For four nights in a row, we went to women's and men's pods as well as schools who teach youth who have fallen away. We performed a variety of dramas that portray Jesus' love for His people. It was amazing to see how these dramas affected the people. Some of the dramas portray how Jesus meets us in our need and even in the mist of our sins. Just to give you guys a picture of what our dramas are like, they are all done over music. No one speaks in these dramas. We act out certain scenes during specific points of the music. For example, in one of the dramas we have someone doing drugs while a Satan figure is nailing him to the ground, symbolizing how drugs and alcohol can bond us to sin. At the end, Jesus comes and frees him from the bonds. Unfortunately we weren't able to record or take pictures while in the prisons, otherwise I would show you one instead of trying to explain it!

It was an overwhelming experience to say the least. New Mexico isn't exactly the prettiest place in the world, but Albuquerque is definitely a city in need. After performing our dramas we were able to talk and pray with the people in the prisons. It was awesome to plant seeds of hope into their broken hearts, and to simple share God's love with them. The very first person I talked to on Monday night was a woman who was in tears after watching out dramas. She felt ashamed about what she had done in the past, and felt she couldn't figure herself. At one point in the conversation I looked her straight in the eye, and told her that she had never disappointed God. We prayed together and she made a recommitment to Christ. Thursday evening I met a young girl who was in the youth detention center for drugs. She is an extremely bright girl with such a wonderful future ahead of her. We also prayed together, and she made a commitment to Christ.

There are at least a hundred stories very similar to mine from just this past week. At least 30 people made a commitment to the Lord, and we're not sure how many made a recommitment to Christ. There are probably dozens more who have received hope in some shape or form, whether it's from the dramas or through prayer. They seemed to appreciate the simple gestures of kindness like talking and listening to them, and not judging them for what they have done. It was truly a humbling experience, because they are just as broken as anyone outside of prison. "But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe."(Galatians 3:22) It's so true. The only difference between us and them is that they wear orange and we don't. We need Jesus just as much as they do. Matter of fact, there really shouldn't be an "us and them" mentality. We are all the same in Jesus Christ.

So here are some prayer requests:

• Continue to pray for the sick, because now I'm sick! I caught a minor cold while in New Mexico. I'm bombarding my immune system with orange juice, water, and rest, and I'm feeling better. But all 20+ girls in the DTS class shared a room for the entire week, and this is passing around pretty quickly. Please pray for rapid healing, and that no one would become poorly ill.
• We are still raising funds for outreach. For myself, I still lack funds that are due this Thursday (I have a payment of $638 due this week). Despite the situation I am confident that the Lord will provide according to His time, because He has definitely provided for me before! Please prayerfully consider supporting either my outreach to Brazil or anyone else in my DTS class that's going to Brazil, Thailand, or Mexico. If you have any questions, please email me at dddelon44@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog entry.
• On a similar note, please pray for outreach preparation as well. We received a taste of what outreach will be like in New Mexico, and now we will completely focus on our overseas outreaches. Pray that God will provide unity within our outreach teams, and that He will pave the way for us when we arrive in our respective countries.

Again, I can't thank you guys enough for all of your prayers and support. It's been an amazing experience and it's not even over yet! As we say in DTS, we have an awesome possum God. I think about everyone at Clear River and in VA/NC often, and I pray that everyone is doing well!