Son Safaris, Inc. is one year old! On Wednesday, September 23, 2009, Son Safaris was incorporated as a non-profit charitable corporation in by the State of Georgia. What a blessed, wonderful year this first year has been! As if to say happy birthday, the IRS granted Son Safaris, Inc. 501(c)3 tax exempt status retroactive to it’s incorporation. What a fine birthday present for a one year non-profit mission!
Thirteen months ago I stepped out on faith with no idea what the next year would bring. God rewarded my trust in Christ by bringing my dream of Son Safaris as a full time ministry come true. I have been blessed with so many opportunities this year. I will never forget the endless support I received from friends and family without which Son Safaris would not have survived to celebrate its first birthday.
My calendar is rapidly filling up as Son Safaris begins its second year. By all indications I am going to be busy, busy, busy! But I assure I will not be too busy to dream God-sized dreams! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for Son Safaris second year!
Check out my calender for upcoming events!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Lord has Opened the Floodgates!
I’ve been so busy I hardly have time to think! My calendar for October is already booked solid with Son Safaris presentations at churches, retreats, and various other events. The first weekend of October, I will be heading up to Pennsylvania to speak at the state wide Campus Ministry retreat hosted by the Christian Student Fellowship at Penn State.
My typical day starts at 8:30am when I go to my “office” at Starbucks to take care of any Son Safaris related business until about 1pm. I take care of my boys while Julie is at work from 1 until 4. On a good day, both Keaton and Brody go down for a nap at the same time which gives me an hour or so to write letters and work on presentations. During the evenings, I go to work, bringing Son Safaris message to both groups and individuals.
The Lord has opened the floodgates of blessings! The future for Son Safaris looks even busier and more fruitful. Six years ago when I did my first Son Safaris presentation, I never imagined that Son Safaris would grow into the ministry it is today. I am grateful for the word-of-mouth advertising spread by the great network of people God has raised up. I’m fortunate that almost everyone I’ve met has been supportive and that most Son Safaris presentations have resulted in invitations to return again and again. I can only hope that as the Lord keeps opening up doors for me that I will keep stepping through them and sharing my mission with more and more wonderful people.
My typical day starts at 8:30am when I go to my “office” at Starbucks to take care of any Son Safaris related business until about 1pm. I take care of my boys while Julie is at work from 1 until 4. On a good day, both Keaton and Brody go down for a nap at the same time which gives me an hour or so to write letters and work on presentations. During the evenings, I go to work, bringing Son Safaris message to both groups and individuals.
The Lord has opened the floodgates of blessings! The future for Son Safaris looks even busier and more fruitful. Six years ago when I did my first Son Safaris presentation, I never imagined that Son Safaris would grow into the ministry it is today. I am grateful for the word-of-mouth advertising spread by the great network of people God has raised up. I’m fortunate that almost everyone I’ve met has been supportive and that most Son Safaris presentations have resulted in invitations to return again and again. I can only hope that as the Lord keeps opening up doors for me that I will keep stepping through them and sharing my mission with more and more wonderful people.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
A Family of God
North Georgia Christian Camp invited me to speak at their Deeper Life Retreat. This weekend retreat on the campus of the North Georgia Christian Camp was held from Friday September 17th to Sunday September 19th. My family and I had the great pleasure of being there with 150 middle school kids from 11 different churches. The retreat seemed to be all about family especially since my wife Julie and our sons Brody and Keaton were able to join with me for the weekend. Brody had 150 babysitters who played with him non-stop throughout the weekend, and he even learned how to play some football!
I was struck, however, by the family that was created from the combination of the churches. Instead of one church hosting a retreat for members only, 11 different churches brought their kids together. Separate church families blended together into the larger family of God to give their kids this opportunity to experience a Deeper Life together in Christ. Especially because of my own emphasis that family is a ministry in itself, it was a true joy to see the family of God working together as a family towards a common end.
I was struck, however, by the family that was created from the combination of the churches. Instead of one church hosting a retreat for members only, 11 different churches brought their kids together. Separate church families blended together into the larger family of God to give their kids this opportunity to experience a Deeper Life together in Christ. Especially because of my own emphasis that family is a ministry in itself, it was a true joy to see the family of God working together as a family towards a common end.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
An Outpouring of Blessings!
At the end of September, Son Safaris will be celebrating its one year anniversary! The year has brought hard times as well as joys but at this point, the blessings just keep pouring in! My calendar is filling up quickly with events in Georgia and even a few in other states. For full details please go ahead and check out my calendar on the Son Safaris website because there is too much for me to list here! Check out the fan page on Facebook for quick updates as well.
More importantly, this year could not have been so wonderful and productive had I not had people who believed in me. I cannot possibly thank all of you now but you all know who you are. Thank you for making Son Safaris what it is!
More importantly, this year could not have been so wonderful and productive had I not had people who believed in me. I cannot possibly thank all of you now but you all know who you are. Thank you for making Son Safaris what it is!
Monday, August 30, 2010
This is why we exist...
One of the tiers of Son Safaris is for me to be invited as a guest speaker to speak at retreats, conferences, Sunday church services, or any other event.
My goal, after sharing stories of safaris and wild animals in Africa and combining this with God’s Word, is to draw people closer in their relationship with Christ.
The results are sometimes not instantly evident.
ALAS,
Midway Christian Church celebrated their 113th Homecoming & Revival this week. I was invited by John Birchfield to be their guest speaker. I spoke at all 5 events from Sunday to Wednesday. After the session on Tuesday, a lady from within the congregation, whom John had been mentoring for the past 4 years, approached me and thanked me with tears in her eyes. Her words:
“I have truly struggled making a concious decision to follow Christ. Tonight you have made it all make sense”.
Wednesday evening John had the honor of baptizing her and we were honored to hear her repeat these words:
“I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept Him as my personal Lord and Savior.”
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Thank you for your prayers for this ministry, and for me and my family to stay faithful to God’s calling. Your support helps life changes like this become real.
I am who I am, and I do what I do, because HE LIVES!!!
My goal, after sharing stories of safaris and wild animals in Africa and combining this with God’s Word, is to draw people closer in their relationship with Christ.
The results are sometimes not instantly evident.
ALAS,
Midway Christian Church celebrated their 113th Homecoming & Revival this week. I was invited by John Birchfield to be their guest speaker. I spoke at all 5 events from Sunday to Wednesday. After the session on Tuesday, a lady from within the congregation, whom John had been mentoring for the past 4 years, approached me and thanked me with tears in her eyes. Her words:
“I have truly struggled making a concious decision to follow Christ. Tonight you have made it all make sense”.
Wednesday evening John had the honor of baptizing her and we were honored to hear her repeat these words:
“I believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and I accept Him as my personal Lord and Savior.”
-----------------
Thank you for your prayers for this ministry, and for me and my family to stay faithful to God’s calling. Your support helps life changes like this become real.
I am who I am, and I do what I do, because HE LIVES!!!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Son Safaris: On the Outside Looking In
Often times, we take for granted the interconnectedness of all life. We tend to forget that our lives are inextricably linked with those around us, whether they are human, animal, insect, etc. We forget that we are all God’s creatures, and that creatures other than ourselves may have valuable information for us.
On Wednesday night, August 25, 2010, I watched as Fledge Fiamingo was able to bring those messages to life to people who may have never considered them before. Fledge combines a strong faith with extraordinary experiences on safari, as well as the vast knowledge of wildlife needed to survive in the bush. Through the example of lions and hyenas, vicious predators and natural enemies of one another, he interwove a story that held the attention of the entire room. He challenges fellow Christians to take the final leap of committing fully to Christ by realizing that doing everything alone does not accomplish much for the Lord. The most moving part of the evening was when the congregation had the honor of witnessing the baptism of a member. A young woman had struggled for four years with committing herself to Christ but through Fledge’s message, was able to finally give her self over to Him totally.
We are all in this together.
Isabela Rzeznik
On Wednesday night, August 25, 2010, I watched as Fledge Fiamingo was able to bring those messages to life to people who may have never considered them before. Fledge combines a strong faith with extraordinary experiences on safari, as well as the vast knowledge of wildlife needed to survive in the bush. Through the example of lions and hyenas, vicious predators and natural enemies of one another, he interwove a story that held the attention of the entire room. He challenges fellow Christians to take the final leap of committing fully to Christ by realizing that doing everything alone does not accomplish much for the Lord. The most moving part of the evening was when the congregation had the honor of witnessing the baptism of a member. A young woman had struggled for four years with committing herself to Christ but through Fledge’s message, was able to finally give her self over to Him totally.
We are all in this together.
Isabela Rzeznik
Monday, August 23, 2010
I love these guys
I had the great privilege of attending two reunions in the last week, one for the counselors of Woodland Camp, which I was a part of this summer as well as another one for 20 different men who have all served with me at one point or another.
The Woodland Camp reunion Saturday August 21st was great because I was able to see those wonderful people with whom I served over the summer, as well as getting to know their families. It is always great to see that people are progressing in their work for the Lord!
On Thursday August 19th, I met up with 20 people at the Taco Mac in Buford, GA, and the one thing all of them had in common was that they had been a part of my life and ministry over the summer. I regularly meet up with these friends every third Thursday of the month, this being our first meeting after summer vacation. We all come together because we understand that it is not about ourselves, it is about Christ, and realizing as well that there is no reason to serve Christ alone. Strength for the Lord comes in numbers, and having a group of people who believe in that is truly a blessing!
The Woodland Camp reunion Saturday August 21st was great because I was able to see those wonderful people with whom I served over the summer, as well as getting to know their families. It is always great to see that people are progressing in their work for the Lord!
On Thursday August 19th, I met up with 20 people at the Taco Mac in Buford, GA, and the one thing all of them had in common was that they had been a part of my life and ministry over the summer. I regularly meet up with these friends every third Thursday of the month, this being our first meeting after summer vacation. We all come together because we understand that it is not about ourselves, it is about Christ, and realizing as well that there is no reason to serve Christ alone. Strength for the Lord comes in numbers, and having a group of people who believe in that is truly a blessing!
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