Learning How to Cope

Since I set out on my own 8 years ago, I can't recall any year which has begun with so many personal challenges as 2012.  Learning how to cope with everything I've been going through and still maintain my faith and trust in God through it all has been difficult, especially since I have very few close friends I feel I can talk through things with.  So what I find myself doing quite often is writing - writing my prayers, thoughts, feelings, and so forth is a very effective way for me to see how I'm feeling about everything I'm going through.  It may only make sense to me, but the following is a poem I jotted down a few weeks ago which is along those lines.  If you happen to be interested or curious to learn more, feel free to contact me in any way, as I wouldn't mind having some one to talk to.  And until next time - thank you for reading, don't drink and drive, don't text and drive, and God bless America, it's a beautiful country.

Dialed up his homie once on the telephone,

Gotta talk to somebody who can tell him what the hell is wrong.

Brain freezin’ up, he don’t know what to do,

But the people that know him know that it ain’t nothin’ new.

Catch 6 rings, then the answering machine,

Hung up on the beep, stared up towards the ceiling.

Stood up to remember that he slept fully dressed,

So he grabbed his keys and put a hat on his rat’s nest.

Stepped up to that big outside,

Somebody once said today’s a good day to die.

But he never really was a big fan of their work,

So he starts out his walk by kicking sand in the dirt.

A friend to the stranger, a stranger to friends,

He’d like a coffee and a sausage McMuffin when you have a minute.

Handle it.  Paid up.  The change you keep it,

Always been a sucker for the morning smile and summer cleavage.

And if you knew him better, he’d ask for some time,

Because he’s looking for a reservoir to empty his mind.

And there’s only so much he can write before it’s too long,

Gotta talk to somebody who can tell him what the hell is wrong.

And this house has gotta lotta walls,

But only very few mean anything to you.

Through the sights of blacktop, pavement, and the street,

Sees that life is priceless and talk is cheap.

And as he sits in his 4-cornered room,

Listening to tunes, and books he consumes.

Carefully learning and analyzing what he can use,

Finally realizing that humility is a bruise.

Scared love don’t make none,

If these walls could speak, they would peep about the fake ones.

Watching this man trying to build up a plan,

Underachieving just so he can understand.

And as he sits, he starts to contemplate,

Ain’t been high in a long time, maybe he should reintegrate.

Nah, if he still had that glass pipe, he would smash it and use it to slash his wrists,

But someone already beat him to it.

He would finger-paint a picture with his blood,

A self-portrait, dramatic and morbid.

Taps his foot to the rhythym of original sin,

Throws his balls to the wind, trying to knock down these pins.

Keeps on swingin’ from the hair growin out his chin,

Tryin to find his soul in the 50-cent bin.

But he’s still surrounded by the fire and the water,

Still got a restraining order against Satan’s daughter,

Still answering the questions you’re afraid to ask,

Still believing that God’s gonna save his ass.

Where in the World Have you Been?

OK, so it would appear that I broke the cardinal rule of blogging - I have not posted anything in almost 8 weeks.  Allow me to be the first to apologize for leaving you hanging for nearly 2 months, my friend.

And, to answer your question - no, I was not abducted by aliens, nor kidnapped by villanous pirates, nor anything else exciting.  Where I have been is actually very un-exciting.  As you may already know from reading previous blog entries, 2012 has been a difficult year for me thus far.  Through the loss of a loved one, various stresses and setbacks, and just the stress of life in general, I've needed a little of time to get my head clear.  Much of my attention has been focused upon preparing to go overseas, which will be the subject of this post.

This summer I have an amazing opportunity of going to the Solomon Islands with Discovery, a short-term missions program of Wycliffe Bible Translators.  Discovery will give me an opportunity to learn more about another culture, to see first-hand what’s involved in cross-cultural ministry, to learn about Bible translation and it’s support roles, to observe the use of media in overseas ministry, to see where I might fit in, and to figure out whether what’s been placed on my heart is something I could do long term.

This trip is scheduled for June 17 – July 31, during the Festival of Pacific Arts (FOPA).  Once in the Solomon Islands, I’ll spend my initial time in orientation, cross-cultural training, and some language learning.

The team will have a twofold focus.  Half of the members will be focusing on language work, and the other half will be focused on the use of ethno arts in worship.  My specific focus will be on using the “art” of radio broadcasting to spread and promote God’s Word.  We will be partnered with a radio station in the Solomon Islands, and I will be helping to record and produce interviews with locals, promotions of the FOPA, brief devotionals/testimonials, short Bible studies, and Scripture readings.  All of these will be done either in English or Solomon Islands Pijin, which is the lingua franca.  The team will also record and produce a DVD of the festival.  The final week, we’ll be traveling to Fiji where we’ll meet again as a team for debriefing and then travel home.

Before this trip can take place, I need to trust God to provide a team of financial partners who will stand with me.  The cost of the trip is $4675, which includes my room, board and international travel. I am expected to have half of the money by April 30 and the balance by June 3.  I will list the information for contributions below.

However, even though finances are very important, what I’ll need most are prayer partners.  One of my goals for this trip is to raise 26 prayer partners - one for each of the countries we'll be working with during the FOPA - to pray for a specific country.  If you would like to join my prayer support team, please contact me.

But also, I would like to ask for you to pray for me right now, before you even finish this letter. Please pray for God’s provision, for a safe trip, for my health, for me to go with a servant’s heart and have humility while in another culture, for the rest of the team, for the work we are planning to have an impact on the people of the Pacific, for peace of mind, and for discernment about whether this is something I’m being led to long term.

Thank you for praying for me. If you’d like more details about the trip, or if you would like to know more about how you can be involved with me in this opportunity, either through prayer or finances, please let me know.  And thanks in advance for the time and consideration that you’ve given to this request.

Sincerely His/yours,

Colin Schultz

Information for contributions:

If a donor wants to give by Mail, send donations to:

Wycliffe Bible Translators

Finance Coordinator

P.O. Box 628200

Orlando, FL 32862

Donor should include a note with their Name, Address and Phone number.  The note should also include my name, the phrase ‘Discovery – Solomon Islands’ and the Discovery account number of 990561.

Here is an example:

Donor Name: John Doe

Address: 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL 12345

Phone: 123-456-7890

Donation for:  

Colin Schultz

Discovery - Solomon Islands     

Account Number: 990561

If a donor wants to give on-line, they must go to: www.wycliffe.org/supportteam

They should fill out the form like this:

            First Name:  Discovery

            Last name: Schultz

            Location: Discovery

            Account #: 990561

            Special Instructions: Colin Schultz + Discovery

All contributions by supporters are tax deductible.