I'm the cat.

This is Aaron and Bucket. Bucket is one of the last of our wild cats at the church. Bucket has lived most of his life outside hunting for his own food and living by pure instinct. He's always fearful and on edge. His life is pure survival. Aaron has been working with Bucket, being very careful, keeping his distance and slowly, over time, getting the cat to trust him enough to eat out of his hand.

When I snapped this picture I was thinking about being on South 9th Street. We go there on Friday mornings bringing food, cold drinks, chairs in the shade and the offer of friendship. The culture there is so paranoid that it takes a long time of being there to develop trust.

But tonight, sitting with my family and some friends from church over a meal I thought of this picture again. I thought about the long faithful pull of God in my life leading me through darkness and fear and continuing to offer grace, provision and patient love. I thought about how God bides his time and doesn't get antsy or worried. How his slowness is from patience not willing for anyone to perish.

I realized that I am the cat. I don't trust God. I am afraid of how life moves. I take what I can get while I can get it because I am afraid it won't be there tomorrow. I live in a kind of soul-survival mode. I get by. I lay down with one eye alert and waiting for something to go wrong.

But there is God, crouched at a distance with a handful of good food and purity in his intentions. If I only knew that I could rest and trust and receive. If I only knew that there is a life beyond survival, that I could be near him and happy.

He doesn't give up. He waits and knows how much I can handle and probably chuckles a little at my protests at his kindness.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..." 1 John 4:18

At YWAM Modesto, we're all about togetherness...

Well, we moved.

YWAM Modesto is officially in our new office with our friends at Youth For Christ! Thanks YFC!

A different perspective...

There's a friend from Thailand visiting here in Modesto this weekend and she wrote a nice entry at her blog about our 9th St. Cafe. READ IT HERE. Thanks Rachel, this was really encouraging.

9th St. art project

Down on south 9th St. today we found this. Someone has taken it upon themselves to decorate this stretch of fence with hundreds of old cigarette boxes. It must be a collaborative effort that somebody started and the neighborhood is keeping going. I don't know why but this gave me some feeling of hope for South 9th St.

I've written about 9th St. before and this is something I have not seen down there. It's just not a place to participate in a whimsical, colorful thing. I've been surprised before, like when a guy (now a close friend) played bagel toss with us and when I saw a woman run a hug our friend playing Santa around Christmastime. But these are few and far between. My heart lifted today when I saw these boxes. On one hand it's litter, but on the other, it reveals that there is something there still in the heart of the most desperate people that wants to play, laugh and appreciate.

I guess it's another lesson in hanging out long enough and looking through the right lens.

John and Rhi in Thailand

Hi, this is Rhiannon and John in Thailand. We’ve been here in Mae Sot for over a week now and have been having a great time and making good friends. Here’s a taste of what’s been the haps!

Our first day in Mae Sot, we went to Compasio's safe house where former street kids are living a healthy life. Here are Rhiannon and Nokia coloring.





Here we are at the Compasio's house for a group of children born in prison. The officials and mothers approached our friends to take these kids in. We brought some string and beads and hit the ground running making necklaces and bracelets. The children on our laps (plus 2 others) were born and raised in prison while their mothers serve their sentences. Compasio has the task of teaching these kids how to be kids, ie, how to play. They are also working to stay in relationship with the moms so that when they get out, they will be able to reestablish their families.



These boys are from a group of give or take 15 “street” kids (depending on the day). Compasio has been graced with a little room near the market for a drop-in center. They supply the kids with a warm lunch and a chance to play and be children for a couple of hours every weekday. This is where we have spent most of our time thus far. You can see “Jungle John” (as opposed to Gym) doing his daily routine. Rhiannon is currently working on an indoor mural that takes up an entire wall of the drop-in center. Pictures will be posted as soon as they can be!



Our last day in Chiang Mai we met Fran and Owen, a couple of Australians who used to live in Thailand and are here visiting old friends and seeing how they can get reconnected in serving here. We spent pretty much all of our first 4 days in Mae Sot with them. Here we are at a vista, looking over the border at some Burmese mountains (there’s a village that you can just barely see the outskirts of to the right of John). We were standing on an old guardrail right before this picture was taken. Rhiannon and our friends are standing on a falling guardrail in the picture.



Our Australian friends introduced us down the line until we came here, a YWAM base on the border near Burma that works specifically with the Karen people: teaching them first aid and basic health, as well as teaching a strictly Karen-village person’s Discipleship Training School. This is a picture as you enter the grounds of their base.

Thank you for all of your prayers, and keep it up, we need it! Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible (and not only from us, but from our new friends, too!). We love you all and we’ll see you soon!

May the peace of Christ be with you. John&Rhi

Why Jimmy's gonna climb a mountain.

Hey folks, the Sustar family is planning an extended ministry trip to work with our friends in Thailand. The following entry is taken from their FAMILY PAGE on our website...



This is Jim preparing to help a 2 yr. old after he uses the side of the road as a bathroom. This is what we did in Mae Sot, Thailand last May. We found the kids on the street, fed them, taught them, and acted as their guardians. We often found them wandering the streets as late as midnight because they had not found a place to hide for the night. There are thousands of children left vulnerable to disease, kidnapping, exploitation, prostitution and severe abuse. Our friend Sia is working hard to help these kids, but there is a need for more help. Moved by compassion & led by God, we feel that He is calling us as a family to be in Thailand as much as possible to serve Him and rescue these little ones. Since our trip in May 2008, God has provided a home for these street children to live in a home. There are many more to be rescued.

We as a family are making a long trip to Thailand with our entire family this January. The specific training, experience, and heart we have is a perfect fit for the work we’ve been invited to take part in. We will be working with, and serving Compasio, (www.compasio.org) for about five months. We’ll be back in Modesto by May 2010.

We’ve developed a very unique relationship with Compasio and we’re excited to see what God will do through us and in us.

Please pray with us as we venture into the unknown. In the meantime, we work to love, teach, and befriend the broken and lost on the streets of Modesto, California, and everywhere we go. We need you all to keep praying for us. Thank you and Amen.

And it's why Jimmy's going to climb a mountain... This one in fact and you can help!



Jim will be climbing Mt. Whitney as a fund raiser. The elevation of Mt. Whitney is 14,505 ft. above sea level making it the tallest peak in the lower 48. The trail-head starts at around 8,000 ft. Total feet climbed would be around 6,500. We’re asking for pledges for each foot climbed. The goal is to collectively raise $1.00 per foot, and we are scheduled to climb the first week of September. Please let us know what you are able to do. Pledges can be recorded by e-mailing: robotsinthesky@yahoo.com, & would need to be collected by Oct. 1st.

You can give to this venture through our website donation page...CLICK HERE!

Checks can be written to:
New Hope Church,
& sent to:
Jim and Kelly Sustar
5217 Cottage Ln.
Salida, CA 95368

Remember, our name must not appear on the check but attach a note designating your gift for the Sustar's work in Thailand.

Thank you for your support. God bless you!

Kelly in Thailand!

Kelly and a friend, Laura traveled to Thailand in May of this year. This is Kelly's account re-posted from our website...you can find the original post HERE.



In one word- BEAUTIFUL!

The people, the land, the sticky rice with mango... I loved it! We spent a lot of time with the kids who live & beg on the street. We played games, gave them food & water, gave medical attention, awkwardly tried speaking Thai or Burmese with them (which was fun!) & just spent time with them. Sweet, sweet kids with not much of a chance in life. But our friends from Compasio are there everyday, bringing HOPE! (Please learn more at www.compasio.org) The goal is to someday soon have a drop-in center where the kids can come anytime.

The rest of our time was spent with the kids in the safehouse (kids formerly begging on the street or living in an abusive situation or both). It was so cool to see them in this safe, loving environment after hearing Jim’s experiences with some of these same kids while they were living & sleeping on the streets.

A quick story... we went to Burmese church with the kids & while we were singing, I looked over at one of the girls (14, beautiful, rescued from an abusive situation) and she had her hands raised to God in worship & was singing her heart out! Overwhelmed with gratitude & love, I started to cry at the beauty of it, when one of the other girls (9, cute & funny, rescued from a desperate situation) grabbed my face & started wiping away my tears, saying “No cry P’ Kelly!” Then the other girls joined in wiping my face & hugging me. I was a complete wreck at that point, but I was honored to be there with them, showered by their sweet, simple love.

I LOVED being at the safehouse, it is truly a family & not just a “program”. I was (and still am) inspired by the men & women loving & serving God there. I look forward to going back & seeing all of their beautiful faces again!!!

-Kelly Sustar

Justin Fox live!

Youth With A Mission Modesto and New Hope Church present a day with recording artist Justin Fox!

Sunday, August 16 at 7pm, come out to hear Justin in concert in the Brunswick Hall at New Hope (corner of Dale and Pelendale behind the new bank). The concert is free and an offering will be taken to help cover Justin's expenses. Please bring your friends to an evening of great music! If you haven't heard Justin Fox's music before...go to his website here...justinfox.com

And ,as a special bonus...

Would you like to learn more about the song writing process? Justin will be offering a song writers workshop on that same Sunday afternoon (August 16) from 1 – 5pm (suggested donation $30). Bring your guitar, paper, pen and a willingness to try something new.

If you are interested in the workshop and would like to register or have more questions, please call Chris at 209-404-4027 for details.

Remember, two great events in one day...

Song writers workshop with Justin Fox, Sunday, August 16 from 1 -5 pm ($30 suggested donation)

and

Justin Fox in concert, Sunday night, August 16 at 7pm (free with offering)

at

New Hope Church (4220 Dale Rd. Modesto, CA) in the Brunswick Hall

GLONK HERE for a map

Tsartlip village

It's hard to know how to begin this post. I don't feel like I have to be careful, I want to be. It's how I felt all last week in the Tsartlip village near Victoria on Vancouver Island off the West coast of British Columbia in Canada. The Tsartlip village is a reservation for indigenous people. In Canada, they say "First Nations" people or "aboriginal". The people in the village say "Indian" and "reserve" or simply "the rez".

We were there with a team assisting a YWAM couple that do community service and youth development there. Mua is Samoan. His wife Marie grew up in Tsartlip. We helped them run a day camp for the kids of the community. Nothing fancy, just hanging out with kids and having positive interactions.

We were welcome. The people's natural disposition is not overly warm but they are welcoming if a little held back at first. They did want to know who we were, why we were there and who these strangers were taking pictures of their kids. It's the way I would feel if complete strangers showed up to run a program for my children. I would check them out.

The wounding of indigenous culture by larger, invasive cultures is something I don't completely understand. But I know it's important to learn about here and all over the world. It's part of why I went...to learn, listen and carefully seek out. It was a great time for our family and the team we were with.

Before I got there, I felt a bit intimidated going into an unknown...worried I would misstep or say something stupid. And then I remembered a meeting I was a part of in Fresno. A couple of friends and I went down to talk to some ministry leaders down there. We were talking to Brian King about his work with the gangs. One of the guys with us asked if we would ever have credibility with the guys in gangs as many of us came from middle-class families. Brian looked at us, smiled and said "man, people are people." Everyone responds to genuine attempts at friendship and understanding even if the attemps are a bit clumsy.

So that's what we did in Tsartlip. We flowed with the slow, methodical culture, asked questions, listened and played with the kids. We attended and volunteered at the Pow Wow weekend. We ate fried bread (mmm). We danced. Kids are kids. People are people.

Here's a slide show from our time there (facebook readers will have to click "read original post up there at the top)...or you can view it by GLONKING HERE.