Andrew Ferguson
Rejecting Your Reality and Substituting My Own Since 1986
Subscribe to RSS FeedOn a Mission For God in Haiti
I will be sending out letters later this week, but I wanted to provide an update on my plans now!
Dear Friends,
It is with great excitement that I write to you about this next step in life. As you know, I graduated this past May from the Colorado School of Mines with a Bachelors of Science in Engineering. After traveling in Europe for nine weeks, I started my job at Boeing as an entry level Design and Analysis Engineer for Integrated Defense Systems. For a while, I have known that God has blessed me with special talents, especially those involving technology; and over the last several years, I have felt called to use my talents for His glory.
Last spring, I was looking for a summer mission trip that would be able to use to my skills as an engineer. Although I pursued several different avenues, I didn’t find anything that struck a chord with me. Excuses will always be prevalent, especially in today’s society.
This fall, I’ve been attending Convergence, the young adult ministry at UPC. Through an interesting set of short conversations with a variety of people over the last few month, I’ve decided that it’s high time I let my “religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.” (G. K. Chesterton)
I have been given the opportunity to spend ten days serving the Lord in Haiti. I will travel with 11 others as we come along side UPC ministry partners Bruce and Deb Robinson. We will be engaged in a variety of work ranging from irrigation projects to rebuilding structures damaged during hurricane season, and more. I have no doubt that God will be able to use me and my skills for His work.
I am writing to ask if you would be my partner in this service through prayer and/or financial support. I am looking for a group of people to commit to praying for me and my team during this winter’s experience. As for finances, we are asked to raise $1500.
I know that in this economy that is a lot to ask, so any contribution you could make to this trip would be greatly appreciated; and I promise none of it will go to pay off my school loans. Your gift will be fully tax deductible (your cancelled check serves as a receipt), and any contributions I receive above my individual cost will be applied to team expenses as a whole. Please make any checks payable to UPC and send the enclosed response card with your donation by December 31 if possible.
This is a pretty exciting trip and I’m looking forward to seeing what God is up to. If you would like to stay appraised of my goings-on, I will be writing about my process and trip to Haiti on my web site, which you can visit at http://AndrewFerguson.net
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV))
Your Brother in Christ,
Andrew
Download a copy of this letter and fundraising response form: Haiti Letter (PDF: 595KB)
Tags: Bruce Robinson, Convergence, Deb Robinson, Ephesians, G. K. Chesterton, Haiti, irrigation, mission trip, University Presbyterian Church, water
Operation Water Engineering: A Mission Trip to Haiti?
For several months now, shortly after I saw The Advent Conspiracy, I have wanted to be involved in humanitarian/missionary projects to bring clean water to places that don’t have it.
Last semester (Spring 2009), I was part of a group at Merge (Flatirons Community Church) that was looking for opportunities for college-aged people to be more active in mission work. It was at that point that I started developing more passion for using my engineering skills to serve other people, specially with regard to getting access clean water.
A specific idea I had was doing what I’ll call “emerging technology transfer.” The idea is that we would take some form technology and extract the emerging technologies out of it to be put to use in different ways. For example, technology in a Toyota Prius, could be used to design a wind turbine where the blades would be made using the same composite technology[1], which would connect to a generator that is based on the regenerative braking system. The same motor-generator system would also be used to power the water pump. Excess energy would be stored for later use in NiMH batteries ius. And for the cloudy days, the efficient gas-engine could be used. There are other issues, such as: will they be able to maintain this equipment? So I digress.
Convergence, the Young Adult Ministry at University Presbyterian Church, is going on a mission trip to Haiti in January to “come alongside UPC ministry partners Bruce and Deb Robinson as they serve the Haitian people through various community development initiatives, mainly through flood control projects.”[2]
From upcconvergence.files.wordpress.com:We will be doing a variety of work, ranging from irrigation projects, rebuilding structures damaged during hurricane season, and more. We will primarily work on construction projects. If you have specific professional skills, we will inquire to see if they might be useful to the community. In addition, you will get to see how God has been working through the Robinsons during their time in Haiti.
As it turns out, I do have specific skills that could probably be useful. I have a passion for the project, I can get the time off, and I can mostly afford the trip (if I decide to go, I may ask for some fund raising help). I’ve also never been to Haiti before, which would sort of tack on a bonus country to my Travel the World goal.
But there’s still that hint of reservation…is this what I should be doing?
- I actually don’t know if such technology is used on the Prius, just assuming here. [↩]
- http://upcconvergence.wordpress.com/mission-trips/haiti/ [↩]
Tags: Advent Conspiracy, Bruce Robinson, clean water, Convergence, Deb Robinson, emerging technology transfer, Flatirons Community Church, Merge, Prius, Travel the World, University Presbyterian Church
What My Brother Is Doing This Summer
Editors Note: This is a post I asked my brother, Brian, to write. Since neither of us are home for the summer, I figured it might be nice to let everyone know what he’s been up to.
This summer I am working in the tiny mountain town of Salida, Colorado. I am the Summer youth Intern at First Presbyterian Church. Me and Hilary Downs, the associate pastor, are responsible for running the entire youth department, including but not limited to high school, middle school, and elementary school. Our ministry is almost completely relational and event based. We don’t have enough kids who would come to a weekly kids service to do one. So we basically just plan a lot of events and hang out with the kids. We have also had one 10-day high school mission trip and Hilary is gone on the middle school mission trip right now.
In addition to working with youth, I also have been helping out with the regular services. Almost a month ago, I was the “Lay leader” meaning I was the one who had to know when to go up between each thing and say things like “Please stand as we sing the first song of the morning” or “You may now be seated” and “Please pray with me”. Needless to say, I don’t think I will pursue a career being a lay leader.
And then two weeks ago, I got to sing with the worship team, and this week I gave the sermon at all three services. It was a great experience. Now I am focusing on Day Camp for the K-4th graders. This will be next week and A LOT has to get done before hand. One thing that is sometimes frustrating about small towns is that you will call people and leave them messages and some times several messages and you almost NEVER get called back. Apparently, it’s just the way things are here, which is fine but makes planning events a nightmare. If I want people to show up, I have to send a flier or postcard like two weeks in advance and then call to remind them. So all this to say I have come to greatly appreciate the youth groups I have worked with before where you could call up a bunch of kids a few hours before an event and still get a better turn out than I do here.
My favorite part of the job has been just doing stuff with high school boys. There is SOOOO much good mountain biking here and so I have been soaking up every ride. And we will get some of the guys together and play paintball at one of the kids ranch. Or I built a sick a jump and we went down to Fronzer lake and jumped mini bikes and scooters into it. It was Awesome.
Note: if you can’t see the video, you may need to click through to the post.
So thats a little bit about my summer.
Tags: Brian Ferguson, First Presbyterian Church of Salida, Hilary Downs, Salida
L’Abri, The Shelter
Huemoz, Switzerland
10 July 2009
I’ve made the first real deviation in my Europe plans today. I broke off from Charlie and Andi this morning and took a train (three actually) to the tiny village of Aigle (which is pronounced “Eegg-le). I’m now waiting for a bus to take me up the mountain to Huemoz, which is near Villars. It is there that I will find L’Abri. As in all cases, I have expectations of what L’Abri is. As in most cases, I’m sure my expections will need to be refigured.
18.0 mm || 1/200 || f/4.0 || ISO200
I think this break will do me good. I can feel my mind slowly going bonkers. I’ve been exposed to at least 8 languages, Russian, Estonia, Ukrainian, Turkish, Norsk, Greek, Italian, and now French. I’ve also covered countless kilometers, and spent six nights travling and not in a real bed of any sorts…seven if you count the kitchen floor in Rome.
Despite the fact that Rome and Florence were a bit slower than Greece, I need to find some direction. Not only for my trip, but for me. And I’m hoping that L’Abri will help point me in the right direction.
I have no real plans to journal during the trip, which I think is a bit odd since I would suspect most people would use this as a time to journal explicitly.
I’ll see you on the other side.
Tags: Aigle, Andi L, Charlie Wyman, Huemoz, L'Abri, Switzerland, Travel the World
Dear Friends
Dear Friends (and Family) in Colorado,
I’m leaving Colorado tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Leaving Colorado has been one of the most bitter sweet things I think I’ve ever had to do, even more so than at the end high school when I left Seattle for Colorado. The hardest thing for me has been trying to express how I feel. The deep love I have for all of you. The extreme sadness in the fact that I have to go. The giddy delight that I’m returning to Seattle.
I’m sitting in my grandma’s back yard right now, on one of those rocking benches. It’s pitch black out, save the glow from my screen. The wind rustles though the leaves. The wind chime softly sings. It’s one of those perfect moments of reflection, when everything finally comes into focus.
This past year has been amazing. Being a fifth year senior presented a unique set of challenges, and an equally amazing set of opportunities. Most of my friends graduated a year ago, leaving me and just a handful of others left. At the same time, a spark in my faith set me on a journey. I regularly attended church for the first time since leaving Seattle; not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I found an amazing new set of friends through church (both Merge and The Annex). What’s more, this renewed sense of faith found me challenging my beliefs, which is always a good thing, I think. And when I stumbled, you guys were there.
The biweekly Feed[1] was often my cornerstone during the week, grounding me when school, and life, was just to much.
At the beginning of this school year, I very desperately wished for school to just be over. However, I’m glad I wasn’t allowed to sleep through these past nine months, as they have easily been my favorite nine months of the last five years. Part of me wishes I could do the first four years over again.
So thank you. To you. To all of you. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for all of you.
With Much Love,
Andrew
P.S. My hope is that this is not the end. Colorado always has been[2] and will continue to be a second home for me. I will be back. And of course, you always have a bed (at least for a few nights) at my place in Seattle.
- a bunch of us would get together at Lance’s house (usually) for dinner, s’mores, and company [↩]
- both my parents are born and raised in Colorado, and all my extended relatives live in Colorado [↩]
Tags: beliefs, Colorado, fifth year, letter, Merge, Seattle, The Annex, The Feed
Notes From The Annex, Part 4
Several months ago, November 4th, 2008, to be exact, Gordon MacDonald came and spoke at The Annex. To say he was amazing would be an understatement.
The Annex listed some of his books, which I’m now listing here, so I check them out at a later date (and I can throw out this piece of paper I’ve been holding on to for the last 6 months).
- Renewing Your Spiritual Passion
- Who Stole My Church?: What to Do When the Church You Love Tries to Enter the 21st Century
- Ordering Your Private World
- Mid-Course Correction: Re-Ordering Your Private World for the Second Half of Life
- When Men Think Private Thoughts: Exploring The Issues That Captivate The Minds of Men
- A Resilient Life: You Can Move Ahead No Matter What
- Rebuilding Your Broken World
- The Life God Blesses: Weathering the Storms of Life That Threaten the Soul
- The Effective Father
- Restoring Joy
Tags: Gordon MacDonald, The Annex
Notes from The Annex, Part 3
My notes from Jennie Fletemeyer’s talk at The Annex, How’s your driving?, March 3, 2009.
Potentially relevant passages:
Thoughts I wrote down:
- Trust an unknown future to a well known God
- Belief is not the same as trust
- Faith alone saves, faith all alone doesn’t
Tags: Faith, Jennie Fletemeyer, The Annex, trust, unknown
Notes from The Annex, Part 2
My notes from Bill Stephens talk at The Annex, A Loving Response, February 24, 2009.
Potentially relevant passage: James 2:14-17 (NLT)
Two misconceptions:
- God loves us, therefore we are saved for eternity, thus our actions don’t matter
- God loves us, therefore I don’t deserve it, this I work my butt off to earn eternity. (“Checklist faith”)
Other things I wrote down:
- Max Akaido (spelling?)
- Holy Sweat
- A love story: Love is what connects me and God.
- God could show himself, but would that wipe out faith?
Tags: Bill Stephens, Checklist Faith, The Annex
Notes from The Annex
My notes from Bill Stephens talk at The Annex, Just around the riverbend…C’mon, the unknown future sucks!, March 10, 2009
Potentially relevant passages: James 4:13-17
What I learned in the battle of the unknown future:
- I can’t always trust my emotions
- It could go either way
- Strong Godly voices are strong Godly voices
- Getting more information is not as satisfying as it seems
- No information and trusting in God is better than partial information and trusting in myself
Think about the:
- Present: 80% of the time
- Future: 10% of the time
- Past: 10% of the time
Other things I wrote down:
- Railroad Theology
- Stay close, even if you don’t want to. Trust.
Tags: Bill Stephens, future, Railroad Theology, The Annex, unknown
My Faith Journey
I wrote this at the beginning of the year for a missionary organization that I was applying to. I ended up withdrawing my application for other reasons, however, I thought this was worth sharing. And what better day to share than Easter? He is Risen.
I’ve never really been sure how to best answer this question. I do not believe there is a single identifiable point in time where I became a Christian. I was raised in a loving Christian home, as both my parents are Christian’s. My faith has been, and continues to be, a wonderful journey of understanding. Along the way, I have developed a relationship with the Lord that I can call my own. My goal is to seek Him, incessantly. I can, however, identify some critical points in my journey.
High school was a time when a lot of my faith flourished. I went on student trip to Lake Shasta through my church and an organization called Sonshine Ministries. I became part of an amazing Bible study that, even after high school ended, still stays in contact with each other regularly.
College has been hard though. I attended Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Campus Crusade for Christ for a little while my freshman year, but it was radically different from what I was used to and I soon stopped going. Sophomore year, I tried going to a variety of different churches around my school. Toward the end of my sophomore year, I thought I had finally found a church: First Presbyterian Church of Golden. I went for the remainder of sophomore year and the start of my junior year. However, it just wasn’t sticking. I found the sermons uninteresting and inapplicable in my life. The audience was also predominately older couples and children, there were practically no college age students. So I gave up and coasted for a while, going to church only when I was back in Seattle.
When I was back this last summer, I was talking with our senior pastor, Earl Palmer, and some friends from my Bible Study. One question came up about how to find another church away from home. Part of what I got out of the that discussion is that I was missing something when I was trying to find a church in the past: the community.
When I got back to school this past fall, I called up a friend, Matt, and asked if he wanted to go this church I’d heard about, Flatirons Community Church. As it turned out, he was already planning on carpooling up with another mutual friend, so we all carpooled together. After church, Matt introduced me to his community at church. This is when I stopped coasting in my faith. I had found community within a church; which is the part I had been missing previously. And it has been an absolute blessing to be in this community.
I have been enjoying going to Flatirons. I’ve also been going to The Annex (a college ministry run by First Presbyterian Boulder) on Tuesdays and I recently volunteered to drive freshmen from their dorms to The Annex and back.
Tags: Campus Crusade for Christ, college, Earl Palmer, Faith, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, First Presbyterian Boulder, First Presbyterian Church of Golden, Flatirons Community Church, Matt Matteson, Shasta Blasta 2000, Shasta Blasta 2004, Sonshine Ministries, The Annex, TheBS