This week starts the fifth week of our eight week project. It has been a good project so far and I can't believe that it is going so fast. It has been busy this week as I have been working a lot of nighttime shifts at my job. We are finally starting to find somewhat of a routine with everyone's schedules, but it is difficult because we all work at different times. This weekend was devoted to learning about relationships and we had a really great couple come to visit us. They told us the story of their relationship and how God has worked in their lives to create a family that is devoted to Him. Talking about relationships is one of my favorite things because it is how I learned to truly develop my relationship with Christ. It is important to make God the center of all of our relationships in life.

This week I have been focusing on building relationships at work because that is where I have spent most of my time. The people that I work with are very different from the type of people I am accustomed to working with. It is hard to get into spiritual conversations at work because it is so busy that there is not much time for any conversation. God has shown me that these people are truly in need of His love. It seems that the city has hardened many people's hearts. I am praying that God continues to work in my heart through truly loving these people. This week at church we discussed truly loving people from your heart with God's love and not just pretending to love them or treat them nicely. Sometimes it is difficult when you receive no love in return. I know that my coworkers have seen something different about me and the other Axis participants but I pray that I get to share with them what sets us apart.

Please continue to pray for the project as we continue to work this week and in the few weeks to come. Thanks!

Sorry it has been so long since the last post. Finally all of our project has some type of job. Two of our girls are working as volunteers at a children's camp and the rest of the people have some type of job. I am working at an Italian restaurant called Portillo's with four other people from the project. The manager there needed some summer help and he was gracious enough to hire us all. It is going to be a fast paced job and there is a lot of information to memorize, but I am enjoying it so far. It is hard to believe that we have been here for 3 weeks now. It seems like the project is going so fast and we are just getting a schedule worked out. I have not gotten a chance to meet many people at my job yet because they like to train us for 3 days before even letting us into the kitchen or the line that serves the food. I have met some interesting people though and had some spiritual conversations. This next week, I am hoping to possibly start going to a Pilates class or a local knitting group to build some relationships.

The summer has been difficult at times because the plan we had at the beginning of the summer is quite different from the plan that God has had for us here. We had to open up our availability in order to find more jobs, which has altered the way we do our schedule. It is hard to build relationships with people when we have such a short time here, but I am praying that God would use us to show people about Him and about what He has planned. If nothing else, I pray that God would be able to show people His love through us and the community we have been building here.

Thank you all for your support in the last few weeks! We could not be here doing this project without your support and prayers. Continue to pray that God would use us in this city and teach us more about His will for our lives.

Here are a few pictures of my experience in Chicago so far. One of them is the front door of our apartment building and there is also a picture of the famous "Bean" in Memorial Park.
We have ended our first week of the project and it has been very busy. We have all spent the week looking for jobs near the area where we are living. So far only 2 people have officially secured a job. Brittany has gotten a job at a local coffee shop and will start next week. Hannah has secured a job at Jimmy John's Pizza. There are several people that have good leads and will hopefully secure jobs at the beginning of next week. Many people have interviewed at different places, but we are finding it hard to secure jobs that are willing to work with our schedule. Please pray that we would all be able to get jobs in this difficult time with the economic situation. It is frustrating at times, but we are all remaining hopeful that God will provide what we need this summer.
Last night we all took a break from job searching and went to a park to play ultimate frisbee. We invited another student to come with us and he really enjoyed meeting our group. We are starting to form some important relationships with people in Chicago. Pleas pray that we would build more relationships and begin to show others about the love of Christ through the community we are building.
This week we have all grown together as we have started our Discipleship groups and began an intense Bible study. I am really excited about the people in our project and I can already see God teaching us about Himself and helping us to become better leaders. Today we are going in to Chinatown for lunch and I am excited to see what God might have for us there. I am really excited to visit the zoo today as we are all taking some time out to rest and just enjoy being in the city. I will post some more pictures soon and thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Finally we are able to post for the new project this year in Chicago! My name is Bethany Curtis and I will be keeping this updated weekly while we are at the project this summer. Please continue to pray for us as we have 22 college students from Arkansas living and working in Chicago this summer. We are building a community that will help its members to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and teach them to become better leaders. Chicago is a dark place spiritually and we are bringing the light of Christ to the people as we share His love with them.

aXis Video for FBC Russellville

This is a little video made by Jerry Boriboun. In the video, he gives a little glimpse into what aXis is about. Christina Keaster and Lauryn Wood are interviewed in the video. The background song is "I Will Go" by Starfield. Enjoy.



Posted by Matt Wilson

Some Pictures from Chimney Rock

"[You] formed the mountains by your power..." -- Psalm 65:6

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..." -- Romans 1:20

This will be a short post, but I thought I'd post some pictures from Chimney Rock, which is near Asheville. The majesty of God is truly displayed in these pictures. Imagine what this place looked like before man arrived, and imagine what the new heaven and earth will be like!







Posted by Matt Wilson

Faith and Works

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. -- James 2:14-17

People present so far -- Project leaders, team leaders, D-group leaders

After a couple hours of meetings, everyone grabbed some lunch and then everyone moved the girls into their apartments. This is a good opportunity for you young men out there to learn something. ALWAYS move the women in first for a few reasons. First, God wants us to serve others. Second, most women will be in a better mood if they don’t have to worry about their living arrangements (they think, and thus worry more than us guys). Third, if the women aren’t happy, it’s HIGHLY unlikely that you’ll be happy. We (the male D-group leaders) weren’t able to move in yet because of the foul odor that resided in our room. To make a long story short, we moved in the bare essentials (toiletries, a couple changes of clothes, bedding) after dinner and prayer walking.

After dinner at Mellow Mushroom (known for its pizza, not mushrooms), the group split into smaller groups of three to four people and did some prayer walking. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, it’s self-explanatory. You pray while you walk. We walked around downtown Asheville and prayed for the people of the city, the participants, and whatever else the Spirit led us to pray about. There were four young men in my group including myself. Each of us had prayed aloud once, and Zach had just finished his prayer by asking the Lord to help us “maybe just brighten someone’s day.” No more than three minutes passed by when we encountered a homeless man. His name was James (interesting Scripture reference huh?) and he needed some money for gas. We introduced ourselves, and talked with him as we walked the five blocks back to our vehicle. We found out that he installed carpet for a living, and had fallen on hard times. After gaining James’ trust, we swung the conversation to the spiritual realm, asked him some questions. As far as we could tell, James is a believer in Christ.

It was a pretty neat experience to put our money where our faith is and buy James a couple gallons of gas (we filled up the gas can he had with him and drove him to his van). James was grateful, and we got to share our faith and pray for him. Jesus said that, “Whatever you’ve done to the least of these, you’ve done unto me (Matthew 25:40).” He also said that “all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).” God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. A major theme of the Gospels is love, especially for the poor. The next time that someone needs my help, I pray that I will love others as Jesus did, with deeds and not just words.

Thanks for your support, and please pray for James, the project, and the people of Asheville.

Matt Wilson