I'm Still Alive...

Hello everyone!

It has been a long time since you've heard from me so I thought I would update you. Not very much is new. I'm home in Alexandria doing some part-time PCA work and raising support to return to staffing in Orlando. I will be home for a few more months as I plan to be back in Orlando in January, but the time is already flying by. I've been making lots of phone calls and meeting with lots of people as well. It has been frustrating at times but has also proved to be very rewarding as I'm building relationships with people and learning how the Lord wants me to present myself to others. Thanks for your prayers and a big thank you to those that have met with me and listened to my stories. If you haven't heard from me yet and you want to, drop me an email or call me be cause I would love to see you. Thats all for now!

Be blessed!

Festival Tour Pictures

If your interested in checking out some pictures from the EpicQuest Festival Tour, here is the link:
YWAM Orlando Festival Tour

August Update

Hey folks!

I want to update you on my recent trip with our Epic Quest U.S. Festival Tour and also share a funny story. To explain the tour, it is a opportunity for high school kids to experience YWAM Orlando by receiving teaching and training to use dance, drama, and testimonies to evangelize and get people interested in missions. It's a great way to share with people about what God is doing around the world and also share the good news of why Jesus died for us.

I was asked to be the driver and sound man for the first part of the trip (no, I didn't dance) and we traveled to Richmond,Virginia, New Haven, Connecticut, and Easton, Maryland. We had opportunities to work with inner-city elementary kids in Richmond, perform at Foursquare, Vineyard and Episcopal churches, and entertain kids at an bible camp in Easton. The dramas and testimonies that the team shared were very powerful and touched many, including myself. Even though I'm involved in missions full time, it was great to be reminded of what darkness Jesus has taken me out of and the great blessings he has given to me.

It was also a great time of pouring into the team and helping them understand God's character and seeing freedom come into areas of their lives. We were also very blessed by our hosts in each place but in Easton, Maryland, a blessing almost became a problem. During one of our free times, some of the students (one of them being the son of Michael Berg, my boss and director of YWAM Orlando) asked to go sailing in the Chesapeake Bay (sounds bigger than it is) using our hosts' small boat. They had gone several times before and promised they wouldn't go far and would be back soon. About a 1/2 hour later, they had not returned and we went down to the water to see if we could locate them.

Sure enough, the wind had taken them quite a distance in a very short time and they were now struggling to sail back against the wind to get home. We could see them and knew that it would simply take them a long time to get back, but it was quickly getting dark. We decided to call Tom (our host) so he could take out the big boat and tow our kids home. Before he arrived, our students were in shouting distance from the shore and we called Tom back to inform him that the students were nearly back and he no longer needed to come.

The kids returned safe and sound and we headed inside for some pie (yes, I bake) and ice cream. All of a sudden, our contact with the church frantically showed up with her husband and started asking "Are the kids safe? We heard they were lost at sea and the Coast Guard is on the way!" I wish you could have seen the student's jaws drop and the blood drain from their faces in embarrasment. It was quite the funny moment.embarrassment, the Coast Guard was quickly notified and the story has a happy ending.

Please keep the team in your prayers as they are still on the road. I left them in Baltimore as I was needed back in Orlando and they traveled on to New Hampshire, Buffalo, New York, and will finish in Michigan. This leg of the tour will be spent performing at Christian music festivals as well as sharing with some local churches. If you are interested on keeping up with them, you can check out their online blog. They have already endured through some leaky tents, bad food, and flat tires, but they are also enjoying the opportunity to share and pray for the people they are meeting.

I'm now in Orlando until the end of August, finishing up my leadership school and will be traveling back to MN the first week of September so if you have some time and would like to see me, let me know and I will make it happen. Thanks for your prayers and support and spending some of your time reading this. Love you all!

To Him be the glory,

SAM BLOMMEL

Love146.org

Hey guys! Check out Love146 as they work toward the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation through Prevention and Aftercare. I got to visit their office in Connecticut recently and help them out. They are great people with a great heart for a great need.

New News

Hey everyone,

So it's now day 3 of an unexpected trip for me and I haven't had the time to update you about it yet. YWAM Orlando has sent out an Epic Quest dance/drama team to tour some of the music festivals happening on the east coast for the next 4 weeks. They will sharing the gospel through dramas and dances explaining what Jesus has done for us and also working with some churches and non-profit organizations along the way. They were in need of a driver for the first 10 days and that is how I've gotten involved with this trip.
We are in Richmond, VA today and will be leaving for Connecticut early tomorrow morning. After that we will heading down to Washington D.C. and then I will return to Orlando as the rest of the team heads back up north to New Hampshire, Buffalo NY, and over into Michigan with a new driver.
Please pray for travel safety and for those who see the performances will have open hearts to receive what God is speaking. We have already seen some fruit as one man told us he has rededicated his life to Jesus because of being touched by our message. It is amazing to see people touched by unique methods!

Thank you for your prayers and God bless the end of your summer!

SAM BLOMMEL

July Update

Many of you know what it is like to anticipate something exciting like a wedding or big concert or even going to a new restaurant. You think about it your whole day, wondering what it will really look like or smell like. You ask yourself questions like "What should I wear?", "How much money do I need to bring?" or (if you're a parent or a girl) "Where will the bathroom be?" Finally, the big day comes where you finally get to experience what you've been daydreaming about and many times it is completely different than what you thought it would be like. Many times the experience is better than what you expected, but it also can be equally disappointing.

Right now, I'm traveling on a path completely different from the path I thought I would be on and I'm discovering how much Satan is trying to pull me off this path through disappointment or the "death of a daydream". Like any other person, many of my goals and dreams throughout my life haven't come true and thankfully, God has had a better dream for me than I have. I've come to find one thing that is true: God is more committed to me than I am to Him.

In the last half of Genesis, we find the life of Jacob is filled with his dreams "dying". He loved a girl with all his heart and was so committed to her that he worked seven years to marry her, only to be deceived into marrying her "not-as-appealing" sister. He then discovers the girl of his dreams can't have children and when God miraculously intervenes enabling her to have children, she dies giving birth to her second son. Later, Jacob's most precious son, Joseph, is thought to be killed by wild beasts at a young age. Jacob was hurt so much that he said he would die grieving for his son. Jacob endured through dream after dream failing and dying, but God's dream for him never died.

Many years later, God's dream for Jacob's life had a storybook ending. Joseph, the precious son thought to be dead, is discovered not only alive but as the ruler of Egypt of all places. Jacob receives high favor from Pharaoh through Joseph and is given the land of Goshen in Egypt and has all his and his families needs met in the middle of a massive famine! And if that's not enough, God tells Jacob the future of his remaining years, the future of his descendants, and how his heritage will be remembered forever. Despite all that happened and all the mistakes that Jacob made, God was committed to the best dream for Jacob and made it happen.

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I write this as an encouragement for you and hope that God blesses you through his personal revelation to you. As for whats happening with me, not much has changed. I'm very busy at the base, wearing many different hats with many responsibilities as most of the staff are on outreach until the middle of August. I graduate then and will be returning to MN for several months to rest and prepare for life upcoming. I am applying for a staff position at the base and need your prayers for God's provision as I am completely supported by not only Him but your generosity and partnership.

These are uncertain times for many and probably you as well, but if you are willing to invest in me and what God has called me to, send a check to:

Sam Blommel
PO BOX 620487
Orlando, FL, 32862

Make the check out to "YWAM" or "Sam Blommel".

I deeply appreciate your love, prayers, and support! Let me know how I can pray for you and if this was a blessing for you.

June Update

Hello from the land of 100 degree weather!!

I'm excited to be in A/C as I write this e-mail and will gladly send some heat to whoever would like some. But on to the update...

Bad News- For the past 2 months I have been preparing to lead a trip to Ukraine in July to work with a school for special-needs children. As of last Wednesday, that has been canceled and I will be staying here at the YWAM base. It has been difficult to see all my hard work go for nothing but I am now learning how God can work through failure. He is still faithful.

Good News- I will now be one of the worship leaders here at the base and overseeing the worship department. I also will continue with my job as Transportation Coordinator and working with the Maintenance Department. I'm so blessed to see how God has made a way for me to use my talents and also fulfill some needs here at the base.

Prayer needs:

- My Grandpa recently had heart surgery. Please pray for his quick recovery and for there to be no complications.

- YWAM Orlando is starting 2 new training schools (Discipleship Training School & School Of Missions Development) today. Pray for our new students to feel welcomed and press in to what God has for them to learn in the next 6 months.

- Finances for me are very tight and I need a miracle for my needs to be met. Pray that God will give me wisdom on how to raise further support.

- I am here in Orlando until September and then will be returning home to MN. I have several options for the future and I am excited for what God has next for me. Pray for clarity and wisdom in my decision for what to pursue.

God bless you and as always I love hearing from you!!

May He refresh you toady!