These last few months from August through December have been an absolute whirlwind that no one could have prepared me for. I was most caught off guard by the reality of spiritual warfare that came with the internship position. I came into E4 excited to see where the Lord would lead and as soon as I had said hello to the students, the war began. The struggle was subtle but was most obvious in my emotions. I have never been more emotionally unstable in my life and with the highs and lows of daily life, living with 18 others in one house and completing my intern responsibilities I found myself in a place of numbness. I became numb to others, to God and no matter what I did I could not seem to help myself. In this numb space of emotional instability I was reminded of the importance of a faith that would be formed by feelings, a love that trusts when it can’t see. Throughout the whole semester I was touched by the bridge of a certain song, “Christ Be Magnified” by Cody Carnes. The bridge is as follows,

“I won't bow to idols, I'll stand strong and worship You

And if it puts me in the fire, I'll rejoice 'cause You're there too

I won't be formed by feelings, I hold fast to what is true

If the cross brings transformation then I'll be crucified with You

'Cause death is just the doorway into resurrection life

And if I join You in Your suffering, then I'll join You when You rise

And when You return in glory with all the angels and the saints

My heart will still be singing, my song will be the same”

Throughout each new season of the semester the Lord taught me each line of this bridge one after the other, unbeknownst to me. I look back know and am overjoyed that with every hurt, pain or within my inability to understand, the Lord was at work. Now, without a doubt, my “heart is still singing and my song it is the same… Christ be magnified.”

Even though the spiritual battle was difficult, I was blessed to be able to experience some awesome adventures this semester. Like last year, we took part in many outdoor excursions which challenged our team both physically, mentally and spiritually.

Our first outing was a trip to the mountain town of Ouray where we scaled the canyon on a Via Ferrata and hiked the Perimeter Trail. Here God convicted me to walk from a boyish life of foolishness to become a the man of God he has called me to be (proverbs 26).

The following excursion was a backpacking trip through the Lost Creek Wilderness. This was a beautiful time where God was able to meet me personally while I walked the trails mostly alone, stared at the stars while sleeping without a tent and through the simplicity of His glorious creation. He reminded me of the beauty of being still and resting in Him. As many times before, “BE STILL”.

A few weeks after our backpacking trip we adventured into the desert of Utah where we slipped our way through a maze of slot canyons which was followed by the infamous Canyon Swing that some of you may have seen videos/photos of. Our trip to Utah was a great one to remember where I was able to bond with the students in a new way as they conquered fears that I have become familiar with through my time with E4. What a joy it is to live in encouragement as the body of Christ.

To conclude our big exciting adventures we had planned to take an enlightening trip to Israel to visit the biblical sites we read of in the gospels while following the life of Jesus. I was pumped for this trip but only a week before we were to land in Israel the war began. With prayerful consideration our program director called off the trip and instead we made our way to Costa Rica!!! Costa Rica was such a God send where revival took place, our hearts were softened and our team grew in unity.  If you have been following my shenanigans for any length of time you probably know that I visited Costa Rica earlier in 2023. It was crazy to be back in the same country that I had been in during May and to be serving with the ministries again was absolutely God ordained. During my time at the camp I was reminded of my love for the Spanish language and the rich culture of Latin America. I was able to converse with multiple different people in my broken Spanglish and shared about Gods work in my life while encouraging the workers at the Christian Camp to persevere in doing good. Our group could not have come at a better time for the camp as they were desperate for volunteers and with the having the worst storms they had had in years they needed lots of help around the site. Although we were busy the Lord was busy too working in each of our hearts and I can say with confidence that each member of our team flew back to the U.S.A with new perspective and a deepened love for the Lord.

Those were our main trips but throughout all of the semester there was always little trips tucked away within our chaotic routine whether that be a day trip to a mountain lake or an overnight escapade into a canyon under the stars. I guess I could say I was never bored.

I don’t know about you but you might be wondering, “So what’s your job as an intern Luke? What makes this year different to last year?”. Well sometimes I wondered the same thing, my life at E4 as an intern can look a lot like the students daily routine, we stay in the same rooms, go on the same excursions and often the line between friend and leader can be hard to ride. My responsibilities as intern included leading the clean up team for every meal and organizing all the events we would take part in. The clean up part wasn’t my favorite especially when cook team seemed to be able to cement anything onto the kitchen pots and pans (definitely learned the importance of doing everything “unto the Lord”). But when it came to the event co-ordinating I loved being able to make things happen. I was able to help foster a culture of outreach and a mission focus in each activity that took place which included volunteering with a non-profit food pantry, outreach to our neighbors, evangelism and more. I also was in charge of fun activities which was anything between organizing birthdays and movie nights to hosting karaoke or facilitating an “Amazing Race”. All in all my responsibilities were at times difficult to balance but a learning experience for sure.

What Now?

The first semester has come to a close but before long the team and I will be shipped off to Peru for our 5 months of international mission that begins on Jan 19. Please be in prayer for our team and for me personally as well. The struggle and spiritual warfare that comes with intentional missions is a whole different ball game and I am looking forward to seeing the Lords hand obviously as we carry out His call to extend the gospel. For any of you who like to explore google maps here is our itinerary.

Arrive in Cusco, Peru: Jan 20-Feb 9

Cajamarca, Peru: Feb 10-Mar 16

Iquitos, Peru: Mar 17-23

Lima, Peru: Mar 24-Apr 17

After this we will split into smaller teams for a month of hands-on mission. The teams will each be placed in one of the following countries: South Africa, Hong Kong, Jordan or Romania.

I am with Team Romania and we will be in country from April 17-May 22.

Finally we will finish with an overall debrief back in Colorado Springs May 23-June 2.

Please be praying for everything above and I would love to hear from you guys about how you have been doing. To have your support and prayers means the world. I also have to raise funds for the following part of the semester and if you feel led to give I would greatly appreciate it. I am also fundraising my selling shirts that you can find on my instagram.

Ways to give:

Online Link: https://rmcalvary.onlinegiving.org/donate/form/1460#!/

Venmo: @lukepaton

Once again thank you for all your support and I am so excited to see what 2024 has in store.

Lots of Love,

Luke :)