FBCG Missions

Safe and Sound in Penitas

2011-07-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Penitas at 6 p.m. and after checking in at the hotel we went to hear Omar preach. After the service we were able to set up and decorate for VBS while the construction crew went to view the site they would be working at this week. So far we have had no problems and everything has gone smoothly. Keep us in your prayers as the first day will be hectic as we create a plan to accomodate the children that show up. We are expecting about 150 children.

Kayla W

Family Mission Trip 2011

2011-07-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Our Family Mission Trip left at 7 a.m. this morning driving to Penitas, TX. This week they will conduct VBS, Block Parties and construction. Please pray for our team as they serve the Lord this week, July17-23. Our team is lead by Jim Witt, Minister of Missions.

Team:
Eric, Rhonda, & Samantha Anderson
Jaime, Kimberly, Thaddeaus, & Jenna Knight
Tracey Beckett
Jessica Owens
Anzley Butler
Donna & Hannah Petty
Jack & Lynn English
Sam & Samantha Pierson
Ivan, Melissa, & Seth Fernandez
Allie Salgueiro
Bruce Hanby
Jackie & Sarah Settles
Angel Ibarra
Salvador Torres
Roy Janek
Mike Widemon
James, Melissa, Andrea, & Kathryn Jennings
Kayla Wiechecki

Weimar, Germany-March 17

2011-03-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Email from Birgit

God made a very warm welcome for the group here in Germany and send sun for the first days.
That seems to be over now. We got strong rain and heavy fog the whole day today. Well, now the group experiences the REAL Germany. Still, it was a very fun day. It was good for the group to be by themselves for a day and we did all the sightseeing we could.

Started at the school at 8 a.m., went to the Concentration Camp Buchenwlad the whole morning.
Lunch at German McDonald's (a little bit of home...) and saw the Wartburg.

Wet, cold feet-other then that everything is fine. Tonight everybody will have a night off with the second host family. We are all so very excited how the Youth Service and the show will go Friday and Saturday night. Please pray!

One week is extremely short! We'll miss your kids!

Weimar, Germany-March 16

2011-03-16T13:38:00.001-07:00

Email from Birgit

Everything is working perfect. Yesterday's school day was very busy, today was a little more calmer. The school kids love your kids and they are having so much influence. It's amazing how much energy your team has. They are great.

Cailey is looking better day by day. Kayla has problems with her voice. Got she medicine. We hope that she'll be fine tomorrow.

Everybody switched to school host homes on Tuesday and everything is going well.
We got the last afternoon for practice together today and last fun night. Looking forward and praying for Friday Youth Service and Saturday Program.

Please God speak to them!

Weimar, Germany-March 15

2011-03-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

Evening activites for team building, preparation for the next day school activites as well as praying for the Friday and Saturday night Youth Events.

Weimar, Germany-March 15

2011-03-16T11:09:00.001-07:00

Email from Birgit

Pictures are from the second day at the school.

School works wonderful! Your guys are doing great. Mostly they teach 6 periods in a row. That is a lot, but they are great.

Today Caliey and Kelly are with us. Cailey is still kind of weak, but she keeps up. Students are excited. Hopefully some will show up in chruch! Please pray! We are looking forward to tonight!

Germany Trip Monday, March 14

2011-03-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is an email that came from Birgit the Youth Minister at Weimar Baptist Church.

The morining in the school was a big success. Since Kelly and Cailey were unable to be at the school the team had to re-orgainize alltheir stuff in 10 minutes. Meg took over a group, because they are in 3 classes at once. She and her team and the other 2 teams did a wonderful. They made it all 6 periods and students loved them! they got many names, invited people and are the number one topic at the school.

Than we had lunch and hnag out downtown-already studdents from school are keen to join the group whenever possible.

We met in the afternoon and try to put up something like a stomp-project . That was fun! also, you see that Cailey was around again. Stil weak, but trying! 5 new people showed up and 3 we haven't seen for a year in church. Altogether we've been 25 plus 11 Americans. Good thing and it is only Monday.

We had food togethe, hang out, and played a lot of table tennis. I admire your kids for all their energy and willingness toserve. They diddn't give up; even though they have had 12 hour working day behind them!! Great kids.

I saw Kayla at the dishwaher and she is as kind and helping as her mom!!

Birgit Kliem
Gemeindereferentin

Youth Mission Trip to Weimar, Germany

2011-03-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Pray for our team as they partner with
Weimar Baptist Church in Weimar, Germany.

They will be there from March 11-20. They will work at the local school building realtionships while teaching Englsih. They will host game nights for the local youth group and invoite students from the school.

The team is lead by our Student Minsiter Micaheal Murrie.

Our team: Kelly Murrie, Tommy Courson, Kayla Wiechecki, Meg Sims, Cailey Noris, Steven King, Roger Roman, Christian Albuquerque, Seth Fernandez and Lance Oktay.

Brazil Day 5

2010-08-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful rainy day today. At least it wasn't as hot as yesterday. We have been so amazed by the stories that Ana (the woman who owns the property where the church meets and where the VBS has been held) has told. What incredible faith she has shown us! I read in some notes from one of Greg's sermons that "complaining is taking God's promises in vain." Ana does not complain, but seems to live in the most incredible faith. With the obstacles that she has and does overcome daily, she is absolutely amazing! Pray for us tomorrow as Charlotte shares the plan of salvation with the moms.

Beverly

Brazil Day 4

2010-08-05T03:05:00.001-07:00

Sharing plan of salvation.

Zacchaeus story being dramatized.

Sharing the plan of salvation with balloons.

Brazil Day 4 Pictures

2010-08-05T02:44:00.001-07:00

Had to send a team to catch our supper!

Got kicked out of the boat.

Brazil Day 4

2010-08-04T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today we shared the plan of salvation in all the rotations. Charla and Houston in the big group told the children how they could go to heaven. As Kayla used balloon artistry Charla explained what each color and symbol represented. An invitation was given and in the morning group we had four children ask Jesus into their hearts to be their Lord and Savior.

In the afternoon group we had 13 children except Christ after the invitation was given. Two boys accepted Christ after the gospel presentation was made during crafts. Praise the Lord for our 19 new brothes and sisters in Christ.

Please keep praying our work here is not done. We keep sharing God's love through everything we do. Through music led by Charla and Christian and Paul giving guitar lessons. Rachel, Taryn, Kayla, Christian and Paul during recreation. Through the Bible stories, ESL and Math classes led by Lynn and Beverly, crafts led by Janie and our wonderful translators, Jamie, Houston, Charla and Pricilla.

We know that it is not us but Christ in us that continues to do the work through us. To Him be the glory!

In Christ,
Janie

2010-08-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Day 3 in Brazil, second day of VBS. Everyone is having fun and there are many smiles. We had music, crafts, rec., Bible stories, guitar lessons, & choir lessons.

Pray for our team on Wednesday as we share the plan of salvation during VBS and evening church.

Climbing the Wall

2010-08-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

We are having so much fun praising the Lord that even the native wild life are climbing the walls to get in!

How are you using what God gave you?

2010-08-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today was fabulous! We had about 75 people come to VBS and to the other activities we held. The weather was nice and sunny- probably about 80 degrees which is a heck of a lot better than the over 100 degree weather in Texas and Oklahoma (where I am from). The kids had a blast singing and praising the Lord. One thing that is truly inspiring to me is how happy and excited the kids are when they are at church praising the Lord. They are so thankful for what they have and some really don't have much in terms of material items. But, they realize that they have a church, and friends, and most importantly, they have a God who cares about them.
Houston led devotional tonight back at the hotel and he said that God doesn't look at what you have but at how you use what you have. That really spoke to me and I think it is a challenge for everyone. So, I leave with a question for anyone who reads this. How are you using what God gave you (i.e. your talents, abilities, job, etc) to further his kingdom?
Oh, I thought I was done but I also want to say that I am so thankful that I am on this trip with some amazing people from First Baptist Garland. Everyone is so flexible and ready to serve the Lord in any way that they are asked. My hubby, Paul, and my grandma, Jamie, and myself are the ones here from Oklahoma and we have enjoyed and been encouraged by the FBC Garland people as well as all of the Brazilians.
Tchau! ( I think that is how you spell it!)
-Taryn

2010-08-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

Team Brazil

2010-08-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Paul a nd Christian are not the only monkeys joinin us for breakfast!

Worship in Brazil

2010-08-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

2nd Day-August 2

2010-08-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day of VBS. In Brazil school started today for the first time in a month. It was their winter break. They go to school either in the morning or the afternoon. This morning we had the kids that go to school in the afternoon and the afternoon we had the kids that went to school in the morning. We had 10 kids this morning and 31 this afternoon. We had them divided into groups. We had bible stories, ESL, math class, recreation and crafts and music. The kids were great, they even played soccer in the rain with no complaints. They loved having their pictures made. That was my job today, to take pictures and develop them for their crafts. The children are all just beautiful. We would post pictures, but we are having some technical difficulties. Lunch today was GREAT!!! Those of you that know me, know that is important. We had some chicken that was boiled, fried and then baked, rice and beans and some coconut that had some sweet milk mixed in. I had four helpings!!!! Continue the prayers for us, we feel them and everything is going great. Ana the lady that owns the property where the church is, is really teaching us what faith is. She is an amazing lady and has done so much for the people in the area. Thanks FBCG for allowing us this opportunity.
PS. A monkey joined us for breakfast this morning.

Rachel

Wow! This was a great day to celebrate. Our team is working very well and we are enjoying Anna and her church family. Ana shared her story and she reminded me of Omar from the Valley. Having faith in the great God they serve, but what a blessing it is to see how she is living and acting in faith day by day.
I was in charge of crafts but we did not have enough translators for each team, but God being God provided two sisters that spoke both Spanish and Portuguese. I spoke in Spanish and they translated, one came in the morning and the other in the afternoon. I would love to bring them back to the states, they love the Lord and desire to serve Him.
It rained all day but the kids here are used to playing soccer in the rain. Charla led music and everyone had a blast. Houston had Bible Study for the moms that came.
I just want to thank my FBCG family for givng us the opportunity to come and ministry here in Recife through your donations and prayers. Keep praying.

PSS, I thought the monkey was a possum! It ate breakfast at the table next to us!

Blessings,
Janie

Today I had the chance to play soccer with the kids during recreation. It was great, at first we were not going to play because it was raining but some of the boys still wanted to play and once we started a few of the girls joined in. They were impressed that Americans could play soccer with even a little bit of skill. After lunch the second group of kids came and those of us that had been playing soccer had finally started to dry and the sun was shining but as soon as the first rotation came it started pouring. We had four rotations come through and all of them were fearless sliding on the field (made of concrete) and going after the ball even when the person with it was bigger than them.

Soaking wet but excited,
Kayla

WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!! It seems that I begin all of my blogs with these words, but I can't think of any other way to say it because it is definitely true!!! Today we saw Him at work again among the children and adults here at Pau Amarelo Church, and I think our team would agree that we came away more blessed than we were able to bless!!! It is so good to be back in this country which I love with all of my heart and to see what God has done and is doing among his people. We had a real special time with Ana, our host, as she shared how God had used an awful situation in her life to bring her and her children (now adults) to the point of giving up their home to make it a church where ALL are welcomed and helped. The kids sang their hearts out, Christian and Paul were fantastic with their instruments, the rest of the team was amazing with their stories, math classes (YES, math classes), recreation, ESL classes, bible studies, etc!!! Keep praying every day!!! We sense God wanting to use us to help many accept Him as their Lord and Saviour and we need your prayers. We love you!!!
Charlotte and Houston

Our story today was about creation and how God created each one of us to be special. We talked about all the things that God created, including math. We found out that BINGO is a universal language. Using our minds to remember multiplication and addition facts reinforced how special we truly are! Thanks for your prayers.
PSSS-I thought that the monkey was going to land on my back!

Lynn

In our story for the younger children today, we talked about creation and all the things that God created. We used flash cards and talked about the animals in English and in Portuguese. This afternoon, we also got to teach English to all the children. They had a great time. I'm not sure what the jokes all were, but they and I are excited about tomorrow! Jim and John - I am being flexible and adaptable!

Beverly

Recife, Brazil

2010-08-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

8-1-10
We arrived this morning at 9:14 went through customs smoothly. The city is beautiful and the coastline is amazing. We are staying at the Amoaras Resort. Looking forward to updating you as God works.

Phone service is none to minimal updates will be through the blog.

In Christ,
The Brazil Team

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

San Luis de la Paz
Saturday-August 15, 2009

In 1 Timothy 4:12-15 Paul admonishes Timothy to be an example to other believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith and purity. He also encouraged him to read, stay attuned to doctrine and above all else not to neglect his gift. If he did all these things then he would be blessed and bless others, as well.

As we finished our week and headed back to Texas , our12 hour day on the road and an additional 2 hour wait to cross the border gave e all of us time to reflect on how we, like Timothy , were able to be an example and use our gifts to make a differenced in the lives of the Chichimeca Indians.

This summer I had the opportunity to be in a Beth Moore Bible Study of the book of Ester. Several passages from her study were especially relevant to our week in San Luis de la Paz. She stated that to live for the greatness of God is to live the great life, and this week was exactly that. She goes on to say “Every one of us who embraces the glory of God as our purpose will end up doing great things precisely because we do God-things. His holy hand resting on the least act renders that ordinary extraordinary.”

I was able to witness many of those small acts that were made extraordinary because they were done in the name of God’s love.

For example, when David stopped the van to get out and help a young man carry a wheelbarrow full of dirt over a concrete culvert; when Carlos sat brushed the hair of a little girl whose face was dirty and sadder than anyone’s I had ever seen; as Denise and Shirley helped Juanita prepare on the noon meals for all of our VBS workers and team members; as Phil, Keith and Pastor Alberto went out to show families how to start gardens, and when Angel Ibarra stopped the van to pick a mother and her four young children who needed a ride to the mission each day and then home again at night, and as the doctor, Olivia would treat the sick who came. These were only a few of the many things that were done in the name of God’s love.

Our week was indeed extraordinary!! And as Matthew 16: 24-26 reminds us, when you give up your life for Christ, he gives you a Christ-like life. Our prayer was that the Chichimecca people would see Christ in us through each small but hopefully significant act of kindness that we showed them.

What a joy it has been to serve the Lord this week! How rich we feel and how blessed! Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Yours and His
Marie Davenport and the Chichimeca team.

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

Friday’s Blog

Today we had an opportunity to go into the center of town and distribute tracts along with Pastor Alberto and his wife Juanita and two young women who have been helping out this week from Mexico City. We walked around the town square and up and down the streets handing out tracts as we met individuals asking them if they would accept our gift. Most people accepted the tract without hesitation. A few refused to take it. But some asked what it was about. Those that asked we were able to then stop to explain about the Good News they were holding in their hands.

We were paired up in twos. Marie Davenport and I were together in this wonderful adventure. One man I handed a tract to at first didn’t seem to want to talk to me, but I could tell he was curious about what we had to say. So I talked with him a little bit and he became some what friendlier. I used the EvangeCube to share the gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection. He was very attentive and I invited him to visit the church to learn more about God and who He is. We left his store and walked around until we were out of tracts. Then I remembered I had a Spanish copy of Billy Graham’s booklet “How to Have Peace”. So we went back to find him and I was able to give in to him. He accepted it willingly and seemed appreciative that we came back. Please pray with me that he will read the information we gave him and continue to seek the truth of who God is and what He has to offer.

Some of us were able to pray with people for specific needs. Some of us were challenged about what we believe in. Specifically that Jesus is the Only Way and not through the Virgin Mary. Pastor Alberto told me of one lady who accepted the tract but then told him to throw it away. He told her, “You accepted it. If you don’t want it you throw it away,” which she did. But then he saw a young boy pick it up. We never know how the Gospel seed is planted, but I pray that the little boy will read the information and it will change his life.

While we were waiting for the group to return to our appointed gathering spot, I noticed two little boys with tracts in their hand running around the park saying “Flyers, we have flyers”. So I went over to them and asked if I could show them something. I used the EvangeCube again. The boys were young and couldn’t read so they didn’t know what their ‘flyers’ said. After I shared the message of Jesus Christ, and spoke with them a few minutes, I encouraged them to ask they parents to take them to the church at the address on the back, then I went on to meeting place. As I was walking away, I overhead one of the boys saying something about Christ dying on the cross and the bridge the cross provided. I pray that these boys also grow in Christ’s love.

We returned to the Mission to pack up supplies and say our goodbyes. This is always the hardest part of a mission trip. After the last box was loaded in the van we had a time of prayer. Pastor Alberto prayed for our safe journey as we all travel tomorrow. Then we prayed for their work and the many seeds that were planted this week. By the time the last amen was said there wasn’t a dry eye in the group. When we were getting into the vans there were several children outside playing who had been a part of the activities this week. I bent down and asked for hugs from them. Some were shy, but others were eager to put their arms around my neck and kiss my cheek. What a blessing to have been a part of this trip.

So after a day has been filled with many emotions we will now get the rest we need for the trip back. Please be in prayer for Charlotte as she goes to Queretero tomorrow to fly home. Pray for the two young women who will be riding the bus back home tomorrow. And pray for those of us who will be driving back Saturday and Sunday. We should arrive home early Sunday evening.

I just want to thank our church and Pastor Greg as you support all of our mission trips. What a wonderful experience to be a part of reaching others for God’s Kingdom.

Denise Terry

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-13T21:15:00.001-07:00

Thursday 8-13-09

This has been the hardest day in my 3 trips to work with the Chichimec people. The day has been full of ups and downs and as of the time that I’m writing this the downs are winning. There is a fight for the people’s heart between God and evil. I don’t know I have ever been involved in anything like this. I’m truly shocked to see where the opposition to the Lord is coming from. I ask you to join in and pray for a change in these people hearts. I know that prayer is the only thing that will work and I need to turn it over to the Lord and let him be in control.

Any of you that know me know how much I love the children and it has been a true blessing to be with the kids. In this last day of VBS we had 80 children and it looked as if they really understanding about Christ and his love. Tonight was the Block Party which was held at the mission, we had around 180 people and purity much filled the salon area (Worship Center) for a movie and a meal and Pastor Alberto invitation.

Earlier in the day Phil, David, Charlotte, Pastor Alberto and I worked with a mom and her 3 boys on digging and planting a garden. The boys all worked very hard and were very proud when they finished. Pastor Alberto was very happy that the garden gave him the opportunity to present the word of god and about how the seeds need to be planted in good soil just as Jesus needs to be in a fertile heart so his love can grow in us.

I see God working in the children’s lives and I ask for you to pray for the continued growth in their life’s, it was so wonderful to have the children taking us to houses and helping pass out tracks. After writing this and reflecting on the wonderful things God has done I know the UP’S have won out in this day.

Thanks for your prayers.
Keith Baker

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

“Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings see what God has done.”

If we begin naming our blessings one by one you will be reading for a long time because God is definitely at work in the Chichimeca reservation and in our lives. Yesterday we mentioned a “spiritual warfare” that we’ve been waging in this place--and that has kept us on our knees individually and as a team--, but we are feeling God’s presence in a very special way! We have seen a difference in the people and in the way they respond to us. Some smile (very timidly), others look down, others accept the invitation to come to the church/community center, others refuse the flyers, others listen carefully as we share the love of Christ for them and accept Him into their lives, others do not want to listen, others come in sad but leave with a smile after having been seen by the doctor… really not much different than the folk back home.

The homes of the people here are difficult to imagine, unless you’ve seen them. The homes are made of cinder blocks, and most are crudely made. Some are made of multiple types of bricks, probably because they were constructed as funds were available. Many homes house multiple families. The roads around the mission are only dirt and rocks. Few paved roads exist in the area where the mission is. During our Bible School story today the wind came up and we were all covered in dust! Many of the children attending wear the same clothes everyday. One little girl today had worn the same clothes Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. But today she had on different clothes.

This morning and until noon we had the opportunity to go walking around the reservation once again to invite others we had not reached yet, and 3 people – 2 ladies and 1 man – asked Christ to become their Lord and Savior. It is so touching to see them pray out loud asking the Lord into their lives. As we were walking back to the community center we spotted Pr. Alberto, Keith and Phil in the van coming back from planting a garden with a family from the church. They took us back to pick up Bibles and we all returned to give these 3 new Christians a Bible of their own. We had a good VBS with 61 children in attendance, many people were seen by the doctor, David and Shirley taught a few children to read, Carlos was the “receptionist” for the doctor and combed the hair of some of the little children who really needed it, Marie cut hair, Denise taught some ladies to sew, and the whole team was in action.

We count ourselves blessed to be here representing the Lord and FBC Garland, and we covet your prayers as we go through the activities of the day tomorrow followed by our big Block Party with a movie and a dedication time. On Friday we will be spending a big portion of our day at the Plaza downtown witnessing to those with whom we come in contact. Again we count on your prayer support. May the Lord bless you real good!!!

Charlotte, Patty and Denise

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

What fun we’ve had today participating in what the Lord is doing here among the Chichimecas. We began the day with our group devotional at the hotel –led by Patty Yost—who reminded us that this mission is about the Lord and not about us. As we
prayed we realized more than ever what a spiritual battle Pr. Alberto is waging among this people group. But we are confident that the Lord is in control and that His purpose will be served.

Our medical clinic is up and running and we are blessed to have Dr. Olivia, whom we met through our Hope Clinic, attending the physical as well as the spiritual needs of the patients. While the people are waiting to be seen we have the opportunity to share Christ with them and we rejoiced as an 18-year old young man prayed to receive Christ into his life. His Mom had accepted the Lord last year during the week we were here and she was so excited to see him take this step.

During the morning while some prepared for the VBS and the Seed Project, others of us had the opportunity to go visit and invite people to come participate in the activities at the Community Center. That was my favorite time. As I shared Christ with a family (the mother was sitting on a log making tortillas – 250 each day), the Dad, Mom and two teenage daughters prayed asking the Lord to come into their lives. Several others have experienced this same joy and we are definitely seeing God working. Please keep praying that MANY will come to know Him in a real personal way!

I mentioned the Seed Project – that will begin tomorrow and involves teaching three families how to make a garden and then help them plant a variety of seeds which include fruits and vegetables. These families will in turn teach this to others in the church so that they can grow their own food. The group today was counting seeds and placing them in little packets to be distributed among the folk.

Our Bible School was fun today with a total of about (it’s hard to count these kids) 62 kids and some Moms. We sit under Tents outside in the sun but the children don’t seem to mind the heat. In fact, many wear sweaters and wool caps all day long! The children are really enjoying singing (they’ve even learned a song in English) and their projects. In fact, it’s hard to get them to leave! After a 45 minute rest at the hotel we went back to the Mission to participate in their Tuesday night Prayer service and then back to “our” restaurant for dinner along with Pr. Alberto and his wife, Juanita. They are such a dedicated couple and literally give their lives to this work among the Chichimecas. Please pray for them too. He’s excited about the prospect of discipling the new Christians!

Keep on praying!!!

Representing you in His service,
Charlotte Greenhaw

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 10, 2009

Today was the first full day of VBS, dentist, doctor and a block party. Wow, we had a lot to try and get done today. We started off by arriving at the mission around 9:00 and started setting up for the day. A few of the team members had to go to town to pick up medicine, groceries and some other supplies. While we were setting up people started arriving for the dentist, I don’t know how many she saw, but it had to be over 25. The team that went to town had challenges in finding medicine, or the places wanted to charge too much. We started VBS around 1:30 and had around 45 kids doing crafts, snacks, recreation and hearing God’s word. The Block Party started around 5:00 and we had around 50 kids doing games, snacks and watching a movie. We left the mission around 8:30, went to dinner at West Restaurant and returned back to our hotel around 10:30.

One of the things we are doing on this trip is we each have a “Barnabas Pal”. I have really enjoyed have a note from someone every morning with words of encouragement. One of the notes I received included a verse in 1 Peter 4:10-11 and it says; “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administrating God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ”. It is great to know that God gives each of us gifts and when we use them, God will provide the strength or anything else we need so that Jesus Christ will be praised.

Another verse I have been studying during my quite time comes from 2 Timothy 2:13 and it says; “If we have no faith, He will still be faithful, for He cannot go against what He is”. We are so blessed to have a God that no matter what we do, or even if we loose faith, He will not change. Not because of who or what we do, but because of who God is or what God does for us. Thanks for all the prayers and please continue until we get home.

In Christ we do all things,

David Reininger

P.S. Did I mention we are having fun...

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday Aug. 9, 2009

Today we gave God thanks for another beautiful and cool day. After breakfast we headed to First Baptist Church of San Luis de la Paz. We met with Pastor Alberto and it was a very warm greeting. He took us to the top of a mountain that overlooks the whole city. As we prayed for the lives of the people of San Luis to be transformed through Jesus Christ we could feel the Lord’s presence pouring out his love towards us. After taking in all the beauty of the City from the top of the mountain we headed back to church for service. I was captivated by the children. They were so friendly and very warm. Although they seem to have very little of everyday necessities they had a smile on their faces. They didn’t even realize that they were in need of the many things that we take for granted. They were so proud of the old and some even tattered clothes they wore that many of us wouldn’t dream of wearing. As we had service every one welcomed us with open arms. After the service was over, the whole church prepared lunch for us and we had a great time of fellowship. I met a family that shared all their hardships with me. The eldest daughter of four could not finish school because she had to help her family financially. Her last grade completed was 5th grade. The father is without a job and unsure of his future. It takes them an hour and a half to get to church because they have to walk all the way from their home to church, when it would take them about 20 minutes to get there if they had a car. I fell in love with them. Please pray for them they are the Alviso family. We headed to the Chichimeca reservation. I thought that I had seen the worst at First Baptist Church of San Luis, but I was wrong. There was even more poverty with the Chichimeca Indians. Even more old and tattered clothes. Something that was still the same was their unforgotten smile. I am so amazed of God’s mercy towards me. I have seen his mercy, but I’m still amazed. Last year it was a dream of mine to be here and thought I wouldn’t for many obstacles that were in the way of me being here, but look were God’s love has sent me. Please pray for us that God will work through us to win the lives of the people of Mexico for his glory.

In his service,
Shirley Galdamez

2009 Chichimeca Mission Trip

2009-08-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

San Luis de la Paz
August 8, 2009

What a trip—we left Garland, Friday at 5:15 and didn’t arrive at our Hotel in Satillo Mexico around 11:30 last night. We didn’t have any problems at the border but there were a lot of people trying to get into Mexico so we weren’t able to get stay on schedule. When we arrive in Monterey we were to pick up Carlos and encountered some problems. Needless to say we were really late by then but GOD always has a plan even though we might not see it. When we stopped to eat Jerry, my brother, and Shirley, FBC member, began to talk and witness to the lady at the check out. Shirley was able to share her personal testimony and the lady accepted Christ as here personal Savior. If we hadn’t been late we would have never stopped at that specific restaurant and Shirley would have never had a chance to talk with the lady. While all of this was happening I was only concerned about keeping a schedule and the LORD had a specific job for us to complete. This morning, as I was going over what happened yesterday the LORD began to open my eyes and mind on what had really happened and I began to praise the LORD and to see that I need to be open in every situation, to be ready to step forward and have the LORD work through me.

Today, Saturday, has been a long day of traveling but we have finally settled in for some rest and quiet time.

The mission team has been in continual prayer and we appreciate all of the prayers that are coming from each church member and our prayer partners. Tomorrow we start a new day and I pray that we have gotten enough rest both spiritually and physically to achieve great things for CHRIST.

In Christ
Phil Davenport and the Chichimeca Mission Team

Compelled by love to go……
2 Corinthians 5:14

Family Mission Trip 2009

2009-07-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 23, and Friday, July 24:

Last night, Thursday, we had another great day of ESL, construction, and VBS. God, once again, blessed us with an amazing turn out. The construction crew, made huge progress, the ESL classes went very, very well, and the VBS team was able to present the plan of Salvation to the children. Yesterday, three young ladies and one young man accepted the Lord as their personal Savior. Praise God! It was truly exciting to see God working in the lives of these children, and to be a part of that is also truly amazing.

We had our second Block Party last night, this time at the church. We had a pretty good turn out. It was so fun to see the kids having a blast at the games. You could see the love of Christ being shown to the kids and their families as our team served them hot dogs, chips, water and candy. I think most of the families who stayed for the movie, Facing the Giants, were members of the church. There may not have been public professions of faith, but I believe God still worked in many lives through that powerful movie.

One evidence of God’s movement during these Block Parties was shown last night. A man had come by himself to the movie, Fireproof, at the Park. Part way through the movie, he said “That is my life. This is me.” He got up, went home, and apologized to his wife for the way he’d been treating her. She must have seen a genuine change in him because she returned to the block party with him to finish the rest of the movie. She came to our second party because she thought they were going to show the same movie. She wanted to see the beginning of this God-touched movie. God used a movie, shown at a block party in Penitas, TX put on by a bunch of white, English speaking people from Garland to minister to this couple and many other families and individuals. This is what our work is all about.

Today, Friday, was our last day here. I think it was bittersweet for many of us. We are all feeling the physical exhaustion, but I think we will all miss the wonderful friends that we have made or strengthened this week. For myself, I have been such blessed by these amazing people in Penitas, but also by the amazing and incredible team that has come down here.

The construction crew, continued to work through the heat and sweat and did an outstanding job. They have about 99% of the lower floor of the new life center completely framed, and about 20% of the second floor. They have done so much for this church. I know the church and community will be greatly blessed by their efforts. This new building will house classrooms, a gymnasium, food pantry, and possibly more. Because of our team’s hard work, love, and efforts, many people will come to know Christ better. Thank y’all so much! It’s been a blessing to get to know you!

The ESL teams didn’t end up this week as had been planned, but God had a different plan in mind for these groups. He took away some students from learning English, but placed more people in a class where they can learn to teach others English. God knows exactly what His people need, and I believe He provided for them this week. Thank you for being flexible to what God directed.

The VBS team also had their last day of the Esquela de Biblica. As always, it’s a blessing to see their smiling faces and see how our group interacts with them. Our translators did a fantastic job communicating what so many of us could not. Thank you for your extra efforts. Many of the children did speak English, but even those who didn’t, could still feel the love of Christ pouring from our team. It was such a blessing to witness.

Tonight at our reflection service, we got to witness what church on Sundays probably looks like. It was so special to be able to participate together with them in worshipping our Savior. I don’t think there was one person in the building who wasn’t touched in some way.

I want to thank every person who went on this trip, every person who stayed at home and prayed for us, and every person who donated money to make this trip possible. Souls were saved, lives were changed, and families have been impacted because of your willingness to follow and serve Christ in the way He has called you. Thank you for allowing your time, efforts, and money to be a blessing to God’s children.

Please continue to pray for our group as we travel home tomorrow. Thank you!!

Family Mission Trip 2009

2009-07-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 22:

God, once again, blessed us with many kids attending VBS. We had 17 new students today! A couple of the moms stayed with the kids during the day, so they were also able to hear the Bible story taught.

The ESL teams were also very blessed today. The ESL workshop class, a class that is teaching people how to teach English to others, still had more numbers than expected and even had one new student. The ESL class had two new students today, and we are very grateful for that.

The Construction team continues to work tirelessly on the church's building. It is incredible to see them working non-stop and to see the fruits of their labor come to harvest. They work past the pain, past the heat and thirst, and despite their tiredness. As Ivan Fernandez said in the devotion today, we are not just building a building, we are building for the Kingdom of Heaven.

We saw some of that labor come to fruition today at the Block Party. There ended up being a soccer tournament at the park we were setting up at, so the numbers we had planned for were greatly exceeded. I am not sure how many people were in attendance today, but we served over 450 hot dogs to those there. The kids absolutely loved the games we had set up and thoroughly enjoyed getting the "dulces." Seeing their sweet faces as they got the candy was so very precious.

At 8:00, Pastor Omar introduced the movie "Fireproof" to the crowd. We played the movie for those that wanted to watch it, and at the end, Pastor Omar gave an invitation. You could tell God was already wanting to move in the crowd because part way through the movie, a fight broke out between some soccer players. Satan was doing all he could to distract those God was wanting to witness to tonight. But satan did not succeed because God certainly moved in those that chose to stay to the end of the movie. I do not know numbers, but probably around 10 or 15 people came forward after the invitation. God is so good!!

Please continue to pray for our group. Tomorrow all four programs will continue, and we will also have another Block Party at the church tomorrow night.

Thank you very much for your continued prayer!

(Pictures from tonight's Block Party will be added as soon as possible.)

Family Mission Trip 2009

2009-07-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 21:
God has blessed us immensely this trip. The building is coming along incredibly. It hardly looks like the same place, and this is only the second day. The progress will be such a blessing for the church. Pray for cool weather and everyone's continued safety.
The ESL workshop program almost quadrupled in size. Monday they had 3 people that they were teaching how to teach an ESL class, and today they had 11 people. Dick and Barbara Borth had only planned on 6 at the most, but we very excited that there was a need to make more copies of the materials. The actual ESL class will more than likely have a bigger class tomorrow as time constraints for the participants will not be as huge.
VBS began today. When our workers got there (early) most of the children were already there waiting for us. So VBS started a little early. We had 25 children attend, and it was exciting to see personalitlies bloom as the day wore on. Everyone is excited to continue ministering to these kids and are praying for more kids to be able to attend.
The Block Party that we will have tomorrow night at a Park is starting to come together. 300+ Fliers were passed out in the neighborhood surrounding the park, so we're hoping that many will attend this evangelistic party and hear of God's amazing love for them.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers as well as the people we will be ministering to. Thank you very much for partnering with us in this exciting journey!

Family Mission Trip 2009

2009-07-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 20:
Today, our work at the church began. The Construction team worked for hours framing the inside of the building. It was amaizing to see how much could be accomplished when the workers are so diligent. The ESL classes went well and are ready for another day. Decorations are in place, the workers are ready, and the excitement is building as VBS starts tomorrow!
Today was our afternoon off, so we had one group go fishing and one group went to the beach in South Padre Island. God was so good to keep us all safe throughout this time, and He showed us once again how trustworthy He is.

Family Mission Trip 2009

2009-07-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 19:
We got an early start to our travels this morning, and by the end of the day, everyone arrived safely in the Rio Grande Valley. God is good to provide us a safe and fun journey. Although most are already tired, I think all will say we're excited to begin our work here in the Valley. We're praying that God will show himself to the people here as well as to our own group. We're praying for soft hearts and willing spirits. Please continue to keep us in your prayers this week. Can't wait to report to y'all what God is doing!

Family Mission Trip Post #3-God moved

2008-08-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday and Thursday our Bible School team took 46 and 42 to Outrigger Island, respectively. The Thursday count is a guess. At the beginning of VBS at 9:30, there were something like 7 children. But they kept trickling in until finally about 10:30 we had everyone. It reminded several of us of our 10am service at FBC. Spirits were really high. We believe the kids were late because many stayed out late on Wednesday at the block party.

Both children and adults had a good time in VBS. Wednesday the ABC's of salvation were shared. While no one indicated that they accepted Christ then, several did that evening. More on that in a moment. The teaching, recreation, crafts and everything have been top notch.

The construction team with all materials in place from the beginning made great progress on the Trevino home on Wednesday. By the end of the day on Thursday, the job was finished, siding and roof in place.

While we had noticed mosquitos throughout the week, Wednesday and Thursday they seemed to be everywhere. Pastor Omar cautioned us about being outside without repellent and, boy, was he ever right. Still it was one of those minor annoyances that Satan will use to distract God's people from their appointed ministry. Our team did not fall for it. They slathered on more spray and kept going. Way to go!

Wednesday and Thursday stood out because in the evening we hosted block parties each night. We invited the community through flyers and word of mouth. We served delicious hot dogs (Michael Wideman cooks a tasty tube steak), chips, and drinks. We had games for the children which they loved. One game in particular had children standing in line 10-12 at a time. Someone commented that it looked like Six Flags. We watched, Magdelena, a wonderful, moving film about the life of Mary Magdeline. Pastor Omar gave a stirring invitation after the movie. And then we ended with ice cream, donated by the local Blue Bunny distributor at the request of our own Gary Beavers. Needless to say the ice cream was a hit. Thanks to Gary and Blue Bunny.

The Wednesday block party was at Iglesia Bautista Manantial de Vida. Many of the children from Bible School participated and at the invitation some of those children made professions of faith. Eight people in all indicated that they were following Christ as Savior for the first time. But this service was about more than evangelism. Omar invited all who felt a need to come to the altar and pray. Many deeper commitments to Christ were made. The altar area was full of people including several of our own.
Afterwards, we had a time of praise to God. It was sweet. As one person said, "We had church!"

Thursday's party was in a colonia at the home of the Trevino family. This was where our construction team spent the better part of 3 days. This was an evangelistic outreach, pure and simple. Being away from the church and having everything outdoors, it presented a number of logistical challenges. But our team handled it. Nary a discouraging word was heard about flies, mosquitoes, constant noise, dust, or anything else. After the movie, Omar asked people to make a first time commitment to Christ. When Pastor invited those who accepted Christ to come forward 12 children and adults stepped out. We are all amazed at the power of God's Spirit to work despite all the distractions.

After ice cream was passed out, a terrific evening was capped off with a prayer of blessing for the Trevino home. Our construction team along with several others from the FBC mission team gathered in a circle with the family and prayed that God would bless their new home. There were many tears and hugs from everyone. After a bit more work this family will be able to move from very humble quarters to a brand new home. They felt blessed but so did our construction team. They experienced the truth that it is more blessed to give than recieve.

There is a real sense in which this whole experience has been about the blessings of giving. All of our team has given freely of themselves and God has used them to make a difference, both now and forever.

Family Mission Trip Post #2- Bible School begins

2008-07-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Our VBS team had their first day of Bible School. We had about 40 people and expect more tomorrow. The team did a great job of decorating and those in VBS really enjoyed the bright colors. Most of all they enjoyed being with our adults, teenagers, and children. There was much joy at Bible School.

Our construction team did not get their materials in a timely fashion. Both the siding and roof trusses were late. The culprit was Hurricane Dolly, creating backlogs of materials and days without production because of lack of power. Despite the delays the team worked quickly when the materials came and are actually ahead of schedule.

Many people play important roles on our team but some stand out for their willingness to go above and beyond. Melissa and Ivan Fernandez are cooking breakfast each day, getting up before 5am to have it ready for our construction team at 6:15am and again for our VBS team at 7:30am. Thanks Ivan and Melissa.

Wednesday and Thursday are our block party days. We look forward to seeing what the Lord does.

Family Mission Trip Post #1-The Beginning

2008-07-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

The Family Mission Trip has begun. Everyone made it to our destination with no incidents. (Last year we had a wreck.) Those traveling by car or van and those traveling by air all made it to the La Vista Hotel in La Joya. The group on Southwest flight 25 were on the first SW flight to land in Harlingen since Hurricane Dolly. By 6pm on Sunday the 27th everyone was at the hotel.

Our first full day was Monday the 28th. Though Hurricane Dolly's impact on this part of the Rio Grande Valley seemed neglible to us, we quickly learned that in other parts of the Valley, damage was significant. Our plans to go to South Padre Island on Monday were out because there was still no power on most of the island. Plus we are sharing the La Vista with many Red Cross volunteers who have come from all over the United States to assist in a variety of ways. They told us that in a number of locations power and basic services remain unavailable. We see them often, particularly at breakfast. The room for breakfast is a bit tight so we are at close quarters with these folks. While it maybe inconvenient, we are here for a similar purpose; to serve the people of the Valley. The difference is that our team is doing it in Jesus name.

Because our plans on Monday were changed, the construction team spent the day at Pastor Omar Chavarria's house. The team is helping Pastor Omar and his family get closer to being able to move into their house. Pastor Omar and his family live in a small trailer behind the church, Iglesia Bautista Manantial de Vida. They have lived there for at least 2 years.

At lunch (we are eating each day a wonderful meal provided by the church) he told us that 4 years ago he had no money, his church had no real place to meet, and so he cried to God. One late night after Omar poured his heart out to the Lord, God spoke one word to him. The word was Ibrahim or Abraham. From that word, he believed that God had destined him to be like the biblical Abraham. God would bless him by using Omar to bring many people to Christ and by meeting the material needs of his church and his family. And the blessings have occured. His church now has a building that is 2 years old and they are building a family life type structure. And soon his family will have a new home to move into. The church is flourishing growing from about 30 to 140-160 on Sundays and many are coming to know the Lord. Omar's faith challenged and encouraged all of us.

The VBS team spent the morning and afternoon preparing for Bible School. Part of the group handed out flyers in the afternoon along with some of the people from the church. They are praying that by the end of the week they will have 100 children and adults.

Returning from the Chichimeca Trip

2008-06-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

We spent all Saturday on the road trying to get back across the border to Laredo, where we would spend the night and continue on to Garland the next day. As we drove, we reflected back on the events that occurred on Thursday. One of the young girls named Elizabeth (who we grew to know and love) from a family living adjacent to the mission truly touched our hearts. She became especially close to Denise, Marie, and Liliana. Elizabeth had accepted the Lord and it was Denise’s desire to pass her bible on to her. The bible had special meaning to Denise and so it was therefore a gift from the heart. It was truly moving to see how grateful Elizabeth was in receiving this special gift. It was very endearing that she genuinely wanted to come back to the states with us. Afterward Liliana and Marie also gave her a couple of personal items. Liliana then prayed with some of the family members. One of the young men who had been avoiding our efforts to approach him with the Gospel finally was willing to listen and accepted Jesus as his savior. This will always remain as one of the highlights of our trip.

-Liliana, Denise, and Marie

Denise and Elizabeth

Post #6: Chichimeca Trip

2008-06-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

We’ve already written you once this morning but it would be impossible to leave without sharing our final experiences today here in San Luis de La Paz.

We invited Pr. Alberto and Dona Juanita to have breakfast with our team so that we could have some final moments of sharing and evaluating together. We ate our morning and evening meals at the same restaurant each day, so this morning we called the manager and assistant manager to join us so that we could thank them, pray for them, and present them with Bibles. It was a touching moment as they told us they had never before experienced a group like ours (???) and were already missing us!

We presented Pr. Alberto and his wife with a few gifts, several gave testimonies of the week and then presented Dr. Sara and her husband with a love offering. Sara, our doctor for the week, worked endless hours, showing compassion to all around her, and touching the hearts of each patient with a word from the Lord. She and her husband are from Oaxaca, Mexico, and are currently studying at our Hispanic Seminary in Edinburg, Texas. We finished those moments with prayer for each other and for Pastor Alberto.

We needed to pack up all of our equipment, so the team went back to the Chichimeca mission and got things in the vans. The Hispanic ministry of our church had purchased a sound system and DVD projector to show The Jesus Film and to leave here for further ministry, so we presented that equipment and then left for the house of one of the neighbors who had accepted Christ and had asked our team to come and pray for all of her household! It was another incredible experience!

Our final words from here are, “TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE”! Thank you, FBC Garland, for the opportunity to serve here this week.

-Your Chichimeca Team

Denise digging

Post #5: Chichimeca Trip

2008-06-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

June 26, 2008

Today was our last day to have the clinic and VBS. It has been overwhelming at times, but I know what an amazing God we serve and how He clears our path to do His work (Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your on understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."). Our teams have been blessed from the time we left Garland at 4:00 a.m., until now at 11:58 p.m. as I am writing this. Today has been one of the funniest and most rewarding days of the trip for me. I have had the opportunity to develop relationships with Pastor Omar’s group and cannot wait to get together again; maybe it will be back here.

Woman praying w/ Pastor Alberto to receive Christ

One of the most important things I have realized on this trip is the time is right for Pastor Alberto and other Christians like us to like us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers in to his harvest field.” We must be bold in our faith and know that we serve a God that will never leave us. He loves us more than we could ever imagine or understand. My prayer, for myself and everyone at First Baptist Garland, is that none of us would not be ashamed of our faith and go out side of the church doors and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ every second of the day. I know that everyone says that doing Gods work is like a marathon, and I agree. But I also believe that we should treat every day as if we are running a 100-yard dash. Get up every morning, be prepared to do God's work, stay focused and know when you go to sleep at night that you ran as hard as you could.

Go on a mission trip like this, get out of you comfort zone and I know you will have a life-changing experience. Pray to God to direct you and where He wants you to go serve. I hope I am not out of line, but I am writing from my heart and know what God wants all of us to do.

Please continue to pray for our team and Pastor Omar’s team as we continue the trip and on our trip back home. Please pray for Pastor Alberto and his family to give him strength to carry on. I believe his hard work over the past nine years will soon be rewarded. One last thing, I applaud the youth at First Baptist Garland, the youth on this mission trip, and the youth I went with to Palestine in November. All of you have amazed me: the way you pray, the boldness you show, and your commitment to God. I pray that you will never lose these things and that all of you continue to grow closer to God.

In Christ we do all things,

David (Chichimeca Mission Team)

_______________________________
Phil Davenport's Report

Here are some numbers from the last day:

Conversions (last night) 10 adults, 12 children
We had 78 up to Thursday.

VBS last day: 200
That is exactly the number of gift bags that we prepared. PRAISE THE LORD!

Clinic--42 people were seen with only one doctor. We also had only one doctor on Wednesday.

Post #4: Chichimeca Trip

2008-06-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it”… and that is exactly what we are doing this morning as we begin our last day of Health Clinic, Filter Distribution, and Bible School. What wonderful experiences we’ve had as we’ve watched the Lord take over and bless in a mighty way!

We began our day yesterday at 6:00 a.m. hiking up the mountain which overlooks the city and which has the words “Hail Immaculate Queen Mary” written in huge letters for all to see as they enter San Luis de La Paz. It took us two hours to climb and at times we felt like we couldn’t make it but we felt like the Lord wanted us to reach the top to pray over the city so we continued determined to make it. About half way to the top we encountered people coming to pray at a tomb which has a painted picture of Jesus over it, but what amazed us was that at the top of the mountain there is an altar with a cross with prayers inscribed asking for blessings from the “cross” – never a mention of Jesus! It was sad, but at the same time we were excited for the opportunity to pray in the name of Jesus for this lost city!

We did spend an hour praying for San Luis and the Chichimecas and at the end we prayed over Pastor Alberto – the one who God sent to this city to reach the people He created and loves! Pr. Alberto has been here for over nine years and only recently had his first convert. He now has three people waiting to be baptized (the baptistery needs to be tiled) PLUS the 56 that have accepted Him this week at the mission (yesterday we had 18 people turn their lives over to the Lord)!

Our VBS was exciting as it was the day we presented the message of salvation to those children. Many prayed asking Jesus to forgive them of their wrongdoings and had the story emphasized many times as they went from one area to the other doing crafts—the "story of salvation" bracelet, painting, playing, and eating! It is so fun to watch our team interacting with all of those children in the hot sun, never complaining, always smiling, and ready to do what needs doing to accomplish the mission!

As we were in our vans leaving the mission a couple arrived who had just accepted Jesus this week and who had come seeking prayer--they both have AIDS and the wife had just found out that she has cancer. We all went back in to join hands and to pray over this couple. We believe the Lord is going to heal them for His glory and for the growth of His kingdom among the Chichimecas!

After supper we all worked on the gift bags we are distributing today and then called it a day/night (it was already 9:00p.m.). Pray for us today as we finish the task the Lord has set before us. We will be showing the second part of The Jesus Film so pray for those who will be watching.

As always, THANK YOU for your support in our mission!

-Your Chichimeca Team

Hotel

Outside of Church

Inside of Church

Post #3: Chichimeca Trip

2008-06-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

Block Party

We have been very productive these past two days with getting to know the Chichimecans and learning about their lifestyle. VBS has been a hit with the kids and the clinic has been AMAZING! So far we have had 38 people accept Jesus, and the doctors and the dentist have seen approximately 100 people. A few members of our team have been going out into the community to invite them to take part in our services and festivities. While inviting they were also prayer walking. We have recruited so many people to join us, and our numbers are growing daily!

I have had the awesome opportunity of working with Sara in the clinic. In the past two days I have gone from being a want-to-be-nurse to a surgeon’s assistant! This has been such a learning experience for me! I have learned how to give injections (something I would never be able to do in The United States without a degree), and I have distributed medications. I am getting to where I know what Sara is going to give them before she asks me to go get it. Working with Sara is such a blessing. Between my fluent English and broken Spanish and her fluent Spanish and broken English, we are forming such a wonderful relationship. God is really filling that language gap! We work so well together, and she is so willing to teach me new things (I think this is because she is fairly fresh out of medical school and she still understands the curious student’s mind.)

Today our teamwork was really put to the test when one of our patients had an ingrown toenail like you have never seen! Jesus was really standing beside the girl, because this was such a large ingrown toe nail, and Sara removed it without numbing it or giving the girl any kind of medicine. All the girl did was cringe. I think Sara and I were in more pain than she was! That is just one example of the kind of health issues we are dealing with. The medicine we are prescribing more than anything else is fruit. These people do not get enough of the essential vitamins that they need. This is not always readily available to them, and it is definitely something we all can pray for!

This evening we had a block party where we continued to spread The Good News. We fed the people hot dogs (a good American meal), and we showed The Jesus Film. The children came and brought their families along with them. All together we had approximately 200 people plus team members. We had a rotation of games and activities for the kids including face painting. We also took this opportunity to teach them proper hand washing techniques and its necessity for good health. A good time was had by all!

God is continuing to keep our team strong, but your prayers are still needed! God is doing AWESOME things here is San Luis de la Paz!

---Katherine y El Equipo para Los Chichimecans (The Team for the Chichimecans)!

Post #2: Chichimeca Mission Trip

2008-06-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

What a blessed Sunday we have had! As we ascended the steps to the altar to the Senor de la Montanita, or God of the Mountain, we prayed for the Chichimeca tribe and for the inhabitants of San Luis de la Paz. When we reached the summit we looked out over the hills and saw the maze of adobe dwellings, as well as, all manner of houses and buildings made of cement blocks and things not ordinarily used to make a home from, but were never the less considered building materials. It was a humbling sight and cause for thankfulness to God for all that we have in our land of plenty. It also made us very aware of the task God had set before us. These people have built altars to a god that they do not worship and call him their god to please the religious community that has tried to teach them about our God, but in their hearts are worshiping a false god. As we stood before this altar we held hands and began to pray. As we prayed for God’s Spirit to fill us so that we may be used for His Glory, a breeze began to blow over us that was like feeling the “breath of God” blowing into our hearts and souls. It was an awesome experience.

Our day continued with a trip to the mission to unload supplies for the week and see how we would set up our clinic and VBS. Then, we went on to church at 11:30 and after a wonderful sermon by Pastor Omar from the McAllen church, we ate lunch and headed back to the mission to make preparations for the next day. We can hardly wait to see what God has in store for us. Continue to pray for us each day that we will be ready for all he has planned for us and that we will glorify Him in all that we do. God bless you all.

-Marie & Your Chichimeca Team

Post #1: Chichimeca Mission Trip

2008-06-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

“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!”

We have just arrived in San Luis de La Paz and already we’ve seen the Lord doing immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine!

We left the MAC parking lot at 4 a.m. Friday morning in two vans, excited and ready for what was ahead but not sure why we were leaving so early – now we know! We made excellent time and by noon were at the border ready to cross. We stopped and prayed before entering the immigration line and immediately began praising the Lord when we got the green light to go ahead. We did have to get individual visas (which you can only get there) and the permits for the vans. We were almost through when we discovered a problem with the papers for one of the vans and had to return to San Antonio! No one complained, we prayed that the agency would remain open until we arrived, they did, and we got the papers and drove off as they closed their doors!!

We arrived back at the border before they closed down for the night and arrived at our hotel in Saltillo at 2:30 a.m. Again we stopped and thanked the Lord for His guidance and protection (Phil Davenport said that his prayer life is up to date for the next year!) After a good night’s rest and a wonderful Mexican breakfast we began our adventure of this day.

Already we’ve had good fellowship and lots of laughter as we practiced our Spanish choruses with the accordion in one of the rooms at our Hotel (the manager didn’t think it would be wise to use the lobby) and then with Pastor Alberto and his wife, and Sara – our doctor—and her husband, as we discussed the plans for the week.

We will begin our day tomorrow by going to the “Lord of the little Mountain” statue to pray over the city. Many years ago this city was claimed for the devil but tomorrow we will have the opportunity to claim it for our Lord, as so many of you have already been doing these past few months. What a joy that time in prayer will be for us. From there we will go to the church and celebrate the Lord’s Day – and Father’s Day –with them, and then on to the Chichimeca Mission to Prayer Walk that area and prepare everything for Monday.

We are so thankful for your prayer support to this point but we ask you to pray even harder as we face the days ahead. We found out tonight that we might have as many as four doctors working with us and that is “exceedingly above” what we were asking or thinking! God is good ALL THE TIME!

In His service,

Your Chichimeca Team

LEFT TO RIGHT:

Pastor Alberto Reyes; Dr. Sara's son, Carlito, and her husband, Carlos;

Pastor's wife, Juanita; Charlotte; Dr. Sara

Vancouver Prayer Walking Mission Trip, June 12-17

2008-06-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Our Mission Trip ended last evening when we landed back in Dallas at 6:35 p.m. Our luggage didn't seem to want to to leave Vancouver (weather 50's, 60's & low 70's), so it came on a later flight and we didn't see it until late morning today. Other than that very small frustation, the rest of the week was pretty near perfect!

Trisha Beavers, Barbara Borth, Rubye Dacon and June Morris spent several days working with The Bridge Church in Vancouver, British Columbia. This was our sixth year to go and help Pastor Jerry Conner and his leaders prepare for their Summer "Reach for the Goal Sports Camp". We arrived Thursday evening, June 12. We stayed at Triumf House on the Campus of the University of British Columbia. It is a guesthouse that was built for visiting nuclear physicists from all over the world. Triumf is the nuclear research facility on the campus. We are certainly not nuclear physicists, but when the guesthouse has openings, they allow Vancouver visitors to stay there.

Friday morning was spent preparing packets of Sports Camp brochures and posters that we later delivered to nine local elementary schools. After completing our deliveries, we organized crafts and supplies for the church's upcoming Vacation Bible School. As we walk around the city, we always carry a supply of Pastor Jerry's "business cards" and Reach for the Goal Sports Camp brochures that we can offer to the young families we encounter (Vancouver is a beautiful city and the climate is wonderfully mild, so lots of people are out walking with their children and their animals.) We pray for divine encounters and God always provides! The encounters begin on the airplane when we leave Dallas and end on the planeride back. We even gave out a Bridge Church card and a brochure on the flight from Vancouver to Denver. God's presence and guiding spirit were all around us. Many times when we took a wrong turn, we would soon learn there was a reason God wanted us to go that way. Once our "lost" took us to the field where the Sports Camp will take place so we were able to pray there. Another time, it took us to a park filled with young mommies playing with their children where we were able to invite them to Sports Camp.

The church is in a good place right now. Lots of young couples and a few singles have joined in the last year (very international - people from Iran, Syria, China, Korea, Newfoundland, First Nations Inuit Tribe, Vancouver, the Eastern Provinces of Canada, England, and a few from the U.S. - just like it's going to be in Heaven!) The church website (bridgechurch.ca) receives more "hits" than any other church in the area - that is the way most of these young people find out about The Bridge. Because the church worship service meets in the Vancouver Museum and Planetarium which is close to the water, lots of folks are out walking on Sunday mornings. The Sunday we were there for worship, there was a beautiful kite festival going on outside the building. One young family flying kites (have only been in Vancouver for three years - from China) wandered in during our after-service luncheon and ended up staying to visit. They are planning to come to worship next week!

We had wonderful experiences with The Bridge Church members. On this mission trip, Pastor Jerry wanted us to spend more time getting to know his people. He said several of them were amazed to know that people from as far away as Texas cared about their church enough to pray for them. They couldn't understand our prayer-walking team's commitment to give a week of our time to come and pray for their city. They certainly can't understand our commitment to pray daily as individuals and to gather twice a month to pray as a group throughout the year. Three of the nights we were there, young couples invited us into their homes for dinner. On Friday night, we were invited to share a meal with four young couples and two of their children and prayed. On Sunday evening, we prayed with two of the chaplains on the University of British Columbia campus, attended their Sunday evening service and shared dinner. On Monday evening, we were invited to dinner with the young family who is heading up the Sports Camp; then on to a meeting with six of the church families who are heading up a new outreach to strengthen attendance and commitment at Sports Camp. They will be hosting 3 or 4 Children's Saturday Play Days at local parks (Our own Jim Witt sparked the idea with Jerry!). The team wanted us to pray with them and we were honored to do so. Awesome trip!

June 15 Post: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

We arose early to attend church where Rick Dill is Pastor in Weimar. We arrived at the church and the choir had time to warm up and have prayer time prior to singing in the first service. They have two services and the choir sang at the beginning of both services. Following the first performance, many from our group joined the congregation while some sat outside in the courtyard of the church.

Today's first service was very special as Rick was to baptize four people. The baptismal appeared to be a small rectangular pool right in the floor of the sanctuary. After each person entered the pool, someone who had mentored him/her spoke about the person prior to Rick baptizing them. The congregation erupted in claps and cheers once they were brought up out of the water. The worship team led everyone in singing a very uplifting praise song between baptisms.

The excitement and energy of the congregation was so incredible! The first to be baptized was a boy who appeared to be 12 or 13 years old. Next were two girls who were both 12 years of age. The last person to be baptized was a man with whom Rick had shared Christ for the first time 12 years earlier. The service was so moving and was the perfect way to end our journey through Germany. Even though we did not understand the words Rick spoke in his sermon or the words of the songs we sang, we still felt like we truly worshiped God on this Sunday morning in Germany.

Following the first service, we were all treated to homemade cakes, pastries, and coffee. Everything we ate was delicious! It was then time for the Choir to sing in the second service. Following that performance we all loaded the buses and headed downtown to eat at a local German restaurant. The name of it was Gasthausbrauerei Felsenkeller. We had all chosen one of three meals prior to leaving for Germany. Our choices were Schnitzel, Beef Roll, or Goulash. It appeared that everyone enjoyed their lunch. We definitely did not starve on this trip! It seemed like we were eating all the time!

Following lunch, we loaded the buses and were taken to the downtown market area. Some tried to spend the last of their Euros, some got ice cream, and others just walked around. The Beards did all three!

Next we loaded the buses and headed back to Rick's church to prepare for the evening concert. Once we arrived at the church we had our devotional time which was led by Paul Stephens. We studied the song, "In Christ Alone" and looked at its powerful words. The words tell us that when we are in Christ we are surrounded by Him. When we are in Christ alone there is nothing else to distract us from our relationship with Him. All week it was the hope and prayer of the Choir and Orchestra that the people of Germany would come to know Christ alone.

After the devotional time, we set up for the concert. Like all the other venues where we performed, the set up had to be unique for the floorplan. The set-up team and everyone pitched in to move a grand piano and other equipment. Mark then warmed up the Choir and Orchestra for the performance. We began to get dressed knowing we would have a large crowd due to the early arrivals we'd seen. The sanctuary filled up quickly -- including the balcony. More chairs were even added to the foyer. The exact number of people wasn't given to us, but we estimated about 300 were there.

The enthusiasm was so incredible and the crowd seemed truly blessed by the performance. Everyone was then treated to a Texas BBQ dinner with ribs and pork chops. Many from the congregation had brought salads, potato salad -- even BBQ sauce made by Nancy Dill from a Texas recipe she had. It was so fun to eat with everyone from the audience and we traded email addresses with one of the girls who had been baptized earlier. Dinner was hurried since we had to drive three hours to Frankfurt, but we still had time to meet a few folks.

Once we were on the bus to Frankfurt it occurred to us that the trip was coming to an end. All the concerts had been performed and it was time to begin the journey home.

As we sit and reflect on the past 10 days, it is so amazing to see where we began in Schneeburg and ended in Weimar. Our lives will be forever changed from this experience and it is our prayer that we will go home with the same boldness in sharing Christ as we had in Germany whether it be through a smile, kind word or deed, or actually sharing how God has blessed us.

On a funny note, the bus ride to Frankfurt on Bus #1 was hilarious! You can imagine how funny Mark was on the microphone and he and Larry wore the neck pillows on their heads! These memories will forever be in our hearts and we are so grateful to have been a part of this mission team.

-The Beard Family (Eddie, Rhonda, & Natalee)

June 8 Post #2: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning we sang in the beautiful mountain town of Schneeberg. The small city is built on the side of a beautiful small mountain. It has tall, stately traditional buildings with flower baskets under the windows and paved stone streets. The weather was perfect and the sun was shining. Our concert was held in a town hall where citizens were voting in the basement. We performed in a small auditorium on the second floor.We rehearsed a few songs before the performance. I believe the music could be heard by the voters, even those walking by on the street. This may have attracted some interested persons, as the auditorium was nearly full.

The audience was very receptive to the Choir and Orchestra. Frieda Bennett gave her very moving testimony. We held a drawing for door prizes, including an autographed picture of Dirk Nowitzki. A boy about 10 years old picked the names out of a hat for Pastor Rick Dill to announce. Rick is the Pastor of Weimar Baptist Church and translated for Jim Witt. The audience cheered each of the door prize winners.

We presented the Burgermeister with gifts for the city and he gave a moving acceptance speech. He's a believer! He said "where language ends, music begins." He presented us with a gift of a porcelain bell and said that the bell was the symbol of the city. He said that "Communism tried to silence the bells of the church, but couldn't silence the Gospel. "

After the concert we visited the main Lutheran church, built in the 1400's. It was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt. It's a classic stone, high-vaulted church. Mark Hill led us spontaneously in the Doxology and a few other songs, including a solo by my daughter, Gracie. The room echoed and made us sound like angels.

-Brian Sanford

June 14 Post: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Our day began with intermittent rain and a chill in the air. We traveled through the countryside on the back roads through small villages which we enjoyed thoroughly. We noted all the fields were ripe with various food crops and everything looked very sculpturerd and clean. What a beautiful country! The countryside is beautiful because it remains untouched by commerce and population growth.

Our strength and endurance was tested this morning as we climbed a mountain to view a castle perched high at the very top. It was very strenuous and we came to the conclusion that we were not up to climbing mountains, but the view was lovely and we survived.

Next on the agenda was lunch at a little glass factory in the countryside. A bratwurst sandwich and we were good to go again. However, we made the vendor's day, as he sold over a 100 sandwiches. The glass factory was very interesting with a lot of unique gift opportunities. Then we traveled on, back to the autobahn, to our concert at Schliez.

The congregation that we experienced was the largest crowd of our tour. There were over 400 in attendance, which was made up of three churches all coming together to promote this concert. The people were very receptive which motivated the orchestra and the choir to one of their most inspired performances. They accepted all the Bibles we offered and many seeds were sown for the future growth of the 22-member Baptist congregation. We pray that the Baptist church in Schleiz will reap the harvest for Christ in the days to come. It was a great day!

-Paul and Jo Ann Stephens

June 11 Post: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

We went into the city center of Dresden and I noticed that the buildings were very black. We learned that the city had been bombed by the British and Americans but some of the buildings had been restored. The weather was chillier and everyone was kinda cold.We first stopped at "the lady church" (Frauchurchon cathedral). It was very beautiful and ornate. The choir was allowed to sing and we really worshiped God.

I went with a group of FBC members to the Old Masters art gallery. As we looked at all the beautiful paintings I noticed that Jesus was a prominent subject in the art, which shows that Jesus has had a lasting impact on the world. We did visit the porcelain museum, but it was mostly plates and cups and table settings. (Carl, the stenographer, went to see them make Phaetons at the Transparent Factory).

We then split up our group and Mom and I had a quick lunch at a cafe. Then we went shopping. All along the street were people trying to earn a living. There we beggars, musicians, and actors dressed as German historical figures posing for pictures. We boarded the bus for Bad Lausick. Its not actually 'bad' as in English, but a town that has a natural mineral spa. When we arrived, the members of the 'Energie' Baptist church had prepared a delicious dinner of pasta, rice, and goulash. It doesn't sound good, but it was delicious! We then had a time of prayer in the youth room and remembered some of the attributes of God such as He is our protector, He is faithful, and we can trust Him.

With our hearts prepared for worship we started the concert in a modern, bright room. Most of the seats were filled. The audience really participated in the music and was responsive and receptive to the message. The concert was a success and I think we encouraged the congregation's hearts. It was a 90-minute ride back to the ETAP hotel in Weimar. We arrived at midnight (again) and sluggishly went into our rooms and gladly fell asleep.

-Elizabeth Hering

June 10 Post: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

We were on the bus at 9 am After a devotional time, our first stop was in the village of Modlareuth. We toured the museum of the "Little Berlin Wall" dedicated to the local wall erected by the communists. It was the only town, besides Berlin, that was divided after WWII. We saw a brief movie where we learned that when the wall went up it first was barbed wire, then a 2-meter fence was added, and finally (in this village) a wall was made of concrete blocks taken from the autobahn. As it went through the village, it divided neighbor from neighbor and families from one another.

We walked through a reconstructed area and saw actual guard watchtowers. As we walked through the 'verbotten' area where the land mines were placed, we sensed the reality and terror these people had been a part of. We saw an actual Russian tank and helicopter on the property. Our thoughts were somber, as we realized the plight of even the Pastor himself. He shared how his family was separated for so long.

That afternoon we went into Plauen and were free to eat, shop, and see the sights. Some chose the lace shops, others ate a 'real' German meal, and still others read through the brochure and visited the historical places in Plauen. With each new town we have become bolder and bolder. At lunch our waitress was invited to our concert and she said she would come with her mother. At nearly every shop we invited people to come to the concert. When we arrived at the historical Catholic church we found our Heart of Texas poster telling about our concert.

Several of members rested at the Baptist church. While there, Joanne Stevens admired a lace table runner. The church ladies then took Joanne to several lace shops where they found the runner. Dinner was shown at the Baptist church and we were shown slides of that building's restoration. It was a great dinner, including red cabbage and potato dumplings! Because there was not much space in the sanctuary of this friendly church, the Pastor arranged for the concert to be held at the larger Methodist Church. It was a beautiful large church with a tiny choir loft. Flexible as always, God showed us how to be arranged. With the brass playing from a pew and choir members filling the stage, we went through the setups and got ready, prayed, and praised God. It was a good, but older, crowd as many young east Germans have moved to the west. They clapped with the songs, when invited and they really liked the door prizes.

Judy Pruitt's testimony of finding Christ after being raised in a church by looking for God through the scriptures prepared the audience for the German Bibles they'd receive. We were thankful that so many at FBCG had given money for these Bibles. The crowd listened intently to all parts and some were brought to tears. One interesting fact we found out after the concert was that the winner of the cowboy hat had come to the church to learn the German language. Her 'GSL' teacher had led her to Christ!

A very hospitable church, they presented each of us with a candle representative of the city of Plauen. We pray that God will work in the hearts of those who have lived in fear for much of their lives and that God will give the German Christians a desire to reach out to many who need Him with the word of truth.

-Becky Allen

June 9 post: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Thankfully we were able to get a little sleep this morning. The buses departed for Gorlitz and we stopped and had lunch on the way. We arrived at Gorlitz around 1.30 PM, then had the best strawberry cake and fruit with the Pastor and his wife. Even Mark helped serve the cake. The pastor gave a brief talk about himself. He told us that his decision to enter the ministry was against his parents' wishes.

We then went on a walking tour of Gorlitz led by the Pastor. While walking, we crossed over a bridge and set foot into Poland. On the way back we stopped in a cathedral and sang "It is Well With My Soul" and several other songs. It was a very moving experience. We had some shopping time, headed back to rehersal, had dinner, and changed for the concert.

The concert was attended by many people--the Burgermeister and some Polish folks. The people were very receptive, seemed to enjoy the songs, clapped along, and liked the prizes. Bob Cline gave his testimony. After the concert we visited with the audience who were very friendly. We loaded the buses, waved goodbye to the Pastor and frau, and headed to Dresden where we arrived after midnight.

-Karen Sturm

June 8 Post: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful country drive to get there. The church was a beautiful 800-year-old cathedral built in the middle of the country with only 5 homes in Seelitz. We had 22 nearby communities join together for the concert. The people were so excited and receptive. The floor and first two (of three balconies) were filled. It was obvious after the first chord that people were excited and glad to be there. Even though the Euro 2007 'Football' tournament was at 9 PM, no one seemed anxious to leave after the first encore! We were glad to have Bob Cline usher for us and able to find a seat for everyone.We began the first day with two concerts and singing in the Schneeberg cathedral and ended with great momentum and worship! Please remember us at noon each day, as we are 7 hours ahead of Texas and will begin our concert at that time.

-Lynnette Powell

This was our view at lunch today. -Rhonda Beard

June 7 Post: Germany Mission Trip

2008-06-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

76 travel weary members of the FBC Music Missions Team arrived at Frankfurt airport after flying all night. Three will join us later. We picked up our luggage, went through customs, and boarded buses for Dresden. Dresden is the staging city for the first half of our Music and Missions tour.

We had no major mishaps except one misplaced passport, and it was eventually recovered. After a 5-hour drive we arrived in Dresden and checked into the ETAP hotel, which will be our home for three nights. Its hardly luxurious, but it's home. Everyone is tired but excited to begin the ministry. Tomorrow are our first two concerts: in Schneeberg and Seelitz. Please continue to pray for us throughout the mission trip.

-Jim Witt

Check out Mark Hill's video clip after the photos below:

Greetings from Angola, Africa

2008-05-23T11:22:00.001-07:00

Angola has a hard history. After centuries of subsistence farming, animistic worship tribal warfare, slavery (many, many of the slaves brought to the US came from here), and 25 years of civil war – the trust level, confidence and hope are very low. Angola is a country rich in resources and potential, but often without a clue how to go ahead. The basic salary is $115 per month, the population is divided by tribal background, ancient loyalties, a low level of basic services (the neighborhood where I am staying has had no water since January, the electricity goes one or more times every day and may stay off for hours) and rampant injustice. Trash, dust and noise clog the streets and the air. The phrase that comes to mind is “like sheep without a shepherd”:. The churches work hard, but they have limited vision and its an uphill slog. But, I’m having a blast. The twenty students that I am teaching are a joy. Most are already pastors. They hardly aver miss and they’re very punctual. The Dean of the seminary is Pastor of First Baptist Church and also General Secretary of the Convention. I am teaching Old Testament Theology. After a week of getting to know one another and what to expect (the first couple of days they were looking at me like herd of cows staring at a new gate) We’ve made real progress this week. We are now almost half way through. I am looking forward to the next two weeks.

Greetings from Angola, Africa

2008-05-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

May 17, 2008 - Luanda, Angola

I left DFW airport on Thursday, May 8 at 5:40 pm and arrived in Luanda at 4:20 am on Saturday. Gary Garrison, pastor of Second Baptist Church - Huntsville, and his 13 year-old daughter Taylor were with me on the flight from London. Most of the rest of the folk on the Boeing 777 were oil-field workers. There were only eleven females passengers. I want to thank FBC Garland for sending me on this trip.

I am staying in a mission house on one of the missionary compounds in Luanda, with Gary and an occasional transient. Sunday, after arriving Saturday, I preached at the Portuguese service at FBC Luanda. About 800 were in attendance. The music was tremendous and Pastor Cesar has been very helpful, among other things he comes by to take me to the Seminary every day. There is also an English service at FBC early on Sunday morning (mostly oil people).

I am teaching at the Baptist Seminary in Luanda. The Seminary is about 5 years old (started after the civil war ended in 2002). They will graduate their first Bachelors students in December. The seminary has three levels of students and the Bachelor program is currently the top level. There are 20 students in that program and they are there on time with almost no absentees. The level of interest is very high.

I was asked to teach Old Testament Theology (about two weeks before I came) and only knew that they had no books or other resources in this area. It has been an interesting week. They are used to being given material to copy in their notebooks and memorize for the exam (a lot like Brazil). I don’t do that. I challenge students to think, because the world doesn’t operate by-the-book. We are getting used to one another. They are adjusting to my way of teaching and I have altered considerably the material I will cover. I will be here three more weeks, so we have time to make some real progress. I will be teaching a good deal of hermeneutics (interpretation) and exegesis (application) along with the theology, but that is for free.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will walk to a local Baptist church and participate there.

Pray for these students because they have so much potential, but the realities here make things hard at times.

In His service,

Houston Greenhaw

Texans in the West Banks #5

2007-11-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

Saturday, November 10, 2007
Texans in the West Bank #5 provided by Jack

It is difficult to find words to do justice to the history and significance of the “old city” in Jerusalem. Invaded twenty-eight times, dominated by twelve different foreign powers, claimed by three world religions – Jerusalem is a multi-layered marvel, full of conflicts, contradictions and re-used stones.Today, we followed the path Jesus took from his arrest until he was laid in the tomb. (Of course, the exact location of several of these events is hotly debated and the appearance of many of them has been so radically altered by the “faithful” that they bear little, if any, resemblance to what people of Jesus time would have seen and experienced.) In spite of this, to walk some of the same paths (and even some of the same stones) that Jesus walked, to see the land and the people, and to experience some of the same conflicts and tensions that he faced, is a sobering and enriching experience. It is also sobering and encouraging to realize that Jesus’ love and salvation reach beyond human barriers and boundaries. They penetrate the hearts of people and draw them to him any time his people respond to his call.It is also difficult to find words to tell about our experience tonight at the Culture Center of Ramallah. A new film, which tells the story of Jesus’ ministry through the eyes of Mary Magdellan, was presented there and we were privileged to help. Over 1200 people came. The theater only seats 800 so many were standing. A thousand copies of the film were handed out at the end. We were divided into two groups. Some of us prayed for those who watched the film. The rest of us helped a group of about ten young Palestinian Christians work with about 120 children under ten who came. Before the showing, we met with the young Palestinians and prayed for the showing. This is the first time that the film has been shown to the public and no one was sure what would happen. But we knew who would be in control It was awesome.

Texans in the West Banks #4

2007-11-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 09, 2007
Texans in the West Bank #4 provided by Jack

Early this morning our team headed for Bethlehem, birthplace of ourLord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We met with the Palestinian Christianleadership in Bethlehem in preparation to go in several teams to takefood supplies to needy Palestinian Christian families. One particular home we visited included a ninety-two year old motherand her daughter. The daughter thanked us for the food and shared howChrist had healed her from blindness. As she talked, she stood up,raised her hands in the air and began shouting praises to God for hishealing and protection. We all joined with her in praising God forHis goodness.I am always humbled by the faith Palestinians Christians have inJesus. Each team visited eight to ten families, bringing food and theblessings of Christ. We heard story after story of hardship, illnessand poverty. Yet their faith in Christ remains strong. I am always humbled by that fact.Later in the day, we drove down to Jericho to visit some believers from Gaza. They had just evacuated from the Gaza Strip, several of them having death threats on their lives from people who want them to renounce their faith in Christ. These are all members of the same church where Rami Ayaad was a member. Rami was a believer who was martyred for his faith in Christ several weeks ago. The grief and sadness of these friends was evident as we gathered with them for prayer. It was clear the Holy Spirit was present in the prayer meeting that night. God's comfort, blessings and peace was among us as we sharedour love for the believers. I pray for God to use the death of Rami to reach the people in the Gaza Strip for Jesus Christ. As we rode back to our apartment that night, we reflected on our deep abiding love for these believers and continued to pray God's blessings and protection upon them all. Please join with us in this prayer. JS

Texans in the West Bank #3

2007-11-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

As posted on Wednesday, November 7 by Jack

We started the morning about 9:00 a.m. with a devotional before going out to some nearby villages. Our first stop was to deliver books to a school in a small village of about 600 people. The school has 120 elementary students in grades K-6. Upon arrival at the school, the children were on a recess break and we were greeted by both the students and school staff. We were received with many smiles by the school staff and children. The children wanted us to shake their hands as we walked into their school grounds. Numerous photos were requested, as the children wanted their pictures taken so that they could see themselves on the digital camera lcds. Here at the school we delivered 60 well-received books to their modest library. Also delivered to school staff were hunger relief supplies. From the school we walked down the road to a home that was visited by the PAL Team last year. The home is located just across a narrow street from the mosque. Last year the team painted the inside of the home and delivered items to the family. This year as we walked onto their property, we were greeted by three women and four children. We were shown yesterday's new arrivals to their small goat farm, two baby goats. The area where the goats live is attached directly to their house and just outside of the kitchen. The women invited us into their home for tea. We visited for a time, talked about their families' and gave the children some stuffed animals. We also provided some hunger relief supplies.The older woman of the home showed us some impressive needlework she has done. She showed us two dresses that were decorated with needlework. She also showed us some of her smaller items, including pillowcases and purses. A number of her wares were purchased by the PAL Team. From this house, we drove away from the Village back towards our apartment. We stopped along the way at hillside location with a view of the Village just visited. Here upon this dry and dusty hill we prayed for the small Village, the children and their families. During our prayer, we could hear the call-to-prayer sounds coming from the mosque. We proceeded next to one more home. We drove to another Village who was an acquaintance of one of the PAL Team members. Here we were greeted by a younger man then two women, one much older than the other. Here at this location we were shown the closeness of the family unit. There were five homes or so near each other. All of residents of these homes were related and it appeared to be a tight-knit family unit. There was much excitement by the family members as a brother was to be married tomorrow. His wife-to-be was from another village about 45 km away. We were served juice to drink by the young man we were visiting. This was the first time we had a man serve us while the women were present. The two women were sitting and talking with our group as the young man served us the drinks. We visited with the two women and young man for a time. The one to be most engaged in the conversation was the woman who was perhaps 35 or so. We provided hunger relief supplies to the five related families. We then joined for a prayer of blessing on tomorrows wedding, for much-needed rain and for the families. The homes visited today are stretched financially since the only work available for the men of these families is through day labor. Here it is a disgrace for a man not to work, however it is extremely challenging, if not impossible for many to sustain their families. Onward we went to our apartment for lunch and a break. From here, six of us drove to the Dead Sea. We had the opportunity to stop and take some pictures of some hillside caves. Upon arrival at the Dead Sea, we observed many uniformed teenage girls engaged in prayer. They appeared to be Hasidic Jews given their style of reading and prayer. Walking down the path to the shoreline, there were people coming up from the water whose skin looked like it was covered with tar. Some people cover their bodies with the black mud found at the bottom of the Dead Sea as a rejuvenating skin treatment. We were able to gather some stones from the shoreline and test the waters with our toes. Sunset came shortly after arrival at the shore, as the sun sets about 5:00 p.m. We could see the lights of Jordan across the Sea on our way back to the apartment. We arrived back at the apartment about 7:00 p.m. for a time of supper and fellowship.

Texans in the West Bank

2007-11-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Texans in the West Bank #2

From Jack and the Team

We began the day with breakfast and prayer for the families we would visit today. Our prayer was for the H S to go before us and prepare the hearts of the people.We traveled to a village which is about 8km from the town we are staying in, but we had to travel about 25km to get there due to road access around the mountains.We divided into two teams to be able to visit more families. Our team visited with 3 families. Each visit was to a family including several generations... a mother, daughters and/or daughters-in-law and many grandchildren. Each family was obviously very poor but insisted on serving us coffee and tea, which was very good. There was only one man present in one family, none in the others. The women said the men were away looking for work. The second family, where the uncle was present, was grinding wheat to make flat bread as we arrived. After the uncle finished grinding, he came in to be with us while the daughter prepared the bread. She used an outside oven consisting of hot charcoal under stones. The dough was flattened, like tortillas, and placed on the hot stones to bake. We were given two flat breads as we were leaving. It was delicious. Each family had heavy burdens that they shared with us of poverty, lack of work, health problems and family members separated from them because borders have changed. They can no longer cross borders to visit family.Our purpose was to show them love through our visit and encouragement and small gifts for their children. My prayer is that each family will remember our visit each time they eat the food.

You may also log on to WWW.PALWALK.BLOGSPOT.COM

Texans in the West Bank

2007-11-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Texans in the West Bank#1

We started out in New Jersey airport and ended up here. Seven of us arrived on Saturday morning and have gotten off to a great start! I and two other team members visited and encouraged a good Palestinian friend of ours, while the rest of the team toured outside the Old City of Jerusalem...seeing key Biblical sites: Mt. of Olives, Garden of Gethsemani and Caiphas' house. Virginia was taken back by the lifesize statue of Peter's denial...Peter's hands were lifted in denial and his head seemed to be shaking "No, I don't even know the Man." As I write this, I see the irony of this statement....That is why we are here! Day one was full! Today we worshipped the Lord with local Palestinian Christians. They sang in Arabic as we sang and hummed along. Some songs we recognized by the tune...but others???? No clue! I sung along inserting my own words in a form of a prayer over the church members. To my surpise, the message echoed my prayer. God is in our midst!

Final day in Luanda

2007-10-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Dearest Prayers,

Today was a day of celebration of all that has transpired over the last week.

We met the health workers, the health activists, the teachers from the school, Papa Destino, Pastor Joao and his wife Filomena, the Baptist Women's Executive Director for Angola, Joan - the British missionary who has been our hostess, and hundreds of children and adults. It was a ceremony honoring each of the groups that participated in making the past week successful. They took the time to celebrate all parties working together in the sharing of the gospel and the distribution of the Nets.

One beautiful event was a ceremonial handing of the Nets from each team member to 5 pregnant Moms carrying their baby on their backs, 5 school-age children representing the children in the community, and the reading of a letter of appreciation to our church and His Nets for their part in this ministry. It was a great time of rejoicing in God's provision for all He's done both leading up to and during the time spent here.

We made Texans out of the Health Minister of the IEBA and the Pastor of the church by presenting each of them with Lone Star State T-Shirts. Sorry, T and Don and Pastor Greg, they didn't sell any OU shirts at the Texas Bookstore!!!

After the festivities we passed out soccer balls, baseball caps and "beanie babies" to the workers who labored with us. Leslie decided to try some behavior modification with the local kids by offering candy for a piece of trash. In 30 seconds they filled a 30 gallon trash can and we were mobbed by hundreds of kids!!!!!

After leaving the clinic we went to dinner with all of the dignitaries of the Igrega Evangelica Baptista em Angola and evaluated this week's effort. The heads of the convention were very impressed and so thankful that Angola was remembered.

We ended the week following up on the family that we witnessed to our very first day. More people from the neighborhood were present so we shared the gospel again and 8 people prayed asking Christ into their lives. We had saved 8 nets for them and were able to share a suitcase of clothing we had brought with us.

Thank you for the sweet messages of encouragement and continued prayers while we've been here. Only God knows for sure but we think over 100 adults plus children prayed asking Christ to come into their lives. Continue to pray because we aren't home yet (we have to be at the airport 4 hours in advance because of the way things operate in Angola). We'll leave our rooms at 5:30 in the morning on our way to Lisbon, Newark, and Dallas. We'll arrive in Dallas at 6:00p.m. Sunday night.

See you soon!

All of our love,

Your Angolan Team
Norm, Bob, Dave, Leslie and Charlotte

End of the week

2007-10-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

The need is great but the Nets are few...got rocks thrown at us because people wanted to see their children saved too and we didn't have enough to hand out!

We have given out our last nets and there are so many people angry at us because they didn't receive one. If we had 100.000 nets it wouldn't have been enough for the area of Terra Vermelha (red dirt) where we were working. The good news is that there were MANY souls saved today. They are so open to listen to the story of God's love for them and when they pray they do it from the depths of their hearts. The Baptist pastor from that area accompanied us and in his testimony yesterday afternoon said that he had felt very encouraged by the way we shared Christ's love and that he had actually learned a lot from the team. Pray for him, Pastor Joao Tuto, who has a monumental job to do right there. He took down the names of those who were praying to receive Christ and promised to go visit them.

Wednesday night we had the opportunity of meeting some of our IMB missionaries and had an American meal (we've been eating boiled bananas and peanuts every day for lunch because that is what they eat)! Luckily the power didn't go out until the food was cooked so we got to enjoy a candlelight dinner. The missionary was trying to decide whether to open the door and let the air in so we wouldn't smother or keep the door closed and the mosquitos out--we kept the mosquitos out :0)!!! Scott Mcainey told us about a near-death experience awhile back when he contracted malaria. The village people thought he had died and had a funeral for him. He did live and sent word back to them because if he showed up in person they would think he was Lazarus!!!

It has been a humbling experience to put it mildly! No words will ever convey to you the poverty and the need of this people. However, they keep smiling and trying. We white people scare them to death and that has been humbling. Some of the children cry when they see us because a local cult church tells them that white people are of the devil and will eat their young.
We are so different and interesting to them that they throng around us touching our arms, feeling our hair, and stare at us like something from another planet. We have literally hundreds of kids following us everywhere so we've used those opportunities to teach them songs, tell them bible stories and just show them God loves them!

Today we will have a closing ceremony with the local authorities. We are somewhat concerned about the big black pot with boiling water they've prepared for us (just kidding)!

We love you and have definitely felt your prayers. Keep praying. We have today's activities and two days of travelling ahead of us.

Your Angolan Team...
Bob, Leslie, Norm, Dave and Charlotte

Angola Day 1

2007-10-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Day 1

Wow, what a day!!! Today was our first day to pass out nets to the people of Angola. We first visited the General Baptist Secretary of the Country of Angola and his first Vice-President. He graciously welcomed us and was quite moved that we would be willing to leave our country to come serve his people. He is already inviting us to come back! Because of the poverty of the country the needs are endless. Due to the overwhelming population and the traffic and lack of paved roads it is a 2-hour journey to get across town. We never travel the same path so its hard to grasp where you are or where you've been.

We returned to the community Terra Vermelha (Red Dirt) near one of the churches we visited on Sunday. This community came about as trash was dumped from the city and people would come and dig through the trash to find sustenance. They stayed and built their huts beside the dump so this is truly a city built amongs the refuse.

We split up in two groups , one at the Health Clinic and the other one walking door-to-door (there are a LOT of doors). We had 10 Angolan health workers from the local church to assist us. For each net distributed we explained its correct use, recorded their address and number of family members, number of children under five, as well as the GPS coordinates of each location. This will allow follow-up mission group to gauge the effectiveness of the nets. We were overwhelmed by the masses of people desiring nets and saddened by their desperate conditions. We had 400 nets to pass out today but within a few hours our quota had been delivered and people were literally screaming for them.

We did have the opportunity to share Christ's message with quite a few people. One man, Joao, came demanding that his family receive a net (he has 10 children). He was soon set in place by "Mama" Charlotte and while waiting his turn we had the opportunity to lead him to Christ. We prayed that God would use his assertive character as a positive force for Jesus within his community. Wherever we went flocks of children followed us. We used those moments to tell them the gospel story and teach them English praise songs.

Angola is a country torn by almost 30 years of civil war. Take notice of the picture of the young boy standing next to a bomb shell casing that was used as a crude decoration in his yard.

We finished up the day with the kids playing soccer with one of the balls donated by our church and passing out lollypops. Having learned from today's experience, tomorrow we look forward to passing out 600 nets and sharing the love of Jesus.

We are all doing real well and are in good health. Such things as frequent power outages, cold showers, and fumigating our rooms before bedtime have underlined the importance of flexibility in our vocabulary! We are cooking our own meals after discovering the high cost of eating out in Angola. So far Norm and Dave have done a good job. Bob, Leslie and Charlotte are responsible for the clean-up!!!

We are having an awesome experience sharing the love of Christ with this needy people. Your prayers are being vital to this mission and we continue counting on them.

In His service,
Bob, Dave, Leslie, Norm and Charlotte

ANGOLA

2007-10-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! After two days of travelling we were kind of tired but ready to serve. Even those that have travelled third-world countries before were taken-back by the level of poverty and how it just goes on and on from neighborhood to neighborhood - It just never ends! Even in the downtown area we saw high-rise buildings that were started and never finished and eventually taken over by the poor people. There are no railings, no doors, no windows, and there they are 20 stories up in the air.

Water and electricity are a luxury. The only running water is the kind you run and get! We see kids that are 7 or 8 years old carrying hundreds of pounds of water on their backs. A lot of the women carry everything on their heads -- from bread, to laundry, to water, gasoline...whatever the need!

Yesterday after settling into our apartments which are very modest at best (cold showers -- but we're not complaining after seeing a man bathing in the sewer water --no air conditioning, etc) we went grocery shopping (we are cooking our own meals to save money--eating a hamburger and french fries was $12). After returning we walked past the guarded gate and went across the road where we met 8 families living in one little area. We had the joy of sharing Christ with them and having 3 of them pray to receive Christ into their lives. We left floating on air and thanking the Lord for allowing us to come.

Today has been a great day. We visited and worshipped in 7 (yes, seven) different Baptist churches. We were blessed by some of the prettiest a capella music that you will ever hear. They were singing in the Congo language and even though we couldn't understand we knew they were praising Jesus and we wept!!! People were most appreciative that we were there, and didn't understand why we would come all the way from America to help them. We were accompanied by Mr. Destino Garcia, the Minister of Health of the Igreja Evangelica Baptista de Angola, and Joan Woodyer, a missionary nurse with the British Missionary Society.

The little children are so happy to have their picture taken. As a matter of fact, anybody will stop and ask you to take their picture. We'' will try to send some pictures as soon as possible.

Tomorrow we start the distribution of the Nets so please continue to pray as we have 2000 Nets to distribute in 5 days.

We will get back to you later with more details. Our battery is running out.

In His service,
The Angola Team

Family Mission Trip Overview

2007-07-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for all of your prayers and support throughout this trip. You're prayers have meant so much to us on this trip.

Well, although the week started out rough and we were all a bit discouraged. The rain that blessed us daily put a damper on our activities. We were not sure exactly what God was thinking and what His plans were for the trip because, from the way it was looking, most of our activities would not have a good turn out.

God obviously did have fantastic plans for us. Although we had fewer children at the VBS we truly had an impact on the children. Many of them were questioning religion and hungry to learn more. We had one child at VBS accept Christ and four of the mothers. This alone was an incredible act of God's strength. At the VBS it was incredible to see the way that God worked through the children and youth that we brought with us on the trip. I will admit that i was skeptical about having young kids on the mission trip. These kids totally proved me wrong! They were ready and eager to let God work through their lives. They were excited and totally willing to do whatever needed to be done to help the kids that we had there. They were incredible with the children. They could have almost run it themselves! It is so cool to see how God can work through so small a person as long as they have a willing heart.

Although the rain made it harder for the construction team, they pushed forward. The hammered and nailed in the rain and worked through the afternoon when necessary. They had an obvious impact on the family of the small house that they built and on pastor Omar and his wife. Not only that but they also got the chance to reach out to the family next door to one of the houses. They helped them to fix their sagging roof and, though this, had the chance to witness to them and tell them about Jesus and Omar's church. The construction team planted a seed that Omar and his church will pursue.

The block parties were the area that we definitely had to be the most flexible and had to trust God and put our faith in him. Both block parties were planned at parks but had to be moved indoors to different facilities because of the rain. We were discouraged because we knew that this would hurt the attendance dramatically. Di spite our skepticism, God did incredible things. The first block party, which ended up being held at the church, drew mainly church members. On this night, although many of the attendees were already believers, there were eight people who accepted Christ. This was something we totally did not expect and knew was definitely God's hand in our work. The second block party drew more people from the community that did not attend church. God totally blew our expectations out of the water with this one. We were expecting a smaller turn out for this block party and we ended up having more people than we could have ever expected or hoped for in these circumstances. On that night we had 28 professions of faith! We were dumbfounded. God definitely worked in spite of and through the rain.

Reach for the Goal Sports Camp ~ Vancouver 2007

2007-07-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

God is working here in Vancouver at the Sports Camp! There are four different teams, three from different churches in the states working together with The Bridge, to form one team with a single purpose. It is a beautiful picture of how the body of Christ works together for His purposes.

The weather was terrific the first day - lots of sunshine. We had 42 kids in attendance. The very first day one of the new kids (a seven year old Asian boy) had a great conversation with one of the teenage counselors. They were talking about God. When the teen asked the little boy if he knew about God, he said he thought he died at Christmas. When the teen explained about Jesus' birth and death and reason God planned it that way, the boy said "he didn't live very long then, did he?!" The teen explained his death was several years later. Another little boy brought a book called Questions and Answers About the Bible. He has been bringing it every day. Jerry, the pastor of The Bridge, is telling a Bible story each day. This year he is telling the story about Daniel. Each day he leaves off the story at an exciting point, which causes the kids to anticipate the next day. It's exciting to see at the end of the story, the little boy with the Bible book always gets it out and turns to the Daniel story to look ahead.

Tuesday and Wednesday did not look so well as far as the weather is concerned. It rained all morning Tuesday, and most of the day on Wednesday. It is supposed to rain the rest of the week - please pray for sunshine for us! In spite of the gloomy weather, spirits remained high and we had a great time. All the kids still showed up and participated in the activities. We have had to modify games because we can't play basketball when the court is so wet.

Today (Wednesday) two of the campers asked a lot of questions about God and church. They asked why Christians go to church. One of the kids said he was a Christian (he prayed a salvation prayer with Jeremy a few years ago), but that he doesn't go to church. Please stay in prayer for us as the leaders answer all the questions the kids are asking. We are thrilled that they are asking such deep, probing questions.

Matthew 28:19 tells us to go and make disciples of all nations. There are numerous nationalities represented at the sports camp, some of whom don't speak much English! Of the 42 kids, 40 of them come from completely unchurched homes. Even with the language and religious challenges, we are seeing how God's love breaks through, so that they don't become barriers.

South Mountain Community Church, New Jersey

2007-07-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

We have finally gotten access to a computer this morning. We worshipped with the South Mountain church on Sunday morning and were encouraged with the growth we saw compared to our time here last summer. This is a warm congregation working hard to share God's love with a community that is not very receptive to the Gospel. The locals are very nice people and the working parent typically rides the train to NYC every day. Pastor Bob Griner and his nine summer interns are striving to make an impact on this metro New York suburb.

Our team was originally planning to assist in leading a soccer camp however registrations were not what they had hoped for. We have been doing various servant evangelism projects such as handing out breakfast bars at the train station each morning, picking up trash at local parks, prayer walking and assisting with VBS. Please pray for our team along with mission teams from Maryland and Kansas as we work together to help South Mountain Community Church impact their community with God's love.

Family Mission Trip Beginnings

2007-07-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Well, in case anyone was worried, we made it down here on Saturday night despite the little run-in that Collins had with an impatient driver on the highway. Don't worry - no one was hurt, and with God's help, the damages were repaired quickly and we were on our way.

On Sunday morning, we experienced a new and different type of service than most of us were used to. At Omar's church we experienced a special praise and worship service. Although the majority of the service was in Spanish and we did not understand the words, we could definately feel God's spirit in that place. Their hearts spoke to ours with their words and their songs. We felt their emotions and the power of God surging through the church. Although it was one of the longest services the majority of our crew had experienced (the service lasted three hours), we didn't want to leave because we were still hungry for more. These people at the church truly love God and yearn for His presence.

Today was our first day of work both at the construction sites and VBS at the community center. We awoke this morning to pouring rain and lightning storms. I was immediatly fearful that not only the contruction crew would fall behind because they would not be able to work, but that VBS would also be a flop because the children would not show up. Well, God obviously had other plans. He will provide; we only need to trust Him. The rain stopped just in time and the guys at the construction site didn't lose much time and are right on schedule. They have the roof up on the smaller of the houses, and they have finished the electrical wiring and the insulation at Omar's house! God is truly blessing our labor. VBS also went well today. We had 16 kids which was more that we expected considering the rain. The children are already warming up to us and seem ready to learn more about God. It is cool to see God working through all of the members of our team. He uses each of us and our unique talents for His glory. He is working not only through the adults but through the children on the trip as well. Pray for us as the week progresses. God is with us and is going to do great things on this trip. We are here for one reason and one reason only, to glorify Him and that is what we intend to do.

Thank you for your prayers and your support!
Caroline Davidson

2007-07-09T09:38:00.001-07:00

Vancouver - Monday, June 18, 2007

2007-06-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

Update on Sports Camp site -
It is going to happen, just waiting to hear God's choice. The Bridge Church has definite permission to use McBride Park in Kitsilano; however, that would mean having to change the basketball portion of the camp to "field sports". Jerry and Rodney have already spoken to Jeremy Jackson and he is willing to do whatever is needed - he knows of some great games that would encompass all sports to go along with soccer camp.

Now, the ideal we are praying for is the site at a private school - Fraser Academy. This one does offer a basketball court. The head master's assistant has called this morning with word that the head master realizes our deadline and will definitely give an answer today. Please pray God's will and His choice. We are so excited to hear His answer.

Since our last note, we have prayer walked the campus of University of British Columbia, attended The Bridge Worship Service, participated in a church-wide prayer meeting on Sunday evening and have spent lots of time encouraging the church staff and their families. Today as we await answer on the sports camp (so we can prepare their mailouts), we are at the church office putting together "welcome packets" to take to Vancouver's Welcome House - a place where new immigrants arrive into Canada. Families and individuals actually stay there for a couple of weeks for orientation and help finding housing and jobs. These "welcome packets" contain toiletries and info about The Bridge. After we deliver we will "prayer walk" by car so we can cover more territory.

Our prayer:
In Vancouver, "The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." However, the lost here do not see the beauty around them as being designed by God, the Creator, the Heavenly Father. We pray these scriptures:

"For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 4:6

"I now send you to open their eyes, in order to turn then from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:17-18

Vancouver Prayer Walking Mission Trip

2007-06-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Vancouver Ladies Prayer Walking Mission Trip. Our "mission trip miracles" began yesterday on our flight. Trisha had the honor and privilege of sitting next to two ladies from Maryland. They were traveling to Vancouver to visit family and were looking forward to leaving on a cruise especially-designed for a community of very special people who are both deaf and blind. The older woman, Ann, was deaf/blind and the younger woman, Irene, was deaf, but had been Ann's companion and "connection to the world" for 10 years. As I sat beside them, God said, "Trisha are you going to sit her on this plane for four hours and not tell them about me?" I decided to write a note introducing myself and my traveling companions, Rubye Dacon, Barbara Borth, Nelda Gentsch and Lynnette Powell. I told them we were on a Prayer Walking Mission Trip. Irene wrote that she had been on a two-week Prayer Walking Mission Trip to Japan. She told me when she had accepted Jesus as her Savior. When I asked about Ann's faith, Irene said she did not know if Ann had Jesus in her heart (after knowing her for 10 years). We continued writing and then Irene began "signing" into Ann's hand. Their relationship was beautiful to watch. Ann began smiling and wanted to talk to me (she does have some speaking ability). She showed me the sign for Jesus and Bible and pointed to her heart. Then in her lovely broken voice she sang to me "Jesus Loves Me". I gave them a copy of our group's Bible verses we had chosen as our theme verses for Vancouver (about 15 verses). Irene then turned to Ann and took the time to sign every word of every verse to her. It was beautiful to watch them, constantly touching (a blessing that hearing people miss) with lovely smiles on their sweet faces. Their relationship now has a bond into Eternity and we can't wait to see them there with their sight and sound perfectly restored by our wonderful Lord.

We shared a meaningful evening with The Bridge Church at their weekly "Build-Up" Meeting (Bible Study). Jerry Conner, the Pastor, spoke on 1 Peter 1 and his wife, Diana led a discussion on James 1:12-15. We enjoyed meeting several of their newest church members that we had prayed for over the last year.

Many of you know the church has been searching for a new site for this year's Outreach Sports Camp. We received word this morning that another much hoped for location is also not available. And so, as Jerry says, "We move on in faith". They are now awaiting a call from the Vancouver Parks and Recreation Board to secure a site at a local park. We are leaving the church office now to go on a prayer walk at some of the possible locations and in their neighborhoods.

Please continue praying for God's perfect site.

Going BIG in Germany

2007-03-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hello from Tommy:

Our group started our second full day in Weimar today. We taught US Geography to the kids. Jarrett and Travis Porter led in the classrooms and did real well. We spent the afternoon playing soccer in the park then went to the church for a good German dinner.

We also were encouraged by the testimonies of three German believers. Its cool to see how God moves here in Germany. One girl spoke about coming to visit the church 3 years ago because a group of Americans were here. She is now a Christian.

We all ate dönners for lunch. They're turkish gyros and De-lish! The kids are learning German like crazy. They are loved very much by our hosts.

Pleas pray that God will energike our group as the week rolls on!

Sunday and Monday

2007-03-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, we went to church and then mostly hung out with our host families because the rest of the week we will tend to leave early and get home late. At church, we observed the Lord's Supper and it was really cool. Rather then pass the bread and juice down the aisles, people go up to the front in small groups and take the communion together, out of a common glass and a common bread basket.
Many families chose to take their students around Weimar and see the sights and historical sights (many nationally famous philosophers and so forth). Jarrett and my family took us to Erfurt, the capitol of Thuringen, Germany (the state we're in). It was a lot of fun.

Today, Monday, we went into the schools and taught English for the first time. It was a lot of fun getting to know the kids and speak with them.

In Him,
Mark Evans

Greetings from Weimar,Germany

2007-03-11T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hi from Christina Wiechecki

Well we made it to Germany safely. We only had one mishap along the way. While at the Frankfurt Airport we waited at McDonald's for Tim. When he got there, we took off to the train station, and once we got there Mark realized he didn't have his back pack! So he had to run back to find it...keep in mind that it took us twenty minutes to get to the station so double that and it would be forty minutes, which Mark did not have. However he did make it back in time and with his backpack, the only thing he lost along the way was a pillow.

My first night in Weimar was great and the family I am staying with is very nice. They do not speak very much English but it works out. They took me sitghtseeing today and we got to know each other a little better.

Tommorrow we go into the schools so please pray for us because we just found out we are going to have more classes then expected. It is going to take some flexibility and creativity to get things in order.

In Christ,
Christina

Germany Mission Trip

2007-03-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

March 9-March 18, 2007

Our 13 member team left for Weimar, Germany at 8:40 a.m. today and will arrive in Frankfurt Main Airport in Germany at 6: a.m. on March 10. Please pray for them as they lead in Basketball Camp and English Classes.

Our team is:
Travis Blanton
Tommy Courson
Rachel Denton
Shawn Dickerson
Mark Evans
Andrew Gunter
Katherine Harrell
Travis Porter
Jake Shepherd Sac
Greg Sipe
Christina Wiechecki
Courtney Zajac