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Updates below from
Summer Missionaries serving
all across the world!
Carlie, New Orleans
Please continue to pray for us as a staff that we continue to seek after the will that God as for us down here to minister to the kids and teens in this community. Please pray that we push towards the end of the summer with the same amount of energy or more than what we had the beginning of the summer. There have already been 4 professions of faith this summer from our kids. God is doing a BIG thing in this city and the Devil is not going to win!
Kadie, Connie Maxwell
We have officially survived our week at Centrifuge! It was awesome – I don’t really remember the last time I was that tired but I would go back in a heartbeat. The bus left around noon on Monday and we got back Saturday after lunch. It was a fantastic week…in my last post I said that one of our prayers has been that God will reveal to us what makes each of the kids unique and I really saw that get answered last week. The mornings were early and the nights were late (have you recently tried to get 11 middle and high school girls into bed and quiet on time? It gave me a new appreciation for my own youth leaders haha) and no one ever wanted to either get in or out of bed, but I can honestly say I learned so much about the girls that we went with. One of the last nights we were there turned into a soul-baring time of reflecting on past hurts and what got some of them to where they are now, and my heart just broke for them. Hearing some of what has been done to them in the past and seeing the scars they carry to this day just blows your mind, but it also showed the incredible strength and beauty these young women have. I am so looking forward to getting to know them better this summer and continue with them on the path to healing. Please pray that we will have wisdom to know how to deal with each girl’s individual situation and that they will come to a place where they realize that Christ offers the only true freedom from their pasts. Centrifuge was a learning experience for me as well – the theme was Kairos (time) and we talked about character and about defining moments. One of the character traits focused on was obedience: that obedience should not be dependent on results. We looked at the story of the fiery furnace and the verse that says even if God does not deliver us, we still believe and we will still obey. What a challenging statement!
Katie, South Asia
My, oh my! Where has the time gone?! It feels like I’ve been here forever and that I just arrived yesterday. My summer has been absolutely amazing; words seriously can’t describe it. (So, I don’t know why I decided to blog about my summer… because seriously… my words are NOT enough.) But, I did fall in love with this country, these people, and Our Father all over again. He seriously has given me His eyes for His people. My heart is heavy after leaving M-town; I pry that I will never forget the images that I have seen. Faces of beggars, starving children, orphaned children, broken women… the list goes on and on. People in the temple bowing down to idols… gods that will never hear their desperate cry. Oh, if they only knew. If they could only hear the name of JC. It would change their life for all eternity.
Jessica, Philippines
Allison, A missionary that stayed with our team for two weeks this summer told us one night that something she liked to do when reflecting on the day was to think back on the points of the day where she could see God. Tonight as I sit on the shore of the beach, I remember what she said as I feel God’s presence surrounding me.
Where did I see God today?
I see God in the lightning that makes the night sky as bright as daylight.
I see God in the bright stars gleaming through the clouds against the black sky.
I see God in the waves crashing against the sandy shore of the beach, over and over again but never in the exact same way.
I see God in each countless grain of sand and each individual rock on the beach.
It amazes me how day after day God can continue to put things into perspective. I am small. He is big. God surrounds us. I’ve realized I need to make myself more aware of God’s beauty on a daily basis. I need to take time out of my day each and every day to immerse myself in His beauty and grace so I can fully absorb His love and share it with others.
Sam, Peru
Please continue praying for you and I need you desperately to pray for these things
Health, My team will need all the strength we are capable of to be effective
My team, I have grown close to each of the people that I serve with and am greatly enriched by them! Pray for their strength and growth that they be intuned to the calling of God in your life!
My growth, I continue to be shaped by the presence of God and will need to continue in order to be effective!!
The people, that the people we work with will be prepared in their hearts to hear God!
Amotola, Lowcountry SC
So far, the summer is going well. We have done more than 7 vacation bible school, backyard bible club and others ministry related things. It has been and will continue to be such a wonderful privilege to serve the Lowcountry people. God is moving in more than one way, lives are being touch, seeds are being planted, lives are being transform and people are experiencing a dash of love in their lives just because some high school/college students decides to surrender themselves under the mighty hands of God and he is working through us in many ways.
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Carlie, New Orleans
Recently I have been praying about the kid and/or teen girl that God would want for me to mentor. The one kid that I have praying to God about the possibility of mentoring to has been a sweet and smart little girl named Mikaila. For the past week I have prayed about which of these girls I should mentor to and in the past couple of days I have felt that God has been leading me to definitely mentor to Mikaila, since I am close to her and plus since she is a really smart young girl.
Tonight Tammy, Victoria, and I have decided to take 3 of our kids to a New Orleans Zephyr’s baseball game. I decided to take Mikaila with me because tonight at the game they are celebrating the mascot’s birthday and they will have a lot of fun stuff there at the game for kids like face painting and maybe even a petting zoo.
Please continue to pray that we always remember to seek after God for the wisdom to mentor to our kids and teens. Our supervisor Linda always tells us that we do not have to ask for strength from God because we do have the strength that He has given to us. The one thing we do have to ask God is for wisdom to portray God’s words to the kids, teens, and people to the community in a way that is pleasing and Holy to Him.
Monet, New Orleans
As I have walked around this building on many occasions the simple question comes to mind…what is missions…why do we go and do missions? Missions is going out into the world and sharing the gospel. It’s going and getting out of your comfort zone; whether it’s just walking out of your front yard, going to another state, country, or neighborhood. It’s going and sharing who Christ is and what He has done. I think one of the key things is that it’s not about us. A mission is not about what we want to do, where we want to go, or how comfortable we want to be. All of it is about Christ. We all should be on a lifelong mission. Who are we to sit around, go to work, or even church, and not be on mission? If we aren’t living our lives as if we are on a daily mission field, then what are we here for? Why did Christ give His life if we are just going to be selfish about and not share it with the people we love, or the people that we just met? Are you living on mission?
Amanda, Philippines
Being in this place is not a sacrifice, it truly is an honor that He loves me enough to jerk me away from everything I know and send me here. Throughout the week, I made new friends and started to become comfortable in this culture that is not my own. All of this can only be a gift from God. I'm enjoying life here. I'm thankful to able to be here. I'm learning to let go of things that I miss and begin enjoying things here. I'm tremendously blessed to have been called here. I'm thankful that all of you are keeping up with me and hitting your knees for me and my team.
Heather, West Africa
Even after eating termites, keeping down hot goat milk, and fighting scorpions, the hardest thing for me to do is get on a moto in a skirt that comes down to my ankles. Yes, I know it is hard for you to believe, but it sure is very difficult! And for you guys reading this, you have no idea!
Well, I thought since every interpreter fell through to go with me back out to the village of Gnanfongo, I wouldn’t be going. God had other plans though… We had already planned to go out there to church this past Sunday Morning. For the record, God really makes you listen to Him when He keeps you awake at night. So if He is telling you to do something, just say ok, and then you don’t have to worry about a sleepless night. Anyways, God convicted me of the fact that every reason I had for not going out to the village by myself was selfish and showed a lack of faith. I thought “my French is not good enough”, “there is nothing I could do by myself”, and “I need someone with me.” God kept speaking to me over and over saying to just trust in Him. Finally, sitting on my bed on Sunday morning, I knew I had to start packing. So, I stayed out in the village of Gnanfongo by myself for 5 days, and it REALLY has shown me a lot about my relationship with God.
Katie, South Asia
Today we spent most of the day training in our hotel. A lot of the time I completely forgot I was in SA, until I glanced out the window. We stopped for chai breaks (tea) which was a nice treat! It was great getting to meet and mingle with the other people that are here… meeting people last night was pretty much a blur because we were so tired! After our sessions we had time this evening to spend in the city with our team. The smells alone would blow your mind… they are overwhelming. It is definitely a culture shock… but I love it. These are my brothers and sisters and this is the life that they live… I can definitely handle it for two months! It is super HOT, spicy–but DELICIOUS food, different gender interactions, beggars, wardrobe. You name it, it’s different… except for two things. We are all Dad’s children and He loves us just the same.
Jessica, Philippines
It’s been less than a week that I’ve been here in Manila and already I can feel my heart crying out for these kids. It’s nothing like I expected. After a few days of orientation in the U.S. I thought I would be somewhat prepared but I wasn’t. Nothing anyone told me could prepare me for this. I live in a guest house a few houses down from the children’s home. There’s a gate all around the our house but the second we step out of the gate; reality hits.
We are surrounded by a squatter village. Within about 5 blocks there are approximately 5,000 people all living in anything they can find to build their homes. We joke about being poor in America but when I walk through the community here, I truly understand the meaning of poverty. It’s sad. I want so badly to be able to reach all of them. Some of them speak English but many only speak Tagalog so it makes communication somewhat difficult. I know that God will provide a way though. On the first full day here Sally and I played basketball with the kids in the community. It’s the sport of the Philippines. They loved it and even though Sally and I were pouring sweat by the time we were done; we loved it just as much. I’ve played basketball every day that I’ve been here. It’s such a good way to connect with the kids, both in the community and at the home. I’m going to be a pro by the time I leave.
Hanging out with the kids at the home has been so amazing. They have such big hearts. It takes a while for some of them to get warmed up but once they get there, they never stop talking. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the next two months. He’s has opened so many doors. Not only has He allowed me to be a part of the children’s home, but He has allowed me to be a part of the lives of the children that live in the community.
Pray that God will continue to open my eyes daily to the way I should be spending my time. I pray that there will be an eternal difference made in these kids’ lives. I just need God to show me how I should minister to these children. I ask for your prayers as well.
Stephanie, Peru
Yesterday was an incredible day. I taught two English classes and the children were wonderful. We then went to the outskirts of Quero to invite people to the bible study we were starting that night. We had no expectations, but the room was filled with children, young adults and older adults! I talked to two cousins who were about my age, Janet and Betsamia... they invited the team to breakfast. We went this morning and it was so humbling! They fed us so much when they had so little. Please pray for Janet’s mom, because she is sick, and pray for her dad because he is in Iraq right now. Great things are happening in Peru! We are about to head to Usibamba and eat lunch with a new believer, then we are going to make some house visits. Thank you for your prayers!
Tia, South Asia
The blind will see.
My heart was broken the other day. We traveled to a village that we will call Chicken Parmesan for now. We met with a family that I may have mentioned before, but if not I will provide a quick summary.... The woman that lives here suffered the loss of her husband and now she lives with her 4 children and her mother-in-law who is blind. Well we were talking to this family and storying with them, telling them stories about healing. We asked them how we could lift them up and they began talking about how hard it has been since the husband passed. The blind woman's daughter was talking about her brother’s tragic death and the blind woman began to sob. She was heartbroken by the loss and she was searching for comfort and some sign that everything would be alright. Because His will is so sovereign, He provided the words she needed right then to give comfort and hope. As we were talking to her I glanced over at the widow. I saw emptiness in her eyes. She too was searching for something. She looked numb with grief. The picture of the blind woman sobbing and the empty eyes of the widow will be forever burned in my soul.
Today we traveled to the same village and again visited this family. But this time there was the sweet aroma of grief lifting and hearts being healed. The past couple times we visited the widows house she was not as welcoming as the rest of her family, with good reason. If I lost my husband tragically I wouldn't want random foreigners coming to my home either. But today when we walked in, she smiled. She looked happy and gave us hugs! I was astonished! We told them that today we were coming to lift them up and we would be back Tuesday to story. So we lifted them up and when we were finished the blind woman spoke the only English words she knew. She said, "I love you." She said it several times and as she did she hugged us and touched our faces to get a mental picture of us. I was in tears.
He is so good.
Sam, Peru
Some things I would really appreciate prayer on!!!
For my team, myself Daniel, Raul, and Kyle our newest member. That we will unify, at peace with each other, and that God will use our unique gifting to show His glory.
For health, Daniel has already had heat exhaustion and I had a migraine while we were in the jungle and I really do not want to be slowed down from our mission. So please pray for our health to be maintained while we work.
For my studies, God is using this time so much to draw me continuously closer to Him and showing me new things about His personality that I had never experienced or imagined before. So please, pray that I will listen to the instructions that are being given right now. That I will not grow weary in his study and service, so that I can be a truly effective servant.
For the people….these people are truly incredible and I am greatly benefited from them. I so want them to see the glory of the gospel and know the power and joy of a relationship with Christ. God is using them and I pray that God will continue to move in each of the lives here and draw them all to Him who is worthy.
Be amazed at the King who has sent us.
Chelsea, Peru
Honestly, no one ever talks about the hard parts of mission work. At least, I never have heard of it. This isn´t fun. It isn´t easy. NOTHING is familiar here, not even the Gatorade bottles. We have been having really deep talks every night. It´s a blessing, and I think we all benefit from them because we realize we aren´t the only ones struggling at times. This is hard. it´s not easy for me (or any of us) to all of a sudden be here, in Peru, surrounded by a different language, different culture, different food, different music, and different people. I think we´re all scared we´re going to get homesick eventually, and I think we all have those moments at time, but they pass. Please don´t take this the wrong way. I don´t want to come home. I KNOW that God has called me here, and YES, it´s really challenging and trying and difficult right now, but I have UNWAVERING faith that the LORD has brought me here for a purpose. I want my time here and my words and actions to glorify Him. I know that God can and will do great and mighty things. Maybe I won´t see them while I´m here….but I know that we are obedient by being here, and I know that God can use these hardships for His kingdom and His glory. When I think about why I’m here, all of the things that are difficult for us to adjust to right now grow dimmer. Honestly, though, sometimes I just have these moments when it is SO evident to me that this is where I really AM supposed to be. We were walking back from the market last night and i just looked up and saw the mountains above the rooftops and then saw all the Quechan women bent over carrying heavy loads and I just KNEW that this is right.
