Kevin's still not back in the same time zone he should be and I think I've joined him. I keep staying up late with him since he thinks it's the middle of the day at midnight. He's still not sleeping well at night which means I, the feather lite sleeper, am not sleeping well. I now feel like I have jet lag and I didn't even go anywhere!
Alyssa took the ACT today for the second time. She took Nathan's digital watch to have a timer for each section. It kept beeping randomly and almost got her kicked out. They did record her test number so we're really not sure if it will actually count or not. My $32 hopes so.
A week from Tuesday, Kevin and I will leave for a much-anticipated trip to San Diego with no kids! We haven't had a trip for just us in a couple of years and we are way overdue. It won't be all fun and games (for Kevin). He has a conference to attend and I'm along for the (free) ride. We'll have plenty of time together and I'll have some time to do things that I enjoy by myself. Moms don't have the opportunity to put their wants first very often so I'm really excited about getting to be selfish for a few days! Uncle Weve is coming to stay with the kids so they're all thinking '5 day party!' Uncle Weve will probably be thinking 'What did I get myself into?' before it's all over with but we appreciate him volunteering anyway!
Showing posts with label mission trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mission trips. Show all posts
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
26 hours later....
Kevin made it safely home today around noon. I promptly fed him some Taco Bueno and he went to sleep for a while. It'll take a few days for him to get back on Oklahoma time. 12 hours jetlag is a lot to recover from!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Monday morning news
Kevin's email for today is below. Thanks everyone for your prayers. Please say one for the kids and me also. I'm not sure why but no matter how long Kevin is gone, we all get a little crabby about the half way point and today is the day. The kids start back to school tomorrow after being off for fall break and I have to drive the carpool (which Kevin normally does). I also made 4 trips to the church today--2 Kevin would have taken care of and 1 because Alyssa locked her keys in her car. So basically I'm having a giant pity party about extra responsibilities while Kevin is trying to keep people from going to hell. Sometimes I have to remind myself of this to gain a little perspective!
We had a great day of worship yesterday... We had one service with the children at the orphanage, and then two more services out in the villages. It was raining again, but we managed to make it through. We drove as far as we could and then walked the rest of the way in the rain into the second village. I was soaking wet, but when I turned into the village, I saw about 100 people sitting there under a bamboo hut waiting on us.. Wow!! That got my batteries charged. These people are so hungry for the truth. I used the 23rd Psalm to talk to them about the one true creator God and the fact that Jesus is our shepherd. It was great to see so many adults trusting Christ and leaving the Buddah behind. Today, we are going to what is called "the dead end village." There is only one way in and one way out. This is one of the places we were supposed to go to the other day when we got rained out. When I say rained out, I mean that not even motorcycles could make it there. We heard that these people waited on us even though it was raining. So, we are going to go and see them today instead of our original plan. Thanks for all the prayers
We had a great day of worship yesterday... We had one service with the children at the orphanage, and then two more services out in the villages. It was raining again, but we managed to make it through. We drove as far as we could and then walked the rest of the way in the rain into the second village. I was soaking wet, but when I turned into the village, I saw about 100 people sitting there under a bamboo hut waiting on us.. Wow!! That got my batteries charged. These people are so hungry for the truth. I used the 23rd Psalm to talk to them about the one true creator God and the fact that Jesus is our shepherd. It was great to see so many adults trusting Christ and leaving the Buddah behind. Today, we are going to what is called "the dead end village." There is only one way in and one way out. This is one of the places we were supposed to go to the other day when we got rained out. When I say rained out, I mean that not even motorcycles could make it there. We heard that these people waited on us even though it was raining. So, we are going to go and see them today instead of our original plan. Thanks for all the prayers
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Just the Cambodian facts...
Not much news from the other side of the earth...
Friday's village visits got rained out by a major thunderstorm so Kevin spent the day at the orphanage playing with the kids. Saturday was spent visiting 2 villages. I only got a one line email tonight so not much other information than that. It is Sunday morning for him now and he is preaching at 3 different villages. I know he would appreciate your prayers.
Hope to have some more details soon!
Friday's village visits got rained out by a major thunderstorm so Kevin spent the day at the orphanage playing with the kids. Saturday was spent visiting 2 villages. I only got a one line email tonight so not much other information than that. It is Sunday morning for him now and he is preaching at 3 different villages. I know he would appreciate your prayers.
Hope to have some more details soon!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Cambodia by Motorcycle
If good intentions materialized themselves into blogposts, then clever words would have appeared here everyday for the past 6 weeks. We've been adjusting to new school schedules, football practices and games, and husbands being out of town...which leads me to the real reason for this post:
Kevin left for Cambodia on Tuesday morning. Remember that as you are having dinner and settling in for the evening, he is heading out to villages to teach/preach. Please pray for open hearts for the villagers, safety for the team, and for the church planters/pastors to be able to absorb all that Kevin is teaching them.
Here's Kevin's email that he sent tonight.
It is about 6:30am here Friday morning. I think we are exactly 12 hours ahead of you. Yesterday, we made it to two different villages. We told discipleship stories to model them for the Pastor and to encourage the believers. Six people were saved in the two small villages yesterday. Today, we are going to pick up the pace. We are headed to more remote type villages. I think I am going to pull out Luke 15 today... The travel was a lot harder on me this time. My body was aching when I got off the plane here.
We just found out that the villages we are going to today are not accessible by car. We cannot even drive close enough to walk in some of the way, because the roads are so bad. Therefore, we are going to be riding motorcycles today. I am going to drive with Joe Pat on the back. There is a funny picture for the day...
I'm hoping someone really does take a picture and I promise to post it! Check back daily and I'll post updates as I get them.
Kevin left for Cambodia on Tuesday morning. Remember that as you are having dinner and settling in for the evening, he is heading out to villages to teach/preach. Please pray for open hearts for the villagers, safety for the team, and for the church planters/pastors to be able to absorb all that Kevin is teaching them.
Here's Kevin's email that he sent tonight.
It is about 6:30am here Friday morning. I think we are exactly 12 hours ahead of you. Yesterday, we made it to two different villages. We told discipleship stories to model them for the Pastor and to encourage the believers. Six people were saved in the two small villages yesterday. Today, we are going to pick up the pace. We are headed to more remote type villages. I think I am going to pull out Luke 15 today... The travel was a lot harder on me this time. My body was aching when I got off the plane here.
We just found out that the villages we are going to today are not accessible by car. We cannot even drive close enough to walk in some of the way, because the roads are so bad. Therefore, we are going to be riding motorcycles today. I am going to drive with Joe Pat on the back. There is a funny picture for the day...
I'm hoping someone really does take a picture and I promise to post it! Check back daily and I'll post updates as I get them.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Who said summer was supposed to be relaxing?
Every year about May 15th, I have visions of grandeur of a relaxing summer where I have nothing to do but take kids to the pool and work on my tan. And every year about July 1st, I'm thinking 'I can't wait till school starts so my life will calm down to a normal schedule.' You would think I would learn, but year after year somewhere inside me there is a small glimmer of hope that this year's summer will be different. And if you could see my white legs you would know that this year isn't my year. (sigh)
School starts again in less than 3 weeks which means it's time to buy school clothes, schedule yearly check ups, and for the first time ever....buy college textbooks for Alyssa's dual credit classes. She's enrolled for Spanish I and College Algebra at the local community college and she'll receive high school and college credit for the classes. By the time she graduates high school, she'll have at least 24 hours college credit plus credits from CLEP tests hopefully saving us a year's worth of tuition. (Her tuition at the CC is covered by a scholarship. We just have to pay class fees and books...about $200 per class.)
So back to my summer drama...this week Alyssa, Zac and Katie are all participating in a mission camp with their youth group. They are going out in teams in our area and doing VBS, soccer camp, and basketball camps. Our youth pastor shared with us that Katie led someone to Christ all by herself today and there is just no greater feeling of pride (the good kind)for your child than knowing they are growing in their faith and sharing it with others. My shy child is very bold in her walk with Christ and shares with her friends at school constantly. Who knows, maybe that's why God led us to enroll her in public school!
The 'big 3' get home Saturday around 8 and Sunday morning at 9, the girls and I leave for our semi-annual must-go-to-a-real-mall-and-eat-at-La-Madeleine Dallas trip. That's 11 hours to do a whole lot of laundry and squeeze in a little sleep!Katie and I will return home on Wed. after seeing lots of old friends and fighting lots of temptation not to shop too much. Alyssa will fly back on Monday, Alone, which I'm not at all nervous about this year. I guess after letting my child spend 10 days in a South American country, a 45 minute flight from Dallas doesn't seem like such a big deal.
School starts again in less than 3 weeks which means it's time to buy school clothes, schedule yearly check ups, and for the first time ever....buy college textbooks for Alyssa's dual credit classes. She's enrolled for Spanish I and College Algebra at the local community college and she'll receive high school and college credit for the classes. By the time she graduates high school, she'll have at least 24 hours college credit plus credits from CLEP tests hopefully saving us a year's worth of tuition. (Her tuition at the CC is covered by a scholarship. We just have to pay class fees and books...about $200 per class.)
So back to my summer drama...this week Alyssa, Zac and Katie are all participating in a mission camp with their youth group. They are going out in teams in our area and doing VBS, soccer camp, and basketball camps. Our youth pastor shared with us that Katie led someone to Christ all by herself today and there is just no greater feeling of pride (the good kind)for your child than knowing they are growing in their faith and sharing it with others. My shy child is very bold in her walk with Christ and shares with her friends at school constantly. Who knows, maybe that's why God led us to enroll her in public school!
The 'big 3' get home Saturday around 8 and Sunday morning at 9, the girls and I leave for our semi-annual must-go-to-a-real-mall-and-eat-at-La-Madeleine Dallas trip. That's 11 hours to do a whole lot of laundry and squeeze in a little sleep!Katie and I will return home on Wed. after seeing lots of old friends and fighting lots of temptation not to shop too much. Alyssa will fly back on Monday, Alone, which I'm not at all nervous about this year. I guess after letting my child spend 10 days in a South American country, a 45 minute flight from Dallas doesn't seem like such a big deal.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A little bit of heaven
One thing I love about missions is the little glimpses of 'all nations' worshipping together that we get. In this video, John, on the right, from our mission team is singing in English. Then, Alexi, one of the workers from the Venezuelan church joins in harmony in Spanish. Absolutely Beautiful!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Short and Sweet
I picked up Alyssa from the airport a couple of hours ago. We're just sitting on the couch catching up on all the shows I DVR'd for her while she was gone. I'm savoring all of the stories that are pouring out about her trip. I'm taking notes so I can share them with you later.
I took Kevin, Zac, and Katie to the airport at 5am yesterday to begin their travels to Arizpe. I wasn't expecting to hear from them at all since there is no internet in Arizpe and phone service is not great. But I guess the Daddy had to make sure his baby girl made it home safely because he called tonight. We had a whole minute and a half to talk and I got that it was raining, which is highly unusual, and they are supposed to have a movie night in the town square tonight. There was also some trouble at the border and Kevin's van didn't get to Arizpe till 4 am so there are some things for you to pray for---cooperative weather and no border issues on the return.
I took Kevin, Zac, and Katie to the airport at 5am yesterday to begin their travels to Arizpe. I wasn't expecting to hear from them at all since there is no internet in Arizpe and phone service is not great. But I guess the Daddy had to make sure his baby girl made it home safely because he called tonight. We had a whole minute and a half to talk and I got that it was raining, which is highly unusual, and they are supposed to have a movie night in the town square tonight. There was also some trouble at the border and Kevin's van didn't get to Arizpe till 4 am so there are some things for you to pray for---cooperative weather and no border issues on the return.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
All My Fears Calmed for $1.50
I got to talk to Alyssa on the phone tonight! Woo Hoo! She actually called while I was still at work, time difference and all. (Apparently it's a genetic thing to not be able to figure that whole time thing out because she didn't realize I was still at work.) I'm sure everyone in my office thought I had lost it. I sounded like a giddy school girl when I answered the phone. And may I just say that technology is a wonderful thing when my child can call me from another continent for $1.50.
First, I had to get all the 'mama' questions out of the way: Are you sunburned? A valid concern since she is practically sitting on the equator and has her father's redhead fair skin. Thankfully, she reports just some pink cheeks and that they're staying in the shade most of the time. "Is your stomach upset?" Also a valid mama question given the fact she's in a South American country where she can't drink the water. Good news on that front too! No one on the team seems to suffering any maladies. All that paranoia and trip to the dr. for prescriptions for doxycycline and cipro paid off.
I had to calm the potential mama fears first before I could move on to the actual important news of her trip just in case our call got dropped. We were dealing with a pay phone in a small town in Venezuela and a cell phone in America after all! Anyway, the ministry is going well. They are visiting different villages each day. Some team members are doing door to door evangelism while others do VBS or sports camps with the kids and teenagers. The team all wrote their testimonies in Spanish before they left and they also have translators with them. Alyssa's also part of a drama team and they are doing a drama in each of the areas they minister to also.
It was great to hear her voice after 5 days, now just 5 days to go. I'm glad she has this opportunity of a lifetime to make an eternal difference in the lives of others, but I'll also be glad when she's home again. Because seriously, The Bachelorette and So you think you can dance just aren't the same without her. We're going to have some serious DVR catch up to do next week!
First, I had to get all the 'mama' questions out of the way: Are you sunburned? A valid concern since she is practically sitting on the equator and has her father's redhead fair skin. Thankfully, she reports just some pink cheeks and that they're staying in the shade most of the time. "Is your stomach upset?" Also a valid mama question given the fact she's in a South American country where she can't drink the water. Good news on that front too! No one on the team seems to suffering any maladies. All that paranoia and trip to the dr. for prescriptions for doxycycline and cipro paid off.
I had to calm the potential mama fears first before I could move on to the actual important news of her trip just in case our call got dropped. We were dealing with a pay phone in a small town in Venezuela and a cell phone in America after all! Anyway, the ministry is going well. They are visiting different villages each day. Some team members are doing door to door evangelism while others do VBS or sports camps with the kids and teenagers. The team all wrote their testimonies in Spanish before they left and they also have translators with them. Alyssa's also part of a drama team and they are doing a drama in each of the areas they minister to also.
It was great to hear her voice after 5 days, now just 5 days to go. I'm glad she has this opportunity of a lifetime to make an eternal difference in the lives of others, but I'll also be glad when she's home again. Because seriously, The Bachelorette and So you think you can dance just aren't the same without her. We're going to have some serious DVR catch up to do next week!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Finally!
We didn't hear from Alyssa yesterday at all which I'm okay with. I know they are extremely busy and it's not convenient to find a phone to call home on when you have 18 people in your group. But, there was no new post on the blog yesterday either and while I know that more than likely everything is fine, I like seeing something tangible that reassures me of that fact. So finally, there are 2 new blog posts today along with some pictures.
Here's an excerpt from Sunday's post:
It is hard to imagine just how large your Christian family is and today we were reminded of this. It was great to meet together with our brothers and sisters as the morning began and worshiped our Lord together. We sang songs (half the time not even knowing the words but still singing!), listened to preaching, and even spent some time teaching students and children. Afterwards we gathered together and enjoyed an amazing meal. It was a picture of Biblical community! Brothers and sisters united together through Christ; smiling, laughing, and worshiping together in fellowship!
Tonight we spent some time with the church and reached out to the community. We gathered together at a local park and played basketball, volleyball, and soccer with the community. We took some time with the people and shared our testimonies and got the chance to see over 30 people accept Christ!
I tried to put some pictures on here for you but I'm having techinical difficulties saving it from their blog and uploading to mine so here's a link for you. If you want to read more about the trip than I've posted here, just click 'daily blog' at the top of the page. Thanks for praying continually!
Here's an excerpt from Sunday's post:
It is hard to imagine just how large your Christian family is and today we were reminded of this. It was great to meet together with our brothers and sisters as the morning began and worshiped our Lord together. We sang songs (half the time not even knowing the words but still singing!), listened to preaching, and even spent some time teaching students and children. Afterwards we gathered together and enjoyed an amazing meal. It was a picture of Biblical community! Brothers and sisters united together through Christ; smiling, laughing, and worshiping together in fellowship!
Tonight we spent some time with the church and reached out to the community. We gathered together at a local park and played basketball, volleyball, and soccer with the community. We took some time with the people and shared our testimonies and got the chance to see over 30 people accept Christ!
I tried to put some pictures on here for you but I'm having techinical difficulties saving it from their blog and uploading to mine so here's a link for you. If you want to read more about the trip than I've posted here, just click 'daily blog' at the top of the page. Thanks for praying continually!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
1 Missed Call
Alyssa's team finished their traveling yesterday. She tried to call us but, sadly, we missed it. My phone was in my purse and set to vibrate since I had been at work all day. And the synapses that registered the phone was vibrating more than once, meaning it was an actual call, to realizing it was probably Alyssa, to leaping from the couch across the room, to digging it out of my purse...the call went to voice mail which when played back was a bunch of static. Bummer. I'm hoping she'll try again tonight. Today is their first full day of ministry so I'm anxious to hear how it went.
Here's a post from the team's blog about yesterday's travels:
So your probably wondering how was the drive. Well, we were told it would be a 6 hour drive. Thank goodness this wasn’t the case. It actually only took us a little over 4.5 hours. The sites were wonderful as we made our way through Caracas. The mountains, the ocean, all the house on all the hillsides made for a great first part of the trek. It’s amazing to think over 4 to 5 million people call Caracas their home. The houses are in places on the side of mountains that you wonder how you could even walk up to the houses. We had the opportunity to relax in our wonderful bus until the police decided to pull us over. Come to find out the police pull you over just if they feel like it. No reason, no purpose, but I guess to say hi. Turns out our driver knew one of the police men. We get back on the road then all of a sudden our bus dies. Our driver opens the hatch inside the cab and starts going to work. Cranks the engine to no avail. Vladimir decides we should pray. So, he prays in his native tongue and we pray in ours and we once again were being protected by Jesus. A few minutes later, a few cranks, a few turn this and that on the motor and it starts. We pulled over a little later down the road to stop and use the el banó. What was sitting in front of us? Did you think it was fast food, because it was. Burger King and his royal burgers awaited us. We all ate some Whoppers and pappas, some had ice cream sundaes(Alyssa) and of course Coca-Cola. We arrived at our hotel, checked in, changed clothes, and then came to the church. They prepared a wonderful lunch for us(yes it was our second lunch) and we felt so unbelievably welcomed to be apart of their work in the kingdom. Well we have just been hanging out here at the church for a while now and we are meeting some really incredible people. We have been able to share our favorite music with them. John and I were amazed to learn that they loved Hillsong United music and knew most of their tunes(of course they knew them in spanish).
Here's a post from the team's blog about yesterday's travels:
So your probably wondering how was the drive. Well, we were told it would be a 6 hour drive. Thank goodness this wasn’t the case. It actually only took us a little over 4.5 hours. The sites were wonderful as we made our way through Caracas. The mountains, the ocean, all the house on all the hillsides made for a great first part of the trek. It’s amazing to think over 4 to 5 million people call Caracas their home. The houses are in places on the side of mountains that you wonder how you could even walk up to the houses. We had the opportunity to relax in our wonderful bus until the police decided to pull us over. Come to find out the police pull you over just if they feel like it. No reason, no purpose, but I guess to say hi. Turns out our driver knew one of the police men. We get back on the road then all of a sudden our bus dies. Our driver opens the hatch inside the cab and starts going to work. Cranks the engine to no avail. Vladimir decides we should pray. So, he prays in his native tongue and we pray in ours and we once again were being protected by Jesus. A few minutes later, a few cranks, a few turn this and that on the motor and it starts. We pulled over a little later down the road to stop and use the el banó. What was sitting in front of us? Did you think it was fast food, because it was. Burger King and his royal burgers awaited us. We all ate some Whoppers and pappas, some had ice cream sundaes(Alyssa) and of course Coca-Cola. We arrived at our hotel, checked in, changed clothes, and then came to the church. They prepared a wonderful lunch for us(yes it was our second lunch) and we felt so unbelievably welcomed to be apart of their work in the kingdom. Well we have just been hanging out here at the church for a while now and we are meeting some really incredible people. We have been able to share our favorite music with them. John and I were amazed to learn that they loved Hillsong United music and knew most of their tunes(of course they knew them in spanish).
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tulsa, Dallas, Miami, Caracas
I took my baby girl to the airport this morning to send her off on her first mission trip without her mission pastor dad present. I did get a little choked up which is unusual for me, but in my defense, just before we left for the airport, I had gotten the news that a friends' mother passed away during the night and I was already feeling sad for her. Then, Alyssa started rubbing it in that she was going to have a stamp in her passport before I did and then I wasn't so misty eyed anymore.
She should be in Caracas by 6:40pm Venezuelan time but I have no idea what time that is for us. I'm a fairly intelligent person but for some reason, time zones require way too much thought for me, coupled with the fact that President Chavez gets an ego trip from declaring that Venezuela doesn't fall into any of the internationally accepted time zones and adds or takes away 30 minutes from whatever time zone they're supposed to be in just to be difficult so I've decided I'm not even going to try to figure it out.
In other news, I am aware that I still haven't posted anything about our vacation yet which I'm planning on working on in the next week. As soon as we got back, we had VBS, lots of dr. appointments, Alyssa taking the ACT, and football practice everyday. I haven't been home long enough to fold the towels I washed on Monday yet much less blog about Mickey. And now, I must go color and highlight my hair since I have a black stripe going down the middle of my head with a few gray hairs poking through. It's reached defcon 5 status and I can no longer comfortably go out into public until it is fixed.
She should be in Caracas by 6:40pm Venezuelan time but I have no idea what time that is for us. I'm a fairly intelligent person but for some reason, time zones require way too much thought for me, coupled with the fact that President Chavez gets an ego trip from declaring that Venezuela doesn't fall into any of the internationally accepted time zones and adds or takes away 30 minutes from whatever time zone they're supposed to be in just to be difficult so I've decided I'm not even going to try to figure it out.
In other news, I am aware that I still haven't posted anything about our vacation yet which I'm planning on working on in the next week. As soon as we got back, we had VBS, lots of dr. appointments, Alyssa taking the ACT, and football practice everyday. I haven't been home long enough to fold the towels I washed on Monday yet much less blog about Mickey. And now, I must go color and highlight my hair since I have a black stripe going down the middle of my head with a few gray hairs poking through. It's reached defcon 5 status and I can no longer comfortably go out into public until it is fixed.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Delayed in Delhi
I just received a call from Kevin. He and Joe Pat are stuck in Delhi. Their first flight was late so they missed the second flight from Delhi to Chicago. This flight only leaves once every 24 hours and the next one is overbooked. Please pray that they get on this next flight so they can be home Sunday morning. Also pray for safety. They are stuck in an airport with nowhere to go. It is 1am there now so it is not safe for them to just leave and go to a hotel. We are trying to contact a mission house there to see if there is a way to get them there so they can at least get some rest. They have been in the villages all day teaching and are exhausted. But, with no cell phones I'm not sure we'll be able to get this information to him. So pray he calls again after I have the contact number for him.
Update: Kevin and Joe Pat were able to get a hotel room and safe transportation thanks to American Airlines, who may be my favorite people in the world right now. They will try again tomorrow to get on the flight and make it home. Keep praying!
Update: Kevin and Joe Pat were able to get a hotel room and safe transportation thanks to American Airlines, who may be my favorite people in the world right now. They will try again tomorrow to get on the flight and make it home. Keep praying!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Friday in India
My India updates have come via Facebook messaging as opposed to actual emails the last few days. As I'm typing this, it's about 9:30am Friday in India and Kevin should be close to arriving at the village where he and Joe Pat will teach for about 6 hours. Then they will travel 2 1/2 to 3 hours back to the hotel and get ready to start the long journey home. His flight will take approx. 24 hours yet he leaves Friday at midnight and will arrive here at 10 Sat. morning. I'm guessing he's going to be looking for that 12 hours he's losing for the rest of the week.
As you can imagine, by now, they are exhausted. Pray for endurance and strength as they teach today. Kevin has had the awesome opportunity to help new Christians grow in their faith. So many times, we (as in the church in general) rush in on a mission trip, preach salvation then never revisit the area to disciple those new believers. One of the things I love about our church is our mission work is focused in areas that we send teams to several times a year and we have church planters in each area that are there year round. In June, a team went to Cambodia. Their focus was evangelism and they saw around 300 people accept Christ. Kevin's purpose with this trip was to disciple those new Christians to help them grow in their faith and be able to then go to their own villages and tell them about Christ. So the good news doesn't stop just because we don't have a team in that country all the time.
Sorry, I got a little side tracked from today's prayer request. Energy for the day, health as their bodies are getting tired, and safety in the villages and in the air, but most importantly that the Word would impact the villagers' lives and that it would spread through India like a wildfire.
As you can imagine, by now, they are exhausted. Pray for endurance and strength as they teach today. Kevin has had the awesome opportunity to help new Christians grow in their faith. So many times, we (as in the church in general) rush in on a mission trip, preach salvation then never revisit the area to disciple those new believers. One of the things I love about our church is our mission work is focused in areas that we send teams to several times a year and we have church planters in each area that are there year round. In June, a team went to Cambodia. Their focus was evangelism and they saw around 300 people accept Christ. Kevin's purpose with this trip was to disciple those new Christians to help them grow in their faith and be able to then go to their own villages and tell them about Christ. So the good news doesn't stop just because we don't have a team in that country all the time.
Sorry, I got a little side tracked from today's prayer request. Energy for the day, health as their bodies are getting tired, and safety in the villages and in the air, but most importantly that the Word would impact the villagers' lives and that it would spread through India like a wildfire.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mystery Lunch and Refreshment Seminars in India
I was able to sleep most of the day today, so I am feeling much better. Joe and I will be eating dinner tonight with our church planter and his family. Tomorrow morning, we will head out to the first village. There is supposed to be about 300 people there that are believers/new believers. Joe and I will be walking them through the discipleship principles from Acts chapter 2. We will be teaching them a Bible story for each principle. Hopefully, they will be able to remember the stories well enough to pass along the discipleship points contained in the stories.
These training sessions are called "refreshment seminars" here in India. I would relate them back to an old fashioned tent revival back home. Picture a tent or a small room, and then pack as many people as you can possible squeeze into the tent or building. It will be people sitting on the floor shoulder to shoulder. There will be people standing in the door ways. There will be people standing outside looking and listening through the windows. It is really something to see.... There will be worship with instruments of different kinds with a small praise team. Believe me, these new believers can teach us some things about worship. They are all in...After the worship, Joe and I will teach for about an hour at a time. After the first 2-3 hours, comes the highlight of my day.
That is lunch time.... My stomach is turning just thinking about it. God bless them, these ladies in the village spend all morning preparing this special food for us and the people in the seminar. Yes, we pay for it, but they do all the work. This is one of those times when you NEVER want to know what you are eating. It will be rice, with incredibly hot and spicy sauces, with "mystery stuff" mixed in for good measure. Now, I am sure there are insects and parts of other things mixed in there... Yummmm. We just are not sure. Some of my friends would say it is just all the parts of a chicken, but I am not so sure... I am sure some of you are thinking, Kevin, you are nuts, now is the time to be fasting and praying. Just tell them you are not hungry. Well, that might work in the states, but not here. Not eating what they place before you is an insult to them and would hurt those nice ladies feelings. Also, before you say, well I would just kind of move the food around on my plate to make them think I am eating... Well, the problem with that is a lot of times they watch you eat to see your reaction to make sure you like it. If you just move it around on your plate, they will simply give you more. Last time I was here, my friend Joe that is with me now, was putting his food on my plate when I was not looking. Pay back is coming! After lunch, we will continue to teach until about 4:00pm and then start the exciting journey back to hotel.
Please pray for our safety. This is an exciting opportunity to teach a group of people that really want to learn. It is an honor to be here. Even with all the "stuff" involved, it is awesome to think that God would allow me to be one of the people that brings his good news to a very dark and lost part of the world. Some people do not understand why we do what we do, well, I just cannot help myself. I must go and share. It is who God has called me to be... I love you all!
Kevin
These training sessions are called "refreshment seminars" here in India. I would relate them back to an old fashioned tent revival back home. Picture a tent or a small room, and then pack as many people as you can possible squeeze into the tent or building. It will be people sitting on the floor shoulder to shoulder. There will be people standing in the door ways. There will be people standing outside looking and listening through the windows. It is really something to see.... There will be worship with instruments of different kinds with a small praise team. Believe me, these new believers can teach us some things about worship. They are all in...After the worship, Joe and I will teach for about an hour at a time. After the first 2-3 hours, comes the highlight of my day.
That is lunch time.... My stomach is turning just thinking about it. God bless them, these ladies in the village spend all morning preparing this special food for us and the people in the seminar. Yes, we pay for it, but they do all the work. This is one of those times when you NEVER want to know what you are eating. It will be rice, with incredibly hot and spicy sauces, with "mystery stuff" mixed in for good measure. Now, I am sure there are insects and parts of other things mixed in there... Yummmm. We just are not sure. Some of my friends would say it is just all the parts of a chicken, but I am not so sure... I am sure some of you are thinking, Kevin, you are nuts, now is the time to be fasting and praying. Just tell them you are not hungry. Well, that might work in the states, but not here. Not eating what they place before you is an insult to them and would hurt those nice ladies feelings. Also, before you say, well I would just kind of move the food around on my plate to make them think I am eating... Well, the problem with that is a lot of times they watch you eat to see your reaction to make sure you like it. If you just move it around on your plate, they will simply give you more. Last time I was here, my friend Joe that is with me now, was putting his food on my plate when I was not looking. Pay back is coming! After lunch, we will continue to teach until about 4:00pm and then start the exciting journey back to hotel.
Please pray for our safety. This is an exciting opportunity to teach a group of people that really want to learn. It is an honor to be here. Even with all the "stuff" involved, it is awesome to think that God would allow me to be one of the people that brings his good news to a very dark and lost part of the world. Some people do not understand why we do what we do, well, I just cannot help myself. I must go and share. It is who God has called me to be... I love you all!
Kevin
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Last day in Cambodia
From Kevin:
Yesterday was a lot of fun.... We went to the orphanage and spent the entire afternoon teaching and playing with the kids. There must have been over 150 kids there. We taught them Bible stories, songs, played jump rope etc... I even got the opportunity to teach the men that were there how to throw a football. It might seem strange that they have never thrown a football, but if you saw where and how they lived you would understand. In just a few minutes, we had a pretty good game of pass going on in the yard of the orphanage. I was thinking this morning about all the things that I worry about, get upset about that right now seem very petty and silly. These people would love to have the problems that we face on a daily basis. They would trade with us in a heart beat. For example, yesterday, we were playing in the yard and a little girl scraped her leg. It started to bleed a little, so we pulled out our handy dandy first aid kit and were about to help her. My friend Henry reminded us that a lot of those children have AIDS, and we need to put on gloves before we help her. When was the last time you ran inside to put on gloves before you put a bandaid on your child's scrape. Wow! I just pray that the Lord would use me in some way to bring a smile to some faces and introduce these people to the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Today, is my last day here. It is Sunday morning. This morning people from all over the area will gather on the orphanage grounds for worship. Many of these people are believers and hopefully many new believers will be there as well. I will be talking to them this morning about the importance of prayer. Most of these people used to be Buddhist and some Hindu. They have been taught all of their lives that they need to go to a temple or somewhere special to pray. Now, that they know Jesus, I am going to teach how to live a life of praying without ceasing everywhere you go. I will be using the ACTS model of prayer. Please pray for me that the Lord would use my words and the words of my translator to sink the truth into their hearts. Now, I am sure the devil is not going to let this happen without a struggle, so please pray that nothing will stop the preaching of the Word!
After the service, I will be leading the new believers into the river to be baptized. Please pray that no alligators or snakes or anything else would be there to be baptized as well. (Can you tell I have watched too many movies????). People tease me sometimes for being a country boy from South Arkansas, but you know, all the times that I went hunting with my dad as a little kid has prepared me for missions. Many of the little lessons my dad taught me hunting about staying safe in the woods and watching and thinking ahead are being used every time I go on a mission trip. Thanks POP!
Yesterday was a lot of fun.... We went to the orphanage and spent the entire afternoon teaching and playing with the kids. There must have been over 150 kids there. We taught them Bible stories, songs, played jump rope etc... I even got the opportunity to teach the men that were there how to throw a football. It might seem strange that they have never thrown a football, but if you saw where and how they lived you would understand. In just a few minutes, we had a pretty good game of pass going on in the yard of the orphanage. I was thinking this morning about all the things that I worry about, get upset about that right now seem very petty and silly. These people would love to have the problems that we face on a daily basis. They would trade with us in a heart beat. For example, yesterday, we were playing in the yard and a little girl scraped her leg. It started to bleed a little, so we pulled out our handy dandy first aid kit and were about to help her. My friend Henry reminded us that a lot of those children have AIDS, and we need to put on gloves before we help her. When was the last time you ran inside to put on gloves before you put a bandaid on your child's scrape. Wow! I just pray that the Lord would use me in some way to bring a smile to some faces and introduce these people to the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Today, is my last day here. It is Sunday morning. This morning people from all over the area will gather on the orphanage grounds for worship. Many of these people are believers and hopefully many new believers will be there as well. I will be talking to them this morning about the importance of prayer. Most of these people used to be Buddhist and some Hindu. They have been taught all of their lives that they need to go to a temple or somewhere special to pray. Now, that they know Jesus, I am going to teach how to live a life of praying without ceasing everywhere you go. I will be using the ACTS model of prayer. Please pray for me that the Lord would use my words and the words of my translator to sink the truth into their hearts. Now, I am sure the devil is not going to let this happen without a struggle, so please pray that nothing will stop the preaching of the Word!
After the service, I will be leading the new believers into the river to be baptized. Please pray that no alligators or snakes or anything else would be there to be baptized as well. (Can you tell I have watched too many movies????). People tease me sometimes for being a country boy from South Arkansas, but you know, all the times that I went hunting with my dad as a little kid has prepared me for missions. Many of the little lessons my dad taught me hunting about staying safe in the woods and watching and thinking ahead are being used every time I go on a mission trip. Thanks POP!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Cambodia--Friday
Kevin's email for today is below. Remember they are 12 hours ahead so as you're going to bed, pray for them to have strength for the day and as you wake up, pray for them to have a restful night. There has also been some unrest between Thailand and Cambodia this week. We think it has been resolved, but Kevin is supposed to fly through Thailand and on to India on Sunday. Pray for them to have wisdom to know if they will need to change their flights and go through another country.
It is about 6:50am on Friday morning. This is the last day for the two teams to be together. Yesterday, Joe and I went back to the villages where the first team had been and had success. We spent some time with them on discipleship. In the first village, we used the story of Jesus calming the storm to talk to them about the power of God and how we can trust God even in the worst of times. We also taught them the parable of the talents and taught them about using whatever God gives them for His glory. These people love stories and are great with detail. The second village we went to was the one where the first team had 18 salvations the day before. We taught them the parable of the sower and talked to them about staying close to God and making sure their hearts are ready to receive a word from God at all times. At the end of the teaching time, I felt that I needed to take the story and explain the Gospel once more. When I did, the 18 that had trusted Christ affirmed their decisions from yesterday and then 2 more ladies in the group prayed to receive Jesus Christ. It was awesome! In that little village, salvation has swept through, and they will never be the same. That little village now belongs to Jesus Christ. Today, the first team will pack and get ready to leave for the states. Joe and I will be back out in the villages sharing the truth with anyone that will listen. Saturday, there will be a large group on non-believers gathered at the orphanage. I am going to use the Parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son to explain to the group what it means to be lost and then found by the Savior of the World. Please pray that any and all opposition will not be allowed to enter the gates of the orphanage, and I will be able to very clearly explain the truth so both the translator and people in the crowd fully understand.
It is about 6:50am on Friday morning. This is the last day for the two teams to be together. Yesterday, Joe and I went back to the villages where the first team had been and had success. We spent some time with them on discipleship. In the first village, we used the story of Jesus calming the storm to talk to them about the power of God and how we can trust God even in the worst of times. We also taught them the parable of the talents and taught them about using whatever God gives them for His glory. These people love stories and are great with detail. The second village we went to was the one where the first team had 18 salvations the day before. We taught them the parable of the sower and talked to them about staying close to God and making sure their hearts are ready to receive a word from God at all times. At the end of the teaching time, I felt that I needed to take the story and explain the Gospel once more. When I did, the 18 that had trusted Christ affirmed their decisions from yesterday and then 2 more ladies in the group prayed to receive Jesus Christ. It was awesome! In that little village, salvation has swept through, and they will never be the same. That little village now belongs to Jesus Christ. Today, the first team will pack and get ready to leave for the states. Joe and I will be back out in the villages sharing the truth with anyone that will listen. Saturday, there will be a large group on non-believers gathered at the orphanage. I am going to use the Parable of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son to explain to the group what it means to be lost and then found by the Savior of the World. Please pray that any and all opposition will not be allowed to enter the gates of the orphanage, and I will be able to very clearly explain the truth so both the translator and people in the crowd fully understand.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Thursday in Cambodia
Below is an email from Kevin. They are 12 hours ahead of us so he is already starting his Thursday. In an earlier email, he shared that on Wed., 18 people accepted Christ even though the focus for the day was discipleship!
It is about 6:30am here on Thursday morning. I am getting ready to begin day two. Yesterday was pretty much what I expected. Henry took me to see the killing fields where Polpot had all those millions of adults and children murdered. It was very sad and you could just feel the evil there. Polpot was a lot like Hitler in his methods, just killing people out of pure evil. It was very very sad. We walked along the path beside the mass graves, and I could see old pieces of clothing coming out of the ground and even saw an old tooth on one of the paths. It was an interesting way to begin the day to say the least.
I saw the orphanage yesterday, and prayed for God to allow that ground to become "Holy Ground" because of His presence. After that we went to three different villages. The villages are a lot like the ones in India. They are very poor and focus day by day on survival. The people were so glad to see us. The children were climbing on us and playing with us like they had known us all of their lives. One of the things that always grabs me on these village type trips is that these people have absolutely nothing, and yet they are all smiles and happy. Once they hear the truth of Jesus and trust Christ, it is like all the pieces of their lives are complete. They are sleeping on the ground in these very primitive huts. They are walking around with very little clothing, no need for storage buildings or large closets. Just a happy day to day existence with their families. It is so cool to be able to walk in there with the greatest news they have ever heard. I love my job and calling! Today, I am going to see the prison where the people were kept before their executions. After that, we are going village hopping again. It will be a day of telling discipleship Bible stories to the new believers in each of the villages in an attempt to grow them up a little bit in the faith. God willing, people that do not know Jesus will sit down and listen and hear the gospel as well. Pray for us to have safety and energy to complete the task. It is super hot and draining out in the sun standing, playing, and talking all day. Please pray for safety in travel and for the leaders of the villages to allow us to come in and engage their people with the Truth. Many of these villages require long walks into the middle of nowhere to get to the people. The long walk in is exciting, but the long walk back out is a little different story. I keep thinking about the Apostle Paul going people to people saying "How beautiful are the feet that bring the good news."
It is about 6:30am here on Thursday morning. I am getting ready to begin day two. Yesterday was pretty much what I expected. Henry took me to see the killing fields where Polpot had all those millions of adults and children murdered. It was very sad and you could just feel the evil there. Polpot was a lot like Hitler in his methods, just killing people out of pure evil. It was very very sad. We walked along the path beside the mass graves, and I could see old pieces of clothing coming out of the ground and even saw an old tooth on one of the paths. It was an interesting way to begin the day to say the least.
I saw the orphanage yesterday, and prayed for God to allow that ground to become "Holy Ground" because of His presence. After that we went to three different villages. The villages are a lot like the ones in India. They are very poor and focus day by day on survival. The people were so glad to see us. The children were climbing on us and playing with us like they had known us all of their lives. One of the things that always grabs me on these village type trips is that these people have absolutely nothing, and yet they are all smiles and happy. Once they hear the truth of Jesus and trust Christ, it is like all the pieces of their lives are complete. They are sleeping on the ground in these very primitive huts. They are walking around with very little clothing, no need for storage buildings or large closets. Just a happy day to day existence with their families. It is so cool to be able to walk in there with the greatest news they have ever heard. I love my job and calling! Today, I am going to see the prison where the people were kept before their executions. After that, we are going village hopping again. It will be a day of telling discipleship Bible stories to the new believers in each of the villages in an attempt to grow them up a little bit in the faith. God willing, people that do not know Jesus will sit down and listen and hear the gospel as well. Pray for us to have safety and energy to complete the task. It is super hot and draining out in the sun standing, playing, and talking all day. Please pray for safety in travel and for the leaders of the villages to allow us to come in and engage their people with the Truth. Many of these villages require long walks into the middle of nowhere to get to the people. The long walk in is exciting, but the long walk back out is a little different story. I keep thinking about the Apostle Paul going people to people saying "How beautiful are the feet that bring the good news."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Almost there! (Kevin's Mission trip update)
I really meant to post this information yesterday, but one of the side effects of Kevin being gone is I get stuck with all the drop offs and pick ups of which there were seven yesterday. Seven times I had to leave my house to deliver a kid or retrieve him/her from whatever they were doing plus take Kevin to the airport at 4am. I usually try to avoid 4am but since it was my last time to see him for 2 weeks I decided to make an exception to my 'I don't do morning' policy.
So as of now, Kevin is somewhere between Seoul, Korea and Cambodia. When he lands, he will have been on a plane for a total of 24 hours with an additional 8 or 9 hours being spent in airports for layovers. Obviously, he's going to be exhausted so today pray for safety as he finishes traveling and for him to be able to sleep tonight even though his body will be telling him he should eat breakfast.
For the next few days, he will be traveling to villages and teaching Bible stories that center on evangelism and discipleship. The people are illiterate so our team memorizes chapters of scripture and tells it as a story. Sometimes they will have the villagers act out the story or draw pictures to illustrate to help them remember. Kevin has 12 stories memorized for this trip. Pray for his mind to stay fresh and to be able to recall all of the chapters easily.
This picture is of one of our team members that arrived earlier last week with some of the children at the orphanage. Kevin's trip will overlap with theirs for a few days. They'll return home and he'll head to India.
I'll post updates as I get them. My understanding is that there is easy access to the internet in Cambodia. Next week, when he goes to India, it will be more difficult to get information.
So as of now, Kevin is somewhere between Seoul, Korea and Cambodia. When he lands, he will have been on a plane for a total of 24 hours with an additional 8 or 9 hours being spent in airports for layovers. Obviously, he's going to be exhausted so today pray for safety as he finishes traveling and for him to be able to sleep tonight even though his body will be telling him he should eat breakfast.
For the next few days, he will be traveling to villages and teaching Bible stories that center on evangelism and discipleship. The people are illiterate so our team memorizes chapters of scripture and tells it as a story. Sometimes they will have the villagers act out the story or draw pictures to illustrate to help them remember. Kevin has 12 stories memorized for this trip. Pray for his mind to stay fresh and to be able to recall all of the chapters easily.
This picture is of one of our team members that arrived earlier last week with some of the children at the orphanage. Kevin's trip will overlap with theirs for a few days. They'll return home and he'll head to India.
I'll post updates as I get them. My understanding is that there is easy access to the internet in Cambodia. Next week, when he goes to India, it will be more difficult to get information.
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