Missions Trips Flashbacks Blog
Mexico Church Plant Update
A letter from Pastor Lorenzo, Prince of Peace Church, Santa Isabel, Mexico
August 11, 2006
Regards for everybody, hoping that God gives you many blessings every day.
It seems so far that having small groups in homes was a great experience, but also a great learning experience, to find out the right way to make them more effective. However, i t's a wonderful way to reach people for Christ.
We continue forward to set up more small groups in homes, and to set up a very easy training course for those who want to be leaders.
Recently, we've had many robberies at the church, so I ask for your prayers. We have some plans to put another wall in the back of our church.
Thanks for believing in us, because I know that you are praying for your servant and for our church. We are doing the best we can and giving all our possible efforts for this place, for our community, and for the souls here that don't know the Lord yet.
Your brother in Christ,
Lorenzo Angel
Asia - India, Spring 2006
I wanted to send a quick update to let you know how my first line-up went. As you all know I came to Chennai, India on January 12th to start the advanced preparation work for the ships visit. My team consisting of two Germans and one Dutchie got an apartment and worked little our hearts away for 3 months. The ship finally arrived on April 11th; watching her sail into port was an unforgettable moment! I watched in awe as 350 Douloids waived their national flags in excitement. On the quayside, the Doulos was welcomed by numerous TV crews, radio stations and all sorts of media! As I gazed upon the ship I noticed 5 people wearing t-shirts with the letters N - A - O - M - I....(see picture!) I felt so special and knew all the hard work was definitely worth it! I stepped on board and was met with countless hugs and smiles! I was overcome with emotion and couldn't hold back the tears (some thing's never change!)! It was great to be back "home."
The ship stayed in Chennai for 4 weeks; which is twice as long as an average port visit...lucky me! These four weeks were very intense and a great challenge! We faced much opposition from the port authorities and from anti-Christian groups. Nevertheless, we proceeded with caution partnering with local churches and other Christian organizations. We welcomed over 100,000 people to the bookshop! The locals really maximized on their visit, bringing a picnic (meaning rice and curry!) along with them to eat on the decks of the ship. This is something we have never seen before. In addition to the bookshop visitors, we also hosted over 14,000 people for onboard programs! As for onshore ministry, by the end of the four weeks we had sent teams to 59 different churches, 173 daily ministry teams (visiting orphanages, medical camps, slums etc.), 8 teams for overnight ministry, 6 teams for two weeks of ministry away from the ship, in addition to all this, we also welcomed 80 local volunteers to work on the ship for two weeks. These by the way, were all my responsibilities! Needless to say, my multi- taking skills were definitely utilized! By God's grace it was all completed successfully.
Though these four weeks were stretching, I know that I will look back on my time in India with fond memories and will be grateful for the once in a lifetime experience! As for now, I am exhausted and trying to recuperate.Thank you for your prayers!
By the way, I wanted to keep this update brief, but there is so much that I have experienced here in India that I would love to share. It is just impossible to put it all in...so if you have questions or are interested in hearing more, please send me an email.
-Naomi
AnShan, China, 2005
The City of AnShan is in Liaoning Province, along the NE border with North Korea. It is a city of approximately 4.1 million people, who are predominately Muslim. AnShan has 20,000 deaf and 113,000 physically disabled registered with the AnShan Disabled Persons Federation. It is a mountainous region and suffers from poverty and unemployment. Coupled with the lack of adequate medical care, the deaf and disabled poor of AnShan suffer greatly. I am joining other believers to demonstrate God's love for the Deaf and Disabled Poor of AnShan, believing that blessing them is blessing the Lord.
When God called me to China in 2004, I had no idea He would call me to join Believers in AnShan to develop a ministry to AnShan's deaf and disabled. In 2005, God used two trips to China as a way to meet and forge a great friendship and partnership with Dr. Zhang Xu. Dr. Zhang is a wonderful Chinese Believer, who was paralyzed in a swimming accident and subsequently came to Christ through one of Joni Erikson Tada's books. God has given us a clear and powerful vision to develop a ministry to the Deaf and Disabled in AnShan and has miraculously provided the people to bring it about.
Currently, we have developed a high quality and low cost digital hearing aid for the deaf and have developed plans for establishing and operating a Christian Center for the Deaf and Disabled. The Center will have a state-of-the-art Hearing Clinic, a full Medical Clinic for the Disabled Poor, and a full service Occupational/Physical Therapy Clinic. We have already completed the design and are ready to produce a Mobile Hearing Clinic that will allow us to reach and service the deaf poor who live in the mountain villages that surround AnShan.
Words fail to adequately express my need and appreciation for the encouragement and prayers I've received from the Neighborhood Family. On December 15, 2005, we have been officially approved by the AnShan government agencies to operate the ministries under the "Bethesda" NGO. God is so good! Please keep me and the AnShan Family in your prayers.
-Jim Serna
Thailand 2005
For two weeks in August, my team of seventeen people from several churches, college-age to retirees, went with Footsteps Missions, to an island in Thailand named, Koh Kho Khao. There were three on our team from Neighborhood Church - Brigit Anderson, Natalie Johnson and myself. Along with the rest of our team, we helped tsunami survivors rebuild their homes, as well as a community center, did clean up work and did crafts, snacks and games with children.
As we walked along the beaches and streets, eight months after the tsunami hit on December 26, 2005, we still witnessed much devastation from the remaining foundations of buildings, toppled palm trees and make-shift memorials. And though many roads, houses, businesses and boats have now been rebuilt, there is still much more work to be done physically, emotionally and spiritually.
We worked alongside several other Christian ministries and learned how God has used the tsunami to bring the lost to Himself. It was amazing how by God's grace we would come across what seemed to be divine appointments with other missionaries at opportune moments. We got to share with the locals about Jesus and His love through words and action. We were able to hear the tragic testimonies of the locals who experienced the tsunami. They were very open with what they experienced and talking about it seemed to be therapeutic for them.
I learned from this trip that we ought to find out what God is doing and then to join Him in it. I learned that living a simpler life is better. I learned daily, quality time with the Lord makes a big difference.
If you've never been on a missions trip, let me encourage you to go on one. It's a real eye opening, life-changing and seeing-God-clearly-at-work experience! If you have a fear of lacking anything, such as money or safety, if it's God's will, He will provide whatever is needed for you to go on the trip with Him. Nowadays, there are mission trips everywhere, for short to long periods, doing almost anything for any age. If you want extra training for a mission trip, a great course to take is the Perspectives course. I highly recommend it. Mission trips are great opportunities for us to be blessed by God so we can be a blessing to others.
-Linda Saejang
Larry to Southeast Asia, 2005
Look at our Neighborhood Church Boat Chapel! Last year, through the faithful giving of our members, we were able to provide this boat chapel along the Mekong River in Cambodia.
This church on the water ministers to thousands of Vietnamese who live along these waterways. Hundreds have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. There are now 5 other boat chapels and many more on land. Consider sharing resources for this great evangelistic work!
The kids in the villages along the Mekong River were overjoyed to meet us. They loved looking at their faces in our digital cameras. Over half of the kids in this village have placed their faith in Jesus Christ!
Cary Vold found a friend named "Soo-me'" who is among the Hmong people group on northern Vietnam. She walked with us for over an hour sharing what life was like in her village. She had never before heard of Jesus Christ. We were able to share with her.
Like stepping back in time, the Hmong work the land as their ancesters have done for millenia. There are an estimated 80,000 believers in this region and the numbers are growing daily. Pray for the Hmong people!
Mexico - Santa Isabel, 2005 (Computers)
At the beginning of this year, Pastor Mark Teyler shared Pastor Lorenzo's vision for using computer training as a vehicle for outreach...look at what God did! Several weeks later...five laptops were dropped at my desk at work. I was that I could do whatever I wanted with them. God provided! Then, He provided software that allowed me to build a Spanish-English laptop platform. Later, we needed power adapters. Again, God provided power adapters from some equipment at work that was ready to be trashed!Next, we needed networking cables, and we received a donation of 200 feet of cabling for the long runs we needed for the church. Then, my friend Greg came with some phone wiring and connection. Printers came in, a desktop computer, a handheld computer; it all came together.
Finally, Pastor Lorenzo was able to get a teenager who has some skills and interests in computers so he can be trained to be responsible for this equipment.
God provided! All of this is to meet a felt need in the community and open a door to share the gospel using computer training!
-Jason Hotchkiss
Cuba Trip, 2005
This is just a quick word to let you know about Cuba. Pastor Mark Teyler, Roland Williams, Todd Teyler, Darryl Wright (World Serve), and myself (Dan Kaufman) went on the trip in October. There is so much to tell I could fill pages, I'll start with a few items.
We brought in medicines, clothing, bibles, training books for pastors, toys, candy, and baseball equipment. Altogether, about 400 pounds of gifts. Yes, we were searched in Cuba and very little was confiscated (a miracle).
We visited many pastors and their families. It was great to hear their stories of how God is working in their lives and in their community. We gave them clothing, medicines, and funds. Thank you for giving to and praying for the Cuban people.
We met a pastor whose only transportation was a beat up old bike. The tires were so rotten they were almost falling off. Another miracle he was still able to ride. We gave him some support money and some additional money for new tires. I could relate to that.
We met another pastor and his wife and kid to whom we were able to give medicines and support. She shared that she prayed that morning for God to help them, they were in desperate financial need. They had no idea we were coming, but God did. It's great being used by God!
One woman who we met is a traveling pastor. She regularly visits about 6 churches by bike. We asked her what she needed, and she said her bike was about to fall apart. Once again I could relate. We gave her money for a new bike along with other support. Her daughter said she had a dream the night before that we would come the next day and meet their needs. Wow.
We helped a pastor organize a baseball outreach event. We went to a local field and invited the whole neighborhood to play. We gave the pastor tons of baseball equipment and he in turn loaned it out to the teams. Everyone had a blast. Before and after the games we invited everyone to the church for free food and a meeting.
After the baseball outreach, a fresh pork dinner was provided. I do mean fresh. We had one pig on the table being prepped to cook while another was on the ground being killed. You should see the video, well, maybe you don't want to see it. The little piggies tasted very good!
One of our supporters, Cliff Bar, gave us a bunch of hats and shirts. The Cubans have so little, giving them a hat makes their year!
We met with Pastor Daniel in his church. Let me tell you, these people know how to sing! It was so great to worship with them and see God's word go out to the Cubans.
-Dan Kaufman
Click here to download videos:
Republica Dominica, 2005
The second day we were there we visited an orphanage. The entire country has nothing; they are totally poor. So this orphanage was barely even livable. But from the moment we got there until the second we left, these kids were all over us. From riding on our back to playing little games about Jesus with them, we did it all. I had the time of my life just being with these kids who had nothing but were totally happy and enthusiastic about their lives. We were like presents under a tree on Christmas morning to these kids.The day before we left to come home we stopped and visited a place called Sugar Cane Village. At this place, everyone works in the sugar cane fields, even the five year-old kids. The homes that these families live in weresmaller than my dorm room. We thought that the kids at the orphanage had nothing? These FAMILIES had less than those kids.
God really spoke to me when we arrived at this place. For the first time in my life I realized what it means to have all you need in God...I now see how fortunate I am to live where I do hand have the opportunities that I have. Jesus Christ is everything and I am nothing without Him!
From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. I can't wait to go on another one or maybe even twenty more.
-Matthew W. Stone
Vietnam, 2005
We treated 2000+ kids in our six days of work. We were at a different location each day, while working with our team of nine from Dental Mission for Children. The local "Red Cross" members worked alongside of us making our efforts easier since our team could not speak the language.
A special thanks to the local Vietnam Colgate Division for the gift of 15,000 toothbrush/toothpaste kits. Some 4000 children benefited from this gift during this mission trip.
The kids are very needy. The schools where we worked were at rather remote sites, requiring up to 90+ minutes of travel time each way. We stayed in the same hotel each night while away from Saigon. The travel time to My Tho, where we stayed, seemed to be at least 2-1/2+ hours from Saigon. Two lane roads with lots of traffic are slow.
Our work setup: Lan, a Red Cross member who worked with us, screened every child that we saw. She marked on their faces which teeth she wanted removed and which molars she wanted treated with Fluoride. We had one local anesthesia station where the teeth were numbed by John, a pedodontist from North Carolina. There were two and sometimes three fluoride stations and two extraction stations. The kids were directed through the process and once finished they were back out side to receive any needed medication and a "kit" with toothbrush, paste, a notebook, some other small items and an instruction sheet. The kids and parents were given hygiene instruction, and prior to our arrival at each school each child was given a glass of fortified milk. That was a real treat.
It is hard to imagine, at times, how little some people have. Kids are kids. Laughing. Singing. Just being kids. They were very well behaved. Some American kids could take a lesson or two from these kids.
Holly prayed over every child that she and I treated. A special thanks to each of you for your prayers. Prayer is powerful and each of us can do it. It costs but a bit of time but can have incredible effects.