The Mexico team is back home after a great trip!

The Mexico team is back home after a great trip!

Safely on the ground in St Louis, with uneventful flights today.

Boarding in Dallas for St Louis, then Columbia. Trying to re-learn how to say thank you instead of gracias. 2/10 so far.

Back in Dallas, waiting to go through passport control. Just about officially back on American soil.

Finishing Strong

Just a brief update to say that our weekend ended incredibly well. We had a good club with the new mission that is near the Monarcas soccer stadium on Saturday morning; the mission was started only recently and includes two families that are trying to reach their neighborhood with the hope of planting a church in the new future. We enjoyed hosting the dinner for the evening celebration, and the BBQ chicken, shish-ka-bobs and, mashed potatoes were a hit (although starting the grill required a creative combination of dry grass, paper, cardboard, cooking oil, and rubbing alcohol).

Sunday morning we had the opportunity to worship with the remnant of El Divino Salvador, Eduardo's church that recently went through a split. The church is currently meeting in his home, and over 50 people were packed into his living and dining rooms. The team shared in worship, and Conrad preached and led communion. In the afternoon, most of the time got to do a little shopping and sightseeing in downtown Morelia, while Conrad, Heber, and Eduardo discussed a debriefing from the week and future ministry plans. Afterwards we hurriedly rushed to Iglesia Jerusalen to pack our things, say goodbyes, and join them for a concluding service to the week. We exchanged gifts, tears, and goodbyes on both sides, as we saw our theme verse coming to fruition: sharing not only the gospel, but our lives as well (1 Thess 4:8). We left the church, arriving at the bus station with only minutes to spare for our all-night trek to Puerto Vallerta.

We will spend the next couple of days debriefing as a team and enjoying some well-earned R&R. Every team member worked a grueling schedule throughout the last ten days, with little downtime or even time together as an entire team. We'll continue to share results from last week and post more pictures soon.

End of the Week

The past two days have been a great conclusion to an amazing week. We have had spotty internet access the last few days, so we haven't been able to update as often as desired. We finished our clubs at Iglesia Jerusalen and Colinas averaging 80 kids total each day, with a team of 15-20 that included our team and the team from Jerusalen. We were able to play soccer Thursday and Friday evening at Colinas, and Matt shared the Ball of Many Colors with the kids and teens that we played with last night.

This weekend is another exercise in flexibility and ministry opportunities! The church has another mission that is brand new in Morelia, and we will be leading a one day club there today at noon. Tonight is a celebration with the entire Bible School team, and we are hosting a BBQ for the church leaders. Tomorrow Conrad will be preaching at El Divino Salvador, Eduardo's church, and our team will also be sharing in worship. We hope to spend some time downtown in the afternoon, and then we will be back at Iglesia Jerusalen briefly in the evening to share in the service before we catch our bus for Puerto Vallarta. We have a full weekend ahead of us!

Thanks for following our updates and praying!

Clubs Day 3

We had another great day of clubs. In the morning, the kids made lamb sock puppets as a craft to go along with the puppet show. As soon as they got outside, they started "grazing" on the grass! We had the opportunity to play soccer with the kids of Colinas after the evening club, and then Steve shared the gospel using the Ball of Many Colors.
Pray for the ongoing health of our team, as we still are fighting the flu, and for conversations between Eduardo, Pastor Avilez, and Conrad as they discuss the companerismo (partnership) between the BSU, Iglesia Jerusalen, and GBC.

Pictures:
1. Making sock puppets during Bible School
2. "Feeding" the sheep
3. Soccer at Colinas del Sur

2nd Day

Our second day of clubs saw 36 kids attending in the morning at the church and over 40 at Colinas in the evening. We had a couple of hiccups in the morning, but we were able to do our full schedule of puppets, skit, crafts, memory verse, games, and the wordless book. Debi was feeling much better, and other than minor stomach bugs, everyone on the team is pretty healthy now. We have really enjoyed working with the leadership of Iglesia Jerusalen. Adrianna, Karen, and Noah have been vital assets to our work. In our team meeting tonight, several mentioned that they felt like those three were really doing a lot of the real ministry - that we were definitely doing our part, but that we were helping them, not the other way around - which is our goal for sustainable, long-term ministry.
The evening clubs in Colinas del Sur were similar to yesterday with one addition: clowns! Conrad was talked into donning a clown costume and make-up and joined one of the other girls from the church as a clown to invite kids to the club. Steve had an opportunity to spend some time playing soccer with a couple of the older guys that were causing some disruptions during his teaching.

Pictures:
1. Children at Jerusalen watching the puppet show and skit.
2. Robin, Ana (BSU), and Mallory as Sammy, Rachel, and Simon.
3. Ben and Matt in the skit.
4. Clowning around in Colinas.

1st Day of Clubs

Our first day was a little different than we may have initially expected, but overall it went really well. Instead of teaching one club that would follow a similar format to the 5 Day Clubs that we are used to, we ended up working with teachers from the church and doing rotating stations with four groups of kids by age. Because of the rotation, most of the team are teaching their areas four times during the club instead of once.
Each of team members was able to gain experience at equipping others to serve alongside them in ministry, for example, Ben taught the mission story and worked with a translator and plans to grow into splitting the teaching with them later in the week; Mallory prepared another girl to teach the kids the Gold page of the Wordless Book, and Matt and Robin worked on incorporating some of the Mexican team into the puppet show and skits. Adriana, one of the children's teachers at Iglesia Jerusalen, was invaluable today. She organized the schedule, handled the rotation, and worked with the kids in between stations and after clubs to review what they learned.
In the evening we went to Collinas del Sur and led a club in the home of a family there. This family was reached through Pastor Roberto's radio ministry, and he has been working with them on starting a Bible study in their home. Their home is the center of the mission in Collinas that will, Lord-willing, develop into a church. We had about 40 kids split into three groups in the small home, but things went very smoothly and the kids seemed to respond very well. We look forward to another round beginning tomorrow morning.
Our biggest setback has been from illness. Ben got sick on the trip down, and Debi caught it and has been out of commission and resting today. Ben is doing quite a bit better; pray for full recovery quickly for Ben and Debi and that this does not get passed on to the rest of the team.

Pictures:
1. Steve teaching his memory verse in a club at Jerusalen.
2. Playing games in the street in Collinas del Sur outside the house where clubs are held.
3. Living room of the house in Collinas; lady in wheelchair allowed us to use her entire home.

Busy Weekend

We arrived at Iglesia Jerusalen Bautista Saturday morning, and after a good breakfast, met with Pastor Roberto Avilez and Eduardo, the BSU director, to discuss plans for the week. Later we had a few minutes to get settled into our host homes before visiting Collinas del Sur, the mission we will be working with, and coming back to the church for training for the next week of ministry. We were led in team-building activities in order to help us get accustomed to working together as Americans, members of the Jerusalen church, and students with the BSU. It signified the beginning of what we expect to be a great partnership this week.
Sunday we had the morning off because the pastor preaches at another church in the morning; services at Jerusalen are on Sunday evening. We had the opportunity to see the season opening game for the Monarcas, Morelia's soccer team. We also had the unfortunate "privilege" of enduring the USA vs. Mexico game later in the afternoon (but the locals were thrilled!). In the evening service, Debi, Ben, Robin, and Mallory were involved in special music and Conrad preached.
Today will be our first day of clubs; we will be hosting a Bible school partnered with the church leaders at Jerusalen in the mornings and then we will take the same Bible school to Collinas del Sur in the evenings. The church leaders want to split the kids into 5 groups, which has required us to be flexible and to depend on their help; this was one of our major goals for the trip, although we hadn't expected it to come about quite like it has. We are excited about the first day and appreciate your continued prayer.

Pictures:
1. Team building activity with Jerusalen leaders
2. Mallory leading Wordless Book training
3. Monarcas futbol game

We just got off the bus in Morelia, safe and uneventful trip. Met Heber, Nena, and Eduardo and now we're headed to the church to get situated.

Leaving Dallas... Next stop Mexico! (followed by the looooooong bus trip to Morelia)

Hanging out at DFW during our layover before departing for Puerta Vallarta at 5:50.

Just about wheels up in STL. Other than a minor issue with the automated check-in, we're doing great. Next stop Dallas.

Mexico team is off and on the road to the airport. Pray for a safe day of travel. We should be in Morelia in 23 hours.

Testing Ping.fm to see if it truly will be the end-all for keeping up-to-date on mission trip news. If you're reading this on twitter, facebook, or blogger, it works!

Update from Sharps Corner

We have enjoyed a great week in Sharps Corner so far! We arrived safely around 9:30pm local time Saturday evening. Robert and Mallory led worship at Sharps Corner Baptist Church on Sunday morning and Conrad preached (David Moser also had the opportunity to preach in White River).

Eric's team is leading a 5 Day Club for younger kids, Robert's team is leading a club for older kids, and Megan, Robin, and Conrad are working with the teens that have been attending. We have been able to continue our outreach from years past to the community of Evergreen, a housing area a few miles from Sharps Corner. We have averaged over 30 kids and teens each day. We have also been able to continue community involvement through sports in the evenings, although the volleyball and basketball courts were in severe disrepair. The volleyball court was overgrown with weeds over two feet tall and the poles were missing, and the basketball rim was gone. After some renovation Monday, we were able to play on Tuesday and look forward to tonight as well.

We've reconnected with many kids and families from past years, and begun new relationships. Pastor Roy and Linda are doing well; Roy is involved in a week long revival in Pine Ridge and Sharps Corner that is hosted by God's Cowboys, a New Mexico-based outreach to Native Americans. We learned that Delaine is struggling through some difficult things and will be unable to return with us to Columbia to visit for a few weeks as we had previously hoped. Destiny, Amber, and Carly, three girls that had been involved at the church since our first trip in 2006, have encountered some family issues, but Destiny has been involved in our teen outreach this week, and we hope to see Amber tomorrow. We have had an exceptional group of teens to work with this year; they have been open, and instead of trying to keep them from distracting the kids clubs, we have been able to talk with them. Most are in junior high and attend a local Catholic school, but as Tiny, one of the girls, mentioned, "I'm Catholic... I think. I've been baptized." Please continue to pray for us, the clubs, the individuals mentioned above, and the White River team as they've had over 40 kids each day. We look forward to sharing more with you as we have opportunity! Short, more consistent updates are available on twitter; follow "fishermanr".

Pictures from top to bottom:
1. The Sharps Corner team overlooking Evergreen
2. Megan playing a game with some of the teens
3. Hanging out with kids at the end of clubs
4. Robin and Alyssa overlooking the Badlands on Sheep Mountain

Lakota Missions Update

There is not consistent internet here in South Dakota this trip, so my apologies for the lack of updates recently. Hopefully I can post more information this afternoon, but for now, praise the Lord for what's happening here in South Dakota!

Clubs on Monday & Tuesday went well in both Sharps Corner & White River. Sharps Corner is averaging over 30 kids, and White River is averaging over 40 kids! Our teens enjoyed some rest and down-time yesterday while sightseeing a little bit.

Please pray for additional opportunities to share the Gospel, strength and group unity to finish the last 3 days of clubs, and for the revival services going on in the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Lakota Team Preparing for Departure

Our Lakota team will be loading up in a week and making the trek to both White River and Sharps Corner, South Dakota this summer. There are still opportunities to support the team: join us at our McAlister's fundraiser, 5-9pm this Sunday, June 28th, and pray for us as we prepare last minute details and get ready to go!

Closing Ceremony

Tonight was our closing ceremony for the past two weeks of English Clubs. Instead of our regular schedule, we had a program for the students that included a couple of video clips and skits, worship, one last gospel presentation using "The Bridge" video, and presentation of certificates to students who completed the courses. It was a night of celebration, but also sadness as many goodbyes were also exchanged. One of the main purposes of the evening was to pass the students on to the Ukraine for Christ Campus ministry, so that they will be able to continue the relationships that have been formed through English Clubs. Many students indicated after last night's gospel presentation that they were thinking about things like God, Jesus, and the Bible in a way that they hadn't before, and that they wanted to continue searching for the truth. Some are close to a commitment to a Christ; others are deep-seated in their own beliefs, but all were willing to discuss the claims of Scripture openly and consider the possibility of a loving God who sent His only Son to die for their sins. Continue to pray for these students; Campus has a Winter Conference next week, and several students that attended the clubs are going. It is vital that the Campus staff is able to connect with these students soon after English Clubs, so that relationships can continue to develop and conversations can take place based on some of the themes discussed in our clubs. Pray for those students who are searching for truth and want to be absolutely sure that it is found in the Bible.

We fly out tomorrow afternoon and arrive in Columbia by Sunday evening; pray for safe travel. Lord-willing, our next update will be in person!

Tonight

Tonight is our last official night of English Clubs; tomorrow evening will be graduation party, with the emphasis on handing these students on to the Ukraine for Christ ministry. We have been discussing concepts of God and the claims of Christ everyday, but tonight we will be sharing the gospel and testimonies of our relationship with Christ. This is "Decision Night", and we want to clearly communicate that knowing about Jesus is not the same as believing. Please pray that we will communicate clearly and lovingly with the students, that many will return (yesterday was our highest attendance since last Tuesday), that they will understand the gospel, and that distractions will be limited. Thank you so much for praying as we come down to the culmination of our ministry here in Ukraine!

Much Ado

We have had several very full days since our last update! Hopefully many of you had the chance to see the video on Sunday from Anya and Alina about how clubs have been going so far (if you didn't, leave your email address and I can send you the link). Saturday was a much-welcomed day off, which we spent doing a little bit of sightseeing and souvenir shopping before our Valentine's Party with the English Club students in the evening. We weren't exactly certain what an American Valentine's party was supposed to be, but we made the best of it, sharing some favorite American foods and game ideas. Forty people attended the party, which included about half of our English Club students.

Sunday was an immersion into cultural experiences, as we attended Ukrainian churches in the morning, enjoyed a local "steakhouse" for lunch, and then John, Corinne, and Hilary treated our hostesses to an opera while Conrad attended an evening church service with a student and spoke to the youth group.

We began our second week of clubs with anticipation yesterday, discussing the miracle of Jesus' healing the blind man last night and the trial of Jesus before Pilate tonight. Many of the students are very receptive and contemplative as they consider the claims of Jesus. We are encountering some students who are familiar with the facts of the gospel story but have not yet believed, many who are hearing it for the first time, and others who are deeply seated in their own beliefs. Pray that God would continue to reveal the truth of who He is through His word, that students would consider what the claims of the gospel mean for them individually, and that we would all have wisdom in how to best communicate God's love with our students. We will be discussing the parable of the sower and the four types of soil tomorrow and directly sharing the gospel and our testimonies on Thursday. Please also pray for John, as he has been fighting a fever today.

One Week In

Tonight marked the completion of our first week of English Clubs. We are getting to know our students, the Campus staff are making connections, and students have read and discussed the stories of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, and the Feeding of the 5,000, introducing God as a loving Father and Jesus as the Bread of Life. Pray that students will continue thinking about what these themes mean for them over the weekend, before we begin again Monday evening.

This weekend will mean a break from our English Club schedule, but will still be full. We will do some sightseeing on Saturday, and then in the evening we are hosting an American Valentine's Day Party (because in America, we do this all the time?). It will be a great time to meet with the students outside of class, giving them the chance to talk with us and the Campus staff, as well as enjoy games and tastes of American culture and food. Sunday we will attend church with Anya and Alina, and later in the day we hope to have the opportunity to treat our wonderful hostesses to an opera at the famed Opera House. Please pray that the party will provide a great opportunity to interact with students and that we will find rest and refreshment for our second week.

Light in the Darkness

The Opera House in Odessa is said to only be rivaled by its counterpart in Vienna and is beautifully lit at night, cycling through a variety of colors in contrast to the intricacy of the structure itself and the dark night sky. Many students in Ukraine experience a similar enlightenment as they hear the gospel, or even read a passage from the Bible for the very first time in an English Club. Our perspective, coming from a country steeped in Christian heritage, leaves me amazed at the number of students involved in Campus Crusade's ministry that have become believers within the last few years, and a decade at most. Practically all who are serving in the campus ministry are first generation Christians, and as John has been leading teams for the past five years, several students who attended the first English clubs responded to the gospel and are now involved in the campus ministry. It is a light in the darkness, sometimes seemingly dim against the depth of the darkness of a country where the Bible was banned for 70 years and little of contemporary society and government have any resemblance to a Biblical basis or morals. But it is a consistent light, from which the fruit has been proven over time.

Tonight's clubs have continued to go well, and our team is extremely grateful for any prayer on our behalf. Typically a number of students do not return after the first couple of days, but we retained almost all of them and had new students attend too. We began our first Biblical discussion with the story of the Good Samaritan, to open up questions of obtaining eternal life, loving God and others, and the hindrance of sin. Pray that we will continue to be sensitive to God's leading as we prepare our lessons, and especially during out discussion times. Also pray that the Crusade staff will have opportunities to begin relationships with these new students that can continue after we are gone. We completed our clubs this evening excited about the potential that lies ahead of us; thank you for partnering with us in bringing the light of the gospel to each of our students!

First Day in Ukraine

We arrived safely Sunday in Odessa, Ukraine, and although tired, we have acclimated well to a new time zone and culture. After a good night’s sleep, we spent most of Monday passing out flyers on several university campuses. Around 100 students came to the testing last night, where we determined who would be placed in our beginner, intermediate, and advanced clubs. Today the phones have been ringing off the hook as students are calling Alina and Anya, the Campus Crusade staff we are working with, to find out if they were accepted. Classes begin at 6:00pm (10:00am CST), and we were able to keep 75 students. John Pasquet will be teaching the beginner class, Conrad Hake will be teaching the intermediate, and Corinne Smeda and Hilary Dorr will be teaching the advanced.

After feedback from cultural perspectives of past students, we have made a few changes to our teaching curriculum. Pray that we will be able to adjust smoothly to the changes, and that we will be able to effectively reach the students. Also pray that we will retain students through these first few key days.

Ukraine Team Prepares for Departure

Our Ukraine team leaves on Saturday morning from the church at 9:00am. Please pray for safety as we travel and a quick adjustment to time, culture, and climate differences, and pray that God will prepare our hearts and the hearts of the students we will be meeting soon!

Our February 2009 Ukraine Team is John Pasquet, Corinne Smeda, Hilary Dorr, and Conrad Hake.