Updates and info regarding short-term mission trips sponsored by Grace Bible Church of Columbia, MO.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wrapping Up
Today we'll be traveling to Guadalajara, and then getting up early in the morning for our flight home tomorrow. We should be back in Kansas City around 4pm and then in Columbia tomorrow night. Thanks for praying for us; it's been a good trip, and we look forward to sharing more when we get home. Pray for safety as we travel over the next two days, and for the ongoing ministry with El Divino Salvador and Mision del Valle.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Finishing Bible School in Mision del Valle
1. Follow-up from the week, as the church seeks to keep up with families that attended.
2. On-going ministry that will take place through the weekly Bible study and youth and children's programs that will begin soon.
3. Noe and Sol as they continue to lead the ministry in Mision del Valle, and Eduardo, David, and other leaders from El Divino Salvador.
4. Wisdom and resources to determine whether to take an offer to rent a larger building for the mission that was offered by a realtor this week (a larger home with two more rooms for approx. $200/month).
5. Continued growth for the mission in Mision del Valle, hoping to launch it as a church next summer or early fall.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
First Few Days in Morelia
We have had the privilege of helping with Bible school in the mornings and other outreaches in the evenings. 12 kids and 2 parents came to our first day of Bible school, and 20 kids, along with a couple teens and parents, attended today. Jordan is teaching memory verses, Lydia is working with the puppet team, and Debi is coordinating crafts. Because of the evangelistic nature of the Bible school, we've been using the same Wordless Book theme as last year with Iglesia Jerusalen.
The Montemayor family is leading the ministry from the church's side. Nena has been our consistent translator and liaison, her sister Mine is the director of the Bible school, and her dad, David, is the general director of the outreach this week. Eduardo is leading the afternoon and evening outreaches. Yesterday was good, but a little rough as everyone figured out how to work things best in a new area with a combined team, but the efforts for the gospel were effective nonetheless, as both parents that came Monday expressed interest in the Bible study and a desire to know more. We also have a unique opportunity to impact a couple of students who are helping with the BSU and have been involved this week, but are not yet believers. One girl accepted Christ a few weeks ago, an her friends have come because they are interested in what they have seen.
Prayer requests:
1. Smooth continuation of the Bible school this week that results in confidence to attempt another one next year.
2. A movie outeach for kids tonight and a soccer outreach for teens tomorrow evening.
3. Strength and focus for all involved in ministry this week.
4. Karen and Tania, the two girls who are not yet believers.
5. Claudia and Yvonne, two new believers in Mision del Valle, as they and their families get plugged into the ministry this week.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Nearing the End
As we approach the end of our time in Sharps Corner, we have experienced several good surprises. In the beginning of the week, we prepped the volleyball and basketball courts to get them ready to play in the evenings. On Thursday evening when we came out, we found that the people of Sharps had put up a brand new volleyball net, mowed even further around the outside of both courts, and taped the basketball net to keep it from coming down. We had been concerned about whether or not we would find them intact each night when we returned; it was quite a pleasant surprise to see that the community had stepped up to take even better care of what we had helped to begin.
Thursday afternoon Randy, Sam, and Daniel were able to go to White River and reconnect with Pastor Harold and several kids that they had worked with the past two summers. Katie had the opportunity to share the Wordless Book with a little girl named Kaitlyn; she responded to Katie's invitation to accept Christ as Savior!
Overall, clubs have finished incredibly well this week. After a rough day Thursday with only one kid staying through the entire club in Manderson, Friday was their best day ever. Several kids were engaged, listened attentively, and even got onto others that tried to create distractions. The clubs at Sharps have also gone well, and almost all of our team has had the chance to share the gospel through the Wordless Book or have a spiritual conversation with someone.
Last night was our community barbecue, and at 6:05pm, we weren't sure if anyone was going to show up. Fifteen minutes later we were serving what would be 80 people from the area - mostly families from Sharps Corner, and a few from Evergreen. Last year we had a decent turnout for the barbecue, but we mostly served families from the church and kids that had been at clubs. This year was the first time we've seen some of the adults that we've played volleyball with bring their families to the church grounds! It was incredible to see the number of people that were willing to come, not just to eat, but to talk, visit, and share together.
Our partnership with Pastor Brennan's ministry here at Sharps Corner, marks the beginning of a new chapter in our five year tenure, and it is exciting to see what God has been doing. We have had the great opportunity to continue investing in several that we met for the first time in the summer of 2006, including Destiny, Jamie, Jeremy, Delayne, Tony, Cody, and Jamie, among others, and many other dear friends that we have met along the way between that summer and this. It has been thrilling to play a small role in the ministry of the gospel, as we have sought to share not only the gospel, but our lives as well with the people of Sharps Corner through the ministry of Sharps Corner Baptist Church.
As we prepare to leave, please pray that clubs finish well today, and that our team will have additional opportunities to share the gospel. Pray for safety as we travel, and that our return home will also be a new beginning for our team, as we strive to live a mission life at home. Some of our team have been fighting illnesses; pray that they can be on the mend before returning home. Pray for the ongoing ministry of the Brennan family and the church; they have a team from Pennsylvania coming in today to construct a garage and continue with ministry to the Sharps Corner community. Pastor Brennan has a big vision for the area; this week we saw him bring in a bus to use for transportation for kids and tipi poles to be used for a camp, hopefully as soon as next summer. Thanks for partnering with us in prayer and support; nothing this week could have been possible without your faithful prayer on our behalf.
Great turnout for the barbecue!
Hope Bible Church's club