First Church Missions Blog

New First Church Website/Blog Location

2009-10-20T16:24:00.003-05:00

First UMC Carrollton just launched a new website on Monday. Go check it out: www.firstchurch.net.

This blog will now be available as a part of that site, along with other blogs and updates connected with our church. The blog can be found at www.firstchurch.net/missionsblog. I will probably continue to post here for a little while, but may eventually switch over to only posting there.

Thanks!

Abbey

Local Volunteer Opportunities

2009-10-14T11:24:00.003-05:00

Below is a letter I received from a volunteer coordinator at World Impact Ministries in Dallas. Groups from our church have volunteered with them several times and we are big believers in what they are doing. Check out their website for more information about them.

Please let me know if there is anything on this list that you would like to help with, and I will be sure to connect you with the people at WID.

Upcoming WID Events

October 23-24^th: Jr. High Girls Night

Last year we had 30 girls come to this event. We need Godly women to come serve and build relationships for this night, as it is vital to our ministry. Most of the girls we meet at the Jr. High School will never come to our Wednesday night Bible Study...until they have gone to a girl's night!

This event starts at 5pm on Friday and goes until 9am on Saturday. The location is the women's missionary house at 2729 South Blvd, Dallas, TX. We will need help with purchasing drinks, food, and crafts. As it will be a slumber party, we will be tye-dying pillowcases. Also, we need volunteers to help oversee activities and help prepare food. Please contact Amanda Sherrill atasherrill@worldimpact.org if you are interested.

October 31^st : Youth Scavenger Hunt

Every year we partner with Interfaith Ministries and provide an alternative to Halloween. With over 60 kids attending, we will need your help! Starting in the afternoon, we will have 3-4 different teams going on a scavenger hunt across DFW. After hours of fun, we come back to the World Impact Ministry Center for food, games, and fellowship. We will need help in the following areas:

Donating food
Decorating our Ministry Center and setting up tables w/food
Attending the scavenger hunt by being a team leader
Preparing the scavenger hunt (Contact Amanda or Glen A.S.A.P)
Preparing games

As this event is still in the preparation stages, please contact Amanda Sherrill at asherrill@worldimpact.org, or Glen Banks at gbanks@worldimpact.org if you are interested.

November 6^th,7th: Garage Sale

In order to raise funds for the ministry, we are having a garage sale at the women’s missionary house (2729 South Blvd, Dallas, TX 75215). Volunteers are needed to prepare and help oversee the garage sale. This would be a great event to get your small group involved in for a service project! The garage sale will run from 8am-1pm Saturday, November 7^th. However, we will need assistance the day before in organizing, labeling, and moving items from the World Impact Ministry Center to the women’s missionary house. So if you cannot make it Saturday, please come anytime Friday to help! For more information, contact Amanda Sherrill at asherrill@worldimpact.org

December 12th: Christmas Shoppe!

Look out for the flyer coming soon! Every year WID partners with local churches to make Christmas shopping for the families in our community easier. Save the date, and keep a watch for more information in the upcoming weeks! Please contact Glen Banks at gbanks@worldimpact.org for more information.

But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

-2 Corinthians 8:11-12

Diana Drake's Memories from the Colombia Trip

2009-10-05T08:57:00.003-05:00

About 2 months ago I went on an amazing trip to Bogota, Colombia with a group from our church. We got to work with a wonderful group of missionaries from YWAM (Youth with a Mission) who live and work in the Bogota area. It was also really neat to actually work in the building that our church helped pay for through the Bigfoot Comedy night fundraiser last year. The building is used as a play center where the street kids in the YWAM program can come to have fun. We got to add some great play areas in that building, like a rope bridge, a texture wall, hammocks to climb on, a basketball court, and we fixed the rock climbing wall. Also, we got to go out and visit some of the schools and drop-in centers that YWAM helps run for the street kids. It was truly incredible to get to be with these kids, both in the centers and on the streets, and experience a small part of what life is like for them there.

I’ve been on short-term mission trips before, and there are always lessons learned and experiences you take from them. For me, there were several experiences that I know will stay with me for a long time to come. One was seeing a perfect rainbow in the mist over the city of Bogota, a reminder to me that there is beauty in the world even in the most unexpected places. The streets of Bogota are often filled with trash, and the homeless are everywhere, living where they can and struggling to survive. Seeing the incredible poverty, I couldn’t help but compare it to the way we live here at home. We have clean streets, safe homes, and an abundance of food and possessions. We are so blessed, but I know that I was reminded that we must never take that for granted, or think that we somehow deserve the blessings God has given us. We are blessed so that we may bless others. I know that it is good for me to be reminded of that, and to keep a sense of perspective in my life and a sense of gratitude for all God has given me.

For me, the most memorable experiences in Bogota were when we got to meet the children. Each day we visited a different school, so we only got to spend an hour or two with most of the children, then say goodbye. I wasn’t sure what kind of impact we could have in such a short amount of time. However, what we got to represent was simply the love of God for those kids. We were there to smile and hug and show them that somebody cares. And they showed us the same. We helped them make a beaded cross necklace, with each color bead representing part of the salvation message. Hopefully these crosses will remind them of God’s love for them always. These children had so little, yet they were able to laugh and smile and show love. We, who have so much, should certainly be able to do the same.

Going to Colombia was an amazing experience, and I hope to be able to go back sometime soon.

Diana Drake

Update letter from the Scarbroughs

2009-09-08T10:30:00.003-05:00

August 12, 2009

Hello family and friends.

Summer is almost over and we have been enjoying the warmth that it brings to Minnesota. We have a lot to share with you since our last newsletter. First, please know we appreciate the time that you take to read this letter. We are so blessed to be able to share with you what the Lord is doing in our lives, and in the YWAM Ministry that you are a part of.

This first half of the year has been very busy for us at YWAM-Minneapolis. We sent three teams on missions: the first to Colombia, another to the Amazon region of Peru, and the third to Ecuador. In the most recent Discipleship Training School, we had 8 students, including two from Korea and one from Spain.

The YWAM-Minneapolis campus is prepared for summer Mission Adventures teams. This summer, we are hosting 20 youth groups, and sending them to minister in the South Dakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Panama, Minneapolis, and Galveston, Texas, and Haiti.

Rebeca has taken over the management of our large, commercial-style kitchen, cooking for 38 people most days of the week, and 150 a day when we have youth groups on campus. She is now a Minnesota Licensed Kitchen Manager. Rebeca prepares the menu, orders the food, and trains staff and students on her team. She wants to provide excellent food service to all of the YWAM-Minneapolis staff and students. Rebeca knows how hard it is on outreach missions, and she wants to bless the staff and students with tasty, high-quality nutrition while they are studying and doing practical work here.

John is continuing development of energy-saving strategies to be used on YWAM bases around the world. As YWAM reduces utility bills, it gives more money to our primary mission of taking the Gospel to the nations. Here, our current goal is to reduce energy cost by an additional $30,000 to $40,000 or 33% a year. I believe that the Lord has given me special skills in energy-use efficiency. I am working to make our campus a model, where my team and I can help other YWAM campuses achieve the same efficiencies. I really want to see it happen: Increasing YWAM resources to share Jesus' love, making disciples of the Nations according to the Great Commission.

We would like to share something special with you. Rebeca's mother died in Tedzidz, Mexico at the end of December. Her mom had been living for the last 10 years with liver disease. The doctors attributed the problem to her lack of nutrients while carrying and birthing 11 children. Due to the lack of correct food, and lack of education about health matters, it is a common problem in the little towns of Mexico like Tedzidz. On December 15, 2008, the call came that it was looking like Rebeca's mother was in her final hours. We got right to work at trying to get Rebeca down there. Due to the coming Christmas holiday, it proved impossible - all flights were full. We got a call on December 16th that Rebeca's mother had been calling for Rebeca all night, saying she really wanted to see Rebeca before she died. Rebeca talked to the doctor later that day, and he told Rebeca the end was just hours away: Mama had slipped into a coma. Rebeca called every few hours to see how things were going.

When Rebeca called the next morning to check in, she got some incredible news. Mom was up and eating, she told everyone that she was not going yet!!! Rebeca listened as her brother told her what had happened the night before. He said he had been up all night praying with Mama. He did not know everything that was going on, but he continued to pray in the Spirit all night for his mom. He did not know the significance of what he was praying until his mother woke up, and told him "where" she had been. She said she had been to the entry of Heaven where she saw 2 very tall people with the most beautiful faces she had ever seen. One of the "people" spoke to her and told her to wait. He said, "We are not sure we are ready for you yet, we may send you back." And, as she looked through the "Gate" she saw a lot of people in white robes around a person sitting in a huge chair. Mother was told by one of the men at the gate that the person on the throne wanted to speak with her. Then, she saw herself in front of the chair; He spoke to her and said, "Today is not your day, but your time is very near. I want you to go back to your house and testify to your family, your church, your town, and everyone who has ears to hear, I am the Lord God, and that I am Real. Give testimony of what you have seen. Tell them I can make the sick well; I can raise the dead. Now go!"

Rebeca's mother never saw the face of the One on the throne; she only saw a very bright light. His voice was sweet and loud at the same time, and very pleasant to the ears. Rebeca's mother was also told that soon would be her time, and when the Lord calls the next time, it will be quick and painless.

Rebeca's mother enjoyed 5 more days of life. She spent that time preaching on the front porch of her house, in her church, and spoke to each of her children one at a time. She spoke with Rebeca for hours at a time on the phone, and also enjoyed just sitting close with Rebeca's father. Rebeca's siblings told her it was like Mom and Dad were dating. After this, many people became Christians, and were encouraged by the amazing testimony. She showed many that God is real, and he is waiting for us to finish our race well.

On December 22, 2008 at 2pm mother sat down for her final time and asked if Rebeca had made it yet. She was told, "No mother, Rebeca is not able to make it." She said: "Very well, it is time for me to go. They are coming for me. I will see you there! Can you see them?" At that she closed her eyes and was gone.

Rebeca's mother is now with the Lord.

Please keep us in your prayers, especially for Rebeca, who is still processing this huge loss, knowing we will all see each other in Heaven again. Praise the Mighty Name of JESUS!!!!

Maria Antonia Ku Cel 1935-2008

John and Rebeca

Update from Adrienne Mickler

2009-09-02T11:46:00.001-05:00

September 2009

I am rich.

You are rich too.

For whatever reason, this has become a label that most of us, including myself, strongly dislike. We rarely, if ever, claim that we are indeed rich [in the economic sense], but we are. We have a tremendous and delicate responsibility to distribute these resources to those without, in a fashion that preserves people’s dignity.

The manner and attitude in which we contend for others speaks more than we may realize. It is far more complex than simply giving out a piece of bread. It is discovering a way in which the relationship can be symbiotic, where both parties can give and receive. Otherwise, despite our good intentions, the relationship becomes hierarchical: those who “have” are at the top, and those who “have not” are at the bottom. This is not how it is meant to be. “Love your neighbor as yourself” implies equality.

Upon acknowledging this responsibility, I often feel a deep, overwhelming sense of guilt. I go, I give, and I serve out of this sentiment. I have learned that living with this guilt mentality is destructive and frequently results in feelings of resentment, bitterness, burn out, etc. I must go and give and serve because that is my heart’s desire.

I believe we are created to use our desires for the cause of Christ and for other people. If we are not living out of these deep places of longing, then of course we will feel a degree of exhaustion. If we are created to function in one capacity but choose to live from something else, we are neglecting a fundamental piece of who we are and thus live a life unfulfilled.

When we begin living against our heart’s desires, we start to compartmentalize “ministry”. It is no longer our life, but simply a part. This has become a very common way to ease our consciences. As long as we are doing “ministry” a few times a week, we’re good. But no, we still aren’t living the life we were intended to live and if we are honest with ourselves, we still long for more.

During these next six weeks, the “imagining posture”, we will be looking even deeper into these issues: living out our responsibility with God, gaining a clear sense and pursuit of our personal calling, and exploring and innovating different ways to be communities of faith. We will read Acts and Revelation in the Bible and other notable texts, as always.

Please continue to pray that I would stay focused, particularly at this stage of the year. There have been a plethora of external issues vying for my attention (eg. I miss Ryan!). But I believe that especially now, during the climax of the year, I must remain attuned to God’s promptings.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

With Love,

Adrienne

2009 Trip Summary

2009-07-23T15:40:00.003-05:00

El Paso:

October

This trip has its first informational meeting Sunday, August 2, after church in the library. Exact dates will be decided by the group. Ministry will be to the physically and spiritually poor of this region through volunteering with several homeless shelters and community centers. This will be a short trip - about 4 days - and inexpensive - airfare plus $100 for ministry expense. No heavy construction involved. Contact Susan Sublett at sublettfamily@gmail.com.

Aurich, Germany

July 24-August 2

Please be in prayer for this group as they spread the gospel through baseball.

Nigeria

Early November

With Scott and Shirley Grigsby

Quito, Ecuador

First week of December

Karen and Sam Pedersen will be heading back to Ecuador to be a part of "Christmas at the Dump". Contact Sam or Karen at samnkaren@verizon.net. Cost: $2,000

Bogota, Colombia

August 8-15

Tickets have been purchased for this group but if you are interested contact Robyn Patzig at rpatzig@sbcglobal.net. Cost: $1,100

Cambodia

September 24-October 3

Tickets have been purchased for this trip, but we will head back next summer. We ask that you all be in prayer as we take the next step since adopting the Khmer people as our Unreached People Group.

Update from Adrienne Mickler

2009-07-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

July 2009

Aunt Esther. She sits sideways in her big chair, smelling of alcohol, legs propped up on the arm, short white hairs poke out the sides of her lime green knitted hat as she carefully raises the floral porcelain teacup towards her mouth with fragile shaking hands. She is an adorable, elderly Afrikaner lady who is quite witty, despite the fact that she is nearly deaf and blind. When speaking with her, one must sit uncomfortably close and speak at a painfully loud volume. She has her door open from 4am until late at night, even during the colder winter months, for the sole purpose of being able to greet and be greeted by the strangers who happen to walk by. She feels forgotten and alone, and perhaps rightly so. Her family rarely visits and all her friends have passed away. I met her by accident several months ago and have been visiting her weekly ever since. She does not ever remember my name but she knows me as one of the girls that stop by on Thursday mornings for tea and conversation. She is teaching me the powerful value of being present. She cares little about what I could do for her and repeatedly expresses her gratitude for just being with her. She has taught me that my time is the most valuable gift I will ever have to offer.

“Hospitality is Resistance.” (from a book we just finished titled, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, by Christine D. Pohl) This is Christian hospitality: one that welcomes “the least”, which recognizes their equal value, and respects their dignity; one that goes against the hospitality that invites only those with whom we are comfortable. If we are truly welcoming people we must, again, be present and invite in the fashion that Jesus did: sitting side-by-side, face-to-face, engaging in equal relationship with everyone, especially those whom the world labels as inferior. I do not mean to say that if you are not considered lesser then you cannot receive the fruits of someone else's hospitality. But I would like to challenge us to remember those for whom hospitality was originally intended. True hospitality was meant to be a manner in which to care for the marginal groups in society; not as a means of entertaining the elite. I highly recommend reading Making Room. It addresses all the practical barriers that typically inhibit most of us from really engaging in this kind of hospitality.

It is now the middle of the year. Last week marked the completion of the “inviting posture”, where I began learning the fundamental importance of simply being present with people. Today is the beginning of the “Contending Posture” where we will be identifying and confronting issues of injustice, contending for peace and wholeness in people’s lives, and pursuing holiness together. We will spend time studying the prophetic literature in the Bible and continue reading other texts with a focus on contending.

If you are able, please continue praying for me during these upcoming months. I have reached a time of the year when I am struggling to stay focused, resulting in a lack of motivation to continue seeking as I should.

Thank you so much, for everything…

With Love,
Adrienne

Update from Adrienne Mickler

2009-04-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

April 2009

You all have played an integral role in allowing me to be here and I want to include you on this journey in a more personal manner than I have in the past. You have given me a rare and beautiful gift: space and time to discover what it means to be attentive and listen with my heart.

The past six weeks (called the “listening posture”) have been a time of recognizing and learning to accept who God has created me to be; even in the ordinary: what I like and dislike, my fears and dreams, my strengths and weaknesses, my needs and interests, my natural inclinations, etc. I have done an incredible job of even deceiving myself about who I am. I believe that accepting my identity in Christ must happen in order for me to identify what I am meant to do and what God desires for my life.

Through this time of self-discovery, I am experiencing something new and exciting: freedom. When I remember that God fashioned me in His image, and I recognize myself as His daughter, whom He loves, I am free. God knows my innermost thoughts, and He created me to experience countless different emotions, each in a particular manner. Rather than negating the value of these, I am beginning to embrace them. The sense of guilt that often follows when I think or feel a certain way disappears when I acknowledge and include God in those thoughts and feelings. If He is welcomed into our mind and heart, we are free of condemnation. This is revolutionizing my life.

On a slightly different note, we are now entering into the “submerging posture”. This entails learning what it means to be more committed and submitted to one another, more connected with and actively serving our neighbors, and grasping the power of the incarnation. We will be focusing on the gospels in the Bible and reading some other texts as well. I will spend more time with a select few ministries in order to decide where to commit for the remainder of the year. Some include work with young girls who have experienced varying degrees of abuse, and working with an economically poor community to start a vegetable garden. The nutrients that vegetables provide are absolutely essential in the treatment of AIDS, which is rampant throughout Africa. The garden would allow for more people to have access to the essential nutrients their bodies need to stay alive.

With that, please pray that I would sense God’s leading in where I can best serve. There is also something of which I need prayer that I rarely reveal to people: I long to sense something that is undeniably from God. I constantly struggle with doubt and skepticism in this area. Although I am learning, I am easily bogged down with frustration for not being able to experience more of God in a personal way.

If you are interested in more detailed, weekly/daily updates and occasional photos, feel free to visit my blog: http://www.xanga.com/nom_AD_ic

Thank you for taking the time to read my updates. I don’t say it often enough but you all mean the world to me. And, if ever you are willing, I would love to know how you are doing as well.

With love,

Adrienne

Updated Trip List 2009

2009-02-22T09:07:00.003-06:00

Here is an updated list of all of the mission trips and local mission opportunities for 2009:

Hurricane Ike Relief Trip (for men)
Dates: April 1-5
Cost: $100
Contact: Steve Niermann
(stevenniermann@tx.rr.com)

East Asia Vision Trip
Dates: March 13-22
Cost: Trip is full
Contact: Ellen Childress
(ellen.childress@verizon.net)

Quito, Ecuador
Dates: Late July
Cost: $2,000
Contact: Sharon Roelke
(roelke1@tx.rr.com)

Aurich, Germany
Dates: July 24 - August 2
Cost: approx. $1,500
Contact: Bruce & Joanna Breckenfeld
(breckenb@verizon.net)

Kenya
Dates: Late July
Cost: approx. $3,000
Contact: Sharon Roelke
(roelke1@tx.rr.com)

Cambodia
Dates: Late September
Cost: TBD
Contact: Sharon Roelke
(roelke1@tx.rr.com)

El Paso, TX
Local missions working with homeless, children, no heavy labor.
Dates: fall (a Thursday-Tuesday)
Cost: approx. $300
Contact: Susan Sublett
(sublettfamily@gmail.com)

Local Missions Opportunities:

Feed My Starving Children Meal-Packing Day
Dates: June 5-6
No costs, but donations welcome to help cover the cost of the food we are packing
Contact: Abbey Daniels (fmscdallas@gmail.com)

Sidewalk Bible School
Every Saturday 11-noon, in South Carrollton
Bringing Sunday School to underprivileged kids
Contact: Carolyn Giffen
(cgiffen@firstchurch.net)

Crossroads Community Services
Third Monday of every month from 6:30-8:30 (carpool from church at 5:30)
Variety of activities from serving meals to maintaining facilities
An optional dinner is provided for $10
www.ccsdallas.org
Contact Abbey Daniels for info
(abbeyrenee@gmail.com)

Feed My Starving Children

2009-02-18T13:51:00.003-06:00

A great opportunity for local volunteering is coming up at our church this summer.

On June 5-6, we are hosting a Mobile Packing Day at the church (actually at CCA) where we will be packing 100,000 meals for children all over the world in a day and a half. We need at least 500 volunteers to be able to do it!

The meals are packets engineered specifically for malnourished children, and only cost 17 cents per meal. They contain rice, soy protein, dehydrated vegetables, and vitamin-fortified chicken flavoring. I have tasted the mixture once it's cooked up, it tastes a lot like Rice-A-Roni.

For more information about the organization that we are teaming with for this, go to www.fmsc.org. All of their meals are packed by volunteers.

Volunteers will work in manageable, two-hour shifts, with one shift on Friday from 6-8, and 6 shifts on Saturday, every two hours from 8am-8pm. If we fill up, more shifts may be added earlier Friday.

Kids and youth are more than welcome. Donations are also welcome, as we will be covering the cost of the meals ($17,000), but are not required.

If you would like to sign up to come pack meals with us, send a donation, or receive more information, email me (Abbey) at fmscdallas@gmail.com. Let me know your name, the best way to contact you (either email address or phone number), and which shift you would like to work.

Cambodia and Nigeria

2009-01-29T14:01:00.002-06:00

There will be a trip going to Cambodia this fall (2009). This will be a much smaller trip to scope out and begin to pray for the trip that will go in 2010, which will be larger, youth-friendly, and will have a medical focus. The trip this year will not be open to youth, primarily because it will require two weeks and be during the school year. We hope to have some of our own Cambodian congregation come along.

The Grigsbys would like to lead another trip to Nigeria in November of this year, exact dates to be announced. It will likely be a two-week trip, but it won't be a big deal to have someone come late or leave early, I guess they'll be close to an airport. If anyone is interested in this trip, contact me and I'll get you in touch with Scott Grigsby.

Trips; Kenya, El Paso

2009-01-26T16:07:00.004-06:00

Some more information about a couple more trips we will (likely) be taking this year:

Some of you are aware that our church took a group to Kenya last summer; I have posted notes from several people who went on that trip on this blog. Another trip is in the works for this year, but dates and details are not finalized just yet as they wait to hear from a doctor that they hope to take along.

Lois Evans would like to take a group from our church to El Paso for a senior-friendly mission trip. This trip is designed to keep travel stresses and costs to a minimum. Participants will stay in host homes and will collaborate with a network of homeless shelters in the downtown El Paso area to do volunteer work suitable for any physical condition. Cost will likely be around $350-$400. This trip will be in late September or October, but these dates are not finalized yet either.

Both of these trips are still in planning stages, please be sure to check back here regularly for more details as they come together if you are interested in going.

Gospel for Asia Update

2009-01-23T09:21:00.003-06:00

December, 2008

Jorhat, Assam
INDIA

Dear sponsors,

Greetings to you in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to you for your precious prayers and financial support for my ministry. Please continue to remember me in your prayer. I too remember you in my prayer. May the good Lord bless you abundantly.

In the last six months of my ministry the Lord blessed me and helped me to reach many villages with the message of the love of God. Also the Lord granted me sound health and guided me in His way in the ministry. I thank God for all his blessings that the Lord has enabled me to experience.

At present I am serving the Lord as a pastor and evangelist at Aantimuria. In this area most of the people are non-Christians. These people are economically very poor. But they are giving good response to the Gospel. The Lord is using us very effectively among these people. Please pray for these people and their salvation.

As a church every day we are involving in different activities like outreach ministry, Gospel preaching, house visitation, hospital visitation, door-to-door evangelism and personal evangelism. Through our ministry many people received the Lord as their personal Savior, and they were added into the church. Please continue to pray for my ministry.

During the last six months of my ministry the Lord enabled me to distribute 200 Gospel tracts and 10 New Testaments. As a result of my ministry five people received the Lord as their personal Savior and received water baptism.

Pray for my church believers that they would stand firm in their faith in Christ.

Pray for me in my ministry so that I may be able to do the ministry effectively.

In Christ,

Anadh Kutum

SKG/KS

A couple more trips

2009-01-22T09:20:00.003-06:00

There will be a hurricane relief trip for Hurricane Ike on April 1-5. They will stay in Texas City and work in Galveston, similar to the trip they took to New Orleans last year. I believe this year women can come too, as the housing situation is different. The cost for that trip is likely to be $150-200. The purpose of the trip is, I believe, demolition of houses that were destroyed in the hurricane.

A trip is planned this summer for Aurich, Germany, where a team went last year. They will stay in homes and do a baseball camp. It will be July 24-August 2. The cost of the trip will be just a little over transportation costs, including the flight from Dallas and a train ride.

I have added a little bit of information about myself (Abbey Daniels) and my email to the "About me" section to the right. Another way to contact me with questions is just to comment on the particular blog post, I get those in email form as well.

I'M BACK... I promise.

2009-01-20T09:13:00.005-06:00

It has been requested that I post information regarding the trips that we have on schedule for this year. So I will oblige, but a few at a time so they can be searched via tags.

First of all, a group of 10 or 11 from our church will be going to East Asia March 13-22. Three or 4 people on that trip will be on their first ever overseas mission trip, so pray for that group! See Ellen Childress or ask me about more information, although I think it's full.

Over the same week, a group will be going to Quito, Ecuador. They will be working with an organization called Extreme Response there that 5 of us from FUMC worked with in December. See Sharon Roelke for more information about that one, or ask me!

Check back for more info, I'm going to start being more regular about posting on here. Holidays are nuts.

Testimony from Joseph McWilliams, Kenya Trip

2008-11-10T11:09:00.003-06:00

God guided every part of me going on this trip to Africa. Everything from my summer school starting no later than a day after I got back to the fact that our entire group never got in one quarrel. Not to mention I didn't even bump my head once! After some experiences I have had on mission trips, this was such a blessing. I will never be the same because of my trip to Kenya. One day we visited an orphanage that took in kids that are anywhere from newborns to three years old. While we were there it was hard to grasp the fact that they had no parents. I'm so used to seeing babies with the parents running behind them. It wasn't until I came home and read this verse that it really hit me:

Ecclesiastes 4:1
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the
sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed- and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors- and they have no comforter.

So many nights I see the faces of those oppressed orphans and wish there was something I could do. I have been praying that someday there will be. While we were there Leah and I took many pictures and video. She really did a great job and I'm very thankful she was there to help me. I couldn't have done it without her. I'm very excited about the opportunities that God provided me with. I talked to Bob and Ann, the leaders of Bridges International, and figured out they had been looking for somebody to help them with the website. Again, God had a strong hand here. I agreed to help without hesitation. I have been working on a site for them with the pictures we took there. I'll also be making a video to show at church and put on the website I'm making. Please pray for me as I try to balance school, work, and my involvement with these amazing people. I hope to have the video done sometime in August.

When I got to my dorm at West Texas A&M my parents were trying to make me comfortable (after all, I had just flown in from Africa). I tried to explain to them that I was thankful just to have a bed to sleep in and a pillow to lay my head on. I realized how many creature comforts I really do have. The beautiful thing is that, despite having very different daily routines, the Kenyans are the kindest people I've ever met. The collectivistic culture completely captivated me as it harshly contrasted with our culture. I've had trouble adjusting back to America. All I can do is pray that God will send me back to Kenya some day.

Joseph McWilliams

Kenya!

2008-10-23T15:34:00.002-05:00

This is from an article written by KJ Roelke.

“Mzungu! Mzungu! China!”

These were some of the first words that I heard out of the street boys’ mouths. After Pastor Shadrack had finished talking to them, they immediately ran towards where the food was being set up.

They knew the drill.

And here we were, a bunch of Americans stuck in a country full of poverty with a stampede (for it certainly was a stampede) of homeless boys running towards us, sticking out like a sore thumb. And then there was me. Not only was I one of the Americans, I was also the only Asian, not to mention someone with a defected right hand. I felt out of place. Leah jumped right in when she saw a baby, but me? I didn’t know what I could do. I thought to myself, all I can do is sing, dance, and play hacky-sack. What do I have to bring to the table? And the next thing I knew, I was on the ground teaching some kids how to dance: true-blue break-dance. I don’t really remember how I got there; all I can remember is wanting so desperately to distract these kids from the pains and suffering they had to go through, that I would do anything for them. I remember playing volleyball and giving them high-5s every time they made a good hit. They all understood that we were there to play with them for however long they were allowed to stay at the compound of Bridges International.

The boys inhabited a corner on the street, and many of them had glue bottles somewhere on their person. I found out during the trip that one of the reasons it is so popular is because the glue’s aroma dulls the hunger pains that they had. And when we stopped at a store really close to get Leah some girly accessory like eye-liner or something, a couple of the boys that knew me from the meal days (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday) came up to our van and started waving. I had never imagined I would see them anywhere outside the compound (unless we were arriving there and they were waving at us through the windows), yet here they were, waving at me because I taught them how to dance, or kicked a sack of beans around with them? No, they waved because somewhere inside of them, they knew that God cared about them, and that I was one of the people God decided to use to tell them that. And they might not have known it at the time, and they might not know it now, but that is what I know, and I would go back in a heartbeat to play with them again."

Update from Adrienne

2008-10-07T08:46:00.000-05:00

October 2008

I broke. After 7 hours of battling against aggressive, angry boys, I lost control of my emotional stability. I had been hit, kicked and called horrible names. Every time I enforced a rule, their behavior became worse and their anger shifted from being directed at their peer, to being directed at me. The anger inside these boys pierced through their eyes and penetrated deep inside of me, even though I desperately tried to remind myself of where these boys come from; telling myself it was not their fault. The last 30 minutes of the day, their behavior escalated even more. Alone I could not cope with this environment any longer. It was too much. I went upstairs to switch places with my co-volunteer. I sat, covered my face and let the tears run down my cheeks. Two small children, accustomed to seeing me strong, confident, and assertive, stared at me with deep concern written in their expressions. "¿Por qué lloras?" [why are you crying?] asked the little boy. I breathed in deeply and swallowed hard to regain my composure in front of the perplexed, worried Pamela and Jon Eduard. I responded with "estoy cansada, no se preocupen." [I'm just tired, don't worry.] I grabbed a broom and began sweeping.

The transition that my kids have made since that day is miraculous. They have acclimated to a structured atmosphere with rules and designated times for work and play. They respond to discipline, physical violence has decreased, and now they are able to learn. They still have days when they seem to regress, but the kids they were when they first arrived in June and the kids they are now, are very different. Hooray!

Esneider beckons me to come sit with him on the bus. I put him on my lap and wait for the other kids to start filing into the seats. Kati, his 2 year old little sister, scoots over on her seat and motions for me to come sit beside her. I move over, now with Esneider on my lap and Kati under my arm. Their older brother, Maicol, is sitting directly in front of us. My leg is beside the seat where he is sitting and he leans against it, ready for the long bus ride back to the south. They are three of the kids that returned to the Other Way after Colombianita was destroyed. Sitting on the bus with the three of them around me was a beautiful, holy moment. It reminded me of my purpose. These little people are why I am here in Bogotá. There was a great deal of peace in that moment. Peace in purpose. I believe that God provides this kind of peace to affirm that you are in the right place doing the right thing. It's an overwhelming sense of perfection in God's purpose for you. These moments are my fuel for days when I feel helpless, days like I described above.

This emphasizes the importance of placing God above all else. Love for God is the key to ultimate love for humanity. I am learning that people, unfortunately, cannot be a continuous motivating factor. They will eventually disappoint you. They will hurt you, intentional or otherwise. This is something of which I personally struggle because I want to believe that all people have some degree of inherent goodness. However, no matter how humanistic one might be, putting your hope and trust in people is not sufficient. You will burn out. You must have divine purpose in what you do. You must believe that God is love; this will reign over everything else and allow you to love and serve without condition.

I hope this letter finds you all very well. Please know how very much I appreciate everyone of you. Your prayers and support mean a great deal; without them, I could not be here. Thank you for continuing to read my little updates. I hope they paint at least a small picture of what things are like here. Y'all are amazing! THANK YOU!

With love,
Adrienne

Update from Liz

2008-10-07T08:43:00.002-05:00

The truck hit a bump and all the contents in the bed bounced six inches into the air with a shout. The princess, draped in a green and orange chitenge, slid from center of my lap down to my knees. I clasped my hands as tight as possible around her waist, trying to save her limp body from falling onto the floor and awakening her from whatever dreams her seven year old imagination was portraying in her mind. As her head found its place on my collarbone almost like a perfect puzzle piece, I looked up across the seats, peering between her family members, and followed the dusk glow of the horizon with my eyes while whispering a prayer of thanks to God. I turned to Matt, my teammate who also decided to jump into the back of the truck with me when our leader asked if anyone would like to go with Chief Nyawa back to his village, and said..

"in this moment, my heart could explode."

It was the last night of our expedition to Nyawa village, and had i not hiked up my skirt & ascended into the back of the truck, i might not be able to say that i truly enjoyed myself. it's nothing again the people of Nyawa village, whose smiles when they met us spoke of more joy than a person who just won the lottery, or against my team, which consists of eight of the most colorful, diverse and Christ-seeking individuals you could ask for. the only person who could prevent me from enjoying myself is myself. As most of you know, in the few weeks leading up to my departure for Zambia, i heard the Lord just say 'you are going to be broken.' Broken? Broken being shattered, scattered, ripped apart and no longer of use.. this was the definition that came to mind. I must be broken of who i am in order to embrace that who God wants me to be. Ripped apart from the safe identity I have made for myself and physically apart from the comforts and familiarity of the west. No longer of use to fill the dreams and expectations I made for myself of being a typical 22 [almost 23] year old but become a useful servant in the Kingdom of God.

This first trip to the Bush was the beginning of that process. In the Bush, I expected to be challenged with bugs, dirt, and trees for toilets, which i was, but what i was not expecting was the theological challenge. Our first full day, we split our team into two, and i put myself on the evangelize team, because that's one of my weaknesses. As we left for the huts, one of my teammates grew ill, and our leader decided to walk with her back to camp, leaving two translators and yours truly, still wandering down the sandy paths out into the middle of nowhere rural Zambia. as we approached the first home, i realized that i have absolutely no idea what i am doing. i have been in Zambia less than a week! i don't know how these people live, what they believe or even how to greet them properly. Walking up to the door, i prayed on every exhale. "who the, what the, where the, how the, God.. help me!" I'll never forget that first house. I realized no matter how much 'preparation' or reading i could of done, nothing could of told me what to do in that situation. I sat on the floor, tucked my skirt under my legs, and asked the ladies a few questions about themselves, their children and whats for lunch. One of our translators, prompted and told me that this is the part where i should encourage them with scripture. i turned the bent pages of my bible, praying 'God give me something.. anything..' I landed in Ephesians and spoke about Gods love for their life, and how no matter what stuggles they face, he will never forsake them. simple, i know.. but that's all i felt leaded to say, and i pray that they understood how deep and wide Gods love truly is. Laura, our leader, approached us right when we were leaving and she congratulated me on not sinking since she pretty much threw me into the rive and said 'swim.'

this was only the first day of three. the following two days consisted of traveling around to other rural Zambian villages, hosting a plethora of meetings and services, praying over the troubled and sick. To be honest, through it all, my heart was burdened. Approach on ministry here is so different than the routine i knew in the states, and i was struggling with questions as to what exactly am i doing and does this truly work? All i was longing for was a connection to the people. A personal connection with the pastors wife, or clinic nurse, or one of mothers who filled the church's meetings, or even just a child. The past three days I felt completely detached from the world around me and i couldn't shake the spirit of doubt. As the evening approached on the last day in Nyawa, i collapsed on top of the sun bleached leather seats of the truck and just prayed for someone, anyone, to make me feel something other than doubt or confusion. The team hosted our last meeting in the church and we were all graced by the presence of chief Nyawa and his extended family. As the shadows grew longer and the third day came to a close, i gathered my things to walk back to camp. I walked pass the truck as Dan, our leader, started the engine making me jump. I asked him where he was going and he said that he needed to get the chief back to his palace before dark. it must have been the word 'palace' that provoked me to ask 'can i come?'

And it was on that two hour long drive, that God answered my prayer through one of his daughters, a little princess. I sat down in a seat among the Nyawa royalty with the thought of 'at least I'll see something different' when she climbed into my lap. the ride was a bumpy journey, but that didn't stop the family from singing and dancing the whole duration of the trip. the children and adults a like, did their best to keep balance while shaking there hips to the chitange song as their voices carried across the grass and scarce trees so that anyone within a 5k could hear their joy. the words between she and i were few, but her smile, laughter, and simple presence spoke clearly enough for me to know that i am, indeed, not spending three months in Zambia on a pointless mission.

after all, i make one awesome pillow.

Pictures from Cambodia!

2008-09-22T11:21:00.002-05:00

Check them out:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

Letter from Stan and Barbara Orth

2008-09-18T13:58:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends at First United Methodist Church,

Thank you very much for your prayer for the module in Guatemala last month. Jim and I were very conscious of the Lord's guidance, strength and blessing on our classes. The eleven men from many countries are in varied ministries. They were receptive to the Word and eager to respond to the Lord. From now until October they are finishing up the course requirements sharing what they studied since March with groups that are part of their normal ministries as pastors, teachers and missionaries. I am involved with them by internet in these next months.

After the module, Jim, Ron Blue and I participated in a service of gratitude in the church of a recent graduate of this Doctor of Ministry program of Dallas Theological Seminary. (Dr. Ronald Blue, former missionary and president of our mission, has now returned to DTS as coordinator of this program offered on our Guatemala campus.) Josue David Lopez graduated in May, along with several other Latin Americans. On July 13 his church honored him and gave glory to God for his graduation and his ministry.

Josue is an architect who graduated some years ago from our seminary and then planted and pastors this growing church in Guatemala City. He was in several of my classes through the years. In a grad course, I watched as Josue accepted author Bill Hull's challenge to be a pastor who makes disciples. Hull's evaluation is that today's churches are suffering a "crisis of product" -- not producing disciples of Jesus Christ. Josue took the ball and ran with it! Adapting concepts from Hull and from Rick Warren, Josue designed a five step process of discipleship and leadership training, writing the manuals himself. Attendance has more than doubled in these years. They now have two Sunday morning services.

Josue later took the grad course that challenged him to personal spiritual growth and a ministry of spiritual formation in his church. Now the program of discipleship moves members and leaders more intentionally toward the image of Christ. Just in 2007 131 new believers were discipled. Since 2004 the number of home cells grew from 13 to 69, touching the lives of 828 people. In a meeting for evaluation of the ministry a lay leader observed,

"We have examples now of people who accepted Christ, began from "zero" in their Christian lives and in one year are leading a group and winning others to Christ."

Another leader reported: "The groups eliminate the fears that hinder non-Christians from attending a church... they are more willing to attend a small group in a home. For example, I came to the Lord 3 years ago, got involved in the training and initiated several cell groups. In the process, about 14 members of my family have come to the Lord..."

Personally, Barbara and I are thankful that God has allowed us to continue in this ministry for many years and thus to see the fruits of God's Word and His work through the lives of seminary graduates and their disciples. We thank the Lord again and again for you who are co-laborers with us.

Gratefully,

Stan and Barbara

A letter from Adrienne

2008-08-07T16:27:00.001-05:00

"Preface: the following series of paragraphs are not directly correlated and I apologize in advance for the choppy, disconnected nature of this letter. They are three distinct events/thoughts but their importance cannot be emphasized enough. The common thread is the impact that these things have had.

Jorge is three years old and often lives in a state of oblivion. He always has a toy truck in his hand and giggles at everything. When being addressed or questioned, he simply repeats the last word in the sentence and assumes that is what you want him to say. He cannot focus on a task for more than a few seconds. I have often wondered what his home life is like simply because of the way in which he behaves and the marks he wears on his face. Jorge and his older sister (Mallory, 4 years old) were kicked out of their home. As I sat and watched him cry out for his mom, completely confused as to why he had been left behind while all the other children left, something clicked inside my head. I have not felt this way since the Colombianita kids left. For the first time in two months, this feeling came back. I was reminded, in a rather unfortunate manner, that Jorge is a completely innocent and beautiful child of God. I was beginning to sincerely love again. This may appear to be delayed because perhaps I should have been loving him this way since the first day he arrived to the Other Way. However, it takes time, for me, to really love. I can feel compassion, sympathy, or even pity for a person but that is entirely different than really loving someone. This is just the beginning. I must persevere and allow myself to love more and better. My insides are not where they need to be yet, but they have been given hope again. It is unfortunate that it took an event such as this to wake me up.

...

Something utterly amazing took place last week. One of the Colombianita families showed up at the doorstep of the Other Way. The eldest son of this family was Maicol (whom I have mentioned in a previous letter). He was one of my kids. I was in the park across the street with my new kids and I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and walking across the street to greet me was Maicol. I cannot imagine what I must have looked like in that moment. I have been mourning the loss of those kids for two months and suddenly one of them was walking towards me. I blinked a few times to make sure it was really him and then I walked, skipped, maybe even ran to him. I bent down and gave him a giant hug, not wanting to let him go. Maicol's back! He and his younger brother and sister are now back at the Other Way. This too has renewed my hope. I continue to pray that more of the Colombianita families will just show up one day at our doorstep.

...

A recent thought causing me to more deeply question and reflect is the concept of normalcy. Anything becomes normal [common, routine, typical, standard, etc.] when enough time passes. I believe this to be a natural human coping mechanism. Eventually we become acclimated to our environment, no matter how unsettling or foreign. I find myself in this position. Life has become normal but the danger lies if I start to think that homelessness, prostitution, violence, and drugs are normal. It may be common to where I live but this is not and should not be normal. Often when assimilating to a country and culture, one becomes desensitized and eventually apathetic to the struggles at hand. If this happens, the fight against injustice and suffering is already lost. However, I am learning that I must be intentional about not feeling apathy towards a marginalized demographic: the group of which Jesus spent most of His time. The call of Christ is clear: serve the least of these, love your neighbor. One cannot fulfill this call with an apathetic state of mind. Allow God to renew your soul every day.

...

I sit here now, writing you all with a refreshed spirit. This may not sound terribly insightful but for two months, beginning with the destruction of Colombianita, I felt as though a part of me died. With that, I lost my motivation and a part of myself that I feared would never return. For me to experience genuine compassion and desire again is truly encouraging. I was blinded but am reminded about God's faithfulness. Thank you, a thousand times, thank you for your prayers and constant support. Please continue to pray for the Colombianita families but also especially for Jorge and his family. ¡Gracias!

With love,
Adrienne"

News from Aurich

2008-08-07T16:24:00.001-05:00

From Sharon:

"We will have our last day of camp in Aurich tomorrow. This has been a very different camp; this has been a greater mission field than Africa because so many of the kids do not know the Lord. But we started out with 17 and now have more than 25 so word did spread and the leaders are already talking about doing it next year...surprising. Please pass the request around to have people praying for us. We have loved on these kids but also shared the gospel in our small groups and the spirit has even improved but we need prayer for the seeds and as we finish with our games, a barbecue and worship service. Also pray for the weather tomorrow. This is one of those times when you know people are praying but really feel the need for backup. I am grateful to have Dave. He will be preaching in a few minutes. Blessings, Sharon"

Another update from Germany!

2008-07-30T16:11:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Germany. As always the schedule here is very hectic so not much time for reports, we finished our third day of camp, I will not see the people working at the big camp until tomorrow. Tonight we do not have a revival, so are off to show Lauren her first castle. It is exciting to see alot of new faces this year. One boy on my team plays Wii baseball and wanted to learn for real. His mother saw the notice in the paper and signed him up, another is here visiting relatives and came with them. Marian has one totally unchurched on her team and she brought several friends to the revival last night. Chris Richey preached and several accepted Jesus. Please pray for our Bible study times, we are a little short handed and have no youth available at the young camp. All are having a blessed time being active participants and witnesses. Blessings from Germany

Update from Germany

2008-07-28T09:34:00.002-05:00

This is an email my mom got from Sharon Roelke:

"Lindy, we arrived in Frankfurt safe and sound. Catching the train to Cologne we lost Tim Hollis for several hours. He stepped off the train to go to another door and they closed and it took off without him. Thankfully it was him and not one of the younger kids; he kept a cool head, caught the next train to Cologne, got off 1 stop early at the airport, but had money to try and call Nathan whose phone was off, then called his host family who made a connection with the people meeting us in Cologne, they went to the airport and picked him up. James Weaver and KJ's bags didn't arrive with the rest but were delivered today. It is warmer than usual but nothing compared to Dallas. Some of the Houston people flew in to Frankfurt last night and their bags did not arrive, so pray they are found and delivered. Tomorrow we begin camp so keep praying for the kids coming to camp and all of the team working. The scripture theme is Matthew 25:40 Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Also be in prayer for next weeks camp in Aurich, because it is new there are not alot of kids signed up, many will just come to check it out, but there is a big need in the area. Sharon"

Nigerian Bishop

2008-07-28T09:28:00.003-05:00

This update came from Jeff recently:

We will be hosting the Methodist bishop from Nigeria and they have invited several churches from our conference to attend.

Event information:

Youth Praise and Mission Celebration!

Host: FUMC Carrollton and Vision Africa

Location: Our Church (FUMC Carrollton)

When: Sunday, August 24, 6:00 pm

Phone: 214-853-3788

Just back from a fantastic Mission Trip?

Had fun serving your local community this summer?

Let the fun go on! You will grow closer in your walk with Christ this school year if you... Make a little time for missions!

Join other United Methodist youth groups North of Dallas for a night of youth-led contemporary worship!
We will celebrate what God is doing in Africa through the faith-based non-profit "Vision Africa", as we welcome its president, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, of Nigeria.

Will you join us for this exciting evening of praise?

For more info on Vision Africa, visit: www.visionafrica.org, or contact Bonnie Murray at (214) 853-3788, bonnie@visionafrica.org

Kenya Recap from Leah Patzig

2008-07-10T14:26:00.001-05:00

" Dad and I are home from an amazing trip to Meru, Kenya. After three grueling days of travel, we had an amazing week! Even with the jetlag, weird food, and cool weather we managed to get accustomed to the African ways of living, eating, and worshipping. (We ate trout, which unfortunately for me, still had its face on it, like eye balls and everything. Can you say eww?!?!? – Dad loved it. We also had Ox-tail soup and drank Goat’s Milk every morning with curdled chunks floating in it.)

On Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday we drove to a compound where we fed street children [the majority of them boys] and ministered by sharing the love of Christ through a teaching as well as fun and games. Although there were up to 130 boys, the average number of girls that attended was between 6 and 9, and I had a great time with the few that came. (Unfortunately most of the girls are “working” in prostitution.) They were fascinated with my “smooth” white skin and blonde hair, and I had a great time playing with them each day as we began to build a relationship. I taught them the chicken dance and in return they braided my hair. :)

On Sunday we attended Church in a small, dirt floor, chicken house. The praise was amazing with their dancing and clapping and although the service was almost three hours long, we “mzungu” [white people] really enjoyed the experience. It was neat to see such normally quiet and reserved people shouting and praising the Lord. Their praise was so heartfelt and energetic you could actually hear it driving up the road. They even managed to cram 50 or so people in this small space with plastic lawn chairs for seating. It is amazing that despite the conditions the Kenyan people are grateful for the opportunity to attend Church and praise God at all!

Monday we returned to the compound and the guys on our team, along with the staff in Meru, built a goat shed. The American team from our church consisted of seven people total, and since I was the only girl, they decided to name the goat Leah, which I was honored to hear. (Not everyone can say they have a goat in Africa named after them). :)

Each day we shared morning praise and devotions with the staff, it was a special and amazing time! Throughout the week we toured Kenya University and visited several schools in which the ministry we were a part of [Bridges International] sponsored several girls. We also visited the different homes where the younger children they sponsor live and are provided daily care. We visited a rescue center. This orphanage housed 35 babies all under the age of three with only 4 nannies per shift. We had a great time playing with all the little kids and it was funny to watch their reaction to seeing “white people” for the first time. It only took about half an hour for them to stop crying because they were all freaked out at the strange white people trying to hold them.

We ended our trip with an African safari at a Game reserve in Samburu. We were in open vans and the animals were so curious (and close) that we could have touched them. We saw many giraffes and zebras and were nearly charged by an elephant. We also interrupted a lioness eating a water buck and another stalking an antelope. "

Sounds like they had a great time -- everybody ask them about it next Sunday! I'm sure they'll love to share.

New Update from Kenya

2008-07-02T14:38:00.001-05:00

" I hope you received our e-mails and the pictures Joe sent you yesterday. It is Wednesday evening in Kenya. We go to the Bridges Compound each morning and have devotions with the staff. We talked Mike into sharing this morning and it was the staff plus the women there for the womens class. It was a very packed room but Mike did well. They made us sing 'Trading My Sorrows', that has been a hit. Today we visited a girls school and saw 5 girls that Bridges supports so they can go to school. Several have no parents and two have mothers. We will have heartrending storys to tell. This afternoon we visited Kenya Methodist University; it was beautiful and interesting. We have given several of our coffee cups to Methodist bishops here. Tonight for dinner one will come and there is a group from the states. All are doing well, if you can imagine it is much more primitive than East Asia. Tomorrow will be our last day of work here in Meru and then we are on safari. They really do say 'akuna matata' here often, so we all know some swahili. Jambo is hello. Blessings and keep praying for us, Sharon

"Jambo-Kenyan Greetings!"

2008-07-01T09:38:00.001-05:00

"It is July 1st, we visited a rescue house this morning, a Christian ministry. They were babies up to 3 years. Some cried when we came in but as we charmed and held them they became our friends and cried when we left. Heartbreaking! Yesterday the goat house was built, it was great fun to see how many it takes to build a goat house. Mike brought a couple of his power tools, what a delight to see men get to use a power screwdriver for the first time. One really enjoyed the hammer. It is special because they learned something they can go home and imitate. I spent many hours talking to the women's class, sharing my testimony, being asked about many things and teaching a little from the Bible. We will be back at Bridges Compound this pm to help feed street children and teach some more. We are having devotionals with the staff in the morning, they can teach us alot about worship; KJ has been playing guitar, this morning we taught them 'trading our sorrows' with the motions, they loved it. All are well and as rested as we can be with the time change. Blessings from Kenya, Sharon"

Update from Kenya!

2008-06-30T13:36:00.001-05:00

This is a letter that my mom got from Sharon Roelke:

Lindy, greetings from Kenya. We arrived safe and have had a very
interesting but long journey. We went to church today. We need to
learn a few things from them about worship. It was only a three hour
service. This afternoon we helped with feeding the street children.
They enjoyed interacting with all of us, we are certainly an anomaly.
They were very interested in my braces. The weather is great. Keep
praying for us, we will be doing devotions, helping teach the women and
beginning a goat house. Sharon

Kenya Prayer Calendar

2008-06-30T13:30:00.000-05:00

Sunday school teachers and presidents,

On Wednesday June 25^th seven of us will be leaving for Meru, Kenya on a 12 day mission trip. As you know, our missions’ vision seeks total involvement of each member by praying, funding and going on a short-term mission trip. Please partner with us on this trip through your prayers. We are inclosing a prayer calendar that you can copy and hand out to your class as a reminder. We will also be sending updates and hopefully pictures that will be posted to the church website.

Please pray for us as we travel, this is an especially long trip. We will leave Dallas on the afternoon of June 25^th, on a 9hr flight to Amsterdam. There we will hook up with Bob and Ann Rosser of Bridges International who will be leading our team. We will then have an 8hr flight to Nairobi, Kenya. We will stay at the Methodist Guest House in Nairobi overnight. Then we will have a 3 hr drive to Meru, Kenya. We will be working in Meru with the local staff of Bridges International following their lead.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

25-Jun

26-Jun

27-Jun

28-Jun

Leaving Dallas on a 3pm flight

Arrival in Nairobi at 7:25pm

Travel to Meru.

First day of mission work.

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

29-Jun

30-Jun

1-Jul

2-Jul

3-Jul

4-Jul

5-Jul

Church & street children feeding

Mission work

Street children feeding

Mission work

Street children feeding

Tour Samburu National Reserve

Travel to Nairobi & leave for home

Sunday

Team members: Philip Green, Joseph McWilliams, Mike & Leah Patzig, Dave, Sharon and KJ Roelke.

6-Jul

Arrive Home! 1:15pm

General requests: Pray that we will bring fresh energy, willing hands and encouragement to the ministry. That we would be encouraged and grow by stepping out of our comfort zones. For our experience of community as a team and with the larger body of believers there. That we would be able to share the gospel through our words, actions and willingness to go.

Update from the Orths

2008-06-16T10:34:00.003-05:00

Guatemala, April 25, 2008

Dear Friends at First United Methodist Church,

We send greetings to you from a warming and trembling Guatemala. Tremors mark the change of seasons from cold and dry to warm and then later on the rains will begin.

Stan often writes these letters but I am insisting on writing this one becuase I think you should know of the impact he continues to have at the Central American Theological Seminary. This is an encouragement to him to know God is still using him to teach the Word. And I believe it can be an encouragement to you who have been with us in this ministry through so many years. You are a great blessing to us.

At the end of the first quarter of the academic year, the Dean's office used a new procedure for student evaluations of each course. A detailed questionnaire is used with a statistical analysis following it. Stan regularly receives high points, but his course, "Principles of Spiritual Formation," received special recognition at a breakfast for the faculty (34 profs) because it earned the highest evaluation of all the classes taught. He thoroughly enjoyed working with the group of 19 students, the largest grad course this quarter. Grad courses meet all morning once a week. He dedicates long hours to preparation and writing notes and the 4 hours of class almost wear him out. Knowing that what he teaches is changing lives and preparing men and women for ministry makes the hard work a joy. These are some of the comments from the students.

"The class helped me to evaluate in a serious way my own spiritual life and take action in
order to grow more in the image of Christ."
"A great class."
"Excellent material"
"Thank you, Dr. Orth, for continuing to bless my life. God has used you to speak to my
heart."
Personally the life and teachings of Dr. Orth have been a blessing and challenge in my
life. For the Seminary it is an honor to have him as a teacher."

As I finish this letter, I need to change the subject. We are very grateful to the Lord that for 10 years we have not needed to write about support needs. However, for several years now we have seen contributions diminishing because some of our friends have retired and others are with the Lord. A church is in financial distress. For this reason we are considerably behind in our ministry account which provides for travel, teaching materials, hospitality for Bible study groups, student retreats, secretarial help and many other details. Would you please pray for this need?

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NASB

Gratefully;

Barbara Orth

A Bit Longer Update From Charles and Becky Jackson...

2008-06-12T08:43:00.002-05:00

Becky and I are currently ministering in Brazil and will be here until the end of June. We have been traveling since the first of the year (India, Florida, California, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia). One of the areas of our work here (Niterói) is with the people who live in the Nova Mexico and Santa Barbara slums. It has been a real joy to see how the Lord has moved in the lives of these people over the past 5 years. At the present time we are not able to enter the Nova Mexico slum (visitation and participation in the cell church meetings) as there is literally "war" between the police and the drug gangs. The police enter without warning and begin shooting. This is something that we have experienced first hand. In addition to this, the drug gangs are at war with each other! Please pray for this situation and the families that are going through this daily nightmare. The devaluation of the $ , the rise in the cost of the price of food (in some cases 100%) has also added to the misery of these people. At the present time we are providing a "food" basket for 27 families ($1,100) per month. Please pray for the Lord's touch on the world´s economies.

We are also ministering in the Santa Barbara Methodist Church and have known many of its members since the early 90's. On sunday, June 15th we will participate in the dedication of the second phase of construction of their new worship center. This is truly a miracle! From June 9th until the 18th we will be hosting a short term mission team from Good Shepherd UMC, Cypress, TX. The team will focus on ministering to the children and youth (VBS for the children and several days with the youth) as well as helping with some minor construction at the church. We will also have a service for the "food" basket families (distribution of the baskets, dinner and a worship service).

In August and September we plan to return to India and continue ministering to the loan group recipients as well as sharing with the pastors, evangelists and visiting door to door in several villages and two large slums in Hyderabad. From the middle of October until the middle of November we hope to return to Brazil.
Please let everyone there know how much we appreciate their prayer and financial support. It is a real pleasure and privilege to share the goodness of our Lord and Savior with the people in these countries. We pray His continual anointing on all that you do in His name.

Only By His Grace,
Charles and Becky Jackson

Short Update from Charles and Becky Jackson

2008-06-06T09:51:00.003-05:00

Along with a prayer request. This was sent in a personal email, but for those of you praying for them, please keep it in mind.

"We are in Brazil and will be here for a month. We have been traveling since Jan. and are looking forward to being home in July. We have a great team coming from Cypress to work with us for 10 days. Sadly, the slum where we work is in a war currently ( drug lords and police). Please pray for us and for the safety of our brazilian friends who live there.

Becky"

Update from Colombianita

2008-06-06T09:47:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't know what's going on, check out Adrienne's tag on the right side of the screen for the story. Adrienne just sent out an email with this update:

"hey folks,
if you are receiving this email it is because i am assuming that you know about the situation within colombianita (the little recycling community where most of our kids come from). the government has been saying for months that they are going to tear it down and send it´s inhabitants to pre-constructed homes in the south of bogota to a place called ciudad bolivar. this has been a huge concern since the moment it was mentioned as a possibility. selfishly, i prayed that it would be postponed until i returned to colombia from my month in the united states. i have now been back since friday and the kids have been here. it was absolutely incredible to see them all again. smiles and hugs have never meant so much. unfortunately the time finally came, they are being forced to leave tomorrow. when we dropped the kids off today for the last time, they had already begun destroying parts of their homes. i write this email to ask for your prayers. prayers for the kids and their families. the government has not followed through on their promise to send them to homes in the most dangerous part of bogota (ciudad bolivar) and as a result they are scattering to all parts of bogota, some with no where to go. there has been a great deal of violence already between the police and the families within colombianita because the people of colombianita do not want to leave. pray especially for the kids. pray that somehow the seeds that have been sown continue to grow and that more will continue to teach them about the love of God. pray for their safety especially during this potentially very violent time.

thank you all for being the family that you are to me.

most sincerely,
adrienne"

Update from Sara Kaiser

2008-05-27T09:20:00.001-05:00

I want to let you know how your prayers and financial support made a difference in North Africa this past spring. Many of you received my updates during my time overseas and have heard some of the stories and know some about the journey the Lord took me on. I have to say that my time in Africa was amazing and truly life changing. I learned not only more about myself, but more about the Lord and what it means to serve Him in another country. Sharing my time in only one page is not quite possible, but I will share a small amount and would be happy to share even more if you are interested!

During the semester, we started our time out learning more about the culture, Islam, and studying Arabic. We spent much of our time traveling throughout the country, where we saw different people groups, needs of the country, and were exposed to new things. On each excursion we went on, God taught me so much and truly opened my eyes to so many new things. Things like staying with a North African family, going out to the remote Berber villages, or spending time in the Sahara were experiences that I will never forget and have impacted my life in an amazing way.

In North Africa, we were in a closed country, meaning it is illegal to be a missionary and openly share your faith with people. This was really hard for me at first because I did not fully understand how I could make a difference or impact others without being able to openly share. The Lord quickly opened my eyes to the power of prayer and I realized that although I could not openly share, I could definitely be praying for these people and all the wonderful friends I made. The Lord is faithful and hears those prayers and it’s exciting to know that I am not the only one who is lifting these people up to Him. In His word, it says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Although I might not get to see the change, I know great change will come in His timing, for this He promises us.

Coming back to the states has been quite an adjustment. In my time over there, I realized that this is what the Lord desires me to do, to permanently share His name overseas to people who do not know Him. So now being in the states, I am just ready to go back and do what He desires. I am however going to be in the states for a couple more years. I already have a job as a cardiology nurse at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, where I will learn nursing skills that I will be able to use to benefit those in need overseas. I am so excited for this job and cannot wait to work with the kids; it will be an amazing experience.

A page is definitely not enough to share an entire trips worth of learning and stories, so if you would like to hear more, I would love to talk to you about it and share stories and pictures! Thank you again for your prayers and financial support!
Much love,
Sara Kaiser

Testimony from Colombia

2008-05-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

My 2008 Colombia Testimony
Dana Van Steenbergen

I have reflected many hours on this unusual trip trying to come up with a reason it turned out the way it did. It never occurred to me that when we all prayed for us to be “broken” that God would do it in a physical way. I think we all expected to be “broken” spiritually. To have God completely turn our world upside down so we could be vulnerable and love people the way He loves us, unconditionally.

When you look at the Colombian children and look past their dirty faces, lice filled hair and filthy clothes, you see beautiful children. I mean really beautiful children. Every one of them. Children that were created in the Father’s image just like our children. They laugh like our children, they play like our children, they even argue with each other like our children! Children are children no matter where they live and in what circumstances they live in. They are starved for love and attention. They thirst for the living water and the everlasting life that only our Savior can give them. They are eager to except love and kindness from a complete stranger, which I find amazing since it is the grown ups that cause them the most pain.

When I think about how Jesus “hung out” with the destitute and unloved, the tax collectors and sinners, I remember that he loved them, too. He loves us all on the same level. He has no favorites. Neither should we. He calls us to love one another the way the Father loves us.

As I laid sick in my bunk bed on Wednesday while the team was at the farm, I kept asking God why He would send me all this way to just lay in bed. When I think back I have this picture of me and God in a room. I’m pacing back and forth with God sitting relaxed in a chair. I kept asking Him, “Why did you have the church send me here and allow me to get sick? That makes no sense to me! What are you doing??!!” He would just smile and say “Trust me.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I hate it when God does that. Just two little words with no explanation attached. That means he wants me to figure it out and learn something from it. You know what I’m talking about; we’ve all been there. I finally sat down and said, “Okay. I’ll trust you.”

I think God really wanted me to be in a place where I had nothing but Him to rely on. I wasn’t in charge. I wasn’t in control. I was simply being led like a blind man to every destination. God put me in a situation where I had to completely rely on Him to get through every minute of the day.
I firmly believe it was the prayers of all the family, friends, and students left behind that got me through that week. Many were praying I would not get sick. What they didn’t know is that those prayers kept me going. The miraculous thing is that when I left the house on Thursday morning, I made it through the entire day until we returned that evening. Considering my illness, that is a miracle! I had to trust God with every minute of the next three days.

How was the trip? Amazing! I saw children play at the farm after several years of construction and believe me that was worth the trip right there! To see the joy on those children’s faces, incredible. To see them receive the Holy Spirit, indescribable. To know their lives will be changed forever, priceless.

The trip to Colombianita where some of the children live was heartbreaking. It really put things in perspective for me. That is an image that will remain burned in my mind for a long time. I continue to pray that God will change the minds of the Colombian government so they will not tear down life as they know it and move them to the outskirts of Bogota. I have to trust God again that He is in control.

Another of the highlights of my trip was to see my dear friend, Lilliana. She used to be with the YWAM ministry until last year. She now works in a community on the side of a mountain called “Paradise” seven days a week with some of the poorer families of Bogata. She takes the bus and walks up the mountain to minister to the children and women of this small community. I was able to give her the support money I had been sending to YWAM over the past year. Since she was no longer with the ministry, they could not give her the money directly. There was some hope that she would return to the ministry, but God had other plans for her. Lilliana is full of life and is a beautiful person. As we parted on Friday, I realized that this might have been our final goodbye in person. It hit me pretty hard when she asked when I would be returning to Bogata. I told her that I did not know. We do correspond via email, but that is not the same as hugging and struggling to speak each other’s language in person!

The playhouse was another sweet time. It was a blessing for me to be able to help decorate it. I remembered that as I was sewing the curtains, table cloth and baby bed blanket, I kept praying for the children who would be coming to play there. I prayed for them to know the love of Jesus and to break the generational curses of their families. I prayed they would become the future leaders of Colombia and begin to make positive changes in their government. To see that playhouse, in all its glory, was amazing. Many American girls would love to have one like it in their own back yards!

What does all this mean for me now? I am trying to trust Him daily in all things. Maybe it is to walk in love and to leave a “Jesus hug” everywhere I go, from my students at CCA, to the children and youth at FUMC, to my neighbors, even the strangers I meet every day. Jesus calls us all to love because He first loved us. Jesus, help me to be more like you and love others the way you love me. To God be the Glory! AMEN!

A Prayer Request from Colombia

2008-04-28T10:23:00.000-05:00

Tyler and Adrienne work with children in a slum near Bogota, Colombia. The children that they work with, along with their families and their whole community of about 500 families, are about to be uprooted by the government. It looked for a while like they were going to be able to move their community intact, which would mean that the ministry could move with them, but now that won't be possible and they'll all be scattered.

Pray for the kids they teach, that they will be able to continue their education wherever they end up, that ministries will be present wherever they go so that they won't be relegated to life in the dumps or begging. Pray for their families, that they will be able to find somewhere to settle and some means of survival. Pray for the ministry, that it will know where to go next and will have peace and trust with regards to the kids that they have come to love, and will lose touch with. Also pray for the policy makers in the government, that they will quit band-aiding problems and shoving the marginalized farther and farther out from the cities in an effort to make it look like they are actually erradicating poverty.

News From Colombia (via Adrienne)

2008-04-07T08:54:00.002-05:00

Below is a letter from Adrienne Mickler. For those who don't know, a group of our members went down for a mission trip a couple of weeks ago. If anyone has stories or testimonies from that trip that they would like to post here, please email them to me at abbeyrenee@gmail.com.

Adrienne's letter:

"Greetings from the South!

~

In the hallway at the Other Way was a little plastic tub overflowing with warm water, soap, and happy two-year-old Heiner: a beautiful little boy. When he first arrived last year, he wore a stern look across his face, rarely laughed, and hated water. Now he plays hard, laughs often, and loves baths, which are a novelty for him because he is not often bathed at home. As I watched Heiner playing in the bath water, tears welled up in my eyes and I swallowed hard to maintain my composure. I realized how much I have grown to love him and how difficult it was for me to accept the way in which he lives. That moment took me by surprise. I see him every day. I see where he lives every day. But this day was different. I felt raw again. The way one should feel when confronted with the injustice in which this little boy is forced to live.

~

Mayerly: a tough six-year-old girl. As I watch her play in the park, our glances often meet and huge smiles take over both our faces. She glows with an indescribable contentedness when I finish cleaning her face, or washing her hair, or combing out her lice. It is as though the physical dirt on her body is representative of the manners in which she is calloused, used, and unable to express genuine joy. When clean, her innocence is finally permitted to surface and manifest itself in her smile and in her laughter. She clings to me and lies on my lap with unconditional trust and obvious need for love. When she holds my hand close to her chest or hugs me through metal bars of open windows, I realize that even though she wears a hard external shell, she is still a vulnerable little human being. She deserves so much more than dirt and disappointment. I often find myself wishing she were mine. I believe God is using her to teach me about real love; about His love.

~

I know I have mentioned this before but I cannot emphasize enough its' significance: there is a depth to life that can only be experienced through true sacrificial love. The romantic notion we often place in our minds of what love is, is a very surface level love. The reality is, if you love with your entirety in the same manner that Jesus loved, you will be used, you will be hurt, because real love makes you vulnerable and puts your life at risk. However, it is also the most valuable, rewarding way to live your life. Love pierces every nerve and penetrates to the very core of your being. It consumes your mind, heart, and soul. With real love comes this depth to life so profound it continues to affirm the existence of the divine, of God.

Give of yourself. Better said, give everything. Give your life: love people.

~

Note: The Colombian government continues to make attempts to "clean up" Bogotá. Tearing down Colombianita (the area where our kids live) and sending its inhabitants to the outskirts of the city is one of the ways in which they are doing so. The date when this is supposed to take place is theoretically April. Unfortunately, we have been told that we will have little to no warning as to when our kids will no longer live there. They will be scattered in the most dangerous sections of the south of Bogotá. In a selfish sense, this will probably be one of the most difficult things I will ever experience. I do not want to see them leave. I avoid thinking about what will become of them if they do, because the undeniable reality of the situation is too painful to broach. If the kids are moved out, we can no longer work with them as we do now. I do not know in what way to ask you to pray but I do ask that you pray. Pray for the kids.

~

Having what has been coined the "Texas Team" here was awesome! Personally, it was super refreshing to see so many familiar faces and be able to just soak in the love you guys emanated with your smiles and hugs. Thank you a hundred and one times!

I have finally found and gotten involved in a local church. (FUMC has spoiled me. :)) It took a while, but for the past month or two, I have consistently attended the same church and I find the people quite genuine. I have started teaching English to a group of people from the church, which allows me to get a bit more involved in the lives of individual members of the congregation. The youth pastor and his wife, as well as the head pastor have been more than welcoming. In fact, this past week I went bowling and ate dinner with them. It was a neat experience to be able to hang out and speak openly with leaders in a church. I guess I say all this to express how important being a part of a church body is and being an active part of one again has been uplifting.

I am returning to the United States on April 28th for my brother Drew's wedding. I am excited to spend some time with my family again, and of course to see Drew get married.

~

Thank you guys, again, for all the different ways you are continually supporting me. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

With love,
Adrienne

Update from Sara Kaiser

2008-03-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

Columbia Mission Trip

2008-03-18T08:09:00.003-05:00

After a delay in Atlanta, our group is finally all in Columbia. Please continue to pray for them as they meet up with Adrienne and Tyler, and work with the street kids. Also pray for a smoother trip home than they had coming there! I will post pictures and updates as soon as I receive them from the mission team.

Newsletter from Charles and Becky Jackson

2008-03-10T08:37:00.003-05:00

Missions Sunday

2008-02-19T11:10:00.003-06:00

Hey everybody!

Be sure this week to visit the missions tables in the back of the sanctuary, and also on the way into the CCA cafeteria to hear Tyler Savage speak about his experiences in the mission field during both Sunday School hours. Information will be provided about all of your opportunities to be involved through prayer, giving or direct service.

Also be sure to sign the sheets at the front of the sanctuary if you have participated in a mission trip. These names will be added to the mural that will be put up so that we can have a visual record of our progress toward the goal of every member going on a trip in 5 years.

And don't miss this opportunity to wear your jeans and sneakers to church! We are wearing our grey missions shirts this Sunday. They will be available in the foyer in front of the sanctuary if you don't have one.

Brief Overview and Updates from Charles and Becky Jackson

2008-02-06T11:39:00.000-06:00

Brief Biography of Charles and Becky Jackson

Charles and Becky Jackson are affiliated with the Mission Society and Generous Hands Ministries, Inc. They are working as members of the “Global Resource Team” that provides spiritual development, discipleship, teaching, church planting and economic development in those areas that request assistance. They are currently working in Brazil and India.

Their primary focus in Niteroi, Brazil (city adjacent to Rio de Janeiro) is the supervision of a monthly food basket program to the poorest of the poor (30 families) in the Nova Mexico “favela” (slum), support and guidance for a mission church which was planted in 2002, and coordination of the construction of a worship center for the Santa Barbara Methodist Church. They also host short term mission teams who visit the residents in the slum and conduct programs (youth and adult) for the mission church and the Santa Barbara Methodist Church.

Their ministry outreach in India is located in the Hyderabad area (south central India) and “Tirchy” (southern India). In the last three years they have started 10 micro loan programs with over 100 Hindu and Muslim women. The loan program has been a key to evangelism amongst these women and their families. The loan repayments are used to develop more micro loans and to subsidize the salaries of the local evangelists. Teaching and training these evangelists is a vital part of the work as well. The Jacksons are also involved with a girl’s home in Hyderabad which houses 25 girls. They are actively raising funds to help them construct a facility which can accommodate 100 girls and will include a Christian school. When they are not on the foreign field they travel throughout the U.S. sharing about this marvelous work to which the Lord has called them and raising funds for the ministry.

Prior to their present assignment, they spent 7 years in Latin America ministering in Paraguay and Brazil. Before their entry into full-time mission work, the Jacksons served churches in Virginia for 14 years. Charles is an ordained elder in the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. The home base for the ministry is Lewisville, Texas (suburb of Dallas). They have 4 children; Matt, Sam, Aaron and Elisabeth, who served on the field with them from 1996 to 2002. They especially enjoy being grandparents to Wesley and Audrey, Matt and Carolyn’s children and to Paxton, Sam and Joni’s son. Sam and Joni are expecting a “new” arrival in February 2008.

Newsletter from Sara Kaiser

2008-02-04T14:32:00.001-06:00

Scarbrough Newsletter

2008-02-04T08:22:00.000-06:00

Update from Adrienne Mickler

2008-02-01T10:41:00.000-06:00

"¡Buenas! I apologize for the delay, but here is another update on some of the ministry taking place here in Colombia.

The Other Way closed for the holidays until February, leaving me with too much time to wish that I was with my family for Christmas. However, through an extensive series of coincidences that I can only attribute to God, I had the opportunity to be a translator for a mission team that spent a month in the Amazon. My responsibilities included interpreting for meetings, sermons, skits, leading children songs in Spanish, and essentially any interpreting needed between an English speaker and a Spanish speaker. To be completely honest, my motive for going was to experience adventure in a region of the world that I have always wanted to visit. After my first week in the heart of the jungle, I realized that my purpose for going was not solely to translate or to be hiking in the Amazon. God had a more important agenda. He had some hard lessons that He wanted me to learn. God was not going to let me leave the jungle before I agreed to die to my own desires.

I began learning what it meant to love; to really love with the love of God. This should not be written off as an easy task because in order to truly love we are required to put ourselves second to everyone else. Our instincts must be deliberately changed so that we begin to naturally think of others before ourselves. When we learn to love with this kind of love we can begin to do all things with heart. Our hearts should fuel our actions. God can work through every minute of our time if we are living and breathing with His heart. He can use one hug, one word, one glance to begin impacting someone's life forever.

This team that I worked with in the Amazon is now spending some time working with the different street children programs here in Bogotá until the Other Way and the Light and Life school re-open for the year. When working directly with the kids, they use Bible stories and perform them as interactive skits, they teach them songs, play games and essentially give them more personal individualized attention. My job is to continue to translate for them until they leave in mid-February. I will return to work with my 5-6 year old kids at the Other Way on the 5th. I am excited and ready for what God has in store for this year.

I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers and support. I know I have said it a thousand times but THANK YOU! ¡GRACIAS! With love,

Adrienne

p.s. I am super excited about seeing some of you guys in March. Whoo!"

Update on Guatemala

2008-01-30T16:37:00.001-06:00

The following is from a letter from Jeff Dietz concerning the trip to Guatemala. Please email the front desk with any questions (frontdesk@firstchurch.net). Thanks!

" Because of some of the confusion up front about when the trip was going to happen, whether it was going to be during CCA’s spring break or when everyone else was taking spring break, Ted [Fogwell] has had some difficulty in getting some of the medical personnel that would otherwise have been able to come. We also have a dilemma with flights in that we would have to be leaving on Friday [March] seventh or returning on the sixteenth or seventeenth which eats into the week prior or the following and makes it difficult for some of those who were interested in going. After talking with Ted a couple of Sundays ago, we determined that it would be better if we looked at going at a later date, possibly when another medical trip was already scheduled to go. So the medical part of the trip has definitely been postponed.

There are fifteen students from Dallas Christian College who are going to do a VBS with the school and there are ten people from CCA who are interested in working with the VBS as well and they will more than likely be going.

I have been putting out feelers with our people and the majority who had expressed interest in going were just that- interested but not committed, and it is down to crunch time in regards to flights. It seems as though those who were interested in going were mostly interested for the medical part of the trip, so we have decided to postpone the trip to a later date when we can go and do a medical mission.

If anyone is interested in going to help with the VBS portion I will be more than happy to put them in touch with the young lady who is leading the VBS portion of the trip from Dallas Christian College and I am sure they are welcome to go and join with them, but as for it being a trip for a large group from the church it will not be at this time.

Let me know if there are any further questions that I can help any one with.
Thanks
Jeff"

Updates on Mission Trips

2008-01-29T15:31:00.000-06:00

Here is some more concrete information about the mission trips available through First UMC:

New Orleans will be March 5th-9th

Colombia will be March 15th-21st

Kenya will be June 25th-July 5th

The trips to Germany will be to Daubringhausen on July 26th-August 3rd and
to Aurich August 4th-9th

Missions Sunday

2008-01-29T15:24:00.000-06:00

Get ready for our church's TWO missions Sundays! This year we will have two weeks of missions focus, one to raise awareness of the full-time missionaries supported by First Church, and one to inform everyone and get us excited about the trips that are available to us.

February 17th, Paul Galahity will be a guest speaker in the CCA cafeteria during both Sunday School hours. This Sunday, the focus will be on our church's vision to have every single church member participate in a mission trip (this does not have to be out of the country!) in the near future.

February 24th, Tyler Savage will be our guest speaker in the CCA cafeteria during both Sunday School hours. This week we will be updated on all of the work the Lord is doing through full-time missionaries supported by the prayers and gifts from our church.

If you have any pictures from mission trips that you have participated in, please email them to ddaniels@firstchurch.net.

Local Mission Opportunities

2008-01-21T09:40:00.000-06:00

Sidewalk Bible School Sidewalk Bible School is a program that reaches out to Carrollton children. On Saturday mornings, from 11AM to noon, Sunday school is taken to a neighborhood in South Carrollton, next to a nursing home. The purpose is to take Sunday School to the children who aren’t attending a church currently. For more information, contact Carolyn Giffen (cgiffen@firstchurch.net)

Jail Ministry Jail Ministry is an outreach ministry to men and women inmates, two times a month—teaching a Bible lesson and sharing God’s love. It is an awesome experience to feed the spiritually hungry and lead them to the Lord – Contact Alan Hitt (ahitt@firstchurch.net)

Kairos Prison Ministry Kairos offers the Emmaus Walk experience to people in correctional institutions. This national program offers a 3-day weekend with a profound effect on the residents in prison. Opportunities to be a support through Prayer are available. Contact Alan Hitt (ahitt@firstchurch.net)

Hosea's Hope Hosea's Hope brings awareness about coming out of the adult entertainment industry, with speakers available to schools and community groups about helping women caught in this industry. Contact Carolyn Giffen (cgiffen@firstchurch.net)

Individual/Small Group/Sunday School Volunteer opportunities Get involved in your area of interest serving our neighbors in need. Construction, tutoring, mentoring, food service, childcare, visiting elderly, food/clothing drives, use your imagination! Contact Abbey Daniels (abbeyrenee@gmail.com)

Upcoming Trips Through First Church

2008-01-21T09:31:00.000-06:00

Bogota, Colombia -- March 15-22, 2008
Hurricane Katrina -- March, 2008
Hooper, Colorado -- June/July (4 day trip)
Kenya -- June, 2008
Germany -- July/August 2008

More to be announced!

Update from Colombia (11/27/07)

2008-01-21T09:24:00.000-06:00

Dear FUMCC Missions board

Greetings from Colombia and Merry
Christmas.

We longed to send you a personalized email after so many
general news letters. God has been so good to us, this year that is almost
ending is a good proof of it. We minister in three continents and visited 7
countries. We were able to bless hundreds in different ways, particularly the
Milenial leaders as they are getting ready to carry the banner and to go forward
with the missionary task. Our desire and dream is to equip them, to give them
the necessary tools, to help them to release their full potential in Christ.
Doing so we feel we are doing our part to secure the inheritance of the next
generation of leaders in the Church and Missions from Latin America.

There is no way we could put into words the level of gratitude that is
in our hearts for you and for the FUMCC. We just feel that you care for us as
God does. Thank you for being so faithful and kind to us.

We love and pray for FUMCC and of course we love you all. We pray for you name by name and we trust God's care is shown to you every day. In this approaching Christmas season we wish you the complete blessing from our King.

...I'll love to hear from you once in a while.

Ricardo and Marilu Rodriguez
Serving
God with YWAM
South America

Missionaries Don't (Only) Need Your Money!

2008-01-21T09:07:00.000-06:00

This is an excerpt from The Purpose of Prayer (1925).

"Some years ago, the record of a wonderful work of grace in connection with one of the stations of the China Inland Mission attracted a good deal of attention. Both the number and spiritual character of the converts had been far greater than at other stations where the consecration of the missionaries had been just as great as at the more fruitful place.
"This rich harvest of souls remained a mystery until Hudson Taylor on a visit to England discovered the secret. At the close of one of his addresses, a gentleman came forward to make his acquaintance. In the conversation that followed, Mr. Taylor was surprised at the accurate knowledge the man possessed concerning this China Inland Station. 'But how is it,' Mr. Taylor asked, 'that you are so conversant with the conditions of that work?'
"'Oh!' he replied, 'the missionary there and I are old college-mates. For years we have regularly corresponded. He sends me the names of enquirers and converts, and these I daily take to God in prayer.'
"At last the secret was found! A praying saint at home, praying definitely, praying daily, for specific cases among the heathen. That is the real intercessory missionary."

Welcome!

2008-01-21T08:48:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Missions blog for First United Methodist Church!

This blog is being created to be a source of information for people interested in FUMC Missions. We hope to keep you all updated on a few things:

The prayer and financial needs of the missionaries we support as a church
Who we support as a church and what kind of work they are doing
Opportunities within our own church to participate in missions, and specific information about those

I hope you'll check back often to see what the Lord is doing in the world with the help of First UMC!