This will be the last post from me on the blog. We made it home safely at 1:30 am on Sunday morning. All flights went well until the last one from Atlanta to Pittsburgh. We were delayed quite a while there. Sara reminded me that our delay in Atlanta was "nothing compared to what we did last weekend." She was right.
It was so good to be back in our country. As much as we enjoyed our time in St. Vincent, those American flags were beautiful! This is the first time I have experienced the feeling of coming home to America. It is a great feeling!
Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement along the way. We fell in love with the ministry going on in St. Vincent and God's people who work so hard day after day to serve Him there. It is definitely not easy for the missionaries and Pastors there, but His hand is on everything. It was an experience that we will NEVER forget! I am still trying to "wrap my mind around" what God did and why He chose us for this trip. But I may never be able to do that here on earth. I know He will continue to use what He taught me there as I press on in the ministries He has entrusted me with here. Again, thank you to all who had a part in sharing this with us.
To God be the Glory!
Susan
Monday, June 20, 2011
Made it home!
This will be the last post from me on the blog. We made it home safely at 1:30 am on Sunday morning. All flights went well until the last one from Atlanta to Pittsburgh. We were delayed quite a while there. Sara reminded me that our delay in Atlanta was "nothing compared to what we did last weekend." She was right.
It was so good to be back in our country. As much as we enjoyed our time in St. Vincent, those American flags were beautiful! This is the first time I have experienced the feeling of coming home to America. It is a great feeling!
Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement along the way. We fell in love with the ministry going on in St. Vincent and God's people who work so hard day after day to serve Him there. It is definitely not easy for the missionaries and Pastors there, but His hand is on everything. It was an experience that we will NEVER forget! I am still trying to "wrap my mind around" what God did and why He chose us for this trip. But I may never be able to do that here on earth. I know He will continue to use what He taught me there as I press on in the ministries He has entrusted me with here. Again, thank you to all who had a part in sharing this with us.
To God be the Glory!
Susan
It was so good to be back in our country. As much as we enjoyed our time in St. Vincent, those American flags were beautiful! This is the first time I have experienced the feeling of coming home to America. It is a great feeling!
Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement along the way. We fell in love with the ministry going on in St. Vincent and God's people who work so hard day after day to serve Him there. It is definitely not easy for the missionaries and Pastors there, but His hand is on everything. It was an experience that we will NEVER forget! I am still trying to "wrap my mind around" what God did and why He chose us for this trip. But I may never be able to do that here on earth. I know He will continue to use what He taught me there as I press on in the ministries He has entrusted me with here. Again, thank you to all who had a part in sharing this with us.
To God be the Glory!
Susan
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Iowa Update
We are at the end of the working portion of our week. We have painted indoors & out, landscaped, moved rocks, cleaned, filled parking lot cracks, and hung doors. We are tired and sore, a little sunburned and finding tar & paint in the strangest places. But, we are filled with peace and a deep gratefulness that God led us here to Iowa in spite of our best laid plans. We ended the day swimming in a 10-acre private lake, and JR & Bret even got to fish! Then, Pastor John Janke & his family hosted us for amazing hamburgers & hotdogs & birthday cake for Jeff! We keep teasing Jeff that he keeps planning missions trips around his birthday so he can have a big party. :)
Tomorrow, we are looking forward to a day of sightseeing in Des Moines, and then packing up to head home on Saturday. What a week - all we can say is "To God be the Glory, great things He has done!"
-Michelle
Tomorrow, we are looking forward to a day of sightseeing in Des Moines, and then packing up to head home on Saturday. What a week - all we can say is "To God be the Glory, great things He has done!"
-Michelle
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wednesday in St. Vincent
Well this morning we were trying our hardest to finish up the jobs that we have been working on so that we can see some of the sights of the Carribean. I am not sure if we succeeded though.... I had a great time though, painting with Ken while we listened to a few Louis L'amore books.
In the afternoon Ken, Dawn,Charity, Matt, and I went into Kingstown to do the public school Bible club. It was quite an experience! We all piled into one of the public busses, which is a van smaller than our church van that they cram at least 20 people into.... But the club went great! Some of the kids heard the Gospel for possibly the first time.
This evening my group went to Fellowship Baptist Church where Ken preached a fantastic message from Philipians 1. We had a chance to pray in groups with people from the church and it was awesome!
thank you for all of your prayers!
Caleb
In the afternoon Ken, Dawn,Charity, Matt, and I went into Kingstown to do the public school Bible club. It was quite an experience! We all piled into one of the public busses, which is a van smaller than our church van that they cram at least 20 people into.... But the club went great! Some of the kids heard the Gospel for possibly the first time.
This evening my group went to Fellowship Baptist Church where Ken preached a fantastic message from Philipians 1. We had a chance to pray in groups with people from the church and it was awesome!
thank you for all of your prayers!
Caleb
I had the privilege of going to the public school to do the Bible club today. To get there, we had to ride a bus into Kingstown and then walk further. The busses down here are actually vans that they somehow manage to squeeze 20 people into. That was interesting. Today, we had to be at the school an hour early to do a club with 5th and 6th graders. These kids were very crazy and didn't listen very well. During one of the games, a boy saw a girl that wasn't playing it correctly, and he jumped up screaming "She cheated! She cheated!" After that, a riot broke out. Boys were screaming at girls, and girls were screaming at guys. But even through the chaos, Dawn and I both had he opportunity to share the Gospel with our group of kids. Almost every single one said that they went to church but my guess is that only a few of them truly know Christ as their Savior. I pray that the unsaved ones heard the Gospel today and will come to know Jesus.
During the actual Bible club, I had another chance to present the Gospel to the kids. This week we have been teaching the kids verses from the Romans Road. This makes the gospel very clear and easy to present. Many of the kids already knew the verse and were jumping up and down at the chance to recite it. It is very encouraging that so many people down here love God and are trying to serve Him. I am also amazed that the public school is allowed to run a Bible club. In our country, the name of God is hardly allowed to be spoken in a public place. Here, the whole class prayed before they were dismissed from school.
Tonight, Ken, Dawn, Caleb and I went to Fellowship Baptist Church, which is right up the road from the college. Ken preaches on Philippians 1 which talks about how Paul was so passionate about preaching God's Word that he would die for it. I was convicted that even though I am on a mission trip right now, I am not anywhere close to being as passionate and bold about preaching the Gospel as I should be. Please pray that God will give ALL of us the boldness and passion for the Gospel that we should have.
During the actual Bible club, I had another chance to present the Gospel to the kids. This week we have been teaching the kids verses from the Romans Road. This makes the gospel very clear and easy to present. Many of the kids already knew the verse and were jumping up and down at the chance to recite it. It is very encouraging that so many people down here love God and are trying to serve Him. I am also amazed that the public school is allowed to run a Bible club. In our country, the name of God is hardly allowed to be spoken in a public place. Here, the whole class prayed before they were dismissed from school.
Tonight, Ken, Dawn, Caleb and I went to Fellowship Baptist Church, which is right up the road from the college. Ken preaches on Philippians 1 which talks about how Paul was so passionate about preaching God's Word that he would die for it. I was convicted that even though I am on a mission trip right now, I am not anywhere close to being as passionate and bold about preaching the Gospel as I should be. Please pray that God will give ALL of us the boldness and passion for the Gospel that we should have.
Matt
Half way through...
It is early Wednesday morning and I am getting ready to begin our 4th day on the island. I realized as I woke this morning that there are only 2 more days left after today. The week is quickly slipping away. It is hard to believe all that has happened this week. It is hard to think that we have to leave this beautiful place. I have to say, I am getting a bit homesick at the same time. But, there is so much work to be done here! The missionaries who live and work here are precious people. They stay day after day, week after week working to serve and love the people here. Pastor and Mrs. Bonadie, the Pastor of Choppins Fundamental Baptist Church where we have been doing a Bible club, have been bringing us back to the College every evening after club is over. They are a wonderful couple in their 60's and they have worked all their lives in this community. As we drove the one lane, "pot holed" road, I noticed that as we passed the homes Pastor would honk the horn and one of them would "shout out" a greeting to the people who lived there. This happened whether someone was standing outside or whether there was no one to be seen. They never would pass by a person walking on the road with out a greeting as well. I am guessing that most everyone in the community has somehow been touched by this sweet Pastor and his wife at some point. They just love the people and can't even pass by thier home without saying hello.
Yesterday Jeff and Josh traveled to the the city with Ken and Dawn for the public school club. Josh had made this trip before when he was here, but it was Jeff's first experience. They kept talking about the "bus" and how crowded and uncomfortable it would be. In my American mind, a picture of a public transportation bus popped up. But, not here. Jeff said it was a 15 passenger (at the most) VAN and there were 20 people packed into it. There was quite abit of walking involved in the trip, he was guessing at least 2 1/2 - 3 miles all in all. I'm not going to go there because of the walking, but today 2 of the other kids will go so that they can experience it and see what God is doing there through the Christians who teach and work in the schools on this Island. It will be a great day!
Today, please pray specifically for the 2 clubs, for Jeff and Ken as they preach at 2 different Wednesday services this evening, and for continued strength, physically and spiritually, for all of us. My body is beginning to feel and show signs of the heat. Love to you all! We appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
Susan
Yesterday Jeff and Josh traveled to the the city with Ken and Dawn for the public school club. Josh had made this trip before when he was here, but it was Jeff's first experience. They kept talking about the "bus" and how crowded and uncomfortable it would be. In my American mind, a picture of a public transportation bus popped up. But, not here. Jeff said it was a 15 passenger (at the most) VAN and there were 20 people packed into it. There was quite abit of walking involved in the trip, he was guessing at least 2 1/2 - 3 miles all in all. I'm not going to go there because of the walking, but today 2 of the other kids will go so that they can experience it and see what God is doing there through the Christians who teach and work in the schools on this Island. It will be a great day!
Today, please pray specifically for the 2 clubs, for Jeff and Ken as they preach at 2 different Wednesday services this evening, and for continued strength, physically and spiritually, for all of us. My body is beginning to feel and show signs of the heat. Love to you all! We appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
Susan
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
It's a jungle out here...
9:30 PM. It was completely dark outside. The breeze coming off the ocean was the most refreshing thing they had ever felt in their lives. The crickets and frogs were soothing them with their sweet evening songs. They all could hear the waves crashing on the shore down below them. It was the perfect night.
"Well, guys, I am going to head to bed." Ken announced as he began the short journey down the grass covered hill.
"Yeah, me too. Goodnight!" Dawn echoed as she also strolled to her room.
The Cumberland family continued to sit in the still night for a few moments. Soon, Caleb decided that he would also head in and do some catching up on the computer.
"Sara, could you get the charger out of your room for me?"
Sara turned her head to see that Caleb had walked back, with the computer in hand, to ask this simple request.
"Yep. Let me go get it for you." She replied.
The two teenagers walked towards the girl's dorm room together, until Caleb stopped a safe distance away. Sara continued to enter the room when she heard Dawn's casual, soft words.
"There's a spider, but I cannot reach it." She simply said.
"No big deal", Sara thought, "I am a little taller than Dawn, I can smoosh this thing easily." She was always the girl that laughed at other girls who were afraid of bugs. Spiders were not her favorite, but she was not extremely afraid to kill them for other girls. She thought of herself as "The Bug Hero" when it came to girls in America.
She walked into the bathroom, and turned to the left to help Dawn out, when something black the size of her thumb came into her sight on the wall.
"Oh, there's a huge cockroach, too!" Sara exclaimed as she continued turning to where Dawn was intently gazing at.
"Oh my goodness. Ummm, let me go get Caleb really quick..." Sara said as she gingerly walked backwards. She soon began to jog briskly as she was yelling throw the screen windows.
"Caleb! We really need your help!" She called out.
"Why?" He impatiently replied as he slowly walked toward her.
"HURRY! There is a massive spider that we need you to kill!" Sara explained, trying to be as calm as possible.
He grunted, but walked in to come to the rescue.
"Oh, and there is a roach, too..." Sara told him once they were in the room with Dawn.
Being extremely wise, Caleb went for the murder of the monster spider first.
"Here is my flip-flop." Sara offered as she handed it to him.
"That thing is too big for a flip-flop!" He replied as he slowly grabbed his shoe, not wanting to frighten the horrid creature. He gently reached up to whack the day lights out of this thing as he quietly said, "I hope I get it...these things are really fast..."
"WHAM!!" was the sound the trio heard as the first attack was launched. But, the spider had not lost. He scrambled his long, fuzzy legs across the wall and hid himself in the sanctuary of a corner that only Goliath could have reached. The entire time, Sara was losing her composure. She was squealing and running quickly away from the spider, but she was still close enough to be apart of the action. Meanwhile, Dawn is laughing hysterically...almost to the point of her being doubled over in laughter.
"What are you going to do???" Sara asked in a very concerned, very high-pitched voice.
"I can't reach it!" He replied as he walked towards the massive cockroach. Once again, he slowly raised the shoe to the destination.
"WHAM!" they all heard again. The crunchy creature fell to the ground, miraculously rolled over and began to scramble away. Have no fear, Caleb used his incredible stomping technique to finish the giant off. Still squealing and doing a little dance with her feet, Sara moved to the door and hollered to Matt.
"Hey, Matt! We need your awesome flip-flop-flinging-skills!" She announced trying to make the request as intriguing as possible.
"Oh, you mean my flippin-flip-flop skills?" He replied.
"Yes. We need your 'flippin-flip-flop skills..." She answered as he made his way towards the dorm. She lead him to the spot of the angered monster in the corner.
"Yeah, we need you to help us kill this spider..." She explained to Matt.
"Yeah right. I can't reach that thing! You are just going to have to leave it for the night." Matt impatiently told the girls.
"OH NO. You ARE going to kill that thing tonight because I sleep on the TOP bunk RIGHT BESIDE it!!!" Sara commanded as only a sister could do.
"Fine..." He reluctantly mumbled as the two boys examined the situation and how they could take care of it. "I need a flip-flop, but I don't think I will be able to get it." Matt finally said.
"Wait! I know what to do!" Sara excitedly exclaimed as she grabbed a can of bug spray that Mr. Edward had given them earlier. She handed it to Caleb and stepped back toward Dawn. Now, Dawn was still laughing at that point.
Caleb unloaded what seemed like half the can of bug repellent on the spider. It was furious. It scrambled back to it's starting point, ready for battle. A battle was what it recieved. Caleb sprayed it again, and everyone thought that they had won when it fell onto the countertop. bBut, they were mistaken. The monstrous spider began to sqirm and get up. More spray. more squeals. more laughter. They thought for SURE it was dead by now! They were once again mistaken. It began to crawl toward them when Matt whipped a flip-flop around, and beat the monster until it's body was in three pieces. Humans: 2, Monster Bugs: 0.
It is finished was our cry.
-Sara-
"Well, guys, I am going to head to bed." Ken announced as he began the short journey down the grass covered hill.
"Yeah, me too. Goodnight!" Dawn echoed as she also strolled to her room.
The Cumberland family continued to sit in the still night for a few moments. Soon, Caleb decided that he would also head in and do some catching up on the computer.
"Sara, could you get the charger out of your room for me?"
Sara turned her head to see that Caleb had walked back, with the computer in hand, to ask this simple request.
"Yep. Let me go get it for you." She replied.
The two teenagers walked towards the girl's dorm room together, until Caleb stopped a safe distance away. Sara continued to enter the room when she heard Dawn's casual, soft words.
"There's a spider, but I cannot reach it." She simply said.
"No big deal", Sara thought, "I am a little taller than Dawn, I can smoosh this thing easily." She was always the girl that laughed at other girls who were afraid of bugs. Spiders were not her favorite, but she was not extremely afraid to kill them for other girls. She thought of herself as "The Bug Hero" when it came to girls in America.
She walked into the bathroom, and turned to the left to help Dawn out, when something black the size of her thumb came into her sight on the wall.
"Oh, there's a huge cockroach, too!" Sara exclaimed as she continued turning to where Dawn was intently gazing at.
"Oh my goodness. Ummm, let me go get Caleb really quick..." Sara said as she gingerly walked backwards. She soon began to jog briskly as she was yelling throw the screen windows.
"Caleb! We really need your help!" She called out.
"Why?" He impatiently replied as he slowly walked toward her.
"HURRY! There is a massive spider that we need you to kill!" Sara explained, trying to be as calm as possible.
He grunted, but walked in to come to the rescue.
"Oh, and there is a roach, too..." Sara told him once they were in the room with Dawn.
Being extremely wise, Caleb went for the murder of the monster spider first.
"Here is my flip-flop." Sara offered as she handed it to him.
"That thing is too big for a flip-flop!" He replied as he slowly grabbed his shoe, not wanting to frighten the horrid creature. He gently reached up to whack the day lights out of this thing as he quietly said, "I hope I get it...these things are really fast..."
"WHAM!!" was the sound the trio heard as the first attack was launched. But, the spider had not lost. He scrambled his long, fuzzy legs across the wall and hid himself in the sanctuary of a corner that only Goliath could have reached. The entire time, Sara was losing her composure. She was squealing and running quickly away from the spider, but she was still close enough to be apart of the action. Meanwhile, Dawn is laughing hysterically...almost to the point of her being doubled over in laughter.
"What are you going to do???" Sara asked in a very concerned, very high-pitched voice.
"I can't reach it!" He replied as he walked towards the massive cockroach. Once again, he slowly raised the shoe to the destination.
"WHAM!" they all heard again. The crunchy creature fell to the ground, miraculously rolled over and began to scramble away. Have no fear, Caleb used his incredible stomping technique to finish the giant off. Still squealing and doing a little dance with her feet, Sara moved to the door and hollered to Matt.
"Hey, Matt! We need your awesome flip-flop-flinging-skills!" She announced trying to make the request as intriguing as possible.
"Oh, you mean my flippin-flip-flop skills?" He replied.
"Yes. We need your 'flippin-flip-flop skills..." She answered as he made his way towards the dorm. She lead him to the spot of the angered monster in the corner.
"Yeah, we need you to help us kill this spider..." She explained to Matt.
"Yeah right. I can't reach that thing! You are just going to have to leave it for the night." Matt impatiently told the girls.
"OH NO. You ARE going to kill that thing tonight because I sleep on the TOP bunk RIGHT BESIDE it!!!" Sara commanded as only a sister could do.
"Fine..." He reluctantly mumbled as the two boys examined the situation and how they could take care of it. "I need a flip-flop, but I don't think I will be able to get it." Matt finally said.
"Wait! I know what to do!" Sara excitedly exclaimed as she grabbed a can of bug spray that Mr. Edward had given them earlier. She handed it to Caleb and stepped back toward Dawn. Now, Dawn was still laughing at that point.
Caleb unloaded what seemed like half the can of bug repellent on the spider. It was furious. It scrambled back to it's starting point, ready for battle. A battle was what it recieved. Caleb sprayed it again, and everyone thought that they had won when it fell onto the countertop. bBut, they were mistaken. The monstrous spider began to sqirm and get up. More spray. more squeals. more laughter. They thought for SURE it was dead by now! They were once again mistaken. It began to crawl toward them when Matt whipped a flip-flop around, and beat the monster until it's body was in three pieces. Humans: 2, Monster Bugs: 0.
It is finished was our cry.
-Sara-
3rd Day -- WOW!
Well, the 3rd day is done now. God is truly teaching us some amazing things. I set out on this venture thinking that we would be able to teach the people down here how to grow closer to God. Turns out, they are really teaching US how to Praise God!! They are amazing! They have so little compared to what we have (stuff, that is!). We seem to have so much that we let it get in the way of our worship. They really seem to rely on God much more than we do (at least me). God is really opening my eyes on this trip.
One of my favorite songs is "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. I have listened to it hundreds of times. Now I am really starting to see what it REALLY means! We really need to see the world around us the way that God sees it. And we really need to learn to focus on others and not just on ourselves.
Please pray for me and the rest of the gang that God will use us in a mighty way, not just this week but for the rest of our lives!
Jeff
One of my favorite songs is "Give Me Your Eyes" by Brandon Heath. I have listened to it hundreds of times. Now I am really starting to see what it REALLY means! We really need to see the world around us the way that God sees it. And we really need to learn to focus on others and not just on ourselves.
Please pray for me and the rest of the gang that God will use us in a mighty way, not just this week but for the rest of our lives!
Jeff
Iowa!!
I am not really sure how to say this but I am sortof thankful that this has happened for this trip. I am realizing that God has a plan for everything and we just need to except what He decides and go with it. He has already taught me patience with the waiting for the flights. Then to except what happens with dignity and to not complain. I realize now that God did want people to minister to the Vincentians but He also wanted people to come help this church in Iowa. And we were the people He wanted for the job! I can see that now and it has helped me get through the dissapointment.
I have done some things that I have never done before! I did some landscaping! It was actually really fun! And then we painted! I have actually painted on every single missions trip except for my 1st which was Toronto. But today I got to stick foam in cracks in the parking lot!!! Weirdest thing I have ever done. Well not really but pretty interesting anyway. And Carey, Lauren, Michelle, and I went to a paint/hardware store today and it was an experience in itself having to try and find it, then coming back to the church, then actually getting there. But all in all it has been a wonderful 1st couple days!
I am so happy to be helping the people here and I am excited with seeing how happy they are that we are here! One lady brought us lunch today and someone else brought us an icecream cake from DQ!!! It has been an amazing experience so far and I can't wait and see how the rest of the week turns out.
P.S. ~ excuse my bad blogging skills! ~ Love,
Nicki <3
I have done some things that I have never done before! I did some landscaping! It was actually really fun! And then we painted! I have actually painted on every single missions trip except for my 1st which was Toronto. But today I got to stick foam in cracks in the parking lot!!! Weirdest thing I have ever done. Well not really but pretty interesting anyway. And Carey, Lauren, Michelle, and I went to a paint/hardware store today and it was an experience in itself having to try and find it, then coming back to the church, then actually getting there. But all in all it has been a wonderful 1st couple days!
I am so happy to be helping the people here and I am excited with seeing how happy they are that we are here! One lady brought us lunch today and someone else brought us an icecream cake from DQ!!! It has been an amazing experience so far and I can't wait and see how the rest of the week turns out.
P.S. ~ excuse my bad blogging skills! ~ Love,
Nicki <3
Hey to all the Cumberlands
I was so excited when my dad invited me on the trip. But it just not the same without you guys! But I guess it is all in Gods plan. I miss you all very much! Anyways today I got a chance to watch the pastors kids Tiana and Leah. They are so cute! But even though they're cute they can still be a handful! Anyways it was still fun. I miss you all! And I cant wait to see you all again soon!
Love, Christe
Love, Christe
Monday, June 13, 2011
Josh Again
In my last post I forgot to mention that we ate dinner with one of the college students here, named Donald. And we got the opportunity to hear some about his life. During high school he felt God calling him into the ministry, but decided to go to school to be an electrical engineer instead. But while he was in school in his home country of Grenada he was really struggling and decided to take a step of faith and come to BBCC. His parents are not Christians, though, so they told him that they would not support him or help him with his schooling here in St. Vincent. He says everything has been falling into place since he followed the Lord's calling, but keeping up with the cost of school is a real struggle and he won't be able to go home until he finishes paying off his tuition here. But when he does go home, he wants to start planting churches. So please just pray first of all that Donald's parents would come to know Christ, and secondly, that God would provide the finances for Donald to pay for school and go back home to start serving Him. Thanks everyone.
The overwhelming amazement continues!
Day 2 has come and gone. I'm sitting on my bed in the quiet of our room reading the messages that everyone wrote today. (Yes, PJ, I am also watching for those "dinner plate" size spiders out of the corner of my eye as I write this! You weren't joking, were you!) As I read the posts made by all of our team members, here and in Iowa, I laughed, I cried, and I rejoiced! There simply are not words to express all that I am feeling and learning from this work of God! I am thinking of a song that God placed in my heart as I packed on Friday. It says:
"Be still, there is a healer. His love is deeper than the sea. His mercy, it is unfailing. His arms are a fortress for the weak. Let faith arise. I lift my hands to believe again. You are my refuge, you are my strength. As I pour out my heart, these things I remember. You are faithful, God, forever. Let faith arise! Be still, there is a river. That flows from Calvary's tree. A fountain for the thirsty. Pure grace that washes over me. Let faith arise!"
Today here in St. Vincent, we did our first Bible club. In other Bible clubs that we have done, I have watched my own 4 children serve side by side with their friends. Today, Jeff and I had the amazing blessing of watching the 4 of them serve side by side with each other. They were a team of brothers and sister. They worked together in such an amazing way. It was overwhelming to see things in all 4 of them that I had never seen before. This is like a dream, really! My heart is overflowing with love and gratefulness for the opportunity to be in the front row as we watch God transform every one of them!
My heart is also overflowing with love for the Iowa team as well! I am so proud (in a good way) of all of you. Your posts are full of joy and thankfulness - even a touch of humor! Everyone of you is a precious treasure and God has such amazing things in store for you all! Thank you for your servant's hearts. There has to be celebrating in Heaven for all that you are doing and for your love and concern for each other, for the people in Iowa, and for us. We are praying for you that God will continue to work in your lives as He is working in ours! Jeff and Michelle...this is your dream! You are living the desire that God has put in your heart during your ministry in Butler! God is giving you a glimpse of the work He has accomplished through you during your time with us! We love you much!!
Well, it's past "lights out" time. Tomorrow Ken, Dawn, Josh and Jeff are splitting from our group to head into the "city" to do the Gov't school Bible club. Ken and Dawn will go all 3 days while the rest of us rotate in to help them. This way we can all experience this ministry on the Island. Jeff and Josh are forging the way. Pray for their safety as they travel on the "public transportation" (bus) and meet the children there. This is not in a church, but in a public school so it is quite a bit different than the club the rest of us are doing.
Love to all...thank you so much for your prayers!
"Be still, there is a healer. His love is deeper than the sea. His mercy, it is unfailing. His arms are a fortress for the weak. Let faith arise. I lift my hands to believe again. You are my refuge, you are my strength. As I pour out my heart, these things I remember. You are faithful, God, forever. Let faith arise! Be still, there is a river. That flows from Calvary's tree. A fountain for the thirsty. Pure grace that washes over me. Let faith arise!"
Today here in St. Vincent, we did our first Bible club. In other Bible clubs that we have done, I have watched my own 4 children serve side by side with their friends. Today, Jeff and I had the amazing blessing of watching the 4 of them serve side by side with each other. They were a team of brothers and sister. They worked together in such an amazing way. It was overwhelming to see things in all 4 of them that I had never seen before. This is like a dream, really! My heart is overflowing with love and gratefulness for the opportunity to be in the front row as we watch God transform every one of them!
My heart is also overflowing with love for the Iowa team as well! I am so proud (in a good way) of all of you. Your posts are full of joy and thankfulness - even a touch of humor! Everyone of you is a precious treasure and God has such amazing things in store for you all! Thank you for your servant's hearts. There has to be celebrating in Heaven for all that you are doing and for your love and concern for each other, for the people in Iowa, and for us. We are praying for you that God will continue to work in your lives as He is working in ours! Jeff and Michelle...this is your dream! You are living the desire that God has put in your heart during your ministry in Butler! God is giving you a glimpse of the work He has accomplished through you during your time with us! We love you much!!
Well, it's past "lights out" time. Tomorrow Ken, Dawn, Josh and Jeff are splitting from our group to head into the "city" to do the Gov't school Bible club. Ken and Dawn will go all 3 days while the rest of us rotate in to help them. This way we can all experience this ministry on the Island. Jeff and Josh are forging the way. Pray for their safety as they travel on the "public transportation" (bus) and meet the children there. This is not in a church, but in a public school so it is quite a bit different than the club the rest of us are doing.
Love to all...thank you so much for your prayers!
Josh Numero Dos
Well, our second day is finished, and it was incredible. We started off by painting two small little dorm rooms, which ended up taking the entire morning. After lunch,we went for a nice short little swim down at the beach, and I was quickly reminded just why I enjoyed it so much the last time I was here. Today was a local national holiday called Fisherman's Day, so the government school that we will be helping at was closed, and all eight of us had the opportunity to help run a smaller Bible club at Choppins Fundamental Church, which is where the Edwards' attend. We had 37 kids there today, and the pastor's wife later told us that only 2 or 3 of them were church attenders, so it was a real blessing to see how much of an outreach this little tiny church had in their community. It was also a little eye opening and convicting, because this little church with probably 50 or fewer members brought in so many outside people to one of its functions. What if our much larger American churches had that kind of influence in our own communities, that we would be able to minister to basically a second congregation that had no ties to the church or knowledge of Christ. Just a little food for thought. Another thing that really opened my eyes happened at the end of Bible Club. As we were singing some closing songs, some of the Vincentian boys that i was sitting with noticed that my hair was "spiky", and they kept wanting to feel it and they were all asking me questions about how i made it like that. When I told them about hair gel, they were astounded, and I could tell that they had never even heard of it before in their lives. It really just goes to show how truly blessed we are in America. Even something little and silly like hair gel that we can go to walmart and buy a whole container for like $2 was totally new and foreign to these boys. It just amazes me that we as a nation can have so much, yet still take it all for granted and be totally uncontent.
Matt - Monday, June 13
Well, this is definitely the most interesting mission trips that I've been on. When we were still preparing for this trip, I prayed that God would help us to be flexible for when plans changed. When I prayed this, I was expecting changes like more kids then we planned for or having to switch up our groups. Never did I expect that God would keep more than half of our team in the US. But God has a perfect plan for every one of our lives, and we just have to trust Him wherever He leads us. When that big of a change occurs on such short notice, the only thing you can do is trust God. We can not do this job on our own strength. But God's strength is made perfect in our weaknesses, which is exactly what he is teaching us this week.
Yesterday, we had he opportunity to go to two different Vincentian churches, and both of them were amazing. The people in them clearly love God with all of their hearts. When they sing, the shout their praises to God, whether they have good voices or not. They are not worried about what others think of them, but instead they truly make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Today, we did some painting on the college campus and then went to the beach. The island is so incredible and everywhere you look you see the glory of God displayed through His creation. In the afternoon, we went to the Choppins Fundamental Baptist Church to do a Bible club. It was so amazing to see God work. It is evident and encouraging that many of the children are already trying to serve God at such a young age. Also, God has given our whole team the strength that was needed to do this job. It is difficult to run a Bible club with half the people and supplies that you were expecting, but with God, ALL things are possible.
Please pray that God will continue to work in the lives of the Vincentians and in our lives.
Matt
Yesterday, we had he opportunity to go to two different Vincentian churches, and both of them were amazing. The people in them clearly love God with all of their hearts. When they sing, the shout their praises to God, whether they have good voices or not. They are not worried about what others think of them, but instead they truly make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Today, we did some painting on the college campus and then went to the beach. The island is so incredible and everywhere you look you see the glory of God displayed through His creation. In the afternoon, we went to the Choppins Fundamental Baptist Church to do a Bible club. It was so amazing to see God work. It is evident and encouraging that many of the children are already trying to serve God at such a young age. Also, God has given our whole team the strength that was needed to do this job. It is difficult to run a Bible club with half the people and supplies that you were expecting, but with God, ALL things are possible.
Please pray that God will continue to work in the lives of the Vincentians and in our lives.
Matt
It's hard not to feel bad....
For the rest of the team back in the states, I am sorry that you guys could not be here... And I do feel bad. But as mean as this may sound, I really dont want to feel bad. You guys as well as us are in the center of God's will right now! For some reason, God chose you to be in Iowa! Even if we can't see the reason why, God's plan is perfect. As hard as it may seem, we need to be praising God! I miss you guys and can't wait to see what God did with you this week! I am praying for all of you!
Caleb C.
Caleb C.
Shout Out to the Cumberlands!!!
Hey Matt! You might have ditched me but I am here with all these beautiful women! - Bret
Lauren's Post
Well this week has not turned out the way we thought it would, but that is ok since we know it is God's will. I was disapointed when I found out we would not be going to St. Vincent. But it was very obvious God did not want us there so I knew he had other plans for us. So when I found out we were going to Iowa I was excited to be doing his will.
Today was our first work day, and I weeded, painted, and attempted to sweep up paint chips in the parking lot. I have had a lot of fun laughing and hanging out with my friends and am looking forward to what God has in store for us for the rest of the week.
Today was our first work day, and I weeded, painted, and attempted to sweep up paint chips in the parking lot. I have had a lot of fun laughing and hanging out with my friends and am looking forward to what God has in store for us for the rest of the week.
Carey's Post
End of day one. Wow! Landscaping, Painting, and Trim painting were some of the projects we worked on today. The Landscaping was pretty interesting. As people were dumping rocks, nicki and i shoveled them and were climbing through the bushes to get every piece of ground covered :) I am so glad we were able to make the trip down here to Iowa. I was pretty sad coming home from the airport the other day, knowing st. vincent was not where we were going, but God has done some amazing things that all i can say is WOW! It's great being able to serve in Iowa.
Plan A
Sara & the Cumberlands,
I loved your post - I tried to comment, but it wouldn't work, so I'm posting instead! We fought this all Saturday morning, too, until it became so obvious that God did not intend for us to go to St. Vincent this year. That song kept playing over and over in my head, "Waiting here for You with our hands lifted high, singing Alleluia." All day we waited to see what God was going to do with us - and then after calling our friend, John, the light started to shine on what God might be doing here. Who are we to say where we should be? The people here in Tama, Iowa, are just as important to Him as the people in St. Vincent. So we are here, committed to loving them with our whole hearts because of the great love Christ has shown to us. And it is so obvious that our Plan B was God's Plan A all along! You all are in our prayers constantly! I keep trying to imagine what you guys are doing and knowing just how amazing your trip is going to be!! We love you so much!!! And we are definitely having a joint missions team party after!!!
Love, Michelle
I loved your post - I tried to comment, but it wouldn't work, so I'm posting instead! We fought this all Saturday morning, too, until it became so obvious that God did not intend for us to go to St. Vincent this year. That song kept playing over and over in my head, "Waiting here for You with our hands lifted high, singing Alleluia." All day we waited to see what God was going to do with us - and then after calling our friend, John, the light started to shine on what God might be doing here. Who are we to say where we should be? The people here in Tama, Iowa, are just as important to Him as the people in St. Vincent. So we are here, committed to loving them with our whole hearts because of the great love Christ has shown to us. And it is so obvious that our Plan B was God's Plan A all along! You all are in our prayers constantly! I keep trying to imagine what you guys are doing and knowing just how amazing your trip is going to be!! We love you so much!!! And we are definitely having a joint missions team party after!!!
Love, Michelle
Evil turned into Good.
I am sitting under a porch looking at the sun make it's slow descent behind the buildings and the horizon. I am listening to the crickets, frogs, and gentle rain all around me. I feel the cool breeze on my face and I smell the mix of salt water, plants, and rain. I am on the island of St. Vincent. But it is much different than I had expected...
Months ago, Pastor Jeff started talking about this trip. I knew that I wanted to be one of the privileged teens from the beginning of it all. I was excited, and I waited in anticipation. Then, we found out who our whole team was going to be. Then, I was absolutely thrilled. Pastor Jeff, Michelle, JR, Debbie, Jenna, Jill, Carey, Lauren, Nicki, Bret, and the rest of my family...they are the perfect team. Every single one of them are in my "Top Friends" list... Well, my mental one. I was so excited to see what God had in store for all of us. I just knew that He had something absolutley incredible planned for this week. But, God tends to work in ways that we never would have expected.
At 3:00 on Saturday morning, my family was doing all of the "last minute, rushed, throw whatever you can into a suitcase & hope it is the right weight" routine, when my mom told me that the flight the rest of the team was flying on was canceled. Completely canceled. Ok, I thought. They will still make it. No big deal, God is in control and will get them down there with us. I held onto that all morning. From Butler to Atlanta. When we landed in Atlanta and found out that there was no possible way, I lost it. Yes, I knew that God was in control. I just thought that maybe, just maybe, His way could have been different and everything would have worked out just fine, too. I was being stubborn, as I normally am. I just could not shake this shock. I was, in fact, a basket-case the whole entire day. All I did was cry and sleep. I didn't understand why. I didn't even want to understand at that point. All I wanted was for my ENTIRE team to be on the airplane with me. I missed them more than I ever missed anyone before. I felt guilty every time a plane took off and landed because it was taking me further away & they were still stuck at home. I was truly broken. And all I could do was pray that God would use this week to put me back together again. And He is. He will continue to, as the week goes on. Because that is how He works.
I was teaching a Sunday School lesson to about 20 children yesterday when He slapped me in the face. In a gentle, loving way of course! :) My story was about Joseph. Now, keep in mind that I wrote this lesson 1/2 a week before this all happened.... I was telling them at the end about how Joseph was able to forgive his brothers because He knew that God meant the evil they had done to him for good. Genesis 50:20 is the verse I used. I realized that, even though Satan had meant this undone plan for evil, God means it for good. Instead of our church only having 1 team serving Him this summer, He now has two. He has given me a peace about it all, but I still have questions. I still wonder, "why me?". I still feel horrible that the others are not here. They are greatly missed. Every moment. Even when we were painting, I thought, "Wow. I really miss the banter & laughter that would have been here." But, God is showing me many things in many different ways.
Well, one set back of being here with pretty much JUST my family is, I am still being told to "Stop writing your 'book' and come help with dinner!" So, I had better get going...
Thanks for all of your prayers! They are greatly appreciated!
(P.S.) To the rest of my team in Iowa, I am pretty jealous that I am not there with you all right now!!! Have a great time!
-Sara-
What an adventure!! Susan
There is so much to say. This trip is not what we had planned it to be! But God had different plans than we did. It is still so hard to believe all that has happened. Never in our wildest dreams would we have thought that this is why our flights were changed several weeks ago so that we were separated from the rest of the group. Even then, God was preparing this trip for us. It is such an obvious display of His work in our lives that I can't really even wrap my mind around it yet. Why us? I don't know yet, but I am sure He does!
Sunday was a wonderful day here on St. Vincent! We met the Church here! We attended a "country" church with a Pastor and his family, the Maloney's. The church was about 45 minutes away. That doesn't mean a thing to us in the States, but here, well, let just say it was an adventure! We all piled into the Maloney's 8 passenger van to make the trip. Yes, all 7 of us in the van with the 4 Maloney's! Then we stopped on the way to pick up their Granny in her village! Wow!! Jeff and Michelle tried to prepare us for this, but we really didn't know what to think. Now we know!
We enjoyed Sunday School and morning worship with the people of Calvary Baptist Church. Sara taught a Sunday School lesson to the children while Jeff taught the adults and teens. They both did a wonderful job. Ken preached the message. God used His word to help us all refocus on what was happening. The people here worship with all their hearts. When they sing...oh how I wish you could hear them sing!! I was overwhelmed at their worship!
In the evening, we attended Choppins Baptist Church with the Edward's family. We met Pastor Bonadie and his family there. We found this church to be just as welcoming and loving as the other. Ken preached again and we enjoyed the singing and worship with this precious church as well. We will be returning to this church to do one of the Bible clubs this week.
Today we are up early to begin working with Mr and Mrs Edwards at the college. The plan is for us to do some painting in the dorms this week. We hope to get as much done as we can. This afternoon we will all head back to Choppins for the first Bible club. Please pray for us today as we begin this part of our trip. Many of our supplies are still back in the States with the rest of the group. We are physically limited in what we can do...there are no Walmarts to run to on St. Vincent! But we are not limited in what God can do. Pray for creativity, wisdom, and physical strength. It is VERY hot here. I can feel it's effect on my body already.
Thank you all for your prayers and love! We'll post again soon!
Sunday was a wonderful day here on St. Vincent! We met the Church here! We attended a "country" church with a Pastor and his family, the Maloney's. The church was about 45 minutes away. That doesn't mean a thing to us in the States, but here, well, let just say it was an adventure! We all piled into the Maloney's 8 passenger van to make the trip. Yes, all 7 of us in the van with the 4 Maloney's! Then we stopped on the way to pick up their Granny in her village! Wow!! Jeff and Michelle tried to prepare us for this, but we really didn't know what to think. Now we know!
We enjoyed Sunday School and morning worship with the people of Calvary Baptist Church. Sara taught a Sunday School lesson to the children while Jeff taught the adults and teens. They both did a wonderful job. Ken preached the message. God used His word to help us all refocus on what was happening. The people here worship with all their hearts. When they sing...oh how I wish you could hear them sing!! I was overwhelmed at their worship!
In the evening, we attended Choppins Baptist Church with the Edward's family. We met Pastor Bonadie and his family there. We found this church to be just as welcoming and loving as the other. Ken preached again and we enjoyed the singing and worship with this precious church as well. We will be returning to this church to do one of the Bible clubs this week.
Today we are up early to begin working with Mr and Mrs Edwards at the college. The plan is for us to do some painting in the dorms this week. We hope to get as much done as we can. This afternoon we will all head back to Choppins for the first Bible club. Please pray for us today as we begin this part of our trip. Many of our supplies are still back in the States with the rest of the group. We are physically limited in what we can do...there are no Walmarts to run to on St. Vincent! But we are not limited in what God can do. Pray for creativity, wisdom, and physical strength. It is VERY hot here. I can feel it's effect on my body already.
Thank you all for your prayers and love! We'll post again soon!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Josh's Thoughts
Hard to believe all that's happened already on this trip. You've probably already heard that 10 of us got stranded in Pittsburgh and couldn't make it down to St. Vincent. So that leaves 8 of us to do a job that was planned for 18. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all goes, but God knows what He's doing. Nonetheless. It should be an interesting ride.....
From St Vincent -- Jeff
We have a few minutes together (first few since what seems like a week ago!) so we wanted to post a few notes. First of all, we want to thank our Lord & Savior for his wonderful grace that he has shown us.
We would also like to thank all of our friends and family back home who have helped to make this trip possible for both teams.
God's plans are not always our plans, but we know that His are always much better than our own. We were very dissappointed to learn that the whole team would not be together. But God has been gracious to allow us to be here to serve HIM and not ourselves. We have been praying that God would use us to glorify Him in whatever way He wanted to. He sure showed us that we need to pray what we mean and mean what we pray!!
I will admit, I was all set to just fill in the gap for Pastor Jeff and let him and Ken do all of the hard spiritual work while I was content with the hard physical work. God has certainly changed all of that and thrust me into the forefront with Ken. But with HIS strength, I know that HE alone will see me through this. It is not by my power but by God's that I will be able to serve Him!!
Although different than we expected, I know that God will use us mightily down here, even without the whole group that we had planned on. Please continue to pray for us. And please continue to pray for Pastor Jeff's team. God's Word will not return void, whether in Iowa or in St Vincent! Or anywhere else in the world that He calls us to serve!
Susan will post a little later as time permits.
We would also like to thank all of our friends and family back home who have helped to make this trip possible for both teams.
God's plans are not always our plans, but we know that His are always much better than our own. We were very dissappointed to learn that the whole team would not be together. But God has been gracious to allow us to be here to serve HIM and not ourselves. We have been praying that God would use us to glorify Him in whatever way He wanted to. He sure showed us that we need to pray what we mean and mean what we pray!!
I will admit, I was all set to just fill in the gap for Pastor Jeff and let him and Ken do all of the hard spiritual work while I was content with the hard physical work. God has certainly changed all of that and thrust me into the forefront with Ken. But with HIS strength, I know that HE alone will see me through this. It is not by my power but by God's that I will be able to serve Him!!
Although different than we expected, I know that God will use us mightily down here, even without the whole group that we had planned on. Please continue to pray for us. And please continue to pray for Pastor Jeff's team. God's Word will not return void, whether in Iowa or in St Vincent! Or anywhere else in the world that He calls us to serve!
Susan will post a little later as time permits.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
The Pioneers
To the Cumberbuns, Kenny-bunkport, and Dawn Treader,
Everyone of us who was unable to travel with you to St. Vincent are so completely thankful that you are there to serve our Savior and Lord. We feel like you represent us as well as First Baptist Church, and we could not be better represented. We are excited for you as this adventure unfolds.
As it finally sunk in this morning that our group was not going to make it to St. Vincent, I heard several times, "well, at least the rest of our team can get there. We're so happy they have this opportunity!"
We pray for your strength, wisdom, courage, and love for the precious people of St. Vincent. If you haven't found out already, your hosts, Mike, Debbie, & Charity Edwards are wonderful missionaries, with decades of experience in both missions and hosting missions groups. We know you will be a great encouragement to them, just "doing what we do."
No matter what else comes your way this week (like when you find out we have the coffee maker), know that you are in the center of God's will, and He will work in you and through you to "Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands" (Isaiah 42:12).
Amen. Yah, Mon.
With Love,
Jeff G
Everyone of us who was unable to travel with you to St. Vincent are so completely thankful that you are there to serve our Savior and Lord. We feel like you represent us as well as First Baptist Church, and we could not be better represented. We are excited for you as this adventure unfolds.
As it finally sunk in this morning that our group was not going to make it to St. Vincent, I heard several times, "well, at least the rest of our team can get there. We're so happy they have this opportunity!"
We pray for your strength, wisdom, courage, and love for the precious people of St. Vincent. If you haven't found out already, your hosts, Mike, Debbie, & Charity Edwards are wonderful missionaries, with decades of experience in both missions and hosting missions groups. We know you will be a great encouragement to them, just "doing what we do."
No matter what else comes your way this week (like when you find out we have the coffee maker), know that you are in the center of God's will, and He will work in you and through you to "Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare His praise in the islands" (Isaiah 42:12).
Amen. Yah, Mon.
With Love,
Jeff G
Plan B
Great news! We were able to contact a pastor friend in Tama, Iowa, and he was very happy to have our group come out and work on some projects at their church. They have been talking as a church about some project needs, but didn't have the manpower to get them done right now. We are so grateful to have a place to minister. We plan to leave at 9:00 a.m. Sunday, June 12 and travel until around Chicago, stay the night and then continue on to Iowa on Monday. We will work 4 days and then return Sunday, June 19 in the afternoon. We appreciate your prayers as we travel.
Our hearts are still with the rest of our team in St. Vincent, but we are thankful to have a purpose that we can throw our hearts and energies into for the week. We will update on this blog even though it says "Mission St. Vincent." :)
Our hearts are still with the rest of our team in St. Vincent, but we are thankful to have a purpose that we can throw our hearts and energies into for the week. We will update on this blog even though it says "Mission St. Vincent." :)
They Made It!
Praise the Lord! The Cumberlands & Ken Kistler have landed safely in St. Vincent. When we talked with the missionary, Mike Edwards, they were at the grocery store preparing for their week. Please keep them in your prayers!!
Change of Plans :)
Well, after a long day at the airport, more than 1/2 of our team has come back home to Butler. Flight cancellations and delays are preventing us from reaching St. Vincent. So, we are praying for the Cumberland family, Ken Kistler and Dawn Hughes as they travel to St. Vincent without the rest of the team. They plan to do both Bible schools as planned, and most of the supplies are here with us in Butler. We know God is in control here and will provide for them in supplies and strength. This will be a wonderful opportunity for the Cumberland family to minister together. The rest of us are just waiting to see what He has for us for this next week. We appreciate your prayers! We will update as we can.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Flight Information
Here is our travel information. We would really appreciate your prayers for safe, uneventful flights and no delays so we can make all of our connections! We will update you as we can with our progress!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Group Travel Info (except the Cumberlands)
6:20 a.m. Depart Pittsburgh United flight # UA 7079/W
7:22 a.m. Arrive Washington D.C.
Meet up with Ken Kistler
8:19 a.m. Depart Washington D.C. United flight # UA 0699/W
12:02 p.m. Arrive San Juan, Puerto Rico
Meet up with the Cumberlands & Dawn Hughes
Cumberlands arrive at 12:09 p.m. on Delta flight #323 from Atlanta
Dawn arrives at 11:24 a.m. on US Airways flight #1069 from Philadelphia (originating in California)
2:25 p.m. Depart San Juan, Puerto Rico Liat flight # 383
6:20 p.m. Arrive St. Vincent
Cumberland's Flight Information:
5:55 a.m. Depart Pittsburgh Delta flight # 2290
7:39 a.m. Arrive Atlanta
8:20 a.m. Depart Atlanta Delta flight # 323
12:09 p.m. Arrive San Juan, Puerto Rico to meet up with the rest of the group
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