Move On Down The Road

Hello from the road once again! A lot has happened since I have last shared with you so hold on tight..

Let's Catch Up

Within the last week and a half our team has been able to meet and love on a whole lot of exciting, crazy welcoming people. The churches we have come to serve throughout this trip only want to serve us, which is so humbling! Ill just jump right into the fun stuff and catch up where I left off..

First Reformed Church

At Shelley's Farm

Our next church to meet and hang out with was Frist Reformed Church of Sheldon, Iowa. Here we were able to put on a concert with the kids of the church but also hang out with them more than in past churches. When we first arrived Kelsey and I were invited to stay the weekend with a woman of the church, Gert. She openly welcomed us to come and stay with her and was so excited to have us stay. On our first night of being there Kelsey and I were able to sit down and talk with her and she told us how being there was such a blessing since she is widowed. She loved to talk about her grandkids and also genuinely wanted to get to know us on a personal level, which was intimidating yet encouraging at the same time. The next day we spent all day practicing and hanging out with the kids and that night was able to go hang out at Shelley’s house.  Shelley was our church connection in that she was the one who set up this entire concert and made it possible for our group to come out to the church. That night she openly welcomed us to her house to hang out and it was a lot of fun because it was on a farm! The next day we had our concert, which went great, but that night we had to say our goodbyes which was sad because this church was so welcoming it felt like we were leaving our family.

Westbrooke Church

After saying goodbye to new friends in Iowa we moved onwards to Westbrooke Church in Overland Park, Kansas where we helped with another VBS. We arrived Monday night and jumped right in on Tuesday morning helping out. Kelsey, Raleigh, Mary, and myself together helped run the Bible part of the VBS. Basically we acted out the stories we were told to do by the curriculum. This was a lot of fun for me personally because it reminded me of our VBS that my home church does and also it was fun to do mostly “men involved” stories with all women. The kids loved getting to have us do the stories for them and likewise I loved helping make them fun for them. Our entire week, Tuesday to Friday 9-12 consisted of the VBS but it was lots of fun to get to help with that again! Friday we once again said goodbye to another church and moved onto the next.

Country roads are all we see anymore!

 Crete Berean Church

Next we moved on to a familiar church and congregation of a few of our fellow tourists. Dan Williams, the pastor of the church, is Mary’s brother. He is a newer pastor of the church and has been super excited for us to come as well as an opportunity to see his sister and niece, Megan.  When we arrived Dan welcomed us and it was a great time for Mary and Megan to be able to catch up and we moved on to our campground for the weekend. Josh, a man of the church, helped get us settled at the campground and gave us some snacks for the weekend as well as his car to use for transportation instead of moving the RV every single time. We were able to share with this church by having a morning a brunch with the ladies of the church. This personally was an awesome experience for me, getting to sit down with the women of the church and talk to them on a personal level is so encouraging. All of us were able to share a little bit about ourselves and Bong was able to share about her ministry in a more intimate setting. After spending the morning with them, our team had the afternoon off and took time out in the town. By Sunday night we had a children’s concert and it was just a lot of fun to see the kids really enjoy the concert as well as the parent and others. It always amazes me how every church reacts differently to the music we bring in but they all enjoy it equally the same.

I don’t think I can say how encouraging it is to be able to travel with this team and go into different churches enough. It is truly an amazing experience and I am so glad I did it! I do believe that through this God has opened my eyes more to what being a “church” and being the church of God really is! Thank you for your prayers and as I continue to finish out this long but amazing summer! 

Where Did All The Buildings Go?

Let’s Catch Up

Ben Big the Motor Home

This past week the Go Native Team and I really got our tour started. We were able to finally add the final pieces to our puzzle and get this party started. Last Wednesday we able to get our motor home in order and start our journey, with the first stop being Bible Witness Camp to pick up the missionaries and friends.

Bible Witness Camp

First stop? Bible Witness Camp located out in the country of Illinois. Let me start with slightly introducing Bible Witness Camp and kind of what it is. Bible Witness Camp, from my understanding, is a camp focused for the lower income black community in Illinois. It is a camp attached to the churches’ AWANA program where they earn points to be able to go to the camp in the summer. Currently Mary Williams and her friend, our missionary, Joji Bong, run the camp. Our team arrived at the camp on Friday night ready to work and start by Saturday. Saturday we were able to sit down with Bong and really talk out more of what our concerts looked like and also plan for our first concert which was to be Sunday. Sunday came and we were able to get everything in place and successfully put on our very first concert of the summer tour. After a very busy weekend we were ready to move on to the next destination, being Chicago with 2 missionaries, Bong and Leah and 2 advocates for their mission, Mary and Megan.

Down Time Is Needed

Kelsey, Myself, Raleigh, and friend

Although this is considered a “mission trip” it is nice to have a little time to relax, rejuvenate, and have a little fun. Between each destination of the each church Mindy has made it possible for us to have a little fun in between stops. After Bible Witness Camp we left with 2 missionaries and 2 advocates and moved on to Chicago. Our team was able to spend a little time, eat a little Chicago popcorn and pizza and continue down the road to Washburn, Wisconsin to a church called Grace Bible Fellowship.

Grace Bible Fellowship

You know how people always think that Northerners are a little more uptight and not as hospitable? Well, I am glad to say I’m pretty sure that is just New York City because of the amazing hospitably shown to us by Grace Bible Church and its members. We were welcomed into the area on Tuesday by the pastor, who took all of us to our perspective host homes, and were invited to dinner with him and his family at his house. We were able to get our fill of food for the night and headed back to our temporary home and went to bed. The next day people within the church made us lunch and dinner. The pastor and a few others hosted lunch, but for dinner the whole church was invited. One thing I really enjoy about these small-town churches is the family environment it brings. Being with the church members, talking with them, and eating together is like being at a family reunion and is just refreshing.

A New Friend

So far I have made lots of new friends throughout even the beginning of this tour but I would love to share one of my new friends with everyone else. At Grace Bible Church there were tons of people I was able to share with and talk with but one friend really stood out and her name was Rita. Rita is an older woman but she is her own personality and person and I am pretty sure she is still young on the inside. When we were standing around I was able to talk with her and she told me about how she loves to be stylish. She talked and talked about her colorful handbags and her colorful hats as well as all what all the colors meant to her when she wore them. One color that really stood out, the only one I can currently remember was red. Rita said, and I quote “If you see me with a red flower in my hair or my clothes are red, take the long way around me!”

Country Roads on in between churches

I feel as though we will be going to a lot of country churches, which is okay with me because I love the sunrises and sunsets of the country.. as long as we at least go by city every now and then. Everyone we have met and communed with have been so joyful and so filled with God at the same time that it makes being on the road away from my family not so bad. I will admit at first I thought I would have a hard time because I would be “displaced” but visiting all these churches with open arms, as well as having such a great team with me has really made this tour experience so much fun. Thank you all for following me on this journey and your continued prayers throughout this trip. 

Let's Go!

Lets Catch Up!

It has been crazy since I have last updated my blog and I completely apologize for that, but let me fill you in with all the craziness going on here and there at ANM. Last week, Monday, we had been preparing to leave for our “pre-tour” to NYC. Our “pre-tour” was just Mindy, Kelsey, Raleigh, and myself going to NYC, Queens actually, to visit and help a Filipino church put on their VBS.

Welcome To The Philippines

Mindy, our fearless leader, wanted us to go really experience a little bit of the Filipino culture before we actually began touring with them so she arranged for us to go into a Filipino church in Queens, NY called Queens Bible Church. This church is majority Filipino and according to Mindy, is exactly like being overseas. As soon as we entered the church it was like walking into a family reunion. Everyone young, old, was so welcoming and loving that I felt as though I was visiting and meeting family for the first time.

VBS In Action

First of all let me mention that a few years ago Kelsey and myself went with a smaller team of girls from church to record the music for the VBS that we actually helped host at this church. It was really a blessing and encouraging going to a church and actually seeing our songs being performed, used and kids actually enjoying it. Kelsey, Mindy and I were even asked to help sing the songs and help lead the kids with hand motions. I never thought I would be able to go help, see and perform these songs and it truly was an amazing experience.  Once we got there we were asked to help a little bit but mostly they wanted to do anything to serve us.

Hospitality At Its Finest

One thing that surprised me was the hospitality of the Filipinos. The whole point of this “pre-tour” was for our group to come serve and help them out with their VBS but once we got there it was really hard to serve because their culture focuses on serving those around them. It seemed like the entire time it was an on-going battle to see who could serve whom (which is a great battle). On Saturday we were able to help with the dramas that were written into the VBS and also talk with some of the youth of the church. I was able to get to know a few people like RJ, CJ and Immanuel who are only a few of the guys’ names I can remember.  One thing I found super cool was the youth were so all over involved in this VBS willingly and truly loved spending time with the kids. Every night our hosts made sure we got to see the city and anywhere we wanted to go do. Our hosts truly spoiled us and made this “pre-tour” not seem like work but pure fun.

Leaving Queens Bible Church we were able to see 6 kids come to know Christ and tons of donations for Bong’s ministry overseas! There was a whole lot of great things that we saw happen on this trip it makes me even more excited to begin our actual tour. We will be leaving Lynchburg Wednesday and hopefully arriving by Saturday, Lord willing, to make our way to go see Bong at her camp in Illinois. Please continue to pray and send funding as this trip is just beginning!

Another Week, Another Day

Have I mentioned how cool and how it is such an amazing opportunity to be up here serving with such strong men and women of Christ?! Well it is, it is just fantastic.. anyways on to the good stuff

Who Said Prayer Isn't Powerful

You know the saying “prayer is powerful”? Have you ever doubted that statement itself? I know I have but I also know I have a renewed meaning and understanding of what this saying truly means. Throughout our time being here we have been faced with a minor set back and that is “What are we gonna drive in?” Kelsey and I like to dream big so we said we would start praying for a RV and we did. We also went on to email a few people, which fell through, but still we kept praying God would deliver. Last Thursday Mindy, our boss lady, texted us with a picture saying we had a RV! I truly believe God heard our needs and prayers and is blessing us with such a nice vehicle to travel in!

Food, Everywhere

Every week our team stays the night in Charlottesville, VA and we eat with different people from the office and this week we ate with one of the main guys of this place, Carl. That night he had a full house though because there was 1 Indian couple, another guy from India and Carl’s wife, who is Pilipino.  His wife cooked us an authentic Pilipino meal and it actually tasted really good! We all sat around and fellowshipped afterwards which is also such a blessing to hear peoples stories.

Wednesday we were able to eat food made by a missionary from Ghana and surprisingly that stuff was great tasting! I am pretty sure by the end of this journey I will have eaten more types of food then I can name!

Everything and everyone here is so drenched in God its crazy and I find myself constantly encouraged everyday by the people who all work here. I can’t wait to start traveling with the team! 2 more weeks! 

Good Thing I Came Ready To Learn!

I feel like everyday I am here I learn a little something new about how amazing God and prayer really is. It is truly a blessing to be a part of this internship and ministry and everyday I feel like the office become less of an office but family. Everyone here is so welcoming and friendly, even if you don’t know them, that through talking with someone you have never met before for 10 minutes you will find that you already know everything about them.

Have Faith

The other day at lunch Mindy challenged us to sit down with a missionary so I chose to sit with a guy from Ghana and his wife. This missionary has a ministry overseas where he raises up young workers and through this he can minister to the worker and introduce them to Christ. Both he and his wife are so sold out for Jesus and wise that it is almost unbelievable yet so challenging at the same time. Talking with them, one of the other interns asked him what made them enter into missionary work and boy was he all on top of that answer! His wife simply answered, "He was already there." She is the funniest person and always smiling so for her to answer so straight like that was quite funny. But He told us how he just knew.  He didn't really explain much after that but said through faith he was able to see that is really where God wanted him to be in his life. He then kind of gave us an acrostic to help us understand what he meant when he said faith and it went a little like this:

How Do You Know Your In The Right Work Through Becoming:

F- Faithful

A- Available 

I- Innovative

T- Teachable

H- Humble

He went on to share that nothing can be done if we don’t have faith, we can accomplish any one of these things apart from the other to further God’s kingdom and then said “Its easy just remember have faith!”

Bong

Kelsey, Leah, Raleigh, Bong, Mindy, Kali (The Team)

I love Bong! She is the missionary we will be promoting this summer with our tour. Basically we will be traveling the states with her and her friend Leah this summer and I am so excited! Every time I see her she is so excited and happy and just loves Jesus. She is such a joy to be around, which makes me even more anxious to start this tour and just be! This week we took some team pictures, and as you can see, there is so much fun to be had throughout this summer.

Again, I am so excited to continue to share with you what I am learning and encourage everyone to continue to follow and pray that God teaches me more and more each day and truly blesses me throughout this! 

Well This Is Different

First of all welcome to my blog and thank you for following me and I am excited to see all the plans and teachings that God has set before me!

Introduction

I am starting this summer journey of being an intern for Advancing Native Missions located in Charlottesville, VA. I am here with 2 other interns learning what it is like to work in this non-profit missions organization. This organizations’ main goal is to help the missionaries out in the field with their ministries, and supporting them personally. In the middle of July the other interns and I will be taking off with Mindy, who works here, and a missionary named Bong and exploring/promoting the importance of  supporting the missionaries I am so excited to see what God is going to do through my life spiritually, physically, and emotionally in this experience. As I have started here I have just been welcomed by a million people (or at least it has felt like that) who are all excited to see me, which is different because I don’t know them. Everyone here is so happy and so welcoming and has already told me they are so excited for all of us to be here, as are we! All the people around clearly love God with all their heart as well as their jobs, which in this day and age is hard to come by, but I bet if I asked everyone in this office if they loved their job the would respond with 100% YES!

An Unusual Welcoming Party

My first day here was Tuesday June 5 and it was not what I expected, in a good way. We first arrived here at 9a, like a usual job, and set up everything, because Mindy has made us our own little desks in her office so this feels like a real job. Next we were taken into an open space, next door, to “pray for the nations”. As separate people everyone takes an email sent from overseas with information on it about what is going on in the world. We then pray over the news we are reading and then gather in a group and pray for the nations all together. This was really different for me to experience because most offices would not pray together corporately for those countries all over the world. The day went on with lunch and work, nothing interesting, just office work.

Something is Different About These People

Thursday June 7 was something else, in a good way again. As normal we arrived to the office at 9a and then at 10a there was a staff Bible study. Being as this organization is one, which supports the missionaries, in particular and there was a visiting missionary from Egypt. This personally, I thought was super cool and when I heard he was from Egypt I think I had a minor heart attack because I love meeting people from different parts of the world.

The missionary has visited ANM before but today was the first time he was able to bring his wife and only son, who got to speak to us. It was so cool to hear him speak because he talked about the persecution that goes on over in Egypt towards Christians. He told us how he is unable to say he is Christian or he might be persecuted and he has to go to a public school which taught Muslim teachings in religion. He went on to say how he was kicked out of school for telling the teachers he did not believe what they were teaching on Hinduism and he was offended that they spoke against his God. What makes this story even more amazing is that this is kid is 15! How cool is it that he is able to stand up to his teachers and get expelled for saying anything and he is 15?! I don’t know about you but I can’t get over that fact. He is now moving to the states because it is unsafe for him to continue to live there and is hoping to get a great education but his parents must go back, which stinks but is so awesome to see their dedication to further His Kingdom.

Next we got to hear from his mom, who couldn’t speak much English but he was able to translate. She told us how when she accepted Christ her parents rejected her but that was good compared to what they normally do in that religion. She said she knew friends who told their family and were poisoned by the husbands as well as run over by a car by their husbands. This got me thinking about how awesome it is to know we can tell anyone we want that we love God and they will accept us! I guess you don’t think about theses things until you actually hear the stories from people who have lived it.

What happened next was crazy, somebody mentioned we should pray for the family and almost everybody got up out of their chair to lay hands on this family and I’m pretty sure we prayed for 20 minutes! It was amazing to sit back and see how these people not only talked the talk but they also lived what they spoke. Not only could I see on their faces they loved God but the fact they stood up to comfort and really pray for these people really put actions into their attitudes.

Seeing these people act and smile the way they do is just so amazing. I have already been blessed so much and I can’t wait to share more awesome stories about what goes on in the office! Yes, the office, this all happens in the offices. Something else isn’t it?! In a good way!