Did I hear someone mention vacation? That would have to be one who has never participated in such an event we call a mission trip.
We will be traveling to the lovely Guasave, MX where the heat index, in the sun, is a pleasant 115 degrees. We'll spend our mornings serving in a neighborhood school and going door to door sharing the gospel.
After a late lunch and a short time to refresh, reflect and refuel we'll head back for our Sports Clinic and VBS in the late afternoon. Hopefully we'll catch supper around 8p and call it a day.
Prayer Concerns:
Property is needed for new church plant in Guasave.
Hearts will be open to receive the gospel.
Courage and wisdom in sharing with the people. (We have a pretty young team going.)
A harvest of souls, Lord willing.
Safety and health.
Gusave, MX - Mars Hill Baptist Mission Team:
Jase Duke
Caroline Carter
Anna Shelton
Heather Bonner
Megan White
Arleigh Brackin
Brady Hutton
Cindy Brackin
Daniel Brackin
Kelesy King
Lynn King
Nathan Hartsfield
Pam Davis
Ben Gooch
Ashton White
Mike Rochelle
Josh Duke
Katie Carter
Jason Scott
Lewis Thomas
Words cannot express just how important it is to have you praying for us. Please keep our prayer bowls full as we go and spread the gospel in Guasave, MX this week.
Also, remember Ely and family in Guatemala. Ely and Edson have been quite sick and schools have closed there for two weeks because of the swine flu concerns.
All for His glory,
Lewis
Tuesday, June 23,2009
We rested well last night. The team is focused and ready for the day. We are on the road to an elementary school where we will work with 4th graders for an hour. Afterwards we are going door to door sharing the gospel in some neighborhoods near the area the church has been planted.
A group of young MX Christian adults are with us. They are such a wonderful blessing. God is working in the hearts of these young people.
Pastors David, and Marcos and his daughters are interpreting for us. The school session went well. For 1 hour the team taught basketball, soccer, volley ball and American football. No strength training but -- my wheels are turning.
At the end around 80 4th graders sat and listened as we shared about the love of God and the gospel of Christ. We trust God with the seeds that were sown. May they grow in Him.
Door to Door Evangelism:
Never a dull moment," boy it's hot, let's find some shade, my feet are swelling, I'm thirsty,-------She said YES! This lady wants Jesus in her life! Praise God!" A nugget from Heaven fell and we rejoice.
"Come on! Let's go! We can do a few more houses. It's not that hot, no longer thirsty........"
LUNCH!! Mrs. Vicki's cooking!
It's 1p, thought you'd never ask. Last night we had homemade tamales that were delicious, Lunch today--fried ck, beans and veggies. We're eating high on the hog or ck I suppose. Whatever--it's all good.
We'll have about and hour to relax and refuel. It's 100 in the shade, no complaints, just a fact.
3p and we are on the road back to Guasave. The team is well and doing a great job
We will have another hour session at 4p at the school.
We worked and shared with more than 125 children at the school this afternoon. While there two principals of other schools dropped by. They liked what they saw and invited us to come to their schools.
With a schedule already full we looked for time slots. After some rearranging we set up times to go to their schools.
Looks like we're going to need some more equipment. This will mean that we will have the opportunity to share with another 300 plus kids.
At the beginning we thought getting into one school was a miracle! Now we're in three! It must be God! Keep praying saints of God for He is working! At 5:30 we set up at the park for the Sports Clinic and VBS and had a great crowd. We shared the gospel with around 50 children and many adults.
It's 8p now and we are going for supper. This day is nearly gone but what a day it has been.
Thanks for your prayers and support! God bless you.
Your kind words are always encouraging and your prayers sustain us.
All for His glory,
Lewis
Tuesday, June 23 PM-Prayer Makes the difference
How many times have you told someone that you would pray for them, and you just never got around to it.
Have we become so self-sufficiently self-centered, that our prayer life is only reflected by if and when a crisis comes our way?
What a tragic indictment against the church, but I fear this has become the norm.
Praise God! That my home church, Mars Hill Baptist isn't normal.
It's not normal to hold a prayer meeting on a Tuesday night and it's certainly not normal for 75 people to show up and pray at such an event. No catastrophe has occurred and no one is at death's door.
There's only the mission team serving, with yours truly, down in MX.
Oops! That could be the reason. No comments please.
All kidding aside, prayer works!
THANKS! Dear church family for not being normal. God answered your prayers.
What a day! To God be All Glory!
Lewis
Wednesday, June 24, 2009-Day 2
It takes us around 45 minutes to get from Los Mochis to Guasave. The road is good and straight, something rarely found in Guatemala.
Our first session is at a new school from 9:30 to 11a. We are expecting 200 children, 4th - 6th grades. Please pray that God will use us this morning and their hearts will be touched by His Spirit.
Thanks so much.
7p-Wednesday
We had another great day with more than 350 kids attending. Relationships have formed and the gospel was presented many, many times.
Many prayed to receive Christ and again we trust God with the outcome.
One very special thing happened as we were leaving today. Isis (E-sis), a 16 year old daughter of Lulua, who lives across from the park is a recent convert. She was sharing with two teenage girls that showed up at the park.
Josh Duke brought two Spanish New Testaments from the truck. Isis read Jn 3:16 and the Roman road to the girls and moments later, Isis, only 4 weeks old in the Lord, led the two to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news..."
Mexican Taco Night! They were good--a little heavy--whose got the Pepto?!
Thermometer read 112 today with overcast skies.
It was a GREAT day to serve the Lord!
God bless you.
Thursday, June 25,2009-Day 3
With Hump Day behind us there are mixed emotions on the faces of the team.
There's a process of doing sports clinics and the team must repeat the process over and over again and again and again. You catch my drift.
Groups of children rotate every 20 minutes. From school to school, hour by hour each group is shown the same level of love and enthusiasm, by team members, as the previous.
Accomplished not by mere human strength but by supernatural found only in our Lord.
Today we will need to cast our nets into the deep once again. May the Lord grant us strength once again to be faithful.
Let the battles began! We are here and ready for the fight.
Thanks for praying,
Lewis
Thursday PM
We had another 100 or so children this morning and all went very well. At lunch we drove another hour to Sinaloa de Leyva a community where another church has been planted. Basically, we went door to door praying with and encouraging the people there. It is a very poor area.
We made it back to the school by 4p for the afternoon. Around 200 kids and many parents were present. Running on adrenaline, emotions ran high as this was our last time with this group of children.
The entire school gathered together as the principal thanked the team for coming. He specifically commented on the love they showed to the children. To God be the glory for great things He has done.
One more session tomorrow morning and for all practical purposes this trip is in the books. All in all over 1000 children have come and heard the gospel. Just as important they saw it lived out in the lives of those who came to serve.
We will pack up tomorrow afternoon and enjoy a boat ride out in the ocean in the evening. I pray the will help the team unwind before heading home.
Broken hearts and changed lives, all made possible by God's grace.
Thanks again for praying. All glory to our Lord.
Lewis
Friday, June 26, 2009-Day 4
We had a hard time finding the school out in the country this morning. Arriving 30 minutes late, there were 120 children waiting.
Country kids are always the best behaved and these were no exception. It was an easy group to work with.
We are back in the city now at our last session-final school, a 100 kids deserving our full attention.
The team exhibits all the energy they can muster up and I stand, I mean, sit amazed!
Watching from the side lines I realize that though my heart is young, the rest of me is no longer 20.... 30.... 40....... Ok we can stop now.
At 54, the action looks pretty good from the sidelines. I praise God not only for the young at heart but for the young and their endless energy.
Looks like we're done here, for now anyway. May this ground find more water and become fertile soil.
We catch a 9a flight tomorrow and should be home around midnight if all goes well.
Big THANKS for keeping our prayer bowls full. You have blessed us more than words can express.
All glory and honor to our Lord,
Lewis
No comments:
Post a Comment