JROMISSIONS

Haiti 8 Feb 26 2011

2011-03-07T20:16:00.002-05:00

Traffic in Haiti - A Wild Ride in the Bus.

Hi everyone - Sorry I didn't get this to you this morning, I was out early and didn't check emails! Jeff called and is enjoying a very comfortable bed after a long hot shower in Miami! The team left the compound this morning at 3:30 a.m., made it to the airport with 2 hours to spare and had no problems getting through the 4 checkpoints in the airport. He is very tired and grateful for the experience. He said to say thank you so much for your prayers this week!

Love always,
Dawn

Sent: Sat, Feb 26, 2011 12:00 am
Subject: Haiti Team Update #8 022511

The week in Haiti culminated on an incredibly high note for the Cambry-based team today in Savanes.

It started months ago, when everyone on the team committed to going, began to pray and plan in the US. And it began in Haiti with Pastor MonChera in Savanes praying fervently for this week, as well as Louis, Dony, and everyone at ESMI. It continued this week as hundreds of people who requested daily updates on the team’s activity prayed.

And today, besides the excellent medical care provided to the residents of the wrong side of a poor town in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, the tangible, pulsating, power of God was on display.

Amidst the non-stop work on people’s bodies, Haitian souls were touched as well. The team was asked questions like “How do I have Jesus in my heart?” and heard things like “I want to follow your Jesus”. At every station along the way providing medical care, the team prayed for people before moving them along. Towards the end of the day, a team member went looking for Pastor MonChera to introduce him to yet another person who had just prayed to receive Christ with him. Meeting Louis along the way and explaining why he needed Pastor MonChera, Louis said “ANOTHER one?”. It was truly a day of healing, answered prayer, and heart revival in this poor, dirty, heartsore corner of the world. The team’s prayer for Savanes is that this week of ministry might indeed turn the tide from darkness to light for this community. What a day for rejoicing!

The team is exhausted and exhilarated, clearly delighted at being used to touch so many lives in so many ways, and doing it with such a true team effort, where everyone had multiple roles to play and supported each other throughout. Praise God, all remained healthy this week, as well.

Tomorrow is a day of travel and “re-entry”. Life back in the US will seem surreal, no doubt, after the experiences of the week. Please pray for safe travel on Saturday; the Cambry based team will leave at 4:00 a.m. for the drive to Port au Prince (which should be a four hour drive), the team in Jeremie will rendezvous with them at the PAP airport. The plane for Miami leaves at 1:00 EST. Also, please pray for the opportunity to decompress over the next week at home after such an intense time. Lastly, please pray for Pastor MonChera in Savanes, Pastor Nerva in Cherette, and the 150 pastors who attended the workshop earlier in the week, for Dony and Louis St. Germaine and all of the ESMI staff. They are the modern day heroes of the faith in Haiti, the ones who are in it for the long haul against such great obstacles.

This will be the last team update unless a specific need for prayer pops up tomorrow. You’ll be hearing from team members in person very soon!

Haiti 7 Feb 26 2011

2011-03-07T20:15:00.002-05:00

Hi guys - Jeff called again last night and sounded pretty tired but very happy. He spent the day taking care of little ones, praying for each one as they cared for them. Jeff held them in a big soft teddy bear hug while they had to get shots, and have sores, cuts, etc. cleaned. He washed about 100 kids with a scabies bath and just melted as he interacted with the children. He would say french words in his terrible American accent and the kids would laugh at him. One little girl had to have injections in both legs. Instead of surprising her he told the nurse, we need to tell her whats coming. So they did and Jeff told them to tell her that he would give her a big hug and she just clung to him until it was over. He got to hold her for a while longer and sing some of the songs he sang to our girls when they were little, like James Taylor's Sweet Baby James. She quieted down and just snuggled in with her eyes shut. He also sang Frank Sinatra songs to the boys and it sounds like the team enjoyed Jeff's medleys too! He's a little apprehensive about today, they are headed into the slum area again where things can get unruly pretty quickly. Again, please pray for safety as they pray for and take care of as mny needy people as they can.

Dawn

Sent: Fri, Feb 25, 2011 12:04 am
Subject: Haiti Team Update #7 022411

Just a few comments overheard back at the guest house in Cambry this evening…

“It just keeps getting better and better”

“That car ride is a total blast”

“Thanks for the prayers!”

Today was a wonderful day in Cherette with the children. Just a few good things to come out of the day:

· All of the children were checked out by medical staff, washed in scabies wash solution and given new clothes.

· The children worked laboriously on notes to send back to their US sponsors.

· New pictures were taken of all of them for their sponsors.

· ESMI staff has confirmed that several orphans who had been placed at Cherette following the earthquake have been found by their extended families and reunited. This is a good outcome for them!

· A donor has come forward after hearing of the need to do some major construction for a retaining wall there to protect the village from the encroaching river. It is taken care of! ONE DAY after making the need known…God is great! (Jeff said Pastor Nerva, the converted Voo doo priest has been building this village for 5 years and it is now being threatened by the river. The team prayed about this and got word back to others in their churches and the $70,000 was raised in about 7 hours. Jeff said it was an amazing moment when Pastor Nerva, who had been a slave to Satan's kingdom, fell to his knees on hearing of this donation and while weeping, just kept saying, "Our God is so good! Our God is so good!" I wish I could have been there.)

· The team is tired, but happy. GREAT team chemistry and working together so well! They are laughing a lot together, and having great times of prayer during the team meetings.

· All remain healthy.

About that car ride…the team left Cherette on the late side and had to do the entire trip in the SUV’s, not the bus, as the bus’s headlights weren’t functioning. But that made it even more fun. Watch for the pictures soon – rigged up by tying a camera onto a team member’s head to approximate a tripod. No one could hold a camera because they needed to hold on to their seats…necessity is the mother of invention.

A few pictures…

· For those who are wondering, a picture of a scabies outbreak. Most of children have pretty serious cases. It is a maddening itch!

· A community member mentioned in yesterday’s update with the serious ankle wound. This man has a gut-wrenching story…but more on that in the team reports!

· Pastor Nerva, one of the orphans, and Erin F. This man is a former voodoo priest who converted and literally changed Cherette from a dark place to a place of hope. Let me know if you want more of his story…I can send it to you.

And prayers for tomorrow (Friday)…back in Savanes for most of the team.

· Some will stay in Cambry at the orphanage seeing patients, doing dental training, and doing data input into electronic medical files that are being started on the children in Cherette.

· The others will arrive in Savanes at about 9:30 EST to set up and see patients all day. “Community leaders” will provide crowd control, and Louis will be there overseeing everything. It will be a crazy day. Please pray as you are able throughout the day for calm and peace to reign.

· Pray for the gospel to penetrate the hearts of those who are seeking medical care. Teams will share the good news and pray with each person coming for care.

· Pray that this last day of ministry is enhanced by tremendous team work and unity of purpose by the team – a great end to a fantastic week.

· Don’t forget our “satellite team” in Jeremie. No word on their day today, but prayers for them as they continue seeing patients tomorrow are appreciated.

Haiti 6 Feb 24 2011

2011-03-07T20:13:00.000-05:00

On Feb 24, 2011, at 8:53 AM, owenpgh@aol.com wrote:

Hi everyone - here's the latest update from Ann. Jeff called this morning - this is his first day as part of the medical mission team and he CAN'T WAIT to share the love of Christ by helping these people with their most basic needs!   Jeff led devotions for the team yesterday morning and it was about Jesus washing feet. One of the doctors from California came up to Jeff afterwards and toldl him that it was a great leasson because he and his team had spent the day caring for children and giving them scabies baths. He said it was one of the most amazing things he's ever done, because got to see the love of Jesus in every little face. This very successful California doctor said, "it doesn't get any better than this!" Jeff will be washing toddlers and infants in a scabies bath before they are seen by a doctor.

Also, Jeff said that the 3 days with the pastors was incredible. Part of this conference for the pastors was building leadership. Jeff was able to "go off the reservation" and weave in different attributes of leadership personalities he had learned from Rod Whited into the PrayerLife series and the pastors loved it. In fact, Bob Allums was so excited about it, they are discussing starting a new arm of the PrayerLife ministry to include leadership through prayer.

Finally, please pray for the team today. The bus that they are using has no headlights so they have to leave the site by 4:00 p.m. today or they won't make it back to the compound. Please pray the they will be able to extricate themselves from the site safely as they are concerned about what the people who they don't have an opportunity to help may do. They are all desperately seeking help and this team may not be able to treat them all.

Sent: Thu, Feb 24, 2011 12:04 am
Subject: Haiti Team Update #6 022311

So much fun to report today!

First, a ride worthy of any amusement park into some of the most beautiful, lush jungle ever seen by our team members. The ride to Cherette started in a bus, switched to 4WD vehicles, and ended with a 200 yard hike when the trucks could go no further. The trip took two hours, winding through villages and using river beds as roads. The “greenness” and clean air was a welcome change from the setting of the day before.

But the biggest fun was the children of Cherette. When the team arrived in the village (a small hamlet, really) they went into the church. The children were brought classroom by classroom in to meet them until all were there together, and with some trepidation and shyness started to interact with the team. Slowly, smiles started to break out, then hugs, then songs, then joyful faces – then tears as our team reveled in the joy the children displayed and their lively singing together. Our team even did a rendition of “Jesus Loves Me” – first in English, and then in what was described as “pathetic creole” by one team member. But no matter! It was enjoyed by all. Eric P did a children’s message on the theme of the Body of Christ, telling the children they were all one body together with their friends from America as well as other Christians in Haiti and around the world. Katie F then took a few minutes to explain to the children that they each had a “special friend” back in Chicago or Las Vegas in America who was praying for them and helping to provide what they needed (food, clothing, school, etc.) – and that their friends had sent a picture and a note to them! Very soon after, children were seen walking around clutching pictures and notes. See the picture attached of the kids at Cherette.

The medical teams got set up then and started checking the children for overall health and dealing with situations as needed. Scabies is still rampant, so all were given a scabies wash and clean clothes. Overall, the health of the children is improved from the last visit. Tomorrow, the team will train the housemoms and Pastor Nerva in the use of the scabies wash and leave a good supply with them for frequent use as needed. They will also teach the children dental hygiene and give each a toothbrush and toothpaste. Pictures attached of scabies washing and a happy girl with new clothes J

Some adults from Cherette were seen as well, including one man with an old, unhealed wound on his leg which actually showed exposed ankle bone. Life is hard in many ways in Haiti; this man looked to be about 70, but was actually 41.

A few of the team members also did some planning on improvements that can be done to the village that will remove the threat of flooding from the nearby river. If nothing is done, the church will likely be gone within a year, the school and perhaps the entire village in two. The good news: clean water is now available for the first time ever via a long stretch of pipe from a newly dug well, and bathrooms have been built since the last visit by our team.

The California crew departed earlier today from Cambry for Jeremie. It was hard for the team to split up! They will meet back up at the airport in Port au Prince on Saturday. In Jeremie, the team will focus on seeing children displaced by last year’s earthquake who are now living there, as well as explore options for future joint projects. We hope to be able to hear from them and continue to update you on their work there.

Tomorrow, the remaining team members will go back to Cherette for the day. Medical needs of children not seen today will be attended to.

Please pray for these things:
·         For a joyful day of service with the precious children of Cherette tomorrow
·         For continued health for the team. There have been a few queasy stomachs, but so far all are doing extremely well
·         For good rest when possible. Adrenalin can only take one so far; people are tired!
·         Looking ahead to Friday – another day back in Savanes. Pray even now for calm and peace to reign so the team can work effectively for the benefit of the community.

Praise for:
·         Wonderful team spirit and smooth teamwork. They are having a great time together!
·         The improved conditions in Cherette and the work that has been done which will increase overall health. The well is a huge step forward!
·         Safe travels thus far
·         Fun had by all today!
·         The phenomenal impact the teaching team had on 150 very tired and spiritually hungry pastors over three days of teaching them and praying with them

Haiti 5 Feb 23 2011

2011-03-07T20:12:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone - I didn't hear from Jeff yesterday, but here's the latest update from Ann. (Ann had sent an email out in the middle of the day yesterday for prayer because the team in Savanes were getting overwhelmed with people and if things didn't become more orderly quickly, they were going to have to pull out for their own safety. So that's what Ann is referencing in the first part of her email).

Dawn

Sent: Wed, Feb 23, 2011 12:17 am
Subject: Haiti Team Update #5 022211

First of all, thanks to those of you who were able to pray today for the situation in Savanes, the slums of Cayes. Our team finished a tremendous day of ministry that not only impacted individuals in dire need of care (over 120 adults and children were treated for a wide variety of needs) but it really seems to have shifted the balance in that community. By their presence there “nan nom Jesi” (creole for “in the name of Jesus”) they were witnesses to the truth and power of the gospel. Even the residents with the hardest hearts have had to ask themselves why else the team would come! The press of the crowds threatened to overwhelm, but it was out of desperation and not anger or malice towards our team. Your prayers were much appreciated!

One brief, powerful story from Savanes today: Jude is a gang leader whose wife has been a believer for two years, but he wanted no part of it. Today, he saw Jesus in the work of our team and came forward to proclaim “I want to be a Christian”. With much tears and prayer, he accepted Jesus as his Savior and proceeded to hug the men on the team multiple times saying they were now brothers. His position in the community is such that this change in his life will make powerful ripples through the gangs. Jude’s picture is attached here. Please pray for him!

The teaching team is bearing tremendous fruit as well. It is not only teaching the pastors, but ministering to them as well. They seem exhausted and much time is spent in prayer for their churches, their families, and themselves. The training team says that “the Spirit has really shown up” to guide and empower their time together. They finish up with a half day session tomorrow morning.

The Cambry team was able to do several medical procedures today. Each medical trip there allows for deeper care, tackling more difficult things as doctors are more plentiful, supplies are available, and the general level of baseline care improves with each visit. Growths and abscesses were removed today that were not possible to deal with on prior trips. Also, one of the docs was able to remove sixth fingers on a baby’s hands today. One new element introduced on this trip is dental training – donated toothbrushes and toothpaste will be given to every child in Cambry and Charette, along with instructions on how to use them. We hope this will help, as our last team’s dentist found much tooth decay among the children.

After long and intense days, the team was grateful that the power was on and showers were a possibility! An extra guest showed up at the team meeting to add a little more excitement – a tarantula the size of a hand crawled across the floor. Kudos to Chuck M for being quick enough to dispatch it before it did any harm or caused any heart attacksJ

Tomorrow, another three way split:

· The teaching team will finish up in Cambry in the morning, and then have a bit of a break back at the guest house.

· The California team (Jon, Rachel, Julie B, and Craig) will go to Jeremie with Dony St. Germain. A last minute change has them flying instead of driving, as the road conditions have deteriorated even further than previously thought. They will spend Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights in Jeremie, working there during the day as a medical team. Dony will escort them back to the Port au Prince airport on Saturday in time to meet the team for the flight home.

· The other 20 team members will climb into the bus, then SUV’s when the roads won’t accommodate the bus, for the trip to Charette orphanage for the first of two daytime visits (on Thursday the teaching team will join them). The team has been practicing “Jesus Loves Me” in creole to sing to the children, and Eric P will give a children’s message. After spending some fun time with the children there, the medical teams will begin their work, including the dental hygiene training.

Some items to pray for:

· For Jude, and for the spirit to move many in Savanes to turn to Jesus

· Continued safety for the team in travel (by bus, plane, and SUV tomorrow!)

· Electricity J

· Continued protection from sickness – all are well thus far. A few have had temporary symptoms of dehydration, but bounced back well.

· That they would continue to mesh well as a team. They really have become quite a smooth operation and are truly enjoying each other.

· That the supplies and clothes would stretch to fit the needs. So far everything is holding out well.

· For Friday, when the entire team will once again tackle the huge needs of Savanes. Their last day of ministry in Haiti!

Haiti 4 Feb 22 2011

2011-03-07T20:11:00.000-05:00

Sent: Tue, Feb 22, 2011 12:07 am
Subject: Haiti Team Update #4 022111

The news from our team in Haiti is ALL good!

A fantastic team spirit has formed among our 26 travelers. So much so that even after a long, hard day, they are so pumped that getting off to bed is not their first priority. They are enjoying the camaraderie too much, and definitely need some time to wind down together after busy days. They are feeling energized by the ministry they are accomplishing.

The three teams (teaching at Cambry, clinic at Cambry, clinic in Cayes) all had a great day. Dony is excited about the teaching by Bob, Jeff and Jon Hori; the two clinics worked very well with Cambry seeing a lot of community folks as well as kids at the orphanage and Cayes seeing more kids but some adults as well. See the picture attached of Watson, 6, with Heather, at Cayes. Watson had to have some infected sores removed from his scalp, but he was a real trouper about it. The kids in Cayes were tickled to get new clothes and new underwear after a quick bath and scabies wash.

The team is feeling the prayer support – even going into Savanes today (the name of the neighborhood in Cayes) where the oppression is great and the needs staggering, there was a feeling of safety and even a lightness of spirit as they worked. Things were smooth as silk without the feeling of chaos that everyone was prepared for.

Everyone remains healthy, as well, and grateful for electricity which is on again tonight. It makes all the difference being able to shower and sleep comfortably. They are so thankful for these blessings thus far!

The routine will be the same tomorrow (Tuesday) for all three teams. On Wednesday and Thursday, most will go to Charette by bus and then 4 WD vehicles when the bus can go no further for two day trips (coming back to the guest house for sleeping). Four from California will go with Dony to Jeremie by SUV for two days.

Please continue to pray for

· their heath,

· their ability to work as teams in difficult circumstances,

· and for their safety as they travel via bus to their various (nearby) locations tomorrow.

Also, please pray for the many, many children they saw; some are in dire condition, including the week old child in the second picture (with Erin). There was concern by our doctors that this child needed a sustained level of care that is just not available in the slums of Cayes. Unfortunately, this is not a isolated situation in Haiti. Pray for God’s mercy on this child, this neighborhood, and this country where so many need so much.

Haiti 3 Feb 20 2011

2011-03-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

Sent: Sun, Feb 20, 2011 11:57 pm
Subject: Haiti Team Update #3 022011

Sundays are joyful days for Christians in Haiti. Gathering together with God’s people to worship Him is the main focus of their day. Services are multi-hour events, filled with praise and much music and the preaching of God’s word. Nothing but their best attire will do, to show their respect for the Sabbath of God.

And then they come back and do it all again in the evening.

Our team worshipped first today at Bon Berger at 6:30. Breakfast followed that, and then the team went three different ways for a second worship service.

A slight change in the plans as they were made yesterday (which will become a common theme in their visit to Haiti) – because of translator issues, Bob Allums did not preach the second service at Bon Berger this morning. Instead, he preached at the “second site” work of Bon Berger in the Savanes community of Les Cayes – the new church plant in the slums of that city. A picture of that is attached. The new church building is not yet complete, but is already filled with 80 worshippers every week. Their pastor is Pastor MonChera, who said today he’d been praying every day for months for this week to finally come – when partners from America would come to preach the word and then spend two days meeting the medical needs of his community. And those needs are great.

Following the second morning services the team went back to the guest house for lunch, a little rest, and an afternoon of preparing for tomorrow – organizing, confirming the teams (three different ones), and organizing the on site pharmacy at Cambry, from which they will restock their mobile supply bags every night. There are also clothing donations to pack each time. Also, this time the team packed hundreds of fliers on proper handwashing and cholera prevention. They’ve been divvied up so that every place they go and every pastor attending the training in Cambry would get multiple copies. In this way, they hope to spread the information to people all over Haiti.

Then, the evening service at Bon Berger (at which Ted preached), a little dinner, more work on organizing the mountain of supplies they brought with them, and lights out to rest for a very busy day tomorrow. Breakfast at 7:00, team devotional at 7:30, and depart for their destinations at 8:00. Of course, it’s Haiti, and time is more fluid than most Americans experience.

Here are some specific things to pray for:

· There is often only electricity on a spotty basis at the guest house , which includes the ability to have running water as well as lights and air conditioning. Being able to shower and then sleep in a cool place is a huge blessing to our team; please pray that those things would be available all week, as they were this evening.

· The teaching team (Bob Allums and Jeff Owen) will be sharing materials on “The Person of Jesus” with pastors from the area Monday through Wednesday. They have been told that 140 pastors from all over Haiti will be there, some of whom will likely sleep out under the Haitian stars for a few nights in order to attend the training. Please pray that the teachers would connect with their students, even through an interpreter, and that the students would grow in their ability to lead their flock through this training as well as find personal great refreshment.

· A team will stay at Cambry Monday and Tuesday, which is the site of the oldest and most established orphanage/school. A “triage” system is set up, where children are checked out on vitals and then routed appropriately from there; all get vitamins and a scabies wash (scabies is a skin parasite that spreads rapidly, is extremely contagious and usually causes acute itching leading to skin infections if not treated); many get intestinal parasites treatment, and all are seen by doctors. Next stop is the pharmacy where medicines are bagged and tagged with their names and written instructions given to the housemoms for that child.

· The third team will go back to Savanes, the slum community in Cayes. Just a cursory drive through today on the way to church told the team that they will find the health conditions of the children (and adults) deplorable. Pastor MonChera prayed today at church that the team would be well rested for their work there Monday and Tuesday. He knows how badly off the children are in this community, where the unemployment rate is virtually 100%, many residents are earthquake refugees, and there isn’t even enough government infrastructure to provide a school for the children. Spiritually, Savanes is a place of desperate circumstances as well. Voodoo is active and those who practice it frighten and intimidate the community with their displays, including a table of food and wine set up in the middle of the street as a gift for the main demon of Savanes. Our team saw a parade through the street on their way to worship at the food offering this morning. It is indeed a community that needs the light of Jesus. The team will be set up in a “community center” with crowd control provided by local “leaders” (often the members of the most powerful street gang, willing to provide services because it benefits their people). ESMI staff will be there as well. Please pray that the team would work smoothly together, stay calm in the chaos, and be well protected from the crush of people who are desperate to see them – mostly moms who know they can help their children.

Note: There will be a late evening update every night this week, assuming a decent cell signal from Haiti.

Haiti 2 Feb 19 2011

2011-03-07T19:58:00.004-05:00

(Note from Jeff: Sorry I am not in the pic- someone had to take the picture).

There are many things to be thankful for today!

First, the team arrived safely with bags intact at the Port au Prince airport this afternoon. They were met by their escort, Dou Dou, and got on the road to Cambry at about 2:00 EST. They arrived there safely at about 7:00 CST. Getting out of Port au Prince is always slow, and today seemed especially so. Even there, though, was some encouragement – much looked different from six months ago, in a good way! Street vendors were back, a bit more rubble was cleared away; it was just the normal chaos of downtown Port au Prince!

They are now settling into the guest house at Cambry, having a late dinner, greeting the children who live there, and beginning the huge task of organizing the supplies they brought down into usable and portable portions.

They are excited to finally be there and are eager to get started!

This should be a good night of rest for them in the guest house, which will be their base every night (except for the California team, who are scheduled to spend two nights away at Jeremie later this week). And rest they will need…

Tomorrow starts at 6:30 with the first worship service at Bon Berger (Good Shepherd), where Bob Allums will preach. After a breakfast following that the team will split into three groups for a second set of worship services; one group will go with Ted, who will preach at the church plant in downtown Cayes, Bob and others will go back for a second service at Bon Berger, and Eric Phillips will preach in Cambry with a third group accompanying him. ESMI staff will escort all three groups and provide needed transportation, as is always the case when they are out and about.

Tomorrow afternoon will allow more time for organization and making final plans for Monday.

Please pray that they will indeed be able to sleep in a new environment. The guest house is almost lavish by Haitian standards –clean and neat, with running water from a well, electricity (spotty, but almost always on at night), good food and safe bottled water. Still, they are sleeping in dorm-type rooms and have had an exhausting day of airports, heavy bags, and non-stop sights and sounds.

Pray also for their ministry tomorrow, for as they share in worship with their Haitian brothers and sisters, their presence and their commitment to ministry among them speaks loudly!

The picture attached is of the team en route to Cambry, with Dou Dou. Dou Dou is the guardian angel of every visiting team, a man who seems to be able to manage anything, accomplish everything, and drive everywhere! The matching t shirts were invaluable in keeping track of everyone in the crowded Port au Prince airport.

Ann Powers

Ann Powers

Church Planting Administrative Assistant

Mission to North America

__________

"Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out, and your dog would go in." --Mark Twain

Haiti 1 Feb 18 2011

2011-03-07T19:49:00.001-05:00

The team has arrived in Miami – from Chicago, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, and Los Angeles – and everyone greatly enjoyed finally meeting! They enjoyed a meal of pizza together as they got acquainted, talked through the plans for tomorrow, and prayed for the trip.

Please pray for a smooth day of travel tomorrow – a mountain of duffel bags, customs, airports and a long bus ride to a destination very different than their normal environment await the team. Pray for safety and a good adjustment to demands of the situation.

Thanks to all of you who have made this trip possible through donations of supplies, support for the travelers, and who will sustain it through prayer this week. It really is a team effort!

2008-11-26T02:20:00.003-05:00

2008-11-26T02:20:00.001-05:00

test posting ta da

New Covenant it is!

2008-07-09T00:07:00.006-04:00

And the new name is. . . . . . . . . . New Covenant Presbyterian Church

Wednesday at 5:00 AM Time to Go Home

2008-07-09T00:03:00.002-04:00

Hello from Jeff:

IT is 5:00 AM-and we are leaving in 30 minutes to catch the bus to the Airport. Everyone is well and we will see you soon.

Carol Agate is coordinating with parents who want to come to the airport-feel free to meet us. We get in at 6:35 PM on American airlines Flight AA 4159 from Chicago.

See ya soon.

Jeff.

Monday Monday -Good to Me

2008-07-07T21:36:00.004-04:00

Hello from Jeff.

Today we painted yet another room with 13 foot ceilings. We split into two groups. One took a half day off to see the rest of the city. There is a hop on and hop off bus that loops the city constantly. The tickets are good for 24 hours so half the team went in the afternoon and the other half will use the same tickets tomorrow morning.

This evening was the launch of the festival- the first performer was------[warning-moms may need a hanky for the following]-----Jordan. She had an informal audition and they loved her. So, the artists asked her to start off the show. She did great, and sang for 15 minutes. Followed by three professinonal acts.

By the way, we have loads of added pictures, but they take all night to load and then at the last minute there is an error code--so I am setting up another album to run. There are still about 300 more pictures to add from my camera, and hundreds from the kids' cameras. We may have to just make them available on a dvd when we get home, but I will continue to try to add some.

Tonight we also had a great bible study focusing on our relationship with Christ. The kids all have homework assignments to journal their thoughts. Dawn Zeta and I will be meeting one on one with them tommorrow afternoon. Please be praying that they can grow in their faith and honestly think about their beliefs. I have to tell you that I have seen some of the kids grow a lot on this trip. It has been very gratifying.

Tonight was very special as the kids sat around and enjoyed each others company at the arts festival.

By the way-the church service has been posted to the web. I am not getting it on my mac here, but maybe you can listen. The link appears to be: www.rte.ie/radio1/religion/1202777.html

Let me know if anyone figures this out.

Goodnight folks, and thanks for letting me take your kids to Ireland,

Jeff

Sunday - Spectacular!

2008-07-06T15:08:00.001-04:00

What another amazing day in Dublin! Hi everyone, this is Dawn. It's my turn to post, and I can't wait to tell you about our spectacular day.

We walked over to Abbey Church this morning at 9:45 a.m. for a practice run through of the worship service. This morning's service was broadcast live over RTE international radio and Alan Boal, the pastor, was very excited we were here. Their congregation is too small to sing loudly enough for the microphones to pick up the words very well and they weren't familiar with the praise song, "Arise, Arise My Soul Arise." The gentleman from the RTE radio station, who continued to refer to us as "The Yanks", kept telling us that we needed to sing louder. As 10:45 a.m. and the start of the service drew near, we all quieted down and waited in silence for the "we are on the air" signal. I quietly prayed that we would be able to minister to perhaps a shut-in or someone who was elderly or ill through our worship broadcast. Alan had a beautiful service, clearly spelling out what a mess this world has become and although we deserve God's condemnation, Jesus has given us His wonderful grace that we don't deserve. After the final prayer, we all waited in silence again until the "we're off the air" signal. It was amazing to think that God's plan might be to use Alan, this church, this congregation, and our mission team as his vehicle to reach and bring to Him even one of the millions of people who could listen to this broadcast. The RTE guy said that he thought this worship service was the best put together service he has ever seen - and we also sang great! It was spectacular!

Alan also stated that this broadcast will be available for the next 10 days on the web. I'm not sure exactly how to get to that broadcast, but the Abbey church website is http://web.mac.com/abbeychurch might have the link if you are interested in hearing our beautiful voices :).

After church we walked back to Harvey's Guest House and got ready to head into town (I think we've walked at least 100 miles so far!). Jeff found a traditional Irish Pub called The Box House where we all enjoyed huge portions of authentic Irish food. It was spectacular!

The Box House Pub was close to the Temple Bar area where on Sundays a bustling crowd of people enjoy pubs, shops and random musicians who set up on any street corner and perform for passersby. We had taken our guitar along, and Jordan Agate had the privilege of playing and singing outside of one of the pubs. It was so cool to see people just stop and listen to her sing (Carol - she really should go into this as a profession - she was Great!!!). People threw euros into her open guitar case and we were able to hand out post card size announcements about more musical performances that were planned at the Abbey Arts Festival that starts tomorrow at the church. There already are or shortly will be lots of pictures of Jordan on this blog. To be able to watch Jordan perform and tell folks about the christian arts festival. . . it was simply spectacular!

After we packed up the guitar, Jeff told us we had to go to some library! We all thought . . . REALLY? But once we got there he told us that it wasn't just any library, it was the Chester Beatty museum library and that it displayed 22,000 rare and precious manuscripts, books and paintings. Sir Alfred Chester Beatty's collection is considered among the most impressive collections of its kinds in the world. He took us to the second floor and in a dimly lit room, we were actually able to stand there and look at a small piece of papyrus that had a portion of John's gospel written on it that dated back to 150 A.D! I just stood there amazed - it was truly spectacular!

Tonight at 7:00 p.m. we are all gathering with Alan, his wife, Ruth, and the summer interns to hold a prayer meeting for the Arts Festival which starts tomorrow. We have a lot of work ahead of us as we transform this huge room we've just cleaned up and painted into an art exhibit and cafe area (which we can't do until the African and Romanian churches are done using the church for their services today). Tomorrow we will be passing out more of the post card invitations to come to the festival and hopefully will get to do some more street ministry.

Well, it's half six as the Dubliners say, meaning it's 6:30 p.m. I'd better get ready for the prayer meeting. For all the moms at home, everyone is doing just fine.

Thanks for taking the time to read this,

Dawn

Friday and Saturday

2008-07-05T11:33:00.002-04:00

On Friday we left the house at 5:30 AM to go to Galway by train. We had a great day. Please look through the pictures for a good review of the day.
We had planned on taking the 8:00 train back to Dublin, but at around 4:30 we found out that the 8:00 train "don't run any more"-uh oh. We had to get the bus driver to motor back and let us off with about 4 minutes to spare to catch the 6:05 bus back home. Because of that, we had very little time actually in Galway, but all day out in the countryside. The most spectacular setting being the cliffs of muran.

We got to Dublin at 10:30. Bob "volunteered" to accompany the ladies back to the B&B and I took the rest of the kids into the Temple Bar area for some food. Aywhere else is long closed down at that hour. The only place open and serving was the Bad A** [donkey] Cafe. They let us in one minute before closing and insisted that the kitchen was open for us.
We had a great meal. Please see the last two pictures to see Steves Bad A** Burger and my Posh Burger with Goat Cheese (probably only need to experience that once per trip).
Today we are finishing up and getting ready for the broadcast tommorrow.
See ya later.
Jeff

P.S.

Mom Witter-I keep trying to get pictures of your daughter, but she is illusive. I snuck some tonight at dinner- and will add them to the album.

Jeff

Just another Manic Thursday

2008-07-03T20:28:00.003-04:00

Wow. We got a lot done today. The boys and I built most of the Artist display panels. We have to assemble 5 more, but must wait until Saturday to finalize how tall they have to be. We completed ten panels so far in the Garage of the B&B. We then carried them across town in the bright Irish Sunshine (i.e. it was only drizzling a little). People were certainly giving us a look at Josh and I followed Steve and Bob down the sidewalk carrying 7 foot by 4 foot display panels. Especially funny at the crosswalks.

The ladies painted the entire room in one day. We are now on a painting spree, and plan to paint a few other meeting rooms while we have the supplies and paint available. We will do that probably on Saturday because the rooms are in use tomorrow.

We also assembled several cafe tables, and generally got ready for the festival.

The folks here are very appreciative of our efforts (I think they are still a bit amazed at what we have completed so far.)

Tomorrow we are taking an Irish rail trip across Ireland to Galway for our day off. It is supposed to be the best weather day that we have left, and the kids can use the R&R (not to mention the adults). We are meeting in the lobby at "O-Dark Hundred and a Half"- 5:30 AM and walking to an electric train to take us to the train station.

I have uploaded a bunch of pictures to the picasa album.

The kids talked through what they learned from the tongue lesson of yesterday. It was a good lesson. They got some insight into how much the tongue controls and also reveals the heart. We read through James and Proverbs on point to the power of our words.

At about 8:00 most of the kids went with Katy, Becky and Zeta into town. In the Temple Bar Area, someone walked up to Steve T and said-are you from Murrysville? Turned out it was a friend of Jesse Armstrong's and a member of Murrysville Community Church. A small world indeed.

Have to get up n a few hours. So goodnight and God Bless.

Thanks for the email mom-

Jeff

Wednesday July 2-"This is how we roll."

2008-07-02T19:39:00.007-04:00

Hello everyone. It is 1:00 in the morning, but all is quiet and we had another great day today. I did not get a chance to take any pictures today, but some of the kids did and I will try to post them tomorrow.

Today was a day of getting down to business. We received a delivery of our lumber purchased the day before. Delivery first thing in the morning apparently means 3:30 in the afternoon, so we were somewhat frustrated in the AM. But we decided to get to some other tasks that we could see needed to be completed. There is an all purpose room at the church that was literally over half full with stuff, not junk, just stuff. So, we got permission to help get to cleaning and painting that very large room which is slated to be ready to hold the main art gallery and a coffee cafe. The interns were overjoyed at the prospect because they had really hoped to get the room ready in time. Alan thought that we would have our hands full in getting the art easels constructed, so he had told the interns not to expect much else from us.

Well, he did not know the power of the dynamic duo-Dawn and Zeta-and their superhero powers of organization and cleaning. We started on the room, cleaned and threw away a century of accumulated things--including dust bunnies that I am sure were witness to the lives of the Puritan Fathers. My favorite comment was “if you haven’t used it yet in the last century-pitch it!” At this point over 200 chairs have been moved aside, curtains and piles of junk have been pitched, the floors have been "cleaned" and the walls are ready to be painted. The Boys carried three "gimormous" four liter buckets of paint about 3/4 of a mile back from a paint store. The long and short of it is that we will be painting the room tomorrow. When I say "we will be painting" - I refer to two of our three teams of workers. The other will be constructing the Art Displays.

Let me introduce the three teams.

First we have “Team KT”, led by the young, athletic and Newly Wed- Katy Tigchelaar ("KT Tig"). The team reflects her enthusiasm. Its members are KT Tig as leader, Kristin Owen, Michelle Lynch, and Amy VerHill. Michelle is fairing well - considering that she is on a team of three cousins. (She and Kristin act like sisters anyway-so it’s a close team.) They spent the day cleaning (but did get a break to go and find a Starbucks), neatly coiling up a birds nest of audio cables, and moving furniture at the direction of Dawn and Zeta—again either one of whom are interchangeable known as “She who must be obeyed.”

Second, we have the "Dream Machine Team" named as an inside joke about the job that Jordan Agate had all last month running the Dream Machine in the Art Festival in Pgh. We call them the "Dream Team" for short. It consists of Becky Owen as leader, Jordan, Katelyn Witter, Sarah Finn, and Jess Armstrong. Their team cheer is to put their hands into the middle and slowly pinwheel around in memory of the now defunct dream machine art installation. They spent the day cleaning in the all purpose room described above, and also in cleaning out a conference room in “Number 5” a five story building owned by the Church. Sarah got the "opportunity" to swab down five or six flights of steps-which she did cheerfully. The doorman of the building greeted me when I went to check up on them in Eastern European Broken English—“The Kids arrr down in de room where meeting-they work very hard—I think they are guud ones.” I agree-they are a good team. It is fun seeing them work with Becky and having a good time. They also cleaned up after dinner.

Third we have the “Smurfs” consisting of the three boys and their leader Zeta, affectionately called the “Smurfette” or “Mama Smurf”. I am not brave or foolhardy enough to call her that, but the boys are sure enjoying it. They also cleaned a lot, and participated in the cleaning of number 5. The boys are called in for the heavy lifting—often by Becky announcing loudly to the snickering of her team—“Excuse me-I need a boy please.”

The boys also accompanied Dawn and Zeta as they wandered through the desert in search of paint and supplies and then carried the paint back. Their feat was particularly impressive in that they would not allow us to “waste” 40 euros to buy a dolly when they could carry the buckets back themselves (a testament to why young backs are invaluable on a trip like this). They are getting to know each other well, and having a good time together. Ah, one small point of interest - plugging a 115 volt power strip surge protector into a 240 outlet with only a plug adapter (and not a voltage converter)-might just repeatedly blow the powerbreaker of the refrigerators in a small Bed and breakfast in Dublin. I am not saying how I know this, but the boys have now received a pretty good "introduction to voltage and electrical current 101" lesson from our gracious host at the B&B, Robert.

We also cut lumber for a while and staged the jobs to be ready to hit it hard tomorrow with actual painting and building.

The day was marked for me by the joy in the face of an Elder at the Church (Robert-“the man with the List”) as he watched all of our kids and leaders getting down to business in earnest. He stopped and said, “This is great-look at what they are doing.” He confessed that he had expected a lot less from high school kids. One of the kids overheard him and said “This is how we roll!” which received the reply from another kid: “lets git ‘er done!”

We came back to Harvey’s House (the B&B) at around 9:15 and had our club time. We sang songs in the parlor with Jordan playing on the Mission Trip Guitar - that has now gone all over world ( a "Guild" guitar that my kids found in the trash and that Gary Agate has cleaned up for us a few times). We also went through a Person of Jesus Study, and the kids stayed awake through it! We also implemented a "living lesson" from the Sonship program-(which, by the way, was also originally written by Paul Miller-the Author behind the SeeJesus, Person of Jesus Study), called "the tongue lesson." Applying the tongue lesson is simple but profoundly hard. All you do is agree not to say anything negative about anyone for 24 hours. If you break that rule, you simply note it to yourself. Tonight, we are to be prepared to talk about what we learned. Even immediately after our club time, the effect was apparent. We sat around and cautiously talked.

At one point it was noted that it seemed as if we had switched to "brady bunch" dialogue. It was true, we were all hesitant and overly nice as we carefully thought about what we said. Two of the girls joined the group and said that they had not been able to carry on a normal conversation in their room, and realized how much they had been talking about everyone. One of the kids made a "your mom" comment (not really meant to discuss anyone's actual mom-but in a humorous way-I guess you have to be in the youth group to understand-but "yur mom" jokes are an art form that has been honed to perfection in the youth group. It took Dawn a while to adjust to them a few years ago, because she kept thinking that someone was making an actual comment about her ! ) As this particular "yur mom" was spoken, the guy who said it put his hand over his mouth and laughed. He said-I think it took me about 2 minutes to break the tongue rule! Tomorrow will no doubt be an interesting club time as we discuss the implications of what we have learned and read through passages on the tongue (see the 3rd Chapter of James).

We appreciate your prayers - and please feel free to post to the blog-the kids have been excited to see them.

Thanks for letting me take your kids to Ireland!

Jeff

2008-07-01T18:49:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone. This is Jeff. We had a great day. Here is an update from today written by Michelle Lynch.

The AMazing Race (Through the AIrport!):

The real adventure began with our race from one end of the Chicago airport to the other! We got off the first flight and immediately heard over the loudspeaker, “Flight 92 to Dublin is in final boarding!” We were two entire concourses away. Someone asked Jeff, “Should we run?” Jeff said, “Well . . .” and Dawn yelled “GOOOOOOO!” Katy Luimes, Steve Turner and Amy VerHill (after taking out a guy with her backpack as she tried to squeeze between two men running at full speed) reached the gate first; Steve could only bend over trying to catch his breath, Amy said, “I don’t know what to say except STOP THE PLANE,” and Katy yelled, “we have FIFTEEN people!” Fortunately everyone got on the flight and we managed to catch our breath. The flight from Chicago to Dublin was very long but went smoothly. We even had a barf bag origami contest in the wee hours of the morning!

Once we landed, gathered our luggage and grouped up, we all boarded a double-decker bus that took us from the airport to our hotel by 11:30 a.m. Dublin time. The owners of Harvey’s Guest were very nice and welcoming, it felt like we were relatives coming for a visit. They said we needed to sleep for 2 hours and not one of us argued with their suggestion! Everyone that we met, the interns, Alan Boal, the pastor and his wife, Ruth and the others are all so friendly. While Jeff went to the “Carpenter Merchant” to buy the supplies to make the art displays and Dawn planned out the cooking for the week, we went to Trinity College and got to see the Book of Kells.

Tomorrow we are starting to build the art displays and clean the church to get ready for the arts festival. Right now it is 10:00 p.m. here (5:00 p.m. your time) and it looks like 6:00 p.m. They say the sun shines 17 hours a day here! We are pretty tired and will be going to bed soon. Don’t miss us too much – we are all doing fine!

Please remember to pray for one of our team members, Katy Luimes. Her mom called today and told her that her grandfather living in Canada passed away after struggling with a very prolonged illness. Please pray for Katy who will not be able to attend her grandfather’s funeral and for the rest of her family.

Singing off,

Michelle Lynch

WE ARE HERE SAFE

2008-07-01T06:45:00.002-04:00

Just got settled in here in Dublin. The kids are sleeping for a few hours. No problems whatsoever except having to run to catch the flight in Chicago. Airline listed the flight as delayed and then it was on time. But no big deal. We all made it without incident.

The kids seem really excited.

Will post more later. Jeff

Beautiful Feet, huh?

2008-06-30T01:26:00.000-04:00

Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"

We are ready to go. Thank you so much for all of the prayers, fundraising support, and encouragement.

Today we studied the above passage and noted a few things. First, we remembered that in biblical times, people definitely did not think that feet were beautiful! The lowest servant was charged with washing the feet of travelers that arrived from the dusty road. Yet, in this passage, feet are seen to be beautiful. They are beautiful because they are about the Lord's business.
The kids talked about what it means to bring good news, proclaim peace, bring good tidings, proclaim salvation and to declare to Zion that our God reigns.

As the week progresses, we are going to have a team member or two post their reflections in the lessons and events of the day. Today, my niece Katy volunteered. Now, if you are following closely the events of our preparation, you would know that Katy was not supposed to be coming on the trip. However, she is a last minute stand in for her mom (Dawn's twin sister Deb).

Last week, Debs other daughter Heather was injured playing soccer, and has a torn ACL and fractured meniscus--so mom is staying behind to help her through the surgery. As much as we will miss Debbie, Katy is a fine stand in. She is a graduate of Calvin College, a teacher and coach, very athletic, and also very recently married. So, we really have to thank her new husband Steve for letting her come along. Quite a nice thing to do considering that they have not yet even been married a month!

Here are Katy's reflections on our study, and please keep Heather in your prayers as she has her surgery:

Well, we are soon to be off to Ireland, and as the newest addition to the mission team, I will speak for all of us as I say, we are very excited!! I found out five days ago that I am going on this trip, taking the place of my mom, Deb Luimes, who is taking care of my sister Heather because of a recently torn ACL (blown knee), not to mention I am leaving my husband Steve, of 3 weeks. Although the circumstances are rough, I am very excited to be a part of this team as I get to share in the joy of God with my new brothers and sisters in Christ as we share the gospel with others.
This morning Jeff talked with us about feet and how beautiful they are...I don't know about his feet, but mine are gorgeous!! Anyways Isaiah 52:7 says that feet are beautiful as they allow us to go and bring good news and tidings, proclaim peace and salvation, and be able to tell people that the Lord is God! Think about that. God gave us beautiful feet so we can have opportunities, like this Ireland trip, to go and be witnesses. We have feet for a reason or else God could have made us with giant concrete bricks as legs that can't go anywhere. As a group we can hardly wait to go and use our feet (bet you never heard that before!). We will use our feet to walk right up to someone and use our gifts and talents that God has given us to help show them the power of the Lord. What I ask of you as we are gone, is to think about using your feet. I'll let you think of unique ways to do so, but remember every good thing that you do to help someone else requires you to use those little feeties of yours, so keep them moving :) See you in 10 days!

2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

**

2008-06-30T01:24:00.002-04:00

John 13:2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

In our second lesson we looked at the example of Christ as he taught His disciples what it means to love sacrificially. On the very eve of His death, Jesus stopped to humbly serve the disciples.
--
We discussed that we often act like "me monsters" - at the center of our world. We all agreed that we would try to serve rather than to be served (except Dawn and Zeta- who we all acknowledge are properly classified as "those who must be obeyed!") . We talked about how the temptation is to try to impress each other with great stories about ourselves rather than to serve each other. The kids were very gracious in not pointing out that I have far more stories than they do. But they also clearly indicated that they got the lesson. I am greatly encouraged by their enthusiasm to serve.

Incarnating in Ireland?

2008-06-15T02:46:00.001-04:00

Hebrews 4:15; 5:2
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. . . . He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.

Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Philippians 2:5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man,he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!

Last week our mission team studied the model that Jesus gave us by condescending to humble himself (entering into "humiliation") in becoming a man. Even though he was God, Jesus became "God Incarnate" and entered into the experience of being a frail and finite being, fully God, but also fully man.

Incarnation is a concept that we can pass over, but which can give tremendous insight into the way that we are to minister to others as Christians. To incarnate means to become "manifested into", as when Jesus incarnated into humanity. The effect of that incarnating is to provide us with an example of how to live a blameless life in perfect love.

Because of this, we enjoy a privilege that no other religion can claim. When we ask why God would allow something terrible to happen, we can know with certainty that our God understands. He understands because in the Person of the Son, he was pushed to the knife's edge of human endurance, and yet never failed to Love us by remaining on a Cross when he could have with a whisper called legions of Angels to his aid. He understands loss because as God the Father, he poured out his wrath on a sinless Son, so as to spare us. God understands.

We know that Jesus created and maintains the universe. Consider the extent of his love and the strength of his will as he hung on a cross, while at the same time having control of the very gravity that was weighing him down. He did not act to lessen his suffering because he continued in his humanity at all times-he remained incarnate.

What does this have to do with our Mission Trip? Incarnation is relevant to us in two ways. On this trip, we should expect to incarnate into the lives of each other as we serve together. And, we will try to use the example of the willingness of Jesus to humble himself as we try to incarnate into the lives of those people that we serve in Ireland. That is the heart of the gospel, and it is our prayer that it will be the heart of our ministry in Ireland.

It is a great lesson to learn when we are about to be faced with the inevitable problems and frustrations that will surely accompany our trip and our work in Dublin. Hopefully, we will be able to remain in servant mode, instead of looking for ways to put ourselves first.

So, please pray for us and our kids. Pray that we will learn the lesson of incarnation and that by serving, we can bear witness to the Love of Christ before those we are able to serve in Ireland.