Sunday update from Kenya team

All well- Planted more trees yesterday after heavy rain. Team learned that Kenyan mud is very sticky and heavy. Children had farewell celebration teaching us to dance Kenyan style. Some of us lack rhythm. Worshiped this AM with them and now back in Nairobi.

Thanksgiving + after updates from Kenya team

a pair of short text messages from Kenya team:

Thanksgiving Day 26 Nov

All well. Starting our Thanksgiving Day and all a truly thankful and happy to have the chance to be giving today.

Saturday 28 Nov

All is well in Joska. Planted fruit trees yesterday [Friday 27 Nov] at nearby home.
Visited sponsor children. Miss family and friends. Blessings, Kenya Team

Mon 23 Nov update

All is well with Kenya Team.

We spent the day working with CHE's (Community Health Evangelists) doing home visits focused on building awareness and knowledge of "healthy homes".

We discussed and reviewed with residents general sanitation, toilet practices, water purification, food preparation and ventilation.

The CHE's have a huge job to do but the SPIRIT clearly moves them. The day left us with heavy impressions and deep reflections. We are glad to be here working for HIS Kingdom.

For HIS Glory,
Kenya Team

Sunday 22 Nov Kenya STM update

All is well with the team. A few details for forwarding to family and friends:

Saturday evening we participated in a CHE leadership dinner. It offered good opportunity to hear directly about CHE methodologies in practice.

Today we had opportunity to worship and were very warmly greeted. We were all taken with the intensity of the service and the friendliness.

We enjoyed lunch with Mary and Wallace. Mary shared a SPIRIT filled story of the developments in their ministry in Mathare over the past 10 years. Today they operate 10 schools with 3400 students not to mention CHE outreach activities.

We walked through Mathare Village 1 to get a first hand impression. We will save descriptions for another time.

Tomorrow we get involved in the direct CHE activities.

All for HIS glory - Kenya STM Team

MCC Kenya 12 day prayer guide

Rick Conniff, Kenya STM veteran and leader of the upcoming Apr-May 2010 Kenya team, sends along this 12 day prayer guide for the Nov 09 team:

Kenya Prayer Focus
Our goal… to be the very image of Christ in all we do.

Day 1

The leaders of Kenya would be open and respond to the promptings of God.

God would move on the hearts of those that were solicited for financial support.

Day 2

Give the leadership team wisdom & discernment leading up to their departure and while in country.

Day 3

Communication would not be a barrier and that they would effectively communicate God’s word to the Kenyans.

Day 4

Prepare them each day – set themselves apart for Him thru prayer/worship/ fasting; that God would use this experience to mould them and refine those areas in their lives that need changing

Day 5

Smooth travel & physical protection enroute, while there & returning home.

Spiritual protection; that God would clothe them with His armor and bind Satan’s attempt to disrupt them.

Day 6

The team would quickly acclimate to the time change so they can be more effective and that God would prepare the hearts & minds of those they will encounter to be receptive to hear God speaking thru them.

Day 7

God would make His will known to each of them each & every day they are in Kenya; that they would honor & glorify God in all that they think, say & do.

Day 8

God’s anointing on each of them – to be Jesus to everyone they come in contact with and to use their gifts & talents; that they would be God’s servants to these people.

Day 9

Unity of purpose & unity of execution (teamwork); that each of them would be flexible and seek God’s wisdom in dealing with unforeseen events.

Day 10

They would leave the Kenyans with a hunger & passion for Christ. That those teams following them would pick up where they left off in helping to spiritually feed the Kenyans

Day 11

To be the very image of Christ in all they do.

Day 12

God would protect their families while they are away.

MCC Kenya team arrives in Africa safely

MCC's Nov 09 Kenya team of Dave Flumbaum, Annie Schiavetta, Curt Kusel, Bob Taylor, Christina Gosnell, and Jim Boyle, arrived safely in Africa this afternoon (our time) - late Friday PM over there.

DR team update Thur-Fri-Sat (via Irv + Naomi)

Hola-

Wow, we have much to update you on. Lot's has happened since the last email. Thursday the team visited Ebony's school. We were able to perform Samson for them. They were so cute and adorable especially when they sang us a couple of their songs. Many Breezes was the next stop. It is a really beautiful view of this country. Dorinda and I made pie crusts from scratch and the pumpkin to go in them. This was for the Thanksgiving dinner for Friday. The men went to the school to finish the plumbing project. Jenny and Helen were so wonderful to do laundry. We had plenty of it as it is very hot here. Then it was time to prepare for church. Pastor Ignacio was to preach on families. So we took the children down stairs and had fun. We had them play the skit of Joseph and his coat of many colors. Lloyd was so great in getting the children involved. then we had a coloring project for Joseph. The kids really love to show you what they've done. They are so pleased and care what we think. At the end of the adult service, pastor Ignacio handed out the photo's that were taken on Tuesday night. We were happy to have dinner afterwards with Santos and his family at the church.

Friday was a different kind of day. We went to Dejabon first thing in the morning. I think we all experienced what it was supposed to be. I think we all agreed that it was a difficult experience. Next we got to experience the Mangroves. That made up for it. It was a great time to enjoy some fun with each other. We could really see God's beauty on this trip form the bends in the river along the Mangroves. Then when we got back we prepared the Turkeys and side dishes for the Appreciation Dinner for the leaders of the church. The women cooked and the men decorated. It was a very touching, emotional, spiritual evening. From appreciation that we would celebrate our Thanksgiving with them because they know what a special celebration it is for Americans. Pastor Ignacio and Paula really conveyed this to us and were much appreciative. It was really cool to watch the slideshow that was put together to show them all of the work that God has done here. It was an amazing evening.

Saturday-

The men completed putting the rainspout back onto the church and burying it underground. The ladies went shopping for groceries for the day. Then we did some more home visits. That is to me one of the most special things we do. To get out there and be a presence in the lives of the people here. It is a blessing to us that we can pray for these people and especially to pray for their immediate needs. God is amazing. Then it was beach time with the youth of the church. That was so much fun. We really connected and had fun with the kids jumping the waves. I had 4 or 5 holding onto me at one time. The kids wanted to be around us and watch what we do. Fun time. Then the ladies of the church met tonight. We didn't really have a lesson for them, we were more just observing and participating in their study. Since we didn't have any power and since there was a lot on the minds of the women we just really sang a couple of songs but really just prayed for different things that were really weighing on their hearts. This was very emotional for all of the ladies here. We will continue to pray for them and the direction of the church everyday. These are some strong beautiful , spiritual women. May God keep them strong and help them grow.

Well, that is about it for now. We don't have much time left here and pray that God will still reveal more to us before we go.

God Bless everyone back home. See you soon. - Irv and Naomi

(Dear Friends and Family of our DR Team~

The following team update was written by Irv and Naomi Johnson this evening. Enjoy catching up on what the team has been doing the past few days and reading about the many wonderful opportunities they have had to be a blessing and to be blessed. Please lift them in prayer during their last full day in the DR on Sunday and as they travel on Monday. It will be a joy for all of us to welcome them home and hear many more stories in the coming weeks.

In Christ, Jill Shuck)

more news from the DR team (via Lloyd)

Yesterday was a very productive day. We were able to get a fence installed for a senior who was having problems with goats coming into her property and eating her fruits. In addition, we also planted an avocado tree for her. This was all in Madre where we have a church; we did the fence first and after that we had a church service. We also finished up work in the school; fixing toilets and sinks. The girls were able to get the laundry done "Dominican style".
In the evening, we went on a prayer walk and stopped in different places ending up in the town square.
We also want to say say thanks to Karl and Erismendi for all the help they have provided.
We're all doing well and we can't wait to see our friends and family in Maryland. In Christ, Lloyd

DR team (late Tue PM 13 Oct via Irv & Naomi)

Hi Jill-

Feliz compleanos from el equipo. I think I just said Happy Birthday to you from the team. Today, you will hear from Naomi and Irv on behalf of el equipo de Republica Dominicana. :) It is so funny, sometimes it's hard to remember English when you are getting use to Spanish. The team is doing really well. No injuries and sickness is limited to couple of headaches but nothing advil wouldn't cure. I think today was the hottest day we've had so far. Much was accomplished today. Today was project day. Sandy, Carl and Irv put a drop ceiling in the pastors office. Dorinda and Helen finished painting the boards for the ceiling and put a final coat of paint on some of the furniture. Naomi and Jenny slaved hard digging a trench 8 inches deep so we could put a pipe in. Marty and Lloyd worked on a plumbing project at a local public school. The ladies of the trip got their lesson today in Dominican laundry courtesy of Valerie and Nathy. We used a Dominican washer and hung our clothes out to dry. Didn't take to long to dry as it is so hot here. The ladies also got to go shopping in a couple of local stores and got to shop at a local supermarket to pick up what we needed for dinner.We also got to visit some of the ladies in the community and were able to hand out the gifts/cards/pics/letters that Helen's small group did. It was very touching to see just how a little gesture brought such joy to these ladies. Tonight event included family photo night. We had a nice turn out and were so happy to see the people dress up to have their pictures taken. So we had Lloyd as our photographer, Marty coordinated smiles and organization and Jenny and Helen greeted and checked in families as they arrived. And Irv and Dorinda handled the printing and putting of the pictures in frames as they will be given out to the families on Thursday when they come to church and pastor Ignacio will be preaching on families. Tonight we had the wonderful opportunity to put on a new skit for the children in Monti Cristi. We did the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. The activity was a cut out of Joseph and stickers that the kids could dress him up. I think we all really had a great time interacting with the kids. It was a great activity Jenny found. Please let our families know that everything is great and that lives are being changed in so many ways that we don't even know yet. Thank everyone for their prayers and let Marni know that we miss her and wish she was here. The photo night was a huge success thanks to her help with doing the picture frames. Muchas gracias to everyone for their part in us being here. God is great.

Dios te bendigo.

El equipo

Hola from the Dominican Rep. team (Jenny K)

Greetings from the DR!

We began our day with huevos y bacon. We began our first work project which involved painting the pastor's office and furniture. We also set up the photo lab for tomorrow's special family portrait night. Everything went smoothly and our goals were accomplished.

It has been very very warm (one team member said that is an under statement!) However, we are all adapting well to our 100 climate.

The ladies received a cooking lesson from Francisca today. Everyone can look forward to tasting carmelized plantains at our team celebration.

Naomi had a wonderful opportunity to minister to a dear woman named Leocadia whose father recently passed away. It was a beautiful time of visitation and ministering for Naomi and our team.

We spent the afternoon making visits to homes to spread the word about the family portrait night at the church tomorrow. We were warmly received, welcomed into every home and prayed for the people we met. We look forward to welcoming them into the church tomorrow evening and pray that they will become future family members in Christ.

Lloyd is very impressed with the male leadership within the church. He has had occasion to speak with several leaders, all of whom give God the glory for all things. He has been very touched by their continual recognition of God at work in their lives and in the ministry here in Monte Cristi.

Team time together has been a special time for all of us. It has given us the opportunity to see how God has worked in each one of our lives.

Tomorrow we will continue with our work projects, home visits and family portrait night. We will also lead a children's ministry program in the evening.

Thank you to all for the support and prayers you have been sending our way. Please continue! They are sustaining us.

Dios te Bendiga,

The DR TEAM (via Jenny K)

DR team short update (Jill S)

Hello, all
The DR team will send a formal greeting within the next couple of days with a full update, which I will pass along to you as soon as I hear from them. I did learn from Jenny today [Sunday 11 Oct] that the team members are all doing well and are of "good spirit," which she asked me to share with you. They went to Madre this morning to lead a children's service, which went very well. She mentioned the men on the team did an especially great job leading the story of Samson and the women on the team were particularly touched by the children they met. They are looking forward to sharing the program tonight with the children of Monte Cristi. I look forward to sharing more news with you this week.

Jill Shuck - Dominican Republic Team Administrator

Dominican Republic team arrives safely (Jill S)

Dear Friends and Family of the Dominican Republic Missions Team,

I received a text message this afternoon from Jenny Krichton letting me know that the team has arrived safely in the Dominican Republic. They will be making the two hour journey to Monte Cristi and getting ready to host a Ladies Night tonight at the church there. I look forward to sharing updates with you when I receive them. Please continue to pray for the team and for the hearts of those they will encounter.
- Jill Shuck (stateside team admin)
Pic from Fri 9 Oct prayer send-off (not pictured team members Marty Schreiber, Lloyd Ramirez) More pics here.

India Team Celebration @ MCC

Via email from team administrator Helen B:

Good Morning Family & Friends,

The India Mission Team will be having their post team celebration on October 25th, 2009 from 1pm - 3pm. The celebration will be held at Mountain Christian Church in Timothy Hall.
Hope you can join us. The team members will be sharing stories of their experience along with photos and some Indian food.

Blessings,
Helen B

Domincan Republic team departs 10 Oct

Hola mis hermanos y hermanas en Cristo,

We will be heading to the DR on 10/10. We are grateful for your prayers in the coming days as we prepare to leave and also for your prayers while we are away.

Our team will be serving several churches, including the church in Monte Cristi, Madre, and Buenos Aires. We will have the opportunity to lead a women's ministry night, 5 children's ministry programs, a pastor/church leader appreciation dinner, and a family photo night for the church. We also have several projects our team will be working on throughout the week, home evangelism visits and hospital visits. These are our plans on paper, but we are ready for all the surprise plans our God has waiting for us to do. . . .

I have attached a team photo with the names of those folk who are "dropping their nets" to come and follow Jesus.

Gloria a Dios,

Jenny K

India team is back (Rob)

Our team returned to the Newark airport at around 4:15 a.m. this morning after a 15 hour flight from Delhi. We were met by the smiling faces of Dennis and Renda Curran and Jim Nold who provided transportation for us and our luggage back to Mountain. When we arrived back here, it had been over 23 hours since we left the hotel in Delhi for the airport. Thanks for your prayers. We’re all tired but excited to share what God has done in us and through us and also what we experienced of what God is doing in India.

Glad to be home!

Rob and team

Little boy in Agra (Ben)

We have arrived safely in Agra and are waiting on a bus to go to hotel while porter-boys fetch our 29 suitcases. Outside our windows families huddle in the darkness on their haunches. Do they live here in the dust and exhaust fumes. A small boy reaches up to knock on the window and puts his hand out to beg. We are told to look away and that we can not give to such as these. Tough to take. We pray many times each day for people like these who will haunt and fill our minds forever. I know Jesus sees him and knows and loves him. I so hope that little boy can know and love Jesus, too. I find myself so grateful for those with beautiful feet who bring good news to places like Agra.

Peace, love, and Jesus,
Ben and team

More India pics

Tow new pics of one of the congregations with whom our MCC team worshipped, along w/ photos from earlier in their trip are online at this link.

Bhopal Worship (Sunday: Rob)

When we arrived at the church in Bhopal, we could tell it was different from the start. We all removed our shoes in the entry hall and proceeded to the front of the room where we sat in the chancel area. Nearly all of the women in the room kept their heads covered for the service (especially during prayer). Much of the service had liturgical/high church elements – Lord’s prayer, multiple verses of hymns, two separate scripture readings (by women). Ben preached about contentment, joy and peace in Christ out of Philippians. That was a change of plan from the night before (he said he felt led to go the other direction). It turns out the senior pastor’s son (also one of their key preachers) died 10 days ago of a heart attack, so the shift in focus of the message was definitely spirit-led.

When it came time for communion, the congregation moved forward to the altar in groups and knelt along the chancel rail. The elders moved across the front placing a communion wafer and cup of juice in each pair of hands. Then they instructed them to partake in unison. Finally, the elder prayed over each group. It was striking to hear the Hindu mantras blaring over the loudspeakers from the temple across the street while we celebrated the cross. In the Muslim and Hindu faiths, thousands of people work overtime trying to earn their way into God’s favor, and here were these truly counter-cultural believers simply kneeling at the altar acknowledging that they had no hope other than the grace provided through the cross. It was humbling, and one of the most moving moments that I can recall, to watch wave after wave of Indians approach the altar and kneel to share in the body and blood of Christ. As I held the bread and cup myself, I was overwhelmed with God’s grace for me as well.

Rob and India Team

Subject: India today (Sunday: Ben + Stephanie)

They drowned Durga today. Finally. We have been here during this nine day Hindu festival and we have seen the fevered buildup in its entirety. We witnessed the "making" of Durga by the various villages we passed. Made of mud by human hands we have oft thought to Moses coming down from Sinai and Paul in Athens. In India idols are a real deal.

The making of Durga is a collective effort. After her dried mud shape of a woman with 8 arms she is painted brightly and set in her "box". Sometimes it is a just a concrete bunker others an elaborate shrine. Either way as the festival came to a cllimax, there were strands of lights and banners around each shrine and there was an air or expectancy-much like the buildup of Christmas at home.

Sometime this afternoon amidst our scurry to the train station thousands of Durgas all over India were put into the local body of water for her to return back to mud. All of her shrines now stand empty. And the one true living God is still on His throne! Jamisiki!

We are in Bhopal today, a huge city of about 2 million.

We worshipped this morning as a divided team. Half of us went to Christ Church (aka "the industrial church") where Ben preached. We were once again greeted in the traditional way-leis of yellow mums, .red .roses and orchids. Today was youth Sunday and we we're blessed to see a very good amount of young people and for them to lead the worship. There was an air of sadness as the senior pastor who is 75, lost his son and ministry partner 10 days ago to a heart attack. This leaves a void in ministry to a congregation of about 250. Ben's message today was a real comfort I think, as he encouraged us to remember the gifts we have in the Lord: contentment, joy and peace. Greg brought the greetings on behalf of the US churches.

The other half of our team went to what is called the City Church where Phil and Chris's friend and CICM evangelist, Harris Walter is the pastor. Phil spoke today on "I love the church" to about 300 folks. There were a lot of children and youth at this church as well. Chris brought the greetings from Countryside and Julie brought greetings from Mountain. Tom did the communion meditation.

After church we met at the hotel with five pastors who have been working to establish churches in Bhopal. Pradeep Luther just got out out the hospital after a bout with malaria, but was eager to share the work he's doing. 90 percent of his church are former Hindus who have seen the light of Jesus. His wife Lena was a member of a Brahman family -- the highest caste. Her influence is significant. Others are working among the very poor -- "rat pickers" and street people. One young man, Shailendra Ladge, has been working among street performers and the extremely downtrodden. We are grateful to God for these who being the hands and feet of Jesus. Mountain is excited to be partnering with CICM to plant churches in this area.

We are aboard a fast moving train -- about 6 hours to Agra where we will spend the night. Our mission work on this trip is largely completed -- except for the other opportunities the to be a witness the Lord opens in the final travel days.

As we prepare to head home after some sight seeing and shopping, we are all struggling to process all we have seen, seeking to understand how God is wanting to change us. Know that we are mindful of you, our friends and family, and eager to share with you in person very soon.

Ben and Stephanie for the team

Greetings In Christ from Bhopal (Ben - Sunday)

“We have seen first hand the power of genuine fellowship -- relationships that really do matter, sometimes a matter of life and death. We are encouraged by the desire of our Indian Christian brothers and sisters to connect and be the truest friends to one another. We are "friending" the believers on Bhopal who are reaching out to this huge city with the good news of Jesus. Central India Chr Misn will help supply preachers and the churches will begin the studies and outreaches ... And we [Mountain] will partner to help provide some support for church leaders and other resources needed to get hopefully five more churches planted here. When we went to church this morning most of us had never met these brothers and sisters. Yet we embraced like family. We live 10 000 miles apart -- yet our hearts are knit into one fabric through Jesus. Please convey our love to the Mountain family, and bring greetings from Christ Church and Bhopal Christian Church where we are worshiping / preaching today.”

Made it to Bhopal (India team - Ben)

After rides on an elephant and packing everything up we left our dear friends in damoh at the cicm compound -- leaving parts of our hearts with the children at the childrens home and with the incredible pastors and staff we came to respect and love.

With many staff for support and smooth guidance we were accompanied to the train station. A 5 hour train ride across amazing India took us from Damoh to Bhopal today. Seeing the rural villages and poverty helps fill out the picture of the need and opportunity for the gospel here. About 75 percent of India lives on less than one dollar a day -- and we saw some of these today. Millions of the 1.2 billion in this country live in large cities -- but 80 percent live in one of the 600,000 villages. The train took us thru some of these villages today. [edit] It was a 5 hour ride. Many sites and pics out the window.

In the midst of chaotic crowds at the train station, warm smiling faces of Christians from the churches greeted us. Givan, one of our Indian brothers says, "Do you notice the way Christians have the love of Jesus in them?". We certainly did. Once again we were greeted with flower garland necklaces and hugs.

Taxi ride with Muslim driver thru crazy roads and past dozens of Hindu shrines -- day 8 of 9 day festival about to climax -- and amidst Muslim calls to prayer. We arrived at Jehan Numa Palace -- an Arabic word meaning Heavenly Palace. It is a nice place. We reconnected with Phil and Chris who came earlier to spend time with the church friends they have supported in Bhopal.

We enjoyed a nice dinner buffet -- rice and multiple incarnations of chicken -- and a brief meeting and now off to bed.

We were all worried about Tom who was not feeling well at all but now is seeming to be recovering. A rough night for him and long day today. Now Fiona continues to feel bad and Chris has a bit of a sore throat. Fred is feeling better. Glynn is a bit feverish and weak -- but was able to eat several desserts tonight. Not sure who all else is feeling puny. We are grateful for God's provision of health to our team so far despite some illness

Tomorrow we will go to two separate churches here in Bhopal. I will preach at Christ Church -- an -Industrial church and Phil Smith will preach at Bhopal Chrn Church. Then are scheduled to meet with several ministers and church leaders for lunch and encouragement. Then check out and board a high speed train for 6 hour ride to Agra.

Outside our hotel window we can hear the loud, incessant music blaring from the shrines and temples, worshiping the goddess Durga, a goddess they turn to in hopes of gaining power. Her likeness is seen in shrines -- she is one [edit] with 6 arms, riding a tiger -- the shrines are like booths or sometimes large buildings lit up with spotlights and strings of lights -- all over the city. But tomorrow we will pass through the crowds and thousands of worshipers to join a strong group of devoted disciples who have found the joy and peace and hope of Jesus -- and who are living faithfully for His glory in this place where less than one percent profess His name. We are repeatedly told how our presence encourages them -- and we know that their lives encourage us! We pray you will also find encouragement through the fellowship of believers where you are this Lord's Day. We are living in His presence and pray for the Spirit to be with you as well.

Peace of Christ,

Ben and India team

from the (India) team (Stephanie H)

Jamisiki!

We have just finished our last full day in Damoh. We spent the part of the morning learning about the church planting efforts of CICM and hearing about the work going on at the Bible College. The remainder of the morning and early afternoon were spent hearing the testimonies of 5 evangelists from different parts of India. A couple of them had experienced severe persecution--all had moving stories of great faith. Their words were a blessing and we were able to pray over each of them. Unforgetable.

We were blessed to be hosted for lunch at the home of Ajai and Indu--what a treat to see where they come to rest and be refreshed.

The nursing college graduation ceremony was this evening--Glynn and Pat were the most honored guests and we all got a kick out of seeing them in robes on the stage giving and recieving honor! Stephanie gave the graduation address and Emilee gave the charge to the first year students in the lamp lighting ceremony. It was a very beautiful, meaningful evening at CICM.

We have a HUGE prayer request: several of our team members are showing signs of illness, mostly sore throats, congestion and upper respiratory stuff. We have already given most of our meds to the mission hospital, but Glynn has some in a personal stash and is treating accordingly. We have 4 more days left in India-with much travel involved. We leave tomorrow afternoon on a train to Bhopal to be with a couple of churches on Sunday. We are praying for everyone to sleep well and be able to feel better tomorrow.

We have a full travel day tomorrow with late arrival in Bhopal, so we will write again on Sunday.

Blessings to our sweet families and friends! Jamisiki!

Stephanie (Harkins) for the team

Visit at Mission Hospital (Kevin S)

We were definitely excited to be at the Mission Hospital to help serve the needs of the patients there. Things started out chaotic in the sense that we didn't really know how we were going to be utilized. Once that issue was resolved, the fun began. We were given a tour of the hospital by Dr Solomon and Dr Paul. Dr Solomon showed us the Mission Hospital Surgical Complex. There, he told us that Orthopedic Surgery will be performed there mainly. Dr Solomon is an Orthopedic Surgeon. This is a very nice facility with nicely equipped room and anesthesia equipment. They also have a Fluoroscopy scanner so that they can do total joint replacements. We were then given a tour of the main hospital. They have a 3 bed Emergency department, a separate male and female inpatient wards, an x-ray and ECG department. They even have a way to perform stress tests. For a small hospital that serves a very large and poor community, they are nicely equipped to meet the needs of this community. The team was then partnered with the Doctors of the hospital. Dr Wells was by himself, Dr Jason O'Grady was initially with Dr Paul and later left to see his own patients, and I was with Dr Das. He is the local Cardiologist/ Family Doctor for the hospital. I really enjoyed my time with him. He was gracious enough to explain how he treats different ailments. He helped to put into perspective the reality of medicine in India. Though he is a cardiologist, reality is that he has to see every type of ailment. He contrast things in India and the things in the USA. It is so easy to lose sight of the fact that this is a very rural place with limited resources. He was sharing with me the history of one of the patients that we saw today. Here is a 45 year old male who by his EKG, was showing signs of having a heart attack. I am telling him what we would do in the USA. He agrees but then tell me the nearest facility to do these studies are 400 Km away. This man truly practices by faith. He stated that there have been many time where he knew that God was the only one granting His patients time until they could get the necessary studies done. He realizes that he is just a vessel of God and that God is the only TRUE HEALER we have. That really left an impression on me today. Jason had shared with me about one of the patients that he saw today. He had been coughing for a few months and is a heavy smoker. He ordered a chest X-ray to evaluate his lung status. He saw a mark on his film that lead him to believe that he may have cancer. The doctor with him felt it was something else. Maybe he was seeing something different because he knows this are and has a better grasp of what is more common in this area. I feel one of the neat things about this trip is being able to share and trade ideas and remedies but ultimately, we are all serving the same God.

Overall, this was truly another great and blessed experience that we had on our last clinic day for this mission trip. The people at the hospital and even at the other clinics were so appreciative and we were/are so blessed to be able to serve in this capacity. I thank God daily for providing me this opportunity of a lifetime . What a wonderful experience. Thank you Mountain Christian Church for allowing me to be apart of this team and to serve in different capacity that was not always comfortable.

In His Service,

Kevin Smallwood

Oak Grove Baptist Church

Leader Seminar - day 2 (Paul H)

Today was the second day of the CICM Conference for the local pastors. The first session of the day was led by Ben. Ben talked about being content in our circumstances because Jesus is the source of contentment in our lives. We must rejoice in the Lord always because our joy comes from Christ. There is peace in our lives because Jesus provides us with that peace.

The second session was led by Paul on bi-vocational ministry. This session dealt with taking Christ to people through our vocation which allows us to enter areas that might not be reached through normal missionary efforts.

The third session was led by Rob. Rob led the group through the progression of Christianity as it is recorded in the book of Acts. Even though under persecution the gospel is forcefully advancing and is being added to everyday. The book of Acts is a story still being written today.

The fourth session of the day was led by Phil who touched on as leaders we must be examples to those we lead. Our lives represent Christ and we must therefore we must live our life as Christ did.

The fifth session was led by Chris who taught on being a servant leader. He illustrated this through and object lesson foot washing where he washed on of the Indian pastors feet.

Prior to the final session of the day Ajai had all of the senior pastors come to the stage and lay hands on all of us and pray for us. It was a powerful time to be so blessed by our Indian brothers.

The final and closing session of the Conference was led by Ben. Ben’s message rounded out the session with the charge to go out with a mighty force being filled up and recharged. The word for go in Hindi is “CELLO” (which is pronounced chello). CELLO - CELLO - CELLO take the good news of the gospel to the world!

The final day of the session was closed out with Ben, Rob, Tom, Phil, Chris, Greg, and Paul, walking though the seated 400 plus pastor’s laying hands on them and praying over them.

What a powerful conference this was to see over 400 pastors charged up and ready to go back out into India ready to fight the enemy that is so visible in this land.

Paul Harkins

Day 1 of Seminar, India Team (Ben)

While our medical and dental types were in Kansa conducting a medical clinic for nomadic people from the villages, the rest of our team had the high honor of leading a Church Leadership Seminar. It’s hard to create the right picture in your mind of the eager desire and awe-inspiring conviction of these pastors and church leaders as they pack into the chapel for 8 hours of teaching and feeding. They drink up every word – through a translator – and happily greet us with appreciation and have made us very happy by telling us we are helping them That’s the whole point of course. We’re to encourage these heroes of the faith, and to come alongside these leaders who are in the trenches all over India. We have all learned so much from them, though we are the ones supposedly here to teach.

Today more than 400 church leaders from all over Central India are here, coming by bus, train, bike and who knows what else. A cooks quarters is out back, with huge pots of rice and veggies and other meaty things cooked up over open fire in pots as big around as garbage cans. We have talked with a good many of them – about 30% seem to know enough English to converse. Some of them traveled more than 3 days and 3 nights to get here. Many are serving in village churches. CICM has started more than 720 churches in 25 years – all of them still “open and doing business.”

Sanjay is a minister who serves 4 rural churches among fairly primitive people. Others from Bhopal were also here, and we will get to visit more with them this weekend.

Ben began the morning by encouraging them to see that whatever they have in their hand, God can use it. Tom Moen shared from scripture and Brazil-missionary experience to remind us all of the importance of right thinking and practice to be the victorious conquerors we are in the midst of spiritual warfare. This whole topic of the weakness of Satan next to the greatness of Jesus Christ is something that is seen so starkly here. Rob spoke about the importance of giving ministry away, sharing it with the Body, not only to get more done and to save ministers from burning out, but to function how God made the Body to function, with every member doing its part. Phil Smith, on staff with Countryside Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, taught from Ephesians 3 and 4 about the importance of keeping unity, living holy lives, and the importance of prayer. Chris Allen, also from Countryside, reminded us we are ambassadors for Christ and Greg Tutino closed out the day with clear teaching about stewardship – God’s ownership and our management. It was as long day, but everyone is hungry for more – and so tomorrow, we’ll go at it again, with six more sessions.

Other highlights include Paul, Fred, and Julie milking a water buffalo. Paul apparently hasn’t lost his touch. It was udderly enjoyable for him.

Chris and Ben played more football (soccer) with the kids before dinner. The kids are so beautiful and each one has a story – formerly horrific – but now, they are full of life and joy, the light in their eyes a reflection of the love of Jesus they have received through so many. Rescued. Redeemed. Alive. In fact, that’s how all the preachers strike us, too. Rescued, redeemed, and so happy to be alive in Christ. So much so, that they would devote their lives to a diffiult task of preaching the good news of liberation. They have beautiful feet.

We hope our words will encourage more to see how the power of the gospel breaks down the dividing wall of hostility that has kept the effects of caste system in place for so long. Christians are one, but the lingering influence of the caste system distinctions are very difficult to overcome. So we can be encouraging and praying for this, even as we think about the many ways we need to see the good news of Jesus take our own fellowship BEYOND racial and socio-economic zones in America.

Join us in praying that we will be an encouragement to these brothers and sisters. They are precious to us. As are all ya’ll who would take the time to read this and attempt to experience some of this with us.

Ben for the India team, 9/23/09

Medical clinic (India team - Stephanie H)

Our medical team has just returned from the Kansa rural clinic where we saw over 300 + nomadic people. Women were dressed in such bright colors, bangles on their upper arms, wrists and ankles and had full nose and ear rings. We were greeted with many leis (again) and we were joined today by students from the nursing school working as translators and running the pharmacy.

The clinic is normally open everyday-the doctor only has about 15 patients/day, but the people heard that American docs were coming and the word must have spread!

Lots of ear infections,scabies,skin infections and joint pains. Fiona worked in the pharmacy and learned that if the patient did not get a "syrup"they didn't think they were getting "real medicine"! Glynn said in Africa they want a needle for "real medicine".

There was an Indian OB/GYN seeing the women while Glynn,Jason and Kevin saw the men.There were several cases of malaria, some requiring IV's.The kids were in the worst shape that we have seen yet. A good part of the morning was spent with a 3 year old little boy with a puncture wound in his heel.

It was VERY infected, starting to spread all over his foot and he had a fever. I (Stephanie)took he and his father to work on his foot....soaked it in peroxide and betadine, put on bacitracin and bandaged it with gauze and a good strong ace wrap ...I told his father that he had to get the boy to the CICM hospital in Damoh in 2 days..his son is very sick and could lose his foot. (He will need IV
antibiotics) When I told them they could leave, his father dropped to the ground and started kissing my shoes! I did so little, but they have nothing so everything is appreciated! I told him it was all for Jesus,

Fred and Julie saw about 15 dental patients-10 extractions, one lady came back 3 times to have 3 teeth pulled! We lost electric about 2 hours into the clinic so patients were seen in dark rooms with flashlights when needed-Fred and Julie didn't even have a window!

The people are all very stoic and not too much expression one way or the other.

Tomorrow we will be working at the CICM hospital , Emilee and Stephanie will be teaching in the nursing school. Long, hot days....but really good days!

Stephanie Harkins

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever present help in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not fear
though our world should change.
Psalm 46:1-2

India team update (Ben)

Greetings from India,

Today was a hinge day. We closed out the Delhi portion of our trip and spent the day in travel to Damoh. Delhi is in the middle of the country, eastern side, and Damoh is further East. We have been in urban settings, amidst heavy traffic in the middle of 25 million people in greater Delhi area. Now we will be based for the next 5 nights out of the Central India Christian Mission headquarters.

Instead of the 13 hour train ride, we flew. At the Delhi airport we congratulated our expert bus driver and prayed for him. He and the buddy who went everywhere with us are rather like heroes to us. Everyone was pretty amazed at the places he could get that bus. Our bus driver was constantly accompanied by some other fellow who sat in the passenger “shot gun” seat in the “cock pit” area – separated by glass. His job was to stick his head out the window and help navigate and tell the driver how many inches he had for clearance, and when people were coming and going in places the driver couldn’t see. Like the man with one leg who crab walked through the cars begging when we were stopped at an intersection – stopping directly in front of the bus. I thought for sure we would flatten him but the look out dude shooed him out of the way in time. On the window are the pictures of two different Hindu gods – one of them Durga, a particular favorite of the locals – with her six arms, and some other lady goddess with an elephant head. Not very attractive for goddesses really, but apparently pretty good at making a huge bus navigate traffic fairly well. The whole driving experience defies description. It’s a game of inches – constantly. Narrow, bumpy roads with constant passing and swerving and no real attention to any lanes, incessant honking. One huge difference between the US and India. Here honking your horn means, “I’m here – I’m passing you now, give a little, there’s room for one more in this tiny road.” In America, of course, laying on the horn means something more like, “GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU IDIOT!”

I’ve been reading recently that the town officials in Bel Air have recently found it necessary to outlaw public urination. Apparently the bar crowd had no place “to go” late at night down town. If that law was in effect in India, and I could collect a nice fine for every public pee-er I have seen, I would have a steady and decent income. I believe Emily and I were the only ones to witness a female taking care of business by the side of the road.

Anyway – we prayed with our drivers and went into the Delhi airport to wait through a few delays and finally boarded a smallish plane (seating was 2 and 2 – turbo prop). A couple hour flight to Jabalpur. Ate some hot beans and corn, sandwich with some potato like stuff in it, and chocolate pudding of some sort.

We were welcomed once again with very nice leis at the airport by Ajai and a team of CICM staffers. We boarded a small bus and two or three other vehicles for the drive to Damoh – but not before stopping for a very nice Indian lunch at a restaurant on the way. The doorman out front had a big turban thingy on his head and looked like he should have had a huge sword. I will explain the food some other time, but every meal is finished off with anise and sugar crystals that remind me of rock candy. Mixing a few of each together in your hand makes for a very nice after dinner mint.

Tom and I rode with Ajai and his friend and co-worker of 25 years, Frank. Two things struck me so vividly. One is the striking difference in the land in this rural area compared to the city. Goats and dogs and lots of women carrying huge bundles on their heads and a lot of poor people by the road – and swarms of people going – where? Home after work in the fields I guess. The fields and country side are verdant and lush, but only for a while longer as we are at the end of monsoon season (normally they like to get about 40 some inches of rain and this year only received 24 so it will be a dry summer). Lots of cows in the road. It is true about the whole “holy cow” thing. They go where they want to go. The only way to get beef is to buy it on the black market from some Muslim who slaughters cows. The Hindus are trying to pass a law in this state that would make killing a cow a crime punishable with life in prison. Right now it’s only three years. Holy cow. The cows are believed to be chosen transportation vehicle of the gods (not very efficient!). They are also the giver of life with the milk they provide and the plows they pull. They also may be Aunt Bertha reincarnated, so you better be careful to treat them well. Despite all this, our driver Frank had to bump one with the car a time or two to get the herd out of the way so we could get through. Jabalpur is about 1.5 Million people. I had never HEARD of it. There are countless cities like Jabalpur in India – of a million or more. There are 1.2 BILLION people here. Less than 1% are believers in Jesus Christ. Every town we passed through had many shrines, statues, and images of gods and little worship areas by the side of the road. At one point we were stopped by some folks in the road who were trying to take money from every passing motorist for a big Hindu celebration in honor of some god or other – Ajai explained we would not be making any donations – and after some rather stern Hindi exchanges – they finally moved their blockade and let us pass.

The other thing that impressed me though is the way God is moving in India. Ajai is tremendous at telling stories of God’s greatness and the rather striking ways that the name of Jesus is being made known in Hindu culture. There are many open doors. God is certainly using Ajai. We will try to recount these another time. There are such tremendous opportunities. There is a seismic shift taking place in Hindu culture as the next generation is resistant to accept the caste system as it plays out in culture, and as the lower castes are figuring out that they should band together and stop settling for being treated like animals, since they compose 80% of the population. The good news of Jesus is powerfully liberating for someone of the lower caste – and there are exciting tales of thousands becoming followers of Christ – shepherds by the thousands, who are being told they are in Christ, like Brahman – the highest priestly class – because in Christ all are priests and children of God, and he has broken down the dividing wall of hostility. Shepherds are blessed recipients of the good news of great joy and were also among the first tellers of the news and sharers of Jesus’ importance – and this message is taking root among the shepherds – the lowest, dirtiest caste of India – and thousands have become Christians – having never heard of Jesus before. Ajai has been important in this ministry. There are other groups tired of the traditional Hindu system and its dependency on the caste system – and it is creating spiritual opportunities and openness. The Muslims will step into this void and openness if no one else will. Many have never heard of the name of Jesus. The greatest need we have seen thus far is the need for preachers - -tellers of the good news – how will they hear if no one tells them and if no one is sent? We appreciate the ones here doing this good work. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news.

We finally arrived at the mission compound in Damoh. The welcome by the children of the orphanage was heart warming and overwhelming. The children, many of whom were literally pulled out of terrible situations – are bright, smiley, intelligent and each one greeted us again with colorful leis and happy greetings, with British/Indian like questions, “What is your name?” “So nice to meet you.” “Thank you for coming!” I’ve got some video of this fun time.

Some of us are staying in the new building which I think is where the children are, too. Others of us are a bit of a distance away – maybe like a block away, I’m not sure – at a guest house. I don’t even know who is where. I am spoiled with a very nice place.

We had a nice dinner prepared by Indu – fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and veggies and a pile of desserts like banana bread and brownies – trying her darndest to give us some American food.

We’ve enjoyed getting to know Josh, a super impressive and bright young 23 year old who married Lashi, Lall’s daughter, and who lives here now and works with the mission. He went to Ozark and St. Louis Christian College – met Lashi when he was doing an internship with Good News Productions. A great guy. We hope to encourage him while we are here. They have a 3 month old – Ajai and Indus’s first grandchild.

They have another daughter who has been in Grand Rapids and is married to a guy who will be leading a mission group and moving to Cambodia soon. Their last child I will tell you about some other time – a four year old they adopted – named Sarika – rescued and now loved. She is beautiful and bright.

After dinner we figured out who will be teaching what at the seminar. Ajai says there will be up to 400 preachers visiting us from all over India for our two day seminar. The tapes from them will be sent to 2000 more. Our medical team will assist the team of nurses and docs here and at a nearby location.

We had team time and Jason led us in thinking about Isaiah 49 and how important it is to know the purpose God has for our life, and the importance of first time obedience when he calls us.

Tomorrow we will get better acquainted with the mission and its fruit. Looking forward to a game of soccer with some kids. I am ready for some exercise.

We miss Jim Nold and wish he could be with us.

We are being served so nicely – we hope to serve back so that the net effect of our being here deeply encourages those who are serving the Lord so faithfully here.

Plenty more to report, but all for now. I am on for devotions in the morning. Doctors and nurses will be there – some of whom are not Believers – so will try to come up with something from Doctor Luke for us all to consider. God will have to make that clear in the next little while.

Ben and Team

India - Tuesday, September 22 (Rob)

Dear Friends,

It has been an incredibly rich, but very hot and humid, day today. The heat, humidity and full schedule are having a tiring effect on all of us but experiencing firsthand what God is doing in this place is renewing our energy and our spirits. We are humbled to be hosted by such amazing Kingdom servants.

This morning, we ate breakfast and gathered with the staff, Bible College students and Nursing School students and hospital staff for Devotions. Normally they meet separately for devotions but came together so we could join them. (Wait until you see footage of the "dancing nurses.")

We then visited several areas of ministry here at CICM. We began with Dr. Indu Lall (the boss according to Ajai. He says he practices Indu-ism). As we entered her office, we were immediately were drawn to one entire wall covered in photos of children. CICM has a child sponsorship program that provides for 3000 children (although roughly 200 still lack sponsors). These children are cared for through the churches in 12 states and 3 other countries. It includes 700 kids that have been rescued from slavery. Parents can't afford to feed their children so rather than watch them starve to death they sell them into slavery.

Through this program at CICM, 168 of the children through the 25 year history have become pastors and 4 are currently enrolled in the Bible Academy. One young man, Tiharu, was rescued from slavery and is now an evangelist who has started three churches and baptized many.

Indu also oversees a food distribution program for local children. Basically, she provides 2 kilos of rice meal for 185 families each week. This amount of food won't feed them for a week but it provides assistance. They also give the children vitamin A and other vitamin supplements. Indu uses food distribution as another opportunity to share the gospel and teach children Scripture.

After 25 years, Indu is still so passionate about her ministry to these kids. Just to put it in context, there are more children in India under the age of 14 than the entire population of the United States. She said, “we are not building Taj Mahals, we are building lives”.

We also visited the Nursing College where the Principal and Assistant Principal gave us a tour. There are over 100 nursing students currently. Second year and fourth year students spend time serving villages in the region. Fourth year students spend a month there providing medical care to the village residents. As large as the Indian cities are (millions), 70% of the population lives in 600,000 villages.

Daniel, and his wife Mona oversee the publications department. CICM is the largest publisher of Christian materials in all of India. Over the past 17 years they have published 38 titles in Hindi. Their magazine is distributed to 183 cities and is read by over 5000 readers. They told us of one people group in central India known as the Bundeli people. There are 28 million Bundeli people with no Bible translated in their language. (India has 18 recognized official languages.) CICM just finished a translation in partnership with Pioneer Bible Translators which is nearing distribution.

We are staying in the CICM children's home which currently houses 70 children, who are the most precious children. We have played with them and listened to them singing and seen huge smiles that overwhelm even the darkness in their past. These kids are infants through eleven years of age currently. Most of the kids are orphans or were abandoned at birth on the streets or at the hospital. As we met these kids, they stole our hearts. One little girl Rya was found in a bag on the side of the road. Her cord was still attached which led to a terrible infection down into her intestines on top of low birth weight (less than 2 lbs), syphillis from her mother, and lots of other problems. The doctors said she won't live more than a couple of days. The picture of her when they found her and took her to the hospital are ghastly. But now through medical care, love, and most importantly God's grace, Rya is now three years old and running around with the other toddlers here at Bal Bhavan (children’s palace). 6-7 of the kids are children of CICM evangelists. When these guys go off into regions of intense persecution and they are told their children will be taken if they continue preaching there. They do whatever is necessary to provide safety for their kids and yet continue the work to which God has called them.

We also were privileged to meet 4 young women who are residents in a home that CICM now provides for unwed mothers (as young as 13) who were pursuing abortions but have consented to deliver their babies. Some of the women provided for in this way decide to keep their babies while others give them to the children’s home at CICM.

We also just finished spending some time with two snake charmers and their 8-10 cobras. Several of our team (Fred Parker, Tom Moen, and Patsy Wells) actually posed with cobras around their necks.

Thanks for bearing with my lengthy tome.

Another day of excitement tomorrow as the medical team heads out to a village for a clinic while the rest of us present ministry and leadership seminars for 400 pastors from all over India. Please continue to pray that God would work in us and through us.

Exhausted but with a full heart,

Rob and Team

India Team Update...On Our Way Home

Received 9-19-09 9:13am EDT

We just finished our second medical camp. A remote village setting with half Hindus half Muslims. Lots of eager excited kids and adults pushing themselves in front of the line. Part way thru we heard a mob shouting loudly and after a few moments were able to figure out that Patsy was in the middle of the pack trying to hand out toothbrushes! She handled herself just fine.

Glynn was a bit sick at first so stayed on the bus for a while but was able to join us eventually. I did fluoride treatments again and Rob dealt drugs. We abruptly closed up shop (at 6 15 and boarded the bus to a crowd of friend waving and thanking. This is the part of "being Jesus" I had not expected. We will later meet with pastors for whom being like Jesus means risk, persecution and taking up a cross. Today we were Jesus' hands of healing compassion and enjoyed some of the gratitude of the people he surely experienced as well.

We are on the way home now -- a 3 hour bumpy honk filled bus ride. Our team is beat but upbeat and excited to be used. 10 teeth pulled, many meds and medical help and lots of smiles hugs and pictures with friends we only hope to see again thru the ministry of CICM's influence leading then to Christ.

Ben and Rob.

India mission team "The Day Is Young"

Sent 9-18-09 5:04am

We rose early and after breakfast rode on our familiar bus for a 3 hour harrowing ride to Meerut, a bustling large city of 3.5 million. Our ride with constant honking and screeching brought us finally to a small storefront type place -- we went up a couple of flights and the sound of praise increased. Finally we joined M_ Christian Church in the midst of jubilant praise -- a welcome oasis of brothers and sisters in Jesus. They welcomed us warmly with orange leis and I was invited to bring greetings from Mountain and Countryside Christian churches but also from all their family in the Lord in the US. Brother Smith preached a good word about the compassion and healing of Jesus. I saw some our team members weeping for joy at the truth being told. The church was strong -- probably 250-300, lots of beautiful children, vibrant teenagers, some of whom played in the band (and one of the bongo kids had taped fingers just like Gary Tollenger!), and young men, elderly, too. The power only went out once so the overhead Casablanca fans were not off for long. After the service they lined us up front and all came to greet and touch and welcome and thank us. We were humbled and enjoyed this time very much. Few spoke English but we were communicating very well. We prayed with several and there will be some cool stories from this time of sharing. We hurried away in to a nearby school where we borrowed their pool for 6 baptisms. I will not soon forget the assertive manner in which the pastor dunked the people! One young boy about 13 was majorly apprehensive and resisted the baptism -- a minor struggle ensued. Finally the minister decided to let the boy dunk himself, which he mostly did -- but we are sure it "took" just the same and all the angels rejoiced with us by the pool today. Another young husband and his wife and child were baptized as well. As the pastor prayed the man had his hands outstretched to the sky and after the baptism he came out of the water and shouted the name above all names, "Jesus!”

We are at lunch now and the will hold another medical camp. Pray for Emily who has been awake since 2 AM (in fact pray for the people she treats too)

Big day ahead and then long drive home.

Ben and India team.

India team update - Fri 18 Sept PM US EDT

via Ben C email:

I'm on the bus and clicking out a quick update on the b berry.
After site seeing in the AM to get acclimated a bit, we headed to work. Just finished an intense and beautiful medical camp at a Burmese refugee camp in the city.

One small room -- meds, diagnosis, pulling teeth, all via translators. I applied fluoride with cotton swab to about 250 mouths. Rob fed meds and filled scripts, etc. They just kept coming. I kept looking out the door into the darkness of the narrow and busy street and word kept spreading and the tiny ones and families appeared. Small children moms and dads. Fred and Julie pulled teeth and helped out so much. The docs and nurses were awesome -- had a great experience. Stephanie was in her element. Tom preached first. The Indian docs were grateful. We did what we could. More could be done. Everyone made a great team together. Kevin says, "It was an awesome experience. It was fun!”

After the last tooth was pulled, we burst into the doxology as a way of thanking God for using us today. So many showed up with hurts, aches, pains and problems. If Jesus were there he would have just touched and healed as many as he could. In a way, he did.

Downtown Delhi is crazy!! The crowded streets and constant honking makes for zaniness. We are on our way to eat Indian food (@ 9:00 PM!) and to bed by midnight then leave tomorrow at 7 AM for another preaching meeting and medical clinic.

Namaste. Love to all from the India team. Ben

Prayers for India team

India Prayer Focus

Our goal… to be the very image of Christ in all we do while God works thru us to make more and better disciples.

The leaders of India would be open and respond to the promptings of God.
Give our leadership team wisdom & discernment

Communication would not be a barrier and that we would effectively communicate God’s word to all that we come in contact with throughout our trip.

God’s anointing on us- that God would use this experience to mould us and refine those areas in our lives that need changing furthering His transformation of our lives in Christ.

Smooth travel & physical protection enroute, while there & returning home. Spiritual protection; that God would bind Satan’s attempt to disrupt us. God would protect our families while we’re away.

Our team would quickly acclimate to the new environment and time change so we can be more effective and that God would prepare the hearts & minds of those we will encounter to be receptive to hear God speaking thru us.

God would make His will known to each of us each & every day we’re in India; that we would honor & glorify God in all that we think, say & do.

God’s anointing on each of us – to be Jesus to everyone we come in contact with and to use our gifts & talents; that we would be God’s servants to these people.

Unity of purpose & unity of execution (teamwork); that each of us would be flexible and seek God’s wisdom in dealing with unforeseen events.

We would leave those we encountered with a hunger & passion for Christ. That those teams following us would pick up where we left off in helping to spiritually feed the people of India.

To be the very image of Christ in all we do; that the Holy Spirit would reveal Christ thru us to those we come in contact with in ways that others have never seen and in such a way that we have never experienced.

[this is part of the prayer list the India team shared before they left]

India team update - Thur 17 Sept afternoon US EDT

From Ben C "Thanks for continuing prayers. The India team arrived safely and have settled in for the night. We were warmly greeted by several staff from CICM and 3 pastors of churches in Delhi. We were all given beautiful flower leis. Tomorrow we provide a medical camp for Burmese refugees. The government caps the Burmese people at $15/month. After the clinic, we'll share together in worship with the Burmese church in Delhi. Off to bed now, ready for a big of day of seeing and serving Delhi."

FW: Greetings from the Riveria! (Brazil short term mission team)

From: Jennifer Ayresw
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 9:40 AM


We made it! Flight was good, long, but good. We've been here for about 2 hours now, and I'll tell you man it's BEAUTIFUL!!! We drove through the city, all the ins and outs of it, people here drive crazy scary, then we drove through the mountains, got to see an amazing water fall, and now I'm sitting on the balcony of Carlos' condo in this huge round chair with a view of the ocean and the mountains all in the same place. Yeah, Im really roughing it :) Haven't slept yet, feeling really grimmy will be taking a shower after this email is sent and just going to have a chill day at the beach. Again I say, it's flipping amazing. This may be the only email I get to send out but there may be blogs on the Mountain website. Thank you all for your prayers and support I love each and everyone of you! Please continue to pray that God will pour out His blessing on this place and that we can truly be a light to the people!
LOVE YOU!
Jennifer

Hola . . . from the DR Team!

God is faithful and it is well with our souls. We are enjoying each and every day that God has given us in Monte Cristi. We are overwhelmed as we see God at work in and through the people here as well as through our team.
We have been working diligently each day rebuilding the house for Chava and her family. It encompasses a big chunk of our day. We have been able to do CHE home visits in the neighborhood which has been an incredible blessing. We have met new brothers and sisters in Christ as well as people who are interested in learning about Jesus. WAY COOL!!!
We were able to have a special evening treat last night which included ice cream and team time at the beach during sunset. It was breath taking and was a reminder of just how powerful our awesome God is.
We began the morning at the Christian School and was able to perform our puppet show for preschool age children. It was a great morning to hear the sweet laughter of the kids as we shared God's Word with them in a creative way. We are returning this afternoon for the elementary age children as well.
We are mixing, pouring, spreading (that's construction talk!) cement this afternoon and placing the tin on the roof.
Our team is strong and confident in the Lord. He has provided for every need and we are grateful to Him for every experience and person we have encountered. Our team time has been rich and meaningful. Each person's testimony has deeply touched a fellow team member. We are still celebrating the baptisms of Claudine and Lisa!! Praise God for all that He is doing!!
We have a block party planned tomorrow afternoon for the neighborhood. We will perform the puppet show again, provide face painting and balloon animals for the kids!! We plan to paint each other as well. We have plenty of pictures to share with all of you.
We send our love to all of our families. We are praying for you each day and we love you very much. Thank you for allowing us to come on this journey. We have been forever changed...
Love to all in Jesus name,
The DR Team
P.S. Today is Fried Chicken for Lunch!!!!!!!!!! Yeah Baby!!!!

Greetings from the DR

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow! It's amazing to see how God is moving in this place! We are thrilled to be here and the blessing is ours as much as it is the Dominicans.

Here are a few highlights from our team members and missionaries:

Claudine- loved meeting Damian (the youth pastor who is recovering very well from his motorcycle accident last week) and his new bride Suyapa and what a great godly example they are to the community and church

Lisa- astounded that language is not a barrier and she can share the joy and love with Maribel (a deaf and mute church member)

Marlene- enjoyed seeing the multi-cultural and mult-generational people who are working so hard at the worksite on the home we are building

Jenny- had fun sharing our puppet show with Damian and Suyapa and how easy it is to love the people here

Andrew- had the opportunity to give a mini-sermon to the youth

Greg- pleased to see the growth in the church (both with the new church building and activities flourishing)

Jill- how quickly and easily we have connected with the Dominican people; also seeing the team members grow throughout our week

Steve- renewing Dominican friendships from previous trips

Theresa- how incredibly at home she feels here with the Dominicans and how much she enjoys interacting with them

Karl (a friend from Mountain Christian who visits here often)- It's all special!

Valerie (the missionary)- We can't come home to Mountain Christian (our home church), but the "mountain" came to us! God still moves mountains!

Sandy (Valerie's husband, the other missionary)- team is a godsend for various reasons: encouragement for support and calling others to come here for the same mission, being a blessing from home, blessing to know. meet, and fall in love with each one of us!

Although we miss our families, we are drawing closer to the Lord and are inspired that He is the God of this city and He is doing awesome things here!

Love to all,
Theresa, Jenny, Claudine, Lisa, Andrew, Greg, Marlene, Steve, Jill

D.R. team trip update

From: lisa robbins
Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2009 8:58 PM
To: Andrea Stross

Hello everyone,
We just wanted to send you the latest update from the DR. Yesterday we began our day at the work site, working on our main project, which is rebuilding a house. While we were doing that, we had a chance to observe the neighborhood and interact with the people here, especially the children. It was very overwhelming to take everything in. The conditions they live in, to us, would be unbearable, but the joy that surrounds them is evident in everything they do. It was a very interesting and emotional experience.

After dinner, we hosted the ladies' night, which went very well. We had devotions with the ladies, and then we had three crafts for them to work on, which they really enjoyed. We were touched by the fact that it's the simple things in life that seem to make them happy. They treasured their paper flowers and the bracelets they made like they were gold.

On Sunday (today), we started the day in Madre, which is a very remote town 40 minutes away from Monte Cristi. We visited with the people there and invited them to a church service, where we also did a puppet show for the kids. The children latched on to us the moment we arrived and walked us hand in hand through their village, and they really seemed to enjoy the time we spent with them.

We then headed off to a private baptism back in Monte Cristi, which Claudine and Lisa decided to participate in. It was a beautiful experience shared by all.

Afterwards we made a visit to the childrens' ward of the local hospital. Luckily, there weren't many sick children, but we perfomed the puppet show again for the few that were there.

Then we attended the weekly church service in Monte Cristi and enjoyed the fellowship with the locals.
We end each day with team time, where we can share our feelings of the day and a little bit about what we've been experiencing. In just two days, we all agree that we are growing tremendously in God's love!
We look forward to giving you another update soon.
Blessings,
The Dominican Republic Team

greetings from Monte Cristi

Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 8:11 AM

Dear Friends and Family,Our team arrived safely Friday afternoon in Santiago and enjoyed the many sights and sounds on the two hour drive to Monte Cristi. We spent Friday evening unpacking our supplies and heading out into the neighborhood for a prayer walk. This was an awesome time of stopping at local homes and businesses to pray and talk with the residents. We were very warmly greeted and welcomed by all! It is awesome that there are no language barriers when you are all in God's family. The power of a warm smile and a hug goes a long way!
We also saw the construction site where we will begin today's work shortly and met the family to whom the home belongs that we will be continuing to rebuild so that it sits above the grade level (and no longer will have rainwater and dirt from the street washing into the home). We were able to pray specifically with the family outside of the home, which was very special.
We did get some sleep...actually the ladies needed to wake the men up today (!) Even in the midst of all the sounds....the roosters don't really seem to know that they should be quiet until dawn! It is very warm (85-90) and sunny, which is great!
It has been super to talk with the Lamms (the missionaries here) and the Dominicans who are on the church staff. They are doind a wonderful job connecting with the community and serving. They have made us feel so welcome!
Tonight the ladies will be having a "ladies night" for the local women while the men help with a youth service. Tomorrow will be a busy day doing children's programming for church services both here and in Madre.
We look forward to updating you every couple of days. Please know that we are praying for our loved ones at home and we thank you for your continued support and prayers!
In Christ,The Dominican Republic Missions Team