strawberry tea

WOW! what a day! Today was so great. Let me start from the very beginning so I don't miss anything. This morning was the kids club and it really was great. The theme this week for the club is...ready for this?? The Olympics! I know. Very clever. We split the leaders up into teams: red, white, blue (think england colors not US.) The team with the most balls (aka points) in their bag at the end of the three days gets a prize. I'm on the white team and I'm very excited. We have a great team =)

We began the morning with a warm up. Yes, jogging, push-ups, lunges, the whole nine yards. I was not prepared for this. It was hilarious. The man leading the games is Jonny, he is one of the sons of our host home. We had a blast doing that. The story was next and it was about Gideon. Matt, our host dad, told the story about how Gideon trusted God and hid their torches under pots, smashed the pots, blew their horns and then watched the camp destroy itself. At the end of the story he tied it in by saying that Jesus is the light of world and He shines through all and we should too. Their craft was a mini olympic torch.

We ate lunch and then went for Strawberry Tea with the senior adults. They were precious! They had several craft stations set up. I learned to cross stitch, knit and I even painted! It actually turned out quite nice. A few of us ladies sang for them as well. It was a lot of fun, but more than that, God moved and spoke through the music. Rachel and I gave our testimonies. I spoke of how I was saved at a young age, but never matured spiritually and ran from God for a long time until He finally completely broke me and drew me right back to Him. I realized what a joy it was to live fully IN Christ and be in the center of His will. And that His will was for me to go wherever He sent me to preach the news of the Gospel. That there is nothing we can do to be saved, to be with God and get into heaven. It is the mercy and grace of the Lord, who died on the cross for our sins that picks us up out of the nasty, grimy sin we're in and sets us on solid rock, the Rock of Ages, our cornerstone. Rachel spoke of how she thought she was saved for a long time and realized on Good Friday that she was not IN Christ, and had to change that. So she surrendered to Him and all her burdens were lifted and she was saved, and now she has a burden to tell all about God. Several ladies came up to us afterward and thanked us for our testimonies. One lady commented to me about one of the songs we sang. "It is Well" was played at her son's funeral. He was diagnosed with lukemia at 18 and died at 19. She said the nurses always asked him why he was always smiling and he said it was because he knew God and knew where he was going when he died so he couldn't help but smile. When he died they played that song. Afterwards the ladies she worked with wanted to know why she wasn't wearing grey or black since she lost her son. She said she hadn't lost him, she knew exactly where he was and that it was because of God that she could trust and remain joyful. This story brought me to tears. She smiled the whole time she was telling it too because it was her testimony of God's faithfulness and sovereignty.

After Strawberry Tea we went to Betty's to eat, and then went to have a girls night of nails and chocolate fondue while the guys had their sport night with the men in the community. Apparently it went really well. Thank you for your prayers and thanks to God for the men He brought! There were about 30 or 40 from what I was told, which is great! I'll know more about that tomorrow.

I have a few prayer requests that are on my heart. First I ask that you continue to pray for the rest of this week. Pray for the speakers as they present the Gospel to children. Pray for the leaders as we interact with the kids. Pray for the kids too as they hear and see and learn. I also ask that you pray for one family in particular. I don't want to name names, but there's a family at the church with a child that has some anger and behavioral issues. She will be fine one minute, and the next a switch will just flip and she will be in a fit of anger. It isn't just a temper tantrum either. Pray for this child. Also please pray for the parents, particularly the mom. I can tell it's quite stressful and hurtful. When I saw it today, my heart ached for her. I could see the hurt in her eyes and it grabbed me. The last thing I want you to pray for is souls to be saved. Pray specifically for that. May God pierce the hearts of the people. Pray for salvation!!!

This is such a beautiful country. The people are so polite. It's not just being nice either. They are kind and love of God just radiates through them. I feel so at home. Don't worry I'm coming back...at least for a little while. Please don't underestimate the power of prayer, and please be faithful in praying for us. God is answering these prayers!

Till next blog!

I'm absolutely hank marvin!

Well, even though I'm actually more tired than yesterday, and didn't get in any earlier than the past two days, I promised I would write an update. Yesterday we started out our morning by heading to the train station to catch the train to York. It was our big touring day. We went to see the minster, the richard III museum, prisons and executioners room and several other places. I'll post some pictures here soon so you can see what we have been up to. Clay, Matt, the pastor and another church member went to Jorvik, a re-made viking town to see how the vikings used to live. That may have been my favorite thing. We also found out our ancestors could very well have originally been from yorkshire. That was cool. I also found out a cockney thing to do is rhyme a word when you actually mean another word. For example, if you wanted to say, I'm absolutely starving, you would say, I'm absolutely Hank Marvin. It was fascinating. After York, we went to the pastor's house to have supper and then to the church for prayer meeting.

If there was one thing that has possibly impacted me the most about this trip is that this church prays a lot...together....consistently. It's beautiful. Their prayers are so sincere. I truly hope our group picks that up and brings it back so that our church can start praying together. I've loved our prayer times.

Today was the first day we worked with the kids. It was great! We got to the church early to help set up and have our own devotional time as a team. Then we ate lunch and rested for just a bit until the kids came. We had a small pet farm! I was in charge of the animals. It was so much fun to play with the kids. Inside they did various sorts of crafts. Apparently, including the parents, they had over 150 people. That's a lot more than they normally have. With so many kids, you know there will be chaos. I saw a few tense moments, but all was resolved properly. The good part is many of the families said they'd be coming back later in the week for the other activities. Even the adults said they'd be coming for the grown up activities. Please please be in prayer for this. Especially pray for tomorrow night. They will be having a men's night. In this area, just like all over the world really, the men are the toughest to reach. Pray God will break hearts so these men can learn how to be true men of God! Tonight Clay taught at the youth night. He spoke about Isaiah and his calling. He really did a great job. I heard several of the kids talking to him about how good it was and how much they enjoyed it. Tonight I think I laughed harder than I've laughed in a long long time. It was awesome.

I'm really excited to see how God is going to continue to work. He has already answered some of our prayers. So KEEP PRAYING. If you're not sure if you'll remember to pray when you go to bed, then pray right now or set an alarm on your phone reminding you to pray for us! It really is that important.

Until next time
cheers
Melissa

Cheers!

Well today was day two of our trip. I'm sorry I did not write yesterday, but the jet lag was terrible (plus just the normal tiredness from traveling) so I crashed fairly early. Our flight was not the best flight. The plane was old and cramped, so none of us got any real rest, even those of us who were able to sleep on the plane. We arrived in Manchester around 7 AM and made our way to Harrogate, which is about 1 1/2 hours away from Harrogate, I believe. We went to the pastor's home and rested just a bit, had lunch and then headed to the church for the BBQ.

The BBQ was great! None of us really knew what to expect. I wasn't even sure if an English BBQ had the same kind of food as an american one...it does by the way. Apparently a lot more people showed up this year than last year. They have a BBQ every year. It was a lot of fun. It was a great outreach for the church. They had several people who were interested in the church and had a lot of questions about God. This is something the church has been praying about and prays for every week.

Today was great. The church service was very similar to ours. There were a few differences, but minor ones. The pastor preached about Ezekiel and the dry bones. How we walk around among the dead. The part that struck me the most was how Ezekiel was brought TO the dry bones by God. The bones didn't come to him. Then he asked how many of us were being obedient to God's calling. It was great. After church we went to Emmaus which was an old folk's home and sang for him. The pastor preached there as well out of Mark. The people were precious. One lady got mad at me because I didn't have time to finish my tea lol. Tonight was church again and it was lovely. Matt preached and did a great job! I heard compliments from several of the church members. After church we went back to our host home and talked for hours.

God has already been working on my heart and I imagine He has been on everyone's heart too. I'm really excited to see what is going to happen the rest of this week.

Love you!

God

This morning I've been listening to a sermon by Matt Chandler. It got my brain turning. He spoke of what God does and just barely brushed the surface of who He is. He mentioned some things, though, that just blew me away.

God knows everything on a macro level. He made this universe, and every other universe, out of absolutely nothing. God is not dependent on material things. One example he gave is that if we want to build a house, we need money, bricks, mortar, nails, plumbing, sweat, labor and all these things. God needs nothing. God does not need anything! He SPEAKS and things ARE.

God also knows everything on a micro level. He knows every single organism, the temperature of the stars, mitosis, how the human body regulates itself, how a baby grows...every single tiny detail about this universe...and oh yeah and the other unexplored, unknown universes out there as well. He knows the name of every single star in the sky we see, as well as the other side of milky way and more!

God also knows every detail of every event that has ever occurred, is occurring or will occur. He does it all without batting an eye, without flexing a muscle, without a single strain on his brain. Yet we would dare question Him? We would dare enter into His sanctuary to supposedly praise Him and then barely sing His praises, not even open our Bibles or pray to His holy Name? We would DARE to profane His name on Saturday night and then claim His name on Sunday?

If we only knew...

If we could only know just a fraction of who God is.

Magic Mike

Channing Tatum as a stripper. Most women ooo-ed and ahhhh-ed enough when they dreamed of waking up to find him as their husband, but now he's a stripper. Not to mention Matthew McConaughey and some other man who is playing a 19 yr old stripper.... So what's the big deal right? It's just a movie...no biggie. Wrong. big deal. Ladies, imagine your boyfriend, fiance, husband, father or uncle saying they're going to go watch a movie about a bunch of female strippers. Ummm we would have a COW about that!!! So why the double standard. Plenty of other faults can be found in the movie.

First, Christ tells us to think on things that are True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely, Admirable, Excellent and Praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8) I have not seen the movie personally, but I've read a few reviews and for some reason I don't think you have to see the movie to understand what the plot is about. It seems fairly safe to say there is nothing in this movie that would merit our thoughts and attention. One review said the movie has over 150 f-words. The Bible says in Ephesians 4:9 to not let any unwholesome communication proceed from our mouths. The New Living Translation uses the words foul or abusive language. Now I'm not trying to start a discussion on cussing and what's right and wrong, let's not get off topic. I think, however, it is safe to say Magic Mike is full of foul and abusive language that is not right, pure or lovely with it's 150+ cuss words and several uses of the most Holy God's Name along with other language. Also, can you honestly tell me, ladies who went to watch this, that you went with pure intentions of NOT looking at these men and lusting? It seems like that would be quite difficult. So, that begs the question of WHY you subjected yourself to the blatant temptation to lust over a MARRIED man (when perhaps you are married yourself....) Does Scripture not say that if you look at a [man] with lust in your heart you have already committed adultery with [him] in your heart?

Second, if the genders were reversed, and it was men going to see a movie about women, women would roll their eyes in disgust, call them perverts, and talk about how movies like that just cheapen women and give men an unrealistic expectation about women. Well...again let's quit with the double standard because the same is true about Magic Mike. This movie cheapens what true masculinity is meant to be. It also provides an entirely false expectation for women about men. It views them strictly in a sexual light. It isn't fair, and it's wrong.

I'm sure most of you have heard of the phrase, "garbage in, garbage out." The idea that what you let your mind soak up will be reflected in how you live and speak. If you are allowing yourself to be exposed to movies with strippers, foul language and objectionable content then your life will reflect that. You cannot expose yourself to sinful things and be filled with the Spirit at the same time. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot live both lives. You are either filling yourself with the Word and thirsting after the things of Christ, or you're filling yourself with the things of the world. Check yourself and see. If lust has become a problem, are you watching movies like Magic Mike, or are you memorizing Scripture and hiding it in your heart to not sin?

Magic Mike is not the only problem movie. The argument that I am making applies to all movies, music, tv shows and anything else you can think of. If it doesn't glorify God, why are we fooling with it? Maybe you think I'm being too radical, but when Jesus called us to follow Him, He meant for us to actually FOLLOW Him. To do what He did, and He only did that which was pleasing to His Father. So...movies like The Hangover...or all the Harold and Kumar movies....or what about the new Adam Sandler movie that deals with incest, foul language and premarital sex?

God calls us to a completely different standard than the world. Daniel lived in Babylon, a city where sex, image, status mattered most, and He remained steadfast in what God required of Him, and God blessed that immensely. So are we, His people, willing to do the same? Please don't think I'm trying to be high and mighty...I am by no means exempt from what I'm saying. While I haven't seen Magic Mike, I know I've seen and listened to plenty of things that aren't glorifying to God. I'm speaking to myself as much or even more than I am anyone else. Like Paul said, I am chief of sinners.

Last days

Sorry it took so long to update you on how the last days of the mission trip went. Day 3 was probably the most interesting. Friday was a holiday. In Peru, holidays mean alcohol and a lot of it (oh wait that sounds like Hattiesburg doesn't it?) We got to the church around 9 in the morning and organized ourselves to go prayer walking. We tried to go up into a certain area, but couldn't find a place to park so we moved locations. The missionary and our driver stayed with the vehicles. We started walking into this neighborhood to pray and speak with different families. We started hearing gun shots that were fairly close. At first, some of the group members thought they were fireworks since it was a holiday, but the Peruvians assured us they were not fireworks...they were definitely gunshots. At first they were not very close, but they got a lot closer. Then as we started to walk on, a young man came up and told us not to walk any further because a gang had already seen us and had been following us and now were waiting for us around the block. The Peruvians we were with assumed he was in on it, and was trying to make us turn around to lead us into a trap, so they kept walking. Then, two women came up and said the same thing. They also said a tourist group had gotten robbed recently in this same area. The neighborhood was very dangerous, they said, and we needed to get out. One of the Peruvian ladies took us down a side alley to the main road. We heard a couple of other really close gun shots and then got back to the main road. That was really the only time I got nervous about where we were. I am so grateful God was protecting us and saved us from being robbed. In that area, when they rob you, they don't just take your purse or backpack or wallet....they strip you down to nothing. It would have been very traumatic. We weren't able to stay with the kids as long on Friday because of the holiday. They police were out in full force because of the drunkenness. We saw one man getting arrested and his little daughter running after him crying and screaming daddy. It broke my heart. The riot police were out too, so we felt the need to get out of the area a little sooner just to be safe.

Saturday was a good day as well. Like all the other mornings we got got up and ready to go prayer walking. The pastor couldn't go with us because his daughter was in the hospital and he needed to check on her. (please be praying for her) So some of the church members took us around to some areas to prayer walk. We stopped at several parks where a lot of drug deals happen to pray for the city. We also stopped in front of the police station. Police are corrupt in that area. Very often when they arrest someone, they can be payed off to let them out. Right next to the police station was a little soccer/basketball court. A lady of the church said that a man teaches volleyball classes to girls in that court. But she said he also likes little girls. He earns their trust, and then takes advantage of them. That completely broke me and I started crying as we stood on the very ground where girls are taken advantage of and prayed. You could feel the oppression. Saturday was our last day working with the kids. It was the story of heaven. I was supposed to tell the story, so I wanted to be sure the kids understood that heaven wasn't just some pretty place to go when you died as long as you lived a good life. We discussed how works had nothing to do with it, that it was all because of what God can do in us and through us. Not all of the kids were paying attention, but I know the mothers and a few of the others were. So pray God grows that seed that was planted.

Since then we have just been exploring Lima and having a great time!!!

I'm on a boat!

Yesterday was day two. We didn't get back to the hotel until late, so I wasn't able to write a blog. I was exhausted. This morning I have a little spare time though to fill you in on how day two went for us!

We started the morning early and left around 8:30 (even though it was supposed to be 8 ((welcome to Peru)) and headed out to Rimac, where we are working. We arrived at the church and got organized and then started out prayer walking. We went around the neighborhood of the church. As we walked, we had little prayer guides to know how to be praying for the community. We stopped at a few different houses to pray for people specifically. One house we stopped at was a woman who had a sign on her door asking people of different religions to have the courtesy NOT to knock on her door. She was catholic, was not going to change, and was not going to even answer the door if we knocked. We walked down the block and prayed on the corner for God to draw her to Him. We also tried to find the house of a man who is now wheel-chair bound. He used to be a faithful church member until he got put in a wheel chair. We quickly figured out why when we had to walk almost 2 miles to a flight of stairs and then climb up 300 stairs (only to find out the rest of the path was locked.) On the way I spoke to a lady who was crazy, likely demonized, she was very very resistant to speak to me and kept pacing back and forth talking to herself. I quickly prayed for her and kept walking. Then I met a lady who asked me to pray for her. We also prayed at the back of the mormon church asking that God would break down the barriers of false doctrine and keep the people from believing the lies that are placed before them. Another interesting thing is that as we were prayer walking, the dogs in the area were very loud and violent. A few tried to bite a couple of the team members. They were only hostile to the ones praying. 

We got back to the church about three hours later and went to lunch. For those of you who know what it is, I had delicious lomo saltado! It was awesome. Then we loaded up and headed to the place that we're working. We sang some songs and did a skit where Clay, Chase and a translator had to dress up in fake beards (yes there are amazing pictures) and Clay was Jesus and Chase and the translator a disciple. The story was about Jesus calming the storm. That even the winds and the waves obey Him because He is Lord of all. We had about 150 kids today (and our most difficult craft) and the mothers had a first aid class and a quick bible lesson. When we finished with the crafts, we went back to the church to do a quick session with the compassion kids. There were about 75 of them. For the day we ended up with somewhere between 225, and 250. Since today is a holiday here,  (some saint) we are hoping and planning for a lot more kids! 

Continue praying for the children we meet. That we will not only speak about Jesus, but that His love would shine through our lives as we love and serve these kids and their families! I look forward to giving you another report tonight. 

63 hours and only 6 hours of sleep

Today was day one of our mission trip. Getting here has been difficult, so it is quite a blessing to finally be here. God had to cancel a flight, delay one and then fly us in and out of the same terminal to get us here! God has already been working (of course) and I truly believe great things are going to happen this week.  The chaos all started Tuesday night. I had looked in my travel bag of documents to make sure my passport was there and saw a blue passport book so I didn't look at it. Tuesday night I went to take it out to make some copies, and realized it was my EXPIRED passport. So after tearing the house apart looking for it, my parents and I finally deduced it must have been in a purse that got stolen right after I got back from Italy. So, I got a two hour nap and was up at 5 am with dad to head to New Orleans to the passport agency. I had made a last minute appointment at 10:30, but wanted to get there when the doors opened just in case they would let me in early. The flight was originally scheduled to leave at 12:40. They did let me in and I had my passport by 10:30. I got a text saying our flight was canceled and then another one saying they weren't going to let us take our supply trunks. So when I got to the airport our flight had been rescheduled to fly out at 6:30 and someone was on their way from hattiesburg with a lot of extra bags so we could switch all our bags over. After the long wait, the flight was delayed. We weren't sure at that point if we would make our flight in Miami, so everyone was praying that something would happen. Well, the unheard of happened. We flew into the exact same terminal we were flying out of in Miami, just two gates down. So we flew out at midnight headed to Lima. I don't sleep well on planes so I only got about 2 hours of sleep, (that's 6 in a span of 48 hours if you're counting) When we got to Lima, we got settled in and got another two hours of sleep and had to get up to go work. I was ready to see the kids. 

When we finally got to the kids, after eating lunch, meeting the pastor and touring the church, I was so excited. There were about 90 kids....and a few gang members. My fiance and his bother went to talk to the gang members, which was such a blessing because I think it helped protect us and our things. They are both very fit and big guys so they demand respect. The translator said the gang members were intimidated by Clay and Chase. However, we knew we still needed to be really careful. We played games, had snacks, a puppet show, a verse of the day, a Bible story and then a craft that reinforced the Bible story. The kids are precious. They were all really excited we were coming back tomorrow, so I'm sure we will have more kids tomorrow. 

I made a new friend today in particular. He is on my heart tonight. His name is Benito and he's 7. He has at least one older sister and a brother. His dad committed suicide, and his mom ran off. So Benito lives with his grandmother. He is precious. He immediately jumped in my arms as soon as he saw me. Benito doesn't know how to read yet, and his speech is sometimes difficult to understand. He asked me if I would adopt him. The women of the church said his home life is not good at all. Please pray for Benito and his family. 

I'm so excited to see how God is going to move the rest of this week. Please continue to pray for the kid, church members, the pastor and the team members. The devil has tried really hard to keep us from being here, and we believe that is a sign God is planning on using us to do a mighty work. I am thrilled to see what that will be! Thank you for your prayers!!! 

Til next time,

Melissa!

To The Ends of the Earth

I'm taking a class by Dr. Jerry Rankin about the importance of missions. We've only had one session, but it really got me thinking and meditating on missions. Most people hear the word missions and think of "those" people who were specifically called by God to go to a third world country and, I believe in many cases, thought to civilize them. You know teach them the "right" way to live. But that lifestyle isn't for everyone right? I mean some people are called, but "surely not me right?" Wrong. So so so wrong. Read what Acts 1:8 says. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Did you catch it? Read it one more time. You shall receive power...AND..." If we are not being witnesses in all parts of the earth, we are NOT utlizing the power God wants to empower us with. Being witnesses for God is a natural reaction to being filled with His power. If we aren't spreading the Gospel, we aren't obeying God. Period. If you have absolutely no desire to see the lost saved then you are either so far from God or you may not be a child of God.

Let's explore a thought. Why did Jesus die? Most would probably answer with "me" or "my sins." How self centered our western, americanized christianity has become. Jesus died so Hid message of redemption and remission of sins could be preached to ALL the world, not so we could live comfortable, complacent "christian" lives content to live in mediocrity. We are in danger of having our hearts hardened to the nations as the Israelites were, to the point of rejection. What a scary thought. We justify and rationalize our excuses by saying we give money or something like that, which is great! but we have forgotten or ignored God's purpose. It's God's purpose, His Mission that we do missions. It's the impulse of an indwelling presence that motivates us to go. We have gotten it in our heads that since we haven't had a "burning bush" kind of calling, that we haven't been called. WRONG! Dr. Rankin said, "Our worship should draw us to the heart of God so we feel His impulse to go, so HE will be exalted in all the earth. We will only be compelled to go by a relationship with Jesus Christ."

If you aren't feeling compelled to go, draw near to Christ. Be still and know that He is God. Learn to feel His heartbeat. Hurt over what hurts Christ. Be broken for the lost. I mean really broken. Empty yourself of yourself so you can be filled with the Spirit. Remember what happens when you're filled with the Holy Spirit? You will receive power. That's Christ's power. You will receive power AND then you will be witnesses to the ends of the earth for Christ. Let's fall into the arms of Christ, be filled with his power and start caring for the souls who are dying and going to hell.

Graduation, Goals and God

122 days until graduation. This is the time in life when the world looks at those of us who are seniors and ask, "so now what are your plans?" This is the time in life where we are supposed to know exactly what our life goals and plans are. 122 days left for me to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

We all have goals and plans, and those are not inherently wrong, but what about God's plans? As Christians we are supposed to live a life full of Christ's joy, in his love and abide and rest fully in the arms of Christ. What happens when you do this? You have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) Jesus told us, "Abide in me, and I in you." Read that verse carefully. I in you. The branch and the Vine become one. They share the same sap. When you are one with the Vine, don't you think you'll know God's will for your life?

A friend of mine preached Sunday night and he posed a question to the congregation, "Are your plans hindering God's will?" See, when Jesus told his disciples in Matthew that he was going to die, be buried and resurrect, Peter said, "Surely not you!" Peter doubted the will of God. Maybe his intentions weren't malicious. He honestly just wanted the best for Jesus. Jesus was not only his leader, but his friend. Naturally Peter didn't want Jesus to even put himself in harms way. The problem is, Peter's will, however honorable his intentions, were against the will of God. What was Jesus' response? "Get behind me Satan." Harsh? Not really. When we do something to hinder the will of God, we are aiding the ways of the Evil One.

122 days until graduation. 122 days to fall deeper in love with Christ. This is the time to abide in Christ. This is the time to learn how to have full joy. This is the time to share the joy and love of Christ with a sinful and dying world. Today is the day of salvation! Christ came to give us life and abundant life. I believe God wants us to plan, but let's take careful time to be sure our plans are the same as Christ's plans. God's will isn't meant to be some big mystery. He will make it known. Learn the voice of the master. When you recognize God's voice, you'll know when and exactly what He's saying to you. Lately to me He's been telling me to wait. So I will worship while I'm waiting.

122 days until graduation. Wait on God. Listen to His voice. Follow HIS plan.