Category: Missions

Krystal, it was so nice getting to know you on this trip!  I know that even though these questions are the same as the ones I asked everyone else, all the answers have varied according to the individual personality.  The heart of each one expressed what the eyes experienced.

What was the first thing that made an impression on you?

As our bus drove up, we had children running up the hill to meet us.  Wow.  The sight of little children running to meet you! Such a wonderful sight! Don’t you know our heavenly Father loves to see us running to meet Him?

Krystal, I so agree!  That is the vision I get when I read the story of the Prodigal son.  Especially with my own experience as a prodigal, and then having a prodigal.

What did you experience on the mission trip that has been life changing for you?

Carlos.  Carlos has really touched every one of us.  On our last day at the center, when we could not get there due to the bus strike, Carlos was running to our bus to let us know.  He was telling our bus driver how we could go around another way.  He really wanted us there.  (Even though that route was impossible too)  One thing I know Carlos has felt the love from all of us and we have felt the love from Carlos—and as Carlos says, “I la you!”

Do you feel God speaking specifically to any area of your life?

I feel a strong stirring in my heart for missions.  But that is a hard question to answer.

What would you say to someone undecided about a mission trip?

No doubt about it! Everyone needs to experience a missions trip!

How will this affect your missions giving and how has this affected your perception of a missionary? 

I am already  trying to sponsor the sister of my sponsored child.  As for missionaries, great is their reward!  I have always respected a missionary’s work, but even more now.

Would you do it again?

Yes!  I already want to come back—and with God’s help—I will!

Krystal, is there anything you want to say to your fellow laborers?

Y’all.  This is going to be hard to believe, but I am at a loss for words!

Krystal, thank you…or “gracias!”  You are right, with God’s help, we will return!  And I believe Carlos will be the leader of the Praise Band!  On his way to becoming the Pastor!!!

What does that mean? 

Does that mean that I will no longer have little brown faces flashing before my eyes, especially when they are closed?

Does that mean that I will drink straight from the faucet without thinking of Puri and Stephanie who can’t?

Does that mean that I will “flush” my toilet, several times a day without remembering that “they” don’t?

I don’t know that there is a normal.

I don’t think I want to go back to normal.  If I forget all that God has shown me in the eyes of a child—I don’t want to go back to normal.  If I forget the way the bell hops acted when given all our left over pizza—I ‘d rather stay the way I am today, thank you.

“No one has ever done anything for us before”, they said.

Who in our lives—that we pass every single day do we neglect to do things for?  You know what?  Sometimes they live in our very own houses.  Sometimes their toothbrush sits right next to ours.  Any little thing you can do for someone, no matter how small you may think it is, It’s not to them.  I promise. 

It’s the moon to them.  It’s the stars and the sunshine.

For your devotion today, read Matthew 25:31-46.  It’s not long…but it will help us see. (NIV)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Even though everyone is not called to go, we are called to act.  By giving of our time and heart felt efforts, we are obeying His Word.  When we can’t go, we can give.  If we can’t give financially, we can act.  We can do.  We can pray.

Ask Him today, “What would he have you do?”

Giving Him All,

Angie

John David, What was the first thing that made an impression on you?

The living conditions of the people.  Houses are hanging off the sides of the mountains, built with block walls and tin roofs, living in one or two room homes.  And this is how almost everyone lives.

What have you experienced that has been life changing for you?

All of the children had an impact on me, but there were four particular that are going to be on my mind forever.  I come from such an amazing home life, and none of these did.  It obviously made me thankful for what I have, but it also really broke my heart for the children.  Their faces will appear in my mind every time I go to pray.

Do you feel God speaking specifically to any area of your life?

What God has really revealed to me through this experience is that any work for the kingdom, whether painting walls or preaching sermons, is important and it’s going to not only bless others, but be a blessing to you as well.

What would you say to someone undecided about a mission trip?

Go.  No questions asked.  Unless you feel it is against God’s will for you, you need to have the experience of going on the mission field and seeing what God does in your life.  You’ll be astonished.

How will this affect your missions giving and how has this affected your perception of a missionary? 

Before I left on the trip, I started sponsoring a child with my friend, Brittany.  Now, after I’ve been able to the that child, along with countless others, I realize just how important missions giving is.  I’ve always had a heart for missions, but it has grown so much bigger now!  My giving will definitely increase.

I respect the missionaries so much.  Through my aunt who was a missionary and my sister who is becoming one, I’ve always considered them special people, but now it hits even closer to home.

Would you do it again?

Anytime, anywhere.  But especially Honduras.  I’m in love.

John David, is there anything you want to say to your fellow laborers?

I love all of you so much!  I wasn’t close to many of the people on the trip before we left, but now I consider them all friends!  We laugh so much I keep getting scared we’ll get kicked out of the hotel!

Gracias John David!

Timothy, what was the first thing that made an impression on you?

As we approached Tegucigalpa, I noticed the housing.  That really hit me as sad.  I can’t believe that  people actually live with so little.

What have you experienced that has been life changing for you?

Sunday afternoon the Holy Spirit moved like I have never before felt! I had no idea what was being sang and still God moved.  I will take that back to the States!

Do you feel God speaking specifically to any area of your life?

Yes

What would you say to someone undecided about a mission trip?

Go.  It’s one of the most amazing ways to get closer to God.

How will this affect your missions giving and how has this affected your perception of a missionary?

Well now that I have a hand on experience with missions, I would love to be able to help more.  At this point in time, I have not job so I can’t really help financially.  I now realize how much they work and I have always respected it, but now I see the stuff they see everyday and how much they go through physically and mentally.

Would you do it again?

Most definitely!

Timothy, is there anything you want to say to your fellow laborers?

I have really enjoyed this trip and have had an amazing crew to be with on my first trip!

Gracias Timothy!

Claresa, what was the first thing that made an impression on you?

I found my Honduran, Kinsley! Saturday, when I got to the bottom of the hill that we have to go down to get to the Center, I spotted a little girl.  There were children everywhere, but this little girl stood out to me.  She is beautiful.  She is two years old and so cute. She has touched my heart in so many ways.  It will be hard to leave her Thursday.

What have you experienced that has been life changing for you?

Seeing all the the people who live with nothing but are always so happy.

Do you feel God speaking specifically to any area of your life?

I feel as if we in the states should be more thankful for what we have.  We are blessed beyond measure!

What would you say to someone undecided about a mission trip?

It will completely change your life for the better.  You will never regret going on a missions trip.

How will this affect your missions giving and how has this affected your perception of a missionary?

I began sponsoring a child this month. I see how much missionaries do and how they truly have to be called.  They are great people of the Lord!

Would you do it again?

Oh yes! Absolutely no doubt!

Claresa, is there anything you want to say to your fellow laborers?

If you have never gone on a missions trip, you should go any opportunity you get!

Gracias Claresa!

Brittany, what was the first thing that made an impression on you?

It was actually seeing and being with the children first hand.

Can you tell us what you have experienced that will be life changing for you?

Every child that I’ve come into contact with has and will forever change my life.

Do you feel God speaking specifically to an area of your life?

In a way, yes.  But I need to pray about it more.

What would you say to someone undecided about a mission trip?

I would tell them that I felt the same way.  I was afraid of coming over here, but now that I have, I wouldn’t trade any moment here for all the money or power in the world.

Brittany, how will this affect your missions giving and how has this affected your perception of a missionary?

It has already affected my missions giving because I’m helping sponsor a child.  I believe that it’s opened my eyes to what they actually go through emotionally.  Seeing pictures and hearing stories tug at your heart, but actually being here totally grips it and doesn’t let go.

Brittany, would you do this again?

Yes! Over and over again!

Hey, is there anything you want to say to your fellow laborers?

Just that I love everyone and it’s been an amazing time getting to know each one personally!

Thank you Brittany for taking the time to share your heart with us and all those who faithfully follow our journey here in Honduras!

Gracias!

Lis YOU are the winner of the book, “Blind Hope!” by Kim Meeder! I know you will enjoy this story of faith and growth despite obstacles of life!

I will contact you via e-mail for your mailing address!  Thank you again for visiting and reading faithfully! May God bless you richly!

For ladies only!

At Carmel Assembly of God Church (click here to find out more and register!)

Thursday night Rese Moore  will kick the evening off with a powerful message!

Friday morning message by

Candi Kidd! (click on the poster for Candi’s photo)

Friday Night—GUESS WHO!

Janet Paschal!

THEN on Saturday morning—

An anointed word from

Connie Haile!

WOWZER! Y’all—this will be an awesome time!

If you can come—I promise you will be most blessed!  Thursday night–Saturday morning—incredible worship—fantabulous ministries!

God will meet you here!

What I will be known as after I am gone is something I won’t know.

At least not here.

For the rest of the devotion—come on over to the Cafe` today–grab a seat–I’ve poured you a hot cup!  Sit back, relax–let’s share about life as a mom–and how Jesus impacts our lives.  Today you will find me here:

(The message is a portion of what I shared on Mother’s Day at Grace Assembly of God in Chipley, Florida http://graceagchipley.org/)
(Pictured:  top picture-Tiffany, me and April; bottom picture- Mother, Wanda, Aimee and me-yes, an old picture–you can tell by the poufy hair!)

 
© The Knightly News 2007-2010

I had told myself—I was breaking from “book reviews” since WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group was re-vamping their “Blogging for Books” program.  Perfect opportunity. 
But then I received the last requested book—in the mail.
Blind Hope was such an inspiring story to read—not just because I’m an animal lover—but because I’m a God lover.  Because I love God with a passion and purpose—that I’ve never experienced before.
As I read this little book—I saw not only myself, but I saw others that I love dearly—and many of them I would love to give a copy of this book to—just so that they could see just “how” God loves us.  That was the picture I saw—unconditional love.
I encourage you, click on the link.  Order the book.  Read it—and share it with someone you love.  Your life will not be the same—your eyes and heart will be affected—by a blind dog.
*******************************************************
An unwanted dog. An emotional rescue.
Sometimes the life you save may be your own.
Laurie had her own shattered dreams before she came to work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch—the ranch of rescued dreams—where broken horses and broken children encounter healing every day. Reaching out to save a dog in need, Laurie soon realized that the dog was rescuing her.
An inspiring true story told through the engaging voice of Kim Meeder, Blind Hope reveals poignant life lessons Laurie experienced from her ailing, yet courageous canine friend. Despite the blindness of her dog—and her own heart—Laurie uncovered what she really needed most: authentic love, unconditional trust, and true acceptance, faults and all.
As Laurie and her dog, Mia, both learned to follow the lead of a master they couldn’t see, Laurie discovered the transforming power of God’s selfless love even for imperfect and selfish people—and she experienced a greater love than she has ever known.
“Love is a bridge that stands firm through difficulties and connects one heart directly to another, not because of how it looks, but because of what it is.”              -Kim Meeder, Blind Hope

I will be giving away a copy of this book to a “commenter” on July 17!