Grove Student Missions

The middle school mission trip is being updated at the below link

2011-07-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

http://ampedmissions.blogspot.com/

More PIctures from this week!

2011-06-25T04:31:00.001-07:00

The team's fearless leaders!

Connor, Pete, Stephen, and Luke working hard filling the cement columns

Eileen helping Kelsey after having her hair "platted"

Tammy working hard getting cement in buckets for the guys' assembly line

Leanne talking with Francine and Aaliyah

Stephen, Sean, and Christian playing soccer with the kids

PAige doing what she does best ... talking with kids and sharing the Gospel

Ken sharing his hat ... :)

The Gwaltney brothers with some of their boys!

Praying over Pastor Exante, the kids, and the church!

Day 4: It's So Hard to Say Goodbye ...

2011-06-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

The bus ride back to camp was different today ... there were tears, joyful laughter, and a reflective silence that is rare but necessary in our lives.

Last night, the project coordinator, Nate, and I decided that we would not start painting the outside of the church ... mainly because of the cost and knowing that what we didn't finish wouldn't get finished until next summer. Instead we held our plans for the day loosely knowing that God would provide some sweet moments that were necessary and ordained by Him.

When we showed up at the church this morning, we didn't know what to expect from our day. Jamie had taken Chuck, Connor, Luke, Peter, and Stephen to All Saints Camp ... and 5 minutes after they left, the church wanted us to finish the cement columns we were working on earlier! So we said that would have to wait and we would run VBS first .... which we found to be more difficult because there were over 50 women above us in the church sanctuary singing and dancing and a jackhammer ramming in to the side of the building. Through all the distractions, Therone did a great job telling the kids how to grow in their faith. He even taught them a new song and we all learned a new phrase: "Bene swa letenel" (Praise the Lord in Croele). Our craft was making bracelets with all the colors from the wordless gospel. It was so awesome to watch the kids run around with their bracelets on!

In the afternoon, we finished the cement columns in less than an hour (go team!)! Jamie also took Steph and Sean to All Saints Camp. That gave our team plenty of time to have "see you later" conversations and say what they needed to say. We ended with singing a couple more songs with all the kids and praying over Pastor Exante and New Haitian Mission Baptist Church.

The stories from All Saints are moving and heart wrenching. Reading the Bible to a woman blind from her disease ... singing "How Great Thou Art" with Arthur and Vincent on their front porch ... watching Miss Moxie hand you the Bible to read to her as her mouth moved along with every word you read ... seeing Tim and Felicia a year into running All Saints and how they've grown ... truly an amazing time over there. We are so grateful we were able to get students over there to visit with the residents.

The stories from the church are filled with hope and joy and heartache ... watching girls being raised in the Bahamas while their mom is in Haiti ... watching Bahamian girls pick on a Haitian girl for being Haitian ... listening to kids singing worship songs when they think no one is around ... hearing kids tell you stories from the Bible ...

An absolutely amazing week.

Thank you for your prayers! Tomorrow will be a day to debrief and relax before rushing back into life back home. The thunder and lightening righ tnow is so loud it is setting off car alarms ... I love the storms here!

Good night.

Day 3: Not as Hard as we Thought!

2011-06-22T19:03:00.003-07:00

It's late (again) and I'm sitting alone in the dining hall at 10pm. That is the first time that has happened since we arrived on Sunday. We're tired and not really looking forward to tomorrow being our last day on the work site. But let me tell you about today:

- This morning Jamie, Eileen, Paige, Melissa, Therone and Tammy headed to All Saints Camp. The residents are mainly all suffering from life-debilitating diseases such as AIDS and Cerebral Palsy. Jamie, Melissa and Paige worked there last year so they were able to give Eileen, Tammy, and Therone a tour. They were able to meet Miss Moxie and read Scripture to Francina.

- Those of us at the church site were very busy this morning! We did all our physical labor work in the morning, which felt better because it was still quite cool. We were able to get another 2 cement columns finished. It took a lot of hands to keep the assembly line up, the cement moving, and the kids away from the cement (the kids love to help whenever they can!). Another group continued to pick up garbage from the spot we started cleaning yesterday. The kids were all pitching in and making an effort. One little boy in particular, Nathaniel, borrowed someone's gloves and was filling a bucket with garbage and carrying it to the rubble pile. What a blessing!

- We decided to move VBS to the afternoon because the kids were due to pick up their report cards from school in the morning. It was a little more chaotic because we had them all worked up outside, but it was still a beautiful afternoon of singing and learning! Paige presented the Gospel in such an amazing way! She used the "Resurrection Eggs" and had the kids shouting out the story of Jesus' final days. It really was a special moment!

Everyone has been working so hard the last 3 days and I feel like a proud mother ... because it is in the moments when the work slows down that the heart and selfless of our students is noticed. They put one more kid on their back. They tell one more Bible story. They sing one more worship song. And all with a smile on their face. I wish I could explain how beautiful it is to step back and watch every student actively sharing life with these Haitian kids. I thank God for the ways He has continually given our students opportunities to share His love and they've taken them!

Tonight, we gave them their encouragement cards and there was a lot of laughter, some tears, and some sweet moments of silence. The students were definitely encouraged so thank you to all who wrote to them!

Please pray for us tomorrow ... it is our final day at the work site and saying goodbye to the kids knowing there will not be another group to be with them this summer is hard for us. Getting on the bus to go back to camp on the last day is always torture. Also, another group of students will be heading to All Saints in the morning for an hour to meet some of our old friends ... how sweet reunions can be!

More pictures will be up in the morning!

Day 2: 3 Years in the Making ...

2011-06-21T18:55:00.001-07:00

It's late and everyone has already gone to their cabins (even after drinking cans of Goombay Punch). But today was a beautiful day watching what our students did when the work wasn't necessarily there for them to do.

Our morning started out with VBS, which went so well! The children have been dancing and singing during worship, listening carefully during the lesson, and having fun with craft and games! We're starting to have a lot more children show up. Yesterday was around 25 ... today we had about 50 children by lunch time! Stephen did a great job presenting the issue of sin (which is not easy to present when you don't continue the message into Jesus), but he left them wanting to know more.

Our afternoon is normally when we do more intense manual labor. Yesterday was all the cement work. Today ... well, today moved a little slower than we thought. The project construction manager didn't want us to do cement work in the afternoon, so he had us move a pile of wood and then seemed to be satisfied ... and it was only 1:00! So we decided to clean up the entire campus. For the past 2 years, there have been rusted cars sitting int he backyard where the children normally play. They were finally moved this year, so we spent the afternoon cleaning out all the garbage that was behind them. We had some sweet Haitian kids running the wheelbarrow for us and picking up garbage. We also had some "fun" run-ins with cockroaches! But after we were able to pick up a lot of broken glass, empty bottles and cans, and random car parts, it really made the property inviting!

My favorite part of the day:
Two years ago, one of our student, Jake, saw the "basketball hoop" the kids were using ... a plywood board with a broken milk crate nailed to it. So Jake decided they should have a real basketball hoop (because they deserve something new too). So our project leader, Rich, went and bought the materials. After the board was put together we found out the police actually break the milk carton off the board because it is illegal to post anything on a telephone pole. There was the problem. So two years that basketball board has been sitting in a part of the church, unused. But that changed today at 2:00! The one outside wall of the church is finally finished and so we were given permission to hang up the hoop! All the kids (even neighborhood kids) came around, held the ladders in place while nails got driven into the cement. And we had the honorary first shot into the hoop! TO know that there something at the church to provide a safe place for kids to come and play basketball and get to know the staff and members at New Haitian Mission Baptist Church is awe-inspiring. We are so excited to see a vision one student had come to fruition. That's mission .... being in it for the long-haul ...

Check out pictures from the last two days below!

God is good.
Good night.

Pictures: Day 2

2011-06-21T18:19:00.001-07:00

Day 2: An awesome game of soccer happening in the backyard!

Day 2: Leanne playing with Natasha.

Day 2: This is Amos drawing Jesus on the cross after learning why Jesus had to die for our sins.

Day 2: This was one of the best moments thus far: The basketball hoop that one of our students had a vision for 2 years ago and he put it together has been sitting in the church because they had nowhere to hang it. Now that the outside wall was done, it got nailed up and we had an amazing basketball game take place! AMAZING!

Pictures Day 1

2011-06-21T16:01:00.001-07:00

Day 1: Here we are! The whole Mission Discovery crew! What a good looking team!

Day 1: Starting the morning off right with worship!

Day 1: Lorrin making a new friend in Natasha, one of our resident cuties!

Day 1: Our craft for the day was crowns to remind them of the "King of Kings"

Day 1: This is Connor and Peter standing at the top of the wall where the cement had to make its way to!

Day 1: B.A.H.A.M.A.S.

2011-06-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Good evening, all! It's been a long day for us all but there is a huge game of Spoons happening and people talking away while I write this.

Today was absolutely amazing. I wish I could describe every little detail to you, but to spare you my long-winded way of writing, I'll give you the highlights.

- Therone was awesome and bought as all "wordless Gospel" bracelets ... simply has the colors we use to represent the Gospel on it. One thing with students is that they are a a little nervous sometimes when it comes to talking about their faith. But when kids are asking, "What's on your bracelet?" the conversation can flow pretty easily from there! Time and time again did we see students talking about God's love with these kids ... how beautiful!

- Seeing the kids from last year! We saw a lot of them and they're really growing up! Year 3 at the same church has made it such a blessing to watch these kids grow up! So far we've seen: Benny, Kevin, Fanceline, Natasha, Marc Anthony, and of course ... Kaz!

- We've got a group of hard workers. We worked with cement all afternoon. Basically the process went: 1) Mix the cement, 2) Shovel it in buckets, 3) Carry it to the church (30 ft), 4) Pass it off to an assembly line that carried it up a ladder for someone to pour it down into a column. The guys were completely covered in cement! But their hard work was noticeable ... we got 3 columns filled! The Haitian guys were working hard to keep up with us! The girls would sometimes carry the cement, but they spent a lot of time keeping the kids away from the cement work (which, believe me, is a lot of work!).

- VBS went so well this morning! The worship team got everyone excited, Connor gave a great message about Heaven keeping the kids waiting to hear about sin and Jesus over the next couple days, and the crowns the kids decorated were worn all day!

- Coolest moment of the day: Some of our guys sat down with some of the Haitian boys and they just started beating on the table. Next thing you know, they're rocking out and singing worship songs to this amazing "drum circle" of sorts they created! Out of nowhere, we hear the shouts of joy for Him!

Lastly, Therone spoke to our group tonight and he shared, "Be a Helper and Model a Servant" (look at it closely and it spells Bahamas!). We love it!!!! We will never see Bahamas written the same again!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Tomorrow the muscles will not move as swiftly and quickly as another kid asks us to hold them ... continue to ask God to give us strength and multiply our energy! We'll need it!

We made it!!!

2011-06-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Good evening everyone!

I am writing this a little later than I was hoping but ... we made it! Our experience with JetBlue gave us an awesome start in the morning, not charging us for our extra pieces of luggage or overweight luggage pieces (good job, Paige Wrigley!)

The day went by fast and all our luggage arrived safely with us. Tammy had her first experience on a plane and her excitement definitely overshadowed any nervousness she had about it!

Our camp director, Nate, started as an intern here about 8 years ago ... now he is spending his entire summer away from his family to make our experience the best it can be. What a blessing! The Kaye Family (Peter, Jeni, Jonah, and Maliyah) are joining us for the week. It's so amazing to watch a family serve together! They fit in very well with our team and life in the Bahamas!

Tonight we went over the basic camp guidelines and got ready for tomorrow at the work site. Everyone knows their responsibility, they pitched in to get snack ready, clean the dining area, and get the place ready for breakfast in the morning. Pete closed us in an awesome prayer that reminded us that God does amazing, life-changing things here. We can't wait for the stories we will share.

Giving Thanks for:
- Safe travels and no lost luggage!
- An amazing family and leader to serve alongside
- The slightest bit of rain to cool us off as we settle into life where the humidity is much more than we're used to
- Smiling faces ... from our team ... and the people here

Please pray for:
- Energy for our first day ... the kids really wear us down because they have so much energy!
- Opportunities to love God and love others

Post comments and we'll read them at breakfast!

HS Nassau Mission 2011

2011-06-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here we are!
The 2011 HS Mission Team!

We had our final gathering last night before we're all on an airplane headed south! Our team dinner was absolutely wonderful last night! We were honored to have family and friends there to share a meal together, support us, pray over us.

We leave Sunday morning at 9:25am with an arrival time in Nassau at 4:00pm.

Things to pray for before we leave:

- Nerves - we have a couple students flying for the first time or leaving the country for the first time!
- In the Word - that we will be in the Word, listening to what God wants to speak to us as we prepare to share His love!
- Health! - There's always potential for someone to have a sore throat, a cough, or break something right before a trip! Pray we all stay healthy over the next couple days to get us down there!

Thanks so much and check back every day for updates and pictures!

*L

Haiti: Last Day and Leanne's Thoughts ...

2010-09-19T11:39:00.001-07:00

(Written Friday morning but we left in a rush to the airport so it didn’t get posted until now … oops)

Well it's nice and early here and I decided to give a brief update that will not satisfy my soul to get it all out. But we had an extremely long day that was draining on the heart and soul and overwhelming for the mind to soak it all in.

We finally were able to talk in all times yesterday in "ish" form ... so our flight was supposed to leave at 1 and left at 2:30ish. We flew into Port au Prince, landing before 4. From the plane you could see all the tent cities and piles of rubble. We hopped into vehicles and started traveling thru the streets of Port au Prince. From the minuste we landed, UN trucks were present everywhere. We even saw them in Port au Paix on Wednesday. But here they were, driving thru the streets of Port au Prince. We saw Peru, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and Japan represented within the UN soldiers. There were piles of cement ready for mixing, a lot of cement blocks beautifully fashioned, and a lot of traffic as we traveled to the property Pastor Exante is hoping to purchase for a church building. A couple of the neighborhood kids came to see us and hoped for a picture to be taken and some food. Since it was so remote and they were the only ones around, we gave them some snacks as we pulled away.

Our drive from the property site to the soccer stadium was long, overwhelming, and exhausting. With the windows down and sitting in traffic for 2 hours, it felt like all we were breathing in was exhaust fumes from surrounding vehicles. “Party” tap-taps (taxis) littered the streets with loud music and bright lights into the darkness of the night. After the sun went down is when we reached the center of much of the earthquake damage. The palace looked as if it cracked down the middle and folded into itself. Tent cities were located directly across the street of the palace as a reminder of the amount of devastation. Remains of buildings looked like they collapsed like an accordion … floor on top of floor. Sidewalks and streets were cracked with rubble and stone everywhere making driving even more difficult than it already is. We pulled up to the soccer stadium with its bright lights illuminating all of its surroundings with people swarming around everywhere in hopes to hear what was happening inside its walls. We quickly rushed out of the vehicles and ran into the stadium to catch the last few minutes of the soccer game (professional … it was awesome!). With only a few cracks, the stadium stood strong through the devestation that surrounded it. Pastor Exante, Don, and Rich spoke with the director of the stadium about the capacity and what the crusade in January may look like. It was loud and crazy with the intensity of the game but we were surrounded by security protecting us. After only a few brief moments and quick conversation we were rushed out before the game ended so we didn’t get caught in the rush.

We returned to the vehicles to drive off into the night to a local hotel that Exante is planning to hold the other conference seminars for pastors during the crusade. We walk in to seeing a lot of white folks along with some good looking military men (I’m single … I can say it!). The manager was a white French man with a flamboyantly french accent. He took us into the manager quarters which were air-conditioned with some sort of satellite television. They discussed numbers of rooms, sizes of conference rooms, and group pricing. Within 10 minutes, the conversation was over and we were back in the vehicles feeling accomplished for the day.

We finally got to the hotel around 8pm that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere … its high walls protecting the view only so much before you stood on the top floor balcony and overlooked crumbled building remains and another tent city. We met with the president of Mission Discovery and snagged a late dinner in the hotel’s restaurant that included ham and cheese sandwiches with friend plantains and lots of water. We headed back to our rooms to clean up from the exhaust fumes and dirt we were covered in and to get a few hours of sleep before an early wake up to get to the airport on time.

The morning was good with a brief goodbye to Rich and Murray (Don wasn’t feeling well so he slept in) and off to the airport we went with Pastor Exante and Laurie. It’s funny because we really underestimate the presence Pastor Exante carries and the networking he has. Thursday night he was scheduled to meet with one of the Haitian presidential candidates at our hotel and at the airport he somehow got thru security although he was behind us in line and he had a security guard with him while he awaited boarding his flight to Miami. We sat among about 2 dozen air force medics that were headed back to the states. They were there for about 2 weeks doing some basic preventative medical care. It was a sweet time to just hear from them a little bit, share our journey, and let them know how thankful we are for all they do.

We made our flights on time on the way home and had time to rest over the weekend ... so fantastic.

A couple of thoughts:
- Haiti has not been abandoned. The UN presence was strong along with non-government organizations (NGO’s) seen everywhere we went.
- There is no easy fix. Building new homes and providing work just isn’t there yet … now knowing there is a fault line there, they are having to put into place international earthquake guidelines that must be followed for housing now. This means strategically thinking how to reorganize the entire city so if another earthquake takes place, preventative measures have been taken.
- There is a livelihood in the city. People were out, enjoying the soccer game, singing, dancing, and moving forward with life. It wasn’t completely desolate and they weren’t just looking for handouts. They are hard-working and the market and local shops prove that. Even in the tent cities they are trying to rebuild their lives on their own.
- There is plenty of work to still be done. And it’s going to be the Haitians that set the tone for the integrity that is needed. If anyone remembers the Night of 2 Wells … how the war-lords came and took all the food the aid workers dropped off and then sold it for their profit? That is real life in Haiti right now. One cup of rice is $4. The average person makes $1-2 a day.
- The funds will be put to good use … just maybe not right now … and that’s o.k. You have to look to the bigger picture … we can’t just throw them billions of dollars and tell them to do whatever they see fit. It’s going to take a group effort to figure out the best not the easiest way to bring hope to the devestation.
- God is working. His Word is being preached. His people are praying. Church attendance has gone UP. Pray for those spreading the Gospel in Haiti because what they are doing is making an eternal impact on the Kingdom of God. The crusade Jamie will be speaking at in January will continue to strengthen those in leadership and preach the gospel to the masses.

Once again, this trip was beyond eye-opening and has sent us home to process and pray thru the next steps. But God is good … our world is broken … but at the end, we win because of who He is.

I’m sure Jamie will be writing his thoughts and be keeping this updated about January’s crusade so keep checking back for updates!

Haiti: Wednesday Update!

2010-09-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Wow, has it been a day. Today was a lot harder for me personally because the reality of our surroundings has begun to sink in. But it has also been one of the most amazing ways to spend my birthday ... and God knew that.

We started today by hopping in the truck to drive around town and run some errands with the whole team. We went to a piece of land that Mission Discovery has purchased to build a church and school on. Unfortunately, the funds haven't come in so building hasn't really started. And on top of that, the neighbors seemed to have built a wall partially taking about 2 feet from the church property. It may not seem like a lot, but things like that cause major issues with all the planning. While we were there, Pastor Exante spoke to me and it was like words spoken from God Himself. I don't like it when God messes with me like that ... but He does and He does it often enough for me to know to listen. So all in all, I guess I will be returning in January for the conference, which is something I want to handle with great responsibility and prayer.

We then headed to the dock and got the "bonus tour" of Port au Paix ... we found the stove that got shipped and let the guys work out tracking the 7 bins that were shipped in July and still haven't made it here. It's the behind-the-scenes work like that we rarely see, but it happens and is necessary.

We headed back to the hotel for lunch (these awesome chicken paninis) and cleaned up a little before heading to the orphanage for the afternoon. Riding in the back of the truck is awesome, but you get covered in dirt and grime! Our time at the orphanage was well spent and accomplished. We organized all the donations that have been in storage and made sure they will be finding homes for everything! There's a couple kids that have stuck out to Jamie like Lavinski ... a little boy that just loved Jamie and didn't really leave his side. For me, Mark and Samuel and Luznia all were my little ones. And then there was this sweet baby that I never learned her name, but she loved to cuddle. I'm sure pictures will be up. Leaving was hard, but the staff at the orphanage understand that what they are doing is a calling from God! And that is encouraging. And after we had left yesterday, the workers got the tin roof finished on the church (which they were waiting to see happen since April!)!!!!

We're still processing, dreaming, and listening for God speaking to us thru the waves crashing, the kids laughing, and the begging on the streets.

Tomorrow we will be flying at 1pm into Port au Prince (pray for that flight! It's kind of scary and adventurous!). Once we land, we are hoping to have some time to tour Port au Prince and get an idea of all the damage remaining and a closer look at the current situation in town. Then Friday morning we fly home. I'm not sure about internet access in Port au Prince so there may not be an update tomorrow but please be praying!

Thank you again for your love ... it has encouraged and strengthened us to hug another baby, talk to another stranger, and look beyond what we see and see what God sees.

God is Love.
L

pics from the day

2010-09-14T15:50:00.001-07:00

Haiti: Tuesday Update!

2010-09-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

... And we're back from the orphanage after 7 hours of kids pulling our hair, continually saying "photo", and a lot of other french/creole that I couldn't understand! But it was still an awesome day!

After breakfast, I had updated the blog (see below) and then we got straight into the vehicle and drove about 30 minutes to the orphanage. We got there and all the children were waving from their balcony and by the time we made our way up, they were politely sitting in their circle waiting for us. I stepped in the room and it began ... the kid attack! We were greeted with plenty of hugs and laughter and smiles! After meeting the staff and the children sang a couple songs for us, we all headed downstairs. We got individual pictures of the kids taken for their sponsors and Laurie spent the entire day with translators writing profile updates for each child. She had a hefty task and with the help of Gene and Chesley, they were able to complete it all!

Jamie and I got a tour of the facility and local surroundings. IT's absolutely astounding. It's a 2 floor building with 2 large dormitory rooms (holds about 20-30 kids in each room) with large dorm style bathrooms. They got a generator operating (since April) along with a kitchen, nurses station, security guard sleeping quarters. They have a tower for the security guard, a church that doubles as a school.

The kids were absolutely precious. They ripped out a lot of my hair while playing with it which included braiding (yes, platting), touching it because it's different from theirs, and redoing my ponytail about a kajillion times. Jamie had to keep removing his hat so they could touch his hair and they ripped out his arm hair and placed it on themselves like it would magically grow or something, haha! Jamie had the kids running around, playing tag, and jumping competitions while I tried to teach a song, played tag, and cuddled with all the cuddlers (a.k.a. doing what I love).

We got to eat lunch with the children which included chicken, rice, banana, and some other stuff I can't remember. Jamie will be posting pictures soon. But seriously, by the end of the afternoon, we were all wiped out. We're currently back at the hotel for the evening. Dinner options tonight: chicken, fish, or goat. Awesome. :)

We love being here and God is softly speaking to each of us differently. Jamie and I both came back saying it is more african here than it is bahamian. That's something we're working thru, but the poverty here is immense. There is so much need and not the right leadership making things happen. The bottled water we bought yesterday for lunch were from Sam's Club meaning they were donated and somehow the wrong people got ahold of it and are now making profit off it. The corruption is big. They can't feed themselves but they all have cellphones.

We're taking it all in ... and listening to Him.

God is good. And we love you all.

Haiti Day 1!!!

2010-09-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Our team, along with your luggage, all made it to Port au Paix yesterday safely!!!! We had a long 24 hours of travel and waiting, but we did it! Sunday night we did decide to get hotel rooms (thanks to HotWire.com!) ... best decision we could've made! Although we got less than 5 hours of sleep, it was a very comfortable and peaceful 5 hours!

The airport process in Port au Prince went quickly and Pastor Exante picked up Jamie and I to take us out for breakfast. So we spent about 4 hours in air conditioning with some DELICIOUS food! Don, Rich, and Laurie met up with us for lunch and we all caught up on one another's lives.

We then headed over to the domestic airport ... if you can call it that! It was the smallest airport I've ever seen and we rode in the smallest plane I've personally ever been on. It seated 20, but there were only 14 of us and then luggage on the back rows of seats. The plan ride was interesting and we enjoyed flying over and seeing the land from a bird's eye view.

We drove to our hotel and of course Jamie, Laurie, and I sat in the back bed of the truck to have Port au Paix surrounding us! We got to our hotel and the rooms are lovely! Everything in our bathroom works and we haven't had major issues with electricity. And as an added bonus our rooms do have ceiling fans and some sort of air conditioning ... woohoo!!!

Today we will be heading to the orphanage that HOLD the Children runs. We'll be helping them with a few tasks like taking inventory, organizing their storage space, and helping to write profiles on the children to give to sponsors.

Please Pray for the following:
- our time with the children .. that the light of God shines thru all we say and do
- Jamie and I as we process everything (Robby, I wish you were here). Our minds are spinning with ideas and visions ... which if you know us at all can get dangerous!
- Diets ... honestly, this is always a prayer of mine because my stomach hates change ... so that's a personal one that I stay healthy with all the changes in diet. So far so good.
- The kids at the orphanage ... this will probably remain at the forefront of my heart. Out of 27 orphans, only 15 are sponsored ...

We love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers and support. I can already tell you that God is good and it is worth it.

God is Love.
-Leanne

2010-07-14T16:51:00.001-07:00

PIcs day 3-4

2010-07-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

2010-07-12T17:29:00.001-07:00

Sunday night....
Last night was a great night. we went to a local church and worshiped with our brother and sisters of the Dominican. Our team loved worshiping with the Dominican church, it was very hot. The people all intermixed amongst us and welcomed us beautifully, Jamie was then asked to give the sermon. we then went back to Pastor Raul's home for a late night dinner.

Monday.....
Today was an amazing day. We woke up bright and early and headed off to the village. we attempted to work on the roof of a new church plant, however we could not find enough lumber. So instead we taught the local children how to play duck, duck, goose (Gonzo). We played with the local children for several hours and built relationships. Our team was a joy to watch as they loved on the local people. The supplies finally came and we were able to finish the roof of the new church. After we finished there we headed out to a local school to help build a fence to keep the children safe. it was a long exhausting day. Right now we are enjoying dinner at Pastor Raul's house again. every one is doing well. We ask that you would be praying for all of us but specifically for Nanette. I am looking forward to see what God is going to do tomorrow.
We will update you as often as we can. GOD BLESS!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for your continued prayers.
jamie

day 2 in the DR

2010-07-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

JR High Day 1

2010-07-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

Well we landed in Newark after a 2 hour flight delay. Then after a 1 hour delay on our shuttle we final arrived in our rooms for the night and enjoyed some rest. it is now 4 :15 am and we are getting ready to head to the airport to catch our next flight. We have a 5 hour flight ahead of us this morning that departs at 7:00. Pray that our flight runs smooth and that God will prepare our hearts for the journey that we are on. Thanks and God Bless I'll publish when I can.
-Jamie

FLYING HOME :)

2010-06-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We are stopped in Charlotte on our "direct flight" home ... apparently we're staying on the same plane so although we have a short layover, it was still considered direct.

We're all good with our flight time and we'll be arriving right after 7:30pm.

thank you Parents! Much Love! See you in a couple hours!

~L

A Glimpse at Day 4

2010-06-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

After an attack of African killer bees and a broken nose, our own Jamie Kendrew is still alive. We deemed today "Operation Kill Jamie" after the 24 hours he's had. He's still surviving.

It was a somber and bittersweet day for us here. I'm not sure if I even have the words to describe our final day at the work sites.

All Saints team had a blessed final day visiting, finishing movies, and saying goodbyes. Students spent lunch with residents, helping feed them, and having some sweet times of worship. No words can describe the beauty of what today held and the team is simply in awe of God.

The church group pitched in to clean the church property and lay the rest of the cement (B. Cousino was the girl laying cement ... it was awesome!). We ran VBS and spent a solid 2 hours playing with the kids, singing worship songs, and explaining the love of God to the children we were encountering. It was bittersweet being asked "We'll see you next year, right?"

Lives were changed this week. A lot of them were in our team. But we know that the everlasting, beautiful, good news of Jesus Christ was shared and made known ... compassion was poured out and love was poured in.

The Mission Discovery motto is "To Serve is to Love" ... and all we can say is Hallelujah and Amen.

~L

PICTURES: Day 4

2010-06-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Glimpse of Day 3

2010-06-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Oh my, we can't believe Day 3 is over and we only have 1 more day on the work site. I've head a lot of "I don't want to go home yet" and "Can we please stay?" The students' hearts are becoming wrapped up in the lives of those they're spending time with.

The church site was busy as usual and God was speaking loud and clear. We spent the morning running VBS while some of the guys started laying cement. We took an early lunch thinking we could get about 2.5 hours of solid work in the afternoon, but God had other plans. We finished lunch, the guys started to look at their materials and realized they were running out of everything. The girls started to paint the outside of the church when they were told "Stop! This is the wrong color!" It was then determined they had no paint that was the right color. So everything was put on halt and we went to Plan B ... and plan B is always "Spend time with kids!" In those moments, our students got to sing praise and worship with the kids and it became a very sacred moment ... a thin place ... and a little piece of Heaven.

All Saints team had a very adventurous and blessed day. They were all part of filming a movie that was written by an ASC resident 10-year old named Daniel (the one they paid for summer camp). They had an absolute blast filming and filming will continue tomorrow. Students also spent a lot of time today with Arthur singing hymns. Arthur is in the picture of all the girls below. He is in a wheelchair, loves to talk about sports, music, and how much he loves Jesus. And he has an amazing voice that he uses with all his might ... another slice of Heaven. Some students also got to spend a little but of time with Miss Moxie. They had a dance party, read Scripture together, and Miss Moxie gave the girls some good dating advice. Also, the team sat with Feliicia and discovered she's a Cleveland Browns fan ... and after some heavy trash talking, they sat down and prayed for Haiti because she saw on the news a hurricane could potentially hit. As they left they shouted "Go Steelers!!!" :)

Our evening was fantastic because we did "MAIL CALL!!!" They loved reading their letters and walked away with a heck of a lot of encouragement! And our evening program was led by Pastor Bazille (one of the worksites' Pastors) and some of their church family. They sang a couple songs (absolutely beautiful!) and then Pastor Baz shared the gospel with our kids. It was a good night with a late bedtime (pray for tomorrow ... haha!)

A couple things:

- Shirley and Matt: Bethany and Sarah were so glad to hear about grandpa!!! We read it to them as soon as we got it! I meant to write that yesterday.

- John G. - got your letter for your son and he was grateful ... thank you!

- Stacie & Steph: the boys opened up your letters today and put their bracelets on automatically. :)

- Jan: Peter won the Conch Challenge with a wicked game of Musical Chairs ... it was epic.

- currently Brad has his guitar outside and pretty much all the campers are outside singing How He Loves Us ... ANOTHER slice of Heaven :)

We love you all. We miss you. We're tired. One more day of energy needed. Our God is good.
~L

PICTURES: Day 3

2010-06-23T17:24:00.001-07:00

Glimpse of Day 2

2010-06-22T18:33:00.000-07:00

Good evening! We are sitting in the midst of a beautiful Bahama breeze with a few drops of rain falling. It feels oh so good!

Today was another amazing day. Jamie and I switched worksites for the day so it's new perspectives time for the blog :)

At All Saints, our day started with finishing painting the Missions House (where mission teams/people stay on the property). The All Saints folks said it would take all week .... we finished in 2 days. Our team was a powerhouse!!! We also weeded one lady's yard so she can get to her clothesline without walking in "firewood" (aka the devil-child of poison ivy and other bad stuff ... don't worry, we're all clean from it :) After lunch, we spent the afternoon visiting residents and delivering snacks. We spent time with Miss Moxie who had each group of visitors read her Scripture. She would say it along with you when you were the one holding the Bible ... she spends her time memorizing the truths of God and it was BEAUTIFUL. She is looking much worse than last year and she asked me to read Ecclesiastes 3 ... "A time to live, a time to die" ... God was my only strength in that moment sitting there with her reading.

The Church group worked like crazy and got nothing but compliments on how HARD they worked! The # of kids at VBS doubled since yesterday .... there were about 60 kids there! While VBS was happening, some of the guys decided to start working on laying the cement slab since all the kids were contained inside. It was pure genius because they were able to get DOUBLE the cement laid than yesterday! The girls finished painting the inside of the church and is allowing for them to paint outside tomorrow.

A couple cool moments:
- Yesterday, a little boy asked Peter for water because he was thirsty and Peter had to say no. So then he asked for money and Peter said no (holding to what we've told them to do in those situations). Today, the same boy said he was thirsty so he was going to get a drink. He came back with 2 ... one for himself and one for Peter. Peter said it's the best can of soda he'll ever have in his life.

- There is a little boy named Daniel at All Saints. He writes screen plays and he wants to go to summer camp at Adventure Learning Centre (where we are staying). As of this afternoon, he had gotten sponsored for 1 week (there are 5 weeks of camp). Tonight we gave our team the challenge to help send Daniel to camp this summer. Within 5 minutes, students had handed us $335! We were able to hand the money directly to Tim and Felicia (in charge of All Saints) and they were overwhelmed!

- Yesterday, Don (our project coordinator) joined us for lunch at the church site. He said how grateful he was at how we dressed on the worksite and how respectful it is. There's not another team dressed as nice as ours! (And don't worry Brenda, that's not RY's shirt) :)

- Melissa's courage went up 100% today at All Saints. Yesterday she was quiet and stayed towards the back, not knowing what to say. Today, she was passing out snacks, laughing with residents, and having conversations. God has given her the strength to make every day at All Saints valuable and important.

- Even when our team hasn't been on clean up crew, they have helped at every meal and every set up/tear down. I am amazed at how much they are giving.

- Sean was awesome at letting some of the kids at All Saints beat him in basketball even though he just had to put his hand up to touch the hoop :)

- All the churches are starting to blend together. Currently we've got 10 people from 3 different churches around a table playing one of Josh's "hood-rat" card games and they are laughing, screaming, and enjoying each other!!!

Tomorrow is hump day .... halfway thru our week and mail call day. Your words of encouragement are about to nourish the souls of our team. Thank you! And if anyone could contact Jane Gwaltney, ask her to e-mail me John's letter to Connor at leroland05@yahoo.com because I left the print out on my desk :/

We love you all!!!!
~L

PICTURES: Day 2

2010-06-22T15:27:00.001-07:00

Glimpse into Day 1

2010-06-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Good evening everyone! We've just finished all our evening activities so we wanted to let you know what today held.

It was an absolutely amazing, God-filled day for each and every single one of us. And I'm ready and willing to brag on every single member of our team right now. :)

The boys were on clean-up crew all day and did everything with excellence .... even cleaning bathrooms! They continually went above and beyond and were a blessing to us all. RY won the Conch Challenge (a nightly game) for the guys cabin which means they get to carry around the golden conch until tomorrow night. Brad led us in another amazing set of worship, closing with How He Loves Us, which had about half the camp on their knees.

This morning started off with a healthy breakfast of eggs and warm bagels. We got loaded up on the buses and headed to our sites. The team at New Haitian Mission Baptist Church pulled up to a welcome team of children that were excited for piggy back rides and to ask "Do you remember me?" We played for about 30 minutes and then got ready for VBS. With about 25 children, we taught a bible story (Gen. 1-2) and made necklaces and bracelets. We played games in the backyard and painted faces with some cool face crayons J. Stone brought (best idea EVER!). We took a short lunch break and then got to work on the church building. The guys started to lay some cement slab while the girls occupied the children, had sweet conversations with them, and painted indoors.

The team that headed to All Saints Colony was walking into the unknown as there were over 70 volunteers from mission teams. It was amazing to watch our students pour into the relational aspect of missions. They sat and read Scripture for hours and sang worship songs with residents. It was truly a God-moment. The guys got almost an entire house painted in one day that they were told would take a week. The girls spent time with residents, listening to their stories, reading them books, and helping them get whatever they needed for daily life in the colony.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. We feel completely showered with love, encouragement and the pure grace of God thru your prayers. Please pray as hearts are broken that God would continue to move and be our Strength. Pray for rested bones and muscles tonight and energy for another day. And please pray for the beautiful moments when our hearts begin to align with His in such a way that we see the world thru His eyes and live out 1 Peter 4:10-11.

::: side note: we are reading the comments every time we update the blog and the students are loving the comments!!!! Thank You!!!!! :::

PICTURES BELOW FROM DAY 1

~L

Pictures: Day 1

2010-06-21T15:43:00.001-07:00

We Made It!!!

2010-06-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We made it safe! All our flights were shorter than expected and got in early. And we all made it thru immigration and customs with no issues. And the biggest question of all ... any lost luggage NO!!! Woohoo!!!

We have 2 other churches here with us from Ohio and Tennessee. They're all great and bring a lot to the table.

It's toasty warm, but a beautiful Bahamian breeze that just can't be beat.

Tonight will consist of our very own Brad Corrie leading worship, with a large group devotional time. Tomorrow will be our first day on our worksites and we are ready to go!

Please pray for our initial interactions with the Haitians tomorrow. Although some of us feel like we're back at home, we still need to start at square 1 with introductions, letting people know what we're doing, and start all the awesome things we get to do to share the beautiful news of Jesus Christ! Also pray for a healthy night of sleep for us all.

We love you and we thank you for your prayers!

Feel free to leave us comments!

~l

18 for Haiti

2010-06-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

Christ Church Golf Outing 2010
18 for Haiti
Monday, August 23, 2010
Treesdale Golf & Country Club
$165 per golfer
$650 per foursome
$50 dinner only

All proceeds benefit Student Missions

Click here to see the brochure which includes schedule and
sponsorship information.
Contact Leanne Roland 412-741-4900, ext. 158.

Foursome must be paid for all at once. Payment must be made at the time of registration.

Payment is due at registration.

For registration info Follow Link below
http://www.ccgf.org/golf

Last Years Bahamas trip

2010-06-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Follow the link below to revisit our 2009 trip

http://elementalmissions.blogspot.com/