Bake Sale

Thank you to everyone who participated in the bake sale on Sunday May 29th. The baked goods were good and plentiful as well as the donations. ($351.00) A special thank you to Rosemary Trojan for her hard work coordinating and executing the effort!

Team Orientation Meeting #2

Preparations are well underway for our trip.  It's hard to believe that we are just under 4 weeks away now.  The time is moving past us very quickly!  We are very thankful that the Lord continues to provide for us in our preparations.  VBS, Bible studies and project plans are all very close to completion.

During our meeting yesterday, we were reminded of the many gifts that the Lord has provided each team member, and that He has brought us together in His service to use these gifts.  We are also reminded that He may choose to use us in some way that we are not expecting, and that we must be faithful to this.

I am so grateful for this team, and the energy and enthusiasm that each person of the team is bringing.  Looking forward to serving in Nicaragua with the team.  Please keep us in prayer.

Bake Sale May 29th

You can become a part of the Nicaragua Missionary trip by baking for our bake sale and by showing your support of our 14 team members who are leaving their "comfort zone" to minister to our brothers and sisters in Nicaragua for the sixth straight year. We are proud of our tradition of offering our very best food offerings at no charge to the congregation and watching the Holy Spirit fill our offering baskets to overflowing in appreciation of the Missionary zeal estended in Christ's name. Mark your calendars now! Rosemary Trojan 215.938.1180

A meditation on "Present Yourselves"

A little while ago my daughter Rachael sent me this blog. I wish I knew where it came from so that I can credit the original author, but I don’t have their names, except that obviously they are missionaries to Haiti. I don’t mean to imply that Nicaragua is dangerous! But I think it is a really good thought and apropos of “crossing the tape” and “presenting ourselves.” I sent it to the team, and thought you might enjoy it as well.

From a blog:

The safest place to be is in God's will.

We once believed that this meant no harm would come to us or our family if we were at least attempting to follow Jesus to the best of our ability. These days that is seeming pretty shallow, wrong, and fairly self-centered. Why should it be easy and where did we get that cock-eyed idea anyway?

Things happen. There are challenges. Darkness attacks.

We're slowly learning that He heals, that He turns things intended for evil into things He can and does use for good, but mostly in the battle against darkness and injustice there are no easy pathways of 100% guaranteed protection ... because this is war and war is not without cost. In truth we've come to a place of recognition that our safety is not something we should cling to so tightly.

Does this mean we are never fearful?
No.
We experience seasons of doubt and fear. We fear losing our children in Haiti. I find myself spinning tales in my mind of the horrible way I might lose one of them. I wonder how awful it will be to know that my choice to live in a place without great medical care could ultimately result in a death. At times it makes me want to tuck-tail and run back to a place I perceive as safe. But in my rational mind I know that I could lose them anywhere and at anytime - and that sometimes in order to follow Christ - increased risk and uncertainty will be necessary - and possibly even required.

I want to learn to be less fearful. I desire to be wise but not necessarily "safe". I want to believe that my friends who are walking away from their safety-nets will be provided for in miraculous ways. I want to trust fully in my Father's ability to get me through whatever the future holds; the mountains, the valleys, the good, the bad, through war or darkness.

From Radical - David Platt writes -

Jesus told them, "Go to great danger, and let it be said of you what people would say of sheep wandering into the middle of wolves. They're crazy! They're clueless! They have no idea what kind of danger they are getting into!" This is what it means to be my disciple. We don't think like this. We say things such as, "The safest place to be is in the center of God's will." We think, if it's dangerous, God must not be in it. If it's risky, if it's unsafe, if it's costly, it must not be God's will. But what if these factors are actually the criteria by which we determine something IS God's will? What if we began to look at the design of God as the most dangerous option before us? What if the center of God's will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be?

Moving forward

Uh, gee thanks Chris. You make it sound like it's going to be so much fun. ;-) Actually folks, despite the "hardships" Chris mentioned, it IS fun -- sharing with the kids and the whole community, learning to live in close quarters with good people, and working really hard in HIS service.

We are busy writing VBS lessons and skits. Our theme this year is "heroes of the Bible".

Please be in prayer for the following:
o Open hearts and minds in Santa Maria
o VBS/Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies
o Pastor Jose, our hosts at Verbo
o Chris/Sandy – leadership guidance
o Safety
o Joy in serving our Lord

Team Preparations

The theme for the team this year is "Present Yourselves" based on Romans 6:13.  As the team prepares, they are focused on presenting their full selves, skills and talents, to the Lord and His service.  In doing this, each member of the team has committed to step inside the yellow caution tape, one of the major themes of the Renewal Weekend at St. John's and the focus of the Friday evening message of Bishop Barnum (found at http://www.toknowchrist.org/drupal/content/bfi).  The team will not be in the most comfortable environment.  Bugs, dust, rain, and oppressive heat and humidity are just a few of the challenges.  Still, the team presents themselves to serve God.  Please keep the team in your prayers as they continue in the many preparations for this mission. 

Team Meeting #1

So, we now have our team, and it's a little larger this time than in the last few years. Members are:

Butch Bodenheimer
Ellen Bodenheimer
Bruce Buckley
Sandy Buckley
Liz Christian
Ben Cramer
Mayo Dunn
Chris Freisheim
Deb Freisheim
Missy Gentles
Cliff Gobin (our colleague from Texas)
David Hanson
Lynn Rudolph
Sue Steege

-- 14 in all! Added to that are our two veteran translators, David and Eric. It's evenly divided among men and women, so it's a toss-up who gets the larger sleeping room, but the men say they should have it. Whatever; ours has a nicer door.

Liz, Ben, Missy, and David are new to the team this year and we welcome them. We tried not to scare them too much at our first meeting, but hey, the airline tickets are bought so they're in it now for better or worse. :-) They all bring terrific skills with them, and I for one am really excited to have them along. And, Missy knows "Pharaoh Pharaoh" which gets me off the hook! \0/

Yours in Christ,
Sandy