A Big God Who Uses Little Things

            Upon arriving at Oyacachi, a small and very remote Andean mountain village of the Quechua indigenous people, we were immediately blessed by the greeting of many little ninos (kids) who were shouting for joy as the bus pulled up next to the church. We were met with hugs as we got off the bus, and along with the hugs, many of the kids desired to feel my hair (I have a large afro). Playing all sorts of games, piggy-back rides, and messing with hair in general were expected whenever we were with the kids. We loved every moment of it. These kids were some of the most loving and energetic I had ever met and as I like to say, they were quite "Ecuadorable!"

            The first night we were there, we enjoyed some time meeting the kids. After what seemed like only ten minutes, we were a bit surprised to hear that instead of sitting down and having dinner then, we were given the opportunity to do the adult and youth services that night instead of the next evening as we had expected! Many of the LIFT students participated including the worship team and the skits team.  Juan shared his testimony, Joe C. preached at the youth service while Joe D. preached at the adult service. It was truly amazing how God helped us in a situation where we really needed to be flexible. The gospel was preached, and the Lord was praised! It was wonderful to hear a song performed by the Quechua women's choir in their full cultural dress of blue skirts, bright orange ponchos, brass-colored bead necklaces and brown bolar hats.  They sang a song called, "Bienvenidos" (which means welcome) to kick off our time in the village.  They followed with a song they wrote specifically for us, to encourage us as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

            The second day we were there, we got to spend some time in the morning with kids at the school. Teaching the kids English and playing games with them was such a blessing. Later that afternoon we had an awesome opportunity to partner with Compassion International, a program to free young children (ages 3-20) from poverty and point them to Christ. They work with kids in four different areas including spiritually, academically, emotionally, and with their health. They are able to get on a personal level with the children and because of that they are able to take God’s word to the next level in their lives. God is doing amazing work through this ministry and bringing many children to Christ. During this time (2:00PM-5:00PM) we got the message across that they are princesses and princes of the King of Kings, that they are uniquely created by God, and are very special in His eyes. We made it clear that only through the blood of Christ are they heirs to His throne. We helped the children make their own crowns and bracelets to give a visual example that they truly are royalty. With a Polaroid camera we were able to take pictures of each family with their crowns and bracelets on. We showed the children the blank Polaroid and how it changed into a beautiful picture. We then told them that this demonstrates how God can take a life that is blank and meaningless and turn it into something beautiful. They got to keep this photo and it meant so much to them. We then got to spend some time with them singing songs and playing games.

            The last big portion of ministry in Oyacachi the next day at the school with older kids (7^th-10^th grade) Once again, skits, worship, and English lessons were incorporated. Just to give you an idea of what our skits were like . . . the one performed today portrayed a girl who gets caught up in the worries and temptations of the world including self-image, grades and academic success, drugs and alcohol, and relationships (boyfriend). After becoming broken and realizing that none of these things truly satisfy, she falls at the feet of Christ and he wraps her in a white robe and embraces her. In the words of a fellow LIFTer,  “I love that skit- it gives me the chills, and I know that people our age and especially younger ones will be able to relate to it and God will use it to change lives.”

Another unique part of what we did was that we incorporated scripture into our English teaching. Romans 5:8 was read to them.

“…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

Then they learned how to say it in English and received cards that had the verse on it in English and in Spanish. After the time at the school this morning, we had to say good-bye to the many children that we loved so much. It was hard, yet it was very joyful experience as we were got to hug them, and spin them around in our arms one last time. As the bus pulled away we said "Adios!" and "Que Dios te bendiga!" (God bless you!) countless times as they threw flowers and then chased the bus as far as they could.  As me and a number of other LIFTers were hanging out the windows and waving, I was able to pick out Robinson, one of my favorite little ninos from the joyful swarm as they chased after us as the bus climbed the dusty road from the village. Oh, how they loved us and how it ached to say goodbye.  A few of the LIFT team teared up as we bumped up the high-mountain road when the meaning of their hand-written notes of love and appreciation from the children were translated.  Priceless and precious!

            Our experience at Oyacachi was really put into perspective when we arrived back at our home-base, El Refugio. After dinner, one of the facilitators who works at El Refugio shared his testimony. His name is Wilmar, and what he shared was amazing and truly touched our hearts. He talked about how when he was a kid, his father left him and his three brothers. Then, some “gringos” (Americans) came and loved him just like we did for the kids in Oyacachi. He said that the he was hugged, carried around, and that he climbed all over the people and that he felt the love of Christ, which he wished he could have received from his father. After seeing and receiving the love of Christ, he began to go to church, and it changed his life.  He and his brothers are now totally devoted to serving Christ and spreading the amazing and great news about his love.  They are presently very active as leaders and facilitators in the ministry of El Refugio.  Hearing his testimony brought tears to my eyes, and to many others.

“After what we did in Oyacachi, hearing his testimony broke my heart.” – Juan

            God used the little kids to bring us so much joy, and at the same time, I believe He used the compassion and love He has shown us to lavish on them- even if we were only there for a little bit of time, to impact their lives just like he changed Wilmar's and his three brothers! God uses little things to do big things!

I’ll Quechua later! 

Joe Girard

(With some help from Lauren V.)

Please team with us and pray for:  

1) A number of our team has been battling colds and gastrointestinal distress as they have been exposed to different a culture, environment and food.  They have had to take time out to rest.  They will need to regain their strength as wee finish our time here in Ecuador with another full day of service projects at El Refugio and a climb of a major mountain peak over 16,000'

2)  The continued ministry of Compassion International and the church in Oyacachi with the beautiful Quechua children.  May God's work flourish in the lives of each boy and girl there. 

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world!

God's Giant Mural

Since being in El Chaco we have been partnering with the Church (La Iglesia Cristo de la Unica Esperanza).This is LIFT’s fifth year coming here. It has been humbling to see how the relationship between the two ministries has grown.  We have gotten to worship with them, work alongside them, and just bask in the glory of God with them. During our time here in El Chaco we have had the opportunity to participate in three worship services, games with the youth, and our own Eagle Scout, Michael Uhlig, got to share stories with their scout program. We have shared and experienced the gospel of Jesus.  

On Sunday I had the privilege to teach Sunday school with the teenagers.  We focused on the story of Joseph and God’s sovereignty in his life. The teenagers broke into groups reading different parts of the story, and then took turns explaining it to the other groups. It was fun to see the teenagers get interactive with the Word of God. We focused on the verse Genesis 50:20 “ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”  I then was able to share my testimony, reflecting on how God has been sovereign in my own life.

Near the end of the Sunday morning service, the pastor invited all the LIFTers up to the front of the sanctuary and had a member of the church pray over each of us. The Spirit-filled prayer time was so encouraging. It is amazing to experience God being worshiped in different languages.  The women of the church then blessed us with gifts. The people of El Chaco are so warm and inviting, offering a love that is aspiring. It was so humbling to have this chance to be a part of the partnership between LIFT and the church in El Chaco, even if it is only for a short time. I am reminded that I am just one stroke of paint in God’s giant mural.

Elizabeth Perry


Prayer Requests:  Elizabeth Perry has not been feeling well the last two days and a number of LIFTers struggled with motion sickness during our return drive to El Refugio, coming over the winding mountain roads of the Andes.  Pray for settled stomachs and a restful day as we prepare to head out to do ministry in Oyacachi starting tomorrow evening. Today is a day of rest and doing laundry and drying everything out that has been soaked for the last three days of continuous rain in El Chaco.    (Tim Trezise)

The Lord is our Refuge

This is a quick post to let everyone know that we are all doing well and everyone, including Becky Boyle and Bekah Campbell have arrived safely to El Refugio, Ecuador.  Bekah stayed back with Becky in Manhattan to help her expedite updating her passport to be able to leave the U.S.  They had quite an adventure through the whole process, with the help of Joe Ciccerelo's parents, which God divinely provided for them.  


The LIFTers have gone through their orientation time and have met all the staff at El Refugio, a ministry of Youth World - which is part of International Teams.  They spent yesterday getting familiar with El Refugio by taking a hike up to 10,000' on the property, then in the afternoon they split into two groups to build teamwork on the ropes course and push themselves on the 40' outdoor rock climbing wall that LIFT has had a part in building over the past years.


Today they are split into four work teams around the campus, helping with big projects that need many hands and man-hours.  They are laying paving tiles in a walkway, digging a ditch for an electric line, landscaping in the prayer garden area, and preparing plywood to be mounted for the new bouldering wall next to the climbing towers.


Tonight the students will be making final preparations with their ministry teams for their time in El Chaco and Oyacachi.  After an early morning mountain hike/run and a full breakfast, they will depart for El Chaco, stopping at the equator to purchase gifts then continuing on through the sprawling city of Quito then over the Andes mountains and down the Amazon side to El Chaco.  There they will partner in ministry with the church that LIFT and El Refugio has developed on ongoing relationship with over the past four years.


The group is doing very well.  Rick Borman, Paul Reichert and the rest of the El Refugio staff do so well in hosting us and encouraging growth in each person.  Kate Trezise taught a class yesterday on "joy through suffering" which has continued to be on a lot of their minds. They are reminded that God is their refuge, security and strength. 




The food is incredible.  Fresh tropical fruits and juices every meal!


Pray for our group as they serve and prepare.  Also pray that they remain healthy and full of energy and open to the lessons the Holy Spirit is teaching each of them.


Tim Trezise

Bringing People Home!

"Our mission is to bring people Home"

Brothers and sisters in Christ! 

As you are all a part of this team through supporting us in so many ways, we want you to have a feel for our trip even from the beginning! If you all had a chance to be here, I know that you would be able to feel the excitement growing as we get closer to 2AM (the hour we're leaving...)! So if any of you are wanting to REALLY feel a part of the group, you are welcome to set your alarms for 1:15 AM! :)

We've spent the past few weeks preparing sermons, choreographing dances, mimicking sheep noises for puppets, putting together English lessons, and gluing jewels on crowns for arts and crafts in preparation for the vast ministry opportunities we will have in Ecuador! 

LIFT is so unique in that we've been learning about effective missions, the universal Church, and poverty throughout the semester and now we are blessed to step into another culture and experience what we have been learning. We'll be based at el Refugio outside of Quito, Ecuador, a leadership training center, where we'll be doing an array of projects. From the base, we'll travel to the Quechua town of Oyacachi and El Chaco to work with the churches there, using our different ministry groups and building a house for a couple in need.

There is a very different feel running through the LIFT group as we are all eagerly anticipating what God is going to do in Ecuador. This past week, we had a unique opportunity to do a "rice and beans fast" in order to prepare for Ecuador, grow in our reliance on God, and just humble ourselves to further allow God to work in our hearts individually and collectively as we consecrate ourselves to be used as His instruments.

The compelling phrase, "God does not call the equipped, but equip the called!" has been coursing through my thoughts as I know we will find ourselves in situations in which our human abilities are incapable of handling. As we see throughout the history of Christianity, this is the opportunity in which God works most mightily through us, as "His power is made perfect in our weakness."

 "Moses said to the Lord, 'Oh Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.' The Lord said to him, 'Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.'"

Here is a brief schedule of our time in Ecuador:
M-Th (3/17-20): @ El Refugio taking classes, preparing for ministry, doing work projects
Th-M (3/20-24) @ El Chaco partnering with the local church in ministry to the surrounding communities
M&T (3/24&25) Back @ El Refugio for laundry, rest & repack
T-Th (3/25-27) @ Oyacachi (remote high-mountain town) - youth ministry & church service
Th-Sat (3/27-29) Back @ El Refugio to do work project & pack for mountaineering trip
Sat-M (3/29-31) Mountaineering on Illiniza Norte (16,800') - summit attempt on Sunday
M-W (3/31-4/2) Back @ El Refugio doing work project & debriefing the trip
W (4/2) morning in Quito then fly to NY and return to COTW by 6:30 am Thursday


Check back in every so often and we will keep you updated with our adventures! God has provided immensely for this trip, and you are the instruments He has used to further His Kingdom in Ecuador so THANK YOU!

I sincerely hope that each of you see yourselves as part of this trip, and even more importantly, as part of the mission of Christ, "to bring people Home," as our fearless student leader of the trip to Ecuador, Juan Lucero, reminded us tonight that we are all foreigners in this world and our home is in heaven. 

 

Hasta luego!

(written by Laura Alexandria Walters)

 

Hasta Luego!

Buenos Dias! Our time here in the beautiful Dominican Republic is coming to a close. The Lord has blessed us in so many ways and I want to extend our gratitude and appreciation for all the prayer and support that you have given us.

 Friday night we had a closing banquet to hear from the different sites and to say goodbye to the people who we have met and grown to love and who we may not see again. It was great to hear from site leaders of how they had been encouraged and blessed by the servant heart’s in LIFT 30 and to see how God has been working throughout the DR.

 One farewell really stuck with me. In Los Higos, at the education and social work sites as we were preparing to drive away Friday afternoon and bid farewell to the people in the community. Hector is a young Dominican man who has been helping to teach an English class at the Los Higos School and who is extremely dedicated to his work for the Kingdom of God.  I watched as he turned to say goodbye to Nate, a LIFT student who had been serving at his site. Hector placed his hand on Nate’s shoulder and told him what a pleasure and blessing it had been to work with him the past two weeks, he ended by saying, “If I do not see you on this Earth, brother, we will meet again in Heaven”.  It reiterated the eternal value of a life dedicated and working for the Kingdom and glory of God, along with an amazing sense of unity with all our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout every nation.

We have been reading in our classes about radical abandonment of our own lives and giving up everything for Christ, learning about Christians around the world and praying for the persecuted church.  This learning has been brought to life as we are seeing real examples in the Dominican and in the missionaries working with Students International.  It has been a privilege to serve and to learn. To come away with a vision for how each one of us has a responsibility to minister and lead by example in whatever vocation or mission that Christ calls us to. To be transformed by the renewing of our minds and to impress upon our hearts that there is nothing greater than Christ’s love.  Dios le bendiga!

-          Abigail Hanna

 

       Abi and Laura wouldn't write about this, but I will - these two young women who posted our blogs wanted to experience buying, slaughtering, gutting, de-feathering, butchering, cooking, and eating a chicken.  They did this last week on their own initiative with the permission of the missionaries they were serving with - all in a matter of one morning.  This was a step up from catching their own fish with a plastic bag, killing it, gutting it and eating it during the first week of orientation.  These ladies may soon be having their own missionary survival reality show.

      Saturday the group spent the day getting caught up on rest by going snorkeling at a reef off of the north shore of the island.  Today we attended two different church services to worship with our Dominican brothers and sisters.  Tomorrow we will start with a group run, then have a final class, have a session to debrief the mission experience and discuss what they learned, followed by interviews for second-semester students, then pack up.  We fly home Tuesday and should be arriving back at Camp around 8:30 p.m.

      Thanks so much for supporting us all during this amazing time of seeing God at work in the lives of so many.  We will be having an open forum presenting and reporting on our time and ministry at the Dominican Republic at the Sonju Sports Complex at Camp-of-the-Woods, starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20th.

      This is Tim signing off from the Dominican Republic with LIFT 30 and Students International. 

Transformation - One Day at a Time!

Que tal, mi amigos!

I hope that you are all doing well and want to thank you for taking the time to check up on us and see how things have been progressing during our time here in the Dominican Republic. Today was our last work day at our ministry sites and our time here in Jarabacoa is quickly coming to a close. However, the past week and a half have been filled with incredible experiences and eye- opening observations and I am confident that the memories that we will have from this trip will stay with us for a long time to come and will have an impact on how each of us will view ourselves, the people around us, and the world in the future.

I know for me personally, it has been a very eye opening experience as I have had the opportunity to witness true poverty for the first time in my life. As I look around, I see desolate communities filled with run-down, one or two room houses, families that are afflicted by disease and sickness, and a people group without any hopes or dreams. I know that I can say I have witnessed a good deal of physical, emotional, and spiritual poverty throughout this nation.

If this were the end of the story, then the plight of the Dominican Republic would be grave indeed. However, it is in the areas of darkness that the light shines the brightest and I have noticed that while people here are not as materially prosperous as we are in the United States and suffer from poor living conditions and health standards, the people here truly value each other and openly express it through their welcoming generosity and willingness to spend time with each other, regardless of their circumstances.  For example, during my time here, I have been invited into the homes of different Dominican families and were served lunch on three different occasions and have seen two people stop in the middle of their business to ask how the other person was and show an active interest by taking the time to focus on that relationship, an activity that I feel the United States has begun to lose over the past few years.

Furthermore, I have been greatly encouraged by the work of the missionaries that I have had the privilege to work alongside. They all have different backgrounds and come from a variety of places all over the United States and Latin American, but they all have a prevailing passion for the Lord which draws them to this country and unites them together in a mission to bring help and healing to the Dominican people through their occupations and the hope of the Gospel.  I had the blessed opportunity to work alongside Dr. Fernando Gonzalez as he goes out into the different communities around Jarabacoa to diagnose the sick and provide them with basic medication and prayer. His ministry is an ideal example of relational ministry as he takes the time to visit his patients, sit with them, talk with them, and sing songs of praise to God with them as he plays guitar. His model is just one of the many examples of relational ministries that the missionaries at Students International provide and serves as a model for the future of occupational and relational ministry.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done here and it could be many years before any significant change occurs, but the good news of the Gospel is being shared and lives are being transformed one day at a time, and I am so blessed to have this opportunity to witness it. God bless! Hasta Luego!

 

-Brendyn Miller

Human Depravity Overreaching the Barriers of Culture

Hola, mi familia y amigos! Apologies for the lack of posting in the past couple days! I’ve written a couple thoughts that have been circulating within the group as the Holy Spirit moves, and also ask you all to continue in prayer for LIFT 30’s temporary ministry, but also Students International’s ongoing ministry here in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic! 

As I was hand scrubbing my laundry in the late afternoon, feeling immersed in the culture of the Dominican Republic, God brought me to a place of contentment as thoughts of cultural barrier and yet the similarity of human depravity scoured my thoughts. Over mine and Abi’s first couple of days working in the Social Work site in Los Higos community, I was taken aback by the stark contrasts between the culture of America and the culture of the Dominican Republic. I have the urge to “get back to work” during their cultural time of siesta, or somehow chart the progress of the work in the site thus far, while they are interested more in the relationships with each individual in the familial community. I desire so strongly to know the local Dominican’s perspective of us, “the Americans”, walking through the dirt paths of their community. We come from the land that they dream of reaching one day, the opportunity of the United States. We are raised with the knowledge engrained in us that if we work hard, we will attain success, namely the ‘American Dream’.

The Dominicans, however, come from a culture with a long history of slavery and desire to deny their sole roots of oppression, while being shunned from the people of whom they seek approval. Though I try, I don’t believe I can imagine myself growing up in a tiny house off a small dirt pathway, my only realistically attainable goal being to find a companion and bear children at the young ages of 14, 15, or 16. These two cultures are quite abstrusely distanced in these ways. However, as I was sharing these thoughts with my fellow LIFTer Abi at the Social Work site in Los Higos, she shared her overarching perception of the similarity of human pain above the traditions and worldview through different  cultures, having heard the day before of the struggles of self-worth, sexual abuse, and deceit that our missionary site leaders come across in the women they minister among.                                                                                                                         

Yes, culture and community shape and root people in greatly contrasting ways, yet the ultimate truth of humanity is shared: Our depravity apart from a Savior. Through this knowledge and the forefront of our mission being the greatest commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and sequentially the second commandment, to love our neighbors as ourselves, God uses us to spread His Kingdom through His plan and in His timing. Each of us then are seeking personally and collectively the purpose in which God has for us in Jarabacoa, as we bring encouragement to the site leaders and a new set of hands to aid in their long term ministry.                                                                                                                                                

The United Kingdom of God

On Sunday, our LIFT group was split into two groups, having the chance to worship in two different Dominican churches. In talking with people from both my church group and the other church group, the first answer in response to the overall experience of the church was that the worship was amazing. While cliché, it is easy to subconsciously define God as an “American God”, our minds selfishly encapsulated in the concerns of our own country. Going overseas, worshipping in another language, hearing the Word of God shared in a foreign language, and most of all meeting brothers and sisters of another race and tongue allows our perception of God to transcend all borders, languages, and cultures.

While having an amazing opportunity to serve Christ with our Dominican brothers and sisters, we have also just begun praying for the persecuted church around the world through the information from the ministry of Voice of the Martyrs. In becoming aware of the violence and persecution happening daily, our hearts have been broken for the Church. Through this, however, our collective bond with the Saints in prayer throughout the world has grown stronger. There is nothing like the realization of having brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world, crying out in unison, eagerly awaiting the return of our Savior. This vision will be truly manifested only in Heaven, when we the promise of Romans 8 is finally realized: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

In closing…

I wanted to share a bit about the opportunity each site had to do a prayer walk over each of their separate communities on Monday. Following the Spirit, the site leaders, along with their LIFT students, walked together through the streets of each community. Each groups experience differed, though in unified hearts, whether being led by the Spirit to stop and pray for a specific person in the community, boldly entering into a gathering of men to awaken the presence of God, or sitting atop a hillside in unity calling out to God, interceding for the communities with eager hearts.

Our group of thirty-five has come into the Dominican, embracing a new culture, willing to be servants in the work of the Kingdom that God is already doing in the Jarabacoa area! Glory be to God for opening our minds to effective ways of cross-cultural missions and opening our hearts to the leading of the Spirit! Our days working in the sites are coming down to only a few, and I ask for your prayers for strength to complete the work of the Holy Spirit and words of encouragement and strength for our site leaders as they will continue on in ministry as we return to New York!

 -          Laura Walters