Hello friends and family, Today we get to have the day off.
We got to sleep a little longer and that was great as we have been on a go, go, go. After breakfast we drove across the city (that took us around 1 hour) to a beach town called Cumbuco. The day was very relaxing and we got to walk on the beach, swim in the ocean when it was raining and eat delicious seafood. The little beach town is known for its famous sand dunes. We got to do a buggy adventure on the sand dunes and stop a couple of times on fresh water lakes. Lots of laughter and fun, it was a great day to relax and bond as a group!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Hi friends and family, we miss you out here! It’s crazy to think we only have two days left of our global trip. The past few days we have gone out into different villages and areas of the community to distribute filters. Each day we have been working in partnership with the community’s local church, and it is really sweet to meet so many different church members and volunteers and get to know them. After every day of ministry we have gathered around the pastor and church staff and prayed over them and their ministry and it has really been so special to see how the church is flourishing everywhere!
Here are some stories we wanted to share with you from the wonderful people we got to meet yesterday:
Jess and Nick were on a team where the person they visited whose name is Martha said she had 25 kids and none of them gave her anything for mother’s day. Their team was able to bless her with 2 belated mother’s day gifts of the water filter and the gospel. Martha was very open about her life and the team was able to pray over her health, her family, her spirit, and over protection of her mind, body and home!
Bianca and Gabbie got to speak to a wonderful family where a woman named Janelle had shared with them how she had prayed the night before asking God to make a way for her to rededicate her life to him, they spent a long time talking to her, listening to her story, and sharing part of theirs as well and we were able to witness God working in her and her family they had a lovely farm and adorable children they all prayed and confessed Jesus as lord and we continue to pray for them and their spiritual journey!
Brian and Jordyn were on a team where we visited this woman named Esther, only one of the incredible people we got to meet yesterday. She was very involved in her local church and she shared a part of her testimony with us. It was very encouraging to see how God has worked in her life! We were able to pray over her health and for her husband who wasn’t a believer. Our whole team will say that the Holy Spirit was moving and speaking in that prayer in such a tangible way, it was really amazing to encounter God with Esther in prayer!
Please pray for our last day of ministry here, that the Lord can prepare the hearts of the people we meet and continue to speak through us to bless and encourage them. Also for good health and that we would stay hydrated and protected from the sun!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
After two flights and lots of time on the plane to get to their final destination, the team is safe and settled in Southeast Asia. They have a late night and an early morning, so please join us in praying for them to have a renewed energy and to adjust to the time change well.
We trust that the Lord has some incredible things planned for them in Southeast Asia and we can’t to hear all about how they embrace the culture and serve all those they meet!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Hello family and friends! It has been a lot of hard but good work these last couple of days. We continued our work with the church on Monday by helping serve lunch and dinner again. I (Roosmarie) was also able to make an apple cake, a family recipe, for dessert. As always, it is encouraging to see everyone’s smiles and thanks after the meals and at the end of the day.
The next day, we were asked to help at a camp site a little ways away. We met the couple who help maintain and run the camp/retreat, and they were so sweet and kind, and tried their best to communicate with us despite their limited English. They told us that they take care of the site all by themselves, so we were more than honored to help do our part! We helped repaint concrete, as well as sanded and painted a couple of benches. Although it did not feel like much work, they were super grateful and kindly made us lunch. We ate very well! After helping at the camp site, also we took a short visit to a monastery up the hill. It was beautiful, both the building and the flowers planted all around it.
Today, we went back to the church to help with meals. We decided to put an American twist on the lunch by making burgers and fries. We had many people that came in for lunch (the most people we have served so far), and they all absolutely loved it! It was nice to have a little taste of home and to see the people from here enjoy it too.
Places like the church, camp site, and monastery help remind us of the long and rich history of the people of this country. It helps us to know where they have been and where they are now. It also empowers us to keep loving on this country and these people, serving them where they are and planting seeds for where they need to be, in God’s name.
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Hey family and friends! Today was filled with smiles as we hosted a party for the impoverish children of the community. Our team, along side some church volunteers provided and organized a variety of activities in which included a soap soccer inflatable, snacks (popcorn, cotton candy…), face painting, and a nutrition and hygiene lesson. Each child had the opportunity to see a nutritionist and a dentist that came. With all the kind donations our team received from you guys (thank you all so much), we were able to provide the kids with a gift bag with toothbrush, toothpaste and floss plus each child also received a a diary (My secrets with Jesus). The team enjoyed worshiping, loving and blessing those children. We left the school with full hearts as we saw the children leaving with huge smiles and amazing memories that we will all carry in our hearts forever!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Our fourth Global Outreach team of the summer is now off to the airport to start their two weeks in Southeast Asia! Please join us in praying for their safety as they travel, and for their health (spiritual, mental, and physical) while they are on the trip. Pray for the team to adjust well to the new culture and to be able to practice flexibility to serve in whatever way they are asked. We trust that the Lord has some amazing things planned for them!
We will update again once they have arrived safely in Southeast Asia!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Yesterday we had a safe and short flight over to our second country. It is very, very humid and hot here but spirits are good and we are excited to continue in ministry and serving the Lord in a new place. Saturday afternoon we relaxed at the pool at our hotel (our hotel is right on the ocean – we’re stoked) and then ventured into town to pick up some snacks at the grocery store.
Sunday morning we went to a local church, it was such a blessing to be able to worship and hear a message in the community we were going to serve (Mark wore a very snazzy shirt, seen below). One of our favorite moments from today was an impromptu worship session after lunch in the church. The Holy Spirit is definitely moving here! Afterwards we broke up into teams and went out into the community distributing the water filters and sharing Jesus. We would love continued prayer for physical strength of our team especially with the heat, and that the people we meet are welcoming to us and receptive to the message of the gospel.
p.s. facts is the gen z amen
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Day 3 was such a blessing! In the morning we received a tour at the clinic and learned about how everything works there. Our team loved seeing how so many building are brightly painted and that brought joy to our hearts. We were received as special guests, the Doctors and Nurses met with us in their office and served us delicious cake (called Romeo and Juliet), along with the traditional fruit juice. The women answered questions about the day to day running of the clinic, down to their mobile clinic, and home visits. We got a full tour of the facility. We were met with joy and excitement for the opportunity to help in the future.
The evening included joining one of the church Pastors and a group prison ministry volunteers to the prison. We had the honor and privilege of being in worship and praise with the inmates at the prison. There must’ve been 100-120 both inmates and correctional officers there all in one room! We heard the pastors incredible message about Jacob’s perseverance and the hope of Jesus through Abraham, Issac and Jacob. We heard the pastor’s testimony and our team spoke to the crowd of inmates. The expression on their face lit up when we shared our hearts. Afterwards, we were invited to sit with some of the inmate pastoral leaders and have a snack. We got to get to know a little of the volunteers during this time. We were also honored with handmade gifts that the inmates made as a token of their appreciation. The inmates and officers genuinely were full of joy and enthusiasm. We definitely felt the presence of God’s peace and the love and desire for Jesus in that place. It was a powerful and moving night!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
Esther here. As we continue our outreach, we got to meet others who have been serving at the church. They were grateful that we were there so they could get a break. After serving dinner on Friday, one of them had come up to our team to shake our hands thanking us for our effort and for a good meal. Considering what Mary Ann and Jason cooked up, it was certainly a delicious meal!
During that meal we got to sit with someone who had been at the church for 20+ years! They told us their testimony and shared that if God was able to forgive their imperfections, they could give others a chance and forgive them too.
The best line for me was,
“We are the pen in God’s hand.”
It was a simple yet beautiful line. Even though it seems like we were there to relieve the volunteers and give them a break- it felt like they were the ones encouraging and inspiring me instead. It just shows that if you know God and how He loves us, we easily become vessels in which God pours His love through.
“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19 ESV
Over the weekend, the team had an excursion to a nearby castle outside the city! It was fascinating to learn about some of the countries’ rich history, experience some local culture, and admire it’s beauty. We had local food and came back to the city to witness some lively night life.
[Something I found interesting was the Coat of Arms pictured above which has a motto: Nihil sine Deo, which is Latin for “Nothing without God”.]
Today, we attended Sunday service at the church we are serving at. The entire service was in the local language but we were able to listen in on a zoom meeting where English translation was provided.
It was an immersive experience of the lovely local language and my favorite part was the worship. Even though I couldn’t speak or understand the local language- there was a familiar song: What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong. It was gorgeously sung and I enjoyed looking around and seeing people I never met worship God… similar to what I’d imagine heaven to be like.
“so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:10-11 ESV
We did kneel at the pews and prayed by the way, an exception to the typical church service. It was an interesting experience as some brothers from the congregation prayed and meditated on 1 Peter 2:10.
Then, we took the rest of the day to take care of some chores and prepare for the week ahead.
So, thank you for all the support from back home, please continue to pray for our health and strength as we show God’s love to the local people and those who seek shelter from the war. Mulțumesc! Thank you!
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
We wrapped up our time of ministry in our first country on Thursday. As a group, we distributed 97 filters and shared the gospel with 129 people in our four days here. The Lord did incredible things in this place as we were able to witness 47 individuals accept Jesus for the first time, 17 people rededicating their lives to the Lord, and we were encouraged by 43 people who already professed Jesus Christ as Lord. What a blessing that God chose to use us for His glory!
Today for our fun day, we had the opportunity to ride horses up an active volcano! It was about an hour up to the top (in what felt like a torrential downpour), where we ate pizza cooked in the side of the volcano. We got to take a lot of pictures and enjoy the beautiful views of the volcanos and city below us. Definitely a bucket list experience and something we will never forget! Later in the afternoon we went to an outdoor market in the town square. Don’t worry, many souvenirs were bought and many quetzals were spent.
We are heading to our second country tomorrow, so please be praying for safe travels and continued good health! Mucho amor de tu equipo global favorito🥰🤩
If you would like to share your prayer support with this team, please feel free to use THIS FORM and we will share your encouragement with them.
