After a few travel stops, the Southeast Asia C team has made it back home! Please join us in praying that the team would remain healthy as they come back to the US and that this trip would be transformative for their spiritual lives moving forward as they seek what God has next for them.
Make sure to ask a team member about their experience and how you can be praying for them specifically!
These past few days have been filled with lots of joy and love with the kids and our team. We went to the soccer team’s practice and played a game where we tied 1-1. While we were playing soccer Winnie, Ashley, and I went to teach the HOH staff how to cook Mexican food. We also were able to worship with the kids during worship night that they held. We have been playing pickle ball tournaments with kids and all the staff. The staff games were intense and all close calls. After a long battle in the championship, Issac and Dianne won the tournament! Almost everyone has gotten sick but collectively we’re feeling so much better. Everyone on our team has also had the opportunity to share their testimony and Isaac and I led worship for a morning devotional! We finished painting one of their offices to make it look brighter and after we had a good time eating some really good homemade pizza for dinner (thanks to Isaac and Garrett).
The guys decided to all get haircuts and try different styles which I thought were very nice. All in all we are very tired but it’s a good tired knowing that we are helping these kids learn about Jesus and having fun.
-Daniel Garcia
The students here at HOH are becoming pickleball stars. It’s been awesome watching them master the game in less than 2 weeks. The joy on their faces when they learn a new trick, hit an overhead kill, or even when they mess up so badly that they hit it out of the netting around the court has been so fun to see. Soccer may still be their favorite but I think pickleball holds a close second in their heart. The bond between us and the staff members at HOH is getting stronger and stronger… so let’s just say there’s already plans in place to come again!
We’ve now switched to having our soccer camps. We got the opportunity to play soccer with some kids from another village. We were dominateddddd. The score was only 1-0 but still. Playing with the kids while they had no shoes on was really impressive. We also got to introduce them to Mexican food!! Winnie took on the challenge of trying to find the ingredients here with one of our field workers and managed to find everything he needed here at the local market. We made them chicken tacos, rice, beans, and horchata. They loveddddd it. The kids towards the end kept coming back for more and more horchata. Before we knew it, it was all gone. I’ve also (Bre) gotten to teach them some Spanish words and slang. Now when they play all we hear is “DALE BICHAA”, which means “let’s go girllll” or we’ll also hear “AFUERAAAA”, which means “OUTT”. It’s been so fun to not only be able to learn their language but have them learn Spanish. They’ve picked up on it really quick. We feel like we now have good relationships with everyone and so we’re all really sad that we’re coming to the last few days here.
⁃ Bre Gonzalez
Danny and Bre have both shared their testimony to the masses while Maddie and Winnie have shared their love for soccer at the camps. Every kid here loves yelling Isaac’s name. Ashley has built sweet relationships from the sidelines. & Nat has continued her mission to learn anything and everything about being a missionary. It’s been incredible to see the strides taken by our group to learn and grow. Whether we’re watching puppet shows, getting beat in soccer, or putting on epic pickleball tournaments we are finding joy in it all. Thank you for the continued prayer!
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.
Things have been a little bit hard to get used to, new food- a.k.a…chicken and rice almost every day, driving on the left side of the road, and the Bahasa language. We found out quickly that Soccer is the most popular thing on this island. Don with HOH is the Soccer Coach for the best team on the island. We got invited to watch the championship game of the season. It was interesting seeing hundreds of eyes being locked onto us as we sat to watch the game. We got treated like royalty because they don’t have many foreigners (aka Bulai in Bahasa) coming to their island, let alone to a championship soccer game. We took lots of pictures with people, received gifts, and celebrated with the team. Some small highlights of the first couple days so far are: the soccer game mentioned before, playing worship songs with the kids, and going to church service. Two of the biggest highlights are teaching the kids how to play pickle ball and I mean…. A LOT of pickle ball, and Natalie getting baptized in a river.
-Maddie Jern
We’ve been accepted with open arms. We look forward to everything that’s coming our way. We’ve been blessed with a community here that is constantly teaching us to look at life in a slower more compassionate way. We were fortunate enough to watch our sister in Christ get baptized… tears were shed, the river was swam in, and God was being praised to the highest. It has been such a gift to go to their local beach, eat coconuts that a staff member climbed a palm tree to get, and celebrate a sport that is LOVED by everyone around. We are so blessed and so grateful to be here.
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.
What a first couple of days it has been at our worksite! Servanthood here includes devotions, sharing testimonies, learning the culture, playing pickleball and soccer, experiencing fellowship, and worship. Food is also a big part of the culture here and the team and I have been very fortunate to try new foods while being comforted by lots and lots of rice;) Exploring the island is enlightening in and of itself, but to see the kids’ joy throughout playing pickleball the last two days has been something none of us will forget. The simplicity and slowness of life here encourages solitude with God and community engagement. Not only are kids involved in playing pickleball, but the staff as well. What’s nice is that no one is afraid to get dirty and sweat or be out in the sun.
I think I can speak for the rest of the team when I say the most challenging yet FUN part so far has been trying to learn the language of everyone here. With that, learning and effort results in bonding as well as a deep connection. It is also really cool to see how each kid appreciates us trying to learn their language while they try to learn ours. – Natalie Sexauer
We’ve eaten at great restaurants, walked the land around our site, worked in the kitchen, learned how to (kinda) communicate with all our new friends and raided all of the convenience stores in town. We are definitely noticed by ALL which is all the more reason to share God’s love with the masses. Winnie has finally joined us, so we have our whole team complete…we’re very happy to say the least. So excited to see what the days ahead look like!
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 first day in B (our stopover city)!! Our flights were 14hrs and consisted of face masks, sleep, and lots of coffee. When we first walked in the welcome sign said “Home of the Gods”. This is one of the biggest Muslim cultures…meaning Christianity isn’t. Which is very different from America. Today I opened my Bible plan and I am at Luke 15. This passage has three stories of Jesus saving the one. It talked about Jesus leaving the 99, how Heaven rejoices over a single sinner returning to God, and the Prodigal’s son. As I am faced with my desire for everything to go as planned, I am reminded of who God is that He is in control and is intentional. I am reminded that even if there is one person that hears the gospel from the trip it would be well worth all of this for the one. The one coming to the Father is something that money or time can’t buy, but it is only by the power of God through Jesus by the Holy Spirit.
So my prayer tonight and ask for you to join us to soften the soil of the one He is using us on this trip to bring home. More thsn one would be cool too, but that we will rely on the one that does the saving and rest that he is in control. Pray for us too as we are also here to encounter God in a new culture!!
– Ashley Salazar
Once we got off the plane we were greeted by one of the House of Hope members that had our car and driver ready and waiting. Our hotel in B has a huge pool that we all couldn’t resist so we jumped in before dinner. We ate chicken, fish, shrimp, octopus, and rice at a restaurant on the water as the sun went down. Our first B sunset was one we won’t forget. After dinner we walked the streets and purchased bracelets, jerseys, and shoes all while being half asleep. It feels surreal being here after praying about this trip for many many months. We’re eager for our 9th group member, Winnie, to join us so soon. Next stop S (our ministry island)!
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.
The team has made is safely to their country after a couple lengthy flights through the night! They are staying the night on one of the main islands before they take a flight tomorrow to the island where they will be doing ministry the next 2 weeks. Please be praying for their safety on the next flight and for the team to gain some energy and have a restful night of sleep before they head to the island tomorrow and begin their ministry.
We are so excited to see all that the Lord is going to do!
Our sixth Global Outreach team of the summer is on their way 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 that the team would be filled with the Holy Spirit as they minister to the people they encounter on the island, and they would act with humility, gentleness, and love to every person they interact with. We are so excited for all that the Lord is going to do in them and through them in Southeast Asia!
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.