Monday, March 12, 2012

Audrey and baby are bonding

"I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in Truth."
I loved watching my girls stand shoulder to shoulder with their daddy
praying for these people that have come to mean so much to our family.

We've had a little trouble getting on the Blog, but we finally got the "bugs" worked out. I'm going to post a little, but I'm also going to copy a blog Ned wrote yesterday on here.

The very first thing I want to do is thank Sue Elliott and the many other precious ladies from our church who pray continually for our health, and for our knees. There is no way we could take on the climbing and walking that we do with our bad knees without prayer warriors at home praying us through it. It amazes me how every time God places His hands on my knees and gives me just what I need to get through this trip. Things I do here would put me in bed for weeks back home!

As always, I'm often speechless when trying to describe this place. The people in the villages are so welcoming. They want us to come in to their homes and talk about Jesus. When we ask what they would like for us to pray about they always say the same things...health for their children, food for their families, the crops, and safety. I told Audrey today that I feel so humbled by these people. They never want MORE, they just want enough to get through another day. 

Monday we went to the village of La Cuchilla. I had never been there before. We stopped in the middle of the village, then split into two groups. Ned, Audrey, Marcia, and the kids (Brandon, Hayden, Kameran, and Jaclyn) went in one direction, and for some reason the "old people" (Mark, Valerie, Steve, Connie, Edgardo, and me) went STRAIGHT UP THE HILL---MOUNTAIN! Later I told Audrey I thought I saw Moses at the top! There were very few houses that had the husband AND the wife. Most homes had the mom and several children. Many didn't tell us where the dads were, they only said they were just not there. We stopped at one house where the mom was 19 and had two children. She told us first that her oldest boy was 3 1/2. Then she said she had been married 5 years. Later she told us she had a baby first and then got married. She looked so sad. The whole right side of her face was red from a birthmark. She wouldn't look in our eyes, and kept her face down most of the time. Her husband was working, but at least they were still together. Her prayer request was for a larger home because they did not have any more room for their family. I told Connie all I could see in her eyes was sadness. As always Valerie did a GREAT job translating.

I saw things in this village I don't think I've seen before. These people were very resourceful. They used the trash from the coffee harvest and cow manure to produce methane gas to use in their stoves. (Jase, I have so many things I could say right now!) Talk about going green! They also had lights from solar energy. One lady told us (through Valerie) that it produced enough light to last all night. I know as I say this that many of you are getting the wrong impression of this village. By American standards these people are well below the poverty mark. They have found a way to have light in their homes and gas in their stoves, but many times they have no food to eat or water to drink. They do what they can to survive, and oftentimes it is in ways we would never understand nor accept. The drive to the village is at times treacherous, and sometimes can't even be done. The climb to some of the houses are only for those who truly feel God calling them there. Please pray that these people will feel the love of Christ and long for His Salvation. The Catholic influence in this village was very strong.  

We love you and we covet your prayers!

In Christ,

Trisha, Mark, Ned, Valerie, Connie, Brandon, Hayden, Kameran, and Jaclyn

Sunday in Montana

We have had a wonderful day in Poplar. We were so blessed to attend the worship service at First Baptist here today. Todd Warren played the piano and led the singing along with several others from our church. The church was SO thankful for someone to play the piano. There are usually no instruments because they have no one to play them in their church. It made me realize how spoiled we are in our church.........on an average Sunday, someone is playing a piano, an organ, a keyboard, the drums, a guitar, and sometimes a flute. And, yet we still find something to whine about. Our team of 21 people doubled their attendance this morning. We are so richly blessed to worship each Sunday with such a large number of believers. I pray that I never take my fellowship or my worship time with our church for granted.

The native language here is Dakota and we sang "Jesus Loves Me" in Dakota this morning. Before we sang, a lady named Pearl explained the meaning of each verse of the song. We will be painting 2 rooms in Pearl's home this week. Vance shared about the assurance we have through Christ in his message.

We met a very special young man named Ernie today. He quickly became attached to our team and even joined them in leading worship (he is in the picture above with the worship team). He also joined Todd at the piano while Todd played during the invitation. He held a hymnal for Todd. It was so sweet! Ernie was very sick when he was a little baby and almost did not survive. I believe that God has big plans for this young man........his life is truly a miracle!

Jase, Tami and all of the guys are staying at Vance and Cathy Thomas' house. Chris, Christa and all of the girls are staying at Bill and Kathy Hess' house. Bill is the church deacon (there is only one). The church had a potluck lunch for us at the Hess' house. We had a great time of fellowship.........wonderful food and the guys played football!

We had an afternoon of rest - we are still recovering from our 23 hour drive. After dinner at Vance & Cathy's, we visited about our week. Tomorrow morning, we will start removing everything out of the church basement. Tomorrow afternoon, we will break up into 2 teams - one team will stay at the church to continue work on the basement and one team will go to Pearl's house to paint. There is graffiti all over town that we will also paint.

Please pray for the team as we meet the people of Poplar. Pray that we will be a light for Christ in all that we do here this week! Pray that we can share the hope that is only found in Christ with people here! Pray for Vance & Cathy - ministry is hard anywhere but I think it would be especially hard here. I would grow weary and lonely. They are so faithful in their work here and their love for the people. God calls us to love everyone - Vance and Cathy exemplify Christ's love to all!

We Have Arrived in Montana!!

Our team of 21 has arrived in Poplar, Montana. We left FBC Seminole at 8:00 pm on Friday evening and arrived in Poplar 23 hours later. One of our team members is Grace Hatley who is one of Vance and Cathy's grandchildren. This was a surprise for Vance & Cathy. We pulled over about a block from their house and Grace got in the trailer. This picture says it all!!!! 

Our team has grown since our last post. Those who are also on our team are Grace Hatley, Mason Griffin, Daniel Griffin, and James Shelton. 

We drove 2 vans and pulled one trailer. We were blessed with clear roads and beautiful weather. Thanks to all of the men who helped drive us safely! It is warmer here in Poplar than it is in Seminole!

Vance and Cathy visited with the team this evening about the culture here. We will attend First Baptist Poplar in the morning and some of our team will be leading the music. 

We are road weary but excited to see all that God is going do this week! We will keep you posted throughout the week!

Headed to Honduras and Montana

Our church is sending 2 teams out over Spring Break. One team is headed to Copan Ruinas, Honduras to prayerwalk through the Chorti villages and one team is headed to Poplar, Montana to help Vance and Cathy Thomas at First Baptist Church. Please cover both of these teams in prayer.

Honduras Team:
Valerie Jackson
Connie Lamm
Ned Nugent
Mark Beaty
Trish Beaty
Kameran Beaty
Jaclyn Beaty
Brandon Schram
Hayden Thomas

Montana Team:
Chris Burtch
Christa Burtch
Jacob Burtch
Madison Burtch
Katelyn Burtch
Joshua Burtch
Kevin Gersbach
Logan Gersbach
Morgan Gersbach
Sarah Thompson
Todd Warren
Jase Waller
Tami Waller
Bailey Waller
Kendyl Waller
Hayden Waller

Return Home

Good Morning! Just to let you know that we are safely in Texas. We traveled to east of Dallas yesterday and spent the night. Thank you for praying for us. God is good to us. No injuries or problems.

We are headed to church this morning where we will worship with the folks at First Baptist Church, Forney.

Again, thank you so much for praying for us. We will see you at home.

bev

Day 6 - Robin

Today the team worked at the Forest Lake Baptist Church distribution center. We helped survivors shop for items such as clothes, toiletries, stuffed animals, furniture, etc. My favorite part of the day was meeting a little boy named Joshua. Joshua is about 10 years old and his home had been completely destroyed by the tornado that hit Alberta, a small neighboring community on the outskirts of Tuscaloosa.

Joshua and his family went into a closet to ride out the tornado. Are you ready for a miracle story? There was a king bed that was in the bedroom adjacent to the closet where the family was staying. In the midst of the storm, that king bed was blown away but a twin mattress was blown into the home and against the closet door; this mattress protected the family from the flying debris and glass that could have easily caused injuries or even death. Isn't God amazing?!

As I talked with Joshua today he told me about his experience during and immediately after the tornado. He described in vivid detail the mangled bodies of those that did not survive the storm. The things that this little boy saw in the minutes following the tornado simply amaze me. What amazes me even more is his resiliency. Despite the trauma he had endured he was still able to see hope. When I asked him how he was dealing with everything that had happened to him he replied that he prays a lot and asks God to give him strength and comfort. I was in awe of this small boy with such a large faith. I could see how God has already been working in this child's life...please pray that Joshua will continue serving the Lord and staying strong in his faith. After Joshua's mom loaded her furniture it was time for him to go. He gave me a hug and said he hoped to see me again. With that he walked to his car and he and his mom drove off.

As I watched him leave my heart began to ache. I wondered to myself where life will take Joshua. What trials will he endure? What happy memories will he make? I asked God to watch over my new friend and I have to trust that God will be faithful in answering that prayer.

To say this trip has been amazing is a gross understatement. This trip has been one of the best experiences of my life! A piece of me will always be with the people here in Alabama. They have blessed me and I am grateful to them for teaching me about what it means to continue living when life looks the darkest. I am also grateful for those that have served with me on this team. I have bonded with them and am so blessed to have grown alongside them this week.

God is ALWAYS faithful and He is at work all around us, we just have to be open to letting Him use us to carry out his perfect plan!

Blessings to you all!

Robin

Day 6 - Bev

Our last day here working with Tuscaloosa was extremely rewarding. The people here loved us easily. They are so easy for us to love. We truly are God's hands and feet here.

Today we worked in the distribution center. Friday is Furniture Day. There were 47 families lined up outside the church (distribution center) to hopefully take some furniture home. After the survivors proved their eligibility, they were allowed two pieces of furniture. I spoke with each one as they came through the door to get their approval ticket. Every one of them had totally lost everything. Two families had lost loved ones. The survivors did not mind talking about their stories. They talked easily among themselves even though they were strangers. They shared a pain.

The church that is housing the distribution center plans to be open for years. They still need everything that you can send and they still need volunteers. Forest Lake Baptist Church was the center where we worked but there are several in the area.

We met a little boy names Joshua. Robin will tell you more about him. He is amazing. He has been through a tremendous trauma that no one should go through.

A community that we worked in said the were 98% cleaned up. The rest of Tuscaloosa is 16% cleaned up. They still have a ways to go but....Tuscaloosa will be back.