Things are going well- yesterday Bill and Kori got their luggage! Which was a great addition to our team! On Monday we got to go visit an orphanage that CARD (the humanitarian agency that we support) has an employee with. The babies (ages a few months to 4 or 5) were SO cute. They had beautiful brown eyes and brown hair and were eager to be held and played with. I think we should adopt them all :)
On Tuesday we painted a large room at the psychiatric clinic that was certainly in need of a new paint job. We had white paint and pink dye- but we ran into a little shade problem as we mixed it throughout the day. All in all, the room looks way better and brighter though! The woman's ward that we painted was pretty rough. We even had to burn some 'woodlice' off the walls before we painted! Which made us a little uncomfortable :) It is hard to imagine that these precious women live in this place every day, many actually rarely leave the room. The CARD work here is very important and seems to be really, really helping a lot of people.
On Wednesday we started helping with some English classes and teaching a cooking class with students at the vo-tech school CARD works with. It was very fun and we all enjoyed the interaction with the young students. Marilene and Kori got to visit a believer who has been confined to her house by her husband and mother-in-law and that sometimes only gets this one visit a week! They had a sweet time of talking about her life and worries and spent a good time in prayer with her.
Today, Thursday, the women on the trip had the immense pleasure of getting to spend a couple of hours painting the nails of the women at the psychiatric clinic. It was SO wonderful! They were really excited and I personally really enjoyed getting to rub their hands and touch them- it made them seem like real people to me- and minimized the differences in our lives. We also brought some little bags of shampoo and lotions and things and gave them to the women- which they really liked. The CARD worker thought it would be good to write their names on the bags so that the psychiatric workers didn't steal them from the women. This sounds horrible and is, but apparently a lot of this sort of corruption happens often here- as the majority of people are poor. Please pray for the women in the clinic- that they would know God, and of his mercy- that the workers would know Him as well and have compassion on the patients- for His goodness to flow in such a dark and horrid place. And that those who are able would leave the clinic and live with their families or elsewhere.
Then this afternoon we got to go to the children's orphanage were the CARD workers are rarely allowed in by the matron who runs it and got to interact with a few of the kids a little. Please pray for the children as well, as they are not really treated very well there- and for the workers to gain compassion and God's love. And for families to adopt the beautiful children!
Tomorrow we are going to go to the workers' weekly house church here and are very excited! Thanks for caring and praying- we can't wait to be home and tell everyone more details!
Christy
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Monterrey, Mexico update April 2, 2008
As far as construction at the seminary, we were given three tasks to accomplish this week. Their priority is painting the exterior of the builing. For this we have rented two lifts (that go up to 40 feet). Wayne, David, Rex, and myself have been up there painting. We hope to be done by Friday. The second task was to install a projection screen and new lighting in the media room (Juan Wesley room). Earl, Rex, and Les worked on this project and it has been completed. The last project is finishing up the dorm room in the second floor. Everybody has been helping on this, even Amy has done some work on this room.
As far as working with the kids, we have been going to a new church. This is a pentacostal church located in a very poor area of Monterrey. This church has never been visisted by an American group before so it was fun for them and for us. On the first day we were expecting about 40 kids, but ended up having 115. It was amazing and Jan did a great job handling this surprise. Yesterday, it was Esther Jean`s birthday and the kids prepared a great party for her; after "decorating" Esther Jean with sticky notes with bible pasagges, a mariachi singer arrived and sang to her. It was a great experience (Esther Gene said she has never celebrated her birthday that way). We have been invited to attend a worship service at this church on Thurday night. Wayne has volunteered to give the message (I will translate for him).
Well, this is all for now. Please continue to pray for us.
Santiago Ruiz
As far as working with the kids, we have been going to a new church. This is a pentacostal church located in a very poor area of Monterrey. This church has never been visisted by an American group before so it was fun for them and for us. On the first day we were expecting about 40 kids, but ended up having 115. It was amazing and Jan did a great job handling this surprise. Yesterday, it was Esther Jean`s birthday and the kids prepared a great party for her; after "decorating" Esther Jean with sticky notes with bible pasagges, a mariachi singer arrived and sang to her. It was a great experience (Esther Gene said she has never celebrated her birthday that way). We have been invited to attend a worship service at this church on Thurday night. Wayne has volunteered to give the message (I will translate for him).
Well, this is all for now. Please continue to pray for us.
Santiago Ruiz
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Central Asia update March 31, 2008
Greetings from Central Asia! After many hours of traveling we have finally made it to our destination. We had dinner with our local friends and debriefed about the week. Our week is shaping up to be full, but very fun. Check back later for more detailed updates! Amy Malnar
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Guatemala Update - Thursday
I decided to try something different tonight for an update. Below you will hear from five team members as they give brief updates about how the past 24 hours have gone. Enjoy -
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Guatemala Update - Wednesday
Buenas tardes,
It’s a great day to be in Guatemala. Our team is having a great time, despite the fact that some of us are a little sore today. Monday and Tuesday were work days for us, and most of the teams had one day of hard work mixing and pouring concrete or tying rebar, and one day washing buses, painting desks, or working on various other projects. The team has been working incredibly hard, and we’re ahead of schedule in every project. What rewarding news that was after working so hard for two full days!
For all of you parents out there, we’re all healthy and safe. We haven’t had any major problems so far with anyone getting sick, and we hope to continue that streak through the end of the week.
As I type, the teams are working on setting up a youth program for tonight. We have had the opportunity to team up with the youth group at Shalom to create ten stations that focus on the cross, in honor of Holy Week. The Guatemalan observance of Holy Week is much more prevalent than in the United States, and many of the schools and businesses close for all or at least part of the week.
After these stations are set up, the students will have the opportunity to experience each station. The stations focus on particular verses from the Bible, and the teams have created a different activity at each one. For example, one group has placed rice paper at their station, explaining to the students that they may write their problems on the page and place their papers at the feet of the cross in a bowl of water, where their problems will disappear.
In addition, at each station the students will decorate a banner that represents a different stage of Christ’s crucifixion; these banners will eventually hang at Shalom for the whole church to see. We’re hoping that it’s a powerful experience for the students, but our teams are certainly excited about them as well.
However, one of the highlights of today will come this evening when the students join us for praise and worship. A few of our students have teamed up with their youth worship band, and we will have a bilingual worship service tonight. I’m looking forward to giving you reporting to you tomorrow about the amazing things that God will do over the next few hours.
As for prayer requests, please pray that we will continue with our positive attitudes and plenty of energy as we continue throughout the week. Please be praying for the people with whom we’re working, as we hope to impact their lives. Finally, pray for our team leaders as they continue to do an excellent job working hard to lead us throughout the week. Everything has been fantastic thus far, and I hope to bring more good news tomorrow.
Lastly, I have a few pictures to share with you. I’ll let them speak for themselves –
Hasta mañana -
It’s a great day to be in Guatemala. Our team is having a great time, despite the fact that some of us are a little sore today. Monday and Tuesday were work days for us, and most of the teams had one day of hard work mixing and pouring concrete or tying rebar, and one day washing buses, painting desks, or working on various other projects. The team has been working incredibly hard, and we’re ahead of schedule in every project. What rewarding news that was after working so hard for two full days!
For all of you parents out there, we’re all healthy and safe. We haven’t had any major problems so far with anyone getting sick, and we hope to continue that streak through the end of the week.
As I type, the teams are working on setting up a youth program for tonight. We have had the opportunity to team up with the youth group at Shalom to create ten stations that focus on the cross, in honor of Holy Week. The Guatemalan observance of Holy Week is much more prevalent than in the United States, and many of the schools and businesses close for all or at least part of the week.
After these stations are set up, the students will have the opportunity to experience each station. The stations focus on particular verses from the Bible, and the teams have created a different activity at each one. For example, one group has placed rice paper at their station, explaining to the students that they may write their problems on the page and place their papers at the feet of the cross in a bowl of water, where their problems will disappear.
In addition, at each station the students will decorate a banner that represents a different stage of Christ’s crucifixion; these banners will eventually hang at Shalom for the whole church to see. We’re hoping that it’s a powerful experience for the students, but our teams are certainly excited about them as well.
However, one of the highlights of today will come this evening when the students join us for praise and worship. A few of our students have teamed up with their youth worship band, and we will have a bilingual worship service tonight. I’m looking forward to giving you reporting to you tomorrow about the amazing things that God will do over the next few hours.
As for prayer requests, please pray that we will continue with our positive attitudes and plenty of energy as we continue throughout the week. Please be praying for the people with whom we’re working, as we hope to impact their lives. Finally, pray for our team leaders as they continue to do an excellent job working hard to lead us throughout the week. Everything has been fantastic thus far, and I hope to bring more good news tomorrow.
Lastly, I have a few pictures to share with you. I’ll let them speak for themselves –
Hasta mañana -
Monday, March 17, 2008
Guatemala Update - Monday
Hola todos,
Don´t worry, we´ve made it to Guatemala, although I´m sure you have assumed that by now. We´re still working on getting the password to the wireless network on our campus, so the internet is currently spotty at best.
All 108 team members are now here, after a couple of us came in on different flights, and the team members´spirits are high. Saturday night after we arrived was somewhat uneventful, as we just traveled across Guatemala City to the Nazarene seminary where we will be staying all week. It was late when we arrived, so after some time to wind down we called it a night.
On Sunday, we attended church at Iglesia Bautista Shalom, or Shalom Baptist Church - the church that we will be working with all week. We attended their worship service and then ate lunch with some of the kids from the congregation. Afterward we had the opportunity to visit the houses that our group helped to build last year. It was an incredible sight to see how much they had changed over the course of the year, and how much work had been done since. We worked on five houses last year, and are told that because of the work of our group and others that have come since, 20 people have come to know Christ Jesus. This was certainly exciting news for our group, and I´m sure that this has provided extra motivation for our team as we look forward to the hard work that we will do throughout the week.
After visiting the housing sites, we went back to the seminary for the remainder of the day. We had praise and worship through singing and teaching last night, and ended the night in our small groups. It has been encouraging to see the team´s excitement in taking part of the many things that God is doing here, and that was evident as we reviewed our observations and insights from the first day. Shalom Church is doing some incredible things, and is seeing great growth in their various ministries, but this will be a topic for another time. For now, I´ll simply mention that we are excited to be here and honored to be able to be of assistance to these people.
Today is Monday and it our first day of construction. Most of the team is working at the church, as there are many things to be done here. As they continue to build and grow, we´re able to assist by mixing and pouring concrete. Other parts of our group are working with the rebar that forms the foundation, and still others are working on cleaning and painting all of the students´ desks for the school. I might mention that Shalom also has a school for children that is essentially K-12, and the kids are off this week due to Holy Week. Two other groups are doing construction in other locations; and lastly, a few team members have been working to wash and wax one of their buses before the rainy season comes, as they want to preserve the life of the buses, some of their most valuable assets.
For those of you looking for specific prayer requests, I ask that you pray for the energy of our team as we proceed throughout the week. This certainly has not been a problem thus far, but after so much manual labor today, I fear we´ll be slightly more sore and less energetic tomorrow. Please pray that we will continue to be willing servants and will be open to doing whatever is asked of us. Pray that we will be a blessing to these people, yet in turn will be open to receiving the love that they are showing toward us. Everyone has been working incredibly hard today, which has been a blessing. Please pray that we will continue to encourage one another, as this is what will fuel us as the week continues longer. And don´t forget about the teams that we have in Mexico, Kentucky, and Houston - we´re praying for many blessings over their groups as well.
Thank you for the many prayers that I know have been showered over us already, and we look forward to seeing the amazing things the God will do in the lives of both the Guatemalans and us. I hope we can update you again soon. Hasta luego -
Don´t worry, we´ve made it to Guatemala, although I´m sure you have assumed that by now. We´re still working on getting the password to the wireless network on our campus, so the internet is currently spotty at best.
All 108 team members are now here, after a couple of us came in on different flights, and the team members´spirits are high. Saturday night after we arrived was somewhat uneventful, as we just traveled across Guatemala City to the Nazarene seminary where we will be staying all week. It was late when we arrived, so after some time to wind down we called it a night.
On Sunday, we attended church at Iglesia Bautista Shalom, or Shalom Baptist Church - the church that we will be working with all week. We attended their worship service and then ate lunch with some of the kids from the congregation. Afterward we had the opportunity to visit the houses that our group helped to build last year. It was an incredible sight to see how much they had changed over the course of the year, and how much work had been done since. We worked on five houses last year, and are told that because of the work of our group and others that have come since, 20 people have come to know Christ Jesus. This was certainly exciting news for our group, and I´m sure that this has provided extra motivation for our team as we look forward to the hard work that we will do throughout the week.
After visiting the housing sites, we went back to the seminary for the remainder of the day. We had praise and worship through singing and teaching last night, and ended the night in our small groups. It has been encouraging to see the team´s excitement in taking part of the many things that God is doing here, and that was evident as we reviewed our observations and insights from the first day. Shalom Church is doing some incredible things, and is seeing great growth in their various ministries, but this will be a topic for another time. For now, I´ll simply mention that we are excited to be here and honored to be able to be of assistance to these people.
Today is Monday and it our first day of construction. Most of the team is working at the church, as there are many things to be done here. As they continue to build and grow, we´re able to assist by mixing and pouring concrete. Other parts of our group are working with the rebar that forms the foundation, and still others are working on cleaning and painting all of the students´ desks for the school. I might mention that Shalom also has a school for children that is essentially K-12, and the kids are off this week due to Holy Week. Two other groups are doing construction in other locations; and lastly, a few team members have been working to wash and wax one of their buses before the rainy season comes, as they want to preserve the life of the buses, some of their most valuable assets.
For those of you looking for specific prayer requests, I ask that you pray for the energy of our team as we proceed throughout the week. This certainly has not been a problem thus far, but after so much manual labor today, I fear we´ll be slightly more sore and less energetic tomorrow. Please pray that we will continue to be willing servants and will be open to doing whatever is asked of us. Pray that we will be a blessing to these people, yet in turn will be open to receiving the love that they are showing toward us. Everyone has been working incredibly hard today, which has been a blessing. Please pray that we will continue to encourage one another, as this is what will fuel us as the week continues longer. And don´t forget about the teams that we have in Mexico, Kentucky, and Houston - we´re praying for many blessings over their groups as well.
Thank you for the many prayers that I know have been showered over us already, and we look forward to seeing the amazing things the God will do in the lives of both the Guatemalans and us. I hope we can update you again soon. Hasta luego -
Monday, November 26, 2007
Fifth Update from Tanzania
Sorry for the lag in communication, but the internet here at the LJS is really temperamental and spotty.
Yesterday I visited the well at Mazizi. I rode with Grant, Raymond, Joseph, and Solomon. At Mazizi we first had sweet tea, took Jefferson (the Mazizi evangelist) to the well site. The well is producing but has poor water quality.
Remind me to show you the pictures of the wheelbarrow...
We then took Jefferson back to Mazizi where we were invited to eat lunch. Rice and fatty meat of some kind. The hospitality is incredible. When leaving I was presented with a gift of appreciation. You probably guessed it... a chicken. I named it" Sandy" . We then went to a village called Lubungo to look at possible well sites.
While I was well inspecting, Mike went with Luca for the day. They spent all morning in Morogoro buying building supplies, then took them to the village (an hour's drive) and laid out the footprint for a new church. Mike got a good taste of what an average day for Luca "the master builder" looks like.
Last night Jacob invited all of the Americans to a dinner party at his house. The other Americans in our party are Floyd and Betty from Tulsa and Linda and Diane- both from the Seattle , Washington area. They befriended Jacob when he was at seminary there. There were probably 25 people there and we got to meet Jacob's mother. A good time was had by all. We took "Sandy" and left her there...
Today we went to the Masaai cattle auction. It was like a state fair. Hundreds of Masaai with their cattle. No games but everything Masaai: clothing, knives, clubs, shoes, goats, donkeys. There was also a food court with the freshest food possible. In fact the slaughter area was right next to the barbecue pit. Yum!!
After lunch, a group of us went to the orphanage and had a great time playing with the kids. Tonight we're off to a hotel for dinner.
Tomorrow is Jacob's consecration which is expected to last 5-hours. The Prime Minister is going to be here to address the crowd. It will be very interesting!
From Mark
Yesterday I visited the well at Mazizi. I rode with Grant, Raymond, Joseph, and Solomon. At Mazizi we first had sweet tea, took Jefferson (the Mazizi evangelist) to the well site. The well is producing but has poor water quality.
Remind me to show you the pictures of the wheelbarrow...
We then took Jefferson back to Mazizi where we were invited to eat lunch. Rice and fatty meat of some kind. The hospitality is incredible. When leaving I was presented with a gift of appreciation. You probably guessed it... a chicken. I named it" Sandy" . We then went to a village called Lubungo to look at possible well sites.
While I was well inspecting, Mike went with Luca for the day. They spent all morning in Morogoro buying building supplies, then took them to the village (an hour's drive) and laid out the footprint for a new church. Mike got a good taste of what an average day for Luca "the master builder" looks like.
Last night Jacob invited all of the Americans to a dinner party at his house. The other Americans in our party are Floyd and Betty from Tulsa and Linda and Diane- both from the Seattle , Washington area. They befriended Jacob when he was at seminary there. There were probably 25 people there and we got to meet Jacob's mother. A good time was had by all. We took "Sandy" and left her there...
Today we went to the Masaai cattle auction. It was like a state fair. Hundreds of Masaai with their cattle. No games but everything Masaai: clothing, knives, clubs, shoes, goats, donkeys. There was also a food court with the freshest food possible. In fact the slaughter area was right next to the barbecue pit. Yum!!
After lunch, a group of us went to the orphanage and had a great time playing with the kids. Tonight we're off to a hotel for dinner.
Tomorrow is Jacob's consecration which is expected to last 5-hours. The Prime Minister is going to be here to address the crowd. It will be very interesting!
From Mark
Friday, November 23, 2007
Tanzania Mission Fourth Update 2007
Well it's 10:50PM and I have a decent internet connection so I thought I'd strike while the iron's hot. Today was a relaxed day. We were supposed to meet with Jacob, but he was delayed in Dar es Salaam, so we just hung out here. At noon we ate lunch and Jacob arrived. Mike and I had a second very good meeting with him. Lots to discuss and think about.
For Thanksgiving dinner, the staff at the LJS fixed duck.
Duck! It was a roasted duck on a platter with carrots, tomatoes, and cucumber garnish around the sides. The duck was served with the obligatory rice (and potato salad for any who wanted it). It was really good. Here I thought I'd be having a weird Thanksgiving meal. It was a really sweet gesture by the staff.
Tonight, Mike, two kids from Wartburg College and I went to Grant's house to watch a movie (Amazing Grace). We all enjoyed the fellowship and the movie.
That's about it. Tomorrow I will visit more villages (and water wells) with Grant, and Mike will go with Herb and Luca to buy and deliver some construction supplies.
Saturday will be more of the same for me (I don't know yet about Mike). Sunday is the consecration (they're estimating 5-hours...). Monday is pack-up and head home.
I don't know if I mentioned that Raymond is home from seminary for the consecration. I spent a good deal of time with him Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. He sends his love to you...
Mark and Mike
For Thanksgiving dinner, the staff at the LJS fixed duck.
Duck! It was a roasted duck on a platter with carrots, tomatoes, and cucumber garnish around the sides. The duck was served with the obligatory rice (and potato salad for any who wanted it). It was really good. Here I thought I'd be having a weird Thanksgiving meal. It was a really sweet gesture by the staff.
Tonight, Mike, two kids from Wartburg College and I went to Grant's house to watch a movie (Amazing Grace). We all enjoyed the fellowship and the movie.
That's about it. Tomorrow I will visit more villages (and water wells) with Grant, and Mike will go with Herb and Luca to buy and deliver some construction supplies.
Saturday will be more of the same for me (I don't know yet about Mike). Sunday is the consecration (they're estimating 5-hours...). Monday is pack-up and head home.
I don't know if I mentioned that Raymond is home from seminary for the consecration. I spent a good deal of time with him Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. He sends his love to you...
Mark and Mike
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Third Installment of from our wonderful Tanzania mission team
The braids work out nicely as I don't have to worry about gelling my hair. Mike says it doesn't look too goofy.
Tuesday we looked at 4 water wells. All are working well.
The people at 3 of the villages were so thankful, they each independently gave us a chicken. We traveled a great distance with 3 chickens in the car. At one point we had an escapee and chased a chicken all over a farm field.
Finally Solomon (Luka's brother) dove on it. The result:
chicken poop all over Solomon's shirt. The first one we named Ben (in keeping with the new Kyle Tresch tradition of naming animals after sons). The second we named Mallory, and the third Lisa. All tasted wonderful, I'm sure...
The internet is not working too well at all. Hence the brevity of my message.
Tuesday we looked at 4 water wells. All are working well.
The people at 3 of the villages were so thankful, they each independently gave us a chicken. We traveled a great distance with 3 chickens in the car. At one point we had an escapee and chased a chicken all over a farm field.
Finally Solomon (Luka's brother) dove on it. The result:
chicken poop all over Solomon's shirt. The first one we named Ben (in keeping with the new Kyle Tresch tradition of naming animals after sons). The second we named Mallory, and the third Lisa. All tasted wonderful, I'm sure...
The internet is not working too well at all. Hence the brevity of my message.
Update From Tanzania
We visited several villages and saw the wells, etc. but did not really have time for tea with them except at New Land.
Consequently, they presented us with a live chicken. The first was given to directly to Mark and so we named it Ben in honor of the tradition that Kyle started in Ethopia. Of course the next two completed the Dalton clan. Two of them went home with Solomon but, alas, the third was given to the kitchen for Jacob's supper—I think it was Lisa.
Wednesday we started our day by going to the diocese office so that Mark could determine their computer status. While he was there, I accompanied Grant to St Mary's hospital so that he could pay for a man's hernia surgery. Quite a witness considering the man was not a Christian and he had to work through the evangelist to get this done. The evangelist was at the hospital with him. We next visited Gazeulole. There we had a good visit with Leonard and viewed the well. When we asked how many people used the well we were given a figure of about 500. Tonight is the english-speaking service at the school and Grant is leading it. I imagine if we don't like the TV selections we shall attend.
As to soccer balls, they were all given to Grant for his distribution. They will go to the villages and be used also for Kid's Camp.
Grant read the menu for tomorrow's dinner and it is to be duck, so our Thanksgiving dinner should be quite good.
Hopefully all of you back home will have a great Thanksgiving and as memorable of a day as I'm sure we will have.
Blessings to all
Love Mike
Consequently, they presented us with a live chicken. The first was given to directly to Mark and so we named it Ben in honor of the tradition that Kyle started in Ethopia. Of course the next two completed the Dalton clan. Two of them went home with Solomon but, alas, the third was given to the kitchen for Jacob's supper—I think it was Lisa.
Wednesday we started our day by going to the diocese office so that Mark could determine their computer status. While he was there, I accompanied Grant to St Mary's hospital so that he could pay for a man's hernia surgery. Quite a witness considering the man was not a Christian and he had to work through the evangelist to get this done. The evangelist was at the hospital with him. We next visited Gazeulole. There we had a good visit with Leonard and viewed the well. When we asked how many people used the well we were given a figure of about 500. Tonight is the english-speaking service at the school and Grant is leading it. I imagine if we don't like the TV selections we shall attend.
As to soccer balls, they were all given to Grant for his distribution. They will go to the villages and be used also for Kid's Camp.
Grant read the menu for tomorrow's dinner and it is to be duck, so our Thanksgiving dinner should be quite good.
Hopefully all of you back home will have a great Thanksgiving and as memorable of a day as I'm sure we will have.
Blessings to all
Love Mike
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Tanzania Mission Update 2007
"Well, we had a great visit to the orphanage yesterday in the afternoon. Grant walked us over there and we spent about an hour playing with the kids. They wanted to braid Mark's hair, probably because Grant and I wouldn't let them do ours. We had a good visit with Grant at his place Monday evening.
Tuesday we visited four water wells and several villages.
I got to see the pole church that we worked on in 2005 and it was the one that had the tin stolen off of the roof.
They now have the tin back on some wind break walls and have started an evangelist's house there. All four of the wells we visited were working and appear to have good water. Mark is wanting to set up to get samples so they can be tested.
Jacob came by for supper (pizza) and Mark visited with him regarding the vision for the programs here. Jacob was very agreeable and is very supportive of the this program. We will visit the diocese offices tomorrow for a little followup and then on to some more villages.
Luca has invited me to go with him on Friday to Morogoro to shop for building materials and then to lay out a church.
The visit so far has gone very well and we know it the results of all you guys praying for the success of this visit.
Hope that everyone's thanksgiving goes great and that you have some turkey for Mark and myself."
Tuesday we visited four water wells and several villages.
I got to see the pole church that we worked on in 2005 and it was the one that had the tin stolen off of the roof.
They now have the tin back on some wind break walls and have started an evangelist's house there. All four of the wells we visited were working and appear to have good water. Mark is wanting to set up to get samples so they can be tested.
Jacob came by for supper (pizza) and Mark visited with him regarding the vision for the programs here. Jacob was very agreeable and is very supportive of the this program. We will visit the diocese offices tomorrow for a little followup and then on to some more villages.
Luca has invited me to go with him on Friday to Morogoro to shop for building materials and then to lay out a church.
The visit so far has gone very well and we know it the results of all you guys praying for the success of this visit.
Hope that everyone's thanksgiving goes great and that you have some turkey for Mark and myself."
Sunday, November 11, 2007
VIM Updates from South America
Day 3
wow! what a great day. we saw around 150 patients today...mas o minus! it was a hopping place and they have already handed out over 100 numbers for tomorrow. the whole team is having a great time, working hard and living in a community. the host church here is amazing...they have started 10 churches and trying to open 25 in the next 5 years. we were able to visit one that our construction team worked on recently. it is in a very poor area and was very impressive. i talked to the rio bravo team and they also accomplished so much today at the school, rafters, roof, windows, paint stucco on inside and out. we are all tired tonight and trying to fall asleep as soon as possible. we are making great friends with each other and with some of the people we have seen. we thank you for the opportunity to be here. we are blessed by this trip.
Day 4
hello everyone! what an unbelievable day we had. we saw about 150 people. many of those went to all; doctor, eye doctor and dentist. gary smith, our dentist, and don england, his assistant worked so hard. i can not tell you how hard he worked! well everyone worked hard. we also have one pharmacist, jim brown, and he worked so hard while bending over filling the orders (he is very tall, too). we went to the juan wesley seminary and it is a beautiful building with beautiful big wooden doors. we have treated diabetics, found people with high blood sugar, pregnant moms (many very young), chicken pox, ingrown toenails, lots of colds, coughs and runny noses, lots of fungus and lots of stuff i don't even know about! we have smiled and laughed so much. we have prayed and done our devotions! we celebrated terry lawson's and don england´s birthday with a cake and a spiderman piñata. it was a fun way to end our time at our little church we have been working in. everyone of us have had a blast and i think everyone will be doing this again if given the chance. thank you so very much for the fantastic opportunity. tomorrow we will sleep just a little later, pack up and go to pastor guzmon´s church (several people have commented that he reminds us of rev. mason). that will be a treat to see and worship there. i think many of us will sleep on the way home...see you all soon.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Our two VIM teams serving in Rio Bravo and Monterrey!
hello everyone!
we miss yall and are trying to represent you the best we can...it was a great day today. we served an epispocal church, new with cement floors new building and bathrooms with flushing toilets. super. i was at the intake table and my 2 years of college spanish came in handy. we did not have enough interpreters so, i was it at the intake table...i did okay, forgot and remembered lots of words. we saw 138 patients and many went to two or three different doctors. we have two rooms with 4 doctor stations set up in each. Blanca, our main translator, could be in the room and translate for gary smith(dentist) and susie willard(doctor). She is a great help for us! we found a young girl that was in the circus in the USA for 6 years and we grabbed her up to be a translator. molly and Suzy were awesome helping translate also. we checked eyes, teeth, and for blood sugar. i think almost everyone with a little weight on them is diabetic. lots of cavities in lots of kids. several dogs running around the clinic as well...i think everything went so smooth, i am so impressed with the whole thing. it is very different from the youth trips in lots of ways and very much alike in lots of ways. oh, i have a funny story about amy cheatem yesterday...we were eating nopales and she asked blanca if the green beans in mexico were called cactus (it looked and tasted just like green beans), blanca says no, that is cactus! well, it was funnier when it happened. she never touched them for the rest of the meal! oh, i am also reporting on the guys in rio bravo...my husband joe brower is there with them and they had two teams working on a school. they finished it except for the roof and will put it on tomorrow. the other team worked on a casita. they love the accomodations they have! they also were reminded to work on their relationships with each other and of course, joe said, oh, yeah...oh, don't worry we are! he said it is really a great trip because their ages span from twenties on up.
well, we are back home and thankful for the day. i hope your day was a great one. i am sorry for my spelling and the keyboard is a little different. again thank you for this opportunity.
ruth brower
we miss yall and are trying to represent you the best we can...it was a great day today. we served an epispocal church, new with cement floors new building and bathrooms with flushing toilets. super. i was at the intake table and my 2 years of college spanish came in handy. we did not have enough interpreters so, i was it at the intake table...i did okay, forgot and remembered lots of words. we saw 138 patients and many went to two or three different doctors. we have two rooms with 4 doctor stations set up in each. Blanca, our main translator, could be in the room and translate for gary smith(dentist) and susie willard(doctor). She is a great help for us! we found a young girl that was in the circus in the USA for 6 years and we grabbed her up to be a translator. molly and Suzy were awesome helping translate also. we checked eyes, teeth, and for blood sugar. i think almost everyone with a little weight on them is diabetic. lots of cavities in lots of kids. several dogs running around the clinic as well...i think everything went so smooth, i am so impressed with the whole thing. it is very different from the youth trips in lots of ways and very much alike in lots of ways. oh, i have a funny story about amy cheatem yesterday...we were eating nopales and she asked blanca if the green beans in mexico were called cactus (it looked and tasted just like green beans), blanca says no, that is cactus! well, it was funnier when it happened. she never touched them for the rest of the meal! oh, i am also reporting on the guys in rio bravo...my husband joe brower is there with them and they had two teams working on a school. they finished it except for the roof and will put it on tomorrow. the other team worked on a casita. they love the accomodations they have! they also were reminded to work on their relationships with each other and of course, joe said, oh, yeah...oh, don't worry we are! he said it is really a great trip because their ages span from twenties on up.
well, we are back home and thankful for the day. i hope your day was a great one. i am sorry for my spelling and the keyboard is a little different. again thank you for this opportunity.
ruth brower
Monday, August 20, 2007
wait...I thought this was the easy day
Alright, to fill you in, we all have nicknames now, and Missy's has changed. We decided since Zippy is our team leader all our names should rhyme, sort of like the 7 dwarfs. So Missy is Skippy (still because of the long legs), Marilene is Yippee, for obvious reasons, Victoria is Drippy, because she's such a weepy puddle, Vicki is Trippy because of her coordination adventures, Marty is Nippy because she carries around a huge bottle of Purell everywhere, I'm Quippy, from the blogs, and Russ is Doc. It was sure nice to just sleep until we woke up, with no real agenda, though. But then, what a day! We walked to Old Town, which for your information, is totally different than driving, and if Zippy is giving you driving directions from only walking there, watch out, because you can walk the wrong way down a one way street, and down a path, and up stairs, etc. You get the idea, right? I think we may have done Russ and Marty in by doing all that walking. I hope they've got something left for one more day. The person who hates shopping the most (me) ended up with the most bags. Old Town is very quaint, and flowers everywhere, and beautiful views, and more lunch talk we're not allowed to repeat. It rained on us off and on, but that didn't stop us! There must have been 10 weddings within a span of 4 hours; they appear to have the tradition of driving in car caravans around town and honking their horns for several minutes. I do have to tell you that this has been an incredible team to serve with. God had His hand in the selection process, because we each had very unique and valuable gifts to contribute to the tasks we had to accomplish. Carolyn's leadership was top notch, and none of us could believe this was her first time to lead a team. Victoria's huge heart of love drew children and adults alike to her side. Marilene's ability to always be cheerful and make sure everyone's needs are met is absolutely amazing. Vicki's wonderful talent with children kept them engaged and having tons and tons of fun. Russ was invaluable in the assessment of needs of the facility and getting the 'messy' stuff done. Missy is playful and organized, so she was great with the kids and helped keep notes for future teams. Marty's servant heart enabled her to do much of the behind the scenes work that you don't usually notice, until it's not done. I was able to open doors with my music that enabled the love of God to be shared with many. And unless everyone's tired of me and I just don't know it, we have gelled as a family and are still enjoying each other every bit as much, if not more, than we did at the start of the trip. I'm pleasantly surprised that we're not even annoyed at each other after this much time. God is good! Tomorrow is worship in Estonian, worship in Russian, both at the Baltic Mission Center, a trip to the Lighthouse and a visit to Generation 2. Then packing and a tiny amount of sleep, then head home early Monday morning! Can't wait to see you all in person again, to share all the stories there hasn't been time to type!
Sheryl Bob
Sheryl Bob
Friday is cry day
Today we very sadly left Parnu, our new second home. It was really tough saying goodbye to Kuuli, especially, because she's become such a good friend. I hope we get to cross paths soon again. We left 10 minutes early, much to Russ's surprise, traveling with 7 women. (OK, apparently I've been spelling Kulli's name wrong all week, too. Forgive me!) We got to Camp Gideon about 11:30 or so, and I've been corrected many times about its location...it's on the Gulf of Finland. It's actually only about 50 or 60 miles to Finland (or I may be wrong again, it could be kilometers, I'm all confused). The setting at camp is beautiful, but some of the buildings need a lot of work. That's why we keep coming back! We had lunch there...food of questionable origin and content. We're not allowed to say some words anymore because of the connotation with lunch there! Some of us did stick our toes into the water on the beach, and it was much colder than the Gulf of Riga at Parnu. I'm not sure why...I'll have to look into that when I get back and have time. Feel free to offer answers, then I won't have to do any work! :) While driving across the entire country in one day, we saw several storks, but always individually, not in a flock, and I expected them to be by water, I don't know why. Apparently, all babies come from Estonia originally, and Marilene says babies are small because storks are not really as big as the cartoon ones. We saw several moose crossing signs, but didn't see a moose. At one 'rest stop', the bathrooms were labelled rather questionably, with only triangles pointing different directions. Imagine 8 people staring at one door, then another, then the first, then the other...for several minutes. I'm not sure who the first brave one was, or maybe they just waited for someone else to come out! On the drive, I saw one very old windmill without its wings, but saw several newer windmills, like I've seen in California. And I swear I saw two fish crossing signs! Nobody believes me, though...We got to Tallinn around 3:30, checked into the hotel, unpacked the rental vans, ran to the store for chocolate and coffee, almost ended up on a ferry to Finland by mistake, almost got the rental car towed by mistake, went the wrong way on a one way street by mistake (no traffic coming, thank goodness)...when you have absolutely no clue or context to a language, driving can be difficult! I haven't had problems until today, because we've not spent any time in a big city. Oh, well! We turned the vans in in one piece, and full of gas! Three of us got separated from the rest of the group, and couldn't find them, and they never showed up at the place we arranged to eat dinner, but we had a great meal, and I hear them now, they've found their way back to the hotel. I'm sure they had an adventure! Tomorrow is tourist day! We'll go to Old Town and shop and stuff and I don't know what else. I'd like to visit the radio tower (I don't know what the actual name of it is) but it's where Estonia achieved its independence from the Soviet Union. Fascinating story from what I've heard, but I'll share it with you when I know more firsthand, so I don't get any facts misconstrued or unremembered. Missy's new name is Longlegs, and she and Zippy tend to end up well ahead of the rest of the group when we're walking. All week long, we've been referring to Artur at Camp Gideon, who was supposed to meet us today. All week long, Vicki thought we were saying "our tour" and just leaving off the word 'guide'...she didn't realize that was his name. We had a great laugh at that one. Vicki did, however, get very tired of her children in the van, with cries of "Are we there yet?" and "She's touching me!". We were disciplined appropriately. And then separated. Marty has been trying to read all the labels of the food we buy, and every label seems to say the same thing. In her words, "unpronoucable word, unpronoucable word". Reminds me of Tom's way of reading the Bible..."hard word, hard word". OK, so, I found out that there are TWO restaurants with the same name with 5 or 6 blocks of each other on the same street, and the other group was waiting politely at the other one, wondering why we never showed up, but not eating because they didn't want to be rude. Aren't they thoughtful? OUR meal was WONDERFUL!! Our starving lost children are safely home and eating bread crumbs left over at the hotel. :) Alright, back to the team. We had a wonderful tour of Rakvere accidentally on the way to Camp Gideon, thanks to Russ's copilot holding the map upside down. But it was a beautiful detour! We got to see a castle. Again, don't know how much computer time we'll get, so more later...?
Sheryl Bob
Sheryl Bob
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Wednesday on the Gulf of Riga
Have I told you we've discovered Estonian chocolate? We just can't get enough of it, so be prepared for an extra 5 lbs per person. Ice cream is actually a necessity, not a luxury, because it's the only really cold thing here (so maybe we should make that about 7 or 8 lbs!). They apparently don't believe in ice, or don't really like it, because it's very hard or next to impossible to find in the stores, and you have to ask for it specifically in a restaurant, and then they only bring you a few pieces. And they don't have ice cube trays, just these plastic bag things that are hard to fill. And the refrigerators don't get as cold as ours. Listen to me whine! Other than that, the country is perfect! :) Today we had almost 60 kids for VBS!! We were running around setting up craft stations at the last minute, but it was great! The smiles seem to get bigger and given more readily every day, and they just love when you remember their names - I think they have a sense of how hard it is for us to pronounce them and then commit to memory. We had even more adults come today than yesterday, and they stayed for most of the time, too. We're praying that all these people continue to come to events at the church, that will lead them to services at the church, that will lead them to Christ. This afternoon we went to the orphanage for a bell concert and to hang out with kids. We brought beanie babies for them, too. Not a big turnout, but that's OK. A couple of the kids there had been at VBS today, so that was great make a second connection with them. They seem to have a good life there, and they get lots of 'stuff' from people who want to make charitable contributions, but they don't get interaction with the same people on a regular basis, other than the teachers/house workers. One girl (she came to VBS with her 2 siblings) seems very sad all the time, and hardly ever speaks except to her brother/sister. She looks like the oldest of the 3, so we wonder what their home life was like, and what responsibilities she feels for the others. I'm sure there are many stories there, and things that only God knows how to heal. Please continue to pray for them. I hope they can find a way to connect with Agape regularly to get that 'love fix' that they seem to need so desperately. Tomorrow is the last day of VBS, then a concert in the evening, with each group of handbell kids playing their song, my duet with Rauno, etc. We of course hope for even more kids tomorrow. Kuuli and Meeli have been pleasantly surprised that most of the kids who came on Monday have come every day again, and we keep adding more new kids. Yay! Carolyn gave us bad news today...Monday we leave the hotel at 4:15 AM (yes, AM), have a 2 hour flight to Brussels, and then we're not supposed to sleep the rest of the trip in order to get back on USA time. Bummer! Oh, well, I don't have to worry about that for another few days. Please keep Vicki and Missy especially in your prayers, as their kids start school tomorrow and the moms are sad that they're not there for that. Speaking of Vicki, she wins the prize for losing the most stuff, but not on the trip here, just since we've been here in Parnu, at one place, where we eat, sleep and work all in the same building. At least so far she hasn't lost her mind. And here's a word of advice: don't say anything funny around Carolyn when she's drinking water, or at least wear waterproof clothing. This afternoon I saw Russ sitting down, watching Josep (an 18 year old Paul Newman look alike who does work around the church for free, just because he loves the church) do some tile work that we all thought Russ was going to do....hmmm.... Missy and Marilene have become my bell boys...bell roadies...bell caddies - I like that one! They tell me I have to say something bad about me, since I've tattled on them, so I will tell you that I'm ALWAYS the last one to breakfast. So much the last one, that I'm eating by myself, and they're waiting to have the prayer until my cereal is finished so it doesn't get soggy. We're going to have to find a white-chocolate-covered-almond supplier for Victoria's breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, evening snack and all those between meal times, too. And Mom Marty doesn't want us to eat ice cream at 4:00 because it will spoil our dinner. Plus she fusses at Russ and me for not eating our vegetables. Oh, mom! Oh! I have to tell you something funny about our trip to the orphanage. Marika is a 28 year old blind girl who is the youth leader for Agape. She went with us to the orphanage, along with her friend Moira. We wandered around trying to find the right building, the right entrance, the right room, until Marika said, "It's this way" and she led us back down the stairs, outside and around to exactly the right place. Then she got in the van with Marilene and I and gave us driving directions to the closest entrance to unload the bells. She doesn't speak English, so Moira interpreted for her. I don't know if it's more irony or a picture of God...someone who sees and speaks the polar opposite of you showing you the way. Ah, Lord God!
More later...
-Sheryl Bob
More later...
-Sheryl Bob
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Tuesday in Estonia
I figured it was easier to say the day than remember how long we've been here! Today was Day 2 of VBS, and we had more kids than yesterday! Around 45...many of the kids went home yesterday and talked it up among their friends. It was such a joy to see swarms of kids arriving - in their blue VBS T-shirts! We wondered if they would wear them the whole week. The theme for VBS this week is Noah's ark, but focusing on the boat as God's provision/protection, not the animals part. They put a big paper ark up on the wall in the sanctuary, and yesterday each child put their name on a fish and put it on the wall; today every child put their name on a piece of fabric that will become the sail by morning (Meeli is sewing all the pieces together...by hand! What a muti-talented woman!). They have some very creative ideas, and the children love having their very own name in full view of everyone. The kids are so well behaved, and love just being together, and practicing their English with the Americans. Still many, many smiling faces. We got to have tea and then dinner with Ullas & Meeli, and that was very enlightening. We talked a lot about the history and culture of Estonia in general and their church here in specific. Fascinating! Tomorrow we will be visiting an orphanage, but the only way to 'sneak us in' is for me to do a bell concert. So right after VBS, we'll be packing up the bells and going to the orphanage. We've been looking forward to that for weeks. According to Kuuli, most of the children there are not true orphans, but are children that have been taken out of the home by the government because the mother is an alcoholic. The parents have to pay a fine to get their children back, but they don't have the money because they spend it on drink. The government stops short by assessing fines and taking the kids away, but doesn't provide any means of treatment to get the adults out of this cycle. This means that many of the kids spend much of their childhood there, and are unadoptable because the parents are still living. Very sad! Needless to say, they deal with some difficult behavior problems there. Please pray for these people... Well, today was hotter and therefore more tiring than it has been, and we each seemed to have our own little (very minor) draining issues today, so I'm signing off. Marilene and Vicki continue to provide the giggles we so desperately need when we're worn out, Russ and Marty seem to be working longer hours than the rest of us, Victoria can't get enough hugs from the kids and their grandmothers, Missy has not stopped smiling since we got here, Carolyn zips from one task to another faster than anyone I've ever seen, and people seem to think I speak the language for some reason. Go figure! More later!
Love,
Sheryl Bob
Love,
Sheryl Bob
Greetings from Parnu
Hope you all are staying somewhat cool in that Oklahoma August heat! It is warmer than usual here also, but still much cooler than you are experiencing. It's Saturday evening and we just returned from eating outside at a quaint sidewalk cafe. Then, back to the church to help Sheryl Bob set up her handbells for tomorrow morning's church service. She is playing 2-3 solos - what a amazing God-given talent!!!!!
I think we're all ready for a good night's sleep, but everyone is doing very well. After a wonderful tour in London (which included fish & chips), we caught our fly to Tallinn (capital of Estonia.) Arrived to our hotel room about 1:00 last night. Our rental vans are very nice - a bright, cheery red!
Thanks for your prayers - we are all feeling well, all the luggage arrived, no problems with any of our connections, etc., etc. As we encounter people in this lovely city, it is quite apparent the need so many have for Jesus in their lives. How fortunate we are to have the peace & joy of Christ in our lives!!
God bless you all!!
Marilene Long
I think we're all ready for a good night's sleep, but everyone is doing very well. After a wonderful tour in London (which included fish & chips), we caught our fly to Tallinn (capital of Estonia.) Arrived to our hotel room about 1:00 last night. Our rental vans are very nice - a bright, cheery red!
Thanks for your prayers - we are all feeling well, all the luggage arrived, no problems with any of our connections, etc., etc. As we encounter people in this lovely city, it is quite apparent the need so many have for Jesus in their lives. How fortunate we are to have the peace & joy of Christ in our lives!!
God bless you all!!
Marilene Long
Monday, August 13, 2007
Day 3 in Estonia
Today was the first day of VBS, and we had about 35 kids this morning, about the number they expected for the first day. Each child got a T-shirt, which completely overwhelmed them at first...that was a huge gift for these kids, and they didn't want to put them on at first...wanted to take them home and show their parents. But Kuuli and the others encouraged them to go ahead and wear them for the day, and hopefully the rest of the week, so we ended up with a room full of blue shirts...it was a great sight! We had fun playing outside, they heard the story of Noah and learned of God's protection with the ark (the Estonian language does not have a word for 'ark'...they just say boat.) We brought little wooden arks made by Dean Cox for them to color today, and they loved that. Then we broke into small groups; they could pick between games outside, art or handbells. My group of handbell kids learned really fast...they learned to play a song they knew (VBS theme song for the day), and I taught them a song in English and how to play it. Supposed to be a 30 minute session, and I thought it would be pushing it to teach them two brand new songs in that time, but they were so quick, I had time left over! Somehow, it was our two klutzes, Vicki and Marilene, who were elected to demonstrate the 3-legged race. You can guess what happened! In the big group at the end, my kids performed their English song, which they loved...each day's handbell group will also perform in a concert on Thursday night. Many, many happy smiling faces...hopefully they'll tell their friends and bring some more with them tomorrow. I think the grownups had just as much fun as the kids, too. The chime choir director asked me if I could do anything with one of her former ringers, who is a very talented musician, and loved the chimes, but is too old now to play in their choir (he's 16). Rauno is amazing! He came over at 4:00, and we worked on a duet that we will perform Thursday night. Then later this afternoon we went to the beach (Gulf of Riga), and I was surprised at how warm the water was. Kuuli explained that it's because it's a sea, not an ocean. Then dinner, team meeting, and here I am! What have we learned so far? Missy has learned that Spanish doesn't really work here, Marty found out that potato salad is to spread on bread, I found out that I can't read the traffic signs, but I don't think I've gone the wrong way down a one way street yet, Marilene has found a new use for the laptop case, Carolyn found out that we should probably tell people when we're going to stand in their front yard and borrow their wifi, Victoria learned that if she doesn't have enough to do, Russ will put her to work in the basement, Russ apparently learned how to paint without getting his clothes dirty, and Vicki has discovered how to make cleaning the yard of pinecones a game for the children! Can't wait until tomorrow...what a great trip this has been already!
Love,
Sheryl Bob
Love,
Sheryl Bob
And the latest from Estonia
It's actually hot here...well, not like Tulsa hot, but hot for Estonia, even at this time of year. It's been around 80 degrees during the day, sunny, and with a breeze in the morning and evening, but pretty still in the afternoon. Although we're right on the sea, the humidity is only around 60+%, so it's a comfortable 80 (for me, the cold person on the team...Kuuli is melting!). Our 'dorm rooms' are really nice, but there's no air conditioning, which would have been fine for me if the weather had been what I planned for...and brought clothes for! Oh, well...we're flexible! Today we went to church and I played a couple of solo bell things and Carolyn brought greetings from Asbury. Victoria started crying during my songs (not sure what that means:))and never stopped the whole service. They have rotating preachers (a full time minister, but he doesn't preach every Sunday), so one of the deacons preached today (shouldn't that be 'praught'?). He was very energetic and emotional. The service was wonderful. Afterwards we had lunch with the whole congregation, and a VBS planning meeting after that. Then ice cream (that's a daily requirement here...and it's REALLY good!!) and then Russ made a presentation to the congregation late afternoon. He talked about Asbury's work in Tanzania, both the water wells and medical trips, which inspired Tonu to incite the congregation to mission work. I believe this is one of our goals for our mission trips...that the partner church would receive our help and in turn reach out to another group in need. This is the first trip to Parnu, and already they're thinking on that plane. That's awesome! So far we keep having great food. Tonight we went to a German restaurant, which the first contact teams have raved about, and their recommendation was absolutely on target. We couldn't all fit at one table, so Marty, Russ and I shared a table with Tonu and Kuuli, and learned some fascinating information about the Estonian culture and history. Let's see, so far I haven't crashed the car, Vicki hasn't broken any bones (although she keeps trying to trip on stuff), Marilene and Carolyn didn't suffocate in the back of the van, Victoria hasn't gotten hit by a car while crossing the street with her eyes closed, Russ hasn't come out of his room without permission, Marty hasn't gotten Kuuli to speak Okie, and Missy hasn't slept. But, we still have the week left! VBS starts tomorrow...I can't wait! More later...
Bob
(Sheryl Tomlinson)
Bob
(Sheryl Tomlinson)
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