Graanman - Volunteers - and the Suriname Jungle

Volunteering to work with nationals who pray to idols and dead people did not deter the members of the Summit Church, North Little Rock, AR. Four volunteers traveled to Suriname to hold medical clinics in three villages. The team held adult and children's church each night. They taught the attendees about Jesus, the cost of being a Christian, and preached against idolatry.

Summit Church prayed specifically that the team would be able to get the pharmaceuticals through customs. The team leader says it best.

"When it was time to go through customs, every person's bags and boxes were opened so the officials could search the contents. When it was time for the team to go through customs, I told the lady what we had and what we were doing and she thought about it for a little bit, and then let everyone of us through without opening one of our bags."

The volunteers worked with George, a local Christian man. He was their interpreter and was able to get them into places they would normally not have been able to access. They also had to deal with the "Graanman" who is like a governor of Saramaccan villages in the jungle of Suriname. At one point, the team had to deal directly with a "family feud." The team leader tells the story as follows:

"A young man, Menufesi, who had wanted to date the Graanman's daughter, and the Graanman did not want him to - had lost trust of his family because they tried to sneak medicine in his food. There was a lot of friction between him, the Graanman, and his family. He would not speak to anyone. The other villages did not trust him because they thought he was crazy. George talked with him, gave him his hammock, and we gave him food and took him to church with us. By the end of the week, he was back with his family and shook the Graanman's hand, and the Graanman was not angry with him. Katherine bought him shoes and he wanted to go with us. A very volatile situation was quieted with Christian love and wisdom, and he heard the Gospel."

Katherine shared David and Goliath, and the children acted out the characters. After their performance, the children led the team to the river where they sang Christian songs as the volunteers crossed the river. Think what an awesome journey this must have been for these servants of God!

Another experience shared by the team:

"Six women came to get medicine. When we told them we were about to have a devotional time, they wanted to sit in on it, and George translated. Instead of commenting, we just read from the book of James about a problem we were facing (James 1:1-8, 16-27, 3:8-18). When we finished reading, a woman who had watched George's evangelical movie said that she had done many bad things and she wanted to receive Jesus. After talking to her, three other women wanted to get saved too. We prayed with them, and they seemed to really get it. We gave them a ride back to their village, and after Wendy taught them the model prayer, they gave us some gifts – including palm oil, which takes about a month to make.

Another man was there who had lost a 2-year-old child. We went back to his house to pray with him, and he told us that he was a believer, but his wife was not. He wanted us to pray with them for her salvation and to deal with their loss. We prayed and told them the story of David saying he knew he would see his son again. We sang, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" in English and Saramaccan."

We could go on and on with the encounters this team had during their travels. They shared Jesus with villagers, a group of Jehovah's Witnesses, a Hindu cab driver, and a cradle Roman Catholic. In a very loving way, the team shared Jesus at every opportunity! They left Suriname knowing that they had done their best to tell others that Jesus was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by [Him].

These incredible members of Summit Church shared experiences of a lifetime; not only among themselves, but also with everyone they met. How about YOU…can you see yourself volunteering your skills in Middle America and the Caribbean? All you have to do is contact us and we will assist in your quest to be on mission with God.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog!

Children delighted with new playground at Nicaraguan School

"When we finished the work, there were at least 40-plus kids on the new play equipment," stated Bryans Fitzhugh, team leader of seven volunteers from the University Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX, who went to Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua on a multi-mission project.

The team constructed play equipment and a restroom for an elementary school that included running a sewer line to the toilets and shower. The project was physically challenging and exhausting for the volunteers, but the Lord blessed their efforts when they witnessed dozens of children squealing in delight as they raced to play on the new equipment for the first time. The volunteers constructed the equipment with loving and kind hands and unselfishly gave of their time and talents to the Lord. Thank you saints!

Another joy of the trip was worshiping with the Nicaraguan brothers and sisters in Christ. The team did not understand everything the nationals shared, but they sensed the Holy Spirit's presence.

Did the team leave Nicaragua with sore muscles and thoughts of exhaustion on their minds? No! The Father took away their weariness and replaced it with hearts full of joy and gratitude for the opportunity to work for Him on a summer mission trip.

Join God and our missionaries in the harvest fields of the MAC region. We have many avenues of training for volunteers. Please contact us at the links under, "For Other Volunteer Opportunities" located on the top right-hand side of this article to discuss options offered. Let's work together for the Lord!

"Behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous thing among these people." Isaiah 29:14

Photographs and Volunteers Build Relationships in Mexico

Can God use 12 people in the short span of five days to reach hundreds of homes to share the Gospel? Yes! The First Baptist Church of Mt. Juliet, TN, flew to El Paso, rented a van, and traveled to Ciudad Juarez where they worked with missionaries to do door-to-door evangelism and delivered invitations to family life conferences.

The volunteers teamed with members of Communities of Hope: A Baptist Cell Church. They prayerwalked, testified and supported family life conferences held in parks in the same communities where the church wanted to begin new house churches and cells. Results were phenomenal. The Mt. Juliet team opened the way for Communities of Hope to move into two huge housing areas, and a follow-up team from Ridgemont Baptist Church, Abilene, TX opened even more doors. As a result, two new, large house churches have begun in Paraje San José and Finca Bonita.

Besides going door-to-door, the resident missionaries, Larry and Peggy (Churches Without Borders Team), have a unique way to connect with the families. The missionaries set up a tent and photographed as many families as possible. One hundred-forty families received free family portraits. What a terrific way to build relationships!

The team members commented on how receptive the families were to their visits. This did not surprise them as they had prayed for the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts to receive the volunteers.

How about you, have you ever thought of taking a short-term mission trip but just keep putting it off? Are you a Southern Baptist church that senses God leading you to get involved in missions, but have other agendas you think are more important? Begin with intense prayer and, if you still feel God guiding you to help our missionaries, we invite you to bring a team to the MAC region. It will change the lives of your members forever! God can use you and so can we.

Contact us at the information above and we will help to get you started on an amazing journey. For more information about ministry in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, check out the team's web page: http://www.churcheswithoutborders.com/.

Helping to put a face on missions!

Fourteen volunteers from Taylors First Baptist Church, Taylors, South Carolina, spent eight days on a short-term mission trip to El Carmen, Mexico. The team worked with missionaries Don and Ethel, and the local church, Centro Familiar Cristiano, which they helped plant several years ago. This is the fifth year that a volunteer team from Taylors has labored together with the church members in El Carmen.

This year the team ministered and shared with four new communities in and around El Carmen. The team also provided a construction crew to help assemble and erect a greenhouse.

The local church has a vision for planting new churches and Bible study groups in several outlying communities. To enhance these opportunities, the Taylors volunteer team prayerwalked, led craft projects for women and held children activities in El Carmen and in the four outlying areas. These activities enabled the team to work with/encourage and present the Gospel to over 850 people. Several accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior during the ministry efforts, and ten Bible groups are now meeting in the communities.

The El Carmen Church leadership had a vision for a greenhouse mission project – which has tremendous potential for the community. One family in the church donated four acres of property and provided the initial funds to launch this project. In addition, the International Mission Board made a grant from the Baptist Global Response's Human Needs fund to help purchase the materials for the first phase. The Taylors team helped in the installation of the two major structural parts for this facility. Eventually, the greenhouse operation will grow tomatoes, beans, peas and onions, and provide employment for the local men. The sale of the products will generate funds for financial aid for local and international missions.

Those who have experienced short-term missions know that what God does in the hearts of team members is as significant as what He does through them. It is great to see the positive impact that this project had on the lives of everyone involved.

Below are a few comments from team members about the trip:

"This trip changed my life completely."
"I went on this trip to do God's will and He turned it around and used it to bless me."
"This was my first mission trip and it put a face on missions."
"This mission trip reinforces for me that God is calling me to do more mission-type work."

Volunteers are so welcome and needed. Allow God to change your life forever by coming to the Middle America and Caribbean region on a short-term mission trip! Contact information is provided under "For Other Volunteer Opportunities" in the column to the left.

How God used a team of seven to reach hundreds in the Dominican Republic

Give yourself a gift and take a moment to read the following mission report from a member of a volunteer team from Immanuel Baptist Church, Temple, Texas. God can use your talents just as He did the faithful servants from IBC. Can you think of a better way to give back to Jesus all He has given you than joining Him on a mission trip? Below is an edited journal (for space reasons) of what can happen when Christians put comfort aside and choose to serve the Lord.

"A group of seven members from Immanuel Baptist Church went on a mission trip to the capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. Our ages varied from sixteen to a senior citizen, but our desire and excitement were even. In a matter of hours, we traveled across the Gulf of Mexico and found ourselves in a new city and new culture. We met Mr. and Mrs. C., (missionaries) who graciously welcomed us to their home. Upon arrival, we found out that another young member of our church, who was spending the summer in Santo Domingo, was ill and would meet us later. With his presence, our team added up to eight foreigners ready to do God's will.

Our schedule included playing basketball, baseball, making crafts, telling Bible stories, and doing puppet shows at a small neighborhood called Bayona. We headed to a small church in Duarte where we sang songs, acted out Bible stories, performed puppet shows, and made crafts. Lastly, we walked the streets to fellowship with the friendly Dominicans; sparking their minds with our testimonies or short messages (written in Spanish) and translated by mostly young bilingual national Christians.

As a conversational tool, we used cards that had our pictures on the front and the precious proof of God in our lives on the back. We enthusiastically distributed the cards to the people for four days. They graciously accepted the cards, and, we pray, they were read.

Saturday night we planned to show a movie outside a young man's house. This gave us the opportunity to minister to the people. After the chairs were brought in, and the make shift screen was set up, the film "Facing the Giants" rolled. To feed their curiosity, the people of all ages left their homes and gathered in the streets. In 90 minutes, the Dominicans learned of God's grace and generosity. God's power was surely at work that evening as "Facing the Giants" lit up the neighborhood sky!

Sunday we split into two groups. One group headed to a small house church led by Antonio, and the other group traveled to another small church led by a young man named Osirius. Four of us went to Antonio's church and experienced powerful and heartfelt worship along with a wonderful message from God. Experiencing a Dominican church worship service, and witnessing the sincerity of the members, was a blessing to us all.

That afternoon we traveled up the mountains of outer Santo Domingo to join a church celebrating its one-year anniversary. The long drive and hike up the mountain was arduous, but proved to be worth the effort. As each of us entered the small building, the children (who lined the wall) all clapped at our entrance. Soon the little church filled with shinning faces and high spirits.

After the worship music and introductions, I gladly shared my testimony. Our assistant pastor brought the message from the New Testament. As the service ended, the church distributed awards to the members who showed qualities of being the most reliable, joyful and, helpful. Those members who displayed honorable traits also received awards. Refreshments followed and it gave us an opportunity to fellowship with each other before we made the journey back down the mountain. It was a good night to be in the Lord's House and we were glad we made the effort to come.

Over the course of a little more than a week, God used our volunteer group from Temple, Texas to minister to many Dominicans, saved and unsaved. To see God's work first hand is an amazing experience. I cannot wait to be on mission with Him again and I encourage you to do the same!"

Jordan Togami
Immanuel Baptist Church
Temple, Texas

Note: The pictures below are from the trip. Contact us for information on how you can volunteer your gifts and time in the Middle America and Caribbean Region.

CAVITIES AND HURTING SOULS

"Who would ever have thought that God could use a small church from southeast Texas to impact an unreached people group? With man this is not possible, but with God all things are possible," wrote Chuck Beem, Discipleship and Missions Pastor, First Baptist Church, Brazoria, Texas."

A volunteer team from FBC Brazoria hosted a dental clinic for the Iglesia Bautista Camino Real Church, pastored by Brother Felix, in Central Mexico. While waiting for dental care, the team formed relationships and shared the Gospel for three days. The clinic was a wonderful success with multiple professions of faith and follow-ups for the pastor and church.

One of the highlights of the trip was when the team met Benito and Margarita. This couple moved to the mountain village of Agua Puerca for the express purpose of living among the approximately 5,500 Pame Indians who speak the Pame language – a language that has begun to disappear. The group is illiterate, very poor, and they have no complete Bible in their language. Benito and Margarita are trying to befriend the Pame and bring the light of Jesus Christ into their isolated world.

FBC Brazoria is praying and asking for direction from the Lord about another possible trip next summer to work among the Pame. They are considering the combination of VBS, a dental, medical and sports clinic. The team would consist of adults and students.

• Pray for Benito and Margarita as they labor among the Pame Indians.
  
• Pray for the new believers that resulted from the dental clinic efforts.
  
• Remember FBC Brazoria as they meditate on the possibility of future work in the village of Agua Puerca.

Would you consider sharing your love for Jesus with those who have never heard? Contact us at the addresses above and we will help you begin a spiritual awakening like none other you have ever experienced.

SATAN TRIED TO STOP TEAM'S ACTIVITIES!

A team leader from Jefferson Street Baptist Church, Eureka, Kansas, shares that Satan tried many times to interfere with the work she and others were doing with the Operation GO saturation team in Mexico. Read about Karen Gudde's experiences below. She shares (in her own words) what transpired during her volunteer trip.

"My daughter and I had been in Mexico for three weeks prior to our Operation GO project. We had gone to Oaxaca where I fell in the shower (slick tile) and my knee was in pain the entire week. I found out last week that I have torn the Meniscus and will need surgery but God was so good – he really gave me a lot of relief from the pain during the week. It got much worse when we came home!

Some of our experiences were as follows:

One woman shared with us during our trip that she was just broken hearted because her son is an alcoholic and his wife has left him. She just cried as she told us about the devastation that has come to her family. I don't know exactly how old she was but she walked to church with a cane.

Satan tried to stop other activities…..one of the young boys on the trip found out the night before we came home that his mom and stepdad had been in an accident and would be in rehab and hospitals for four months. Of course, he was devastated thinking about this but we encouraged him, prayed with him and let him know that Satan was only trying to steal the joy he felt. He knew his parents were going to live but they were going to have a rough recovery. Well, we got home on August 8 and Adam told me Sunday that his parents had come home Saturday! The power of prayer is awesome! God is so good.

If anyone thinks there is nothing that they could possibly do, can they stuff packets? We always end up having to stuff the bags with the gospels and the invitations. When we were stuck in traffic this year, we did it even in the van!

I could probably write a book about the experiences we have had on these trips but my chief encouragement would be for people of all ages to just go and serve. God commands us to GO! Many churches may be GIVING, which is wonderful, but are they GOING? Volunteering is an experience that opens your eyes and enlightens you in ways no one can describe to you with words. I know it is expensive. I know it may be uncomfortable going into unknown territory, but these people are lost and we can let God use us to help shine light in their world and show them the Savior. What greater joy or responsibility could we ever want or hope for in this world?"

If you want to join the Lord in His work in Middle America and the Caribbean region, like Karen and others, please contact us at the addresses listed on the right-hand under "Contact info below."