The Story of an Mission Team at Work

When Jolene (IMB Journeyman) hosted First Baptist Church, Boyle, Ms., she had no idea how God would work through the lives of the volunteers, Mexican Baptist volunteers, and our missionaries. The project goal was to saturate an area of Colima, Mexico with the Gospel where there was only a small house church present. Because mainly children attended the services, the pastor's objective with the project was to make adult contacts to facilitate the growth and expansion of the church.

As the team prayerwalked, handed out gospel packets, and evangelized, several people expressed interest in having Bible studies in their homes. Join us in praising Jesus for these seekers. Ask Him to urge the non-believers to follow through with their commitment to attend services to learn more about Him. Pray they will experience God's wonderful presence in their lives so they will be encouraged to begin new house churches for His kingdom growth.

Since it was the rainy season, it is always a concern when a team plans to show a Christian movie outside in the elements. A threatening sky loomed over the area so the women immediately prayerwalked and asked God to hold off the rain until after the movie ended. People flowed in and watched the movie with great interest. Praise God the rains held off until the equipment was packed and the team left the area. This gift of no rain showed everyone God was in control of the mission efforts.

The following pictures are a reflection of the week's events. It will give you insight into how much fun a team has on mission with the Lord, but also how He uses His workers to His glory.

Visit the IMB website (http://going.imb.org/volunteers/default.asp) to learn about getting ready to serve on the field as a volunteer.

Musuwas, Nicaragua Update and Prayer Needs

March 2006 a group of volunteers from Burnt Hickory Baptist Church, Georgia, visited Musuwas, Nicaragua to hold a medical clinic in a school. A young Mayangnan man, Canicio T., was a resident of that village and heard the volunteers share their love for the Lord and how He wanted to have a personal relationship with all people. Because of this witnessing, Canicio and his family became followers of Jesus Christ.

After Canicio was educated to become a schoolteacher, he returned to his village. A small house church had formed in Musuwas and Canicio was asked to be the pastor. Putting all reservations aside, Canicio accepted the challenge and he has faithfully served as pastor for the past several years. The church has grown and now reaches out to other villages in the region.

In 2007, Burnt Hickory built a shelter where the young congregation could worship and grow. One year later, some members of BHBC hiked into Musuwas to explore opportunities and needs for this new ministry. They found a strong group of believers when they arrived. Praise God for His protection over this church and the reaping He continues to bless.

The church wants to grow as disciples of the Lord and they want to reach out to the people in other villages in their region. Already they have helped form small groups of believers in four other villages.

• Pray for the Mayangna people and the work in progress.
  
• Pray that the Gospel will spread in these villages where BHBC is at work and that the new believers will stand firm – even when persecution rises.
  
• There is nothing more important you can do for the entire region of Middle America and the Caribbean then to pray fervently and consistently that God's kingdom grows and prospers.

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58

Nicaragua Medical Mission Team Perseveres Despite Challenges

A hurricane endangered the trip and the Nicaraguan custom officials detained the team. There were long days of travel on rough muddy roads, chiggers bit their sore bodies, they slept on hard cots, and they endured hot days and damp nights. Still, the 25-member team from Burnt Hickory Baptist Church would not have their spirits dampened - even when the bus was stuck for two hours in the middle of the night. The team continued in faith, knowing that the Lord was there and at work. God had called each one to Alamikamba, Nicaragua to work with national pastors and translators, and they would not allow anything to deter their journey.

The team's reflection:

"The small medical clinic in Alamikamba is visited every day by people from the village and surrounding region seeking comfort and relief. Geraldo, the young Cuban doctor who works there, tries to help but seldom has the medications or equipment he needs to provide even basic health care. Fuel for the small generator is lacking so they seldom have adequate lighting. People with serious conditions are transported over rough roads to somewhat better clinics - or a day's drive to a hospital in Managua. Some people return home to spend their last days like the elderly woman with an abdominal tumor and the newborn with cleft pallet and twisted bowel.

Members of the medical team were God-called and church-commissioned to go and offer hope to the people of Alamikamban by proclaiming the Good News in both word and deed. With loving care in the medical clinic, women and children were touched and given relief from the symptoms of poor nutrition and an unhealthy environment. Pharmacy gave much needed medicines for pain relief, infant and maternal needs, and infections. Many men and women were individually fitted with eyeglasses that improve their lives and protect eyes from the harsh sunrays. Dental care gave relief from chronic tooth infections and pains. The team gave compassion and love freely in Jesus' name.

Men, women and children received spiritual care in the clinic. National pastors spoke with each adult and teen, offering God's Word and plan for their lives. The Jesus Film was shown and the team offered testimonies and songs to the crowd."

Alamikamba (the center of commerce and government for its region), is a moderately sized village with a blending of people of native Mayangna and Miskito, as well as Spanish decent. People and livestock mix along muddy roads and small home lots. The road ends at the Prinzapolka River. The river ties together the villages of the region.

Many of the nationals have very limited access to the Good News of Jesus Christ. People from at least 13 different villages in this region came for health care. Some traveled for two days. They went home knowing that someone cared enough to come a long way to heal their bodies, and to share with them about the gift of life.

The medical clinic treated 679, the optical clinic treated 237 and the dental clinic treated 170 patients. In response to the Good News, 28 accepted Jesus and 132 requested Bible study.

After an exhausting but exhilarating trip, the team returned to America celebrating what the Lord had done, and with the knowledge that each one touched many lives for Jesus.

Contact us and we will explain the process of traveling overseas to work for Jesus in many capacities. There are so many options to use your talents and love for the Lord, just like the team from Burnt Hickory Baptist Church, Powder Springs, Ga!

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.