It's My Mission

Christmas in Peru – Day 9

2011-12-11T13:07:00.002-06:00

Buenas tardes! My name is Allie Anderson from Coppell, Texas. It is absolutely impossible for me to put anything I experienced on this trip into words, but I will do the best that I can.

This morning, after two amazing days spent in Cusco, the team packed up and squeezed in one last orphanage visit before our flight back to Lima. If we’re being honest, I was completely exhausted due to altitude sickness and lack of sleep, and was not in the mood to go run around with a bunch of kids. On the way there, I said a quick prayer and asked the Lord to give me some sort of strength to get through this last visit. Much to my surprise, it ended up being one of the most fun and touching experience I had had all week. He is capable of the impossible; of this I am most certain.

We spent some time with the incredibly sweet boys at Jesus Mi Luz, and there couldn’t have been a better way to end the trip. From the moment we first arrived at the orphanage, the boys (about 40-50 from ages 8-17) happily greeted us, then performed an amazing dance and song they had been working on for months. Within twenty minutes of being there, it definitely made the list of top five cutest things I’ve ever seen.

On top of the exhaustion, we were sitting outside in the 60-degree drizzling weather. This is when I met my new friend Julio. As soon as I sat down to await their performances, a little 8-year-old boy ran over to me and jumped on my lap with so much excitement and joy.
Besides the fact that he was super adorable and we became instant friends, we also kept each other warm in the cold weather. Julio ended up being in my group for the activities, so we spent the rest of the time hanging out, coloring, sticker-ing, playing ball, and learning our bible verse for the week, Isaiah 7:14. When the time came for us to give them their Christmas gifts and humanitarian aid, Julio wanted me to come sit with him so he could show me his box of goodies. He told me how much he loved them and very carefully looked through the box, oo-ing and aw-ing at each thing. He then put on his new slightly oversized ball cap, gave me a big hug and said “ciao, mi nueva amiga!”

It is truly a beautiful thing to watch these kids, for they are so full of love. Just a simple smile, hug, and piece of candy gives them the greatest joy. I am so thankful that the Lord has given me this opportunity to come to Peru and share His great love with those kids, and I will continue to pray for the work He is doing there.

I am forever changed by the children and people I have met in Peru this week. It’s truly incredible how God sends you to touch the lives of all these kids, and you end up being the one touched the most.

Christmas in Peru – Day 8

2011-12-10T18:59:00.005-06:00

Good evening, my name is Darryl White from FBC San Marcos, Texas. Today a portion of our group took a side trip to Machu Picchu in the Andes mountains of Peru. What an awesome indication of the proof that God can do ‘anything’!! To be down in the valleys amongst the enormous mountains reminds me of the lows we may feel in our lives.

When we’re down in the dumps, for whatever reason, the promise of the rainbow is most reassuring. As it sprinkled on us during our trip to our destination, we were reminded of the tears Christ sheds for us as He endures our sufferings.
As we scaled the side of the huge mountain, step by step, our legs felt that they could not go any farther. It required lots of energy and determination to ‘go the extra mile’. Hmm, that’s what Christ did for us!! Thank you, Lord, for bringing us out of the valley and carrying us when we were weak. When one reaches the top and gazes out across the grandeur of one of God’s awesome creations, it truly is a breathtaking experience. When Christ struggled carrying the cross to Calvary, he surely had to be struggling to reach the top. Yes, it really was a wonderful experience and one we will never forget. We are truly blessed and thankful for the opportunity to serve our wonderful Lord and touch the lives of those here in Peru. Today’s trip can easily be described in this way, it was a ‘mountain-top experience' and “Today we walked where Jesus walked, and felt His presence there”! God Bless You

Christmas in Peru Day 5 - God had plans to change my mind...

2011-12-09T22:59:00.007-06:00

This is my third trip with Buckner for “Christmas in Peru”. I have never been on a foreign mission trip other than to Peru with Buckner, so I am anything but a seasoned missions veteran. I have become familiar with the orphanages that Buckner supports in Peru, and I have to admit that I look forward to some more than others.
In all honesty, there were only two that I knew would be difficult, primarily because the children are overly active, exuberant and unruly. I know God loves them just as much as the others, however, we are always exhausted by the time we finish those two. However, God had plans to change my mind this trip.
The first home was a home for siblings, many of whom are mentally challenged. Last year my wife received a fat lip and a bite mark as momentos. This visit went like most of the others, with a story by Buckner staffer Giugli, followed by a VBS program and then the presentation of Christmas presents to the children. This year I spent time with Richard, who told me he was 25 years old and had been there since he was nine years old. He is mentally and physically challenged, but always one of the happiest persons there. He eagerly participated in the craft we were doing. This year he had the help of a young man of about fifteen, also named Richard. The younger Richard was one of the few children that seemed to have concern for the older, making sure he received all the supplies he needed and watching over him while he completed his project. He asked me to write a greeting on the older Richard’s card, then to my surprise asked me to write one on his as well. That kind of thing would have been too gushy for the other, more macho-acting young men in the home.
After finishing the VBS program, we handed out gifts to the children. I went and sat with the two Richards, again sitting together and showing each other what they had received. The older Richard received a nice ball cap with a team logo, sunglasses, a watch and various other small items.He was proud of his gifts. The younger Richard received a plain ball cap, sunglasses and a watch as well. They compared hats, and the younger Richard was genuinely happy for the nicer cap his friend had been given. Then he looked in the bottom of his box and realized it contained a New Testament in Spanish.

He pushed the other items to the side and pulled the New Testament out. He was so happy to have his own copy of the Bible. That was his favorite gift of all.
The excitement to have his own copy of God’s word was so apparent. I teach Sunday School to middle and high school students at home. I only wish I could instill a portion of that desire to possess and read God’s into my students back home in the states. Young Richard is a fine person, and I am honored to have met him. I cannot wait to return to this orphanage to spend time with the two Richards again.

The second home has about 90-100 kids from about 4 years old to early teens. These kids go crazy when we visit there, and it is a bit like herding cats to get them to stay in one location and participate in the programs. My gift at this home was Jaime. I recognized him as a child I should know from a previous visit, but could not immediately place him. My wife came up a few minutes later and asked me if I remembered him from our trip two years ago. We had met him at the boy’s home in Cuzco. He then was very small and unable to walk. I was allowed to carry him up and down the stairs to go to the various activities. Even though he was crippled and could not participate in all that the other boys did, he smiled the entire time and seemed very happy that we were there to visit and spend time with him. I helped him with his craft project also, because even his fingers did not work well. When we returned last year, I was disappointed I would not get to see him at the home in Cuzco, as he was no longer there.

This time, he was an entirely different child. He was walking, running and playing with all the other kids. I could hardly believe the difference. I had prayed for his healing so many times upon returning home, as I know all the folks in our group that year had done. He made quite an impression on all of us. God had allowed me to witness an answered prayer, a walking and playing miracle. I told him I remembered him from Cuzco and enjoyed seeing him again. Giugli told me later that he was so proud I remembered him. His smile was enormous. I also cannot wait to see him again at this home next year.
Each year as we prepare to return home, it is hard to leave hurting children behind. But this year will be a little different thanks to the two special gifts I received in my “Two Richards” and “Jaime.” I have truly received more than I have given.

by Kelly Culbertson

Simple things

2011-12-06T23:20:00.011-06:00

Hola, my name is Lanie, and this is my second year to travel with Buckner on the Christmas in Peru trip. Through my experience on these trips, I've seen how actions that seem so simple can mean so much to a child living in an orphanage. A visit, a hug, a gift, a photo, or just spending time with them will leave memories that they will treasure.

When we arrived at the first orphanage we visited today, one of the young girls named Jackie came to greet and hug us. In her hand she held a photo. The photo was of herself and one of our mission team members from last year. She was looking for the friend who had spent time with her last year. A year later, she remembered that short visit and what it meant to her that someone would travel so far to see her and bring her a gift.

Later in the afternoon, we gathered around a make-shift outdoor Christmas tree at another orphanage to hand out gifts. One of our team members noticed a boy named Luis opening his gift and saw that as he rummaged through the box he found a letter written by the family that packed it. He pulled out the letter, along with the photo of the family, and showed them to his friends. One of the Buckner staff members translated the letter for him and asked what he would like to say to the family. He responded that he would like to say, "Thank you, God bless you, and Merry Christmas to your family." He showed us the gifts in his box, which included a watch, a baseball cap, and a t-shirt. Luis, who will soon be thirteen years old, said that he had never before had a brand new shirt. A generous family half way around the world took the time to pack a few items in a small box, and it touched the life of a young boy.

We've been reminded this week during our trip that Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). The children we've been visiting are certainly some of the least in status, in possessions, and maybe in hope. But simple things like a visit, a hug, a gift, a photo, or just spending time with them can make a big difference in their lives.

Nievas

2011-12-05T21:02:00.005-06:00

How do I put in words the feelings coursing through my heart to the very depths of my soul at this moment? Inside, I ache as I reminisce saying "Ciao" or "Goodbye." With one final hug, I let the little girl in the black jacket go and hopped on the bus with my team.

On the ride home, I couldn't help but wonder how many times others have abandoned this little girl . . . possibly with no goodbyes. Her name is Nievas. Eleven years old. She has lived at the orphanage "Nuesta Senora" for one year.

I dwell on Nievas' future for a moment. She has so much life ahead of her. With my arm around her the last half hour at the orphanage, I, in my VERY broken Spanish, shared with her as best I could the reason my team traveled the long distance to Peru to visit her - to give a gift and tell about our one and only Savior. Regardless of our language barrier, Nievas seemed to understand my fractured explanation. And the last phrase I left with her was "my heart goes out to you" to which she replied "the same to you also". . .

Now you may understand why my heart is breaking so.

As I leave Peru, I will not leave Nievas. I will continue to pray this short moment of time I was able to give to her will in the end bring her back to the truth of the One I live for and adore - Jesus Cristo. I pray He then uses her life to continue to bring Him glory in this both beautiful and desolate country.

Christmas in Peru Day 2

2011-12-04T22:07:00.011-06:00

Hello from Peru. My Name is Dori Naivar and I'm from First Baptist Church of San Marcos, TX. What a blessing it is to be here at Christmas time and to be a part of such a wonderful mission.
This morning, Sunday Dec 4, 2011, we visited a home for babies ranging from under a month to 3 years of age. "Divino Jesus Home" The first part of our visit was spent just loving and holding the tiny babies. When I first looked into the small room with cribs lined from end to end against the wall, my heart just fell. I'm a mother and a grandmother. For a moment, I just did not know what my reaction was going to be. It only took a split second and I was in. I'm looking around and already other people on this trip had the babies in their arms and were rocking and holding and smiling at them. I walked and touched them and rubbed their backs, but really there was no baby left to be picked up. Then I saw my roommate, Ashley leaning over a crib, playing and smiling. I walked up to her and she said, "she won't let me pick her up" It wasn't just Ashley, it was anyone. She was the most beautiful little girl, a little under 1 year of age. Very small, with big brown eyes and dark curly hair. Her name is Bertha. We both stood over her crib and tried to coax her into coming to us. Every now and then, you could see a little bit of a smile trying to come through. But each time I reached for her, she would reach her hands out for a second and then pull them away and look at me with those big eyes. It was very obvious, she did not trust me. I stayed and played patty cake and anything else I could do to gain her trust. Then finally when I reached out to her and she reached out to me, she came with me. My heart melted. Is this what Jesus feels when he reaches out to those that he wants to help and they pull away many times? He keeps on reaching and reaching and telling them that they can trust Him. Every time He reaches out and they go to Him, oh the love that begins to flow. We then went on to play with the toddlers. Oh the minute the Christmas Box's came out the whole room filled up with even more excitment. It was obvious that many of those children, remembered what was fixing to happen, and they were bursting with joy. As each child was given a box, they ran off to sit down and open it.

They were loaded with clothes and toys. I sat with one little girl as she opened her box, "Ramonia" was so happy with the colors she had been given and the book to color in.

As she colored, I looked around and watched so many of the children playing with everything from bubbles to toy cars. Most of these children do not talk yet. Their shining eyes and smiling faces say it all. I am so happy that God has allowed me to see this. I want to make sure that the people that pack these box's know how much they are doing for these children.

In the afternoon we went to CIMA. It is a boys home, age 8 to 17. One of the first things that stood out to me was how polite these boys were, not only to us but to each other. Teenage boys with manners such as this, was amazing. I have worked with a lot of youth, and having 50 plus boys all in the same room, usually means that you are going to have some issues to deal with. Not one time did I ever see any problems between these boys. It was obvious they were a family. Each one of them has a different story. They have had to grow up too fast. But their eyes and faces are still full of love to share. Oh they were excited because they knew with out arrival and after the games and crafts and bible time, would come the christmas present.

But more than that, they wanted to entertain us. They played music and danced and had us dance with them and they were so happy to make us happy. They were thrilled to see us smiling when they played their music. God has given each one of these boys a gift much bigger than we could ever bring them. I could feel His presence in this place today. They do not know what gift it is He has given them, but He does and He has a plan and a purpose for each one of their lives. I think I saw a glimpse of it today as I watched them teach us. I cried many tears today and said many prayers over all of the children and now it was time for goodbye's. I hugged many as they continued to say Merry Christmas and Thank you over and over. As I walked up the hill to the bus, I turned and looked back one more time, wondering to myself, if I would ever be back here again. Then I saw "Joni", he had ask me to dance with him. He waved to me and I waved back. God then reminded me. "I have a plan for this child" Thanks for checking in with us, I know there are going to be more wonderful stories told on these pages, so pass it on. Blessings to you!!

Christmas in Peru-Day 1

2011-12-03T20:27:00.003-06:00

Hello, my name is Marti and I'm part of the Christmas in Peru team. After arriving late last night into Lima, Peru, our team got started with ministry today. We have lots of ground to cover this week--14 ministry sites where we'll see close to 900 children and pass out Christmas gifts to each of them. We also have a VBS program, and today we tried it out in two different locations. Above, you can see some of our team playing with the children in Pamplona. The hills in the background are just a small part of this very large and poor community. Buckner has a community center there that works with local kids and families. Since it was my very first day in Peru, I was continually struck by the differences between here and home--the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, but also the genuine affection and gratitude shown by everyone. The people's joy is truly a testament that God is present here.

Our program included a craft project related to the Christmas story. These two boys, both named Sebastian, spent a lot of time coloring in the lines and adding glitter to their treasured art projects. I speak very limited Spanish, but nonetheless, I found it easy to communicate with these loving Peruvians. Smiles go a long way, art is a universal language, and today I found out that "tag" is a game all kids understand!

This sweet girl, Pilar, is hugging the Christmas present she received. These presents were purchased, packed, and sent ahead during the summer months by many different churches and individuals. Our team had the privilege to pass them out and see the looks of anticipation on the children's faces as they came forward to receive their gifts. As you can see, Pilar has not ripped into her bag (the way I've seen other kids do it at home!) but she has carefully looked through it and packaged it back up. The bright smile on her face tells the story of someone who has received the greatest gift ever. Let us remember that we have all been given the greatest gift ever as we celebrate His birth into the world.

Honduras SOS Day 1

2011-09-13T10:57:00.007-05:00

As soon as we landed today, we had a super quick lunch and then we were off to visit our first orphanage. Today was definitely a first for me; and I think it's safe to say it was for most everyone here. Today we met the children at a private orphanage that cares for orphaned children living with AIDS.

At first glance, it looked like any other orphanage I've been to in the last 4 years. But when we entered the building, the first thing we saw was the mural (for lack of a better word) below:

The mural on the wall are the children's hands with hearts painted inside them. If you look closely, the ones with crosses above their hands or painted next to the heart are the ones who have passed away....

Needless to say, most of us were a little shell shocked. I looked at the wall and then spotted Mary, crocodile tears streaming down her face. As I turned around, Mike was standing to my right in pretty much the same condition. All he could mouth was "Emma." Emma is his niece and could have easily been any of these children. Because at first glance, they don't look sick. Most don't know they are sick! And they don't understand why they feel badly sometimes. We actually had to be done and headed out exactly by 4:30, because that's when dinner is served, and the medicine is administered. They cannot deviate from this schedule.

On days like today, I simply remember that we serve a sovereign Lord. I can't answer the "whys." And I'm too tired tonight to even try. But I believe Him. I trust Him, and I praise Him. Because there is coming a day...every tear He'll wipe away. There'll be no more sickness. And no more pain.

This was the only orphanage that we visited today. We were there for several hours, and had fun playing with the kids. We played lots of "hot potato"...balloon style. Many bubbles were blown and chased, as well. We also all passed around little Denzel (yes, as in Washington) as if he were a newborn at a family reunion. He was absolutely adorable!

~ Carmen

Peru SOS Day Eight

2011-08-17T08:27:00.005-05:00

Hey guys, my name is Megan Levers, and I live in the Dallas area. When I found out about Buckner going to Peru, for some reason, I just knew that was where I was supposed to be. I had never been on a mission trip to a foreign country, let alone by myself. I feel so blessed that I did though, because I had to put complete trust in knowing that I was in His hands.

Fortunately, that was what the VBS story centered around at the homes we visited, so I felt especially sincere in the message we were sending to the kids. We were there to not only provide the children with the material, but also the emotional support, never letting them forget about God's love for them. This trip was so beautiful, but it's hard to express in words the things I experienced this week; How I couldn't have asked for a more loving, supportive, and genuine group of people found in our Peruvian staff. How the simple act of painting a young girl's nails brought such joy in being attended to. How the tighter squeeze in holding hands or receiving a hug spoke louder than words. How saying goodbye to each child at each home slowly broke apart your heart. How such unimaginable poverty did not crush the spirit of its inhabitants or how some ancient buildings in the Andes could literally steal your breath away. I quickly understood the intense magnitude of God's love for his creation, and how much He wants us to love Him in return.

All of God's creation deserves compassion, and I pray that the children we served will not forget that the love we showed them was not our own but glorified through God. There's beauty in freedom even if one doesn't have it in a physical sense. We are free to love God and to find joy even in the worst of situations, and I will always remember the beauty of so many kids yearning to experience it. I pray in their darkest nights and loneliest hours that they will think of the proof that love is real, that it can be found through Him, that they too can look upon God's giving hands, in a shoe print. I will never forget the children I met, Peruvian staff, or the group of fellow Buckner team members who will all be leaving Peru with their hearts in the hands of 800 kids, their stories forever in our thoughts.

I'd like to close with a quote I heard during the week, "Hope is the unlikely, even the impossible, becoming absolute" (Patsy Clermont). I pray that if the kids I met got anything from our time spent with them besides a new pair of shoes, that it was the hope that comes from living in the hands of God.

Peru S.O.S. Day Four

2011-08-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

Hola!

This is Shannon and Chelsea, and we are co-blogging. (: Our day today was very exciting because we got to hold babies. First we visited the Reyna de la Paz home, a home where very young mothers and their children live. The girls were teenagers and many were victoms of sexual abuse. When we first arrived there, it was like a community. When we greeted the girls our first thought was shock. Here were these girls, who are our age living a completely different life. You could see God working through these mother's hearts however, because despite the situation they were in, they had smiles on their faces and greeted us with open arms. One of the girls told us her story. She got pregnant at 16 years old. After her baby was born, she lived with the father of the baby who was in his thirties. He would beat her and that was when she came to live at the Reyna de la Paz home. Hearing this, we felt so much compassion towards her. We couldn't even imagine what she is going through but we pray that God will show her his amazing love and heal her brokenness.

The second home was amazing. The children run up to you the moment they see you and cling to you so tight, it's hard to breathe. It makes you feel special in a way because you are sharing that moment with these orphans who will never forget it. The most important thing to these children is to feel loved and accepted and hopefully we achieved that today through teaching the word of God. We asked them if they knew they were in God's hands and they all replied in unison, "si." We were grateful that the kids knew God has the whole world in his loving hands and they are not forgotten.

It was a blessing to be able to share God with these children and seeing their compassion for him. As we continure to pray for them we hope they continue to grow in theeir relationship with Christ. It was a great experience that we will never forget.

Peru S.O.S. Trip Day Two

2011-08-07T22:11:00.006-05:00

Hi, this is Tim Sinclair blogging for the Buckner team in Peru...

"Everything looks like it's under construction, but I'm pretty sure that none of it is."

That was my first thought as our bus made its way up to the Pamplona district of Lima, Peru. Walls were half built. Roofs were unfinished. There were holes for windows with no glass in sight. The "homes" in Pamplona have been built into the side of the hills, and if one started to fall I'm quite sure that they all - like dominoes - would crumble in succession. It is hands down the most poverty-stricken place I have ever been to.

We regularly see parts of our world that have been ravaged by natural disasters on the news. We hear the stories of families that are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives that wind and rain have stolen. But these precious people in Lima aren't in the process of recovering from anything.

No hurricane or tornado ripped through Pamplona last month. No fire broke out or storm blew in. No earthquake cracked their foundations and toppled their walls. These conditions are a day-to-day reality, not the result of a one-time tragedy.

Maybe it's because this is my first day in Peru (or maybe it has something to do with me getting seven total hours of sleep in the last 66 hours), but I don't see this city-within-a-city changing because of our visit. With our help or without it, I don't see a revitalization of Pamplona in the near future. But you know what? That's okay.

Americans especially like to involve themselves in mission projects such as this one because (in two weeks or two years or two decades) we assume that our efforts will be "worth it." We enjoy seeing a "return." We like knowing that we had a hand in moving a situation from bad to good. Or at least bad to better.

But Hugo, the young boy who got new shoes from me today, will need another pair next year. Mariabella, the cutest five year-old girl ever, will not be able to afford her own crayons or paper anytime soon. The man I saw sitting in a pile of old newspapers, looking out over his community, will probably see a very similar sight next year and the year after and the year after.

How am I okay with that? Well, sometimes, just sometimes, life isn't about change or progress or transition. Sometimes it is about doing the right thing, regardless of whether or not there's a return in it. Sometimes it's about caring for someone's today regardless of their someday.

Whether or not their futures are any brighter, today was better for Hugo and Mariabella. And that's good enough for me.

Peru S.O.S Trip Day One

2011-08-06T21:45:00.003-05:00

Hola!
My name is Caitlyn and I volunteered to write the first blog about our day here in Lima, Peru. I was told to identitfy myself before I get started since multiple people will be blogging about this trip during our time here. Currently we are in the Miraflores district in Lima, Peru. All of the people in our group arrived safe and sound despite delays everywhere. I came on this trip not knowing anyone at all, no face to put with a name and having absolutly no idea how this program actually ran. Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming, totally embracing people to form a wonderful group.

This is my first time on a mission trip as well as my first time to South America. You know what to expect, you see the photos and vidoes of slums and ghettos where children run free and hopelessness is overflowing. But to actually ride in to the place, to mentally compare your life to what you are seeing is unexplainable. Today we visted Pamplona, a slum in Lima. Riding in an older van we started out from our nice hotel in a nice beach area towards the hills that surround Lima. As we drove closer you can start to distinguish that along the hillside are piles and piles of rubble; bricks, trash, and rocks. Alongside the narrow streets are gated store fronts, run down houses, boarded up windows and we continune to climb till the houses are interspersed with piles of rubble, half the roofs missing or whole layers gutted and standing barren against the hillside.

People are everywhere, old ladies selling homemade sweets from thier front stoops or children chasing stray dogs down winding decaying steps. Here and there you can spot an attempt at bettering their enviorment; a small garden or a vivid green field for futbol. It's a narrow dirt road to the top that weaves through the buildings till you reach a barren top. This was our destination.

Here you can stand to your right you can see a beautiful skyline of sprawling Lima, a vast booming city spreading all the way to the Pacific. On your left the slums hugging the hillside winding around and around in to a pit of poverty. The juxtaposition of the two was almost too much to handle. How could they only be seperated by a hill? How could either be contatined in such a way that they never broach each other?

I stood confused at this precipice. Here I was, first day here, haven't met a single child yet and already my heart and mind are overwhelmed for this city that has such polar opposites that I wonder how they will ever equal out.

We were welcomed in to this area with open hearts, the children cheered when I carried in a box of shoes and sang for us with much joy. The shoe station was a hectic mess that totally went against all of my OCD tendencies but the all encompassing feeling was joy, love and humble gratitude that God is so great the He will provide for everyone from those on the right and left side of the hills in Lima because He is a just and loving God.

The Valley--Brittney Kennedy

2011-08-05T21:39:00.016-05:00

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -Leo Buscaglia

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't posted anything in a couple of weeks. Truth is, I didn't have anything to say. Most of the time I felt like I wasn't doing anything worth writing about. I didn't get to use any of my VBS material and I was not allowed to visit the children's home because Buckner does not have some medical information on file. I guess you could say I wasn't needed here in the Valley..

Being a girl who has a need to be needed, I often became frustrated. Sometimes I felt out of place among the CTC staff and began to question why I was here. But, I continued to remind myself that this trip wasn't about me and strived to glorify God in the little things. It's hard to see the Lord's glory on days when all you do is answer the telephone...

I was then reminded of Colossians 3:23, "Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."

So, I did what I could to share the God's love with everyone who walked into the CTC. I gave away most of my VBS supplies to the kids in the colonias and donated the rest to the CTC. It was such a humbling experience to see the children share everything they have with one another and the compassion of the families.

Hondruas-Tegu Take 2: A Walk By The River

2011-08-02T21:02:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, we had the incredible opportunity to walk around the community where the CTC and church minister. Buckner helps families with jobs and school, and the CTC has a beauty school and computer classes. The church provides nutrition packs for kids in their immediate community. Some of our students (volunteers at the CTC) came with us today to meet some of the families Buckner works with.

Many people who live in the community make their living by selling tortillas or anything else they can find. One of the families we met has a 20 year old daughter, Abi, who is paralyzed from the waist down. She is one of nine children, and their father left because he did not want to pay for a special needs child. However, her sisters take such good care of Abi, and she also has a little bike she pedals with her arms. When she is riding down the street, people ask for a ride and pay 1 Lempira (roughly 5 cents). Abi just started school, and she was able to share her workbooks with us. Apparently this weekend, she did all of her homework for the entire week! I told her she was a nerd like me! Abi and her family are just one of the families with incredible stories of survival. Praise the Lord for the work the CTC and the church are doing in this community to change lives.

2011-07-31T12:24:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone,
This past week the Russian Session Two Interns visited orphanage #14. A week before the Session Two interns arrived there was a fire at the orphanage #14 camp. So this week we visited the orphanage #14 children but at a different camp. The camp they are staying at now is not as nice as their regular camp. The caregivers told us one day that the kids just do not have a lot to do at this camp. But as we were saying our good-byes on the last day the caretakers thanked us for the fun week we provided the kids. They thanked us for the difference we made in their kids lives. During the week we played soccer, basketball, frisbee, and uno. We drew lots of pictures and found out that the boys like make-up more than the girls. The boys would put makeup on all the girl interns like they were life-sized Barbie dolls!

One of our best activities for the week was making Salvation bracelets. On this day we talked about Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us on the cross. We talked about God’s purpose in sending his son to earth and God’s purpose for our lives. But most importantly we talked about the things we must do in order to begin a relationship with Jesus. After we talked about these things we started the Salvation bracelet activity. The bracelets were the perfect visual to follow our talk about Salvation.

Before the week began our team had mixed thoughts and expectations about how easily we would connect with the orphanage #14 children. These children are much older and varied in age than orphanage #2. At orphanage #2 the kids would attach to each of us like a baby Kangaroo (joey) attaches to its mother. The orphanage #14 kids are mostly teenagers. And like most teenagers they are much more preoccupied with their own lives. During the week some of the team members found it much easier to interact with the older children and some felt it was more difficult to engage in their lives and make a difference. Sarah had a special experience. She played more with the boys during the week and got discouraged that she was merely playing with them and not sharing Jesus with them. By the end of the week she got to talk with them about Jesus. In return Sarah was given some drawings by two boys and a teddy bear by a girl. This was a sign to her that she really did make a difference during the week!

Elizabeth had a memorable experience overcoming the language barrier. She developed a friendship with a 9 year old girl named Deanna. They communicated mainly with gestures and facial expressions with each speaking their own language. However, Deanna shared through the translator that despite the difference in language, she could understand what was being communicated. God is so much bigger than a difference in language, and that was made evident this week in a special way.

On Thursday night we were visited by a rather large thunderstorm. In fact, a couple of the girl interns were startled by the intensity of the storm. However, Clay slept through the entire storm. Clay did not realize there had been a storm during the night until he went to take a shower and found the electricity and water to be out of service. The next morning it continued to rain. On Thursday we promised the orphanage #14 caregivers that we would bring humanitarian aid supplies Friday morning and give our formal good-bye. So we ended up walking through the rain with the supplies on what is about a 15 minute walk in the mud. When we got to the camp we were greeted with smiles, cheers, and handshakes. The caregivers looked pleasantly surprised- some were clearly elated that we had traveled through the weather to bring their kids gifts and say our good-byes.

After talking amongst ourselves later that day, we realized how God used this situation to paint a beautiful picture of His love for these children. A messy rainstorm could not separate us from being with these precious orphans, just as absolutely nothing can separate them from Jesus. Not even the incredibly difficult circumstances these children have. Our hope and prayer is that each orphan will remember that nothing can separate them from the love of Christ.

Sarah, Mary-Chelsea, Elizabeth, Niki, John, and Clay

2011-07-24T12:45:00.005-05:00

Hey Everyone,

This past week, the Russia Session Two interns visited orphanage #2. During our week at the orphanage we learned a lot. The first thing we learned was it is impossible to blow up and hand out balloons to thirty 6-10 year-olds. In case some of you readers do not already see the difficulty in this – imagine thirty kids screaming at the top of their lungs asking for balloons. While in the background the balloons that have successfully been blown up and distributed are popping like the sound of firecrackers. Besides balloons, we learned that sidewalk chalk is really meant to be used on multiple surfaces; for instance it goes well on tables, benches, brick walls, clothes, and skin. It turns out chalk is a multi-purpose decoration utensil! We also learned that when a person goes to the beach the sand is not meant to stay on the beach. Sand is really meant to be placed in shoes, pockets, and especially one’s hair. After all that is the best place for it.

Also, we all learned how to communicate with others in spite of the language barrier. John, however, was able to forgo the use of a translator because he spent his time this week with a mute boy named Collia. Clicking his tongue, pointing and using his hands, and utilizing all types of body language are all ways that Collia communicated with John. John even began to mimic Collia by clicking his own tongue by the end of the week. We all had a good laugh when, upon our arrival, Collia shoved his fingers as far up his nose as he could but when he saw John he retrieved his finger and promptly cleaned it off with his mouth while running towards John. It was game over for John as Collia planted a wet kiss on John’s cheek.

Do any of you remember what we did during our first week in Russia? This week the kids from the children’s hospital were sent to orphanage #2. We think this was a good thing for these children. Going to a new orphanage has to be scary, seeing a familiar face helped them feel more welcome and at peace. As soon as they saw us already at their new home their eyes lit up with excitement.

However, putting all fun aside, our team’s experience with these children as profound. First, we learned about priorities. The children at the orphanage had so little but did not realize or seem to care what they were missing. As we interacted with these kids, we realized how futile come of our daily worries are. We tend to worry about taking daily showers, wearing clean clothes, and eating our preferred food of choice. The kids at orphanage #2 do not know these vain worries. They do know what it is like to worry about living in a parentless world. They know what it is like to worry about the next time their mom is going to visit or the next time a family will try to adopt them.

Second, we learned about the environment from which these children develop. The kids receive little supervision. At times it may seem like they are raising themselves. Their caregivers show concern and compassion for their kids well-being but the kids greatly our number the caregivers. As a team we felt compassion for the caregivers and the tireless job they have to fulfill. We could almost see a visible burden that the caregivers would carry with them each day. Sometimes we would get frustrated at the kid’s bad behavior. But is their bad behavior solely attributable to the child? It seems to us that the environment they live in creates a survivor mentality. The bad behavior is partially the result of the child adapting to the environment they have been given. In this every child for himself environment, sharing and giving are not rewarded behaviors. Whenever a child would share or give it was a special moment.

Finally, we learned about God’s glory. On Tuesday we walked to the beach with the children. At the beach we made some observations. We noticed the boys and girls were rowdy yet at the same time acted differently than they did at the orphanage. They acted more like kids without a care in the world. Their rowdiness was no longer characterized by tears, chaos, and fighting. Their rowdiness was now characterized by smiles, laughter, and playful harmony. The caregiver’s burdens seemed to disappear as joy shown bright in their eyes. We believe that at the beach God’s glory was on display for every soul to see, hear, and feel. At the beach, the kids and caregivers could not escape the glory of God. You see one of the best evidences for God is by the glory of his creation. At the beach his glory was on full display! The indisputable proof of God’s glory was shown in the beautiful collision of sand, sea, sky, clouds, and trees.

Sarah, Niki, Elizabeth, Mary-Chelsea, John, and Clay

Project Go! Rio Grande Valley

2011-07-19T21:46:00.015-05:00

The Valley-Brittney Kennedy

"Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work; we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children." -Pablo Picasso

Last week I was in Progreso, TX with a mission team from Austin, TX assisting with the VBS at a local community center and painting houses in the Colonias. The conditions many of the families live in are heartbreaking. I don't think most Americans could even fathom such poverty existing in their own country...

Despite their circumstances, the people here are absolutely inspiring, especially the children. They have nothing, but they smile as if they have everything. The children are so precious and eager to learn. And their desire to know Christ is incredible.

During the VBS, 4-year-old Alejandra(below)would attach herself to me. She would wrap her tiny arms around my sun-burnt neck and squeeze as tightly as she could. She would then grab my face, place her head on mine, stare into my eyes, and talk until she ran out of breath. Then she would kiss me on the cheek and run off. I was drenched in sweat, tired, and never understood a word she said, but it was worth. She was worth it. They were all worth it...

2011-07-17T12:19:00.004-05:00

Good Evening! Hope that everyone is going well! We just wanted to share some thoughts that we have had through out this week!

Enjoy!

Elizabeth: The Russia session 2 team has finally arrived!!!!!! So far this month has been full of changes- a new team, new translators, and new kids. For the first week the team stayed in the city and traveled by Metro, bus, and by foot to a children’s hospital. Before kids can be placed in an orphanage, they must go to this hospital in order to be cleared medically. These kids must go into quarantine for several weeks before entering their designated orphanage. This past week, our team was able to spend time with the recently cleared children who were waiting to be placed in the orphanage system. So team, what did y’all think when you first got there?

Mary-Chelsea: I thought the hospital was extremely clean and that I was extremely naïve.

Niki: What do you mean?

MC: My thoughts going in were like “let’s go play with them”, but once the week really started to go, it was like this really was their day-to-day life. I was trying not to be so emotional, but once I let my guard down, I realized this is it.

Sarah: And it’s not like they get to go home to their families at the end of three weeks like we do. At first it felt like we were visiting a daycare, then it hit me that they were about to enter a system where they will be considered “fatherless” and “motherless” until, or if, they are adopted.

MC: No wonder the boys were so rowdy and aggressive.

Elizabeth: It is always so troubling to see how much the kids fight with each other.

MC. And I was surprised how the caretakers let them get away with punching each other. It was really sad.

Elizabeth: I thought it was interesting that as soon as we arrived at the hospital the workers immediately saw Clay and John and told them, “The boys need boys to play with.” Most of the boys don’t have any male role models in their lives.

John: Clay and I immediately started playing soccer with the guys and I thought it was interesting how intensely they played. They went all out.

Clay: I felt like it was harder to engage these kids in the Bible stories than in the other camps.

Sarah: I thought it was really tough to see some of the moms come to visit the kids at the hospital. You could see it in their eyes the regret and pain that haunted them as they, for whatever reason, could no longer care for their kids.

MC: And the moms would bring the kids toys, and those kids would cling to those toys, even if it was just a piece of paper.

Sarah: During the middle of the week, an older girl named Nastia was cleared medically and she left for an orphanage. My mind cannot fathom what thoughts and emotions she was feeling, as her life was about to change drastically.

Niki: And on Friday it was difficult to leave because one girl, Katia, was dropped off earlier that day, and she started crying because she missed her mom. As an older child, she understood the permanence of the situation…it was hard to see her so distraught.

Elizabeth: I found it difficult to think that the hospital was only the first step to a very long road. These kids have so much ahead of them.

Please pray for these precious children who just entered into a very unstable setting, and that they would seek comfort in the arms of our Creator. Also please pray for us, as we are about to leave for our first week of camp with orphanage #2. We were so encouraged by the relationships we made with the kids this past week, and cannot wait to meet a new group of children.

Since we were not allowed to take photos at the hospital this past week, we decided to post a group shot……

Team Russia Session Two: Clay, Elizabeth, Niki, Sarah, Mary-Chelsea, and John

Honduras-Tegu Take 2: Bubbles

2011-07-16T18:52:00.002-05:00

Our day-to-day schedule will be mornings at the CTC and afternoons at the orphanage. We had yet to visit the special needs casita at the Kennedy orphanage so on Monday we made that our first stop. There are four kids normally housed there but one of them was at the hospital. Christian was a boy about 15 years old who has to wear a very painful back brace and cries anytime he has to move…it is heartbreaking. He cannot talk and is a bedridden. While Rachel and Jenifer took to Christian, Edna and I were drawn to a beautiful little girl laying on a mattress on the ground in the living room. Erika is such a happy and sweet spirit even though her legs are badly crippled and has limited mobility with the help of braces and her “tias”. While she could not use words she was very expressive. Luis told us that Erika loves bubbles, so we broke out our stash and starting blowing bubbles in the casita around her mattress. I have never seen such a precious face…it glowed with joy as the bubbles fell around her. It’s amazing that such a tiny, fleeting thing, like a bubble, had such a big impression on such a precious child. I wish I could capture that moment, that joy, and bottle it up…it was worth more than gold.

My wish for everyone today…be a bubble.

Honduras-Tegu Take 2: Compartir

2011-07-16T18:40:00.004-05:00

Compartir means to share. This is something that is really difficult for the kids. Their instinct is to survive. They hoard. They steal. They beg. It's what they know. Teaching them to share, compartir, is not an easy task. Today we had some sidewalk chalk and bubbles and were just hanging out with the kids. I think at one point at least four were crying and another three were sulking. They wanted to keep the chalk. Someone else had more chalk than they did. Their turn with the bubbles wasn't long enough. Someone poked someone in the eye with th bubble wand... You know. Typical kid stuff, but to an extreme I have never seen. Kids are constantly sneaking stuff away, putting it in pockets... And you never leave with as much stuff as you brought. Which you would think is fine. The stuff is for them.

But sometimes you have to be careful.

On Sunday we used markers to make masks with the kids. A few of the boys had taken the markers and drawn all over their faces. Unbeknownst to us, one of the boys drawing on himself previously used markers to get high while on the street. The markers triggered those memories and later that night he escaped from the orphanage. Six other kids have also escaped.

On Thursday we had a great surprise waiting for us at Casita de Kennedy...the boys were back! We were so happy to see their precious faces. We are already in love with these children and have enjoyed the opportunity to go to the same place everyday so that we can share with these kids the love of Christ on a daily basis.

Our team outside Casita de Kennedy!

7-13-2011 Peru Session 2

2011-07-13T23:00:00.001-05:00

Michael Dearman - token guy - Peru

Fifteen days, that’s how long this little, beautiful girl had been at Sagrada Familia Orphanage in Lima, Peru. As far as the circumstances surrounding her arrival at the home, I am unaware. What was clear today, while looking in to those saddest brown eyes, constantly glassy with pervasive tears, was that this Earth is rife with injustice. No three-year-old should ever be without a father or a mother or love, or anything to cling to beyond dirty blankets. Some, however, have none of this. Some do not even a dirty blanket.

This little girl, she was tiny in her little, pink zip-up sweater. Her goldenrod pants, the color of a child-drawn sun, clashed with the un-ending, penetrating stare in her eyes. There was nothing joyful like sunshine in that look. We didn’t speak much. I sat her on a swing and pushed her back and forth so that we were always facing each other, I wanted her to know that I was staring at her pain and that I loved her regardless of what this world has done to her.

Some children have trouble looking older, bigger, foreign, and strange people in the eye, but she seemed so fearless, she never took her gaze from mine. It’s difficult to describe in words the expression in the eyes of another person. It is at once a multi-layered mirror into the mind of another and she was not afraid to look, to show me without saying what she could never express in words. This is, I am certain, God’s gift to us. We talked with the stark words of eyes for some time. Back and forth, the swing went. She didn’t crack a smile, just the same listless, hopeless, nothingness, of a bleak existence, and only three years of it.

I asked her what her name was and she mumbled in reply. I asked her several more times during the day and could never understand her. The same unintelligible mumble is all I received. It was almost the only thing she said. But still, her eyes were chattering away and to ask someone that worked at the orphanage would be to interrupt the flow of the experience. I was afraid she would stop teaching me about pain and loneliness.

The stare became oppressive after sometime; it’s hard to see that kind of hopelessness and resist affection. I wanted to see if she remembered how to smile. I started shaking the swing, holding it up in the air as if defying gravity, tickling her, making myself look ridiculous, anything to elicit a smile or change of expression. At first, nothing. Then, slowly, she began to giggle, and soon a smile, she wasn’t showing teeth, but a little crescent on her face brought me joy nonetheless. Soon, though, she was back to the longing to be with familial love, I believe.

The fleeting instant of happiness, though, was enough to elicit hope that all was not lost for this nameless little girl. We proceeded to push other children on the swings, hand-in-hand we pushed them for their own enjoyment, and she brightened yet again. The ebb and flow of her emotions was a battle to behold between bleak, desolate landscapes and goldenrod tomorrows, so sporadic were the changes, I wasn’t certain how she would feel when I left. She walked around the orphanage with me, always holding my hand. I like to think she found some comfort there, for just the chance to be in the presence of love, unconditional and boundless, the love that stems from God. The Project Go interns are there to be that and carry that, the love that Christ exemplified for all of us.

I look forward to seeing my little amiga again. Whether she is smiling, crying, it doesn’t matter because I will love her nonetheless. It is our duty to love, the greatest commandment of Christ. Tomorrow is the last day I get to spend with her. It will break me not see her. She needs more love than I or this world can provide. But she has God, I know he is there with her, holding her hand in that orphanage in Peru.

June 10, 2011 - Peru Session 2

2011-07-13T22:43:00.003-05:00

Michael Dearman - the token guy - Peru

Finding a group of Christians that are not only the devoted Christ followers that they should be, but genuinely real individuals that have struggled, failed, and been risen, all through the will of God, you have to question how you ended up where you are. I’ve known my fellow interns in Peru for only a handful of days but the bonds of Christ have latched deep. All of us, even if we resisted the impulse to say it, all wanted to form a relationship with each other so that we could better understand each other’s struggles and function in a loving and caring way for the month that we are serving in Peru. God’s hand is in this, bringing all of us together to this one place through some absolutely intricately linked set of circumstances, for so many reasons that will never be revealed to us until after this mission is over.

The anticipation to serve has really been wearing on the group. We have really wanted to get into the orphanages to just love, to let God act through us in the lives of these kids in need of love. I am absolutely ready to completely relieve any claim to myself and become the conduit through which God touches the lives of others. God rewards too, that’s not to be forgotten. Through loving those that truly value love because they have never had it before, we come to realize why that is what God has called all of us to do.

Love permeates every layer of this world, even to its most forgotten, darkest depths. We are here because of love. We are sustained out of love. We are allowed to exist because of love. Without it, we are missing one of the most fundamental parts of who God is. I am so thankful for the love that everyone here in Peru has shown me, including that of my group. It’s a gift, a beautiful, breathtaking gift that is so undeserved that I am almost ashamed to accept it.

I expect that the next month will provide a very hard realization that I (everyone) don’t deserve anything that I have. God is supreme and sustains us. God holds us aloft from the floodwaters, or dunks us to its depths for the sake of his own will and for our ultimate benefit and enlightenment. This fact is absolutely apparent in the testimonies of Rachel, Lauren, Jeanne, and myself. We made it a point to welcome openness as a gift and a necessity for the next month and that begins with understanding the basis from which we are who we are. Failing to realize the value of the shared testimony, the shared recounting of experience, is really the beginning of the end of lasting Christian relationships.

I hope that you will all keep us in your prayers. Pray for the orphans, our continued good health in order that we may serve, and the transformation of lives by the power of God.

Interns for Guatemala

2011-07-05T15:19:00.027-05:00

Lessons learned and blessings received

by Brittany Watson

When I first wrote about our trip, I talked about the perfection of God’s timing and the beauty of seeing his church unite for his glory. This is apicture that God continued to paint for me throughout the time that I was in Guatemala and even in the days following our trip.

Before we left for Guatemala, my team and I were reminded of the first rule of missions: flexibility. This is a lesson that God worked on with us time and time again.

There were some days when we planned for 20 kids and were met with 70 smiling faces. One morning we were woken up ten minutes before we had to leave, unaware of the one-hour change in our schedule. The sites where we worked changed for various reasons and at a moment’s notice. The biggest change, however, was how quickly our trip came to a close.

I’ve already been home for a week when I should have only been home for a couple days, but, like I’ve said, God’s timing is perfect. Due to political changes drawing near, violence has been increasing. While I am disappointed to have left a week early, I am very grateful to have an in-country staff that worked so closely with the Dallas leadership to make the safety of myself and my team a number-one priority.

Along with the tests of flexibility, there were so many more great things I was able to learn and blessed to be a part of.Each time the schedule changed, God changed my heart a little more, and I hope the lesson of flexibility I learned in the mission field will be carried over to my daily life and the surprises that God is going to continue to throw my way.

On the first day, I saw my team work together for the glory of God. While this was such a blessing, I could not begin to imagine how much of a blessing it is to see the global church work together to further his kingdom and take care of his children.

Each Sunday, we worshiped in a language different from our own, and our Guatemalan church welcomed us as part of their family from the very beginning.

The translators, drivers and other Buckner staff with whom we spent the month of June also became our family while we were there, and we could not have had a successful trip without them. The fact that our translators understood and could communicate not only the words we were speaking but the message behind those words, made our work so much more powerful. Their faith helped us to share ours, and it was in this that I could see the global church at work.

There is even more comfort in knowing that the wonderful in-country Buckner staff, with which we worked so closely, will remain in Guatemala to continue the great work that is being done at the community transformation centers.

My life is forever changed from the experiences I’ve had in Guatemala, the relationships I’ve built with the people at Buckner and of Guatemala, and the lessons that God has taught me in the short time of one month. I only hope that all of the people we worked with while in Guatemala feel equally blessed.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

2011-07-01T13:26:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

This is Russia session 1 interns coming to you live from saint petersburg. You might be wondering what was going on with our blog last week. Last week, our one and only computer called in sick so we were unable to complete a blog. But this week, we really are coming to you live from saint petersburg!

This past week we have been working with orphanage number forty six. We had many ups and downs, some of our team members seemed to catch the contagious sickness that the computer had this past weekend. Our team fought sickness, hot and humid temperatures, and most of all- Satan.

Throughout the week we've worked with children from elementary through middle school. We played uno, we played go fish, and each of us learned to become a tattoo artist with washable markers. The most popular activity throughout the week was each kid coming to us and requesting some kind of graffiti or superhero on their arms and faces. Our team made the mistake of showing the children where we stayed during the week which resulted in them swarming us and following us back in droves asking for "Chupy chupes" or rather, lollipops.

On a more serious note, amidst the chaos, God's presence shined through the darkness. Having no previous experience with this orphanage, our team felt collectively uneasy but God knew exactly what he was doing. We decided to forego our typical VBS and try to minister through personal relationships and interactions. We believe that is exactly what God had planned for this week. By day 2, three individuals accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. All three of these individuals went to bed on that night excited to begin their new relationship with Jesus. They were even more excited to feel the presence of Jesus in their heart. Through Jesus they finally found a never failing friend, they found everlasting peace, and they found renewable hope. They discovered the unconditional love that only their Heavenly Father can provide.

Before the last day of the week arrived, we had to overcome many of Satans obstacles. Several of us became sick through the week and all of us were feeling overwhelmed with the physical side affects of sleep deprivation and exhaustion. But this week God taught us a very important lesson, the lesson of spiritual tenacity. "Tenacity is more than endurance. It is endurance combined with the absolute certainty that what we are looking for is going to transpire. Tenacity is more than hanging on, which may be but the weakness of being too afraid to fall off. Tenacity is the supreme effort of a man refusing to believe that his hero is going to be conquered." (Oswald Chambers)

Through the lesson of spiritual tenacity, God showed his power. On the last day God's presence in the camp and with our team was obvious. As we began to write letters to the older teens of the orphanage, the floodgates of letter writing opened. At the beginning of the week our small team had no idea how to individually share the gospel with such a large number of children. What started as encouraging notes to a few of the older orphans snowballed into writing a short gospel summary along with how much God loves them. Before they knew it, our translators were soon engulfed with a Niagara Falls of letters to be translated. It became apparent to us on this day that God's purpose for these letters was to tell of his love even after we left.

As one of the older girls, Nina, dictated her letter to one of the translators, we were able to tell her about our true purpose in coming to Russia- God's saving grace. As we were saying our goodbyes Nina thanked us for telling her about God. Knowing this would be our last interaction with her the Lord opened her heart and gave us the opportunity to share the gospel in depth with her. In the end she desired a personal relationship with Christ and we led her in a prayer then celebrated her as our new sister in Christ.

In conclusion, we believe Oswald Chambers said it best, "Then comes the call to spiritual tenacity, not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately on the certainty that God is not going to be worsted."

~Kalie, Sally, Sarah Anne, Elizabeth, and Clay

The Best Moment

2011-06-28T21:59:00.001-05:00

Three days last week, there was a small group of ladies and teens that came to the CTC. They had a bible study for ladies and did their nails and make-up for them. They also watched the children in a separate room so the ladies could really have the morning to themselves.

On Friday, one of the ladies that went was my teenager’s mom. I drove her home and she was excitedly telling me (in español, of course) how much fun she had. She loved the bible study and was given shampoo, a toothbrush, and make-up. She showed me all the make-up and just kept saying how wonderful it was.

I’m going to back track for just a moment. The previous Friday, Andrew and I went to their house. He got information about the family and we saw that they needed shingles on their roof. Andrew ordered the shingles to be delivered Saturday and let Gabriel know about the need. Mid-week there was a missions group that came in and began putting the shingles on.

By the time I was taking the mother home, they were just about done with the roof. As we pulled up to the house, the mother was absolutely speechless and I could see the tears streaming down her face. We also saw that the group and started the work to put a window. (The house previously had no windows whatsoever, just two doors.)

The joy in her face was not something that I even know how to describe or create a mental picture of for you. It was completely breathtaking. Seeing her reaction was absolutely the best moment of this trip.

-Samantha Soto

Project Go! Intern

Colonias, TX, Session 1

Rio Grande Valley: 1 John 4:12 by: Andrea

2011-06-25T23:01:00.001-05:00

1 John 4:12
"No one has ever seen God; IF we love one another, God ABIDES IN US and his love is PERFECTED IN US." 1 John 4:12. This verse has been on my heart for the past few days. Jesus makes himself known to the lost and needy by acts of love by his children. We can see what God is like when we submit to everything he is and truely live out ouf life for him. This verse says that we can actually see God's character if we love one another! God wants us to understand him and to discover who he is! Praise God for this truth!

Friday was a very long, but very awesome day. We started out with the feeding program routine, and as usual told the kids to wash their hands, prayed before they ate, and then played with them/babysat them while they waited on their rides. But instead of the usual 15 kids, we had about 30 some! I was so thrilled to see so many people come out to the CTC, it was a blessing! Some ladies from a church in Texas came down this week and were holding a "ladies day out" at the CTC. They pampered them with nice things and gave them free things to take with them. One of the ladies actually cried because she was overwhelmed with the love that was being shown to her. Not only did she enjoy the ladies day out but she was so happy about some of the construction of her house being completed by mission groups working with Buckner. Buckner had put shingles and windows on their house. I have had the priviledge to get to know this ladies children. What a blessing that has been! I've got to share my testimony with them and answer their questions about Jesus and various things about the bible and why I am here. :)

With so many children at the CTC Friday I got very overwhelmed. Although at times it was hard, I enjoyed reading to the kids, talking with them about their life, and sitting and just hugging them. We went outside and got to play dodge ball and do sidewalk chalk as well. Some of the kids have learned my name and are starting to ask more questions about me and why I am here and where I am from. This is what missions is all about! About the friendships and connections we make in this community. Two of the volunteers at the CTC asked for my picture with them. I had never really spoken with them since they do not speak english but I had seen themc oming in with some children and to help clean/volunteer with the feeding program. I felt special as they asked me to take a picture with them. It warmed my heart that they can be so warm and accepting without even knowing me or speaking with me much. I think it is the act of just being there and helping out their communities children that makes them appreciate what we are doing. In the Colonias near the CTC most poeple know each other and they live as a family sort of. I really admire that they take care of each other and spend time with each others famlies. That is something I wish American's would do.

As the children were waiting to be picked up I was talking to this one girl that I have got to bond with this week. She invited me to a block party in the evening. I hadn't heard anything about it until then but I told her i'd love to come and I would try to. I know that Buckner has held block parties before but I didn't really know exactly what went on. She told me that they have popcorn and pizza and movies and a moon jump thing (not sure if that's the right terminology). So I was looking forward to that after we got off of work. I have been wanting to spend time in the neighborhood with the famlies that I have come to know over the last 3 weeks!

After work was over we got something to eat and were on our way back to Penitas when we got a call from one of the staff members saying that there wasn't a block party and that some of the people were out waiting for Buckner to come (they had heard from someone it was friday night). Needless to say, there was a communication problem so there was no block party on friday night in the area they thought it was going to be. There was one a few blocks down. We were driving through one of the neighborhoods where we thought it was going to be and all the sudden we see 5 kids running to the van (they knew it was us since its the van that picks them up for the feeding program). My heart melted as I saw them smiling and asking us if there was going to be a party. They got their hopes up and it just killed me and Samantha. We told them we would see them Monday and that we were very sorry! After that we went and spent time with some of the teens/kids that we had come to know. They enjoyed us being there. Two of the little girls wanted to play this paper game with us where you pick numbers and it tells you something. The teenage girls showed us all their animals; their goats, chickens, chicks, dogs, and ducks. They loved being able to talk with us about that. They also told us taht it was dangerous there at times, and that people steal other peoples chickens and other sthings, as well as violence occuring pretty often.

As the sun was setting I was just in love with spending time with this precious familiy and just so heartbroken at the same time to hear how it isn't safe to live their and to hear some of their personal struggles. I pray for them that God will be their hope and their light in the dark areas of their life. I felt a lot of different emotions as we left...I just felt so overwhelmed that that was the way life is for them, they are used to it, and who knows how long they will live the way they do. I know God has them in his hands and I pray that they will trust him to guide them in this life.

After we visited them we drove through to see if one of the pasters we had met was at his church, sure enough he was, and we randomly just chatted with him for a while. lol. Since we just got the van to ourselves we were going to the areas we had been to to fellowship with the children and adults we had come to know. We had such a great time. We also saw some of the kids we had met through a VBS the first week...they were playing soccer and some were having a church bible study at a house. That was so neat to see! It just melted my heart...there were teens, adults, and some young children sitting together under a tree. I asked one of the young boys about it and he said that they meet there every friday to talk about the bible. Praise God! He is alive and active and he is doing a mighty work in some of these communities! After our random talking with people..and Samantha speaking a little bit of spanish..(our only hope to actually communicate with some of them)...lol...we headed home. We all three enjoyed the time we had to visit people in the colonias..and to spend a little bit of time with them.

I am looking forward to this last week. Now that we have a vehicle to drive we will will hopefully be able to spend time with the kids! I am just so grateful right now that God has brought me here and has shown me what he is doing. I am so excited to see what is going to happen with these families. I believe God is going to bless them so that he will be glorified. I believe also that I need to really pray and support this mission down here. I think that is one of the reasons God put it on my heart to come here. I now feel a connection with the area and these people have a piece of my heart. I will always be thinking about them and hoping/praying that God takes care of them! Please pray for me this last week as I continue my mission work on the border!!! May all the wonderful things that happen show how great our God is!!!

Kenya - Part Tano (5)

2011-06-25T12:09:00.008-05:00

After buying Swahili bibles on Friday, we had the opportunity to visit Tom and Dickson at the Buckner Kenya Office downtown. They both welcomed us with open arms. Dickson shared with us Buckner Kenya's history and the future plans. He helped Buckner start at the BCC 10 years ago and now is getting to plan a big celebration recognizing all the Lord has done in these 10 years. On top of all of his responsibilities planning for different groups traveling in, Tom has made us feel right at home at Kenya and has even joined us for an African dining experience. He has gone above and beyond to keep us safe and make sure we are taken care of. Dickson and Tom both have such a passion for the kids and the community of Kenya. The leadership of Buckner Kenya is truly invested in seeing God do amazing things in the lives of the people in Nairobi, Kitale, and Busia.

Later on Friday, we returned to the BCC to watch the second annual "football" tournament between our students and students from other schools. All of the teachers and students took a break after a week of midterm exams to watch the soccer games. The teachers and the manager worked hard to coordinate with three different schools to come and participate. The kids all loved having a day to relax and cheer on their classmates. Two of the Grade 8 residential boys, Matthew and Mark, impressed us during the games with their soccer skills. Both of the these boys are leaders at the BCC and take care of all the other kids. They have ambitions to become a doctor and engineer and are studying hard for their Grade 8 Exams coming up soon. Their smiles always brighten our day and they are both role models for the younger guys at the BCC.

During the soccer game, different orphanages came to the BCC and picked up shoes. Shoes for Orphan Souls donated shoes for eight different orphanages and the BCC. Grades 1-3 all got new shoes one Friday and each student left with a big smile.

Two incredible ladies at the BCC are the women who run the clinic, Shamilla and Evarlyn. From helping with the medical camp to treating the day to day community visitors, both of these women are hard workers. The joy both of them has is contagious and there is not a day in the clinic where you don't laugh and learn life lessons. Treating various illnesses, keeping babies up to date on their shots, and giving community members helpful advice are only a few things they do on a daily basis. It is amazing the things they are able to do in the clinic with the resources they have. The community around the BCC is so blessed to have such an amazing medical support team and we are so grateful to work with such genuine people.

"We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in all of our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

Second Baptist Houston, Dominican Republic

2011-06-24T14:10:00.007-05:00

Today is our last day here in the Dominican Republic. It is a bittersweet day as we are all so sad to leave the love that we have grown here with the people, the children, the culture, and expecially the food! Today has been so much fun with the children, their parents, and the staff here at the CTC (Community Transformation Center). The sports team filled water balloons for the kids to play with. At first the children were wondering what they were going to be doing with balloons that were filled with water! I told them that they would be play fighting with them. Then asked the question, what is going to happen when you throw the balloon and it falls on the floor? One of the children looked back at her with a mischevious smile and began laughing.

The bible study groups have also done an amazing job with the children! Most of the children are memorizing scripute and they are devoring the word!

We invited single mothers form the local community to an afternoon small group Bible study, and it is coming together very well. Barbara has done such an excellent job instilling a sence of cohesiveness within the group. She has also been the leading force in bringing about 10 children to Christ and walking them through the prayer of salvation!

Today the women are going to experience sharing their testimony with each other. The theme for the womens group is breaking barriers and forming community within themselves. Most of the women seem to be Christians and some know the word very well; however there are a few that seem to be investigating this whole Christianity thing.

Community is being formed in a MIGHTY WAY here at the CTC in the DR. Thank you so much for all of your prayers over this trip!

-Amy

Second Baptist Houston in the Dominican Republic: A Tale of Lost Luggage

2011-06-22T08:29:00.005-05:00

It´s hot. As in like the face of the sun (ok, maybe that´s a slight exaggeration). However, nobody really cares about the heat because this team has been the picture of Biblical community.

This is our fourth day with kids, and the second with the kids at our Community Transformation Center in Pedro Brand. This team of 15 is doing crafts, Bible study and rec time with around 60 kids each morning and 90(ish) in the afternoon. The hot afternoons are crazy with all of those kids in this tiny building, attempting to switch stations, sing, play, have some snacks, make a craft and listen to a Bible story. By the end of the day we are tired... but it´s a really good tired. It´s probably also helpful that this team is from Houston since they are used to heat and humidity (this doesn´t mean that they enjoy it!). But the familar climate is not the reason this trip is going well.

This team was given a gift the day we arrived. Out of the 32 bags that were checked at the airline counter on Saturday morning, 31 of them did not make it to Santo Domingo. To make matters worse (for me), the single bag that made it here was mine. That was an awkward trip leader moment, being the only person with clean clothes and all my stuff. Don´t worry- I got over it. :)

So, 15 team members had the chance to spend three whole days traveling with only the items that fit in their carry-on bags. Lessons in humility. Just as frustrating as not being able to wear you own clothes was not having the supplies for crafts and games with these kiddos. While I spent most of the day Sunday on the phone with American Airlines or emailing my boss and the travel agency, the rest of the team sweated the afternoon away doing VBS and wondering how gross it would be to spend Monday wearing the same sweaty clothes again.

Since we are staying in dormatory-style rooms with bunk beds, we shared shorts, t-shirts and pajama pants from our carry-ons (an my lone suitcase) to replace the luggage that was still in an airport somewhere. "Togetherness" happens when 13 women (counting myself and our country director, Tricia) have a limited number of clothes and 3 bathrooms. On Monday, 24 bags arrived and two of us took a translator to the airport to help us with picking them up. After 2 hours in customs, they finally let us have them all. The final 7 were delivered to us that evening. Then, a funny thing happened: everyone was so excited to have their stuff for a while, but as I sat listening to them unpack, I heard "I can´t believe I packed this much stuff. That was unnecessary" and "I´ll know next time what to put in my carry-on, but I also know what to just leave at home." After a couple of days of wishing for the comfort of clean and familiar clothes, everyone could see what was truly important.

These mission trips are my job- as in my actual full-time job. I´ve seen a lot of VBS in the last 5 years and have traveled with more mission teams that I have time to count right now. Never have I seen a team form such geniune friendships so quickly. The body of Christ works together to accomplish His purposes. The most effective mission teams are the ones who can demonstrate humility and respect for one another. Getting over ourselves just makes us better at ministry. Even though this team is from the same church, they didn´t all know one another yet. Nothing else could have fostered the community that can be seen in this team.

Again and again, God displays His love in ways that just simply don´t make sense to us. Like lost luggage.

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9

-Susan W, Buckner Missions Office

more Peru pics!

2011-06-21T23:10:00.000-05:00

just a few more pics from the first days at Reina de la Paz and San Ricardo homes! :)

this week in Peru....

2011-06-21T22:56:00.004-05:00

This week in Lima, Peru a group of 17 from Sunrise Christian Reformed Church in Lafayette, Indiana, is doing ministry with two different homes—Reina de la Paz, a home for teenage mothers, and San Ricardo, a home for orphaned siblings. Buckner Peru June interns are also a part of the group this week along with the translators.

Mornings are spent with the teenage girls of Reina de la Paz, where Bible study is being done on the book of Esther. The team also does crafts, sports, and health lessons with the girls. A typical day includes lots of conversations, girly giggling, playing with babies and toddlers, and learning about each other’s cultures.

Afternoons are dedicated to the active and fun-loving kids at San Ricardo, where Bible study, memory verse, sports, and crafts groups are done each day as kids learn more about Christ’s role in their lives. A soccer game always breaks out at some point during free time and if we had an unlimited supply of bubbles, the kids would never get tired of using them!

It has been such a blessing to see God at work here in these 2 homes in Lima! We see Him in the way a teenage girl, just a child herself, can love and care for her own young child. We see God in the special needs children who get such joy out of singing, participating in the activities, and getting personal attention from a team member. We see Him in the workers at both homes who work tirelessly to provide a better life for the ones they have under their care. We see that God has prepared and provided a place for these precious children to live and be cared for under godly administrators. We see God teaching these children more about Himself and His love for them and we are so blessed to be a vessel that He uses this week. The kids in both places love the Bible stories and discussions—what a blessing! Looking forward to a great week of ministry and hoping you’ll join in prayer for the futures of the children in these homes!

To see more about what Sunrise CRC is up to this week, check the blog they created for their church that is updated daily:

http://sunriseperu2011.blogspot.com

The light shines through the darkness: by Andrea

2011-06-21T19:38:00.005-05:00

This week Samantha and I have had the opportunity to work with a mission group at one of the colonias here in the Valley. The group we worked with was a youth group from Dallas, Texas. I really enjoyed getting to paint with them, and getting to know them better-they were a lot of fun. Isaac helped with the feeding program on Monday and Tuesday. My favorite part about this mission trip so far is that I get to help make a difference through acts of service, such as painting, and that through them we as a team can display Jesus' love to the needy families. The remainder of the week we will be helping with the feeding program at the CTC and with more painting at the colonias with another mission group from the same church. Last week we held a bible school at the CTC (Isaac, Samantha, and I). We taught the kids about the creation, the fall, Noah's faithfulness, and Cain and Abels offerings. We had about 25 kids each of the four days we had it. The kids really enjoyed it-their favorite part was the bubbles and waterguns. Most of the children who came live in the poor area around the CTC-most in the Colonias. Sometimes their parents come with them to breakfast/lunch and sometimes they don't. I have noticed that in bigger families the older brother or sister will take care of the younger ones. I can tell they watch out for each other and depend on each other. A lot of the kids come from big families, of 4 or 5 children, with many little kids around the same age. It is hard to live in poverty with many children like that. I love that Buckner is going out there and helping the Colonia communities in the Valley area. I have seen the need, and i'm so grateful to be a part of this awesome project. God is at work here. Through the darkness his light will shine!

Kenya - Part Nne (4)

2011-06-21T12:01:00.012-05:00

This past Sunday, we had the opportunity to spend extra time with the residential kids at the BCC. After teaching Sunday School, we played outside with all of the children. Duck, duck, goose, soccer, hopscotch, bible trivia, hair shop, and photography were some of the activities we enjoyed with the kids. After lunch, we covered the sidewalks with colorful chalk drawings and learned about the staff's amazing volleyball skills. We truly loved getting to see the kids feel at home and enjoy a relaxing Sunday afternoon. The BCC is a place where these kids have 16 brothers and sisters and act like one big family. We have been so blessed to get to know each and everyone of these kids and their individual personalities.

Guiding these 17 kids everyday and night is Brian, Gertrude, and Isabell. These 3 amazing people are truly role models for the kids and are much more than just "parents." Brian is studying at the university and is always willing to give a helping hand around the BCC whenever needed. He has a passion for working with kids and serving the Lord in everything he does. Gertrude is an incredibly wise woman, challenging the kids to live for Christ each day. Her passion for the Lord overflows in every conversation she has with us, the staff, or the kids. Isabelle has a gentle and humble spirit and her compassion for the people around her is overwhelming. She always is full of joy. Brian, Gertrude, and Isabell are living examples of Christ's hands and feet and surround these kids with love each and every day.

Yesterday we were lucky enough to learn from the very best, how to make Kenyan cookies. After school, we all joined Daniel and Agnes in the kitchen to make cookies. Daniel showed us how to cook with no electricity and even crush our spices straight out of the seed. Starting out with coconut, lemon powder, leek seed, flour, butter, sugar, and cooking oil we successfully deep fried dozens of Kenyan sweets. These cookies have been enjoyed by the kids, teachers, staff, and even the security guards at our apartment! We only hope we can make them when we are back at home without the experts!

"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The Lord be exalted!" Psalms 40:16

ENOUGH

2011-06-20T23:13:00.001-05:00

Project Go: Dominican Republic

The past few days have been busy! I haven’t seen my English students since Friday, and I miss them! I didn’t think I would say that when they drive me crazy! But I really do! So much! I can’t wait to see them again! I can already tell it is going to be hard to leave!

On Sunday, we met the group that is here this week from Texas. We worked with them at a church with some kids from the surrounding areas. After we played games and got to walk down to the community that the kids are from.

Whoa. We were told to take off all jewelry before we walked down as a precaution. So, I didn’t take my camera. Now, I wish I did because what I am about to tell you won’t be enough. There is nothing like seeing it.

We entered the community by walking down cement stairs. The community is like another city below the normal streets. The poverty was very obvious and overwhelming. I don’t think I said much while I was walking around because I was taking it all in. Seeing what I’ve seen thus far has put a lot of things in perspective. I know I am going to have to make a conscious effort to remember and keep these things that I have learned about myself and about life in general fresh in my mind.

There was a distinct smell when you walked down the stairs. The smell is from the dirty water that runs through the community. It is basically open sewage. Where else would it go? When it rains (which it does often), the community floods. Essentially, it becomes sewage and polluted water engulfing the community. Well, the kids like to hop in a swim. So, you can how the contamination and poverty in this community affect their daily lives. It was hard to see it.

After seeing these communities (where we worked Sunday and where we teach English), it has made it impossible for me not to be overflowing with thankfulness. But at the same time it makes me think. It makes my heart hurt. It makes me pray more. It makes me want the pure joy that I have witnessed in some of the kids I have gotten to know.

It makes me realize where we have or see less whether it is physically, emotionally, or spiritually…HE is enough.

Laren Lewis
Project Go Intern, Dominican Republic

This Is Why I'm Here

2011-06-19T22:39:00.006-05:00

Last week we had Vacation Bible School at the Community Transformation Center (CTC) here in Penitas, TX. Our theme is “God is Our Creator.” At times things are a bit chaotic, but so fun, nevertheless.

We have a feeding program here at the CTC. Lunch starts at 11:30. On Friday (before VBS week started), there were a couple of teenagers that came into the CTC around 11. I invited them to just hang out in the lobby area since we didn’t start lunch yet. I sat with them and got to know some basic info about them – name, age, school, family etc. Throughout lunch I got to know them even better. I invited them to come back for VBS to help me out. They sounded excited and said that they’d come help.

Monday morning rolled around and they were nowhere to be found. I was a little disappointed, but hoped that they’d come late or something since it is a lot to ask a teen to get up early during their summer break.

Soon after I started craft with the first group, I heard someone say, “Samantha, your teenagers are here.” They apologized for being late and jumped right in to help!

If you were expecting to get VBS details, you're not really going to get that from me right now. I just want to share how awesome these two teens are. They were a tremendous help to me. They are such hard workers and I truly care about them. If God put me here for only one reason, I am confident that it’s to minister to them. There is also another teen that I’ve met and am talking with as well.

Please keep the three of them and their families in prayer. I’ve learned about their spiritual lives and have an idea on where there are in their relationship with the Lord. Pray for me as well. Pray that God will use me to be the influence that they need even though I’m only here for a short amount of time.

One of them wrote me a letter on Thursday that said how happy she is to have met me and that she feels she has grown closer to God while working with me.

I love meeting God where He is and seeing Him at work, don’t you?

-Samantha
(Project Go! Intern, Rio Grande Valley, TX, Session 1)

A Window of Opportunity

2011-06-19T12:41:00.013-05:00

Hey Everyone,
This past week the Russia Session One interns went to orphanage #14. Some of us spent the week playing "futbol" (soccer) and basketball with boys who have unlimited energy. When we say some of us, we mean Clay took years off his life trying to play soccer with boys much more skilled than him! Some of us spent hours playing Uno and trying to keep up with the ever-changing rules. At the beginning of each new Uno game the kids would ask us in Russian, "English rules or Russian rules?" By the end of the week a new species of Uno had evolved.

Sally, Kalie, Sarah Anne, and Elizabeth spent countless hours making friendship bracelets for their many new friends! These bracelets were not regular, everyday friendship bracelets. Each bracelet that was crafted contained a small piece of their heart. Our team brought donated makeup samples and nail polish for the girls. The girls loved the makeup, while the boys loved applying the makeup to any willing participant.

But the week was so much more than these activities. Within each activity was a window of opportunity. A window for establishing relationships. A window in time in which we could freely give our friendship, our love, and ourselves. A window for planting a seed of God's truth, a seed of God's love, a seed of God's hope.
The first seed we had the privilege to see grow was in a twelve year old boy named Andre. During our time of sharing bible stories, he was quick to speak up with both right and wrong answers as well as questions. All of our conversations payed off when he came to the realization that his place in God's family was not temporary but was forever affirmed by the blood of Jesus Christ. This joy of finally having a permanent family was revealed when he ran up and discussed with Sally how she was now his big sister and he was forever her little brother through Christ.
The next seed was not satisfied with the life of the average teenage boy. Sixteen year old Alec was searching for a purpose beyond himself. The Lord used our team's one on one conversations with him to help answer his questions. While the other teen boys were preoccupied with sports and cards, Alec pressed to find answers to deep theological questions such as "How can you have faith in something you can't see?" and "Is not living a good life enough to go to heaven?" From his questions we knew he was searching, searching for something. Though our window for working with Alec this month may be closed, our team's prayer is that God will keep the window open for next month's team or until he has found his place in God's family.
Interacting with the older girls at the beginning of the week was tough to say the least. However, our team's prayers were answered by the Lord through the softening of their hearts as the week progressed. There was much discussion of boys, make up, and nail-polish but intertwined with those typical girl topics were the topics of Jesus Christ, God's lasting love, and true beauty. One of the older girls ,Tanya, made a connection with our team that paved the way for more relationships with other girls. Her search for friendship and longing for affection allowed for deeper conversations and a bond that cannot be hindered by distance or language.
Please continue to pray that God will continue to work in their lives and hearts.
~Sally, Kalie, Sarah Anne, Elizabeth, and Clay

grace.

2011-06-18T19:51:00.001-05:00

amazing grace.

it is such a sweet sound, isn't it? as i was sitting in the special needs room at casitas kennedy on monday, this word kept ringing in my head and my heart. i have known and used this word for most of my life, and up until monday i thought i knew exactly what it meant. grace fellowship is my home church. it is a place filled with believers who continually pray and support me. i have been "justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" romans 3:24. as i was pondering all of the grace in my life, i realized that i was always on the receiving end. in fact i have come to expect grace. i almost demand it, as if it is something i deserve. but, that's not grace at all, is it?

"for grace you have been saved through faith. and this is not your doing; it is a gift of God." ephesians 2:8

It is only by God's grace that i am not a child at casitas kennedy or any other orphanage. While spending time with these kids, God's grace has become so tangible to me. I can show and give grace because Christ has bestowed grace upon such an unworthy sinner, myself.

God has also been so gracious in giving us his Holy Word. while here, the Bible has really come to life, and my time in the word has been so much sweeter. i am reading "the pursuit of God" by A. W. Tozer. in it he writes, "if you would follow to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. do not come with the notion that it is a thing which you may push around at your convenience. it is more than a thing; it is a voice, a word, the very Word of the living God." may his Word and his grace be extended to all the nations.

"for it all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God." 2 corinthians 4:15

caitlin haynes, honduras session one

Kenya - Part Tatu (3)

2011-06-17T12:14:00.008-05:00

This week we each had the opportunity to serve in different classrooms at the BCC. Monday, Allison worked with Class 2. She made swahili posters, taught social studies, graded papers, and loved on all of the children in the class. Tuesday, Sarah joined class 3 for the day. She had the opportunity to teach lots of different subjects and learned songs with the kids. Wednesday, Liz put her artistic talent to work in class 2. She drew diagrams and pictures for the teacher to hang and use in different lessons. Thursday, Kenley taught math in the 4-8 classes. She loved getting to teach in the well behaved classes, work with students who can do math without calculators, and even learn some new formulas! It was amazing to each of us to see how successful these students can be in the classroom despite the long school day (7:20am - 5:00pm) and sharing school supplies.

The BCC has two incredible social workers, Belinda and Patricia. These two ladies take on numerous responsibilities at the BCC. They gather information from all over the city to create case studies on each of the residential, kinship and foster kids. They make home visits and follow up with old BCC kids who are now furthering their education. On top of fostering relationships with each kid and their family, they create monthly budgets that ensure the kids are taken care of. With so many different jobs all going on at one time, they never cease to keep their focus centered on the Lord. They have huge hearts for the kids making sure each one of them has a loving home. This week, Belinda and Patricia had a meeting with some of the first BCC kids. They have the same passion to see these students continue to be successful and make a difference as they do for the students still at the BCC. Despite all the challenges of their jobs, Patricia and Belinda constantly remind themselves and others around them of God's faithfulness and provision.

Today, we had the opportunity to get out of the city and see Lake Nakuru and the Great Rift Valley. On our journey we passed zebras, baboons, camels, warthogs, lemers, flamingos and lots of donkeys. The scenery was absolutely breath taking, and the mountains on both sides made us feel far away from the "big city." We were very surprised to see African animals sitting on the side of the highway, but it made us super excited for the safari!

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. -Philippians 1:3-6

Precious Time in the Dominican

2011-06-15T20:16:00.001-05:00

Another Account from life in the Dominican as a Project Go Intern

I got the sweetest letter today from two students. It meant the world to me and they probably don’t even know it. Here is what it said:

“Thank you teacher for teaching us English, because with that we can have a better future, and English is really important to us because we can have better jobs and be professionals and we feel very happy.”

-I and N

We love you.

This note made my day! This has been a completely different experience for me. On most of the other missions trips I have experienced, I have been working in orphanages or something similar. So, haven taken the role of teacher this month has been a new experience. I love it. It is like nothing I had expected. Which is good. I know my time here is a God thing. I have learned a lot about myself through this experience.

I can’t say enough how thankful I am for this experience.

Laren Lewis

Project Go, Dominican Republic

Rio Grande Heroes II by Isaac Lee

2011-06-14T23:07:00.016-05:00

Today was officially our first day of work!!!

We began the day by picking up children from the Colonia El Conejo. We also get to meet with other Buckner staff members Vanessa and Becci. Vanessa was a humorous, energetic worker who inspired us to work better and harder. Becci, on the other hand, was sweet person who taught us necessary procedures with patience.

Children Eating

I saw the need of washing children’s hands before they eat the food. So my fellow interns and I lead children into the restroom and washed their hands. The sense of hygiene was not established among these children and, in some cases, we had to teach them how to wash their hands properly with soap. Although it was not easy to wash their hands, to feed them, and clean up afterwards, we felt very accomplished because we believe that we made a difference in the lives of these children.

After feeding the children breakfast and lunch, we headed over to the Colonia Warehouse where donated materials were stored. In this place, we found different sizes of shoes for the children. Soon, we will be having a feet washing ceremony and giving out new pairs of shoes and socks. How exciting! Finding shoes in the hot warehouse was not an easy task. We began to sweat very much after picking up boxes of shoes and looking for right sizes. At the end of the day, I decided to call this warehouse the “Five Pounder” since it would feel like we would lose about 5 pounds after working and sweating in the warehouse.

Five Pounder!!!

At the end of the first work day, we were all tired but happy for what we have done. We praise God for giving us courage and strength to finish all the work.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily carries our burden; the God of our salvation. Selah. –Psalm 68:19

Life in the Dominican Republic

2011-06-14T22:21:00.008-05:00

Dominican Republic: Project Go Intern, Laren Lewis

My time thus far in the Dominican Republic has been a whirlwind! The country, people, and kids are beautiful. I am in love.

I have gotten the opportunity to teach English to these sweet children in the Community Transformation Center. This experience has been completely new to me. I have never had the opportunity to teach English before now! It has been an interesting but rewarding experience. Teaching is anything but glamorous. It is hard work, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to be here in this moment. I have gotten to experience life in a teacher’s shoes. So rewarding…some days more than others, of course. Friday we taught 130 kids! Amazing.

When we were driving in for the first time to teach, I saw dilapidated buildings and poverty all around. It honestly did not phase me much. I have been to other countries. I have seen poverty. So, I went on with my business of teaching English. However, that quickly changed.

During the first few days, we decided to walk around the community. So, off we went with a few of the children. They were so excited to take us to their houses. As we walked, the poverty around us became more apparent. Eventually we ended up at E’s house. She was so proud to have us at her house, and her family invited us in. The four of us barely fit in the living room area. They were so welcoming, but we only stayed for a few minutes. You’ll see below that they had make-shift curtains as walls, and the materials that their house was made out of was anything but sturdy.

Experiencing poverty like I saw that day puts things into perspective. I have been to Third World Countries, but that day was different for me. I knew poverty existed in the community, but before I ever saw the poverty within that area of the community, I saw and got to know the children. I have been teaching them for 2 days. They come dressed fairly nice. They are so happy and eager to learn, so I honestly wasn’t expecting what I saw.

It broke my heart to see where these children live. These houses are almost falling apart and are built out of whatever materials were there—wood, metal, etc. Typically, 3 houses or so share one outhouse (more or less).

But despite the poverty, these children have such pure hearts full of joy to learn and experience life, as I have seen firsthand. Their outlook is much different than yours and mine. It has encouraged me to look at things in a new light. Ultimately, they are with their family and have love and support—and with the help of Buckner through the Community Transformation Center the families within the community will be strengthened.

After today, I have a new found respect for what Buckner does, for not only orphans, but for families as well. They want to strengthen families, so children can stay with their parents in a family atmosphere, where in the majority of cases it is in the best interest of the child.

I am experiencing a new sector of Buckner in the Dominican Republic. I have learned so much about myself, my relationship with God, and how we are called to love in such a short time. I am so thankful for the opportunity to grow through my time as an intern for Buckner.

Thank you for all of the continued prayers. They are so appreciated.

Living the Dominican Life,

Laren Lewis

Project Go Intern

Buckner Environmental Science Internship

2011-06-13T18:47:00.002-05:00

Ramona McCall of Laurens, South Carolina
Lander University, Greenwood, South Carolina

The Lord led me to listen to the radio while driving to school in April of 2010. The program was speaking of orphan week and how Buckner helps the children. They also aired the e mail address for more information about Buckner.

I had never heard of Buckner, but orphans and mission work have been subjects dear to my heart for quite some time. I knew I needed to work as an intern to obtain my bachelor´s degree in Environmental Science and I felt led to inquire Buckner of any intern positions in my field.

This led to my going to Mexico more than a year later, after much prayer. I am now involved with an environmental hydrponics and urban gardening program at a children´s home in Mexico City. We will be teaching an extremely poor community how to use hydropnics and urban gardening to better their lives. I will also be going to Arcelia and Oaxaca to incorporate other areas of environmental scinece to help improve their lives and also obtain course credit toward my degree.

I speak very little Spanish, but am finding the atmosphere of the home the perfect place to learn the language. I look forward to the future work in Arcelia and Oaxaca.

Ramona McCall

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God mut believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him.

Kenya - Part Mbili (2)

2011-06-13T09:41:00.014-05:00

Saturday we started the day in the Kenyago slums. Victor, our Nairobi expert, took us to the slum where he helped plant a church and school for the people who live there. We were able to walk through the slum and visit the students at the school! Victor introduced us to many wonderful people. To get from one side of the slum to the other, we climbed a mountain of trash, walked through muddy sewage, and saw the 3 bathroom stalls that hundreds of people share. Walking through the slum allowed us to see how people live with so little and still trust in God's goodness and faithfulness. We are so blessed that Victor shared his church with us and helped us to see that a church is much more than a building.

Each day at the BCC we are given the opportunity to get to know home kids more and more. One guy that has touched our hearts is, Methu. Since the first day at the BCC, Methu has made us feel welcome and has blessed each of us in different ways! Each day when we arrive at the BCC, Methu greets us with a big smile and comes to shake our hands. He has such a heart for the other kids at the home and helps make everyone feel included. Methu loves being outside and is the first one to start any game. From bugs to forts to soccer, Methu is your typical young boy. Even though Methu speaks very little English, God has allowed us to show and receive love without words. Our prayer for Methu is that he will understand Christ's love and look to the Lord as his Father.

Sunday we all went to church at the BCC. After Children's Worship we split into the different Sunday School classes. Sarah went to Sunday School with the youngest kids and was amazed at their ability to memorize scripture. Liz and Allison went to the 4th and 5th Grade Sunday School Class and saw that these kids truly put their hope in the Lord despite their circumstances. Kenley taught the older kids and was able to hear their salvation stories and challenge them to live each day to bring glory to God. After Sunday School, we held relay races for the kids and enjoyed spending time playing. The kids loved the bubbles and fun time outside!

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

Rio Grande Valley Heroes By Isaac

2011-06-12T23:38:00.037-05:00

My team (Samantha, Andrea, and me) is going to Rio Grande Valley, TX.
Although we have never met before, we became close friends after 8-hour-trip from Dallas to Mission. During this trip, I have one funny story to share:
It took us about 6 hours to figure out the meaning of the time shown in the GPS. The GPS indicated that we will be at Mission, TX by 8:30 (at night). As we drove on, the time decreased from 8:30 to 6:30! Samantha was a very safe driver (I mean quite slow) and she drove 65 mph almost all the time since there are many policemen ready to fine speeders in California. We couldn't believe that we shortened the arrival time by 2 hours. As time passed by, the suggested arrival time decreased. Finally the arrival time decreased to 2:30, and we knew something wasn't right. Suddenly, Samantha shouted, "I see! This isn't the arrival time. This time indicates that how long we needs to drive!" Although it took us 6 hours to figure out the true meaning of time on the GPS, we found it a good joking material. I personally learned that I had to acquire a flexible attitude and mind set to understand things going around me.

After the long drive, we finally arrived at the Valley Baptist Retreat. As one of the only two MALE intern, I got an entire mobile home for myself. Lucky!!! Both Samantha and Andrea got a nice house to stay in. We were all excited about this internship. Quickly dropping our luggage at the retreat, we met our mission coordinators Gabriel and Andrew.

They showed us the Community Transformation Center (CTC) in the poor Colonia named El Conejo (which meant a rabbit in Spanish). The center looked like an Oasis in this impoverished neighborhood. This will be our main work site where we will feed the children, teach Vacation Bible School, and minister to the residents.

In the evening, Gabriel, his wife Lulu, his son Gabriel Jr., and Andrew took us to the Mexican Restaurant where we enjoyed authentic Mexican food. After dinner, I took a picture with the waitress who wore a traditional Mexican clothe. Lucky!!!

Gabriel and Gabriel Jr.

At the Border Fence

With full of energy after devouring great food, we asked to see the border which was about 10 minutes from where we were. When we arrived there, we all got out of the car, ran toward to border fence, and took pictures. I actually stepped into the fence, crossing the line. And suddenly, a border patrol vehicle drove from the far side toward us with a great velocity. The fierce border patrol officer stopped the car and asked us what we were doing. Gabriel explained that we (three strangers) wanted to see the border fence, and the border patrol let us go free. Trouble and fun. Too much for the first day! Praise to be God!

PERU Interns Sagrada Familia Final

2011-06-12T16:27:00.012-05:00

We finished a very busy week at Sagrada Familia. The four of us (Victoria, Katie, Giuli, and I) painted four bedrooms in a girls home, held VBS for the 4 yr old girls and the 4-5 yr old boys, and spent time with the babies and toddlers. Like I said, it was a VERY busy week.
Friday was our last day at Sagrada since we will be working with teams in other parts of Lima over the next several weeks. While we are glad to have the opportunity to meet more people and serve in different places, we were so sad to have to leave the awesome kids at Sagrada. However, knowing that they have already lost so much in their lives, we did not want the emphasis of our last day to be on our leaving or saying goodbye. Instead we threw a fiesta for each of our groups and made our goodbyes very cheerful and subtle.

Our fiesta was simple- off brand soda, cheetos, animal crackers, and little treat bags with 3 pieces of candy, stickers, bracelets, a bouncy ball, a coloring sheet, and 1 crayon. We wished we had more to give the kids and hoped they would be excited about their gifts and the snack.

I was floored by their response. You would have thought we held a giant banquet on Christmas morning and gave everyone a pony and a thousand dollars. They ate those cheetos and animal crackers like they were delicacies. The little girls carefully dipped their cheetos and cookies into their sodas (whatever makes them happy I guess ha ha). Some of the boys were speechless at the sight of the contents of their treat bag while others were so overwhelmed and excited that they couldn't stop talking. I'll never forget one little boy standing up and yelling, "Chicos! Chicos! Mira! Mira!" (Boys! Look!) as he held up his crayon. One crayon. The simplest gift really touched those kids and evoked such a joyful response. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

After such a precious response, I was really happy with the ways things had gone. To be honest with you, I was proud of us. We had worked hard to gather the gifts in the US, and we spent several hours putting those little bags together. I chose good gifts. They liked what I picked out. They thanked me. Us. We. I. Me... And right there, in the midst of those self-centered thoughts (even if they were based in others' well being), the Lord brought to mind a couple verses that I had memorized several years ago:

"So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." Matthew 7:11

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

How quickly and how often I've been humbled on this trip. I don't see a lot of Us, We, I, or Me in those verses. If we who are sinful and imperfect know how to pack a sweet treat bag, how much greater are the gifts that the Lord has in store for these children? The candy will be eaten and the crayons will be broken, but the gifts the Lord gives are good, perfect, and eternal. My prayer is that even if the kids don't remember us or the treat bags that we gave them, that the Lord grows the seeds of love and joy that were planted in those moments of giving. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to show the kids that they are special and valuable, even if it was in a small way. Although our week with them may have been filled with small acts of kindness and love, we are confident that "Mi Dios es tan fuerte, grande, y poderoso. No hay nada que El no pueda hacer" (My God is so strong, big, and mighty- There is nothing that He cannot do). He can take the smallest act of love and multiply it, and He chooses to use us imperfect people to work through. Judging from the precious responses we got from the kids- from the little girls dancing with us to the little boys celebrating their toys- we see that God was moving through our actions in ways that we could not do on our own.

Sagrada is such an awesome place. It's full of joy and possibility and hope for children in hard circumstances with little opportunity. The volunteers there are so selfless and genuinely love the kids. One of the Buckner staff calls Sagrada "a miracle" because they take care of 850+ kids with no help from the government and a child is never turned a way. It was an honor to be a part of that community, even if it was just for a week.

I can't close this week without sharing how very blessed I am to be able to work with two of the most gracious, selfless, and tender-hearted girls I know. Victoria and Katie are lights in the darkness of these hard situations, and it is plain to me and to the people they come in contact with that the Lord knew what He was doing when He chose them to serve and love these kids. Katie is a magnet for all the babies and the children. We can't be in a room for thirty seconds before she's completely surrounded! Victoria has been gifted with a contagious joy- once she laughs, everyone around her is laughing and smiling too. I think that's how Christ is- His love is magnetic and spreads such joy. I'm so thankful for the two of them.

Please be praying for us as we kick off twelve straight days of work with no break tomorrow. The team from Stephenville arrives tonight and within an hour after their trip ends, the Sunrise team gets in. We are so excited to get to work with these teams and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us in Pamplona this week! Praying that the Lord continues to give good gifts and praying that he does immeasurable more than all we could ask or imagine!

Blessings and Peace,
Hannah

Safe in His Arms-Russia

2011-06-11T11:55:00.005-05:00

Hello Everyone,
This is Session One Russia Interns coming to you live from Saint Petersburg. We apologize for not posting our first blog sooner. We only have internet access on the weekends (at the local McDonald's) so each of you readers will have to be patient!

We are now coming to the end of our first week in Russia. We all enjoyed working at orphanage #2 this week. I say work but it is not really work! Our time was spent teaching VBS and playing with some of the cutest and purest souls on this planet.

Each morning we would walk hand in hand with God's children to and from the beach. Have you ever held the hand of a 5 year old boy or girl? Do you remember the specific feeling that coincides with the grasp of a child's hand in yours? That little hand resting in yours is the closest humanity can get to replicating the feeling of God's unconditional love. Each morning a young orphan would take our hand in theirs and teach us of God's unconditional love. These children did not care about our past. They did not care about our accomplishments or wealth in this world. They only cared that we were there with them, hand in hand, in that present moment in time.

Such a profound experience stirs up many thoughts and emotions. As a team we felt helpless. Helpless that all the comfort we could provide them was time spent, touch given, and games played. Helpless that all we could really give them was our love. Helpless that we could not give what these little loving hands deserved. Helpless that we must leave these children taking with us only our faith that they will be safe in His arms.

Helpless but not hopeless. Although, we as Christians are helpless to ultimately save these children, our Creator, our God is not helpless. Our God is greater, our God is stronger, our God is higher than any other. As Christians we seek comfort and refuge in our faith that our God will provide for every need both physically and spiritually for His Children and now our children. With Week One now behind us in Russia- We have decided that Isaiah (40:11) said it best: He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.

-Kalie, Sally, Elizabeth, Sarah Anne, and Clay

Woodland Baptist Church Short Term Team- Xela, Guatemala

2011-06-10T22:26:00.003-05:00

Hola from Guatemala! As a 21 member team, we have arrived and spent our first evening in Guatemala City engaging with Dr. Christian, a doctor that partners with Buckner in the community. Many on the team are seasoned travelers to Guatemala, a large majority even fluent in Spanish! This morning the team made the five hour trek to Xela to work in an orphanage that Woodland Baptist Church has frequented for 7+ years now. There will be a medical clinic for the community in a local church (a first for Woodland!) and a Vacation Bible School for the girls at the orphanage. If internet access is available we will make as many updates as possible!

May the service that goes out this week be a fragrant offering to the Lord. May He be made much of, may we be in he shadow of His Glory. Praise God for his grace and transforming power in our sinful hearts and Praise His Name for appointing us and entrusting us with his people this week. May we go as learners to walk along side those we serve.

“I thank Him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
-1Timothy 1:12-17

This is the view from the orphanage

Prepping for the clinic tomorrow!

Kenya- Part Moja (1)

2011-06-10T12:40:00.007-05:00

The Medical Team left on Wednesday and were able to do amazing things while in Nairobi. In two days they treated over 600 people and extracted more teeth than we could count! They will continue traveling around Kenya treating people everywhere they go for the next week.

Since the Medical Camp left, we have been able to see the Baptist Children's Center in its daily routine. Thursday we helped in all different areas around the center! Sarah worked in the clinic sorting paperwork from the Medical Camp, Liz filed paperwork alongside the social workers, and Allison and Kenley spent the day in the kitchen. One of our favorite moments was getting to see the school kids as they came to the kitchen for lunch. Each student carried their own plate from home and washed it out before lunch using the water from the well. After lunch was ready Daniel and Agnus, the hardest workers ever, sent us to shuck the corn. As the students came in for lunch they each picked up an ear of corn and began taking the kernels off the cob. No one even had to give them directions. After only a few minutes, all the corn for lunch the next day was ready! The students knew that all the kernels had to be taken off the cob before they would be served lunch. They were experts at picking the kernels off, while we all struggled to say the least! Daniel and Agnus are pros in preparing meals for hundreds, while making sure everyone gets tea at 10 and quality of taste is not sacrificed. They both have hearts of gold and share their joy with everyone who comes through the kitchen!

With only a few days at the BCC, we have learned the importance of tea time, meaningful conversation, and a joyful and loving spirit. The people of the BCC have shown us how to slow and enjoy the simple things of life.

Today, on our day off, we visited different areas of Nairobi. We started out at the Kibera Slum. Our eyes were completely opened to true poverty that we had never experienced before. It is crazy how poverty and wealth can be such close neighbors. After Kibera Slum, Victor took us to get our first cup of Kenyan Coffee. We all tried the White Coffee (coffee with milk) and it was delicious. After coffee, we went to the Maasai Market where we saw more Mzungus (white people) than we had since we got here. We bargained for what we thought were good deals and loved getting to see all the Kenyan merchandise. We hope to return again before we leave!

Being here a week, God has opened our hearts for the people of Nairobi. Each day we are blessed by the people here and the work God is doing.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" Ephesians 3:20-21

Honduras-Session One

2011-06-09T17:53:00.016-05:00

Hola from Tegucigalpa Honduras!

Today is Thursday and we have been in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for seven days now. We are in love. The culture, food, color and people we are working with have captured our hearts.

During orientation in Dallas, Phil and Jeff gave us a talk on kind of what we should expect to see in our countries. We knew we were going to be working in an orphanage and the CTC but none of us really knew what the CTC was going to be like. Well Phil, you did an amazing job painting a picture for us.

When we arrived in Tegucigalpa, we met Netty (our sweet mission coordinator) and Karla and Luis (our awesome translators), ate lunch at my favorite Honduran restaurant, CoCo Baleadas and went to tour the orphanage we would be working in. The orphanage is government run, Casitas Kennedy.

We wish with all of our hearts that we could show you the beautiful faces of these children; however, for their safety we are not allowed to take any pictures. So we will do our best to describe them for you so you better know how to pray for them.

On that first Friday God was so good and so merciful. (For those of you who may not know, my sister Caitlin and I traveled as interns for Buckner last year to San Pedro Sula, Honduras and fell in love with the children we worked with and the country itself.)

We were walking to the casita where the babies and toddlers live and all of the sudden, I stopped walking. I was staring into the face of a young girl I knew. A girl about 5' 3" with dark brown eyes and even darker hair with a beautiful smile. For at least a minute, though it seemed like 5, Caitlin tapped me on the arm and repeated, "What's her name? What's her name?" Finally I was able to speak. As we stared at each other I called out her name and told her who I was. I told her I was Maria from last summer who spent time with her everyday.

When she realized it was me she gave me the biggest hug and kiss. I was doing everything I could to hold back my happy tears. She was pregnant last summer and she took me right away to see her precious ten month old little girl. How sweet and merciful is our God to give Caitlin and I this gift?

We work at Casitas Kennedy in the afternoons. We are starting next week with English classes for the kids at the orphanage. The children we are working with, mostly girls ages 6 to 12 and toddlers, are not very interested in English. They want to play. Pray that they would see us respecting the leadership at the orphanage who desperately want them to know English if it will help them later in life, and see God in that.

We will start classes with a Bible story and craft then teach English for an hour and if they are good, we will have play time. They love play time. All of the children are little monos (monkeys) and so full of energy. They tire us out but we love it. We love their sticky mango kisses!!

On Sunday we went to church. Church was a metal frame with cinderblocks on either side and a tin roof. Our pastor is from Chicago, so we could understand a lot of his Spanish. The people there were so nice and so accepting. We were greeted by multiple hugs and kisses. It is such a beautiful thing to worship with God's people in another language. He is building His kingdom and oh how He is revealing His glory throughout the nations.

Monday was our first day at the Community Transformation Center and it was nothing short of wonderful. We arrived to the CTC and the staff greeted us and gave us a little tour. The CTC is located in one of the poorest areas of Tegucigalpa- Comayagüela. After our tour and introductions to the staff, we walked down a rocky street about five minutes to a school. This is where we found out what we would be doing for the remainder of the month. The children sang the national anthem for us and the director had us introduce ourselves to everyone. We were a little nervous to be in front of 150 Honduran speaking broken Spanish, but we did it.

For the rest of the month, Caitlin and Kimberly are teaching English to 47 children at the school and Sarah and I are teaching English to 25 volunteers who give their time to the CTC. We are so excited about this. God has already proven Himself faithful even in the first four days of class.

It has been pretty comical for all of us. On Wednesday Caitlin drew a person on the board for the children to learn body parts. When we all came together at lunch Caitlin and Kimberly were laughing at the drawing. We are having a hard time coming up with a name for him. Dr. Reyes came to visit on Tuesday and one thing he asked is that we teach our students (the volunteers) praise and worship songs in English. Well... I am no singer. So I volunteered Sarah to sing. After a few minutes and a trip to the restroom I ended up having to sing. What an experience!! They learned the song and sing it beautifully so it was well worth the embarrassment.

We are learning so much. We are learning pure gratefulness from the poverty that we see all over but especially in Comayagüela. We are learning true humility from God choosing to use ordinary girls like us to advance His kingdom and share His love. We are learning about God's glory and how that is the master purpose, to bring God glory. We are His vessels. He chooses to reveal His glory through His people, His church, His bride. How humbling it is to know that God has chosen to use us to display His glory.

Grace to You... Mary Elizabeth Haynes

Tallowood - Day 3

2011-06-09T15:56:00.002-05:00

Today was our third day of ministry in Honduras and I think we've finally gotten it down! We spend the morning with the babies and toddlers at Nueva Esperanza playing with them, holding them, taking them outside to swing and play on the playground.

Last night we decided to bring all the baby humanitarian aid to NE and it was a God thing we did because when we got there all the babies had dirty diapers and the workers had nothing to change them with. We were able to provide baby wipes and diapers so they could all get cleaned up. They also had run out of soap to wash the babies with and we had tons of baby wash with us. We put baby lotion on the babies with dry skin and they looooved that. You could tell it was very soothing.

At Las Brisas we are having so much fun playing with those kids. They are so excited when the bus pulls up. They're outside jumping up and down chanting our names as we get off the bus. :) we've got VBS down now so these kids are hearing and learning the word of God. Tomorrow is our last day and we are doing piñatas with them! They're going to be so excited!!

Please be praying for our group. Some people aren't feeling super well. We've had some minor stomach issues. Also people are just getting worn out because they are giving it all with those kids. Please pray we go all out on our last day with the kids!

All is well! Thank you for your prayers!! It's been awesome seeing God work on this trip!

PERU Interns Sagrada Familia 2

2011-06-08T21:58:00.019-05:00

When we were talking about what this trip would mean to us, Victoria, Katie, and I discussed how going somewhere to actually DO something would be the perfect way to live out our faith and "get our hands dirty" serving the least of these. However, these past couple of days at Sagrada Familia, we have taken that phrase to a whole new level.

Our work at this awesome community can be summarized by the layers of filth we accumulate on ourselves over the seven hours we spend there. If you wish you could be a part of what we're doing here, feel free to follow the steps below to look, feel, and smell like you've been with us all day!

Step 1) Put on a layer of cheerfully colored paint (e.g. pink, green, lavender, yellow). Make sure it's speckled across your face, throughout your hair, and all over your arms. That way you'll look like you've been painting a girls' home, too!

Step 2) Spread some mashed up baby food on your shirt and coat the rest of your body in baby drool and slime. You, too, can feel like you've helped the TWO ladies that take of 30 babies. I'm pretty sure those women are angels.

Step 3) The next part gets tricky since it has to do with the different stations of VBS, but hang with us. Roll a glue stick down your arm, dust chalk on your pants, and slime the rest of yourself with bubbles. If you want to feel extra involved, eat a couple of bubbles. The kids say they are "delicioso."

Step 4) The final layer should consist of powdery dirt and unknown substances (like the strange red gunk Katie found on her leg).

If you followed those steps, you'll probably want a shower as badly as we do at the end of the day. If you only read the steps and didn't follow them, at least you have a pretty good idea of how we spend our time here. :)

I guess the point I am trying to make here is that living as a follower of Christ isn't all that glamorous. Serving at the children's home gets messy and is physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually draining. It brings the opportunity to put others before yourself at every second, and doing that isn't naturally our first choice.

So, what do you do when you look down and a 4-year-old is rubbing a glue stick all over your arm? What do you do when your neck and back cramp up while you're trying to paint a ceiling? What do you do when yet another child with lice holds up her arms to be held and cuddled?

That's the beauty of obedience to Christ. It's such a joy to hold a child, lice and all, with the knowledge that the God of the universe chose to love and save me, despite my sin.

It's hard to explain, but I believe our only true satisfaction in life comes from living out the Word. Faith should be shared and demonstrated.

That might not look like serving orphans in another country for you, but I would encourage everyone to step outside of their comfort zones in obedience.

You will be surprised and overjoyed to find that sharing the Gospel, even at the risk of getting your hands dirty, contracting lice or diseases, or suffering persecution deepens your trust, faith, and dependence on the Lord. He is the light that the darkness of this world cannot overcome, and, like John the Baptist, we bear witness and point others to that light!

Check out this video to see why it's all worth it. God loves these children deeply, and I pray they grow to follow and love Him. I love their little voices. Be sure to listen for the little baby's giggle! The little girl is repeatedly asking for "crayolas." Aren't they the cutest?

Blessings and Peace,
Hannah

Jambo from Kenya

2011-06-07T09:27:00.004-05:00

A 20 hour plane ride got us all safely to Nairobi!! Black Currant Fanta and The Nairobi Java House were first on the list to try!

Each day our awesome driver maneuvers us around the crazy traffic. Drivers in Kenya do not have any sense of personal space or traffic laws. Thank goodness for Victor!

Our few days out at the Baptist Children's Center (the BCC) have already taught us many lessons. Speaking Swahili, cooking for hundreds, taking vitals signs, and soccer are all new skills we have learned. The kids and staff at the BCC have shown us what true joy and putting your hope fully in the Lord looks like.

Today a medical group from Houston, came to the BCC to help our kids and the community. The dentists, pharmacists, nurses, doctors, and support staff all came ready to go this morning. They brought in lots of medicine and helped hundreds of people today. Silly bands and stickers seemed to pass the time for the kids. We are expecting even more people from the community tomorrow!!

The Buckner Employees have helped make us feel right at home. We now have four sets of Kenyan moms and dads looking out for us! So far our blessings have been even more than we expected and we are looking forward to all God has in store for us this summer!

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6

Guatemala Interns- Seeing God in the face of a child

2011-06-07T00:13:00.011-05:00

Seeing God in the face of a child
by Brittany Watson

Photos by Kaitlyn Whitley

When my team and I arrived in Dallas for orientation, we were eager to get to Guatemala to begin our work, but God’s timing is perfect. When we arrived in Guatemala, we were eager to get to the community transformation centers to start working with the children, but God’s timing is perfect.

The third chapter of Ecclesiastes describes how there is a time and a season for everything, and verse 11 says that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

We were discouraged to start the trip with so much down time, but, before we could work, God had to begin to work in us as individuals and as a team. In the time that we were waiting, God was bringing us together as a team and giving us rest.

He filled us up so that, when we poured out love into the lives of the children we met today, he might receive the glory.

“If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength that God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:11)

I could not have served today without the strength of such a mighty and awesome God, and one of the biggest ways in which he gave me strength was through my wonderful teammates.

Just as the church is the body of Christ, one body with many members, my team is one body with many members, none with greater importance than another. As it says in 1 Corinthians 12: 18, God chose each member of our team with a specific purpose in mind and knowing how we would work together for his glory.

I am blessed to have teammates who are excited to share in the glories of Christ, and tonight, after our first day of work, we rejoiced together in the different ways we saw God move.

Kaitlyn shared with us how she was blessed to meet 5-year-old Jonathan. She struggled to communicate with him, but wrote on a piece of paper “Dios te ama,” which means “God loves you.” Jonathan responded by telling her that God loves her too. From that moment, he would not leave her side.

"Today, I saw God in the face of a little boy," said Kaitlyn.

Jordan shared another story of how she saw God in the joy and excitement the children had in learning about their creator. She was blessed by how they sat on the edge of their seats, eager to hear the lessons, and how quickly they learned the memory verse by heart.

“I teach children’s church at my church back home, and I definitely see a passion in the kids we worked with today that is different from anything I’ve seen in working with the kids in America,” said Jordan.

We are all overwhelmed by the joy each child has, and Olivia saw God as the children blew bubbles and played with jump ropes. She was blessed by how something so simple could light up their faces.

“Right outside those gates is extreme poverty, yet they have so much joy,” said Olivia. “This is joy that has to come from God, and I know that God is doing something great in San Jose Pinula.”

My teammate Sarah also shared of how she saw God in the joy of the children. She told us how she was blessed while the kids played Simon Says. She recalled how she was tired and frustrated that she couldn’t understand what the kids were saying in Spanish, but she saw their joy and God used this to speak to her heart.

“It’s about the joy they get out of it, not the joy I get out of it,” said Sarah. “This is why we are here.”

Each of us shared how it in was the joy on the children’s faces that we saw God. This was true for me as well, but I also saw God in my teammates. I saw the body of Christ work together for his glory and it was wonderful. I cannot wait to see what amazing things God will do over the next month.

PERU Interns Sagrada Familia 1

2011-06-06T23:41:00.009-05:00

Before this trip, Victoria, Katie, and I knew the urgency of the great commission and took the command to love orphans seriously, which is why we signed up in the first place. Since we had each been waiting and praying for this day since the moment we decided to intern in Peru, we were ready to put all of our words and planning into action. However, after our first day with the kids, I realize that I never could have imagined what one day of serving would do to my perspective on the Gospel and on missions. All the planning, reading, thinking, or discussing could never have prepared me for what happened. Today, our mission received a face.

And what a precious face, isn't it? Today at Sagrada Familia, our mission took the shape of many faces, many names, many voices calling for attention, many arms reaching for hugs, and many lives begging for love.

Sagrada Familia is a privately operated group foster home/community in the middle of an extremely impoverished area. It is a self contained community with its own school, houses, rec court, gardens, etc and is home to 800 children that have either been abandoned or given up because of poverty. This week, we are loving on infants in one home, painting all the bedrooms in another home, and doing VBS with the 4-6 year olds. It's a lot to do everyday, but we are so happy to serve in whatever capacity is needed and are learning that love takes many forms. Mixing paint. Priming walls. Sweeping the floor. Tracing tiny hands. Taking a picture. Drawing with chalk. Telling a story. Giving a hug (or five hundred). Listening to a secret (that you can't understand). Giving out stickers. Be His hands. Be His feet.

This morning, we read a verse from Ephesians 5 where Paul tells followers of Christ to "walk in love." When we discussed it, it meant several things to us. Wherever we go, we go confidently within the love of God, to the ends of the earth. When we do go, we should spread love in all that we do. As we go, we should recognize the need for love and point them to the One who gives love. However, what some people who had been on mission trips before warned us about happened to us today... We were overwhelmed by the love and acceptance of the children that we went to serve. The second we got off our bus, about twenty five girls left their game of "gotchya" and gave each of us a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They didn't know us from a hole in the ground, but they were so excited to see us that they lined right up so that they would miss out on greeting one of us. What a beautiful picture of the Kingdom and of God's love for us. The Lord never misses an opportunity to teach us, humble us, and love on us, so I shouldn't be surprise that he used the children to teach us what we interns planned to teach them- and we're so thankful!

Today was crazy and very little went as planned, but the kids had a great time. They have nothing in the eyes of the world, but looking into their eyes, the Lord sees so much. "But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." Mark 10:31

Lord, I pray that as we work with these children that we not only spread your joy and meet their needs for love and attention, but that we would recognize that what they truly need is Christ. I pray you move in these kids in ways beyond our wildest imaginations and bless the work we do! Thank you for using us as your hands and feet.

Blessings and Peace,
Hannah

Guatemala Long Term Volunteer 2010-2011

2011-06-06T21:18:00.008-05:00

(Krista-ESL Teacher-working in one of Guatemala's asentamientos)

When I arrived here, the community center in which I work had been open for just over a month. I wouldn't realize until several months later exactly how new our work was and why it sometimes seemed so difficult-we were still laying groundwork, building relationships, making a name for Buckner in the community. We had to build confianza [trust] and that takes time. It started with a clinic and house visits. It grew into events for the community, literacy classes in partnership with a group called CONALFA, English classes, dental clinics, optomology clinics, clinics for women, craft workshops, Friday devotionals for children in the community ... It started slowly, but slowly and surely, with the dedication of the Buckner staff at work in our community our name and our programs grew. I came ready to hit the ground running-"do" things "start" programs-and found myself frustrated. But overtime, I've learned that my job here is not necessarily starting programs. Our social workers do an amazing job of that. My job is not just teaching English. Words can be forgotten. My job is to be someone that my kids can count on. Someone they know is going to be there for them. Someone who is going to set guidelines and give them rules.

You see, my kids' backgrounds are as diverse as the housing situations I see on the drive to my site everyday, going from houses that would fit in in any upper-middle class neighborhood in the States to homes with dirt floors and scrap metal walls. You don't know who had enough to eat last night. Who had to skip out on English class or school to work. Who lives with which members of their family. What things they deal with or see that they don't talk about. Who has somebody who keeps up with them when they're not in school. You can't assume anything from what my kids' homes look like on the outside because you have no idea what goes on on the inside.

And when one of my sweet angels turns around and spits in the floor of my new classroom [which we remodeled in partnership with the community board and have been using for less than a month] and then flashes me his best smile when I ask why he would do that and turns around and immediately does it again, I remember that my biggest job here is not teaching English, its showing love and setting boudaries.

The funny thing and the thing that had me on the verge of tears while watching my kids interact with the FBC Allen team that recently spent the week working with us, is that as I have set boundaries for my kids, especially the "wild" ones, and been firm with them, the more love and affection they show. Working with kids whom have grow accustomed to doing whatever they want because they can, I try to teach my kids that their actions have consequences. If you throw a bamboo stick through the window during a class, you've lost your privilege of playing games in my classroom before you go to school that afternoon. Come back tomorrow and show me you can behave. I love you and I believe in second and third and fourth chances. If you walk away with classroom materials after you've been asked to leave them, you won't receive more to use until you return them. You have to be a steward of what you are entrusted with. We have lots of little lessons. And lots of moments when I feel like it's futile, but lately, I've begun to see change.

Initially, they always meet discipline with resisistence, but they are learning that I expect a certain standard of behavior, and the most gratifying thing is that although they may resent me at first, little by little I can see transformation, and oddly enough, I just can't keep them away :)

I have classes in the morning until 10:30 and then my classroom is open for one of our new initiatives with the kids, bracelet-making, followed by a sort of before-school program time where the kids can play critical thinking and strategy games such as checkers and chess, do spatial recognition activities such as puzzles, or play various card games. The funny thing is, when they started coming, my angels came at 10:30 and left at 11 to get ready for school.. They ran and they wrestled and they yelled and the climbed and they didn't listen to anybody. But as we established boudaries and created discipline, they began to come at 10.. and leave at 11:15 and then at 9:45 and leave at 11:30.. Today they showed up at 9 and stayed until 11:30. And they call me over to play with them and give them love and hugs and attention and I try to positively reinforce their behavior and teach them the right ways to get the attention that every kid needs so they don't look for it in the streets or by doing destructive things.

And they remind me a lot of myself.

We're from different worlds. I can't imagine living what they have.

But how many times have I been the rebelious child? The one who wants to make the rules, live without boundaries because I don't realize the consequences and I think I know best. The one who our Heavenly Father gently corrects, only to have me turn around and do the exact same thing looking Him in the eyes with a smile on my face. And I remember the verse in Hebrews 12 that I read this morning, which says "My child, pay attention when the Lord corrects you, and do not be discouraged when he rebukes you. Because the Lord corrects everyone He loves, and punishes everyone he accepts as a child... God rebukes us for our own good, so that we may share in His holiness. Certainly, no punishment is enjoyable in the moment we are receiving it-it hurts; but if we learn the lesson, the result is a life of peace and righteousness." (5-6, 10-11).

And I thank God that in the moments when it seems futile, he didn't give up on me. He doesn't give up on me. No matter how many times I "spit on the floor" or "throw a stick through the window", He waits for the change. The transformation. He wants me to share in His holiness, to learn the lesson and reap a life of peace and righteouness. And he waits for them too. And though the rest of the world might, He won't ever give up on them. So I won't either.

PERU Interns 7-3-11

2011-06-04T22:47:00.008-05:00

Bienvenidos a Peru! And what a welcome it has been so far! As you can see, Victoria, Katie, and I were all very excited to finally be on the plane to Peru. We were blessed with smooth flights and easy traveling... Three thumbs up from this group :)

We were expecting it to be pretty cold when we got off the plane in Lima since it's winter here, but by winter they apparently mean a balmy 70 degrees with a light breeze even at midnight. We realized something then that we continued to learn over the next day and will probably keeping learning over the next month: Things are not always what you expect.

For Example:
1) When we expected to be able to carry our own luggage up a few flights of stairs to our room, we found ourselves still on the first flight after the poor bellhop has already made two trips with other luggage.
2) When Katie expected warm water to come out of the "Hot" shower faucet, Hannah and Victoria heard her squeal from the next room as she was covered in icy water.
3) When Victoria expected to enjoy an authentic Peruvian meal in peace, she found herself dancing an authentic Peruvian dance in front of the entire restaurant instead.
4) When Katie expected Guili to give good advice on what Peruvian food to eat, she found herself being conned into eating fried cow blood instead.
5) When Hannah expected that she could trust sweet Katie's advice, she found herself also eating the fried cow blood because she wasn't at the table to see Katie get tricked by Guili.

At the rate we're going, I think it's best we throw out our expectations.

As if that weren't enough, all of these adventures have taken place in a foreign country where we don't speak the language. Talk about being WAY out of your comfort zone. However, I think everyone should spend some time in a context that's completely different from the one he or she is used to. It's then that you realize that the world is very big and that you are not the center of it. We've definitely been humbled, but praise God that "with humility comes wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2). We know we are undeserving and are so thankful that the living God chooses to use us as His instruments. We are so thankful for the culture, language, and people here and pray that we are sensitive to the cultural differences while recognizing and addressing the universal need for God's grace.

The Lord has blessed our time outside of our comfort zones. We've been blessed with laughter at our funny experience and joy in our time together. Everyone should learn how to laugh at themselves :) The Lord has also blessed us with a fresh perspective that we never could have seen in the United States. We've been blessed with our new friends- the Buckner staff here in Peru. We are so blessed and even better prepared for the weeks ahead- God knows what He's doing. Please pray for Peru as they hold presidential elections tomorrow. And please pray for us as we make our final preparations for VBS that starts on Monday. We are so excited for what's to come!

And for the record, fried cow blood isn't half bad ;)

Blessings and Peace,
Hannah

PERU Interns 7-2-11

2011-06-02T21:40:00.009-05:00

Victoria, Katie, and I are so honored to have the opportunity to intern with Buckner in Peru this summer! We have spent the past couple days in Dallas learning about the organization and our role as interns. Buckner's mission is simple: James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
One of the ways Buckner serves "the least of these" is through Shoes for Orphan Souls. In that program, love looks like a pair of shoes and that love is spread to hundreds of thousands of orphans throughout the world every year!

It was neat for us to be able to volunteer in the warehouse sorting shoes and writing notes to stick inside of them. It was a great time for the interns to bond and learn that something as simple as a pair of shoes can empower and protect a child and show them that the Lord provides for him and loves him. Hopefully we'll remember that the little things can show love in a big way.

This time tomorrow, we'll be on a flight for Lima. To be honest, none of us really know what we're getting ourselves into. We don't know what to expect, but we do expect the Lord to do great things in the lives of the kids we meet. We may not ever see the fruit of the seeds we plant, but then again, it's not about us. It's about the children... and ultimately it's about bringing God glory through spreading his love. We are just extremely excited to be able to give what we can- time, smiles, hugs, laughter, LOVE- to show some sweet Peruvian kids how much the Lord cares about them!

Even though our mission is pure and simple, it's one that will require us to die to self and serve others first- we are willing and ready to learn what this kind of love looks like, but I know no amount of planning will truly prepare us for the month ahead. I guess the best thing for us to do is just show up and ask the Lord to work through us! We are humbled and honored and overjoyed and ready! Our next post will be from Peru... Please pray for us as we travel tomorrow and pray that the Lord prepares our hearts and the hearts of those He has planned for us to meet.

Blessings and Peace,
Hannah

FBC Allen Guatemala Trip Days 1-3

2011-05-31T21:34:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone, this is Bailee from First Baptist Church Allen, TX. We have been in Guatemala City for three days now and the Lord is moving in amazing ways.
Sunday May 29, 2011:
The team of 18 along with 4 translators visited The City of Children. We presented these joyful orphan girls with the gospel and various activites to share the love of the Lord. The enthusiasm of these girls was extremely contagious. Despite the language barrier, we have a commonality; we are all saved by the blood of our Savior. We continued to praise God through the rain as we worked with the second shift of the girls. In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to minister to and interact with about 35 girls with special needs. This group was just as joyous if not more than the previous two. It was truly an eye opening experience for the group as a whole to see the love of God following in every direction in that building.
Monday May 30, 2011:
This day we began our work at El Cerrito community center. We did not know how many children to expect, but the Lord blessed us with great numbers. We began to minister through vacation bible school material. The boys and girls were extremely receptive to the Word and the activites. The days objective was that the world and everything in it is God's creation; we are God's most important creation. The children knew that they are God's greatest creation and they had an amazing energy while reciting verses from the Bible. In the afternoon, we continued to work at Santa Rita. The activities matched what we did in the morning. There was a different set of children, however, and our energy was renewed. Yet again, the Lord blessed us with a great turnout of boys and girls. This group as well was just overflowing with energy and love.
Tuesday May 31, 2011:
Today was day two at El Cerrito and Santa Rita. It was God's will today that He added to our numbers. We welcomed in new children as they were excited to join in on what Christ was doing. The way our Savior cares for is children was portrayed today. 1 Peter 5:7 was our theme for the day. We had the children write down various things that are difficult or trying in their lives. We demonstrated that it is litarally a lifted burden to hand over hardships to the Lord. He will provide, take care of, and bless His children just as He did for Joseph in Genesis. Despite close quarters, the love and character of God continues to grow by the day in these places.
Through fantastic leadership, amazing translators, and a kingdom mindset, lives are being transformed. I am so incredibly blessed to be apart of this experience and even more blessed that God called me to a messenger for His glory.

Northlake Mission Trip Final Day

2011-03-19T12:47:00.002-05:00

Scattershooting...
A little boy cut his foot the final afternoon we were at Las Brisas. Anthony, a medical professional, and John cleaned the wound and bandaged it. The little guy was a trouper...

Our teenagers on this trip were terrific. Catherine, Christopher, and Lexi were both energetic and mature in their work and engagement with the kids...

A family of participants of Impacto de Dios Iglesia from Carrolton, TX joined the Northlake trip. Elsa, Monica, Gabriella, and Claudia have a heart for serving God and ministering to "the least of these".

Anthony is also from Impacto de Dios but not related to the others. Monica and Anthony led crafts...
Pastor John taught the Bible stories with Claudia.

His wife, Tracey and their son Christopher worked with the same kids each day, escorting them to each station...

Bill and Theresa lead recreation.
One of the games was a relay of running and dressing as a woman. You should have seen Bill and Theresa demonstrate the game...

Deron, Bill's wife, and Jennifer led groups together.

Assignment with the same kids all week creates a strong bond....
Saying goodbye is extremely difficult. Farewell at Casitas was particularly emotional. The girls lined up with the team gathering around and praying over them. Aidios came with tears and smiles.

Northlake Mission Trip Day 4

2011-03-16T23:33:00.002-05:00

Smiling little faces greeted us at the Las Brisas community center this afternoon. Consider their life situation. They have little and prospects for little. They come to the center for the fun, love, education, and acceptance. They come with excitement.
The reaction to receiving apples at snack time stunned me. Obviously they don't have apples often. Some clutched them or hid the apples in their clothes to take them home.
They came with EXCITEMENT to sing, have bible stories, color a page, and have an apple. Pastor John of Northlake Baptist Church lead our devotional with Matthew 18:1f. We need to come to Jesus as a child.

Guatemala SOS Trip - Day 3

2011-03-16T18:04:00.002-05:00

At the end of the day a group of teenage boys with special needs came to get their new shoes. At this point we had put hundreds of shoes on kids feet so the washing part had become a little more routine to me. As I was washing the feet of this precious boy I looked up at him and saw his face beaming from ear to ear as he looked at the new shoes that were about to go on his feet. All of a sudden something very powerful hit me. This week we have talked about the verses in the bible that say "many who are last will be first" and "whatever you did for the least of these of these brothers of mine you did for me." This boy whose feet I was washing is not only an orphan but hes an orphan with disabilities. He has been completely rejected and cast aside by this world and by his own family. He is the "least of these" and the "last."

Suddenly it hit me that this boy is going to be chosen to be first in the kingdom of heaven and I realized what an honor it was to sit on my knees before him and serve him by washing his feet. Instead of rushing through it like I may have done before I started washing every inch of his feet and made sure to clean each little toe. My heart was filled with joy as I looked at his beaming face to know that I had been given an opportunity to serve such a precious soul and I truly felt honored. It was one of the most powerful moments of my life.

-Amy Kraus

Northlake Baptist Mission Trip Day 3

2011-03-16T09:16:00.002-05:00

San Pedro Sula, March 15, 2011
Northlake Baptist Church Mission Trip

Ministry at Buckner's Las Brisas Community Transformation Center was amazing Tuesday. 136 (as best as could be counted) children from this impoverished area of San Pedro Sula came joyfully to VBS. The team worried they would be overwhelmed but rose to meet the challenge. 51 kindergarten-1st graders were like herding cats at recreation. Buckner has a feeding program here for the children and scholarship 65 to the school--$34/month. These are family kids but impoverished. Some mothers bring them to Buckner's center for our activities. They may live in a dirt floor shanty along the river but they want good things for their kids. It has been a blessing so far this week.

Last night trip participant Melody shared her concern for a teenage girl at Casitas. She never smiled, seemed completely disengaged. Melody and others prayed for her. Depression is a big problem for these girls, especially the newcomers. Later in the morning the girl began to participate by singing and interacting with others. Melody and the group were thankful for this quiet victory.

Guatemala SOS - Day two

2011-03-16T08:32:00.003-05:00

We had a really long day today, but it was really good. We didn't leave the orphanage until after 6:30. We distributed shoes to around 250 girls today, most of them teenage girls. All of the girls were really sweet and polite. Before we got started I was able to see a lot of the older boys who I met yesterday so I went and talked with them for a little bit and some of them let me interview them. I attached the video. The little boy who was crying yesterday and said te quiero to me is in one of the videos. All the older boys were really talkative today and I was able to talk to them about how long they've been at the orphanage and what they want to do when they leave. They all say the want to get a job but don't know what type of work they want to.

We started distributing shoes around 9:00 and we began with the teenage girls who have had babies. Some of the girls were only 15 and had babies that were 2 years old. The girls seemed to be really good mothers. I just went around and played with the older babies when we finished giving them shoes. After that we went over to the special needs girls and gave them shoes. They may have been the happiest group of kids we have been around. After that we went back to the auditorium and gave shoes out to girls who were between 9 and 13. There was one girl who is 11 who was very caring and after I talked to her about the reason why we were washing their feet and giving them new shoes she told me that God loves us always and then she said God bless you for being here with us. Before we were leaving to go to lunch we saw that group of girls again and she came over and gave me hug and then just broke down crying. So I just pulled her in tight and gave her a strong hug. She never would tell my why she was crying but I told her to remember what she told me earlier that God loves us always and and that he is always with us. I told her to be brave and have courage and that she could do it. She must of hugged me for what seemed like 5 minutes. It was really tough. I hope I get to see her again tomorrow.

After lunch we went back and distributed more shoes. When each group would come in I would talk to them about why we were washing their feet and that we did it because Jesus wanted to show his disciples how much he loved them and that in the same way we wanted to demonsrate our love for them. A lot of the girls seemed a little embarrassed to have a man wash their feet and one time I told them that we were there to be their servants and they said "no"! So I told them that we were demonstrating our love for them the same way Christ did and after that they seemed to really understand. It really was a cultural thing that made it hard for them to understand why we would serve them. They probably never have had a male treat them that way.

Northlake Baptist Church Mission Trip Day 2

2011-03-14T23:55:00.004-05:00

San Pedro Sula, March 14, 2011
Northlake Baptist Church Mission Trip

We began ministering to children at Casitas adolescent girls home and Buckner's community transformation center today.
I will talk about Casitas today and Las Brisas Tuesday. These girls are here as a result of exploitation. Too kind a word for what they have endured. It is government operated and does well with the resources provided--meager and understaffed. Some girls are in various stages of psychological and emotional processing. Some want no interaction. They are angry or grieving. Others who have been here awhile are more joyful and interact well with others. It seems time helps them cope and gain a sense of worth and meaning. Trip participant, John, told of a conversation with a girl. She did not smile when she told him her name. He said she had a beautiful name. She looked at him and said, "No." He realized immediately how she felt inside. His hope, and all of ours, is to show the love of Christ that she may begin to feel beautiful inside. We prayed for her and others specifically at our share time that evening.

On a lighter note...The team performed superbly with what they had prepared. I'll give one example. Bill, staff-member at Northlake Baptist Church, is in charge of recreation. No complaining from him as he stayed in the sun almost three hours active with the girls. I saw him smiling a lot. He may not admit it but I think he enjoyed it.

Guatemala SOS Day One

2011-03-13T23:19:00.002-05:00

Eight people tasked with shoe distribution to close to 1000 kids! It's gonna be an interesting week...
Today started off great with a trip to Hogares Solidarios, the "City of Children." it certainly felt like we entered a city today. The first half of the day we gave shoes to about 180 kiddos, making sure they knew the shoes were a gift, that each of them are valuable and special to the Lord. Our hearts were broken as we held and played with the little ones in the special needs home. The staff there was amazing, so demonstrative of their love for the children. I want to be more like these ladies. They are all about service for little in return. God help me to be selfless like this!
The afternoon was a bit different as we visited the boys of San Gabriel. My friend Jason, who is a coach, presented the story of Joseph to these boys in amazing fashion. He happens to also be a Spanish teacher! I loved seeing how engaged the boys were as he imparted truth to them from the Word. So much of their hardened shells melted away as he talked about the undeserving love of Christ that is available to us all.
With our small team of eight, God is going to do amazing things, sort of like the fish and the loaves. Please pray for us as we seek to be effective witnesses for Christ.

Northlake Baptist Church Mission Trip

2011-03-13T19:39:00.001-05:00

San Pedro Sula, March 13, 2011

Great day in worship at Christian Church International. Visited the Las Brisas community and Buckner's new community transformation center there. We will work there this week.

Toured Buckner's transition home. A place where girls live in a group home their teenage years. Members from Northlake Baptist Church and Impacto de Dios church gave gifts to the girls and had a good time of fellowship. The girls are precious. Seven live there now.

God's people have done great things with these transition homes. Girls have a chance to learn and improve themselves. They have hope. As Christ's disciples we are designed to give hope!

We got love, joy, peace, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit!

2011-01-12T22:02:00.002-06:00

1/12/11

Yesterday morning we arrived at the boys home for the second day of VBS with the kids. During the bible story, we noticed lice in a little boy’s sister’s hair. She was there because her family (Mom, Dad, Johann, Esmerelda, Evelyn, and Jesus) is staying at the home while getting paper work completed in order to get her brother out of the home. Not only Esmerelda had lice, but the whole family did. We were able to get shampoo to treat Esmerelda (9), Evelyn (3), and Jesus (1). The kids had obviously suffered from the lice for a while now, due to sores from the frequent scratching. The hardest part for the 4 of us treating the kids was noticing that they hadn’t taken a shower in a very long time. So we (Natalie, Kay, Julie, and Lauren) got to work rubbing the shampoo in the kids hair. This was a traumatic experience for the little ones, but when it was all over they were much happier. Esmerelda was so good! She loved getting a shower, smelling good, and getting attention. It was a tedious and process and God really opened our eyes.

That night after having dinner, we met in one of the rooms at the hotel to talk about our experiences so far. We were able to open up and share our favorite and hardest moments, as well as our expectations for this trip being met or changed. We bonded by being able to freely express our emotions with each other as a group.

Today was a bit more difficult. We had to say goodbye. This goodbye was different, because in Lima, we had a new group of kids here in Cusco to look forward to. Now goodbye was a reality check in that there would be no more children to fill our hearts and give love to. It was very apparent that the children were fully aware of the purpose of our presence at the home, and they expressed their gratitude. When asked why we were there, their responses were spot on:
“You’re here to love us.”
“You’re here because God sent you.”
“You’re here because we’re lonely.”
“You’re here because you want to play with us!”
These responses touched our hearts in indescribable ways, and made it even harder to leave… or to not take them with us.

After treating the kids for lice, we knew we couldn’t stop there. We had to do more! So we collected some money and a few hygiene donations from the group and went shopping. We bought the kids backpacks and filled them with supplies and clothes. At the end of the day, Kay, Natalie, Julie, and Chris met with the family in the directors office. We wanted to make sure they understood our purpose. Natalie spoke and Julie translated. God spoke through Natalie, and was able to lead the parents and Johann to Christ! It was absolutely amazing, to say the least. We were able to prove God’s faithfulness to provide by presenting the backpacks to the kids, along with diapers and other hygiene supplies to the parents. They were very grateful for everything and thanked us profusely. Their hugs were genuine and long lasting. We will never forget this experience or these people we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. Our lives are forever changed, all because the Lord gave us joy and love through innocent and precious children. We are so blessed!

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts… now all we have to do is get home with no snags!

With a renewed love,

Kay & Natalie

San Antonio home and Cuzco girls transitional home and Macchu Piccu, OH MY!

2011-01-09T20:36:00.012-06:00

1.7.11

Today was the final day at San Antonio home. We woke up and had breakfast as usual and headed out for the orphanage. The conversation at breakfast included a lot of talk about how excited we were to see the children but very sad at the same time because we knew that we had to leave the precious little children at the end of the day. It has been an amazing week and the children have affected me deeply. As I watch their happy faces and the fun that they have with all of us, it saddens me to know that they do not get that love everyday as most people get with their parents or family. The joy that they still possess regardless of what has happened in their lives shows how God has still provided for them. There are many times that we become complacent and take privileges in our lives for granted and become unhappy…These children have every reason to be unhappy but live life anyway and love wherever they are able. It inspires me to be more thankful for the many, many blessing that I do have.

We started out the morning with the little ones which was a treat since we had not had them since the first day. Since we didn’t take many pictures the previous days, there were tons of pictures taken of all of the kids throughout the day. The lesson for the little ones was on the color “verde”, or green. They glued paper onto a leaf to make it green. It is always interesting because they seem to like the taste of glue, or maybe it is just the texture of the glue on their fingers that makes them think that it is some kind of food… I am not really sure, but it sure is hard to keep those gluey fingers out of their mouths. After lunch, we had the older ones and we did a story on Daniel and the lions den. The craft was a bracelet made of strips of bandana with beads on it. I was on the recreation team and we let everyone choose what they wanted to do which was mostly kicking soccer balls around or throwing small footballs. Overall, the children were most behaved today out of all of the rest of the days. I think it was because they were so used to all of us by the fourth day.

We continued to take pictures until the second that we left the orphanage. There were many hugs and kisses exchanged. Many of them would say “no!” when you said “Ciao” because they didn’t want us to leave. I was glad that none of them cried because I know that most of the team would have ended up crying along with them! We are excited to visit the next orphanage because it will be a different environment, but at the same time, it is hard to leave these kids that we have formed relationships with.

For dinner, we had Pardo’s Chicken. It consisted of rotisserie chicken, cooked vegetables, piles of French fries, fried pieces of cut potatoes, chicken on skewers, and…COW HEARTS. Alessandra told us that they were very good and one of her favorites to eat at Pardo’s but we weren’t expecting them to be ordered and that we would be trying it. Everyone tried this interesting food though. The verdict is that it was actually very good! Once you get past the thought of eating some of a heart…then you can enjoy it. There was also a special yellow spicy sauce that was very popular and we had to get more from the waiter since we ate it so fast. After everyone ate, we gave Alessandra, Alonso, and Erik gifts for helping us translate all week. It was very fun and they all liked their gifts. Tonight will be time to pack and try to get as much sleep as possible since it will be a short night. We will be leaving our hotel at 6:40 to catch our flight to Cuzco! Ciao from Lima!

1.8.11

We spent the day travelling from Lima to Cuzco. The trip was uneventful and that was a good thing. We got to the hotel in Cuzco around 1:30 or 2 and went immediately to lunch. Everyone was very exhausted and many people almost immediately started feeling the effects from the high altitude of 11,000 ft. The majority of the side effects included dizziness and headaches and most were gone after a good nights rest.

After we took naps, we went to a girls transitional home to spend some time with some college aged girls there. They come from orphanages and are chosen to go into a special program so they can live with a house mom and other girls (7 in total) and get a college education. They are all our age and were very fun to spend time with. They gave us a tour of the house and then we played games with a volleyball on a nearby court. While playing a game that was like double sided dodge ball, Mitchell split his shorts which was really funny. Natalie gave him her jacket so he didn’t have to have split pants showing for the rest of the evening.

After we played games, we went back to the house, cleared out the living room and had a dance party. They taught us dances and we taught them one as well. Besides that, we just danced to different music that both groups knew. At the end of the night, they gave us jewelry that they make in their spare time. It was definitely a great night and it was amazing to see how God was working through them and they really appreciated us being there. They were very happy and they had their own little family that worked well together and enjoyed life together. After that, it was an early night because we had to wake up at 5:30ish to travel to Macchu Piccu!

1.9.11

Today was the big trip to Macchu Piccu! We travelled first by bus to Aguas Calientes, which took 2 hours, and then took a train to our destination which took an hour and a half. The train has beautiful views of the mountains and water below. Once we arrived at that actual site of the ancient Incan ruins, we met our tour guide and explored for 2 and a half hours. The views were absolutely breathtaking! There were several times that people would comment on it by saying “Wow God.” We had the mountains all around, the Amazon River below, and the amazing architecture of the ruins all around us.

After having a quick lunch, we boarded the train back to Aguas Calientes. All of the girls were sleeping and we were awoken by a Peruvian dancer called Diablo, or devil. It looked EXTREMELY scary and it didn’t give us much time to wake up before making loud weird noises in our faces and scaring us! He danced up and down the aisle of our cart and then made me get up and dance with him, which was very funny. The rest of the trip was much calmer though.

We are now back at our hotel and get to have a full nights rest for the first time in days. It is much needed in order to be full of energy to be able to serve the children here in Cuzco. Continue to pray for the children, the team, and the altitude sickness!

With love from Cuzco,
Lauren

Hola Sophia!

2011-01-06T21:45:00.007-06:00

Day three in Peru was absolutely amazing. The day went much soother than the previous two. It is crazy how much happiness the kids bring to us. The second we walk in, they run up to us with pure joy on their faces, and I am positive that are reflect that as well.

We spent the first half of our time at the orphanage with the younger children and taught them about the color yellow. Then just spent more time with them, playing games and continuing the develop our relationships with them.

The Bible story today was the parable of the lost sheep, and the kids really seemed to enjoy it. I choose to stay with the Bible Study group during the rotations, originally because it was inside and I felt dehydrated, but it was such a blessing to experience. One of my favorite memories so far happened when two of the boys were misbehaving during the story. Therefore, I was asked to go and color with them. Immediately, they calmed down, and I was able to simply color with them and carry on with the small conversations. The way they lit up when receiving a complement brought such joy. I began to see the longing these kids have for attention, and I felt privileged to be able to it to them.

On the way home, Giuli (upon our request) pulled out her puppet, Sophia. Lili was singing in a ridiculously high voice and Giuli was moving Sophia's mouth to the song. This brought out tons of laughter, and it entertained us for the remainder of the 40 minute bus ride back to the hotel. Giuli would have Sophia poke her head out of the bus and wave to the other cars in hopes that they would react awkwardly. In most cases they would try to ignore the puppet or look at us like we were crazy, but by the end they would join us in laughter. The group has been joking that I grew particularly fond of Sophia over the ride because when it was time to leave I told her goodbye. I still believe that it was apropiate, if the kids say "Chow, Sophia," why shouldn't we?

Needless to say, today has been the best so far and we all cannot wait to see what else has in store for us. We know that it will be difficult to say goodbye to the kids tomorrow, but we are also excited to get to know the kids in Cuzco.

Thank you for all of your prayers and continue to pray for restoration and rejuvination.

-Brittany McDonald

And the Adventure Begins!

2011-01-05T21:11:00.006-06:00

We have been in Peru for two days now! So far, we have loved every minute of it.

Our first day we really got to know the kids and their interests, which definitely include candy, bubbles and spinning but mostly spending time with us. From the first second, they walked in we were all in love. These children are precious creation from God, and we tried our hardest to keep up with all of their energy. I think God is really showing us his heart through the faces of these children.

Today was really neat because we were able to build on our relationships with the kids. We are really beginning to be familiar with their personalities, and they are getting to know us better as well. One thing we have been struggling with is getting used to the language barrier, but facial expressions and caring sometimes work just as well as speaking the same language.

We are working with the toddlers in the morning and the bigger kids in the afternoon. With the older children we are doing a Vacation Bible School type set up with different stations like crafts and Bible story.

Tonight we were able to hang out in a mall near our hotel. We experienced the Chifa (Chinese food) of Peru which was a big hit. After we ate we walked around, looked at the different shops and saw the ocean. They tell me that it's very rare for it to rain here in Lima, but tonight it did. Because of this, I was not prepared for the rainy weather. On the way back the sidewalks were extremely slippery. I was wearing flip flops. Even though I was holding on to Mitchell's arm, I managed to fall. I slid down the side walk on my side, kind of like skiing with my body. That scored a good laugh... all the way back to the hotel and then a little longer.

In other words, we are really enjoying our time with the kids and on our own adventures. Thank you everyone for your prayers, and we will be praying for what is still to come!

Kimberly Fogle

Sightseeing in Oaxaca

2010-11-12T18:26:00.002-06:00

Greetings from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Today was a day for sightseeing and reflecting on this week. The SOS Team went to Monte Alban Archeological Ruins. The road up the mountain to the ruins was very narrow and steep. But Javier & Rafael our van drivers did an excellent job in keeping all of us safe. We walked and climbed many steps up and down to see the ruins from the Zapotec and Mayan time.

Our tour guide explained to us how the people constructed altars for their rituals. They would sacrifice people to their gods. I'm so thankful our God asks us to be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind He will accept.

After leaving Mont Alban, we return to Oaxaca for lunch and shopping. We went to Mercado de Artesanias, chocolate shops, downtown shops that sell woven goods, and saw artisan's souveniers typical of Oaxaca. Then back to the hotel for dinner.

Memories of the Day -- singing praise songs on the van, seeing the many houses painted in bright colors, narrow streets, smell of exhaust fumes, sounds of traffic, lots of people, and lots of laughter by the SOS Team. It was a wonderful day to reflect on this week in Oaxaca.

I'll never forget Rosa, a 15 year old girl I met Wednesday in the government orphanage. Rosa could speak a little English and she said her dream is to learn English. In English, Rosa sang "Dashing Through the Snow -- Jingle Bells" It was very, very hard to tell her goodbye. As we hugged each other and cried Rosa kept saying -- I love you forever, I love you forever. She gave me a bracelet she had made. We could not take pictures that day, so I've asked God to plant Rosa's face in my heart.

It has been a wonderful week in Oaxaca. My life has been transformed. I've felt God's presence with us each day as we worked with the children. I will never be the same, and I will be eternally grateful for the blessing of giving Shoes to Orphan Souls.

2 John says: "I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to say it in a letter. For I hope to visit you soon (at least some of you) and to talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete."

Blessings to all,
Rebecca Morton
from Lubbock, Texas

His hand and His feet

2010-11-11T19:04:00.002-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Today we went to a Christian orphange that was very well kept up the children were very happy and they loved their shoes and the time we played and ministried to them. They have a wonderful couple who has been over the orphange for 23 years. You could tell the children their were loved and they liked being there. This was a great experience knowing the children were loved and happy. And being showed Christ and taught about Him everyday.

We also went to another place where they help the street children which is children who work on the streets selling things for their families. This was one of the hardest places I have been so far. The feet of the children there were sooo dirty and they smell very bad their shoes were falling apart. The 1st child I put shoe on his feet was crying very badly and his mother was trying to get him to stop I showed him his socks which was spider man and that did not stop him from crying but when I started wiping his feet off he stopped crying and when I put his shoes on him he started laughing and his mother had 8 children. Every time one of her children came to get shoes she wanted to make sure I knew that was her child and she would get my attention to let me know.I just thought about how much she was proud that her children were getting shoes and how I was able to show her the love of Christ and be his hands and feet to this woman and her family. I think about how Jesus says that the poor will also be with us and we need to continue to be His hands and feet.

Alisa--East Ridge, Tn