bethany on mission

The Team is Off

2010-06-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

Hope for Kenya 2010 is officially underway. The Kenya mission team is now enroute. Follow their journey here: www.h4k2010.blogspot.com

___________________

Kenya Mission Trip

2010-03-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

This summer we will be sending our first ever delegation of teens overseas to Kenya, Africa to plant a new church. Follow their journey on their website: www.h4k2010.blogspot.com.

Be part of the journey! Support this team in prayer and by seeing what other needs they may have!

___________________________

Update From Ft Wingate

2009-06-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. We have been very busy since arriving and it seems that there is always something going on (kids are here at the church a lot and there is always stuff going on). We are up every day between 6 and 7:30am (depending on the person) and hit the ground running. We start setting up VBS as soon as we wake up, send some of our team out to the Reservation to pick up some children, the construction crew leaves for the Reservation and our day is off and running. We wrap up VBS at 1pm, but then taking kids home to the Res takes about an hour. Then our team usually divides. The adults either go get supplies for VBS the next day, dinner that night or go see some sights. The teens either go see some sights, prep for Epicenter (the nightly teen ministry) or rest a few hours before beginning to set up for the night ministry (we begin setting it up around 4:00 or 4:30pm. We eat at 5:00pm together as a team, then Pastor Phil leaves with Jack to meet with some local people about the creation of a Recovery ministry here in Ft Wingate and Epicenter begins at 6:30 (though some of the kids and teens never leave the church). Our work day wraps up about 11:00pm every night.

We’ve had a great time, but are very tired. There is much depravity here. It honestly feels like another world, in a lot of ways. Just today a girl in the 5^th grade VBS class was hurt accidentally by one of the boys and she began crying. Stephanie pulled her aside to check on her and she told Stephanie that the boy hit her where her uncle hit her with wood. She also told Stephanie about being beaten by cousins and other family members (black eye, bruises, etc.). Abuse is rampant on the Res; students (teens especially) are very guarded and trust very little. It’s as if there is a very thick wall (Kevin says it’s like steel) around them. We have had several positive developments, but see that the work with the Navajo is in desperate need of more dedicated, caring people who are full of grace, patience and mercy.

VBS is averaging about 27 kids, the teen ministry has had 11-18 students a night (which is a very large turnout for this area).

Because of time this is all I can update for now, but enjoy the handful of pics. We will try to post more later, but time is very limited here.

PLEASE PRAY FOR US and the hearts of the Navajo. Tomorrow night we are hoping to host a show for the family and friends of the kids and teens that have been coming (though Jill says the turnout will likely be low because of little family support). Pray that God move MAGNIFICENTLY and parents come to hear the story of Hope as told by their own kids. We are calling it “Show of Hope.”

Amanda teaching teens the drama

VBS

Matt teaching Leadership

Epicenter

Music Track

Praying over the Land

Children's Church

Children's Church

FYI

2009-06-11T12:35:00.001-07:00

Here are some sites you might want to checkout about the Navajo people, their culture and their religious practices/beliefs.

World Culture Encyclopedia - "Religion and Expressive Culture"
History.com - "History, Customs and Religion, Contemporary Life"
Mukuntuweep - "Navajo Religion: A Sacred Way of Life"
Navajo Nation - "History and General Information"

I will post more as I find it. Until then... remember to be praying for the Team, those already serving with the people, and the Navajo people.

MINISTRY TEAM MEETING

2009-05-06T07:33:00.001-07:00

There is a team meeting this Thursday at the church @ 7pm.

If you cannot be there let Pastor Phil know. This is a planning meeting and brief training.

VBS and Teen Ministry Info (Shirts)

2009-03-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

For those who will be serving in VBS in NM Stephanie wants to be sure we all have matching t-shirts. If you served LAST YEAR in VBS at the church, check and make sure you still have your yellow t-shirt and that it still fits. If not, talk to Stephanie and let her know what size shirt you need. Please do this soon because we need to make sure we have time to get extra shirts made.

Also - Refugees going... please bring your Refuge T-Shirts. If you do not have one, let me know and I'll get you one.

_____________

NM Team Flight Info

2009-03-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

This info is as per the info shared by Pastor Phil in the meeting last Sunday (March 15).

Your flights must arrive NO LATER than:
6:00pm (NM Time) on June 20, 2009

Our bus will be departing the Airport at 6pm and then we have a 2 hour ride or so to Wingate Ranch.

Your return flight must depart NO EARLIER than:
12:00pm (NM Time) on June 26, 2009

IMPORTANT!!!! Once you have booked your flight, post your information by clicking HERE (in the comment section). Post your info exactly as it the following (I'm using the Pastor's flight info as the example, for those that want to try to catch the same flight):

Pastor Phil and Peggy (Your Name)
TO NM:
American Airlines
Flt 1997 7:30am 6/20/09 to Dallas
Flt 369 Arrive in ALBQ 1:35pm

TO HOME:
American Airlines
Flt 1086 12:00pm to Dallas
Flt 422 Arrive in RDU 8:05pm

Email Christian with any questions about posting this info (5jesusfreaks@gmail.com).

Thanks!!!

______________

New Mexico Mission Team (Official Roster)

2009-03-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

As it stands, the following are slated as DEFINITELY going on the trip to New Mexico (names in RED have purchased plane tickets and posted their flight info to the blog):

ADULTS/TEENS (*) ***EDITED MAY 7***

Pastor Phil
Peggy B
Christian B
Robert B
Diana A
Kevin L
Stephanie L
Cindy B
Doug W
Mandy W
Randy D
Chuck J
Sandra J
Jimmy K
Tom T.
Janice T.
Regina R.
Allen M.
Kyle H. (driving)
LaToya*
Cierra D*
Catherine B*
Samantha A*
Amanda R*
Matt C*

CHILDREN

Mckenna B
Kelsie B
Lauren W
Carter L
Devin B.
Madison T.
Jennifer K.
Allena M.

We need to know ASAP who is going officially so we can prepare the work, duties and such. Without a working roster, this task is impossible.

A reminder, it is up to you to secure your own tickets for you and your family.

More Pics (Again, in no specific order)

2008-11-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Communion in the Garden Tomb

Outside the Jerusalem Wall

On the 1st Century (or earlier) road

In front of the Western Wall (Temple Mount directly behind us)

Wednesday and Thursday

2008-11-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

November 12, 2008

Salam! What an awesome day!! We saw God do some amazing things today!

First, we went to Bethlehem (yes, “the” Bethlehem – something we had to keep telling ourselves, too) and met with a man and his wife (I and A). He runs a store from his home and is a brand new Believer (his wife is not). While she loves her husband, there is much confusion and embarrassment (to a degree) over his new found belief. She is very uncomfortable with his conversations about Christ and both fear he will be removed from the family if discovered.
P talked with “I” and encouraged him and all of us talked with and prayed with both he and his wife (though not interested in his faith, she was willing to pray with us). Both were VERY sweet and great to visit with. Pray that someone who speaks Arabic and is able to access Bethlehem (something we will explain when we return) can disciple “I” and for his wife (the team here is great friends with her and has many opportunities to share with her).

After that visit we went to the Church of the Nativity (built around the time of Constantine, I believe) that is directly on top of one of the traditional sight where they believed Christ was born (it is not a fact that it is the sight, but centuries of tradition place it there). While it was a very unique place to visit (especially the church), much of the power of the sight is stripped away from it due to the tourism and the church. The cave (where it is traditionally believed that Christ was born, as they typically served as stables) was elaborately decorated and contained many iconic works of art, candles and such in it. To be honest, you had to look very hard to even tell it was a cave. In the very place where they believed Christ was born, they placed a star on the ground with a hole in the center. Many people lined up to worship on the circle (often times kissing it and placing their hands and belongings in the hole). Despite the overtly “religious tourism” (using religion and icon worship as a way of collecting money), it was still pretty powerful to know that somewhere within the vicinity of where we stood, the Savior of the world was born to save mankind. One particularly awesome sight was the field where “the shepherds watched their flocks by night”… it was a valley and hillside that is very rocky (this whole country is very rocky) and rugged. P also tried to share with our tour guide, F, but he was not very receptive (very nice, but not receptive).

In the evening we returned to our city and held our much anticipated church event. The church here, from what we were told, typically has 15-25 people attend a regular Sunday morning service. On Sunday there was approximately 35-40+ people, and tonight 45+! That is huge! The team here was just praying some people would show up as the members are not accustomed to midweek events. It was a great evening. We got to share our testimonies and stories with them, C played “Amazing Grace” (in which they all joined in and sang with him – in English!) and, the best part, some of their men and women shared their stories with us and their church (breaking typical cultural patterns of NOT sharing life stories publicly). Following that we served them dinner and walked around and met many of the members. We heard so many unique stories from them of their struggles here, struggles in their faith, joyous times, God’s blessing and more. RD had a woman approach him telling him that she could relate to his testimony as her own husband is dealing with what he shared. Just another way of showing how God can take our weaknesses and shortcomings, clean them up, heal us and use them/us later for His glory! C met a young woman whose husband is separated from her (I think – or they are stuck together in our area… it was hard to understand) and trying to obtain the proper paperwork to fix the situation. Problem is, this could take a very long time due to the struggles between the two nations and one nation’s unwillingness to help her people at all (more on this at home). So C prayed with her, their children and her mother.

Tonight was simply amazing! Far beyond anyone’s expectations!! God is great!!! Tomorrow we are heading back to Jerusalem and going into the city this time. We will go to the Temple Mount, Western Wall (of the Old Temple), the traditional place of Christ’s crucifixion and more. We will also spend some time there praying over the country and Land for healing.

How to Pray:

For workers (they are very few here)

For the new friends we’ve met here that are not saved: A (and family), I’s wife and children, Q, F, people of the Christian tradition here (including in the church) but are not saved

Wisdom for the church leaders as they cast vision together and look to be that Light here in this city

Gentleness of heart for persecutors (especially those who are “Christians” – this we have to explain when we get home)

Peace in this Land (though we know all that goes with that request)… so many have been and are being hurt.

Church founder (Cy) who is ailing from MS and Alzheimer’s and her husband (J) who is caring for her (a man deeply in love with his precious wife!)

November 13, 2008

Salam, our friends and family.

Today is our last day in our downtown apartment. We will head out tomorrow to another location for one night, then wake up VERY early Saturday to fly home. We will miss the apartment, its view of downtown (the traffic, the people and the praying from our “perch”).

Today was an absolutely amazing day (I know, I’ve said that every day on this trip, but the days here have been unbelievable). Today we returned to Jerusalem to see the sights and to pray. As before, there are far too many stories and details about what we saw so I will limit it to another list: Mt. Moriah, the Western Wall, the Garden Tomb (where we took communion together!), several churches/basilicas/chapels (which have been constructed on top of many of the sights), Antonia Fortress, the Church of Holy Seplica, Via Dolorosa (stations of the path that Christ walked as He was being led to be crucified), the Pool of Bethesda, several of the Gates of Jerusalem (Stephen’s Gate/Lion’s Gate, New Gate, etc.) and more. We touched and walked a road that dates back to the time of Christ (maybe earlier), prayed for many of our family and friends and other things on our hearts at the Western Wall and the Pool of Bethesda, and savored the time had in this amazing city.

While there, C struck up a conversation with a shop owner in the Christian Quarter of the city who is a “nonreligious” man. He shared with us that he sees all religions (Christianity, Islam, Greek/Russian Orthodox, Jewish, etc.) teach one thing and live another, “especially in this Land.” C encouraged him not to let the few “bad apples” draw him away from the One True God who seeks to bring hope to his life. P shared with him as well and left him something to read. He also allowed us to pray for and with him before leaving… it was a very encouraging visit and the team here look forward to returning to talk with him more.

On the way back to our side of the Land, traffic was insane (as it usually is), but this time more than usual. Our bus refused to enter the checkpoint, so we had to get off the bus and cross on foot. The reason for the unbelievable traffic was that cars were so tired of waiting in line to get through the checkpoint they started driving down the wrong side of the road, completely cutting off in coming traffic. Fortunately, we were able to get to the other side and catch a cab and are now back safely in our city.

Tomorrow we will travel to Galilee for sight seeing and to debrief with the team leaders.

HOW TO PRAY:

Same as yesterday… PLUS…

Our return home (while there shouldn’t be any problems, exiting the country is a fairly detailed and difficult process)

For our contact today (M) as he continues to pursue God in looking for answers

Wednesday and Thursday

2008-11-13T10:53:00.000-08:00

November 12, 2008

Salam! What an awesome day!! We saw God do some amazing things today!

First, we went to Bethlehem (yes, “the” Bethlehem – something we had to keep telling ourselves, too) and met with a man and his wife (I and A). He runs a store from his home and is a brand new Believer (his wife is not). While she loves her husband, there is much confusion and embarrassment (to a degree) over his new found belief. She is very uncomfortable with his conversations about Christ and both fear he will be removed from the family if discovered.
P talked with “I” and encouraged him and all of us talked with and prayed with both he and his wife (though not interested in his faith, she was willing to pray with us). Both were VERY sweet and great to visit with. Pray that someone who speaks Arabic and is able to access Bethlehem (something we will explain when we return) can disciple “I” and for his wife (the team here is great friends with her and has many opportunities to share with her).

After that visit we went to the Church of the Nativity (built around the time of Constantine, I believe) that is directly on top of one of the traditional sight where they believed Christ was born (it is not a fact that it is the sight, but centuries of tradition place it there). While it was a very unique place to visit (especially the church), much of the power of the sight is stripped away from it due to the tourism and the church. The cave (where it is traditionally believed that Christ was born, as they typically served as stables) was elaborately decorated and contained many iconic works of art, candles and such in it. To be honest, you had to look very hard to even tell it was a cave. In the very place where they believed Christ was born, they placed a star on the ground with a hole in the center. Many people lined up to worship on the circle (often times kissing it and placing their hands and belongings in the hole). Despite the overtly “religious tourism” (using religion and icon worship as a way of collecting money), it was still pretty powerful to know that somewhere within the vicinity of where we stood, the Savior of the world was born to save mankind. One particularly awesome sight was the field where “the shepherds watched their flocks by night”… it was a valley and hillside that is very rocky (this whole country is very rocky) and rugged. P also tried to share with our tour guide, F, but he was not very receptive (very nice, but not receptive).

In the evening we returned to our city and held our much anticipated church event. The church here, from what we were told, typically has 15-25 people attend a regular Sunday morning service. On Sunday there was approximately 35-40+ people, and tonight 45+! That is huge! The team here was just praying some people would show up as the members are not accustomed to midweek events. It was a great evening. We got to share our testimonies and stories with them, C played “Amazing Grace” (in which they all joined in and sang with him – in English!) and, the best part, some of their men and women shared their stories with us and their church (breaking typical cultural patterns of NOT sharing life stories publicly). Following that we served them dinner and walked around and met many of the members. We heard so many unique stories from them of their struggles here, struggles in their faith, joyous times, God’s blessing and more. RD had a woman approach him telling him that she could relate to his testimony as her own husband is dealing with what he shared. Just another way of showing how God can take our weaknesses and shortcomings, clean them up, heal us and use them/us later for His glory! C met a young woman whose husband is separated from her (I think – or they are stuck together in our area… it was hard to understand) and trying to obtain the proper paperwork to fix the situation. Problem is, this could take a very long time due to the struggles between the two nations and one nation’s unwillingness to help her people at all (more on this at home). So C prayed with her, their children and her mother.

Tonight was simply amazing! Far beyond anyone’s expectations!! God is great!!! Tomorrow we are heading back to Jerusalem and going into the city this time. We will go to the Temple Mount, Western Wall (of the Old Temple), the traditional place of Christ’s crucifixion and more. We will also spend some time there praying over the country and Land for healing.

How to Pray:

For workers (they are very few here)

For the new friends we’ve met here that are not saved: A (and family), I’s wife and children, Q, F, people of the Christian tradition here (including in the church) but are not saved

Wisdom for the church leaders as they cast vision together and look to be that Light here in this city

Gentleness of heart for persecutors (especially those who are “Christians” – this we have to explain when we get home)

Peace in this Land (though we know all that goes with that request)… so many have been and are being hurt.

Church founder (Cy) who is ailing from MS and Alzheimer’s and her husband (J) who is caring for her (a man deeply in love with his precious wife!)

November 13, 2008

Salam, our friends and family.

Today is our last day in our downtown apartment. We will head out tomorrow to another location for one night, then wake up VERY early Saturday to fly home. We will miss the apartment, its view of downtown (the traffic, the people and the praying from our “perch”).

Today was an absolutely amazing day (I know, I’ve said that every day on this trip, but the days here have been unbelievable). Today we returned to Jerusalem to see the sights and to pray. As before, there are far too many stories and details about what we saw so I will limit it to another list: Mt. Moriah, the Western Wall, the Garden Tomb (where we took communion together!), several churches/basilicas/chapels (which have been constructed on top of many of the sights), Antonia Fortress, the Church of Holy Seplica, Via Dolorosa (stations of the path that Christ walked as He was being led to be crucified), the Pool of Bethesda, several of the Gates of Jerusalem (Stephen’s Gate/Lion’s Gate, New Gate, etc.) and more. We touched and walked a road that dates back to the time of Christ (maybe earlier), prayed for many of our family and friends and other things on our hearts at the Western Wall and the Pool of Bethesda, and savored the time had in this amazing city.

While there, C struck up a conversation with a shop owner in the Christian Quarter of the city who is a “nonreligious” man. He shared with us that he sees all religions (Christianity, Islam, Greek/Russian Orthodox, Jewish, etc.) teach one thing and live another, “especially in this Land.” C encouraged him not to let the few “bad apples” draw him away from the One True God who seeks to bring hope to his life. P shared with him as well and left him something to read. He also allowed us to pray for and with him before leaving… it was a very encouraging visit and the team here look forward to returning to talk with him more.

On the way back to our side of the Land, traffic was insane (as it usually is), but this time more than usual. Our bus refused to enter the checkpoint, so we had to get off the bus and cross on foot. The reason for the unbelievable traffic was that cars were so tired of waiting in line to get through the checkpoint they started driving down the wrong side of the road, completely cutting off in coming traffic. Fortunately, we were able to get to the other side and catch a cab and are now back safely in our city.

Tomorrow we will travel to Galilee for sight seeing and to debrief with the team leaders.

HOW TO PRAY:

Same as yesterday… PLUS…

Our return home on Saturday (while there shouldn’t be any problems, exiting the country is a fairly detailed and difficult process)

For our contact today (M) as he continues to pursue God in looking for answers

_______

More Pictures (in no particular order)

2008-11-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

NOTE: Again, because of security issues, we are trying to be careful with the pics we post. Sorry for the lack of variety in the pics shown, but you'll understand when we get home and share with you the story of these wonderful people.

R??? Striking resemblance indeed! :-)

Baked by Team Leader P (thank you!!)

Yes, folks. You've heard it here first. The transformation is complete. "The Official Declaration of Collegiate Allegiance."

Police on duty for demonstration

On the roof...

Monday and Tuesday

2008-11-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

November 10, 2008

Mahrabra (spelling is most likely wrong)!

We had a great day! We went to the church today to begin work on the playground. There was/is much work to be done. There are a lot of rocks on the play area (some of which have been used in the past by some as ammunition, of sorts, when thrown at the church trying to break the windows), glass (from broken bottles) and debris. They also have nice playground equipment that is in need of some upkeep. So we began sanding and painting the equipment, burning branches and cleaning up the trash.
As we were working a man saw C on the street and they greeted each other in Arabic (“Salam” – meaning “peace”) and noticing C was obviously American began speaking English with him (as he has spent time in both the U.S. and here). Because of security we cannot go into much detail about the visit, but it was awesome. Long story short, after talking a while he invited us over for lunch. We already had plans for lunch that could not be changed so he invited us to his house for coffee instead. After a very enjoyable visit, he offered to help us secure some materials we need for the CHURCH playground and invited us over again for a meal. We will share more about this encounter at home, but it was great!
Later, another man noticed we were working and entered the playground to talk with us. He approached C and spoke limited English. They exchanged greetings in Arabic (C tried at least and he indulged him) and then spoke together a bit about who we were and where we were from. He was very intrigued by us and offered to bring us some coffee. We thanked him, but told him we couldn’t because we were on our way out. He said ok and said “if you need anything come across the street and tell me.” C invited him back tomorrow if he was available to talk some more.
So, in being out in the public many have noticed us and a few approached! Because of very extreme security issues, we had to be very sensitive in what we said, but seeds were planted! It is big to see the demonstration of Christ in us (and other Christians) and a here few experienced that! P also handed out a few pieces of candy to some children (as able – but again, being sensitive) helping them to see it as well.

GENERAL NOTES:
Today some locals held a march on the road directly in front of our apartment. We’re not sure what it was about since all they shouted was in Arabic, but it is thought to have had something to do with the anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death (which is tomorrow). While no one knows what to expect tomorrow (or tonight for that matter, as some things have already begun to take place) due to the anniversary, it is quite possible that demonstrations will be taking place all day. It is also possible most places may be closed in protest as well. So we’re not sure what to expect, but be in prayer that all will remain peaceful.
We (and the team here) were also invited to the home of the founder of the church for coffee (yes, more coffee) and local snacks (goat cheese, flat bread, “pizza,” etc.). We enjoyed a great time of fellowship, prayer, encouragement, culture sharing, vision planning and more! More on this when we return home.

SNORING REPORT:
We have discovered the source of P’s “snoring” (C says it’s not snoring but the attempt to remove walls or suck them in)… any time he takes 2 “little blue pills” (Tylenol PM – he usually takes 1) it knocks him out cold. Not altogether terrible because C (P’s roommate) has an MP3 player to drown out noise… except last night when it died just as P passed out. “Not Good” (C’s words). MP3 Player is charging now as P has now just taken pill #2. RD – the one all feared due to rumored snoring skills now looks like a kitty cat in the wake of Hurricane P.
P’s addition: the “rest of the story,” my blue pill ran out at 12:15am just in time for C’s gurgle snoring… and my ear plugs aren’t good at all.

HOW TO PRAY:

- Same as yesterday, but also for seeds planted to be nurtured and watered some (and possibly connecting them with the team staying here beyond our return home).

- Peaceful demonstrations (if there are any)

November 11, 2008

MAHRAHBRA!!

Another great day. First, there were many demonstrations (one major one, which you may have seen on the news) that took place IN our city. We watched large convoys of troops drive right by our apartment to the site of the demonstration. Several thousand (hundred thousand+ ?) Palestinians attended, while small demonstrations/celebrations took place all around the city throughout the day. We heard some gun fire several miles away (possibly celebrating) while working at the church, but to our knowledge it was a very peaceful day (and we were never in danger). It was actually pretty interesting to watch the festivities.

We worked most of the day in the church yard again finishing up from yesterday. C and the team leader (L) arranged a meeting with the new friend we met yesterday (a local) who took us around the old city and helped us locate some needed supplies. It was great having him because he served as our interpreter (and even paid for some our supplies – very unexpected but wonderful!). After finishing up at the church we all went to our new friend’s house for some amazing food. We ate and ate and ate. The culture here is you eat if offered, and he offered a LOT (American and Arabic food)! We had chicken medallions, chicken breast, beef, lamb and beef, falafel, salad, mashed potatoes, corn, flat bread and more for the main meal. Then coffee and cake for dessert. Then a HUGE platter of fresh fruit (locally grown). (We hurt now). :-) We spent a lot of time laughing, sharing stories, visiting with his family and more. To end our evening with him, he took us to the roof of his building where we enjoyed the city lights and the landscape. We could even see the lights of Jerusalem from his roof – AMAZING, but also sad. Jerusalem is only 6 miles away, but our friend is unable to travel there due to government restriction on all Palestinians here. So the closest he will get to that holy city (probably the rest of his life) is the lights on his roof. It was a great visit and we hope to keep in contact with our new friend. One of the most exciting parts was he allowed us to pray (prior to the meal) for him and his family. It was a great exchange and time of fellowship!

What an amazing day, indeed! Pray for the cultivation of the seeds planted here (as that is the primary way work is really done here). PLEASE PRAY for our friend, his family and the Palestinian people.

Tomorrow we will travel to Bethlehem for a time of prayer and reflection, then return to the city for some church activities (more on this later).

SNORING REPORT:
Nothing to report – don’t know what happened, but all passed out last night and didn’t awake until this morning. Was it the “little blue pills”? Sheer exhaustion? No idea… but it was nice. :-)

FROM P to Mrs. P (echoed by the fellas to their Mrs.’): “Starting to get the “field worker” blues.” :-) See you all soon. Love you. We’ll update as we can.

Pictures (In No Order)

2008-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Team planning and praying

In Emmaus (Central Israel/Palestine behind us)

Team ON Mt. of Olives (!) over looking Jerusalem (Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock Muslim Mosque behind us)

Praying over "The Land" on the Tomb of Samuel (AWESOME!)

More later (sorry so few... uploading pics takes a LONG time and we are short on time)...

See our newest post below (from today). Love you all...

Sunday, November 9, 2008

2008-11-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

Salam! Today was a very unique experience. We had the awesome experience of going to one of only two churches in the city. P preached this morning from John 3 (Nicodemus) and it was quite exciting. His message seemed to be very well received and they received all of us warmly. It was awesome hearing them worship the same Lord and Savior in Arabic. As P told them this morning – “the same Jesus we worship in America is the same Jesus you worship here!”

Tomorrow we will return to the church to clean up and fix their antiquated playground equipment and site (there are many giant rocks, glass, broken playground equipment, etc. that we hope to revitalize for the church to use to minister to families).

Many things here have changed, in terms of goals. Because of extreme security issues, “sharing” is not something that can be done openly or regularly. Only through long term relationships do those opportunities open up. Even then, the motives of the one asking questions could be questionable, placing the team in danger. However, in only a few days we are excited to say that we have seen God move MIGHTILY!!!

Our team leaders (L and Pt) had originally planned the following activities for us (these are traditional activities that they do with groups that visit): Olive picking, food distribution and additional visits if available. Prior to our arrival L had shared with us that there was much uncertainty about how we would be used. Little did he know that we had been praying before arrival for three things: (1) to encourage and serve the church in any way possible to help them continue to minister to the city, (2) to encourage and minister to the team and (3) to “share.” #3 was not possible openly (though that opportunity could present itself later)… however, #1 and #2 were exactly what was needed here (and L has been very excited about our being here). The church has no pastor and faces persecution from many directions. Last night as our team leaders L and Pt shared with us about the needs of the church our hearts hurt for them. We prayed that God would move in the church, open their hearts (fear and uncertainty have crippled their willingness to do anything) and bring a Godly man to lead them. Little did we know that exactly the same time, their church’s “council” was meeting and praying together and decided to finally move forward! They said they desired to be witnesses in their city and to begin looking for a leader (an uphill challenge, for sure!)!!! Amazing!! In sharing their decision with our team leaders you could tell there was an instant boost in their spirits! Now the work begins!

Fun Notes about the Trip:
We had an amazing lunch today. P had a mixed grill plates (chicken, lamb and shewaroma), RD, C and CJ had lamb kabobs. We all split traditional flat bread, falafel, cabbage, and various other traditional “salads” and dips.

According to P:
The brother C snored so loud last night that I thought the walls were gonna fall in. The only hope I had was about a half an hour in he gargled or choked or something and all I could think was “Lord, take the brother.” lol I figured I had three-four minutes to get to sleep while he recovered, but I missed it. All I could think laying there all night was it must have been payback from the night before. :-)

Also, thanks to Doug for the 2am call. We never recovered and were up most of the night. :-) As a matter of fact all of us were wide awake waiting for the Muslim call to Prayer at 4am.

How to Pray:

Wisdom for the church leaders as they cast vision together and look to be that Light here in this city

Gentleness of heart for persecutors (especially those who are “Christians” – this we have to explain when we get home)

WORKERS!! There is much need, and as Christ Himself said – “the Laborers are few”

Real prayer warriors willing to labor in prayer for this city, its churches and those serving here (openly and in secret)… we pray our church will be among those people!

A new generation of bold witnesses to rise up (probably the only way this city will truly see long term and authentic change)

Quick feet and hands so that we can accomplish much in a little bit of time tomorrow.

The midweek event in the church.

PRAISE from Team Leader L: “God’s timing is perfect!!!”

_____

Friday and Saturday

2008-11-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

November 7, 2008

We made it! It all happened as I mentioned in the previous post, but God brought it all together. We landed in Newark at about 10:30pm, but both gates were changed! Instead of being 100 gates apart we were only 7! So RD and C ran ahead to the departure gate and all was well.

The flight was long! It actually wasn’t as bad as we anticipated, just the extreme lack of room made it difficult (they give you the same room for an international flight that they do for regular domestic economy flights). No one slept much, but we’re all hoping to remedy that tonight!

We are 7 hours ahead of you in time, so we landed at our breakfast time, got off the plane and ate dinner – now we’re prepping for bed.

The events of the day… We arrived in Tel Aviv, met the team assigned to the area and they took us to our apartment in the city. In order to get to our area we had to drive through two Israeli checkpoints, but had no problems at all. After getting in to the apartment and eating dinner the team briefed us on the culture and history of the area (the details are too great to go over on the blog, but we’ll cover what we learned when we come home – suffice it to say, it’s unbelievable!).

It has been a very surreal experience thus far. In briefing us, the team mentioned several of their ministries in cities like Jericho, Bethlehem, Emmaus (seen in Luke 24:13-36), etc. (CRAZY!). Tomorrow we will be heading to Emmaus, Jerusalem (to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed prior to going to the cross, to pray together) and will prayer walk our city with our team. We will also bring some food vouchers to a Palestinian family as well as plan a mid-week event for the church we will attend on Sunday.

Again, I apologize for the lack of specifics, but my first post explains why. We love you all – thank you for your prayers!!

FROM P:In talking with the team here we were overcome with a sense of grief of the power struggles that exist. Things that we take for granted (going to church whenever or wherever we want, churches working together, marriage, etc… we’ll explain more when we come home) are near impossible tasks here. Their team has many obstacles that are far greater than we anticipated.

Pray for us as we work to encourage the team we are working with, as well as the church that is already moving and at work here. This team is completely at the mercy of God and His blessing. It’s amazing to see the difference in prayer. At home churches talk about prayer… here they depend on it. Please pray for us, the team here, the people here and for a mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit!

November 8, 2008

Today’s been an awesome day of prayer! We went to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-36) and prayed over Central Israel from its spectacular view. In it was a Catholic Church run by two Franciscan Monks who gave us a tour of their Crusade-era church! Remarkable!
We then went to the Tomb of Samuel (the Old Testament Prophet from 1 and 2 Samuel). In it are a Synagogue (with young Jewish men in training) and a Mosque… very unusual, but interesting to see. From the roof top we could see all of Israel and Palestine and so we took some time to pray over the land. There is much hurt and animosity here between the Israelis and Palestinians. From the roof we could see the Separation Wall (dividing Palestinian and Israeli territories) and knowing the history our hearts poured out for the people. During that time I (C) read the following passage (READ THIS – very applicable to what we see here):

At that time you were without the Messiah, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, with no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In His flesh, He did away with the law of the commandments in regulations, so that He might create in Himself one new man from the two, resulting in peace. [He did this so] that He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross and put the hostility to death by it. When [Christ] came, He proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:12-20)

We then headed to Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. While I could easily fill pages of paragraphs full of details of what we saw and experienced, here’s a simplified version: Mt. Moriah (2 Chron. 3:1), Mt. Zion (Last Supper location and more), Garden of Gethsemane (where Christ prayed before being arrested and crucified), Caiaphas’ house, the prison where Jesus was likely held and beat during His arrest (as well as the disciples later), Dome of the Rock (the traditional location of Mohammed’s ascension), Temple Mount (where the Temple was – now it is the location of Dome of the Rock), Augusta Victoria (one place where it is thought Christ may have ascended to heaven – Acts 1), the Blood Field/Potter’s Field (bought with the blood money received by Judas) and more.

We did not travel into Jerusalem yet, but will another day. Today was a day devoted to prayer. It is a very amazing and surreal experience praying in this Land. We have thoroughly enjoyed praying together and reading together the Word as we have traveled. The stories we’ve heard so far have truly broken our hearts. The state of life, faith and such here are unimaginable.

From CJ:
We have seen the desperate need personnel in the field have for money. The Christmas offering in particular makes a very big difference. The team here said it is where they get ALL of their resources for the entire year.

Most of us (P was snoring quite loud and drowned it out – so he missed it) were woke up at about 4am this morning to a Muslim call to Prayer over a P.A. system throughout the city. There is so much to see, and it is completely overwhelming… the need for Christ is unbelievable.

Hearing what CJ has written, P has requested I post the following:
CJ makes fun of me for my snoring, but C fell asleep within 5 seconds of getting in the van today. I was talking to the brother for 3 minutes easy and he wasn’t responding. I asked CJ what was wrong and he said “C has passed out back here. He even fell on my shoulder.” lol

How to Pray:

- For the church service tomorrow (P is teaching)

- For the midweek event that we are helping plan (details are unable to be posted).

- For the people’s hearts – THIS IS THE BIGGEST!

- For the founder of the church here (she is ailing from MS and Alzheimer’s)

NOTE: I apologize, but due to time restrictions I could not post pics, but will try tomorrow or Monday.

Trouble in RDU

2008-11-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

Well, as it stands right now (6:40pm) we are still in Raleigh. We arrived at RDU to discover our flight to New York has been delayed to 8:45pm. That puts us in NY at around 10:30pm and our flight to Tel Aviv leaves at 10:50pm. While doable, the gate we will arrive at is 100 gates from our Tel Aviv flight's gate. They will hopefully have a airport cart awaiting our arrival and get us to our plane in time (assuming two things: (1) they haven't given away our seats, (2) they haven't already closed the doors to the plane). If we miss our flight to Tel Aviv, there is not another flight until Saturday (putting us in Israel on Sunday).

If you see this info, please pray that all will work out accordingly and time will work out just right! We'll keep you posted.

Thank you for the prayers, comments and words of encouragement!

Welcome to Our New Missions Blog

2008-11-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new mission's center (so to speak)! With technology being what it is today, we thought we'd set up a missions blog to record God's work through us to those in our community to "the outer ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). On this blog you will find:

- Updates on local mission work
- "On Field" updates from Bethany members "sent out"
- Prayer updates for local, U.S., and international mission efforts
- MORE!!!

Some of the first reports you will see on here will be from our Palestinian Mission Team. For security reasons, we will not be able to post their names, but will refer to the four of them by their initials (P, C, CJ, RD).

Again, our team will not have daily access to the internet, but check back regularly to see the updates. The team will write nightly updates and save them for future posting (so when they are able to access the internet they will post multiple days at once).

Feel free to leave comments on the page for your missionaries (again - DO NOT use their names) as a way of encouraging them while they are away from home. Also, please PRAY for them and the IMB personnel with whom they will be serving. Remember, though only four of us are technically "on the field," we are all in this together in different roles! ALL OF US are to be praying for this endeavor.

Blessings, Bethany family!!!