Saturday, June 30, 2018

When you... Daily life with the Advance Team

When you have the BEST NEWS to share...
When your AWESOME supervisor carries your NT duffle bags...
When you PROVIDE the transportation...
When you ARE the washing machine...
When you ARE the jack...
When you pick up an umbrella on the side of the road...

Pray for the Advance Team as they daily share with
those who haven't heard the GOOD NEWS
and disciple those who have.

Team of the Day: Island Castaway

Location: Philippines
Team size: 4

Job description: In the western Philippines there are many remote islands where there are very few believers. People feel like castaways: isolated and disconnected. Slow down for the summer, make friends, learn culture, share LIFE.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Joy in Repentance

Got to speak at today at a local school's chapel! By far the most people I've spoke in front of... but definitely a good experience! My main point? There is joy in repentance and God wants us to turn back toward Him. He is a forgiving and loving God no matter how much we mess up!

Pray that the students will continue to think about what they heard & that they would choose to make that turn back toward God.

-Reuben
Bush Boys, Botswana


Team of the Day: Camp & Community

Location: Kenya
Team size: 7

Job description: Spend the summer as a camp counselor in Kenya making a lasting impact in the lives of campers. Teach a craft or sport, perform a crazy skit, share devotions & simply be a friend to this group of international campers. Some come from Christian backgrounds and others hear about Jesus for the first time during camp. Meet each child where they are & point them to Jesus. Spend non-camp weeks partnering with local ministries serving alongside them in local communities. (Slums, building projects, rural evangelism) This is a team in partnership with a local GCC and will not be working with IMB personnel.

100 years and counting...

The NT girls and their local partners have been doing a great job talking about the Main Thing with others. Pray for the young cousin girls they are following up with next week. 

Today a cousin lady over 100 years old got to hear the news in her heart language ❤️ She said "Lots of foreigners come by here, but no one has ever stopped to tell us stories or pray for us."

-Seed Sowers Team
Southeast Asia

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Team of the Day: HE-woman

Location: Southeast Asia
Team size: 2

Job description: Join the church planting work using the Baptist Hospital as a mercy ministry to find open people. You can follow the hospital chaplains to share with patients and their families the good news of the GREAT PHYSICIAN. Medical practitioners can also
become a FRIEND and consultant to the hospital staff. The country law does not allow foreigners to practice medicine. However, you will be able to FRIEND the physicians and hospital staff with the goal of modeling and assisting how to be intentional to proclaim the WORD with patients. 

Drive 20-30 minutes from the hospital and the farming villages are 99% lost. Connected to the hospital is a Baptist nursing school and the students are from all over the country. However, 30% of them do not know the Savior. Part of your time can be used to share the Gospel with them and disciple the students on this campus on how to share their faith with others. Additionally you can visit a nearby English Village, sip coffee & tea while sharing eternal truths.

Embracing the Beyond

We didn’t know what to expect when we first landed in this country. Our trip had been very vague from the beginning: Embrace the Beyond.

“What would we be doing? How would we be doing it? Where? With who?”

These questions flooded my mind as our plane headed to the base city from which we would serve. Even when we landed things didn’t get much clearer. We were given no specific instructions, no specific needs or tasks. We were told to just go and do, wherever we felt the Spirit leading, which was in itself both incredibly exciting and equally intimidating.
Read more...

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Team of the Day: Toronto Summer

Location: Canada
Team size: 3

Job description: The greater Toronto area is one of the most diverse urban centers in the world. 50% of the population was born outside of Canada. As one of the most post-Christian cities in North America, this city sees itself as environmentally responsible, tolerant & justice oriented. It has a "Good without God" attitude that clashes with the non-Christian faith of many immigrants. 

As a part of the local team you will: go through disciple making training, lead disciple making training for locals & volunteer teams, be a part of outreaches in parks, camps, block parties & young adult events.

Update from Toronto

I arrived here on Tuesday, June 12th, after a week of orientation and training in Alabama, which I’m so thankful to have been able to attend (even though it was a week of sleeping on the floor and using porta-potties, lol).

The missionaries we are working with in Toronto (who are amazing and a huge answer to prayer) picked us up from the airport and took us straight to where we are staying for the first two weeks of the summer. It’s right next door to their own home, where their neighbor rents out their basement for people vacationing in the Greater Toronto Area. We’re in the Scarborough area, and in the span of about 5 minutes, we can walk from our door to the shore of Lake Ontario! It’s such a huge blessing to be able to walk right out the door and see such a beautiful example of God’s creativity and perfect design.

You may already know that spending my summer serving in Canada was not my first choice (I had more “adventurous” places in mind), but simply through the placement process as well as the preparation to come here, the Lord pointed out some things in myself, and challenged whether I was really willing to be obedient to go wherever He wanted to send me, or if I was only willing to go if it was somewhere that fit my personal preference. Please pray with me that the Lord continues to use circumstances this summer to weed out my flesh and make me look more like Him! 

Something I didn’t know about Toronto: there are 57 unreached people groups (2% or less are evangelical Christian) and 34 of those groups are unengaged, unreached people groups (no known evangelical Christians, and no one is actively seeking to engage them with the Gospel) in the Greater Toronto Area. THIS IS BIG. Believers in Toronto have the opportunity to find these people groups and actively seek to witness to them and to be light in their communities so that these statistics can change. For so many years, the only possible way to reach these unengaged people groups was to journey deep into the bush, or jungle, or wherever, learn their language and live with them. THIS IS STILL NECESSARY for many people groups all over the world. But because of how our world is now, metropolitan areas especially have the potential to reach these once hard-to-reach people groups in their own cities, and these once nearly impossible to reach peoples are more geographically accessible than ever before. 

This summer, my team and I will be serving in many different ways- devoting time to engaging students at two different universities, coming alongside a church plant to aid them in engaging its community, as well as getting to participate in the beginning stages of a new church plant in a town just outside of Toronto called Bowmanville. These are all aspects of ministry that I’m so interested in and passionate about, which is just further evidence that the Lord definitely knew what He was doing when He surprised me with Toronto. 

The Lord is sovereign and good. He has a plan and that plan is good too. Please pray with me that I can fully walk in the authority of His Spirit and be continuously bold to share about the God who pulled me from my brokenness and sent me back to share with others, so that they too can have peace and joy in His presence. 

My teammates and I are memorizing verses this summer, and one of them so far that has not yet failed to remind me of not only why I’m serving in Toronto, but also why I serve anywhere in any context at all, is Acts 20:24,
I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.

Lastly, I hope this encourages you to take notice of the people around you in your own communities- people who are broken and looking for a way out of that brokenness. Please send me any prayer needs you have, I’d love to be praying for you in the same way I trust you’re praying for me and the team here! There's so much happening here, so if you have any questions about anything I’m doing here, please feel free to write me and ask!

-Meghan
Toronto Summer

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Team of the Day: Batangas Sports

Location: Philippines
Team size: 2

Job description: The team will play basketball in unreached communities of Batangas to gather the young men & build relationships with them, hanging out after the games & talking, visiting in their homes to share the Gospel. 

Gather youth for events such as team building, movie showings, & true Love Waits to share the Gospel & make disciples.The team will also work on university campuses in Batangas City where less than 2% know Jesus Christ. Use skills such as teaching self-assertiveness & self-defense classes. Approximately 80% of the girls are molested or raped by the time they reach college age. Girls need to know how to set boundaries & stand up for themselves. Through these training sessions, build relationships with the students with the intent of sharing about a relationships with Christ & discipling them. As you build relationships, make them thirsty to know Christ & how they can know Him like you do.

Tropical Harvesters team checking in...

Hey friends! I have been in the Philippines for about a week and a half and it has been amazing to see all that the Lord has done so far in the village we are staying in. We are in a village in the mountains for the next two weeks (we are in the city for the day) and village life has been hard but so sweet! 

I have seen the Lord work in the lives of the people there but please pray for our friends that the blinders of these cult religions would be removed and they would truly see Jesus and the truth of the Gospel. There's only one name by which we can be saved so please plead with the Father with me that these people may come to know Christ! 

We will head to a nearby island in a couple weeks for our last part of the summer! Thank you all for the support, God has been so faithful!


-Kristin
Tropical Harvesters, Philippines

Monday, June 25, 2018

Becoming like family

We have grown close to these sisters in the short time we've been here. They even took us to a family-only celebration and wedding.
Be in prayer as we pursue gospel conversations with our new friends.

-Taylor
Homeschool Teacher Team, Southeast Asia

Team of the Day: City Talk English

Location: Thailand
Team size: 5

Job description: With a partner you will teach classes in local universities & vocational colleges. These classes are a fun & engaging way for you to meet an important need in Bangkok while building relationships & sharing the Gospel.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Life with Tropical Harvesters

Had a great few days with the Tropical Harvester girls! These girls are tough- hiking to their area in the mud!  Leave it to the girls team to be organized and hardworkin'!

-Colleen
Team with their national partners


Team of the Day: Tourist on Mission

Location: Indonesia
Team size: 2

Job description: Students will serve varying roles with a common goal: to bring about gospel conversations & discipleship. Work closely with national partners who will likely be seminary students currently working to engage various UPGs while discipling other believers. Environment will vary between an urban university context and rural/jungle settings. You will be a tourist, traveling with a national student to engage & disciple.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Welcome to the Island Castaway team!


On June 14th we met the team at the airport and took them straight on an adventure on a tricycle. After getting them settled at their inn to rest for a bit, we met back up with them for dinner at a local restaurant... feeding them the typical Filipino chicken barbeque and rice meal. After long travels, the team was thankful that was all they had to do for the first day. 

At 9 the next morning, we met up with the team to help them practice the Bridge tract and Gospel Hand while using a translator. They did an excellent job! After practicing for a while, their American Race began! They split up, girls and guys, to try and accomplish all the tasks on their list: finding the hourly price at a local internet café, knowing where the port was, finding the hospital, and other things that would help them begin to adapt to their surroundings. 

For lunch we met them at Jollibee to introduce them to yet another classic Filipino meal and debriefed how the race went. As jetlag was a inevitable obstacle for that afternoon, they went back to their inn for a little siesta to rest up and met up with them again later that afternoon to practice their testimonies and the Bridge tract once again with a translator. 

After practice we rode over to the market (palengke) to buy food for dinner. That evening for dinner, we took them to Pastor Gladwin’s church where some of our Filipino partners made them a very Filipino meal: rice, dried fish, fried fish, and dried squid. Their first full day in country was a success! 

Sharing at the park
Day 3 started again at 9am with practicing their testimonies with a translator before taking them to a local park to share with some of the youth hanging out. For lunch we took them to Chowking and bought some halo-halo for them while talking about all the sharing they had done. Again, the team split up, girls and guys, and each had a translator with them and walked around the park talking to anyone that wanted to listen. They reported that most people were very willing to listen and they all had a great time practicing their testimonies and using the Bridge tract in real life. Sadly, that afternoon I had to leave to go back to Davao, but I had an amazing time getting to the know the team a little bit and already seeing them adjusting to a new country and a new culture. 

On Sunday, June 19th, the team packed up their bags and enjoyed a 19-hour ferry ride to the outer islands where they will be serving the rest of their summer. 
-Betsy

Pray that the Island Castaway team will have safe travels as they travel by boat to as many of the islands as they can and pray they would stay healthy.

Team of the Day: Urban Muslim Outreach

Location: South Africa
Team size: 4

Job description: The primary purpose for this team is to engage the unreached in this metropolitan area. The team will be focusing on a broad group of Muslim peoples. Your main job will be as ESL teachers among adults. Through your role as a teacher, you will meet many, build relationships with them, and have opportunities to share the Gospel with them, their friends & their families. It's our desire that the team enter this situation as an open learner, willing to hear about their culture, faith & language. While you learn about their faith, you can seek opportunities to share yours. It would be helpful to have some teaching experience. 20+ hours will be spent in the community teacher & spending time with students in shops or homes.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Team of the Day: Mountain Farm Intern

Location: Southeast Asia
Team size: 5
Job description: Living in a highly restricted area of the Golden Triangle, you will work alongside a group of former head-hunters to engage unreached peoples through agriculture & community development projects. Base out of a sustainable farm community, spending
days doing farm chores & other days helping with village extension projects & outreach events in local village communities. Through these events you will help to share the Gospel with unreached peoples while encouraging the national believers working in this region. Absolute necessities are a willingness to work hard everyday, a love for interacting with people (even if they don't speak your language), & the ability to live in rustic conditions without complaining. The language barrier will be significant. But if you work hard to show people how much you care for them, you will have a fulfilling & fruitful experience among those who've never heard the Gospel before!

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Team of the Day: Global City Outreach

Location: Malaysia
Team size: 4
Job description: Share the Gospel in English with students from around the country and the world, many from groups untouched by the Gospel message. Encourage local believers. Reach out and minister to college and university students. If you enjoy city living or ever
wanted to try it, this is the opportunity for you.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Team of the Day: Island Ministry

Location: Philippines
Team size: 4

Job description: In an area where the Gospel has been skewed & distorted and is now nearly unrecognizable, you will be sharing Truth with many who have never heard it told correctly. Work alongside local believers to share Biblical truth with people who have never owned a Bible or read it for themselves. With the goal of making disciples & the hopes of planting a church, you will be a part of a greater team effort to reach the lost of Tubajon by going into less-accessible areas via motorbike, boat & on foot.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Team of the Day: Embrace the Beyond

Location: Indonesia
Team size: 5
Job description: A "push" is being made to make sure every tribe & language in the South Pacific hears the Gospel. More boots on the ground are needed. Help is needed to share the Good News & helping our national partners that live in this area. Work alongside brothers who have been beaten, imprisoned, & whose family members have been killed as a result of wholeheartedly following Jesus. You will also search for other committed believers in the area. You will go out with them & share the Good News in remote villages that have never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


Monday, June 18, 2018

Team of the Day: Evangelism & Discipleship via English

Location: Cambodia 


Team size: 6

Job description: Labor in sharing the Gospel, building relationships, communicating Christ, discipling young believers & forming small groups for the purpose of making Christ known among the Cambodian youth population. Cambodia is a nation still recovering from the national genocide of the late 1970's. Because of the millions who died in that era, the youth of today are truly the future of Cambodia. 75% of the population is under the age of 30. Less than 1% know Christ.