Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
DR reflections - bradley, emi, meghann, marithe
Bradley - I went into this pilgrimage expecting to be doing a lot of physical labor and a lot of preaching about the gospel to EVERYONE. We did almost no physical labor, but in a sense we did preach the gospel, but not with words. Every night we would be asked how we lived a Biblical truth. By living the way Jesus tells us to, we are preaching the gospel louder and clearer than we sometimes think we are with words. One big thing I learned is that prayer DOES work. Prayerwalking was a big part of our experience, and Pastor Franklin, who we were working with, wanted to have some more connections with the people in Duverge, the neighborhood we were prayerwalking. My group actually ended up discovering one of the people living there is a Christian, and he came back with us to join Pastor Franklin and his ministry. Praise God! As well as seeing the power of prayer, we experienced some of the most authentic worship I've ever seen. It's not about how the music sounds or putting on a show for people, but solely about worshipping the Lord even if you're not good at singing or whatever. It was eye-opening to see the authenticity of those worshipping our Creator!!
Emi - Quest was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Throughout this whole journey, I have learned so much and grown so much closer to God. In the DR people are living with much lower standards than here, and yet somehow they are so happy, and overjoyed when we met them. Every home that I was invited into, every place we ate and slept, I saw God's presence and love. The DR team did a lot of prayer walking. I have prayer walked before, but absolutely never like this. When a group of us approached someone's house, they would go in their house and bring out every chair that they owned for us to sit in as we talked with them. From small gesture like these, it was obvious to me that God was there. I was fortunate enough to cross the border in Haiti one of the days that we were there. After the earthquake, they have even less than they had before. I did see some damage, but it was very unclear to me whether it was already like that, or if it was new from the natural disaster. I went to an orphanage where I had witnessed God's mercy first hand. These kids were dirty, had no shoes, and only had old, ripped clothing, but the thing that stood out to me above all were their smiles. As we prayed for the people there, I could tell that God has already done miraculous things there, and I pray that He continues to do so.
I learned so many things from the whole Quest experience, but one thing that really stood out to me was the fact that I view God as if He is in a box, that because I have so many problems, and that everything I pray for here in America seems so big and so much, He really isn't just working in America. He works everywhere at the same time, doing miracles all over the world. This gives me faith because only God can think about every single problem, and every single thing happening all over the world at one time. This probably doesn't make much sense in writing, but to sum it up, God is SO much bigger than you could ever imagine.
I am so blessed to have been a part of Quest 11 and these experiences are ones that i will never forget. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, and to everyone whose prayers were with all three teams as we traveled.
Meghann - Going to the DR opened up my eyes to a whole new culture and way of life. The experience truly changed my perception of the world. Returning back to the States, it is hard to look at things the same way, having met so many who have to do without simple things that I have been blessed with.
I went into the trip expecting a lot of physical labor, but we ended up doing a lot more prayer-walking. We got to meet people face to face and pray with them, right there in their houses or on the streets. I was extremely hesitant at first to do such things, partly because I shy, but mainly because I so used to people immediately plugging their ears to Christianity and rejecting those who try to evangelize, but after seeing the Dominican culture I realized how open they are and how hungry they are for knowledge about Christ and prayer. They were truly excited about what we had to share and were eager for us to pray for them. I feel as though I learned more from them about life than they probably learned from me about Jesus because they seem to have so much already. There were so many who already knew of God love and were spreading it to us simply in their hospitality, their smiles, and their acceptance. They were people of love and God is working there just as he works in all places.
I was also truly blessed with the opportunity to go into Haiti and that experience was the most powerful. The faces of those kids keep coming back to me and it makes me want to cry. Their smiles were so bright through all the devastation and I genuinely miss them and ask everyone to keep praying for Haiti and those who suffered in the earthquake.
As for my team, I miss each and every one of you. It was great to have so many people to share the experience with and I glad I have you all to turn to post-Quest.
Marithe - Going on Quest to DR was an amazing experience, even though I was born and raised there, I truly saw things in a new light. I was able to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of it, when I never saw it before. I also learned so many new things, and met many wonderful people. I was also able to see the amazing power of a church that is truly on fire for God. Pastor Franklin, whom we were working with later in the trip, was always telling us things about his church and all the places we passed. Once, on the bus, he was telling us about these two ladies, who couldn't carry children and how their church lay hands on them and prayed so much, then within two months one of them became pregnant, and the other in 3 months. It was amazing, it was like hearing about the God who enabled the prophets and apostles to do all those miracles, and it reminded me that WE have that same power, that we don't have to be anywhere special to be on fire for God.
Emi - Quest was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Throughout this whole journey, I have learned so much and grown so much closer to God. In the DR people are living with much lower standards than here, and yet somehow they are so happy, and overjoyed when we met them. Every home that I was invited into, every place we ate and slept, I saw God's presence and love. The DR team did a lot of prayer walking. I have prayer walked before, but absolutely never like this. When a group of us approached someone's house, they would go in their house and bring out every chair that they owned for us to sit in as we talked with them. From small gesture like these, it was obvious to me that God was there. I was fortunate enough to cross the border in Haiti one of the days that we were there. After the earthquake, they have even less than they had before. I did see some damage, but it was very unclear to me whether it was already like that, or if it was new from the natural disaster. I went to an orphanage where I had witnessed God's mercy first hand. These kids were dirty, had no shoes, and only had old, ripped clothing, but the thing that stood out to me above all were their smiles. As we prayed for the people there, I could tell that God has already done miraculous things there, and I pray that He continues to do so.
I learned so many things from the whole Quest experience, but one thing that really stood out to me was the fact that I view God as if He is in a box, that because I have so many problems, and that everything I pray for here in America seems so big and so much, He really isn't just working in America. He works everywhere at the same time, doing miracles all over the world. This gives me faith because only God can think about every single problem, and every single thing happening all over the world at one time. This probably doesn't make much sense in writing, but to sum it up, God is SO much bigger than you could ever imagine.
I am so blessed to have been a part of Quest 11 and these experiences are ones that i will never forget. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, and to everyone whose prayers were with all three teams as we traveled.
Meghann - Going to the DR opened up my eyes to a whole new culture and way of life. The experience truly changed my perception of the world. Returning back to the States, it is hard to look at things the same way, having met so many who have to do without simple things that I have been blessed with.
I went into the trip expecting a lot of physical labor, but we ended up doing a lot more prayer-walking. We got to meet people face to face and pray with them, right there in their houses or on the streets. I was extremely hesitant at first to do such things, partly because I shy, but mainly because I so used to people immediately plugging their ears to Christianity and rejecting those who try to evangelize, but after seeing the Dominican culture I realized how open they are and how hungry they are for knowledge about Christ and prayer. They were truly excited about what we had to share and were eager for us to pray for them. I feel as though I learned more from them about life than they probably learned from me about Jesus because they seem to have so much already. There were so many who already knew of God love and were spreading it to us simply in their hospitality, their smiles, and their acceptance. They were people of love and God is working there just as he works in all places.
I was also truly blessed with the opportunity to go into Haiti and that experience was the most powerful. The faces of those kids keep coming back to me and it makes me want to cry. Their smiles were so bright through all the devastation and I genuinely miss them and ask everyone to keep praying for Haiti and those who suffered in the earthquake.
As for my team, I miss each and every one of you. It was great to have so many people to share the experience with and I glad I have you all to turn to post-Quest.
Marithe - Going on Quest to DR was an amazing experience, even though I was born and raised there, I truly saw things in a new light. I was able to appreciate the breathtaking beauty of it, when I never saw it before. I also learned so many new things, and met many wonderful people. I was also able to see the amazing power of a church that is truly on fire for God. Pastor Franklin, whom we were working with later in the trip, was always telling us things about his church and all the places we passed. Once, on the bus, he was telling us about these two ladies, who couldn't carry children and how their church lay hands on them and prayed so much, then within two months one of them became pregnant, and the other in 3 months. It was amazing, it was like hearing about the God who enabled the prophets and apostles to do all those miracles, and it reminded me that WE have that same power, that we don't have to be anywhere special to be on fire for God.
SA Reflections
Blake~ The trip to the AIDS facility really rang through my heart. It showed me how being on fire for God could help you to accomplish any impossible goal or task. He helped them to give 110%. Seeing the way people had love for those around them who “normal” people would regard as scum or too low for our love/undeserving, and how some of these Christians did all they could to help them made me realize that I need to judge less, and even if I don't like someone, I need to try and treat them with love.
Joe~ Through this pilgrimage God has shown me that he is more than faithful. The way every body lived- simple- really hit me and has showed me that I don't need ¾ of the stuff that I have. God showed me that I have always been worrying about how I am going to live, what I am going to do, how much money I'll have, but realize it is God takes care of me. He keeps me alive and well, and that if God is calling me to full time ministry... “How am I going to support my ministry” should be the least of my worries. I am going to tell of how God is touching the hearts of many who were prostitutes, beggars, and druggies and now they are risking their lives to reach the hearts of others.
Ana Laura~ What impacted me the most was to see people that had nothing be so happy to serve the Lord. They're thankful for everything. Some of us don't go to church because we're too tired or we don't have the exact perfect outfit to wear. They serve whether it's hot, cold, rain, or shine. They don't care what the conditions are. For example, the Zulu church was small, hot and smelly. All of them were so happy to serve God! From this, I learned nothing can separate me from God. I'm going to serve the Lord freely and unconditionally and thank him for what He has done!!
Matt~ I think that the kids (at the homework help) were great! I usually don't like kids because of a lack of patience, but I loved teaching them. They are very smart. I'm going to apply this trip to my life by acting like a Christian when I'm at school and lead by example. I'm going to try to have more patience.
Sam~ I've learned very much in SA, but the orphans in Noordsberg had the biggest impact on me. These kids were very easy to love, as they were innocent, helpless, and unspoiled. It seemed to us like they deserved love, so it was easy to give it to them. I have many people in my life who are hard to love, as I feel they don't deserve my love. They're mean “stupid” and I feel that I have every right to hate these people. Jesus tells us that we must love our enemies, but this is very difficult to do. Gal. 5.14 tells us we must love everyone as we love ourselves. When I am struggling with “loving” someone, recalling this verse and thinking of my love for the little African children will be helpful. I need to feel the same love for my enemies that I feel for the orphans, no less.
Elaina~ I think hat had the most impact for me on this part of this Quest experience has been the many meaningful encounters I have had with the people of SA. From the orphans at Noodsberg to the woman suffering from HIV, each of them touched my heart and gave my time in-country purpose for me. Seeing God working in SA was seeing the way God had manifested Himself in the people of SA. Each of them, in their own way, faced great struggles and yest they were all able to still place their whole trust tin God and love freely. When I get home, I am going to strive to be more like those I met in the SA and place God as the number ONE most important think in my life. Like the people of SA, I need to realize that when I get my whole sights on Him, only then will everything fall into place. No longer will I doubt of hold back but praise the Creator and love Him wholeheartedly.
Katie~ Seeing all the poverty and how little everybody has, yet they have so much love and joy! For example, the orphans who had nothing. They were lucky if they ate one meal a day, and we couldn't understand what they were saying. They didn't understand us very much either. Yet they loved us so much! Without knowing anything about us, they loved us unconditionally. Also just talking to people hit me. At the shelter Elaina and I were talking to this woman who fully opened herself up to us and talked about her struggles with us. It was hard not to love her, she needed love so badly. We prayed for her and cried with her and held her. Again Elaina and I were talking to someone in the mall who opened herself up to us. It's hard not to love someone when they need it so bad.
I want to love unconditionally. It's harder at home when people are complaining about not to judge them or join them. I want to have joy in my trials, and be content in my discontentment. There are people at home who are in desperate need of love and I want to be able to give love to them freely without any strings attached. I want to show the love of Christ fully and have His joy in my heart.
Joe~ Through this pilgrimage God has shown me that he is more than faithful. The way every body lived- simple- really hit me and has showed me that I don't need ¾ of the stuff that I have. God showed me that I have always been worrying about how I am going to live, what I am going to do, how much money I'll have, but realize it is God takes care of me. He keeps me alive and well, and that if God is calling me to full time ministry... “How am I going to support my ministry” should be the least of my worries. I am going to tell of how God is touching the hearts of many who were prostitutes, beggars, and druggies and now they are risking their lives to reach the hearts of others.
Ana Laura~ What impacted me the most was to see people that had nothing be so happy to serve the Lord. They're thankful for everything. Some of us don't go to church because we're too tired or we don't have the exact perfect outfit to wear. They serve whether it's hot, cold, rain, or shine. They don't care what the conditions are. For example, the Zulu church was small, hot and smelly. All of them were so happy to serve God! From this, I learned nothing can separate me from God. I'm going to serve the Lord freely and unconditionally and thank him for what He has done!!
Matt~ I think that the kids (at the homework help) were great! I usually don't like kids because of a lack of patience, but I loved teaching them. They are very smart. I'm going to apply this trip to my life by acting like a Christian when I'm at school and lead by example. I'm going to try to have more patience.
Sam~ I've learned very much in SA, but the orphans in Noordsberg had the biggest impact on me. These kids were very easy to love, as they were innocent, helpless, and unspoiled. It seemed to us like they deserved love, so it was easy to give it to them. I have many people in my life who are hard to love, as I feel they don't deserve my love. They're mean “stupid” and I feel that I have every right to hate these people. Jesus tells us that we must love our enemies, but this is very difficult to do. Gal. 5.14 tells us we must love everyone as we love ourselves. When I am struggling with “loving” someone, recalling this verse and thinking of my love for the little African children will be helpful. I need to feel the same love for my enemies that I feel for the orphans, no less.
Elaina~ I think hat had the most impact for me on this part of this Quest experience has been the many meaningful encounters I have had with the people of SA. From the orphans at Noodsberg to the woman suffering from HIV, each of them touched my heart and gave my time in-country purpose for me. Seeing God working in SA was seeing the way God had manifested Himself in the people of SA. Each of them, in their own way, faced great struggles and yest they were all able to still place their whole trust tin God and love freely. When I get home, I am going to strive to be more like those I met in the SA and place God as the number ONE most important think in my life. Like the people of SA, I need to realize that when I get my whole sights on Him, only then will everything fall into place. No longer will I doubt of hold back but praise the Creator and love Him wholeheartedly.
Katie~ Seeing all the poverty and how little everybody has, yet they have so much love and joy! For example, the orphans who had nothing. They were lucky if they ate one meal a day, and we couldn't understand what they were saying. They didn't understand us very much either. Yet they loved us so much! Without knowing anything about us, they loved us unconditionally. Also just talking to people hit me. At the shelter Elaina and I were talking to this woman who fully opened herself up to us and talked about her struggles with us. It was hard not to love her, she needed love so badly. We prayed for her and cried with her and held her. Again Elaina and I were talking to someone in the mall who opened herself up to us. It's hard not to love someone when they need it so bad.
I want to love unconditionally. It's harder at home when people are complaining about not to judge them or join them. I want to have joy in my trials, and be content in my discontentment. There are people at home who are in desperate need of love and I want to be able to give love to them freely without any strings attached. I want to show the love of Christ fully and have His joy in my heart.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
city reflections: julie, robbie, jaime, cullen, beans, tori
julie: The Quest Experience was easily one of the best experiences of my life. Of course it was incredibly fun, but more than that it helped me to see God in a new way.
Since the nature of the trip was different from the others, I really went into it with no idea what to expect. To be honest, I was stressing out about everything I had to do or not do while I was there. But once I asked God to open my eyes, he totally did.
The pain and darkness in the city was so evident once I looked around. God showed me pain and frustration just among people I would pass on the street or on the bus. Knowing that it would be so incredibly difficult for these people to even hear about Jesus was heartbreaking. And I was further hit with a full sense of hopelessness when we took a trip to a hill overlooking the city. As I prayed, I began to question God about how anything could ever change in a place where it wasn't even okay for people to go on a mission trip. But as I was standing and overlooking the city, God brought to my head the song "God of this City." The lyrics said that Hes the God of the City, King of these People, Lord of this Nation. I realized that even in a country where 99.9% of the people are not saved and following something so false, God is still in control because He is the creator and ruler of everything. And if I could commit and submit to Him in prayer or any other way, He can and will do the impossible. He's a big God, bigger than any form of darkness, and I suppose I had been taking it for granted in the context of this trip and my own life. I am so grateful that even in a place so dark, God still shines His light.
robbie: This trip has impacted me in more ways than I can really describe. Going and being a part of a different culture for nine days, seeing how they live, and how they interact with each other have given me new ways of looking at things; both spiritually and in my everyday routine. God laid on my heart the power of genuine, consistent prayer, and al though I may never see the results of what I prayed for there, I truly believe that the prayers will be honored.
In addition, this week every person I talked to or shared a meal with was genuinely interested in me, they really listened to the response. As odd as it sounds that’s not something I was used to and I plan being much more genuine in conversations with others I know when I return.
jaime: In addition to this trip to the City I have had the opportunity to experience God’s hand in the Dominican Republic and China. It continues to amaze me the different ways in which He reaches out to his children in different parts of the world. God specifically touched my heart through the people. The City is incredibly dark spiritually and I became doubtful of our potential impact. But Jesus showed me something profound through this overall experience, it is not by our specific actions that anything will ever be completed; rather, it is by his will and his grace that saves us. It may be hard to see his impact in the City but absolutely nothing is too big for my God.
cullen: The last 10 days have been amazing for so many reasons. The experience of being in a completely new culture has been very interesting even if it was for such a short time. The people and the way of life differs so much from America, it really opened my eyes and challenged me to take some of the positive characteristics of the country and apply them to my daily life. Similarly my experience have led to me learning about myself and my relationship with God.
The people I have shared these past few days with have helped make the trip what it was. The experience would not have been the same if I was with a different group of people. As is, I cold have asked for a better people to share this life changing event with.
Pray that my return to the states would go smoothly and that the and that the things I have seen and experienced would draw me closer to others in my life.
Justin/Beans - What can I say about the City, except that it sure is one amazing place. Going to the City has definitely changed my life and helped me grow in my walk with Christ. I got to experience God working in a place that has been so covered with darkness. It's amazing to see God at work through the lives of the workers there as well as the very few native believers. I was touched by their overall hospitality and kindness.
Through this trip, God has showed me the power of humility, silence, and prayer. God doesn't need us to always be loud, but he has showed me that being sincere in our interactions and prayers can make a huge difference and help impact lives for Christ.
Tori - I always had my own view of what a missions trip would look like. I thought in order to be helping you must be building a church or sharing your testimony, but that was before the City. This trip taught me that the main principle in missions is to be a servant to God and trust that he'll show you the way. In the City our primary focus was prayer and just getting to know people - planting seeds of Christianity into the lives of many.
Ths trip has given a visual as to how dark the world we live in is. It's challenged me to be sincere in my actions and live for Christ even more. Going to a place where Christianity is frowned upon made me want to live out my faith in a new way. If lost people matter to God they must also matter to us, whether its half way aross the world or in our own city.
Since the nature of the trip was different from the others, I really went into it with no idea what to expect. To be honest, I was stressing out about everything I had to do or not do while I was there. But once I asked God to open my eyes, he totally did.
The pain and darkness in the city was so evident once I looked around. God showed me pain and frustration just among people I would pass on the street or on the bus. Knowing that it would be so incredibly difficult for these people to even hear about Jesus was heartbreaking. And I was further hit with a full sense of hopelessness when we took a trip to a hill overlooking the city. As I prayed, I began to question God about how anything could ever change in a place where it wasn't even okay for people to go on a mission trip. But as I was standing and overlooking the city, God brought to my head the song "God of this City." The lyrics said that Hes the God of the City, King of these People, Lord of this Nation. I realized that even in a country where 99.9% of the people are not saved and following something so false, God is still in control because He is the creator and ruler of everything. And if I could commit and submit to Him in prayer or any other way, He can and will do the impossible. He's a big God, bigger than any form of darkness, and I suppose I had been taking it for granted in the context of this trip and my own life. I am so grateful that even in a place so dark, God still shines His light.
robbie: This trip has impacted me in more ways than I can really describe. Going and being a part of a different culture for nine days, seeing how they live, and how they interact with each other have given me new ways of looking at things; both spiritually and in my everyday routine. God laid on my heart the power of genuine, consistent prayer, and al though I may never see the results of what I prayed for there, I truly believe that the prayers will be honored.
In addition, this week every person I talked to or shared a meal with was genuinely interested in me, they really listened to the response. As odd as it sounds that’s not something I was used to and I plan being much more genuine in conversations with others I know when I return.
jaime: In addition to this trip to the City I have had the opportunity to experience God’s hand in the Dominican Republic and China. It continues to amaze me the different ways in which He reaches out to his children in different parts of the world. God specifically touched my heart through the people. The City is incredibly dark spiritually and I became doubtful of our potential impact. But Jesus showed me something profound through this overall experience, it is not by our specific actions that anything will ever be completed; rather, it is by his will and his grace that saves us. It may be hard to see his impact in the City but absolutely nothing is too big for my God.
cullen: The last 10 days have been amazing for so many reasons. The experience of being in a completely new culture has been very interesting even if it was for such a short time. The people and the way of life differs so much from America, it really opened my eyes and challenged me to take some of the positive characteristics of the country and apply them to my daily life. Similarly my experience have led to me learning about myself and my relationship with God.
The people I have shared these past few days with have helped make the trip what it was. The experience would not have been the same if I was with a different group of people. As is, I cold have asked for a better people to share this life changing event with.
Pray that my return to the states would go smoothly and that the and that the things I have seen and experienced would draw me closer to others in my life.
Justin/Beans - What can I say about the City, except that it sure is one amazing place. Going to the City has definitely changed my life and helped me grow in my walk with Christ. I got to experience God working in a place that has been so covered with darkness. It's amazing to see God at work through the lives of the workers there as well as the very few native believers. I was touched by their overall hospitality and kindness.
Through this trip, God has showed me the power of humility, silence, and prayer. God doesn't need us to always be loud, but he has showed me that being sincere in our interactions and prayers can make a huge difference and help impact lives for Christ.
Tori - I always had my own view of what a missions trip would look like. I thought in order to be helping you must be building a church or sharing your testimony, but that was before the City. This trip taught me that the main principle in missions is to be a servant to God and trust that he'll show you the way. In the City our primary focus was prayer and just getting to know people - planting seeds of Christianity into the lives of many.
Ths trip has given a visual as to how dark the world we live in is. It's challenged me to be sincere in my actions and live for Christ even more. Going to a place where Christianity is frowned upon made me want to live out my faith in a new way. If lost people matter to God they must also matter to us, whether its half way aross the world or in our own city.
Celebrate!
All three teams arrived home safely and within 2 hours of one another. Hugs first then stories began to spill out as the chatter level rose louder with each story shared. Some stood face to face while across the room small clusters gathered. It was quite the sight. After dinner groups shared briefly and then began to settle in for much needed showers and rest.
On Saturday groups met for some final details and planned their time of sharing.
Over 130 were present for the Quest 11 Celebration. Parents, siblings, mentors, youth leaders and pastors were present for the time of reporting and sharing. Each team gave a brief glance into their experience.
Thank you for following our journey. Please continue to pray for those you know at they process and infuse what has taken place. Beginning today the blog will be filled with reflections by students and faculty. These will be added over the next few days.
Thank you.
On Saturday groups met for some final details and planned their time of sharing.
Over 130 were present for the Quest 11 Celebration. Parents, siblings, mentors, youth leaders and pastors were present for the time of reporting and sharing. Each team gave a brief glance into their experience.
Thank you for following our journey. Please continue to pray for those you know at they process and infuse what has taken place. Beginning today the blog will be filled with reflections by students and faculty. These will be added over the next few days.
Thank you.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Welcome home!
All 3 teams have arrived in Northboro. They had a relaxing dinner and a brief time of sharing before winding down for the night.
Looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow and sharing with you.
Looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow and sharing with you.
Teams in travel
Please continue to pray for all 3 teams as they travel back to MA. The SA team has landed safely in the States and will slowly make their way up to Boston. The City team is flying over the ocean and the DR team is still enjoying some warmer weather in Miami, but not for long.
We will let you know once they have all arrived back in Northboro!
We will let you know once they have all arrived back in Northboro!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
City on a hill
The expression "city on a hill" will never have the same meaning for the city team. This afternoon went to a park, sitting high atop a hill, overlooking the city in all directions. From our vantage point we walked alone and in pairs, praying for our friends, old and new, as well as the Father's work within the city.
In the evening we participated in a conversational English class with people from all over the world. We used photos of New England as conversation starters. It was amazing to see everyone so engaged and involved throughout the evening.
After a late evening stop for cay and desserts at our favorite cafe, we came back to the hotel, ready to rest before another full day tomorrow. It is our last day in the city. Although there is still more to be experienced here, we're beginning to think about home and how to infuse all that we've seen, heard and learned into our daily lives.
Keep praying, c.t.
In the evening we participated in a conversational English class with people from all over the world. We used photos of New England as conversation starters. It was amazing to see everyone so engaged and involved throughout the evening.
After a late evening stop for cay and desserts at our favorite cafe, we came back to the hotel, ready to rest before another full day tomorrow. It is our last day in the city. Although there is still more to be experienced here, we're beginning to think about home and how to infuse all that we've seen, heard and learned into our daily lives.
Keep praying, c.t.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
city thoughts
hi there... our day is rounding out but we still have to travel back to our hotel in a few moments. monday and tuesday we have spent time on two separate university campuses. our students have seen and learned first hand about the school system here. they also met students and began friendships. monday night some of those students joined us for an evening of bowling. (no candlepin here) of course we ended the night with cay at our local spot. the staff at our local spot are becoming new friends too.
tonight our host invited some of their friends and our new friends over and we made Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies. many of the ingredients cannot be found here so it was a treat for everyone. this provided a nice evening of conversations.
it is amazing to see students work their way through this great City with ease and confidence. many of you would be so surprised to watch your students.
we hear you had snow today, we are thankful for another day of comfortable temperatures and no rain. we know our time is quickly coming to a close. we want to finish strong.
looking forward to sharing stories soon. c.t.
More details from the DR
It's been a busy few days for the DR team! Here are some bullet points of some of the things we've seen, experienced, and learned:
- We joined small groups in San Fransisco.
- After a brief change of plans, we went to a local museum called the Museum of the Butterflies. The Butterflies were 3 revolutionary sisters that rebelled against a tyrannical dictatorship here in the 1950s and 1960s. The sisters were brutally murdered by the regime in 1962. They had a 4th sister - the last survivor. TO our amazement, that sister was at the museum! Pastor Gabriel and our bus driver (ELVIS!) were amazed to have met a living Dominican legend. She sat down with us, answered questions and told us personal anecdotes about her legendary sisters and her ongoing struggle for the freedoms many Dominicans enjoy today. It was truly an honor!
- Has a homemade Dominican lunch at one of our girls families home! IT was awesome to establish some personal contacts as well as share Christ in a personal way.
- We helped to set up, participated in and worshipped with our Dominican brothers and sisters in their Valentine's Day service. We were able to talk about God's love and relationships- and then able to share with our new family at their youth pastor's birthday party!
- We worshipped with Iglesia Bautista San Fransisco de Marcoris while half our team helped to lead their Children's Sunday School in song, crafts and Bible stories.
- Then we traveled to the Capital to worship in a small garage church in the country side. Our students were amazed to sing about our Savior who can move the mountains as we were surrounded by the lush green mountains of the DR!
- From there we've traveled 3.5 hours away to Barahona - the southwestern tip of the DR about 45 minutes from Haiti. We've been prayerwalking, actively sharing the Gospel with Dominicans and Haitians in a town called Duverge where the local pastor, Pastor Franklin, is being called to begin small group Bible studies and eventually a church. We are honored to be a part of some of the pioneer work God is doing in this city!
- Today we are continuing to prayerwalk, share the Gospel, and do brief Bible studies in the homes we visited yesterday.
- We are learning about seeing God everywhere we go and becoming aware of how we can be applying Biblical truths to our lives to reflect Christ and the Gospel- it's been amazing and truly humbling.
Thank you for the comments, encouragement, scripture and most of all prayers! We miss you very much- some have even said they missed the snow! LOCOS! It's been a very nice changed and a great chance to see and appreciate God's diversity in weather!
Hasta la proxima!
Quest DR
The time is FLYING TOO FAST!!
We all can't believe that we only have a few more days here...wow! All of the students are hoping that our flights are delayed so that we can stay longer:o)
Anyways, here's what's been going on the past few days!
Monday was our "site seeing" day and we got a chance to hit the beach and meet up with one of our pastor friends that we met last year for a bit, do some shopping and then we went to Tala to see some fun animals! We did get to see the white rhino's close up like last year as well :o) We then had a FANTASTIC evening last night eating at the Pilay's home! They cooked us up a feast of great Indian food and our fellowship was so sweet with them! Their generosity, hospitality and warmth made it feel like we were all at home.
Tuesday (today) was just amazing (and it's not over yet!) Today we visited the Hillcrest Aids Trust and were BLOWN away by what God is doing there through His willing servants. In the province we are staying in, the infection rate is around 40%, so it is a great need to have a place to assist HIV/AIDS patients. But these folks not only assist them, they give them a reason to live again!
It is a 26 bed facility that also is helping the victims with income generation through extremely creative ways...farming, working with materials to make BEAUTIFUL projects, clothes, a craft shop, etc...they have found that income generation brings healing to the patients and helps them stop thinking about today and to start living for tomorrow.
They have found that so many people who come looking like they are about to die, with good medical care and the ability to provide for themselves enables many of them to walk out with their HIV/AIDS under control.
Of course, it's also extremely sad to know that in one month recently, they lost 27 patients, 5 in the course of 12 hours. We saw today that what they are doing matters so much, this place had a sense of LIFE and HOPE that you rarely see.
This afternoon and evening we are working with the community outreach that Westfield Baptist is doing through a program (with an awesome young woman named Lauren) they have started that does food parcels, homework help, HIV testing and care, and street ministry to name a few things! We helped out at a school with homework help and had a blast!!! Most of these kids are refugee's from families from all over, including the Congo and some of them don't know how to hold a pencil. So, we helped and played and did the ABC's...it was awesome! But also sobering to know that these kids go with out food and some in desperate situations.
Tonight, in about 30 minutes, we will be working with teenage boys who are on the edge of becoming street kids, sharing testimonies about making the right choices and just hanging out with them from 7-8. Then, we will be visiting shelters and talking with folks...hearing their stories and praying with them. Some are homeless, some are prostitutes, and some are street kids. Lots more to say, but got to run...thanks for your posts and prayers! We love you guys and have had a few amazing days :o)
Love to you Oaks (people) from SA!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Driving through the nation and meeting a legend
Hola from the DR team! Sorry for not blogging sooner . . .
We've had limited internet access and phone signals! Everyone's great; learning, growing, serving. Saturday we had an amazing time sharing with our brothers and sisters in Central Dominican Republic. We are now in southwestern DR working with a church planter.
Promise we will blog more when we have internet!
Hasta luego!
We've had limited internet access and phone signals! Everyone's great; learning, growing, serving. Saturday we had an amazing time sharing with our brothers and sisters in Central Dominican Republic. We are now in southwestern DR working with a church planter.
Promise we will blog more when we have internet!
Hasta luego!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
city hospitality
we can't really describe today, at least not fully in this spot. we spent the morning in a gathering of other followers. we listened to a new language and found common songs through the music played. we sang along as well as we could. we shared the bread and the cup.
we left and traveled to the home of a woman who demonstrated hospitality. for seven hours she demonstrated hospitality. a light meal then a full (and we do mean full) meal from soup to dessert. we sat and had conversations. we shared our stories with one another. and we encouraged her but not beyond how she challenged and encouraged our group.
we learned we need to visit more in one another's homes. that we need to have deep honest conversations. that we need to tell one another our stories. that good happens when we take time and not rush.
we look forward to telling you the full story when we return. we are healthy and not rain today! thank you for continuing to support us throughout the day. c.t.
we left and traveled to the home of a woman who demonstrated hospitality. for seven hours she demonstrated hospitality. a light meal then a full (and we do mean full) meal from soup to dessert. we sat and had conversations. we shared our stories with one another. and we encouraged her but not beyond how she challenged and encouraged our group.
we learned we need to visit more in one another's homes. that we need to have deep honest conversations. that we need to tell one another our stories. that good happens when we take time and not rush.
we look forward to telling you the full story when we return. we are healthy and not rain today! thank you for continuing to support us throughout the day. c.t.
hey!
Greetings from South AFrica! We are all doing well and thank you for all your prayers and comments!!! Yesterday was a wicked hot day spend at Noorsberg with some amazing kids...Noorsberg is one of the more well off orphanages in the rural part about 1 hour outside of Durban. They still only usually get one meal a day, 6 kids to a room, ect...but we loved getting a chance to hold them and love on them and run around with them...a lot!! We played soccer for over an hour with their just formed soccer team and we were beat (physically and literally :o) but we had a great time!! It was a bit tricky, having to avoid all the clumps of grass all over the pitch, as well as the 4-5 cows that wandered onto the field at certain times and left nice little...presents along the way! They sang for us again this year and it always is the most beautiful thing ever to hear...
That night we talked about how amazing it is just to love. No strings attached. How incredible is the Unconditional love of God...we saw that from the kids and talked about how we need to love like that all the time with each other, with our family, with our enemies. Loving in action, but also in words, speaking to others about the amazing love of Jesus and how much we all need God.
Today was spent at church...this morning we went to Sean and Deshni's home church in Arena Park. It was great to worship with them in their home church!!! Then we spend the rest of the morning and afternoon at a Zulu church in a very poor part of Durban. Even though the church is basically a small shed, they danced, sang, and worshiped with such joy and enthusaism, despite some hard and sad circumstances. We talked about the fact that circumstances can't change God and the joy that He brings to us...and questioned why it's so hard for us, who seem to push God aside when circumstances are hard or tough.
Sam preached and God really spoke through him!! Katie and Elaina shared too, about their lives and how God is working in them, all through translators...Blake, Matt, Ana Laura and Joe ran a children's program during the service with bible stories, songs, games and more running around in the hot hot sun!! Westfield Baptist church is partnering with the local pastor to begin really starting to change that community through sharing about Jesus and helping to take care of large community needs. We were blessed to minister alongside them today!!!
I have to run, we are just about to begin the worship time with Westfield Baptist...know that we are experiencing the joy of seeing that God is international, working everywhere and in our hearts as well.
We are SO GLAD God provided ways for us to be here, and learned that we need to keep persevering in life...chasing after God :o)
I leave you with some words from a song we sung today: "I will run to the HIding Place...draw me ever closer to look upon Your face, I will run to the Hiding Place."!!
That night we talked about how amazing it is just to love. No strings attached. How incredible is the Unconditional love of God...we saw that from the kids and talked about how we need to love like that all the time with each other, with our family, with our enemies. Loving in action, but also in words, speaking to others about the amazing love of Jesus and how much we all need God.
Today was spent at church...this morning we went to Sean and Deshni's home church in Arena Park. It was great to worship with them in their home church!!! Then we spend the rest of the morning and afternoon at a Zulu church in a very poor part of Durban. Even though the church is basically a small shed, they danced, sang, and worshiped with such joy and enthusaism, despite some hard and sad circumstances. We talked about the fact that circumstances can't change God and the joy that He brings to us...and questioned why it's so hard for us, who seem to push God aside when circumstances are hard or tough.
Sam preached and God really spoke through him!! Katie and Elaina shared too, about their lives and how God is working in them, all through translators...Blake, Matt, Ana Laura and Joe ran a children's program during the service with bible stories, songs, games and more running around in the hot hot sun!! Westfield Baptist church is partnering with the local pastor to begin really starting to change that community through sharing about Jesus and helping to take care of large community needs. We were blessed to minister alongside them today!!!
I have to run, we are just about to begin the worship time with Westfield Baptist...know that we are experiencing the joy of seeing that God is international, working everywhere and in our hearts as well.
We are SO GLAD God provided ways for us to be here, and learned that we need to keep persevering in life...chasing after God :o)
I leave you with some words from a song we sung today: "I will run to the HIding Place...draw me ever closer to look upon Your face, I will run to the Hiding Place."!!
Saturday, February 13, 2010
saturday in the city
we woke to rain which was heavy at times but we troded on and visited some key sights in the city with a couple of new friends. we saw some amazing places from the long ago past. we learned how we can learn from the past. we shopped a bit after lunch and the sun came out as did many, many people in the city.
this evening we joined the students we met yesterday for a valentine gathering at their school. the bus ride was 1 hour 45 minutes out and about 35 coming home. we were told this is normal. one of our group had a great conversation with another high school student who wanted to practice her English. she had never spoken to an American before. a great experience for both.
we returned to our local evening hang out for hot cay (tea) and a late light supper. we have begun making friends with the servers at the shop.
tomorrow we will meet with other followers and visit one's home for dinner and a long visit. we are excited to go into someone's home.
our last bag arrived today so everything is now accounted for and we are grateful. thank you for your comments (we read the aloud tonight when we met as a group.) everyone is healthy and trying new local food with every new meal time. thanks for your support. ct
this evening we joined the students we met yesterday for a valentine gathering at their school. the bus ride was 1 hour 45 minutes out and about 35 coming home. we were told this is normal. one of our group had a great conversation with another high school student who wanted to practice her English. she had never spoken to an American before. a great experience for both.
we returned to our local evening hang out for hot cay (tea) and a late light supper. we have begun making friends with the servers at the shop.
tomorrow we will meet with other followers and visit one's home for dinner and a long visit. we are excited to go into someone's home.
our last bag arrived today so everything is now accounted for and we are grateful. thank you for your comments (we read the aloud tonight when we met as a group.) everyone is healthy and trying new local food with every new meal time. thanks for your support. ct
News from SA
Hey everyone!! We FINALLY made it in last night and are all doing great! After taking trains, planes, vans, and automobiles :o) we arrived to hot and humid temps...a nice relief after battling the blizzard in DC! We are just SO thankful for all the many many ways we have already seen God providing for us, each day! We thank Him for the wisdom about our travel plans and all the ways He made a way for us. We are learning that problems can be just opportunities in disguise and that we are to "Make the most of every opportunity" (Col. 4.2 i think)...already had some great converations with people on the planes and at the airports about Jesus!
Today we are heading out to Noorsberg to spend the day with children at the orphanage there. We are planning to bring them the cleats we collected from our churches, because they have a soccer team that is just starting up! We are going their with the youth from Westfield Baptist Church (Deb and Barry's church for those of you who know them) and are excited to go!!!We have a great schedule planned, with 3 church services tomorrow! One of the Zulu churches we are preaching, sharing testimonies and running the kids program, so please be praying for the students as they prepare for that.Thanks for all your prayers and we will blog again when we can!
Peace,
SA Team
Today we are heading out to Noorsberg to spend the day with children at the orphanage there. We are planning to bring them the cleats we collected from our churches, because they have a soccer team that is just starting up! We are going their with the youth from Westfield Baptist Church (Deb and Barry's church for those of you who know them) and are excited to go!!!We have a great schedule planned, with 3 church services tomorrow! One of the Zulu churches we are preaching, sharing testimonies and running the kids program, so please be praying for the students as they prepare for that.Thanks for all your prayers and we will blog again when we can!
Peace,
SA Team
Friday, February 12, 2010
city news
a great day of learning to move around on public transportation on land and across the water. we have eaten local food for all our meals and everyone is enjoying the cuisine and the chai of course. the questies met other students today and gleaned from them rich insights. our friends were great guides and hosts. our eyes and hearts have been opened. tomorrow we tour some very old sites. a few quick showers but partly cloudy all day, we are thankful. all but one bag was delivered today. we pray for the last bag of mostly supplies arrives tomorrow. thanks for you dupport. c.t.
CALOOORR!
Quest: DR reporting from hot San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Its been a busy 24 hours! No flight delalys whatsoever! Yeah for prayer that moves snowstorms! The turbulent flight was worth the face of wonder one of our students had as she experienced her very first airplane take off! We werent so fortunate to miss the Dominican rush hour that welcomed us! We made it to our hotel here in San Francisco de Macoris safely and had a brief orientation with some old friends.
This morning we had a Dominican breakfast (complete with mangú!) with our beloved Pastor Gabriel, followed by another orientation to ministry in San Fran, some prep time, a homemade Dominican lunch and then prayerwalking and visits in a new neighborhood the church is working to plant new small groups in. We visited Doña Angela- an elderly woman who is very sick but is slowly getting better. It was amazing to meet a very real need, pray, and be encouraged ourselves with the faith of someone who has so little yet is able to bless us! We continued to walk around Aguayo (the neighborhood), visiting people, praying with them, playing dominoes, singing, some even got to speak some inglés with students who are learning! It was a packed afternoon and now we are splitting up into smaller groups to join some nearby small group Bible studies.
Tomorrow will be more prayerwalking in another new neighborhood followed by lunch with one of our girls´ extended family that lives nearby! We are humbled by their willingness to open their homes (and their beautiful garden we¨ve heard so much about) to us and are looking forward making a lasting connection. Ministry opps abound tomorrow and we¨ll culminate with the church¨s Valentine¨s day service in which we will be talking about relationships with God and others.
Dios los bendiga!
This morning we had a Dominican breakfast (complete with mangú!) with our beloved Pastor Gabriel, followed by another orientation to ministry in San Fran, some prep time, a homemade Dominican lunch and then prayerwalking and visits in a new neighborhood the church is working to plant new small groups in. We visited Doña Angela- an elderly woman who is very sick but is slowly getting better. It was amazing to meet a very real need, pray, and be encouraged ourselves with the faith of someone who has so little yet is able to bless us! We continued to walk around Aguayo (the neighborhood), visiting people, praying with them, playing dominoes, singing, some even got to speak some inglés with students who are learning! It was a packed afternoon and now we are splitting up into smaller groups to join some nearby small group Bible studies.
Tomorrow will be more prayerwalking in another new neighborhood followed by lunch with one of our girls´ extended family that lives nearby! We are humbled by their willingness to open their homes (and their beautiful garden we¨ve heard so much about) to us and are looking forward making a lasting connection. Ministry opps abound tomorrow and we¨ll culminate with the church¨s Valentine¨s day service in which we will be talking about relationships with God and others.
Dios los bendiga!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Planes, Trains and Automobiles to South Africa
Well, the SA team is off the ground and headed to much deserved warm weather. Their journey has been an exciting one already.
They travelled from Northborough to Springfield by automobiles in the wee hours of the morning Wednesday. It was there they boarded a train headed to Washington DC. It seems that it was a beautiful journey, be it a very white journey! They spent the night in a hotel and took more cars to the airport. Early this evening they finally jumped onto their plane headed to SA. They are only 24 hours behind their original schedule!
Stayed tuned for their arrival notices!!
They travelled from Northborough to Springfield by automobiles in the wee hours of the morning Wednesday. It was there they boarded a train headed to Washington DC. It seems that it was a beautiful journey, be it a very white journey! They spent the night in a hotel and took more cars to the airport. Early this evening they finally jumped onto their plane headed to SA. They are only 24 hours behind their original schedule!
Stayed tuned for their arrival notices!!
city lights
the city team arrived safely this afternoon! we are thankful. a few of our bags did not make the quick transfer but are scheduled to be delivered to the hotel overnight.
we checked into our hotel and then walked to a nearby location for an orientation with our local friends. some of us saw familar faces which is fun. we all had dinner at a wonderful resturant. the bread was like dessert and the meal ended with our first in-country chai.
after dinner one of our hosts took us on a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood. the temps outside are so pleasant and no rain. it was nice to walk after the time of travel.
back at the hotel we had a short debrief and now heading to sleep.
for those who have been here before, yes the cats are alive and well! more soon, thanks for your support. c.t.
we checked into our hotel and then walked to a nearby location for an orientation with our local friends. some of us saw familar faces which is fun. we all had dinner at a wonderful resturant. the bread was like dessert and the meal ended with our first in-country chai.
after dinner one of our hosts took us on a pleasant stroll through the neighborhood. the temps outside are so pleasant and no rain. it was nice to walk after the time of travel.
back at the hotel we had a short debrief and now heading to sleep.
for those who have been here before, yes the cats are alive and well! more soon, thanks for your support. c.t.
Here is a post from the DR team liast night! They had some trouble getting on.
DR team reporting from the Lodge in Northborough. All safe, sound and waiting to start our journey to the Dominican Republic. All flights seem to be on time so, Lord willing, we will be in the Dominican Republic this time tomorrow!
Thank you to those that are praying! Hasta mañana!
They are currently in transit and should be landing in Puerto Rico shortly and then they jump over the Carribean Ocean to the DR.
DR team reporting from the Lodge in Northborough. All safe, sound and waiting to start our journey to the Dominican Republic. All flights seem to be on time so, Lord willing, we will be in the Dominican Republic this time tomorrow!
Thank you to those that are praying! Hasta mañana!
They are currently in transit and should be landing in Puerto Rico shortly and then they jump over the Carribean Ocean to the DR.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Q11 Prepping to go
The Q11 teams will travel simultaneously to the Dominican Republic, South Africa, a City in Asia, February 10-20, 2010, representing New England through ministry. Follow along with the groups as they travel.
Dominican Republic
Joshua, New Colony, MA
Anthony, Casa de Oracion, MA
Zach, Faith, RI
Bradley, New Colony, MA
Chris, Sudbury, MA
Marithe, Friendship, CT
Meghann, Daybreak, VT
Mary, Naugatuck, CT
Emi, Hope Chapel, MA
Reby Oliveira, Vida Abundante, MA
Miria, Brazilian Leominster, MA
South Africa
Katie, New Colony, MA
Elaina, Hope Chapel, MA
Joe, Arabic Baptist, MA
Ana Laura, Brockton Brazilian, MA
Matt, Faith, RISam, Daybreak, VT
Blake, Hope Chapel, MA
The City
Kassie, Casa de Oracion, MA
Jaime, Hope Chapel, MA
Robbie, Manchester, CT
Beans, Friendship, CT
Julie, Hope Chapel, MA
Cullen, Daybreak, VT
Tori, Southside, NH
Dominican Republic
Joshua, New Colony, MA
Anthony, Casa de Oracion, MA
Zach, Faith, RI
Bradley, New Colony, MA
Chris, Sudbury, MA
Marithe, Friendship, CT
Meghann, Daybreak, VT
Mary, Naugatuck, CT
Emi, Hope Chapel, MA
Reby Oliveira, Vida Abundante, MA
Miria, Brazilian Leominster, MA
South Africa
Katie, New Colony, MA
Elaina, Hope Chapel, MA
Joe, Arabic Baptist, MA
Ana Laura, Brockton Brazilian, MA
Matt, Faith, RISam, Daybreak, VT
Blake, Hope Chapel, MA
The City
Kassie, Casa de Oracion, MA
Jaime, Hope Chapel, MA
Robbie, Manchester, CT
Beans, Friendship, CT
Julie, Hope Chapel, MA
Cullen, Daybreak, VT
Tori, Southside, NH
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