Showing posts with label missions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missions. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
El Salvador and Guatemala
On Wednesday morning, myself and 3 others from The Bridge Church will be heading to El Salvador and Guatemala for a vision trip for our missions month project for February 2011. I am an independent person, but since being married, this has changed slightly for me. I haven't been out of the country without Hubs since right before we started dating...and Haiti was an experience. Granted, I was traveling alone that time and to a place I had never been before.
This will be my 4th time to El Salvador. I am excited to go and see what God has in store for our team and for The Bridge Church and reconnect with those I haven't seen in 4 years. However, I am just now realizing I'm going to miss Hubs and the pups an awful lot.
This will be my 4th time to El Salvador. I am excited to go and see what God has in store for our team and for The Bridge Church and reconnect with those I haven't seen in 4 years. However, I am just now realizing I'm going to miss Hubs and the pups an awful lot.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Eyes and Balls
Part of my role at The Bridge is to oversee and implement our global and local missions program. I have been on staff for 3 years now. What I have discovered in those 3 years is that churches and non-profit organizations in Fresno work extremely well together. It's as if they realize that the goal isn't for each individual church to have the largest attendance but want to make the greatest impact on the kingdom by working together.
There are a group of missions pastors/directors that get together a couple times a month just to get together, to talk about what is going on in our ministries, and a time to ask each other questions. I have come to really value these times together. I love hearing what others are doing. I love gleaning ideas from their ministries so that it works in the culture of our church and the direct community that we are in.
Today, I had Indian food for the first time with a group of these people. One of the topics of discussion was the most abnormal food to our own culture that we have eaten on a trip to a foreign country. Pretty much every person beat me with what I would call a weird food...from a foot long worm, to half developed chicken egg, to an animals eyes and balls...
The only abnormal thing that I have eaten is iguana, armadillo, and goats meat (which is actually really good!)
What is something you have eaten that you never thought you would eat?
There are a group of missions pastors/directors that get together a couple times a month just to get together, to talk about what is going on in our ministries, and a time to ask each other questions. I have come to really value these times together. I love hearing what others are doing. I love gleaning ideas from their ministries so that it works in the culture of our church and the direct community that we are in.
Today, I had Indian food for the first time with a group of these people. One of the topics of discussion was the most abnormal food to our own culture that we have eaten on a trip to a foreign country. Pretty much every person beat me with what I would call a weird food...from a foot long worm, to half developed chicken egg, to an animals eyes and balls...
The only abnormal thing that I have eaten is iguana, armadillo, and goats meat (which is actually really good!)
What is something you have eaten that you never thought you would eat?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Equality
On Friday night at The Bridge, we had our annual Missions Month Kickoff. This year, we had a Haitian Duet and Shaun Groves perform.
We had a great turn out. Everything ran smoothly. 1/4 of the congregation was able to hear about the month of February and how we will be partnering with Haiti.
Shaun Groves is a phenomenal performer. On stage, he was comfortable, he was funny, he related to the crowd...he made those in the audience feel like they were sitting in a living room swapping stories. And his music was outstanding as well.
But the best part of the evening was when he stopped to speak. Since he works with Compassion International, he does a concert and then shares his heart and scripture, and then asks the audience to sponsor a child.
The scripture Shaun used and the words he spoke were powerful. I have seen poverty. My heart breaks every time I think about it. But it is so easy to get caught up in life here, in the US. To always want the next great thing, there is always something bigger. He spoke on Exodus 16, how God instructed the Israelites to take only what they needed (quail and manna) for the day, their daily bread. And to not take more than they needed, as it would rot. In 2 Corinthians 8:13-15, Paul speaks to the church in Corinth, asking them to give to the Church in Jerusalem who is hard pressed. If they give from their plenty, those in Jerusalem will not go without. And everyone will have just enough. The word equality is even used. And Paul quotes Moses from Exodus 16.
God desires for their to be EQUALITY. We don't live in a world of equality. Not when the wealthiest 20% of those in the world consume just over 76% of the worlds resources. Not when a billion people entered the 21st century not being able to read a book or sign their name. Just over 1 Billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water and 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation. 1.6 billion people live without electricity.
As a Christ follower, what do I do with this information? There are over 2,000 verses in the Bible on the poor, the widow, the orphan. Jesus says "Whatever you have done for the least of these you have done for me"
So although I won't be wondering where my next meal is going to come from, or if I will be able to drink any water today, let alone clean water, there are billions in the world who will ask themselves those questions today.
We had a great turn out. Everything ran smoothly. 1/4 of the congregation was able to hear about the month of February and how we will be partnering with Haiti.
Shaun Groves is a phenomenal performer. On stage, he was comfortable, he was funny, he related to the crowd...he made those in the audience feel like they were sitting in a living room swapping stories. And his music was outstanding as well.
But the best part of the evening was when he stopped to speak. Since he works with Compassion International, he does a concert and then shares his heart and scripture, and then asks the audience to sponsor a child.
The scripture Shaun used and the words he spoke were powerful. I have seen poverty. My heart breaks every time I think about it. But it is so easy to get caught up in life here, in the US. To always want the next great thing, there is always something bigger. He spoke on Exodus 16, how God instructed the Israelites to take only what they needed (quail and manna) for the day, their daily bread. And to not take more than they needed, as it would rot. In 2 Corinthians 8:13-15, Paul speaks to the church in Corinth, asking them to give to the Church in Jerusalem who is hard pressed. If they give from their plenty, those in Jerusalem will not go without. And everyone will have just enough. The word equality is even used. And Paul quotes Moses from Exodus 16.
God desires for their to be EQUALITY. We don't live in a world of equality. Not when the wealthiest 20% of those in the world consume just over 76% of the worlds resources. Not when a billion people entered the 21st century not being able to read a book or sign their name. Just over 1 Billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water and 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation. 1.6 billion people live without electricity.
As a Christ follower, what do I do with this information? There are over 2,000 verses in the Bible on the poor, the widow, the orphan. Jesus says "Whatever you have done for the least of these you have done for me"
So although I won't be wondering where my next meal is going to come from, or if I will be able to drink any water today, let alone clean water, there are billions in the world who will ask themselves those questions today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
