Ignite Missions Conference

The Ignite Youth Missions Conference took place last week. We had 110 people attending and involved in putting this on. There were hands on classes which taught the young people how to handle emergencies in a foreign country, wilderness... I spent the week prepping and cooking food for about 12 hours a day. We had several different missionaries come: a missionary pilot, a missionary to the deaf in Brazil, a man who is trying to rescue trafficked victims, and a few more.

Over the last three weeks, I have been doing election surveys in different towns. God has given me many opportunities to witness, and I currently have a list of people ai am praying will get saved. Most are Lutheran or Catholic and are trusting in works. I was able to lead one Catholic man to Christ. Pray that he will decide to come to church.His wife is Catholic but not faithful in church. 

Please pray that a job I have applied for will finalize the hiring process. This will allow me to mostly work from home other than some driving to clients houses a couple times a month.

A Month Into School

 It is hard to believe a month has passed since Harvest Baptist College started. I am enjoying teaching English Grammar and a How to Teach ESL class. Due to a very short semester and only two periods for each class, trying to fit in everything and make sure the students grasp the concepts is not always easy. In the ESL class, the students are making a  lot of teaching tools which they will utilize in the future. Every class, I emphasize the fact that the purpose of teaching ESL is to help the students come to Christ. 

The counseling classes I am taking have been really good. You don't need a degree to counsel people, you need to be able to listen, ask the right questions, and help the people to understand not just the why but the what of their circumstances. God always has a reason for allowing someone to go through difficulties. Sometimes those difficulties are caused by another's use of their free choice to sin, but God can take even the worst situation and make something beautiful out of it if we let Him.

I am currently working a temporary job for the Faith and Freedom Coalition doing election surveys. Because of this, I have been able to talk about God to a lot of people, witness to a few, and invite some to church. Please pray that God will continue to use me to reach these people with the Gospel.

Please pray that I can find a more permanent job. An online job would be ideal because I could then travel and work without needing to return to the US. Please pray that I can begin raising more support to where I can eventually travel on a more full-time basis.

July 13 kicks off the Ignite Youth Missions Conference. Please for all the young people and missionaries who will be here. Pray that God will call many to surrender to His will and that they will answer. I will be setting up a table to show what I do, so please pray that many people can be encouraged to get involved in short-term missions helps.

Where I Have Been

 

Vacation and the Start of College

 Whew! what a whirlwind it has been since I returned to the States. After a long flight into Florida, I was able to spend 4 days with my aunt and her family. Some of them I had not seen in about 30 years. I then drove across the state and spent three days with my cousin and his new wife. I had not seen that cousin in about 20 years. It was a nice vacation between my missions trips and the start of college.

I flew from Florida to Chicago to pick up my truck, and drove straight to my sister's in Iowa. I spent a few days with her before heading north to Fort Dodge and Harvest Baptist College. I am teaching an English Grammar class and a How to Teach English as a Second Language class in exchange for classes on counseling and spiritual warfare. I taught my first class Thursday, and spent Friday listening to a great chapel sermon and some great teaching on how to discover the why and the what of events that happen in life. If you want to hear some great teaching and preaching from a man who counsels all over the nation, look up Harvest Baptist Church Fort Dodge, Iowa on Youtube. The college here has a whole different mindset on what kind of servants of God they want to turn out. I have attended two other great Bible colleges, and I learned a lot, but the teaching and purpose here is very different. I am looking forward to what God has for me to learn.

 I was able to go out soulwinning on Thursday before church. I met a man named Brandon and teen girl named Makinley. They both trusted Christ. Please pray that the pastor and his wife will be able to visit and talk with the mom who was not present, and please pray Makinley and Brandon come to church.

I would appreciate prayers that I can find a job. Online work where I can set my own schedule would be ideal because I could travel and fulfill my tasks, but I am also looking for a job in the local area. I have applied to a few places, and now I am waiting for responses.

I have not requested prayer in awhile for an ongoing unspoken request. It is a this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting situation. Please pray that God's Spirit will be heard and conviction will fall on those who need it.

Please pray for my home church Anchor Baptist. They are growing with many different nationalities. One Hatian lady has brought 10 or more people personally. Satan is fighting this growth, so please pray that the people will get behind the pastor and do what is right to keep the church moving forward.

 Please pray as I plan for the future. I hope to be able to travel to England and Europe early next year. Due to having purchased a truck on payments, I need a job. I always ask God to open the doors I should go through and close the ones I shouldn't. I am waiting to see what doors He will open over the next few months.

Chilly in Chile!

When you leave Guyana at 100 degrees plus humidity and fly to Chile where it is about 40 degrees, it is a shock to the system. Keira, Sarah, and I flew into Santiago on July 17. We watched the sun rise over snow capped mountains. It was so strange to see snow in the middle of July. We grabbed some coffee and breakfast, and then headed to our next flight to Concepcion. It seemed even colder in Concepcion. After being picked up at the airport by Bro. Nate Saint, we were taken to the church apartment where we stayed for three weeks. 

Disclaimer- This is not a complaint of any kind.We were well taken care of in Chile. I simply want to share our experiences so that people can understand that missions is not always easy, so if you plan to be a missionary, be ready to adjust to anything.

As I mentioned, it was about 40 degrees on arrival in Chile. There were a few days where there was actually a hard frost. The church and apartment above the church where we stayed was not fully finished out as the church is gathering funds to complete the various projects such as insulation, walls... Because of this, our apartment was very cold. Bro. Nate provided us with a propane heater and lots of warm blankets. Due to the ceiling height, the heater could not keep up with the cold very well. Mornings and shower times were the hardest because cold floors are not a fun wake up call no matter where you are in the world. Keira was already sick from something she caught in Guyana, so I told her and Sarah to rest since we had such a long few days of traveling. I went to the Saint's house and began helping prepare meals and helped with their six children, one who was only a month old.

On Thursday morning, I went over and helped cook breakfast, and Sarah came a bit later and cared for the kids while I cleaned and started on lunch. On Friday, the morning and lunch were the same, but it was the week that the Saints traveled two hours away to another town in the mountains to hold church for a family who did not have a good church to attend. Because Keira was sick, I stayed with her and Sarah traveled with the Saints. 

After spending the day resting on Friday, I walked to the Chile version of Walmart called Lider. I bought a king-sized bedspread, thumb tacks, and a few other things to try to retain heat in the bedroom and bathroom areas as much as possible. Keira and I found a ladder in a closet downstairs, and  carried it up to the apartment. We then proceeded to wrestle with it to try to get it unfolded so I could climb up and hang the king sized comforter from the rafters. We finally figured out the ladder and got the comforter hung, but we were laughing the whole time. I then hung an extra blanket from the doorways of our rooms and the bathroom in order to keep the heat lower to the floor and push it into our rooms. I hung a smaller blanket over my doorway and attached it to my rafters to try to keep the heat flowing towards my bed. Although the space looked like a gypsy or hobo camp, we finally had the heat getting into our rooms enough to be comfortable. Some might think that this kind of experience is bad for people on a missions trip, but this was a mild inconvenience compared to what many missionaries face everyday. 

On Saturday, I did some laundry and cleaning at the Saints and prepped dinner for when they arrived home from Canyete. Sarah and I helped get the kids ready for baths and bed, and held the baby to keep him calm. Sunday, I went and prepped breakfast and helped get kids ready for church. During the 11 am service, I sang a special. After church, I helped serve lunch. At 5pm, we returned to church for Sunday school, and then had the 6 pm service. During the services, Sarah helped keep the baby and the one year old happy and quiet. After church we went to the Saints and had a typical Chilean supper of yogurt, sandwiches, and chips.

The daily schedule was basically the same. I would arrive between 8 am and 8:30 to prepare breakfast. Keira (once she was better) and Sarah would arrive between 9am and 10 am to help with the kids or work on school with the older girls. ) I would then do the cleanup and prep lunch, clean up lunch, and then help watch kids until supper time, then clean up from supper. After supper Sarah and I would help the kids get ready for bed. Each day, Sarah worked with the kids motivating them to clean up and behave with a competition to get a perfect score.

The Saints stay very busy with ministry. Not only do they have two churches, but they also have Bible study groups, visits during the week, and more. Besides ministry, they have the six kids, homeschool, have doctors appointments for the new baby...They do not have all the resources and easy meal solutions, family or friends that we have in America  that make life easier. 

On the second Monday, Sarah, Keira, and I went to Talcahuano which is a port town. We had a couple exciting moments when someone told us we seemed to be followed by a man at the port, and then again followed by a young guy who seemed high on something and wanted to flirt. A couple told us about the first man, and after talking for a few minutes, we asked if they knew a good place to eat. They took us to an amazing restaurant with fried fish (Talcahuano is known for their fried fish). We also had soup, french fries, and tomatoes with cilantro. We found out the couple were Christians, we enjoyed talking with them using google translate  as our Spanish was pretty bad, and they knew no English. We really enjoyed the day.

On Tuesday, we went to the big market. We tried various kinds of olives and cheese. We then had Colombian sandwiches for lunch. Sarah was extremely impressed by the food. She and Keira split a sandwich made with green plantains as the bread. I had a sandwich on an arepa. Both sandwiches had ham, steak, avocado, tomato, and then we picked various sauces to put on. I also ordered loaded tostones (fried green plantains). 

The rest of the week was spent doing a regular schedule, and then on Friday we all went to Canyete.The drive to Canyete was beautiful. We traveled through mountains and along the Pacific coast. Due to the trees, I wasn't able to get very many good pictures. I saw a Chilean Condor, but again was not able to get a picture. While waiting for supper, we had a traditional Chilean treat called Mote con Huesillos. It is made with barley soaked in a sweet juice and dried peaches and plums. It was delicious. I was taking pictures outside between rain storms, and I came in after everyone else was served. They asked me did I want a big glass or small one. I saw all the cups the adults were using, so I thought that was a big glass, so I asked for grande. They brought out a big round glass that was much taller than the others. I drank that one, and they asked me if I wanted more. It was so good, I said yes. Everyone laughed because of my big glass.

We ladies were given a cabin to sleep in. It had a heater, so we were able to stay warm. It also had spiders!. I had just told the family that I had a fear of spiders and snakes. I got dressed in the bathroom first and was sitting on my bed. I told the other girls to watch for spiders because I had seen some in the bathroom. Keira came out, and as she went to get on her bed, I saw a huge, shiny, black spider on her back. It looked exactly the shape of a black widow. I said "Oh my word," and Keira said, "Where is it?" She was looking at her bed. I said, "No it is on your back." I swatted that spider off so hard that afterwards, I apologized for hitting Keira that hard. The spider landed on a dark comforter on my bed. Keira saw where it was and got me a shoe. I swatted the spider across the room to the wall, and then killed it. We then began checking our beds. I picked up my pillow, and inside the case was a small spider. I quickly killed it and then removed the pillows from the bed. I proceeded to pull the blankets all back and check the rest of the bed. I had brought a pillow and two blankets with me, so I slept with those. We pulled our beds away from the walls, and made sure our blankets didn't touch the floor. We did not have any more spiders show up, but Keira did have a nightmare about scorpions, and we slept with the light on. All of us were tired because we kept waking up and checking for spiders. It was funny the next day, but Keira did look up the big spider, and it was a black widow. When I saw it, it was crawling towards her neck and would have most likely startled her and ended up biting her had I not seen it.

On Saturday Morning, we went to the little house where the church was being held. We ladies and the missionary's daughter sang a special. You could tell that the other family was glad to be in church. Due to a children's activity back in San Pedro, we had to leave earlier on Saturday from Canyete. We were served Completos for lunch which are hot dogs with numerous toppings. They were very good. These are a tradition in Chile, and there are whole areas of nothing but Completos shops.

The children's activity was fun to watch. The kids had earned points in Sunday school, and were being rewarded with prizes. They dressed up as Bible characters, played several games, answered Bible trivia questions... It was pretty late when we got done. We went to the Saints, had supper, helped get kids ready for bed, and then crashed at the apartment. We sang the same song on Sunday morning that we had sung in Canyete. We went to the Saints, had lunch, and then proceeded to finish our packing. Sarah and Keira cleaned the apartment while I prepped lunch.

We had church and supper as usual, and then went back to the apartment to rest a little before we had to catch a 12am  bus to Santiago. This bus had seats that folded down to a bed. We rested pretty well until a very loud child got on the bus and was talking incessantly for two hours while watching a movie. 

I had booked a hotel in Santiago so we could rest in the evening before our very early flight. The hotel allowed us to go to the room early. Sarah was not feeling well, so this worked out great. After checking in for our flight, Keira and I headed out to explore Santiago. We went to the tallest building in South America, Sky Costanera, and we went to San Pedro Hill. We were able to take some beautiful pictures of Santiago and its surrounding snow-capped mountains. It was crazy to see palm trees and snow in the same place. We then all met back at the hotel and had an amazing dinner.

After resting for a while, we gathered our things and headed out to our 2 am flight. We did a little shopping in the airport. Thankfully, our flights went very smoothly. We landed in Panama about 7:30 am. We only had about an hour layover, so we rushed to the gate only to find that we couldn't enter until we cleared the security check point there. We then proceeded to get coffees which we had to drink quickly so that we wouldn't waste any when we went through security because they wouldn't allow it to go through. We then went through security and waited for our group number to be called. We all got settled in our seats, and proceeded to fall asleep. We arrived safely in Tampa, Florida where we parted ways. I was staying to visit family. Keira left for New Mexico, and Sarah left for Indiana. We all made it safely to our destinations.

I learned a lot on this trip which will help me to be ready to travel with other people on more trips. God definitely put the right young ladies with me as they were very easy going and worked well together. Please pray that God will continue to give me opportunities to show people how they can be used on the mission field without taking years of time for deputation, finishing college...

Please pray that I can either raise more support or that I can find  an online job that allows me to schedule my own hours so that I will have the funds to care for cost of living when I am in the states.

Guyana

 July 1, I began a six week journey with two young ladies Keira and Sarah. The first two week were spent in Guyana.We left Chicago around 7 am July 1, arrived in Houston a few hours later, and then waited for our overnight flight to Guyana. Due to a hurricane, we took a different route and flew East over Florida and down through the Caribbean Islands. We arrived in Georgetown at 1 or 2 am, and after moving through customs and immigration, we then waited outside the airport for our ride. We were taken to a place to sleep for about two hours, and then got up to be at the local airport for our last flight into Port Kaituma. After a bit of trouble with bags and tickets due to not having Guyana money, we went to wait for our plane. By this point, we had been up almost 48 hours due to not sleeping much the night before we left Chicago. The plane was a small 12 seat plane. Our pilot was great, and we had no issues with the quick one hour flight.

Upon arrival in Port Kaituma, Mrs. Runyon met us and helped us gather our bags. We arrived at Lighthouse Baptist Church Port Kaituma, unloaded our bags, and the two girls promptly took a nap. They slept through lunch, and were awakened for dinner. I on the other hand was wide awake. I traveled to a very poor village two hours away where we held a church service and Sunday school. I taught Sunday school to the children. It was fun being in a country where the people spoke English and I could teach unhindered by language barriers. While driving to and from this very poor village, we passed Jonestown, the location where Jim Jones killed many people in the name of religion. I am thankful that instead of religion, we helped bring Jesus to the people of the poor community.

The first week in Guyana, we ladies helped prepare crafts for the VBS. We were up many nights until midnight or later. On Monday of the VBS week, a group of 14 people arrived from the States to help with VBS. I began cooking all the meals so that Mrs. Runyon could direct the craft preparations and prepare the workers for their responsibilities during VBS. A lady named Bibi became my cooking partner. I was up by 6:30 or seven everyday depending on what I was making for breakfast, and Bibi would arrive by 8. She would stay and cook all day until 5-6 pm. Many times, after she would leave, I was up until midnight prepping whatever I could for the next day's meals and helping Mrs. Runyon with various tasks. 

Although I did not work in VBS, I was able to teach kids' classes on Sunday and Thursday, play the piano, including learning and playing the VBS theme song, and singing a few specials. Some might think that not being involved in the VBS programs, getting to teach, or getting to witness to the kids was a bad thing, but because I was in the kitchen, Mrs. Runyon was able to keep VBS running smoothly. Otherwise, she would have been running in the kitchen to cook and then running around trying to help wherever needed. Many times we think the most important jobs are the ones people see, but if people don't have food, they cannot keep going.

We had over 200 kids most days of VBS, and the highest day of kids was 283. On the last day with all the parents, we had 310. There were several salvation decisions throughout the week. While still in the US, I had collected stuffed animals from my community to bring for giveaways. Over 100 children received a stuffed animal. 

Some think being a missionary means you go out and plant churches, but not all missionaries do this. The first woman missionary was Phebe who was sent by the church in Cenchrea to the church in Rome to be a helper. Romans 16:1-2 "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also." God isn't looking for just preachers and church planters to be missionaries. If you swing a hammer, hang drywall, clean, cook, take care of kids, work in ministry, and are willing to do whatever needs to be done, God can use you on the mission field. Moreover, you don't have to wait 3-5 years to raise support or stay permanently on a field if you go as a short-term, support missionary .  Most countries allow a 3 month visa. In some you can get extended visas. If you have a vacation, go help a missionary. If you are retired, go help a missionary. If you plan to be a pastor or missionary, go help a missionary. It doesn't matter if you are single or married, missionaries need help. More missionaries leave the field because of burnout than for any other reason.

Sightseeing, Fun, Animals...

Guyana is home to a large blue butterfly. One of these flew behind the house on several occasions, and his wingspan was as big as my two hands held side by side. I never did get a picture of him. I did get pictures of toucans, a scarlet Macaw and several other birds. Mrs. Runyon has a baby monkey named Coco. The first couple days, he liked me, but one day, Mrs. Runyon's grandson was teasing him by taking his blanket. I tried to get the blanket back, and from then on Coco thought I was the one who took his blanket. He would scream at me every time I came out the door.

 I was able to take a boat ride on a river, and ended up in a rain storm on the way back. Since Guyana was so hot, I didn't mind getting wet. While visiting for VBS, I took a tumble in some deep mud. Another day, I ended up walking with Bibi in the rain while shopping. We returned the same way we had come from the church, and ended up in several flooded streets. It was an adventure. In Georgetown, We were able to see the ocean, the largest indigenous hut still standing, had an amazing Chinese meal, and good fellowship with the missionaries.

The girls and I were taken to the airport at 9 pm on Monday night. Our flight left at 12:30 am. We flew to Houston, then Fort Lauderdale, collected our luggage in Fort Lauderdale, and then switched terminals. We flew from Fort Lauderdale to Bogata,Colombia, and then from there to Santiago, Chile, and finally to Concepcion, Chile. We arrived in Concepcion on Wednesday morning. We will be here 3 weeks helping the Saints with their children, cooking and keeping house as well as any other ministry work they may have for us.

Please pray as one of the girls has been ill since we left Guyana. She is doing much better, but still has some more healing needed

Missions Trip is Right Around the Corner!!!

 Next Monday morning, July 1, I will fly with two young ladies to Guyana for two weeks, and then continue on to Chile for three weeks. This will be the first time I have taken people with me to show them how they can be help short term to missionaries. In Guyana, we will help The Runyon family and their church host a VBS. In Chile, we will be helping with the Saint family with child care and ministry work while Mrs. Saint is still recuperating from the birth of her baby.

Being a short term missionary means an individual can raise support quickly for individual trips instead of needing to go on deputation for two or three years to raise full time support to remain in one country. Short term work also means an individual can help a missionary family stay on the field longer. Many missionaries are leaving the field for health reasons, lack of funds, the hardness of being separated from friends and family, the difficulties of being in hard countries... Getting a few weeks or months of relief in the ministry, home, or having help for building projects and soulwinning can make a huge difference in the lives of the missionaries. Many people think they can't commit to missions because they think they must be willing to go stay in one place for the rest of their lives, but a man who can swing a hammer, a lady who can cook a meal or care for child, people who can win people to Christ or teach can all be a huge help and blessing to missionary families. Most countries allow a person to stay up to three months on a visa.

I will return to Iowa in the fall to teach a How to teach ESL class and a Grammar class at Harvest Baptist College. I will also be taking some classes which will help me with counseling and dealing with the spiritual warfare of everyday life and especially life in countries where demonic oppression is very tangible. 

Praise!!! God allowed me to find a good truck with low miles at a very low price including a 10 year full warranty. Please pray that God will provide the funds necessary for paying this off.

I would appreciate prayers as I try to raise more supporting churches so that I can eventually travel on a regular basis without needing to stop to work a job to raise personal funds. I would also appreciate prayers that I can find a remote job which I can do even while traveling. 

My mom has had some good news in regards to her hip, and she begins a new therapy next week to see if it will help her hip muscles to heal. Please pray for the church in Maine as they prepare for a VBS which they hope will bring in more children which in turn will lead to families getting saved and coming to church.

Please pray for my nephew Joel on June 28 as he goes in for a heart cath and possibly a stint placement.