Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Ensenada - 2014 Monday
Hey everyone! Sherese here... I want to tell you a little bit about my day.
This morning me, Emily Steinhauser, Becca Rodney, Pj Winters, and Allegra Wicker had the pleasure of going with a local Pastor (Pastor Reynaro-an Alliance Pastor) and 2 of the interns, Manuel and Bronya, to pray with a family that attends the church.
Pastor Reynaro goes and prays with families of his congregation almost everyday to build community. He not only blesses families with prayer but also with food (rice, beans and bread) . The families home that we went to had invited friends of theirs to join us.
Ironically, the brother of one of the men just so happened to be walking by and his brother invited him in. Pastor Reynaro spoke to the families and said several times that there are no coincidences and that they all were their because God called them to be with us at that exact moment.
p.s. Manuel was translating. I barely know a lick of spanish...haha
Pastor read from the gospel of John and from Revelation. His message was 1. to encourage the families and the marriages of the 2 couples and 2. to share the gospel with Benjamin- the brother.
What was cool was that he called upon 3 of us to give testimonies about our lives and our walk with God, to read scripture aloud, and to pray aloud for the families
Sidenote: oh, i need to back up a little bit to my personal devotion time. So towards the end of my time with God I specifically asked of Him to stretch and pull me to do whatever He wants me to do.
some of you might find this hard to believe but I hate public speaking. It terrifies me.
ok, back to the story...
When I said that Pastor called on 3 of us, that would be me being one of them! He looked right at me and said, you give your testimony You can't say NO ya know. haha and right away I remember my prayer earlier that morning... "Lord stretch and pull me..." I did it and lived! Imagine that..haha. Towards the end of our time we gathered around each family and prayed about their specific prayer requests. And guess what happened...Pastor looks at me again and says "you pray." I'm like...ok God... I see what you're doing.
It was such an awesome time of prayer and listening to the families stories and also the passion that Pastor has for lost and weary souls. Benjamin didn't seem as though he was ready to fully accept The Lord and Pastor wasn't going to force him of course, but you could definitely see Benjamin thinking and prayerfully God is working and pressing on his heart. My prayer is that he would be able to see the love of Christ through his brother and the blessings that God is providing for him and his family and start to ask questions.
I am so amazed at how quickly God gives us the opportunities that we ask for.
Please keep praying that all would listen to God's voice - serving and loving...
For the team,
Sherese
This morning me, Emily Steinhauser, Becca Rodney, Pj Winters, and Allegra Wicker had the pleasure of going with a local Pastor (Pastor Reynaro-an Alliance Pastor) and 2 of the interns, Manuel and Bronya, to pray with a family that attends the church.
Pastor Reynaro goes and prays with families of his congregation almost everyday to build community. He not only blesses families with prayer but also with food (rice, beans and bread) . The families home that we went to had invited friends of theirs to join us.
Ironically, the brother of one of the men just so happened to be walking by and his brother invited him in. Pastor Reynaro spoke to the families and said several times that there are no coincidences and that they all were their because God called them to be with us at that exact moment.
p.s. Manuel was translating. I barely know a lick of spanish...haha
Pastor read from the gospel of John and from Revelation. His message was 1. to encourage the families and the marriages of the 2 couples and 2. to share the gospel with Benjamin- the brother.
What was cool was that he called upon 3 of us to give testimonies about our lives and our walk with God, to read scripture aloud, and to pray aloud for the families
Sidenote: oh, i need to back up a little bit to my personal devotion time. So towards the end of my time with God I specifically asked of Him to stretch and pull me to do whatever He wants me to do.
some of you might find this hard to believe but I hate public speaking. It terrifies me.
ok, back to the story...
When I said that Pastor called on 3 of us, that would be me being one of them! He looked right at me and said, you give your testimony You can't say NO ya know. haha and right away I remember my prayer earlier that morning... "Lord stretch and pull me..." I did it and lived! Imagine that..haha. Towards the end of our time we gathered around each family and prayed about their specific prayer requests. And guess what happened...Pastor looks at me again and says "you pray." I'm like...ok God... I see what you're doing.
It was such an awesome time of prayer and listening to the families stories and also the passion that Pastor has for lost and weary souls. Benjamin didn't seem as though he was ready to fully accept The Lord and Pastor wasn't going to force him of course, but you could definitely see Benjamin thinking and prayerfully God is working and pressing on his heart. My prayer is that he would be able to see the love of Christ through his brother and the blessings that God is providing for him and his family and start to ask questions.
I am so amazed at how quickly God gives us the opportunities that we ask for.
Please keep praying that all would listen to God's voice - serving and loving...
For the team,
Sherese
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Ensenada - 2014 - 3
Not just another Sunday... today we were able to experience a new side of Ensenada - the people, the church and the community.
After a refreshing breakfast and our chores - yep, the students are doing chores in Mexico, we set up for church in our dining hall. We split our group and most went to Pastor Reynario's church and some stayed for church on site. We enjoyed the worship, Natasha and Josh G. shared their testimony with the church, and then we heard a passionate message on the love of God that pursues us. Although the message in Spanish through a translator stretched us some, we were all engaged.
After church we joined the whole missionary staff - and likely millions around the world and watched the World Cup - well, some people napped, some went for a walk around Brian and Erin's community, some played soccer and some watched the game. We also worked on our ministry for the week.
At 4 we left to play soccer with people from two of the churches. Many of us played. Our field was dust and dirt - -maybe some small gravel, but we enjoyed the activity and connecting with our new friends outside the walls of the church. This opportunity really build a bridge for our team relationally. A few of the girls had their hair braided by a couple of the teens. Since there was a track around the field I noticed a number walking, running and even saw an old fashion foot race. We posted a number of photos from the game time, and will post more soon.
This evening after dinner we connected with the three ministry partners and people that we will be doing construction for. This was an incredible blessing for everyone. In my group, I have the opportunity to connect with the director of the Oasis home that student ministry had raised funds for this pasted year. We ended our time praying together for Saul and June. I hope we can share their story with you. They really are investing in a group of struggling teens.
The team is doing well.
They are excited to be together and I really think they are positioned for a great week. I believe that God in going to do some neat things and I am eager to see them and share them with you.
Please pray for our team as we venture into construction and ministry. Tomorrow the focus of the week changes.
Peace,
P Scott
After a refreshing breakfast and our chores - yep, the students are doing chores in Mexico, we set up for church in our dining hall. We split our group and most went to Pastor Reynario's church and some stayed for church on site. We enjoyed the worship, Natasha and Josh G. shared their testimony with the church, and then we heard a passionate message on the love of God that pursues us. Although the message in Spanish through a translator stretched us some, we were all engaged.
After church we joined the whole missionary staff - and likely millions around the world and watched the World Cup - well, some people napped, some went for a walk around Brian and Erin's community, some played soccer and some watched the game. We also worked on our ministry for the week.
At 4 we left to play soccer with people from two of the churches. Many of us played. Our field was dust and dirt - -maybe some small gravel, but we enjoyed the activity and connecting with our new friends outside the walls of the church. This opportunity really build a bridge for our team relationally. A few of the girls had their hair braided by a couple of the teens. Since there was a track around the field I noticed a number walking, running and even saw an old fashion foot race. We posted a number of photos from the game time, and will post more soon.
This evening after dinner we connected with the three ministry partners and people that we will be doing construction for. This was an incredible blessing for everyone. In my group, I have the opportunity to connect with the director of the Oasis home that student ministry had raised funds for this pasted year. We ended our time praying together for Saul and June. I hope we can share their story with you. They really are investing in a group of struggling teens.
The team is doing well.
They are excited to be together and I really think they are positioned for a great week. I believe that God in going to do some neat things and I am eager to see them and share them with you.
Please pray for our team as we venture into construction and ministry. Tomorrow the focus of the week changes.
Peace,
P Scott
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Ensenada - 2014 - 2
Good evening,
Short
- great day, all safe in Ensenada
Long
Well, we finally made it to San Diego after a 2 hour delay in Chicago - the team really did well and most took the opportunity to catch up on rest. The flight to San Diego was mostly smooth with some incredible views of cloud structures, mountain ranges - I think I saw some snow??, and wide open spaces.
We collected all our bags connected with our host missionary - Erin Clemer and Mindy Hocking then stopped for lunch at the iconic In-n-Out Burger. Double Double, fries and a shake seemed to be a regular order for most of the boys.
We crossed the boarder easily and without issue - 41 people, 60 some bags, 4 vans...Praise God!
Mexico along the coast is beautiful. As we drove the two hour trip, one could see the different cultures, economics and communities. We passed a 30+ foot tall statue of Jesus, colorful houses, an empty hollywood movie set and a 25 story unfinished hotel or condominum. The building, I think, is exactly the same a when I last saw it 4 years ago.
As we passed though Ensenada to the next community we saw 2 cruise ships and many signs of a very developed community - but were reminded of the poverty close at hand. The community where we are staying continues to bustle into the evening - some students headed to bed by 8 some still gather in small groups to laugh and talk.
We spent time walking through some orientation and getting to know the Envision staff here. These are some wonderful people. We are looking forward to exploring what God is doing here and joining Him.
Tomorrow we will attend church in the community, get ready for the week of ministry and play some soccer with new friends.
Please pray we would serve and love as Jesus desires.
Peace, P Scott for the team
Short
- great day, all safe in Ensenada
Long
Well, we finally made it to San Diego after a 2 hour delay in Chicago - the team really did well and most took the opportunity to catch up on rest. The flight to San Diego was mostly smooth with some incredible views of cloud structures, mountain ranges - I think I saw some snow??, and wide open spaces.
We collected all our bags connected with our host missionary - Erin Clemer and Mindy Hocking then stopped for lunch at the iconic In-n-Out Burger. Double Double, fries and a shake seemed to be a regular order for most of the boys.
We crossed the boarder easily and without issue - 41 people, 60 some bags, 4 vans...Praise God!
Mexico along the coast is beautiful. As we drove the two hour trip, one could see the different cultures, economics and communities. We passed a 30+ foot tall statue of Jesus, colorful houses, an empty hollywood movie set and a 25 story unfinished hotel or condominum. The building, I think, is exactly the same a when I last saw it 4 years ago.
As we passed though Ensenada to the next community we saw 2 cruise ships and many signs of a very developed community - but were reminded of the poverty close at hand. The community where we are staying continues to bustle into the evening - some students headed to bed by 8 some still gather in small groups to laugh and talk.
We spent time walking through some orientation and getting to know the Envision staff here. These are some wonderful people. We are looking forward to exploring what God is doing here and joining Him.
Tomorrow we will attend church in the community, get ready for the week of ministry and play some soccer with new friends.
Please pray we would serve and love as Jesus desires.
Peace, P Scott for the team
Ensenada - 2014
Good morning,
We all arrived at the airport and navigated the bag/ticket/security process fairly easily. The short flight to Chicago was uneventful - I think every took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
We are currently on the plan - but waiting in line to fly, some weather related delays. Current sit and wait clock... 1 hour 3 minutes and 19 seconds...
The team is doing well - being patient, laughing, resting ... and even getting to know one another and new neighbors. Some have started to share the details of our trip - what and why we go.
As soon as I figure out how to add pics...I will.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure through prayer.
Peace, P Scott
We all arrived at the airport and navigated the bag/ticket/security process fairly easily. The short flight to Chicago was uneventful - I think every took the opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
We are currently on the plan - but waiting in line to fly, some weather related delays. Current sit and wait clock... 1 hour 3 minutes and 19 seconds...
The team is doing well - being patient, laughing, resting ... and even getting to know one another and new neighbors. Some have started to share the details of our trip - what and why we go.
As soon as I figure out how to add pics...I will.
Thanks for joining us on this adventure through prayer.
Peace, P Scott
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)