Posted: May 27, 2011
Ivory Coast
May 12th, 2011
We arrived at Village Baptiste in Bouake yesterday (5/12) afternoon. Everyone was tired but in good spirits. A little food, tour of the campus, showers and sleep made us all ready to dive in to some work today. Our two engineers are sorting out the satellite issues to get the campus hooked into high speed satellite internet. The gals are helping with food and laundry.
This afternoon we'll join people from the church to visit in homes and pray with people. It will be physically harsh as the rains have come and it's hot and humid. I have heard not one word from the team about the heat. We are working hard at staying hydrated. They are journaling well. Daily debriefs and team devotions have been good. We have been working on their French and have already involved them in an evangelistic outreach with our local church here. The present class of Journey Corps students have taken them under their wings to orient them to life here. It has been a blessing to watch.
(Week 2) The team is doing well. Last week we participated in an evangelism where we accompanied church members to visit their neighbors. The only goal was to pray with them. While the team could only give greetings their presence open doors that might otherwise have been closed. Over the weekend, being coached by the American students based here with Journey Corps they built up their capabilities in French. Today they went into town, made purchases on their own and hired moto-taxis to return them to the campus. It was a considerable leap for them. But they have now lost their fear of being alone among Ivoiriens. Next week they will join our Journey Corps team in home stays with church members around the north of the country. I will collect them mid-week to see how well they have done.
Blessings! In Him, Phil Bjorklund
Thailand
Thailand is referred to as "The Land of Smiles". The Cedarville University Nursing MIS team have both attested to that and been a participant. From the tasty food and beverages to the thrill of riding a scooter through a busy town in Southeast Asia, The C.U. team seems to have a smile tattooed on their faces.
When someone is smiling, we are usually correct in assuming that person is also hopeful. So it is with the relationships we have been blessed to establish in Thailand. Many, if not most of the people we have met come from backgrounds that are dramatic and often horrifying, but they are smiling. They praise God with a deep enthusiasm and hourly rely on the very big God that they serve.
The students have been appreciated and complimented at every stop along the journey thus far. A typical day is started with a nice breakfast in the hotel. This morning we were served young coconuts and Thai pork soup. There is some free time in the mid morning. We convene for worship daily at The Garden of Hope. After worship, some team members help in the kitchen, others prepare lessons for the 25-35 kids that will start arriving around 2:30. Supper follows lessons, and more lessons follow supper.
Friday evening we leave for Bangkok on a "Night Train". The trip is expected to last about 14 hours, but we are in a sleeper car. We don't really know what that means, but many people just smile at us when we suggest that we will be sleeping on the train.
Thank you for your prayers. We have felt the protection and peace that they bring. We are on the front lines against evil, and so we see evil's product more clearly defined. We don't know how a parent can sell their precious child to pay a debt. We do know we will hold them while we are here, love them forever, and tell their stories as long as we have breath.
Hopeful and still smiling,
David, Amanda, Ashley, Ashley & Lauren
Togo
May 18th, 2011
After much delay (weather, cancellations and rerouting through Montreal to Paris), we arrived (Weds 5/18) in Togo minus our luggage. Everyone is well and managing with the extra skirt, shirt and personal items we packed in our carry on case. The staff and missionaries have been gracious to assist us with extra laundry and a flexible schedule. The students are fabulous and think it no big deal; "we'll adjust". Our luggage should arrive Saturday.
The Togolese nurses seemed very pleased to see us again; it is mutual. The hospital does not have as many patients now as they usually do so the staff is a little lethargic. We can be an encouragement to them.
We can see God is our travels and interactions. After we arrived on Wednesday, we toured the hospital compound, had supper, a team meeting and packed lunches for two of the students.
Today (Thursday), two students left at 6:45 A.M. with the Mobile Medical group and returned at 3:30 P.M.; earlier than usual. Lois and Irene set up the computer and printer, updated the schedule, and prepared the forms for use in the hospital today. Two students went to the clinic to assist in patient examinations. Later in the afternoon, they went with Lois to give patient care in the hospital.
We give glory to God. Irene and Lois
Liberia
The ELWA staff were really ready for the team, and had things planned out. All is going well, and they had figured out where to put the solar water heater and they were installing the water filters. The team is working well together and the Lord is answering prayers, and they feel it. It is really hot and humid, which makes it difficult to really feel like working, but the Lord is giving them energy.
We have installed two large pump filters for the ELWA campus, painted the pressure tank, trouble-shot the pump circuit (improved but in process), and decided on location and materials for the hospital hot water heater. Please pray for completion of the rest of our projects and for safety especially as we travel to Bahr Town village Wednesday and Thursday (5/25-26).
Posted: June 28, 2011
Your prayers are effective and appreciated! Thailand, Togo, Liberia have returned safely giving God glory for things accomplished.
Ivory Coast
The team has been doing some manual labor here at the old ICA campus for the last two days. We are building a "rat" coup. Yes, you heard me correctly. One of the Journey Corps team members is going to raise rats for meat. They are a large bush rat that is seen as a delicacy among the Ivorians of the North. She wants to do a sustainable animal project. So our team has converted the old campus chicken coup to a rat coup complete with concrete cages and hardened steel doors that the rats can't chew through. Go figure!
Yesterday they worked at cleaning out the school gymnasium. It's a multimillion dollar facility that has been a catch-all since the evacuation and shut down of the school in 2002. Most of the equipment, curtains etc are all rotted. The goal is to get the rotted material out so that the building can be preserved for some as of yet undecided use in the future. There is talk of starting a French/English University here. This is also the site where WorldVenture is developing Journey Corps.
The team is continuing their French studies. They are fully versed in vocabulary for shopping in the market and hiring a moto-taxi to go to and from the campus. I am amazed at the ease they have had at assimilating it all. This week we will be doing all our own meals which will make them a fully independent missionary team. We have been talking a lot about what is needed and what it would take to live and work in the place like this for a longer period.
I think the big piece of ministry they have been doing is one of encouragement. By staying in the homes of believers in Muslim neighborhoods they have raised curiosity and given the families they stayed with clout and a platform to speak into the lives of their neighbors. This is the word we are getting back from the families. Another piece of ministry has been the encouragement of our Journey Corps team and their leadership. Also having some new friends around for them has been a shot in the arm. They have meshed very well.
South Africa
The first week has completely flown by and we have been staying busy! Here's a quick review of our week:
Tuesday: We had orientation, took a tour of the property, and toured around the local villages.
Wednesday: Rain, rain, rain!!! Apparently, this time of year in South Africa is known for droughts...not today! It poured! In the morning we had chapel with grades K-2. We taught the kids about trusting and obeying God. Later in the afternoon, we went to Stinkwater; where we played with the kids, provided lunch, and gave a short lesson. In the evening, the team split up for dinner and went to different Bethesda families.
Thursday: Just keep digging! Today was gardening day. We dug 11 trenches for Bethesda's garden, planted cabbage and spinach! Dinner at the Mixon's was a great way to end the day. :)
Friday: This morning we repeated our original chapel for grades 3-6. When we were finished, Kelsey and Rachel worked in the classrooms for a while. More gardening came next. This time, we planted sweet peas, carrots, and peas. To end the day, we had the grades 2-5 girls come for a sleep over at the team center! We painted nails, played games, and watched Tangled! The girls had a blast and were SUPER energetic!
Saturday: This was an early morning. At 5:45 we woke up to get ready for a funeral in Stinkwater. It was a unique, cultural experience - funerals in South Africa are much different than those in the U.S. When we got back, it was Fun Day! All of the Bethesda kids came for fun games and activities, relating to the Armor of God. After the kids left, we were excited to get ready for our night out at Carnivores (a restaurant)! One set of the house parents, George and Flora joined us for an evening of meat-eating fun!
Sunday: In the morning, we attended one of the township churches, pastored by one of the house fathers - Fritz. It was another cultural experience. After a restful afternoon, we went to an evening service at a church that many of the Bethesda staff attend.
Monday: Burning the bush! Because there has been so much of a drought, wildfire among the bush is common. In order to protect the Bethesda grounds, we had to burn the bush within the property. The morning was a bit rough, as none of the bush was burning. However, as the morning dew started to dry, the fires caught quickly and we were able to get a lot accomplished. The night ended with another great meal at the families houses for dinner.
Tuesday: More bush-burning! In the morning, we burned the remaining bush. The afternoon was special, because we went to the ABBA house- a temporary shelter for orphaned babies. We spent the afternoon holding and caring for the babies. Another meal at the families houses ended the day.
We appreciate your prayers as we try to finish this week strong!
Australia
Posted on OneVoice's Facebook page on Tuesday, June 14 at 10:35 a.m.
Our Australian ministry has been amazing! Isn't it cool how as we minister to others God ministers to us? What a wonderful cycle. We have had great times of fellowship and music ministry with the people of Pakenham and East Keilor! We have been continuously blessed by the ministry and fellowship with our host church, Suburban Baptist, in Hopper's Crossing! And the ministry continues with concerts at a local high school and nursing home tomorrow. More updates on that to come! We had a free day today so we shopped and "frolicked" with kangaroos! God is Good!!!!
Posted Wednesday, June 15 at around 8:15 a.m.
OneVoice leading worship in Pakenham area of Melbourne Australia. We sang a full concert at this church but the was a sweet moment captured. Our God is so Great!!! (video)
Posted Wednesday, June 15 around 9:15 a.m.
We did ministry at Heathdale Christian College today and then went and sang at a nursing home for a large group of elderly people. It was an incredible day of ministry and Darris Sneed blessed us all with a medley of hymns. It was a very intimate and moving time of worship. We ended the night hanging out with the Suburban Children's ministry and Youth Group! It was great! Now off to bed! Follow them: http://www.cedarville.edu/Christian-Ministries/OneVoice.aspx
The Hungary team is on their way tonight, they should arrive at 3:30 AM Friday 6/17.
Posted: July 22, 2011
Here are some recent MIS updates. Thank you again for your prayers!
Hungary
Thanks to those who have remembered our MIS team. The five young ladies and I conduct two instructional sessions a day with our 150 students, divided into morning and evening. We take a break after 45 minutes of instruction to conduct a chapel during which we sing gospel songs, perform a skit based on the Bible depicting miracles done by Jesus, and then listen to the pastor explain the story and provide application. He speaks in Hungarian and we are usually provided interpretation.
After classes we spend time with the students either in active games such as ultimate frisbee, ping pong, fooseball or less active table games. Like most youth Hungarians like to hang out with each other and their teachers. In the afternoons (whatever is left over) we prepare lessons and skits but often spend additional time with our students. The response to the program is very positive and the 70% non church members hear the gospel and are given opportunities to come to church youth activities, etc. This Sunday we are the church program. I preach and the team members sing and give testimony. In the afternoon the camp students are invited to a picnic on the grounds.
Enthusiasm is always high and we get positive feedback. Please pray for energy for the teachers and me and effective follow up on the part of the church. In my advanced morning class the students and I are in the process of producing an English camp newspaper which will tell the story of the church, the English camp and have an interview with our translator who was wonderfully saved because of the existence of the effort.
Blessings. Merlin Ager
Bethesda, South Africa
I think tired but happy would best describe the Cedarville team of 5 ladies that just left Bethesda! These ladies were VERY busy during their 2+ weeks at Bethesda. They hosted 2 slumber parties for our girls (complete with pizza, pillow fights and manicures), worked in the garden planting hundreds of plants (not to mention digging the trenches for them), burned some fire breaks, went to three other local ministries and played games, visited, and fed many other orphans.
On Youth Day, they organized the ultimate scavenger hunt with 14 different stops where our children were organized in "family teams." This required them to work together with their many siblings and it was wonderful to see how they helped each other through each station. They ended Youth Day by providing a "sweet American braai" with chocolate bars, marshmallows, and graham crackers for everyone to make S'mores. These ladies also organized a Ladies Day Out for all of our house mom's and treated them to games, manicures, card making, lunch and then a night out at a local restaurant for dinner. Our house dad's had the privilege of being the babysitters for the whole day—Shew! Our mom's LOVED the day off!! THANK YOU for ministering to us!
If you would like to see the full letter from the host missionaries please contact the MIS office.
Ivory Coast
The team returned safely on June 8. The missionary leader, Phil Bjorklund sent this video report.
Italy
All is well at the camp. We arrived with no problems, everyone got their luggage. Saturday (today) we split up and half did gardening on the camp grounds while the other half moved a family from a nearby town to another town 10k away.
The students are adapting very well even with being here short of 24 hours. I posted to a blog yesterday with a few photos.
OneVoice
You can still follow the Australia OneVoice team through Saturday July 2.
Praise the Lord with us as we see God using the Cedarville family in many places this summer!
Posted: July 22, 2011
Romania
Since coming to Câmpina it has been pretty hot during the day and this afternoon was no exception. However about halfway through the afternoon class a small storm went thought and it cooled off which made for a nice evening.
Please continue to pray for our team as we are working this week. Here are some specific things you can be praying about:
- That more children will come to our class, especially in the afternoon
- That we will continue to rely on God even though we now have a better idea of how things need to be done
- For the children we will be working with this week
Follow them: http://romaniamis2011.blogspot.com/
Italy
Saturday was a full day of cleaning and getting ready for a new set of campers. After breakfast on Saturday, while most of the children left, several stayed for another week of camp. We had to clean all the bathrooms and clean all the rooms in addition to the grounds. The new group of campers started arriving around 5 pm. Similar to last weeks camps, there are 2 camps this week but opposite … there are around 50 junior higher's and only about 20 primary age children. The Cedarville team is helping out with the junior higher's this week.
It is now Sunday and we are in full swing of the camp, we are learning names and making friends with the campers. This morning we had a time with Joe and he encouraged us with speaking on Ps. 139. We were given a day off today. Please pray for the team as we have only a few more days here at the camp. Ciao for now ... Scott
Follow them: www.scotthuckphoto.wordpress.com
Hungary
Dr. Ager sent this note before the team moved to another city for ministry.
I am reflecting back on the last two weeks. As a team we have traveled over 35,000 combined miles safely, we all have good health, we all have our luggage (after a few temporary misplacements), we have eaten over 350 meals in a foreign country, provided over 80 hours of instruction in language learning to about 150 young Hungarians, spent countless hours rehearsing skits and songs, attended two picnics, played hours of games with our students, endured a 6 hour time change, and have offered numerous prayers for our students. We have seen God work through the daily routines of our work and have had the appreciation of the church expressed repeatedly. All of the team members have contributed and all have functioned as a team. As the rest of the team is continuing on in a new location for two more weeks I am praying that it will go as well as the last. It has been a blessing to have two members who served last year provide leadership and who know many of the students from last year. One is considering returning for a more extended stay after graduation. In the evenings it has been my joy to lead a Bible study on the Lord's Prayer with 10-12 adults, mostly from the church. We even discussed the "worship wars" of the church and had an old fashioned hymn sing in two languages. They had never heard the story of "Amazing Grace", just that they got the song from America. I rejoice in God's provision for the team and claim the promise that "His Word will not return void."
One story of grace that is celebrated is about Jozsi. As an angry 13 year old his mom made him attend the English camp. After a number of years at the camp and attending church Jozsi came to Christ. He has grown in the Lord; is now married with 2 children, active at the Kecskemet Baptist Church, and is the translator each year for the CU English teaching camp!