Here are more thoughts from the Charleston Missions Trip. The next team is leaving June 28th.
Saturday morning, we arrived at Seacoast Church's Dream Center in North Charleston to help them with their Adopt a Block . I was blown away with the amount of volunteers as we walked in the doors. The Dream Center has adopted 15 blocks around the church and each block has a Block Captain and a team. The teams go out each month and has face-to-face contact with every person they can on their block to help meet their needs
Mike, Andrew and I were on a team that visited two Spanish communities. The Block Captain started knocking on doors as we picked up trash in the parking lot. A few people came to the door and the Block Captain would engage them in conversation about their needs, clothes, food and talked about Seacoast Church. He also gave them a blank magnet the size of a business card on which he wrote his name and cell phone number told them if they needed him to call. He told us gangs often terrorize these Spanish communities because they don’t use banks, so they have cash on them and they won’t go the police for fear of retribution. We spoke with several people that have been victims of or have had friends and family killed by these gangs.
Another block over, Dean and Melody were working with a team that was helping a elderly cancer patient clean up her yard, repair her roof and put a dryer vent in her house. Two streets over was yet another cookout with a inflatable slide for the kids. Needs were being meet and God’s love was pouring out over the neighborhood that day
We were told a story about a woman who was about to give birth and stopped by the Dream Center, asking for a ride to the hospital. A lady from the Dream Center took the woman to the hospital. Then she called her block team and they stayed at the hospital until the baby was born. When the mother was ready to bring her baby home, the block team made sure she had clothing, food and a car seat, and they took her back home from the hospital. When the arrived at the house, they found almost no furniture and definitely no nursery for the baby. So the block team went back to the Dream Closet and picked out everything the new family would need. The next Sunday, the block team came to church, only to see the mother and new baby there.
Stories like these are constant reminders why we need to be His hands and His feet everywhere, every day.
-Bill
Some Sunday mornings, we sing Hosanna, with the line "Break my heart for what breaks yours Everything I am for your kingdom's cause As I walk from earth into eternity". Missions, while always life-changing, can leave us changed like we never imagined. This is from Bethany's diary from the May trip to S.E. Asia....
Thursday May 15th
I don't ever want to forget the faces I have seen here. The Muslim girls at the school. The Muslim teacher. The boy from the clinic, the baby with "my own skin", the owner of the home and her beautiful grandbabies, and of course, our amazing driver! I have fallen in love with their beautiful smiling faces and tears stroll down my face as I recount our meetings and think about how they each moved me. I hope to see them again soon. If not next year in their homeland, then I pray that the Holy Spirit moved in them during our visit and I will see them in Heaven when the good Lord takes his people home.
Friday May 16th
The medical clinic was (for me) emotionally exhausting. There were more visible signs of sickness and that topped with the emotion from the entire week caused me to break down. I was sitting on the floor staring at this mother cradling her baby as he slept so peacefully. From the bottom of his feet to the top of his neck was infected with scabies and scars covered his little body. And he was asleep!!! He knew crying wasn't going to stop the itching and he knew there was nothing his mother could do. After they left, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I just started to cry....with a room full of patients....this little white girl was just crying on the floor. Everyone was staring but I couldn't stop it. I just wanted to run out of the house. I could feel my heart tearing apart...ripping into two. I ached all over.
Saturday May 17th
I felt like I was going crazy in those few minutes. I finally blurted out 'I think I'm having a panic attack.' Judy said these feelings are normal. Jennifer mentioned feeling a little depressed. So what do I do? How do I cope? I feel like I need a xanax. I cried as I left the hotel. I buried my head into my mothers chest and just cried. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to see everyone one last time. Even as I sit here in this hot airport, I see men who came all this way just to surf!! Did they notice the people? The poverty? The desperate need for clean water? Probably not. I'm sure they saw beautiful beaches and sweet waves. I'm sure they sipped their tropical beverages with sand between their toes. It's hard for me not to be so cynical. They virtually have no clue what's outside their world. I have been shaken. Shaken to my very core. I don't know if I like it. I have such a responsibility now...God help me show others your world.
I believe part of my responsibility now is to raise awareness and motivate people to GO! As much as I would love to go back in the fall, I just found out I was pregnant, so things are being put off for a little while.....at least for nine months! So while I can't go, I must motivate. There is no real way to express what I have seen and what I have experienced, so my prayer is that the people of TrueNorth Church will feel this burden for the people who will go never know God if they are not reached in some way. The Holy Spirit is an amazing thing and can work even in just a smile. Feelings of inadequacy and "not enough time" are all excuses not to go. I'm probably not the best motivator.....my sales pitch is "Get over yourself....it's one week....no, it's not easy, but we, as children of God, aren't called to live comfortable lives....I promise you will never be the same!"
I pray that we will no longer be like the surfers......who spend their money on expensive plane tickets just to enjoy the waves while there are people who are not only living a hard life now, but will spend eternity in Hell if they do not hear. Our reward will be in Heaven......when we see the faces we met only once....but changed for a lifetime.
-Bethany
What in the world made me think I was ready for a mission trip? I mean REALLY?! It's not like I don't have anything else to do. I'm married to a guy who works swing shift and at least 50 hours a week (lately it's been about 70 hours a week). We have three children under the age of 9. I just got finished with my first year back in the classroom and finishing a graduate course. Like I have time and the skills! But, I felt God telling me to go and not to worry about anything. I felt Him telling me that everything was going to work out and be alright just as long as I went for Him.
God is so right all of the time! He provided money for the trip, childcare while we were working, a great place to stay, inspirational worship services, opportunities to witness, delicious food, etc. God took away all of my excuses and helped me to realize that I just have to relax and just go with the God-flow! Everything worked out for myself, my husband, and my children.
I thought just doing office work at Water Missions International wasn't doing REAL mission work. But during our tour, one person told me that for every hour that a person works at Water Missions, it saves 75 people. That includes typing, stapling, etc. After putting in over 15 hours, I personally helped to save almost 1,000 lives. That is the least I can do for God after all He has done for me.
The question I have for anyone who feels like they have been "nudged" by God to go on a Journey for Him but has too many excuses is....what are you waiting for? It doesn't matter when God wants you to go. He opens up every door to make your clear to go. It's so easy!
If after reading this you still have some hesitation, just read Luke 12:27-34.
-Melodie
Here are the weekend highlights from the Charleston Team:
Saturday Morning
We helped the folks from the North Charleston Dream Center impact the surrounding community with their version of Adopt-a-Block. I must say those guys are getting it done in what has been reported as the seventh most dangerous city in the nation.
Our team members completed a roof repair, helped with a block party, and prayed with a recent shooting victim but the highlight of the day was one our team members going above and beyond to complete a home repair well into the afternoon.
Saturday Evening
We had the opportunity to kick off the One Prayer series at the main campus of Seacoast Community Church which one of our team members described as TrueNorth on steroids. Greg Surratt's One Prayer for the people of Seacoast was "Make Us Worshipers."
Sunday Morning Service
Sunday morning we had the opportunity to attend the 9:30 service at the Dream Center. All I can say is wow! I'm not sure what was better- the multi-cultural worship experience or Craig Groeschel's "Make Us One" message. Good stuff!!
Sunday Ocean Baptism
As if the weekend wasn't exciting enough, we had the opportunity to witness forty-seven Seacoast members publicly professed their faith in Jesus Christ by being baptized in the water of the Atlantic Ocean.
It was great to see so many, many couples and whole families who chose to make a statement of their faith together. Some told of having been baptized as infants or young children and now they wanted to recommit their lives to Christ with this outward sign.
In fact, it was so inspirational that Milo himself decided it was time for him to go public with his faith and be baptized as well. More on that later……
Live in Charleston -
TNC MIssions
Before Milo made his way down to Charleston for the water project, he spent a week in Marion, NC for training in Community Health Education. He traveled with Judy and Kelly (and Karen from Cedar Creek Church) for a week of learning how to take the basic health knowledge we take for granted around the world. He was a real trooper as he learned to sleep in a cabin with no electricity and made the nightly treks to the outdoor toilet.
He found out flashlights were necessities to keep from falling over tree roots or stepping on any snakes that might be hiding along the way!
Judy and Kelly were up early (as in 5:00 a.m.) to get showers before the hot water ran out. Milo slept in since he felt showers were totally unnecessary.
Breakfast was from 7:00 until 8:10 and classes started at 8:30 and went until 5:15. They all learned a lot about how CHE can be used in areas of the world where it is needed and can open doors for the Gospel. Milo was faithful to attend the classes as well.
At the end of the week, they had to teach a lesson to demonstrate what they had learned. Just before the end of the course, Judy, Kelly and Karen received certificates for completing their course. When all the students had gotten their certificates, there was a special presentation – Milo also received a certificate – for perfect attendance at the CHE course! Boy was he proud of himself and we were proud too!! Judy, Kelly & Milo look forward to how God will use what they learned on future TNC Missions trips.
-TNC Missions
The first ten member of our team arrived at the mission house Friday night and I must say that I couldn't help but think about The Real World when we arrived. You know the deal- This is the true story... of seven strangers... picked to live in a house...work together and have their lives taped... to find out what happens when people stop being polite... and start getting real. Well, first let me say that it's not because people stopped being polite. It's because this house is AMAZING!!!! It may not be Real-World-entertaining, but watching the excitement of everyone running room to room checking things out is something I won't soon forget.
- First Souvenir - A Piggly Wiggly Bonus Card
- First Meal - Shealy's leftovers from The Big Mo
- First Light- Way too early!!!
Why do we go? God knows that reaching out to others touches our lives as much as it does other peoples. Will you allow God to interrupt your plans to make you into what He wants? One TNC'er did!
It has been a week since we made it back from SE Asia. We have all gone back to our normal routines as we go to work or stay home and take care of our little ones (for those of us who have some). To the outsider looking in, it appears as if we are carrying on with our daily tasks and responsiblities as we did before we stepped foot onto Asia's soil. Make no mistake though, our lives and more specifically our hearts have been changed in ways that we cannot express. We cannot put into words the amazing feeling that we experienced as we taught those kids the chicken dance and saw their faces light up with excitement. We cannot describe the disbelief and grief we experienced as street kids begged us for money and cried, "I'm hungry!" We cannot tell you how God has shaped and changed our hearts in ways that we don't even understand ourselves as we were immersed in a completely different culture from our own.
