Greater Things 2012

It was just a few Sundays ago that our church gathered together in our very cool Greater Things 2012 t-shirts. We gathered before going to over 20 different places in our own community to serve! What's interesting about our community is that it is rather affluent--the economic needs are minimal. But what we've discovered through the years is that the spiritual needs are great. No matter what a person's income or the size of their home, the need for Jesus remains the same! So out we go into our neighborhood to be the HANDS, the FEET, and the VOICE of Jesus. And what a day it was! The stories of touched lives continue to come to me, and I LOVE it!

I wanted to share a few of the thank you notes we received:

From Wanda:
Dear Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 
How very much I appreciate what your group did for me this past Sunday. Tom contacted me by phone earlier in the week to make arrangements to pick up my older car so they could do some maintenance work on it for me. They changed the oil and filter, as well as the transmission oil and filter, checked the air in the tires, washed the car and put gasoline in it. 

When they returned the car they brought a tree trimmer and removed a branch in the patio area that was annoying and beginning to be a real problem to me. 

The gifts you Godly people have given me of your time and abilities on a Sunday morning yet, things I couldn't do for myself, are appreciated more than you will ever know AND I thank each and every one of you for them. 

I pray God's blessings to each one of you at Lord of Life Lutheran.

From LaTasha
Thank you guys so much. I don't know what me and my children would've done without you guys. I'm truly thankful. You guys helped us out a lot. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

From Rebecca
Thank you so much for the amazing foundation repair done in our basement by your volunteers! We are blessed beyond words. 

What a blessing it is for us to LOVE GOD! LOVE OTHERS! and SERVE THE WORLD!

Lisa :)     

The Choice is Ours

One of the Haiti team members sent this devotion to me. It spoke to my heart in the way I am called to love others and serve the world. As we approach Greater Things and several serving opportunities this fall, not to mention the privilege and responsibility we have to serve those around us every day, I thought it would be worth your time to read it as well.

Devotions | Proverbs 31 Ministries

Lisa :)

Nicaragua Sabado y Domingo

Our day off yesterday was a lot of fun. We enjoyed our shopping experience, and our time at the beach was heavenly. We really had a great time playing in the waves, playing football on the beach, and sitting in the water as we shared stories. Lots and lots and lots of fun! Worship in Potosi this morning was great too. Our opening hymn was "Stand up stand up for Jesus" we didn't understand much, but our translator did translate the sermon. He also translated as Tyler and I had an opportunity to share God's Word of encouragement with the people. All week long we met the women and children at the churches but not the men because they were working. We fully expected to see them in church this morning, but they didn't come. Pastor explained that they are working hard to bring the men in. We are packing up and getting ready to drive to Managua. Now that we've said our goodbyes, my guess is that we're getting closer to being ready to head for home! We're looking forward to seeing our families at the airport. Lisa On behalf of Team Nicaragua

Nicaragua Friday

God gave us a great day for our last work day in Potosi! This morning the kids in Potosi were late to arrive so we got to work on painting right away. After painting for an hour the women of the church showed up with a mid morning snack. They called it an appetizer. We called it a full meal. They made fresh fish, chicken, rice, tortillas, and salad (more like cole slaw). Check out my twitter account for pictures. The guys found a tree branch which would serve as the site for their pull ups competition. Even Pastor Angel got in on the act. Levi won with 19.5 pull ups! We had a great time in our VBS groups reenacting the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. We also made God's Eyes with them. They loved it! We had to stop playing ball on the road in front of the church because a heard of cattle was making their way through. I've had to get off the street to let a car pass, but this was the first time I had to move to let a cow pass through. It was very funny. I wonder what the Nicaraguans think of all the Americans getting out their cameras to take pictures of cows? Some of our students got to share their testimonies with the women and children. It was very emotional, and quite a blessing to those who were a part of it. We also had 2 very intense games of soccer against the Nicaraguans. The first game they beat us 5-4, the second game we beat them 3-2. The young men told us after the game that they considered us to be their brothers and sisters in Christ. They invited us to come back. Their home was to be considered our home. This conversation meant a lot to our soccer players. We signed the game ball and gave it to them as a gift. They were very happy to receive it. After working we drove just down the road to the ocean where kids were playing and many boats were filled with fisherman. It was a great way to end our day. Tomorrow we are letting the group sleep in a little bit before we head into the market area in Chinandega. We're planning to do a little shopping and then spend the afternoon at the beach. Our kids are already having a difficult time thinking about saying goodbye and heading for home. The people of Nicaragua will have a special place in our hearts. Lisa :) On behalf of Team Nicaragua

Nicaragua Thursday

Today's entry is going to be short, but we still wanted to keep you updated. Our day in Potosi was awesome and we're really looking forward to going back today for our final day of VBS, painting, and interacting with the great people of Potosi. For VBS we have our team broken into 5 teams. Each of our teams will take a group of students and teach them the lesson and craft, and then go play with them. In Potosi however, Pastor Angel asked us to have one of our teams lead the women as a group. That turned out to be very cool. The students and adults who spent time with the moms had great conversation around the story of Saul and the moms loved makinfpg the craft. While they were making the craft, they were able to learn a lot about each other and how life works in each of our cultures. Some of our kids also got roped in by the Nicaraguan kids to play U.S.A. vs Nicaragua in a game of soccer. We got beat pretty bad! We do have a better strategy going into today, namely making Gentri play. We should win pretty easily with our secret weapon on the field. Our students will be looking for opportunities to share their testimonies today, so be praying for God's Spirit to be alive and flowing through them. More pictures on my twitter tonight. I left my phone back at the mission campus where we are staying so was unable to post. Keep the comments coming. The team is really enjoying hearing from home. Lisa :) On behalf of Team Nicaragua

Nicaragua Wednesday Was Most Excellent

We love reading everyone's comments on the blog. Kids are enjoying messages from their parents so keep 'em coming! Today was a great day! Our students were much more comfortable with the children and therefore had an absolute blast with them. We told the story of Saul's conversion today in VBS. We also made t-shirt bags with 50 of the 150 kids who showed up. We were so excited to see more kids but then realized we didn't have enough craft supplies for everyone. We had a plan worked out for families to share a bag, but the pastor and deaconess wanted the kids who are students at the school to get a bag of their own. It actually tyrned out really well. The kids who didn't get to make a bag were very excited to go to the open field with our students to play with all the sports equipment. The other good news was that we were able to finish all of the painting with time to spare. When we left the work site yesterdAy we asked the pastor which was the higher priority--the inside or the outside of the building. Thankfully, everyone worked really hard. Before we left Crist Rey we gathered in front of the newly painted church/school and offered a prayer of blessing on that place. Please join us in praying for the fine people of Cristo Rey. Tomorrow we are leaving at 7:00am to make the long 2-hour journey to Potosi! Our evenings are being spent hanging out playing cards. Tonight we started a Spades Tornament! The competition and smack talk are heating up! More later! Lisa :) On behalf of Team Nicaragua PS Levi sends a birthday shout out to his mom, Lori. He loves you and is sorry he didn't have a chance to talk to you on your birthday. PS Claudia and Mike say love to Sarah, Brady, and Aidan and Claudia says tell Katie to go swimming or she will be in HUGE trouble! PS Katie and Tommy say como estas, we love you guys bunches and are having a blast; we miss you and we can't wait to see you and tell you all about the amazing experiences we are having! Also Tommy and I have learned how to play spades, so when we return we are expecting a game with you guys! PS Dana and Rose say hey to Grace(aka SH) and Mama! We miss you and love you! we're having a blast and see you Monday!

Nicaragua Day: 2

Hello Kansas city family and viewers! God is a BIG God! Today we spent the morning reading from Ephesians 3:14-20 and Psalms 139 about his love. The day began with fresh fruit and French(nicaragua) toast! It was tasty! We then packed up all of our supplies and began our journey to Cristo Rey (Christ the king). The journey include an drive through a creek bottom which doubles as their road. Cristo Rey is a small village just east of chinandega. The school has about 60 kids that attend and today not only were all those students there but so were their families and the whole community. We taught them the story of the feeding of the 5,000 and created God's eyes with them. Many of them had never made crafts like this before. We then spent the next hour out in a very large field playing soccer, football, baseball & painting nails! It is so amazing to see how sports unites everyone and breaks down language barriers! All the kids went home at noon which meant lunch and painting for the rest of the afternoon. We finished the first full coat of primer on the school and church today and a great start to the bright yellow final coat. Being that the road we came in on doubles as a creek- at 4 this afternoon we were hit with a pretty good thunderstorm so we had to pack up everything very quickly and get out of the village very quickly! The rains came and so did the small flow of water in the creek. The kids loved it and it made for a great end to the work day! We arrived back at our living area and a few of the guys had brought in a tv - set up an antenna in a tree and hooked up cables to get the all- star game! Talk about servant hearts! We were VERY surprised and excited! One of the questions that our guys discussed was "do we have an unrealistic or realistic view of God's power? Why or why not?" it was great to hear the life change and the realities that some of the young men are thinking through and wrestling with. It might be a great question to think about as you read the verses we read today! More to come tomorrow! You are blessed, Tyler

Nicaragua Monday

I don't think any of us really understood just how long our day of travel would be - 13 hours from the time we gathered at the Kansas City airport until we reached our destination! Everything went very smoothly, except for our tight connection in Houston giving us no time to get food. By the time we landed in Managua, the group was intent on finding food. We stopped at a fast food joint called Tip Top - very similar to KFC. The chicken and French fries were very good and were completely devoured by the crew. Getting settled in was a lot of fun. We were surprised to find sheets and pillows for everyone...and best of all a/c in each sleeping room! God is good! We were able to organize all of our supplies, eat a delicious dinner, and play cards before heading off to evening Bible study. This morning we are getting ready for breakfast and then off to Cristo Rey! If you want to get more updates in the evening you can also follow my Twiter @hellyerlisa I'm siting with Katie Overman and Alex Kolpin who both give shout outs and love to their families back home. More later. On behalf of Team Nicaragua, Lisa :)

Team Nicaragua

I'm getting so excited for our packing party on Sunday afternoon! It will be great to see how it all fits, and to be with everyone as we make our final preparations for the trip. We will be serving in two locations next week: We will be at Cristo Rey on Tuesday and Wednesday and in Potosi on Thursday and Friday. We'll have a free day to enjoy the beautiful country of Nicaragua on Saturday, and then worshiping with the people we've served alongside on Sunday. It's going to come and go very quickly.

If you want to follow our devotional journey, I've listed below our daily themes and Scripture passages.

Monday - Incarnation Ministry (John 1:24 & Colossians 1:19-27)
Tuesday - God's Love (Ephesians 3:16-21 & Psalm 139)
Wednesday - Loaves & Fishes and Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30 & Luke 9:10-17)
Thursday - God's Heart for the Orphans and Widows (James 1:27 & Matthew 19:16-21)
Friday - Secret of the Poor (Luke 12:15-31)
Saturday - Hardship & Suffering (Romans 5:1-5 & 1Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Sunday - Carrying Our Corner of the Mat (Mark 2:1-12)

Blessings on your journey! We appreciate and value the prayers you offer on our behalf!

Lisa :)

What a Difference 3 Weeks Makes

Just 3 weeks ago the 27 people who made up the 2012 Haiti Team landed in Port au Prince, and then boarded our 2 buses for Christ the King in Merotte, Haiti. Upon our return the team had a chance to share our experiences with the Lord of Life church family. It is really difficult to bring home an experience like that and to share it in such a way as to make others somehow get an idea of what it was really like. If you want to hear the message, simply click on the link below. This link is to the message at the 10:45 service. Unfortunately, the message from the 8:00 service did not get recorded because of some technical difficulties.

http://lordlife.com/sermons

In the early service one of the things that was shared by a team member really touched my heart. He said, "Outside of my marriage to my wife, and the birth of our two sons, this trip was the most life changing thing I've ever experienced." That's a very powerful quote, and helps each of us to see that God does amazing things in the hearts and lives of His people when we agree to follow Him outside of our comfort zone.

Could it be that God is calling you to step outside your comfort zone in some big or small way? My encouragement to you is to try it. Take a step. God will not abandon you as you walk with Him.

Here's the link to the video we shared as part of our message to the congregation. Enjoy!

Learning to Serve the World,


Lisa :)

On Our Way

We had a phenomenal day yesterday as we gathered with our friends at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Merotte! The highlight was when a little boy sang, "Draw Me Close To You." He had made an effort to learn it in English! What an incredible gift and blessing to us!

We are excited to share our experience in worship at Lord of Life this Sunday.

Next on our agenda is one last Haitian breakfast with French toast, fresh juice, and fresh fruit. YUMMY! Then...off to the airport! We're all looking forward to being home!

Thanks for your prayers for us and for the dear and precious people of Haiti!

Lisa :)
On Behalf of Team Haiti, 2012

Saturday in Haiti

We had such a great day with the people of Christ the King today! Many people go to the market on Saturday so we don't run the clinic or a children's event on the weekend. With everyone at the market we also have fewer people hanging around, making the crowds much more manageable. Here are some of the stories from today:

* One of the workers was wearing his "new" glasses on the worksite. It was very cool to see him able to use the glasses.

* The foundation for the basketball court is poured. They are finishing the smooth coat of concrete so that we can have our big game tomorrow. One of the foremen is so excited about the game! They watch a lot of NBA here and his favorite team is the San Antonio Spurs. I told him they didn't stand a chance against us, and the smack talk between us began immediately! It should be a lot of fun!

* The kids like to challeng the Americans to games of soccer. Our best players don't hold a candle to the Haitian children. They are really good at that game.

* There is a taciturn young painter named Watson. Morgan & I got a chance to paint with him during the last few days. He knows as much English as we know Creole, so communication was sparse. But we did learn that he had a 2 year old son. We encouraged him to bring his son to the church, which he did today. He sought me out 2-3 times to tell me that his son is here. Finally I understood and walked over to meet his son. What I saw was an adorable chubby little boy with one eye completely swollen shut. He was brought by his grandma to meet his dad's friends. But, something was not right. I needed a translator. We have a few, but sometimes they are hard to find. But this time, one was right there and available. He came over and we learned that the little guy has been like that for a month. Umm, we need a doctor. Oh, there is Kelly. Literally right there walking towards me. She comes over, the translator translates and almost immediately she knows exactly what is going on and what the litle guy needs. So, she heads off- back to the clinic. Now, we have seen hundreds of people and supplies are almost completely depleted. But, guess what... we had the medicine that the little guy needed.

The little guy came there because his dad wanted to show him off. And, he is leaving after seeing a doctor with the antibiotics his body needs to recover. Things like this happen and we often chaulk them up to chance. This was not chance. It was God lining everything up, just right! God is good!

* At the end of the workday, we gathered all the workers and cooks to tell them once again what their relationship with Lord of Life means. There was joy in the air and hugs for everyone.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog, and thank you for supporting our trip. We have had a fanatic time. It is so clear that Jesus is at work here!

In His name,
Morgan,Lisa, Justin and the entire Lord of Life Haiti 2012 Team

Overflowing!

Today, Friday, was a great day!

* The pouring of the foundation for the basketball court began today and the excitement from the kids was electrifying! Their joy was overflowing and I do believe God was enjoying the sheer delight of the kids as they watched both goal posts go up. Bryan Thomas had the kids shoot hoops on the side where there was no foundation work. We are ready for our big game on Sunday after church!

* God's amazing faithfulness continues to overflow. Yesterday a little 10 year old boy waited for 3 hours by himself in the line to get into the clinic. He was having trouble seeing. Team member, Anna Marcotte discovered that a nail had come through his head and was causing vision problems. Another team member put his glasses on the boy, and to our amazement, his vision greatly improved. The problem was that we had already given out every pair of glasses we had available. Dee Dee Curran heard about this and realized she had an extra pair of glasses at the hotel. We were able to give them to the boy this morning, and after a low-key vision test, we realized they were just what he needed. It was an awesome moment. He was so filled to overflowing with gratitude that he spent a significant time in the morning and afternoon helping Anna to pick up all the trash littering the ground around the church and school.

* today we worked alongside an organization that came in to run a morning clinic. It was a great experience, which allowed God to multiply our medicines, and to see quite a few more people. During the clinic, team member, Shirley Weglarz was able to share the Gospel with those waiting to be seen.

* We had a great time leading the Children's Event today. We told and reenacted the story of the Birth of Jesus. Dr. Kelly did a great job of playing the role of Mary. We even found a big balloon to put under her shirt for the pregnancy phase. Justin Garberg was an awesome Joseph, Dr. Jodie an incredible Gabriel, and we even used a little Haitian girl to play the role of Baby Jesus. Very precious. A highlight of the event was having our team sing, "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" in English, followed by the children singing it in Creole, and then together! It served as a great reminder that one day people from every nation and tongue will gather at the Throne of Jesus and praise Him together with one voice!

As I said yesterday, "So many stories, so little time!"

Learning to Serve,

Lisa
On behalf of the team

God Knows What He's Doing and He is Good!

So many things to tell you - so little time! Here are a few highlights from our day:

* A very young boy (maybe a year old) was brought to the clinic this morning because his breathing was raspy. He clearly needed some medicine and a breathing treatment, but how do you do that if all you have is an inhaler? Well, you leave it to Sara Cox. She had a mask, a rubber glove, an inhaler, and a tube and immediately brought those items together in a very impressive "Macgyver-like" move. After a couple of breathing treatments, he was good to go. God is good!

* We have been trying to communicate that our team would help the Haitian workers in painting the school, but the workers seemed to be confused and continued to discourage our people in the task. But we had a major breakthrough today when God worked through our interpreter, Dorlus to figure out a way to solve the problem. We had a team meeting with all the painters, and had a great day of partnership with new relationships forming. You see, we could send the money to Haiti and the work would get done, but our desire is to partner with our brothers and sisters in the work, to build relationships that will allow us to encourage the church and to receive encouragement from our friends as well. God is good!

* Mike Thomas has been working hard alongside the men helping to get the basketball court built. Today was the day Mike had to explain the installation of the posts. He and I met with the Bossman, Claudy, a couple of the foremen, and Dorlus. It was so cool gathering ideas and then settling on a plan that is going to work extremely well. Mike said he would strap himself to the post in a hurricane. The posts and backboards will be up tomorrow and the concrete for the foundation will be mixed by hand and poured by the wheelbarrow-full. The Haitian men have already challenged our men to the first game to be played on the court! Excitement for the court is growing! God is good!

* Nancy Service shared with a few of us that she had felt led to bring a few pair of glasses that are old prescriptions for her and Jim. She has been praying (as have the Kasunic family)that those glasses would be just the right prescription for someone here. God answered in a very clear way as each pair of glasses was given. One lady put on a pair of glasses, and could see. She grabbed Nancy's hand and said, "Mesi". God is good!

Please pray that those we connect with will know the truth of Jesus, our only HOPE! Also pray God's comfort for our team member, Dee Dee Curran. Dee Dee received word tonight that her cousin died. Her cousin was someone very special to her, so as you might imagine, this is a hard time for Dee Dee to be away from her family.


Learning to Serve,

Lisa :)
On Behalf of the Team

Haiti Mission Days 2-3

Both mornings started with the children's program. On Tuesday, we shared the parable of the Workers in the Field. We played Grape Football where children passed a rubber kickball around a circle using only their feet. Our team performed a skit and the children serenaded us with an absolutely beautiful rendition of "Alleluia" and "Lord I Lift Your Name on High." So moving to hear both songs in Creole, a reminder that all nations, all tongues will be represented in heaven. On Wednesday, we shared the parable of Weeds and Wheat. We presented another skit and at craft time, the children drew pictures of Kreyesyon Bondye Yo (God's creation). We have many creative artists in our midst! The rest of the mornings and afternoons were spent playing games, soccer, frisbee, and jump rope with the kids. The medical clinic saw between 125-150 people each day with illnesses ranging from malnutrition to blindness to scabies to anemia. They are so thankful just to be seen by our doctors and space on the waiting benches is highly coveted. On Wednesday, Drs. Kelly and Jodie went with one very sick woman to a nearby hospital for additional treatment. We later learned from her family that she was doing better. Work on the basketball court continues but is moving slower than planned. Tomorrow we will finish the interior painting of five classrooms. Our team is working together very well and it is so clear that God brought together each person for a purpose. God is good, all the time. (In Creole, "Bondye Bon, Tu Tan"). We are thinking of our friends and family back home and praying for you as you are for us.

Bonswa!
Leslie (on behalf of mission team)

Day 1 in Haiti

God is good! We arrived in Haiti Monday morning around 10:30 and were through immigration and customs in record time. We had one little glitch in customs when they saw our box full of medical supplies. They sent us to a customs official who opened the box. Kelly Tieves and I stayed busy talking about how we weren't selling the medicine. He continued looking through the box and then closed it and let us go. God is GOOD!

We arrived at Christ the King to lots of kids with big smiles. We were happy to see them and they to see us! The stucco work on the school is still going on, but we will be able to begin painting. The basketball court foundation is not yet poured so we may not be able to complete it. The plan is to begin work on the foundation today and tomorrow. Please pray that work can begin on that as planned...well plan B anyway.

We are doing a children's event this morning and then will open the clinic. Please pray that God would be more recognizable to the people we meet, and work alongside.

I will try to include pictures in the future. This morning that feature isn't working.

Learning to Serve,

Lisa :)

Day 1 in Hanti

God is good! We arrived in Haiti Monday morning around 10:30 and were through immigration and customs in record time. We had one little glitch in customs when they saw our box full of medical supplies. They sent us to a customs official who opened the box. Kelly Tieves and I stayed busy talking about how we weren't selling the medicine. He continued looking through the box and then closed it and let us go. God is GOOD!

We arrived at Christ the King to lots of kids with big smiles. We were happy to see them and they to see us! The stucco work on the school is still going on, but we will be able to begin painting. The basketball court foundation is not yet poured so we may not be able to complete it. The plan is to begin work on the foundation today and tomorrow. Please pray that work can begin on that as planned...well plan B anyway.

We are doing a children's event this morning and then will open the clinic. Please pray that God would be more recognizable to the people we meet, and work alongside.

I will try to include pictures in the future. This morning that feature isn't working.

Learning to Serve,

Lisa :)

We made it!

We made it!