We are happy to announce an upcoming event, Global Link, that will be held at The Church at Brookhills in Birmingham, Alabama.

One Way Ministries will host a booth at this event and we invite you to come visit us. There will be people there to help answer questions you may have about a trip, tell you about the trips available and help you find a trip best suited for you.


Global Link
The Brook Hills Short-Term Trips will be posted soon, and the Global Disciple-Making Team wanted to create an opportunity for Brook Hills members to:

- Meet the Team Leaders who are leading the trips
- Learn about trips Brook Hills Member Organizations are conducting, and
- Learn about the short-term trips on the Brook Hills calendar for 2010

Global Link will be in the main worship room in the Student Building Sunday, December 6 from 5pm until 7pm. Everyone is welcome to come and go as they please.

We hope this time will be helpful to learn how to be involved in taking the gospel to the nations.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Do You Want Your Life To Count?

The Little Man

A couple weeks back I snapped this picture of a 6 year old boy in the city dump of Guatemala City. This little man listened for several home visits to the team as they shared the Gospel and provided a bag of food to families. He then proceeded to urge with great passion our team to follow him to his house, "quickly." He shared he had to go "to work" soon as the trucks were coming out of the dump with metal and he had to be there to get what he could to carry. He led us to a small structure and introduced our team to his family. As the team began to minister, he cared for the open fire in the corner of the doorway and then quickly vanished into the street to meet the trucks.

Since this meeting I have been struggling to grasp the whole picture of this one little man's life. Today, it rang clear and all the blurriness is gone. This monring my dear friend Peter Sozi from Uganda shared with our students at church. His message was an amazing passionate plea to make your life count! Pray and seek God's face and turn from your wicked ways and God will respond. It all came clear...The Father's desire is to use one life to radically challenge and transform another.

It is God's plan for your life to count to the one whom He places in your path to touch. The little man in Guatemala was a reminder that the children see it all clearly. It is the simple ways that the Lord desires. No degrees or professional expereince required. Prayer of the one will be powerful and effective.

How about your life? Do you want your life to count today? How about right at this very moment you punch the pause button on everything and seek Him, pray, turn, listen to your name being called by the God of this universe and respond to His call to make a difference!

Remember the story of the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean? Thousands of starfish stranded on the beach in the hot sun losing all life by the moment. As he tosses each one back in the elder walks by and scoffs, "son there is no way you can make a difference in this mass of starfish...why are you trying to save them all...it does not matter." the young boy picks up a starfish and boldly declares to the elder man, "It matters to this one!" As he tosses one at a time each starfish back into the sea, he concludes, it matters every time picks one up. It matters every time you speak the truth. It matters every time you pick one up!

Do you want your life to matter? Lord today may my life be counted as yours and may i be used to impact one. It matters to that one!

In His Grip,

JT

Memories of Guatemala November 2009

After being home for a little less than a week, I can look back at how God was working in and around us during our most recent trip to Guatemala, and truly be inspired and thankful. While we were there He provided for Tabitha house, through sacrificial giving. He provided for us as a family, showing us where and with whom we would live when we arrive, prayerfully in May. He changed hearts and healed the sick and He saved souls, all in our direct line of sight. I am wondering this morning why these things shock or amaze us? He IS the creator, the King of King's, the Lord of Lord's, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the ancient of days, El Shaddai, Almighty God! Do we forget so quickly who He is? And then I realize we are the same as the Israelites being brought out of slavery in Egypt. They saw the Red Sea parted and they crossed on dry land. They were fed by Holy manna from heaven and drank from the rock. They were guided with fire by night and a cloud by daylight. And yet after Moses was on the mount for 40 days they forsook all of that to worship a golden calf. I would say to you that we are just like them.
God is at work all around us. We must ask Him to make us aware of what He is doing so we can be a part of it. When we were at Tabitha house is May, we saw children who were hopeless and unloved and when we returned last week those same children were smiling and playing and they even put on a show for us. God provided a woman, Carol, to go to the dump and love and care for women and children who otherwise would not get that love, or even more, probably not survive. There are women, who just 6 months to a year ago were on drugs, in prostitution and some even thinking about selling their children to get more drugs or just to make money. Now they are working and providing for their children by legitimate jobs and they are working with Carol to care for and feed these impoverished children. These are changes only God can bring about.
They opened up more area in the dump for people and it was said to house 650 families. It was a squatters camp, like a refugee camp. No solid structures. Tarps held up by wooden posts, anything they could find to hold it together. They call this home, some smaller than most of our bathrooms or even a walk-in closet. I am hurting right now thinking about some of the families we met who just need someone to love them and show them the hope found in Jesus Christ. It's the same hope that most of the people we know right here need. The question for all of us is, are we willing to live and love as the Bible instructs us?

Greg Brown

Guatemala

Wow! God is good...no awesome! How many times do we question things in life? I do it quite frequently. While packing for Guatemala I began to question whether we had enough medicine, school supplies, clothes, diapers, etc. When we arrived we took inventory...GUESS WHAT we had so much stuff we didn't know what to do with it all.
This week has been tremendous. I don't even know how to put it into words. The team is made up of the most amazing people. Again God is great! He knows our every need. He knows how many hairs on our head. He knows every child that is staying at Tabitha House and everything they need. He knows every person that lives in and around the Guatemala City Dump and what they need. What we need to understand is that the most important thing they need is JESUS! We have seen people come to Christ. It was not anything thing we said or did while witnessing. It was the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us. It was the power of the Holy Spirit working in the people we witnessed to. God does not need us to save people. Yet He instructs to go and make disciples!

Right now we are looking at a house near the city. We are praying for guidance! This is very exciting and I can't wait to move here. Please pray for us.

In Christ,
Kathy Brown

Have you felt your knees lately?

I recall the words of my brother Claud Crosby speaking to our team in South Africa a few years back. He shared that too many times we work for the Kingdom of God and pray for His blessing on our work. We will see the power of God move when we seek His will and spend the time we should in prayer first. Then the 30 minutes we spend in the field serving Him will accomplish more in the power of God than 3 hours or even 3 days of me working in my own strength!

My question today is have you (and I) felt our knees lately? Have we been on our knees so much seeking the presence and the power of God that the physical impression of His presence is evident in our body? It is very clear and widely accepted that the remedy for revival in our land is prayer and humility before a Holy God. Are we on our knees praying for His power and His Spirit to work in our land?

Daily we see the headlines and the news reports of chaos in our leadership. Random acts of violence are common place in the first five minutes of a news report. Medeocrity and compromise are now the norm for most leaders. Regularly we hear the reoprts of a fallen politician, pastor, or even family member. When will it all be enough to drive us to our knees? How much more do we have to see and hear before we will humble ourselves and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways? How much more?

Right now....yes right at this moment...stop reading...get on your knees and cry out to Him for help. Take a minute out of the crazy business of our self-driven culturally mandated slammed schedule and pause...wait on Him...listen to His voice...He is speaking to us all. Pause and listen to the sound of the throne...Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty...who was and is and is to come!

Let's begin now to change our daily routine and instead of seeking to formulate a list of to dos that will accomplish all that I have to do today...I actually pasue and seek His wisdom and listen to His heart for today. Am I willing to surrender all, all to Jesus I surrender, all to him truely owe, all to His will I will surrender. Today make the change...right now...stop and really listen to Him...He desires to pour into you and to me the full power of the Gospel. He desires to see the person in front of you find grace and mercy just like you did.

In His Grip,
JT

Confession and Revival

This line that we cross every time we travel south to Rakai in Uganda is a reminder. This reminder is that we have a line in the dirt of this planet called the equator and it never changes. The constant nature of the magnetic qualities of this position of the globe teaches us a very important lesson. You see on one side the water spins one direction and on the other side it is reverse. Yet, no matter what you do to it, the water runs straight down the center on the line!

No matter what you and I feel from this day to that, the center of His will is always the same. Obedience is always better than sacrifice! His will for our lives is to remain the line in our lives that never moves. Daily we all struggle with the walk He has called us to follow. Daily we all struggle with the little things of this world that draw our eye away from the line. Every day we all seem to stumble through the day trying and working at being good. Yet, it is very clear in His Word, we will never be able to walk this road on our own strength.

Revival is the only thing that will turn the heart of the Body of Christ back to the center of its true life. Revival will only come when the Body repents and turns from her ways. We can only repent when we first confess sin. Whether it is the sins that we commit daily or the sins of neglect daily we all sin. We all are in need of some confession. We all need to be driven to our knees with a humble heart to repent and turn from the ways we have been following.

We need revival to sweep our Body. We need a fresh encounter with the Holy One that will drive us down to our faces and allow Him to pick us up and send us out. He so desperately desires to see the lost come to faith in Him. We are the tool He has chosen to reveal His love to this fallen world. It is our calling and responsibility to humble ourselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, so He will hear from heaven and heal our land. As a result of true revival among His people spiritually blind people will see, spiritually deaf people will hear, and spiritually dead people will rise again to life!

How about some confession today to start down the road of reaching this world for His Glory!

In His Grip,
JT

What are you planning for 2010?

I am in the midst of mapping out the 2010 schedule details and have been overwhelmed with thoughts of the teams we will see on the field. 2009 has been a tough year as we have seen a decline in participation in many of our locations. We hear people say all the time they want to go, yet many simply never get there. This is especially tough these days with so many things competing for our money and attention.





I wanted to write today to the few who will take serious the challenge to go! Now is a time of the year many of us begin to focus on the holidays and the business of the seasons that are coming. I would like to challenge you to consider making a commitment before the busy seasons overwhelm you and overtake your budgets. The harvest is plentiful bu the workers are few is the truth we hear from scripture. That being the truth, we need to go into the fields and get busy. It is a great time to consider what you will do with your 2010!

We are all given the same 24 hours and seven days. We all have the same access to the same Father who owns it all and is in control of it all. We regularly recognize His sovereign rule over everything. Will you today allow Him to speak to you about the days and hours He will give you in the coming year?

We often wait until the deadlines that are imposed upon us to commit to a project, complete a task or even sign up for a trip. I am going to ask you to consider making that commitment now! Will you consider where the Father is sending you in 2010 and make the plans now? Will you consider calling a friend or family member right now and asking them to commit with you? Will you take the step of faith and as you hear the Father direct your heart follow through with your hands and call or email or sign up today!


One of the most encouraging things I have seen in the past month is a trip posted on our 2010 calendar as full! Yes, we have a trip in 2010 that has a group committed and deposits paid! Now you want to talk about faith...I believe they are acting on a faith that is active and alive and moving forward. That is the kind of faith the world is literally dieing to see and experience.

Come on...go to the website...look for the dates...make a committment! Let's get started on 2010 together and make it a year of Kingdom building that overwhelms us all and reaches across the world with the Gospel and into communities and hearts with the teaching of the Word! Come on let's GO!

In His Grip,
JT

Arizona October Trip

Hey everyone! I wanted to update you all on the recent trip that OWM made to the TO reservation in Arizona. This was actually the first time I'd been there that wasn't in the summertime. I was excited to experience the desert in a new way...with much cooler temperatures than the scorching summer heat that I had experienced many times before. The days were warm but ideal for the many construction projects we were doing, and the nights and early mornings brought a chill that was cool enough to need sweatshirts and jackets. Aside from just the weather, other things that differed from previous trips I had taken were that the children are in school now, the team was rather small (which allowed for us to get to know everyone better), and we did a different aspect of ministry than the summer VBS.

Our week on the reservation entailed many different aspects of ministry, from visiting the nursing home to fixing the steeple on the church, with everything in between. Our team worked really well together and God used us to get many things accomplished for the Kingdom. We were able to have a block party in a village we had not been into previously! That night was special also because several members from the church went with us and we served together. It was exciting to see God working there. The wind was blowing excessively, leaving us with dirt all in our hair, ears, teeth, etc...BUT it did not keep the people from coming. We served food, gave away clothes, school supplies, and Bibles, and just had a great time talking with one another. Even in the middle of a remote village in the desert GOD IS THERE. This is a reminder that no matter where we are, or what circumstances we find ourselves in, God is always there with us.

Each morning we would spend a few hours at the nursing home in the center of the reservation. It was such a privelege to be able to talk with elders of the TO nation who had experienced and seen a different way of life than the current generation. We were told stories of past times, how things used to be on the reservation when people were dependent upon the land, and just general things - like one woman sharing of her travels from the rez, to Phoenix, to San Diego, and back to the reservation. She shared with me her life story, and I felt blessed to be able to just sit and listen to her as we worked on a doorhanger craft together. The elders especially enjoyed the presence of the children who were on the trip with us as their laughter echoed throughout the room, and they entertained by singing, dancing, and just doing what kids do. God used those children to bless others (including us on the team).

Back at the church we were involved in a couple of work projects like finishing the ramada we had begun this summer and fixing the steeple on the church. We were able to get much accomplished in a short amount of time. It was a blessing to me to see how everyone used their gifts and talents to work together to accomplish tasks, and how people were also stepping outside of their comfort zones to do something they wouldn't do on a normal basis. My favorite part of each day came when the kids got home from school and I was able to invest time in them. I have grown to love those kids over the past few years and it is always brings a smile to my face when one yells my name out to come talk to them, play a game, or even if it is just because they need a fork, seconds for dinner, or a drink. Those children are amazing kids and it blessed my heart so much to see a couple of them the last night hang around while we had worship outside. It was cold and late, yet they sat there listening as we sang praises to our Lord and shared about our week. God is indeed doing a mighty work in the desert, and I hope that some of you in the future will feel moved to go and serve even just a week of your time in that place. I promise you will be forever changed because of it. I hope you all have a blessed week!!

In Christ,
-Autumn

Save the Children!

We are familiar with the passage from James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Many of us in Birmingham are hearing weekly a full explanation of this passage in context of the entire book of James. Our hearts are touched by the pictures of children in need and the orphans around the world that have no hope. Regularly our hearts are stirred by the facts and figures that follow the tear producing photos and videos. Yet, the majority of our money and time is spent on ourselves in our own churches and our own programs.

Mission Maker magazine 2009 shares these stats:
During a 60-minute Lunch Break here is what took place around God's globe

2,738 people died from starvation
342 people died from malaria
76 mothers died from childbirth issues
9,582 babies died from induced abortion
8,898 infants and children were abandoned
4,650 rural poor people migrated to cities
$2,088,751,996 personal income was earned by church members
$2,737,851 was given to global foreign missions
$2,966,005 was embezzled by trusted church leaders
20 Christians were martyred

These stats remind me of another passage in James...anyone who has spent much time around me has heard this passage before, James 4:17 says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

We need to be motivated by the call of the Father to do what is right rather than led to an emotional response based on how my tears motivate me to give up a little of my excess. When we as the church return to the truth we already know and practice the Holiness that the Father demands, the children will be saved!

What are you doing today?

In His Grip,
JT

2010 TRIP SCHEDULE

2010 Trip Schedule


March
12-20 Outreach & Work Crew AZ
13-20 Outreach & Orphan Care GUA

April
3-10 Outreach & Work Crew AZ
3-10 Discovery Trip NM

May
29-5 Outreach & Youth Conference GUA
29-5 Outreach & Work Crew AZ

June
12-19 Sports Camp & VBS AZ
19-26 Crusade & VBS AZ

July
8-22 Outreach & Children’s Camp UGA
(Possible Pastor/Worship Conference)
24-31 Outreach & Orphan Care GUA

September
3-6 We R The Body Gathering TC@BH

October
1-3 Women of Faith Conference AZ
2-9 Fall Harvest Revival &
Work Crew AZ

November
6-13 Outreach & Orphan Care GUA
6-20 Africa Outreach Mission UGA

December
18-20 Project Christmas Blessing AZ / GUA
26-3 Youth Conference UGA / AZ

Back to the Truth of the Past

God our Father is calling us back to Himself!

The primary relationship we all are to focus our attention on is the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father. So many of us are very familiar with the intimate feeling we had at one time with God and His will for our lives. We can reflect on a day when it seemed like everything was just as it should be. I recall times in my life when this was the case.

I look back and see times in my life when God was very real and personal. I remember days in Canton, GA when the student ministry was working on a Judgment House event and feeling the very presence of the Lord walking the halls with us every step of planning and working. I recall nights on the streets in Philadelphia watching the Lord stir hearts of teenagers for the lost and hurting on the street of this cold and dark part of the city. I remember the experience of crusade in Arizona when 70 people were baptized in one night. I remember the excitement of sharing from village to village and hearing the response of decisions and salvation being normal and expected.

I look back even further and recall times in my life when God was so real and personal in walking the streets in Salt Lake City and sharing boldly the whole truth of His Word and watching the Word bring freedom in lives. I recall the experiences of watching mission teams walk into nursing homes in West Palm Beach and love on elderly men and women for the sake of the Gospel. I remember even further back walking the streets of Chicago with a group of fellow college students sharing the Gospel and searching for the needy and hurting. I recall visiting church after church in college and the joy one evening of stumbling into one country church north of Birmingham where God had been stirring for several weeks. I realized He did not need my words He wanted me!


Since the summer months much has been happening on the home front with admin. type work for the ministry. Yet, just in from AZ I am sensing the refreshing wind of the Spirit. God is stirring in the midst of the church. I am sure that He desires a new movement of obedience and ministry among the Body. I sense Him calling us back to a place of revival. Our need is overwhelming for a fresh encounter with the Lord. He is searching our hearts for a new avenue of commitment and obedience to once again settle on our hearts and step radically into the world.

Children all over the world are dying daily without the saving knowledge and truth of Jesus because the church is unwilling to return to the truth of the past. There was a day when the Body of Christ was willing to gather for a time of fellowship and worship without the need for any form of technology being needed. At one time we gathered for prayer meetings to actually pray. Pastors at one time were bold enough behind the cross to speak the whole truth of His Word and watch as the Spirit of God transformed lives in front of their eyes without any desire to report a number or accept any credit for the work of the Spirit.

NEW STEEPLE AT FIRST PAPAGO BAPTIST CHURCH IN SELLS, AZ

All over the world right now there are children who need to hear. All over the country there are children who are in need. Right now in your neighborhood children live in darkness. All of these children are in need of a Savior. Yet many do not know it because you and I sit at home or even in the pew at church and soak up more truth and more blessing and more hope. The whole time we are soaking, the world is seeking.

When will we go? When will YOU go? It is time we begin to walk into the communities of the world with the whole truth of God's Word on our lips and allow the Father to use us as His mouthpiece to spread His Word...GOOD NEWS...JESUS SAVES...FORGIVENESS IS FOUND IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD..THERE IS ONE WAY...JESUS IS THE CHRIST THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD AND IS ALIVE TODAY SPEAKING TO THE FATHER ON YOUR BEHALF!.

We as the body need to get back to gathering for revival and renewed commitments to His plan. We need to refresh our relationship with the Father and seek the journey many of us once were on with Him. It is time we get back to the truth of our past...


Our 2010 schedule is now available and waiting on you to join in on the journey to Reach the World and Teach the Word! Join us today!

Two Different Worlds Worshiping the Same Lord

Hey Everyone, This is Holly. When we first landed in Uganda, I knew something was completely different, I could just feel it. The initial meeting with Peter and Pheobe Sozi led me to know that we were going to be treated with the upmost hospitality. In the city of Kampala, even though there was millions of people there, we were treated with so much respect. The dirt roads in Uganda would have to be the worst roads I have ever been on in my life. Of course, out in the bush life was totally different. Instead of many buildings, cars, buda buda's, and homes... we found just about nothing except a few huts every now and then. The people that lived out there have absolutely nothing. They live off of their land and that's about it. Even still when we would go to visit some of the homes they would greet us with so much thanksgiving. Almost always saying "Mukama Yebazibwe" which means Praise the Lord. Most would go in there homes and bring out rugs for us to sit on instead of having to sit in the dirt as well as others would invite us inside. The school that we served at for a few days was almost like an oasis in the bush. We found that some of the children had to walk 8 miles + (one way) every day just to come to school and then would have to leave by 4:00 in order to get home by dark. Even though, these children live such hard lives they still praise our Lord and Savior. At this school, these children are taught the love of our Father and His presence is evident among them. This is only the beginning of what an organization called Divine Care Ministries does. While we were in Uganda we were able to see of course the primary school but also the secondary school. At this school, 34 of the Divine Care Sponsored Students are boarding there. This was so great to see because it just helped to show how the money we give to sponsor children really helps them to get an education. We also were able to meet with a group to the College age that were Divine Students. We met one afternoon and had a time where we shared with each other what God was doing in our lives and prayer request. This meant so much to me because it let me know that even though we are on totally opposite ends of the world we still have the same hopes and dreams, we still go through the same hardships.. even though they may be different circumstances, they are still struggles of the heart and most importantly we worship the same Lord and Savior!! Another thing that really sticks out to me is Sunday morning worship services. One imparticular sticks out to me the most. It was the 2nd Sunday we were there. We had Worship undernieth a giant tree at the Divine Care Farm. I could feel God's presence there all around me. Some would say, it could have been because their weren't 4 walls around me.. and well, I can't say that I wouldn't agree to some extent because God's presence was everywhere. In the people,the singing, the shouts of praises, the trees, the breeze, and even the animals. Even though a lot of the time I couldn't understand what they were saying because it was in Lugandan, it translated just fine to my heart which went to the Lord. Sometimes in America we like to put up a mask and won't give everything we have to our Lord.. not in Uganda!! There is no such thing is a "mask". When Autumn and I were leading worship that morning, there was NOTHING there to hold me back from my Lord. I could have stayed right there in that exact place with God forever and would have been happy. All of this to say is that it is such an encouragement knowing that there are other people on the other side of the world praising the same God we do over here. We should take note to not only praise God in the Church, but to praise Him in our schools, in the office, on the streets, in our homes.. EVERYWHERE!! Because God is at work all around us. We just have to join Him!! "Mukama Yebazibwe" Praise the Lord!!!

Day 4 back home

Hey everyone this is Adam. We were asked to write an entry if we wanted to so I had a few minutes and thought I would give this a go. First of all having signed up late for this trip I was so unaware of the talent this group had. It seemed while we were in Uganda there was no task to big or too small for the group. Kelly helping with web design, Michael fixing computers, fixing the accounting part of Divine Care at one point I seriously thought the dude was going to take over the entire office!!! But it was awesome to see, Matthew holding Q and A sessions, and in one of those sessions Autumn showed she had serious talent when she did something no one else could getting stuck in the desk and causing a scene. Drew and Kelly being stretched to their limits in the clinic but able to do everything asked of them. The list goes on and on and it does that for every member of the team, kids being drawn to Autumn, Holly, Brittney and Lacey, Holly and Autumn rocking our socks off during worship and at one point there was confusion during the soccer game when what looked like pele and David Beckham turned out to be Matthew and me teaming up for a goal, who would have thought it out of two American Football players? I say all that because God brought each of us together to bring glory to his name in Uganda, each person brought so many talents to the table and those talents were turned over to God so he could use them.
You always wonder what it will be like once you get there, you always wonder how God will change your heart once you seperate yourself from the world you know, but I tell you I dont think anyone could have envisioned the reception we received at the school, 760 kids clapping and singing to you, some orphans, some being cared for by an elderly grandmother, they sang their hearts out for us, they had been standing there waiting for hours on us to arrive so at that point I thanked God for the heart of a child and I also thanked him for the man who invinted sunglasses to cover the overwhelming amount of emotion pouring out of all our eyes. I dont think even the most callused heart would stand a chance. Over the course of that week it didnt matter that we were missing our flat screen televisions or favorite shows, or that we werent sleeping in air conditioned rooms, that we couldnt ride to Outback Steakhouse in five minutes whatever your creature comfort was it didnt matter, what mattered is that we were surrounded by God, we were surrounded by smiling faces that just wanted to touch our hand, that just wanted to feel the slightest bit of love, and most for the first time ever. No amount of pictures or videos or sob stories can express the raw emotion from each child we experienced. Watching one kid on the last day be speechless with tears rolling down his cheek because we were leaving most of us not knowing what to do J.T. picks him up in his big arms and holds him tight. Later to find out that the child was beaten by his parents and left in the bush of Africa and found his way to the school.
As we walked on the dirt roads of Uganda I couldnt help but think about those people that challange the bible has no relevance to "the modern world" I would like for them to step out from behind the things they fill their lives with and walk these roads with me. See if they cant feel the parables that Jesus taught in come alive. One that comes to mind is the parable of the sower found 3 times in the new testament matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:1-15, as we walked you saw each kind of soil mentioned, and then you also saw where one field was yielding a huge crop of potatoes, or was overflowing with Bananna Trees, and others suffered because of where the seed fell. The bible became alive in a completely new and real way!!! It made me daydream back to days when Jesus would walk on roads just like this with followers around him just teaching away and how I would love to soak up that wisdom. I know I am blabbing on and on here so I will cut myself off here but this is really just a short mention of what happened on this trip, God revealed himself to us in so many different way that I could probably write for hours and hours on end, but I will spare everyone that for sake of your sanity and I probably have a sleeping audience by this time anyway. I will finish by saying Peter and Phoebe have an amazing ministry at work in Uganda and it is because of their endless pursuit of God and I just want to ask for everyone to continue to pray for how God is using them, pray that their hearts remain strong with the challanges they will face. I also want to say I am in constant prayer for our team because they mean the world to me and I know because of this trip God will use them in mighty ways wherever they are or wherever they will go. May God continue to shine on all of us and may we bring ourselves as an offering to him. Thanks.

Kampala

Monday, July 27, 2009


·They have led a youth rally over the weekend and had several decisions.

·They worshipped with the African church twice yesterday and saw
God’s hand all over it.

·Tomorrow they will be working with college students in Kampala.

·Michael and Kelly have been a tremendous asset to the office staff. They have cleaned up their computers, set up new email addresses, added pages to their website and set up a blog.

·The team is working with Save the Street Children in Kampala today. These are children who have no homes and would literally be sleeping on the streets if it were not for this ministry. Visit their site at www.save-streetchildren-uganda.com for a little insight into what they do. Be sure to read “A Child’s Story.”

·The group was able to meet with many pastors from the area. These pastors work secular jobs in order to provide for members of their congregations. They receive little support from their churches but are giving their lives to show the glory of Christ to the nations!

Hopefully, we’ll hear more details from them later today. They have been overwhelmed with ministry all weekend and are excited about all that God is doing to show Himself glorious!

Saying Goodbye to the school.....

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The team is doing great. They just finished their last day at the school, and they are returning to Kampala for work in the city tomorrow. When the kids found out it was their last day, they started crying. There is one boy there who was having a difficult time parting with the team. He was beaten by his parents and left in the bush to die. He found his way to the school and has been there ever since.

Brittney has become close to several students who are pleading with her to stay and teach. Michael gave away his shoes today to a kid who had no shoes. Matthew has been spending a lot of time with teachers showing them how to teach. Kelly has been helping in the clinic which is way out of her comfort zone but is a life-changing experience. Drew has been working with the doctor and nurse in the clinic. He has assisted with several procedures which is a great learning tool for him! Autumn has been accompanying Holly in leading worship and has been playing with kids! Holly is teaching songs to the teachers and kids and leading worship. Lacey definitely feels better and has been in her element loving on kids every day! Adam has become close to several of the older boys who needed someone to mentor them. Boys without a father can identify with Adam who lost his dad several years ago.

The team prayerfully decided to buy a motorcycle for the school. The schoolmaster nor any of the teachers nor anyone at the school has any mode of transportation. Only Peter and Phoebe have a van and they are not at the school every day (they run a couple of orphanages in addition to several churches and have their own business). The nearest store to buy food is over 5 miles away. So, this will be a great tool for the school! In addition, the team is purchasing new drums for the school because all of their drums (that they use daily) are extremely worn.

The team was able to take pictures of the kids who board at the school today who still need sponsors. Sponsorships enable children to continue to board at the school and not have to walk 12+ miles each day (one way) home. We will post those on our website when they return.

They are all going to a game park tomorrow that is close by. They are loving life in Africa and are seeing God is marvelous ways!

Sickness, home visits and... a dowry?

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Today’s update is a little shorter as the phone call was a short one. Lacey is still sick to her stomach…she took Cipro and that seems to have helped. She was feeling better today (this evening by their time). The soccer match was a blowout, as the team expected. However, our team scored two points, thanks to Matthew! Way to go Matthew!

The team was utterly exhausted today and worn out. But, God is sustaining them. They took some time today to go visit homes where the children (who are not boarded at the school) live. The children walk from their homes daily to the school for their education. The children leave the school at 4:00 pm just to make sure they get home before dark….that’s at least 12 miles if not more. One way. What a sacrifice.

While they were visiting homes, an older gentleman spoke to JT in his tribal language. Peter was there to translate the conversation. Basically, the old man had seen Autumn and wanted her to stay with him. So, he offered JT several cattle…apparently, he kept “upping his bid” to get Autumn. JT refused but did find it humorous. I think Charles and Anita will be glad that he declined such an offer.

Tomorrow is a big day of teaching for all of them so please continue to pray that God would give them strength, endurance and wisdom!

Our God is an AWESOME God!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Good afternoon everyone! What a day the team has had today! As they drove up to the school in the village, 670 kids were standing outside all lined up. The kids were chanting and singing praise to God for the team. Apparently, the team was overwhelmed with God’s loving-kindness and the generosity of the school…there was not a dry eye in the group.

Over the next several days, each team member was given an assignment by Phoebe (keep in mind that she has only known them for 2 days and we didn’t send her any information about these people prior to the trip). So, here’s the assignments:

Brittney and Michael – leading a school wide devotion each day (these are our two quietest team members and they are going to lead over 700 people in time with God every day)!!!

Autumn – teaching Kindergarten

Holly – leading a music seminar and helping lead worship at the church

Adam – leading a seminar about working in the business world (this made him laugh but God will use him to show others what that means on a daily basis)!

Lacey – will be teaching the entire preschool (she is SO excited)

Matthew – teaching the teachers of older kids

Kelly – working directly with the school staff and helping with computers/websites

Drew – working with the physician at the clinic (right next to the school)

In addition, Matthew and Adam will be leading a soccer clinic (along with other members of the team). The older kids at the school have challenged the team and staff members to a soccer match. The team is prepared to lose by a large margin! God is also allowing the team to make home visits to the homes of the kids who are boarded at the school, lead revival services and numerous other ministry opportunities. They are simply overwhelmed at the ministry already and how God has orchestrated all of this for His glory!

The Dirt Roads of Uganda....

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Good morning everyone! The team has finished a glorious morning in worship in a church in Uganda. There were about 150 people there, and over 25 decisions this morning. Praise be to our Father. JT preached the sermon, and Autumn and Holly helped lead the music. They did a great job!

The team is truly experiencing “the dirt roads of Uganda” (from the Stephen Curtis Chapman hit, “Yours”). The roads are right outside of the city and are the worst roads any of our mission teams have ever traveled. Apparently, the dirt roads of Swaziland look like interstates compared to these roads. Lacey has been carsick from the ride but seems to be improving. She is thinking of walking the rest of the time (just kidding)!

The team is going back to church tonight and is looking forward to working at the school tomorrow. Remember that they are now 8 hours ahead of us. Please continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide their every step, breath, word and action!

We have arrived!

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Good afternoon everyone! I just heard from JT and they are all safe in Uganda. It was quite cold in Johannesburg (it’s winter there) but the group was glad for the change in weather. It will be very hot in Uganda.

Praise God that all of the team is doing well, and all of their baggage arrived without any incident. Peter and Phoebe have met them at the Entebbe airport and are waiting on the transportation to arrive. The group is tired but excited to be there! They are staying at a bed and breakfast tonight in Kampala.

Everyone handled the 15 hour flight from NY well and the 5 hour flight into Uganda! Praise the Lord for His goodness to the team!

Update on the team headed for Uganda..

Saturday, July 18, 2009


Good morning everyone! The team landed safely in the Johannesburg airport this morning (at 2:45 am our time). Now, they are on board flight 160 (South African Airways) to Uganda. They will arrive today at 7:10 PM in Entebbe. To watch this aircraft, you will have to use www.flightstats.co.uk/flightstatus/flightstatusbyflight.do. Most American/Canadian sites don’t track flights overseas.

The team will be met by Peter and Phoebe Sozi of Divine Care Ministries. They are the primary missionary contacts for the team while they are in Uganda. The Sozi’s run an orphanage and a school for children. The team will stay at a bed and breakfast tonight in Kampala. Please pray that they rest well and can easily adjust to the time change.

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

Sheryl A. Turner

On the road again......

Friday, July 17, 2009

Good morning everyone!

The entire team is on their way to South Africa now. You can track their progress at this site: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/SAA204. They are scheduled to arrive at 8:50 AM (South African Standard Time). They are 7 hours ahead of us, so that will be 1:50 AM for us. I’ll send out another email when they arrive.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Sheryl A. Turner

Saying Goodbye to Arizona and Getting Ready for Uganda

Hey everyone,
I’m sad about leaving Arizona because that is my second family, but I’m excited about going to Africa. I have always wanted to go to Africa, but never thought I would be able to go. I have been preparing for this trip by getting shots :( and medication. I’ve been consistently praying for this trip. I know God has something planned for us while we are there. Just pray that our hearts and minds will be open to what God wants us to do while we are there.
Love in Christ,
Brittney

As always it seems I am late in doing things. Procrastination is a problem that I deal with daily. The instant I touched down in Baltimore it seemed as if a flood of life's problems washed over me. Things that I should have taken care of the instant I walked through the door, I put off for later. God is now pushing me and and prodding me, telling me, "You learned a lot about me and how I work, are you going to do something with that knowledge?" It has been a difficult 10 days of "home", and to a degree I felt as if I had wasted it. Please pray for in this area of my life, it does become difficult at times.

While in Arizona, God showed me a part of Himself that I have always had difficulty accepting, and that is the area of Lordship. He has shown me that His will is His work and that is the work I am to be involved in. I believe we should have goals in life things that help us drive onward, but those goals must be God-given, God ordained, or else those things will not bring Him honor. No matter what I do, want, dream, or have ambitions for, it is His will that counts. Any lowly human dreams are nothing compared to the glory that He has in store for those who make Him Lord of their lives. God does His work, but am I quiet enough to hear Him inviting me?

Michael

Just a few days until Uganda!

Hey everyone! We only have a few more days until we leave for Uganda. I am all packed and ready to head to the Turner's home this afternoon. I look forward to sweet fellowship with that precious family and with the Africa team at our meeting tonight. Since returning from Arizona I have spent A LOT of time resting up for our trip to come. It has been wonderful to spend time with my family and friends here at home. They bring such encouragement and joy to my heart!

Something I want to share because I know everyone deals with it and you might benefit from me saying so is that I have also been dealing with attacks from the enemy during these past few days. He has tried to get me distracted by becoming worried over a situation in my life and in doing so shift my focus from The One I am to be focused on. God, however, is helping me to fight off those attacks and He is reminding me that I am to PRAISE HIM. Those are the words that I kept getting from him yesterday. When we are praising our Lord it is very difficult to worry about other things and to focus on ourselves. Moving my thoughts from the thing I was worried about to praising Him made the world of difference. Another way the enemy has attacked is through my continual struggle with my sinuses...in Arizona I had little trouble, but as soon as we got back home with all of the trees & grass my allergies started going crazy. I am praying that God will help me to overcome all of these obstacles and strengthen me through them. The enemy will do anything in his power to divert our attention from God's work, but praise God that He has overcome and is King over all! "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:32-33

I am really looking forward to Uganda and the work God will do there. He goes before us and behind us. We will be there to be His hands and feet for a short time, but I know His work is ongoing! God has placed inside of me a passion for people and for the nations, and I am so thankful that He has provided this opportunity for me to be able to travel to Africa and spread His Word there. I also am excited about experiencing an African worship service! :) Thank you again for your prayers for our team! I believe that praying for someone is the most powerful thing we can do for a person. I hope you have a blessed day!

Love in Christ,
Autumn

Gearing up for Uganda

Hey everyone, Holly here!! I just wanted to fill yall in a little bit on how I personally have been preparing for our trip to Uganda in just a few days to come. Well, as you all know, I have just gotten back from working with the Tohono Od'dham people in Arizona where God is clearly at work in that nation. While going through the "Experiencing God" devotional workbook I have come to a better realization that God is always at work around us and is just waiting for us to join Him in His work. He wants to have an intimate love relationship with us that is real and personal. We just need to have the faith that God is in complete control. God has proven to me that he will provide for us and our greatest needs will be met if we fully put our trust in Him. When I first found out about this internship and the cost of the trips to both Arizona and Africa my initial thought was "there is no way this can happen" because with both my sister and I going this is an outragious amount of money. Let me tell you.. God is our Provider!! ALL of the travel expenses have been paid and the money still keeps coming. This extra money helps with all of the shots that we have to get in preparation for Africa and also all of the supplies as well. Now that I have been home from Arizona for a week I have been trying to prepare physically for the culture change to come in Uganda. Not to say that we haven't been eating properly but now we're just trying to eat as to store up enough food in case we get hungry while we're there :) haha!! and I'm trying to adjust myself to the living conditions as well, I think I might have also gone about three days without showering as to see just how it could possibly be. I'm just kidding.. I dont think it was quite 3 days. :) Well, I would ask that you would just please continue to keep us all in your prayers and we continue to go and do the work for the Kingdom of God.

Hi all!
It has been one week since we left the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation for home. Already, it weighs heavy on my heart leaving behind the people I have come to love and the place that feels like my second home. God is at work there among the nation and we are starting to see the fruit of the labor. We are reaching to new villages and returning to old ones that before did not trust us to come. We are seeing God change the hearts and lives of some that we have prayed so earnestly for. We are meeting new contacts and making new relationships, welcoming new friends into our family. We are reuniting with those from long ago and carrying on relationships built on trust alone. We are seeing how God alone can carry a family overwhelmed with grief, giving them hope of seeing their loved one once again. We see how God can take a small child and lead him to be a great young man when all is against him. We also see how He can carry our own team when we are tired, sick and weak, giving us strength to carry on His work. God is great and he is working in and around us everyday, I praise Him for all His wonderful mercies.


2 Corinthians 4:1
Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this ministry, we never give up.

I challenge you to carry it on in your own community, be on mission right where you are. We all have been given a ministry in our daily lives. God Bless.


Karen

Hello everyone! Autumn here, hoping everyone had an exciting and safe 4th of July celebration yesterday. As we are wrapping up things here in Arizona I wanted to post some thoughts on the blog. The past week we saw God doing amazing things in villages and all we had to do was look around to see what He was up to and join Him in His work! As Christians, we (you included) are so blessed that He chooses to involve us in what He is doing. I had several conversations throughout the week that all seemed to be saying the same thing...people are hungry for something. In a lost world, people are desperately seeking something to believe in, to hope for, to take hold of, and to give them purpose in life. There is no greater joy than knowing that Jesus Christ has the power to redeem this fallen world we live in and desires intimate relationships with us. That is SO amazing! Being able to share Christ's love and hope with others gives me joy and encouragement. The reason we do what we do is because He has saved us and we want others to know the power of that salvation in their lives as well.

It is monsoon season in the desert, and a massive storm came on Friday afternoon resulting in a power outage that lasted for a few hours. It was actually a blessing to me because it allowed us to have (in my opinion) one of the most intimate worship services we have had all summer. We all sat under the ramada outside the church and worshiped God in the blackness of the night. It was pure and passionate worship that seemed to allow us to just freely express ourselves to the Lord without worrying about what others were thinking about when they looked at us. It was dark and difficult to see anyone's faces...it was just "you and God." As we cried out in song and worshiped through reading Scripture and sharing about the week, I couldn't help but think about how great a testimony that was to the surrounding neighbors. Some of the children we had already taken home a little earlier made their way back over and weren't acting up or being distracting, but sat and listened. What a great glimpse at the potential the new ramada has for reaching out to the area outside the church once it is completed and they begin to have church gatherings outside from time to time. A couple of people from one of the villages, who are very dear to my heart, were there Friday night and it was a blessing for us to collectively pray over them before they returned home. I believe that if they will allow Him to work through them they will be key leaders in something major the Lord is going to do in that village.

We celebrated Independence Day yesterday by watching fireworks in Tucson and enjoying spending time together as a team before we head home to see our families for a few days prior to the Africa trip. Before signing off, I want to mention a few random things that don't really seem to fit with the rest of my post, but I just can't leave them out! :) When it poured rain (and flooded) on Friday we had a great time playing in it until some of us were met with flying pieces of cow poo. Okay, so mainly it was Holly & Michael doing the throwing & Brittney & I doing the running from it! LOL. Actually we had a really great time & laughed until we had tears pouring down our faces. Once the power went out we decided to shower outside so we shampooed our heads & cleaned up under the water spicket. Some of us agree that was the best "shower" we have had all summer!

This week was great and I have been so blessed to have spent the past month out here living with and learning from the rest of the One Way team. God has really shown Himself to me in so many ways and I am learning more each day about what it means to seek after Him and follow His ways. Going through Experiencing God has really challenged me and deepened my understanding of who God is and how I am to relate to Him. I am so thankful that JT called for us to do that study together this summer. The Africa trip is coming up soon and we are looking forward to growing more as a team, in our walk with God, and in our knowledge of who He is as we see Him working in Uganda! Thank you for your continuing prayers for us!

Help Us If You Can!

I wish I could upload pics of the ramada so you all could see. We started decking the ramada this evening and we are so close to finishing our part of the project. We will complete the decking tomorrow with a possible finishing touch of siding on the trusses to close them in. The roofing is all that will remain. This has been a huge task and God has been faithful to provide the laborers and the resources so far. We have trusted His plan for this project as we did not have any budget for this when we started. I am asking you all who are following the blog to pray with us and share with others the financial need we have remaining. We are in need of around $2200.00 to complete paying for what we as a ministry have already purchased. We stepped out on faith trusting this as God's plan and we are still trusting that His plan has His provision. if you can help or know of someone who can help please share the need with them.

Our teams have one final day in the villages and we are expecting some amazing things to happen Friday. Please pray for the teams as they will be bold with the Gospel message tomorrow and eager to see a harvest. Also please join us as we pray for several people in villages across the rez who have expressed an interest in continuing the work as a leader in those villages. Pray with us that the church will follow-up with these and house gatherings will begin soon!

As we all prepare for Independence Day please join us as we pray for the independence of many across the Tohono O'odham Nation to find Independence and freedom in Christ. The struggles are getting worse and the need for revival is huge! Pray for the Body of Christ to be the light in the darkness and the salt in this world of pain and struggle. Pray as we enter the final hours of our time here this summer for the Lord to complete our work here and start the work of the next teams as we leave the nation in the hands of the Father!

In His Grip,
JT

Hey guys!!! :}

So this week is going great. I, Brittney, am going to Santa Rosa. Yesterday we had over 31 kids and two adults. Four of the kids were saved. Today we had 30 kids. We are working on a 13 year named Kristen. She read her New testament Bible we gave her. It is great to see God working through these three weeks. I can't wait to see what will happen next. It rained a little bit last night and we interns played out in it. I also found a girl lizard and named her Spiky. This has been a wonderful three weeks. I'm going to miss it here. I can't wait for next year. I love the people here. They are like my family. Some of the children tell me they want me to take them back home. I would love to take them home. Over all things are going great. We are working hard. God is doing wonderful things here. One day this nation will fall on their knees before God and cry out his name.

Teamwork Creates Community

Today I saw some great things happen as we all worked together during this third week in AZ. The teams are doing an amazing job in the villages with Santa Rosa this week having the largest crowd. We have heard just tonight of five decisions for Christ in the villages and one on Danny Lopez's team last night after worship. God is at work here and we are rejoicing as He moves in us all.

The trusses began to go up today! We ended our three and one-half hour work day with five trusses up and a great day of teamwork. The joy is watching youth pastors from different states work together and build relationships while serving the body together. My heart was blessed today as I watched Greg Sankey set trusses with Tim and Randy, both O'odhams helping him and serving right alongside him every step of the way. The privilege to serve with some of the church members is a blessing we have longed for and now we are seeing it happen.

Tonight in worship our team led with awesome passion. Holly, Autumn, Robbie, Heather, and Alex did a great job of leading us in worship and sharing tonight. We had a great time singing reading scripture, praying all together. Karen is doing an amazing job in the kitchen keeping us well fed and under budget. It is a great joy to have Barry Coffee back out this week with us and Susie his daughter is a big help in the kitchen.

I am blessed to have such a great team around me these weeks. I am so thankful to the families who are allowing me to benefit from their young people this summer as we serve the King. I have seen so much growth in all of them and am very eager to see what the Father has in store for the remainder of the summer!

Our Biblical community is growing and I simply want to challenge you all who are reading this blog to pray with us for the Spirit to bring us together in community to experience real fellowship with each other and those around us!

Hey Everybody, Holly speaking!!! We are in the beginning of the 3rd week out here in Sells, AZ. Even though we are tired and getting a little delirious now, we are still pushing hard. This week we are in 5 villages doing VBS in the mornings: San Pedro, Santa Rosa, Covered Wells, Guvo, and Pia Oik. The teams that are out here had an over all great response on the first day in the villages. When we did debriefing tonight many of the team members were were so excited to talk about their initial thoughts and feelings about the day and also how excited they were to be out here and working in the desert. Our initial plans were to do block parties every night this week. Our plans have changed and we're still going strong to continue to put up the ramada beside the basketball court at the church. This is our first priority to get done. If this happens, then possibly at the end of the week we might have a couple of block parties. That all depends on what God has in mind. The afternoons are hot, but God has given us the strength to keep going. The rains are also starting to come in and I believe there is most likely going to be a storm tonight. There is nothing like experiencing a cool rain in the desert!

Hello all! Morgan here! As we welcome group three to the field today we find ourselves with a much smaller group of people than last week. The past week, week two, went tremendously well! We had VBS in the mornings in five villages; Choulic, Topawa, KaKa, Chui- Chu, and Gunsight. All five had wonderful outcomes and were highly successful. In the afternoons and evenings we spent time working on various tasks such as the new ramada and repairing fences. On Thursday the team split up to accomplish two tasks. The majority of us went to Topowa for a much welcomed block party. We had hamburgers and hotdogs, face painting, games, and fellowship. The other remaining few traveled with Pastor Jay Juan to Ajo to attend a candle light ceremony and wake for a young girl who was murdered unexpectedly the week before. As tragedies such as this one occur, it makes us truly thankful for all of those who are attending trips and being His hands and feet on the reservation. The three groups that were here (Grace Baptist, First Baptist of Fulton, and Bible Baptist) all had special places in our hearts. Bible Baptist being Heather's home church, Grace Baptist being Holly and Autumn's home church, and FBC Fulton being close friends of mine, we all had a terrific week serving with our friends!

This upcoming week is going to be just as great i just know! The team is eager to get out there and get VBS and block parties rolling. Every evening after VBS we will travel to specific villages and gather with the community for an evening of worship, fellowship, and fun. Block parties give us a great opportunity to build relationships in the villages!

I think that just about covers it all! I hope you all have a great week and ask that you would continue to pray for us here! Love you all :)

Tuesday, June 24 - This week

Wow! What a tiring day. We as well as the second group are physically drained by a hard day's work. We have begun to build a large ramada that the church has wanted to do for a long time. This ramada will allow the church to hold their Sunday services and larger functions outside on the church grounds. Please pray that God will provide the rest of the resources in order to complete the project. Today we ran a two-man auger, we actually used four people, to drill 14 holes 3 feet deep and boy was it difficult, like digging through concrete. While that was going on, some of the group repaired a section of fence in the back. The girls learned how to drive fencing staples as well as t-posts. And I think they showed up the boys. We will all sleep good this morning.

Since the normal crusades are not being held at this current time, we are holding nightly worship and prayer gatherings in which the Spirit of God is prodding. As the staff, we are striving and praying for God to show us some things that are becoming apparent here as well as with the lives of the teams we are working with. We are seeking to be obedient to what God wants us to do through the gathering of believers here.

Tuesday, June 24 - Forgetfulness

Well it has been awhile since we last posted something and we apologize for failing to do so.

The first group left last Saturday after an amazing week of evangelism, spiritual growth, and witnessing the awesome hand of God. A majority of the first group had never been to Sells before so it was amazing to see what God was doing in their lives. Even though they were tired after Vacation Bible School in the morning and Sports Camp in the afternoon, each team was excited to get back on the road and grab more kids. It was a wonderful week and I am happy to report that more have been added to the kingdom.

As a staff we helped manage the teams and get them prepared for the day. Brittney, Holly, Autumn went with and helped team with Camps in the afternoons. Michael stayed backed and helped to prepare for the teams as they returned.

God has moved in awesome ways stretching us, pulling us, and allowing us to experience Him in our personal lives, in biblical community, and in the world around us. Praise God!!!

This is the Day...

Greeting From the Desert!
As JT promised we are each going to try to write a little today to share with you what we have been seeing and experiencing personally. We will try to make this less confusing by telling who is writing each paragraph.
Heather- As staff, we have been studying through Experiencing God as a team, as well as reading some other books. I cannot even begin to tell you the many ways this study has been challenging the way I view God. I am finally starting to understand how God reveals Himself and His purposes, but I have been challenged because some of the methods I have used in the past to understand when God was speaking to me were completely unbiblical. For example, I have made many decisions in the past by looking at open and closed doors. I have had the mentality that if a door is open then that must be what God wants and if I am about to do something He does not want, then he will close the door in my face. However, no where in the Bible does it say God will do this for us. We must not only look at our circumstances to discern what His will is, we must spend time in his Word, prayer and seeking counsel from the church. One final quote that has stuck with me from today's study. "Planning is a tool God may lead you to use, but it must never become a substitute for trusting Him." This hit me hard because I am a planner. I feel most comfortable when there is a plan in place and I will make a plan where there is none. Over the past few months God has been showing me that I have a lack of trust in Him. I now see that part of the reason I struggle with this area is because of the fact that I am a planner. So that's just a little from my heart, what God has been teaching me in our time out here. Please Pray that He would continue to reveal Himself to me and stretch me.

Michael -
Well I'm still alive and I refuse to bow to the southern accent. It has been fun though; God is stretching in ways that I thought were impossible. Never underestimate the Father. God is showing me areas in my life that need change; areas that if not corrected will not allow me to have a wonderful relationship with Him. Definitely being pushed out of my comfort zone. Each step that I take God shows me things that need to change, things that I need to do, and people that I should interact with. At the same time God is changing me, I am also becoming increasingly sensitive to the people around me. Yesterday, a little boy named Elijah, came up to one of the groups and they invited him to have some food. He sat there and ate and drank, but the entire time he looked like he was in another world. After the group had finished eating their lunch, I could see some emotional stress from the group about leaving the boy. The entire time they were packing up to head out, Elijah sat there in his spaced out world. It was at that moment that I realized what was wrong; the poor child was high. He lives close to the church in a known drug house. It made me feel so sad, but at the same time happy that I did not grow up it such a condition. We eventually brought him into the kitchen and he became fascinated with Karen washing the dishes. Soon enough he was up to his arms in suds scrubbing away our dirty dishes. It is a shock even though I knew that this type of thing happened frequently. God is defiantly moving and he is speaking to me everyday and I am responding. Is God speaking to you're family and friends? Can you truly hear his call?
Oh, they have a lot of weird sayings in the South.

Holly- God has been working in my life in ways so far this summer that I wouldn't have even imagined. I would have initially thought that He would have shown me something new that I didn't know about the reservation, which I have learned a lot but never would I have thought that He would have spoke this way. We've been going through Experiencing God as a group and sometimes we think that we should wait until we're sure about what God is telling us to do before we do it. I know now that WHEN God speaks is the time that we should respond. Saturday night at dinner I was sitting with Pastor Jay and J.T. and a few others. Pastor Jay was talking with J.T. and he asked Him if he had anybody lined up to lead worship for the Sunday morning worship service. J.T. immediately looked at me and I said, " Why are you looking at me?" He responded in a way that really made me think about what I had just said. He started asking me questions that made my heart just ache. He said, " Now what did you say you passion was and what did you say you wanted to do for the rest of you life?" We just started joking around but deep down my mind was just a turning because I knew that God was the one who was really speaking through Jay and J.T. God had spoke and I should have immediately responded to Him. Jesus said, "consider carefully how you listen. whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him. Luke 8:5-15
I have learned that if I hear God's word and don't apply it to produce fruit in my life, even what I think I have will be taken away. I have learned that I shouldn't keep from sharing my gifts and talents because I don't want to seem to prideful because that's being disobedient to God. Anyways... That Sunday morning and night Autumn and I led worship and it was the best time I have ever had singing. God did so much with my voice that I never even thought I could do. It was a defining moment for me and I know that's what God truly wants me to do. He was just waiting for me to do it.

Brittney- I'm so happy to be here in Arizona again. This week has been wonderful. Right now we are going through Experiencing God. It has shown me things about God that I never thought about. My favorite saying in it is " The moment God speaks to you is the time he wants you to respond to him." That really hit me hard because when God tells me to do something I feel don't comfortable doing I wait to the right time to do it. I really never put that to thought. I have totally gotten out of my comfort zone while I was here and it feels great. I'm opening up to people I don't more. I know God has a plan for me and I can't wait see what God has planned for me. Praise God for his wonderful works. Please keep praying that the kids will see God working through us.

Autumn - I have really enjoyed being in Arizona this past week and am looking forward to the weeks to come. There have been some joyful reunions with friends I haven't seen in a while, but who always remain very dear to my heart, and there have been new friendships being formed everyday. God has really been teaching me more about the way he works and how we are to respond to Him. As a staff we are going through Experiencing God together this Summer and it has really altered my perspective on many things. I have learned that there are things that I need to let go of, and that I need to stop trying to do things myself...I need to just allow God to have control because he is already already doing things and I just need to listen and follow His guidance. Probably the way I have been stretched the most and had to get out of my comfort zone so far is on Sunday when I played guitar while Holly led worship. I had never played in front of more than about 10 people at a time and that was just family and a few close friends. The thought of getting up in front of the church to play terrified me. Then God reminded me that when I first started learning guitar I said I wanted to do so to use it on the mission field. Now He is giving me that opportunity and I need to embrace it. Sheryl sent some words that she had read in her Bible study that morning in Experiencing God (she is farther in the book than I am) that were exactly what I needed to hear that day. God, through Sheryl, told me...When God purposes to do something through you, it will have God sized dimensions...if it is only something you can do then God wouldn't be doing. That really helped me to let go of some of the fear I was holding onto and just allow God to work in and through me, and when I did I found great joy in being able to use a gift God has given me for Him. He is so AMAZING and beyond what our minds could ever fathom! I look forward to seeing how God continues to work through all of us this Summer to accomplish His purposes. :)

Streams In The Desert

Today streams of living water ran across the desert floor here in Arizona. Five teams made their way across the warm sandy floor of the southern Arizona Sonoran Desert to be Jesus' hands and feet to children, teenagers and adults today. Five communities were touched today with the Hope of Glory and God has begun to stir in hearts already. Vamori, Choulic, Topawa, Cowlic and Little Tucson were visited today by teams with passion and love. Our day in the villages was a great success as we saw children laugh, run, kick balls, make fish and eat snacks in the midst of a Gospel being lived out before their very eyes!

I am so thankful for the teams the Lord has led to Sells this week. The crew from Columbia Heights in Columbia, LA has done an awesome job of dealing with the flexible schedule and pouring out love on children both in the village and the church communities. Joseph Duckett, youth pastor, has stepped in to lead our worship times the past two evenings and has really led us to the feet of Jesus. Tonight I simply wanted to sit for a while and worship. However, the late hour and long day motivated me to press on with debriefing.

The Brook Hills crews we have are such a blessing as usual as we see the growth that has taken place over the past years and teams arrive on the field prepared and focused on the reaching of the world and the teaching of the Word God has blessed us this week with some awesome teams and I anticipate the Lord moving in a mighty way by week's end!

I must share with all who will read this, my greatest joy so far though is the summer staff the Father has brought together. I am so blessed to have passionate, servant leaders with me here in the desert. I am so thankful for the job of leading, serving the teams, working together to wash dishes and cook meals. I could go on and on...Pray for the interns and staff as they are being great witnesses and wonderful servants. Thank you to all of the family members who have sacrificed the summer time for these to be on the field serving! They are a testimony of the obedience and love of God they have seen and learned at home.

I will have each of them blog tomorrow and share their thoughts with you all. We will upload some pics and share with you some highlights as well. Pray with us for these five villages experiencing VBS and the three villages (Pisinemo, Hickiwan, and Menegers) having sports camps in the afternoons.

In His Grip,

JT

Arizona

Hello all! We have arrived in Arizona and are busy at work preparing our buildings for the groups. Wednesday was a lonnnng day, we left the Turner home at 4:30 am to arrive at the airport for a 6:30 am flight. After traveling all morning, we arrived in Tuscon around lunchtime and drove to Sells. We cleaned and arranged sleeping quarters into the evening. Some of the church members heard we were here and stopped by to say hello and give us hugs,we sooooo love them! This morning we got a little sleep and then started in on the rest of the preparations....cleaning bathrooms, sweeping & mopping, organizing, re-stocking paper plates, towels, cups, etc. We have readied the VBS materials, supplies, and recreation equipment to go out into the villages.There is much to do, but we are excited about our first groups arriving on Saturday. Today, one of our board members, Barry Coffey, arrived from Birmingham. He will be joining us off and on over the next 3 weeks; we are excited to have him here.