Shalom Ministries REPORT FROM FPC New Smyrna Beach

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Archibald Ramsey
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Rebecca Payton <rep723@gmail.com> To: Rebecca Payton Fwd: Shalom Ministries May 14, 2013 10:26 AM Sent from my iphone Begin forwarded message: From: Shalom Ministries <wilson96@turbonett.com.ni> Date: May 11, 2013, 2:40:06 PM EDT To: rep723@gmail.

1 Rebecca Payton To: Rebecca Payton Fwd: Shalom Ministries May 14, :26 AM Sent from my iphone Begin forwarded message: From: Shalom Ministries Date: May 11, 2013, 2:40:06 PM EDT To: Subject: Shalom Ministries Reply-To: MARCH 2013 Shalom Ministries REPORT FROM FPC New Smyrna Beach Our mission team of 11 people spent 10 days in Nicaragua during February, Our church has supported the Shalom Mission of Emerson and Martina Wilson for many years, and this is our third visit to Esteli, their home city. Our primary work project was to paint the outside walls and to paint several murals at the Tony Flauto Christian Academy, a Christian preschool that we broke ground on during our visit in June, We also painted the exterior front of the church building, led two Vacation Bible School events, and a full day women's retreat. We had time for fellowship with the local congregation, and spent two days enjoying tourist activities before returning to New Smyrna Beach. We renewed friendships that were made on our previous visits, and made many new friends. The trip included many amazing experiences and our work was greatly appreciated by the people of the school and the church. We could see the hand of God guiding our visit, and would like to share our experiences with you.

Where can I start, because there is so much. I feel so blessed to live in the United States of America. We have so much and I pray this mission trip helps me to remember this.

I learned that sharing the love of Jesus is so easy with women whose hearts all full of HIS love already.

2 Where can I start, because there is so much. I feel so blessed to live in the United States of America. We have so much and I pray this mission trip helps me to remember this. My best memory is of all the little children dressed in their very finest coming to attend Vacation Bible School. I learned that sharing the love of Jesus is so easy with women whose hearts all full of HIS love already. It was also such a honor to be with the mission team on a daily basis and be able to form a friendship with them. I learned that all of us have a story to tell and that story and our love of Jesus shapes our lives and our walk. Leigh SO many meaningful experiences. First of all, I had never been on a mission trip. We were well prepared and the philosophy of Happy, healthy, rested, missionaries are good missionaries. I'm not a young person and have not been before, due to thinking we would be sleeping on the ground and suffer physically. We stayed in nice hotels and ate good food. We were taught before we left how to take care of ourselves, too. This was the older (over 25) person's dream. My prayer partner is 78 and her husband 85. I would be comfortable taking them next time. I fell in love with the people we worked with and I feel like they gave to me more than I could ever do for them. With the women's retreat, I didn't realize the forgiveness of Jesus Christ was so needed, it was reflected in a young pregnant woman having a fresh start with the Lord. She s me and it warms me to know God touched her through us. The medical question time was SO good. The questions they had were valid, and the lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure were put into action right away. When I teach here, sometimes I feel like I'm just feeding a person a meal...with these folks we taught them to fish. The very next day, our wonderful food provided did not add extra salt to the meals because she learned it can drive up your blood pressure. It blew my mind that the young women didn't know some things that we take for granted (pregnancy prevention and what causes pregnancy. I love to educate and there is such a need there AND THEY WANT TO KNOW! The love I have always wanted from my daughter I found in other young women who in turn taught me how to love my daughter as she is. I have a deeper respect for my husband as a Godly man after seeing

3 how he interacted with the men there. I guess it gave all of us a chance to use our skills for the glory of God. The biggie was sharing this time with my cousins and sharing a deep spiritual bond in the Lord with them. Having communion (literally) with them and the team was so meaningful to me. The bond of sister and brotherhood because of Jesus is real. When I got home I felt as if I had left family members in Esteli. Reentry to this country was hard; but, I share all that happened with my church here and all the prayer intercessors...oh yea...i almost forgot. When we first got there, I was introduced to a woman who is a prayer warrior and on her intercessory prayer team as I am here. We understood each other and loved each other and sat on the curb at the school and prayed together (her in Spanish me in English) for the team, people, children in VBS, and worshipped together right out there under the blue sky. There is so much more. Continuing contact with the young women by is astonishing to me. I want to go back ASAP! Patty On our third trip to Esteli, I felt very comfortable-like I was returning home. The enthusiasm with which the Nicos greeted our team, was almost as great as the enthusiasm our team showed as the trip unfolded. What joy to be with our brothers and sisters on a close, regular basis, as we went through the week together. For me, personally, the highlight was the church school class I taught on Sunday morning. Several of the girls in the class had been at our women's retreat, so I knew them a bit-the others, I met that morning. The age group was 9-12 years, and I was teaching the story of Jesus calming the storm. The lesson was one I had taught in our First Pres. NSB Sunday School several weeks earlier, so I was fairly sure the kids would enjoy the lesson. What I did not expect was that the children would be so willing to pour out their fears to me, a relative stranger-and how hungry they were to know that Christ would be there to calm their 'storms'. There were tears flowing down their faces, as well as mine, as we ended the lesson in prayer.

4 Diane In our visits to Esteli, we have seen God work in grand ways. We have seen a new church founded, building a strong community of faith. We saw the pre-school that we started work on in 2011 filled with children learning reading, arithmetic and about God's love for them. But we also experienced what God can do with small things. I had thought that it would be fun to go to a soccer game, and the local professional team had a home game scheduled while we were there. When I offered that to the other members of the mission team, some were excited to go, and others were willing to tag along. Emerson asked Richard (the guitarist for the church's praise team) to go with us to help us get tickets. During a break on our first work day, we were talking about it with some of the other men, and Aldo seemed interested in coming, so I invited him to come. Of course, Aldo's girlfriend, Tania, was also invited, which then included her sister, the rest of the praise team, Don Noel and his family... We ended up with a group of about 25 who met at the hotel and walked over to the stadium together. It was a beautiful evening of fellowship with our friends, doing something that the local people enjoy. Mike Each time I consider participating in a mission trip, so many questions come to mind: why do mission at all; why in a foreign country, and a very poor 3rd world one at that; and of course the "what ifs" - my mother / husband / children need me, I'm uncomfortable or I get sick? My answer is always the same: I'm called by God to share the good news of his love for everyone. Jesus spoke often of the poor, our neighbor, and caring for others. He washed the feet of his disciples to demonstrate for them a true servant - not by position, but by choice. He gave his life that all of us can live eternally with God. With Jesus as a model for me, the decision is easy every time the opportunity arises - I choose to go, love, share, work, celebrate, and rejoice in God's beautiful creation of other lands and peoples. This mission trip was spiritual (devotions, prayers, worship, and lots of singing - in both English and Spanish!), relational (renewing old friendships and making new ones), physical (painting big walls and small pictures of children, animals, fruits, a train and letters),

small pictures of children, animals, fruits, a train and letters), meaningful (sharing our testimonies and hearing testimonies from several of the Nicaraguan women), and fun (sightseeing, laughter

5 small pictures of children, animals, fruits, a train and letters), meaningful (sharing our testimonies and hearing testimonies from several of the Nicaraguan women), and fun (sightseeing, laughter and good food - including ice cream)! Ask us about the sardines! All of our senses were in full use every day - smelling the food of the street vendors and the paint at the pre-school; hearing the church bells at 5:30 AM, the chirping of the birds, the noise of the city as the people went to work and school, and the beautiful rhythm of their language; tasting the delicious food at lunch made especially for us by one of our Nicaraguan friends; feeling the bumpiness of the brick streets and dirt roads as we rode along in a van or in the back of the pick-up truck; and seeing the little children being loved, cared for, and taught at the pre-school; and the variety of colors on the homes, buildings, and murals on the walls which brought forth the many colors of their lives! Next time there is an opportunity for a mission trip, I hope you'll join us in both sharing God's love and experiencing the omnipresence of God - just as we sang while in Nicaragua, "Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel God's mighty power and his grace. I can hear the brush of angel's wings. I see glory on each face. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place." Anne Meaningful Moments Nicaragua Mission Trip February 21-March 2, 2013 It is difficult for me to sift through the entire trip and come up with one meaningful moment that stands out above the rest. The entire trip was a meaningful moment in God's time for me here on this Earth. The time preparing for the trip was well utilized and extremely beneficial. At first I thought why so much time, and then I learned why while on the trip. Our pastor in Jacksonville recently emphasized that Christ prepared 30 years for a 3 year ministry, so a few months of preparation for a 10-day trip was not too bad. The graciousness of the Nicaraguan people was almost overwhelming to me. They shared their lives and love with us and expressed true gratitude and thankfulness

and expressed true gratitude and thankfulness for the team's work. They shared where their needs were, and were also very willing to join in the work.

6 and expressed true gratitude and thankfulness for the team's work. They shared where their needs were, and were also very willing to join in the work. It is really easy to help someone who is willing to help themselves. One moment that does stand out to me because of the message that I received was the evening walking back to the hotel from dinner in which the team saw Manuel riding his bike home through town. We invited him to join us for ice cream and he accepted the invitation. On the walk to the ice cream shop, we encountered a cousin of Manuel's who was hungry as well as "high" on drugs. He asked Manuel to buy him some food from a street vendor in which Manuel did. While talking off to the side, Manuel's cousin inquired why Manuel was always with a group of friend's from church. Their history is that they were in a gang together while in high school in which Manuel later separated himself. That evening Manuel's cousin was alone and hungry on a bench along the street, while Manuel was enjoying fellowship with the mission team. The lesson - be sure that we surround ourselves with Christian friends so that we are not found alone and be on the lookout for our family and friends to keep them from being found alone when temptations strike. The mission trip was definitely a "team" effort. The work accomplished by the team of eleven supported by FPC-NSB and the Nicaraguans could not have been done by individuals working alone. Christ's ministry on Earth was supported by a team of disciples and, though He alone paid the price of atonement for us, He has commissioned the Church to carry out His work as a team Todd Sincerely,

7 Sincerely, FPC New Smyrna Beach FOR INFORMATION ON BRINGING YOUR MISSION TEAM TO NICARAGUA PLEASE CONTACT: EMERSON WILSON APARTADO 3 ESTELI,NICARAGUA WILSON96@TURBONETT.COM.NI TOLL FREE FROM THE USA: WEB SITE: Forward this This was sent to rep723@gmail.com by wilson96@turbonett.com.ni Update Profile/ Address Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe Privacy Policy. Shalom Ministries Apartado # 3 Esteli Nicaragua

Scripture: Mark 2:18-22 Message: Party Time with Jesus February 11, 2018; Bethel CRC, Brockville, ON Pastor Jack Van de Hoef

Scripture: Mark 2:18-22 Message: Party Time with Jesus February 11, 2018; Bethel CRC, Brockville, ON Pastor Jack Van de Hoef I grew up in a fairly traditional home, with respect to matters of faith and