Belize Mission Trip, June 2017

Transcription

1 ...serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24 Belize Mission Trip, June Team Members Serving in in the Garifuna Village in Seine Bight E. 2nd Street Belvidere Illinois

2 Cathy Dulgar Team Leader Hi! My name is Cathy Dulgar and I am a Palm Tree. What can I say about myself... I love photography and gardening. I love my family! I love my friends! I love Jesus! I am an optimistic person that tries to spread joy wherever I go. I started working at Immanuel Lutheran Church in March My previous work experience is as a manager in banking before staying home to raise my children. I have two adult sons: Andrew (27) and Jeffrey (20). I have been happily married to my husband, Don, for 13 years. We have two pets: Roxie (11 year old black lab) and Peanut (16 year old cat). I am blessed to be part of such an amazing church family. Immanuel has been my church home since This amazing journey that God has led me on still surprises me at just about every turn. Pastor Buss had plans for me to help with Mortgage to Mission in early 2012, part of my task was to find a country to serve in that is within our hemisphere. The Lord lead Immanuel to Belize. Immanuel is a financial partner in the Belize FORO to establish the first Lutheran Church in Belize. Now.. that is thrilling! I am proud and excited to be a link for the Lord as I help each team member get to Belize and serve, love and share why we love Jesus. This will be my 9 th trip to Belize. I am honored to sit on the Board of Directors for the Belize Mission Society as Co-Chairman. I truly look forward to watching each of you grow on this journey to Belize as you see what the Lord has planned for you. Remember, you are a palm tree.

3 Jerrell Sue Dorn Hein Belize Mission Society Executive Director Sue Dorn of Arlington, TX is the executive director of Belize Mission Society, a LCMS Recognized Service Organization. It will be a pleasure to serve with the Immanuel Team again and reconnect with the mighty servants with whom God has blessed Immanuel and Belize. My goal is to help connect each team member with those we hold so dear in the Village and to make this a life changing opportunity for those who serve. Andrea Davis My name is Andrea Davis. I am married to Tony Davis and have 4 kids ages 25, 20, 16, & 10. I have been a member of Immanuel since I have taught Sunday school, helped with music camp, & VBS. I am the youth assistant for Immanuel. I have been on mission trips with our youth group to Nashville, Texas, and West Virginia. We are returning to Austin, TX in July for another mission trip. I love working with youth and children of all ages. It is exciting to see them grow closer to Christ. I developed a passion for mission work after spending a year in South America. I have done mission work in various countries. I am excited to travel to Belize for my 4 th trip to Seine Bight. The villagers are amazing and it is great to see them each year. I am excited to see the new members of our Immanuel team experience Seine Bight and grow closer to God and each other.

4 Kayla Butz Denise Wold Hello, my name is Kayla Butz and I attend Trinity Lutheran Church in Genoa. I live at home with my parents and I am the eldest of three siblings. Helping others is my passion and that is the reason I am going into nursing. I am currently in the Kishwaukee College Nursing program and I will graduate in May of I hope to be a pediatric developmental disability nurse when I officially begin my career. I have volunteered with many organizations throughout my many years in Girl Scouts and have continued my service after my time in Girl Scouts has come to an end. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, cuddling with my dogs, and traveling to new places. I have never been out of the country so this mission trip will be a new experience for me. I am more than ready to step out of my comfort zone, experience a different culture, and foster new relationships. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said, Go and make disciples of all nations. I think that this is one of the most important reasons to go on a mission trip and I am more than ready to serve Him and the people of Seine Bight. I can t wait to grow on my walk with Jesus as I meet others who share that same tie that binds us together despite our different backgrounds. Hi, my name is Denise Wold and I am new to this mission team. I plan on being a palm tree because I love to do just about anything I am asked to do! I am from Grace Lutheran Church in DeWitt, IA, which is where your DCE Josh Wold is from. And yes, I am related to him he is my nephew. I am a cosmetologist of 37 years in DeWitt. I have never been married and have no children, just many animals. My parents have a small hobby farm that I help with when I m not doing hair. We have cattle, horses, sheep, chickens, peacocks, geese, cats and a dog. I enjoy caring for the farm animals, refinishing furniture and cooking. Anything that pertains to the outdoors is also a favorite of mine, such as bicycling, kayaking, hiking, skiing, ice skating or any other sport/hobby that allows me to enjoy God s creation. I am very excited about joining Immanuel s Belize Mission Team this year. I have always wanted to go on a mission trip but could never find the right opportunity, until now. Thank you to Immanuel for allowing me to join them and letting my dream come true!!!

5 Carmella Jerrell Hein Wold Naomi Buss Hi my name is Carmella Wold and I am a member of Immanuel Lutheran. This will be my second time going on this Mission Trip to Belize. This past year, God has led me down a different career path. I am currently a District Leader and Fire Marshal for Firehouse Subs of America. I still have a passion for social work and in the near future will be taking my licensing exam. This year while in Belize, I will be facilitating an antibully program that will take place at the school. A selected group of students and their parents/guardians will be actively involved in this program. I look forward to serving the Village of Seine Bight and most of all serving our God. This year my husband, Josh Wold and I will be married for 6 years and we have a beautiful 3 year old son, Dennis who will be starting Pre-K3 at Immanuel in the Fall. I have been blessed to be part in Women s ministry by teaching Zumba one day a week. My name is Naomi Buss. I have been a member of Immanuel for 16 years and have been involved in various activities including two LCMS National Youth Gatherings, Austin, Texas mission trip, Mingo County, West Virginia mission trip, VBS Leader, and youth event volunteer. I attended Immanuel Lutheran School, preschool through eighth grade, and graduated from Rockford Lutheran High School in I currently attend Concordia University Wisconsin with a major in Lutheran Special Education and Early Childhood, and a minor in Theology. At Concordia, I am a member of Volunteer Club and Education Club. I will be rejoining the Belvidere Park District as a camp counselor for special needs participants for my 4th summer. In my free time I enjoy reading, collecting children s books and babysitting. I have always been curious about the Belize Mission Trip and this year decided to take a step out of my comfort zone and join the team. I am excited to see how God will use me and how I will learn through the experiences I encounter. I am sure I will return with my heart touched.

6 Maddy Grashorn Kristine Vandenbroek My name is Maddison Grashorn, but I go by Maddy. I am a senior at Rockford Lutheran and plan to attend Valparaiso University next fall. I am very involved in school activities including volleyball, math team, academic team, theater, National Honor Society, and so much more. I have been a member of Immanuel my whole life, and I love my youth group. With this group, I have gone to two National Youth Gatherings and on two mission trips. I have three younger siblings (two brothers and a sister), three crazy cats, and one sweet dog. I am extremely excited to go to Belize this summer. God has called me to be a palm tree and help wherever I am needed on this trip. I am going out of my comfort zone by leaving my family at home, but I could not be more excited to see what God has in store for me and the people of Belize. Hi all! Kristi Vandenbroek here. I have had the pleasure of working in Immanuel s church office as their Director of Communications and Marketing for the past 2 1/2 years. Previously, I produced the morning news for WIFR Channel 23 News in Rockford. I have a five year old son named Weston who attends Immanuel Lutheran School. It s great to have my office be right down the hall from him! In my free time, I like to play in different volleyball leagues - both indoor and sand. I played up through college and am glad happy to still be able to play. I also enjoy spending time with my son with trips to the park, the occasional weekend train trip into downtown Chicago (he loves the Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier) or watching one of those Pixar Animated movies for the 100th time. I have been a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church since I was about a freshman in high school. I have always felt the church members, pastors and employees here are genuinely caring and concerned for their congregation. For some years now, I have wanted to join Immanuel s Mission Team and I finally found the right time. Since I take care of most of the communications at Immanuel, there are a few projects each year that I do for the Belize Mission Team. One special project I enjoy doing is putting together school yearbooks for the students of Seine Bight. I love seeing all the pictures of the children enjoying school. I am very excited to meet these kids in person now. We are palm trees! - but you know that as Cathy tells us all the time!

7 Mike Jerrell Tolsma Hein Jeremy Hein Hello my name is Mike Tolsma. My greatest joy in life is my family and my faith. I have been married to my best friend Kelly Tolsma for 33 years. We are blessed with three children, Sherri, Cory and Travis. The three of them have graced us with eight grandchildren and one great grandchild. Kelly and I have attended Immanuel Lutheran Belvidere for the past five years and became members 3 ½ years ago. This is my third mission to Belize. Now that I am retired, not only will I serve the Village of Seine Bight, Belize but I will be able to serve others through Christ and be his servant to Connect People To Christ For Life. #REDEEMEDINCHRISTTOSERVEOTHERSTHROUGHHIM Hi! My name is Jeremy Hein. My usual passing the time activities include rearranging my Lego collection, playing outdoor sports, and reading books. I live on a ranch so my family and I have lots to do, and a big space to hike and ride bikes in. We have one horse and two cows, 14 ducks and an amazing cat named Toesidon. Hopefully, in the near future we will get a dog that we can hunt with. I am in about 10th grade (I m homeschooled, so my progress varies by subject), and I'm looking to take some dual credit classes at a community college. I am really looking forward to this trip to Belize and am interested in seeing what a third world country looks like. All of my siblings have gone on mission trips so I am excited to experience it for myself. I hope we can have a good time of fellowship and mission s work on the trip.

8 Jerrell Hein Nichole Seabaugh Hi, my name is Jerrell Hein. My wife Wanda and I have been married almost 35 years and have a similar history - we were raised in Christian homes, but strayed in our teens and 20 s; however, in the Lord s mercy, he called us back to Him as we began growing our family and it kept growing until we were blessed with nine children! Both Wanda and I are electrical engineers, but Wanda stayed home to school the children while I worked in the integrated circuit business in Austin, Texas. Recently, I retired from my EE career and attended the Association of Free Lutheran Churches seminary, earning a MDiv. We are now active in helping plant a church in San Marcos, Texas while I teach engineering part-time at Texas State University. We have been involved for many years with Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry that helps persecuted Christians, and also with our local pro-life center, as these two areas of ministry are close to our hearts. We have also decided to have each of our children travel overseas on mission at least once in their teen years to serve others and to see what life is like outside the bubble of the U.S. Johanna and Jeremy have reached that age, and the door has opened for the three of us to go to Belize an opportunity that we are all excited about! I like the Palm Tree analogy, and am looking forward to more practice at it. My name is Nichole Seabaugh. I have been a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church since I enjoy volunteering with Sunday School and youth ministry. I will be going to Austin this July with the high school youth on their mission trip. My husband Nate and I have been married for 15 years. We have three children Alexis (15), Evan (14), and Charlotte (10). We also have a dog named Roofus and a cat named Pumpkin. I am a stay at home mom and babysitter. I also homeschool my two younger children. I enjoy gardening, cooking, binge watching Netflix, and spending time with my family and friends. I am excited to be going on this mission trip with all of you and I can't wait to see how God will use each and every one of us to help grow His kingdom!

9 Jerrell Sue Piske Hein Johanna Hein Hello! My name is Sue Piske and I love to serve and I love to learn new things. I love people of all ages, all walks of life and even those who are not so loveable. What are some of the most important things in my life? My relationship with the Lord, my wonderful husband and family and our dog Rosie. My husband and I have been married for almost 33 years and I can truly say that he is not only my husband but my friend. We are the parents of 4 wonderful children, 3 married daughters and 1 son. We have 3 granddaughters Grace (9), Ella (5), and Ryann (2) and 1 grandson, Jackson (10 months) all of who bring great joy to my life and keep me young! I love spending time with my family and my friends. I enjoy scrapbooking, card making and reading in my spare time. I have been employed at Immanuel Lutheran Church since September of 1997 almost 20 years. Wow, how the time has flown by. My ministry passions are sharing the mercy and compassion of Jesus in our congregation and in the community. I especially enjoy serving in the Comfort Dog Ministry bringing Jesus love to those in need. I continue to grow and learn through my servant experiences. I was so excited when the opportunity to serve in Belize came together for Immanuel. God calls us to go and make disciples of all nations and we are learning to do just that thru this awesome opportunity. I feel so blessed to be part of the ministry of Immanuel. Serving alongside others and bringing the gospel to others is not work to me it s brings me great joy. My name is Johanna Hein, you can also call me JoJo, it s shorter and easier to pronounce I am sixteen, in 11th grade, and I live in the great land of Texas. I come from a large family with lots of boys and only one sister; the result is a girl who loves going outside to throw the football. My family is very German - blonde, blue eyed, and tall and I have the lovely privilege of being the shortest of them all. But, we have lots of fun together and enjoy refining our shared and sarcastic sense of humor. Like most good Texans, I have a horse. His name is Boz, and he is a quarter horse, somewhere in his late teens, brown with white blazes, and he likes running towards home and through cactus. I have also had two foster horses for the past year, Rustic, a four-year-old strawberry roan, and Wiley, a five-year-old cream, black, and white pony. If you ever want to see a real life Wild West show, just put them both in the same pasture and then run! This will be my first ever missions trip so it will be an interesting and different experience, but I am looking forward to it! I hope that I will come away from it having learned new things and having helped others.

10 Jerrell Samantha Hein Hoorelbek Sheila Morrall Hello, my name is Samantha Hoorelbek and I am a junior at Belvidere High School who is very active in school activities. I am an active member of National Honor Society, I am a 3-year varsity football cheerleader, 3-year varsity competitive cheerleader, 2017 s fall cheerleading captain, volunteer for Gigi s playhouse (which is a special needs cheerleading team), cast member of the musical A Christmas Carol, and a straight A student who took four AP courses this semester. Beyond all that, I love to serve and the church has blessed me on two amazing opportunities to go on two mission trips with the youth group in West Virginia and Austin, Texas. From seeing the smiles on the faces of the children in West Virginia to the laughs I heard from the ladies in Kentucky to the happy tears of the homeless in Austin, I can truly say I have an overall general passion and love for serving and helping others. There is no doubt in my mind that God put me on this Earth to serve the less fortunate and help others in any way possible. I have been a member of Immanuel for about 10 years and was confirmed at Immanuel in Since that time, the church and the church family has shaped me in unbelievable ways and has guided me in what I believe my true path will be. I am still trying to find out exactly who I am, and what exactly I want to do but there is no doubt in my mind that my future occupation will involve serving and helping others; it may be a school teacher or go somewhere in the medical field. I know God has my back and will lead me to serve him where I am needed. Not only has the church shaped me but so did the people He give me that I call my family. I have three siblings: Isabella Kramer (7), Emily Kramer (6), and Joseph Hoorelbek(23) and I live with my two wonderful parents, Evelina Kramer and Brian Kramer. I have a one year old dog named Riley and a 3(ish) month old hamster named Pinky. This group has always been there for me exactly when I needed it. That is exactly what I hope to be to others. I am beyond excited for what God has in store for me and I am beyond excited to have the privilege of learning about so many others. I am young and have a lot to learn but I am sure ready for anything God is willing to send me on. I am a palm tree Hello! My name is Sheila Morrall. I am extremely blessed to be a part of the Belize mission team. This will be my 5th trip to Seine Bight. I feel that I have been called to this mission and that God has been preparing me my entire life. When I look back now at things that happened to me in the past that did not go just as I had planned, I see that He was working in me and getting me ready for this exact purpose; His plan. Ask me, I will share more! I have been married to Heath Morrall for almost 21 years! We got married in June of 1996 and I started my teaching career that same year in August. I taught at BHS for 7 years and then transferred to BSMS when I had twin boys. They are now 16 years old! Heath and I also have a little girl, Josie, who is 6. Our lives are very busy with sports, scouts, church functions, and friends. Most weeks are crazy busy, but I would not want it any other way. Some things that I enjoy doing in my free time include: gardening, Zumba, traveling, and being outdoors. I look forward to returning to Belize again this June!

11 Mason Jerrell Hein Lucca Allison LaFevers My name is Mason Lucca and I have been a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Genoa, Illinois my entire life. I have always had a calling for helping people and have sought out opportunities in my community to do so such as tutoring and various projects through Trinity Lutheran Church. I am currently a senior in the nursing program at Northern Illinois University. Athletics have been a huge part of my life and they continue to be. I am a Chicago Cubs, Bulls and Bears fanatic. My hobbies include backpacking, fishing, skiing, golfing, playing pickup games of basketball and playing slow-pitch softball. I am the third of four boys in my family. This is my second trip to Belize. While on my first trip, I was privileged to meet and bond with many of the young men in Seine Bight. I look forward to continuing these relationships and growing our Faith while doing so. I could not be more excited to see what He has planned for all of us in Belize. My name is Allison LaFevers. I am a semi-retired nurse from DeWitt Iowa. I heard of your mission trip through Denise Wold and asked her to tell me when the next trip was going to happen. She said that she heard they needed a nurse, so I quickly contacted Cathy and here I am. I have been on one other mission trip and am really looking forward to this one. Everyone has been so nice and helpful. I am a widow with 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren. They are okay with me investing their inheritance on this mission. I am hopeful that this trip will become my mission home.

12 Marilyn Jerrell Hein Lemke Heather Lopez My name is Marilyn Lemke and I am a semiretired teacher. The person in the picture with me is Bill. We have known each other since we were 15 years old and have been together for 15 years now. This picture was taken recently on our trip to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I worked for 20 years in the public school system teaching high school students with learning disabilities. I retired from teaching May 2017 which only lasted 5 months. I am currently working for a Lutheran school where I live in Schaumburg, Illinois. About a month after applying to substitute teach at the Lutheran school, I received a call offering me a full-time job as a resource teacher. I have been blessed to be a part of this amazing school and church. I never knew that teaching could be this enjoyable and fulfilling until now. God brought me here for a reason and I am so blessed to be a part of the St. Peter family. My home church is still with Immanuel Lutheran in Belvidere which has been my home for over 30 years. When my children were attending Immanuel School, I was extremely active in the school and church. I drifted away from the church once the girls left home and were on their own. The past several years have brought me back to church on Sunday and a desire to be more involved. As for my family, I have 3 children, Jessica (39) and her children James (11) and Eve (6), next is Stephanie (38) and her husband Brad and their children Ty (9) and Kate (7), and last is Megan (28) and her husband Brad, no children but two big dogs. Yes we have two Brads and a Chad (Jessica s boyfriend); it gets very interesting when we are all together. My children are used to me traveling all over the place and not being home in the summer. I was fortunate to travel with a student study abroad program for 9 years and I have been to many countries. I have been contemplating about going on the mission trip to Belize for several years now. I felt as if I had nothing to offer and a fear of having to open up and express my faith verbally. This is still hard for me originally coming from a strict Catholic background, it was just different. If there is one thing I learned working at a Lutheran school is that it isn t about the eloquence or how you express your faith just that your faith is there in which ever modality it takes. Mine is more quiet and subtle. I am looking forward to this journey God has led me to and pray that I am able to fulfill his plan for me in Belize. My name is Heather Lopez. My husband, Manny, and I came to Belvidere to raise our family almost 25 years ago. I was pregnant with our daughter, Rebecca (24, married to Kevin) when we moved here. We have a son, Alex (18). We chose Immanuel as our church family once we got settled. I have watched both my children, and Immanuel, grow in so many ways. I continue to grow in my faith by attending several weekly Bible studies and going to church regularly. I have served God at Immanuel in many ways over the years, often in the craft area, such as for VBS and our group Crafty Christians, teaching rubber stamping/card making. I have wanted to go on a mission trip since I was a little girl; from the moment my mom said, there are starving children in Africa. I was never able to go on this trip before because 10 years ago my husband suffered a brain injury and needed my regular care. He is doing much better now, and our children are grown. The time is finally right in my life for me to be able to fulfill this dream. I look forward to being a part of this mission team and serving the people of Seine Bight. I am excited to see what God has planned for me there.