BUILDING CHURCHES TEACHING IN VANUATU REACHING THE HOMELESS

BUILDING CHURCHES TEACHING IN VANUATU REACHING THE HOMELESS Since 1983 Serving in over 50 countries 3rd Quarter / 2005 Waiting for You

Letter from the PRESIDENT Dear Friend of Missions: Of course I m going to eavesdrop I was standing in line at a local restaurant and overheard someone talking about her trip overseas. The mission trip changed my life They had just come back from Peru and were excited about working with the missionaries and getting a first hand look at missions they were supporting in Yurimaguas. She explained for several minutes how the trip changed her life tears were welling up as they shared. My heart leaped for joy when they mentioned Missionary Ventures. I hear this same story over and over again for twenty-five years. HOW MUCH THE SHORT- TERM MISSION TRIP CHANGED THEIR LIVES When I ask people to go on a mission trip with me sometimes I hear the following excuses: Why do I have to go? There is a mission field right in my back yard? I m not called to go to a foreign country. Isn t it dangerous? And my all time favorite: Why don t we just send the money? The last guy who told me to just send money I answered with: Ok, write out the check! He didn t give the check and he didn t go. It was just an excuse. They are all just excuses for not GOING! If you want to find purpose, joy, Kingdom activity, fruit that lasts go on a short-term mission trip. It will change your life. It will change your church fellowship. Someone will be there that needs your embrace, needs your words, needs your encouragement. They are waiting for your arrival. Go on a short-term mission trip. It will change lives YOURS and THEIRS. See you on the field Steven G. Beam President, MVI 2

Missionary Ventures International P.O. Box 593550 Orlando, FL 32859-3550 (407) 859-7322 / (407) 856-7934 F info@mvi.org President: Steven G. Beam Vice-President at Large: Luther Meier (44) 1253-727927 / lsmeier@mvi.org Missionary Ventures Australia 107 Koonung Road North Blackburn Australia 3130 (03) 9877-9500 / (03) 9877-9488 F info@mvaustralia.org ABN 59 457 658 962 Director: Phil Plowman Missionary Ventures Canada 336 Speedvale Avenue West Guelph, Ontario Canada N1H 7M7 (519) 824-9380 / (519) 824-9452 F mvcanada@mvcanada.org Director: John Verdone Missionary Ventures Latin America JBC SJO #16105 P.O. Box 28508 Miami, FL 33102 (Costa Rica) (506)268-6919 sondra@mvlatinamerica.org Director: Sondra Livermore Missionary Ventures Great Britain Suite 3 Champness Hall Drake Street, Rochdale England OL16 1PB 44(1706)639333 / 44(1706)642333 F info@mvgb.org.uk Directors: Rob & Erika Carter Missionary Ventures South Africa P.O. Box 15154 Farrarmere, Benoni 1518 SA (011) 849-7431 / (011) 425-3556 F info@mvrsa.org Director: Coralie Roets Missionary Ventures USA 5528 Commerce Drive Orlando, FL 32839 (407) 859-7322 / (407) 856-7934 F info@mvusa.org Director: Glen Dubois www.mvi.org By Mark Proffitt, MVUSA Director of Youth Ministries " YOUTH MISSIONS Can you help us?" I am asked this question quite frequently. These words are not from Christians who are looking for help in building a church building or a medical clinic. They are not the words of hungry or malnourished people in need of a feeding center. This request for help comes from men and women in Central and Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe and also from the United States. The help they are seeking is in the area of youth ministry. Statistics tell us that only 4% of teenagers are being impacted by the gospel. Teens are avoiding church like a plague. What can we do to stop this downward spiral? I have worked with youth of all ages for over twenty years. I have served as a senior pastor, a youth pastor, an evangelist, a missionary and as a Sunday School teacher. I have taught high school and middle school, and I have coached several sports teams. God has allowed me to minister to thousands of people in the United States and abroad. I do not consider myself to be an expert in the area of youth ministry but I do know that the most effective tool in reaching youth is missions. Youth group meetings are great. Bible study is necessary but in all of my experience I have found that serving in missions has a greater long-term impact on young people. Teens who serve on missions teams are more likely to become active in their churches, which leads to their remaining a part of their church when they become adults living on their own. We spend hours looking for ways to reach our youth. We try everything from games and events, to concerts and cookouts but still we are only reaching a few teens at a time. Teens find our Bible Studies boring and our discipleship classes mundane. We respond by calling our youth spoiled, lazy, underachievers. This is so far from the truth. What our youth want is an opportunity to apply what they are being taught. They want to be the hands and feet of Christ. They do want to make a difference and they will make a difference if we give them the opportunity to do so. Begin planning a mission trip now. Get your youth involved by letting them be part of the planning process. Show them how they can change the world. Missionary Ventures has several ongoing projects and upcoming trips for 2006 and 2007. I am currently looking for teams to go to Nicaragua in March 2006 during spring break to do sports evangelism. There will be a father/son trip to Nicaragua in June 2006 which will be a time of bonding and affirmation while we do construction and evangelism. Please contact me at mproffitt@ mvusa.org for more information. Let s change the world together. Short-term youth mission team from Australia ministering in Tanzania. 3

Transformed in UGANDA By Amber Russelburg, MVGreat Britain Staff Many times when people talk about missions one can almost guarantee that someone will make a comment such as, I can t go on a mission trip because I m too shy, I don t know the Bible well enough, I have nothing to give " That is such a deception from the enemy and unfortunately it keeps many people from experiencing the privilege of serving Him on a mission trip. I have been on several mission trips now, and each time I have seen God do extraordinary things through people who had at one point said some of the very things I just mentioned. On my most recent trip I again saw an incredible thing happen in the life of one of the members. Karen had for so many years wanted to go on a mission trip. Ever since a team from Brazil spoke at her church she felt the Lord calling her to go and work with children. Karen is not the most outgoing person. She is very comfortable in the background. The thought of going on a mission trip was frightening for her because she knew that she would be taken out of her comfort zone. She often said that she was not good at speaking to groups of people, which is something that most everyone has to do on a missions trip. During this trip to Uganda we visited several schools and each time a member of the team spoke. Karen had been asked to speak at an all girl s school. Most of the schools we went to had between 200-300 kids. Everyone was a little nervous standing up and speaking but Karen especially. When it finally came time for her to speak we all prayed for her and knew that she would do a great job. When we arrived at the school we were shocked because there were about 500-600 girls there. This was the biggest group so far and this was Karen s day to speak. She didn t see the crowd and say, No way, 4

I can t do this. She didn t run and hide. She got up and she gave her testimony and spoke about what a mighty God she has. It was so amazing seeing her up there. She didn t appear to be nervous at all. She spoke so well and so clearly. I felt so proud of her because I knew how hard it was. A few days later we were to go door-to-door evangelism in a village called Namulesa. I think for many, including myself, this was quite intimidating. I wondered how Karen would do. She did great. After the trip I received a letter from Karen. Here is what she said, The highlight of this trip was going door to door. The first house we called at we met a mother and daughter. As we shared the Gospel with them, they were touched and gave their lives to Jesus. The second house we visited belonged to a young single mother. After talking with her, she also gave her life to Jesus. It was awesome! When I first met Karen she was shy and reserved. During the trip I saw her transformed by her faith. She jumped out into the unknown and found God ready to use her to do great things. Karen s letter closed with this This trip was challenging and stretching, yet I ve come home with an even greater hunger for the Lord and a great desire to be bolder for him. I would encourage everyone to go on at least one missions trip. It will change your life as well as touching others. Touching others with the Love of God is what Missions is all about. The great thing is that in the process we ourselves are touched by God and changed by His great love. Top: Amber Russelburg, MVGB Staff outside Jinja, Uganda. Bottom Left: Karen teaching at a school. Right: Karen with new friends. Become a Prayer Partner with MVI If you have a heart to pray for the nations, we need your help. E-mail us at mvi@mvi.org. You will receive a monthly prayer guide to help you as you pray. In addition, as urgent requests come in from our missionaries around the world, you will receive an e-mail notification, so you can join us in prayer. 5

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By Patsy Hall, Short-Term Team Member For HIS Glory MBOLE, ZAMBIA In 2003 the Englebrechts took our team to camp several nights in the bush village of Mbole. We were the first foreign team and the spiritual ground was hard. The Senior Headman was among many saved. That church is now established and growing. Our team helped plant two more in 2004. Meeting under a tree and then in a thatched structure, Mbole now meets in a permanent building and this summer our team attended its official opening. The Chief of Choma District spoke at a formal ceremony, and even though not yet a believer, he asked Pastor Robson, the Englebrechts and MV teams to go all across his region and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. This region is bound by witchcraft and cults, but God is moving, displaying His glory. People are being saved and churches planted by Mbole believers. The Senior Headman and now the Chief have welcomed the Gospel. Mbole is no longer a dark region of Satan! Praise God! This June the team ministered in an Mbole outreach in Simunchembu village. When the team arrived to walk through the village to speak to people and invite them to the evening crusade, no one was home. Seeing the vehicle leave, they assumed they had missed our meeting, so went about their daily routine. As a result, no one was ready for the evening crusade. Only about 15-20 adults attended. The team testified and preached and every one asked Jesus to be The entire Mbole region has been impacted and changed by the Good News brought in by pastors, indigenous teams and MVI teams. Lord, including the Senior Headman! A week later, Pastor Robson came to the base to tell us he had sent a pastor to follow up with the people and many more people now know the Lord. Another church has been established! Satan tried to prevent the Gospel from reaching the people of Mbole area, but he could not stop God s plan. The entire Mbole region has been impacted and changed by the Good News brought in by pastors, indigenous teams and MVI teams. Since the end of 2003, 8-10 new churches have been planted and are growing. God is displaying His glory in Mbole! Left: Tonga woman listening to the Gospel. 7

It had been a while for the church and a first for Missionary Ventures Great Britain since a short-term missions team from Netherlee Parish Church of Scotland traveled overseas to serve. So when twelve teenagers and four adults left Scotland to minister in the inner city of Houston, Texas it was an adventure filled with anticipation and uncertainty. In many ways it was a safe trip; at least it was a trip to a country that spoke a language they could understand and the culture wasn t too far removed. It also happened because in the summer of 2004 twenty-eight young people from Clear Lake Presbyterian Church of Houston, Texas came to work with urban area churches of Glasgow, Scotland. The youth of Netherlee hosted this team and were so inspired by the dedication of these young Americans that when the invitation came to reciprocate in Houston, it could only be God s divine appointment. Events had truly come full circle. Our trip was eleven days and packed with different ministry opportunities. They worshipped in a thriving upbeat inner city church with music so loud that many wondered was this Church? They served breakfast, lunches and dinners to homeless people and made sandwiches for thousands of children whose families can t afford to feed them. They handed out water to those who were living under freeways and cared for poor children in community centers. The greatest impact on their lives was hearing from men who had lost everything through drugs and alcohol. When the youth finished a day s ministry in the recovery center, they heard these men share testimonies. Men who had lost families through death and turned to alcohol; men who grew up with the wrong crowd and God provided them a way out; men who wanted more than anything else to help others not go down the road they had traveled. The impact of these stories so touched these teenagers that it turned them towards God. Here are a few things our youth said: God taught me so much in Texas. My friends and I grew a lot stronger in our faith over the 11 days which is so cool! Another commented: Those men 8 f o r e i g n exchange By Daniel & Becky Frank, Scotland Field Reps & Middle East Field Coordinators Team preparing food for the homeless. People ministered to by the team. Heather Diamond working with the children. really inspired me they lost everything and were willing to share their story and you could see how much they wanted us to learn and not do what they had done. When the youth returned, a Mom commented regarding her daughter s experience: From the moment she stepped off the plane she has not stopped talking about all the things she did and the new friends she made. This has made a big impression on her. Throughout the trip the homeless shared the following poem: I have so much to learn and my growth is very slow, sometimes I need the mountain tops, but it s in the valleys I grow. I do not always understand why things happen as they do, but I am very sure of one thing, My Lord will see me through. My little valleys are nothing, when I picture Christ on the cross, he went through the valley of death; His victory Satan s loss. Forgive me Lord, for complaining when I m feeling so very low. Just give me a gentle reminder that it s in the valleys I grow. Continue to strengthen me, Lord, and use my life each day to share your love with others and help them find their way. Thank you for the valleys, Lord, for this one thing I know. The Mountain tops are glorious, but it s in the valleys I grow.

Vanuatu: Beyond Survival By Simon Gunn, Short-Term Team Member Afew years ago, I found myself on a flight to Vanuatu in the South Pacific. My missionary partner had already been a number of times. I wondered why I was going, and told God that He d better give me a love for the Ni Vanuatu people, because, to be honest, I personally felt nothing for the people or culture I was about to invade. I was just being obedient to God s call to use my holiday break for a short-term mission to TAFEA, the southern province of Vanuatu. The news came through that no one was prepared for our arrival, as communication had been waylaid. We went in faith anyway, knowing that one of our destinations was a little church that was one-year-old on the island of Aneityum, birthed amongst hostility from the main community. We arrived with no one to meet us and sail us to the opposite side. Our anoninity allowed those previously opposed to God get to know us and our hearts, and received us as His missionaries. The rest of the journey followed in a similar trend. The next year we held a training school in Lonamilo, with people representing most of the island s denominations attending. Their public praise was powerful, but we realised that teaching on God s grace was necessary. This was concluded with evangelistic field trips, one being to a cult that had isolated itself at that time. The following year three of us went to Sarailingi, just past Mt Yasur volcano. Each year, this terrain changes, and a hail storm had destroyed most gardens this time around. Despite this, similar training was held and people had arrived from other islands to be a part. Everyone camped around the local church building and the worship was incredible. Children danced at the first strum of praise, sleep was minimal and Holy Spirit giftings were displayed. Our team leader was received as a family member on our last night there. Last year, our plans were totally changed. The community was not quite prepared, but accommodated us without hesitation. Communication is always a problem, as many are raised speaking their local dialect, Bislama, and either English or French, with some learning many Simon Gunn and Travis Easton in Vanuatu. of the other twenty or so dialects on the island. We were received as family. What did I learn from all this? Two weeks of my life annually can make a difference. Each year sees people open up more, respecting that we ll live as them, with them. This year, we intend to take a larger group, and cover more islands, but I ll be back amongst the Tannese. Do I love them? With a passion! 9

Another Reason Why We Go By Melinda Guynn, MVUSA Team Trip Coordinator We had a plan to build buildings, but the Lord had a plan to stretch us beyond our boundaries. 10 We have made nearly a dozen shortterm mission trips to the country of Haiti, and everyone knows that Haiti is not easy. However, last year, Rex and I spent the most difficult two weeks ever on a trip to Guatemala. We joined a group of young adults from Pennsylvania to travel to Guatemala with a mission to build two churches in two separate villages. The team was cheerful, energetic and ready to begin building. It seems that we had a plan to build buildings, but the Lord had a plan to build His people. Problems began the first day that we arrived in the village. The boards that were cut for the building were cut too short. The men in the village immediately went to the forest, cut down trees and prepared boards for the walls. Each time a nail was hammered, the sap from the board would spew. Everyone was exhausted early the first day. The rain came every afternoon! Since we were sleeping in a tent, our beds were damp and cold. A good nights sleep just did not happen. The ground was red clay, so this made walking up and down the mountain slopes very slippery and extremely messy. We adjusted to the idea that we may not have the opportunity to take a shower, but on the fourth day, we found a stream of water. We had two bathing experiences during this trip. We completed construction on the first church in four days. On the day we packed our construction supplies, living quarters, food and people.it rained. When we arrived at our next village, it was raining. The area that was prepared for us to set up our tents was under water. Since our day started at 5:00 am and we arrived in the next village at 5:00 pm in the rain, it was not easy. Most of the team was ready to give up. Some were ready to cry. There were many difficult obstacles to overcome each day of this trip, but each time someone appeared to be overwhelmed, we would stop and glorify the Lord in unity. We would begin to pray, lifting our hands to the North, to the South, to the East and to the West. We would declare that land to be the Lord s land. The Spirit of the Lord would come upon each team member. We could feel joy in the midst of our pain. We were able to do things and to endure situations that we never thought possible. Our source of strength and our source of peace were not found in any tangible item. We had a plan to build buildings, but the Lord had a plan to stretch each of us beyond our boundaries. Left: Short-term team working diligently in Guatemala. Right: The completed church building.

u p d a t e NAME THE MAGAZINE: We are currently looking for a name for this magazine. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail mduford@mvi.org with your input before October 15. The person with the winning selection will receive an MVI Scholarship of $100 good towards a short-term mission trip. Leslie sharing her testimony in the Philippines. Turned Around Jill Schnacky, a short-term team member, in Uganda, Africa. H e a r t A w a k e n i n g By Glen Dubois, MVUSA Director If you have been on a short-term mission, you realize that there is something at the very core of a short-term missions trip that is hard to measure. I call it a heart awakening. Even though we travel thousand of miles it always turns out to be a journey to the center of our hearts. God has a way of breaking our hearts and putting them back together again. Every time I go, I experience a kind of purity that makes my heart thristy to love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself. This is part of God s plan to use us to reach His world and much like His word God s plan produces life and breath at least to the extent we engage our lives in according to His plan. Please, contact MVI about joining a short-term mission team or about becoming a short-term team leader. We offer training in becoming a team leader and then encourage you to train your team. Don't hesitate! You won't regret your decision to step out and make a difference by "Carrying the WORD to the world". TEAM LEADER TRAINING MVUSA will be hosting four team leader trainings a year. Our next training session will be in February 2006. If you are interested in coming, e-mail us at info@mvusa.org or call at 407-859-7322. By Jomil Edis, Field Coordinator in the Philippines Leslie is a Filipino/Australian lady. Her parents migrated to Australia in the early eigthies where she was born. She grew up in the Australian way of life. Food on the table, clothes in the closet and a family car. Before she joined a shortterm mission trip, her life was full of complaints and emptiness. Then one day she responded to the call for short-term missionaries. She did not have enough finances to join, but a church member heard this and responded. This was the start of an eye opener for Leslie. She saw the poverty and hardship of the people. And as she shared her testimony to the locals both parties were touched. She was not the same from that time on. She witnessed what little the people had compared to her. "I will never complain again to my parents about my condition, seeing what little these people have, yet they are happy and keep on working for the Lord and here I am well provided for and still not satisfied." She went back to Australia a changed person. 11

HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORTS To make a donation, go to www.mvi.org/giving.html. To join a relief team, contact MVI at info@mvi.org or 407-859-7322 Join the adventure. Join a short-term team. P.O. Box 593550 Orlando, FL 32859-3550 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Orlando, FL Permit No. 1979