Hello everyone. The first VBC team has arrived in Haiti (Chad Clelland, Steve Foster, Angela Fairfield, Ben Stanley and Nate Darnell). They will be working on the orphanage project and other various work projects. Check out the new website dedicated to our ongoing efforts in Haiti: www.vbcinhaiti.com
Here is the final video from the fact finding trip we took in March.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
New Mexico Outreach, Thursday.
Hey friends and family! Thanks for the comments, we loved reading them. Here's an update for y'all. The rest of Tuesday went well. We painted the church sanctuary and it looks wonderful! It was such a blessing to be able to help this church out and make their sanctuary so beautiful! After painting, we prepared for the Tuesday night service that we were leading. Dan did worship and Jill, Michael Marvive and Rachel shared their testimonies. They did such a wonderful job and a lot of people were touched by their stories. It was great to be able to spend more time with the youth that lives here.
Yesterday was Wednesday. We got to sleep in a bit, which was refreshing. Luanne worked her magic and got 100 loaves of Artisan Bread donated for us to pass out to the local community. A team of 8 of us went out to deliver bread and flyer's [talking about God being the bread of life] to houses. It was one of the most impactful experiences we all have had. All the individuals receiving the bread were incredibly grateful and it encouraged all of us. We asked everyone we came in contact name how we could be praying for them, and also prayed for many on the spot. While we were passing out bread many others stayed back at the church finishing up the painting. On Wednesday night we headed to do another outreach to the community. We drove to an apartment complex to have a carnival. Pastor Sammi [he's from England] prepared a Nigerian Stew for all of us to eat. The night consisted of music, crafts, balloon animals, face painting, and playing with children. It was incredibly fun and all of us wished we could have stayed for longer. At the end of the night while we were driving away all of the kids ran after the van. Even though we had only spent a few hours with them they were already asking when we were going to come back. After the outreach we headed to get a snack at a restaurant. After we finished eating and devotions and were heading out the door to leave, we realized that the keys had been locked in the car. The adventure of calling AAA, and waiting 40 minutes for them to arrive and unlock the van is one we will never forget. The person is to remain anonymous until further notice.
This morning we had breakfast and began to clean up the Church. We are also working on a special project to bless Luanne. She has a room at the Church that she meets in with her girls. The room was pretty run-down and plain when we arrived, so we are brightening it up. We painted the walls green and blue, got some free furniture donated, and are beautifying it like no other. Tim left around 11AM, so now is when the party begins. [just kidding :)] Tonight we will be taking 12 people out to dinner. They are all individuals that have helped us out throughout the week. This trip has be so fun and we all agree that it has gone by fast. We can't wait to get home tomorrow night and tell you all of our stories. God is doing amazing things in all our or lives. Much love from New Mexico.
P.S. Now that Tim is gone, we will be bringing home a Ferret.
Yesterday was Wednesday. We got to sleep in a bit, which was refreshing. Luanne worked her magic and got 100 loaves of Artisan Bread donated for us to pass out to the local community. A team of 8 of us went out to deliver bread and flyer's [talking about God being the bread of life] to houses. It was one of the most impactful experiences we all have had. All the individuals receiving the bread were incredibly grateful and it encouraged all of us. We asked everyone we came in contact name how we could be praying for them, and also prayed for many on the spot. While we were passing out bread many others stayed back at the church finishing up the painting. On Wednesday night we headed to do another outreach to the community. We drove to an apartment complex to have a carnival. Pastor Sammi [he's from England] prepared a Nigerian Stew for all of us to eat. The night consisted of music, crafts, balloon animals, face painting, and playing with children. It was incredibly fun and all of us wished we could have stayed for longer. At the end of the night while we were driving away all of the kids ran after the van. Even though we had only spent a few hours with them they were already asking when we were going to come back. After the outreach we headed to get a snack at a restaurant. After we finished eating and devotions and were heading out the door to leave, we realized that the keys had been locked in the car. The adventure of calling AAA, and waiting 40 minutes for them to arrive and unlock the van is one we will never forget. The person is to remain anonymous until further notice.
This morning we had breakfast and began to clean up the Church. We are also working on a special project to bless Luanne. She has a room at the Church that she meets in with her girls. The room was pretty run-down and plain when we arrived, so we are brightening it up. We painted the walls green and blue, got some free furniture donated, and are beautifying it like no other. Tim left around 11AM, so now is when the party begins. [just kidding :)] Tonight we will be taking 12 people out to dinner. They are all individuals that have helped us out throughout the week. This trip has be so fun and we all agree that it has gone by fast. We can't wait to get home tomorrow night and tell you all of our stories. God is doing amazing things in all our or lives. Much love from New Mexico.
P.S. Now that Tim is gone, we will be bringing home a Ferret.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
New Mexico Outreach 2010
Hello All! We are sorry for the delay in a update, we have just been so busy!!
We arrived in Albuquerque on Saturday Night, and had a wonderful surprise. Larisa Wagner and her mother drove from Colorado to pay us a visit! "It was one of the top 10 moments of my life" quotes Rachel Howden. We were all so excited to be able to spend some time with her. After we collected all our baggage, the group went to a Delicious restaurant to have a late night snack. There we met some local pastors and enjoyed getting to know them. We also got to catch up with Luanne. Our sleeping arrangements are split up between 3 different locations. The men are at Delano's [one of the members of the church]. Jill, Stephanie and Rachel are at Floria's Apartment [another member of the church]. Last, but not least Olivia, Whitney, and Kelsey are staying with the wonderful Luanne Henderson!
Sunday was Easter, as you all know, and we had a packed day! We woke up before the sun and headed to the church to cook pancakes for the congregation. We probably made around 200 chocolate chip, blueberry, and plain pancakes; we also prepared mounds of bacon and sausage. Then the team helped out with the childcare during the church service. It was so fun to play around with the kids! After church we had some down time, so we headed to Starbucks to have a "meeting". There we got our wonderful Easter bags and letters. THANK YOU, for all who contributed--they were lovely. :) After that we headed to Jim and Pat's home for Easter dinner. They live out in the country of New Mexico and own about 10 acres. While dinner was being prepared we spent our time gazing into the coy pond, exploring the property, playing horseshoes, being serenaded by Dan, and having photo shoots. Dinner consisted of, Ice Tea, Mashed Potatoes, Potato Salad, Ham, Turkey, Meatloaf, Cold Slaw, Easter Cookies, Cake, Fudge Brownies and much more! Post dinner we had a time to prepare our testimonies and object lessons that we will be sharing throughout the week.
Yesterday [Monday] we started the day off with a wonderful cereal and bagel breakfast. From there we went to have a tour of the ECM [Eastern Central Ministries]. A little bit of information about ECM; it is a ministry in the most run down part of town, also known as the "war zone".The area is righ along Route 66, and used to be triving. Once the interstate was created The area is 1 square mile and it is mostly run down apartment buildings. ECM is a place for after school tutoring, Bible studies, and job provision. They manufacture their own pottery where they make Ollas [pots buried to help with irrigation for plants], have dental and health clinics, gardens, and much more. It was so amazing to hear what this ministry has done throughout the past few years! We visited Casa Shalom, the housing complex that ECM has re-done and provided inexpensive condo living for 14 families. We were all blown away by the way God is working through this ministry. [They have internships and Rachel is super interested..] After that we went to lunch at the famous Frontier Restaurant, and then had a lovely walk through the University of New Mexico campus. Then we headed to Juntos, which is a children's program every Monday Night. We got to lead the children in songs, play with them, and share with them. Tim, Dan, Michael Chew, Stephanie, Kelsey, Whitney, Olivia, and Jamie all shared their object lessons and did a great job. After Juntos we ate some dinner and went to bed.
All of that brings us to today. We woke up early and came to a prayer meeting at the church, ate breakfast, and are preparing to paint the church sanctuary. Tonight we will be leading the mid-week meeting where Jill, Michael Marvive and Rachel will be sharing their testimonies. We are eating well and the food here is so delicious! Thank you for all your prayers--they are appreciated tons! We love you! :)
P.S. Ferrets are legal to have as pets here and Olivia and Rachel want to bring one home.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning O Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
We arrived in Albuquerque on Saturday Night, and had a wonderful surprise. Larisa Wagner and her mother drove from Colorado to pay us a visit! "It was one of the top 10 moments of my life" quotes Rachel Howden. We were all so excited to be able to spend some time with her. After we collected all our baggage, the group went to a Delicious restaurant to have a late night snack. There we met some local pastors and enjoyed getting to know them. We also got to catch up with Luanne. Our sleeping arrangements are split up between 3 different locations. The men are at Delano's [one of the members of the church]. Jill, Stephanie and Rachel are at Floria's Apartment [another member of the church]. Last, but not least Olivia, Whitney, and Kelsey are staying with the wonderful Luanne Henderson!
Sunday was Easter, as you all know, and we had a packed day! We woke up before the sun and headed to the church to cook pancakes for the congregation. We probably made around 200 chocolate chip, blueberry, and plain pancakes; we also prepared mounds of bacon and sausage. Then the team helped out with the childcare during the church service. It was so fun to play around with the kids! After church we had some down time, so we headed to Starbucks to have a "meeting". There we got our wonderful Easter bags and letters. THANK YOU, for all who contributed--they were lovely. :) After that we headed to Jim and Pat's home for Easter dinner. They live out in the country of New Mexico and own about 10 acres. While dinner was being prepared we spent our time gazing into the coy pond, exploring the property, playing horseshoes, being serenaded by Dan, and having photo shoots. Dinner consisted of, Ice Tea, Mashed Potatoes, Potato Salad, Ham, Turkey, Meatloaf, Cold Slaw, Easter Cookies, Cake, Fudge Brownies and much more! Post dinner we had a time to prepare our testimonies and object lessons that we will be sharing throughout the week.
Yesterday [Monday] we started the day off with a wonderful cereal and bagel breakfast. From there we went to have a tour of the ECM [Eastern Central Ministries]. A little bit of information about ECM; it is a ministry in the most run down part of town, also known as the "war zone".The area is righ along Route 66, and used to be triving. Once the interstate was created The area is 1 square mile and it is mostly run down apartment buildings. ECM is a place for after school tutoring, Bible studies, and job provision. They manufacture their own pottery where they make Ollas [pots buried to help with irrigation for plants], have dental and health clinics, gardens, and much more. It was so amazing to hear what this ministry has done throughout the past few years! We visited Casa Shalom, the housing complex that ECM has re-done and provided inexpensive condo living for 14 families. We were all blown away by the way God is working through this ministry. [They have internships and Rachel is super interested..] After that we went to lunch at the famous Frontier Restaurant, and then had a lovely walk through the University of New Mexico campus. Then we headed to Juntos, which is a children's program every Monday Night. We got to lead the children in songs, play with them, and share with them. Tim, Dan, Michael Chew, Stephanie, Kelsey, Whitney, Olivia, and Jamie all shared their object lessons and did a great job. After Juntos we ate some dinner and went to bed.
All of that brings us to today. We woke up early and came to a prayer meeting at the church, ate breakfast, and are preparing to paint the church sanctuary. Tonight we will be leading the mid-week meeting where Jill, Michael Marvive and Rachel will be sharing their testimonies. We are eating well and the food here is so delicious! Thank you for all your prayers--they are appreciated tons! We love you! :)
P.S. Ferrets are legal to have as pets here and Olivia and Rachel want to bring one home.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning O Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
