Sunday morning rain is fall, well not in Arizona

Hello friends and family at home and all around the world. Today was a day of prepping for our outreach starting tomorrow. This morning we drove to Green Valley for our worship and communion service! This was a time of reflecting on what the Lord has done through the cross for us. During the end of this service a flock of sheep and two dogs came down to the area where we were worshiping. They were looking for water and it seemed they knew that we were singing and praising God. They left after we stopped singing. We thought it was funny and awesome.

Our afternoon consisted of community bonding through card games and sports. We had our first Immanuel Mission World Cup where both teams tied. The tiebreaker will happen sometime before Friday. Well I got to go, we are going to play battle-ball. Thanks for your prayers and keep praying.

Here are some pictures from yesterday traveling and some from our morning service.

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We Made It....

We currently arrived at the Mission about 30 mins ago despite a long day. Everyone is in high spirits. This day included: a minor accident (a minor fender bender with no injuries between both parties), thunderstorms, a 5 o'clock lunch at Rod's house(Devin Dodgen's brother), and a magnificent sunset. We will post more pictures and stories throughout the rest of the week. Good by and goodnight.

Day 2: On the Road Again!

The team will be leaving this morning for Immanuel Mission and should arrive there around 8-9pm tonight. Pray for them as they drive. Pictures and updates to follow.

UPDATE 1: 11:48am - The team is leaving Kingman and heading to the Rez.

Here is today's route map.

View Larger Map

Today's pictures are provided by Lauren Wallace, Kristi Shannon and Tyler Conley.

Cracker Barrel in Kingman, AZ. View Larger Map

An elephant in the clouds.

Day 1: On the Road

UPDATE: The team made it to Kingman in record time (12 hours) with no car trouble. Off to the Rez in the morning. Updates to follow.

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The team left VBC before 6:30 this morning and is making great time. Updates and pictures throughout the day.

The following pictures have been taken, and sent via cell phone, by Kristi Shannon, Lauren Wallace, Tyler Conley, Matt Howden, Nicole, Emily and Daniel Gillette.

Arizona Outreach 2010

Let the training begin. . . .

4:30 am

95 ambassadors of God shall embark upon this years Arizona Outreach

Keep us in your prayers and keep checking the blog for updates (maybe a video or 2). '


We are also showcasing our drama tomorrow night @ 9pm (Wednesday, July, 13, 2010) for everyone in the VBC family to see and we would love to see you there.

VBC in Haiti

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.

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.

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.

Haiti

On March 28, Valley Bible Church will be hosting a benefit for upcoming work projects that we will be taking part of in Haiti. The following video was shot at an orphanage in Port au Prince (PaP) on March 9, 2010. We will be helping build a new orphanage for these children as well as various homes and churches in the PaP area.

Belize '09 Wednesday (sorry for the delay, no internet!)

Today we took the day off from the Dental Clinic, work projects and the Dental/Nutrition Education to go enjoy the local waters. Steve, Chad and Michael (Chew) left early this morning to scuba dive at Laughing Bird Caye. After a 2 hour bus ride, 15 minute water taxi ride, and a 45 minute boat ride they arrived at the Caye. The guys dove to about 95 feet and saw a huge tarpin, Moray eel, crab, shrimp, 100 pound grouper, and dolphins. The rest of the team headed to the West Snake Caye, which was absolutely gorgeous, to snorkel, swim, and swing in hammocks. We also saw dolphins, along with a huge lobster and a leopard ray, and our guide found us a boa constrictor to hold and take pictures with.
Returning to Punta Gorda early afternoon, we were off to Da Wata Fountin for a time of ministry with the local kids. Some of the team shared how their relationship with Jesus has given them hope and a renewed life. Maylin treated us to a delicious home cooked meal of chicken, biscuits, potato salad, rice & beans, and carrot cake. We finished off the evening with devotionals at the hotel, a round of Apples to Apples, and an early bedtime to rest for another day of work and ministry. Pray for us to be effective these last couple days, and that we would continue to seek God for our strength, understanding and endurance.

Belize '09 Update: Thursday

It's been a great Thanksgiving day. We all agreed that it was one of the most meaningful Thanksgivings we've ever experienced. The dental team worked their longest most demanding day so far. The education team spoke at yet another school and were received so well by teachers and students alike. And the construction team has nearly completed all their projects for the week.

We still spend a lot of our time with the same group of local children--Clayton, Keith, Shadeen, Jamilla, Jameeka, Mikey, Anthony, Christian, Trevonn, Eliela, Daniel, Josephine, Ralph, John (and others that come around occasionally). Some of their stories are heartbreaking but yet they just love being near us, and soaking up our attention. There have been numerous to pray for them and talk with them about the gospel. Please pray that God will soften their hearts to really seek him and desire him as their Savior!

We actually enjoyed a turkey dinner tonight! I found a local restaurant that was serving ham, turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, rice, and even pumpkin pie (all for $6.00 per person!). The restaurant was located right on the water and we enjoyed a cool breeze while we spent the evening devotion time sharing about all for which we have to give thanks--particularly as we spend this holiday in Belize. It was a memorable night and the team was very thankful for how we've bonded as a family (Rachel, Stephanie, and Kortney actually wrote a family tree of how we would all be related if we really were--it was quite humorous). God has been so good to us--we're blessed beyond measure.

Tim

Belize '09 :Tuesday

Our days start out with wonderful breakfasts at 'The Snack Shack,' a little thatched roof 'hut' about a block away from the Caribbean. Today we were served Belizian scrambled eggs, sausage, and biscuits. Cathy, Ed, and I did devotions for the group-our topic was 'encouragement' and everyone wrote two letters of encouragement to other team members. After a short, but meaningful discussion we all split up into our groups for our daily service assignments. The education group went to another elementary school that was behind the Forest Home Dental Clinic and was once again was able to visit all the classrooms. The dental team was, as always, very busy and working hard. The work group (my group) fixed old desks that were literally falling apart at one of the schools. We started constructing a HUGE picnic table that the school children are helping us build. I can’t wait--it’s going to be great and the kids at the school will really get a lot of use out of it.

After school Children's Ministry has been going smoothly and kids are memorizing verses from Bible stories. We promised them a special prize for the efforts that we'll give out on Friday. So far they have had the verses Luke 10:27 and Genesis 1:1. Tonight we went back to Marenco’s for good ol' hamburgers and ice cream. For devotions we shared something that we've done on this outreach that we'd never experience before. I shared about using a skill saw for the first time. Then, before going to bed, a group of us played an intense game of 'Spoons.' Tomorrow the team is going to take the day off for some snorkeling with turtles and sharks while Chad, Dad, and I are going scuba diving! Thanks for all your support and encouragement. Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Michael Chew