Jen here, bringing you up to date of day four and five of our South Africa missions journey. We feel truly honored to be here, partnering with Living Hope and doing the Lord's work in the Cape Town townships of Red Hill, Masiphumelele(Masi), Capricorn, Oceanview and Overcome.
The construction team continues their work at Living Way, putting doors in place for life-skill building classrooms, building an overhang for an administrative building, installing new exhaust fans into rooms to protect workers making diapers and candles for a living, among other projects. They witnessed a devastating fire in Masi from their construction site, affecting 10 or more families. Please lift those families up in prayer...their well being, health, strength and hope as they attempt to salvage what little shelter, land and belongings they had.
A few of our team members held a health care retreat today for about 22 workers from the Healthcare Center at Living Hope. They traveled to Seal Island by boat, a first boat ride for many of the workers. The time of focus on spiritual growth, prayer, team building and communication skills left the health care workers feeling refreshed and it really seemed to lift their spirits.
This was day four of five for our "Boomerang Express" (Australian Outback-themed) vacation bible school. It's been an amazing experience all around, and we feel privileged to work alongside the life skill educators that work with these kids in regular afternoon programs. Their passion for God, His word and these kids is amazing and quite inspiring. Despite the circumstances the people in these townships live in, they are filled with so much joy, love and praise for the Lord. There is no doubt God is at work here. Both kids and volunteers have come to confess their faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior this week. Even a blow-up Kangaroo, appropriately named "Joey," was able to lift the spirits of unexpecting pedestrians...draw smiles, waves and cheers...while leaning out of the passenger window of our van, as he made his way from Red Hill through Oceanview and into Masi.
Yesterday evening, we traveled into the Cape Town harbor waterfront or a relaxing evening of shopping and dining. It's quite a different experience from the areas we are working in on a daily basis. So hard to believe the amount of wealth and poverty here at the same time.
You can check out a couple more photos below. Please keep our team, the teams we're partnering with, and everyone God brings into our presence in your prayers as our missions journey wraps up in the coming days. And just continue to praise God for all he is doing here and pray that his work would only continue bringing people hope and transformation by belief in Him.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day 5 in South Africa
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Day Three
Hello!
Casey writing here. So Cape Town is more beautiful than I had imagined. I thought it would be desert like but it's not at all. I have pictures below. Today was our 2nd day of VBS or "Holiday Club" as South Africans call it, and everything is going smoothly. Everyone who has been on a mission trip out of the country always comes back and says they don't have words to describe what they've seen. I totally understand now. For once in my life, I'm speechless. You hear about poverty in Africa and you've seen pictures of it. Nothing compares to experiencing it. Unbelievable. Entire families living in a one room shack that is smaller than most of our living rooms. The children see EVERYTHING that goes on in that house. They are exposed to things that are unfathomable.
What has been so humbling is attending a church service in a township called Masiphumelele where extreme poverty surrounds and hearing the congregation praise God. A woman gave her testimony and talked about all the great things God has done for her. She has nothing!! Made me feel so ungrateful.
On a lighter note we are having such a good time here. I'm loving bonding with new people and getting to know everyone better. We laugh a lot. The Team House manager, Clynton, has quite the opinion of Americans and gives us a hard time at any chance he can, got the van stuck in the sand. Who saved the day? "Stupid American girls :)" 
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday!
Greetings,
First day of VBS and Construction is complete and it was AWESOME! The VBS crew divided up in our teams this morning and went off to each of our townships. The construction team continued their improvements and new additions at the facilities of Living Way. We concluded our evening with a well deserved South African meal and a relaxing time of fellowship as we shared our daily experiences and also shared with the group how God called all of us in His own special way for this journey. God revealed incredible things to all of us today. It is amazing the joy expressed by the kids and families considering the poverty they endure every day. We all were encouraged and blown away by the Life Skill Educators (with Living Hope)we are working with. Each and everyone of these young men and women are truly a blessing to these kids and their families and we all should praise God for these remarkable leaders. Please contiuing praying for everyone involved with this journey asking Him to continuing leading us. Praise God!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
South Africa 2009- Sunday
We have spent two days here in South Africa absorbing the beauty of this country, meeting the people we will be working with, and getting to know each other better.
Yesterday both the construction and the VBS teams spent time with the phenomenal people here at Living Hope preparing for the upcoming week.
This morning we attended two incredible church services at King of Kings Baptist in Noordhoek and at Masiphumelele Baptist in the township of Masiphumelele. Both congregations welcomed us with open arms and ushered us into the presence of the Almighty in their own unique way. We experienced worship in three languages: English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa.
This afternoon we traveled to Green Market Square, Boulder Beach (Simons Town), Cape Point, and the Cape of Good Hope. As we rode around Cape Town sightseeing our bond as a team was stregthened by our time spend together.
Tomorrow the "real" work begins. Please pray for us as the Construction Team begins their work at Living Way and the VBS team takes the love of Jesus Christ to the children in five different townships.
We are so blessed to be here. Thank you for your prayers and support.
"Makanaka"= the Lord is Great!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The 2nd Great Day of Service for 2009!!!
Saturday - September 19, 2009
Almost 900 volunteers served at locations across Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, and Spring Hill! Volunteers cleaned, painted, trimmed trees, prayerwalked, played musical instruments, fed the homeless, visited with the elderly, packed food boxes, and so much more! The rain did not keep BBC members from serving on Saturday for our second Great Day of Service for 2009! Check out these stories:
The South Campus food drive was so successful that Publix ran out of peanut butter!
The group at Brightstone went to be a blessing but said, “I personally believed our group was more blessed by the purpose of Brightstone to the mentally challenged adults and how this service has given them joy in their lives.”
1,500 boxes were packed at Feed the Children – and that was just during the morning shift!
Here’s a report from the class that served at the homes of 2 widows, “It was so cool that when each of the volunteers left their homes in Franklin and Brentwood it was pouring down rain and when we got to our locations in Nashville the rain stopped. There’s the miracle of the rain stopping and the incredible faith of everyone that volunteered to leave their homes in the rain.”
Please check out this link to see the Fox 17 report that was done on a class that held a baby shower for World Relief. http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/wztv_vid_1457.shtml
From the group that served at Carestone: “The residents especially enjoyed the kids being there. I think for all of us it was an important reminder that even simple things like playing bingo or just visiting can make someone's day!”
“To our new friends at Brentwood Baptist Church, none of this would have been accomplished without your tremendous initiative!!! You are the best!!!” From the art specialist at Kenrose Elementary after a group came and worked outdoors in the mud and rain.
THANK YOU FOR SERVING!!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Graceworks Food Drive Results!!!
Thanks to everyone who participated in Sunday’s BIG GIFT to the hungry of Williamson County.
1,994 people returned to the church in the 8 hour period to bring food.
Graceworks weighed the goods – all 24,000 pounds of it. They are eternally grateful.
Our people truly responded to the increased need in our community. Approximately 1,400 participated last year. So – we saw a 33% increase both in people involved and groceries provided.
Interesting fact – in past years, our gifts have kept the food pantry stocked well into December. However, with the increased demand, our increase in donations will still only last them TWO MONTHS. Keep Graceworks and the hungry in your prayers.
Thank you!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Stories from Brazil
Sunday was a rocky day for me. For no apparent reason my blood pressure was extremely low on the bus as we were going to church . I felt weak and spent the church service laying down in the church office. I felt bad all day. Let me add that I have never had blood pressure issues in my life. I slept very little Sunday night so I prayed essentially all night long.
I prayed that no health issues of any knid would take our focus off of what we came to Rio to do-to share the love of Christ.
I prayed that Satan would not be allowed any space3 in our week and that he would not be allowed to take away my joy. I felt that there was someone special I needed to witness to and I did not want to miss it.
The first paitent in the medical clinic was a 44 year old woman named Josefa carried in by her husband accompanied by her son. She had been wainting in line for hours and had almost passed out. She was also hyperventilating and physically distraught. Her blood pressure was 244/144. I spoke to her in a quiet voice telling her we were here because of the love of Jesus and we would take care of her and she did not need to be afraid.
We gave her a BP pill ahnd had her go lay down in a room across the hall for about an hour. When I rechecked her BP it had gone down some and she said that she felt better.
I asked her if she knew what it took to go to heaven and she answered doing good things for others and being good. I told her that I wanted to share with her about my friend Jesus. I then witnessed to her using the Evangecube.
I asked her if she was ready to accept the wonderful figt of salvation. She asked a lot of questions which I answered but then stated that she wanted to think about it. I told her that I had been praying for her since I first saw her this morning and then had my interpretor read to her my three favorite verses: John 3:16, John 16:33 and Romans 8:38-39. With tears in my eyes I told her I could not go thru life without Jesus and I wanted her to have Jesus in her life too. She then told me that she wanted to have Jesus. She and her husband Claudio and her son Claudio Jr. all prayed to receive Jesus. Tears streamed down both our cheeks - it was a glorious moment for me and an eternal moment for them.
-From Raja O'Brien
As I entered the room at th leprosy hospital there was a young lady staring at me from her bed. I walked over and began to talk with her. Ana had been in the hospital for 3 months and had been treated for over 5 years for leprosy. She has a very resistant illness. I took her hand and begin to ask her about her family. She looked at me and said that noone had been to visit her. Her family had abandoned her and the hospital administration was going to find a room for her on the grounds of the Leprosy Colony.
She said she had no one. As I leaned over her bed and held her scared hands I told her about the one who would never abandon her and loved her so very much and was preparing a home for her in a place where there would be no sicknes, pain or sorrow. Tears filled her eyes and dropped on her pillow. I asked her if she would like to meet the one who created her and loved her. She nodded her head and we prayed together..Now she has a family larger than she ever imagined!
How blessed we are to be a part what God is doing this week.
In His Blessed Service
Sharon Fairchild
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Final Thoughts from the Poland Team
Praise God for a wonderful trip and safe travel back to Nashville! We arrived back in Nashville on Sunday night about 5:30 after a trip that went better than we all could have hoped.
We finished our work in the cemetery on Friday afternoon about 1pm. The cemetery closes at 1:00 on Fridays in preparation for the Shabbot (Sabbath) services at sundown (about 8:20 at night in the summer). Our contact in the cemetery, Remiek, was very grateful for the work we did and said we did twice as much as he expected us to get done. To show his appreciation he invited us to the Shabbot service and a meal afterwards. The service was hard to follow, as it was in Hebrew, but it was still very neat to be a part of something that Jesus would have done. Its just so sad though, that they are still looking forward to the Messiah coming when He has already come. Please be in prayer for the Jews in Warsaw, as well as those around the world, who do not know Jesus as their Messiah. Pray that their eyes will be opened to see, their ears opened to hear, and their hearts opened to receiving the salvation that God has promised.
On Saturday we were tourists and took a bus to the Treblinka death camp where Jews in the Warsaw ghetto were sent to their deaths. Treblinka was only open for a little more than a year and a half, and over 800,000 Jews from Poland and surrounding countries were killed. Words cannot express the emotions that one feels while being there. Its hard to imagine standing in a place where only 70 years ago so many innocent people were murdered.
In addition to our team and the missionaries, we had 9 Poles join us for the day. Of the 9, only 2 are believers, so this was another opportunity for us to hang out and show them the love of Christ. While none of them made salvation decisions while we were there, we think that several are very close and ask you to keep them in your prayers.
Again we just want to praise God for the goodness and grace He showed us during our entire journey. To Him be the glory!
Team Polska 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Blogging from Poland...
After 3 days which included traveling, orientation, and a few history lessons we finally began our work in the cemetery, which also started with some travel (by foot and bus - this time and without jet lag), a brief orientation on what we would be doing and where we would be working, and finally another history lesson on the cemetery.
Here is a brief overview of the cemetery for those of you who are interested. The cemetery started in 1806 and has roughly 150,000 tombstones on about 80 acres of land. There are about 250,000 people buried here, the difference in tombstones and bodies being made up by several mass graves. Jews were buried here until WWII and following the war more have been buried. Many memorials have been built in remembrance of those killed during the Holocaust.
Our job this week will be to clear 10 zones which vary in size but are at least 1 acre. Clearing consists of cutting back the weeds, brush, and small trees that are covering up headstones. We are working with a Jewish man, Remiek, on a project to catalog the entire cemetery. This project has been going for 4 years and the zones we are working in are the last 10 zones to be cataloged. Thats good because the project is ending this year. Please pray that we get finished with the clearing and also for salvation for Remiek and those he works with, Alicia and Cora.
In the evenings we are meeting with Poles for the purpose of furthering the relationships that the missionaries are developing. Please pray that the Spirit will lead and guide these times and that He brings us in contact with many who need Him. Please remember: Kate, Pshimek, Maya, Max, and Wojtek (prounounced Voy-tek) who we have spent time with but don't know Jesus.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Saturday August 1 - in Poland
Thank you God for sleep! Its amazing what a good nights rest can do. After a long first day we all slept very well and feel much better.
The first thing we did today, after breakfast, was team orientation with Susan Carson and the rest of Team Warsaw. Susan spent the time telling us about the city of Warsaw and some of the do's and dont's for the week. We went over the goals of her team and the actions they are taking to reach those goals. They strongly believe in many of the things we are learning at BBC in regards to relational evangelism and meeting people where they are in their journey with God, no matter where they may be in that progression. It was great to see her heart for the people of Warsaw and the country of Poland. Please pray for us during our time here that God will use us to reach new people who are seeking to grow in their understanding of Him and the salvation offered to us through Jesus.
After orientation we went to the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising. For those of you who are not well learned in Polish history, on August 1, 1944 the underground Polish army in Warsaw revolted against the Nazi captives who had held the city captive since September of 1939. Though the effort to overthrow the Nazi's was eventually put down, the entire city of Warsaw leveled, and many soldiers as well as civilians dying, the Polish people celebrate this day as a major historical day for the country. Being that today was the 65th anniversary of the start of the Uprising, there were many people at the Museum and at 5:00pm they held a moment of silence in honor of those who died during the fighting. So it was pretty neat to be here today of all days.
Again we are very thankful that we were rested enough to enjoy the day and not get too tired. Thank you again for your continued prayer support!
Z Bogeim (Go with God),
Isaiah 52:11-12
Safe arrival in Warsaw, Poland
We arrived safely in Warsaw, Poland this afternoon at 12:30pm local time (5:30am Nashville time). We were very blessed as none of our flights were delayed enabling us to have plenty of time between flights to take our time and get to our gates, as opposed to the last 2 years when we ran around like crazy people just trying to get on our plane before it left the gate. Additionally, all of our luggage also made it safely and on time. There were two other mission teams on our flight from Charlotte to Munich, Germany making our flight a very desirable one to be on, considering the amount of prayers that had been prayed for all of our safety. Both of the other teams were headed to Romania - one building a chapel and the other doing vacation bible school
We arrived to our hotel around 2:15 and all got unpacked and showered before we went to the mall and ate dinner. From there we walked around to some of the historical spots in Warsaw -the Umslagplats where the majority of the Jews from the Warsaw ghetto boarded the train headed to the Treblinka death camp and the Monument for the Jewish Ghetto Uprising. We also went by First Baptist Church of Warsaw and then ended the night in typical fashion with a few cold tasty scoops of lody (ice cream).
Besides being exhausted from sleep deprivation all of us are doing well. I imagine we will all be in bed before 9:00 as we can barely keep our eyes open. Please pray that we all sleep well tonight and get caught up on some of the hours we missed from being on the plane. Also, pray that our bodies adjust to the time change and we are ready to do the work the Lord has called us to.
Z Bogiem (Go with God)
Team Poland
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Greetings from Hong Kong!
Hello from the Hong Kong team! We've been here since Saturday night, but internet is not free here, so we haven't been blogging. VBS is going great! We have very limited space, but lots of smiling faces eager to learn more about Jesus, which makes the space issue seem minor. Yesterday was the "ABC" day, and we have several decisions for Christ. I'm not sure of the total number yet because all those who expressed interest in talking to someone about it have not been counseled yet. About 90% of the kids are from Nepal and are considered "under privileged." They have sweet hearts, but are sometimes very fiesty! Please pray that discipline problems would be minimal these last couple of days of VBS and that God would speak to them all He wants them to hear! He has been faithful so far, and we know He'll continue until the work is done!
Jetlag and sickness is becoming an issue, so please also pray that our team would be able to finish what we started here. We are so thankful for all your prayers and hope to be able to tell all of what God has done here in Hong Kong when we return! Thanks for checking in on our team!
Jamie Lambert
Monday, July 27, 2009
Webale, Topistar
I have looked so forward to my turn to blog- and yet, I dive into this at an almost complete loss for words. If I was abundant in words, I'm positive that they would still not do the experience justice.
I was told my life was about to be changed by this journey and I couldn't grasp in what ways it might until the stories started piling up and my heart was broken-- in the best possible way.
Instead of giving you the rundown of the day- as I'm sure you have read the others and have an idea of what has gone on- I am going to take you a little further into the experience of one child I have had the great privilege to love. I think just a glimpse with me into what goes on, has gone on, and continues to go on in the lives of these children will be enough from me and mean more than any words I may have.
Topistar (pronounced more like Dopista) is a beautiful, intelligent, 12 year old girl that lives at Africa Greater Life Orphanage. 
The day that we brought beds to Africa Greater Life, I met Topistar. She was patiently waiting for me as I was walking out of the girls' dorm. When I rounded the corner, she tapped me on the shoulder to say in broken English (pretty much my favorite sound ever)... "Tonight... I get... to sleep. Thank you very much for helping us. God Bless you..." and off she went. Obviously struck by the statement, I made a mental picture of her face and went back to work.
The following day we returned to Africa Greater Life and walked with the children to their individual beds to talk with them. As I was walking down the hill toward the girls' dorm to speak with them, Topistar ran to me and grabbed my hand to show me her bed. I didn't realize until I was with her talking that she was the same girl from the previous day. Needless to say, we are new friends. :)
Today during the birthday party, Topistar ran to sit beside me and was attached to my hip for the day. When she received her bible as one of her birthday gifts, she ran back to me and wanted to read to me from it. As we read, we talked about how much God loved her and how He knew her before she was born... as soon as her birth was mentioned, Topistar's demeanor changed.
Soon enough, it was obvious that the topic bothering her was her birth and shortly thereafter a woman walked up to me and repeated "Wabale, Wabale, Wabale, Wabale..." (Lugandan for Thank You")
Topistar began to tell me that the woman was her grandmother and that her mother had died some time ago. She has been living at Africa Greater Life for years. As we spoke, I asked her if she could write her name for me. As she wrote, I asked her to tell me about her life.
The following is word for word my letter from Topistar. Hopefully it will give some insight into why my heart is broken, and yet full...
my name is Namusisi Topistar.
i am 12 years old.
my brother is called david.
my mother is died when was sick.
my father is died when bad person killed.
my mother when died i am ever so young. (**here I asked her if she felt sad sometimes...to which she wrote in response:**)
i feel bad person see me write on paper.
my father is work in police
my father is have young child the bad man came and kill father's child and father is fight with bad man
the bad man was kill my father
me and my brother david hide my father is left there.
me and david pastor is help us.
think you to help bring beds.
think you. God bless you.
I love you.
Bye Bye
I don't know that there are sufficient words to follow this up with. We discussed what she can do when she feels sad and how tightly God holds her in those times- and yet our eyes glistened and my heart broke. Topistar's story is so far from over, and I have no doubt that she is one of the committed hearts that the Lord searches all the earth for. "...He wants to make them strong."(II Chron. 16:9)
Luckily, when I leave and return to the states, although my heart will break to leave my new friends, I will have comfort in a great big God who will still be with them.
We are leaving them, but He will not... because this is so much bigger than me, and He is so much bigger than this.
Kathryn Campbell
Beds and the WHOLE village!
So today at Caring Heart started out with worship with all the children, teachers, and many people from the village. By the end of worship we were all dancing and jumping around singing "Jesus is a winner". It was precious and hysterical all at the same time. After worship we played outside with the children while waiting on the buses to bring us the beds. Two soccer balls, some jump ropes, three frisbees, and bubbles made for great fun for the almost 600 orphans.
I couldn't believe that I was playing frisbee with a group of 45 girls, and they were all getting along! At one point, I heard squealing and turned around to see all the youngest ones chasing bubbles around like they had never seen them before. It was amazing! The whole village had come today to see the beds being delivered. There were women and their babies and older men all awaiting the arrival of the beds. When the trucks pulled up with bed frames stacked way over the top, all the people began cheering and screaming. Before we unloaded all the bedframes, we had a ceremony with Pastor Paul, all the villagers, and all the orphans. We sang again and danced together. Then Pastor Paul asked the village people to bring gifts to our team in appreciation for what we were doing for them. It was very humbling to have the local women present us with banannas, avacados, sugar cane, and other fruits. Some even brought money. It was like the woman in the Bible who brought her offering to Jesus in the temple despite her poverty and need. Then they all lifted their hands up to the Lord and all prayed out loud over our team. It was so moving! After this moving ceremony, we began unloading the beds. Many hours later, more sweat than I even knew I had, and more dirty than I knew I could get, we had all the beds in the formerly large empty room where these precious children had been sleeping on the floor. How wonderful to think that tonight they can sleep off of the floor and with protection from the mosquitos. I've never seen people be more thankful and appreciative for gifts! Their sweet smiles and hugs were enough thanks for me!
One song that has been on my mind while we are hear is Steven Curtis Chapmans song "Yours". I have a brand new appreciation for these words and wanted to share them with you.
"I've walked the dirt roads of Uganda. I see the scars that war has left behind. Hope like the sun is fading. Their waiting for cure no one can find. I hear the children's voices singing of a God who heals and rescues and restores. And I'm reminded every child in Africa is YOURS"
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement on this journey! You are a part of it with us!
Rebecca
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Cutie Pie CHAOS!
Sweet sleep is in Uganda, check out what's going on there!!!
Our first full day in Uganda and what a day! We took a whirlwind tour of the city of Kampala, outlying areas, and two orphanages. It was a day filled with overwhelming experiences and images. The city is a hustling, bustling metropolis filled with merchants, storefronts, honking cars making four or more lanes on a road built for two, with bicycles and motorcycles screaming by on either side. And then there's the dichotomy of the city: people nicely dressed for the most part, all seemingly chatting on their cell phone contrasted against a backdrop of sheer poverty and need. The people are beautiful. The shiny ebony tone of their skin, their smiling eyes and welcoming voices.
We pulled up at Caring Heart this morning, the first of our two orphanages we're visiting this week, and were welcomed by a throng of children running to meet us as we pulled into their driveway. With windows down, the soft melody of a song I can only assume they made up just for us, flooded our van. "We are SO happy...so happy to see you here today...We are so happy...to see you...here today. So happy!"
After confirming with the director, we realized the sheer number of kids we were dealing with and had to reassess our game plan. For the 350 orphans we were expecting, the actual number was closer to 500-600. We spent a lot of time loving on these guys, cuddling, trying to learn names. Lugandan was overwhelming the spoken language here so we relied heavily on translators and the teachers to help us communicate. Following introductions of our team to everyone and then a song and dance program from them for us, we broke out into smaller groups. While half of the place was outside, getting fresh air and playing games, the rest stayed inside the meeting hall and worked on an arts and craft project. 
After saying our goodbyes and loading on the van, we continued on to Africa Greater Life this afternoon. Again, the welcome mat was rolled out for us in the form of tiny faces and huge smiles. At this orphanage, the number of children present met our expectations of roughly 100. They, too, took us into a meeting hall and entertained us with beautiful music and hypnotizing dances. We shared in worship and then again, broke out into smaller groups to spend time getting to know our kids. I don't think any team member walked around with a free hand or arm the entire time.
It was a long, hot, hard day but oh so rewarding. Our only prayer is that these children and the people who care for them on a daily basis will see in us - in our expense and effort to get here, in our hugs and handshakes, in our presentations and games and arts & crafts projects - that there is a God. A God who created each one special and unique. Who knows their names. Who has not forsaken them. This is just one way for Him to say "well, hi there."
-Valerie Mangrum
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Habitat Home is Dedicated
Thanks to all who volunteered in April, May & June at the building of Shantha Saragoor and her family’s home. After a beautiful dedication ceremony on June 28, Shantha Saragoor and her children moved into their new home. Shantha extends her thanks to Brentwood Baptist Church. 
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Women on Mission at Siloam!
Last week our Women on Mission group visited our Hope for the World partner, Siloam Family Health Center. BBC Member Laurie Tone blogged about the day. Visit their blog at www.siloamhealth.blogspot.com.
For more information on Siloam or our partnership with them, visit BrentwoodMissions.com.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
We are in INDIA!!!
We saw 45 patients and pulled 12 teeth today. You could see the uncertainty in the eyes of some of the people who came in. Fear of the dentist is universal! Today Dr. Larry saw a young lady named Rajena. She came in the room and sat down. Her husband was beside her and explained to Larry that she has suffered with tooth pain for 2 years. When Larry looked in her mouth one of her molars was split in half. 20 minutes later she said she felt relief for the first time in a long time!
The Sunday night service was incredible. The music, preaching, and fellowship. As I was walking down the aisle leaving the church, a man took my hand and was pointing to his eyes! I looked and saw a pair of glasses the eye team had dispenced a few months ago. He was smiling and saying thank you over and over. On Monday he was one of the first in line to have a tooth pulled. As he left the dental clinic he said over and over thank you. How happy it makes us feel when someone says thank you. I thought how much our heavenly Father longs to hear the words Thank You as well.
Tuesday's numbers
32 patients
23 teeth pulled.
Pray for us!
Sharon Fairchild
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Back from LA, Set Free ROCKS!!!
Myself, Kim Cox, Keely Boggs, and Frederick Reed just got back from a 2 fold purpose trip to Southern California.
The first was that Kairos will be working out there in July, so Keely and Kim were working out logistics and getting the lay of the land and seeing how their ministry works. While there we met Raul who ended up on Skid Row in an Escalade, with a habbit he couldn’t kick, no place to live, and worst of all no hope. He lost everything (his, job, his family, his dignity). On skid row he gave his life to Christ. He then went out to the ranch where he was offered beans and rice and Jesus Christ. Nothing else. No programs. As they say, Jesus in the morning, Jesus at noon, and Jesus in the evening – it is all about Jesus.
Now he is a new creation in Christ.
He has a job, is living in a great group home with brothers who are walking along side him and is giving back to his community – he is no longer a taker. As we were leaving I was able to pull him aside and talk to him about some next steps… I am so excited to tell you that he is now enrolled in Set Free’s Pastor School and will be trained to plant a church of his own. GO GOD!!!
The other reason we went was to begin laying the ground work for Set Free NashVegas! Over the last few months we have been strategizing with the leadership of Set Free to start Tennessee’s first Set Free Church. If all goes as planned, ours will be the first of many Set Free Churches in TN and will also serve as the flagship to the East Coast.
Set Free has identified Pastor Kenny Betzer as the man who will lead the church here. He has planted Set Free Churches before including Atlanta, which is now their biggest hub or network church aside from the “mothership” in California.
Our very own Frederick Reed feels called to be a part of the leadership of this church and will be serving with Pastor Kenny once they are here and on the ground.
Frederick leaves in a couple weeks to do an internship with them so please pray for him as he seeks to serve Christ in places most of us never could.
-Bob
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
We had a GREAT, Great Day of Service!!!
Despite the weather, we estimated over 800 people served on Saturday. A few work-sites were altered or rescheduled but everyone’s attitude was awesome.
Below are a few highlights:
A prayer group spent the day at Siloam Health Center; praying for staff and patients.
Over 60 BBC children (along with parents) sang at the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Franklin.
Over 40 from our Hispanic Ministry spent the day at Feed the Children.
At least 7 of our 12 trustees spent the day serving
Read some of the emails we recieved from people who participated in GDOS! These stories are awesome!
We had a very successful day of service at the Spring Hill Fire Station. Everyone showed up and seemed to have a good time. The firefighters had a great time with my kids and the Strother's kids. They showed them the fire trucks and ambulance. We practically had to force them to go eat lunch.
Elizabeth
I have attached two pictures of the successful door replacement this Sat. 5/2 at Laverne Holland's home on Glass St. here in Franklin. As it turned out, I knew her from previous work with Habitat for Humanity. Max, Laverne and I (George) are in the picture taken by Keith. She has put in many hours of "sweat equity" and owns one of the early HFH homes here in Franklin. Keith, of Williamson county Community Services, was most accommodating and all was ready for us to start work. I prayed this morning that the rain would hold off long enough for us to accomplish His purpose and He answered! Not a drop while we were working! Isn't He Great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
George
I just wanted you to know that we had a really great time helping out at the McIver Center today! I went with 3 of my kids, Ryan, Drew and Ellie, and I think they enjoyed helping out as well. Jan was really sweet and easy going. We spent a little over 3 hours there...cleaned 4 rooms and 3 vans...right up my alley with the mess my kids make :) I may follow up and talk to them about volunteering some more in the Fall. They have a lot of kids in the afterschool program...we will see! Stay dry!!!
Thanks, Donna
We had a wonderful morning at Glenview, helping them touch up paint in their cafeteria and in an area where students wait to get picked up in the afternoon. As you can see from the pictures, it was a true family affair. Cara (age 7), Carter (age almost 5) and Emery (age 2 1/2) all helped with the painting. We also donated 5 educational "tinkering" games that we hope they will use in their classrooms. Thank you very much for organizing this wonderful day.
Sincerely,
Becky
We had a blast today. There were baseboards cleaned, gardens weeded, hedges trimmed, and houses cleaned. There was much more done, but I can't remember all the details of what was done to the other houses for Welcome Home. This is just the ones we worked in on Saturday. Thanks for the opportunity to serve. We had about 10 from the Vicary class, and we had 4 from the Slonecker Class. We could have used 100, but somehow we still got lots done. I was covered in mud, and I totally forgot about taking pictures. I am sooooo sorry. Maybe someone else in the group took pictures.
In Christ,
Jennifer
50 - 60 volunteers showed up in the rain to work on our campus. I can speak for the group who were assigned to the commissary. 12 were led by Cris ( A Kairos volunteer). This group worked like they were going to be paid a fat bonus at the end of the day. Well, if God pays bonuses, they will have a real healthy one in the bank up in heaven. I good barely keep up with them. I'm in my 50's and most of them were in their 20's.
God bless you. And many thanks,
Lee
We had a great day helping at Feed the Children today – we packed 1300 boxes! Here are some photos of our activity.
Kathy
THANKS to Tom Shepard and the Garden Angels for ‘all” the work they did @ my house. What a blessing they were. God does provide. HE is an awesome God.
Barbara
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Living Hope Update
On April 3 Living Hope held a dedication service of the buildings funded by Brentwood Baptist Church through the most recent capital campaign. Here is what our $1.1 million US dollards provided:
- Chapel: this building seats just under 300 people; it will serve as a multi-purpose room, a place for large gatherings, funerals, etc.
- Prevention Centre: this building contains a small chapel, offices and training rooms for the 30 full-time Life Skills Educators that minister to 6,000 children per week. Our own Danielle Schneider trains these Educators.
- A new guardhouse (in South Africa – due to crime – everything is fenced and secured)
- Furnishings for both buildings
- New internal roads, curbing, landscaping, etc.
Also...Check out this link to CNN where Dana Perino discusses Living Hope and talks at length about the very bags (that provide livelihood to HIV-infected persons) that BBC are selling in the Lifeway bookstore at the Connection Center.
http://mms.tveyes.com/ExpandGuest.asp?ln=350399
And – go to www.livinghope.co.za and click on the Masi Choir link to hear Dan Haseltine from Jars of Clay singing “Lord Bless Africa” backed up by the Masi Choir. This is part of a bigger project spearheaded by our Music and Worship Minister, Dennis Worley!
And lastly, pray for Living Hope – they just received word last month that the new administration in the White House will be cutting their funding to Living Hope by 75% - or $300,000 annually as of October 1. Even so – the dedication service was a celebration and they are confident that God will provide.
-Scott
Monday, April 13, 2009
The Habitat for Humanity build in Franklin is underway!
On Saturday, April 4th we had sunny weather and amazing volunteers as we began our first day of construction on the home for Shantha Saragoor. Habitat workers and BBC volunteers worked from 7:30am till 5:30pm. It was such a joy to see the walls go up and to get the framing for the roof on. Shantha worked hard all day and found it hard to believe that it was her house that was being built. The work was hard but the blessings were numerous! Friendships were forged and it was a great time of community.
The next build date is this Saturday, April 18th. Please join us by covering Shantha’s house in prayer and by praying for the BBC volunteer workers as well.
For more information on how YOU can get invloved, visit www.brentwoodmissions.com and click on Service Opportunities and YOU too, can help Shantha build her home!!!
-Becky
Thursday, March 26, 2009
South Africa Mission Journey Returns
UPDATE: South Africa Worship Conference
The Brentwood Baptist Music & Worship Team had another amazing trip to Cape Town, South Africa! They led two days of workshops for local musicians covering topics such as songwriting, music theory, vocal performance, worship leading, worship planning, live sound, and studio production. The workshops concluded with a community concert on Saturday evening featuring the winners of the songwriting competition, other workshop participants, and the Masiphumelele Baptist Choir.
The winners were given the opportunity to record their songs in a local studio in Cape Town. The Brentwood Baptist Music & Worship Team will take the vocal tracks and produce radio-ready songs to be played on CCFM, Cape Town’s Christian radio station. The workshops and recordings are an effort to encourage and support aspiring Christian musicians and worship leaders in the Cape Town area.+
By the way... Below is the schedule for our upcoming Mission Journey meetings. Come and learn about where we are going and how you can be involved, this Sunday!
Hyderabad, India: Dental Clinic
Sunday, March 29 4:00 PM Room 1154
Missoula, MT: Family Outreach Ministries
Sunday, March 29 4:00 PM Room 2500
Hong Kong: Vacation Bible School
Sunday, March 29 4:00 PM Room 2100
Warsaw, Poland: Jewish Cemetery Repairs
Sunday, April 5 4:00 PM Room 2100
Hope For The World
Giving Goal: $1,000,000
Amount Given: $332,437.69 (as of March 22, 2009)
You can give to our annual missions offering through October 2009. Use the blue offering envelopes and mark the Missions Offering box. For more details, go online to BrentwoodMissions.com or pick up a Missions Compass in the Atrium.
Prayer For: Habitat Build on Hold
Thank you to everyone who volunteered for our upcoming Habitat for Humanity build. The build has been delayed, once again, and Habitat is waiting on final approval from the city of Franklin to begin the build. During this time, please pray:
For the city of Franklin, that they would finalize paperwork to allow Habitat for Humanity and our volunteers to begin building a wonderful home for Shantha Saragoor and her family.
For Shantha, Prerana, and Shreyas, that they would not lose heart due to continued delays and that they would find strength in waiting.