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!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday!
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.