Peanut butter and backpacks

This past weekend, the congregation participated in a last-minute drive for peanut butter and backpacks that the Haiti team needed to take with them to feed children in that Third World country. The congregation's support blew everyone away. There was so much peanut butter, in fact, that we were able to share the extra jars the Haiti team couldn't accommodate with team leaders heading to Mexico, Guatemala, Ethiopia and El Salvador. The generous donations from Tomoka families — all contributed in one weekend — will now feed children all over the globe! Haiti team leader Kevin Hahn's reaction:

The response was amazing. We got about three times as many backpacks as we needed and four times as much peanut butter needed. The backpacks we are able to take with us. What an amazing God we have! He sure gives abundantly. I’m just amazed how wonderful our church is at responding to a need in such short notice. The children of Haiti will enjoy the peanut butter sandwiches and backpacks beyond what I can tell you.

What a mighty God we serve! Please pray for the Haiti team, which should arrive today on the mission field. 

El Salvador Mission Trip Report

Our El Salvador mission team saw great success in growing Christ's kingdom on their trip last month.

They performed a Christmas Nativity skit at VBS in El Zonte, gave away children's Bibles, and then headed to Remar Orphanage where they loved on 80 children who have no family. The team spent that day playing games and doing basic chores at the orphanage.

Next they made stockings that they stuffed with toiletries and jewelry and handed them out at the San Diego Church where they performed worship music and handed out more children's Bibles. As a result, Francisco, the little boy pictured, asked Jesus into his heart!

During the remainder of the trip, they put up a Christmas tree at the orphanage, led the children in making ornaments, led the children in more VBS and worship and praise time, and spent time in prayer with the pastor of the church.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Orland and the congregation and community of San Diego Church. Their future plans include a school for their community as he continues to feed many on very limited resources.

Additionally, please pray for the wonderful children of the Remar Orphanage, that they continue to feel God's love and presence and all come to know Him as well as are welcomed into loving families.

Equipping the Saints Update

Gene McCullough recently shared with me about the mission team he led to Equipping the Saints in Weyer's Cave, Virginia this past October. Equipping the Saints helps ministries around the world find the materials and equipment they need at a minimal cost by networking with individuals, businesses and ministries around the U.S. to meet these needs. Whether it's finding and shipping a bus to Chile, medical supplies to the Ukraine, computers to Tajikistan, a road grader to Brazil, shoes to Romania, clothes to Sudan, food for Iranian refugees or projectors to the Philippines, ETS is ready to serve. Read below to hear how the Tomoka team was able to serve ETS on their short-term mission trip.

Each morning of the trip was started with a morning devotional and prayer time conducted by ETS staff members. Afterwards we get our daily assignments from the staff.

Most team members gathered, sorted, and moved approximately 100 computer towers away from a wall so that other team members could install a new electrical circuit on the wall.

The towers were visually inspected, using the guidelines provided by staff, and those deemed serviceable were stored while the others were moved to another area to be stored while the others were moved to another area to be stripped of their hard drives and ram chips and then sent to Goodwill for salvage.

Some team members sorted out new Spanish textbooks and boxed them for shipment overseas. Four pallets of incoming textbooks were unloaded for sorting and repackaging for shipment. Twenty-on boxes were packed and weighed for shipment. Six office copiers were removed from pallets for servicing and reshipment. Team member also sorted, wrapped, and weighed 700lbs of toner for shipment.

Other team members worked on verifying the contact information for all agencies and missionaries listed in the ETS Resource Directory. Medical supplies were sorted, catalogued, and packed for shipment. New supplies and equipment arrives almost daily and needs to be processed. 100 boxes of clothes were sorted and boxed for shipment. 85 internet access boxes were repaired by having the fans replaced, and some hard drives and ram chips installed.

Hundreds of computer cables were sorted, tagged and stored. Flat screen monitors were tested, sorted, and shelved by screen size. Many chairs were removed from a warehouse, sorted and relocated for sale shipment. Severely damaged ones were prepared for recycling.

Hundreds of printer cartridges were inventoried, sorted, and shelved. 30 retractable wall maps were checked for usability and stored for future sale. .

One of the full time missionaries had a broken window and that was repaired by team members.

Additional electrical circuits were installed by three of the team members.

We always return from these trips to ETS feeling that we have been blessed by visiting, helping, and encouraging the missionaries at Equipping the Saints.

If you would like to find out about you can serve on the Equipping the Saints mission team next year, please contact Gene McCullough at hoedownerscaller@gmail.com.

Click here to visit the Equipping the Saints website.

Ninos de Mexico Mission Trip

Below is an email from Panda Rodriguez who, along with her husband, led a team of 10 this past summer to Mexico:

Our mision team of 10 arrived safely in Mexico on August 6 where we were greeted by our host and three of the kids from Ninos. This year we would be helping Iglesia de Cristo, the church that the four homes attend, with their VBS. We found this information out a few weeks before our trip. We purchased small soccer balls, cones, waterballs, jump ropes and a few other items so we would be ready for the first day or two of VBS. The rest of our supplies would be purchased in Mexico whenever we could get to the store.

VBS ran Monday - Thursday from 9:00 until 1:00. We were in charge of games, so we had to come up with different ones and provide the supplies. Our team also supplied paper products and drinks for snack time. We had some good homemade snacks! We had 5 team members leading games, sometimes even without a translator. The kids were separated by age into 5 groups and one of our team members was with each group. It was rather funny when some of us had to try and say the Bible memory verse in Spanish. We think the teacher just needed a really good laugh! Our team started bonding with all the kids from day one. We enjoyed getting to know them and trying to sing worship songs in Spanish. Yes, we were undignified! We donated all the game supplies to the church so they could be given out to the local children.

Saturday night we were asked to pray for two of the houseparents during our week at Ninos: Amelia Coronel-Bethel Home because her father was very ill and passed away on Monday and Sarahi Soriano-Genesis Home as she was having complications with her pregnancy and was put on bedrest.

Monday afternoon we painted two of the school classrooms. We also sorted the donations of clothing, shoes, toys and books that we had brought with us. Later in the week we applied a second coat of paint. Our team purchased sour candy, soccer balls, basketballs and volleyballs for the four homes. We brought Gatorade bottles, towels and backpacks for the boys' soccer team. We were able to visit and play with the children at each home. Some sponsors from TCC sent a gift to their child and they were excited to receive a present. They enjoyed beating us at futbol! We enjoyed spending time with them and loving them! We visited Dr. Noe's home and the clinic. He told us about his ministry to the Indians in Chilapa. He not only does a weekend of meeting medical needs, he also does a weekend of preaching. His heart for these people is amazing and he also takes some of the Ninos children with him.

Our team raised extra money so on Friday evening we were able to have a party for the children, staff and church staff. We purchased hot dogs, chips, cookies, drinks, coffee and pinatas for around 100 people. Fun was had by all!!!

This year was really special because they let a few kids go with each mission team on their outings, so they could each have some special time with a group. Our team purchased gifts for the kids that went with us. Three of the boys went with us to the airport and we had lunch with them before we went thorough security. Tears were shed when we waved goodbye to our Ninos family.

Thanks to all the prayers, we let the light of Jesus shine through in everything we did while in Mexico. We had an awesome team this year and a lot of laughs. Thank you to everyone who supported our team in one way or another. We were truly blessed on this trip. May God continue His good work in Mexico through the children and staff at Ninos.

Numbers Matter To God

WE ARE ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS.

Every number, every statistic, represents a life that was changed: A life filled with hope and purpose, a story of redemption and grace, people far from God filled with life in Christ.

"Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." -Acts 2:41

"But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand." -Acts 4:4

"So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers." -Acts 16:5

"Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." -Psalm 2:8

Over the last 18 years we have seen approximately:

• 3,263 baptisms
• $7,030,299 given to missions locally and worldwide
• 1,000 - 1,500 in ministry
• 564 missionaries in 73 nations

Our future goals include:

• 1 soul a day saved and moved into discipleship
• 2,750 in worship each week
• 100 in Celebrate Recovery each week
• 100% in ministry
• 100% in Bible study
• 600 people to go on 30+ mission trips

WE ARE ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS.

Every number, every statistic, represents a life that was changed: a life filled with hope and purpose, a story of redemption and grace, people far from God filled with life in Christ.

Whatever It Takes!

A team of 24 returned over the weekend from a rain-soaked but action-packed 10-day mission trip to Haiti. Below is an account of some of the team’s activities, written by TCC’s missionary to Haiti, Melonnie Kelly. See photos from the trip here.

Sunday
The team had a rainy but fun day. They started with church across the street this morning. It was a special New Year’s service so there was lots of singing and celebrating. A visiting pastor from a Christian college in Nebraska preached with a translator, so we were all able to hear God's Word in a language we could understand.

This afternoon was filled with rain, unpacking and sorting supplies, more rain, setting up tents, cleaning out a storeroom and organizing the pantry, loving on the baby orphanage babies and the Miriam Center kids and more rain.

Tomorrow’s plans include a couple different construction projects, a carnival with the nutritional program kids, sports camp, dance camp and meals on feet — ALL outside activities. It has been raining pretty much since everyone got here.

Monday
Today was amazing! It was pouring out all day long, but that didn't stop the team! They found all kinds of projects to jump in on. They helped out in the Miriam Center, moving beds, laying foam tiles on the floors and loving on the kids. They did hut-to-hut visits in the pouring rain. They held the babies from the baby orphanage while another team painted it. They delivered "meals on feet" to the granmoun (elderly) downtown this afternoon.

Tuesday
The sun was shining this morning (and most of the day) so plans were full steam ahead. The team started off two construction projects today, clearing the property for the new greenhouse we are building and preparing the roof for one more baby bungalow for the baby orphanage. Lots of heavy lifting!

Anyone not involved in construction helped another team run a carnival for the nutritional program kids. All hands on deck and it was a huge success!

The afternoon involved more construction, a sports camp for 100 boys and a dance camp for the girls. Meals on feet (delivering food to the elderly) ended a very busy day.

Wednesday
Another day of changed plans for the team. This morning brought the news that the orphanage trip wasn't going to be possible for today. The mountain roads are just too wet and slippery from all of the rain we've been having. The team was very disappointed but quickly pulled together a new plan for the rest of the week so that the trip could be rescheduled.

They held a sports camp this morning and a street VBS this afternoon. There were hut-to-huts, dance parties in the Miriam Center and granmoun feedings. I was incredibly proud of the way they continued to make the most of every situation and didn't waste a moment.

Thursday
The team had an AMAZING day today! For once the rainy weather didn't interfere. It just made the day more interesting.

The day was spent in Ansefelour. It was a muddy ride there and back with much starting and stopping, pushing and walking. The important thing is we made it! We started with a VBS at the church for 150 kids. We then made our way to the voodoo temple. It was an eye opening experience for all of the new people for sure. They were able to sit in the room where the people go to pray. They then toured the temple seeing where the people stay that move in to pray until their prayers are answered.

The rain stopped a few from trying the mountain but most made their way up to the voodoo monument at the top. It was a VERY muddy hike up there and very slippery hike down. Well worth it as praying in the name of Jesus in the midst of such darkness is amazing.
The day ended with meals on feet. A busy but great day for everyone!

Friday
The team had a good trip to the orphanage. It was 6 hours round trip on the bus so it was a LONG day but good. The field day was a huge success!

Saturday
Today they are heading off to Tortuga for VBS and soccer and will have a Christmas party for the granmoun and Miriam Center kids this afternoon. They leave at 4:30 tomorrow morning to start the trip home.

"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny"

One of Tomoka Christian’s mission teams each year heads up to Virginia to help with Equipping the Saints (ETS), a nonprofit provider of necessities to missionaries all over the world. Gene McCullough, who headed up the industrious team, shared below some highlights of an extremely productive trip.

Tomoka sent 10 team members to ETS. Eight more joined us from a church in Michigan, who called themselves the Michigan contingent of the Tomoka team. It was their first mission trip and from what I heard it was a huge success for them. We all worked together Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Each morning started with a devotional. Then a list of the projects was discussed and team members worked where their skills were most needed.

Part of the team replaced 16, 10-foot windows on the second story of an old school building. The wooden windows leaked so badly that vinyl plastic was taped to the trim to keep the weather out. After the plastic and trim had been removed, members of the team sanded and painted the trim. We completely remodeled an old school room so that it could be used as a dorm and meeting room. Ten-foot blackboards and frames were removed from the walls, and then the walls were mudded, spackled, sanded, primed and painted by team members.

Other members were able to sort out a variety of new light bulbs that ETS had purchased at a great discount. The bulbs were sorted, counted and cataloged so that they could be sold on e-Bay. One team member helped the staff with Quickbooks. Members of the team also moved a kitchen cabinet, including the sink, from a room that was being used as a library for children’s books to another room that will become the new kitchen. Now, the library no longer has the kitchen in it.

Some members of the team packed boxes of clothes for an upcoming shipment to Papua, New Guinea. Other members worked in the electronics area repairing wireless microphones that will be sold on the Internet or provided to worship leaders who need them. The office supply room was cleaned and organized. Another group addressed and stamped envelopes. We were all blessed to work with the Michigan contingent and the staff at ETS.

We look forward to a return trip the second week of August 2010. This is an inexpensive trip that gives help and relief to a team of volunteers and the staff of ETS. We welcome new members who can commit to the trip within the next couple of months.

Thanks for providing us with the freedom and opportunity to go. It was a real blessing for all of us.

Hispanic ministry shifts into higher gear

Yolanda Cintron helps lead Tomoka Christian’s Hispanic ministry, currently meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays in The Point. She and Pastor Rafael and Eloisa Ortiz, at right, are excited about changes that will open the door to growth of that ministry. These modifications include switching the Hispanic worship service to 3:30 p.m. on Sundays in the Worship Center, along with preserving the ministry’s Thursday evening time slot for Bible study. The Hispanic ministry changes take place on Sept. 13. Below is a listing of ministry highlights and changes from Yolanda.

Fall kickoff will be on Sunday, Sept. 13, to start our first Sunday service in Spanish in the Worship Center. That service will include worship and preaching from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Child care will be available.

Tomoka’s Hispanic ministry started in October 2008 with the Thursday evening service held in The Point. We now have over 40 in attendance. We plan to keep the Thursday evening service and make it a Bible study, while the actual service will be on Sunday.

We are setting up a screening process for those wishing to help in the ministry. We will follow Tomoka’s present procedures that include a background check.

Pastor Rafael Ortiz is in the works of planting another Spanish service in Jacksonville.

Mission trips: Pastor Rafael and his wife Eloisa have already gone on mission trips to Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico and are excited to partner with Tomoka’s mission trips. The goal is to have those who attend a Spanish service go on trips with Tomoka teams to Spanish-speaking countries, where they will serve as translators and be able to share the Gospel.

Communion is offered every week at the Spanish service.

Baptism is open to anyone. We will start having a Decision Night, as Tomoka does, in a few months.

Good News Club: Eloisa will discuss with Andrew Ward assembling helpers at Pierson Elementary School to help start a Good News Club there. Linda Weaver, who attends Tomoka Christian, works as a teacher at the school and is seeking volunteers who speak Spanish to help with the club.

Angel Food ministry has menus available in Spanish, so anyone interested can contact Tomoka’s office to place an order.

We look forward to seeing what amazing things God has planned for the Hispanic community!

The Largest City in the World

A team from Tomoka Christian recently spent a week at an orphanage in Mexico City called Ninos de Mexico. Bryan Maynard was a member of that team. A report from him is here.

I was a late addition to the Ninos de Mexico mission team after someone else canceled. It was my first mission trip, but hopefully not my last! I really did not know what to expect, except for long busy days with lots of work to do. Our work project included work at the houses and at the church helping with Vacation Bible School.

We arrived in Mexico on Saturday afternoon and met some of the staff: Matt, Tiffany, and Erin. Such young people doing great work at Ninos! We also met the kids of Esperanza House and toured their facility. Afterward we played a nice game of supposedly non-competitive volleyball. We failed miserably against those teenagers!

A friend had given me Philippians 1:2 for our journey. During our devotion time Saturday night I read Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:19. I would pray this verse at the start of each day during our trip.

Sunday morning we went to the church and met the pastor and attended the worship service. It was different hearing songs we sing at Tomoka translated to Spanish. It actually made the worship service very comfortable for me. The building sits beside a busy street and sidewalk that was very noisy all morning. However, one thing that really struck me was when the worship leader began to pray before communion the street became very quiet. At that moment I felt that the Holy Spirit was in control. After the worship service two young ladies were baptized. Could this day get better?

Sunday afternoon the church staff invited us to dinner at the church. We met more of the staff and also planned some of the activities we would use during the week for Vacation Bible School. After our dinner we broke into two vans and went into the community to parks, playgrounds, and a grocery store to hand out flyers to children inviting them to VBS.

VBS was an amazing experience. We arrived early Monday morning only to find a few children running about. Soon after, the vans started arriving with many children. When everyone was finally counted the Monday total was 150. We thought that it couldn’t get any better. We were wrong! It wasn’t up to us. Tuesday’s total was 162. Wednesday’s total was 170. Thursday was 210, and on Friday they counted 230. By Friday there were not enough chairs for everyone to sit. The room was filled! It was a great feeling just being in the room.

Our team was very busy all week. We took care of the games at VBS. We also helped with the arts and crafts, in the nursery. Anywhere we were needed we did our best to help.

We had the opportunity to visit each of the four houses, meet the children and the house parents. We also met Dr. Noe and saw the medical clinic.

Ninos and the church are a tremendous outreach to the community there. They do so much with so little, in contrast to the U.S. culture that has so much and does so little.

As for me, it was definitely an eye-opening experience. I look at things differently than before. I can still see the look on the kids’ faces, the smiles. I remember the way they had trouble communicating with me, and me likewise. I must learn how speak some basic Spanish before going back!

I hope to have the opportunity to return to Ninos, and also have my wife and son share the experience with me.

May we give God all the glory. Adios for now.

Mission trip memories

Earlier this year, I led a team of nine on a mission trip to Egypt. We spent a lot of time ministering to people of that region, then took some time for sightseeing. Want to see a video of our time there? It's online here.

God-Style Camping

A Tomoka Christian mission team recently returned from Camp Chenaniah in Honor, Michigan. They ran a week of summer camp there. Two members of the team, Scott Hale and Ryan Houser, shared some of the trip highlights.

From Scott:

My experience at Camp Chenaniah in Michigan was unbelievable. My beautiful wife and our three kids (Jay, 12; Kieran, 6; and Riley, 2 1/2) started our trip at 4:30 a.m. in the TCC parking lot and arrived at camp by 8:30 p.m. that same day. This was their first mission trip but they were all troupers!

Now I've been on mission trips overseas before, and while I'm not at all lessening those experiences, the realization that some of the same occurrences are happening here in the states just ate me up.

After you get past the "rustic" atmosphere, I thought the camp itself was an incredible scene. The reason that Camp Chenaniah may not have the latest living conditions or best of modern technology is because the owners, Mike and Belva, do not charge much for the campers to be able to come. Part of this is due to the economy, but mainly this is because the surrounding area just does not have a lot of money. In some cases they don't charge anything. They may have kids who are allowed to attend on a volunteer work basis, say, to help in the kitchen, or take out trash. The philosophy there is that Mike and Belva would rather have the kids there learning about Christ than not.

I would have to say that my favorite part of the week was the worship. The camp's chapel collapsed last winter due to weather and age. So we met in an old Army surplus tent. It was damp, dirty, and dusty and had wooden pews nailed down to two-by-fours. But the worship was pure. These kids let it pour straight from their hearts. These kids are truly looking for Christ; they are clinging to the hope of His promises.

Being out at Camp Chenaniah with these kids reminded me that it's not about the building, it's not about the facilities, it's not about how many are in attendance. It's about offering God our hearts and getting back to what is pure.

My family and I are already trying to plan our trip back for next year!

From Ryan:

I was nervous about Camp Chenaniah at first. I had never been there, and I wasn’t sure what the campers would be like. I had to trust in God that he would use me however He needed to that week.

Chenaniah turned out to be one of the best and most “Seriously Ridiculous” weeks I’ve experienced all summer. I loved every minute of it. From the team, the campers, the games and everything else, God was under control of every aspect. By the end of the week, I didn’t want to leave — despite the spiders and moths everywhere — and I wished I could have stayed longer.

The team from Illinois and Michigan were great to be with. I am blessed to have met them and still be talking with them almost a month later. It was fun to hang out with not only the new counselors I met, but the ones from Tomoka, as well, especially knowing that we all shared the same goal of reaching the kids and showing the love of Christ to them.

One of the most incredible experiences I had with the campers was on the last night. It was about 11 at night, and some of the kids were still up. They were talking with each other and just playing around. I thought it was funny and eventually they began to talk with me about salvation and baptism for a while. They had a lot of questions to ask and I just talked with them and tried to answer their questions. A lot of them didn’t know much about different Bible stories and how to get a close relationship with God. It was powerful to see such young people desiring God and wanting to know more about Him.

The last day, we all went to the lake and saw 11 baptisms! It was such an amazing experience to see the kids I had been with all week accept Christ as their savior and be baptized! Even one of our staff got baptized!

I went away from camp knowing nothing that had happened this week happened because of us. Everything was under God’s control and it was comforting to know that. I pray that the campers and even the staff take the lessons we learned and grow closer to God each day. I am excited to go back next year and see them again, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store next July!

Report from the Haiti mission field

Members of our Haiti mission team are back, still catching their breath from a whirlwind two weeks of serving. Melonnie Kelly, our lead missionary to that region who now lives and works part of the year at the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, shared an inspiring personal account of the weeks. Some highlights included a baptism, distribution of shoes, and an emotional experience during prayer time at a voodoo temple as animal sacrifices were taking place outside. Melonnie's blog post is here.

Camp bears fruit

Pastor Craig and his mission team just returned from a week of camp in Show Low, Arizona, at the American Indian Christian Mission. The highlight of the week of camp they staged for high school Native Americans began as a simple time of invitation at the end of one night. It turned into a revival as nine campers gave their lives to Christ and were baptized. Read Craig's blog post, Laboring in Love.

A young adult on the mission field

It inspires me to see the young people of our congregation taking on ministry leadership roles and being God’s hands and feet. One of these servants in our church family is Jocelyn, who attends the University of Central Florida. Below, she shares a report of the mission work she is doing in the Dominican Republic with an Orlando-area organization.

The first time I visited the Dominican Republic was this past March during Spring Break. When I was first preparing myself for the trip, I thought I knew exactly what to expect and I was not anticipating much. God is so funny though, because he completely broke me down and I fell absolutely in love with the country. The culture, the people, the food, the language — everything about it swept my heart away.

We stayed in Santiago in a Catholic Retreat center. All of our meals were provided for us by the pastor of a church in the city who we called Pastora. She opened her home to us for every meal and fed us delicious Dominican food. She was one of the first pastors in Santiago and her church is growing every week. She praises the Lord that they need more space. It's been 10 years and the church is still in the process of being built. Her church sends out two vans to two small villages — Cuesta Arena and Los Cocos, about 25 minutes away — to transport people to the church and back every Sunday. The service is very passionate and I love watching the congregation worship God.

Each day, we went out to the village of Cuesta Arena to help with a water filtration system. The water in the Dominican is very unsafe to drink and the people of Cuesta Arena are surviving off of this water. A lot of the kids down there have discoloration in their faces and some are very sick because of this. Once they brought back some of the water to be tested in the United States. It was so bad that nobody should be even living near this water, let alone drinking it. A couple of students on this trip were engineering majors, so they helped assemble the final details on the filtration system. They were able to complete the system, but the well needs to be dug 100 more feet before it is usable. The community is excited but it is also hard for them to understand why it is so important to have the clean water.

My favorite part about Cuesta Arena is the kids. They are so much fun. They are innovative, loving and curious. They ask a lot of questions about your family and where you live and they just love giving kisses on your cheek. One girl said that she had the best day of her entire life because someone hugged her, loved her and wanted to play with her. What was so neat about this trip is that since we were out there every day, we were really able to start developing relationships with those kids. You learn their stories. I cannot even begin to describe how rewarding it is to see those kids looking up at you, telling you they love you. We had a little Bible lesson for the kids every day and they love hearing about Jesus. They all ask when you're coming back and it truly breaks your heart to leave.

It is a very giving community for both the kids and adults. The men are eager to help with the construction and digging. The women can't wait to offer you some fruit or vegetables. The kids will give you anything they can find — a slice of cheese, a cough drop, a hair tie. It's amazing to see the generous hearts of these people.

I returned in May and all the people remembered me, even the kids. They remembered the dances we taught them and the games we played. When they saw me they started yelling "Yoselin, Yoselin” — that's how they pronounce my name. I couldn’t believe they remembered it!

The purpose of that trip, and all following trips, is the construction of a missionary house in Cuesta Arena. There will be four different mission teams coming in and out during that time and I will help lead devotions in the mornings for those weeks. I am elated to be going back and I cannot wait to see what God has in store. He is so good and He truly is moving throughout the Dominican Republic. Thanks for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.

Note: Jocelyn is presently on her third trip to the Dominican Republic and will return home later this month.

Mission Work in Virginia

The Equipping the Saints mission team just returned from a week of ministry in Virginia. Below is a report from the team’s leader, Gene McCullough.

We had a great trip to Virginia. We were blessed to work with such a wonderful staff. We started each day with a meeting and a devotional. Then we split into teams and went to work.

Equipping the Saints is housed in an over 90-year-old school building that needs lots of TLC. It is three stories of clothes and equipment that has been purchased at auction or donated. ETS serves as a resource and coordinating center for missions all over the world that is totally “all-denominational.” The way they love the Lord and the folks they minister to shows in their faces and in all they do. Our job each trip is to encourage them and we did that in many ways. A few of the tasks that the team accomplished:

• Removed old wooden frame windows and replaced them with new vinyl windows
• Sorted 200 boxes of clothing weighing 6,923 pounds.
• Repaired old electric Singer sewing machines for shipment. The vision for the machines is to ship them to parts of the world where one machine can provide a livelihood for one or more families.
• Refurbished computers that will be shipped to missions and missionaries around the world.
• Sorted and shelved medical supplies and equipment for doctors to use on missionary trips.
• Added three new electrical circuits to the building
• Repaired and replaced exit signs and lights
• Unloaded more than 100 bunk beds into a storage facility off campus that will be shipped immediately to fulfill an overseas request.

We were blessed to have participated in this trip and look forward to another one in October this year. We have some openings, especially for a plumber, carpenter and anyone who can paint or is willing to learn how.

Note: Gene may be e-mailed here.

Planting seeds in South Dakota

Zoe Hendrix, along with three others, recently returned from a weeklong TCC mission trip to Diamond Willow Christian Center in South Dakota, which serves Native Americans. Below is a report.

Our time at Diamond Willow Christian Center on the Crow Creek Reservation at Fort Thompson, South Dakota, was once again a mountain-top high of spirit-filled days. We arrived late Saturday night and were able to worship on Mother's Day at the Church Center.

Since Tomoka’s first visit there three years ago, we could see much growth both spiritually and physically with the church center there.

The Vaughn family is pleased with the active hub that Diamond Willow has grown to be on the reservation. The calendar is full each week with men's and women's groups, Wednesday night soup and Bible study, Friday teen night and Tuesday kids’ night. The Diamond Willow bus rolls steady picking up folks.

Wendy, Julie and I were able to help with prep of 12 gallons of soup to freeze ahead and sewing angel costumes for the Christmas pageant. This past year’s pageant saw 47 kids performing, so more angels are needed. The guys worked on reservation homes, installed a toilet — and Jim Dooley's electrical help was truly a blessing.

Springtime in the Dakotas is beautiful and our days were blessed with glorious weather. We had opportunity to interact with many Native Americans and left feeling seeds were planted. We look forward to returning and a possible discovery of how God’s work has grown. Please pray about joining the team for next spring's trip.

Middle East Trip 2009

Below is a report from the mission trip to the Middle East that I led this past April, written by fellow short-term missionary Rob Rodriguez.

Let me tell you about our trip to the Middle East. I have never been on a trip that was just a prayer and blessing trip before, but what God did in our lives during those eight days was truly amazing. I have always been on work trips — if you are going to do something for the Kingdom you need to roll up your sleeves and get dirty. Oh, how God opened my eyes and showed me the power of prayer; and how He that is able can do more than we can imagine. God showed us how He is working with a humble man to change the Arabic world. I am speaking of a man who is a true modern-day Paul. Not just because he has planted numerous churches. He has also trained hundreds of pastors and church planters for his country and for all of the Middle East and North Africa. Yes, all of the Middle East, even places where the governments will kill these men.

When we arrived in the capital city we were happily surprised to find out it was Easter for the Orthodox Church calendar. Half our team went to a national church on Sunday morning. We were able to spend a few hours with about 200 kids during their Sunday school. After class we were able to provide a drink, sandwich, candy and little toy to the children, and to their parents we gave a bag of rice. This was a huge gift for them due to the poverty they live in.

Meanwhile, the other half of the team went to an African church, where they were treated to worship by three different tribes. Later that night, we went to another national church where we were able to hear Pastor Joe preach his Easter sermon (for the tenth time I think!). Again, the children were blessed with a gift and their parents were also blessed with rice. We also found out that our money we sent ahead provided more than 2,000 gift bags to other children and untold number of bags of rice for their parents. The pastor of this church was hurting financially and we were able to be an answer to his prayers. He said our visit was a big encouragement for him — but I think it was even more an encouragement to us.

God was only warming us up for the big moment of the trip. We went to visit a truly remarkable place called V of H (name omitted to protect the ministry). V of H is the only place in this country providing for the development and rehabilitation of people with intellectual disabilities. It is run by a strong Christian woman, Mrs. Nada, and her husband. They answered God’s call and turned their retirement home into this wonderful place for the handicapped. But they need more room and more money.

We took up a love offering and were able raise $1200. There is an empty lot next door that she was looking to buy. She asked us to pray for God to soften the heart of the owners. She had not spoken to the owners in over two years. We prayed for God to bless that lot, and you know what happened? The owners showed up 10 minutes later. We prayed again for God to make something major happen right then and there (someone even joked that we weren’t leaving until the deal was done!). God made it happen right there, right then!

Yes, God is still working miracles; you just have to pray big enough!

Blessings abound on mission field

Below is an excerpt from the journal of one of our elders, Pat McCarthy, written while he was serving with a TCC team in March at the Red Sands Native American reservation in Winslow, Arizona. The account is from just two days, but it serves as a snapshot of mission work — the sacrifices and the rewards.

Tuesday: The 12 of us flew across the country wearing little wooden crosses around our necks, and also carried a few each to give to others. These crosses, hand made by Ralph Zellers, touched a young lady and her baby, as well as the stewardess on the plane. Tony hung a cross on a beaming security guard. Taking a bus from the airport to the car rentals, a family with their 90-year-old grandfather was having a time getting in, as the elderly man was crippled. We talked to them of our mission to Red Sands and hung crosses on the old man, his granddaughter and great grandson. They each lit up like a sunburst! At the rental place, Ralph, Cliff and Tony hung a cross on a young lady, and by God’s blessing, she gave us an upgrade to a Suburban with no extra charge! On the way to Winslow in that Suburban we laughed so much we ’bout cried! Once again the blessing of giving and the blessing of receiving!

Thursday: Started the morning with the children for chapel services, singing, praying, listening to their soft prayers: “God bless my Momma and Daddy, Grandma and Granddaddy and my sisters and brothers and my friends ….” Off to school and us off to work. It was a big day as we worked on the missionary house — continuing to frame it up, seal and caulk. After school, the ladies set up manicure and pedicure stations for the girls. They washed feet, massaged feet, cut toenails, put polish on toes and nails as well as gave each new flip-flops. It was absolutely amazing to watch these girls sit totally quiet and just smile and giggle for two hours. They were looking at their feet so much I thought they might walk into the walls! The men brought the boys to work on the missionary house. I just wish everyone could see the gleam in their eyes as Tony was letting them use the nail gun to put on boards. Ralph and Carl taught them to nail on stripping boarders. The boys just hammered away, working alongside all of the men throughout the afternoon. They just loved it. Those boys crave the attention from the men as they get very little male support in their lives. Sharen & Vicky prepared another great meal with spaghetti and we thought we were at the Olive Garden! We were so weary at night when we walked down to our Hogans, crawled into our sleeping bags & hoped the air mattresses wouldn't throw us off the bunk bed during the night. One night, Carl Hahn was not so lucky as he ended up on the floor!!

Serving "the least of these" in Guatemala

Below is a report from Judy Davidson. She and several others from Tomoka Christian ministered last week to the spiritual and physical needs of those living in the ghettos of Guatemala City.

The Guatemala mission team returned Saturday, March 7, after a wonderful week in Guatemala. The first part of the week was spent in La Limonada, a ghetto in Guatemala City that is so desolate that even the police refuse to enter. La Limonada is divided into two sides because of gang activity. Tita, who has an established school on one side, just purchased a building on the other side and already has 100 more kids enrolled. Much work is still needed on the building. Our construction team built needed shelves for school supplies. Our medical team treated 400 to 500 people that live in the ghetto there. Two surgeries were performed, needed antibiotics were dispersed, and vitamins, toothbrushes and toothpaste were handed out.

One day was spent at Momma Carmen's house. She is a 68-year-old woman who takes in children off the street whose parents have abandoned them. Currently she has over 60 children. All the children were given medical care, toys, balloons and love.

Our last visit was to another ghetto, Santa Faz, in another area of Guatemala City. The construction team built a bridge over a large ravine in an area that was heavily traveled and very dangerous. Now the villagers can travel safely in that area. Our medical team treated 400 to 500 of the people in the village. We saw gunshot wounds from gang activity and several severely infected hands and feet. We also performed two surgeries in Santa Faz, gave out lots of medication, vitamins and smiles.

This was genuinely a community effort. We had many donations from our Tomoka family as well as donations from the greater Daytona Beach area. This trip could not have been so successful without all the donations of school supplies, medicines, toothbrushes, toothpaste and many other valuable items that we take for granted here in the United States.

Most of all, this trip would not have happened without our prayer partners. Seven of us went to Guatemala — but all of us made a difference for the Kingdom.