A Box of Cheez It

I'm not one to cry, but a box of Cheez It crackers had me in a complete meltdown! I was sitting with my small group last night doing prayer requests when one of my members made a slight movement and knocked over the box of cheese crackers. My eye had noticed it earlier that evening, but that simple act of watching it fall caused my lips to quiver and tears to spring up in my eyes. Another member noticed my facial expressions and asked what was wrong. As I explained, the tears just started falling:

I've mentioned on this blog the Dream Team. They are a group of young adults who, after living hard lives that we could hardly begin to imagine, found the Lord. They committed themselves for 1 year to serving the people in the colored and black communities and then be sent out back to where they come from to make an impact there.



With them, we split into 2 groups and were supposed to teach at two colored schools life lessons to the children for 4 days. Above is the group that I was with. Our group would learn to be very flexible because nothing went the way we thought it would! We learned that there would be a strike the first day we were set to teach, and at the school my group went to, that meant that we would be playing entertainers for 4 hours instead of teaching! I fell in love with my class though :)

The second day, we found out that we wouldn't be teaching because the principal needed that day to catch up on curriculum, so we swept the streets of Paarl instead. On the third day, the principal from the school cancelled having us altogether, so we went to a school in Mbekweni, the black community. We actually got to teach a life lesson (ours was on following your dreams) of 30 minutes to 6 classes, the way it was supposed to be! But then the last day, we arrived at the school only to find out that those teachers went on strike too! And while the colored kids went to school, the children in the black community went home. When we got there, the principal was explaining to the children who actually came that there would be no class. What was pretty amazing though was some children came up to us and handed in their dream cards (we asked them to write down their dreams and we would collect them the next day)! Before we got picked up, we were able to play a few games with the children. It was so much fun and lots of laughter to be heard.

While we were at the schools, most of our team brought snacks to eat when on break. On the third day, a lot of us brought stuff like trail mix, fruit snacks, wasabi peas, and pretzels. The Dream Team loved them! They were surprised that we brought food from the States and I remember one girl saying, "You're making me fall in love with food that I'll never get to eat again!" I had brought a box of Cheez It with me for the airplane, but didn't open it, so I brought it with us on the last day. As with the other foods, they liked the crackers. I remember one girl in particular loved them! She kept going back for more and more! Soon enough the bag was pretty much empty and our ride came, so they went back in my backpack without another thought.

Seeing the box that my small group member knocked over just brought back all the memories from that day, and I just completely lost it. Even though we knew these people for less than a week and only spent 4 days together, we fell in love with them. Our parting was full of tears! But I'll always remember the words one what one said to me, "We may never see each other again in this life, but we'll meet again in heaven."

I never knew that a box of Cheez It crackers would make me cry. I never knew that I would have a heart for Africa. But thanks be to God that He gave this wonderful experience and for the opportunity to meet an amazing group of brothers and sisters.



God bless, Jen

South Africa TreX 2010 - Reflections #1

Dear friends,

As you can imagine, there are many memories and many thoughts for the team as we enter life back in the States. Some of us have already adjusted to life back in the States. For others of us it may take a while.

Our mission trip to South Africa was a wonderful one, full of many beautiful moments and heart-breaking ones as well. As I was thinking about what story to share, I decided to share about a little girl I met at Butterfly House, a health center for HIV patients.


Our team got to visit one day and we were able to spend some time with the kids there. There were about 20 kids ranging from toddlers to age 7. In some cases, the kids are HIV negative but their parents have HIV and are too weak to take care of their kids. In this sense, the center acts as a day care.

What's amazing is that the kids have so much life in them even though they are HIV positive! Of course the kids probably do not even realize this, but it was such a blessing to spend time with these kids and keep them company.


Of the many kids, one of the little girls stood out to me. She was really cute and her hair was amazing. I forget her name but I will call her "Trollie" because her hair reminds me of a Troll toy I had when I was a kid.


Like many of the kids at Butterfly House, Trollie was a happy, fun, little girl. She enjoyed me chasing her around the building. Look how excited she is when I cornered her.


She resorted to some funky sign language, presumably a peace sign, and so I copied her and offered her a truce.


Our partner Monte Christo Ministries (MCM) is one of the many donors to Butterfly House. Some of your donations went to support a child like Trollie! Thank you for being a blessing!


In Him,

Peter

Almost Over Already?!?!

I can't believe that almost 2 weeks is almost up! As you might imagine, tons of stuff has occured since the last time we updated. I don't have a lot of time to write everything all out, but all of us have been affected in so many ways! I love what God is doing with us and how we get to see how He is moving in South Africa.

We have got to see a lot of the different ministries that MCM does and it's amazing to see what this organization is doing in the communities here to make a difference. We've gotten to see how our money is being used as well as what the culture is like.

Right now, half of the team is at a school teaching while the other half of us are at the Miglots House. At the Miglots House, a group called the Dream Team live here. We've been partnering with them to teach, but today one of the schools' teachers went on strike so we had nothing to do. But we got to do some bonding which goes a long way as well :)

Please pray for the health of our team as almost everyone has been sick (minus Elliot and me) and pray that God will continue to show us what He's doing even in our final days here.

Love, Jen

We're Here!

We made it to South Africa! We landed Sunday morning at 8:00 am after traveling for 25 hours! We were very tired, but excited to be here.

We got to tour around Paarl, South Paarl, and Mbekweni. It was very eye opening to us to see the rich communities and how by just going a few miles we were in the poor parts of town.

We are fortunate enough to get to work with a group of Africans called the Dream Team. They all have rough pasts, but after receiving the Lord, turned their lives around and want to influence the youth. We are going to be teaching with them at 2 primary schools 4 days.

We had quite an adventure today because the teachers at the schools went on strike, and some of us were mentally drained with having all of the children for 4 hours! We were supposed to only have been there to teach one lesson 4 times, so it took a lot to change our plans! Please pray that the team gets strength as we are all very jetlagged and super tired. Also, please pray for the people that we will be in contact with; that they will have open hearts to receive God's love and that we have open hearts to receive them. God bless!
-Jen

Only 3 days until we leave to South Africa....Wow, time sure does fly by real quick.

We will have a life's adventure that we will never forget.

I truly believe that, when we Trust in God and go good things, He will move Mountains to protect and help you. We are all putting aside time, dedication, and efforts to our missions trip, and I know that God is happy and is by our side.

Please pray that we all stay strong, uplifted, and listen to every voice of God during the trip.

Lisa

God's Treasures

People in whom the world sees no value,
But only as burdens to bear,
Teach us great lessons of God's sovereign power -
He loves them as treasures so rare. - Carbaugh

Here is video made by the South Africa 2008 TreX team. Enjoy!



One week left!

A Taste of Africa Part 2

A Taste of Africa...

Here are some photos from our team adventure to Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles earlier this month. It was definitely a surprise for all of us as we traveled using the train and metro to get to our destination spot - Addis!!!

Today is going to be a great day because God made this day!

How is it that I find comfort in volunteering with cleaning other person's rooms but I can't find time to clean my own?? Today our team went to Mercy House which provides housing and comprehensive support services to homeless men, women, and families. For two hours we cleaned 3 rooms by vacuuming, dusting, scrubbing toilets and bathroom floors. Again we had the opportunity to spend time with each other outside of our comfort zones. It was interesting to see Janet and Jen clean a room the quickest without breaking a sweat, our 2 men Tyler and Peter cleaning the bathrooms, while Susan and I tried our best to not ruin the blinds.

Unfortunately we weren't able to meet any of the residents of Mercy house. However, Robert and his wife Rita, the main coordinators and staff gave us a quick tour of the house and a brief description of how Mercy house guides its residents to their place in the world. Their slogan is "We help people find their way back home." While getting to know my team better I find that we all can relate to this. I personally feel that I am constantly searching for direction, searching for God and my place in this world. During this trip we just pray and hope that God will lead us closer to home, wherever and whatever form that may be.

We would like to lift up Robert, Rita, the rest of the staff and the residents of Mercy House. May God guide each and everyone of them. May he continue to provide them with the resources and support they need to achieve their goal which is to end the homelessness of those who enter their system of care.

by Dianne

Two Weeks Left!

Hello friends,

Two weeks left until our departure to South Africa!

I just wanted to thank everyone for your support. Your prayer and financial support is truly humbling and overwhelming.

Although only 9 of us are physically going, you as the support community are also a part of this team. What a privilege to have you going with us!

I wanted to share with you two videos made by some young people in Paarl. This first video shows some of the needs in Paarl and how ministries like Monte Christo work to address those needs.



The second video is a peek into "a life the day" of Paarl East.




Financial Update

Our team as a whole is still about $10,000 short overall! Please continue to support our team through prayer and finances. We would like to be fully funded by this Sunday, July 25th. However, we will be taking donations until our departure August 6th.

Would you consider giving if you haven’t already? If you’d like to increase your initial donation, you are very welcome to do so.

On Going Prayer Requests

- Please pray that God will prepare our hearts and the hearts of the people in Paarl
- Please pray that our team effectively shares God’s love with the community in Paarl, with each other, and our community back home
- Please pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual health as we travel, serve, eat, etc.
- Please pray for wisdom, guidance, and unity as the team plans and prepares
- Please pray that our team will be fully funded before our departure

Once again, thank you so much for your support. We look forward to keeping you updated.

Love,

Peter

Less Than 3 Weeks!!!!!

Hello Friends!

It hit all of us that by this time in 3 weeks, we'll be in South Africa! Time is flying by so fast!

On July 11, we all went on a little adventure that Susan and Danielle planned for some team bonding. It was a surprise for half the team that we would be taking public transit to LA! Most of us attended first service at Newsong when Susan texted us all the address of where to meet.


It was the train station. Upon getting there, we got the schedule of the different forms of public transit we would be taking, only to have to throw it all out because the train was delayed by 30 minutes!


We ended up taking train, metro, and bus to get to our secret location, Addis, an Ethiopian restaurant! We got there around 2:30, so we were pretty hungry and ordered way too much food, but it was all very delicious :)

Trying to get back home was very fun... we missed the 4 pm train so we waited for the 5 only to find out that too was delayed until 6:15! So lots of waiting and talking happened. All in all, a tiring day but it was great getting to spend time with each other. Definitely previewed us all to what our 21 hr flight is going to be like!

This past Sunday we had our weekly meeting sans Danielle, Susan, and Tyler :( They were greatly missed! Janet was gracious to bring us yummy Maggianos pasta and salad as well as delicious cookies. Peter led us in our continued reading of The Hole in Our Gospel. We had a good discussion on the poor and how the church responds as well as what God wants from us. We also took a time to write out 5 things that we were thankful for and it was cool to hear what we each wrote. We have a very gracious God who has blessed us all tremendously! Janet and Dianne shared their testimonies with us, thanks guys for opening up about your lives!

Our most urgent prayer request is for God to provide for the team financially, but we are getting closer to reaching our goal! Even though only 9 of us are physically going, we know we have so many of you who are the ones sending us there.

Thank you all for your love and support!!

Jen

financial & materials update from danielle, 7.4.10

Dear supporter family,

First of all, we want to thank you for your generous support for our trip! I wanted to update you on our progression toward our financial goal and brag about our donations and the fabulous supporter community.

Financial updates:
Team total budget: $33057.00

We need: $17, 578

Thank you for giving of your treasure. I know this is hard, especially during the current economic situation in the US. When the US suffers financially, this greatly impacts the impoverished nations, as I saw last year in South Africa, as continual support decreases so much that they have little resources to carry on daily business. So….thank you for those of you who have been able and/or willing to “give when it hurts.” That kind of giving yields many blessings, and we appreciate all that you can give as we have a huge deficit to cover in just a month. We know how hard it is because we are giving to ourselves as well. The sacrifice is huge but the blessings will be multiplied abundantly.

If you have not given yet and would like to, you can give by check or online. I’ll attach directions at the end of this update. If you have been meaning to give but haven’t gotten around to it, please do so sooner or later as we have to start wiring money over in the next few weeks.

Material donations:

“Wow!” is all I can say! I have received many donations that will bless the following ministries, groups or organizations:

• Sonstraal TB hospital
• Butterfly House, a resource center dedicated to serve HIV/AIDS infected and affected adults and children
• The Monte Christo Sports ministry which will work toward bringing youth off the streets and into sports programs
• Homeless ministry with Monte Christo Ministries
• Boland Autism School
• Crèches (preschools in townships)

At work last week, a friend dropped off several bags. My “less than great” day brightened at the sight of this generosity. It felt like Christmas as I was not expecting her to arrive. I know how overcome I was with happiness and surprise. I could not wipe the smile off my face for the rest of the day, stop staring at the bags, or making other therapists come look at everything. I can only imagine the same feelings *multiplied* when many children get surprised by YOUR acts of love in the same way. This is the best part of the trip! Monte Christo gives the materials to someone in the community who then gives the materials so it comes from within the community, and I love that approach.

While we are able to give many items that are needed for education, it is fun to give items that are not needed, but instead, wished for and unexpected. Don’t you love the feeling you get when you receive an unexpected gift—the kind you wouldn’t think to buy for yourself or the one you can’t afford? I do! One of those gifts is Barbie and Ken dolls, along with accessories, for the children at Butterfly House.

Here are some pictures of some of the donations:

During my travels there, I have been able to see the truth behind the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, in true African style, I believe it takes a “village” of supporters to bless a community through a missions trip although one person’s piece of the puzzle is to be the “hands and feet” on behalf of those unable to physically be there.

THANK YOU! to all those who have dropped in with bags of surprises and left me teary-eyed from happiness and overwhelmed with gratitude. Words truly cannot express how I’ve felt each time you have brought a bag in to me and extended your love to my “extended family” in South Africa.

We have 32 days until departure and 34 days until touchdown in Cape Town!

May you be overcome with blessings for what you have done for us, them, and Him,

Danielle Jones

[On behalf of the entire team: Jennifer, Janet, Tyler, Elliott, Dianne, Lisa, Susan, & Peter]

"I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world" -Mother Teresa

Newsong treX Online Giving Instructions

1. Go to http://www.newsong.net

2. Click on the “GIVE” tab on the upper right portion of the webpage.

3. You’ll need to register with our secure website in order to give online

4. Either login with your current account or create a new one if you’ve never registered with us before by clicking the button on the right.

5. Once you’ve created an account and logged in, you’ll be taken to a screen titled: SCHEDULE NEW CONTRIBUTIONS

6. Click on the drop down box titled “Fund” and choose the option that says: Fund: * IRV-2 IRVINE TREX MISSION TEAMS

7. This will bring up a second box called: Sub Fund

8. Click on the Sub Fund drop down box and choose the team and person you want to support. The Sub Fund will look like this: “IRV TREX <South Africa> - <Danielle Jones>”

9. Click the circle that says: to make a one time contribution.

10. Fill out payment and billing information.

11. To complete your transaction click the button in the lower right side of the form.

TO DONATE VIA CHECK:

Make checks payable to NewSong Church

In the memo lines: include “Danielle Jones (or my teammate’s name), 2010 treX, South Africa” to ensure the money gets routed to our fund

Send to:

NewSong Church

18842 Teller Avenue

Irvine CA 92612

Just A Little Over A Month!

Hey guys! Here's an update on our team! :)

With Father's Day being June 20, we took a break from our normal meetings. Instead, Danielle hosted a movie night for all who could make it. Lisa, Peter, and I went over at 5 to eat some delicious food (jalapeno mac and cheese!) and watch Tsotsi. The movie was about a gang member in South Africa. It depicted how he got into the life of violence and crime and how events led to redemption and hope for him in the end. We have talked a lot about Africa, but it was very informative and interesting to get to see the landscape of where we are going. It was much different than what I expected! But the movie made me even more excited to go.

This week, we met at my place because Danielle had other committments. Janet and Dianne couldn't make it either, but the rest of us met to continue our reading of The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns. Lisa led us through a chapter-by-chapter discussion on chapters 11-14. The main points we talked about were how the poor have lost hope because they face so much, including hunger, thirst, sickness, malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS/HIV, no clothing or money, illiteracy, and no equality. Each of us were touched differently by the above, speaking to us all differently, but we were all united in our desire to do something to help. There's a story in chapter 14 that sums it up well:

One early morning, after a fierce storm had hit the coast, I strolled to the beach for my morning walk. Horrified, I saw that tens of thousands of starfish had been washed up on the beach by the winds and waves. I was saddened by the realization that all of them would die, stranded on the shore, away from the life-giving water. Despairing that there was nothing I could do, I sat down and put my head in my hands.
But then I heard a sound, and I lifted my eyes. There, in the distance, I saw a man bending down and then standing up, bending down and standing up. Curious, I rose and walked toward him. I saw that he was picking up the starfish, one at a time, and throwing them back into the sea.
"What are you doing?" I yelled.
"Saving the starfish," he replied.
"But don't you see, man, that there are tens of thousands of them?" I asked, incredulous. "Nothing you can do will make a difference.
He did not answer me but instead bent down, picked up another starfish, and cast it back into the water. He smiled, looked me in the eye, and said, "It made a difference to that one!"

I love that story because that's often how we feel when it comes to helping the suffering and the poor of this world. But God calls us out to be the "salt and light" of this world (Matthew 5:13-14).

Of course, we can only do that with the help of our supporters. Please continue to pray for us as our trip draws ever closer! Financially, our team has a long way to go, so pray that the Lord will provide. As for donations, we have already collected so much we need to see if we even need to collect anymore! Praise the Lord! Also, please pray for the hearts of the people in Africa and the team that we all be open to what God has in store for us. Thank you so much for all your support!

Posted by Jen

9AM!

Hello Friends!

The South African Team is currently meeting at Newsong Church at this moment working on support letter updates, thank you letters, and etc.

All of our team members have been paired up with ministry leaders/staff from South Africa so that we could start praying for them! We haven't even met them yet but we have started to communicate them through Facebook and email!

Also, Happy Fathers Day everyone! As you are going to spend your time with your fathers celebrating all the great things they have done for you, please remember the children in South Africa who are orphans without fathers. Please keep them in your prayers!

In terms of donations, more than just financial support, we will also be collecting art and class materials, and toys! So if you have any that you want to donate, please let us know!

Continue to keep our team in your prayers, as August 6th is approaching soon!

Elliot Kim

Update by Danielle

Hi guys, here is a long overdue update:

Things are going well with team building and preparation for our trip. We have been meeting weekly on Sundays, with the exceptions of holidays. I think I speak for everyone when I say how excited we are to head out! I can’t believe its 2 months away! The upcoming weeks are going to fly by. Susan, our events planner, and I are working on a surprise trip for the team. I can't wait to share this when it happens! For now, it's still a secret.

On a personal front, I took a leap of faith and did what I have wanted to do for the past few years…book an extra week to stay by myself!! My team leaves on August 21 and I will stay behind and depart the following Saturday, on August 28. I’m really excited about this personal time I’ll have to further build relationships with the South Africans that I’ve gotten to know over the last 3 years and spend more time in ministries.

This Sunday, June 6, is commissioning Sunday at NewSong. I’m not really sure what will happen in the service but I know we’ll be introduced as a team and prayed for by our church community. Come out if you get a chance! We’ll be part of all 3 services. Pastor Dave will be speaking, and he is always so impactful with his messages so it will be a great service overall.

Many of you have asked about our prayer requests. Here are my personal requests:
• Continued team bonding and growth beyond the superficial layer into the uncomfortable layer prior to departing
• Financial support: I’m 50% there but have quite a bit more to go
• The Monte Christo Staff as they prepare for us and as they go about “usual business” within their daily encounters with the communities
• The communities we will be serving: Are they ready for all this love we are bringing!??!
• Donations: we are collecting some requested supplies to take with us to give to the communities
• A new experience: I’ve been three times before and I’m looking forward to the “new” things I’ll see and encounter this year. I feel like a big lesson waits.

I appreciate so much how all of you have somehow partnered in this journey (donations, moral support, financial support, spiritual guidance/support). I was just saying to some friends that I love how missions, when done right, can form a strong community of people from very different walks and backgrounds. It is a game in which everyone plays from the Agnostic to the strongest of believers. It is simply beautiful.

For more information on how you can support , or further support, this journey, please email me!

With much love and appreciation,
Danielle Jones, Team Leader

May 23, 2010 - Team Meeting Recap

Last Sunday, our team gathered for our weekly meeting. We started off the night by eating some good homemade Korean food prepared by Lisa! Thanks Lisa! The food was really good. I made sure I had seconds.

After our meal we gathered together to discuss The Hole in the Gospel. This week Tyler led our discussion. He did a really good job. And he prepared worksheets for everybody. Tyler's a student teacher so it was great to see him using his abilities.

During our discussion one of the things we talked about was taking ownership of human suffering around the world. We discussed how we are called to help those who cannot help themselves. Since we have the awareness, access, and ability to do so we have no excuses. I am so glad and privileged that my teammates have willing hearts to go serve God's people. What a privilege and blessing it is to be able to serve with unity of mind, heart, and soul!

One of our prayers during the meeting was that God would break our hearts for what broke His. We realize that we need to see the world the way God sees it - with love and compassion, not self-righteously or judgmentally. We are constantly striving to take the attitude of "what can we do to participate in what God's already doing in South Africa" rather than "what can we do to fix the problems and save the South Africans."

We closed our night by singing the worship song "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong. We were going to just read the lyrics but Jen was bold and led us in an acapella. It was awesome! If you're not familiar with the song, please check it out on YouTube and be blessed!



Before I end this blog, I want to talk about our leader Danielle. I am really grateful that she is our leader for the mission trip. She has been to South Africa multiple times and so she knows what she's doing! She always looks out for members of the team and makes sure we are keeping up to date with our tasks. She also has a pretty cool southern accent! But the thing I admire most about Danielle is her heart for the South African people. I look forward to spending more time with her and my other teammates over the next few months!

Commissioning Sunday is June 6th! The South Africa TreX team is scheduled to leave in early August. However, other mission teams will be leaving at earlier times. June 6th is the official send-off for all Newsong TreX teams. Please come and support us at Newsong Church!

http://irvine.newsong.net/about-us/meeting-times-locations/

The mission teams will be at all 3 services (9am, 10:30am, and 11:49am).

Hope to see you there!

Much love,

Peter Ahn

Last weekend, we had our missions retreat in Crestline at Thousand Pines retreat center. It is such a quiet and serene spot in the mountains. All of the teams joined together from all NewSong sites. This year’s theme was “KNOW LOSS KNOW LIFE” based on Luke 9:24 which says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” I love this verse and how it embodies missions and what happens after. The message version says it this way: “Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?”

Retreat is my favorite part of the preparation process because you meet different people whose hearts are bound by the same tie of servitude, and also for the reason that this is the time when the team usually bonds the most. At this time, the “technical” stuff (airline tickets purchased, dates set, etc.) is usually out of the way and the team can breathe a little easier and just spend time getting to know one another. I enjoyed watching my team bond and slowly begin to take responsibility for and care for one another.

I think my team will do great things in South Africa and I can’t wait to see how their hearts are broken and forever changed by this experience. Because I’m so familiar with the “lay of the land” I rely on the fresh eyes to take me back to my first time and to show me how much I’ve grown since that time. My eyes there are so different now as I see beyond a superficial “intro” layer.

On Friday night of the retreat, I looked around at my team, and I was excited. I had this overwhelming feeling of pride—both my own and God’s. I felt like God was smiling at them and giving them a round of applause for their courage to step out this year, turning faith into action, and “go.”

These are things I love about my team already listed by person:

Tyler – Tyler is the “all American boy” to me—well rounded, athletic, kind, just a nice guy. He’ll be helping to lead the men’s group. He has a missions past and has many leadership skills. He’s always the first to volunteer and is very energetic. We may lose him on the trip….well, maybe we’ll find him but I bet it will be under a massive pile of little children who I know are going to flock to him! This guy will soon be leading teams again—maybe to South Africa next year?

Jenn — Jenn is quiet at first but her strength is evident in the quiet. Silence is always comfortable. She is that person that you feel that you have known for a while even though you just met her. She’ll be helping out with leading the women’s group with me.

Elliott – Elliott is quiet at first so he’s a little bit of a mystery but everyone can tell what a big heart he has in there. He is very talented and loves music. He plays on the worship team at NewSong (guitar). He is going to be a huge piece that completes our puzzle on this trip. He is very easy going in conversation and I think he is going to really show his strengths on this trip.

Peter – Peter has the most gentle spirit of anyone I’ve met in a while! He is so kind. Although he is gentle-natured, there is a spiritual strength there that I know we will all rely on during the trip. I know he will continually grow, and I know this trip will be a huge platform for that growth. Watch out for this guy in the next few years!

Susan – Susan is so easy going. She is the one who gets along with everyone and will be the one to rally the team when we are all tired and half asleep. I love her spirit. Susan will be up for any challenge presented! This personality is much needed on a team, and we will appreciate her encouragement carrying us through difficult times.

Lisa – Lisa seems to be a caretaker. There were many occasions on the retreat in which she tended to the team. She is very calm and easy going. Lisa is taking a leap of faith on this trip, and I know her faith will be reassured before the trip and rewarded on the trip.

Janet – Janet has spunk! Janet came later to the team but jumped in at 100% with an attitude of “I’ll do whatever I need to do!” She is getting married in October but never lets the stress that she must have with planning 2 big events show. She exudes a positive energy that is contagious.

Dianne – Dianne is our social one. She blends easily into groups and is so easy to engage in conversation. She would be the first person to break the ice in conversation and connect the group. She likes to have fun and will be an asset with planning fun events to further bind the team.

Team, you rock! I can’t wait to share this experience with you!

Team pictured:
Bottom (L to R): Jennifer Hananouchi, Danielle, Peter Ahn, Lisa An, Dianne McAlexander
Top (L to R): Janet Susan Chong, Elliott Kim, Tyler Ternes

On Our Way~ Team Meeting.10May2

Blogger: Susan Chong

Lisa, Diane, Danielle, Tyler, Janet, Peter and Jen attended tonights meeting. In today's meeting, we covered a lot of items. We all deepened our relationships by getting to know each other better over dinner that I brought.

We then discussed future important dates and announcements. The main discussion was over the second part of The Hole in Our Gospel that everyone on the team read for the week. The team members discussed sections of the book that inspired or moved them.

"God uses broken and imperfect people to challenge and inspire others", many people were able to relate to this idea and this was discussed last week as well. We are a group of people on different levels with our walk with God. What we do know is that we want to be more like him and do what he asks us to do.

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. - C.S. Lewis.

Diane pointed out this quote on page 73 of the book. Very inspiring!

It was mentioned during tonights meeting that Richard Stearn is straight up! This helps people relate to him and learn from his experiences.

After discussing the book - Jenn and Tyler opened up to us about their past and their walk with God. It was great to not only know more about them but listen to their walk with God and how they came to participate on this mission trip. Both testimonials were wonderful and I was happy to get to know them more. When people open up about their lives we are able to become more intimate with them so I thank you guys for sharing!!!!

One of the wonderful characteristics about this team is that everyone is open to volunteer for activities and to help support this team and make us more effective. I can see wonderful relationships forming.

And then... it was time to go home!

Important dates:

May 8 immunization

May 14-16th Trex team retreat

June 6 - Commissioning Sunday

Support our team and please check back to follow our journey!