CHADRON, NE MISSION TRIP
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July 21, 2008 We finally made it! After a long day of up's and down's (and I literally mean up and down in the plane) we have arrived in Chadron, Nebraska. Our trip started out well until we arrived at the airport. Jimmy Wilson (Rowe) had a difficult time getting his ticket changed to his real name and we were not sure at first if he was going to be able to make the flight. After several phones calls and several pulled strings, he got his ticket. Little did we know that would be only the first of many events to come during the day! Our first flight was delayed by about an hour due to "mechanical problems." As we eventually began our journey, we stopped on the tarmac to find out there was a computer glitch and that the plane would have to be restarted. We finally got going after several minutes and we were on our way! The flight was pretty much uneventful and somewhat humerous until the final hour when the pilot made an announcement about this "just turning into one of THOSE flights..." our humor was short lived! We circled outside of Minneapolis for thirty minutes and then began making our way towards the ground. On our way down, we were beginning to wonder if it was a roller coaster we were on and not a plane! The plane began being tossed side by side and started shaking some due to the severe thunderstorms in the Minneapolis area. We finally touched down rather smoothly and made our way towards the gate. Just when you think its over, IT's NOT! We got close to the gate to find out that the ramp had been closed due to lightning and we sat there for several minutes waiting to move forward. Finally, we were set FREE!! We made it through our second flight (PRAISE THE LORD) without any problems and then loaded the vans and made our way torwards Nebraska (another 2 hour drive in a very blue unconditoned van). Just to prove how faithful our God really is, we were told during the storm about a girl who was sent home from the hospital with a 105 degree temperature. The doctors could not figure out a diagnosis so they just sent her home. Well today (Monday) we found out that right around the time we were praying for her, her temperature began to drop and today it is completely gone!!! Continue praying for us, Darren, Tiffany, and family, and the Grace Baptist Fellowship church! God is doing some mighty things and we can not wait to see what He has in store! |
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July 22, 2008 Our week started out great! Monday was our first day of art camp and Vacation Bible School! The group split at about nine in the morning and while some helped at art camp, the others went canvasing at the married student housing on the Chadron State campus. During art camp one of the children got saved! After art camp was over we had to go and have more fliers printed advertising VBS. We spent the afternoon in the Kenwood area right outside of Chadron. We walked up and down the streets passing out fliers and visiting with people. During our time in that one area, 3 young guys got saved! This may be the start of the youth group that we have been praying for! We came back, ate dinner, and then prepared for Vacation Bible School. We got to Wilson Park around six to set up for VBS. We had a turn-out of 21 kids, and we expect that number to grow throughout the week. The Lord continues to be faithful and during Vacation Bible School an eleven year old boy named Johnny, gave his heart to Christ! We are seeing people get saved and we can not wait to share more of that news with you all. (Notice the "you all," we are catching ourselves saying y'all because more and more people want to know where we are from!) Continue to pray for us as we work and share in Nebraska. Many doors and opprotunities are becoming available and the work is far from over. We look forward to the week ahead and we are excited to see what God has in store! |
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The Lord continues to do amazing things while we are here in Nebraska! Children and parents are coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ and words can not really describe how awesome our time here has been!! We are seeing the number of children rise for both the art camp and Vacation Bible School and the team has made a lot of contacts for Pastor Darren's church. The weather on Tuesday night was not cooperating very well but that did not stop us or the children from coming to VBS. We had a great turn-out despite the weather and several of the kids got saved! During the morning hours after art camp, the team went over to the Chadron Public Library and read stories and helped with the craft time. As a team we are experiencing a mighty move of the Lord and we are growing deeper into our relationships with Him! As we continue our work in Chadron, Nebraska we ask that "you all" (there I go again with the Northern accent) keep us in your prayers. Also, pray for all of the decisions that have been made. Many children we are seeing come from broken homes and have expereinced a great deal of hurt. They desperately need our prayers! You really never know how TRULY BLESSED you are until you see what others expereince and deal with on a daily basis! But God continues to be SO GOOD and He is changing lives ALL THE TIME!!!! |
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July 24, 2008 We can not even begin to say how GREAT our God truly is! The few days that we have been here in Chadron, Nebraska, we have seen the Lord work in ways that we could have never imagined! Wednesday was our third day of Art Camp and Vacation Bible School. Each day, the number of children has continued to grow and we praise God for that! Each day after Art Camp we have been spending time at the Chadron Public Library reading stories, making crafts and just hanging out with some of the local people. Annette, the lady in charge at the library has been gracious and even wants us to come back next year, but we will just have to wait and see where the Lord takes us! Yesterday afternoon, our group split up and we spent a good portion of the day either canvassing the streets or packing blankets and books for the local Community Action Program. While in Nebraska, we have found out that we have been given a much deeper understanding of the importance of local missions and ministry. There is always a need in town and you do not have to travel to find it. We hope to continue to do the same type work that we have done here in Chadron once we are home. We want to thank you all for your prayers! The power of prayer has truly been evident in the work that we have been doing and it has been amazing to see everyone grow in their relationships with Him. Each day, we close our updates by asking for prayer, and today is no different. Tonight (Thursday) we are having a Family Fun Night in the park and we pray that many children AND their parents will come. We are going to have a mini-concert by Tiffany Willet and Darren will be bringing the message and invitation. We all hope to see lives transformed and radically changed. As I said earlier in the week, many children come from broken homes and distraught families. That evidence is brought to our attention more and more and we hope that the Lord will continue to work in Chadron even after we are home in Florence.
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Today was our final day of Vacation Bible school and Art Camp! To wrap up a full week of VBS, we hosted a Family Fun Night for all of the children and their parents. They say it hardly ever rains in Nebraska but it rained almost every night, and tonight was no exception! After the children sang the songs they learned during VBS, Bro. Darren gave a quick message and invitation (It was quick due to the fast approaching storm!). Within minutes the sun disappeared, the rain, thunder and lightning began. Much to our surprise, no one left! Everyone stuck it out and did not let the rain shower affect the good time. We were able to stay under the shelter and hang out until the storm passed over. On this night, several children and parents gave their hearts to the Lord! So many things tried to come against us while in Nebraska, but we tried not to let that get us down! As a team, we can not thank you enough for the prayers and support! As I said earlier, many things tried to come against us, bring us down, and stop us from serving our purpose in Nebraska but through all of the prayers, God truly worked while we were here! |
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July 25, 2008 On Friday morning, we were able to sleep in a little later than normal! After breakfast we loaded into Scooter (our nickname for the blue van we rode in all week) and headed towards Toadstool Park. It was magnificent! The views were spectacular and the toadstools (rock formations) were very interesting! After walking about a mile around the Toadstool Park, some of us continued on through something called the Hudson Meng Trail (2 more miles!!) while the others went to retrieve Scooter and meet us at the end of the trail. The views continued to get greater and greater! We went up, down, around, through mud, over rocks, through wheat fields, and tall grass but the reward was definitely worth it! The views almost made you feel as if you could see in all directions for as far as you could possibly imagine! At the end of the trail was a museum that was site to a buffalo burial ground! After a quick tour of the museum we loaded the van again and headed towards Ft. Robinson which is somewhat famous for buffalo burgers! Several in our group did a tour of the grounds while the other rested from a long day of hiking! After the tour of Ft. Robinson it was time to start heading for dinner at the Cook Shack! The Cook Shack is owned by two couples that have recreated an old western style town, complete with jail and general store! It was truly a great experience to end the trip! |
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July 26, 2008 On Saturday we woke up rather early to meet the van by 7:15. With bags loaded and everyone awake, we left Chadron, Nebraska. We drove back into South Dakota and stopped at Mount Rushmore! That was a great experience and I think everyone enjoyed spending a few hours there. I heard several people talk about it, and I agree that Mt. Rushmore is one of those things that you always see in pictures and movies, but until you see it in person is when you get the full impact of how impressive it truly is! After leaving Mt. Rushmore, we loaded back into the vans and headed towards the airport! Our flights were uneventful (Praise the Lord) and we were back at Underwood by 12:45am on Sunday morning! Thank you all once again for praying for us and supporting us while we were in Chadron, NE! We all look forward to hearing how things in Nebraska change and hopefully we will be able to pass that news on to you all as we get it! Over the week we spent in Nebraska, 17 people were saved and 3 re-dedicated their lives to the Lord, and MANY seeds were hopefully planted! We can not praise the Lord enough for all that He did and will continue to do not only in Nebraska, but in our own lives! There will be an article in the Chadron Record (http://www.thechadronnews.com/) on the "Green Team" and Grace Baptist Fellowship Church on Wednesday, July 30, 2008! We can not wait to go back next year and we all hope that you will prayerfully consider going with us! |
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