Welcome to Inside Reach
All six teams have made it safely to their o-treach
locations. The following excerpts
are from emails we have received from the teams.
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Thailand Team
Bekah (TL), Bethany, Kimberly, Janessa, Charity,
and Naomi
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The Thailand team is focusing on language study, building
strategic relationships, and is beginning to teach English in a Buddhist
school. They are also becoming involved with several local m-nistries. Janessa writes…
“This previous weekend we as a team got to participate in a
weekend retreat for individuals and families that are serving Him in this
part of Asia. Our main role at the retreat was to provide child care for
the children. We also got to hang out with the older teenagers as well. It
was encouraging for us as a team to be involved in worship time and being
with people who spoke a similar language. At the very last meal, I got the
chance to talk with a man who was previously living in Vietnam but because
of his faith and proclamation of it had to move to Thailand. In an effort
to get him to get him back to Vietnam, the government placed his family
under house arrest making open communication with them difficult. He hasn't
seen his family for five years and is living in a room with many other
people here in Thailand. To the average person, his life seems difficult
and unfair. Why does he have to go through all this, and yet it was
encouraging seeing his attitude of joy and perseverance. Meeting him was
definitely a moment for me where I had to realize all the blessings I have
and was a challenge for me to have an attitude of Chr-st
even when I go through hard times.
These next two
weeks our team will be going through changes as we are all planning to move
in with host families and then start school on the 18th. I am already
living with my host family and have some memorable moments with them! My
cousin in the family works at a market nearby, and quite often I get the
opportunity to go and help her out at four in the morning!!! I have gone a
couple times and enjoyed it; I find it to be a very Thai experience seeing
how life goes inside a market through the eyes of a seller. One morning
that I was there eating breakfast a seller from another stand brought some
food to share with us...deep fried pig skin!!! My sister told me she really
enjoyed eating it, so I tried some to join in on the treat. I wouldn't
exactly say that I'd want to eat it again but it was good to try at least
once!”
Pr-yer requests for the Thailand
team:
·
Pr-y for each team member as
they adjust to living with their host families.
·
Pr-y for the team as they
begin teaching school.
·
Pr-y for a growing relationship
with the Father for all of the girls.
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South Africa Team
Andrew (TL),Meredith, Karen, Kalen, Jonathan, and
Joseph
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The South Africa team is volunteering with a nongovernment organization
as teachers, laborers, children’s aid workers, and office personnel. They
are continuing m-nistry that began with the last REACH
team. Kalen shares…
“A few months ago, I was driving the Refilwe Massey
Ferguson 415 tractor with a scrapper behind trying to make a
trench and all the sudden it wouldn't lift. I thought, great what do I
do now. A few months went by and finally last week Joe and I tore into it
and by that I mean took off the seat and then took off the top of the
transfer case to see what was really wrong. After taking this and that off
and putting our hands in the oil up to our elbows and feeling around we
thought that there was a valve sticking inside because it wasn't moving and
we got it to start moving. We put it back together, started up the tractor,
but the three-point hitch still didn't lift. That was on a Friday that we
had off work. Then the next Tuesday, which was last week, I ripped it apart
again, though this time I drained the oil out, took the filter out, and
found it filled with a lot of metal chips. I took out the shaft that
connects from the main gears to the axle gears and took out the pto shaft in order to take out the hydraulic pump.
On Wednesday I received help from a new guy on the site team who knows
a bit about tractors. His name is Clayboin. With
his help, the hydraulic pump was taken out. After we both observed it and found
no problem, all we could do was just put it back together and hope it worked.
So we put the hydraulic pump, the pto shaft, the
main drive shaft, the filter after being cleaned, and the hydraulic oil
after being strained through a fine cloth back in to the tractor. As we
were observing the top part of the transfer case that the seat sits on, we
noticed that the lever that picks up the arms was barely even moving and
the same with the lever that sets the depth. It was mostly Clayboin who did all the adjusting and made it seem as
if it was working again. Once we had it adjusted to our comfort of it maybe working we reinstalled the top of the transfer
case and put the rest of the hydraulic oil back in and put the gear shifter
cover back on. You may be wondering about the metal chips in the hydraulic
oil and the filter. After getting a third opinion, we came to the
conclusion that the metal chips were from the gears grinding when shifting
gears. Now you may wonder if the gears are still okay. Yes, the gears are
fine. From my opinion, the tractor was brand new when Refilwe
received it and the oil was never changed since the factory oil was put in
so it really made sense that the metal chips were from the gears. Before
putting the oil in, we were sure to try and clean the inside of metal chips
as well. After we had it all in one piece again, we got it started with the
site manager standing by to see if what we did fixed it, but the arms still
didn't lift. As the site manager was on the phone with someone to come and
fix it right, I remembered the valve switch and pushed it the other
way and the three-point hitch arms raised. It
was amazing to see what can actually happen when you just tear into
something even though you might be scared of what you'll find and just
maybe someone who knows a bit more than you do might show up to help. It
was also a really big relief to know that what I learned on the farm back
home is really even helping in South Africa. WOW!!!! I don't know about you
or what you think, but if I wasn't the one telling this story I would be
rather amazed that someone like me with such little experience and with a
bit of help was able to fix a large problem and save Refilwe
some money.”
Pr-yer Requests for the South
Africa Team:
- Pr-y for health for the team, and that sickness would
not hinder their work.
- Pr-y for perseverance as the team continues to serve in
their roles.
- Pr-y that the team would put their Father first no
matter what they do.
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Kenya Team
Sara, Jeremy, Amanda, Zach & Allyah (TL), and Brittany
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The Kenya team is working in the desert assisting a local ch-rch planter. They are also being a light in the
nearby refugee camp. Sara writes…
“Friday morning we left for Nairobi around 5:00 a.m. We made
sure we were at the bus station early in order to gain possession of our
assigned seats without too much difficulty. After waiting outside the bus
station a few hours, a very nice white bus came rolling up. We hopped
aboard a luxurious bus with spacious seats that reclined, a fully
functional radio, nice windows that weren’t broken out, a digital clock
hanging in the front, and that’s not all! They served us breakfast on the
bus! The days of riding Dyah Express are history!
Whooee!! The roads were fairly smooth on the way
up until the last part of the trip then they got really rough. We arrived
at the Ugandan border around 3:00 and waited in line to get our visas in
the rain. The change of weather was great! I appreciate rain more than I
ever have! We managed to get our visas without too many problems but paying
for them was another story! They refused to accept Kenyan shillings so Zach
and Allyah dashed over to the bank close by to
exchange shillings to USD only to find out that the bank was $20 short! Ahh! They ended up exchanging money with random money
changers that were walking around outside. Oh the joys of living in Africa!
:) Meanwhile the bus driver became
impatient and decided to investigate! Allyah
explained the situation to him and apologized for the inconvenience! He
then walked up to the woman behind the counter and motioned for her to
speed things up. We quickly gathered up our passports and hurried out to
the bus. Whooee! We breathed a huge sigh of
relief to have everything over with and very thankful that the bus hadn’t
left without us!
We arrived safely in Kampala around 8:45 only 30 minutes
behind schedule…not bad for African time! P-stor
Steven was there to meet us. We were all very happy to stretch after the
almost 14-hour drive behind us. Steven and his wife are such amazing people.
They welcomed us into their house and treated us like their own kids. We
sat down with them and ate a delicious meal.
Sunday, one of the guys that we are working with here in Gulu, picked us up and drove us to a very nice house
where we are currently staying at for the next week. Sunday works with an
organization called GYDA (Gulu Youth Development
Association). It’s basically a school for youth that have been affected by
the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). They have different workshops that teach
them great practical things like fabricating, masonry, wood working, sewing,
and they also have a salon in town for the girls that are interested in doing
that. GYDA has lots of great things going on right now. They are currently
in the process of building a bigger school. They hope to be finished building
by July. The students that have been trained in different areas are
actually building this new building with the skills that they have learned.
We were all very impressed! We are all excited about being a part of this
school and building relationships with the youth here.”
Pr-yer Requests for the Kenya
Team:
- Pr-y for the students at GYDU.
- Pr-y that the team would continue strong to the end.
- Pr-y against any sickness as they prepare to travel
back to the states.
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Israel Team
Nick, Derek (TL), Carla, Creigh,
Matt, and Laura
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The Israel team is
spending time building intentional relationships with the many travelers
seeking truth as they tour the holy land. They are also teaching
conversational English. Derek writes…
“I am sure that most of you know what we are all doing daily:
working for the Fauzi
Azar Inn, the J-sus
Trail, Nazareth Village, the English Hospital, and also at Al Mutran Hostel. We have been stretched in many areas and
have experienced some hard times and also times of great blessing. I know
that each of us have grown more towards Chr-st
and have blessed others and have been blessed. We will miss those who we
have grown close with, and it will be hard leaving. We will also be excited
to come home and see you (friends and family) and get adjusted back into
crazy American culture. Our worldviews have been changed for the better
realizing that the world IS actually different than the US of A and giving
each of us a great appreciation for the privileges we have living in
America. To know that the resources being on our side to help the world for
better will help in the cause of actually trying make a difference.
Spreading the love of Chr-st through our actions
is so vital for the cause of humanity. People not knowing about the
greatest and best news that all of mankind has ever known is a tragedy.
They have to know about the love of Chr-st, and
it is our honor and joy to tell them. No, to show them.
Team Israel has lived here in Nazareth for six months. My
hope and pr-yer for the people we have known here
is that they have grown closer to God. For our team, it has been a complete
joy to have a small part in that. I feel at peace leaving Nazareth. I know
that the team and the people here will never be the same and will never
forget the time we had together. We are truly blessed to have come and
served here, and we know that we made a difference. We are truly blessed to
have traveled this land and lived in the place where His Son lived. We are
truly blessed by the body of believers living here in Nazareth, continuing
the work of God. We are truly blessed for our salvation. We are truly
blessed to know Him and be known by Him.”
Pr-yer Requests for the Israel
Team:
- Pr-y that the team would be intentional during the last
week of their o-treach.
- Pr-y for the team as they say good-byes to the people
they have met.
- Pr-y that the people they have blessed during their
time in Israel would continue to be a light to those around them.
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Madagascar Team
Keith, Matt, Courtney, Erin (TL),
Stacey, and Ryan
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The Madagascar team has recently moved to South Africa
because of the unrest in Madagascar. They are working with a local ch-rch and orphanage in South Africa for the remainder
of their o-treach. Matt shares…
“On Monday morning Keith, Stacey, Erin, and I went to visit
Door of Hope while Courtney and Ryan went shopping. It is a place that
takes in unwanted babies and takes care of them. They get babies that are
left at hospitals and babies left in the ‘Door of Hope,’ which is a door in
the side of their outside wall that has a crib inside it and people can
leave babies there. They have a big house for the babies in Glenvista where they can keep 30 or 40 babies, and they
have another smaller house in Joburg very close
to our flat, that can hold 10 babies, which they are renovating right now. Glenvista is about a half hour drive away and we
weren’t sure how we were going to get there, but the p-stor
at the ch-rch that runs Door of Hope, P-stor Stanely told us that he
could drive us whenever we wanted to go there. When we visited there, the
general manager Russell told us that we can come and help whenever we can
make it there, and we can hold and feed babies. While we were there, they
brought a baby that was left at the hospital and that was the last baby
that they could take at that house, so they’re excited to get the second
house opened so that they can take more babies in.
Tuesday morning, Erin and Keith went to Mother Teresa’s
House to see if they could use help there as well in the morning. While
they were there Courtney, Stacey, Ryan, and I made sandwiches and went out
on the street to hand them out to people. We decided to go to a park close
to our house first, and there we found one guy, Happy, that we talked to
for a few hours about JC, and while we were there talking people kept
coming up to us and asking for a sandwich and sometimes they would join in
with our conversation. It was a wonderful morning.
On Monday and Tuesday afternoon we went to Friendship Bethany
Children’s Home and helped the kids there with their homework and then went
to Chr-st Ch-rch Chr-stian Care Center to help the kids there with their
homework. When we started there I was working with the 5th grade
kids, and I truthfully thought I would go crazy if I had to deal with them
every day, but they kept growing on me, and now I look forward to going
there every day.
On Thursday, Stacey, Erin, and I went to Door of Hope, but
what we didn’t know was that the babies were put to bed at 10 and slept
until 12 and we got there at about 10 o’clock so all of the babies were
asleep, and we have to be back to help the kids with their homework so we
didn’t stay too long. We did, however, make plans to go back earlier in the
morning next week so we can feed them in the morning and stay so we can
feed them again and play with them. Keith, Ryan, and Courtney went to
Mother Teresa’s House to help there in the morning. In the afternoon, Erin
stayed back with Deboho, P-stor
Ernest’s (our outr-ach coordinator) wife, and
baked cookies for our outr-ach on Saturday and
all of the rest of us went to help the kids with their homework.
Friday morning we all went to Mother Teresa’s House and
helped there. The guys helped with the toddlers and the girls helped with
the babies. I had a great time trying to feed a little girl, all of the
workers there made it look so easy, but I just couldn’t get the technique
down. My girl ended up with the most food everywhere but in her mouth. It’s
great that we get to help there because they said that there are barely any
guys that come in and that it’s good for the boys to be able to be around
other guys.
After Mother Teresa’s House, we went to Chr-st
Ch-rch Chr-stian Care
Center and helped with another soup kitchen there. The Friday one is bigger
than the Wednesday one. At the soup kitchens, we help prepare and serve the
food and talk to the guys and sometimes play a game or something with them.
Friday afternoons the kids at both places don’t have a study time so we didn’t
have anything after the soup kitchen.
Saturday we did another outr-ach
with P-stor Ernest’s ch-rch,
Abundant Rain, at a shopping center close to the ch-rch.
While there I played the guitar and sang, Courtney played a drum and sang,
Erin painted, and Keith, Stacey, Ryan, and other people from the ch-rch handed out invitations to the ch-rch along with tracks and cookies that Erin and Deboho made and juice.”
Pr-yer Requests for the Madagascar
Team:
- Pr-y that the team would persist to the end of their o-treach.
- Pr-y for continued relationship building with the
people around them.
- Pr-y for physical safety for the team.
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Southeast Asia Team
Andrea (TL), Justin, and Alicia
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The Southeast Asia team is learning the language and partnering
with an organization to teach English, do library work, and build
relationships with young adults. Alicia writes…
“We are right now at the end of our last full week here.
What that seems to mean for us is that scheduling seems to go from
confusing to befuddling. Plans change, and/or don’t happen, and it
sometimes looks next to impossible to hang out with all the friends that we
want to.
Our latest ‘Speak English Day’ was an interesting
experience. It was at a Muslim Boarding High school. It was, to our
surprise, a very organized event. I was told by the teacher in front of my
class of about 40 students that most of the students had not been able to
sleep because of all of the excitement and anticipation of 'bules' coming to their school. They were, to say the
least, a very excited group. Our morning was spent visiting with the
teachers, watching the students perform traditional music (very very cool!!),
then we were split up into three groups and we each gave our own
presentations. After we had lunch there was another session with all 120
students and we were going to watch a movie, but they couldn't get it work.
What do you do to fill the time? We'll call it 'Let's put Bule on the spot hour, featuring Alicia, Andrea, and
Justin!!!' So that's what we did... We stood in front with a mic and got asked all sorts of questions...ranging from
anything to movies, music, ghosts, food, family, and global warming (ok
that one was in my small session). It was a good time really. We were dead
tired by the time we headed home, and despite the bumpy roads I was able to
sleep almost the entire hour ride back to Bogor.
Later that night, we had a very enjoyable time taking Pak Arrison (the director of CB) and his family out for
supper. It was his son's birthday so we had cake along with our extravagant
meal. Yummy!! It was a highlight watching the two-year-old
eat the chocolate around the outside of his cake. Based on the
smiles and laughs, I think that he enjoyed it just as much.
We were in a meeting with Pak Arrison
when Justin, in an attempt to change the subject, mentions...donuts. Now
when you mention donuts around Pak Arrison all
other trains of thought come to a screeching halt. What this resulted in
was the team taking CB staff to J Co (the local Krispy
Kreme version) for a 'Donut Party'. Who would
have thought that a group of hard working people could be encouraged by the
mere act of a donut splurge? We had a lot of fun, and were thankful for
Justin's random question, 'What do you think about donuts?'”
Pr-yer Requests for the Southeast Asia
Team:
- Pr-y for a strong finish for the team.
- Pr-y for team unity and growth.
- Pr-y for health and safety as they travel to Spore
before returning to the states.
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