BEYOND THE WALLS 2010 MISSION TRIPS
Nicaragua, Pueblo Pintada, Atlanta, Haiti

Nicaragua with Amigos for Christ

6/27-7/3

Leader: Rick Hach  rhach@hclaymoore.com

Purpose: To serve the people of rural Nicaragua typically by participating in  the construction of homes and schools.

Cost: $950.00 (airfare included )

Age: 16 and up

Informational Meeting: 01/31/10

Pueblo Pintado Navajo Indian Reservation

 7/10-17

Leader: Tami Dillard  tamfram2002@yahoo.com

Purpose: To share the Good News of  Jesus Christ by example and deed with the ultimate goal of building disciples for both those we serve and those we serve with.

Cost: $300.00 (airfare not included)

No age limit

Informational Meeting: 01/10/10

Atlanta

7/28-8/1

Leader: Greg Martin    gbmarti@gmail.com

Purpose: To work with several organizations to serve and show God’s love to refugees in the Atlanta area.

Cost: $300.00

Age: 18 and up

Informational Meeting:  01/17/10

Purpose:  To partner with Young Life and the Good Shepherd School in Pele, Haiti which recently suffered from the devastating earthquake.

Cost: $1200.00 (airfare included)

Age: High School age (with parent) and up

Informational Meeting: 01/24/10 

 

Beyond the Walls - 2009 Mission Trips Recap

Nicaragua, Pueblo Pintado, Downtown Atlanta

ASP Mission Trip News

Guyan Valley, Brenton, WV
October 22-25, 2009 

This was my first ASP trip so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I thought that at the very least we would be working in some pretty poor conditions.  On our first day, we arrived at a pretty nice mobile home park and I was trying to understand “the need”.  I saw a lot of homes in the area that were in desperate need of repair and I thought I could be using my time in a better way.  After talking with other ASP volunteers about my thoughts, it became clear that it is not all about outward needs all the time.  The steps that we built for one homeowner eased a burden on her and while working we talked with one of her neighbors that was having a hard time with the loss of her parents.  It just showed me that it is not always about the outward things but how you can touch people’s hearts.

Larry Rohrbaugh
ASP Team Member

 

The mission trip to PP was a first for me as well as for each of my daughters (age 12 and 7); we were excited to be going as my husband was raised on the Cherokee reservation in OK, and we had heard many stories about those times.  Probably because of those stories, we were prepared some what for what we would see while in NM.  We were still a bit nervous and apprehensive though because it was our first mission trip.  As it turned out, it was a powerful - yet individually unique - experience for each of us.  My 7 year old was able to make friends and connect with the PP children who attended VBS.  She also learned a good bit about working as a team, getting along with a group of people in close quarters :) , and being accountable for her responsibilities/assignments.  My 12 year old was particularly concerned because she had been assigned to crew lead the kindergarten group at VBS; her experience with children previously had not included kids this young.  We prayed about it, and she agreed to try it.  As it turned out, she truly bonded with her small group of VBS kids!  It was amazing to see her "step up to the plate".  She also took on whatever other roles came her way; she especially enjoyed riding with the pick up and return vans so that she could talk more with the older PP kids.   I suppose one of the best recommendations for this mission trip is that both of the girls said on the day after it was over "mom, can we PLEASE go again next year???"

 

For me there were a number of "memorable" moments - some even before we left - where I saw God at work.  (I shared some of these with Carol for her journal; here are just a few.)  For example, on our very first day of VBS, in the very first rotation, ALL of the girls in the class came up to me before leaving the class and gave me a huge hug!  This amazed me knowing what I know of native cultures (through my husband).

 

The day that we were unpacking the backpacks for the kids, I had a game that I played with one of the larger group of kids during VBS.  As a part of the game, each child was to tell what their favorite color is.  All asked if they could name more than one, so I agreed.  They gave some thought to it and then began to answer.  The overwhelming majority of them said that black and red were their favorite colors (not uncommon with native people).  That evening, when we were unpacking the back packs - guess what color they were?  Black and red!  Another "hand of God" event.

 

On Wednesday during the after school activities, I took my small group of kids to the gym for a "run around" break (which we were not slated to do, but which I felt we needed).  I had been in there less than 5 minutes when a girl came over to sit down with me (I am not going to give her name to preserve her privacy).  She was holding a younger girl who was sobbing.  I'm not going to be able to relate the story well in writing, but they were both mourning their grandfather who had died on Monday.  During the next half hour or so, I held them both and sobbed with them while using the opportunity to comfort them and tell them about Jesus and heaven.  My knowledge of the native beliefs about heaven and about honoring their elders helped me to relate to them; the older girl looked amazed when I was able to use terms she understood and was able to relate them to Jesus' promise for believers.  It was NOT me talking; it was the LORD!  In the end, the girls both stopped crying and went back to playing.  They were not at VBS Thursday, but the older girl came on Friday.  She went out of her way to be with me when she could.  I was honored that she trusted me and hope that she learned a little about our God.

 

As a result of the PP trip, I now know from first hand experience that God can indeed use anyone for His work.  I will certainly not hesitate again when called by Him!

Friends,

Villa Catalina, Nicaragua 2009

Reflections from the Leader: Mike Flanagan

Our trip to Nicaragua this year was a story of changed lives. 24 of us worked hard under difficult conditions to help with the construction of a school in Chonco, a community of 300 families with no running water or basic infrastructure. We saw first hand how something as simple as a school can really energize a community who were previously without hope. They saw God in us, at the same time we were in awe at their unfailing faith in Christ.

There were many first-timers on this trip – all of whom came home with a different perspective and having received much more than they gave. For those of us returning to Villa Catalina, we were delighted to see last year’s school project full of students and teachers and providing a future for a generation that have a chance to break the vicious cycle of poverty. Amigos for Christ – with God’s help – is doing amazing work in northwestern Nicaragua, and Sugarloaf continues to play a huge role in their success.

Reflections from Steve Praud:

 I was lucky enough to be a part of the Amigos for Christ mission trip to Nicaragua this year. Honestly, before I left, I had difficulty seeing exactly how I was going to contribute to this missionary trip: I didn’t speak Spanish, I’m not a green thumb, and I don’t qualify as much of a handyman around the house. However, I had always felt like I wanted to be a part of a mission trip, but the timing never seemed to be right. For me, the timing on this trip wasn’t perfect by any means, but I had procrastinated long enough, so this time I was determined to follow it through. My purpose in going was solely to serve … I didn’t expect to get anything back from the trip, other than a sense of fulfillment from the service.
After returning, I must confess, I believe I got more out of the trip than I put in. I was asked to write a couple of paragraphs about how this trip has impacted me. Since the trip was extremely rewarding, this should be incredibly easy. But the reality is, I don’t think I can express the impact. How do you explain to someone else the joy you see on a child’s face when you play a stomach poking game for hours without a word spoken? Or how inspired you were by the dedication and motivation of the youth, as you saw them covered from head to toe in volcanic dirt after pouring every ounce of energy into a day’s worth of hard labor? Or the overwhelming peace and contentment you feel as you sit on the porch talking with everyone at the end of the day?
I don’t think I can describe it to someone else, because I believe what happens to you is deeply personal. Jesus desires a close personal relationship with you, and a missionary trip is a perfect opportunity for him to touch your life directly. The only way to find out what impact a missionary trip is going to have on you, is to go and experience it yourself.

"Where will God lead you?"
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Following are personal reflections and testimonies from individuals who served on our 2008 mission trips!

Pass Christian, Mississippi - Hurricane Restoration

"The area around Pass Christian, Mississippi, just west of Gulfport, sustained catastrophic damage from hurricane Katrina. Not quite two and a half years later, the area is still struggling to recover.  This June we worked with the Restoration Point Foundation (www.restorationpoint.org) to help restore or rebuild homes for families who lost nearly everything in the hurricane. These are families who were raised there, who do not want to leave, but do not have the financial resources to rebuild on their own.  Please read below a testimony from members on our SUMC team as they helped to rebuild not only homes, but hope, through sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those so have suffered through so much.

Villa Catalina, Nicaragua - Amigos for Christ

Once again, SUMC is partnering with our good friends, Amigos for Christ, in Villa Catalina where we have been involved over the past several years.  Our team this year will be continuing construction on a secondary school, providing Vacation Bible School to the children of Villa Catalina, and making new friends in Las Hamacus, the village next door to Villa Catalina.  For more information about Amigos for Christ, please visit www.amigosforchrist.com.

Reflections from Mike Flanagan, member of the Nicaragua mission team I have often thought how lucky the people of the Bible must have been to have experienced God so closely and to have known Jesus personally, when we in 2008 must rely on our Faith. I now know that there are places in the world where God can be seen and is actively at work. This was clearly evidenced in Villa Catalina. On this year’s trip to the Amigos for Christ housing project just outside of Chinandega, Nicaragua, we were privileged to be part of God’s work in the lives of people who previously had nowhere to live, and were without hope. This year we helped with the construction of a second school building, across from where uniformed children attend class every morning. The second building is testimony to the success of this thriving community, and the increasing demand for education which will provide the children of Villa Catalina with a better chance than their parents had for a decent future. The work was hard and the weather hot, but the smiling faces of the children, and the endless expression of gratitude from the residents made it all worthwhile. We live in a world of material abundance. It is hard to understand how a family could be happy in a 20x20 cement block house with no indoor plumbing and barely enough to eat every day. They are happy because they came from a leaky house made of scraps, a dependence on a municipal dump for subsistence, and frequent days with nothing at all to eat. I Believe God brings us to this place to remind us of how we have been blessed, and of our responsibility to server the least of our brothers. I have felt the joy of giving on small Great day of Service projects, but to travel to Nicaragua and make a concrete difference in the lives of people and to get to know them personally is a life changing experience. Those of us fortunate enough to have made the trip left a piece of us behind with the children who asked when we would return, and brought back fuller hearts and a better perspective of what really matters in life. I think each of us is sweating the details just a little bit less. We made a trip to the Chinandega Trash dump to find 230 families still living in deplorable conditions and unable to break the cycle of poverty. We were reminded that there is still much work to be done, that God has incredible experiences in store for many more of us who will step out in faith and help our brothers and sisters in Nicaragua. I am counting the days until I return.

Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico - Navajo Indian Reservation

Pueblo Pintado is a Navajo Indian Reservation located about 175 miles northwest of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  This will be our second mission trip to this area, and we are excited about all the opportunities to grow Sugarloaf's relationship with the wonderful Navajo people by bringing the love of Christ to their doorstep and showing, through our words and our actions what Christ's unconditional love is all about. We are planning to do light construction, vacation Bible school, sports camp, community nights, as well as outreach to the senior community, and small group Bible studies for the adults. There is also a lot of clean-up/touch-up work to be done around the school.  Last year we were able to meet so many wonderful children and adults who have such open and loving hearts and are yearning to know more about God.

Reflections from Tami Dillard, leader of the Pueblo Pintado mission team To some, Pueblo Pintado might very well be the middle of nowhere, but to 51 very hard working people, it is the middle of their heart and they left a piece of their hearts when they traveled there July 12th-July 19th. Pueblo Pintado is a small community in NW New Mexico and is a Navajo Indian Reservation. This is the first year that Sugarloaf has taken on this mission as a single church but it is definitely not the last. Upon arrival into Albuquerque, the team drove 2 1/2 hours to Pueblo Pintado and began preparing for the week ahead. Sunday we were honored to attend a Navajo church where Pastor Betty Patone (82 years old) led us in a church service that was truly from her heart. She speaks Navajo so her message was translated through her daughter. The pastor and her family along with the congregation then joined us for lunch. Sunday afternoon the team got to experience the real side of the Navajo reservation…the side that is not visible from the highway, the side that most Americans would never believe exist, the side that breaks our heart and leaves a lasting impression on all of us. We delivered fliers to the residents of Pueblo Pintado and our team members got to see first hand the poverty and poor living conditions that so many of the Navajo's live in. Most of the houses have no running water and/or electricity. There are very few jobs out there so poverty is everywhere. The Navajo are a beautiful, loving people who have sat quietly in their culture, not asking for handouts, for help, for anything, but we've been blessed that they have welcomed us onto their land to bring them donations for the children and the adults. This year we were able to supply them with 300 bookbags thanks to the fundraising efforts of our Sugarloaf Kids' Ministry that raised over $4000 to help us purchase the bookbags. We also were able to donate school supplies and bibles thanks to the American Bible Society who visited us while we were on the reservation. Throughout the week, we led the children in vacation bible school and sports camp, the adults in an adult bible study, a group went and spent their days with the elders at the senior center and a construction crew worked very hard to help the Whitehorse Church with desperately needed improvements as well as helping with construction projects at the home of a paraplegic and doing a lot of work at the senior center installing swamp coolers and replacing flooring. But by far the most important work that was done all week was just listening, talking and sharing with the Navajo people. We were all touched by their willingness to let us become part of their culture for a week and they seemed so grateful that we were there, wanting to share with them, love on them and just be near them. It was hard for all of us to imagine living in the conditions that some of them live them, but everyday, they came and shared their beautiful hearts, their beautiful culture and their beautiful spirit with us. We were all blessed to be part of this wonderful mission and many of us left their not just with a changed perspective of the Navajo people, but a deep respect for the challenges they face and continue to face living on the reservation. More than anything, we left Pueblo Pintado far more enriched than when we arrived and they gave us so much more than we could ever give them. Through it all, we spoke a universal language and that was sharing the good news of Christ.

Smolensk Region of Russia - Orphanage

Roughly 1 ½ million children live in orphanages in Russia and the numbers are increasing by the thousands each year. Most of these children are there because they have been abandoned by their parents because they are unable to care for their children due to the high level of poverty, alcoholism, drug use and abuse. These children are frequently forgotten and abandoned. Please plan to join us as we share the love of Jesus and the hope for a different life with the children and the teachers at an orphanage in Russia. We will be spending our days with the children doing Vacation Bible School, crafts and playing with the children. We will also have the opportunity to spend time with some of the teachers and their families in their homes some evenings. There is also the possibility of construction work around the church.

Chavies, Kentucky - Appalachian Service Project (ASP)

The goal of ASP is "warmer, safer, drier" and as in the past, we will be helping the people of Appalachia with general maintenance and repair of their property. If you have gone on an ASP trip before you know what an incredible experience it is.  If you are considering going for the first time and want to serve the Lord, you will be blessed!  No experience is needed, just a willing heart and a positive attitude.

Agency Website:  www.asphome.org Mission Team Application Form

Beyond the Walls - 2007 Mission Trips

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We have just concluded our 2007 Mission Trip Season, and the 100 plus people who served on our teams traveled well beyond the walls of our church.

Our teams served in Pass Christian, MS (hurricane restoration), Mozambique, Africa (constructing an AIDS facility), Pueblo Pintado, NM (Vacation Bible School for Navajo children), and Chavies, KY (Appalachian Service Project).

We are thankful we have a congregation who has supported our trips in a variety of ways prior to our departures (our BLASt children alone have raised money to purchase over 30 book bags for the Navajo children).  We are also thankful to all of those who supported us in prayer!

Pass Christian, Mississippi - June 6 -10, 2007

Our team went to Pass Christian, MS, and worked with the Restoration Point Foundation on our continued Hurricane Clean-up efforts.

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Below is an testimonial from Donna Collins on our trip to Pass Christian...

It’s hard to put into words what we found when we arrived in Mississippi. It is nearly two years after Katrina and my thoughts were that we would be helping to wrap up the rebuilding efforts however that was not the case. I quickly found that rebuilding will be going on for quite sometime. I don’t think anyone can even begin to know the damage that this one storm did to this community… except those who lived through it. I feel so blessed to have been a small part of helping these individuals rebuild their homes and their lives. Hearing the stories of each one we met and what they went through and are still going through just made my heart ache for each of them. They are very proud people and very grateful for all the help. God was good to each of us…although the weather was hot and humid and the work hard we all did what was needed and God saw to it that we accomplished his mission.   ...read more...

Below is an excerpt from a letter sent to SUMC from Jim Sullenger, Executive Director of Restoration Point Foundation...

This morning before the dawn breaks in Pass Christian, Mississippi, I am writing about the breaking news that Restoration Point has moved another family in their home.  This news is not the kind that will shake the world and captivate the hearts of most people, but those of us who believe in the healing power of Jesus can feel the ground shake and our hearts rejoice.  ...read more...  

Mozambique, Africa - June 9 - 21, 2007
12 individuals travelled to a small fishing village on the Indian Ocean called Chicuque. Mission work included medical, building an AIDS facility, and VBS for local children. 

Below is an excerpt from Bruce Wood’s journal during our trip to Africa...

Today, Mike (Gill) and I worked together at the hospital worksite in Chicuque, Mozambique, side by side, all day long! Encouraging one another as Greg (Martin) outlined in this day's devotional - 1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing". Mike and I moved sand from the sifted sand pile to the concrete mixer behind the hospital clinic supply warehouse. Then we moved large rocks to the foundations being dug by the local workers. It was very hard work. The stones were very heavy. Mike and I talked to each other and to the local workers all day, encouraging each other to persevere - to "press on". It was very rewarding to us as we grew closer to these local people even having to suffer through our language barriers. In laughter, there are no language barriers! And we laughed most of the day!   ...read more...

Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico - July 14 - 21, 2007
A team traveled with members of Duluth United Methodist Church to this Navajo Indian Reservation outside of Cuba, NM.  Mission work included VBS, a sports camp, construction, and community events.