|
|
|
|
We are actually leaving July 5th and will not get home till the 14th. Final preparations are underway as Scott Price finishes up the Big Ball Basketball Hoops, and the team cannot be more excited. We truly believe God is going to do great things while we are down in AL. We are going to be assisting Pastor Nick Vance and the people of Grace Bible Church to reach the teenagers in their community with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Would you covenant together with us to pray daily for the trip and the team? If you will take this challenge please print off the flyer* so that you have a visible reminder to pray for the team, and for those the will hear the Gospel for possibly the very first time. Here is what we would like you to pray for us in six specific areas: 1. That God would make us usable vessels. 2. That we would develop a love for the lost. 3. That we would have boldness as we witness. 4. That as God's Word is preached that it will go forth as Paul says in 1Corinthians 2:4. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5. That each member on the team is able to lead one person to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ 6. For safety and protection. Thank You So Much, Pastor Brandon *you will need a .pdf reader in order to see the document Mission Team Members Pastor Brandon and Sarah, Jon Edwards, Isaac Miller, Katrina Vance, Shaylee Nobles, Amber Reynolds, Elizabeth Edwards, and Megan Hodges. Day One- Are we there yet? Wow right now it is 12:10 back in The Mountain State and I feel like mushed marshmallows. But that is ok, because we made it. We arrived at Pastor Nick and Jennifer Vance's without any problems and the team is cleaning up and washing away their travel dirt. I believe that God is already beginning to work on our hearts, and teach us about himself. We are studying through 1 and 2 Timothy this week in our personal and team devotions to consider our mission in life. As we discussed what we read and learned from our first day I was excited to see the enthusiasm that each one of the team members had to study and apply the word. I believe this open communication about what God was teaching has already brought around a unity that sometimes takes days to build. Thank You Church for giving us this opportunity to see God work. We love you and miss you. Pastor Brandon and the team. Here is a copy of the Devotional that you can do along with the team. Day One Follow Up- Too Tired To Move We're getting around a little slow this morning, but were moving (I think). Here are the pics that I intended on posting last night, but at 1 am home time I couldn't do any more. So now that I am awake and clean, here they are.
This is us (sorry my head's too big) Devos in SC's Welcome Center Hey, where's Elizabeth? Day Two- I Didn't Know Ministry Could Be This Fun. We are going to have different team members put up their thoughts about the trip, and the first one to get the honors is Shaylee. The computer is now hers (temporarily). Today we started off our day with spending time in God's Word doing our devotions. We are on a mission to see souls saved and in our devotions we are studying what Paul's charge is to Timothy, how we need to pray depending and having complete trust in the Lord and more to come! We then headed to Panama City Beach and that took an hour and a half...but it was worth another looong trip in the van =). We had so much fun just being able to hang out and get to know each other a little more. I think for me, Katrina, and Jon having younger ones on the trip is challenging for us to be good examples and keep good testimonies for them...which is good =) I am glad Pastor Brandon assigned us prayer partners instead of us just choosing because having Megan as mine allows me to really get to know the younger ones in the youth group. We ended our day having dinner at a nice restaurant called The Old Mill then headed home and had follow up on our devotions and went to bed! Mine and Megan's prayer for this week is to be able to grow closer together as for those on the team and for our personal relationship with the Lord, that we would also see a lot of teens come out and see many saved, learn what our mission is in our own life and have a good time this week. I am excited to see what Lord has in plan for the rest of our mission trip! -Shay God is good and everything He does is good! As we spent time together today as a team just enjoying ourselves, I sat back and just thanked God for calling me into ministry. Truly this trip is reconfirming to Sarah and I that there is nothing greater than serving God and seeing young people grow in their intimacy with God! Love Pastor Brandon Day 2 Pics- The Panama City Trip
Day Three- Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Everywhere! Tonight Jonny Jonson (AKA Jon Edwards) has the CPU. So heeeeeere's Jonny! Hi there. Today we started off strong with devotional time. We studied I Timothy 3 which about the qualifications of a pastor and a deacon. We then had a healthy breakfast. After that we went over to the church building to help Pastor Nick with cleaning up/work day. We helped by vacuuming, sweeping, and cleaning air vents, bathrooms and the ceiling. We also cleaned out the refrigerator, freezer, and the whole kitchen. We helped set up for a church dinner and the cola clash. After a long morning of cleaning up, we had sandwiches and chips. Then we practiced some music. Next, some of us had a nap time (AKA me) while others played a game. We had delicious spaghetti cooked by Mrs. Jennifer Vance. We practiced our music in the church to get ready to sing "Only Jesus" for church tomorrow morning. We will be singing "When God is Near" tomorrow night at church. We had devotional time follow up tonight. After that we got ready for bed and then went to bed. I am really enjoying having time getting to know my prayer partner (AKA Isaac Miller) a lot better. We all are praying to be able to lead at least one person to the Lord this week. I really hope to be able to keep getting closer and closer to God every day as we are working together as a team. I'll see y'all in about seven days. -Jonny Jonson Well I think everyone is beginning to adjust to the new schedule. After
a lot of van time, it has been nice to get used to what life is like here.
The church facilities are great, and I was greatly encouraged by the way our
young people attacked all the work today. They cleaned toilets, scrubbed
floors, and worked very hard today. The spirit of service has been very
evident. I have also been encouraged at the way they have attacked the
Word. They have studied diligently and all of our discussions have been
honest and very open. Pastor Brandon Pics of the Day
Day Four- Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! For some unknown reason I started calling Elizabeth, Hepzibah, but she decided she didn't like that. So she thought Bob was a cooler name, but I didn't think that sounded like Elizabeth, so we reached a compromise...Hepzibob. She had some great experiences today so she gets the CPU! I started off the day with my devotions. We studied I Timothy 4. Then we got ready for church, ate breakfast, and started off on a long journey to church (5 seconds long). Rob Mandella taught Sunday School this morning on Ephesians 6. Then Pastor Nick preached the morning service. We had a dinner on the grounds. The sad thing is I found out two shocking discoveries: I like peas and spinach! I am so disappointed in myself. When I got home I took a nap for about 5 seconds. Amber and I had a prayer meeting after our five second nap. Then we practiced our music. Amber has convinced herself that she is tone deaf and musically challenged, but she sang anyway with eyebrows lifted high (although it took a while to convince her to do that). Once we were finished singing Pastor Brandon preached in I Kings 8. Probably my favorite activity so far was going to the beach, although cleaning the boys bathroom is definitely high on the list. One of the things I am praying for is that we will have a lot of teens come to the Cola Clash, accept Christ as their Saviour, and join the church so they can grow to become more like Christ. My goals for this week are to grow to be more like Christ and to lead at least one person to the Lord. Now that's about as exciting as a day can get! See Ya! <3 Elizabeth I am so encouraged by what God is doing here in Dothan. Pastor Nick has some wonderful people here who are in full support of him and the ministry. As I was talking with different men and women I sensed a real heart for service and doing the Lord's work. The church is very excited about this week, and have accepted us with open arms. I wish all of you could sit in our nightly devotional follow up time, and hear the way God is at work in our young people's lives. They have been so honest about personal struggles and weaknesses that it has been a challenge to me. Tonight they shared their hearts about falling away from the faith and why there is such a pull to just be content, but I do not believe that these teens have a complacent attitude. Every day they are growing and have shown that they want God and to serve Him in a more and real way. Don't stop praying the work is just beginning!! In Christ, Pastor Brandon Pics of the Day
Day Five- So, Have You Heard About The Cola Clash? We make room for the senior of the group. Tonight the CPU is Katrina Vance's. Today we went canvassing for the first time. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to it at all. The thought of talking face to face with people my own age was kind of intimidating and the worst thing was my best friend was in a different group and I had blisters all over my lips from a sunburn. When we finally got out of the van I was too worried about making my partner, Amber, feel comfortable with talking to people to be afraid of talking to them myself. We had just finished our second house when Amber and I heard a guy yelling at Elizabeth and Sarah. We had no idea what to think. After that we both were pretty afraid to knock on anyone's door, but we knew we needed to. As time went by it became more like a game, Amber and I were racing Elizabeth to doors trying to talk to people so they would be on our team and not on hers. Later on in the day my thoughts went back to that guy who was yelling and cursing at us. It was sad to think that he was probably not saved and was making fun of us for being with a church and in long skirts. Although today was a trying day and we didn't get to talk to many teens, it was still a blessing. My partner for this week is Amber. Which means we share a room and pray together for the team each day. Today was the first chance I had to really spend any time with her and it was so nice. I am the oldest in the youth group and a lot of times I forget to even talk to the younger teens, but today it was all about us and the change was refreshing. Please continue to pray for us. We need to make many more contacts and we all need to have our hearts prepared to minister to other teens. *kat Today was very interesting. We spent time cleaning and beginning the preparations of the field, then went recruiting (canvassing). Normally I have done this type of recruiting during the school year, so the kids have been easy to find. But this is a bit different because it's really hot, and no kids are outside. So we have a bit of a new strategy we tried going to find teenagers at a movie theatre tonight, the pickings were slim but the team was willing to do anything to get the message out. Tomorrow we will be going to a large park directly across the street from the church and see how the fishing goes. Tonight's recruiting was also washed out, we were planning on going to a BMX race with Pastor Nick until a large thunderstorm popped up. We were pretty disappointed, but we turned our time into a prayer meeting and asked God to do what we cannot. That is when we decided to hit the theatres and other hang out spots. We know that God has heard us, and that success rests in our faithfulness not in numbers. We are not taking the inviting lightly, and are working extremely hard to get the word out. So continue to pray for boldness, and God's power to be clearly evident on our behalf. We need your prayers, Pastor Brandon Pics of the Day
Day 6- Crash, Bang, Boom Instead of my normal corny introductions tonight I had better get things rolling. This was a pretty long day. When you prepare for a mission trip you always get medical release forms, but you never really intend on using them. Today I had to use them. Here is the story. I had the high school girls blowing up tire tubes, the guys were helping me in the ball field, and I had sent Sarah and the Jr. High girls on an errand to look for a tug-o-war rope and duct tape. This is when things got weird. Pastor Nick came and told me that the girls had been in a fender bender, and then we left to check on them. All I knew is that Sarah said everyone was ok. When Pastor Nick and I showed up we see that this was no fender bender. So after everything settled down and we prayed with the team I took the ladies to the emergency room just as a precaution. Everything was fine, and I know that some of you may be wondering about the baby as well and everything is great there too. After we got back it became rent car hunting time, but not before Coke came through and gave some decorations and give away stuff (Pepsi is supposed to get us their stuff in the morning). After several calls it seemed as if the entire city of Dothan had zero cars available. I finally called a Toyota dealership that did rentals, and all they had was a big SUV. I told them I'll take it, and then the Vances took me over to pick up the vehicle. When I was sitting in the office I told the story about what had happened, and they gave us a $15.00 a day discount and instead of an SUV we have a great eight passenger minivan with a cool back up camera display in the rearview mirror. God is good. Then tonight after some home made ice-cream, we took the kids back out to recruit at some cinemas. This was something pretty intimidating to do, but I wish you could have all seen what I was able to see tonight. I saw genuine boldness as they were walking up to groups of people and inviting them to come to the Cola Clash. When everyone got back in the van, they were all excited and ready for me. I thank God that through adversity He builds our faith and that we do not go through trials just to go through them, but because God is building us into the image of His Son. Praise the Lord. So this day began with a crash, we got a little banged up, and then boom out of nowhere God just revealed Himself to us. We have a powerful God that we must be content in, and if we are seeking our satisfaction anywhere else except for in Him we will be left empty. I can say today that God has made me satisfied in Him. Pray Fervently, Pastor Brandon
Here is Megan Well today was a real test of faith. Me (meg), Elizabeth, and Mrs. Sarah were in a car accident. We were on our way to Home Depot when a 17 yr. old girl pulled out in front of us. The rest was a blank for me, everybody else thinks I was knocked out, because after I heard Liz scream the next thing I remembered was coughing and trying to get out of the van. We were all really shaken up when got out and I my face was also completely numb. When we got out Liz and I were talking about a few funny things. First of all before we got in the car I had called shotgun and Liz was like well if we have an accident you'll get hit first. So when we actually were in an accident it was like wow I'm never talking about a car wreck again! Another thing was Trina has really sore and swollen lips so now she has a friend. We made sure the girl in the other car was okay and assured her it was going to be all right. Then the firemen got there, then the police, and then Pastor Nick and Pastor Brandon. Another blessing was Mrs. Sarah was interviewed by a reporter so she talked about the Cola Clash which was really good publicity! The policemen and firemen were really helpful and kind. We sat there for about an hour clearing things up and everything. We then came home and Liz and I were supposed to rest but that didn't last long because we then had to go the ER to get checked out. When we got to the hospital we were immediately admitted and well all I can say was that Flowers Hospital is amazing. They were so nice and helpful and well they just took real good care of us. I had to have a Cat scan which was interesting, luckily all I had was a chemical burn on my face. I got wheeled through the halls in my bed and everything. Liz had to have x-rays on her shoulder and knee, but all it was was a bruise or two. Mrs. Sarah well I'm not sure what all she had done. P.B. did very well keeping checked up on everyone. While we were in the ER the rest of the team was at home working and canvassing. They got a lot of contacts today and one person even called to ask about it! But as of now almost everything is almost back to normal. I probably got it the worst. I'm still a little swollen and really red but other than that we're all fine. Well excluding the wreck everything went really well. Our devotions today were about being content with what we have. Which was really good for me to just be content not wanting what other people have which is really hard for me. It has been great being prayer partners with Shaylee this week. We are a lot alike and for a long time I have been wanting to get to know her. It's been so nice getting to know Pastor Nick and Mrs. Jennifer better. Oh I can't forget Elijah and Chloe they are so sweet! P.B. was talking in follow up one day about how Shay, Jon, and Trina have either left the youth group or will be leaving next year. So its going to be up to us to lead the youth group which is really scary to think about. God is doing great things in our hearts this week. It's amazing to see what God can do. Yesterday during the storm I just sat and watched and thought about how God can do something like that which is amazing. Please continue to pray for us that we will be able to be bold witnesses and that God will keep us safe. Thanks for all your prayers and I miss you guys. *megz* Pics of the Day
Day Seven- Let The Games Begin!! There was an intense battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors for the blogging privilege between Amber and Isaac. Amber was the victor so here are her thoughts. The CPU is now hers. The Cola Clash finally started today! I didn't think that very many teens would show up since nobody really showed up on time, actually only one person did. After a while a youth group from another church showed up. Once the games started, the people that Jon invited last night showed up. We played tube tug and big ball volleyball. The message was on salvation. The two boys that Jon invited went forward. They got saved! I was happy that they got saved. It was worth coming down to Alabama because at least two people got saved! The two boys that got saved are inviting their friends, and so is another boy. This trip has been different because I didn't get in a car crash, or eat different foods, but I learned how God can save a person. I learned things in my devotions. I learned to be content and to be bold about witnessing and not to be afraid about people dancing in their yard! I learned not to doubt because God has a reason even with a car crash. On the rest of the trip I want to see everyone lead someone to God, more teens come out each night, and when we leave that Pastor Nick will have at least a small youth group. God has given us many blessings, like not having to pay anything for a rental car! This car has a DVD player, leather seats, and maybe automatic roll down windows in the back of the mini van. We also handed out many flyers and saw them in cars because the people had actually kept the flyers. Please keep praying for us. We are praying for 50 teens to come out to the Cola Clash! -Amber Well, tonight I don't know where to begin. This day has been so full of surprises. I'll go with good news, and then move on to better. The good news is about our vehicle situation. We had to rent a car and that process was a big fiasco, but last night I talked about the really cool van that we got for a great price. This morning I got a call from the dealership telling me they gave us the wrong car, and asked if I would trade them for the right one and that the final Bill would be only $100 if I did. So, I did. When I got there the dealership put us into a sweet Toyota Sequoia. It was loaded, and not to mention styling. I thought that I was done with the rental car people, but I got a phone call around 4:30 this afternoon asking if I would switch with them again, and this time the final bill would be $0. You got it right, that's zilch, zip, nada, nothing for a great rental car for four days use. I think if they call me again I'll get some cash out of the deal. But seriously, it has been wonderful to see the Lord provide in such an amazing way. I believe that God is really proving how big He is to our team, and that they are grasping just how good He is to His children. Better News- I have been praying that we would have at least 50 unsaved teens by the end of the week, and was a bit discouraged at the beginning of the night, because the only teens there were from our youth group or from another church that brought their kids. Then it happened, a car pulled into the parking lot so I called for Sarah to go to the registration table. The group that showed up was a family that Jon Edwards had invited while we were canvassing the movie theater parking lot. The parents are deaf, but all of the children are hearing. They said that they would come, so it was a blessing that someone kept their word. Mostly, I was excited for our team because all their hard work in canvassing was bearing fruit. The two boys had a great time and jumped right in with Jon on the Pepsi team. You could see the excitement on the parents face when Jennifer Vance was able to interpret for them. The whole family stayed for the entire evening, which I have never seen at an event like we're doing. They had wanted to go to church, but didn't think they would be able to understand so for them tonight was wonderful. We are not sure about the parents salvation, but praise God their two boys that came accepted Christ tonight. I am still just very excited about that, I truly can't imagine anything better than what took place tonight. Only the Lord knows if we'll see 50 visitors, would it be nice? Sure, but more important than numbers is God actually working in hearts. We came down with the goal of helping to establish some form of teen group, but I think tonight proved that God has bigger plans. The way He orchestrated the deaf family to be linked up with the church here is amazing. Let's continue to pray that God shows himself strong, because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world and there is more work to do. Called by the one who chooses paths for stars, Pastor Brandon
Pics Of The Day
Day Eight- God's Grace Is Truly Amazing! The final teen to write is Isaac Miller. This guy is a canvassing machine. He wins the prize for speed of delivery and desire to get the word out. So without further ado, the CPU is now Isaac's. I've been waiting for this all week! Now it's my turn. Today, when I woke up, I was excited about tonight, since tonight was the second night of the Cola Clash. We started off with devotions, and then we ate breakfast. After breakfast, we did a little cleaning. We then went to the water park to hand out flyers for the Cola Clash. Pastor Brandon then took us to the Adventure Land putt putt golf course. We had a competition to see who would be first, I came in last. After putt putt, we came home to do a little touching up on the room for the Cola Clash. Once the Cola Clash started, I started to get a little down because my team didn't do very well at big ball basketball. I felt better during the next game, spoke-tackle (we dominated!!!!!!!). I got a little bruised but I'm ok. We then went to the room for snacks, trivia, and the service. (we stink at trivia). After the service, four people got saved. I'm happy for the people, but I wish that I could have led someone also, well I still got tomorrow. I learned from Pastor Brandon how to lead others to Christ. I also learned that Jon's very ticklish. I'm sort of glad that it is almost over because I miss my family. I know I learned a lot more, but now I'm tired, and I can't think very well. So I'll see ya later. -Isaac Miller (AKA Ike) I can't believe that we only have one more night. This gives us all the more reason to pray. We still have not seen blow the doors of crowds, but four more people were saved tonight. In fact two of our team members were able to lead their first person to Christ. Shaylee was able to counsel a young lady that has been struggling for several months regarding her salvation. One funny story is that I told Katrina that Shay was in the counseling room and that she should grab the other girls to pray for her, so all the girls prayed that Shaylee would get saved. Communication can be tricky sometimes, but praise the Lord the young lady that Shay was with understood the gospel very well and didn't misunderstand the concept that Christ died for her sins. Then after the service Pastor Nick brought a young man to me that has said he wanted to get saved, so I quickly grabbed Jon to share the gospel. I followed up with questions for the young man, and he seemed to have a great understanding of the gospel as well. It is so encouraging to know that at just about any age you can come and accept Christ as your savior. There were two other young people saved tonight, which gives a total of six young people being saved this week. God has truly done amazing things, and even though some of the prayers that we have been praying are important He has renewed my burden to win the lost. I still believe that there is a great work to be done. So let us call on Him who is able to maintain our cause! My God Is Omnipotent, Pastor Brandon Pics Of The Day
Day Nine- Are you kidding, it's already over? Tonight the most wonderful woman is going to write. I don't think I know another woman that would allow us to do this type of trip over our anniversary and to top that off she's pregnant. She never complains, and is always in full support of doing the work of the ministry. I love her very much, and thank God that he has given her to me as my completer! The CPU is now Sarah's. We had a very exciting week. Praise the Lord for all seven souls that were saved! The Cola Clash started off a little slow the first night, and we were a little discouraged. We started about twenty minutes late because there was only one teen who arrived on time. Shortly after we began the game an entire family showed up. That's when things got exciting! We had been praying and we knew the Lord was going to work. My prayers are mainly for this family. Some of the other teens that accepted Christ are already a part of other youth groups, but the three boys from this family that accepted Christ do not normally attend church anywhere. I'm praying that this family will come to church this Sunday and that Pastor Nick and Mrs. Jennifer will have a good opportunity to minister to them and see them attend faithfully. Praise the Lord! We had a great week. I learned a lot and I think our teens did as well. I praise the Lord for keeping us safe and allowing us to minister at Grace Bible Church. Continue to pray for our safety and please pray that we will continue in the things that we have learned this week. Thanks for your prayers. - Sarah Wow, has this week blown by. I am truly thankful that God blessed the week. I will never get over souls being saved, and to see seven I am just rejoicing. God has been so good to us, and I can't wait to get home to share with you all what God has done. There are so many stories from free rental cars to free ice cream that stand out, but all of them are examples of God's goodness and grace. For our teens their testimonies are the same, we saw God work and it was great. Thank you for all your prayers, because God answered them. I believe that we truly are coming home with a love for souls that we have never had before. We did not reach some of our attendance goals, but this week we have learned that true success is being faithful. Our team worked extremely hard to bring in the teens, and God brought in the right ones for us. I believe the fruit will remain, and that the seven young people that were saved this week will do great things for God. Souls For Jesus, Pastor Brandon Pics of the Day
Check back often over the next few weeks for updates about the trip! |
|
Send mail to
pastorbrandon@tcbcwv.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
