Marked Hands

By Wade Bartlett

God has marked every one of us.  He does this as a personal reminder of his love for us.   God chose to mark his own Son's hands.  But why?  Does he do it so we will recognize Jesus in heaven?   Did God do it for Jesus' disciples?  Thomas could not believe in the resurrection until he physically saw and touched the marks in Jesus' hands.  James was a pillar for Jesus only after he saw him alive after the resurrection.  God gave us his laws through Moses, and then sent his Son to not only teach, but be sacrificed as the perfect lamb across the alter of atonement for our sins.  He was marked, and killed, in order to make us holy in God's eyes.

He marked my hands over 2 weeks ago on a mission trip.   I was humbled enough to be God's hands for him in Nicaragua.  In turn, he marked my hands with blisters and scars as a permanent reminder of God's love for me.   The wounds have yet to heal, but do I want them to.   When I rub my hands together, I feel Christ's suffering for me, and for those, who do not know him.   Jesus' marks were not healed through the resurrection.   Do I want mine to heal?  Should we ever want God's marks to heal?  God made a commitment to me on a Cross and I made a commitment to him in prayer and baptism.   Only through Christ's marks, can we come to God.   So I ask again, do I want my hands to heal.  I say no.  Remind me daily Oh Lord to never forget the love you have for me.  You allowed a sinner to go and be your hands and feet in a far away land.   Scar my hands forever, if it is what I need as a constant reminder to live for you.

(In May, TSC sent a team of guys to build a Bible Institute. They finished in 3 days. TSC has partnered with Chosen Children Ministries since 1999 to share the Gospel in Nicaragua, and will continue to do so by sending a team in Fall 2011, through the GOCTW offering which provided over $10k for trip costs and construction, and by sponsoring kids individually who need our help.)

For Lack of Knowledge the Children Perish

By Pastor Duane Murray

Recently I was allowed to go teach English at a school where hundreds of children are lacking the relationships they need.  Elementary age children throughout East Asia are sent to school to live at this school during the week and then they go home on the weekend.  We heard it is simply another way that the government tries to minimize the family.  They want the people to see the government and not the family as their provider.  It broke our hearts to see children this age living away from their mothers and fathers.  

While in East Asia we also ran health checks in a different village.   In this village, over half of the 30+ children we checked were malnourished.  Most of these were girls.  It wasn’t for lack of access to nutritious foods.  The parents just didn’t know what a balanced diet included and how it affected the children. 

Community Transformation Training in villages like this is a strategy that overseas workers are using to demonstrate value and build trust so that they can earn the right to share the Gospel. On the follow-up visit to the village, the local believers will go house to house checking the childrens’ health stats and the parents’ implementation of what they were taught.   During these visits the team will share that they are followers of Christ and offer to pray with the family.  Opportunities to share the gospel often result from these follow-ups.  The next steps involve training a team to teach the rest of the community.  Elements of the gospel are also included as the community training is taking place.  

The Lord is using this strategy to reach the people of East Asia, but there are still thousands of people in this area who have never had an opportunity to hear the Good News.   Pray for endurance for those working in this area, but also pray for the next generation of children.  Pray for the Lord to raise up believers and leaders so they will no longer perish. 

(TSC is in partnership with East Asia, and will send 5 teams in 2011. Be praying for our teams and the work they contribute to this effort!)

Forever Changed

By Andrew Holt

In December and March I had the opportunity to go and serve the people of Haiti.  For almost a year I had heard of the devastation from the earthquake, but it was so much different when I was standing in the middle of the devastation.   Driving through the streets and seeing not only destroyed homes but realizing that each home represented a family who no longer had a home, and probably had little hope of getting a new one.  However when you look in the eyes of the people there is hope, believers in Haiti believe that revival is coming to their nation as do I.  The entire time I was in Haiti I could sense the LORD saying that HE wanted HIS people to return to HIS arms.  While playing with children and walking through orphanages I could feel the LORD’s hand on them.  These children are the future of Haiti, and I believe they will be an army that brings revival to their country.  My life was forever changed by this trip, and I believe GOD has put Haiti on my heart for a reason.  I pray that by reading this you begin to ask the LORD what HE would have you do for the people of Haiti.

(TSC supports our work in Haiti through the GOCTW offering and also by supporting MMDR. Find out more about how to help at http://www.mmdr.org/)

Being Blessed in the Process. . .

By Robin Spychalski

In January of this year I went to East Africa with a Project 61 team.  This was my first mission trip.  Over the last four years the Lord has shown my husband and I the importance of missions and has made it clear for us to be a part of taking the gospel around the world.  In April of 2010, with the Lord’s direction, my husband and I decided to sponsor a young girl through P61 and by June I knew the Lord was calling me to go. To be honest, agreeing with the Lord that I should go 8,000 miles away was very hard for me.  Actually, the hardest part of my journey to East Africa was actually answering the call - being obedient and saying “yes”.  Leaving my family seemed beyond my ability.  And beyond my ability it was… but not beyond His!

The trip itself had so many amazing moments for me.  Like meeting the beautiful, young girl my family gets to sponsor.  To see first- hand how she has hope, loves her school and knows and loves Jesus!  Or, sitting inside the amphitheater with the boarding school kids and in spite of a language barrier be able to worship the same Savior through old gospel hymns.  I remember watching the beauty of that- Africans and Americans, young and old and thinking this is a glimpse of what heaven will be like when every tribe and every tongue comes together to worship our king!  Also, a moment of understanding first-hand the scripture in James 2:5 "Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?"  Wow! The people of Korah and the church leadership is so rich in faith!  According to worldly standards those people have nothing.  And yet, I found myself wanting what they have- a rich, deep faith.

If the God of the universe is requesting your presence to be a part of changing lives- say YES!  Say it with excitement, with courage, and with an understanding that our God is trustworthy and faithful.  It will be a journey you will not want to miss!  And when you think you are there to bless others you will see that our amazing God is blessing you in the process. 

(For more information on how you can join a TSC mission team, go to http://www.goctw.org/, and check out the Missions at a Glance page for all future trips. All work done in East Africa is supported by the GOCTW yearly offering, which aids in providing food, supporting and sending workers, and whatever else is needed to minister to the community there.)

Mobile Medical Disaster Relief Team Needs Items Donated

An MMDR Team leaves on Saturday, June 25th for Ghana.  They will hold medical clinics on remote islands in the Lake Volta region where an estimated 7000 slave children reside.  On their last mission in April, they were able to aid in the release of 6 children. In addition to the medical clinics, they will hold workshops on how to make fuel efficient, low smoke cook stoves and initiate a clean water project on one island. Please pray for this team of 19 as they travel and work.  

We are collecting gifts to take back to the Village of Life Children's home in Kete Krachi, Ghana.  There are 28 children (20 from 13-18 yrs old, and eight (8) 5-7 yr olds).  If you would like to donate any of these items, please bring them to Mobile Medical Disaster Relief (833-3002) by June 23rd.

·  Inexpensive, waterproof digital watches

·  Paperback books (classics and easy readers, some children's books)

·  Bibles and Bible story books

·  Silly Banz (those colorful rubber bands that are in shapes.)

·  Under Armor Shirts (for the workers)

·  New Testaments

·  Soccer Balls

·  Bike Pumps