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Refuge 2009 Mission Trip to
Troy, NY August 10-15 A group of 10 will be heading to Troy NY to help the Alliance Church in Troy hold a VBS as an outreach to their community, along with other service projects, and prayer walks. This team will be ministering to the people of Troy and be ministered to by the people of the Alliance Church in Troy. This trip is a direct result of the last mission trip to High Island, Texas. We returned from the trip asking God how we could apply the things we learned on that trip here at home. Waiting for us in the mailbox was a letter from the church in Troy, which had been sent to every Alliance Church in our district, asking for help with a VBS program. We immediately began to pray about this opportunity and heard the Lord call us to become involved. We'll be joining a team from the church in Troy and a team from the Alliance Church in Cortland, NY. Our ministry will include service projects, prayer walks, evangelism training, evangelism opportunities, and we'll be developing a culture where we ask God what He wants us to do and respond to His leading. Each of the participants raised the money needed to go on this trip. Thanks for supporting them! Please pray for their safety, their health, for them to hear God's leading, for them to have the courage to respond to that leading. AIM has taught us to look for a few things on a mission trip: to develop a meaningful relationship with someone in Troy, to share our faith, to engage in listening prayer, to meet a felt need, and to debrief and respond. These are our objectives for this trip - please pray that God will enable each participant to meet each of these objectives! Thank you for your support of this trip!!! Visit this page throughout the week for more testimonies of how God is at work on this trip! Monday We hit the road at 6:30 am bright and early! We had a
great car devotional cd that Paul and Este made. They talked about
different situations that may arise and set us back. We like to call
these land mines. We had some great conversations in the cars on how
important the power of prayer is!
When we made it to the church we unpacked and
debriefed with Pastor Shawn Wallace. He really laid it out how
intense the spiritual warfare is here. Just Sunday night a
demon possessed woman came into the church. Everyone from the Troy
church was here decorating for the VBS when there was a lady standing
at the bottom of the hill. Earlier the church members had prayed for a
spiritual wall to surround the church and she physically could not walk
up the drive. But someone invited her up to the church and because she
was invited she could come. Then she made it to the door and she
couldn't open the door. But someone happened to walk out and she could
come in. She asked to pray with Shawn and when she did she prayed an
evil spirit into the church. Pastor and his wife recognized what
happened and they asked her name and the demon spoke to them as she
fled the church. Shawn and Heather prayed over the church again to
claim the church in Christ's authority. These are some of things we are
encountering here, please pray that we will stand strong in Christ.
We started construction and lawn work as well. We
pulled out trees and mowed the grass. The church's lawn service didn't
show up to mow for the VBS, so we got that under control before we
started. VBS went great, we had 12 kids and more than half were kids
who had never been here before! The church people were just
so excited that we came to help. They are so excited to have life back
in the church!
Tuesday After our debrief time we split into two teams and did prayer walking! One group was lead to a laundry mat to help pay for people's laundry and to make relationships. The other group stayed behind at the church to pray and God met them there in some amazing ways! We had VBS and we had 12 kids come! More than half were there for the first time! The church family here is so thankful for our help. They have helped with all of the food and making us feel right at home. One lady named Holly, was blown away by these kids coming out for a week to help her church and to build relationships. Then she said, why haven't I been doing that. We are here to give this church hope and encouragement and the love of Christ! Wednesday How y'all doing?! Esteban here just giving you the latest updates in Troy. The team has experienced a new type of ministry this week. It is very similar to the streetcar ministry in NOLA. We ride the bus and ask God for that divine appointment. Wednesday morning we took two buses to get to the Albany city mission. We ask God for a person for us to chat with and encourage. Some of us had the blessing of someone sitting next to us. Those who had seat mates built relationships, shared their faith, encouraged and challenged some in their own faith!! And those who didn't have seatmates prayed for those who we communicating with people. Upon our arrival of our final destination, Albany city mission, we split up into 3 teams. One team transfered large bins of donated clothing to the warehouse. Another worked in the kitchen serving lunch and cleaning up after. The third team clipped, trimmed, and cleaned up a lot of trees, branches and garbage. They also took apart big metal shelves in the pantry. Pastor Shawn explained the history of Troy and it's spiritual oppression. It was evident as we walked. We prayed for the people of the Wallace family, for a church in the area that keeps "oil in their lamps" and is "ready", and reaching out to others, to help them be ready. We also lifted up in prayer a church down the street that is not "ready"- the oil in their lamps has run out, and they don't know it. During our debrief/worship time God is their In Huuuuuuge ways!!! God is breaking walls and strongholds down. We're being transparent with each other. Debrief is definitely amazing because of the way the spirit of God is moving in and amongst our teens. Thursday Hola, Esteban here again. We're building relationships with the folks in the Troy church. Tyler, an RPI student, has joined our team and does everything with us. Holly, is a single mom who's been here often after work. She's joined us for debrief a few times. She's excited to have Friday off and plans to join us. We're praying with her that God would provide a less expensive apartment closer to her work and church. We visit with parents of the vbs kids and churh members as they are in and out bringing food (we are well fed) and supporting during VBS. Pastor Shawn has been building relationships with three young men. The kids love The Word of the Day VBS, they are grabbing a hold of the word, the lesson, the application and the memory verse. Paul and I have put motions to the verses to help the kids remember them andwe've all having a blast doing it!!! Connie and Kathryn have made fantastic posters of the memory verses and go over them in crafts. Michaela is a friendly greeter at the registration table. Kevin, Paul and myself take control of the techy video and audio stuff. Rachel and mrs. Kip share the lesson. Everyone takes turns in our "prayer closet" during vbs. We've noticed how each "word" has been meaningful to our team- God puts it all together in amazing ways! We don't have Internet so all these are typed on my iPhone!! We have so much to share! We're busy today around the church. The girls have been vacuuming, mopping, straightening and cleaning bathrooms. The grass was high, so our team went to work mowing. Carpet is being installed on stairs and we're spackling on rough walls. So rejoice with us that God is working in and through us! Friday Helloski!!! Esteban here with a final update for our trip. Kevin, Sean and Paul have been heading up the consruction in the church. They've been carpeting steps, spackling walls, painting and lawn care. They've been making huge leaps and bounds on those projects!!! Tonight is the closing program for the VBS. Holly's boss is bringing her two children. This family does not know the Lord. Zack, the teen who our fellas befriended, has shared that he is coming to VBS instead of the fair! Thanks for praying for Zack.Pastor Shawn told us that he's pleased with the turnout of the children that are not part of the church, who have attended VBS. The parents have lingered, and the Troy church folks have been building relationships with them. Tonight, pastor Shawn will share the Gospel message. Saturday morning- our guys asked the Lord about a time of fellowship for the fella- and God led them to plan a breakfast together. The Troy ladies asked if the gals could do the same and we are.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19,20 NIV). |
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