We made it home ... three mission teams to Nicaragua. In 2011 there were two construction mission teams which worked on the security fence at the Los Cedros orphanage, and one medical mission team. The church which organized all of three of these trips was Wesley United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Illinois.
Prior to January of 2005, Wesley had never sent any adult mission teams to any location, within or outside of the United States. But, since January of 2005, Wesley has sent seventeen adult mission teams throughout the United States and the world.
Trips have ranged from: "inland hurricane relief" to Galatia, Illinois; multiple hurricane relief trips to Louisana; construction work to Alaska and Hawaii; eleven medical and construction trips to Nicaragua; and others ....
And, in 2011 Wesley will send out a total of six adult mission teams.
Thus, since January of 2005 Wesley United Methodist Church will have sent out twenty-three adult mission teams!
Wesley has been inclusive, and has welcomed members of other churches, of all denominations, Protestant and Catholic, to join its teams. In doing such, Wesley has become a teaching church ... teaching other churches and their members, how adult mission teams are formed, what they do, and what errors to avoid.
Already spawning off from Wesley has been a newly formed medical mission team now based in the state of New York.
And Wesley is currently beginning to help mission teams to spread from the southern portion of Illinois.
God has blessed Wesley, and in return Wesley is teaching others, how to spread the kingdom of God with the poorest of the poor, throughout the world.
Under the leadership of the Reverend Vaughn Hoffman, Ron and Donna Schaad (the leaders of the Construction and Mecial Mission Teams), the Missions Committee of Wesley, and the numerous team leaders from Wesley, their church has spread missions throughout the United Methodist Illinois Great Rivers Conference, and throughout our country.
So our hats to out to Wesley, Reverend Hoffman and the people of Wesley, for including others. And, our thanks go out to you, for your financial support, your material support, and for most of all ... your prayers and love!
May God bless the people of Nicaragua, the people of Wesley, and you ... as you too ponder stepping out of the boat as the disciple Peter did ... and into the world of all of God's children by serving the poorest of the poor!
God bless and ... until next year!!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Closing Thoughts - the Hole in Our Gospel
How many bathrooms do you have in your house? In fact, are all of your bathrooms inside your house?
Do you have water in your house, or do you have to fetch it some distance away, carrying it, every time you desire to use water? Do you have running hot water in your house, on demand?
Do you have air conditioning?
Is your home more than one room, have dirt floors, have glass window panes covering your windows, or does it have plastic garbage bags covering your windows? Is your home made out of wood planks and a tin roof, with no insulation?
Are you employed? And if so, do you earn more than one dollar per day?
Do you have a family doctor and dentist whom you can see regularly? Do you have a fully stocked pharmacy in your town?
Is the country in which you were born blessed with natural resources, or is it poor in natural resources with extended periods of drought?
Do you earn roughly $365 per year, or do you earn several thousands of dollars per year?
According to the award winning book The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns (the former CEO of one of the most upscale china producing companies, and now the CEO of "World Vision"), if your family income is $25,000 or more then you are in the wealthiest top 3% of ALL the people of the world!
And, according to Stearns, if your family income is $50,000 or more, then you are among the wealthiest 1% of ALL the people of the world!
Among the two billion Christians worldwide, one-half of all of Christianity wealth resides in the United States. Yet, despite that wealth, over all Christians do little to support Christianity, or the poorest of the poor.
Christians give on average just 2.6% of their income to Christian causes, despite the Biblical standard of giving 10% of one's "first and finest" tithe to God's kingdom. On the whole, too often we keep what God has given to us, among ourselves, instead of sharing it with the poor, as Jesus constantly did in his ministry when he consistently focused upon the needs of the poor.
We do this, despite Jesus saying the following in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25:
"Then he will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirtsy, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'"
So, how about you? How do you compare to the people of Nicaragua?
The people of Nicaragua live in a country where they do not, for the most part, have bathrooms nor running hot water, or any running water, inside their homes. 50% of the country is unemployued, and those who can find work on average earn one dollar per day. They don't have air conditioning, nor family doctors nor dentists ... no local pharmacies in most villages, and most don't have vehicles, insurance, nor retirement assurances.
Yet, the costs of goods are just as expensive as in our country. When they can find work they work hard. They desire to work, but Nicaragua isn't as blessed in natural resources as in our country.
Despite their poverty, it seems that at all times they find joy! And rarely do they complain, no matter what comes!
What about you?
When we come to Nicaragua, we come to do a project, but instead the project remakes us. We come to serve, but by their joy we are served! We hope to bless, yet we are the ones blessed!
We have come to love the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua, just as we saw Jesus Christ do among the poor of Israel and Samaria.
In closing, let us sum it up as a seminary professor at Princeton Theological Seminary told his students in class one day:
"When you look at every human being, look at their nose and their eyes. When you do, you will see on their face, in their nose and eyes the shape of a T cross. It was a cross shaped in the form of a T, upon which Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. Thus, when you look at the face of another, you see the cross of Christ. And when you see upon the face of another the cross of Christ, you are looking at the face of God. So, treat all your brothers and sisters, no matter who they are or waht they have done, as children whom Their Creator God loves extremely much ... and love them, as God does, with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind"!
That is why we come, year after year, to Nicaragua. If we don't take what God has blessed us with, and share it with the poorest of the poor, ... if you don't do something about it ... then we have a "hole in our gospel"!
So next year ... what about you???
Do you have water in your house, or do you have to fetch it some distance away, carrying it, every time you desire to use water? Do you have running hot water in your house, on demand?
Do you have air conditioning?
Is your home more than one room, have dirt floors, have glass window panes covering your windows, or does it have plastic garbage bags covering your windows? Is your home made out of wood planks and a tin roof, with no insulation?
Are you employed? And if so, do you earn more than one dollar per day?
Do you have a family doctor and dentist whom you can see regularly? Do you have a fully stocked pharmacy in your town?
Is the country in which you were born blessed with natural resources, or is it poor in natural resources with extended periods of drought?
Do you earn roughly $365 per year, or do you earn several thousands of dollars per year?
According to the award winning book The Hole in Our Gospel by Rich Stearns (the former CEO of one of the most upscale china producing companies, and now the CEO of "World Vision"), if your family income is $25,000 or more then you are in the wealthiest top 3% of ALL the people of the world!
And, according to Stearns, if your family income is $50,000 or more, then you are among the wealthiest 1% of ALL the people of the world!
Among the two billion Christians worldwide, one-half of all of Christianity wealth resides in the United States. Yet, despite that wealth, over all Christians do little to support Christianity, or the poorest of the poor.
Christians give on average just 2.6% of their income to Christian causes, despite the Biblical standard of giving 10% of one's "first and finest" tithe to God's kingdom. On the whole, too often we keep what God has given to us, among ourselves, instead of sharing it with the poor, as Jesus constantly did in his ministry when he consistently focused upon the needs of the poor.
We do this, despite Jesus saying the following in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 25:
"Then he will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirtsy, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'"
So, how about you? How do you compare to the people of Nicaragua?
The people of Nicaragua live in a country where they do not, for the most part, have bathrooms nor running hot water, or any running water, inside their homes. 50% of the country is unemployued, and those who can find work on average earn one dollar per day. They don't have air conditioning, nor family doctors nor dentists ... no local pharmacies in most villages, and most don't have vehicles, insurance, nor retirement assurances.
Yet, the costs of goods are just as expensive as in our country. When they can find work they work hard. They desire to work, but Nicaragua isn't as blessed in natural resources as in our country.
Despite their poverty, it seems that at all times they find joy! And rarely do they complain, no matter what comes!
What about you?
When we come to Nicaragua, we come to do a project, but instead the project remakes us. We come to serve, but by their joy we are served! We hope to bless, yet we are the ones blessed!
We have come to love the poorest of the poor in Nicaragua, just as we saw Jesus Christ do among the poor of Israel and Samaria.
In closing, let us sum it up as a seminary professor at Princeton Theological Seminary told his students in class one day:
"When you look at every human being, look at their nose and their eyes. When you do, you will see on their face, in their nose and eyes the shape of a T cross. It was a cross shaped in the form of a T, upon which Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. Thus, when you look at the face of another, you see the cross of Christ. And when you see upon the face of another the cross of Christ, you are looking at the face of God. So, treat all your brothers and sisters, no matter who they are or waht they have done, as children whom Their Creator God loves extremely much ... and love them, as God does, with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your mind"!
That is why we come, year after year, to Nicaragua. If we don't take what God has blessed us with, and share it with the poorest of the poor, ... if you don't do something about it ... then we have a "hole in our gospel"!
So next year ... what about you???
Friday, January 28, 2011
Children of Destiny - Globe International Nicaragua
Children of Destiny - Globe International Nicaragua
Sandy Carter, a veteran missionary, heads the Children of Destiny Ministry (http://www.codn.org/). She grew up in Columbia, South America, the daughter of New Tribes missionaries. Sandy oversees two orphanages, one in Jinotega and the other in Los Cedros. She is a missionary under the auspices of Globe International (http://www.gme.org/)
Over the past few years Sandy has recruited several other missionaries, workers and interns that God has called to the people of Nicaragua. The missionaries recruited by Sandy are: Lianne Corbin, the Director of the orphanges in Los Cedros; Joy Pulsifer, the Director of the orphange in Jinotega; Mark Randall, Andreas & Miriam Pestke, and Joel & Stephanie Estrada.
Currently the orphanges house approximately fifty babies, children and teens in Los Cedros and Jinotega.
Los Cedros, which is approximately forty minutes outside of Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua, houses the Boys Ranch and the Home for New Hope.
Boys aged eleven to eighteen years old live at the Boys Ranch and help tend to the garden and perform other chores. Most of the boys who are in this home were previously in the Jinotega children's home, but as they grew older, they were moved to the Boys Ranch to allow them their own place to mature. The boys attend a private Christian school in which they receive quality education as well as spiritual guidance. The boys are also receiving hands on training in agricultural work. After they have completed high school, they will have the opportunity to attend either university or a vocational school. The ministry is committed to seeing these boys through to the highest level of education that they wish to pursue, and to continue helping them until they are able to support themselves.
At the Home for New Hope in Los Cedros reside the babies and children who are five years old or younger.
In Jinotega, which is approximately three hours northeast of Managua, is the Home of Friendship. The children in Jinotega go to a local school, where most are at the head of their class. They also have daily classes in English and utilize computers at the orphange. The orphange is on a sixteen acre plot of land where the children can be raised in a wholesome environment. The children help with raising chickens, pigs, as well as growing various crops including beans, corn, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, beets,and tomatoes.
The goal of the missionaries at the orphanges is to raise all the babies, children and teens in a Christian environment where they learn to view life as an adventure, love to learn, become responsible leaders, and develop an awareness of their own Godly destiny.
Sandy and her team of missionaires continually welcome short-term mission teams. They have various types of teams that bring assistance to their ministry. These include medical teams that hold clinics in remote communities that do not have access to medical care. Plus, construction teams (such as ours) that build the facilities. And evangelistic teams that reach out into the communities surrounding the orphanges, helping to bring the Word of God to neglected areas, as well as filling physical needs by passing out food and clothing donations.
As you can tell, Sandy and her team of missionaries are totally committed to the youth of Nicaragua. Their vision is to continue to care for the children of Nicaragua, and to plant Christian churches throughout the country, and in doing such, to grow the Kingdom of God!
Sandy Carter, a veteran missionary, heads the Children of Destiny Ministry (http://www.codn.org/). She grew up in Columbia, South America, the daughter of New Tribes missionaries. Sandy oversees two orphanages, one in Jinotega and the other in Los Cedros. She is a missionary under the auspices of Globe International (http://www.gme.org/)
Over the past few years Sandy has recruited several other missionaries, workers and interns that God has called to the people of Nicaragua. The missionaries recruited by Sandy are: Lianne Corbin, the Director of the orphanges in Los Cedros; Joy Pulsifer, the Director of the orphange in Jinotega; Mark Randall, Andreas & Miriam Pestke, and Joel & Stephanie Estrada.
Currently the orphanges house approximately fifty babies, children and teens in Los Cedros and Jinotega.
Los Cedros, which is approximately forty minutes outside of Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua, houses the Boys Ranch and the Home for New Hope.
Boys aged eleven to eighteen years old live at the Boys Ranch and help tend to the garden and perform other chores. Most of the boys who are in this home were previously in the Jinotega children's home, but as they grew older, they were moved to the Boys Ranch to allow them their own place to mature. The boys attend a private Christian school in which they receive quality education as well as spiritual guidance. The boys are also receiving hands on training in agricultural work. After they have completed high school, they will have the opportunity to attend either university or a vocational school. The ministry is committed to seeing these boys through to the highest level of education that they wish to pursue, and to continue helping them until they are able to support themselves.
At the Home for New Hope in Los Cedros reside the babies and children who are five years old or younger.
In Jinotega, which is approximately three hours northeast of Managua, is the Home of Friendship. The children in Jinotega go to a local school, where most are at the head of their class. They also have daily classes in English and utilize computers at the orphange. The orphange is on a sixteen acre plot of land where the children can be raised in a wholesome environment. The children help with raising chickens, pigs, as well as growing various crops including beans, corn, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, beets,and tomatoes.
The goal of the missionaries at the orphanges is to raise all the babies, children and teens in a Christian environment where they learn to view life as an adventure, love to learn, become responsible leaders, and develop an awareness of their own Godly destiny.
Sandy and her team of missionaires continually welcome short-term mission teams. They have various types of teams that bring assistance to their ministry. These include medical teams that hold clinics in remote communities that do not have access to medical care. Plus, construction teams (such as ours) that build the facilities. And evangelistic teams that reach out into the communities surrounding the orphanges, helping to bring the Word of God to neglected areas, as well as filling physical needs by passing out food and clothing donations.
As you can tell, Sandy and her team of missionaries are totally committed to the youth of Nicaragua. Their vision is to continue to care for the children of Nicaragua, and to plant Christian churches throughout the country, and in doing such, to grow the Kingdom of God!
Why a Fence?
Why a security fence?
Two years ago, in 2009, one week before the Construction Mission Team arrived to work on the security fence around the boy's home at the edge of the orphanage complex property, a scary event happened in the middle of the night.
Two men, armed with machetes, crossed onto the orphange property from the east, and were walking in the dark of the night directly towards the villa which houses the babies and the youngest children. Inside the building was only one missionary.
The orphanage at Los Cedros hires a security guard armed with a rifle to patrol the twenty-two acres of the property all night long. Fortunately the security guard discovered and confronted the two men. The guard radioed the local Nicaraguan police department, and adivsed them of the intruders.
The police arrived and apprehended the two armed intruders. The police also told the intruders that the next time they entered the property that they, the police, were giving the guard their permission to shoot them.
The orphanage was lucky that night. For having arrived at the orphanage just two days earlier was a tiny one week old baby ... "Little Carlos".
Stealing babies, particularly from orphanages such as this, is an unfortunate occurence at orphanages in Nicaragua. This orphanage has been lucky in that to date no such thefts have successfully occurred.
However, next to hunger, the next greatest need in Nicaragua, particularly among the poor, is security.
Particularly in the more rural areas, as are the orphanages in both Los Cedros and Jinotega.
The construction team arrived one week after this incident. Upon hearing of this close call, the construction team started wondering ... what if? Thus, after finishing their work in 2009, and while driving back from the airport in Chicago to Wesley United Methodist Church (www.wesley-umc.com) Bloomington, the team began discussing returning to Nicaragua and beginning work to enclose the entire twenty-two acres which comprise the orphanage compound at Los Cedros.
Sandy Carter, the main missionary over the orphanages in Jinotega and Los Cedros was contacted, and she readily agreed that erecting a security fence around the orphanage compound would be a tremendous benefit, providing security to the babies, the young children and the missionaries at the orphanage.
And thus was born "the Great Fence Project"!
Two years ago, in 2009, one week before the Construction Mission Team arrived to work on the security fence around the boy's home at the edge of the orphanage complex property, a scary event happened in the middle of the night.
Two men, armed with machetes, crossed onto the orphange property from the east, and were walking in the dark of the night directly towards the villa which houses the babies and the youngest children. Inside the building was only one missionary.
The orphanage at Los Cedros hires a security guard armed with a rifle to patrol the twenty-two acres of the property all night long. Fortunately the security guard discovered and confronted the two men. The guard radioed the local Nicaraguan police department, and adivsed them of the intruders.
The police arrived and apprehended the two armed intruders. The police also told the intruders that the next time they entered the property that they, the police, were giving the guard their permission to shoot them.
The orphanage was lucky that night. For having arrived at the orphanage just two days earlier was a tiny one week old baby ... "Little Carlos".
Stealing babies, particularly from orphanages such as this, is an unfortunate occurence at orphanages in Nicaragua. This orphanage has been lucky in that to date no such thefts have successfully occurred.
However, next to hunger, the next greatest need in Nicaragua, particularly among the poor, is security.
Particularly in the more rural areas, as are the orphanages in both Los Cedros and Jinotega.
The construction team arrived one week after this incident. Upon hearing of this close call, the construction team started wondering ... what if? Thus, after finishing their work in 2009, and while driving back from the airport in Chicago to Wesley United Methodist Church (www.wesley-umc.com) Bloomington, the team began discussing returning to Nicaragua and beginning work to enclose the entire twenty-two acres which comprise the orphanage compound at Los Cedros.
Sandy Carter, the main missionary over the orphanages in Jinotega and Los Cedros was contacted, and she readily agreed that erecting a security fence around the orphanage compound would be a tremendous benefit, providing security to the babies, the young children and the missionaries at the orphanage.
And thus was born "the Great Fence Project"!
Team Leader - Ron Schaad
Ron Schaad, sixty-four years of age, is a member of Bloomington United Methodist Church(www.wesley-umc.com) and a resident of Bloomington. He and his wife Donna, are the parents of two sons and a daughter, and the grandparents of seven grandchildren.
This is the fourth year that Ron has headed the Construction Mission Teams. Yet, he is a veteran of mission projects, for her has served on more than ten mission trips. He has also worked on Habitat for Humanity builds.
Ron’s first mission trip to Nicaragua was in 2008, when he headed the team which built an addition to the boy’s home at the orphanage. In 2009 Ron headed the construction team which returned to build a security fence around the boy’s home. Then, last year Ron’s team began the large security fence around the twenty-two acre orphanage complex.
Prior to retirement, Ron worked as the Director of Business Administration at Blackhawk Community College in Moline, Illinois. He worked in education for sixteen years.
In December of 2005 Ron and his wife Donna moved to Bloomington, and joined Wesley. Since that time they have become heavily involved in missions and service projects.
Ron first began serving in missions at Wesley when he joined a hurricane Katrina mission trip to Louisiana in 2006. After serving as a member of a team, Ron was then approached about helping to head up the construction team from Wesley.
“I’m amazed at the work ethic of the volunteer team members who come down here and poor their energy into helping the orphanage” Ron said. “The help that we receive from the orphan teens is outstanding. Some of them, although teen boys, work as hard as men”.
“This year on the two teams we had work on the fence, we had a mixture of quite a few returning team members, and quite a few new team members. The returning team members did a good job in absorbing and involving the new team members in the work” Ron stated.
Ron served this year the supervisor of the two back-to-back construction teams, thus he has been here for two weeks. “Besides the red beans and rice every meal, the hard thing about being here for two weeks straight working construction is the need and desire to work, but the inability of the body to do all one desires due to the heat and the sun” he mused.
“I’m amazed at how many people who come here for the first time to serve, express their desire to come back and help again” he commented.
“This year what has struck me in particular has been the acceptance of the difficulties. The team members adjusted to the difficulties, and said ‘okay, we’ll work around it’. This hasn’t always been so in prior years. There is has been more frustration in prior years when all didn’t go as planned or hoped” Ron shared.
Ron said that the idea of praying for our ill team member, and to remove their stresses, was an impactful event on this year’s second team.
“When I talk with prospective mission team members, I stress how these trips effect me … how they have impacted me in so many ways. In my spiritual life, and so many other areas. I’d definitely encourage others to come and join the teams” Ron urged. “People feel that the don’t deserve to come because they have so much. I look at it that people who do have a lot allows them to come, it allows them to share” he closed with.
Ron is affectionately called "the Admiral" by his teams. For he runs a tight ship. But the interesting thing is ... he runs efficient teams without them often knowing it. Ron has a gentle, kind, thoughtful nature. He is quiet, in the strongest ways. He'll ponder things prior to doing them, and sometimes has regrets if he ever feels he has made a mistake.
Ron is loved by his teams. They know how he gives to the project and the children of the orphanage. Never has he team heard him raise his voice, and perhaps only twice with the five teams with whom he has worked, has he ever become close to showing that he is upset.
He has rolled with the flow of Nic, adjusting to the downfalls and difficulties, and making things work in the process.
The blessing is that Ron's wife Donna, who leads Wesley's Medical Mission Teams, has the same dove-like, kind, gentle loving spirit that her husband Ron possesses. Both teams have been blessed by the couples' organizational skills, leadership gifts, sense of humor, humbleness, outstanding people skills, talents in multiple areas (such as Ron's countless construction knowledge and skills), and pure Christian love.
When Ron and his wife, Donna began leading trips to Nicaragua and Hawaii, the church and all those on the trips knew that in the two of them they had something special. For the two of them are like a gently loving Priscilla and Aquila of the New Testament whom the apostle Paul often spoke.
In Acts 18: 2 - 3, it states that Paul met Priscilla and Aquilla, because the Roman emperor Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. And because Paul was a tent maker, as they were, Paul stayed and worked with them. In the same way, Wesley UMC met Ron and Donna when they left Alaska and moved to Bloomington. And because Ron and Donna were both interested in missions and serving others, as Wesley Church was, they all stayed together and worked side by side.
Wesley United Methodist Church, the multiple teams which Ron and Donna have led, all of those who have served on the various construction and medical teams, and the missionaries - workers - and children of the orphanages and Nicaragua have been blessed by God through Ron and Donna.
And for that, we all give God thanks and praise!
Ron is affectionately called "the Admiral" by his teams. For he runs a tight ship. But the interesting thing is ... he runs efficient teams without them often knowing it. Ron has a gentle, kind, thoughtful nature. He is quiet, in the strongest ways. He'll ponder things prior to doing them, and sometimes has regrets if he ever feels he has made a mistake.
Ron is loved by his teams. They know how he gives to the project and the children of the orphanage. Never has he team heard him raise his voice, and perhaps only twice with the five teams with whom he has worked, has he ever become close to showing that he is upset.
He has rolled with the flow of Nic, adjusting to the downfalls and difficulties, and making things work in the process.
The blessing is that Ron's wife Donna, who leads Wesley's Medical Mission Teams, has the same dove-like, kind, gentle loving spirit that her husband Ron possesses. Both teams have been blessed by the couples' organizational skills, leadership gifts, sense of humor, humbleness, outstanding people skills, talents in multiple areas (such as Ron's countless construction knowledge and skills), and pure Christian love.
When Ron and his wife, Donna began leading trips to Nicaragua and Hawaii, the church and all those on the trips knew that in the two of them they had something special. For the two of them are like a gently loving Priscilla and Aquila of the New Testament whom the apostle Paul often spoke.
In Acts 18: 2 - 3, it states that Paul met Priscilla and Aquilla, because the Roman emperor Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. And because Paul was a tent maker, as they were, Paul stayed and worked with them. In the same way, Wesley UMC met Ron and Donna when they left Alaska and moved to Bloomington. And because Ron and Donna were both interested in missions and serving others, as Wesley Church was, they all stayed together and worked side by side.
Wesley United Methodist Church, the multiple teams which Ron and Donna have led, all of those who have served on the various construction and medical teams, and the missionaries - workers - and children of the orphanages and Nicaragua have been blessed by God through Ron and Donna.
And for that, we all give God thanks and praise!
Team Member - Stan Irvin
Reverend Stan Irvin, fifty-five years of age, has served as the minister of the First United Methodist Church in Carrier Mills (www.carriermillsumc.com), Illinois since July of 2010.
Prior to serving in Carrier Mills, Stan served as the Minister of Outreach and Discipleship at Wesley United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Illinois for five years.
On this mission team Stan dug holes, helped set pipes, grinded pipes, served as the Director of Transportation (drove the tractor), poured concrete, helped put out brush fires, helped erect the fence, and found out that he was not very gifted not “called” as a welder.
Stan feels that the three areas where he most strongly does senses God’s call are: missions, teen ministry and outreach to “the un-churched”. Yet, for missions, it took a while for God’s calling and Stan’s response to become in-sinc.
Prior to seminary, during the eight years that he lived and worked in New York City he attended Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, where Dr. Tim Keller is the senior minister. One of the strengths of Redeemer was its adult mission team program. Redeemer annually sent out eighteen adult mission teams around the globe.
While at Redeemer, Stan was invited to join some of Redeemer’s mission teams. But, Stan resisted going on mission trips and expressed “absolutely no interest”.
“One reason I resisted was because I felt called to help address the decline of Christianity within our own country. But honestly, there were also more subtle reasons why I resisted. One being that I’m a sometimes picky eater due to having a continual queasy stomach. I was hesitant to be subject to eating ‘foreign meals’” he shared.
“And, I’m not always good at ‘roughing it’. I didn’t know what the conditions would be. In reality, it is easier to be comfortable than it is to enter the unknown, take chances, and have to adjust what I liked to do” he confessed.
“I truly understand all the hesitations of others, and the reasons that they feel they can’t do mission trips. I had most of them myself. But … then I came to admit that most reasons are in reality excuses” Stan admitted. “Jesus told us to go to Jerusalem (our home communities), to Judea (our neighboring counties), to Samaria (neighboring states of cities within the United States), and to the uttermost parts of the world (foreign countries). Most Christians might consider doing service projects in their home towns, but if they were quite honest with Jesus, they’d say ‘there is no way I’m traveling to a foreign country to help the poor … let me take care of my own poor first’. Well, Jesus didn’t see it that way. Jesus said to do both. And we resist doing both, even if it means resisting the command of Jesus Himself”!
Then came being appointed to serve Wesley UMC. “Vaughn Hoffman and I talked about what we would like to vision Wesley doing during our tenure there. We had both began as the two ministers at the same time, in July of 2004, and we were sharing together what programs we’d like to see in place” he said.
“I was thrilled when Vaughn readily agreed to attempt to replicate what was being done at Redeemer. He threw his full support and enthusiasm behind such, and agreed to go to our church’s Missions Committee to urge them to endorse our church beginning doing adult mission trips. His support was crucial and whole hearted” Stan shared.
“After that first Missions Committee meeting at Wesley in August of 2004, then the meeting with Rick Vaughn and his wife Linda Miles and God leading them with Rick’s expertise into our church’s doors, and all that transpired within the next five months thereafter … it can only all be described as nothing less than a miracle” Stan stated. “What has transpired since then in the area of adult missions, over the past six years has been amazingly awesome”!
Stan has now been on eight mission trips. His six mission trips to Nicaragua are the most of any of the team members.
He was on Wesley’s original team to Nicaragua in January of 2005. He has worked on two Medical Mission Teams, and four Construction Mission Teams to Nicaragua, plus a construction team in the inner city of Nassau, Bahamas, and a service mission trip to Texas.
“I enjoy so much in Nicaragua: the friendliness of the people, despite the widespread poverty; the children and teens in the two orphanages, in Los Cedros and Jinotega; the missionaries who sacrifice so much, and with whom I’ve become good friends over the years; but what I enjoy so much is watching the team members each year … particularly those who have never been in Nicaragua or on a mission team ever before. I like to just sit back and see how God impacts them” Stan shared.
Stan is attempting, with God’s help and direction, to stoke fires of interest in mission trips in southern Illinois among United Methodists. Thus, on this year’s team he is thrilled to have the presence of one of his congregants, Jeff Parks, to be a member of this year’s team. “To my knowledge, we are one of the very few Methodist churches involved in adult mission trips throughout southern Illinois. I am praying that God moves mightily and calls others”!
“I am thrilled at the way God’s church in Carrier Mills is already responding to mission trips. Besides Jeff being on this trip, six others from our congregation have already indicated a desire to join us next year. Our congregation raised in one Sunday afternoon the entire amount of money that Jeff needed to attend. Plus, they have donated money to the orphanage here in Los Cedros. Our members are catching the fire of God’s Spirit when it comes to missions” he shared. “And, I am thankful that Wesley has allowed our church to join with it in mission”.
Stan concluded by musing on the two times he has been blessed to preach in Nicaragua, at Verbos Church in Managua in 2005, and at the International Christian Fellowship Church in Managua in 2009. He reflected, "The people of Nicaragua whom we have worshiped with love God with all of their hearts, souls and minds. They worship with their full energy and exuberance.
And then, they themselves go out and help their neighbors, in full Christian love. And in the midst of poverty, they always find the joy of God"!
Stan concluded by musing on the two times he has been blessed to preach in Nicaragua, at Verbos Church in Managua in 2005, and at the International Christian Fellowship Church in Managua in 2009. He reflected, "The people of Nicaragua whom we have worshiped with love God with all of their hearts, souls and minds. They worship with their full energy and exuberance.
And then, they themselves go out and help their neighbors, in full Christian love. And in the midst of poverty, they always find the joy of God"!
Communion under the Stars
Tonight, following devotions, we concluded in our traditional manner ... with communion under the beautiful night stars of Nicaragua.
Margaret Naylor, who has done an excellent job leading devotions, shared with us one final time. Included in her sharing was a humorous, and outstanding job summing up this past week. It brought us to laughter so hard, during her singing, that tears flowed from our eyes.
Following her devotion, we left our devotion meeting place inside the women's villa lounge, and went outside for communion.
Cleve Curry led us in singing beautiful hymns and songs, including "I Love You Lord", "Sanctuary" and "When I Survey the Wonderous Cross". Then following a brief sharing message, we joined together in communion.
Joining with us were our three orphan boys and their house mother Jackie. We were honored to have their presence.
After the words of institution, one by one, while the guitar was playing, we came forward to remember the last supper of Jesus Christ, doing such in remembrance of Him.
Then we closed with song, and a special prayer for our teen boys and Jackie, laying their hands upon them and asking God to be with them, to protect them each day of their life, and for God to continue to grow the boys into strong men of God.
The service concluded a great day, and an outstanding week!
Margaret Naylor, who has done an excellent job leading devotions, shared with us one final time. Included in her sharing was a humorous, and outstanding job summing up this past week. It brought us to laughter so hard, during her singing, that tears flowed from our eyes.
Following her devotion, we left our devotion meeting place inside the women's villa lounge, and went outside for communion.
Cleve Curry led us in singing beautiful hymns and songs, including "I Love You Lord", "Sanctuary" and "When I Survey the Wonderous Cross". Then following a brief sharing message, we joined together in communion.
Joining with us were our three orphan boys and their house mother Jackie. We were honored to have their presence.
After the words of institution, one by one, while the guitar was playing, we came forward to remember the last supper of Jesus Christ, doing such in remembrance of Him.
Then we closed with song, and a special prayer for our teen boys and Jackie, laying their hands upon them and asking God to be with them, to protect them each day of their life, and for God to continue to grow the boys into strong men of God.
The service concluded a great day, and an outstanding week!
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