Living the Mission: North American Mission Board Semester Missions

My name is Amber, and I recently returned from a semester-long mission trip in Memphis, Tennessee as a missionary with the North American Mission Board. I was blessed to serve with an inner-city ministry called StreetReach that actively seeks to “reclaim the community for Christ.” I had the opportunity to develop strong relationships with kids who live in the inner city by tutoring, co-running an afterschool program, and leading Backyard Bible Clubs. I was also able to serve with the church’s food, clothes and spiritual counseling ministries every week.
I’m so glad God led me to Memphis! He really allowed me to connect with the people, and I learned and gained so much. Seeing the poverty there gave me an appreciation for my blessings, but it also reinforced the truth that you don’t need material possessions and money to find joy in the Lord. I was able to see true love in action when I witnessed people with hardly anything help friends that had even less, and people who were going through great trials encouraging others in the faith. Even though we can’t often change a person’s situation, just loving and being there for them is extremely valuable.

Living the Mission: Philippines Mission Journey

What an amazing ministry the local church in Manila is engaged in with two squatter villages! Not only is New Hope to Asia Church holding church services in these two locations; they are also meeting other needs in these communities. They are fortifying the education the children receive in the public schools by their Super Kids program that is held every Saturday. 400 to 500 children come to the church each Saturday for worship, Bible study, educational support, and of course lunch.

We were privileged to serve alongside this local church in providing Vacation Bible School, medical check-ups, and a nutritious meal each day. At the end of the week, over 100 children gave their hearts and lives to the Lord.

Our team also had the opportunity to minister to homeless families in the center of the city. Our hearts were broken to see how the children, in particular, had to survive on a day to day basis. The local church is making a difference in these lives as well.

Our desire is return in the near future to minister to these two villages again and explore the possibility of starting a health clinic. Please pray for New Hope and their pastor, Ding Teodoro.

Local Missions Opportunity: ForKids

Below is an opportunity to work with ForKids. This is not a Christian organization, but we are open to working with them because they are not opposed to offering Christian guidance. Here are the details:

First and foremost, thank you so much for all of the donations and help you have given us in the past! As you no doubt already know, ForKids is an organization that takes in homeless families in Hampton Roads and helps these families get back on their feet. This July, we are finally opening our long-awaited thrift store! Good Mojo will sit at the intersection of 25th Street and Granby Street in Norfolk. The purpose of Good Mojo will be twofold. Firstly, the families currently in the ForKids program can use the vouchers they earn as a part of the program to “purchase” various donated items. Secondly, the funds generated by selling these donated goods to the community will help support the entire ForKids program. Good Mojo will allow us to better serve our families and the community as a whole, as well as providing endless volunteer opportunities!

Before the store opens in July, we are looking for lots of volunteers to come in and help us sort through all of the generous donations we have received! Until Good Mojo is open, the volunteer hours during the week will mainly be from 9:00am to 5:00 pm. However, if there are any volunteers who would like to work or are only available on the weekend, we would love to have your help as well, just give me a call and we can discuss getting you plugged in! Below is the link to our website if you want to learn more about all that ForKids does for the families of Tidewater!

Thank you so much,

Kirstyn Lazar
Volunteer Coordinator
P.O. Box 6044 Norfolk, VA 23508
(p) 757.622.6400 x137 (f) 757.622.3837
www.homesforkids.org

New York City team updates

Day 1 - (Sunday) we went through registration, had our orientation, and concluded the day with an amazing worship experience. The team is tired but excited to hit the streets of NYC with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Pray for strength and wisdom as we minister in areas outside of our comfort zones.

Day 2 - (Monday) we began our day in corporate worship and then training on our ministry of the day. Our team was part of a ministry called the Futures' Project. We were to ask those we met if they would participate in a community arts experience. If the answer was yes, we would ask them to answer two questions on a form - one, what were their plans for tomorrow and two, if there was no tomorrow, what would they do differently today? We were blown away with the number of people who agreed to participate - more than one hundred. If they answered these two questions, we asked them if they would like to have their picture taken by a professional photographer and consent to have their picture and their responses to the questions displayed at the free art show being held on Wednesday at the Gallery Church. Please pray that many will attend this art show so that relationships can be formed and the Good News shared.

Day 3 - (Tuesday) this was an extremely taxing day physically. After morning worship, we packed invite bags with gum and an in invitation to the church. We packed tens of thousands of these packages and then passed them out in the afternoon - between 35,000 and 40,000! We were blessed with meaningful conversations and one young man went home with pastor Freddy for dinner and spiritual conversation! Pray that many will visit the Gallery Church as a result of this labor in the field.

Day 4 - (Wednesday) another challenging day as we were confronted with the appropriate response to the HIV/Aids crisis in NYC. We worked with three medical clinics in encouraging people to be tested for HIV. For every one infected with this virus who changed their behavior, as a result of testing, over 2,000 others would be possibly spared the trauma of being infected. Our trainer today was someone who came out of the homosexual community and lifestyle to embrace the forgiveness of our Lord! He's a great witness of the transforming power of Christ! Pray for Greg and Gallery Church as they offer a Christ-like response to those who so desparately need the love and forgiveness of Jesus.