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Released 5 October 2009
I saw God at work in Moldova
through the leadership roles held by
young adults in various corps. My
team and I had a lot of opportunities
to attend and assist with youth programs,
Vacation Bible Schools, and
at the end of
the summer
we spent a
week ministering
at a kids’
camp.
Throughout
the summer I
did not jump
right in and
lead, but I
first observed
to
see what I
could learn.
There were lots of children from
all over Moldova who came to
camp and were hungry for compassion
and needed some attention.
The leaders at camp were
young adults from different corps
settings around the country. Each
and every leader was waiting for
the children with open arms,
ready to help the hungry in any
way possible. I saw God working
through the young adult leaders because
they were willing and eager
to serve and to guide their campers
in their Christian walk. The children’s
lives changed every day because
of the work that God was doing
through the faithfulness of our
new friends. God has great plans for
both the children and the youth
leaders in Moldova. He’s already
been working in Moldova and will
continue to work. Please support our
brothers and sisters in prayer.
—Submitted by Brenna Logan
I saw the Lord at work in the Detroit
Harbor Light Center and it was awesome
how God used the SMT Central
Blue Team which was made up
of Erica Johnson, Lindsay Hall, and Steve Rivero from the USA Central
Territory; Jelina Patzi from Argentina;
and Titus Ofori Arko and Jerry
Anane from Ghana, Africa to transform
the lives of people, especially
about 20 kids living in the family
shelter in Detroit. A lot of people in
the shelter have neither a permanent
home nor food to eat. They do
not have money and some do not
even have families. It was obvious
on the faces of some of the women
that they have given up in life because
they thought there was no
hope for them and their families. But
before the team left, we shared the Word of God with them, assuring
them of God’s unconditional, unfailing
and eternal love for them which
is evident in His son Jesus Christ. No
matter where they find themselves
now, God will surely bless them exceedingly,
abundantly above what
they can ever think
or ask because He is
Jehovah Jireh, the
provider and supplier
of all our
needs. They just
need to give their
lives to Christ and
accept Him as their
Savior and Lord. We
assured them that
the best house they
could have is the
house of God where Christ is seated at the right hand of
the Father and the best food is the
Word of God. VBS was organized
for the kids and we taught them
about the Fruit of the Spirit, Armor of
God, and the love of God. The kids
loved us so much that it was all tears
of joy when the team was leaving.
Through God’s power we have
brought hope to the hopeless, rest to
the restless, strength for the weak,
happiness to the sorrowful, joy and
peace to those who had none. God
has turned their mourning into dancing
again. Hallelujah! -Submitted
by Jerry Anane, Ghana
Imagine a place where
public transportation is
composed of motorcycles
with covered
“sidecars” (called tricycles),
busses, some taxis,
and hundreds of uniquely
decorated old army vehicles
known as jeepnies—
a place where you are
guaranteed to have both
a warm bed and a warm
welcome! And, of course,
who can forget to mention
the scenery, the amazing people,
and the abundance of fresh delicious
fruit? Well, there is such a place…
and it is called the Philippines! This
past summer I was on SMT on the
Philippines team. Through this mission
trip I definitely saw God at work in the
Philippines
in
many
ways.
One of
the
many
ways
that I
saw
God at
work in the Philippines is actually still
evident even up to today through ongoing
relationships that I have with
some of my new friends in the Philippines.
The people I met in the Philippines
serve the Lord wholeheartedly.
This was evident in the
stories they told us as well as how
they lived their lives. A few people
who showed this very well were the
officers who hosted our team – Major
Joy Flores (Visayas Island Division
D.C.), and Captain Flor Cuartero
(DHQ officer). Both of these women
had just moved to this area only
weeks before we arrived, yet we
probably wouldn’t have realized this
if we hadn’t been told because they
just seemed so happy there and
served like it was the place they have
always known and the place they were meant to be at this time. Also, the
officers of one of the corps we visited
had too just moved weeks before our
arrival (Captain Wilson & Captain Minzhi
Gregorio). After talking with these
officers, I know that they have had a
challenging transition (because of being
far from “home” and even having
a new dialect they have to master); yet
they welcomed us with open arms and
we could tell they are enjoying and
loving their new corps, corps family,
and community!
Again,
these are
just a few
examples
of how I
see God
working
through
the lives of
the people in His beloved country of
the Philippines!
-Submitted by Breann Massey
I saw God at work in Eleuthera, Bahamas
when the kids just kept coming to
VBS everyday. Though we weren't
perfect, they still loved attending and
still wanted to be there with us.
-Submitted by Melissa Pascoe