August 17 - September 3, 2010

Bolivia Team 2010

Matt Jones, Greg Peterson, Colin Halstead
Molly Mack, Emily McMahon, Brielle Adams, Kristi Meuller, Bethany Jennings

Check out the latest on their BLOG

In addition to encouraging them in their ministry we will be heading further south to Bermejo, Tarija (a rural town directly on the border of Argentina). There we are planning on partnering with a local family who has been working to plant a church for the past two years. We will be putting on daily VBS type programs, including puppet shows, singing and crafts. As well as helping them erect a church building as well as work on their home.
We would love for you to partner with us in prayer, not only during the trip, but as we prepare for this exciting journey. In the months prior to leaving we will be putting on a number of fundraisers as well as preparing our hearts by studying the bible together. We would ask that you not only keep our team in prayer, but also those in Bolivia who are currently sharing the great news of Christ Jesus.

Emily McMahon - for the Bolivia Team

For more information - check out out BLOG

Here are a few pictures of our adventure in Mexico.  Yesterday was a great day full of service, children, and mud.  It had rained overnight which is very uncommon in this area…school was cancelled.  If this applied to the schools in Eugene, I don’t think we could finish grade school in our lifetime.

Continue to pray for us as we minister to the spiritually blind.

In Him,

Hunter G.

We apologize for such a late update on our mission, we have had numerous issues connecting to the internet!

We are in Mexico and having a blast!  Our train ride was a great opportunity for all of the missionaries to connect, hang out, and make lots of memories.  Although it was very difficult to sleep, the experience was worthwhile.

The team arrived in Mexico a little late due to a few necessary stops before the border.  We immediately attended the weekly church service held by the church in Victoria.  We were able to share about 4 songs and hear a great testimony from Katie Peterson (she did a wonderful job).  After the service, we were introduced to our host families who so lovingly took us to their homes.

Monday was our first full day in Mexico.  We started many different work projects like roofing, siding, painting, and most of the girls planned and prepared for Vacation Bible School.  Everyone has had such a great attitude about helping and serving others to give glory to God! It’s so wonderful to see all of the Mexican children enjoy stories from the Bible and memorize short scriptures.  Although we can barely communicate, a simple piggy-back ride and a jump-rope can bridge any separation between us and the kids.  They are very happy and a pleasure to love on.

God has been very faithful and protective of His children.  No serious injuries or illnesses!  Thank you Lord.  Lastnight at our basketball game in Delta, during halftime, our own students blew the audience away with a skit portraying God’s never-ending love for us.  After Rudy shared a short message with the audience, 3 people made a decision to accept Jesus as their Savior.  It was wonderful!

I hope you will still continue to pray for us as we continue to serve and love like Jesus.  Pray that we will be kept from any harm and remain safe as we finish our work this week.  I will hopefully give you an update tomorrow on how things are going and how God is working.  Thanks for everything!

God bless,

Hunter G.

Well, it’s finally here!  After months of training, preparation, and meetings we are finally within one day of departure.  Our bags are packed and loaded and our hearts are ready to serve wherever God leads us!

Over the last eight weeks leaders and students were required to memorize the first 16 verses in Matthew 5.  These words, from Jesus to his followers, are considered to be part of the greatest sermon ever preached.

” ¹Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them saying:
³“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
⁷Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Feel free to quiz your children at any time on the scripture memorization!

We ask for your prayers as we travel down south tomorrow!  Please pray that the scripture we memorized and meditated on, God will send to our hearts and have it become part of our actions.  Also, we ask for prayer for God’s hand of protection and safety over our travels tomorrow as we embark on the great journey brought before us.

Thank you all for being a part of our trip and supporting us through prayer and love.  We will keep you updated!

In Him,

Rudy and Hunter

A dynamic course where you’ll discover what God is doing around the world and consider your part in His purposes.

Sunday Mornings beginning February 7, 2010

11:30a.m.— 2:30 p.m.

4 Weeks

Lunch included

Course Fee - $25.00

College Students - $10.00

This is a course about vision. The same vision which empowered Jesus to live His life with joy, hope and single-hearted passion. This course explores that vision and will help you respond to Christ’s invitation to live for the same purpose and significance He did.

For more information download the Brochure and Registration form

Live a Life of Purpose

Throughout Jesus’ life, His purpose was to bring about God’s glory. His vision of God’s glory focused His life. It filled His daily affairs with immense significance.

The point of this course is not to persuade you to become a missionary. Neither is it to train you in skills you need to serve as a missionary. The point is to expose you to many of the practicalities and challenges and to set you on a path of ongoing learning to play your part in God’s kingdom wisely and well.

The primary idea is that we want God to fulfill His purposes for mankind. We are not called to perform dull religious duties. God desires that we lead lives of huge significance.

We are convinced that God has a “world-sized” role for every Christian in His global purpose. Whether people go to distant countries or stay at home is a secondary issue. The primary issue is what people are hungry to discover: a vision to live a life of purpose. Discovering that vision makes this course valuable, and perhaps crucial, for any Christian.

Today’s post is going to be very short because we are short on time. The whole group left Victoria at 9:00am and traveled to Algodones for some “de compras” (shopping). We are all mostly healthy, happy, and safe. God is good. Today we are looking forward to all enjoying carne asada at Tidy’s. Please continue to pray for safety and unity as we spend our last full day in the Mexicali Valley.

Dios le Bendiga,

-The Mexico Mission Team

It hard to explain all that has happened here in the past 48 hours, but we will try . On Tuesday evening we met at K57 where the new church has just been completed. The group in Victoria and K39 had a “stay at home” night with their families. The rest of the team sang a few songs and then showed the movie “Fireproof”. It was in Spanish with English subtitles so everyone could appreciate the message. Everyone loved the movie, folks were crying and even at the end one woman gave her life to the Lord. The pastors here think it is a great ministry tool and plan to use it again. They said it touches on all the problems in our world~ marital issues, drugs and alcohol, pornography, and relationships.

Early Wednesday morning a group left for the asparagus fields to share with the workers there and take them granola bars, juice and socks. Over 60 workers rallied around as the team sang and shared and Pastor Bibliano gave a short message. Fourteen people responded that they wanted to acceppt Christ. We are praising the Lord!!

In the afternoon the work continued ~ painting in all the towns, construction, VBS and a visit to another Rehabilitation Center. Wednesday night was the basketball game with the Pistones (we lost by 7 points) and our group sang and presented the “Everything” drama. The teens did an excellent job! Rudy closed with a gospel presenation.

This morning K39 and Oaxaca kids went to yet another asparagus field where several others gave their hearts to Christ. So far this week we have seen 23 people come to the Lord. It is such a joy to be able to witness the fruit of the labor here and the testimony that comes as we unite with the leadership here.

So now it is time for another meal. We then have VBS, another Rehab visit and then the service in K39 tonight where we will once again show the movie, “Fireproof.” Please continue to pray for the witness and testimony of Jesus here in the Mexicali Valley.

Everyone is well, happy and working hard. Such a blessing!!

Dios le bendiga,

Rudy and Gayle

Hola a todos en Eugene,

Thank you for your prayers. Today was a good day packed with learning, growing, building, and loving. A small group of us went to K-57 to finish construction on the church there. Our work included installing ports in the wall for ventilation and frame supports to protect the building from high winds and earthquakes. Mark Atkins did a fantastic job organizing all the work and making sure everyone had what they needed.

VBS continues to go well. The children always love spending time with the high-schoolers and listening to bible stories told through puppet interpretations.

Also a small group from Victoria went to a drug rehabilitation center in Nueva Leon with Pastor Issac. We sang songs in spanish and Tim Bennion gave a short and sweet testimony of God’s transforming power.

Please continue to pray for energy and patience as we look towards our fourth full day in Mexico. All the work and sun (it’s been about 70 degrees J) has started to catch up to some people. Pray that God would continue to work in our lives and in those of our Mexican brothers. Despite all the news of violence, the towns feel much like they have every other year. However, we would appreciate continued prayer for safety.

God Bless,

The 2009 Mexico Mission Team

After lunches of beans, tortilla’s, carne asada, chicken mole, tacos, enchiladas, and pan dulce everyone was quite happy. In the afternoon over 200 children met for VBS where they learned about the conversion of Saul and made butterflies to tell of the changed life of Paul. It was a wonderful day and it wasn’t over.

One of the biggest highlights of the day was when Wes and the pastor’s wife from 28 came to the medical clinic with a women and her son just as the clinic was closing. She was a sixty year old lady with back pain. When Dr Jim asked if he could pray for her Lety, the pastor’s wife said that the woman was not a Christian. As they shared with her and her son about Jesus and how much He loved them they both prayed to receive Christ.

In the evening there was a basketball game in Delta. Delta is a very old community and is adjacent to Oaxaca. There were two huge blessings in Delta. Rudy was introduced to a man who had come to our game last year and also saw our teens sing and share the drama, “Broken Heart.” He came to share that after the play he had many questions and a few months later gave his heart to the Lord and has been growing ever since. The other blessing was that the “mayor” of the region came to make sure we felt safe. He even had several additional police cars in the area. At the close of our sharing at halftime he said to Onesimo, “This is a good work, this is what our people need.”

What a wonderful way to begin our week! Monday’s have never been so exciting. We appreciate your prayers!!! Colleen said she even got a nap!!!! The teenagers are precious and so great to work with. You would be proud of them all.

Blessings,

Rudy and Gayle