Project 1:8

FOOD DRIVE

2011-07-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hey Team!

Bring Non-Perishable Food this Sunday to COC @ 9:00/10:45!

Let's Finish Strong for Hungry Families in Copa!

ISRAELAFRICAFIJIMEXICOMARICOPA

2011-07-05T13:47:00.001-07:00

So Stoked about how Jesus is going to work through

GO COC Missions 2012!

Please PRAY for Leaders and their

planning and development of these trips!

Pray for Israel 2012

Pray for Africa 2012

Pray for Fiji 2012

Pray for Mexico 2012

Pray for Copa 2012

Jesus, please position us exactly where You want us

for Your Mission in Copa and around the World!

FIJI Update #3

2011-05-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an eventful day. Christy and I had been busy painting the new school building the day before, Nancy was spending some quality time with a lady named Mona. Sue was answering some Hairy questions on Sex and Jennifer was busy working in the Nursery and Kitchen.

Well in the morning Ermerla (perhaps Nermerla) arrived into camp. She and Nancy had some history and she was excited to hear Nancy was back in town. Ermerla is a homeless lady in Fiji. She was once a school teacher, from a high flying Indian family. Now she sleeps in the park at Suva and hangs out near the MacDonalds.

Well she hadn’t bathed in almost a year. Her toes riddled with fungus and tar. Hair matted and dirty. She only wears one outfit between visits. Her bag only has Cardboard for sleeping, otherwise she carries no possessions.

Sue and Nancy were on point with Tia. The soaked her feet and washed her legs. For hours they worked tirelessly on her nails and feet. Steadily cleaning and washing her. Christy was called into the mix as well.

I dropped in and visited with them a number of times. Ermerla showered for about 1 hour leaving all her old clothes on the floor (we had to bleach the bathroom) after. What did become obvious was she was very picky and bossy about everything. She didn’t like the skirt, bra, food, clothes and tops we bought. She sent everything back and demanded very specifically something else.

Still the ladies persisted. We were close to finished by the jacket wasn’t quite right. She wanted a black zip-up warm jumper. Just like the Aeropostle one I own. So I bought it out….the color wasn’t right. I told her I had multiple choices, black, so pick one. Take it or leave it, we have no other options. SO she took it. Possibly the most bossy homeless person I ever met. The team got to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Two days ago, the ladies got to visit some of the ladies living offsite in the valley. Apparently it was filled with comedy and adventure. I’ll let them share that story when they get back to COC.

Anyway Nancy and Jennifer are healing up from a Cold and a stomach bug. Otherwise the team is doing GREAT!

FIJI Update #2

2011-05-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

Do you remember those bags you packed with bras, underpants, beads and various items you had in your house. The items that we lugged across the globe to bring to Fiji?

Today they got names, and then passed onto women here in Fiji. Real people, with real children. Today they rejoice in your old clothes, and new beads. Today your generosity impacted people across the world.

thank you!

Today Jennifer painted a fence, and got to chat with women all day. Investing in relationships and having her heart changed.

Today Sue taught women how to make jewelry and gave up all the equipment you gave to the girls here. This afternoon they went crazy making stuff! They loved it.

Today Christy got to work with some of the women and had an amazing time talking with the girls.

Today Nancy got to begin the third chapter in her love affair with Fiji. Mona’s life has been impacted by her work.

If our role is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, I get the sense of the presence of God very clearly in the work the ladies from COC did today here at HOH.

Your generosity and your investment, has allowed us to minister here on your behalf in this place. Hope is being restored and womens lives are being changed.

thank you!

A Quick Update from Fiji

2011-05-07T12:09:00.001-07:00

We arrived, Mat made mention that our team touched down in Fiji. A packed flight, 4 hours of Fijian Driving and Countless Delays we arrived late yesterday. Some Highlights!

- I set off the alarm at PHX airport because they detected explosives (Gas) on me. So a friendly pat down by two armed gentleman and we were on our way.

- Pacific Air changed their baggage allowance so we hit $500 worth of excess baggage fees.

- Our Car was Tiny so we elected to Hire another 1 for the day, it took 2.5 hours just to get our cars.

- Thankfully the drive was awesome Fiji is really pretty and we pulled into Outrigger resort for a brief break before continuing on.

- Lunch at Nandos was sadly not like Australia, also some random guy pretended to be security in the parking lot and we gave him $6. It took the clueless Australian exactly 3 seconds to be ripped-off in Fiji.

- We arrived about 4pm at HOH. Amazing place, people are really incredible. Mark and Salote and the team are super friendly.

- Today we are off to a Mothers day Celebration, followed by Lunch and some quality chill time. Team is really tired but super excited to finally be at HOH and invest in some quality relationships.

Love you guys! Happy Sunday!

They made it!

2011-05-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

Well, after 3 airports, random security checks, baggage mishaps, 17 hours and 6000 miles of flight, and car rental craziness ... the team made it! Fiji is awesome! Nando's has already been visited ...

ALL THIS before even setting foot at Homes of Hope!

WHAT AN ADVENTURE !!!

MORE INFO TO COME ...

We Leave Tomorrow Morning!

2011-05-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

Please pray for us!

We fly out tomorrow afternoon and won't be returning stateside until 10 days later on Saturday the 14th!

If you'd like to see a little more regarding where we're going, who we're working with, and what we'll be doing, scroll down through older Posts to the Fiji Video.

For more info go to www.hopefiji.org.

Love ya!

May Fiji Trip Promo Meeting

2011-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Interested in coming to Fiji? Wanna learn more?

Don't miss our Promo meeting this Sunday!

WHEN?

this sunday from 12:30-1:30pm ...

WHERE?

youthroom ...

WHAT?

bring questions, an open heart, and your imagination ...

MEXICO / FIJI

2011-01-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody ...

If you're Coming with us on a MEXICO or FIJI Missions ADVENTURE

get your PASSPORTS and TIME OFF ASAP!

Get your application at the Maricopa City Office.

If you're interested in learning more ... Keep an eye out for

PROMO meetings coming soon!

MEXICO TRIP

March 16-20th

MUSD "Spring Break"

(Adults and Students ages 12-18 welcome)

FIJI TRIP

May 5-14th

There will be a SUNDAY PROMO meeting for each of these trips coming up this month.

Keep an Eye out for MORE information coming up.

FOR JESUS!

2010-11-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

Pray that Jesus would bring

someone to mind ... then invite

them to hear about HIM on

Christmas Eve!

TrickTreat-Commercial

2010-10-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

2010 Trick or Treat Commercial

Sept 2010 Fiji Video.m4v

2010-09-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

For some reason I wasn't able to upload our Fiji video through

Blogspot ... I had to go through Youtube. Anyway, if you haven't

seen it yet ... here it is.

WOW

2010-09-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here's what's crazy ... we had nearly 1,000 visits to this blog last month from the following countries ... USA / Canada / Fiji / Ireland / Italy / Switzerland / Taiwan / Russia / UK / China ...

Isn't that awesome? That means that this blog is reaching many more people than I ever anticipated! If you're a new reader / subscriber ... welcome! Thanks for tuning in! We have many more wonderful things to report!

FIJI

2010-09-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

What a Trip! What a Team! Yes, that includes you! Thanks for following us!

Every time we go back to Homes of Hope God stretches the boundaries of my heart. Although I'm ready to be home with my precious family ... the next trip is already on my horizon. Be ready Sunday for our trip report both services. Special thanks go to Marcus / Tracey / Michael / Shannah / Jason / Robbin / Tony / Paul / Jeanette ... as well as the Roche's / Wilson's / the Aussie's / Joape / Hilda / Tomo / Salote etc. You are all amazing people!

May 2011 will be here before we know it. For that reason alone we're already beginning the planning for next years trek back to Fiji. At church today I spoke with several people who want to come with us. If that's you here's what you need to do ...

Fill out the Application ASAP.

Turn in $500 Deposit.

Get the time off work.

Get your passport.

Saturday - Day 8

2010-09-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Post from Robin McKenzie

Wow... it's unbelievable to think that our week in Fiji has come to an end! It went by so fast!! What an amazing experience the Lord has blessed us with. When I look back on what we accomplished and the relationships that we developed, I am truly in awe.

As I am sitting here writing this blog, the word that keeps coming to my mind is hope. Hope is what I saw this week and hope is what I'm taking home with me. Romans 5: 3-5 says "...and we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." The women in Homes of Hope have suffered in ways that I can't even comprehend and yet they have such joy. It's truly inspiring.

I just want to thank everyone who supported us and prayed for us while we were in Fiji acting out our faith. I look forward to sharing the hope we have in Jesus!

"...put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing Love and with him is redemption." (Psalms 130:7)

Friday - Day 7

2010-09-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Post from Shanna Cicero

It’s Friday morning here in Fiji and as we pack our bags to head home, it is pouring rain. We spent our morning devotion time wrestling with the question “where do we go from here”? I am a bundle of mixed emotions today. Knowing I will see my two beautiful boys very soon is extremely comforting yet I know I will also be leaving a little piece of my heart here in the jungle.

To steal a line from Dr. Gary Smalley, “Life is all about relationships, the rest is just details.” As a team we have built relationships with each other. We’ve laughed and cried and shared our stories. We’ve challenged each other and encouraged one another in our journey towards God’s heart. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we’ve bonded with these women and their children. Their playful spirit and commitment to creating a better life for their babies is both humbling and encouraging. Most importantly, we have all grown in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Although an ocean separates Homes of Hope from Arizona, we are all part of the same family. Our story begins with God and ends with God. Psalm 18:30-32 “As for God, His way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God but the Lord and who is a rock except our God. The God who girds me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

Thanks to everyone here at Homes of Hope for making our stay such an unforgettable experience. Thanks to everyone on this team for putting up with my sarcasm and keeping me on my toes. Thanks to our all our friends and family back home for supporting us and keeping us in your prayers. We will be home very soon!

Thursday - Day 6

2010-09-09T04:04:00.000-07:00

September 10, 2010 Jeanette Cole

Oppression-Restoration-Hope

Hellloooooooo Arizona!!!!! WOW!!!! What a journey this has been for me!!!!!! I wanted to best describe my time and I came up with the three words above!

Oppression- these women come from all types of oppression. Rape, incest and human trafficking, etc…. and yet in everything they do on a daily basis in their independent living skills they seem to work with dignity, integrity, strength and honor.

When they are working on the farm they are singing and smiling even though the labor is manual and difficult, they ignore the sun and the insects and work until their job is finished...

When they sing, they sing about their salvation and the power of a God that rescued them from the oppression they were a part of… they sing like angels from heaven…

When it is their turn to cook, they work with smiles and take instructions from their chef…even though they may be tired from the night before because they were up with a sick baby…they do their job until it is finished…there is no complaining….

When they make their jewelry they mine the clay from the dirt and put it in a kiln that finishes the process. Then for variety of color and design, they take magazine color advertisements and twist them on a toothpick and put a final glaze on to seal the beauty….

When these women serve the teams that come to help they serve with every ounce of hospitality.

Then there are the children---I stopped count at 17. There are babies still in the womb, 2,3,4,5, and 6 months old, one, two three and four years and up. The kids love each other and the older ones seem to look after the younger ones. The children appear fearless and happy…

The moms are learning to be good parents. They are learning what being a good parent looks like. They are learning that it is not the children’s fault, even though their lives have changed, as they knew them, since their children were born. The moms take care of each other and each other’s children.

RESTORATON- In Joel 2:25 I will repay you for the years that the locusts have eaten.

These women and children are being restored one day at a time; through their independent living skills, counseling, hard disciplined and regiment work, Gods word and the heart and love of many people.

Their emotional wounds, scars and pain are slowly being unlocked through the process. Our God promises justice to the oppressed…He promises restoration through obedience and our God loves the single mother.

HOPE- Our God is a God of Hope! Our God is a God of safety! Our God has put hope inside each one of these beautiful daughters of the MOST HIGH!!! OUR KING!!!

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To HIM be glory for ever and ever” (2 Timothy 4:18)

They don’t all feel it yet… Some are further along then others. . But what I have seen here is that there is HOPE at Homes of Hope.

Each individual family here has a GOD designed plan for them. A plan for them to prosper. A plan of hope to raise their children independently in a culture that is taught that women are subservient….

So what do I do…It is little old me in a foreign country…. The bible says in Luke 12:48 From everyone that who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

I will pray and ask God to use my assets and abilities to help in the way that HE would want…I would be obedient and read my word and seek Gods face for wisdom and discernment. I will get out of Gods way…..I will LISTEN and see what GOD wants for Homes of Hope!!!!

Wednesday, Day 5

2010-09-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 8

Wow, it’s hard to believe our trip is almost over. We’ve been in Fiji 4 days, with travel; we’ve been away from home almost 7 days. One of the things that immediately stood out to me as we made our way to Homes of Hope from the airport is the memory I have as a young girl growing up on the island of Guam. The greenery, the lush vegetation, the homes, so much more, I’ve spent most of my life on the mainland of United States, this week has really made me realize even more how much I love being a part of an island culture.

We have been very busy working on their newest homes for the campus beautifully named SPA, you’ve read about it earlier. We went into town Sunday for church, went for a hike in the jungle, what a great experience! Tonight was the mid-week service called Cel, short for celebration. We all congregated in “Dorm 2”, sat on the floor as we sang worship songs, listened to three testimonies from our team, Marcus, Shannah and myself and listened to our house neighbor, Pastor Ben, he was visiting the campus with four members of his church from Australia. What a wonderful time of worship. Some of the moms sang a beautiful prayer in Fijian and then they sang my churches signature song Micah 6:8. To see the moms and the visitors all worship a wonderful God who has brought us all to this place for a specific purpose will be hard to forget.

We don’t know all of the mom’s stories, it really doesn’t matter. What matters most is they have all found hope and healing in this place called Homes of Hope and if there are some that haven’t yet, they have found a place that will help them get there. The other morning before our devotion time, I sat outside on the steps of the kitchen, doesn’t sound like a great place to plant oneself to spend time with my Heavenly Father but the view I had of the valley was beyond spectacular. I heard Him tell me that even though He has created beauty on this island, when you look deep in the recesses of this island nation, there is hurt and pain… in the deepest valley. Just like us, even though we can find ways to make ourselves beautiful on the outside, every one of us has something that has brought hurt and pain deep down in our hearts. But when we look up and not down, we see the beauty that surrounds us and it really begins when we look to things above, ultimately when we look up to our Father. When we seek Him, only He can bring beauty for our ashes and the oil of joy for mourning.

The young ladies have a wonderful spirit, they seem to love life in the midst of their healing, they encourage and they give me hope too. Please keep all the moms and their babies in your prayers. Pray for Mark and Lynnie Roche as they continue to do God’s work here. Pray for their staff as they continue their work too. Thank you to all those who supported me and the rest of my team with your generous donations and prayers.

One last thing before I close for the night, I have always known this but it really stood out for me this morning, I don’t need to travel half way around the world to do Gods work. Don’t get me wrong, I am enormously grateful for this opportunity, but I need to remember, my mission work begins at home.

God Bless You,

Tracey Johnston

James 1:27 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Wednesday, Day 5

2010-09-07T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, it’s Michael Colletti here.

I just wanted to thank everyone for all your prayers and financial support. It has TRULY been an unreal once in a lifetime experience for me personally to see first hand the will of God being done.

The girls and their children are so amazing. Talk about STRONG courageous women with a whole new outlook on life with Christ. Every aspect of their lives just screams praises to God. Words can’t express the atmosphere that I’m experiencing everyday and night here. It’s almost like we haven’t even hit the level of appreciation for God in the United States that is displayed every minute of the day here; to truly know what it’s like to depend on God for everything you say or do. TOTALLY UNREAL! These people have nothing and yet they would give you everything they have with a smile.

If any of you are thinking about maybe someday coming to Fiji to be apart of something much bigger then you can fathom, I PROMISE it will change your life. Please continue to pray for our group.

We Love you and thank you for all your support.

Earthquake

2010-09-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hey all, If you all heard about the earthquake that we had not far from here, we are all safe and didn't feel a thing. We will have a new blog for you in a little while but wanted to get on real quick and let you know that we are all safe and well.

Continued thanks for your concerns and prayers,
Marcus

Monday Day 3

2010-09-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

It’s a good morning here in Fiji. After 2 days of getting acclimated and enjoying the fellowship of our group and the folks here at Holmes of Hope, it is now Monday morning in Fiji and we are gearing up for a full work day.

Our main project this week will be to help finish out the S.P.A. (specific, personalized attention) house. This will be a counseling center here at HOH that will allow the ladies to receive help for individualized spiritual healing. We will attempt to finish the roof and paint it inside and out.

Proverbs 18:14 reads (KJV) The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit, who can bear?

I am so grateful that God will be using us this week to work on the S.P.A. where these ladies will be able to find the healing for their wounded spirits. Please pray for these women, their children, the staff and the pastors here at Homes of Hope. Continue to pray for our team and again we thank you for making this possible.

God Bless you

Jason Clark

Sunday Day 2

2010-09-05T03:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Mission and COC,

What an amazing journey God has sent our group on. We attended church this morning in the city and were able to worship with the local people here in Fiji. The spirit is so alive and present here. After church we got lunch to go and took it to the sea wall to eat it. While we were there we witnessed pastors from one of the local churches praying with one of their members on the shore, and taking him right into the ocean and baptizing him. What an awesome thing to be able to see. We took a very long hike through the jungle as a group in search of a waterfall. After what seemed like forever, we finally came to this beautiful spring in the middle of the jungle. As we walked underneath the waterfall, the force of the water coming down was so powerful and majestic; I was reminded of how great our God is.

The women of Homes of Hope have been so good to our group. It is such a joy to see the smiles on all of their faces as we get a chance to interact and spend time with them. They are so appreciative of all of us being here and further expanding the campus, but most importantly sharing the love of Christ as members of one body. It is humbling being able to serve the Lord in this capacity. Thanks to everybody who has made this trip possible through your prayers, and support. A very special thanks to all the family members we left behind to take care of our families. We truly could not do it without all of you.

Paul Cicero

Romans 12:9-13

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil: cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Saturday - Day 1

2010-09-04T01:24:00.001-07:00

Hello Mission and COC,

Tony Howe here, just an opening letter to let you know we landed and with just a few hiccups, we arrived with everything we packed. A Bible verse was given to me by a friend, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners (Isaiah 61:1).” This is what we came to do with God’s power and your support we have literally put boots on the ground. We are moving as the body of Christ to support these girls and this ministry.

While we sat at LAX, Pastor Mat asked each of us about our expectations and the overwhelming response was to serve God and these women in whatever way God saw fit. The key is that unanimously we wanted to do this WITHOUT expectations. We, Team Fiji (COC and Mission) have come with a heart to serve. We’ve come to serve the Lord. We’ve come to spread the light. We’ve come to help build his Kingdom. We’ve come because you cared enough to send us. Keep HOH, the leaders, the girls and the teams in your prayers. Thank you for your gifts and prayers, both are necessary to continue the work that we started. What started as a vision has grown into a reality with support spreading like wildfire. God’s will is being done on earth as it is in heaven. We love you all and thank you.

To God be the glory,
Tony

p.s. here is a little something from my first trip journal entries.
Being here I’m unsure of my level of faith. “ I want what they have” is what consumes my thoughts… I am hungry to be fed and I’m finding food. I am searching for my path and I’m being led. I’m looking through the dark and finding the light. I’m looking for redemption and I’m truly finding my redeemer.

Hey all, Tony had several more pictures for me to post for you all but the internet connection is not permitting this to happen right now. I will attemt to post the pictures he had for me in the morning. Sorry about that... Marcus.

Airport Sushi ...

2010-09-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hey people ... we are having a blast so far. In about an hour we'll board our flight to Fiji from LAX. I'm sitting across from Tony Howe having an all out battle on who can finish their airport sushi first. I'm winning bigtime. We're very excited about the trip!

Please pray for a slight luggage complication. Our shade screen materials didn't make it from Phoenix ... and Air Pacific is enforcing a carry-on bag weight restriction that none of us were aware of so ...

Anyway, at 11:30 we'll take off over the Pacific. It's a 12 hour flight to Nadi Airport where we'll arrive at 5:10 am on Saturday morning. From there we'll take a half-hour bumper flight to Suva where we'll be picked up and brought to Wai Loco.

Anyway, I love and miss Misty, Rylin, Emmy, and Hunter! The Balgaard's are awesome!!!

Thanks for following. We'll post again as soon as we can!

FOR HIM!

Please Follow Us!

2010-08-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks for joining us on our journey across the Pacific. On Thursday we fly to Wai Loco Fiji where Jesus is at work rescuing women and their children from Human Trafficking. Home of Hope, here we come!

Each day a different member of the team will be sharing their experiences here. Please check us out and comment. Because of your generosity we are able to come and help!

We need your prayers! There will be a daily Prayer request that comes along with our team updates. Follow along to know what they are. Please pray for our families back here as we go. This trip impacts them as much as it does us.

FOR HIM!

FIJI Meeting

2010-08-29T06:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we are leaving in 4 days! We have such a great trip planned!

Today we are sending our September team off in Prayer at church. Pray it up!

FIJI Meeting

2010-08-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fiji Meeting tonight. Can you believe we're leaving in 17 days!!!

Please pray for our incredible team ... Marcus / Jeanette / Michael / Robbin / Jason / Paul / Shannah / Tracey / Tony / me ...

... that Jesus would grow "Compassion" in and through each of us.

For those who are supporting us financially and in Prayer ... thank you for your support! Please follow us here from September 2-11 during our trip. Each of us will be blogging our experiences daily so you're able to hear from each of us.

FOR CHRIST!!!

REACH

2010-08-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Reach class was awesome on Sunday afternoon! There's nothing cooler than seeing other believers get excited about sharing their faith! Our next Reach class will be near the end of the year. If you missed it ... make sure to catch it next time.

FPU CLASSES

2010-08-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Team ...

You guys rock! We have over 40 families that have expressed interest in attending a class. Pray for our Follow-up Process. Pray for our 6 Teachers and their families! Thank you to the Janzen's / Smith's / Cote's / Cowden's / Lapp's / and Tyler's! You guys are the bomb! Thanks for your willingness and faithfulness! It's awesome to Serve Jesus with you guys.

WHEN?

Begins Sunday August 22nd. (13 week Course)
4 Classes with Childcare available...

-First Service (8:30-10:30)
-Second Service (10:30-12:30)
-Sunday Afternoons (12:30-2:30)
-Monday Evenings (6-8pm)

WHAT DO I DO TO GET SIGNED UP?

-Purchase the Curriculum pack on Sunday morning at the Go Deeper area. ($120 per family)
-Pick the class time you're attending and E-mail Danielle so we can register you.

If you have any questions, let Danielle know. 520-494-7714.

FIJI TEAM

2010-07-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hey team, I hope this message finds you well. I’m getting excited! How is everybody? Can you believe we’re going to be in Fiji in a month!!!

Couple things...

NEXT TEAM MEETING
Monday August 16
6:30-7:30pm
The Balgaard’s
PLEASE RSVP

FINANCIAL DUE DATES
Deposits due ASAP
$1,100 total due by Aug 16th’s Meeting. I have to purchase our plane tickets on Monday August 16th which is $1,800 per person. If I don’t have the $ I can’t take you ;)
$2,100 total due by Aug 29th’s Meeting.

All monies are being processed through Church of Celebration. Please have your supporters send donations to the address below. This way they can get credit for donating for tax purposes.

I still have vacancies for the following jobs ... Any Takers?

· Luggage Coordinator _______________
· Gifts Coordinator _________________

Have an Awesome week! FOR HIM!!!

Trick or Treat Director's Meeting

2010-07-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

We had a great directors meeting this morning. I'm so excited to have our new team members! Our next Directors meeting is schedule for September 16th ... same time / place. Directors: Don't forget to get our one on one's scheduled with Misty.

Have a great week!

Shark Week

2010-07-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

There's nothing better than hanging with the kids on the couch during shark week!

Then we're off to Bibletime!

Trick or Treat Director's Meeting

2010-07-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Directors! I hope this message finds you Blessed!

Can you believe We had over 80 decisions for Christ, and around 40 visiting families on
Sunday morning because of Bible-Club? How Awesome is that?! Great work Ginger / Christy!
Great work team! It’s such an incredible honor to serve Jesus with each of you. YEAH GOD!!!

In reflection of this event ... I think it’s a very important time here in Maricopa. More and
More People are Finally Realizing their need for Christ and the Community of Believers like no other
time I’ve seen here ... That’s why I believe Trick or Treat is coming at the perfect time this year. I believe
God is going to use this event in a big way for those who are still lost! COC is Truly a City on a hill in
Maricopa!

LET’S PLAN ON HOW BEST TO SHINE!

WHEN?
Saturday, July 31st from 9-10 am (CHILDCARE PROVIDED) Please Be On Time.
PLEASE RSVP!

WHAT?
Directors Meeting
Discuss ... Event / Footprint / Dates & Times
Pray

WHERE?
the Balgaard’s

... Life is short ...

Fiji Meeting

2010-07-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great meeting last night! It was a pleasure to meet Tammy, Jake and Shannah. We're looking forward to meeting "Pepsi Paul", Tracey Johnson, and Tony Howe as well!

Would you be willing to join us in prayer? We're asking God to prepare us to be people who are moved to Compassion over the lost and hurting. Of course, this is my prayer for all of us! The Spirit of God will be at work in each of us bringing our hearts more in line with Christ's ... we need to allow God to do this ... Pray for that!

Also, pray for our folks as they fundraise. God's people have plenty ... it's just exposing them to the need.

Love you guys!

NSA (No Strings Attached)

2010-07-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody ... we've had several requests for those in need of movers in recent weeks. Now, why anyone would be possessed to move in mid July in Arizona is beyond me. Unfortunately for some the circumstances that have caused them to move at this time is beyond them as well. I have a family that's in that very situation right now. If you're available to assist from time to time, even today ... let me know. You've heard it said ... you know who your real friends are by who shows up to help you move. If you're able, be a friend!

Let me know ... FOR HIM!!!

Bible Club

2010-07-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

First of all ... Ginger, Christy, and Wanda are all amazing and so is there team! There are not only hundreds of kids, there are nearly 200 Volunteers! You guys amaze all of us and we're so proud to serve with you here in Maricopa! There's no place closer to heaven in COPA than at Bible Club this week!

Love you guys!

That being said ... pray for the parents who are all being invited to come back this Sunday for the Finale!!!

TRICK OR TREAT

2010-07-09T15:15:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that we are three months away from the Trick or Treat!? It's on a Sunday this year ... so we're canceling church as we normally do it for set-up. Gear up! My director meetings will begin the week after Bible Club. We had over 10,000 last year. AIMING at 12,000 this year!!!

FOR JESUS !

FPU

2010-07-09T15:13:00.001-07:00

I'm looking for FPU (Financial Peace University) group facilitators for our August 22 classes that are launching. Interested? Wanna know more? Contact me!

REACH CLASS

2010-07-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

BTW ... if you've never attended our Reach Evangelism Training class it's coming up in a month. SIGN UP!!!

Fiji

2010-07-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

If you're coming to Fiji in September I need your full names as they appear ... or will appear on your Passport so I can get our tickets together. THX!

FIJI

2010-07-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

HEY FOLKS WE'RE GOING BACK TO FIJI SEPTEMBER 2-11. WANNA COME ALONG? GET $2,000, A PASSPORT, THE TIME OFF WORK ... AND LET'S GO!

2010-05-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

2010-05-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Wow ... where do we begin? This was COC's third trip to Fiji. We went in August of 2008, last May in 2009 over Mother's day as well as the whirlwind 10 days we just got back from. Homes of Hope is in WaiLoku just outside Fiji's capital city Suva which has a population of around 180,000. This year, our group included three from our sister church Mission in Gilbert along with our seven from COC. Mission Church has been hard at work over the last three years bringing awareness to the ugly truth of Sex trafficking and Exploitation in Fiji which is why COC is involved.

Since we began COC has been apart of constructing Salote and Joelle's home (Fijian woman that visited us last month), we've helped construct and finish out their three story School House, and most recently we finished the concrete work and got half-way through framing a two story addition on the guest quarters in preparation for a busy year of teams coming to help at HOH. Our teams have also been responsible for outreach, training, teaching, and counseling in various forms and opportunities.

The rest of the teams this year including ours in September, will be working on finishing the Spa House, (a transitional home for new moms that arrive on campus) constructing a new and improved kitchen while converting the old one, bringing the two guest houses together, moving the donated US Embassy building onto the already prepped foundation, and getting the Talapia fish Farm up and going.

Last week was a very special in Fiji. The Fijian Government hosted a conference to talk about the problem of Child Sex-Trafficking. You see, this year, Fiji was put on Tier three status as a nation for not dealing with the issue of Trafficking and Exploitation responsibly. Because of this they were denied a Billion (With a B) Dollar Grant that they depend on annually due to sanctions. To prove the point of the problems even further, last Friday the Headlines read that they had rescued a 10 year old child from a Prostitution ring. Praise Jesus that she was found! There are far too many that aren't! Thankfully Linne Roche, Homes of Hope Co-founder, was asked to come and present at the conference. She was very encouraged at the opportunity and the relationships that were forged there. Please pray for Fiji's government ... that they would follow through on behalf of the children that God has given them. Pray for Mark and Linne and Homes of Hope that they would be prepared and available for however God desires to use them there.

I'm so proud of the team that God put together for our trip. Carrie Tracy, Heather Comforty, and Dorothy Aragon were our first- timers and they did amazing. God challenged each one of them. It was an honor to serve with such wonderful fun people. Rob Dolsen, Nancy brown, Courtney Jones and myself made up the rest of our team. Each played such an important role in the story of this trip. Bryan Crawford, Ray Thielen, and Chris Martin were our other amazing teammates from Mission Church. We were so blessed to have them with us. It wouldn't have been the same without them!

My best memories of this trip will be playing with the children ... meal and church time with the girls, Morning Devotions, joking with the guys on the job site, eating at Joty's ... and of course ... personally donating blood to every mosquito in Fiji! I'll be back with more in 4 months!!!

Here's the cool thing!!! We're not done! We're going back!

If you're interested ... The dates we're looking at for the next trip are this fall. At Church Sunday there will be an announcement for those interested in coming with us. If that's you, here's a list of things to be working on:

-Pray about your involvement
-Let me know you're interested immediately
-Begin creating a list of people to help you raise the money to go
-Get your Passport
-Be prepared to take 6 work-week days off of work. We usually plan a 10 day trip that runs Thursday to Saturday (10 days)

To learn more go to ...

Hopefiji.com
VisionAbolition.org

-defend the defenseless

Day 7 Fiji 2010

2010-05-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's Friday here already. I can't believe I'll be leaving here tomorrow. It was like coming home to see all the mums and children. My first job was to help organize and inventory a storage room for baby clothes, kid's clothes, etc. HOH is going to have a seven new moms and right now they only have 7 dozen new nappies (diapers) and 3 pair of plastic pants. Most of the older toddlers have old towels or worn out diapers to wear. There are plenty of newborn clothes but not enough receiving blankets or diaper pins. There are not many clothes for 2-6 year olds, both for boys and girls. I asked if we could ship but they said it was very expensive and took 3 months to receive. My mini mission is to get diapers, plastic pants etc gathered up for September mission trip. It's much better to bring luggage than to ship. I told Lynnie about making flannel diapers and she thought it was a great idea. So Selena went to town and got the flannel. We found material for stuffing and Dorothy has owned a sewing shop so she got the sewing machine to work long enough to sew 8 diapers before it stopped again. They started Celebrate Recovery here about a month ago and i was privileged to attend their meeting and share my testimony and what C.R. has done in my life. Courtney has done Bible studies in the afternoon. I have worked in the nursery while the mums were working in the garden. It is just a joy to talk and pray with the girls. On Wednesday night we went to cell group (praise and worship). Pastor Mark came in and told us we had to pray for one of the Mums who was having a cesarian section in the hospital because of the breech birth. She had a boy and is doing ok. We will leave tomorrow evening and as soon as i got here last Saturday on of my girls, Mona, said I am missing you already and wish you didn't have to go. I will miss them very much.
-Nancy-

Day 6 Fiji 2010

2010-05-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

BULA from hot and humid Fiji! It is amazing to be back at Homes of Hope reconnecting with so many of the moms and children and meeting many new faces. A couple days before our departure I asked the Lord for a vision of the person he wants me to minister. The Lord answered and I saw a medium colored pink with light pink tapestry and knew it was a beautiful Indian girl he wanted me to speak with. Of course at the time I did not know who she was … so I asked Lord, what would you have me say to her? He said tell her about me. So, on Monday I saw the girl, Ashifa, from my vision as she was wearing the exact same colors. I prayed and asked God to confirm and give me the words to speak to her. Yesterday after Uni, a bible study for the moms, I got the opportunity to speak with this beautiful 16 year old girl that last year would use Uni as sleep time. This year she is chasing after her young son, but not missing a word that is spoken with her eyes fixed on us … almost hanging on every word that is spoken through the Holy Spirit. We talked for a little bit about who Jesus is and that he is the one and only God that came to set us free from our pasts. I knew the Lord would use that conversation, but then later that night at Cell, their Wednesday night church service, Ashifa really opened up. She shared some of her story with me … the hurts, abuse, confusion, uncertainty. I told her about the vision the Lord gave me and said; “the Lord has big plans for you, Ashifa. He wants you to know and trust him completely and solely.” After all, out of all the people the Lord could have point out … HE PICKED YOU! The Lord knew not to show me Ashifa’s face in the vision because she was so disengaged last year that I may have been less willing to believe she was the one he had pointed out. (Father, forgive me of my flesh!) But there has been change in Ashifa over the past year, an openness to the Lord that was not there a year ago. She told me she borrows a Bible from other girls to read. Upon the approval of the leaders here on the campus, we will be leaving behind one of the Bibles funded by COC specifically addressed to Ashifa. Please raise her up in prayer that Ashifa would receive the fullness of God’s salvation!

~Courtney~

P.S. Thank you for all your prayers for restored health, yesterday I was back up and at ‘em PRAISE THE LORD! Keep lifting Rob up in prayer, as he trusts the Lord to heal and RESTORE his full health and strength. He feels somewhat better, but needs our prayer warriors to intercede on his behalf, please.

Day 5 Fiji

2010-05-11T21:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to post one more update today on the team overall. Thanks to Rob for sharing in the blog below today, check it out. As I type there is a 1 and a half year old on my lap. She's super cute. Today we woke up a little later than normal since Pastor Mat had spent the night in another village to minister to them. ;) We did devotions and got to work. I did a lot of laundry and dishes and kept the guest house tidy. Rob put everyone to work and went to lay down to try to get over the stomach issues going on. Courtney is feeling 100% better today. It just took a lot of rest yesterday and last night. Carrie was feeling a little sick but she's doing pretty well. Ray has spent the day working on the contruction project of the guesthouse with the Fijian guys. Chris, Carrie and Brian are laying tile in the school house. Courtney spent the morning herding the kids and painting their nails. :) Dorothy and Nancy spent the afternoon helping a homeless woman who comes to the campus periodically for showers and clean clothes. Nancy had to cut her skirt off as the zipper was rusted shut. She had probably been in those clothes for 6 months! They helped her shower and pick out some new clothes and they combed her hair and cut her nails. My hear was touched at their servants hearts. Truly living the gospel just like Christ intended. We spent the afternoon in Uni, short for University, which is a Bible study. Courtney led again and the girls seemed to be touched. We are having a wonderful time so far. Please cover us in prayer that there will be NO MORE sickness. God is good.
-Heather Comforty-

Day 5 Fiji

2010-05-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Bula from Fiji! Our fifth day here and we are making progress on the guesthouse! We have been able to connect with some of the moms, for some it is a reunion and there are many new faces. The Lord gave me a word for one of the Moms that turned out to be real blessing to her! On the plane trip from Nada to Suva while I was praying I saw a vision of Salote (One of the girls that came to Homes of Hope just before our last trip/ not the Salote that visited us at COC). I saw her pretty face with a white flower in her hair. At that time I didn’t understand why I saw her while I was praying, but at service on Sunday I saw her and told her I had something to tell her but didn’t know what it was. I told her about the vision and said I would pray to God to show me what he wanted to say to her. She is beautiful and very quiet, she was eager to hear what the LORD had to say! The next morning I had another vision of Salote, so later that night Courtney and I told her I what I saw. I explained that as I was praying I became filled with emotion. The Lord told me she had dedicated herself to God and he was very pleased with her. I won’t share the vision, as it was very personal to her. When I shared the vision she started to cry and said she had become discouraged and sort of dead inside. We prayed for her and the next day at dinner she said she had become very encouraged! She told me God’s presence fell in her morning prayer in a way she hadn’t felt for a while. She said it was like she had been reborn.

Isa. 39:31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

-Rob

P.S. Please pray for our team! Some of our team has been suffering from fevers, night sweats and vomiting. Pastor Mat went to get his arm checked out as he thought it might have been broken, but it was not. I myself am probably suffering from Dehydration.

Day 4 Fiji 2010

2010-05-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

Day 4...The men are hard at work laying brick and concrete for the guesthouse. It's 9 am here and they're already hard at it. Pastor Mat fell yesterday and is headed to the hospital for x-rays on his arm. We are all praying it's not broken, please join us in prayer. But he's in good spirits and we know that God is going to use him wherever He needs him this week, as with all of us. Courtney seems to have some sort of stomach bug as well and is resting in faith of her healing. Please pray for her as well and that the rest of the team stays in good health.
Mere and Bre, two of the little girls, just joined me and are going to help me write my blog this morning. :) Courtney and i spent the day yesterday with all the kids as they are on holiday from school and their moms are still working. I can tell all that last night we were more tired than the day before when we were laying brick. Courtney led us all in Uni (short for university, basically a Bible study) yesterday. It was an amazing time with the women here and Court did an awesome job. We spent the evening planting cabbage in the garden here. It was an amazing quite time and one of the mothers actually rededicated her life to Christ right there on the hill!
Fiji is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. It doesn't compare to anything I've seen in any movie. We've been here 3 days and i still catch myself drifting off and starting at the hillside. But there's a darkness here that you can feel...these women and children have been through unbelievable injustices and suffered things we cannot fathom. This campus is a ray of light for these women. They have so little here and are so thankful for the blessings that they have been given. It makes me appreciate my own blessings, but also makes me realize how much of the world is so desperately in need. I'm so thankful that I am able to be a part of this...I only wish I could do more.
-Carrie-

Day 2 Fiji 2010

2010-05-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day moms we love you. Yesterday we celebrated Mother's Day in Fiji. It was a blessed day. Several of us gave our testimonies at Sunday service It was God moving. Later that evening several of us were honored when a woman here at Homes of Hope, Salote, invited us to go with her to Suva to visit with her mother. That was a huge blessing for me and while I was there I was able to pray for her mother to get a job. Thank you God in advance because if we ask anything in your name we will receive.
-Dorothy-

Day 2 Fiji 2010

2010-05-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

We are truly blessed to be here today. We spent the Sunday morning worshiping with our sisters in Christ here at Home of Hopes campus. One of the girls played the guitar as we sang a few songs in English. Courtney, Dorothy and P. Mat shared some insightful testimonies and words of encouragement. Four of the girls blessed us with a song they had prepared last night and also shared their hearts a bit, which are beautiful by the way. We were then given the treat of hearing the girls as they raised their voices as one while singing a song in the native language. It was truly beautiful. God moved and many were blessed, which was evident in the tears of joy. :) Lunch was served in the open air dining hall with many of the girls and their children present eating and laughing with us. One great thing about the culture here in Fiji and especially here on campus is the spirit of joy and laughter and joking. We feel very comfortable conversing with these light hearted ladies. All the children running around are adorable and so advanced and intuitive. The slightly older ones can carry on full conversations in English and are curious and very informative. I personally have been extremely impressed at the maturity of all the children here. The mother's are kind and very patient and they allow their children more freedom to move about the campus and to be free than is typical in the USA. As I type the team is busy working in the hot humidity on the construction project at hand. I will continue to keep you updated. Don't forget to leave a comment. :)
-Heather Comforty_

Day 1 Fiji 2010

2010-05-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

We arrived safely in FIJI with no issues at all along the way. God is good! We have had a day full of meeting new people and for some of us, reconnecting with old friends here at Home of Hope campus. The campus is full of smiling faces and friendly, good humored folks that are a real joy to be around. The time here is slow paced and people oriented instead of go go go like many of us are used to. Personally, I have tried to assimilate into the culture immediately as much as possible from walking around the campus bare foot to eating everything they have to offer. It is refreshing to be here. Some of us spent the day visiting with the girls while others (the guys) spent the day laying tile in the school house. As I type we just finished eating dinner and are ready to go join the birthday festivities including dancing and much laughter. Please continue to pray for us and check back each day for updates!

-Heather Comforty-

Tomorrow

2010-05-05T17:33:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that we're on a plane tomorrow back to Fiji!!! We can't wait! Pray for us!!!

Our travel plans are as follows ...

We leave PHX tomorrow at around 5pm and arrive (In Fiji) on Saturday morning at 5 am. This will put us at Homes of Hope somewhere before Noon.

Heather is going to be blogging with pictures daily so please follow along with us so you're able to trek along with us and pray along side of us.

Love you guys!!!

THURSDAY

2010-05-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

Well, we're minutes away from our last Fiji Meeting. Pray for our week coming up to departure. Pray for our families as well!

We'll have daily updates for you...

Perry Noble

2010-03-25T00:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first session of many through the end of the week. Perry Noble spoke Brilliantly this evening ... He reminds me of Adrian Despres a little. I like it. Here's a few highlights of what I heard tonight.

The backdoor is not the enemy of the church, but a blessing.

As leaders ... are we prostitutes or Prophets?

Leadership is finding out what God wants you to do and doing it.

Every Pastor worth his salt in ministry feels it constantly ... there's no escaping the weight of your people.

We should be expecting God to do miraculous things through our churches ... nothing less.

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!

2010-03-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

2010-02-11T06:26:00.000-08:00

?QUESTION?

In your opinion ... what will the church in the USA look like in the next 10 years?

What will be different?

What will be the same?

2010-02-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hey guys ... what an incredible Sunday! What an incredible God! What an incredible group of followers we have at C.O.C.

Keep our upcoming Fiji (2/9) and Mexico (2/15) meetings in Prayer. We're still trying to nail down our team members! If you're wondering whether or not you should come ...

Can you get the time off?
Are you willing to go?
Are you breathing?
Do you have the money?
Can you fundraise?

If you've answered "Yes" to at least 3 of the 5 options ... you should come!

If that's you, email me at mat@churchofcelebration.com

Love ya!!!

SERVE SUNDAY

2010-01-31T19:36:00.000-08:00

What an awesome day! The church looked great. I can't wait for next week! We had over 20 guests that came just to see what's happening. Our First Serve Sunday was amazing. Over half of our church was involved. Be ready... the next Serve Sunday will be in May. WEEDS DAY here we come!

HAITI

2010-01-22T20:33:00.001-08:00

Over the last week 1/2 all of us have thought ... What can I do? How can we give to to help the Haitian People? I have provided a few options for us to consider ...

FIRST, SURRENDER YOUR HEART TO GOD WHO NOT ONLY ANSWERS, BUT HAS THE ABILITY TO ACT ON YOUR PRAYERS

SECONDLY, ASK GOD HOW AND WHERE YOU SHOULD GIVE

HERE ARE A FEW MINISTRIES ON THE GROUND THAT I TRUST ...

*HABITAT FOR HUMANITY www.habitatforhumanity.org
*WORLD RELIEF www.worldrelief.org
*SAMARITAN'S PURSE www.samaritanspurse.org

THIRDLY, TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HAITI. GOD IS USING THIS UNCONSCIONABLE DISASTER FOR HIS GLORY.

2010-01-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

First and foremost thank you for your support in both prayer and finances to Unchained Generation for our first outreach. The Lord certainly was at work within our outreach both in our teams and the lives we served. We visited several strip clubs and massage parlors in the Phoenix metro area in which we took gifts including a variety of nail polish, lotion, Bible, beautiful Christmas poem, and an invitation to a church in their communities. There were so many amazing stories that took place as the Lord worked though our team. The dancers were extremely thankful for the gift, but more importantly they were amazed we came without judgment. These women often have a hard time not condemning themselves and often anticipate others will judge them too. Much of our society glares at these women stamping them with the labels not to be spoken in a church setting. So, it was huge they saw we were there out of love …and this is the story of one woman. *Tiffany, revealed to a team member she knew when the bouncer told them we were here she said, “I know the Lord sent you for me!” Tiffany gave her life to Christ several years ago but had fallen away from living for him. She was completely broken with tear streaming down her face telling of all the circumstances that had brought her back to this life she did not want including a very recent separation from her husband, his addictions, but yet how the Lord keeps chasing her down … even in a strip club the Lord was at work in his daughter’s heart! It was very apparent God is still in pursuit of Tiffany’s heart. The next day the Lord recalled the Parable of 100 Sheep in Matthew 18:12-14 to the team member. The Lord loves us each one so much that He is willing to send a “shepard” or believer into the darkness to “rescue” his one lost sheep! And I tell you the truth, when Tiffany returns to the Lord their will be more angels singing … more beaming from the Lord’s heart … more rejoicing at this one lost sheep, Tiffany’s, return than the 99 that stayed faithful! Oh how awesome is our Lord God! How does this apply to ALL of our lives? Never once will Tiffany have to explain all she has done or even relive the experiences AS LONG as she comes humbly broken before the Lord with a repentant heart and claims “Abba, FATHER!” God offers each one of us this same love. Oh, glorious Lord we serve thank you for waiting with open arms ready to take us back This is only one of the many seeds that were planted on the outreach. Please keep praying for all of those we reached that evening as well as those we will encounter in the future. Thank you again for your prayers and financial support as well! YOU were a huge part of this outreach!

2009-12-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

Benevolence ministry has been busy this holiday season. When the holidays come, so rise the needs. There is no better way to celebrate what this season is truly about than serving the One it is truly about. In November Wendy Webb, the Director of F.O.R.- Food Bank, let COC know they were in need of 600 turkeys for families in need. In three weeks COC raised the money necessary for the purchase of all the turkeys. Many families were blessed by the generosity of our church family. The needs have never been more critical, given the difficult economic times facing our community, state and nation. Maricopa is not exempt from this, and rather, was one of the most hard hit areas in our country. This turkey drive helps meet the strong need Maricopa's Food Bank is facing. An incredible group of people from COC jumped in to help pass out over 215 turkeys and food boxes on Turkey Tuesday. COC's volunteers jumped in F.O.R.'s refrigerated truck, passed out turkeys and food boxes, and walked each person to their vehicle safely, sending them on their way to better holidays.

This season has been very busy with acts of generosity. One member of our congregation mentioned that she had once been helped financially when she was struggling and she wanted to give back at this time. We had a need of a single mother with two children who was struggling and could not afford to buy food and gifts for her children. With this information, this member of our church provided the family with a wonderful meal for Christmas meal and food to follow the holidays. This generous person, alongside the Church, provided the family with Christmas gifts. On another occasion, our C-City kids provided about 100 presents for very ill children at the Phoenix Children's hospital, via "Kate's Crazy Cool Christmas Project." We have so many wonderful people who are a part of our church following Jesus' example of generosity!

-Christi and Kenny Buckland

Rant about "Good"

2009-12-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

I had a professor in college who taught Philosophy at both the University of Chicago and at Harvard for 13 years. My favorite discussion in the class involved the topic of Evil.

Now to give you a little background, Dr. Obrien was raised by a father who was a Congregational Pastor. That of course included all the cooky horror film "bells and whistles" as you can imagine. He is not a believer now. He actually lectured regularly at a Universalist Church in Chicago for 3 years before moving to Connecticut to finish his Doctorate work and teach.

Fast forward to our first week in class. We all had to choose in the very beginning which camp we decided to debate throughout the semester. It was his contention that we would all end up in the "Determinism" camp. (Basically ... in the beginning Science ... The belief that Chemistry and Biology and the chaos that perpetuates them reveals and determines all things.) Doc called himself a "soft determist" which was a nice naturalist ultimately ... if there can be such a thing.

I landed in the camp that was thrown out at the very beginning which was the only credible ying to his yang ... Predeterminism. (Basically ... in the beginning ... God ... The belief that all events have been set in motion and planned by a "higher power") You can imagine the argument that ensued as result of him saying that Predeterminism was essentially where only the week-minded and mentally challenged hung out and passed the bong. Yeah, I said it ... bong. And not the Billa ...

Anyway, Doc set out this challenge to everyone in the class.

To give you a little foresight, a few of us were able to share Christ with our entire class the last day of class and even went old school by handing out Gospel Tracts to everyone that attended. It was an amazing act of God.

ANYWAY ... The challenge was ...

If God is All-Powerful (Omniscient) He can do anything ...
If God is All-Knowing (Omnipotent) He knows everything ...
If God is All-Good (Omnibenevolent) He is Good all the time

Then "created things" meaning; us, dirt, and the stars ... cannot contain "Evil". Evil is defined as Natural Evil (Tsunami's) Moral Evil (Ft. Hood massacre) and Unbelief. Because we, and "it" apparently does contain evil as defined, God cannot exist ... or at least the God that I worship.

I thought long and hard through this argument that we spent over a two months 3 days a week debating. I read books, arguments, philosophers from every recorded century. Everyone seemed to have something to say about this.

Here's the real question ... what can any of us really know about God outside of what has been revealed to us through Scripture. I mean, this is the same God that Job spoke with on this very subject. It's the same God who's ways are not our ways according to Paul. I mean do any of us really know what we're dealing with when it comes to God? Outside of what we know? We know what we know for now ... right? I love what Moses said in Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever..."

Here's another thing ... when we're debating about terms such as Evil and Good, don't we have to debate them as they have been originally defined? I mean, where were these words and all that's incorporated in them brought about? Isn't it God who defined these terms as we know them? The whole concept of Good and Evil at least in this debate have been taken from the Biblical, Scriptural sense haven't they?

Here's my thoughts and ultimately my conclusion ...

God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-knowing and Good.

And yes, evil does exist... moral and natural.

How can that be explained? Does God have to be either Evil or non-existent? No

The explanation comes with your definition of the word "Good"

Here's my point. Could it be that "Good" includes all that has been incorporated into all that God has willed ... Creation ... Mankind ... Fall/Salvation ... Eternity past and Forward?

I think the issue is that people are very uncomfortable with God. God is very uncomfortable. The idea that our lives are out of our control is very uncomfortable. The idea that God who created us will hold us accountable is very uncomfortable. The idea that some of us spend eternity in a terrible place of judgment for not believing is very uncomfortable. The reality is that God has made all and willed all and ultimately this is His story. The bad and the ugly are apparently GOOD to God.

God is the author of GOOD, not Kant ... not O'brien, not even you or I.

Video from Matt

2009-12-09T14:42:00.000-08:00

Video from Matt

A Rant about Suffering

2009-12-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Is it possible that God uses the suffering and pain in our lives to communicate to us? Is it possible that God uses pain and suffering to keep those whom He loves close to Him?

Some wonderful people come to mind ... Jim and Stacy Roden. Josh and Ginger Barrett. Aaron and Holly Mcrae. Chris Simning. Gene and Karen Entz.

It is an interesting paradox that those that God has called daughters and sons have been guaranteed to live a life of suffering and persecution. Paul made the claim that those who choose to live a Godly life would suffer persecution. Jesus stated at the end of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 that we would be persecuted because of our affiliation with Him. James also said that we are to count it as Joy to encounter these "trials" in order that our Faith may be made complete. In another place he proclaims it to be a blessing to be counted worthy of the sufferings of Christ ... to join Him in His suffering!?!?!

In view of this I'm reminded that it was the Son of God Jesus Christ, the exact representation of God's glory, the one through whom all things are created and sustained, that planned without a 401k, that worked without a benefits program, that lived without a home to lay His head, that preached without a pulpit to call His own, that suffered without an immediate sense of recognition, that gave everything after only receiving so little in return. It is Jesus that, though being God, did not demand and cling to His rights as God. It was He who made Himself nothing taking the humble position of a slave in human form and even going as far as dying a criminals death on a cross ...

I don't know what any of this means except to say, in all my struggles, and in all the pain and suffering that I've experienced, I've seen God. I've touched Him. He has ministered to me there. Although it hurts I see God's Grace abound more and more. I have become more sensitive to my need of God in difficult times. In fact, I don't think I can recall a single thing that has any significance whatsoever in my life that didn't have suffering attached to it. Can you?

Therefore, I relinquish my desire to complain, grow tired, be apathetic, get lazy, and feel alone. I'll stand with Jesus, who's King over all, to joy and to suffer as He does and has done for me. I am child of God! A son of the Most high! A steward of His mysteries! A man after His heart.

Let's choose to cling tightly and in turn rest in knowing that HE is pleased with our faith and our resilience. It is God that gives and takes away. In the end, isn't it all HIS anyway?

Staff Planning

2009-11-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

We are, right now at our Staff Planning Getaway. Our 2010 calendar looks incredible! Pray for us as we pray, plan, process all that God has laid on our hearts!

Mexico / Fiji 2010

2009-11-21T06:48:00.000-08:00

We are so excited for COC missions this year!

If you're interested in being apart of what COC is doing Missionally, e-mail me and let me know what you're thinking. We'd love for you to participate in Mexico in March and/or Fiji in May and September.

We go to Mexico on Spring Break week March 12-15th to assist a poor Mexican family that's been selected by their Pastor to be given a newly built home. We are going to build it for them ... in 3 days!!! For more information on the organization we go to www.amor.org. Get your Passports, get your deposit in ASAP and SIGN UP TODAY!!!

We go to Fiji for 10 days in May from the 6-15th to encourage the Fijian girls who've surrendered their lives to Jesus at Home of Hope. Look the ministry up at www.hopefiji.org. Home of Hope is a refuge for these girls who've been Trafficked Sexually and abused all their lives. We wlll be assisting in the building out of their facility, hanging out with the girls, their kids, and the HOH Staff, as well as soaking in the Lord every moment. Again, get your Passports, get your deposit in ASAP and SIGN UP TODAY!!!

...life is Short

"Sneak peak"

2009-11-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, you're in a boat with a Pastor and some other guys at Roosevelt lake. Someone's gotta take a leak so you go to shore. Then you hear him... A googley eyed, freaked out naked man covered in bruises sounding like a bad recording of Korn runs full speed right at you. What do you do? Mark 5:1-20

This Week in Ministry

2009-11-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

Mexico, Fiji, Trick or Treat ... oh my!

What a week we have for GO Ministries at COC.

Both our Mexico and Fiji Missions meetings were awesome! I can't wait to see how God is going to move through us in the World abroad next year. SIGN UP TODAY.

Directors, if you haven't responded to our Debrief Steak Dinner for this Sunday, get a move on it!!!

-go hard for Jesus!

Mexico / Fiji 2010

2009-11-02T06:11:00.000-08:00

Monday November 9 @ 6pm, we are meeting at Mat and Misty Balgaard's to talk about our upcoming Amor Mexico Missions trip in March. The very next evening on the 10th, same time, same place, we're talking about Fiji in 2010. Right now we're looking at May and September of next year.

Passports are required for both trips and they take up to a couple of months to process unless you do the expedited processing.

If you're interested in either of these trips please RSVP ASAP! Thanks!!!

WOW

2009-11-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

Trick or Treat was a phenomenal Success. Thousands of people, a COC invite to every family, and a chance for every child to hear the message of Christ... what an opportunity!

Can you believe it? We're already planning for next year! If you have any suggestions, leave them here! Thanks.

Check out the article by www.inmaricopa.com ...

http://www.inmaricopa.com/NEWS/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?mid1=390&&ArticleID=6983&&name=c&&id=1

3 Days away!!!

2009-10-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we're only 3 days away from the Trick or Treat. We still need some staff so sign up!

THINGS TO PRAY FOR ...

-That God would be made more Famous in Maricopa.
-For our attitude and witness for Christ at the event. (Smile, you’re on stage)
-For Safety and fun for all participants.
-That our Church would make the connection to each attendee.
-That our volunteers would be blessed by this ministry.

Interesting Blog post by Steven Furtick

2009-10-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Andy Stanley Wouldn’t Even Meet With Me

A seminary student told me this one time. He was whining about it.

He had called North Point Community Church and asked Andy’s assistant for a phone appointment.
She told him that wouldn’t be possible, although he was welcome to speak with someone else on staff.

He was mad. He called Andy Stanley inaccessible.

He’s an idiot. I’ll tell you why.

Andy Stanley pastors a freaking huge church. He is the spiritual overseer of over 4 times the amount of people who live in the town I grew up in. That keeps him pretty busy, I’ll bet. Anyone wanna argue with that?

That’s enough reason for him to have to opt out of a phone call from a seminary student in another state.
Andy has every right and reason to be inaccessible.

But you know what? I think Andy Stanley is extremely accessible.
Even though I’ve never met him.

Right now in my office I’m listening to Andy preach a sermon from October 2006. It’s a good one.
I’ll bet he spent at least 15-20 hours preparing it.
I’m listening to it for free online.
I just noticed that you can listen to every sermon he’s preached in the last year and a half for free as well. (Actually, you can watch them too.)

So, let’s think about this together. Is Andy really inaccessible?
If Andy preached 50 sermons in the last 18 months, and they’re all online for free, and he spent 20 hours of prep time per sermon (rough guess), guess what?
He’s giving me access into 1000 hours of his life-for FREE!
That’s a little better than a 30 minute phone appointment, I think.

Would you call that inaccessible?

Let’s go deeper.

North Point made a decision at some point along the way to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into technology and personnel so that media like this could be made available to me, free of charge.
Under Andy’s leadership, they have set up an amazing infrastructure that allows them to crank out thousands of resources to help leaders like me.

Is Andy Stanley inaccessible? Is Rick Warren inaccessible? Is Bill Hybels inaccessible?

If your definition of inaccessible hinges on having time to have coffee with everyone who calls the office, I guess they are.

But if your idea of granting access is finding the best way to make everything that God put inside of you available in the broadest format possible, these are 3 of the most accessible men on the planet. For proof, check out www.pastors.com and www.willowcreek.org. I’d call that access.

The seminary student wasn’t upset that day because Andy was inaccessible. He was upset because his pride got hurt.
He didn’t want to be equipped or resourced.
He wanted to be made to feel important.
That’s small.

He should get a clue, get a life, and go read an Andy Stanley book (which he admitted he had never done. Hmm… )

Andy Stanley, you never have to go to Starbucks with me. Just stay in the zone, keep doing your thing, and I’ll be listening.

2009-10-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

"It is impossible for any rational creature to be happy without acting all for God. God Himself could not make him happy any other way... There is nothing in the world worth living for but doing good and finishing God's work, doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world that can yield any satisfaction besides living to God, pleasing Him, and doing his whole will."

-David Brainerd

If you had five minutes with Jesus what would you ask Him?

2009-10-08T21:38:00.001-07:00

On one hand, I think I'd need a few months to prepare for such an incredible opportunity. On the other hand, I realize I have all the time I need with Him right now ... yes, as you read and I write this... right now to ask any questions I want. I guess that's the battle we all have is retaining the level of Faith that allows us to Trust and prop ourselves up with the idea that God is present and available and listening and excited about me/you and the fact that I'm, (by faith in what I can't touch, taste, smell, hear or see), extending a trust that goes beyond my senses to an invisible God who's infinitely prepared and able to do more than I can ask or think.

Crazy! It was the disciples who stated... "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief"

2009-10-07T21:53:00.001-07:00

“Compassion for the lost is a high and beautiful motive for missionary labor. Without it we lose the sweet humility of sharing a treasure freely received. But we have seen that compassion for people must not be detached from passion for the glory of God.”

-John Piper

Great Quote

2009-10-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose"

Jim Elliot Killed in the 1950's by the Ecuadorians he attempted to reach for Christ!

Trick or Treat

2009-10-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Closing Thoughts

2009-05-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

What can be said about our time here. Heavy ... Introspective ... Life ... Spiritual ... Miraculous ... Special ... Anxious ... all of those things to varying degrees. Coming through this experience the second time through has been very similar to the first ..... and different. Similar in that I've come to love everything about this place, even to a greater degree. Different in that God's purpose for bringing me here changed this time through. Either way, God has spoken loudly to me and to our team. And I've found that my family has grown to include others I've only known in part. Now I know them intimately. I can only pray that I was as much an encouragement as they have been to me.

Although I'm personally sad that we are coming back after what seems to be such a short time, I'm ready to be home. I want to kiss and hug Misty. I want to stare into her eyes and talk about the deep things the Lord has revealed to me while we've been apart. I want to "Love attack" Rylin and Emmy to the Ground, kissing and hugging and laughing. Daddy's got a spikey face right now so that'll be really fun. I can't wait to tell stories while laying on the trampoline before bed-time talking about how the Lord has designed everything above us to be just another testimony of His presence; That while I was away I stared at the same sky thinking of them and wishing they were here running around without shoes, mud on thier face and in their hair, without care or concern for anything but the moment. I think they woulda given Joti, Lucy, Bree, Mere, Salote, Joe, Joeli, and Filipe an run for their money. Maybe some day.

Ok, Ok, enough of the poetry. You get the point. Pray for me and us as we process the "What now" for each of us.

I can't wait for testimony Sunday on the 24th. Oh yeah, and yes, you can be sure that all the men now have Cane Knives and we're not afraid to display them!

Love you all. Thank you for following us with your concern and with your prayer and with your attention. See you soon!!!

Our last day :(

2009-05-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

This week flew by!!

Last Day :(

2009-05-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

This week has been incredible, but man it flew by! I can't believe we're leaving today. This morning when everyone was scattered around getting things ready to go I went up and had morning snack with the girls and we were all feeling like we just got here. I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye.

I'm pretty sure everyone has had their day of writing on the blog except Mat and I, and since we've been writing here and there all week I guess we're all covered. :)

One thing I want to share about is the teaching time that Courtney, Nancy and I were in charge of this week. It has just been incredible to be able to connect with these beautiful women on a really close up and personal way. We worked along side them in the garden getting dirty, we helped babysit the kids while others worked, we spent time sitting around campus talking and praying with each other. Its just been powerful. On Wednesday morning Courtney and I were talking about what the Lord was leading us to share with the girls during "uni" (short for university) and we decided to go out on a limb and talk about purity and sexual sin and about what the Lord has called us to. It was the only uni we had where no other staff members were there, just us 3 girls and the homes of hope moms. We had so much fun! We were blown away with the responses, questions, testimonies, and struggles. Courtney did a really great job getting down to the nitty gritty and opening up the floor, and then I came up behind her and shared about the grace of God and what its like to leave your burden at the foot of the cross and not carry it around. The great thing was we had the chance to hear from the girls that afternoon in the garden about how they got answers for the first time about things they struggle with, and one of the girls was feeling convicted about the relationship she was in. It was encouraging for us because its actually really hard to tell if they are even listening sometimes because of the babies crying and the kids climbing all over you. Its great though because even during worship these girls have their kids climbing over them and talking but they keep singing with their eyes closed and hands raised completely focused on the Lord.

Last night we went to a nice dinner with Mark and Cheryl Wilson and had a great time of fellowship and conversation. I know Court and I felt really encouraged by Cheryl and left the dinner feeling peaceful about what we've done and what God's continuing to do on this campus.

Our last devotional time was great this morning. Our team has truly become a family (and believe me, we all know more than we want to about each other :) and its awesome when teammates see a need and just drop everything and surround one another to pray and lift one another up. Also, the sharing time in our morning devotional has become very open and vulnerable and I praise the Lord for the trust that has been built between us. The family of God is powerful.
Here is the scripture and questions for today:

Psalm 10
1) In what ways might you have been like the wicked man, indirectly contributing to the problem of sexual exploitation or trafficking?
2) Where is God in this darkness?
3) What is ultimately the only hope for these girls?
4) How could you pray differently when you return home?
5) Spend time in prayer, make verse 12 your prayer on behalf of these girls.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We've had an incredible whirlwind of a week, and I think I can speak on behalf of our whole time when I say we have been changed from the inside out. God has done a lot in each of our hearts and we look forward to coming back and to being more involved in our own town and state. God is good! (I told the girls this morning that next time I hope to have my whole family with me... so get ready Blevins!!)

Please pray for our safe journey home. We leave here in about 4 hours and we'll be traveling until about 6pm on Saturday Arizona time. Love you!
~Anna

new pictures

2009-05-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

Update!

2009-05-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hello church! We’re sorry the internet has been down for almost 2 days now. We’re having our bloggers write in word document so we can copy and paste when we get a signal. Its Friday morning here and we’re all ready to hammer out as much as we can on our last day, and the girls and I (Anna) are going to have a response time for the girls this afternoon in our last teaching time. We are all having an incredible week, and its flying by. I can’t believe its almost over. Anyways here is our morning devotional update for today and yesterday and then some blogging from Rob Dolson and Mark.

Thursday devo: Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:14-21
1) What does this tell you about the mission of Jesus in the world?
2) How do you think Jesus’ mission relates to victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking?
3) How might you or your church be used by God to release some of these girls out of darkness
Friday devo: Matthew 25:31-46
1) What stands out to you about God’s assessment of our lives in the end?
2) If you were to be assessed right now, which category would you fall in?
3) How might you live differently when you get home to prepare for meeting the Lord?

Hello from Fiji,
Yesterday we had a fun day visiting the village. The chief was bragging that they had the best rugby team around. One of the men told us we were in the village of the Fijian Rugby coach. There were a lot of young men in the village, many more men then woman. I learned that a village is made up of about a dozen clans. A clan is made up of two or three families. The village we visited had about 600 members while 200 were not residents of the village like Nada who lives on the Homes of Hope campus. We ate what is considered a feast with the locally grown Taro plant as the main course. The men were all in very good shape as vegetables made up the majority of their diet. They all seemed excited by our presence and two boys chased us riding a horse bareback as we left. As we returned to campus we ate dinner with the girls and children. The children love getting thrown around by the men. They just say again, again! The girls at homes of hope have truly been an inspiration to us as we have lived with them this past week! To realize the tremendous hardship some of them had experienced and now see them so full of life and faith is a great testimony to God’s great love for his creation.
Rob

Greetings from Fiji,
This is the first (and only) opportunity I have had to contact home since arriving in Fiji last week, so before I write anything else, I need to say hello to my thee children, my girlfriend Bev and to all my family and friends back in America. I miss all of you, and I look forward to catching up upon returning in a few days. What an amazing experience this has been for all of us! From the time we reached the island, we have been busy working on the schoolhouse here at “Homes of Hope”. However, at the end of every day, we take time to share dinner and stories with the women and children. They are full of the Holy Spirit, and their strength and faith in Him inspires me! It is very moving to hear the girls sing songs of worship throughout the day, and I find myself captivated by the smiles of their children. Yesterday, we took a day off and traveled to a remote village where we witnessed firsthand how Fijians truly live off their land. Personally, I connected with “Judas”, who was kind enough to welcome us to share a waterfall located on his property. Like him, there are so many others that I will remember and pray for, including Nada, Salote, Jawopy, and especially “Mare”, one small little girl that has captured my heart. She seeks me out every day, and I can’t help but feel the love she displays through her words and expressions…talk about learning something from a child! Well, I better get my old butt up to the school before the guys give me more grief than they already do. They may have more experience in construction, but they are no match for my spirit!!! God Bless you all, and please pray for our safe return. Mark Mann

PRAYER REQUEST!
We finally have a concrete pump truck to get the cement up the hill to get the 2 slabs poured today. The problem is, its starting to rain and the clouds are dark and thick and don’t look too promising. We leave tomorrow so today is pretty much the last chance to get it done, plus its been a struggle to get the truck here. So please pray for the weather and the productivity for today. We love you guys!

Wednesday Morning Devo

2009-05-12T14:25:00.001-07:00

This morning our scriptures were Psalm 82:3,4; Proverbs 31:8,9; Jeremiah 21:12; and James 1:27.

1) What do these passages of Scripture teach you about social responsibility?
2) How would you explain the relationship between spiritual health and social responsibility?
3) What's God's warning (through Jeremiah) for people who ignore social responsibility?
4) Are you currently doing the things commanded in these passages?
5) How might you do more when you return home?

Conversation on the back porch this morning was based on how we as Christians respond to the Lord in a way that is much deeper than social responsibility. Erik was sharing that if we are focused on Christ, we will desire to serve him and respond to him. Serving the Lord in our society is included in what we would call a Christian life. We know a lot of people who do good things and who serve their communities, but we are set apart to do the will of God and if we are disobedient or choose to remain ignorant, we will evoke an anger in the Lord that I'm pretty sure none of us want to experience. :)

God is good and we are all being touched in different ways. Pastor Mat had us go around in a circle and everyone shared briefly what is on our hearts so far this week and how we can be prayed for. When one person shared, another teammate would choose that person to pray for for the remainder of the week, focusing on what they shared. This is a pretty cool experience and our team very clearly cares about one another. When we're all working for the same goal, God really blesses the relationships. Praise the Lord! Homes of Hope is truly a vessel He is using to change each one of our hearts. ~Anna

2009-05-12T02:04:00.000-07:00

It's truly been amazing to see the beautiful spirit of the girls. It breaks my heart that the very people that were supposed to protect them in most cases were the ones that violated that them. I praise God for the ones that have come to know Him in spite of all those violations!

For the past two days I have been working in a small group with the Indian girls. It's such a different dynamic with these girls (where as the Fijian girls are outgoing and funny) ... however, the Indian girls are very reserved and new to Homes of Hope as well! One of the girls, Puga, just arrived a week ago and is 8 months pregnant. She has been extremely quiet, but I can feel the Lord pulling on her! These girls for the most part have no idea about God and Christianity. It has been imperative to build a relationship with them since what I was about to tell them would change forever what they don't know! Over the past two days I shared my testimony and explained the fall of man, the some of the gospel of Mark, and led them in the sinners prayer Monday and Tuesday. Only the Lord knows their hearts! After we joined with the other group, Puga said to me "I really would like to learn to read and write." AHHHH!!! Just her trusting me enough to say that was such an encouragement! I am going to be working with her during some free time to teach her what I can. Obviously, I know I cannot teach her in only a couple days. But, it invites me into some one on one time with her that I am really looking forward to tomorrow! There are some others girls I really feel connected to as well, Milly, Litia, and Loretta.

The one common thread I can see thus far is these girls have had every type of trust broken ... all these things happening to them that THEY cannot control! So, they just want to control whatever they can control even if it means self destructive behaviors. My prayer for them is that they allow the Lord to break the chains and give Him control of their lives! I pray they lay their lives down before the Lord and let Him put the pieces together. Homes of Hope is absolutely the Lord providing for these girls a new hope that our Father in Heaven will never fail you! Genesis 22:14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which mean "the Lord will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."

In His name,
Auntie Courtney DS

More Pictures:)

2009-05-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

Rob and Rob

Dana, Mark, and Mat workin hard

Tuesday morning devotions

2009-05-11T13:40:00.001-07:00

This is on our way down the hill after gardening.

We have some incredible hearts on our team. Our mornings start at 630 when we each go through the questions and passages from our devotional, and then we all meet at around 7 on the back porch and eat our breakfast and talk through what we did in our quiet times. Yesterday we focused on what worship really is, and to be honest, I think we often miss the mark. Its definitely easier on campus to be focused on the Lord because the people you go to church with are the people you live, work, and eat with. Rob Dolson shared that he feels justice and worship are related because of the way these girls are defenseless, and they are standing up to defend them and help provide for them through construction. The girls and I (Anna) felt that the justice in worship that we experienced was the way the girls sing and loved the Lord in such a raw and pure way.

This morning we read Luke 10:25-37 and asked these questions:
1) What does this teach you about the relationship between mercy and faith?
2) Who can you most relate to in the parable?
3) How might you specifically be like the good Samaritan this week to the girls at HOH?

The conversations that came from this time were heavy on our hearts. The desire to serve the Lord and be used by Him is evident in the hearts in our team. The more we learn about the girls the more we love them. I wont speak for everyone but I feel like its impossible not to fall in love this week. With the girls, and with the Lord. God is stirring our hearts and blessing us already. Its a really exciting thing to be in a place where you can visibly see God work in peoples lives. Even the girls who are new and who don't know the Lord yet can't explain why they feel themselves changing and responding. They don't know what to connect it to, but we know its Jesus changing them from the inside out. Its incredible.

Today is full of plans and different goals for us all, and we'll have some updates later tonight (our time) to let you know how it went. We're going to get some more pictures of the construction site as well. Thank you for being patient with updates and pictures, the internet its great but uploading pictures takes a long time. And life around here is busy. :)
Love you guys, and thanks for your prayers. Its working!

Anna
(PS please keep praying for health. We have some allergy and stomach issues but we're all healthy for the most part. I'm praying to be spared from parasites since i was digging for clay in the creek with Amaysa and Solote yesterday. :)

Monday Morning Devotions

2009-05-11T01:22:00.000-07:00

I thought it appropriate to share with you the devotions we are going through as a team every morning. Please join us if you'd like. I think you'll find them insightful.

Read:
Isaiah 1:1-17 / Micah 6:1-8

What is bothering God about their worship?
What corrective steps does God want them to take?
What does this tell you about the connection between justice and mercy?
How might this experience (Mission Trip) change your worship when you return.

2009-05-10T23:20:00.000-07:00

We had another productive day in the schoolhouse.The kids were in class today because it is Monday here.I was in charge of installing the front doors. Solo one of the managing men was standing behind me as I bored the doors and created the framework for the doors. after I was finished, he gave me a huge hug and told me I was a hero. I found out he was watching intently because the doors were $800. dollars each! The kids were more interested in the work than their schoolwork. They gave me the nickname Peanut because I have a big round bald head. The people are amazing singers and are always beaming with positive energy. Dana Lambert

...."La creacion muestra la obra de sus dedos".......His creation demonstrates the work of his hands........The natural revelation speaks loudly, His testimony is evident, the smile, ..bula! said the little girl, the worship songs, the saws, the hammering, stumps, laughter, a concerted musical of praise and worship, I am in it, it is miraculous. Humbly I ask why? I see my self, but most importantly I see You dear lord Jesus

Erick Paternina

PICTURES! :)

2009-05-10T00:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday recap

2009-05-10T00:19:00.000-07:00

Toady was a nice day got to tour the grounds here and got a real eye opener. Its neat to come to a different country and learn the different ways they do things. The lady's here are so nice. Just had great time getting started on the walls in the school.

Rob Day

Bula from Fiji!!! or Hello !!!

It has been rainy here for the last two days. The sun peeked out a few times briefly. The ladies & their children are just beautiful. One indian girl who is 14 years old had a baby boy 3 weeks ago. There is another Indian girl that just got here and she is very close to having her baby. She just looks so lost & alone. We went into a room with a concrete floor on the bottom of the school house and even though on the floor above us there was hammering and sawing going on, we had the most incredible church service. The girls sing like a choir. We could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit all around us during the worship time. Anna, Courtney, and I shared short testimonies during the service hoping to be a blessing to the ladies. One of the girls wrote me a mothers day card and that was really sweet. It had all the names of the moms on it. The sermon was on learning to trust the Lord in every aspect of our lives. The fellas got a lot accomplished today and I helped out at the school this morning, and then I ended up being the cook and the house mom. I told the men when I served the meals to take it or leave it. :) The ladies keep saying we are a blessing to them but we feel like THEY are the blessing to us.

"Auntie Nancy Brown"

Sunday morning update!

2009-05-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

We have internet! Mat and Ray have been workin hard all morning to get it up and running while the rest of the guys and gals work on the school house. I'm sitting in the living room of the guesthouse with the doors open watching it rain and I can hear the girls and their kids singing up at the campus kitchen a few yards away. Today has been incredible so far. Mat, Nancy, Courtney and I (Anna) were invited to go to the small church service with the girls in the school house this morning and it is a beautiful thing to see people so in love with the Lord. Their faces and voices are so sincere when they worship, it drove all our hearts to the foot of His throne. God is here, and it would take a whole lot of effort to try and ignore that simple fact.

A few things: We have one or two people a day to blog and update you on what is going on in their hearts and on campus. Our plan (which is always changing) is to get our blogging done around lunch time here which will be evening for you guys back at home. The other thing is we would love to get feedback from you so if you can leave a comment. There are a few instructions you need to know about commenting so here they are:

Once you click on the "comment" link and write what you want, you'll have to enter the weird lookin' letters underneath the comment box where it says "word verification." Once you do that you will need to create a username and password. If you already have an account with blogspot.com I believe that username and password works.

Thanks for praying! We're feelin good and workin hard. I can already feel the Lord stirring up my heart and making changes.
Keep checking on us and we'll try our best to keep you updated. Love!

Day 1

2009-05-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

Day one was incredible! We just finished dinner. Egg salad sandwiches and tea ... which actually looks like coffee with creamer in it. We played Chinese numbers and the Alphabet game. (Thanks, Mark Connelly!) The girls are awesome. Naca, and Solo, Salote, Latia, Geoge, Miari, Simone ... We all thoroughly enjoyed each others company tonight!

The team is tired but excited about the week ahead. Tomorrow is Sunday here. The plan is to eat breakfast, work on the schoolhouse till lunch, eat, tour Home of Hope, and then go to Church in the afternoon. We'll get back after dinner in Suva City just in time to hit the sack for a busy Monday of hammering, planting, sawing, teaching, and bonding. God is everywhere here. We prayed tonight that His presence would overwhelm us. We pray that for you too.

We're still working on getting telephone access so our families may not hear from us directly for a few days. FYI Internet access is down in our guest quarters as well. I'm about a half mile from our temporary home, barefoot, sitting in front of the office and pirating their wireless. I wish you could smell the jungle ... and hear it. This is awesome!

Anyway, I need to get to bed. Love you guys. Goodnight!

-more to come tomorrow....

FIJI 2009

2009-05-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it. This time tomorrow we'll be over the Pacific Ocean flying in a Jumbo Jet till morning light. We'll be heading SouthEast on a course that will take us 4 hours past Hawaii onto a tiny set of Islands that make up Fiji.

Rob Dolson, Rob Day, Courtney Jones, Mark Mann, Nancy brown, Dana Johnson, Anna Blevins, and Erick Paternina and, of course, me are flying out of Sky Harbor at 6:55 pm. Then onto LAX, and from there, at around 11pm, we'll fly 11 hours until we reach the Nandi airport just after 5am. From there, we will pass through customs, grab our luggage, and head to another small terminal where we grab a twin engine flight lasting 25 minutes bringing us to the other side of the island into just outside of Suva City.

Once there, we'll be greeted here by Nada and a few other leaders from Home of Hope who'll get us loaded up and on our way to the mission which is about a 40 minute drive from the airport.

What an adventure! Please Pray for us! Pray that God would have full access in our hearts. Pray for increased faith for each of us. And, of course, pray for our mission to the girls!

Anna, has put a schedule together for each of us to blog. Check in on us daily for updates. Each day someone new will be writing about their experiences. Please leave comments and questions if you have them. You can also check out what's happening at TeamFiji.org.

Love you guys! FOR HIM!

REACH

2009-04-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

REACH CLASS TODAY 2-5 PM @ THE SCHOOL!!!

SEE YA THERE!

Population

2009-03-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

BTW...

The population in the Maricopa area is to surpass 1 Million Poeple within the next 10-15 years.

FYI...

2009-03-25T17:17:00.001-07:00

(Ventura, CA) - The United States may have more born again Christians than any other nation in the world, with nearly 100 million children, teens and adults saying they are assured of eternal salvation solely because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.

This information, drawn from national surveys by The Barna Group, begs the question: how are Americans drawn to faith in Jesus Christ? The Barna Group survey data are not based on self-classification as "born again;" this status is based upon people actively inviting Jesus Christ to save them from the consequences of their sins by praying for forgiveness and a changed life. New survey data from The Barna Group examine how born again adults attempt to enable those who are not born again to have faith in Christ.

Most Born Again Adults Proselytize

One of the key findings of the research was that a slight majority of born again adults - 55% - claimed to have shared their faith in Christ with a non-Christian during the prior 12 months. That figure has remained relatively constant during the past decade.

Some groups within the born again population were more likely than others to have engaged in outreach efforts. For instance, two-thirds of evangelicals (66%) had shared their faith, compared to just two-fifths (41%) of those who are associated with mainline churches. While six out of ten Protestants had shared their faith (61%), less than four out of ten born again Catholics (37%) had done so.

There were also some surprising regional disparities. By far the lowest rate of evangelistic activity occurred among Midwestern born again adults: just 41% of them shared their faith. Unexpectedly, the most prolific evangelizers were in the western states, where two-thirds (65%) had engaged in personal outreach efforts. The South and Northeast - often assumed to be the bright and dark spots, respectively, in regard to evangelistic efforts - feel in-between the extremes (58% of northeastern and 59% of southern Christians shared their faith).

Another major difference related to race. Whites were less likely to share their faith than were people from the two largest racial groups. While half of all born again whites (49%) evangelized in the past year, almost two-thirds of born again blacks (63%) had done so and three-quarters of born again Hispanics (76%) were active in spreading their faith views.

Crisis Prayer Tops Methods

The Barna survey explored nine specific approaches to sharing faith in Christ with non-believers. The most prolific method was to "offer to pray with a non-Christian who was in need of encouragement or support." Eight out of ten Christians (78%) said they had done so in the past year. Nearly as common was an approach widely known as "lifestyle evangelism," which was described in the survey as living in ways that would impress non-Christians and cause them to raise questions about that lifestyle. Three out of every four born again adults (74%) tried this means of outreach.

Another popular approach was to "start a discussion with a non-Christian in which you intentionally asked what they believe concerning a particular moral or spiritual matter, and continued to ask questions about their views without telling them they are wrong, but continuing to nicely challenge them to explain their thinking and its implications." Known as "Socratic evangelism" because of its dialogical nature, seven out of ten believers (69%) said they had engaged in this approach.

About half of all believers utilized each of three alternative means of outreach. Among them was a form of moral confrontation (i.e., to "tell a non-Christian a specific behavior was inappropriate and then describe the biblical basis for your view and an alternative approach"). This moral confrontation approach had been used by 50% of born again adults during the prior year. The other means were event-oriented strategies: bringing a non-Christian friend to a church service (49%) or bringing them to an outreach event (45%).

The least widely used methods were giving evangelistic literature to people (undertaken by 35%); sending evangelistic letters or e-mails to non-Christian acquaintances (21%); and preaching on the street or in other public places (11%).

Methods Varied By Segments

The preferred outreach methods varied by people groups. For instance, adults under the age of 40 (i.e., Baby Busters) were by far the most likely to practice Socratic evangelism (81% had done so) than were Baby Boomers (64%) or older adults (62%). In fact, it was the most popular of all outreach approaches among Busters. Lifestyle evangelism was much less widely utilized by Busters than by older adults. Young adults were also the most likely to evangelize via e-mail and other personal notes, but they were the least likely to rely upon giving others evangelistic literature (e.g., tracts, brochures, booklets, etc.).

Geographically, Christians living in the West were the most likely to use a Socratic approach while those residing in the South and Midwest were the least likely to do so. On the religious continuum, that dialogical method was a favorite of evangelicals but was considerably less common among Catholics and mainline Protestants. As might be expected, this approach was also more popular among college graduates than among those without a college degree.

Event-based evangelism was more likely to be used by women than men. Those with limited levels of education also favored it.

The survey results indicate that evangelizers have several preferred methods they rely upon. For instance, Christians who engage in moral confrontations and in passing out evangelistic literature are also more likely than other evangelizers to be involved in street preaching. Individuals who invite non-Christian friends to church services or to outreach events are also more likely to utilize evangelistic literature.

By the same token, some outreach efforts have a negative correlation with the use of other methods. People who bring friends to church with them are much less likely than the norm to also enter into Socratic evangelism - that is, to engage the friend in a multi-episode conversation about issues or perspectives designed to cause the non-Christian to think more deeply about matters of truth and faith. Similarly, Christians who rely upon events for outreach impact are notably less likely to also interact with their non-Christian friends in the more "in your face" approaches, such as moral confrontation or crisis prayer.

Changes in Strategy

George Barna, whose company conducted the research, noted that there is a significant change in evangelistic approaches taking place in the U.S.

“Young adults are much more likely to share their faith through ongoing discussions with friends and through e-mail and instant message conversations than are middle-aged and older adults," Barna explained. "They are less likely to engage in means that their generation finds offensive, such as street preaching or moral confrontation. The early signs suggest that the emerging generation - the Mosaics, who presently are in their early twenties down through early childhood - will continue along this vein. Ministries seeking to prepare people to effectively share their faith in today’s society would advance the process by enabling young adults to carry on knowledgeable conversations about the substance of the Christian faith and how it affects all dimensions of a person’s life. The ability to relate biblical principles to current issues and personal struggles - that is, to interact beyond the level of simply ‘getting saved’ - will be crucial for the future of effective outreach efforts."

Research Source and Methodology

The data reported in this summary are based upon telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 1014 adults conducted in late January and early February of 2004 by The Barna Group. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The sample included 385 born again Christians. Data regarding that segment have a maximum sampling error of ±5.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All non-institutionalized adults in the 48 continental states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of respondents coincided with the geographic dispersion of the U.S. adult population. The data were subjected to slight statistical weighting procedures to calibrate the survey base to national ethnic and gender proportions. Households selected for inclusion in the survey sample received multiple callbacks to increase the probability of obtaining a representative distribution of adults.

“Born again Christians" were defined in these surveys as people who said they have made "a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today" and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "born again." Being classified as "born again" is not dependent upon church or denominational affiliation or involvement.

“Evangelicals" are a subset of born again Christians in Barna surveys. In addition to meeting the born again criteria, evangelicals also meet seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; contending that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; stating that Satan exists; maintaining that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; asserting that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; saying that the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Further, respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical." Being classified as "evangelical" is not dependent upon any church or denominational affiliation or involvement.

The Barna Research Group

Born-Again Christians

2009-02-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

In Barna Research Group studies, born again Christians are not defined on the basis of characterizing themselves as "born again" but based upon their answers to two questions. The first is "have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today?" If the respondent says "yes," then they are asked a follow-up question about life after death. One of the seven perspectives a respondent may choose is "when I die, I will go to Heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior." Individuals who answer "yes" to the first question and select this statement as their belief about their own salvation are then categorized as "born again."

Beliefs

Compared to 72% of all adults, 92% of born again Christians believe "the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches." (2007)
Three-quarters of born again Christians (74%) believe they "personally have a responsibility to tell other people their religious beliefs" compared to 52% of all adults. (2007)
Nearly all born again Christians (99%) say their religious faith is very important in their life, compared to 87% of all adults. (2007)
Half of born again Christians (46%) agree that Satan is "not a living being but is a symbol of evil." (2007)
37% of born agains believe that if a person is good enough they can earn a place in Heaven. (2007)
26% of born agains agree that "while he lived on earth, Jesus committed sins, like other people," compared to 41% of all adults. (2007)
Born again Christians are more likely than non-born again individuals to accept moral absolutes. Specifically, 36% of born agains said they believe in moral absolutes, compared to just 16% among non-born agains. (2006)
How Many

Looking across the past decade we find the following percentages of born again Christians:
2007 - 42% 2006 - 45% 2005- 40% 2004-38% 2002-40% 2001- 41% 2000- 41% 1999- 40% 1998- 39% 1997- 43% 1996-39% 1995-35% 1994- 36% 1993-36% 1992- 40% 1991- 35%

There are approximately 101 million born again Christians. (2006)

Who

Residents of the South are more likely than average to be classified as born again Christians. More than half of those living in the South (53%) are classified as born agains, compared to 45% of individuals who live in the Midwest, 34% of those living in the West, and 29% of individuals who live in the Northeast. (2007)
Half of all born again adults (50%) are married. (2007)
Protestant church attenders are more than twice as likely than are Catholic church attenders to be born again Christians (61% to 26%, respectively). (2007)
Religious Activities

More than three out of five born agains (62%) have read from the Bible in the past week compared with 42% of all adults. (2007)
59% of born agains attended church in the last week, compared to 43% of all adults. (2007)
Born agains are more likely than the average adult to have volunteered their time to help their church in the past week (32% to 22%, respectively). (2007)
Non-evangelical Born Agains

35% of the adult population is born again, but not evangelical. (2007)
86% are registered to vote. (2007)
65% likelihood of voting, compared to the national average of 67% among registered voters. (2004)
36% are politically conservative. (2007)
35% is associated with the Republican Party, while an even greater percentage is aligned with the Democratic Party 42%. (2007)

Fiji 2009

2009-02-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like we're going back to Fiji in May. I spoke with our Vision Abolition people and confirmed dates. May 14-23. We'll be doing construction work primarily...concrete and framing. We are trying to connect Nada's home to the main Bunk House to allow for larger groups to come and help. This will allow us to finish projects sooner than expected...which means more room for more girls and their children!

Anyway. if you're interested in coming with us e-mail me and let me know ASAP. We've only got 9 spots available and 3 are already taken.

Facebook etc.

2009-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

What a week it's been! We'll, I began the Facebook experiment last Saturday and, in a week, have managed to get in contact with nearly 300 people I haven't seen or heard from in a while. My favorite conversations so far have been with people from High School or from old Jobs I used to have. I remember how much I miss people from the past. Time is truly a funny thing. My favorite thing is to tell people what God has been doing. The typical comment I get in the beginning is..."You have a beautiful family...so what are you doing now" I think ^^...well let me tell you what I've been up to... I then realize two thoughts. I think they're normal. The first is...Wow, God has done amazing things in my life! The second is, I only have 300 people to tell this story...I may not tell it well...what would Jesus say, or what would some of my Christian friends say if they were me. Then, the truth be told, I feel a little discouraged because I truly love every one of the people God has put in my life, deeply. I wish they knew what I know. The reality is that most won't. That truly sucks! So, anyway...

Overall, I'm excited about hanging out with everyone in this large scale conversation that Facebook has allowed, and I'm excited to see how God uses it.

Anyway, random thoughts on Monday.

Sunday

2009-01-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Sunday was awesome! The message can be uploaded by copying the massive address below into your search bar... Or, you can do the simple thing and go to www.churchofcelebration.com listen the message there...

http://web.mac.com/coc3/Church_of_Celebration_Podcast/Church_of_Celebration_%7C_Media/Entries/2009/1/18_Famous_Last_Words_-_Samaria_%E2%80%93_Go_Pastor_Mat_Balgaard___.htm

I'm so excited about God's vision for needy people. No one is excluded! His concern isn't for the people who think they've got it all together. It's for the truly needy! That's you and me of course! He is awesome. Luke 14 and 15 have been awesome to teach out of! If you thought that was cool you've gotta see the link on the right called try God. I think you'll enjoy...