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FHC Missions Update: Christin Ingram August 4, 2008

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Christin just recently returned from a domestic missions project in Jakes Run West VA where God did a work in her heart and used her to impact a family who desperately needed help.  Here is her story:

“Over the past week I’ve been thinking about how to articulate my mission experience in this blog.  I thought maybe I would write about how AMAZING the experience was or how I saw a family’s life changed through people actually BEING the hands and feet of God.  Maybe I would write about all the amazing people I met who go to Jakes Run, West Virginia EVERY year to help the families in that community.  Though these things are true, I decided to express the experience in a different way.  On this trip I saw a new side of God. I left with a new realization of how dynamic God is.  I thought I was going to Jakes Run to bless a family and serve God, and while these things did happened, God also used the opportunity to show me something so much BIGGER…

The night before I left Jakes Run, I was talking to Jeff, one of the World Servants Mission coordinators, and as he shared with me some of the things other people in our group were going through, I realized how small I had made God in my mind.  All these people where going through all these things and God used their obedience in serving to give them a piece of whatever puzzle they were tackling in their life at that moment (and I’m no exception).  Not only that, but he does this every second of every day.  I realized how small my perception of God was and sometimes still is.  Even as I’m writing these words, I know there are still some areas of my life that I shrink God and all His amazingness into something so regular and ordinary…so one dimensional.  God is humungous and through serving I got to see how multi-dimensional He was and is and will be.

On this trip God cleverly put together a group of individuals and families who were all at different places on their walk with Him.  He connected them and their brokenness with other broken people that would listen to them and love them.  He took these broken people and gave them the will to help families and individuals who were also broken.  He then connected these two groups of people in a way that both groups could be impacted by the other.  He took teenagers and created bonds with seniors that would impact them forever.  He passed out self-esteem to children.  He exposed people to his indescribable love.  He brought families together.  He taught people things about their own struggles, about who they are and who they need to be.  All these things came together in such a magnificent and perfect way…AND…He does this daily all over the world.  AmAzInG.

God has SOOO much to show us and SOOO much to give us and He’s doing BIG things and He wants us to see Him and He wants us to be a part of whatever He’s doing.   So yes, I can definitely say this trip has put something in my heart that wants to be involved in any mission opportunity that comes my way.  But more than that, I just want to be where ever God is working, where ever he is doing cool stuff (or even boring stuff). Basically, I want to be all up in His business, engulfed in him.  And I realize I don’t have to go to West Virginia for this.  

So my point is (I know, finally) my mission experience taught me to THINK BIG.  I pray and I hope that you and I will have God Sized thoughts, God Sized dreams, and God Sized impact in all we do.  God Sized = BIG….REALLY BIG!”

Christin

2008 Kids Kamp Video Recap July 29, 2008

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Mission Update: West VA Trip-Amy Street July 27, 2008

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Thank you so much for your support and prayers.  The mission trip I took recently to West Virginia was a success!  I was teamed up with a group of people who came all the way from Pennsylvania and was welcomed immediately.  There were over 100 of us on this trip and we were put into about 10 different groups so that each group could impact a specific family in Jakes Run. 

            The community of Jakes Run was astounding!  The people were so friendly and I felt blessed to be there.  I worked for the McCoy family.  Originally, it was in the plans to give them a new roof for their home, but after being given the opportunity to go into their home and seeing the great need there too, we put a new plan into action.  We immediately got to work cleaning and pulling up old flooring so that we could give them new flooring in their kitchen and living room area.  We also put a new roof on the house and painted the outside of the house too. 

            It was a lot of work and I truly felt your prayers as there were many times I had to stop and just gather strength from the Lord to help me finish a task.  This house was so filthy.  The family had two small boys who were also very active.  Trash was everywhere.  We worked in conditions where there were mice droppings, spiders, bugs, and even worms inside the home.  We picked up dishes that had maggots growing inside and I touched things that I never thought I could touch, yet I did because God sent me there to bring HOPE to this family! 

            At the end of the week, we were able to purchase several things for this family.  A few of the items are as followed:  twin sheets for the boys bed, sheets for mom and dad, new pots and pans, shower curtain, misc. things for the kitchen, clothes, a photo album, cleaning supplies, and many other things.  Heather and George were beyond excited.  She told me we exceeded her expectations and that she did indeed felt hope rising within her again!  PRAISE GOD!!!! 

            On Friday, I took Heather aside for some one on one ministry time and was able to lead her in a prayer to rededicate her life to the Lord.  She felt the love of the Father for her and her family and I cannot even put into words for you what that felt like for me!  It was amazing and I cry even now as I type this letter for you. 

            This trip deeply impacted my life and you were all a part of this trip coming true for me.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!!  Great is YOUR reward in Heaven one day for supporting me in spreading the love of Jesus and the gospel to those who were in need of it!

Pastor Troy and Africa Team Make It Home Safe and Sound July 16, 2008

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After many delays, 3 days of return travel, baggage problems, and much more, Pastor Troy and the team made it home from Africa.  They had a great time seeing the work progressing on the orphanage in Ghana as well as speaking to Pastors and leaders in Nigeria.  They are excited about the stories they have to share, but it will probably take a few more days for them to recover from the trip!  Traveling overseas can take a lot out of you.  Add to this the strain that comes with ministering cross culturally and re-entry back into American life can be tough. 

So, definately remember them in your prayers as they reconnect with us here in NC again.

Emergency: Pray for the Lovorns in Thailand July 15, 2008

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Typical Driving in Thailand

Typical Driving in Thailand

I, John, just received this message from the team in Thailand about our missionaries John and Sandy Lovorn.  Please pray!:

“Hey guys,
I am writing to you to get you to pray for our friends, the Lovorns. Today John and his two boys, Lake and Gabe, got into a motorcycle accident. It is already miraculous, because neither of his boys, though both without helmets, were hurt! THANK YOU WONDERFUL JESUS! John did fracture his wrist an the hospital is saying that he will need surgery. What makes it hard is that they are scheduled to go to America tommorow, so they really need Jesus’s help. Our God is Almighty. This situation is already miraculous! We just need the other half!”

Please Pray for the Lovorns.  It is hard enough to make the journey back to America from Thailand with three children and now throw in Dad’s broken wrist!  Hopefully, they will be able to recover and come to visit us all soon.

FHC Global Vision July 15, 2008

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The Goal of Freedom House Church Missions is:

To be a community of global minded believers who aggressively engage and “reach” our local ethnic communities, our cities, and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Vision:

For every member view their roles and responsibilities in light of how they are helping to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-19).  “Mission” is not a program of our church, but a common passion we all share.  We seek to not simply be a “come and see” church, but rather we strive to be a “go and tell” church.

Freedom House’s commitment to World Mission is core to who we are as a local church. We seek to join God’s purposes in calling out a people for Himself from every language, tribe, and people by Knowing, Praying, Giving, and Going.

Knowing
We seek continual understanding of what God has done in the past to bring people to Himself and what he is doing today to bring completion to the task of getting the Good News to every remaining un-reached people group. We believe that awareness of what is happening in other parts of the world is essential to understanding God’s overall plan and its relevance to our calling as believers in the 21st century.  This is understanding includes Biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic perspectives.

Praying
We pray that the “Lord of the Harvest” will continue to raise up and send laborers for the harvest of souls we believe will come into the Kingdom of God in the next few decades. Prayer for God’s work through his people is ingrained into everything we do as a local church. We also set aside special corporate times of prayer and fasting for God’s purposes to be fulfilled in our city, state, country, and the world.  We understand that “prayer is the work” and that this is the primary means that God Almighty uses to accomplishes his purposes in the Earth.

Giving
It’s our goal as a church to give at least 10% of all that comes into FHC back out to support the work of mission all over the world. As individuals, we are committed to giving generously and sacrificially over and above our tithe to see the work of the Kingdom expand and grow, especially in frontier areas of the world. We believe that like Abraham, Almighty God has blessed each one of us to be a blessing to all nations.  Our missions giving is directed primarily towards our four mission priorities.  We primarily support ministries that we have an ongoing relationship with as a church.

Going
We are committed to being active participants in the Great Commission by going out into all the world ourselves and compelling men and women to be reconciled to God on Christ’s behalf. We will do this by actively reaching out to our local communities, internationals, the poor, and the nations. By God’s grace and guidance, we as a local church will send a team overseas every year to participate in cross-cultural outreach and networking. We will also identify, equip, and send families from our church, whom sense the calling to a particular people or area of the world, to participate in long term missions work.  We only send our best families with whom we have a strong and ongoing relationship.

FHC Mission Priorities July 15, 2008

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Freedom International Mission Priorities-

Because there are numerous worthy projects that we can be involved in as a church that would be classified by many as “missions” work, we have chosen four pillars or priorities that we choose to give our time, effort, and resources towards.  We believe that these four priorities are some of the greatest needs in missions work today.  They are:

  • 1. Church Planting
  • 2. 10/40 Window Evangelism
  • 3. National Leadership Development
  • 4. At Risk Children

-Church Planting-We believe that the local church is the plan of God for reaching the world.  Jesus stated that he would build his church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it.  Therefore we seek to join him in that work both locally, nationally and globally, as he calls out a people for Himself from every language, tribe, and nation.  Church Planting may take place in various forms and styles from a high tech city ministry attracting thousands to a simple village gathering in a home numbering dozens.

-10/40 Window Evangelism-The majority of those who have little to no access to the Gospel live in an area of the world known as the 10/40 Window.  The majority of the three main block strongholds of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism originated and thrive here.  This area is also home to the poorest of the world’s poor with most inhabitants living on about $1 a day. Because of these realities we have chosen to focus on in this section of the globe with the goal of prioritizing our mission’s outreach and funding towards this end.  This greatest need of this area is for people to hear the true Gospel, many for the first time ever. 

-National Leadership Development-We believe that the hope of any nation is the believing leadership within it.  Jesus said we are the salt and light of the world.  If everything rises and falls on leadership, then trained and empowered leadership is the key to the Gospel taking root in a nation and spreading rapidly.  We endeavor to equip emerging and veteran national leadership from the position of being “their servants for Christ’s sake” and reject any attitudes of paternalism or cultural superiority.  Our ultimate goal is for ever national leader to be self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating.

-At Risk Children-Many children in the world today lack the basic necessities of life such as adequate food, clothing, and shelter.  Still others don’t have access to the education that will help them lift themselves up out of a life of poverty and violence.  We believe that it is in the heart of God to take care of the “least of these.”  Our God is a “father to the fatherless” and a “defender of orphans”, therefore we follow his heart in ministering to those who have been forgotten by the world.  We partner with ministries that are not only meeting the immediate needs of these children, but who are also working on ways to improve their lives through sharing the Gospel, education, and projects that help build self-reliance.