Our prayers and thoughts are with those who have been impacted by the tragic weather and tornadoes that have spun across our states. We received several calls from our body inquiring as to how we can help in Joplin. The following article was posted by a church that has been directly involved in several natural disasters.
Click on this link to read more about making a difference in Joplin: 3 Things to Do & 3 Things Not to Do to Help Joplin
“Hey Water Boy, my bucket is empty again.” Grandson Clay would again go out to the cistern and draw up the water with a cracked plastic bucket and rope. My work space consisted of 3 square plastic tables end to end with dish pans, dishes, water bucket and bleach, coffee maker and cooking implements. Francia cooked the noon meals which consisited of goat or fish, a pile of rice, and a plaintain while I prepared the evening meals. To actually cook I went over to the Indian kitchen under a tin roof which had a nice propane industrial stove, but sooty wooden counter top and dirt floor. My main job was to keep 2 teams of men hydrated in temperatures averaging around 100 degrees as they arduously worked on a 3 room classroom/dormitory building for the Wayuu Leadership Training Institute. First the team from Calvary Church of Souderton, PA built the brick walls and cat beam; tedious and not glamorous work but their humor kept everyone laughing and entertaining even the neighbor children on the other side of the cactus fence. The 2nd team from Fellowship Bible Church, AR put on the roof and tackled the cement floors. It was completed with the help of Wayuu men who spent hours mixing mortar. Your prayers, Gatoraid, and Ken Lake of SAM were some of the life saving features which made this endeavor a great success. The guys learned to sleep in hammocks in a communal pavilion to an erratic orchestra of heavy snoring, dogs barking, roosters crowing, coal trains passing by and distant drums beating. Fortunately, I slept in a small closed room away from the colorful night sounds.
A high point for the teams was Sunday services in an Indian settlement doing church Wayuu style. Bob preached both times with translation from Spanish into Wayunaiki and informal English interspersed. Toddlers entertained themselves on the cracked cement floors crawling after fleeing ants and killing them. Moving testimonies were shared and all recalled God’s blessings and provisions. All the Wayuu believers expressed simple heartfelt gratitude for the teams willingness to come and work alongside them and the funds given to make this possible.
A special praise is that there were no accidents, theft, incidents and no serious illness during their stay; however, one member contracted Dengue Fever after he arrived home and spent some time in the hospital. There may be a few residual stomach problems that an amoeba cure can quickly fix, but other than these normal situations, it all went well and we thank God for this because it was a more primitive environment than your typical Mission’s trip.
On the return trip back to Santa Marta, son-in-law Keith King and grandson Clay asked Poppa to baptize Clay which he did in the Buritaca River. It was a special occasion in a beautiful setting. Check it out here…. Clay King’s Baptism
An aside note is a big praise …ex- pastor Wilson Castillo voluntarily stood before many people and confessed his moral sin publically with a very humble spirit. He is in a process of spiritual restoration. As he says, a tremendous weight of guilt and pain has been removed and he feels free. He thanks God that his wife and children have stood with him during this time of shame. Continue to pray for him to find employment.
The month in Colombia was action packed but a blessed time. Esperanza Church is growing and the two pastors, Julio and Deivis, appreciate prayer as sufficient finances are an ever present problem.
Thank you so much for your prayers and concern!!! We love you all.
Bob and Ruth Ann
PS Well, what do you know? Turkey hunting tomorrow………..
How is it that 15 residents incarcerated in Arkansas prisons get a scholarship to go to college?
The answer: Collaboration. Arkansas Baptist College + plus Department of Community Corrections + Under Grace Ministries = Opportunity. This semester 10 men and 5 women join 9 other current DCC resident-students to experience that opportunity and better themselves through education. The goal of all three entities is to empower the offenders to go from being a burden to society to becoming an asset. A novel idea and one that could only have been authored by the Creator Himself. 
Orientation for the new students was held this week at the men’s DCC unit in Little Rock where Rick Hart, Paul Chapman and Jennifer Hawthorne challenged the students to make the most of this nearly-unprecedented opportunity. “Don’t blow it,” they said. “We are invested in your success. You be! We believe you men and women can be successful in college and change your lives for the better –starting now and continuing when you’re released from prison.” After picking up their backpacks full of new school supplies, the college bound residents filed out to return to their units. Before them, a new adventure, one with the potential to literally change their lives.
How are we helping shape this new generation that is rising up to take our place? Watch this short video feed about Simone’s Home, one of our local missions dedicated to make a difference in the lives of girls 12 – 18 years of age who are in long term foster care. Find out how they are making a difference and how you can make a difference. Visit Simone’s Home on the web, call 501-772-4987 or e-mail Stephanie at steph500anie@hotmail.com to get involved.
Why do we seem reluctant to serve, as if God is leading only the professionals to minister to others, not me?….
Last fall I was invited to go on my first international mission trip to Guatemala. I have only spent a few hours at a time outside the U.S., never venturing farther than a day trip to Canada or Mexico. I went because someone I knew and trusted encouraged me to experience God’s work in a new venue. Was it ever an eye opener! Our brief trip was packed with seeing how God is transforming lives in Guatemala.
Fellowship Guatemala– Iglesia Biblica, http://fellowshipunleashed.com/global/major-initatives/guatemala/, is one of our church’s major initiatives – and I found out why. Iglesia Biblica is an amazing example of how reaching out to others and being externally focused can have a huge impact on a community, even an entire city. The church, open 7 days a week, is just one avenue for serving the community. There’s also a medical clinic and a dental clinic open to the community.
Fellowship Guatemala’s church planting Residency Program is working to plant healthy churches of irresistible influence in every quadrant of Guatemala City and beyond, modeled after our own Fellowship Associates church planting residency program here at FBC Little Rock. We spent a great deal of time with Alejandro and Romero and their families and are excited about partnering with them in building new churches in their communities.
Blessings for Us: God works as much in us during these trips as He does in working to help those we are ministering to. You may have heard that before, but never had the chance to experience it for yourself. Just do it! Being outside of your normal comfort zone requires you to depend on God – and that’s a good thing.
Join Us: The partnership with Fellowship Guatemala continues as we plan to go back in June of 2011. This project will be a great opportunity to see firsthand how God uses each of us, not just the professionals, to partner with Him in transforming lives for His glory. See http://fellowshipunleashed.com/global/short-term-trips/#/?i=1 and sign up to go with us as part of a team of 30 people who want to serve together.
Six members of FBC just returned from a planning trip to Rwanda, where Russell and Cheryl Rainey moved last April. It was a packed week as we met with the new Bishop (Mbanda), planned a short term trip for July of 2011, analyzed a business opportunity, hosted a luncheon for teachers (learning op for us), toured a remarkable hospital mission, met with leaders from two Christian schools, toured two orphanages, and planned next steps for Musanze Inc (a major initiative of FBC). We also took a few hours to play with gorillas.
Here’s a few pictures and short video clips of our time in this most remarkable place.
You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 NLT
I think that verse applies to 7 year old Shelby Sweetin! She receives $7.00 a week allowance and puts it in 3 jars marked, GIVE, SAVE, and SPEND. She gives 30% to the Lord every week! The money she gave Sunday was from her allowance she saved all summer. She told her mother that she wanted to bring her $63.22 to church Sunday and give it where it was needed. Shelby noticed the Christmas gift display I had on the table and decided to check it out. She and her mom had been talking about WW2 last week and when I told her we were buying gifts for veterans she definitely wanted to be a part of it.
For the past several birthdays, Shelby has not gotten any gifts. She asks all her friends to donate gifts to the specific charity she names that year. I think she said last year all her friends gave gifts to Children’s Hospital. Shelby has really touched my heart.
Kathy Walton
Every trip that Operation New Life takes to Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa, Honduras is a wonderful time for their prayer teams. Working their way through the heavily crowded hospital hallways with backpacks and canvas bags weighted down with crayons, Bible story coloring sheets, Bibles, gift packs for new moms, candy, blankets and stuffed animals can be quit the task.
As they venture into hospital room filled with 10+ new mothers (there are 80 births a day), the moms are so appreciative of the gifts. It never fails; there is always a shy mom who musters the courage to ask a simple question: “Do you have an extra bag that you might give to me? You see I have nothing in which to hold my baby’s items. If I leave the room, even for the bathroom, I must take everything with me because if not, it would not be here when I return.”
The response of the team has been the same each time: “I wish we could, however we must keep these bags to carry items from our supply room to all of the patients in the hospital.”
ENTER FSK…… thanks to FSK there are some very happy new moms in Tegucigalpa. FSK donated some of their new parent bags to be taken and distributed in Honduras. Thank you, FSK for being unleashed in Honduras!
Lyrics from the Christmas song kept ringing in my head this fall as 10 women on the Woman on a Mission leadership team and I visited a women’s prison in Pine Bluff:
Tears are falling.
Hearts are breaking.
How we need to hear from God.
Every Thursday evening we heard story after story of deep sorrow, pain and regret from the 60 ‘residents’ enrolled in our class. They’re women very much like you and me–they love their kids, enjoy a good laugh, compassionately care for fellow inmates. They long for dignity, respect and love. They want to know they matter.
Most of their pain seems to center on the heaviness they feel over the foolish choices that landed them there –behind 20 foot fences topped with razor wire, away from everything and everyone they love. The biggest difference, perhaps the only difference, between them and me and you is the polar-opposite start in life they had compared to ours. Abused, neglected, abandoned, exposed to the underbelly of society at tender ages, they perhaps did the best they could, at least most of the time. Maybe not — who’s to know? The hard reality is, they are where they are—incarcerated, outcast, needy, poor, brokenhearted. Not a 20- hour flight away in an African village, but less than an hour from our cozy neighborhoods in Little Rock. Hungry for every morsel we toss them, they’re grateful beyond belief that someone cares.
Jesus said, Follow me, not, Sit and study. Follow. Me.
Tears are falling.
Hearts are breaking.
How we need to hear from God.
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting,
Welcome to our world.
Welcome to our world.
What do you have to give them to eat? Go look. Then give it to Me and I’ll bless it for you to give to others. I’ll make you part of a miracle. (See Matthew 14.)
From one inmate: I’ll remember always that I was one of the 1st here (to take Woman on a Mission in prison). I treasure my workbook and you and Linda, and Jesus and God, and I treasure me more now because of all of those things. Thanks again and keep in touch.
Many FBC families are part of The CALL. The growth of Christian’s becoming foster parents throughout Arkansas has led The CALL board to restructure and seek someone who can lead the Statewide effort (Mary Carol feels led to focus on Pulaski County). Please pray for this search.
official notice:
God is spreading The CALL like wildfire across the state (from 2 to 22 counties in only 3 years), and the organization now needs additional staff who can help equip county CALL leaders and troubleshoot with them to help them achieve “no waiting children” in foster care in their local area.
I have been serving as Executive Director and yet continue to feel called to ensure a “win” here in Pulaski County, so I will transition to the position of Pulaski County Coordinator. There is still much to be done here to help provide the needed foster and adoptive families for local children in the foster system.
Click here for a link to the board-approved job description for the new CALL Statewide Director position located in the Little Rock area. The salary range that was discussed by the board for this position is $40,000 – $50,000 based on experience and gifting. This position is dependent upon a focused funding campaign in November. You’ll be hearing much more about that in the days to come. God has been SO faithful and I am certain that He will provide through His people what is needed to support the growth we are experiencing.
Please forward on to others who may be interested. If interested in applying, individuals should e-mail me a cover letter explaining why he/she feels this leadership position would be a great match for his/her experience and gifting, a resume with full employment history and supervisor/peer reference names and numbers as soon as possible, then followed up with personal references from one or more people in leadership at his/her church.
The initial deadline for application is Friday, October 29th, 2010. Our planned timeline is to review resumes and conduct interviews in November, with a hiring decision to be made in late November or early December, Lord willing.
As you feel led, please join with us in fervent prayer during this turning point in our organization’s growth. To God be all the glory for this thing He has done!
Until there is no waiting child,
Mary Carol Pederson, Executive Director
Russell Raineys Christ in the Tetons bus made it to Guatemala City early Friday morning where it will be used for business and ministry of Fellowship Guatemala. Stanley Romeo left LR in the bus early Sunday morn. Here’s his Facebook post:JUST GOT HOME AT 3am TODAY,,,, PRAISE THE LORD, HOME SWEET HOME, AND PREPARING FOR A MISSION TRIP THIS SUNDAY, TO CUBULCO BV… GOD BLESS YOU SO MUCH MY DEAR FRIENDS, AND THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS,,,,, GOD IS SO GOOD ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pastors Daniel and Dennis from Guatemala are in town for 2 weeks shipping dental supplies and sending a driver with the Christ in the Tetons bus to Guatemala City. Please pray for Stanley’s, the driver, safety as he starts the 6 day journey Saturday.
Fellowship sent a team to North East Nigeria to visit with the Bible translation team, meet the Dadiya people, and take part in the showing of the new Jesus Film.
FBC’s North Congregation Pastor Will Crawford delivers the report in this video.
We had the chance to meet with our partner Caleb of Haiti’s Hosean International Ministries while he was in town last week. Caleb explains the current situation and efforts needed to help the Haitian people.
In this video – Rosie Stephens, Global Mission Pastor and Caleb Lucien, President HIM.
Glen Woodruff, FBC member and experienced disaster responder, gives a first hand account of conditions and relief efforts in Haiti. Additional topics:
Fellowship Bible Church Haiti Update Meeting from Paul Chapman on Vimeo.
Haiti Disaster – Fellowship Bible Church Update
