Mustard Seed Canada - Thursday, December 09, 2010
Day 3: giving hope
We went to a small refugee camp of 30 families all displaced together in a school building. Although we saw no new followers of Christ that day, every person was ministered to in some way. The women and children all drew pictures to show what happened when the volcano erupted. It was a very therapeutic time for all. The children were entertained with games and activities and received children’s packs. Several gospel presentations were completed that will be followed up by local missionaries and native workers. It was a great day of sowing and watering.
The team was so blessed to be a part of giving hope to so many who are in need. We want to thank all of those who have supported this trip through prayer and finances. So many people were ministered to through your support. We are excited that your account in heaven has increased for Gods glory.
“Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.” - Philippians 4:17
Please continue to pray that the Lord will send laborers to partner with the pastors in this harvest field.
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Mustard Seed Canada - Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Seasons of Giving All Year Round: Mount Merapi Mission of Hope
December is known as the season for giving and we wanted to highlight some stories of how some Mustard Seed Canada workers have given during the past year. Our goal is to share with you stories about why we do what we do in Indonesia and the work we have been able to accomplish. We start off with the recent disaster at Mount Merapi. Above is a photo from this article in The Epoch Times. According to the article, villages near Mount Merapi were devastated after the Mount Merapi volcano erupted repeatedly beginning October 26, 2010. The article states "[i]n some places, no trace of life remains. Villages...have been completely wiped out in the disaster."
This began our Mission of Hope.
We will post some journal entries from the Mustard Seed Canada workers who raised funds to go to Mount Merapi to provide provisions, aid and most importantly, HOPE:
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“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38
God in his majesty, love, mercy and grace has a way of bringing His creation to a point of hopelessness and despair for His glory. In late October Mt. Merapi, in Central Java, erupted causing the people to flee their villages leaving everything behind. The Government stepped in to help by setting up refugee camps scattered throughout the province to provide shelter, food and water.
Five weeks later, the media is gone, many have returned to their villages, yet there are thousands still displaced and traumatized by the Mt. Merapi eruption. We were part of a team that took advantage of this fresh opportunity to serve and share truth with these precious people. Our goal was to provide counsel, entertainment, provisions and hope.
It was encouraging to watch the Body of Christ come together in unity using their individual gifts to make this possible. Team members began communicating with potential donors for financial support. Others went out shopping for supplies. Others organized the daily activities. Students sorted and packed all of the supplies. It was amazing! The Lord used our Team leader to keep everything moving smoothly.
Tuesday November 23rd at 10:00pm we were ready to head out. The Charis bus was loaded with team members and supplies as well as an additional van. The bulk of the supplies had to be carried on a large truck that led the way. Our bed that evening was a bus or van seat.
After sleeping on the bus through the night we arrived in Yogjarkarta bright and early. Breakfast was prepared and waiting for us by a local missionary. This host family made arrangements for our entire team to stay in their home. What a blessing!
Day 1 began with a team meeting where we were given the method we would be using to counsel and share the gospel with the people. We were instructed to work in pairs and were given 5 questions to ask the refuges:
- What happened?
- How did you feel then?
- How do you feel now?
- Can we pray with you?
- Can we share our story (testimony) with you?
Then we headed off to a large soccer stadium, housing about 9,000 refugees. At one time the number was at 36,000. The remaining families lived closest to the volcano and had lost everything. They may never go back to their villages. We were instructed to walk around and share with as many people as possible. We were accompanied by several native workers including a counselor. At one point, we shared with an older couple. The woman was unable to answer any questions because her eyes kept filling up with tears. All we could do was pray and cry with her. Another man shared his hopelessness which could be seen in his eyes. We were able to share about our hopelessness without Christ, even when we had plenty. The students shared games, songs, and activities which brought smiles to many children as well as adults. There was one person that professed Christ and many seeds were planted and watered that day.
Read more about Day 2 in our next post.
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