Category: 'Missions'
Our summer teams have returned but we actually have four trips scheduled for this Autumn. Our Costa Rica Women’s team is full for Sept. 25. We are also having our first ever trip to Macedonia on Sept. 20. In November we are going all the way to India for the very first time. Just three years ago, we made our first trip to Africa and now we are moving into Asia!
Our first trip to Bolivia on Sept. 4 is in need of more team members! This is a very unique trip that requires backpacking and camping high in the Andes. If you are an adult male with an adventurous spirit and in good physical shape, we could use you! We have never done a men only trip before but this is truly unique! The SIFAT organization has been working with the village of Quesimpuco, that is isolated by a rushing river. The only way the children of this village have of getting to their SIFAT sponsored school is to cross this river by gondola. This is very dangerous so our mission is to build a footbridge for the villagers to get across the river safely. Please join David Dollinger, leader, and two of our pastors on this one of a kind mission trip from September 4-13.
MBUMC has a long history of providing timely help when disaster strikes! Over a decade ago, south Georgia had a streak of tornados and floods. Mt. Bethel bused teams to Albany among other places, to clean debris and chainsaw fallen trees. Some of our members, including a Youth Team, went to the Florida panhandle after Ivan to help down there. Our members sent a truckload of gifts to Pennsacola the following Christmas.
We all remember the response to Katrina, sending truckloads of bottled water and other donations to Gulfport, MS and sending numerous teams, twice weekly for the first few months. We are still helping to rebuild on the Mississippi coast.
Our latest efforts are in flood ravaged Iowa. We donated 200 flood buckets that we have been storing and are now planning on collecting 400 more. You can help by writing a check for $50 or by shopping for the supplies yourself. Go to www.umcor.org to find the list or stop by the “bucket table” outside the Sanctuary or CAC on Sunday morning.
We have already sent Paul King to Iowa to “scout” for us and are sending our first team to Iowa on August 24 to 29. If you want to go, please pay $225 by August 3 so we can purchase the tickets. Contact the Mission Office at 678-560-7527 if you are interested in joining a team.
(written by Erica Rountree, about her experience on our recent mission trip to Costa Rica)
Today was our last work day at the Mount of Olives Church in Barrio Mexico. As we were planning our day last night, I will admit to a trace of skepticism. Our list of tasks included: Installing two more drop ceilings in the parsonage, painting the entire sanctuary of the church, presiding over up to 130 kids at VBS and hosting a Fiesta slash American style cookout for the entire neighborhood. With no gas grill. OK, lets be honest here…I was pretty sure there was no way it was all going to happen. But it did! And Im not even all that tired. Pure adrenaline, peeps. I recommend it.
The neighborhood fiesta was awesome. It was only mentioned yesterday and today at VBS, and once on the VBS invitations we handed out at the school every afternoon…but we had about 250 people come through the church tonight! An amazing number that I think Pastor was very happy with…the majority was most likely made up of unchurched people from the surrounding area. Hopefully they got a taste of the joy and exuberance for the Lord that lives at the Mount of Olives church, and they will want to come again to get sommadat!
The children have really warmed up to us over the past four days, and tonight they were flat out adorable, showering us with kisses and hugs and holding our hands. As a mama dearly missing her own kids right now, it couldnt have been more wonderful for me to hold these children and shower them with compliments and love. Pastors wife made four huge, beautiful iced cakes for the party (in her tiny kitchen with two stoves and zero countertops…Im going to post some pictures of it when I get back…you cannot believe how cramped and pieced together this thing is, but the food that emerged from there daily was far superior to any restaurant food Ive eaten this week…and weve had some great meals!). When the cakes came in, the whole crowd applauded and the kids faces literally lit up! Pastor had the team come up on stage and thanked us for our work, showed the crowd the cross we and the children made for the church and then he announced una sopreza…or a surprise! And at that moment, through the church doors walked a complete Mariachi band! The crowd went wild, to borrow a phrase, and the band sang and played for us…it was unbelievable. Afterward, all the kids started asking us to sign bits of paper or paper plates or even their shirts and arms. All of a sudden, we were feeling like rock stars for God!
As the party began to break up, everyone came over to us to say Adios, Mucho Gusto, Gracias and I Love You. The church ladies, which is what I called them in my mind all week, hugged our necks tightly and wished us blessings and safe travels. My special friend tonight, 5 year old Paola, came over to hug me and kiss my cheek and put a piece of her own candy in my hand. I showed her very pregnant mama (she is due in one week, and was at bible school with her two kids every day!) a picture of my two girls and a few minutes later Paola brought me a picture of herself with her cousins and aunt. In the picture, she is holding a baby doll and laughing. I looked at it and handed it back to her, but her mama said something like… Paola dice para usted, which means Paola wants you to have it. I choked back my tears and leaned down to tell her…Tu familia es muy linde…I hope she understood my broken Spanish.
As we drove away from the church for the last time, with the neighbors waving and following the bus down the street, the feelings were naturally mixed. A contented happiness that we were able to accomplish many things for them, mixed with a heavy sadness that we would not be seeing their beautiful faces again. At least for a while…
Thanks for your prayers while the Kenya Mission Team was away. The trip could not have gone any better and the people of Kwambekenya send their prayers to you. The building foundation of the medical center is well under way and we were able to also spend a good deal of time at the school with the children and in homes in the community. What a blessing! Thanks again so much for your prayers and support.
For His Glory,
Carey
On June 16th, over 40 women and children from the Abundant Life Circle, the Wings Circle, and other church and community volunteers met for 2-1/2 hours to produce 1200 sandwiches and lunch bags for the MUST Summer Lunch Program – what a great operation! That’s A LOT of lunches, folks! We pre-packed 1200 lunch bags (many were decorated) with a juice box, banana and pretzels. And we made 1200 ham and cheese sandwiches! All of these were delivered to a MUST staging center for disbursement. These lunches are then distributed to children who usually participate in the lunch program at their school during the school year.
Thank you to each of the women who took time out of their schedules to participate in this mission project!
Mary Allphin, thank you so much for keeping the ball rolling to the right people and for passing along this wonderful mission opportunity!
Cindy Stafford, thank you for getting the nursery help organized!
Cathy Fletcher, thank you for organizing this event on behalf of the Abundant Life Circle. It was such a great opportunity to work beside women in the Wings Circle and others that just wanted to help. We had at least 3 “neighbors” of church members who wanted to come help and also brought their children!
The Children were an amazing help and scurried around the entire time loading the lunch bags, decorating bags, or making sandwiches! Thanks to the Moms who provided this opportunity for their children!
Finally, thank you to Jan Miller and the kitchen staff for getting us perfectly stocked for this event!
There likely are other roles and people involved that we have failed to thank. Please pass along our gratitude to them! How touching and inspiring to experience the outpouring of our church community and beyond, and to be a part of the nourishment we have been able to provide to so many children!
Kelley Costantino and Allison Redhead
Incoming Abundant Life Circle Co-Chairs
With the Kenya mission team leaving today, we thought it would be a fun time to show you another way to see all of the places that Mt. Bethel is going this year.
You can already view all of our off-campus events in a Google Map, and you can even download a file to view them in Google Earth. Now you can view them using the brand-new Google Earth plugin.
This plugin allows you to view Google Earth content right in your browser, including 3D terrain, buildings, and fun stuff like that. We’ve added the rest of our 2008 mission trips into a collection, which you can browse below.
You’ll need to install the plugin before they will show up, and the plugin currently only runs in Windows (sorry about that — Mac/Linux support is due in August). Check it out!
Powered by EarthSwoop | More info about this collection
I have one of the greatest jobs in the world! Every week I get to see God transforming lives and making a difference for His kingdom. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of challenges, and I mean lots, but the blessings and the stories of what God is doing through missions make all the challenges fade out of sight.
I started out my week with hearing good news about the wonderful work our mission team did in Pass Christian, Mississippi, as they continued the effort to rebuild homes on the Gulf Coast. Long after Katrina, many people have moved on to other concerns, but a number of our Mt. Bethel members are revitalizing the commitment to help those who are still in need.
Two Sundays ago, we commissioned a mission team to Costa Rica and Romania (Deborah House), which will be doing work projects to help these ministries as well as Vacation Bible School for the children. I will have the joy of sending off both teams with communion and prayer on Friday and Saturday.
A few nights ago, we had the mission committee meeting where we heard about the ongoing work of Breakthrough House, which we support with help from our members both physically and financial. Breakthrough House is helping women who have had a life of substance, physical, or emotional abuse put there lives back together and have a new life in Christ.
At Infusion (a summer youth retreat) that took place last week, our middle high school students did craft projects to give to children of the community we sponsor in Kenya. The crafts tell of how God loves them and protects them.
This past Sunday, we commissioned the Austria mission team, which will work at a Christian sports camp, and the Kenya Mission Team, which will work on the medical center in Kwambekenya.
And if all the praying over and sending out and sharing with others isn’t enough for the week, a group of our women made 1200 sandwiches to send to MUST ministries, a ministry that helps the needy and homeless. Wow!
That is just a taste of the missions ministries I saw going on this week at Mt. Bethel. In just this one week, I have been blessed to see so many mission ministries that are making a difference at Mt. Bethel, and the best part is yet to come - all those teams that are going out, will come back with testimonies of what God has done through them and in them!
Can you see why I say I have one of the greatest jobs world!
I can’t wait for next week!!!
In August I have an opportunity to spend the night at MUST ministries and feed the homeless and help out around the facility. We are in need of some other folks to come along side me and others and give a night to help the least of these.
If you are interested in helping with MUST or hearing of other mission opportunities, give me a call.
Be Blessed,
Carey Akin
The Mt. Bethel Foster Care Ministry and Cornerstone Family Services celebrated one year of service on June 8. Thanks to the support and encouragement of the Mt Bethel Missions Committee, Administrative Board, and many friends, the Foster Care Ministry has made a profound difference in the lives of thirty five Cobb County foster children. Also during this year, four additional churches in the area have begun Foster Care Ministries modeled after the Mt Bethel ministry.
Through the compassionate response of almost twenty families who have hosted children in their homes, these thirty five children have experienced living in a loving, compassionate, nurturing family environment. They have experienced Mt Bethel Sunday School lessons and nursery; Mt Bethel athletics and music programs; Mt Bethel generosity and support; and most importantly they have experienced the grace of God through Mt Bethel families.
Even though these children have experienced the compassion of Mt Bethel members, over 250 additional children needed foster homes during this same time…..and we had no homes to accommodate them. As members of Mt Bethel, you have the ability and opportunity to help solve a very serious problem with the foster care system in Georgia….not enough foster homes. In Cobb County alone, there are over 500 foster children and only 100 foster homes. Your home and family could be one of those loving, nurturing and compassionate homes that make a profound difference in the lives and destinies of these children in need.
Through a partnership with Cornerstone Family Services, the Foster Care Ministry recruits and trains foster parents, places foster children in foster homes, and supports foster families in their mission endeavor. The rewards for fostering are enormous and lasting, for both the foster child and the family. You too could make a profound difference in the lives and destinies of Cobb County children.
Call Wayne Stolz at 770-565-7521, or send a note to westolz@bellsouth.net for more information about becoming a foster parent.
The Mt. Bethel Youth and College Department are joining with St. Philip this summer on Tuesdays for a program called M25. Our first M25 was this week. Fifteen excited students came to St. Philip with footballs, soccer balls, and hula hoops. Most of St. Philip’s children come from an apartment complex that is behind the church, so we headed that direction in search of kids to play with. Before long, we found a good field to play in, and kids started to come out to play. There were a few kids who already attend St. Philip, but most were kids we had never met. It was such a blessing to look across the big field to see everyone playing and smiling despite the heat! At the end, I had the chance to tell the kids about Sunday School and Church at St. Philip and that we will be coming back all summer! The new soccer field at St. Philip can’t come soon enough!
As if the day hadn’t already been wonderful, another huge blessing came. One woman who had been very active at St. Philip had recently stopped coming. I had been told that she had hard feelings toward some people in the church, but we had not been able to contact her to talk with her. I had been praying about a way to get to talk to her, and the opportunity presented itself. Her son came out to play with us, and I sent him home with a note telling his mom that we missed her and to let us know how she is doing. We headed back to St. Philip to get some water and cool down before the Mt. Bethel group got back on the bus. We had a time of prayer, and one of the prayers was for relationships in the church that are strained to be healed. About 5 minutes after the prayer was over, I was in the office alone and heard a knock on the door. The woman I had sent the note to had come to visit. We had a great time talking, and she said she will be back this Sunday. Praise the Lord! God is already answering prayers through M25, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the summer!
Kelly Gutting, SPUMC Program Director
We have a great group of Short Term Mission Trips going in 2008!
- The Romania/Deborah/House team is completed, ticketed and ready to roll. They leave June 21, the same day as our Costa Rica team who are also ticketed and heading for VBS and construction in the Barrio Mexico region of San Jose.
- Carey Akin is helping to lead another group to Kwambekenya, Kenya, our partner village where Randy worked in April. We hope they can be working on the Medical Center sponsored by MBUMC. He can add someone to the team if you are ready to go!
- You will have to wait until next year if you wanted to go to the camp in Austria; that team filled very quickly and they leave July 2.
- Contact Becca Hood if you would like to go to Ecuador on July 26 to Aug.3. There are some spots open for adults of all ages! Ask anyone who has been there with SIFAT-it is a wonderful trip-not too far away or too long away!
- Two trips coming up in September have a few spaces. Men only are invited to go on a rugged treck to the Bolivian Andes on September 4, also a SIFAT trip. The Boyces are leading a team to Macedonia September 19 to work with the Methodist Church there.
- One brand new trip is planned; Gaylyn Kelly is leading a trip to Kenya for college students only on December 26-January 4, 2009!
- In November, we are going to India for the first time to work with widows and children with the Hope For Today ministry, spawned by ILI.
- One of our most popular trips is to work with the Life Academy kids in Timisoara, Romania and we go again on July 12.
- Our Costa Rica Women’s trip is so popular that it is filled up and we are not going until September!
- We are sorry to say, we had to postpone our Estonia trip until next year as we did not have enough people going at this time.
- Looking ahead: the Honduras trip will be in July in 2009 instead of in the spring!
Sherry Reed
