Miracles and Blessings

Today was a mixture of ministry and decompression. We went to the pastor’s conference to lend a last minute hand and to say our goodbyes to many that we had ministered with and to. Because of so many of you that had donated towards this trip, our team was able to give enough money to buy the rice for the entire week that fed the 1200+ pastors and conference staff! I presented this gift from Faith Christian School this morning and there was much rejoicing!
Our team is so full of God’s blessing that I have asked the students and adults to share some of their greatest memories of the trip so far. We head off in the morning to go on Safari and we are pumped!! We desperately need the time to process all that has happened in the past 12 days. I ask you to pray as I lead our team to take this experience and answer the “so what?” and “what now?” questions we all are asking. To say that I am proud of each and every team member seems so inadequate. We have experienced the supernatural together and are humbled that we got to be a part. Enjoy the quick peek from each team members perspective.
~Jon Brooks

One of my favorite memories from the trip was when I got to love on the kids from the village and orphanages. I love getting to share the love of Christ with kids, especially from Africa. The Lord really touched my heart toward those children. I wanted to take every one of them home with me.
~Lauren Shawver

While in Matuu, Grayson and I were sitting by the window in the church and our hair was being caressed by children while we listened to the sermon. I turned around and this little tike ling caught my eye right away. She leaned in and said “I’m ready to go with you now.” That definitely shows how much these kids hunger for the love only God can give. Being here and seeing the realness and simple faith the people put in Christ is amazingly refreshing. Also I got to snuggle up close and personal to a giraffe…. Lovely.
~Brittney

On Sunday, we went to three different churches, and the last church was in one of the smallest buildings that I have seen in my entire life. We had no idea how we were going to do the skit in such a small space, but we did it anyways. At the very end of the service, Mr. Brooks did an altar call, and about seven people accepted Christ into their hearts. One of those people was the pastor’s nephew whom they had been praying for fifteen years. The pastor got up and said that it was because of the skit that his nephew accepted Christ, and I just stood there thinking if we hadn’t done the skit then that man wouldn’t have become a Christian…WOW!
~Mackensie

God has had his hand all over this trip, and it has been evident every day. Today, for instance, several pastors from Congo approached Pastor Chola about needing money to travel back home. They spent everything they had to get to the conference and believed that God would provide. He told them that God would have to provide because they simply did not have it in the conference budget to help. Our team did not know the plight of the Congo pastors but had heard at the beginning of the week that some of the pastors would come and not have the money to return home. They were that desperate for training. Right before we left the conference for the last time, we decided that we would take a love offering to help any pastors that needed help to get home. We did not count the money or even think much about it. But the amount our team gave matched the amount needed, to the shilling, of the entire group of pastors from the Congo. TO THE SHILLING!! God is so cool in working out the details. Ah, it was exciting!!
~Sarah

This man named Fred came on our trip to Kitui. He owns an orphanage that he started when he was only 19. Some of us were instantly drawn to Fred because of his love for God that just pours out through his smile and actions. Saturday, we actually got to visit his orphanage, and it was the cleanest one I have seen while we’ve been here. All of the boys were respectful young gentlemen that were extremely eager to help. It was awesome to see how Fred’s love for God blessed 45 or so kids.
~Carla

I have enjoyed the relationships we have made on this trip. The people we’ve been with every day seem like family, and the people we’ve only spent a few hours with have found a special place in our hearts. They have all been so friendly and welcoming, they are people we will never forget. Also, it has been incredible to see immediate fruits of our labor. Never in my life have I seen anything like this. It is clear God wanted us here at this specific time. God is so faithful and so good. There are no words I can find to describe how amazing it is to see Him work in such a mighty way.
~ Kristen

If I tried to describe the experiences we’ve had over the past 11 days I would probably cry (we have all spontaneously burst into tears several times today saying goodbye to our new friends), so I’m going to tell you about what God has done in my life during this trip. There have been so many situations where He has been more faithful to us than we even thought possible. He continues to provide for us, and to use us as vessels to provide for others in miraculous ways. I have heard God more clearly these past two weeks than I have in my entire life. He has given me the purpose and direction that I have been asking for 2 years- but He did it in His time & in His own way- which is a million times better than any plan I could ever make for myself.
~ Grayson

The greatest thing that has impacted me on this trip was being on the worship team at the pastor’s conference. Singing on the worship team made me stretch beyond my comfort zone. I not only learned to worship with confidence (because I don’t like singing in front of people), but I finally truly grasped what “the heart of worship” was. It’s not just singing, it’s deeper than that; it’s letting your spirit worship the Lord for who He is and what He’s done. That type of worship transcends all language barriers. It’s a phenomenal experience to worship in a different language where, even though you don’t know the words, you know the message. I’ve learned the heart of worship.
~Jordan

I like the scenery! I also like people!
~Dexter

I really liked soaking up the culture by watching people in their day to day lives. When everyone is sleeping in the bus I look out the window. Ummm so….. ya.
~Ben Stricklin

Today was rough, to some extent, saying goodbye to family. I was blessed by the wife of one of the conference speakers when she spoke to me about our team. She said that in all the years that she and her husband have been coming to these conferences they have seen many groups come to help. She said that our kids impressed her more than any other group because of the sheer amount of hard work they put in, all that they had accomplished and their hearts for missions and service. It made me cry to hear that someone else was seeing what I already knew – we have a great group of world changers at Faith!
~Stephanie

How incredible this trip has turned out. A perfectly placed team put in three weeks of ministry inside of twelve days. They were well prepared, hard working, and without complaints. These students have done exceedingly well in harsh environments. It has been a pleasure to get to know one of the best student pastors around. Jon Brooks came to Africa to serve, not to be served. He used every possible moment to be a teachable moment for the students. He challenged them to read God’s word, exhorting them to receive a fresh word from God. He would check on their well being, encourage them to journal and even pushed when it was necessary. This has been an incredible trip. Faith has been greatly represented by these well-prepared young Christian leaders and lead by one of the best youth leaders that I’ve known.
~Dirk

This has been a life changing experience not only for the students, but as well for the adults. I have seen miracles, worship represented as I believe it will be in Heaven, students listening to the voice of God, and adults doing whatever necessary to help. One memory that stands out is of Mackensie and I sitting together on the front row of the high school service on Sunday. Jon asked us to bow our heads while he asked those to raise their hands if they wanted to be saved. He then challenged students who were serious about their decision to stand. Mackensie and I were holding hands and praying like crazy. As we prayed, we could hear the students standing one by crying behind us. It was so overwhelming all I could do was pray and cry. We also have many funny memories. I will never forget the reaction of the girls when they saw the first “long chase” that we would be using for 3 days. Of course, it is only funny now. Your prayers have empowered us in every situation. God is so amazing and I thank you guys for being our prayer warriors.
~Kathy