PRAISE REPORT!

GOD IS SO GOOD and He never fails!

Even if I wanted to question God's call on our life, it would be no use. He has certainly made himself clear and brings new understanding to us daily. There are so many sayings "Those who God calls he also equips" or " God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called' and many more... and while they may seem cliche, there is certain truth to these statements. God has placed a call on many of us. When you follow God in obedience to those calls, placing your trust in Him, and knowing that you can't do anything apart from His goodness, HE makes a way. He is THE way after all!

We have been blown away in the last few weeks with so many of you, allowing God to speak through you and provide through you for the mission he has given to us. Kindness and selflessness like this can only come from One Spirit. We are blessed to be in the path of the Most High and His purpose and plan for each of us to meet each other, love each other and have an intertwined relationship of obedience and trust in our Heavenly Father. You are solidifying the call of God and we pray that your blessings are returned 100 fold!

We want you to be encouraged at just how amazing God is and how he is working in this time of preparation. See what a blessing it is to trust in God and to obey in faith when he gives us opportunities of growth and surrender! 

A VEHICLE AND A LEGACY

You can tell a lot about the life of a person by their children and the legacy they leave behind, but what is even more telling, is how a person spends the last few months of their life in the face of pain, sickness, and death. I'll never forget reading the caring bridge update on Ms. Gwen, hearing Candace tell how her mother was sharing Christ with everyone who came to tell her goodbye. As her battle with cancer was coming to an end, not a moment was being wasted. She worshiped, she loved her family, and she was unashamed of the Gospel until the day she met her Lord face to face. 

We have been incredibly blessed in having a relationship with the Fry family. (Remember this post?) Camille and John Thomas are our tiny friends who are at times smarter, and more spiritually aware than we could hope to be and are a complete joy in our lives. We began babysitting them a couple days a week after school so Candace could spend time with her mom. God was creating a beautiful web of love and friendship during this time and through it all, we came to know Ms. Gwen for the beautiful spirit God had created her to be. 

Ms. Gwen and Mr. Rodger encouraged us and helped us in our fundraising efforts for AMT in Zambia earlier this summer. In the midst of the battle, she was still focused on the Kingdom of God and wanted to be a part God was doing in us.  Full of gratitude, we went and continued to pray for the Phelps and the Frys. A few weeks into our training, we learned that Ms. Gwen had been called home to be with Jesus. 

When we returned back to the states we shared our story and our next step with our church.  Our Sunday school class asked what we would be needing to get back to Africa and among the things we needed was a 4x4 vehicle. After hugging Candace's neck, she mentioned that her Dad had a jeep that she thought he was thinking of selling and she would check it out for us. 

Not 2 weeks later, we heard from Mr. Rodger, ready and willing to DONATE this beautiful vehicle to us. It is a 1989 Jeep Wrangler with a brand new engine and all kinds of bells and whistles the 4x4 driver needs! And because it's a 1989 the import tax will be so much less than we were anticipating! Even as I type this I am without words to describe how incredibly thankful we are, how incredibly wonderful our God is, and how beautiful the tapestry of the Body of Christ.

So, Ms. Gwen's legacy lives on. Not only through her husband, who carries the same generous and Christlike spirit; or her daughter Candace, who lives her life as a reflection of who her mother was; or through her grandchildren, who talked about her all the time; but also through the gospel. Ms. Gwen's life was modeled after her Savior, and this is the piece of her legacy that each of us can carry on; Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, and the Peace, Joy and Love of our God to those who haven't heard.

Remembering her and our loved ones who are cheering us on from the clouds (Heb. 12:1-3), we promise to live our lives worthy of His love and sacrifice, and of your love and support. This vehicle will help us reach the unreached in the remote areas of the Zambian Bush and wherever else God may lead us.

Thank you Mr. Rodger and the entire Phelps and Fry clan for loving God and allowing Him to bless us and our ministry through you! We cannot express our gratitude, so allow us to quote Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians. He speaks of how God sees hearts like yours, and what it means to Him and his kingdom when the church gives:

2 Corinthians 10-15

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

To all of our family, friends and special support family:

We love you, appreciate you, and thank you for joining us in a journey of obedience, trust, and glorious blessings from our Father!

Do you feel God may be asking you to be obedient in some way?

There are many ways that you can be a part of what God is doing throughout the world.  It may be as simple as a hug or a prayer. Maybe he's asking you to commit to a monthly donation to support missionaries across the globe (I know a couple ;) ). Sometimes it might sound like something crazy, but obedience to the Spirit can bless people in the most unconventional ways! God knows what we need, and He speaks to you just as clearly as He speaks to us! Contact us to find out more of how you can join our support family! Email us at brandonandsallymissions@gmail.com or give us a call anytime at 912-536-4591.

*Stay tuned for another incredible story of how God works in the little things to make a big difference, and how He shows us that in the Body of Christ, there are no 'strangers' - only children of God, obediently working together to fulfill HIS purpose!

Love y'all!

Brandon and Sally 

Be Not Afriad

We sang a beautiful song in choir tonight by Craig Courtney titled, Be Not Afraid. 

As soon as I read the text I thought of a person I grew up with that just found out their mother has stage 3 cancer, another friend who recently lost her mother to cancer, so many of my friends who are struggling to have children... and my mind wandered on... There are so many people going through so much right now. Not just people here, or where you are, but people everywhere.

Christmas can be a wonderful season, but it doesn't negate what is going on in your life, and the holiday itself can't take any of the burden off of you...but the One for whom it is named can.

Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, is highly celebrated not just because his birth was prophesied of, or because he was born of a virgin, or because he was a King of Heaven coming to earth, but because of what He came to do and why. We celebrate the birth of Jesus because it means God is here with us, God that created the universe loves us, and promises us that he will never leave us or forsake us. That we are worth saving, so much so that he sent part of himself to die for us, so that we may have life and have it abundantly...and when this temporary life is over and our time on earth is finished, that we have hope restored in Heaven through the gift of salvation and redemption that came through Christ Jesus. 

God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to be our savior and redeemer, then we should fear nothing that stands in our paths. He is with us, and walks us through the storms of this life until we can be with him in peace forever.

Be not afraid, but be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, for the lord your God is on your side.  The fighting is done, the battle has already been won. Victory is free to all who but call on the name of Jesus.  The beauty of Christmas is CHRIST. Not only his birth, not only his life, or his death, but in the purpose of his coming. YOU. me... for us all.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
                        -Isaiah 43:1-3

I am loving each and every one of you tonight, sharing in your heartache and your pain. Remember, God is listening to you, loving you, and holding you through these times. Trust in His goodness, in His faithfulness, and you will walk on top of these stormy seas with Jesus at your side. 

-Sally

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Faith Trees and Mustard Seeds

I had to share something short and sweet with you, hopefully this little bit of encouragement can speak to you in some way. 

So...There are some amazing trees here in Africa. Right now, most of them are dead and leafless, but randomly there are some beautiful, lush, green trees. I asked our director what kind of tree it was and he told me it was a Faith Tree. He described how all the other trees wait until the rains come before they begin to blossom and bud, but the Faith trees take a chance and bud early, in anticipation of the rain.

What a great example of our lives as Christians. In His word, God tells us to have Faith, to trust His promises, and to GO. So many times we wait until the blessings come, or we wait until we are 100% positive that everything will be taken care of and we have a definite plan before we want to trust God and follow His commands. What a waste... we are called to be people of Faith, to follow without asking questions, to trust without needing proof, and to step out in obedience- show our leaves to the world and GO. 

Faith trees... what a beautiful concept. 

Blossom and bloom. Show your faith without hesitation. Trust in your Heavenly Father and believe that when he says he has plans to prosper and not to harm you He means it. But also remember that He means it when He tells us to obey and to share the Gospel with all who will hear. 

Have Faith in God, He's on His throne. Have faith in God He watches o'er His own. He cannot Fail, He must prevail. Have Faith in God- Have Faith in God. 

Our classes are getting tough, but we are doing our best and working hard. We are officially Wilderness First Responders and know how to weld and cut metal. Our leadership and Culture classes start next week and we've already been given homework assignments. 

We are steadily losing the cool nights, so please pray for us as we will be roasting here pretty soon :) 

We love you all and hope everything is well! 

It hasn't even been 2 weeks???

I can't believe we haven't even been here for 2 weeks! The old saying 'time flies when you're having fun' certainly is not the case here in Zambia. We are having a blast and are so thankful that God is stretching out the days so we can experience him in fullness! The worst thing in the world would be to get to the end of these three months and say 'where did the time go?'.

God has been doing amazing things in us and through us this last week and a half. Our new AMT family is wonderful. After sharing our testimonies this week around the campfire, it was unreal to see how intertwined our pasts are and how perfectly God put this team together. We are blessed with beautiful, kind and sweet friends to spend this time with!

Our tent, that seemed small and hot when we first got here seems like a haven after sleeping in a smaller tent in the bush for a week! We are so grateful for the mattress and enough space to be able to stand up in the mornings! And after squatting over a 'long drop' all week... a toilet is the most luxurious item you could imagine! (Especially after my last night in the bush - I threw up all night and my back, knees, and hips were killing me from being on the ground in the cold night!) We were all waiting in line for showers after we returned on Friday. Bush baths just don't quite cut it :) (bathing with 1 liter of water with a bucket and a cup... it's that or baby wipes!) It is truly inspiring how much God can change you and equip you in just 1 week.

Today has been a beautifully restful day. Brandon hiked down to the Gorge again and I've done some laundry and caught up my journal. I also cut his hair this morning because he was getting too hot with the cute little beiber haircut :) We visited the Martin's house this morning and borrowed their clippers and gave him a little faux hawk! Their home is stunning... she is a master crafter and has glass and tile mosaic all over their 2 story african home! It looks like a Caribbean resort! The colorful windows and floors are a drastic change from the brown dirt that surrounds the home. What beautiful and encouraging artistry, and wonderfully encouraging people.

 The breeze coming off the gorge almost cools you down if you're sitting in the shade and the view up here is awe-inspiring. I'm sitting in the 2nd floor living room area of the Main Building on base. I'm procrastinating writing my 1 page testimony of our expedition (haha...some things never change!) but do need to get started on it fairly soon!

The expedition was incredible. God showed himself in so many ways, and I learned even more how to rely on him. I am no preacher, and no evangelist. But when you realize that NO one is fully equipped with out the holy spirit, your prospective changes. When you hear a woman tell you that she has never seen a bible and doesn't know who Jesus is, your prospective changes. When you hear her say through tears, 'but I don't think even a God that big can forgive me for everything I've done', your heart breaks and for the first time you understand why sharing the Gospel is so important. People are dying every day without hope. A hope I have been blessed with from DAY 1 because of my family and circumstance, and a hope that most people around the world would never even dream existed. God gave me a love in that moment and my heart poured out for this woman and the others there in a way I never imagined. He spoke through me for an hour and a half and gave me answers to all of their questions. You can tell the difference between someone repeating the sinners prayer and turning back to their life, and when someone's heart is truly touched by God. That difference makes ALL the difference. Evangelism without love and true compassion for the lost is a waste. Every second of every day we should be broken hearted for those who don't know Jesus. We should live in a constant state of love and compassion so that others might know Him through us. I have honestly never experienced brokenhearted compassion like I did on Wednesday morning in that village hut. From creation to redemption God shared his love story through me and reached into their despairing souls and pulled them from the darkness. It was an experience I will never forget. I walked away from their village 100% confident that they were filled with God's Holy Spirit and that even if they didn't have a bible or a church nearby, that God would make himself known to them and that those people would spur a change in their village and beyond. What an amazing opportunity.

God's timing is always right. I had no clue that Shannon would ask me to preach, and I hadn't prepared anything to share. But God doesn't let us get in the way. We are a vessel for His message, and when we trust in Him, He pulls out everything from within us - things we didn't even know were there. NEVER be discouraged to share your faith. I hid my light under a 'bushel' until now, and I pray that by this experience I never hide it again. When you understand the depths of darkness - you see how imperative the light truly is.

So much... and in less than 2 weeks! We have another restful Sabbath day tomorrow and then Monday morning starts our Wilderness First Responder course.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We think about you often but God isn't letting us be homesick! We love you all so much and hope that we can share often what God is doing in and through us, but with so much going on, I feel we will only be scratching the surface! We pray for your health and safety as you pray for us. We love you!

Sally and Brandon

Click here to see Some photos from the expedition this past week

T Minus 4 hours and counting!

SO... we are counting down and having mini panic attacks ( half excitement and half nervousness and half plane ride ) ever half hour or so. I can't believe the day is finally here! We've been talking in the future tense so much with this trip that it is almost surreal to be thinking in the present tense!

We've had a few hiccups with our flight checkin and luggage payment (we love small banks... sometimes...) but we know that God will work everything out and it will be fine once we get to the airport.

We are so thankful for all of the prayers, support, encouragement, and gifts over the last 6 months. It has been a wild spiritual ride and it's only going to get better! We love you all so much and hope that we will be able to keep in touch with you during the trip. But if not, we will make sure to write everything down so we can tell you a million stories when we get back! Keep praying for safety, discernment, health, revelation, limited spider sightings, good attitudes and better food.

Here are some of the images we are looking forward to seeing when we get to Zambia! Just to give you an idea of our accommodations!

an arial view of the Rapid 14 base we will be living on. It is on the edge of the gorge of the Zambezi river

This should be what our safari tents look like from the outside, they have a roof over the top of the tent

This is the restroom/shower building

This is the view from the 2nd floor of the main building

one of the restrooms

view from the 2nd floor of the main building to the first floor

this is one of our classrooms, overlooking the gorge and the river

the view of the river from the classroom

There are many things we are nervous about, but thinking of all the wonderful things we will learn and experience, including the views and landscapes we will see, and of course how incredible our God is makes the fears and worries fade.

We love you!!!

Sally and Brandon

busy love and the countdown

We have been SO blessed to be very busy with some very special things and very special people over the last few weeks! It is so neat to be able to invest in the lives of our brothers and sisters with the extra time God gave us to prepare between Haiti and Africa.

We have been babysitting and spending lots of time with the kids and youth at church as well as taking time to get to know more of the adults in our Sunday School department. It has meant so much to be able to get to know so many of you on a more personal level! We know you will be thinking of us and praying for us while we're gone, and that truly gives us great encouragement and peace!

Here are some of the cuties we have been spending our time with over the last few weeks:


























































And this morning we got to spend some great time with the WMU Adults on Mission Team, so now
the upper age range is represented, AWESOME! Such an outpouring of support and love, and we
enjoyed answering all their questions and receiving lots of hugs and prayers. So thankful for the opportunity and we can't wait to follow up with them after our training!

We love you all so much, will remember you in our prayers, and will miss your smiling faces while we're in Africa!







We are also SO thankful to our wonderful friends for pulling through at the last minute for us. Our babies (4 legged furry kind) will be well taken care of while we're gone! Sean and Lane McCulley are SAINTS... along with Adam and Eva Matthews and Mary Catherine and Michael O'neal, and many other wonderfully sweet offers. You will never know how much this means to us! from the bottom of our hearts, and Kit and Daisy's too... THANK YOU!!!!







SOOO----

The countdown begins! 2 weeks from YESTERDAY we will be flying out! Our plane leaves on Monday night, August 27th at 9pm! We will fly directly to London where we will sit for about 9 hours and proceed on a 14 hour flight to Johannasburg, South Africa, and then 2 more hours to Livingstone, Zambia. WHEW!

We are so fortunate to have met a WONDERFUL couple who will be going with us to AMT (Advanced Missions Training), Nate and Bethany Lusk! We have been skypeing and facebooking and they have just been a huge emotional and practical help to us! They will actually drive down on Saturday before we leave and stay with us at my parents house in Snellville! It will be great getting to finally meet them in person! We are all excited to go to Mount Zion for our last Sunday in the states, and are so grateful to all of you who have been praying for us and supporting us so far. It will be a blessing to see you the day before we take off!

Nate and Bethany Lusk

We have been gathering all of our items and actually started packing last night. I think we're gonna make it! :) I've been dreading putting all my clothes in one place, because I just KNEW that I was going to have this MASSIVE stack and Brandon would look at me like... yeah right... but I did good! I'm taking some extra stuff, but it's definitely reasonable! We may be able to make it with 3 bags instead of 4, which will be great on the wallet, and our backs! It all depends on the weight, so we'll see! We made a trip to Sam's Club and Walmart today for all our toiletry/food items... I can't call them the 'small things' anymore because most of them are in either big bottles or large quantities! Time to start packing again tonight and then Thursday we're off to spend a few days with Aunt Hiddie! (So glad we will get to spend time with her before we leave!)


Again, thank you all for praying us through this journey! We are SO excited to start our training... along with some nervous excitement for things and people we will encounter...but for the most part overwhelmingly blessed to be able to follow God into the world and tell all those who will hear about His love and His Son. That's what it's all about!

Love you all, we will keep you posted as time draws nearer!

Sally

Heal the wound but leave the scar

It's been an emotional but wonderful last couple of days for me. A random girl's day with my mom and by childhood and longtime best buddy turned out to be a wake up call from the holy spirit.

I know who I am, I know who I've been, and I know I'm ever changing and trying to line my life up with the woman God wants me to be. But it's easy to forget how wretched I was. It's easy to forget how much grace has been gifted to me. It's so easy to forget because I am surrounded by people that love me, and that appreciate me, and that tell me how wonderful I am, which is great! But at the same time, if I lose sight of who I was without Christ, and forget that who I am and who you see me as is not me at all- but Christ himself - then what have I learned from it all?

I believe God allows us to go through things and to do things for a reason, and it became exceedingly clear to me after a wonderful talk with my mom and a few verses she shared with me.

2 Corinthians 12:6-10
"Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassing great revelations. Therefore in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

God is sovereign over every aspect of my life. While he did not cause me to do the horrible things I've done, it is for his Glory that He chooses to forgive me for those things, and in such mercy and grace, His power is revealed. I have been forgiven, so I do not carry the guilt, or the pain, or the shame of any of my sins. But if I forget those things, what have I learned? Not only do I forget who I am when I'm acting out the selfish desires of 'my life', but I also forget who He is and the magnitude of what he's done for me.

I have allowed myself to sweep my past mistakes under the rug, and honestly, I haven't done it purposefully or in any way to 'hide' what I've done. But like I said, it's so easy to forget when you're loving and enjoying the life God has given you, that the cost and the path to this happiness gets lost. There is a beautiful song by Point of Grace called "heal the wound but leave the scar". The lyrics have new meaning for me know, because every time I've sung this song I honestly think of other people - which is strange - but for a singer who tries to fill each song with purpose and meaning, it's what I do sometimes to be sure the song has emotion and the message is portrayed. This is probably because I have always thought that my testimony of salvation wasn't 'interesting' enough. That I could bring more emotion to the song when I take the amazing testimony of my mom and think of how much God brought her through and how many people she has been able to touch and council simply because of the 'thorns' God has placed in her life! And how beautifully and majestically God is Glorified when she shares her testimony to people who only see her gifts, her talents and her beautiful family - that God has redeemed her from so much, and that no one is perfect, save Christ.

I haven't allowed myself to have a beautiful testimony, because it has been easier to just accept the forgiveness and forget about the purpose of the thorns and scars. It was easier to put on the missions application and to tell our pastor that, "Well, I've always known Jesus, but haven't always followed Him, but now I'm back on track." But that isn't what my past was intended for. That wasn't the purpose of God allowing me to fall into temptation and wallow in a selfish, pleasure-seeking world for so many years. That wasn't why he has changed my heart and allowed me to experience the amazing feeling of forgiveness, freedom from the bondage of guilt and shame, of unconditional love and restoration - only to keep my mouth shut!

So many of you have seen me or have known me at my worst. You have heard me say things or seen me do things that make it impossible to understand why I am who I am today - or maybe you think I'm being fake. But on the other hand, so many of you have never seen me at my worst, and have only seen my best. You may think I've always been 'good' and never made mistakes, that I've never felt worthless and disgusting, that I've never sold my body to sin, that I've never hated myself and been too ashamed to even look in the mirror; that I've never struggled with temptation, that my family is perfect and untouched from sorrow, that I've never had doubts, or wondered if I was even worth saving - if I could ever be useful to a God I had ignored, slandered, betrayed, made a mockery of, completely abandoned...

But I have. You may or may not see me either of these ways. But if you do, know this. I am NOT perfect. I am NOT faking. I have NOT ever been 'good'. I have NOT forgotten that I may have gossiped about you, that I may have ignored you or hurt your feelings, that you have seen me drunk, that I was a 'tease' and 'boy crazy', that I used to cuss like a sailor while going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. I have NOT forgotten who I was, and who I still am without Christ in my life. But I have been forgiven for those things. I have been freed from the guilt and shame when I look backward, which has allowed me to love and to serve and to live in a way that I can move forward without chains to weigh me down.  I still don't know all the answers, I still mess up, but God has changed my heart. I don't want to just 'Go through the motions', and I don't want to forget where God pulled me from - because if I do, than he is so much less glorified through my life, and the last 25 years have all been for naught.

I am free. I am loved. I am forgiven, but these thorns are here on purpose - to remind me of who I am when I take the reigns from Jesus and how much I need him to lead me. To show you how MUCH God can forgive you and how BEAUTIFUL he can make your heart if you allow him to. How incredible it feels to look at a horrendous act of sin and not feel one ounce of shame because that is NOT who I am anymore. That no matter what you've done and who you've been - God can restore you and you will be useful (trust me.. if he can use me, he can definitely use you!). Your life and your past cannot go wasted, either forgotten by forgiveness or tormented by guilt and shame, because if you stay in either of those places, you do not allow God to change you OR the people around you.

My testimony has a lot of embarrassing parts, and I will have to get used to saying them out loud. But I won't have to think about anyone else when I sing this incredible song. Because my life is beautiful, and it's only because of Christ. And when I show you how weak I am - I pray that you will see how strong our God truly is.

I love you all - and if I have ever wronged you or mislead you by my broken witness, shortcomings and failures, please forgive me. I am a work in progress, continually learning and being molded by our creator. Remember, it isn't what we do or don't do that saves us --- It is only Jesus.

"heal the wound" written and originally recorded by Point of Grace, recorded and sung live on this recording by Sally Lewis.

What Amazing Grace

I wanted to thank you all for the outpouring of love for our family over the last week. It has ministered to my Uncle, Aunt and cousins more than you could know. I can't imagine how difficult it is to lose a child under any circumstance.

Tommy Painted this a few years ago with his paint, his hands and a stick. He was a man of many talents!

Tommy was very special. If you were at the service last night, you couldn't have left without knowing just how special he was. I kicked myself and wish that I hadn't been so absent and far away the past 8 years- as I missed great opportunities to know him more. He was plagued and tormented by much, but as his parents said, he never blamed anyone but himself. He never complained and he always tried to make sure he wasn't causing anyone else pain by his actions- and it hurt him worst when he knew he had. He loved unconditionally and without judgement. He was incredibly smart and always well intentioned. But sometimes life holds on to you. Sometimes there are things that seem almost inescapable. The enemy rules these things purposefully, and uses them to keep us from living the life we are capable of in Christ.

But Tommy never stopped searching. He never stopped wanting to be better. And that is how I know that God had not abandoned this beautiful young man. For we do not love on our own account. We do not pursue goodness on our own. It is the call of God that compells us to search for righteousness. Pastor Randy spoke of countless times, good and bad, he had encountered Tommy at his church. To my great joy I learned of 2 mission trips he took to Louisianna after the hurricane. Randy said that Tommy poured his love and charisma on the people they were helping, and that it was a rare gift. But there were times when Randy had to be stern with Tommy, even asking him to leave the church if he was not 'well'. But Tommy, over the next few years, would come back and ask - "Can I be here?" and he would talk, and hug, and come back the next time he was free.

We do not search for God, for goodness, without the knowledge of Grace. I prayed that in all his searching, Tommy found Jesus. While speaking with Randy later, he was convinced at one point during Tommy's visits to Grace fellowship church that Tommy had sincerely made a decision to walk with Jesus. 2 weeks before the accident Randy had seen Tommy again, and noticed how well he looked, how healthy and that he noticed something he hadn't seen before. A light.

Early on Tuesday July 3rd, at the age of 21, Tommy and his friend were hit from behind in their car, run off the road, and hit trees. The car burst into flames and the 2 were killed instantly. Tommy had been through so much in his short life. While there were ups, there had been so many downs. My uncle, while he spoke at the service, was thankful that Tommy was taken at the height of an UP. That Tommy had been well, he had reconciled relationships with his siblings, and was not tormented by so many of the demons he had been fighting for so long.


I learned so much after hearing of Tommy's death. But mostly, I remebered Jesus' words in Luke 14:7 "In the same way, there will be more rejoiceing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
and Pauls words in Romans 5:18-21
"Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of teh one man the many will be made righteous. The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin icreased, Grace increased all the more. so grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."


I will remember, forever, that Grace is a gift. And there is NO limit to God's Grace, forgiveness, mercy or love. That as the sheep of the Shepherd, our Lord will search out for any of us that strays, and will rejoice abundantly when His lost sheep is found and returned home. That the majesty and the miracle of Grace is so apparent when a life shows how much His Grace is needed. Tommy received Grace, and I am confident that he knew this beautiful gift was offered to him, freely. Praise God.


We sang Amazing Grace yesterday, and while I don't have a recording from the service, this is a recording of us singing it a couple of years ago. Facebook Video of "Grace"

Haiti - Last few days

a month later... :) ... sorry! It's been crazy the last few weeks!
So much has been going on; some wonderful, some sad, some expected, some unexpected - - but all beautifully woven into the tapestry of life God has given us here on earth. We have welcomed new life, and tomorrow we will be saying goodbye to a loved one. In the midst of our uncertainty and sorrow, or in the midst of excitment and elation, God is in control! Praise Him for his unfailing love and for the hope we find in Him.

Brandon will tell you in a couple days about his experiences chaperoning the youth and kids camps with Vineville. He had a wonderful time and was able to witness so many great things!

I didn't want to leave you hanging on the end of our Haiti trip, so I'll finish it out today. It's been a month since we were there, but it still feels like yesterday- so forgive my brain for leaving you out to dry! So here it is, the end of a beautiful trip, Goodbyes to beautiful landscapes and even more beautiful people.

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

Today is bittersweet. It will be our last day with sister mario and Mr. mario's family in Gressier. tomorrow we will go to the beach in Jacmel and Friday we fly home.
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We visited the school again this morning. We did the Good samaritan skit. The kids, as usual were too sweet and sang almost every song with us. We prayed over the director and the school before we left, that God would use them to strengthen their community and to protect them and the children they serve.

We arrived at mario's house for the last day of work, greeted by Rodney's smiling face! (I recently learned that while you pronounce ODNE just like that...it is in fact spelled like RODNEY! who knew?) It was so wonderful to see him there. He is such a joyful person and he is more hardworking than most of us! Stevens and Bernie also joined us! We made fast friends with a little boy named Rijkad and a little girl named Senti. Rijkad, only 11, helped us all day too!
We ended up having to move 'sand' which was really more like a thick chalk dust, from one pile at the top of the mountain down to Mario's house for them to be able to use it for mortar. We had 6 buckets and spent the day in assembly lines passing full buckets down and empty ones back up. Many more helpers joined in as the day went on. Wilda and Junior came to visit and she ended up jumping in line! She is so wonderful, and I know God is planting a seed in her heart. She is smiling so much, and only God gives that kind of joy! Steevens was still in pain from his tooth today. We gave him more medicine and prayed for comfort.

It was very hot, as it was every day, but we all worked hard and talked and smiled with our new friends as much as possible, hanging on to every last moment we could. We played frisbee with them on our lunch break and had some AMAZINGLY delicious fresh mango - - which tasted better than any I've ever had in the states!
After a few more hours of bucket passing, we spent time hugging, taking photos, and saying our goodbyes to Mario's family and neighbors - our new family and friends. We prayed for them and asked God to bless their new house that it would be completed quickly and would be a strong foundation for them to build their lives upon. We rode off to smiles and tears and "Arevwa"s. We learned a new phrase - "Pachwen ane si Dye vle" which  means 'next year if God wills'.

Worship was great tonight. We were able to lead the songs again and had such a wonderful time worshipping together at the end of such an emotional day. A young man named David shared his testimony and really touched us all. From the outside, he was just a good looking, strong, 18 year old boy who didn't have any problems. But he shared with us the physical difficulties he has come through - even being in a wheel chair for 3 years - and the emotional pain it caused. He spoke about how alone he felt and that he was even agnostic for a while, blaming God, acknowledging his existence, but feeling trampled on. He shared that his youth minister, Chad, was always there for him, encouraging him. He told us that he found God's purpose for his life while coming on mission trips with their church - to serve - as he is now healed and is pretty much in perfect condition physically. I pray that as he goes to college he remembers his purpose, and remembers God's presence in his life through the hard times, and in the rebuilding of his body and of his spirit. He was an inspiration to many of us, though I'm sure he doesn't even realize it. Such a beautiful testimony and we all loved him more at the end of the evening for sharing his heart.

For more photos of Wednesday: Click Here

Wrapping it up - Thursday - Friday, June 7 - 8:

The beach was AMAZING. it was incredible to be in the blue Caribbean water ( a little polluted with seaweed, but still beautiful!) and turn around to to the shore and see the majestic Haitian mountains! We all got a little burned, but it was a wonderful day. Traveling to and from the beach we had to cross the mountains, so we got a ton of wonderful pictures! Such a beautiful countryside! On the way there, Almando got us some fresh bananas - straight from the tree! They were little and so sweet, YUM!




We had our last worship service and a send off from Pastor Sampson. We stayed up singing, and spending time with our friends and then packed our stuff up before heading to bed.





Friday morning started early, some of the group had to leave for the airport by 6am! We had more time than that, so we were able to get pictures with everyone and give out some last minute hugs. Kathryn was able to leave most of her stuff behind so she didn't have to lug it all back when she hopped back on the plane on Saturday. (She is still in Haiti and will be back at the end of the month! She is having an amazing time and I can't wait to hear all her stories!)

The flights were great, and we even met an evangelical pilot! He was a trip, and was inspirational with his excitement to talk about the gospel. Praying for Michael Harrison, American Airlines pilot and brother in Christ! As he said at the end of the flight, "See you in Heaven!"
We are grateful to be home safely, but are missing our friends and doing God's work in His beautiful country - Haiti. Thank you all for your prayers! It was an incredible experience and we hope to be back to work with our friends at Praying Pelican Missions in the future.

For more photos of Thursday and Friday: Click Here

On to the next step!

We covet your continued prayers and support for our training in Zambia in less than 2 months! If you'd like more information on the training program, visit www.overlandmissions.com/amt . I have been making some cookies for donations toward the program and our future in full-time missions, so please email me or facebook me if you'd like to help out in any way. We fly out on August 27th, so keep praying for strength, courage, and retaining all this knowledge we have been given in his Word so that we may effectively share it with the people of Zambia. We love you so much and thank each and every one of you for your love and support. We are just doing the best we can (which we know is filthy rags in comparison to Christ) to follow His Word and to stay in line with His Will for our lives. We are learning daily to endure the costs and sacrifices, to deal with the tough questions and the judgements from those around us. But know, that no matter what you, or we think is best for us, it is only God who knows. We pray that we have a strong faith to trust him with EVERY single aspect of our lives - not just the easy ones. We pray for you as well, that you would let go of control in areas of your life where you have been stealing the reigns and the Glory from God. Our lives are but a means to his Glory - in all that we are, in all that we say and in all that we do - may we bring Glory to God.

In His Love,
Sally

Haiti day 4 - the hardest work day

Pray for Brandon! He, Angela and Alice are chapperoning the youth camp this week! Tomorrow is his birthday...so I hope they're having fun!!! Pray for safety and for young minds and hearts to be molded :)

His absense does allow me some extra time to get things done, though! :) I realized when gathering my journal and everything to write this, that Tuesday in Haiti was such a difficult day, I only had 4 pictures from the school and none at the worksite! We worked so hard, and were so busy getting to know our wonderful helpers, that I forgot to bring out the camera! But there is good news in day 4, so even without actual footage from Tuesday, there are still stories to be told.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Today was difficult, but incredible. I can't believe we've only been here 3 days...but at the same time, I'm sad that we only have 2 full days left! I am going to miss the friends we've made and the hard work we have been doing. It will be interesting to see if we will make the same kind of connections when we travel to Africa as we have here. We have all loved this beautiful country and the people who serve here.

This morning adn work day was much like yesterday. While we were at the school, we met a man named Deacon Demitri. He makes and sells beautiful wood carvings. We found out that his family barely survived the earthquake. They lived in a duplex, and the family on the otherside of the wall was killed, while his family was spared. One of his daughters was greatly injured, but was healed after some time on a Mercy Ship. We also found out that his home was one of the first worksites PPM ever had in Haiti. Needless to say, he is a strong man of faith with great joy and gratitude, and loves the people from PPM

We arrived at Mario's house and greeted the family. After a few  words of encouragement and blessing from their pastor we began to move our first set of 100 blocks up the mountain. Due to our small numbers, it still took us 5 trips up the hill using our assembly line. Steevens, a young man from the neighborhood who helped us all day yesterday and today (again for reasons unknown to us), was in incredible pain. He had a very bad tooth ache and had to sit out a couple of turns. We all told him that he needed to rest, and gave him lots of water and some Ibeuprophin to ease the pain. I am so ready for my faith to be strengthened. My God is a God of healing... and I am so weak in faith that I couldn't bring myself to touch his precious, hurting face and give God an opportunity to show himself to Steevens. We still loved on him and cared for him, and of course prayed for him...but I know that God gives us power to do more for people than give them medicine sometimes. I continue to pray for Steevens, but also for the rest of us..that we will be open to the Spirit of God and will listen when he wants to use us for His Glory. I know I will experience much of this in Africa during our training and I am excited and terrified to see how mighty God truly is, and what incredible power and mercy He has for his people.

We got to know a very special person today. Wilda is 24 and has an 18 month old son named Junior. On Monday, we saw her peeking around corners, and watching us work. But today, she started talking to Cassie and ended up asking her where she went to church, she told Cassie that she had never been invited but wanted to go to church with her on Sunday. She also told Cassie that she had never accepted Christ.  We are all praying for Wilda, and can't wait to spend more time with her tomorrow.

We shared many things tonight in worship. Almando asked us to share someone we met that we wont forget and something we learned that we wont forget.  I shared that I would not forget the neighbors and members of Mario's family, especially Mario himself. For their hard work, for the kids/teenagers who helped us for no reason, and Phito and Odne who worked harder than all of us and encouraged us with their beautiful smiles. I shared that I would not forget what it means to care for others before yourself and that I will work to always think of another before me. We all shared and then got together to pray for those we've met and for eachother.

The breeze was so wonderful tonight. The dust was pushed out of the air and you could see so many stars. The power had gone out (generator...happened a few times) so it was pitch black. We all sat on the rof in the dark, taking in all the beauty of the night, and enjoyed spending some quiet time with eachother. I got to talk to Phito about his life, and we talked and laughed about how I had been singing wrong creole words (Like mixing up the word for LORD and REMEMBER...so i was singing Praise ye remember....hahah) and he shared with me how much he loves learning english.  He taught me more animals (Kabwit - Goat ; Chavel - horse ; bef - cow ; papillion - butterfly ; zandolit - lizard )

After a while, it was just Neil, Marisol and I out on the roof (from our group) and we stayed and watched the moon rise over the mountain. A sunrise is beautiful... but a moonrise is just breathtakeing. After soaking in the gloriousness of the stars, the moon and the cool breeze, we gathered ourselves and went to bed - Tomorrow is the last day in Gressier and we want to make sure we get everything done we possibly can.

Haiti - Day 3 - First 'work day'

the view from our project location in Gressier

Monday, June 4th, 2012:

Wow. I feel like I say that every time... but each day is so different and amazing!

Today started off with peanut butter and jelly (although there was no jelly left by the time I made my way to breakfast! I've gotta get up earlier!) We went to a school first. It was neat and organized and the children were so smart and precious. We started with 'Simon Di' or Simon says, led by Marisol Ortiz. She did the entire game in french, which the children understood perfectly! It was amazing to see the excitement on the kids faces that they could understand her without an interpreter. (Everyone in Haiti speaks Creole (their own form of language based on french) but schools teach French and most Hymns are in French!)


After the game, we did the skit for Paul and Silas. I read while Phito translated and the kids loved watching everyone act out the scenes! We even had a few tiny prisoners join us in the 'jail'! We sang a few songs, they loved 'Praise ye the lord' which is a stand up sit down song we do at most VBS here in the states, but we also sang a couple songs in Creole! They knew 'When the roll is called up yonder' and 'I'll fly away'. It was so much fun to sing with them in their language, and you could tell the kids (and even the teachers) were getting a kick out of us trying to speak creole. They also sang a song for us and we ended with a great time of prayer and blessing.


We moved on from there to the project work site. A home in the mountainous region of Gressier that had collapsed during the earthquake. 4 family members were in the house when it fell, but the tin roof did not collapse and ended up saving their lives. We learned later in the day that after the house had collapsed, sister Mario (the mother of the family) began to sweep the church every day as her offering and prayer to God because she said she knew he would give them a new home. She told us that when we came her prayer had been answered and that God had accepted her offering to His church and brought Praying Pelican Missions to deliver the gift of her new home. TOO cool.


When we arrived at the house (after walking straight uphill on a narrow path for at least 5 minutes) we saw sister Mario trying to 'clean up' the rubble that was left of her house. She was pulling grass and weeds from the broken rocks that used to be the foundations and walls of her home. I asked her, "Mwen ka ede ou?" which means, 'Can I help you?' as the cinder blocks had not yet been delivered for us to carry up the mountain. She smiled and said 'no no' but with gratitude and humility allowed us to help her pluck the weeds and grass from the the stones that, I can only imagine, mean such a great deal to her and her family. During the act of pulling these weeds from the rocks, Brandon was reminded of the parable of the sower that Jesus explained to his disciples (Matthew 13:1-23). This was an excellent focus for the task at hand, and reminded us that our faith should not be easily uprooted, like this grass that has grown among these rocks. I told Brandon that he should share that tonight at worship if we were given an opportunity. Cassie had asked our group to lead worship on Wednesday, so he thought he might just save it and do it then.


We labored on the weeds for a while and with broken creole, we mingled and attempted to get to know sister Mario's family and neighbors. We began separating the broken blocks and stones into piles (small or large) until our next job was ready. Bring on the sledgehammers! A man showed up and had sledgehammers! He was the foreman for demolition and we were his workers! There were still a few broken walls that were standing and these had to be knocked down in order for new walls to be built. Apparently he didn't want to share the hammers, and was trying to do most of the hard work on his own, but a couple of us started using rocks to break up the columns and walls and his heart was softened and he shared his tools and taught us how to work efficiently. (Isn't it neat to see God teach?) We knocked down the broken fragments of the Mario family's cinder block walls and carted them off into piles as well.


WE SAW A TARANTULA!!!!! Thankfully, I wasn't that close to the surprising find, and Mr. Mario stepped on it a few moments later, but we actually saw it! It wasn't as scary as I thought but I wasn't the one who found it hiding in my cinder block either! It looked more like a mouse than a spider, it was so big and hairy! I am so glad that I was able to witness this... as I know God is helping to prepare me for Africa and showing me little by little that I can handle these creatures and reminding me that they are His creation - and fear is not an option!



After lunch, the cinder blocks arrived... we had to carry them via assembly line about 100 yards straight uphill and winding around a mountain path. There were 10 of us, but luckily Phito (our brother and interpreter) joined in as did sister Mario's son, Manou. So the 12 of us moved 100 blocks, but it took us 5 assembly lines to get up to the house... so we passed each block 5 different times. OUCH! So it was like passing 500 cinder blocks uphill, with the heat, and in the sun!Craziness! About halfway up, a young boy (about 14) named Bernie joined our line and for no other reason but to help and maybe practice a little of the english he knew. I gave him one of my gloves and thanked him for helping us. He enjoyed asking little questions in english like "what is your name" and "where does your father live". His smile is beautiful and contagious and his spirit is sweet. We were so glad to have met Bernie and hope we will see him again tomorrow.


We returned back to Cote Plage in Carrefour to some wonderfully cold showers and some much needed rest before dinner and worship. (I actually ate and enjoyed dinner today because I didn't take the Doxycycline!) After dinner, Cassie asked our group if we could lead worship and possibly a devotion. We sang God of Wonders, Amazing Love, and Give us Clean Hands. Brandon was able to share his thought from earlier in the day about the weeds and rocks for the evening devotion and was able to tell the other groups about our experience of the day. (Isn't it cool how God gave us the opportunity to share that, when we weren't sure we'd have the chance?) It was an incredible time of worship and we ended up singing all night after the meeting.

Now it's time to get some sleep, because Cassie wants us to move 200 blocks tomorrow! I'm already sore from today (Praise ye the lord at the school killed my quads! who needs P90X? Just be on the Hallelu side and don't use a chair! haha) Lord, help our bodies heal and our spirits be willing, I pray our attitudes don't reflect the pain in our backs and arms, and that you will help us finish the task for the day so that we do not put the project behind. Thank you for an incredible day today, Amen.