Missions

Germany

Resurrect a passion

Misison teams in Germany work toward resurrecting a passion for Christ in Germany. To do this, teams organize and lead Vacation Bible School type events such as KinderCamp in three different locations, hold two sports camps (where Germans learn baseball!), lead worship at three churches, and fellowship with and teach parents from community. Plus, the team usually has two days of sightseeing and cultural experience! Check out Groundwork Ministries.

Guatemala

Minister to the "poorest of the poor"

Coordinated by the Groundwork Guatemala Ministry, St. Luke partners directly with missionaries from Guatemala. Together, they minister through faith lessons, home visits, and medical care while sharing the Word of God. These teams care for the poor, the weak, the orphans, and the widows as commanded by Christ. Team members return with a fresh perspective of the world.

For more information on mission trips and sponsorships, visit Groundwork Ministries. The next mission trip is July 13-20, 2013. Contact Ryan Brooks for more information.

Read below for posts from the 2011 Mission Trip:

Thursday, October 13

Once again we were fascinated by the number of children who traveled in the rain to attend the faith lesson, this time in the urban portion of Amatitlan. The missionaries spend hours preparing for a different lesson each week including an intricate craft, and each week children in the four different locations show up to learn about God. Today, over 130 kids crammed themselves into a 18 foot by 18 foot room. If only we had such passion and enthusiasam for the Word in our weekly Sunday school.

As the week progresses, we find our relationships with each other and with the Guatemalan missionaries growing stronger. Several of us shared intimate conversations with the missionaries as we traveled, providing an even more personal connection. We learned that each one of them have many struggles in their own lives and with their own families, yet they persevere to bring God's Peace to others. They are such great examples of "living lives for Christ."

Tonight concluded with a visit from George, an American who founded a mission called Only a Child that ministers to streetboys, some of whom were in gangs. Prior to his moving to live and minister full time in Guatemala, George was a pastry chef at an execulsive country club in Boston but said God called him to follow His Will. Ryan B was impressed by George's hearing and responding to God's Call, which was so outside of his previous experiences.

Our team has certainly grown together this past week as we've lived life together.

Wednesday, October 12

Today we had an early start to travel a couple of hours to the village of Buena Vista. Here the people live in homes with corrugated tin or bamboo walls, no electricity, dirt floors, and no running water. The roof covered only a portion of the living area, and it poured rain almost all day, resulting in muddy messes and very wet, dark homes. Each home has a continous fire burning in their makeshift kitchen area with smoke permeating the air, which overwhelmed us, and we can only imagine the long-term effects for the Guatemalans living in such conditions every day.

But this is home to them. In one home, Ryan B noticed a prominently displayed collection of craft projects from previous children's faith lessons. We observed that these children would walk barefoot to the lesson and greet us with great enthusiasm. We also observed Manuel, our driver extradinaire and adult lesson leader, speak a very inspirational, intense and joyful prayer full of thanksgiving to God for providing the Holy Spirit to us. What was so neat about this was all of the other Guatemalans simultaneously praying with Manuel--not in unison but each speaking their individual prayers aloud. Such was a display of the unity of God's Spirit.

We have a few highlights from our house visits today. Gary, Molly, and Ryan G listened to a woman tell her story of being on death's door. She requested a priest to pray with her before she died, and miraculously, the next day, she began to recover. This was not the most noteworthy part. Ryan G noticed that their visit bolstered her faith, and Molly observed that through God, her husband, now in a true spiritual battle, will come to faith.

In a separate house visit, Emma told Anna and Ryan B that she had a revelation from God in a dream last night that we were going to visit her today.

Our whole group observed the Spirit at work in Miner, a deaf boy with no speaking abilities. Miner was extremely joyous and helpful, constantly trying to engage with the group, and he seemed the most peaceful and content person in the whole village.

God protected our group today as we saw mudslides, heavy rain, strong winds, dense fog, and He ultimately used the extra car time as a way to help bond our team with the Guatemalan missionaries.

Tuesday, October 11

Each day, we begin with morning devotions led by the Guatemalan missionaries. These 45 minute Bible studies fluctuate between Spanish and English, which helps enhance our time for reflection, and as Ryan G said, the time is "very moving" and that "Christ is truly present here." Caesar, one of the missionaries, was late for this morning's devotion because the bus he was on had to wait for authorities to move two bodies from the streets. He never mentioned this incident to us; it is all in the course of the day in their lives here.

After the devotions, we drove through Amatitlán to El Rincon and saw a few volcanos along the countryside and passed crops of maiz and papaya. Here we visited a couple more homes and shared God's Word. In particular, we were impacted by Carlos's engagement in the Scriptures because he immediately asked us for a verse to share then proceeded to share Psalms 23 with us. In turn, we connected to Romans 8:28-31, emphasizing "If God is for us, who can be against us" as we "walk through the "Valley of the Shadow of Death."

Later in the day we learned again how useful the donated supplies are. Over 70 children ranging in ages two to 14 crammed themselves into a 20 foot by 10 foot room for a faith lesson. Oscar, another Guatemalan missionary, led this enthuastic group to sing songs of praise to Jesus and to construct a dove as a reminder of the day's lesson: Isaiah 49:13. Anna talked with the children in Spanish, and she noted how many of them shared that they were happy simply because of God.

Each night as we have our evening meal, Kevin and Ginny have us share our highs and lows from the day. Likewise, because we are moved by our expereinces, we wanted to try to provide at least a glimpse of life and more importantly faith here.

Monday, October 10

We have just finished our first full day in Guatemala that started with a crisp morning and ended with afternoon and night downpours, which we find a bittersweet event considering the effect the rain has on the people leaving in the gorge near and on top of the dump.

Already, we have found that the supplies donated have had a great impact. In particular, the ministry staff considered the donated towels a great gift, humbly requesting that they could have one. One treasured hers so much that she tried to find a clean bag to wrap her towel in. Our school supplies we discovered are essential in helping to provide kids with an education. In order to have a “free” education, students must provide their own supplies, which is more than most families can afford. Plus, we learned that while an education will not guarantee a job, the lack of education guarantees no job.

The ministry became very personal and touching with visits to two homes, including the VBS sponsored child Christían and his brothers Edilson and Antony. At both homes, the hospitality was immediately warm and welcoming with hugs all around. We were able to share the Gospel and give encouragement from the Scriptures and prayer while learning about their lives.

At night, it has been a joy to share and reflect on our experiences as a team, and we are looking forward to the remainder of the week.

October 3 Post

Dear Congregation,

Thank you for your generous donation of supplies for the Guatemala Mission Trip. We leave Sunday 10/9 and are carrying ten suitcases loaded with school, personal and household supplies as well as Spanish Christian literature. We ask that you keep us in your prayers for God's blessing on this mission.

With Gratitude,

The Guatemala Mission Team: Ryan Brooks, Gary Brooks, Ryan Golden, Anna Horton, Molly Yoccabel