Chad

Grace recently sent 4 men to help the Palmers at two of the mission compounds in Chad so that they could be run more efficiently. Below is Craig’s recap of the week!

“We welcomed the four men from our Akron churches on Sunday evening and drove the half hour back to the guest house. On Monday morning they had the pleasure of visiting the police station to get their passports registered as well as run some other errands, which gave them a feel for the city. The work began that afternoon as we had a few small projects to do in N’Djamena. Tuesday morning we took a taxi to the bus station and we were on our way to the city of Moundou around 6:00AM. The ride took about 9 1/2 hours and then a three wheeled taxi to our mission there. The trip, of course, took the entire day. On Wednesday the guys worked on plumbing and electrical projects; they replaced outside water lines that had been leaking for many years, installed a new ceiling fan in the guesthouse kitchen, replaced switches in ceiling fans and corrected some wiring that wasn’t quite right. At our duplex they installed a new water tank and changed the oil in the generator.We took some time to visit the local market for a new experience. They all kept asking, ” is that where the meat comes from that we are eating?” But within a week’s time were buying meat from local vendors for lunch! We continued with our work projects at our guesthouse.  We also visited an artist market where souvenirs could be purchased and they learned the art of bargaining. Friday brought a new experience of helping at English club which is quite different from repairing and building things. In the evenings we focused on debriefing and spending some time in the bible talking about the work and about faith. Saturday evening we had some sharing and devotional time followed by foot washing and communion. The team did a great job and worked hard!”

Student Ministries Philly

Each year Grace sends out two teams to Urban Hope in Philadelphia! These trips are a great time of learning and growing for our students and their families. One of our high schoolers shared with us her thoughts and experiences.

“Going into this trip I wasn’t sure what to expect or how I would react to things I saw because it was my first missions trip, but by the end of the week I got the chance to see things from another perspective.

Something that really stood out to me is how we shouldn’t feel blessed because we have a bigger house, nicer clothes or a better job then the people living in Philly but we should feel blessed that we get to know the hope of Jesus and get to experience his goodness in our day-to-day lives.

I never thought of that until he told us that night, I realized the importance of sharing my faith because you never know if there will be a tomorrow. It was incredible to get to see the community and how willing the people were to share their stories and for us to share Christ with them. Being able to step out of my comfort zone and talk to the people on the streets helped me grow in my relationship with Christ. My brother started a conversation with this guy named Anthony and I got a chance to step in and get to know him as well. He explained to us how he was a single dad with two kids, a 14 year old boy and an 11 year old girl. He explained some of his story to us about how his friend passed away and Urban Hope helped raise money for his funeral. We invited him to church the next morning and he said he would try to go, at the end of our talk we got to pray for him and his family. By the end of our first night I was so overwhelmed with the way that Christ is working and the mission that he has called me to do that week. Throughout the week during our prayer walks, picking up trash, playing at the playground, picking the kids up for camp and running through fire hydrants I got to build great relationships with the people around me. I got to know so many more people because of this trip and see how others are striving towards a relationship with Christ. It was a great experience knowing that you don’t have to leave the country or leave the state to share the gospel, instead there are people in your neighborhood or your school who are looking for something more and that’s Christ. Your whole life should be a mission of growing and sharing your faith. This trip was a huge step in my faith and I’m excited to see how else God will use me in the future.”