Meet the Team

Well, today is liftoff for team 1 and the one-week countdown for team 2. We're excited about the teams that God has put together and anxious to see how He works through us and in us during this time. One of the most amazing things about the body of Christ is the diversity of his children. On our teams we have teachers, health care professionals, full time ministry directors and support staff, construction managers, consultants, sales-people, marketers, and non-profit ministry staff. Our backgrounds are equally different, some growing up in Christian homes, others coming to faith in Christ later in life. We have all been forgiven much, as we represent a group of people who God has rescued from atheism, adultery, legalism, perfectionism, homosexuality, divorce, alcoholism, gambling addiction, violence, abuse, promiscuity, ignorance, and materialism, just to name a few. As I look at the gospels and the lot that Christ chose as his 12 to run with, I am encouraged by the list I just made, because Jesus demonstrated time and time again that these were the kinds of people he longed to rescue and then use to rescue others. Be astounded by that truth! While we each have unique roads that led us to today, we all share now the distiction of those saved by grace, through faith for good works that God preordained before time began that we would carry out (see Ephesians 2:8-10).

So, rather than continue to hear from me today, I want you to hear from some of them. I asked them what they were most anticipating, hoping for, praying for, etc. and here is what they said.

"I must confess I am a little nervous as this will be my first mission trip. However I am confident that God is in control and he will be magnified as he always is. I am also praying for the health of our team and the patience of each of us, especially being tired and so far from our comfort zone. Let this be a time we reflect how awe-inspiring our Father in heaven really is."
-- Jarid Ghaffari, Team 1

"It is my prayer that we KNOW GOD more. His love, His heart, His character, His purpose and mission....and that we adopt that as our own. It is my hope that the hearts of both the Africans and the Americans are completely rocked by His presence in a way that we could never even fathom imagining. It is my deep desire that hearts are not only moved, but that we are stretched beyond our own comfort....and in that stretching, that He grows us in big ways. I pray for relationships that will impact and shape who we are, both amongst our own team, and with the Africans. My hopes for this trip is that we will all come to the end of ourselves in a way that that we cannot help but be transformed, becoming wholly new and different. My hope....Love God, Love people."
-- Summer Belanger, Team 1

"I am so excited to be sharing the love of Christ with the Ethiopian children! I'm praying that God will completely overcome the effect of the language barrier and make Himself known through our speech, attitudes, and actions."
-- Luke Friesen, Team 1

"As we are getting closer to our departure and finishing up preparation for the children in Ethiopia, my heart is growing bigger for them, their families, and their lives. I LOVE to see children's faces light up when they learn something new, when they feel loved and when they are having so much fun that they can't do anything but smile! I am praying that the Lord will work through me and our team in a way that will change the lives of the children forever...and along with that, I feel that the Lord has a plan of how He will change my life forever from this experience!"
-- Bridget Horan, Team 2

"I am most looking forward to loving on people that in my normal world I would not come into contact with. I pray that I will get out of the way and not let fear control my words but that I will let God's word come through me in order to encourage and show them how important it is to have a RELATIONSHIP with our Heavenly FATHER! I am also looking forward to getting to know the 17 other people that I will be traveling with esp on the plane for 20+ hours!! Thanks to everyone who looks at the blog and prays while we are gone!!"
-- Kathy Johnson, Team 2

"I am hoping that the gospel invades the lives of many of the people that we interact with, and that national believers could be encouraged by their family from the other hemisphere. Also, I'm praying that this trip bears more fruit than can immediately be seen. It's an honor to be used by God no matter where we are, but I'm fired up to see what He does in Ethiopia!"
-- Marcus Toussaint, Team 2

So that you can be praying by name for our teams, here are the names of each of the teams.

Trip Leaders: Tim Coblentz, Lori Michael, & Wes Butler (we will be there for both trips)

Team 1: Summer Belanger, Stacey Fisher, Laura Fredrickson, Luke Friesen, Jarid Ghaffari, Lydia Jackson, Jennifer Kearney, David Kjeldgaard, Brad & Becca (Wahl) Novotny, Emily Schulhoff, Dawn Shaw, Laura Smith, Scott Stouder, and Jim Sullivan

Team 2: Angela Ardis, Kelli Coblentz, Troy Dandrea, Chad Ethridge, Kim Scheidegger, Holly Holmes, Bridget Horan, Kathy Johnson, Dave Kimball, Lindsey Lauderdale, Erica Penick, Jessica Ridout, Jay Thompson, Leslie Thurman, and Marcus Toussaint

Thanks in advance for praying. The next post should be from somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic.