Greetings from Central 2 Team!

I apologize for the delay in reports, as it has been a little difficult to get to a computer because we have been quite busy!

Last week, our team served at the Lakewood Corps in Minnesota.  On Sunday, we participated in the morning service, and then led “Patio Praise” which is a community outreach meeting that the Lakewood Corps has every Sunday evening during summer.

Monday, Thursday, and Friday we helped with the corps’ day camp program, leading the art class and the Bible lesson on those days.

On Monday, some of our team also went with the older kids from day camp to volunteer at a place called Second Harvest.  At Second Harvest, we put together bags of donated food for families in need.

Tuesday, we mingled with attendants of the Adult Day Center.  This is a place where retired people from the area can come during the day and be cared for while taking part in various activities.  We also led a short worship service for the folks there.  After the Adult Day Center program ended, our team did various tasks around the corps that needed to be done.

On Thursday after day camp, our team went door to door, passing out “Patio Praise” flyers in nearby neighborhoods.

We left Lakewood on Saturday morning and had dinner Saturday evening at the corps officers’ house here in Milwaukee.  This past Sunday, we participated in the meeting, leading some worship songs and singing some special music.  

We are helping run the day camp here at the Milwaukee West Corps.  The day camp is run similar to a Vacation Bible School program, and so our team helps with day camp opening and closing, as well as the organizing of day camp activities.  Half of us does this while the other half of our team helps the new officers clean and organize the corps building (this is only their second week here).

The officers here have been extremely welcoming and they have introduced our team to some amazing Asian food.  We will be sad to leave here on Friday, but look forward to the rest of our week here. 

We fly to the Bahamas on Saturday morning.  We ask that you keep both us and those we will be ministering to in your prayers. Thank you so much!

God Bless!

Carolyn, See, David, Abby, Audrey, and Eric  

 It’s amazing how quickly the summer has gone by. The first few days after our arrival in Madrid,we helped out at a seniors home. We worked in the kitchen serving and feeding the seniors their meals as well as cleaned up outside. We enjoyed time with the seniors, making crafts, taking walks in the garden and just talking with them. Though it was difficult for some of us to understand with the language barrier, they seemed to be content just to have us listen quietly. We played a brass concert, which they seemed to really enjoy, and some of us even danced with some of the more energetic seniors.

Once again we held a Vacation Bible School program. Only this time, we held VBS outside at a park, and it was our job to get local kids playing at the park to come over and join us. The Lord once again provided kids for us, and they listened intently as we shared the gospel story with them. We also have done a few days of street evangelism, handing out flyers for VBS and invitations to church. Unlike Mallorca, whose beaches consisted of mostly tourists, most people at least took the papers if not stopping to talk with us. 

Tomorrow we leave early for the Canary Islands. Please continue to keep us in your prayers with regards to safe traveling and that the Lord would challenge us in these last weeks of our trip.

-Team Spain

We have had another wonderful week here in Resistencia, Argentina.  The Thrift Store has opened!  After a few days of sorting and pricing, we had our opening day on Thursday, July 5th.  They warned us that it would be a crowd like we have never seen before and they were right.  Pictures cannot do it justice.  When the gates were opened there was literally a stampede of people running in; half of the people went to the furniture section and the other half came in to the clothes and shoes section.  The four shelves of shoes were empty within 2 minutes!  The mass was unbelievable.  The neighborhood is in real need of affordable goods, so the Thrift Store is a real ministry opportunity in this community.  They make use of every item that comes in.  Furniture parts and pieces that we thought no one would want were all sold.  In three days (only open a couple hours a day), we sold almost everything that came this month.  It looks like a record month for them and we were so excited to be given the opportunity to be a part of it.
 
On Saturday night, we had youth group.  It was planned and led by some of the teens who have recently learned to play instruments.  They planned a praise meeting; leading worship, sharing testimonies, etc.  This was the first time they had been given such a responsibility and they did a great job.  Elyse shared the devotional thought at the end.  Sunday was another great day at church, teaching Sunday School to the same class we have worked with all summer.  There was a baby dedication during the Holiness Meeting and we sang a duet as a special number.  Because we have both had colds/coughs for quite a while, we were quite concerned about our voices.  But we trust God was glorified and His message shared regardless of voice quality that evening. J
 
Monday was our free day and was a holiday here in Argentina as well (Independence Day).  As a result the DeJesus kids did not have school, so we were able to take a day trip to Asuncion, Paraguay.  We are so grateful for the opportunity to see another country and culture.  During our time there, we went to visit several Salvation Army facilities in the city.  The Army runs a clinic that serves a community in severe poverty.  How incredible it was to hear of their ministry regarding physical, mental and emotional health and nutrition.  There is a corps in the same neighborhood that has just finished building their own chapel, which we saw.  We also went to the main compound in Asuncion which houses a Children’s Home and another corps.  The kids were home on winter vacation so we did not see them, but we had a complete tour of the facilities and visited a few minutes with the DC and with the Summer Mission Team from USA West who was there.
 
We praise God for his continual care and for His provision of time to invest in relationships with our friends and family in Christ here in Resistencia.  God is Faithful!  Till next time,
 
Elyse and Viki
Argentina Interns

The Thrift Store opens

After a week in Calama, we’re back in Antofagasta, preparing to begin our work at the Children´s home in Bonilla. We´re very excited excited to see what the Lord has for us in this appointment!
We spent an amazing week in Calama. Our work was definitely cut out for us! Calama has the highest suicide rate in the country, with a total of 13 suicides since January. Most of the teens that come to the corps suffer from depression, so that was what most of our efforts were geared towards this past week.
Since we were at a school as well as a corps, we did a lot of visiting class rooms, and doing ¨Happy Hours¨ which consisted of some songs, and a bible lesson. The children really seemed to enjoy them.
We also did some meetings with the teens, geared towards depression as well as meetings with the parents. On Sunday, we participated in the morning meets, by doing some dances, and leading some songs, and of course: playing in the band!
Please be in prayer for our efforts and our ministry in Bonilla.
Until Next Time!
We love and miss you!

Greetings from Haiti!

It’s great to be in contact with you again.  From the 29^th to the 6^th we stayed in Guirand with Major Emmi Zimmerman.  She’s a single, Swiss officer who’s lived here for 30+ years.  She’s so amazing!  Staying with her for a week was a blessing.  The days were packed, but so great.

We started with VBS in Boco, a nice outpost in the middle of nowhere.  We planned for 25-30 kids and had more than 50 on the first day!  It’s so amazing how God has faithfully provided for everything…we really didn’t come with enough supplies for so many kids, but somehow we have pulled through very successfully!

So the Boco kids were great.  We were only there for two days, but we felt so close to those kids.  They were so joyful and full of life.  We also got to drink straight out of coconuts at Boco!  Having nothing else to drink, a guy climbed up a palm tree, kicked some coconuts down, and used a machete to hack a small hole in the husk.  Very, very exotic.

Sunday morning at Guirand was good—we told a children’s story and I gave a testimony.  Just before the evening service, we were asked to sing a duet.  It was a little awkward because they announced us in Creole and because we had no translation, we just sat there.  It was all right in the end, of course.

VBS in Guirand was hectic!  We started with 50 kids the first day and had 70 by Friday.  The only crowd control we had was the two of us and Savary, our translator.  Very energetic kids!  You could really tell that they needed someone to love them, so while it was demanding interacting with so many kids, we could tell that’s why we were there.  Again, the Lord really provided us with strength and creative, economical ideas.  We’ve gotten a LOT of mileage out of “L-O-V-E,” beach balls, and the Gospel bracelet—we even invented a matching necklace, too!

We also tried some music lessons in the evenings.  It didn’t work so well without a translator!  However, doing what I could makes me feel a lot more prepared the four days of music lessons that are left (and I’ll have Savary to translate for me then).  Briana also taught timbrels in the evenings, which I thought was very successful.  Having never held a timbrel before, I was also one of her students.  She did a good job coming up with a simple drill for the beginners and a more creative, advanced one for the Fond-des-Negres group.  Also among her accomplishments is translating “We Are Soldiers” into Creole!  She did a great job, and we’re both excited that we’ve picked up some of the language.

Our Fourth of July was probably our busiest day yet.  VBS at Guirand only lasted for an hour, then we went on to the Violette Outpost for their last day of VBS.  It’s a five minute tap-tap ride (local transportation), then an hour’s walk up a mountain.  A very difficult walk, yet so much fun!  The day went very well and we were sad to leave the kids for the last time.

Saturday was our beach day!  Swimming in the Caribbean is very, very awesome and the weather was absolutely perfect.  We got to eat our rice and beans and chicken there, play in the waves, throw some frisbee (in the water, even!), and just had a great time of relaxation.

Today for church some of the VBS kids performed “L-O-V-E” and I preached.  Then we had a wonderful meal at Major Emmi’s and got to meet the Divisional Commander.  Our time here has been so great and we can’t believe we have only two weeks left!  

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.  They’re so valuable to us!  I trust you are well and having a great summer yourself.  Hope to write again soon!

Sarah (and Briana)

Haiti Interns

Note:  South Africa Update #3 has not arrived yet.

Hello again,

    Sorry about the delay in getting a report out, but
it has been a very full week since I last wrote. Today
I am writing from Strathyre Girls Home in Johannesburg
where we have just finished the first Roots conference
ever in South Africa. Before I get to that, I should
pick up where I left off after Vryheid.
      On leaving DHQ, we headed to the township of
Madadeni (which means ‘ducks’ incidentally) to stay at
a home for boys. The complex consists of a Corps hall,
two dormitories, and the corps officer’s quarters. We
were busy straight away with two consecutive open airs
in the neighborhood. The boys all assembled their
uniforms and instruments and played ‘Onward Christian
Soldiers’ about a dozen times before we stopped
walking at an apartment cluster where we sang to draw
attention to where we were. People trickled out of
their apartments until their was a sizeable crowd
encircled around the band. After the first meeting, a
few women stayed to talk to the mission team for
prayer in some very difficult situations.
     As we spent more time at the home, we got to know
the boys better and really enjoyed their company. Most
of the boys are orphans or were brought there by the
police. There are so many tragic stories of abusive
parents and things that just should not happen to
people, but God is so doing remarkable things at this
home. The boys are required to go to school, and are
taught responsibility by receiving a monthly allowance
for completing chores. Many of them are now uniform
wearing Salvationists and have all been taught by the
Major Zondo how to play brass instruments. Before
these boys got to this home, there was no good thing
they could expect out of life, but because of this
place, they have a chance to become responsible
Christian adults who have the ability to break cycles
of poverty, crime, and abuse.
    On Sunday morning, the team divided in two where
some us stayed at Madadeni and the others went to the
nearby town of Newcastle. As we have come to expect,
there was lots of singing and beating on the bass
drum. The band played loads of congregational songs as
well. I was called up very early in the service to
give the message about salvation and holiness with
Bongani translating.
     The guys played a lot of soccer with the boys
(who are very skillful at maneuvering the ball) and I
was glad to hold a band practice on Monday morning.
The team has been really great at getting to know
people and it shows in the number of handshakes and
hugs we distribute when we leave a corps. This had
been a very moving stop and we were sure to remember
the boys here.
    Next, we set out for Johannesburg to prepare for
the biggest event planned in the Southern Africa
territory’s 125 year history: Roots. On arriving at
the Strathyre home for girls, we were welcomed by the
officers in charge, Captains Rossouw to some
traditional Afrikaans food, fat cake with mince meat.
We were joined by a team from USA Western, a girl from
the USA Eastern, two girls from the UK, a Canadian
girl, and the South African mission team (which is a
year long program here). It has been really great to
work together and share experiences from our travels
with the other Salvationists. We were in charge of
planning a prayer concert to start of the Roots
weekend properly and we had some good collaboration of
ideas in how that would take place. We decided that
the first section should be guided prayer in which we
all pray out loud for specific issues such as the
weekend itself, the Salvation Army, and world issues
like poverty and human trafficking. Then we had a time
of praying the Bible (which is becoming a widespread
way to pray in large groups by reading scripture out
loud in any fashion that you like), followed by a time
intended to practice the discipline of silence in
order to quiet people’s hearts and listen to what God
had to say based on Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know
that I am God”.
    On Thursday, we went to THQ and all pitched in to
help load a truck of trade supplies. At the venue,
Beula Park Institute, we unloaded things and began
setting up tables, sound equipment and all sorts of
preparations for the weekend. We had all been assigned to teams
for the weekend. Some worked with the kids programs,
others with youth, some in registration and trade, and
others as time keepers and ushers for the breakout
sessions.
     The conference began early Friday morning with a
bible study led by Col Brian Tuck and the day was full
of breakout sessions covering issues such as human
trafficking, Brengle in the 21st century, and figuring
out what the Salvation Army’s identity is today. There
was praise and worship for the weekend led by Graham
Kendrick and his band which has been really great.
    Saturday was a similar program to Friday with
different classes offered and other speakers. I really
enjoyed working at the Trade store and talking to the
customers, especially the ones we had met during our
time in Northern Kwazulu-Natal division. Their night
program was a praise concert by Graham Kendrick which
was very lively and we were able to join in some of
the South African songs that we had already learned.
    Today (Sunday) there were two large meetings. In
the first, Commissioner Linda Bond brought a very
challenging message in which she defined the greatest
danger facing the Army is the lack of holiness
teaching. The TC Comm. Trevor Tuck spoke at the second
one about the ways we need to approach the inevitable
changes in the world.
   It really was a great weekend to be in cooperation
with Salvationists from all over the world. We have
had a very encouraging time here and  are amazed at
how fast the week went. We are glad to get back to
‘our division’ (N. Kwazulu-Natal) for the next two
weeks and excited for the divisional youth councils
coming up at Ombinbini. I will write when I can, until
then,

Sala Kahle,

Doug, Dana, Sarah, Alberto, Grant, Katy, Mona,
Thandeka, Bongani and Chris Shay.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

           The kids packed up their bags and cleaned the cabins this morning and we sent them on their way after a week of Kids Camp. Echo Grove Camp has been an amazing blessing. Our team joined in with the camp staff on Tuesday morning and helped with registration. We were able to meet and interact with the kids during that time and get to know them a little. A normal day of Kids Camp consisted of, meals, outdoor activities, free time, an evening program and Soul Food. Soul Food was the DVD Bible lesson, the kids loved it! We sang songs, learned Bible verses and little tips to help us remember the lesson. We had the chance to run one of the activities. We taught the kids that they are all a part of God’s plan and how the body of Christ works (1 Corinthians 12). They decorated a craft and we taught them a spanish frog song! It was a blast! The kids loved it!
            During the free time, we decided that offering to teach the dance “He Reigns” would be a good idea. So we told anyone who wanted to that they could come and learn! There were about twenty kids that showed up and they loved it! We practiced really hard and then performed it on the last night at Soul Food. The audience got into it and they were clapping along with the music as we danced.
           The kids left today and it was hard to leave them. But we are learning to give our all to the people we meet, just as Christ did wherever He went. We thank the Lord for every opportunity and appreciate this experience this summer.
 
We are leaving tomorrow from Echo Grove and will be going to Manistee, Michigan to do a VBS at that corps. Thank you for your support and prayers!

God Bless You!
Carolyn, Amy E., Amy K., Breann, Ashlee and Alex. =)

This is Team Spain and this is our newest update from Madrid. Last time we left off we were doing a lot of manual labor at Camp Saron. We continued that for some time with machine problems and bees and whatnot. We helped out on brass at a couple of Songs of Praise meetings, which are held every Sunday evening. We ran a VBS program at the Spanish corps and there were many children there from the community and we were able to tell them about Christ. I personally was very blessed by these children. God has revealed his faithfulness to us in many small, but practical ways such as providing children for VBS. Several parents who were shopping in the thrift store with their children left their kids with us for VBS in the next room.

We continued working at Camp Saron for a couple of days before jumping in a van with Majors Brad and Heidi Bailey and heading off to Madrid where we have been working at a seniors home since we arrived here.

That is the abridged version of what’s been going on. Keep praying for us and we send you all love from Spain.

Peace from Ryan and the rest of Team Spain

Greetings From Central 2 Team!

Last week, our team had the great opportunity to minister to the Vincennes Corps as they went through a transition of officers.  We were able to help the Sells (the outgoing officers) pack and prepare for the Windells (the incoming officers) arrival.  Then, before we left, we were able to share our limited knowledge of the corps with the Windells.

While we were in Vincennes, we did their Vacation Bible School program.  This required that we recruit some members to attend VBS.  So we went into the neighborhoods around the corps, and passed out doughnuts and flyers to the residents on Sunday after church.  What astounded our team was the willingness of the community to open their doors to complete strangers and allow their children to participate in Vacation Bible School.

Monday through Friday, around 8 am each day, we picked up kids from various locations in Vincennes (many from government housing complexes) and brought them to the corps.  Then we did VBS and dropped them back at their homes around 11:30 am.  The children in this small town are absolutely beautiful in spirit, despite the fact that many of their parents suffer from drug addiction and alcoholism.  We grew close to these children in our short five days with them.

Our evenings were spent helping the corps officers with moving and then planning the next day’s VBS activities.  Our team was impressed with how the Windells were willing to receive any ideas we had for them about their new corps.

We have now completed the 10 hour and 32 minute drive to the Lakewood Corps in Minnesota and are diving right in to what God has planned for us here.

God Bless,

Carolyn, David, See, Abby, Eric, and Audrey        

Yet another week has flown by.  We are continuously being blessed over and beyond what we expect…everything from the praise and worship to the conversations to the food, it is amazing to see how God chooses to use the “everyday” miracles, ones that are so plentiful, but can so easily be overlooked, to remind us of His faithfulness to and love for us. 
 
This week started out with our “helping” the construction process at the outpost-carrying buckets of sand, mixing the concrete, carrying bricks, etc.  We did have added encounters with animals, to “spice up” our week-parrots, snakes, even some mean dogs (don’t worry, no blood was drawn). 

Aside from our normal routine, we were able to attend the movie night at the corps, during which Elyse gave a devotional; to teach the Senior Soldier Class/Bible Study, led by Viki; and to unload the truck full of donations (double semi!) for the Escudo Rojo, or Red Shield-thrift store, which we accomplished in a record two hours!  We were also able to lead the Sunday School class for 9-12 year olds, the flannelgraph has definitely come in handy (!), and participate in the Sunday Evening Service.  Starting yesterday, we have been going to the Escudo Rojo to sort through the piles of donations.  You name it, we have it-shoes, dishes, even a full set of lockers…just not too many clothes. 
 
One of the biggest blessings we have encountered has been how quickly and fully we have been allowed into the DeJesus family.  We could not have asked for a more loving, more accepting family.  We only pray that we can bring even some of that blessing back to them. 
 
The Argentina Interns,
Elyse and Viki

Elyse passing out breakfast following Sunday School

Viki shelving shoes at the Escudo Rojo.