I Don't Think I'm Comfortable with That...

This Sunday will be the second major holiday away from my family in Haiti. This Sunday I’ll go to church by myself, drive thirty minutes to my mom’s side of the family for lunch, all day long be asked a million questions about my family as to which most I won’t know the answer to, and then drive back to Murray for dinner with my dad’s side of the family. Alone.

But I’m not here to talk about the mood I’ll be in on Easter Sunday or how I won’t be with my sweet mom and sister or my crazy dad and brother because it’s not important. What is important is that my family is sharing Christ’s love with the people of Haiti.  What is important is that we, as Christians, are ALL called to share the gospel with everyone around us no matter our circumstances, emotions or location. I’ve learned through this process of being “abandoned” in America that our lives as Christians are not always ones of ease and comfort. Actually, they usually should be exactly the opposite. Our physical comfort should not define our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes it’s so easy for us as Americans to do nothing more than fill a pew every Sunday and what a waste that is! We are called to proclaim the gospel to those around us and those all over the world (Acts 1:8). If we aren’t doing this, we must ask ourselves if we are truly seeking His will and serving Him in our lives.

Today, my parents drove to another mission, Real Hope for Haiti, in order to save a baby’s life. Real Hope is where the worst of the worst cases of malnourishment and dehydration are sent to. In Haiti they deal with the brute reality of third world poverty every day diligently loving on these kids that may not even make it through the night. Today my mom got sweet baby Peter back to breathing and cared and loved for him as they rushed to Real Hope. My parents are selflessly loving and living out the Lord’s call in their lives. But how as Christians in America can we live out the Lord’s call in our daily lives? 

We must serve, equip and teach. We must serve the least of these in our communities and around the world (Matthew 25:40). We must equip others to serve in places we cannot, we are called to support and pray for those serving in every village and city on earth. We must also be careful because this can be misconstrued as an excuse not to serve in full time ministry when the Lord has placed this call on our hearts.  We must teach others of the wonderful, freeing, good news of Jesus Christ. 

Katie Davis, a missionary in Uganda, famous for her book Kisses from Katie said this, “People from my first home say I'm brave. They tell me I'm strong. They pat me on the back and say, 'Way to go. Good job.' But the truth is, I am not really very brave; I am not really very strong; and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am simply doing what God has called me to do as a person who follows Him. He said to feed His sheep and He said to care for 'the least of these,' so that's what I'm doing, with the help of a lot people who make it possible and in the company of those who make my life worth living.”

Let our hearts be ever longing to serve the One who saves.

Please continue to pray for sweet Peter as they treat him at Real Hope for Haiti.

I’m also selling shirts to help raise money for my family in Haiti as they serve there. They are short sleeve comfort colors and only $20. If you’d like to order one make sure to get your name, size and money to me before April 10^th! 

When you become a face on a Sunday school wall...

                Growing up in a small town in Kentucky I was always taught in church about people who were doing daring and dangerous things for the Lord and serving Him in such wild places as China or Africa or a war torn Eastern European country. I was taught of how extreme their faith was to go to the ends of the earth to proclaim the simple, freeing news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and honestly it seemed like something only few people did and I never truly understood why they went.

                Then my family and I became one of those faces on a Sunday school room wall of a family serving in a far off, poverty stricken land and began to call Haiti home. Having my family move to Haiti has been one of the hardest things in my short life, but it has also brought forth the most growth and love I have ever experienced. I quickly began to realize that it didn't take anything special or extraordinary to become a full time missionary, my dad owned a tire store and my mom worked in a dentist office, but they simply followed the call that the Lord not only placed on their lives but everyone’s which is to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

                We as Christians are called to serve one another and share Christ’s love for us to everyone we meet in our communities and around the world, both of which we often neglect. Love becomes hard when you receive nothing back or worse, when you receive hate back. But we are called to selflessly love everyone as Christ does for us. My mom beautifully displayed this while I was in Haiti over Christmas break through a sweet little girl named MaCarona (pronounced Makauna). This sweet girl isn’t the cutest or most talkative but she has stolen my heart. Her parents both have mental disabilities and she isn’t quite all there but there’s no way for us to formally determine what is wrong with her. You can usually find her running around the village naked or outside the mission gate. The other kids make fun of her and she has become so shy she only talks to her family and has only muttered a few words to my mom and me. But my mom has loved her selflessly, she takes her in to our home and feeds her, clothes her, lets her take a bath, but most importantly she loves her. This girl, regarded to others in the village as an idiot or a beggar, is loved by God and on a lot smaller scale my mom and me. How much so should we approach everyone like this, even when it is hard, to love them and wrap them in the love the Lord has them.

                As Katie Davis, author of Kisses from Katie and missionary in Uganda said, “We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us. And there is no better place to be than in His hands.” So whether or not your face becomes one on a Sunday school room wall or not, let us all live our faith that we follow the Lord’s will in our lives wherever He may take us. 

 This is MaCarona and her brother with me outside the mission on my last day in Haiti.

MaCarona started school this Janurary, getting a meal every day and this cute uniform!

SPRING BREAK 2K13!

Dear friends and family,

I recently decided to go on a mission trip to Ecuador with Murray State’s Baptist Campus Ministry to Ecuador for Spring break during March 16 – 23.  For the past three years, I have been able to be a part of the BCM and this year I am finally able to go on their spring break mission opportunities!

I’m excited about this trip, because I have always wanted to minister to the people of Ecuador but have been waiting for a while on God’s timing.  This spring break trip will not only allow me to minister to the wonderful people of Quito, Ecuador but also open future ministry opportunities.

While in Ecuador, we will be partnering with an organization called Inca Link.  Some of the ministry opportunities we will have will be: participating in a local church, street evangelism in colonial Quito and on a college campus, work in an orphanage, participate in Bible study at a women’s prison, work in a soup kitchen, and ministering in a dump.  There may also be some other opportunities that Inca Link will have for us.  Also I will be able to translate because the people of Ecuador speak Spanish!

The total cost of this trip is $1,800 and covers everything once I arrive in Quito, Ecuador. During the next several weeks I will be working very hard to raise the funds to go and I wanted to begin by asking you to be part of this mission trip with me by helping with finances. Any amount you give will be greatly appreciated, and because the BCM is a registered non-profit, your donations will be tax deductible! If you’d like to support me, send a check along to the BCM at 800 Waldrop Drive, Murray, Kentucky with my name in the memo. The due date for my trip cost is November 20, 2012.

In conclusion, I ask for your support in prayers. Prayer is not optional in mission trips, but ESSENTIAL. I ask that you pray for me as I plan my upcoming trip and grow in God's word. I also ask that you pray for the people I will encounter in Ecuador that they would welcome the word of God with open arms, and that life-changing experiences happen. Your support is a key part of the incredible ministry I know will happen in Ecuador!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me!

In Christ,
Chantry

If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn't it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable is it to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death.
--Dave Davidson

This Year in Missions

The time has come, I am finally a senior! But I'm also currently taking 3 college classes thanks to Murray State University and will be a Sophomore in college in December! I'm continuing my education in Spanish right now and will double major once officially starting college fall 2013. 

Missions Update:
God has definitely been preparing me for this year for a long time! I finally have the opportunity to go to Ecuador and Haiti! I could not be more excited!!

I have always been drawn to Ecuador, but God has taught me that I must do everything in his time. I almost went to Ecuador instead of Panama in the Summer of 2011, but God had other plans (including staying another month, which would not have been possible if I had have went to Ecuador.) Now the time is finally here! I have been attending the Baptist Campus Ministry at MSU for three years now and this year for spring break they will be going to Ecuador!! Here's a little more info.

Quito, Ecuador-- Saturday, March 16 -- Sunday March 23
My group and I will partner with an organization called Inca Link. We will be participating in a local church, doing street evangelism in Colonial Quito and on a college campus, working in an orphanage, participating in a Bible study at a women's prison, working in a soup kitchen, and ministering in a dump! So it will for sure be an INCREDIBLE and busy week! I know God has called me to serve Him through ministering to people through Spanish and this is the perfect opportunity to serve the beautiful people of Ecuador and translate for my group! The total trip cost is $1,800. I have to have $125 by September 23 and meet the halfway point of my money by November 20. 

Haiti! -- December 28, 2012 -- appx. January 3
God has been doing amazing things in Haiti and the country has been through a lot in the past 5 years. In Haiti, I would be up front with extreme poverty in the only FOURTH WORLD country. There is so much need in Haiti and I feel that being able to serve there and seeing the poverty will really give me a better concept on missions and prepare me for a life serving God through missions.  The trip is organized by a group from my church and another local church, it's so amazing to see the body of Christ join together in a community and go out in UNITY to serve Christ and to make Him known!! While in Haiti, we will work with Children's Lifeline International, serving the children and adults int he community by feeding them, clothing them, and hopefully providing them with free medical attention. The total cost of Haiti will be around $1,400. 

I ask, I beg, I plead for your PRAYER SUPPORT. This is the most important aspect of any mission trip.  Pray for the hearts of those I will be ministering to, pray for my team and pray for me, that God would move tremendously and mold me into the man of Christ He has called me to be. I also ask for financial support, these trips do cost money. The total BASE cost for both trips together is $3,200 and I will not be able to go without the support of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  The senders of missionaries are a very important aspect of mission work and the money will go to change hearts and minds for the glory of God. If you would like to donate to my trips, please get a hold of me to get my address or find me in person. Thank you so much for your support!!

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,

because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.

 He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives,

 and recovery of sight to the blind, 
to set free those who are oppressed.

-Luke 4:18

A Glimpse

Saturday July 7, 2012
Time is flying! I have already been here for a week and a half...Yesterday I went to the English Institute and they would hire me, but I would have to do 40 hours of training, but only be able to do 1-2 hours a day.  Then a woman pastor and 2 other people came over to the house to meet me and see if they could find anywhere I could serve...I'm supposed to go to a Wajiro [or Wayuu] indian church with them tomorrow, so maybe that will kick start my mission work here...


Sunday July 8, 2012
Yesterday sucked. [Hey I'm going to be real here.] But in all my complaining, I realized I cannot complain.  I'm in South America for a month, I'm seeing more than most high schoolers. To top it off, I'm a child of the Most High God. So why should I ever complain?
And yesterday I went to this restaurant and ate tons of meat! :)


Monday July 9, 2012
...We ate lunch at an Arabian restaurant, it was AWESOME! I was so full!
After lunch, we drove to the other side of town to drop me off so I could go to the Wajiro people...There I met the pastor I was going to go with. They gave me an arepa with chicken, cheese and lettuce. I had to eat it, so I did! [By the grace of God I ate all the lettuce!!] 
After we ate we drove even more to the Wajiro village.  We finally got there and it felt a lot like a church in Panama.  I got in front and introduced myself...We prayed later and this girl layer hands on this fat lady.  Then the fat lady "fell out in the Spirit" whatever that means, but me and the pastor's wife had to catch her! haha! She was at least 300 lbs or more! After that they wanted me to meet everyone, so I shook hands and then they took pictures with me for 30 minutes. After that we laughed, sand and danced.  It was really fun. Then I had an hour ride home in taxi.
I CAN TASTE IT! 


Now during this time, I studied a lot and this is some of what I have learned.

1 Timothy

• Pray for everyone, your leaders especially 
• God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth
• Christ is our mediator, He died so we could be with the Father

Proverbs 22

• God made the rich and the poor
• God rewards humility and fear of Himself
• Provide your children with a solid foundation

Romans 1

• We as Christians, are bond-servants to Jesus
• We are saints in Christ Jesus
• Have faith like the church in Romans 1:8
• Encourage others and be encouraged by them

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and then to the Greek.

-Romans 1:16

This is biggest bridge in Maracaibo, it's called Puente Rafael Urdaneta.

Primera Semana

My first week was filled with lots of time to get to know Maracaibo a little bit better.  It also was good to relax and get used to the Spanish here.  It was difficult because I have learned Mexican Spanish and some Spanish from Argentina.  If you don't know, each country that speaks Spanish has it's own accent and own slang, on top of that regions within each country have their own slang and phrases, so it's impossible to know all of Spanish for every country. 

Saturday June 30, 2012

We washed the car! haha. It's different here, you take it to the car wash and wait around 30 minutes while they hand wash it and clean the inside too.  Later I got to go to the mall! Oh my gosh! It's AWESOME! It's so big, and the stores were really expensive.  The majority of people buy their clothes in the US because they're so much cheaper.  Oh my gosh.  We filled up the tank in their car for 50 cents. 50 CENTS for a full tank!! [Because Venezuela is a worldwide provider of oil, their gas is almost free and their natural gas is free.]

Tuesday July 3, 2012

No hospital.

So on Monday we went to two hospitals.  The first was really small and told us to go to the Universtiy one because it's bigger.  So we go to that one.  It's big, but crappy.  And to top it off, they all love Chavez. [Chavez hates the US by the way.] So we finally found the people to talk to and they said we had to write a letter and bring it back the next day. 

So today [Tuesday] ...we ran errands and came back for lunch.  Oh, and here you have to eat everything on the plate, even if you don't like it. So lots of rice for me!  Praise the Lord I didn't have to eat beans today.  And I had to try plantain that isn't cooked, I almost threw up. Oh, I downloaded an app that lets me call to the US for free. [So I went to the University hospital, and they told me the hospital was too big for me to work there. That was their excuse anyways.] 

Wednesday July 4, 2012

Happy Fourth of July! I didn't do much all day and listened to the national anthem. Being here really helps me really how grateful I am because I was born with so much freedom and opportunity.  I'm proud to be from such a great country , but I am [upset] at what the people have become.  Ph yeah, we tried to go to an American English Institute so it was closed, just my luck. 

Here's what God had been showing me through that week.

• 2 Samuel 1:12 -- David mourned Saul.  He mourned over the man who tried to kill him.
• 2 Samuel 1:26 -- Bros before hoes!
• 1 Corinthians 3:11 -- Jesus Christ is our foundation.

Do you know that you are a temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you?

-1 Corinthians 3:16

"Your body is a WONDERLAND"

• 1 Corinthians 4:1 -- We are servants of Christ.  Stewards to others to point others towards Christ.

For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but POWER.

-1 Corinthians 4:20

Madness in Maracaibo

Well, I´m finally in wonderful Venezuela! I´m in the second largest city in the country, Maracaibo, which is located only two hours from the Columbian border. I arrived around midnight on the 27 of June, so I´ve been here for almost two weeks! It´s crazy how the time has flown since I´ve been here! My city has around 3 million people, but it´s very spread out and it doesn´t appear to be that big. I´ll try to post some more often here because I just found out I can use this computer! So I'm going to try to fill you guys in on what all is going on in this wonderful city, with some of my journal excerpts! This next part is straight from my journal [all words captioned like this is what I'm adding now.]


Wednesday [June 27]
I flew out, I flew from Nashville--Houston--Panama-- to finally Maracaibo.  I traveled ALL day long and arrived in Venezuela around 11PM. [It was a long day, but I was extremely excited to see the month long adventure that awaited me in Venezuela. But I definitely did not know what to expect in coming to Maracaibo!]


First full day. Thursday June 28, 2012
Wow! Now I know what exchange students feel like.  The first day is hard! Well, everyone here speaks Spanish, so I'm pretty much immersed in the language.  It's difficult because I didn't understand much because they talk so fast and have their own slang.  We went all over town yesterday and that night. His friends came over and we watched a movie and then went out on the town to go out to eat. And yes, the drivers are CRAZY here. People drive all over the place and when you drive through an intersection that doesn't have a stop sign or light you honk so the other cars will know you're passing.  So anyways we went to the restaurant but it was closed, so we found a small but fancy French restaurant.  It was awesome! I'm getting used to their accents and understanding more of what they say.  I am so excited to see all the crazy, and awesome adventures I'm going to have on this trip!


Friday June 29, 2012
This morning I had AREPAS! They were so good! I'm chilling in Said's house right now, it's nice!  He lives in a gated community and on top of the wall around the houses there's an electric fence to make sure no one can get through. Oh yeah, ...I get almost 100 Bolivares [Venezuelan money] for 10 US dollars. So I can spend more money, and not be actually that much. 


Now just a little bit of the Word and what I've been learning here. 

• Christ is our testimony ----1 Corinthians 1:6
• God is FAITHFUL         ----1 Corinthians 1:9
• As the body of Christ, we are called to act as one. We are not to be broken by small doctoral [I think that's the right word] disputes and big egos. ----1 Corinthians 1:10

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the

GOSPEL.

-1 Corinthians 1:17