Kayenta - August 2010

On Sunday, August 1st, we filled our trailer with luggage, loaded 14 people in our 15 passenger van, and set out on our mission to Kayenta, Arizona. We were all very excited about the adventure we were getting ready to experience. It was a long process of selling dinners and doughnuts, cutting grass, babysitting, and even selling ourselves as “slaves” so we could go make a difference in our world. In the end, all of the hard work, and hours sacrificed proved successful in paying for all 14 of us to make the trip.

In our minds, we all had our idea of what the trip would be like; the people we would encounter and the needs we looked forward to meeting. We couldn’t wait to meet the people of Kayenta, and to serve them in any way we could. Our goal was to go be Jesus’ hands and feet, and to be a blessing, however God wanted to use us to do that.

When we arrived in Kayenta, the Navajo people were so welcoming and excited that we were there, and friendships that would never be forgotten immediately began to form. We spent the next few days in Kayenta playing with the children, learning about the Navajo culture, helping orchestrate a kids crusade, handing out school supplies and site seeing. It was so much fun getting to do what we went there to do.

On our trip "home" from Kayenta, we stopped in Amarillo, Texas, where we took part in something that was a whole new experience for our group. We were given another opportunity to make a difference in the lives of people we’ve never even met before. We were briefed on what we were getting ready to go out and do, and then set out on our mission. Our mission was to go into a city park and hand out bottled water and McDonald’s cheeseburgers to homeless people. Some of us were a little nervous since it was something we had never done before, and you never know what you will encounter in situations like that. It didn’t take long at all when we arrived at the park to feel an amazing sense of compassion and a strong desire to make a difference. While we were simply handing out bottles of water that, to us, were worth only a little bit of change, it didn’t take long to realize that a simple bottle of water was worth so much more than that to the people in the park. It was truly an experience that we are thankful that we were able to be a part of.

Overall, the trip left us, as a group, feeling like we had made a difference, and we were pleased with that. We felt like we had been Jesus’ hands and feet extended, and that we had accomplished what we set out to do from the beginning of our trip. While we felt accomplished for our work, we all realized as we started our journey “home” and heard so many of our team talking about what they got out of the trip, that the blessings that we received from the trip had to be greater than the blessings that we had given on the trip. We learned some valuable life lessons on our journey, and we learned what it means to be humbled. We learned that being happy and having peace in our life doesn’t mean that we have everything that our flesh desires. And most of all we learned the reality of Acts 20:35. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive. Thank you Impact Youth Ministries for allowing us to be a part of your Kayenta mission.

Tanzania, E. Africa July 2010

Photos from Tanzania

Pastors Darryl and Darlene Rhodes, along with Associates Luke and Kristi Hale entered into the country of Tanzania with high hopes and great expectations. Upon arriving in Arusha, we hit the ground running with several local church services before meeting with key Bishops of Tanzania. After departing Arusha, we went to Dar Es Salaam where 50 Bishops representing well over 10,000 churches met with us at a local hotel for a business meeting concerning the spiritual climate of Tanzania. We were invited to bring another FRONTLINE SHEPHERD'S CONFERENCE (www.globaladvance.org) in 2011. The excitement was pulsating! After the meeting, Global Advance furnished a wonderful meal for all 50 Bishops and the fellowship was awesome.

We then drove to the city of Kibaha where we would conduct the very first conference that the city had ever experienced. About 200 pastors and key church leaders came for the 3 day conference to be ministered to and challenged. Global Advances' goals are to go into a region where no one else had been and bring resources and messages to build up the hidden heroes that will never make the cover of Charisma magazine or been seen on Christian TV. We challenged each leader to spend more quality time with the Lord each day. We also challenged them to plant at least one new church in the next 12 months. We then encouraged them to be open to answer the call to cross cultural missions and be willing to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every nation."

The hearts of Pastors were united as one and they came together (for the first time) to worship God under the same roof. Breakout sessions were a huge success! Each afternoon the ladies would go to one building and the men would go to another for a time of personal ministry and encouragement.

We cannot wait to return to Tanzania. Please pray that God would provide the means for us to return and bless the wonderful men and women of this great nation.

Also, my thanks to GLOBAL ADVANCE for allowing us to be a part of their great organization. Thank you for the finances to host these wonderful conferences! Please visit the website at: www.globaladvance.org