| |
-----Original Message-----
From: Duane and Karen Glassford
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:14 AM
Subject: Stories I've Sent the Parents
Here is a copy of the emails I've sent the parents so far from this mission trip to the Dominican Republic. I am also giving the kids some time today to write out their experiences and send them to The Quiet Hour. Thank you again, a million times over, for what you've done so these kids can experience the blessings of God on this trip! Most of the kids could not have come on this trip without The Quiet Hour’s help. They have grown so much from this experience!
I have taken a ton of pictures and hours of HD video (albeit not professional video, i.e. my name isn't Kristian Allen). I think you will find pictures and footage you can use. I'll be bringing that over to TQH just as soon as I can (probably April 7). I don't fly out from here till Thursday [March 27] as I have to check on some of “my kids” who are studying in the Dominican Republic that we help pay their school bill.
Do take care and God bless! Please give the kids’ sincere thanks to everyone at The Quiet Hour! We appreciate you so much!
Sincerely,
Karen Glassford
ShareHim coordinator
Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
March 17
Dear Parents,
I just wanted to let you know that your kids arrived safe and sound in the Dominican Republic. There is Internet in the rooms so I am sure you will hear from most of them tonight, but just in case I thought I would email you to let you know.
The group looked great in their matching t-shirts that said ShareHim. They had a nice air conditioned bus for us and our equipment. The suitcases went in an enclosed truck that belongs to the Adventist food company here that makes granola, bread, and various veggie meats.
We then went to the Adventist University where they had a lovely meal prepared for us. The kids ate well, many going back for seconds. The university is about 20 minutes from our hotel and is a lovely campus in the country.
From there we went to the chapel on campus to meet the pastors and translators. Most of the translators were there with the exception of a few who were too far away to make it this evening. The translators we did meet spoke English very well, several being American citizens who are in the Dominican Republic going to the Adventist university.
By 10 p.m. we had the kids in their rooms, some had already taken their showers, or had a quick swim in the pool of the hotel. Breakfast is at 7:45 in the morning right here in the hotel. The cook from Thunderbird Academy, Abby Feliciano, will be assisting the cooks in the cafeteria to prepare good vegetarian food for the group.
Tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. we begin with worship. We have a conference room in the hotel with tables and chairs, a screen and even an installed projector. We will be in this room for a few hours to put the finishing touches on the campaigns, and to practice the sermons. In the afternoon, the kids will be practicing in their rooms as they all have 3 sermons to prepare as within 24 hours they will have preached these three sermons. (Friday night, Sabbath morning, Sabbath evening.)
We have 27 campaigns that will begin Friday night. Six of them will be preached in Spanish with one of the Spanish campaigns being translated into French as more than 3/4 of the audience are Haitians at that church and understand much more French than Spanish. The rest are being preached in English with translation into Spanish.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! It means a lot to each of us! We begin the campaigns on Friday night and usually by Sunday or Monday night the attendance at each meeting has picked up quite a bit as usually campaigns begin on Sunday nights in this country. However, it is great to begin on Friday night because it gives the students a couple of “practice” sermons before the larger crowds arrive. Most of the sites are quite small, as the churches in this area are close together. This is because many people walk to the meetings, so it is fantastic when churches are closer together. I think the largest church has a membership of 160 and the smallest of 11 (a new church plant). But in every case they have been giving Bible studies and they have people prepared to come to the meetings.
Have a wonderful weekend. I will write to you as often as possible to tell you how it is going.
Sincerely,
Karen Glassford
ShareHim Coordinator for the Arizona Conference
March 18
Dear Parents,
I am sorry I haven't written in a couple of days. Things have gotten really busy lately but they have been so rewarding. It is now very late at night so this will be short.
God has been so good! We have had some computer difficulties that defied explanation. For instance, the computers would work like a dream in the hotel but not at the churches. Finally we figured out it must not be anything technical anymore (as we had “fixed” all the “problems”) but must be a “devil” thing. So we had a season of prayer over the laptops and at least all the kids I specifically asked about their laptops told me that it worked for them tonight! God is good!
Some of the sites are small, but most are experiencing a much higher number of people than they expected. There is a good attendance of non-SDAs at the meetings.
Pastor Jay Warren, Pastor Gisella Montana, Abby Feliciano, Robby Parrish, and Kelsey Drake have been so invaluable on this trip! They have pitched in anywhere it is needed, have loved the students and have cheered them on. I think I have the best staff to work with on this trip!
Many of the kids I saw coming in tonight were so excited… they just couldn't wait to tell someone how well it had gone at their site tonight… how they saw God touching hearts, etc. One young person even said, “I had NO idea I loved preaching! I thought it really didn't fit me, but I love it! I feel God using me and it is the most incredible feeling in the world! I think I might very well want to study to be a pastor! It is so awesome to see God working on people's hearts and see the message reaching their hearts!”
Wow, it is so rewarding to see so many kids excited about sharing Jesus!
Tomorrow at 8:45 we are taking all the kids and all the translators to a “private park” that has volleyball, basketball, and swimming pools. We will be there from about 9:15 till about noon, then we will return, eat lunch, and work on the sermons.
Thanks again for your prayers! I still want to get pictures up on the blog this week. It has been hard to find the time to do so, though I do have some pictures edited for size. Also the Internet is slow at loading pictures onto the blog, but I will do my utmost to get some up before this weekend.
Please pray for a hotel worker named Rymer. His heart is open to the things of God. He is interested in having some Bible studies while we are here and may go to Kyle's site tomorrow night! Pray that he will.
Sincerely,
Karen Glassford
March 20
Dear Parents,
Today in worship I had the students share some of their experiences: I am going to post some of the stories they told in worship.
One young man told how it has been going very well at his site. That he has felt God speaking through him but that last night he was concerned because this very crazy-looking lady came into his meeting. She strode to the front and sat on the first row. He wasn't sure if this lady was insane, a drug addict, or devil-possessed because she was very agitated and looked “creepy.” He was concerned as he has a young lady translator and he didn't want anything to happen to her, either. Suddenly the woman jumped up and headed straight for the young translator. Instantly the elders and deacons who had already “closed in on her” grabbed her and took her outside. She screamed all the way out and was rather violently resisting. I am sure the elders prayed for her outside. God is protecting our kids and translators!
One young lady said, “It is really weird, but at my site we keep having people crash their motorcycles or cars or bikes, and people run out to see what is going on, and to help. Not bad crashes, just fender benders, but they are still coming and they are enjoying the meetings.” I haven't seen any accidents here so I think the devil is trying to interrupt her meetings, so pray for her.
One girl has a woman coming to her meetings who has a live-in-boyfriend. Today she is getting married so that she can get baptized before the meetings are over.
Two girls told how their translators were late one night (at two different sites). They were worried because they don't speak Spanish. So they prayed really hard and right before they needed them, the translators showed up. (There were church members with them the whole time, just no one to translate.) God is good!
Last night, one young preacher had some “gangster-looking guys” (they were dressed that way at least, but around here there are not gangs as you think of them in the USA) show up at his meeting. They were cutting up in the back, but by the end they were paying close attention! Praise God for bringing them to the meetings! Pray that they will come back tonight!
One girl told how the electricity went off and her flashlight wouldn't work so the members got candles and by the light of three candles she preached that night from her notes! These kids are flexible and rise to the occasion! I am so proud of them!
One young man said his computer or projector at times doesn't seem to want to work so he kneels down right there and prays for them and they have never failed to come to life after that.
One young man has 80 non-Adventists coming to his meetings!
I have awesome kids on this trip. Thanks so much for sending them!
Take care and God bless!
Sincerely,
Karen Glassford
|
|
