John Lambert recently posted this update from Thailand:

“We have been in Thailand for just one week now. Our travel was easy enough despite the snow we had on the ground when we left Charlotte, NC. It was just looong, but we arrived safely and we are thankful. Thankful for so many things…safety in the journey,thankful for the prayers and support of the people who have believed in us and helped us to get here, thankful for our leadership in the States, thankful for our new team and family here in Thailand, and thankful for my family who has adjusted so well so far.

We are currently staying in a small two bedroom 400 sq. ft apartment. It is adequate for what we need now and next month we will move into the Hughes home while they return to the United States for furlough. Once they come back, we will hopefully have found our own rental home and will be able to settle down completely. All of us are at peace with how things are going and we are thankful for those who are praying for us to make a smooth transition.

Our biggest goal right now is finding a Thai language teacher. We have ordered training modules from OMF here in Thailand and will be using them to begin learning Thai language. We have a couple of promising candidates and hope to settle on one teacher soon. Please keep this in prayer if you are one who prays!

We have already been able to attend meetings in the villages and have found a new church on the college campus where we can not only minister, but be ministered to. The church is named Khon Kaen Harvest center and is an international group of Swedish, American, Thai, Chinese, and Australians. We will be able to plug into one of many outreaches that they do on a regular basis. The leaders, Per and Marielle, have two boy our sons age so Brayden and Aslan already have new friends, and so do we. We have also spent time with Thai Pastors, Charin and Waen, and Nikhom and Lat, and will connect with them on outreaches that they are a part of. Last night we had a time of team prayer and worship and talked about presenting to Jesus “the fruit of the impossible.” This weekend we will have an outdoor baptism service in one of the villages and will travel to Buriram province to accompany Bill as he preaches at a lively church there. Can’t wait!

I am also almost finished with our new web site where people can find out more about what we do, where we do it, and who we do it with. It looks good if I must say so myself , especially considering I was the one who designed it…from scratch! I hope to have it up and published to the web soon using my domain name, www.spreadtheflame.com. For now, we have pics and a couple of short videos up at www.facebook.com.

I was given a motor scooter to use the other day and have been venturing out on the main highway and into the city to get my bearings. It can be an exciting and scary experience all at the same time. I was white knuckled the first time I took off on it, but on day two I was like an old pro! I even went for lunch today all by myself. I sound like a little kid don’t I? Well, when you transition to a whole new culture and way of life, you feel like a big baby! I feel so helpless and intimidated some times until the Holy Spirit rises up in me and pulls me out beyond my comfort zones! Then I learn that I really can do it…through Him!

So, thanks for praying for us and giving monthly to help us live and minister here in Thailand. The best is yet to come!”

John, Jacq, Brayden, & Aslan

The Lambert family is more than half way through the first class of missionary training and internship at the Victory World Church missions base in Cuernavaca Mexico. 

John and Jacqueline, along with their two boys, Aslan (2) and Brayden (5) have been taking part in the 10 week course put on by Mike and Deborah Turner of Life Link International and hosted by our friends at Victory World Church in Atlanta, Georgia. 

They have been immersed in practical learning enviroments covering language aquisition, cultural immersion, interpersonal skills, communications skills, evangelistic outreaches, and more.  They were also involved in the planning and deployment of a short term missions trip to Managua Nicaragua in order to better understand how to lead these types of trips.

John remarked about the program and the opportunity it afforded them by saying, “This training has been invaluable for our long term success and many of our missionary friends have remarked how they wish they could have had the opportunity to learn these important things.  Much thanks to Freedom House Church, Pastors Troy and Penny Maxwell, and all who made this training possible for us.”

The Lamberts will return to Louisiana at the end of November and begin the process of traveling and raising up their prayer and financial support team.  Please keep them in prayer as they travel during this critical time.  They will return to North Carolina no later than February and hope to depart for their long term assignment to Khon Kaen Thailand in March.

If you would like to learn more about how you can partner with them now, go to their FHC page by CLICKING HERE.

New Orleans

FHC is taking a trip to New Orleans, Louisiana!  The devastaton left from Hurricane Katrina has never been repaired and many people are still without homes.  Our church has had a heart to serve the people of New Orleans since Katrina, and now we are going to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty!

Trip Dates:  Oct. 31 – Nov 5th

Activities:   Light Construction, Work with Homeless, Landscape/clean-up, and more…

Price:  $400.00 per person

Contact:  Olan Carder / olancarder@gmail.com

If you are a member of FHC and would like to go on this trip, please contact me and let me know soon.  Spots are filling up FAST!

Christin just recently returned from a domestic missions project in Jakes Run West VA where God did a work in her heart and used her to impact a family who desperately needed help.  Here is her story:

“Over the past week I’ve been thinking about how to articulate my mission experience in this blog.  I thought maybe I would write about how AMAZING the experience was or how I saw a family’s life changed through people actually BEING the hands and feet of God.  Maybe I would write about all the amazing people I met who go to Jakes Run, West Virginia EVERY year to help the families in that community.  Though these things are true, I decided to express the experience in a different way.  On this trip I saw a new side of God. I left with a new realization of how dynamic God is.  I thought I was going to Jakes Run to bless a family and serve God, and while these things did happened, God also used the opportunity to show me something so much BIGGER…

The night before I left Jakes Run, I was talking to Jeff, one of the World Servants Mission coordinators, and as he shared with me some of the things other people in our group were going through, I realized how small I had made God in my mind.  All these people where going through all these things and God used their obedience in serving to give them a piece of whatever puzzle they were tackling in their life at that moment (and I’m no exception).  Not only that, but he does this every second of every day.  I realized how small my perception of God was and sometimes still is.  Even as I’m writing these words, I know there are still some areas of my life that I shrink God and all His amazingness into something so regular and ordinary…so one dimensional.  God is humungous and through serving I got to see how multi-dimensional He was and is and will be.

On this trip God cleverly put together a group of individuals and families who were all at different places on their walk with Him.  He connected them and their brokenness with other broken people that would listen to them and love them.  He took these broken people and gave them the will to help families and individuals who were also broken.  He then connected these two groups of people in a way that both groups could be impacted by the other.  He took teenagers and created bonds with seniors that would impact them forever.  He passed out self-esteem to children.  He exposed people to his indescribable love.  He brought families together.  He taught people things about their own struggles, about who they are and who they need to be.  All these things came together in such a magnificent and perfect way…AND…He does this daily all over the world.  AmAzInG.

God has SOOO much to show us and SOOO much to give us and He’s doing BIG things and He wants us to see Him and He wants us to be a part of whatever He’s doing.   So yes, I can definitely say this trip has put something in my heart that wants to be involved in any mission opportunity that comes my way.  But more than that, I just want to be where ever God is working, where ever he is doing cool stuff (or even boring stuff). Basically, I want to be all up in His business, engulfed in him.  And I realize I don’t have to go to West Virginia for this.  

So my point is (I know, finally) my mission experience taught me to THINK BIG.  I pray and I hope that you and I will have God Sized thoughts, God Sized dreams, and God Sized impact in all we do.  God Sized = BIG….REALLY BIG!”

Christin

Thank you so much for your support and prayers.  The mission trip I took recently to West Virginia was a success!  I was teamed up with a group of people who came all the way from Pennsylvania and was welcomed immediately.  There were over 100 of us on this trip and we were put into about 10 different groups so that each group could impact a specific family in Jakes Run. 

            The community of Jakes Run was astounding!  The people were so friendly and I felt blessed to be there.  I worked for the McCoy family.  Originally, it was in the plans to give them a new roof for their home, but after being given the opportunity to go into their home and seeing the great need there too, we put a new plan into action.  We immediately got to work cleaning and pulling up old flooring so that we could give them new flooring in their kitchen and living room area.  We also put a new roof on the house and painted the outside of the house too. 

            It was a lot of work and I truly felt your prayers as there were many times I had to stop and just gather strength from the Lord to help me finish a task.  This house was so filthy.  The family had two small boys who were also very active.  Trash was everywhere.  We worked in conditions where there were mice droppings, spiders, bugs, and even worms inside the home.  We picked up dishes that had maggots growing inside and I touched things that I never thought I could touch, yet I did because God sent me there to bring HOPE to this family! 

            At the end of the week, we were able to purchase several things for this family.  A few of the items are as followed:  twin sheets for the boys bed, sheets for mom and dad, new pots and pans, shower curtain, misc. things for the kitchen, clothes, a photo album, cleaning supplies, and many other things.  Heather and George were beyond excited.  She told me we exceeded her expectations and that she did indeed felt hope rising within her again!  PRAISE GOD!!!! 

            On Friday, I took Heather aside for some one on one ministry time and was able to lead her in a prayer to rededicate her life to the Lord.  She felt the love of the Father for her and her family and I cannot even put into words for you what that felt like for me!  It was amazing and I cry even now as I type this letter for you. 

            This trip deeply impacted my life and you were all a part of this trip coming true for me.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!!  Great is YOUR reward in Heaven one day for supporting me in spreading the love of Jesus and the gospel to those who were in need of it!

This project by FHC missionary, Angie Honeycutt, is called “Adopt a Family”, but I think it really is “Save a Family”.  Angie has a great ability to see a critical need and meet it in a way that helps the people involved long after she is gone.  And best of all, she does it all in the Name of Jesus and for the Glory of God.  Her desire is for these souls to see the love of God displayed in a practical way so that they may come into the Kingdom.

Here is more info on the project and how you can get involved:

The average income of these families is only $5-$10 per month. It takes at least $1 per day to feed their family. They desire to work as we do but there are no options in this area. Here in the US we have agencies to help us when we are unemployed but in Nicaragua since the government does not collect taxes and there are no non-profit organizations people rely on what ever means they can. In this village, smuggling is sadly the only option they have. Some men walk 20 miles a day just to cut weeds for a $1 a day. They feel they are doing all they can. Here’s how we can help make their lives a little easier.

For a one time cost of $65 you can provide one of these 48 families with a Shovel, Hoe, Spade, Seeds and a Bucket-Drip Irrigation System that will produce around 10 rows @ 30 meters long of food over and over again and you will be providing a source of income for each family.

By providing these tools to each family they will not only be able to provide food for their families but you will be providing them with a source of income.

Change the lives of families who live in Nicaragua and are having to smuggle goods over the Honduras border just to feed their families.

To Sponsor a Family

Send your tax deductible check by July 26th to:
The Power of One Ministry
198 Mellwood Drive
Charlotte, NC 28214

To learn more about this project or others like it, contact Angie Honeycutt at www.thepowerofoneministry.org

Two classy and highly motivated FHC ladies just returned from a short term missions trip to Jakes Run West, VA where they did an extraordinary job in impacting a family’s life.  Amy Street and Christin Ingram went to West Virginia mountain town with the group, World Servants, and from what I hear, the trip was both difficult and deeply rewarding.  They will share their testimonies here on the blog soon, so stay tuned.  Until then, here is a great video that Christin put together highlighting the trip and the work they accomplished:

All hands on deck! This is what we say in the Navy when everyone is going to participate in something coming up.  Well, with our annual Kidz Kamp it takes a small army to handle the estimated 4-500 kids that will be coming through this year!  This is one of our biggest local outreaches of the year and in the past we have seen many children and their families lives changed because of it. 

Please keep this special time in prayer as we seek to impact our local communities with the Hope of Jesus.

Kids’ Kamp will take place at University Meadows Elementary School (1600 Pavilion Boulevard, Charlotte) Monday, July 21, through Friday, July 25. The celebration will begin each evening at 6:30 PM and end at 8:30 PM.

The week will end with a bang on Sunday, July 27, as we invite all the kids and their parents to a special Kids’ Kamp service where we will have special guests “Kid Concoctions” in the house!  Between the services, we will have cool games and food like the Tubs o’ Fun Spinning Ride, Giant Slide, Extreme Obstacle Course, Moon Bounce, 3-on-3 Basketball, Slime-covered Nachos, Cryo-Cones, and Moon Dust Powder!  Best of all, it’s free!

If you have kids and are in the Charlotte, NC area, don’t miss it! Pre-Register online here.

After many delays, 3 days of return travel, baggage problems, and much more, Pastor Troy and the team made it home from Africa.  They had a great time seeing the work progressing on the orphanage in Ghana as well as speaking to Pastors and leaders in Nigeria.  They are excited about the stories they have to share, but it will probably take a few more days for them to recover from the trip!  Traveling overseas can take a lot out of you.  Add to this the strain that comes with ministering cross culturally and re-entry back into American life can be tough. 

So, definately remember them in your prayers as they reconnect with us here in NC again.