Praying Pelican Missions

Her name is Kimberly

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:46:00 +0000

A message from a missionary in Haiti:

Her name is Kimberly. She looked up at me with those big brown eyes and smiled a weak smile. Her eyes looked sad and tired, but, somehow, they still held hope. Somewhere deep there was hope. She walked towards me barefoot in a little pink dress and wanted me to hold her. I picked her up. She was lighter than the last time I saw her in August. My heart broke. Many other children surrounded me and held on to my skirt as we walked towards a bench to sit down. I asked Kimberly, "Do you remember me?" A bright smile, a twinkle in her eyes, and a nod came quickly. I had visited before--the first time, over a year ago. Each time, I saw her. Each time, she fell asleep in my arms. Each time, she found me.

Kimberly lives at an orphanage not far from the airport here in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. One hundred kids live in the small, walled facility now and, although the caretakers love these children, the funds are not coming in to make ends meet. The kids there know that God loves them. At the same time, they may know hunger.

People of God, it's time to act. The pastor who runs this orphanage desperately wants the best for these kids, but is not able to provide for them on his own. If you have been looking for a place to give where the funds will be truly used to help those in need, here's where you can do it.

My prayer is that you would see this need, your heart would be touched, and you would pray for this orphanage, for this ministry, for this pastor.

Unique Ministry Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:14:00 +0000

When choosing our own ministry options, we tend to stay with what we are familiar with. Vacation Bible School if your gift is working with children, construction if you’re effectively able to wield a hammer and nail, sports camp if you can run soccer field lengths without keeling over…you get the idea. We encourage groups to get creative when they go on mission trips and here are some of the most unique and impactful ministry ideas I’ve seen. (Disclaimer: These are from the super creative brains of leaders from across the country. I can only take credit for one of these. Guess which one…)

Concerts in the park: Loud noises! They attract people! And when the message you are delivering is best heard by as many people as possible, concerts are an awesome way to gather people in a central location. Make sure you put the local church in a position of leadership at this concert. They are the “full time missionaries” in that community, following up with people long after we go home.

Family Festivals: There are plenty of opportunities to bring children into the church, but a festival is a great way to bring entire families into the local church. Bust out your face painting skills, get together lots of games and prepare to have an awesome time. Share the schedule of a events at the end of the festival so the community knows what is happening each day.

Cookie Ministry: Was it that obvious? Yes…this is the one that I had a hand in creating. Here’s what happened mid-week: Women from a Mayan community were making us the best food ever and teaching our team a thing or two about authentic, Mayan cooking. As they were finding common ground when it came to this domestic task (turns out Mayan men don’t do the dishes either!), the conversation turned to cookies and how to make them. All they needed were the ingredients and a recipe. Realizing that my vehicle and internet access could turn into freshly baked cookies for me, I hopped to it. Three hours of laughter, conversation and baking was an unexpected, but really cool way of spending an afternoon in fellowship.

Dinner Ministry: Again with the food! This idea came from a crew based out of Montana. At the beginning of the week, the local pastor identified families that could use an extra meal. On Sunday, our team shopped for enough ingredients to make chicken cacciatore. On Monday, they cooked. Come Monday evening, the team split up to 6 different homes and shared a meal with them. These were families that were either down on their luck or who didn’t go to the church. Testimonies were shared and a foundation for amazing relationships was laid.

Bunk Bed Building: A team of twenty built not one, not two, but sixteen bunk beds in less than four days! Not many kids have their own bed in Belize and a space efficient, personally decorated, newly built bunk bed turned into a huge blessing for families in the Sandhill, Belize area.

These are just an example of the many creative ways to serve God that I’ve witnessed. What unique ministry ideas do you have?

Just A Glimpse....

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:16:00 +0000

You know those tourism commercials where you see gorgeous beaches, unusual animals, people laughing and you think "I want to go there!" And then you realize the commercial is actually promoting the state right next to yours, which you've been to, that doesn't look anything like what the ad is portraying? Through the cinematic powers of fancy lenses, music and actors they've made up an imaginary Wisconsin or (insert your neighbor state here) that looks magical, but isn't a whole lot like the 30 seconds of awesomeness that it portrays.

One of our trip leaders from Belize put this video together recently. It's breathtaking to watch. But, you want to know my favorite part? It still doesn't even touch the incredible feeling that comes when you actually go to these villages and meet these people.

Belize | PPM from ball on Vimeo.

Who's Life is it Anyway?

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:56:00 +0000

Recently, the pelicans working out of the Minneapolis office made a big change. A 30 mile change. A half the square footage change. A “we need new mailing envelopes, business cards and an update to our website” change. Why the big move? For various reasons; we didn’t need as much space as we had, we wanted to be closer to the airport for all the traveling we do, etc. Valid reasons, but a lot of time, energy and resources to make the move a reality.

A voluntary change happens because we know there is a better option out there. The hard part is following through and taking those steps. The effort to change involves commitment and accountability and time! Who has time now a days? Today is April 13th, just over 100 days into the new year. Think of all the New Years resolutions that you have created and stuck with 100 days after January 1st. Now think of how many family members have kept up with theirs. Friends? If you came up with one or two people, I’m impressed.

Resolutions can be silly; almost made to be broken (why else would shamrock shakes come out so close to the new year). So think about a convicting sermon that you’ve heard recently; one that has inspired you or made you think differently. How is your life a reflection of that message?

We all know what happened when Jesus asked Peter and Andrew to be “fishers of men.” They didn’t hesitate; immediately turning from the nets and following Jesus. What is God putting on your heart right now? What change is pulling at you? Maybe you’ve started testing the waters or sharing the idea with friends to see their reactions. I encourage you to go. To turn from distractions and follow, no matter how big or small that change seems to be.

How will your path show that you set aside your own agenda and made a change to impact the kingdom?

A Pelican's View: Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:51:00 +0000

Carnival and Church!

Last week we had the chance to attend a Carnival celebration in Merida, which was a great time. My favorite aspect of life in Mexico and Latin America in general is how much they love family and integrate it into their every part of daily life. Many of us know that Carnival (or Mardi Gras) has a reputation of being a potentially wild and unhealthy scene. In Merida, a city that is known in Mexico for its huge Carnival celebration, families pour into the streets for the nightly parade. Yes, there are women wearing swimsuits on floats. Yes, there are men wearing what North American guys would deem to be "underwear" on floats. And yet, the entire scene is a massive, family oriented celebration. Sound a bit odd? Yep, it sure is from a North American perspective........but not odd for the beauty of life in Latin America. I admire so much about how everyone just "does life" together.

Church last week in Telchac Puerto is another great example. We're out playing on the playground (or our kids are playing...well, maybe we both are, to be honest) until the bell rings for church at 8 PM on Saturday night. It's like recess at school, except it's at night and we're waiting for Catholic Church. The bell rings, everyone goes running into church across the street, and the service begins! Afterwards, people spill back out into the street, and life continues......

We leave on Wednesday to head back to the States. What a wonderful experience it's been here in Mexico. Work, life, family, faith, recreation, and everything else that has run together over the past month has been awesome. I look forward to spending more time here and all over the world down the road......I'm going to write one last blog entry from this trip from the road before I cross over the border coming back into the States.

Matt and Gina Pfingsten & Family

A Pelican's View: Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:36:00 +0000

Our First "Norte" in Mexico

After a couple of weeks of comfortably warm temperatures here in Telchac Puerto, a curious thing happened on Wednesday. The winds died. The sun blazed. The clouds left. It was HOT. Gina and I both noted that we felt as though we were somewhere closer to the equator. As we got into the car to head to Merida on Wednesday, and began driving, we both saw it. The temperature read 96 degrees in the car, and it wasn't dropping. A word to the wise, this is not your Arizona 96 degrees with 10% humidity. This is 96 degrees with about 70% humidity, making the air temp feel like it's in 110's. Anyway, hot enough (for someone that loves hot weather) to say, "oh my gosh, it's hot. I've got to get in the water."

Two days later, I'm sitting here writing this blog entry with a long-sleeved thermal shirt, wishing I had thrown on pants instead of shorts today. That, my friends, is my first experience with a "Norte." I had heard about them, but never experienced it here in Mexico before. Every once in a while, a system from the North (Norte), makes its way south over the Gulf of Mexico far enough to swipe the good people of the Yucatan. Two days ago all I could think about was getting in the water. Today I want an extra layer. There ya have it!

Changing direction a bit (good wind pun), there are no Protestant Churches in Telchac, and just the one Catholic Church. We haven't seen a big turnout there yet, though we're going to the Saturday night Mass this week. I ran into a sweet elderly lady named Maria last week at the church, and she said you have to go out of town quite a while to get to another church beyond Telchac Puerto. From our perspective at home, one church in a town of 2,500 isn't a significant number. The older I get and the more I see, the more I realize I have to learn.......

Where ever you may be, have a wonderful weekend!

Matt and Gina Pfingsten & Family

A Pelican's View: Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:35:00 +0000

As I sit in front of my computer for what is now becoming a weekly life update from the road (hey, that's almost a blog, isn't it?), my brain strains to grasp where the time as has gone and what's new. It's remarkable how we as humans adjust to our surroundings and just begin to live life from whatever place we're in.

As of right now, I live in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico with my family and dogs. We've begun to take once per week trips into Merida or Progreso (a port town) to stock up on a few of the items that aren't available in Telchac Puerto's small shops, much like the locals.

We walk over to the Panaderia (bread shop) every day to pick up our bread, and the ladies there all know my son, Isaiah, by name. They even save special treats for him. A loaf of french bread costs 25 cents. Want a cookie? That's a nickel or a dime. We can see the bakers kneading the dough in the back room......

That's just a snippet of what our days are like as we live (and I work) in Telchac Puerto. All over the world, people are getting up and living life based on their surroundings. Maybe it's a big office building in the United States. Maybe it's a small town in Mexico. What's remarkable (as I sit here and reflect on it this morning) is how little God cares about our environment, and how much He cares about what's going on inside us as people. He doesn't give a rip about where we live, and I love that.

I love life in the States. I love Mexico. Alright, time to stop being mushy and sentimental. Goodbye for now!

Pfingsten Family

Telchac Puerto, Yucatan

Mexico

A Pelican's View: Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Matt Pfingsten, founder and president of Praying Pelican Missions, loaded up his three dogs and drove from Duluth, Minnesota to Telchac Puerto, Mexico. Here are the updates of what he and his family are experiencing while living there:

Hi everyone,
The whole family has arrived safe and sound here in Telchac Puerto, Mexico. After a 5 day road trip from Minnesota all the way through the heart of Mexico with our 3 pups, it was good to see my family arrive at the Merida airport. We're really looking forward to having some quality family time and getting some new projects going that involve life at PPM. I'm personally excited to be here, but am a little sad that the first drive through Mexico is already finished. Driving over the border in Texas and then through the cities of Saltillo, San Luis Potosi, Mexico City, Puebla, Villahermosa, and finally through Merida made for a wonderful adventure. I've always enjoyed the warmth of the Mexican people and knew the country was beautiful, but my journey with the dogs really emphasized it all the way through. What a beautiful place to live! The next few weeks here are going to be a special opportunity to live in an authentic fishing town and just "do life" with a Mexican community. I'm excited to work, play, and spend time quieting myself to hear God's voice of direction for our lives and what He is up to in and around PPM.

Hasta pronto, amigos.
Matt and Gina Pfingsten (and family!)

Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

Matt, Gina & Elijah

On the way to Saltillo

Dogs making friends at the gas station

Perspective of a Missionary in Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:55:00 +0000

I asked Jim, our country coordinator of missions in Haiti, to answer questions many seem to have about the country:

We have heard all about the struggles facing Haiti today. The earthquake, cholera outbreak, difficulties in the elections. What are some other conflicts that Haiti faces that aren't portrayed in the media?

2010 was especially hard for Haiti and the media picked up on that. What is difficult to grasp for many is that the country of Haiti was in dire need of assistance even before the events of 2010 happened. What happened this past year has only added another mountain to the enormous struggles that Haitians faces on a day to day bases. Curruption, unsanitary living conditions, and low wages are just a few of the obstacles standing in the way.

What about the negative attention that some NGOs are getting? What is the reason for the negative attention? What can be done about this?

With 10,000 NGO's operating in Haiti, it is easy to see why some Haitians may be frustrated that their situation has not changed. Undoubtedly, some organizations or groups have gone about things the wrong way with good intentions. However, there are many organizations that are doing great work in Haiti and are being received with open arms by the local people. It is important for an organization to develop partnerships with Haitians, giving them authority and coming under their guidance. As much as we can think we know Haiti, we will never know it like a Haitian does. To try and step in and do "our thing" will only further the tension between the Haitian people and the people that are trying to help.

What is your strategy for doing work in a country like Haiti that has seemingly insurmountable problems?

If you come on a mission trip to Haiti with Praying Pelican Missions you will see that everything is done under the authority of the local pastor and the local church. I believe it is essential to create a lasting and trustworthy partnership with local pastors who can then guide the ministry of PPM. What I always tell my teams is that it's not our ministry, it's the local churches ministry. We are best used when we come under their ministry to assist and encourage them in what they are already doing. They will be there long after we are gone and they are the future of Haiti.

How has the organization been received in Haiti?
Praying Pelican Missions has been received with open arms and amazing hospitality. We are blessed to have partnerships with pastors such as Pastor Sampson who has guided our ministry in the community of Carrefour. We look forward to developing additional partnerships with pastors and can't wait to see where God leads.

Can one individual make a difference in a place like Haiti?
Absolutely. I heard multiple "this is why I'm here" stories this past year talking about how God used them in ways they couldn't imagine. The question isn't "can God use me?," it's "did God call me?" If the answer is yes, then you better go.

How today’s economy is affecting the church and missions

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:42:00 +0000

Over the past few years our economy has seen some tough times. Car dealerships, realtors, restaurants, stores, and banks are going under. The downturn in our economy is affecting nearly everyone to some degree. The importance and reliance on the American dollar in our culture makes this a struggle for some and an emergency for others. It can be expected then, that the American church is not exempt from the wave of recession flooding our culture.

A George Barna study was published in January and February of 2010 covering the implications that our economic struggle has on the church. Take a look a the numbers:

Three out of four adults say that they have personally affected by this economy
48% of adults have reduced their giving to non-profits (excluding churches)
29% of adults have reduced their giving to churches
1/4 of those who reduced their giving to churches, reduced it by 20% or more

The church is not exempt from the hard financial situation in America. Many pastors and leaders are being laid off or asked to find other jobs simply because the church cannot pay their employees. With less giving comes less money for operations, payroll and ministries. It should be recognized that money does not drive the church, love does. With that said, most churches rely on tithes and giving to support their leaders, pay off church buildings, pay bills, and fund effective and much needed ministries, such as mission trips. Many churches are using new and fresh ways of fundraising to support the life impacting mission trips that they send their members on.

The study offers this advise, already learned by many churches out of necessity and experience:
“The implication is that church and non-profit leaders should prepare for another lean year. Response to this reality suggests avoiding high-risk and untested fundraising efforts and communicating effectively with constituents. In addition, consider proactive financial management, including adjusting income expectations. Avoid using traditional financial projections as reluctant donors are likely to cut back on the number of organizations and frequency of their support. One of the fundamentals is relentlessly addressing six donor motivations including: operating efficiently, featuring the compelling cause at the core of your work, communicating the urgency of the need, nurturing personal relationships with donors, demonstrating transformational impact, and helping contributors feel a sense of personal benefit from giving. These appear to be as important as ever as donors scale back their giving.”

Information gathered from:
www.barna.org

Unity on the Missions Field

noreply@blogger.com (Praying Pelican Missions) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:37:00 +0000

It’s not like we don’t want unity of the missions field. It’s definitely something everyone strives for. But....when it’s 95 degrees out and there’s lots of work to accomplish and kids running around everywhere and the soccer balls are nowhere to be found and suddenly coconuts are being used as water balloons...
Being unified and patient with one another may start to take a backseat.

It’s easy to get distracted and lose focus during a trip. God gives us all unique talents and passions. It’s a great thing! But as we come together as a body, sometimes those differences begin to get in the way of what God wants us to accomplish.

What does scripture say about this?

Ephesians 4:4-6
The Message Translation
“You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.”

Even in the midst of a crazy day, when remaining unified with others seems like it can just wait for the nightly meeting, remember why you are on the missions field. Our heart is to lift up and encourage the local churches. Part of this mission means being an example. As we practice unity within our own missions team, we are loving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.