Crossroads GO Missions

East Meets the West!

2010-07-21T12:41:00.003-04:00

The GO Missions ministry and the Crossroads Jr/Sr high school ministry teamed up to host an picnic/activity afternoon for 64 students and 11 teachers from Shanghai, China this past Tuesday. This was a great opportunity for our youth students to reach out in God's love to a group of students their own age and for the Shanghai students to spend time with American kids their own age.

The Shanghai students experience a 21 day trip to the USA as a cultural exchange program through Forte International in Washington, DC. These students are selected through an application process and must provide the funds for their trip. They visited New York City and Washington DC for 3 days before coming to Mansfield for 12 days. While in Mansfield, they study English and our history at Mansfield Senior High every morning Monday - Friday. The afternoons are spent exploring our city and its sites. They visited the Carousel, the mayor's office, the fire and police stations; go to Malabar Farm for a barn dance and perform community service projects. They live with local families during their stay here, so they can get a sense of "normal" American family life. The evenings and weekends are free time, so the students can participate in family activities and attend church with the families. When they leave here on July 28th, they will visit Disneyland in LA and then back to China.

We started the afternoon with a mad-rush to feed 80 hungry teens! American & Chinese!! After the feeding-frenzy settled down, Jesse lead the group in some fun ice-breakers to allow our youth and the students to get to know each other. The room was buzzing with laughter, excitement and fun! Then outside for some fun active games.Living in a "cement jungle" of 19 million people, the Shanghai students rarely spend time outdoors and almost never in fun group activities! Their school/study schedule is incredibly demanding, leaving no time for extra-curricular functions. After everyone was tired and hot...back to the youth room for some worship time together. Jamie did a great job of leading all the students in worship and engaging the Chinese students so that soon many of them were singing and clapping along! We ended with the students mingling, playing some carpet ball and ping-pong and many emails being exchanged between the kids!

What a joy to see our youth so involved and eager to reach out to these students from around the world! It was amazing to watch even the most reserved reach out to the Chinese students to welcome them, serve them and show God's love to them through kindness and respect. It was a great opportunity to help our students understand that missions isn't always heading out to a foreign land....often those opportunities are on our doorstep if we just step out in faith, with His love, through His power!

Asia's Hope has a new orphanage

2010-07-01T21:07:00.000-04:00

Asia's Hope has opened it's sixth orphanage in Battambang. Here is a link to their website and the blog post talking about this.

Please take some time to read this post and pray for these children and their new family.

Scott

Skype! Wow what a night!

2010-06-23T13:59:00.005-04:00

This past Monday evening (Tuesday morning Cambodian time!), we had the awesome opportunity to spend about 1 1/2 hours skyping (is that a word???) with the children of the Battambang 3 orphanage in Battambang, Cambodia. There are 24 children in this orphanage along with the director and his family and 2 staff members. Our Crossroads church family supports this orphanage through sponsorships of the children. When I was planning this night for the sponsors, I thought it would be cool to skype with the kids. I NEVER dreamed how incredible it would be or how emotional!!

There were several of us in attendance that had been on the mission trip this past February. The moment the faces of the director and the children appeared on the screen, my heart was instantly transported back to Cambodia! The rest of the team also could barely contain their excitement over speaking with the children! There were 35 of the Crossroads family at the gathering - sponsors and GO Missions team members. Many sponsors spoke with their child face-to-face for the very first time! It was heart-melting and so emotional. Tears were a common occurrence - from sponsors and the kids! The urge to want to reach out and hug the kids was overwhelming! Even the director (Savy), his wife (Sem), his children and the other staff members couldn't wait to have a turn to skype with us!

After having a chance to speak with each individual child - sending them our love and prayers, the children performed 2 special dances for us. First the young children, then the teens danced. While not the easiest thing to see on skype, it was still so special. Music and dance are ingrained in the Cambodian culture and this was a gift from them to their sponsors. When we were visiting there in February, a day didn't go by in which dancing didn't happen!

Neither end of the skype wanted to be the last to say goodbye! We kept waving and letting them know we were praying for them and we love them.....the children kept jostling to be in front of the camera to say one last good bye or tell us they loved us. So reminiscent of our visits, when it took us over an hour to say our goodbyes, with tears flowing from everyone's eyes and our hearts tugging to stay there. But the rest of our trip called....and this time, the children needed to get to school.

John McCollum, the executive director of Asia's Hope is currently in Cambodia and blogging about his trip. In one of his blogs, he talks about the enthusiastic dancing at one of their Cambodian dance parties. After reflecting on that fun, he wrote, " Without intervention from God and from those of you who support this ministry, many of these children would be living a very different life. Some would still be working day and night at a construction site or on a farm, earning barely enough for a handful of rice. Others would have already been pimped out, forced to service 15 men each night under the threat of torture. Others would be dead.

As David said after he had been rescued by God, " You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. Oh Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:11-12"

NO wonder these children want to dance!!Slide 28

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PROCLAIM! concludes

2010-04-11T10:03:00.007-04:00

PROCLAIM! - The Crossroads continuous reading of the Bible for 77+ hours and prayer event concluded this past Wednesday evening as we lead into our First Wednesday communion service. What an incredible way to worship our God through proclaiming His Word! While our original plan had been for the reading to take place over 74 hours (based on a previous experience where it took 72 hours) , it was obvious by mid-afternoon on Wednesday that we would not be done by 4pm. With many teams staying flexible, the decision was made to make the reading of God's Word our priority. The Praise team practiced and prepared in another room; the Communion team quietly prepared and placed the elements; the Tech team prepared and tested lighting and sound as best they could without interrupting the reading; additional readers stepped up to be sure there was no interruption and the Programming team adjusted the plan for the service, so the final words of Revelation were read with our congregation present. As our small group pastor, Deering Dyer commented, "Do you think God in his divine providence set the cadence of the reading, so it would finish in this special way?" Pastor Wendell's communion message and the observance of communion by the Crossroads family added a completeness to the whole Easter celebration and PROCLAIM event. Over these 3 days, there were 170 volunteers and 6 small groups that shared in the proclamation of God's word and prayer. It was a family event for some, as the family members would share a time of reading and prayer. What a blessing to see husbands and wives, mothers, fathers, sons and daughters spending this time of worship together! Teachable moments for these parents, as they set the example for their children!
As we started the event there were a number of empty reading slots, but as people experienced the amazing blessing and power of worshiping God through proclaiming his Word, those spots filled up quickly - even the middle of the night ones!! An added dimension to the whole experience was the live webstream of the PROCLAIM! Bible reading through the www.crossroadswired.com website. Steve Browning and the tech team got this rolling and around the world people were watching and hearing God's Word read by the Crossroads congregation. Even a young man, who vehmently denies the truth of God's Word and interfered with being able to leave the live chat function running. But as God promises, his word never comes back void. Oh, how I pray that those who participated and those that viewed the site were drawn close to the God that loves them so!

PROCLAIM!

2010-03-11T17:25:00.007-05:00

PROCLAIM!

This is an upcoming 74 hour continuous prayer and Bible reading event happening at Crossroads this Easter season. Starting at 2pm on Easter Sunday and going to 4pm Wednesday April 7th - leading right into our First Wednesday Communion service, the congregation at Crossroads will be doing a non-stop reading of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Throughout this event, four prayer stations will be set-up to guide those attending in prayer. These stations will have specific prayer needs covering four categories: Our Church Leadership, Our Church Community, Civic Servants and Missions. This event is a combined effort of our GO Missions team and Our Crossroads Prayer team. The reading will be divided up into 20 minute segments and the sign-up for this will be at the GO Missions kiosk. Anyone wishing to participate in the prayer segment can join in at anytime throughout the event.
In October of 2006, we hosted a similar Bible-reading event, but this time we have added the element of prayer to go along with it.
Below are some of the sights and sounds from that first reading:
"A mother and daughter standing side-by-side sharing in the reading; the deep resonance of a man's voice with gentle reverence speaking his God's name through the late hours of the night; the huddling together of our young adults over their Bibles as they read, listened and supported each other; a session worker standing just outside the door, listening and gazing at the night sky, allowing God's word to wash over her and fill her heart; a father encircling his daughter in his arms as they stood and proclaimed God's truth, softly guiding her words if she stumbles and encouraging her along the way; a volunteer who after listening to His word through the reading of Jeremiah, expressed a deeper understanding of how all of God's word speaks to us in the world today and a desire to dive deeper into the truths of the Old Testament; volunteers who after reading for the first time, wanted more- staying to read in an unfilled slot or signing up again and again, often for those late night hours; a reader brought to tears by the privilege of proclaiming God's Word in our new church; whole families coming and reading in succession and closing the event with a small group, who desired to be there as the last scripture was read....joining together in tears and prayers for the awesome, powerful Word of God to permeate our building, our lives, and all who enter our doors."

This is a chance to PROCLAIM the name of our AMAZING JESUS through prayer and His Word! Don't miss out! Sign up today!

Home Again

2010-02-28T08:14:00.006-05:00

The mission team 2010 arrived home safely on Friday morning at 7am into snowy Cleveland. Our gracious transport driver, Jon Linton, maneuvered the van to pick us up through the clogged rush hour traffic and the treacherous roads. Many thanks to Jon for his service in taking us and picking us back up. Needless to say after 30 hours of travel none of us were ready to drive! Thanks to our Crossroads family for their many prayers during our travels. It was an amazing trip. I hope you have enjoyed following along on the blog. ( picture of plane leaving Chiang Mai)

(arriving in Mansfield)
Now is the team's adjustment time. Time to get our biological clocks back on Ohio time - there is a 12 hour difference! Time to reconnect with family and friends. Time to reflect on our trip and what God has for each one of us. Time to cherish the incredible experiences and challenging moments of the trip. Time to thank our good God for the opportunity to serve in His name halfway around the world. Time to start planning for another trip!!

Up on the Farm

2010-02-24T20:54:00.009-05:00

It was another sunny, warm day in Thailand. Sorry to tell you that!! :) We had an early start to drive into the Northern Thailand mountains to visit a Hill Tribe village and then the Asia’s Hope orphanage on a farm in Wiang Pa Pow. There are 5 Hill tribes in Northern Thailand with 2 or 3 sects in each tribe. The orphan situation in Thailand is different than in Cambodia but there is still a great need here. In Cambodia, poverty, land mines, farming accidents and diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis, malaria and typhoid claim many lives, leaving children abandoned. There is a cultural norm that also factors in the orphan situation, where if a Cambodian woman is widowed and she chooses to remarry, her new husband will not take in children from a previous marriage. In a culture where women can often not survive with a male head of the household, there are many women that abandon their children or leave them with elderly family who then die. In Thailand, the Asia’s Hope ministry is focused on rescuing the children of the Hill Tribes. These tribal people have lived in this country for centuries, but the Thai government chooses to not recognize them as people. They have no government ID, which then means they cannot not get health care, basic government services and often no education. The children who are orphaned in this situation are very vulnerable to the sex-slave trade and the drug lords. Because these children are basically unknown to the government system, they are stolen from their villages, often drugged and put into the child prostitution rings in the large cities of Thailand. Never to be seen or heard from again. Young boys are often forced into being drug runners,who when caught are just shot, killed then replaced with another “disposable” life. Tutu, the Thailand director, is from one of the Hill tribes and gives her testimony about the first missionary to reach her village with the good news of the Gospel. She now has such a passion for rescuing these children and reaching them with the Gospel. Changing young lives to impact her country.

The Hill Tribe village we stopped at today was one of the Lasu villages. A winding, rough unpaved road back into the mountains brought us to a small village of about 60 families. There were some thatched bamboo huts but also a few wooden homes. This village was in much better shape than the one we visited last year. We found out from our American missionary friends that that tribe has moved to an unknown location. It was a blessing to see God at work back in this remote village. We stopped at a small building just being completed that will serve as a church for this community - pictured above with Mike Flinchum, the American missionary in front of it. The pastor will be the father of a young Lasu man who serves in orphanage as a director. In the last year they have had 12 commitments to Christ and 6 baptisms. Our knowledgeable guides explained how incredible this is, as this tribe has a history of being very closed to the Gospel message. Praise God for the faithful who have continued to bring his message to these people and for his power to change lives for His Glory!

We traveled on to the farm at Wiang Pa Pow. The farm here is about 17 acres and grows fruit, corn, beans, mountain rice and other vegetables for the orphans, as well as raising chickens and pigs. Asia’s Hope uses these resources to feed the children. Wooster Grace Brethren has also opened the first orphanage here, housing them in the existing farm house on the property. Five widows also live here, weaving products and helping with the farm and the children. The pictures are of one of the widows weaving and then the finished products on Ron and Madeline. It takes 3 full days of weaving to make one shirt! We had another wonderful Thai lunch, toured the farm and then visited with the children. There is another team of 4 people here visiting from Illinois and Missouri. There had a coloring Bible activity to do with the children, then we helped the children make duct tape flowers. This craft has been a huge hit with the kids! As we were working to teach the children how, one little girl was very “independent” and a bit bossy with the other children. An “I’ll do it myself and I show you how” attitude. Debbie quietly said she had something to share with me later about this little girl. Good- byes then back in the trucks for the 1 ½ hour drive back. As we were driving back, Debbie shared with me that this beautiful little orphaned girl had been raped 3 times by different men in her village! Her controlling behavior was stemming from her attempt to have some control in her life. Asia’s Hope is getting her professional help and she is making good progress. My heart was broken and convicted for not seeing beyond her behavior! Forgive me Lord and never let me forget to pray for her!

An evening visit to Doi Saket 3 orphanage on the return trip home to sing praise songs, have a time of prayer, a reenactment of David and Goliath by Ron & Greg and duct tape flowers ended our night. The children of this orphanage took individual turns standing to pray aloud for each other and for our team, from the oldest child of about 14 years old to the young 3-4 year olds. How moving to hear God’s precious children pray, even when I couldn’t understand a word!

We will end our time here tomorrow with a morning team devotional, then off to the airport for a 1:30pm flight. Long days filled with hugs, smiles, tears, challenges, sorrow, prayer and praise will burn in our hearts and memories…..hopefully to keep these children close even after we return home…..all God’s children…..all in His Grace!

(Note: this is posting the day after I wrote it due to internet issues in Thailand. We are now in the Taipei Taiwan airport for a 6 hour layover then a 12 1/2 hour flight to LA. See you soon)

Snapshots

2010-02-23T20:25:00.017-05:00

Here are a few snapshots from our week in Thailand - enjoy!

Elephants and Ice Cream

2010-02-23T09:54:00.017-05:00

This morning we had some free time, so we were able to take in some of the Thailand culture. We started with a trip to the Maesa Elephant Camp to see the elephants perform many exciting feats such as kicking soccer balls, throwing darts at balloons, painting pictures, as well as, demonstrations of strength moving large logs and while stacking them in a wall. Then 4 team members took an elephant ride through the camp and along some very steep paths. We were able to see some of the beautiful scenery. The elephants enjoyed a treat of sticky rice and greens for their hard labor. The tourists can feed them bananas and sugar cane, which are for sale throughout the camp. It's quite amazing sitting on top of these powerful but gentle giants, thinking about how awesome God's creativity is! Today was another DEEDA Day to use writer, John Ortberg's expression.

Our next stop was to an orchid farm for lunch. We had the privilege of having Tutu's brother, Bee and her son and daughter-in-law, Zach and Ying dine with us. It was a great buffet style Thai and Western restaurant where we were once again to sample some of the country's cuisine. Did I mention I like to eat??!! HaHa! Then off to the snake show. #1 in all of Asia! If you believe the MC! The team enjoyed the show and some exciting interaction with the snake handlers. Some team members actually touched and handled the snakes, while others were terrified! More of God's amazing creatures.

After a short afternoon break, we were heading back to Doi Saket 1 orphanage to treat the orphans to ice cream. A treat we were told they haven't had since October of 2008, when we were last here. The joy on the children's' faces would melt even the coldest heart. We had purchased enough for the children to have 3 servings each! After the goodies were cleaned up,
Greg shared a message with the children. Zach translated to Thai for those that don't know English. Greg spoke about God's word and prayer being our living water to carry us through tough times, as these children and staff have been going through. They applauded Greg. They also sang songs of praises, sometimes almost shouting in their language. How pleased God must be as He listens to the children. The night ended with many hugs and good-byes. Please remember to pray for these children and all the orphan children.

Submitted by Dave & Karen Huber

MMMMARvelous Day

2010-02-22T10:01:00.005-05:00

Today was a great day! We met this morning early for devotionals, which included a great time of discussion about persevering in our faith when we are being attacked by the enemy,no matter what avenue that might be.
We then went out to Doisiket One, and as a group we painted the whole inside of the nursery which consisted of the main activity room and four bedrooms.We were singing and having a great time, when we came across an old DVD player and the only DVD we had was a praise baby DVD that we found behind some furniture. As we continued painting it seemed so appropriate to be listening to kid's praise music as we were painting a nursery! God is good!
When we headed back to Zach & Ying's house,we didn't have the key to get into their driveway gate, so we parked outside in the alley to wait for someone else to bring it. In the mean time Zach got his guitar out of the car and we started to sing praise songs. It was a great time and we had a few of the neighbors looking out to see what was going on. God allows you to just keep planting seeds!
Zach & Ying are expecting their first child which should arrive this week, or next week for sure. She is due March 3rd. As a team to thank them for allowing us to stay in their home, we purchased a baby bed and some supplies to help to get them started. They were both very surprised and appreciative.
We then got cleaned up and headed out to Doisiket 3 & 4 which are side by side. They fed us a great meal and then we were treated to worship and praise songs down at Doisiket 4. Ron told the story of David & Goliath to the children, and I am sure you probably can guess what part I played. Everyone had a great time with it, and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. We then ended the evening praying for the staff and for one of the children who is having surgery next week.
I know I won't have the opportunity to talk to everyone that has read all the blogs so far, but if God is tugging at your heart even a little bit, please pray how you can become involved in this ministry and possibly make the trip yourself. Believe me it is an awesome experience that will bless you more than you can imagine!! Take care and God bless!!

Submitted by Greg

Celebration of Life

2010-02-21T10:00:00.008-05:00

Madeline Anderson reported on today's team activities - thanks for her willingness to share!

Madeline writes - A special memorial service was held this morning with all the children and staff from Doi Saket 1-4. The children sang beautifully and I don't think there was a dry eye as this was the first opportunity to mourn the loss of Duang, who was recently killed in a traffic accident. Four of our team members knew him and his family from their previous visit - and for those of us who had never met him we quickly found how much he was loved and will be missed. Ron, Greg and Dave all had an opportunity to share with the group and everyone in attendance was comforted by their kind words and the obvious love they feel for Duang, the children and staff of Asia Hope.

After worship we went to the hospital to visit his wife and daughter who were also injured in the accident. They are not only suffering from their physical wounds, but struggling as they grieve the loss of Duang. Many family members and friends have been vigilant in supporting them and sharing in their grief. While we witnessed the sorfriends of loss, we also got to peak down the hall where our hosts, Ying and Zach, will be be delivering their first child within the next few days - a time that will be joyful and filled with hope. It has been fun at the house with the possibility of the birth occurring during our visit (we wonder if the guys will pace the floors in anticipation should that occur!).

During our visit, we found the hospital to be an interesting place - like literally stepping back in time. The rooms were all wards, mother and small daughter in beds side by side, the nurses dressed in white uniforms and nursing caps, and the technology very outdated. The ER and several other areas were open to the street with no windows and construction was in progress while patients arrived for treatment! It is a Christian hospital, one of the best in the area, but we all agreed it was not a place any of us would want to be treated.

We then attended an afternoon bible study for college girls. It was great to hear the various areas of studies they had chosen and to learn how they live and work together in a small house, living Godly lives as they work to advance themselves and the gospel. Darlene and I gave them a few words of encouragement and they all visibly appreciated Darlene's motherly advise and prayer for them.

We spent the remainder of the evening in Chiang Mai at the night market (an outdoor farmers type market). We ate dinner at McDonald's and I was able to coax Ron into ordering the "Double Big Mac" (yes, I did my part Wendell)! After shopping for a few last minute gift purchases, we ended the night at Starbucks as Darlene was going through Frappuccino withdrawal.

It was day of mixed feelings for all of us - sadness, tears, sorrow, joy, laughter, awe and happiness as we experienced so many different emotions throughout the day together. We all feel so blessed to witness and participate in being part of God's family, a family that the orphans of Asia's Hope are are growing and thriving in. Praise God!

On Thai Time now!

2010-02-20T20:30:00.003-05:00

While the lifestyle and pace of Cambodia is certainly slower and different than the US, we hit another pace here in Thailand. We lovingly call it - Thai Time! The culture here is very relational and not time-based at all. If you are in conversation with someone and need to be somewhere, the conversation and the relationship is the highest priority! We could learn something from that! Most of our day on Saturday was spent in travel to Thailand. There is no direct flight from Phnom Pehn to Chiang Mai, so we had to fly to Bangkok then onto Chiang Mai.

Our plans had been to stay in a hotel here, but the Asia's Hope Thai staff insisted that we stay with them. Again their servants' hearts and their desire for relationship. So we are staying in 2 groups - 6 of us are staying with Zack & Ying - the son and daughter-in-law of Tutu(the Thailand country director). Ron and Madeline are staying with Tutu. We unpacked, experience a Thai grocery shopping excursion then off to the largest orphanage in Chiang Mai. Doi Saket 1 is actually in a suburb of Chiang Mai. This orphanage houses 90 children - 40 boys, 40 girls and 10 babies. The girls here are the children who have lost their father. They served us a Thai dinner and we spent some play time with the kids.

We are preparing to head to the worship center this morning. Their Sunday morning service is normally a 2 hour service with worship and an American missionary, Mike Flinchum, preaching in Thai. This morning will be very different. The staff has planned a memorial service for their deceased staff member, Duang. They have had no service for the children to participate in and have closure. Please pray for our team that we can be a comfort to these children and staff this morning. That we can hug, hold and comfort each child that needs it and that we can support the staff as they minister to the children and each other. May God's grace, love and comfort flow through us in spite of the language barrier.

Madeline's whirlwind day in Cambodia

2010-02-19T09:12:00.004-05:00

SHE'S HERE! Our team is complete now, as Madeline arrived safely at 10am this morning -Friday Cambodia time (Thursday night Ohio time). We are so glad to have her with us for the remainder of the trip. She had a whirlwind taste of the culture and atmosphere of Phnom Pehn. After a quick trip to the hotel to freshen up, it was off to Tuol Sleng genocide museum. A visit to here is really necessary to get a better understanding of some of the reason why this country and these children live in the devastation and poverty that surrounds them. The atrocities commited by the Khmer Rouge in the early 70's has set this country back decades and it has still not recovered. To better understand that time period, check out the movie, The Killing Fields or there are numerous books on the pain and suffering of the Cambodian people. This museum was a high school before it was turned into a torture facility by the Khmer Rouge. You leave there with such a heavy heart over the fallenness and depravity of man and the evil that can prevail. I also praise God that there will be a day when this kind of evil will be no more and our good God wipes away the tears.

A quick stop at the Russian market - an open area city block covered with vendors for a few souveniors, an iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk - the Cambodian version of Starbucks! Then off to the Christian school run by Asia's Hope here in a suburb of Phenom Pehn. The depression of Tuol Sleng is immediately wiped away by the excited smiling faces of the orphans! As their gift to us, each of the 4 orphanages performed some of their traditional Cambodian dances. It was followed by a treat for them - corn on the cob and Cokes! Not what we would consider a treat but boy were they excited. It was wonderful to see the progress the children are making. Having the Christian school for training the children in grades K -6 makes such a difference in their English skills. One of the teenagers gave Madeline and I a tour of the school and told us how many of the children that have been taught at the Asia's Hope school are then the top of their class in the public high school. What a blessing! When you ask these children about their future, they will tell you what they dream of doing but always with the goal of glorifying God and impacting their country for Jesus! WOW! To think that just a few years ago, the majority of them had never even heard of Jesus. Praise God!

Off to dinner for the team and we treated the orphanage parents to dinner also. The children went back to the orphanages with the other staff to do their daily evening devotionals and prepare for bed. They get up at 5am every morning, attend school Monday - Saturday and are in bed by 9pm each night. Long days for them! It was such a pleasure to spend time with these orphan parents - the love they have for the children flows out of them. They don't get vacations and seldom get a night away from the children. We were so glad to pray over them and encourage them in the wonderful work they are doing in the lives of these children.

Tomorrow is an early morning for us as we fly to Thailand to serve there. Please pray for us as we minister to our Thai brothers and sisters in their loss. Grieve with those who grieve, mourn with those who mourn.

Tears and Roses

2010-02-18T08:54:00.010-05:00

Today was our last day in Battambang... and our team knew it was going to be a tearful departure after spending 5 days with our new family at BB3.

Since the smaller children did not have school, we spent some time early in the morning with our older kids before they went to school. We then had breakfast, packed and said goodbye to the Kaines, missionaries from GBIM, and then returned to our orphanage to say our final goodbyes.

The children all signed their welcome banner and presented it to us for our sponsors at Crossroads. The team was able to hangout with the children - working on duct-tape flowers, playing soccer and exchanging many hugs. As the time approached for our departure, we gathered the children for a prayer of blessing, The tears began to flow as we realized that we would not see each other for another year! I knew this would be tough, but had no idea how difficult it would be to leave our new family.

After many, many hugs and tears, we loaded-up the van hand headed south to Phnom Penh. I'm sure that the team members who experienced this trip will share their experiences and how this ministry is caring for these orphans who would otherwise be in distress.

Cornhole, Christmas and Compassion

2010-02-16T10:41:00.011-05:00

Our last full day in Battambang was filled with a number of projects to complete. The finishing touches on the cornhole boards in the morning and they were ready for competition in no time. Paint dries fast in this Cambodian heat!! The game had to become cornhole-Cambodian style, as the guys never could find the tools they needed to cut the holes and sand them. Where is Home Depot when you need them! Getting anything done here means multiple stops and many small shops and sometimes with no luck in finding what you need. As I had warned the team before our travels, flexibility is the name of the game here! So instead of putting the bags through a hole in the board, they score points for landing on the circle. The kids didn't seem to mind and caught onto the game very quickly. The next team to visit will have to look out! I think we will have some champion cornhole players over here. We reminded the children to think of us whenever they see the O-H-I-O! Sorry any of you Crossroads Michigan fans, but you do live in OHIO! :) The guys were able to complete 3 sets of boards - one for our orphanage and 2 sets to stay at the orphanage complex where there are 3 homes. We also prepared for the evening Christmas party and did some Cambodian shopping for a locking medicine cabinet for our orphanage. The parents were concerned about keeping the small children out of medications and now we have provided that resource for them. Two other needed items are a file cabinet for record-keeping and a sewing machine. We will be making arrangements tomorrow to provide those items for our children. Again such simple things that we take for granted!

The evening was filled with a Christmas party for the children. Many of our sponsors provided an array of gifts for their children, which Karen and I sorted, wrapped and organized for distribution. There were even gifts for the parents, their family and the staff of our home. As Don spoke of last night, they give to us in humble service. So before we shared our gifts to them, their gift to us was some special entertainment and dancing of their traditional Cambodian dances. What a treat! (When we get a little better internet, I hope to post a video for you to enjoy.) Then Christmas gifts! We distributed to each individual child and snapped many pictures. The children returned to their seats with unopened gifts and very patiently waited until each child had their gifts before the madness began! Christmas morning multiplied by 24!! Savy and Sem, the parents, do an amazing job with these children. They are very well mannered, considerate and so grateful for each little hug and kind word. They were very excited and so thankful for the gifts. The staff was tearfully thankful that they were included. Each of the ladies received a prayer shawl from our prayer shawl ministry and some jewelry. It was sticky hot, but they wore those shawls all evening!! Some ice cream bars and dancing to Christmas music completed the night.

It will be so hard to say good-bye in the morning. The team is heading to the orphanage at 6am to see the oldest children off to school! Many of the younger ones have a day off tomorrow, so we will spend a little time with them before the 5 hour ride to Phnom Pehn. The four of us that visited here 15 months ago, are still amazed at the change in these children - from hopeless, blank looks from malnourished faces...to joyful smiles, praising our Lord and healthy-looking children. God is so good! These children grab your heart the moment you meet them.

Darryl shared some of his heart and thoughts for us. Darryl served in the Vietnam war and this has been quite an experience for him. When deciding to help sponsor a child in our orphanage, his heart was drawn to a little girl with a Vietnamese/Cambodian heritage. Here are his thoughts: " Why did I choose to sponsor ThiLing (pronounced TeLing)? My first thought was to help a child in such an underdeveloped country and then secondly because she was Vietnamese. I chose her because of my service in the Vietnam was from 1968-1969. I wanted to find give something back to these people. I didn't realize until later, as we prepared for the trip, that she also has 2 sisters (ThiYang & ThiSang) and 1 brother in the orphanage. Through the hard work of Asia's Hope, she now has citizenship in Cambodia. My sponsorship of ThiLing helped me to decide to sign up for the mission trip here. There was an instant bond between us - before ThiLing even knew I was a sponsor! God works in mysterious ways. I was a little apprehensive at first but after meeting ThiLing and the rest of the children, I would recommend this trip to anyone! Go if you have the chance! It will change your life immensely. It has mine. "

I would just like to add that watching Darryl's love, compassion and care of the children this week has been an amazing blessing. He has not only poured out his love for his sponsored child, her siblings but the other children as well. He has been the hands and feet of Jesus to children that so desperately need love, especially God's love, grace and hope.

Soccer fun!

2010-02-16T09:34:00.014-05:00

Today was a mixed day of learning more about the Cambodian culture, so we can better understand the situation the children come from and deal with in everyday life and then dinner and fun with the children.

The children were having a busy school day today, so the team drove about 3 hours to visit Angkor Wat - one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world and the premier tourist attraction in Cambodia. The travel up through the northern villages of Cambodia gave a view of everyday life in this culture. From cows, pigs and other animals wandering aimlessly along the road and stopping traffic, to families cooking their breakfast meal over open fires outside of barely standing huts, to children seen digging through a dump area for food left from the night before. With over 1 million orphans in this country, I couldn't help but wonder if those children were orphans just trying to survive. The poverty, lack of infrastructure and faces of hopelessness are often overwhelming. Even the tourist wonder of Angkor Wat reflected that hopelessness, as children beg you to purchase their many trinkets and the many temples and shrines built to carve stone idols surround you. All speaking to the bondage of the Hindu & Buddist religions that has held this country for centuries. The Angkor Wat temples are ornate with carvings to the gods and were built to appease a ruling dynasty in the 12th century. Throughout this large complex, you could see people still worshipping and offering sacrifices to Buddha and other gods.

It was a relief to return to the joy of the orphanage and the children praising God. The children first treated us to dance and songs of praise, then we shared our evening meal with them - a wonderful Cambodian meal prepared by the staff of BB3 - yummy!
The good meal was followed by Don Kuenzli sharing with the children about his daughter, Alex's ministry - Soccer Kicks 4 Kids. Alex's ministry collected soccer balls and enough jerseys for all the boys and a goal keeper jersey for Savy, the father of the orphanage. We had bracelets for the girls, that were purchased by team members from the children at Angkor Wat. The evening was then filled with soccer balls, hand games and dancing. As we shared these balls with the children, Dave noticed three very poor children standing outside the orphanage gate just watching. Praise God! Don had some extra balls and shared them with these children. What smiles!

In closing, I have asked the team members to write some thoughts and reflections about their experiences here to share with you. I thought I would share Don's thoughts tonight as Alex's ministry so blessed these children today!

Don writes "The children of BB3 have opened my eyes to what being a servant really is. I came with the Go Missions team to serve in some small way but I end up being the one served. From the moment we pulled into BB3 the children are so eager to show you love. The hugs are non-stop. They go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable, whether it is something to drink, a cloth to wipe sweat, a place to sit or that ever present smile, their love is conditional. I think back in my life to how many times I have done something but deep down wanted something in return. My prayer is that I can become more like these children and serve people unconditionally."

How true that God uses so many ways to teach us, stretch us and grow us, if we are just willing to step out in faith and be obedient.

Tragedy in Thailand

2010-02-16T08:29:00.001-05:00

Sometime yesterday we learned of the tragic death of Duang, one of the key members of the staff of Asisa's Hope in Thailand. He was very well loved by other staff members and, especially, the kids. I have included a link to the blog of John McCollum, the Director of Asia's Hope.

http://www.asiashope.org/directors-blog/

Please take a moment to read over this and then be in prayer for Duang's family, the staff and kids.

Chinese New Year in Cambodia

2010-02-15T09:49:00.010-05:00

Today was a national holiday in Cambodia - so most of the stores, shops, and schools were closed. This presented a problem for our team because we planned to introduce the orphanages to a good old Ohio yard game - corn-hole! So, the guys took off early in the morning in search of plywood, screws, paint and tools. After looking all over town for a shop owner who was open and had plywood, we finally headed back to BB3 to start fabrication. Dave, Darryl, Don and Greg worked on fab and paint while Savorn and I ran errands for the team. The project had many helpers since the kids were eager to assist in any way possible. After a few hours, the team had the plywood boards assembled and partially painted, while the girls helped make the toss bags. Since we could not find or borrow a hole saw or jig saw, we decided to paint a target circle on the plywood until the proper tools could be found (hopefully before we leave!). While the paint was drying, we were able to hang-out with our kids (playing games, singing, having a great time getting to know them!).

This evening, we took all of the Asia's Hope orphanage parents to dinner as a special thanks for the excellent care they provide for the kids in Battambang. We had a great time with the staff at a Cambodia style outdoor BBQ restaurant. After that, it was back to the hotel to get ready for another full day.

Although the simplest tasks seem so difficult, we were reminded that it was really about working and playing with our kids at BB3. It doesn't get better than that!

Joy!

2010-02-14T04:10:00.008-05:00

What a joyful time praising our Lord with the orphans from all 5 Battambang orphanages today! There are 145 children in Battambang and 25 staff members. To listen to them worship with such enthusiastic child-like joy, lifts your heart in ways that is so hard to describe. At times I would just close my eyes and image the joy our Lord must feel when we, his children, lift our hearts, hands and praises to Him....blending the many tongues of his many nations in one voice. It was amazing to spend this time with these wonderful children! Our last trip here due to our schedule, we didn't have the priviledge of worship with the children from Cambodia - what a treat! They not only celebrate the joy of the Lord through songs of praise but with dance, which is a part of their rich culture. Tears well as the children, even the littlest raise their voices and dance with all their heart!

They also have a new worship pavilion where all 5 orphanages can join in worship together. What a blessing! Just over 15 months ago, the area where there are now 3 orphanages and the worship pavilion was mostly rice patties, mud and swamp with only the shell of the 1st permanent building for the children. It is now home to 3 of the orphanages, playground, a pond, room for a garden and the worship facility. What a transformation! God is so good! Savorn, the country director for Cambodia, is asking for our prayers that some day soon, all the children could have permanent homes at this site. The land is there but not the buildings. There is also room for expansion as God provides. This is one of the new orphanages on this land.

The afternoon was filled with more "joy" as we treated all the children and staff to a outing to a local pool. Even in this hot, humid area city, it has been over a year since the children were taken for a swim! Laughter and hugs of thanks, splashing and jumping with pure unbridled joy on the face of the children as they thoroughly enjoyed this blessing. When was the last time, we gave shouts of joys for the simple blessing in our lives??!! Do we even stop to say thanks or do we rush right by them? Can we dance, sing and praise with the child-like joy that melts a father's heart - our Father's heart? The Lord sure spoke to me loudly this day about the joy that comes only from his goodness, his grace and his love! I think I feel like dancing!!!!

WE MADE IT MINUS ONE!

2010-02-13T09:51:00.008-05:00

The mission team to Asia's Hope is on the ground and ready to crash for the night! What a journey! When Jesus told us we would have trials and tribulations in this life, but promised He would always be there for us. The struggles started with a reservation issue for Karen Huber on the first of our 3 flight journey. After 45 minutes of dilemma at the ticket counter, texting the Crossroads staff to pray and the mission team praying also, a "seat suddenly opened up" - Praise God for answered prayer!!! On to the 5 hour flight to LA with all 8 team members. Then another snag as we prepared to take the next 14 hour leg of our journey. Due to a passport issue, they would not let Madeline Anderson continue on to Cambodia with us. A change in the law now requires a passport to be more than 6 months from its expiration date to travel to another country. WHAT!! Madeline's passport missed it by 1 week! It was 3am Ohio time, so we didn't wake the staff for prayer again!!!! But we were praying! In times of enemy attack like this glitch felt like, it is so good to know we serve a sovereign God who is in control when we have no control! His promise to use all things for good for those that love him resounds in times like this! How hard it was to leave her there but He calls us to trust and believe in his goodness and grace! He also tells us to pray! Please be praying for Madeline to be able to get a seat on the Sunday flight and join the team asap. If not, it will be Friday before she joins us! Thank God she has an aunt in LA and her passport issue is resolved. Now we need that flight to open up!!
I am thankful to report the rest of the flights went well and the team landed in Phnom Pehn at 10am Saturday (10pm Friday Ohio time) safe sound and with all 7 of the other team members! Off for a 5 hour van ride to Battambang, a quick shower, dinner and some special hugs with our Battambang 3 kids! Time to crash as my mind and fingers have quit working! More later! Please pray!

They are off!

2010-02-11T11:40:00.007-05:00

The Crossroads Go Mission team just left the cold frosty parking lot at Crossroads on their long journey to Asia where 95 degrees awaits them! Much more importantly - the faces of smiling Cambodian orphans await them!

We helped pack them up this morning at Crossroads and then prayed them on their way.

PLEASE pray without ceasing the next two weeks while our team serves in Cambodia and then in Thailand. Pray for safety, protection from illness and most of all that God's Kingdom will be multiplied as a result of their visit!

This is Lori Biddle encouraging you to follow their journey on this blog as well as the Crossroads Facebook page!

Mission Team 2010 to Asia

2010-02-07T12:04:00.009-05:00

An eight member team for Crossroads heads to Southeast Asia this Thursday, February 11th. The team members are (front row left to right) Ron Biddle, Dave Huber, Darryl McGinty, Greg Rudrick, (back row left to right) Madeline Anderson, Karen Huber, Darlene Rudrick and Donald Kuenzli. After a 31 hour travel, the team will arrive in Phenom Penh, get in a van and travel 5 more hours to Battambang, Cambodia - a city in northern Cambodia. Asia's Hope has 5 orphanages in this city including our sponsored orphanage - affectionately known as BB3. ( See their picture below) While in Battambang, we will get to spend Sunday morning worship with the children of all 5 orphanages, do some special activities will all the children, help them with their English skills, have some fun time and spend a special evening with our sponsored children, throwing them a Christmas party. The sponsoring families and small groups of our Crossroads family have purchased some special items for their children to enjoy at this late Christmas celebration. We also have some other building activities and projects planned for serving the orphans. We will spend our last 2 days in Cambodia back in Phenom Penh, serving the children of those 5 orphanages, visiting the Asia's Hope Christian school there and experiencing some of the culture of Cambodia. Having been on this trip before, I found out how important it is to visit and experience some of the culture these children are being raised in, so we know how we can help to serve them! If you have never had a chance, check out The Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge. We will visit Tuoel Sling prison which reflects the horror of this time in the Cambodian history. Though it was in the 1970's, that time period still affects this country deeply!

Then onto Chiang Mai, Thailand for more serving in the orphanages of Asia's Hope there. There are 5 orphanages in the Doi Saket, Thailand area just outside of Chiang Mai. We will also get to spend Sunday worship in Thai! What an experience to blend our languages to a God who hears and understands it all! We will also get an opportunity to understand the Thai culture, visit the Hill Tribes of Northern Thailand and spend time on an Asia's Hope farm that has orphans and widows, as well as, growing food for the orphans. We return to the US on February 26th.

We can't wait to go and serve the Lord in these countries. We have been preparing logistically, along with spiritually and emotionally through 40 days of prayer and Bible study as a group. Please pray for this team as we are entering countries where only about 2% of the population are Christians. There is a spiritual darkness in these strongholds of Satan that is sometimes overwhelming! When you realize that each of these children had a very high potential to be kidnapped and placed into the child sex slave/ drug running trade of these countries, every hug of a rescued child becomes a special blessing from God......and we get more hugs than we can count!! Then you look at the streets and in the Hill tribe villages, see many more children still at great risk and your heart breaks as you want to do more! We need your prayers to sustain us, encourage us and to seek God's wisdom and guidance for our role as a church through Asia's Hope. We will try to blog daily as our internet access allows and welcome your comments of encouragement and support!

GYMN updates from Nepal

2010-02-02T13:51:00.004-05:00

Jomesh Tamang - Nepal

I am listing below a recent blog-post by Jomesh Tamang from Nepal. He was here last fall to share with our small groups and was at the Meet & Greet in Town Square our 1st Wednesday in Novemeber. Jomesh, just finished hosting a team of three GYMN (Global Youth Ministry Network) trainers from the Philippines into Nepal, where together they trained 75 youth leaders. These leaders on average impact at least 20 other youth. This training alone will impact over 1500 young people. Wow! Jomesh is a coordinator of trainings as a volunteer currently and GYMN would love to have Jomesh on staff when additional funds are available. Since Nepal neighbors India and China (the two most populous countries in the world) GYMN sees this as very strategic. Check out our link to Global Youth Ministry Network's blog to get more information on this vital, dynamic ministry!

Youth leader worships at recent GYMN trainings

Jomesh states the following about the situation in Nepal:

“Nepal used to be the only Hindu kingdom in the world. But then two years back the Maoist-led government declared this country as a secular state which allowed every individual to practice their faith openly.

The church growth in Nepal is as rapid as in other Asian countries. God is moving so mightily in this little country to build and make His Kingdom lifestyle to each and every individual, raising and reviving His Church where there are lots of belief systems and people have many confusion about the spirit world and frustrated by their own belief systems. God is raising pastors, leaders, evangelists, bible teachers, speakers, women leaders, children ministers, youth leaders and worship leaders in this country to draw His dear children into His kingdom.

Level 1 and Level 2 Trained Christian Youth Leaders

God allowed me to speak in many big youth conferences in the year 2006 and I asked the same question to the youth leaders who attended those conferences throughout the country “How is the youth ministry in your church?” Almost everybody replied. “I am a youth leader in the church not because I am trained and know how to lead youth but because there was no one…”

Those answers really caught my heart and I knew since then that most of the churches have no idea about youth ministry— this has been my passion since then to train youth leaders of the local churches to see their youth ministry become more effective in discipling young people in God’s way and their leaders to understand the value of youth ministry and trained youth leaders in the Church.

We praise God that He is raising God fearing young people in this country but then there is so much to do and to see Christian young people leading the change in the communities with Kingdom value so that the Kingdom taste will be tested by everyone in this little beautiful country. This is why there is a need for training youth leaders and the youth ministry in Nepal.

Be praying and be a part of what God is doing in this nation.”

Jomesh Tamang
Youth Ministry Coordinator

Haiti in Crisis

2010-01-20T15:26:00.011-05:00

A devastating earthquake....untold numbers injured...uncountable death toll...aid and supplies not reaching people in time....scenes of destruction too overwhelming to comprehend.
Yet our hearts yearn to help in some way.....any way! Praises to our God who turns his ear to hear our prayers. Monthly, the GO Missions team at Crossroads encourages our congregation to Pray for The Nations by highlighting a different country from around the world. We are providing information on how you can pray for Haiti in the aftermath of this incredible disaster. Go to the Crossroads website, then to GO Missions under the Get Connected section. There is also information on the website about giving an online financial gift to Christian Services International (CSI). This is a Christian missions organization with a number of local supporters and board members. They have been active in Haiti for many years and have an established relationship with the people there, as well as, understand the physical, emotional and spiritual needs during this crisis. Below I have included a correspondence from the daughter of one of the CSI team members in Haiti. It gives just a small glimpse of what they are facing right now. I have included the link to the CSI website, so you can get more information about their ministry and about Haiti. Please pray for the Haitian people, for all the relief workers and for God's glory to be revealed and His saving grace proclaimed throughout this nation and around the world.

Linette Benson

Dad said 90% of the items from the guest house are out. They have to move out their apartment too, which we previously thought was safe enough. It's not. The house behind it will likely collapse onto it anytime, so they are trying to get everything out of that too. It's on the second floor, so they are also having to move out everything on the first floor- the food depot, the workshop with all the tools, the building materials. Lots of work.

Not sure when the house with collapse, but will happen soon (perhaps within the next week or so). Engineer listened to house with device and heard clicking sound. He said it would click and then eventually collapse. Pray they get everything out and no one is hurt when that happens. Also pray that they can find bags, boxes and more to pack with.

Jim (engineer) is still running tests on the orphanage to find out status. Should know by tomorrow. CSI is trying to acquire a tent to use for the HOPE girls. Dad talked to Wanda Woo from ABC and she said that the US military has all the tents taken, but she will do what she can to get a tent for them and to them. Pray that this would happen and happen soon.

Pray for security. With no security, my parents cannot bring in teams or open the clinic. If the doctors show up to work tomorrow, they will try to open the clinic. Pray for security so that more efforts can be made.

My parents sounded in good spirits and are doing well under the circumstances. Pray for continued strength for them. Pray for health for them as my dad can get kidney stones and back troubles randomly.

Lord Jesus, I pray for continued protection for them and wisdom as they seek to do your will in helping the people. I praise you for your perfect plan and pray that you will lead them in that direction. Bless my parents with health and rest. May they accomplish what they need quicker than anticipated. Lord, provide containers for my parents to use as the empty the guest house and their apartment. Keep them safe as they do this. I praise you for the opportunity they have to salvage things from the houses. Lord, raise up security for the different locations. May they be able to provide the much needed help. Equip them with your senses and give them the abilities they need. I ask all this in your precious and holy name. Amen!

Adopt -A-Child Moments

2009-12-20T09:53:00.003-05:00

Our 5th annual Adopt-a-Child is over and done, yet the moments continue to swirl through my heart. As we often experience during the busy Christmas season, memories are caught up in small snips of special moments, glimpses of God's grace and a sigh of "this is what Christmas is really all about". I often wish I could record those moments on video.....those intangible moments that burn in your mind and heart but words can't describe.

The tangible details of this year's Adopt-a-Child were that 600 children received large gift bags filled with wonderful gifts given by a very generous Crossroads family. Sixty-four bikes, fishing poles, baby strollers, Dora & Toy Story tables and chairs and very special collector porcelain dolls were part of the joy shared with these children. Dozens of cookies and hundreds of cups of coffee, cocoa and punch were served. Over 100 volunteers made the whole event go smoothly from the early fall days of planning to the final sweep of the broom as the clean-up was done.

Then those intangible moments that make it all worth while....a mother of four bursting into tears at the site of the many gifts her children were receiving - she thought they would get one or two items .....a young single dad jumping for joy that his little boy was getting a bicycle. He hugged everyone around him while expressing great gratitude for these gifts - not sure who will be more excited Christmas morning - dad or his son!! Long conversations with grandparents and great-grandparents that are raising their grandbabies in tough times.....hugs and handshakes....smiles and struggles shared....heads bowed in prayer and hearts connected......words of encouragement and words of a God of hope spoken into lives that so desperately need hope....volunteers who gave long, long hours and fatigue wiped away by the joy of a child...candy canes and cookies....Christmas carols and coffee.....as the Christmas season often does it sweeps by in a flash. We are left to stop, ponder and cherish those moments and then to thank our amazing God that he would allow us to play a small part in spreading His Love and His Grace this Christmas.

Thank you Crossroads for reaching deep into your hearts and your pockets this Christmas season. Your faithfulness in giving will reach deep into the hearts of these children and their families for more than just a moment!

For His Glory,
Darlene Rudrick
Go Missions Coordinator