Safely Home

We are back and glad to be with our families again. We are so grateful for your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for the children in Orlando as well as the team as they begin to catch up on missed work.
Praise be to God for His goodness to us!

Orlando Children's Church

As we drove into our ministry neighbourhoods early this morning, we were excited to see which kids would turn out and get on the bus. God did not disappoint! By the time we left the last stop the bus was packed with kids (more than 48 in total) and there was barely any room to sit.  Praise God for His work in these kids' lives. We pray that they will continue getting on that bus every Saturday morning.

OCC is quite the operation.  More than 300 kids (JK-high school) are bussed in on more than 12 school buses (driven by volunteers) each week.  The kids get a free McDonald's breakfast, play outdoor games, learn Bible memory verses and then 4 different services are conducted for different age groups. More than 100 volunteers show up every Saturday morning to help cook, pass out food, play with the kids, mentor kids, lead worship etc. This all started with a van and a vision, more than 7 years ago. And God has grown this ministry for His glory and for the sake of these Orlando children.

After some tearful goodbyes, we headed back to the church for lunch, spent the afternoon doing a bit of site-seeing and then just finished enjoying a nice dinner together.  We are full, we are tired, we are filled with gratitude and joy.  

Tomorrow morning we will spend sometime reflecting on the things God has shown us, attend church and then head to the airport to return home.  

Parents, we will be flying into Terminal 1 and are scheduled to land at 17:44 AC1867. See you tomorrow!

Kid's Club Wrap Up

Today was a very full and blessed day of ministry.

Our day began with sharing the Gospel message at four chapels at a Christian school and ended with our final day of Kid's Club. Today was the day we have been laying the groundwork for all week at Kid's Club because today was the day we each got to spend time with each of the children to review the Gospel and to pray. What a privilege it is to participate in spreading the Good News to children who are beautiful and precious in His sight! Today was also bittersweet as we had to say "Good-bye" to the children we have been ministering to all week. Hopefully, they will accept the invitation they have received and we will see them at Orlando Children's Church tomorrow. But more than that, our hope and prayer is that we will see all of them one day in heaven.

Mirna's Entry:
Today was probably the best day of my life. I had the privilege and honour to lead 3 girls to Christ! It was actually the best feeling in the world. I only got to know these girls for a couple of days but it was as if I've known them forever. Those girls mean so much to me and it was just a blessing for me to see that they genuinely understand the gospel. They really wanted to turn away from their sins and trust Jesus Christ. To know that I was there to start them on their walk with Christ was just something out of this world! PCA, you HAD to be there!

The Invitation to OCC

The team split into two groups in the morning. One journeyed to Heritage Christians school, where they
spoke in their three chapel services while the other group spoke at the Geneva Christian school. The experience was particularly meaningful as our team members had the opportunity to share their own Christian school experience in their testimonies. We were impressed by the theological knowledge of the younger children in particular. They had never seen the sketch board evangelism tool and were very excited to watch the stories and words come to life through it.

The weather was a bit cooler today, but that didn't stop the kids from coming out to Kid's Club.  In fact, there were the same number, if not more, of kids out today than the previous days.  They have now become accustomed to the program routine and our team has grown to know their names and care deeply for them.  We introduced the kids to the idea of Orlando Children's Church today and many have already expressed interest in attending. Please pray that their parents will be open to the idea and will in fact allow them to get on the buses this Saturday. 

"The team is now chillin' like a villain and preparing for the last day of Kid's Club", says Eleanor.  They use every free moment to rehearse their stories - it truly has been impressive. 

Unexpected Blessings

Our team came to minister in Orlando, but as always is the case with God's work, we have continued to receive more blessings than we could give.

In the morning, the team had the opportunity to share at a Christian fellowship club in a public middle school. When we arrived at the school, there was a large group of students waiting for us! As it is a public school, this group of young followers of Christ meet BEFORE school every Wednesday morning! After a time of open gym, we all shared in a time of worship with over one hundred students in attendance! This was followed by "prayer at the pole" (prayer around the school's flagpole outside of the school) led by Eli, the passionate young leader of this fellowship. Spending time with these young people so fired up for Jesus despite possible persecution from their non-Christian peers was very encouraging to our team and gave them some food for thought.





Some senior members of the church we are staying at really wanted to shower us with some love by serving us lunch topped off by ice cream sundaes! We were
all so incredibly blessed not only to be recipients of their loving kindness and thoughtfulness, but to also be able to spend time with such warriors for Christ - truly something we can all strive to be!

In the afternoon, on our way to Kid's Club, rain poured down in sheets - a great obstacle for outdoor ministry. In faith our team prayed for God to hold back the rain so we can preach the Gospel to children. The rain did continue to fall as
we arrived at our sites. However, lo and behold, God moved the clouds just over our sites (confirmed using online weather reporting!)! Despite the wetness after the rain, the children we have been ministering to all came out to greet us. Finally, to remind us of His sovereignty and power, the rain came pouring down RIGHT after we packed up our vans to leave our sites! Praise God!

Today was certainly a day of unexpected blessings.

"Jesus is alive, Jesus is not dead. I feel him in my hands, I feel Him in my feet! I feel Him inside of me!" - Prayer by the Pole Chant

Wednesday

Just a quick update to say that we had a very blessed day. It's getting late and we have an early start tomorrow. We will have a more extensive update posted tomorrow.

The Children Multiply

With a later start today, breakfast was at 8 am, we got to sleep for 9.5 hours last night. We are thankful for the extra time, as the rest of the week will likely have us waking up at 6:00 or 6:30. With no chapels scheduled for today, we used the time for devotions, training, praying and preparing for the next few days. What a sight it was to see each member rehearsing their lessons with each other and preaching the gospel as they practiced. 

Eric, our OAC team leader and trainer taught the students a new song today, with actions. Here's a sampling:

As we returned to the two locations for our afternoon Kid's Club, we were slightly nervous. We didn't know if the kids would return today or if they would bring their friends. For one group, it was so exciting to through the streets and see familiar faces greet us along the way.  Even before getting out of the van, some kids were introducing us to new attendees!  The other group was greeted by 2 kids when they arrived, which initially was disappointing, but as they set up, more and more kids gathered - what a reminder of God His work and drawing hearts in His time.

We are preaching the Creation Series this week and today's lesson walked the kids through the 7 Days of Creation. As part of the lesson, we got to help the kids look up a verse in the Bible. It was incredible to help the kids navigate the Bible and for some of them, watch them open the Bible for the first time. We ended with a few fun games of Tug of War.

Some are now playing games, some still preparing for tomorrow, some showering and we'll be meeting in 30 minutes to debrief the day together. The team is in great spirits.  Thank you for your continued prayers for unity.

Kid's Club Kick Off

After arriving at the Christian School this morning, we were told that the days had been mixed up and that we had been scheduled to lead the chapels on Thursday. So, we headed back to the church, where we're staying and utilized the time to rest, have group devotions and rehearse. The team was slightly disappointed by the mix up but were reminded that God's plan for us is always better than the plans we make for ourselves. Having the morning off allowed us to better prepare for the rest of the week. We are thankful.

During our group devotions, we read John Piper's well known quote, "Missions exists because worship doesn't". We're reminded that God is seeking worshipers who worship Him in spirit and in truth and ultimately, that is why we are here in Orlando.  One day, missions will no longer exist, but worship will last for eternity.

In the afternoon, we split into two groups and held Kid's Clubs in two neighborhoods. 'Incredible' would be a word we would use to describe the feeling we had as we went from kid counts of zero to watching in amazement as kids seemly came from no where to sit on our tarps for story time. Each team member played a vital roll in leading different parts of the Club - welcoming, leading songs and games, telling stories etc. In our reflection time this evening, everyone expressed their excitement for the opportunity to get to know the kids over the next four days. Please pray that the kids will continue to come and that they will eventually begin attending Orlando's Children's Church on Saturdays going forward.

As I type, the team is sleeping. Tomorrow we have a full day of training and prep with the kid's club happening in the afternoon.  Thank you for your continued support.

Long day of travel

We give thanks for God has been so good to us throughout Day 1. We got through customs without any problems, everyone remains in good health and good spirits even after a turbulent ride on the airplane and we are excited to begin telling the stories and sharing the object lessons that we've spent the last few months learning.  

During our rotisserie chicken dinner (thank you Sam's Club!),  we learned a bit more about this week's ministry opportunities. In the mornings, we will be chapel guest speakers at various Christian schools and in the afternoons, we will hold Kid's Camps in underprivileged areas of the city. As I write, the team continues to prepare. But lights out will take place soon. It'll be a very full day ahead that will begin with breakfast at 6 am and starting at 8am, we will be speaking in a string of three different chapels at a local Christian school. Please pray that everyone will rest well tonight.

Thank you for your continued support.

Safe Arrival

After a bumpy ride in the air, we are now at our place of residence for the week. The team is starting to prepare for tomorrow's very full day of ministry.

Thank you to the PCA sending team for coming to the airport to send us off.  It was such a treat to receive the plane letters from the school, the card from the Grade 9s and a few treats for the plane ride. We are so blessed.  

PCA Orlando Outreach 2014

We are departing tomorrow!

Meet at Pearson International Airport, Terminal 1, Pillar G @ 8 AM