Uganda Medical Mission Trip

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for reading. During the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I have been praying about whether or not I should go on a mission trip to Africa… specifically, to Uganda the first two weeks of June.

I know times are scary in the world politically and financially… but I have decided to go on a medical mission trip to Uganda. I would greatly appreciate your prayers to build me up spiritually as I prepare. This will not be my first mission trip, but it will be my first time EVER going outside the United States. I was in Canada for an hour, but that doesn’t really count.

I do feel strongly that this is something God wants me to do. I am very nervous, but also excited. When I originally applied for a mission trip last fall… there were two trips I considered. Both to Uganda. One was a medical mission trip, the other was a church planting trip. Because of the way things worked out, both of these trips were combined into one trip… so I will be very busy.

Here are some facts about where I will be going:

• The conditions are improving in the area where I will be going, but this is still a poverty stricken area. Just last year a water distribution center was built, meaning children no longer need to walk a mile carrying water.
• Last year, some people walked for three days and slept on mats outside the church to wait for medical attention. Crowds are normally 500 or more people at any given time needing medical care.
• Last year the mission team had trouble figuring out how to provide dental care. They thought hiring an American dentist to bring along for the trip would be a good idea… but that would be very expensive. So then, they realized there were dentists in Uganda… and were able to hire five dentists, a couple nurses, for three days in Uganda. Some of the team missionaries helped, and in three days they saw over four- hundred people… and treated the most severe children in need (normally having teeth pulled). The cost for hiring five dentists in Uganda, with a couple nurses, and all the medical supplies for three days was $300.
• The Lord’s Resistance Army is still active. If you do not know what this is, find the movies “Blood Diamond” or “Invisible Children.” Basically, children are kidnapped and then forced to become soldiers. They are active in Northern Uganda. Orphanages are overcrowded, and some of these children suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome because of the Lord’s Resistance Army.
• A child dies of malaria every thirty seconds in Africa. Malaria nets cost $11 each.

Before I can go on this trip I need your prayer support, and if you are able to give I will need your financial support. I must raise $3200 by the second week of May. My trip will be May 31st to June 14th. Costs include food, lodging, and the main cost is the airfare. I am not blind to the economy. If you are not able to offer financial support, your prayers are still needed.

Some of the things I will be doing on this trip (mission itineraries change, but this is their vision for the trip):

• One of the villages I will be at will have many children who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome because of military violence they have seen (or been involved in). I have no idea what I will be doing for these children who have been hurt by the Lord’s Resistance Army, so pray that God somehow makes me a blessing to them

• Helping to hang over 500 malaria nets in orphanages

• I am not a doctor, but I will be giving people numbers and praying over people as they stand in line waiting for medical attention for several hours.

• Doing basic repairs and chores around the orphanages

• We were not given many details about the church planting, but I will supply those details as they are made more clear

As I said before, I am very nervous but also very excited. This should be a life changing experience.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Sincerely,

Craig

Below you will find information from “New Life Church” explaining how to give so that your donation is tax-deductible. Contact information for the church is listed below. In addition, you will notice that the screen that pops up for online giving starts with HTTPS … the S means it is a secure connection like ones you get for banks.

Friends of New Life Church:

This Global Ministries Project is an approved short term initiative of New Life Church and will be conducted under the spiritual and administrative authority of New Life Church. Should you decide to participate financially, you may make a donation online.

1.) Visit www.newlifechurch.org.

2.) Click on the “Giving” icon.

3.) A separate window will open and you will be prompted to create an account which will ensure your contribution is tax-deductible. After doing so, select the participant’s team from the “Fund” drop down box. (UGANDA MEDICAL MISSIONS – ADULT TRIP).

4.) Then choose the individual to whom you are donating from the “Sub-Fund” drop-down list of names. (Craig Van Pelt).

New Life Church will issue a tax-deductible receipt in late January of the year following your gift. Should the participant not raise the required funds to participate in the short term initiative, any money in the participant’s Global Ministries Support account will be transferred to another team member or another New Life Global Ministries project at the discretion of New Life Church. If the participant raises more support than is needed, the excess will be transferred to another team member or another short term initiative at the discretion of New Life Church. All funds are given to New Life Church and are under their full accounting control.

Since all funds given represent a gift to New Life Church Global Ministries, no refunds are available.

Please call or e-mail if you have any questions regarding the tax-deductibility of your gift. Thank you in advance for your support.

For questions, contact New Life Church Global Ministries (because the internet has spam robot programs that scan for emails, the below email has spaces in it… remove the spaces if you wish to email Evan Martin):

Evan Martin
Pastor of Short Term Initiatives
New Life Church Global Ministries
emartin @ newlifechurch . org
(719)594-6602

or visit

www.newlifechurch.org

OUR DAILY BREAD — Does God Care?

Holy Bible, Mark 14:32-42, NASB: 32 They came to a place named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.” 33 And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. 34 And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” 35 And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. 41 And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

Mark 14:33-34: says that [Jesus] began to be troubled and deeply distressed… and He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.”

Phillip Yancey: “One dreadful year, three of my friends died in quick succession. My experience of the first two deaths did nothing to prepare me for the third. I could do little but cry.

I find it strangely comforting that when Jesus faced pain, He responded much as I do. It comforts me that He cried when His friend Lazarus died (John 11:32-36). That gives a startling clue into how God must have felt about my friends, whom He also loved.

And in the garden the night before His crucifixion, Jesus did not pray, “Oh, Lord, I am so grateful that You have chosen Me to suffer on Your behalf.” No, He experienced sorrow, fear, abandonment, even desperation. Hebrews tells us that Jesus appealed with “vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death” (5:7). But He was not saved from death.

Is it too much to say that Jesus Himself asked the question that haunts us: Does God care? What else can be the meaning of His quotation from that dark psalm: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Ps. 22:1; Mark 15:34).

Jesus endured in His pain because He knew that His Father is a God of love who can be trusted regardless of how things appear to be. He demonstrated faith that the ultimate answer to the question Does God care? is a resounding Yes!”

The aching void, the loneliness,
And all the thornclad way,
To Thee I turn with faith undimmed
And ’mid the darkness pray. — O. J. Smith

Thought for the Day
When we know that God’s hand is in everything, we can leave everything in God’s hand.

** all of this comes from something my friend Brian wrote, and he is much spiritually wiser than me **

Living Free from Sin

“If we started confessing our temptations to each other we would not have as much sin to confess.” -Brady Boyd, senior Pastor, New Life Church

Getting through a Crisis

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. — Ephesians 6:10-18, Holy Bible, NIV

During a crisis, praying the Armor of God over yourself is a powerful prayer. In addition, you should be praying BEFORE the crisis arrives. During good times, people get complacent when it comes to prayer… and when a crisis does come, they feel like they got caught with their pants down. You should be praying at all times, good and bad.

“What is the Armor of God?” — gotquestions.org

Many people forget that there are tough times in the Bible. Many people think that if God cared, God wouldn’t let bad things happen. Well… God does care about people, and the people in the Bible went through tough times.

Bad times do not mean God forgot about you. Bad times do not mean God does not hear your prayers. God hears every prayer.

So, if you are currently going through a foreclosure …

If you are depressed …

If you have recently lost a job …

Whatever your current challenge(s) may be…

Pray for the Armor of God each day. If you pray only for a few minutes on Sunday morning, you are missing out. Prayer needs to be done EVERY day.

In addition, the message in a sermon by Dr. Ken Ulmer is very powerful and encouraging.

http://video.newlifechurch.org/db_files/022209The_Rain_is_Coming.pdf

There is an audio version available here: THE RAIN IS COMING BY DR. KEN ULMER — http://www.newlifechurch.org/sermons/sermons.jsp?type=audio/mpeg

Prayer is a powerful tool. If you don’t pray, but would like to start, you can start right now.

Post your thoughts and questions below!

* * *

“Conversations with Jesus” focuses on my own walk with Jesus and also things in the news. These views and ideas are my own. Things expressed here do not represent any person, organization, or company (unless otherwise noted). If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe and tell your friends. Click here for other ways you can help.

Does God really hear our prayers?

I really enjoyed this sermon from last Sunday. It was about prayer, persistence, and reassurance that God does hear EVERY prayer. Sometimes we pray and feel like we aren’t getting results… this sermon suggests differently.

http://www.newlifechurch.org/displaypodcast.jsp?id=6

I strongly suggest you check it out if you ever get frustrated in prayer. When you visit the site, the sermon by David Perkins was on February 8th, 2009.

Forgiveness

Last night, the Ted Haggard documentary aired on HBO: “The Trials of Ted Haggard.”

Featured in the documentary was the male prostitute Mike Jones, and elders on the New Life Church board of Directors, and of course Ted Haggard. For those who do not know, Ted Haggard was the Senior Pastor of New Life Church… and he was nationally recognized for his faith and leadership. However, he had an affair with the male prostitute… which utterly devastated Haggard’s life and career.

I am not interested in debating homosexuality, and I am not interested in debating affairs or lies, and I am not interested in church politics. If that is what you are interested in, there are millions of other blogs you can choose from to debate those issues.

I am writing about forgiveness.

The hurt Ted Haggard caused New Life Church and the entire evangelical community was very deep. For some it still lingers. The hurt that the church and the national evangelical community caused Ted Haggard was also very deep. I don’t want you to judge the church, or judge Ted Haggard.

Don’t judge them — judge yourself. Search your life, your memories. Search your soul. Is there someone in your life that you have hurt? Or someone in your life that has hurt you? Pray for forgiveness… and if you are the one who has hurt someone else, ask that person to forgive you.

My Pastor at New Life Church, Brady Boyd, has been preaching about the Lord’s Prayer these past few weeks. His last sermon was about forgiveness.

Of all the things in the Lord’s Prayer, there is only ONE THING which Jesus immediately repeated.

Matthew 6:12, NIV: “Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors.”

Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Forgiveness is not an easy thing to offer, and if you are the offending party, sometimes it can be hard to accept forgiveness.

Depending on how your life is going, maybe you CAN forgive others… but you are having trouble forgiving yourself for something. Whatever it is… please pray about it, forgive… and then try to move on with your life. Clinging onto bitterness for any amount of time is not healthy.

I am not a Bible Scholar, but I do not think there is any message in the bible more important than forgiveness.

***

If you are struggling to forgive someone, pray about it… because knowing Jesus is about knowing forgiveness. If you don’t pray, but would like to start a relationship with Jesus, you can start right now.

Post your thoughts and questions below!

* * *

“Conversations with Jesus” focuses on my own walk with Jesus and also things in the news. These views and ideas are my own. Things expressed here do not represent any person, organization, or company (unless otherwise noted). If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe and tell your friends. Click here for other ways you can help.

 

My Daily Bread

The pastor at my church is doing a series on prayer. Last Sunday, he talked about daily bread in the Lord’s prayer. He suggested that daily bread is not just physical … but it can also be spiritual. That each day, we need to be recharged spiritually … I did not totally understand it, but I am guessing he meant with the Holy Spirit– or perhaps that Jesus is the bread. ** please note, I said I did not totally understand it **

I thought it was interesting though… because on days where I do not pray, things seem to be much worse. But on days where I do pray, even if I am dealing with the same circumstances… because I am praying, it doesn’t seem as bad.

Below is an email I sent to one of my friends… we were discussing the spiritual aspects of daily bread.

Our discussion was based also on the fact that bread is given daily… not too much (which might cause waste), not too little (which might cause me to need to steal), but enough to get you through the day.

Just thoughts below…

***

well… if things were easy for me, according to proverbs 30:8 … I would not need God. And if things were too hard, I would be cursing God. Last year, I was cursing God… despite the fact that my bills were paid every month.

I woke up early this morning, and was pondering Adam and Eve. I have been thinking about them off and on for the last four or five months. How could they have sinned?

Well… God designed us to want more of Him, and to give glory and praise to Him instead of taking credit for our successes. Sin twisted God’s design, ever so slightly. Because Eve wanted more in her life, she sought the apple to gain more knowledge instead of seeking more of God … and then Eve gave credit for her failure to the snake, and Adam gave credit for his failure to Eve. It was God’s design to want more and give credit, but sin twisted it ever so slightly.

Also, how man is never satisfied. We are supposed to never be satisfied with our relationship with God and to always want more of Him … but instead, we look at our lives on earth (which are brief), and we are not satisfied with our car, our apartment, etc … and we want more material things. David wasn’t satisfied with his life and wanted Bathsheba.

So I was pondering that this morning around 5 a.m. … interesting that proverbs 30:8 goes along with that, because if Adam and Eve had been satisfied with their lives… realized that God had given them all they would need (not too much or too little), they would not have eaten the apple. No more, no less… just enough. A lamp to my feet, not the entire road… but just to my feet so I can take the next step …

***

No matter what life throws at you, never forget the power of prayer to get you through life’s storms. If you don’t pray, but would like to start a relationship with Jesus, you can start right now.

Post your thoughts and questions below!

* * *

“Conversations with Jesus” focuses on my own walk with Jesus and also things in the news. These views and ideas are my own. Things expressed here do not represent any organization or company (unless otherwise noted). If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe and tell your friends. Click here for other ways you can help.

 

Finding Jesus during Hard Times

I have bible verses emailed to me everyday. Sometimes they really speak to me, sometimes it is just something to read, sometimes even hokey. I thought this one yesterday was interesting because of the timing… and about what I am going through.

Everything below (the verse, thought, and prayer) is from the emailed Bible verse I get every day.

VERSE:
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” — Romans 5:3-4

THOUGHT:
What are you living to produce in your life?Wealth? Fame? Status? Significance? Legacy? How about character! Isn’t having the
character of God our real goal in life? So even in our worst of times, if we can be people of character, then nothing can steal from us our most desired goal, the character of God, given us in Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:

Dear Father, please bless me so that I can be strong in difficult times and consistent in holy character. Please give me a heart of courage and compassion so that in some small way I can
more nearly remind others what you are like and what you can do in their lives. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

– heartlight.org

No matter what life throws at you, never forget the power of prayer to get you through life’s storms. If you don’t pray, but would like to start a relationship with Jesus, you can start right now.

Post your thoughts and questions below!

* * *

“Conversations with Jesus” focuses on my own walk with Jesus and also things in the news. These views and ideas are my own. Things expressed here do not represent any organization or company (unless otherwise noted). If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe and tell your friends. Click here for other ways you can help.

Why isn’t God answering my questions?

I don’t know why God isn’t answering all your questions. I don’t know why God doesn’t answer all my questions.

Here in Matthew, Jesus is talking about the end of the world, the coming of the Son of Man… when will that day be??–

Matthew 24:36, Holy Bible, NIV: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

When you are getting frustrated because you don’t feel like God is answering all your questions, just remember that there is one thing that God hasn’t even revealed to His own Son, Jesus Christ. However… Jesus doesn’t even seem concerned about that question. I don’t know… but maybe Jesus feels comfortable with God’s timing, and that is sufficient for Jesus? Maybe in the context of eterninty, Jesus doesn’t think about when the end of the world is coming… because life on earth is so finite and momentary, that Jesus knows it is coming “soon.”

Someone may tell you God isn’t answering your questions because you “aren’t right” with God. Honestly there may be validity in that statement. However… I don’t think you can be more “right with God” than Jesus… and there is one question that Jesus does not know the answer to.

Right now you are thinking: WHAT ABOUT MATTHEW 7:7-8???

Matthew 7:7-8, Holy Bible, NIV: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Honestly, I don’t know the answers to all of your questions about “Why isn’t God answering my questions!?” I can tell you that Matthew 7:7-8 doesn’t say anything about “when” God will answer.

Now you might be considering a different question. You might be thinking: I prayed to avoid foreclosure… but my house was foreclosed. Why didn’t God answer my prayer? Again, I don’t know the answer. However… even though my current apartment sucks, I know my house in Heaven is going to be totally rocking. Keeping an eternal perspective on existence helps deal with “life” from time to time.

Because I am going through things in my own life, there are questions I have been (am) thinking about and praying about.

No matter what life throws at you, never forget the power of prayer to get you through life’s storms. If you don’t pray, but would like to start a relationship with Jesus, you can start right now.

Post your thoughts and questions below!

* * *

“Conversations with Jesus” focuses on my own walk with Jesus and also things in the news. If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe and tell your friends. Click here for other ways you can help.

Hearing the Voice of God: 101

This is just a thought I had today. I do not know if it is right or wrong… it is just a thought.

HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD: 101

Jane gets up in the morning. She has made a vow to eat better and get in better shape. At 6 a.m., she sees a “Subway” sandwich commercial on tv.

On the drive to work, there is a “Subway” commercial which plays.

Jane is at work. One of her friends returns from lunch, and has half of a “Subway” sandwich leftover. Her friend offers Jane the leftovers, but Jane says no. When Jane gets her lunch break, she goes to McDonald’s.

“Dear Jesus,” Jane prays. “I am on a diet. Help me to know if I should order a small fry, or Diet Coke with my Big Mac.”

Jane waits, and waits… and waits. She does not hear the voice of God. Because she does not hear a NO for the fries, she orders the large fry. Jane is frustrated because she did not get an answer to her prayer…

…even though all day, she was getting different hints about “Subway”. If she had been listening … she would have gone to “Subway.”

**

This story is not to say God endorses “Subway” or that God condemns McDonald’s. If you read this and that is what you got… you are missing the point.

The point I am trying to make is… God is constantly talking to us through the Holy Spirit, sometimes answering prayers before I ask… but I am not listening. That is how I feel sometimes.

After I make a wrong decision, I can look back and see God was actually trying to point me in a different direction. For whatever reason… even though I was praying, I wasn’t hearing, even when I was trying to hear… sometimes I still went the wrong direction.

I think those are the most frustrating times for me… when I feel like I can look back and see all the signs saying — TURN RIGHT … but instead, for whatever reason, I ignored them and TURNED LEFT instead. When I am trying to be on the same page with God… but later realizing I am not even in the same chapter, is frustrating.

The nice surprise, which happens every now and again, is feeling like I am totally lost while searching for God’s direction… but later realizing I am right where God wants me to be…

gotquestions.org: Does God still speak to us today?

gotquestions.org: How can we recognize the voice of God

No matter what life throws at you, never forget the power of prayer to get you through life’s storms. If you don’t pray, but would like to start a relationship with Jesus, you can start right now.

Post your thoughts and questions below!

* * *

“Conversations with Jesus” focuses on my own walk with Jesus and also things in the news. If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe and tell your friends. Click here for other ways you can help.