Wichita – July 2009

I had many great experiences in Wichita.  I made great relationships and friends.  I met and ministered to many people from very different backgrounds.  I had many great times playing soccer.  It makes me feel very blessed just seeing some of the homes and children in the Hispanic neighborhood we served in. 

I enjoyed prayerwalking and talking to families in the Goddard community.  I really enjoyed the youth group that we had at the host church.  I realize that I not only need to live out my Christian life, but I need to minister to others by reaching out to them through missions.  My overall experience has been amazing and will impact my involvement on future trips.

Written by Jeremy Mueller

Wichita – July 2009

The best part of this experience were the relationships built between the families that participated  Because of the wide range of people, the older kids were able to pour into the lives of the younger.  I especially enjoyed hanging out with the younger girls.  I learned a lot from them.

The worship time everyday was especially enjoyable.  It allowed me to keep my heart focus on why we were there.  Although immediate effects of our work were not always seen, the bonds that developed will last.  Due to the caring adults around me, I felt like this was my home away from home.

The Godly examples I witnessed were a great impact on my life overall, and this trip enabled me to grow deeper in my walk with God and in my relationships with my Christian friends.

Written by Susannah Burns

Wichita – July 2009

This has been a really good trip for me.  It has pushed me outside of my comfort zone and convicted me to examine my spiritual walk.  There were several good aspects of this trip, including working with the cowboy church.  The pastor had a great heart for the community.  Another was the VBS at the Hispanic church.  There kids were so cute and got excited about the smallest things. 

Sometimes it was a struggle to keep smiling after staying up late the night before.  I think one of the best parts of the trip, though, didn’t have to do with the work we did, but rather it was spending time with team members from UBC and building stronger relationships with my church family.

Written by Hannah McCollum

Wichita – July 2009

On this trip I had a bunch of fun and really tried to evaluate myself.  I felt great when a kid who was shy at first became outgoing.  I also felt a little closer to God than before.  I liked meeting new people, even people from within UBC.  For once I feel like I am helping people, but have to remember that it is a team effort.

Written by Chas Turner

Wichita – July 2009

I am reminded of how significant cultural differences can be within a five hour drive of Fayetteville.  During the halftime break of the soccer game, the children were asked what they feared.  This question was leading up to discussing the fear of God.  One 8-year old responded that he feared being killed.  This child lives in the highest crime area of Wichita.  I thought how sad that an 8-year old has to worry about being killed.  It also reminded me of God’s grace.  I will always remember this young boy and pray he comes to know Christ.

Written by Larry Lloyd

Wichita – July 2009

We were so blessed to see God working and touching lives at the Hispanic church, but perhaps the greatest impact of this trip for our family was deepening relationships within the UBC family across generational boundaries.  We also were greatly blessed by fellowshipping with genunie brothers and sisters in Christ at the host church (Believers Southern Baptist Church).  It was amazing to see how God used every participant and their unique gifts to accomplish his work through our team.

Written by Troy and Amy Scarbrough

Wichita – July 2009

I am new to the church and this is also the first mission trip I have ever been on.  It has been a blessing in every way: the kids, the adults I got to know and work with 24/7, the prayer time and devotions, and certainly the work we did. We embodied unity of the Spirit in an amazing way.

Besides the encouragement and blessing I received from working with such a wonderful team, the memory that will never leave me is that of the older children we served at the Hispanic church.  I served as the group leader for the “Seekers” (nine years old and older).  My heart went out to those who had knowledge of God’s truths and showed such an interest.  My heart went out to those who showed and told stories of a strength children should not yet have to have in order to survive in the world.  My heart went out to those who already react with violence, carelessness, and disrespect for others.

On Wednesday, when I left the camp for the last time, I could think of nothing but those children.  I thought I would pray in solitude for days before the feeling left me.  I could write so much more about specific experiences, blessings, and heartaches from each child I was able to serve, but I just want to ask you to join me in praying for those children, and the seeds that were planted in them would produce eternal fruit.

Written by Andrea Burleson

Wichita – July 2009

It was such a blessing to work with the neighborhood kids at the Hispanic church during VBS and soccer camp.  Our team worked so well together.  It was great to see us come together for a single purpose which was to share the love of Jesus with them.  Our prayer is that the seeds we planted in their hearts will continue to grow.

Written by Scott Rainer

Wichita – July 2009

I want to follow-up from my first post to share about the three ministries that we worked with.  We enjoyed the opportunity to invest in the lives of these front-line ministers and ministries.

Pastor Wayne Trimmell is a bi-vocational pastor at Prairie Trail Baptist Church, a young cowboy church reaching out to the western culture that surrounds his church in the community of Haysville just south of Wichita.  The church is the product of a merger of two churches who caught Wayne’s vision for reaching this community.  The church facilities consist of two buildings sitting on a large plot of land.  They eventually want to build a pavilion and an arena where they can host their own cowboy outreach events.  In fact, we initially were going to help this ministry organize and put on a family oriented cowboy event.  After trying to find a place for the event and considering the logistics, Wayne determined that they were not quite ready to host such an event and would be better served by our team working on their church grounds.  So, that’s what we did.  We enjoyed the opportunity to meet the good folks at Prairie Trail and look forward to seeing their vision come to fruition in the years ahead.  Hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity to be a part of it as well.  Pastor Wayne works full-time in the aeronautics field and has had to take mandatory time off from work because of the economy.  We invite you to pray for Wayne, his church family, and the community they seek to reach.

During the mornings, we worked with Pastor Daniel Diaz and his church, Iglesia Bautista Nuevas Buenas or Good News Baptist Church.  This church is a new church plant started in January of this year.  Pastor Daniel and his wife Jasmine were just married last month and are beginning their ministry together this summer.  Daniel is from Nicaragua and Jasmine is from MacAllen, TX.  The church is located in a community of Wichita called Plainview, which has a significant Hispanic population (80%).  Daniel’s church has about five families in regular attendance on Sunday mornings for worship.  One of the ways he is building relationships and trust within the community is by having groups like ours lead soccer camps and backyard Bible clubs.  The needs are great in this area so join with us in praying for the Diaz family as they bring the Good News to children and families.

Our third ministry was unexpected.  As I mentioned previously, we were planning on working with a new church planter, but it fell through.  At the last minute, we were introduced to the ministry of John Stockstill.  He is a math teacher at Goddard High School in a growing suburb on the west side of Wichita.  He has a passion to reach students with the Gospel.  He has acquired an abandoned church building and is in the process of renovating it into a community youth center.  He wants to create a place for youth to “hang out” and discover the joys of knowing Christ.  The church building has been empty for over five years and is in need of much repair.  Before closing down, the church went through several splits and was well-known in the community for its struggles.  By putting on a community block party and participating in some door-to-door survey work, we helped to show new life rising from the ashes.  Several more churches would be following our visit to hopefully build upon what looks to be a great outreach ministry.  Pray for John as he builds relationships with students and builds a core of young leaders to bring the Gospel to the schools of Goddard.

Written by John Mueller

Guatemala – June 2009

If only you could look into the longing eyes of these adorable children and see their difficult family life, prior to their coming into the orphanage, it would just make you weep uncontrollably.  Your cry would not just be that you felt sorry to think why and how in the world these circumtances happened to these children and not to you.   It is also the tears of the redeemed, rescued from captivity.  Their testimonies were beyond anything you could imagine happening to them.  Many of these children had a very difficult upbringing, even from a very early age. How dreadful it is to hear Romans 1:28 come to fruition in the lives of these innocent kids. Yet, not only did they survive it, but they also blossomed in the soil God prepared once the blessedness of salvation took place. The God who performed miracles, purified them and called them His own. It would only take an act of God to make them or any of us His sons and daughters. 

After been through so much suffering, you would think that these children will just give up altogether.  Some didn’t start school until their teenage years. However, on the contrary, they have such great determination and zeal for their goals and ambitions.  Many orphans have excelled in colleges in Guatemala and United States as a result of God’s provision and their personal convictions. It makes me glad that God chose to bless them in such miraculous and providential ways.  

Another example of determination was shown when I showed an 8 to 10 year old boy the Evangecube that I ordered from the US. This cube is basically a block that has 6 steps in showing someone how to come to salvation.  I thought that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I would have 6 pictures. Also, since I didn’t have the thousand Spanish words in my vocabulary to explain about salvation, I thought this was a great tool.  So I showed this to the boy by doing motions and facial expressions of the death and resurrection of Christ.  Then, I had him read the steps out in Spanish to me.  I didn’t understand, but at least I thought it would be good for him to practice his reading.  I just knew enough Spanish words asked him if he understood what he was reading and he nodded his head. Then, I had someone tell him in Spanish that I wanted him to have this Evangecube and that he could share this with his friends.  

Immediately, he began to grab some people, even people in my mission team to explain to them the plan of salvation.  He was determined that those around him will hear the Gospel. He began to pull them by their hands to a place where there’s not a crowd around and began acting out how Christ was crucified and raised to life and is seated at the right hand of God. I am blessed to witness such urgency of God’s salvation being proclaimed. May this child be blessed as God uses him to further His kingdom. 

These children have taught me so many things. But one of the things that stood out to me was their faith to be bold for Christ and endure all things for His glory. They have gone through a lot and yet are so filled with joy to forgive and witness to those who have treated them so badly. I just praise God for bringing them into the orphanage so that they are no longer trapped in the patterns of a very difficult childhood and are able to learn about the Savior who rescued them out of the pit.  

Written by Hannah Jenkins