Seeing God Touch Lives

The Mexico Orphanage team of 14 people flew today to Monterrey, Mexico to serve with Back2Back Ministries. A team member writes:

Back2Back Ministries serves abandoned and neglected children in 12 separate orphanages by connecting short term mission teams from the United States with children’s homes in the Monterrey area. We hope to meet some of the children’s physical and spiritual needs, as well as be available to work as needed on any building, painting or cementing projects.

Pray for safety, good health and that we would be available for every need presented. Pray also that we would be an encouragement to the children, as well as the Back2Back staff, in each orphanage we visit. The staff works tirelessly to provide a safe and loving environment for these children.

Pray that our team comes home with a deeper appreciation of God’s amazing love and His special care for all His children. Our hope is to see God’s hands touch lives as we are obedient to His direction.

Team Safely in Monterrey

Dave Kvindlog wrote: "The team arrived safely and on time in Monterrey. No luggage was lost either! No issues with customs. The Back2Back bus picked us up and we arrived at their facilities around 5pm. We're now oriented and ready to begin ministry tomorrow! Thank you all for your prayers. Pics will be posted soon."

Join the NCBC Mexico Orphanage Missions Trip 2010 group on Facebook for pictures as well as updates.

Serving Up Love

Thanksgiving in Mexico! Instead of serving up a platter of turkey, our Mexico Orphanage team will be serving up love with Back2Back Mexico, a mission that serves ten orphanages in Monterrey. The team will depart this Saturday, November 20, from the Eastern Iowa Airport, and return the following Friday, November 26.

Theresa Appleby, and daughter Christine, first served with Back2Back last year. They returned with a desire to lead a team from New Covenant. This year's team members are: Theresa Appleby, Christine Appleby, Rachel Prochaska, Ashley Goos, Tim Holderman, Jim and Angie Nowak, Sam Nowak, Katie Nowak, Dave and Beth Kvindlog, Elise Kvindlog, and T.J. Kvindlog and Chris Loewen. The team will spend Thanksgiving week playing with children, rocking babies, painting, doing construction, and helping in various ways.

“It was wonderful to see how the children responded to our affection last year despite the language barrier,” said Theresa. "I loved sharing in the process of helping those who labor there.”

Pray for the team as they care in the name of Christ down in Mexico.

Church-to-Church Partnership

Earlier this year, New Covenant began a "church-to-church" (C2C) partnership through Compassion International with a church in India. One of the key reasons we enthusiastically jumped at the chance to enter into this partnership is because we are partnering with a local church to empower them to do prayer care, and share in their community.

Here is a great blog article that explains more of how this works: How Does Our Partnership With Local Churches Really Work?

U of I Internationals

Eric & Melissa McDonald serve with the Navigators. They work with international students, including many from China, at the University of Iowa.

Over the summer many of the international students took the break from classes as an opportunity to travel back to China. But for those who stayed around, fewer classes allowed for more in-depth discipleship. Eric had the opportunity to meet regularly with two men. Both are followers of Christ and were looking for ways to grow stronger in their faith.

Eric also began facilitating a group of men who met every two weeks to read and discuss more in-depth theological books.

This fall 350 new Chinese students arrived on campus. We are excited to meet them as we also welcome back students from last year! We're also co-leading a study for new believers going through the Alpha material. This meets on Sunday nights for 13 weeks. We're hoping to extend this study through the winter and are picking curriculum right now.

When I am Weak...

“Greatness is what you do with your weakness.” Do you admit weakness? Do you deal with your weakness? Do you ask for help? Ironically, it takes greatness to do those things.

Read an inspiring story that our Global Kingdom Partner, Bob Mackey, posted on his blog by going here.

Learning the Best Ministry Tool

Tracy and Karna Steel serve in the Czech Republic with Youth for Christ:

We are so excited about our new ministry plan. We will focus primarily on developing relationships with teens from in and around our town and connecting them to our church. The connecting will be done through teaching in the English classes and helping in the physical education program at the local high school.

The weekly open gym nights, together with game-nights, movie-nights, and Club nights, are all places where we connect Czech kids with youth and youth leaders of our church. I say we because my own kids, as native speakers, are as valuable for improving English conversation skills as I am. They join me in many activities and are a key part of this ministry.

We're learning that the best ministry tool is building relationships with people and allowing the Lord to do His work as He sees fit.

On Our Doorstep

Our Global Kingdom Partners, Martin and Judy Kolczyk, work as student mobilizers with SEND International and live in Marengo, IA. Here is part of an update this week from Martin:

Looking back on our visits to other countries and some of the difficulties we faced with language, transportation, customs, etc., we are well aware of how hard it is for international students to be here, in Iowa, without family. So we are starting up a ministry that we did in the past with Friends of Internationals. We want to provide a “family” for each international student while they are here. We want reach out to the over 600 international students from over 80 different countries on the Kirkwood campus.

We also are looking for people willing to adopt a student. Over 80% of foreign students are never invited into an American home or to visit a church. The mission field has come to our doorstep.These students are hungry, both spiritually and physically and are looking for people that care.

Please pray for us as we venture into this new ministry area.

Read more about Martin & Judy's ministry on their blog, On the Road Again.

Agriculture, Africa Style

Gary and Barb Bennett, serve with WorldVenture in Rwanda:

We are already into the swing of things here in Rwanda. Gary finished planting the agricultural gardens and has started on a Tilapia fish pond project. Barb teaches music at the girls’ school. The girls are making all kinds of new friends at their school.

Every day funny things happen to remind us we aren’t in the States anymore. You know you’re in Africa when you try to download something from the Internet and you read the message, “2,773 hours remaining!”

We are currently working on precision agriculture, Africa-style. We try to maximize every seed’s potential to produce as much food as possible from a given area. The specifics of this method, Farming God’s Way, were developed in southern Africa. Significant increases in crop yields have been reported. We are hoping it will make a difference for food producers here in Rwanda.

Mackey Van Totaled

I was relieved to hear that even though the Mackey's van was totaled in an accident, Laura (who was driving) escaped without injury.

read more...

Poverty in Perspective

I am amazed at how our church stepped up and sponsored over 155 children with Compassion. What a great demonstration of the global care.

I realize there are plenty in need here in our own backyard. But this article puts the difference into perspective:

Here at home, poverty is a single mom in Detroit trying to keep food on the table. In Africa, poverty is a 14-year-old orphaned head-of-household trying to find fresh water for himself and his siblings. The challenge isn't to choose one over the other. The task is to view two harsh realities through a common lens of compassion and assistance.

read more...

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Want to make a real difference in advancing God’s Kingdom to overcome poverty? Consider becoming involved with a global care opportunity by supporting a Compassion Leadership Development Program (LDP) Student. This program gives specially selected Compassion sponsored children the opportunity to attend a university and be participants rather than bystanders. Their education includes a full college curriculum, courses in Christian leadership training, and Compassion-taught seminars, workshops and retreats on the development of Christian character and leadership potential.

“LDP sponsors and donors are special instruments that the Lord uses to raise up godly leaders who will eventually break the cycle of poverty,” says Michelle, a LDP student. “You are unveiling the darkness that the enemy has placed over us by giving us dreams, hope and a future!”

Through the Leadership Development Program, hundreds of students like Michelle are energized, mentored and strengthened in their faith each year as they prepare for lives of leadership in their churches and communities. Drop by the Compassion table in the lobby this Sunday or go to their website to find out more.

Thank You!

Over the last month, Pastor Bob has led us on a journey as we considered God's Kingdom disrupted, restored, and advanced. He reminded us that one of the signs that the Kingdom of God is near is that the poor are given good news. As the Kingdom of God intersects the physical world, lives are changed and people are set free.

This last Sunday we threw out a challenge: We asked all of you at New Covenant to consider sponsoring one of 76 Compassion children at our India C2C partner church. In case we were able to find sponsors for all 76, we also had 120 packets for children at two nearby church development centers.

Your response was incredible. After the first service, we already had over 20 packets gone. By the last service, you sponsored 95 kids, including 73 of our partner church children (and the other three are claimed -- just need the forms to be completed). Your generosity is overwhelming. As a church, in one Sunday alone, we have committed to giving $43,320 a year to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. And we are not done yet.

This coming Sunday, we have 100 more Compassion children available to be sponsored. We also will be sharing two other ways you can get involved. So come on Sunday and learn how you can be a part of the Kingdom Unleashed!

Why We Are Offering Compassion Children to Sponsor in India

In the last few weeks, I have been asked a great question: Why sponsor a child from our Partner Church Compassion project in India? Why not suggest people go to the Compassion website and choose a child?

Of course, there are many needy children at Compassion projects in other parts of the world. And I would celebrate each and every one that is sponsored. I have been told by Compassion workers in India that our region is one of the poorest areas Compassion works anywhere in the world. But the most important reason is not the size of the need -- it is the relationship we are building with our partner church in India. They have added new children to their program, and we are being offered the first chance to sponsor as many as 76 of these children. What a wonderful and tangible way to show global care -- to reach out and link arms with our partner church to release a child from poverty in Jesus' name.

Regardless of whether you sponsor a child or not, please join me in praying that we can find a sponsor for each and every child at our partner site. In fact, if we do, we have another 100 packets of children who are equally needy in nearby Compassion projects. My prayer is that we sponsor at least 100 Compassion children in the coming weeks.

Here is a heart wrenching article about the female infanticide that still happens in India: http://blog.compassion.com/infanticide-in-india/.

A Message of Grace

Bob and Laura Mackey family serve with World Team in PA:

Laura and I spent about 10 days in Ecuador at the end of August. I spoke at a field conference with SIM workers. The theme was Jonah: a messenger of grace who needed the message of grace. Jonah was a missionary failure who made his own agenda bigger than God’s. And yet God was very gracious with Jonah, just as He was gracious through Jonah to the Ninevites. It seems like any honest missionary can see some of Jonah in themselves. I emphasized Jesus as the true and better Jonah, our tendency toward idolatry, and our need to practice repentance.

It seemed like the talks went well. I know that people at least were thinking deeply about heart issues.

After the conference was over, Laura and I hung out in Quito celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. Highlights were bicycling around the “Carolina Park” and visiting the equator. We had a great time!

Check out their blog at: mackeyministry.blogspot.com

Euroventure with Amy Mich

An update from Amy Mich about a youth camp called Euroventure in Grindelwald, Switzerland. She serves with YoungLife in France.

Imagine being 60-70 feet in the air, crossing a series of rope obstacles. You are in a harness, but it’s up to you to move forward and make sure you are securely clipped onto the cable. Don’t look down! If you looked down, you would realize how vulnerable you are. At camp, the students had the opportunity to experience the adventure of a ropes course. Many were scared, but by the end of the course they were having fun and feeling quite proud of their accomplishment.

As a leader, nothing beats seeing kid’s smiling faces after overcoming such a big and challenging obstacle. Stepping out of their comfort zone in the form of a ropes course helped break down barriers and provided a platform for sharing and understanding the gospel. It was a risk the kids took, much like it’s a risk to trust in Christ and be a bold witness in His name.

Pray for Safety for the Van Zoest Family

Please pray for protection us and our Nicaragua Christian Academy family. Our new 5th grade teacher, Jed, reported a couple of weeks ago that his family's guard was in a shoot-out with some men who were trying to steal his motorcycle. This resulted in the guard chasing them away. Jed has noticed several men watching their home which has been very unsettling for him and his family. Two nights ago, Jed was driving at night and came upon a group of men who were burning tires and shaking cars. The men were armed with guns and machetes. They shook Jed's car but Jed pulled forward and kept looking forward and eventually the men went on to another car. People were throwing money out their windows in effort to placate the men. Dan and Rebekah ran into the traffic jam on their way home. However, Dan turned around and found a different way home - not realizing what was really going on. We praise God for Jed and Dan and Rebekah's safety.

Global Care in Action

Our vision for Global Outreach at New Covenant is for every person to be actively involved in global prayer, care, and share. With that in mind, we are excited to announce we will be offering an opportunity for global care through a Compassion Sunday on September 19.

Compassion International exists to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. All of their work and ministry is through a local church. Last March, Pastor Bob and I had the opportunity to travel to India to establish a partnership with a church that hosts and runs a Compassion child development center. We saw firsthand the work that is being done and the great need for even more to be done.

On Sunday, September 19, we will make available child sponsorship packets for children ministered to through our partner church. If all of those are taken, we will also have additional packets for children at other child development centers in the region. Our goal is to transform the lives of over 100 children in East India. I hope you will prayerfully consider joining us in this global care opportunity.

30-Days of Prayer

This year Ramadan is August 11 to September 09. Will you join with Christians around the globe praying for the Muslim World?

Find out more at 30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World. This site has articles, as well as daily prayer requests that you can download or subscribe to by email.

You can also go to 30DaysFire.net for a full multimedia experience or become a fan of 30-Days International on Facebook.

New Covenant will sponsor a special time of prayer late in August. More details coming soon.

Zimbabwe Team in Chicago - Aug 9

Just received word that the Zimbabwe Team has made it to Chicago. Their United flight to Cedar Rapids is listed as arriving at 6:15 PM in Cedar Rapids. Will update this post if anything changes.

Zimbabwe Team Headed Home - Aug 8

Good news! I have received word that the Zimbabwe team made the first leg of the trip to Kenya successfull, and are now headed to Europe. They will be coming through Chicago and are scheduled to arrive on a United flight at 6:15 PM Cedar rapids Time on Monday, August 9. Will post any other updates I receive between now and then.

Zimbabwe Team Ministry Week Update - Aug 7

We are still on the road to Harare. Thought I would take a moment to provide some updates for the week.

On Tuesday, we participated in a community boys soccer and girls netball (cross between ultimate Frisbee and basketball) tourney for the 18 schools in the area. This is sponsored by the MCDT (think FCA-like activity). A the end of the final soccer game that ended in a penalty shootout, we presented the donated AYSO jerseys and balls as prizes. Afterwards, Lance and the local ministry team shared the gospel with the approximately 800 kids and adults.

Don for the Zim Team

P.S. Pray for the revival service tonight.

You can go to this post for their schedule.

New Kingdom Partner: Robin's Song

Robin’s Song is a new Kingdom Partner of New Covenant. The purpose of this ministry is to equip and train local people to provide safe, clean drinking water for their communities in the name of Christ. Brian Perry wrote this in a recent update:

I am planning to depart August 11 for Africa. I will spend the first week in Blantyre, Malawi where we will make plans for building another group to drill more wells. Remember that every well we put in provides clean drinking water to a thousand people. We are dedicated to helping people support themselves with an income from drilling the deep wells. We want to show God’s love to the people we serve so that they may know Him as their Savior. I’m excited to have my youngest son, Blake, join me in Mozambique September 4-10.

In October, I will be traveling with my older son, Christopher. He belongs to the Christian Medical and Dental Association, who has been leading teams of doctors and surgery nurses into Mexico. Please pray for financial support for start up costs of working in new areas of Africa, as well as travel safety.

Go to www.robins-song.org to learn more.

Martin Kokczyk Blog

Wondering what our Kingdom Partners, Martin & Judy Kolczyk, are up to? Check out their blog and find out!