Special Mission Newsletternorthlakepc.org/special_mission_newsletter.pdf · Vietnam. I’ve long...

The meals from the April meal packaging event were shipped to our partner in Haiti, Northern Haiti Alliance. The meals were loaded on a shipping container along with medical donations and other supplies to help open new hospitals in the area. The meals will be served at school feeding programs in Haiti, as well as help nourish the sick that will be in the hospitals. The photo on the far right is of the container arriving in Haiti with the meals and materials being unloaded.

Rise Against Hunger Packing Event

Mission News from Ethiopia As always, we are trying to keep you the church family informed of what is currently happening with the missionaries we support. You have had several opportunities to meet Scott and Gigi Martell in the last couple of years. We first adopted Scott and Gigi through Pastor Denny and his relationship with Scott as a young man. We, as a country, are so unaware of the difficulties so many face on daily trials. Let us keep them in prayer as they make major changes in their lives under the guidance of God's wisdom and direction. Their current story follows on the next page.

Becky Bros, Mission Elder

North Lake Presbyterian Church

July 2018

Special Mission Ministry Newsletter

Inside this issue:

News from Scott & Gigi Martell

2-4

Love INC News 5

A Look at 2018 and What’s Ahead

6-7

Global Shine Ministry

8

Christmas In July Senior Gift Tree

8

Special Mission Ministry

Scott & Gigi Martell

transforming lives in Ethiopia email us at [email protected]

GOOD MORNING. . .VIETNAM

Dear Friends and Family, It was a busy start to the New Year, full of blessings. However, when we took a deep breath, we felt God telling us to “Go”!

Conditions in Ethiopia have been ominous for several years. Once again, a State of Emergency had shut down the country. Constant protests and intertribal fighting flared in different tribal areas, and the mood in Addis Ababa grew bleak. People couldn’t safely travel outside the city. The govern-ment stopped gas sales so rebels couldn’t easily sneak into the city. The Prime Minister resigned, although a new leader had just been appointed.

Some of the worst conflict was in Ginchi, where we renovated a run-down shack into a secure home for an abused woman and her four children, and also set the mother up in a baking business. Violent protests were also common in Debre Zeit, where we support the Tilahun empowerment center.

Gigi’s tribal group (Amhara) is one of the protesting groups, but she was mostly worried about me. Foreigners are the target of attack because they are seen as support-ing the hated government. Foreigners are given massive tracts of land to develop for profit, pushing off local farmers. I would add

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“Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”

I Scott would like to

offer praise for my wife. Her vision to serve has sent us on a beautiful journey. We pray for guidance on how God intends for us to continue in Ethiopia and beyond.

Please pray for

Abiy Ahmed, 41, Ethiopia’s new leader. He’s the son of a Christian mother and Muslim father, and a member of the main rebelling tribe. Pray he brings peace to this troubled and divided nation.

Pray we can

provide 12 laptops (used or new) for Vision school, for office, teacher’s and student’s use by the start of school in Sept. Let’s bring technol-ogy to this urban slum school!

PRAISE AND PRAYER

that diaspora (those who have emigrated) are also targeted as wealthier and privileged. We We don’t get involved in politics, obviously, but Gigi is diaspora and could be at risk. An older diaspora woman who had returned for her daughter’s wedding in Addis Ababa was murdered this week by thieves who invaded her home late at night. Problems in the countryside have caused an increase in homeless people migrating to Addis Ababa and living on the streets. They are desperate for money. Muggings and robbery are common. Scott’s eye is still foggy from last June’s mugging. Extremely careful, and rarely out after dark, Scott was frequently followed by young men. Still, we were used to it. It was our normal. Ethiopian family and friends, near and far, advised that we should leave. Most of Gigi’s family had already left. Many foreigners departed long ago. As we’d mentioned to many of you this past summer in face-to-face discussions, we knew this was a possibility. We were prepared. Our plans include continuing Empowering-Ethiopia.com without permanently in the country, and also exploring new ministry options with New Missions Systems International (NMSI). It’s possible God is in the process of multiplying our ministry impact by sending us to a new location (the headline is a clue). Nevertheless, departing Ethiopia was a heart-breaking decision, being torn away from a place that changed my (Scott’s) life since I arrived in January, 2006, and the place Gigi calls her earthly “home”.

IS GOD CALLING US TO VIETNAM?

Anyway, we are “safe”. With NMSI’s encouragement, I flew to Quang Ngai, Vietnam to explore ministry options. NMSI has several ministries in Asia, but not in Vietnam. I’ve long had a passion for Vietnam, as my father served there 1967-1970. I visited Vietnam during the 1969 Christmas holidays as a 14-year-old boy, with my friend, the son of the Viet-namese Prime Minister. Then, when my father returned to Vietnam in 2007 as a tourist, he began acting strangely in Hanoi and had to be flown home. In the USA, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I believe the Alzheimer’s sprang forth because of deeply buried memories of the War. Of course, at some point, he was going to end up with this tragic disease. But I believe I t would have developed later. He went back to Vietnam because of his love for this country. So, for all those reasons we’re passionate about serving God in Vietnam, if it is indeed His will. We also know in our hearts that God will let us continue our Ethiopian ministry. We (Gigi, primarily) plan to go back to Addis Ababa several times a year, safely stay with family, and work with Vision School. This is the urban slum school which you helped get modern kitchen equipment and clean water for last year. In the future, we plan to help them build a new kitchen and library building. But this year, the goal is providing 12 laptops (new or used) to bring the school into the modern era. The gospel comes alive serving these “poorest of the poor” children.

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HOPE BEYOND THE GRAVE Close by Quang Ngai is the My Lai Massacre Memorial, just below a massive Buddhist Temple complex. God can heal all things. As servants of our holy God, we’re here to love on these people, and show them there is a hope beyond the grave.

AGENT ORANGE A dear American G.I. friend suffered and died from Agent Orange. Today, young Vietnamese continue to feel its insidious effects as it is passed on genetically (as well as environmentally). Please keep new missionary friends, the Buchers, in prayer as they serve these afflicted kids.

GOD IN ACTION A young boy (not pictured) was one of the most rebellious students I’ve faced. One day our English assignment in-cluded making Origami. The boy is an amazing artist! I praised his work. The boy’s nature changed in front of my eyes. God in action. .

HEARING FOR THE FIRST TIME I (Scott) am now teaching English at a school in Quang Ngai, similar to what I did at Project Mercy. One day, zipping down a street on the back of a motorbike, we passed an old church. “Is it Catholic?” I asked. “I have no idea,” said my Vietnamese friend. Having seen Buddhist and Hindu Temples, I commented that Vietnam appeared tolerant of religions. He shrugged. “I know nothing about any god.” During one class, I asked a student to speak about her fa-vorite festival. “Christmas!” she quipped. “Why?” I asked. She smiled. “Presents, Christmas trees. Santa Claus!” “Do you know it’s a birthday?” I queried. She shook her head. I told her it was the birthday of Jesus Christ, the son of God. She looked puzzled. “I never heard of that.” When the same answer happened in another class, I told the students a very simple version of the Jesus story. Blank faces stared back at me. But doors crack open. I wear a cross. Today, a girl touched it and wrote “Jesus?” in her notebook. It was as if God had spoken, saying, “You are in the right place, my place.”

One of the most popular children’s songs ends with everyone hugging. Jesus must love that!

VIETNAM IN BRIEF

Alzheimer’s Support Groups

Opportunity to Serve at Love INC: Love INC has the following volunteer opportunities in the Warehouse: Sorting & Pricing Linens on Friday Morning Administration: Data Entry Centsible Furnishings is in need of a cashier on Thursday mornings.

To volunteer at Love INC, all interested people need to attend a one-hour volunteer orientation which is scheduled for Thursday, July 5, at 1:00 p.m. or Wednesday, July 18, at 11:15 a.m. For more information and to register for the orientation, please email Kristen at [email protected] or call her at (352) 245-8774.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - Love Story — From the Clearinghouse Coordinator at Love INC As an employee of Love INC, many times I have been asked what we accept as donation. My response is anything one can use in their home and daily life. This is one of many ways the clearinghouse sees God as work through our donations. Just recently, Love INC’s Furniture Ministry Coordinator put an email on my desk about the Bike Man at Oxford Assembly of God, requesting bikes to be fixed or bike parts for their ministry. So, I check in the warehouse to see if we had anything we could send to “The Bike Man.” And we did have some things to send. I sent “The Bike Man” an email with no response, so I planned to call him. Before I was able to, his wife called requesting an electric scooter for him. He had been very sick. Well, someone had donated one, we just needed batteries. So, batteries were ordered by the volunteer who helps with the Medical Ministry. Once the batteries arrived, they were charged and the scooter was tested. The scooter was delivered to “The Bike Man.” This is what "The Bike Man's" wife had to say, Barbara, thank you so much!!! The folks that delivered the scooter were wonderful! He is so excited. He

took a test drive today and made it all the way out to his bike shop. He had to turn around and come right back as the humidity is still way too high for him to be out there. But he feels some freedom and not

a prisoner to the house. Thank you again and God bless you all!! This is one of the many things you make possible through your donations.

News from Love INC (Love In The Name of Christ)

We have been informed that they will be starting the 6 houses for the families in Haiti very soon. Bobby has found the space to build them and is ordering the materials (which will be sent from US) and is seeking volunteer construction workers to come in early August to build all 6 houses in one week. Soon 6 families will realize this great Blessing that North Lake has provided. Praise God.


January : We started and ended January as part of our Christmas Offering for a medical center in the Tete Province of Mozambique donating $51,000. At this time the location has been approved, permits are still being worked on and we are hoping ground breaking will take place shortly. We also sent a check to the Wildwood Soup Kitchen (Seeds of Hope) for $300. In addition, we helped some families in the church. February: Undie Sunday was another huge success for God's kingdom. We collected 4,000 pairs of undies and $31,000 to build 5 homes. Building these homes will allow families to move from their current living quarters in the dumps in Haiti. It is our understanding that another $5,000 was sent for the building of an additional home. We sent $1,000 with our team to Cuba to pay for the cart that collects the children on Sunday morning to bring them to church. Our mission team went to Cuba taking with them suitcases filled with medicine, fabric, kitchen supplies, books, crafts for the children, plus. We sent a $1,000 to SoZo to help with work on the Filling Station (diner). Another donation was made to help a teen further her education.

March: Rise Against Hunger packing event was held in our Fellowship Hall. A total of $11,602 dollars was raised with the help of $1,500 from the First Presbyterian Church of Leesburg and $500 from the First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Dora. They also sent people to help with packing. This is an event for all ages and we were so glad our youth participated. We packed 39,960 meals which will feed 239,760 children. This event was a two month event with the fund raising in March and the packing in April.

April: Little Blessings was our 2nd mile offering. We were hoping to raise around $21,000 to build their reserve back up, but we reached $11,000 which is a great beginning. We also showed a short video of our mission trip to Cuba. May: Second mile went to buy Backpacks for the children in the 5 surrounding schools. Again, the generosity of your giving for God's children makes the words thank you seem so small. We collected $15,000; Plus we had $2,854 from last year for this year's deposit. We will buy our backpacks and save money for additional giving in December to help teachers restock. It is our plan to give some money at the beginning of the school year for the Kids Closets in all the schools. This will enable the homeless children to have some of the basics in clothing they need to start the school year. If you attended the May FAB, you are aware of the problems in our schools. Most of the above events have been part of our Second Mile Offering, but we have also been busy doing other mission work.

Since August of 2017 through June of 2018, we have packed 110 bags of food for the Feed the School Children program. This program sent approximately 3,960 meals to The Village Elementary School of Lady Lake for the children to take home to help them through the weekend.

As you know, Operation Homebound has reached 750,000 meals that have been sent out to the community over the last 20 years. You missed a great celebration if you missed their Open House on May 24th. There are over 400 volunteers that make this mission operate most of them are not from our church. We need help particularly during the summer when the snowbirds have gone home, why don't you think about working with the people in this mission.

What you and your church have been doing Since January 2018 And A Look Ahead!

Mission News At NLPC

Volume 1, Issue 1

The Christian Food Pantry, located in Lady Lake, will celebrate its 20 years of service to the community in August. According to a three month report from them, they have distributed over 80,000 pounds of food to 955 families. The volunteers have worked 1,740 hours so far this year. They received a 100% on their inspection by Second Harvest of Central Florida. We continue to sponsor tours to SOZO and let them continue to use office space in our church. The Handyman ministry runs like clock work helping people in our church, but primarily they work with people suggested by Love INC, and families in the Forest. What lies ahead of us for the rest of 2018: During July, we will be holding a Christmas in July Program for the people we serve meals to through

Operation Homebound. Look for the Christmas tree that will be going up on July 1. Look for another Open House in August to celebrate the 20 years of the Christian Food Pantry. The September 2nd Mile Offering will be about Per Capita, what is it, and, why we should pay it. At the

end of the month we will help to sponsor Trivia Night - a fund raiser for Love, INC. This is a fun night where you can organize your own table of friends to help to raise money for Love, INC.

In October, you will see the boxes in the lobby to be filled with toys for Operation Christmas Child.

Mid-month we will sponsor our first ever yard sale with the proceeds going to help Little Blessings. In November the tickets will go on sale for the Martin Luther King Scholarship Breakfast; This is a must

event if you have never attended. Then, believe it or not, November, December and January will be our Christmas offering. This year, the money collected will be split between Operation Homebound, the Christian Food Pantry and Feed the School Children. Plus, our Angel Tree for the needy children will be in the Lobby.

As a mission team we will not be going to Mountain T.O.P. this year, but you can still go on your own or

with a friend any weekend in October through the Adults in Ministry Program. The website is www.mountain-top.org, or call 931-692-3999 for information or to register on-line.

Our next trip to Cuba will be in January 2019. Watch for notices about the first meeting. Our next trip to

Africa will be the first week of June 2019. We have been blessed to be a blessing and that is exactly what you have done and are doing. You are blessing our communities near and far. Thank you seems like such simple words for all you do for the Glory of God. Join us as we become the hands and feet of our Lord bringing His light into the world.

WOW!! Our amazing congregation’s generosity to the Backpack Ministry has been phenomenal! Our goal was reached in only two Sundays of our Second Mile Offering. The additional money collected will be used in January to supplement dwindling school supplies. Thank you all for your tremendous response - our five schools deeply appreciate your donations and support.

A REMINDER: Volunteers for packing the Backpacks will be needed on Friday, August 3, at 9:30 am. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall. Come one, come all and join us for a few hours of a good, fun time!

Backpack Ministry Update - Blessings to All from Vern & Kay Hays

Special Mission Ministry Newsletter

Pastor Rakesh, of the Global Shine Ministry in India, presents certificates to Bible school graduates. Pastor Rakesh ministers to lepers and children in India and appreciates our support and prayers. Pastor Rakesh has been part of our international mission work for at least 20 years. He keeps meticulous records and can show us where every dollar we have sent him has been spent. His

mission is working with children and lepers, but his primary purpose is spreading the word of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to all people."

This will be the 5th Christmas in July for OHB clients. Through your generosity, our clients have a mid-year boost of caring and feel acknowledged by someone outside their homes. Throughout the year, many clients tell their drivers how lonely it gets on a 24/7 basis; to have someone provide a “happy moment” is a real lift. The tree will be in the Welcome Area on July 1st and you may choose a tag to support an OHB client at that time. Wrapped presents may be brought to the NLPC kitchen by July 30(Monday through Friday). If you have questions please contact Rosalind Lawrence at 352-213-7067. Thank you in advance for your kindness!

North Lake Presbyterian Church

975 Rolling Acres Road Lady Lake, FL 32159

(352) 753-8484 phone (352) 753-3982 fax www.northlakepc.org

Christmas in July! Senior Gift Tree

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