Apex Baptist Missions

2013 Missions Application

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:03:31 -0500

2013 Missions Application:

Click here to download our 2013 Missions Application!

2013 Mission Trip Opportunities

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:08:00 -0500

Apex Baptist Church

2013 Summer Mission Trip Sketches

INDIA TRIP

Where: Tenkasi, India

When: June 13-21, 2013

Point Person: Ron Fincher - ron.fincher@rsfincher.com

Who: Adults only – Bible teachers & leaders

Cost: Airfare, room & board - $2200 - $2500.

Registration deadline: ASAP

Also: Each team member will send out a minimum of 20 support letters to enlist prayer and possible financial support. Yes, you may send these to your life group members and Apex Baptist Church members with which you have a close connection. We will supply you with a sample support letter.

Passport required? Yes

What we will do: We will lead a Bible Conference for Emmanuel Ministries, one of our long time ministry partners. From Sunday through Thursday, we will teach classes on books of the Bible, Bible doctrine, pastoral care, leadership, counseling, etc. to the Bible College teachers & students, local pastors, and the high & middle school teachers & students. In the evenings we will lead outreach services with the local churches. Pastor John Mark and Chuck Thompson are both excited about serving on this first trip of this kind for Apex Baptist Church.

Other notes: We want at least 10 members on this team so we can get a group rate on our airline tickets. Sheri Fincher will help us get our Visas. Some of you may want to get some inoculations, and we will provide you with a list of those recommended.

MICHIGAN TRIP

Where: Dearborn, Michigan

When: June 13-17

Point Person: Nathan Stam – Nathan@apexbaptist.org

Who: Families (even with elementary aged children), youth, college students & adults.

Costs: Travel, room & board, food - $650-$700

Registration Deadline: March 1

What will we do? Each year on Father’s Day weekend, the American Arab Chamber of Commerce hosts a street festival for the citizens of Dearborn, Michigan. This 3 day event is a free, family-centered, cultural celebration that will attract more than 300,000 people from Michigan, the Midwest and Canada. This celebration of Cultures will feature ethnic performances representing the diverse heritage of the people of Metropolitan Detroit. We will be serving the Arab people through providing hospitality during the festival, food services, set up and tear down of booths & exhibits, operating a children’s tent, etc. We will also spend time prayer walking and engaging those we serve as opportunities arise. It’s a perfect family trip! If you would like to be a part of this trip contact Nathan Stam ASAP.

Other notes: It is a privilege to go and minister to the Arabs in order that they might come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. These workdays will be long, but rewarding!

CALABASH TRIP

Where: Calabash, NC

When: June 14-16

Point person: Matt Wyatt – Matt@apexbaptist.org , 362-6176 x236

Who: Families (even with elementary aged children), youth, college students & adults.

Team size: Maximum 27

Costs: 2 nights in a motel plus meals (being determined)

Registration deadline: May 12

What we will do: Our primary task for this trip is to help River of Life Baptist Church (ROLBC) promote its Vacation Bible School, but we will help them in any way that we can. Tentative plans include conducting at least 2 block parties and distributing VBS promotional materials in targeted neighborhoods. If you want to help with their VBS, June 17-21, that can probably be arranged.

Other notes: The pastor of ROLBC, Tom Gore, left Apex Baptist Church to become a church planter. He and his family have planted a church in New Hampshire and are now doing the same in Calabash. Our Lord is blessing & stirring in ROLBC. After just a couple of years, it looks like they may be building a facility they can call their own!

GUATEMALA TRIP

Where: Guatemala City, Guatemala

When: July 22-27, 2013

Point person: Pastor John Mark Harrison

Contact person – Amanda Forsythe – Amanda@apexbaptist.org - 362-6176 x222

Who: Adults and college & senior high students

Team size: 15-20 persons

Cost: Airfare, room & board - $1500-1700.

Registration deadline: February 17

Passport required? Yes

What we will do: This is mostly a mercy ministry trip. We will be help purchase, prepare, serve & clean up after breakfast & lunch meals for 300-500 children each day. In the afternoons & evenings we will engage the community in various ways through activities like: tutoring, community restoration projects, light construction, family photos and sports ministries. Personal evangelism will take place throughout this trip.

Other notes: Speaking Spanish is not required for this trip, but would be helpful. We will be serving in a poverty stricken area, but we will be housed at a local seminary. Some inoculations will be required, and we will provide you with a list of those recommended.

TORONTO TRIP

Where: Toronto, Canada

When: July ??, maybe June ?? To be determined - ASAP

Point person: Chuck Thompson – Chuck@apexbaptist.org

Contact Person: Kimberly Bratton (Kimberly@apexbaptist.org -362-6176 x223)

Who: High School & College Students & Adults

Team size: Maximum of 14

Costs: Flight - $225-300, room & board to be determined ASAP

Registration deadline: to be determined

Passport required? Yes

What we will do: We will serve with a new church plant in the Toronto area in any way that we can. This may involve door-to-door evangelism, sports clinics, back yard Bible clubs, block parties, prayer walking, community service projects, etc.

Other notes: Apex Baptist Church is joining forces with the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and other North Carolina Baptist Churches to help plant churches in Toronto. We are currently in the process of identifying the church plant which we hope to partner with for 3-5 years.

Toronto is the fifth largest city in North America and according to the United Nations, is the most multi-ethnic city in the world. More than half of its population was born outside of Canada. In helping reach this city, we help transform the nation and impact the world.

Most of these 50 church plants that NAMB is supporting in the Toronto area rent their facilities or meet in homes - only 3 have their own buildings. We may be serving downtown or in the suburbs. Our housing may be in a hostile, university suites or motel.

A Final Update from Alan King!

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:56:18 -0400

A Final Update from Alan King!

A Thank You & Ministry Update from Heather Brookshire

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 10:39:26 -0400

I just wanted to thank you again for your financial donation towards my trip to South Africa and all of the prayer support. I had such an amazing trip and was so comforted to know that so many people were supporting and praying for me. God is at work in South Africa and did awesome things in and through our team!

We spent most of our time running, essentially, a day camp for teenagers in Mamelodi, an impoverished township outside of Pretoria. The students (or learners as they are called in South Africa) were on their three week winter break in between semesters and spent their days from about 9am to 3pm with us on one of University of Pretoria’s satellite campuses. My South African co-teacher and I spent the mornings with a small group of about ten ninth graders helping them catch up in Math and English. We provided lunch for all 240 learners in the program, which was an awesome help to them and their families. Then, we spent the afternoons doing workshops with different groups of student, helping them improve their skills in different sports and performing arts. I got the opportunity to help lead the netball workshop with a group of South African co-teachers. Netball is the women’s version of basketball over there; it is basically basketball with no dribbling or backboard. It was such a fun opportunity to bond with some of the female co-teachers and students. I also helped with the debate workshop; it was so cool to hear the learners’ opinions on different issues and on faith.

I formed amazing bonds with my class of ten ninth graders in the mornings. God really gave me so much patience and wisdom in working with them. They were such a crazy, fun, group and I really miss every one of them. They have such loving and generous hearts. One boy came to class one day with some nice Nike shoes on and a few days later he was wearing more worn out shoes. He later told me that he had given his Nikes to a boy he saw walking on the railroad track that did not have any shoes. The generosity and love of people who have so little really convicted me.

I got to have great spiritual conversations with the learners in my class. We went through a tool that Cru uses called Perspective cards with our classes; it gets them thinking and talking about how they view God, where their faith comes from, and who Jesus is. It was so cool to hear them express their faith. Many of them had such a strong faith in God and really knew the gospel even though they had very little Bible knowledge. I got to talk to them about what it means to live life for Christ and how to share their faith. I also got to have amazing one-on-one conversations with a few of them. I got to explain to one boy that he didn’t have to conquer his anger management struggles to be a Christian, that Jesus loves Him right where he is and that God could work miracles in His life. I got to explain to one boy who had such a love for Jesus and desire to follow Him that He didn’t have to do a certain number of good things to get to Heaven that God’s grace and love is enough and he could let go of his struggle to be perfect.

It is so cool to me how similar South African teenagers are to American teenagers; many of them have cell phones, listen to the same music we do, and that desire to be liked and popular transcends cultural boundaries. It was also amazing to meet so many Christians and worship with them in different languages. God is so big and His kingdom crosses all cultures and languages. On the weekends we had many adventures across the country. We got to go on safaris and see zebras, lions, elephants, hippos, and many more animals. I even got to pet and play with baby lions and a cheetah! One Saturday we went on a day trip to Swaziland, a small country inside of South Africa, we got to go on an amazing hike and see the beautiful sunset on top of a mountain. We had so much fun and I formed bonds with the people on my team that will last forever.

This summer was so amazing and I learned so much. God’s timing is so perfect, I have a social work at internship at a middle school this school year and I’m excited to use what I learned to help share God’s love with teenagers in Wilmington. Thank you so much for your support and prayers! If you have more questions or want to know more about my trip feel free to email me at hdb7209@uncw.edu or call me at 919-624-7034.

India Missions Team photo!

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 10:21:58 -0400

India Missions Team photo!

Anika Goslen India Update

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:05:31 -0400

Oh my goodness, what an amazing week! I am so excited to tell you about all that He’s been doing so far! I have been so overwhelmed with God’s faithfulness in the past three days! He has shown me His ability to work through weakness, and His ability to love like no one else can.

It started on Tuesday. Tuesday was probably one of the longest days I’ve had in a long time. First, the classes I had were very misbehaved. There are four classes in the school that give me trouble, and I had two of those classes on Tuesday. They would not listen, they were screaming the entire time, they were throwing things across the classroom. I have tried absolutely everything I can think of to get them to be well-behaved but nothing has worked so far (still open to any suggestions). I started despairing a little bit, thinking that everything I’ve done is in vain, that they’re never going to learn the things I’m trying to teach them, and so forth. I immediately took these thoughts to God and He told me to be patient and reminded me that the word of God never returns void.

After school every day I help the kids with their homework (and make sure they do it in general). This particular day, it seemed as if it would never end. Most of the boys finished in no time, but there was one boy that refused to do it. He didn’t really understand what he was supposed to do, but every time I tried to help or explain something he would growl at me. He started telling me I was dumb and that I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was. It was very frustrating, and it took four hours for him to finish.

On Wednesday, Andrew (who normally takes 9-12 classes) had to go somewhere and needed me to take an 11th grade class. I was so excited to get to teach a high school class because it would be a nice break from the elementary classes that give me so much trouble. Andrew had also promised me that this class was always good. And they were; they were well-behaved, they sat still, they didn’t talk while I was talking, they raised their hands to ask questions, they were listening, and I think they even understood what I was saying. But it was no fun. I didn’t enjoy teaching them one bit. It was a very interesting feeling, to have such a good class and not enjoy it. I found myself wishing I was in that third grade class that always gives me trouble (which was weird). But I definitely felt like God was telling me, “I have you where I want you. Don’t worry about anything else.” It was super refreshing to feel like I was in the right place, doing something right.

Then yesterday was amazing. I was trying to plan something to say at Friday night ladies’ meeting. There is this one passage that I love, but I’d decided that there was nothing I could say in addition to what Paul had already written. However, I felt convinced that this was the passage God wanted me to talk about. I sat down to start taking notes on the passage, and as I did, it felt like I was just taking dictation for God. My pencil could not move fast enough across the page (and my handwriting there looks atrocious). I wrote three pages of notes that I know could only come from God (because I am not smart enough to make all those connections).

There have been no lack of days where I’ve felt like “what am I doing here” or “what am I kidding myself, I can’t do these things”. It was so nice to experience God work through me in such a way where I knew that it was only Him working and not myself. I got to experience what it is to boast in my weaknesses. I’m not a preacher; I’ve never been to seminary, I’ve never taken a year off to study the Bible, I’ve never even been brave enough to lead a Bible study. But even so, God can work through me. And so, the fact that I’m not a preacher is something to boast in because it means that I can boast in the fact that God worked through me.

I am falling so much more in love with God! I cannot begin to express how good He’s been. Please continue to pray for me, Andrew, and the family. Also, next week the team is coming, so pray that they will be a blessing and that we’ll work together well. Pray that we finish strong these last two weeks (I can’t believe it’s almost over!). Thanks for all your love and support! None of this would be possible without you!

7-19-12 Mexico Missions Update

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:58:08 -0400

Please be in prayer for our team as several of our members have a stomach bug. Anson Carroll had it the worst and we had to take him to the Hospital. They have given him an IV and antibiotics. The doctor says that he thinks that by tomorrow Anson will feel much better and should have no problem to go back to the US on Saturday. Lisa Marley spoke to Barry and Amy; let us lift them up in prayer too.

On the ministry side, we had received so many blessing working with a church-start in a town called San Francisco del Rincon. This church-start moved to that location five months ago. Several children from the neighborhood came. At first they were very reluctant to participate in the singing but after a while they were very excited, learning Bible stories and memorizing verses of Scripture. It was amazing the pouring of love from them to our team. We all have been deeply touched by them.

We also worked on another town called Silao with a pastor that has been working with children there. We had over 80 children siging praises to Jesus. It was also amazing to know that about 50 of those children were first time comers to the ministry. They also poured out their hearts to us and we shared with them the gospel of Christ. They all made the sinners prayer. Lets continue to pray that the seed that has been planted in their hearts will flourish and bear much fruit.

Photos from our Mexico Team!

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 09:54:44 -0400

Photos from our Mexico Team!

Missions Update from Mexico

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:01:04 -0400

Hola amigos, This trip has been so exciting! All of our flights and security checks went smoothly and our team is awesome, which is such a blessing. When we stepped off of the plane in Leon, Guanajuato, the first thing I saw was the outline of the mountains with the sun setting over the stormy clouds. I was so grateful to see this picturesque view first thing, and it made me really appreciate God’s creation. It was a perfect way to start my adventure.

After getting through customs we met up with the Pagans, and it was neat to see them after almost three years. We’ve been able to catch up during travel time and it has been really encouraging to hear about their time serving in Leon.

Sunday was our first full day and it was spectacular. This is my first mission trip and first time out of the country so it has been really eye opening to see how different it is here compared to America. Pastor Alex preached twice at two different churches and it was awesome to be in a service in another language and country. Even with somewhat of a language barrier, I could see that by the smiles on these peoples’ faces that they genuinely loved Jesus.

On Monday, we had a team meeting and prayer session, and Jaime told us about the city’s response to Christianity. Leon is extremely closed to religious change with an estimated 2% of the population being professed Christians with a miniscule growth rate. After spending some time praying for God’s provision and the other missionaries here we prepared for our first day of Vacation Bible School. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but I knew that God had a plan for us being here so I didn’t worry.

I can’t quite explain how humbling it was to watch God work that night. There were 21 kids the first night with the majority not having attended the church before. Most kids came with either an invite from their friends or having heard us when walking by. Even though most of these kids were not being raised in a Christian family, they all responded to the music, games, and bible stories. Watching their enthusiasm while dancing and singing just showed me that God is greater than any circumstance we can imagine. He was working in their hearts and it was clearly visible.

On Tuesday morning we began another VBS at a new church. This church is specifically for children and is run by a couple named Walter and Dula. The kids there had been meeting for a while so when we came in they greeted us with a couple of songs. Later I found out that these kids were so excited about us coming that they came an hour and a half before it started to wait for us. Pretty sweet, right? It was a busy day working two different Vacation Bible Schools, but it was well worth it, because the kids and leaders of these churches have been such a blessing to all of our team.

If you read this I want to ask you to take a moment to pray for Leon. Pray for the missionaries, the Christians, the children, and especially the souls of the lost. We serve a mighty God, and prayer is powerful, so we believe that he can do amazing things here in Leon. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and various support. I love this country and these people more and more every day. Thank you, God, for putting me here.

Anson Carroll

Josh Wilkinson Kenya Reflections

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:37:42 -0400

Going to Kenya was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I saw God work in ways I had never thought possible, and I also watched God stretch me through my many experiences.

Our preparations for the Kenya trip started in December, and we left in June. During our many weekly meetings on Sunday afternoons, we did all kinds of things, from practicing our testimonies to sharing the bridge illustration and evangelizing at the flea market. Chuck constantly reminded us that this trip was going to stretch us, and that we would have to be prepared for all kinds of situations outside of our comfort zones. The constant mention of “being stretched” made me nervous enough, but it got worse when Chuck informed me that I would be preaching in a Kenyan prison. In addition to sharing my testimony, and having one of the lead roles in a skit we would be performing, I would now have to prepare a sermon, and preach in front of a large crowd of prisoners.

As our departure date drew closer, I became more and more worried about all the things I had to do and how I would be stretched. Our first full day at Build The Village was a Sunday, and team members had to share their testimonies at the local church. After we did this, I had to go up alone and share my testimony again with a translator in front of the adult congregation. I was nervous as I walked up to the stage, but as I began to speak I could tell God was giving me the words to speak.

As the trip continued, the stretching continued. A couple of days later, we were doing vacation bible school at a local school. I was in the middle of doing games with the kids, when Chuck came over and informed us that we would be sharing our testimonies with the kids since we had extra time. With approximately thirty seconds of notice, I had to share my testimony again, this time in front of an entirely different audience.

Wednesday, the big day when I would be preaching a sermon at the prison, finally arrived. That morning I prayed and reviewed my notes as we drove the long road to the prison. When we arrived, we split into three groups and I learned that I would be preaching to a group of roughly two hundred prisoners. When I began, however, something unexpected happened. I didn’t feel nervous in any way. I felt a sense of focus, peace, and calm come over me. I could tell that the Holy Spirit was giving me the words to say to these men.

Later in the week, we traveled to another prison where we were told to focus on discipleship. Each of the guys in our group was asked to share for five minutes on the five pillars of discipleship; I was asked to share on fellowship. Already more confident after my earlier sermon, I didn’t use any written notes this time. Instead, I made some mental notes and prayed for God’s guidance and direction. During my talk, additional thoughts and illustrations from the Old Testament that I had never thought of before randomly popped into my mind. I could tell that God was at work as he used me to communicate to others.

Therein lies the reason I enjoyed the Kenya trip so much. Chuck wasn’t lying when he said it would be a stretching experience. However, through this stretching, I gained further confidence that Jesus works through all of us in order to share the Gospel.

Meredith Wilkinson Kenya Reflections

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:32:36 -0400

I had such a great experience in Kenya and I saw God work in so many ways! Many people heard the Gospel preached and accepted Christ in the schools, prisons, and the marketplaces. It was truly incredible to see how hungry the people were to hear truth, and how eager they were to accept it. God did far more than I ever imagined He could do on this trip and I was so glad to be a part of it.

I was really blessed by doing Vacation Bible School in the schools there in Kenya. The kids were so sweet and a lot of them heard the Gospel and believed. It was such a different experience to go into those schools and have the attention of every child in the room as you talked to them about Jesus. I also saw a lot of poverty in the schools. The kids had tattered clothes and went to school in buildings with dirt floors and little seating. I learned that the world is bigger than America and I have so much to be thankful for. It’s one thing to hear about the poverty in other countries, but to go to Africa and see that they really don’t have anything showed me how blessed I really am.

I also enjoyed ministering to the women in the prisons. I was a little unsure about washing the feet of the prisoners before we got there, but it ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was so cool to be able to show those women Christ’s love and serve them. I think they were very surprised that we, as Americans, had come to Kenya and were in a prison washing their feet. It was awesome to share the love of Jesus with them and tell them about the forgiveness that he offers.

In the other prison we visited, we used lotion on the hands of the ladies and painted their nails. They were so excited to get their nails painted and were so grateful that we visited them. All the girls on the trip got to speak to the women in this prison and it was awesome to see everyone step up and boldly share Jesus with those ladies.

We also got to go to the marketplaces and share the Gospel with the people. This was a very stretching experience for me because I felt nervous walking straight up to people and asking them if I could share Jesus with them. This ended up being a great experience and many people heard the Gospel preached. You would start talking to one person and next thing you knew there was a group of people who had stopped to listen to what you had to say. Many people said that they knew who Jesus was but they didn’t understand what it meant to be saved. It was really cool to be able to share with those people that they could have a personal relationship with Jesus. Visiting the marketplaces taught me to be bold and share my faith with people back at home as well.

Another great memory was spending time at the orphanage. There were 17 kids and they were so great to be around. It was such a blessing to be able to visit with them and love on them. Yet it was also very sad to hear their stories and see how little they have there. One of the little boys was wearing girl clothing because there was nothing else for him to wear. There are a lot of needs that need to be met in the orphanage, such as bibs and baby bottles, and I am so excited to participate in helping to meet the needs of those kids.

It was an amazing trip and I learned so many things from going to Kenya! Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support for me! God truly blessed our team and we got to see many people come to the Kingdom of God.

Mark & Amy Wilkinson Kenya Reflections

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:29:01 -0400

Upon arrival at Build the Village, we had a Saturday to relax, and a Sunday to worship with the people of Choimim at BTV’s Community Church. The worship time was awesome as we got to experience how the Kenyan people sing and dance. Mark was able to participate in the youth Sunday School where two girls sang incredibly! As we sat in on group meetings with Damon Davenport (Director of BTV) and heard what we would be doing in the days to come, there was a level of anxiety. We were scheduled to perform VBS for hundreds of kids, visit prisons and evangelize to the people in villages and markets, some of which were heavily Muslim.

After our first day of VBS, we were astounded at how many students and teachers professed faith in Christ. Neither of us had ever seen anything like this before, and it was exciting. Watching our youth step up and work with the kids was a special treat. They all gave their best, and it was a blessing to everyone there.

On Tuesday, we went to a market area to share Christ with the people there. We were both blessed by how open everyone was to hearing about their need for Jesus. Many came to know the Lord. The pastors and translators made a special impression upon us as they led us through the crowds and helped us communicate with the people that would gather around us in large groups. Mark remembers Pastor Robert saying “Just share with them. Hakuna Matata. We are just doing God’s work.” He and the others had a very relaxed approach to sharing with people that we had never experienced before, and it was refreshing and inspirational.

On Wednesday we traveled to the Eldoret prison, and after some formalities were allowed inside where the men split into three groups and preached and witnessed to thieves, violent offenders and murderers. Mark was given the opportunity to share hope with 200 men convicted of murder. It was likely the only hope they would have, and everyone’s only real hope.

Amy went into the women’s prison and participated in washing the feet of the women in a demonstration of how Jesus served the disciples. Amy does not like to touch other people’s feet, so it was a stretch for her, but God provided grace that allowed her to perform this act and it is something she will never forget. The women were witnessed to, and the pitcher demonstration was used. Seven women came to Christ.

A bittersweet blessing is spending time with the orphans who have seen such difficult times. They are wonderful children who are receiving the love of God through the orphanage and those who are able to volunteer there. Amy was especially touched when one of the orphans called her “Mama”. Seeing, holding and playing with them gave us a new perspective on what is important in life as materialism is not an issue for them simply because they have nothing but their faith in God and the people around them.

Thursday we visited a prison in Kapsibet Kenya where we preached to the men and women separately, then the men were given soap and the women had their nails painted. Many received Christ.

The highlight of Mark’s trip was leading a man to Christ in the market. His name is Kizito Mulama and as he listened, he told Mark that “I believe God is speaking to me right now.” Mark prayed with Kizito to receive Christ. Friday we did a marathon VBS session, presenting to 3 different schools, the last of which had over 500 students. Many prayed to receive Christ. We were getting physically tired, but God was faithful to sustain us.

Saturday we went to a village of tea plantation workers to witness. After splitting up into groups, we walked all over the village finding people and sharing with them. Many had already been saved, and many of the adults were working in the fields. Sunday we again worshipped with the Community Baptist church to end our stay the way it had begun, however we were changed forever.

A verse that kept coming to Amy’s mind is Ephesians 3:20-21:

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.”

Julie Thompson Kenya Reflections

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:20:28 -0400

Kenya. Wow. It is strange not hearing “mzungu” (white traveler) everywhere I go, or see kids come out of the wood works just to shake my hand, touch my hair or rub my arms to see if the white comes off. It is also strange being on American time as opposed to “Kenyan time” which is if someone says you will get there in an hour, you can expect to get there in three. Getting a little taste of Kenyan life was such a different experience than anywhere I have ever been but such a wonderful and impactful one. I have never seen so many people come to know our Lord and Savior personally in such a small amount of time. God is so good! My group and I had the opportunity to share the gospel with over 3300 Kenyans and over 1700 of them got saved! Buena a safiwe – Praise the Lord! Prayers were truly answered and were answered bountifully.

This trip contained a variety of ministry opportunities. We held a miniature vacation Bible school in five different schools where we shared the gospel 1500 students (plus teachers) and at least 875 made profession of faith among doing fun things like games and singing songs as well. Although four out of five times our time limit was unknown so we usually had to rush or cut something short, each school was most importantly presented the gospel and hopefully shown the love of Christ. I lead the games station and I have never seen so many children giggle joyfully as they played games with a parachute. The children screamed with glee every time they ran under the parachute to dance and then quickly return to their place on the edge. Something as little as playing for 15 minutes with a parachute brightened the eyes of all the these children with tattered uniforms who can most likely hardly afford school fees. “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.

In our prison ministry, we went to the Eldoret prison where the guys went to preach separately from the women. After Rebecca Hall taught, we washed the feet of all of the female prisoners. This might have been my favorite part of the trip if it is possible to choose a favorite part. It is one of the most humbling of services I have ever done – many of the women in the prison do not have shoes with them and none of them are provided with soap so one could imagine the feet we were blessed with washing, but I would do it again if I could. We had planned to have music playing while we washed feet, but instead all of the prisoners provided us with music of their own where they danced and worshipped God.

At the Kapsabet prison, the men and women were split once again and we lead a small discipleship program for the women as well as pampering them with hand lotion and painting their nails. Here in the prisons we shared the gospel with 1100 people (plus guards) and more than 600 made professions of faith. In the markets and door-to-door (hut-to-hut) evangelism, we shared the Gospel with more than 650 people and more than 150 made professions of faith. We went to At a market near Mosoriot; we split into groups of three and spread throughout the market in order to talk to as many people as possible. The first people my group and I talked with were named Patrick and Robert. Not only did they accept Christ into their hearts but you could tell the truly understood because Robert then immediately wanted us to tell all of his friends! So he led us around the market for the whole day because he cared about the souls of his friends.

There was an orphanage in the compound where we stayed with Build the Village containing seventeen precious kids. Most of these children had been abandoned by the parents and some had even barely escaped being smothered to death. These children came from hard backgrounds where they knew no hope but now they are shown the love of Christ. Charity, the first orphan who lost his single mother to malaria, was like a big brother to all of the younger children, and he genuinely believed they were all brothers and sisters no matter from where they came. He was always willing to help and his love for Christ shined as bright as his huge smile from his happy face. The baby girl I wish I could have taken home with me was Benta, a five-year-old little girl who was HIV positive. She always wanted to be swung around or to use me for her jungle gym. Whenever she yelled “Chu-Lee” and motioned for me to carry her there was no way I could resist and I never wanted to put her down. All of the children in the orphanage were unique and special and obviously loved one another in the way the shared and hugged.

Kenya is an experience I will never forget. It stretched me in ways I had never been stretched and opened my eyes to things I had never been exposed to before. It made me think about the importance of many of the material things we deem important here in America and made me think about how simplicity of life is not a bad thing at all. Although the Kenyans do not have many physical items at all, they are rich in love and kindness, always willing to invite you inside their huts to make you a pot of tea while you talk with them. God’s glory is shown in every type of situation and I am so thankful for all of the many prayers he listened to and answered before during and after this trip. Most importantly I am thankful the prayer He answered of souls coming to know Him during this trip and I rejoice with the angels that we have many new brothers and sisters in Christ!

Dakota Dukes Kenya Reflections

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:36:18 -0400

Jambo! (Hello!)

Our time together in Africa could not have been more life-changing or God-honoring. Not only did I see the lives of many natives changed as they prayed to accept Jesus, but our lives profited immensely by their precious hearts and warm smiles.

Kenya surprised me in many ways. One thing I learned while there is that no matter how much preparation we did in advance, sharing our testimonies or preaching the gospel in a marketplace mirrors learning to swim the first time. When someone throws you into a pool, you’ll learn how to swim all on your own because you are forced to. We arrived in Choimim Village on Saturday and Sunday our leader Damin allowed us to all share our testimonies in Church Service. We all did a fantastic job and I learned that no one judges you based on how well you annunciate or how many times you make eye contact with the crowd like in school, they just want to hear your American accent and soak up every word you have to say with your American intellect. Each of us improved as we told Bible stories or shared with others and it got easier and easier as time went on. I think I could now tell everyone of our group members’ testimonies by heart because I’ve heard them so many times. This is all to say, I thoroughly enjoyed preaching to the masses as well as walking in small groups to different huts or tables in the marketplace to share God’s word because it was not by myself that I was able to share, but by his Holy Spirit working through me.

Not only did the evangelism aspect of the trip surprise me, but the people of Kenya genuinely surprised me as well. First, we mostly guessed when trying to decipher whether the small hand touching us belonged to a boy or a girl because everyone there has a shaved head, with the same color chocolate skin and brown eyes. Some kids even wore the wrong gender-colored clothes because that’s all there family owned. Apart from their looks, the joy that overflowed their whole countenance as we walked into the room will absolutely never be forgotten. These kids lived in mud covered huts and most lacked even one pair of shoes, but behind their eyes they showed this pure joy inexpressible in words. They loved us, loved to see us, loved to touch us, loved to wave at us.

Dakota Dukes Kenya Reflections

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:35:42 -0400

Jambo! (Hello!)

There were days when I felt like the ice cream truck because every time we’d drive down the clay streets of Kenya kids would come running up to us just to wave hi and look at us through the windows. It’s shocking really how American kids have so much and yet most kids here struggle with depression, or self image issues, or lust of money and riches yet the kids in Africa have nothing. They have no television, no phones, no laptops and yet they are some of the happiest…no the happiest kids I have ever met in my life. God speaks through these children. He displayed through these children Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” God has not left these happy children and He never will.

These lessons along with many others continued to flood me as the days passed in beautiful Choimim. I learned a lot from the natives as each day unfolded before me and I learned a lot from our group members as Pastor Chuck opened and closed our days with group meetings and daily devotionals. He truly blessed each one of us with this time because it was a solid hour (sometimes more, sometimes less) of fellowshipping with one another and talking about what God was doing through us throughout our days.

Some of the adventures our group conquered have left a lasting impression in my head. The first, and my absolutely most favorite part about our trip took place on Saturday, June 30th. To start the day off we headed to a new village to help spread the gospel with Community Baptist Church, a church located in their area rooted in the word. I journeyed with Mr. Wilkinson and our translator David. We hiked for an hour and a half and stopped to talk to whoever we could. Damin had provided us with a story book of the gospel to share with anyone we wanted if they were willing to listen…And boy were they willing! Everyone we met wanted to hear His good news. Some were already saved but still wanted to listen. Some, when asked if they would enter heaven when they died said they didn’t know and they were ready to listen. And even those who said they were not Christians still listened and responded to our gospel message.

The very last group of people we met included a teenage boy and two young girls. It was my turn to share and I spoke of God’s redemptive love and his work on the cross for us. When we were finished, they all wanted to receive Christ. This was the first time that I myself had ever led, start to finish, a group of children to Christ. I wanted to cry! I prayed with them to receive Jesus into their hearts and explained that prayer and devotion to Christ can change their life like it did mine. We left with three smiling faces looking back at us and waving, a memory that will never be lost.

Next, we all piled into the bus and after half a day of evangelism we headed to what we knew as “the bat cave.” We arrived and all hopped out as we began to hike up and down beautiful cement steps and sometimes swinging wood bridges until, before our eyes stood a sublime waterfall decorated by a mountainous canvas. The only thing going through my head at that moment was, “This is God’s glory. He placed this here with his masterful hand.” Underneath the waterfall there lies a cave. We all entered, some of us holding onto the boy’s backpacks for dear life because it was pitch black and smelled like Ammonium. We saw briefly the bats flying across the way and laying on the side of the cave which scared some, but enticed others. After this incredible experience, we began our hike again back up to bus and we stopped to look at another beautiful waterfall that fell into a pool at the bottom of the stairs. Then, as Chuck says it was “GAME ON!”

Annaleigh Mills and I had requested that we be baptized at some point because we both came from a non-Christian background and professed our faith in Christ around the same time, but were never symbolically cleansed of our sins. The water felt like ice as we entered in one by one. Pastor Chuck held his hand up and in jeans declared, “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit,” and the next thing I remember I was coming up from an ice cold bath with 13 smiling faces cheering, clapping, and rejoicing with me as I ran to get out of the water and start giving out hugs. This experience rocked my world and I am forever grateful for the impression that this day left and it will live on my heart until the day I die!

Kenya and the people of this beautiful country changed my life. God worked through me to impact them but he also worked through them to impact me. Many prayers were answered as I reflect on the 12 days. First and most importantly, leading up to the trip I prayed fervently that my faith be renewed, that I would find in Kenya a new fire and a new passion for reading His word and talking with Him everyday. Not only did He give me this, but He gave me a reminder that I was His child everyday. I spoke of his love and he led me to get baptized, something I wasn’t even praying for but He knew it was my time.

Secondly, I also prayed that I would be accepted, not only by the people of Kenya, but by the group I was going with. As we were travelling I found myself to be the only non-Apex Baptist attendee. I regularly go to Colonial Baptist and know a few of the team members from Cary Christian School but some I had never met before. Let me just say, God was probably laughing as I prayed for this because I found myself laughing at this minor concern when I landed back in the States. Everyone got along great! There wasn’t a minute when we weren’t laughing with one another and even sometimes AT one another. He used all of us individually and also used us as a whole to accomplish what He would have done. These new friends I made will be my friends for a life-time. He used us to move mountains and I could not have asked for a better 14 people to spend my time in Africa with. God filled these two weeks with life-changing and eye-opening experiences both for the people of Africa and for the people of Apex. I will never forget my time there and I am thanking God everyday for his continued love and for allowing me this opportunity to share His love with His chocolate-covered, smiling children.

Asanti Sana (thank you very much!)

Kathryn Cooke Kenya Reflections

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:28:35 -0400

I was so happy that I was blessed by being able to go on our Africa trip! I experienced many new and crazy things. We had the opportunity to do several mission projects. In our School Ministry (5 schools), we shared the Gospel with more than 1500 students (plus teachers) and at least 875 made professions of faith. In the markets & door to door (hut to hut) evangelism, we shared the Gospel with more than 650 and more than 150 made professions of faith. In our prison ministry (2 prisons), we shared the Gospel with more than 1100 (plus guards) and more than 600 made professions of faith. We also ministered daily to the 17 orphans who live on the Build the Village Compound.

The prison ministry was my favorite because it was something that I had never ever experienced before. At first we all felt a little intimidated by going in there, but by the end of the day we were all dancing and singing together like a family, it was truly amazing! We washed the feet of 100 female prisoners, painted the nails of 37 female prisoners, gave out 100 new Bibles, and 1350 bars of soap. At the second prison I had a chance to speak out loud to everyone about evangelism (once you know that Jesus is in your heart, you have to spread the good news to all your friends). I am not good at speaking in front of crowds or to a large group of people, but I was definitely brought out of my comfort zone in Africa, I loved it! I was confident when I spoke and it has given me a lot of courage to speak out when I am at home.

The hut to hut evangelism was also out of my comfort zone. We would walk up to a group of people on the street and ask very boldly if they knew they would go to heaven when they died. It was amazing how honest they would be with you and how much they wanted to know what we had to say. If people were to go door to door in America, the response would more than likely be very different or rude. One of our translators took me and a couple of people to his aunt’s house to meet her. She asked me about America and was telling me she had heard America’s spiritual reputation was corrupt. In other words, people don’t respect Jesus in America as much as they used to. It made me very sad because it’s true. People from all around the world put America on a pedestal and act like it’s the greatest place to be, but it’s lacking the one thing that matters most, children of God.

We taught Sunday School Classes, sang, shared testimonies, did a skit, did a creative dance and preached during Sunday Morning Services at the church on the Build the Village compound 2 Sundays in a row. People from the village, students from the boarding school, and children from the orphanage all came. Church has been known to go from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. The worship is real there, you can truly see the spirit of God moving through all the people. Time never dragged out on Sunday morning, the services flew by.

I am very glad that I was able to go on this trip! I would go back in a heartbeat. Africa has been one of my most favorite memories. I got to see exotic animals and eat some very strange meats such as Lamb, Ostrich, Alligator, Ox, and Goat. Thank you for all of your prayer support, it meant the world to me! It was encouraging knowing that I had people on the other side of the world thinking about and praying for our team daily, I truly saw the power of prayer at work while I was there.

A Few Blog Updates

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 06:44:18 -0400

Check out a few blog updates from Anika Goslen and Alan King!

Anika’s Blog

Alan’s Blog

Julie Cable Kenya Reflections

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 14:43:00 -0400

My first impression of Kenya as we traveled by bus to Build The Village, was how lush and green the countryside was. As we traveled down the dirt road that would lead us to our home for the next nine days, we all saw the same sight that thrilled the entire team. The children would run as fast as they could to get to the edge of the road so they could wave to us as we rode by. They had huge smiles on their faces as they welcomed the “Mzungu’s”, the white people.

When we arrived, Damon Davenport, the founder of BTV greeted us and gave us an overview of what our ministry would be. He said he wanted us to be “stretched” and that when we left we would be different than when we arrived. I believe that came true for all of us. He gave us a tour of the property where we met the 4th and 5th graders who were boarders at Noel Academy. We saw the rooms where they slept, and the school classrooms. There are 39 children who board for three months at a time. I was very impressed with the discipline and manners of these children.

Next, we walked to the orphanage. We met 17 precious children, ranging in age from infant to about 10 years old. Meeting these children and hearing their stories really touched my heart, and I’m sure the hearts of my teammates.

We spent our next morning in church and Sunday School. Our youth did a fantastic job giving their testimonies in church. At this point, I knew our team would minister in a strong way to the people of Kenya. I loved the enthusiastic singing time and was very impressed with the number of scriptures that the children had memorized. As I reflected back over this day, I thought about how loving the children were to us. They loved to sit in our laps, rub our hair and skin, and just smile.

Starting Monday morning we began our VBS ministry. Some days we did two, one day we did three. It was awesome. We had three stations: Bible story, games, and craft. You could always hear the joy in the children’s laughter as they participated at each station. Two very strong elements of the VBS were: a skit by the youth, which portrayed a girl struggling with sins of the world, and how Jesus rescued her. The other was a demonstration of how Jesus cleanses our sin by using a glass of water into which you dropped food colorings, causing it to become dark. This represented our sin. To demonstrate how Jesus cleanses our sins, a pitcher of water was poured into the glass until it was flushed out and became completely clear again. Every time we did this, it was a WOW!

On Wednesday and Thursday we visited prisons. Men ministered to men, women to women. On Wednesday, the women actually washed the feet of the inmates, explaining we were following Jesus’ example as He washed His disciple’s feet (John 13). This was very humbling and one of my most memorable experiences.

On Thursday, because most of the women had made a profession of faith, we taught them practical steps of how to grow in their faith. After our teaching time, we painted their finger nails. They were delighted and clapped their hands when we told them what we were going to do.

The two areas that stretched me, and probably my teammates the most were hut-to-hut evangelism, and going to the market place to share the Gospel. While it stretched me, it was my favorite part of ministry. To watch the expressions on their faces as we explained sin and the fact that there had to be punishment for sin and forgiveness, was unforgettable. You could see their realization of their need for Jesus’ forgiveness. Glory to God, and not unto us, after approximately 3,300 people heard the Gospel, more than 1,700 people made professions of faith!

A video from Mark Wilkinson on our Kenya trip!

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 13:15:25 -0400

A video from Mark Wilkinson on our Kenya trip!

7-06-12 Heather Brookshire South Africa Update

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 07:38:22 -0400

The past two weeks here have been so amazing. God has totally showed up His glory in His creation and through the people here. My team and I got to go on a safari this weekend, it was so beyond cool. We were less than fifty feet from away from zebras, giraffes, and elephants; I felt like I was in the middle of the Lion King.

My time with the teenagers in the program has been just as great. My co-teacher and I have an awesome group of ten ninth graders; they are so similar to American teens in some ways but so different in others. God’s power has definitley shown up in the classroom in that I’ve been able to teach them math and english skills and they are actually learning! I’ve also been able to have some great spiritual conversations with them. Almost all of them are strong believers and it has been so encouraging to see how deep they think and how much faith they have. We have had some great discussions in the classroom where they have been able to share what the believe with each other and the Christians students have really stood up for their faith. We are starting to talk to the Christian students about what it looks like to share their faith with others and maybe start a life group at their schools.

I love this country and the South African people so much, they have such strong faith and resiliency, it is such a privilege to be here!

Prayer Requests:

Pray for the Christian teens: I feel confident in my ability to share the gospel but motivating and equipping teenagers to share their faith is a totally different mountain. Pray that God would give me the words to say to encourage them. Pray that the teenagers would bodly share the gospel in their schools. Pray for godly teachers that can encorage Christan students in their high schools. Pray that God would help them to lead their country to equality and to follow His will.
Pray for the non-Christian teens: As we start to have more and more gospel conversations with the non-Christian students pray that God would be changing their hearts. Many of them have strong beliefs in Jehovah’s Witness or traditional African religions. Pray for wisdom and boldness as we approach conversations. Pray that God would open doors and radically change the hearts of these students.
Pray for strength: Even though I love everyone here so much, being around people all day everyday can be so exhausting. Pray that God would give the the endurace, patience, and selflessness to live in constant community. Also, pray for strength in teaching the teenagers; pray that I would be just as energetic in the classroom and in conversations as I was on the day we started. Thanks so much for your support and prayers!