Saltshaker Aguascalientes Update (6/30/09)

Well, another successful day in Aguascalientes! Today was good; we had our first session of team-led devotionals this morning, with Roy starting us off strong. Sometime during our weekend conversation, we figured out that we basically had a full band with our team, and Edwin Giron helped us out on keyboard as well. So we played a song this morning, had our devotional, and then had some prayer time as a team.

Most of today was focused on "preparation": we prepared for VBS by planning out our specific schedule and responsibilities, and started preparing the crafts. We also prepared our schedule for our visit this Wednesday and Thursday to the orphanage; we will be doing some manual labor and "fixing" things up around the orphanage on Wednesday, and then have a Field Day with the kids on Thursday, where we play games and have some fun events scheduled.

This evening, we just got back from a Bible Study in Pocitos, where Deidre gave her testimony. The Bible Study was a little small and all female, so the guys connected with the sons of one of the ladies in the study, and we went to play soccer. In a nearby field. In the rain. It was awesome. We actually connected really well with the sons, whose parents (Armando and Olga) have been praying that they would connect with Christ. We played soccer, and then dodge-hackey, a game we like that they connected really well with.

Thanks! We'll try to check in again tomorrow!

In Christ,

Bobby

Here's Robyn with an update of how 'women-time' went:

Deidre shared her testimony, and of course it was lovely. Everyone could relate to it and really responded to it well. The ladies also just got a new book that they are teaching out of and so we got to start it with them. They studied Ephesians 2:1-10, which we studied at camp last year, and so it was really great to get to study it with them. It was fun!

Thanks for praying for us, guys. When we did our prayer walk through Villas last night, it went well also. We know that God wants to reach the people in Villas, and would appreciate your prayers for our work there, both through the Bible Studies and through our VBS next week. Pray also that God helps us to connect people well with the missionaries here, so that those relationships can continue after we go back to the States.

"In Burundi" (6/29/09)

Word came from EFM Missionary to Rwanda, Brad Carpenter, that the Burundi Team is now in Burundi!

Dear Prayer Partners,

We are now with the Saltshaker Team from EFC-MAYM that came to Rwanda a few days ago. We rode on a bus this morning to Bujumbura and tomorrow we will go up to Gitega where we will stay in the next days.

We are so thankful for your prayers and your participation with us in what the Lord has for us! Please pray that we will be obedient to the Spirit as He leads us during this time with the team.

On July 5th we will be at the 75th anniversary of the Burundi Friends Church! It will be really fun! On July 6 & 7 Brad will be teaching at the Pastor's training school on discipleship. Please pray for him that the Lord will speak clearly to him and through him and that the Lord will give our Burundi leaders some practical ways to disciple people.

Love in Christ,
Brad & Chelsea Carpenter

Saltshaker Aguascalientes Update (6/29/09)

Update written by Deidre Bridges (6/28):

Hello everyone and greetings from Aguascalientes! I'll pick up where Robyn left off with the Siesta yesterday. It was very very very nice, and refreshed all of us for our evening activities. We had a little orientation when we got back to the Girons' house. We played Patotazo (keep it up with a duck), a game of fun facts that is like "upset the fruit basket." It was very fun. We also had lots of snacks, including Tuna (cactus fruit) which was good despite having a jillion seeds, and fried grasshopper, which was...a learning experience. Then there were the cultural learning games. We learned how to greet people here by shaking their hands and "kissing" one cheek. We had a couple of fun little quizes about the culture and what's acceptable to do here. It was really fun, just hanging out with the team and getting to know the missionaries through another fun fact game.

We went to Mr. Chapetes to eat, and it was so good I asked the missionaries to eat there every night from now on. I had a quesadilla pastor, which is the pork one, and a Manzanita, an apple soda which I'm really starting to love. The mints they gave us after dinner had fortune-cookie-like sayings on them. Then we went back to the houses to sleep. Robyn and I stayed up very late.

This morning was the servicio. Andrea, Robyn, and I went to pick up Bobby and Sammy and Favi to cram into her small car for the trip to Villas. It was fun and we laughed the whole way. Our friends Marcos and Karen from Kids' Club yesterday were there, and we enjoyed talking with them for a bit during lunch. The service was very interesting: Andrea translated it to us in the corner so we wouldn't be completely lost. We sang a few songs and Edwin preached about community. One passage he read that really stood out to me was Ecclesiastes 11:9&10. It says to seek God early in life, and that's exactly what I want in my life. Edwin also explained that youth is vanity, and that to become mature in your faith takes time but is also necessary to do God's work. Sammy gave his testimony, which tied in well with some of the points that Edwin spoke on. He did a great job.

After a delicious lunch, we returned to the Girons' home in Aguas. We have a bit of free time to watch VeggieTales and nap again. Tonight we are going back to Villas for a prayer walk. Karen and her family will be joining us, which excites me greatly.

So far our stay here has been wonderful. I am so grateful for the blessing of being here in Aguas with the beautiful weather and friendly people. Hello to my family and friends, I love you!

Love,

Deidre

Burundi Team Updates (6/28/09)

Allison McElroy, Saturday evening, June 27: Hi Everyone! We have arrived to Rwanda! After many long flights we have made it. We just barely made the flight from Chicago to London (who knew you could run that fast in an airport!) London was simply amazing. It’s very cool to know that God was there when all of those amazing sites were built and all of those historic people were alive! And he is here with us now! We had a fun flight from London to Nairobi and we finally saw our missionaries beautiful, smiling and welcoming faces when we arrived in the airport in Kigali. Everything is beautiful here from the mountains, food, and most importantly, the people. The hosts here are wonderful and the food is AMAZING! It is truly a blessing for me and the team to interact with the people and learn their culture. We met some of the local pastors last night and we felt God calling us to encourage the church here and continually be praying for the people of Rwanda. Today we had a time of learning and studying with Debby Thomas as she shared her knowledge with us. She talked about her business plans and we even got to see the beginnings of the Moringa tree farm. She is an amazing woman of God and it is truly spectacular to see her love and compassion for the people here. She even helped me understand my own call to teaching and I know Christ has a lot in store for me. We then went to the missionary compound and saw one of the churches here in Rwanda. Next, we went to the open market and got to see how the people sell their goods and how umm… eager they are to sell you their items! Everything was wonderful and all of the fabrics we saw were just absolutely breathtaking! Who knew there were so many different styles! Now we have a time of rest and are getting ready for some more remarkable food! We are looking forward to Burundi but embracing our time here in Rwanda. Michelle, Brad, Chelsea, and The Thomas family are a guiding light for us here and it is fun to ask them questions and see how they live. They truly love the people here and are showing the light of Christ to all who come near. I miss everyone and am excited to show you all of the ways God is working in the world. Continue praying for our safe travel and our interactions with the people! Thank you for everything and we will see you soon!

Deborah Kind, Saturday evening, June 27: Hello Friends! I must say, this trip has already been amazing and the Lord has really blessed our time traveling and in Rwanda. After MANY hours of traveling, we spent the day yesterday in Kigali, Rwanda with Brad and Chelsea Carpenter and Debbie Thomas. We were all exhausted, yet excitedly persevered through our drowsiness to tour the city, shop, and visit with Rwandan leaders. Our time so far has really opened my eyes to the work the Lord has done and is doing here in Rwanda. Last night we met with leaders in the Rwandan Yearly Meeting who all expressed their joy over us being there to visit them and encourage them. However, it was apparent that us visitors were the ones who were really being encouraged. Those of us unseasoned travelers are experiencing a unique opportunity here in Rwanda. We are surrounded by former, current, and future missionaries, local church leaders, and EFM “trophy” Chuck Mylander. Willard and Doris Ferguson started the mission work here in Rwanda, Gary and Connie Young soon came alongside, Dave and Debbie Thomas are involved in exciting new opportunities with the Rwandan people, and Brad and Chelsea are just getting started! This is definitely an exciting time to be here in Rwanda, with so many powerful servants of the Lord. As Chuck Mylander told us last night, “Tonight…you are in the presence of greatness”. We will only be here in Rwanda a couple more days before moving on to Burundi. But so far, the Lord has really shown me that He has a plan and He will follow that plan until completion. That is evidenced in the rich mission history here in Rwanda, also in my personal life—from the time I was a little girl praying and raising money for Rwanda until the day I am here myself, witnessing the fruit of the labors and prayers of so many at home. I am excited to continue on our journey to Burundi and continue to learn about their rich mission history there. The Lord is great, and He is present among us! Thank you so much for your prayers!!

Gary Young, Sat June 27: Hello to each of you. We are so thankful for all your prayers for us. Our meeting last night was so very precious as we all felt the love and kinship in Jesus! God is so good! This morning our team met and Debbie Thomas shared about how God has lead here in ministry to whole communities through the Maringa tree business. Then we went out to see the tree nursery and to hear how God had provided the property and helped her make contacts that have helped her learn how to make evangelism part of helping the lives of the people. I personally found my spirit resonating with her story as God has also called me to work with people who feel hopeless and need God’s help.

Connie Young, Sat June 27: We are so grateful for your prayers. We arrived with seven pieces of luggage missing! We picked up the last piece this morning. Gratefully, nothing seems to be missing. The Lord’s presence has certainly been evident. We will be attending various churches in the Kigali area tomorrow. They have done an excellent job taking care of us. The food has been very good! Blessings to all of you!

Saltshaker Aguascalientes Update (6/28/09)

Saturday 6/27 evening update from Robyn Schell:

Today we went to Club Aventura (Kids Club) and worked with children from the town. We sang and danced, memorized Titus 3:5, Andrea told the story of the Prodigal Son, and we also broke into age groups and did arts and crafts and storytelling. We got to hang out with the kids and create good relationships with them. They all wanted us to come back! After that we had an amazing lunch at the Giron's house and had a nice siesta. We're about to take a culture test with the missionaries and go through some orientation as a team.

God has shown me that even with a language barrier you can always connect with the people around you, especially through laughter. You can make wonderful relationships with people around you even if you can barely understand each other. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us the next few weeks.

(: Love,

Robyn

Burundi Team Update (6/27/09)

Saturday morning, June 27, from Matt Macy:

We arrived to Kigali, Rwanda yesterday morning, only slightly behind schedule and everyone is well! We actually had a super close call in Chicago, nearly missed the plane because our Wichita flight was delayed due to thunderstorms in Chicago. They held the plane for 20 minutes for our team because one of us ran to the terminal and held the plane while the rest of the team waited for the plane-side luggage (carry-ons). We had a really wonderful time in London – saw several sites and enjoyed using London Underground – the subway system. There are 20 of us on the team all together in Kigali, Rwanda, several meeting us (those of us who started in Wichita) in London who came from Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, and L.A. We are still working on our jet-lag. My mind is not very clear this morning and writing this paragraph seems to be a difficult task. Our first day in Kigali was good. In the morning we unloaded trunks, sorted through a few items in the trunks, and worked with the airport in recovering some luggage. We had 7 items not arrive with us to the airport; 2 of them were Megan and Jen’s personal carry-on bags that they made them check last-minute in London, but then we received these 2 bags later in the day, thankfully! I’m actually writing this from the airport while Brad Carpenter and Ryan Kendall are working on retrieving 2 trunks for the missionaries that came in late (both happened to be checked under Ryan’s name, which worked out smooth this morning). We had a great lunch (great cooks at the new Friends Church guest house we are staying at) and spent the afternoon seeing around Kigali, and doing a little souvenir shopping. For supper we met with the Rwanda Friends Church ‘executive council’ of sorts. We had a really special blessed time sharing with them and hearing from them. Willard Ferguson introduced our team, then we had a few brief greetings from our team and from Rwandan leaders. Chuck Mylander closed with a word on how special all of these Rwandan leaders were with a promise to share stories about each of them – which we look forward to (certainly a part of their stories will be their sacrifices for the church, and their experiences during the 1993 genocide in which their lives were in threat and they would have lost large numbers in their families).

Looking forward: We have a couple of very cool days ahead. Today we will spend the morning with David & Debby Thomas touring and hearing about their work with the church in Discipleship for Development and Business as Mission! Then this afternoon we will visit the genocide memorial museum, which will then be followed by some debriefing time. Also, a few of us may visit the orphanage where I adopted our 4th child, previously an orphan: Caleb Ndanga Jean Claude Macy. This, of course, is my first time back to Rwanda since we adopted Caleb in September 2007, and I have been caught off guard with emotions in pondering Caleb’s life and how his life and our lives would be different if we hadn’t adopted him – we are very thankful for God’s gift of all our children to us and for God’s grace to Caleb to give him parents and 3 brothers. Tomorrow, Sunday, we will split up and visit 5 churches. Monday we will travel all day, going to Burundi by bus, with a few on the team going to Congo (Willard, Sue, Donnie, Ryan, David Thomas) for a few days before joining us again back in Burundi when a second group arrives from the U.S. for us all to be together as we celebrate Burundi Friends’ 75th Anniversary.

We are sorry it isn’t logistically possible for us to send reports more often, and for you to hear from more of us! I’m hoping that we might be able to send notes a little more frequently once we get settled in Burundi – we’ll see. Thanks for praying for us – we are praying for our families and churches at home, and our Saltshaker Aguascalientes Team who just left for Mexico from Houston.

Saltshaker Aguascalientes Update (6/27/09)

From Bobby Kirkpatrick:

Here's our update for tonight...short, and to the point, cause it's late: We Made It! Our team arrived, although our plane was delayed for about an hour, and everyone's luggage showed up as expected! Customs and travel were a non-issue, and Jeremy, Betty, Edwin, Maria, and Andrea were at the airport to pick us up! The drive into Aguascalientes (from the edge of the city) was nice-- a good reminder of how familiar a lot of things are to us, from fast food restaurants to Starbucks to Walmart/Sams/etc! Sammy was also highly entertained by the Office Depot. We're not sure why.

Everyone is at their homes now, and should be asleep or getting close. We went out to eat once we arrived, and were reminded of how good the food is here in Aguascalientes! This, plus a long day of traveling, was enough to get everyone sleepy. Sammy and I are in the house with the Girons, while Matt and Roy are with the Smucks, and Robyn and Deidre are with Andrea Byrne. Tomorrow's plans are to help with kids' club in town, and then go through our group orientation together with the missionaries! Thanks for your support, especially in prayer. You can pray for us specifically that we get good rest tonight, and that we connect well with the families that we are staying with so that we can meet our goal of being a blessing to the missionaries and encouraging one another! No pictures for tonight, but we'll try to have some uploaded soon over the next few days. Our 2 cameras (Robyn and Roy) have not had a chance to connect to my laptop yet. Thank you, and we'll talk to you guys tomorrow!

Prayer for Burundi Team

Please pray for the Burundi 75th Anniversary Team that left today, Wednesday, June 24th at 2:40pm from Wichita. (Below: team photo at Wichita airport before departing Wednesday afternoon)

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18 NLT

Team Prayer Requests
-Team unity (Ph. 2:1-11) and witness (Gal. 5:22-23; Ph. 2:5)
-Discernment and obedience of God’s leading
-Maximum encouragement and blessing (Genesis 12:1-3) to the Burundi Friends Churches and youth
-Team ministry that is effective and produces long lasting fruit

Saltshaker 09 Aguascalientes (June 26 - July 14)

ABOVE: Saltshaker Aguascalientes Team at Orientation

Team Members:

left to right
Bobby Kirkpatrick (Director, Friendswood)

Deidre Bridges (Friendswood)

Sammy Sanders (Hutchinson)

Robyn Schell (Friendswood)

Matt Newton (Friendswood)
Roy Gongwer (Middle River Friends, Carlisle, Iowa)

Saltshaker Aguascalientes Schedule
-tentative schedule, subject to change

-breakfasts in each person’s home, lunch a hired cook, dinner optional eating out, snacks always available
-daily prayer, worship, & devotions 10 AM Monday-Friday

Friday 26th arrival, welcome, icebreakers and dinner

Saturday 27th Kid’s Club, lunch, and orientation

Sunday 28th service in Villas, lunch, prayer walk in Villas

Monday 29th Morning: Planning for orphanage and VBS 5 PM Pocitos Bible Study

Tuesday 30th Orphanage

Wednesday July 1st Work Day at the house in Villas and in the community

Thursday 2nd VBS preparation, planning, invitations 7 PM literacy course

Friday 3rd VBS preparation, planning, invitations

Saturday July 4th morning: time off, 3 PM tourism, 8 PM Independence Day BBQ

Sunday 5th Membership Evening 5 PM Celebration for Believers

Monday 6th Final Preparations for VBS and 5 PM Study in Pocitos

Tuesday 7th – Friday 10th VBS & Bible Studies

Saturday 11th Tourism Day

Sunday 12th Membership, service in Pocitos

Monday 13th Debrief, Closing, & Goodbyes

Tuesday 14th Fly home early

Team Prayer Requests
-Team unity (Ph. 2:1-11) and witness (Gal. 5:22-23; Ph. 2:5)
-Discernment and obedience of God’s leading
-Maximum encouragement and blessing (Genesis 12:1-3) to the Aguascalientes Mission
-Team ministry that is effective and produces long lasting fruit

Burundi 75th Anniversary Team

ABOVE: part of 09 Burundi Team at Orientation
Note that Burundi is 7 hours ahead of US Central Time.

June 24-July 12:
Burundi, Congo, Rwanda
Michelle Carpenter

Brad & Chelsea Carpenter

Larry & Dee Choate

Larry Jr. Choate

Wayne DeCamp III

Willard Ferguson

Megan Frazier

Sue Hays

Brianna Hays

Donnie Hinshaw

Casey Holden

David & Mae Kellum

Ryan Kendall

Deb Kind

Andreia Leininger

Matt Macy

Allison McElroy

Chuck Mylander

Jennifer Stanley

David Thomas
Elizabeth Dawn Todd
Gary & Connie Young

July 1-14: Burundi
Randall Brown

Debbie Brown

Dalene Hutson

Ray Kallenbach

Ruth Kemper

Jeff Morrison

Stephanie Pribble

David Robinson

Charity Sandstrom

Schedule of 75th Anniversary trip to Burundi
June 22
David & Mae Kellum arrive to Buju 8:30am

June 24 Wed Team A & B (flight itinerary for those leaving Wichita)
2:40pm United 5718 Wichita to 4:31pm Chicago
6:00pm United 928 Chicago to 8:15am London

June 25 Thu Team A & B
8:00pm Kenya Air 101 London to 6:30am Nairobi

June 26 Fri Team A & B
7:45am Kenya Air 476 Nairobi to 8:10am Kigali
Orientation at guest house
Rest and lunch
City tour and shopping
Dinner, team meeting, rest

June 27 Sat Team A & B
Genocide memorial
Debrief, lunch, Discipleship for Development and BAM talks

June 28 Sun Team A & B
Split up and visit various churches

June 29 Mon
-David Thomas drives 5 visitors (group A) to Congo via Bujumbura in Thomas vehicle
(note that these 5 persons have already received multi-entry visas for Burundi from

USA)
-Group A 2:30pm meet Congo Friends at Congo Border, ministry and worship service,

overnight in Uvira, Congo
-Group B travel from Kigali to Bujumbura by private bus Bujumbura.
-Group B will purchase visas at border.
-Group B will spend overnight in Bujumbura

June 30 Tue
-Group A travel to Abeka, Congo visit sites, ministry and worship service
-Group B will need to purchase one-month visas in Bujumbura
-Group B visit around Bujumbura some before going to Gitega.
-Group B spend night in Gitega

July 1 Wed
-Group A day of seminars in Abeka,
-Group B go to stadium in morning for Independence day celabrations
-Group B have time of rest in afternoon.
-Group C departs Wichita 2:40pm United 5718 to Chicago 4:31pm
-Group C departs Chicago 9:15pm United 938 to London 11:15am

July 2 Thu
-Group A day of seminars in Abeka, evening musical by Congolese
-Group B participate with Brad in Fidele’s request for a youth seminar at Kibimba about

the faith. This is with youth from Kibimba and Kabuguzo quarterly meeting.

-Group B non-youth participate in other various ministries from ideas list or by Burundi

request and/or tour around Kibimba
-Group C departs London 8:00pm Kenya Air 101 to Nairobi 6:30am

July 3 Fri
-Group A departs Abeka, Congo at 9:30am and crosses border to Bujumbura
-Group B continued ministry up country from list of ministry ideas
-Group C departs Nairobi 7:50am Kenya Air 470 to Bujumbura 8:30am
-Group C (9 persons) arrives to Bujumbura at 8:30am and will need time to rest and

acclimate.
-Groups A & C will be welcomed at Kamenge church (be ready for greetings, a couple

of testimonies or more, and possibly singing a song or two – maybe a skit!)

July 4 Sat
-Group A and C travel to Gitega for Lunch. In afternoon all go to Kibimba for ‘the

events’ (maybe tour of compound and exhibition/sale of women crafts, knittings,

baskets, artistic articles and other products made by Friends, including entertainment

by the Kibogoye Friends Drummers and Dancers). Supper at Kibimba, sharing the

African/Burundi dishes. Spend night at Gitega.

July 5 Sun
-big day of celebrations
-Levy says “you can prepare a song but also during the greetings you will present all the

team and there is a time for someone from your team to express your feelings.”

July 6 & 7 Mon & Tue
-Pontien’s request: Mylander, Robinson, Carpenter GLLT teaching at Kwibuka
-others not involved with GLLT do other ministry
-Ministry with youth from Kwibuka, Mirama and Musama at Kwibuka
-Pastors seminar at Kibimba (many adults not involved with GLLT or youth will team

teach at the Pastors seminar) Fidele’s request: “Seminar for the chairmen and Pastors,

you will teach about the leadership”
-July 7 Chuck Mylander needs transportation to Bujumbura and guest house to leave

July 8 Wed

-probably other ministry options on these days
-may visit Mweya
-Chuck Mylander leaves Bujumbura at 9:30am
-historic tour: visit Mutaho, Cagura and possibly other sites
-back to Gitega for lodging

July 9 Thu
-historic tour: visit Mweya, Ruyiga, Kwisumo, Mageyo, Mirama,
-back to Gitega for lodging

July 10 Fri
-Team A & B travel back to Bujumbura. Shopping and sightseeing and packing
overnight in Buju
-Team C Ministry work at hospital

July 11 Sat
-Team C Ministry work at hospital or from Ministry ideas list
-Team A & B depart Buju 9:20am Kenya Air 471 to Nairobi 12pm
-Team A & B picked up by Award Safaris and taken on safari through Nairobi National

Park
5:30pm dinner at Carnivore Restaurant
7:30pm return to Jomo Kenyatta Airport
-Team A & B depart Nairobi 11:45pm Kenya Air 102 to London 6:45am

July 12 Sun
-Team C worships in different churches around Kibimba, lunch at Kibimba, and travel to

Bujumbura afternoon, shopping, sightseeing.
-Team A & B depart London 3:20pm United 959 to Chicago 6:24pm
-Team A & B depart Chicago 8:15pm United 5702 to Wichita 10:11pm

July 13 Mon
-Team C depart Bujumbura Kenya Air 468 to Nairobi 1:40pm
-Team C picked up by Award Safaris and taken on safari through Nairobi National Park
5:30pm dinner at Carnivore Restaurant
7:30pm return to Jomo Kenyatta Airport
-Team C depart Nairobi 11:45pm Kenya Air 102 to London 6:45am

July 14 Tue
-Team C depart London 12:20pm United 949 to Chicago 3:21pm
-Team C depart Chicago 5:05pm United 795 to Wichita 6:55pm

July 16
David & Mae Kellum leave Buju 9:20am

We, of course, are all one big team, but we are using the following designations to clarify various schedule differences:

Team A:
Willard Ferguson
Sue Hays
Donnie Hinshaw
Ryan Kendall
Chuck Mylander
David Thomas

Team B:
David & Mae Kellum
Brad & Chelsea Carpenter
Chelsea Carpenter
Larry & Dee Choate
Larry Chilson Choate Jr.
Wayne DeCamp
Megan Frazier
Brianna Hays
Casey Holden
Deb Kind
Andreia Leininger
Matt Macy
Allison McElroy
Jennifer Stanley
Gary & Connie Young

Team C:
Randall Brown
Debbie Brown
Dalene Hutson
Ray Kallenbach
Ruth Kemper
Jeff Morrison
Stephanie Pribble
David Robinson
Charity Sandstrom

Saltshaker 09

This blog will provide prayer requests, schedules, and updates as possible during the Saltshaker trips.

For more information about Saltshaker '09 Aguascalientes and Burundi, including information on the Burundi 75th Anniversary Celebration trip, please visit: http://friendsyouth.com/events.cfm?action=getSelectedEvent&event_ID=64.

In case of emergency, please contact Adam Monaghan at the EFC-MAYM office (316-267-0391) or cell (316-734-4466).