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Twelve Modern Disciples Go Overseas

The team in Armenia with Mt. Ararat in the distance.

By Owen Wilkie

The Assemblies of God World Missions works with its own ministries and other organizations to send teams on missions trips to various countries of the world on a variety of assignments.

One team that went to three of the former Soviet Union countries on a 14-week compassion and ministry missions trip last October through December went as a part of the Convoy of Hope (COH). This is their story:

GETTING THE TEAM TOGETHER

The team of six men and six women gathered at the Convoy of Hope headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, coming from Arizona, Washington State, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and several other states.

Kisha Johnson joined the group because she was seeking God’s direction in missions and her pastor directed her to the Convoy of Hope. Noah Hensley said he wanted to live out Isaiah chapters 58 and 61 and preach to the poor, bind up the broken-hearted, feed the hungry and provide shelter for the homeless. Gabrielle Lutz had felt called to missions since she was 13 and wanted to serve God with her whole heart.

They put off jobs or education for a time to leave the comforts of home in answer to God’s call on their lives. Chris McCullough wrote on his blog: “Financially there is no way I could have gone on this trip if I had tried to do it myself. It’s a miracle that I’m able to go on this journey. What’s even crazier is that when it got down to a week left before I was to leave I still had a decent amount of money left to be raised. Then Sunday came and the church prayed for me … and all the money came in at the last minute. Now if that’s not God testing and stretching my faith I don’t know what is.”

The other 11 in the group had similar stories of how God had called them and enabled them to go on this trip.

After training for 19 days in Springfield under the direction of COH Internship Director Matt Wilkie, (with an additional unexpected five-day trip to help the Hurricane Ike victims) the team boarded a plane and were on their way.

MOLDOVA

Their first stop was in Moldova where they worked with AGWM missionaries Andy and Nancy Raatz, Troy and Heidi Darrin and missionary associate Sara Tady. Straseni, Chisinau, Mihaileni and Sarata-Galbena are names of towns where the team worked that will forever be etched in their hearts with memories of events and people to whom they were able to minister.

In Straseni the men helped put up the wall for a new church building. The team gave food and ministered to a vision impaired group, and worked in an orphanage of about 100 kids playing tag with the kids and making balloon animals. They played soccer and volleyball with the youth from the community but were no match for the Moldovans.

One of their major projects in Chisinau was helping put the finishing touches on the Home of Hope, a residence directed by Andy Raatz that helps women who have been trafficked and their children.

In Northern Moldova they passed out bags of food in a town that had been completely flooded. Kisha Johnson, one of the team who helped pass out bags of food to the flood victims, remembers, “I’ve never received so many hugs and ‘thank you’s’ in my entire life.”

In Mihaileni they did painting and construction on an AG church.

M.A. Sara Tady playing with Danny

In the same town Mikellah Kimbrough, Zach Forner and Karen Carr took groceries to some homes of needy people. In one visit they found seven-year-old Lina and three-year-old Danny living alone. Their parents had left them home alone to fend for themselves while they worked out of the country. An older brother was away at school. They fed the children, loved them and cared for them the best they could. They returned with Igor and Lilly, from the local church, who said they would help care for the children. Igor said, “I didn’t know poverty like this existed in my village.”

In Sarata-Galbena the team did an outreach in the community distributing food to the needy and witnessing to them about Christ.

ARMENIA

In Vanadzor, Armenia, they worked with AGWM missionaries Nick and Olivia Pucinni. One of the projects they did was to set up seven water filters among the Yezide Kurdish people. The villagers were grateful for the clean water since they and the livestock shared the same source of water. Even the local hospital used an unsafe source of water. Each water filter can provide water for up to 80 people, pumping up to 120 gallons a day, and requires little maintenance. After setting up the filters they taught the local people how to install more filters and maintain them.

They also helped build homes for people who had been living in trailers since a devastating earthquake in 1988.

While in Armenia they took pictures of Mt. Ararat off in a distance that many claim still holds the remains of Noah’s ark.

REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA

While in Tbilisi, Georgia, they worked with AGWM missionaries Diane Dorlon, and missionary associates Juan and Shirley Ocasio and Amanda Tyler. One of their projects was to give food and other supplies to some of the estimated 140,000 internally displaced people from the recent conflict with Russia. They handed out pots, pans, food and other household items to people who had recently lost everything when they had to flee their homes.

Chris wrote on his blog during this time: “I walked into a room of refugees today who have literally lost everything they own. I am sure all of them had lost one or more loved ones. It is tough to find the silver lining in their situation.”

Gloria Ann Ried remembers how she and other team members and missionaries went to purchase food each day for the refugees. When the merchants realized the food was for the refugees they often gave them the groceries for a huge discount. Gloria Ann said one day they carefully packed up and counted out 50 sacks of groceries. When they arrived at the camp they distributed 55 sacks, just what was needed. “It was amazing how God multiplied the food and money over and over again,” she said.

Another part of the group worked with a construction crew on a building in Rustavi.

BACK HOME

Finally, after 14 weeks of working on a myriad of projects, staying in various types of accommodations, experiencing several different foods and cultures, having enough adventures for a great number of blogs and many conversations with friends and relatives over coffee, and ministering in Jesus’ name to hundreds of people, they returned home to family and friends and their own comfortable beds.

Nathan Hammerberg commented after he got back: “Knowing I did what I was called to do is the greatest feeling I have ever experienced. It got me outside of American Christianity and refined my character quite a bit.”

Noah Hensley summed it up for the whole team when he said: “This trip has given me many experiences I can share with other people. It changed how I view things. I know that I’m a missionary wherever I am.”

Owen Wilkie is the Web editor in U.S. Relations for the Assemblies of God World Missions

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Promises

  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love
and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in
the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the
more as you see the Day approaching.  

    -- Hebrews 10:24,25