Bon soir,
I would like to share some of the realities of being a Christian here. We had a meeting with the local Monkole pastor and he was telling us life (cultural and Christian) in Pede. The family roles are similar to Chinese culture (I'll elaborate later). Being a pastor is another story. Being a local pastor, he is constantly under attack (literally) by the local witch doctors who try to poison his field and put curses on his field and life. Its quite shocking. It puts the cost of following Christ into better perspective. I found his testimony encouraging to me.
I'm running low on internet time so I'll be brief. Our filter is coming along nicely, we still need to take a look at the solar water heater before we go and I am giving my testimony tomorrow at church. Everyone's health is good.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Update on our work
Hi Everyone,
We have been making good progress so far on our projects. We are working on putting together our water filter, within a day or two, we should have a prototype constructed for testing. The biggest challenge is finding supplies that we need from the local hardware store. They are not well stocked for water filter contruction. After the filter prototype is completed, we will hand it off to Don and in a month we will know if we have a biological layer forming for the filter.
After the filter is built, we will be putting up window screens in the translation building where the Bible is being translated into Monkole, as well as shoring up the solar water heater at the SIM station.
Tonight we will be attending a prayer meeting with the Monkole church (which is well attended) and we have been asked to give our testimony. We are diligently working on that too in our spare time and hopefully we will be an encouragement to the church here. We will be doing similar things this coming Sunday as we visit two churches. Singing praise songs in French has been a fun challenge.
Physically, the team is doing well, save for some colds and stomach aches. Keep praying for the health of our team.
Don, one of the missionaries here had to go back to Parakou to take care of his wife who needs rest (as she is pregnant). Please pray for a good pregnancy and healthy delivery of their second child.
I think our French is improving because people are understanding us better. We carry my French-English dictionary everywhere we go so we can use and conjugate the right verbs. Keep praying that our words and actions are a good witness and source of encouragement to those around us.
I gotta run now. My ride is here to go back and resume our work.
Peace
We have been making good progress so far on our projects. We are working on putting together our water filter, within a day or two, we should have a prototype constructed for testing. The biggest challenge is finding supplies that we need from the local hardware store. They are not well stocked for water filter contruction. After the filter prototype is completed, we will hand it off to Don and in a month we will know if we have a biological layer forming for the filter.
After the filter is built, we will be putting up window screens in the translation building where the Bible is being translated into Monkole, as well as shoring up the solar water heater at the SIM station.
Tonight we will be attending a prayer meeting with the Monkole church (which is well attended) and we have been asked to give our testimony. We are diligently working on that too in our spare time and hopefully we will be an encouragement to the church here. We will be doing similar things this coming Sunday as we visit two churches. Singing praise songs in French has been a fun challenge.
Physically, the team is doing well, save for some colds and stomach aches. Keep praying for the health of our team.
Don, one of the missionaries here had to go back to Parakou to take care of his wife who needs rest (as she is pregnant). Please pray for a good pregnancy and healthy delivery of their second child.
I think our French is improving because people are understanding us better. We carry my French-English dictionary everywhere we go so we can use and conjugate the right verbs. Keep praying that our words and actions are a good witness and source of encouragement to those around us.
I gotta run now. My ride is here to go back and resume our work.
Peace
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Days 6-9
Hey everybody! It's Cedric here to post on behalf of the team (yes, while everybody is hard at work, I'm busy playing on the computer...bahahahaha). Well, it's been a few days since any of us have last posted, so we just wanted to let you know that God has been very good to us and it's been quite exciting!
First, we'd like to announce very proudly that we have been able to find the necessary materials to actually build this water filter system! See, originally, we didn't think we would be able to build ANY of the filters because we thought it would take too long to actually find the appropriate materials. Yesterday, Hang Kit and Simon went out on a bit of an adventure with Don and a local pastor to go check out some of the sand, and it seems to be exactly the sand we need for the filters! It's really so amazing to see this whole thing come together, and God is really providing for everything we didn't even think we could accomplish this year, and we are so grateful to see that our work is actually resulting in something VERY tangible. Last night, Hang Kit mentioned how cool it would be if we checked back here in about 3 years and found that everybody in this region has clean water because of the work we have done here in just these three weeks!
***That is all for now because we are out of electricity
AAAAAAND we're back...4 days later =P
So there's a perfect demonstration of how electricity is really a luxury that we just can't take for granted =) It's definitely been tough at times, but God has taught us to really be content with what we have been blessed with. Our electricity back at Pédé really depends on how much sunlight we've gotten throughout the day, since we are using solar panels, and there have been nights where we haven't had electricity because it was cloudy or raining during the day, so we couldn't store the energy in the truck batteries we installed. It's been soooo interesting to see how God really changed our attitudes since we arrived in Pédé, and God has really opened our eyes to many things.
One of the things God has really opened our eyes to is the reality of spirtual warfare. The other day, one of the local pastors, Pastor Samuel, shared about his experiences since he has received Christ. He told us that poisonous potions from witchdoctors are often planted in his fields by those who oppose him and his stand for Christ. We were also told about how in some other areas, some witchdoctors can literally change their form into an animal so that they can sneak into a house to plant poison in foods with the intention to kill, but when they are rebuked in the name of Jesus, they turn away! Personally, I am really glad that I haven't had to deal with anything that real just yet, but we have seen a demon possessed man, and it is very sad to see. He approached Jim (because they were good friends before this man became possessed), and he spoke very angrily with Jim, threatening to have him thrown in jail for preaching Jesus. Every time Jim told him that Jesus loves him, the man had to back away - what amazing power is in the name of Christ!
So far, we have been quite task-oriented, but we have still made many relationships with children who visit us and even want to join in helping us to do all our work. It has been such a blessing to receive both the help we need, and to build the relationships to help Don and Erin's ministries along. However, we plan on making more relationships and really being bold in speaking with people over the next few days, so much more has yet to come!
We are very grateful that God has been helping us and using us in His kingdom work, but there is still much more work and praying to be done. Right now, there are many complications that we have to deal with, and we hope God will help us through it all. First of all, Erin is fighting off some sort of infection, and this sort of news is never good for a pregnant lady, so she has been staying in Parakou to rest. Just a few days ago, Don had to return to Parakou to take care of Erin, so we are without his leadership for the rest of this trip. On top of that, Haley (their baby) is teething and is therefore difficult to handle. Just two days ago, Jim stepped on a nail and pierced almst halfway into his foot. Although our leaders may be going through a tough time, we trust that God can keep us strong to do his work through the remainder of this trip, and do it well. Please pray that we would be bold in our work and never get discouraged.
That is all for now, because I am being pressured to leave =P Share more when we get back!
First, we'd like to announce very proudly that we have been able to find the necessary materials to actually build this water filter system! See, originally, we didn't think we would be able to build ANY of the filters because we thought it would take too long to actually find the appropriate materials. Yesterday, Hang Kit and Simon went out on a bit of an adventure with Don and a local pastor to go check out some of the sand, and it seems to be exactly the sand we need for the filters! It's really so amazing to see this whole thing come together, and God is really providing for everything we didn't even think we could accomplish this year, and we are so grateful to see that our work is actually resulting in something VERY tangible. Last night, Hang Kit mentioned how cool it would be if we checked back here in about 3 years and found that everybody in this region has clean water because of the work we have done here in just these three weeks!
***That is all for now because we are out of electricity
AAAAAAND we're back...4 days later =P
So there's a perfect demonstration of how electricity is really a luxury that we just can't take for granted =) It's definitely been tough at times, but God has taught us to really be content with what we have been blessed with. Our electricity back at Pédé really depends on how much sunlight we've gotten throughout the day, since we are using solar panels, and there have been nights where we haven't had electricity because it was cloudy or raining during the day, so we couldn't store the energy in the truck batteries we installed. It's been soooo interesting to see how God really changed our attitudes since we arrived in Pédé, and God has really opened our eyes to many things.
One of the things God has really opened our eyes to is the reality of spirtual warfare. The other day, one of the local pastors, Pastor Samuel, shared about his experiences since he has received Christ. He told us that poisonous potions from witchdoctors are often planted in his fields by those who oppose him and his stand for Christ. We were also told about how in some other areas, some witchdoctors can literally change their form into an animal so that they can sneak into a house to plant poison in foods with the intention to kill, but when they are rebuked in the name of Jesus, they turn away! Personally, I am really glad that I haven't had to deal with anything that real just yet, but we have seen a demon possessed man, and it is very sad to see. He approached Jim (because they were good friends before this man became possessed), and he spoke very angrily with Jim, threatening to have him thrown in jail for preaching Jesus. Every time Jim told him that Jesus loves him, the man had to back away - what amazing power is in the name of Christ!
So far, we have been quite task-oriented, but we have still made many relationships with children who visit us and even want to join in helping us to do all our work. It has been such a blessing to receive both the help we need, and to build the relationships to help Don and Erin's ministries along. However, we plan on making more relationships and really being bold in speaking with people over the next few days, so much more has yet to come!
We are very grateful that God has been helping us and using us in His kingdom work, but there is still much more work and praying to be done. Right now, there are many complications that we have to deal with, and we hope God will help us through it all. First of all, Erin is fighting off some sort of infection, and this sort of news is never good for a pregnant lady, so she has been staying in Parakou to rest. Just a few days ago, Don had to return to Parakou to take care of Erin, so we are without his leadership for the rest of this trip. On top of that, Haley (their baby) is teething and is therefore difficult to handle. Just two days ago, Jim stepped on a nail and pierced almst halfway into his foot. Although our leaders may be going through a tough time, we trust that God can keep us strong to do his work through the remainder of this trip, and do it well. Please pray that we would be bold in our work and never get discouraged.
That is all for now, because I am being pressured to leave =P Share more when we get back!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Bienveue à Benin
We've been here for 5 days already and we're all doing well so far. The temperature isn't too hot but the humidity is the real killer. Life in Benin is a much slower pace.
We spent 2 days on the road to get to Pede. The roads here are brutal, with pot holes that can be 1 lane wide and 3 car lengths long. The benefit of roads like this is you won't fall asleep while driving.
In terms of mission work, we have delivered medical equipment and an eletrical engineer (both from New Brunswick) to the SIM hospital in Bembereke. Yesterday we changed out the old batteries that are being used to store power from the solar panels qt the SIM field station in Bembereke.
The Beninese people are really friendly folks. We get stared at a lot but when you wave back, and say bonjour, people smile and wave back. Mon francais est ameliorer maintenant. Je peux acheter de fabriques et nourriture. We arrived in Pede at night and some men from the local church purposely came by to help us unload. There are no street lights or sidewalks here so it was a special trip for them to come by and help us out.
There are not too many christians in the area. The majority of the people out here are Muslims and animists. The local church is small and one of the projects that the misionaries are working on is to translate the Bible into the Mekole language so they can read it in their native language.
This morning we went to the market to buy some giant clay pots so we can begin the water filtration project. The filters are for the townsfolk, regardless of their religious affiliation. The filters will be used in the missionaries' village ministry.
Okay Its almost ti,e to go. This french keyboard is giving me a hard time. Cedric is posting our prayer requests so please continue to pray for us.
I'll post an update later.
We spent 2 days on the road to get to Pede. The roads here are brutal, with pot holes that can be 1 lane wide and 3 car lengths long. The benefit of roads like this is you won't fall asleep while driving.
In terms of mission work, we have delivered medical equipment and an eletrical engineer (both from New Brunswick) to the SIM hospital in Bembereke. Yesterday we changed out the old batteries that are being used to store power from the solar panels qt the SIM field station in Bembereke.
The Beninese people are really friendly folks. We get stared at a lot but when you wave back, and say bonjour, people smile and wave back. Mon francais est ameliorer maintenant. Je peux acheter de fabriques et nourriture. We arrived in Pede at night and some men from the local church purposely came by to help us unload. There are no street lights or sidewalks here so it was a special trip for them to come by and help us out.
There are not too many christians in the area. The majority of the people out here are Muslims and animists. The local church is small and one of the projects that the misionaries are working on is to translate the Bible into the Mekole language so they can read it in their native language.
This morning we went to the market to buy some giant clay pots so we can begin the water filtration project. The filters are for the townsfolk, regardless of their religious affiliation. The filters will be used in the missionaries' village ministry.
Okay Its almost ti,e to go. This french keyboard is giving me a hard time. Cedric is posting our prayer requests so please continue to pray for us.
I'll post an update later.
Jours 1-6 (Days 1-6)
Bonjour mes amis! Comment ça va? Everything has been going very well so far, and God has been very good to us. I know a lot of you have probably been wondering how we are doing, especially since we haven't had a chance to contact most of you. But I want to assure you that we are doing great! We are going to blog individually, so if you're looking for a blog from just a particular person, then just look for their name as a heading. Enjoy!
Cedric Wai
Freak guy...this keyboard is so hard to type with lol...some of the keys are rearranged, so it's really confusing (so please excuse the typos). But definitely better than nothing! It's great to be able to share with you about what God is doing with us. I sent a text message to about 6 of you, and I would appreciate it if you would let them know about this blog and that I am doing just fine. I don't want to send too mant text messages because I am not sure how much it will cost, so sorry to those who wanted a message...nothing personal!
Anyway, this trip has ben very good so far, and I know that God has been watching over us. As some of you know, one of my major concerns as I was leaving was that I felt incredibly unprepared. God has been so gracious to me and gently reminded me that there is nothing to be "prepared" about in the sense that I was thinking of. I didn't have my testimony written out in French, nor did I practice my French speaking all that much, but God reminded me that all I need is a heart that is willing to serve.
On the second day, we made our way up from Cotonou up to Parakou, and I learned so much about the culture on the way because I was riding with our leader Jim (he's a great leader!). When we arrived, Parakou was BEAUTIFUL! I'll post up some pictures later, but MAN the compound where we were staying was just breathtaking because of the gardening. The food was great (homemade!) and there was proper indoor plumbing and everything - MUCH more than I had expected. Unfortunately, it set the expectations for Pédé, which is where we are now...and we'll just say that water and electricity really is a luxury. At first, I was pretty disappointed, but God is teaching me to be more thankful.
There is even more to be thankful about still! The people here are SOOOO great and friendly! On our way up here to Pédé (VERY bumpy roads and crazy exhaust pollution as we travel...), I would stick my head out and yell "BONJOUR MES AMIS!!!" (Good day, my friends!!!) and wave, and they would yell back with a wave with children calling back enthusiastically in laughter! VERY cute kids walking around too! God has been showing me the simpler side of life, and so many things make so much more sense. I really look forward to building closer relationships with these people.
Another thing God has really provided for is my flat feet. They were sore on the first day already, but we decided to get a little creative...I made my own orthodics by folding paper, and it' worked really well. Thank God for providing us with that idea!
There's still so much to talk about, but I don't have enough time, unfortunately :( But for now, keep on praying for us! Here are a few things that can use prayer:
1. Pray for Erin (Don's wife) because she is feeling sick and is still in Parakou to relax and to get a bit of treatment. She is also pregnant, so her health is definitely a concern right now.
2. We just replaced some of the batteries for Don's solar power system (our only way of storing electricity...), so they need to be recharged. Pray that we can have more sun so that the system could be recharged faster, especially since the water pump relies on this.
3. Pray that unity can be maintained and that the living conditions would not at all dampen our enthusiasm We want to remember that we are here to serve, not to be served as if we are on holiday. Pray that we can overcome all these petty difficulties so that we can build a strong relationship with the local church and invest into eternal things.
4. I know I can be a bit of a picky eater, so pray that I will eat properly without being afraid of the food we are given (our first meal here in Pédé, we ate bread with ants crawling in and on it....we still ate it though).
That' all for now, but I'll keep journaling wheneve I can!
Cedric
Cedric Wai
Freak guy...this keyboard is so hard to type with lol...some of the keys are rearranged, so it's really confusing (so please excuse the typos). But definitely better than nothing! It's great to be able to share with you about what God is doing with us. I sent a text message to about 6 of you, and I would appreciate it if you would let them know about this blog and that I am doing just fine. I don't want to send too mant text messages because I am not sure how much it will cost, so sorry to those who wanted a message...nothing personal!
Anyway, this trip has ben very good so far, and I know that God has been watching over us. As some of you know, one of my major concerns as I was leaving was that I felt incredibly unprepared. God has been so gracious to me and gently reminded me that there is nothing to be "prepared" about in the sense that I was thinking of. I didn't have my testimony written out in French, nor did I practice my French speaking all that much, but God reminded me that all I need is a heart that is willing to serve.
On the second day, we made our way up from Cotonou up to Parakou, and I learned so much about the culture on the way because I was riding with our leader Jim (he's a great leader!). When we arrived, Parakou was BEAUTIFUL! I'll post up some pictures later, but MAN the compound where we were staying was just breathtaking because of the gardening. The food was great (homemade!) and there was proper indoor plumbing and everything - MUCH more than I had expected. Unfortunately, it set the expectations for Pédé, which is where we are now...and we'll just say that water and electricity really is a luxury. At first, I was pretty disappointed, but God is teaching me to be more thankful.
There is even more to be thankful about still! The people here are SOOOO great and friendly! On our way up here to Pédé (VERY bumpy roads and crazy exhaust pollution as we travel...), I would stick my head out and yell "BONJOUR MES AMIS!!!" (Good day, my friends!!!) and wave, and they would yell back with a wave with children calling back enthusiastically in laughter! VERY cute kids walking around too! God has been showing me the simpler side of life, and so many things make so much more sense. I really look forward to building closer relationships with these people.
Another thing God has really provided for is my flat feet. They were sore on the first day already, but we decided to get a little creative...I made my own orthodics by folding paper, and it' worked really well. Thank God for providing us with that idea!
There's still so much to talk about, but I don't have enough time, unfortunately :( But for now, keep on praying for us! Here are a few things that can use prayer:
1. Pray for Erin (Don's wife) because she is feeling sick and is still in Parakou to relax and to get a bit of treatment. She is also pregnant, so her health is definitely a concern right now.
2. We just replaced some of the batteries for Don's solar power system (our only way of storing electricity...), so they need to be recharged. Pray that we can have more sun so that the system could be recharged faster, especially since the water pump relies on this.
3. Pray that unity can be maintained and that the living conditions would not at all dampen our enthusiasm We want to remember that we are here to serve, not to be served as if we are on holiday. Pray that we can overcome all these petty difficulties so that we can build a strong relationship with the local church and invest into eternal things.
4. I know I can be a bit of a picky eater, so pray that I will eat properly without being afraid of the food we are given (our first meal here in Pédé, we ate bread with ants crawling in and on it....we still ate it though).
That' all for now, but I'll keep journaling wheneve I can!
Cedric
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Simon's Story
Hi Everyone!
I can’t believe I’m finally leaving for Benin tomorrow for a 3 week missions trip doing international development work. I’ve always been open to doing missions and since university I’ve wanted to see how my engineering skills could be used to help others and serve God. This trip was two years in the making. The 1st year was researching the type of work I could do overseas and saving up vacation days. This year was matching up with an agency and preparing for the trip. I am going with a team of 5 others.
For those who don’t know, Benin is a West African country of 8.5 million people. French is the official language of the country. The agency I am going with is called Serving in Mission (SIM) and the work that we will be doing include
• Supporting the SIM hospital in Bembéréké,
• Help set-up equipment at the SIM field station near Kandi,
• Begin preliminary work on a water filtration/water management project in the area around Kandi, and
• In addition to the international development work, we will be meeting up with local churches to encourage them in their work.
Feel free to read the blogs from other Benin 2008 team members. Prayer requests are summarized nicely in the blog entry “Here we go”.
Thanks for keeping me in your prayers. I’ll be posting updates throughout the trip.
Peace, I’m out.
Simon
I can’t believe I’m finally leaving for Benin tomorrow for a 3 week missions trip doing international development work. I’ve always been open to doing missions and since university I’ve wanted to see how my engineering skills could be used to help others and serve God. This trip was two years in the making. The 1st year was researching the type of work I could do overseas and saving up vacation days. This year was matching up with an agency and preparing for the trip. I am going with a team of 5 others.
For those who don’t know, Benin is a West African country of 8.5 million people. French is the official language of the country. The agency I am going with is called Serving in Mission (SIM) and the work that we will be doing include
• Supporting the SIM hospital in Bembéréké,
• Help set-up equipment at the SIM field station near Kandi,
• Begin preliminary work on a water filtration/water management project in the area around Kandi, and
• In addition to the international development work, we will be meeting up with local churches to encourage them in their work.
Feel free to read the blogs from other Benin 2008 team members. Prayer requests are summarized nicely in the blog entry “Here we go”.
Thanks for keeping me in your prayers. I’ll be posting updates throughout the trip.
Peace, I’m out.
Simon
Friday, August 8, 2008
Here we go...
We will be leaving this Sunday afternoon on Air France heading from Toronto to Benin with two connecting flights in between. The estimated time this takes is 20hrs and X mins (I forgot). Benin is 4hrs ahead of Toronto.
We want to thank you all for being part of our preparation journey together. This journey has just begun!
Please pray for us for the following:
We want to thank you all for being part of our preparation journey together. This journey has just begun!
Please pray for us for the following:
- for a safe flight this Sunday
- for physical protection while we're there, that we'll remember to take our anti-malaria meds, sunscreen and deet everyday
- for spiritual protection since we will be doing work Satan doesn't want us to do
- for spiritual maturity on our part, that we'll deal with the culture, the religions etc. in ways that will glorify God
- for opportunties to love and share the gospel with the people there, may we be a blessing to them and to the people we will work with
- for team unity, for us to display and function as the body of Christ
- for peace to those who are worried about us back at home, for God to comfort them in that we are stepping into His will
- for God to minister to us while we're there, may our hearts be touched by His presence daily
Some of us are still in need financially. The total has now been raised to $5179.52. If you would like to support God's ministry in this way, you can give online at https://www.sim.ca/donationformsecurep89.php or you can send in a cheque to the SIM office (10 Huntingdale Blvd., Scarborough, ON M1W 2S5), and SIM will send you a tax-deductible receipt for anything over $20.
God's been soo good to us this whole time and He will remain faithful during our time in Benin. Can't wait to come back and share!
My Story
Hey everybody!
My name is Cedric, and I'm part of this team that's going to Benin. I would like to take a little bit of time to share with you my story about how I came to be part of this team.
If you knew me just over 8 months earlier from today, you would have been talking to somebody who didn't have a true heart for the lost. I would talk about it and rationalize why we should go on missions and all, but I never actually lived it out nor let my heart truly burn for the lost. But all of this changed in literally 15 minutes. In January, I went to a retreat that really spoke to me and challenged me. The speaker was talking about fighting for justice and the urgency behind it. To make a long story short, God had opened up my eyes to how cold I had been and how distant I kept myself from truly knowing Him in avoiding a missional lifestyle. From then on, I knew that my calling was literally for those who had never heard that Jesus had died and risen again so that they may have salvation.
During the first week after the retreat, I was walking to class, and I felt God tell me, "Cedric, this term I am going to teach you about justice and injustice." I just shrugged it off, said "Okay" and decided to just go with it as it came. That Friday (a week after the retreat), I went to a class and saw a video called "The Ghosts of Abu Graib" which is about how American Soldiers were mindlessly torturing Iraqi Civilians. On my way home from class, I was INCREDIBLY upset and my heart rate was raised for literally a good 8 hours. As I walked, I prayed to God and complained about this world and asked how we can possibly do anything to save such a hopeless world.
"Why don't you try to start up a mission team with CCF people?" asked God.
"What?"
"You heard me. Gather some people to go on a mission trip this summer."
"You're crazy! We've never even really talked about that seriously in CCF yet. I haven't even gone overseas for a mission trip, and you want me to lead this??"
"Yes. Bring it up at CCF tonight, and see what happens."
"How many people should I expect?" I asked.
God put the number 10 on my heart. So I asked the fellowship later on that evening about interest in going on the mission trip. 8 people raised their hands, another person expressed interest later that evening after fellowship, and then including myself...exactly 10 people as God told me. With this confirmation, things became more and more exciting!
In March, I went to MissionFest with Janet so that we can do more research on what trips we can go on. Unfortunately, we got there quite late because we drove through a blizzard just to get there. So we didn't get to really visit as many booths as we had hoped, but among the few we checked out was SIM.
We contacted SIM shortly after, and things didn't seem to work out well, because the original team that was ready to go this summer could not go. After about a month, I had given up on SIM because things had seemed so bleak, but God would show His great timing. In April, I received a call from SIM telling us that the mission trip may still go through if we would like to still go - but we would have to decide in literally less than 24 hours! After having searched through so many mission organizations and finding nearly no opportunities that suited what we were looking for, this opportunity was definitely God-sent! It was an answer to both our prayer and Jim prayer, as he was looking for a team to go with him to visit Don and Erin.
Today, I still see God's hand at work in preparation for this trip. Financially, I had always been very challenged and burdened about how I could possibly come up with the funds for a mission trip this summer. But God had reassured me that I will not have to pay anything out of my own pocket because His grace will be all that I need for this trip. I have seen God's great provision, even through people who I have not met at all before! God has always been so faithful with everything I invested in Him and stepped out in faith with.
As I prepare for this trip in the last few days before departure, I see great support and love from many friends around me. Many times, I've stopped to realize how unfit and undeserving I am, but even still God loves me through the great friends and family around me. Thanks to everybody who has seen this trip come together and has supported our team in whatever capacity! God bless, and our team looks forward to sharing amazing stories when we return!
Cedric
My name is Cedric, and I'm part of this team that's going to Benin. I would like to take a little bit of time to share with you my story about how I came to be part of this team.
If you knew me just over 8 months earlier from today, you would have been talking to somebody who didn't have a true heart for the lost. I would talk about it and rationalize why we should go on missions and all, but I never actually lived it out nor let my heart truly burn for the lost. But all of this changed in literally 15 minutes. In January, I went to a retreat that really spoke to me and challenged me. The speaker was talking about fighting for justice and the urgency behind it. To make a long story short, God had opened up my eyes to how cold I had been and how distant I kept myself from truly knowing Him in avoiding a missional lifestyle. From then on, I knew that my calling was literally for those who had never heard that Jesus had died and risen again so that they may have salvation.
During the first week after the retreat, I was walking to class, and I felt God tell me, "Cedric, this term I am going to teach you about justice and injustice." I just shrugged it off, said "Okay" and decided to just go with it as it came. That Friday (a week after the retreat), I went to a class and saw a video called "The Ghosts of Abu Graib" which is about how American Soldiers were mindlessly torturing Iraqi Civilians. On my way home from class, I was INCREDIBLY upset and my heart rate was raised for literally a good 8 hours. As I walked, I prayed to God and complained about this world and asked how we can possibly do anything to save such a hopeless world.
"Why don't you try to start up a mission team with CCF people?" asked God.
"What?"
"You heard me. Gather some people to go on a mission trip this summer."
"You're crazy! We've never even really talked about that seriously in CCF yet. I haven't even gone overseas for a mission trip, and you want me to lead this??"
"Yes. Bring it up at CCF tonight, and see what happens."
"How many people should I expect?" I asked.
God put the number 10 on my heart. So I asked the fellowship later on that evening about interest in going on the mission trip. 8 people raised their hands, another person expressed interest later that evening after fellowship, and then including myself...exactly 10 people as God told me. With this confirmation, things became more and more exciting!
In March, I went to MissionFest with Janet so that we can do more research on what trips we can go on. Unfortunately, we got there quite late because we drove through a blizzard just to get there. So we didn't get to really visit as many booths as we had hoped, but among the few we checked out was SIM.
We contacted SIM shortly after, and things didn't seem to work out well, because the original team that was ready to go this summer could not go. After about a month, I had given up on SIM because things had seemed so bleak, but God would show His great timing. In April, I received a call from SIM telling us that the mission trip may still go through if we would like to still go - but we would have to decide in literally less than 24 hours! After having searched through so many mission organizations and finding nearly no opportunities that suited what we were looking for, this opportunity was definitely God-sent! It was an answer to both our prayer and Jim prayer, as he was looking for a team to go with him to visit Don and Erin.
Today, I still see God's hand at work in preparation for this trip. Financially, I had always been very challenged and burdened about how I could possibly come up with the funds for a mission trip this summer. But God had reassured me that I will not have to pay anything out of my own pocket because His grace will be all that I need for this trip. I have seen God's great provision, even through people who I have not met at all before! God has always been so faithful with everything I invested in Him and stepped out in faith with.
As I prepare for this trip in the last few days before departure, I see great support and love from many friends around me. Many times, I've stopped to realize how unfit and undeserving I am, but even still God loves me through the great friends and family around me. Thanks to everybody who has seen this trip come together and has supported our team in whatever capacity! God bless, and our team looks forward to sharing amazing stories when we return!
Cedric
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