“The needs of the many outweigh the need of the few” is an often quoted line yet it is rarely attributed to its original source, an old Star Trek movie. However, the sentiment behind it is still just as powerful as if it was spoken by one of our presidents. On the world stage, we Americans are considered the few when it comes to wealth and prosperity. There are many around the world in great need. Bear with me as I give you some statistics, nationally and internationally.

The most current population of the United States at the time I wrote this blog was 312,883,187 people (according to the US Census Bureau website). That is an ever changing number with births and deaths occurring every second, but an estimate of over 300 million is fair. The poverty rate in the US in 2010 was 15.1%, which was the highest since 1997 and the number of people in poverty (46.2 million) the highest in 52 years. These statistics show that much help is needed in our own backyard and a mission trip may involve just helping someone next door.

However, compared to the rest of the world, we are, in America, living in relative luxury. The world population was 6,989,089,871 (at the time of writing) with one statistic estimating the number of people in the world considered in absolute poverty at 1.7 billion. When you do the simple math that comes out to an absolute poverty rate of 24.3%. But to take it a step further, most of the people considered in the poverty rate in the US are not considered to be in absolute poverty, which is defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.25 a day. Many of the people in the US considered under the poverty line make a lot more than $1.25 a day or about $38 a month. Another statistic showed that 80% of the world population lives on less than $10 a day.

I only use these statistics to show the great need that exists around the world. These needs can be met in a variety of ways, many of which can be accomplished from the comfort of one’s home. Donations to organizations on the ground in impoverished countries is a great way to help as is the sending of supplies like soap, mosquito nets, sleeping bags, jackets, shoes, etc. The list could go on and on.

Beyond those efforts to help from your home, you can go (by yourself or with a group) on a short-term overseas mission trip. I see two main benefits to these trips: the first being the work that you do while on the trip. This is probably the most obvious benefit and is extremely important as it can mean all the difference in the world to the individual (or family) that you are helping. Whether you are on a construction work project fixing a roof, a part of a VBS program teaching kids about the Bible, or passing out food to those who otherwise would go without; these things can have lasting, even lifelong, impressions on those you are helping.

The second main benefit for these trips is the effects it has on you, the participant. Not only do these trips have a lasting impact on those you’ve helped, but they will also have a lasting impact on you. It is one thing to read or hear statistics on poverty around the world or even see it in a video, but it is a completely different experience to witness it for yourself. To see the poverty and destitution that people around the world go through on a day to day basis can be a real eye-opener. My hope is that, beyond the needs fulfilled during the actual trip, these trips will ignite the want and desire in people to do what they can to fight world poverty.

Here are some quotes from TEAMeffort staff who have been on overseas mission trip with us:

“What began as ‘just another trip’ turned into an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a new and refreshing way.” -Dakota Bishop

“There certainly is never a shortage of people that need someone to care for them. We just have to go, and be there for them.” -Tim Mozier

My hope is that these statistics will make you want to see these things for yourself. If you are interested in an overseas mission trip, please visit www.teameffort.org for more information and check out our vimeo site to see videos relating to our overseas mission sites.

We hope you will join us this summer.

God Bless,

Jeremy

Sources: www.census.gov, www.factsofworld.com, www.wikipedia.org, www.worldbank.org

Kevin McGinnis, youth leader at Faith Presbyterian in Quincy, IL shares his experiences serving with TEAMeffort in New Orleans, LA.

In the summer of 2011, I was able to lead a team of 12 high schoolers and adults on a mission trip with TEAMEFFORT to New Orleans. It was a very positive experience for our group in many ways, but I will touch on just three…

First, the trip opened our eyes to the needs of others having gone through one of the worst, man-made disasters in US history when the levees broke after Hurricane Katrina hit. Being intentional for one week on one project helping rebuild the home of one particular family allowed us to show God’s love to them and by the end of the summer, after other groups each spent a week with this family, God moved the grandmother in the home to accept Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Second, the trip brought our youth group closer together. By the end of the week, we were praying, laughing, singing, and sharing together more deeply than just a week prior.

Third, the trip played a very significant role in deepening and maturing the Christian faith of the kids in our youth group. The spiritual maturity of the TEAMEFFORT staff made a huge impression on the kids and I know that when the kids are older and look back on their early years of spiritual formation, the New Orleans mission trip will be one of the key events in their spiritual lives.

As a Youth Pastor, I can wholeheartedly recommend TEAMEFFORT for your serious consideration for an affordable mission trip that will give youth opportunities to serve others and grow in Christ.

Puerto Rico Staff Trip 2012
01/05/2012

Our Real Mission

It’s funny how the Lord always has the best in mind for us… even when we don’t care to hear from Him in the first place.  It was a Wednesday, and our small group of 7 (Ashley, Megan, Karlye, Kyle, Jordan, Tim, and myself ) was working on Iglesia Metodista La Resurreccion (“The Resurrection Methodist Church”) in Ponce, Puerto Rico, refinishing some of the casing around the church’s stained glass windows and repainting some of the church’s exterior walls.  We had already built a handful of picnic tables for the church, and I had the general opinion that we were getting a lot of work done for this little church.

then Wallace walked up.

If you saw Wallace, you wouldn’t think too much of him at first.  He wasn’t overly imposing, and he wasn’t a very outspoken or loud person.  Just your average Puerto Rican fellow.  He approached me and quietly asked me if I knew where the pastor was.   I politely responded by letting him know that the pastor was more than likely out of the office for now, seeing as how it was the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but that I would be glad to give him the pastor’s cell phone number.  He took down the number, courteously thanked me and walked back toward the front gate of the church.  I assumed he was heading out, and I didn’t give him a second thought.  I went back to work.

At some point in the project, there was a need for more supplies (a TEAMeffort standard).  As I made my way around toward the front of the church to walk down the street and retrieve our needed materials, I saw Wallace.  He hadn’t left.  It had been over an hour since our conversation, and he had been waiting at the front gate the entire time.  He saw me and immediately jumped up from the staircase he’d been sitting on.  “Hello, um, sir… can you please talk to me?”  I wasn’t sure, to be honest, what to expect from him.  In my limited experience on the streets of Ponce, I had encountered countless homeless individuals who had quite a few heart-wrenching stories aimed at eventually squeezing a nickel or dime from me.  Sadly, my first thought in reaction to Wallace’s attempt at conversation was “Alright, what am I going to have to do to get this guy out of my hair?”  I mean, I was there in Ponce to do mission work right?  And here was this guy, standing in my way of going to get more supplies so we could continue doing our mission work.  Right?  If you haven’t by now recognized the problem with that thought process, you need to stop reading this right now – this very moment – and check your own motives.  God was in the midst of humbling me so that I would see His will above mine.

… back to the story.

Wallace stopped me and asked if we could chat, and I conceded.  I had no idea what I was about to get into as he started to pour out his heart about his current situation.  He led off by telling me that he was going to have to sell his car later that same day to avoid some financial problems and that he was terrified of sharing that news with his wife.  He went on to explain some of the past issues he’s had with money and how his wife, who is not a Christian, was still able to forgive him; however, he was mortified that this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.  As I looked into his then-moist eyes, I could see that this was not just another man who was down on his luck seeking a handout.  He hadn’t come to the church looking for money. He needed Jesus.  He needed the healing and subsequent guidance that comes from surrender to the Most High.  I was content to let him continue with his story, thinking the whole time that I would love nothing more than to bring him to the rest of our team and let him be encouraged by them.  Once he got to a stopping point in his story, I thanked him for being so willing to share with me.  I told him that I believed that his confession was a response to conviction which was the Holy Spirit working deep in his heart.  I then asked him if he would be willing to share all of this with the rest of our group.  Through tears he agreed.

So we walked around to the back of the church and gathered the team together.  I explained that we were going to take a break from our mission work to talk with Wallace.  From there I did my best to just let it go.  The Holy Spirit was certainly capable to do the rest.  I was overwhelmed with emotion as I watched this man that no one in our group knew open up his heart – yet again – to uncover the dark corners of his life.  Within a few moments our entire team was knee-deep in Wallace’s story, and it was obvious that each member had something to share to encourage this man.  One after another, our group shared their own stories of adversity and how the Lord was able to push, pull, prod, and drag them through it all.  As Wallace listened, he started mentioning his desire to start anew.  After we all had the opportunity to share our hearts with him, he pointed at the door leading back out to the parking lot and to the exit and said, “I want things to be different when I step out that door.”

So we called on the Lord to make that happen.  We circled up, and Ashley began praying over Wallace with a covering of the Armor of God out of Ephesians 6.  The rest of the team followed suit and Tim finished us up.  Then it was Wallace’s turn to pray, and boy did he pray.  He began to openly and directly confess to the Lord all of the things he had done in the past.  He began to sincerely beg the Lord with gut-checking humility to change his heart and make him new.  He prayed that the Lord would lift the veil from his eyes so that he might see what He wanted for his life.  His words still echo in my head, calling me to the same selfless request.

After we had finished praying, Wallace asked if we could swap email addresses so that we could stay in touch.  We vehemently agreed and jotted it down.  As he took that symbolic step out the door, he wiped away the tears that had poured out in response to his confession and began walking toward a new life.  We said our goodbyes, embraced each other, and sent him off to start his new journey.  As we got back to work on the church, it was apparent that Wallace wasn’t the only person changed in that moment.  Things were different, and I guess that’s what happens when the Spirit moves.  We finished up our tasks on the church, had a great time in the community, and packed our bags and headed to the airport a few days later.  As Ashley and I sat in the terminal waiting to board our flight out of San Juan, I took out my iPod to help pass the time.  I decided to listen to Shane and Shane’s new album “The One You Need,” and started with the song “Liberty.”  As I listened to the bridge, the lyrics that I’d heard dozens of times hit me like a ton of freshly-baked bricks.  “It is done! The veil is torn.  He has won, and I am free!”  I heard that line “The veil is torn,” and I was immediately taken back to Wallace’s prayer.  In an instant I pulled out my phone to fire off an email.  I wanted to make sure he was still encouraged.  I wanted to remind him that God is so, so good and that there were people praying for him – even at that moment.

As we landed in Orlando and I turned my phone back on and found an email waiting for me.  It was Wallace.  He had responded in a matter of a couple hours!  I was deeply encouraged by the things he had to say, too, especially when he said, “I’m not waiting for tomorrow to start a new life. I have already started.  I’m not [losing] another second of my life thinking I’m not able.  And every day I will put [on] the Armour of God and in His name I will have Victory.”  Words cannot describe how encouraging it was to hear back from him and hear the good news that he had already begun that new life we had talked about.  Praise God for answering our prayers.

Don’t get so caught up in mission work that you forget the mission.  What began as ‘just another trip’ turned into an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a new and refreshing way.  I’ll be forever grateful for having the chance to meet, pray and share with Wallace, and I hope that the Lord would use you – yes, you – in the same way.

“You are my portion, LORD;
I have promised to obey your words.
I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.”
- Psalm 119:57-58

This past summer, our Monday night Chapel theme was based upon one simple word: TRUST. I had the privilege of speaking on this night several times throughout the summer, but it wasn’t until halfway through the summer that I truly grasped what Jesus meant when he spoke this seemingly simple 5-letter command.

Right smack dab in the middle of the summer, July 4^th to be exact, I did a lovely job of breaking my right foot. Yep- Woohoo wasn’t exactly my first thought. And no, I wasn’t doing anything even worthy of such injury: no ladder was involved, nor power tool, there was no heavy lifting on my shoulders, or even games with the youth taking place. I was merely stepping out of our camp truck “Wrangler” to put away the left over pizzas from dinner. I hopped out of Wrangler’s bed and POP! Pizza on the ground and I wasn’t far behind it….Yeah, I know, I need to work on that story to make it sound a little more glorious, but alas, that is the truth. A simple misstep cost me a cast for the remainder of the summer.

That event didn’t cause me to doubt my faith at all, but it did frustrate me. I felt weak, incredibly weak. I felt inadequate, unable to do my job, ineffective and useless. Breaking your foot isn’t exactly the most ideal injury for a Camp Director of a construction-based mission camp. However, this break eventually caused a breakthrough in my own faith (see what I did there?). Did I really trust Jesus in the good and the bad? Was my faith in His care and provision just as strong in this season of injury and pain as it is in times of joy and health? Was I really rejoicing in all circumstances? No. But God healed me of that. No, he didn’t BOOM heal me of my foot injury and I miraculously could walk again, but He healed me of my own sinful perspective. He taught me how to rejoice in the injury and give thanks for it. He taught me how to trust His purpose in it. Thank God for a broken foot, have I gone crazy?? Maybe, but that’s ok because I am called to be out of my mind (2 Corinthians 5:13).

Through His Scripture I believe He used that time to reveal to me this view: That bad things will happen to me, I will go through valleys and deserts in life as well as mountaintops, I will be tried, I will be stretched, I will suffer, AND it will be all for His glory! “These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:7. By rejoicing in that time of literal brokenness, my faith in God’s goodness and provision was strengthened. I learned to TRUST that He had a purpose behind it, and boy did He! I was busy trying to be a Martha when all he wanted me to be was a Mary. I was approaching empty up to that point in the summer, spiritually exhausted and almost drained. My good Shepherd stepped in, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3. He makes me lie down in green pastures. With a broken foot, I was laying in the green pasture next to the quiet refreshing living waters of His Word being filled up. He truly restored my soul in that time.

I don’t want to play the ‘what if’ game of what the summer would have looked like had I not broken my foot and continued to run on empty. I am just thankful that it happened, and TRUST that God knew what He was doing, and even now still does.

Now that the summer is more than over and we are all entering a new season, I pray that you continue to TRUST in Him. Know that wherever you find yourself, in whatever situation whether painful or joyful, TRUST God’s purpose. Trust that there is a purpose behind it, and REJOICE because that purpose is for the glory of God!

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Hebrews 12:7 “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

Matthew 6:33-34 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to  you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Psalm 56:3-4 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”

We had such an awesome group of servants come together through TEAMeffort in 2011. Our college-age and young adult staff worked hard with students at their mission work sites and then encouraged the campers by leading worship, sharing messages and scripture, playing games, and praying together. We are so blessed by each staff person who followed God’s call to serve and love through the TEAMeffort teen mission trips and Christian summer camps.

Here’s what some of our 2011 staff had to say about their summer:

“This summer was a beautiful challenge and I love TE for giving so many staff the opportunity to serve in radical ways.”

“Everything was awesome. The LORD really worked in some amazing ways and I was just blessed to be a part of it. ”

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve this summer. TEAMeffort was an amazing experience!”

“I LOVE working for TEAMeffort, if I could do it for the rest of my life I would!”

“I am so proud to be a part of TEAMeffort! I love the mission and the people.”

That said, the staff also had lots of fun, and they found ways to relax and re-energize in some unusual ways.

Here’s a glimpse of those great staffers—we love you and celebrate everything God used you to do last summer!

I am going to start out by saying that I am overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness for all that I experienced  this summer in Pennsylvania. I am currently relaxing with my Blue Knob girls (all but two) in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where we have a few days of debrief together with all of the other TEAMeffort Staff across the country.

I am sad that our time of ministry in PA is over, but at the same time, I’m equally excited and hopeful for the next adventure that God has planned for me. I realize now, as I reflect on everything from the past two months, that the Lord has taught me many things that I feel compelled to share with all who will listen.

First of all, God has taught me a great deal about dependence. In my life, I tend to be very focused on the opinion and approval of my loved ones, whether it be family, friends, or a boyfriend. Often times my first instinct would be to lean on the support of people rather than my Father in Heaven when anything significant happens in my life, and God decided to challenge me with this.

When I arrived at camp, I realized quickly that my contact with the outside world would always be extremely limited: I had no cell service unless I made a 45 minute commute to town. My fellow staff members, although a potential spiritual support, were people I knew barely at all! I found myself on my face in prayer, crying out to God during the first week of camp; these were moments of intimacy that would not have happened had I had the option of calling a friend or family member instead.

From there, the Lord asked me to continue that walk away from my earthly strongholds and crutches and lean more fully on his loving care and embrace. Every time I depended on someone other than God, He would take them away. The two staff members that I felt closest with both (at least for awhile) had to leave early. My phone got stolen after I had broken a commitment with God to use my phone less while on the worksite. I kept playing phone tag with all of the friends I lean on the most for encouragement and comfort.

In those moments, it was hard to see why any of these things were happening, but after praying and spending time with God, it is clear that He used each of these things to prove to me that there is truly nothing in this world I can depend on other than Him.

Another thing God blessed me with is the ability to simply let things happen rather than to worry every time something doesn’t work out. This is not something I’ve ever had naturally – I normally break down if one little thing doesn’t go according to plan. The first week began a tough, yet rewarding journey of giving my worry and anxiety to the Lord. By the end of the summer, it didn’t matter what hit me -  I just simply collected my chaos and worry into a heartfelt prayer and the Lord took control from there.

In short, TEAMeffort has been teaching me to continue to run with wreckless abandon towards God, throwing all else away. Through the challenges of ministering to youth, I have realized that literally nothing else matters except for my relationship with God. So, in light of this, it should be no big deal for me to give up anything that hinders my growth with the Lord. So starting this fall, there are changes that have to take place in order to keep the commitments I have made to Him.

Whether you have had a similar experience with ministry this summer, or simply an “everyday” summer existence, I assure you that God has been teaching you something through it all. Challenge yourself to listen to His voice and ask Him the things he would like you to give up as well as the things he would like you to take on. Our Heavenly Father promises that through all of the discipline and obedience we will be made closer to Him and never be forsaken.

So what are we waiting for?

- Kelsey

Knowing the importance of that Pillsbury doll to that beautiful woman, I was surprised to have been the recipient of such a symbol of her love.  God’s hand was definitely in the timing of our lives entwining together. On the way home, I was encouraged by the recognition of God’s love being exemplified through His angel. I was reminded that God exists outside the mountain of a TE summer. Though it was only for such a brief period of time, this precious moment with Mrs. Sarah will be a memory that last a lifetime.

Heather

TEAMeffort Staff

Let me just set the tone for this blog:  imagine it being the 4^th week of camp.  The largest amount of campers will be coming the next week.  We need worksites.  Not only do we need worksites, but we need some ambitiously tough worksites.

I hope you can infer panic and stress in the tone.  If not, imagine it.  We rely heavily on Jesus to carry us through the summer, but there are those moments when you think, “Jesus, what are we going to do?  We need you to put something in our laps right now.”

And so He did.  Joe (my Carolina Coast co-director and beloved husband) and I were frantically searching for worksites.  Granted, this isn’t how we typically do things, but Carolina Coast was a first-year camp and sometimes first-year camps run into glitches.  Joe had a long, long list of contacts; it was just a matter of pairing these contacts up with the right groups and so on.  We had a huge group coming with an enormous amount of skill, so we wanted to use them aptly.

In the midst of looking for a certain worksite, we saw a trailer that looked burnt on one end and it had several sawhorses sitting in front of it.  Joe and I looked at each other and got that happy glint in our eyes.  He said, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” and I replied with a cheerful, “Pull over!”

As we were walking across the yard we were greeted by the homeowner, let’s call him “Lightning” (it is his nickname).  All it took was a quick explanation of TEAMeffort and how we like to help people and his eyes began to water.  It seemed that his trailer had caught on fire at one end, but most of the damage to the trailer came from the firefighters busting the walls in and spraying everything down.  It rotted out the floors, the walls, and essentially everything.  This was one of the most desolate looking trailers I had seen.  Lightning was 50 years old with no place to live and was trying to fix everything himself.  It would have taken him forever to try and complete this project, especially since his funds were nearly depleted.

After surveying everything, taking measurements, and snapping pictures, we loaded back up into the car.  I looked at Joe and said, “Put me on this worksite.”  He said, “Are you sure?” and I nodded my head.  I just knew I had to help this man.

After a week of being there, we ran into a few problems that stalled the project.  Finally, it came down to the last week and we had to hang up wood siding all around the entire trailer, rip out floors, replace the flooring, paint, hang cabinets, install toilets, install showers, etc.  It was crazy.  Our contractor, Glen, and I were manning 50 people on the site and it still didn’t seem like we had enough manpower.  When it came down to the second day, things were looking bleak.  We were losing energy and it didn’t look like we were going to ever finish this project.

Don’t doubt our Savior.

It literally came down to the last hour on that site.  We had all fifty people working outside on the siding.  There was a team tacking it up, a team filling in the nail patterns, a team priming the walls and a team finishing with wall paint.  I have never been more stressed about a worksite getting finished in my life.  Lo and behold, 1:03 came around and guess what?  We were completely finished.  Lightning had a place to live again.  Hallelujah!!!

I still go through the cycles of anxiety and stress when I tell this story.  It was definitely one of those times when we were all out of options and had to rely 100% on Jesus to get us through.  He gave us random bursts of energy.  We didn’t have the huge amount of skill that we needed, so instead He gave us willing hearts that would stay an extra hour to finish.  It was amazing!

Even as we go thoroughly go through all of these steps— from putting together camp materials to coordinating the mission sites to gathering our tools and supplies to training the staff–we recognize that God is leading and guiding us.

We know that we could not achieve anything without God’s grace and provision. We pray that the Holy Spirit will be with us as we depart to our campsites and begin to work together. We look to John Chapter 14, where Jesus comforts his disciples and promises the Holy Spirit will remain with them:

12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
15 If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

The TEAMeffort teen mission camps will truly come to life over the next week. From a stack of tools,  a pile of t-shirts, and a guitar, our staff and campers will create holy places of worship and mission sites filled with God’s presence. God will empower us to do great things for his glory–and we are so excited about it!

As we journey together this summer, we’ll probably neglect this blog more than we’d like, but we hope some of the amazing things that God does and that we get to experience will be shared. If you come to one of our Christian summer camps, we hope you will share the story of what the Holy Spirit helped you to do, too.

Praise God for all he will use us to do!