First Irving's Mission Trips - All Over the World

Saturday - Day 8

2010-03-15T12:57:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we woke up and got all our stuff packed up and downstairs, ready to load onto the vans. We had a quick breakfast at 7:30 and then had a time of debriefing from 8-9. We then loaded up the flatbed truck and waited for the other van to arrive. We made the very quick drive to the airport and began the process of checking 26 people through all the different checkpoints. Chu, Addi, John, Hannah, and Caleb had already left while Gina, Meredith, and Mackenzie were on a different flight. So, from 34, we were down to 26. Anyhow, we got people's bags checked, everyone paid their airport tax and we went upstairs to eat lunch in the food court. I think most everyone had McDonald's for lunch as it was that or some other restaurant that no one had heard of before. Then, we got everyone through security and my counting skills were tested (and failed as I only got to 25). Then, once at our gate, we had to go through yet more security and I counted (and found!) 26. Yay! We waited a bit and then loaded up the plane. Once in Miami, we all had to go through U.S. customs and had a bit of trouble with Lynn A's bag, but Beverly, Nathan, and Lynn handled it and we got them through it all and they even had time to eat. We all ate dinner during our layover and then headed back to Dallas on our last flight. We arrived in Dallas at 10:00pm and all headed to our homes. It was great time with the Lord and watching Him move in the hearts and lives of the Honduran people. Praise Him for all He did in Honduras this week through us. It was my great privilege to be part of His work.

~Allison James

Friday - Day 7

2010-03-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone woke up and had breakfast at 8, followed by a devo at 8:30 and leaving at 9 (or so). Everything really was on Honduran time, which means, it's always a bit later than one intended for it to be. They went to visit the Elliot Dover Christian School and attended an assembly. They broke up into three groups working with - Preschool, 1st-4th, and 5th-11th. Then, they met with the faculty and staff of the school and got to know one another. They came back for lunch and then went to the slides and shopping at Valle de Angeles. I know that everyone had a really great time. That evening, I went with them - FINALLY, to dinner. We went to a place called El Gordo, which means the fat one. We had a good time there and it was nice to eat some more yummy Honduran food. We got home pretty late and everyone packed up and prepped for the morning.

Thursday - Day 6

2010-03-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

On this day, we had a little bit later start. We had breakfast at 7:30, devotional time at 8 and left at 9 for the nursing home. We were able to sing some songs, in English and Spanish, to 20 or so men and women in the home. Many of them suffered from dementia and it was confusing to speak to them when we weren't sure if it was a language barrier or dementia that prohibited communication. We greatly enjoyed spending time here and we were able to also paint the fingernails of the women there. Another big highlight was hearing a sweet man play his guitar and sing to us in Spanish. He played beautifully and what was more wonderful was that he was able to share his music with someone. I really enjoyed it. Brittney W also sweetly walked around with an elderly lady who was greatly suffering from dementia. Brittney was so patient and kind with her and I was reminded how the Lord is ten times as patient with us as Brittney that day. Brittney impressed me greatly and I know it was the Lord's kindness that enabled her to be patient. After our time in the nursing home, we went back to Dona Lydia's for lunch. Then, at 1:30 or so, we headed out to the hospital. We were taken around to many different parts of the hospital, but they were all children who we saw as patients. They didn't take us to the adult wing of the hospital. We went to the burn unit, the broken bone unit, the neurological unit, the newborn baby section, the cancer unit, and I believe that is it. It was a hard day, but I hope that in some small way our small gifts and our words of prayer encouraged the hearts of the children and their parents. Ask that the Lord would continue to work miracles for those we prayed for specifically. The Lord is capable, we just have to ask. I am excited to see how He will use those prayers for His glory. Though we may not know on this side of heaven, one day we will see it all clearly. This evening, we got home early and ate dinner at Dona Lydia's at 6 - much earlier than the 8:30 and 8:45 dinner times for Monday through Wednesday. We played silent football again and I again was a spectator. My favorite parts of this evening's game were when Jeff W had to say 'Yo Adrian' every time someone 'Vamushka-ed' and when Mikey R had a whole conversation with his right hand. Particularly when Mikey said, 'I know you want to write, but you just don't do it as well as the left hand.' Ba ha ha! Mikey, you're hilarious! Then, they played the word game but didn't finish it because it got completely chaotic. During the evening, my feet swelled to bizarre and enormous proportions. As a result, I did not get to go out with the group on Friday. But praise the Lord, they're looking normal today! :)

Wednesday - Day 5

2010-03-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

This was our last day in Cataluna. It's always hard to tell people goodbye. They've worked their way into our hearts and it's hard to say goodbye, not knowing when you'll see them again. This day looked pretty much like the other days. We woke up and had breakfast at 7, devo at 7:30, left at 8 and split into groups. This day, the groups were 1)construction on the bathroom (still) 2)construction on the fence 3)Door-to-door evangelism 4)VBS meeting which turned into prayer walking. Then, we had lunch at 11:30, VBS at 1, Women's ministry at 2, and down time at 3:30. During women's ministry on this day, we washed the women's feet and painted their toenails. They really enjoyed the pampering. One of the women on our team said to me, you know, women all the world over are the same, no matter what culture they come from and what language they speak - they all like to be pampered. We had a great time and in the evening service, we had Helen N share her testimony and Nathan H preach. The presence of the Lord was there and Nathan was used. The kids got to watch a children's bible DVD. I believe they watched Hermie the worm. Apparently, that is some sort of Christian Kids video series. It was hard to tell the kids goodbye and to tell the women who we'd come to love the same, but our prayers are that the people of Cataluna will not remember our faces or our names, but that they will remember the Lord and His goodness this week. I pray that they will be able to look back on their spiritual journey and point to this time as a time when there was a change in the way they follow the Lord. I ask that you pray this, too - that the commitments they make won't be for a moment but for a lifetime of learning to love Him more.

Tuesday - Day 4

2010-03-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, we again woke up pretty early. It was 7am for breakfast, 7:30 for devotional and we left for Cataluna at 8am. We then broke into three groups again. This time, they were 1)Prayer/door-to-door walking 2)Construction of a bathroom and repairing a fence and 3)Fluoride dental treatment. We did this from the time we arrived in the morning until 12 or so when we ate lunch. Then we had VBS and women's ministry again, followed by our afternoon nap session when everyone pretty much passes out. During this afternoon, though, we also played the word game and laughed a lot. Gina K won with Michelle B in second and myself in third. The funniest part of the game was when I said, I'm out and Michelle looked at me and said You're out? which promptly meant she was out as she had talked to someone who wasn't playing the game. Anyways, it was a lot of fun. Then we had another evening service at 6 and Anthony B shared a great word from the Lord. He and Nelson Montes did a great job bringing God's word to the Honduran people. God's Spirit definitely moved and I was able to see my friend, Susi, rededicate her heart to the Lord. It was a precious time. We came home that night very late and we all quickly went to bed. Thank you Lord for a wonderful time to fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, the American and Honduran ones. Thank you that you've knit our hearts together in a way that only the body of Christ can be.

Monday - Day 3

2010-03-09T04:50:00.000-08:00

Well, we started out day 3 pretty early for most college students - breakfast at 7, devotional time at 7:30 and then we boarded the vans for Cataluna at 8am. Once we arrived in Cataluna, we split into three groups. One group cut boys' hair, one group leveled out a field, and one group walked door to door asking people if they could pray for them. (and the other very small group of Beverly and I went shopping for a few supplies and exchanging our money into Honduran currency - all of which took 3 hours!!!) Then, all three groups got back together and they did a water distribution since there is a water shortage here. People are only allowed to use water in their homes twice a week, so at our Bed and Breakfast, we take fast showers and try not to waste the water since we have it all the time and no one else does. They say it's because it didn't rain enough this year. Then, everyone ate lunch. We then started VBS with the kids and an hour later began a women's ministry with the mothers. I know there were people in both groups who really heard God's word yesterday and won't forget it. Pray that it gets through to them, that God will use us, his workers, to speak to the people of Cataluna. Then, we had a few hours of down time in the sanctuary - some people slept, and others talked. At 6 pm, we began the evening church service. We had a good turn out and Michael M shared an awesome word from God. Many women were weeping with repentance at the end. Pray that it won't be a single day where they repented but that it will be the start of a new life, where they choose to follow. Thank God for Guadalupe who is a church member of Mision Bautista Cataluna. She is helpful in the women's ministry and she also lets all the girls use her bathroom since the church doesn't have one. I'm not sure where the guys use the bathroom, but maybe I'll ask them today so I can tell you tonight. :) After the service, we loaded up the vans and headed back to Dona Lydia's guesthouse where we're staying. We were starving since it was 8:30 when we got back here. Lydia had made Honduran food for us, which was a treat since she normally cooks American food for us. We really enjoyed it - I particularly enjoyed the plaintains. They are yummy! :) I still haven't figured out a solution to the picture situation, but promise I'll add them all once I'm back in the states. After dinner, we played a game of silent football. It is a hilarious game and Pastor John really enjoys being the man in charge during it. He's mean and hysterical. I am sure we'll play this game many times, so feel free to ask your family/friend about it! Pray that we'll have the energy to get through another very long day and that no one will become ill - to my knowledge, no one has yet. Pray that we go to the right houses of people who need to hear the gospel. Thanks so much!

Allison

Honduras Day 2

2010-03-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

Today we woke up and had breakfast at 8, followed by a quick time of prayer for those who'd be sharing their testimonies and preaching. We arrived at Comunion Bautista Iglesia and enjoyed lots of Spanish. We hardly understood anything and Ben Lar preached entirely in Spanish. Meredith K shared her testimony which included how the difficult time of her grandparents' martyrdom is something that God is in, even when it seems like He's not there. We ate lunch with the church leaders of Comunion and then we had a quick birthday celebration for Mackenzie K. She turned 9 and the church of Comunion had a pinata for her as well as cake and ice cream. We had a great time watching our kids (we have 5 kids here this year with us) hit the pinata. They had such fun. Then we headed over to a mission church of Comunion, in Cataluna. We will be there Monday through Wednesday, so it was good to go visit and see the people today in their church service. We sang two songs in Spanish for them and then Michael M. shared his testimony. We enjoyed so much meeting the people of Cataluna. After we got back we had chicken salad for dinner with really spicy dressing. Then, we met all together, sang a few songs, went over logistics, and heard the testimony of Gina K, an mk from Honduras whose parents were martyred in Iraq in 2004. It was a great time of sharing and we were all glad to hear about Gina's life as well as her parents. Well, I'm off to bed. Love you guys!

Allison

We arrived!

2010-03-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

We arrived in Miami and dashed to another terminal where we promptly got on our next flight. We took the flight to Tegucigalpa and braved the insane landing. I didn't vomit (yay!) and all our luggage arrived. I am sad to say that I cannot get my pictures to upload tonight, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Sorry, ladies and gents. After we arrived in Teguc and got all our luggage loaded, we drove the five minutes to our Bed and Breakfast. (counting all the people in the vans took longer than the drive) Lydia had sandwiches and chips ready for us and we ate lunch at 1:30. At 2:30, we headed out to the Jesus Statue, an enormous landmark here. We sweated and ate ice cream and enjoyed the cool breeze.

When we got back to the Bed and Breakfast, Lydia had dinner ready for us - chili with tortilla chips, lettuce, cheese, and our favorite kind of sour cream (Honduran). We had a quick time of worship and all went to bed super early! As I write this, I think most people have passed out on their beds. Thank you for praying for safe travels - we had them. Thank you for lifting up our health - so far no one is horribly sick, but I am seeing people weak and exhausted which can lead to illness. Pray for that - that everyone stays healthy. Thank God for our team - it's a unique blend of people and I'm excited to see what He does with us this week. Pray for those who will be sharing their testimonies and for those who'll be preaching tomorrow at the two church services we'll be attending. Ask that we would be kind, loving, and encouraging to our Honduran brothers and sisters in Christ.

Lots of love,
Allison James
(who is seriously beyond exhausted - sorry if it doesn't all make sense)

Honduras Team 2010

2010-03-05T10:55:00.001-08:00

The 34 member team will be heading to Honduras on Saturday, March 6 and returning on Saturday, March 13. Please be in prayer for them as they minister to children through VBS, women through Bible Studies, the ill in hospitals, and people in the village of Cataluna. Thank you for your prayers. We'll update every day with mini-updates. Check back for the updates!

Allison James
Director of Missions and also a member of the Honduras 2010 Team

Really Need to Update

2009-11-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

So, I have obviously fallen off the face of the earth. I'm sorry! Things have been busy here at the church and this hasn't been the priority I intended it to be. Please forgive me as I learn to balance things.

~Allison

Prayer Needs - Weekly Update

2009-11-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

Honduras - Pray that God will work in the hearts of those who have signed up for the trip this week. Ask that He will continue to make it clear to them that this is what He has asked them to do. Ask that they will feel excitement and enthusiasm for the work God is doing in Honduras.

Mongolia - Change the World Ministries/LifeQwest is having a hard time paying for all the many expenses that go into running an orphanage like they have. Ask that God will provide financially for them. Ask that God will provide in ways big and small.

Salvation Safari (Nicaragua) - Pray for those who are still recovering from Hurricane Ida. Ask that God will use His believers to give hope to a hurting people. Ask that God will use this thing that happened (that was bad) for good. Ask that more will come to know Him.

Salvation Safari (Uganda) - Pray for good communication between us and those who will set up our trip on the other side. Ask that we may be able to determine what we're going to do and that we'll have support there ready and waiting when we arrive.

High School Mission Trip - Pray for our high school students and those who work with them. Ask that God will work in their hearts and grow them into more mature believers. Ask that our high school students will have the desire to learn more about who God is and will choose to follow Him with reckless abandon. The Turkey Bowl was a great time and we did have several students who have never even been to our church! Praise Him!

Middle School Mission Trip - Pray for the organization of this trip. Ask that we will be able to determine what we'll be doing in Houston and that we'll be able to get it organized and ready for people to sign up, soon.

First Irving Men's Mission Trip

2009-11-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

In January, the First Irving Men's Ministry will be heading to Tyler, TX and PineCove Christian Camps for a Men's Mission Trip.

Details?
We will be working at the camp to repair, renovate, remodel, build and clean up the camp. It will be an awesome time together for many generations of men to spend some time together, get away for a few days, and build!
Cost?
$50 (includes food, lodging, and travel)
When?
January 12-16, 2010
How to get involved?
Contact Jason Hatch @ 972-253-1171 or jasonhatch7@gmail.com

Prayer Needs - Weekly Update

2009-11-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Honduras - Those who are planning on going on the trip turn in their applications this week. Ask that God would begin to knit the hearts together of those going on the trip. Pray that God will move in the hearts of our church members who God wants to go but who may be hesitant. Ask that God will provide financially for those who need it and that all may be able to go.

Mongolia - Pray that God will begin working in the hearts of those we will come in contact with there in Mongolia and in China, too. Ask that they will be open to hearing the gospel and that the First Irving team will be unafraid and bold in sharing it.

Salvation Safari (Uganda) - Ask that we will have many people at the interest meeting this Sunday. Pray for God to give Jeremy the words to speak and for many to commit to going on this trip.

Salvation Safari (Nicaragua) - Hurricane Ida hit Nicaragua last week, taking lives and homes in the flooding and mudslides. Praise God that none of the homes we've built there for pastors have been affected! Pray for those who've lost loved ones and who've lost all they owned. Ask that God will provide for them and that resources will make their way deep into the jungles there to those who need it most.

High School Mission Trip - Pray for our High School students as they get together for the Turkey Bowl this weekend. Ask that God will give them a time of great fellowship, fun, and laughter as they play together. Ask that God will bring some who've never been to church before to a fun event. Ask that God will use this event to draw new high school students in.

Middle School Mission Trip - Pray that even now God will be working in the hearts of our middle school students, getting them excited about the trip they'll be taking next summer. Ask that God will continue to provide opportunities for spiritual growth for all our middle school students.

Thank God for a beautiful week!

Blessings to you today ~Allison

Honduras Application & Deposit Due

2009-11-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

The Honduras 2010 Application and deposit are due on November 15. It's rapidly approaching. Be sure and get your money and application in, so that you don't miss out on this trip and all it offers! Have a great weekend!

Sudan 2010 Trip cancelled

2009-11-03T14:58:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to write and let you all know that our 2010 Sudan Trip will not be going. We will resume going in 2011. For those of you who signed up to go, pray, or give towards this trip, thank you for your volunteering heart, but it won't be fulfilled this year. The people of Sudan still need our prayers, though. Remember them this week.

Blessings,
Allison

Prayer Needs - Weekly Update

2009-11-02T13:15:00.001-08:00

Hello dear friends,

I will be updating this blog weekly with various prayer requests for all of our trips, whether they're related to the work we will be doing there, the city we will be working in, the logistics of going, the people who are going, or financial needs. Here are this week's requests.

Honduras - The country of Honduras is going through a lot of political unrest right now. Pray for our friends there at Comunion church in Tegucigalpa, that they will put their trust in Christ and not in the government. Ask that God will enable them to reach out to their neighbors and friends during this time of uncertainty and that those around would have open hearts and ears to listen.

Mongolia - Change the World Ministries is an organization that takes care of many orphan children. They are in the process of building new homes for all of their children. They currently have 13 of the 14 dome shells almost completed. Pray that they can have all of the new homes completed by July 2010. There's so many things that could keep them from completing this - the weather, supplies, money, etc. Ask that God will provide a way to get this done.

Salvation Safari (Uganda) - Last week, in southwestern Uganda, there were problems at a refugee camp. Pray that God will provide food for these people who so desperately need it. Ask that there will also be someone who will venture out to that camp and share the love of God with them. God can send people to all sorts of places, even here.

Salvation Safari (Nicaragua) Pray that the Miskito Indians would remember the words they hear about Jesus. Pray that the new pastors' homes recently built (by our group that just went) will be a blessing and that God will protect them and keep the pastors healthy. Ask that the pastors will be able to share the gospel many times this week and will be able to develop new relationships with their new neighbors.

Sudan - His Voice for Sudan has just come out with a new t-shirt that they're selling to help raise funds for the orphanage. Pray that God will use these t-shirts to bless lives, both in the United States and in Sudan. Ask that God will do far more than we could ever dream of in providing for the orphans in Sudan. To check out a shirt, visit the His Voice for Sudan blog.

High School Mission Trip - The High School Group will be traveling to St. Louis, Missouri to work with Global Encounter Ministries. Global Encounter Ministries has a goal this year of having 110 different Student Ministries groups with 1,500 students in 2010. Pray that God will begin to work in the hearts of high school students all over the country. Ask that He will make available to many the opportunity to go, whether through the meeting of financial needs or through word of mouth of the ministry. Ask that God will use this to empower a generation of young people with the ability to evangelize in the cities they live the rest of the year.

Middle School Mission Trip - The Middle School Trip will be going to Houston in June 2010. Ask that God will show our church a specific need we can meet there. Ask that we will be able to meet it, come June 2010.

All 2010 Trips

2009-11-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

In 2010, we will be sending out 7 different teams to places that are local, in the United States, and to five different countries. Here's the info on all of them.

Honduras

When: March 6-13, 2010
Where: Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Financial Investment: $950
Interest Meeting: October 18, 2009, 4:30 pm in First Irving's Choir room

Mongolia
When: July 21-August 1, 2010
Where: Hungor and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia & Beijing, China
Financial Investment: $3500
Interest Meeting: October 18, 2009, 5:30 pm in First Irving's Choir room

Nicaragua - Salvation Safari
When: October 4-11, 2010
Where: Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Financial Investment: $1750
Interest Meeting: February 21, 2010, 4:30 pm in First Irving's Choir room

Uganda - Salvation Safari
When: Summer 2010
Where: Uganda
Financial Investment: $2500 (approximately)
Interest Meeting: November 1, 2009, 4:30 pm in First Irving's Choir room

Sudan
When: Summer 2010 (for ten days)
Where: Sudan
Financial Investment: $3500 (approximately)
Interest Meeting: To be determined at a later date

High School Trip - St. Louis, Missouri
When: July 9-17, 2010
Where: St. Louis, Missouri
Financial Investment: $350 (approximate)
Interest Meeting: January 31, 2010, 12:30 pm at First Irving's 7th & 8th grade girls' room
(found on 3rd floor of the Kinkeade building)

Middle School Trip - Houston, Texas
When: June 20-25, 2010
Where: Houston, Texas
Financial Investment: To be determined
Interest Meeting: January 31, 2010, 12:30 pm at First Irving's 7th & 8th grade girls' room
(found on 3rd floor of the Kinkeade building)

To sign up for one of these trips, leave a comment with your email (which I will not post) and I will get back to you with an application and deadline on the initial deposit for your trip.*

*At this time, we are only accepting applications from members of First Irving. If you are not a member, we will not be able to take you on our trip. However, if you'd like more information about organizations that do take trips all over the world, leave a comment and I will get back to you with those organizations' contact info.

Welcome to our Trips' Blog!

2009-11-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

Welcome to First Baptist Irving's new Trips' Blog! We will be updating information about all of the trips we take this year, whether it's prayer requests, financial needs, photos/videos of the trips themselves, or synapses of each day of each trip. Thank you for visiting and stopping by. I'm excited to see how God uses this to keep us better connected in each others' lives and how He will use this in the life of our church. I'm so excited that you've found your way onto this new blog. Have a great fall day!

~Allison, First Irving's Director of Missions