Hearing from our Missionary - Ashley Harton

Hey West Enders! My name is Ashley Harton and I am currently serving full-time with Campus Crusade for Christ at Vanderbilt University, along with a few others you may know (Joe & Betsy Thomas, Beth Randolph, and Adam & Haley Strouth). If you don't know much about Campus Crusade, we are basically committed to developing authentic spiritual movements on university campuses by focusing on evangelism, discipleship, and sending students out missionally.

Why so much focus on the university campus, specifically Vandy?? Lots of reasons! But to give you one that really motivates me...university campuses are home to streams of current thought/culture-shaping ideas and places of worldview formation. That is certainly true of Vanderbilt! The average college student comes into this environment as an 18 year old with some sort of understanding of the world, but is very open to change as they are exposed to different friends, top professors, and new experiences in and outside of the classroom. You can find students or professors on campus who believe (or don't believe) almost anything! Consequently, Vandy students encouraged, however indirectly, and in a very postmodern sort of way, to adopt the view, "what's true for me may not be true for you" and vice versa. "You believe what you want to believe but don't bother me with it". By the end of their college career, this often leaves them waving the banner of tolerance without really knowing any more deeply about what they really believe...at least in the realm of faith.

Recently in discipleship, I have been talking about this with some senior women, asking them: "If you were to guess how the average Vandy student would answer these questions, what would you say?" The questions are "Why are we here?" "What is wrong with the world?" "What puts the world right?" and "How can I be a part of putting the world right?" These conversations have been eye-opening! But even more, it has exposed how much our own views of the world are mixed with secular values. Values that are not all bad, but ultimately surface level compared to the depth of the answers we have in the gospel. Please pray for believing and non-believing students alike that God would reveal Himself in Spirit and in truth...and that they would really believe that there is Truth that IS real, pervasive and worthy of heralding!

The article that has been shaping these recent discussions can be found here, if you are interested: http://www.redeemer2.com/themovement/issues/2004/oct/deconstructing.html

Going as a family to Honduras

Before we left for Honduras, I had certain expectations, prayers and hopes for our time in Siguatepeque. There were the obvious prayer requests - safety, smooth travel, health, and opportunities to love and minister to the kids who would come to the soccer VBS and the medical clinic. God is good and he answered my prayers and was so real to me on this trip! What was it about this trip that made God seem so much more real than when I am living day to day in Nashville? God gave me the gift of this missions trip with the key word being mission! Going to Honduras removed all things that so easily distract me in Nashville and showed me a picture of what it is like to serve with a specific mission - to love those that God put in front of us.


God was so real on this trip! I watched him provide as we ministered loved and played with the kids that he brought to the soccer field each day. He provided the soccer equipment to outfit close to 90 children with shoes, socks, and shorts. He provided a beautiful soccer field at the doorstep of our hotel! He provided energy and enthusiasm to make each day special for the campers. He provided the words of love spoken at the end of each day to the campers to help them see who God really is!


We had the opportunity to preach the Gospel to the boys and girls at the end of each session. We used the Jesus Storybook Bible to share the Gospel. Most of the kids have only heard about God from a very legalistic perspective. We shared a simple message - God loves you, not for what you have done but because you are his creation! Speaking in front of groups has never been a favorite activity of mine. But again, God was real and there was not a moment that I felt nervous or inhibited by doubts of my ability to speak in front of large groups. God instilled a confidence that came from knowing that this was not about me, but it was about what God was doing through me. They were not my words the kids were hearing. They were the words of love from God inviting these kids to be his children! I was surprised how emotional I got at several different moments of the week in the midst of sharing the Gospel. I think that emotion came from have a much deeper understanding of what it means to be loved by God!


As a family, it was such a blessing to serve together! Aaron and I loved watching Katelyn take off on the soccer field with her new friends. She grew so much from the first day in terms of her patience and making the best of each situation. I had really prayed going into this trip that her world as she knew it would be turned upside down. I feel like God answered that prayer as I see her response to adversity and what she values now after going on this trip. I pray that it will stick! God thankfully did the same for me! Finally, I take away from the trip a greater urgency to better equip myself and my family to be ready to share the Gospel in the midst of the distractions of our daily lives.

The White Family

A Perspective from Honduras

Honduras 2008
I always seem to be reading two or three books at a time for my devotionals. Right now its Hearing God by Dallas Willard and Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Both very appropriate for our trip as well as Carter’s current sermons about how pathologically self obsessed we are. This was my third missions trip and truly the best. I worked hard all day. I saw as many as 55 patients a day. Our bus had questionable shocks over roads that could have been an amusement park ride. I had minimal resources to help my patients. Occasionally we had hot water. My sheets smelled like an ash tray. My pillow gave a new definition to lumpy. We learned what “the rainy season” is all about. And I tore my thigh muscle getting schooled in soccer by Hondurans who all were quick as lightning and with skills like Pele! Yet I have never felt closer to our Lord nor more like I could hear him speaking directly to my heart 
Without the material trappings we associate with comfort and “need” (OK I did have my iPod!) I really got to spend quality time with people who love radically, like what Francis Chan calls Crazy Love, like the Love God has for us. Everyone I met reminded me what God really desires, ALL OF US. Not just a half hearted “I do enough. I go to church most Sundays” commitment, but a heart and soul, sold out, Love the Lord Your God with All Your Heart and Soul and Might/Love Your Neighbor as Yourself commitment! 6 year old Katelyn White brought huge smiles that made everyone’s day along with love for the other kids and huge hugs. Pastor Walmer, one of the missionaries gave eloquent prayers and encouragement. I long for a prayer life like his . Alfredo Cerrato described his vision for the orphanage and inspired us to think big. The patients touched my heart and soul. How truly pathologically self obsessed my life seems in contrast to the 14 year old who suffered through years of physical abuse and neglect, was finally adopted, but now suffers from end stage, dialysis dependent, kidney disease in a land where dialysis is scarce, let alone the prospect of a transplant! Worse was the toddler with hyperthyroidism whose mom looked gaunt as a concentration camp survivor and felt like a failure because she could only afford to feed him one meal a day!
It all just gives me immense Joy though in a world where the economy seems on the verge of faltering, where people trample to death store employees trying to be the first to get to the latest greatest toys to buy for their kids with the misguided notion that is what love is all about, where terrorism has not gone away as it rears its ugly head in India while we were gone, where 401Ks seem like 201Ks to many and homes are foreclosed…. I am Joyous because God is sovereign. Going to Honduras again so clearly showed me the Lord is present and wants to have an intimate Father/child relationship with us, if we are only willing to truly seek Him and listen with His ears, see with His eyes, touch people’s lives with His hands, speak His words of truth, go where He says to go,…. He really does speak to us. He really does Love us with an absolutely Crazy Love. Despite how pathologically self obsessed we are!
Agape!
Tom Courtney M.D.

Advent Season

The Advent Season began officially on Sunday, and it is defined as "the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the nativity of Jesus." The wonderful thing is that our expectancy and preparation does not end with the celebration of Christmas, it is a celebration of what is to come. As a church, as followers of Christ, let us be expectantly waiting and preparing for not just what was, but what is to come!

Honduras Mission Team

The Honduras Mission team arrived safely Sunday night in San Pedro, where they spent the night, before boarding their bus at 5 am. They began the medical clinic and the soccer vbs at 8am.

Continue to pray for the team's unity and that God would be glorified!

Men of Valor

Men of Valor is the Hope For Nashville partner ministry of the month! Men of Valor's vision is to "teach men how to make real changes and begin new lives . . . to become men of valor". They work within 2 prisons within Nashville, and they have recently begun work on a wonderful aftercare program. There are many ways to become involved with Men of Valor, and you can learn more about their ministry at their website, http://www.men-of-valor.org/.

MOV's ministry is a beautiful picture of the Gospel in action -- to see men come from 2 very different life backgrounds to build a mentoring relationship. In my 3 years of working in my position, one of my fondest and most memorable moments, was when I had the privilege of visiting the Jericho Project of Men of Valor at CCA prison. I went through security and sat in a room of men praising God for the way Jesus had turned their lives around. I was asked to share a few words, and as I thought about what I would say, I was struck with how similar each of our stories was! We all are imprisoned through sin, physical or spiritual, and I don't know that I have ever had a clearer sense of the freedom that God brings then that 1 hour visiting the prison with Men of Valor.

Looking at Daystar Ministries

Hope For Nashville is the local missions arm of WECC's missions ministry. We partner with 11 ministries throughout the city that bring hope to Nashville in varying ways. This month we are going to turn our attention to Daystar Counseling Ministries.

The mission of Daystar is to offer hope to children, adolescents, and families in need. This includes individual and group counseling, parenting seminars, and a summer camp. And they do it on a sliding scale, so they really depend on the support of churches and individuals to continue to be a place of refuge and hope.

Each year Daystar hosts an annual fundraiser called the "Bike Thing". Come out and join other West Ender's on Nov 1st as we ride 20 or 40 mile course along the Natchez Trace! This is a great opportunity to have fun, support a great ministry, and get a little exercise in. Go to http://www.daystarcounselingministries.org/ for more information!

A Hope For Nashville Partner Spotlight

Hope Clinic for Women is one of WECC's Hope For Nashville partners, and each year they celebrate and raise awareness for their work through the Fun for Life! The events include a 5K run/walk, inflatables, a rock wall, face painting, games, food, entertainers, all out at Percy Warner Park on October 18th from 9-noon. It should be a great day of fun and fellowship and celebrating a great ministry. If you are interested in learning more, go to www.hopeclinicforwomen.org.

If you are interested in sponsoring the WECC Run for life team, please go to: www.active.com/donate/runforlife08/westendcc

A Peru team member's perspective

People keep asking me, “How was Peru?” It was amazing and awful, awe-inspiring and heart breaking, and everything in between. I thought I knew what to expect. I’ve spent over 20 months overseas, much of that time in developing countries. This wouldn’t be anything new. After all, it was only a one-week trip! How hard could it be and how much could one expect to learn? But my experience as a member of this mission team transcended all expectations.

The most surprising aspect of the trip was our team itself. Seven men and seven women, ages 25-60: counselor, musician, house painter, contractor, sales manager, interior designer, artist, benefits professional… What in the world would we find to talk about let alone bond over? How long would it take until the stresses of sharing rooms and bathrooms, not speaking the language, suffering from travelers’ diseases (or the medicines intended to prevent them!), eating unfamiliar food, and doing hard physical labor led to a major breakdown? After all, we were all essentially strangers. There were no bonds of friendship to provide a dose of patience. I just knew that we were a powder keg waiting for a spark.

But God is wise and I now realize that He chose each member of our team purposefully and deliberately. We didn’t have a single meltdown. Each person brought unique perspective and talents. When one person’s energy flagged someone else would pick up the slack. We each took turns carrying the load, stepped in and out of our comfort zone as the situation demanded, and did so in a climate of openness and trust. I’ve been in organizations that failed to create that environment after six months yet we arrived at that point within days. Truly Jesus was working in us.

Then there were the boys. Mikkee’s powers of persuasion aside, they were the reason we had signed up for the trip. Fifteen beautiful, intelligent, mischievous, loving, playful boys who wanted nothing more from us than a little attention – well, attention and candy! They had no television, no iPods, no cell phones or Heelys or PSPs. When they got home from school, they played outside until dinner and then played some more until bed. Their games weren’t carefully orchestrated to maximize learning; the boys weren’t padded from head to toe against falls; they didn’t have fancy jungle gyms or ball fields. They just used their imaginations and their seemingly endless supply of energy and ran around like little boys without a care in the world. I found it hard to imagine the trauma and suffering they had endured while looking at the joy beaming from their faces.

Admittedly, by mid-week some of the novelty had worn off. My amusement at shoveling and stomping mud faded as the hay and stones etched patterns into my shins. The satisfaction I had felt from a hard day’s work forming adobe mud bricks was soon eclipsed by the throbbing of my migraine. The boys NEVER seemed to tire even when all I wanted in the world was a nap. And one nagging question persisted: what were we actually accomplishing? Sure, I felt good about our mission and the work we had done, but to what end? Was the trip merely a salve for my white, rich guilt or were we really making a difference? After all, no matter how much the boys enjoyed VBS and singing and dancing and rough-housing with us, how much could four days really impact a boy’s life?

The Lord answered my question during our last night with the boys. As we played, one of the boys asked what we would do the following day. In my best broken Spanish, I explained that we would be returning to the US. Without even pausing for thought he replied, “When is the next group coming?” And in that moment I knew: we weren’t the answer to their problems, but we were one small piece of it. We were a few of the many people who the Lord will bring into these boys’ lives to help undo the damage of their past. The one week we spent in Huayllabamba wouldn’t miraculously cure them of all their hurts but we would be one more positive example of God’s love and faithfulness in their lives.

The final impact of the trip was much more personal. Every time I travel overseas I learn about myself, how I interact with others, my assumptions and how they color my worldview… I feel as though I’ve closed one chapter in my life and am ready to write a new one. I am not sure yet what its theme will be as I am still digesting the implications of everything I learned, but at the very least I will be reevaluating how I spend my time and energy. And I DEFINITELY have a newfound respect and appreciation for Lowe’s and Home Depot! I will very happily buy my construction materials going forward.

Thank you to my fellow team members for your energy, faithfulness and love. The group would have suffered without each and every one of you. And thank you to the greater WECC family for your prayers and support. I am richer for the experience.

Christa Bowdish

Images from Peru

Here are a few photos taken on the Peru mission trip. Beauty was found in the scenery and even more so in the people.

Returned from Peru

We all arrived back in the States, hopefully, different people than when we left. Stay tuned for more posts on the trip and multimedia.

Over the field and through the woods...

Tomorrow is the big day, we will all pack up (in one suitcase, thanks to baggage limitations) and head to Peru. I thought you might like to know how we will get from Nashville, TN, to Cusco, Peru. It will be a 24 hour journey with a few stops along the way.

Aug 29th, 8:45AM: we will meet at the church, pray together, and load up into cars to head to the airport, and check all of our baggage and make it through security (whew, I am tired already!).

Aug 29th, 11:15 AM: our plane is scheduled to take off from Nashville, arriving in Houston at 1:15PM. Thankfully, Gustav's path is not projected to be near Texas when we need to fly out. Once in Houston, we will all transfer to the International terminal and find some overpriced airport food to eat for lunch.

Aug 29th, 3:55PM: our flight will leave Houston headed for Lima, where we will arrive at 10:30PM. We will go through customs and (hopefully) claim everyone's baggage.

Aug 30th, 12AM: a Union Biblica intern will meet us and transport us to the Lima headquarters via bus, where we will catch a few hours of sleep on mattresses in the auditorium.

Aug 30th, early morning: we will head back to the airport and catch a flight to Cusco. We will spend our day in Cusco, before travelling via bus to the hostel we are staying at near the Boy's home in the Sacred Valley that afternoon evening, where hot showers will await us!

Meet the Peru Team!

It is hard to believe that in only 4 days (4 DAYS!), our team of 14 will be boarding a plane (well, several planes really) and journeying down to Peru for 10 days to serve. As an aside, the ironic thing about mission trips, you go to serve, and you return having been served with a heart full and your perspective on the world and who God is radically changed.

But I digress, I am writing the blog today to introduce you to our 14 member team that knows little about each other today, but a mission trip will certainly cure that! Our team is made up of 7 men and 7 women (I like the easy clean lines and distinction of equal numbers). John, Geoff, Denny, Bill, Tom, Justin, and David make up the 7 men. Christa, Lori, Sharon, Carly, Sarah, Emily, and Mikkee make up the 7 women.

Here are a few ways that you can be praying for our team:

1. Safe travel to Peru (be watching later this week for a post on the way we will get to Cusco)
2. Team unity and grace and love for each other
3. Servant hearts

Mikkee

Cusco, Peru

First up is a short-term trip to Peru from August 29th to September 7th, 2008. We will be heading to Cusco, Peru, working with Scripture Union at a home for street boys. While there we will be doing construction and hosting a VBS and getting to know the boys. Our purpose is to be obedient to God sending us, supporting and encouraging believers in their work in other parts of the world. Stay tuned for more details!

By the way ... where in the world is Cusco?


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Nashville Mission Trip

Our Nashville Mission Trip on August 1st and 2nd was a wonderful opportunity for WECC to get out and demonstrate God's love to others in our own community. Volunteers went as teams to 10 different sites: we prepared food for families in need, put together giftbags to welcome international students, sang and danced at a nursing home, cleaned up and painted at different ministries. We had families and singles and community groups.

Here are a few photos from the big day: