Memphis Day 2 (Monday)

Our first full day has been a great success. We were thrown a few curve balls with our schedule, but the attitudes and flexibility of our kids and leaders were superb.

We began our day discussing 1 John 2:15-16- what it means to love things of the world and what it means to the love the world the way God does. Zach Layton prefaced the passage during breakfast, the students had some personal devotional time, and we also had some small group time. 

Late morning to early afternoon we deep cleaned the gym we are staying at- The Grizzlie. They also cleaned up a lot of trash around the gym. One student, Meghan Kendall was so excited when she found a small Santa statue. We were so impressed and encouraged by the work ethic and positive attitudes of all the students. 

After we finished working we were able to play in the Grizzlie gym with their students for the rest of the afternoon. We had not originally planned on staying at this same gym all day, but the Lord was so good to still provide us with great opportunities even when there are schedule changes. 

The Memphis students we were around today were mostly 6-9th graders. This is not the usual age group we focus on, and it can be more intimidating, but our students were still so wonderful to jump in and initiate conversations. Tomorrow we plan to meet the elementary students at the other 2 gyms we're serving with. 

After the Memphis students left, we headed to Central BBQ and had a delicious dinner. Some of the MAM staff and their students even joined us. 

It was a day full of hard work and play. The kids should definitely sleep well tonight. 

Janie Nolen

Mosaic Students

Guatemala: The First Few Days

It has been 3 days and already an incredible time here in Guatemala City. The people of Guatemala have been so welcoming and Iglesia Fellowship Guatemala is being used in huge ways for God's glory and kingdom advancement across this nation.

Day 1 was full of travel! But everyone with joyful, excited, and somewhat nervous hearts booked it down from XNA to GUA Airport. We were welcomed by the Fellowship Guatemala Team (Daniel Bran, Fernando, & Alfredo) immediately with warm hugs, incredible food, and a tour around town as Daniel had us pray over different areas of his Zone (District 17).  God has been moving in powerful ways in zone 17 and is going to continue as his people continue to make disciples and share the gospel with the community of that zone.

Day 2 (Sunday) by far was one of the most powerful experiences I believe many people of our team have ever experienced. We are working with Fellowship Guatemala to build from the ground up a different gospel community in Zone 25.  The difference of the zones is very clear as Zone 17 where the gospel has been present and active for several years is a place where christian community is thriving, zone 25 is a place where Daniel and his team hope to next bring the gospel to.  So without hesitation our students hit the streets with translators sharing the gospel and their testimonies and it was powerful!!!! A few accepted Christ into their life as their Lord and Savior and it doesn't end there!

That night we got to witness Fellowship Guatemala host many who we invited earlier to join in a worship service in zone 25. Many showed up and after some incredible time in Worship and a gospel presentation, many of the community found themselves in tears praying to receive Christ! And it doesn't end there either!!!  Fellowship Guatemala has as a first priority to lead this community into Discipleship relationships. So for the several who accepted Christ last night the staff of FG took down their name, number, address, and will begin immediately to help these new believers grow in the faith to one day be disciple makers themselves!

We found ourselves overjoyed with what God has done in zone 25 and we had only been here for a day!

Day 3 (Monday) we were able to go serve and bless Zone 25 by a day full of painting in a local elementary school. Our team worked so hard but after 8 hours of painting still had so much joy! 

After eating a nice meal of BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Horchata (Rice Milk w/ Cinamon) we came back to our hotel to be lead powerfully in Ephesians by Garrison and Jeremy. Each night two of our students will be leading us in different sections of Ephesians 1.

More updates to come. Please pray that Jesus would continue to work boldly and powerfully in Zone 25. Tomorrow we will be working with the elementary students whose classes we painted today to bring a day full of Fun, Skits, Songs, and gospel presentations! Lift up our team that we would boldly love the teachers and students of San Rafael Elementary and that Jesus would use this elementary school as a launching pad for his glory in this community.

We are thrilled to have you on our support team and appreciate your prayer and support! 

Collin Jackson

Mosaic Students Guatemala Team

Memphis Day 1 (Sunday)

It has been a great start to the week! The bus ride was fantastic with no trouble at all and little traffic. We unfortunately were unable to watch Frozen because the TVs were not working, but it didn't stop us from having a great time. Our bus driver let us use the PA system to play music through. We got creative and played "name that tune", had a lip syncing contest, and still listened to the Frozen soundtrack. 

The kids were so excited when we pulled up to the Grizzlies Center, they all started cheering. We had pizza, went over rules and expectations for the week, and played some fun games before we settled down for bed. We're excited to start serving tomorrow.  

Janie Nolen

Colorado Springs Day 1

Hello friends and family. We had a great first day in Colorado Springs. Everyone started out pretty tired after icy roads but us in 2 hours later than expected, but our hosts were incredibly gracious. After a good night's sleep and a great breakfast with each of our host homes, we joined Converge for their Sunday morning worship gathering. Our students were great. They did the setup of the audio/visual system, set out the chairs, ran the kids program, and Taylor Holmstrom and Nick Jennings led worship (which Converge all said was a treat). They don't have a worship leader in their church yet. I was reminded of how abundantly blessed we are with leaders when a 17 year-old high schooler was able to lead a young church plant to worship in such an honest and glorifying way. When Derek asked if anyone of our students had ever served with kids before, I did a quick head count and realized that nearly every single student on the trip currently served in some form of kids ministry at Mosaic. Our students are actually able to model to the adults of Converge what it looks like to serve your local church.

Derek taught on 2 Corinthians 5 and how we are all called to be ministers of reconciliation wherever we are. He pointed out that God's plan for discipleship is actually shockingly simple: Love God, Love Others, Make Disciples. The problem is that we are often not faithful to that plan. Great word for our team.

After lunch at the Whites', we took off for the elementary school that the Whites' children attend. The kids served there picking up trash and completely cleaning our the garden boxes the school uses. The goal behind these service projects is to honestly love people well. It shows the city of Colorado Springs what happens when "the uncommon love of Jesus comes into the common places of the city.

We closed the day out with dinner at the Horns' house and a discussion of what discipleship looks like for a high school student.

Everyone is doing great. No altitude sickness yet, though we're all getting winded quicker than usual. We're keeping everyone hydrated. Today we start off with studying Philippians together before spending a day prayer walking neighborhoods, serving at the school and putting on a Winter Olympics event at the YMCA. Pray that Jesus would make his grace known to the people of Colorado Springs, the Converge team and our students.

grace and peace,
Nick and the CO Springs Team

Memphis Day 5

Final hours in Memphis was filled with lots of tears, lots of new friends,  and lots of great stories. Our students gave it their all today as we finished our projects and connected with the Memphis kids in each of their gyms. It always amazes us how quickly our students bond with their new friends. So many hugs and encouraging words were shared amongst the friends from two worlds.  

Parents, we wish you could be a fly on the wall. These kids are getting it. It was unbelievable to watch how they impacted Memphis this week. From praying for the people of the city, to having one-on-one conversations about their faith (and little ones choosing to follow Jesus) to winning the hearts of our bus drivers. These students are disciple makers. 

Tonight, we heard from Randy Odom. He challenged these students to Go! He encouraged them to be like an orchard and produce MUCH FRUIT!! We don't want to be a big tree with little fruit. We should disciple so they disciple...so they disciple! We can all say in one accord...PRAISE GOD FOR THIS WEEK! We are confident that much fruit was produced this week. Seeds were planted, and we feel tired yet blessed beyond words. Love you all. Thank you for your prayers. We felt every bit of it. Please pray for our safe travels home. Can't wait for more sweet conversations on the bus. Ps-thank you for your patience as we've tried to blog as much as possible. :) See you 

Guatemala Day 5

We had our final ministry day today, finishing off everything with a bang.  Our day had two major parts to it.  We first finished up our time at the school, finalizing our Joseph skit. Molly shared her testimony to the whole group of kiddos and did an outstanding job.  One of the neat mini stories was that we brought 182 Steve Speitels bracelets...and had exactly 182 students amongst the three days in the school. Pretty awesome...neat how The Lord provides just enough in the perfect amount of time.  The afternoon was great.  Pastor Walter has only been in Los pinos for a month.  This was the first trip he has partnered with and really his first offensive move into relationships within the community. The first two days we went door to door sharing the gospel and inviting people to tonight's block party.  To be honest, they did not know how many would come.  With somewhat anxious hearts, we pulled up to the missions house he lives at and within 10 minutes, over 200 people were there ready for a party.  And it was a great party! Tons of fun, piñatas, and meeting people in the community. Several said they felt loved, and desired to get more deeply connected in what they were doing.  Pastor Walter and his wife Dama were SOOOO encouraged.  So cool

Tomorrow we are going to Antigua for our debrief day.  It will be a fun day of rest, shopping, and being together. I think it will be really special

Prayer requests
1. A great last day. Good, needed closure
2. Final day of health.  Kids have been feeling somewhat sick in the morning then feeling better throughout the day. Pray they keep feeling good
3. Final worship and prayer time during the debrief. We will be seeking ways to transfer what god has done here to our lives back in Arkansas.  Pray specifically for that time.

We love you all.  See you soon
Guat team

Memphis Day 3 and 4

Tuesday/Wednesday ...Incredible days for the Memphis crew!  The past couple of days have been amazing-working hard to get things done, yet having to stay flexible when plans don't go "our way." I believe that happens to all of us...everyday. 

Here is a quick run-down of the past two days:

The mornings have been filled with Truth and time in the Word. We are amazed how quickly these students have opened up to share their fears, struggles, joys, etc. Small group time have been powerful-giving them an opportunity to pray together as a group before our day begins. We realize we need His Stength, His Truth, His Grace to make it through each day.

     During the afternoons, the teams split into their gyms to work on projects that need to get done. Some of us have worked on a community garden, some have been painting, some of us have spent time pulling weeds and doing yard work. Also, we have been extremely blessed with a team from the Fellowship  Buildings and Grounds  They have been A BLESSING! We seriously have gifted people at our church who use their giftings and passions for Jesus. We love following their leadership during the morning work hours. The students have worked hard. We hear more laughs coming out of their mouths when they're picking up trash and sanding walls for hours. :) Our afternoons have been sweet. A few of the kids have shared their testimonies in front of the other Memphis students and by what we've heard, some have decided to follow Jesus!!! He is so good! 

Annnnd yes, how can we forget the Grizzlies/Thunder's game tonight:) We ALL had the best time!! Some of the Memphis kids (plus the bus driver)  joined us as we cheered!  Oh, and of course...some of our boys made it on the skycam:) 

I'm going to end this blogpost with a good word from Jamie Trussell. 

Luke 10:25 reminds us that we are like the Jewish man on the side of the road, beaten and bruised...half dead. Our Father, our Redeemer, our Savior is the Good Samaritan who rescues us. He picks us up, He carries us, He brings us to a place of rest. He pays for our debt and someday, He will return!!! Our prayer is that we live like we are saved-live like we were bought with a price! Can you imagine the feeling of the Jewish man when he awoke and found out that someone had rescued him and cared for him....even paid for His debts?!? He would give his life to serve this man. Let's live that way. Praising Jesus for this time in Memphis with this radical team. Praying for life change tomorrow. Love you all-thank you for partnering with us.