Real Life Experiences
Excerpts from volunteer testimonies

Papua New Guinea
The past two days I had the unique opportunity to travel out into the bush (more remote village areas) for a "meri-bung" that only happens once a year or so (women's gathering). Local women from all over the region met to celebrate God's work and liberation in their lives. This meri-bung is a pretty big deal here in PNG, considering that women are generally regarded as rubbish and property of little value. Polygamy is rampant and with that comes much promiscuity and the rapid spread of HIV and AIDS. This meri-bung included hours of singing, preaching, testimonies-- all the while women are nursing, kids are running everywhere and geckos are making their home on my grass mat (actually only just one). My diet for most of this meri-bung consisted of fresh bananas and "Skons" (bread) from people alongside the road. Last night hundreds of us women camped out under the tent where all the preaching was done. This ain't no Johnson County camping- we slept right out there in the mud, hiked to the nearest river to wash and did our business in a grass hut with a whole in the ground. I loved it! So glad to have the experience of what most PNG folks live like everyday. I found myself feeling like a vanilla wafer in a whole cookie jar of oreos, if you know what I mean. The limited pidgin study I had been doing back in the states has come in quite handy since I was thrown right into the mix of everyone right away. That's the best way to learn, and I find it quite fun! (And I'm sure comical for everyone else!)

Thailand
It has been an awesome year! How could I ever adequately describe the baptism of a new convert at the wash tank at Mae Tang, or showing the Jesus Film in a remote village with no electricity to people who had never heard of Him before, or the tribal dance following the dedication of the Huey Eun Church, or leading a couple of Hmong girls to accept Jesus in our living room, or seeing the pride in Moses' face when he showed me a rat he caught and was about to eat! On and on it goes. God has truly been good!

Slovenia
"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." Eph 4:1-6 (NASB)

We just got back from participating in the first Nazarene Youth Congress for Eurasia in Bulgaria. For those that knew, thank you so much for your prayers and for those that didn't I will fill you in on the conference. The verse from above was our theme for the entire week. It was so great to hear these verses read in so many languages, knowing that we were coming together as one body. This time was so wonderful and very encouraging. I met so many great people from across the world who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. The most amazing thing during the whole week was hearing the Word, prayer, and worship all being expressed in so many languages. We all would sing songs at the same time in our own languages. For me this was a glimpse of what is to come. I was able to hear from different tribes, tongues, and nations praises to the Lord. It was an amazing experience and some great friendships have been established.

Brazil
"We worked hard, laughed, prayed, cried, met brothers and sisters in Christ and experienced something that revolutionized my life and ministry. Please continue to invest, because it is also an investment for the Kingdom. This one trip has done more to raise my understanding and desire to participate in missions than ANY convention, missionary or anything else. Thank you for investing in me!"

Jamaica
"God had sent me to Jamaica. I thought I was going just to help with eye exams, but God had much more in store for me. He showed me parts of Jamaica and the beauty of Jamaica in ways most do not get the chance to discover. I haven't stopped talking about it since. God definitely took me there to recommit, place Him on a pedestal and fall in love with him and His work. God worked miracles through me. Only He could have done some of the things we saw and did."

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