water to the thirsty
A Missional
Newsletter from Dave Brown
August
2012
Greetings!!
And welcome to the inaugural edition of Water to the Thirsty, a quarterly newsletter dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on all my recent international missions endeavors. For those of you who may not know, I lead Hope Missions/International (HMI), an outreach of newhope church in Durham, NC. Please know that ALL my missional activities are executed in submission to the leadership and membership of newhope.
MY MISSIONAL VISION
While there are many ways to engage in mission, it is our express intention at newhope to pursue international missions activity by partnering with discrete and specific communities as they seek to follow Christ and to do for themselves THAT WHICH THEY FEEL must be done to create flourishing, sustainable communities devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The provision of disaster recovery aid (basically, the rehabilitation efforts that occur "after the bleeding has stopped") or development resources that are not community based (read, "initiated, driven, and managed by the community") will fail—PERIOD. History teaches that this is the case. Once "the bleeding has stopped", the community directly affected must be intimately involved in their own rehabilitation and development. As servants of the King, we must do all that is in our power to come alongside those who are hurting and who are trying to recover and develop themselves; but just as a physical therapist cannot make someone do his or her shoulder exercises, we cannot (nor should we EVER) do for others what they can (and must) do for themselves. To attempt to do otherwise is disrespectful, creates dependency, leads to unhealthy giving, and, quite often, HURTS EVERYONE INVOLVED.
To be good stewards of that which God has given us—our time, talents, gifts, and financial resources—it is the most God-honoring when what we have to give is given within the context of a committed relationship, where we come alongside our brothers and our sisters in a specific place as they work together, under local, community leadership, to follow Christ and to develop from within.
Currently, we at newhope partner internationally with the following two communities through our sending organization, The 410 Bridge: Bohoc, Haiti, and Kiria, Kenya. To date, we've visited Kenya twice (July 2010 and July 2011) and Haiti three times (April 2011, January 2012, and April 2012).
It is my hope that, within the next few years, we will be to a point where we're visiting Kenya at least twice a year and Haiti as much as five or six times a year. It is my belief and experience that going back to the same placestime and time again will achieve the greatest impact...in our lives and in the lives of our Kenyan and Haitian friends.
A SUMMARY OF THE
MOST RECENT MISSIONAL SEASON
Team Kenya 2011
On July 28, 2011, a travel team of sixteen from newhope church returned for the second time to Kiria, Kenya, a remote mountainous village located at the base of the Aberdare Mountains in the central highlands area of Kenya. This ten-day trip built upon the foundational relationships laid during our first trip in July 2010.
While we were in Kenya, we split into small teams to attend several churches on the Sunday we were there and to visit many different homes throughout the week. We spent considerable time with the villagers working on the construction of the floors in two of the classrooms at the Primary School, and each day we were afforded ample time to play with the 400+ children enrolled at the school. Near the end of our trip, we engaged in facilitated discussions about love, respect, and sex with the teenage boys and girls at the school. These sessions were, of course, split into male and female groups.
Several significant things occurred on this trip. The most significant, of which, was that, upon their discovery that we had returned (just as we said we would the previous year), the community seemed to just come out in droves to hang out with us and to work at the school. Second to this, was the fact that the men in the village were far more engaged with the team than was experienced in 2010. Also, each member of the team was given a Kenyan name, which I thought was really meaningful. In addition to all of this, this was the first trip where the team blogged actively about the trip while we were in Kiria. Oh…and this is pretty big…we got to see first-hand the children drinking water from the well newhope funded in November 2011.
Team Haiti 2012 (January Trip)
On January 27, 2012, a travel team of eleven from newhope church returned for the second time to Bohoc, Haiti. Similar to the second Kenya trip, this trip, which lasted seven days, built upon the foundational relationships we laid during our first trip the previous April.
While we were in Bohoc, we visited Maranatha Church on Sunday (as an entire team) and visited and prayed with three widows in their homes. During the week, we returned to the Matthew 28 Orphanage twice, visited Kris Sel Epswa (a primary school in Bohoc) twice, worked alongside the villagers in breaking up the ground for a community garden, and worked with them, too, to complete a road widening project. The Haitians were so very welcoming of the team back to their village, and many of the relationships that were begun the previous April were strengthen during this trip. We, as a church community, have been invited by the Bohoc Leadership Council to come and share as often as we want in the wonderful things happening within their village. This is a very great honor.
Team Haiti 2012 (April Trip)
On April 20, 2012, an additional travel team of ten from newhope church returned to Bohoc, Haiti. This trip lasted for eight days. Similar to all our other trips, this one focused on building upon the relationships that had been initiated during previous visits. I can honestly write that the experiences of the team during this trip surpassed all our previous experiences as the village literally welcomed us into the life and culture of their community in a way that was, well, intimate. We are now officially a part of the village of Bohoc. Speaking for the entire team, we can hardly wait to get back and see our friends again.
If you're interested in reading more in depth about each of the above trips, watching trip videos, or viewing several picture montages, please feel free to visit the HMI blog, Messages from Kenya, Haiti, and Beyond, at http://hmi-nc.blogspot.com.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
FROM A FEW RECENT TRIPS
Ethan M.
Age 14, Team Haiti 2011
Whenever someone thinks about a mission trip it's usually about how you're going to change the world. But when I went, it was more about how I changed. When I went there, I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I got to meet the people and see how welcoming they were, I think it was the greatest experience. And even though I'm young, that I'm only fourteen, I can guarantee you that it was the best experience of my life.
Amy L.
Team Kenya 2011
The people of Kiria have accepted us and have allowed us to be a part of their community. They have said it many times, but it was repeated again today in the closing ceremony, that we are always welcome. I appreciate the support that newhope has given this community, and I appreciate the community of Kiria for allowing us to learn about their culture and to share some of ours.
Steve A.
Team Haiti 2012
Nothing could have prepared me for what I've experienced. I cannot recall ever seeing so many smiling faces and welcoming bodies. The Haitians don't let their circumstances define them as a people, nor are they content with them. Parents, friends, community, they are all brothers and sisters, taking care of each other and working to create better lives for each other and future generations. It has been such an honor to be in their presence.
Keith F.
Team Haiti 2012
There was not one place where I went where I was not welcomed or where I didn't feel the presence of God.
Tracy C.
Team Haiti 2012
The love [they] have for one another and for our Lord, Jesus Christ, has changed me, and I will never be the same.
Emma (Haitian)
Bohoc Resident and Member of the Village Leadership Council, 2012
On behalf of our community, THANK YOU for coming! You left your community and families and work to come be with us. We were very excited about you having so much fun with our kids and for your working so hard with us. We want to see you come back.
Jedlain (Haitian)
Bohoc Resident and Community Coordinator, Son of Jerome G., the Vice President of the Village Leadership Council, 2012
I have proof that while our skin is different, we have the same heart. The time we spent here together is not lost time. We will miss you very much...not just for your work, but for our shared love.
OUR NEXT TRIP (And It's Right Around the Corner!!)
Team Kenya 2012
We are in the process now of preparing to head back to Kenya for the third time in September 2012, and I can hardly wait to see and be with our friends in Kiria once again. This trip will, Lord-willing, last ten days (September 20-29) and will focus (yet again!!) on building relationships with our Kenyan brother and sisters and encouraging them as they pursue Christ and pursue their collective dream of building a sustainable community dedicated to His Lordship.
TENTATIVE TRIP
SCHEDULE FOR 2013
Haiti
Trip A: January 18-25 (Friday-Friday)
Trip B: April 19-26 (Friday-Friday)
Kenya
Trip A: June 20-29 (Thursday-Saturday)
Trip B: September 19-28 (Thursday-Saturday)
MY "THANK
YOU"
I want to take this opportunity to express my sincerest and heart-felt thanks to all of you who so very generously partnered with me and my friends during our most recent trips to Kiria, Kenya (July 2011) and Bohoc, Haiti (January 2012 and April 2012). Again, I am so very grateful to you for your prayers and financial support as well as for your encouraging words, thoughts, and suggestions.
HOW
YOU CAN BE A PART OF MY LIFE AND MISSION
I am in desperate need of support from my friends and family. I so want all of you to be a part of my life and to be able to share in the wonderful things that God is doing here in central North Carolina as well as in Kenya and Haiti.
Provided below are (in my estimation) the three most meaningful ways that you can share with me in all of this:
Pray for Me…
Please, please, please keep me in your prayers!
Stay Informed…
As we prepare for and return from a trip (and ESPECIALLY [!!] while we're in-country), follow us on the HMI blog, Messages from Kenya, Haiti, and Beyond, at http://hmi-nc.blogspot.com. You can also read about previous trips on that blog.
Support Me Financially...
All of my international missions activities are conducted under the auspices and spiritual covering of newhope church (http://www.newhopenc.org/) in Durham, NC. Currently, I am in the process of raising $3,500 to lead a team of 10+ people back to Kenya this coming September. If you feel led by God to partner financially with me in this work, there are two ways that you can do so (Note: ALL donations are 100% tax deductible):
Write a check. To do this, please make the check out to "newhope church," please write the following in the notes section of the check: “Dave Brown – Mission Trips,” and then please send the check to the following address: Dave Brown, 111 Northcreek Drive, Apt. 111, Durham, NC 27707. If you're receiving this newsletter by mail, a SASE is included.
Donate on-line. To do this, please go to the newhope church website (www.newhopenc.org), and please click on the i-giving icon in the lower right-hand corner of the homepage. When you donate on line, you can do it in one of two ways: (1) You can make a one-time gift; or (2) You can make a recurring gift. However you choose to donate, please make sure that you click HOPE Missions Trips in the "Purpose" section of the fill-in form, and write "Dave Brown - Mission Trips" in the "Notes" section of the same form.
A FINAL WORD
Whether you support me financially or not, I want you to know that I am very grateful to you for however you choose to partner with me in these things...even if it's just asking me how things are going from time to time. Your prayers, your donations, your cards and e-mails, and your many thoughtful words of encouragement are the ways in which all of you bring life-giving water to this thirsty soul.
May God bless you abundantly!!
In His peace...
Dave
thatdaverbling@yahoo.com
919/724-7935
Hope Missions/International Blog: http://hmi-nc.blogspot.com
