An Email From a GNC Kid

An Email From a GNC Kid

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Have I mentioned how much I love what I do?? :)

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

"$8 billion is spent PER YEAR on over 500 conferences to talk missions. That's more than HALF the total spent on doing missions" -The Gospel Coalition

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

Posted by Ashley Hoover

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die..." -John 11:25-26

Courageous

Courageous

Posted by Ashley Hoover

I was able to attend a pre-screening for the movie Courageous coming out September 30. From the makers of Facing the Giants and Fireproof this new film takes on the role of the father and challenges them to be leaders first at home. I really enjoyed it, I think it's the most humorous of thier movies so far and yet it also as a lot of action packed suspense as you see what police officers deal with every day. From the Courageous website:
Four men, one calling: To serve and protect.
"As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners are confident and focused. They willingly stand up to the worst the world can offer. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.
While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they're quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.
They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. Will they be able to find a way to serve and protect those that are most dear to them?
When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God ... and to their children?...

Moviegoers will again find themselves crying, laughing, and cheering—sometimes simultaneously—as they are inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Protecting the streets is second nature to these law enforcement officers. Raising their children? That will take courage.
Courageous ... honor begins at home."
 
I don't have much more to add except that I think every dad should see this movie or those who will one day be a father. Many of the kids I've taught this past year have little to no father figure in thier lives and I really pray this moive will help to change that for the future generation. So, go see the movie when it comes out and tell others to see it too!
 

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

I love my GNC kids!

I love my GNC kids!

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Well, I'm done teaching Good News Clubs now. This week the last two that I've been teaching ended. They were fun and I loved being with the kids. The kids and teachers at my Thursday club gave me a Bible to thank me for teaching. I was pretty surprised and I think it will become my new teaching Bible. :) Thanks to all of them for a great club. Go back next year!

The Bible even has my name on it. :)

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Thirteen Commandments for Going on a Overseas Mission Work Trip

No, these were not found on top of Mount Sinai, and they were not written on gold tablets. However, they were compiled and written by Bruce Carr based on personal experiences in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and on advice from many people who have had other mission trip experiences. Feel free to adapt and customize them for your own destination and plans. (Keeping with short term missions theme this week. This is focused on work related trips. My comments in red)


I. Thou shalt go with a positive attitude. Try to avoid complaints and anything else that could lead to arguments or dissension within the group.

II. Thou shalt realize that this is a mission work trip in which you seek to serve God by working to serve others to the best of your ability. Frankly, one of the most unpleasant situations is when some people who are working their hearts out turn around and see other very healthy and able-bodied group members who are doing nothing—or as little as possible. Of course, everyone gets tired, and sometimes a brief illness may keep you from working. That's understandable, but always try to do your best. This is a work trip—not a luxury cruise.

III. Thou shalt stay together and not go wandering off on your own without the knowledge of one of one of the group leaders. We don't want anyone to get lost, be the victim of a criminal act, or have any other misfortune.

IV. Thou shalt not delay group activities by being late when we are going someplace. It is not fair to make everyone else have to wait for you.

V. Thou shalt not leave valuables unattended or get into other situations that could invite theft. Fanny packs (or something similar to wear on your belt) are safer than purses. You definitely should bring and wear a concealed waterproof pouch under your clothing for most of your money, your passport, and other identification. (Some of my missionary friends don't even wear their real wedding rings to prevent people from stealing them or thinking they have a lot of money. Some have cheaper silver ones they use for missions trips others just go without while in the other country)

VI. Thou shalt act as though cleanliness is next to Godliness when it comes to possible health hazards from contamination. Don't even think of drinking the tap water or brushing your teeth with it; use bottled water that's sold instead. Always carry waterless instant hand sanitizer (Purell or other brand) or Wash-n-Dry packets to clean your hands immediately before eating. Dirty hands touching your mouth can invite illness. (Confession: I have brushed my teeth with native water, washed my hands with it and had coffee made from it. I do avoid drinking it as is though, bottled water is the way to go there.)

VII. Thou shalt always remember to practice basic health and first aid principles. Use mosquito repellant with at least 30% DEET content to protect against both nuisance mosquitoes and those that carry dengue fever (somewhat similar to malaria). Some people find that Avon Product's "Skin-So-Soft" also helps. Sunscreen should be used if there is any chance of getting sunburned. Always carry a disinfectant with you, such as Polysporin or Neosporin, and use it anytime you cut your skin. Always check with a medical care professional when you have any questions about these or related matters.

VIII. Thou shalt always practice safety in and regarding vehicles. Unfortunately, many local drivers—whether in a car, truck, bus, on a motorcycle, or on a motor scooter, tend to drive much more wildly than we are used to seeing in the United States. You can never be too careful in looking out for the unexpected. (Amen)

IX. Thou shalt not forget to practice caution and accident avoidance behavior around our worksites. It's so easy to get a dislocated finger, twist a ligament—or much worse. Be especially careful when walking at night. Bring a couple of flashlights; there's a disposable kind that's about the size of your palm.

X. Thou shalt respect the privacy of our group members. In some instances, men and women may be staying in closer proximity to each other than you are used to doing in the U.S., and sometimes it may be necessary to use common bathroom facilities. Be careful not to accidentally cause embarrassment to yourself or someone else.

XI. Thou shalt remember that you are a guest in someone else's church, town, and country. Don't think that being an American from a more materially blessed culture makes you in any way better or smarter than your hosts. You should try to respect their customs and seek to learn from them as they do from you and your group. Realize that some words and forms of non-verbal communication that may be friendly in American culture can have opposite meanings in other ones. Remember that as an American, you are very conspicuous in places like your overseas host churches and the neighborhoods around them. Don't do anything that might cause embarrassment to your hosts. For example, a few years ago, one mission trip group did that when some of its members purchased cigarettes and alcoholic drinks. It took the host church along time to overcome the gossip—especially from local non-members who were very aware of the stand that evangelical Christians in that country take against smoking and alcohol consumption. In another instance, group members bought and wore souvenir t-shirts advertising a local beer and bought cigars to take home. Both were very inappropriate actions.

XII. Thou shalt not forget that your purpose is to glorify God through all of your actions. Prayer, prayer, and prayer are the three most essential elements for your success.

XIII. Thou shalt expect to have a wonderful, memorable, and life-changing experience that you will always appreciate. Doing whatever you can in advance to learn about the country where you are going and picking up a few basic words and phrases (of a complimentary nature) of their language will make your trip even more meaningful and productive. Feel free to contact the trip leaders or people who have been on previous trips if you have any questions.

Missionary Training School

Missionary Training School

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Missionary Training School went well this past week. I enjoyed being around some great friends and it was encouraging to share together this experience of becoming overseas missionaries. Every week at CEF International Headquarters they raise flags from each region of the world and pray for those countries and workers. While we were there we each got to raise our country's flag and pray for it. This is the second time I've had the priviledge of getting to raise the flag of Honduras there and I love it!

 Kathy Howe the Headquarters prayer partner for Honduras and I getting ready to raise the flag.

 Up it goes!

 Praying for Honduras and CEF there.

 Tara is going to Madagascar.

 Chelsey to Burkina Faso.

(Bekah is that country's prayer partner who is a good friend of ours from various CEF things. She's now working at the Mailbox Club at Headquarters.)

 And Nadine is going to Taiwan.

 All of our flags flying in the International Plaza.

 The four of us.

No, they don't really agree that Honduras is the best country in the world but we can pretend they do. ;)

Missions Monday

Missions Monday

Posted by Ashley Hoover

Ten ways to ruin short term mission trips

Believe it or not, it's possible to have a bad short-term missions experience. Most times, this is not the fault of the situation or organization. Often, the root cause is the short-termer's own attitudes and expectations. (Note from Ashley: I thought this would be some good advice as people may be thinking about short term missions trips over the summer. While some of these may seem humorous, they actually do occur and a good honest look at our approach might not be a bad thing)

To maximize your short-term experience, AVOID doing the things on this Top Ten checklist: 

Keep narrowly focused on "spiritual" activities. Since you want to win people to Christ, focus on only the loftiest of things. Avoid menial work like data entry, loading trucks, or working on buildings. Such things will distract you from your primary task.

To tighten up your schedule, eliminate personal prayer and Bible study. You will be so rushed away that you probably won't have time. Besides, can't you get all the spiritual food you need from group devotions and from church services?

Stay organized and on schedule. Set detailed goals before you go. Establish schedules and refuse to deviate from them. Do not accept delays, last-minute changes, and impromptu visits and invitations. Those things will just keep you from getting things done for God.

Help the missionaries by pointing out their mistakes. Bring them up to date on what you've heard are the latest trends in missions. Some missionaries are stubborn. So, you may need to enlist some support among the nationals for your views about how things should be run.

Get involved romantically with someone. Being away from family and friends makes this the perfect time to get involved romantically. While it may distract you slightly from the work, you will be able to expose national Christians to America's progressive dating customs.

Don't embarrass yourself by trying to pick up the local language. People are always saying that English is spoken all over the world. So, insist that those people use it with you.

Immediately begin pointing out your team members' faults. Time is short. It will be difficult for people to make the needed changes if you don't help them right from the start. Focus your helpful criticisms on team leaders.

As you go all out in warring against dangerous germs, don't eat any of the local food. To be sure, you may miss some friendly opportunities with "the natives," but you'll keep those awful germs at bay!

Keep your distance from team members who couldn't raise their full support. They may try to mooch off you. Don't give in. Sweating over finances builds faith!

When you return home, scold your home church and friends for their lack of commitment, for their weak prayers, and for their inadequate giving to missions. This may be one of the few times you will have their deferential respect. Make the most of it.

If you'll do all of these Top Ten things (or even some of them), I can promise you a bad short-term mission trip.

adapted from Commissioned, January/February/March 1995 taken from http://www.missionsmag.com/10ruin.htm 

Road Trip!

Road Trip!

Posted by Ashley Hoover

This next week I'll be at CEF Headquarters for Missionary Training School. My friend and fellow missionary to Madagascar, Tara, will be driving up with me on Sunday and we'll return Friday. Please pray for a safe, uneventful drive and that this time would be helpful as we get so close to beginning our first terms!