A NICHOLS WORTH

 

Please will You join with us in Prayer

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

1.     First and foremost we ask for prayer for the salvation of the children and Adults this ministry works with and for prayer for the Jamaican church.

2.    Please pray for Ruth Shive our director’s wife who is beginning her radiation treatment for Breast cancer.

3. a. Probably the biggest need we have is financial. We have an average of 78 children on Wednesdays with that number increasing with school schedule changes. We need money for food, Teaching supplies, Bibles, Craft supplies, birthday and Christmas presents and for special occasions such as our annual Back to school party where each child receives school supplies and a backpack. 

b. Our youth group has an average of 22 children coming weekly on Friday nights. We provide a snack and a drink. We need funds to support special trips, awards, and now a Christian Camp opportunity has arisen. We also have started a music drama program but we are in great need of a sound system to travel with. These kids have already performed, but we do not have the sound we need to make their presentations as effective.

c. Maranatha Bible club has the same needs as our Teams house Bible club

3. Harold is involved regularly with people who have special needs, especially with their housing situations. Sometimes it is just a piece of zinc for their roof that can make such a huge difference. We have people who run out of money to feed their chickens and will lose their income over 10.00$USD. If we could receive even a little money each month for home repairs, it would make such a difference and give Harold the opportunity to share the gospel while building.

4. Pray for the men at Teen Challenge, Pray the Lord will get a hold of their hearts and they will be freed from the bondage of drugs and alcohol. Pray for Harold as he ministers to these guys each week.

5. Please pray for Joseph (beanie man) for his physical health, his emotional health and especially for him to develop a deeper relationship with his Savior. Pray for those who will rise up and help us with his education costs.

6. Please pray for co-workers. We have decided to step out in faith and begin outreaches where ever the Lord leads, with or without the personnel. The dental ministry is back in full swing with clinics being held on Monday’s at the house. We hope in the very near future to have clinics in the local churches also. Every day is filled to the brim, but the Lord had honored our endeavors and given us the much needed energy to work!

7. Please pray specifically that we would be filled with the Lord’s wisdom, strength, and power to reach out to those around us.

New Maranatha Baptist Church Bible Club Begins

We began a new  Bible club on February 26th at the Maranatha Baptist Church in Mango Valley.

We had been burdened for some time  that  our Ecuador Sunday school children were not receiving the time and teaching  that we wanted to give to them.  So starting another Bible Club grew out of that need. Now those children get 1 and a half hours of Bible teaching versus the half hour we gave them on Sundays. We are also not affected by the weather, as we hold this Bible Club indoors. We see this as an opportunity to strengthen the Jamaican church by teaching the children in the community about Jesus Christ. We are unable to feed these kids dinner like we do at Teams House because of the lack of funds, but we pray that in the future we will be able to offer food.

We have had a great reception with an average of 40 children. We expect this number to grow as word gets out. We model the program close to the Bible Club at Teams House, but realizing with the different groups, we will not be able to do the exact same things. We have already discovered this group is not competitive like the Teams house kids. So games that review lessons are not effective. There is a lot of fine tuning that still needs to be done, but we feel with time and probably some mistakes along the way, we can successfully teach children the Word of God. The Lord has been faithful through this process and we know He will continue to reveal to us his purposes with this new outreach opportunity.

Psalm 37:5

“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act”.

The Sweet Rewards of Obedience

The Sweet Rewards of Obedience

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,” Colossians 3:23

 

Last week I was aware of the Lord speaking to my heart, in a way that was both confirming and comforting.  Week after week I spend preparing lessons for children and teens, and every week it is the same struggle of trying to find the right mix of Scripture, object lesson, and fun.  On this particular Wednesday I showed a movie, which I admit is sometimes a relief as it gives me a little breather and at the same time, I know the kids will love it. But this afternoon as I sat and watched the Jesus story for children with our Bible club, the Lord impressed on my heart of how much "I loved these children", I already knew that the Lord loved them, and I have heard many people who witness our Bible club, say "the kids know you love them" but this was such a strong revelation in my spirit that afternoon. These kids had become so much more than an exercise in obedience; they now held a place in my heart that is only reachable by them. For a woman who came to Jamaica to teach women, this was a unique and special gift from the Lord. For so long I have testified that God answered my prayers for people to teach with these "little people", and have often said I have no ability to teach or reach children. In His mercy God not only kept His promise to equip me to do His work, but He gave me the added bonus of loving them individually, and confirming I am in His will as a children's worker and teacher. I know there are no mistakes or coincidences in Gods world, but I have learned that sometimes we just have to be obedient and do the next thing in front of us, to garner the rewards our precious Savior so wants to give us!

 

Beanie Man Update

Joe is doing very well and we are very encouraged by his strength and courage. We had a huge answer to prayer a short two months ago when friends of ours told us about a private school and missionary teachers who may be able to help Joe learn to read. We had realized the government schools were not going to be able to help him. Long story short he was accepted at Landmark Academy in Laughlands. Within three weeks of his enrollment he was reading. We have begun a long uphill journey but he is very serious about wanting to read and to learn. The school uses the Christian ACE curriculum, so everything is scripture based. He is one of only 5 students so he has lots of individual teaching. He has a long day due to the distance of the school, but is handling the many taxi changes fine.

We have set up a project fund for Beanies school expenses and we are praying for partners to help us get Beanie an education. Right now we figure it cost us about $300.00USD a month for his schooling. This includes tuition, curriculum, transportation, lunch, and uniforms. We are very grateful for those who have helped us so far!

Beanies health has had a couple of setbacks. The accident although having no apparent lasting effects, has affected his immune system, and decreased his counts. He has a pretty regular cough and so in response the doctors have placed him on a daily antibiotic prophylaxis. We still do not have his teeth fixed as we are waiting on a settlement from the truck driver’s insurance company.

Beanie is also growing and we are dealing with what every parent deals with, and that is the constant purchase of clothing due to everything being too short! How blessed it is to have these normal problems with Beanie, as there was a time we wouldn’t have believed this could happen!

God is so great, so faithful and so loving!

The ATM

My afternoon trapped in an ATM booth 

Have you ever had one of those days of great intentions? And the only thing that seemed intended for you was chaos?

We had to go into the capitol of St Mary, Port Maria to take care of some business for the truck. Harold dropped me off in the center of town as I needed to look for some Bible Club birthday presents, and I needed to order a couple of birthday cakes. Innocuous enough right? The store I shop at is called Sinclair’s Bargain center, but in Jamaica it is called “hurry hurry” I have no idea why that is as the word hurry is not in the Jamaican language. At “hurry hurry” sometimes they take VISA and sometimes they don’t.  I thought I would head them off at the pass and get some cash from the ATM. My usual ATM was closed so I went to an unfamiliar bank and stood in line eagerly awaiting my turn. It was a hot day so I could not wait to get inside, get my money, and go shopping. Finally it was my turn, I was so thankful. I stepped in and locked the door behind me and began digging in my purse for my ATM card. I finally found it and slipped it into the machine, punched in my code and waited and waited. Finally after what seemed like a long time (maybe they check your credit report) the message on the screen says that my card is not accepted at this bank. Well, ”no problem” as we have learned to say here in Jamaica, I will just hope it’s a credit card day at the store.

I zipped up my purse and unlatched the door and pulled. It wouldn’t open. I looked everywhere for a buzzer, a button, something that would unlock the door. Well in a space the size of a telephone booth you would think it would be pretty easy to find. But I could not find it. So still “no problem”, I will just wait until someone comes and slides their card through and opens the door. Well I don’t know where all the customers were that day; perhaps they knew there was a trick door at this bank. Maybe they had been trapped once also.

A voice in my head said maybe there is a “problem”. So with renewed strength and vigor I pulled and yanked and kicked at the door. In hoping to set the alarm off I even banged on the money machine. But no alarm and the door was still stuck. I finally noticed the door was frosted but there was a 4 inch clear gap at the bottom of the door.  I also remembered I had a cell phone and called Harold and said hurry and come as I am locked in the ATM booth.

It was then that I saw it! A women’s shoe was visible at the bottom of the door!! I tried bending over and knocking on the glass but the booth did not allow me and my extra pounds the space to maneuver.  .Hmmmm… I thought, I need a plan. So with re-vitalized effort I got down on my hands and knees and dipped my head to the ground and furiously banged on the door. It was difficult to get a good swing though in my position. But to her credit the woman looked down and saw me fisting the door. There was a moment of awkward silence when our eyes first met, but before to long, I began yelling that I was trapped. She calmly said “hit the buzzer”, I said “there is no buzzer”, and she said “yes there is”. About that time Harold came as I was bent over on the ground, motioning and mouthing, use your card, and bless his heart he also told me to hit the buzzer. It occurred to me that either one of them could have used their card and swiped the door to open and release me. I got up off the floor, just a tiny bit dizzy and began the search for the button all over again. There was this teeny green light next to the door, so I thought why not, take a risk, and I pushed it. The door buzzed and opened. I was so relieved to be released, even when greeted with smirks from Harold and the women. I dusted my dirty pant legs and elbows off with as much dignity as I could muster and went about my shopping. I was very pleased “hurry hurry” took credit cards that day.

The day went on with only a few more hiccups, the 30 minute conversation with the bakery worker trying to convince them a vanilla cake was the same as a white cake, and then coming home, and leaving again with a friend on an errand, only to realize after I locked the gate and the door, that I was standing in the street with no keys. I knew there was no alternative but to go over the fence, my friend laughed as if I couldn’t do it…actually I was hoping someone would see me scale our fence in the middle of the day, renewing their respect for me and I for myself that at 51 and slightly overweight I could still get down on my hands and knees and get up, and I could manage to scale a fence in an emergency. I climbed the fence like a professional, broke into our home, all the while, my heart joyful with the knowledge of my complete self sufficiency in dire times. I then jumped into the bus only to find out I wasn’t going anywhere, as the battery was dead.

Lasco the Rascal

 

”In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”Matthew 18:14

 

 

 

Lasco has been attending Bible Club since its inception, first as a funny and irreverent child and now as a young man. We have always had a good relationship with him and Bible club wouldn’t be the same without his face. This month during craft time, he and another teen caused a disruption and were asked to leave. When he was leaving I pulled him aside and said "please do not come back to Bible club until you want to be here" it was a simple admonition that I have had to say before to others, but sometimes a needed reminder that we are not making them come, and therefore we should not be put in the position to be the "Bible club police"!

 I have to say my heart is always heavy when we ask the older ones to leave, as we know there is always the chance they will get angry and not return. This night I could not sleep over thinking about Lasco and praying my heart out that I had not alienated him. The next morning, I asked one of the kids on the street to tell Lasco to come see me today. Lasco came later in the afternoon and I invited him into chat on our front veranda. After a cool glass of lemonade I approached Wednesday's problem. In only a matter of minutes it was clear that the situation was a misunderstanding on both of our parts and he was not upset at all with me and everything was the same between us. He left and went back to his kite and I felt ridiculously happy, a grin plastered to my face. I wanted to tell everyone that Lasco was going to come back to Bible club.

 

I went to the Lord in a prayer of thanksgiving for making this all right, and again the Lord spoke to my inner heart with the words Teri I do not want "one of these children lost". The story of the Good shepherd, the story of the Prodigal son all came back to me with such a deeper meaning. Imagine how happy I was not to have lost Lasco, can you imagine how the Lord rejoices when just "one" is found! I am so thankful the Lord in His goodness gives me these "life applications" that increase my faith and bring joy to my soul.

 

From Teri's Corner

From Teri's Corner

 

It seems that everywhere you turn today you hear bad news, financial disasters, earthquakes, wars, crimes of the most despicable nature and the ever present stories of personal greed and corruption. In many ways Jamaica is a microcosm of everything I see on the world news. As a Christian I believe these times are evidence of the imminent return of Christ. I know that my thinking has shifted over the last couple of years into "knowing the Lord is coming soon" and believing it could be any moment" I cringe when I think about how often I glibly referred to the second coming of the Lord and talked to people about whether they were ready for His return. Unfortunately the inner awareness or surety that He is indeed coming soon had not penetrated my heart. What a wakeup call this has been for me; And as a missionary by vocation, an unpleasant and humbling admission.

 

I often hear Americans make comments about how firm we are with the children we work with, how high our expectations are. At first I was puzzled when I would hear those words, because so many people seem to identify real love with fuzzy interactions. When quietly contemplating about the critiques on my approach to teaching children, I examined myself very carefully to see if I was being to "tough" on the kids. But after much thought, I came to the conclusion that "we don’t have time" to worry about what others think about our approach to teaching, because with these youngsters  we are preparing them to fight a war against a  dark culture that denies everything that is Christian . We feel an urgent need to teach Christ in a real and meaningful way, so that none would be lost. And with that urgency comes a need to concentrate on only the most important and that is God's word and becoming obedient unto it.

 

In Joel we read in Chapter two verses 12 "That is why the Lord says "Turn to me while there is time! Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping and mourning. And the verse which is so fitting in this culture is verse 13 where is says "Don’t tear your clothing in your grief; instead tear your hearts." The culture here is very emotional, and given to outbursts of feelings, which crusades and revivals play into. So there is a big fuss in the beginning, an emotional commitment to Christ, but there is no "tearing of hearts". I see plenty of people in dire circumstances, facing insurmountable odds, yet when the Lord delivers them from their grief; it’s as if God had never been present in their circumstances.

 

How often does God tear my heart; I am thankful to say over and over. He continues to hold me, undergird me, but allows my will to run against His, and I stumble and come crawling back into his arms. War torn, and weary, but more determined than ever to grow closer to Him. He is the true vine and I am merely a little branch who is nothing without His life giving and nurturing spirit.

 

With renewed effort, after each tear to my heart, I try to be stronger in my pursuit of righteousness so that I may effectively witness to people.  I want to know that when the people around me meet the Lord, I will have given them His message of forgiveness and warned them of the severity of sins consequences. I want to know that I did my very best in making sure that those around me are found in the book of life. How awesome it will be to know that "Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life, and how terrible to ponder   "and some to shame and everlasting contempt."Daniel 12:2-3

 

I would just end these thoughts with a word of encouragement if you are timid about telling others about Christ. Peoples very souls depend on you to open your mouth, do not wait for a perfect time, and do not worry about the outcome, but think of Gods promise in Daniel "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who turn many to righteousness will shine like stars forever" Daniel 12:3

 

 

 

 

Vacation Bible School at Teams House

On July 7, 2007 we were blessed to host a VBS team representing two churchs from Sprucehead,Maine. The team was led by Richard and Janice Lowell and Youth Pastor Nate Churchill, it was comprised of several young people ages 17-22.

With Bible Club finishing the school year this was a wonderful treat for our Bible Club and children from Ecuador Sunday School, who were trucked down each day for the festivities. We can not say enough of how prepared and trained these young people were, their hearts were completly committed to sharing Christ with every child. Every one on the team had completed comprehensive training through CEF and had experienced previous cross-cultural missions or had served within the USA. Every morning we saw them prepared and excited to meet the 90 plus children who waited at the gate to come in! The Youth also held teen meetings every night for 30 teenagers. These hard working young people also delivered food to the poor, provided a Bible club for Uphill ministries and ministered to the youth at Swift Purcell Boys Home.

These group of young people gave our Mango Valley kids a lifetime of memories and love. Please pray for these young people who gave up their time and resources to come to Jamaica and teach about Gods amazing Love! Pray their hearts will always be broken for the lost in this world. Also, pray for the children who may have committed themselves to the Lord, that they would be strong and courageous in their walk with Jesus.

Thank you, Dick, Janice, Nate, Julie, Catrina, Christina, Colby, Garet, Douglas, Jebb, and Nick- we love you all and are so thankful you came to help us serve the Lord in Jamaica!

Our God is Enough!

Although it has been awhile since we last updated you, please know you have been on our hearts and in our prayers. Many exciting and challenging events took place this spring and summer. Some of you know through our newsletters and emails that we have had a series of health problems.

Harold was bit in his sleep by a centipede and had a terrible reaction to the poisonous 40 legger. He was very fortunate the centipede was a baby otherwise it would have been worse. A centipede bite can cause you to become very sick but when you throw in being allergic to insect stings it can become life threatening. I am very grateful we had EPI pens available, medications to help his breathing and good friends who went with us to the hospital in the middle of the night.

All it takes is one medical emergency to re-awaken you to the fact you live in a third world country, where there are no paramedics or ambulances a few minutes away. There is no 911 or even a hospital that you can have confidence in receiving proper medical care. There is nothing but you, the emergency, and God.

With that in mind I am troubled when I see on the news polls of how American’s are so unsatisfied with the way “their” country is heading. I wonder if these poll responders had to experience a similar medical crisis if they wouldn’t have responded differently. I wonder if days without water and hours with out electricity, violence with no police to speak of wouldn’t make them more grateful. I wonder if it wouldn’t break their hearts to know there are 2.6 million people on this island with us who experience this daily and much worse.

Pondering these things makes me realize it is fear that contributes to our feeling unsatisfied and ungrateful and so it becomes all the more important as believers to not get tired in our efforts to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ. We need to be constantly helping others establish a trusting relationship in Jesus Christ, whereby they can be reassured that He is in control of their circumstances. We can all become satisfied in our present situations, and like James, we can profit from our troubles by persevering through the testing of our faith, even to the point of having joy in the midst of our suffering. (James 1:2-4, NKJV).

I re-visited an important truth the night Harold was bitten and that was God Is Enough, ask yourselves is He enough for your circumstances, do your neighbors know He is enough for their circumstances?

Bible Club

It has been an eventful fall and this winter promises to be just as Productive. We saw all of our Bible Club children receive a backpack and school supplies in September during our annual Back to school party, we saw an increase in enrollment in Bible club and currently have 55 children in attendance every Wednesday. Our youth group ended their summer with the annual Beach trip and in October we had a cook-out and the girls stayed and had a slumber party. We are currently in the New Testament as we begin our Advent season lessons and in January we will be back in our study of Genesis. Although we are mighty in numbers we at times feel limited to what we can do and accomplish.

Just this week I was reading a CEF magazine and I just began to laugh as there were tremendous ideas for Bible Clubs but the thought of just Harold and myself implementing them seemed next to impossible! As a teacher I want to provide a stimulating and fun environment for the children, and couple that with teaching the Gospel. I would love to play more games, have a craft of some sort they could take home each week and do so many other creative things. Yet when confronted with a mob, which varies in ages from, 5-17 you learn to stick to the basics. On one hand that sounds so limiting but it has taught Harold and I that the gospel message in all if its pureness is as effective as any “program” that’s for sale in the Christian book stores. How else can you explain a consistent and increasing attendance? We are certainly short on dazzle and long on Bible Stories. I wish everyone back home could hear them during review time…they are sponges! Sometimes I roll in after Bible club and feel like the afternoon was just pure mayhem and chaos, and then the following week during review they prove to me they really did listen the week before.

Our prayer is Psalm 70:17…”God you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I have constantly told others about the wonderful things you do.” We pray these children will absorb and respond to God’s truth and tell everyone they know the Good News of Jesus Christ.

A VERY BUSY MAY

We began May of this year with another wonderful and productive J-Team. Generally I list all the patients seen and the number of medications distributed, but this time I just want to thank all the dedicated J-Teams that are comprised of Doctors, Nurses, Teachers and Builders who contribute to God's ongoing work in Jamaica.

It goes without saying we are growing in our number of patients seen and the pharmacy is so busy that I am anticipating in the near future the need for a third pharmacist. Our medical clinics are held in the same churchs 4 times a year. Because of our continuity of care sick Jamaicans are able to see a doctor on a regular basis, recieve prescriptions for three months and are able to refill upon our return. Within the clinics we join with local pastors to give spiritual check-ups during the medical clinics.

We are celebrating three years in the TEAMS HOUSE next month, which translates into thousands of Jamaicans seen by our doctors and nurses and thousands of presciptions given out....and since we also give the Gospel message at a local school each day the team is here, that means thousands of children have heard the Word of God! It means this August, 11 small houses have been built for the needy, repairs have been done at schools and churchs, a school building was added on, water systems installed, toilets installed in a church and a residence and lastly our Bible Club pavillion. Whew!

If thats not enough we also are joined by a few other specialty teams each year. This May, Skidz recycling for the the second year sent down a team of builders, musicians and Evangelists. They hit the grown running, this small group of men, added a room to a school and ministered to the children, teachers and local community, taught our youth group, instructed a Bible Club at UpHill Ministries, installed a toilet, did some personal care for an invalid, and serenaded a pastors wife with cancer. They did all this over the long Memorial day weekend. WOW!

BIBLE CLUB PAVILLION BUILT

Early this spring our May J-Team builders began an outside meeting area for our Bible Club. Bible Club had grown out of meeting in the Teams House and frequently had to cancel because of weather. Due to the financial contributions of "New Beginnings" a Bible Club in Allentown,PA. we were able to erect a wooden pavillion which holds 60 children. Harold and friends finished the pavillion and we were able to use it for our last couple of Bible Clubs this school year. It is so nice for the children to be able to spread out and have some room for their assignments, crafts and meals. We were also able to utilize the Pavillion this July for a VBS we held here at the house that was led by a Team from SpruceHead Maine. Enjoy the before and after pictures!

Just for reference the first picture was taken in March 2005! We had an average of 35 children in the beginning and this June 2007 we finished with over 57 children actively in attendance! GOD IS SO GREAT! What you cant see in the new pavillon pictures are wrap around benchs a concrete foundation and all the wood work beautifully stained and varnished.So much love and care went into this pavillion- Thank you to everyone who helped make this a reality!

Now There Are Three

Many of you know about or have met “Beanie Man” the little boy who has been a regular guest at the Teams House. He has officially moved in with us and over the last 4 months Harold and I have changed our lifestyle to include a 13 year old. We are very fortunate that he is such nice young man which has made the transition into our home so delightful.

I can’t adequately describe the physical condition that Joe came to us in, a body filled with infection, malnourished and uncared for. Joe ran the streets in our neighborhood from sun up to sun down. Many of his meals were at our home and we had taken on the task of finding out what was wrong with him physically. We had Joe diagnosed about two years ago, but his mother refused to continue to provide for his medical care. Four months ago we had to step in as Joe was admitted to the hospital very ill. It was obvious his home situation was not going to change and so we prayed about having Joe come and live with us. After much conversation with our director of the mission and with the blessing of our board of directors Joe came home from the hospital with us. For the last four months Joe has been faithfully taking antiviral medications and getting adequate nutrition and rest, today he is a changed child.

He talks and laughs (and plays cricket) and unless you were a trained eye you wouldn’t know he was sick. We thank God for all your prayers for the continued healing of this kids mind and body! Joe knows the Lord and is confident he is going to heaven when he dies. We stand amazed at what God can do in such a terrible circumstance. We have begun to pray for a tutor or teacher to begin teaching Joe as he has never been in school. We have started some simple lessons at home to help him begin to read but we really need assistance in this. We don’t know Joe’s future but we do know we would love him to have a normal childhood which would include an education. Right now there are limited options of places to send him away to school as Jamaica has no special education programs. You can continue to pray for Joe’s mother Tessa and the other children who are still living with her and continue to pray for Joe’s physical and spiritual needs.

We praise God for answered prayers;

Joe coming to live with us, beginning medication, and his overall health improving
Another year of Bible Club Completed
Bible Club Pavillion Built
Prayers of Healing for Amanda Rice
An increase in our monthly support
Wayne and Doreen Saved and Married

Please continue to pray for;

Amanda Rice's continued health improvement
Furlough relief for fall of 2008
Children of Bible Club and Ecuador
Wisdom in selection of the individuals to recieve projects
Financial assistance for ongoing Bible club program
Financial assistance for Bible Club childrens christmas project
Full time missionaries to join Teams in the home office and Jamaican field

August J-Team Bible Club 2008

We were so surprised when three of our Medical team from Winfield Bible Chapel in Maryland, announced to the kids at Bible club that during their VBS they raised money to add on to our Bible club Pavillion. We originally built the pavillion to seat about 50-60 but we have grown out of it with our Bible Club averaging 70-80 children each Wednesday.

This was a great way to wrap up Bible Club before we leave on furlough. We will have our Annual Back to School Party next Wednesday. We will pray over the children that God would bless and protect them as they begin a new school year.We also plan on giving away 70-80 back packs filled with school supplies. We are so grateful for the churches and individuals who have donated supplies and money to fulfill this need. And we are thankful for our medical teams who carried it in with medicines. We rejoice weekly with the opportunity to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these youngsters.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

Remaining Hopeful

Dear Friends,

We come to you trusting in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, and we have no purpose of our own but to rely on God’s call on our lives. At times we are bewildered by life’s circumstances and confused sometimes on the direction to take, but one thing stands firm and that is our certainty that God has placed us in Jamaica to work among the poor. Though we have had many difficult and trying times we never waiver in believing that God is sovereign and has placed us here for His purpose. I love the passage in John where Jesus is going to wash His disciple’s feet and Simon Peter asked Him if He was going to wash his feet? Jesus replied “You do not realize what I am doing, but later you will understand” John (13:7) we are comforted in the knowledge that the Lord may unfold His purposes in this life, or we will understand all these uncertainties when we meet Him in the Sky!

Over the last year we have seen more advances in God’s kingdom then in previous years, but during this same time our financial resources have been reduced. We realize the enemy would love to discourage us with the knowledge our support has dropped, but we remain steadfast in prayer that God will provide a way, since He is the one who placed us here. Please join us in diligently praying for God’s will to be done. Pray that our support would rise to 100% so that we may remain in Jamaica and finish the work the Lord has laid at our feet. Pray that we would be able to continue to serve the children in Mango Valley, and continue to disciple those who have recently given there lives to the Lord. Pray that we may stay in Jamaica to support struggling believers, and to be a resource to Pastors and their churches.

Please pray for co-workers to help us with this amazing opportunity, a once in a lifetime choice that has more rewards then anything we could even describe. We do not understand people’s reticence upon entering full time missions, because the blessings of service to others far outweigh any problems we may experience in the process. This is our testimony, we Love Christ, He changed our lives, and we want to share Him with others, so they may have life in abundance and spend eternity with Him!

We thank our faithful supporters who have stood with us for the last 6 years, and we are thankful for the prayers that have sustained and comforted us. We look forward with anticipation to keeping you posted on how GOD will move through this circumstance! We are ready for a Miracle!

Waiting with Hope, Harold and Teri

“By faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope” (Galatians 5:5)

Furlough Fall 2008

Furlough Schedule

Nichols Furlough Schedule
August 17- Depart for USA
August 19- J-Team Reunion, Bible Baptist Church, PA
August 21- Depart for West Virginia- Bartoldsons
August 23- Arrive Randolph NY
August 24- East Randolph UMC
August 27- International Day Chautauqua Institution, NY
August 31- Randolph United Presbyterian Church, NY

September 2- Berlin PA- Longs
September 3- Berlin PA- Longs
September 4- Canton Ohio
September 7- Park Church, Akron Ohio
September 8- Due date to pick up items to be shipped to Jamaica via container
September 9- Dubois, PA
September 14- Zion Lutheran Church, Frewsburg NY
September 16- United Methodist Woman, East Randolph UMC NY
September 20- ARM banquet, Jamestown NY
September 21- Napoli UMC, Napoli NY
September 22- Spruce Head Maine (tentively)
September 28- Salamanca UMCC, NY
October 5- East Randolph UMC, NY
October 6- Return to Allentown PA
October 10- TEAMS for Medical Missions Board Dinner, Allentown, Pa-
October 11- TEAMS for Medical Missions Board Meeting
October 11- Depart for Baltimore
October 16- Depart for Jamaica from Ronald Reagan International

Christmas in Jamaica

This Christmas season has been so fun! Can you imagine giving a house as a gift? Well Tim and Amy Beach and their children did just that. Roy Richards,his wife Joann and children Mike and Teresa recieved a home that was dedicated to the Lord on Christmas Day.

During the house selection process and during the building project, Harold and the Beach's were able to share the gosple. On sunday before Christmas his family went forward to the alter to recieve Christ as their Savior. Wow!!They hope to make their church home at Maranatha Baptist.

The Beach family also helped with our Bible Club Christmas party where all 80 children recieved a personal gift from Santa and had their fill of cake and ice creme. The Beach's also brought gifts for each of our Ecuador Sunday School children. They taught the meaning of the "Candy Cane" , sang with the children and then were able to give each child a gift and a bag of candy!The Beach's are from Randolph New york, and wanted to expose their children to missions. We are so grateful for their sacrifice of time and finances. Many people were blessed by their ministry here in the Mango Valley.

Please take a moment to look at our photo albums of these events!

Christmas Greetings from Jamaica

Since our resources don’t include mailing out individual Christmas cards we wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a wonderful and joyful Christmas season.

Christmas for the Christian is a blessed and sacred time, a time of reflection of how much God loves us and how far reaching that love is. But for those who don’t recognize Christ as Lord it can be a stressful and depression filled time. In our corner of Jamaica you can feel and hear signs that Christmas is coming. Firecrackers are popping, music from the bars fill the streets. The children in Bible club are antsy, distracted and seem to be in perpetual motion. Parents are showing up at our gate with more and more financial needs and even friends are calling us for money so they can “have” Christmas. The local furniture and appliance store is cashing in on peoples need to have stuff at this time of the year. And that same furniture store’s truck will be driving around in January repossessing items people couldn’t afford in the first place. There is desperation in the air, a sense of emptiness that people seem to be rushing around to fill.

As someone who wants to share the true meaning of Christmas all this confusion can give me a somewhat bleak attitude, especially when you see this lack of understanding taking place with the people you work with on a daily basis. It can frustrate me that I can’t minister more effectively, and that in some way I am doing something wrong. But in perfect timing this week the Lord in his goodness had me thinking about Jonah. Jonah hated the sinner more then the sin, even to the point of being angry that God showed mercy to the Ninevite people and spared their lives. He was so wrapped up in the sins of his enemies that he stopped caring that people would die without knowing God. I can’t imagine how much Jonah hated the Ninevites, but I can understand hating evil. I can understand being frustrated that people turn their backs on God. Yet I am so grateful that God has had mercy on the very people that frustrate me. I am so very grateful God has mercy for me.

I don’t want to be that person that walks around during the holidays exclaiming “these people just don’t get it” “they don’t get Christmas” “they don’t understand the true meaning of Christmas” I want to instead, feel what God feels for the lost, I want His patience for the lost, and His willingness to wait until just the right time .

This Christmas I will be praying to be more sensitive to the spiritual needs of the people around me, and praying that God will give me the right words and activities that can express what Christmas really means.

A SEASON OF MIRACLES

We had a successful medical team here in November- they were without a doubt a top notch group, but as we often share God knows exactly how to stack a team!

Perhaps you have seen some of our latest prayer requests that included a young girl named Kerrine. Kerrine was displaying neurological symptoms that could not be explained. And at first we were fearful she had a brain tumor. She had undergone an MRI and a myriad of tests to rule out certain diseases.

When our November Medical team arrived she still did not have a confirmed diagnosis. As God would have it, we had a neurologist on the team (first one ever). After reviewing her case and examining her he was able to diagnose Kerrine’s problem. I can’t begin to explain the diagnosis, but I can tell you Kerrine is doing much better and the doctors are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery with no lasting effects. My prayer is that Kerrine will not only grow up healthy but she will remember the tremendous faith of her grandmother and the love and prayer she experienced through our medical teams. We pray she will grow up with a testimony of how God answers prayers and heals the sick!

We also had an infectious disease Doctor from Maine here, and he was able to explain a lot more to us about Joe’s (beanie man) disease. He confirmed what we already knew in that Joe had undergone a tremendous improvement in his health. The doctor assured us that with Joe gaining weight, growing and displaying no symptoms he would more then likely have a normal life span. Joe will remain on anti-viral medications and antibiotics the rest of his life but he should continue to thrive.

To us this is a colossal miracle that could only have happened through ongoing prayer on his behalf. The odds were so against Joe recovering and we assumed he would not be with us for more then a year or two. The doctor’s prognosis for him was grave and we had no expectation of him getting better. As you can see from the before and after photos Joe looks so much more healthy, as a matter of fact in September he was able to go back to school after many years of not attending. Joe is attending a school for special needs children as he is starting from the beginning ABC's and even learning to write his name. He loves school and his principal recently told me "in all my years of teaching I have never met a child with such a commitment to learning" Needless to say we are so very thankful!

Getting a drivers license

I was on the road yesterday morning at 8:00am with my friend Linda. Her and I were attempting to get our Jamaican drivers license in one day? We were told (by a friend) to go to the depot (department of motor vehicles) in St Anne and not to bring any paperwork except our US drivers license. Well I knew it sounded too easy...and of course it was. The clerk at the depot told us we couldn't apply there; we had to apply in St Mary, a completely different parish forty miles in the opposite direction. She told us we were to go to the tax office in Port Maria and get an application form, then go to a Justice of the peace to get it notarized- then we were to come back to the tax office and pay the fees. At that point we could proceed to the depot and get our licenses- Well, we found a JP in Port Maria, and the only problem was he was 90 years old, pretty blind and couldn't hear well, and he wrote slower then I ever thought humanly possible. He was very nice but it took us 45 minutes to get 4 signatures and a stamp...so after this and paying our fees, off we went, so thrilled because the end was in site, it’s now close to 3:00pm. When we excitedly arrived at the depot, the gal that does the processing wanted our paperwork and then she said she would make appointments for us to come back for the exam and driving test! We were in shock, first because we were told we wouldn't have to take a written or a road test, and second because we wanted our license today! Well after a little bit of begging on our parts she went to the supervisor and he agreed to give us an oral test. Whew we thought it’s our lucky day! Well I was the first to be called into the back office with the boss, he leafed through a book and asked me to read it- then he told me to stop reading- I was thinking wow I just had to show him I could read…now I am really excited-this was just going to be so easy! My excitement soon quelled when he started to leaf through the little book again and turned the book over and showed me what looked like painted hieroglyphics, and asked me what these "signs" meant! I was in trouble now- I couldn't get more then two right- one was a picture of a gate-fence type of thing I said it’s a gate-fence type thing and the supervisor looked so horrified that I didn't know what it was, and he emphatically stated it was a RR crossing sign. I asked him where the RR's were. I thought to myself Jamaica has no trains, so we have no crossings, and why was I supposed to recognize this sign. Well it just went down hill from there, he finally lost his patience with me when I thought a picture was of a fire station, but it was a sign of a low bridge. I told him I had never seen any of these signs in Jamaica, and he told me they were international signs! At that point I am biting my tongue, because in my neighborhood we have been left with just the poles the signs used to be attached to. I did want to share with him the latest spray painted sign I noticed on the way to get to his office. The sign was painted bright green and said “Ganja Gully Road”. If he would have only asked me about that one, I would have recognized it. Well then Linda went in and she had the same problems- she told him they may be international signs, but they sure didn't have them in Boston! Much to our mutual surprise, we both passed the test. I think the guy was feeling sorry for us. After this ordeal we breathed a sigh of relief thinking we were done. Again our bubble was burst when I heard a man call out "Mrs. Nichols". The man calling my name directed me to the parking lot and asked me where I parked my car, and without thinking I promptly blurted out, my car was at home. Seeing the look on his face made me realize the chances of getting a license were being reduced by the minute. He apparently hadn’t been briefed about the “no test, no paperwork, and no driving test policy to get a license that our friend had told us about…Quickly realizing he wanted me to take a driving test, my good friend Linda spoke right up, and said I could use her car to take the test. Once again I am beginning to get hopeful that a new shiny driver’s license is on the horizon. Until the examiner points his finger towards another area of the pot holed parking lot. The driving test in its totality is.....Driving backwards a quarter of a mile, with cement blocks on both sides and two sharp turns, all done in reverse and you can not stop the car and start again. I was still confident, after all hadn’t I already been driving here for 5 plus years, hadn’t I been a licensed driver for over 3 decades? No sooner thought then… a cement block came out of nowhere, and the man told me to start over- I did, and proceeded to run over two more blocks. I got the thumbs down- My friend though must have had ample experience reversing her car as she did it like a race car driver! I was trying to be happy for her.
Well then its back to the office and the man sits me down and says" well, I feel good I gave you two chances” but you have failed your driving test and must come back and do it again. He told me not to worry, he said woman don't know how to back their cars up- again I am biting my tongue as I am wondering how backing up for a quarter of a mile is a sign some one can or can not drive? I did say to my own credit that I had mainly driven forward during my driving years, just backed out of a driveway most of the time. Well its 5:00pm Linda got a drivers license and I didn't! Having spent over 5 years driving in Jamaica which as Harold puts it “driving is like a polite game of chicken” I have come to the conclusion the reason a lot of Jamaican drivers drive the way they do is because the only driving test they had was the same one I had. I am sure if these drivers drove in reverse we would all have a more peaceful driving experience. I have not been back to re-take the test.

The Baby Experience

We had an awesome experience happen, and although it started out as a terrifying event, it quickly turned into a picture of God using all things to bring Himself Glory! This story began with an emergency phone call early one morning. Our friend Judy said to hurry and come as there was a baby choking by her house. Harold and I grabbed car keys and rushed up the hill, (really a dirt path) where we were met by a large naked women running down the road towards our bus. In her arms she held a little baby who had blood running out of its nose and its mouth. Neighbors had lined the street crying and screaming, I hurriedly jumped out and ran to get the baby. My attempts to exam the baby to see if her air way was blocked, was fruitless as the woman evaded my attempts, and promptly jumped into our bus. And like a planned trip, people fell into line to board the bus. We had the baby's young mother, the mother’s three year old daughter and our friend Judy who had called us about the choking baby. If it wasn’t such a gut wrenching circumstance, I may have been prompted to laugh at the scene, especially when Judy climbed in the bus in nothing but her pajamas. Keep in mind we don’t know the woman holding the baby, but we did know the babies mother because she tragically lost another baby last year. We soon figured out the naked woman was the grandmother of the baby. After we were all in the bus, everyone continued screaming and crying and it was very unnerving. Harold, being all about business, took off like a rocket and it was about that point I figured we would all die in a fiery car crash- but once I was able to open my eyes again, and find something to hold onto, we began to try and get everyone settled down. We then were able to start praying in earnest. During our prayers the baby started making little awful noises and then began to make weird coughing sounds. It was all I could do not to vomit as I was so scared that this little one would not make it to the hospital alive. While worrying about myself vomiting, the three year old in the backseat took it upon herself to do it for me. Upon arriving at the hospital I was anticipating the usual chaotic scene, knowing full well that Jamaican’s can wait hours to be seen in the government hospitals. But as Harold raced up and screeched to a stop at the emergency area we were met with a wonderful vision. Matron Hines, who we have worked closely with, was coming out of the hospital to go home. Once we saw her we knew that things were already getting better. We called to her and said “come quick we have a baby in severe distress”, she began to run towards the bus and in the process flung her purse to a total stranger, she then grabbed the baby by its ankles and ran it to the treatment rooms- no waiting, no registering etc, a miracle in itself! I followed behind and stood right outside where they were treating little Brianna, doctors and nurses raced from all areas of the hospital to save this baby. It turned out the baby had swallowed a pencil sharpener shaped like a heart and it was lodged in the babies wind pipe. Matron Hines (Head nurse) came to me after a while and said “they were transporting this baby for immediate surgery”. A second miracle took place, when an ambulance was empty and waiting outside. They loaded the baby and took off.
Meanwhile we still have everyone in our vehicle when Matron came over and talked with us, she told us they knew where the object was lodged but the baby needed to be anesthetized for them to remove it. But the most beautiful thing she said was, "right in the beginning I sent one of my nurses to go to the corner and begin to pray for this child's healing" she said we have to rely on the Great Physician!” We were so humbled about how God to this point had provided everything. The next thing she said that was amazing was that all the trauma doctors and nurses were there at Port Maria Hospital, and they normally aren't. WOW---
Now the fun begins- The adrenaline is subsiding and we begin to think in the moment, and take stock of our situation. We realized this mother and grandmother need to go to the other hospital where the baby has been taken. The hospital is another hour away. We knew everyone would be hungry soon, and we realized the bus was all but empty of Gas. It was then I realized that I had my bed room slippers on, a torn pair of shorts, left by a member of a building team, and a shirt with so much paint on it; I could be an ad for Sherman Williams. We both had uncombed hair, unbrushed teeth, and Harold’s outfit mirrored my own style, we had no wallets, no purse, and no phones! Now how in the world are we going to take care of all these people? Nurse Hines was still standing at the car window and was laughing at our personal inventory, and reached into her pocket and gave us a wad of money!. Now there was money to feed everyone and to leave taxi fare for them to get home, knowing full well they all would want to stay late. The problem is we still had a naked grandma, and a mother with no shoes. The little girl continued vomiting everywhere as she was so traumatized. When we finally arrived at the other hospital, Harold gave the babies mother his shoes, and the grandmother his shirt- now she is walking around in a Buffalo Bill’s shirt and nothing. I ran inside and found paper towels to clean up the little girl, and we had just decided to leave my shorts with grandma ---as I figured if we went straight home, no one would catch me in my underwear… I was saved from that experience when grandma found a towel in the bus! We all then tromped off to find the surgery unit- We were a sight to behold and believe me people were staring! When we found the surgical unit we were met with good news that the doctors had retrieved the pencil sharpener, and the baby was doing fine. The baby would need to spend a couple of days in the hospital for them to monitor her, but the doctors gave her a positive prognosis.
Somehow during this whole time of confusion Harold and I were able to share about the Lord, We explained the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as encouraging them to be thankful for what God had done to this point- I suggested to Gene and Arlene that they should call a mutual friend, and go to her church. Both said they were going to re-dedicate their lives to the Lord and turn to Him.
I know people say those things a lot in the heat of an emergency and most of the time as soon as the pressure is off they go right back to their old lifestyle- But in this case God used this to draw them. The baby was okay and the immediate Sunday after, Gene called Yvette. She said Ms Teri said I should go to church with you. So Gene, Arlene and the children went to church. Arlene and Gene went to the alter that first Sunday, and gave their lives to the Lord. They have continued to attend church and testify to the community about God’s provision for them ever since. We are encouraged! We are grateful, and we are honored to be able to serve such an awesome God. We are struck by the fact that we are able to share in His joy as He brings His people unto Himself.
A side note to this story- it is two months later and I just received word that Arlene and Gene stopped attending church. Please pray for them, pray they would be reminded of God’s faithful provision for their lives and they would listen as we encourage them to serve the Lord.
“From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66)
Pray that Gene and Arlene will not just lie back and bask in the experience of God revealing Himself to them, but to get up and serve Him.
To God Be the Glory!