Arizona Sooo Very Tired...

Arizona

Sooo Very Tired...

Well, we finished our last day. We all felt fulfilled as we left the work sight today. We worked hard and did things well that we had never done before. We stripped down a large dinning hall and kitchen to its 2x4 framing floor to ceiling. We left with our task complete and only a few scrapes and bruises. Thank God for His protection. 

It was encouraging to hear how AICM is partnering with the tribal council to improve the reservation facilities to  help their young people have better lives. 

The last VBS was full of energy and laughter from the kids and that fueled our energy. It was incredible to see them have so much fun running and laughing. We are ready to come home but will miss their smiling faces. 

~ Tracie Cordle 

ARIZONA OH Snap!!!

ARIZONA

OH Snap!!!

That just happened... Hard work, drywall, nails, boards, dead mice, nails, dirt, port-a-potty, hammers, nails, crowbars, face masks, spiderwebs, nails, loud, heavy, did I say nails?  Long bus ride, laughter, games, singing, snap, children, VBS, Jesus calms the sea, singing, necklaces, snack, toys, necklaces, basketball, bubbles, did I say necklaces... bus ride, laughter, "Tiny", snap, snap, snap, see them tomorrow... If you need more information ask a team member when we get back. 

Today we saw God each in our own way and just the way He planned for us to. Tonight we had a beautiful time of sharing during our daily debrief. Many of our team shared a verse that means something to them and shared why. It is such a privilege to see the hearts of these wonderful people. I'm proud to call them brother or sister. To all of you at home thanks for sharing them with us for the week. 

Exhausted,

Tracie Cordle

19 out of 22 people isn't bad...

We finished our last night in Matavai with a huge fiafia (celebration) to show appreciation for all of the hard work this week, to exchange gifts, and to say goodbye.  The children and youth sang and danced for us before a delicious meal shared with the village chiefs (matais), the pastor, the doctors and dentist from the medical clinic and families.  Our very own team performed a line dance and the worship song Oceans, along with some spectacular individual and small group performances.

Our team left our village of Matavai at 3am this morning to catch the first ferry to the big island of Upolu at 6am!  We sent Caroline, Cody and Drew to prison while the rest of us prepared for a 1-day kids camp at a local village along with the missions team from Kaimuki Christian Church in Hawaii.  We served over 200 children and teens this afternoon, and the energy was incredible despite the 3 hours of sleep last night.

Oh, the EMTs and paramedic were really supporting Island Family Christian church with the medical clinic at the prison, not IN prison. :)

Tonight, we will be celebrating with Island Family at Lagi and Tofa’s (our SSCM reps) house in Apia as we close out our time in Samoa.

With more bug bites than skin,

            Katie, Julia, and Lauren

ARIZONA ... through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. 6/24/14

6/24/14

Today we worked hard pulling down dry wall, pulling out nails and cleaning. We bonded on the bus ride with singing, Mafia, and laughter. VBS was great today as we were joined by 28 kids who loved the Bible Skit Lesson as the lions ate the guards who had thrown Daniel in the lions den. It was fun making lion masks with the children and watching the lions come alive with growling as they pretended to eat us. Faces were full of smiles as we handed out jewelry and yo-yos to the children as we said see you tomorrow. It was a fantastic day!

We feel your prayers and support. 

~Tracie Cordle 

Arizona 6/23/14

ARIZONA

Let Go And Know...

6/23/14

When in a relationship with God there is great peace when we let go and know He is in control. Today a few things did not go as anticipated and there were many unknowns but as we each let it go it made for a beautiful day. The team worked hard tearing down drywall and removing nails on the youth camp. This was followed by singing, skits and crafts all teaching about God. But the most creative way this team showed God's love was by allowing excited children to paint all their nails and I mean all, guys included. (Even 'Tiny') They all said the joy it gave the children was the best part of the day. 

Thank you to each person that made it possible for us to be here!

~Tracie Cordle 

ARIZONA

The work begins...

6/23/14 

We were blessed with an easy 9 hour drive. Thank you for all the prayers for safe travel. We arrived yesterday ahead of schedule and were blessed with the news that dinner would be ready for us in an hour. The days are warm but the evening is refreshingly cool. We had orientation and turned in early for bed. 

Today we loaded up tools, lunch and VBS supplies and headed out in the white bus, our old friend from last year, for a day of work.  The first stop was Williams Creek  Youth Camp on the Apache Reservation. There they will help revitalize an unused camp. After lunch there they will move on to a neighborhood in the reservation to pick up children on the bus and set up VBS on the street. Our girls have prepare great skits, Larry has prepared songs,Theresa has prepared crafts and everyone has readied their hearts. I look forward to sharing with you stories of God touching young hearts for His kingdom. 

Continue to pray for our team. 

~ Tracie Cordle

Is that a flesh eating virus?!?....

Talofa from Samoa!

It’s DAY 2 of our medical clinic, teen sports camp, and kids’ Bible camp!  We saw over 200 patients the past two days at our medical clinic with our two local doctors and a dentist.  Our very own Scott, Wesley and Hailey are acting as our optometrists and gave many people the gift of sight! Jason and Rob are now “pharmacists,” handing out drugs and vitamins to each patient (who put Rob in charge of the drugs?!) Lauren, Gary, and Scott led our prayer team and prayed for each patients needs before they left the clinic.  Brett and Richard wrangled the waiting crowd and checked in hundreds of patients, while Julia managed the flow and organization of the entire clinic. Our paramedic Drew, and two EMTs, Caroline and Cody, have worked tirelessly triaging patients and assisting the doctors with the help of Val as our invaluable scribe.  Our clinic has run from 9am-5pm both days, with a line starting at 6am and continuing nonstop the entire time.  We are excited for our last day in the village tomorrow and can’t wait to see what God has in store!

The kids’ Bible camp and the teen sports camp are a hit!  The pastor decided to keep the camps limited to the village students so that our team could invest in the kids and teens more.  They have loved our skits, new songs, and activities!  Tony, Wesley, Hailey and Ethan have kept the kids active with the bounce houses, water balloons, and wheel barrow races.  Gary and Richard have taught them lessons of standing strong with God’s love and through prayer.  Amanda and Kathryn have created fun crafts with the kids and hosted paper airplane races.  Josh, Allison and Tim have learned rugby, played volleyball and taught them American football, while Katie oversees both camps. It’s been so much fun, and while we are physically exhausted, we are blessed with what Rob calls “spiritual energy”. 

We are excited for the “fiafia” celebration tomorrow night where we will enjoy another delicious meal, dance, sing, and exchange gifts.  We have fallen in love with this village, and will continue to pray for blessed relationships. 

On Thursday we begin our slow journey back to the States with another day in Apia before flying home.  Thanks for the prayers!

With many more bug bites,

Julia and Katie :)

The AZ Team Made It!

The Arizona team made it safe and sound yesterday and today they started their VBS.  The picture below is from Sunday when they arrived at the reservation.

We're not dead... yet!

Dear Friends,

After 43 hours of traveling, we have made it to our village, Matavai, Savai’i, safe and sound. Our team did a fantastic job of traveling together, through many long layovers, a short stay in Apia (capital of Western Samoa), and a ferry ride to our smaller island of Savai’i.  We arrived to a warm welcome from the village chiefs, pastor, and our new Samoan friends. It is currently Sunday evening (20 hours ahead of PST), and we just experienced the joyous youth skits, and a capella worship. This village has rolled out the red carpet for us with delicious (“manai” in Samoan) meals, comfortable lodging, and generous thanks. 

We met up with the other two South Seas teams from Hawaii on Saturday morning and were privileged to pray and worship together as a collective team of 60 missionaries.  There we received training for the medical clinic, which starts tomorrow. Please be praying for guidance and wisdom as we seek to serve! The clinic philosophy is to see everyone; hurt no one; cure when we can; comfort everyone.  No one will leave without vitamins, medicine, or prayer.

Our Bible camp for the kids and Sports camp for the teenagers starts tomorrow afternoon, and the village is looking forward to the fellowship.  We have our translators for each team, and we are ready to go!

Our team is in great spirits and our bug bite count is increasing as we speak.  We have been so blessed by this beautiful village, which boasts of a cold fresh water pool – a famous landmark on the island.  They have shared their homes with us, blessed us with gifts and delicious food, and opened up their hearts to us.  We are eager to serve them and alongside them tomorrow!

Thank you for the prayers!

With many bug bites,

Julia and Katie :)

PS.  Apologies for the belated post – we don’t have internet access in our village.  We were able to get to a hotel nearby with internet access, and we hope to be able to return soon to update you! 

Arizona Bonding...

6/20/14

As we prepare to leave for a mission trip to Arizona and serve at American Indian Christian Mission we break bread. It is a tradition for Jeff and Theresa Burnett to host a Bar-B-Q at their home for the team to hang out and get to know each other better. A few of our team members were not present but there in spirit.

Please pray for the team, Tracie & Kara Cordle, Jeff & Theresa Burnett, Meggan Whitis, Larry & Erica & Joshua Mesa, Rebecca & Rachel Pickler, Kyle Kincaid, John & Taryn Hogue, Kristine Swales, and Emily Wagner. We leave Sunday morning at 5:45am.

You can continue to follow this Blog during the week on the trip. You might find updates on the AICM or Journey Facebook page. 

~Tracie Cordle

Samoa~

Second leg of the flight...
6/19/14 
8:30pm The team is in the air between Nadi, Fiji and Apia, Samoa right now. They are getting closer. Scheduled to land in minutes.

8:42pm The team has landed in Apia, Samoa. Praise the Lord!

Third leg of travel...
6/19/14 
Several hours later- The team will meet up with the other mission teams joining them at the airport in Apia. They will also meet with their host Lagi who has made the arrangements for them as they move on to their village. They will collect the medical supplies and wait for the ferry. They will take the ferry to Satupaitea, Savaii, and then a vehicle to their village.  

Let the mission service begin... 

Samoa Bound~

I checked the flight status with Fiji Airlines and they arrived at Nadi International Airport in Fiji. They will depart Nadi today and fly to Apia, Samoa and then catch a ferry to their final destination, the village of Satupaitea, Savaii. 

~Tracie

 Team Samoa:

They are officially all on the plane! We will let you know more as soon as we have the information. 

Goodnight everyone,

Tracie Cordle

Samoa~and they're off...

We met at West Valley Christian Church tonight to pray for this team as they headed for the airport for an adventure to Samoa. We sent 22 servants of God to love up on the people of Samoa and show them what it looks like to have  a relationship with Jesus. 

This group has already been blessed by God. They have made it through security smoothly and were blessed with not being charged for 2 of the boxes of supplies. Their flight is scheduled to leave on time at 11:30pm. They should be boarding the plane soon.

Pray God's will be done.

~Tracie Cordle

Arizona at AICM

Countdown to Arizona

   I am spending extra time in prayer this week trying to ready my mind for what God has ahead for me on this trip. I have been extra busy as I prepare and my mind is racing. I have been meditating on this verse: "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10
   We leave in 5 days and I hope everyone is anticipating God's hand in the days ahead. Please pray for the lives we hope to see God touch.


Faithfully,
Tracie Cordle

Samoa Countdown!

Hey Friends and Family! 

Our 2014 Samoa Team invites you to follow us as we journey to the beautiful island of Savaii, Samoa.  On June 18-28, 2014, we will be heading to the village of Satupaitea on the smaller island of Savaii in Western Samoa.  Please be praying for our team as we prepare on this great adventure to do the Lord's work! 

Please be praying for health, as some of our members have not been feeling 100%! Pray for safety as we travel, smooth check ins and transitions throughout our 13+ trip there! Pray for rest as we prepare and energy when we arrive! Pray for unity as our team of 22 (13 men + 9 ladies) will get to know each other very well over the next couple of weeks! Pray for boldness as we share our RELATIONSHIP with our Savior as opposed to the Samoan tradition of Christian religion.  Pray for courage and strength as we step outside of our comfort zones and say YES to what the Lord has for us!

As Paul prayed for the Ephesians, I lift up this prayer for our Samoan brothers and sisters:

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

--- Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3:14-21)

~katie matsumoto

Welcome to our Missions Journal

Hello everyone!

Be on the lookout here for future updates on missions, both local and international.  When on missions trips, our teams will post stories, prayer requests, and praise reports.  Even if you are unable to travel with the team, be part of it as a partner in prayer.

Stay connected and check back often!