Christian Missions: This week, the epidemic that had the world holding its breath affected Pearlington in a most unusual way. With the Swine Flu virus sweeping across Costa Rica, First United Methodist Church out of LaGrange, Georgia changed their travel plans at the last minute, leaving behind the Caribbean Islands for hurricane relief work in the heart of the South. They met up with a YoungLife group out of Illinois and Main Street United Methodist from North Carolina at Pearlington to help finish up the last projects of the summer.

Since it was the second to last week of the summer, the Experience Mission staff was thrilled to have the extra help.  Even though work has flown by each week, there were still several key jobs to be finished before both the Bennett’s and Nick could move into their respective houses.  Because of this, one of the most exciting parts of this week was the amount of quality work that got completed throughout the city. From cranking out electrical projects to demolishing houses, teams tore through any and all tasks they were given. The Bennett’s saw their massive porch cover finished, kitchen tiles and electrical installed and Nick’s crew finished roofing, siding and decking. All the while, other smaller groups finished up incredibly crucial jobs at the O’Neal’s, the Crepeau’s, the Ackers, the Vince’s and the Vincent’s.

However, it wasn’t the work ethic that stood out on these youth mission trip teams, but their willingness to do anything and everything to help those in need. These teams left a fantastic impression on every family that they worked with this week. The community adored the servant’s hearts that they worked with, and many went out of their way to thank the volunteers over and over again. The week was a huge success, and Team Pearlington is praying for one final great week to wrap up all of their projects and end the year with a bang. And if God needs to use Swine Flu again to make that happen, then we are all for it.

*This summer wraps up 3 years of rebuilding in Pearlington, MS. The town is 85% rebuilt! Stay tuned for our new Hurricane relief locations, and check out other locations that we serve in, at New Orleans mission trips.

Christian Mission Trips: Team Pearlington reporting again from the heart of the south where our short term mission trip teams continue to take huge strides in the post-Katrina rebuilding effort. This week, First United Methodist Church of Dallas and Roseville Christian Church made significant progress on five different worksites, while making a lasting impression on the community.

The Bennett house continues to take shape before our eyes. Where only six weeks ago there was only interior framing, there is now beautiful hardwood flooring, an enormous front deck with a split staircase and porch cover, and exquisite interior tiling. However, perhaps the most stunning of all the work at the house so far is the brilliant orange and pink stripes that make up Miranda Bennett’s room. The Summer Staff is thrilled with the progress that has been made on this house, and we are pushing hard to finish it in our two remaining weeks in Pearlington.

The other “top-to-bottom” project that we have been working hard to finish this summer is Nick Narvaes’ house. This week, the team at this site put up siding, finished the deck and handrails, built a hip roof and nearly finished shingling. Nick’s vision is finally starting to come to life thanks to the hard work of this summer’s teams.

This week, we also had a youth mission trips team at Phillip Willis’ house, painting a shed, building porch covers, planting a row of shrubs and staining two decks. Mr. Willis works at Stennis Space Center, where he helps manufacture a variety of important parts for integral weather watching systems. He was deeply grateful for all of the love and support that the teams were providing for the community and for him.

This group also started working with Joe Vincent and his daughter, Jessica. The Vincents are a passionate family who haven’t let personal tragedy bring down their commendable character. The team that worked with the Vincents helped by completely demolishing the interior of Jessica’s home, which hadn’t been restored since the floodwaters nearly completely destroyed her home in 2005. The Vincents are excited about working with future teams because of the efforts poured forth this week.

Along with all of this, teams spent time all over town putting the finishing touches on several work projects that were started last week. From finishing a porch cover at Billy Raines’ house to painting at Joe Vince’s house to staining a deck for Tommy Joe and his mom, this group made a huge impact on the community of Pearlington this week. We were sad to see them leave, but we have faith that the final two weeks of work down here will be just as amazing and productive as this one.

With Love,

Team Pearlington

*Note: Check out Experience Mission’s website at mission trips for information about upcoming Summer 2010 mission trips.

Navajo Mission Trips: It is so beautiful to see what a little bit of love and compassion can do in the lives of children. As the children from the community of Toko’i got off the large white van at the church on the first day of Kid’s Club, nothing but silence filled the air. It was apparent to see how uncomfortable and reclusive all the children had become in their current situation. We began individually introducing ourselves and one-on-one inviting the kids to join in on a little game called duck-duck-goose. Before we knew it all the children were in the circle and smiles were sneaking across their faces when they thought no one was looking.

After the warm up game, we moved on to a more intense game known as Red Rover.  It was amazing what this game did for the kids. All of a sudden all thirty of the kids were lined up, cheering one another on. I could just see God, as I looked at the kids jumping up and down against the yellow sand. Red Rover seemed to be the key ingredient to letting everyone’s guard down and opening them up. From then on things only got better. Everyday the kids got closer and closer with us and with each other. By the end of the week, you could hear the laughter from the van before it reached the dirt road to the church.

The short term mission trip team that came for the week really enjoyed watching the kids bond and open up. On the last night they discussed how that impacted their trip and their lives. The next week began completely opposite to the previous. The children pretty much leaped out of the big white van into my arms, yelling my name. It was so precious to see the lasting effect of the past week with the kids. They didn’t begin the week quiet again, but over the duration of that week they had formed even stronger relationships. The week flew by, and with every passing day the kids become more and more like the one big family they are.

It is interesting because most of the kids are related, somewhere down the line. Yet due to the distance between them they had not gotten to know one another. By the end of the second week of Kids Club the youth mission trips teams that had come were discussing how they loved seeing how close and trusting the kids were. They talked about how it really impacted them to see how easily the kids opened up to them. It is just so awesome to see the complete contrast in the two weeks, with what started as a simple game of Red Rover, ended up forming a strong and loving family.   

Molly Mulholland

Navajo Reservation

Note: Experience Mission is offering Navajo mission trips on the Navajo Reservation. If you’d like to join one of our short term Youth mission trips with EM, visit us at our website www.experiencemission.org 

Hurricane Relief in Mississippi: We’re Alive! Team Pearlington survived a youth mission trip team of 150 people this past week and we had an awesome time!  Houston First Presbyterian Church is our largest group of the summer. Literally, our entire summer has been in preparation for this short term missions trip.  We have been making sure that things are lined up to accommodate this many people.  It was interesting to see how God worked this week because we found that even with all of the preparation we had done, problems still arose. The first work day we awoke to torrential downpours and it seemed like the week was going to be disastrous because the majority of the work projects we had lined up were outdoors.  We also had some last minute worksite cancellations.  We were sweating it out and praying that things would turn around.  

However, God helped details to fall into place and the week was a “home run”. He presented other opportunities for work projects and blessed us with eager and high spirited students and leaders who were flexible and energetic.   We were also blessed with beautiful weather on Thursday and Friday.  It is truly amazing how our Lord works even in the difficult times. This was definitely a lesson on trust in Our God, and it became very obvious that sometimes it is so hard to let go of all control in a situation and just give it over to Him. This team from Houston was a huge blessing to the community of Pearlington, Mississippi and the hurricane relief work, as well as to the Experience Mission Staff. We were very encouraged by the entire group’s positive attitude and dedication to work hard. There was never a moment when this team wasn’t asking how they could help whether it be in the kitchen or on the worksite. This team worked in a total of 15 worksites doing various things such as shingling, siding, demolition, flooring, decking, interior & exterior painting, staining, porch covers, and general cleanup and yard beautification.

Something that was very unique to this mission trip team was their tight knit community, which is surprising considering their large size. Their evening programs were very exciting and intentional.  We had fun dance parties each night and moving talks given by Brune, Scott, and Tim.  They have an interesting approach to missions.  They use it has a tool for evangelism.   About 2/3 of the students that came on the trip with First Presbyterian Church did not necessarily have a relationship with Christ.  The philosophy this group has about short term mission trips is to show students what it means to live out a Christian lifestyle through serving. Their theme for this week was in 2 Corinthians 5:20 and being “Christ’s ambassadors.”  Many lives were changed this week and many relationships were built both within the team and the community.

-Jim and the Pearlington team

*Interested in joining in the work of Experience Mission? Check out our website at www.ExperienceMission.org for more information and to sign up for upcoming 2010 mission trips!

Rural Mission Trip: Just checking in from Costa Rica. The summer has been a challenging one but it’s been amazing to see how God continues to work in ways that we did not see possible. This last week we travelled up to Alto Coen; which to give ya’ll an idea of the kind of trip it is, just to get to the location where you are staying you take an hour boat ride in a banana boat, an hour bus ride, and then a 5 hour hike up roughly 1500 feet on a muddy, rugged terrain. It is an amazing experience but you definitely get a workout. Anyways, throughout the week Ali and I had the privilege of getting to know the people, specifically the women and children while the men worked on the bridge, which was our main focus for traveling up to Alto Coen- to assist in the building of a suspension bridge that would connect two sides of a village. It was a stretching experience as I battled not being able to fully communicate with women and children however it was amazing to see how God worked through my weakness to still do His work. As I sat under a tree constructed structure with a leaf roof, I found myself exchanging my English language with their BriBri language. While the time was spent learning small phrases such as How are you?, What is your name? Where are you from? And how to count to ten, the bond that formed seemed to go deeper then the simplistic phrase exchanges. It was an exchange of lives, a sharing of each others’ hearts and the joining of lives for a moment.
Team Costa Rica

*To learn more about the mission trips that Experience Mission is sending out, visit www.experiencemission.org.

Howdy ya’ll,
It’s been awhile since we have had Internet access as we have been away from our home at the Finca Educativa. This last week we went up to Alto Coen to help in the building of a suspension bridge. This bridge has been a dream for the BriBri families for many years-one that they have been working on for the past 6 years. It has been a long, difficult process for the BriBri as they have fought to find aid and funds to build this much needed bridge. For many of the families, they are unable to get to the nearest clinic and school as the only way of crossing is through a river that contains raging rapids. These ever swelling rapids have separated a village for years and this past week, a group of 7 of us had the privilege to be part of God connecting the two sides. As we arrived with clamps in hand and an excitement to build, one could feel the joy and elation that spread through the air as locals traveled from near and afar to be part of their long journey of building a bridge. Everyone wanted to assist in some way and in many ways it was neat to see the bridge not only physically join a community but also by bringing people together. The men of our team: Yon, Donovan, Monas, Ben, and Kory worked alongside the BriBri men: Abdul, Margarito, Moises, Cesar, and Arielle to name just a few as they began drilling holes in the planks and setting up clamps that would connect the two wires. As Americans and Costa Ricans worked together, with each plank that was laid and each clamp put in place, one could witness the formation of this long awaited project. While we finished the work we came up to do, more work remains to be done on the bridge however with each step the people are finding themselves able to finally see their dream take shape.
Team Costa Rica

*Go to www.experiencemission.org to sign up for one of Experience Mission’s trips in 2010.

Internation Mission Trip: After being here in Costa Rica for about three weeks, the reality of being here all summer started to set in and the days seemed to get long, but our spirits were brightened when our next team from western Pennsylvania arrived.  The group came with great attitudes and ready to work.  Once everyone arrived at the work sites they realized that with the cultural difference, work was going to move much slower than expected.  For us in America, we are used to getting things done in a time effective manner, but here, all of the teams are finding that the work moves much slower.  After realizing the cultural difference, they decided to embrace it instead of fight it.  They immediately spent more time getting to know the people they were working with and serving alongside as well as sharing their lives with them.  Western Pennsylvania was not only a blessing for this community on the Bri Bri reservation, but also a blessing for our summer staff as well.  Their great attitudes lifted our spirits, while Jacob and Alex brought constant laughs. 

This group came down ready to serve in any way possible and ready to serve anyone.  They were even able to financially bless us as summer Staff after Yon’s tennis shoes were stolen.  He desperately needed a new pair of shoes and they wanted to treat us to dinner so they left us money for him to get new shoes and for us to watch a movie and get dinner.  We had money left over so we wanted to pass on the blessing to someone else.  We were able to help Retano, a taxi driver from last year, who lost his leg to diabetes.  He is in the process of getting a prosthetic leg, but is short on funds.  God was able to bless Retano though the western Pennsylvania group with money to go towards his new leg.  Many lives were touched this week.  Even though there are bumps in the road sometimes, God is providing down here and doing amazing things.

Team Costa Rica

*Do you want to go on a mission trip? Check out www.experiencemission.org to view our communities for Summer 2010.

Hey guys,
Team Costa Rica here checking in. Just wanted to fill y’all in on the rest of the happenings during this week’s mission trip. It’s been a busy week but God has been truly at work. Along with project Christina, the teams have also been serving the community in Costa Rica through two other work projects as well as VBS. The two projects consisted of the construction of a roof for a family of 6 as well as the laying of concrete for a kitchen. The teams worked hard through the heat of each day and the uncertainty of the rainy season in order to get as much completed for these families. They were a hardworking group as they hauled sand, mixed concrete, carried wood, and all the while intentionally interacting with the families they were serving to create friendships that would remain after the projects were completed. Teams worked alongside the Costa Ricans and found language differences to be of little barriers as they taught one another Spanish, English, BriBri, and a little Southern as well. Each day teams would return with tales of laughter and joy that was the fruit of the relationships between them and the families they had the pleasure of serving. While the teams have left Costa Rica, and the projects will be continued by future mission trips, the relationships that were formed will forever be remembered.
See y’all in the next blog,
Team Costa Rica

**To learn more about what Experience Mission is doing, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org.

International Mission Trip: As I sit here at a hostel in Puerto Viejo reminiscing about last week’s mission trips, I find myself once again amazed at God’s beautiful mosaic that He is creating out here in Costa Rica. This mosaic, which is composed of the hearts of the Costa Rican people, us summer staff, the various teams from throughout the U.S. and also those who have been praying for us back home, may be in its beginning stages however it is showing itself to be a breathtaking view.
Two mission trip teams made camp at the Finca Educativa this week and began serving throughout the BriBri people. One of these work projects proved itself to be of grand necessity. The teams had the joy of getting to know a woman named Dona Christina, who is an elderly woman whose house was completely infested by termites. Upon arrival to the site, one could not only witness the slow deterioration of her house but could see the giant termite nest that was the quarters of thousands of termites that were destroying her home. She was literally being eaten out of house and home. This past week the teams had the privilege of beginning the process of not only forming a relationship with this beautiful Costa Rican woman but also in the destruction and construction of a new living space. Equipped with diesel and Penta-cell, the workers were able to completely fumigate the home, destroy the termite nest, and begin the destruction of her home so that the next team can build her a new, safe home. More importantly then the building of her new house, the teams placed seeds in her life that contained the love of Christ in them. Their hard work, encouraging smiles, and willing hearts laid a strong foundation upon which future mission trips will be able to build upon. Not only were they able to meet a need but they were more importantly able to love with Christ’s love and servant hearts.
Over and Out for now. Peace.
-Team Costa Rica

*Note: Interested in going on a trip with Experience Mission? Visit our website at www.experiencemission.org to learn more and watch for our Summer 2010 trips.

This past week God worked in a mighty way while 13 members of the Illinois team made the long journey up to Alto Coen, a small village in the jungles of Talamanca, Costa Rica.  Their mission for the week was to continue work on a bridge that would provide the BriBri people a safe way to cross the Coen River in order to access medical services and school facilities.  Knowing that the long journey to Alto Coen, which had to be done on foot, would not be easy, the team only brought the bare necessities such as a change of dry clothing, food, and all of the supplies for the bridge project.  The team left early Friday morning, excited to see what God had in store for them. The journey consisted of long days of travel up the mountain and it required accommodations that most Americans would not find comfortable such as having no electricity or clean water, sleeping above cattle and being woken up by roosters that crowed from 2 in the morning until sunrise. As the long journey continued with 40 - 60 lbs. packs up the mountain, only encouragement from the team and faith in God helped us reach the village. Even though it had been a long hike up the mountain, the team members were excited to be there and got down to business.  As we arrived, people from each side of the village came down to the river to welcome us and were excited that a team was there to help them in the process of completing the bridge. The most important task while we were there was to help them connect a 1″ cable from side to side, which was about 400 ft. across a treacherous Coen River.  Since it was in the middle of the rainy season and the Coen River was higher than normal it wasn’t an easy task to get the cable from one bank to another. Margarito, the Alto Coen president in charge of the bridge project, was the reason we were able to accomplish this nearly impossible task. Since there was no communication from bank to bank due to the noise of the raging current of the river, Margarito voluntarily swam from one side to another to help communicate and execute the work plan. The river crossing was a difficult task on its own and the team was able to understand the necessity of the completion of this bridge.  It rained and poured while we completed this task and the BriBri people were impressed with the abilities the team provided. Due to the continual downpour, the river was rising and it would quickly be impossible to cross if we didn’t cut the trip short by a day. There were many struggles on the way down such as river crossings and weather related conditions but trusting on God made this trip a success. Not only did the team deliver the much needed bridge supplies but they also learned how to fully rely on God to get them through the hardest of times.

Yonathan Moya
Costa Rica Summer Staff

Note: Experience Mission has been working on the bridge with the Bribri reservation for several trips. To check out more exciting trips Experience Mission has to offer, visit our website at www.experiencemission.org!