Peoples Christian Academy Senior Missions

School Chapel: Missions to India Introduction

2012-01-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

On December 7, 2011 the team made a presentation in our school chapel and introduced the students to India, described a bit of our ministry there with our host missionaries, and challenged us to follow the footsteps of William Carey, the "father of modern missions". Chapel was concluded with the entire school praying for India and the team in their community groups.

Please watch the video to receive more information about our mission and to get further acquainted with the team.

U of T Evangelism

2011-12-30T12:17:00.000-08:00

On November 3rd, our team headed down to the University of Toronto campus and partnered with Campus for Christ university students to reach out to the students on campus. It was a stretching experience and one that was inspiring. Here is Abbey's reflection on her time:

Although I have been a Christian for 7 years now, one part of my Christianity that is the weakest for me is evangelism. When our India team and I went downtown to evangelize with Campus for Christ, I was pretty nervous. July 2011, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Haiti and work in orphanages, schools, and evangelize. Although I have evangelized before in Haiti, it is still a totally different atmosphere and experience. There is something about sharing the gospel with people in your own city that is so much more difficult than evangelizing in another country. I got paired with Michelle to evangelize and although we only talked to one person, just from that one conversation that we had, I feel so blessed. At first, I was pretty nervous about being able to hold a conversation with the intent of sharing with them about the gospel, so I was just planning to sit on the side and mainly observe. When the conversation started, Michelle was so open and friendly with her, and the girl that we talked to was so willing and open to talk as well. As I was sitting beside them, I was praying quietly in my head for the Holy Spirt to just be present and active in their conversation. The Lord really awakened that hidden passion inside of me that desires to share about Him. I was reminded of how thankful I am to be accepted by Christ, and salvation is not something that should be hidden inside of me. As our conversation progressed, I could definitely feel God's presence there. There would be moments where the Lord was giving me peace and I was relaxed enough to even join in for parts of the conversation as well. By the end of our conversation, the girl left almost accepting Christ into her life! It was amazing! I was so humbled to be able to see that there are people willing to hear about Christ! Michelle is even going to meet up sometime next week to catch up and continue talking with the girl. I wish I lived closer so I could meet up with them as well, but I can't wait to hear all about how the Lord is using Michelle to continue to touch the lives of the people in our city. Overall, it was such a humbling experience, and something that I would love to do again!

Prayer for India

2011-12-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

Meet the 2012 Senior Missions Team to India

2011-12-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

Chapel

2011-03-29T07:49:00.000-07:00

You are cordially invited to attend the High School Chapel tomorrow (Wednedsay March 30) at 11:15am - 12 noon where you can hear reports and reflections on the Senior Missions Team's time in Thailand. Chapel is held in the high school gymnasium of the school.

Video Reflection

2011-03-27T17:06:00.001-07:00

Safely Home

2011-03-13T03:01:00.001-07:00

By now most of you will know that the team has safely arrived home. Certainly, we celebrate the grace of God in bringing us home. However, we would ask for your prayers as we uphold the people in Japan who have lost so much. Here is a prayer from John Piper for the Japanese people. Please use it to fuel your own prayer for these people in the midst of this tragedy:

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures' pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

In Hong Kong

2011-03-10T23:21:00.001-08:00

We are in Hong Kong awaiting the last leg of our journey home. All are well.

Returning Home

2011-03-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

Thank you to those who have followed our progress and who have remembered the team in your prayers.

It is 10pm as I write this. We will be leaving from the hotel at 5:15 am.

Our flight out of Chiang Mai to Bangkok departs at 8:10am (local time). It is Thai Airways flight 101.

We fly from Bangkok to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific Flight 708 departing at 10:50am.

We depart from Hong Kong for Toronto on Cathay Pacific Flight 826. It is scheduled to arrive at Pearson Int'l Aiport at 6:25pm (local time).

Please check with the airlines for any changes to these times. Thank you!

Preparing for Debrief

2011-03-09T07:38:00.001-08:00

It is 10:30pm as I write this. The students have returned from one last fling at the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. We were pleased by how intentional our students were in seeking meaningful gifts to thank their supporters for their gifts and their prayers. The night bazaar is a sea of merchants selling souvenirs and other wares for great prices.Right now the students are in their rooms and preparing for our last day in Thailand. May I ask you to continue to pray for the students and for their ministry? We have found that tomorrow - the day of debrief - has great potential to solidify the work that God has been doing in and through their lives. The day is spent in intentional reflection on both the Scriptures and on their time in Thailand. If received well, the day of debrief can significantly help to sharpen students' understanding of the gospel and Christian ministry. It is our desire that all of our students would gladly heed the call of Jesus in Mark 8:35. Namely, that they would lay down their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ and the gospel.

Mae Wong Village

2011-03-09T00:51:00.000-08:00

We thank God for his grace in allowing us a fruitful ministry in the Mae Wong village and a safe return to Chiang Mai.

We left Chiang Mai on Monday morning bright and early. The plan was to check out of all the rooms in the hotel except for one room where we would store all of our luggage. Although we communicated our intent to keep all but one room for the next three days to more than one manager, language barriers were still present when we were about to board the song-taws to leave and we suddenly saw that all of our luggage was being carted out of the hotel. The teachers rushed to the front desk and tried to explain and re-explain that we were keeping the luggage in the hotel in that one room. Finally, after multiple attempts, there was a glimmer of understanding and the luggage was returned to our room.

We made the trip to the village early in the morning. It is a lush, fertile area filled with tall coconut trees, banana trees and large swaths of paddy fields. The houses were in the village were very simple. We noticed that at the front of every house was an ornate altar to Buddha. The people were warm and welcomed us kindly.

We arrived at the government school to find the children already waiting for our arrival. This school is a government school. It has not Christian affiliation whatsoever. At the front of every classroom there were three images above the chalkboard. The first was that of Buddha. Below Buddha's image was a Thai flag and then a picture of the King of Thailand. In the courtyard, under the shade of two trees, stood a large altar to Buddha. We were not only the first Christians to visit this school but also the first foreigners.Before we began our three days of ministry at this school, we clarified with the school principal that we were Christians and that we would be teaching the children about Jesus Christ. We were unsure how the principal might respond. His reply was: "As long as they have fun, you can teach what you want." We took his permission and began.

Each day began with some Bible songs. The songs were not only taught to the students but the meaning of each song was explained for them. Imagine hearing almost 100 Thai children learn and then sing "Jesus Loves Me" for the very first time! That was one of the many blessings we enjoyed over these past three days. The songs were followed up with a mime or a drama. Again, before each preformance, the students would explain the meaning of the drama.

From the opening session, students were divided among the Thai students. There were four groups: kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-4 and grades 5-6. Our students introduced different parables from the teaching ministry of Jesus to the children each day. Each lesson was taught out of the Bible and included songs, crafts and games. The lessons had been prepared in advance while we were still in Canada. It was good to finally be able to teach these lessons which we had worked on for so long!

At the end of each day, we returned to our home in the village. The home is the home of a very poor pastor. Attached to his home is the church which is a simple structure that can maybe seat about 20 people. Tragically, we learned that his church has sat empty for a decade. 10 years ago, the Jehovah's Witnesses came into the village and took most of his parish away. He spoke to us, through a translator, about being neglected and abandoned and how blessed he was to see his church being used again. The girls slept on the ground in his house and the guys slept on the floor of his church.

On our first evening in the village, the guys went with a couple of other Christian men to the home of a very very poor family who needed a new roof. We initially thought that we would be nailing shingles down. How wrong we were! The house consisted of one room. The frame was made from bamboo shoots and the shingles which provided the roof was made of leaves which had been stitched together with dry grass. The entire house was made from materials in their garden! When they needed a new beam for the roof, they simply hacked down a bamboo shoot with a machete.

To be honest, we were useless and spent much of the time marvelling at the simplicity and also the ingenuity of the house. The Thai Christians seemed to intuitively know how to use the materials from the forest to erect the house, stitch the leaves together and bind the shingles to the roof. Although we tried a few times, it was for their good that we got out of the way.

Meanwhile, the girls were back at the house and had taken the pews out of the church which had been neglected for some time. The girls sanded down these pews and gave them a new coat of lacquer.

On the second night in the village, we led in a time of worship and Bible teaching at a children's hostel. These hostels are a cross between dormitories and orphanages. The children who go to these hostels come from rural areas where there are no schools. These hostels provide room and lodging for the children so that they may be able to attend school. A number of Christian ministries have seen the strategic value of these hostels since it affords them an opportunity to share the gospel with the children, train them up in the fear of the Lord and love them in the name of Christ. When these children are old enough, they leave the hostel and either return home or go to universities in the big cities, all the while taking the gospel with them.

During these past three days we have marvelled at the grace of God in providing for us many real opportunities to preach the gospel to Thai children who have never heard of Jesus Christ, the cross or the Bible before. Just this afternoon, Candice had the privilege of teaching the story of Peter walking on water to the entire school. She shared how just as Peter had to cry out "Lord save me!" Each of us also need to cry out "Lord save me!" because we are sinners and the wages of sin is death. However because of God's love for us, he gave his only Son to take the punishment for us in our place. As Candice clearly explained to the Thai children: Jesus is our substitute. She sincerely and earnestly pleaded with them to turn away from their sin and turn to Jesus Christ; to believe in Jesus and to trust in him for their salvation.

As she was preaching the gospel, I sat in the back with a Thai pastor who began to weep as he saw so many young children hearing the life-saving and life-transforming message of the gospel for the first time.

Would you take a minute, even as you read this and pray that this gospel, which alone can save, would be received and repeated by the children who heard it. If every child takes what they have learned about Jesus Christ and shares it in their homes, it is very likely that every home in the village would hear of Jesus Christ. How we long to see Jesus Christ worshiped in this and many other Thai villages!

Liberty Church and The Phrao Project

2011-03-06T05:28:00.001-08:00

The day began with a time of prayer, worship and Bible study. After breakfast, we boarded a couple of vehicles and made our way to the Liberty Church of Chiang Mai. We were warmly greeted and had the joy of joining these believers in worship. Though the service and singing were in Thai, the joy that these brothers and sisters in Christ expressed through singing was quite tangible. Furthermore, we had the privilege of sharing in communion with these believers. One interesting habit that we observed was that when the grape juice was consumed everyone exchanged the cup of juice they held in their hand with their neighbor before we drank. Melissa shared her testimony and encouraged the believers to persevere in their faith.During the sermon, we took the children from the church to another room and led them in a Bible story and activities.

We shared a simple meal of chicken and rice with the members of the church and then made our way to the Phrao project. Phrao is a remote village about 1.5 hours away from Chiang Mai. In this community we gathered the children of the village together and had the chance to lead them in ministry. Some of these children heard the gospel for the first time this afternoon! Please pray that the seeds of the gospel will find fertile soil in their young lives.As I write this, the students are preparing for the next three days of ministry in the Mae Wong Village. Very likely, there will not be internet where we are going. So, if the blog is silent, please don't be alarmed.

Care Corner Orphanage

2011-03-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

My apologies for not updating the blog yesterday. It is almost 9am as I write this. Students are grabbing breakfast and preparing for the upcoming day of ministry.

Yesterday saw the team spending the day at the Care Corner Orphanage which is situated outside of Chiang Mai. Along with teaching lessons from the Bible, leading in fun games and songs, we also had the joy of purchasing a meal for all the children in the orphanage. Due to financial restraints, it is not common for the orphans to have meat in their meals. When we learned of this, we gladly purchased a meal for all the children in the orphanage.

We started the day as one large group. Melissa Chau and Daniel Ng shared about life in Canada, our school and why we were in Thailand. Josh Han and Jonathan Lin taught the children a couple of fun, Bible songs and had the entire orphanage singing along. We then divided into three groups. One group consisting of the younger children learned about the parable of the lost sheep and made lamb faces from paper plates. The middle-aged children learned about the parable of the unmerciful servant. The eldest children learned about the wise and foolish builder. Dorothy taught the children how to make paper houses and encouraged them to build their young lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
After the lessons, we enjoyed a few minutes of simply playing with the children before we entered the canteen where lunch had been prepared. What a joy to sit among these children and share a simple meal of rice, chicken and vegetables with them.

After lunch, the children of the orphanage preformed a couple of dances for us. Candice Taguibao taught the children of Peter walking on water and encouraged the children that like Peter, they cry out to Jesus and he will hear and answer. Alison Li shared her testimony with the children.

We spent the remainder of the time with the children in play.
Thank you for your prayers and your love for the team. Thank you for taking the time to read these updates and to remember us in your prayers.

A Day Off & A Day On (Elephants and Bamboo Rafts!)

2011-03-04T08:03:00.001-08:00

Today was our first official "day off" since arriving in Thailand... and what a day it was! We had the rare opportunity to ride on the back of elephants in the morning and then make our way to a river where we rode on bamboo rafts. It is really hard to explain what these two experiences were like. The entire team was paired up and together, we tromped through the Thai jungle on elephant back. We had to frequently stop and pinch ourselves as we realized that we were riding elephant! We also had to frequently stop because the elephants demanded to be fed every few paces. For less than $1, you could buy a bag of sugar cane or a bag of bananas. About every 10 paces, the elephant would stop dead in its tracks, its trunk would swing above its head and it would wait until you placed a sugar can shoot or a couple of bananas in its trunk.

After riding the elephants, we journeyed a little further until we reached the edge of a river where we boarded bamboo rafts which meandered along the river steered by Thai tour guides. It was a refreshing and relaxing ride.

After riding the elephants and riding the rafts, we returned to Chiang Mai for a bite to eat and returned to the hotel for a few hours. Students finished off lessons for the next few days, swam in the pool or took a nap.

In the evening we visited the night bazar where all sorts of bargains were acquired.

The next five days will be quite busy. Tomorrow, we visit an orphanage where we have a day of ministry prepared. On Sunday we minister in a local church and then make our way to one of the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand for children's ministry.

On Monday we depart early in the morning for three days of ministry in a rural village where we will be staying. We will not be camping outdoors as originally planned. The female students and teachers will stay in the home of a local pastor while the male students and teacher will stay inside the church.

Please pray for stamina for these next five days of ministry. Tired bodies can make for irritable spirits and irritable spirits can distract us from the ministry of sharing the gospel. Please pray against this and ask that God would grant to us strength, patience, and unity.

Painting and a Visit to the Slums

2011-03-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

We spent the morning in two different locations doing different activities. Half our team went to a children's centre run by a christian couple. They had the opportunity to serve in a very practical way. They painted the main children's activity room and the outside exterior walls. The students worked hard to do a good job laughing and smiling the entire time. Their joy was evident to all who passed by the doors and outside the centre as the work was being done. Even the buddhist bus driver commented on how happy they were. The students found it very satisfying to see the before and after shots of the rooms and what a difference a coat of paint made to the appearance of the centre. The centre directors were very grateful for the quick make-over, as it would have been a project that may have been put off based on priority. Before leaving, the students lay hands on the husband and wife and prayed that God would bless their ministry and that many Thai children would come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour through this children's centre. The team also experienced eating rice and roasted chicken by hand and thoroughly enjoyed a popular Thai dessert – mango and sticky rice covered in coconut milk!!

The other half of the team traveled down to one of the “slums” in Chiang Mai. We went anticipating that a crowd of 10-15 village children would come out to sing songs and listen to us tell stories. God surprised us by bringing two! A five year old girl called Chang Chang and a twelve year old boy called Tai Wan. Regardless of the numbers, our students enthusiastically sang Jesus Loves Me and Father Abraham, Renee and Jon S. told the parable of the lost sheep, Victoria performed Peter Walks on Water and the kids completed a craft – all on a dirt road beside a tree. Chang Chang was very shy but warmed up to us by the end and it was Tai Wan that captured all of our hearts. He was very affectionate right from the start and smiled and laughed at everything. On our journey back through the village, we got to visit Tai Wan's home and it was then that we realized that God had much to teach us through Tai Wan. We entered his “house” that consisted of a medium sized room with an attached smaller room which was the kitchen. The only furnishing in larger room was a twin mattress and as we gazed around the room, the walls were bare. This is where Tai Wan lived with his parents, his 4 sibling and grandparents. Tai Wan's father had an amputated left leg and his mother had an amputated arm. Tai Wan and his family often had to walk the streets to beg for money in order to pay for rent and have food to eat. It was an incredibly humbling experience. This family had so, so little but Tai Wan was probably happier than many of the other boys his age back in Canada. We were grateful that the family allowed us to pray for them in their home. It is our hope that the gospel seeds planted in Tai Wan's heart will grow in the years to come. We walked away knowing that this will definitely be a memory we will keep and learn from over a lifetime.

The Forgiveness Church

2011-03-02T07:24:00.000-08:00

According to statistics, Thailand's population is only 1% Christian. A common saying about the Thai is that "To be Thai is to be Buddhist." Certainly, we have seen this. As soon as we arrived in Thailand, we found Buddhist monks in saffron robes walking about. Every day we are here we see more and more of these monks. Every restaurant we eat at has images of revered monks and statues of Buddha.

Today, we witnessed a different side of Thailand's spiritual make up. We had the opportunity to spend much of the day with a handful of Thai Christians. Our day began very early in the morning. We boarded a song taw - a covered pick up truck which is the common form of transportation in Chiang Mai. We drove 30 -40 minutes from our hotel to a tiny house which doubles as the Forgiveness Church. The interior of the house has been converted into a meeting room where Christians gather for worship and for Sunday services. The room is not large, certainly smaller than the average classroom at PCA.

The pastor, his wife and his teenaged daughter live in this house. Apart from the meeting room, there is a kitchen and a washroom. Outside of the house is a yard with a couple of trees surrounded by a cement wall.

The pastor had wanted to have this wall painted for some time. So, this morning, we purchased the paint and supplies and painted the wall for him. First, we washed down the wall. Next we cleared out all the growth that had cropped up along the wall. After laying on a coat of primer, the students put on two coats of paint.

Although the task was relatively straight forward, we ran into a hurdle when we accidentally punctured a city water pipe in our zeal to clear the growth away from the fence. The punctured pipe began to spray water and soon we were looking at the threat of a flood. Thankfully, the pastor was able to secure some assistance and within a short period of time, the pipe was fixed.

It took most of the day to complete all the work related to the painting of the wall. Hopefully, we can post pictures of the freshly painted wall soon.

In the evening, we joined the evening prayer meeting of the church. Young people from the community were invited to come and join the meeting tonight. We were blessed to join them in worship. Many of the tunes were familiar but obviously the language was different. What a privilege to be in that meeting as we sung the same praises to Jesus Christ in two different languages.

Another highlight of the night was the opportunity to pray one-on-one for those gathered. Each of our students joined hands with a Thai Christian and in our respective languages, we committed one another to our Saviour.

Josh Han and Candice Taguibao shared their testimonies and the gospel with those gathered in the meeting.

Tonight as we debriefed, there was a sense of God's grace in allowing us to participate in the meeting. We walked away from our time at the Forgiveness Church with a richer understanding of the body of Christ and the great treasure that we share with all Christians, everywhere, in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your prayers.

Cooking Night

2011-03-01T07:32:00.001-08:00

It is 10:30pm as I write this. The team has put in another full day. Today was geared towards the cooking night at the Centre. We began the day by visiting Chiang Mai University where we initiated conversations with students and invited them to join us at the Centre this evening for English conversation and a taste of Western foods.

By 7:00pm, the Centre was filled with students. We played a few ice breakers with the students and then moved into the food. Our students prepared three dishes: tacos, poutine and crepes. After all were fed, our students introduced the parable of the Good Samaritan and preformed it for those who were gathered. After, Jonathan Selvalingham and Dorothy Yeung shared their testimonies and the message of the gospel with the Thai students. It was trememndously moving to see our students introducing these Thai students to the person and work of Jesus Christ - some for the very first time.

We have now returned from the Centre and all are settling in for a well deserved rest. Tomorrow will see us visiting a church and helping with some manual work on the premises. Afterward, the youth of the church have invited their friends to come to the church. We will be sharing with these youth. Please pray for clarity and boldness in sharing the gospel.

A Few Images from Day One

2011-02-28T06:18:00.000-08:00

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Here are a few photos from today. The first is a picture of some members of the team enjoying Pad Thai in the outdoor market. The next two were taken at the Buddhist shrine.

A Day of Orientation

2011-02-28T05:56:00.000-08:00

The day began officially at 8am, we gathered together to join in prayer for the nation of Thailand and for our team. On our knees, we asked that God would allow the gospel to bear much fruit in Thailand and we asked that God would grant to us a unity of spirit and mind.

We opened the Bible and worked our way through the first chapter of Mark's gospel. We explored why Jesus, who was perfect in every way needed to be baptized. Answering that question helped us to understand more of the fullness of the gospel. Namely, that the gospel is not only the fact that Jesus died for our sins but he also lived for us - fulfilling everything that God requires us to do. He is our substitute not only in his death but also in his life.

Breakfast was eaten the hotel. It was a delicious spread of both Thai and western items. Everyone ate their fill and was sufficiently satisfied!

Rob Moore met us at the hotel after breakfast and we headed to the Centre. Some rode with him, others took the "Song-Taw" - a covered pick up truck - which is the taxi service in Chiang Mai.

At the Centre, we were oriented to both Thai culture and to the ministry of The Centre. It was encouraging to hear of how influential the ministry of the Centre is in the lives of the students in Chiang Mai.

After a traditional Thai lunch, we headed to Doi Suthop. This is one of the holiest sites for Thai Buddhists. It is believed that remains of the original Buddha are found here. To get to the temple, we had to snake our way up a side of a mountain and then climb a 450 - 500 step incline. While observing the Buddhist practices, our team joined in prayer for Chiang Mai and Thailand, asking that God would glorify Jesus in this nation and that He would tear down all strongholds that prevent the Thai people from confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We returned to the Centre after a couple of hours at Doi Suthop and debriefed. From the Centre we walked back to our hotel, stopping in a market for a traditional meal of Pad Thai - fried noodles.

It is 9:00pm as I write this. The students are busily finalizing their lessons for upcoming ministry. Our students will be teaching through some of Jesus' parables. We trust that God's word will not return to Him void. Please pray to this end with us.

All the members of the team are well - tired but well.

Arrived Safely in Chiang Mai, Thailand

2011-02-27T04:39:00.000-08:00

We thank God for his provision and grace in granting us safety in our travels. We have arrived safely in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is now 7:40pm on Sunday evening. We have just finished a delicious dinner in the Chiang Mai Hill Hotel.

Our scheduled visit to the market has been canceled simply because we are far too tired to appreciate the sights and sounds due to jet lag.

The day begins tomorrow morning with a time of Bible study and prayer. We will be working our way through Mark's gospel in the mornings. Feel free to join with us in our reading, if you wish.

Please pray that the members of the team will be able to adjust to the new time zone quickly. Pray that with lack of sleep, we will not become irritable but would bear with one another in Christian love. Pray that we will be focused and on task while in Thailand so that many may hear and respond to the gospel.

Thank you!

In Hong Kong

2011-02-26T15:15:00.001-08:00

After a very very long flight, we have arrived safely in Hong Kong. We fly out of Hong Kong in a little over an hour. Right now, students are checking into the final leg of our journey. Although most are tired, we are all well. Please continue to pray for a fruitful ministry in Thailand. Pray that the gospel will be faithfully communicated and that it will bear much fruit and that this fruit will last.

Sa Wat Dee!

2011-02-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

Writing to let you know that we are waiting for departure. Everyone is happy, indulging in snacks, playing games and napping while we wait. We board in an hour, will fly for 17 hours to Hong Kong, where we will wait for three hours for our two hour flight to Bangkok. In Bangkok we have a two hour lay over for our flight to Chiang Mai. We will arrive at 2pm Chiang Mai time. A total of 24 hours of traveling! Thanks to all who came to see us off at the airport!

Evangelism Reflections

2011-02-23T17:02:00.000-08:00

On December 3rd and January 21st, each of our PCA students were partnered up with a Campus for Christ university student and they went out to approach other students on the University of Toronto campus with the purpose of starting conversations about spiritual things. Here is some of the feedback from our students about the experience:

Dorothy
My partner was Fae, and together we went into several buildings to find people to chat with. We had an opportunity to talk to twin sisters who were polar opposites in spiritual/religious beliefs. However, they had common ground in believing that there is a God, but it is impossible to have a personal relationship with Him. We did not get a chance to dig deeper and to actually share the message of Christ, but I believe that it is a start and that seeds were planted in their hearts that day.
When Fae and I sat down to debrief about our conversation with the twins, we mentioned how we wanted to share the gospel but didn't get a chance to. But, we came to a conclusion that it is God's perfect timing and that it isn't our job to share this news with them but rather, to plant a seed. Fae shared with me a scale that shows how each time someone evangelizes to a person, they shift from left to right, one number at a time. When they reach zero, it means that the person has accepted Christ, and each number after that is their growth and walk with the Lord. It was encouraging for me to remember that God is working even here at home and that He gave me an amazing partner that I learned a lot from.

Ivan
I was paired up with a student named Sath. He was extremely helpful and a really great example to learn from. We struck up a conversation with a guy eating his lunch. Sath opened by asking him if we could spend some time talking about his thoughts on God. The man said yes, and Sath began by asking him several questions such as, “What is your background in terms of faith?” and “What are your views of God?” Sath listened to his reply without interruption and when he spoke, he made an effort not to contradict anything the man said. Instead, he showed understanding and then merely presented his own views based on the same subjects. Unfortunately, the man was on a schedule and had to leave, but we quickly found another student willing to talk to us. We spoke with him for a while and found out that he was agnostic. However, he also believed that all religions were true to some extent, so he was in contradiction, but Sath didn’t point that out. Instead, he presented the Gospel as rational and logical religion which he himself accepted after thorough research. I learned a lot about evangelism from Sath and I am very grateful for his time spent with me.

Candice
I usually feel uncomfortable with having conversations with people I don't know and just start to talk to them about my faith. But it was interesting how Khevna, my partner, started the conversation. She explained that we were from C4C and we just wanted to see what people at the campus thought of or realized the pessimism of Christianity with the professors (or something like that). As the conversation went on, the girl we approached was really cool and was open to talk about what she believed in and her faith. She was a Sikh who wasn't really religious but on a relationship level in her faith. It was just amazing how she was so truthful and open about talking about what she believed in. Later on, her friend joined us. He was a Hindu by birth and didn't really seem to know much about his religion. It was like he was confused about what truth really was and seemed to be seeking. I gave him a "Jesus book", which they called it, but he refused. I really admired how Khevna told her story and relationship with them like they were old friends. She was really natural and genuine and everything just flowed. She was really bold and wasn't at all shy about sharing her faith. I've never evangelized like this before but it was really cool and I think I will continue something like this when I go to university.

What Kind of Religion Is This?

2011-02-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

In a sermon Dick Lucas once preached, he recounted an imaginary conversation between an early Christian and her neighbor in Rome...

"Ah," the neighbor says. "I hear you are religious! Great! Religion is a good thing. Where is your temple or holy place?"

"We don't have a temple," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our temple."

"No temple? But where do your priests work and do their ritual?"

"We don't have priests to mediate the presence of God," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our priest."

"No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favor of your God?"

"We don't need a sacrifice," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our sacrifice."

"What kind of religion is this?" sputters the pagan neighbor.

And the answer is, it's no kind of religion at all.

-Tim Keller

Thai Missionaries: You will either be faithful or be popular

2011-02-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

"To preach salvation by good works is to flatter people and so avoid opposition.

This may seem to some to pose the alternative too starkly. But I do not think so. All Christian preachers have to face this issue.

Either we preach that human beings are rebels against God, under his just judgment and (if left to themselves) lost, and that Christ crucified who bore their sin and curse is the only available Saviour.

Or we emphasize human potential and human ability, with Christ brought in only to boost them, and with no necessity for the cross except to exhibit God’s love and so inspire us to greater endeavour.

The former is the way to be faithful, the latter the way to be popular.

It is not possible to be faithful and popular simultaneously. We need to hear again the warning of Jesus: ‘Woe to you when all men speak well of you’ (Lk. 6:26). By contrast, if we preach the cross, we may find that we are ourselves hounded to the cross.

John Stott

To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations...

2011-02-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

A Prayer For Our Thai Missionaries

2011-02-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

“God save you from the sin of paring down the gospel to suit the pride of men. God grant that you may deliver your message straight and full and plain. Only so, whatever else you may sacrifice, will you have one thing — the favor of the Lord Jesus Christ.” J. Gresham Machen (1881-1937)

William Carey's 11 Commandments for Missions

2011-02-16T04:32:00.000-08:00

William Carey is considered to be the father of the modern-day missionary enterprise. He was a pioneer missionary in India. Carey had 11 Commandments for Missionaries. Here they are in order:

1. Set an infinite value on immortal souls.

2. Gain all the information you can about “the snares and delusions in which these heathens are held.”

3. Abstain from all English manners which might increase prejudice against the gospel.

4. Watch for all opportunities for doing good, even when you are tired and hot.

5. Make Christ crucified the great subject of your preaching.

6. Earn the people’s confidence by your friendship.

7. Build up the souls that are gathered.

8. Turn the work over to “the native brethren” as soon as possible.

9. Work with all your might to translate the Bible into their languages. Build schools to this end.

10. Stay alert in prayer, wrestling with God until he “famish these idols and cause the heathen to experience the blessedness that is in Christ.”

11. Give yourself totally to this glorious cause. Surrender your time, gifts, strength, families, the very clothes you wear.

HT: Ray Ortlund

Meeting Time for Thailand

2011-02-16T02:55:00.000-08:00

Please note the correction to the itinerary. We will be meeting at the airport, terminal 3, at 10pm on Friday, February 25. Our flight takes off on Saturday, February 26 at 1:30 am.

See you then!

Thailand 2011

2011-02-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Senior Missions Team is headed to Thailand. We leave for Thailand on February 26 at 1:30am. Lord willing, we will return on March 11. Please keep the team in your prayers.

Safely home

2010-03-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

Praise God for journey mercies. By His grace, we are safely home.

2010-03-13T05:01:00.000-08:00

Final picture of the whole team, with us and the pastors and director of the Ecole Esperance Vivante in Yeumbeul - a poor suburb of Dakar, where these students made a significant impact. They will not soon be forgotten by the grateful students and teachers of this Christian school, nor by us! Sharon & Will Radford

On their way!

2010-03-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

Hello parents, families and friends!

We know you are probably waiting to hear so we thought we would let you know the team is safely at the airport with all their baggage waiting for their flight which leaves in 2 hours. The flight is scheduled on time, so all should be well.

We cannot believe how quickly these 2 weeks went by - at least on our side of the Atlantic! :-) This is an awesome group of teens and we were so impressed by their servant hearts, good attitudes, willingness to work, flexibility, boldness and tender spirits. We know that their lives have been changed by their experiences here and we have no doubt that the Lord has incredible plans for all of them.

Can we ask one thing? Please listen to their stories. Pay attention when they tell you about people and places you haven't seen and cannot even picture. This will be vital to their ability to process all that they saw and heard and felt while they were here. And allow the Lord to continue to change and shape them. They are not the same young men and women who left Toronto 2 weeks ago. They have been changed and they are ready for whatever the Lord has next for them!

We are looking forward to seeing them all in a few weeks in Toronto when we come for a short home assignment. If any of you parents and families would like to see us then too, please just let us know! We would love to meet you. Our email address is radfordsix@gmail.com.

God bless you! Yalla bachna!

Will & Sharon Radford, Jesse & Beth

Last post

2010-03-11T15:08:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe that our time in Senegal is shortly coming to an end. It has been a time of growth and depth for each member of the team. Each of them has risen to the task of being a representative of Christ in this country. We are pleased and proud of each of them.

Today, we returned to the deaf school and presented the gospel to the children there. They were receptive and attentive.

In the afternoon, we went to Dakar Academy and led the chapel in this school which is home to a large number of Missionary kids who's parents are scattered throughout West Africa. What a privilege it was to be with these students. They sang praises to God with zeal and really challenged us to be bold in our praise of Jesus Christ.

In the evening, our students were dispersed among the different dorms of Dakar Academy and shared a meal with the students in the dorms.

Tonight, we are packing up and preparing for our day of debrief tomorrow before heading to the airport for the journey home. We will be spending most of the day at the Meridian hotel, enjoying a meal, swimming in the pool and beginning the important task of processing all that we have learned and experienced during our 2 weeks in Senegal. Please pray for this time. Debrief is a very important part of a short term missions trip and if done well can help us to properly take all that we have learned over these two weeks and solidify it for a lifetime.

Our flight home begins on Saturday March 13 at 1:50 AM. We will be flying from Dakar to Washington DC on South African Airways flight 207. It is scheduled to arrive in Washington at 6:00 AM.

We leave Washington for Toronto at 12:30pm on United Airlines flight 8049. It is scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 2:01pm.

As always, please check the airlines for any delays or changes to these times.

Please remember that your son or daughter must continue to take all of their Malarone for 7 days after their return from Dakar.

Wednesday, the 10th

2010-03-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

Hello! It's the Radfords posting for the team again as they do not have computer access tonight. Today was the culmination of the work at the Yeumbeul school. It was a long, tiring day, but a very rewarding one too. I am sure Mr. Philip will give more details as soon as he can. But I am posting a picture of the amazing PCA team with one of the beautiful murals they created in the pre-school classroom at the school. They did an incredible job, as did the teams doing Bible stories and crafts with the kids. We have been blessed beyond measure!

Tuesday

2010-03-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to let you know that all is well. Today was another busy one with the trip through slow-moving traffic to the school in Yeumbeul which is called Ecole Esperance Viviante (Living Hope School) to continue work on the murals in 2 classrooms and the program of Bible story and crafts with the students. The PCA team is doing an awesome job on all aspects of this ministry time. Tomorrow the murals should be complete and we will finish with the 3 days of ministry at this school.

Thanks for continuing to pray for all of us. The team is healthy and happy We can hardly believe there are only 3 days left!

Will & Sharon Radford

Yembeul Day 1

2010-03-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

Our day began earlier than normal as we were trying to avoid getting caught in traffic. We met in the common area at 6:30am for devotions and then breakfast. Breakfast this morning consisted of eggs and potatos. At 8am we boarded our bus for the trip to Yembeul.

I wish you could meet our bus driver. His name is Jerome. He is certainly the tallest and the happiest man I have met. He loves Jesus dearly and serves us cheerfully.

Again, I wish you could take a trip along the roads in Senegal. They are incredibly active and vibrant. In Senegal, horse carts share the roads with cars and busses. Interestingly, there are not many bicycles on the road. The women dress in bright colours and the men's long robes remind us of outfits from the Middle East. It is quite common to see men walking along the road fingering their Muslim prayer beads, reciting the 99 names of God in Islam.

The streets are lined with vendors selling their wares. Some are selling shoes, some are selling sunglasses, some are selling phone cards. Each vendor has one thing he or she sells. Retail stores, like what we are familiar with in Canada are nowhere to be seen. Instead, if you want oranges, you simply need to get stuck in traffic and the man selling oranges will come to your window and sell them to you directly.

There are children everywhere in Senegal. They zip in and out of traffic with ease. It is quite common to see a girl of 6 or 7 years with her infant sibling swaddled to her back. A number of young boys are supposed to be taught and cared for by a local Muslim leader called a Maribou. Unfortunately, the majority of these children end up on the street with a red tin can, collecting alms which will go back to the Maribou.

The public buses are something to behold. They are painted in rich colours of yellow and blue with Muslim slogans and blessings written on their sides. People board from the back of the bus where a ticket collector stands, usually hanging off the back. There are no designated stops. The bus simply slows down and people will jump off or on the moving bus as they need. Life is made all the mor interesting by the fact that on the city streets (not the highways) there are no lanes. Add to this the fact that most roads are not wide enough for traffic heading in one direction, let alone two directions, and you can understand why traffic is slow here.

We arrived at Yembeul by 9:30am and began setting up for the day. The students were divided into three groups. One third of the students were on the art team. They are painting two murals in classrooms at the school. The second group worked with the primary students. The last group worked with the older students. Everyone gave their best effort and the day was a real success.

Interestingly, students in Senegal have a long break in the middle of their school day. They start at 9am (I believe) and end at 1pm. Then they go home until 4pm. At 4pm they return for more school until 6pm.

Once the students left for their afternoon break, we stopped for lunch (sandwiches) and continued with the murals. The team painting the murals are doing a phenomenal job. We anticipate that these murals will likely be regarded among the great masterpieces of art!

Throughout our time in Senegal, we have been blessed with the presence and assistance of Pastor Ngor. He is gifted in languages and has helped to translate for us since we arrived. He has sacrificed so much time and energy to help us. We are very thankful for him and his presence.

By God's grace, we continue to enjoy good health and spirits. Please pray for our continued health and for the seeds of the gospel to find a home in good soil in the lives of these children.

Preparing for the week ahead

2010-03-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hello,

We trust that you had a blessed Lord's day. All are well but definetly tired after an unexpectedly long day.

After church this morning, we had lunch. From lunch we were supposed to make a quick jaunt to Yembeul where we were going to prep some of the work that we will be doing in a school in this town. It should have taken 45 minutes to get to Yembeul but traffic being what it is slowed us down. In the end, it was more like a 3 - 4 hour trip!

We have finally returned from Yembeul. We did not complete all the work we wanted to but the sunsets very quickly here.

By God's grace, we continue to enjoy good health and spirits.

Tour and Market

2010-03-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Hello,

In the midst of the busyness of the first week of ministry, we never noticed that we had not taken a tour of the city of Dakar. Mr. Radford allowed that to happen today with a nice tour of this city. After lunch, we went to the market to pick up souvenirs for family and friends at home. The markets required us to bargain a good price. It took some getting used to for the students but soon they had the hang of it.

By God's grace, we continue to enjoy good health, strength and spirits.

Tomorrow will be a busier day as we attend church in the morning and then head to Yembeul to prepare for our three days of ministry there. Please pray that the day would be used well so that we are well prepared for all that God has prepared for us to do.

Thank you!

A day of preparation and rest

2010-03-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Today was set aside as a day of rest and preparation for the upcoming week. In the morning, students reviewed their lessons and activities for next week's ministry activities. After noon, we travelled to the beach where everyone had a truly refreshing day.

Tonight, the missionaries who work with the Radfords will be sharing about their ministry and their lives as missionaries. We pray that our students will develop a fuller sense of the call to missions and all the meaningful work that falls within that call.

Everyone is happy, healthy and being made holy!

Agnes and the children of Dalifort

2010-03-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

Jonathan meeting the children of Dalifort

2010-03-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

Preaching the gospel to the children of Dalifort

2010-03-04T16:15:00.000-08:00

Merna amongst the children of Dalifort

2010-03-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

Thomas teaching the story of Peter walking on water

2010-03-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

Dorothy sharing her testimony with the children of Dalifort

2010-03-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

At the school for the deaf

2010-03-04T15:42:00.000-08:00

Teaching the students at the school for the deaf a craft (with the help of an interpreter!)

Some pictures of our adventures!

2010-03-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

Hi parents & friends! We know the updates are great but we know from experience how wonderful it is to see pictures of your children when they are so far away! So, here are a few pictures from the last couple of days.

Learning about and tasting Senegalese tea, made by our translator and friend Pastor Ngor Ngom.

Below are some pictures of yesterday afternoon's rest and preparation time at our house. Several team members slept through a lot of commotion in our living room!

SOME students played some games instead of sleeping, and some preferred to destroy Jesse Radford's basketball hoop! Just joking Samuel! It isn't broken, it comes apart all the time! :-)

Some team members climbed the "big gun" on Goree Island today.

And here is a picture of the whole team, with our family and Pastor Ngor today at Goree Island. Keep praying for us and thank you for praying! Will & Sharon Radford

Goree Island

2010-03-04T00:21:00.000-08:00

This morning, the team is heading out to Goree Island. Goree Island was one of the locations in Senegal where African slaves were shipped off to Europe and North America. It will be an opportuniy for students to learn about a darker period in Senegal and Africa's history.

In the afternoon, we will be leading activities at a local community center.

All the students are feeling well and are in good spirits. The four students who stayed behind yesterday are back to normal. They were either tired or had minor upset stomachs, which is normal. They had joined us for the evangelism yesterday afternoon. The students had a good night of rest and are being encouraged to drink plenty of liquids.

Dalifort Part Two

2010-03-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Our day began, as is now customary, with devotions and breakfast. For devotions students are study John 10 in depth. They are studying the chapter verse by verse, identifying its meaning, significance and application. We move out devotions and into breakfast which consists of fruit and cereal.

This morning was a little more low-key. We went to the office of the deaf school and finished some projects there. Because it was low-key, four students who were tired or sick stayed behind with Mrs. Paas to rest up.

The rest went to the office and put in a good effort. For lunch, we had Senegalese burgers. A Senegalese burger is similar to burgers at home except for the fact that they tear out the inside of the bun and stuff it with french fries!

In the afternoon, we returned to Dalifort, the community we visited yesterday. We had two evangelistic campaigns organized for today. One was for children at 3:30, the other was for adults at 6:00.

We arrived at 3:45 to find that the field where the campaign was to be held was already full of children eagerly waiting for our arrival. We began the campaign and were deeply moved by the response of the children. They were attentive to the gospel and responded with great earnest. The children's campaing was followed by a campaign for the adults. Again, there was a real hunger to hear the gospel and an earnest response to the invitation. Well over one hundred young children gave their lives to Jesus Christ today. We praise God for this and celebrate the work He is doing in this community.

The campaign highlighted the need for missionaries in this community. Just beyond the field where our students were preaching the gospel, the mosque was blaring the call to prayer. The Islamic religion is very strong in Senegal but Islam provides no hope for these people. It demands submission and offers no redemption. The gospel of Jesus Christ - his death for our sins, in our place and his resurrection from the grave is the only means by which these people can know peace with God.

Would you pray for the Senegalese people that the gospel would bear much fruit in their lives and in their nation?

Deaf School and Dalifort

2010-03-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a day the team had. We were working in two places today. In the morning, we went to a deaf school run by Mrs. Radford's sister. The students were split into two groups. Half of them worked on crafts, led by James Tam, Katie Shau and the PCA team. The other half went to an adjacent field and played sports with the children. Trying to communicate with the deaf students certainly posed interesting challenges. Thankfully, the teachers at the deaf school were extremely gracious and patient with us. The entire experience was a rich blessing for all of us. We were moved by the genuine happiness expressed on the faces of these deaf students.

After spending the morning at the deaf school, we headed to Mr. and Mrs. Radford's house where Mrs. Radford had prepared a delicious and filling meal for the entire team. We spent the afternoon resting, playing games and preparing ourselves for the evening activities.

In the evening, we went to a neighbouring village called Dalifort. We split up into two groups and went through the village sharing the gospel with individuals and families. Josh Lau had a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel to an entire family and had the privilege of seeing the whole family respond to the message by trusting Christ for salvation. Truly, the gospel is the power for salvation for all who believe!

Students continue to enjoy health and strength. We are encouraging them to get plenty of sleep and drink plenty of liquids. Other than some minor upset stomachs, all are well.

Tuesday, the 2nd

2010-03-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to ask you to pray for the team as they are involved in evangelism this evening in a neighbourhood near where we live. They are partnering with a local pastor and his congregation to do some door-to-door evangelism and a short "open-air" type meeting. Pray for receptive hearts and a clear presence of the Holy Spirit in this neighbourhood! Thanks for praying. Mrs. Radford

A hot day in the village

2010-03-01T12:56:00.000-08:00

The day began with devotions. We gathered at 7:15am. Everyone was on time, with Bibles and pens. We meet in a common area where we also share meals. No one was late or sleeping in. This is a good sign.

After devotions, we at breakfast and then boarded a bus which took us out to a village. The bus drive was over two hours long and most of the students used the chance to take a nap.

We had a tour of the local school where we sang songs for each class. They, in turn sang songs for us. After the tour of the school, we returned to the home of a local pastor where his wife was preparing a very delicious meal for the team.

Senegalese meals are eaten communally. So, four or five students gathered around one very large dish and ate rice, beef and vegetables.

After eating our fill, we waited for the heat to pass. We made our way to the school and played a number of games with the children (probably in the area of 200 children were present).

Some played soccer, some played frisbee, some played with a parachute we had brought. After a while, all the games stopped and students had the opportunity, with the help of a translator to share the gospel with the children. Many children responded positively to the gospel message. We trust that the Lord will use the message of the gospel to transform their lives.

After this, students lined up and received a treat of candy before we boarded the bus to return home. Because of traffic, the trip home was almost twice as long as the trip to the village.

Students are healthy and well. We have been monitoring their water consumptions - especially today with the heat. By God's grace none of the students had any issues to deal with.

Please continue to pray for their health and pray that the preaching of the gospel would be powerful and effective in changing lives.

Keep praying!

2010-02-28T14:35:00.001-08:00

Just a note from the Radfords - this team is amazing! They are jumping in with both feet and have already honoured so many people with their loving spirits. We can hardly wait to see what the week holds. PLEASE keep praying for them!

Church in Senegal

2010-02-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

We began our day with devotions and breakfast. We boarded a bus which took us to church. The people were very warm and welcomed us with open arms. With no sound system or power point projection, the Senegalese people sang with great joy and volume. It was encouraging to be with them.

It is now 3:45pm. Everyone is well. We are going to be spending the evening at Dakar Academy where we will hear some testimonies of students from this Christian school.

Orientation

2010-02-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

It is 4:30pm in Senegal. We have finished a meaningful time of orientation with Mr. and Mrs. Radford. In a couple of hours, we will leave the compound and go for dinner.

We are staying in the compound of the Wycliffe Bible Translators guest house. It is very clean and comfortable inside. Students are staying in apartments. All the girls share one apartment and the guys share another apartment. Each apartment has bedrooms with anywhere between 2 to 4 beds. Each apartment has a fridge where we can keep our drinks cool. Also, each apartment has a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower.

Everyone is healthy and happy.

More updates to come!

2010-02-27T00:41:00.001-08:00

They have arrived!

Just a quick note to let parents, teachers, friends and other interested individuals know that the team arrived safely this morning. They are at their accommodations and are resting for a bit before we bring lunch and start orientation with them. PTL that the first part of this journey went well for them. We are looking forward to getting to know the team.

Will was immediately glad to see a sign of unity - though they have 2 apartments for the girls and 2 for the guys, they didn't want to be separated and so decided to squeeze into 1 apartment for the girls and 1 for the guys! This shows us that they are already enjoying being together and it is a good sign of things to come!

Stay tuned for updates. But rest assured, all is well!

Mr. & Mrs. R.

6:30 AM

2010-02-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

See you in the morning at 6:30AM at Pillar "G"
Please check the weather and leave with plenty of time.
Bring your passports, your addressed luggage, customs card and everything else you need on your packing list.

Eating Sengalese style

2010-02-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of some of the members of the 2003 PCA Missions team eating communally, Senegalese style.

Inside a Ndiaga Ndiaye

2010-02-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot inside a nidaga ndiaye. Those are the members of 2003 PCA Sr. Missions Team to Senegal with Mr. Radford.

Ndiaga Ndiaye

2010-02-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

These are the vehicles which will transport us to and from the bush. They're called Ndiaga Ndiaye.

In the bush Part 2

2010-02-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

Here's the house of the pastor which we will be working on. In 2003, a team of PCA students just like you helped to build it! Now we have the privilege of helping to maintain it! Truly, He who begins a good work will be faithful to complete it!

In the bush

2010-02-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

As you will see from our schedule, we will have a number of days of ministry in the Senegalese bush. Having never been to Africa, let alone been to the African bush, I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully Will and Sharon Radford have fleshed out this portion of the trip some more for us.

Here's what they said...

In the bush, sunset will be around 7:15. The difference between here and Canada is that from sunset till it is really dark is only about 15 minutes.

We will take an air conditioned bus from Dakar to the village we will be based in. During the 4 days in the bush, we will use a more “rugged” form of transport called a “ndiaga ndiaye” which you will come to love! The air conditioned bus will return to take us back to Dakar.

We will be set up in tents on a property with a concrete wall around it where there is a church and pastor’s house.

For the main noon meal each day we will eat Senegalese meals, in Senegalese style.

The terrain where we will be working is very dry and dusty.

Overall schedule for “bush time”:

Sunday – leave from Dakar around 3 pm. Arrive at site around 5 pm. Introduce pastors we will work with, unpack bus, eat supper. After dark, around 7:30, we will have a devotional time with one of the pastors, a debrief time, then head to bed!

Monday – 8 am up and breakfast. We will take some students to do children’s ministry in a village while other students stay on the property and work on the pastor’s house. The work will not be terribly difficult – just scraping and painting. One of the pastors who speaks good English will go with the students to do children’s ministry, and will translate directly from English to Serere, the language in this area.

Noon – everyone back on site for lunch

Afternoon – rest time. it will be hot and we will need to rest.

5 pm – kids get out of the school near the site. They will probably come to investigate the “toubabs” (white people). We can do some soccer or some other stuff with them

6:30 – supper

After supper – go to set up and do evangelism in a village about 20 minutes or less away. This is a time to be flexible. Even if we are set up and ready to go at 8 pm…it is possible that people will not gather until around 9 pm.

10:30 or so – back to site and sleep!

Tuesday and Wednesday the same. Thursday we will play by ear depending on what needs to be done, etc. Then we will head back to Dakar, to a pizza supper, showers and bed!

Packing List

2010-02-13T12:39:00.001-08:00

Everyone should have already received this. But in case you lose it...

Senegal Short Term Teams

Packing List

Each individual should pack the following:

Bible!
Passport!
Hat & Sunglasses
Sunscreen & lip balm with sunscreen (you WILL burn without it)
Camera
Insect Repellent
Flashlight
Personal medications, including allergy meds
Comfortable closed shoes, sandals and/or flip flops
Toiletry items - shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, soap, moisturizer
Extra glasses, if you cannot manage without them, in case yours break or if you wear contacts
Reading material
Earplugs if you are a light sleeper
Beach towel
Clothing items:

Girls - 3-4 below-the-knee cotton skirts, 6-7 t-shirts and/or tank tops (straps at least 1 inch wide), 1-2 nicer outfits for church, 2-3 pairs shorts, 2 pairs cotton pants or jeans, 1 hoodie or long-sleeved shirt, cool and warm weather PJs, swimsuit (1-piece or full tankini, no bikinis), socks & underthings!

Guys - 2-3 pairs shorts, 3-4 pairs lightweight pants or jeans, 6-7 t-shirts, 1-2 semi-casual shirts for church, cool and warm weather PJs, swim shorts, socks and underwear!

1 set single sheets. If you are willing to leave them with the missionaries when you leave, this would help us a lot.
Required: 1 box cereal, 1 box instant oatmeal packets, 1 medium (plastic) jar peanut butter, 2 packs Kraft Dinner
Suggested: Crystal Lite or Kool Ade packs, granola bars

Do Not bring the following:

Expensive jewelry
Expensive sunglasses
Cell phones, computers

Each team should pack the following:

1 first aid kit including antibiotic cream, band-aids, elastic bandages, anti-itch gel or cream, Benadryl tablets, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, throat lozenges, cough drops, laxatives and diarrhea medication.
Photocopies of all passports
Master list of Emergency Contact in Canada info for each team member.

Be sure to include the following in your carry-on:

A complete change of clothing
Any medications you need daily

Sweets for Senegal Promotion

2010-02-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Miss Kang's business class produced the following videos to help promote the upcoming Sweets for Senegal fundraiser:

Promo #1

Promo #2

Laundry

2010-02-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

When we return from our time in the Senegalese bush, there will be a lady who will do our laundry at SIL. We won't do laundry individually - it will all be thrown into one pile. So, if you have items that could be confused for someone else' (such as socks or underwear) please write your name or initials on them in permanent marker.

Cameras

2010-02-13T12:21:00.001-08:00

A note from the Radfords...

If you are planning to bring a camera to Senegal, be aware that there is plenty of sand that has the potential to do some damage to your camera. So, make sure that it is well-protected. Otherwise, bring a less expensive camera.

Say Cheese!

Sweets for Senegal

2010-02-13T12:19:00.001-08:00

In just a couple of days, Miss Kang's business class we will be hosting a fundraising event for the upcoming project to Senegal.

On Friday, her students were busy at work making last minute preparations for the event. We are hoping that their hard work and support will bring in the remaining funds needed for our time in Senegal.

Please join us in the high school gymnasium from 6:30 -9:30 pm on Monday, February 13. Bring a cheque to make a donation to this project! Thank you in advance for your support.

We are getting ready!

2010-01-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

Hello again PCA team! We hope that your training day on Saturday went well. We are so glad that Megan and Emma were able to join you and give you their perspective on Senegal! They said you had good questions which is great!

We have booked your accommodations for while you are in the city. You will stay at the same location the PCA team of 2003 stayed, and they loved it there! Also, you will be returning to work on the same property in the bush that the 2003 team worked on. They helped build the Pastor's home and you will help repair and repaint it. So, the PCA Missions legacy in Senegal will carry on!

We are also planning meals and excursions for you. Rice, pasta and lots of great French baguette will be on the menu for sure! Prepare yourself to drink lots and lots of water. It is a necessity in the heat and dry air. We want you to stay healthy while you are here!

If you have any questions you or your parents would like answered, please ask. You can send the questions by email or on the Facebook group we started. We want you to feel free to ask any question that comes to mind.

We are looking forward to your visit. We will work hard, pray hard, bond together tightly and have some fun too! See you soon!

Sharon & Will Radford, Jesse & Beth

God delights in our praises!

2010-01-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Senegal! We have been so excited to read of the preparations the PCA team is going through in order to be effective ministers of the Gospel here in West Africa. We thought that you would also like to hear how we are preparing for your arrival and ministry! So, from time to time we will add our thoughts, plans and prayers to this blog. But first, enjoy this video of the children of Ecole Esperance Vivante, our newest Christian school, as they sing in French and Wolof of the goodness of our God! It is our prayer that each of these children will come to know God in a real and life-changing way! See you soon! Sharon & Will Radford

Push Ups and Testimonies

2010-01-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

During last night's training session, Mrs. Paas led the students in a time of reflection and repentance. Employing the assistance of Josh and Thomas, she demonstrated the ease with which they were able to complete push ups. Then, using Philip as a weight to hold Josh down, she demonstrated the difficulty of doing push ups when we are burdened by sin. We were invited to privately confess our sins to Christ and find the freedom of knowing his forgiveness.

After this time of confession, we moved to the computer lab and began working on our testimonies. We trust that we will have many opportunities to share all that Christ has done in His life, death and resurrection.

Thank you for reading this update and remembering our team in your prayers.

Believe by Harmony of Hearts

2010-01-10T22:21:00.001-08:00

Believe from Harmony of Hearts on Vimeo.

Gospel Paintings & Communication - January 2 & 4 Training

2010-01-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 2, the students on the Senegal team had an early start to the year with a day long training session. We met at 9:30am at Markham Baptist Church. Jocelyn led us in a time of teaching about prayer and then in a time of prayer itself. I have found that the students are shy about praying out loud. However, Jocelyn was very clear in her encouragement to be courageous to pray. Perhaps, you can pray that the Spirit of God would do a work of revival in our team and that one of the fruits of this revival would be a passionate yearning to be with God in prayer. I long for that day when the love and fear of God would be more persuasive than the love and fear of our neighbor's opinion of us. Such a moment will come and it will come by God's grace. Please pray this into being for our team.

After spending some time in prayer, we moved to the church's gymnasium where we spent the remainder of the day. Paul McDonald, a street evangelist from the west end of the city, gave a very powerful exhortation around the preaching of the gospel. (Paul has a blog about his evangelistic ministry at http://goodnewsfortoronto.wordpress.com)

Paul explained what the gospel is (and isn't) and the joy and necessity of preaching the gospel. He then taught the students a very effective means of communicating the gospel by painting out stories on a sketchboard. The students were taught a lesson on Peter's walking on water, how Peter began to drown and cried out, "Lord save me!" Likewise, we are facing sure death and hell because of our sin. However, if we, like Peter, look to Jesus and ask him to save us, he will - because he has paid the penalty for our sin on the cross and has risen to life again.

I am very glad that Paul was there with the students, to glory in the gospel and provide very meaningful training in how to communicate it. I've attached a photo of Paul training the students in sketchboard evangelism with this email.

The remainder of the day was spent fastidiously learning the techniques behind preparing and presenting effective "gospel sketches." It was trying at times, to maintain the aesthetic quality of the painting while preaching. All the student had an opportunity to practice with each other. Hopefully, you will be able to view one of these presentations before our departure.

While the students were training on the sketchboard, Daisy and a couple of students were baking cookies for a Parent-Information session which concluded the evening. As always the parents were more concerned than the students were. However, they were genuinely grateful for the opportunities that their children will have to proclaim the gospel.

On Monday evening, Diane, came in to the weekly training session and exhorted the students around the area of communication, the importance of taking initiative and the avoidance of cliques, to name a few of the items she addressed.

As we approach the day of departure (February 26), there is still much work to be done:

We continue to raise financial support for the trip. To this end, Lord willing, Miss Kang's business class and the Senior team will be hosting a fundraising dessert night on Monday, February 15. It is a holiday (Family Day) - if you and your family are able to attend, we would encourage you to do so to support the team.

We have two more all day training sessions on January 23 and February 22. On January 23, the Radfords' eldest daughter will be leading the training and providing more background for our students on her parents' ministry and life in Senegal.

Needless to say, this is demanding work and we need you to continue to pray for us and the team. Pray that God would revive our spirits and give us a joy in Him that would pour forth in our ministry. Pray that we would have the same desire as the Apostle Paul, namely to know nothing except Christ crucified.

Immunizations & Outreach - December 18 Outreach Event

2010-01-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

It has been a few weeks since I last updated you about the progress of the Senegal Project.

On Monday, of this past week, we took the team to the Missionary Health Institute's Travel Clinic where the nurse outlined the risks and precautions we should be aware of as we prepare to travel to Senegal. Hearing about some of the potential risks drove home the reality of the trip. After the health session, she began the painful task of immunizing our students. Our students are making a sacrifice of time and energy to communicate the gospel cross-culturally in a climate that is quite foreign to them. We pray that God would be gracious to us and grant us health, strength and joy as we share with those who need to hear about Christ.

To this end, the team spent yesterday afternoon in and around the Eaton Center. With gospel tracts, they asked people who are milling about to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. If the person was willing, our students shared with them a simple gospel presentation. This is the second year that we have incorporated direct evangelism into our training. It has been a joy to watch our students take a very definitive stand for Christ and be numbered with Him.

All of our students had had an opportunity to share the gospel with at least one person yesterday. They all returned with stories to share about how God granted them wisdom to speak with clarity and with boldness. Needless to say, I am very proud of our students and their willingness to step outside of their "comfort zone" and outside of cultural norms, to approach strangers, strike up conversations with them and ultimately point those people to Jesus Christ.

On Saturday, January 2, the team will be gathering together for a day of training and preparation. Each of the students has been paired up and is preparing a Bible lesson, craft and activity that will be used to point the Senegalese children to Jesus Christ. We will be going over these items on Saturday. As well, we will be receiving training from a local street evangelist who will be teaching our students how to present the gospel through interactive paint demonstrations. The day will end with a parent-information session.

Would you join us in praying for open doors for the gospel to be proclaimed in Senegal?
Would you join us in praying for sufficient prayer and financial provision to take us to and from Senegal?
Would you join us in praying that we would be a blessing, encouragement and joy to the Radfords?

Have a Merry Christmas!

Sharing the Gospel with Children - November 16 Meeting

2010-01-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

This message is sent with great joy at the progress I am observing in our team.

During the training session yesterday, team members had to submit their support letters in which they ask for a team of prayer, encouragement and finanical supporters. While Jocelyn, Daisy and I read the letters, the students met in their small groups and began to share what they had gleaned from the gospel of John over the past week.

It was very encouraging to hear the students leading each other, encouraging each other and exhorting each other to be faithful in their study and meditation of the Bible.

Yesterday's session sought to address two critical issues: What is the Gospel? And, how should we communicate the gospel to children? (Much of our work in Senegal will be with children).

Jocelyn led the team in a deeply meaningful demonstration of sharing the gospel with children. She shared the principle of "Hook, Book, Look, Took.: "Hook" the children with a common object or story; "Book" refers to the telling of the story or explanation of the object; "Look" refers to the transition from the object or story to the person and work of Jesus; and "Took" refers to the appropriate response of the child to Christ.

In Jocelyn's demonstration she asked all the students to sit on the floor and pretend that they were young children. She shared the story of a Butterfly, explained how a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis then demonstrated how Christ enables a type of metamorphosis in a person's life as he takes a sinner and makes that person a Child of God. Finally, she invited the students to respond by believing in Christ. It really was a very moving time to watch our senior students become like little children as they listened to and prayed with Jocelyn. The students were then assigned to craft three different gospel presentations using a picture book or common object which follows the "Hook, Book, Took, Look" model. They have 2 weeks to prepare this.

In closing, I am humbled by the reality that God allows us to be his ambassadors at home and around the world. The gospel really is the greatest gift in the world. Would you please pray that our students would be both students and heralds of this gospel?

Thank you for taking the time to read these updates. Thank you also for taking the time to pray for our team.

Prayer and The Word - November 9 Meeting

2010-01-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

Today, Jocelyn led a very meaningful time of exhortation for the team. She shared her personal testimony and the critical role that intentional time of reading, meditation and reflection in the Bible have had in her life. We have made it a point to exhort our students to be students of the Bible, independent of their class time. Someone once shared with me that the breadth of my ministry should never exceed the depth of my ministry. This is true for all who are called to minister - adults and students.

To this end, Daisy has worked very hard to produce a self-guided study through the gospel of John for our students. Each verse is examined for its content, meaning, impact and application. In their small groups, they are going to be working their way through John's gospel, verse-by-verse. I am confident that the sustained immersion in the Bible will produce much fruit in and through the lives of our students. Would you pray that the promise of Isaiah 55:11 will be evident in our students?

We have received some preliminary plans from the Radfords, in Senegal, regarding schedule and program. Please have a look at the tentative schedule they provided...

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						February 27 Team arrives
28 Music, skit, testimonies in Dakar church – Temple/Bethel/ Maristes	March 1 2 3 4 SIPS Dakar ministry ideas: Mural painting at Christian schools Children’s presentation at Christian schools Bible clubs assistance Possibly Youth presentation at a local church Possibly Youth Group presentation at Dakar Academy Thursday night After school interaction at Dakar Academy				5 SIPS Possible attendance at SIPS (Sports Invitational for Private Schools) activities for interaction with DA students and other non-Christian schools.	6 SIPS Leave for Thiadiaye (2-4 hour drive from Dakar to rural Senegal to set up for several days of ministry)
7 Attendance at and participation in a rural church. Evening evangelism	8 9 10 Rural ministry ideas: Work on Pastor’s home repairs Kids’ clubs in villages Evening evangelism in village Wednesday evening – leave for debriefing venue.			11 Debrief	12 Debrief in morning Leave for Dakar in afternoon Pack and leave for airport.	13 Team leaves

One particular item that they have asked for is a fascinatingly simple yet ingenious evangelistic tool called the "Evangeball." If you would like to learn more about these balls or purchase one on behalf of the team, please check out the following link:

http://www.africanazarene.org/wmafrica/RegionalServices/EducationDiscipleshipNED/JESUSFilm/EvangeBall/tabid/367/Default.aspx

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Pray that we would be equipped to preach the gospel fearlessly and clearly, as we should.

Raising Support - November 2 Meeting

2010-01-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

Today, Daisy provided a very thorough overview of the Biblical basis for support raising and encouraged them to begin planning their support letters. Each student is needing to raise $3250. This is a large amount, to say the least. However, we are confident that God is able to meet this need. Would you join us in praying that each student would rise to the challenge of raising this amount and that God would provide each student with a supportive team of people who would encourage, pray and love them to and from Senegal?

Another item of prayer is the persistent concerns regarding the H1N1 virus. We would like you to pray that if it is God's will for us to be in Senegal, then the spread of this virus would not pose any danger or obstacle to us. We are working with our travel agent to identify specific policies around trip cancellation should an outbreak of the virus be detected in Senegal.

Finally, would you please pray that the students have the endurance to persevere through the training sessions? They are already putting in a full day at school and the energy needed to go through another 1.5 hours can be taxing. Yet, these sessions are so important for them. So pray that they would discover the Lord as their supernatural strength - especially on Monday nights.