LCM 2010 Mission Trip

The Trip Is Over

2009-12-18T13:39:00.001-08:00

We're back from Canada and we've all gone our separate ways for Christmas break. Two weeks' worth of doing the Lord's work has been incredibly satisfying as well as humbling. Both weekends of Snow Camp at Eagle Bay gave us the opportunity to "do camp" which everyone seemed to enjoy quite a bit. We like the ebb and flow of Outdoor Education, but what a blessing it has been to plan a program and see it come to fruition through our hard work and the opportunities the Lord has given us.
The first and second weekend seemed to be quite different from each other. The first programmed weekend we had a younger kids weekend of Snow Camp and the second we had older kids. Some of the differences are obvious for age and needs that come along with those ages. But when we got into the second weekend's program, we realized that these kids truly felt hopelessness and depravity in their lives.
As most of the children in the area are growing up, they have certain opportunities that most kids have. Some of these things are given them by the government and some by their community. But as they get older, many of these opportunities are taken away since with age, the kids become more of a liability. For instance, there are several Hockey leagues that younger kids are encouraged to participate in. In fact, many of the tribes, although very poor, have Hockey rinks for their kids to come and play their favorite sport. Because of fights and poor behavior in the past, Hockey leagues stop when Native kids in the area reach the age of 11 or 12. So, in this situation, the next step for the kids is to either have their parents drive them approximately 2 hours away for a league, or they have to find something else to fill up their time.
This is a common occurrence with many of the activities that are offered in the Tribes and often times the choice that teens make is to turn to drugs and sex to fill the purpose of their existence.
We had several teens who came out on our second weekend who were starting to fit into that mindset. It is the mission of Eagle Bay Camp to express the hope that is found in Jesus Christ through camp weeks and weekends like these.
So our first weekend, we learned how basic of a need this is, and that these kids really responded well to someone offering themselves to them in love. Through those simple relationships, we were able to share the Gospel in small ways. The second weekend was, in ways, much more difficult due to the hard heartedness of some of the campers. Although the Gospel was shared in Chapel and through cabin talks, we also had to remember that this age group (and this demographic) was in tune with what you do more so than what you say. Through our interactions with some of the kids, we were certain this was true.
During the week, it was our goal to concern ourselves with how we could be a blessing to the camp and those local Christians around the area. We spent some time cleaning, painting, and organizing things around camp in the shop, lodge, and craft store among other places. We helped a local farming family cut and gather wood to heat their wood burner heated house for the entire winter. They told us that the job we did in 4 hours would have taken them more than a week to accomplish, and they didn't have the time to do the work themselves. We had gym nights encouraging kids to come to camp for the weekends and, through our time there, had the opportunity to share the gospel with them through a skit and with a small message that explained what we had acted out.
Each thing that we were a part of seemed to give us the impression that the Lord was at work throughout the trip. We felt blessed to be a blessing to the people that we served alongside of and we were humbled that the Lord would choose to use us for that purpose. It was a great experience and I thank you from my heart that you were able to support us with your gifts and prayers.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 says
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

We're thankful to God for satisfying us through the work that he provided us.

By His Grace,
Andy Hodges
LCM Director

Another Weekend of Camp Begins

2009-12-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

*A Post from Last Night*

The first half of the day, Chad and John took us around to see three different reservations in the area. The three reservations we went to were Pinaymootang, Little Sask , and Lake St. Martin. Eagle Bay has kids come to camp from all three of these reservations. As we drove around and looked at the reservations, we got a bigger picture of where these kids are coming from and what their daily lives consist of. Chad and John were our tour guides and told us more about the reservations. It was a great time where we all learned more about the First Nation's Youth and their living situations.

For lunch, we went to a local burger place, where were able to experience some of the culture here. The food was delicious and fish was the special :) After lunch, we all worked hard on preparations for the weekend. We made ice blocks for the fort building that the campers will be doing tomorrow. The counselors got situated into their cabins. And a few people finished the girl's bathroom! The music team also made sure that the music was all ready to go for the weekend! It was a very productive afternoon!

Campers started showing up at 6:30 PM and the fun began! We had a total of 23 campers show up, which was more than we had originally thought! We started the weekend with singing and chapel. Heather gave the message at Chapel--she talked about the the Father's love and related it to the prodigal son. All the campers were quite attentive during the message! Then the campers watched a skit about Jingle and Jangle, who are the theme characters of the weekend. Then the campers split into two teams for the weekend, Team Jingle and Team Jangle. They each did a team cheer and then received their flags. Now the campers will stay in their teams for the rest of the weekend.

We ended the night with a wonderful snack of nachos, with cheese and salsa. Both the campers and the staff enjoyed the snack!

It was a great first night of camp, and we look forward to the rest of the weekend!

Pizza & Broomball

2009-12-10T16:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to Panaymootang where we had fun and fellowship with the youth who attended. We also brought pizza and played broom-ball while trying to get more teens to come out for snow camp this weekend. A lot of kids were excited to have us there, and they ate all 12 of the pizzas that we brought. We got several kids to commit to coming up for the weekend, but as of right now, our numbers this weekend are very low (less than 20). So we would really appreciate your prayers as we love on these kids and try our best to recruit more youth for this weekends program.

Derek for the LCM team

Preparations

2009-12-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today the LCM group and I are preparing for campers to come to this weekend's program. We're doing some final winterizing on a few places around camp, painting some bathrooms, and fine tuning the messages that we're going to be giving and the games that we'll be playing for the weekend. Although we planned very well thought out program for the weekend, we know that we have to be "dynamic" in our approach, knowing that things can and probably will be changed.
There are a few factors that we're thinking might require us to be "dynamic," and we would be blessed if you would join us in prayer for these things. First of all, we've only got 9 campers signed up for this weekend's program. Although we're not far off in numbers from where we were at this time last week, we're praying that we have a larger number of kids so that we could minister to that many more. Last weekend we had 35, so we're hoping to have something comparable for this weekend's program.
Another factor that we're considering is the temperature. Currently, here in Hilbre it's close to -2 degrees Fahrenheit and this weekend, the high is expected to be around -4 with a low of -20. So, if these weather predictions stay the way they do, our games and activities will have to be tweaked to minimize the amount of time campers and staff are outside.
Finally, we would covet your prayers for our health. We've had several of us who have struggled with not feeling well both physically and emotionally. Although almost all of those people are on the upturn of those struggles, please pray for them. There's some potential for us to need to rearrange staffing schedules if health problems arise or get worse.
Apart from laboring to get the camp and program prepared for the weekend, the group and I have decided to spend part of our labor in prayer and reading God's word. We spent time in prayer today walking from each building we have here at camp. We recognize that He is in control of this weekend and it is our desire to serve Him in the ways that he calls us to do so. We know that God has gifted us in certain and specific ways, and we're blessed to be used in those ways. We're also humbled knowing that although we have many flaws and weaknesses, God still uses us in spite of that weakness so that we can be a blessing to Him and to other people.
We've spent a significant amount of time preparing things for our weekend programs and facilitating what goes on during the weekend. But each day, we've spent time making sure that our faith is the foundation of what we're doing here.

Luke 10:38-42
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Although we're concerned with preparations that need to be made and with what our programs will look like, we first and foremost are concerning ourselves with sitting at the Lord's feet.

Andy for the LCM team

TIMBER!!!

2009-12-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

(Post written for yesterday, Monday December 7th)
Today was spent in good ole' Canadian fashion. A local farmer and his wife were in need of some firewood (as their entire heating system is based on burning wood.) We woke up and had a wonderful lumber-jack breakfast of pancakes and sausage. Chad and John both informed us that it was -17 degrees C. Basically it was going to be pretty chilly all day. The LCM's suited up in true Wisconsin style. One has never seen so much North Face and Carhart gear in one place. The drive was only about 10 minutes up the road. We arrived at the home stead and once the trailers were attached we were off to chop some wood. Amidst the roar and snarls of the chain saws, we got the opportunity to make an assembly line of log tossers. The family made us a wonderful lunch after our industrious morning. After lunch we got to tour the farm. They have about 70 head of cattle and bees. The wife showed us her operation. It is a fascinating process with an evening cooler product. Some LCM's invested in some yummy treats to bring home. The rest of the evening was spent in relaxation and fellowship. Everyone is pretty tired after our exertions this morning but most of us our feeling that satisfaction of hard earned muscle aches. Tomorrow looks to be a fun day of experiencing a day in the city of Winnipeg. Please pray for opportunities to continue to bless the residential staff and their families. Also pray for health. A few more members are feeling ill this evening. But also please pray thanks to God for all of His blessing and faithfulness to us on our journey thus far. Also lift up the coming weekend and the hearts of the teens that God has ordained to attend. Many thanks for your continued prayer and support.

Emily for the LCM team

When the last car pulls away...

2009-12-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

"I love you!" Three words used so often, yet when coming from a camper giving you their last hug before they have to return home, it seems to tug your heart strings.
Joy whispered this in my ear as I was scooping her up in my arms for a final hug.
The weekend could easily be labeled as a success just from the amazing way everything went smoothly. Laughter was always filling the air, either during chapel when Emily was teaching a Bible story, or campers and staff were jumping up and down during worship. The activities were always enjoyable for both the campers and staff, even when we couldn't feel our fingers or toes while outside in the snow. Even in times when some campers were struggling with listening and following directions or were overcome with homesickness, the weekend continued to flow smoothly as all the LCM's worked together to be a light for the Lord. Even though we could label this a successful weekend, we know it was only because the Lord was working in us and through us.

It was such a blessing to see the God-given gifts come out in every LCM as the team worked together to show how much God loves them. We had many opportunities to connect with each other while playing with the campers, or even playing a riveting game of 'kung-pow' with the staff which had many laughing until they were crying.
It was made very clear this weekend that God hand picked every single LCM to be in this team just by the way we all worked together using our gifts to let God's light shine.

It is always difficult to see the campers off at the end of any amazing experience, especially knowing that their home situations are more often than not filled with struggles and the darkness of this world. Though our hearts may break for these children and families here, we know we can trust that the Lord goes with them as they return home.

As you pray for our team, please remember Erin Pauley in your prayers. She has had some stomach pain and went to the doctor on Friday. She is feeling much better now, but she is returning to the doctor tomorrow to have a final check up to make sure everything is okay.

Please continue to pray for unity and growth for our team.
Please pray for the campers that will be coming next weekend.
Please pray for the campers we sent off today.

The last car pulled away from camp and the weekend has come to an end, but not without hearts being changed, both campers and ours.

Jenny for the LCM team

Once Upon A Time...

2009-12-04T22:30:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time there were campers lots of campers and they were soooo excited to be at camp. We’re not sure how exactly but they all attacked Zane and began wrestling within minutes of stepping foot on camp. They crowded around Jenny and Renee and played games with lots of hand gestures. Kavin amused her girls by just being Kavin. The campers laughed and jumped and sang their lungs out. Marty practiced being photogenic and amusing his kids with sheer wit. Emily captivated the crowd and quickly warned them to watch out for weasels and skunks while discussing Daniel and the lions’ den. Kara was relieved to find out that due to Jesus death on the cross she would not have to die according to Jesus and Ty. Jenny led songs with world class actions to Lions from Lost and Found and Pharaoh Pharaoh while Andy drummed along. Two campers had a birthday and were given a slice of chocolate cake with flaming sparklers and blue frosting bravely carried by Heather. Brad, Justin, Erin P and Derek made some delectable juice and assisted with snacks and Erin J snapped some photos. All in all it was a good day.

How humbling it has been to be a part of what God is doing at Eagle Bay Ministry Centre and Camp. Just to love the kids that are here…I mean our job this weekend is to love these kids…how exciting! Thank you for all your prayers. God has answered prayers for restored health, unity, safety, kids’ excitement over songs, focus during the message and many more things.

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

2nd Day at Camp

2009-12-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

Welp, so far camp Eagle Bay has been pretty easy. Today we took a tour of camp. After that was over (it only took about 20 minutes) most of us guys played around on the zip line that they have here at camp and tried to see how far we could throw a football if we tossed it at the apex of the swing when the zipline stopped at the end of the cable. And then after supper we spent two hours playing games with kids in a gym at a local school. But even though there hasn't been a whole lot to do physically there has been a never ending stream of thoughts and ideas passing through my brain today. Some of these thoughts are extremely random, most of them are focused primarily around the the fact that the people that live here are extremely poor and that things to buy here are expensive (cereal for $6-8 a box) and yet they still live here in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold. And what astounds me even more is that the men and their families at this camp stay and work here anyway.

Today Chad told us about how the kids here may or may not know who their parents are and most likely don't live with them even if they do. Many of them are living in relatives houses where they are ignored or even sometimes abused. Sometimes 11 or 12 year-old girls will be sexually active, and you might see 10 year-olds taking smoking breaks every so often. It becomes almost an unreality in my mind and an unresolvable disconnect between us that these men could work a job that pays them a pittance to serve and care for people who are some of the most poor, guarded, withdrawn people who have a firm grasp on what depravity means. Why?! And even more, that they can do it without becoming bitter, angry, and cynical.

Luke 6:25 - "Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep."

I, personally, often feel that I could not give so selflessly of my time and money and even more importantly, my heart, without getting something more out of it. I think in their situations I would be too concerned about either making enough money to buy nice things (a nice car, a nice house), or a two month, all-expenses paid vacation to Hawaii. But these men aren't getting paid enough to have any more than enough, and there is no vacation in sight for them.

I care about these children, I cry for them, and I'm scared for them. I questions why I grew up where I did and why they grew up where they did. It doesn't seem fair that some people are born into privileges without ever having done anything to deserve it while others are born to poverty or next to it. I complain about my standard of living, the fact that I don't own window curtains, while other people have learned to live with no house at all, or in a small cramped house with other people's families. But I'm struggling with the question of how God can use me? I who am filled with envy and pride, and swollen with bitterness and every evil desire despite even being given an incredible opportunity of living in a wealthy country. Why choose me to do His work, any of it? Why would He even bother trying to bring the wicked to justice and save the lost with such a wicked and lost person? Just because I want Him to? What a paradox.

1 Corinthians- "For God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."

"life is a long lesson in humility."- James Matthew Barrie

Justin

We Are Here!!

2009-12-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have arrived at our destination! At about 6:30 pm local time, the vans rolled past the welcome sign at Eagle Bay. We were eagerly greeted by the Director and Assistant Director, John and Chad, with a wonderful meal of grilled chicken and baked mac and cheese. Today we also celebrated Zane's 24th birthday. The van ride today was another long one but was weathered well by the LCMs. We left the hotel in Fargo around 9am. The total time in the vans accumulated to be about 7 and half hours. We lost some time crossing the boarder but God was faithful and saw us across. We also encountered some snow in northern North Dakota through the boarder crossing. But about an hour north of the boarder the weather lifted and had a very smooth trip to our destination. I think everyone is excited to be here and see where God is working and how we can partner with the ministry that already exists here. But John laid out some pretty bleak statistics for us about the demographics that live in the surrounding area. Christ reminds us in His word that He is the Light of the world and that he came to save the lost. Tonight I fall to my knees asking God to empty me of myself and my peers of themselves. So that we might be a beacon to lost here, that the Holy Spirit might shine ever more brightly through us . There is a hopelessness that shrouds this area, bleak and suffocating. May God use us like a refreshing breeze. Pray also, with me, that Satan would not have a foothold among us. We are in a battle. We threaten his very existence and hold on these people. Let us fight. Not of our own strength but of God's. That in our brokenness, in our inability to do--that God's power would be made perfect in our weakness (2Cor. 12:9-10) Tomorrow we will find out more about the ministry here at Eagle Bay and the specifics to our service here. We closed out the evening with a time of group worship. As our voices faded I closed my eyes, envisioning the Father bending close to catch the very last, wavering note. May God continue to bend His ear towards in the coming days.

Emily for the LCM Team

Half Way There

2009-11-30T20:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight we're in Fargo, North Dakota and staying the night at Main Stay Suites. We got here at 7:00 we ate a great spaghetti supper at Renee's house in Fargo and afterward had the chance to decompress from the 9 hour van rides. So far, we've been extremely blessed with very comfortable vans and good driving conditions.

Tomorrow we head to Canada. From the weather reports, we're expecting to see some snowfall after we cross the border, but we haven't seen anything yet. Winnipeg's weather site says there will be periods of snow near noon and then cloudy. There expecting to see about 5 cm of snow with wind reaching 20 km/h in the morning. In case you're not familiar with the intricacies of the metric system, that's about 2 inches of snowfall and wind at about 12 mph. Just in case we need it, our vans are geared up with traction control, ice scrapers and tire chains.

We're excited to get back on the road and find out what the Lord has to show us and how He will provide for us on our trip.

I look forward to sharing with you more how he does this.

God Bless,
Andy

2009-11-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

We’re going to Canada!!!

Do you ever wake up with anticipation? Maybe it’s Christmas Day, hours before a big fishing or camping trip, or cramming for a last minute exam? The LCMs leave in less than an hour for Canada and we couldn’t be more excited. We may be groggily rubbing our eyes but in our hearts we’re running around like the character Olive from Little Miss Sunshine saying I won I won I won!

Prayer Requests:
- Endurance for the 16 hour drive to Canada
- Protection and Safety for vans and cargo
- For Eagle Bay Ministry Centre & Camp
- Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

By Erin Johns

2009-11-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

Give thanks to the Lord for he is GOOD…His LOVE endures FOREVER!

The LCMs would like to thank everyone to date who have been praying for us, attending our Pumpkin Walk and Culvers fundraisers, buying Elegant Farmer pies, donating various items and advising us in our preparations. You all have been such a big part of our sending team for CANADA.

Current Prayer requests:

* Safe travel and much needed rest Thanksgiving Break.

* Safe travel as we leave for our trip Monday morning at 8:00am.

* We still need approximately $6,000 as a group for our mission trip

* Pray for the people we will impact in Canada

We THANK God for each of you!

LCM interns

2009-11-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

The Culver's Fundraiser was a success! We had a great turn out with camp family and churches in the area. It was encouraging to see the body of Christ at work supporting the ministry God has blessed us with.

Thanks to everyone who came out!

And a special thanks to Scoopie and all of his friends.

God Bless,

Andy Hodges LCM Director

2009-11-14T21:10:00.000-08:00

By Faith a lot of extraordinary things happened in the bible. Very common imperfect people did the unthinkable…a woman who should have been cuddling her grandchildren gave birth to a son, a man built a boat to save his family when rain was never even heard of, people walked through the Red Sea to dry ground. We are simply 15 interns and a leader going to

Canada

…but yet this takes faith. There is still a lot of fundraising and planning going on for the mission trip and we could still very much use your prayers. Since the first week of November, we have raised approximately $4,300 for our trip to Canada which does not yet meet our group goal of $20,000.

Our next two fundraisers involve Family Days at Culvers in Elkhorn and Mukwonago. By simply coming out and eating food 10% of those sales will go towards our mission trip. We’re excited for the time of fellowship and to see God’s hand in this all. If you’d like more information feel free to contact us!

Our other prayer is kind of one of those 5 loaves and 2 fish kind of things. We are praying that God would do something rather extraordinary for Eagle Bay Ministry Centre and Camp (this is the camp we are going to minister to).

We want to thank each of you already who are supporting us through prayer and support and can’t wait to share more about what God is doing in our lives and ministry.

God Bless!
Erin Johns for the LCM Interns

2009-10-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

The missions planning for our trip to Manitoba, Canada is well under way at this point. Everyone has sent out their support letters and we are beginning to hear back, which is awesome!

This past weekend, Timber-lee held its annual Pumpkin Walk, where children come with their families to see pumpkins that they carved at school. The pumpkins are set up along a pathway that leads to the science center and are lit up, so it’s fun to look at the lit-up pumpkins at night. The science center was open so that families could explore, meet the animals, and enjoy a free treat. The LCM team helped put on this event and also ran the refreshment table, where they welcomed donations for the trip to Manitoba. It allowed them to fund raise, while at the same time, telling people in the community about their missions trip. The pumpkin Walk was a success and also a lot of fun for the community!

We have also been working on selling Elegant Farmer pies to the community. We go around the community, selling pies door-to-door, and will deliver the pies to the houses a week later. For every pie that we sell, we receive five dollars, so it is a great deal. This fundraiser has proved very effective for the LCMs in past years, so we are glad to continue doing it this year! Different LCMs are going out weekly to sell pies to the community. Please keep this fundraiser in your prayers!

Another fundraiser that we are working on getting going is a fundraiser through Culver's. We will hand out Culver's Coupons to people in churches and also to the Timber-lee staff, so that they can use the coupons at Culver's on a designated day and a portion of the profits made will be given to the LCMs. We are currently still working with Culver's to determine a date that will work best, but we are hoping for a Sunday afternoon in November. We are also contacting local churches to ask if they are willing to put coupons in their church bulletins. This Culver's fundraiser is still a work in process, so prayer for this would be awesome!

On a different note, the LCMs have been working on planning the actual trip to Manitoba and what they want to do there. We have been divided into two groups: Preaching and Counseling & Games and Activities. The Preaching and Counseling group is planning what they want preached during the weekends and what they want the kids to go away with. The Games and Activities group is working on deciding which games and activities they want to play with the kids and which games will be best to do with the kids. There is still a lot of planning to be done, but the LCMs are working hard planning and preparing for their upcoming trip to Manitoba!

We appreciate all prayers and support that we receive! Thank you for helping us spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our trip to Manitoba! We’re excited to see how the Lord will show himself through this experience.

Stay posted for more news!

In Christ,
Kavin for The LCM Team.

"And the gospel must first be preached to all nations." Mark 13:10

Planning Has Begun

2009-10-20T12:00:00.001-07:00

Fundraisers, Support Letters, and a lot of prayer.