Emily's thoughts on Radiate!

 left to right: Sara, me, Sammie, Beca and Meghan

(we were trying to be a rainbow,  look at the colors of our shirts and skirts)     

A really cool thing that I didn't get to see on my last trip to NYC was the wishing wall.  Did you know that the confetti that drops out of the ball on New Years Eve is not your ordinary confetti!  Every year NYC tourism dept. allows tourists to write down their "hopes and dreams" and then they fill the ball with those pieces of paper.  Awesome right?  I thought so.  The picture below is us under the ball.  We actually wrote out some prayers to God, instead of wishes.  Why wish for something when you can pray to the One who holds the entire universe in His hands!

Thanks so much for praying for me over the past few days.  Personally, I loved "Radiate" and hope that I am able to participate next year.  I think it is a good thing for high-schoolers to be involved in even if "missions" is not their thing.  I think it is good for teens to learn to serve others and not expect everyone to serve them.

Once again, God did more than I ever dreamed that He could.  He quickly allowed my fears to be silenced.  He provided the perfect group to work with.  He not only provided some friends that I am anxious to keep in touch with, but He allowed them to be teens who love the Lord and are also serious about serving Him.  He even allowed it to be the perfect size group.  We were just the right size to get everything done but small enough that our group could get close even over a short amount of time.  Sarah, Beca and I were known as the lumber-jacks all week because of our hard work loading and hauling logs on Thursday. :)  Although it sounds like work I was with a great group who made it fun.  On Friday, we spent the day in Wilkes-Barre.  While we were there we went around asking people if  we could pay their parking meters for them, sadly people mostly turned us down.  We sensed that's how they felt about their lives; that they had it under control and they didn't need anyone else including, but not limited to, God.

I am excited to see what God has in store for me next.  I am studying hard so that I can be ready for whatever He puts before me.  Thanks again for praying for me!  I love how God has answered so many requests in such a way that I can see what He is doing.  I know it won't always be that way.  Would you continue to pray for me as I get ready for this summer's trip?

Radiate Friday: Serving in Wilkes-Barre, PA

OH the joys of parenting a teen.  They have knack of wanting to talk when I am sleeping!  :)  But, she is worth waking up for!

She called tonight at 12:15.  I assumed I wouldn't get to hear from her today, so we both had gone to sleep. In Sa world, this means I will be up for the next few hours trying to go back to sleep. but again she is worth it.  God has been incredibly kind to her/us with this trip.  She has had some neat experiences and made some good friends.  All things that we had prayed about.

Today,  she had an opportunity to travel south to the city of Wilkes-Barre.  Why Wilkes-Barre?  (This information is taken from the Restored Church website http://restoredchurch.org/).  The city of Wilkes-Barre is the seat of Luzerne County which is 2.9% evangelical. This area is in desperate need of a church planting movement fueled by the power of God and prayerful teamwork among the people of God. The area is resistant to evangelical Christianity due in large part to dead religious systems or apathy toward God as revealed in Scripture. Many feel the northeast corner of America has become the most un-churched area of our nation and basically “post-Christian.”

Combined with the city of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre forms the third largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania (behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh). Wilkes-Barre was founded in 1769 and formally incorporated in 1806. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area had a population of 563,631 in 2010. Wilkes-Barre had a population of 41,498 in 2010. This area is depressed, spiritually needy and desperately needs the restoring power of the gospel.

She said it was cold, but they had the opportunity to meet with people.  The goal was to distribute literature about the church.  One of the ways that they did this was by waiting near parking meters with quarters ready to pay for someones parking.  This would then allow them to pass out information on this not yet launched church.  

Please be praying for this ministry as they prepare to reach this community with the good news of Jesus!  The following information is copied from the Restored Church website.  http://restoredchurch.org/

Grand Opening 2013

We are committed to building a core group of 40-50 committed individuals before we start holding weekly Sunday services. As we continue to build that core group we are having monthly “preview services”. These services will include our worship band, preaching from God’s Word, and vision casting for the church to discover more about who we are and what we’re looking to do. Each preview service will be held at 10:30 am at Downtown Arts (47 North Franklin Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702). These dates are:

April 14th
May 12th
June 16th
July 7th
July 21st
August 4th
August 18th
September 1st
September 8th (Grand Opening)

Please keep praying for her and the team as they travel to NYC tomorrow.  Their goal is to pass out 4000 bottles of water!  

Thank You!

~mama sa 

They were out all afternoon sharing the love of Jesus in very practical ways in Downtown Wilkes Barre!


The above picture and caption was completely stolen from Mel Walker's facebook page.  Em is "hiding" in the middle.  Her smile says it all.  I haven't heard from her yet today, but I can't wait to hear what God is doing!  ~mama sa

Radiate Thursday: Serving in Tunkhannock :)

Thank you so much for praying!  Guess what God has done!

RELATIONALLY:  He has provided as only He can!  He has allowed her a group of young ladies to serve with this weekend who are lovely encouragers.  She has found a circle of 5 teens that are making her feel at home.  They are all home schooled so she feels an instant connection with them.  Although Em is one of the youngest kids at Radiate this weekend, being the oldest of 6 does allow her some degree of maturity so she doesn't think any of the kids know that.  :)  She was thrilled that someone thought she was 17.
(For the record she is still only 14 although just for another week!)

not an actual pic of their work...but Mom was imagining!

SERVICE:  She had the opportunity to do some physical labor for a new church plant in Tunkhannock, PA.  She and two other girls were able to clear logs and branches from a piece of their property to make it more attractive and usable.  While it was not her first choice of service assignments, she had a good day and a great sense of accomplishment by the end of their work time.  Mr Jackson was VERY impressed by what the three girls were able to accomplish!  I love how God uses our "little" if we offer it wholeheartedly to Him.  I am so pleased that BBC is offering the teens opportunities to serve in a variety of settings.  Tunkhannock allowed the teens to experience a small town atmosphere, while Wilkes Barre will allow them to serve in a mid-size city.  Saturday they will be in NYC, definitely large city.  People everywhere need to know about our Savior, and we need to learn how to share in a variety of situations.  God's message remains the same, but our methods for sharing can be as varied as our temperaments and personalities.


TODAY:  weather permitting, they will be assisting a church plant in Wilkes Barre this afternoon with some literature distribution.  Please pray that the weather would allow them to do this.  Em is like her mama, door-to-door type service makes us happy.  But, God allowed us to SEE yesterday, that even if we don't get to do what we want, He has the BEST plans already in place.  Please pray that she and the other teens will joyfully serve however God sees fit today.

Thanks so much!

~Melissa

Destination...Anchorage, Alaska!

We just confirmed today that if God allows, Em will be serving in and near Anchorage, Alaska this summer.  

I am internet searching for information so that I can wrap my heart and head around where it is that she will be.  I found a ministry that sponsors missions trips to Alaska entitled Waaay Out Missions and I "stole" this picture from thier website.  They also have this to say about ministry in the Alaskan Bush... "Alaska is the greatest and most beautiful place in the world. Most mission teams come to the Anchorage area because it is cheapest and easiest to get to. However, we have more than 100 Native Bush villages with no church whatsoever, and many, many more villages with very few spiritual opportunities. Right now we are having an epidemic of teen suicide in our Bush villages. Unfortunately, the places with the greatest need here in Alaska are also the most expensive to get to...   As a Christian pilot friend here once told me, "Souls up here in the Bush are expensive." But what is the value of a soul???

While I don't know all of the details as to where Em and her team will be serving, I know that God has it all under control and that He will use this group of young people to plant seeds of hope. 

1 Corinthians 3:6-7(NLT)  "I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.  It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow."

Anchorage is located in Southcentral Alaska. The Chugach Mountains are east of the city, and waters of Cook Inlet border the city on the northwest and southwest. That means one is never too far away from a mountain adventure or a coastal stroll.  Anchoarge is the northernmost city in the US with more than 100,000 residents and one of the largest communities in North America.  It is Alaska's most populous city and constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population. 

This is a panoramic shot of Anchorage at night taken from the Cook Inlet.  What a beautiful city! 

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!  We appreciate each one of you.

~Melissa for the Bunch

Stats & Stories 4/11/13

The stats as of TODAY 4/11/13:

85 days till she leaves...now it feels close!

$1990 what God has provided financially so far!  Thank YOU Father God and everyone!

451 blog pageviews  Thanks to all who are praying!  Please continue.

$510 is all we officially have left!  WOW! ONLY God could provide those kinds of finances on such a small timetable!  The final amount will go up some after plane tickets are ordered....but....we are REJOICING over the GREAT things He has done.

FINALLY, I, Melissa, have started the plane ticket process.  Details are being worked out and I expect to have a final amount and ticket information by early next week.

At this exact moment, Emily just called home and is talking to her siblings.  For those who may have missed the information, she is down at BBC through Sunday for some hands on missions training.  We arrived last night just in time for her to get settled into her room.

After not being nervous at all, when the time came for me to leave and for her to join the other students she then became nervous.  A dear friend, put her arm around her and helped her and me to feel OK.  Em called last night as I was walking in the door.  She had a good night, and was very tired, but excited for what this week would hold!

There are about 30 kids in the program, and they spent some time last night worshiping, getting to know each other and listening to a presentation by an ABWE representative.  

Today they are in a workshop entitled "Cultural Sensitivity", then BBC chapel, followed by another workshop entitled "Sharing your Faith".  The afternoon will be spent in Tunkhannock Pa helping a church plant with whatever they need.  Originally they were going to be doing some canvassing of neighborhoods, but the plans may change due to the weather.  She said they may end up doing some physical labor at the church instead.  She sounded excited to serve.

Emily is a normal teen.  She struggles with being insecure, figuring out her strengths, knowing how to be a good friend, sister, and daughter.  She can be stubborn and strong willed, caring, hardworking, at times lazy, playful, and is extremely compassionate.  She is a joy to listen to as she processes through various life circumstances.  She has some great ideas and neat ways of looking at situations.  But, none of that impresses me as much as her going and serving "scared".  Last night was a prime example.  When everything in her wanted to come home, she chose to stay, trust God with her fears and do her best with whatever HE chooses to put before her this week.  

Please be praying that this is a good and beneficial time for her.  I pray that her heart and emotions are safe and that she can continue to get a clearer picture of who God created her to be and what He desires her to do with her life!

Thanks again for all that you all have done to love and support her and our entire family!

~Melissa 

Update....and a "Radiant" Opportunity!

Mike/Dad here.  Wanted to give you an update on how things are coming together.

Financially, things have slowed down.  We'll have some firmer numbers tomorrow, and Melissa/Mom will update here as soon as we have those.  It looks like Emily has about $1,200 left to go, putting her at  63% of her total $3,300 goal.  We're hopeful that her final costs may come down a little bit, making that percentage even healthier.  We're confident that God has brought her this far, has provided every step of the way and that He will continue to do so.  Thanks so much to those who have already given, and to those who have been praying.  Please- don't stop now!

We've had another exciting opportunity present itself, and we would love to enlist your prayer support.  Melissa & I are both graduates of Baptist Bible College of Pennsylvania.  Since graduating (me-1991, MommaSa- 1994), we've stayed connected to the school, attending Teen Leadership Conference, Men's Conference and Ladies LYFE, as well as campus concerts and main stage drama productions.  We've had the privilege of getting in on the ground floor of new initiatives, like Junior High Boot Camp. We love BBC's vision and innovation, and are excited when they strategize and try new things.

This coming Wednesday through Sunday (April 10th through 14th), Emily will be participating in a new BBC event called Radiate.  It's a hands-on missions trip training program for high school students that will provide a mix of practical workshops and in-the-field ministry opportunities.  She'll be one of about 30 young people participating in the program.  Thursday and Friday morning will have small-group training workshops on a variety of relevant topics.  The remainder of the time will be spent assisting local church plants in three different types of communities.  On Thursday afternoon, they'll be in the small town of Tunkhannok.  On Friday afternoon, they'll be in Wilkes-Barre.  On Saturday, they'll spend the whole day in New York City.  We're so excited for this great opportunity for Emily, and believe that it will help equip her with new skills and new confidence that will help her function to her best on her Alaska trip this summer.
Specific prayer requests:
(1) She's going by herself, and doesn't seem remotely daunted by that!  We're praying that God would allow her to find good friendships among the event leaders, youth workers, college helpers and fellow teens who will be part of the program.  She's not the only solo attender, so we're praying that God would allow good connections for her in the dorms, in sessions and during on-site service.
(2) That the sessions will engage her, and help her to gain confidence in new skill areas.
(3) That the opportunities for ministry in the field will give her exciting opportunities to see God at work as she chooses to be bold, compassionate and obedient.
(4) That we would do okay in her absence here on the home front.  We're always keenly aware of how much each of our "big kids" helps out in so many ways when one of them is away from home!

Thanks so much for your prayers!                                             -Michael "Daddio" Brink