You too can be a part!

The Southeast Asia trip is one of the most amazing trips I've ever been on in my life. I first went when I was only 17 years old and it changed and formed me in so many ways. It gave me a vision of just how big my God is and how vast is his love. I saw him as he took care of some of the poorest and yet the happiest orphans in my life. I watched him truly relied on. I saw what it looks like to have to live your life with faith in Jesus Christ and the joy that that alone can bring. I got to meet small children who have put their life on the line and trusted that God would pull through for them.

Matthew 18:2-6 says,

"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

God really values those who put their whole faith and trust in him alone. Most of us here in America don't have to live that way every day. There may be a day or two out of the year that we really have to live putting all our faith in the Lord, and call on him to move on our behalf in a death or life way. It's too easy to put God on a shelf when we are comfortable at home.

The highlight of the trip was one morning we spent visiting and befriending the different street children and orphans before we going back to teach the rest of the day at the Children's Institute. It's amazing to experience a place that is so different from anything you've ever seen before. To see children napping on concrete with flies buzzing round them. And yet you are there with one purpose: to let the love of Jesus Christ shine through you as best you can. Which comes in many forms. It could be simply smiling at one child as you roll a ball back and forth across the floor. And it might be something like playing a game of duck duck goose. It might be holding a child who has a physical disability and praying with them and letting them know that they are loved. Even if you can't speak their native tongue sometimes the smallest things count the most. 

One day we went to a children's hospital (pictures in yesterday's post) where we visited children who weren't going to leave that hospital alive and tried to cheer and encourage the parents of those little ones. It was a stretching experience but one that I want to see more of my fellow Christian friends experiencing. Christ came into the world to heal the broken-hearted and to set the captives free. Participating in this will change you! I think I'll say that again. It will change you, forever!  

But so far I haven't even talked about one of the main reasons the team goes over. If you haven't heard of the Children's Institute (CI) before, I would like to encourage you to look into it. It's a ministry that works right alongside with the Institute in Basic Life Principles' Basic Seminar where young adults, parents, pastors and many others from the age of 13 up learn about biblical principles for life. The children of these parents attend the Children's Institute where they learn a lot of the same principles right along with their parents … they just have a lot more fun doing it!

They start out the night by meeting up with their small group team leaders and the rest of their team. They work on a number of crafts along with lessons that correspond to those the parents are also learning that night. Then all the teams meet together for "large group" for an energy-filled time of learning. They learn songs written just for the Children's institute and memorize scripture. And then comes the highlight of the children's night—the story. It's usually a fun and attention-getting skit that all their parents hear about for the next few weeks straight. It's great! Then it's back to small group where the teacher wraps up with a recap of the large group time, and the children finish their crafts and clean up the team station. They wrap up at the same time as the parents' session. Then the next night you do it all over again! :D It's a week-long Seminar—every evening except for Friday and then all day Saturday.

The first week the morning is spent in teacher training, preparing for the lessons you will teach the children throughout the week ahead. Every week after that, you spend your mornings in neighborhoods with local children who have almost nothing. Or visiting children who had to run for their lives from those who killed their parents just because they were Christians, doing all sorts of services that are too many to list. 

It's hard to sum up a whole month of God working and stretching and growing you beyond your own strength in just a couple blog posts. But here is what I'm hoping to do through all this:

1. Teachers: This trip is always in need of young people who are willing to serve. If you are single, 17 or older, and would like a chance to serve the Lord alongside other young Christians in a foreign country and experience three very different cultures that will stretch you to the limits, you should pray about being a part of this great opportunity. For more information and requirements please click here!

2. Support: For those of you who either can't get the time off, like me, or are unable to afford the cost of the trip, or maybe you have a family that the Lord has already called you to serve as your mission field, that's great too! Please be a part of this ministry by donating to those who will be making the sacrifice of time and money to be there. The cost for the trip is actually very affordable compared to other mission trips. Asia is very inexpensive to travel compared to traveling in the States. Yet, being gone for that long adds up and I would really like to ask all those of you who would like to be a part of this work to give a gift to this ministry. That's a big way to be a part of this trip. And it will be greatly appreciated. Donations can be made though paypal to Thomas Teh, Director of IBLP Singapore. The email address to send donations to via paypal is tteh@sg.iblp.org, and the name that will appear on the receipt is Society of Basic Life Principles.

I am so excited about this opportunity to help send teachers, I am putting the following image up for auction on eBay, and all proceeds will go straight to this mission trip.  This image is of Donner Lake in Tahoe, CA. It is a matted and framed 10x20" metallic print. It's a value of over $250 and I hope it will help make it possible for another teacher to go. You can place your bid here. The image in this frame is right here.

3. Prayer: I want to see people who will openly commit to praying for this team. It's a taxing trip. Two years ago when I went, over half the team got sick to one degree or another over the period of the four and a half weeks. I need people to commit to praying for those whom the team will be reaching out to. Prayer that the Lord would show himself mighty and powerful in a place where Christianity is not wide spread and in some cases is even held in hostility. It's not popular to be a Christian in Indonesia.

The simplest and best way to help could just be spreading the word: please post the link to your wall on facebook so your friends can read it. Put it in your twitter. Post your own blog about this. Spread the word! Copy and paste this link into your facebook to help spread the word. http://photographybybritton.blogspot.com/2010/03/you-too-can-be-part.html

Signing off for today. God bless your socks off,

Capture. Create. Discover.

Something Amazing!

Britton Felber

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