Jamaica Missions 09'! Trip Journals.

(the following are trip from our Jamaica Missions trip, written by the Praying Pelican Missions staff. they're taken from the following link: http://prayingpelicanmissions.org/journals.cfm?tripid=96)

We made it!
by Brian Zeschke
July 18, 2009 at 01:38 PM

After a long day of travel, we finally made it! Right when we landed we had our first Jamaican meal. . . patties! A tasty, flaky, beef-filled pastry. We washed it down with a box juice (a Jamaican children favorite) as we waited for our partners to arrive. We finally met our new friends from Shepherd of the Hills Church in Shoreview, MN, then we hit the road for a 3+ hour trip to our "hotel" :) Another 30 minutes tand we arrived at Freetown Baptist Church. Freetown is in the Clarendon Parish in the south of Jamaica, about an hour from Kingston. It was the first town in Jamaica where the slaves were freed. We met the pastor, Rev. Morgan, had some dinner, had a quick meeting, and made the quick trek back to the hotel. We were exhausted last night, but we know that God uses us in our weakness! Today we're ready for ministry! We're very excited to serve and we're all expecting God to use us in a big way this week! Thank you for your continued prayers!

Saturday/Sunday
by Brian Zeschke
July 20, 2009 at 01:21 PM

The first two full days have been extremely busy but very exciting! The groups have been meshing very well and now they just seem like one. Half the group has been doing VBS at Barton's Baptist Church and the other half has stayed at Freetown. Saturday the Barton's group handed out flyers inviting the children to VBS for the rest of the week while walking and praying for the community. The Freetown group didn't even have a chance to invite the children because they were ALREADY THERE! We saw about 60 children come to VBS at Freetown the very first day!

Saturday evening we had a street evangelism service. We just set up a speaker and a microphone and started singing and preaching. It was an awesome evening as we saw several people from the community come forward requesting prayer!

Sunday we all went to morning service in Freetown, went our separate ways for VBS, and then came back together for an evening youth service. The youth service was very energetic and all involved had a great time! We all went to bed exhausted but with the sense that God has really been working in our hearts as well as in the communities we have come to serve! Again, your continued prayers are being felt and are greatly appreciated!

Street Evangelism
by Brian Zeschke
July 20, 2009 at 01:24 PM

The group praying over one of the gentlemen that came forward Saturday night during our street evangelism service.

Monday
by Brian Zeschke
July 21, 2009 at 01:33 PM

Monday was another awesome day! We got up early and started on some scraping and painting of the Freetown Baptist Church. Then half of the group went to a hospital visit in a town nearby called May Pen. We spent time praying with the patients, singing with them, and just loving then the way Christ would. Then it was back to our respective churches for VBS. We saw our best attendence yet at both sites! The children are loving it and are excited to bring their friends the next day. Monday night was a restful night for us. After dinner we had some time to just hang out with each other and build our relationships within our own group(s). We also had some time to reflect on our day and share with each other how we saw God working on us and through us during our trip. It's been exciting to see what God is doing while we are here!

Tuesday
by Brian Zeschke
July 21, 2009 at 01:42 PM

Today (Tuesday) we again got an early start and finished up some painting on the church. It looks AMAZING!! The church can use this new finish to attract new members and those who have been hanging out with us for the week. We then all went to an infirmary, again in the town of May Pen. An infirmary is basically a government funded nursing home. . . but it really doesn't even compare to some of our worst nursing homes. These are places for people to go when they have absolutely nothing and nobody to take care of them. Their basic needs are taken care of, but basic here is VERY basic. We again spent time talking with the elderly there and just showing them Christ's love. Some read scripture, some prayed with the residents, some sang songs with them, and some held hands and just listened to their stories of a past life. We were all touched through this experience and many were visibly saddened by the conditions. But most, if not all, noticed the joy that the residents had and their continued trust in Almighty God!! Praise HIM!! Right now we having our last VBS for the week. Today is going to be hard as everyone has to say goodbye to the one who quickly became their favorite. But relationships have been formed that will never be forgotten! Again, just praise God for the work that He is doing here!

Gone home. :(
by Brian Zeschke
July 24, 2009 at 08:28 AM

Well, they've left us. We had a great time here in Jamaica with everyone and we were very sad to see them go. But we continue to pray that the mission trip will not end with this week, but will continue back home and spread like a wildfire!! God bless you all and thank you for an unforgettable week!

Reaping a Blessing in Youth Ministry

Today I notice that for those who work in youth ministry, it might take years for us to see the harvest of blessings that God talks about.... Sometimes I just want to throw up my hands and ask why GOD? Why did you choose me to do youth ministry? What did you see in me to think that I could even do this? I have been ministering to young people about Jesus Christ for over ten years. I know that our ministry has planted seeds of salvation in hundreds of youth who have come in and out of our youth ministry. I know young people who got their break through in the basement of the CDC, fell in love with GOD at one of our teen retreats or discovered their spiritual gifts for GOD in the Chapel.

I love GOD... I love to worship God..... and I am just like a little kid.... I want everyone to love him just like me. But I have realize that young people have to love GOD for themselves. Our job as youth leaders is similar to the farmers; to cultivate the land, to pull out the weeds and provide the proper amount of water... then wait for the Harvest. Our job in youth ministry is to provide and environment that makes it easy for youth to worship and learn about God. We are to provide our youth with tools needed to filter out all the garbage and nonsense that tends to clutter their lives. and forever to pour the love of GOD into their lives constantly reminding them that their is nothing that GOD can't do. If we who work in youth ministry do that "We will reap a harvest of Blessing if we faint not"

Brother Mike

It's a New Season! Another Chance for Change

A time for everything. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

This is the time of year we celebrate graduations, from pre-k to middle school to high school to college. This is the time we acknowledge our young people's accomplishments in education. Everyone is celebrating with the Class of 2009 by attending graduation cookouts and parties, picking out graduation cards filled with just the right words, or writing in your best friend's yearbook. Graduation's are really a time to say goodbye to the past and look forward to the future. It seemed like only yesterday my youngest was graduating from kindergarten, my son was graduating from middle school and my oldest was graduating from high school. But this year my wife and I had the opportunity to attend three graduations, Brandi from Middle School, Brett from High School, and Brooke from College. Sitting at each of their graduations I can't believe how fast the time went. Four years seemed to fly by for us but if you were attending middle school, high school, or college it seemed like forever ... but for the Class of 2009 some were wishing they had a little more time left or wishing they could go back to freshman year and do some things a little different...


Graduations symbolize new seasons in your life, filled with new opportunities
and experiences, but also new challenges as well as some obstacles that you may encounter in the next four years.... Preparing for graduation reminds me of the four seasons God created: winter, spring, summer and fall. Whether you just graduated from middle school, high school or college, It may seem like a new season fast approaching all over again... Summer fun is over, days are getting shorter, and nights getting colder...Graduates are on top of the world for a season but as summer ends and winter slowly begins to arrive, it's like starting all over again. Not too many of us look forward to winter due to the fact that the winter can be a little uncomfortable at times. I remember growing up in Pittsburgh and waiting for the school bus to pick us up in below zero temperatures, how I wish spring would come. Freshman year can remind us of those times of uncertainty because we never know just how cold its going to get..... Freshman year, whether your in high school, college, or joining the workforce seems to be the hardest season to adjust to. Everyone is so willing to share their horror stories about the coldest winter they've experienced or better yet their freshman year... "The teachers are so unfair" ... "The homework is way too much"..." and students aren't friendly".... After hearing all of this, who really looks forward to freshman year? The winter season can sometimes leave us a little bothered due to the unexpected snow that falls on our lives, or the sidewalk that looks like it's wet, but is a sheet of ice .... but if we are patient and dress appropriately and learn from these experiences, we can alway dig ourselves out of the snow storm.


Thank GOD for new seasons! I always look forward to spring especially after a rough winter. With spring comes a rebirth. It's like starting all over again. A chance to get it right this time. I enjoy the waking up to the birds, seeing the leaves of the trees budding through the branches. Something about spring wakes us up to the beauty of what GOD created. Some of you are entering your sophomore year of high school or college, a new season to get it right. Some of us experienced a rough winter but thank GOD we made it through and have the spring to look forward to. Enjoy the new opportunities that awaits during your sophomore year. Use those experiences from freshman year as stepping stones to do better. Enjoy the good times and the new relationships you created during your freshman year. This too will be a season that will past quickly and before you know it, you will be craving to hear the birds sing again or the fresh morning smell of flowers blossoming. Use this second year in school to explore new opportunities as a student, join a club , play a sport, make a difference. Allow God to nurture you during this season. Trust him during this time so you can grow in your faith. Your sophomore year should be the year you begin to make an impact as a young adult not only in your school, your community, and your church.


Some colleges and counselor say your Junior year is your most critical year in high school and college. This is the year we begin to think about college choices.... SAT exams, GPA's and if you are an athlete you pray for a break out season. It's also the time when some of us begin to smell ourselves a little and think we can just sit back and enjoy the summer season just
because the spring was so good to us. During the summer months we tend to get a little lazy, we can get a little pre occupied with all the fun that summer has to offer. During the junior year of high school and college, we tend not to study as hard as we did our sophomore year. We tend to take things for granted and sometimes our grades begin to suffer because of this. Some of us begin to give up because it just gets too hot . I 'm telling you to work through the heat. The longer your in the fire the stronger you will become. Junior year has you right at the top of the mountain and you only have a few more steps till you get to the top. Don't give up now... Senior year is just around the corner . This is what you been waiting for. When it gets a little hot, find a fan to cool yourself off. Remember this season only lasts for a moment and before you know it, you're wishing for the sun to shine down on you again.



To the Class of 2010... The season you've been waiting for has finally arrived. All the hard work has finally paid off. It was only yesterday you enter your school as a freshman and now your a SENIOR in high school, a SENIOR in college. This is the season that if you played your cards right, your sitting back taking electives, waiting to hear from colleges, looking for scholarships, driving to school, working a part time job, saving money for prom, class trips, class rings, and yearbooks. Everything is beautiful, just like the season of fall. I love this time of year not only because I was born in October but it's that time of year that everything is just right ... I love fall weather... not too cold but not too hot. I love fall clothes especially sweaters, I love taking long drives and looking how the trees create a rainbow effect on the mountains. Fall is a time we can chill and get ready for a new season to begin again.... As you look towards your senior year, take this time to cherish the memories of high school and college because after this season it 's a cycle that starts all over again. Senior year should be a time to see how all your hard work has paid off. A time to reap a harvest of blessing if you faint not. Galatians 6:9


Ecclesiastes states that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the sun. So whether your are entering high school for the very first time or starting back over as a freshman in college or entering into the workforce, nothing will stay the same for long. We must be ready to make things happen and create opportunities that will prepare you for when the seasons change. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, some of these seasons we enjoy better than others, but each season is just as important as the last. So no matter what season of life your are in ...know that a new season is just around the corner... and with a New Season always brings about a New Change.

Take Some Time To Weep

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus began to weep. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" (John 11:32-36)

I was a bit hesitant to blog about the recent celebrity passings…I thought that perhaps some would think that it wasn’t appropriate to what this site is about. But come on people…two great American icons have passed away. These situations deserve reflection. I don’t think anyone woke up this morning and had any idea that we’d be getting such disheartening news. I was very sad when I heard about Farah Fawcett’s passing this morning even in spite of the fact that it was an “expected death.” I was equally, if not even more sad this evening when I heard about Michael’s death even in spite of the fact that it was an “unexpected death." Death is an unsettling occurrence. We still don’t quite know what to do with it. Why do people die? Where do they go? Those are the questions that philosophers and scientists and religions have been trying to answer from the beginning of time. As Christians, we of course have a hope and an expectation that gives us some sense of resolve through Jesus, but that still doesn’t make it any easier. I can very easily find dozens of traditional scriptures in the Bible that talk about death and how to deal with it, but the scripture above, I feel goes unnoticed far too often.

Lazarus is dead and his sisters and the people around him are devastated. Jesus arrives on the scene after his death took place and walks right into all of the mourning. What a sad scene this probably looked like. When Jesus looks upon Lazarus with His own eyes, Jesus begins to weep too. There are many different reasons and speculations as to why Jesus wept. The Jews saw how much Jesus loved Lazarus. Jesus loved Lazarus, not because Lazarus was so popular with Jesus, but I gather that He wept because Lazarus was one of His own. The community was mourning the death of one of their beloved and Jesus joined in with them. Who knows what background Lazarus had; if he was righteous a sinner, perfect not perfect. I’m sure we can look it up and come up with a bunch of reasons why Lazarus would be one deserving of Jesus’ tears. But I believe that Jesus mourns and weeps for the deserving and the undeserving. This is the same Jesus that said that God causes the sun to shine on the just and the unjust. So I can come up with no other reason why Jesus mourns other than the fact that this was a human being lying dead before Jesus’ eyes and it was a sad occasion.

In this scripture, Jesus gives us permission to mourn. I'm not sure how perfect or unperfect Farah or Michael were, but I do know one thing...they were human beings whom many of us loved. Just as Jesus walked into the community of the people who loved Lazarus as they were grieving and mourning, we as a community are grieving and mourning the loss of our own. It’s okay to cry and reflect and grieve death. Jesus loved and Jesus continues to love all of us! You have permission to sit around and listen to Michael Jackson songs all week. You have permission to watch old clips of Farah Fawcett on TV.. If it makes you feel better to watch CNN and MTV and BET and MSNBC and ABC all day, then do so! Call your friends, call your family and talk about it. Don’t be so quick to search for a lesson right now. Someone once asked the question, “Do we search for lessons to lessen the pain?” Well perhaps. And yes, there will be lessons that come up. But right now take a minute to reflect on life and how precious it is….to appreciate those closest to you and those who are still with us that we take for granted everyday. Enjoy their company for a moment. Take a minute to pray for the families of Michael and Farah. Take some time to weep.

Out With the Old!

“He (Jesus) told them this parable: ‘No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.’ “ (Luke 5:33-39)

Ugggh! My stomach is really bothering me. I was in the car on the way to work this afternoon and grabbed a sandwich and some fries. Too hungry to wait to eat when I got at work, I grabbed a few fries in the bag to hold me off until I got to work. By the time I got to work my stomach was hurting sooooooo bad! As a matter of fact it still hurts. I kept thinking to myself, “Why did 3 or 4…okay maybe 5 fries hurt my stomach so bad?” And then I remembered…I’ve been eating healthy all week and on top of that I took a shot of wheatgrass detox last night at Jamba Juice. For those of you who don’t know, wheat grass is one of the most effective foods at alkalizing the body and providing nutritional support while colon cleansing or detoxing. French fries on the other hand, are probably the most non-nutritional, unhealthy, greasy foods to take into ones system. Mix the two up and it’ll make for one serious stomach ache. So here you have one very healthy food, mixed with one very unhealthy food and the two of them should have never been eaten one behind the other.

Jesus was telling his disciples a parable, using language that really isn’t that familiar to us in 2009….garments and patches and wineskins. But, we can gather the meaning of the scripture anyway because He explains it. Look at this part: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.” If new wine is poured into old wineskins, the new wine will burst the skins. Yikes. That’s exactly how my stomach feels right now. Those are physical examples, but what about spiritual? What does it look like when we as new beings in Christ try to mix our old way of living into what is supposed to be a new life? I’ve got news for many of you; when you accepted Jesus Christ into your life the Bible says that you became a new being in Him. You may not look different and some of you may not even feel really different, but the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life through Christ makes you a child of God….you’re made new! So all of those old things that were apart of your life that are not things that would be characteristic of the things of God won’t mix well with your new life in Christ. I encourage you to evaluate those old and new things in your life that may be mixing; it could be causing unnecessary problems. Remember, you’re new now…out with the old!

Looking for Something...Cross Movement Discusses their Beginnings...

Waiting May Not Be Fun...But It's Necessary

Acts Ch. 1:4-11 (The Message Bible)
After his death, He (Jesus) presented Himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but "must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon." When they were together for the last time they asked, "Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?" He told them, "You don't get to know the time. Timing is the Father's business. What you'll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, "You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left."

A few weeks ago on a Saturday evening when I really didn’t have anything to do, I called up my friend and asked her if she wanted to hit up the movies. She said, “Yeah”, but she had to get her hair done first at 4:30 and said we could catch the 7 o’clock. When 5:30 came around she sent me a text message to let me know that she wasn’t in the chair yet, but she’d still be there by 7. At 6:45 when I was in the car on the way to the theatre she texted me to let me know that she was under the dryer and that all they had to do was take the rollers out, she’d be there at 7:30 and to save her a seat. At this point I started getting frustrated. I did not want to sit in there waiting for her by myself. I drove past that movie theater and headed to Lowes to see if there was a later show there. When I called her back I told her that I decided to go to another theatre and she said she was on her way. When I got to the theatre, she wasn’t there so I waited for 5 minutes…15 minutes…20 minutes…30 minutes! I was standing in the lobby mad all by myself. When she finally walked through those glass doors, her first words to me were “Whew. Sorry Girl.” Sorry Girl?! Unfortunately, it was at that moment that I realized something about myself…I’m impatient. Waiting is never fun.

The scripture above takes place after Jesus’ death and resurrection. He came back to spend some time talking and training the disciples for 40 days. Jesus tells them to wait for everything God promised. They kept asking Jesus, “But when?” Jesus would again say “wait” or “it is not yet time.” And then Jesus is suddenly taken up into the sky and disappears before their very eyes. Can you imagine what they were feeling? Perhaps worry…anxiety…and of course a bit of impatience. They wanted their questions answered and they wanted them answered right then. Like, “When is the Holy Spirit coming,” “When is the kingdom going to be restored,” and by the way “When exactly are you coming back?” The disciples had no other choice but to wait. And here we are thousands of years later…still waiting.

We don’t have to wait on much in the society we live in now. Everything is microwavable. We have Tivo so we don’t have to wait for TV shows. We have Netflix so we can order movies online. We even have dating services online so we don’t have to wait much to date either. So when it comes to waiting on the Lord….of course it’s hard! The worst part about waiting is that many times we don’t even know what we’re waiting for…we’re just waiting. Perhaps to many of us we think it’d be much easier if we knew what we were waiting for. If we knew how the relationship was going to turn out. If we knew what college we were getting into. If we knew about that job we’ve been waiting for. Or what those test results are going to be. And unfortunately I can’t give you any answers because I still don’t know why I’m waiting on some of the things I’m waiting for. But what I do know is what Jesus said to His disciples: it’s not for you to know, BUT you will receive power. This is good news. God has given us power through the Holy Spirit to be able to move forward in the midst of the waiting. God has given us the power to remain strong and sturdy even when things seem at a stand still.

God hasn’t left you hanging! God’s always working on your situation even when you can’t see what’s ahead. Sometimes when I’m anxious or unsure about the things I’m waiting for, I remind myself that God loves me and that I’m God’s child and God always has my best interests at heart. So whatever you’re waiting for, just remember that God has seen the end and the beginning and everything is working together for your good!

Niyoki - Joy (RAWsession Original)