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The longer I serve God, the more amazed I am at His marvelous ways. Read our 2011 Year End Magazine including stories of the wonderful work that the Lord did with the Mission Teams.
Citation preview
frontlineMissions
c o n t e n t s
FROM THE
HEART OF AlAn
PAGE 2
JEMiMA FindS
“CRAdlE OF lOvE”PAGE 3
CETRAM UPdATE
PAGE 6
GOd CAllEd ME
TO FROnTlinE
(nEW STAFF MEMBER!)PAGE 8
OUT OF THEiR
COMFORT ZOnES
PAGE 9
OnE dAy On
FlOWER MOUnTAin
PAGE 13
COFFEE PROJECT TO
BRinG HOPE, FREEdOM
PAGE 17
dO yOU HAvE
WHAT iT TAkES?
(CHAvARRiA MiniSTRy)PAGE 18
Cover photo: Alan Winter
Inside cover photo: Alan Winter
Publication editor: Autumn Hill Faulkner
Frontline Missions and CETRAM were both graced and honored by the presence ofGuyanese governmental representative, Parliamentary Secretary & Ministry of Housingand Water, Ms. Philomena Sahoye-Shury, C.C.H. (left), shown embracing Heidi Winter.Ms. Shury attended CETRAM’s Grand Opening in February, giving support of the visionof CETRAM to bring hope for the indigenous people of Guyana and Brazil alike.
Frontline’s 2012 ScheduleFEBRUARY
3-12 → Alan to CETRAM, Boa Vista, Brazil
3 - 3/26 → Elizabeth to CETRAM
5-17 → Luis to Honduras
w/ Ballardsville Baptist Church
18-25 → Luis in Honduras
w/ DeHaven Baptist Church
21-27 → Alan & Heidi to Fayetteville, N.C.
for Missions Conference at Manna Church
MARCH
3-11 → Alan & Heidi to CETRAM
w/ Winshape students
11-18 → Alan & Heidi to Mahaica, Guyana
17-24 → Luis to Costa Rica
w/ First Baptist of Atlanta (FBA)
26-4/7 → Luis to Columbia
30-4/7 → Alan, Heidi, Harry, & Elizabeth to
Honduras w/ Landmark Christian School
APRIL
14-21 → Luis to Honduras w/ First Baptist
22-28 → Alan & Luis to Venezuela
w/ FBA
MAY
26-6/2 → Luis to Nicaragua w/ FBA
JUNE
2-10 → Alan, Heidi, & Elizabeth to Honduras
w/ New River Community Church
9-23 → Luis to Honduras w/ Crossroads Church
29-7/7 → Alan, Heidi, & Elizabeth to
Honduras w/ Beulah Baptist Church
30-7/6 → Luis to Honduras w/ FBA
JULY
6-14 → Harry to Guyana w/ Dogwood Church
7-14 → Luis to Nicaragua w/ Crossroads
21-29 → Harry to Guyana
w/ St. James Episcopal Church
27-8/4 → Alan, Heidi, & Elizabeth to Brazil
w/ Manna Church
AUGUST
4-19 → Alan, Heidi, & Elizabeth to
Wai Wai village in Guyana
4-11 → Luis to Nicaragua w/ FBA
12-29 → Luis to Honduras w/ FBA
When I began serving Christ, I
was privileged to live with my pastor
and father-in-the-Lord, Dick Strutz. I
vividly remember sitting at his dining
room table listening intently to mis-
sionaries share
marvelous stories
of God’s faithful-
ness and miracu-
lous power.
In particular, I
remember one
missionary de-
scribing how he
spent years pray-
ing about and
planning to go to
Japan. After
much hoping and
waiting, he and
his family finally
set out for Japan
in the fall of 1942,
only to have the
Pearl Harbor at-
tack occur when
they were in the middle of the Pacific.
They never made it to Japan—yet
God still achieved His purposes! This
missionary and his family ended up in
Australia and New Zealand instead,
and God’s accomplishments through
them are still having an impact around
the globe today. When God says, “All
things work together for good to
those who love God and are called
according to His purposes,” He
means exactly that!
Now, thirty-five years later, I find
myself sharing similar stories of God’s
abundant grace and faithfulness on
the frontlines in my own life and in the
lives of those I have the honor to
work with. I am able to describe how
eleven years ago the Lord gave us a
dream of a training center in northern
Brazil to reach the indigenous peo-
ples of the region, and how finally in
2011 the dream became a reality be-
yond our expectations.
Of course, the reality is wildly dif-
ferent from the original dream, but
CETRAM and its people have been
baptized through fire—including dis-
couragement, mistakes, threats, car
accidents, abandonment, investiga-
tions, failed lawsuits, lies, slander, de-
monically inspired conspiracies,
absence of funds, and life-threatening
diseases. Today, 26 students from five
tribes are radically transformed and
on fire for Jesus, ready to make great
sacrifices to reach their own tribes
and beyond for the Kingdom of God.
This year, we
have also seen God’s
work among a forgot-
ten people (see “Tolu-
pan Indians” article
from 2010 issue). He
has orchestrated a di-
verse group of people
to not only reach them
for Christ, but also to
help them rise from
starvation and the
threat of genocide to
become economically
self-supporting.
Finally, I’ve wit-
nessed Elizabeth Pear-
man’s transformation
from a student on a
high-school mission
trip five years ago to a
full-time Frontline staff member.
Through the use of Storying, Elizabeth
now ministers to people from many
different cultures and languages.
God is and always has accom-
plished His purposes on a global
scale. Are we willing to believe He will
do the same for us individually? This is
where it all begins—you and I believ-
ing God’s Word is true and will be ful-
filled in our lives. “Faith is the
substance of things hoped for—the
evidence of things not yet seen” (He-
brews 11:1).
Page 2
From the heart oF alan
Alan's Alaska trip in June afforded the time to give respect and deserved honor tofathers of the faith, dick Strutz (left) and dick Benjamin (center), who first deposited the very seeds of church planting within Alan.
God’s purposes through the decades
❈
Jemima Chatarpal grew up in
Belem, Para, Brazil, one of 14 chil-
dren in a family of Syrian descent.
After high school Jemima received
her certificate to teach and moved
to Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil, to
continue her education at Federal
University, prompted by her love for
history and her dream of becoming
a teacher.
Shortly after she arrived,
Jemima was introduced to Awan
Chatarpal by mutual friends. They
fell in love and were married in
2002. Jemima continued her edu-
cation and later graduated with a
degree in history.
Being married to Awan added a
lot of spice to Jemima’s life. She
had been raised in a large coastal
city, so life in the ministry was a new
experience. Jemima not only had to
become familiar with ministry in
general, but ministry to remote In-
dian tribes in Brazil’s immense sa-
vannah and jungles. And not only to
just one tribe—eventually God con-
nected them with nine different
tribes from Brazil, Guyana and
Venezuela.
Quickly the call of God in
Awan’s life became Jemima’s. Soon
she began to dream of writing the
history of the tribes—of their strug-
gles, beliefs, customs, how they
eventually came to accept Christ,
and the missions involvement.
Jemima often joined Awan in the far
north as they ministered to large
gatherings of indigenous leaders. At
these meetings several tribes came
together to worship, learn the Word
of God, and share unique customs
and not-so-unique struggles.
From these gatherings and
many fireside discussions, the idea
of a school like CETRAM was con-
ceived and developed—primarily in
the hearts of Jemima and Awan,
who would not be deterred in carry-
ing the idea of a school to full term.
Soon the idea was made reality, and
the newborn school was thrust into
a harsh reality, depending solely on
the prayers of the church for contin-
ued existence.
The same year the school was
set to open, Brazil’s federal govern-
ment imposed a new law requiring
all schools to be overseen by some-
one with a degree in school admin-
istration.
Jemima immediately stepped
up to do her part and headed back
to school for another degree. While
Jemima was studying for her certifi-
cation, Awan kept busy building the
actual campus with six helpers: an
administration/classroom building, a
cafeteria, dorms, and the grounds.
Awan also began training in-
structors and worked with Alan Win-
ter from Frontline Missions to raise
the needed funds to build the cam-
pus, maintain those buildings, and
operate the school on an on-going
basis. Meanwhile, José,
Cetram–Braz i l
By Alan Winter
Page 3
Awan and Jemima Chatarpal outside the new CETRAM facility in Roraima, Brazil.Jemima has been instrumental in CETRAM’s inception, planning, and operation. Shecurrently serves as director at the school.
Jemima finds “cradle of love” at CETRAM
(cont.➤)
CETRAM’s key indigenous leader,
traveled to numerous villages
throughout the region, recruiting stu-
dents to be part of this historical en-
deavor—training other natives from
neighboring tribes!
The school is now flourishing,
thanks to these efforts and also to
Jemima’s hard work, dedication,
and compassion for Brazil’s native
peoples. An atmosphere of grace,
trust, and love has produced a class
of students that will change the
whole region for Christ.
Interview Excerpts
ALAN: Jemima, tell us about
the school CETRAM.
JEMIMA: The school has been
a blessing to my husband, Awan
and me. I learned a lot here; God
gave me a new heart through the
school. Through the students, God
has modified me a lot. I thought that
I was going to teach them, but they
have taught me so much more. I
have to thank each student and
staff that works here. CETRAM is a
big family, united in harmony. God
restored all of our lives.
The students who came here
were sad, timid, and abused; I now
see them happily giving testimonies.
When the students came they
wouldn’t look at you and now they
look at me and pray and worship
with their heads held high.
ALAN: Share with us one of
your greatest joys so far at the
school.
JEMIMA: There are many,
many, many stories, but I will try and
specify one. One student, Romario,
came here with a broken life. He
was involved with drugs and drunk-
enness. His family was also. He was
very bitter and angry due to abuse,
but when he returned home, his
family saw such a change in him
that they asked forgiveness from
him. God freed their hearts and Ro-
mario was able to lead his family to
Christ.
After returning back to CE-
TRAM, Romario began dreaming of
starting a school like CETRAM in his
own region. He says, “Because my
whole family accepted Christ, they
want me to learn more so I can
come back and teach them. They
want me to reach all of the youth so
they can be set free from alcohol,
drugs, and immorality. I want to
reach my whole community for
Christ.”
This brings great joy to my
heart when I see a simple young
man bound by sin, set free and then
God uses him in such a marvelous
way. There have been many, many
joys from each one of the students,
but I wanted to specify this one.
ALAN: What is your name and
why did you come to CETRAM?
ROMARIO (CETRAM student):
My name is Romario and I am a Ma-
cushi from the village of Mutum from
the area of Chiramiota. I came to
CETRAM to learn the Word of God
so that I can take it back to my com-
munity and disciple the people there
so they can learn to walk with Jesus.
I will disciple them by teaching
them the stories from the Bible so
they can learn from the stories how
to live and how God can change
their lives like ours. It is very impor-
tant for me to carry my testimony to
my community, my family, and the
surrounding communities.
One of my dreams is
Cetram–Braz i l
Page 4
Using every moment they can, CETRAM students diligently dig into the Word of God together before they are sent back to their own villages.
(cont.➤)
to open a school to teach the young
people in the area, so that the com-
munity can learn, change, and have
hope. I also want to teach the chil-
dren so that they can learn to re-
spect one another.
ALAN: What was your life like
before CETRAM?
ROMARIO: My life was terrible.
I fought a lot and partied with my
friends the whole night until morning.
ALAN: What do you want to do
after you leave CETRAM?
ROMARIO: I want to start a
new community. A Christian com-
munity with a school that teaches
the Word of God so that students
can learn the stories from the Word
of God...to live in community and
learn practical skills...similar to what
I have learned here at CETRAM.
ALAN: What is your favorite
thing at CETRAM?
ROMARIO: I love to serve by
cleaning, cooking, and repairing. I
love to serve the others.
ALAN: How do you want peo-
ple to pray for the school?
JEMIMA: Finances. We need
to increase the finances to feed the
students better. For clothing, shoes,
school supplies, and a stipend for
the students for personal needs.
For prayer
when they go
back to their
communities.
Many of them
will be the only
believers in their
community.
Many of them
will face dis-
couragement
and opposi-
tions. We ask
for prayer that
they will stand
strong and that
many will come
to Christ as a result of the students’
changed lives and hope that they
now have in Christ.
ALAN: How can we pray best
for you personally?
JEMIMA: I need prayer for my
marriage. I need prayer for there is a
lot of work here at CETRAM and
this has taken a toll on my relation-
ship with my husband. This is what I
need prayer for.
I also want to invite those that
have supported us to come and see
all that God has done in creating
CETRAM into a cradle of love. I can
feel what it is really like to live in
Christ. I didn’t understand this to-
tally but this year I have learned
what it means to live in Christ.
I love coming here every day
and it is worthwhile. The investment
into the lives of these students is
worth it; it is the greatest invest-
ment!
Cetram–Braz i l
Page 5
Jemima speaks to a class at CETRAM. At the time of publication, 26 students from numerous backgrounds and regions were enrolled at CETRAM.
The lord has stirred the heart of Jemima Chatarpal, director ofCETRAM, to serve in a key mother role for all the students.
❈
Praises
By the time of this publication, Pastor José will
have received his four-wheel drive pick-up which will be
used to visit and encourage the CETRAM students in
their home villages. This mentoring previously took him
two weeks of travel by foot, canoe, and vehicle, but he
will now be more productive for the Kingdom thanks to
your support. He is especially grateful to the Lord for
not only providing the necessary vehicle, but one
equipped with the
snorkel and winch re-
quired to navigate
into these remote lo-
cations.
Two students
prayed for a man who
had been bedridden
with a back injury for
over two weeks—and
the man was healed!
The following day he
rode his bicycle to the
farm where the stu-
dents had been work-
ing and joined them in
their labors. When the
chief heard, he asked
the students to return
to win the entire vil-
lage for the Lord!
Prayer Requests
Please pray for the continued equipping of the stu-
dents as they are trained to reach their villages and coun-
try for the Lord. Pray for their protection as they share the
Gospel in what are occasionally hostile environments;
pray for their families as they are absent from them; and
pray for the necessary support for their food, tuition and
travel. Pray for accountability and for the Holy Spirit to
continue His work in their lives not only through their time
at CETRAM, which culminates with their graduation on
July 29, 2012, but also as they go out to labor for the
Kingdom and continue to disciple others.
Pray for the few students who will remain behind at
CETRAM to assist the new students who arrive late this
summer.
Reports
Manasseh, a Wai-Wai student from Parabara,
shared his testimony of Jesus’ transforming power with
his parents, family
and friends, who
were shocked to
see the changes in
his life. Rejoicing
with him, his father
said, “My son,
who was lost and
doing wrong
things, is now
found and is doing
good works.”
Upon receiv-
ing a gift of food
from his father, one
student shared it
with all the other
students. He ex-
plained why he had
shared this cov-
eted commodity:
“We learned in the story of Acts that the early church had
everything in common. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to
do?”
One team ran out of food on their mission trip so
they prayed for the Lord to provide. Immediately they
saw a turtle coming toward the house—and prepared
their evening meal with thanksgiving.
February 2011 marked the grand opening of CE-
TRAM, the Bible training center for indigenous
Cetram–Braz i l
Update: CETRAM flourishing in first year
Page 6
By Alan Winter
Rosane (right, also on front cover) sketches out drawings to help her rememberthe numerous Bible stories and their sequences as Martinilza (left) looks on.
(cont.➤)
people in Brazil and surrounding regions. We were grate-
ful that the Lord built upon the relationships He estab-
lished with local businessmen and political leaders to
help obtain permits and approval from the local govern-
ment. The school’s first class consisted of twenty-six stu-
dents from five tribes chosen by their chiefs to relay the
biblical information, agriculture, computer skills, business
management, and construction back to their villages.
Upon enrollment, many of these students were not
truly interested in the biblical studies; they were away
from their families for the first time, and came from tribes
that had long histories of warring against each other and
spoke different languages. It seemed it would take a
miracle for these students to create a unified spirit.
Within that first week, we taught them eight Bible
stories and soon discovered that drawing them out com-
municated beyond the language barriers. As we dis-
cussed how man was created in God’s image, the
students realized that all men were thereby created equal.
They saw that one culture is not better than another; a
great hush and the presence of the Lord filled the room.
Only those who have worked closely with op-
pressed, degraded, and abused people can fully com-
prehend the magnitude of this revelation. The following
day we learned about Adam and Eve’s disobedience
creating separation from God.
When the students asked how they could be re-
stored to a right relationship with God and no longer
separated from Him, we decided to spend the rest of
the morning putting our trust in Jesus. We experienced
a wonderful time as we saw the transformation of the
countenances of the students that had been separated
from God.
Once the students were united with their Creator,
they entered into a sweet time of worship complete
with tears and dancing. Some of the students had vi-
sions of how the Lord would use them to draw others
to Himself; others experienced healing from past rapes
and hurt, and still others were convicted to forgive past
grievances.
After healing had taken place in their lives, the Lord
opened their eyes to His bright new future for them.
The students were now ready to go out and share the
hope that they had inside of them.
Cetram–Braz i l
Page 7
The students of CETRAM have already had a huge impact on their surrounding regions. in only one year, the students have participated intwo missions and two home visits. 30 students have been sent to 16 different villages, witnessing an amazing 395 salvations and 19 healings.
❈
As the seasons change in my
life, I understand more each day
that life is a journey. Ever since I was
little, missions has fascinated me. I
listened with wide eyes every time I
heard a missionary speak and
hoped for the opportunity to go one
day myself.
When I was 16, I finally got my
chance to visit Honduras with Front-
line Missions in 2006. As I worked in
the medical clinic and pharmacy,
held dirty Tolupan babies who never
laughed or cried, and loved on
barefoot children, my heart was for-
ever changed and I was hooked.
The following year, I was privi-
leged to return to Honduras with my
home church, Beulah Baptist. In my
six years of missions, I have been a
part of sixteen foreign mission teams
to many parts of Honduras and
Guyana. As I was involved with each
team, God was directing my path
and preparing me for the future.
My path took a turn as God
gave me the opportunity to intern
with Frontline Missions in the sum-
mer of 2010. As part of my intern-
ship, I went on trips to Honduras
and Guyana and was trained in Bible
Storying. I ultimately learned the
Panoramic Story, an eight-minute
summary of God’s Story in the Bible.
Each time that I have told the
Panoramic Story—whether to Hin-
dus and Muslims in Guyana, Tolu-
pan Indians in Honduras, or
Americans in my hometown—I have
seen God’s truth communicated to
people’s hearts in a way they can
understand, and as a result their
lives are changed.
It was during my internship at
Frontline that I recognized the call
that God placed upon my life to
share His Story with others, espe-
cially with those who may never
hear it otherwise.
At the conclusion of the sum-
mer, I begged to stay at Frontline
and keep volunteering for them
while I continued my studies at Point
University. I was eagerly adopted
into the Frontline family and have
continued to work and learn under
their wonderful leadership.
As part of my training with
Frontline, I was given the opportunity
to help Alan Winter and Dr. Steve
Crowther instruct Bible Storying
trainers at a course at Grace College
of Divinity in January 2011 and 2012.
Through this experience, God broad-
ened my heart from simply foreign
missions to include a desire to equip
the church in the U.S. to go out and
share God’s Story with others.
As I spent time in Honduras
and Guyana in the summer of 2011,
God continued to direct my heart
towards full-time mission work in
partnership with Frontline Missions.
After my graduation from Point Uni-
versity in December 2011, I happily
joined Frontline Missions full-time in
January 2012.
I look forward to the exciting
opportunities that I will have to serve
as I assist and lead teams in Hon-
duras, Guyana, and Brazil. I will also
be involved in training teams in Bible
Storying as they prepare for their
short-term trips.
In February and March 2012, I
will have the opportunity to work and
live with indigenous students at CE-
TRAM Bible School in Brazil.
We will be translating Bible sto-
ries into their heart languages so that
they can share God’s Story with their
home villages after their own gradua-
tion in July 2012. The opportunities
before me both excite and overwhelm
me with the goodness of God.
God has been faithful to direct
my steps and I am excited to see
where He leads me as I continue to
serve Him in partnership with
Frontline Missions as a Missions
Mobilizer.
Frontl ine–USa
God called me to Frontline Missions
Page 8
By Elizabeth Pearman
Elizabeth scoops up one of God’s precious little ones in Guyana.
❈
Jennifer Nurenberg
Dogwood Church
Peachtree City, GA
My Guyana journey began in
January 2011, when I went to a
women's retreat and picked up an
artist’s rendition of "The Pearl of
Great Price.” Jesus said that the
Kingdom of Heaven is like a mer-
chant looking for fine pearls. When
he found one of great value, he
went away and sold everything he
had and bought it (Matt 13:45-46).
The artist from the retreat, Jan-
ice Van Cronkhite, went on to say,
"As this revelation makes its way
from our head to our heart, WE then
become a pearl of great price to
Him. We are incredibly loved by our
Creator. We become one He can
entrust His mysteries to and, more
importantly, we become His friend."
The reason I chose to go to
Guyana, besides obedience to God,
was to put others first before my
own comfort. Between January and
July, Matthew 13 slowly made its
way from my head to my heart until I
believed it. I thought that my going
on this trip was to make others—
namely the children at Save-R-
Kids—feel valuable, like a pearl.
I felt successful in this mission
with several of the older girls in the
home. I enjoyed relating to three In-
dian sisters and one other troubled
sibling. I remember thinking it odd
that she had not connected to any
of the women on the trip. She
seemed hurt and aloof, and I, in
turn, shied away from her.
One day we were doing a praise
dance during Vacation Bible School
when I saw her light up. She was a
dancer. After that day, all she wanted
to do was dance or talk nonstop.
I can only imagine what kind of
lies and hurtfulness she and other
girls have experienced in their brief
lives so far, and what kind of hurdles
lay ahead. When someone can
make them feel like a pearl, that re-
ally is "priceless," for both parties.
I also found that I could conquer
my own giants by going on a mission
trip. In the popular book Wild at Heart,
author John Eldredge says quite a bit
about spiritual warfare. About women
in particular, he says on page 182:
"Eve is the crown of creation,
remember? ... And so she is the
special target of the Evil One; he
turns his most vicious malice against
her. If he can destroy her or keep her
captive, he can ruin the story."
For me, one of those giants was
feeling inadequate or inferior as a
stay-at-home mom. The Evil One was
winning in my heart every time I ques-
tioned myself and the importance of
what I was doing. Going to Guyana in
obedience was a way for God to use
me by serving others, and therefore
gain spiritual strength to defeat a key
lie of the enemy.
GUyana
Outside their comfort zones!
As Jennifer steps out of her own comfort zone and dances into the lives of TracyAnn,Amanda, and Toshana (left to right), they in turn are able to lay down their broken livesfor a moment and spring into joyous play!
Page 9
(cont.➤)
Prentiss Findlay
St. James Episcopal Church
Charleston, S.C.
Animals are a part of daily life for
the 30 kids at the home in Cornelia
Ida, Guyana, run by Michael and
Michiel Campbell. Two cows wander
around the premises. Fowl is slaugh-
tered and served fresh for
dinner. A small dog was re-
named Lucky after Alcyone
heard his yelps and pulled
him from the mouth of an
anaconda.
Like Lucky, the kids
have been rescued from a
dangerous world beyond the
barbed-wire-topped fence
surrounding the forested
perimeter of Save-R-Kids.
I was among seven
missionaries from Saint
James who recently spent
10 days at Save-R-Kids.
Before the trip, I knew
Guyana as the place in the
news decades ago where
Jim Jones and his cult of followers
drank poisoned-laced Kool-Aid.
Upon arrival, I was struck by
the third-world appearance of the
airport. There is one runway. The
small terminal is a short walk from
the plane. The customs lady had a
question or two before putting the
first stamp in my new passport. This
was my first mission trip.
In the following days, I got to
know the kids. They came up with a
nickname for me, “Uncle Gray Bear.”
Like most kids, they liked to play jokes
on people, jump rope, and scurry
about at high speed. Understanding
them took some time. A Band-Aid
was a “patch.” Sometimes, I turned to
one kid to ask what another had said.
The children loved activities led
by the Saint James team. Slip-and-
slide on a long, narrow sheet of
soapy plastic was a big hit. So was
musical chairs. The kids delighted at
light-up yo-yos and bubble wands. I
wished that I had remembered to
bring kazoos. And they really liked
the rusty two-wheelers we fixed up.
“Uncle Gray Bear, can we ride
bikes?”
I suppose my nickname had
something to do with my size and
silver hair. I took it as a term of en-
dearment. Never had I seen such
enthusiasm for beat-up bikes. But
with new tires, any old bike be-
comes a joy in Guyana.
In addition to activities with the
kids, our days at Save-R-Kids in-
cluded worship songs led by Brent
Cooley and Bible study led by Pas-
tor Arthur Jenkins. At those times, I
felt the presence of the Holy Spirit
and I was blessed with a new under-
standing of Jesus’ parables in Luke
13 about the Kingdom of God—
words I had read dozens of times
about how the Kingdom is like yeast
worked into dough sud-
denly came alive in a
new way. The Kingdom
is here and now. The
Holy Spirit, the yeast, is
working in and through
us, the dough, to re-
claim a fallen creation
from the enemy.
As part of our mis-
sion, we worked to
spruce up Save-R-Kids
with new coats of paint
on an outdoor staircase.
Afterwards, our air condi-
tioned quarters felt like an
oasis. I drank lots of puri-
fied water dispensed
from 5-gallon jugs. We
were told not to drink the tap water.
Despite the precautions, I got sick.
Thankfully, the antibiotic Cipro pro-
vided by a team member brought
rapid relief from a queasy stomach.
We slept in bunk beds. During
power outages, which happened reg-
ularly, a noisy generator kicked in. A
tree frog lived in the toilet. From time-
to-time, bats made noises in the attic.
We spent 10 days in Guyana.
During that time, I felt that I had grown
spiritually through daily worship, Bible
study and prayer ministry. But I felt
there was much more to know about
the country and its people.
GUyana
Prentiss (better known as “Uncle Gray Bear” to the children) paintsan outdoor staircase on his first mission trip to the Save-R-kids children’s home in Cornelia ida, Guyana.
Page 10
(cont.➤)
Jonathan Sharp
Grace Church
High Point, N.C.
When I heard that my youth
group was going to Honduras again
for our annual missions trip, I was
really excited. It had been three
years since I had been on a mis-
sions trip.
This year our destination was
the village of Jano Viejo. It’s about
an eight-hour trip from San Pedro
Sula, where we flew into. We broke
the trip into two days, traveling four
hours into Olanchito to stay the
night, and planned to cover the rest
of the distance the next day.
When we left Olanchito I started
to hear the stories of how long this
stretch took the team that came last
year. To reach Jano Viejo, you have to
travel on dirt back roads. Last year,
there was a lot of rain, which made
the roads muddy and caused the
trucks to get stuck a lot. By the end of
the day it took them nine hours to
make the trip. But this year God
blessed us with dry weather and it
only took four hours.
One project our team was as-
signed was to dig an eight-foot septic
hole. We started the project alone with
guidance from the Honduran pastors
who had joined the trip. But it quickly
turned into a joint effort by both the
“gringos” and “catrachos” (a nick-
name for themselves, the Hondurans).
It became comical as we worked so
hard trying to dig the hole, and then a
Honduran man would jump in and
give us a break. He would work for
quite a while, being much more effec-
tive while using much less effort.
It was incredible as well as hum-
bling to watch a 60-year-old man put
us to shame with the work he did. But
also, this was the job we came to do
for them and they joined to help us. I
could not wrap my head around
that—why wouldn’t they just let us do
the work to serve them?
I started to understand as the
week wore on. They were reciprocat-
ing the love we showed them. We had
material possessions and some food
to give to them. With a bit of a lan-
guage barrier, the universal language
of love was spoken with actions and
this became the prevalent language
we spoke on this trip. We worked with
them, we played soccer with them,
we tried to speak their language, we
gave away our possessions, we
shared our food, to show them the
love that God had given us for them.
However, I feel like the love they
showed us in return was just as much
of a blessing to us as what we gave to
them. They joined us in our work, they
ate with us, the kids followed us
around everywhere and they all tried
to learn phrases of our language as
well. By the end of the week, they
knew each one of us for different rea-
sons. We felt the love toward them
that God has for them. In I Corinthians
3, it talks about how we’re God’s fel-
low workers—we plant and water the
seeds and He provides the increase.
On so many trips, it seems like
we only get to plant seeds. We pray
for people or tell them about Jesus
and then never see them again. But
this trip was different; we not only got
to plant the seed and tell them about
Jesus, but by forming relationships
and showing them love, we got to
water the seeds too, and now God
will provide the increase.
hondUraS
Page 11
Courage Carr, leader of Grace Church’s mission team, is affectionately attacked by the little friends he met last year in Jano veijo.
(cont.➤)
Fred Gilkeson
New River Community Church
Douglasville, GA
Our team hiked to Montenegro, [Honduras], one of
the poorest and neediest of all of the Tolupan villages. It is
very difficult to reach and rarely, if ever, has visitors. Even
their own government officials don’t make the journey.
When New River’s team arrived at Montenegro
after the four-hour hike, a villager asked them with great
surprise, “Who sent you?!” The team explained that
Pastor Luis of Sulaco had sent them and they were one
of the Frontline Missions’ teams, ready to serve the
people of Montenegro.
At first, the women and children were afraid of
these outsiders and were reluctant to come out of their
houses. The chief, however, was very welcoming to the
team and he showed interest in the solar mp3 players
we brought. Each player contained the New Testament
and basic lessons about being a Christian.
The chief could not believe that the team would
travel so far to his village and give them the mp3 play-
ers, as well as much-needed corn and rice. After per-
sonally experiencing how bare and desolate
Montenegro truly was, it felt very good to give where
the need was so great.
On the same day, the team, although already tired
from their hike to Montenegro, decided to hike straight
on to another village—Monterrey. A New River team
had visited Monterrey four years earlier and they de-
sired to make the four-hour trek to that village despite
their burned and blistered feet.
Once they arrived in the village, they were greeted
by many who remembered them. Karen Beard, a nurse
and one of this year’s team members, had delivered a
baby on that first visit, and she was able to find the now
4-year-old child. At first the family didn’t recognize her
but soon they began to rejoice with Karen at this
blessed reunion!
The team continued handing out rice, corn and more
mp3 players. We gave one player to Loris, a teacher visit-
ing from Sulaco. She was elated to receive it because it
has been a desire of her heart to take the Word of God to
the Tolupan—now she could use the mp3 player to do so.
The team was able to “commission” Loris for the desire
and work that God had placed in her heart. It is remarkable
how God orchestrates people’s paths to cross.
hondUraS
Page 12
The team from new River hikes to a remote village in Honduras to hand out much-needed corn, rice, and even solar-powered mp3 players.This team actually visited two villages in one day—Montenegro and Monterrey—hiking for a total of eight grueling hours.
❈
Sleep evaded me as the hard-
est rain I have ever seen pounded
down on Flower Mountain, Hon-
duras. Various scenarios ran
through my mind. What precautions
should we take in traveling back
down the mountain road? Would we
be able to cross the already high
rivers that were surely rising by the
minute?
I repeated prayers of safety for
everyone and asked the Lord for
guidance. For days He had been
stirring my heart to pray for the
safety of this trip, and earlier that
week my wife Heidi described an
unusually heavy burden she felt to
pray against danger. I was listening.
I was on guard.
By morning the ankle-deep
creek by the community center
where we stayed had risen above
six feet. I had never seen this in
mountainous La Ceibita. I realized
my nighttime concerns had not
been unfounded, since even on a
good day the road was fairly poor—
not to mention after a deluge.
At breakfast we decided as a
team to cancel that day's ministry
plans and make the road passable
instead. We loaded three pick-ups
with shovels, ropes, pry-bars, and a
chainsaw, and went to inspect the
road.
A mile down we found a gaping
trench, five feet deep and ranging
from eight to almost 20 feet wide.
Such a gap was not passable with
4x4 trucks, motorcycles, or horses.
Searching the area, we discovered
a four-foot-high boulder nearby.
After several hours, eight of us man-
aged to roll it 30 feet and down into
the trench.
Next, we cut four trees to span
the gaps from the rock to the origi-
nal road. After six hours we had
built a bridge and partial dam, finally
enabling us to cross. One mile of
the road completed—eleven miles
to go.
Two miles further down, we
came to a river crossing where a
large tree had fallen directly on the
ford. Using the chainsaw just above
the water’s surface, we cut the tree
into short logs that floated down the
river in no time, and thank-
hondUraS
Page 13
By Alan & Heidi Winter
One day on Flower Mountain
Putting his frequently used problem-solving skills to work, Alan sizes up the huge, gapinghole in the road from the village of la Ceibita, Honduras, which blocks the team’s pathback to the airport and their flight home.
(cont.➤)
fully the river was just low enough to
cross at that point. Three miles
down—eight to go.
After we crossed over, some lo-
cals told us the rest of the road was
okay for travel, so we decided not
to work any further in that direction.
We began anticipating a well-
earned meal and a good night’s
sleep—but when we returned to the
river we found a new problem wait-
ing on us. Though we had cleared
the river of the tree, the logjam we
created caused the already-precari-
ous water level to rise and swamp
the crossing with a pile of mud and
sand.
A few team members worked
carefully in the swift, dangerous cur-
rent to move logs and debris, and
after ninety minutes the jam was
cleared. When the water level
dropped eight inches, I decided to
attempt to cross the river myself.
When we entered the ford I
suddenly realized we were in trou-
ble. The 4x4 was not going to make
it through the piled-up sediment
against the current. The rocks I felt
earlier when walking the river had
shifted, and our tires began spinning
in foot-deep sand and mud. The
rushing waters shoved the 4x4 into
the deepest channel, making it act
as a dam. Water began pouring into
the floorboards. Although I was
standing on the gas pedal, we were
stuck.
The next minute, the current
began sweeping us down river. I
cried out, "God, help us," and threw
the truck into reverse. How we were
able to get any
footing in re-
verse is be-
yond me—it
must have
been God’s
miraculous
provision.
Even now as I
recount this, I
am reminded
of the verse,
“He set my
feet upon a
rock," (Ps.
40:2).
Once we
were safely on
the other
bank, we
thanked God
and prayed
that the river would drop further. We
had just decided to park our trucks
there and walk back to La Ceibita
when another small mission group
drove up in an SUV.
With difficulty we finally per-
suaded them to park their vehicle
on our side and stay the night with
us. A husband and wife were lead-
ing this team, and the wife ex-
pressed relief at our presence,
saying she was sure her husband
would have tried to cross if we had
not stopped them. Since their SUV
was lighter and lower than ours they
would surely have met with disaster.
We were convinced the Lord al-
lowed us to be stranded at the river
for this other team’s safety.
Realizing how tired the team
had become, I started to make the
four-and-a-half mile run back to
camp to retrieve the sole truck left
behind. But after the exertion of the
day I could hardly keep moving.
Just after the first mile, I came upon
a home where I had previously
helped a family.
Remarkably, they had a visiting
friend with a motorcycle, and he
took me the rest of the way back to
camp. After transporting the team
back, we found enough mattresses
for our six guests from the other
team and had a wonderful night’s
sleep without rain.
Thankfully, by the morning the
rivers had dropped, and we trav-
elled past all but one of them with-
out incident. Unusually, we had
cellular reception at this time, so I
called Heidi all the way back in the
U.S. to fill her in on how
hondUraS
Page 14
Brandon Jones (left) and a Honduran friend (middle) ultimatelycame up with the solution: rolling a four-foot boulder across thirtyfeet into the river to form a makeshift bridge.
(cont.➤)
we had been progressing.
I rarely communicate with her
this often when I am on a trip to
Central America, but for some rea-
son I sensed a need to be in touch.
Heidi urged that we still needed to
be alert, watchful, and prayerful.
She continued to stress that al-
though the events from the previous
days seemed extreme, she still was
not convinced we were out of trou-
ble yet.
At the same time, our inter-
preter Cristy called her mother, who
also said she had been warned in a
dream to pray for this trip even
more than usual. Later we would
learn that Honduran pastor Luis
Romero’s wife, Lucia, was also di-
vinely led to pray for us during that
time. We prayed as a team and
went back to driving, alert for any-
thing else that might spring up.
Within ten minutes of praying
and warning everyone to be careful,
just as we were crossing the final
river, I looked in the rear-view mirror
and watched in total shock as one
of our trucks simply began to veer
off the road—straight toward a ten-
foot drop.
“What is going on?” I cried.
“What is happening?” At once I
imagined the possible outcome. At
the bottom of the ravine large boul-
ders waited to totally destroy the
truck. It teetered precariously on the
edge of the road and the ravine.
“If that truck goes off the edge
any further,” I thought, “it is sure to
flip and land on those boulders up-
side down. God, please stop them.
Don’t let the truck roll!” Instantly the
driver’s door sprang open and the
three people in the cab scrambled
out. As Cristy was jumping clear of
the unstable truck, she exclaimed to
her sister, Meily, “This
hondUraS
Page 15
Many prayers are sent to the throne of God as Alan and his team try to keep one of their trucks from rolling over into a rocky ravine. Thetruck was eventually saved, and mercifully, no passengers were hurt during the incident.
(cont.➤)
must be why Mom was praying
extra hard for us on this trip!”
Meanwhile the truck teetered
on the edge of the ravine. By an act
of God, it had hung up on some-
thing. Everyone jumped out of the
other trucks, working swiftly to tie
off the truck with two towropes.
Before anyone could yell out or-
ders, our Honduran brethren were
on the lower side of the vehicle,
bracing the truck with their very bod-
ies. Did they not realize how danger-
ous it was? Did they think through
the consequences if the truck began
to roll? The truck normally would
have been loaded with team mem-
bers in the back, but thanks to God,
no one had chosen to ride in that
truck—otherwise, more lives would
have been at stake.
I knew that as dangerous as
the truck was teetering there on the
ravine's edge, pulling it out would
match or even exceed our previous
experience in danger. I needed forti-
fied prayer, and I knew who could
get the ball rolling.
I quickly dialed, desperately
hoping to get an answer on the
other end. Seconds stretched into
an eternity. Then I heard what I was
longing for. “Hello?” I was so re-
lieved to hear Heidi’s voice! “Heidi,
you have to get everyone praying!” I
cried out quickly. “Call all the inter-
cessors and get them on this right
away.”
I explained the dangerous situ-
ation, and over the next two hours
while we worked, the Lord’s throne
room was filled with pleas, petitions,
and prayers on our behalf by more
than two hundred people all across
the United States. Individuals and
even large prayer chains immedi-
ately went into action on behalf of
our “troops.”
Among the team the stress was
escalating; confusion from the enemy
was trying to set in, and our emotions
were high. Switching between two
languages added to the frustration of
such tense circumstances.
We worked furiously, attempt-
ing to safeguard the truck from
going down. Numerous rocks were
gathered to build up a path under-
neath the tires; then we poured
gravel and sand between the rocks.
Miraculously it held the weight of the
truck as we eased it back on to the
original road.
Working together as a team,
we were thrilled to get the truck on
the road without any damage—but,
more importantly, without any harm
to anyone on our team. Within a few
more miles, and without further inci-
dent, we were down the mountain
and headed back to the safety of
the States.
The Lord truly is “El Shaddai"—
our all in all. He warned us, He
stirred the saints to pray, and He
protected us in the end. Indeed
serving the Lord is not about doing
mighty deeds on our own but about
relying on Jesus to engage His
troops together for His purposes
and His glory.
hondUraS
Page 16
navigating six river crossings is only one of the many obstacles in reaching the abused andoppressed tribe of the Tolupan natives in Honduras. Heavy rains made this trip up FlowerMountain especially treacherous, but God’s protection was evident every step of the way.
❈
hondUraS
In our last issue, we wrote about our divinely led re-
lationship and history with the Tolupan natives (read “A
Forgotten People”).
In January 2011, the Tolupan leadership asked to
meet with us to discuss plans to develop their econ-
omy. They asked if Frontline could assist them in revers-
ing the cycle of hunger and dependency on the
“coyotes” (the loan sharks that grossly take advantage
of their plight). Their pleas ignited the search for a proj-
ect that would help them become independent. We
went home praying and they went home dreaming.
Last April, the leaders gathered and told us that they
wanted to greatly increase their coffee production. They
asked if we could help them develop their coffee products.
Helping them would involve financing loans, finding honest
buyers, and training them in how to improve their harvest.
We made the commitment by faith that God would
provide the finances. Praise to the King of Kings—He
provided the needed funds within 30 minutes of the
meeting! Before the Tolupan talked to us about the
loans, God moved one family on the team to give us
$10,000. After the meeting, which they did not attend,
they approached me and asked if I had a need for
$10,000 (the exact amount needed to begin the coffee
project). I love how the Lord uses every one of His chil-
dren to accomplish His purposes!
Over the past year, the Lord has used Redeemer
Lutheran Church, Landmark Christian School, New
River Community Church, Beulah Baptist Church, and
Grace Church of Fredericksburg, Virginia, to continue to
reach the Tolupan by loving them, training their leaders,
holding medical and dental clinics, playing soccer, pro-
viding food for malnourished children, purchasing
crafts, and building hope for both now and eternity.
Recently, Meily Garrido, Frontline Missions’ execu-
tive director in Honduras, held another coffee project
meeting with the Tolupan on Flower Mountain. Meily
brought a Honduran coffee exporter/processor to the
meeting, who explained to the Tolupan that he could
open a direct international market to sell their coffee, re-
moving two levels of middlemen. These middlemen
have historically taken advantage of the Tolupan natives
by paying low prices that eliminate the growers’ well-de-
served profits, so this new strategy of direct marketing
could be extremely helpful for the impoverished Tolupan
tribe. We have also been given a possible opportunity to
partner with a previous buyer for transporting the coffee,
which would make him an ally instead of an exploiter.
Please pray that God gives us wisdom as we at-
tempt to make this transition as smooth as possible.
While we would like to believe that solving such problems
is simple, change doesn’t come easily in third-world
countries. We must pray for safety for those involved with
the project, as changes are displeasing to people who
have profited from exploiting the Tolupan in the past.
Our prayer is that our efforts to help the Tolupan
produce high-quality coffee will bring about a new fu-
ture for them—one of economic independence, confi-
dence, and hope.
Page 17
By Alan Winter
Savannah Moody, a landmark Christian School student, seizesthe opportunity to love on a Tolupan child, whose future could bepositively impacted by the planned coffee-growing project.
Coffee project to bring hope, freedom
❈
Chavarr ia min iStry
I remember that night as if it was
yesterday—the preacher quoting from
Isaiah 6, “Who shall I send? And who
shall go for us?” My heart pumping
like never before, melting, tears in my
eyes, and this crazy idea in my mind:
“I will go, Lord, send me!”
Since then, our kids have grown
up. Many of those years have been
spent on the missions field. We have
gone through good times and hard
times, but through all these years,
God has always been faithful.
Every time I have the oppor-
tunity of sharing about missions in
front of a congregation, I love to
invite them to be part of a short-
term mission trip. I tell them to go
with us or somebody else, but
please go. “I promise you that
your life will never, ever, ever be
the same.” Come once and see
how others live, and how blessed
you are.
The blessing is not only to
be able to go and do something
good for somebody else. This is
very good, but the real blessing is
that God will use the whole expe-
rience in ways we cannot even
imagine. He will minister to our
lives and draw us closer to Him.
It could be among the Lenca
people or with Pastor Franklin in
Honduras. It could be at the retreat
center construction site or the Farm
Project with Pastor Eliseo in
Nicaragua. It could be sharing tracts
or preaching on the streets of
Sincelejo, Colombia, with Pastor Eze-
quiel. Every time we go, God is al-
ready there.
The main reason that I am
moved to write about this is twofold.
First of all, it is a fact that there are
millions and millions of people who
need to hear the powerful love story
of the resurrected Son of God, the
Christ. But secondly, amazing bless-
ings are ready for those who simply
and plainly decide to trust God, no
matter what. The first part is about
receiving everything—the second
part is about giving back everything.
This was a great year for us. A
year full of contrasts, full of joy, and
some tears. God allowed us to get
our hands dirty, mix mud with people
in other countries, and help with the
building of an adobe church. He al-
lowed us to participate in a retreat to
share and pray and see pastoral cou-
ples being restored. He allowed us to
speak to individuals, pastors, leaders
and whole congregations in person,
and allowed us to reach thousands
and thousands through radio, TV, and
the internet.
We were able to minister to
people who speak Spanish and/or
English, to Amerindians, to Ameri-
cans, to Central Americans and to
South Americans.
Our God is an amazing God.
Those times when we thought we
did not have the resources, He
provided. When there were hur-
dles, He took care of them. He
opened new doors and closed
others as He pleased, just to pour
out His blessings on us.
We have witnessed new
churches, new disciples, great
projects, new countries, and new
dreams. The truth is, we do not
have what it takes. But He does!
Our hearts are full of gratitude
for all of those individuals and
churches that came to serve with
us this year. We are grateful for all
of those who have been co-labor-
ers with us for the Kingdom. Along
with all of that, we are rejoicing for
the hope we have in Christ Jesus—
knowing that He who began the
good work in us will be faithful to
complete it.
Page 18
do you have what it takes?By Luis Chavarria
Millions of needy people in remote regions needour compassion—this is why we feel compelledto return to the mission field again and again.
❈
Missionsfrontline
5600 Short Road, Fairburn, Georgia 30213
Contact: 770.774.0641 | [email protected]
the people behind Front l ine...
Alan & Heidi Winter Harry & Diane Calsbeek Luis & Karen Chavarria Elizabeth Pearman