Growing Community Abroad

India Medical Team Mission Trip - January 13 – 25, 2012 First of all, I would like to thank the Pathway community for supporting Jim and me as we travel to India in January. This will be my third trip to India and Jim’s second. We both agreed after our return this past January that if God opened the door for us to return we would. God planted a seed in my heart 3 years ago now to join PIC International on a medical trip to India. What a blessing it has been to spend time learning more about a culture that is so different from ours and to work beside Indian nationals who love the Lord and are spreading the Good News in Southern India (the state of Kerala). I've included some basic information about the trip so you will have a better understanding about what we will be doing while we're in India and I'm also in the process of revamping my web blog (see link below). I'm hoping to blog regularly while we're in India so you can keep up with the team's adventures while we're in India. Please keep our team in your prayers while we're gone. Ask God for safe travel, patience, and most importantly for His Holy Spirit to guide our work and to help us touch the lives of those we serve.
- Deb VanSchepen (Read about Debbie's trip on the mission blog!)

Background:
Partners In Christ International is a non-denominational Christian mission agency whose primary aim is to empower and equip national pastors, leaders, churches and ministries to create and execute their own vision of ministry, mission and community transformation. All of our work is done with and through local churches and ministries. We have been working in India for 3 years since our national director, Soji Manuel and his wife, Smitha, were brought on the staff of PICI. Both of them have a Masters degree from the Evangelical Seminary of Hosur. Prior to joining PICI they were on staff for 12 years with Campus Crusade of India. Since joining PICI, they have trained and mentored hundreds of pastors, leaders and churches across India, primarily in the states of Kerala and Orissa. They have also formed ministry partnerships with over a dozen indigenous church associations, denominations, ministries and mission agencies and are training their pastors, leaders, staff, and congregations in biblical worldview, discipleship, theology, and development.
Many mission agencies in the U.S. send medical teams to the Third World for the sole purpose of bringing treatment to those in need and providing American medical professionals with this kind of opportunity. This is not why PICI sends medical teams. The primary purpose of our clinics is not the medical treatment, rather, it is to strengthen the outreach and ministry of our local partners—to bolster and support their work by serving those in need in their churches and communities; to assist them in meeting needs through the medical treatment we provide that they may be otherwise unable to provide; to give them a vision and a greater credibility for broadening their mission and evangelism efforts. Each clinic is strategically selected by our staff and local partners for these purposes. Our role as Americans is not to see the clinics as an opportunity or venue to witness/evangelize, but merely to serve the “least of these” for our Lord as He said to. It is the role of the local Christians and our partners to do the outreach and the clinics help to support their efforts in a great and unique way.

Team:
Dr. Georgetta Bidwell-Voit is PICI’s Medical Director and has led all of the medical teams that Jim and I have gone on, including India last year. She also has her own mission in Kenya and has taken numerous medical teams to that country. Nick Beezhold (Administrative Director of PIC) will also be participating on this trip. As of today, the rest of our team includes Jim and Deb VanSchepen, Rachel VanderPol (Jim and Deb’s niece from Seattle), and Mike and Joan Anderson (Jim and Deb’s sister and brother-in-law) from Bangor ME. We have not yet made our travel arrangements and would certainly welcome additional members on our team. Please consider this opportunity prayerfully and if you have questions, please contact either Jim or Deb for more information.
Please be in prayer over the work that will be done in January by our team and pray also that as a result many of the people touched will come to know our Savior Jesus!

Honduras with World Gospel Outreach 2012- Gary & Dianne DeVries

In February 2012 Gary and Dianne will be returning once again to the capital city of Honduras, Central America, known as Tegucigalpa. Their 2 week trip will mark their work with 20 World Gospel Outreach mission brigades.

Their work with WGO encompasses evangelism along with health care. The medical team is composed of not only eye doctors like Gary, but also dentists, physicians, nurse practitioners and many non-health related volunteers. Gary will examine the patient regarding eye health, providing eye medications as needed, and the prescription for glasses. Then Dianne will choose, from the thousands of donated glasses brought with them, the ones that best match that prescription. After a patient is seen regarding their physical care, others of the brigade will help them in their spiritual care and pray with/for them. It's just a wonder to see how all the God-given gifts and talents are being harnessed together to bring people to the "pathway" of salvation in Jesus Christ. That's the number one priority of these WGO brigades.

Each of the two weeks will bring their team to 2 different villages. A "clinic" will be set up within a church or school building and several thousand people will be served in some category in health care and evangelism. A couple dirt-floor homes will be selected to receive a concrete floor installed by members of the brigade. A lot of children will also receive lice removal hair shampoos. There will be long and tiring days.

"Since our very first mission service trip in 1995 with Worldwide Christian Schools," says Gary, "we've had our eyes opened to the overwhelming needs that are calling out in the world and the places God has chosen for us to fill. There's just so many. God has given us gifts to use and he also rewards us with indescribable joy when we engulf ourselves in His service. We've realized that over and over again."

"We thank Pathway Church, for the prayer and financial support for this work being done in Honduras. It makes all the difference 'in the world'." - Gary & Dianne

To find out more about the ministry opportunities of WGO check out their website at www.wgoreach.org.

Refuge 312 Mission 2012

Refuge 312 will again be sponsoring a mission trip to Guatemala in 2012. The trip dates will be June 22 - July 1, 2012.

As announced at our last congregational meeting, we want to invite all Pathway members interested to join us in going on the trip.

We are not asking for a firm commitment at this time, but need to start getting a head count and planning. We will provide lots of information and opportunity to have questions answered before asking for a firm commitment.

Please prayerfully consider if God is calling you to join with us in spreading the Good News by being Jesus' hands and feet in this manner.

If you think you are interested, please let Mark Barnes know by sending a quick email to him at 4computing@gmail.com. Hearts In Motion is the organization we will be going with. You can find more information about them at http://www.heartsinmotion.org.

Thank you to all for continued prayer and support for our youth! We are thankful for our fantastic church family and outstanding support Refuge 312 receives at all times and are looking forward to 2012.