Hellooooooooo you fabulous person you!!!

Today was a day I won't soon forget- my faith has increased!
Let me break it down for you... one of the main aspirations of this trip was to reach the teen population in the Port of Spain Church who have mostly been uninterested in spiritual growth. Our team has served in their 2010 Teen Camp "Freedom" this week. Bringing seven UNBELIEVABLY SPIRITUAL teenagers from NRCOC has produced nothing short of a miracle. In fact, many teens who weren't planning on coming to the camp changed their minds after meeting these awesome GA teens last week. Monday was the first day of camp and there was a typical awkwardness of the TT kids getting to know our people. Some heartfelt sharing and our crazy energy seemed to break some of the ice. Each day it got better. We got crazier and they seemed to start to appreciate our madness. By Wednesday, everyone realized how much were all in love with each other. The magical experience I want to share about was tonight's Midweek service. There was some cool singing in the beginning and then a segment of the group got to perform a dance we worked on since Monday. Then, the floor was opened for sharing about Teen Camp and the flood gates opened up for sure. So many teens (surprisingly lots of GUYS) came up to share how much they've been impacted by North River being here. Some choked on their tears as they tried to express their gratitude. About 4 or 5 announced their decision to STUDY THE BIBLE. And, I have much confidence that even more will come to that decision in the coming weeks. What a powerful time! Remember, these are teens who haven't expressed this interest to their parents before so there were many parents and friends shedding tears in the audience. Have you ever watched the face of someone who has had a hope restored? There's nothing like it.

Proverbs 13:12- Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

These teens haven't seen a group of young people who love God wildly. This week they have seen the impossible.
Their parents haven't heard their kids express a desire to know God. Tonight they witnessed the impossible.
How great is our God? He laughs at what we think to be impossible!

This was so moving for my own faith because I can only imagine how long this church has praying for a night like this... how many times did they think God didn't hear? Was He sleeping all these years?

Psalm 121:2-4
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

I'm convinced God has been planning the REVOLUTION that is about to happen here very carefully. This was the year for us to partner with Trini. This was the year their teens would be ready to change. This was the summer our teens had the undeniable conviction and influence that was needed. Last year would have been too early, next year too late. I sing the praises of Jeff and Lin for their incomparable leadership; Ross and Kim for their wisdom; Kristi, Michelle, J.I., Bridgette, Nikki, Travis, Mack, J. Beaty, Ashley, Amber, Brie, and Lily for how they have given their heart and souls to these people; the Trini Church for how they've loved and embraced us. More than anyone, though, I STAND IN AWE OF GOD! He's never off the clock. He's working on something huge right now as I type these words. Please be encouraged by what God is doing here and back at home and all over the world. AMEN!

Michael Cunningham, Port of Spain Church of Christ!! WoooH!!

Yo,this is MC and I am excited and happy to have the northriver teens with us here.(by the way i am 15 this year 2010) It has been great learning different cultures and understanding alot more about God. Well, this is my first blog on the site and I just want to share my experience with the northriver church(I was about to put choir instead of church)Anyway, the camp lasts an entire week and so far it has been very exciting,also very inspirational to me and many other teens out there.On monday we met the teens from atlanta and it was as akward as ever.(not for me I'm a cool guy)Eventually they settled over a period of three days.We have so many different nick names like Boo Boo,Spanish,Ryo and many other weird ones.I grew up in a christian home so i grew up learning about God, now i am at the age where i can make the decision to follow christ and make my way to heaven or choose the worldly life which only leeds to chaos and hell. When you put it this way it sounds very easy.Like just pick heaven but trust me the battle is not as easy as it seems.There are so many temptations that can mess with not only your relationship with God but the actual life that you live in the flesh here on earth.I hope that I will be able to get baptized soon.My parents were really glad to hear that from thier loving son.Well i don't really have much more to say so I will close by saying that if there is anyone who has advise on how to start on becoming a disciple and hopefully and estraudinary speaker.( think i spelled estraudinary wrong but oo well)

Thankfulness and Hope

Hey guys it's Mack. I just want to share about how incredibly encouraged i am by everything here. I mean just seeing how welcoming and warm and hospitable the Port of Spain Church of Christ and Tobago Church of Christ are encourages me to see how amazing it is to actually have brothers and sisters over seas. And guys, I wish ya'll could experience their singing down here because it is INCREDIBLE! It sent chills through my body when i heard it. And also seeing how eager everyone in the church is to get to know us also and build bonds with us rocks. It's kind of like being encouraged by those who are encouraged, you know? But I just wanted to share how amazing the teens have been reacting down here. Like a lot of the guys have come to Travis and I and have just poured out there want to follow and obey Jesus. Like coming from the perspective of many people I've talked to, it came across as the teens really didn't care what we had to preach because they just would sit in their chairs looking sleepy the whole time! But there are about seven or eight teen guys who have come up to us and just been so grateful for what we have to say which is SO AWESOME!!! And i know tonight at church was VERY impacting. The older teen guys started off sharing at how they have seen what God is all about. AND THEY WANT TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!!! Like that is crazy enough, right? So get this, guys. A thirteen year old came up and started crying from the impsct God has had on him! He poured out what he had learned to the church and wouldn't stop thanking Travis and me. I couldn't stop getting these powerful waves of chills and couldn't help but be impacted by this teen had been impacted. It really helped me to come to the realization that God can appear in the lives of people of any age. From thirteen year olds to eighteen year olds. He can change the lives of those who you would least expect. I just think it is awesome how He has spoken through us to such an amazing extent.
Also what is on my heart to talk to you guys about is that the guys here are so easy to get along with and so easy to have fun with. Like I was playing with eight year olds today. I got the chance to just talk to them about how much they are enjoying this camp. But I genuinely had fun hanging out with them! And like just hanging with the other guys is just as awesome. Like many teens have come home with us tonight because they want to hangin out with us and spend the night! Our friendships are so great here! Today at camp we talked about how godly relationships and why they are so much more amzing and so much more meaningful then worldly relationships are. And like right now we are all having a great time here at the Inn having a good, godly time. This is such a great way to portray the lessons taught today! God's impact is happening right in front of our eyes and is helping us to be strengthened spirtually as well as the other teens. Our faith is building and building and building DAILY guys because of the hearts of the teens down here.
What's also really cool is that last week Ms Lin talked to us about spiritual Highs and Lows, and I didn't even know she was such an amazing teacher!!! Hearing her just preach the word was super encouraging and i just thank her for taking her time out for us! I just again want to thank Ms. Lin sooo much for inviting me to join everybody on this trip. I really am blessed to be able to be with this group of disciples. Like just seeing how they preach and how God effects them shows me how I need to be and act and live my life. I look up to them so much. Especially Travis with him being the only other guy here. Seeing how much he loves God and how humble he is really is just so incredible. And i'm proud to call him one of my best friends. But also the girls hearts are crazy super awesome too guys. Like I was listening to Jordyn Beaty talk and listening to her perspective on things and she is so much smarter than me! This goes for all of the other girls as well. They are all so incredibly intelligent when it comes to knowing, loving, and obeying God and making him Lord.
But guys this is just what is in my heart tonight, I just want to make sure that you have Lily Jacoby and Ms. Kristi Hickman in your prayers. I know that Ms. Kristi left sick and that Lily is sick right now. So please just keep them in your prayers.
I do not want to leave yet, and I hate the fact that I have to. Thanks guys! Love you all so much!

Andrew Frank From Port-Of-Spain Church Of Christ

Hi Georgia im Andrew Frank from Trinidad & Tobago.I became a christian at the age of 16,and im 17 now.In our church their's not much Teen christian actually i was the only male christian teen there so it was difficult for me to be open about my struggles plus alot of people expected much from me.I felt like i was a major fake cause i stuggled with my sins still. I thought i would never get help or ever talk to someone about my struggles cause i was afraid to, i was drifting away from God slowly to a point where i stuggled with quiet times where as i was not reading at all. We usually have teen ministry on Sunday's and a week before i meet the teens from North River i was stuck with a challenge to do a message on Sunday i didn't know what it was doing until Saturday.I had to do a Communion message so i had some hour's to prepare for it,i was clueless on what to talk about so i called up my dicipling buddy David. He was an adult and even when he poured out his heart to me i only sratched the surface with my struggles and i felt bad at times.I learn alot from him about God and if i didn't have him to help i probably would not be coming to church all the time. So Sunday morning i came extra early to church trying to make it good enough then i found out that their were teens as well from America that have to share a message as well. So Travis and Brie came up on stage and did a wonderful job and the minute i saw that i was i amazed like WOO. So I went up on stage and i was nervous but i did good. Then after at the fellowship break this whole group of teens came up to me introducing themselves and i felt welcome and inspired by that. Then Monday we had camp and i got to know them a little more and they were real cool, we had crazy fun together to a point where i slept over where they stayed and just fellowship alot and talk about God. I spoke to Mack and Travis and they were open with everything plus they were my age so it was ok for me to be open with them. Well after i slept over we got up around after 6 in the morning and just got out the house with our Bible's and walked to a quiet area and had our quiet time. It was inspirational to me. Then Wednesday we had mid-week service and we did this dance which we did not know how to do that much. Actually i was encoraged by Ms lin and others to go for it even though i was nervous real bad. After that we had different teens to share on stage what we got out of camp and boy... was the church inspired. Their were alot of tears of joy. Matter a fact it was magical. Teens were inspired to studying the bible and that touched me alot. To myself i feel like i have a major responsibility now to get closer to God and help the younger ones know more about God. I can't let God down now, Never! i have some work to do spiritually and honestly im looking forward to that challenge.

Beyond our Dreams!

It is impossible to capture in words all that we have seen, done and learned in the past week. It seems impossible that only one week ago, I was packing and preparing. I am always amazed at how powerfully and quickly God works through the lives of those who are focused, surrendered to Him and truly united in purpose. That is truly the heart and mindset of every single member of this team. We challenged them to "leave it all on the field" and they have-every single day. They have preached, taught, encouraged and inspired, day in and day out, despite moments of discouragement and plenty of tiredness. They have lived out ICor.15:58, "always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" and God has already shown us the fruit of our labor.
Travis did the keynote speech today at teen camp on "Freedom: The Courage to Stand Out Rather Than Fit in" He preached with deep conviction and a heart filled with compassion calling the teens to live for something that truly counts. His examples were heart moving. Jasmine followed by powerfully sharing her story. She preached to the heart and shared so many examples of friends who got what they wanted only to see how Satan was destroying them with it. What an amazing speaker (and woman)! Every time that I get to hear her I am so thankful to God that I get to be around her to watch the powerful ways that God will be using her. She is so loving, giving and just plain fun! Watching her put together a dance number with a room full of beginners is a riot!
Evenings are usually family times with time to unwind, regroup and have discipleship groups. Last night was an amazing treat when Francis brought over the worship team to teach us songs from Trinidad. They really pour their hearts out in worship and inspired us to do the same. We got to spend several hours together just singing to the One that brings are hearts together in unity. It was absolutely wonderful.
Our singles could not be more amazing. They have been focused and eager to help in whatever the needs are. JI spent the evening out with brothers just answering questions and sharing his life and what he has learned in the ministry. He has had a couple of studies set up. Brigettes' deep insights and powerful way of sharing has been invaluable. It is so good to have Nikki join us. She is so loved and respected by the disciples here. As always, she just walks in ready to give and love and pours joy on everything she touches.
For me, one of the greatest joys has been just being around the teens and watching them grow and learn. They are so focused and determined to make a difference. They are absolutely wonderful, serving loving and encouraging. They are fun and stay just on the verge of "out of control" but are completely respectful and responsive to direction.I cannot imagine a teen watching from the outside that wouldn't want their lives. Their closeness is obvious and their respect and admiration for each other is contagious! What an amazing team that God put together for Team Trini 2010!!!! I am just honored that He chose me to be on it. I have absolutelly loved the week!!!

Whats up everyone?!!

It has been an amazing time! I am truly sad that we are two days away from being done. Throughout this whole time it has really been a life changing experience. We have gone to an orphanage, done multiple parenting panels, and have been doing an amazing teen camp that inspires me day by day.

Fortunately thanks to Jeff and Lin I have had the great opportunity to be able to preach multiple times to the church and too the teens and it has given me a whole new mindset of what the holy spirit can do! The teens were so hard hearted and so consumed in being cool but to see them grow from where they were to where they are now has made the trip worth while.

In the whole country of Trinidad there is only one teen disciple and he is amazing. He convicts and encourages my soul in every conversation we have. I am looking very forward to coming home to share all the good and amazing news with you guys.

Tonight was a nice and chill time where we were able to "lime" and we just went to see Karate Kid together and enjoyed each others fellowship. I have grown in friendships with all of team members especially Mack. We have all learned new and exciting things about each other. You can truly see why Jesus sent groups out because so much can be accomplished in just a short week with a team that is truly untied.

Hey everyone! Well we're at day 6 of our Trinidad adventure! It has been truly amazing spending time with the Port of Spain Church! After a full weekend (singles devo, parenting workshop, church, Maracas Beach) we had our first full day at Teen Camp today. Our theme for Teen Camp is 'Freedom,'a very relevant and impacting topic, indeed. In the morning Jeff preached a powerful lesson which helped us focus on how Jesus is the only one that can set us free the shackles of insecurity, greed, and the desire to fit in with the world. Afterward, Kristi and J.I. shared vulnerably from their lives about how having a relationship with our Creator has spared them from the talons of depression, imprisonment and even death! I could tell by looking at the teens' faces that many of their hearts were stirred. We had some time to divide the teens into five teams, where they came up with a team name, a team song, and created a banner. It was very cool to see each of the teams transform from near strangers to unified teammates! After a full day at camp, we enjoyed some 'Pollo Tropical,' a really great chicken restaurant here. (The Trinis LOVE their chicken!) I'm really looking forward to the rest of the week as God continues to open eyes and soften hearts!
Love,
Brigette

So it's 7:31 as I am typing this. It certainly has been a very busy week so far and i am thrilled to be here. From the BEAUTIFUL beaches of Tobago(okay it took some major prayers to make it across on that ferry alive and well) and the inspr=iring trip to St. Mary's Childrens Home. As tough as it was for me to go and see a community of children without families I look back and realise how much more respect I have for the caretakers in my Children's Home. Of course I grea incredibly attatched to Kisha, 3-years old. I pray for her future and that she can be safe and hopefully she may one day be met by disciples. I would love to talk more about it but for now I think J.I. would appreciate if I didn't cry all over his computer:) We began the Teen Camp, the theme was Freedom. Jeff preached the word on how The Son Sets Us Free. Krisit and J.I. shared the stories with us and it was amazing to hear how God works through so many people's lives. We split up into five groups and made banners and chants for our teams. the teams are, Righteous Lions, Spirit Warriors, Blazers,Eagles,and C-Unit. Yes we are "fye" as the teens now say. So after our limin we slipt up and the lesson from the teens was on Purity. Travis and Mack for the guys and I, for the girls. It was definitely not a lesson I would automatically teach but as i begna to study it out I realised how stron my convictions were. It went great and I received a lot of encouragement afterwards from my fellow Trini-Team. It's been amazing to get to know the teens more as well as the EDGE members. Special Shout-out to Ross and Kim! and Jeff and Krisit! and of course Lin! Without them our trip would not be as wonderful as it has been. We miss our frineds and family, some more than others but we can't wait to comeback and share our stories. Get ready for some crazy inside jokes. Love to all!

P.S. apologies if i mispell...its SUMMER TIME!

Oh, man! Never have I seen God's Presence as clearly as I have in even these first few days of the trip, through experiences, conversations, trips to the ocean, and especially the bonding within our group.
I'm a senior in high school and part of the teen ministry at East Triangle Church in North Carolina (random, right?). So I could've easily felt like an outsider coming in, but when the North River group first met at the airport, I was immedeately encouraged by the positive attitudes and welcoming hugs I recieved (plus a bag of DELICIOUS cookies from Mack's mom!). Since then, we've done nothing but grow closer.
The group of teens especially have had awesome times together (for example, we can basically speak our own language with all the new phrases and words we've created), and we've been very open and honest with each other. I feel so close to each teen individually; there is not one teen on the trip that I haven't come to respect immensely. Last night us teens had our own encouragement circle, where we all shared how we're encouraged by each other... THIS is the Kingdom!
Our first full day of the trip was spent in Tobago, the tiny island next to Trinidad where the tourist industry is the dominant source of income... in other words, it's a craaaazy gorgeous island getaway that the entire world must see at one time or another. We took a glass-bottom boat to the beautiful Buccoo reef where we snorkled, stopping along the way at the famous Pigeon Point, and even swimming in the legendary Nylon Pool (which is supposed to make you ten years younger). We had midweek with the Tobago church (a booming eight people congregation) and us teens got to hang out with the four Tobago teens. Also, Lily, Travis and I answered many questions that the mothers of the church had about raising kids. That was all pretty encouraging.
My favorite part about the adventure in Tobago was the next morning, where we checked in for the morning at the Blue Haven hotel. This hotel is very old and absolutely stunning. It has its own private beach nestled between the cliffs, and a beautiful porch, and palm trees all around... I felt like we had just walked onto a magazine cover (and the blue sky wasn't photo-edited!). God's hand was so obviously on that land. The breeze was refreshing, the water was warm and blue, the sun was high and the palm trees were dancing. God made his Presence known so magnificently and strongly on that beach!
We took the ferry to and from Tobago, which was an interesting but definitely worth-it experience. Many people got sick, and basically everyone was sleeping. Pretty solid bonding time.
When we got back in Trinidad we had a chill night at our guest house, which has quickly become a home to all of us. On Saturday, Lin, the Hickmans and the Mackenzies took our group of teens and Jasmine to the parenting workshop at church. The teens each shared one thing in our relationships with our parents that has helped us grow closer to God. It was a very impactful time for everyone, and I so appreciated hearing the gratitude of the parents who listened (I learned how cool it is how God uses a little bit of effort on your part, nothing you may think is significant, in very powerful ways).
After the workshop we visited St. Mary's Orphanage, a facility that HOPE Trinidad has been very involved with and supportive of. We basically hung out ("limed") with the kids there for a couple hours, and played and laughed and danced and sung songs. The little bit of time we spent there was impactful to all of us. The orphans, most of whom were between ages 2 and 8, were so loving and carefree and fun. The immediate love they so freely gave to us melted my heart and taught us alot.
This morning at church was one of the most spiritually uplifting services I've been in. The singing was OFF the chain, and the preaching was inspiring. Travis and I led the thoughts at communion, and that experience was very fun and encouraging. After church the teens went to a world cup party at a brother's house with all the Trinidad teens... oh BOY do these islanders love their futbol! (GO SPAIN!)
If I could think of one word to sum it all up, it's straight up AWESOME. The devos are awesome, the fellowship is awesome, the adventures are awesome, and this group is just AWESOME.
So if you read this far in my novel, I want to thank you for following us on the blog, and please remember us in your prayers!
Love, your sister in Christ,
Brie

Hello world. I have had SUCH an amazing time. Sorry Mom & Dad, but I don't want to come home just yet. Thurday we traveled 2 hours to Tobago and it was BEAUTIFUL! We went snorkling and saw reefs, which wasn't the most exciting experience for me because I definitely didn't want to touch the fire coral or whatever its called. Also, the next morning we got to go to the Mckenzie's hotel and experience the luxurious private beach. I can officially say I know how to body surf :) Anyway, the teens there were truly an inspiration and I look forward to spending more time with them. It was bitter sweet, but we were all grateful to get back "home" to our beautiful inn in Trinidad. Today was also very impactful. Travis and Brie gave an amazing communion and the singing in Trinidad is PHENOMENAL!! I was almost in tears! Ahhhh, and I can't forget the bake n' shark I had today. Sooooo good! Now I look forward to sharing more bonding experiences with my fellow teens, and speaking of which, I'm going to go lime with them now! Over 'n out. EH WE :)

Our Sunday morning resembled many of the mornings we start here on Woodford St. Disciples are usually sprinkled all around the house with bibles and journals, having a big spiritual breakfast. This is definitely the ONLY time the house is quiet! As usual, the troops head out eventually and today we had the incredible privilege of going to the Port of Spain Church of Christ's Sunday Service. If you don't like to sing to God, never visit this church! We sang at least six songs to start the service and it was an AMAZING time of worship. Some sisters sang two solos and we all were crying like babies. One thing that blew us away was that our friend Valentine who works at the house where we live came to church :) Another highlight was the communion message by Travis Hawkins and Brie Broyles, who shared a message from Acts 2 about the responsibility of our sin and its correlation with the cross. Wow, they made us so proud! Travis really spoke with authority and conviction. And, Brie captivated the audience with her sincerity and passion. It was also encouraging to hear one of the few teen disciples here, Andrew, give the contribution message. Our young people really set the bar high! Jeff preached the word from Luke 7 and as usual the Spirit gave the whole room whiplash. Ross came up after to close out...by the way, people here are SO fired up to have an elder and an evangelist around. I've realized that we may take that for granted some times but other churches are just craving spiritual maturity and leadership. We are fortunate indeed. After church, the singles went to "lime" around town, the marrieds went to the beach, and the teens watched the World Cup Finals with some local teens. What a game! At one point we were miserable with the score but the intense friendship bracelet assembly line definitely passed the time. For dinner, we had something you could never find in America...fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy! I know you must be jealous. For the past few hours, teens have been hanging out at the house and all I can say is that it's been loud and stuff is breaking, but its nothing but FUN! Well, we're having a blast and looking forward to Teen Camp which starts tomorrow. Please pray for our impact, focus, physical and spiritual strength as we try to bring the heart of Jesus to these teens. We love and miss you.

Signing out from Day 5,
jazz

Sunday, July 11th

Trinidad and Tobago are a country with much promise and many needs. The disciples have welcomed us warmly and been very humble with many questions. Your teens have represented Christ and their families quite well - their sharing with parents was very impactful. They returned from the orphanage grateful and moved emotionally. We are located next to the American Embassy (which we hope not to need) and the All Saints Anglican Diocese. I attended their 7:30 service this morning which had much singing, incense and chanting. The sermon was quite good - our willingness to see needs (good samaritan lesson), not look the other way but instead meet one persons need (Daily?). Like many denominations, there were very few youth attending which was discussed in their bulletin article. We must teach our children well and show how the gospel is most valuable and relevant to our youth. Jeff is preaching today from Luke 7:36 at the Port of Spain church of Christ. We are meeting with their leadership group tonight who are seeking a full-time ministry couple and help reaching their youth. We also hope to help re-build a thriving campus ministry in Trinidad which many attend since the tuition is covered by the government at this time. Love for now but I must get ready for our service this morning.

Where to begin. Trinidad is amazing. We started our day off today being able to just have some awesome quiet times. The boys went out early to a nearby park this morning to pray and read while the girls had their time on the outside porch. It was so cool to just be able to stop everything and just have some alone time with God and really feel his presence. Next the teens all headed out to the church building for a parenting workshop we were having today. This was a great experience to just connect to the parents. Us teens were all able to talk to the parents about what their parents have done in their life that has really helped us to grow spiritually and want to have our own relationship with God. Although we all feel like we didn't do much, we were soon to find out that God had used us more than we could even imagine. It is so encouraging to know that when we just give a little in the hand of God it is always enough for him to work thorough us. I think we are all just really encouraged to see how God used us all today to do his work and make a difference.
Next we all headed out to the St. Mary's Orphanage. This was incredible. The teens went down with Jasmine and Lin and met up with some of the disciples from the church down here who work with Hope. Here we were able to really just spend some time with the kids and really just relate to them. The boys started up a game of football, or what we call soccer, with the older boys and were really able to connect with them. The girls really spent some time with the younger kids playing games, blowing bubbles, going on lion hunts. It was really great to just see this children and be able to just have fun with them. I think what we all really went away with from this was just seeing that even though these children have so little and have lost so much, they were able to give their hearts away so easily and so fully. These kids were so joyful and trusting and loving. We all learned so much more from them they I think we though we would. Those kids have made an impact of all of our hearts that I know will stay with us.
Lastly tonight we all were able to just join together as a whole group today and just share about our day. The Hickmans and the Mackenzies told about their success with the parenting workshop that went on all day (even after us teens left) and the singles were able to just share about how great their singles class went tonight. And in case all you guys don't know... JESUS WAS SINGLE. This has been a long joke with the church making that message across. It was really cool to see tonight also just the closeness of the group and how much we have all grown together, spiritually as well as just as friends. As we shared about all we learned and took out of today, it was so encouraging to learn from each other and just to be able to have that time. The devo ended with us almost dying of laughter from all the jokes we have from this trip alone. As I looked up it was so awesome to see how this group, in just four days, has gotten so close and has created relationships that will last for a life time. Isn't that the great thing about the kingdom? We all can bond through our love for God and our heart to live out his will.
Well that's about all I got for tonight. Hope you guys are enjoying this and the parents aren't missing all of us too bad! Love you all!


P.S. let the world know.... AMBER HEIBECK CAN SINGGGGGGG.

Thursday, July 8,2010 For those of you that waited eagerly for our blog yesterday,so sorry. We were off island in Tobago and had no wifi access. So here we go, catching you up....Morning came way too early on Thursday. We left at 7:30 am to wait and wait and wait for the ferry to Tobago. In Trinidad, the phrase to hang out is liming. Well, we have learned to be great at liming since things take time around here. We be liming for several hours at the ferry terminal, eating doubles, a Trinidadian staple breakfast.The trip on the T and T Express was an adventure. Most of our travelers took motion sickness meds and made the rough voyage in stormy weather rather uneventfully. Kristi, JI and Jasmine were feeling it and took a few turns at throwing up. Not a pleasant sight or experience! We arrived in Tobago and the skies cleared just in time to take a boat out for some team building time. We went out to Buccoo Reef and the Nylon Pool and some beautiful beaches and were able to snorkel around. Everything was beautiful and such a reminder of God's amazing love for us and providing such an amazing world for us to enjoy.
Midweek with the Tobago church was wonderful! It is amazing to travel miles from home and be with family. The church was warm and inviting and hungry for direction when we began discussing parenting. The team was amazing with the singles jumping in and sharing their experiences. The teens helped with the kids and got time with the Tobago teens and encouraged them to come to teen camp. A highlight of the evening was when Travis, Lilly and Brie answered questions and did an amazing job at sharing their lives. I kept thinking of how proud I felt about them and how proud each of their paerents would be watching them.

Friday, July 9, 2010 Off to Blue Haven this morning to a hotel that was build in the 1950's on a prime location with a breathe-taking view. We spent the morning body surfing, swimming in the Caribbean ocean and eating tropical fruit. David, one of the locals, skimmied up a coconut tree to get us fresh coconut milk and then opened the coconuts with a machete or a cutlass. Dellicious!!! Travis, Lilly and Jasmine tried to climb a cocunut tree only to find out that it was alot more dificult than it appeared. We had amazing fresh mangoes and chenettes. The water was absolutely perfect and the time together wonderful! After alot of prayers and a few motion sickness pills, the trip back was uneventful. Ross and Travis (with the team) invited at least 200 people in the terminal to come and visit us for services on Sunday. That opened the door to several conversations on the trip. It was so encouraging seeing God work!!! We returned to Inn at 87 for dinner and a devotional. Dana, the receptionist joined us for dinner and a great talk. She is planning to come to church with us on Sunday. Pray for her.
The discipleship group tonite allowed us time to discuss the heart of Jesus and how He relied on God for His strength.We discussed temptations that we have struggled with this trip and how to use the Word to fight Satan's attacks. It was a great night just regrouping!
Today was Jeff's birthday so we had cake and singing. If you are reading the blog, you may want to be part of bombarding him with birthday wishes!!!
Big day tomorrow!!!!Parenting workshop, Singles Devotional, Parenting Panel and teen visit to the orphange.Pray for us...not much time for liming tomorrow!

Whats up everyone... this is Jonathan Ingram (a.k.a. J.I.) I have been up for a few hours now and thought while I'm the only one up I would go ahead and enter a few words on here. :) so far it has been a lot of fun. Gary shared more about how grateful they were for us coming down but honestly I feel we are the ones who should be grateful. The hearts of our family out here are incredible, the music is off the hook, and the island is beautiful. Every one is so genuine, and real down here. I personally feel I have needed this time to come down and be refreshed. The have a lot of question for us, but I had some for them as well like why do they drive on the wrong side of the street. lol :) It is so cool being able to just be in a whole other country and yet feel at home. Any way we are off to Tobago in a couple of hours. I cant wait they say it is so beautiful out there. I'm still working on getting some video put on here that was taken last night but it just takes a while for this stuff to upload. I think we also have video of the singing out here to but I'm sure it is not going to do it any justice. I had one of our teen brothers asked me last night how I liked the singles ministry. I just smiled and told him I love it and have never been more proud to be a part of any other ministry I have been in. The more I think of this the more I realize we truly have something special and I love how we have the opportunity to share that with Trinidad. Well I think I'm going to get off this now and do some reading before others start waking up. Love you all

Hey Everyone! So i'm not as tired as I thought I would be... But I can't say I'm not ready to go to sleep :) Today was a long day but SO encouraging. Up to a few hours before going to midweek, I was cool and confident. Then a wave of insecurity came over for some reason! I was suddenly worried about the acceptance in the body. But, as soon as I walked in the door of the church, waves of hugs flooded over me. My doubt completely subsided and I felt at home. And, now thinking about it, I was at home! I was in my Father's house, a place which always brings a sense of calmness, familiarity, and love (I guess no matter where I am in the world!) It was just another example of God overpowering Satan and his schemes. I'm so excited for the ferry ride tomorrow to Tobago and to continue the bonding between my North River family. Talk to you later! (love you, mom and dad)

What a begininning!! Many of us (myself included) decided to be extra spiritual and "fast" from sleep:) Nothing like pulling an all-nighter and traveling internationally!! Now, it's 9:30pm, and we're all limeing in the lobby of our guest house. Lin is cutting up mango slices and handing them out to everyone. We also just got the unfortunate news that we need to be at the ferry @ 8am instead of 9:15-9:30am as we were anticippating. This brotha needs some cotton-pickin sleep!! Oh well....I'm as tired as ever, but feeling spiritually alive. The singing tonight @ midweek was off the chizzle!! They have a brother, Shane, who led songs. He happens to be a recording artist, so the brotha's got talent...looks like Lenny Kravitz, too...I digress...So, the church was extremely pumped to have us there. They gave us a rousing welcome, and many hugs and well-wishes were exchanged. I was reuinted with an old AIM graduate named Tyrone who's the Legal Counsel for the Ministry of Sport here in Trini...pretty cool...we exchanged hearty hugs and just marvelled at what God is up to with this new-found relationship with our congregations. I taught the brothers a lesson about getting deeper with Jesus from Peter's life in John 1 & Luke 4-5. Lin spoke to the women about 20 feet away at the sasme time. We need to be grateful to have so many rooms at our North River building:) But it was all good. a big highlight has been me & Kristi connecting with Gary and his wife, Kirtia. We are totally vibing!! This is definitely the beginning of a special relationship. Kristi is lovin' it....I'm sure she'll be blogging about it soon...

The biggest challenge for me has not been fatigue, but that ever-present, low-grade ache that's me missin my girls. I know there are dads that have to be apart from their kids for longer strecthes of time, but as for me, this is tough. I find myself hoping they're alright & not missing me much at all. So pray for me & Kristi. I guess we're sappy old parents. We're off to Tobago tomorrow morning! Gonna meet up with Ross & Kim & meet with the church there.

Keep following us...spread the word...pray for me:)

Much love,

Jeff

Hi! My name is Amber Heibeck and I am another teen honored to be going on this trip to Trinidad and Tobago. I cannot believe we are all hours away from what will most likey one of the best journies I'll ever go on. It's such a priviledge that I was chosen to be a part of this team with so many wonderful people. I can't wait to honor God by sharing the gospel with the teens of Trinidad. My prayer is that we all leave such an impact and also be able to take with us a lot from this experience. I'm exceedingly excited to spend a beautiful day at the beach in Tobago with my team and visit the midweek service there as well. I know that God is going to bless this trip in so many ways and I cannot wait to serve wholeheartedly for him! I know us teens will have a blast leading a camp and just being able to show God's love to so many people. I'm confident that we will all be used in amazing ways and leave a legacy. "With God, all things are possible". Love you all,
Amber :)

My name is Kristi Hickman and I'm so excited about traveling to Trinidad with my husband Jeff and the other North River disciples! I'm looking forward to building new friendships with the disciples in Trinidad and making faith building memories with my brothers and sisters on the mission team. I am grateful and amazed at the depth of the connection and bond we all share in Christ,even with brothers and sisters I haven't met yet! I know God fulfills His good purposes for us both as individuals and as churches. I can't wait to find out what specific plans He has for all of us on this trip. I am expecting to be led to women whom I can strengthen in their faith, and inspire in their walk with God or journey to God. I want to dream together of changing people's lives for eternity! I'm also expecting to meet disciples whose love for God challenges me, encourages me, and opens my heart up to deeper devotion to Him. I've never been on a mission trip quite like this and I know it will be life changing! Let's go!

Hi! I'm Ashley Brouder and I'm going to be a junior in the teen ministry at North River. I can't believe we're less than one day away from taking off for Trinidad! I just got home from Target (getting last minute travel stuff) and I can officially say I'm counting down the minutes. The preparation for this trip is something I've never experienced before. The first few weeks I felt a sense of employment. As if this trip was a job, and I needed to deepen my knowledge of the Bible so I can be prepared for anything. Then, as I kept finding out who was coming on the trip, a sense of eagerness came. Almost instantly, I dropped the seriousness and became "gitty" because I was going to be traveling with my close brothers and sisters! Finally, when school got out, I think I found the perfect balance of the two. I've been in my Bible, praying, and fasting more than ever and He's blessed me with more faith, love, and trust than ever imagined. I'm now so ready to FULFILL God's plan for this trip, not just DREAM about it!

-Ashley

Hey my name is Mack Phillips, and I’m one of the teens going on the trip to Trinidad and Tobago. I am super excited to be able to go on this trip for so many reasons! Just the fact that I was chosen is just crazy. Like we were talking about at the meeting on Thursday, it’s like being chosen by God. This opportunity is so incredible also because we get to bond with people overseas. But even just being able to focus on building relationships with the teens and showing God to them pretty much rocks because they are able to see how God has affected us in our lives (I don’t know if ya’ll know but none of the teens have ever been baptized down there). My wish for them is that most or all of them can be studying or baptized by next year! I also look forward to getting closer to Travis, Ashley, Amber, Lily, and Jordyn. It’ll be cool to have strong relationships with them. While we are down there, we will be teaching some lessons on freedom to the teens and leading a camp for them. There will be a sports day lead by Travis, me, (and I think) Amber, and Jordyn. All of the teens will lead a parenting workshop at some point! That sounded pretty awesome to me when I heard about it. But I know we are all going to have an awesome time, and it’s hard to wait TWO MORE DAYS!!! It seems so far away! I can’t wait to see everyone at 5 in the morning at the airport, either!

"My name is Michelle Wright and I'll be heading to Trinidad and Tobago in just a few days! I am so truly excited about this trip and beyond grateful! I'm am so happy God has placed me in a church that has personal missions on it's mind. I am exceedingly happy that this mission is taking me to the Caribbean. :-). I look forward to meeting my brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and building relationships with them. I am eager to share with them with the lessons God has taught me over the years that will help them reach the plans God has for them. I am also thrilled about being able to go down with a team from North River! I look forward to building deep relationships and having wonderful memories with the group that's going down, especially the teen disciples, whom I admire so much for the stand that they have taken for the Lord so early in their lives. I also look forward to returning home with a deeper sense of the Lord, his serving heart and a bunch of great stories to share :-)!"

Immeasurably More...In Trinidad!


Tonite we met together as a team to dream and plan for our upcoming mission trip. Jeff opened the devotional with the thought provoking scripture in Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask and imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus...". He asked us, "What are your dreams for this trip and what do you think are God's dreams?" It was exciting to hear the hearts of each of our team members as they shared the things that they have been praying and dreaming about. God has put together an amazing team with hearts that are ready to love and to serve.


On many of our hearts are the teens in the ministry in Trinidad. Their parents are disciples who have served wholeheartedly and loved God for years. Obviously, on their hearts is a longing for their children to know and embrace a relationship with the Father who has walked them through life. We are praying for God to do miracles in the hearts and lives of the teens as we pour our hearts out to them and that many will come to a knowledge of Him. It will be inspiring for them to get to spend time with our teens and singles for an entire week at teen camp and learn about how to be a teen focused on being close to God and making an impact on your campus and sports teams. We will have lessons taught by our teens on radical purity, devotion to your parents, a heart for the hurting, godly relationships in a superficial world, etc. The teens will also be participating on a panel to answer questions and share about their experiences at a parenting workshop.


We are so blessed to have some tremendous singles on the team that have walked through the transformations of our EDGE ministry firsthand and have been incredibly instrumental in getting us to where we are. We are excited about meeting with the singles leadership team in Trinidad to exchange ideas and share what God has taught us. We will also be meeting with the singles ministry for an inspiring devotion on "Jesus was Single". Each of our singles will be speaking on an aspect of Jesus' ministry that we have tried to imitate in the EDGE and giving practicals of how we've done it. The time together is sure to begin bonds which will only grow deeper in time and will be used to further God's work all over.


Trinidad is only one of many islands in the Caribbean, many of which do not have churches of disciples. We look forward to catching God's vision for all of these islands and investing ourselves into making His dream come true... He"wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." I Tim. 2:4.


This is our first of many mission trips to Trinidad and the Caribbean. All of us feel a deep sense of gratitude and responsibility for what God has asked us to do. We know that Jesus changed lives radically with one conversation at a time, one person at a time, one day at a time. We want to simply carry that heart with us, one conversation at a time, one person at a time, one day at a time so that we can witness God do immeasurably more than all that we dare ask or imagine...

Like all other miracles, it began with a dream that started growing in passion. We, at North River, long to be a part of realizing God's dream that "all men be saved and come to a knowledge of Him" (I Timothy 2:4). We had been searching and praying for God to reveal where He wanted us to invest our hearts, when at the Festival of Faith in February 2010, the call came out loud and clear that our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean desperately needed our help. After a lot of research and advice, in April, Tom and the elders decided to send a scouting trip down to Trinidad to assess the needs and whether this was God's answer to our prayers. The brothers and sisters welcomed us with eager arms and hearts so grateful for our concern and desire to help...and that is where the dream for TEAM TRINI 2010 began. The dream was to go down for a mission trip this summer to strengthen and encourage the church and reach out to as many as possible to hear the Good News.