Train Them Up Right

So as I told everyone in my last blog, I'm working at a missions youth camp this summer. My job started back in January with calling volunteer organizations, rec centers, nursing homes, and everything in between to set up ministry sites for our track leaders. This was way more challenging than I thought it would be. For starters, I was only in the country 7 weeks the whole spring and the amount of unanswered phone calls I made began to stack up quickly. I started getting worried I would not be able to find enough sites for 22 people for the whole summer. But God is good and provides exactly what we need and in the time we need it.

So I was able to fill all of our sites very easily but close to the last minute as possible. Of courses challenges and roadblocks came but I knew God would place track leaders in the exact site they need to be at despite my incompetency.

Our whole staff arrived last Thursday, excited and ready to get started. We have an awesome and dynamic group of people who cannot wait to serve the Nashville community as well as the adult and campers they will encounter each week. I know God is going to do some great things here.

I survived my biggest hurdles this past week by some how filling 11 hours of evangelism and ministry training. That included first aid and going through all the ministry sites with the track leaders. They were real troupers and did an amazing job of listening to me for 4 hours a day.

Wednesday was our site luncheon. This has been my baby for a couple of months now. As I sent out invitations, arranged seating charts, bought decorations, and made sure as many of our site contacts were there as possible. There was a great turnout despite the bad weather. I praise the Lord for finally allowing me to see all those pieces come together as I passed off the ministry sites to the track leaders. In the afternoon all the track leaders were able to visit their sites and see where they would be working this summer.

Proverbs 22:6- Train up a child in the way he should go: even when he is old he will depart from it. 

Our entire staff has a huge responsibility this summer. We are training youth to go and make disciples by sharing the good news and hope of Jesus Christ. This is no small challenge nor should it ever be taken lightly. My job has been to train and equip our staff with the tools they need to pass on this knowledge of evangelism and ministry. I also have encouraged and reminded them that the campers they encounter this summer will be our future pastors, music ministers, mothers, fathers, and missionaries. We must start now equipping them for a world of sin and suffering. 

 

Not only will we be training them through evangelism but they will also get hands on experiences through tons of different opportunities ranging from painting, construction, and yard work and recreation centers to nursing homes and soup kitchens. Each and every person we will meet and build relationships with this summer are in need physically and emotionally, but even more importantly they have a spiritual need for hope, grace, and salvation through Jesus Christ. We live in a broken world and with that comes broken people. People (campers and our sites alike) who need healing and love to transform their lives unlike anyone else is able to do. That can only come through trusting in Jesus Christ as our redeemer and healer. Because in the long run, while helping meet physical needs like hunger, homelessness, abuse, or whatever the circumstances we need to make sure we understand that unless we are spreading the Gospel, planting seeds to hope, and taking the good news to others with a sense of urgency we are only making them more comfortable on their way to hell. Yes, you read that right, hell. I know that for some this may seem harsh but we serve a loving God who wants a relationship with us more than anything in the world. So share your story of how He has changed your life and the impact it has made in your life today. Be bold. Stand strong...and for heaven's sake.... Go!

 

A few of the verses we are using this summer to motivate students to serve, go, and tell are:

Romans 8:19-23

John 8:12

James 1: 22-25

Acts 1:8

Isaiah 6:8

Mark 16:15

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

John 20:21

Matthew 25: 35-40

So all of that was pretty serious and should be taken that way...doesn't mean I don't work for a summer camp, which means we have lots of time to goof off and have fun. Here are a few pics of what we've been up to this training week. I can't believe it's our last day of training! Pray for us as campers show up on Monday afternoon. We'll need all the prayer we can get because no matter how prepared we think we are... there will definitely be bumps and challenges throughout each week. I'll try to post a blog each week as we experience community and service together during our 7 week adventure!

The One You've Been Waiting For...

Well I started to title this blog thinking, "I'm sure most people have been waiting to hear about Haiti and all its happenings," which was a month and a half ago...sorry I've been a very busy girl. So that's why I titled this...The One You've Been Waiting For...

But then I started to think about it. As anyone reading this will know, I got engaged in Haiti. So this whole waiting for title has much more implication than I originally realized.

Yes, you may have been waiting to hear about this engagement story and the missions opportunities that happened but I realized how much waiting I have actually done in my life.

So I found the one I've been waiting for...Yep that handsome man below...that's him, Justin Stimpson. An amazing man of God, my best friend, and my hero (yep the whole package!)

I've been realizing lately how much patience you have to have in life. Everyday life...not just the big wow moments that are fully engrained in your memory, but those trying times when you wait on the Lord or wait to your clothes that never seem to dry. I have begun to understand how much child like faith and trust I need to have in my Savior. The Spirit has truly been revealing to me things I need to work on in trusting in these everyday situations. I've also learned more strongly than ever that God's will is for all of us to make disciple and with that comes this feeling that God must have only one path for us. False. I know God's will is for you to bring Him glory and share His good news wherever you go and whatever you do.

Hebrews 10 Check it out!

So back to my story about Haiti. Haiti stole a piece of my heart almost two years ago. I saw the devastation of the people and the hopelessness in their eyes. Yes, it was sad to see the filth and garbage many of them lived in but that wasn't it. It was dark...spiritually dark. A kind of darkness that needs the light of a Savior, that can replace of their hopelessness and dispare with a hope of eternal life and the chance to bring glory to the One who sacrificed everything for us.

The Proposal

Pretty much the first time I met Justin, I mentioned Haiti and my heart for that country. So when an opportunity popped up for him and I to go on a trip together...we took it. So April 12, we were greeted by my friend, Hannah, a missionary to Haiti. I had told her a wanted to visit a waterfall she had mentioned, but forgetting to tell her I wanted to surprise Justin.

Yes...I was in my swimsuit.

The next day, we headed to Bassin Bleu. It was beautiful.  Perfectly clear blue water, tropical trees surrounded a large rock that completely engulfed you in paradise. Magic I tell you! The whole time I thought Justin had no clue about where we were headed. He even mentioned how awesome it was and I thought to myself,"Oh good one, Celeste. You surprised him." Ha.

Little did I know, Justin and Hannah had been conspiring on Facebook. Justin was looking for a place to propose and Hannah told him about Bassin Bleu (remember I had forgotten to tell her I was trying to surprise him). So there I was lying on a giant rock when Justin asked if we could take a picture. "But we already took a picture," I said. But I went over there anyway. Smile. Snap. Then it hit me, Hannah, Amanda, and Molly all had cameras. Justin turns around fiddles around with his shirt pocket for a brief moment then falls to a knee and says, "Celeste Grisham, will you spend the rest of your life serving the Lord with me?" Pause. "YES!" 

And that's it folks, I was engaged...in what felt like 2.5 seconds.

For the next four or five hours, I would randomly say, "What?!" really loud in shock and unbelief at the day's prior events. He got me...he really got me. For a while I kept thinking about where he would propose but never Haiti because I didn't think he knew about going to Bassin Bleu.

So there's that story and the one I'd been waiting for! :)

The Trip

So there I was day two of our trip to Haiti engaged! What?! Obviously I was still in shock.

We were able to attend church and spend some time with the Hope for Life Children's Home. These kids are precious. We brought them all kinds of goodies: books, soccer balls, craft supplies, clothes, and even a few barbies. They are so sweet. Pray for them that they will be raised up to make disciples among their people. Later in the evening, we went to missionary Bible Study. Justin got to sing and play the guitar for our worship. Seriously, he's really talented...plus playing the guitar makes him that much cooler. :)

Day 3: It was our last day with Hannah, we packed up our bags and headed to the Samaritan's Purse (SP) base just down the road. Life was much different there. You felt like you were living in a small piece of American paradise...very strange from what we had just experienced. We arrived early and the rest of our team arrived that evening.

Day 4: First day on the job site. I love construction. I'm not very good at it but for some reason I love the idea of helping build something and seeing your progress. The first week at the site, this was not the case....we ended up at a dead end trying to paint the roof of the orphanage. So after realizing this was going to be a challenge we broke early from our work to wait for lunch to arrive. Being the "go-getter" Justin is, he refused to sit still and disappeared somewhere in the huge construction site. I was talking with one of the missionary's wives when I hear in the background, "Someone got shot." I turned around and said, " Shot? Who got shot?" The missionary's wife replied, "Your fiance!"

Of course I stand up to find Justin walking up with his work gloves still on and a 16 penny nail sticking out of his left hand. Mr. EMT does nothing he would have someone else do if they were in this situation and starts to cut off his own glove. Then he turned ghostly white and finally realized he should probably go sit down (don't forget its almost 100 degrees outside too!) When he did sit down, he passed out briefly and I was immediately handed a frozen coke to place on the back of his neck. The next 20 or 30 minutes were a blur. We found ourselves in a Haitian hospital. Justin filled out some paper work and then after a little waiting he had x rays done on his hand, which showed the nail had gone into the bone. So he had to have the nail surgically removed. His hand is practically back to normal now.

Day 5- 15:
Poor thing was in pain for several days and had a hard time working on the job site. Every morning we would worship and have devotion with the SP constructions workers. It was really get to see so many men of God praising Him despite their circumstances. Every afternoon we got to play with those sweet and crazy Greta Academy kiddos. They have so much energy and love attention all 75 of them!

Later on the next week, we were able to go do Operation Christmas Child!!! You guys don't even know how excited I was to do this...or if you know me, maybe you do!

We went out into a remote unreached village about an hour from Jax's Beach. At the time most of the volunteers thought we were going to a reached area that had a church to minister to the local children. Honestly, I was very wrapped up in the opportunity to share the love of Christ and those boxes packed by churches all over the United States and Canada. After the chaos of handing out over 200 shoe boxes, Justin pointed out a few things that really opened my eyes to what the community was... voodoo. Looking around more intently this time I started to realize that we were in voodoo village and that there was no church and I started to think back at the faces of some of those children, they had a dark and hopeless look in their eyes.

That evening Justin and I were able to talk with the Director of Evangelism for SP in Haiti, Pastor Pierre. He is an amazing man of God, originally from Haiti. Pierre really explained to us in greater detail the needs of Haiti and even gave us a copy of his book, "The Hidden Ruler of Haiti." Which dealt a lot with issues like voodoo, lack of family values, etc. Pierre also touched on how the OCC program worked to disciple children in order to reach parents and family in the unreached areas of the world. After this conversation was over Justin and I both knew that was one of the reasons God brought us on this trip... To meet Pierre and start to build relationships with people working missions.

The next day we were able to work with another OCC project closer to Jax's Beach. This one was much different had in a more reached area. The kids faces really lit up when they opened their boxes. A tiny dream of mine came true that week. OCC is something I've wanted to be able to do for a long time and I finally got the privilege to help with this wonderful program.

Our last days in Haiti were bitter sweet as we got ready to depart. We were able to see Hannah a couple more times when she came to visit the SP base. She even brought us a really sweet gift, a Haitian painting of one of our engagement photos.

So what's in my future????....well obviously I'm getting married and soon, September 1st in Gettysburg, PA!

But in other news, I will continue to look to the Lord for guidance in the next steps in my life and go as He leads whether local or international missions (even though I know both will be in my future).

The end has come to this season of foreign missions! Thank you everyone for your prayers and financial support. God has truly blessed me! This summer I will be serving on staff at Belmont University in Nashville, TN as the Site Director for M-Fuge Camps. Pray for me as I serve our staff and the Nashville community.

You can even write me at:

Celeste Grisham
MFuge Summer Camp
1900 Belmont Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37212