After months of team meetings and much preparation, sixty bags have been packed, inventoried, weighed, tagged, and locked! We are ready to head off to Kenya! Nineteen members of the 2012 Kenya Mission Team are preparing to leave for Nairobi, via London, to join Pastor Greg in a mission of love and encouragement for our brothers and sisters in Africa. Two of the families on the mission team will get to meet the children (Paul and Violet) that they sponsor through Christian Ministries in Africa. We will visit Grace Children’s Center, meet David and Jennifer Hatley, visit our sister church – Church on the Rock Langata, help at a feeding program in Nairobi, visit GCC in Gombe, and meet the boys at GCC in Nakuru. We are excited to see just how God will use each of us during our time in Kenya! Check back for updates from the 2012 Kenya Mission Team
Kenya Mission Team 2012
Written by Missions Team on January 30th, 2012Building Day #4
Written by Julie on July 6th, 2011
Hey Family and Friends!
We are super excited to report that we finished with the house! We were able to hand over the keys to the house to the family, and pray over the newly finished home! We went to Wal Mart a couple of days ago, and bought some blankets and a bunch of household items for the family, which we were able to give them today as well. The last day on the worksite is fun, and emotional, as we realize that we’ve helped to create a home. We all feel blessed to be part of the process, and to have been able to be the hands and feet of Jesus this week.
We are also pleased to announce that we are still injury free, which is an amazing answer to prayer! We worked hard and stayed safe, and we know that God’s hand was the source of our protection. Now our major prayer request is for an uneventful trip across the border tomorrow. If you could join us in prayer for that, we would appreciate it!
I don’t know how much I will be updating the blog while we are in the US, but every parent can count on getting a phone call from their child tomorrow once we are safely back in San Diego. Until then, enjoy some pictures from today! We had a great time covering ourselves in stucco 
~Julie for the Mexico/San Diego ’11 Team
Building Day #3
Written by Julie on July 5th, 2011Today we followed up our relaxing Sabbath with a very productive day at the worksite! We finished up our roof completely, which provided us with more than a few tar-covered teammates, and we got our doors and windows installed, and did everything we need to do to the walls, other than stucco them. That means that tomorrow we will all be able to work on the two coats of stucco, and then be able to hand the keys to the house over to the family. We are excited to finish up, but sad to be so close to done with this part of our trip!
We are pleased to say that we still are free from any major injuries or sicknesses, and our team on the roof was safe the whole time! Please pray that tomorrow will be the same, and that we will complete all of our work in a timely manner!
We will post pictures tomorrow! Thanks for partnering with us in prayer!
~Julie for the Mexico/San Diego ’11 Team
Building Day 2
Written by Julie on July 3rd, 2011Today was another great day on the worksite! We were able to build all of our walls and roof pieces, and were able to stand all of the walls and make a structure that actually looks like a house! Its a day that is full of measuring, cutting, and hammering, and our team did a great job! Again, we are thankful to report that we only have a few minor cuts and bruises to report, and that everyone has been safe and healthy. We are looking forward to taking a Sabbath tomorrow, and going to church at a local church. We know that tomorrow will be a wonderful rest, and that on Monday we will be rested and ready to stretch bailing wire, hang tar paper, and move toward stuccoing the house!
We hope that you enjoy the pictures below! We look forward to sharing more with you when we return!
~Julie for the Mexico/San Diego ’11 Team
Building Day 1
Written by Julie on July 2nd, 2011Hey Everyone!
Today was a splendid day, complete with many adventures! We made it to our worksite, and were super blessed to be able to meet the family we are building the house for. We are building a double house, which meant that our task for today was to pour two slabs, which we completed by the time we had to leave the worksite, which is a great feat! We are also excited to share that we have no injuries to report, and that other than a few very slight sunburned foreheads, we are all healthy, although exhausted! A couple of pictures from today are below.
Please continue to pray for us! We can see what God is doing, and we are thankful for it!
~Julie for the Mexico/San Diego ’11 Team
Mexico!
Written by Julie on July 1st, 2011Hey Everyone!
We are here, safe in Mexico, and are just finishing up putting together our campsite! We are so excited to start building the house tomorrow, and can’t wait to meet the family who will get to live in it! Please be praying for a good night’s sleep for us, and for lots of energy in the morning!
Thanks for supporting us in prayer! We really appreciate you all!
~Julie for the Mexico/San Diego ’11 Team
The team flies in tomorrow!
Written by Julie on June 30th, 2011Our van and trailer made it down to San Diego safely, and now the pre-team has picked up, loaded up and gassed up all the additional vehicles, and is ready to pick the Mexico/San Diego team up from the airport tomorrow!
Please join us in praying for Grandpa Steve Reed’s dad. He had a pacemaker put in this week, so Grandpa Steve is not going to be able to join us in Mexico because he will be taking care of his dad. While we are so sad that he can’t come, we are thankful that he has been a part of our preparations and our retreat, and we know that he will be praying for us as we are praying for him!
Again, we are going to be attempting to upload a few pictures from the job site each day to this blog, so please be checking in! If for some reason we aren’t able to get the technology together, we will update our blog the day we cross the border.
Please be praying for a safe flight for the rest of our team members, and for a safe journey into Mexico tomorrow!
~Julie, for the Mexico/San Diego 11 Team
Mexico/San Diego 2011
Written by Julie on June 24th, 2011Our Mexico/San Diego ’11 team is getting ready to go! We are packing up the van and trailer tonight, and our pre-team is getting ready to go!
We will be updating this blog on a regular basis while we are gone, so please be checking in daily to see a few pictures and our prayer requests. We are going to do our best to update from Mexico, but can’t make any guarantees that we will be able to do so. If we are able to post blog updates from South of the border, feel free to leave comments for team members, and we will pass them along!
We invite you to start praying now for our team! Here is a list of our team members, so you can be praying for them by name:
Austin Banister * John Higgins * Kylie Hineman * Jayce Likin * Nate Main * Jonathan Pusateri * Christian Reed * Hannahniah Reed * Stephanie Rosebrook * Bobby Rosenberry * Chrissy White * Alec Yeutter * Steve Yeutter * Kyndel Banister * Steve Reed * Josh Chanthavisay * Jenna Chanthavisay * Jonathan Bass * Marisa Bass * Debbie Pusateri * Mitch Rumppe * Josh Burleson * Julie Nusz
Also pray for safe travels for our pre-team – Jeff, Kirsten, Hannahniah and Christian Reed, and me (Julie), as we leave tomorrow morning!
Thanks so much for praying! We will miss you all!
~Julie for the Mexico/San Diego ’11 Team
Finishers Project
Written by Missions Team on May 19th, 2011Seattle Finishers Forum
May 20 – 21
Westminster Chapel – Bellevue
This conference will provide insight and tools to assist in making intentional decisions for your life-journey as you approach and cross into your second-half of life. Last minute registration is still possible…..contact JulieAnne Billings for more information 360-568-3934
Brian and Grace
Written by Missions Team on May 4th, 2011
Our Kenya 2011 Team was so excited to get to meet Brian and Grace and to tell them how much they are loved by God Himself, and by so many friends in America. Grace wasn’t feeling great while we were there, but she loved having LOTS of attention with her American “aunties” and “uncles” giving her their undivided attention! Please continue to pray for Grace. She has good days and bad, but never loses her great attitude and incredible will to live.
Brian was so excited to meet Sahra, and the other team members, and thrilled to get the awesome box of treats from the WWK. He sends his greetings to everyone at Central and thanks you for your prayers for himself and his sister, Grace.
Thank you so much for making an amazing difference in the lives of these two precious children. You are playing an important part in providing hope and a future for them.
“Religion which God accepts as pure and faultless is this…..to care for the widow and orphan in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.: James 1:27