Trinidad Summer 2008- 9/5/08

Friday, 5 September 2008

Dear Precious Friends and Family,

As we end out time here in Trinidad, we are sad to leave our friends but excited to return home to you!

This week we realized that the water tanks were nearly empty and Steve and Pastor Gosyne have placed many calls to have water restored but to no avail. The McGee family may return home to empty pipes and empty water tanks! Please pray for “running water” not just water delivery.

Steve completed his teaching on the book of “Romans” at the Bible College/Seminary last weekend and had the opportunity to spend some extra time with his students both at the house and some at the Bible College/Seminary. Several of them came to me and shared that he was a great teacher, they enjoyed his teaching and they learned a lot. This was a condensed course. The students went through the entire book of Romans in 3 weekends! They read the book (in at least two bible versions), answered written questions, read classical commentaries, exegeted verses, gave oral presentations, wrote a 10-page essay, and took an impromptu final exam. A lot to cover in a short period.

In teaching through the book of Acts for my Sunday School class of 9-12 year olds, I have given a memory verse for them to learn each week. They have been very eager to return each week to recite the verse even without reward! They have also learned the importance of personal devotions and feeling comfortable leading group prayer. One of my students, Shandel, even painted a picture for me!

Yesterday, we welcomed an MTW Missionary couple, Pastor Keith and his wife, Debbie who will be caring for the McGee home and dogs and ministry until their return in 10 days. Please pray for their peace and comfort in driving and finding their way around, in their ministry, and of course in obtaining water!

We have become very close to a student of Steve’s at the Bible College, a 44 yr old man named Ceasar, who comes from a background of addiction. As he tells people, he has no wife or children, car or home but he has all he needs in Jesus! He works making silver jewelry, lives with his cousin and family and is a great witness for the Lord here on the island. He feels called to ministry and we would ask that you pray for him as he continues his studies at the Bible College/Seminary and his mentoring relationship with Pastors Gosyne and McGee.

Last Monday night, Steve and I hosted the Ligonier Ministries Radio Program for Pastor McGee from 12MN-4 AM, for the last time. During each broadcast, this program receives 20-80 calls from listeners. Emmanual, a broadcaster there at Isaac Radio 98.1, shared with us that the station owner initially was very reluctant to put this program on the air (she wasn’t convinced it would attract listeners). But, the very first night they received 80 calls, and it is now their most popular program! People call to ask theological questions, to order broadcast material, or just to talk. The Gospel message is being carried through the air waves across Trinidad!

Please also pray for:

1) Pastor Gosyne’s wife, Denise, who has been battling severe asthma. Please pray for her healing and the physician’s wisdom as he adjusts or prescribes medication.

2) The Church, Covenant Reformed Evangelical Church must vacate their building Sept 30 and move to a new facility. Please pray for an increase in their financial supporters and construction mission teams to be able to help with the new building ASAP. This is a very poor church and they cannot support themselves. It has an incredible outreach with a huge impact on very poor areas including Carlsen Field.

3) Please also pray that God would call Missionaries to assist with the tasks of administration of their ministries, the Church, the Bible College/Seminary and Radio Ministry.

4) The children at Carlsen Field to have changed lives as a result of the ministry there. It is an area where violence is common, children raised in single parent addicted homes, very little food to eat and most times cannot score above 30% in their grade level testing! They now have a role model in Krystal, a High School student who has passed her school exams with very high scores. This is an example of a changed life through the ministry of Covenant Reformed Evangelical Church!

Thank-you so much for your support of our ministry in Trinidad! Steve will continue to write courses for the Bible College/Seminary through MINTS and we will return for him to teach there. The ministries of Covenant Reformed Evangelical Church are growing tremendously through the work of Pastors Gosyne and McGee. Please continue to pray that God would bless them and their families and ministries.

Thank-you so much for your encouraging letters and prayers!

We Love you and miss you all!

Karen and Steve

(Phil. 4:13)

Trinidad Summer 2008- 8/22/08

Friday, 22 August 2008

Dear Precious Friends and Family,

Praise God from whom all blessings flow…including water! The water company finally delivered water this week. There was a water main break in the village before we arrived and the water was turned off. We were purchasing water, taking cup(bucket) baths and even using pool water for the toilet. At least we were able to use the bathroom for bathing and toileting, which is unlike what we have done in refugee camps.

The Dental and Allied Health (Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy) Team arrived home safely on Sunday after serving over 600 patients. A Pastor shared with Steve and I that he has been in pain with wisdom teeth for many years and he was able to have them extracted. His family also was served and he said that it would have cost his family 3000TT for the care they received. This is equal to about $500 which he could not afford. Sadly our Allied Health team saw Brittany, a 7 yr old little girl with severe cerebral palsy who had not received services previous to this time. On this island there are only 3 physical therapists! Hope Williams, an MTW (Mission to the World) administrator and I grew attached to her. Hope is trying to find help for her and her Mom. Brittany must be carried everywhere and the only assistance her mother has is a town reporter that will come once weekly and drive them to town.

Each Sunday, I am teaching children’s Sunday School and they are learning about the book of Acts. Steve is leading music and teaching adult Sunday School. In the evening Steve is giving the message at Carlsen Field, where they are hearing about Esther. It is a very poor area and each week Covenant Reformed Evangelical Church brings food to feed them. The children receive food daily when school is in session however there is no school during July and August and part of September.

We are learning that the ministries here are growing as we take calls for Mars Hill Institute of Biblical Theology and the Radio Program(ISAAC Radio 98.1). Callers ask for catalogs for Seminary courses, Cd’s, books and Bibles and have other questions about theology and life. Steve is hosting the Mars Hill radio program for Pastor McGee and continues to teach the MINTS seminary course he wrote on Romans, each weekend.

Please pray for the church as they have to move to a new facility on Sept 30 when their lease expires. They have really outgrown their building anyway but it is a poor church so finances will be tight.. Pastors Ricky Gosyne and Steve McGee found this facility before Steve departed for vacation. Pastor Ricky is working on the lease agreement. Praise God!

Please pray for:

1) Steve’s stamina and God’s wisdom as he prepares his course, delivers the radio programs and teaches Sunday School

2) Karen as she leads Youth group with Pastor Ricky and teaches Sunday School and leads the ladies in Prayer on Wed evenings.

3) Brittany would be able to receive Physical Therapy and her Mom could get assistance.

4) WASA (the water company) would find the water main break and reconnect so there would be a constant water source here. Praise for water!

5) That the people here will see Jesus through our ministry

6) Rest and relaxation and travel safety for the McGee family as they enjoy their first vacation in five years.

7) The Carlsen Field children…that the Sunday program there will be a blessing to them.

8) That God would raise up people to come and assist Pastors Steve McGee and Ricky Gosyne with the Church ministries, Radio programs, and Seminary.

9) Finances for the church building and food to feed the hungry children in Carlsen Field.

10) Our families at home

Thank-you so much for your encouraging letters and prayers!

We Love you and miss you all!

Karen and Steve

(Phil. 4:13)

Trinidad Summer 2008- 8/10/08

Sunday, 10 August 2008

Dear Precious Friends and Family,

Steve and I arrived here in Trinidad safely on Wednesday August 6 to begin our ministry. We are staying at the McGee home while they enjoy a vacation time in the USA.

We have been assisting Pastor Steve McGee of Covenant Reformed Church with 2 Short Term Mission Teams from the USA. The first team of 22 people from Poolesville Baptist Church in Maryland was here to do VBS and construct a fence in Carlsen Field, an area of very poor children. They departed Sunday morning for home after a very good week of ministry.

The second team, MCO (Medical College Outreach) team from Georgia arrived on Friday night, beginning their ministry early the next day in Tuna Puna. It is a group of 72 Dental, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy students and their leaders and mentors. At this time, there are 4 people that are sick on the team with vomiting and diarrhea. They have a nurse on the team and I am the medical provider in case of emergency. Please pray for them.

Supporting mission teams involves arranging for transportation, meals, lodging and ministry areas, most of which were done before our arrival. Yesterday we made 150 sandwiches for lunches. Steve and I will spend time with the team and provide support for them as needed.

This morning, Steve preached at Covenant Reformed Church and the message on God’s Will was very well received. Many people said it was just what they needed to hear. Steve told them that if we are not using their gifts God gave us, we are not in tune with God’s will. He told the congregation if they were not sure of their gifts to talk to their Pastors (Ricky Goseign and Steve McGee).It was great to be reunited with our friends here. Next weekend I will start teaching Sunday School and we will assist with the Youth at Carlsen Field.

On Monday nights, Steve will be hosting Pastor McGee’s (98.1) radio program. On the weekends, he will teach a Miami International Seminary (MINTS) course that he has written on the book of “Romans” at the Bible College.

Please pray for:

1) Healing for the students that are sick

2) We have a limited water supply as there has been a water line break in the community. They have been unable to locate the break. We are taking “cup baths” and saving rain water to use.

3) Steve’s stamina and God’s wisdom as he prepares his course, delivers the radio programs

4) Our good Health and Safety

5) Our families at home

6) That the people here will see Jesus through our ministry

7) Rest and relaxation for the McGee family as they enjoy their first vacation in five years.

8) The Carlsen Field children…that the Sunday School there will be a blessing to them.

Thank-you so much for your encouragement and prayers!

We Love you and miss you all!

Karen and Steve

(Phil. 4:13)

Worship in Trinidad

New Years Day 2008 Letter from Trinidad

Hi Everyone,

Steve, Corrie and I (and the rest of the team too) arrived safely in Trinidad on Saturday night. It took us 2 1/2 hrs to get through Customs, but the good news is they did NOT search our bags! (The last trip they seized all of our medications.) Praise God! Thank-you so much for praying.

Saturday night we got to bed around 2 AM (the rooster was crowing!) and we had to be at church the next day at 7:45 AM. Even with very little sleep, we were refreshed. The Lord sustained us throughout the busy day. At Aramalaya Presbyterian Church, Steve preached on "Joy in Serving Others" and Corrie and Andrew led music. It sounded wonderful, especially considering the amount of sleep that they had and they only practiced once before. This team comes together from all over the country so this was the first time we met together.

Later that day we were asked to lead a Sunday School class at Covenant Reformed Evangelical Church. It was led by Ben Prinz, a 16 yr old High School student on our team and Corrie and Andrew again provided music.
This church, led by Pastors Steve McGee and Ricky Goseign, ministers in a very poor area called "Carlsen Field". The children there live in mainly single parent homes and they are left alone most of the time. Most of the homes do not have running water, electricity or flush toilets. This is where we will be holding medical clinics for the week. These children are hungry for love and attention and are just precious! They loved Ben's Sunday School class! He was so animated and interactive with them. He will make a great pastor!

On Monday, we held our first clinic at Zaid and Sheri's home, a Muslim couple who are close friends of the McGees. One of the highlights of the day was watching Ben share the Gospel with a Muslim and a Hindu. Tom and Jess, 4th year medical students and Cindy, a Senior Nurse Practitioner student, saw patients as well as Dr Cal and Dr Karola. Linda, a Psychologist, provided counseling to many families. Aaron, a pre-med student took care of our eyeglass clinic, assisting Betsy in the lab when needed. Andrew, a 4th year Pharmacy student dispensed drugs in the pharmacy to the patients as needed. Corrie and Brenda, both nursing students from Anne Arundel Community College, took care of triage, taking vital signs and assisting in lab and other areas. Erin and Amber, both nurses, took charge of overseeing the students at triage.
All patients who came through our clinic were prayed with, because as you know, only the Lord is the Physician Healer, not us!

Later that evening Steve preached on "Perseverance in the Faith" at Covenant Church. Andrew, Karola, Ben and Cindy and others in the church (including some of the youth!) gave their testimonies. Andrew gave thanks for his grandmother (who died earlier that day ) ,who led his mother to the Lord and his mother led him to the Lord. It was an incredible evening! As we returned to the Morton House, where we are staying, it was close to Midnight and we watched the church Bell ring in the New Year and the fireworks.

Today, I write you from the McGee home where we are spending the first day of 2008. We have enjoyed music with 2 guitars and 2 steel drums and food from the US and Trinidad. The McGee family, our Missionary hosts here truly have a gift of hospitality!
Please continue to pray for our health, safety and busy clinic days.
We Love You and Miss you all!
Steve, Karen and the Trinidad Mission Team