What are you waiting for?

Posted on August 9, 2017 by - Haiti, missions trips, Short-term Trips, Team CWO

The Geremia family traveled to LaVictoire, Haiti in July to help with VBS at the local CWO church. Here Laura Geremia shares her thoughts about the trip that changed her family’s lives forever. 

LaVictoire, Haiti: Summer 2017

What are you waiting for?  Upon our return this past July from LaVictoire Haiti, that is the question I asked myself.   One of my lifelong dreams came true this summer through Christian World Outreach as my husband and three teenage boys left from Orlando, Florida for LaVictoire, Haiti.  A team of 5, plus a man name Greg Yoder, and his daughter Sarah, both of whom we had never met were embarking on a mission to lead and teach Vacation Bible School and feed over 500 children every day for a week.  What would you guess was the theme for the week?  FAITH!  But, of course!  In fact, Greg almost cancelled the trip a couple of times due to our inexperience and the size of our team.  Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t question HIS “team” of little size and little experience that he commissioned to preach the Gospel to the entire world. Thankfully, Greg exercised his Faith in his Heavenly Father to accomplish this feat with us.

I can still hear all of the children singing to the top of their lungs the “Hallelujah – Praise Ye the Lord” song as well as “The Lord’s Army”.  Each day there was a memory verse that all 500 kids would memorize before we broke out into classrooms for the lesson on faith.  Simply amazing was their love and appreciation for the scriptures!  As the children rushed and crammed into the small, dirty little rooms, we wiped the sweat from our brow and began teaching the scriptures to kids who were like sponges soaking it all in and cherishing every word as if it were the disciples speaking to the crowds 2,000 years ago.

Feeding the children after the Bible lesson was both an invaluable and humbling experience for our family.  As my sons served the plates of food and grabbed the little hands of those that were too small to carry their own; I held back the tears as my children were learning lessons on compassion, servanthood and love that are priceless.  For most of the children, that was their only meal for the day.  Did we leave the afternoon feeling defeated and sad?  Absolutely not!  Now, who was teaching who about faith?  What is faith?  Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  I thought I had faith.  I thought I was going to teach the Haitian children what faith was and how to have it.  They taught me.  You see, as American Christians, we always want to be saved from trials, tribulations and turmoil and we treat our Heavenly Father like a cosmic fairy godfather waiting for HIM to wave his wand to get us out of trouble. The people of Haiti, who don’t even know what they are “missing out on” are not waiting to be saved FROM something but are confidently and patiently waiting to be saved TO someone!  LaVictoire is a small, poor, forgotten mountain village full of hope, faith and confidence in what is YET TO COME!

Our lives are forever changed because of this trip over an ocean and into the mountains with a young pilot and a prop plane landing in a grass field to see eyes full of FAITH and HOPE.

So, I’ll ask again:  What are you waiting for?  Are you waiting to be saved from your life that isn’t what you want it to be or thought you deserved or are you waiting to be saved to Jesus?

                

“Miss Karen, I’ve been saved!” – Part 1

Posted on July 20, 2017 by - Haiti, missions trips, Short-term Trips, Team CWO, Uncategorized

CWO’s first missionary, Karen Pasquariello, shares more about her time serving in Haiti in this two-part blog post. 

It is March 14, 1980 and I shout out praises for what is happening in Haiti. On the top of my list is the response we had at Quisqueya School chapel service this past week.  Seven teens accepted Christ as their Savior and 8 made a commitment to live out their decision to follow Christ on a daily basis.  It was so precious when Rosemary came to my Phys Ed class and exclaimed, “Miss Karen, I’ve been saved!”

I started a study for teen girls who are Christians to learn what the Bible teaches regarding their roles as women. How encouraging it is to see these young women desire to follow Christ. I have been blessed to be surrounded by other women who also are serving as missionaries.  It is encouraging to share our struggles, problems, praises and thanksgivings.  And most importantly to support each other in prayer.

A month ago, I was with friends for some R&R. We were skipping rocks over the water and one flew up and hit me in the face. Ouch!  My sunglasses shattered in my eye and the pain was excruciating.  I couldn’t see.  I remember my roommate, Donalda, reciting scripture to me for comfort.  It is amazing the power of those words. Fortunately, there was a clinic nearby with a nurse to clean out my eye. A month later I went to another doctor to find that there was glass imbedded under my eye.  The doctor had to cut the glass out and stitch me up – no shots, no numbing.  When you are in a foreign country, doctors do an amazing job with the limited supplies they have.

 

                   

Short-Term Teams – You better shop around

Posted on April 18, 2017 by - Haiti, missions trips, Short-term Trips

Part 2 – Participant Responsibility and Preparation

If you are considering participating in a short-term trip, you have some responsibilities before you choose where you are going and who you are going with to serve.  You should examine your intentions as you begin thinking about your purpose in going.  You should check into the organization you plan to go with before signing up.

When considering participating in a mission trip the first thing each individual should ask is, “Is God calling me to go and serve?”  Yeah, I know it would be nice if God always spoke to us verbally and we could physically hear Him say, “John go serve two week in Kenya!”  This is a whole topic in itself.  What you need to do before going on a short-term mission trip is take some time to pray, asking God to give you direction in where He wants you to serve and to help you have wisdom in choosing an organization to serve with as you go.  If you do not feel God calling you to go, then do not go.

The CWO application has a couple questions to help potential team members think about the desire to go on a short-term trip.  “Why do you wish to go on this mission opportunity?” is the first question that addresses this.  Asking yourself why you want to go can help you determine if God wants you to go.  If you are going just to check it off your bucket list of things to do or places to go, then do not go.  I have had team members go for this reason and it is quickly evident they are not interested in going to serve but ready to go on their next “adventure.”  Their interest is seeing the world and not serving with those in the country they are visiting.

I do need to add that if you are going just so you can get to the country where a child you sponsor lives, do not go.  I know the desire to see that child you have sponsored for many years is strong but if this is why you are going your motive is selfish.  I have seen team members sit around and not participate in the activities of the team just waiting to visit their sponsored child.  The saddest part is knowing that this selfish act has caused a hardship on the child’s family because they need to miss work and sometimes travel for a whole day just to bring the child to visit.

Another question we ask on the application is, “How do you plan to use this experience when you return home?”  This may seem like an odd question before you leave but again it may help you know what your motive is for going on this trip.  A short-term trip is a good way to test your ability to function cross-culturally, especially if you are thinking about serving long-term.

This is a great way to get a glimpse of what long-term missionaries deal with on a day to day basis, helping you know how to pray for them.  It can also help you know the real needs so that you understand what financial support is helpful.  I have seen people go on a different short-term trip every year each time with a different organization and to a different country.  They do not have a desire to understand and learn but, again, are checking it off their list.

It is your responsibility to set your expectations before going.  The beginning of setting your expectations is to investigate any organization you might go to serve with on a trip.  Ask lots of questions before applying for a trip.  If you do not get any clear answers you may want to look somewhere else for a place to serve.  I would ask for a reference of someone who has already gone with the organization.  They will be able to help you know what to expect when going to serve.

A short-term trip should be viewed as a learning experience.  Be ready to go observe and ask questions (when appropriate).  This is not a time to sit back and relax but a time to study the culture around you, investing time with those you are working with and serving alongside them.  Begin building relationships that can last and grow as you serve.  This can seem like a lot of hard work but it will be well worth it as you return home and reflect on what God has taught you through your short-term trip.

What’s next?  In part three about short-term trips we will look at what happens when you get home.

Short Term Teams – the Good & the Bad

Posted on March 21, 2017 by - Haiti, missions trips, Short-term Trips, Team CWO, Uncategorized

Part 1 (the sending organizations responsibility)

Greg Yoder participated in the first Christian World Outreach (CWO) work team that served in Johnstown, Pennsylvania after the flood of 1977.  He then served on the first team to Haiti in 1978 that held a youth camp.  After graduating from college he served in Haiti from 1980 to 1988. He taught at Quisqueya Christian School and prepared for short-term teams to come to Haiti in the summers for 3 ½ years and then worked full time as the CWO administrator.  After moving back to the States he connected with CWO by serving on the board and leading teams. In 2003 he began working part-time leading CWO teams and then began working in the US headquarters in 2005 where he now serves as CWO’s president.

There continues to be a debate about whether short-term mission trips do much good.  You have probably seen posts on Facebook or received an email with a website link about all the negative things associated with short-term mission trips. You have also probably read stories or talked to a friend about how a short-term team has had a positive effect.  I must admit I have been a part of teams that fall under both extremes and hopefully have learned something from those experiences.

It is healthy for every organization that participates in sending short-term missions to struggle with this question for each team that goes out to serve.  After all, the buck stops with the organization that offers short-term trips because they are the link between those receiving a team and those going.  It is their responsibility to make sure they are making a trip meaningful and useful to those receiving a team.  It is also their responsibility to make it a positive learning and growing experience for the team members going to serve.

The sending organization should first know those who are receiving a team.  They should have a good enough working relationship so that they get an honest answer to the usefulness of teams.  They should know the culture well enough to know if they are being told “yes bring teams” just because those asked are being polite or if they really want / need a team to come.  The sending organization should also make sure that they include those receiving a team in the planning, the fundraising, and that they participate in the project.

I have asked our in-country staff if it is beneficial to have teams come and the response has always been yes.  They have said that it is an “encouragement” to have teams take time to come and serve alongside them, and they know that it helps those who support the ministry in prayer and financially to see firsthand what they support.

Usually any negative reaction to short-term missions is partly because the American comes in as the “expert” in everything, works alone on the project and believes they are the only ones who can get the project done.  Because of this we can create a group of people who sit back and watch the Americans work without saying a word.  They will not tell the “guest” that the project is not something wanted or needed and so the time and money spent on this trip is wasted.

I have seen some unused playgrounds that teams have felt were needed when the real need was for desks and other classroom needs.  I have seen a room full of discarded toys left over after picking out the useful donated items like pencils, pens, rulers, notebooks, etc.  I know of a building built that goes unused because it was built American style.  I know of equipment that has been installed but never used because those receiving it do not know how to use it or the replacement parts are not available locally.  I have also seen teams viewed as just a way to receive the funds to complete a project.

The solution is to start with the sending organization building a long-term relationship with those they serve and then for them to understand the real need of those receiving a team.  This relationship would be one built on trust and promote open and honest discussions about teams.  It is best that those receiving a team are part of the planning so they have ownership and the project is accepted as theirs.  One other way to help them take ownership is to have those receiving a team invest something in the project by raising funds or bringing supplies.  Because this is not typically asked of those receiving a team it may seem odd but it is acceptable.

It goes without saying, or maybe not, that the receivers and the team members work side-by-side on the project.  This brings both sides together and helps build relationships that can last longer than any building or other project that a short-term mission team could participate in.

CWO has been a part of short-term mission trips for almost 40 years.  We have made mistakes along the way and have learned from those mistakes.  Our goal is to make short-term mission trips a part of the ministry to encourage both those receiving a team and those going and to be a part of the existing ministries.

More about short-term mission teams and the team member’s responsibilities and preparation on the next blog post.

Reaching out in rural Haiti – Part 3

Posted on January 10, 2017 by - Haiti, Short-term Trips, Team CWO, Uncategorized

It is November 1979. Living in a foreign country can be lonely, especially when special holidays are approaching. It is so encouraging when I have visitors.  My sister, Sharon and two friends, Melaina and Laura came to visit.  It was so fun to show them this country and her beautiful people.

Learning a different language is not easy. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever learn it.  I spend countless hours studying, memorizing and practicing. I wasn’t expecting this learning process to be so frustrating.

An unexpected ministry opened up, teaching phys ed to the female students at Quisqueya Christian School. Some of the students are missionary kids, some are children of the elite class.  CWO realizes the need to minister to all classes, the poor and the wealthy.  I am excited to develop a relationship with these young women.

I continue visiting the youth from our camps, traveling through cities to the winding roads up the mountains. It is humbling to visit our youth in their homes, huts with thatched roofs and shacks with tin roofs. They are excited that I would spend time with them. It is always a blessed experience for me.  I long to learn their language, Creole, so I can really communicate.

nov-1979-photo-2    nov-1979-photo-1

“In as much as you have done unto the least of these …” – Part 2

Posted on December 20, 2016 by - Haiti

This blog post is the second in a series of reflections from Karen Pasquariello, CWO’s first missionary in Haiti.

It is Sept 1979. At times I am overwhelmed by the endless needs of those around me.  Living in the poorest county in the Western Hemisphere, is not easy. The needs and the heat beat the strength out of me. Today an elderly Haitian woman walked up to me. She had tears streaming down her face and was obviously in pain. She lifted her shirt and showed me her open wound. Her insides were pushing out through the opening. I drove her to the hospital and provided the money for her to see the doctor and for treatment.

Now it is 2016, 37 years later. As I reflect on that experience, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to serve as a missionary with CWO and for God’s word, “in as much as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me”

 

Team CWO Scored Big at this Year’s Banquet!

Posted on November 15, 2016 by - Banquet, Burkina Faso, Events, Haiti, Team CWO

This year’s banquet was filled with team spirit and excitement around ministry!  Guests enjoyed popcorn, lemonade and a fun game informing them about the four countries where CWO works. As has become our tradition, Haitian vanilla was available for purchase. Brand new CWO shirts were available for sale, all featuring the new CWO logo. (Go to our Current Campaigns page to shop for your CWO team shirt!)  A tasty tailgate-like buffet meal gave guests an opportunity to visit over dinner. Donated sports items, like a Broncos jacket and Rockies tickets, were given out during a drawing from guests who participated in the CWO game during the social hour. Following an invocation by Torrey House from Creekside Church, an introduction to the ministry in Burkina Faso kicked off the program. Alassane and Dina Compaore spoke about how both the Village of Opportunity and Mobile Clinic are growing and how grateful they are for Team CWO. Greg Yoder, CWO President, gave an update on ministries in Haiti, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The highlight of the evening was when Jerry Schemmel gave a powerful, mission-focused testimonial to end the evening. CWO is grateful for the approximate $60,000 in donations and pledges we received at the banquet.

Whether all-stars or game-changing rookies, everyone is a member of God’s team and a vital part of Team CWO!

As we enter into 2017 we look forward to more opportunities to win over others for God’s team and working together in ministry. Thank you for supporting CWO through prayer, volunteering, advocating and financially supporting our work. We look forward to making 2017 a championship year!

banquet-1

After Hurricane Matthew … What Now for CWO?

Posted on October 13, 2016 by - Haiti

Hurricane Matthew was a slow-moving, powerful storm that hit Haiti hard this past week. As has been the case so many times before in Haiti, there is no shortage of need. From medical attention, clean water and food to clearing roads and re-building, recovery will likely be long and complicated. We grieve with those affected by the storm and pray that God will show Himself to those in need.

CWO has ministered in Haiti for more than 35 years. It’s important to note that we are not solely a relief organization. God has given us opportunities to work alongside our Haitian friends and bring Christ to many. Sometimes that takes the form of providing medical attention or rebuilding following disasters. And sometimes it is by providing education or a hot meal for a child. Whatever form it takes, we’re grateful for God’s provision, the relationships we’ve developed and the partnerships that have come from our time working in Haiti.

CWO specializes in making a difference in the lives we touch and in making a difference for eternity. If that means helping a partner organization with immediate needs after the hurricane, we will be there. Our vision is to be in Haiti for the long haul, through recovery, as people need to hear the Good News and if Haiti faces yet another disaster. We are committed to serving in Haiti and recognizing the tremendous potential of this place and its people. If you want to help support recovery efforts, you can give to CWO by clicking the DONATE button above and selecting Disaster Relief under the Haiti menu option.

Thank you for recognizing and supporting CWO’s unique and necessary role in not only helping with the recovery effort but in building a future for Haiti for now and eternity!

“I am grateful for what CWO has done for me…”

Posted on August 8, 2016 by - Haiti

The CWO Children’s Feeding Program is helping to raise healthy children into healthy adults! Located at Delmas 31, the program is in a suburb area of Port-au-Prince. Children receive a hot meal three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Most children come from the Delmas 31 neighborhood but others will walk 2-3 kilometers. In addition to the hot meal, children learn to pray, and sing songs and are taught a life skill.

The following young people, who were part of the program when they were younger, have shared how the program helped them during their childhood:

StanleyStanley Ria shared, “I used to go to school on an empty stomach but I was waiting for the school day to end so that I could go and eat on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the CWO Feeding Program. Those days were different since I could find a decent and sustaining meal three days per week. I have completed my high school and I am grateful for what CWO had done for me through the Feeding Program.”

JuniorJunior Paul told us, “The food that CWO used to provide for me as a child was very useful. I could not wait to the end of the school day so that I could go and eat at the Feeding Program on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I am now thanking the supporters of the program. The food was good for me so much so that I now complete my high school. I want other children to benefit from the program as well.”

TorbeckTorbeck Widlèmson said, “The Feeding Program is doing a lot of good for the children in the community. Thank you for the food you provided for me when I was a child. The meals gave a great start. I just completed my high school. Such fulfillment would not be possible without the meals I received at the CWO Feeding Program during my childhood.”

PetersonPeterson Aristil told us, “My brother and I are twins. We quit school at the 7th grade because our mother did not have the means to keep us in school. We were fed three times a week at the CWO Feeding Program. Now we are young men and we are fending for ourselves. I am doing taxi moto, transporting people on a motorcycle for pay. The same way the Feeding Program was good to me, it is also good to others like me.”

Thank you for helping CWO make a difference in the lives of so many!

 

Getting Ready for a Short-Term Mission Trip

Posted on June 27, 2016 by - Haiti, Short-term Trips

Getting ready for a short-term mission trip can be so exciting. There are so many things to get ready for. You need to get your support letters written and mailed. You have to get your supplies for the trip no matter what venture it is. You have to pack your bags. You have to prepare for your trip whether it be a Vacation Bible School, construction, medical or any other type of trip. At least these are the things that I do before a trip.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to go on so many trips and each time I get so excited for this process. One thing I can easily overlook and that is arguably the most important part is preparing my heart. I can often get so excited about the less important things I forget to pray over my trip. I forget to ask God to give me the right mindset and heart for all I am about to face. I forget to pray for each life that we will come in contact with. I forget to pray that God will bond the team so we can bring all the glory to Him.

I think getting the right support financially, getting your bags packs and finishing up your VBS lessons and other plans and preparations are all good things. These are all things that God wants us to prepare, but I think there is more God wants from us. As we prepare for each mission trip we should be fully seeking God’s guidance and wisdom. In fact this should be how we live our lives day to day, seeking God first and allowing him to guide the steps as you go on your way.

Sarah Yoder – CWO Trip Participant