BCC Youth Missions

Gabon, Africa 2011

In Loving Memory of Brian Crockett

James 1:27

With so many great stories and memories…saying good bye is always difficult.

Tearing eyes, long embraces, realizing that those moments will be some of our last.

I have learned the importance of cherishing every single experience.  I cling to these last few days with all that I have.

It is hard to let go and give all to God.  Good byes are painful and sad.  You never know when you may see them again and what God has in store for their life..and your own.

This is the one trip of them all that I deeply want to last.

It’s hard to say good-bye.

Especially when its to your students who have become family to you throughout the years.

This mission trip is bittersweet because it is my last one with my dear family at Bedford Community Church.

It has been an honor and privilege serving at BCC the past decade.  I believe this trip marks the 12 official trip I have led and each one has a special place in my heart.  Each trip has been to different contexts and countries and each year the team members change.  What has never changed has been the amazing spirit of selflessness and reckless abandon to God that students and leaders have displayed throughout the years.

If I could have scripted an end to my time at BCC…this would have been it.  So while I am extremely grateful for this opportunity it is hard to see so much life-changing work being accomplished in and through this team of students and to know that I will not be around to help cultivate (and really watch) all that God has in store.  Years past we would all return and begin dreaming together and casting a vision for ministry, faith, and life together at church.  We would return with a heightened sense of God’s presence and mission for our lives in community.

Seeing what God has done to transform the lives of these students and adults has been incredible. they are ready and willing to head back to NY to share God’s love and make signficant impact in our area.  For that I am proud and grateful

Saying good-bye to those who touched my heard and life is equally as difficult. Each year I go through a similar mourning process.  You begin to get used to seeing the same faces each day and working alongside people. You fall in love with the children who are so free and eager to trust you and give and receive love.

these good-byes bring tears as well that are difficult to wipe away. Time heals, but the wounds of loss still linger for me from trips 10 years ago.

I will miss young Christopher at the Hope House whose huge smile brightened my day every time I visited.  On my wrist I wear the 4 silly bands he gave me, one for each visit and I cherish those memories. It is hard for me now to sit here in relative comfort while this amazing young boy remains behind in Libreville.  He gave me so much love, I can only hope and pray that he received a portion of that back.

I will miss Eric Bill, an incredible 21-year old man who was a team leader for Envision in Gabon.  Raised as a missionary kid in Gabon, he now works with the C&MA denomination during his summer break from college to help lead short-term experiences for team’s such as ours.  His maturity, patience, leadership, commitment to prayer, humility, and servant’s heart deeply touched and inspired me.  Though 10 years younger than I, Eric serves as an example to myself as one who exemplifies Christ.  I will miss our conversations in the bumpy van rides and blazing trails through the deep jungles of Africa.  I will miss him translating our words into French with such zeal and passion.  I will miss his tireless service to our team.  I will miss his friendship.

But more than anything I will miss this mission team from BCC.  I have been holding on to each day; each moment; every conversation and cherishing them all.  I am grateful to God for providing this time for me to share with these students and adults before I head off to Paris.  I could not have scripted it any better.

Hearing countless stories of hearts and lives forever changed brings me both much joy and confidence.  I can rest knowing the God is with them and they are in Christ.  I can now trust their future, and the future of the youth ministry into God’s care and provision.  If I could hand off a youth ministry to any group of student leaders….this is the group.  And now after sharing 2 weeks together in Africa, I know that they are ready.  I only wish I could physically be around to watch all that God will accomplish through them, but they know that my heart, prayers, and support are forever with them.

I am an extremely quiet person, and few people realize that I am present. When I told people that I had attended BCC for almost 2 years, they scoffed, and thought that I was lying. This may lead many people to the idea that I am extremely shy. I too thought that I was a generally shy person up until maybe a week ago. No, the true motive behind my silence is that I hate to offend people. So, I stay quiet so that I don’t say something that will offend another person. The Gabonese people have shown me a new way of not offending people, but being a good friend at the same time. Gabonese people are extremely open and friendly. They say “Bonjour” or “Bonswa” to many people, and the friendliness is contagious. It leaves little room for negative feelings, and creates a generally good mood. The openness of the Gabonese people helped me to settle another struggle that I had been wrestling with for some time.

Several years ago, my mom told me that I would probably never see the friends that I make in high school ever again. It made me sad, and I sought a way to hang onto my friends. But I knew even as I searched that we would slowly, but surely draw apart until we could no longer connect. It happened before to me, but I didn’t want to be without friends. I felt that it takes me years before friendship develops, but the Gabonese people opened my eyes. The people I had known for only a few days, became great friends that were as meaningful to me as the friends I had clung onto since elementary school. The only way this was possible was because the Gabonese people were open, and friendly. The positivity spread, and soon, you were willing to be as open as they were. And somehow, I’m still not sure myself how, love became present and overflowed.

When I apply this to my life, I pray that others can experience the love of Jesus Christ, and see how I have changed. It is all still affecting me, as I still find it hard to believe that we have left Africa, and will soon come home. But I just pray that in the days that follow that God would continue to show me his glory and greatness.

Tim Song

Most of all, I have been touched by the people I have met here.  The Gabonese Christians’ excitement in worship and intensity in prayer challenged me.  The missionaries’ dedication to a life of sacrifices and selflessness have shaken in me the basic tenets of our consumerist American society.

If I could bottle up some of my life’s experiences, this one would be on the list.  Being part of God’s kingdom is an incredible place to be.  As it always happens to me, this time again, I have re-evaluated my life, asking God if I am in his will at this moment.  As quickly as this trip flew by, as will our lives.  I want to be sure at the end, that I have been in God’s will.

-Ralph Adrien

I have certainly enjoyed reading the many blog posts from our team members this week.  As the team leader, it gives me great joy to see how God is powerfully working in and through these students and leaders.  Watching them serve with passion and abandon each day brings tears to my eyes.  These past 9 days have been some of the most rewarding and enriching I have ever experienced, both personally and as youth pastor at BCC.  I am amazed each evening as we meet to pray, worship, and reflect, to hear stories of what team members have experienced that day and how they have experienced God in a new way.  God has certainly been stretching us with unusual, uncomfortable, uncertain, and often challenging situations, but His grace sustains us day by day our team rises well above all expectations.

If you have been following this blog, you have seen pictures and read stories about the Hope House, clinic, our journey to the jungle, once-in-a-lifetime experience in the Ebel Abenga village, time at the Bongolo Hospital, experience with Air Calvary, worship in a difference culture, learning the meaning of love….I could go on and on.

I experienced each of these as well, both as a full participant with eyes wide open to what God has bee revealing to me, and also as an observer of Jesus manifesting himself through our team.

My own heart has been touched and blessed and I feel transformed from within.  My prayer for myself and every team member for the past few months has been that God would give us “eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart wide open” to all that God wants to show us and teach us.

My life will not be the same because of Africa.

Praise God for that.

Of course this trip is bittersweet for me in so many ways, but I will write about that later.  For now, I embrace and celebrate to the full our time together here in Gabon.  We have one more full day of ministry and life here in Libreville before departing for 2 days of intentional refreshment, prayer, team building and reflection in Germany before finally returning home to NY and BCC to share with our loved ones there.

I will share one unique experience that I suppose only I can write about.

While our team was living in the village, about a 3+ hour drive into the jungle, I was informed that the village church wanted me to preach.  Their pastor was actually in Libreville at the National C&MA pastoral summit and would not be back in time for church.  I asked what they would like me to preach about (hoping for a little more clarification)

The response was “whatever you want”.  One of the Gabonese spoke (prophetically I believe) and said “The Holy Spirit will tell you while you are in the village and when the time is right.”

hmmmmmmm.

Let’s just say that didn’t help me at the time.

I usually spend a solid week in preparation, with laptop and commentaries in hand.

Going out to a jungle with no electricity or books was going to be a stretch for “Pastor Dan”.

More so, from the time we arrived, I literally had no free time with all the construction we were involved in and stress of making life work in remote African village.

My only option was prayer and my Bible (which by the way should be our first resort)

Day by day, we labored laying the physical foundation for this new church.  The work was very hard and back-breaking, as previous posts have indicated.

I learned a great deal about what it takes to lay a foundation and make cement from scratch and by hand (which includes getting our own water at a local watering hole) and mixing the sand, gravel, cement mix, and water by hand.  Not an easy task I may add!

Hour by hour I worked, sweated, and prayed.  I prayed for our team, our Gabonese partners toiling alongside us, this new church building, and I prayed that God would reveal to me the message.

Wed. Thursday. Friday. Saturday.  No message.  No notes.  Nothing prepared, yet I remained surprising confident and assured.

Then, on Saturday evening, it came.

The inspiration I had been waiting for and it only could have come then and there….as promised to me days earlier.

Matthew 7: 24-29 was the story that entered my heart.  Read it if you have time.

We had spent a few days truly understanding the importance, and hard work, that goes into building a home on a solid foundation.

God reminded me of each aspect of physically building a church and all the materials required.

I was able to relate each of the physical items to spiritual ones equally necessary for our faith and for building up a church.

sand, gravel, water, cement mix, concrete blocks, rebar,water.  In some cases we had to work hard as a team to locate and gather these supplies.  All were necessary for the completion of a solid foundation for this new church building.

Likewise, faith, obedience, love, the Holy Spirit, prayer, and determination are necessary for our faith to sustain and grow and for any church to be solid.

The sand was the material most used.  I believe we used 10 large bags of sand per cement pile.  I equated that to prayer.  Pray is what is required the most for growth in our faith and churches.

The cement mix keeps all the materials together.  The Holy Spirit does the same and brings unity to the body of Christ.

The water we had to locate in the jungle, work together as a team to collect and walk back to the site.  I believe Julia wrote about the experience earlier. Like water, without love nothing can be accomplished for God’s kingdom, but often we have to go out of our way and work hard for it.

If we were to try to mix the cement or build the walls without one of these materials, it would not be firm or last.

Every building needs a solid foundation, and so does our faith and our churches.  Christ is the solid foundation.  Christ is the capstone, or the cornerstone that is in the center.  Christ is the Rock.

Matthew 16:13-18 & Romans 9:33

With Christ as our Rock and our solid foundation built upon the spiritual disciplines and gifts of the Holy Spirit, our home will remain firm and stand strong no matter what storms may come our way.

In Africa during the rainy season, storms come through with torrents of rain and wind.  Many structures collapsed and do not remain.  The villagers know this well and are fearful of storms, rain, wind, and floods for loss of property and sometimes even life.

A solid foundation build upon good rock that will last is the key to a building withstanding these storms.

Likewise, with Christ as our foundation, our faith will remain through the storms of our lives; through temptation, discouragement, illness, accidents, hardships, and the like.  Even death could not hold God’s kingdom from expanding.  Satan thought he had won when Christ was nailed to the cross.  However, God used one man’s death to bring life and victory to the world and now even death no longer has a sting for those who believe.

We traveled to Africa in memory of Brian Crockett and the Foundation that has been created in his name.  It was an honor and privilege to share his story with the people in Ebel Abengo and to realize that even through death, God can be glorified and lives changed forever both here in Africa and back home.

“On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand….all other ground is sinking sand.”

This morning we went on a prayer walk through the new property, PK27.  It is evident that God had been involved in this project since the very beginning because the property was purchased from the local village at a very low price. This is the new location for Hope House, airstrip for Air Calvary, OSPAC Clinic, home for widows, plantations, a school and much more.

Throughout our journey through the property, visiting each of the 4 corners we stopped and prayed for each of these ministries – that God would just provide abundantly for the people who are deeply involved in this planning, giving them great visions for what this property can be in the future. We also prayed for increased awareness of the people involved in these ongoing ministries that they too will become involved in the finances, etc. for this dream to become reality.

It was a very moving, eye-opening experience and a joy to become part of this dream with the people who are planning this now. It’s amazing to see how much time and effort has already been put into this dream and we got the sense that God would continue to provide each step of the way. A path had been cleared around the perimeter and surveying team has already begun their work, but it seems like there is still so much to be done; the jungle is so thick and determined, it seems to engulf everything around it. It is so dense that even if you wanted to stray off the path, you would not be able to. The jungle is like a wall, it surrounds and traps (but don’t worry, we all came out alive, and had a great time!)

When we came to a fork in the path, our group decided to split up. The first option was walking along the road to the van. The other was to go through the jungle, a more challenging path back to the van. Sarah and Julia along with Steve, Dan, Ben, Greg, Roberta and Issac decided to take the jungle option because we were thinking how many opportunities will we ever get to explore the Gabonese Jungle?

Well, it was quite the journey! The first step consisted of scaling a steep hill that was covered with vines and leaves. We thought this hill was hard, but boy we we were wrong. We soon entered the jungle that became thicker with every step. Our only guide was a thin path that had only recently been cleared of tall trees. It was surprisingly fun dodging branches, holes, ditches, cliffs and insects of all kinds.

Although it was only half of our group, we did some serious bonding as we helped each other navigate the wavering trail.

Sarah even fell in a hole, and Roberta and Steve had to pull her out. (Too bad we didn’t get a picture of her feet in the air and head buried in a hole)

All in all, it was an extremely moving and fun experience that none of us will ever forget. Though the trek was difficult, we came out at the other side emotionally and physically changed.

Please continue to pray for this project, and that God would continue to work through each team member involved here.

~Julia Dwight & Sarah Esselborn

When the baby finally woke up I didn’t notice because he made no movements and no noises. But I remember looking down at him lying on my chest and he looked up at me. Just the look in his eyes I could tell he’d never been held like this. When I tried to get up, his grip on my shirt grew and he didn’t want me to let go of him. On Sunday during our church service I saw this baby again and again I drew out my arms to him, and again he accepted. As the service went on I gave him a hair tie to play with and after a few minutes I saw the hair tie drop to the ground. He had fallen asleep again and I began to hear his peaceful, happy snores exit his mouth.

This baby changed me more than anything else has on this whole trip. To know that people around him have 2 cell phones each and can barely afford to feed themselves makes me so mad because this poor silent baby limps around the village in pain without the care of a doctor while his family texts and calls their friends. It’s heart breaking. I don’t know how expensive a doctor is here in Gabon but if I knew that he could get care I would gladly give everything I have to be able to save this child’s foot.

I have so much love for these people and their culture. Everything here is difficult but somehow I find it 1 million times more loving and caring than the states will ever be. I dread going back to the states. I want to stay here and care for these people and feel their love.

I love Africa and everything it has to offer.

-Samm Hatch

It has been amazing to see how God is manifested in the Gabonese Church.  I have learned a lot from the short time being here.  Their worship and sense of fearless abandon to sing on the top of their lungs and dance like David did before the Lord has been very encouraging.  I’ve been reminded that worship is about God, not about what makes everyone else comfortable or happy.  I was able to let go and dance with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  In addition, I have enjoyed seeing complete joy come from these people who have far less than I do.  They seem so content with what they have, and so eager to thank God for every blessing that comes their way (big or small).  These are just a few examples of lessons that I hope to take that with me as I return back home.

I am always amazed to see how God is present and working in different countries and cultures.  It is so important for us believers to be open to others views and experience of God.  I have been reading over a book from college written by Paul G. Hiebert called “Anthropological Insights for Missionaries.”  In this, I was reminded that God created this world, and with it culture.  Because of that “all cultures can adequately serve as vehicles for the communication of the gospel.  If this were not so, people would have to change cultures to become Christians.  This does not mean that the gospel is fully understood in any one culture, but that all people can learn enough to be saved and to grow in faith within the context of their own culture.  Not only are all cultures capable of expressing the heart of the gospel, but each also brings to light certain salient features of the gospel that have remained less visible or even hidden in other cultures.  Churches in different cultures help us to understand the many-sided wisdom of God, thereby serving as channels for understanding different facets of divine revelation, truths that a theology tied to one particular culture can easily overlook” (55, Paul G. Hiebert).

As shown, all cultures are have a crucial role in understanding who God is and His vision for the Church.  Therefore, I have been encouraging these students, and I now encourage those who are reading this, to step out of their comfort zone and experience God in many different nations.  Seek God around the world and allow different cultures to bring light to those things our country and our church may overlook. You will be blessed and your understanding of God will be greatly enriched by those around you.

-Becky Semple

This is about the power of prayer.

Over the past few days, I’ve struggled with the hardest task I’ve ever had to accomplish on a missions trip.

On Thursday morning we set out to build a church in the small, jungle village of Ebel-Abonga. I had no idea what I was in for.

The same day we arrived, I found myself lugging ten gallon jugs of water up a steep path in the forest. This very water is used by half of the villagers for washing themselves, dishes, and laundry. There was trash and empty bottles scattered throughout the forest, just like every other part of the village. Recycling does not exist in Gabon.

After our assemble line dwindled to just a few of my team members, moving the water began to feel impossible. After each jug, I felt like I couldn’t go on, and  as much as I wanted to help in the building of the church my body was exhausted.

Jug after jug and hour after hour, we hauled the water that’s essential for mixing the cement. The foundation of the building began to go up. Even after filling all four of the fifty gallon barrels to the brim, it wasn’t long until more water was needed. I found myself standing before the steep path once again. With two, ten gallon jugs in either hand that needed to be filled, carried back up the path, and then lugged down the road to the construction sight, I felt weak and empty. My strength was gone, taken away by the shovels of sand I carried, wheelbarrows of gravel I dumped, and jugs of water I lugged. Still, my first instinct was to pray. And I prayed for strength.

I handed all of my worries over to God. It was all that I could do. No earthly strength or motivation could compare to what God did for me. He kept me going when all I wanted to do was to sit and rest. He reminded me that the church, that I was building, was for him. He was with me when I carried each container of water up the slope. And when I tripped and sloshed water around on the path, he was there, picking me up and keeping me going.

The power of prayer is extraordinary. And trusting in God is essential.

It is too easy to get caught up in everything that I’m doing. I learned how important it is to let God take over every part of my life, especially the parts that I feel I have under control. I thought that I could stand at the edge of the pond, tired and sore, and keep going on my own. That proved to be impossible. Selfishness and fatigue, the urge to give up, would have eventually halted my efforts.

But a weight was lifted from my shoulders when I gave all of my burdens to God. I trusted him and he came through in ways that I never could have imagined. I will never forget the building of the church in Ebel-Abonga. My heart was touched by God, his beautiful people and the determination of the Gabonese workers who worked alongside us. Their faith is inspirational.

I was pushed to the edge, far out of my comfort zone, but God provided. There was just no way that I could have made it through a single day in the jungle without him.

-Julia Dwight