Missions Moment: Joe Darazsdi, "You're A Good Guy"

This year, Joe led preparations for our annual picnic held at a local church, and volunteered daily at the basketball camp; his daughter Emma worked in the kitchen.

"You're A Good Guy"

"On Thursday at the BBQ, Heidi came to the prayer tent. Heidi is nine years old. Immediately, I felt the need to speak with her. She did not know the creation story. She did not know Adam and Eve. But she knew the father Abraham song. We sang the "father Abraham had many sons" song twice through. She knew Noah and the flood. Turns out she knew the story of eating the fruit too. I explained that was Adam and Eve. After sharing the gospel, she prayed to accepted the gift of eternal life that Jesus purchased on the cross for us. Singing with her was precious. She pointed to me and exclaimed, 'You're not bad, you're a good guy.' Wanting to keep this precious moment to myself, it just seemed more important to share it after all."

Missions Moment: Jeany Lally, Relationship

Jeany Lally just graduated with her master's degree in counseling from Liberty University, Virginia, and has been building relationships in West Virginia that will last. This year, the coaches watched as children they coached in the past became the coaches and mentors of the newest children.

Relationship

"We started the first day talking about salvation, the lost Son, and we're talking about our character development in Christ and what he does in our hearts, when we are fully committed and following Him in our relationship with Him. Really trying to get on their level for them to understand what a relationship with Jesus is like. And the kids are retaining information. Their memorizing their Bible verse about how Jesus is the rock in Pslam 62, and they're going up. They're reciting the verse, and they're getting a prize for it. We're seeing God moving in a lot of ways. We're getting a lot of opportunities to talk to parents, meet parents (during) open gym, and reconnect with those that we already know, so that opportunity is really great to invest in people's lives, talking about God, and encouraging. That opportunity has been great to see over the years the forming of the relationships, and to bless people by visiting and being with them as well."

Missions Moment: George Cutillo, What Life is All About

George Cutillo says, "the Lord's blessed me with this, and this is something."

What Life is All About

"My first trip down here, when Frank Virtue asked me to come down for him, I said 'Frank, what am I gonna do?' I didn't know what I was going to do, and we opened up the basketball camp on Monday morning. And there was this little guy, Zach, running up and down in bare feet. And I had never seen anything like this before in my life. Frank brought him over to me. I asked Zach, 'Where are your shoes?' He said, 'I don't have any.' I said, 'We gotta get this kid a pair of shoes.' (At the Catholic Charity in Webster Springs I bought three pairs of sneakers for seventy-five cents), to try on his feet. I brought them back to the school. When I put the shoes on Zach's feet, the smile that showed ear to ear on his face changed my life. A seven year old boy showed a sixty year old man what life is all about. Not what I thought with my business background and what I was shooting for, but the happiness (of that little boy) from that day on. And that was my first experience of Webster Springs."

Missions Moment: Bill Sybesma, A God Thing

Bill Sybesma comes down to West Virginia with his family, and happily works with our construction team.

A God Thing

"I remember either the first or second year that I came down here. Sitting in the basement (of the church) at night, and just watching the interaction of all the people. And I was so impressed with the young people just playing games and laughing for it seemed like hours. And I realized that my kids were a part of that group. And I thought about how all these kids saw each other every Sunday and never seemed to mix the same way they did, when they got here. It was just a God thing that uses even places like a church basement to bring people together that might not have gotten to know eachother before. Even last night, listening to the laughter in the basement, sometimes the kids got pretty loud. They were just enjoying life, and I just appreciate how God has taught me that different people can get together and love eachother, whether it be in West Virginia or here, wherever we are. That's the lesson I learned."

Missions Moment: George Cutillo, Joy

George shares an experience he had because of the graciousness of the people down here. "You never know who you're going to run into," he said.

Joy

"I asked him (the mechanic), 'How do we handle payment for the (Todd Nester's) truck?' He said, 'Uh, don't worry about it. We'll cross that bridge when we get it (the truck) done.' The truck (after it drove to Somerville for the parts) carrying the parts here broke down and caught fire on the interstate. He said, 'It'll be ready in the morning.' Me, having owned an auto repair shop, I'm going, 'Oh boy, it'll be ready in the morning.' Now, that was the first wrong thing. And God said to me, 'What is wrong with you?' So I get back there last night to pick up the truck, and I had said to him, 'Can we take care of this through check?' And here I learned another listen. He told me, 'All you owe me is for the cost of the part.' They've got have five to ten man hours into the truck at this point. Me and my persistence wants to pay him more, and he said, 'Boy, you're going to be persistent. Aren't ya?' And then I finally got the message. God wacked me in the back of the head. He said, 'Don't steal his joy.'"

Missions Moment: Sean Nelson, A Light at the End of the Tunnel

John Nelson has been coaching the basketball camps for at least three years at two towns in the county of Webster.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

"I got into the song (about a mother and a father), and she climbs under the table and starts crying. And we went under there and asked what was the matter. She says she doesn't have a mommy. She doesn't have a daddy. And she's been in some foster home situations, where she's been abused. But there was light at the end of her tunnel because she was excited about going into a new foster home. She didn't come to our (basketball) camp the first day, but she did come the second day. She started smiling the whole day, and I took them out in little shifts onto the playground for a while. And I happened to get onto one of the swings, where she was swinging. And she was singing religious songs to all the other girls, so she's come a long way from not wanting anybody to sing at all to sing Bible songs to the kids. Very special." She had three or four siblings who were adopted together to keep the family united.

Missions Moment: Bill and Joyce, Faith

Bill and Joyce are residents of the Elk River View assisted living home in Webster Springs. Though both blind, they have faith that is not.

Faith

"You guys are an incredible inspiration when you come here," Bill said, "We really get excited every year for y'all to come. It kind of gives us a new life because you come revved up for Jesus and we are too. It just connects. Can't explain. It just gives you that extra ounce of energy that you need all year. There's not a lot of believers here, if you know what I mean. And a lot of them stick it (their faith) in their pockets. My Bible tells me to love Jesus. Y'all just make us happy anyway. That's the way it is."

Missions Moment: Todd Nester, Where I Needed to Go

Todd is a faithful member of our construction team! He's been through it all on the sites down in West Virginia.

Where I Needed to Go

"On the way back (from the site), I stopped at the church, and just as I got to the back road going up to the church, I heard a pop and a squeal. And my serpentine belt came off. My power steering blew out, so I parked behind the church, came inside, and Joe and George took me down to the repair shop in Cherry Falls. And when we got there, we told him we were with the church group and in trouble. They asked where it was, and I gave them my key. They drove down. These guys looked at the truck, realized they couldn't fix it on site, so they drove or towed it to their shop. They ordered the parts. They said, 'We'll give you a discount because you're with the church group.' So, already, just towing it down there if we were in Jersey would be a three hundred dollar deal. I stopped in to see them today, and they said the truck that was brining the pump broke down, so the owner of the truck is right now driving to Somerville (an hour to an hour and a half a way) to pick up the pump itself, bring it back, so he can get the truck together today, and then on top of it, they said 'Well, we don't take credit cards, so if you just wanna send us a check when you get back home. That'll be fine.' It doesn't happen that way in Jersey. If I had broken down halfway here or halfway home on some windy road without power steering, it would have been a catastrophe. I literally parked it in a (parking) space, walked a few feet to the church, and someone picked me up and took me where I needed to go."

Missions Moment: Jacqui Gieske, Answered Prayer

This year Jacqui Gieske, a social worker for hospice KAQ in Newton, New Jersey, returned to West Virginia with the group for the first time in years.

Answered Prayer

"I was standing on the street corner, looking at the mountains, and praying about what God would have me to do today, and all of a sudden, two ladies walked down the street (in Camden) and asked if we had supplies. So they came, and we took them downstairs. We got them all sorts of supplies. All kinds of things, and then they gave us a list with the name of kids and their ages. They're going to come back for some clothes. God answered my prayer."

Missions Moment: George Cutillo, Trust

"Over the years since I've retired, God's blessed me to come down in the Fall and the Spring, and it's just so much," George said.

Trust

"We had gone over (Frank and I) to visit Joy, the manager of the Elk River assisted living home, and we met a man over there by the name of Wesley, and we found out that he had no mattress for his bed. Joy directed us to the Bolair Mart. We delivered a mattres to Wesley the following day, and we sent him a check in the mail when we get home. That was about seven years ago. Well, the business is out of business now (there's a Flood Relief Center there), but that was our experience in the Bolair Mart, and the trust that these people have given us over the years was really fantastic."

Missions Moment: Jesy Nepa, Changing Lives

Photo of Jesy (second left) and Sam (right) courtest of Jesy Nepa.

Jesy Nepa has also been with us since the very first year, and just returned from teaching English at an orphanage in Bolivia. We're blessed to have her with us again!

Changing Lives

"I never remember meeting Sam, but one year (at our basketball camp)she just met us and then hung out with us for the entire week like never left at dinner time, and then that was how it went every year basically. So my most memorable moments are with her but they're all just mashed together, and . . . every time we come back, it (feels like) no time has passed. It's crazy. I've seen her grow in her faith a lot, and it's been really encouraging to me. I think when you come down on missions trips you think like 'Oh, I'm going to change the world, or change someone's life,' but they end up changing yours. Sam changed mine with her friendship, and taught me what being a good friend means."

Missions Moment: Micheal Glock, Trust in the Lord

With the SEFC West Virginia Missions team since its first year, "Mike" is an employee at Lowe's, but also volunteers at Mountain Creek in the ski patrol.

Trust in the Lord

"(The first year) we took the entire roof off (of a house), and then we came back before we could cover it.It rained that night here in Webster Springs. We were all concerned about the house getting flooded, and when we came back to the work site, it was dry as a bone out there. Total God miracle. One hundred percent."

Taco Tuesday comes to Webster Springs

A second great day is winding down here, and there's a lot of tired muscles and aching bones in the house.   But the ache pales in comparison with the joy and humility we feel in serving.

Melinda-our homeowner-was invaded for the second time this week with a squad of 25+ builders ready for action. Vinyl siding, plumbing, electrical, carpentry and delivery of goodies for the children... brought blessings to both the givers and recipients. Much progress was made both inside and out under Vic's direction, and just about everyone on the team had swung a hammer by 6pm--even the kitchen help

Paul had an opportunity to spend some time with John, Melinda's father, for the past two days. He was a coal miner and had retired some years ago.  However, when Melinda fell on hard times and financial difficulty because of divorce, he stepped in to help.  Her house was an odd combination of original trailer, with incongruous additions added over the years, but never completed.  A mismatched set of rooms, stairways and doors still had no finished floors, insulation or completed walls--framing without sheetrock had stood for years, and no siding on the outside. With three young children, a large financial burden, and no poor living conditions, Melinda was overwhelmed to the point of desperation. John helped keep the family upright by constructing his own small sawmill to support the family. This week, we saw personally his conviction to do all he can to help Melinda-- John has worked tirelessly alongside our team, and has expressed deep gratitude for our help with accomplishing this dream for his daughter and her family: a decent and safe home.

George spent the day at Hacker Valley today, with one of the Moms from the youth basketball camp--someone he met years ago, and still talks to when we are down here. He was chatting, and mentioned that he was looking for a closing scripture for today's session, and she started talking about her brother Thomas.  It seems Thomas was a coal miner, and one of the men that died in the Sago Mining disaster, leaving behind a wife and 10 year old son. He was a youth paster who did tent revivals and spoke passionately about his savior.  She wanted George to know his favorite scripture was Psalm 91.  After reading it--George decided that was to be his message for the camp that day:

"Abiding in the Shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord that He is my refuge...and my God. In Him will I trust."

The synchronicity was clear. The dangers the coal miners faced DAILY, did not deter them from doing their best work, in the name of the Lord.  In other circumstances--whether trials, or basketball, or  family dysfunction.....the Lord shelters us all, in ALL situations.  He used that to speak to the hearts of the children at the camp-K - 8th, and remind them to seek the Lord and honor Him in all they do.

Finally, Lorenzo claims there was a "Si Sighting" at the town pool today too!! Yes-from Duck Dynasty. Nobody could believe or confirm it was really him, until the photos are still under review!

The relationships we build--one person at a  time, over the course of now 8 years--speak to the realities of all involved.  Not just build buildings. Building bridges...that's closer to home. Ultimately, building relationships....THAT is what these trips are about.

Day 1: Busy Day

BREAKFAST!!! Mike starts us off well-fed for an early start to the day.  Even at 7 am, 65 people are pretty boisterous in this church hall, and everyone is eager to set about the day.  We'll be reporting in later....

The Rock basketball camp was great today! Many kids came the first day, and many were returners. It was so wonderful being able to see these kids that we have known for years, and hear all about their school year and their sports accomplishments. For the whole basketball camp coaches we consider it a blessing to be able to watch these kids grow through out the years in their playing ability and in their relationship with God. Today camp was filled with drills, plays and conditioning. We also learned about the character of David and why God chose him to be the future king of Israel. 

This week we are focusing on the game within the game, what we do to prepare for the game. We practice, we have to be teachable, we need to practice teamwork, and we need to know the plan. In our lives we need to trust in the Lord and not lean on our own understanding and God will lead us on the right path (Proverbs 3:5-6). We need to follow God so we are where he wants us to be. David's heart was to seek and know God, and God looked at his heart when he chose to appoint him as king. David was able to be courageous, and have great faith to defeat Goliath because he knew how mighty the living God was. 

Despite David's age and appearance God used him to be bold and courageous in his name, and gave him the victory. David's great faith showed in his life when he was facing death and God continued to deliver him. David said that the Lord is his Rock and his deliverer! This same Rock, and deliverer is here with us today. 

We made it!!

We are tired, but made good time, and are finished discussing tomorrow's plan with full bellies.  We have unpacked the trucks and are settling in...

Vic has the materials at the ready for the start of the job site tomorrow.  The BBall team is planning their strategy. Breakfast is sitting waiting for be prepared, and the room is finally quieting down. The short people have already insisted on hitting the custard stand on night one...the rest of us are crawling off to bed.

Good night y'all! See you tomorrow.

2014: World Cup and Local Missions~One Win, One Win:Win

July 20th marks our departure for Webster Springs this year...

ready or not, our southern brothers!  By then we will know which MLS titan will triumph--Netherlands, Argentina or Germany--and will be able to return to rooting for the All-AMERICAN pastime: Baseball.  [July also means preparing our kids for August Football....American style, a la "midget" and school teams. Call me crazy: futbol will never displace these, as long as we drink sweet tea and wear the red, white and blue--both Yanks AND south of the Mason-Dixon line!]

OUR TEAM is getting ready for action. Jimmy Utt has work lined up for us again, and although we will sincerely miss Pete and Donna VanStone leading our team as always, we know the Nepas will lift the banner high, and we will all work and love on others, the way they have come to expect of the Sparta Evangelical/NJ Team.

The word is we have MORE folks on-board for this particular local Missions Trip, than ever before--Praise God! So I, for one, will look forward to great things being accomplished in the name of our Lord.  Please pray with us, in anticipation of this trip, as past trips have certainly had their share of road mishaps and injuries. As we prepare supplies, provisions, vehicles and hearts, we know the enemy would love to thwart our efforts.  However, we also know the Lord overcomes, in the end.

Please follow this blog, as we will add photos, daily updates and prayer requests as our departure nears--we covet your support.

Visit our home church website at www.SpartaEFC.org

2012: Let the GAMES BEGIN!!

It's T-minus 3 days and counting... until our team leaves Sparta NJ early Sunday morning to head down to our friends in Webster Springs again: our anticipation is similar to Paul's, waiting to be reunited with folks afar, he had grown fond of in ministry. We have 45+ team members going this year, and our theme prayer is from Romans 8: that despite hurdles, circumstances and enemy attacks, that we be 'More than Conquerors, in our Lord Jesus.'

We are planning on presenting a newer used trailer to a family, hosting Christmas in July for the seniors again, the Friday town picnic (is the pool open??), and let's not forget: a few trips to the Custard Stand at nights!! Please pray for us as we load the trucks, provision the cars and prepare our hearts to meet, great and assist in the name of Jesus!!  Stay tuned!

2011 Webster Springs....4 days and COUNTING!!

West Virginia: ARE YOU READY?? We're packing, and preparing and praying...hoping to be with you soon!! Let us know if there's anything special--like Jersey tomatoes--we can supply, for your pleasure!! -Pete, Vic and the gang

Friday: the Homestretch!

With much of the work done, we cleaned up our host church, finished up the loose ends, and prepared for the BIG BBQ, an annual last night tradition, to have the whole town come out to the 'Island' on the creek, for a free picnic, open pool night, and clothing give away.

SarahBeth's house was completed...got a second coat of paint, now that the main fixtures were in, and as the guys moved on to repairing porch rails, leaking roof areas and other areas of concern, Lorine and Sue supplied the finishing touches to complete Sarabeth's dream of having a beachy bathroom, here in the mountains. ; ) Lorine got to spend some quality time with Mariah and her Mom, discussing matters of the heart, and college starts for both of them this fall: we will pray for them both, that Jesus would be the light unto their path, as they move into a more 'adult' level of their relationship. It's hard being a Mama losing your baby! [sniff!] We'll pray for Colt also, that the Lord keeps him, and molds him into a 'man after his own heart.'

There was much to do to prepare for the BBQ, what with moving tables, chairs, food, huge amounts of donated clothing, and more. We were pooped, after having travelled to attend a bluegrass gospel concert in a neighboring town (you might have seen the Nestor kids passed out, en masse, on Dad in last night's shots. What a moment.) Great music and ministry, and then...the annual trip to the Custard Stand!! (ice cream shop, for you Yanks!) The Kids got to go in the townpool today....and Pete, too, even if it was unwillingly!

We are contentedly tired, and happy for the new relationships we've made. The BBQ was a hit with the neighborhood, and we were SO GLAD to see, indeed, that Brooke, Carmen and Mary came to the BBQ, along with their other sister as well. Pastor Tim had a chance to meet some of the folks we had spent this week with, and we hope he'll be seeing more of them in the near future. Brooke will also be starting college up again soon...keep her in your prayers that physical therapy would be covered by insurance as her femur mends, and she can be worked on to bring her up to her best potential, overall, health-wise. Also pray for her Mom Carmen, that her health would remain strong, with no further complications of her lung transplant, and that she and Brooke would remain close.

We have packed up most of our belongings, even as Rich and George continued drilling into the night, to complete their looooong list of wiring details. We thank the Lord that he found us worthy to use this week. As for me, and this FIRST time at this with this group...I find them a humble and hard-working bunch, loving being with the kids and eager to meet the local folks and share. I hate to leave feeling like we did not do ENOUGH...how else could we feel with the work that lies before us. We know that "He who began a good work this week...will be faithful to complete it, to the day of His return." Pray with us for traveling mercies, as we leave beautiful West Virginia....over the river, through the mountains, and home again. We will be back soon, 'distant family', so keep in touch, and let us know how to continue to keep you in our prayers.