News From YWAM Samoa--Tsunami Story

YWAM SAMOA TSUNAMI RELIEF & REBUIDLING

It has been over a month since the day the Tsunami devastated Samoa. The first phase has passed and we are already in the second phase of this tragic disaster.

YWAM Has been very involved since it happened on September 29th, 2009. We had the Rescue Net and Marine Reach during the first phase. What a wonderful job they did in Samoa. They really served well and really opened the eyes of the medical professionals people here in Samoa on how to be thorough in doing medical help.

After these two teams left, more teams and individuals arrived to help out. It has been not only a great blessing to Samoa but also a great encouragement to us here in YWAM knowing that you, our family and friends are behind us as we help Samoa recover well. We have a DTS team from Adelaid Australia, a team of counsellors from YWAM Fiji, Claire from Family Ministry at Matamata, We have more people arriving on Friday and Saturday this week and later on this month, and others coming later this year and also 2010.

THANK YOU SALVATION ARMY
While we are working at the Tsunami affected locations, Salvation Army NZ Director Bryant Richards and the Salvation Army Director for International Relief from USA, George, purchased a Toyota Dyna Truck for YWAM to help our people with the relief and rebuilding work at the Tsunami affected locations and use for other YWAM work. Salvation Army also donated 2 chain saws to help with the clearing of lands for victims to build their houses. Thank you Salvations Army.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.
We also like to thank all of you who gave financially to help with the relief and rebuilding. Individuals like Tielu & Helen Petaia, Mark Tillman, David Skeat, Celona & Naomi, just to mention a few. Also organisations lie ARMS, Tasmania community represented by Jannelle and Shari, individuals represented by Isabel Betts, to mention a few.
Our friends Andy & Leone Forsgren and their families who donated 4 chain saws, and all of you who have given in all kinds of ways including prayer etc. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STANDING WITH US AND SHOWING YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT TO OUR SAMOAN PEOPLE AS WELL AS YWAM SAMOA.
We pray that God will remember you and make His face shine on you all the time.

YWAM'S APPROACH TO THE REBUILDING
We are forming a more or less a Holistic type approach to the affected areas. The rebuilding is not only a physical one but all areas of live inclusive of the spiritual, emotional, mental, etc.

So as we go to the affected locations, the whole team consist of a medical team, Team to minister to the kids, Team to visit with adults, and a team of strong and weak men and women to play with chain saws, axes, machettes, hammers, etc., to clear big trees and help build shelter for families to await the government promised building for the all the victims. The truck and the pick up truck would drop off the teams for their specific roles and then the truck is then used to transport material from the people 's ruined houses (timber and iron roofing) to where they are now building new homes.

All of us who go to minister to these people wish we have the strength of a thousand people to help these people and millions of dollars to get these people on their feet. But with what we have we will serve these and bring glory to our Lord.

THE LORD HEARS PRAYERS AND DELIVER THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM.
Here is A great story to encourage you, told by a young man who was also a victim of the Tsunami Samoa.

When the earthquake happened, his grandmother immediately got up and start singing a popular hymn in Samoan. This hymn has 5 verses. The first verse goes like this : "When the sea of this life becomes rough, and we fail because we get discouraged and lack faith, but think of all the blessings God has blessed us with, we would only be amazed..." The family saw the wave while this old woman still sings all 5 verses of the hymn, and the family started to worry. The grandma's sister and her husband ran for their lives at the site of the great wave before the grandmother finished praying. The grandchildren kept bugging grandma saying, "nana the wave the wave" but grandma did not care. She finished all 5 verses of the hymn, and after that she prayed. By then the wave was getting closer and closer but she kept praying commiting everyone of her family to the Lord naming them one by one. When she finished praying with the AMEN, this young man got up grab her and the children by the arms, rush them into the car, close all the windows and when he was about to open the door to drive away, the wave hit him and washed him up to the hills. As he was hanging there by a tree on the hill, he was wondering what had become of grandma and the children. He thought he lost them, when all of a sudden, he saw the car floating and riding the wave and grandma and the children were sticking their heads into the top of the car where there was space for them to breath some air. The car floated onto a tree where the front was leaning and the tail rested on dry ground. The young man ran over, quickly opened the car and water spilled out while grandma and all the children were all safe without any injury.

The sad thing though was that the grandma's sister who ran before the prayer was finsihed was killed by the wave and her husband was fighting for his life in the hospital.

The young man said in his testimony that never in his life did he really believe in the power of prayer and faith but now, he knows that God hears prayer and will never be the same again.

Where there is no doctor....

This email came in from Zambia. It is an amazing example of what our Rescue Unit facilitators deal with.

> Greetings,
> Yesterday I sat in the office listening to Mike Monze and Mathews Shikishi and just shock my head. The plight of the people when there is no doctor is just tragic. Mathews said that last week a lady came by the Mukema unit for medical help. She had walked about 7 miles to come to the unit, crossing two rivers. She couldn't really say what was wrong just that she was having pains. Mathews wasn't really sure what to do as she didn't really share anything that he could recognize as wrong. He referred her to the clinic at St Mary's and she left. Her younger sister was with her and also a young boy. They hadn't walked but a short distance from the unit when they had to stop because of the pains. They went behind an ant hill and found a place for her to lie down. While there she delivered a baby. Out in the open, with only grass and leaves for a bed, there was no doctor not even a mid-wife. Mathews helped her and they got her to St Mary's clinic. The mother and baby come by the unit the next day and thanked Mathers for his help and the new mom left to continue the long walk home. Just another day where there is no doctor.
>
> Mike then shared that recently people brought a lady to Luswishi on a bicycle ambulance. She had just delivered a baby and the baby was fine but she hadn't delivered the placenta. The lady was in pain and extremely weak, unable to talk. While they were trying to assess the situation the lady stiffened up. They saw her eyes roll back into her head and she became limp. Queen rushed up to her and began praying, rebuking death and commanding life back into her body. They immediately prepared her and began the long journey to the clinic. Queen continued to pray. Maybe about half way there the lady opened her eyes and seemed to revive and short time later she began to talk and shared that she had died but now was feeling fine. I don't know how true, in fact, that was except that is what the lady shared. They did get her to the clinic but the clinic wasn't able to help her either and they took her to Kitwe where they were able to remove the placenta. The mother and baby have since returned to the unit and they are indeed fine. Life and death can hang in the balance where there is no doctor.

Latest Video

Check out this video of our summer in Nicaragua!!!

http://bit.ly/4btBkv

Soccer and Glamour

Saturday, Maddie and Zoe both had soccer games in the heat! They played hard! Afterward, Zoe was invited to a birthday party at Snip-its for her friend, Kenya. They girls enjoyed getting their hair done and dressing up! It was a fun Saturday.

Home at Last!

After 4 weeks of boot camp, 4 weeks in Nicaragua and 1 week at Debrief, we are home at last. It's amazing to think how much work was accomplished on the church in Nicaragua and how many new friends we made over the summer. The pastor and his family that we stayed with were so warm, welcoming and fun that it was very hard to say good-bye to them. The friendships we made there will never be forgotten. Here are a few pictures---I hope to blog more about the summer later.

BOOT CAMP!

Mustard Seeds

Well, we are halfway through the boot camps now....early boot camp teams leave on Sunday and our team arrives this Friday. Zoe just finished up her Mustard Seed Team. Taylor and Canaan shared duties as her chaperone. She had an awesome time and loved every minute of it!!! It was a great four days for her---she really liked having her "own" team. Please pray for our team as we get to know each other over the next few days and train together. We leave for Nicaragua on July 8 and return August 11. You can keep up with us through updates on the Teen Missions website...www.teenmissions.org and click on the Team News tab. Thanks for all of your prayers and support....we can't wait to see what God does in and through our team this summer! Adios!!!!

It's hard to believe that we are only a few short weeks away from the start of Boot Camp! We have started putting up the Big Tops this week and May 2 is “Big Top” Day when the main Big Top Tent will go up! This will be a family event where we will all work together to put up “Big Top 1!” It is very exciting to see all of the tents going up and boot camp starting to take shape.

We are already starting to pack and prepare for our summer. It takes a lot of time to pack 5 people to travel overseas for a month. We (Shannon, Vikki, Madison and Zoe) have been asked to lead a team of teens to Nicaragua this summer. Our project will be to continue construction on a church that was begun by a team last summer. We have been trying to learn some basic Spanish before we go so the language barrier is not so hard. We have also started praying for our team members and assistant leaders as well as for ourselves. Spending extra time in prayer and in reading God's Word is essential to preparing our hearts to lead the team each summer.

Canaan has chosen to serve on a team that will travel to Papua on the island of New Guinea. He originally wanted to go on the Orphan Angels Team to Zambia where they ride motorcycles, but has to wait a little longer to get his driver's license. He will soon reach the “6 month seizure free” milestone and can then be cleared by his doctor to get his license, but his doctor does not think it is safe for him to be on a motorcycle at this time. He is very excited and can't wait for summer to get here. His team's project in Papua will be to construct the first building for a brand new Bible School that Teen Missions will be opening there. This will be the sixth bible school that Teen Missions has in Indonesia and the 28th world wide.

Taylor will be staying in Florida this summer. She is looking for a summer job to earn money for college. She will also be helping at the Teen Missions base during Debrief, when teams return to Teen Missions for classes before returning home.

Finally, we would like to thank all of you who came to volunteer this winter! So much was accomplished and we are so grateful for your help! At one point, there were so many Ohioans around here working, it seemed almost like home! We hope you all come back real soon and hope to see even more of you next winter!

We are all doing well as we work daily to support the global mission of Teen Missions. We are doing well health wise except for Shannon he has been struggling with disc problems in his lower back but recently he has been feeling better.

Thank you again for all of your faithful support, encouragment and prayers! We are truly blessed!!! GOD IS GOOD!!!!

Prayer Requests:

Financial support for the kids summer expenses.

A summer job for Taylor.

Safe travel over the summer.

Safety and good health for Canaan.

Healing for Shannon's ruptured discs in his back.

Big Top Day!

Saturday, we set up the Main Big Top at Teen Missions. It was an all-day, family event! The day went really well and everyone finished the day tired, but safe and injury free...Praise the Lord. It was a great day of fellowship and working together. It's hard to believe that Boot Camp is only one month away!!!

This is Zoe singing Francesca Battistelli's song "I'm Free to Be Me" at the Preschool talent show. She loves singing this song!!

Adult Footwashing Team

This is a picture of the team with Chief Mumena

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Thank you so much to all of you who donate shoes. These are the shoes the adult team took over. They are getting ready to sort them into sizes and distribute them. 450 pairs of shoes and socks were given to the orphans through this team of 12!!!! Praise the Lord!


Teen Missions sent it's first Adult Footwashing Team to Zambia last month. The teams sole purpose is to wash the feet of orphans and give them a pair of shoes and socks. For most orphans, this is the first pair of shoes they have ever had. Their feet often are infested with a parasite called "Jiggers" that eats away at their toes. The only way to cure this is to wash their feet with kerosene. The shoes and socks will help prevent a re-infestation. Some of the orphans have wounds on their feet that won't heal because they walk around in the dirt barefoot. The team will treat the sores with anti-biotic ointment. Some of these orphans will die from an infection from these sores if not treated. The team had a great trip and the Lord opened many doors for them to share their faith. There were six team members from the Ohio Christian Union Churches and six other adults from different states and denominations forming a team of 12. Approximately 450 pairs of socks & shoes were distributed. Some team members enjoyed sharing Bible stories, playing games and singing songs with the orphans while they waited for shoes.

Here is an account of one of their experiences:
A meeting with chief Mumena is planned for Saturday afternoon. A group had gone to visit the chief to arrange for the teams coming to the palace and even that was an experience for them. The chief warmly welcomed them even insisting that they not bow down. They told him what they were doing in his area and when they said they were washing the orphans feet he said you're doing what. They repeated they were washing the orphans feet and giving them a pair of socks and a pair of shoes. He said you mean you a white person are washing a black orphan's feet. He began to cry. He said never has such a thing been done. Chief Mumena is the president of the House of Chiefs in Zambia. He is the number one chief of the whole country.

Another praise is for "Fred." Fred was a teacher in the school in Mibende where Shannon went on his adult team. Fred was not a Christian. After Shannon's team left, Fred accepted Christ as his Savior through Richard, the facilitator at the Rescue Unit. Fred then attended our Bible School in Ndola and is now a facilitator at one of our Aids Orphans Rescue Units. Praise the Lord for the work he has done in Fred's life!

To Learn more about Aids Orphans...visit their webpage at www.teenmissions.org and click on the link on the left side for the Aids Orphans Ministry.

Latest News from Our Newsletter

What an exciting time here! New summer team registrations come in daily and we are busy making preparations to make this the best summer yet! Overseas Boot Camps are going on at this time and amazing stories are being told of how God is working in the lives of people around the world. It's also an awesome time to live in Florida...warm days around 75-80 degrees, NO HUMIDITY, very few mosquitoes and citrus fruit literally dropping from the trees. Does it sound good? Well then, come on down and see for yourself! We'd love to have you come visit and volunteer some time at Teen Missions!

We enjoyed at wonderful Christmas and New Year's in Ohio. It was such a blessing to visit with family and friends and enjoy time together. The highlight of our time in Ohio was the “thank-you” spaghetti dinner that we hosted for all of our supporters. It was a wonderful time of fellowship! …..... We are so grateful for everyone that came and hope that many more will come next year! Yes, we hope to make this an annual event—we are already working on a menu!

It seems like it is always a busy time for us. We keep thinking that things will slow down, but it never happens! Canaan has kept us busy lately. He joined the wrestling team and we have been going to his meets. It's so nice to see him participate in sports again. I always enjoy watching the kids play. He had a slight setback when he first joined the team. The first day of practice, he had a seizure, but it didn't stop him! He was determined to be a part of the team and went right back to practice the next day. He even won his first match....his first win ever! It was amazing to watch. He has also been busy with high school and college classes. He has completed his first semester as a high school sophomore and a college freshman. He likes to tease Taylor that he will graduate college before she does! (She doesn't seem to find that funny.)

Madison just finished science fair and enjoyed being a real “scientist”. She loves to learn and is doing well in school. She also loves to be a helper to anyone in need. Her teacher told us that she is a real blessing (but we already knew that!) She is starting Upward Basketball this year at church. She is also part of the Children's Choir.

Zoe is loving preschool! She has a wonderful teacher and enjoys her classmates. She is in the Preschool Choir at church. She seems to grow taller everyday! Madison and Zoe enjoy playing with the other kids on Heavenly Street. They are outside every afternoon looking for new adventures together.

It has been so nice to have Taylor with us over the holidays. It sure is strange not having her laughter in the house. We are able to talk to her on the phone often and we sometimes “video chat” so she and her younger sisters can “catch up.” She is doing great in college and has been elected to a leadership position in her class. She is slowly adjusting to winter again and loves everything about Asbury College. God has been so good to provide the opportunity for her to go there.

I (Vikki) have started teaching the four-year olds at Sunday School. They are such a blessing and always make me smile. It's been good to be teaching again. I have missed it. I have had the opportunity to teach classes at “First Step”, a week long seminar for potential new staff members at Teen Missions. I really enjoy getting to know each of them and sharing what God has done in our lives.

Shannon has been VERY busy. On Sept. 26, Shannon left for Ohio with the BMW ( Florida Free Bible, Missionary and Work Training School) students to work on a church in Dayton, Ohio .  Their original plan was to be gone for two weeks.  Two weeks turned into one month!  There was so much work to be done.  Due to extensive water damage, the entire basement had to be refinished including ceilings, wallls and floors.   It was hard work, but very rewarding.  Several people in the neighborhood stopped in to see the progress and said how much they needed a church in the neighborhood again.  One lady across the street who shared her bathroom with the students brought pizza for everyone the last night they were there.  Our prayer is that the church will be re-opened and be a "lighthouse" in that community.  Recently, he has been packing supplies for the adult teams to take overseas. He really enjoys preparing for the adult teams and helping to “send them” overseas.

We are leading the teen team to Nicaragua now! We are very excited about this opportunity! Our project will be to complete the second story on a church building that was started by the Teen Missions team last year. We are working on learning some Spanish before we go so that communication will be easier.

Canaan has had to switch teams, also. His first choice was to go on the Orphan Angels Team to Zambia, however, his neurologist has not cleared him to get his driver's license. Therefore, he has decided to go on the Papua team. His team will build the first building for the new Bible, Missionary and Work Training Center on the Island of New Guinea. He is very excited for the summer to get here!

Shannon has been having quite a bit of back pain since he injured his back last summer. He had an MRI and found that he has four ruptured discs in his lower back. He will be going for a series of cortizone injections to help with the pain. Please pray for a complete healing of his back and for relief from the pain.



In closing, I thought I would share a testimony from one of our BMW students in Siberia. This testimony was particularly touching since Canaan spent his summer their preparing the building to start the BMW.

Rail Nabiullinâ'ss testimony, a student at the new BMW in Siberia: I was born on March 10, 1985. My parents are from a Muslim background. When I was 7 or 8 years old, people came to distribute Christian literature. I was so glad to get a gift from those people with kind eyes. I brought booklets back home and shared my joy with my mom, but she took them away from me, threw them away and beat me. I still remember her words: "You are Muslim! Our God is different!" I could not understand her reaction, and I had so many questions. Who is this God?

My parents were heavy drinkers and argued very often. Then they got divorced. My father did not beat me, but was just indifferent to my life and me. My mother got married again, and was afraid of her second husband. She would feed me in secret, because he would not let her feed me. My stepfather practiced witchcraft. He would be in a “trance” for 4 or more days. He terrified the whole family. After one of his trances he took his life. I started trying to practice black magic, following my stepfather's example. Our lives were becoming worse and worse. My mother was drinking even heavier than before. I wanted to be set free but I did not know how.

One day, my cousin shared with me the good news about Jesus. After that he would remind me of Him often. In 2003 I invited Him into my heart as my Lord and Savior. But after a while I started to backslide, and started to drink and smoke again. But when I turned away from Jesus, He was faithful and never left or forsaken me. In due time I was drawn back to church, to Jesus! He has forgiven all my sins and given me eternal life. He gave me peace and joy that I have never experienced before. Joining BMW Training Center in Siberia has changed me. I want to learn how to serve God and glorify His name through my life. John 6:44.

We want to express our deepest appreciation and gratitude for each one of you. Your prayers, encouragement, cards and financial support are overwhelming. We feel so unworthy of our calling, but so blessed to be called (if that makes any sense). We love you all and pray for you! Thank you so much for making our ministry possible.

In Christ,
The Bobb Family

Family Pictures

We went to the beach on Saturday to get some family pictures taken. We needed a new one for our prayer cards and our newsletter. These are a few of my favorites.