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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 2
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at a glance 4
“Leaning to drive on the other side of the road is hard...”
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“I will always remember that moment.”
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Learn about English Camp in Kazakhstan
Following Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Photo Shoot (Heath Hubbard). . . . 4 LightBox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Thumbnails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Through My Lens (David Snow). . . 7 Through My Lens (Terri DeCresie). 8 Snapshot (E-TEAM Kazakhstan). . . 9
ON THE COVER: A view of Panama as seen from E-TEAM’s eyes. Funded by FWB Foundation Editor-in-chief: Clint Morgan Managing editor : Deborah St. Lawrence Associate editor: Kurston Ward Design by Melanie Poole
Vicky and her husband Brandon enjoy Christmas in Uruguay.
Following Christ from Uruguay to Arkansas Vicky Acevedo Mistler was born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay, where her father is a Free Will Baptist pastor. Vicky shared with IMages about allowing Christ to guide her life. I became a Christian when I was around five years old. I remember it being a special moment as my mom, dad, and I were on our knees, and they led me through the prayer. It was not difficult to accept Christ as my Savior because I had been exposed to the gospel from a very young age. Later on, I definitely faced some challenges.
In my teenage years, I became somewhat rebellious. At one point I didn’t know if I was a Christian by choice or by default. But after experiencing my own disappointments, and coming back to Jesus, I KNEW I had chosen Him and He had chosen me. Only 3% percent of Uruguay’s population claim to be Christian. That includes every denomination that is not Catholic (which is the official/ Continued on Page 3
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Following Christ Continued from Page 2 main religion). I faced many challenges in my Christian walk as I entered my mid-teen years. Peer pressure was quite strong, and I was made fun of for going to church on the weekends and not to parties. We have a very liberal culture, and Christians are targets for name calling and viewed as closed-minded.
Parents who trust God and allow their children to venture into distant lands are an integral part of E-TEAM. But it isn’t always easy. Fred and Stephanie Ward had two daughters, Kurston
In 2008, I moved to Arkansas. I really needed a change of scenery. I had eliminated my circle of friends who were bad influences, and I needed to start over. I also changed my business career. I went into the medical field—something I always loved. I find it significantly easier to be a Christian here, especially if you live in the Bible belt. It is far more common to be part of a church. Most people accept the idea of you being a Christian and going to church every Sunday. I have not experienced any name-calling or mockery since I moved here, but I know this isn’t true everywhere. I feel blessed God has placed me in this area to serve Him. What I miss most about Uruguay...the beach is close to the top of my list. Also, the smell of fresh baked bread every day, people gathering downtown and around the squares, and eating fresh made ravioli on the 28th of every month (funny, I know.) But I mostly miss my family. It is hard to be so far away, but I am confident God has major plans for us, and I am glad He is in control!
Kurston was a member of E-TEAMs Hokkaido 2005 and Cuba 2006. She is pictured in Hokkaido during an English class.
Hannah was a member of E-TEAMs St. Croix 2007 and Uruguay 2008. She returned to E-TEAM 2010 to volunteer and teach mimes.
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HOT LINKS
Photo Shoot
Email Heath See the Hubbards’ prayer card
Living in a new culture has many ups and downs...sometimes humorous, sometimes frustrating. Learn about Heath’s experience assimilating to Japanese culture.
Heath Hubbard ce 2013
Serving Japan sin
Confidence in Christ
Getting to Know Heath
ubbard since 2007
Coffee / Tea
Father to Eli, Mic
ah, and Emma
Mountains / Beaches
Brazil 2000 and Member of E-TEAM ands 2001 the U.S. Virgin Isl
Mountains in summer and Beaches in winter
Married to Joni H
Brady
What is the wall paper of your cellphone? A picture of Joni, Emma, and Micah
Pancakes / Waffles Swimming / Running
/ Manning
YES!
One food you cannot resist? Mexican food, specifically salsa
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LightBox
Students experience culture first hand through staying with the people to whom they are ministering. Students make life-long friends and are forever impacted by the sacrifice and service of Free Will Baptist missionaries around the world.
The Vision of 1
After Ken Eagleton went to be with the Lord in 1999, TEAM was renamed E-TEAM to honor his vision and dream of seeing Free Will Baptist youth active in international mission work.
After retiring as a missionary to Brazil, Ken Eagleton desired to impact another group of people—teenagers. Ken believed if teens could be exposed to the mission field, many would be drawn to service and all would be forever changed. Ken’s vision came to life in the summer of 1992 when he and his wife Marvis, led a group of eight teenagers to Brazil. This group was named TEAM—Teens Equipped and Active for Missions.
Interested in being part of E-TEAM? See what E-TEAM is about.
Hanna Mott is Student Missions Coordinator. Her passion for the kingdom spreads through students every summer. Read about the changes that occur when a student participates in E-TEAM.
Fast forward 24 summers, and TEAM has expanded to over 100 students experiencing ministry in places such as Japan, Cuba, Uruguay, France, Mexico, Haiti, St. Croix, Panama, Central Asia, Spain, and of course, Brazil. Students receive a week of intensive cultural and spiritual training during which they prepare to engage non-believers through music, drama, carnivals, Vacation Bible School, and manual labor.
Spain Prepares for E-TEAM
Tim and Kristi Johnson provide an insider look at how Free Will Baptist missionaries prepare to host an E-TEAM.
E-TEAM notebooks help students prepare for ministry in Spain.
E-TEAM Spain 2015 prepares to watch a bullfight.
Painting faces at the “Rainforest Party”
Thumbnails
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Talynn Glasgow, E-TEAM Brazil
Stephanie Doggett, E-TEAM Haiti
Ben Weese, E-TEAM Brazil
Kimberly Kasse, E-TEAM Cuba
E-TEAM Spain 2015
Kelsey Reed, E-TEAM Panama
Evening worship during training week is one way students draw closer to God. Every night, hearts are poured out through song. Meet the band members who use their talents to honor God.
Introducing E-TEAM Hokkaido 2015
Through My Lens A MK’s Experience on E-TEAM By David Snow Cross-cultural interactions have opened my eyes to the world, which is much larger and much more diverse than I realized. I mean, I knew other people were out there somewhere; I wasn’t that sheltered. But they always came to me, either physically or through the TV or computer. Being on the mission field changed that. My experience with E-TEAM is comprised of two summer trips: I hosted one and I participated in the other. Both of these were couched in the more poignant experience of living in Japan as a missionary kid. My parents felt called to use their gifts in music to help train the musicians in the churches to develop worship music by the Japanese, for the Japanese, in Japanese. So in 2004 our family moved to Ebetsu, a suburb of Sapporo, Japan, for a two-year, short-term assignment.
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The second notable takeaway was how “real” and vibrant church services were. In Mexico, it was evident the people worshiped from a genuine spiritual fervor, not merely following a cultural expectation. In Japan, a land of an indescribable tangible spiritual darkness, the local church was a band of believers committed to growing in Christ and sharing His gospel with their families, friends, and community. Their determination was convicting and inspiring. In both services, I believe we got a taste of what heaven will be like. Though we are diverse, we worship the same God. The concluding E-TEAM service was an exciting celebration of worship and stories about what God did in those two weeks in the nations represented—a snapshot of His continuing work to people of every tribe and tongue.
One of my most notable takeaways was the way I began to see missionaries differently. I came to realize missionaries are pretty much god-like figures who pour wisdom from their mouths and radiate a glow akin to angelic glory. Just kidding. They’re pretty normal: they eat three meals a day; they get tired; they play games. But what I also realized is that there was a unifying element to all the “mundane” life tasks. Though their daily lives are not consumed with “super-spiritual” activities, they had an awareness that their purpose in living was to glorify God and love the people around them, sharing the reason for that love at every opportunity. Our family had been in Sapporo for a year when we hosted E-TEAM Japan. The following year, I joined E-TEAM as a member of the Mexico team. We worked most days. Some of our activities included painting, assisting with VBS (at five churches), and manual labor, which included landscaping, grass cutting, and weed hacking (with machetes!). Bud and Ruth Bivens were our hosts, guiding us through our daily activities and exposing us to the rich Mexican culture. In the few times we did not work, we hung out with Mexican young people—singing, playing games, and fellowshipping over a “football” (read: standing awkwardly while the Mexican boys and girls dribbled circles around us FIFA-style).
David Snow with E-TEAM Mexico 20 06. David is second fro m the right.
Through My Lens Any parent who has dropped his or her child off at E-TEAM training has heard Neil Gilliland say, “Take a good look at your child; they will not return the same.” Terri DeCresie heard these words first hand and shares the journey her daughter, Miriam, took through E-TEAM.
Your Child Will Not Return the Same By Terri DeCresie As a mom, I remember the first time I heard Neil Gilliland talk to E-TEAM parents when they dropped their children off for training. He told us to take a good look at our children, because when they returned from E-TEAM, they would be different. At that time, my daughter Miriam was in high school and was headed to Puerto Rico. I had no idea how true Neil’s words were. Miriam grew up in church and was saved at a young age. She went to church faithfully and participated in youth activities and mission trips. When she decided to attend a secular university, I was concerned, but felt she was a solid Christian and would be able to stand firm in her faith. After two years in college, she had drifted far from the Lord. Not knowing how to help, I suggested she apply for E-TEAM as a college intern. She looked at me like I was crazy. I think she knew how shaken her faith was, and she knew she wasn’t spiritually where she should be as a leader. I knew she wasn’t either, but I felt the experience was what she needed. I could hear Neil…”the experience changes you.” After a bit of a sales pitch, she finally applied. I knew she applied for the wrong reason. She wanted to travel to Japan and learn Japanese. I also knew that God is more powerful than our bad intentions. Instead of going to Japan, she was assigned to Uruguay. I prayed the whole time that God would move in her life, and my prayers were answered. Every day of training, God worked in her heart, drawing her back to Him. She listened to Eddie Payne teach about what the Bible says about missions from Genesis to Revelation. God worked in her heart, and she began to re-think her life, her future, and her college choice, but she was also fighting these thoughts. Before she left for Uruguay, she called me and said she was thinking of not returning to the secular university. I cried some very thankful tears, and continued
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to pray God would solidify His will for her life over the next two weeks while she was on the field. By the time she got to Uruguay, it was an internal spiritual battle. In God’s providence, He led her to work with Jaimie and Tammy Lancaster. The Lancaster’s formed a close relationship with Miriam, and God used them to encourage and redirect her. Before she left Uruguay, Jaimie asked her to deliver a letter to someone at the Free Will Baptist Bible College. She looked a little confused. He asked, “Well, you are going there aren’t you?” That simple question confirmed what she knew she needed to do. She came home from E-TEAM in early July and withdrew from the secular university. She applied to FWBBC and started school in August. While at FWBBC (Welch), God granted the desire of her heart, and she was able to travel to Japan. God also provided a husband. He was a missionary kid who grew up in Japan. Today, Miriam and her husband Doug serve as short-term missionaries in Japan. In a huge way, E-TEAM was the conduit God used to make that happen. Since then, our son Daniel has participated in E-TEAM twice, and God has moved in his heart toward missions. As a mom, I am thankful to my church, Unity FWB, for the support, prayers, and guidance in my children’s lives. I am thankful to FWBIM for this life-changing program called E-TEAM. I am thankful God has a plan and a purpose for our lives, and loves us enough to grant us the desires of our hearts. And I am thankful Neil was right….
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Taylor Bush, second from the right, with E-TEAM Kazakhstan.
All E-TEAMers are encouraged to keep a journal and Taylor shares a moment from her experience.
Working hard preparing for camp
June 26 Today was the end of the English camp, I realize we are close to the end of our mission. We took a train home through the mountains from Butakova to ust kamenogorsk. I wrote in my journal as I looked out the window of the train. Looking at the mountains and hills, I was amazed at how beautiful the landscape was. It was so difficult to have to think about saying goodbye. My friends here have made me feel special and loved. God has blessed me so much through this. My heart has been touched by these people and the selfless way they love. I love my team and the people here so much, it breaks my heart having
Team Kazakhstan enjoying new friends from English camp
to think about leaving them. I truly feel we have accomplished something great. Though our time here is short, I believe God used us as a tool to better His kingdom. Kazakhstan and its people will forever be close to my heart. Taylor
The view from English camp
How can she hear,
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they
be
except
sent? Romans 10:13-15
April 24, 2016
Save th e Date
P. O. Box 5002 • Antioch, TN 37011 www.fwbgo.com • 877-767-7736