Sovenia- English Camp Day 2

Below is a note from Stephanie Rogers about the English Camp in Slovenia where Cris Austen and Shelley Rogers are serving this week:

Hello!

Thanks for praying about kids connecting! We have seen the group gel today and don't feel like there are as many kids on the fringe. Pray for Matic who is a little different and that we can protect him from getting made fun of. We want every kid to have a great experience.

Conversations are already happening about spiritual things and last night, our 18 year old Slovene helper, Anton, put his boys to bed with stories from the Bible. And they loved it! Other spontaneous conversations are happening so pray for the Holy Spirit to be opening up hearts to respond.

We played Ultimate Frisbee with an octopus today and Cris got in there and played! Both Shelley and Cris are doing an amazing job teaching and engaging with kids constantly. I am so blessed to have them here.

Travis AFB Mission Team Update #2

 

TAFB Day 4: Tuesday

Today we made excellent progress on the play structure assembly and ground preparation. We made a gravel path leading from the house to the play structure. The guys worked with Sandy and a couple other airmen to dig out the area where the play structure will be set up. After a full day of work we ended our evening working The Peak. Please keep two airmen in your prayers: Franklin and Cody. They are new to the air force and new to The Peak. Please pray that our team would make an impact on them, and that they would be able to attend the Bible study on Thursday night.

TAFB Day 5: Wednesday

Today was a day of rest for the team. We toured the Jelly Belly Factory in the morning since a few of our team members had never been. The afternoon was spent with one of the regular airmen at the HH, Amir, who gave us a tour of the base and shared his story of salvation with the team. We worked The Peak again Wednesday night. At this point Grant has given us all a thorough training on making drinks! We don’t know what we’d do without his skills. Please continue to pray for Franklin and Cody that they will come to Bible study at The Peak on Thursday. They’ve definitely made a connection with our team.

TAFB Day 6: Thursday

Today it was back to work at the HH in the morning. Mark went with Sandy to Home Depot to get the rest of the supplies for the play structure project and order the bark chips. We did all kinds of work today while we waited for the delivery: Anna, Elle, and Mandi worked in the garden. Stephanie and Grant cleaned the HH sign and cleared the weeds around the entrance to the property. Donny mowed pretty much the entire grounds. After lunch while the guys were working on spreading bark chips and anchoring in the play structure, the girls cleaned around the HH and helped Sue prepare for the Bible study dinner at The Peak that night. The HH folks cook a meal every Thursday night for this Bible study. Tonight there were about 35 people there; we met a lot of new people and were able to invite some guys to the Six Flags expedition on Saturday. Sadly we did not see Franklin or Cody, but trust that God will continue to work through the folks at The Peak to

minister to them. Mark led the group in the Bible study. He shared about fathers of faith in the book of Genesis, and the hope we have that God has a plan and used ordinary people, sinners like us, to carry out His plan. Donny closed the evening by sharing his testimony. He talked about the transformation in his life when the Holy Spirit took over, and how the cleansing work of Jesus on the cross is offered to everyone. His story is so powerful and really had an impact on the group.

Slovenia Mission Trip Day 1

Shelley Rogers and Cris Austen left yesterday for Slovenia where they will be serving at an English Camp, building relationships with kids, and seeking to share the good news of Jesus Christ.  They are serving with Stephanie Rogers, Shelley's daughter and our New Life Church Missionary, who works with teenagers in Slovenia.  Please see the update below and pray for Shelley and Cris as the Lord brings them to mind over the next several days.

They have arrived safely in Ljubljana, Slovenia.  Tomorrow Friday June 21 they will meet up with the rest of their American team and begin training for English Camp.  Camp will begin in the afternoon of Monday June 24.  Pray for quick recovery from traveling, health, effective training and team building, and that God would begin to work in the hearts of the campers and the staff. 

BTW – An extra blessing for Shelley and Cris was being upgraded to 1^st class on their flight from Wash. DC to Vienna, Austria.  Made for less tired and sore bodies when they arrive in Slovenia. 

Travis Air Force Base Mission Team Update

TAFB Day 1: Saturday

The team arrived safely at the Hospitality House at 4:45pm. Praise God for no complications on the journey down. Sue Nafziger was there to greet us, along with Kendall and a few other airmen. Sandy and several of the regular HH airmen are at a car show in Pismo Beach, due to arrive back on Sunday night. Sue took us to her dad’s house just a few miles away from the HH where we settled in comfortably for the night. 

TAFB Day 2: Sunday

We began our day at the First Street Chapel on base for the 9:00am worship service. We saw several familiar faces and made some new introductions. Donny shared during the service about his mom, asking for prayer as she wrestles with her new faith and a husband who does not believe in God. After the service we had lunch with some folks at the food court on base and became more connected with a few airmen who have only been at TAFB for a little while. It's amazing how eager they are to make new relationships, find out where you're from, and how God has been leading in your life. After lunch Sue took the group over to The Peak Cafe to get a feel for the order of operations there. The Peak is a coffee house that is actually a base chapel ministry, operated by the folks of the Hospitality House. It offers a positive, welcoming environment for anyone on base to come and enjoy a cup of coffee and relax. The Nafzigers treat The Peak like they do their own ministry in the Hospitality House. We are due to work The Peak every night we can this week. Grant, our team barista, is really going to come through for us! Sunday afternoon we helped set up the VBS at another chapel on base. Though we are disappointed to not have the privilege of helping at the VBS this year, we are so thankful to have had this opportunity to assist in the set up. It was just another chance to fellowship and serve with the airmen.

TAFB Day 3: Monday

We woke bright and early and met Sandy at the Hospitality House, where an exciting project was waiting for us! A former chaplain on base donated a brand new play structure to the HH, so the biggest thing we're going to be doing to service the HH this year is preparing the ground and building the play structure. It's going to be a tremendous addition to the HH grounds. Anna and Amanda were able to help with the registration process at the VBS on base this morning, where they checked in about 140 kids! The team made fantastic progress on the play structure today, and fully expect to complete the project by the end of the week. Stephanie cooked a delicious dinner at the HH for everyone tonight. We worked The Peak and met a lot of great people - some fellow believers and some who don't know Jesus. We ended our night with a team debrief/time of prayer for the folks we engaged with that evening.