Amped Blog

Guatemala: A Summary from Priscilla Lee

Posted by grace on May 11, 2012 in Feature, Missions | Comments Off

This year, I had the opportunity to go on my first international mission trip to Guatemala. For me, it was a life changing experience. This trip was through the Amped Ministry and a part of Skycroft Conference Center. It was tough to make a summary, because I experienced so much, and I could write many pages about the trip.
First, I really enjoyed what our team did on the mission trip. I remember on the first day of the mission trip that we delivered food boxes to families who were really in need. The houses were one room made of trash and other materials that would hold. I became really guilty for complaining that I have a small bedroom, because my small bedroom is a house for some families. During the week on normal mission days, our schedule was very different. In the mornings we would install stoves for families who really needed them. Many families have lung problems because of open fires, but the new stoves can really help them because they had ventilation system. But the stove was not the most important gift that we gave. After we were done building the stove, our teams were able to share Jesus with the families. Many Guatemalans were saved because of this ministry. It was amazing building the stoves, but most importantly, we were able to share God’s Word and Jesus with others. Our team was (split into two teams to do efficient work) able to put in seventeen stoves and the ministry was able to raise enough money for around twenty-five stoves.  Right after building stoves, our team would have lunch and then host a Vacation Bible School (VBS). We had the VBS at a San Miguel church for kids who were enrolled in the feeding program. It was a wonderful ministry. Our team would teach the kids a Bible lesson (the parable of the seeds), make a craft, play some fun sports, and sing many praise songs with the kids during the VBS. After VBS was over, we were able to play with the kids and really bond with some of the special buddies. I think every member of the team was able to truly bond with some kids and they made an impact into our lives. My mom and I decided to sponsor five kids that we really bonded with over the week. These kids may have not known how much they impacted me, but I felt true love, felt how blessed I was, and built a relationship. I genuinely loved what we did on this Guatemala mission trip.
Next, the team that went to Guatemala included eighteen people: ten students and eight adults. The people came from five different churches and didn’t really know each other that well initially. Once we arrived in Guatemala, we instantly bonded. Everyone got along with each other and we didn’t have any fights or quarrels. I definitely made some new friends and developed many great relationships. I think at the end of the trip we all treated each other as family. Teamwork really accomplishes many things, and I definitely realized that on this trip where we depended on each other. The team I just loved and it would be awesome if the team grew in size if we go next year. I would love to meet up with the team members again.
Last, I grew. I am four foot eight inches tall; I don’t think I grew much in height on this trip. But I absolutely grew spiritually. Before the Guatemala mission trip, I was struggling spiritually and hoping that God could just help me to draw closer to Him. Everything was about Jesus on the mission. In the morning, the whole team would wake up early and have our quiet time to start our day off with God.  During the mission, we talked about Jesus and evangelized others, having Jesus in our minds throughout the day. Whether we were in the bus driving to the site (making the gospel through everything) or talking to a family where we installed a stove in; the focus was about Jesus. At night, there would always be a devotion that someone would lead to end our day off with God.  I could feel the Holy Spirit work throughout us during the day. Everything was about Jesus during that week. I grew spiritually and really got very close with Jesus.  The trip fixed my spiritual struggles and it can really open your eyes (It surely opened mine). I learned gratitude, true love, and amazing faith. I understood the true meaning of worship in this third world country where the people’s faith is all they have.
In conclusion, I had one of the most amazing experiences in my life. I loved Guatemala and want to return back as soon as possible. I would like to thank Mr. Doug and Ms. Grace for providing this opportunity for me.

Movement

Posted by ampliphyde on Mar 1, 2012 in Missions | Comments Off

God is so gracious. Daily I am reminded of the depth and earnestness of His grace, as well as the truth and urgent need for the gospel. Our Friday camps have been going so well and it is all because He allows it, because I’m quite positive that we make enough mistakes, which confirms the fact that He does not need us at all; I’m just blessed by the fact that He chose to include me in His plan. We spend the time connecting and interacting with the students and learning a little about their lives in the short amount of time we have with them, and that is the hardest part. There are a few of them who are walking in the light of Christ, but the majority would rather be involved in a life of parties, which of course includes drugs, sex, drunkenness and so much more. This is the norm at schools, and that kind of presence has intimidated a lot of teenaged Christians into silence in their schools, and even drawn some away. I think of schools in the United States, and how even though it is genuinely still difficult to be a Christian in that kind of environment, there is a lot of support and encouragement from fellow Christians, there is a myriad of literature and that goads them to rebel against the ways of the world, so that they know that they are not alone in their struggle and fight. I truly believe that in that lies my purpose here in Guatemala; to help (in whatever capacity) light a spark that will ignite the passion and desire for the truth of God that lies dormant in the heart of teenage Guatemala…a movement.

Update

Posted by ampliphyde on Feb 15, 2012 in Missions | Comments Off

Update…

God has been so good to me (big surprise). The past 5 months have been so powerful and humbling, serving my King in another country. Our busy season has just started picking up, and there have been so many opportunities to learn, serve and grow in the areas of preparation and assimilation. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I have been plugged in to a church body here in Guatemala, and I am now on the worship team as a guitarist and singer. I’m constantly surrounded by a fellowship of Christ-minded people who are intent on spreading the gospel and love of Christ actively and tangibly. I’ve had the privilege of seeing God move through our hearts being poured out in worship. I’ve seen the utmost needs met, physically and spiritually, and I’ve seen the passion and desire of our Lord burning in the hearts and eyes of teenagers and young adults. I am utterly blessed.
I am beginning to see how God is going to use me in the lives of the teenagers in Guatemala. There is a massive need for undiluted light and truth in their lives. There is such a huge concentration of worldly thinking and acting amongst them, even though a good majority of them have been exposed to the truth at some point in their lived. However, the pull and appeal of worldly pleasures is very strong and a lot of them have gone astray. But I know that if a vile offender such as I can be transformed by His Spirit, then there is more than enough hope for them.
We recently started our youth camps for a school of about 1000 students and God had been so gracious to us thus far. The camps take place every Friday for about 9 weeks and we have approximately 100 students for roughly 7 hrs of crazy fun and intentional relationship building. But more than anything, the gospel is presented with earnest passion and urgency in other that they may understand what it means to be a follower of Christ, and accept that there is no other way. The first 2 camps had quite an impact on the students, ourselves included, because the Holy Spirit was undoubtedly present and moving. I can’t wait to continue to be His instrument in their lives.
I will be posting at least one blog update biweekly so as to keep everyone up to speed.
Prayer Requests:
For God to continue to lay the burden for His children on my heart.
For the hold that satan has on the hearts of the young people in this nation.
That we would continuously grow in love for those to whom we’ve been sent.
Diligence in all that He assigns me to do.

4 weeks?!!!

Posted by ampliphyde on Oct 19, 2011 in Missions | Comments Off

So it’s been 4 weeks since I’ve been here in Guatemala and already I’m feeling integrated and part of the family here. God has been so gracious to use me in all the ways that He has in the past few weeks. It’s been a little challenging for me in the sense that I’ve been very dependent on many people for transportation and communication, and although these could have been a hindrance, God has used it to help build my relationship with everyone around me.
Now, for some more detailed information regarding what I’ve been doing the past 4 weeks. I am now on the worship team at the church I joined here in Guatemala City. It’s a Non-Denominational church called Sembradores De Vida and I was grafted into the family almost as soon as I stepped foot into the building. The genuine love of Christ that flows among and through them, along for the unrelenting desire and affection for the word of God is exactly what I pictured the body of Christ to be like. There is a very strong dedication to the children of the church and the community, and a similar dedication to the adults as well. God has already done so much through them in this community and there are still many doors of opportunities to be explored. I’m grateful to have found them and I’m very excited to see how God uses them to bless me and vice versa.
I’ve been shopping for a vehicle since I got here, and the two that fell on my radar have been unavailable due to numerous reasons, hence my dependence on others for transportation. My hope is that by this weekend, I’ll be able to secure one, and not have to worry about intruding on someone else’s schedule.
Other than that, there hasn’t been much adversity in that respect.
I had my first experience with working with a team that came from South Carolina last week, and it was such a great experience. One of the things I did with them was going to see 5 specific families around Sembradores De Vida church whose kids are in the Clubhouse program there to deliver 2 weeks worth of food products. It was incredible mostly because it reminded and reassured me that this really is what I want to do with all my life; loving people in the name of Jesus in every way (not that I actually forgot).
I am now in Antigua Guatemala at a spanish academy to learn more Spanish so that I don’t sound and look like a complete Neanderthal when trying to communicate. It’s been quite the experience meeting new people and seeing opportunities to be a witness. I hope my time here will be fruitful, both for me and for His kingdom.
Missing everyone from home is starting to settle on me and even though I had anticipated it, I’m not sure I was prepared for it. However I know it’s all part of ministry and that God will take care of me through it all, and it will make seeing everyone again all the sweeter.
Thank for your prayers; they’re well felt. I just ask that you continue lift me up I in those prayers as well as the people of this nation. So many in need of love and the hand of God in their lives. Pray that His word goes forth from our mouths and actions to the core of being.

Muchas gracias y que Dios lo bendiga.

The Call

Posted by ampliphyde on Aug 17, 2011 in Missions | 0 comments

For the longest time, I have felt a strong desire in my heart to give all that I am to God, and there was an even greater feeling that I had to rise to a calling from Him that was greater than anything I could ever fathom. In the past 5 to 6 years, God has truly grabbed a hold of my life and shown me what true devotion and sacrifice is, and what it costs. I have been broken, poured out and completely exhausted spiritually and sometimes physically. In the end, He always gives me more than I require to continue and to persevere. It is because of this reason that I have made the decision that compelled me to write this letter.

Before I continue, I want to take a moment to thank every single one of you that has helped my journey into the center of His will. It is immensely humbling to see how God has utilized each of you in my pruning and preparation for His call on my life. From my Parents who have been my pillars from the start – financially, morally and spiritually- and have supported me through all my hard times, foolishness and fumblings; all the way to those who have been a friend, brother, sister, mother, father or just another intercessor who’s had my concern at heart, I earnestly thank you. Without you and the allowing of our heavenly Father, my road would have been a whole lot rockier, my task a great deal more arduous, and my goal infinitely more daunting. My journey is not yet ended; in fact, I believe another chapter is being written and I would be beyond honored if you would accompany me on it.

God has placed it on my heart that He wants to use me as His missionary to foreign countries, especially Latin America. He has given me a dream so big that without Him by my side, it would be impossible.

My long-term desire is to see a strong youth focused ministry in every nation across Central and South America. My goal is to come along someone that I feel God has called to be the key to that in his nation and help support him with teams, supplies and anything else that may be needed to realize that dream. I never knew how this was going to come to be until God opened my first door, Guatemala.

I have already been to Guatemala twice and I absolutely love working there, loving the people of that nation, as well as seeing God work in our hearts as my teams were interacting with them, even in the simplest of ways. I had a completely different plan for my life when this opportunity was placed before me. It just seemed too good to be true when I was told about it, because I would have the privilege of working in the area of my two greatest passions: youth and missions. The opportunity I have been given is to move to Guatemala to partner with an organization called Clubhouse Guatemala.

Clubhouse Guatemala is a ministry situated in Guatemala City, Guatemala and founded by Mike Parker and his family who presently reside there. I had the highest of privileges to join them in their work for about 5 weeks in April and May, and God confirmed that this was where He wanted me to go. The ministry itself is about 8 years old and is dedicated to meeting the basic and spiritual needs of low-income families in the surrounding villages in Guatemala through various means. One of those ways is helping to reduce the expenses of the families by providing the children with school supplies, shoes, meals, and a myriad of other things. For a detailed description of the different aspects of the ministry, please visit www.clubhouseg.com.

I will be leaving in September 2011 to join Mike and his family with everything that will be going on there, which brings us to one of the main purposes of my letter. While I am in Guatemala as a missionary, I will not be employed otherwise, and there are a lot of expenses to consider both personal and for the ministry in general. One of the main things I would like to accomplish while I‘m there is the financial support of a young pastor and his family. His name is Ewald Fernando Wellman; he is 27 years old and has a wonderful wife and 2 beautiful children who definitely keep him on his toes. His entire life is dedicated to the call of Christ on his life and he is literally living completely by faith in God and His provision. I have prayed about it and feel like God wants to use me as a channel to continue to that provision. His passion for the hearts of young people and to see his nation truly reconciled to the love of God is – for lack of a greater word – inspiring. One of my top goals is to continue to encourage that and help ease his burden. Other needs include things like a vehicle that I will use to travel to different locations, as well as numerous personal needs.

All I require of you is your support and partnership, no matter what that means to you. If it is through donations of actual items that people might need here in Guatemala, I greatly thank you. If it is only spiritually, through prayers and supplication, then I welcome it willingly and joyfully. If financially, all the same, I am already and will continue to be grateful in whatever way you contribute to this ministry. However, I do want to make it clear that I DO NOT want any of you to feel obligated to support me financially; in fact I beg you not to do it if you are unable to.

If it is your desire to give, all donations (checks and all other forms of giving) should be made to Skycroft Conference Center and addressed to Adedapo Odulana at the following address: 9621 Frostown Rd. Middletown, MD 21769. You can also give through the website at ampedministry.org/support. Any donation made through Skycroft Conference Center is tax deductible.

In all earnestness thank you, for your prayers and support. You made this possible.

Peter Odulana

Consecrated.

Posted by ampliphyde on Aug 17, 2011 in Missions | 0 comments

Consecrated. August 15

Today is the last day of my mission trip in the Dominican Republic, and amidst the post-dinner activities and gentle hustling and bustling, I find myself reflecting on the incredible things that God had done and mine and my team’s encounter with Him. I truly believe that this was the trip to prepare me for my exodus to Guatemala. There were a lot of things that happened but there is one in particular that impacted me the most and I would love to share.
The night that we arrived, my prayer to God was that He would consecrate me for Himself, and I didn’t care how He did it or how it happened. That was my prayer throughout the week; to be set apart for Him and to be set on fire by my desire for His word. The answer came when I wasn’t expecting it. Last night, at the end of the service at Pastor Carlos’ central church in the DR, He asked the entire team to stand in a line in front of the entire congregation and had individuals from the church pray for each one of us. After that incredible experience, I looked up and he called me front and center and asked a couple of missionaries and church elders, including his wife, to pray over me. During the prayer, Pastor Carlos came and anointed my head by pouring oil on it. It was such an intense experience and I could feel the Holy Spirit working in the moment. After the prayers, I turned around to look at Pastor Carlos and he said these exact words to me “Peter today, the Lord has consecrated you for Himself”. I’m sure he said some astounding things following that, but I didn’t catch much of it because I was so overwhelmed by the fact that he used the exact term that I asked God for. I thank God for His answer to my prayer and the fact that He would consider the lowest sinner for His highest cause. I’m still dumbfounded by His grace and always will be. Praise Him.

Numero uno

Posted by ampliphyde on Jul 21, 2011 in Missions | 0 comments

First of all, thank you for taking the time to find out more about what God is doing in me and through me. I have set up this blog to keep everyone informed and also to make sure that I stay in touch with everyone regularly. I am extremely excited to walk into God’s will and for Him to use me to my very limits. I am excited to be a part of the lives of a completely new set of people and to serve them in whatever way. I am excited for all of you to join me in my journey through prayer and support. His will be done, no matter the cost. Thank you; more to come in the near future.