"I Love to Praise Him"

This Sunday we had the joy of worshipping with all the children from the five different homes here in Battambang. The service started at 8 a.m. and we arrived there early to the great delight of all our children who came to the bus with jubilant smiles and "good mornings" followed by many hugs and more beautiful smiles. The children love to tell us "I love you" and we can't have enough of that.

During the service Matt, Steven, Renee and Lindsay sang a song but the main attraction of the morning were all the children who performed beautiful songs, with choreography and dance. We, of course, are biased because we think our children did the best... A group of girls from "Grace Place" presented a number in which they showed the reality of the resurrection of Christ. When they lifted one of the girls up in a cross-like position, the audience cheered. I had goosebumps when I saw that and some of our team members were crying as they saw it.

After the service we hang out with the children and the music crew took over. There was much fun and singing, the children learned the songs in English so fast and sang so enthusiastically, it was hard to stop praising. We all wanted to make that moment last but the day moved on as we had to come back to the hotel, finish packing and got ready for the events in the afternoon.

We were fed by the children and the wonderful staff at "Grace Place," and enjoyed a delicious lunch while sitting on the floor of the home... that is, some of the more nimble among us were able to sit for the meal. The hospitality was so wonderful, the fellowship so sweet and we didn't mind that it was hot and sticky(though we noticed it... and others around us did too. We ate with great thankfulness in our hearts.

                                                                               

What happened on Sunday was that we repacked all our suitcases and hauled them to only two rooms that we kept in our hotel and then went to "Grace Place"after dinner to present the gifts our sponsors had sent with us and spend the night at the home. As it turns out, some of the team members, after the gift presentations, came back to the hotel. There are some who are not feeling well but the majority is at the home now (it's pass 3:00 a.m. here!).

                                                                               
Now get this: we also had the privilege to lead a three fold communion with all our children and staff at the home. It was completely different than a typical communion at Wooster Grace, but it was beautiful to see how our children participated. Many of us drank juice from the same cups because they had so few cups available. We wiped the cup every time someone drank it and kept passing it around. The children were so good!

                                                   

We also had only four basins with water to wash the feet of 50+ people but it didn't matter. The expression on the faces of some of our children when we turned to wash their feet or allowed them to wash someone else's feet was absolutely delightful. We truly believe that many of them understood the meaning behind such beautiful symbols and we hope to do that again every time we come back.

Finally, the team will cook breakfast and serve our children later this morning. Those who came back to the hotel are going to ride the bus back to "Grace Place" and assist in the cooking. Jill Kane has been so wonderful helping us get several of the ingredients we needed for communion and the breakfast this morning and she and Kevin will be heading up the cooking efforts. We can't wait to see how the kids will react. Oh yes, Jill also spent a long time translating the notes that many of the sponsors wrote to their children (they love to receive those notes!) and she is also spending the night at the home!

All in all this was a fabulous Sunday and we are so humbled to have had the privilege to be here. Please continue to pray for Lindsay who is still not 100% and for Heidi who is also feeling weak right now.

We appreciate your prayers!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

No Shortage of Hugs -- first day at Grace Place, Battambang

Prayer Bulletin

This is not anything to be alarmed about, but, as expected, several of our team members have been feeling ill. Renee felt sick part of the day but is better now. Stephanie got sick to the stomach Saturday night but recovered quickly. She was quite pale on the bus trip from Grace Place, but I knew she was better the moment she did not refuse the chocolate I was passing around to the team! Todd was very tired yesterday but is feeling better. Matt Yoder got sick a little before lunch so he didn't eat anyting. He is feeling much better too. Finally, Lindsay is battling some stomack issues as well, so she needs to get some rest to be ready for tomorrow. Please pray that we will all experience healing and be able to accomplish what the Lord has for us here.

We spent most of the day with the children. Three of them celebrated Birthdays today. Being with them is like being in paradise. Their expressions of love, which we don't deserve, are way beyond our ability to comprehend... We are certainly most blessed for just being able to be here. I will post pictures later.

I better close before I fall over my computer from sheer exhaustion.

Pastor Ivanildo C.Trindade

Walking the Streets of Battambang

nice pig roast that was offered to the spirits right at our hotel lobby in Battambang

I took a long walk through Battambang early this morning. What I saw was people opening their places of businesses, dusting off their shelves and stands (there is dust everywhere here, even on the shinny cell phone covers that line the front of some electronics display that are clearly visible from a distance). I saw a mother with two little children, all very skinny. The girl had her pants down, she had apparently just relieved herself and was trying to catch up with her mom who was going on ahead. It was apparent that this family lives on the street. 

our team being welcomed by AH staff in Phnom Penh

I walked through the street close to our hotel where a young man lost his life just days ago. He was friends with Kevin and Jill Kane. Last January, the day after we left Battambang, another 18 year old lost his life in a collision with another motorcycle right in front of our hotel. Kevin and Jill tell us that during their time here they have been to too many funerals of young people who have lost their lives in senseless motorbike accidents. More than 25 people they knew or knew about in all. It is a tragedy of enormous proportions. Walking the streets of Battambang remind you that life is indeed transitory. You have to look in all directions at all times and never lose your concentration. Life hangs on the balance and every moment is precious. 

I saw teenage kids riding their bicycles to school. Some wore full masks on their faces... you just wonder how much they can see because there is so much cloth impeding their vision. Some looked trendy in their tight jeans made to conform to the standards of western fashion. This is something new in Battambang. Now all the stores seem to be displaying jeans that insist on hanging on one's hip by a small, almost invisible line that keeps getting lower and lower. They are also made to look old or torn. I looked at some of the men's shorts on display and felt a small feeling of satisfaction as I realized that what I was wearing, believe it or not, looked like the stuff I saw in the stores. I felt "cool" until I remembered how sad it is that we make the world believe that we got the corner on what fashionable is. Girls here dread the idea that their skin may get darker because of the sun, so they cover their arms and faces, trying desperately to look like the Caucasian models they see on the tube. Those who can afford even have plastic surgery to get rid of their typical Asian eyes... imagine that.

On my way back I heard the sounds of chanting and realized that was coming from the Wat (temple). I went inside the courtyard and saw that they were having some kind of a religious meeting going on. They people were sitting on the floor, bowing in unison, while the monks came from the backdoor, sat and began to be served by the people. I came quickly to the hotel and grabbed my camera so I could register this unique moment. I was struck with the picture of the humble spirit with which the people served the monks, who are have made a vow of poverty and thus have to rely on the local population to provide for them. It was somehow the opposite of the idea of "servant leadership" which we cherish so much within the evangelical circles.

All around, though, it was obvious that the people were bowing to idols and repeating chants that didn't appear to communicate to them in a personal level. While I admire their devotion, my heart is so sad that they haven't learned to be free. Jesus awaits the turns of their hearts. He yearns for them to be free and has paid the ultimate sacrifice so they no longer have to be enslaved by the fear of the spirits or of death. Walking through Battambang early this morning gave me a fresh perspective on the kind of challenge that Kevin and Jill face every day as they try to witness to people who have grown up in a society that is totally dominated by Buddhist concepts and practices. The spiritual battle is intense and we must remember to lift our missionaries up to the Lord with fervent prayers.

This country can only be totally free when the people turn to the Messiah. Oh that God would open the hearts of the Cambodian people to hear the Gospel. Oh that some of our children from Grace Place will one day rise to become the spiritual leaders in an arid land that needs the spiritual refreshment that only comes from God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

In Battambang

Hello everyone!

I quick post to tell you all that we arrived safely in Battambang, Cambodia, about an hour ago, we and all our 30+ pieces of luggage plus carry on. Stephanie Hawkins, from Portugal had already arrived and went to the airport to meet us. We are all very exhausted (the last leg of our trip was a long stretch on a bus that lasted about five hours) but we are well. Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming.

We will tell you more later!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

Team leaves for SE Asia

It Won't Be Long Now!

The final preparations are underway for our departure on Wednesday afternoon. If you'd like to come and see the four14 Asia team off meet at Grace at 12:15 pm for packing, pictures and prayer. It's going to be an exciting time and already I'm grateful for those that are helping and praying to help get us all out the door.

Talk to you soon.

RAD

Madaba and Mt. Nebo

A view from inside the Basilica of St. George, with the mosaic on the floor

Okay, I realize it's been a while since I posted here but there is a reason. Actually, a couple. First, work caught up with me; or rather, I am trying to catch up with it. Secondly, I got the bug my wife got during her long journey back to the U.S. She got it bad, I only had it for a day or two. So now I return to our fantastic journey to the Holy Land.

Upon arriving in Jordan we stayed at the Movenpick Hotel in Aqaba for dinner and overnight. In the morning we drove to Petra and I have already posted some of my pictures and comments from that experience. I would post more now but the truth is I can't find any of my Petra pictures. I have no idea what happened to them...

mosaic of Palestine with Jerusalem on the middle right and the Jordan River on the top left 

From Petra we went to Madaba and visited a Greek Orthodox Church, the Basilica of St. George, also

known as "the church of the map" because of a mosaic map of the 6th century Holy Land (or a portion of it that has been preserved) can still be seen on the floor of this church. The map contains one million pieces of colored stones representing hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta. The mosaic contains the earliest extant representation of Jerusalem, which is called "The Holy City." (The Greek writing saying this is right next to "The Mosaic..." above. Click on the picture to increase size. The words are "hagia" = holy; "polis" = city and a fragment of "Ieroysa..." = Jerusalem).

The map is unique because its orientation is an oblique perspective, angled, not parallel or perpendicular to your line of sight. It is rather unique because Jordan is east of Jerusalem, so the view is not what you would expect if you were viewing the site from Jordan. It's more of a western view looking from above.

details of Jerusalem, with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre right in the middle

This makes sense because it is during the time of the Byzantine Empire, which remained until Jerusalem fell to Muslim rulers in 638 A.D. Perhaps this also indicates where the artisans who created the map were originally from and that perhaps they were relying on a early map that had been made by or for Byzantine travelers.

Though the map shows the whole site, Jerusalem figures prominently and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built by the Byzantine Emperor Constantine between 336-345 A.D., is centrally featured  Noticeably absent is the Dome of the Rock and the El-Aqsa Mosque, which had yet to be built.

mosaic portraying Jesus inside the church

From Madaba we went to Mt. Nebo and took in the view of the Promised Land which Moses would have seen before He was taken home by God. This is also the region of Biblical Moab, where Ruth, the ancestor of the Messiah, came from. I have written elsewhere here about this experience but I have to say again that this was a very unique experience. Pastor Bob reminded us of the grace of God and we reflected on how we mess up so many times and in worse way than Moses. We all went away with the thought of "how does He still choose to use me?" And as we walked back to the bus the sounds of "Amazing Grace" kept echoing in our hearts. 

naza looking at the beautiful flowers of the field

As we were finishing our experience at Mt. Nebo, my wife walked over to me with tears in her eyes, holding some Kleenex on her right hand. She wanted me to take a picture. But this was not an ordinary picture. She pointed me to the red flowers she saw in the fields. She wanted me to take her picture, showing the flowers in the background. She told me, "I told God I want to be like that, a beautiful flower that keeps blossoming for Him no matter what."

As we were coming down to the bus I also made a comment to Pastor Bob about the tragedy of missed opportunities. Thousands of people from different religious backgrounds visit this site every day -- Muslims, Jews, various groups of Christians, atheists, you name it. However, there is no pointing the the Gospel anywhere here in this holy site under the control of Franciscan Monks. Is Moses turning over in his grave, wherever that happens to be on that mountain? 

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org

Scroll down to see more pictures of the kind of people who visit the Mt. Nebo Moses Memorial on a daily basis

Across the Sinai from Egypt

We started our trip in Egypt, from where God delivered the people of Israel from bondage, after 430 years. There is no question that one of the most memorable experiences in Cairo was the Egyptian Museum, where thousands of artifacts from antiquity are stored, including the famous collection of King Tuntankhamen. We also were sobered as we looked at the monumental size of the pyramids and contemplated the sheer genius of those who built it. Though our guide mildly rebuked us for believing that slaves were used in the construction of the pyramids, I still believe they were, and not simply a handful but thousands of them. But who knows.

From Egypt we crossed the Sinai into what is now Jordan and eventually came to Israel. We all understand the harshness of the environment and the monumental task of trying to cross this desert with 2.5 million people, most of whom bent on turning back toward Egypt. I am glad we crossed it in the comfort of an air-conditioned bus where the only concern was whether we would arrive in our hotel with enough time to use the pool or not... And yes, it didn't take us 40 years, only a few hours.

We had to say good-bye to our Egyptian guide and driver and were reminded for the first time of how harshly these borders are drawn and how limited in movement those who are "in the other side" are. Later we would find out that living in the occupied territories amounts to a virtual prison.

Enjoy the pictures and remember that just as God delivered the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt, He has delivered us from our own bondage to sin and to a life of insignificance and transported us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son!

coptic round church in cairo

cairo skyline, gray and stern, like an old schoolmaster

mother helps her young on the streets of cairo

the steps to the "hanging church" in cairo

sculpture at the lobby of our hotel in cairo

the new and the ancient in cairo

we approach the pyramids, exciting!

the sphynx!

three young men in our hotel who asked me to take their picture

a mosaic commemorating the flight to egypt at the "hanging church"

crossing the sinai, desert, bedouins and stories even the israelites wouldn't believe

stopping at your local "seven eleven" (where using the restrooms was not free!)

young lady playing the harp in our hotel in cairo

even today this is still a desert

more gray buildings and people walking to prayer

I think the writing says "america stay out of iraq" (just kidding!)

a lonely rider on his way who knows where

"no country for old men"

if they did it back then, moses would have written somewhere around these rocks "moses was here"

finally, a respite, the mediterranean sea, on the border with jordan, with the remains of a roman fort on the foreground

in cairo we walked on the oldest street in coptic cairo

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org