A Change in Plans

First I would like to thank you all for your prayers and support. I have bad news the China trip has been officially canceled this year.  I have included the letter from my uncle below that will help explain why this decision was made. This news was shocking. All support gifts are being mailed back to me and will get this returned to all of you as soon as possible. I am sad that this trip is canceled but I know that God has a plan for everything. I will say that your prayers and support have come at a time when I could really use some encouragement, so even though it didn’t work out as we expected, you have all been a tremendous form of support to me the last few months. Thanks again!

In Christ,        

Melissa

Letter from Mike DeGuzman:

Over the past few days and weeks we have sensed the door into China was closing for this year but did not know for sure until yesterday. While I sensed this decision was inevitable in light of our trip there in March, it still comes somewhat as a shock to get this news. 

This morning I spent some time reading through Acts 16 and was reminded that even the great Apostle Paul was prevented from going into Asia (Acts 16:6). While we don’t know how God revealed His will to Paul, we can imagine that Paul was also disappointed and perhaps a bit discouraged by it. In Paul’s ministry, like ours, everything had been going so smoothly that these closed doors must have come as a huge surprise. The comforting part in this is that even apostles were not always clear as to God’s will for their ministries. Instead, God planned for the message to get there another time (Acts 19:10; 1 Peter 1:1).

In His sovereign grace, God led Paul west into Europe, not east into Asia. I wonder how world history would be changed had Paul been sent to Asia instead of Europe.

There is nothing to indicate that this is anything more than a one-year break from our ministry in China. Because we believe God has called us to work with the Chinese church by going through the “front” door, it would be very unwise and potentially dangerous to our fellow believers in China for us to do ministry in any other way. If we did the camp as a “Cultural Camp,” there is a good chance we would be shut down and any future involvement in China would also be finished.

So, for this year, the Vacation Language and Character School in China is officially closed. As a church, we have not decided if we are going to invest this time into other overseas ministries such as Ukraine and South Africa or to be more intentional here in Ocala. Either way, we will continue to pray, prepare, and present Christ locally and globally through whatever doors He opens.

Press On!

Mike

Mountain of Boxes

Sometimes I have wonderful plans that I don't quite think all the way through. An example: my mountain of boxes. My mother let me have some old text books and other random items, including my 2 of my old lunch boxes (to protect the innocent, me, I won't tell you what's on those boxes) to sell on Ebay. All of the profit I make is going towards China. I also have some random books and old computer stuff that I am going to sell. In my mind this was going to be a quick task and very easy. I didn't account for the fact that I need to photograph, describe, weigh and pack each item. After realizing this wasn't going to get done if I had to go to Warsaw I decided to bring things home. I thought then it would be much faster and I created my mini mountain. I'm about halfway through the mountain of boxes. It may not look too big but many boxes have around 5 books in them. Hayes has had great fun playing in the packing supplies and trying to sneak into shots of items. I am hoping to have everything ready to be put online this weekend. Though I may not actually put them up till after spring break. I have had a great amount of experience buying from Ebay but this will be my first time selling so I hope it goes well! 

Support is coming along great! My dad's childhood church, Ebenezer, joined my support team and several other amazing friends have as well. My support level is now at 71% or $2350. This puts me very close to the May check-in level. It feels so great to say that I am less than $1,000 away from my needed support level. God has been so faithful and amazing through out this whole experience. I can't believe how fast it is approaching. In less than 4 months I will be in Beijing teaching English to help Glorify God! 

Praises

• My support level is at 71%  
• The way God is providing an amazing support team and guiding me to the people He wants on it
• The beautiful weather (I know it isn't about China but it is so much easier to be motivated to get things done when it is so beautiful out!)

Prayer Requests

• That my support team will continue to grow and the last $1,000 will come in 
• Endurance as I finish up the school year and also begin to prepare for China
• That God will help not only me but our whole team be prepared for this amazing opportunity
• That I will conquer my Ebay box mountain and they will sell. 
• My Uncle Mike is headed to China tomorrow to lay the ground work for our trip.

Thanks for your prayers and support!
Melissa

Blessings

When this journey started the idea of raising $3,300 was completely overwhelming. My uncle and cousins were all encouraging about this and they told me to just trust God and take a leap of faith. This leap has been an amazing journey already. My first post was over a month ago and I have been amazed how much God has provided in that time.

I have 2/3 of my support letters out now. I have contacted a good amount of these people in person or through e-mails or phone calls. Many of them have joined my team, some have already sent financial support, and others have promised future support. The church I attend, Syracuse Church of God, also joined my support team and is excited to find other ways they can help. This brings my support level up to $1670. This not only meets my March 11th support goal but also the April 22nd. I feel so blessed to already have over half of the support in and to have a great start to such a strong support team.

As I have shared with others about China I have been given the names of other people that have lived there or work with teaching Chinese ESL students in the states. I am hoping to talk to some of these people in the coming weeks to get some advice.

Praises

• My church's support and desire to help in any way they can.
• My support level is at 50%  
• I have already felt an incredible amount of support from my support team. Keep praying!
• The people and resources that my support team are already directing me to.

Prayer Requests

• That my support team will continue to grow. 
• Gas prices- as these prices go up our airline prices and transportation costs while we are there will also rise.  

Thanks for your prayers and support!
Melissa


  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZMCkpv-KC0&feature=related

Overview- My Support Letter

I have had a few people contact me about wanting to join my support team from Facebook. I thought it would be helpful if I put my most recent copy of my support level on here.

March 4, 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

            I hope your year is starting off well. I am halfway through my 8^th year teaching. It doesn’t seem quite possible. I am writing to you today to tell you about an amazing teaching opportunity I have been presented with for the summer.  I have been invited along with nearly 100 people by English Encounter International to participate in a Vacation Language and Character School in Beijing, China. This will be their fifth year in China and the ministry continues to grow. The team will be comprised of teens and adults from evangelical churches all over the United States.

            The English and character camps were started by Community Bible Church in Beaufort, SC shortly after the fall of communism in Ukraine. The ministry advanced to rural villages in South Africa in 2005, and then to China in 2007. In addition to these camps Community Bible Church has lead parenting and marriage seminars and provided pastoral support. These camps have been very successful in the Ukraine and have lead to the creation of Christian Orphanage and a Bible college in Vinnista to best meet the needs of all the new believers.

            While in China we will be running camps to teach English. The Bible will be the base of our curriculum. The camps will include a time of crafts, exercise and learning English. My job while there will be to teach English to our students. Education is very important to the Chinese. Therefore, it is important to the success of our camp that our students learn English successfully. The Chinese do a great job teaching grammar and English rules but have little to no opportunity to learn from or converse with native English speakers.

I am excited God can use my love of teaching English as a ministry to people that may never hear about Him otherwise. I have been on a few missions trips to work with kids in inner-city Chicago and have been to Mexico twice. I have learned a great deal from every trip and grown so much in my walk with the Lord from these trips.  When I went to Mexico I had already had years of Spanish classes to help me. This will be the first time I will be somewhere that I can’t rely on what I have learned to help me. I will just have to trust God.

I am in the process right now of building a support team. I would like for you to pray about joining this support team. The first way you can be part of this team is by praying for the team and me. Prayer as we prepare for the trip and while we are in China is crucial. I am also in need of people that would like to join with financial support. This trip is going to be $3,300. I need to be at $2475 by May 20^th. All money needs to be in by July 1^st. My current support level is at $1670. I am encouraged how the financial and prayer support is coming together to create an amazing support team.

Should you feel compelled to give towards this project please make checks out to Community Bible Church. This is the most I have ever had to raise for a missions trip; but, I believe God is calling me to go on this trip so I am going to take this leap of faith. I am praying with my summer school work funds, support and some other creative ideas to raise money that funding will not be an issue. If you know of anyone that really has a heart for China please feel free to share this information with them as well. You may also follow my blog at http://cripechina.blogspot.com/. I will be contacting you to follow up in about a week and to answer any questions you may have. Thanks again for your time and your prayerful consideration.  

In Christ,

            Melissa Cripe

Baby Steps

The journey towards China is a little overwhelming at times so I am trusting God and focusing in on the little baby steps along the way. There have been several small steps in the right direction since last time I wrote that I'd like to praise God for.

• My passport has officially arrived! I knew it would arrive long before China but I feel a lot better having it in my possession.  
• I just sent out my second group of support letters today with some help from my mom. Hayes tried to help too by running away with the roll of stamps and the ink pen. ;-) I now have over 50 letters out. 
• My support team is shaping up nicely. Many people have talked to me about supporting me in prayers and financially.  My support level is at $550 right now. I mailed out the checks to Community Bible Church today. 
• As friends and family have learned about the China trip many people have been giving me resources or ideas of how to learn more about China before I go. I now have a book, some webpages, and some speech articulation resources to look at.

I am excited about how God has already started to answer prayers about the trip and to see everything he has in store.

Prayer Requests:

• Continual prayer as letters arrive and I contact people about joining my support team.
• For the formation of our team. We are hoping to take close to 100 people from churches in: Florida, Texas, South Carolina, California and Indiana (me). When I think about the number of people we are taking and the support teams behind us it is amazing to think about how many people are already praying for this trip even now.
• My support should be at $825 by March 11th. It is more than half way there. These check-ins are important to reach so that preparations can be made ahead of time. I am hoping to get some old text books and other random items on E-Bay to also help with support goals.
• Start praying even now that we will be able to get our airline tickets for a reasonable price. We are hoping to get our tickets after our April 22nd check-in point. Hopefully this will before gas prices take the rise that is expected!   

In Christ,
Melissa

The Beginning

My first group of letters have gone out asking people to join my support team. I am doing them in groups of 25ish so I can keep up with contacting people after. If you haven't heard from me soon and are interested in hearing more about the trip and/or how you can join my support team please send me an e-mail or start following me here.


Preparing the letters was kind of exciting. I know the first real step was acknowledging that I felt led to go but this feels like the first big step towards going. I was e-mailed photos from past trips to include in my letter. I've been trying to imagine what it will be like. These photos helped me not only get an idea of what will be doing. They were also a great reminder of the individual lives we will get to touch for God while we are working at the English and character camps.


I am including some details on the side about my the dates I need to reach certain support levels by. Very soon I will also just keep an update on where I am with my support at the bottom of my blog and on the right hand side of the screen. These changes, along with a change in the font, were based on some suggestions from my first few phone calls. If there is other information you would really like to see on here let me know and I will see what I can do. 


Praises

• My support team letter is finished, well at least this round is. It has been a while since I wrote one and I needed a lot of help but it feels good to know it is ready. I am sure it will get tweaked before each round of letters but it is good to have a base.
• My passport renewal application has reached Philadelphia and my check was cashed so I am expecting my new passport soon. Complete with my new no smiling picture. I hope other countries have the same requirement so we aren't the only ones that look so angry!

Prayers

• The list from my previous blog is still very much on my mind: my passport, support, time management, and finding resources to help me learn more about China (I am planning on asking my EL director tomorrow about feedback on resources).
• With my first group of letters going out pray God helps guide those I sent letters to already if they should join my support team. 

In Christ, 
Melissa

Decision to Go

First let me say this is my first time blogging so be patient. I will try to share often so that my support team knows what to pray for and can stay up to date. Our support teams are a crucial members of this trip, without all of you this trip to China would not be possible.

Some decisions are hard ones to make and others just feel like your being lead right to them. My parents came back from a visit to Ohio and my dad told me my Uncle Mike DeGuzman mentioned me going to China for a mission's trip this summer. My uncle and his family have had the opportunity to serve God on mission trips all over the world: Ukraine, South Africa and China. My dad and I talked about what the China trip consisted of briefly and I didn't think too much more about it the rest of the day. The days that followed though I prayed about it a great deal before my uncle and I even talked about it. It just seemed like something I couldn't quit thinking about.

I love teaching. I love seeing the spark in students' eyes when they get it. I love helping them make impossible tasks possible. I work where I do because I also like being able to work with a group of students that I feel I can be used by God to make a difference in their lives by being a positive and uplifting influence. China combines these passions and I can't wait to see how God can use my teaching skills to glorify him. I am so excited about getting to use my passion for teaching to serve God. 

I also love traveling. I love to see new places, experience new cultures, and just expand my horizons. Missions trips seem to be one of the most influential ways to experience a country. On these trips you don't just see the country; you get a glimpse of what life is like there for everyday people.It not only alters the way you pray and view that country in the future but it also changes the way you view your own life. Often our own problems seem so big. It is easy to forget, especially when we are going through tough times, how truly blessed we are to live in the United States and how good we have it here.  I know there are many lessons that I learned on previous trips to Mexico that greatly influence my spiritual life and the way I view life in general.

A few weeks ago my uncle and I talked about China and everything he said just made me feel even more led to go on this trip. The finances were one part that had me a little nervous. I had been praying about that part of the trip quite a bit. A few days later I got an e-mail for $2 off a passport photo. I needed to renew my passport and just found it a little more than coincidental that I actually opened this drugstore e-mail and that of all things there was a coupon for passport photos. On January 28th I was on my way to mail my passport application when I accidentally called my Aunt Sherry DeGuzman instead. I mention to her my fears about the finances. It turned out my uncle was having a meeting that night about just that. So later that day I was able to attend the first team meeting for CBC Ocala, FL via Skype. I officially decided the next day to take a leap of faith, follow God and signed up to join the team. 

I am really excited about this opportunity. There are several prayer requests that I have right now as I prepare to go. Here are some things I could use some prayer for:

• My passport arriving safely. I know it arrived in Philadelphia on the 31st and should be getting processed now. 
• That God will provide the support needed for each deadline.
• That I will be able to find resources and professional development material that will help me better understand the obstacles Chinese students have in learning English and learn more about their culture. The curriculum is going to be provided for me. However, I know the key to quality teaching is understanding the group you are working with. 
• Time management. The busy season is just starting at work. I know this trip will require lots of preparation and devotion so just prayers that I will be able to find balance in my life is important. 

Thanks for your prayers and support.

~ Melissa

PS- Here is a song that has me kind of inspired this week. From time to time maybe I will share more of these. Song Inspiration- Mark Schultz Let's Go