Holcomb Youth Group Happenings

Back in the good ol' USA!!!

2009-08-03T11:29:00.002-05:00

Just got a text message from Polly that they have landed in Houston!!! All kids have been accounted for...Whew!!! Praise the Lord for their safety!!! Can't wait to see their excitement for the Lord...can you??

One final greeting from Jinotepe...

2009-08-03T00:16:00.001-05:00

We can't and probably never will be able to fully describe what God has done down here. The work HE is doing in this area is so incredible. We can't wait to share all of our experiences with all of you. God is so powerful. Each of us has a renewed passion for our Savior and a heart for what God is doing through the ministry here. The need is so great. We have fallen in love with the Nicaraguan people. I don't think any of us will return home unchanged. Thank you so much for your encouragement, prayers and financial support. I can't even tell you how incredible this experience has been. Simply life changing. The next time you hear from us, we will be back in the States. We have to get up at 2:30 in order to be on the road by 3:30. We have to be at the airport at 5 and our flight leaves at 7. We should be in Houston around 11:15 if all goes well. We are looking forward to coming home but are sad to leave the friends that we have made down here and leave behind so much work that still needs to be done. We love you guys and will see you in a few more hours. God bless.
Love, Jamie, Karissa, Andrew, Linc, Austin, Del, Logan and Polly The Nicaraguan Mission Team!!

Mobbed by kids!!

2009-08-02T09:37:00.002-05:00

Greetings from Jinotepe! The best way to describe today was wild and crazy and I promise never to complain about doing children's church ever again and I apologize right now to anyone that I ever complained to about it. Oh my. This morning we went to the church, orphanage, compound where we often work. When we got there we were one of the last van loads of our team to arrive. By now, ¨theNebraska boys¨ as they are called are a huge hit among the orphans and teenagers who live at the orphanage and the surrounding barrios (village). When our boys got out of the van instantly all the junior high and high school aged Nicaraguan boys went nuts. They start to clap, whistle and immediately run to the soccer field. The older boys in the area won't go into the church to sing and listen to Bible stories but they love playing soccer with our boys. So, the 5 guys on our team played soccer for several hours this morning. They are getting to know some of the kids fairly well and have built relationships with them even though we can barely communicate with them. I think that every one of the kids have at one point said to me that they wished they had paid attention more in Spanish class. We are all woefully inadequate. More than once we have wished Jeanette was with us. You would love it here, Jeanette. Then after the VBS and the hours of soccer, we prepared to feed all 300 children and many of their mothers. We brought with us a chicken and rice kind of thing for their lunch. Each child got one scoop of this stuff that most of the kids in the United States would have refused to eat. They were so grateful. For most of them it was the first meal of the day. We ran out of bowls and spoons so as some children got done, we just rinsed out their bowls and reused them. After lunch, the fun began. We had been told to be prepared for a childrens festival. So, each team had prepared several different craft and activity stations. Between us, the North Carolina team and the team from New York, we had bubbles, balloons, face painting, hair and make up,stickers, coloring, balloon shapes, pinwheels, tissue paper flowers, etc. And in my life, I´ve never seen a mob like that. All 35 of us were unbelievably out of control at our stations the entire time. Poor Andrew somehow ended up with me making pin wheels. Our intention was to have the kids sit nicely and color their paper part of the pin wheel and then wewould help them put it together. Yeah, that pretty much didn't happen. Within seconds it was a complete free for all. Karissa, Andrew, me and one of the Nicaraguan men spent the next several hours doing nothing but putting pinwheels together as fast as we good. At several points the kids were crowding so close to me that I couldn't work or move my arms and they were shoving my chair backwards. They were so excited to get the pinwheels. By Andrew´s own admission, he is slightly coordinatinally challenged. The couple of times I looked over at him, he looked fairly overwhelmed and miserable, but bless his heart, he never complained, worked hard and did what was asked of him. Austin mistakenly started passing out stickers at one point and was completely mobbed by kids wanting stickers. They jumped him from behind, climbed up on him and eventually took him to the ground. Del and Linc came to his rescue and got points for the assist. Del brought out the bubbles that we had brought with us and I´ve never seenanything like it. They went nuts. Jamie and Logan spent the afternoon passing out stickers which were a huge hit. The place was a complete zoo. I never really even saw what all was going on all over the building becauseI was so swamped at my pinwheel station but everyone said the samething...that they were so mobbed and overwhelmed with children that it was all they could do to maintain some semblance of control. However, in the end, it ended up being one of the best, most fun days we´ve had so far. As each one of those precious children stood by me begging for a simple pinwheel, I looked into their eyes and said a quick prayer for them. you can't help but love them. They are so adorable. Several of them would just put their arms around my neck and hug me. I kissed many of them on the head. They are just so precious. And so grateful for these very simplelittle prizes that we were giving them. They were so happy and cute as they left with their hair braided, their faces painted, a ballon hat, a pinwheel and covered with stickers. It was amazing. What a life changing experience that none of us will soon forget. We finished that up around 3 and came back here to the hotel. Then our interpreters took us to the market area so we could experience that. It was interesting. We are waiting for dinner now and will spend our evening after dinner in a time of praise and worship. Those are some of our favorite times. We really enjoy coming together at the end of the day praising God for what HE did and talking about how we saw HIM at work. Once again, thank you so much for you prayers. As you all worship together tomorrow, we will be thinking of you as we worship with the Nicaraguans at the La Quinta church. We are in charge of the service tomorrow. Austin, Del and Andrew will be sharing their testimonies. We will also be doing a skit of David and Goliath. Austin, obviously, is Goliath. He is a huge novelty down here. He is so much bigger than any of the Nicaraguans. They are so fasinated by his size. So, that´s fun. Anyway, we hope that your worship is powerful and that you will feel God´s presence in the service at Holcomb as we will in the service here. In His Holy Name. Polly, Jamie, Karissa, Andrew, Lincoln, Logan, Austin and Del

Two more days of ministry....

2009-08-01T09:46:00.001-05:00

Greetings Holcomb Family! We´ve just completed another powerful, challenging and life changing day. Two more days of ministry here. They have been so amazing. This afternoon we spent at the church in La Quinta participating in a worship service for the youth there. You can just feel the presence of Jesus in the people of the church. They are so in love with their Savior. This evening after our supper we had a great time of praise and worship together as a whole teamof 35. We have come to really treasure our morning and evening praise and worship sessions. We really love our worship leader, Erik, he is a nativeNicaraguan who is a youth pastor down here. He is awesome. Very fluent in English and alot of fun. We come together to pray, sing and share what we saw God do during the day. The first couple of days the members from the different parts of the country didn't really know each other so we didn't share much. However, now that we have all been ministering and working together in these unbelievable conditions we are getting to be a really close group. We are brothers and sisters together in Christ who are sharing in this mission as one body. It´s so much fun to see what gifts and abilities God has given to each person on the team and how that specific talent was needed for this particular trip here to Nicaragua. I was asking our kids today what their favorite part of the trip has been so far and several of them said that it´s been the worship times together as a team. They have been awesome and they are what gets us ready for what each day will bring and the work that we have before us. Tomorrow will be a long day. We have a VBS in the morning and then will serve lunch to the children and then we will do a childrens festival all afternoon. They are planning on 200 to 300 children so we will be busy. These children are adorable and so desperate for attention. I´m sure it will be a powerful day. Keep us in prayer. Andrew wants everyone to know that he feels really bad he is going to miss the annual Bergman sweet corn day and hopes you all have a good time putting all your corn up. Also, Moms, I will make sure everyone takes their malaria pills tomorrow. We are doing well, staying healthy and getting along great. I just can't say enough about what a great group of kids we have. These are amazing men and women of God. I'm so proud of them and humbled by their faith and walk with Jesus. I wish all of you could experience this and be able to see the spirit of God working in our young people. You would be in awe of what incredible kids we have and how their hearts desire is to fully serve their Lord Jesus. We hope all is well at home. Are we getting rain? Any more hail? Linc wants to know how the senior baseball team ended up doing? Logan is going through sports information withdrawls. We love you guys. Thanks for your prayers.

Indescribable.........

2009-07-31T15:46:00.002-05:00

I can't really describe our morning. Words can't completely explain the experience. Pictures wont do it justice. But, it was absolutely incredible. We packed 21 people into a 15 passenger van - sorry, moms, we werent wearing our seat belts, but the roads are so bumpy and horrible we were going really slowly - plus we had 6.. 100 pound feed sacks full of rice and beans and several duffle bags full of toys for the children. We spent the morning with Pastor Manuel - pronounced man well - distributing food to the people of his so called congregation. His church meets outside on a big open dirt area. Its unbelievable the poverty of these people. They have nothing. Many of their homes are simply 4 sticks with a tarp wrapped around it. They usually have a fire pit in the middle of their house where they cook their food. They were very grateful for the food. we prayed with each family as we gave them the food. You would have been so amazed at the deep heartfelt prayers that our kids prayed over these families. You can just feel the love of Jesus pouring from our kids to the people of Nicaragua. Our team of kids are so amazing. They work so hard, give of themselves and totally love the Lord. They have remarkable servants' hearts. They are getting tired and worn down. The conditions are better than we had anticipated but still very primitive from what they are used to and yet I still havent heard a single complaint or grumble. We do miss ice, though. all of us are really looking forward to water that is not just lukewarm but that we can deal with. We have so much to share and I´m sure that our stories and pictures will not even begin to describe the experience of what is going on here. God is at work both in and through us. We especially love the children. They are so precious. We just finished up lunch and will spend the afternoon at a church service at LaQuinta. God bless each of you. Thank you for your continued prayers for strength and health. We love you guys!!!

Holcombites being tourists...

2009-07-30T22:37:00.002-05:00

Today we were just tourists not missionaries. We had the day off to just sight see and we had an amazing time. First of all, we changed any money that we wanted to spend into Nicaraguan and then headed off with our leader and our translators. First we went down the mountain to the coastal city of Grenada. There we went to the largest lake in Nicaragua. Can't remember the name. We rented small 12 passenger boats and traveled out to explore the islands created by the extinct volcanoe that was rising in the background. It was so beautiful. There were lots of natives swimming in the dirty water actually, they were fishing and collecting twigs for fire wood.We saw unusual birds and flowers and really beautiful houses on these islands of the riches of the Nicaraguans. The funnest part was the island of monkeys. One of the small islands had lots of monkeys. One of the monkeys jumped into one of the boats but not ours which was discouraging since I thought it would be fun to play with a monkey. After we left the lake, we went to another small village that had several restaruants that the kids could pick from to eat at. I went with Jamie, Karissa, Linc and Del to a very authentic Latino restaruant. We had no idea what we were ordering. We just ordered 5 different dishes and then shared. We are pretty sure Jamie got giant fried caterpillar. Just kidding actually it was fried banana. The dishes were very different but very yummy. We also had yummy interesting drinks that are really hard to describe but they are different juices and drinks that they have down here. Logan, Austin and Andrew aren't quite as adventureous and went with pizza for lunch which they said was good, tasted like the pizza we have back home. After lunch we went to another city and went to a very large market area. It had over 127 different booths and vendors selling all types of crafts, souveneirs and other local things. The kids had fun and bought lots of stuff at unbelievably good prices. Overall it was a great day. Just traveling around here is an experience. Some of the roads are decent, most are horrible. Often we have to slow down because there is a cow meandering across the road or some oncoming vehicle decided it would work better for them to drive in our lane instead. The topgraphy around here is so beautiful. We just love experiencing the culture and the people of this country. The way they live is so amazing. If any of our animals looked like theirs we would be turned into the humane society. They are so poor. Their living conditions are unbelievable. Tomorrow we are back to our work. Tonight we will package up the rice and beans we bought yesterday and then distribute it along with all the donations and little toys that we brought to an extremely poverty stricken village. After we do the distribution I think we have a VBS to do in the afternoon. Everyone is feeling good and healthy. Jamie's ankle is good. Austin is back to normal. And big fun news!!!! Del and Austin just got their luggage. Time to go eat. Thanks again for your prayers and the part you have had in making this trip possible. It is life changing. God is at work. We love you guys. P J K L D A L A

Mmmmmmmmm...Good!

2009-07-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

I just have to tell you about the meal we just had. It was spectacular. It was the first authentic Nicaraguan meal we´ve had. It was so super yummy. It was called carne asada. First there was a layer of fried plantain topped with some yummy marinated roast beef and then it had pieces of fried goat cheese topped off with thinly sliced cabbage and cilantro salsa. The locals love it. It was very authentic and super yummy. I loved it. The kids did too. I hope Brent enjoyed his left over frozen pizza. Sorry, Sweetie. Hope it´s going well. Just thought I´d share. zlove you guys.

Greetings from Jinotepe....7-29-09

2009-07-29T21:56:00.002-05:00

Parents, please be assured your children are safe and doing very well. They are well protected and we never eat anything that the missionaries who live here don't clear first. When we travel, we are always as one big group and currently, everyone is healthy and doing great. Austin took a nap this afternoon and is back to eating everyone else's food. This afternnon we went to the market with our interpretors and missionaries to purchase food with the money we collected from everyone on the team. Webought 9 one hundred pound bags of rice and 9 100 pounds bags of beans. Once again, the hard working farm kids stepped up and dominated the scene. Each kid just flipped a 100 pound bag on their shoulder and we walked the 4blocks in the hot humidity back to the hotel to deposit the rice. Then we went back to the market to get the beans and did the same thing. The teams from the city were simply in awe that we could do that. All of us hauled a bag even Karissa and I. Tonight we will repack the rice and beans into 10 pound bags so we can distribute it to the poor people in the village we are going to on Friday. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon at a church service in La Quinta. It was really fun. Tomorrow is our free day. Rumor has it that we will be going to a volcano, the town of Grenada for some gorgeous scenery near the ocean and then to the market. We are looking forward to that day. should be really fun. I´ll keep your children safe and do my best to keep them healthy. They are awesome, hard working, godly and it is my great privilege and blessing to be able to work with them. I wish you could see them. You would be so amazed and proud of what incredible teenagers they are. I deeply love each one of them. Talk to you tomorrow.

Lion Head, Mosquito Face, Corn Hair, Tank, Girl Hair, Jamie, Karissa andPolly

ATL ...Ask the Lord

2009-07-29T13:38:00.002-05:00

Good Morning Holcombites. Greetings from Jinotepe!

This morning was unscheduled for us and on our daily list the morning agenda was simply listed as ATL. That stands for Ask The Lord. We got up today, had breakfast and personal devotions and then the whole group met for our morning time of worship. We spent alot of time in listening prayer just asking God for HIS direction and for what HE would have for us to do. We were open to anything that HE would direct us to. After a long time of prayer, it was decided that first we have to meet physical needs of thepeople before they will be receptive to the Gospel. I remember the Cambodia people talking about that as well. So, there ended up being 2 main directions that we decided on. One group will be doing to a very remote, poverty striken area to take food and water and all the supplies and donations that we brought with us. Another group will go back to the hospital where we were yesterday and take large fans because the circulation was so poor there and the conditions were so hot. We will also take Bibles and tracts to the patients. After we decided on those two projects, people split up into which ever group they felt God wanted them to go to and then we just asked the kids to donate whatever they wanted to give so we could buy supplies for both locations. We got over 1000 dollars from everyone on the team. W then went with one of our translators and exchanged our American dollars for Nicaraguan cordobas. That in itself was an experience. Its just a guy on the street with a machine gun and a huge bag full of cash. We are getting ready to eat lunch now. After lunch we will go to the market and buy huge 100 pound bags of beans and rice and cooking oil. We will bring them back to our hotel and spend some time packaging them up into smaller portions. We will store it all here and then deliver it to the village Friday morning. This afternoon we are back at La Quinta for a church service for teenagers. God is at work in so many powerful ways. God is working in and through our group. Its incredible to minister to these people and to serve them and meet their physical needs and tell them about Jesus, but also our times of personal Bible study, praise times and group worship sessions have been so powerful. Last night we broke up into boys and girls. I heard the boys had a really cool meeting but the girls time was unbelievable. It was so challenging and powerful. You can just feel the presence of God. The other teams think the Nebraska team is a bunch of hicks. They just can't really visualize what farmers are like and are always giving us a hard time about it..So this morning, instead of wearing the normal shorts and Tshirts that we always wear, Logan shows up to breakfast in jeans, work gloves sticking out of his back pocket, a set of pliers in his holster on his belt, a long sleeved farmers work shirt complete with grease spots and a nice pioneer seed corn hat to top it off. It was hilarious. So we have farmer Logan representing the true Nebraskan Farmer for us. Pray for Austin. He isnt feeling well. He has diahrea. We are keeping him hydrated and on imodium and some other pills he brought with him. He´s sleeping now. I´ll keep you posted. Becky. dont worry, it´s not that bad. Just a bit churny. We just bought these really yummy things cant remember what they are called from an old woman who was carrying a basket of them on her head. They were like fried tortillas dipped in honey and sugar. Oh my....they were amazing. Thanks again for your prayers. we are praying for you all as well. I praythat God will work in your lives and hearts like HE is in ours. May His Name be praised.

Polly and the Nicaragua team!

Hospital visit....

2009-07-29T10:28:00.002-05:00

We just got back from the hospital here in Jinotepe. Just for the record,don't get sick here. The place is so primitive. The poverty is unbelievable and the situations are so sad. The beds are nothing more than cots. There was no air conditioning. Its super hot, humid, and there are bugs and flies everywhere. Paint is peeling off the walls. Patients have to bring their own sheets and wear their own street clothes. Every patient has to bring a family member who will take care of them and bring them food. I never saw a blodd pressure cuff or a stethoscope, let alone any type of advanced medical equipment. The rooms were very large and had anywhere from 14 to 20 people in each room plus their family members who were with them. In each room the illnesses ranged from people with the stomach flu to motorcyle accidents to elephantitis to pancreatic cancer....all in the same huge room. We spent the afternoon with our interpreters listening to their stories and then praying for them. The people are very open to having us lay hands on them and pray for them. Many of them are Christians and love Jesus. Many others are Catholic and pray to St. Peter and Mary as well as God and Jesus. We really wish we had brought a bunch of Spanish Bibles and tracts with us. We felt bad about that and may try to go buy some and make a return visit there. What we saw just breaks your heart and makes us so grateful for the blessings that we have and all the things we take for granted back in the states. It was a very powerful, emotional and insightful afternoon. Right now there is a large band and parade going down the street. They have festivals about twice a week to celebrate different gods or leaders or events. The nationals really like to drink so any excuse to celebrate they do. Its very loud, bright and fun. The culture has been such a neat experience. Thanks for your prayers.

Greetings from Jinotepe!

2009-07-28T16:37:00.002-05:00

This morning after breakfast I went upstairs to give the boys a message about something, when I walked into their room all 5 of them were having their devotions together. You can't even know what a blessing and challenge to me it was so see these incredible young men all praying and reading scripture and sharing what God is revealing to them. Then in my own room with Jamie and Karissa we have had some of the most powerful, touching conversations. Both of them are such remarkable, godly women. It´s so much fun to see God working in them. Jamie gets so excited about her verse of the day and how God gives her a special verse that always ends up being exactly what we needed and fits so perfectly into whatever the day brings for us. I hate to keep braggin on our kids, but they are just so incredible. they truly do stand out among the other teenagers that are on our team. The boys are now collectively known as ¨The Nebraska Boys¨. when they get out of the vans at the La Quinta compound, all the kids immediately get so excited and run to our 5 guys. The leaders of the other teams as well as our project leader have mentioned over and over to me how remarkable our kids are. They are bold in their faith, outgoing, hardworking, leaders, compassionate, crazy, bold, slightly out of control, always having a blast, not reserved, godly and incredibly fun. they are always being called on to come up on stage and help with a song or to pray or to lead and participating in games. Even the teams from New York and North Carolina look to our kids to lead and get things going. They are so much fun to be around. I am so proud of each of them. They now all have nicknames. We have corn hair, mosquito face, lion head, girl hair and The Tank. This morning we helped with a VBS. The Asian team from New York was in charge so we just assisted them. The children are so beautiful. We have had such a great time interacting with them. Many of the young moms come with their children. They were so excited to make a very simple craft,sing songs, play duck duck goose and they loved the pinata that the New York team brought. This afternoon we will be going to a hospital to visit with and pray for the patients there. Ill keep you posted. Its been such a great experience so far. Thanks for your prayers. You all need to find out where God wants you to go and get signed up for a mission trip. It is life changing to see how God is at work in peoples lives. This is so amazing. We love you and miss you. Polly and the Nicaraguan Team

Tarantulas and Boy's Hygiene..Email from Polly 7-27-09 11:56PM

2009-07-28T10:02:00.002-05:00

This evening after dinner we went to the compound called La Quinta to participate in a womens and mens Bible Study. Jamie, Karissa and I attended the women´s study on beauty. Only we were slightly distracted by the tarantula that was crawling closer and closer to poor Jamie who is deathly afraid of even tiny spiders let alone giant tarantulas. She kept her feet up the rest of the night and did manage not to hyperventilate, but i´m not sure she will sleep well since she is still pretty sure something creepy is crawling on her. The spider was squashed. Good news, the airline called and they have located Del and Austins luggage and it should be delivered here late Wednesday night so just a quick 2 more days without any clean clothes and we should be good. The guys are doing great. I would have completely discombobulated by now without my luggage. The guys think it's just fine to wear the same thing that they´ve had on since we left the house Saturday morning at 5 30. Boys are gross.

Email from Polly 7:15 PM 7-27-09

2009-07-27T20:19:00.002-05:00

This afternoon was almost as amazing as the morning was. We spent it at a rehab center for men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. There were 15 men ages 16 to 60 at the center. It is run by 2 sisters from Guatemala who have just an incredible love for the Lord and a passion to serve him. So often when I am down here I think of you parents of these kids back home who would love to be able to see your kids in this situation. I feel so blessed and honored and a little bit guilty that I am here watching our team of incredible, godly, gifted, teenagers live out their faith and sharing Jesus and having these incredible life experiences. Each one of these students are so remarkable. Today they willingly and freely shared their faith stories with the men at the rehab center. It is so cool to hear our kids talking about their faith and their love for their Savior. They sing. they pray. they tell people about Jesus and they have a blast doing it. I wish every one of you could not only experience this journey in Nicaragua but to be able to do this with these kids has absolutely challenged me and made me just stand in awe that our kids are getting out of their comfort zone, being exposed to things they have never seen before and are just loving people and letting Jesus work through them. They are so bold in their faith. I have had really cool talks with each of them and you can really tell that God is at work and alive in them. Thank you for trusting me with each of them. They are doing such a great job and are just remarkable kids. I love every one of them and have great respect and admiration for being so solid in their faith and committed to our Savior. They are so willing to serve HIM and every one of them is an asset to this team. They all get along, work well together, do whatever is asked of them without hesitation or complaint. This is just an incredible experience so far and it´s only Monday. Austin got sick taking a very small bite of a really hot chili pepper. The other guys made fun of him because they also tried it and manned it up. Andrew was in tears and Del couldn't talk because his mouth was burning so bad, but at least they didnt go down lke Austin. Don't worry, Becky it wasnt that bad and he´s fine now. So he didn't make the trip to the ice cream store this afternoon. The rest of us all got huge double scoop ice cream in big waffle cones plus the boys all got huge 1 liter bottle of Coke. I paid for all of us with ten dollars and got change! It's unbelievable how cheap stuff is here. Plus, the mangos are incredible. We´ve been eating fresh mangoes off the trees. I love the foliage around here. It´s just beautiful. Thanks for praying. I´ll keep you posted as I can. We miss you and love you all. God bless!
Polly and the Nicaraguan team

Email from Polly 2:25 PM on 7-27-09

2009-07-27T15:31:00.002-05:00

I cannot even describe our morning. The Lord is working in such incredible ways... its so unbelievable. Our morning and evening worship, prayer and Bible Study times have been amazing. We have a man named Eric who is a national Nicaraguan who is our worship leader. He is amazing. Rhonda would love him. very gifted musician, very excited and loves the Lord. We have had some very powerful and worshipful times together as a group. Today, we were prepared for our day of directing vbs. We brought all our supplies, practiced our Bible story and skit, talked about the games we were going to play and packed our duffle bags with toys and prizes to give to the children. When we arrived at La Quinta, the church that we are working with, they didn't get the message and there were only a few kids there. We were discouraged since we had prepared so much for the vbs and it was one of the main focuses of the trip. But, God had something so much better in mind. Instead we went into the villages (I cant spell the word that they are called in spanish) and talked to the people and invited the children to the children's festival that we will be having on Saturday. It was such an incredible yet heart wrenching experience. The poverty, heartache, and living conditions of these people is something that we have heard of and seen pictures of yet until you actually see it and smell it you can't even believe that there are people living like this. We went with the pastor of the church, Falipio and our translator, Harold, and went into people's homes and prayed with them. One lady that we prayed with was crying and wanted us to pray because she had 3 sons and they had joined gangs. One of her sons had stabbed the other one 3 times. He was just coming out of surgery. Unbelievable stories and such an incredible need for the healing touch and saving grace of Jesus. There is never a time when our team doesn't have children clinging to them. I can't wait to show all of you the pictures. Kids are always on our shoulders and climbing on us. They are absolutely precious. It was such a powerful morning that will impact our kids for the rest of their lives. It was life changing. The supplies and plans that we had for vbs will be used on Saturday when we do the children's festival. One of the really cool things for me as the leader of this team is to watch each kid as the gifts and abilities that God has given them emerge and come to play in their part of our team. We work so well together. Each person´s gifts and talents have contributed so much to the team. We would be at a loss if it wasn't for Karissa´s incredible planning and organizational skills. She thought to bring absolutely everything we need and she planned for little details that none of the rest of us even thought of. Jamie is a spiritual giant. She truly loves the Lord and lives her life so open and pure and on fire for the Lord that it is contagious. She has shared some cool things with me that she has been learning and what the Lord is revealing to her during her quiet times. She has been a challenge to me. She asks the Lord to give her a verse of the day and so far, they have been really cool verses that are exactly what the team needs for that day. and what would we do without Austin. He is our work horse. The people here are fascinated with him because he is so huge and way bigger than any of them. The kids love him. There have been lots of times when we have had to haul luggage all over the place and his muscle and stength have been invaluable. Del is the most laid back member of the group and also our comic relief. If there is something that needs to be done Del is doing it without question or complaint. He does whatever whenever, Linc, Del and Andrew actually all the boys are the athletes of the group. they are constantly getting a pick up game of soccer going with the locals. They are not nearly as reserved or inhibited as the rest of the teams that we are with from North Carolina and New York. They see a kid that needs to be played with and instantly there is a pack of kids around them. Those boys are amazing at interacting with others. Those years on the R4 playground were in reality, training them for times like this. It is remarkable, their social skills compared to the teams from bigger cities where they didn't grow up learning to be as friendly and outgoing as our Nebraska farmer boys are. Kids don't pile on the boys from the other teams like they do our boys. Our boys were even given nicknames by the teenagers they were playing soccer with yesterday. Linc was called Girl Hair, Andrew was called Mosquito Face, a name that we have continued to call him just because it´s so funny, Logan was named Lion Head and Del called Corn Hair. Nobody really gets why they named Del that, but whatever. I think they were too intimidated by Austin's size to call him anything. So far it has been amazing. It is such a great experience. There are hardly any bugs. it´s windy here today and it´s not as humid as we expected. God is good and working in mighty ways. The testimonies of the people down here is such a challenge to our hearts. To see how little they have and how hungry they are for Jesus it so amazing. Many of us have become complacent in our walks with Jesus because we haven't had to lean on HIM in the ways that the people down here do. We just ate our pb and j sandwiches for lunch and will spend the afternoon at a rehab center. I´ll report in tonight if I get the chance. Once again, thanks so much for all your prayers and support. God is so awesome and powerful and amazing. He is changing our lives and the lives of the people we are coming in contact with. I miss you guys and can't wait to get back and give the full report.

Postings on this blog...

2009-07-26T19:34:00.002-05:00

Just wanted everyone to know that I have set my cell phone to alert me of any emails from Polly. I promise not to let any of you parents down and will get the emails posted as soon as I get them....they are the highlights of my day and don't want to delay passing on the inspiring stories that Polly sends my way!!

Thanks so much for following!!!

Photos and comments from Dirk and Becky Ehrenberg (Austin's parents)

2009-07-26T19:28:00.002-05:00

These are pictures of the Nicaragua team at Brent and Polly's getting ready to leave at 5:40 AM Saturday. There were a few extras who slept over at Brent and Polly's! Pastor Todd also was there before they left. We had a prayer holding hands in a circle before the kids left. Polly took the boys in the Suburban and Ericka took the girls with her.

Email from Polly sent 7:15 PM on 7-26-09

2009-07-26T19:14:00.002-05:00

Today was our first day of ministry here. It was awesome. First of all,we went to the church service. It is at a compound run by some missionaries. There is an orphanage there and it´s where we will be doing our Bible Study tomorrow. The kids there loved us. I have some fun pictures of the little kids climbing all over our guys. There were stray dogs running around inside the church. Then when they sing and worship they really get into it. The entire service took over 3 hours. They sang for over 1 hour. As they sang, they passed out flags,banners, pom poms, etc which we all waved during our songs. They are very emotional, happy, bouncy people. We especially enjoyed the church dance team. I guess that many of the young people at the church have come from gangs where they do alot of rap and stomp type dance and if they can still use that talent in the church it is appealing to them. Our group totally would have a done a dance routine but we forgot our dance uniforms. This afternoon we went to a very poor neighborhood where we just played and interacted with the people mostly kids there. Our boys played soccer with the local kids most of whom only had a pair of pants no shoes or shirts. they played for a long time afterwards when everyone was worn out the kids mostly teenagers sat down on a log all worn out so along with our translators we were able to share our testimonies and the salvation message with them. it was a cool kind of scary different experience but awesome. Tomorrow we are in charge of the vbs. The kids are tired and worn out but doing a great job. We are still trying to locate del and austins luggage. Hopefully it will arrive tonight. We have dinner and then we will do Bible Study and Worship together as a team. its very pretty here. very tropical. no bugs, some wind. It´s about 80 degrees. very nice. the people are very friendly. Someone tell Brent that I said Hi and I wish he was here with us. Hope all is going well at home. we love you guys. Thanks for all the prayers!

Email from Polly...

2009-07-26T09:36:00.003-05:00

This was sent at 6:14 am on 7-26-2009...

It was a long, tiring day. It looks beautiful here but we arrived after dark so we havent seen all of it very well yet. The place we are staying is really nice they have 4 talking parrots! We arrived at 1 oclock our time but we are on mountain time here. The bell boy at our hotel carries a machine gun. There are stray dogs everywhere. The poverty is unbelievable. The kids were awesome today. We have such a fun group. We all have a real bed and showers which is more than we had planned but they are a far cry from American standards. We are so excited to be here. The other 2 groups we are with seem really nice and fired up for the Lord. It will be a great experience. Tomorrow we'll actually it´s already today, I guess, we will be attending one of the church services with the missionaries and pastor that we are working with. Almost all of our luggage arrived. We are missing one duffle bag filled with supplies for the orphans and VBS and then Del and Austin didn't get their main suitcases with their clothes. Not bad for 31 people to only be missing 3 bags. We think we will get them by tomorrow. Who better than Del and Austin to be able to roll with not having any clean clothes to change into. We love you guys. Thanks for your prayers. I´ll keep you posted as much as possible. Probably wont be able to upload any pictures. Technology here is kind of primitive. I´m off to bed. I´m tired.

Thanks be to God that they made it safe and sound...Praise the Lord!!

Nicaragua or bust!!

2009-07-25T17:41:00.003-05:00

I have received several text messages from Polly and thought I had better get them posted on the website...

At 12:24pm the team was in Chicago having lunch before their flight to Houston. Polly thought that they would arrive in Managua by 8:00 p.m. She said the kids were doing awesome and that they had been sleeping

At 5:36pm Polly texted me and said that they were getting ready to board their last plane into Managua. They are all tired. It has been a long day and they still have several hours left. The kids are doing awesome!! Polly also commented taht this would be the last time that any of them would be able to use their cell phones. She was going to try to email the first chance she got.

Let's continue to pray for their safety and ask God to give them rest after such a long trip.....

Can't wait to hear how God will use our awesome kids!!!

Getting 5th out of 5500...Breaking a Guiness Book of World Record and washing cars for the Glory of God...just another day in a Holcomb youth's life!

2008-07-03T00:39:00.011-05:00

This morning began with a rock, paper, scissor type of game that every person took a part of in the morning rally and your very own Lincoln Pearson got 5th out of 5500!!!!! We were so proud. The morning continued on with 28 year old Amena Brown who has dedicated her life to praising and worshipping God through poetry. She recited 2 of her works which were absolutely incredible. Then it was off to the races with JD Greear who has done all the morning rallies so far this week. He speaks fast and furious but with humor and a love for God that is so contagious. He message today was DARE GOD......that's it....just DARE GOD!!!...you'll hear more on Sunday.

You would be so proud of your Holcomb Youth as they were a part in a breaking the Guiness Book of World Records of the Largest Kazoo Band ever. Every single person in the rally this morning was given a kazoo and played to Amazing Grace for 5 verses setting the record!!!! It was awesome!!

The afternoon was filled with our Mission project which was to travel to a Lowe's and wash cars for free and then give them a pamphlet that was inviting them to the EFC plant that was seeded at the 2004 Challenge conference. Everyone had a great time and we received a lot of business but the funny part of it was the cars that pulled in...didn't really need a washing!!!! It was like in Nebraska......I think the cars looked cleaner before we washed them with a bunch of smears!!!! It was a perfect activity for a hot day. Brandy had an encounter with a Mormon while we washed her car. She was very interesting, sweet, woman in which Brandy stood her ground for the Glory of God....!!!

We had a special surprise for Katelyn Palmer when we went back to supper. We all sang Happy Birthday to her at supper with all the conference attendess joining in. She got to feast on birthday cake for dessert...okay...well...maybe Austin got to feast more than anyone else did!!! Happy Birthday Katelyn!!!!

Our evening speaker....spoke to us about what kind of a leader people can be labeled as....One of his most interest comments was he said, "Better to light a candle than curse the darkness." How true...in other words...stop complaining about something and be the change.....Be the change has been the common theme throughout most of the rallies.....these kids are so pumped and ready to be a revolution. As an adult it is our job not only to support them in their roles but to be inspired by them!!! Let's all be a revolution!!!

The videos are of our record setting performance and singing Happy Birthday to Katelyn.

We will be loading the bus in the morning and then heading to our last day of rallies...Where has the time gone???? There probably will not be post tomorrow night as we will heading home right after the rally which usually gets over about 9:30pm....please pray for safety on our return trip and be ready for some spiritual excitement. God Bless you all for getting the kids here and checking in on them. Good night!!

Rice and Beans, Anyone????

2008-07-01T22:49:00.002-05:00

Just got back from the evening rally and a powerful one it was....but let's take it from the top...

Today our group got to sit 2 rows from the front to take in all that conference was dishing out. It was great to get so personal but us old folks were plugging our ears for parts of it. This morning we were treated to a 16 year old African boy Moses who has been a strong advocate for his country and trying to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the hurting in a country where the poor and hungry are often ignored. He was followed by the same pastor that spoke yesterday morning....and his message was that we need to stop placing our love and hope in things that can not satisfy or fulfill like Jesus can. He talked about "functional gods" which is really awesome because this is the very thing that the "Tuesday at 10" Ladies Bible Study has been discussing.

After lunch we we watched the Holcomb Hot Shots Girls Basketball team capture the championship as they beat 1 team to take it all....Perhaps everyone found out that our girls were going to play and they backed out????

The boys basketball team won their first game but lost the second by 1 point....but a good effort was given by all.

Then it was off to the mall for some shopping. It was so incredibly hot and it sprinkled on us for a little while but even the rain was hot....is that possible? We headed back to the hotel to cool off and then braced ourselves for a great feast to come....Rice and Beans....yep..you heard right....Rice and Beans....In the morning rally we were challenged to experience a meal in poverty and in most cases rice and beans is usually that main ingredients to the meal....needless to say....we feasted on these rice and beans realizing this is to be expected as a meal for thousands of people across the globe!!!!

The evening rally tonight began with an incredible drama that we will try to duplicate on Sunday......it was short, simple, and to the point and extremely powerful. The speaker featured was Becky Tirabassi who is committed to helping college students all over the country find Jesus. She herself has lived a dangerous life that had the elements of alcohol, drugs, and sex all intermixed to lead to suicidal life. She told the story of how she gave her life to Christ....which was awesome and will be saved for Youth Sunday....and she gave us the opportunity to commit to a challenge that we will share when we get back.

The photos featured tonight are .....upclose with the lead singer of Starfield, the boy named Moses, the Holcomb Hot Shots girls basketball team, the drama team, and Becky Tirabassi......the better photos that other people have taken will be featured on a powerpoint on Sunday!!!!

Thanks for checking in with us...we love you all!!!!!

2008-06-30T23:46:00.004-05:00

I just now got back to the room after another great day of spiritual nourishment. The day began with our morning rally consisting of a 16 year old boy by the name of Zach Hunter. This kid is no ordinary kid....at his young and tender age...he has already changed the world by turning Proverbs 31:8-9 into his life work. It reads..."Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. Zach Hunter has become an abolitionist and is fighting to free the slaves around the world. He has created a campaign called....Loose Change to Loosen Chains. There is a 10 minute video on you tube about Zach Hunter by clicking on the following the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wMnJidOhlQ&NR=1 As Brandy said....we as parents pray that our kids will do well in school and find a Christian spouse but have we ever prayed that our kids would come up with a revolutionary idea to change the world????

In addition to being inspired by Zach Hunter we were also introduced to J D Greear who is a pastor for Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. He spoke to us about DEMONSTRATING God's Love and the Gospel to the point that will confuse people to curiosity!! His point was that as Christians we are here on Earth to help the hurting...it's as simple as that....

Some of the Holcomb group took a quick trip to the Mormon Temple Square. It was absolutely incredible to see the architecture and beauty of all the flowers that adorned the grounds. We of course were not allowed in the temple but the other buildings were open to the public.

Later on in the afternoon...the day found the youth groups splitting up as some of Holcomb and Loomis kids headed to Salt Lake to swim and take in the scenery of this unique body of water. Tab, Ericka, Brandy and I headed to the workshops that were going on that included an interactive Q & A forum with Francis Chan (mentioned yesterday) and Zach Hunter and the speaker that spoke at tonight's rally Jimmy Dorrell. The short visit we had to the Mormon Temple square sparked my curiosity about the Mormon beliefs so we attended a workshop that explained to us about the what they believe in and why....it was interesting and very peculiar. So peculiar I myself am thinking of going back to the Mormon Temple to have an official tour with one of the tour guides and see if I can talk to them one on one and see if they answer the questions I have......The challenge I was feeling convicted of was....What good is being safe and secure in our own Christian faith if you have never shared and defended it against what I call "foreign faiths"??? ..That's the challenge I am presenting to myself. I just pray that God will be there every step of the way when I go back to revisit the Temple Square...

Tonight's speaker was Jimmy Dorrell who lives among the poor of Waco, Texas. He spoke about his church services he holds literally under the overpass which is called Church Under the Bridge. He told some amazing stories of how homeless people's lives were changed by love he showed through this God inspired church.

The pictures above in picture order are of the Mormon Assembly Hall, Mormon Tabernacle where the Tabernacle choir rehearses and performs, Mormon Temple, and Ericka and Tab meeting Francis Chan.

Loomis parents: Pastor Tom is doing his own blog...you can see more of your kids at
http://loomisefc.blogspot.com

I don't want to give away too much excitement as I want the kids to be able to tell in their own words their thoughts at the upcoming Youth Sunday service. Please continue to pray for Todd Marcy's family and thank you again for checking in....time is getting away from me and I had better head to bed.....Good night!!! ...or should I say Good morning!!!

Wow.........What more can I say????

2008-06-29T22:51:00.006-05:00

We just got back from our first evening rally....Never have I heard the chorus of..... "How Great Is Our God" sound so sweet as 6,500 youths poured their heart into each and every word. It makes me think of Pastor Todd's Dad........Dale Marcy who went home to be with the Lord today and he is now in the presence of our GREAT and AWESOME GOD!!!! Can we even imagine what it will be like as we approach His throne....approach His Majesty and approach Him with such reverence as John did in Revelations 1: 17 which is the very verse that Francis Chan (our first featured speaker) meditated on this evening which reads...."When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as though dead".... Even more... can you even begin to fathom that this Great and Glorious God, hears our prayers and yet we almost treat such an honorable relationship as being so casual!!!! I would rather have the kids give you a glimpse of what they were challenged with this evening in their Youth Sunday on July 6th....but for now...let's put our focus on lifting the Marcys up in prayer in their loss and pray for God's Strength and Guidance to give them peace and comfort. Thanks againg for checking in!!!

The video below is the band of Starfield who is leading us in worship throughout the week!!

From sleeping cuties to majestic beauty...

2008-06-29T16:00:00.004-05:00

Everyone from Holcomb, Westmark, Keene, and Loomis E Free made it to SLC safe and sound. The bus ride was very quiet with sweet sounds of snoring echoing in the background. The delight for the morning was these cute little saddles we decided to sit at in a McDonald's in Wyoming while we ate our breakfast. It's amazing what little it takes to entertain teenagers!!! We had a round robin of questions and answers to get to know everyone from the different churches that rode on the bus. I think the boys enjoyed it more than anything because it gave them the courage to talk to the girls and get to know them better. We were greeted on the way to SLC by a very beautiful mountain range illuminated by the sunsrise. Is God is the greatest Artist ever? It is very, very hot and come to discover that the conference facility is like 80 miles from our hotel room....okay so maybe that is an extreme but in the heat it feels like a million miles away. We are getting ready to head to supper at 5:00 and then the first of many powerful evening rallies.

Please keep Pastor Todd and his family in your prayers... He is greatly missed on our trip of revival but know that he needs to be with his Dad...who has taken a turn for the worse with his heart condition and as of the latest information we have is on life support.

Also keep Norm and Betty Isaacson in your prayers as Norm's mother continues to be in ill health.

Thank you all for checking in on this.....We hope to have many God inspiring stories to share so stay tuned....and God Bless!!!

National Youth Group Conference 2008 aka "Parents Vacation from their kids for a week"

2008-06-19T08:48:00.036-05:00

Can't wait for conference....enough said??? I am so excited and can't wait to see what God will do to these kids and the churches that they will go home to!!

Just some info to keep everyone posted...
Holcomb, Westmark, Keene, and Loomis E Free girls will be leaving from Holcomb around midnight on evening that lies in between Saturday and Sunday June 28-29th.....and will be heading to Salt Lake in a full bus......... so.........who of you parents will have the joy of bringing your child in the middle of the night to send them on your way????

For those that will actually miss their kids!: We will return sometime on Friday, July 4th as we will be leaving on Thursday night right after the last rally!!!

Our hotel that we will be staying at is called the Red Lion Hotel in Salt Lake City...the website of that hotel is....
http://www.redlion.rdln.com

The website to the conference is to the left in the navigation bar.......

I will post more as the conference gets closer.....and of course....don't forget to PRAY!!!!

God's blessings to you!!!

Youth Conference is coming...Are you ready???

2008-02-09T16:26:00.000-06:00

Polly Pearson has asked me to remind parents and students that the $100 deposit for Youth Conference is now due. If you have any questions about conference, please see Polly or Brandy. You can click on the link to the right to check out the upcoming conference that will take place this summer!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas....

2007-12-03T20:06:00.000-06:00

Important stuff to know....

1. Christmas Cookie Fund Raiser: Please bring 2 dozen homemade Christmas cookies to church on 12-9-07. We will be selling them between Sunday school and church and then after church. The funds will go to help with expenses for youth conference this summer.

2. Christmas Party: December 12th will be our annual Christmas party. Please bring a fun, white-elephant gift to exchange.

3. Meal & Meeting Schedule: Please have your parents sign up for a meal for youth group for second semester. The schedule is posted on the side of the mail boxes in the foyer.

REMEMBER JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!!!

Prayer Requests....Links to Nick's Story

2007-09-16T17:10:00.000-05:00

Please keep Gene Norberg (Carl's Dad) in your prayers as he has undergone heart bypass surgery in Lincoln.

Also pray for Joe Kenton for his knee to heal quickly and completely.

The links to check out for the rest of Nick's story from the "Life Without Limbs" DVD are as followed..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY5Uo1PfZuY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LtCrlXdd2E They are awesome!!!

Don't forget to check out the calendar of events as there has been a couple of updates. Thanks!!!

Parents, Grandparents, and all other Chefs.....Timberlake???

2007-09-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

The Timberlake Retreat that was scheduled for September 15-16 has been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts........

We are still in need for people to sign up for youth group meals. Please see the calendar to see what Wednesdays are avaible.... Usually we plan for around 30-35. Thanks so much!!

Uh Oh.....

2007-08-04T01:33:00.001-05:00

Okay who brought the NO Saints cheerleader home??? Oops...sorry it's Tessa...Welcome home Tessa!!!

Welcome Home Mission Trip Family...Welcome Home!!

2007-08-04T01:26:00.001-05:00

Where do I even begin to accurately describe how proud we all are in our kids and sponsors for all their hard work and unselfishness? It was soooooo good to see them again...They all made it back to Holcomb in one piece, safe and sound...and they were all anxious to get home and bond with their bed. Here are some photos of joy and happiness in greeting them home. We want to extend another thank you to all those who made this trip possible. We want to thank everyone for their prayers...We also want to say thank you to Blake Holen (from Oxford) and Jonathan Larson (from Holdrege) for being a part of the Holcomb family. Thank you Polly, Brandy and Pastor Todd for your leadership and genuine concern of these kids. We knew the kids were in good hands. Thank you Lord for not only giving our kids and sponsors an opportunity to serve but for allowing us to share it with them. I close with one final thought for our Mission Trip Team ....Matthew 25: 21 His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant(s)!

Nebraska....the Good Life!!

2007-08-03T20:01:00.000-05:00

Just got word that the team is back in Nebraska!!!! They are eating in York and then heading home...They had a little bit of a delay in that Polly had a flat tire...but that got fixed. I really hope they all stop at the church for one big photo but we'll see. So...hopefully they will be home by midnight!!! Sounds like everything went well for the flight...they were on their way to baggage claim.....Don't know how many kids got stuffed into bags to save on airfare but I hope everything and everyone gets claimed!!! Thanks for checking in....and thank you to some very special blessings and neighbors...the Kreutzers....you are too good for me.....God Bless everyone...there will probably be one more post with a group photo and then it's time to go into retirement!!! Do I dare say one more time...don't forget to come to Holcomb this coming Sunday!!! Bye!!

A sightseeing experience at the airport...

2007-08-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

I am still laughing from a phone call that I just got from Polly. While at the airport, the boys were in for a tremendous treat as they got to see and meet......the New Orleans Saints Cheerleaders!!!!!!!! I guess you could say...What a send-off!!!!

A Quick note

2007-08-03T14:46:00.000-05:00

They are all at the airport...at the gate of their flight and ready to board!!! YIPPEEE!!!!!

A final prayer walk....

2007-08-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

Polly sent these photos of the "9th Ward" area that was hit hardest by the wrath of Katrina. This was their final duty before heading to the airport for their 3:10pm flight. I looked online to see what the flight schedule was and I believe they will be on American Airlines Flight 477 that leaves New Orleans at 3:10 and will arrive in Dallas, TX at approx. 4:40. They will then board American Airlines Flight 440 that will depart Dallas at 5:55pm and will arrive in Omaha 7:35pm...of course all subject to change. I have set my email to receive notifications if the flights are delayed or if they are on time. I also have an informant who will let me know if they all got on the plane and other useful info. Thanks for checking in....please pray for their safety in their return!!! God Bless you all!!!

A Very Special Braid-y Bunch!!

2007-08-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

God doesn't give us overcoming life--He gives us life as we overcome! This was today's topic in the daily devotional of "My Utmost for His Highest" that the kids have been reading since the beginning of summer to help prepare them for their trip. Our kids have helped so many whose lives have been turned upside down. The message through all their hard work is love as "He gives us life as we overcome." As I sit down to post tonight...I had to clean my fingers and face from an incredibly awesome pie that was just delivered from a wonderful blessing by the name of Jeanette.... I can't believe I have the honor of hearing first hand what the kids are doing and getting rewarded with an awesome pie for doing it. I feel guilty eating the pie as I haven't done a very good job and here is one reason why. I need to clarify one error that I made in an earlier post...the kids were unable to clean at McDonald's because of State Law but they were able to clean at Burger King. Which they said they had a great time doing. After their showering this afternoon, they became the BRAID-Y Bunch as everyone braided each other's hair. I don't believe the boys were part of this bonding experience. Then the team went to Knights of Columbus for supper and sat around and talked and visited with other teams and it was an awesome night of reflection. They were unable to go to the 9th Ward as previously planned so they are planning on stopping there on the way to the airport tomorrow. Their flight does leave at 3:00pm so please keep them in your prayers as they travel home tomorrow.....

Did I mention that the Mission Trip Team will be doing the church service at Holcomb EFC at 10:45 am on Sunday, August 5th???

I hope to be hearing tomorrow a little more concrete itinerary....so we know exactly when to expect them in our neck of the woods for a wonderful homecoming!!! Thanks again for checking in....Your prayer support is awesome!!!

The finalists in the "Nebraskans in New Orleans Beauty Pageant!"

2007-08-02T16:08:00.001-05:00

The team has had a very powerful day so far....They learned today how to extend grace and mercy on what we would consider the most undeserving people. During their ATL time (Ask the Lord) Brandy felt God's leading to revisit a lady at McDonald's who was very rude to her, to see if she needed some cleaning done...(Is that grace or what?) The team went to both McDonald's and Burger King and mopped floors, cleaned toilets, took out the trash, and cleaned counters.....They didn't stop there. The team also felt God's calling them to return to a previous project and they did some painting and mowing and before they knew it they had people asking them..."Can you mow our lawn?...can you mow our lawn?....can you mow our lawn?....can you mow our lawn?..." You get the picture. So they became very experienced in mowing tall grass..(parents...be gentle...don't ask your kids to mow your lawns the second they come back!!!!) They figured they mowed about 4-5 lawns today which is probably more equivalent to 12-15 considering how many times they had to go over them. The photo that was passed along is the final beautification process after being dirty from head to toe...I bet the showers felt great and it was good to feel clean again. I hope to get a phone call tonight but sounds like they will have a busy evening....I forgot to mention last night how much the team enjoys Praise and Worship with the other teams. They said it was like at conference where you get a daily dose of High Energy for God!!! The team will fly out tomorrow I believe at 3:00pm??? So it will be late before they reach their own beds....Thanks again for checking in!!! Don't forget...THE MISSION TRIP TEAM WILL BE DOING THE CHURCH SERVICE ON AUGUST 6TH AT 10:45 AM AT HOLCOMB EFC...COME CHECK IT OUT!!!! Thanks!!!

"They just want to tell their stories"

2007-08-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

Got a phone call from Polly tonight about the day's events which includes being 25 yards from a scene of car crash, working in an area known as the murder capital of the US, being the brunt of a child's lack of structure, and being involved in therapeutic listening....Let's take it from the top....The kids did not actually see the car crash that was mentioned but they heard it as they were only a few yards away from the noise. The driver of the vehicle was hauled away in a cop car and that was the last they heard. As noted in a prior comment, Angie received a text message from Katelyn that they were working in one of the most dangerous area in the US and that there was no need to worry as no one in their group was shot...Whew!!! Thank you Lord for your protection. Tab had a rude awakening of the effects of what lack of structure and discipline can have on a young person as there are some kids who haven't been back to school in 2 years. Poor Tab was trying to be open and loving towards an individual and she snapped back at her something that only Tab could accurately imitate!!! It sounds like the BBQ went on as planned which it has been said that this is good therapy for the residents as they can come together and visit with mission trip team members who are willing to lend an ear and open hearts to those that are still hurting. "They just want to tell their stories" to someone...anyone...These days it's hard for them to find people that will listen to them as assistance from FEMA, Red Cross, and the government has left......but many residents say that the churches are still coming!!!! Praise the Lord. However, that makes some residents a little leary to say too much as they "don't want to be preached at anymore." Polly's voice was so filled with enthusiasm as she shared some stories with me but I think I will let them have the opportunity to tell firsthand the remarkable accounts they were shocked to hear. The Mission Trip team will be doing the church service this coming Sunday, August 6th at Holcomb EFC at 10:45am. Everyone is invited to come and hear their amazing journey. Tomorrow the team's agenda is totally dependent on the Lord's leading. They call it ATL which stands for Ask the Lord. They will seek God's Guidance in prayer and whatever God calls them to do....they will do, go, and serve!! Isn't that awesome? They will also be involved with a prayer walk in what is called the ?th Ward which is the area that was hardest hit by Katrina. Please pray for the group that they will be open and receptive to God's calling during their ATL time and that their prayer walk would be a blessing on the area. Thank you to everyone who has left comments....I have told them that they need to read these when they get back and I do relay who has left comments when someone calls...they cannot believe the response and prayer support they are getting from people. It is felt and very much appreciated!!! Good night!!

Lamentations 3:22-24 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning!

2007-08-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

First of all, I apologize for not getting these photos on sooner...because of the wonderful blessing of rain...we have spent the day in Omaha at the zoo and was finally able to get to a computer to get some awesome pictures posted....Polly said on a voice mail message that she has a really neat story to tell..hope I will hear tonight. Brandy Edgren sent some photos of the neighborhood that their project is located in. In her words, "It is not a nice neighborhood." As you will note on one of the pictures the sign says, "Secured by 44 Mag". That's a comfort....Polly's group was also working at a job site today and I believe Todd's group is doing VBS (not exactly certain!) The last photo is one that show just how committed our team is beating out one another. The object of the game was to see who could keep their hand on the HOT car the longest....not exactly sure who won but by the looks of the faces I am taking stab that Katelyn didn't win it. Stay tuned for more!!! Thanks to whoever posted the link to this website on Charity George's site. Please continue to lift Charity and her family up in prayer....she is fighting a very courageous battle and needs intercession on a constant basis. Thanks for checking in....We love you all!!!

Good Night..Sleep Tight..Don't Let the Bunk Beds Bite!!

2007-07-31T22:06:00.000-05:00

My informant just called and filled me in on the latest happenings for today....
There were some exciting news today as Brandy's team met a celebrity...okay..maybe not a celebrity to all of us but to those that have been following AIM's blog prior to this mission trip... The following text below was copied from AIM's blog written on 6-29-07 about a man named Mark which happens to be who Brandy's team met today...This is definately God driven as they were to work on someone else's house but that person wasn't home so they had the opportunity and privilege to work on Mark's. Here is his story....

Hurricane Katrina destroyed his mother-in-law's house. Their initial plan was to cut and run, but he and his wife felt like God was telling him to sell their house, quit his job and move near her and work full time to rebuild his mother-in-law's house. Quickly, Mark became overwhelmed with the scope of the job. It was too much. Yet, as he prayed, he kept feeling like God was telling him, "August. The house will be done in August." He couldn't understand. Was God going to give him superhuman strength to work all day and night? At a meeting Pastor Sherman held, he asked if anyone needed help and Mark replied that he could use some help moving drywall upstairs. "Is that it?" asked Pastor Sherman. That was the week before the first week of trips here. Nearly every day since there has been a team of AIM participants at Mark's house insulating, putting up drywall and now starting to finish as well. The first time I saw Mark's house, it was basically just a shell, but almost almost all the walls upstairs are complete! God did not give Mark superhuman strength. Instead, he gave Mark a team of people to show up and help every day. And Mark is overwhelmed. In AIM, we speak a lot to our participants about listening for God's voice. In Mark's case, our participants faithfulness have taught Mark how to listen to the voice of God.

Brandy's team mudded walls at Mark's house today and thank the GOOD LORD that Brandy brought her expertise to the project...Using her skills learned from her husband she was able to help the team figure out exactly what they were to be doing.

Polly's team was busy with VBS as the pictures depicted.....and Oh my goodness....Holcomb's reputation may never be the same....Polly introduced the black children to the FUNKY CHICKEN...that's right....she has let the Holcomb VBS tradition out of the bag!!! Polly's group was very encouraged by their experiences today and who wouldn't be with the Funky Chicken?

Todd's group mowed and mowed and mowed and mowed...I think they mowed 3 lawns today...They met with Beacon of Home and talked to some guys who have suffered different addictions.

Jamie decided with the lack of guarantee of the bunk beds to sleep on a single cot next to Polly. The only problem now is that every time one of them moves it sounds like gastrointestinal distress!!!

Tomorrow's festivities include a community BBQ near the church where they are staying...It sounds like our group may be doing the grilling..... These BBQ's keep getting bigger as they have them so it will be interesting to see how many they will have tomorrow.

What a joy it is to hear such wonderful news!! I so look forward to the phone calls I get and the pictures I receive...it has been an honor and privilege to be a part of the communication chain. Thanks guys....you make me feel so special!!! We love you all so much!!!

Can work honestly be this fun?

2007-07-31T17:26:00.001-05:00

Looks like the crews from the Holcomb Deconstruction Team are having a great time!! I will be getting a report later on tonight of what has happened today and to keep you in suspence one student has an awesome story to tell!!!

Matt 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

2007-07-31T09:21:00.000-05:00

Polly just sent me some photos of her group assisting with VBS this morning. The first photo is Katelyn and Arlene and the second photo is Tessa and Laudrick. I wonder who is teaching who???? Looks they eveyone is having fun!!

Boy Tackles Del...and other inspiring info...

2007-07-30T21:54:00.001-05:00

One of the Holcomb small groups consisting of Pastor Todd, Tabitha, Jamie, Krista, and Blake worked today with Beacon of Hope, an organization that helps those in need. They cleaned out a lady's house that wasn't bad on the outside but was still in need of cleanup on the inside. They also cleaned a yard that still had stuffed animals strung around from Katrina's fury. They also cleaned an outside of restaurant that had weeds growing everywhere but the inside was already gutted. It was told that the owner of the restaurant was on his deathbed so the future of the restaurant was not known. One of the things that seemed so peculiar was the fact that there would be one house that was remodeled with occupants and then the building beside it hadn't been touched. After lunch...the group also did a prayer walk and had the opportunity to talk to different people who were very friendly. There was an older gentleman who approached the group and asked if they would be willing to mow his lawn that hadn't been mowed in some time. The group agreed and when they got there the lawn was up to their knees and they had to go "over it like 6 times" and bag it by hand. What normally would have taken a half hour took 2 hours in very hot conditions!! The man was grateful however...which made it all worth it!!

The group headed by Brandy did VBS today and it was very "chaotic." They had about 14 kids and 20 adults in a church. VBS ran from 9am to 3pm but it sounds like the Holcomb group was a hit with the kids since they brought with them nail polish and face paint. The kids thought that it would be fun to paint the Holcomb people rather than vice versa. In the end, their faces looked like Indian war faces and they had what seemed like 7 layers of nail polish on. It was also relayed that a boy was chasing Del and believe it or not..caught him and tackled him to the ground...potential blackshirt for the Huskers???

Tomorrow's (Tuesday) agenda includes Polly's group is doing VBS, Brandy's group will help paint or sand walls to get them ready to paint, and Pastor Todd's group will be on another work project.

One prayer request that was passed along was to pray that their beds would hold up. They are very small bunk beds as you can tell in the one of the first photos that was sent. Last night one of the boys from the other team took a crash to the floor as he was on the top and his bed broke...Fortunately, there was no one underneath him. Could you imagine having sweet dreams and then having something crash on top of you?

Overall, the group is hanging in there...everyone is still having a great time and everyone is healthy. Thank you for your prayers and for checking in on them...I told them how many hits there have been on the website and they were shocked!!

I had to chuckle a little today as the Our Daily Bread bottom line was.. "God's love still stands when all else has fallen".....that's a good point to sleep on .....especially in a bunk bed!!! Thanks!!!

Prayer Walk

2007-07-30T13:35:00.000-05:00

Just received a photo from Polly of our awesome Prayer Warriors and their Prayer Walk.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...Php 4:13

2007-07-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

Polly called and forwarded these photos of her team that is working on deconstruction. Polly's words echo through my mind..."It is just amazing and it breaks your heart" to see the devastation of these homes. The house they are working on belongs to a single woman whose momentos and possessions were destroyed by the rising waters of Katrina. Please pray that she would find hope and peace in our Comforter even in the midst of such terrible circumstances.

For Polly's crew their schedule consists today of deconstruction...then lunch...then a prayer walk/street evangelism around the project areas that will be worked on later.

Pastor Todd's group is on the same schedule as Polly's crew and Brandy's group will be involved with VBS today....

The weather is very hot and humid but they are surviving and everyone is healthy. Polly made the comment that the kids are by no means getting gourment meals but rather getting cold cereal for breakfast and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch....but the kids haven't complained one bit!!! Aren't they great???

Thank you Lord for giving us a glimpse of what being a servant is all about.....we can't wait to have them home but are grateful they are being your Hands and Feet for people in need!!

Thanks for checking in...more to come!!! P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JULIE!!

It has been said.....

2007-07-29T21:27:00.000-05:00

Just received a call from one of my informants on the day's activities...
The team is staying at a church in the upstairs of what used to be a fellowship hall that has been divided by plywood to separate it from boys and girls. They are staying with a team from Sung II Church from California while the other teams on this mission are staying elsewhere. All together there are about 33 individuals staying in this church with 4 showers for the girls and some showers for the boys. The boys' showers are outside surrounded by tarp. The team's day began today and going forward at 6:00 am with devotions and games. The team had some witnessing training before they attended an African American Baptist church service in downtown New Orleans. They had the opportunity to pray with the other team staying with them. The church service was truly an amazing and awesome experience and their were Hallelujas and clapping going on all the time. They even poured oil on their hands which was something the team was not familiar with. After church it was time for lunch. Their daily lunch menu includes sandwiches that they make on their own. A city tour was scheduled today but was cancelled due to heavy rains so the team was allowed to take a much deserved and needed nap this afternoon. The guys headed to Wal-mart to buy more food...in the hope that they could successfully accomplish their mission of a full stomach!! The team did get a glimpse of some houses where restoration has not even began and looked at a school that hasn't been open for 2 years. Their daily suppers will be at the Knights of Columbus where they will meet up with the other 6 groups on this mission. They also have praise and worship following their supper. Tomorrow's plans include one Holcomb small group will help with VBS and 2 other Holcomb small groups will be doing restoration. Please pray for joy and strength in their duties!!

Isn't God amazing? In the Our Daily Bread devotions for today the title was God's Delays which was fitting for the individuals who flew today to NO. The verse was Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart and watch to see what He will say to me. That speaks volumes to me as I pray for the kids and their wait and dependence on the Lord to create opportunities to share their faith and love in the coming days.

Another item that needs to be addressed of high importance is that it is JULIE BERGMAN'S BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!!! Happy Birthday Julie!! Thank you for all you do for your family, church, and for the Lord!!! Hope you have a great one!!!

Julie Bergman writes...

2007-07-29T18:41:00.001-05:00

Hooray! Everyone is in NO safely. Thanks, Lord.Thanks, too, to all of you who've helped make this experience possible for the group.
July 29, 2007 6:16 PM

Where are they now?

2007-07-29T14:46:00.000-05:00

Pastor Todd, Krista, Jamie, and Jordan are on their way to NO after a minor obstacle...just received a text message from Jordan at 2:55 pm that they made it!!!!!..Praise the LORD!!!!!

Received some photos of what the kids saw during their sightseeing venture. I am assuming this is the French Quarters area but not certain...these were photos that Brandy took of some of the buildings.

Sounds like the team will be split up into 3 smaller teams as they go on their work sites. Pray that even though they may be apart...they will be together in spirit. The Lord must want to show them different views of what love is all about!! The other news was they the kids have learned how to plunge toilets...something that will come in handy down the road I'm sure...and the kids have only 1 hour to take showers for the entire team....don't know how many showers they have but I am sure that Gray is upset because he can't completely beautify himself!!!

Polly called at 1:00pm and said that they attended a church service downtown that was incredible and was an awesome cultural experience and the singing was great! They were getting ready to go on a prayer walk. Today was going to be a little low key as they get prepared to work tomorrow. It has rained there and they were having a good time.

Thank you for your prayers and for checking in!!

Do these people look like they are ready to go on a Mission Trip?

2007-07-28T19:59:00.000-05:00

These people look too dressed up to be going to NO to work....This is the second group of individuals (Jamie Wells, Pastor Todd, and Jordan Wells) with Krista Bergman missing from the picture that will be leaving at around 2:00 am later on tonight or early Sunday morning to go to the Omaha airport where they will be on the same flight pattern as the first group. Please pray for these individuals as they head down the road. Please pray especially for Todd as he has had a BUSY day with Ashley Davison's Wedding! (Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Brad Mueller!! It was a beautiful wedding!)

New Orleans (NO)...Here we are!!

2007-07-28T19:53:00.000-05:00

Word has it that they have safely arrived to their destination in NO. Ericka Bergman sent this photo via camera phone and her comment was that this is where all the girls would be staying...very cozy...and that they were in for a very INTENSE week. Thanks Ericka for the update! Thanks for checking in on our kids!!! Alot more to follow! In order to view the picture bigger just click on the photo and it will enlarge it!! Thanks!!

Good-bye!!

2007-07-28T19:49:00.001-05:00

I forgot to post the saddest photo as Linda (Edgren) and I watched them go on to a world unkown........

More photos....

2007-07-28T09:34:00.003-05:00

2007-07-28T09:34:00.001-05:00

And they're off!!!

2007-07-28T09:18:00.002-05:00

It is 9:18 am and Linda and I just got home...thought we would do some posting. Everyone made it to the airport safe and sound and snoozing (except the drivers of course!) There were quite a few people in the airport at 4:45 am so it took a little longer to get the kids to check in luggage and get their tickets but they were ready to board their 6:20 flight by 5:30am!!! They were all a little groggy from their snoozes but you could tell they were excited to keep moving on. When they arrive in NO later today...they will do some sightseeing as they really won't have time to do it later on in the week. They will eat supper tonight with the AIM team and other churches making the trip this week. So today they will be in a more relaxed setting which will be good considering all the interrupted snoozes they had. It wasn't 30 minutes from leaving the airport that we received a text message from Ericka and 3 phone calls from Gray saying they were already missing us...how sweet!! Linda and I were greeted with rain showers on the way home from Grand Island west...Praise the Lord...since alot of farmers lost their irrigation help!!! Praise the Lord for His Goodness and His Protection....Thank you for your prayers...they were felt and answered!!! Here are some fun images to scroll through...Enjoy

2007-07-28T09:18:00.001-05:00

Ericka said...
Hey! It's Ericka, it's about 10:15 on Friday night. We leave in about 3 hours. My suitcase is almost ready to go, I just have to add in a few last minute things. I told Carolyn (aka Stuck in Nebraska) that I'd help her stay awake on the way to Omaha, but now I'm thinking that's not going to happen! Keep her and our other drivers in your prayers!I'm really excited about this next week. I know God's going to do some amazing things

Here we go!!!!

2007-07-27T21:15:00.000-05:00

In just a few short hours the first group of Mission Trip team members will be leaving the familiar setting of Holcomb church to embark on potentially one of the most incredible adventures of all time. The first group will be leaving the church at around 1:30am to head for the Omaha airport. Please pray for safe travel of the team that will include a caravan of 3 vehicles. Please pray that the vehicles will not break down and that the drivers will stay awake!!!! Also, please pray for the families that will be left behind as they say their goodbyes and farewells to the kids as they depart for a challenging week. The second team will be leaving at approximately the same time on Sunday morning as those individuals will have a big day on Saturday being a part of Ashley Davison's wedding. We will get some pictures of the trip to Omaha posted (most likely they will be pictures of sleeping beauties)!!!! Thanks again for all the support shown and for checking in on our Mission!!!

2007-07-24T11:24:00.001-05:00

On behalf of the Mission Trip Team Members, we would love to extend a heartfelt and sincere thank you to everyone who helped make this Mission Trip possible. Thank you for your financial support, prayers, and words of encouragement. Thank you for the opportunities to serve whether by meals, cleaning up yards, moving, or painting. There have been some memorable moments in all of these experiences which has brought the team closer together. Thank you to the parents of team members for helping us with various fundraisers and your support. Thank you Lord for giving us the abilities to serve others in order to serve You!!

2007-07-22T21:02:00.000-05:00

Only 6 more days and our team will be making the trip towards an awesome experience!!

2007-07-21T22:06:00.000-05:00

Only 7 more days until a radical revival!!