**** Intern Partnerships ****
Madison Halbrook
My family started attending Christ Community when I was ten years old. Since then, we have become members, and I have always considered this my home church, even when I moved away to start college in Mississippi. I attended Ole Miss and there became involved with the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry. I first became involved with Campus Crusade during my freshman year. Since then, I have been blessed through their ministry in many ways. I went to Italy for a week-long mission trip; to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a four-week summer training project; and to multiple conferences and retreats. Coupled with their wonderful, Spirit-led staff, Campus Crusade has helped me grow in my relationship with God by learning how to walk with Him daily, share my personal testimony, and lead Bible studies for my peers.
Last summer, as I was entering my last year of college, I spent a lot of time trying to decide what plans to pursue after graduation. At the time, I anticipated attending graduate school for interior design. However, as I prayed about it, I felt like God was taking me down a different path. He wanted me to enter ministry.
I wasn't exactly sure of where or how God wanted me to serve, so because of the experience that I have with Campus Crusade, I applied for a position within their ministry. I know how much I have received as a result of the organization and want to be able to give back and serve others in the same way. I am still not sure of my long-term calling, so my job is a one-year commitment to work in Campus Crusade’s world headquarters in Orlando, Florida. I am really excited about this opportunity and all of the new experiences and skills it is sure to bring. However, there are many areas that I would love to serve in, so I am also praying that God would use this year to show me where my skills and passions can best be used.
In Orlando, I will be working as a part of the Every Student Sent team. Our vision is to see the 10,000 annually graduating students who have been mentored by Campus Crusade equipped to be Christ-centered laborers who continue to surrender to Christ and make a lifelong Kingdom impact no matter where God sends them. We are establishing partnerships with groups who can engage and coach students upon graduation into two to five years of initial ministry effectiveness. In order to achieve this, we are pursuing partners who have vision and experience and who can develop a team and are willing to take risks with recent graduates to further ministry in an industry, city, or other ministry context.
Like many other missions organizations, Campus Crusade for Christ workers must raise all of their financial support for salary and other ministry expenses. I have been overwhelmed this summer by the way I have seen God provide for my needs! I currently have donations pledged to cover all of my support for the year, but $6000 of that I have not received yet. If anyone would like to help cover that amount, they can give online at https://give.ccci.org/give/0629687 or can contact me directly by phone (318-243-0007) or email (madison.halbrook@gmail.com)!
Skarleth Vargas
We would like to introduce you to Skarleth Layda Vargas Camacho. In October 2009 Skarleth came to the US from Argentina to visit and volunteer with her friends, the Prescotts, in their ministry with Campus Crusade's Bridges International, a ministry to international students.
Skarleth met the Prescotts while attending the Universidad Nacional de Tucuman in Argentina. Through the love her mentor and the ministry of Crusade she continued growing in her relationship with the Lord while obtaining a law degree and after graduation while practicing law and finishing a Masters in International Relations. Eventually she started taking on more of a leadership role leading small group Bible studies, discipling women, and sharing the story of God's redemption and forgiveness through her testimony. Skarleth came to know the Lord as her savior at a young age and unfortunately also experience the pain of brokenness. She lived with many doubts and questions for much of her adolescence. To read more of her testimony scroll down.
Since arrive in Ruston, Skarleth has very quickly began building relationships with International students at LA Tech and Grambling through her volunteerism with Bridges. She has also become involved here at CCC through our Missions-University team outreach to internationals with Dan & Dawn Erickson. She began to strongly sense the Lord was calling her to stay beyond just a visit and enter into ministry. So, she began pursuing an internship with Crusade and was accepted into their 1 year program. She has seen God validate this calling in many ways one of which was her Visa being changed from a Visitor's visa to a Religious visa and approved in less than a month! Only God! Skarleth has chosen to make CCC her U.S. home church through membership and will be a sweet addition to our family.
Thus we would like to share with you the opportunity to be a part her ministry this next year. As is the case with most mission organizations, Campus Crusaders must raise all of their financial support for salary and other ministry expenses. Her financial support goal is $2900/month and she is currently at 87% of that goal. Her target date to have all of her support raised is 1 September. If you would join her support team click here: https://give.ccci.org/give/View/0629534 You can also reach her by phone at 318-265-0950 or email skarleth2977@hotmail.com
As hard as Skarleth works at raising support and outreach she has also been teaching free classes in the Student center at Tech. In what, you ask? Salsa! Skarleth is a Salsa dance instructor. She is very much a people person and enjoys meeting and hanging out with people, taking the initiative, and being proactive in building relationships. These passions are wonderful "Bridges" to the many relationships she is building with International students in our Parish. Perhaps she'll consider giving a few lessons here at CCC. Len it's time to order those Salsa shoes.
We look forward to watching the wonderful things God will do in and through Skarleth this next year. We are sure that the pace will sometimes be fast, sometimes slow, and always be a joyous dance with our Lord (Jer. 31:13). Will you consider joining her in the dance?
Skarleth's Testimony
I was born into a religious family and grew up with the idea that God took care of people. But two events profoundly changed my idea of God between ages 5 and 7. My parents split up from one day to the other which I dreaded but expected. All of a sudden my mom, my second brother and I were living in Argentina while my oldest brother stayed with my dad in Bolivia. The other event was more personal and affected my childhood forever, that fact completely destroyed my thinking about God but was something that even if I was 6 years old made me think that this world was completely miserable.
In less than two years, I experienced the constant instability of my family, and questioned in many ways the unconditional love of God and his sovereignty. However, I received Jesus in my heart when I was seven years old, the idea of being born again and the search for hope is what led me to make that decision. I was aware of my anger with God and needed to believe that everything could be different.
Throughout my childhood I found myself wrestling with God, I spent most of my teen years struggling with this. When I doubted whether Jesus really lived in my heart, people would come into my life who reminded me the decision I had made when I was seven years old. My life was like a carousel, going up and down and I was still going around in circles.
It was at that point that I started college and met a group of Christians who shared their faith in Jesus and seemed to live a life totally different from what I was experiencing at that time. I got involved in a small group and started to grow spiritually. I learned that to live the Christian life I needed to trust in the Holy Spirit to control me and that this makes a huge difference. I could forgive all those who had hurt me. I could do this through the love that Jesus put in me. And since then, God was working in my life to restore each of the areas of my life. There were people who were involved in my life and for whom I am so grateful because they loved me deeply as Jesus does. Today I can experience the love and abundant life that God promised. After all, Jesus is the good shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes after the one who was lost.
Tyler Miller
Hello, my name is Tyler Miller. I have just recently graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a BS in mechanical engineering. However, instead of heading straight into my career, I will be living in Southeast China for a year starting at the end of August. I hope to enroll as a student to have an on-campus presence in the lives of Chinese students. While this trip is through my home church, The Chapel on the Campus in Baton Rouge, CCC has played a big part in this journey that I am taking. I have been attending CCC ever since I was a freshman in the Fall of 2006. During my time at Tech I began to learn how much of a heart our LORD has for the nations. The class Perspectives had a major role to play in that revelation. I tried to put what I learned into practice by reaching out to international students on campus. I basically just shared life by hanging out with them. What I do in China will basically be like the ministry I was involved with at Tech except I will now be the international student. I have reached my full support, but I would still love to partner with you in prayer. If you would like receive direct updates on what I'm doing while I'm over there, just shoot me an e-mail at trm018@gmail.com. Thanks, or I guess I should say 谢谢!
**** On-going Partnerships ****
Share International
Share International (SI) is an Evangelical Mission agency established for the purpose of sharing the gospel and our very lives by:
Click here to find out more about Share International - STORM or email Share Int. Director, Sammy Murimi at Share123@bellsouth.net
On August 29th, Sammy Murimi Director of Share International, will be preaching and, along with Mary Murimi & Dana Trauth, will be sharing stories from the 2010 STORM trip.
Medical Centers of West Africa (MCWA)
MCWA's goal is to represent Jesus Christ through the medical work done by Western missionaries and volunteers at Hospital de Meskine, located in the tiny village of Meskine. Through loving medical care, missionaries are able to give physical help as well as to portray in word and deed the gospel - which brings eternal healing - to hundreds of patients who visit the hospital each week. To read more about this ministry click here: MCWA
It was a joy to have Scott & Lee Pyles with us recently. If you would like to be put on their mailing list for updates you can contact them Scott.Pyles@gmail.com.
Radio Shema
The Beliefs and Passion Behind our Broadcasts Click here to listen: Radio Shema
Everyone who promotes themselves these days tries to say how different they are from others. We agree with these people. Everyone is different in one way or the other, because God created the world and people to be different. He did not limit His creativity or ours...
You will have recently heard or read about "pluralist democracy", "the protection of differences", and "the necessity of diversity". We support the protection of our differences and a pluralist democracy. If we weren't different, we would all live in the same place with the same troubles and be very unhappy. Life would become meaningless.
Since the year 2000, Radio Shema has sought to bring a breath of fresh air to the media that plays the same old music and airs programs that are all cut from the same old cloth. We especially want to reach out to the younger generation that is bored with what is offered.
This is why we can proudly proclaim: WE ARE DIFFERENT!
What makes us different are our values. Our values are created by our strong faith. Our strong faith comes from our love. That is why Radio Shema has for years done everything possible to be "The Sound of Love and Peace".
To contact Soner and Rabia Tufan email them at soru@radioshema.com
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Communication Guidelines with Field Missionaries:
Remember, what's acceptable/safe in our country may not be in another. There are many words and subjects which are inappropriate and should NEVER be used in communication with Missionaries overseas. The Communication Guidelines below are to assist you in your correspondence (perhaps the most important area is email). One has to assume that EVERY means of communication to and from anywhere overseas could be downloaded, opened, saved, viewed and/or listened to by someone in addition to the intended recipient. Keep this in mind whenever you communicate with a missionary in a foreign country.
- Don't criticize the host country's government in any way.
- Don't mention missions, missionary activity, evangelism, witnessing, giving out Bibles, the host country's church, support raising, etc. Refrain from using "Christian lingo".
- Don't send missionary prayer letters, tracts, church bulletins, missions magazines, etc.
- Don't mention our friends in the host country by name, or in any way identify people who might be interested in Christ.
- Limit your use of Christian language to talking about your own spiritual life and growth. You can quote Scripture, just remember that moderation is the key.
- Don't send bulk emails/mass emails.
- Only give out missionary's email or contact info to people who also have a copy of these guidelines.
- These Guidelines should be followed for ALL methods of communication including phone calls, Skype, emails, etc.
- Please DO write!* Communication is a cherished and important encouragement. Even if you can't say all you'd like to, please do write. An email about what's happening in your life could make their day.
- Be patient and understanding if the missionary is not able to respond to you. Life and ministry on the field is VERY demanding and sometimes technology is not available. Seek to make contact to encourage them without placing expectations on them.