Meet the Eastern Europe team!

left to right: Melanie DeYoung, Elyse VanderSpek, Elise Enserink, Carmen Smits, Cheryl Verhulp, David Ligtenberg, Louise van Zwol, Eric Smickley

this is the fun part . . .

CUTE BABIES!

got yarn?

Melanie DeYoung (at left) and Cheryl Verhulp offer knitting lessons. The first challenge is to get the yarn untangled! Their students seem to be enjoying themselves, though.

soccer (football for you non-US types) time!

the universal language . . . can you spot David Ligtenberg? hint: he's wearing that fabulous SMP t-shirt!

getting the names straight

Elise, Elyse, Louise . . . try saying that three times fast!

well, at least they're wearing some fabulous fashions . . .

singing and playing the . . .

. . . um. what IS that, Carmen?
okay. it's probably just a flute.
I think it says what it is on the screen there. can anybody read that? ;-)

living and working with missionaries

Niger SMPers Crystal Bootsma and Melinda VanderPloeg lived and worked closely with CRWM career missionaries Henry and Ardell Persenaire-Hogeterp. As an added fringe benefit, they also got to spend lots of time with the ADORABLE "Perterp" kids . . .

Meet Team Russia!

How I spent my summer vacation--Russian edition

The Russia SMP team had some "interesting" sleeping arrangements this summer . . .

on trains . . .
(clockwise from bottom left--Mandy Gelderman, Kelly Vandermeer, Sam DeJong, Jessica Braunschweig)


on beds that were (almost) long enough . . .
(below left: Ryan Schreiber)


. . . and sometimes even in the great outdoors!
(Samantha DeJong and Ryan Schreiber making the most of their "luxury" accommodations)

¿Donde está el SMP de México?

(left to right) Seth Kuiper, Noe (from Tapalpa, Mexico) and Mark Hofman take a break while working together to install a water tank. Church leaders in Tapalpa were excited to have Seth and Mark there to show the local youth that young people can be vibrant Jesus followers, and not just older adults. Seth and Mark, along with other SMP participants across the globe, shared not only their hands but also their hearts this summer as they built community and shared fellowship.

One really good way to get your pictures posted on the blog

. . . is to be wearing this fabulous t-shirt!!!

of course, actually SENDING your pictures to us would be really helpful, too . . .

The rest of the team

Some of you may not know that SMP not only has teams from all over the US and Canada, but that we also have an SMP team sent out from Faith Community CRC in Fullerton, California, who spent the summer in Japan after attending orientation at their home church. We want to share a few details with you about the Japan SMP team and what they've been up to this summer!

Special thanks to Tina Lee for providing us with these pictures and the stories behind them.

Japan SMP team

This is a VBS that the Japan team put on. Notice anything missing?! Despite having put out over 2000 invitations, there was not a single child who attended. Pictured is a family from the church and their two teenage sons. Tina Lee, of the Japan SMP team, said “It was a very discouraging day for all of us, but God gave us a taste of what it feels like to be a Christian in Japan.” In Japan, where less than one percent of the population claims Christianity, many view Christianity as just another “cult”, and discouraging reactions like this are commonplace.



Another VBS had more encouraging results, as about 65 children attended and enjoyed activities like a picnic and an obstacle course.

Kato-San

"One of the churches we visited, Chichibu Church, has a member named Kato-san. Kato-san was blind from birth. Our team was incredibly blessed by this man. He was baptized the weekend we visited, and during the introduction time, he stood up and told us his name and birthday. But it was even more encouraging to hear him say, “But my new birthday will be this weekend, for I am going to be baptized.” He does not see the world with his physical eyes, but his spiritual eyes are open, and he has seen the grace of Jesus Christ. How wonderful and amazing it would be that the first thing he sees is the face of God in heaven, and not the dirty sin of this world! Although he could not see us or communicate with us well, he was always there at our concerts, listening to our praise songs, trying to sing along…" (Tina Lee, Japan SMP team)

It's been a great summer! Be watching this space for some of your "wow" stories and photos in the upcoming weeks! (or feel free to post your own!)

"L-Wood" aka Lorraine

the "real" picture

ready to go!

This is a picture of Mariano taking a picture of the group. which I believe is one of the "don'ts" he had just taught us in our photography session! (not really, but . . . )
We at World Missions will be praying that God will do great things for His kingdom in and through you this summer!

Blessings,
"L-Wood" (as christened by "team Guinea")

profiles have been posted

http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwm_smp_bios.cfm

check it out!

let us know if there are any errors so that we can get them corrected.

6. May 14-June 2: Finding Out about the Other's World

With whom did you talk, and what were you able to learn about Hinduism/Islam/Catholicism/Eastern Orthodox beliefs?

5. May 14-June 2: Finding Out about the Other's World

What were your thoughts as you read through this section?

4. April 23-May 13 Connecting Sunday and Monday Talk/"Will the world . . . ?"

What happened when you tried to be a reliable witness for Christ with non-Christians? Report on one of the conversations you had or an aspect of one of them.

3. April 23-May 13 Connecting Sunday and Monday/Because of what you say

Recently, a minster in a Reformed church in Grand Rapids stated that we are frequently told that God "hates sin but loves the sinner." He said that this statement was incorrect. He went on to emphasize that God not only hates sin but He hates the sinner as well. He referred to texts like Romans 9:13: " . . . Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." This is quite different from Thomas Long's view: "Worship trains us . . . to see people, including ourselves, as flawed and broken but also as created, chosen, and beloved by God . . . Once we see people as the treasures of God, we can't look at the kid in Blockbuster Video or the cashier at Wal-Mart the same anymore."
These opposite points of view are neither so easily dismissed. It is not by accident that the first section of the Heidelberg Catechism deals with man's sin and misery. Without this knowledge, he cannot understand his need of a Saviour. Is there "God's perspective" and "our perspective" in all of this? What do you think? How much of grace and how much of truth should be present in our approach with unbelievers?

2. April 2 - April 22: Standing By or Jumping In?

Choose one of the faith conversations you've engaged in during the past couple of weeks to share any insight you gained in talking about your faith, that was helpful, that was difficult, etc.

1. April 1- April 22: Standing By or Jumping In?

In what ways do you think Christians (perhaps you yourself) have compromised your witness so that the world has a difficult time making a sound judgment about Christ?