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)