CMCS Global Outreach

Yesterday we had a big game called Machaca Cup. It's when the kids get divided up into 4 colors and then divided again into boys and girls and play soccer. It was a blast!! The kids all got really into it! The games lasted from around 9:30am-4pm. Each team was a specific color. There was purple, blue, navy and orange. My team was purple and the girls totally dominated the game! My purple girls were the Girls Machaca Cup champions! I was so proud of their hard work. The purple boys got into the final round and then lost to the blue boys, but they were still so excited to make it to the finals! For dinner we all got dressed up for Banquet Night and had a very nice dinner. Later that night we played a surprise game called Machaca Madness which is when we surprise the kids with a huge game at midnight. The game was a scavenger hunt to get 3 coins and whoever got the coins first won. The blue team came in first and then purple came in second. The kids had a blast and were so tired by the end of their long day.

Camp was a huge blessing for the kids and me personally. Being able to share the love of Christ with kids and see the lord bring joy to there hearts was the greatest experience. The lord did many works on not only the kids but the counselors as well as American counselors. The children had joy in everything that took place and the lord blessed us with the ability to take part in this memorable experience. Thank you for all your support and have a blessed day. -Trevor This was my first trip to Ukraine and I have been remarkably blessed in many ways. God has proven Himself faithful through keeping the team safe and strong in the midst of illness and giving us such amazing Ukrainian counselors and translators. My favorite part of the trip was having the chance to bond with the Ukrainian counselors and get a glimpse of the Church on this side of the world. I also was blessed to love on the kids at the camp. I will definitely miss Ukraine! -Megan I have had an amazing trip in Ukraine this past week! I am so blessed to be able to come back as I came to the mercy projects winter camp three and a half years ago. It was a busy week, but the value of the friendships made this week are worth far more than the sleep that was lost. Our Ukrainian counselors and translators were very kind and inviting and we were able to team up with the staff to help make the camp run smoothly. The kids were so sweet and we were able to build relationships and talk about Bible lessons with them. I hope to return to Ukraine soon and spend more time with the kids and camp staff! -Bailey Ukraine was an amazing trip all around. The kids brought so much laughter and joy to all of us and I think God taught us all a lot through the children. The kids embraced us with open arms and really gave a new definition of love to me because of how much they loved us and how much we loved them. My favorite part of the trip was getting to see all of the Ukrainian councilors and kids singing and praising God and talking with the kids and really getting to see their hearts. It was so heartwarming to see the little seven year olds talking to me with the little English they knew and really wanting to get to know me and wanting to have conversations with me. This Ukraine trip was an awesome experience and I really hope I will be able to do it again. -Abby Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! The Lord has blessed us so much by being able to love on these children and aid our Ukrainian friends! Please be praying for our safe travels home these next few days as well as for the Ukrainian counselors and staff as they have another two camps just like this one over the next couple weeks. Thank you

Last night, after chapel and news we played a game called gladiator. All the kids ran across the room trying to grab their flag without being hit by a ball. All the kids had a lot of fun! After the game, we went to our cabins, did devotions, and went to bed. In the morning we at breakfast and then all the kids went to there rotations. It was really cool to see how all the kids got so excited to learn about God! Around 12:00 o clock we ate lunch and all the kids told me stories about what they learned in their rotations (most of them said that the craft rotation was the best). After lunch the kids had free time and then we played a game. We played a big game of hide and seek. All the teams did a great job finding people! When we were done playing the game we were all muddy from running in the grass so we headed to the showers to wash up. After we got clean, we at dinner and then went to worship. It was really cool to see the kids sing their hearts out to God without a care in the world! God is truly amazing! - Faith

We ended Sunday night with a worship service at church. About an hour before the service starts, we have a pre-church prayer. Basically we have forty-five minutes to ourselves to spend with Jesus. It's such a sweet time to have. We are so busy in the day that we don't really take the time to have one on one time with Jesus, so I am especially grateful for this time. Afterwards, we all sit back down and share what Jesus had shown us, spoken to us, if you got a word. It's so amazing to see what God is laying on people's hearts. God's presence was so overwhelming in that room. Everyone was just praising Him with all they had and it was a blessing to see. Campers arrived Monday! They were so excited when they got off the bus. I couldn't keep the smile off my face seeing how joyful they were. We played with them until they were separated into cabins and teams. The first thing they did as a team was make their "family crest", or flag. These kids are so creative it's unbelievable. After that they played their first big group game called the friendship game. They had to go through different stations doing different things that all required teamwork. Unfortunately, I was at security while they were playing so I couldn't see what all happened. But I heard that it was so much fun and hilarious to watch. Right now we are about to go to chapel. I'm so excited for what God has in store for these kids. They are already such a blessing to have around. God is good! - Kassi

Here's a few pictures from Sunday at church and Monday night chapel!

We ended Sunday night with a worship service at church. About an hour before the service starts, we have a pre-church prayer. Basically we have forty-five minutes to ourselves to spend with Jesus. It's such a sweet time to have. We are so busy in the day that we don't really take the time to have one on one time with Jesus, so I am especially grateful for this time. Afterwards, we all sit back down and share what Jesus had shown us, spoken to us, if you got a word. It's so amazing to see what God is laying on people's hearts. God's presence was so overwhelming in that room. Everyone was just praising Him with all they had and it was a blessing to see. Campers arrived Monday! They were so excited when they got off the bus. I couldn't keep the smile off my face seeing how joyful they were. We played with them until they were separated into cabins and teams. The first thing they did as a team was make their "family crest", or flag. These kids are so creative it's unbelievable. After that they played their first big group game called the friendship game. They had to go through different stations doing different things that all required teamwork. Unfortunately, I was at security while they were playing so I couldn't see what all happened. But I heard that it was so much fun and hilarious to watch. Right now we are about to go to chapel. I'm so excited for what God has in store for these kids. They are already such a blessing to have around. God is good! - Kassi

Day 1: Cami We made it to Belize safely after taking one six hour flight and a six hour bus drive, praise God. From the moment we all stepped off the plane we have been blessed with meeting amazing people and seeing Gods beautiful creation. Here at Machaca Camp, everyone is absolutely incredible. Even though we've only been here for a little over a day it feels like home and I can't wait to see what God has planned for everyone and too see how we all grow. We are on a bus right now going to church which is a blessing in it's self. We are also being blessed with the scenery around us, especially being able to see the village surrounding the camp, which absolutely gorgeous.

We made it to Belize! Thanks for praying!

Ukraine camp day 3

Hello friends and family, camp life is in full swing as the kids learn and enjoy exciting things everyday. Today we got to share about Jesus with kids through fun games and bible studies. The topic for today was the Bible hero of Esther. We shared the courageous actions of Esther to the children and helped them implement the lords gift of bravery in their own lives. The kids are very receptive and love learning about various bible heroes. For the next few days we will be learning about Ruth, David, and Gideon. We are excited to share the truths the Bible teaches us through these characters. The team also has had the opportunity to share English lessons with the kids and they are really enjoying them. we talked about our families such as our brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents. We share information between the Americans and the Ukrainians and this has created an awesome bond between the team and the kids. We also had Master Classes which are like electives or extra curriculars. For our master class we taught the kids how to throw and catch a football. They really liked it and they wanted to keep playing with us. There were other master classes as well such as arts and crafts and wood burning. The kids and I enjoyed it a lot. We are excited to teach them more English in the next few days because they love to speak with us and have a conversation back and forth and I think they like that they are able to practice a new language. Thank you for all your prayers! As a side note, Abbys missing bag has arrived and Trevor is feeling much better and is back to cracking jokes and chasing the kids around. -Trevor and Ben

Sorry this was supposed to post yesterday

Ukraine 2017: second day of camp

Добрый вечер! Hello friends and family! I am happy to say we have made it to camp in Kiev, Ukraine and have settled in nicely. It has been a long journey to get here but God has given us the strength and sanity to make it through the missed flights, transfers, bus rides, and airport naps. I know for a fact it is God's hand because somehow we are all still smiling and laughing like any other day and everyone has kept an incredible attitude through it all. Today was an introduction day at camp before the kids arrive where we were able to meet all of our Ukrainian co-counselors and translators and get a feel for what this next week will be like. It has been wonderful seeing some familiar faces and catching up since the last time I saw them. The team has pretty seamlessly transitioned into camp life and into the swing of things here, although we may need a day or two to adjust our sleeping schedules. We are all excited for the kids to arrive tomorrow and begin our camp activities! Please continue to pray: first, for the children that they would have open ears and hearts for what God wants to speak to them. Second, for the staff here, Ukrainian and American, that we would be God's light to these children and that we would carry out His will for this week. And lastly, pray for continued protection, health, and safety for our team and the camp as a whole. Thank you! -Garrett PS- I'm only writing this one because everyone else went to bed already ;)

Bonswa! We started off our last full day in Haiti going to repaint the church at Labok. We had painted the church a few years ago, but we repainted it because they are going to have a festival on Sunday. After that, we came back to the compound for lunch and also had some time to play with the kids who live near the compound. Later on, we got to go to Missionaries of Charity, which is a Catholic convent that cares for sick people of all ages. They invited us to play with the babies, ages four or younger. A lot of the babies had fevers or were malnourished, but many were full of energy and were able to play with us. These visits and the children have always held a special place in our team's hearts, because we are able to share God's love with children who don't get a lot of individualized affection. The rest of the night consisted of debriefing and getting ready to leave tomorrow. We had an amazing time and we are sad to say goodbye. Be praying for the people of Haiti and for safe travels as we head back! Thank you for your support! Keimi and Garrett

Hello everyone! Today the team visited the growing school of Savanette. Currently the students have class outside and in the church, but soon a school building is going to be added. While at Savanette, we spent some time with students coloring and playing outside. The joy displayed on the children's faces revealed that contentment can be found in God and in fellowship with one another. Later on the team returned to the compound to visit a market that had been set up. We encountered another cultural aspect of the people of Haiti while walking through the rows of vendors, interacting with them, and viewing items that they had laid upon blankets. After the women left, the team was able to spend some time with children that visit the compound to play. The sweet sound of their laughter while chasing bubbles brought about a nostalgic atmosphere. It was heartwarming to connect with the children despite the language barrier. Throughout the course of this week God has further revealed His love for His creation. This experience has overwhelmed me with a joy that can forever be found in the Lord. All that is felt and accomplished in the God will remain eternal (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! God bless! -Alina Vasquez

Hi everyone! Today was a great 3rd day here in Haiti. We went to a school called Terre Cassee to teach ESL for the last time. Bailey and I taught the youngest class, which was around the age of 3-4. It is interesting how young the children start school here. It was a little difficult to teach the kids their colors in English because they did not know their colors in Creole yet either! A few people from the team finished painting the new addition to the school, which we have been slowly working on after teaching everyday this week. A few of the kids from the village helped them paint the classrooms. The kids were a great help! We got to play with the kids and bless them with soccer balls, bubbles and other fun things. There was one girl who stuck out to both Maddie and I at the school. She was a little girl in mine and Bailey's class and she has some form of physical disability. She was not able to walk, but was eager to participate in the dancing songs. My heart broke for this little girl. It must be hard to be in an environment where your needs are not fully being met and you are limited by your disability. The Lord gave me a peace that he sees her amongst all of the other kids and is watching over her. Please be praying for the health and energy of the team as we have been working a lot the past few days! We love you all. Thank you so much for your prayers! -Macy