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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 3/17/2010
Hey all =]
Just thought Ied let you all know what I'm up to these days. So we're in the beautiful country of Tanzania in a town called Iringa. First time in quite a while that we've had internet. We're staying with a pastor called Chacha (awesome huh? ;])
We teach the kids group, speak at the womens group, visit the elderly , visit hospitals and pray for people there. We went to an orphanage yesterday and were able to have some fun time as well as teaching a bible lesson. On sundays we have about four services (we call it our marathon day ;)
Mama Chacha is teaching me to cook so thats been awesome. Hopefully I'll be able to post some pics soon =]
Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I am 5400.00 short in having the money to complete this trip.
love you all!
beks =]
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 3/12/2010
Coming in from the bright sunlight outside I am momentarily blinded. We have entered a small hut. Standard circular mud walls
with a thatched roof. Doorway so small you have to almost bend double to enter. Its cool in here. Standing out in the hot Ugandan sun feels like a million degrees, while the inside the huts only feel like 90. The smoky atmosphere makes my throat tickle as my eyes slowly begin to adjust.
I'm going door to door (or hut to hut i suppose ;) with Jen and Dan. We, (along with our interpreter) are inviting people to
church, telling people about the love of Jesus, and praying for any needs they might have.
Slowly I am able to make out a woman lying on nothing but a mat between her and the mud floor. A small pile of blankets
beside her. Grace attempts with obvious difficulty to sit up but we assure her we can talk with her lying down. Opposite her is
another woman, Beatrice. She is stirring porridge over a low fire. After talking for a few minutes we find that they are both
christians and we invite them to church. Before leaving we ask if there is anything we can pray for. Beatrice needs us to pray for
school fees for her children. Alice askes us to pray for her baby as i suddenly realize that the blankets beside her are holding a small
infant. She tells us that he was just born. Dan askes how many days ago. She answers rather nonchalantly....four hours.
Shocked, we ask what his name is. Grace and our intrpreter talk for a few minutes before we get the answer. She wants us
to name him! Excited, we start giving out names. Paul.. Caleb.. Her husband comes in, smiling at us broadly as we throw out
names. I give out one.. Joshua. She stops us and says yes. Thats the name she wants. Joshua. I ask her if she knows the story, she tells us she doesn't. So I tell the story of Joshua and how he was a mighty man of God. She smiles excitedly and sits up to show baby Joshua to us. He is soooo tiny and perfect. Little black ringlets of soft hair cover his head and his eyes are closed as he sleeps.
We pray over baby Joshua before leaving. SO excited for the added blessing God gave us today of naming one of his children =]
Please keep him in your prayers if you think of it =]
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 3/12/2010
Rarely has
anyone seen such pride for a plot of land as was seen on the face of
Pastor JJ's as he took Team Symphony (that is our new team name by the
way... we changed from Team Unwritten in Uganda) to the sight of his
new church. He pointed this way and that detailing where the church
would start, where the pulpit would be. He showed them where he hoped
to build his house on the church land, how close it was to his son
Samuel's school. He told them how in a few years, with the way the town
was expanding, it would be the very center of town with main roads on
all sides. He bragged on this piece of property the way proud mothers
and fathers do on their children.
Really though it was just a regular plot of land. Like almost any
other in Africa. But what you must realize is that Pastor JJ is a man
of vision. He sees what can be, and better yet what will be. He has
only been in Pader, Uganda for 3 years but has already built up a
church that is almost the largest in the town. And we do not mean a
church building. We are talking about a church. A group of people who
come together to worship the Lord. A group of people who are a light to
the community, who are joyful because they have a reason to be joyful.
However as most can attest churches need a place to operate.
We come to you on behalf of Pastor JJ and his church. They are in
need of about $10,000 to build their new church. They have been meeting
in a borrowed building which in the next month will be taken away from
them. If there is one thing we have learned for certain these past 7
months it is that there is so much need in this world. It is
everywhere, it does not matter what corner of the world we go to.
But to be able identify a need for a group of people and even begin to
have the means to meet that - this is a blessing in itself.
Northern Uganda is an area that has experienced much darkness in the
past 20 years. It is an area that has been plagued by wars and
senseless death. Men our own age are haunted by the times that they
were forced to serve in armies, that their fathers, mothers and sisters
were killed, it is an area in recovery, and in need. What better to
invest in than the church? We as Christians claim to know something
that others do not. We claim to hold to a truth that is beyond us, and
beyond this world. If ever darkness was in need of light it is surely
here. If we are in Christ than it is our brothers and sisters in Uganda
whom we are asking you to help.
We, the J Squad, have been given the opportunity to raise money
for Victory Outreach Ministries in Pader, Uganda. They are in need of a
church building. This is not a church building complete with bells and
whistles and Sunday school rooms and gyms. This is a building, a one
room building for God's people to meet. A building for God's people to
come together and worship the lord. A group of people standing as a
light to a community amongst much darkness.
Team Symphony had the opportunity to spend a month with Pastor JJ
and according to the team they have rarely come across a man with such
faith, with such blind obedience to the Lord. Pastor JJ moved his wife
away from his and her family 3 years ago to start this church. His wife
is the only one working to bring money for the family, she works at a
NGO as a maid. The church can not afford to give Pastor JJ a salary.
Any tithe or donation that the church is able to give goes to both
paying for the church building/property and helping those who are in
great need, and believe me there are plenty of these people.
Please help us help this man, this family, this church, and this
community. There is a need to be met, please help us to meet it. We
know many of you have already supported someone on this trip, but we
have no one else to ask. We as a squad are coming together to raise
money for this church. You who are reading this are our church, you are
the people we stand with and so we ask you to help us. Please help us
meet this need, this need which we are capable to meet. Even if we do
not raise the complete $10,000, we can guarantee any amount will be a
blessing to this church. Please seriously and prayerfully considering
donating to a worthy cause, we only have until April, 24th 2010 to
raise the money. PLEASE JOIN US!
(We're trying to publish a video of Victory Outreach Ministries
but are having a difficult time publishing it with the slow internet,
we will post it as soon as possible)
To donate via the internet click HERE.
Please select "Support a World Race Project" under Choose Program.
Please enter "2010 Feb J Squad" in the Project Field.
If you wish to send a donation by mail, please make your check payable to Adventures In Missions and mail it to:
Adventures In Missions
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 303
Please indicate "World Race Project Fund – 2010 Feb J Squad" in the memo section of the check.
Your gift is tax-deductible.
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 3/10/2010
Hey guys =] thanks so much for all your prayers. Uganda was pretty rough with getting malaria. But I am doing MUCH better now =] We're in Tanzania now...sooooooo beautiful here. Working with a pastor named Cha Cha...awesome ;] He has us doing all sorts of ministries here. Church almost every night and four times on sundays ;] Visiting hospitals and widows and teaching the youth and women's groups.
Hopefully I'll have more time to write real blogs in these next few weeks =]
love you all =]
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 1/31/2010
We're still in Kenya till tonight. My last day here. This is a land of
incredible hardship and heart-breaking poverty. But it is also a place
filled with some of the most sincere and Christ-loving people I've ever
met. This afternoon, Ken, Ashley, and I were walking back to the
hostel. Sun beating down on us and the air filled with the unmistakable
Kenyan smell of dust, sweat, and exhaust. Ashley noticed him first, a
man crossing three lanes of heavy crazy African traffic...on his hands
and knees.
From the waist up, he was of normal proportions. But his legs and
feet were small and shrunken. About the length of a seven or
eight-year-old's legs. We watched as he made it across the first three
lanes and sat in the median for a moment, smiling, before attempting
his crawl across the next three lanes of cross-traffic to our side of
the busy main road. We were past him by this point but decided to go
back and talk to him.
I wasn't sure how to approach him at first and it seemed awkward, but
after a few seconds we were talking easily. His name was James. Deep
friendly brown eyes. Short stubbly white hair that peppered his mostly
bald head, and a kind broad face that lit up when he smiled. He
explained that he had just gotten out of service in the church across
the street and was on his way home. We talked for a while and prayed
for him before continuing on our way back.
Thoughts of James have been stuck in my head all afternoon. My
faith feels incredibly small and weak. How often have I complained
about having to go to church when I had a headache or upset stomache,
or just didn't feel like it? How often have I made excuses? Or how
about when I am sick and I get upset at God for not healing me? Would I
have the trust in God to keep going to church and keep praising Him
even when it seems that my prayers are not being answered?
Sad as the situation seemed, James really inspired me to keep going
on this race and even just to continue on in life.. To keep moving even
when things are tough. To have a faith that doesn't complain. A faith
that is strong dispite incredibly hard circumstances. In these
remaining 5 months of the race, I need to press closer to God than I
have ever have before.
My prayer is that God gives me a faith that brings the strength to
crawl to the body of Christ. If needed on hands and knees across hot asphalt and
busy three-lane highways.
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 10/26/2009
STOLEN FROM DAN SNYDER =]
so team seven camels and unwritten took a 24
hour bus ride from bar, montenegro to istanbul, turkey. here is a
recap of the events (thanks to don brensinger for this idea):
4:11 AM: i surprisingly wake up before my alarm goes off
4:13 AM: i go into the girls room and find that two of the girls have explosive diarrhea...awesome
5:00 AM: our ministry contact, micah, picks us up in the alley...after
she turns around using the ever-so-famous 9 point turn we start loading
the van
5:45 AM: anna realizes that she stole a lid and plate from micah (sorry micah)
6:00 AM: our bus fails to show up and we realize that it must've been
day light savings time or something...because all the clocks are an
hour behind
6:00 AM: (the real 6AM): our bus shows up
6:10 AM: we take off and the first cigarette is lit in the bus
6:11 AM: we are yelled at in some foreign language that we need to sit
two in each row...but we are the only passengers in the bus
6:15 AM: i fall asleep
8:13 AM: we pull over on the side of the road
8:13:15 AM: a few of the bus workers jump off the bus and start loading boxes of shoes onto the bus
8:14 AM: we quickly realize that the boxes of shoes are all being stacked under our chairs only
8:27 AM: we stop at a bus stop. we pick up the montenegro national smoking team
8:27:53 AM: i get off the bus to use the bathroom and find that it's a squatty potty.
8:28 AM: i realize that the last 4 guys that have used the squatty potty before me have poor aim
8:28:05 AM: i decide i don't have to pee that bad
8:30 AM: i get back on the bus and am overwhelmed by a cloud of cigarette smoke from the MNST (montenegro national smoking team)
8:36 AM: rebecca now looks like michael jackson. she is wearing a red
bandanna over her nose/mouth and has black sunglasses on to protect her
from the plume of smoke that has overcome the bus
8:42 AM: i fall asleep
11:13 AM: we stop at a bus stop and the shoes are taken from beneath our seats and offloaded. yeah, we have no idea either
11:37 AM: we stop at another bus stop and change out bus drivers...our
driver is no longer purple shirt guy, its brown argyle sweater guy
12:15 PM: lunch time. i make a PB&J with no utensils while
carefully balance it on my lap the whole time...quite the skill
considering brown argyle sweater guy's driving ability...or lack there
of
12:17 PM: i put my sandwich together successfully and smile
12:17:20 PM: my sandwich falls off my leg and rolls down the walkway and i frown
12:17:25 PM: i am able to rescue my sandwich within the five second rule and eat it
12:36 PM: we stop at a bus station and several of the MNST start
running around. they begin loading unknown items which are stashed all
around the americans...yeah, sketch
12:42 PM: i begin to drift asleep but am awoken by a cat meowing
12:42:08 PM: perplexed, i begin looking around for the cat
12:42:10 PM: i hear that cat meow and begin to suspect that it's
fake and that it's coming from purple shirt/blue argyle sweater vest guy
12:47 PM: i confirm that the cat call is coming from purple shirt/blue argyle sweater vest guy after he lets out a gentle meow
2:17 PM: purple shirt guy, who was once our bus driver and is now
our barista, offers us nescafe...for the 7th time...i suspect that it's
a bribe so that we won't tell customs about the sketchy stuff goin'
down in the bus
2:20 PM: chad, who is translating for the bus manager, yells at me
for having my foot up on the seat...i should've known that the red no
smoking signs really meant "no feet on the seat"
5:13 PM: rebecca hands holland a bandanna that will easily function as a smoke mask
5:29 PM: holland asks if we're getting punked and asks ashton kutcher to stop the madness
6:00 PM: we stop on the side of the road and pick up two guys.
one of the guys, whom i will call "big guy" looks exactly like the "gas
guy" from dumb and dumber
6:00:15 PM: i am kicked out of my seat so that big guy has a seat and i cuddle up with patch
6:00:20 PM: big guy lights up his first cigarette which will remain a constant until he falls asleep several hours later
6:00:25 PM: big guy starts passing out cigarettes like they're candy to
his friends on the bus...we are now having an ol' fashioned smoke-fest
6:01 PM: i decide to ask the bus manager why the americans have to sit
in pairs and no one else does. as i should have known, the language
barrier presents a slight problem and patch and i are still cuddling.
8:09:45 PM: we enter the serbia/bulgaria border checkpoint
8:10 PM: i have to ask holland to take her red bandanna and aviator
shades off so we can get through the checkpoint without getting shot
8:25 PM: we make it through customs
8:34 PM: rebecca, still wearing her mask and shades, gets into a
standoff with an elderly woman over whether or not the overhead vent
will be shut. the woman is smoking her 42nd cigarette and loses to our
MJ look-a-like, the vent stays open
8:39 PM: i fall asleep
9:01 PM: i am awoken by big guy snoring loud enough to wake up an entire bus...literally
10:30 PM: we stop at a gas station for a bathroom break. i ask adam if
it was just my imagination or if the big guy was snoring. adam kindly
reminds me of how i kept the entire mens room up three nights ago with
my snoring...and tells me that he didn't want to hear my complaining
11:00 PM: the bus leaves the gas station suddenly
11:02 PM: bread falls out of the overhead storage compartment. i take
it as a clear sign that i should fashion a piece of bread into a gas
mask...but i hold out
11:30 PM: big guy falls over in his sleep and head butts the window. holland starts laughing uncontrollably
11:32 PM: big guy starts to lean over into the walkway while sleeping while nearly falling into robin's lap
11:32:29 PM: jen shines her headlamp onto big guy in an attempt to keep him from falling over into the walkway. its successful
11:40 PM: we go off-roading in the bus.
11:40:15 PM: we stop in front of a shady shop that sells stuffed
animals, barbies, liquor, pastries and cologne so that the guys can
offload the second load of smuggled goods
11:48 PM: we leave the SS (shady shop)
12:55 AM: big guy exhales and spits saliva all over as if he is a whale
1:20 AM: we make it to the bulgaria/turkey border checkpoint and park in front of the burger king sign
1:24 AM: the bus manager stares at beks' foot, which is on the arm rest, until she moves it
1:30 AM: brown argyle sweater driver guy decides he's tempted the
americans long enough and leaves the burger king sign and drives to
passport control
2:00 AM: we make it through customs with only one bag being searched, sorry anna
2:10 AM: we drift off to sleep again
2:13 AM: purple shirt/blue argyle sweater guy meows while walking down the isle
2:13:02 AM: jen barks hoping to scare the cat into silence
3:19 AM: i'm jarred awake by brown argyle sweater guy jamming on the
brakes, i think it's because he knew we were all finally asleep
4:10 AM: the lights on the bus come on waking us up
4:10:30 AM: the bus manager tells me that we are in istanbul as the bus stops on the side of the road
4:11 AM: we decide that the side of the road is better then wherever else the bus may take us
4:15 AM: we get off the bus and hear a loud muslim prayer being played over a loud speaker
4:20 AM: the bus pulls away to reveal that we are standing across
the street from a mosque which is playing said loud prayer over a loud
speaker. we begin to pray and look up to see a street pole that says
"TRUST" in plain english on it...coincidence? i think not. pretty
amazing.
12:24 PM: after a long day of walking, talking and trying to find a
place to sleep we are sitting in the lobby of a hostel that our
logistics people found. it's super cheap and it'll get the job done!
god is great!
here's a picture of a few of us on the bus...one might assume that the picture is blurry but it's just that smoky!!!
god is love, nothing is impossible.
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 10/6/2009
After leaving Tonciu, we went to our week-long debreif/prayer-revival-of-sorts in Brasov. Pretty amazing time. =] You can email me if you want specifics.
When that ended we took some pretttyyyy rad trains through Serbia to Montenegro where we're staying now.
Sorry i haven't posted much lately..i WILL be better about that =]
~beks =]
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 10/6/2009
We've been in this tiny Romanian village a week and a half now. We are staying in the church. We sleep on a dirt floor covered by
green vinyl. Our packs spread out everywhere. Things seem to be falling into place as a schedule of sorts has emerged. Each morning we walk down to our host family's one room house where we eat our breakfast of bread and jam, sliced red peppers, usually some kind of meat. Sometimes there is a jar of duo-creme. The MOST amazing chocolate & vanilla spread you have ever tasted. Something like nutella on steroids..only WAY better ;] After breakfast we head back to the church. Pray together, and quickly talk about what we are doing for the day.
Kids ministry, sports with the older guys, who is going to be acting in the bible skits, which people are heading to the school to teach english, etc. Then our team that we are paired with for the month shows up and we all head out =] Down to the soccer fields today where us girls play with the kids as the guys play soccer. Duck duck goose, tag, freezetag..then everyone comes together as we give a short bible lesson, acting out the story of the Good Samaritan.
Our first day going out and inviting people to church we are walking down one of the dirt roads when suddenly a woman comes out of a house nearby. Walking briskly towards the us. With no hesitation as if she knows me (though I've never seen her before) she walks through the group of people as if she has been waiting for me personally and begins to hug and kiss me excitedly.
Through the intrupreter, she says that she loves me. Huh...sooo apparently i have a best friend I've never met. Who knew? =]
We go on a group picnic (hike ;) up the mountain, wash all our clothes by hand (including Dan's snotty shirt..you'll have to ask him about it - nastyyy ;) The guys go on a firewood-hunting expedition We have a ladies night where we get together with them, washing and cutting hair, painting nails. The guys have a men's night and share testimonies. We have a bible study/service every night of the week. Helping out with meals has been awesome. At night after dinner we draw water from the well next-door. During our debreif each night we purify it into our bottles for the next day.
So thats basically what our first week and half has looked like..hopefully i'll be able to write more soon =]
love love
~beks =]
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 10/6/2009
We were dropped in the village this morning. The first team off the bus, most everyone else is asleep. A few mumble goodbye as we step out into the early morning. The sun is just rising as we our contact leads us down the roughly paved road to the church. The houses we pass are small. Sunlight streaming through some of the cracks between boards. An old woman and man stop and stare at us as we pass silently carrying our huge packs.
Our home (the church) is small. The dirt floors covered by red and green vinyl. Rough wodden pews,
sun streaming through the yellow stained glass. We are told that the pastor will come get us when lunch is ready and that we should get some sleep. After about two days of travel we don't have to be told twice.
Then we are left alone. Not talking much, we spread out. Our mattress pads and sleeping bags soon filling the room.
We are mostly asleep when suddenly we are awakened by a small Romanian woman. Short black hair with only a few teeth showing as she shakes us each awake, talking the entire time. SInce most of us are giggling at this point Dan tries to take comtol of the situation and talk to her.
"Is it time of us to eat? Does Nanu want us to come eat?"
"yes"
"does Nanu want us to stay here and NOT eat right now?"
"yes"
(we are all laughing now in our sleep-deprived states) He tries again though by this point we know she has no idea what we are saying.
"Am i cool?"
She seems to ponder this question for a moment before shrugging her shoulders.
"Ok."
We all burst out laughing and she laughs with us before opening her mouth suddenly and pointing to one of her teeth. Bringing her face only inches from Dan's she gestures wildly. We guess that she maybe wants prayer for her teeth and gather
in a circle. As Dan begins praying she giggles and says something in Romanian. In our sleep-deprived and TIRED state anything seems hillarious. The entire situation just seems sureal and rediculous. Holland and I can barely contain our laughter..
Pray for us in the coming days and weeks that we would be a blessing here =]
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Posted in General Posts by Rebekah Cassinari on 8/31/2009
Its our last day of ministry here in Galway Ireland. I and my my other teammates are waiting to be picked up.
We are sitting on the cement outside the main building at our campsite waiting. We are going to help out a mom for the day.
For the previous two weeks we have been working with the
local pastors in the area helping them reach out their communities
through several "green" projects (graffiti scrubbing, park cleaning,
neighborhood cleanup, painting, yard work, and talking to people out on
the streets) The people that we have worked alongside have been
gracious, kind, and yet zealous in their passion for the people of
Ireland. Only about 1% of the people claim to be protestant. With the
vast majority turning away from God altogether after being disenchanted
by the abuse happening in the church here. They want nothing to do with
religion.
*Emily is short. About 5.2 and soft-spoken. A single mom
of 4 daughters she has gentle dark eyes that you know can turn serious
in an instant. A kind face with red curly hair pulled back in a short
ponytail. Her checkered scarf is blowing in the cold wind as she picks
us up from the campground where we have been tenting for the past 2
weeks. Her red shoes are contrasted by the dark pavement as she herds
us into the car. Squished between 3 other people on the 40 min ride to
her house I catch only snippets of the conversation taking place
between her and Dan up front as i drift in and out of conciousness.
Her kitchen is bright and airy, the sliding glass door left open
by one of her daughters. The two youngest are running in and out.
Bright curly red hair bouncing in the rare sunlight as they run. She
shows us what she needs help with and we start. Pulling weeds outside
before heading indoors. Dan, Holland, Callan, Leslie, and Chad begin to
start scraping paint off the walls in the bedroom as Jen and I begin to
clean and reorganize the kitchen presses (cabinets)
As the day progresses pieces of life float by. *Chloe introducing
us to Tiger her cat, taking the kids outside to jump on the trampoline,
washing dishes, making cakes,..before i know it the entire afternoon
has passed in some sort of hazy happy dream. *Emily tells Jen and I
her testimony. Saved from an abusive husband, depression, and suicide
by Jesus...her face lights up as she talks. Divorce is looked down upon
harshly in Ireland and her entire family abandoned her..but when she
was at her lowest, God came through and saved the day. It was just amazing to me to hear her story, i loved just hearing how she chose to follow Christ even when it was so rough. Her faith strengthened me =]
Anyway, thats what I've been up to lately. Please continue praying that our team grows together in the Lord and that we are able to put Christ first in everything. And also that the rest of my support comes in =]
We're leaving for Romania tomorrow morning, and may not have internet..so don't expect too many more blogs ;]
~love you all =]
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