Applebee's Pankae Breakfast

We had a blast this morning serving pancakes to family and friends...a few of us learned that there is a very good reason we do not work in the food and beverage industry! Let's just say there was some spilled OJ courtesy of our fearless team leader and broken mugs courtesy of our fearless co-leader!!!! The team, however, did great! Pastor Francis from Togo served up the pancakes with a smile! Thanks to Applebee's for hosting us!!!

Pastor Francis in Town!

Pastor Francis is the Director of Pioneers Togo...the mission organization that Seaocast Partners with in Togo. He came in town Wednesday night just in time to share at Seacoast's First Wednesday service. He shared with Pastor Greg and the congregation an awesome story of how a recent Seacoast youth team played an instrumental role in reconciling two villages that had been fighting each other for generations. How did they do this you ask? Through a SOCCER tournament and the love of Christ! Would you believe that these two villages that were once enemies have now formed a soccer team to play together and peace is being forged after years of being enemies??? God is amazing!

Our team is hosting Pastor Francis this week during his stay in the US. He attended the Leadership Summit at Seacoast the past few days and we have all been learning about PARTNERSHIP in missions and how God can truly work when churches partner together and we Americans realize that we do not come to the table with all the knowledge, but we must seek to learn from our global partners in the ministry of Christ!

Chik Fil A Fundraiser #1

Well, We had our first Chik Fil A fundraiser...don't know how much we made, but we all had fun! Thanks to all our family and friends who showed up to support us! Thanks especially to the Johnson's small group for coming out! My favorite memory fromt he night was Mike doing the moonwalk in the cow suit....and then having to cool off in the walk in freezer because somebody "forgot" to tell him the suit came with an ice vest to keep you cool! Come join us July 22nd from 5-8pm at the Chik Fil A by Kohl's and Wal-Mart in Mt. Pleasant for our next fundraiser. All you have to do is eat and 10% of the cost of your meal goes straight to us!

Welcome to the Togo 2009 Medical Trip Blog!

Dear Friends-

Okay, this is my first blog ever, and I am not sure what I am doing, but I do know that I am excited about Togo, West Africa! This year, I will again be leading a team from Seacoast to serve medically in this country. We will be there October 30th-November 9th serving in remote villages around the country.

From here we hope to share experiences, questions, and information related to the mission in Togo, West Africa October 30th- November 9th, 2009.

Our team of 12-15 medical professionals, students, and other volunteers will partner with a local ministry called Pioneers Togo which exists to reach for Christ the unreached people groups of Togo. Their mission slogan is "Blazing New Paths to the Unreached."

Togo is a small country in Western Africa that borders on Ghana and Benin. Seacoast Church has partnered with Pioneers Togo for the last 8 years in endeavors including medical missions, construction trips, Jesus Film evangelism, student teams, clean water projects and much more. Their still remain indigenous people groups in Togo who have never heard the gospel of Christ.

The purpose of this trip is to minister to the spiritual and medical needs of the people of Togo. We bring with us a huge mobile clinic, with over $100,000 in medications, surgical equipment, and supplies. We give everyone free medical exams, treatments, glasses, any needed medication up to a year's supply, and minor surgeries – whatever they need. Many of the children have parasitic infections that can be cured with one pill, but without our help they would never be able to afford it. We also teach them about sanitation and much more.

While meeting the physical needs of the Togolese is a major goal of this trip, the primary purpose is to share the love of Jesus. Our desire is to bring hope to the hopeless, to minister the peace of Christ to those who live in daily turmoil, to bring joy to the people who know much sorrow. As we seek to bring physical healing to the villages in Togo, we are praying that God would use us to bring spiritual healing as well.

As you read this, please take a moment to pray for healing and blessing for Togo!

TALK TO YOU SOON!