Welcome to TFC Missions
One of the most powerful aspects of
Christianity is that we can be a part of
something so much bigger than ourselves. We
are called to go to the nations and spread
the love of Jesus Christ by reaching out to
the orphans, the poor, and the widows. As
Christians, we are called to reach the
world!
The Bible clearly
states that it is up to the Christians to
spread the good news of the gospel. Jesus
died for all the people of the world, He
intended for them to live an incredible life
and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. We
can all have a part in fulfilling the Great
Commission. No matter what our situation in
life, we must proclaim Jesus in our words
and actions, always being aware that our
life is a witness to those around us.
Missions is about
obedience to Christ’s command and
sacrificing our life and comfort for those
that have been forgotten by the rest of the
world.
Here are some ways
that you can be involved in missions.
PRAY
Prayer is such an
important part of missions. When praying
for missions, you have the opportunity to
rise up and encourage those that are lost
and hurting. Not only can you pray for the
unreached people of all nations, but you can
also pray for those going out on the
frontlines. Missionaries depend on the
daily prayers of people at home.
GIVE
You may have a passion
and understand the importance of missions,
but you do not feel called or just presently
able to go. The word “support” has so many
meanings. You can send letters of
encouragement to our missionaries; volunteer
your time by helping in our missions
department, and financially supporting
missions and carrying out the vision of TFC
by Building Lives, Families and Futures.
GO
You can be involved in
a mission’s trip. Below are some of the
awesome opportunities available to TFC
church members. You can also read stories
about past trips and how they not only
impacted the communities that they traveled
to, but how these missions impacted the
lives of the people who brought the message
of the Gospel to a foreign land.
Mexico has become a part of our lives as
we have had opportunity to travel there for
the past year and one-half. The first trip
that we took as a family was one that Pastor
Jay had a vision for our families to get a
vision for missions, and boy did we get on
to that vision. Mexico is now a part of our
lives. With family and friends now in Elsa,
Nuvo Progresso and Reynosa, there is a love
for people that can only be explained by
"it's a - God thing" ......The experiences
are innumerable and awesome. The people have
learned to depend on us and have become our
dear friends, this is unexplainable, except
that we now have friends not only in Mexico,
but in South Texas and one from Holland, all
because we were urged to go to Mexico by our
Pastor. The anointing and favor of God is
unbelievable. Not that we do not come
against battles to go and come back, but
with God - it all works out for Good. Mexico
is something that we want to hold on to and
will be a part of our lives as long as the
Lord has us there, but the relationships and
experiences are forever. Mona Oglesby
Spiritually
I was at a high; physically I was exhausted,
which was a good thing. Between the Friday
night service and the Saturday morning
service in Mexico, I felt God speaking to
me. I really didn’t understand what He was
saying so I began to pray. Then there was an
altar call and people began to come forward
and I began to cry. I felt so sorry for
those who came to the altar. As I looked
outside the church in Mexico, I noticed a
group of guys outside the church walls. I
then realized what God had been saying to me
all along. My heart was in one place while
my focus was on another. I realized that I
don’t want to be outside the church, outside
the gate, I want to be in the church, in the
core, praying for hurting people. All I had
to do was focus on Him! ...Rahim
Salameh
I
attended the Mexico Mission’s trip in April
2007. It was the best trip I’ve been on.
There were so many things that went on and
so many things that touched my heart.
It’s unbelievable. The
one thing that stood out was the
gratefulness that the people have for what
little they have. The children have close
to nothing, if anything and they still run
around with smiles on their faces. I loved
trying to communicate with the children and
learning about their culture. I cried so
much when we had to leave. God worked many
miracles in my life through this trip. Even
though the Mexican people had very little
food, clothes, etc… they still, for the most
part, praise God for what they do have. I am
looking forward to going back to Mexico in
May with Lafayette Christian Academy! ...Elizabeth
Edwards
Dear Family Church,
This past mission’s
trip to Progresso Mexico was a really
heartfelt and rewarding experience for my
husband and me. It was our first mission’s
trip and we were elated with the chance to
be able to go and serve others for the sake
of the gospel. It was an opportunity to be a
blessing and God allowed us to be blessed as
well. Although we were excited my heart was
heavy because I knew that we were going to
visit an orphanage a place where little kids
without families grew up. This was hard
because we’re the family with no kids but
have always desired to have some. I knew
that if anything at all on this trip would
lead me into complete brokenness before God
was the orphanage. I remember when we drove
up to the place; I began to pray to myself:
Lord strengthened me for the task set before
me. I also reminded God that I believed he
had shown me two children prior to our
wedding (7 1/2 years ago) although in the
natural I can’t have kids and if any of our
kids were at this orphanage please let me
and my husband agree. Then I ask him to gird
me up through this experience. To make a
long story short before we had the chance to
meet the kids my husband mention that he
from afar off saw a little girl who looks
like me but that he didn’t know where she
had gone. Later, a little girl began to
follow me around, I think because I had a
camera. I ended up taking pictures of her
and playing with her. Later, my husband saw
the two of us together and said, “That’s
her.” Was that faith or happenstance? I
choose faith. I didn’t think we looked
alike; all I knew was that in that short
period of time she had already found a place
in my heart. There were many children there
and we played with a lot of them but she was
exceptional almost set apart. As we said our
goodbyes my husband took pictures of us. As
we rode away, I looked at the pictures and I
did see the resemblance, but more so, I seen
the greater need both hers and ours--and
that is family. I asked my husband later
about the little boys he played with and the
other little girls we played with and he
said the same thing, there was just
something about that little girl—the one
that looks like you. I still cry when I
think of her or when I look at her picture,
even as a write this. We don’t know much
about her except her name due to the
English/Spanish barrier. We don’t even know
if she is a legal orphan or not. We don’t
know much about the Mexico adoption process.
We don’t know even know if we will be able
to adopt her. But what we do know is that
while we were busy being a blessing, God
chose to bless us with the opportunity to
allow her to find her way into our hearts.
And for this beautiful moment alone we are
thankful, grateful and hopeful. And because
we know that God is faithful we will trust
HIM. Thanks family church for affording us
that opportunity.
-The Victorians
My family and I decided
last minute to attend the Mexico missions
trip. We decided to take our 2 ½ year old
son Austin with us. They day that we told
him we were going to go to Mexico that is
all he would talk about. He would ask when
we got in the car to go anywhere “Are we
going to Mexico?”. 
When we finally arrived
in Mexico, we went out on the streets of the
community and passed out fliers and candy to
the children to invite them to church that
afternoon to play games and eat hot dogs.
Austin wanted to help out. Being a typical
2 ½ year old, I thought that giving him his
own bag of candy to pass out was a bad
idea. I thought that he would want to keep
it all for himself. Instead, he passed out
all the candy by himself, if I or anyone
else tried to help him, he would get upset.
He was doing his part and he wasn’t about to
let anyone ruin that for him. It was
touching to me and others around that a
child so young and not really understanding
all that was going on around him would want
to serve others. God wants to use us at any
age. You may never now whose life you are
changing just by handing them a piece of
candy and smiling at them, but God does. Brittany Johnson
After I decided to go
on the mission trip to Mexico in November, I
picked up a From the Heart flier that caught
my attention one Sunday morning in church.
The flier was asking the women to provide a
purse filled with things that a woman would
use. These purses were going to be given to
the women in Mexico. I thought this was a
good idea so I went home and began my “purse
project.”
The next day in my
seventh grade Bible class, I told the
students about the purses. Several of the
girls said that they had purses to donate.
Then I had a God idea! I love God ideas! I
announced to all the junior high and high
school classes that I wanted to involve them
with this project. I asked them to bring
purses, items to put in the purses, and even
cash to put in the wallets. Every day I
would find a few more purses, more bags of
items for the purses, and even more cash in
my donation box. When the day came to turn
everything in, we collected about forty full
purses. I had asked God for fifty purses.
The day before we had
to turn in the purses, I announced to the
student body during lunch that we were about
ten purses short. I preached my little
sermon about giving and blessing those less
fortunate than us. The next day, thirteen
more purses came in and many more bags of
stuff for the purses. By the time we loaded
the purses into the trailer for the trip to
Mexico, the students had helped me collect
fifty-three purses. Fifty-three very
stuffed purses! And every purse had a
wallet with money in it! I still don’t know
where all that cash came from. I love God
ideas!
When we arrived in
Mexico, everything was unloaded and
separated to be sent to different places.
The purses were placed on a table in the
church to given out to the ladies of
Progresso. Shelley Williams thrilled me
when she asked me to pass out the purses.
That night at the service, I was allowed to
speak to the women and encourage them. As I
prayed for them and looked into their eyes,
I was surprised to see what I saw, or maybe
I should say what I did not see. I don’t
know why, but I expected to see sadness and
oppression (after all, they were the needy
ones). As I looked into these mothers’
eyes, I saw peace-beautiful peace-peace that
passes all understanding. Their eyes were
sparkling and full of joy. These mothers
were happy. Why? At that moment, God did
such an amazing work in my heart. I fell in
love with the mothers of Mexico.
I have asked God to let
my eyes sparkle like those women’s eyes
did. That joy I saw in their eyes could
only have come from Him. I surely didn’t
come from material things. My eyes might
sparkle sometimes-like when everything is
going well. But I want that “special”
sparkle that comes only from my Father God.
Needless to say, I’m
hooked! After our daughters got married, I
asked God what was next for us. From now
on, Mexico mission trips take top priority
with me. When those vans pull out from the
TFC parking lot, you can bet Greg and I will
be on one of them. Why don’t you join us?
Lynette Norris
We were able to feed
and clothes more people on this trip. Each
time we go to Mexico it just gets better and
better. If you are considering coming on
the next mission’s trip to Mexico, plan now
to get a passport. The Intelligence Reform
and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004
requires that by January 8, 2007, travelers
to or from Mexico will be required to have a
valid, U.S. passport. Passports take a
minimum of 6 weeks to obtain. So start
getting ready today.
God did big things in
my head and my heart on this mission’s trip
(March 21st-25th). My
mindset was changed. As Pastor Dwayne taught
us, I am God’s favorite!!! When I realized
this, I realized that I didn’t need a
performance to get God’s attention. He loves
me just the way I am. I don’t have to work
hard at all for his attention. I just
showed up and told Him that I loved Him. In
that simple expression of love, I pleased
the Father. Each service, He opened my eyes
and ears to the prophetic. Or maybe I
should say that He opened my heart. I also
saw that many times we do not see the
effects of what God is doing until later. I
spent much time in prayer before this trip,
and God truly prepared my heart and blessed
my experiences there. I was such a blessing
to have God give me words to pray in Spanish
and see it touch someone’s life. I cried
with the people and for the people of
Progresso. It was an unforgettable
experience and the best mission’s trip by
far. God is so good, and I am no longer
scarred to trust Him with everything. Thank
you Pastor Dwayne. You are a major
blessing!! Lauren Carriere
In the March Mexico
trip there was an incredible anointing and
favor of God. I personally experienced more
specific prophetic words for the individuals
in the Progresso church. As well, I feel
our team was personally encouraged. We seem
to be increasingly gaining the trust and
love of the members of the church. They are
certainly returning the love. The reception
at the orphanage was awesome. The
administrators are gaining a trust with us
and are much more open. There is such a
need there. The atmosphere is ripe for
receiving love and provision.
It is such a blessing
to be a part of such a team with such
awesome leadership. Pastor Dwayne and
Shelley are so gifted. Cindy Carriere
HOW TO APPLY FOR YOUR PASSPORT
