...this is the word God has shown me in the past weeks. I look to the sky or the ceiling where I am sitting, and I ask God to give me a word that will help me understand what I am faced with. Continually I see "Believe"...

   As soon as I heard about the trip to Oklahoma I knew I was going to be a part of it. I attended the meeting, and with literally a couple dollars in my pocket, I signed my name on the sheet, knowing God would make a way. Mercy, discernment, and prophecy are my three main gifts from The Lord. Yes, I'm one of the weird ones, and it can leave me feeling uncomfortable. I'm a bit of a loner, but when given the chance, I love to love. 

   I love to help others, and hate to ask for help. I struggle sometimes being too independent, and I struggle with pride.  My first obstacle to overcome was asking for financial support to get here. I posted a status on Facebook, and within SIX hours I had all the money for my plane ticket. In fact, I also received additional support in the following days which allowed me to buy supplies and have some travel money when necessary. Although I was anxious in my waiting, God provides when you take a leap of faith. You just have to believe.

   I could go on and on with all of "God moments" during this trip, in fact, I often tend not to share much of these joyous occasions because my spiritual gifts allow me to experience these things quite frequently. I feel it's important to share when I feel moved, and to otherwise be grateful to experience God's presence in my life. I can assure you, there is no such thing as coincidence but divine intervention. 

    Foremost, I want everyone to know how grateful I am, and each and every member of this team, and the Shawnee team are for your love and support. It has been amazing to say the least. God hand selected each of us to be here, and he selected each of you to support and encourage us in the process. We love you. 

   The devastation in Moore is overwhelming. Quite honestly, I knew it was going to be bad, but until you come face to face with blocks and miles of complete destruction, it's hard to truly imagine. Having lived in New Hampshire my entire life, I have never witnessed anything like this. I had prayed for God to strengthen my heart, as I knew it was going to be difficult. I was strong, but when you come face to face with a piles of rubble, cement slabs, and children's toys scattered, I couldn't hold back the tears. 

   The first elementary school grounds we visited, there were no lives lost, for this I am grateful. I found it so odd that an entire school could be demolished, yet pencils, school books, balls, etc. were resting in place. (although not many) There was even a world globe, intact. And this is where I had my first smile. Lying by my feet was a fake one dollar bill. I thought, how crazy is that..that one single piece of paper money was still sitting there, yet cement had been blown away. And then God reminded me, ONE. Pray For One. To Believe that he would answer in big ways. 

    Before I left, I saw an American flag and felt really moved to bring it here with me. Once we got here, I saw some flying and felt so proud to be an American, but more proud of the spirit of these people. And how strong they are..Today, at our last job site, we had been cleaning a pasture for a family. Her son had served in the military, and just returned from his second tour of Afghanistan. I had waited for the right moment to share this flag with someone, and this was it. Luckily our group member Mark knew how to fold the flag in the proper military way. We presented his mother with the Bible from Samaritans Purse, and then I gave her the flag, telling her that it meant a lot to help her, and we thanked her for her son's service. In that moment tears welled up in her eyes, this small but mighty woman was so touched, and it truly was amazing. I thank God for this experience and being able to be a part of it, and thank all of MCC for the support for our teams.

God Bless
Bethany Schieding

2 hours of sleep would have to cut it for me on this 12 hour travel day ahead of
me. Not only am I feeling like a zombie from the Walking Dead, my excitement is
what really gets me up and ready. The excitement of meeting new people from my
church, being able to spend this time with my dad, and also helping a community
of people in need. I knew there was a calling for me to help out somewhere,
anywhere, but I just was never sure where. The opportunity to join this group
was exactly what I needed and felt where I belonged.
 
Today what really amazed me was
the power of prayer and the sense of closeness I felt so soon from our group of
disaster relief members. Not only did I forget my identification for the plane,
but my spirits were dampen'd and anxiety rushed through me as I was afraid of
not being able to board with the rest of the group. But throughout my sudden
rush of doubt, all team members saw my concern and prayed for me. Feeling that
sense of trust and security is what I was most thankful for. In the end,
everything worked out and I feel blessed that I'm here and how much I know this
will strengthen my relationship with God. The faith we all share grows even
bigger as we all stand as one. I'm excited to see where the rest of this trip
will take me and how life changing it will be.


 Blogged by:
 Vinessa I. DeStefano

When I first saw pictures of the tornado devastation in Oklahoma all I could think of was "Jesus, please be their Comforter" and "it's time to go". 

Almost 10 years ago when Hurricane Katrina happened and I watched the chaos unfold through the lens of a TV camera some small, fearful voice started rising up within in me prompting me to go. Then it was overwhelmed by a stronger voice telling me "you don't have to go, "others who are closer will help", "it's too dangerous" and "you just have too much to do already". You see, I had never been on a mission trip in my life, never mind one involving disaster relief. I had no idea what was coming and what God had in store for me. When I stepped off of that plane and into what looked like a horrible end of the world movie set, I knew I was exactly where God wanted me to be. That whole experience was a game changer in my life, and is one of the main reasons why I am doing what I do today. 

Tomorrow, 30 people representing Manchester Christian Church are heading to Oklahoma from June 11-15 and this will be a game changer for many of them as well. I love being a part of a church who never hesitates to be His hands and feet, especially when it's inconvenient, overwhelming and sometimes scary. They always say "yes" when the opportunity to serve others is put before them, and they do it with a smile. 

We are not sure what our internet connections will be like in the field but we will try and post pictures and updates from this page. Please pray for safety, both while traveling and in the field. Pray that lives will be changed. Pray that we'll be able to provide comfort to those who have lost everything. 

The team heading to Moore, OK includes: Elizabeth Barron, Sean Collins, Jim DeStefano, Vinessa DeStefano, Mark & Darlene Godfrey, Stacey Hines, Deb Holt, Kalyn Hubbard, Jennifer Lewis, Val Maxwell, Lisa Mazur, Jason Polichronopoulos, Jon Polines and Bethany Schieding. 

The team heading to Shawnee, OK includes: Anoli Bragdon, Linda Burelle, Gary Coapland, Bill Cote, Danielle Hartigan, Whitney Henrich, Stephanie Johnson, Greg Johnson, Heidi Martel, Christie Ritze, Maureen Saliba, Lenny Santosuosso, Christian Scott, Jacob Scott and John Weber. 

Praying for one to share His love with in Oklahoma,
Lisa Mazur, Outreach Director

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear... Psalm 46:1-2a