Pacific Interns 2013
Family Reunion!
Meke dance at youth rally in Vanuatu
Traveling together :)
Maba teaching during the EE clinic
Community project painting a village church
Cascades waterfalls - sightseeing in Port Vila
H4K OJT in Pango village
Nabila village weekend
July/August 2013
Ministry Update
“The task before us is never as
great as the power behind” – Anonymous
“For the eyes of the Lord range
throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to
him.” – 2 Chronicles 16:9
During
the past 2 months God has shown Himself strong on our behalf over and over
again. As He gives us opportunities to serve and lead, we continue to be lifted
up in faith, stretched in ministry, and stand in awe of God’s power and grace
over our daily lives. I’m currently reading “Because He Loves Me” by Elyse
Fitzpatrick and it has encouraged me in so many ways. For example, the author
writes that God’s work is always redemptive and He has done all He has done so
that our lives would overflow with loving praise for His glorious grace! How
amazing is our God?! Even when we are anxious about responsibilities on the
mission field or come across a difficult situation, we praise God that He is
greater than anything we ever face in life! And we've recently
received some mission support that has helped us greatly. There’s a lot to share so
stay tuned and be blessed!
PACIFIC
INTERNSHIP
For 6 weeks,
27 individuals were in Fiji at the EE Training Centre. They came from 10 different nations (USA, Mexico,
England, Romania, Khazakstan, Australia, China, India, Fiji, and Vanuatu). Maba
and I were part of the leadership team to organize the internship and serve the
group. The interns were seeking God’s unique calling for their lives. The
internship consisted of teaching sessions to help the individuals discover
their strengths, passions, and further understand their role in God’s Kingdom.
The group also carried out community projects and EE trainings. It was a blessing to pour into these
interns and share our testimonies of being in full-time ministry. We were
also able to share about the culture, lifestyle, and religious background in
Fiji, provide some basic language lessons, and teach cultural dances. We saw
God move in many ways. Many of them received direction and confirmation from
the Lord regarding their next steps in pursuing God’s will for their lives.
Maba and I
especially enjoyed times of leading
worship and devotion. I’d like to share with you what we spoke on and hope
it encourages you. Maba spoke on Psalm 40:1-3 about waiting patiently for the
Lord and trusting God to lift us up from whatever pit, mud, and mire we may be
facing in our lives, whether a physical, cultural, financial, mental, or
emotional distraction, that is hindering us from carrying out His will for us.
Maba encouraged them to declare that God
is our Deliverer and Counselor! During my session I spoke on Ephesians 2:10
and 4:1-13. I encouraged the group to declare that we all are a unique masterpiece of God who has gone before us in all
things! I challenged them to always pursue peace and unity in the body of
Christ where God is over all (Sovereign and in supreme authority), through all
(by Jesus we are all saved), and in all (the Holy Spirit dwells in us). We each
have our gifts of grace for individual and corporate purposes in His Kingdom.
During the internship the team traveled to
Vanuatu. It was such a blessing to do missions overseas with my husband for the
2nd time. This year we worked in Pango village. It’s such a blessing to also serve with the EE
Vanuatu team, they are like family to us! During the adult EE training, 9
churches were represented by 29 trainees where 174 heard the Gospel and 98 prayed to receive Christ. During the
Hope for Kids workshop, 11 churches were represented by 26 trainees. One
afternoon we conducted an OJT at the local primary school where 65 students heard the Gospel and 27 prayed
to receive Christ. We also hosted a youth rally in the village where over
100 people attended. Maba led the event and the Pacific interns team performed
a Fiji traditional dance called a “meke”. It was a great night of fellowship
with the local Nivans. Also during that week I got to spend time with one of my best friends Sally! I cherished
those moments since we only see each other once or twice a year. Since we are
older than Sally, in Fijian culture her little daughter Jen calls me “NaLevu”
(big mom) and calls Maba “TaLevu” (big dad)! Hehe We had a great time catching
up! Maba and I also stumbled upon a Filipino
restaurant! I was ecstatic to find it! I had Maba try a traditional fried
pork dish with garlic rice and a dessert called halo-halo. It made me feel like
I was at home or in the Philippines with family!
Another part of the internship is to have the
team spend time in a local village to
immerse themselves in the culture/lifestyle. We hosted a youth rally where the
interns led the program with worship, testimonies, and special items. There
were 8 local youth groups present, and they were all very encouraged by all the
interns shared. One morning we did a community
project by painting an Assembly of God church in the village. The senior
pastor and church members were so blessed. Sunday service was encouraging as we
observed the villagers with so much joy in their faith despite lacking in other
areas of life.
We prepared the interns to run an EE clinic by teaching them how to
present the dramas, demonstrations, and teaching sessions. It was amazing to
see these young people step up and embrace their roles. They particularly
enjoyed the OJT outings as they saw God move within many different situations
and among many different kinds of people. During that week Maba and I invited
the whole team to our place. It was fun to have them visit our home and give them an idea of how we live outside the EE
centre.
For
4 weeks of the internship, our dear friend from Florida joined our leadership
team. Amberly was an intern from
last year and is one of our amazing financial supporters! I was so grateful to
have a girlfriend from home around for a bit. She brought “home” to us in
different ways. Maba and I learned so
much from her about intentionally listening to others and praying specifically
for God’s people. She has great wisdom with a beautiful Shepherd’s heart
for the children of God. She provided so much encouragement to us.
During
the last week of the internship the group did something special and memorable
together. We washed each other’s feet on
the veranda serving one another and praying for each other. It was a
powerful time of fellowship! It was the first time Maba and I had done that and
it was extremely humbling.
We
gave the interns an opportunity to share their heart to encourage and affirm
one another by writing letters. Maba and I were so blessed by what some of the
interns expressed to us. For example:
Joy (Youth Worker in
Australia)
– “I praise God for the way you are able to influence so many young people. I
love the way you and Maba serve Jesus together!”
Faith (recent OneHope Intern
in England)
– “Seeing how you have stepped out in faith for missions encourages me to be
able to do the same and observing your God-centered marriage is something I
truly admire!”
Naomi (Hope for Kids worker
in India) –
“Sarah you are like a sister to me and Maba you are an amazing person with a
patient heart.”
David (EE volunteer in
Florida) –
“You both are always serving in ways that exemplify Christ in all you do. Maba
you’re strong and courageous yet have a gentle and caring spirit, and Sarah you
are a godly, virtuous woman who fully trusts the Lord.”
The blog website is: http://pacificinternship2013.blogspot.com
- Here you can read about the interns sharing their experiences and testimonies
from the 6 weeks!
Since
the internship ended and everyone has gone back to their homes, we have taken
time to rest and recover physically and
spiritually. Maba and I have been craving the Word and spending lots of
time in prayer as seek direction from the Lord for our future. It has been so
nice to be at home again doing things we love like cooking together, taking
long walks, and spending time with our nieces and nephews. We’ve also jumped
back into local church ministry which has been wonderful.
What’s NEXT?
Our
ministry goals for the rest of 2013 include the following:
o
Follow-up churches that have been trained in Island EE and Hope for
Kids as well as ministry contacts from OJTs.
o
Follow-up locals who recently attended the Pacific Internship
o
Continue involvement with our local church
o
Strengthen our ministry team of local IFWs and young people volunteers
o
Serve the national EE ministry in any way we can
We
are so blessed by your prayers and support! Thank you for being part of our
ministry team and helping reach both those who are lost and seeking a Savior
and those who are pursuing God’s call in their lives. We are having an eternal
impact in Fiji and globally. May we continue to serve the Lord together
wherever He has placed us! To Him be all glory, honor, and praise.
Ways
to Support:
Online - www.eeworks.org
*Click on "Support" then "Online Giving"
*Type "Sarah Abadines 6124" in the box provided
*Type in amount and complete the given instructions
*Click on "Support" then "Online Giving"
*Type "Sarah Abadines 6124" in the box provided
*Type in amount and complete the given instructions
*If
support is to be monthly – please indicate
-OR-
Make checks out to Evangelism Explosion International and on memo line write "Sarah Abadines 6124" (all checks tax deductible)
Mail to: Evangelism Explosion International
P.O. Box 23820 Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33307-3820
-OR-
Make checks out to Evangelism Explosion International and on memo line write "Sarah Abadines 6124" (all checks tax deductible)
Mail to: Evangelism Explosion International
P.O. Box 23820 Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33307-3820
BE BLESSED,
SARAH &
MABA
