Ervins in Africa

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2010-05-26T05:34:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone
Grettings from Washington DC! We arrived here yesterday evening after a nights stay in London. God even blessed out plane rides home. Our flight from Ugandda was practically empty, only 37 people on a Boeing 737. On our flight from London we were bumped up from coach to business class! We couldn't believe it, we thought it was a mistake or something. It has been quite a journey already beginning to adjust to American culture. Please pray for us as we go through this 'reverse culture shock'. We are elated for the grace God has poured out on us these five months. We are traveling back to WV sometime today and are very excited to see more family and friends. I will send out an update in just a few more days.

Prayer:
1. As we readjust to American culture
2. As our bodies adjust to the time change.
3. For safety as we travel the next couple weeks.
4. To be able to process and communicate the mains things GOd has taught us these five months.

4tg,
Mike (Rachel)

At Musana Camps (A New Hope Ministry)

2010-05-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Prayer

2010-05-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I hope that Spring is finding you well. Rachel and I are excited to come back to the beautiful season full of beautiful colors and fresh smells. We are wrapping things up here over the next week and a half so we would like for you to pray for us concerning several things:

- That we will be able to finish well
- That we will fully take in every minute we have left here
- For our family group: We have had three boys leave over the past two months, also we are praying about taking one of the children on financially.
- For us to plan how we will implement what we have learned through our training and experience here when we return.
-For us to find an apartment in Charleston quickly when we return

4tg,
Michael

So what is a man or woman anyway?

2010-05-10T06:19:00.001-07:00

Rachel and I are part of a group that is writing a curriculum of sorts for parents to use to teach their children to become mature men and women. Check out these definitions of manhood and womanhood:
‘At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships.” – John Piper
‘At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm, receive, and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to the differing relationships.’ – John Piper
These are not exhaustive definitions, instead these are at least what the definitions of manhood and womanhood should be. To get a fuller definition see John Piper's "Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood'.
So how in the world does one go about teaching their child to become a biblical man and woman?
That is the question we are seeking to provide an answer for. An answer that is not as ambiguous as saying 'just teach the Bible'.
But before we share any of this we first need to say that this teaching begins with the parents.
We need:
Purpose: We have a clear vision and zealous pursuit of what we as men and women are called to be.
Responsibility: Are you willing to bear the burden, or shame of poor decisions, willing to lay down your life for this most important pursuit?
Accountability: Paramount for keeping the first two, namely making decisions in the presence of others.
Itegrity: How you conduct your life, in finances, faithfulness, speech, how you spend time, not hypocritical
Servanthood: Committed to die to self, no passivity, not authoritarian, live outside yourself, gospel centered
Example: In weakness, need, and success, willing to lead other men, women, boys and girls in a life of repentance and faith. You are an example.

White Water Rafting

2010-05-08T02:25:00.000-07:00

During our mid-term break we got the opportunity to go white water rafting on the Nile! Rachel and I were game but most of the others were not until we talked them into it. Part of the fear came from knowing that we would have to raft down Bujugali Falls, a class 5 rapid and would usually mean your boat will flip over. It would be a chance of a life-time.
There were seven of us so we got our own raft. Our guide was native Ugandan and had spent most of his life on the Nile, he knew the water well. Only a few of us had been rafting before so we had to go through all the basics of rafting before we set out on the adventure. On our first training rapid our boat flipped and half of us fell into the water. It wasn't looking good for us from the start. We made it through our first class 4 rapid just fine losing only our guide but on the first class 5 we flipped completely over. The next few rapids we handled like pros but on the next class 5 not all of us came out unscathed. After we came out of the rapid we were congratulating each other but noticed that our guide's mouth was bloody, his tooth hanging by a thread, and his oar broken in two. All the girls sceamed and could not look at him. He was dazed, and couldn't talk but just moan. We were headed straight for Bujugali Falls! So how did this happen to the guide? Well, he got his oar stuck between rocks and it snapped, the bunt of it hitting him directly in the mouth, almost knocking him completelty out. So we paddled the raft to the side and got the attention of a medic. Once he was checked out he decided to stay and guide through to the end. Josh and I were at the front of the boat, Rachel behind me as I could see the Falls approaching. My adrenaline began to rush as our raft picked up speed, I could see the water dropping and hear water crashing against rocks. All the sudden Our boat was straight up end to end crashing into the water. Josh and I grabbed the front of the raft and pulled up hard and held onto the sides so as to not let it flip over. Josh started to fly out but we grabbed him before he fell into the water. Then it was calm. We made it through Bujugali Falls without flipping or losing a rafter. other rafters were not so lucky. One guy was rescued from the eddies at the bottom of the Falls and we took him in our raft. He was so frightened, he almost drowned. At the end the trip we stopped at an island in the river and had cold cut sandwiches, something we had not had since we left the States.

Last call for COFFEE

2010-04-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

As you already know we will be coming home next month! We have had many people interested in buying a pound of coffee to support some of the students here at New Hope, but we have only received money from a select few!

It is $7 for 1 lb. bag. We need to let them know how much we want to take home so that they can make sure they have enough roasted and bagged before we leave! We need the money from you before we purchase the coffee, so if you seriously want to help support the students email us and we will get you the information you need to pay for it, then we will bring it back for you!

Please email and let us know no later than Sunday April 25. :o)

Subunye Dan

2010-03-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

This month has gone by way too fast! It was filled with so many wonderful and hard things.

So first of all the month began with one of our sons, Subunye Dan, running away after a Monday night devotion. He has been here at New Hope for the past five years, he is 12. I would have to say that he imobies the 'orphan heart'. When we first became a part of the family he would just stare at me with an expressionless face, was very cold to touch or even to the exchange of a simple greeting. Then he ran away just a few days later but was found in the streets of a nearby town. After a few weeks of working with the children in the garden, playing game with them, just showing love to them, and sharing God's Word with them Subunye began to warm up to me. In fact, he shared a piece of his jackfruit with me and would often come to greet me with a hug and a smile. Then there would be times where he would be very cold and nothing I did could get him to warm up to me. On one occasion I came to work with the children in the garden after school and they were eating jackfruit. Subunye had about half a jackfruit to himself, another boy had the other half. Three little girls, his sisters, asked him for a piece of his fruit but he snarled at them and hit them away. The other boy immediately took his jackfruit and cut it into equal parts for each to have. At that moment I could tell Subunye has some deep wounds from living life on the streets of Kampala for so long beginning as a 4 year old. I'm sure there is more to his story but here is what Subunye told me himself. Subunye hit the streets at the ripe young age of 4, sometime after his mother died. Perhaps he got lost one day and never found his home. He doesn't quite remember. All he knows is that he took to living on the streets which untold injustices happened to him. Until one day God brought him to New Hope Uganda when he was becoming too much a problem to police. It is extremely difficult for a street kid to come back to living in a family after being so used to a survival 'me' centered life. Much counseling, time, and love has been poured into Subunye by many people. However, Subunye kept hitting the streets when he would get in trouble for stealing or not doing his work, etc. This month alone he ran away twice which basically became the last straw. New Hope does not keep kids here against their will so they became destined to discover his relatives. This week they took Subunye to Kampala to drive him around where some of his relatives could possibly live. On the last leg of the trip Subunye saw a Petroil station he recognized and a street. They pulled up to the gas station and three men sitting on a bench outside the station recognized Subunye but by another name and he remembered them. Then they called another man over and this man was none other than the best friend of Subunye's dad! Yeah, that's right, Subunye's dad is still alive and is a believer! The man took them to Subunye's Auntie and the next day he was reunited with his dad, who is remarried. WOW! I am blown away by this story every time I think about it. It reminds me of one of those old Disney movies like Fivel or something. I love and miss Subunye and I will never forget the bond we had and how he showed me around the forest here at New Hope, showed me all about the oxen, and many other things. But overall I am greatly pleased that he is back with his dad and in a family. It won't be easy for him at all to readjust to living in his family. So please pray for him, pray that God would redeem this boy for His Glory.

Partnering in Prayer

2010-03-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Sunday March 28, will mark 3 months since we set off on our big adventure! It is very hard to believe that we will be home in just 8 short weeks! We realize that many of you may not have contact with us on a regular basis and may not be quite sure what to pray for so I would like to take a few minutes to give you a short list of things you can partner with us in praying for!

*Mike will be preaching on Sunday (tomorrow) at the same village church where he preached last month. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will flow through him and use his words and the WORD to change the lives of the people in the church. Also you can pray that we will be a real blessing to the pastor and his wife. They are very loving people and we long to bless them while we are there.

*We will be beginning the topic of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood this week. The first 2 days of the week we will be in class from 8:30-4:00 instead of 8:30-1:00 which is what we are used to. Pray that God will really impact us with our roles as He intended them.

*Our "Family Visions" are going to be due in April. Pray that God will unify our vision for our family as we begin to compose our personal "Family Vision"

*As we look to the future there are many uncertainties. The only real thing we know is that we will be arriving home on May 24! Pray for God's leading as we look for housing and readjust to life in the States.

*Also, keep Keith and LauraBeth McFarland (and their 4 children) in your prayers as they are preparing to come back to the States at the same time we are. Pray for God's strength for them as they prepare to be away from home for 6 months and as they pack up things for their family of 6! It is going to be a very busy time for all of us, so pray for rest and peace in Jesus!

I hope these few things help you to know how best to pray for us! Thank you for your support of us over these 3 months! We look forward to seeing you all when we return and to sharing our transformed hearts with you!
We love you all!

Psalm 63

Enjoying Jesus

2010-03-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

I love Saturday mornings here in Uganda! Waking up to sunshine, cool morning breeze, omlets with guacamole, and Starbucks coffee. This Saturday morning I was determined to do something I have been wanting to do the whole time we have been here! You see, there is this little clearing behind our hut with some trees, grass, and a tree that once stood tall but has now fallen. I've been wanting to take a little morning visit to that old fallen tree with my coffee, journal, and Bible. This morning that is preicsely what I did.

After a simply delicious breakfast I gathered up my things (which consisted of my coffee cup, a towel to sit on, journal, pen, Bible, and Crazy Love) and took the short trek to the tree. I spread out my towel and sat down to just enjoy Jesus in His beautiful creation.

As I read, wrote, and prayed God spoke so plainly to my heart of the freedom he is bringing to me. I have lived in bondage to controlling my life (in ALL areas) for so long that I have not been able to even enjoy life! Surrendering my control came in one very specific area but has in turn affected many areas of my life! For the first time in a long time this morning I thoroughly ENJOYED myself and Jesus... with no worry about a to-do list, time, or any other distractions. I am recognizing how much bondage I have really been enslaved to and I want nothing to do with it anymore! I want to be FREE TO ENJOY! Enjoy Jesus, enjoy life, enjoy simplicity, enjoy quiet, enjoy just being still, enjoy meals, enjoy people, enjoy coffee...just simply enjoy.

Sure...its easy to live like this here where time is rarely an issue and where we don't have all the responsibilities that we have at home, but through Holy Spirit's power I am going to live this way at home too. It will take much more deliberate-ness, but it needs to be done!

So I challenge you today-stop being so busy...your life is a vapor...are you going to live it striving to control or are you going to live it the way God intended...simply enjoying Him and letting Him unfold everything else!

2010-03-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend was our Institute break, and we went to Jinja to a resort called King Fisher's Safari Resort. It was so nice to get away for a few days and relax! The resort was so nice and we were even able to take HOT showers! :o)

It was right on Lake Victoria and had some beautiful scenery!

Some of the scenery with Lake Victoria in the background

Lake Vic

In Jinja town we found a coffee shop (Flavours) and were able to get our first lattes in 3 months! Definitely much needed and it made us feel right at home! Mike is drinking an iced caramel mocha, and I am enjoying an iced cafe mocha! Probably one of the highlights of our weekend! We miss Starbucks! :o) Sitting in the coffee shop made us feel very much at home, and it was our first real "date" in a long time!

Overall, we had an amazing weekend! God definitely refreshed us and we are now ready to finish up the last 8 weeks of the course!

3-12-2010

2010-03-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

We would like to apologize for our lack of communication over the past month. We have been experiencing an extreme lack of electricity over the past month. It would be on for a day then off for a couple days. The power went out last Wednesday but was fully restored yesterday evening.
We are on our 11th week here in Uganda. The time seems to be slipping away on us here. Before we know it we will be back in West Virginia. Over the past few days Rachel and I have been contemplating how weird it will be when we are thrust directly back into American culture and luxury.
The past two weeks have been the hardest for me physically (Mike). I started having extreme stomach pains three times a day, especially after eating. I waited to see if it was just a virus but it continued to get worse. So I told my Keith McFarland about me stomach issues and how I can barely eat anything. So I was diagnosed as having a parasite in my stomach. The good thing is that I was able to provide for one of God’s creatures ;-). I began a treatment for the parasites last Saturday and I am now fine and able to eat without extreme pain.
The Lord has given me (Mike) an opportunity to assistant coach the Kasana boys basketball team. Many of the boys from our family group Ebenezer are on the team which has given me a great opportunity to build deeper relationships with them. When I first started playing basketball with them I could tell they needed some serious help in understanding the fundamentals of the game. To my surprise they have picked it up so quickly. There is at least one boy 14 years old and 6’4 who is by far the best player out of the group and who has the potential to develop into a college prospect. The main thing I have focused on with the boys has been defense and shooting. Tal, the head coach, has signed the team up for games and tournaments starting in two weeks. We are excited to know how they perform against other Ugandan teams.
Rachel started a new ministry last Saturday with the girls of Ebenezer. She borrowed a kitchen and had about 12 girls come over to teach them to bake. They did a tremendous job making Snicker Doodles and Banana bread, I (Mike) got to taste one of the cookies. It surprised me that none of the girls had ever baked before. Rachel is going to continue this ministry through the remainder of our time here. After baking they sat around talking and playing games. Perhaps one day some of these girls can use these baking skills to make an income. This opportunity has also given Rachel a much deeper relationship with some of the girls.
The past two weeks we went through Biblical Counseling training with Jonnes Bakimi. Here is a short summary of what we have learned and are practicing in our lives.
Counseling is basically dealing with issues of the heart. Usually we just view counseling as going to someone for advice or help but it is more than that. Counseling is something that we are doing all the time. It happens intentionally and unintentionally. Thus we are either giving good and true counsel or we are giving false counsel. Psalm 1 teaches that a person acts based on what they believe and they believe based on their influences. These influences in our lives are what creates belief and what you believe will ultimately determine how you behave or your actions.
The typical response in counseling is usually geared toward fixing behaviors. However, this does not get to the root of the problem. Instead of cutting the branches we need to kill the root of the problem. When need to keep in mind that when counseling we are always dealing with worldview which is either based on truth, half-truths and lies, or just lies. Most often we will deal with half-truth based worldviews. What we now must do is uncover the lie (problem) and kill it with truth. We need to be replacing the lies with truths. The funny thing is that the heart more easily swallows lies than it does truth. Thus we must give the truth in love.
It is of utmost importance to view people as God views them:
- Created Perfectly
- Created for His purposes
- Loved by Him
- In need of Jesus’ salvation and restoration
- Desperately wicked and sick
- Filled with lies; in need of truth
- Needs reconnected back to God
The Key to counseling is Jesus Christ bearing all of our griefs, sins, failures and hurts on the cross. We ourselves first of all need to recognize this and look upon Jesus on the cross and cast our cares, sorrows, sins, pains, and hurts on Him.
So how do we take our pain to Jesus?
1. By Confessing the offense or hurt.
2. Repent: turn from the ownership or slavery of the sin or pain
3. Free: we are now able to walk in freedom
4. We are now able to bring others to this freedom.
We may write more on this later. Currently we are studying through Old Testament Biblical Theology.
Be praying for us:
1. For us to continue opening our heart to God’s working
2. For us to glorify God when not healthy or when we have no electricity
3. For God to give us wisdom in our next ministry step
4. For our ministries to our family group
We love and miss you all,
Mike and Rachel

Feb. 7, 2010

2010-02-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

On Feb. 7 Mike had the opportunity to preach at one of the churches in a nearby village. It was definitely an experience! He had done this a couple times before, but I had never been to a village church before! While many people here speak English, there are still some who only speak Lugandan. He preached through an interpreter! You can see through the photo that the church is a little "rustic" compared to what we are used to! Last time he preached at this church there were no walls, just open air! This time they had put up some "walls" though because they said it distracted the people when they could see everything that was happening outside of the church! As you can guess it was very different from the way we "do church" in the States. The worship was all in Luganda and much more lively than most churches in America. Since we really did not know what they were saying, it was difficult to join in worship, but we did our best and Uncle Paul (the pastor of the church who grew up at New Hope) tried to tell us what they were saying so we had some sort of idea what was going on! It was definitely an experience we will never forget! We have couple of videos that I took during the service which we will glady share when we get home! Just thought you might want to see this picture! There are others posted on my (Rachel) FaceBook if you are interested in looking!

Recommened Reading

2010-02-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in reading up a little bit on the Doctrine of Adoption, there is a wonderful book out written by Mark Stibbe entitled From Orphans to Heirs: Celebrating our Spiritual Adoption. We have been reading through this book as a class assignment, but totally recommend it for anyone! It is very eye-opening and powerful!

The Orphan Heart

2010-02-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

Last week we spent much of the week going over the Orphan Heart and Doctrine of Adoption. It is impossible in a form like this to convey all that we have learned and that God is still teaching us, but for this post I would like to just give a glimpse of the things we are learning. My goal is to give you the characteristics of an Orphan Heart. We all know that there are physical orphans (Bibilically this means someone who is fatherless). We see many fatherless in our midst every single day. What we do not always want to recognize is that all of us who are without Christ are spiritual orphans. Even further, we do not want to recognize that we all have the heart of an orphan in one way or another. As you go through this list, ask God to reveal to you the areas of your heart that have these tendencies and to help you work through them.

1. Abandonment-because they have been left by one or both parents they have cold emotions; do not know how to respond to love.
2. Rejection- feels rejected or betrayed; thinks "no one love me" or "you don't really love me" (they may even use these as manipulative tools)
3. Loneliness- feels alone bound by fear of being abandoned again; cautious with past experiences; interprething things (words and actions of others) through past experiences; feels isolated even in large groups.
4. Hopelessness- no sense of future hope/destiny; "life can never get any better"; no purpose or direction
5. Worthlessness- feels ashamed that they are a mistake; a person without standing.
6. Sadness- heart is not light and happy/heave burden of loss; pain is buried deep- can't be happy even in a happy environment
7. Mistrust- really do not trust anyone; believe that at anytime they may be abandoned or rejected; cannot reveal painful things
8. Hiding- hides & builds wall around their heart; conceals rather than reveals heart issues; very common to lie about obvious things
9. Superficiality- does not relate at a deeper level; relationship is based on what he/she can get; *** be careful not to encourage this-there is really no way to help someone without a genuine relationship
10. Insecurity- result of pain; fear that anything may cause pain
11. Hypersensitivity- very sensitive to words, actions, and signals; a simple word can be a big deal because they interpret to understand based on past and what they want rather than what you mean; careless words can bring more pain
12. Self-pity- take offense very easily
13. Fear- of man, rejection, separation, disapproval; of man in sense of gender and authority figures; becomes a big deal when you try to correct or instruct because they fear not being approved of; only wants to hear what he wants to hear not what is good for him
14. Poverty Mentality- he doesn't have enough even in the midst of plenty; keeps needing more; hold on to what he receives-wont give it away; survival mindset; fails to enjoy what he has or to be thankful
15. Greed- seeks to fill the hole in the soul; will fill with destructive things (sex, drugs, etc) that give temportal comfort
16. Manipulation- controls others to get as much from them as possible; tool to protect against pain
17. Anger- resentment; anger at self and others
18. Selective Memory- tries to block out painful memories; denies reality
19. Fantasy- deals with facts but not truth; "if parents were here life would be better"
20. Misinterpretation- makes own interpretation of what one says based on past experience
21. Independance- spirit of rebellion that says "I will do thing my way"
22. Striving- driven by need to succeed or be somebody; what you do makes you loved (earning love and acceptance)
23. Restless- don't stay home; go from one place to another to sleep/stay
24. Confused- don't know how to respond to love

There are probably countless other characteristics, but these are the main ones. Which ones describe YOU?

Grief and Glory

2010-02-09T06:43:00.001-08:00

One of our dear friends here in the Kasana community had a very trying week. His wife had several cists removed, was in the hospital for many days and several of their five children went down with malaria. On top of that he is a pastor and teacher. I was given the opportunity to preach in his church last Sunday morning. The week leading up to this was a trying one for both Rachel and me as well.
Last Monday, Feb. 1, marked the two year anniversary of my dad's death. A missionary couple was going out of town the weekend leading to the anniversary of my dad's death and asked us if we wanted to stay in their home. Beginning sometime in early January I dreamed of my father just about every night. I thought that I was finished processing and greiving but soon discovered that I am not. It is a hard thing to suffer loss and pain. Many things happen when one loses someone so close to them. You feel abandoned, fear, anger, confused, etc. For me I had buried some of these pains deep within so I wouldn't have to deal with them. But God in His grace and mercy has gently begun to heal these wounds.
That Monday afternoon was spectacular for me and Rachel. I felt a huge weight laying on my heart and I knew that I could no longer hold back the tears. I started telling her how I kept going over the events of my dad's death in my mind and finally went over word by word the events of that day. I broke open into tears and cried on her shoulder. It's probably been 2 years since I cried like that, evven then I don't think I let anyone see me crying. After a few minutes I felt much better and recalled what God testified to me that morning, 'Mike, you are not really fatherless. You are my adopted son. You can call and cry to me as Abba, Daddy.' I knew that in my head for many years. In fact I wrote an exegetical study on the Doctrine of Adoption but it was not till that morning that this reality hit me.
Rachel greatly ministered to me throughout the day. She made me a delicious dinner, chicken stir-fry, with honey and soy sauce and made brownies with chocolate chips and cashews for dessert! The best food I have had in months. She also wrote me a card and read several key Scriptures to me which was medicine to my soul. God so glorified Himself in the midst of my pain, I gained unsurpassing joy.

1 month mark!

2010-01-30T00:03:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe that we have hit the 1 month mark!! Time has flown by! We are really feeling much more settled now and the feelings of homesickness are starting to subside. We still really miss our families, but it is not quite the same feeling that it was and for that we are thankful!
God is doing so much in our hearts! Thursday and Friday of this week were HUGE in our lives! We discussed several "isms" in class. The first one that really hit me (Rachel) was "me-ism". God revealed my attitude of superiority. So many times I find myself getting frustrated when things are not done the way I think they should be done! This goes across the board from big things to the smallest things like the way I want my laundry to be folded! I look at situations and the way people handle them and think, "Well, I would have done ____" or, "That wasn't the best way to handle that. If it were me..." This attitude is SINFUL! It leads me to be so critical of the people that surround me, and can even lead to a bitter spirit which effects my relationships with people. God is definitely changing me in this area and teaching me how to recognize when I am thinking with this attitude. I have to remain in a constant state of repentance, and recognize my sin, turn from it, and turn to the truth of God! The truth is, I am fallen just like the rest of mankind and just because I do things different, doesn't mean that they are better or the best. After discussing this with Laura Beth on Thursday, I recognized just how far this attitude can go. It plays into every area of life, especially my marriage. It keeps me from submitting to Mike's leadership and allowing him to lead. Even in what I would consider insignificant things! I recall many times we would be in the car and he would be driving. I would question the route he was taking to get somewhere, which really doesn't matter. Maybe I like going a certain way and maybe he thinks another way is faster. Either way I am called to let him lead. It seems so silly in some circumstance, but this attitude will also come out in different areas that could really hurt or disrepect him and cause problems in our marriage. It is part of the curse that I want to lead, but I know that is not my role and I am really trying to submit my heart to God's Word! Please pray that God will continue to teach me in this area.

Support New Hope Students, Buy Coffee!

2010-01-26T02:51:00.000-08:00

A group of older students at New Hope is selling the best Ugandan Coffee to help raise school funds. One lb. of coffee for $7! What a deal! Some of the best African coffee one can buy for only $7 and you get to help pay for their school. Just think, you are at home sipping the coffee and you can think about the kids that get to learn because of the coffee you are drinking. Email me (Michael) if you are interested ervin4tg@gmail.com and I will explain how to pay and how you will get the coffee.

For the Gospel!
Michael and Rachel

Week #3 Hidden Chains of Media!

2010-01-19T03:07:00.000-08:00

It is almost hard to believe that on Monday we began our third week in the New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family (NHICF). There are so many things that we could write about, but words really cannot convey the things that we are learning in and out of class!

I do want to appologize for not having put any photos up yet. It has been difficult to get any to upload with the inconsistancy of the internet connection. We hope to have some up soon, but if we cannot get any up then you all may just have to wait until May to get pictures! :o)

God is really teaching me (Rachel) so much about relationships! He is really directing me into some sort of ministry. I have no idea what it looks like yet or what form it will take, but I am increasingly having a desire to build solid, deep, lasting relationships with the women around me. It is almost distracting! I am so eager to come home to put into practice the things I have learned in the past 2 weeks, but I also know that I am not fully prepared for that! I still have 17 1/2 weeks of teaching in the institute before I can fully understand all that He is teaching me now! Please continue to pray that we will be open to what God is trying to teach us so that our lives will be transformed!!

Yesterday (Mike) in class we discussed "technology" and the effect that is has on our lives. Ironically, while Keith was teaching his cell phone began ringing and would not stop til he answered it. A few minutes later it began ringing again. A few minutes later it rang again. We were all so frustrated with the disruption. It was rude and shallow that he would consider answering his phone over teaching his lesson to us. Have you had an experience like that? Maybe you were talking with someone and then their cell phone rang and they answered it. It was like this cell phone was his screaming baby and it would not be quiet until he consoled it. Keith was giving the cell phone power. Power to control him. The point is that technology is not neutral. So is it good or bad? I bet you are saying 'that evil cell phone.' Wrong. Something becomes bad when it has reversal effects on us. You see the cell phone is not bad because it interrupted class, it only became bad when Keith gave it power to control him. It in essence became a god. This can happen with any form of technology and media. We all know that many of us have given TV too much power, we have allowed ourselves and children to be given over the power of video game consoles. We are in a culture of technology and media overload. We need to carefully think through the effects that technology and media has on us. What kind of power does the medium (a vehicle carrying information) of facebook or this blog have over you? We need to be aware of the truth that the medium eventually becomes the message. Here are some of the 'Laws of Media' or questions you should ask about media, 'What does the medium extend?' Essentially, all forms of media and technology are extensions of our human capacities. For instance, the cell phone is the extension of our voice and our hearing. The computer is an extension of our mind 'the ability to make outlines on Microsoft Word for my sermons' it also combines many other human capacities like sight, hearing, voice, etc. I hope you get the point. Second, 'what does the medium replace or make obsolete?' Third, 'what does the medium reverse into?' For instance, the car is an extension of my legs and can get me from point 'a' to point 'b' much faster. But if there is a traffic jam then the medium revereses. Last, 'what does the medium retrieve?' The book that this discussion was primarily based off of is entitled The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture by Shane Hipps. We would definitely encourage you to take a look at this book and allow the author's thoughts to penetrate your heart and cause you to really think about the abundance of technology that we are accustomed to using and its effects on our lives. Hipps has another book that is similar but condenced which is called Flickering Pixels. Again, we would encourage you to take a look at the perspective this brings on the way technology influences and inprisons our culture, churches, lives, relationships, etc. As the Church, we need to be careful in how we share the gospel with through the medium of media. In doing so, we risk changing the message of the gospel itself. God intends us His body to be the message of His gospel. We are the best medium to proclaim the greatest news and to be His hands and feet.
4tg,
Michael and Rachel Ervin

Mailing Address

2010-01-14T09:43:00.003-08:00

For those of you who are interested. Our mailing address is:
Mike and Rachel Ervin
PO Box 16
Luwero, Uganda
East Africa

If you do want to send us something, we suggest using a small bubble envelope, boxes may take months to get here.

4tg,
Mike and Rachel

Lies and Fear

2010-01-13T03:14:00.000-08:00

This week has been another great one here in Uganda so far! God is really working in our hearts! Monday was a bit rough for me (Rachel) as I once again began having intense feelings of homesickness. In class we discussed idols, and it was at that point that I realized that I was holding my family, home, and all that was familiar to me as an idol. I was allowing my feelings to be at home control me rather than the knowledge that God has called me here for this appointed time. It was a very difficult thing. I had never felt such a real struggle between my flesh and my spirit as I did that day. Finally after much arguing in my heart I submitted my heart to God's will. Just as I am reading back through the last couple of sentences, it does not convey the intensity of what was going on in my heart! I guess I really cannot put it into words! Tuesday was another hard but glorious day!

In class we discussed FEAR. In the fallen world we are controlled by fear and every fear (except a reverant fear of God) is founded on lies of Satan! We spent about 15 minutes in prayer individually begging God to reveal our fears to us. BOY did HE! He revealed many things to me but the one thing that really struck me that my homesickness was being caused by a fear of missing out on things at home (even the boring everyday occurences). When I dug deeper, God revealed that this fear was based on the same lie that Satan told Eve in the garden which is basically that "God is holding out on you". WOW! When I made this connection in my heart and mind a rush of emotion came over me! I was angry that I had believed such a lie, excited to be set free from the bondage that lie and fear was holding me in, and in awe of our great God! There are still twinges of ache in my heart and longing for home, but now when those things arise and I can combat them with TRUTH from God's word rather than simply believe the lies and allow fear to once again enslave me! This has truly been a freeing experience! I told Mike last night that I do not know if I have ever felt so free from the bonds of Satan as I do now! Facing your fears is scary and something that I did not want to do, but now I see just how important it is to be honest with yourself and with God about your deepest fears and their roots!
Amen!
I (Mike) am so happy for what God is doing in our hearts. It was so hard seeing Rachel battle like she did. I didn't think I could be the man that she needed in those times of intense stuggle. But by the grace of God and much battle against my own flesh the Lord spoke through me His love and truth to her. I was changed through Him doing this. I am now able to see how God's powerful Words really cut and heal, like a surgeons scalpal, not like a knife.
In class we have been looking at Worldview. Worldview is the lens by which peolpe interpret life and reality. It is shocking to see how much the church has been influenced by the fallen worldview of our Western culture. I mean, even the most conservative churches are influenced by the fallen man-centered worldview. I am so thankful for the Gospel to confront us in our worldview. The Gospel is the answer to this problem.
4tg (For the Gospel),
Michael and Rachel

Week 1

2010-01-09T02:44:00.000-08:00

Well we have completed our first week of classes at the New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family. What an interesting week!

I (Rachel) have really struggled this week with homesickness, to the point where I was begging Michael to take me home. I knew that being away from my family and home for 20 weeks would be a difficult thing for me, because I like being at home! When I was in high school I would cry when I went away for 1 week to church camp! :o) While the first few days of this week, and even now, have been tough for me, God has used this time of stretching to teach me just how much I need HIM. I am finding out just how much I MUST have Him and His Word just to live each day! I know that being at home in America I would not have learned this lesson the way I am learning it here. We have had several times of discussion and prayer with Keith and LauraBeth. Those times have been encouraging! Mike and I have been praying each morning before getting out of bed and meditating daily on Psalm 63.

I have never been the most open person, but this week God has made me realize that I NEED to be open and real with my thoughts and feelings. I was able to sit down with Mike and let him in on a portion of my life that I had never discussed with him before. While it was difficult (because I like to keep things to myself) it has deepened our relationship in a way we never imagined! These things all happened before class even began!!

The first 2 days of class (Tuesday and Wednesday) consisted of each person telling his/her "life story". Talk about amazing! It is easy as individuals to think that we are the only ones who are struggling or have crazy things happening in our families, but when you sit in a room of over 20 people and hear the things that other people have been through or are going through you recognize that everyone is human and we ALL have problems and issues to work through. Michael and I have not had the opportunity to tell our stories yet, but we will probably have that chance on Tuesday or Wednesday! Please pray that God would give us just the words to say that would clearly convey our stories to our classmates.

On Thursday the "family parents" came in to talk with the class. You see, there are several family groups here at New Hope. The orphans here are all living within a family setting rather than a typical orphanage. This way they are able to get a glimpse of what a typical family is supposed to look like. Each student in the class is assigned to work with a particular family group. We will be involved with Ebeneezer family. There are many ways to get involved, but probably the most common thing for us will be having a meal or two with them throughout the week, working in the garden with them, and participating in family devotion times. We are very excited about this opportunity, but again God is using it to stretch us! I (Rachel again!) am a little bit nervous about having to be the persuer of relationships. I have never been very good at being the persuer, and that has probably resulted in many "could have been" friendships. I know that God is going to use this to teach me valuable lessons that I must learn! I reall appreciate your prayers in this area!! :o)

Friday, our last day before the weekend!! We really got into the class material on Worldview. Keith talked about the lens through which we see everything and everyone, how that lens is built (by our culture, past experiences, etc), and how it affects us! We then watched a bit of The Truth Project. We both had viewed The Truth Project before, but after hearing what Keith had to say it seemed to mean so much more! I am sure we will be discussing more about worldview over the next 19 weeks!

Saturday (today!) was also a day of learning! We learned how to do our laundry...by hand! What an experience! As Keith said, it really makes you appreciate having a washing MACHINE!! :o) We actually had an enjoyable time learning together. It was definitely a team effort. As for the rest of our day, I think Mike is planning to play some basketball with some other guys. I will probably go with him and may play as well. Other than that we are kind of just taking it easy!

Have a great weekend and keep an eye out for more posts this week! Now that we have a little bit of a routine established we might be able to post more!!

Sunday Morning Worship and Being Received

2010-01-03T07:49:00.000-08:00

Today was our offical welcome into the community here. We started the day off by sleeping in til about 8:15 and then had eggs and beans for breakfast. It was very British and delicious. After that we prepared for the church service which began at 1030. You need to understand something about church services here in Uganda. There is only one church service in a week which is held on Sunday morning, which means no Sunday School or Wednesday night Bible Study. Although there is a Junior Church which is on break until February. I am sure I will write more on how the church operates as I learn more about it.
As we were walking toward he church building we could hear the choir already singing and their instruments blaring for all to hear the call to worship. Once we arrived we were warmly greeted by many people. I (Michael) was greeted several familiar people that I met while visiting four and five years ago. One of them was Roger, pronounced Row - jay, sounds French because he is originally from Rwanda which used to be a French colony. He has an amazing testimony of God's obvious providence in saving him from certain death during Rwanda's genocide.
I (Mike) was particularly excited for Rachel to experience the Ugandan worship service for the first time. You see, she is not used to people dancing, clapping and singing their hearts out not worrying about what their neighbor thinks. It seemed very pure, true and in spirit. I felt so much more free to worship the Lord with my whole self as it commanded and taught in Scripture. At home I feel more restricted in most churches but sometimes I remember the Word of the Lord about worshiping truly, in spirit with the whole self and stand before the Lord freely and openly.
Just before Pastor Jones began preaching he had us come before the congregation to be introduced and received in the Love of Jesus. So there we were standing in front of many Ugandans and only a handful of Mazoongoos (White People), a minority, and Jones implores the community to reach out their arms, literally. So the congregation was standing their with arms stretched out toward us to receive us with the loving touch of Jesus. Then Jones prayed for us to be received into the community as brother and sister, that we are now a part of the community there at New Hope and Kasana (the outlying village), that God would use us in their midst and that they would be used by God in our lives as well. We were and are truly blessed!
4 the Gospel,
Michael and Rachel

New Years in Uganda

2010-01-01T03:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from Uganda! :o)

We arrived in Uganda on Dec 29 at 10:00 pm. We are staying with our family here (The McFarlands) for a few days until we are able to move into our own little house. We have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them. They have shown us around New Hope and the surrounding villages as well as city of Kampala.

The first few days have been rough on us because of jet lag. We are 8 hours ahead of the United States which has made it a little difficult to adjust. Keith and Laura made us stay awake on our first day so that we were able to get a full night of sleep...which was difficult at the time but having a full night's rest was wonderful!

We were able to get a Ugandan cell phone so that we are able to communicate with people here and our family and friends back home.

The weather is very nice. It rained a little bit this afternoon which cooled everything off. It is very warm here, but we are enjoying it right now! It is a very nice and welcomed change from the snow that we left in West Virginia!

We thank you for your prayers for us! God has given so much peace and rest in Himself. Rachel has especially experienced a peace from God about being so far away from home. We know that He has called us to this and we are resting in Him. He is already changing our hearts in just the short time that we have been here.

We visited the village near New Hope this morning which was so eye opening. There were so many children! Mike mentioned that most of the population here is very young and we have found that to be true! The houses that the families live in are constructed of brick and cement with a metal roof. These types of houses are very new to the area (they just began being built about 10 years ago). Before these types the homes were basically mud homes. Some people still have those, but most of them have brick houses. It was very interesting to see things that we had only seen on TV in person. There are many times that we have seen homes like these and children running around with no shoes and dirty clothing on television, but actually seeing them in person and recognizing that it is REAL was incredible. We wish you all could see what we have seen in just the few short days that we have been here!

Some of you have been asking for pictures and we will post some soon! :o) You can check our blog here or our group on facebook in the next few days to see if we have posted any! We are trying to adjust to being here before we dive right into picture taking and blog posting everyday! Once again, thank you for your prayers! We love you all!!

Love,
Mike & Rachel

And We're Off!

2009-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

We began our journey at 6:15 am on December 28. Both of our mothers drove us to Washington Dulles airport. From Dulles we flew to London, which is where we are writing from now. Our cell phone does not currently work over here and there is not any wireless internet that we can find, so we are using a computer in the airport. We paid £3 for 30 minutes of internet access. It is around 7am here while it is more like 2 or 3 am back in the States! We will be boarding our next (and final) fllight in roughly 2 hours.

This trip, so far, has been very stretching. It is very difficult to leave family and friends behind for such a long time. I (Rachel) was frustrated when we got to London and the phone and internet did not work! We were able to get online though and communicate with our family which was a blessing! There is also a Starbucks just across the way which makes Michael a very happy traveler! :o)

Please continue to pray for us as this will be a tough transition and we will miss all of our family and friends (and our puppy Zoe). It is a very strange feeling because we are extremely excited and sad at the same time. We know that God has promised to go with us and He who has promised is faithful. We are praying for you all and look forward to hearing from you soon!

Love from London,
Mike and Rachel

departure approaching

2009-12-15T09:37:00.000-08:00

It seems like time is FLYING by as we prepare to leave in less than 2 weeks! It seems almost surreal! There is so much to do between now and December 28! Preparing to leave is so much more than simply getting all of our belongings packed! We really need to have time to emotionally prepare as well! Being away from our home, family, friends, culture, conveniences, etc for so long is going to be an emotional thing for us, but we are prepared to face and embrace each emotion, whether it be painful or cheerful. We know that through every aspect of this grand adventure God is going to teach us and change us, and for that we are extremely thankful and excited! Not sure how many more updates we will be able to post before we get there! Things are crazy with finals (for Rachel), Christmas approaching, family coming in, and preparing to leave! Seems like even though we have been planning this trip for almost a year, we still do not have enough time! We probably would never have adequate time to prepare for something this big in our lives!

For the next few weeks, we ask that you would pray for the following things:
*That God would prepare us emotionally for this trip
*That God would allow us adequate time to get everything packed and ready to go!
*That we would be refreshed this Christmas season by the fellowship with our family and friends before we leave!

A BIG Thanks!

2009-10-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

We would like to say "Thank You" to our friends, Matt & Sarah Friend, and the Bible Center Church Youth group for allowing us to be a part of their growth group on Sunday morning! They were such a blessing! Through them, God has supplied many of our needs. We definitely do not need any more razors, deodorant, shampoo, sunscreen, soap, bug spray, or toothpaste to take with us! They have given us more than enough!!

So we just want to say, Thank you all for your gift to us and for your continued prayers!

"For the sake of the Gospel" - 1 Corinthians 9:23

Getting Closer!

2009-09-16T05:22:00.001-07:00

As each day passes it is apparent just how close we are getting to our departure date! I (Rachel) even had a dream about packing and leaving just last night! There is still so much that we need to do to be ready to leave, but things are coming together!

A few weeks ago we received our airline tickets! Talk about exciting! Also, everything has been taken care of as far as my passport goes! We had some difficulty at first because some of my documents got separated in the mail, but by God's grace the post office mail them back to me and the very nice woman at the National Passport Center called me and helped me out so much! The process is now underway for my passport to say "Rachel E. Ervin" instead of "Rachel E. Call" (which is pretty important!!).

We have also started our many rounds of vaccinations! Actually, Mike only needs few, but so far I have gotten 4 and still have5 or 6 left to get!!! I have to admit that its not really a fun thing, but it must be done.

Our finances are continuing to come in. We have about $1000 toward our tuition at New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family, which is about 1/5 of what we need for that.

We have another meeting scheduled for the first Sunday in October. This meeting will be a bit different. We have a friend who is a youth pastor, and he has asked us to speak to his youth group. We will probably be giving our testimonies of how Christ redeemed us, and then telling them a bit about our lives and our trip. I am sure there will also be plenty of questions to answer! After that, they will be taking up a love offering for us! We are very excited about the opportunity to present to these young people and for the possibility of impacting them with the Gospel.

Seems like this was a very long update, but it was also very long overdue! Sorry we haven't been updating as frequently as we would like, but we will try to do better as we draw closer to our departure date of Dec. 28!

You've Asked....

2009-09-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Many people have been asking us about the different needs we will have while we are in Africa. We've mentioned that there are things that we will have to take with us because they are either unavailable or very expensive over there.

For those of you who have asked, I am providing you with a list! (A short list, but still a list) :o)

*Shampoo & Conditioner
*Deodorant
*Toothpaste
*Razors
*Soap
*Bug Spray
*Sunscreen

Those are the basics! However, I know that there are many other things that I could put on that list, such as the hair products Michael and I use for styling on a daily basis.

If are are interested in a more detailed list, please give us an email and we can get that to you! If you wish to purchase something for us, please email us before hand to make certain that the item you are looking to purchase is still something we are in need of, and so that I can give you the details of what type/brand we need before you purchase it!

Thank you for your continued interest in our ministry!

For the sake of the GOSPEL! 1 Cor. 9:23

Praises!

2009-07-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

We would like to give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father! Sunday night our home church took up an offering for us- and God greatly blessed! From that offering alone we will be able to fully pay for both of our plane tickets (round trip) and have some money left over to put toward the cost of the institute ($2500 per person).

We are sure that God will continue to provide for our needs. At this point we need roughly $5000 in order for everything to be fully funded.

Another update...that doesn't really seem like a praise to me at the moment...but it is God's plan. Originally we were going to have several hours in London where we would be able to go out and explore, however, with our latest itinerary we will only have about 1.5 hours. We will not have an opportunity to sight see London, but we are convinced that at some point in our lives God will give us that opportunity-now is apparently not the right time! :o)

Thank you for your continued prayers for us as we prepare to leave. Only about 5 more months until we leave!

Please pray that...
God will continue to provide funds for the trip
We will be able to get everything in order
God will give us strength as we will be leaving our families and living outside of our comfort zones for 6 months!

God is providing!

2009-07-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank all of you who have been praying for us as we prepare to head to Uganda in December. It has been a while since we have posted an update, so let's get you all caught up on how God is providing for our trip!

As of Thursday (two days ago) we have a pretty much finalized itinerary. We will be departing on December 28, 2009. We will fly from Washington to London. Originally we were going to have about 12 hours to spend in London between flights which we were very excited about! I (Rachel) have never been to London before so we were excited to have a few hours in which we could do a little sight seeing. God has changed that though and given us 25 hours in London! Our plan now it to arrive in London at 9:00 AM their time. We will get a hotel room and freshen up a bit before heading out to explore the city! After a what we are sure will be a very tiring day, we will be able to get a fairly good night's sleep before getting on the plane for Uganda the next morning around 10:00 AM.

God is also beginning to provide the funds that we need. Tomorrow evening our home church (Twin City Bible Church) will be collecting a love offering for us! We have also had some people who we have met through Mike's job who have given us some money toward the trip. Several opportunities for support through local churches in our area are also "in the works".

We praise God for his provision!
Thank you all for your continued prayers!

Tickets Cost Less than Anticipated

2009-07-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

Just a few days ago our travel agent told us that the airfare will be about $2,000 cheaper than expected! What an enormous praise to our Lord for providing in that way.

2009-04-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Our first meeting (at Twin City Bible Church) went very well!

Thanks to you all who attended and who asked us questions! We loved sharing our calling with you and answering your questions!!

We will keep you updated as we continue our journey to Africa!

First Meeting

2009-04-19T11:46:00.001-07:00

Our first meeting will be at our home church Twin City Bible Church on April 26 6 PM. We are eagerly looking forward to this launch of us sharing our ministry and vision with our local church.

Sharing our Ministry

2009-03-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

We have been working on getting meetings scheduled with local churches so that we can share our ministry in Uganda with them! We are very excited to share what we are going to be doing!

On April 19 we will have our first opportunity to present our trip to our home church, Twin City Bible Church!

Please pray that we will present the trip clearly and that Michael will be filled with the Spirit as he delivers a message to the congregation.

E-Mailing List

2009-03-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

If you wish to be added to our e-mailing list to receive updates periodically, you can simly send us an email with your email address included in it to rachel614@gmail.com.

We hope to hear from all of you! :o)

Step 1

2009-03-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well...we have completed step 1...which is

Fill out your application!

Last week we took an evening and sat for a long time while we each filled out our separate applications for the Institute at New Hope.

I completely finished mine, but I think Mike is still working on his...but needless to say we are on our way! The ball is definitely rolling and we are excited! :o)

In case you are wondering...the application is pretty lengthy. I believe it was 21 questions along with all the other typical info (i.e. name, address, etc). The questions are not just "yes" or "no" questions, they are very in depth, probing questions.

An example might be- "What is the main motivating factor in your life?" or "What is success in your opinion?...list and explain 3 of your greatest success."

These questions took a whole lot of thought and ton of heart searching for us.

Thanks for your prayers are we continue our process!

Step 2...Print and mail prayer cards!

Pastor Link

2009-03-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

If you are a pastor and would like to know more about how your church can financially support our family, please email us at rachel614@gmail.com and we can set up a time to meet with you or answer any questions you may have through phone or email!

Support

2009-03-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in the post entitled "OUR PLAN", we will be seeking for groups and individuals to help support us financially while we are in Uganda. The cost for airfare and tuition at the institute will be roughly $9,000. While we are there we will not be working in a job situation where we will be able to make money. We will be attending classes, studying, and doing work around the compound.

We have been saving since we got married and we have some funds set aside to purchase plane tickets, but that money will dwindle quickly, especially with the economy the way it is. We are still developing a plan for receiving our support while we are there, but if you feel as though the Lord is asking you to help us in a financial way, you may email us at Ervin4tg@gmail.com or rachel614@gmail.com. Please make the subject of your email "Funds for Africa". That will help us to know what you are emailing about, especially if we don't recognize your email address!

We will also be needed more than just financial support! We NEED YOUR PRAYERS MORE THAN ANYTHING! We will be facing a completely different culture (no running water, no real toilet!!) and it will be difficult to adjust in the beginning. We will also be learning things, and our thinking will be challenged daily! We will continue to update you on prayer requests but definitely pray for us, please!

Our Plan

2009-03-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

As many of you know (and some of you may not know) Michael and I are planning to spend sometime in Uganda, Africa about 9 months from now. We are starting this blog in order to keep our friends and family updated on what we are doing both before we go and when we are there!

We are planning to attend the New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family. Mike's cousin Keith and his family are there at New Hope as missionaries. We will be going to classes daily, participating in daily chores and jobs, and spending time immersed in the African culture. Our term at the institute will be about 6 months. We will be leaving America in late December or early January and most likely returning in June.

Planning for this trip is definitely a huge task! So far, we have filled out our applications for the institute, which was a very long process. Now we are working on making prayer cards and contacting churches and individuals to help support us for the time we are there.

If you would like to know more about "Our Plan", or if you have any questions for us, please feel free to use the comment section to ask us! We will be happy to share with you!