So here we all are, all 16 of us + 2 little ones. This is the Army in which we will over take the trenches. We have shared many laughs, tears, and stories/testimonies. These are the many faces of which we both argue and pray with. Pictures only do us partial justice as to who we truly are. Our needs are constantly being shared within the crew but at this time we would like to share on our behalf as well as theirs. We are often like tea bags... you really find out the flavor when you're in hot water. All are experiencing financial difficulties impending this outreach trip to Southeast Asia. Some have a fraction of the cost, some none, and others don't even have anyone they could ask. We have to raise $48,000 by the beginning of April. That's $3,000 per person. There are frantic sells of personal items, frozen flavor ice, fresh squeezed OJ, bake sells, and on and on. It's amazing to see how hard people are working and how pleased God must be. Yet, this is a small amount of revenue in comparison to what it will cost to travel to Asia. However, this is a good time because we are learning the principle that we do the possible and God does the impossible. Please pray for the "impossible" to happen!
On a side note there are a few things to tell you. Our team has been called the "PIT Crew" because we will be traveling to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand. The Philippines has an unemployment rate of just 8% yet over 40% of the population is below the level of poverty. The culture is primarily made up of Roman Catholics, but the catholicism there has been transformed into one of idolotry which takes the focus away from Jesus. In the Philippines we will be carrying out mercy ministries such as building homes and other physical ways of helping the people and community in order to open hearts to share the gospel. On the other hand Thailand is predominately Buddhist. This religion makes up approximately 93% of the total population. The well-established YWAM bases here have given a list of over 170 different ministry opportunities. We will be able to minister in the prisons, and the sick in hospitals or any other way God leads us to build relationships and spread His word and love. Finally, of the three countries, Indonesia has been the most affected by natural disasters, possibly more than any other in the world. As many may know, they were greatly affected by the tsunami in December 2004, which left thousands homeless. Indonesia is still in need of much aid to recover from this dissaster. Besides natural dissasters, this country is made up of over 90% Muslims and is the home of the most extremist group of its type in the world. The Christians that have gone to help transform this country have been persecuted greatly. Many christians have become martyrs for their faith here due to a currupt and militant Muslim government. Here we will be joining YWAM teams to disciple and teach the local people about God and His love and truth. We also pray we can bring hope to the christians who live in fear of persecution.
If you feel led to contribute to any of us on the P.I.T. crew team we would love to hear from you. Jason's email is Jaymooky@gmail.com and Jen's is JenRodHaynes@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you either way just to keep up our lines of communication. Thank you so much for keeping up with our website. We appreciate your ongoing support through friendship, prayer, finances, etc.
Most importantly, please keep the prayers flowing as we get ready to leave. We are so excited for this time and we all want so deeply to serve God and serve the people of these three countries! Please pray for wisdom as we prepare and for our hearts to become sensitive to the needs of the people we encounter.
God Bless,
Jason and Jen
Just to make it easier, if anyone would like to give financial support to join our mission in this way, a check can be sent to either Jason's parents or our church. The quickest way for the team to get the money would be by sending it to Jason's parents but money sent to the chuch is tax deductible. We are excited to see God provide for all of us in whatever way He dreams up but if you are excited to join the relationship by financial support then pray and let us know who you would like to give to (or just to the group in general). All in all, this time is about relationships with the people we will be caring for and with all of you as our friends and family so please don't give if it's solely because you feel guilty. We cherish all of our relationships deeply and would never want to harm them by focusing on money.
Thanks again for all of the love and prayers!
Addresses:
Jason and Jennifer Haynes
c/o Pat Haynes
3318 Octavia St
Raleigh, NC 27606
(Make check payable to Jason and Jennifer Haynes with Missions written in the “memo/for” space)
Or
Grace Biltmore
PO Box 5718
Asheville, NC 28813
(Make check payable to Grace Biltmore with YWAM written in the “memo/for” space)
Thursday, March 22, 2007
The P.I.T. Crew
Posted by Jason and Jennifer Haynes on Thursday, March 22, 2007
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2 comments:
I love this post! It is the best! Great Idea for the
P I T Crew mug shots (smile)!
Hey! They're soldiers NOT prisoners little sis! Ok, they do kind of look like CREATIVE "mug shots". Glad you like them! Keep us all in prayer! We're getting so excited for our time in the "field". Love you! Jen
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