Haiti Itinerary: Posted by Courtney's Mom

Courtney and her mission group met at 12 Stone this morning at 5:45am. What a wonderful group of young Christians she will be with on her journey. Below are some key events that will occur on her trip as they take the Gospel to Haiti. Mission leaders will maintain a blog about the mission @ http://12stone.com/global/category/haiti-blog/.

Saturday June 22

• Depart ATL & Arrive @ Port AU Prince, Haiti

Sunday June 23

• Team breakfast & devotion
• Community Tour - Cercady
• Meet with Leadership council

Monday June 24

• Team breakfast & devotion
• Relational activities w/ Haiti Youth
• VBS w/ children of Haiti

Tuesday June 25

• Team breakfast & devotion
• Relational activities w/ Haiti Youth & Leadership council
• Nehemiah training
• Relational activities w/ children of Haiti

Wednesday June 26

• Home visits and prayer w/ families of Haiti
• Continue Tuesday's activities

Thursday June 27

• Farming education for boys of Haiti
• Education on supporting role of females
• Relational activities w/ children
• Visit to market & farewell to community

Friday June 28

• Team breakfast & devotion
• Depart for Port AU Prince, Haiti

Saturday June 29

• Team breakfast & devotion
• Return to ATL :)

Haiti Mission Dinner and Final Preparations

Tonight we had our final meeting prior to our mission trip departure. This was an opportunity to review safety procedures, discuss the itinerary and simply bond with the mission team. I am so excited about the trip and know God will do great things through our mission team.

Haiti Mission Preparation

Thank you soo much for both your financial and spiritual support! This is an amazing opportunity and I'm so blessed to have people like you in my life to support me through it.

Just to keep you updated, about two or three weeks ago we had mission training. At training we had a man that works with the FBI come teach us what to do in all sorts of rare, but dangerous situations. It really opened my eyes and made me more aware of what can actually happen if I don't take this trip seriously. It also made me even more excited because I realize how much these people need to know God's love.

Last week we had another meeting where we discussed how to dress, what to pack and just little details like that. We also started sharing our testimonies with one another. Hearing the amazing ways God works in others’ lives inspired me even more to share the news of Jesus’s salvation.

I can't express how thankful I am for your donation and your prayers through this experience. I plan to use my USA Ambassador Blog to keep everyone updated. You can check for future updates at http://usajrteen.blogspot.com/.

Thank you sooo much again!

 

An Opportunity to Serve

The purpose of this posting is to share with you the great opportunity God has put into my life. I am planning on going on a mission trip to Haiti on June 22^nd until the 29^th and I would really appreciate your support.

                My relationship with Christ has grown tremendously within the past 6 months and I have chosen to follow His leading to go on a short-term mission trip led by the High School Ministry at 12Stone Church.  This would be my first mission trip, and I can’t express the excitement I feel when I think about sharing the Gospel and serving the people of Haiti. I can’t wait to see how God works in my life and the lives of the people of Haiti. This is an amazing opportunity for me to go and serve with a team from my church.

                Has your power ever gone out after it’s already dark outside? It’s close to impossible to see unless you light candles or use a flashlight. Imagine if this was an every night experience. There are still villages in Haiti which have no electricity at all. In fact, while in Haiti, we will be visiting a community populated by deaf Haitians that have no electricity, so when the lights go out, the community becomes void of communication. Haiti is one of the poorest and most dangerous countries in the world. As a result, many of these Haitians have little hope for their futures. What can just a few people do to help that? It’s simple, by spreading the love and hope that God provides: lives will be forever changed.
                Unlike usual mission trips, we won’t be building any houses or anything tangible. We want to focus primarily on building relationships and just bringing people to Christ. We will be visiting many communities throughout the week and spreading the Gospel. I am excited to get to do so and can’t wait to see what God has in store for our team.
                With this big opportunity also comes a risk. I need prayer partners that will begin praying for my success and safety in Haiti. I would like to ask you to pray for me as I prepare for the trip and pray for me while I am gone on the trip. Prayer is essential for the team, our safety and the success of the mission. Please subscribe to this blog if you are willing to support me in prayer during our mission

                Thank you!! I’ll keep you updated as to how preparations are going and tell you all about my trip and the wonders of God after I return! May God bless you and have a great day!!

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

On Friday, December 21st my sister queens, the USA pageant director and several of the queen's moms delivered toys for some of the patients at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Most of the toys were donated by contestants of the Polar Express pageant, while others were donated by the queens themselves. I am so thankful to be part of a pageant system that uses the crown to help the community.

 

 

Letters from Santa

On Wednesday, December 20, 2012 I was able to help Santa out and deliver letters he wrote to a group of first graders at a local elementary school. While myself and several other of Santa's helpers were there, we were able to answer questions. We also helped the children read their letters from Santa. They were so excited and it was a joy to share this holiday experience with them.

12Stone Feed the Kids

On Saturday, December 15 I was able to offer community service through my church, 12Stone. The church provided thousands of low income and single-parent families food for the holidays. My friends and I helped with loading the boxes of food into cars. The people were so appreciative, and it was such a joy to have the opportunity to give back to my community. Although this wasn't done in conjunction with my crown, I wanted to share the experience because regardless of my title, I will always be a servant of Christ.  As a child of God, I will do my best to show others His unconditional love and endless grace.