J-D's mission interview

as a mission partner now with Strandtown Baptist Church i had to go up front to talk about were why and stuff about my trip! thank you all for your support. i thought i would post the interview up here for the ones that would have liked to have made it. ..jd.


J-D’s trip to Peru-Colombia. Interview. Sunday evening 23ed

Jd. You are going on a mission trip where is it too? When and how long for?

I am going to Peru and Colombia to work in 4 children’s homes and also in 1 school for a week. Most of my program is on the blog that I have set up. I will be flying out of Belfast on the 21st. For 5 and half months. But also flying out that same date is Peter Lockhart. Who will be a volunteer with me in the first home for 5 and half weeks. He is talking a gap year and spending some time there too. I’m really glad that I am not flying out on my own.

How is your fundraising going?

We are half way there I think. But we have also a fundraiser organised, a quiz on Saturday the 13th of DEC everyone’s invited. And to keep in touch with how the trip is getting on you can visit the blog set up for both of us. Also please take a prayer card and stick in on your fridge and remember us in you prayers.

Why is it that you are going out there to work in children’s homes and why so many?

Yes it does sound quite odd. But there is a story that brings me up to this point.
I believe that we all have a purpose on this earth! And God has plans for us all! I was adopted into a missionary family in Peru where I lived for about 14years. I became a Christian very young and always thanked the Lord that he had adopted me also into his Christian family.
I wondered at the other kids that did not get the opportunity to know a family and a God that loves them. Before I left Peru I always had a desire to go back one day to see about setting up a children’s home. Or do something like this in the ministry for children in need.
This was always working in my heart but I never knew when I would get an opportunity to really look in to doing something about this. But last year I had a small breakdown which made me jump out of UNI on my third year. I believe this was necessary to give me time to think where I was being directed. Then I had the opportunity to go to CVII with the church team. There I saw the reality of what a Christian home for lots of kids looked like. And I was impressed. The impact of God’s love for the kids, for the mountain mission and for the workers and team was really there. God was there in that work and was blessing it.
Coming back, I so wanted to be part of this amazing ministry. Then I remembered I had been thinking this way for the last nine years! So therefore I believe that it is my time to act. I decided to go back to Peru, to Arequipa where I was adopted from to look in to this type of ministry! To see the need, and how I could be part of this in the future. I will also look at other children’s homes to learn and see all there is to start or work along side a home. I am looking for my placement within Gods calling.

What will you do then you come back?

I will join any course that is required and maybe set up a charity and go with the placement of Gods Calling.
Now, If we are open to Gods calling, will He show us the way?
When I come back I will let you know more of Gods direction in my life. I am only an instrument in his plan, invited to work with Him on this. I feel privileged that He is using me- a crazy person like me.

Is there anything else you want to share with us, before we pray for you and this trip?

Yes! I want to encourage you that we all can be part of God’s plan. Let me use an analogy that helps me a lot and helps me focus in this direction. This is a sort of story that takes place in the future. I would like your participation.. so close your eyes as you listen........
Imagine for a moment that you are now sitting in heaven, and you are going to hear two people having a conversation:

“Do you remember the time that you were on earth?”
“No not really, it seems a long way off, and the time on that world now seems a very short one.”
“I remember something that Jesus said to us in the Bible. ‘You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
“If only we had another chance, to impact others for God! So they too could be here in heaven with us!”

picture> "This world is not my home I'm just passing through"

Ok everyone you may open your eyes! Let me remind you of something tonight: You will be my witnesses in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and all over the world”.
My encouragement is that while we are here we impact everyone we meet with God’s love, so that many more will be able to be with us in heaven. Let’s be heaven-focussed!

Prayer points for Jd:
· The program of trip works out without any problems
· That funding for trip works out
· That he is prepared for the trip
· That he may be strong in my walk with God as he seeks to find his will in his life in Youth work in Peru with children in children’s homes.
· Through any difficulties that arise that with God we can learn and grow in our faith and closeness to Him.
· That the trip for Peter Lockhart (with J-D for the 1st 6 weeks) works out really well for him too!

SAT 13Dec FUNDRAISER

THE FUNDRAISER HAS BEEN BOOKED!!

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP OUT PLEASE.!

ALL WECOME! THIS YEAR COME TO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, A CELBRATION OF COMMUNITY,FAMILY CHRISTIAN LOVE. ALSO TO HELP JD AND PETER RAISE FUNDS FOR HELPING IN CHILDREN'S HOMES IN PERU.

THIS CHRISTMAS, WOULD YOU BE PART OF SHARING IN THIS EVENT AS WE CELBRATE TOGETHER AND THINK OF OTHERS, ALL IN GOD'S NAME AND FOR HIM!

Our Prayer Card

What Peter is doing

Hello this is Peter. I will be going to Peru where I will be working in a children’s home in the city of Arequipa. I am going with JD who was once an orphan in Arequipa and is now investigating the possibility of taking up a permanent ministry there. I’m on a gap year and want to spend my time effectively and feel this experience would be time very well spent.

I will be taking on the role of intern at the New Hope Children’s home in Arequipa for around 5 weeks. This will largely involve spending time with the young people in the home, generally looking after them and taking care of their needs, taking them on day trips etc.

As a Christian I feel that we are called to serve vulnerable groups in society in a practical way and this is why I am so excited at the prospect of the opportunity to spend time helping at a home for orphaned children.

This Bible verse means a lot to me:

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”
(James chapter 1 verse 27).

Nov 8 - 'N.P.V.points'

News, Prayer & Verse points (N.P.V.Points)

Place of Visits & Web-Sites

Places of where we will visit and web sites





NEW HOPE CHILDREN’S HOME J-D (Jan 22ed -May 2nd)
www.peruhope.org
Peter (Jan 22ed -Feb 30st)
Arequipa City





RICH’S INDEPENDENT SCHOOL (May 3ed -May 9th)
Arequipa City





CASA HOGAR LUZ ALBA (May 10th-May 30th)
http://www.travellernottourist.com/
Arequipa City

EMANUEL CHILDREN’S HOME (May 31st -Jun 30th)

Puno city





CHILDREN’S VISION INTERNATIONAL INC
http://www.childrensvision.org/ (Jul 1st -Jul 31st)

Bogota city

Program of trip and Cost

For J-D Lovell

For Peter Lockhart

What J-D is doing!

To friends and readers of my blog.

Thanks for taking time to read this and an interest for my gap year.

I have been for many years looking into the whole orphanage work and have been doing lots of research about other homes and their work. I have just returned from the Christian orphanage in Colombia, Christian Vision International

I am writing to you about the involvement I may have for the years to come.. the plans and hope there is in God. I hope that by reading stuff on this blog you will also pray for me as I follow God and his plan.

When my parents were missionaries in Peru they adopted me from Arequipa 24 years ago. I now wish to do something for the Lord and get out there to Peru again.

I always longed to go back to Peru and really find something that I can do worthwhile out there for the Lord. I have for a long time also had the idea of going back and setting up something in Peru that is for orphans and street kids like I myself once was. So for a long while I have had the idea or vision to set up a children's home in Arequipa.

The plan is to take a few months till December doing a course in Belfast Bible College, also doing an ONC mentoring youth program in the volunteering sector with ‘MACS’. I then hope and plan to do internships in some Christian 'children's homes' in Arequipa and visit others. The Christian homes I wish to visit are ‘Torre Fuerte’ girl’s home, internship in ‘New hope Children’s home’ and some non-Christian institutions all in Arequipa. In this way I wish to learn lots about the set up and how life works out in a home and for street kids how things are done. And also to see if this is something really for me and where I might fit in.

I will also look out of Arequipa city to other really well established Christian homes, one in Puno (boys' home). The other in Colombia, with ‘Colombian children’s vision home’ which I will visit after five months trip in Peru. I have been there before this summer with my church team.

The flights have been booked and most of program aranged, flying from UK on 22nd of Jan coming back 1st of Aug.

After all that I will come back with a fuller sense of what is needed and how I can get something set up or maybe create a daughter home from one of these homes out there. I will also see about setting up a charity and team that can work to get this sorted. I will contact mission agencies where they can send support, personnel and funds.

My goal is to go back and slowly get things set up. My future is to be in Peru with a set up including a children's home and a business that will fully support the work.

I mention most of my vision so that you can get a better overview of what I would like to be involved with and to be able to pray with me for the things that God has put on my heart. I'm invited to be part of this but you also are invited to be in God's plan for loving others and reaching out to others.

Thanks, remember to pray.. its the gift of power that really works!

yours JD