Thursday, July 14, 2016

Eden Baptist Church 2016 Missions



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Eden Baptist Church, (EBC) Brooksville, FL, took a team of seven to serve with On Eagles Wings Ministries (OEWM) in Leon, Nicaragua on June 11-18, 2016.  This was the church’s fourth experience in working with this organization.  Its founders, Oscar and Rosibel Corea, and their team once again coordinated an amazingly diverse missions experience for the team.   We connected with OEWM through Rev. Charles Pinkerton, founder and director of International Impact Ministries (IIM).  

Pastor Damont was able to preach several times and also spoke at the weekly leadership meeting, which involved churches from several denominations in Leon. Many seeds were planted and the Lord also gave a harvest during the services.  It was such a blessing to worship the Lord with Nicaraguan brothers and sisters and enjoy their lively music. 

The team went to El Limonal in Chinandega and was able to meet the family who was the recipient of the next house provided from funds raised by EBC.  This was the third house EBC has been able to construct in this community.  While there, the team was able to help break ground for the house.  They were also able to share a bible story and the gospel, serve the children attending the church’s weekly feeding program, paint nails and faces, and just interact with the children and their families. Pastor Damont and Kathie were able to visit the children they support and both families introduced them to their new babies!

The Women’s Missions and Ministries at EBC involved the entire church in this missions trip through a pillowcase dress project.  Over 200 pillowcase dresses were made with the inscription “Jesús me ama” embroidered on one of the pockets.  Also, over 200 pairs of shorts and shirts for boys were collected.  What a joy it was for the team to distribute these items and see the smiles on the faces of the children. 

The team visited the local hospital and was able to meet many children. They had prayer with them and their families and distributed candy, toys, and clothes that EBC had collected.   Also, they went to several villages and cooked meals for the children and had a great time playing with them.  Most importantly, they were able to share the gospel through songs, bible stories, and testimonies.  This year, the team was also able to go into a local elementary and high school to share bible stories, testimonies, and the gospel message.  Due to the earthquakes that Nicaragua experienced this week, the team was able to help distribute food in a village in Puerto Morazan.  Ninety percent of the men that live in this community are fishermen and the government had forbidden them to fish due to a tsunami threat because of the earthquakes.  Therefore, the families had no income and were running out of food.  Through Oscar’s ministry, 12,000 pounds of fortified rice was distributed to needy families.  The team also served a meal to the families, and Pastor Damont was able to share the gospel.

The team was blessed to hear Oscar’s testimony again, and he has an incredible story of God’s miraculous work in his life.  Rosibel also shared her testimony and she, too, has an amazing testimony of the way God brought her to salvation.  This special couple loves the Lord and He has blessed both their marriage and ministry in extraordinary ways.  It was a privilege and joy for the team to serve with them.

Pastor Damont and Kathie were also able to serve with Oscar and his team this past December and were able to see what OEWM does when a team from the U.S. is not there.  They just keep going!  Each day brought new opportunities to serve in villages to share the gospel, feed the children, distribute Christmas presents, and share the love of Jesus. 


            Eden Baptist Church has committed to continue to pray for, support financially, and send teams to serve with OEWM because they have proven themselves to be an organization committed to reaching the lost for Christ as well as helping to meet their physical needs.  By scheduling our trip through Pastor Charles with IIM, EBC has found it to be a unique and high-quality missions experience.  And, to be able to work directly with a Nicaraguan team who already has relationships with their people makes it easier to have effective missions trips. The beautiful accommodations and delicious food at The Dream Center makes the stay comfortable and enjoyable.  EBC has seen the miraculous ways God has provided for OEWM over the past four years and know that He has even greater things in store for them.