Ukraine Missions Trip!!! (Summer 2012)
I would like to start this post by sending a warm greeting to all as we begin a New Year! Many of you supported me with your prayers this past summer while I was ministering in Laingsburg, Michigan as a church intern at the First Baptist Church of Laingsburg. I am so thankful to the Lord for how He used your words of encouragement and prayers to meet needs in my life and allow me to minister effectively for the Lord! In the August of 2011, I headed back to Pensacola Christian College, where I am currently in my senior year, anticipating my graduation in May 2012!!! PCC has provided me with the necessary education to prepare for my future ministry as a missionary. I thank the Lord for leading me to this college and providing financially.
As many of you know, I am pursing ministry among orphans and children in need on the mission field. I had the opportunity to work in Mexico back in 2009 for three months with Monte de Gracia (a school for orphans and children in need). It was through that experience that the Lord confirmed His calling in my life to the mission field. Thus, after high school graduation, I began to prepare myself for the mission field by continuing my education. Now, with my college graduation approaching quickly, I had been praying fervently to the Lord for the next step in my missionary journey. And here is where the exciting opportunity comes in!
While at PCC, I became friends with several Russian and Ukrainian students who have become great friends of mine! Their passion for the Lord and commitment to follow His will has been most influencing and encouraging. Many of them are also graduating this year and are making plans to go back to Ukraine. And as a result, they invited me to go with them on a missions trip to Ukraine. What exactly does this involve? Well, we will be ministering with several ministries in Ukraine versus just working with one. Our plans are to be in Ukraine for two months from June 5th to August 4th. First, we will be ministering with an indigenous pastor, Yaroslav Machinskiy, who lives in Kiev, Ukraine. We will spend three weeks with him working in evangelism and outreach at the Euro Cup 2012 in Kiev, while also ministering at local churches. In addition, we will host Christian day camps for children at villages in the Chernobyl zone. After the day camps and Euro Cup outreach, we will be working with Oksana Sydorchuk, the head of all the Christan orphanages in Ukraine, for two weeks. We plan to visit numerous orphanages hosting children programs and Christian camps. Our goal will be to reach these children with the love of Christ through song, verses, crafts, games, and Bible stories. Following the orphanage ministry, we will join the team from the Jewish International Board of Missions led by Mr. Allen Lord which will minister in the Crimean Mountains for ten days. We will be running a Christian youth camp for orphans, children, and teens that live in the Crimean Mountain villages. We also plan to minister in evangelism with the Euro Team Outreach ministry in L'viv, Ukraine. This opportunity will allow me to minister with my very close friends, Nathan and Katelin Day, and their missionary partners - the Beal and Steele families.
As you can see, my mission trip will be packed with numerous ministries all around Ukraine. My goal is to be productive and effective in my service to each on of the faithful Christian laborers I will be working with in Ukraine. There are many steps to be taken to prepare for this trip including getting visas and all of my required paperwork to travel internationally. The amount that I need to raise for this trip is $3,500. That would include the cost of medical shots, visa, plane tickets, and the expenses needed to stay for two months in Ukraine. We plan to keep our expenses low by staying with the Ukrainians with whom we are ministering. I know that the Lord will provide - I have faith in Him to do so. I also believe that in order to be counted as a faithful minister, I must do my part to get the word out and let fellow believers in Christ know of an opportunity to take part in this ministry. I do ask that you will please pray for me as I trust God to provide while I am continuing classes at college. This is a big step of faith, but I am very excited to take that step and see God change my life through it! I believe the Lord will use this trip to shape and guide my way for years to come.
Starting May 2012, I will be posting updates about this trip all throughout the summer! Please follow the blog and please keep me in your prayers. I know some have expressed a desire to give financially, and if you would like to give toward my Ukraine mission trip, you can mail your gift to The Church at Katy at 6822 Eagle Ridge Drive Katy, Texas 77449. Please make our your check to The Church at Katy, and earmark it for "John Loo - Ukraine". My church in Katy, Texas has graciously offered to handle my support account, so any financial gifts will be tax-deductible. Thank you so much for all your investments in my life over the years! I look forward to giving updates about this Ukraine Mission Trip this summer! To God be the glory!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Some Pictures....
Some Pictures....
In Windsor, Canada.....Detroit city behind me!
The bridge between Canada and USA...
Dirt biking!!!!
In Windsor, Canada.....Detroit city behind me!
The bridge between Canada and USA...
Dirt biking!!!!Wednesday, August 24, 2011
One Journey Ends....Another Begins....
One Journey Ends.....Another Begins.....
Well, another school year is just around the corner, and with my internship over, I am now on my way back to Pensacola, Florida for my Senior year!!! Hurray!
But this journey back to Pensacola will not be a quick one....yes, Praise to the Lord I will be having a little vacation touring more cities and visiting family! No.....sadly I will not be stopping by Houston before school, but it's OK since I hear the weather has been kind of hot there anyways! :) (Not to say, I do miss my family and wish I could have seen them - which will happen at the perfect time.)
Currently, I am visiting my Aunt Julie Telang in Detroit. We have had an amazing time touring the city of Detroit, where my Grandma Loo and Dad both grew up and lived for several years. I also had the privilege of going back up North to my Uncle Dinesh's cottage for two days. I went kayaking and also dirt biking!!!! What a blast that was! For the record, I am not a motorcycle lover, but dirt biking was awesome! Maybe I should give motorcycles a chance.....we'll see.
Just yesterday we went into Canada! Yes, it was my first time in Canada. It an amazing feeling to finally get to say that I have been to Canada.....never really thought I would get the chance since I am from Houston, Texas. But God does provide opportunities! Thank you Lord!
A highlight of my journey will definitely be my visit to Chicago, where I will be visiting more family as well as my sister Hannah Loo! Hannah works at the IBLP Headquarters in Chicago, so I will get to visit her work and ministry there in Chicago. I am greatly looking forward to spending some time with my sister and extended family in Chicago, as well as tour this famous US city. Please pray for traveling safety!
Finally, before arriving back to Pensacola, my friend Slava Kretsu and I will be driving down to Nashville, Tennesee, to visit and see some Ukrainian and Russian friends and their families.
Lord willing, I should arrive back at PCC on September 1st. Praise God for His marvelous provision and blessings! Thank you for your prayers and support!
Well, another school year is just around the corner, and with my internship over, I am now on my way back to Pensacola, Florida for my Senior year!!! Hurray!
But this journey back to Pensacola will not be a quick one....yes, Praise to the Lord I will be having a little vacation touring more cities and visiting family! No.....sadly I will not be stopping by Houston before school, but it's OK since I hear the weather has been kind of hot there anyways! :) (Not to say, I do miss my family and wish I could have seen them - which will happen at the perfect time.)
Currently, I am visiting my Aunt Julie Telang in Detroit. We have had an amazing time touring the city of Detroit, where my Grandma Loo and Dad both grew up and lived for several years. I also had the privilege of going back up North to my Uncle Dinesh's cottage for two days. I went kayaking and also dirt biking!!!! What a blast that was! For the record, I am not a motorcycle lover, but dirt biking was awesome! Maybe I should give motorcycles a chance.....we'll see.
Just yesterday we went into Canada! Yes, it was my first time in Canada. It an amazing feeling to finally get to say that I have been to Canada.....never really thought I would get the chance since I am from Houston, Texas. But God does provide opportunities! Thank you Lord!
A highlight of my journey will definitely be my visit to Chicago, where I will be visiting more family as well as my sister Hannah Loo! Hannah works at the IBLP Headquarters in Chicago, so I will get to visit her work and ministry there in Chicago. I am greatly looking forward to spending some time with my sister and extended family in Chicago, as well as tour this famous US city. Please pray for traveling safety!
Finally, before arriving back to Pensacola, my friend Slava Kretsu and I will be driving down to Nashville, Tennesee, to visit and see some Ukrainian and Russian friends and their families.
Lord willing, I should arrive back at PCC on September 1st. Praise God for His marvelous provision and blessings! Thank you for your prayers and support!
Goodbye Summer Internship!
Goodbye Summer Internship!
Is it really August 24th already??? Wow! How fast time has gone by! Truly it seems like just yesterday that I arrived to Michigan for my summer internship, and now it is passed and a memory of the past. However, the experiences and lessons I had and learned this summer will have lasting influence on my future ministries and opportunities.
The Parent's program on August 7th was an outstanding success! We were so blessed by the great attendance of most of our Day camp/Daycare parents, families, and friends. The program itself featured numerous presentations by each class and age group of children. We had songs, scripture memory recitation, skits, awards, and special speaking. I was very proud of my students and their amazing presentation! They had worked so hard all summer and it sure paid off. Our stage decoration (the castle) turned out fantastic and really added to the success of the night. The children's art work, crafts, and class projects were creatively displayed for the guests and families to observe and admire. The reception/dinner that followed the program was excellent as well. The table decorations were homemade sand castles that Mrs. Brown made. It was so exciting to see the families eating and talking with one another! Overall, I praise the Lord for making this special evening a great success. I was very tired after it was all done, but what a blessing it was to be a part of this great ministry!
The two weeks that followed the Parent's program went by really fast. Besides continuing with our regular daily schedule, I was busy organizing and cleaning out the stage and classroom I used this summer. It was bitter sweet to have to clean up my classroom - as I spent numerous hours in it making wonderful memories with my students. When it was all cleaned out, I took a moment to look into it one last time and what a feeling of accomplishment I felt as I closed the door one final time. The castle I built is now being stored up in the storage closet for a possible future use - a project I was very proud of and will never forget doing!
Goodbyes are never easy for me, but especially in places that I become a part of. This summer, I really became a part of this Day camp ministry. It was just as much my ministry as it is a First Baptist Church of Laingsburg ministry. Thus, as I prepared to go, I had to learn to think positively and cherish the memories versus the fact of leaving.
In addition, the church members themselves were so kind towards me on my last Sunday and Wednesday night services. I really enjoyed being the church pianist for the summer. Also, I was blessed to play my flute and sing for various specials this summer. They gave me a very generous love offering and I am very grateful. May God continue to bless First Baptist Church of Laingsburg!
My last day of teaching was Friday, August 19th. It was hard to say goodbye to all my students, but we enjoyed our last days together to the fullest! I want to thank Pastor Brown, Pastor Yoder, and Mrs. Brown for allowing me to have this amazing opportunity this summer. They were wonderful people to work for. Also, to all my fellow teachers, especially Mrs. Simms, Miss Jenny, Miss Rachel, and Mrs. Marilyn, thank you so much for your support and encouragement all summer! And finally, to my wonderful hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Hicks, I cannot express my gratitude towards your fabulous hospitality. Thank you to all of you.
I already miss my time in Laingsburg even though a few days have passed. God truly blessed me with the best internship opportunity I could have had this summer! Thank you Lord for your powerful and marvelous work in my life! To all my Laingsburg friends and siblings in Christ, Thank you for a wonderful summer! God bless you all!
And finally, to all of you who have read this blog all summer and have encouraged me via e-mail, comments, or phone calls, thank you for your love and support! I greatly have been blessed by your prayers!
To God be the Glory!
Is it really August 24th already??? Wow! How fast time has gone by! Truly it seems like just yesterday that I arrived to Michigan for my summer internship, and now it is passed and a memory of the past. However, the experiences and lessons I had and learned this summer will have lasting influence on my future ministries and opportunities.
The Parent's program on August 7th was an outstanding success! We were so blessed by the great attendance of most of our Day camp/Daycare parents, families, and friends. The program itself featured numerous presentations by each class and age group of children. We had songs, scripture memory recitation, skits, awards, and special speaking. I was very proud of my students and their amazing presentation! They had worked so hard all summer and it sure paid off. Our stage decoration (the castle) turned out fantastic and really added to the success of the night. The children's art work, crafts, and class projects were creatively displayed for the guests and families to observe and admire. The reception/dinner that followed the program was excellent as well. The table decorations were homemade sand castles that Mrs. Brown made. It was so exciting to see the families eating and talking with one another! Overall, I praise the Lord for making this special evening a great success. I was very tired after it was all done, but what a blessing it was to be a part of this great ministry!
The two weeks that followed the Parent's program went by really fast. Besides continuing with our regular daily schedule, I was busy organizing and cleaning out the stage and classroom I used this summer. It was bitter sweet to have to clean up my classroom - as I spent numerous hours in it making wonderful memories with my students. When it was all cleaned out, I took a moment to look into it one last time and what a feeling of accomplishment I felt as I closed the door one final time. The castle I built is now being stored up in the storage closet for a possible future use - a project I was very proud of and will never forget doing!
Goodbyes are never easy for me, but especially in places that I become a part of. This summer, I really became a part of this Day camp ministry. It was just as much my ministry as it is a First Baptist Church of Laingsburg ministry. Thus, as I prepared to go, I had to learn to think positively and cherish the memories versus the fact of leaving.
In addition, the church members themselves were so kind towards me on my last Sunday and Wednesday night services. I really enjoyed being the church pianist for the summer. Also, I was blessed to play my flute and sing for various specials this summer. They gave me a very generous love offering and I am very grateful. May God continue to bless First Baptist Church of Laingsburg!
My last day of teaching was Friday, August 19th. It was hard to say goodbye to all my students, but we enjoyed our last days together to the fullest! I want to thank Pastor Brown, Pastor Yoder, and Mrs. Brown for allowing me to have this amazing opportunity this summer. They were wonderful people to work for. Also, to all my fellow teachers, especially Mrs. Simms, Miss Jenny, Miss Rachel, and Mrs. Marilyn, thank you so much for your support and encouragement all summer! And finally, to my wonderful hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Hicks, I cannot express my gratitude towards your fabulous hospitality. Thank you to all of you.
I already miss my time in Laingsburg even though a few days have passed. God truly blessed me with the best internship opportunity I could have had this summer! Thank you Lord for your powerful and marvelous work in my life! To all my Laingsburg friends and siblings in Christ, Thank you for a wonderful summer! God bless you all!
And finally, to all of you who have read this blog all summer and have encouraged me via e-mail, comments, or phone calls, thank you for your love and support! I greatly have been blessed by your prayers!
To God be the Glory!
Internship Pictures...
Ten of my students... 
Warriors for Christ!
My student's crafts and project display table...
A happy teacher!!!
Great memories!!!
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