Mission Journey 1

Preperation @ Laurel, United States, Mississippi

2008-06-02T14:22:04.000Z

Before you head out into all the world, there is an intense time of preparation. The physical, spiritual, & and mental parts of yourself must be ready for the challenges, shocks, and thrills of the upcoming adventure. We had to work overtime to get ready!

Leaving Home @ Bogue Chitto, United States, Mississippi

2008-07-14T08:36:50.000Z

Leaving home is never easy. Saying goodbye to friends & family is one of the hardest things missionaries must do. It has been this way since the time of the disciples. The rewards are worth it tho.

Tustin, CA @ Tustin, United States, California

2008-07-15T18:00:42.000Z

Leaving the USA @ Tustin, United States, California

2008-08-05T00:00:52.000Z

Every journey begins with one step, but in our case it was one flight to Malaysia. It wasn't easy to say good bye to all of Darlene's family, but God is good in giving us wonderful parents who understand our calling.

Singapore @ Singapore (Singapur), Singapore

2008-08-07T16:16:03.000Z

Singapore is a city nation that can be described in one word: organized. The streets are spotless, the buildings are set in blocks, and the traffic flows in order. Liter or carelessness can earn you big fines in this nation and drug trafficking is met with the death penalty. The only thing that's unorganized is walking in the crowded malls.

Singapore has a thriving and growing Church and it now one of the most Christian nations (by percentage). We landed, met our good friends Andrew & Jessie, and then adjusted to the time difference. Indonesia was our next step, and we needed to be over jet lag before we got there.

Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia @ Manado, Indonesia

2008-08-08T17:17:20.000Z

Indonesia has over 17,000 islands and is the most populated Islamic nation in the world. It's history is splattered with persecution and corruption, but the people, despite this, are still a smiling bunch. Palm trees, coconuts, jungles, aqua oceans, and volcanic mountains texture this green nation, but so does much violence against Christians.
Manado is a gathering of believers, who fled persecution in the other parts of the Sulawesi Island. We arrived, met our good friends and fellow missionaries, Andrias & Carol, and got to work quickly encouraging the church to reach out in love to their many Islamic neighbors. Andrias is a skilled minister and through working with them we saw many miracles and witnessed people of all backgrounds give their heart to the Lord.

The Road to Gorontalo @ Gorontalo, Indonesia

2008-08-19T16:28:51.000Z

Once we left Manado we headed to a young city south of Manado, Gorontalo. The bus ride was 10 hours of up and down, around and around, smoke in your face, hold on for dear life, no window bliss; complete with a flat tire and a driver (directly in front of us) that smoke three packs in 10 hours. We stamped it as the worse bus ride thus far.

The destination was quite wonderful however. We were treated so well by the 99% Islamic population. They welcomed us into their homes, and taught us so much about their city. But as in every place, there's a small percentage that cause real problems. Most of our ministry was secret and quiet to the underground believers, who because of their trust in God through Jesus, are forced to meet in secret locations with padding walls to pray. Many of these believers still hold to many of the traditions of their families, but now when they pray to God, they pray in the name of their Savior - Isa Al Masih!

Singapore @ Singapore (Singapur), Singapore

2008-09-05T16:19:54.000Z

After our visas expired in Indonesia, we returned to Singapore to recover from and intense attack of sickness. Andrew and Jessie cared for us and blessed us by taking us to their church and opening doors to minister to a small group of college students. Many of these students face the same type of decisions as western students, deciding what to do next, and what route they will take in life.

Penang, Malayisa @ Penang (George Town), Malaysia

2008-09-13T16:22:53.000Z

We traveled to Malaysia to meet a good friend, Jim (relevantexpeditions.com), and prepare to head into Cambodia. Mr. Jim is a master at eating on of the most difficult foods for the westerner to handle: a spiny fruit named Durian (also known as Devil's Fruit, Stinky Fruit, or to the Southeast Asian Islander - the Fruit of HEAVEN). This was Dustan's third attempt to try to swallow this fruit, and his third failure. Darlene however, gloated quite proudly, when she downed it on her first try. The fruit has the texture of scrambled eggs, and the taste of onions and garlic.

We spent the day with Mr. Jim & Mrs. Pat, dodging thieving monkeys and admiring the beautiful gardens of Penang.

Children of Cambodia @ Kampong Thom (Kâmpóng Thum), Cambodia

2008-09-15T23:36:23.000Z

Many years ago, a ruthless leader began to train Children in the hills of Cambodia. He taught them that God was dead, and that there was no reason to feel guilty for anything. The result was genocide (see the post for Phnom Penh).
Today however, God is doing a much different work. Missionaries and Pastors now have mass programs that reach to the impoverished children of Cambodia. Underneath the houses elevated above the green, wet, rice field, these programs teach that God is alive, He is good, and the He loves them so much that He sent his son. We were blessed to be a part of this type of ministry, and were able to minister to these children, and some of the adults around!

Ruins of Siem Reap @ Siem Reap, Cambodia

2008-09-18T11:37:09.000Z

The Killing Fields @ Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2008-09-20T18:44:32.000Z

Cambodia has a rough history. From 1975 to 1979 the genocidal Pol Pot regime (the Khmer Rouge) took power. They mercilessly imprisoned, tortured, & murdered up to 2,000,000 Cambodians. To this day, no one has been prosecuted for the horrible things done in the 70s. Pol Pot died at the age of 72, and the first trial is scheduled to happen in 2009.

Loungin in Laos @ Don Det (Ban Dondét), Laos

2008-10-05T23:38:53.000Z

Don Det, Laos is a small island amongst 4,000 others. If coming from Cambodia by land, this is one of the first stops in Laos. Unlike many of the other islands, Don Det is a place made to rest. Most of the day is spent either reading or sleeping in a hammock, while listening to the peaceful Mekong River flow by.

Here, we stopped an sought the Lord about our next ministry.

ThaThom, Laos @ Muang Thathôm, Laos

2008-10-09T23:43:57.000Z

The Lord led is to go to a small village in central Laos named Thathom. However, what we didn't know was that during the monsoon, all roads to Thathom, Laos are closed because the roads are impassible. The Lord led us tho, and after a long 6 hour boat ride (1 hour in darkness), and many miraculous connections we made it to this quiet village, surrounded by towering green mountains.
The next day, we were in the villages, praying for the sick, and telling the village elders the story of Yesu, the way to know God and have eternal life. They, being in their 50s, has NEVER heard it before. One of the elders had a hurt wrist from working in the fields for so long. We prayed for his wrist and it was instantly healed. The village chief then told us that we could go throughout the entire village, so we did, telling stories and being surrounded by Kids.

We plan to return to Thathom in the future.

Phasavan, Laos @ lon: 103.13 lat: 19.48

2008-10-13T23:43:58.000Z

Luang Prabang, Laos @ Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-10-14T19:16:39.000Z

Chiang Mai, Thailand @ Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-11-02T00:12:29.000Z

Thailand, the land of smiles, has quite a unique culture. The King of this nation is reverenced and honored greatly. Buddhism is the prominent religion, so monks walked the westernized streets heading to the sparkling and often golden temples to meditate and pray. The sad part of Thailand however, is the injustice done towards some of the children of this nation. Forced child prostitution, as well as forced female prostitution is prevalent in this country and thousands of children know nothing of a life outside of forced sexual slavery. There are however many missionaries, working overtime, to rescue and raise these children in a home full of love and faith.

South India @ Sivakāsi, India

2008-12-16T00:18:35.000Z

After a long time of ministry in Southeast Asia, we flew to South India. We met with our good friends, the Selvaraj family, and began ministry right after the new year. South India was different than anything we has experienced thus far. Temples line the streets, cows walk everywhere, and the people are so hospitable, that it is almost forceful. The spiritual atmosphere was quite heavy here, but still we pressed through the attacks of sickness and other things and ministered to village after village.

During our time here we saw two sets of ears be fully opened, backs be healed, arms, legs, minds, etc. The darker the dark, the brighter the light of the gospel shined. Twice we preached in the front yards of temples! Many people accepted the Lord, and we rejoiced at future ministry opportunities in this part of India.

Chennai, India @ Chennai, India

2009-01-22T00:16:32.000Z

Listen to commentary here.

The Taj Mahal @ Agra, India

2009-01-27T00:21:05.000Z

We spent a day checking out the Taj Mahal. This is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

Old Palaces & Elephants @ Jaipur, India

2009-01-29T18:57:59.000Z

We took s day and saw the old palaces of Jaipur, India. These ancient structures are scattered about India, bringing a feel of the regal past into the minds of today. In Jaipur, you can ride an elephant of the ancient road that led to one of the palaces seated on top of a small mountain. Snake charmers & dancers dressed in many colors sit on the side of the road - hoping for a moment of attention, so they can get a few rupees from the hundreds of passing tourist.

Delhi, India @ Delhi, India

2009-02-01T00:20:24.000Z

Listen to commentary here.

If there is one place where the traveler needs 'street smarts', it is Delhi. This HUGE city in north India takes the newcomer by surprise. We stepped of the train, and within 5 minutes had to deal with multiple scammers. We were taken to the wrong motel, told our first one was close, given a fake phone call to show us our reservation was canceled, overcharged by the taxi, and haggled at every step, and poked and prodded by beggers. Delhi is NOT for the timid.

However, once you get your bearings and learn the way of the land, Delhi can be quite enjoyable. The streets are always bustling, with weddings and parades every few nights, and there's LOTS to do. The main bazaar is fun, with cheap restaurants up and down the streets, and there are a ton of amazing sites to see in and outside of the city.

We were here for two weeks finishing our new website/

The Ganges River @ Varanasi, India

2009-02-18T05:58:42.000Z

Varanasi sits on the banks of the Ganges river. The Ganges is considered a Holy River by the Hindi religion. People are cremated daily and their ashes thrown into the river, and certain people are thrown in whole. For the western mind, this practice is hard to understand, but it finds it roots in deep Hindu mythology. As we beheld these funerals, we were surprised at how much we were NOT surprised. I guess after been on the road, not much more could shock us.

Entering Bangladesh @ Jessore, Bangladesh

2009-02-20T11:51:14.000Z

Bangladesh in Chaos @ Daka (Dhaka), Bangladesh

2009-02-22T11:52:13.000Z

Water for Burma @ Yangon, Myanmar

2009-03-02T11:55:42.000Z

Listen to commentary here.

After a quick stop in Thailand, Dustan geared up with Todd Powers (powersplanet.org) and set out to gather video footage inside the obscure borders of Burma.
We traveled all over Yangon, being escorted and refused entry to many areas, in search of neighborhoods who were in great need of drinking water. We didn't have to look long. Villages all over this country are plagued with sickness because of the long dry season drought. Many Children and others are sick, and many have died because there is no clean water. One village we visited had to haul their water from miles and miles away, and when they got it, it was still yellow and makes the people sick.

Everywhere we went in Burma, we were monitored by the military, although we are far from a political ministry. It was quite the experience, but we made good friends with some of the officers. :-)

Rest in Thailand @ Yangon, Myanmar

2009-03-07T10:30:01.000Z

We returned to Chiang Mai, Thailand to help put together the video from Burma. Chiang Mai is a haven for the missionary. Here, you can get all the things we love so much back home, including: hamburgers, nachos, Mexican Food, & Reeces Peanut Butter Cups (at tops market).

We would be here until we finished the video project - only a few weeks.

Indonesia Follow-Up @ Manado, Indonesia

2009-04-07T09:21:45.000Z

We returned to Manado, Indonesia to do some follow and research. While we were here we witnessed God's miracle of protection, a flood, and a few hearts grow closer to the Lord.

Koh Phi Phi @ Ko Phi Phi (Phi Phi Islands), Thailand

2009-05-10T12:23:32.000Z

Beijing, China @ Beijing, China

2009-05-17T12:25:28.000Z

Prep in Chengdu @ Chengdu, China

2009-05-24T12:27:20.000Z

Tagong, China @ Tagong, China

2009-06-01T22:58:11.000Z

Cairo, Egypt @ Cairo, Egypt

2009-07-20T23:02:16.000Z

Kumasi, Ghana @ Kumasi, Ghana

2009-07-22T23:03:16.000Z

London, England @ London, United Kingdom

2009-08-20T23:06:04.000Z