Greetings Friends,
We would like to share a mission
trip report with you from Harvest Time Choir, of Full Gospel Interdenominational Church. They recently
went to visit and do ministry with Pastor Jacobs of Faith Tabernacle Community Holiness Church in Chester, PA. We know this
report is going to bless you life as you read how God is moving here at home in
the great U.S.A
Friday August 17th 2012
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| Crissaundra Mack |
Hello everyone this
is Crissaundra Mack the leader of Harvest Time Choir. Our Trip started off early Friday morning with 4 vans and 1 car, 46 people in all for Chester, PA. We had a beautiful morning for traveling and
everyone was so excited as Pastor prayed and sent us on our way. We arrived at
the hotel at about 1:00 pm and we had lunch with Pastor Jacobs and her daughter
and another lady from the church. It
was a great time of fellowship and Pastor Jacobs was so excited that we had
come. We checked in to our hotel at 3pm.
Friday night – Church service
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| Harvest Time Choir |
We arrived at
the church at 6pm to set up the
instruments and have practice. When the
people started arriving we were at the altar praying. Rev. Erha led song service.
As we were singing the presence of God filled the church more and more. After singing “You are Alpha and Omega, You
are worthy to be praised”, Pastor Jacobs had us to sing it over and over and I
thought that would be the end of the service. The choir did a great job singing.
Our first song was “Sing Praises to the King”.
The church loved it. We ended
with “Spirit Fall Down”. It was a night
for plowing and the choir plowed through, until everyone was on their feet
praising God. Brother Marco Mancini ministered
a simple but great message about being anchored to the Rock Christ Jesus. Souls
flooded the altar to make sure they were grounded in Christ. One woman drove five hours to be in the
meeting and God was faithful to meet her need at the altar. One man came in off
the streets. He had been drinking, but
the choir members began to minister to him and God graciously saved him. All the while we were there he was there
helping Pastor Jacobs and the church in any way that he could.
Saturday August 18th 2012
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| Youth Meeting |
Saturday was a
full day of activity. We met at the
church at 10am. The church members were
already at work putting up staging, cooking, and getting ready for everything
that was to happen today. We set up teams for witnessing & evangelizing -- 4 teams went out from
the church. 2 teams went to the downtown area and 2 teams went into the project
area. 1 other team stayed back to help with setting things up at the church. Still
another team was busy putting up a 10ft Goliath for the Youth activity to be
held while the others were out tracting.
Those of us who stayed back to help were peeling apples and oranges in
the kitchen, and setting up and cleaning tables and chairs outside. It was a busy time for all. The youth had a
wonderful time. You could hear them
singing and praising God. Then they did
the Bible study. “Courage” was the subject and they did a skit “David and
Goliath”. They had a lion and a bear
and David was able to slay them and went on the slay Goliath. I heard that she (Elena) missed Goliath the
first time but by the end victory was obtained. A fourteen year old girl gave her heart to the Lord. She told Rev. Hamlin that this was only her
second time coming to the church.
Good
Reports!
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| Friends |
Soon the teams returned. They came with many victory reports from
each area that they went to. One report was that they met a family that was
sitting on the porch. The family was
surrounded by heaviness from the cares of this world. But as the Christians begin to share the blessed hope that is
found in Christ Jesus, this family was encouraged and as they were prayed for
the expressions on their faces turned from sorrow to joy.
Another report – As
we traveled down the streets we talked with a group of young men and the group was moved by God’s presence as we spoke to them with
compassion and ministered to them without reservation.
There was also a
young lady who stated that she had asked Christ into her life but she did not
have a home church. As we prayed with
her God’s presence surrounded her. We
saw her again later on the porch with her family. She called us to come and talk with her family. God has promised
to save our whole house! It was the
same family we had prayed with earlier.
Then there was a
man walking his dog. To look at him on
the outside it seemed that he was a very rough man. However as they begin to minister to him he begin to sob and
great tears rolled down his cheeks and God talked to his heart. After sharing,
they prayed with him and he accepted Christ into his heart.
There was also a lady one of
the groups stopped to talk to. She said
that this was her day off and that she was very busy and did not have time to
talk. One of the choir members asked
her what did she do for a living and she said that she worked in a convalescent
home. He began to thank her for all her
hours of labor of caring for the elderly and she was uplifted. Then they were able to share Christ with her
and she said that she was so happy to have talked with them.
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| Lunch Time! |
After a short choir practice the choir was free to eat and fellowship
with all those that were in the churchyard.
It was a beautiful sight!
Children were running to and fro, and my grandchildren Melvin Jr and
Isaiah right in the midst with them. The food was delicious! Fried fish, baked
chicken, oh my it was a feast for Kings (kids)!
Many people
came with needs to the church on Saturday.
Some choir members prayed with a lady who just found out that her nine-year-old
grandson tried to commit suicide. She
came to the church believing that God will make a way for her grandson. While
some of the choir was resting in the church they brought in the lady who had
driven 5 hours to get to the meetings.
She had a seizure and had collapsed in the yard. They could not seem to get her conscious.
Her father was holding her while others were praying without ceasing for
her. After about 20 min. the Ambulance
came. The CMT could not bring her to
and one of the minister’s told the choir to start singing a song about the blood of Jesus. We started singing “The Blood will never
lose its Power” very softly. Within a
few min. after that she came to. The
CMT said that is was the power of prayer that made the difference. She was then taken to the hospital where we
heard that she was recovering.
Outside Service!
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| Singing outside |
It was time for the
choir to sing: We sang several songs
and then Rev. Erha brought the Word of God.
There was stillness in the air as she began to speak. Sitting there listening I could sense her voice
being carried into every doorway, every window, to the discouraged and those
needing to hear that God wants to give them a new name. God wants to give everyone a
life worth living. Cars that were
passing by stopped to listen as the Lord used Rev. Erha to bring hope to the
people of Chester PA.
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| Rev. Melissa Erha |
As the altar call
was given the choir gathered and began to sing "I’m trading my sorrows". Everyone said the same thing when it was over. God’s Word will not return void and it will
accomplish wherever it was sent! The choir left at about 6pm to eat and then
back to the hotel for a much-needed rest.
Sunday Morning!
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| Saints in Praise! |
Just when you think what more can God do? God shows up and shows us that He always has more for us. Song
service was just the beginning of the joy that began to fill the church. The
choir sang one song that I thought would end the service but God had more and
it continued to build even through the offering. Then the choir began to sing
again. “Lord You're Holy”…the rafters
began to shake…then we sang “Days of Elijah” (requested by Pastor Jacobs before
we even arrived in Chester) and spiritually the house was set on fire. People
were shouting all over the place!
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| Rev. Lautenbach & Cris Mack praying |
But I was praying Lord let the Word come forth. It took about 30 minutes before Rev. Lautenbach
could start preaching. And preach he
did. Are you willing to go boldly where
no man has gone before?...Are you willing to be a “trail blazer” for God? God
has great things for a life that is dedicated to Him. It was a beautiful message for the church. The altar call was beautiful. Everyone came down to the front. Our choir
stood behind them and we started to pray.
People were slain out everywhere. Children were shouting and praising
God. The cooks came up from the kitchen
and were soused with the Holy Ghost!
The church received two new members today. One was a young Asian man and the other an elderly man who came in
an alcoholic but left changed by the power of God. He never had another drink
after Jesus came into his life! Well this man had been coming since
Friday’s meeting. Pastor Jacobs was
beside herself. She told me later that
she had prayed to God that if all of this was in His will to give her a
soul. Well God gave her two souls. But we know that other souls will be born
out of this weekend also because God’s Word went all over Chester PA and it
will not return again void.
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| Pastor Jacobs playing the organ! |
I feel like my words are so inadequate in
trying to tell of our weekend in Chester PA.
The Lord was with us every step of the way. I was so proud of our choir.
This was Sister Danielle's first trip but out of all of us she was the
only one who got into the kitchen and was able to help through out the whole
weekend. You would have thought she was
a member there instead of one of us.
She has a gift of helps and God made room for her gift. The children clung to the ladies in the
choir and our choir reached out to every soul that they came in contact with.
Everywhere there was a choir member with a child by the hand or holding them in
their arms.
It was a beautiful time in the LORD!
God Bless you - Cris Mack 
