Harvest Time Choir's Church Mission Trip

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 17^th 2012 

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

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 18^th 2012

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! 

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. 

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! 

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.

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!

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! 

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.

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