Missions Blog

Start the Day off Right With Worship

There is something that happens when you worship alongside the Faith House girls that is simply impossible to put into words. The smiles on their faces, the joy in their voices, the way some of them close their eyes and lift their faces toward heaven — it draws you right in with them.

If the entire trip had been only this — just gathering together to sing and worship with these girls — it would have been worth every hour of travel. There is a sweetness of spirit here that ushers you into the presence of God in a way unlike anywhere else. A small piece of heaven, right here on earth.

God inhabits the praise of His people. This morning, we felt that with our whole hearts.

Joelle and the Faith House girls sing: Maverick City Music — I Thank God

First Lesson — We Are Builders

Kathleen opened the first teaching session of the week with the book of Nehemiah — a book the girls had never studied before. In fact, when Kathleen introduced it, they had to take a moment together just to find it in their Bibles. That was a sweet moment in itself.

Maria had expressed a desire for the girls to grow in their understanding of their own value and in their ability to set meaningful goals. That desire pointed our team directly to Nehemiah — a man who knew exactly who he was in God, prayed with boldness, and then got to work.

Kathleen began by holding up a safety helmet and asking the girls if they knew what it was for. She used it to introduce one of the most powerful pieces of spiritual armor God gives us — the Helmet of Salvation.

Salvation, Kathleen explained, means “being rescued and brought into God’s family.” God loves these girls so much that He made a way for them to be with Him forever through Jesus. That helmet — the assurance of who they are in Christ — protects their minds and hearts.

From there, Kathleen introduced the story of Nehemiah and the theme for the entire week: We Are Builders. Just as Nehemiah was prepared by God for an important purpose, so is each girl at Faith House. Throughout the week the girls will work together to build three things:

• Their Identity — how God made each of them uniquely and wonderfully
• Life Goals — plans to help them become who God designed them to be
• Strong Boundaries — the rules and guardrails that keep them safe and protected

Kathleen walked the girls through Nehemiah’s powerful 4-part prayer — a model they can use anytime:

1. Praise God for who He is
2. Thank God for what He has done
3. Confess what you did wrong
4. Ask for help

The girls then began the week’s centerpiece activity: their personal Identity Mobile — a rainbow of heart-shaped strips, each one built on throughout the week. On this first strip, each girl wrote down her own strengths — what God has placed inside her that makes her special.

The girls writing their strengths on the first heart strip of their Identity Mobile — “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

We fitted each girl with a hard hat and a t-shirt that reads “Arise and Build” — a name rooted in Nehemiah’s own call to his people. Seeing them geared up and grinning from ear to ear was one of the highlights of the day.

Arise and Build — our builders, equipped and ready.

Naw Mua Wah — the youngest girl at Faith House, rocking her pink construction hat and ready to build.

Fun and Games!

Every good building crew needs a break — and Joelle and Bill were ready to deliver. The girls got outside for a relay cone game that had everyone sprinting, laughing, and cheering at the top of their lungs. The focus of the game was simple: teamwork and cheering each other on. The girls took to it immediately.

We cranked up some high-energy worship music to keep the energy going — including one song that became an instant favorite with the girls. If you want to feel the energy of the moment, give it a listen here.

Pure joy — relay games, laughter, and cheering each other on.

Goal Setting — Dream Big

Sally led the afternoon session, tying the day’s theme back to Nehemiah Chapter 2. Just as Nehemiah stood before the King with a prepared heart and a clear plan, Sally challenged the girls to dream big and take steps toward their own goals. The four steps — straight from Nehemiah’s own story — are:

1. Care about something important — What matters to you? What breaks your heart?
2. Pray and think before acting — Nehemiah didn’t rush. He prayed for days and asked for God’s wisdom.
3. Make a plan — Nehemiah asked for letters, supplies, and permission. Goals need real steps.
4. Get help and start working — Nehemiah didn’t build the wall alone. You don’t have to do it alone either.

Then Sally shared something that stopped everyone in the room. She told the girls about one of God’s names in Hebrew: El Roi — “The God Who Sees Me.”

God sees you. Not just in general — you, specifically. Your name. Your face. Your dreams. Your hurts. He sees it all, and He cares.

Sally had spent four months before the trip personalizing gifts for every single girl at Faith House — boxes with their names on them, bracelets, pen holders, and more, each one made by hand. When the girls opened them, it was like Christmas in April. Some girls held their boxes quietly, reading their own names. Others lit up with the biggest smiles.

The gifts carry a message that no circumstance can take away: God sees you. You matter. You are known.

Christmas in April — the girls opening their personalized gifts from Sally.

Each bracelet a reminder: El Roi — The God Who Sees Me.

Four months of quiet, faithful preparation. That is what love looks like. That is The Bible Chapel family showing up — not just in person, but in every handmade gift that traveled 8,000 miles to land in the hands of a girl who needed to know she is seen.

Day 2 is in the books. These girls are builders — and they are just getting started.
— Dee, Brenda, Glenn, Joelle, Kathleen, Sally & Bill

The Journey Begins

When God calls you to go, He doesn’t promise an easy road — He promises to go with you. And every twist, every delay, and every unexpected detour on our way to Mae Sot, Thailand was a reminder that His hand was guiding every single step.

Our team — Dee, Brenda, Glenn, Joell, Kathleen, Sally, and Bill — set out with hearts full of anticipation. The route was a long one: Pittsburgh to Atlanta, Atlanta to Seoul, and finally Seoul to Bangkok. Over 30 hours of flying before our feet would touch Thai soil.

Dee’s journey had a little extra adventure. A mechanical delay out of Fort Wayne meant she couldn’t connect with us in Atlanta as planned. But God had another door open: she rerouted through Detroit and caught up with the rest of the team in Seoul. What could have been a discouraging setback became a clear reminder that the Lord was working ahead of us, keeping our team together across thousands of miles.

We could see God’s hand in it all.

Bangkok: A Night to Rest and Prepare

After those 30-plus hours of travel, we landed in Bangkok, checked into a local hotel, and gave our bodies the rest they needed. The next morning we gathered as a team for a planning session and devotional before the final leg of our journey.

A special word of thanks is due to Brenda, our trip leader. The care, prayer, and coordination she poured into every detail of this trip is evident at every turn. She is a true servant leader, and our team is deeply grateful for her.

Nok Air — “Bird Air”

From Bangkok we boarded a domestic flight on Nok Air — which translates, appropriately, to “Bird Air.” Don’t worry — it was not the rickety contraption from Indiana Jones. It was a proper Boeing (think Southwest Airlines), and they even served a meal! We landed in Mae Sot refreshed and ready.

Welcomed with Flowers and Warm Hearts

When we stepped off the plane at Mae Sot Airport, the Faith House staff and several of the girls were there to meet us. If you have ever experienced a welcome like that — genuine smiles, arms full of beautiful flowers, and hugs that feel like coming home — you know there are simply no words adequate enough.

Faith House staff and girls welcoming the team at Mae Sot Airport — flowers, smiles, and warm hearts.

They are truly amazing people. Their warmth, their joy, and their faith are a gift to everyone who meets them.

And there was Glenn — our beloved “Grandpa” — who had come over several weeks early to teach English, minister to the girls, and preach Sunday sermons. Seeing his beaming face was a joy. He is absolutely in his element here, surrounded by his “granddaughters.” This man loves these girls deeply, and they love him right back.

The Hands and Feet of Jesus

Back at Faith House, we unpacked all of the donations that were so generously provided before we left. To everyone who gave — clothing, supplies, and so much more — thank you. You are the hands and feet of Jesus, and your generosity traveled over 8,000 miles to bless these precious girls and their community.

With grateful and full hearts, we headed back to Panu House for a good night’s rest.

Morning Coffee and “Joshua Forward”

The next morning came with coffee and quiet time in the Word. Our team is reading through the Living Grounded — Joshua Forward! devotional series, and it has been a perfect companion for a trip like this one. Joshua was called to step into unknown territory with courage and faith — and so are we.

Energized and anchored, we headed to Faith House early.

A Church Is Born — God Is Multiplying

One of the most humbling moments of this trip has been seeing what The Bible Chapel’s generosity has made possible. Thanks to the giving of our congregation, there is now a church at Faith House — a real, beautiful place of worship that can hold local villagers who come to hear the gospel.

God is not just working here through us. He is multiplying through the steadfast faith and leadership of Maria, the dedication of the local Pastor, and the love that our church family poured out from thousands of miles away. That is the kingdom at work.

The new church at Faith House — a place of worship for the girls and the local village community.

Sunday Service: “The Battle Is Not Yours”

Glenn preached a powerful message from 2 Chronicles 20. In that passage, King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah faced an overwhelming enemy army. But rather than turn to military might, they turned to God — through prayer, fasting, and worship. And God delivered them in a miraculous and undeniable way.

That message lands with particular weight here at Faith House. Many of these girls have faced their own overwhelming enemies — circumstances no child should ever have to face. Yet here they are: standing, worshipping, and trusting God. Just like Jehoshaphat’s people, they are learning that the battle belongs to the Lord.

Getting ready for Sunday service — joy and anticipation in the air.

One Table, Many Stories

After the service we shared a meal with the girls and the congregants from the local village. Sitting around that table — so far from home, surrounded by people whose language, background, and daily life look nothing like ours — something beautiful and simple became very clear: we are not so different at all.

Families. Hopes. Dreams. Hurts and hang-ups. Laughter. The desire to be known and loved. Every person at that table had all of it. Seeing God at work in their lives, the same way He works in ours, is truly humbling.

Sharing a meal with the girls and local village congregants — one table, one family in Christ.

Evening: A Testimony and a Crowning

After a short break in the afternoon (which included an important expedition to find a soccer ball pump!), we returned to Faith House for the evening’s program.

Grandpa Glenn shared his personal testimony — a story about how God loves and accepts you, even when others don’t. About how, when you turn to Him, He places people and blessings in your path that you never could have arranged for yourself. Glenn spoke of being like a “Bummer Lamb” — the first one to come when the Shepherd calls. It was a message tailor-made for these girls, and you could feel it land deep.

Then came a moment of pure joy: Brenda led the Crowning Ceremony. Each girl received her crown — a beautiful, bedazzled headband — and with it a reminder of who she truly is. Our Princess Warriors, equipped with God’s love and the gospel, now carry their crowns as a symbol that their worth is unshakeable and their light cannot be put out.

Finally — Playtime!

And then, at last — playtime! The laughter that filled the yard was the kind that restores your soul. Joell had a wonderful time making friends, and being close in age to some of the older girls at Faith House, she had some really genuine, meaningful conversations. Hearts were touched on both sides of those friendships.

Joell making new friends — joy that crosses every language barrier.

Thank You, Bible Chapel Family

To every person at The Bible Chapel who prayed, gave, donated, and encouraged this team — you are here with us. Your generosity is in the donations being unpacked. Your prayers are in the peace we feel. Your faith is in the church that now stands at Faith House.

God is on the move in Mae Sot, Thailand. And you are part of it.

More updates to come. Keep praying!
— Dee, Brenda, Glenn, Joell, Kathleen, Sally & Bill

Post one! Hallelujah!

On Saturday, March 14th, five congregants (& one pastor) from The Bible Chapel’s Washington Campus woke up, hopped in the car, drove to the airport, and braved flying over the Atlantic Ocean from Pittsburgh to New York City, then an overnight to Amsterdam, and finally HUNGARY! Praise the Lord for smooth sailing (or flying rather), and no cancellations or serious delays! 

Sunday, March 15th,  

After settling into our hotel, we enjoyed a scrumptious welcome dinner. There, we had the opportunity to meet 24 other believers from across the country who would come together to form the largest group of American volunteers to serve with CRU Hungary’s Missions Team ever! 

What are we doing in Hungary?

This week is set aside each year for mission-minded folks and is promptly called “Bringing in the Hungarian Harvest Project’ or “BHHP” for short. This week, we get the opportunity to serve alongside full-time American and Hungarian CRU Missionaries (including Washington’s own John and Meagan Lingenhoel), going into classrooms of elementary-high school students, giving short presentations. Our prayer is that we will form relationships that lead to conversations, plant seeds of curiosity and truth, and pave the way for the full-time missionaries to develop these students for Christ. We will also participate in “random evangelism” (or “divine opportunities,” as one of our colleagues put it), where we will survey college students about their opinions on faith, hopefully opening the door to fruitful conversation. On Friday, there will be an event that all the students we interacted with that week will be invited to, where they will hear the Gospel and build stronger relationships with the CRU Hungary staff 

Our first full day in Hungary, Monday, March 16th, 2026: 

Today was spent training at the newly renovated CRU student center in the heart of Budapest, called Fek ( more *exciting* details about the center to come this week). We started our morning with a message from a Hungarian staff member on idols and what we should put first in our lives. Next, we went on a prayer walk -  walking around the city, praying for the lives we (through Christ) hope to touch this week, the citizens of Budapest, and unity within our team. This was followed by a cultural training (did you know that sniffling and pointing are taboo here, but blowing your nose loudly is not?), and worshiped through song led by the North Carolina team. Tomorrow we dive right into visiting local schools and giving talks.  

Personal testimonies that encouraged us that you might enjoy:

-Why are Americans effective in Hungary? Well, thanks for asking!!! Being a native English speaker is the ticket for us and, therefore CRU Staff to get into local schools to build Christ-centered relationships! Schools allow us to come in so students can practice their English with us and learn about our culture. 

-One missionary, Liz from the US, when giving us tips for evangelizing, described Americans like peaches and Hungarians like coconuts. Peaches are soft and easily bitten into, but have a hard pit inside.  This means she and the team see Americans as easy to talk to on the surface, but have a harder time being deeply vulnerable with people they do not know well. However, Hungarians are like coconuts, on the outside a hard shell, difficult to break into, but soft and vulnerable on the inside once that shell is opened. 

-One of the Hungarian CRU staff members we heard from found a deep faith in Christ in high school when a group of Americans serving with CRU during BHHP came to her high school and presented (exactly what we are doing this week, how amazing!).  

-The leader of our message on idolatry this morning came to faith in Christ and transformed his life at age 18. How did this happen? He was approached on a Hungarian beach by CRU missionaries during a “random evangelizing” session. He shared that he was living a life far from Christ, which actually got him expelled from school. Look at what the Lord has done in his life, so that now he is blessing us and so many others in Hungary!

Ways to pray for our team today: 

-Please pray that the Lord makes our paths clear and opens the door for us to reach students with Christ, like the above examples. 

-Pray that the seeds planted lead to transformation and acceptance of Christ by the students we interact with. 

-Pray the Lord would grow us in our walk with Him and show us ways in which we need to “die to self” this week.

-Pray for endurance and stamina so that we may be effective in our pursuit of reaching students with the Gospel.

Thank you to all the generous donors who made this trip possible, and those who took the time to read this post, and pray for us/ what God is doing in Hungary! What a blessing you are!

 

• You, our faithful supporters and prayer warriors. Your prayers, notes, texts, and emails were of great encouragement to us. 
• The generosity of our financial partners to provide a way for our team to travel, stay in safe accommodations, and bring the supplies that were needed for the school and the community projects we would be doing
• The generosity of those who donated supplies. Supplies such as Play-Doh, paper items, and toiletries would "just appear" in The Bible Chapel's preschool resource room. It was like Christmas morning again and again as unexpected gifts would be waiting on the table for the team to take.
• Team unity, giftedness, and cohesiveness. This team was a collection of different talents, skills, and people whom some of us were meeting for the first time, but all with the same mission. God brought us together, and together we saw His plan and carried out His purposes.
• Protection, safety, and health of the team.
• There were illnesses, physical pain, snow, rain...and yet none of them ceased the work that the Lord set forth for us to accomplish. Illness came during hours when we weren't at the school. Pain was met with times of preplanned rest periods. Snow and rain never halted our time with the kids and people we went to minister to. Uncertainties and doubts were met with encouragement and timely answers. 
• Praise God for healing one of our team members from a throat infection.  It started with inflamed tonsils and could have worsened, but God took care of it.    
• Driving to the Pgh airport on January 17th, we were met with snow and unfavorable road conditions, but we all arrived safely, and our flight remained as scheduled. 
• On the way back to Pgh, we flew home two days early and ahead of the snowstorm that Pgh received on Sunday. We did not miss out on any of our scheduled workdays in the school or local community. Our original flights for Sunday ended up being cancelled so had we have kept them we may still be in the Dominican Republic today and needing to spend monies on washing laundry, buying more supplies, and paying for accommodations. 
• The lives touched and impacted through the preschool and after-school programs. The children saw that Christians from another country love them dearly. They got to hear of our good God straight from His Word and be challenged and encouraged to see how His Truth is relevant in their lives. Through their answers and responses to the practical application questions and reflective time, we saw fruit.  
• The opportunity to minister to underprivileged Haitian children. We could see how God used connections between His people to lead us to a community that needed our tangible help and the hope of the Gospel.
• The opportunity to encourage Robin and Hember, the leaders of King's Kids. The Lord designed the Body of Christ, His Church, and He calls us to pray for one another, spur one another on toward love and good deeds, rejoice with one another, mourn with one another, and encourage one another to persevere in living out our salvation in Jesus. We are thankful to have been able to do this for Robin and Hember. 
• Our team has been encouraged and grown in our personal walks with Jesus Christ. We left the Dominican Republic with new friends in Christ. We carry the reminder that obedience doesn't need to know all the next steps, but to stay in step with the Lord. 

  

• The Lord's clear guidance of the land purchase Robin and Hember are considering, and their future school plans
• For the Lord's strength and peace to sustain them and encourage them to persevere
• For them to feel and see the prayers, support, and fellowship of the Body of Christ 
• For the children to be confident in the Lord's truth and follow hard after Him
• For the children and families to see the Lord's hand of protection and love for them

Yesterday (Thursday) was filled with so many special moments. Our Bible lesson was on Jonah. We worked hard to develop the components of each day’s lesson for God’s truth to be clearly communicated. We prepared most parts of the lessons prior to arriving in the D.R., but we added and adapted throughout the week as we better understood the learning styles of the kids. Incorporating a painted whale by Deb as a visual and interactive tool was one of those additions. Our team pivoted together to accomplish the mission well.

  

After reading through the scriptures with the children, a child got to act as Jonah and get swallowed up, then spit back out by the whale! Then the kids played a game similar to “Simon says” to reinforce the importance of listening and obeying the Lord. The preschoolers made a whale to take home with a paper plate and paint, and worked on their counting with a numerical worksheet highlighting characters from Jonah’s story. The older students made bracelets and keychains with beads. When the children repeated the Bible verses, answered the review questions, had giggles and applause at the appropriate moments during the lessons, our hearts swelled in boastful praise of our Lord!

  

On Thursday, Dilo and Kevin completed the church painting project and even painted the home next door, too!

Weaved into the day was a lot of prayer over our travels back to Pittsburgh, given the predicted snowfall to come. Should we keep with our original flights on Sunday, switch to Saturday, switch to Monday…left to our own thoughts and concerns, we didn’t know, but we trusted that the Lord would guide us. Together we bowed our heads, humbled our hearts, and sought the Lord for His clear direction and guidance. Saturday flights out of the D.R. filled so quickly that there was no availability for our team. Then the forecast changed and showed snowfalls beginning on Saturday afternoon in Pgh, so that option likely would not have worked anyway! Praise God for that closed door! The Monday option soon closed too, and we all agreed that keeping our Sunday flights was not preferred. We prayed. We waited as conversations were had between the airline company and our trip coordinators in Pgh. And here we are flying home today (Friday), a day we had never even considered.

  
Surrendered.
Prayerful.
Trusting.
We could do all those things with a steady heart because just like we taught the kids this week, we know:
The Lord is faithful.
The Lord is our protector.
He is a promise keeper.
He is bigger than our giants.
He is mighty to save.

Thank you for following along on our journey, lifting us in prayer, and supporting this mission. Check back for one more blog entry to praise the Lord with us, as we will list out the many ways God’s provision was seen and felt!