So I have been living in Tahità for 1 month now wow! Time flys when your serving God, harpoon fishing, body surfing on picturesque beaches, eating random raw fish, etc etc...
So we have been able to do lots of great things but I'm only going to share a couple.
Christmas day my team and I worked with the homeless people giving them food and clothes and just hearing them out - they just want to feel loved and taking time to listen to them will change your picture of them. the men that I got to talk to a little bit had traveled the world and could speak two languages and can get along in English pretty well. Just cause people look dirty and don't have any money does not mean they haven't done more things than you or studied less, it just means they took a wrong turn in their life that got them to where they are now.
After working with the homeless and doing worship and everything with them we traveled a ways to meet up with the YWAM team from Australia and spent some time playing games and being able to soak up some of their knowledge and just be around other English speaking Christians. Amazing amazing is all I can say of that team, they have great potential and they are really great in adopting the new culture and learning the language.
We also had the chance to help with a vacation bible school and two kids came to Christ when Holly and Lise (two people from my team) taught about the color bracelets. we also had great fun just playing games with them especially when we went to the botanical gardens and had a scavenger hunt with them. They're great great kids and the leaders of the vacation bible school really are amazing people of God that I believe are helping train up great Christian leaders.
There have been so many great things that have happened: Tuesday night we went out evangelizing on the street and one person came to Christ and another said he will do it but not right now. We were out till after 1am. God is amazing I am so happy when I get another brother in Christ cause I'm a family man lol.
Something that you can pray for is Tuesday night a dear dear friend of my family died. It has been really hard not to be able to be with my family at this time. But God has given me a peace that can only come from Him.
I won't be near Internet possibly for a whole month. we're leaving today for Huahini then after 6 days there we'll be going to Bora Bora then Raiatea (and an island beside Bora Bora not the real deal but we will be visiting and possibly working there) and then Maupiti.
We will be evangelizing, teaching cristian classes, and so many other things that we really don't know a lot of the time once we are to the island the people tell us what they would like for us to do.
Prayer requests:
• I am still in need of financial support for all my travels/works, life has been more expensive than expected but I fully rely on God's provision
• Wisdom as to what god wants us to do as a team and personally
• Pray for people to be open to hear what we have to say
• For relationships inside the team and outside
• That God does His work in our lives as well as in those around us
• For our travels (we are taking the boat everywhere, today is an 8hr boat ride on a cargo ship and we will be sleeping on the deck whuhuuu!!!!)
• That nothing will hinder us from doing Gods work
• For The Hardcastles in this hard time. Mike as his bride has been taken up to heaven and Caleb, David, and Nathan as their mom is now with God
If you feel lead to donate then you can send a check to
International Baptist Missions 4346 N. Galloway, Mezquite,Texas 75150 (for a tax write off) mark it for Doren Tripp phone number for them is (214)-439-7179
Or directly to my bank
Bank of America # 488031005159
God Bless(Calmly, I can't end a letter without saying my normal closing),
VanDoren Tripp
