It is almost impossible to think about this trip without reflecting on how God has brought me to this point. In my life, I often clenched to the successes that pointed to my greatness and drowned out the true fear and loneliness that plagued my inner being. Though the Lord, my God, Jesus Christ did not destroy my world with earth-shattering destructive behaviors that led to my surrender, the cracks from such an earthquake still appeared and revealed in me the brokenness that Christ came to forgive, the brokenness that Christ came to pay for with his perfect life, death, and resurrection. Having come from this life of isolation, in a world of despair, I now realize that truly, I am blessed.

From the moment of my birth, God has been evident in my life and though I failed to acknowledge His presence until many years later, He has never left my side. The very thought of how faithful and loving God is brings tears to my eyes. I am in constant awe of how much He loves me and how little I deserve it. From my salvation, to my small group, to the vast array of missional opportunities I have been blessed to be a part of, God has used many of you (who read this today) to impact my life and draw me closer to Him. This trip is no exception.

This very morning, a group of members from Clear Creek will take to the skies as a unified body to shine the light of Jesus Christ across the world. Though our primary purpose is to pour into the lives of many youth in Ukraine, there is no doubt that God will use all nineteen of us to impact the world through every step of our journey. Along the way, we will share our life with those around us before and after this trip; we will encounter many in the various airports and cities we visit along the way; we will pour into the lives of many through not only Bible lessons and church services but through English classes, sports, hobbies, meals, and many other ways God has yet to reveal to us. Over the course of twenty days, God will show Himself to us and through us in ways we’ve never imagined.

As we spend the next few weeks on mission to the ends of the earth, I want to thank you and invite you on the journey. In the face of emotional strain, you have helped me stay centered on the Lord. In the face of financial struggles, you have helped finance this mission trip. In the face of pridefulness and pain, you have built me up and poured into my life in a way that demonstrates the grace and love of Jesus Christ. For these and many others, I thank you! I would not be who I am today without you and I could not be serving the Lord in this way without your support.

Though some of us will board the plane, I invite you to join us on this missional adventure through prayer. I invite you to pray for the hearts of those we encounter, that God prepare them and transform them with His words spoken through us and our actions. I invite you to pray for His will to be done and for the individual and team growth we will surely experience. Lastly, I invite you to pray for each of us on this trip by name and may these names be on your heart in prayer and praise to the one and only God: Vickie Riley, Alice McWilliams, Christopher Nelson, Nicholas Skytland, Krista Skytland, Meghan Liable, Dave Durrand, Emily Young, Daniel Vencil, Leanne Vencil, Ryan Brown, Alisha Brown, Glori Loxterman, Duane Theriot, Daniel Lehman, JR Dunn, Andres Ovalles, Jori Turner, and Matt Davis.

Blessed be the Lord!

–Chris Nelson

I am a volunteer at The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Inc., serving the La Porte, Pasadena, Deer Park, Jacinto City, Channelview, and Galena Park for over 30 years. This shelter provides services to women, children, and young men (up to 75 residents) who have been impacted by domestic and sexual violence and some who are homeless, who need a safe place to get back on their feet and or learn a skill to support their family (as most of them leave all their belongings and their self-esteem behind). This is such a wonderful place for a new beginning for many that live there (some stay 1 month, some for 1 year). While they are all so grateful for a place to stay, donations and the counseling they have received, currently, the shelter is looking for volunteers to donate time in areas such as:

• Help in organizing their pantry.
• Serve dinner one day out of the week.
• Babysitting on a Saturday morning.
• Plan a special occasion party (i.e. end of the school year party, Memorial Day Cook-out, Easter egg hunt, Christmas Party, etc.

Small groups could also help in participating in some of the upcoming “Drives” I will be organizing this year:

• Participate in the “Comfy Flip Flop” drive! During their stay at the shelter, no one can be bare foot; thus, the need for flip flops! This coming Saturday, June 26th 2010, there will be a bake sale fundraiser at the Clear Lake Shores Farmer’s Market to raise money to purchase these flip flops. If you can donate baked items to sell, please let me know! 832-352-7594.
• Participate in the “Comfy Fit Diaper Drive” (All sizes needed – medium and large sizes are in real need!) Scheduled for July, 2010
• Participate in the “Comfy Pajama Party” (All sizes needed!) Scheduled for December, 2010

The list goes on and on. Another option you may consider would be sponsoring a 1 year IT service for the staff/shelter computers as the computers are donated but no maintenance program to keep them running. As you can see the needs are many but with your help you could make a great contribution to this “safe place” some call home.

It would be great to hear from you/your group leader if you have any interest in donating to this non-profit organization – I would be glad to connect you with my contacts. Feel free to call me at 832-352-7594. Also, please review The Bridge website for more information about the shelter.

Peace, Love and God.

–Tina Maben

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Date: Tuesday, June 8th

Time: 6:00pm to 6:30pm

Where: On the steps in front of the main auditorium at CCCC

On Tuesday, June 8th, please join others who have a heart for Clear Creek’s GO Ukraine missions. We’ll be gathering on the steps of the church to pray for the team that is currently in Ukraine, assisting in a Summer Camp for those afflicted by AIDS. If you’d like, bring a specific prayer, or just come out and join us as we pray, give God glory and praise His work in Ukraine.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

For more CCCC videos check out www.clearcreek.org/mystory

“I didn’t know how to care for my baby when he was sick.”

“I didn’t know about feeding my baby a balanced diet.”

“We were so poor I couldn’t do anything to help my baby.”

These are all statements by mothers enrolled in Compassion International’s Child Survival Program in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. 25,000 children under five-years-old die daily from preventable diseases, mostly in developing countries. Those who survive are often underdeveloped physically or mentally.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As we approach Mother’s Day, CCCC wants to join with Compassion International’s projects, “Camino a la Vida” in Peru and “PAG Buoye” in Kenya. Run by local churches, these projects come alongside mothers to show how, even with their limited resources, they can protect their babies and create a safe, loving environment for them to become strong and

healthy children.

For just $ 20 a month, you can help sponsor one of these projects serving mothers and babies. On Mother’s Day, May 9 and the following Sunday May 16, we will have a table at both campuses where you can sign up to be a part of “rescuing, nurturing, and discipling little ones.”

Hi everyone! I am so sorry; it has been forever since I have written. So that means I have a lot to catch up on…

Well the winter here is extremely different from Houston, Texas. There was about five months of snow! I did enjoy most of it, but towards the end I was looking forward to the sun and warmth, haha. The month of December consisted of a lot of planning for the holidays and celebrations in the church. We planned services and activities to do with all the different ministries; it was a lot of fun. On December 12th I went to go see the Backstreet Boys in Kiev. Talk about a flash from the past! Then soon after that I went to go visit my friend in Germany for Christmas. It was such a treat to spend Christmas with close friends, and get to experience a different cultures way of celebrating Christ’s birth.

The day I got back from Germany my mom came! It was so great seeing her! My mom came for an entire month. So she got to spend New Year and experience Ukrainian Christmas with me (here in Ukraine they celebrate Christmas on January 7th). It was such a blessing having her here. We did a lot of caroling and cooking and eating, it was so much fun! She got to experience a life of living here, and what it was like working with the Trinity team.

To start off the month of February I was sick with a cold, but once I got over that I started my ESL lessons for the second semester. There is a good core group that comes every week and enjoys learning English. It’s been awesome hearing about these teenagers’ faith in Christ and building relationships with them. Also I was able to see how things worked here with elections. It was really interesting to learn more about the politics here. Also small groups started on Sunday nights. It was really cool to connect in a small group setting and be able to talk about the sermon from the morning.

At first I was really bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to see the Super Bowl (especially with my favorite team playing, the Saints!). Fortunately, Evan (his parents are missionaries here, most of ya’ll that have come on trips have met him) invited me to a Super Bowl party! It was a lot of fun, and I got to meet many American missionaries living here in Lviv. It was nice being able to talk to Americans.

I also was able to see how schools work here. My friend asked if I could come help her with an English class she was teaching. It was a lot of fun. Many of the teenagers were very good at English, and some had even been to America. The rest of the month consisted of ESL, leaders meetings, the girls Bible study “Cooking with Jesus” and Ukrainian lessons.

Then at the beginning of March, I was invited to go to Prague for a few days. It was such an amazing experience. I went with Olya, Olya, Sashko and Oleg. They were on there way to the History Makers conference, and they were stopping in Prague on the way, so I joined them. God blessed our trip so much. It was a bit difficult getting there, especially when our bus broke down, but our trip just grew better and better from then on. We got to see most of the city (absolutely beautiful city). We had friends there who offered us a place to stay. On Sunday, we attended a Russian speaking church, and I had the privilege of sharing my testimony. I had never shared my testimony in front of that many people before, but God definitely grew me through that. I also met a very sweet girl on my way home. I was traveling alone and had to find my way to the bus station. So I asked this girl for directions and we got to talking and she offered to buy me breakfast before I left, and through that I made a new friend in Prague!

At the beginning of April, Chad came to visit the team. It was really good seeing him. We were able to get a lot of future planning and questions answered. Also Easter came along. We had a very good service. Easter was very relaxing for me, a lot of time to reflect on Christ’s resurrection. I also got to try paska, traditional Easter bread they cook here, it is very delicious! The day after Easter here was a big water fight between mostly kids and teenagers. Thankfully, I didn’t get soaked but I did get a tad bit wet. It was crazy.

Some things I am looking forward to is Anya and I will be getting another roommate during the summer. She is an American and is trying to decide if God is leading her to be a full-time missionary here in Ukraine. Also my brother is coming for a visit in the middle of May, so I’m very excited to see him. Prayers for the team coming in May and the team in June would be greatly appreciated. Also prayers for the ESL camp at the end of the summer, that we would get everything planned and that we will get many students interested.

Also if you could keep Poland in your prayers. They have recently lost their president, and many important government officials in a tragic plane crash.

Another prayer request is for flights to go well throughout Europe. They have only recently started flights back up since the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Please pray that there will be no volcanic ash to affect the airplanes.

Thanks everyone for your prayers and support. I really appreciate it. God Bless!

Team Members:

Andy Restivo

Chris Nelson

Chuck Gussler

Jerry Jones

Laura Luett

Patricia Pena

Pray for the team on their flights (local time):

April 30 – 11:55 AM Houston to Munich (via Dulles)

May 1 – 9:35 AM Munich to L’viv

May 7 – 4:15 PM L’viv to Vienna (overnight stay in Vienna)

May 9 – 6:40 AM Vienna to Frankfurt; 10:50 AM Frankfurt to Houston

Arrive at IAH at 2:25 PM!

Team-specific Prayer:

April 30: Pray for safe travel, our flights to be on time, and our entire checked luggage to arrive with flights. Pray that we engage in prayer and meditation for the tasks at hand and for all of us to feel God’s peace.

May 1: Pray that God strengthen us and give us energy to overcome jet lag while experiencing an easy assimilation into L’viv. Pray that our participation in the City Anniversary Celebration goes safely and fruitful for God’s kingdom.

May 2: Prayer for the sermon we’ll give and for God to lead our time in the various church groups of Trinity. Pray for opportunities to give to the community and dialog with the Ocean team as they work to grow a new church.

May 3: Service project kick-off. Pray for a healthy, engaging dialog to occur with the many workers who’ll be serving throughout the week, even with our language barriers. Pray for our health and strength as we begin our work projects.

May 4 - 6: Pray for continued openness and sharing in who we are in Christ, what Christ has done for us, and demonstrating the proof of His transformational power through us. Pray for open hearts, eyes, and ears among our team and those attending, that they be open to what God is saying to and showing each of us. Pray for continued health and strength as we continue working in the community.

May 7: Pray for a strong conclusion to our service projects and openness in sharing our thanksgiving for God’s work in Ukraine. Pray for safe travel to Vienna and a restful evening of team building.

May 8: Pray for a time of reflection about what we’ve witnessed and where God is leading our ministry in Ukraine. Pray for safety and openness as we spend a day to pour into one another, solidifying the growth that God has done through us all on this trip.

May 9: Pray for a safe trip home and a smooth re-entry to our American way of life. Pray for opportunities to share our experiences with those we encounter as we re-enter our communities, homes, and jobs.

The trip dates are August 1-8th and we will support the Hope for Honduras organization in Mogote, Honduras, a mountainside community of 50,000 people located just outside the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Our team will be based at the “Center for Life and Hope” and will work alongside Ron and Shelly Jones, the missionaries who run Hope for Honduras, in support of programs such as:

Hope Housing – our team will build a new house for a needy family. The house will include cement board walls with 2×4 framing, a laminate roof, a pila (water well), guttering, lights and electrical outlets, wooden windows and doors, an outhouse, beds, and other furnishings. No construction experience is necessary.

Hope Feeding Program – our team will feed children in the streets of the Nueva España “colonia” or village with a hot meal Monday through Friday. Our team will also walk through the colonia personally delivering sacks of rice, corn and beans to residents. This is a great way to get up close and personal with the people who need our help so badly.

Hope Clinic – our team will help transport and stock medical supply donations at the on-site clinic.

Escuela Esperanza – our team will help support the children’s Bible school (ages 4-10 years) which meets daily. Their teachers will lead the lessons and our team will reinforce the lessons with crafts, games, and songs.

Women of Hope – our team will provide support to the women’s ministry, which provides spiritual guidance and inspiration for the women in the community who often face many hardships.

If you weren’t able to find us in the Egret Bay Campus Lobby today, and you would like to learn more about the amazing work that God is doing through Hope for Honduras, please contact the trip leaders directly: Laura Little (littlesl@comast.net ) or Jaime Valverde (jaime.valverde@lmco.com) for more information.

–Jaime Valverde

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Government statistics paint a bleak picture about Ukraine’s 103,000 orphans.

Within two years of leaving the orphanage, two-thirds of the boys will have served prison time, 60% of the girls will have at some time resorted to prostitution, and 10% will have committed suicide.

What others are Saying:

When the wall that surrounded Eastern Europe fell in the early 90s, we were besieged by groups that wanted to go to Eastern Europe. They went; they did their thing and returned to tell their stories, not so with Greg Gulley and New Life Ministries. They went, had their hearts radically changed and challenged and they are still going. Because of that their stories continue and what great stories they are, you really need to hear them, but be careful, your hearts may also get radically changed.

- Al Akimoff, International Director
Youth With a Mission (YWAM)
Slavic Ministries (director since 1969)

Please RSVP to Alan Lennon at palennon@mdanderson.org by May 2nd.

I want to thank you all for being a part of my life and encouraging me to continue following the passion that God has put in my heart for the people and country of Ukraine.

As most of you know (if not all!) I will be leading a team to Ukraine in just under two weeks. This trip will be an excellent opportunity to love on, encourage, and build up our Ukrainian partners while serving along side them in several City Clean-up projects. We will, by the grace of God, come into contact with many people along our journey – both here and there and everywhere in between – and be able to demonstrate the love, hope, and satisfaction that we find in Christ alone!

In addition, there will be at least three other trips to Ukraine this year and we are excited about the amazing work that God will do through all of us. These trips include a camp for Ukrainians inflicted with HIV/AIDS as well as our annual ESL Camp for the youth of Ukraine.

I would like to personally invite you to an evening of celebration as we kick off our trips to Ukraine this year as well as engaging in prayer surrounding the first trip that will leave on April 30, 2010. The event will begin at 7 PM and will be held at Clear Creek Community Church in Room 211 on April 28th, 2010. Please see the attached flyer and feel free to pass along this information to those who may have an interest in being a part of our Ukrainian ministry.

Thank you and God Bless!
Chris