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Psalms 19:1-3The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. What an awesome priviledge to join in with creation to declare the glory of our God. It is my prayer that this site will challenge your thoughts, encourage your spirit, and point you to Christ, who wants to be your Savior. Throughout this site you will find what the Lord is teaching me, and what is going on in our youth ministry.
01 Mighty is the Cross.mp3
About
WillForrest
A couple years out of highschool I married my highschool sweetheart. We have two wonderful children and are anticipating adding to our family through adoption. I currently serve as a full-time youth pastor in Nampa, Idaho. I received my B.S. in Religion from Liberty University, and plan to start my M.Div in the fall of 2011. There is nothing I would rather be than a disciple of Jesus Christ. One who follows so closely to his Rabbi, that he is coated in the dust of his masters feet. I pray you will find great peace and courage as you hear what the Lord wants to do in and through you.Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions or concerns you may have, using the link below.
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01 Mighty is the Cross.mp3
Youth Ministry
Cornerstone
Ephesians 2:19-20Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.Mission Statement:It is our goal to train Disciples who make Disciples. It is through the teaching of God's Word that we will create a solid foundation that is immovable and unshakeable in an unstable world. It is only Christ that can change a person's life and it is our purpose to share His Word, Love, and Message to our church, city, and beyond.Goals:1. To Teach God's Word as Truth, allowing it to shape our lives (John 17:17)2. To be prepared to share and defend our faith (1 Peter 3:15)3. To be disciples who make disciples (Matthew 28:19)
January Calendar
See upcoming events
Upcoming Events:
Dec. 30th: Youth Lock-in
Jan. 18th: Small group study focus on Confronting Culutre
Jan. 25th: Small groups join with Bethel dealing with Peer pressure
Jan. 29th: Grand Prix race
Feb 5th: No evening youth activities
01 Mighty is the Cross.mp3
Africa Mission Team
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2011 Mission TeamThis summer, June 18th 2011, 13 people will make the journey from Lakeview Bible Church in Nampa Idaho to Rukwa Valley, Tanzania Africa. We will be spending two weeks in the country allowing the Lord to use us as He wills. We will partner with local missionsaries who have served in the country just under 8 years. It is our desire to move them closer to the long term goals. Their emphasis is vocational and chidlren's ministries. We plan on training locals, and leading a Vacation Bible School called Kicks for Christ. The team has put together multiple wordless skits to help share the Gospel Message more clearly. We will also help teach English classes to the locals, the Gospel message will be a part of these teachings. There are many other things that we are able and willing to help with, but ultimately we want to partner with the missionaries helping build and maintain relationships with the Tanzanian people. Trusting that God will grow and mature the seeds planted!*Updates will be posted please use the arrows above to navigate to different posts!
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The first half of the team departed for Salt Lake Saturday June 18th, arriving at the Hotel around 7:00 p.m. The second half of the team met them around 1:30 a.m. Both groups were ready for the wakeup call at 5 a.m. Sunday, June 19, 2011. O.K. ready may be an overstatement, but they were at least willing to wake up. The guys’ room however anticipated their wake up call confusing a text message to Micah as the 5 a.m. alarm. It was after Jordan showered and they all got ready they realized it was only 3 a.m. Our bags were checked with no problem, and after Jordan was re-united with his wallet (which was left in the car), we were able to get through security with everything we needed. The flight from Salt Lake to Dallas was filled with Divine appointments. Will and Molly’s seats were apart from the rest of the team, everyone else was able to rest a little before our overnight flight tonight to London. Molly sat next to a gentleman who insisted on giving money to our team. He generously wanted to support the work that we will be doing in Africa. Will sat next to a man whose wife is a “devote catholic,” but he himself is just “religious.” They engaged in a great discussion, and Will encouraged him to realize the significance and importance of Christ. The Lord has protected and provided. We continue to anticipate and pray for His will to be done in and through our team. Tomorrow (1 a.m. Idaho time) we will arrive in London, and I trust and pray the Lord will continue to bring people into our lives that need to know Him. Please pray that the Lord of the Harvest will quicken our hearts and minds that we will sense and respond to His leading. Knowing that the Lord has planned when and where He wants us! Thank you for your prayers and support, we will post updates as often as possible! May the Lord encourage, strengthen, and refresh your spirits as you partner with us, through prayer, as we minister to those around us!
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Post 2Hujambo! Habari yako? (Hello! How are you?) We are sorry for the delayed update but have spent much time on the road, and with different missionary families. The internet is somewhat unpredictable, we will continue to post as we are able. We have heard and seen much of the work our missionaries are doing in Tanzania. We have had some time to acclimate to the culture, which has been a blessing! The Lakeview Bible Africa Team has made it safely to Africa and has just arrived at their final destination, the Rukwa Valley! This past week we have been on the road making our way across the country of Tanzania. Monday of this week we arrived in London after a long night flight that took us out of America. After spending 3 hours trying to find our way out of the airport we took ourselves on a flash tour across the city of London. We were so blessed to visit such a beautiful city filled with everything from quaint cottages, well known double-decker buses, and we even got to catch a bird’s eye view (from the top of the London Eye) of the famous Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and others. After making it back to the airport we caught our next flight that would take us to Africa! We were stoked (and ready for some sleep after our trek through London). Tuesday morning we arrived in Nairobi Kenya and jumped on another plane that took us to Dar Es Salaam Tanzania! At long last, the flights were over and we had made it to our friends and the country we had been waiting for. Along with our host, the Benton Family, we were also met by another Tanzanian missionary, Steve Sherman, whom we have had the great privilege of hanging out with and getting to know over our travel days across the country. The following days after arriving in Dar were spent bartering with the Tanzanians at the market, visiting the Indian Ocean, traveling through an African game park, and traveling across bumpy roads. We have made our way through many villages and have gotten to see the African culture and the different ways their houses are made, how the play, cook, work, and interact in their culture. On Friday night we arrived in Mbeya (the second largest city in Tanzania) where we were warmly welcomed by the Hodgson family who are also Tanzanian missionaries. They kindly hosted us for the night and sent us off Saturday afternoon to make our last leg of the journey into the Rukwa Valley. Winding down through dry, dusty roads finally we arrive to our final destination. As we drive by the village children wave and run after us so excited to see white people. We excitedly smile and wave back as we’re so happy to finally have arrived to our destination and home for the next 10 days. We are so thankful to have arrived here in the valley safely and are grateful to all the missionaries who have sacrificed their time to drive us here and host us along the way. Asanti Sana! (Thank you much) for your continued prayers through our travel time and appreciate your continued prayers as we begin serving and working alongside the people of the villages. Today we had the opportunity to sing some songs during the church service. The team did awesome! We performed one of the skits, Micah shared his testimony, and Will preached. Two men came forward in response, It was awesome! We trust and pray the Lord will continue to intercede on our behalf allowing His spirit to encourage and minister to His people.
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Post 3Jesus said, “Whatever you have done to the least of these you have done unto me.” Rukwa means to pass or skip over. According to the Tanzanian people those that live in the Rukwa Valley are considered to be the lowest of people. They are poor, they are somewhat isolated from the world, and they are known for being heavily into witchcraft. I heard a story just last night of how a witch doctor told someone to drink 2 liters of kerosene to cure their illness. This individual showed up to Dr. Mark’s house, one of the missionary families we have been able to spend time with, with a horrific stomach ache. Dr. Mark did a great job detoxing this person. This is just one of the many stories we have heard of the devastation that comes from witch doctors. Subawanga, the village just a couple hours away, was the name of the meeting place for the witches in the Harry Potter series. I say this only to let you all know how much we appreciate your prayers. The Lord has been so faithful in His protection and provision. Each of us has had so many opportunities to share Christ’s love with the people who live in Rukwa Valley. Sunday was an awesome day to worship with the people. The people were so fascinated by Jocelyn’s violin, it was very cute! Every day many kids come up to the house to see us white people. They play with our hair, they stroke our arms, and the talk talk talk in Swahili. It is a blast! We have begun a project at the vocational school. We are cleaning, painting, and re screening the buildings. This is quite a project, there are many wasp nests inside the building, the screens had large holes in them (no windows are fully glass) allowing any and every bug to come in. The next two Wednesdays the girls will be leading the young ladies Bible study. Tomorrow night we will be going to a prayer service, and were invited to have dinner in a godly man’s home. This is huge because they are so poor, but he wants to thank us for us seeing value in his people, enough value to leave our homes in America to come serve along side the other believers in this valley. The next three days we will be putting on a VBS, we trust and pray the Lord will use this however He wills. There is so much going on, I hope this gives you a taste of the tasks the Lord has entrusted to us these next few weeks. I will post pictures as I am able, but they are just a small part of what is going on here. Bwana Asifiwe, Praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in using His people, to share His message, to His creation!
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Post 4“The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of Power.”1 Corinthians 4:20Yesterday we wrapped up our three days of the soccer camp we put on. We had a great turn out, and the gospel message was shared very clearly. It was awesome seeing some of the kids understand what was being shared. Every day at the end of camp we played the local teenagers, who are on a team together. They were very good, but thanks to the Higer’s and Mike Benton’s chest bumping skills we either tied or won each game. We also had the opportunity yesterday to attend a youth camp that is put on by one of the missionaries. Angela and Jenn shared their testimonies and the team led the campers in in some songs. We also shared one of the skits that had been prepared. When Micah was imitating the crucifixion, you could hear a couple campers saying “Yesus (Jesus)”. The camp enjoyed what was done so much they invited us back today to do the same thing. The challenge we have faced is not finding things to do, but choosing wisely where to invest our time and energy as we have only have two weeks in the valley. We continue to trust and pray the Lord will be faithful in watering the seeds that have been planted. We trust He will go before us this next week continuing to guide and direct our plans.Molly, Karen and Terese had the opportunity to spend time with the women’s group, Thursday afternoon. Over the past couple of days the ladies have worked on cutting out the pattern to make dolls. The mother’s here see their obligation to their children up until they stop nursing. Once they are done nursing it is time for the child to grow up. Terese has seen the positive influence that dolls have had on children who eventually become mothers, but it is difficult to purchase dolls for every child. The ladies spent time in the women’s group teaching the mom’s how to make dolls for their own children. The mothers were so blessed, and so grateful that they spent the time to teach them this great skill. It is our prayer that as these dolls are made and given to their children they will learn how to nurture. Praise God for the creativity and skills that He has given His people!We have just about wrapped up our projects at the vocational school with most of the painting done and screens repaired. The church that we attended on Sunday has approached us and asked if we would work alongside them and help them paint their church also. Mike says the last thing they would do is ask, unless they really needed the help. We are trying to finish the vocational school so we can move down to the church and work alongside the pastor and the elders. The village has embraced us and been so accepting. The other night we were invited down to Franky’s house, a younger man with three kids and a wife. His family fed all 17 of us. They bought us Coke and served us a full meal, with meat. This is extremely costly for them, but he wanted us to know how much he appreciated us finding enough worth in his people to travel across the world to minister to them. It was very humbling knowing we were eating a meal that is far better than his family is able to eat themselves, but he wanted to honor us. The sacrifice that he made as evident, wanting us to know that he is so grateful he is not a part of a forgotten people. Yesterday Scott and Jessica Higer, Joshua Benton, and Jocelyn Hepton had the opportunity to assist Dr. Mark amputate a man’s thumb. This man had been beating his wife and was bitten severely by her when she tried to protect herself. The thumb had become gangrenous and amputation was necessary in order that the infection didn’t spread up his arm. Scott’s medical knowledge was a tremendous blessing to Dr. Mark and he assisted the surgery. Josh assisted by cleaning and handing instruments to the doctors as well as giving a shot of antibiotic to the patient. Jocelyn monitored and recorded the blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels throughout the course of the surgery. The rest of the team was grateful there were individuals who like that kind of stuff, because most of us could not have made it through the surgery helping, because of the smell of the dead thumb.What great opportunities the Lord has provided for us! He is faithful to finish the work He has begun, and there is no person that He will not pursue. Bwana Asifiwe! *When you read these posts the days may be a little off (we write when we have time and copy and paste the writing over to the post). I (Will) try to re-read and change any days that may be wrong on the date of the post. Thank you for your support and prayers! Your prayers are evident in the provision and protection God has blessed us with!
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7/21/2011I find myself challenged with the same dilemma the Psalmists were challenged with: to describe the incredible work of our God in words is as difficult task as any. There are a 150 Psalms and it still only scratches the surface of How Great our God is! I do not have the writing skills to write 150 Psalms, but I will always make time to do my best in describing the greatness and glory of our God.The God that we serve is Lord over all creation, Creator of the heavens and all the stars and galaxies it contains, Creator of the earth and all its beauty contained. A God who is infinite in knowledge and power; whose love is beyond imagination. A God of this magnitude is worthy of all worship, and adoration. Despite His majesty and glory His creation has rejected Him. It is in His great mercy He has not given us what we deserve and it is in His rich grace we have been given something we do not deserve. Christ said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Satan came and destroyed the life we had with God. In destroying our relationship with God, sin entered the world and has been destroying the hearts and minds of mankind ever since. Today, throughout the world the devastation of sin is evident in every culture. As mentioned above our God is infinite in knowledge, power, and love. It is in His mighty name that there is hope. Hope for those who are hopeless, and life for those who are lifeless. This hope is found in Christ Jesus. He came that we might have life and have it to the full! Life abundant starts at the moment of salvation and lasts for eternity. This does not mean we are removed from this dark world at the moment of salvation, but that we are freed from this dark world. That we have a hope that is independent of this world, because our hope is in Christ Jesus! Our hope does not change because our God does not change, and greater is He that is in us, the believer, than he who is in the world! This is the message of hope that we as believers have been entrusted to share with the world. As light penetrates darkness, so should the light of Christ penetrate culture."We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." This is the message that we have been able to share as we have gone, and as we are now back. This is the message that we will continue to share until the day the Lord calls us home. Praise God for the partnership we have had with you all! Thank you for your prayers and support! We praise God for His leadership, provision, and the partnership we have had with His body!
Updated 8/5
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WillForrest
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Youth Ministry
Africa Mission Team
