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Recent Pics: Vijayawada, India
Category: Ministry
North Carolina Makes New WAVE
Over the last few years I have been traveling back and forth to NC to visit with my family. During that time, I have been able to establish a good working relationship with the Korean Church in Havelock, NC, where my mom attends. From time to time, I would not only speak to the congregation but perform some on the WAVE team songs…and of course, the people loved it.
Through the course of time, I also reconnected with some friends from high school and church, who also have kids and were interested in learning signs and performing. Some of them have even learned enough over the last couple of years to perform with me in Miami and other locations in NC. But because of my travels, the ages of the kids and the newness of the concept for the church, we never really pursued formally making a WAVE team…that is until now.
I have been traveling to the Korean church and working with the students there on a fairly regular basis for over a year. When I am there, we usually meet and practice for a couple hours and then occasionally like for George Camp, they would have an intensive time of practices.
It was about a year ago that the “team” had its first “real” performance at Parkview Baptist Church. The Korean choir had been invited to sing and they let us use some of their allotted time to perform a couple songs. Everyone loved it and the response was great. Since then, the group was meeting about once-a-month to work on songs, or whenever I was there.
We just performed a week ago at Parkview again for the annual worship night. The team performed Lay Me Down and Jesus Paid It All. The response was even better this year than last year! Seeing that the kids were interested in really learning more and being willing to work, I approached Noah Tucker, a sophomore at Croatan High School to see if he would be willing to lead the team for weekly practices. He jumped at the opportunity.
This past Saturday they had their first official meeting and began working on a few songs. We already have another performance scheduled in Oriental, NC on October 12. Please be praying for this team and all our WAVE teams as we launch into our new season! I am very excited about what God is going to do through this WAVE team and our partnership with the Korean Church!
German Mission Pics
These are just a few of the pics we took with the German mission team. More coming soon!
Fast Forward 30 Hour Famine
Join us this February and make Valentine’s Day extra special. We are taking the 14th and 15th and celebrating real love in Jesus’ name by sacrificing food for 30 hours. The reason for such an effort is to raise awareness and funds for our upcoming mission projects in Nicaragua.
Participants will be sleeping in cardboard boxes on Friday night and have sessions throughout the weekend discussing poverty and needs around the world. This will serve as a training weekend for those traveling to Padre Ramos in June.
If you would like to give, we are asking for donations of $30 which is a $1 for each hour of the famine. The trip is about $1200 per person so your donations will help us get our team there to serve for a week of camps, ministering to the needy and helping provide rice and beans for those who live in the “dump”.
You can make checks payable to New Vision Church or to Vision 2 Hear Ministries or you can simply donate on this site here: Vision 2 Hear
Shift: God
Become a person of Influence pt.1
Africa Building
Since my 3rd trip to Nigeria in 2004, World Care Ministry and Vision 2 Hear have been working tirelessly on constructing a building. Finally the day has come and the building is complete and being used! We give God praise and glory and are thankful for the many people who carried blocks, mixed cement, dug out footings, and chopped down brush. For all of you who traveled to Ututu over the last 9 years, here’s pictures to celebrate over.
The school is meeting currently with 150 students enrolled. Another clinic is being built on the property and God is moving among the people. George plans to return to Nigeria once again in March of 2014 view the building personally. If anyone is interested in making the trip, please contact for further information.
Thanksgiving Journal
Nov. 1 (All Saints Day) : Express your gratitude in a note, phone call, text or email to a person(s) whose ministry in daily life nurtures your faith. Thank God for this saint. Consider how you may be used as a “saint” to others and be thankful!
Nov. 2: Take time to enjoy something you own but have failed to appreciate or use lately. Employ or admire it with thankfulness today. Ask God to show you how you other things you take for granted and be thankful today!
Nov. 3: Take a thankful journey through the rooms in your house, giving thanks for all the wonderful memories, laughs and times together with loved ones. Give thanks for a roof over your head and for the places you have shared life with others.
Nov. 4: While you are eating a meal, take time to consider the aroma, the colors and the taste. Remember those who do not have food tonight and be thankful for God’s provision for you. Pray for those who are hungry. Give thanks for your senses that allow you to enjoy such wonderful food.
Nov. 5: Find something you use every day. Give God thanks for allowing you to have something you use like this everyday in work or pleasure.
Nov. 6: Be thankful for our government officials and elected officers. Acknowledge God’s control over everything and give thanks for His sovereign power to rule and reign.
Nov. 7: Be thankful for God’s creation. Spend some time outside soaking in the colors of nature, the smells and the noise of creatures small and great. Be creative and gather some items for a centerpiece in your room or office.
Nov. 8: Be thankful for your body and it’s members. Treat yourself to a massage, hot shower, or relaxing evening with feet propped up. Rest and be thankful!
Nov. 9: Be thankful for something small today. Give thanks for your coffee, cookie, or even toothbrush! Take in the smaller things in life and be thankful!
Nov. 10: Take some time to reflect upon people who have been influential in your life through their sermons, websites, books, music or podcasts. Write them a comment on their websites to encourage them and show your thankfulness.
Nov. 11 Pass along something that is simply taking up space in your life. Show gratitude for your surplus and pass along something that’s not being used.
Nov. 12: ( Veteran’s Day observed):Give thanks for peace, and the peacemakers in your life. If you see a soldier today, tell them “thanks” for their service!
Nov. 13: Take some time and think about a movie, song or book that has impacted you lately. Say a prayer of thanks for the people who made it happen. Give thanks for others using their gifts to inspire and impact you. Pray that you will do the same!
Nov. 14: Give thanks for members of your family. Maybe send one a special letter of how and why they are so important to your family unit.
Nov. 15: Give thanks for the businesses in your area. Wherever you go today to shop or eat, be thankful for the people serving and running the business. Show appreciation to the clerks and managers.
Nov. 16: Be thankful for the schools and churches in your area. Pray for the pastors, teachers and volunteers. Send a note to your local pastor, principal or child’s teacher giving thanks for their role in the community.
Nov. 17: Pray for a charitable organization or two today, giving thanks for the efforts they are making around the world. Give thanks for organizations that help others in need. Make plans to join one in service soon as an act of thanksgiving.
Nov. 18: Do a kind deed for a neighbor as an act of thanksgiving for people in your community.
Nov. 19: Show a good friend your gratitude by making sending them a song, playlist, or video of something that reminds you of them. Be thankful for good friends!
Nov. 20: Think about each person you will share Thanksgiving with and create a small card or token that reminds you of them to set at their seat at Thanksgiving dinner.
Nov. 21: As you prepare for Thanksgiving, share stories of things you are thankful for from this year.
Nov. 22: (Thanksgiving) Take a few minutes and share two or three word phrases that explain your heart of thanksgiving this year. Say a prayer and include these things in the prayer.
Nov. 23: Take a few minutes today and simply be quiet, reflecting on your community of faith. Give thanks for others that share your faith, encourage you and challenge you to grow and become all God wants.
Nov. 24: Give thanks for your job, your opportunities, your paycheck, your retirement, your financial situation. Even with the smallest of funds, be thankful and give some to God as a Thanksgiving offering above what you normally give.
Nov. 25: Give thanks today for Jesus Christ and His ultimate sacrifice for sin. Pause and spend a few moments in silence reflecting upon the gift God has given. Let Thanksgiving flow from your heart in words and song.
Nov. 26: Find a person you work with and compliment them on a job well done. Give thanks for hard working people!
Nov. 27: Thank God today for big things in your life. The huge life-changing moments that have shaped you. For Birthdays, Graduations, Promotions, Weddings, Births, Deaths, Pains, Heartaches, and the like. Thank God for using each event to shape you and make you.
Nov. 28: Consider your car, phone and computer today. Give God thanks for such tools to stay connected with people you know and love. Use these things today to make a special connection or serve God as an offering of thanksgiving.
Nov. 29: Give thanks freedom and the privileges we have in our country. Exercise your freedoms wisely and use them to benefit God’s kingdom work.
Nov. 30: Wrap up this month by making a simple journal entry of how living a life of thanks this month has affected you and those around you.
Charity Water: Let It FLOW
Last Winter we started collecting change as part of our Change For A Change Campaign. We are bringing that to a finish at our WAVE Conference this year and want to make one final big push to collect as much change as possible. With our theme for the conference being FLOW, we want to challenge all of our teams to collect as much change as possible for the next couple of weeks and bring it at the WAVE CONFERENCE. This will serve as your entrance fee. We will recognize the team with the most funds collected between now and then. So team leaders, rally your groups and LET IT FLOW!
Korean Church and NC WAVE Team
The summer has officially come to an end. I am back in Atlanta after a good long summer and I have to say God has done some wonderful things!
Wrapping up my ministry summer was a little “vacation” in Newport, NC, near where I grew up. I visited family and friends and even had a little performance opportunity.
For close to a year now, I have been working informally with the Korean Church in Havelock, NC, teaching their youth, hosting events, and building a WAVE team. Since my mom attends this church, we schedule things for the kids when I am in town for visits.
Last weekend, the Korean church had been invited to attend a worship sing-a-long night at another church and I was invited to share a couple of songs with the kids on the WAVE team. Even though I have been working with the WAVE team for a while, they have never done anything outside of the Korean church so this was a pretty big deal.
When the evening came, we were slotted last of the visiting churches to perform. I wasn’t sure how things would go, as much of the music from the night was “conservative” to say the least. Not that I have anything against that style (having grown up with it) but I knew that anything we were gonna be doing was not only gonna be a little more “edgy” but also completely different.
The Korean congregation did a dance in their beautiful customary clothing and sang a song and then we were up.
The time came for the first song and of course we had a little technical difficulties! I explained who and what Vision 2 Hear is, my background and that I had grown up in Morehead and graduated from West Carteret in 1987.
Once the music started, people seemed to be with us but it was still too soon to tell. Like A Lion roared measure after measure and people clapped along. Was this really happening?
By the end of the song, God’s presence was surely felt! People were praising God and some even seemed to know a little sign language and even most of the congregation tried to sign along at the bridge!
When we did You Raise Me Up, the congregation was singing along and seemed to be mesmerized by the music and motion. Of course the song is an emotional one to say the least but our team was engaged and the audience seemed to be captivate by the whole thing. At the end, there was a roar of clapping that lead to a standing ovation. Now this was certainly not what I had expected! In all my years of touring, performing and speaking, I have only had a few standing ovations. This was a definite indication to me that God had touched people’s hearts!
After the service ended I was able to make some contact with the regional missions director and several people who had direct connections to deaf people. We also talked to a few people who were “touched” and brought to tears from the songs! I can only praise God for the way He used us that night. I also have to give thanks to God for allowing me and the newly formed NC WAVE team such an awesome first experience together! I trust that as God opens doors for us all to perform more in the future that God’s Spirit will move through us just as mightily!
George