Stories
Stories highlights those with stories of changed lives and ideas on how we can broaden and deepen our faith and connections.
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MISSION POSSIBLE STORIES
Ted Contag
While at a conference in Arizona several years ago a business associate approached me and said, "I need your help, would you be willing to help me provide a future for the children of India?" I was hesitant and told him, "Now is not a good time. I have little kids at home, I have a business that takes all of my time, my parents are not well and I need to be available for them etc." My wife overheard the conversation, asked a couple of questions and said, "Sure we will do it." Click Here to Read More...
Lila Mays
We work very closely with a physician group that live year round in Guatemala; This is our referral base for the patients that we care for when we work at the charity hospital in Antigua, Guatemala.Many of the patient's that we care for come form very rural areas in Guatemala and travel for many hours to days on buses to come to us for surgery. One little boy, 10 years of age came from his village with his older brother, 14, because the entire family could not afford to travel. Click Here to Read More...
Carol Pfleiderer
Antonia was a widow living in a thatch-covered, mud-walled house with a string bed and single wooden bench for furniture. Her dirt floors were swept clean, the mud stove was ready to make us lunch, and she grabbed a chicken that was running around outside when she decided the frozen
chickens we had brought with us wouldn't be enough. She wrung its neck before we started work on her new Habitat house far from the small town of Sandolandia, Brazil. Antonia was caring for a mentally handicapped grandchild and 2 other children. Click Here to Read More...
Valeria Christensen
In September 2009, I traveled to Cochabamba, Bolivia on a global volunteer trip and received so much more in return than my contribution to the building work project at an orphanage. A dear friend, Laurie Linnes-Bagley, a member of Bethlehem, planted the idea of a global service trip. Another friend's passion for her and her husband's commitment and service through partnering with Amizade and the various projects sponsored in the Cochabamba area, prompted us to take action and the rest is history. (God has a way of guiding you when you open your heart to new opportunities!) Click Here to Read More...
Laurie Linnes-Bagley
As my youngest son approached his high school graduation, I spent some time musing about the person I was before being defined by work and motherhood. I wanted to find that feeling of freedom and possibility again. I asked Valeria, a friend of 30 years if she would join me on a trip to Bolivia this last September. Click Here to Read More...
Betsy H
Bethlehem is the kind of church that encourages you to ask questions about faith and explore how you can use your gifts to serve others.I have been a member of Bethlehem for five years and am a second year student at Luther Seminary. For my cross cultural experience, I spent last summer teaching English to Chinese English teachers in Fujian Province. Click Here to Read More...
Rick Jackson
Habitat for Humanity has been part of Bethlehem's mission for almost 18 years. I've been involved from the start along with a number of other Bethlehem members. Habitat and Bethlehem have been a good match because they complement each others goals in mission. Habitat is a faith based program that wants to build affordable housing and needs groups such as ours to provide the labor as well as the funding.Click Here to Read More...
Tricia Hall
Berto is a boy that I met on my first trip to a developing country. I wrote about him in my medical school application essay, I made this picture into an 8 x 10 and kept it on my desk throughout my training, and I have it in our study even now.Click Here to Read More...
Cindy Jacobson
I coordinate the volunteers for Loaves and Fishes. Preparing and serving meals to the less fortunate is humbling; I am grateful to the loving hearts that do this job selflessly. Hungry and dispirited people have always been important to me. As I slice bread, I think of those who will eat it and enjoy.Click Here to Read More...