On Saturday, February 9th, while we were hosting a team, our church met a new refugee named Pedro*. Pedro is a political refugee from South America who had arrived in the US the previous week. Reach The Nations was able to bless him with clothes, a Spanish Bible, fellowship and, through translation, some much needed encouragement. He came to church the following day and began looking into the things of the Lord. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the past two years, the ministry of Reach the Nations in Clarkston, Georgia has grown from an idea into a reality. This is the result of more than a little hard work by countless people—both short-term and long-term—who have given of their time through prayer, hard work, and even just striking up conversations with complete strangers. A large part of this ministry is due to the aid of over 1,000 students and adults alike, hailing from many different cultures and backgrounds. The ministry in Clarkston is not the only thing that changed during each team’s stay, however. Read the rest of this entry »
In recent weeks, RTN has experienced the strong contribution of incoming teams serving the Clarkston area and the vision of RTN to partner with Christ in seeing all Nations represented at the throne.
Bringing in teams is not only about multiplying hands to tackle what would otherwise weigh heavily on high stacked shoulders, it is also about handing a mirror to hundreds of hands and sending them out reflecting the same image, vision, and message. Their service is practical, intentional, and powerful.
The prints left behind are numerous. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s tax season and the roads have begun their annual tribute of green balloons and promises of hopeful returns at a low, low price. RTN joined in the practicality of it all as a host of forms and computers filled the sanctuary along with some very knowledgeable and receptive smiles welcoming the foreigner and bewildered tax payers alike. On February 9th, RTN partnered with FBC Montgomery to hold a Tax Day serving the refugee and American community with free tax preparations, turning out to be a huge relief for many! Read the rest of this entry »
The Spring season is finally starting to kick up and so are the rocks under the wheels of church vans all over the East treading the roads to Clarkston! These energetic faces have already begun to grace the streets and homes of refugees from the Nations, pouring out what is too good to hold in.
This past month RTN welcomed teams from Northpark and Harvest Baptist Church who came for “Mission 24,” a short-term missions option hosted by RTN over the span of a weekend. Read the rest of this entry »
As the air begins to warm, so also does the new set of hands grasping Ethiopian coffee at Clarkston’s local meet up spot. It’s that familiar weekly Monday meeting and the list is written, discussed, and discussed again. It takes many hands to make the wheels on the bus go round’ and many have been involved in it’s motion. This is the heart of being an intern with Reach The Nations– loving the Father, sharing in the same vision of reaching the unreached Nations of Clarkston together, deciding to be an axle, and not just a horn. This Spring we say “see you soon!” to RTN’s former intern, Chinee Panlilio, who remains a great help with RTN’S incoming short-term teams as she pursues a career in nursing. Chinee has given much to the work of RTN and offers the following reflections on her experience… Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted: February 9, 2013 in Uncategorized
While on a recent trip to Fiji, Pastor Kumar and his family had a bit of an added surprise to their original agenda of leadership training within the local church. “My Heart is always in fiji where my people constantly suffer disasters such as hurricanes and floods,” says Kumar from his own recent interactions with angry hurricane Evan. Read the rest of this entry »
RTN celebrated its Savior during the Christmas party on Saturday December 8. There were many guests in attendance when we gathered together, celebrating with cultural dances, songs, reflections of how we celebrate Christmas in our diverse backgrounds, and (of course) food. A recording and film group from our refugee business network that RTN seeks to support was there to photograph and take videos of the party. Free family portraits by the RTN Christmas tree made for lots of smiles and giggles. As the party drew to a close, nearly everyone in attendance stayed to help clean up and rearrange for Sunday morning, vacuum, and do whatever else was needed to get ready for the next day. This is the heart and spirit of RTN—cultures coming together and working together as the body of Christ.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! (1 Chronicles 16:34)
Christmas is almost upon us, but let’s take a minute to remember Thanksgiving. As it turns out, this year at RTN we gave thanks for God’s presence with us. What better way to start off the Christmas Season? There was a time when we were separated from God and His glory was hidden from us, but now we are able to fully enter into the presence of God through the person of Christ. We celebrated our thankfulness for this at our Thanksgiving Service followed by a traditional Thanksgiving Meal. Church members (and the many guests present) enjoyed turkey, corn, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, and other delicious foods brought by various church members. One of the turkeys even had an Indian twist to it! Turkey tandoori, anyone? Read the rest of this entry »
Children ran around, jumped on the moonwalk, and nibbled at cotton candy at Culture Clash last month. It was a fun time for RTN to celebrate the cultures represented by the families at the church. Six cultures were represented during the presentation time: Fiji, India, Nepal, Ethiopia, America, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Read the rest of this entry »
