Archive for the 'Mission Trip' Category

Melanie is AWESOME - Africa Mission Trip

Published
by
Joe Barnes
on March 7, 2008
in Melanie and Mission Trip
. 0 Comments

So here is the deal. I was suppose to have $2100 and change ready by April 1st so I can get my airfare for the Africa Mission Trip. We finally got that money and was ready to write the check when I got another email a couple of days ago saying that the price has changed to $2631, if I pay this week. Well, I don’t have $2631. Melanie and I did our taxes and we are getting back some money and now plan on using that to help pay for this, but I am not sure if we are going to get it in time. I wrote a blog about the Mission Trip and money and not stressing, but that is easier said than done sometimes. So, of course me being me, I started to stress out again. I talked to my mom about it yesterday and she basically told me to “chill out” and God was going to take care of it all. (I love my mom, she always has a way with word when it comes to me.) So, I chilled out and decided things would be OK.

Here is where Melanie comes into the picture. She comes home today and starts crying. Says that she has to talk to me. If you read a couple of post back about her selling her sewing machine. She put $1000 towards the mission trip, $1000 towards her parents 50 year anniversary, and $1000 towards our 10 year anniversary. We were going to renew our “love for each other!” So she tells me that she is being selfish and that we don’t have to prove our love to each other or anyone else. This Africa Mission Trip is more important to her than us spending $1000 on “proving” our love to each other and everyone else. We both know that we love each other….why spend $1000 on it? So she is paying the rest of the amount so we can write a check next week. All I can say is WOW!!! God is an AWESOME God and my wife is an AWESOME wife.

Not with all that said…this $2631 is not all the money that we have to come up with. I STILL NEED HELP!!! HELP…HELP…HELP!!! If you want to know more, look at my other blogs in the “mission trip” category. If you want to call me and talk about it, please email me at joe@suprajoe.com and I will email you my phone number. If you want to send money via paypal…here is my paypal account: joe@suprajoe.com. It doesn’t matter if it is $5 dollars or $50 dollars. This money is going to help send me and a team to DR Congo. I am going to setup a computer lab for a Methodist Seminary. You should really read the other blogs.

God Bless Your Day!!!

My Back and Apple

Published
by
Joe Barnes
on March 5, 2008
in Joe, Mac, Microsoft and Mission Trip
. 0 Comments

So I am working on developing two computer courses. One is for the new Microsoft MCTS and MCITP. The other is for the new Apple Mac OS X 10.5, by the way I love Apple!!!! Just sitting and working on these courses makes my body hurt from sitting so much, and my eyes hurt from looking at my laptop for so long. On top of that I went to see the doctor the other day because my my upper back, neck, and shoulder have been hurting me really bad. Those of you that don’t know, I am a disabled vetran because of my lower back. So, I went to the doctor and he took some x-rays and the news was not too good. I have two discs that are going bad on me, I no longer have a natural curve in my neck, the spinal bones are not straight, and I have mild scoliosis. We are working on getting me all fixed up, but it is a pain…you get it…I’m in pain and it’s a pain (It is really late right now.) So the doctor and I are getting to know each other and he knows that I teach computer class and develops the courseware. He tells me that he bets that I use a laptop and I tell him yes, an Apple of course. He said that if he could write me a prescription to get a Mac Pro that he would, but he can’t of course. He said that I needed to get away from using my laptop as my everyday computer, because of the way it sits on my desk and the way I sit and all sorts of stuff…that does make a lot of since.

Getting a new Mac Pro, by the way I really love Apple, would be awesome, but man this is really bad timing. 1. I have the Africa Mission Trip that needs to get paid for (I still need help with this if you are interested….read the Mission Trip posts.) 2. We are trying to get our last credit card paid of. 3. I just cannot afford a new computer right now. So I am improvising. I have re-arranged things on my desk. I got a wireless keyboard and a monitor. Not exactly what the doctor ordered, but it will have to due for now. As we say in the Marine Corps, adapt and over come.

So I am now asking your guys for two things.
1. Pray for me and my back. Having to deal with my lower back is one thing….now it is the upper and lower. Wonder when the mid is going to give me fits?
2. I really need help with the Africa Mission Trip. If you feel like you could help me out, please read the Mission Trip category and it will explain things. So far we have had $590 in donations and that is from 4 families (Randy and Carol Barnes, David and Jana Cotton, Tom and Angie Cross, and Mike and Bridget Wildschuetz. Thank you guys….your are AWESOME!!!!

God Bless Your Day…..well Night!!!

DR Congo, Africa Mission Trip June 19 - July 4 - Update Feb 18th

Published
by
Joe Barnes
on February 18, 2008
in Mission Trip
. 0 Comments

I was talking to some people last night about the upcoming mission trip to Africa.  They want to donate and asked me if I had a PayPal account.  I told them yes and gave them my account.  Then they told me that I really needed post this up on my website to get other people involved.  So, I am going to try this out and see what happens.  Here is the email that I sent them today:

Angie and Tom,
I am going to D.R. Of Congo, Africa on June 19th returning July 4th.  The purpose of this mission trip is to support a Methodist Seminary in Mulungwishi.  Here is a piece from a document that I received from our team leader, Roland McGregor.  He was my childhood pastor growing up in Hobbs, NM.

The church in Congo has grown through civil crisis.
War destroyed airports, gov¹t buildings, homes, churches, schools,
clinics. Many of the churches lost their chairs, tables, pews, piano,
organs, church files. AIDS has claimed the lives of thousands, leaving too
many street children.

Yet, today there are over 300,000 United Methodists in Congo!!
Why?

They focus on people. When the musical instruments, tables and pews
were gone, people still had each other. They cared for one another, they
prayed for one another. The church focused on the people who were
hurting, dislocated or lost. Their faith grew in spite of the fact they had
no electricity or running water.

Even today, at times all they can do is pray and read scriptures.
They gather in homes or under trees. But every time they gather they
focus on their strength: the salvation of the living and loving GOD. When
they gather, they begin with these words:

“God is good. All the Time! And All the Time, God is good!”

Congo has only begun to recover from the crises of war and the AIDS epidemic,
but the church is leading the way to healing, with overflowing worship services,
educational and health services, feeding programs for street children and new
construction of all types.

The United Methodist Church is providing opportunities for their future!
What makes a church grow - even during crisis?
The people of Congo respond:
“ God is Good. All the time! And All the time, God is Good.”

What Roland McGregor has done is he helps support the Seminary.  A team goes there at least once a year.  My task on this mission trip is to setup a computer lab for the seminary students.  The cost for me to go on this mission trip is going to be around $3200.00.  This amount does not include the extras that I have to do, like my medical and the clothing I need to get.  I was told I needed to get fishing clothes because they have sun screen and bug repellent in them.  I have to have $2600.00 by April 1st and I already have $2100.00 so far.  Myself and Melanie, my wife, have put in $1400.00 of our own money and have had a few other people that have donated.  I have come under the realization that I cannot do this all myself.  I am not very good at asking for money so I hope that you guys can help me out.  You asked what my paypal account is and it is joe@suprajoe.com.  I am not only asking for financial help, which is just a small piece of the pie, but the whole team and I need spiritual help, prayers!  Thank you so much!

http://www.apmethodist.org/congo/index.htm – this is the seminary website

http://www.suprajoe.com – this is my personal website

God Bless Your Day,
Joe D. Barnes

If you would like to donate you can send money via paypal at joe@suprajoe.com or if you have another way you would like to donate then please send me an email and we can discuss.  Now, to let you know that if for some reason I cannot go then the money raised, including the money I have put into this, will go to the person that will take my spot.  I do not for see me not going, but you never know.  I just want you to know your money will be used for this mission.

DR Congo, Africa Mission Trip June 19 - July 4 - Update

Published
by
Joe Barnes
on January 25, 2008
in Mission Trip
. 0 Comments

The Lord is awesome! I’ve been stressing out about how I am going to get the money to go on this mission trip and instead of stressing I let go of the stress and am letting God take care of it. So this is what has happened in the past couple of days. Melanie sold her nice sewing machine for $3700. We have 3 big events coming up soon. 1. Africa Mission Trip. 2. Her parents 50th anniversary. 3. Our 10 year anniversary, we are renewing our vows. So Melanie has put $1000 towards the Mission trip and the rest is being divided up between our anniversary, her parents anniversary, and our church. Is God AWESOME or what? Oh, and it gets better. I sold my motorcycle a couple of months ago and yesterday put my riding gear and some other stuff up for sale. As of right now, I have made around $600 and I haven’t sold everything yet.

I think there is a lesson there. When you start stressing out about something (money, job, relationship, marriage, kids, etc.) your focus moves from God to these other things. When in fact, if you would just give that stress up to God and ask Him for His help…..He will answer. It might not be the answer that we were looking for, but He will answer.

DR Congo, Africa Mission Trip June 19 - July 4

Published
by
Joe Barnes
on January 22, 2008
in Mission Trip
. 0 Comments

I have a great opportunity to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa this summer on a mission trip. I have already committed and invested, along with others, for this trip. I have never done a mission trip over seas before. This will not be my first time over seas, or even Africa at that. When I was in the Marine Corps I lived in Japan for 3 years and travel all over. Anyways, my job on this trip is to help setup a computer lab for the Methodist Missions Seminary in Mulungwishi. What is really cool about this mission trip is most of the other volunteers are people that watched me grow up. My former pastor is the leader of this mission trip, Roland McGregor. I am really excited and nervous at the same time. Lately I have been more stressed about the trip more than anything. Why, well, it cost money to do this. The trip is going to cost around $3200 for me to go. I have $1000 already dedicated for this, but I just found out today that I need $2400 by April 1st.

So, what do I need? I need prayers! If it is God’s will for me to go then it will happen. I need you to pray for me and ask God to calm me down with the finance issue. I is hard for me to not stress out on something like this, so I need those prayers! I will keep posting as time goes on about this mission trip.