Grace Beyond - College

2006-09-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Dear family and friends,
I would like to thank all of you who supported me during my mission trip to East Asia. I am thankful that God used all of you to make this trip possible for me and encourage me before and while I was there. Thank you so much for the prayers that you prayed on behalf of me, my team, the nation, the people we reached, and the university. I know that all the prayers were
very effective because I saw God do some amazing things in East Asia.

I arrived back in town on August 4th and went camping with my family, went to Texas, and am now back in San Luis Obispo looking for a job and getting ready for school. It was great having some time to relax after the trip and take in all of what God did through my team.

To begin with, God protected us in many ways while we were there. We actually had several situations after first arriving which showed us that God was in control and would protect us while in the country. The first week ministry went very well. We met a lot of nationals (friends) and were able to begin having some interesting conversations with them. The second week God continued to do some amazing things through our conversations and we actually saw the first person accept Christ at the beginning of the week. By the end of the week about 15 people had accepted Christ. One of my friends, Bob, accepted Christ on Friday of the second week. It was incredible to see the process that God brought him through in order to accept Christ. I knew he didn't believe in God, and went to lunch with him one day to talk more about it. My team and I were praying for him and the conversation. By the end of lunch he had a possible idea that God existed and was interested in more. We went the meditation pools to talk some more and God lead the conversation in an incredible direction. He told me about his life, difficulties and his hope. I was able to bring up parts of my testimony and the gospel. When I asked him if he wanted to know Christ, he said yes and I went through the four spiritual laws with him. Then we prayed and he accepted Christ. It blows my mind to realize that his name is now written in the Book of Life because of what God did through me. Hallelujah to the Lord!

The rest of the trip was incredible as we continued to make friends and share. By the end 34 people accepted Christ into their lives and we met 11 Christian people that were already on campus. God is surely using that campus to further His name and has a magnificent presence there. The country is thirsty and God's word is the answer.

Please continue to pray for our friends and the team that is now over there for a year working with the students. Please pray that God will continue to draw more people to him, that he will teach the ones that have accepted Him, and that He will equip and strengthen the team. Thank you so much brothers and sisters for your prayers and concern on behalf of the country in East Asia. I am confident that because of our prayers God is moving.

I hope all of you are well and that God is blessing your lives. I love you all and look forward from hearing from you whenever that may be. Take Care and God bless.

Eternally His,
Alan Michael Tonissen

2006-08-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Well, I made it home safe - late saturday night. We were traveling for about 35 hours! It's weird to be home and drive on the right side of the road again, not to mention how smooth the roads felt!

Anyway, God worked in incredible ways that will last for eternity. I am so excited to process everything more clearly and share specific experiences with you all. God has changed my life and shown me how the gospel has the same transforming effect on people of all tribes and nations. Nairobi is a big city and I am so thankful for smog regulations here in the US! We had great weather throughout the whole trip and were protected and blessed in divine ways every day.

More to come later for sure. But thanks again for your prayers, and support, and making an eternal difference for God's Kingdom!

Much love,
Rachel

2006-08-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that the team arrived safely at LAX this afternoon. We left Hong Kong on 8/17 at 12:50pm. We arrived in Seoul, Korea about 5:00pm, and then we left Korea about 7:00pm. I don't know exactly what time we arrived, but it was somewhere between 4 and 5 pm. Oddly enough, due to the time change, it was like the trip was only 4 hours. We are all safe, and for the most part in good health. I think there were a few colds coming back, but nothing serious.

The trip was certainly a physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental roller coaster. The highs were high, and the lows were low. But in spite of my lack of faith, God proved he was faithful. I'm planning to post pictures on wongside in the next few weeks as I sort out my life, so please feel free to check www.wongside.com/brian in the near future.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. Thank you for "being" with me on this trip. You should all be receiving a snail mail letter from me in the coming weeks with more details about the trip and God's faithfulness throughout. Please let me know if you don't receive it by the middle of September.

In the mean time, I am back, so feel free to call and/or e-mail me as I will no longer be incommunicado.

Thanks again.

In His Service,
Brian

2006-08-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

jambo from africa!

hello friends and family once agian, It is beautiful here in Nairobi this morning. Church just got out and it is such a blessing to worship with fellow saints half way across the world. God is doing amazing things and has definately answered our prayers. The womens conference with the Massai was amazing! We showed the Jesus Film which was incredible and I will never forget all of the smiles and laughter that were exchanged with the kids while we played duck duck goose, blew bubbles, performed skits, colored, played football (soccer) and much more.

I went for a run this morning in circles around the parking lot that is gated in where we are staying. However yesterday I had a great time on a hike through the Ngong hills with the Imani kids and I got to run a little bit. It was incredible to hike 10 miles alongside of 6 year olds!!

Anyway, God has been working in awesome ways and I can't wait to share more later. Thank you so much for your prayers and suport! I am very safe here and in good hands!

Messesse Jesu!
Rachel Valliere

2006-08-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

Well, Alan has made it back to America in one piece. They arrived on Tuesday afternoon and are doing debriefing at Vangaurd University. Tomorrow he will be flying up to Sacramento to spend a few weeks at home before going back to school. Things turned out to be amazing. There were a total of 34 decisions made throughout their time there. One was someone Alan was talking to specifically. Well, we are excited to see that we have new brothers and sisters. It is evident that our Father was working and changing lives.

The last letter we received commented on the weather being hot and muggy. Basically they were wet all the time with rain or sweat. I guess it does not matter which one at that point. Anyway, the trip was an amazing experience for them all and I am excited to hear about all that they learned.

Thank you for all your prayers...I know that they were much appreciated and all that happened would not have been possible without them...asking the Holy Spirit to move. As the group comes back, debriefs and adjusts to life back in America I ask that you would be in prayer for them.

Pray that they will have a good time of reflection during their debriefing sessions.
Pray that adjusting back to life in America would go smoothly. (Sometimes there can be as much culture shock coming back as there is going when you are overseas for such an extended period of time.)
Most of all pray that their lives would be changed from this experience and that they would never forget the things they learned and the way they saw God at work.

Thank you again and I am sure the next e-mail you receive will be from Alan with much more detail about his experiences.
In Christ,
Melissa

2006-08-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

This week, and the last three days in particular have been a crazy roller coaster of emotions. Anxiety and relief. Stress and relaxation. Fear and boldness. Sadness and Joy. Depression and elation.

This leg of the trip began last Friday (7/21) with a train ride from B to H. Though the journey here was much longer than originally anticipated (13 hours if I recall), the train ride was fine. It was even air conditioned. I was astounded when we arrived at the hotel via a private shuttle sent by the school. It was definitely better than I had anticipated. Much like American Hotels, perhaps a little dirtier, but very good nonetheless. We even had a western toilet PTL!

The first three days of class went pretty well. We are teaching high school students. Carol, a Masters student in Education at USC, is my teaching partner. We get along very well. She's also from Taiwan, so she's fluent in Mandarin. That's a good thing because the classes were supposedly organized by English ability and we supposedly got the lowest group. I'm not sure that they were really organized in this manner because there is actually great variation in their English abilities. Some of them could probably get along fine in America, and others basically don't speak English. My vocabulary with them is greatly simplified, and I must speak very very slowly. Nevertheless, we're having a lot of fun with them. the ones who have better English have been teaching me Mandarin, and they are very patient, graceful teachers. (It's a good reminder for me to be patient with them as well.) The good thing is that I'm learning Chinese. The bad thing is that I will end up with an accent from countryside H. But the first three days of instruction were great!

Our troubles started on Thursday in the morning. 10 minutes into my lesson, Carol told me that we were to pack up our stuff and head for the hotel. Apparently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was curious about our presence in H. They didn't make a decision on Thursday, but they said half of us could go back to school that day. So Friday morning, we figured we were fine. But we were wrong.

Friday morning, we woke up and went downstairs to find the principal waiting there for us. He announced that we were to pack up and leave H immediately. We were to be on a train at noon out of town. I was heartbroken because that meant I would never see my students again. Amazingly, though I had only been with them for three days and 10 minutes, I had grown to love them deeply.

Due to time constraints, here's the abbreviated version of what happened. We ended up leaving via bus to a nearby town. Then we returned to the city a few hours later. (It is not illegal for us to be here, it was only illegal for us to be teaching because we did not have the proper credentials. We are currently here as tourists, but we will continue to teach our students English from our hotel.) I was greatly disheartened to hear that all of the students had been sent home from school. Most of them live at the school in the dormitories. Some of them live hours away from school by bus. So to know that they would not be coming made me very sad.

Saturday was the first day of class in the Hotel. I was overjoyed to see most of my students, and even two of the ones who live 3 hours away. That was definitely a blessing to me. So we will be teaching until August 8, then we will go to G for more travelling min. Then off to HK.

Sorry, there are so many more details I'd love to give, but I've got to go. You'll just have to wait til I get back to the states to hear them. Rap for our relationships with students, and that our team has energy and enthusiasm. The days are long and tiring.

Love,
Brian

2006-07-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Approaching August in Amsterdam!

How's that for alliteration! Clearly I haven't done a very nice job of keeping you all posted on this blog, mainly because I have put all my energy into my personal one. So, for the most recent updates and ways to pray for me and the ministry here check out arijaaninamsterdam.blogspot.com The Lord continues to blow away expectations as well as meet my needs and the needs of others around me in awesome ways. It is such a blessing to be in this country, my world view is becoming more broad and I am learning more and more what it looks like to love all those I come into contact with. Certainly a challenge at times, I've met a lot of interesting characters! I think of and pray for Grace Church frequently - God is so faithful, where ever He has placed us and whatever season He has us in. I praise God for your interest in missions and pray that He would continue to cultivate that desire to be sent in all of us, regardless of where we are or what we are doing. Have a great day!

Blessings from Arijaan

2006-07-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
We received a letter from Alan this past weekend and it seems that things are going great. They were able to have an all American fourth of july with KFC, PB&J, and the went body surfing. I guess that was quite and exciting day.

He mentioned how the language classes have been a little difficult, but at the same time they have been beneficial because he has a little more ability to communicate with the people he has met. From this he has developed many new friendships and has been able to share with them what is so important in his life. Some exciting news, there is a new brother. This is some very
exciting news that we can be thankful for. Ask for conitnued opportunities as they share more with the friends they meet.

He has let us know that everyone is in good health and they are in good spirits. Ask that this would continue in the last two weeks that they are overseas. I really appreciate all your requests, as does Alan and the friends he is with.

For this coming week you can keep the following things in mind.

Ask that the hearts of the students would be softened and that the HS would begin to move in the lives of the students who hear about JC.
Ask that the group would be able to follow up on decisions that are being made and have the ability to give them the necessary tools to grow in their relationship with the Father.

At the end of next week they will be getting ready to leave East Asia and they ask that we would ask the Father that they would be able to leave without regrets and be able to take advantage of every last opportunity to share and reflect our Father. I will be going overseas my self for a week, so I will not be able to e-mail until August 1st. SO, please continue to be
in prayer about these specific things. I know that what is being done overthere would not be possible without prayer and submission to the HS. Until I next time I hope everything is going well.

In Him,
Melissa

2006-07-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Update #3

Hey everyone,

It has been a very long, but amazing week. God has really taught me so many things. For the past three days, I have participated in a poverty simulation. We were told that we could select three personal items (I brought my blanket, my shampoo, and a hat) and one set of clothes (the ones I would wear for the next three days) in seven minutes and then meet downstairs. They said our perspectives would be completely different in three days and they were right. I've gotten maybe 6 hours of sleep in the past three days and have been severly deprived as far as food and sanitation goes. Some people were deamed homeless at the beginning and all of their possesions were taken from them and they were forced to depend on the generosity of others.

Friday morning we had to engage in various "homeless activity" and Saturday afternoon we had a hunger banquet. The banquet itself was very interesting. Everyone in my team drew a card that placed them in either low (less than $900 annual income), middle ($900-$9000) or upper (greater than $9000) classes. These classes were proportionate to the quantity of people living in these conditions accross the world. Only three people were in the upper class. The other 15 people in my group ate beans and rice... or even just small portions of rice and had to look on at their friends being served pasta and drinking out of wine glasses. We forget the poverty going on in other nations where people work all day for less than a dollar.

Not only did we have to participate in these activities, but we also had to go to our ministry sites. I was fortunate enough to work with seniors this past week, although when we had a barbeque for them on Friday, we were not permitted to partake. We also had to undergo the two mile walk to the El train and sit through an hour train ride with all of our belongings and do the same thing after working six hours.

I can honestly say that I will never look at the poor and homeless in the same way again. More
than anything, it has been affirmed that I truly feel called to work with the poor and share the
reality of poverty in America and internationally. My close interactions with the impoverished and lonely elderly, and the homeless will change the way I see the world and the considerable
luxury we sit in every day. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I would love to see
your perspectives changed as well.

Some prayer requests I have are:

That I regain some of my energy so that I will be able to counsel a day camp for underprivelged children next week.
For financial support as I am still quite short of the necessary amount and some complications have arisen.
For my health... that I would finally recover from this cold/residual strep throat that has vaguely resurfaced during the simulation. I've been sick off an on for over a month and am finally ready to start feeling better.

In His name,
Shannon Todd

2006-07-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

I apologize for the lack of coherence in the last e-mail. The opportunity to write that e-mail was rather unexpected, and so much had happened in the previous weeks that my thoughts were all jumbled. The fact that I only had 30 minutes to write that e-mail also left me with little time to collect my thoughts. As the English teachers among you will attest, time for editing and revision is necessary for good writing. Unfortunately, that is not always possible.

So this time I decided to write my letter a little earlier so it was more coherent should the opporunity to write arise. Much has happened in the last week. We don't have an official team count, but it is probable that 3-14 have chosen to believe. I was personally fortunate to watch 5 people choose to believe. What a blessing!

I have been meeting with two of them, and they are growing like weeds. They are very hungry and enthusiastic about what they're learning. Hopefully, we're looking at a lasting commitment, and not simply something that is happening because an American has come to visit East Asia. One thing I really like about the students is that when we first approach them, they are very friendly, and almost always ask "can I help you?" or "where do you need to go?".

My language is improving, though it is still limited. You could say it has grown exponentially, from ni hao, upwards :-) I've been able to successfully navigate from our hotel to some of the universities on my own, even with my limited language.

We've been taking one of the buses known as the "little 5". The drivers are pretty crazy, and very apt to drive on the wrong side of the road if traffic isn't moving at their desired speed.

On Friday, we went to something called English Corner. It is a place where many people go to specifically speak English together. People of all ages and walks of life come. I talked to an Economics Professor who studied in at U. Colorado, a person who works for Bell Labs, a para-legal who works on Intellectual Property cases in China for companies like Microsoft, and a number of students from Junior high to college. It was really fun and very interesting. The cool thing is that being able to speak English without an accent attracts mobs of people. A few of my team mates were able to share G with a number of people at once. It really reminded me of Peter and John. I wasn't deft enough to sway the conversation in that direction, but I received some tips, so next time we go, I'll be ready.

I'd love to write more, but I'm running out of time again. I'm not sure when I'll be able to write again. having e-mail access two weeks in a row is supposed to be unheard of for this team. I may write again from H, but not likely from B. We leave for H on the 21st.

One last note, we went to visit TS and the FC yesterday. We couldn't actually go inside the FC as it was closed, but it was interesting. I think TS is overrated. It's litterally a giant square in the middle of the city. Nothing to interesting. I took lots of pictures, so you'll be able to see them when I get back. Next Saturday, we'll go to the GW, supposedly to the most famous part.

That's all for now. Keep up your p's.

Love,
Brian

2006-07-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
Since I have last written I have only received a letter from Alan's leader to let us know their basic schedule. However, prayer requests were also included so I thought I would include those, so you can be praying for Alan as he continues his work overseas. They have been there for just two weeks now and they are hoping to have met 250+ students to share the Gospel with. The team asks that you would be committe to finding ten minutes in your week to specifically pray for the work that is being done overseas. Within that prayer time there are a few things that you can focus on:

Pray for the team to bond and interact through difficult circumstances
Pray for the team to easily adjust to the new culture and language
Pray that the people they encounter would be open to the gospel
Pray for their discernment to know who is spiritually interested and
ready to hear the gospel.

Finally, pray that through all they do God would be glorified.

Thank you again for all your prayers and let me know if there is anything you would like me to pass on to Alan through a letter, since he is unable to check his e-mail while overseas.

In Him,
Melissa

2006-07-05T11:16:00.002-07:00

From Brian Wong

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I'm alive and well. I've only got 30 minutes to write this e-mail, so it's gonna be short.

I'm currently in East Asia. We arrived on Tuesday morning. We'll be spending the next three weeks here traveling around the city going to the universities to share JC. We're staying in pretty decent hotel. It's not splendid by US standards, but it's certainly more than I expected for East Asia. When we leave B, we'll be going to H to teach English for three weeks. Then, we'll be off to HK for a week before coming back to the states.

I love my team, so thanks for your thoughts in that respect. There are 8 of us. Angie and I did end up on the same team, which I thought was unusual because everyone said they'd be splitting up all the CCFers. But it's nice to have a familiar face on the team. Our team is pretty diverse. We've got a guy from Cornell, two from Cal Poly, one from USC, one from Rutgers, one from SDSU, and two from UCLA.

I've met a number of students on campuses, and it's been very cool to share JC with them. I certainly can't take credit for that ability. I've been much bolder than I ever thought possible. I give all the credit to the Big Guy.

That's all for how. I'll send more updates as I have the chance. No promises, though.

Brian.

2006-07-05T11:16:00.001-07:00

2006-06-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

Groetjes from Amsterdam!

Hi friends - I have been gone for about a week now and I feel like my life has turned upside down, it's crazy! Crazy but so good though because God is the same where ever we go - so sweet to experience that first hand right now. Here's a quick rundown of my life for the next couple of months: I am serving with the Shelter, a super legit and gospel centered organization in Amsterdam that runs two youth hostels in the city. I, along with about 40 other crazy people like me, serve here by running the hostel (cooking and serving food as well as reception stuff) and by doing "Bible discussions" and outreach events for the guests who stay. We also reach out to the "cleaners", which are people that the hostel managers (full-time staff members) hire to keep the hostel tidy. These are people who are often down-and-out for a while and need a place to work and stay. They are only allowed to stay for a month with the hopes that this will be enough time for them to ge back on their feet again. Typically these are people from other countries then the Netherlands and it's such a neat ministry. We as staff all live together in an awesome house in the city - it's a blast, I feel like I'm back in the dorms which for the most part is a-okay with me! The kitchen tends to get a little messy but I'll cope for the time being! If you get the chance to lift up a couple of prayers then pray for boldness for the staff, that we may spead the gospel in this city and see people come to know Christ. Also pray for strength for the staff team - it really is rather hard and tiring work, times of refreshment are key! Well, I will be working the evening cafe shift in a couple of hours but am now going outside to enjoy some of this California-like weather, it's amazing right now! I'll try to post weekly but check out my own blog for pictures and more details.

In Christ, Arijaan

2006-06-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Missionaries of the Week (last week and this one!)

June 25 - July 1
We will be featuring 3 college students as our Missionaries of the Week. Shannon Todd, Nicole Royster, and Jessica Van Dyke are all being sent out on short-term mission trips this summer. Shannon will be serving with Campus Crusade for Christ in the inner-city of Chicago to organize and run camps for children of low income families from 6/8 – 8/5. Nicole will be serving with Pioneers in Tibet focusing her time in elementary schools from 6/12 – 8/11. Jessica will be serving with Navigators in Namibia to provide bible based abstinence training from 6/19 – 7/19. Please pray for these women: that the Lord would bless the work of their hands, that they themselves would feel the Lord’s pleasure in what they are doing, and that souls would be reached for the glory of our great King.

July 2 - July 8
We will be featuring 3 college students as our Missionaries of the Week. Janelle Meyer, Alan Tonissen and Brendan Clark are all being sent out with Campus Crusade for Christ on a short-term mission trip to East Asia. They will be taking language classes, developing relationships with and engaging in conversations with the students at the university where they will be staying. Please pray for these students: for safety, that the Lord would open doors for the gospel, and that their team would demonstrate authentic love and grace.

2006-06-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Alan Tonnisen - East Asia Team

Hello All,
This is Melissa...Alan's sister. I am going to be keeping you all updated throughout the next six weeks or so on what is going on with Alan. He left Grass Valley last Tuesday to fly to LA to meet his team for briefing. He was so excited as I dropped him off at the airport. Of course, I was really excited for him as well. Anyway, I have talked to him a few times. Briefing went really well and Alan feels really confident about what they will be doing and how God will use them on this trip. So, Saturday, June 24, the team headed out of LA for a nice long flight. We were informed this afternoon that they have arrived safely in country and are getting settled
in the dorms. I hope to be receiving a letter from him soon and will let you know what he says.

Anyway, it is a short update for now, but I just wanted to let you all know the latest information. I know he covets your prayers for him and the team as the begin the adventure in the country. Pray for the people they will meet, as well as quick adjustment for the team.
If you have any information you would like me to pass on to Alan I will include it in the letters I will be writing him. I hope this finds you all well and you will hear from me again soon. Have a wonderful day.
In Christ,
Melissa

2006-06-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

With so many of our students away on missions trips and projects this summer, we thought it would be a great idea to provide a way for us to stay in touch and hear about the Lord is doing through our students all over the world. Check in to read what your friends are up to. Log in to interact and dialogue about what God is teaching you. Ask questions. If you are a Grace college student who is serving somewhere this summer, you're invited to jump in and post. If we missed you somehow (please please forgive!), email me (steve@graceslo.org) and we'll take care of you!