Fall Adventures ‘08

Posted by Tia Ciferno and filed in Blog

Some of our Musical Missionary Adventures

Summer and Early Fall Travels~

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He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His appeal though us. 2 Corinthians 5:18

I was overwhelmed in the past few months by the heroes I met and the work I saw the Lord doing in so many hearts and lives and church families.

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The Musical went well on August 17th!  Thank you to all who shared that evening with us!!  The next morning I was a speaker for the Pricetown United Methodist Ladies Retreat. These women know how to sing!  And how to laugh…

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WE are so grateful to Liberty Bible Church for the beautiful Sunday evening we were able to spend with them in August.  It was our first visit there and we discovered a family in love with their Lord.  And they know how to pray!  We met a brother there whose life has just recently been turned upside down in a wondrous way by his new faith in Jesus, born out of an intense life crisis.  He shared his story with us.

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We were also honored to be a part of the Sunday morning service for our friends at First United Church of Christ in Warren.  The “church with the dome” is alive and well.

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The Mangeris’ put on another magnificent spaghetti dinner as a fund-raiser for a special ministry called “The Fold” in Vermont.  Singer/songwriter Gail Mangeri and I shared worship and encouragement through music outside under an August moon.

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September was a full music month!  I spent almost a week in enchanting Coshocton, Ohio with Deb Searles, a dear friend, musician, mom, and pastor’s wife.  She had filled my next days with five different sharing times.

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First there was ministry to an evening MOPS group.  Then on Friday I shared music with a morning MOPS group and many new mothers from the community attended and were loved on and given great support.  Pray for these moms to keep coming back and for the servant-leaders in this precious ministry.

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That Friday evening was a concert ministry for the local homeschool group and their families.  It’s so fun to have the children there while sharing music!

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Saturday I had the joy of sharing all day at an all day Ladies Retreat we called  “The Song of Your Life.” Here I met more heroines, whose lives and courage I would love to imitate.  We believe the Holy Spirit spoke to us all very tenderly that day.

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I thoroughly enjoyed sharing music Sunday morning in the services and to the Sunday school at First Baptist of Coshocton. But one of the highlights of that whole journey was the evening walk with Deb under a sparkling starry sky, talking about so many aspects of our lives and ministries, but mostly enjoying the gift of the crisp autumn air, the moonlight and the fireflies.

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Julia and I were overwhelmed with the hospitality of Boardman United Methodist Church. We sang there for a ladies luncheon in September and Pastor Ash gave us a wonderful tour of that incredibly beautiful church.  Their stained glass windows won a national award, and the structure of the church was planned out to resemble an actual ship, turned upside down while being built on land.  It is stunning!

Even more impressive were the hearts of the women we met.  Their stories were moving and we were honored to have had that first visit there! We’ll be back for their Christmas luncheon.

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Our dear friends at Calvary Bible Church in Warren welcomed us once again into their midst.  It was a night of encountering the Lord together, as always.  We love that family.

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How can I describe to you the sweetness of the women of West Spring Congregational Church?  This little church is nestled in a valley near Corry, Pennsylvania and is surrounded in windows with the most scenic view of hillsides, towering trees and horses galloping past.

Donna Pondel had been planning this  Ladies Retreat for many months, and the Lord worked in our hearts that day.  Some attending were in the midst of cancer treatments, others are survivors or family members of those struggling with that disease.  Many were in the midst of some dark places in life~  but our Lord of Light filled that place with His Encouragements and Truth, and gave us all courage to sing on.  We laughed and cried (and ate!) and sang together.  Pray for West Spring since they are searching for a pastor. And pray for healing for those there who need it desperately.

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The next morning I again shared music with Castlewood CMA Church in New Castle, Pennsylvania.  I think that by the third visit to a church, we are definitely part of their family.  As my friend in South Africa says “they climbed right into our hearts.”   My brothers and sisters at Castlewood have done that. And thank you, dear Stella, for some amazing lasagna!

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One of the highlights of our Autumn season is our annual drive to Greenfield, Indiana for the Indiana Association of Home Educators Mom’s Retreat. I lead worship and sing special music, and then get to listen to a different national speaker/author/mom every year.

This year was one of the most peaceful retreats of the eight I have been a part of.  Marilyn Boyer was our speaker and the moms’ just drank in her encouragements on so many aspects of mothering.   We were all excited to head home and love our families even more deeply and intentionally.  I know I was inspired to appreciate and teach our Lord’s powerful and life-changing WORD to my family.  Mariyln also talked about the forming of our family’s character and how precious a task that is.

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Marilyn Durnell is a mother of eight and grandmother to more than double that, yet she and others organize this life-giving time away each year.  I got to spend a late night talking about the joys (and struggles) of managing our homes and lives with four moms in one of the hotel rooms.  We had tea and apple pie, and the Lord was there also.

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That Sunday morning, after the two-day retreat, I headed two hours north to a little town with a precious gathering of believers at Living Faith Fellowship. There are some large families at this church, so there were rows of eight or nine children.  The children made up 80% of the congregation, and it was just so wonderful.  After the service and a delicious luncheon, the pastor’s wife Joyce asked if I would like to see their Hebrew dancing.  It was spectacular!  All of the girls, of all ages, came together in a carpeted, cleared area of the church and taught me the steps to one of the simpler dances.  It was invigorating to honor the Lord with such joyful worship.   And watching three year old Karah’s wispy blonde curls fly while she did her best to dance with us was just precious.

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My most recent ministry was for Jackie and Charles Kindle and the Correll Missions organization they belong to.  There I met a relative of Nate Saint.  David Saint (from Argentina) spoke that evening along with his wonderful son and daughter-in-law.  He inspired us with his passion for the Lord and the Work that is being done in his corner of the world.  Afterward we shared discussion around the Kindles’ cozy kitchen table over bowls of delicious homemade beef soup.

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I asked David what his impression of the American churches was during this visit to the states.   David’s face was serious as he told us that people here seem to be in such a hurry, and can not settle down and really worship the Lord.  We rush through that aspect of our gatherings and miss the real joy of giving God our whole hearts in worship and letting the Holy Spirit prepare us for the sharing of the Word.   It gave me a new desire to spend time singing to and enjoying the Presence and Character of our Lord, and of the joy of having a relationship with Him.