Trips/Teams/Outreaches News

STEM Ministries and STEM Share mission outreach announcements and news.

JAN 1

New Mission Trips Partner!

Beginning in 2013, our new mission trip partner is Orphanos. Simply click on the "trips" tab above for more information!
AUG 24

Another great update from our Haiti Leaders!

"Every week we mention something about having a wonderful week, and the truth is, in fact, that we do have a wonderful time each week! God continues to amaze us with His faithfulness, grace, and strength, and the blessing of willing people who come and serve here in Haiti.

Last week we had a team of 8, it was a family with 3 children with ages 8, 11, 13 from Canada, and 3 people from the US. The first 3 days we worked in a community an hour from Port Au Prince, in Cabaret, at the refugee camp. We are helping build a church and a school at a Samaritan’s Purse project. It’s the first time we are able to spend more than one day there, and the experience was great! Each morning we helped with construction, mainly moving rocks and gravel for the floor of the buildings. When we say WE, it means everyone, including the dozens of children adding to the work. Many of them carried buckets, others carried the rocks with bare hands, some looked for anything that would hold more than a rock, and some tried to get a shovel or a wheel barrel when none of us was looking. It could seem as they were just playing, but they helped us indeed!

During the afternoon we would just spend time with the community, having a Bible lesson and crafts. The team was dramatizing each Bible story and it was very fun for the kids to be part of that. Another blessing was to have children on the team (that helped the community kids not to miss Arianna very much –our 8 year old girl from 2 weeks ago!). We were able to set a soccer match where children, youth and even the workers got involved, it turned out to be quite the community event!

Other day the camp “mayor” invited us to visit the camp with him. It was an amazing experience to see how the families are trying to make their tents a home by setting gardens and small details. Good news was to learn that they are having regular medical check-ups and, in general, the community is very healthy.

The last day of work we spent it in Trousable. We went back to the church we’ve been working at. It’s awesome to see the church is almost ready, possibly will be finished in a couple of weeks. We helped setting the rebar for the floor above the cistern, and pouring the cement for it. It was fun to see the buckets coming and going and to see the church floor finished so quickly! It was so exciting for the team to be part of the work and the vision God has given the pastors for this season. Continue praying for this community, that the Lord will supply every need and that the church will shine even brighter! The church also wants to open a school for the community kids who haven’t been able to attend, please pray for workers and supplies needed.

Today arrives the last team, pray for us so God will give us the wisdom and strength needed to fulfill His purpose for us here. Two team members from last week stayed for this week of work also, pray for them so the Lord will continue to be present in their life every day. Thank you for all your support in prayers, we know the Lord remains faithful!

MK

PS. This week the internet nor the electricity have been great, but we’ll try to load pictures soon, you can still follow the blog this week! http://stemmk.blogspot.com/"
JUL 14

Update From Haiti Team!

Here is a recent update from our Haiti Team Leaders, Katia and Miguel, who have led 7 teams since the earthquake and will be doing several more before the end of the summer:

"It’s the first week we spend every work day in the same community, and it was for sure a learning experience!

We spent every day helping build the foundation for the church walls, moving lots of rocks (heavy ones!), water, concrete, and dirt. It’s the kind of work that’s impossible to do with a couple of people, but awesome to see God’s people working together for a purpose. There were seven in the team, plus both of us and many church members. Every day was filled with conversations with the workers and people from the community, playing with the kids, singing lots of songs, and a lot of excitement over the world cup games. Each day we had a time for the kids, singing, making crafts and sharing a story from the Bible. The last day we talked about God’s love and prayed individually for each kid (and the adults that were close by). It was such a sweet time and we pray that God will continue to work in their hearts and draw them closer to Him!

On Sunday we went to Fellowship Church, and were able to share in worship and also gave hygiene bags to the church members. We sang in English, Creole, and Spanish and it was fun to feel part of the family and love into our God in the different languages. It was indeed a good day of rest!

Some background info: Trousable is a community built on two hills, and because of the building conditions, most houses collapsed in that place. It looks like a war zone, and because of the hills, it’s easier to see the destruction from one side to the other. The church is located in the middle of a steep hill, and everyone that walks by has to pass the church entrance –especially now that the stairs are full of debris. People walk up and down the hill all day, since the main roads are after you go up and down both hills. They have to carry water for everyday, not an easy life. Right after the earthquake, all the people from the community moved to a couple of tent camps, which were built on school ground. Our very first team did a medical clinic right inside one of those camps, and even though the needs were overwhelming, they were safe and had a place to stay. But that only lasted a couple of months. By May everyone had to be gone because the schools wanted to open again. It was a hard time for the community, most people having no place to go. This whole time the pastor was praying, and looking for another place to re-build the collapsed church. And God answered –although it wasn’t the way he imagined. Even if they build a building somewhere else, the community was still there, the church was still there. So they were called to re-build in the same area not really understanding why. When the people realized the church started to clear the area and placed a tarp for shade, they all realized hope wasn’t all gone. It inspired them to clear areas near their home and start building small tarp houses. It was incredible. A couple of weeks after that, what was a ghost town became once again a joyful community, with people coming up and down the steep stairs, selling their things, talking to each other. And the church is being rebuilt. The walls aren’t up yet, and it already feels like it would be too small to hold all the people around, that’s undoubtedly the hand of God.

The schools are up and running, and even thought the debris is still everyone, there’s hope that one day it will all be cleared, even if it’s just one rock at a time.

Continue to pray for us, as we need renewed strength every day, we know it’s God who keeps us.

Miguel + Katya"
JUL 1

STEM is KTIS' July Ministry of the Month!

STEM was awarded “ministry of the month“ by KTIS, the leading Twin Cities Christian radio station. KTIS FM 98.5 and KTIS AM 900 will feature STEM 6 or 7 times each day throughout the month of July, in addition to airing 5-, 10, and 15-minute interviews with STEM Founder and President, Roger Peterson.

Pray that God will be glorified through this award, by calling more volunteers to form or join a STEM Ministries or STEM Share mission team, and that the resulting STEM Teams will make Jesus known while meeting the practical needs of the many people STEM Teams serve both domestically and around the world.
MAR 3

First Haiti Disaster Relief Team

The first STEM Haiti Relief team is on the field and working hard. The full team arrived on March 1, less than two months after the earthquake devastated the country! The team consists of seven missionaries in training at Bethany College of Missions along with three other adults from MN, WI, and NC. Here is the first report from the team:

We finally got internet today! The team is doing great, really. Today we went to Trousable (by the way, we are staying in LaKay in a wondeful facility.. in tents so it's really nice and cool at night) we had a Clinic (no doctors but some meds from {a pastor's} church. We have one nurse and a couple of the ladies helped her, I made a small pharmacy, it was just special.
We saw around 91 people! The Lord really multiplied skills, medicine, time, etc. The refugee camp we worked at was totally blessed. We prayed over mostly everyone who showed up, played with kids, talked to people, it was just amazing! We are so thankful, God is wonderful!

Please continue to hold this team up in your prayers!

The next team will be flying out to PAP early in the morning on Saturday March 6th.
JAN 13

Help Haiti Now!

Haiti was walloped with 3 devastating earthquakes in the past 24 hours, with as-yet unknown levels of death and destruction. Haiti needs your help IMMEDIATELY!

Although current commercial flights have been temporarily suspended to Haiti, STEM will post openings later today for at least three teams to Haiti, with the first team going February 27th. Click the "Find A Team" link on the homepage, or drop this address into your browser http://stemintl.org/trips/opportunities/teams to locate an "open" Haiti team you can join. Or better yet -- book your own entire team from your church or organization. In the meantime, please:

1. PRAY for swift search-and-rescue efforts for the many victims stilled trapped under ruble and debris, and for comfort and wisdom that only God can provide.

2. RECRUIT a team from your church or school or organization, or join one of our "open" teams to Haiti DO IT NOW (PLEASE!). Though we're not sure right now exactly what our teams will be doing, it will be some aspect of bringing tangible hands and feet of Jesus into this horrendous situation.

3. GIVE financial help. There are two ways to give. You can go through our STEM Missions parent organization, Bethany International by going to https://secure.bethanyinternational.org/donate/index.php. Or you can click on the "Donations/Payment/Support" button at the very top of this page, or cut and paste this link into your browser: http://stemintl.org/donations/payment -- then in the designation box, specify HAITI EARTHQUAKE HELP. At this juncture, we don't know exactly where your donation will be used, except that your donation WILL GO TO SOME ASPECT OF EARTHQUAKE HELP in Haiti as we identify specific, legitimate opportunities. Both ways the money will go to the same relief efforts.

For more information on STEM Relief teams going to Haiti in the next couple months copy and past the following address into your URL above:
http://stemintl.org/trips/opportunities/teams/locations/haiti_restoration.

STEM had no staff nor any teams in Haiti during the earthquake, so although we suffered no direct loss, many other missionaries and many Haitian people are suffering greatly. PLEASE KEEP THEM IN YOUR PRAYERS!
AUG 11

KTIS/STEM Iowa Flood Relief Teams

Twin Cities Christian Radio Station KTIS-FM and STEM are partnering together to recruit & send short-term teams of Christian volunteers this fall to help with flood relief in the central-eastern corridor of Iowa. For more information copy and paste this link into your web browser: http://stemintl.org/trips/opportunities/KTIS-Iowa2008
JAN 30

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Hurricane Relief Teams Now!

STEM has scheduled important dates for disaster-relief teams to serve the Dominican
Republic summer 2008.

Hurricane Noel hammered the DR last fall, leaving a wake of devastation.
STEM’s partner churches are doing their best to bring relief by providing
food and medical supplies and building materials. But the need is
overwhelming. So we’re sending relief teams to serve alongside them.

These seven dates are 'OPEN' to groups and individuals alike. Four of the
trips are 11-day/10 nights, while three relief trips are 8-days/7-nights.

For more details about these teams, check out the DR page of our
website by copying the following link and pasting it into your address bar:
http://www.stemintl.org/trips/opportunities/teams/locations/dr

Use your summer for the Lord and his kingdom in the DR!

JAN 15

Field Relationships Strengthened in Five Nations

Team Operations V.P. Jim Levin will be visiting several STEM on-field sites this winter to strengthen relationships with many of STEM’s valuable field partners. Strengthened field relationships enhance the effectiveness of each STEM short-term mission team’s ministry outreach. Along with full-time STEM Team Leader Ramon FLores, Jim will be visiting nine new possible field locations in Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize this January. In February, Jim will visit new team sites in the Central Plateau of Haiti, then meet up with his wife and part-time STEM Team Leader Cherie, and summer 2008 STEM Team Leader Katia where the three will visit various sites and ministry colleagues in the Dominican Republic with a special eye towards getting set to receive up to seven work/ministry teams in the DR this summer.
DEC 1

200 Katrina-Hit Homes: Gutting, Rebuilding

We have immediate opportunity to gut and help rebuild more than 200 Katrina-hit houses during 2007 -- for people who were uninsured, or are seniors, handicapped, or have other extending circumstances. If your group might be interested, contact STEM right away! (click on the "Trips" tab above to find more information, or call STEM at 1-877-STEM-646).

STEM has been blessed with three locations in the general Gulf Coasts regions of Louisiana and Mississippi. Not only can your team help gut and rebuild, but you'll also have the opportunity to share the Gospel of Christ in several ways.
APR 24

Katrina Donation Needs

Are you looking for a way to support STEM's Katrina teams with your donations? Here are two projects that you might consider contributing to:

1) Safety Vests for cleanup teams. Total cost: $400.

2) Vehicle for Team Leaders to facilitate team ministry and pick up volunteers from the airport. Total cost: $1,500 plus expenses.

Online donations can be made via the "Donations/Payments/Support" tab at the top of this page. Or you can mail your donation to STEM, PO Box 386001, Minneapolis, MN 55438.

Thank you for your support for this vital ministry!
FEB 13

Katrina-Hit Gulf Coast Teams April-July

Weekly STEM Katrina clean-up Teams will work in Slidell LA (just north of New Orleans) between Apr 02 and July 28. Teams will arrive on Sunday or Monday and work through Friday each week, with up to 25 people on each Team.

Click on the "TRIPS" tab to begin researching more information on this website, or call 1-877-STEM-646 to learn about booking your group's Katrina clean-up Team now! (Teams can only be booked on a 1st-come, space-available weekly basis between Apr 02 and July 28.)

Copy and paste this link into your browser in order to go directly to specific Katrina-Hit Gulf Coast Teams information: http://stemintl.org/trips/opportunities/teams/locations/katrina

Or to see available work weeks and spaces remaining, go to: http://stemintl.org/trips/Katrina_weeks
NOV 17

New STEM Field in 2006

Guyana, South America
Use your creative or musical talents to draw crowds to church-based
abstinence rallies. A tremendous opportunity to fight spiritually for this
HIV/AIDS torn country!

SEP 27

Katrina/Rita Teams

STEM Ministries will be sending evangelical relief teams spring and summer 2006 to the Katrina-hit Gulf Coast region near St. Tammany parish, Louisiana. Contact STEM Team Operations 1-877-STEM-646 to join or form a Gulf Coast STEM Team.
FEB 1

STEM Passes SOE Peer Review

STEM Ministries and STEM Share completed and passed the first SOE (U.S. Standards of Excellence in Short-Term Mission) Peer Review Team.
ChristSites.com Top Site Award!