“If you go to a place, God just might give you a heart for that place…which could very well change your life!”
- Paige Winborn
Paige went on a high school mission trip to England when God began to stir her heart for the English people. She then followed God back to England and served with Tees Valley Youth for Christ where she eventually met her fiancé, Andy. Not only is Andy from England, but he also continues to serve God in the place he calls home.
Why England?
There have been many results The Heights family has seen over the years in this global Catalyst Place of Engagement. There are ongoing opportunities to provide financial support along with teams to share the Gospel in the educational system, to promote healthy development for teens through church-sponsored teen ministries, and to help revitalize local church ministries by growing a new generation of Christian leaders.
What are the objectives?
Continue developing relationship with established and new English partnerships, churches, ministries, and leaders for the purpose of evangelism and community transformation.
Send teams from the student ministry to continue the work of sharing their lives and stories of faith in the public schools through the doors that have been opened.
Serve alongside English churches and ministries through established relationships with local government officials leading in community development through HOPE 08 service projects. www.hope08.com
Link English students and their families with English ministries that can continue to develop relationships with them for the purpose of evangelism and community transformation.
What is the strategy?
Engage Trip opportunities to England:
Summer 2008 (Student Ministry Trip)
Enlist, train, and send a team of 15 from the student ministry to serve in England July 11-20, 2008.
Provide direct support for Heights missionaries currently serving in England.
Provide direct support for England strategic coordinators on the field.
Support Heights teams with funds to offset their costs.
Continue recruiting and casting vision for other USA churches to be involved in the UK work.
Occupations, Skills Needed:
Relationship builders, workers with teens, persons who can effectively share the gospel, social workers, community planners, persons who have a heart for families, persons with compassion, good organizers.
Bulgaria
“This is the kind of stuff that makes Jesus smile.” –Cookie Slate
Why Bulgaria?
As a global Catalyst Place of Engagement, Bulgaria provides The Heights family a chance to maintain support of existing ministries undertaken with our people and resources, and provide additional support for healthcare, orphanages, and other ministries which aid the work done there by our key ministry relationship, Paul and Judy Ridgway.
What are the objectives?
Engage Trip opportunities to Bulgaria:
Spring 2008 (All Ages)
Fall 2008 (All Ages)
Continue to partner with missionaries Paul and Judy Ridgway to strive to meet both physical and spiritual needs of Bulgarian people while also working to alleviate suffering in the orphanages.
Provide a container of humanitarian aid filled with computers refurbished by The Heights family to include items such as desks, school supplies and mattresses for orphanages, as well as new shoes and socks provided by the Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls program.
Continue serving in transformational ways through the avenues of healthcare and associated relationships developed in Bulgaria with Richardson Regional Medical Center over the past years.
Continue partnering with the adoption process of Bulgarian pastors to supplement their salaries in order to keep Bulgarian churches open and functioning.
“…whatever you did for one of the least of these…you did for Me.” – Jesus, Matthew 25:40
What is the strategy?
Provide direct support for the Ridgways in Bulgaria.
Provide additional funds for special projects such as container shipments in conjunction with Buckner Ministries.
Support teams of people from The Heights to participate with funds to offset their cost.
Heights mission “SOUL” teams will visit orphanages in the spring and the fall to fit children with shoes and to give out much needed love and hugs. Mission trip dates are: April 11-20 and October 24 - November 2.
Search out opportunities for leaders from Richardson Regional Medical Center to connect with healthcare opportunities to serve the Bulgarian people through the Bulgarian churches.
Continue support for Bulgarian pastor's salaries to maintain Bulgarian church ministries.
Occupations, skills projected for this Place of Engagement:
Relationship builders, persons who can love an unwanted child, computer techies, persons with the gift of giving, children’s workers, social workers, persons with compassion, good organizers, medical personnel.
Uganda
“It was hard to imagine the actual impact my sponsorship for Ritah would have, but after meeting her and visiting her village, there’s no way I’d consider not sponsoring a child. It’s amazing how a little goes a long way.”
- Miles Melbert with Ritah
Why Uganda?
This global Pioneer Place of Engagement offers The Heights family the chance to engage with IMB-appointed missionaries to Uganda and Heights members, Eric and Krisann Pease, plus World Vision International to commit to long-term transformation of an entire village in Uganda. Such transformation will include facilitating clean water, healthcare emphasizing needs around HIV/AIDS, sourcing food, proper Ugandan education, economic development, and ultimately transformation in the spiritual eternity of these Ugandan people.
What are the objectives?
To build trust within specific Ugandan communities.
Bring community leaders together to plan for the future.
Provide clean water which can cut child death rates in half.
Provide and teach proper health and hygiene. When health and hygiene resources are added to clean water interventions, a community is able to reduce its child deaths by another 50%.
Secure regular and sustainable sources of food.
Provide an opportunity so that every child in specific Ugandan communities can receive an education.
Provide initiatives for economic development.
Unify the Church and spiritual leaders.
What is the strategy?
Engage Trip opportunities to Uganda:
Fall 2008 (All Ages)
Partner with World Vision. World Vision has provided hope and assistance to approximately 100 million people in nearly 100 countries. For more than 50 years they have joined with local people to find lasting ways to improve the lives of impoverished children and their families.
Work with a specific adopted community and World Vision Staff to come up with a comprehensive priority plan for community transformation.
Child Sponsorship: Provide an opportunity for Height’s people to sponsor ($35.00 per month) a child in a specific adopted community. This allows relationships to be built and ensures the well being of that child.
Congregational Trip: This 2008 trip is designed to build relationships and provide an opportunity to meet your sponsored child in the specific adopted community.
Have consistent contact with the World Vision staff that live in our specific adopted community as we work toward the above objectives.
Occupations, skills projected for this Place of Engagement:
Relationship builders, persons who have sponsored children in our village of Kyalulangira, painters, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, teachers, educational administrators, children’s workers, life skills trainers, social workers, community planners, persons with compassion, good organizers.
