Upcoming Trip to Togo, Africa

Dear Friends and Family,

We would like to update you on the plans and progress for the work in Togo, West Africa.  The Lord has provided 50 acres for the mission.  Kossi and his new bride, Esther, have recently arrived in Togo to begin the processes needed to start building the Christian Missionary Center.  This past week they have been meeting with officials to finalize the documentation needed to start the center.

We are also waiting for plans to be drawn up for the land so we can know where to put the water wells.

Marci and I will be making an exploratory, vision casting and future planning trip there from January 22^nd – 31^st.   We are also excited about another family who is being led to partner with us in Togo.  We have always felt that it would be a huge blessing to have another family go to Togo with us for support and encouragement.  We are thrilled to announce that Kirsten Haviland-Phillips will be going in January with us.  You can read more about how God is leading their family in her personal  message below.

We would like to ask you for your prayers and support for this upcoming trip. The cost of this trip will be approximately $4,500.  If the Lord leads you to support us on this trip, you can contact us at 918-350-0205 or make a donation through our website at www.visiononward.org.  Make sure you note that the donation is for Togo.

We thank you in advance for your prayers and support!

God Bless You,

Jeff Holley

Greetings fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Lord has placed it on my family’s heart to team up with Vision Onward / Togo, Africa.  We are hoping to join them in Togo to help make this vision come to fruition.  In doing so, we feel it is important for me to go to Togo, Africa in January of 2011 with the Holley’s to help prepare myself and our six children for third world conditions.  This trip will help determine if we will be moving over to Togo in due season.  Please come along the side of the Haviland-Phillips family in prayer for wisdom and strength.  Thank you for your prayer and support.

Serving Jesus,

Kirsten Haviland-Phillips

Red Apple Proceeds to Benefit Vision Onward

(click image to enlarge)

 20% of the entire proceeds will benefit Vision Onward. This includes all open bowling and shoe rental at Red Apple Bowling Center and all pizza and buffet sales at Game Time Pizza from 5pm until close.

Red Apple Bowling Center is Bartlesville's place for indoor family fun. The center is a smoke-free environment with 32 bowling lanes of which 12 have individually programmable bumpers. There is a spacious game room and some great eats from the Laneside Grill and Game Time Pizza. Game Time Pizza has a wide variety of specialty pizzas and is a great place to watch your favorite teams on the big screen TV's. 

Coupon is NOT necessary and mentioning Vision Onward is also not necessary.  Every purchase from every person who walks in the door on this date will be benefiting Vision Onward.  

Thank You Red Apple Bowling Center for your support!!

Survivor Fundraiser 2010

A huge THANK YOU to Ashley Rose for the photography for the evening!

The Survivor Fundraiser dinner was a huge success and we hope it was also pleasing to the Lord.  We had a full house and received a substantial amount of donations.  We are very blessed and thankful for everyone who attended and donated!

The volunteers at Vision Onward are the most giving, sacrificial, hard working and excellent group of volunteers!!!  Lives are being changed through this ministry and God has brought us amazing workers to assist in this great mission.  They did a phenomenal job in organizing this fundraiser and we are extremely grateful to them all!!

We were very proud of Trey and Nikai, two Refuge youth, who bravely shared their testimonies of how God has used Refuge to be just that. . . .a place of safety and Refuge for them on Friday nights. God has turned two hurting kids into strong leaders for Him.

Ronda Harris also shared her testimony and displayed many products from her new business "Cute as a Button; Decor, Gifts and More."  She is extremely talented in making diaper cakes, towel cakes or any kind of gift cake for all occasions.  Check her out on Facebook!  We hope to have a website up for her soon so she can share her work with everyone.

Refuge Has a New Home

After searching a few months for a new location for Refuge, we are so thrilled to announce that Refuge has a new HOME at West Oak Baptist Church.  Randy and Pam have been absolutely wonderful in opening up this church for us to use on Friday nights.  The facility is perfect for all the things we do on Friday nights with the children.

We praise God for His provision and for the generosity of His people.  We pray that God will be glorified through this partnership and that children's lives will continue to be impacted by the ministry of Refuge.

Examiner-Enterprise Article about Transitional Apartment Graduate Ronda Harris

Getting Ahead of Poverty: Opportunities Open for Local Woman Who Experienced Poverty

Saturday, November 27, 2010 10:21 PM CST

By Emily Droege E-E Staff Reporter

The well-known adage that things happen for a reason may well apply to Ronda Harris’ life. Even though she and her family were thrown into poverty, the experience of living poor opened an opportunity that is now providing Harris with national recognition.

Several years ago, Harris and her husband were enjoying a slice of the American dream, living comfortably with their two children in Louisiana and holding steady jobs.

Then, a series of unfortunate events suddenly struck the couple, and they soon found themselves struggling to make ends meet.

“We moved to Bartlesville in 2006 and were doing fine financially,” said Harris. “Then two years later, I started hurting in my right arm.”

She proceeded to go to the doctor and was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in an individual’s muscles, ligaments and tendons. As a result of her medical issue, Harris’ workload at Sitel lessened.

Around the same time, her husband, Ivan, suffered a heart attack, causing him to work less as well. A major surgery soon afterwards resulted in him no longer being able to work. The tumbling blows pushed the couple into a spiral of deepening poverty.

“He became ill and wasn’t able to work as much either,” she said. “He then had a triple bypass surgery and was hardly able to work at all.”

Because of the couple’s limited working hours, the paychecks also lessened, while unpaid medical bills began to pile up. Harris said that the financial responsibilities and stress soon became overwhelming, and her family found themselves struggling to make ends meet, such as paying house payments.

“We were becoming victims of situational poverty, and it was something that I was determined to get my family out of,” said Harris.

Several Bartlesville resources came to Harris’ aid as she and her family tried to pull back from poverty. In particular, she credits Vision Onward and community-minded individuals like Jeff Holley, who helped her family move into a transitional housing program.

“If it wasn’t for the transitional housing program, I don’t know where my family and I would be today,” said Harris. “I’m so thankful for those involved that make a program like that possible.”

Harris explained that while she and her family were in the yearly housing program, she took the required Getting Ahead program. Under this six-month course, Harris was able to examine the impact that poverty has on individuals, families and communities and discovered theories of change to get out of poverty and become a productive citizen.

“During my time in the Getting Ahead classes, I really changed my way of thinking. My whole mindset changed. I learned so much about what I needed to do to take my family and myself out of the situation we were in,” said Harris. “I was determined to manage our budget more responsibly and pay off all the high interest loans.”

While in the Getting Ahead class, Harris created a “mental model” as an end of the course class project. She said the mental model is used to deepen and reinforce what students learn as the sessions unfold in the class.

“The classes were so inspirational to me. I kept visualizing the program as a road map, and being a visual person, I wanted to show what I learned on paper,” she said.

During a sleepless night, Harris put pen to paper and started sketching out the beginning of a board game, incorporating everything she learned in the 20-session class in her drawing.

She said she based her sketch off the popular Parker Brothers board game “Life,” with the intent to help people, particularly middle-class and above, understand what it’s like to live in poverty.

“The game shows how anyone can fall into the trap of poverty, whether its through paying fees, being bonded out, not having enough money for a lawyer, being convicted of a felony or falling prey to things such as pay day loans,” she said. “It’s also a way to raise awareness of why people fall in to poverty.”

Shortly after Harris showed her model to one of her class facilitators, M’Liss Jenkins, it was passed on to the hands of Philip DeVol, a developer of the Bridges Out of Poverty effort, a national poverty alleviation movement.

DeVol was clearly impressed by Harris’ mental model, as it soon will be used as a tool for the national Getting Ahead curriculum. As a result, the board game will be manufactured and distributed nationwide by aha! Process, Inc., which is the driving force behind the Bridges Out of Poverty movement.

As further proof of what she has learned and gained from the local Getting Ahead program, Harris also has shared her family’s story and showed her “Building Bridges” game at a national conference in Indianapolis.

“The game is a learning tool for understanding the daily struggles for those who live in poverty,” she said. “It’s also a way for players from poverty, get out of poverty, and for players of middle class and wealth to see the lack of resources and its effect on certain situations,” she said.

As a graduate of the Getting Ahead class, Harris said she is inspired to spread the word and change mindsets of falling into the trap of poverty.

“I want my children and others to know the situation out there,” she said. “I want to be one of the voices who are helping others understand and get out of poverty.”

“I’m so thankful for the Getting Ahead program and all the allies who are part of it,” Harris continued. “It’s not a handout — it’s a hand-up. It helped me take responsibility and strive to get out of the situation my family and I was in. It was a very positive experience and an all together win-win program.”

Harris has recently started her own specialty cake business, Cute as a Button: D/cor, Gifts and More in Bartlesville. She and her family has moved out of transitional housing apartments and now have a home of their own.

Transitional Apartment Graduate Presents at National Conference

Ronda Shares Her Testimony

This past week, Ronda Harris of Bartlesville presented a Building Bridges game to nearly one hundred people at a National Conference in Indianapolis, IN. The City of Bartlesville began implementing Getting Ahead classes for families living in poverty with two pilot groups this past year. One pilot group was at the Vision Onward Transitional Apartments, which Ronda participated in, and was facilitated by M'liss Jenkins and Don Bush. The visual mental model was created as an end of the course class project, which then fell into the hands of the author of the curriculum, Philip DeVol. DeVol was so impressed by Ronda's mental model that they are making it into a board game to be used as a learning tool with their Getting Ahead curriculum.

Alabama State Legislator Patricia Todd, M'liss Jenkins and Ronda

The Building Bridges game is a learning tool for understanding day-to-day struggles that come with living in poverty. Playing it and discussing it opens up the lines of communication between players--to understand the resources that help players from poverty get out of poverty, and and for players of middle class and wealth—to see the lack of resources and its effect on certain situations, and the barriers that bring people into poverty. Designed by presenter Ronda Harris as a visual mental model of how the Getting Ahead class influenced the lives of Getting Ahead class members, including her own— showing what they learned and what they knew they needed to do to get to their future story. During the game, players develop the tools needed to build the bridges that a person needs to keep from being swept away into poverty.

This tool will be available to other Getting Ahead groups in early 2011.

Vision Casting Trip to Togo

Jeff and Marci Holley will be making an exploratory, vision casting and future planning trip to Togo from January 22^nd – 31^st.   They are excited about another family who is being led to partner with us in Togo.  They have always felt that it would be a huge blessing to have another family go to Togo with them for support and encouragement.  We are thrilled to announce that Kirsten Haviland-Phillips will be going in January with them.  You can read more about how God is leading the Haviland-Phillips family in her personal  message below.

We would like to ask you for your prayers and support for this upcoming trip. The cost of this trip will be approximately $4,500.  If the Lord leads you to support them on this trip, you can contact Jeff at 918-350-0205 or make a donation through our website at www.visiononward.org.  Make sure you note that the donation is for Togo.

We thank you in advance for your prayers and support!

God Bless!

Greetings fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Lord has placed it on my family’s heart to team up with Vision Onward / Togo, Africa.  We are hoping to join them in Togo to help make this vision come to fruition.  In doing so, we feel it is important for me to go to Togo, Africa in January of 2011 with the Holley’s to help prepare myself and our six children for third world conditions.  This trip will help determine if we will be moving over to Togo in due season.  Please come along the side of the Haviland-Phillips family in prayer for wisdom and strength.  Thank you for your prayer and support.

Serving Jesus,

Kirsten Haviland-Phillips

Christian Missionary Center (CMC)

A HEART FOR TOGO AND THE NATIONS

Statement of Purpose:

Let us consider that each Christian is called to become Christ’s disciple, an important agent in the fulfillment of Christ’s mission on earth (Matthew 28:19-20); let us consider Jesus as the only model and example to follow by each Christian or Christ’s disciple; let us consider “a student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40); let us consider Jesus during his ministry on earth as he was assigned to a specific and clear mission to fulfill the preaching of the good news to the poor, the proclamation of the freedom to the prisoners, the recovery of sight for the blind and the proclamation of the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19). . . . . . .Christian Missionary Center (CMC) is created to fulfill that purpose.

Plan and Strategy:

A. Evangelism: CMC’s main goal is to bring people to the full knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ and to help them to become in their turn an agent in the announcing and proclamation of God’s word of grace.

B. Spiritual Maturity – CMC plans to build a church for the purpose of preparing and equipping people with a solid foundation of their faith in Christ.

C. Spiritual Formation – CMC plans the construction of a ‘Bible Institute’ to prepare those who have a desire to pursue their pastoral vocation.

D. Social Works – CMC plans to serve in meeting the physical needs of the people in the following areas:

1.  Orphanage
2. Medical Clinic
3. Water Wells
4. Food assistance

E. Agriculture – CMC plans to support its efforts by developing its own farm to fight against financial dependency.

Abundant Blessings

As the time was quickly approaching for Kossi to return to the United States from Togo, we were still a couple thousand dollars short on being able to finish the purchase of the land.  It was important to have the land deal completed before his return because we did not know how long the extremely low price would remain in effect. 

We are thrilled to share that once again, God has provided.  A dear couple from Indiana who came to Bartlesville last summer to volunteer for Walk this Way, met Kossi and knew that God had called them to partner with him someday in Africa.  They wrote an extremely generous check that put us above and well beyond what we needed to finish the land purchase.  Now, we will also have the necessary funds to get the land drawn up and install some water wells at strategic locations for the surrounding villages who currently do not have a clean water source.

We are so thankful and praise God for His work, His Spirit and His people who were created to do good works, to bring aid to the poor and needy, and to bring the good news of Jesus to those who have yet to hear.  We praise His name for the obedience of His people and for His revelation that the abundance of financial blessings is given to us so we may use it to further His kingdom and to bring glory to His name.  We are so thankful for the partnership we have with lovers of God, those who love God more than this world and will die to worldly passions and sacrifice material gain for eternal treasures in heaven!!  We are thankful and praise His name in advance for the work that will be done in Togo and for the souls who will be brought into the Kingdom because of the faithfulness of His people.

Father, continue the good work You have began in Togo.  Father, guide us by Your Spirit and protect us from the evil one who would love to distract us from your work.  Father, help us to stay focused on your purposes and your will!  Father, soften and prepare the hearts of the Togolese;  provide fertile soil for the seeds of your word to be planted and water those seeds through your Spirit in order to raise up a generation of Christ followers in Togo. 

In Jesus name. . .  .amen!

"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.  Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."  Hebrews 13:12-16

Togo, West Africa Land Purchased

Jeff's trip to Togo, West Africa was amazing!  Although it was extremely tough on him physically and emotionally, he came home so blessed because God showed such great favor in choosing land for the future mission.  Not only did God choose the land, He managed to get the sellers to sell it at an unbelievable price.  Kossi had expected to spend $5,000-$10,000 per ectile (2.5 acres) and God provided it for $600 per ectile.  They were able to purchase 3 ectiles (7 acres) with the agreement that they can purchase another 43 at the very same price.  They were able to get it at such an amazing price that the person who was showing them the land asked "what kind of a God do you serve to get the land so cheap?"  Kossi's aunt was able to share about the Mighty God we serve! 

The land is beautiful and is surrounded by many villages that are in great need of clean drinking water, medical attention and most of all, the gospel of Jesus Christ.  As soon as we are able to get the rest of the land purchased, we plan to get some water wells put in as quickly as possible so these poor Togolese people can stop drinking from the disgusting, contaminated water source they are currently using.  It was VERY hard for Jeff to see what they were drinking from and to see the children with swollen bellies.  It is so imperative for us to move as quickly as we can and we are thrilled that we have already raised 60% of the money needed to finish purchasing the rest of the land.  We are only about $4,000 shy of reaching our goal- - -PRAISE GOD!!

Kossi will be returning to the states toward the end of June and would love to speak to anyone who would like to know more about the vision God has placed in his heart.  If you would like him to speak to you, your small group, or your church, please feel free to contact Jeff at 918-350-0205.

Thank you all SO much for your support and  your prayers.  God is moving mightily and we are excited to see what He will  provide  next.

Here are a few pictures of the land and the villages surrounding the land.

The land that was purchased is about 45 minutes north of Lome, near the city of Tsevie.

 "The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, as the God of Israel I will not forsake them."  Is 41:17

 "And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday. And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." Is. 58:10.

A Cheerful Giver

We have a youth boy at Refuge who has been meeting with us for the past 3 years now.  A few weeks ago, his mother told us that she wanted to start tithing to Vision Onward.   She said that Refuge is what her son considers to be his church and so this is who she wants her tithe money to go to.  Mind you, this is a single mother with very limited income.  She said she had been saving for awhile and then she handed Ken a huge wad of money (see picture above).  This single mother gave us $485.  WOW!  This was so incredibly humbling for all of us.  Ken even tried to decline it knowing that she has limited income, however she insisted and went on to say that she will be giving a monthly tithe from now on.  God had placed this in her heart and she was giving joyfully and generously with tears of thankfulness in her eyes for how much has been done for her son.

This type of giving has been something we have seen over and over again since we began our ministry working with poverty level families.  Those who have so very little are so very generous with what little they do have. 

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.   As it is written:
   "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
      his righteousness endures forever." 2 Corinthians 9:6-9

"I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.  O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you." 1 Chronicles 29: 17-19

A Note From Togo

Here is a note from Jeff while he was in Togo, Africa last week:

 Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 5:50am

I must say that I will never be able to put into words the overwhelming emotion from things I have seen, but I'm going to try. Some things will be descriptive, not out of disrespect, but to paint the real picture. I knew coming to Africa would present challenges for me, but since I had been here before I thought I knew what to expect. The first hard thing was the 5 hr time difference...last night was the first time that I went to bed here on time and slept through the night for the most part. The second piece that has been hard is the heat. It has been around 104 with humidity each day and there is not an AC in sight. I have literally dripped sweat from the moment I stepped off the plane. It's hard to sleep when sweat is rolling off of you...it's like you are in a full time sauna. 

About Togo.....the capital is Lome and it is very populated; one of the highest populated per sq mile in all of Africa. The goverment does not manadate or help facilate trash pick up so you can guess where every bit of it goes. At night you will see thousands of little fires along the road of burning trash, but since it's a seaside city, the wind is strong and it blows the half burnt trash all over the place. Every road except the main road is made of sand and dirt. Those roads are in really rough conidtion and are covered in trash. I started my first day on a walk through the city of Baguida and right off the bat, kids everywhere are playing in just their underwear and are covered in sand. The houses of some are made of concrete, but most are made of tree branches. None of the houses have running water; they all have water wells. There is also very little electricity.  They could have both, but it is very expensive for them. 

Literally every where you turn in every city they are trying to sell you bread and fruit and vegatables. They also are trying to sell water and the difference between the waters is unreal. Some of the people selling water  looks like tea. 

On Sunday, we went to an amazing church service. They sang and danced to the Lord for an hour and it was a treat for me to see. Then Kossi delivered the message and it was awesome as well. 

On Monday, we went to visit the land that we are looking at for an orphange and church and medical clinic. The land itself was beautiful and it is has at least 15 rural villages within 2 miles. We visited some of them and that is when it got really hard for me. Seeing the pot bellied kids, who were butt naked with flies all around them and the women looking worn and only having clothes on from waist down.  Seeing their houses made of mud and grass and seeing how far they have to travel to get water was tough to handle. When we got to where their water source was,  it was a pond with moss or something green covering the entire top with insects and bugs all over the top and animals drinking from it. All of my emotions were overfilled and tapped and I think I was in shock for a bit. 

So today we are working on the land deal and I must say the folks here have been so nice and the hospitality has been awesome.  For the most part, the food has been really good as well. All the fresh fruit has been awesome, but what I have seen what some have to live through in and out of the city has changed me for life. I feel ashamed complaining about heat when I see what they live through everyday. Just to LIVE is tougher work than what most of us do for our jobs just to have the things we WANT.

(***I will be posting more about Jeff's trip to Africa soon with pictures)

What is Vision Onward About?