March 2010
Posted on 26 Mar 2010
When Troy first heard that the guys from ROCK Community Church in Belfast were going to hike the 4 highest peaks of the United Kingdom in 48 hours to raise money for the childrens organization, TOP KIDS ….
…..He looked at me with his best puppy dog ‘Please, can I go‘ face.
There was no way I could say no. I knew this kind of adventure in the kind that Troy lives for and before he could even ask the question, I told him: ‘You have to go’.
Jonny Caldwell, the pastor of ROCK Community Church, and director of G.O. Kidz (the organization we will be working with) is turning the big 4-0 this year and to celebrate his birthday, he wanted to do something fun and meaningful: 4 Peaks Challenge.
Seven men (5 men from ROCK Community Church, a friend from England, and Troy) would take this venture together for a great cause and a good time. They have already conquered their first challenge – Ben Nevis in Scotland – a six hour hike through the night.
Three more peaks to hike! Troy has sent me a few texts, reporting that he is doing fine and is having an awesome time. Of course! Put Troy on mountain and how could he not be as happy as a clam? They climb their last peak in Northern Ireland late this Saturday evening. On Sunday, Troy will spend a day of rest hanging with the folks from ROCK Community Church in Belfast. On Monday, he will return home to Jersey! Although the kids and I miss him, we know that this experience is once in lifetime and a memory that he will share with his friends in Belfast. I look forward to hearing all the funny stories and adventures they embarked on.
If you would like to donate to the TOP Kids cause or know more about this incredible organization that reaches orphans in Belarus, please visit these websites:
DONATE to Top Kids through the 4 Peaks Challenge Team
The Official Top Kids Website
Love,
Noelle
Posted on 23 Mar 2010
85 days until our planned departure to BELFAST…
Or 2 months and 24 days left…
We are excited…nervous… hoping that we will be able to raise our support in time…
Please pray with us: we just hit 31% in raised monthly support. So, please pray with us for the Lord’s provision. We would like to start our mission work in Belfast this June… and not have to postpone it. Raising money for missions work is one of the most awkward and faith-stretching adventures to be on. There are so many philosophies about raising money for missions… so many books on fund raising… so many opinions from well-meaning friends and family… honestly, we have found our heads spinning from time to time. We could use your prayers as we navigate through this process and seek the Lord’s supreme wisdom on the matter. We are asking for your prayers!
Thank you to so many who have been incredibly encouraging to us this past year as we have been on this journey! We appreciate your prayer support, financial support, and the support you offer just by being our friend! You’re the best!
Because Jesus is Love,
Troy and Noelle
******If you would like to support the Rhodes’ Family, please email Troy at emailrhodes@gmail.com or donate online at World Missions Advance.
Posted on 15 Mar 2010
Here’s a quick update for those interested in our current support progress…
Our projected monthly budget for our family of four is: $3600.00
The budget is based on the British pound @ 1.80
We have currently raised in pledged support : $936.00
We have still have to raise: $2664.00
There are 93 days left until our projected arrival in Belfast (June 16, 2010).
If you are interested in making a monthly pledge or a one-time donation please go to:
World Missions Advance
(1) Click Donate Button.
(2) Indicate WMA Associate Missionary and type: Troy and Noelle Rhodes and donation amount.
(3) Follow the prompts given.
OR
Send check to: World Missions Advance (Indicate in check memo: Troy and Noelle Rhodes)
PO Box 764408 – Dallas , TX 75376 – Tel. 972-709-9900 – Fax. 972-709-9910
THANK-YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Posted on 7 Mar 2010
Neither us ever intended on becoming foreign missionaries. Troy wanted to be a professional scavenger when he was child… spending his lifetime ruling the wilderness and creating a kingdom of tree forts and booby-traps. As a small child, Noelle dreamed of becoming a Care-Bear when she grew up – which is disturbing on many different levels – and thankfully, she has out grown such desire. Troy, on the other hand, still wouldn’t complain if his home was in a tree somewhere….
As children who grew up ‘churched’, we had heard much about foreign missions but never really aspired to be a ‘foreign missionary’ ourselves. It wasn’t until our hearts melted for Belfast in college that we considered missions as our future. As we now prepare for this next season of serving in a different country, we have been doing some reading and researching of men and women who have gone before us and spent their life serving Jesus on foreign soil. There are some pretty amazing legacies out there and here are just a few cool things that some of our favorite missionaries have said:
J. Hudson Taylor
Missionary to: China
“God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”
“God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him.”
” I have found there are three stages to every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”
“The branch of the vine does not worry, and toil, and rush here to seek for sunshine, and there to find rain.
No; it rests in union and communion with the vine; and at the right time, and in the right way, is the right fruit found on it. Let us so abide in the Lord Jesus.”
“Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards.
Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.”
Amy Carmichael
Missionary to: India
” One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.”
“Give me the love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod: Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.”
“It is a safe thing to trust Him to fulfill the desires which He creates.”
“Bare heights of loneliness…a wilderness whose burning winds sweep over glowing sands, what are they to HIM? Even there He can refresh us, even there He can renew us.”
“But God is the God of the waves and the billows, and they are still His when they come over us; and again and again we have proved that the overwhelming thing does not overwhelm. Once more by His interposition deliverance came. We were cast down, but not destroyed.”
C.T. Studd
Missionary to: China, India, and Africa
“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
“Had I cared for the comments of people, I should never have been a missionary.”
“Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.”
“Funds are low again, hallelujah! That means God trusts us and is willing to leave His reputation in our hands. “
“The “romance” of a missionary is often made up of monotony and drudgery; there often is no glamour in it; it doesn’t stir a man’s spirit or blood. So don’t come out to be a missionary as an experiment, it is useless and dangerous. Only come if you feel you would rather die than not come.
There are so many others who sacrificed much for the Kingdom of God. Their stories inspire us and cheer us on to continue in faith as He leads us!
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Posted on 3 Mar 2010
If you ever wanted to know more about us…
TROY
1. In 2001, Troy participated in the Miss Teen Maryland beauty pageant… as a chaperone for his cousin who was a contestant. It’s a long story but entirely true. And no, he didn’t wear heels…
2. Has never been to Disney World. Never.
3. Has a serious addiction to anything ‘Smart Wool‘… including their underwear…
4. Once ate a bag of glass.
5. Has beaten his mother-in-law in a game of Bananagrams – and she’s a tough cookie when it comes to word games.
NOELLE
1. Played Golde in Fiddler on the Roof in tenth grade. “Sunrise…Sunset…Sunrise…Sunset…”
2. Once wore a ‘N.J. Devil’s‘ baseball cap backwards on her head for a solid year straight.
3. Is deathly afraid of sharks – even when swimming in a pool.
4. Is allergic to Splenda… or so she thinks.
5. Contrary to the rumors, has NEVER eaten squirrel.
6. In eleventh grade, watched Girl Interrupted and immediately went out and got her hair cut just like Winona Ryder.
SILAS
1. Can eat a whole can of black olives – all by himself.
2. Has already been to Belfast twice.
3. Plays the drums.
4. Owns a plethora of flashlights.
5. Has a girl for a best friend and doesn’t care what anyone thinks. (Katie!)
OLIVE
1. Favorite food – all things ‘meat’.
2. Loves to take hikes with her daddy in the back-pack.
3. Has been known to be a bruiser at times. Don’t mess.
4. Sings in the car when the Ipod is playing. She grooves to anything with a good beat.
5. Plays with toy dinosaurs.
There are just a few random facts about us – “missionaries-to- be“. We’re normal . Well, we’re kinda normal… just like you. We are ordinary people wanting to see Jesus work the extraordinary in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Will you partner with us in this great adventure? Come on, it will be fun – and certainly worth the while.
Because Jesus IS love,
Troy , Noelle, Si, and Olive Pearl
Three more peaks to hike! Troy has sent me a few texts, reporting that he is doing fine and is having an awesome time. Of course! Put Troy on mountain and how could he not be as happy as a clam? They climb their last peak in Northern Ireland late this Saturday evening. On Sunday, Troy will spend a day of rest hanging with the folks from ROCK Community Church in Belfast. On Monday, he will return home to Jersey! Although the kids and I miss him, we know that this experience is once in lifetime and a memory that he will share with his friends in Belfast. I look forward to hearing all the funny stories and adventures they embarked on.
