Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 5/2/2012
Hey friends and family!
First let me say "Happy Mothers Day" to all of the moms out
there. I pray that your day is filled
with blessings and beauty.
It's hard to believe I have been here for two months. There is so much happening it makes the time
fly even faster than usual. First, all
our Passport teams that have been on the field during the spring are returning
to U.S. soil next week and I can't wait to meet and greet the young people I
have been praying for the past eight weeks. They are coming from all over the world, including: Thailand, Uganda,
Kenya, Nicaragua, and India. We'll have
a short debrief with them in Atlanta before they head to their homes around the
country.
Summer trips will begin at the end of this month. We've been busy recruiting leaders for the
15+ Passport teams we're sending for two month mission trips over June and July, as well as the 1-4 week trips for high school students. We'll have a few days of training at a nearby
college here in Georgia and then be launching teams to Nicaragua, Kenya,
Swaziland, Uganda, Thailand, Cambodia, Peru, India, Guatemala, Honduras, and New
Zealand. I'll be in direct communication with a handful
of teams once they reach their various locations. I'll be supporting, challenging, and
encouraging team leaders and advocating for their teams. I am so excited to be here for the beginning,
and to embark on this entire journey with these summer teams. It's a gift to be a part of the
transformation and growth that happens to students, and the individuals they
minister to, over the duration of their mission. Christ
breaks through all the barriers that typically distance us from each other and
the helpless and hurting in the international community, and we're left defenseless
against the redemptive power of His love. Our God is an expert at making beauty from ashes!
Thank you for being a part of this. Thank you for your prayers, love,
encouragement, and financial support. Please
keep these students in your prayers as they raise funds and prepare to go out into
the world and be His hands and feet.
Want to Help?
Right
now my biggest area of need is finances. I'm still about $6,000 away from my fundraising goal, so any
contributions are greatly appreciated! If you're interested in getting involved
in this way, send me an email at buckner.courtney@gmail.com
or call me at 405.820.2301.
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 4/4/2012
Copy and paste the link below into a new tab to watch a video entitled 'Jacob's Story'. It discusses some powerful truths about human trafficking and the sex trade industry, and the importance of transforming the men involved if we want to see lasting change.
http://youtu.be/kROZW98nu_4
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 3/30/2012
Greetings from Georgia!
Spring is quickly passing and things are speeding up at
Adventures in Missions (as well as heating up) as summer approaches. The past few weeks have been spent communicating
with teams currently on the field and recruiting and mobilizing leaders for the
numerous college and high school mission trips planned for the summer. We will have over 15 teams launching to as
many locations around the world during the summer months, taking the love of
Christ and lots of bug repellant with them.
The impact these young people are making is beyond
measure. Speaking with teams currently
on the field serves as a constant reminder of the power of God to work through
people and bless the nations through hands that are willing. Here's a short excerpt from one of our girls
on the ground in Thailand. The team is
working in the Red Light district in Phuket, ministering to women in the bars
on Bangla Road.
It has been raining on
Bangla Road. It's been one of the wettest 'dry seasons,' Patong has experienced.
As a physical expression of the Spiritual climate, rain has poured every
night that my team has walked on Bangla Road for the past few weeks.
"The Lord will hold you in His hand for all to see- a splendid crown in the
hand of God. Never again will you be called 'The Forsaken City' or 'The
Desolate Land.' Your new name will be 'The City of God's Delight' and
'The Bride of God,' for the Lord delights in you and will claim you as His
bride." Isaiah 62:3-4
God is
mourning the wayward heart of His bride on Bangla Road, but He is beginning to
wash her clean once more. More and more girls are confessing their
disdain for their work on Bangla. They feel fettered to an
obligation. They carry the weight of providing for their families.
As I sat
with Dee last week on a day date, she expressed disgust for her work.
When I met Dee at her bar, she was wearing a flashing pin- advertising
her price to potential customers. She sells her body in a humiliating
guise, so that each month she can send a check home.
As she
clings to her compulsion to provide, God is sending a great deluge. Jesus
is washing away the ashes in her hands and forcing her to let go of her
unnecessary burden. In the newly empty space between her fingertips and
wrists, Jesus is placing his nail-scarred hands.
I have been to this area of Thailand and remember first-hand
how difficult it is to minister in this spiritual and physical climate. There is so much oppression and very little
positive response to all the effort it requires. It stirs my passion to talk with this team
each week and encourage them as they press on in faith. I feel honored to be able to speak into their
lives and join with them as they continue on this journey; to pray with them, mourn
with them, and celebrate every tiny victory over the ever-pressing
darkness.
Thank you for being a part of my life, and for the prayer,
encouragement, and financial support it has taken to get me to this place. It's a mission that involves people serving
in every capacity and it's exciting to be a part of the movement. If you'd like to receive email updates, send me an email at buckner.courtney@gmail.com. I am currently at 30% of my fundraising goal,
so if you would like to join with me financially you can give online by clicking on the "Support Me" button to the left of this page and make sure to select 'staff support' in the Program box. Checks can be made
payable to Adventures in Missions and sent to Adventures In Missions PO Box
534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470, just specify 'Courtney Buckner support' on the
memo line.
For
all my prayer warriors out there, I would love your prayers and petitions for
wisdom and discernment as I walk with current team leaders through the
adversity and ventures on the field and as we begin to place participants and
leaders for summer trips.
To read more from the Passport team in Thailand, visit http://thailand.adventures.org
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 3/12/2012
Take 30 minutes to watch this video!
You are empowered to shift atmospheres and change lives
(just copy the link below and paste it into a new tab or window)
http://youtu.be/Y4MnpzG5Sqc
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 3/10/2012
Completing my first week of ministry
here at Adventures in Missions has given me a taste of what I'll be
doing in the months to come and developed a hunger in my heart for
more. I am spending most of my time in the Field Support department,
connecting with young missionaries around the globe. Most of my work
will be centered around the Passport and Ambassador programs.
Passport is AIM's mission program for college-age students. Trips
range from one to nine months and teams generally consist of 8-10
participants and a team leader. The Ambassador program offers 1-4
week summer mission trip opportunities to high school students.
Already, I have been able to connect with college-aged missionaries
we have on the ground all over the world... Thailand, Kenya,
Nicaragua, and Uganda to name a few. Weekly conversations with our
Passport team leaders is one of the many things we do as Field
Support. We listen, pray with them, challenge and encourage them,
offer wisdom and guidance, as well as advocate for them in anything
the teams need on the field (help with logistics, etc.)
Another aspect of my role will be to
recruit, interview, and process new leaders for upcoming Passport
mission trips.
Having been on the World Race I know
what a mission trip did to transform my heart and foster a
passion in me to surrender everything to the Lord in order to bring
the Kingdom to earth...and I'm simply overjoyed to get to be a part
of encouraging and recruiting young people to take a similar step of
faith and be the hands and feet of Jesus to his beloved in every
corner of the planet. I believe this generation is fully equipped to
awaken the eternity stirring within the hearts of all men, and have
begun rising to claim the victory Jesus won on the cross. The world
eagerly awaits for the Sons and Daughters to be revealed and I trust
and believe this will be the generation to do it.... to remove the
veil and let the glory of the Lord shine through their lives.
That is the point of it all...to
glorify God and to bring His kingdom to earth. It is why these young
people abandon their loved ones and comfortable lives to be Love to
the orphans, widows, homeless, and broken who have not yet received
it. It is why I have moved to Gainesville. It is why we as
Christians gather each week to sing praises and learn from the
Word...why we organize outreach activities and serve in soup
kitchens...why we give when the world says to take... and why we seek
to restore what the world aims to destroy.
Today, 'May the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow
with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit' (Rom. 15:13) and thus
'shine among them like stars in the sky' (Phil 2:15).
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 2/2/2012
As you know, I recently returned from the World Race; a life-changing mission experience made possible by you. Whether you supported me financially, prayerfully, or through encouraging emails and blog comments, you impacted my journey and spread the love of Christ through your faithful efforts.
Recently I embarked on another journey, driving from Oklahoma City to Gainesville, Georgia to attend Project Searchlight. This is a week-long conference for World Race alums put on by Adventures in Missions. The goal of the event is to build on the momentum of the World Race by helping us focus our passions, examine our interests and gifts, and transition into the next stage of the Kingdom dream God has placed in each of our hearts. I have always had a passion for missions, but during the Race God placed in my heart a passion for the development of the next generation of missionaries. To take great steps of faith to pursue and realize the passion Christ is stirring in their hearts. I want to live radically and to draw others up into the fullness God has for them. I want to inspire people to take leaps of faith in answer to the call of God. Responding to the Lord's call to the World Race transformed my faith and trust in Him, and I want every person I meet to encounter that same transformation. I want to disciple young leaders to become people who serve with the character of Christ. I want to evoke a response in those still questioning their faith and value.
 This is the Kingdom dream of my lifetime. Though I'm sure the future will consist of many different seasons in which I will play varying roles and refine and acquire new skills and wisdom, I know this next chapter begins in Gainesville. In March I will start an eight month apprenticeship with Adventures In Missions. During these months I will be a missionary on my home turf, working in the Field Support department and being discipled in my faith. I will help recruit, train, and disciple high school and college students. I will support leaders on the field and help raise up new leaders among the next generation. I will be discipled by spiritual leaders while learning to disciple others.
I would be honored by your partnership, and if you share this dream I invite you to jump on board. There are numerous ways to get involved; you can support me personally, become a prayer warrior for me and the organization at large, or consider participating in one of AIM's mission opportunities or programs.
If you would like to partner with me financially, please consider a monthly donation of $100, $50, or $25. Six people, ten people, and twelve people committing to those respective amounts would fulfill the $1,500 per month goal. You can give right here by clicking on the 'Support Me!' button on the left side of the screen, simply folow the instructions and be sure to specify 'Courtney Buckner' as the recipient. If you'd like to send a check, fantastic! Please make it payable to Adventures in Missions and mail it to PO Box 534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470, just specify 'Courtney Buckner support' on the memo line.
Along with finances, you can be involved as a prayer warrior. I would appreciate your prayers for my ministry through AIM, for all the staff and partners of the organization, and for the Kingdom to be brought to earth through everything we do. Finally, if you are considering a short term mission opportunity, information on Adventures in Missions and the programs offered can be found at www.adventures.org. I am excited to begin this next chapter of my life in missions, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to impact a generation of leaders. If you have any questions, I would love to speak with you more. Just leave me a note in the comment section and I'll be happy to get in touch with you.
God Bless!!
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 11/2/2011
My first week in Moldova was actually spent in the tiny communist country located within Moldova...any guesses? The correct answer is Transnistria; and for the past seven days I have been working with team Apex to hold an English camp in the capitol city of Tiraspol.
I knew nothing about this country (or even it's existence) prior to my arrival here, and I have been blown away by the beauty and power of God's presence here.
During the day we visited a local school and taught English, and each night we held an English club for college students and adults from 7-9pm. Our contact, Igor, and his small staff put on this English club periodically as a way to reach out to the community and spread the love of Jesus. We did a variety of activities during our club time, and even had a chance to put on an 'American' party. Through this event we were able to share some of our testimonies and play some English worship music for the group. God really blessed this ministry and we were able to quickly build relationships with some of the individuals who attended each night.
(English Club)
(singing English worship songs during our American Party)
(Muddy Buddies, our American snack food for our party)
God gave me a divine appointment to befriend a woman named Natalie. She arrived early every night and spoke very good English despite her hesitancy to do so. Through our ministry this week I was able to share with Natalie about my relationship with Jesus and the love I know he has for her. Natalie grew up attending the orthodox church with her mother, but said she doesn't see the purpose in continuing the weekly tradition because she feels no effect on her life. She is currently unemployed, but deeply desires to find a good job and eventually have a husband and family to share her life with. One night she opened up to me about her heart's longings, her questions, and allowed me and a few others to pray over her.
(Me with Ghenya and Ghenya, best friends that attended our English Club)
We had to say goodbye to our Transnistrian friends on Saturday and have now returned to Chisinau, Moldova for our last weeks of ministry on The World Race. Pray that God continues to move powerfully through our squad and that we exhaust all our strength, prayer, and love in these final days.
(Me and Jake w/ team Apex and our wonderful translator and friend, Oksana)
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 10/15/2011
Here are some pictures of our second week of ministry here in Ukraine.
Many of the mornings have been spent visiting classes like this one. For the entire class period (1.5 hrs), we talk to the class about our travels and experiences while on The World Race. Discussing culture and answering various questions gives the students a chance to practice their English in speaking and comprehension. Also, hearing native speakers helps them with pronunciation.
This is a class of 3rd year students at the Linguistics University. They are all studying English and French.
Below is a picture of English club. Our main purpose in visiting classes like the one above is to create a connection with the students by telling them stories about our travels and answering their questions. At the end of each class visit we invite them to join us at English Club, a free club that meets once a week and gives students additional opportunities to practice their English with native speakers. For us, it is an opportunity to go a little deeper with the students, build friendships, and invite them to CCX events at the office or through out the city.
This is our ice-breaker game of 'Never Have I Ever'
After a few 'get to know you' games, we split up into smaller groups and talked more in-depth
This is a picture of an English club at another university here in the city
Below are pictures from Movie Night. Every Friday night at a local university, we play an English movie with English subtitles and have a 20-30 minute discussion about moral/ ethical themes presented in the film. It's another great outreach opportunity to meet and form friendships with students.
On this Friday we watched Finding Neverland, this was my discussion group....wonderful people!
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 10/4/2011
We have been in Kyiv, Ukraine for almost a week now and it is quickly becoming one of my personal favorites. I am with team Willow and our ministry this month is working with CCX, a Christian ministry aimed at reaching university students throughout Kyiv. There are at least four universities that CCX is ministering to, with more to come in the future. Our group's focus will be to form relationships with students through various fun events, coffee dates, class visits, and English clubs, and connect them with people who work at CCX so they can be ministered to in the future and form a lasting relationship with the organization.
Our first official ministry event was attending the CCX Movie Night at one of the campuses. The general idea is to play a movie with some social and/ or moral themes and then discuss them for about ½ hour after the movie is done. Students attend as a way to be social and to practice their English with native speakers. Unfortunately for me, the movie they played was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas...an uber depressing film set during WWII. Despite the tears and general sadness that sets over a room after such a film, I enjoyed some great conversation with my group of students and even made a few friends! Below is a picture of Victoria, my first official Ukrainian friend, and the pair of earrings she gave me as a gift:) Sweet girl.
 The next day, Saturday, we met up with a group of students and headed to a local park area for a service project. For two hours we cleaned up trash in the park and afterward we had a picnic and played games. It was colder outside than I had hoped, but one of the girls lent me her (really cute) jacket and we all had a lot of fun playing Ninja.
 Yesterday was our first day to visit classes at a university. Our goal in visiting the classrooms is to create a connection with CCX and hopefully draw students to one of the organization's outreach events. We share our World Race stories and experiences with the class, let them ask questions to practice their English and pronunciation with a 'native speaker', and then invite them to a CCX event or English Club before we leave. The classes are typically 1.5 hours long...which can feel like a VERY long time to hear your own voice if the class you're speaking to is shy. Here's a picture of the class I visited. I LOVED them. They asked many great questions and offered me cake and juice (can I please go there evey day?). After I was done I met back up with Rachel, who was in a different classroom, and we took the metro back to our office.
 I've learned from our contacts that Ukraine has the reputation for having the 'most beautiful women in Europe' and I can understand why. The women here are generally very beautiful and dress impeccably well. However, whenever I have vocalized this to one of the girls I can tell they don't believe it. I think one of my ministry opportunities here will be reaching out particularly to the women and helping them see the truth of their beauty as daughters of the King. Not because they are dressed well enough, or have the right style or make up, but because that is how God designed each woman he placed on this earth... it's in our genes. Our beauty is part of our being, and a gift from our heavenly Father.
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Posted in General Posts by Courtney Buckner on 9/24/2011
This is Buhle, one of the many beautiful children at El
Shaddai. Every time I see her she has a
broad smile and enough energy to wear me out.
Buhle has a special place in my heart because she is one of the children
that I first had the pleasure to meet when I visited El Shaddai 3 years
ago. She was only 9 months old and
already adjusting well to her new life here.
Like a number of other children
here, Buhle is HIV +. It breaks my heart to know how much this will affect her
as she continues to grow, but I could not imagine a better place for her to
be. A loving home where she is well fed
and cared for, played with and hugged, and raised in the truth and love of
Jesus Christ is exactly what El Shaddai embodies.
Our projects this month have varied...remodeling a pig pen,
building trenches, tutoring, chopping timber for fences, entertaining the kids,
and clearing the char-coaled remains from wildfires to name a few...with the
common goal of showing God's love to these children. Everything we do is important and helpful in
blessing this ministry, but pointless if not fueled by the love of Christ. It has been such a blessing to see this child blossom in the presence of His love.
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