Don & Christine Ames

Serving the Lord with our Hearts and Hands

WHAT’S NEW 2009

Here on this page are some of the older What’s New articles from 2009 that have been bumped from the regular WHAT’S NEW page in favor of the newer stuff.  We placed it here in case you might like to look back in time a bit further to see what type of projects the Lord has used us on.  It is kind of nostalgic for us and we hope you enjoy traveling all over the World and back through time with us as we serve the Lord.  Please keep in mind that we could not have accomplished any of these projects without Him. So again we want to thank our faithful prayer warriors for taking our concerns and needs to His throne.  As with the WHAT’S NEW page, the more recent articles are on top of the older stuff.

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Text Box: Since we landed in PA we have been keeping busy at Cornerstone Bible Church and the ministry of I-TEC in Montoursville, PA. Don has finished several items on the church’s to-do list like replacing some light fixtures, installing electric supplemental heaters in the restrooms, replacing the basketball goal, and removing the window shutters for painting. There is still almost half of the original to-do list to complete and there is four or five weeks of children’s ministry where Don drives the bus and we both help with classes. Meanwhile a little over an hour away at I-TEC, we are sorting through a bunch of donated items to organize the things they can use and list the rest on EBay to generate some money to fund ministry projects. Don is also doing some wiring in the shop as he is pictured here installing controls and wiring for several machine tools. I-TEC has several projects going on including the construction of their new RV park that will allow up to seven volunteer families to stay on site. We are also planning to join I-TEC for about six weeks in Africa in the fall where we will be helping with three different electrical projects. Pray with us that the funding will come in for this as it will cost about $4,000 each.

Madison, GA

February 10, 2009

We had a wonderful and safe Christmas trip to PA.  We were able to visit most of our family and several friends.  We traveled over 2000 miles in about three weeks and were able to visit four churches that pray for or help to support us in ministry.

Things were all but shut down in Madison for most of the time we were gone, which is why we didn’t update this page sooner.  During this last month or so the men began the footings for the new steel columns in the office building (and no, Christine is only posing with that jackhammer).  Meanwhile Don began work on the new electrical service.  As we write this we have a team of electricians here from Altoona, PA helping Don do the change over from the old, to the new service.  Lord willing we will be able to remove the old service equipment and the room it was in from the center of the construction area by this next week.  Now that will make a great picture for the next WHAT’S NEW entry!

Madison, GA

February 19, 2009
Text Box: Here are the pictures we promised you last week. Ken cut up the last of the electrical equipment room after Don helped him push it over. Then Marvin hauled the pieces out to the waiting dumpster to be hauled away. Finally the picture that the demolition team has been waiting for: the only thing left standing in the space are the equipment and tools we are working with. The footing holes are dug and awaiting rebar and concrete. We are packed up and heading to Titusville, FL for a short project there. We plan to return in three weeks to join another team.

Titusville, FL

March 10, 2009

The Lord provided several volunteers to help with the rebuilding of the Tech Booth at Calvary Chapel Space Coast Church.  Mark and Don had worked together several years ago building a similar booth on Merritt Island and they improved on that design here and increased the size substantially.  This church has a vision for making videos available on DVD and online in addition to sermons on CDs and cassettes.  This takes more people, equipment, and space.

Before, during and after adding eighty square feet and better organization.

Madison, GA

April 4, 2009
Text Box: We returned to Madison GA for a couple of weeks to continue the renovation project there. Joining us for the second week was a group of 13 volunteers from Cornerstone Bible Church in Berwick, PA. Christine did all of the meal preparations for the week and Don worked part of the time with the construction crew and the rest of the time he helped in the kitchen. The team built a wall, worked on computers, graded lessons, moved shelving, cleaned and painted parts of several buildings, and even helped with the reconstruction design. They worked hard and we all had a great time of fellowship. Pastor Jim presented SLM with a check for $1600 to purchase two rolls of paper bringing joy to all at SLM especially the pressman.

Madison, GA

May 5, 2009
Text Box: During this last month we spent three weeks back in FL so that Don could help out our friends with the tower business. God worked it out that at the same time that SLM is waiting for drawings to get the permit for the next phase of the project, the tower company was awarded a large contract with a deadline. By having Don climb it allowed them to split into two crews and finish the work faster. We came back to GA last week for Don to help Tech Serve missionaries, Jerry and Sarah, relocate the Phone system. Jerry had to almost totally rewire the “back board” in order to relocate it and straighten it out. Don learned some more about phone wiring by working with Jerry again. We have worked with these two Godly people on several projects around the world over the last 10 or 12 years and always enjoy their fellowship. Along with putting some finishing touches on the phone system, Don will also be wiring a room for the expanded Braille printing ministry. We are then planning to leave GA on the eighth for PA with a weekend stop in WV to witness our friend Justin’s graduation.

Beckley, WV

May 14, 2009
Text Box: We went to Beckley for the weekend to witness Justin Gambel’s Graduation from Appalachian Bible College. The Gambels are fellow missionaries with La Mission, and Justin has obtained his degree to be better qualified to teach evangelism, and counsel people in need. We ended up staying for a few extra days to do some wiring on their house. It was originally built in the late 1800s as a miner’s shack and then added onto at least seven times. Unfortunately most of the electrical wiring was done by unqualified do-it-yourselfers and falls short of the electrical code and safe wiring practices. Don was able to encourage them by correcting several problems, adding 4 outside lights, and a ceiling fan in the family room. We are praying that Justin can make some time to fix some other issues in between helping raise their four children, taking courses for his next degree, his work at the homeless shelter, his involvement in the local church, and his occasional trips to do and teach street witnessing. We wrote in our email Update that it would be an interesting Mother’s day weekend as Brandie was due to deliver their fourth child on May 9th. Haleigh Grace Gambel was patient enough not to interrupt her dad’s graduation, or Mother’s day, or even her dad’s birthday on the 13th. She selected her own birthday on the 14th and was born at home with the help of two capable midwives. She weighed in at 7lbs, 8ozs, and was 19” long. It was good to be able to see her enter the world before we headed to PA.

Montoursville, PA

June 12, 2009

Ethiopia & Kenya

Africa

July 10, 2009

Montoursville, PA

June 30, 2009
Text Box: Along with helping I-TEC with a couple more remodeling items and sorting some donated items, Don helped volunteers Brian & Todd prepare and paint the cab of the Freightliner. Don then went ahead and replaced the cracked windshield, worn wiper blades, and part of the exhaust system. We then had to replace the “PRIVATE RV”, “NOT FOR HIRE” lettering and now we are praying about what we can paint or stick onto our plain white “canvas”. We are thinking that it needs some kind of stripe along the hood and possibly our hand in heart logo that is on the top of this page. Text Box: Christine just returned home from Ethiopia and Kenya where she went to assist Source of Light Ministries’ (SLM) Pat Dye with training seminars on the SLM correspondence materials. The top picture is of the Ethiopian group that grew from 39 on the first day to 62 on the fourth day. The three day training was so well received that the attendees asked for a fourth day. SLM received 25 applications for Associate Discipleship Schools as a result of this seminar. The two ladies stayed with the family of the new Ethiopian SLM Director Haile Tefera while they were in Addis Ababa. Christine has grown fond of this family and has a strong desire to go back. We are praying for the development of the nine acre property complete with Training building, office, clinic, and school. Haile would like to install a solar system which might mean Don could get involved. We will be hooking Haile up with I-TEC in the near future to see if a solar system would be practical. The seminar in Kenya was geared more toward strengthening and encouraging as the SLM office and staff there was already established. However there were about thirty people learning about the SLM courses for the first time. Again the response was very favorable and we pray that God will use the SLM materials to disciple believers throughout East Africa. Text Box: Ethiopia above and Kenya below

Northeastern PA

August 20, 2009
Text Box: In July we worked with the youth at two CEF day camps, Don drove the bus and Christine helped lead activities for some of the youth. The first week in August was the Cornerstone Bible Church’s Vacation Bible School. As many as 62 children aged 4 through 18, attended and eight accepted the Lord as Savior. Don worked in the tech booth setting up and running the PowerPoint shows for each of the five evenings. Then the following week Don again drove the bus and we both worked with the 9 and 10 year olds at another CEF day camp. Meanwhile Don was also able to finish a few more items on Cornerstone’s to-do list including helping to build and paint shelves, installing cabinets and countertops in two offices, installing a 16 camera security system, and installing LED lighting in the ten foot cross on the outside of the building.

Montoursville, PA

September 30, 2009
Text Box: We officially moved our entire rig to Montoursville, PA just before Labor Day weekend. Since then we have been involved with planning for several of I-TEC’s overseas projects along with helping in the office, warehouse and working at the new I-TEC RV park. Don was also able to take a few days to rebuild the four lower storage bay doors and the upper door on the side of the Freightliner, that had some assembly problems from the factory that caused them to absorb water and rot from the inside out. Our thanks go to Transport Designs for some donated material that saved us a lot on the rebuild. Don also repaired some other small nagging issues with our rig so we feel like we have really made some headway. The pictures on the left are of a group of regular volunteers that come one day each week to serve the Lord at I-TEC. This day we set all seven RV electric pedestals and pulled in most of the wire to feed them. Each of these pedestals has a place for a meter, and has the three standard electrical outlets needed for any RV. This park can be used to house volunteers working at the ministry, or in case of a local disaster, it can house displaced families or other volunteer workers. Pray for us as we move our home and vehicles to FL to be stored with our friends while we travel to Zambia, Africa for six weeks (October 10th through November 21st). Lord willing we will give another Update around Thanksgiving.

Zambia, Africa

November 20, 2009

Don with local electricians Cal and Kerry

 

Christine and Hospitality Manager Prisca
Text Box: The Zambian workers backing up our American team. They did all of the hard work of digging the trenches so we could pull the wire into the conduits and we all worked together to install the conduits in the ground and hook up the buildings in Macha. In Zimba we rewired a large portion of the hospital.