"The GO Factor" – Dave & Jennifer Damron

Thanks for visiting our blog.  Please open the attached file to see photos and read about God’s amazing provision for the Quechua people living in the Andes Mountains.

2011-December Peru News

Blessings!

Hermanos y Hermanas en Jesús Cristo,

(Brothers & Sisters in Jesus Christ)

“…they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.  On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened the door of faith…”  (Acts 14:26 & 27)

WOW!  What a perfect passage!  And in addition, our slogan this year was, “What will your Acts 29 read?”  Friend, we’re each continuing and writing the 29^th chapter of the book of Acts in the Bible, and you are a part of what God did through our team of 46!  Your prayers, donations, and/or financial support helped us complete the work we were sent to do:

1. Our mission-work model is “Community Health Evangelism” (CHE) and we received five (5) notarized letters from community and church leaders inviting us to deepen our involvement and cooperative service & ministry to the people of San Marcos, Peru and Chavin, Peru (two towns with numerous surrounding villages with a combined population of over 70,000 people).
2. Approximately 1500 people attended a “Unity Festival” we hosted in San Marcos that included Christian singing, a Gospel drama, preaching, prayer, food, recreation, local cultural dance, and an evening showing of “The Passion of The Christ.”  Many responded for prayer and received a New Testament Bible (most, their first personal copy of Scripture).
3. ALL five (5) ministry initiatives were accomplished:
   1. Medical & Dental Ministry (5 villages & over 300 patients treated and each was prayed over and received a copy of the Gospel of John)
   2. Children’s Ministry (four-day “Vacation Bible School” program with 50 orphanage children)
   3. CHE Orientation (17 community and church leaders attended a two hour presentation with Q&A), and “Clean-Water/Living Water” was affirmed as FIRST-priority.
   4. Two-nights Pastor Training in “Peace-Treaty with God”, an evangelistic and discipleship lesson booklet (approximately 30 men attended), and two-nights Women’s Ministry (approximately 25 women attended) collectively representing 7 area churches.  Each participant was equipped with New Testament Bibles, three additional copies of “Peace-Treaty with God”, and copies of the Gospel of John.
   5. Church Building Project in Cochao (a mid-level village that services 4-6 higher altitude villages).  Phase one began with combined labor and financial sacrifices from Peruvian Christians and U.S. Christians.  This project affirms and validates the faith of the Christian Church (rather than nominal Catholicism) and brings witness of the Biblical Jesus to the surrounding villages.

And so we invite you to continue with us in what God has started.  Just as the apostles reported in Acts 14:26 & 27, God has “opened the door of faith”.  Please continue to pray, give and go.

In Christ,

Dave & Jennifer Damron (and family)

The Lord started gripping my heart for world evangelism about 15 years ago while I was serving as youth minister with First Church of Christ in Xenia, OH.  During that ministry, I started taking teens and adults on short-term mission trips to Mexico to serve an independent missionary whom our church supported.  We developed a strong, deep relationship with the missionary and the Mexican people, and we experienced what Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

Our short-term trips to Mexico turned into more involvement for my family as God lifted our eyes and ignited our hearts for people who have very little Christian influence and options.  From 1999 to 2008 my wife, Jennifer, and I served on this Mexico mission’s board of directors and we mobilized other churches to get involved in supporting and sending teams to this mission field.  The mission grew to involve people in OH, IN, KY and TN and God received glory!

As of April this year, the Lord has called me to take the next step of faith and leave the located ministry and go full-time with Team Expansion as a Regional Mobilization Director.  I’ve been very familiar with Team Expansion for the past 25 years and in 2006 Jennifer and I went through assessment and training with Team Expansion to serve as volunteers.  Now, serving with them full-time, we will help educate, excite and empower God’s people for greater engagement in His will to save the lost.

As a Regional Mobilization Director I will:

1. Represent Team Expansion at various mission events
2. Recruit people for Connections, Pathways, Quest, and Discovery short & long-term mission trips
3. Raise resources for Team Expansion projects and special needs
4. Teach, train and take people onto various mission fields
5. Build a network of volunteer mobilizers and advocates throughout GA, NC, SC & FL

The task at-hand is great, and we’re tempted to be scared to our core, but God is fully trustworthy!  He has provided and blessed our lives and ministries for 22 years and we know that He will provide wisdom, strength and the resources to do all that He has called us to do.

Click-on the link below to watch a short video about Dave’s transition from church ministry to Team Expansion.

Dave\’s Transition to Team Expansion