Paige's Blog

New Mexico Mission Trip: Updates with Follow-Ups

Paige Niblett — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:48:31 +0000

We arrived safely in Jemez Springs, NM last night. The drive out here was absolutely beautiful. Huge vistas and canyons, elk and mule deer. Today, Sunday, we divided up the team and half worshiped at Jemez Valley Baptist Church and the other half went to Tinian Navajo Baptist Church. I went out to Tinian, which is two hours through a lot of wilderness and the occasional goat herd. The Navajo service was entirely in the Navajo language, which is beautiful and unique to listen to. No wonder the army used them as code talkers in WW2. We also met up with our missionary on the ground there, Rose Ignacio. She is such a great Christian lady who has a heart to see the Gospel reach her people. The North American Mission Board recently did an article on her and a video. You can view it at www.namb.net and search her name in the video archives.

After our men got set up to begin to work on the construction projects at the Navajo church, Chris and I headed back to work at the basketball camp and block party. We met in the Jemez school gym, and it went really well. We had a good group of kids and parents show up. The children are all very sweet and open to our team. We are working with pastor Daniel Clymer and his wife here. He has done a fantastic job of setting things up for us here on the ground, as well as teaching our team about the spiritual and cultural climate of this area.

This region is unlike anywhere I have ever been in the US. It really reminds me more of India. There is a spiritual darkness here that is palpable. In this valley alone is 2 Wiccan temples, a satanic worshiping group, two Buddhist retreat centers, a New Age church, plus the Jemez Pueblo,--which is the community of Pueblo Indians who for the most part worship peyote and follow the traditional Indian beliefs. Oh, and there is also a strong Catholic presence here left over from the Spanish Conquistadores. Everyone here is spiritual. Most, however, do not have a relationship with Christ.

Please pray for our team this week. For safety, for open doors to share the Gospel, and for a sweet spirit as we work. More updates to come!

Don't Miss These Spring Events

Paige Niblett — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:37:32 +0000

We have a lot of exciting opportunities for preschoolers and their families, as well as the women's ministry, coming up in the next month. Don't miss out!

Preschool Easter Egg Hunt: April 3rd, from 11:00-1:00; at the Tate home, 4 houses behind the FBC Lavaca gym. Parents, please park behind the gym and walk to the Tate's. All you need is an Easter basket. Free filled eggs, bounce arounds, a free Chick-Fil-A lunch, and the Easter story with Pastor Danny. Also, back by popular demand...baby animal pictures!

Trike-A-Thon: Immediately following the Egg Hunt on April 3rd, there will be a Trike-A-Thon, behind the FBC Lavaca Worship Center. Bring tricycles, bikes, or wagons for infants and help our preschoolers raise money for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. This will be a great way for our kids to learn about North American missions. Each participant will receive a free t-shirt. The child who raises the most money will win a free bike.

Courage Conference 2010: April 23rd and 24th, the FBC Women's Ministry will be hosting the Courage Conference. Join us as we worship together with musical guest Angela Carl. Speakers are Brenda Crim, NAMB missionary to Alaska, and Debbie Stuart, Women's Minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church. This will be an encouraging and challenging event you don't want to miss! Register by phone at the church office, or sign up in the welcome center of the worship center. Cost is $10 at the door.

Oh How He Loves Us

Paige Niblett — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:57:40 +0000

We had such a good Christmas this year as family. Micah Kate was not shy about getting into her presents. It was so much fun watching her enjoy the gifts that we got her and to see her excited. God is teaching me so many truths about His character as Chris and I parent Micah Kate. Just like we were so excited to give her presents at Christmas, so to our Father delights in giving His children good gifts.

Right after Christmas Micah got a cold. I thought it was just a regular preschool cold that so many get this time of the year, but one morning as I was getting her out of bed, she had this awful, barking cough. I called the doctor and Dr. Fred said she had the croup. Even up until a few years ago they hospitalized children with this breathing condition. After we left the pediatrician, MK, mom and me were eating lunch together, and all the doctor said hit me. I started thinking about her airways constricted, how I would have to care for her and watch her closely for the next week, and I just teared up. I know, new mom, right? But it was more than that. It just hit me how this motherly love I have for my child is different than any other love I have felt before. I love my husband, parents, family, and church family. But the love I have for my baby girl is very different. The best way I can describe it is a fierce protectiveness for her well being. I know other moms and dads know what I am talking about.

As I was thinking about how I just wanted to protect Micah, God whispered to my heart, and said, "That's how I feel about you." It hit me then like a hammer. God love us. Let that sink in. The God of the universe loves You. Not only loves you, but went so far to protect you and redeem you as to send his only Son to secure our redemption. A truth that I have learned since childhood, but God imprinted on my heart anew that day sitting in Calico County. In this season where there seems to be so much bad news, remember above all else, that God loves you.

Fall Montana Trip 2009 (Wednesday)

Paige Niblett — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:46:06 +0000

This week is flying by! We have had a good week so far of construction out at the Montana Indian Ministries Christian Camp, wood chopping and hauling, and then outreach with the kids in the Southern end of the rez.

Today the men are back working out at the camp. The wood cutting, as Bro. Terry has described, is challenging. The road is rough and straight up. I went with them the other day and there were times my rear came off the truck seat a few inches it was so bouncy and slick. But, a fun ride! Who says mission work is boring? We ran onto a few deer, and I'll try to post pictures.

Today we are all leaving at 2:00 (1:00 LA time) and going north an hour to the Agency to do a free chili dinner, clown show, Bro. T will lead some singing, and Pastor Bruce is going to share the Gospel. There should be a big turn out. We'll also do face painting, popcorn, and balloons. Pray that the team will make it there and back safely, and that many people will show up and be receptive to the Good News. It is always amazing to me how when God is at work, the enemy is too. For those who have come up with us before, they can tell you that there is just a heaviness here that can only be described as spiritual oppression. You back home who are praying for us keep it up! We will never know how much the prayers of God's people make a big difference.

Just yesterday, I was working in the middle of the day, and Chris had to drive the 120 miles to get his truck looked at (the bill is up to $3500, under warranty). He had called Bruce and said he would start back around 5. Well, around noon, I just felt a burden to pray for him, and the Holy Spirit would not let me have peace to continue what I was doing until I stopped and prayed for Chris. Then, just a few minutes later, I came down off a mountain, and saw him pulling in the drive way. God told me to pray for Chris because He knew my husband was driving through rough roads in the snow, and I didn't even know he was on the road at that time!

This morning as I look out at about 4 inches of beautiful white powdery snow, I am also reminded that God hears the prayers of children. Hadlei Cates is with us, and she told me yesterday that it was going to snow because she prayed and God told her it was going to snow. No wonder Jesus said let the children come to him; they have a lot more faith than most adults have! (me included)

As I close, I just want to remind everyone to continue to pray for us. We are doing the same type of outreach supper tomorrow in Lodgepole as we are doing tonight at the Agency. We are working at the Enemy Killer center, which is a fitting title for our work :0) I'll try to see if Josh can post this to my blog on the church website, since I don't get a good connection here.

God bless you all!

Working on the floor at the campThree mulies on the road up the mountain to get firewoodHadlei in her snowSunrise in big sky country

Rolling on into Fall

Paige Niblett — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:25:28 +0000

We were able to do VBS in Mentasta, chopped firewood for the elders, and block parties in each of the other villages. We also did a Blessing Store, in which the people could come and shop for free for items they need. This store was a huge success and blessing to the people. I want to thank you church family, for donating items so generously to the store. Your kindness to people you've never met meant a lot to them. Bro. Danny gave us a quote the other day in staff meeting that has really stuck with me: "Kindness has converted more sinners than zeal, eloquence, and learning." The kindness you have shown to the Athabascan people of Alaska we ministered to truly showed the love of God in a tangible way. So, THANK YOU!

We have an exciting fall coming up. Usually the fall is a slower time of the year, but not this year! :0) We have a great women's conference coming up, Tailor Made. We will welcome guest speakers Ashley Smith and Carrie McDonnall, both of whom you do not want to miss. We will also enjoy worship led by Angela Carl, a recording artist and vocalist, and also a friend of mine from SWBTS.

Then, on Tuesday, Oct. 6th, we start our Real Girlz Ministry. If you are interested in volunteering in this exciting and fun ministry to girls K-6th grade, contact me.

Sunday, Sept. 13th we will kick off the fall discipleship programs for women. I am leading a study called, Knowing God by Name, by Mary Kassian. It is an in depth look at 35 names of God. We will meet at 4:30 on Sunday afternoons in the old Steffey's building. Frances Headley is leading a study called, David, by Beth Moore, which looks in depth at the life of David. This class will meet on Tuesday morning at 9:30 in the old Steffey's building starting Sept. 15th. Childcare will be provided if you need it.

We have our Fall Festival on Wednesday, Oct. 21st from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Get your costume together! :0)

And, lastly, the last week in October, the 24th-Nov. 1st, we are leading a fall Montana Mission Trip. This trip will focus primarily on construction, and a revival with the native Americans of Ft. Belknap. We work with Pastor Bruce Plummer, who has been a great partner in the ministry. We need more to go, so if you are interested, contact me or Chris.

On a final note, I would ask you to pray for my husband, Chris. Most of you know that we both graduated from SWBTS with degrees in theology. Chris has been waiting on God to see what ministry to serve in. We both now feel it is time for Chris to start his motorcycle ministry, Full Throttle Ministries. Chris has a passion for evangelism and a specific burden for reaching the motorcycle community. We would appreciate your prayers for us as we seek God's face in this new endeavor.

Here are some AK pictures... enjoy!

Montana Mission Trip

Paige Niblett — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:38:45 +0000

Wow! We had such a super time in Montana this year! God did some amazing things through our team. I think, just as importantly, God did some amazing things IN our team. We took 65 people from FBL to serve the Native Americans of the Ft. Belknap Indian Reservation. One of the biggest blessings to me was how God put our team together. We were asked by the tribe to do two basketball camps. And, God provided us with three basketball coaches on our team. We scheduled three block parties in different communities on the rez, and we had people on our team to run a snow cone machine, grill hot dogs, make cotton candy, face paint, do crafts, and the clowns did a several shows. The kids on our team even worked hard! The younger girls put on a puppet show, and a dance performance. Our men worked so hard, also. We had a mowing crew go out and do free lawn care, and others worked on the camp. The missionary we worked with, Pastor Bruce Plummer, has been given 40 acres by the tribal council. Our church is partnering with him to build up this camp that will be used to reach indians all over the reservation. All of the hard work we did had one common goal, whether we were painting faces or shoveling horse manure (yes, we did that, too :0)....the focus was to share the Gospel with as many people as we could. We had seven people accept Christ as a result of this trip, but the Good News was shared with many more than that. The Indian people know about and believe in the Creator, they just do not know of Jesus. They saw the Gospel in action, and heard it shared verbally. I just want to say a big thank you to our church family for the prayers and support. And, to our team, I am so proud of each one of you!!! You all worked so hard and did a super job.

Rahab, Roasted Hot Dogs, and Rain

Paige Niblett — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:17:24 +0000

Sometimes technology is my friend, but apparently it isn't today. I worked to get little Miss Micah Kate down for a nap, and spent about an hour writing an update on the progress of VBS, the women's ministry, mission trips, and the Real Girls campout, and with one wrong click of a button, and it was all gone. GONE!!! Just to summarize my previous entry that is now floating somewhere out there in the universe.....

We had our Real Girls end of the year campout last Friday night. We had a great turnout, and great fun. The girls got to put up tents in the gym, roast hot dogs, hear the story of Rahab's faith acted out, glamor shots (complete with hair, nails, and makeup) and then pile on top of one another about 12:30 a.m. when the thunderstorm hit!

Here are a few pictures from the night, and as well as a picture of our growing family...my very own "real girl."

Summer Mission Opportunities

Paige Niblett — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:49:17 +0000

Just want to let everyone know of two exciting mission trips that Chris and I will be leading this summer....

#1 Ft. Belknap Indian Reservation

This trip will be June 27th to July 5th. We will do VBS, construction, community outreach and much more! If you are interested you can come by the church office for an info packet. The $100 deposit is due Sunday, March 15, to reserve your spot.

#2 Mentasta Village, Alaska

This trip will be August 1-8th. We will do VBS, construction, and community outreach to a native Athabascan village deep in the bush of Alaska. The $200 deposit is due Sunday, March 29th.

Please do not procrastinate to reserve your spot on these trips, as space is limited on both.

Exciting Weekend Ahead

Paige Niblett — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:20:33 +0000

Hey everyone. I just want to remind you all of two exciting events scheduled for this coming weekend, December 6th and 7th. First, Saturday, Dec. 6th we are having a live nativity and Happy Birthday Jesus party from 2-4 p.m. in the gym for preschoolers and their families. Bro. Danny will tell the Christmas story, and there will be snacks, crafts, and Christmas pictures.

Then, on Sunday Dec. 7th, we are having our missions services in both a.m. worship services in which we will highlight all the mission trips our church has gone on this year. Our kids will parade through carrying international and U.S. flags. Please be sure to bring your child to the atrium so that they can participate. This is for older preschoolers (use your judgment if you think they will do it) and all children and youth.

Also, Sunday is my mom's (Frue Tate) birthday. I just want to say publicly that I love her and am so thankful for her example in faith and in family. She is the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman, and I am blessed to be the only person on the planet who can call her mom. Happy Birthday Chief! :0)

A Growing Church and A Growing Family

Paige Niblett — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:11:58 +0000

A lot has happened since I posted last! Our Alaska trip went great. We could feel the prayers of God's people opening doors for us in the native villages. We took a team of 12 into the heart of the Alaskan wilderness. We conducted a VBS in the village of Mentasta, which has no church or evangelical presence to speak of. We also did some servanthood evangelism wood cutting and splitting for the village elders. This was a great way to meet people and to be able to share the Gospel. We also did three potlatch dinners in the native villages of Tetlin and Tannacross as well. These villages are isolated, steeped in tradition, and in desperate need of the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our church has chosen to focus on Alaska as one of our mission partnerships, so we will continue to take teams into this region. We are also collecting Christmas gifts to put in shoe boxes that we will ship to Mentasta. You can check out the display in the atrium now to see pictures of the people of Mentasta as well as obtain information on this project. This will be a great one for kids and families to participate in, as well.

I am also excited about a new ministry here at FBL called REAL Girlz. It is for girls from kindergarten to 6th grade, and we meet on the first Tuesday of every month after school until 5:00. The girls are learning about a different woman of the bible each month, about missions and mission service projects, and also they have a time of worship....modeling the in, out and up focus of our church mission. This ministry is open for any girl that is interested. If you are interested in helping out, please call me at the church office, at 674-2293.

Lastly, I am reminded that as our church is growing, so is our little family. Chris and I feel so blessed that we are expecting our first child in March. We should find out in the next month if it, as Mrs. Jan says, is a buck or a doe. No matter the gender, look out world for Niblett Jr! :0) I am so thankful for our supportive church family for their encouragement and concern for us during this exciting, nervous, and fun time. Have a super week!