The Start of A Different Fall

It's not hard to say that we miss full time ministry with Students. Students in High School & Middle School bring excitement, energy, and fun. Just a year ago we were getting students psyched up for fall events, winter camps, and even next summers events. And now it is all different.

We have gone to visit friends at a few churches in the area. We heard all about the churches fall ministries, and the relationships that are happening really have made us miss full time ministry. We realize more and more that our passion and calling is for full time ministry to students. We get phone calls, recently some sad one's from students, and it always makes us appreciate the trust students have in us. It also helps us to realize that what we did at Elim was important, and what we will be doing with Malachi is important as well. Whenever we hang out with, or talk with, our former students we get charged up. We love to be used by God to minister to them.

So as a completely different fall begins for us a few things are clear. First, God has put a passion in us for full-time ministry. Second, we are in a transitional phase where we are not active in full time student ministry but we can still have an impact in student's lives. And third, in this transitional period our full time ministry will look a lot different, it will be focusing on building a team of partners to help us get back to full time student ministry.

We can't wait to get back to ministry to students! We miss it!

The Heavenly Man

Becky and I both read the book "The Heavenly Man" a few years ago. It opened our eyes to what being a true Disciple of Christ means. Brother Yun is called the heavenly man because after a decade of preaching the Gospel in China he became a wanted man and was arrested. When he was arrested he was asked what his name was and he said heavenly man from the village of the Gospel. Brother Yun endured torture for being a disciple of Christ. You can read God's story He is telling through Brother Yun's life in the book the Heavenly Man.

We heard a few weeks ago that Brother Yun would be at Wheaton College. We were invited by Amy, a former Elim Student attending Wheaton college now. We went and heard the heart of person who has paid a huge price for following Jesus Christ. Hearing the story of his imprisonment and torture from Brother Yun himself was very powerful. A statement that stood out so cleary to Becky and I was when Brother Ren (Brother Yun's interpreter) said, "Believing in Jesus does not cost anything, being a disciple of Jesus costs everything." After hearing Brother Yun's story he invited us to become disciples of Christ in unity. The highlight of the night came when we got to meet Brother Yun and speak with him about our dreams for future ministry. Brother Yun lives in Germany where we hope to be serving, and he told us that being ministers of the Gospel to U.S. military in Germany is a very important calling. We felt once again that God was confirming in us our ministry goals of ministering to U.S. Military Students overseas.

Ministry has a cost

One Saturday a month we invite students who we built relationships with at Elim over to our home for an evening of worship and discipleship. We call it Saturday (or Friday) Late Night. This past Saturday Solly was leading worship for us. He did a fantastic job considering the pressure he was facing. First he had never led music by himself before, second he was asked to lead that day, and third as he sat down on our couch to begin leading the guitar bumped into one of our candle holders we got for our wedding.What a start for Solly. Even in the face of that adversity he led us in a great time of worship. Later that night Becky and I were looking at a candle holder that we love & cherish as a wedding gift, and in that moment we both knew ministry has a cost. Yes it would be nice to continue to have that candle holder. But the experience Solly got to have and the conversations we got to have with students that night far outweighs what that candle holder is worth in cost or sentimental value. Moving overseas and beginning a new life has a lot of cost. Ever since we began taking these steps forward to work with Military defendants overseas there has been a cost. God is asking a lot from us. God has asked us to change jobs, change the way we live, and change the way we make our life decisions. These are difficult changes to make. But we are passionate about Military ministry and we know this is what God is calling us to do.

Blog Launch

Friends,
This blog is to help us stay in contact you, and for you to know what is going on in our lives. Look for updates every Monday from us.

We have been accepted as missionaries to Cadence international and our first assignment is to recruit a team of people who will Partner with us to help us accomplish our calling. Here are some of our goals.

1. We would like to be leaving for a U.S. military community in September 2009.

2. We are praying for over 200 people to be a part of our Partner team. Please be praying as to whether God is calling you to be part of our team.

3. We are expecting God to reveal Himself in an awesome way as we prepare for the journey He has put us on.

So thanks for coming on this journey with us, and we are looking forward to what will happen!