In Your Eyes

How do you view the importance of missionary work? How do you view the impact of short term mission trips? In this day and age when perception outweighs reality, here is what stm's can really do....

It's easy to accuse Short Term Mission teams of being one-hit wonders! They 'hit' a location for 10 days and then return home, never to be seen again. This is not the case with NLI mission teams. Fledgling churches being strategically planted across Europe are partnered with churches able to support them with teams, trainers, and finance. Many of these partner churches send teams year after year. This faithfulness is very much appreciated and helps build strong relationships between the two churches. Each year the teams can build on what they did the previous year, thus ensuring ongoing growth and impact. One-hit wonders? No way!

In August 2007, Cheryl and Ed returned to Tarascha (Ukraine) the church plant Cheryl had visited as part of a Canadian mission team in 2006. "When our team of 10 went to Tarascha in May 2006 little did we know the bonds that God would begin to form not only in the hearts of the Canadians that responded to the call, but also what God had done in the hearts of the people of Tarascha.

Last year we were very much impacted by what God was doing between our worlds and by specific people that we met. However, we did not realize that God would continue to grow His love in our hearts for one another after our departure. He opened doors that were otherwise closed. Some of these have remained open and continue to open wider as the Spirit of God continues to move.

Our mission to Tarascha was just as significant for the church in Vegreville. Not only does a team go, the whole church goes! That is what God has called us to do. We each have a role to play in the Mission field and realize that when we walk through the doors of our local church, we have just entered the mission field. This is the challenge God has brought to our church in Vegreville. At this moment in time, Tarascha is our calling."

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

In the midst of our trip to Poland we had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz. In a short two hours we were overwhelmed with the history and inhumanity of this place. I don't know if we will ever fully comprehend the scope of this tragic piece of history.

The picture in this post is of the lock placed on the door to one of the gas chambers. And as part of the tour we were able to walk into this very place where countless thousands died as poisonous gas was pumped into the room. I will never forget the chill that ran up and down my spine as we crossed the threshold. The only comfort was in the knowledge we could walk out whenever we wished.

The stories of the torture, the images of families being separated into lines...one line meant hard labour and worse, the other meant almost immediate death, the artifacts on display....thousands of shoes, bales of clothing, and perhaps saddest of all....remnants of infants' outfits and toys....all speaking of ultimate sadness.

One cannot visit this place without shedding tears.

We join many other in the prayer....Never again.

Back in the USSR (somewhat)

Greetings from Krakow Poland, Mary and I have been here for the last week attending NLI's EuroSummit. This is a meeting of NLI staff, their European ministry partners, and global friends, supporters, etc. We decided to make the investment for the trip to get "the big picture" about what NLI is doing across the continent. Needless to say we are more excited about our future adventure than ever.

Over the course of the past 6 days we not only had a chance to observe the local culture, experience the cuisine, and walk down some very historic streets....we also had ample opportunity to chat with many of the other conference delegates. Each conversation exposed a new facet, opened a new door, into a fascinating world. There were delegates from Serbia, Estonia, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, UK, Australia, USA, Canada, Bulgaria, Romania and a few I probably forgot. We were amazed over and over again at the great works of God in action through these wonderful people.

As the week wind downs and we head home (tomorrow) we come home with new dreams, inspired spirits, and one more affirmation we are doing the right thing.

Close to the Edge

We have officially set our departure date: January 06 2009. This time of year has had a significance throughout our lives together. We met in early January 1976. We wed in early January 1979. In fact our departure date is our 30th wedding anniversary. What better date to begin our newest lives together?
Now that may seem a long way off but we are already laying the foundation. In the next week or so we will be unveiling our new website (special thanks to our great friend and web design guru Jason Hoag).
Also in the next week we head to Poland for a week. NLI is hosting their annual EuroSummit Conference in Krakow. This gathering brings all of NLI's staff together with their numerous multi-national ministry partners. So, in one visit we get to meet all of our soon to be new co-workers and countless pastors, missionaries, and others who will also be an important part of our new lives. This trip will be another glimpse into what the future holds. We feel like little kids waiting for Christmas to come.
There is still much to do...and we will keep you posted.
Thank you for your prayers and support.

Heavy Fuel

Someone recently asked me how our plans were coming along and my reply just rolled off my tongue. No forethought, no pause to determine the best way to sum up our current status.

Today's sermon at church reinforced my answer with such strength and clarity that I now know my response was spot on true...and biblical.
Pastor Nathan referred to the Exodus and how the Jews lost their chance at the Promised Land due to their lack of faith. Of all the nation of Israel that escaped from slavery in Egypt, only two men crossed the Jordan River....Joshua and Caleb. Interestingly enough, 40 years earlier,they were the only two who had encouraged the people to follow God's instruction to possess the land, tho' it seemed fraught with peril.

Here we are thousands of years later, but nonetheless, we all face that moment we can choose the promise based on God's Word, or be scared by the "giants in the land."
Mary and I know we face some challenges in the months ahead as we make arrangements to move, and we certainly understand we face bigger and totally unfamiliar problems once we are in Europe. We cannot give in to fear and uncertainty. We can trust a loving, unfailing Heavenly Father.
Oh...my response to my friend's query...."We're running on faith, but we're not running alone."

Penny Lane

Hello world...please welcome us in introducing the newest addition to our family.... Penny Lane.

Penny is our third grand daughter in a series of extremely cute girls. Mother and baby (and dad) are all doing well.

To quote our daughter Aileen (aka new mom)...

Having a family is nice.
Mary and I look forward to seeing Penny in September.

Take a pebble

Last weekend I spent two days in the hospital, which gave me quite a bit of time to think about the road ahead. So in my typical fashion I started listing all the things we need to consider as we make this move into our new lives... when to sell the house, when to move, where do we move to, how to raise enough money, what do we take with us, what do we give away or sell, do we need a car when we get there, when do I let my employer know, can we get a visa, how do we get the word out about what we're doing, can we really be away from our families for 3 years, are we up to the challenge, would we get wet faster by running through the rain as opposed to walking, how will our children adapt to our absence, will our grand daughters remember us, should we send out a newsletter, what do we do with our wills, can we learn to take tea breaks, how do you parallel park when driving on the other side of the road, how can we best assist NLI, should I look into shooting weddings, can I teach Mary to drive a manual transmission car...on the other side of the road, is there Bass fishing...is there any fishing, how can I get Dr Pepper sent over, what happens if we get discouraged, will we decide to stay longer than 3 years, will we make through the first 3 years, can we adapt to the possibility of moving into some very foreign cultures, how many times can we really eat fish and chips or tandori chicken, and so on and so forth.
In the course of an hour or two I almost had myself believing there was no way this would ever work...to quote Charlie Brown..."We're doomed." I stacked all the possible problems and roadblocks , which in and of themselves were pebbles, and made a boulder, large enough to block my view.
So if I may....again...ask for your prayer support? Take any of the almost countless "pebbles" and pray we work through it.....whether it be about logistics.... money... health ....guidance.... happiness... visas... housing... family ...whatever......... we truly appreciate you prayers.

If I may be so bold...if you have read this and agree to pray for some facet of the journey, please leave a comment letting us know. We cannot do this on our own, and knowing who else is with us would be a great comfort. Thank you.

With a little help from my friends

Great news.
We've been able to make arrangements for how our donations are received, handled, and reported. Next Level Int'l has a USA office and they have offered to be our bookkeepers.

This means our donors can send checks to NLI and get receipts for their taxes....and it gives us an accountabilty partner (no pun intended.) We will need to submit a budget to NLI, once they approve it (acknowledging the funds are indeed being used for the purposes intended), NLI will transfer funds to us once a month. Of course we will not be using any donated funds until we actually arrive in Europe (January 2009).

In the meantime we are working on finding prayer and financial partners...Prayer partners to help us be prepared for the adventure ahead and for all that needs to come together between now and our departure. Financial partners so we can focus on the mission not the money. It is our hope to raise our first 12 to 18 months' support prior to our departure. Thus allowing us to hit the ground running.

Need more details??? feel free to contact either of us via email: mary@going4the1.com paul@going4the1.com

Shalom

Birthday

It is hard to believe a year has gone by since young Miss Emily came into our lives. Quite frankly I am truly enjoying this whole grandfather (aka Pop Pop) gig.

She arrived in the midst of one of the darkest moments in my life...a ray of light....a promise of hope....a gift of love.

Happy Birthday Emily!!!!

Come Together

In step with our upcoming life-shift, we'll be in Poland this coming October. This is when NLI holds their annual EuroSummit. This event incorporates all of NLI's European staff, and the alliance of missionary and church organizations with which NLI interacts in their many current (and future) endeavours.
The event is being held in Krakow, and from what we have heard, tis a beautiful, scenic place. But we're really looking forward to the opportunity to rub elbows with many of our future co-workers from across the continent.
And in a style that only God has, he has provided some weddings which will help cover the expense of the airfare and seminar.

Where do we go from here?

After more discussion and prayer, and more prayer, and many requests for prayer. We were resolved to make the transition from worldly normal to Godly normal.
There is still much to do....sell the house and most of its contents, leave our jobs, say good-bye to family and friends, raise support (we'll need about 40-45K US/year), wind down my photography business, find a new place to live, buy a car(?)....the list goes on. But nevertheless we will move on.

Right now we are still asking for prayer as we take each new step.
A few key prayer needs...
1)arranging for finances....we need a church to act as a funnel for donations, this way donors can get a tax receipt.
2)supporters and partners...we cannot do this on our own and we will need ongoing prayer and financial support.
3)patience...we want to be there NOW...but first need to build a sound foundation to support our intentions.

Thank you. Paul and Mary

Only the beginning....

Where did this all start??? Tough question.

The moment of realization came a few months ago as we were driving to a wedding in the southern part of Florida. We were discussing my recent restlessness and the feeling our time in Florida was drawing to a close. Our children are adults, and two of them parents of their own brood. Twas only a matter of time before we became "empty nesters".

One daughter already lives half-way across the country and another is thinking of moving north, whilst the third is now planning her wedding for early 2008. We'd have nothing to keep us in Florida....so the discussion turned to "Where would we move?" That was Saturday morning.



Fast forward to Sunday and the ride home. The discussion took a radical turn. We went from thinking of moving to Georgia or Colorado to moving to England and volunteering as missionaries.....the seed, planted long ago, had broken through the surface.