HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

Link to our New Years letter


We trust you had a better Christmas than our kitties who were really not into the donning of gay apparel . . .

HOME AGAIN

Our November trip was long (we covered over 4000 miles) but so worthwhile with all the significant connections we made with special people who have roots in our past but are still a big part of our life and ministry. What a rich and overwhelming blessing to get a megadose of encouragement to sustain us for some time to come.

We ended the time with a special treat -- being home in Winona Lake for Thanksgiving for the first time in many years.

If you haven't kept up with our blog as we added segments along the way, the post with photos below highlights stops in each area, ending with most recent.

Now we're back in Jacksonville, busy with December activities. Along with a mid-week men's Bible study that Jim leads at our church, he is part of the team leading worship for Sunday services this month and at the Christmas Eve service. In the Proclaim! office this is the busiest communications month with all the year-end letters.

We are also in the stage of considering the various invitations Proclaim! has received and firming up definite dates and plans for the 2010 evangelism tours. We need to put together this giant puzzle so we have concrete information for the musicians and support personnel that God is calling to be part of these ministries. Please pray for God's scheduling to be revealed -- we know that apart from God's wisdom we will miserably fail in this challenge.

ON THE ROAD - NOVEMBER

THE WHOLE TRIP - MOST RECENT AT TOP

Thanksgiving with family in Winona Lake

Can't wait for dinner!

Brooke's gourmet apple pie

Zhenya serves -- gotta have ice cream with apple pie

Avery's after dinner tea party

Mini techno wizard Nate

Ginger, Jeremy and Lilli

Lilli with Great Grands

Avery and Gracie read

Jami visits Aunt Robin at work

NOV 16-22: CHICAGOLAND AND WISCONSIN

Our dear friends Ed and Earlene hosted us for several days that we had scheduled in the Chicago area. We have stayed connected since Ed, Earlene and Jim all taught at Norfolk Christian School in the 70s.

Ventured out on a blustery Chicago day and had a good time with Taylor, a friend from Jacksonville in his first year as a transfer student at Wheaton. Also took some time to look around the Billy Graham Center which has changed a lot since we first saw it in the 80s!

Our paths have crossed many times with Walt and Jane as we all worked together at the Belgian Bible Institute in the 80s, and during part of our time in France our family attended the Black Forest church in Germany where Walt was pastor. We spent the final weekend with them in St. Charles and were able to go to the church that Walt has pastored since their return to the states.

This wasn't planned ahead, but we found out Bax and Kathy, also teachers with Jim at Norfolk Christian School, were on our route between Chicago and Wisconsin. They were able to make time for us as were were passing through -- what a blessing to catch up on how God has led and used them in the past 25-plus years since our time together in Norfolk.

Since the last time we saw Randi she has married Art, and we had a wonderful visit with them over a meal. It has been almost 10 years since Randi was with us in Proclaim! in France, heading up the media department.

We were able to make a quick stop for lunch and a Saturday afternoon visit with Tom and Susan, church music ministers and long time friends who have always been such an encouragement to us.

Bob and Bonnie Jean -- BJ was also a member of the 1984 Sax quartet in Belgium. So much fun to get back together after all these years and to meet Bob.

We all got in on a jazz concert at the music conservatory where she works

And a side trip for us to the Harley Davidson museum . . .

NOV 12-15: MICHIGAN

Reunion with 2 members of our 1984 Eurocorps team to the Belgian Bible Institute and their families.

Jim played in Jim’s first Sax Quartet

(members were Jim, Jim, Jim and Eddie!)

Sue was a member of the workteam at the school and encourager of the sax group.

Norma and Jerry in Detroit treated us to a fascinating visit to Greenfield Village.

The off season gave the advantage of extra attention from the tour guides.

We enjoyed a sweet time with Kathie's Aunt Jeane and fellowship at the church where our cousin is pastor.

NOV 5-11: In Winona Lake we had precious time with parents and other family and reconnected with many long time friends at Jim's 35th Grace College class reunion.

It was a blessing to get to meet again with our faithful EUROPARTNERS who have prayed for us since we first went to Belgium in 1982!

A highlight for Kathie was lunch with 3 friends from jr. hi -- some of us hadn't seen each other in 45 years!

Judy, Kathie, Becky, Mom Miriam, Hannah -- 3 hour lunch!

NOV 3-4:

On to Indiana and a fabulous dinner with cousin Joan and Dan for Kathie's birthday.

A car breakdown just south of Indy gave us an extra day there and a chance to see most of the kids and grands (4 under 1 year!)

We were grateful for this surprise opportunity since we never have enough time to really catch up with them.

NOV 2: Enjoyed the hospitality of long time friends Ken and Becky in Nashville area. Our first visit since the early 90s. Jami will stay with them on her way to Indiana for Thanksgiving.

Beautiful drive with clear skies and fall color through Georgia and Tennessee

NOVEMBER TRIP

This is the 3rd time we have attempted this trip and it looks like at last it's really going to happen. We look forward to renewing relationships face to face with many faithful friends and prayer and financial support partners in the next month.

Starting out with one week in Winona Lake, IN, we'll be able to get in on Grace College Homecoming for Jim's 35th class reunion. For two weeks we will travel around Michigan, Wisconsin and the Chicago area, ending up back in Winona for Thanksgiving week. The schedule has come together beautifully -- thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray that we will be available and sensitive to opportunities God give us to minister and serve.

FIRST US TOUR FOR PROCLAIM!

We have often been asked "When is Proclaim! going to do a tour in the US?" That is just what we had the opportunity to do this month as our jazz/fusion band Next Exit was invited to Ft Worth TX to partner in evangelism with a church and a Christian community outreach organization. Proclaim! co-director Bob McIntyre, who is based in Ft. Worth, organized the tour.

Before the Next Exit concerts started up, some of the band members, forming a classical ensemble for the very first event, accompanied speaker Vicki McIntyre's presentation of The Tale of a Tapestry that explains the gospel through the significance of the veil tapestry in the Tabernacle and the Temple.

This powerful presentation to a full house resulted in good opportunities for interaction with friends who had been personally invited.

The sunny warming weather that had been predicted for the weekend did not materialize. It was chilly, but dry, for the Friday and Saturday events at a large newly renovated facility sponsored by Cornerstone Assistance Network, a cooperative ministry of many area churches, that meets spiritual and physical needs of the community.

Friday evening was a time for volunteers and supporters of that ministry to tour the facility and hear about ways God has been working in people's lives. Next Exit played for about an hour after dinner in a stiff breeze to give a preview of the next day's activities.

The Saturday focus was on reaching out to the surrounding community and making them aware of the services that are available. An all day festival featured carnival events, a free lunch, and 3 hour-long music sets.

In spite of the chilly and threatening weather more than 300 people came to some part of the event. We were able to give the gospel through the concert and speak to individuals throughout the day.

And the organizers were prepared to engage people in a way that would provide opportunities for follow up. We heard reports of several significant contacts of spiritual value that were made on that day or through follow up.

We looked forward to an exciting time on Sunday evening with our final concert at a park in a huge apartment complex where a local church has been working to start a new church. A very motivated and energetic team had done everything right in preparing -- beautiful high quality flyers delivered to each home,

staging set up, excellent gospel tracts to give, sharing teams ready to go.

But for reasons known only to God, after all the effort and sacrifice of so many, the concert could not go on. A few minutes before the concert was to start it began to rain. After an hour of uncovering and recovering, waiting, praying, hoping, it was evident that it was time to pack up.

It's at these times we have to rest in the assurance of God's wisdom and sovereignty and be satisfied that we were faithful and obedient in the part that we played. Our hearts were heavy, especially for the local team that had so many expectations for a break through in their ministry. We did find out the next day that one individual had prayed for salvation in a conversation with one of the team members under an umbrella waiting for the concert. Then in a follow up visit to the home of that new believer, another family member received Christ. A reminder that even when it appears that our efforts are in vain, God is always at work.