Fall Update

We didn't realize what a full month November is until we started trying to find a few days in a row to make a trip up to Indiana to pick up our car. Yes! we found the perfect deal right in Warsaw. The sale notice was posted on Facebook by a friend for her mom's car, a 2004 with 25,000 miles! Actually it's the same car we have now but 3 years newer with almost 200,000 fewer miles! It checked out mechanically so we sealed the deal. After Thanksgiving weekend we will attempt to squeeze a final 1,000 miles out of old faithful to get us there.

  OLD CAR                                                              NEW CAR

We just hope we can adjust to the drastic change!

Proclaim has been challenged since the summer news that Co-director Bob Johnson had to leave the tour he was leading in Poland and was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. This meant a major change for leadership as the other two co-directors divided up most of the responsibilities. The US office is impacted as John Bowers took over leadership of the newly forming team in Germany and Bob McIntyre assumed responsibility for the US office. John and Diana are in Germany now, the first of some extended times they will spend based there through at least the next year. A lot of very positive things are happening there with our team and their ministries and local churches. 

Bob McIntrye is making trips to Jacksonville and connecting in other ways to keep things on track at the home base. In fact, he and Vicki will be here this week with a full agenda checking in with our local Proclaim people and advising on ministry here. Bob Johnson has now made remarkable progress with his  treatments and is optimistic about a full recovery. Thanks to all who have been aware of that situation and praying for Bob and Alyce and our mission.

It seemed that our December tour in Tunisia would be a go when we got word that a big hurdle had been cleared for getting our sound and video equipment into the country. Then within a few days we learned of changes in the economy there and outrageous airfares that would at least double the projected budget for the tour. So it was decided to postpone to a later date to adjust the planning. We had both been scheduled to go on that tour.

That does take some pressure off for the end of the year here. We would have returned mid December with all the year-end letters to be processed and mailed! So we can do that on a bit more realistic schedule. Other regular ministries continue -- Jim meeting with men - individuals and groups - and involved in the music ministry at church. We both have committed to help with a newly forming Mission Development Team at our church, taking young people who are interested in missions through an extended mentoring process to provide some deeper preparation in the process of getting to the mission application stage. And we have recently joined a family group that is just getting started. Jami is a teacher for the 1st grade girls in the mid-week Pioneer Club and working part time as a helper for a couple of elderly folks.

We are thankful for really good times we have been having together as a team in our Tuesday morning Bible study and prayer. We have been challenged with deep teaching as we spent time thinking through the disciplines of the Christian life and lately exploring what it means to be a community. It helps us keep things in perspective. 

Pray for us as a family and Proclaim in general as we continue to face decreased funds with which to operate and carry on the ministry. By reducing our salary and cutting costs, our ministry fund had stayed in the black for several months, until the past couple months when we have gone in deficit. Please pray for wisdom to manage well our personal finances and the courage to continue to invite new people to join our team of senders.  A note of praise is that Dave Wilbert, a former board member who has recently returned to the area, is helping us and other individuals, as well as Proclaim, in our efforts to raise the needed additional funds.  We are thankful for this encouragement!

Summer Stretch

We were not on a tour this summer, but it almost seems like we were there through involvement in recruiting, communication, logistics support, and lots of prayer for the two summer tours. We had a pretty exciting last minute challenge getting a sound tech for the Poland tour when the scheduled tech was not able to come. In a little over a week our replacement was able to raise his support and get a passport! See the Proclaim! site for some news on Adonai's tour in  Croatia/Bosnia  and the tour with Writing on the Wall in  Poland.

INDIANA

We did some actual traveling the first two weeks in July to Indiana. We had a great time with family, especially the main event -- a family reunion in Michigan.  Hard to have it without Kathie's Mom -- but time with her sisters and many of our cousins and their kids was really precious. We hadn't seen some of the cousins in MANY years.

My mom's sisters -- she was the oldest of the 6 sisters and 2 brothers

We had over half of the cousins (my generation) there plus spouses and kids/grandkids

Once again we experienced God's intervention in the timing and planning of the whole trip. We came away feeling like we'd had more quality time with family, friends and supporters than we could possibly have planned. We can never get enough of those adorable grand nieces and nephews -- it's such a gift that they (and their amazing parents) are all in the same town or nearby. (Facebook members: see pics)  Going home increasingly overwhelms us with appreciation for God's tremendous blessings of our wonderful family and friends who are part of our heritage and who we are.

We were happy to get in on a gathering put on by our Europartners prayer support group that has prayed faithfully for us and our dear friends, the Hoberts in France, for 30 years. We actually were able to be back in town at the same time with them and catch up on each others' ministries as we shared with the whole group. We are anticipating possibilities for Proclaim members to provide support for some of the ministries in France that they are involved in.

Now back in Jacksonville summer tours are over and we will be moving into plans for the fall and 2012. Overseas we have 2 families -- one first term and one returning for their second term -- getting settled and forming a team in Germany. Please pray for a good transition for the Libertis and the Davises, and for a strong team to be established there.

Proclaim Gala in Jacksonville

CLICK HERE 

for Gala report and photos at the Proclaim site

Proclaim! in Belarus and Ukraine February 2011

KIEV

February 21-March 6 Jim was with Next Exit ministering with Belarusian Christian band Spasenie to Proclaim Christ in Belarus and Ukraine. There was no chance to get bored! Spasenie makes use of innovative means of connecting with people for sharing their faith, and our team experienced that diversity of ministry opportunities. 

BELARUS

Spasenie's concern for youth and the reputation they have in schools opened doors for our band to play in some of the schools and speak with students.  They are the first American band to have this opportunity, and their efforts were enthusiastically received by teachers and administration.

Individual team members had other opportunities for ministry: helping Spasenie in their music studio, teaching music and audio classes in their music academy, and designing a coffee bar in a multi-purpose ministry facility. 

Three of our band members spent a day judging 30 high school bands performing 2 songs each, competing to play in a music festival.

At the Saturday Music Festival the 6 finalists were featured with Next Exit performing at the end. All students at the public school performances were invited to this event.

 At a music college where Spasenie and Next Exit performed together, the students loved the concert and many stayed after to talk.

The time in Belarus finished with a concert in a church that is small but very strategic with a history of launching many other ministry ventures.

UKRAINE

The final days of the tour were in Kiev, Ukraine. The two bands joined together leading worship at church services and had some more teaching opportunities.

Praise God for the opportunities in these venues to encourage believers and engage with unbelievers to build bridges and share. Praise for the endurance that God gave the team to continue strong to the end. 

Belgium Follow Up

Jim and Jami had a great time in Brussels and were impressed with the Serve the City ministry.  This model not only reaches out to people through meeting felt needs, but very effectively encourages the involvement of the local church. Working with their events would be a good opportunity for a small flexible Proclaim ensemble or mime team. 

Jami was there to explore possibilities for a short term mission or internship. She had a good experience that week and is interested in returning, but has decided that this summer is not the right time.  

 Jim and Jami had a day to see a few of the sights and had the special treat of spending that evening with our dear colleagues Jean-Claude and Miriam Thienpont from our time at the Belgian Bible Instititute when we first went to Belgium 30 years ago. 

  

Belgium Bound

Today Jim made his 4th trip to the airport in less than a week! The last three times he spent the day playing for travelers passing through. 

(click for video link)

But today he was there as a traveler.  He and our daughter Jami headed to Brussels where they will be spending 3 days with Carlton and Shannon Deal who are ministering in an international church and directing a global ministry, Serve the City.  Through this ministry Christ's love is communicated in practical ways as volunteers are organized to reach out to those in need in their city. Serve the City, which started in Brussels in 2005, is now active or starting in 74 cities around the world. 


Jim will be exploring the possibility of Proclaim partnering in a project to assist this ministry, and Jami is interested in learning about a missions internship that they sponsor in the summer. A couple of ministry events will be going on this weekend, so they will really have a chance to see the action first hand. 


This will also be a time to reconnect in Belgium 20+ years after our time there at the Belgian Bible Institute and then with Anno Domini. Please pray for Jim and Jami during this time and for wisdom and God's leading about future ministry opportunities in Belgium. 

  

On to Belarus

From February 20 to March 7 a 14-member Next Exit team will be in the beautiful country of Belarus.  There we will  partner with and support the work of Spasenie, a Belarusian band whose name means salvation.

We have found no other group of musicians whose model for ministry so closely matches that of Proclaim.  For years this band has regularly had hit songs on the pop charts of Belarus that boldly express God’s message of hope and faith. Through their work, churches have been established and strengthened, a community center has been built which services their city, and many other types of ministry have been launched. 


Next Exit is invited to tour with them doing joint concerts in Belarus and neighboring Ukraine.  Additionally, we will be helping with a music festival and teaching some master classes for young musicians and technicians with an eye toward eventually establishing a music training center.


One of the things Jim is doing to help raise funds for the tour is playing for tips in the courtyard at the Jacksonville airport. He is permitted to have a sign indicating that all tips are going for a mission project and display information about the project that people can take. Hopefully it will stimulate some interesting conversations!

If you care to add a tax deductible contribution to the Belarus “tip jar” you are more than welcome! Just click DONATE on this blog.

                        

NEW(?) YEAR

The new year is 1/12 over already, and it seems like it was just a few days ago we saw the pineapple drop in Sarasota! 


We must start the year expressing thanks to God for his provision through our faithful monthly supporters and special gifts of generous donors, as we were able to end 2010 with a deficit of LESS THAN $2000 in our ministry account -- a dramatic improvement.  In fact, all Proclaim missionaries who have had serious deficits ended December with their deficit erased or significantly reduced.  This is confirmation that God’s resources are sure and he is not limited by this world’s economic climate.


Neither is he limited by this world’s political and social environment.  We see the troubles in North Africa that greatly impact plans that are in process for ministry this year, but know that God will open doors and accomplish his work.  In Proclaim we constantly have the challenge of making plans, but being prepared for those plans to change depending on world events, finances, or situations of our personnel or ministry partners. January is always a month of getting organized for the coming year and beginning to finalize schedules and plans, and it can be unsettling to not have more nailed down. But what we love is that we have no choice but to seek God daily for his direction and wisdom.


You can see why we treasure and depend on the partnership of those who seek God with us for his leading.


Contact us for an electronic copy of Jim's newsletter about ministry plans for February and March, or download at this link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?c4f9r6as8i16t3r