GO, Canada!

Well, it wasn't easy at times, but our Toronto GO! TEAM made it out of Orange County and into Canada! We took off Friday morning from LAX with no problem, making a connection in Chicago. That ongoing flight was delayed an hour (no big deal)and we made it into Toronto by 10:00 pm. Edmundo Lucido, the admin pastor of Churchill Meadows Christian Church (our host) met us there and took us to pick up the car we rented. Once onto the freeway, we got ready for the 20+ minute trip to nearby Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto with a population of more than 700,000. However, even through it was a late Friday night, freeway construction squeezed everything down to a choke point (one lane), and our short jaunt took nearly two hours! Weary but undeterred, we made it to our accommodations, met our hosts and settled in for a short time of rest.

Saturday began with a great breakfast time with Jim Tune, senior pastor of CMCC and president of Impact Canada (the church planting organization with whom we partner). He clued us into the spiritual situation in Canada, the heart of Impact Canada and the beginnings of CMCC. We even got to sample REAL Canadian bacon, called peameal bacon. Wow! What a difference from our faux product in the US!

We took off from there for our one free day outing- a drive to Niagara Falls, about a 60-mile drive through beautiful countryside.

The Falls was an unbelievable display of God's handiwork and we were blessed to take it in. But the evening was even better. We got back to the church about 5:30 and bumped into the Polish church plant pastor, who meets with his small group on campus. Gregory invited us to meet with his group that evening, as they were gathering to watch a Joni Ericson DVD in Polish. We were so blessed by our time with these believers! So much sharing of life and encouragement between us all, even with language limitations. The four of us agreed that this was even greater than what we had experienced earlier in the day.

Sunday's two services at CMCC were outstanding. This congregation, newly moved into its current outrageously outstanding facility, numbers about 600- that's mega-church size in Canada. And the ethnic/cultural diversity is overwhelming. At least 46 nations or people groups are represented in the church, all moving and working together as one, and all for God's glory. It's like looking at a small piece of heaven when they gather to worship!

Jim and his wife, Claudia, took us to an Indian dinner where they shared their story, and we were able to see their heart for God and His Kingdom. It was challenging to hear them and know that the burden they have, not just for their city, but for their country and world, is one that needs to be shared by each of us if we're going to complete the task of proclaiming the good news message to all peoples in all places.

Our opening weekend was a great one. And the week promises to be even greater. We'll fill you in on it as it happens- will you remember to lift us in prayer? Specifically ask the Father that we would have opportunity and courage to share with those who need to know the Lord's love. Thanks! More soon...

Rock the Moat!

We arrived in one (stiff!) piece yesterday in Globe, ready to work with Arizona Reservation Ministries (ARM). We went out on the "fun bus," which is what the kids call it, and had probably 40+ onboard for Bible lesson, games, crafts and snacks. Then we played with them on the playground, avoiding the myriad of glass shrapnel until sunset.

Today we began with a prayer journey, where Diana Lawrence, co-director of ARM, drove us through several of the rez neighborhoods, shared stories and gave us items to pray for. There are always tears in our eyes before we're finished because the situation is so difficult for us to wrap our heads around. And yet we know we need to hear it all, to enter into some level of understanding that we didn't have before, and to feel for a people's plight in a real and ongoing way.

After the prayers, four of the team left to work on a house being built with/for an Apache family. The rest of us found the rock pile on ARM's property. We spent the better part of the day moving rocks to fill giant baskets being set into a bridge. The bridge is being built to access the property across a culvert that fill during the rains. But the county is requiring that the bridge be built according to specs designed for a hundred-year flood that hasn't happened in...well, awhile. I'm telling you, if a nuclear holocaust hits, the cockroaches that we're told will survive will do so by being on this bridge, because it's not going anywhere!

We're tired tonite. Tired, sore and full of questions about circumstances that are so much greater than we can change. It's obvious the answers to needs around us here won't be solved by governments (ours or theirs), or better economics. The deeper issues sure seem to be spiritual, and if that's true, there's only one person who can make that difference. And I'm thankful He's working in ways that are going to produce change in lives. Not just theirs, but ours as well, as we continue to connect with life here.



Thanks for the prayers. Please lift us up tomorrow, as we are helping host a "Family Fun Day" in a local park. We're looking for 150-200 kids and adults to come and spend time laughing, sharing and finding a ray of hope in the midst of much struggle. We want to be difference-makers for people who mean so much to their Heavenly Father. Pray that we will be just that.


- Posted far too late at night because we ran all day.

Location:San Carlos Apache Reservation

GO! Team Heading to San Carlos

Our next Global Outreach (GO!) Team is getting ready to hit the road this Thursday morning, bound for the San Carlos Apache Reservation and Arizona Reservation Ministry, located in Globe (about 90 mi. east of Phoenix).  ARM has been working since 2002 with the San Carlos Apache, building houses, ministering to kids on the youth buses, and connecting with Apache leaders and believers on the reservation.

There are 12 of us on this team, and our hope will be to spend time with kids, help with home-building (some of us do worse at that than others!), help host a picnic/family day on Saturday, and return on Sunday.  Please keep us in prayer as we drive, serve, share, and learn lessons God has waiting for us.  There is great spiritual warfare in this place and an unusually abundant supply of hopelessness among adults and youth alike.  Pray that our lives, our words, and our actions will demonstrate the hope of Jesus in a way that will make people want to know more. We'll update you as we go, both here and on Facebook.

Looking Again at Kenya

Thought you might enjoy a couple of short video clips taken while we were in Kenya.  One is of Pastors Josh (from Parkcrest), William ( from Masii) and me while walking in Masii town.  The other is from the top of our vehicle as we bumped through the Maasai Mara on a beautiful Saturday afternoon safari.  Hope you enjoy them!

Oh, Kenya!

It's just hard to believe.  Hard to believe we've been back from Kenya for a little more than a week now.  It seems like we were just there, yet in some ways it seems like a long time ago.  Guess that's the way these experiences usually play themselves out in our lives.  And yet, even though Kenya may seem a million miles away at times, there are memories and lessons we gathered there that will be close to our hearts as long as we draw breath.

We learned about trust in God and finding our satisfaction in his grace, regardless of what we have or don't have.  About the ways he takes care of us, even in the hardest of struggles.  About showing hospitality and warmth to strangers who come and stay awhile.  And about taking care of each other, because that's the one debt we owe on a daily basis.

We had the chance to serve in ways that may have been outside our comfort zones, and we discovered that it wasn't as tough as we thought it was going to be.  We learned to work outside our cultural parameters, stretching in new ways and finding newly appropriate methods for sharing the love and message of God.  And we even picked up some new vocabulary terms, some in Kiswahili and some in Kikamba- just ask Samaki (aka Jeremy) how to say "fish!"

As much as anything else, we saw firsthand the impact and power of a ministry like Tumaini.  Children and families with little or no hope have found a new outlook and future for themselves.  They have a reason to persevere, and reason to hope again.  And we get to continue to be a part of it all.  

You need to know that $35 monthly sponsors a Kenyan AIDS orphan.  This provides the bulk of educational and material needs for a child, and makes a more promising tomorrow a reality.  You may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world of one family for about a dollar a day.  Would you consider becoming a sponsor, if you haven't done so already?  Find out more at www.tumainiinternational.org.  

Here are some pictures of one the greatest trips we've ever taken!

Daktari Ron with local dental license

Sharing with hooch-makers in "Kosovo"

Oh, those lazy kings!

Louise, Wambua, & the home we'll rebuild

The 3 Preaching Amigos- Josh, William, & Mike

The boys in Nairobi- Bill, Daktari Ron & Josh

Watching the elephants was a sacred experience!

Delivering food to a Tumaini family

"Fast Mary" beating the local boy!

Our Kenyan Home Stretch

It's happened again.  Just like in other trips, the finish line has snuck up on us and we're looking at completing our experience almost as quickly as we began.


We wrapped up our work in Masii on Friday and said our good-byes. That was a tough one. One little street girl, Vicky, grabbed Josh's fingers and refused to let go.  I thought I heard his heart break in that moment.  And when other kids were waving and cheering as we pulled out, Vicky held her head in her hands and refused to look. We felt much the same.


After spending that night in Nairobi, we caught a flight to Maasai Mara in the southwest part of Kenya, for a couple of days of real safari. And I can tell you that this experience is unparalleled with anything I've ever done. We've gotten up close and personal with lions, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, giraffes, buffalo and zebra, to name a few. But you know, as overwhelming as this has been, processing and wrapping our hearts and minds around what we experienced in Nairobi and Masii is an even greater challenge for us.


We debriefed again last night about what we've been through and agreed that God provided so much in such a short period of time that we haven't been able to sort it all out yet.  But we did agree that Tumaini is doing a great job of not only providing AIDS orphan sponsorship, but of hope for the future as well.  That the Kenyan people need the love of God in a real way, and are very open to receiving it.  That Tumaini's use of holistic ministry is key to presenting the gospel to east Africa in a way that makes sense. And that we want to keep ridin' the Tumaini bus as it rolls on down this road.


Thanks to all of you who have given, prayed, encouraged and followed this team in any way the last few weeks.  You are part of this experience and we appreciate your place in our lives.  We still have some miles to go before we touch down at LAX Tuesday afternoon at 12:40, so keep praying for us. That we'll have the chance to share with one more person about God's love and hope for them.  That we'll learn just one more lesson.  That we'll hear God's voice one more time.


And that maybe we'll see just one more lion.

A Voice in Kenya

I heard God's voice today.



Our devotional booklet has focused on learning to hear the voice of God, and I've been working on that during the trip. Before leaving for home visits this morning, I asked God specifically to help me hear his voice today. Our visitations to Tumaini kids and their families took us to a number of homes, some of them with very little. But one was different than the others.

Louise is a grandmother raising her two grandchildren, Rachel and Wambua, because their mom died several years ago through HIV AIDS. Dad's still around, but is sickly and probably has the disease as well. In addition to this loss, Louise has lost other children, one who died giving birth and others to AIDS. She is a faithful believer, a widow, and probably more than 70 years old. She struggles just to make sure her family is taken care of. And Tumaini helps.

Her home consists of a few brick and mud structures that appear little more than small storage sheds. But she and the kids have used them for shelter since last April. It was during heavy rains then that another small brick and mud structure in which they were sleeping began to collapse. Some of the walls gave way in the downpour as the children began screaming, "We're dead! We're dead!" Somehow, walls that should have fallen on them didn't and they were spared.

As Louise shared her story and we surveyed the half-collapsed home, Stanley said quietly to me, "Tumaini doesn't typically involve itself in building homes, but I believe God wants us to rebuild this one." It was then God spoke to my heart and said, "You- you and people you know- make sure this home is redone and this family is safe." I stood there quietly considering the situation. How could we not? I acknowledged what I believed I heard, told Stanley what God had laid on my heart, and asked how much it would cost. He said he would have estimates and a man ready to begin in a couple of days, but he thought it should be about $700. I calmly thought, "Our missions budget can probably afford that."

Then I heard God's voice again. "No," he clearly told me, "Not just from your budget. I want greater awareness and ownership from others. I want you to ask and involve people."

Really. That's what he told me.

So there it is. I believe with all my heart God heard my prayer this morning and spoke to me. It's not exactly what I was expecting (I'm not sure just what I was expecting), but he spoke. And I'm kinda excited, because he's either spoken, speaking, or going to speak to someone else about his or her part in this. If you think God might be speaking to you, let me know. Soon. More rains are on the way and this family needs assistance before something else falls.

It's not about the money. It's about listening. And responding. I'm trying to hear him and follow what I believe he's saying to me. It's not always easy. Too many voices, too many distractions, too much talking on my part. But I know something for sure tonight.

I heard God's voice today.