Catching Up & Updated Schedule
April 30, 2010
Dear Partners,
We looked at the calendar today and realized that April was at an end and we
hadn't sent out an update since February! There are a couple of possibilities
for future ministry that we want to share with you, but they are just not to
the announcement stage yet. So, we kept thinking that any day we'd have
something to report, and my how the days have flown by. So, news or no news,
it's time to report.
As many of you know, we've been "on the road" most of our furlough.
We've shared our story with supporting churches and individual supporters
around the U.S. We have also taken every opportunity to speak at new churches.
For the last few months, we've concentrated on California and Nevada. With the
exception of Easter Sunday, we have been in a different church every Sunday
since we last wrote, and have been part of many mid-week breakfasts or dinners.
We have spoken at two week-long missions conferences and have attended
activities and made our presentation at five churches in the San Diego area. These
churches are part of the United Methodist Church's "Russian
Initiative," a program in which UMC's in the US financially support UMC's
in Russia. What a joy to meet with brothers and sisters in Christ who have been
praying for and supporting the very churches we worked with and fell in love
with in Far East Russia! How blessed we are by God!
It is our hope that we will be able to visit Far East Russia for one month in either August or September. Steve will present a leadership seminar
for pastors and church leaders. This training is designed to train leaders, who
in turn will train other leaders, who will in turn train other leaders….. The
idea is that pastors and church leaders all over Far East Russia will benefit from this one seminar as it is duplicated and spread by those who have
already attended. The training will be based on training being given by the
International Leadership Institute (ILI). Steve will be attending the ILI
Conference in Houston in early May and will share this in Russia IF we can
raise the funds to travel to Russia. The reality is that our support has
dropped significantly over the past year, and so far, our travels around the
many churches have not increased that support nearly enough. We ask you to pray
for God's provision through the people and churches He chooses. If you are led
by God to help sponsor us for this one month renewal of our Russian ministry,
please send a special donation in to the Mission Society. Since we don't want
the them to have to do the extra work of setting up a special account, if you
are donating for this special trip, just send us an e-mail and let us know the
amount you've sent. If we can raise $5,000, we can make the trip in September.
We have collected $500 of the needed support already.
So, why are we trying to raise special funds to travel to Russia? Because we will be relocating to a new field soon (?) and need our regular support
in order to prepare for an entire new country and a "vision trip" to
acquaint ourselves with the new field and what it will require for us to serve
there. There simply is not enough funding available for us to do that and
travel to Russia for a month as well.
New field? What's with that? Some of you have heard of this possibility, but I
know that for some others, this is the first you've heard! You know that
difficult visa requirements made it impossible for us to continue to live and
minister in Far East Russia. Well, March 1, Kazakhstan passed new visa laws
that are even more restrictive than Russia's! That means we cannot continue to
minister in Kazakhstan either. That means that we are currently
"missionaries without a country!" In preparation for relocating to a
new field, we have attended training recently on presenting the Gospel to
Muslims, and most recently on sharing the Gospel with Hindus.
As the Regional Coordinator for Asia for the Mission Society, Steve will meet
soon with representatives of a missions effort which is endeavoring to spread
the Gospel to unreached people groups in Asia. If an agreement seems
appropriate, a new partnership will be developed. It is quite possible that we
would move to this field in Asia and establish the working relationships that
others from our agency could join. We ask you to pray that God's Will be
understood and acted on. We also ask that you pray that we can see the
situation with God's eyes and heart.
Back in 1999, we went forward at Family Camp at Redwood Christian Park and made
a covenant with God: If He would call, we would go. Though time has passed and
political developments have shut us out of two countries now, our original
covenant stands: if God calls, we will go – wherever, whenever, to whomever,
doing whatever!
We hope to have an announcement of our new field and ministry in the next month
or two at the latest. When we know for sure, you will know as quickly as we can
communicate.
In the meantime, we continue to travel around the state. Below is our updated
schedule through July. Look it over and see if we might be coming to a place
near you. We'd love to have you come join us, hear what's been going on with
our ministry, and collect a big hug – Russian style!
____________
MAY
2 Morning Services Aldersgate UMC, Chico CA
16 Morning Service St. Paul's UMC, Reno NV
16 Evening Potluck Church of the Mountains UMC, Truckee
19 Evening Community Dinner Quincy UMC, Quincy CA
23 Morning Services First UMC of Lemoore, Lemoore CA
26 Evening Dinner Trinity UMC, Anderson CA
30 Morning Service Gold Country Parish, Meadow Vista UMC
JUNE
13 Morning Service Atwater UMC, Atwater CA
16-17 Annual Conference Sacramento CA
20 Morning Service Hughson UMC, Hughson CA
JULY
11-17 Family Camp, Redwood Christian Park, Boulder Creek, CA
We don't know exactly what the next chapter of our service to Him will be like,
or even where it will take place. However, there is one thing that we DO know:
We are simply the arms and legs for each, and all, of you! Your faithfulness to
God's call to spread the Gospel by praying for us and supporting us financially
is the only way we can act on His call to serve. Without you, we cannot go. We
are partners – serving together in the vineyards of the Master. We thank God
for all of you daily. We are amazingly blessed by God to have you as part of
our lives and our work. Thank you so very, very much.
Grace and peace, Blessings and hugs,
Pastor Steve and Carol
To contact us:
Physical address in the US: 2945 Silo Court, Anderson, CA 96007
Home phone: (530) 365-0365
Steve's cell in the US: 510-648-9832
Carol's cell in the US: 510-648-9875
To send a donation or sign up for monthly support:
The Mission Society, PO Box 922637, Norcross, GA 30010 (800)478-8963
Note that donation is for: Johnson Support 4/283/UA