I really appreciated this update from our teammates Kent & Myrna. Please read: The definition for despair is: 1) To lose all hope; 2) To be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat… More and more we are seeing refugees who are “living lives of quiet desperation” (Henry David Thoreau). A few days… [Read more…]
September 30, 2011
Our team spent last weekend together for a few days of strategic planning. As the busy fall/winter ministry season comes full on, we focused our hearts once again on Jesus and discussed how we can better follow Him on mission in the coming ministry year. We talked through yearly priorities, brainstormed specific goals and metrics,… [Read more…]
July 18, 2011
Wow – I can hardly believe that it is already late July! Where did the summer go? I guess that’s what happens when you head back to the States for four weeks in mid-June. Anyhow, I thought that it would be appropriate to catch you up on the happenings of the summer thus far (even… [Read more…]
May 27, 2011
Happy Friday! I hope that your week is going well. We’re back in Athens this week, after spending a long weekend in northern Greece for our Spring Retreat. Thanks for your prayers. It was a time of great refreshment and team building. Our teammates Kent and Myrna Morley taught on “The Five Love Languages” on… [Read more…]
May 18, 2011
Please keep praying for our family, our team, and the ministry. 1 – God redeems the broken; He rescues the lost; He saves sinners. Celebrate with us: two Afghan brothers were baptized yesterday! Praise God for His work in the lives of these brothers (check out their testimonies here and here). However, for anyone from… [Read more…]
February 21, 2011
The last three months have been tough. I love our team; I love the ministry; I love what God is doing in us and through us. However, I’ve also come to realize that I’m working outside of my primary gifts and strengths. This simple fact has worn me down. In these last three months, I’ve… [Read more…]
February 7, 2011
Last week was certainly an adventure, at least as far as transportation is concerned. I’ll spare you the details, but cut-backs to the transportation budget have led to wide-spread striking by all forms of public transit. The buses, trains, and trolleys each called strikes throughout the week (and will quite possibly continue into this week)!… [Read more…]
December 27, 2010
I spent a weekend in Elmira, Ontario (Canada) earlier this month. About an hour outside of Toronto, Elmira is home to the offices of International Teams – Canada. [A very quick explanation for the uninitiated: International Teams sends out 1200 missionaries to over 200 teams around the world (in 66 countries, to be exact). The… [Read more…]
November 26, 2010
Happy Friday! We hope that everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. Since Thursday is a workday, we celebrated with our teammates on Monday evening. We’re thankful for so much… not least our amazing team here and our loving support team around the world. Really, we thank God for you! Here are some photos from our celebration. … [Read more…]
October 1, 2010
Happy Friday… and happy October! Or, as they say here, ΚΑΛΟ ΜΗΝΑ (ka-lo me-na) – roughly “have a good month.” As we posted on Tuesday, we spent last weekend at our fall vision/planning retreat. We had a great time away together as a team. It is encouraging to see how far we’ve come (by God’s… [Read more…]
September 28, 2010
Every fall our team gets out of the city together for a long weekend of planning and prioritizing. We just returned yesterday from a lovely time together outside of Patras, Greece. Would you continue to pray for our team as we seek to offer our very best in God’s work here? Our 2010-2011 priorities: 1… [Read more…]
July 14, 2010
I stole this chart from Tony Morgan. I find it challenging; it pushes me to be a better leader. But I still struggle to put this “right people” leadership into practice. My sinful heart is naturally attracted to the control of the task-focused leadership. My default assumption is that people need my instruction and oversight… [Read more…]
June 9, 2010
Saying goodbye is hard to do. And yet this month, our team is saying goodbye to two dear families. The Cottrell family (pictured above, with one addition, our non-Cottrell friend Susan in the purple) is getting ready to relocate to Glasgow to love and serve refugees alongside local Scottish churches. They will be serving with… [Read more…]
June 4, 2010
Happy Friday! We had a great time last weekend at our team retreat. It was a refreshing time of worship, fellowship, study, and rest. Here are some pictures to that end. Enjoy! Fellowship Time, as demonstrated here by teammates (L to R) Christy, Tasha, and Susie. Teaching; our friend George Adam (a local pastor) reminded… [Read more…]
June 2, 2010
Our team has two retreats each year. Our fall retreat is all business (vision casting, strategic planning, etc.)… but our spring retreat is just about connecting and equipping: connecting with God and each other; getting equipped for effective ministry. This year we found a hotel about 90 minutes outside of Athens on the island of… [Read more…]
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October 3, 2011
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