2008JeffJourney

Will You Consider...

October 21, 2009

...supporting God's call on this young woman?

K is busy this semester raising support for her two years at sea with Operation Mobilization. She is excited to report that she has reached the goal of her one time support! Thank you all who have supported her so far! As she goes forward, one time gifts are always welcome but her desire is to have a group of people who will partner with her in prayer and monthly support while she is away. As of today her need financially is about $850/month.

Lord willing she'll join the ship Logos Hope in late January 2010 after attending training in Germany with the ministry.  The ship will be docked in Montego Bay, Jamaica. When hearing this people often inquire whether this truly is a mission trip. She smiles but never wanes in her desire to be part of this ministry.  Below is a brief description of the goals and mission of the ministry. You can search the website for more information or talk to K. She'd love to hear from you!

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The mission of the ships' ministry according to their website (www.omships.org) is:

Our goal is to bring knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world. We do this by supplying vital literature resources, encouraging cross-cultural understanding, training young people for more effective life and service, providing needed relief, and sharing a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity.

The ships visit each port for several weeks each and open the gangways to hundreds and sometimes thousands of visitors each day. On average, over one million visitors have been welcomed onboard every year! The floating book fairs offer over 6,000 titles, providing many visitors their first-ever opportunity to purchase quality educational and Christian literature.

An international crew and staff of volunteers live and work on the ships. Teams from the ship go into surrounding areas to supply aid and community care. In each port, the ship's crew joins local churches to bring hope and show love to people whatever their circumstance, culture or background.

Logos Hope's itinerary  through April 2010

One Day In the Life of our Household

June 4, 2009

(Beware if you exhaust easy, this isn’t the post for you!)

7 a.m. The alarm goes off. (C’s already has been up walking in the rain.) A wakes up with asthma and needs a treatment to “feewl better.”

8:30 a.m. The first shift of VBS workers heads to church. J looks forward to his role as one of the Great Game Guys, E gears up for helping with the 4^th grade_- S is encouraged by the fellowship in the nursery with a godly woman who was the fourth of nine children.

9 a.m. K drives the elementary age kids to VBS and heads over to the office to finish the marathon printing and assembling of the Konos yearbooks.

11 a.m.  News arrives via email that K is officially accepted into the OM USA ministry!!!  Support raising is the next step. (The acceptance to OM Ships was official the next day!)

12 noon:  All head home for lunch where we are joined by C who tells us the mock up of his book, The Strategic Treasurer: A Partner for Growth has arrived. (follow the link to preorder your copy today.)

2 p.m. Friends arrive as 40 Konos yearbooks are still being printed and assembly begins.

S gets J’s passport and letter notarized allowing C to take J out of the country as they plan to leave for Canada in 2 weeks. D calls to report that he is SO close to meeting his math goals of his online math program to finish math for the year.

3 p.m. D has a playmate at the house, I leave as they are target practicing with bow and arrows.

J decides to create a new vehicle out of old bike & skateboard parts.

L&M opt for an afternoon of driving around with me in the car as A sleeps (asthma is better).

5 p.m. E goes to a meeting for planning their Cherokee mission trip. I head back to the grocery for the second time realizing I forgot ingredients for dessert for tonight’s meeting.

6 p.m. Quick chili dinner. Dessert made. Jobs partially completed. House looks like its been a dumping ground. D heads to scouts.

7 p.m.  Most of us go to the Konos Kaleidoscope:  the accomplishments of the 40+ high school students are recognized.  K wins 4^th place in virtual stock market competition for Economics class and her 3^rd novel is unveiled (She reminds her Dad often that this is her 3rd.)  K’s yearbook design skills meet approval from her classmates as they pour through and autograph their copies.  K has completed her years at Konos Academy!

10:30 The family reunites with D who earned 2 more BSA badges tonight, E who said the plans for Cherokee are going well and N who is still on the hunt for a job in the area.

11:00 Phew!  We hit our pillows knowing that the night will be short as our alarms will awake us for VBS early in the a.m.

Welcome to the OM Family...

May 22, 2009

K received a letter today welcoming her to the OM family and extending an offer of support over the next months of the journey.  As school winds down, she is excited about looking toward her next adventure.

Interview with a Soon to Be Sailor

March 7, 2009

The following is an interview with K who is back from her week with OM's Outbound.

**K and her tribe working together to get a photo in the fountain without anyone getting wet.

S: What is something that God taught you during the week?

K: The first meeting of the week was designed to teach us that every situation is not as we are going to expect it to be.  They asked the question, "Are you going to be able to worship God when the music is not what you are used to or the temperature is not what you are accustomed to?"  I thought it was a good lesson, and it gave me a different perspective on my own expectations.  I realized that I do have a certain level of expectations that I didn't think I had.

S: Tell us about someone who inspired you during the week?

K: Several missionaries were also there during Outbound.  I was able to talk to them a lot.  One of the missionaries was a man who served in southern Asia for 20 years with his family.  It was neat to hear his stories.  It was inspiring to see how they could give up the comfort of the familiar to go serve in a foreign country where they didn't know the language or the culture. 

S: Did you really spend the week sleeping in a room with 13 other girls?

K:  Yes.  We only had 2 bathrooms, but we all got along really well.  The first day I had to take a cold shower.... I found out later that I was not the only one.  More people took showers at night after that.

S: What was the most exciting part of the week?

K:  Wednesday we had what they call, "Living Experience" (L.E.).  My "tribe" (6 other Outbounders) and I rode in a van up to the ATL airport not knowing where we were headed or what we were going to do. Dropped off at the departure drop off area, we headed into the building searching for a lady in a jacket with the world map printed on it sitting at an eating area.  From her we received an envelope with further instructions.  We then launched into a big scavenger hunt through ATL.  One of the activities included was to find a business man, get his business card and for extra kudos we had to pick him up as he held our tribe's flag and a coke bottle.  My tribe got all the extra kudos we could as we traveled to Centennial Park on the Marta.  It was fun to be out of the OM meeting room and watching our team work really well together.

S: What was the most sobering part of the week?

K: It was all fun.

S: So do you still want to go on the ship?

K: Yes!

S: So what is next?

K: After I turn in my physical form, my placement advisor will send the paperwork to the OM Ship office in Europe for acceptance into the ship program.  After I am accepted there, I will begin to work on raising support.  If everything works out I am planning to leave in January 2010.  In Germany I will attend the GO conference for 2 weeks which prepares me for working with other cultures and adapting to new places.  From there I will fly to whereever the ship is and attend training specifically for the ship.

S: How can we pray for you?

K:  Please pray for me,
- that I will trust God to bring in my support.
- that I will be able to leave and have a good "ending" with my relationships here.
- that I will not procrastinate and will work diligently to complete my school work, especially my math.