Summer Encounters with God.

I was 15 years old when I first went to Youth Camp. To say that I was totally unprepared for the experience would be an understatement. It seems that year the camp was desperately short of staff for Kids camp. They we’re so in need of staff that the DYD, we called them D-CAP back then for “District CA President” which was short for “District Christ Ambassador’s President”… yeah, DYD is much better, called his mother-in-law for anyone who might have a pulse and was a Christian to come help. A short time later I found myself on a Greyhound bus bound for Marianna Florida and the West Florida Camp Grounds.

After that amazing experience where I saw kids as young as nine years old being saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and called into the ministry I was hooked on Youth Camp. Every summer afterward I would go and spend as many weeks as I could as a staffer at kid’s camp then a camper at teen camp. When I was old enough I would spend five weeks during the summer at camp as staff for both kids and youth camps.

It was at camp where God changed my life so amazingly. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at youth Camp; I was called into the ministry at youth camp; and I was directed to Southeastern to prepare for the ministry at youth camp. Perhaps you or a member of your family had a summer encounter with God.

Unfortunately many of our Missionary Kids do not have an opportunity to have a those Summer Encounters with God. During the time they are on the field there is no youth camp, and when they are back in the states itinerating they are traveling many long miles with their parents to help raise their budget to go back to the field.

Anna and I are so excited that in July of 2010 we will be having the first ever Southern Europe MK camp! As you can imagine it can be quite a logistical challenge to coordinate a camp for the various countries where we have MKs. The cost of getting the kids to camp can be quite a challenge as well. However our Area Director has approved a special project account for us to be able to help our Missionary Kids with events such as camps, retreats and ministry trips.

Can you help a missionary Kid have a Summer Encounter with God with a onetime gift or a monthly pledge? Could your youth group or kids church “adopt” an MK and sponsor them for their Summer Encounter with God? Perhaps there are some people in your church willing to help. If so, you can donate through your church, please specify that you would like to help SEMK (Southern Europe Missionary Kids) Account # 2509156 (class 60) 9373. Or you can call Contributor services toll free at 1-877-840-4800. When you call be sure to give them that huge account number 2509156 (class 60) 9373.

Through your financial help and fervent prayers, we believe that this July 2010, many MK’s will have a Summer Encounter with God! Thank you!

Staying Connected

In an effort to communicate with our friends, family and ministry partners we have migrated our email newsletter management to Mail Chimp. If you would like to be sure that you continue to receive the our latest news and updates, or if you have an alternate email address you would like for it to go to, please complete the form below. Only your name and email are absolutely necessary, but the other information is helpful to Anna and I as well. If your email is already on our mailing list, when you submit the form it will result in an error stating that your email is already on the list. Rest assured that this information is only accessible to Anna and myself and we will not be sharing it with anyone. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Here is the link http://europeyouth.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=1bdc6cd2a8f99797bc49b369d&id=b604fd2ae6

Another Season of Transition

The last few months have been very busy. We recently completed another term of language school and the children are now finished with school for the summer. Thank you for your prayers for our Southern Europe retreat in Italy. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet our missionary kids and their families. In a short weekend the MK’s shared with us their desire to have camps, retreats and ministry opportunities.

We continue to form friendships with our neighbors. As we listen to their struggles we are able to show His love and pray with them. One evening while talking with my dear neighbor, she asked how a loving God could allow pain and suffering. She said she knew I would tell her the truth even if it was hard to accept. It was an amazing opportunity to go through scripture with her and allow the Spirit to reveal the truth.

We now enter another season of transition. Language learning will continue, but now we begin to organize and plan ministry for the upcoming months. There are many areas that need prayer. First, the school that our children attend, Evangelical Christian Academy (www.ecaspain.com), is in need of teachers. If you have a burden or know of someone who has a heart to work with missionary kids this is a great opportunity. Next, we need wisdom, creativity, and funds as we plan retreats, camps and missions trips for our MK’s. Finally, we believe that God has brought some amazing families in our lives that need Him. Pray with us that their hearts will continue to be open to receive the truth.
~Anna

The Mission Field Needs YOU

In Madrid there is a school for Missionary Kids called Evangelical Christian Academy (or ECA for Short). If you are a teacher and you love Missions and MK's ECA can use you! You wanted to know how God could use you on the Mission field right? Well here's how! Contact ECA through their web site http://www.ecaspain.com/eca/ or drop me an email for more information!

Sunday at the Police Station.

Today started out like any ordinary Sunday... running around at the last minute to find a kids lost shoe, ironing the shirt that's more wrinkled than Methuselah, and rushing out the door 5 minutes late. We've only been to this new church a few times so we use the GPS (affectionately named Tommy)to get there and back. (Being a country boy, I don't do Cities very well).

We get to the church, park and find a seat. The sermon was a Narrative delivered by an Argentine lady in the role of a little girl. It was well delivered, and I even understood it was about David and Goliath! When we left the church things got a bit more interesting. (You're wondering about the police station part aren't ya).

We got to the car only to discover that someone had smashed one of our windows and ransacked the car. The made of with Tommy, Josh's Nintendo SP and a bunch of games he just bought yesterday at a Rastrillo (think community yard sale), and my ipod recharger / play thru the radio thing. On a side note, when we leave stuff in the car it's well hidden, event the cables and mounts. But now we'll leave nothing in the car.

You know, Christians are awesome people, and our Missionaries are super awesome. I asked Mark Cannon what I should do. This dude, who is suffering from kidney stones by the way, asked help from two other christian brothers and the three of them escorted Anna and I to two police stations to file the report (turns out you have to go to a different type of police depending if your, mugged, robbed, etc.) In the mean time Ellen Cannon, Marks awesome wife, took the kids home and fed them Sunday lunch/dinner. When Emily Cannon (Mark and Ellen's beautiful daughter) found out that Josh had his SP stolen she gave him her SP... dudes, I almost cried. Then one of Josh's friend's, Stephen Jolly, came over and gave him a game!

So tomorrow we call the insurance and file the report and see what's covered, and then try to get the window fixed. But in spite of everything, God is in control.

Remember when I mentioned the clutch died on the car a week or so ago? That same day when it was repaired I met our neighbors. Today he came over and helped me with some stuff around the house and his kids played with ours and Anna and I visited with them for a few hours at house! God is opening all kinds of marvelous and wonderful doors. So a window got broke, so Tommy was kidnapped (GPS-napped?) and I'll get lost every time I look at Madrid, so what? God is at work, and he's opening some really cool doors.

Missonary Adventures (Part 4)

What does your intrepid missionary do when his STL vehicle is in the shop and cup cakes must be delivered to a classroom full of ravenous, foaming at the mouth, first grader, Missionary Kids? He improvises, overcomes, and adapts!

Here you see your missionary displaying his indomitable spirit as he shows of his custom made Cup Cake Delivery Device (CCDD) made from high quality material that was liberated from a nearby dumpster and attached with zip-ties. The only thing needed to complete the CCDD is a little duct-tape.

However the maiden run of the CCDD was postponed. Just as the CCDD was to roll into action, two of our AG Missionaries (Shawn and Deb Gaylen) drove in and rescued, I mean, picked up Anna to safely deliver her and the goodies to the famished MK’s.

But seriously… what did missionaries do before STL? We’ve done a lot of walking, & bike riding over the past few days. THANK YOU STL, youth pastors, pastors and Students for all you do!

God at the Panaderia

We rejoice over the opportunities for ministry that have opened in our little town. In October I ran out of bread as we were preparing to go on an outing to a castle. Tony & Josh went to our local bakery, but the bread wasn’t ready. Tony began to help the baker and talk with him while he waited. As he was preparing to leave a Spanish lady walked in and heard his Spanish and wanted to know how long he had been living in Spain and where he was from. She then asked if he would be interested in coming and possibly helping at the English school she recently opened. She soon called us and we scheduled a time to meet. The school was started so that children in the community could come and receive help with English grammar and conversation. Since January I have been teaching a small group of Spanish children age’s 11-13 English conversation two nights a week. Tony tutors teens one night a week. A wonderful friendship has been formed with the director of the school. My friend is a wife, mother of three children, successful professor and attorney. It would appear that she has a wonderful life. Recently she shared personal heartache her family has experienced. With tears in my eyes, I listened as she poured out her heart. She said I was different than her other friends and wanted to know if the Assembly of God has helped me. It was the perfect opportunity to share with her about Jesus. The hour was late but she looked at me and said, “Anna, I don’t think it was an accident that I met Tony in the Bakery that day, it was His plan that we meet.”

I stand in awe at how God orchestrates every step we take. We have recently moved and found that our friend lives around the corner. We are also building friendships with other Spanish families in the neighborhood. Please agree with us in prayer that the Spirit will continue to lead us and that we will continue to find favor with our neighbors.

Another reason why your prayers matter to us.

Because we are US citizens and we've registered with the US embassy here in Spain, we receive notices via email from time to time. Here is a portion of the latest one we received.

On February 8, the Spanish Supreme Court banned two Basque political parties, D3M and Askatasuna, from participating in the upcoming regional elections in March.
On the morning of February 9, a bomb, believed to be the work of the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorist organization, exploded at the Campo de las Naciones in Madrid. There are also media reports of violence in the Basque region the night of 6 February when commuter trains and buses were set on fire.

ETA remains active in Spain, and further attacks are a possibility in the period leading up to the March 1 regional elections. ETA generally provides advance warning of its attacks and has historically avoided targeting foreigners, instead directing its attacks against the police, military, local politicians, and Spanish government targets, as well as attempting to disrupt transportation and daily life; however, foreigners have been killed or injured collaterally in ETA attacks despite advance warning. Two examples of this are the Barajas Airport bombing in December 2006, in which two Ecuadorian nationals were killed, and the bombing at the University of Navarre in October 2008, in which 17 students were injured, including one American student. In addition, bombs have been used as part of criminal extortion of businesses, particularly in the Basque region.

The risk of “being in the wrong place at the wrong time” in event of an ETA action is a concern for foreign visitors and tourists. U.S. citizens living or traveling to Spain should remain vigilant, exercise caution, monitor local developments, and avoid demonstrations and other potentially violent situations.

While this may not have even been reported back home, it kind of hits close to home for us. We live about 30 kilometers from where this took place, and we often go to Madrid for doctor's appointments, government appointments and the like. Thank you for your prayers. We know that they make a difference. We know that the Lord hears you and everything is in His hands. Your prayers literally make a difference in our lives and in the lives of other missionaries all over the world.

Missonary Adventures (Part 3)

Back to our story...

My first post ended like this.

"Since this appointment is what keeps us legally in Spain, as we were driving away from the police station I called our legal representative Silvia so that she can make another appointment for us.

As it turns out, God had some cool things planed (doesn't he always)..."

I explained the situation to Silvia she asked us, "Where are you now?
"About 2 kilometers from the police station on our way home." I replied.
"I'm at the police station now, come back and we can at least get the kids done." She said.

So we turned around and saw Silvia at the corner near the police station and we dropped off the kids. Unable to find a place to park after about 20 minuets I double park and we call Silvia to check on her and the kids.

"Tony, come back and bring Anna to the door. I talked to the people inside and she can sit inside in the heat and wait." Silvia informed us. So Anna, feeling a bit better told me to drive her to the station.

I drop off Anna at the station and Silvia and the kids were waiting for her by the door. Again I go off to find a parking place. I prayed, "Lord, I could really use a parking spot close to the police station. And the Lord provided it. It was a space about two inches wider than the car between a truck and a van. Since the mirrors on our STL car fold in, I was able to get in the parking spot, but it was difficult for me to get out of the car.

Twenty min. or so later Anna called and said, "Come get us." "What's the matter baby are you feeling sick again?", I asked. "No" she replied, "We're done!" "Done? How can you be done? There are over 300 people in line before you?", I asked. "Come get us and I'll tell you in the car."

So I squeezed the car out of it's tiny spot and in five min. I had Anna, the kids, and Silvia in the car and on our way out of Madrid. As I drove Anna filled me in on the rest of the details.

Apparently Silvia knows everyone at the police station and she just took their papers and walked to the front of the line. She took care of all the paper work and even finger printed Bekah when she was scared of the police (they had rubber gloves on and she thought they might try to do a blood draw).

The Lord is so wonderful. Had we missed the appointment it would have been 2-3 months before we could have gotten another one, and as missionaries it's important we get that National ID card with our residence number. God had everything in control. He had Silvia at the right place at the right time, and she was able to take care of everything. Isn't God cool?

Missonary Adventures (Part 2)

Well today I was supposed to tell ya everything else that's been going on but I must ask your indulgence for another day or so. Today we moved into our new house that has considerably less fungus :) It was quite an experience since we just had to dump stuff into boxes and suit cases.

We found out last night at 7:30 PM (Madrid Time) that we would be able to get the new house, this was fantastic news, since there was some doubt on this issue when we met with the landlord the night before. So today the movers came. A BIG shout out to the Madrid International Church Masters Commission Students who came out and lent us a hand and to our incredible MA Ashely. When she saw the all the mold in the house her response was, "You've been living in this!" (Ashley's a tough cookie, and if it grosses her out, it's pretty gross."

More later, we are dead tired, still a bit under the weather and desperate for a shower. If we can only find the box that has our clean "unmentionables" in it...

But it's all good. God is so wonderful to bless us with a clean, health place to live in.

Missonary Adventures (Part 1)

Oh, the glamorous live of a missionary! I say that tongue-in-cheek because some people think that a missionaries life is always full of adventure and excitement. While I can honestly say that our missionary journey is never dull, the exciting part is not often what some may imagine. Here's some of our recent journey...

For the past month I've had this cold that hasn't been getting any better, I finally went to the Doctor and found out I had a upper respiratory infection. He gave me some big gun antibiotics to knock it out and soon as I started feeling better, Anna gets the "fungus". I say "fungus" because we think the cause of our illnesses (cold/flu symptoms, muscle cramps, general "blah" feelings) is that our house is moldy. During a time of big rain the roof leaked and the ceiling got wet. Since then we have this mold farm growing in our bed room. All around the windows and in the corners of the room, it's pretty nasty and damp to boot.

We reported it to the landlord who had some guy come out and spray some smelly stuff on the roof. Weeks later, still mold, still damp, still sick. So we find that a house is becoming available in our area and we give our notice to vacate this house so we can move into the new house... more on this tomorrow.

Meanwhile, as part of our visa / residence process we have to get finger printed to get our national ID cards. This is done by appointment. You receive a letter in the mail telling you what day to come get it done. So you show up and wait in line with hundreds of other people some who have been waiting in line since 10:00 PM the night before! If your at the end of the line and they decide they are done for the day you have to reschedule your appointment for months later. So pretty much it's an all day affair.

Anna and the kids had their appointment on the 20th of this month. We get their at 9:30 (the place opens up at 9:00) and get in line behind 300 or so people. It's extremely cold and the line is moving slow when Anna gets dizzy and has to sit down. The only place to sit is in the muddy ground. She tosses down the blanket she was holding and plops down. She insists she's ok and so we stay in line occasionally moving closer and closer to the gate that lets us into the police compound.

We're about 50 yards from the gate when Anna finds a relatively clean piece of wood to sit on (about 2'x3")I turn around to talk to Bekah and when I turn back to Anna she's lying down on the wood. Our conversation went something like this...

Me - "Anna we need to get you home."
Anna - (in a feeble voice) "I can make it..."
Me - "Baby, your laying down on a tiny piece of wood in a sea of mud and filth, we need to go home."
Anna - (in a feeble voice) "I can make it..."
Me - "We are going home."
Anna - (in a feeble voice) "ok..."

We get her to a mostly clean piece of mud in the parking lot near where I can pull the car up to pick her up. The area is blocked off except for police vehicles and we are parked about 6-8 blocks away. Lizzy stays with Anna and I rush back to the car with Josh and Becka.

While I'm away the police keep coming up to Anna who is sprawled out on the pavement and they keep asking her (in Spanish) "Are you ok? Do we need to call an ambulance?" And Anna (in her Yoda Spanish) is telling them "Yes, Are you ok. My Husband go get car." (We are still learning past tense verbs and she was forgetting to conjugate her response).

I finally get to the car and head down the closed road when the police stop me and ask me what I'm doing. Please keep in mind we've only been in school for a short time and I think I said in my Tarzan Spanish, "Mi mujer esta infermo." Which means "My woman is sick" (In Spain that is the correct way to refer to ones wife). He let me pass and we get her in the car and start to head for home.

Since this appointment is what keeps us leagaly in Spain, as we were drving away from the police station I called our legal represntive Siliva so that she can make another apointment for us.

As it turns out, God had some cool things planed (doesn't he always)... Wanna know more? Stay tuned tomorrow!

Points to pray for:
Health
House
Language

It's still Christmas!

In Spain Christmas lasts a long time. It starts on December 22nd with the national Christmas lottery called El Gordo (The Fat) then there is Christmas and it all ends on January 6th which is El Dia de Los Reyes Magos or Three Kings Day. In Spain this is the traditional day that children receive gifts from the three kings. These guys are more popular than Papa Noel (Santa) but in recent years children are getting some gifts on both days.

It's different to see everyone flocking to the stores in droves to clean out the toy departments after December 31st. Every time we think it's safe to go to the store we get caught in the Christmas rush!