Learning So Much

Hi everyone, this is Dan. I just want to give thanks for how much I'm learning this year. Yesterday I had the chance to interview a Hispanic pastor who has planted a new Hispanic church in the Lexington area. What a joy to see what God has been up to in that congregation. They are partnering with an Anglo congregation that not only has a heart for Hispanics, but also does a lot with homeless ministries. To see the passion and celebratory attitude of the Hispanic pastor, combined with a truly SHARED vision with the Anglo pastor, was a joy to behold. I'm learning more and more about how to be a part of what God is up to to reach Spanish-speaking people in the States, and I'm excited about that. One thing in particular that I have heard over and over again from my Hispanic brothers and sisters is the critical importance of prayer. Pray, pray, pray, is what the pastor told me yesterday. Without prayer, you can forget about reaching Hispanic people with the gospel, because prayer is the only thing that can empower you and give you Holy Spirit wisdom. What else can we say but "Amen"!

Thankful Indeed

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we certainly have much to thank God for. Nancy returns home Thanksgiving afternoon, after two weeks of helping her brother with his post-surgery recuperation. We will be glad to be together again! We are also most grateful for our wonderful sons, Chris and John, and their amazing wives, Eleanor and Tara. They enrich our lives in ways too numerous to count. Additionally, we are thankful for all of you who support 0ur ministry with your prayers and your giving. You are sources of immense encouragement and hope in our lives. Lastly, we are thankful for God's grace in Jesus, and for the immense privilege of knowing Him and being a part of His Body, the church. Our hearts are swelled with gratitude during this season, and our prayer is that we can more fully thank God by more fully loving Him and participating in the Great Adventure that He has designed Christian living to be. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Too Pretty Not to Show You!

Wonderful Surprise Visit With the Palomos

Yesterday Dan had a marvelous surprise visit with Fernando and Zulay Palomo, from Costa Rica. They were in Wilmore for a meeting at Asbury, and we ran into each other at lunch. It was great to see them again and enjoy a Spanish conversation in person (instead of listening to tapes).
More importantly, it was great to hear their newest vision. In Costa Rica, there are over 300,000 teenagers who have dropped out of school. The Palomos have a vision of beginning a multi-tiered ministry that will reach many of these young men and women with education and evangelism. They hope to do this with teenagers in the community at large. Additionally, they are also going to specifically target teenage dropouts in the Evangelical Methodist churches.
Why? First of all, they need to be reached with Christ's love. Secondly, reaching these young men and women now will greatly impact the future mission-minded leadership of the local churches in Costa Rica, which will therefore greatly impact those churches' abilities to reach the lost with the good news of Christ's love. It is our partnership with these kinds of compassionate and visionary friends in Costa Rica and Venezuela that excites us the most in our ministry. Please pray for the Palomos and their new vision. Gracias, y Dios le bendiga.

Greetings From St. Petersburg

Florida that is, not Russia. I (Nancy) am in St. Petersburg to help my brother and sister-in-law after his foot surgery last Friday. Buddy (my brother) came through the surgery in great shape! The doctor removed a bone spur, but didn't have to remove and then reattach the achilles tendon as he feared would be the case. This makes Buddy's recovery time a couple of weeks shorter. The hardest part is trying to keep him from doing too much! But, he's being a pretty good patient and I'm enjoying the chance to visit with them. Also, the weather is so much warmer here than Kentucky! It's great!


One of the major issues here in St. Petersburg is the homeless population, especially during the winter months. I guess like everyone else, they want to "winter in Florida." The city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County in general are very friendly to the homeless. Ten acres in the downtown area have been designated for "tent city" where the homeless have a place to camp without being chased away. There are also many government agencies, charitable organizations, and churches that offer aid of all types. As well as temporary aid, such as soup kitchens, there are programs and ministries that help folks with healthcare, clothes, and help to get off the street for those want to.


There are any number of reasons someone may be on the street. Some have mental health issues, some are alcoholics or drug addicts and some may have lost their homes due to unforseen circumstances such as job loss. One organization I talked with told me 22% of the people they see every day are under the age of 18. Some may be with a parent and some would be runaways. It is heart breaking to see so many in such need. During the summer months, there are over 5,000 on the streets in any given night in this area. And that's the slow season! I'm glad that both the churches I visited on Sunday participate in homeless ministry to some degree. If your church or community has ministries with homeless people, I encourage you to get involved. It's a great way to live out your Christian witness.

Dan Home Safely

Dan returned home tonight after a whirlwind 3-day trip and 893 miles of driving. The funeral for Uncle Lee Tommy was a wonderful celebration and tribute to someone who expressed his Christian faith through love and encouragement. Many people remembered Lee Tommy as someone who would constantly think of others' needs before his, and would have just the right words to pick them up and help them "keep on keepin' on." Dan is pictured here with his twin brother Don and their Aunt Tootie, who is Lee Tommy's widow. Please pray for Aunt Tootie and her son James Lee as they continue the grieving process. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

Traveling Mercies

Please pray for traveling mercies for us. Nancy flew to St. Petersburg on Thursday, to care for her brother Buddy as he recuperates from foot surgery, so that his wife Deborah can continue to work. She will be gone two weeks. Dan had to take an unplanned trip to Boones Mill, Virginia yesterday (Friday) because an uncle died there. Please pray for our protection and safety, and also pray that Dan won't suffer too much in his schoolwork by missing a weekend of study. He has a lot of assignments in the next few weeks. Thank you!

Christian Healing Ministries

What a great week I (Nancy) experienced at Christian Healing Ministries in Jacksonville last week. I'm following God's leading into prayer ministry and this was one more step toward that calling.

During the 3 days, we participants listened to teachings on various topics such as forgiveness, inner healing, physical healing, etc. We were each assigned 2 prayer ministers to spend time praying about what God may be saying to us about each topic. I think one of the things I was supposed to learn from this experience is what being a good and a not so good prayer minister may look like. One of my prayer ministers seemed especially sensitive to the Holy Spirit and zeroed in on issues we needed to pray about. The other, while very nice, was more prone to tell me her story and give advice. As I continue learning more about prayer ministry and receive more training in this area, I certainly want to make sure I'm like the first one rather than the second!

I also received a significant breakthrough over some hurtful memories from childhood last week. I was able to let Jesus show me where He was during those bad experiences and change the emotions associated with them. I was able to let Him speak His truth and love for me into those experiences.

God is giving me such a passion to help people move into healing, wholeness and freedom to become the person He created them to be. It is exciting to see how God leads and uses us when we are willing and make ourselves available. I can't wait to see how He will combine our passion for Latin America with prayer and healing ministry.

Jesus is Able to Save Completely

Hebrews 7:23-25 says: "Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them" (NIV).

I read this passage yesterday in my daily reading, and it reminded me that some Christians have a "light-weight" understanding of what it means to surrender our lives to Jesus. When we submit to Christ and accept His conversion and call (both are included!), He doesn't want to restore/renew/reconcile just one part of our lives, He wants to transform us entirely. He wants to transform our minds, bodies, relationships, activities, wills, and more.

Christianity in its fullest understanding doesn't mean that we attend worship fairly regularly, give a little money, and do an occasional good deed. Rather, being a Christ-follower means that we enjoy the amazingly joyous experience of being reconciled with God, one another, and God's creation, PLUS discovering the role God has designed for us to fulfill in partnering with Him to bring about His purposes on earth. We discover that WE ARE PART OF GOD'S PLAN. Rightly practiced from the perspective of grace and complete surrender, the Christian experience brings us into the fullness of who we were created to be, in relationship with God and all of God's creation. It's not a heavy burdensome duty, but a GREAT ADVENTURE.

Today, I pray that God will grant you a fresh vision of the whole-life-permeating nature of His love and His call. Many Blessings, Dan

Effingham, Illinois

A few weeks ago we travelled to Effingham, Illinois, where Dan preached on a Wednesday night in a Baptist church. There were about 400 people in attendance as Dan invited the congregation to give serious consideration to God's invitation to participate with Him in what He is going around the world to draw lost people to Him. 50 people committed themselves to a more serious commitment to global outreach, and 30 of those people were middle schoolers and high schoolers. Dan heard from the pastor this week, Van Brooks, who told him that the mission "temperature" at the church remains high. Please pray for God's continued work in the midst of this congregation as they seek to be a church that truly witnesses "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Nancy returns home from 3-day prayer event

Nancy returned home yesterday from a 3-day prayer event in Jacksonville at Christian Healing Ministries. She will provide a post in the next few days with more details. For now, we are grateful to report that she experienced warm fellowship and the richness of God's presence through this focused time of prayer. She is pictured here with Francis McNutt. Francis and his wife, Judith, lead Christian Healing Ministries. Ironically, the facility they are currently using is only about 1/2 mile from the home Dan grew up in :) It is sometimes a very small world.