Proposal Defense Report

Hi All, Thank you for praying for Dan's proposal defense yesterday. We are grateful that Dan passed his defense with minor revisions, and also some substantive changes required in the theoretical section. The defense meeting was intense and exhausting, yet helpful. Some very good guidance was provided to help the dissertation take more shape and clarify some fuzzy issues. Of particular importance for our ministry is that it became obvious to Dan and his entire committee that there is no way he can finish in June. The new projected date for graduation is December. This impacts us in a ripple-effect way. It will be more difficult for Dan to get a teaching job beginning next Fall without his degree, should God continue to lead us in that direction (we're still praying about that!). Some schools will hire faculty as ABD (All But Dissertation), but not all will. If he doesn't find a teaching job, we'll need to discern from the Spirit what to do regarding the balance between the need to focus on finishing the dissertation and the need to earn living expenses. If possible, we'd prefer to live on support until finishing the dissertation so Dan can focus on "gettin' 'er done." But this may not be feasible financially. The good news is that God is in control and has a wonderful plan. We just need help discerning that plan and being obedient thereto. Hence, please continue praying for us. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

Proposal Defense Scheduled!

We are thrilled to report that Dan's proposal defense has been scheduled for next Thursday. We have been waiting to receive feedback from all three of his dissertation committee members. We finally heard back from the third one yesterday, and he, like the other two, agrees that Dan is ready to defend his proposal. Please pray that Dan will pass his proposal defense with only minor revisions. This will allow him to make those revisions quickly and then be released to begin research. Courses are over for the semester, but Dan has one more paper to finish for a group project in his Healing class. He will do this early next week, and then on Wednesday and Thursday morning he will make final preparations for his defense meeting on Thursday afternoon.
In the meantime, we had a fun evening last night at a Christmas party with other students, faculty, and staff. We discovered some interesting things through a game that was played. One man from India has never eaten pizza or worn a pair of jeans. Never! Another young woman, a very good friend of ours, has never chewed gum. Never! One daughter of a missionary couple, who is probably 8 or 9 years old, has already spent Christmas in four different countries in her life. And finally, one fellow from Kenya speaks eight languages. Learning these "fun facts" about one another, in addition to good food and Christmas carols, made it a very fun night. Today, a little work at the library, and then we may hang some Christmas lights outside, if it's not too cold. Thanks for your prayers! Dan and Nancy

Yet More Venezuelan Baptisms!

Wow, is God ever good. We have reported in the past on baptisms in Venezuela, and we just received an email this week that 11 more persons were baptized into the family of Christ through the ministry of the Ondas de Paz UMC in Venezuela. Pastors Alexander and Amarilis are friends and Seminary students, and it is a joy to see them blossom in their ministry. Thank you for your continued prayers as we play a small role in training these kinds of leaders. Your partnership in the gospel makes an enormous and eternal difference. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Busy and Thankful Week

Monday - Wednesday of this week Dan is working on a group project related to Healing from Perfectionism. Thursday and Friday he will be writing a paper on three questions related to healing: healing's relationship to God's Kingdom, the role of faith in healing, and why some people are not healed. Nancy is sewing some Christmas gifts this week, plus doing some research. We are thankful for a great visit with John and Tara over Thanksgiving, and for a good phone conversation with Chris. We are very blessed with our family.

Sabbath Time

We are taking a couple days of Sabbath time this weekend. Dan usually studies at least a half day on Saturdays and sometimes longer, but we've decided to enjoy a "normal" weekend of rest and relaxation. Nancy will do some sewing and reading, and Dan will mostly piddle around the house, watch some football, and enjoy some time with Spanish. We will also go for a walk each day, taking advantage of sunshine and highs close to 60. We are thankful for the concept of sabbath and glad that God not only invented it but also endorses it. Monday and Tuesday of next week will be two intense study days as Dan writes a position paper for his healing class. John and Tara will arrive Tuesday evening for a Thanksgiving visit (gloria a Dios!), and Dan wants his paper finished before they get here. After Thanksgiving the focus turns to making revisions to his dissertation proposal chapter, working on a group project in the healing class, and making final preparations for his proposal defense in mid-December. Please pray for God's hand to guide this process. Thank you for your continued prayer partnership with us during this time of equipping! Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

Proposal Chapter Submitted

We are celebrating the submission of Dan's dissertation proposal chapter last night. Hurray! The next two weeks he will focus on catching up with assignments for his healing class, then he hopes to have his proposal defense in early December. If this proceeds according to plan, and without too many revisions to the research and writing schedule that he is proposing, he will be released to begin his research late December. Thank you for your prayer support during this arduous yet enjoyable time of equipping. And thanks be to God for God's incredible faithfulness and provision.

Relational Dimensions of Fully Flourishing Life

A couple days ago we talked about Fully Flourishing Life in Jesus Christ. Today it behooves us to think about the relational/communal dimensions of new life in Christ. What is the relationship between my experience of fully flourishing life in Christ and your experience of it? Can a person experience the life that God intends outside of relationship? Is our experience of God’s fully flourishing life somehow linked with our sensitivity to, and ministry with, others? How privatized can the experience of life in Christ be? How communal should it be? Miroslav Volf has written a book titled Exclusion and Embrace, in which he talks about the human tendency to fear and loathe "the other," because the self is under threat of disappearance, loss, and death. In response to the fear of losing our "self," we respond to others in one of four ways. We try to conquer then, or we isolate ourselves from them, or we relate with them contractually, or we surrender to them (meaning we capitulate, but don't enter into true mutual relationship).

Volf suggests that this impacts our participation in "life flow," meaning that when we respond in one of these four ways based on our fear, we block the possibility of life flowing from us to others, and from them to us. He encourages us to embrace others with love. Vitally important, however, is that the love we must embrace them with is not our own love, but God's love flowing through us. It's suicidal to try to give our own love to others. We can only love others when we move into and get hold of God's love for ourselves. We must love out of God's supply of love and life. When we do this, then we can give the gift of true God-love, and we know that we are doing this when we see that the other person is coming alive and thriving. A core dimension of truly flourishing life in Christ, therefore, is that we help other people blossom, flourish, and thrive. Ask yourself, therefore: Do I help other people thrive? The life that God intends for all of us cannot be experienced or shared outside the scope of relationships, nor at the expense of other persons.

Trading our Sorrows

I heard a short teaching time last night related to healing, based on the worship song, “I’m Trading My Sorrows,” which includes the chorus, “Yes, Lord, Yes.” The presenter referred to the fact that healing is often closely related to how much we say “yes” to the Lord, but that it also relates to how fully and honestly we embrace (say "yes" to) our suffering and sorrow. There are times when we suffer and endure sorrow due to decisions which other people make rather than due to our own choices. This can cause deep feelings of anger and resentment. For healing to occur in our lives, we must come to a point where we acknowledge and own those feelings as being real, rather than keeping them pushed down. God won’t heal things that we insist on hiding from Him.

Once we acknowledge and own the feelings, we must choose to say “yes” to our unjust suffering. We must choose to embrace it, accept it. In this sense, we not only say “yes” to the Lord, but we also say “yes” to our sorrow and suffering. There are things in our lives that we simply have to surrender to, and then God can redeem them. He cannot redeem them if we keep saying “no” to them. Integrity and truth have to come together. Because Jesus became a man of sorrows He can take our sorrows. If we will deal with our sorrows with truthful acknowledgement and integrity, we can trade our sorrows for the joy of the Lord.

Fully Flourishing Life

As part of the Spirit's receny teaching in my life, I have pondering the notion of Fully Flourishing Life. Especially in light of the numerous references to life in the gospel of John, it seems to me that too many Christians have an undernourished view of the gospel. They follow Christ "somewhat," perhaps with integrity but also a bit half-heartedly, with the result that their lives are "moderately touched" by Jesus, but not truly transformed. The question I would raise is this: are you experiencing the Fully Flourishing Life that God intends and desires for you? Or have you settled for less? This not only impacts you, but it also impacts the non-Christians in your life. If you do not understand and experience the Fully Flourishing Life that God-in-Christ makes possible, you won't be able to share that life with others. The Greek word for "gospel" means "good news." We might ask ourselves, therefore, what is "good" about the "good news"? "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10 ESV).

The Gift of the Body of Christ

Today we are grateful for the gift of the Body of Christ, the fellowship of believers. What brings this to mind is the experience we had over the past couple weeks. Two weeks ago we were planning to drive to Milledgeville, Georgia to visit for a couple days with our good friends Virgil and Jo. Through a phone call, however, we found out that Virgil's mother had been moved to the Serenity Room in her nursing home in Vidalia, Georgia, to live out her last few days. After thinking and praying, we decided to drive the next day to Vidalia so that we could support Virgil and Jo during this time. It was a great joy to be a part of their lives during this important phase in their journey, and we are grateful that God made this possible. We sat with them some in the nursing home, as they provided 24/7 care for "Miss Nell," talking, laughing, plus reading Scripture and singing hymns to Miss Nell. She went to be with the Lord last Thursday, and the funeral was this past Monday. Miss Nell's church (Tabernacle Baptist) was very supportive during this time, with pastoral visits, a covered dish meal, and a beautiful funeral service. Additionally, the local UMC helped find a family who could host us for four of our nights in Vidalia, which saved a lot of hotel money. So in the midst of this situation, two congregations, two pastors, a particular family, and untold numbers of invidual Christians, were used by the Lord to be an instrument of His love for Virgil, Jo, their family, and us. There is great room for improvement in how churches in the USA understand and live out the gospel of Christ, but there is also much to celebrate, and we experienced that personally over the past two weeks. Thank You, Lord, for people in the USA around the world who love You, and in so doing, are our brothers and sisters, who also love us. Thank You, Lord for the gift of the Family of God.

Passed the Quals!

Good news - Dan has found out this week that he passed his Qualifying Exams. Thank you for your prayers a few weeksk ago when he was in the midst of preparing for and taking the exams. His next big task is to write his dissertation proposal chapter, which is due in 20 days. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Our Abba God

Last night in my Healing class at the Seminary the professor asked if any students would like to receive prayer for direction, comfort, or to lay down burdens. I was one of the students who asked for prayer. A group of about 10 classmates gathered around me and prayed for several minutes. One of the students was given an image of a child's bicycle, with an accompanying thought concerning how I am God's son and that He, my "Daddy", will continue to take care of me. This was a precious gift from the Lord for me at this time our journey, and I am so thankful to be reminded of God's care and provision. No matter how uncertain the future seems, no matter how low our support fund gets, no matter how difficult the dissertation process appears to be, my precious Abba Father will continue to take care of me (and Nancy too, of course). If this is a message that resonates with you as well, I invite you to receive from the Lord a fresh measure of His love and of trust in His loving care, so that you can more fully abide in Him your
Abba (Daddy) Father. Much Love, Dan

Finished with Quals!

Gloria a Dios! Dan turned in the 2-day take-home portion of his Qualifying Exams at 5pm today. We are thankful for God's grace steering him through this stringent process. The next big step is his dissertation proposal chapter, which is due November 22nd. In the meantime, we each have upcoming ministry opportunities. This Wednesday through Sunday Nancy will be attending a Dunamis Conference, and Thursday through Sunday Dan will be serving as a table discussion leader at a Consultation on World Revitalization Movements. Busy times, but we are grateful to be allowed the privilege of sharing in God's passion to reach the lost people of the entire world with the good news of the full/vital life that is available in Jesus. "For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord" (Isaiah 66:22-34). Oh what a celebration that will be!

Nancy has recently had two trips that were blessings from God. On the first trip she participated in a 3-day advanced seminar on prayer and healing, followed by 5 days as a member of a prayer team that ministered healing to several folks. It was a joy to continue learning from the Lord as well as being used by Him. On the second trip she enjoyed a 2-day event in which she learned about a ministry perspective on wholeness through Christ that is called Sodzo (from the New Testament Greek work for wholeness/salvation). Dan was feeling puny most of last week, which was very bad timing, since he had to take Days One and Two of his Qualifying Exams. God gave him strength to make it through those exam days, and we're trusting His will concerning whether or not Dan passed. Monday and Tuesday of this coming week Dan has a 2-day take-home portion, and then his Quals will be over. Thursday evening marks the beginning of a consultation at Asbury on world revitalization movements, an event which lasts until noon on Sunday. Dan will be serving as a table discussion leader during this event. We continue to be amazed at the new opportunities for learning and ministry that God opens up for us, and thank you for your gracious and generous support. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Final Push Toward Quals

Dan is in the final study push before his Qualifying Exams begin on Monday. The next 3 days will be critical to his success with the exams, so we ask for these prayers: clarity of thought, energy, and excellent memory. The Exams will conclude at 5pm on Tuesday, October 13th. Nancy is still in North Carolina. Beginning yesterday, she will be engaged for four days as a prayer servant with other folks who will be praying with various persons for deep healing needs. Please pray for her protection, for her to be an instrument of Christ's compassion, and for God to be glorified. Thank you so much for your love and your support. We are so thankful to be part of the worldwide Body of Christ. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Nancy Ministering and Learning in NC

Nancy drove to Black Mountain, NC yesterday. This weekend she is involved in the final weekend seminar of her year-long advanced course on prayer healing. Next week she will be a prayer ministry volunteer, serving on one of the prayer teams that will be ministering to people with a variety of healing needs. Please pray for her guidance, protection, empowerment, and strength. Dan is going to enjoy a "normal" weekend without studies today and tomorrow, in order to rest his mind and body prior to his last intensive week of studying in preparation for qualifying exams. The week after qualifying exams he will be leading a class session at the Seminary on Dynamics of Interpersonal Evangelism, then later serve as a table discussion leader for a Consultation on Christian World Revitalization for 3 days. All this while also trying to write the proposal chapter for his dissertation. Please pray for wisdom, strength, and "redeeming the time." Thank you for your love and prayers. We can truly discern how your prayer support draws us closer to God's will and way. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Qualifying Exams - 2 Weeks Away!

Dan's qualifying exams are 2 weeks from today (Monday). Aye Papa! He has been studying for them since August, but still has a lot of material to review. The exams will cover eight of the courses he has taken over the past 3 years, which includes class notes and all readings (over 50 books). Please pray for him as he studies during these remaining two weeks. Pray for clarity of mind, analytical ability, strong memory, and the discernment to know when he just needs to stop, rest his brain, and go to bed each day. Thanks, and Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Street Kids Visit the Zoo in Costa Rica

One of our favorite ministry partners is Amor en la Calle, the ministry with street kids and extremely-at-risk families in Costa Rica that is led by Edwin and Sonia Brenes. Here are some images they sent us of a day in August when they took a lot of teens from their ministry to a beautiful zoological park. For some of these young men and women, it was the first time they had ever seen any animals other than a dog or a cat. Sonia and Edwin used this visit as an opportunity to teach them that God is creator of all, and that He loves all His creation, including them (the teens). This is a critical message for them to hear, because they have been "taught" in so many ways that they are invaluable and worthless, rather than being taught that they are precious creatures of God whom He is calling back to Himself through Jesus Christ. We are very thankful for the opportunities we have to partner with Sonia and Edwin in their incredible ministry. Please pray for them, as you also to continue to pray for us. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Great Visit, Excited about Healing Class

We had a great visit with John and Tara in Athens this past weekend. It was such fun to stay with them and catch up with each other. We are thankful for their lives and ministries. We then went to a wedding in Cumming, and thoroughly enjoyed seeing James and Sharyn begin their new life together. This was followed by two nights and a day with our long-time friends Ralph and Donna. What a grace-gift it was to relax and do nothing for a day on Labor Day. The only thing we labored at was enjoying some good food. We are now back home, and Dan's new semester has started. He is thoroughly benefitting from his class on The Ministry and Practice of Christian Healing. After one class session, he can already discern that this course will be a strong source of blessing and impact for his teaching ministry in Venezuela. We pray that you are experiencing the healing grace of Jesus in your own life, as we are. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive" (Colossians 3:12-13)
We had a great worship experience yesterday. Our pastor preached a very helpful sermon about forgiveness, and invited us to respond in a specific way to address relationships that the Spirit brought to mind. We are grateful for God's forgiveness for us as well as the Spirit's power to help us forgive others. Forgiveness in and through Christ is one of the most important messages we can share with our families, friends, and acquaintances, both here and abroad. As we partner with the Spirit to share this message in Venezuela, Costa Rica, and the States, we thank you for your partnership with us through prayer support and financial giving. God is a good and forgiving God, and it is a joy and privilege to be partners and friends with good and forgiving brothers and sisters in Christ. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

St. Louis and Other Things

We had a great visit with Chris and Eleanor last weekend in St. Louis. They love the new apartment they've moved into, and it is located in a very nice section of town. There is a large park right across the street with a lot of shade trees and about 3 miles of walking/biking trails, plus a lot of open spaces for soccer and softball, etc. They are about a mile from a very nice Botanical Garden, and also very close to an Italian section of town featuring some wonderful little delis and restaurants. They are both doing well. Chris has begun his 3rd year of teaching 8th grade math, and Eleanor continues with her post-doctoral research position at Washington University.
This semester Dan is auditing a Spanish class at Asbury College (as distinct from Asbury Seminary), and that class began on Tuesday. He is also buckling down hard on studies for his upcoming qualifying exams. Nancy continues with her reading projects and with trying to keep Dan moderately straight :)
The Seminary semester begins in a couple weeks, during which Dan will be taking a course on Christian Healing, plus studying for and taking his qualifying exams, plus trying to write and defend the proposal chapter for his dissertation. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Chris and Eleanor !!!

We are really looking forward to the opportunity this weekend to visit our oldest son, Chris, and his wife Eleanor (pictured on the left, with John and Tara on the right). We will drive to St. Louis tomorrow (Friday) and return to Wilmore on Monday.

This has been a bit of an active yet strange week for Dan. Monday he made some progress on his dissertation research and his qualifying exam review studies, but he didn't have 100% energy. Tuesday morning he had even less energy, both physically and mentally, so he took a mental-health day. What a blessing that was. In the afternoon, however, he was working on a firewood project, and while using the chainsaw his glasses slipped off his face and fell right into the chainsaw blade, putting a big nick in one of the lenses. We are thankful he wasn't hurt. Wednesday morning he cut the grass, but the dewpoint and humidity were much higher than he realized, so this wiped him out physically. He had to rest up before he could function at all, and then after lunch he had to take a nap. That afternoon a trip to the chiropractor brought great relief from a back issue that had been worsening. On the way home we stopped at the optometrist's office and discovered that his glasses are still under warranty (hurray!), which was a wondeful serendipitous surprise. With his back feeling better, he slept much better last night and seems to be back to normal strength today. He is going to work on finishing up the grading for the Theology of Evangelism course which he taught in Venezuela this summer, plus do some work on our next printed newsletter.

Nancy has had a great week doing some reading, tending to some of our household affairs, and enjoying good health. She was a little tired yesterday (Wednesday) but has bounced back quickly. We are both wondering if the heat/humidity just snuck up on us and zapped us. Anyway, we went for a pleasant but muggy walk this morning, and both had sufficient energy to do that, for which we are thankful. Today she will also be working on our next printed newsletter, plus bake some homemade bread to take to Chris and Eleanor.

As always, we thank you for your prayers and your giving, which support us in our ministry of serving Christ's Kingdom in the Americas. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

More Saving Grace

The young woman pictured here on the left chose to begin her journey with Christ on July 12th at McEachern UMC, as we worshipped and preached there with the Latino congregation. What a joy to see the Spirit at work! Thank you for your prayers for us and our ministry. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Grateful for Approved Dissertation Topic

We are very very very grateful that God has finally led us to a dissertation topic for Dan that both he and his professors are excited about. This has been a frustrating 15-month process of thinking, praying, researching, experiencing much non-response from research queries, etc. Dan can now focus his energies on actually researching his topic instead of trying to simply select a topic. He is going to research the evangelistic implications of a Biblical theology that focuses on God as the source of full/vital life. Thanks for your continue love and prayers. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Saving Grace

This young woman became a Christ-follower in Venezuela in Pastor Antonio Toloza's church when Dan preached there back in June. We praise God for saving grace!

Snellville UMC and the Morales Family

In June we had a great weekend with the Morales family and the Latino congregation at Snellville UMC. In the picture on the left, the Morales(es) are celebrating their grand-daughter's birthday, and on the right Nancy is chatting with a new friend in the congregation. Dan was blessed to preach in Spanish during worship on Sunday, and Nancy enjoyed fellowshipping with adults and children alike. It is a great joy to be a small part of what the Lord is doing to reach Latinos in the USA, in addition to our ministry in Venezuela and Costa Rica. God's grace continues to amaze us.

We're Home!

Hurray, we got home safely to Wilmore Monday evening. Yesterday we started the process of catching up on stuff from being away for over 6 weeks: mail, cleaning, etc. Dan will now focus on dissertation possibilities (please pray for wisdom) and studying for his qualifying exams (in October), plus doing advance reading for his Fall coursework. Nancy is going to focus on finishing the five additional books she needs to read for her year-long course on Healing and Spiritual Warfare. No traveling for a few weeks, so come see us in Wilmore!

VZ, USA, Costa Rica

Since our last post: Dan has safely returned from Venezuela to the States. We worshipped with the Hispanic congregation at McEachern UMC this past Sunday, where Dan preached in Spanish. We flew to Costa Rica yesterday with a team from Due West UMC. We are taking them to visit different ministries in the country, after which they will talk and pray about the possibility of partnering with a ministry in Costa Rica in the future. Alajuela yesterday. Today, we head to Alajuelita, Guapiles, and Siquerres. Tomorrow, we visit ministries in Pocoro and Puerto Viejo. Friday, Coronado and San Pedro, then Saturday we fly back to the States. We will worship with the Due West congregation this coming Sunday, then head home to Wilmore on Monday or Tuesday. Unless we need to go to Jacksonville to visit Dan's mother, who is having some complications following knee replacement surgery. Please pray for our safe travels, and for Dan's mother (Edith). Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Dan to Caracas, Nancy in Wilmore

Tomorrow (July 7th) Dan heads to Caracas from Barquisimeto for 2 days of dissertation-related research. Nancy arrived in Wilmore on Saturday, and is tying up loose ends before heading to Atlanta at the end of the week to pick Dan up at the airport on Friday. Sunday we will worship with the Latino congregation at McEachern UMC, and Tuesday will fly to Costa Rica for a 5-day mission trip. Thank you for your continued prayers. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Great Weeks in Venezuela and North Carolina

Dan had a great week last week teaching in Venezuela, and Nancy's week at the prayer event in Black Mountain, North Carolina was inspiring, edifying, and healing. 41 students were in Dan's Theology of Evangelism class, and they worked really hard engaging the different Biblical perspectives on evangelism. Nancy served as one of the members of a prayer ministry team which prayed for people with different healing needs, and she witnessed the healing power of God's love throughout the week. Thanks for your continued prayers for us as we seek to follow God's call in our lives. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Arrived Safely in Venezuela

A quick note to let everyone know that Dan arrived safely in Venezuela. Today (Saturday) he will be driven to Barquisimeto (5-hour drive), where he will attend pastor Antonio Toloza's church tomorrow and then teach Theology of Evangelism this week at the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela. Nancy is visiting friends in the Atlanta area until she drives to North Carolina on Monday for her prayer ministry event. Thank you for your prayers and support. We deeply appreciate your partnership with us in God's ministry to reach lost people and spread the good news of the Abundant/Love-Filled Life that God desires for each of us. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Pray for our Upcoming Travels

Please remember to pray for us in our upcoming travels. Dan flies to Venezuela tomorrow (Friday) to spend 3 weeks teaching, preaching, and doing dissertation-related research. Nancy will be participating in two separate events during that time, one focused on prayer ministry and the other on spiritual life. Please ask God to grant us protection and to help us be used to bring lost people to Jesus and glory to God. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Virginia, Cumming, Snellville, Athens

Since our last post - we drove to the Roanoke Valley area of Virginia to visit with some of Dan's family on his mother's side. In particular we wanted to visit with 2 of his aunts, one of whom is 93 and the other 85 (pictured above). We thoroughly enjoyed our time with aunts and cousins. From there we drove to Athens, Georgia, where we spent a couple days with our friends Kent and Sandy. We enjoyed some rich fellowship and prayer together. We then travelled to Cumming, Georgia, where we stayed with our friends Virgil and Jo. In addition to visiting with them, we also sat with Jane Lathem and many other friends while Warren was having surgery. Warren is most likely going to go home from the hospital tomorrow. Our next stop was Snellville, Georgia, where we spent the past weekend with our Venezuelan friends Efrain and Bethsaida. Dan preached in Spanish at their congregation on Sunday. Sunday evening we drove back to Athens. The Annual Conference of North Georgia is meeting this week in Athens, plus John and Tara moved to Athens this weekend from Wilmore. We're having fun helping them with painting and unpacking, while also attending annual conference sessions. Friday Dan flies to Venezuela to teach in the Seminary (all next week - Theology of Evangelism), while Nancy drives to Black Mountain, North Carolina to participate in a week-long event as a prayer team minister. Thank you for your continued prayers and your love. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Course Development and Upcoming Trip

We've had a busy week. Dan has been working diligently on the development of a Theology of Evangelism course to teach in Venezuela June 22-26. In addition to the difficulty in choosing which material to include and how to help the students engage the material, he has had to work back and forth between Spanish and English. He has written a Spanish-language note-taking handout (26 pages), plus a combination Spanish/English teaching manual (45 pages). Nancy has writing reading reports on some of the texts related to her year-long advanced course on Prayer and Healing, plus getting a lot of our household affairs in order for us to be gone so long on our upcoming trip. We will leave on Friday. We will be traveling to Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. Thank you for your financial support that makes it possible for us to offer ourselves to the Lord's ministry in the States and in Latin America. Thank you for your prayer support that provides wisdom, protection, and encouragement. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Graduation Weekend, John and Tara

We had a great weekend celebrating the graduation of John and Tara from Asbury Seminary. Chris drove over from St. Louis to be with us (Eleanor is in California on a work research project), and almost all of Tara's family came from Atlanta, Kentucky, and Las Vegas. In about 10 days John and Tara will move to Athens, Georgia. She will serve as an Associate Director (with Prayer Ministry) at the UMC campus ministry at UGA (Wesley Foundation), and John is looking for a ministry job in the local area. Thank you for your prayers for Chris, Eleanor, John, and Tara. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Fun Visit with Ralph and Donna

We had the wonderful joy of a weekend visit with our friends Ralph and Donna. They came in Thursday night and left this morning. We were able to celebrate Ralph's birthday on Friday, which was a rare privilege. We took him to the new Star Trek movie, treated him to Graeter's ice cream, then enjoyed a beautiful drive in the horse country surrounding Wilmore. We are very thankful for God's gift of friendship. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

Venezuelan Missionaries in Paraguay

We are very excited to receive an update today from our friend Fabio and his family. They are Venezuelan missionaries serving in Paraguay, whom we met several years ago through his participation in the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela. Of particular interest is a new ministry they have begun to provide music lessons to special needs children, accompanied by an inclusion of these children's musical abilities in the church's worship services. The Lord is using this ministry to bless the children and in turn using them as a channel of blessing for the congregation as they worship God in music. This kind of passion for touching peoples' lives in creative ways is one of the things we treasure the most among our Venezuelan friends. Go God!

Closing In

Hi All,
We're closing in on the end of the semester, which takes place in 2 1/2 weeks. Dan continues to enjoy his classes and learn a lot. He is especially enjoying his Gospel of Mark class. There was a great discussion on Tuesday about the need to link our Scriptural studies of particular passages with the whole of the Bible, to be followed an appropriation of the Spirit's insights to allow Him to transform us. For example, some Christians search in the Bible for principles that will support their idea of the good-like, but God wishes for them to immerse themselves in the Bible deeply with an open mind and heart in order to discover His intended God-life. This kind of discussion reminds us how grateful we are for the gift of God's Word and the double gift of this time of learning, reflection, and equipping. Thank you for supporting us during this phase of our ministry. We are deeply grateful. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Still Alive and Kicking

Sorry for the delay between posts. We're still not accustomed to blogging. Anyway, we're doing well. We had a great Easter weekend. Nancy went to St. Louis to visit with Chris and Eleanor the weekend prior, then on Easter Eve we had a super fun celebration with 0ur monthly small group, followed by worship with John and Tara at their church on Easter Sunday. Dan's classwork is still consuming all his time, but we are thankful that he continues to learn. Concerning Nancy's year-long program on Advanced Prayer Healing, she is at the stage of writing reading reports on some of the 10 books she has been reading. She is learning a lot too. Dan has especially enjoyed his Inductive Bible Study class this semester on the gospel of Mark. This has really helped him learn to dig deep into the Word in a different way, and he is grateful. He will eventually teach a course on Mark in the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela. This June he will teach an evangelism course, then stay in VZ an extra two weeks to check out some dissertation research possibilities. Thanks for your love and support! Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Global Jesus

March 22nd we had the fun of kicking off the Global Missions Emphasis Week at the Nicholasville UMC in Kentucky. Dan preached, encouraging the congregation to be globally focused. The following Sunday the senior pastor (Mike Snyder) preached on the need for Christians to share the good news of forgiveness with non-Christians all over the world. It was a helpful week of planting seeds that we pray the Holy Spirit will water and bring to fruition, as this congregation grows in their passion for the nations. We appreciate the opportunity to be a part of that seed-planting, and thank our supporters for making that possible. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

quick trip, but good

Last Friday/Saturday we had a quick turn-around trip to Atlanta and back. Friday night we participated in a support-raising dinner for the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela. We are thankful for the many people who attended and for those who made 2-year pledges to support the ongoing work there. It was great to catch up with our Venezuelan friends, Efrain and Bethsaida Morales, plus Hur and Luci Morales and their children. They are serving as missionaries here in the USA. Efrain/Bethsaida serve with the Snellville UMC to reach Latinos there, and Hur/Luci serve with McEachern UMC in Powder Springs to reach Latinos in that community. All of them have participated in the Venezuela Seminary and were there to attest to its significance in their ministries and in the evangelistic outreach of Venezuelan churches. Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our work through the Seminary. We are deeply grateful. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Great Week plus headed to Atlanta

We've had a great week. Nancy has been catching up on administrative tasks, plus making jewelry for friends. We had a fun gathering with our monthly fellowship group Saturday night and were enriched by the laughter and sharing. Sunday evening John and Tara came over to have a belated birthday celebration (pictures above) and we had a blast. Dan's schoolwork this week has been very helpful. This morning, for example, in his Gospel of Mark class he learned a lot about how to appropriately interpret Chapter 13 of Mark, and gained a lot of insight not only about that chapter but also about how to more deeply engage the Biblical text. Tomorrow we head down to Atlanta for the support-raising dinner for the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela. It will be a quick turn-around trip. We have to come back on Saturday after attending a wedding, because Dan is preaching in the Nicholasville UMC Sunday morning (Global Jesus). Nancy continues working on her Spiritual Warfare project. She is completing her reading and sketching out a tentative outline for a course that we will teach together in Venezuela at some point in the future. We are grateful for God's grace in our lives during this time of ministry and learning. Thank you for your love and friendship and support. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

Faith-Sharing in Venezuela

The March session of the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela met this week. Our friend David Cosby taught Part II of the Church Planting course. 56 students were in attendance, including four new students. We praise God for the continued vitality of the Seminary. David asked the students to give him some statistical information regarding their ministries. We found it particularly encouraging that 529 persons were baptized in 2008 in the churches which those students serve. Additionally, 12 new churches were planted, and 1,114 new conversions were reported. Among 56 students! This passion for leading others to Christ is one of the reasons we so appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the ministry in Venezuela, and why teaching in the Seminary there is one of Dan's all-time favorite things to do. Thank you for your continued love and support. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

Living in Grace is Such Fun!

We have been having a great week in God's grace. We returned from our trip on Sunday night, and then on Monday had a day of catching up on studies, laundry, and chainsaw work (for firewood). Yesterday (Tuesday) Dan had a good class session in the Gospel of Mark, followed by reading and writing assignments for his Theology of Evangelism class. He is learning a lot in the class that he will be able to use in future teaching in Venezuela. Nancy worked on catching up the checking account, the bills, and emails. Our whirlwind trip last week caught up with both of us late afternoon yesterday. We just simply ran out of gas physically and mentally, so we watched Good Will Hunting and ate popcorn for supper. Sort of an at-home, inexpensive date :) It was a very relaxing evening and we are back to normal energy now. Today in a morning Seminar Dan heard his dissertation mentor, Dr. George Hunter, share some of the insights from his new book on the church growth movement. This was a very helpful session, because Dan's dissertation will relate to some of the perspectives from that movement. More ministry administrative work for Nancy today, plus she cleaned out the fireplace so we can build another fire tomorrow (it turned cold again here today), bought farm fresh eggs, and did some more reading. We are so thankful for God's grace continuing to nurture us and support us, and we are grateful for those who make our ministry possible. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Back from North Carolina and Georgia

We returned last night from a 6-day trip to North Carolina and Georgia. We attended an evangelism event in Black Mountain, North Carolina and had a great time. God moved powerfully to teach and inspire us, and we are exceedingly grateful. Pictured here are friends praying for our ministries to be freshly empowered by the Holy Spirit. From there we went to Alpharetta, Georgia to staff sign-up tables at Mount Pisgah UMC Sunday morning for the March 20th support raising dinner for the Wesleyan Seminary of Venezuela. It was great to see so many of our MP friends and catch up with them. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We appreciate partnering with you in God's ministry around the world.

More Venezuelan Baptisms!

Wow, is God ever good. We got an email yesterday from our friends Thoby and Elizabeth Ramirez, pastors in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela. They attached several photos of a recent baptismal celebration where 16 new Christians were baptized. It is so inspiring to see people who are passionate about reaching others with the good news of Jesus' love. Not only to see them, but to know them, and to enjoy partnering with them in their ministry! A year and a half ago we helped their congregation celebrate their 3rd birthday, so they have been a special part of our lives. Go God!

Pastor Alberto Mendoza

We want to share the story of Pastor Alberto Mendoza with you. He is one of the Seminary students in Venezuela, and the Seminary has transformed his ministry. He told Dan two weeks ago that the Seminary taught him how to disicple people, how to develop small groups, how to study the Bible, how to preach, how to design worship experiences, and how to engage in community ministry. Concerning the latter, his church is partnering with another church in his town (also pastored by a Seminary student) to build a Senior Citizens' Center and feed senior citizens Monday-Saturday. Wow! What a blessing to play a small role in helping nurture this kind of strong Christian leader. He has all the tools for ministry and simply needs some gentle guidance. Thank you for your investment in our ministry, as we invest in the ministry of others in Venezuela and Costa Rica. Your prayer support and your financial support are making an eternal difference. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

God's Amazing Creation

We simply must share this picture with you. This beautiful bird has never visited us before, then one day in January he just showed up at our birdbath and mingled with the robins for a few minutes, and then he was off. We've not seen him since. Does anyone know what kind of bird this is? Celebrating the amazing beauty and diversity of God's creation. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Friend Carlos Pirona and Church

We have our home internet connection restored at last! Now we have access to the pictures Dan took in Venezuela, so we can post them along and along. This picture shows our friend Carlos Pirona at his church a couple Sundays ago. They were dedicating the newly completed second floor of their church building. 700 people were in attendance at this worship experience, and the people you see in front of Carlos were responding to his invitation to become Christ-followers. Praise God! One of the meaningful moments for us was when Carlos made a special point of greeting Dan and telling the congregation that he (Dan) was one of the first people to believe in that congregation's potential (we sent a mission team there back in 2002). What a blessing to be a small part of what God is up to in His passion to help Venezuelans choose to follow Jesus. Thanks for your continued prayers. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Safely Back to Wilmore

Hi Everyone. We are safely back in Wilmore. We got home around 6pm last night and were greeted with hanging gutters and downed tree limbs from the ice storms two weeks ago. However, the electricity is working and we haven't discovered any plumbing leaks, so we are most grateful. However, we don't have any cable or internet and the cable company reported that it could be days before they get to us. Therefore we are limited in our internet capabilities, so we will need to wait until our home internet is restored before sharing more pictures with you.
Dan's time in Venezuela was wonderful, and we also had a good exploratory trip to Miami, where we were checking out research possibilities for Dan's dissertation. The new semester started this morning with an 8am class, so we've hit the ground running. Nancy goes next week to another conference in Black Mountain, North Carolina, so please pray for her safe travel. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Venezuelan Baptisms

Dan is in Venezuela for a 7-day trip, and Saturday he had the wonderful blessing of witnessing 12 baptisms of recent converts with the Ondas de Paz UMC. This took place at a local river about 45 minutes from the church. the congregation gathered for praise and worship music, followed by each of the people being baptized giving a short testimony, then followed by the baptisms. It was great to witness a congregation so committed to helping non-Christians choose to become Christ-followers. Please pray for continued safe travel. Dan will return on Wednesday. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

VZ Seminary meets this week

The Venezuela Seminary will meet this week, and this will be the first time we've held classes on the new property. A great deal of effort has gone in to get things ready. David and Carol Cosby have worked tirelessly, as has our right-hand man, Samuel Rojas. Additionally, the bishop of the UMC in Venezuela, Juvenal Perez, has spent this week laying tile in one of the bathrooms (he is pictured here). This is the kind of self-giving servant heart that the Venezuelan pastors have, which is one of the reasons we are so blessed to be a small part of their ministry. Please pray for the students and David this week as he teaches them a Church Planting Course. Also please pray that Dan can get his final two class assignments done by Wednesday, because he flies to Venezuela on Thursday. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy

Great Visit with Chris and Eleanor

We had the immense pleasure this weekend of seeing our son Chris and his lovely wife Eleanor. They drove over from St. Louis Saturday afternoon and went back home this morning. We enjoyed talking, playing Scrabble, Boggle, and Sequence, and just being together. John and Tara (our other son and his lovely wife who live in Wilmore) were able to come last night for supper, so all six of us were together for the first time in quite a while. We are thankful that God has blessed us with such a wonderful family. This week Dan is working on his reading and writing assignments for the Christian Conversion course he's been taking. He needs to read 4 books, write 5 book reports (he finished one of the books last week), and then write a final research paper. All this needs to be completed by next Wednesday, because he goes to Venezuela next Thursday. Please pray that God will multiply his efforts and "redeem the time." Thank you so much for your prayer support as we try to serve Christ's Kingdom in the Americas. You are our lifeline! Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Exciting Opportunity

As you may have read in our post last week, Dan is in the midst of an intensive class on Christian Conversion. Thank you for your prayers as he deals with the heavy workload. He did learn some good news today, however. For his final paper, his professor will allow him to write a class session on some dimension of conversion that he can use to teach in the Venezuelan Seminary in the future. We are very thankful that this class assignment gets to be applied so directly to our ministry in Venezuela. God is good! Please continue to pray for us, as we do for you. Pray for warmth, because it's cold in Kentucky. We will have a low in the single digits on Thursday night, with the high Thursday and Friday hovering around 20. Aye papa! Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Conversion Class - PRAY!

Dan is in need of your prayers the next few weeks. He is participating in an intensive course on Christian Conversion. He is thoroughly enjoying the class and learning a lot, but the workload is quite heavy. In 3 and a half weeks he needs to read 9 books and write about 100 single-spaced pages related to different assignments. Aye papa! The exciting thing is that Dan will probably be able to develop a new course to teach in Venezuela and other countries as a result of this experience (Venezuelan Seminary students are pictured here). Please be in prayer a little more intensely the next few weeks. Thank you, and God bless you. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Intense Study Period Begins

Hi Everyone! Tomorrow (Monday) Dan begins a two-class intensive class on Conversion. Please pray for wisdom and physical/intellectual strength during this time. The schedule will be pretty arduous, and Dan is getting pretty old! :) This past week Dan has continued his work with an independent study course that is focusing on how to reach non-Christian Costa Ricans, and Nancy has enjoyed continued reading in one of the books related to her year-long course on Advanced Prayer and Healing. We appreciate these opportunities for continued growth, and thank you for partnering with us through your prayers and financial giving. Many Blessings, Dan and Nancy
Oops! We forgot to tell you about the picture. This is Dan and his older brother Dale at our family Christmas gathering back in December.

Blessed New Year

We want to wish you a new year filled with God's grace and opportunities to serve His Kingdom. May God use you, provide for you, encourage you, challenge you, and grow you more and more into the person He designed you to be. Pictured here are four of our favorite people: Mama, Tiffany, Pam, and David. We are blessed with a fabulous family. Much Love, Dan and Nancy