Great Time with Due West UMC, Headed Back to VZ

We had a great time with our friends at Due West UMC over the past several days, including a visit with Sonia and Edwin from Costa Rica, along with a fun afternoon of evangelism teaching - we are headed back to Venezuela tomorrow (Feb. 1), and will hit the ground running - we will arrive in our home town of Cabudare on February 2nd, and on February 3rd Dan will start an 8-day stretch of translating, followed by a 1-day break, then 6 days of translating and teaching - please pray for safe travel and for God to bless all the upcoming Seminary classes - February and March will be very busy, but we arel super grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of what the Spirit is up to in Venezuela

2012 Ministry Plans - Venezuela and Costa Rica

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

We hope your Christmas season was filled with the love of Jesus, and that your New Year has been saturated with God’s grace.  We have been richly blessed during this season of our lives:

• ·        Jace came home from Ethiopia on December 2^nd and we LOVE being Granddaddy and Gram!!!
• ·        Dan passed his dissertation defense on December 16th, and has almost finished his revisions – things are on track for him to graduate on May 19^th – (God is faithful)
• ·        We have been able to enjoy several visits with family and friends during our time in the States

Our 2012 plans are pretty well set now, and we want to let you know what those plans look like.  Please see a few details about those plans below.  As always, please know how much we appreciate your prayer support and financial support, both of which are vital to our continued ability to minister in Venezuela and Costa Rica.

Much Love, Dan and Nancy

• ·        January 23-31: Ministry Time with Due West UMC, along with Edwin and Sonia Brenes, from Costa Rica
• ·        February 1 – March 27: we return to Venezuela Feb. 1 – Dan will teach, preach, translate, and host other professors – Nancy will continue her work with Seminary finances and will also sew some more curtains for Seminary dorm rooms – together we will host a mission team from Due West – we are looking forward to this time of ministry
• ·        March 27-April 16 : we will be in the States to spend some time with family and enjoy Easter worship 
• ·        April 17-May 14: Dan returns to Venezuela, where he will teach two Seminary classes on Colossians and host a guest professor for another week of classes 
• ·        May 15-May 22: Dan returns from VZ so that we can both drive to Wilmore to enjoy his May 19 graduation, and then celebrate our 36^th anniversary on May 22^nd
• ·        May 23-June 8: Dan will be in Venezuela, where he will host two weeks of classes – since this is such a short time in VZ, it makes more financial sense for Nancy to stay in the States, rather than buying another plane ticket
• ·        June 9^th: Dan returns to the States for Annual Conference and two Costa Rica trips
• ·        June 12-14: We will be in Athens for the North Georgia Annual Conference
• ·        June 16-23: We fly to Costa Rica to serve as leaders and translators for a mission team from Due West UMC, working with Sonia and Edwin in Guaplies
• ·        June 30-July 7: We fly to Costa Rica to serve with a second mission team from Due West
• ·        July 31-August 21: We will fly to Venezuela – Dan will translate for two classes, and we will both help make preparations for, and then enjoy celebrating, the third graduating class of the Seminary (12 graduates!), PLUS the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of the Seminary – we are very excited about this
• ·        August 21-October 1: we are going to visit some with our families in Jacksonville – Dan’s mother is in her 80s, and we want to be sure we get down to visit with her – plus almost all of our siblings and nieces and nephews are there - we will also do preparatory work in advance of our upcoming 6-week trip to Venezuela
• ·        October 2-November 13: we return to Venezuela – Dan will translate for 2 classes, teach his own class on the Gospel of John, and then translate for two weekends of ministry in UMC churches, as we partner with the Lathems to encourage pastors and their congregations
• ·        December: at some point in December, we may be flying to Costa Rica to translate for another Due West UMC team that will be serving in San Jose to help the Amor en la Calle Ministry with their Christmas ministry preparations

As you can see from the information above, Nancy will spend more time in the States in 2012 than Dan will.  During her time in the States, however, she will continue to work with the Seminary finances, getting the information she needs from VZ via phone and email. Beginning with his April trip to VZ, Dan will stay on the Seminary property in VZ rather than in the house we are currently living in, because the owners of the house are planning to sell.

One great blessing we are excited to share with you is that God has provided a place for us to be based in Athens when we are in the States.  This is wonderful for us, because it means that whenever we return to the States from Venezuela or Costa Rica, we will no longer be homeless.  We appreciate the generous hospitality of many friends and family over the past 18 months during our visits Stateside, but it will also be very nice to have our own base in the States again.  Thanks to all of you who have been praying for God’s guidance concerning this process.  We can testify yet again in our lives that God is faithful, so very faithful.

Thank you again for your prayer support and your financial support.  To give, please make your check payable to VNI, write “Project 3455” on the memo line, and mail to: VNI, P. O. Box 1655, Duluth, GA  30096.

Much Love, Dan and Nancy