Joy in St. Louis, Disappointment in Kansas, Research in Illinois

We had a great visit with Chris and Eleanor at the end of last week. It was so good to be with them for a couple days. We wanted to be sure we got together with them before heading to Venezuela in August, so we are grateful it worked out. We drove from there to Kansas to visit with a relative in prison, and experienced heartbreak and disappointment. The day we went to visit him the visitation got cancelled due to flooding in the visitation room. We haven't seen him in a long time and were really looking forward to spending time with him before heading down south, but it was not to be. We went back on Monday to ask for an exemption to the weekend-only visitation rule, but they wouldn't make an exception, so no joy there. Curious as to God's larger plan. We are now in Effingham, Illinois, where Dan is doing dissertation research interviews. This is the last church he'll do this with, and then the field research component will be complete. This will leave literature review, field research analysis, and writing as the three large components remaining to finish his dissertation, which he will do while we are in VZ. Thursday we drive home to Wilmore for Dan to pack a suitcase for his Costa Rica mission trip, then we drive Thursday afternoon/evening to the Atlanta area, because on Friday we need to go to Athens to open a bank account. Then Saturday Dan flies to Costa Rica while Nancy drives to Wilmore to finish up the packing prior to a big move on July 27th. Thank you for your continued prayers. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Heading Out Again

Today (Monday) and tomorow we will continue with our packing for the "big move" at the end of the month, while also getting ready for our upcoming short-term trip. On Wednesday we will drive a small moving truck to St. Louis to take some of our furniture to Chris and Eleanor, and more importantly, visit with them a couple day before we head for Venezuela. From there we travel to Kansas City to visit with a nephew who is in prison, and then we travel to Effingham, Illinois to engage in research with the final church that Dan will be working with related to his dissertation field research. Please pray for safe and God-honoring travels.

This past weekend was a blessed one. We got a lot done at the house on Friday and Saturday, plus enjoyed the focus on the freedom we enjoy here in the USA. Worship yesterday was nurturing and insightful, and we were especially blessed to run into missionary friends Josh and Jennifer Reynolds, who serve in Mexico. Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed giving our freezer to a young couple who will be married in 13 days, plus some relaxation on the couch. Given our upcoming travels, we knew that a relaxing couch afternoon would be a big plus for us, so we are thankful for that opportunity. We are grateful too for your continued prayers as we serve in Venezuela, Costa Rica, and the USA. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Packing and Other Move-Related Tasks

Since returning home from our last trip, we have been packing up a storm, and trying to take care of a multitude of administrative tasks to get ready for our year in Venezuela. We're both tired but also very content and trying to take things one day at a time, and take at least a few minutes each day to rest and enjoy God's grace. Though we don't fly to Venezuela until August 4th, we only have 1 week of packing time remaining, because of our upcoming travel schedule prior to the Venezuela trip. Thank you for your continued prayers. We are so thankful for our friends and ministry partners. The worldwide Body of Christ is amazing to behold. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Heading Home

Completed research in Charleston, then with another church in Flowery Branch, Georgia. Attended the North Georgia Annual Conference in Athens, then last night enjoyed seeing a lot of our close friends in the Alpharetta area. We will visit with Ralph and Donna today/tonight, then head home tomorrow. We'll have a couple weeks to try to almost-finish packing up for our move to Venezuela in August, and then we'll head to St. Louis to visit with Chris and Eleanor, plus do research with a church in Illinois. This will be followed by Dan going to Costa Rica to translate for a mission team, while Nancy stays in Wilmore to make last-minute preparations for our move. Thank you for your continued prayers. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Christians and Fun

We are currently in Charleston, where Dan is engaging in interviews with a local congregation. The interviews are going extremely well, and he is gaining a lot of insight related to his dissertation. An interesting question came up in one interview: should Christians have fun? We believe that Christians of all people should be joyful and live life fully. We are reconciled with the Father through the Son and are empowered/guided by the Spirit. We can/should understand priorities better than others, and thus should be able to enjoy life in wholesome, healthy, vibrant ways, to the extent that other folks yearn to live as we do. In this context we are not thinking of "fun" in any way that dishonors God, so that "if it feels good, do it." However, we do believe that the fullness and joy of our lives is an enormously powerful testimony of the work of God in our lives. If we are not enjoying life, then non-Christians won't have very much incentive to investigate what it means to be Christ-followers, because they won't see any benefit to following Him. There is a sense, therefore, in which your "fun factor" directly influences your abilitiy to be used by God to reach others. As Nehemiah says, "the JOY of the Lord is our strength." Hoping you are having fun in Jesus! Much Love, Dan and Nancy

Packing, Prep for Cincinnati, Charleston, Georgia

Dan has now completed field research in 6 churches. He will engage in research next week with a church in Cincinnati. The following weekend, we will drive a truck to Athens with some of our belongings that John and Tara will be using during our year in Venezuela. From Athens we drive to Charleston for research with an Anglican congregation, then back to Georgia for research with a UMC congregation. This will be followed by attendance at the North Georgia Annual Conference, then possibly some research with another congregation, in Decatur. We're still working on those arrangements. Nancy has just returned from a week-long Be in Health event, which she thoroughly enjoyed. In the midst of all our travels, we are also trying to get things sorted out, packed, and details ironed out for our year-long ministry time in Venezuela beginning in August. Thank you for your continued prayers. Please especially pray for wisdom, strength, and patience, as we deal with a multiplicy of tasks. Much Love, Dan and Nancy

McDonough, then Augusta and Thomaston

We are currently in the Atlanta area, where Dan is doing research with a church in McDonough. Tomorrow (Thursday) we will finish here, then drive to Athens to spend the night with John and Tara. Friday morning Dan will drive to the Augusta area for research with a church there, and on Sunday Nancy will drive with a friend to Thomaston for a week-long Be In Health training time. Please continue to pray for safe and Christ-glorifying travels. Much Love, Dan and Nancy



P.S. In case you missed it, please be aware that in August we will be going to Venezuela for a year-long ministry phase, during which time we will focus on Spanish learning, dissertation research/writing, leadership training, and pastoral encouragement. Please support us in prayer related to this endeavor, and please partner with us financially. You may send email notification of your prayer support to missionmandan@gmail.com, and you may send financial support by making your check payable to Venezuela Now, Inc., and marking "Project 3455" on the memo line. Mail to VNI, P. O. Box 3455, Duluth, GA 30096.