As such, I'm celebrating by posting an updated suggestion for our sign in the cornfield outside Barkstall.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
And for my next trick...
This is the 200th post on my blog.
As such, I'm celebrating by posting an updated suggestion for our sign in the cornfield outside Barkstall.
As such, I'm celebrating by posting an updated suggestion for our sign in the cornfield outside Barkstall.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thought for the day
"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Meet Malawi Project pictures...
If you'd like to see the pictures from the Meet Malawi Project team, they are now available. Just click on the link below. Notice that there are a whole bunch of different albums (each person on the team is uploading their personal set of pictures). There are also albums featuring some of the different stops along their journey.
Take your time and browse each set. It's a great way to get a feel for what the team experienced. There are some amazing pictures in here.
Meet Malawi Pictures
Enjoy!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday's Leadership Nugget
"The leader must appreciate that the vision is the deepest "yes", and as such, the integrity of the vision requires a thousand no's."- Will Mancini in Church Unique
Sunday, September 27, 2009
ALMOST HERE!!!!
The Malawi Team is on the LEX bus and on their way to Champaign. They'll be arriving at Illini Terminal on University, sometime between 2 and 2:30pm.
So if you want to be sure to be there when their bus arrives, best bet is to get there just before 2pm.
Amazingly, every leg of their trip home (except for the first one - flat tire) has been ahead of schedule.
Hope you can join us at the terminal to welcome them home!
So if you want to be sure to be there when their bus arrives, best bet is to get there just before 2pm.
Amazingly, every leg of their trip home (except for the first one - flat tire) has been ahead of schedule.
Hope you can join us at the terminal to welcome them home!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Malawi Update - The Return...
Hey folks.
If you are considering joining us at the train / bus station to welcome the Malawi Team back home, just a quick update on timing. They will be returning this Sunday afternoon. The group may actually be back at the station as early as 2:30pm. That is actually the time on their LEX reservation. Of course that all depends on quite alot of things going just right. So it may be later than that.
We figure that we'll know for sure before the 10:30 service ends and we should be able to announce it at that point.
I'll also come home and update my blog immediately with a more specific arrival time.
Bottom line, we'll have to play it by ear a bit. But we do hope you'll find a way to come join us in celebrating the faithfulness of our Malawi Team by welcoming them home!
Thanks much.
If you are considering joining us at the train / bus station to welcome the Malawi Team back home, just a quick update on timing. They will be returning this Sunday afternoon. The group may actually be back at the station as early as 2:30pm. That is actually the time on their LEX reservation. Of course that all depends on quite alot of things going just right. So it may be later than that.
We figure that we'll know for sure before the 10:30 service ends and we should be able to announce it at that point.
I'll also come home and update my blog immediately with a more specific arrival time.
Bottom line, we'll have to play it by ear a bit. But we do hope you'll find a way to come join us in celebrating the faithfulness of our Malawi Team by welcoming them home!
Thanks much.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Malawi Welcome Home Party
We want to invite you all to join us in welcoming the Malawi Team back to Champaign.
We'll be meeting them at the Train Depot / Bus Station on University.
They are currently scheduled to arrive at approximately 3:45pm on Sunday afternoon. Obviously that could change depending on the timeliness of planes, luggage, buses, etc. We should hear from them during the 10:30 worship services and will be able to confirm at both campuses what time they will be arriving.
By all accounts, it has been a great trip and I think it would be a wonderful wrap up to the trip if we had a crowd of folks there to welcome them home!
Stay tuned for more.
We'll be meeting them at the Train Depot / Bus Station on University.
They are currently scheduled to arrive at approximately 3:45pm on Sunday afternoon. Obviously that could change depending on the timeliness of planes, luggage, buses, etc. We should hear from them during the 10:30 worship services and will be able to confirm at both campuses what time they will be arriving.
By all accounts, it has been a great trip and I think it would be a wonderful wrap up to the trip if we had a crowd of folks there to welcome them home!
Stay tuned for more.
Malawi update - Thursday
Everything is going great. It genuinely sounds like the team members have just been blown away on this trip. In those short little calls, we can seriously hear it in their voices. God is working in them! Can't wait to hear all the details.
One little tidbit from yesterday. The team got to go on a moonlight safari drive. So they were out in the middle of nowhere, out in the midst of the African wildlife, and they get a flat tire. Can you imagine sitting there in the pitch black, not really knowing what's around you, waiting on the tire to get changed? Well, sounds like it was fixed easily and the safari drive was great.
God is good. Can't wait to hear more!
Keep praying.
One little tidbit from yesterday. The team got to go on a moonlight safari drive. So they were out in the middle of nowhere, out in the midst of the African wildlife, and they get a flat tire. Can you imagine sitting there in the pitch black, not really knowing what's around you, waiting on the tire to get changed? Well, sounds like it was fixed easily and the safari drive was great.
God is good. Can't wait to hear more!
Keep praying.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Malawi update - Wednesday!
Many thanks to Tim Jefferson and Greg Cozad whose cell phones have made it possible for the team to occasionally stay in touch with us! Every few days, we're getting calls (that usually last about a minute) with super quick updates.
Here's the latest.
The group spend yesterday and part of today with Opportunity International. This is the organization through whom we are providing micro-financing to people in Lisanjala grow their own businesses. Our team got to meet together with the trust group (the group of 15 or so local people who received loans together and who meet together for spiritual support and business mentoring). Our team also got to experience the training seminar that the Opportunity International clients receive. It's pretty exciting to know that our partnership has allowed a whole group of families to work themselves out of poverty and to increase their ability to provide food for the families, education for their children, and many other things.
This evening, our team was headed to a wildlife preserve where they are hoping to catch up rest and showers and also will get to see some of the beauty and natural wonder of Malawi.
Tomorrow the team will be visiting a few other villages to learn about some of the ways that churches are healing their communities through health clinics and clean water programs. The team is hoping that these experiences will reveal new ways that God might be inviting us to partner with our new friends in Malawi.
Keep them in your prayers. And keep praying for all of us who are waiting expectantly (if not so patiently) for our loved ones to get back home!!!
Here's the latest.
The group spend yesterday and part of today with Opportunity International. This is the organization through whom we are providing micro-financing to people in Lisanjala grow their own businesses. Our team got to meet together with the trust group (the group of 15 or so local people who received loans together and who meet together for spiritual support and business mentoring). Our team also got to experience the training seminar that the Opportunity International clients receive. It's pretty exciting to know that our partnership has allowed a whole group of families to work themselves out of poverty and to increase their ability to provide food for the families, education for their children, and many other things.
This evening, our team was headed to a wildlife preserve where they are hoping to catch up rest and showers and also will get to see some of the beauty and natural wonder of Malawi.
Tomorrow the team will be visiting a few other villages to learn about some of the ways that churches are healing their communities through health clinics and clean water programs. The team is hoping that these experiences will reveal new ways that God might be inviting us to partner with our new friends in Malawi.
Keep them in your prayers. And keep praying for all of us who are waiting expectantly (if not so patiently) for our loved ones to get back home!!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday update from Malawi
Well, it turns out some actual details got lost in translation when we were talking with Melissa on the cell phone, with speaker phone, held up to my microphone at church.
The Malawi team has not had a shortage of drinking water. There has been enough of that. What they've been missing is running water. Which means showers and flushable toilets have been temporarily sacrificed. But I talked with Melissa today and she said the water is running again and everything is great.
In case you missed this in earlier information, the team spent Sunday afternoon and all day today "shadowing" a family in the village of Lisanjala. This means they just spent the entire 2 days living life with a family. I know that as the team prepared for the trip, these 2 days of shadowing were the part they were most nervous about. What would they eat? Where would they go to the bathroom? What would they spend their time doing? What would they talk about? HOW would they communicate? The amazing thing is that from everything we've heard, these 2 days of shadowing may just turn out to be everyone's favorite part. We are hearing so many amazing stories of our team members just being so incredibly embraced, welcomed, and loved. It sounds phenomenal. Can't wait to hear more about it!
Keep the team in your prayers!
The Malawi team has not had a shortage of drinking water. There has been enough of that. What they've been missing is running water. Which means showers and flushable toilets have been temporarily sacrificed. But I talked with Melissa today and she said the water is running again and everything is great.
In case you missed this in earlier information, the team spent Sunday afternoon and all day today "shadowing" a family in the village of Lisanjala. This means they just spent the entire 2 days living life with a family. I know that as the team prepared for the trip, these 2 days of shadowing were the part they were most nervous about. What would they eat? Where would they go to the bathroom? What would they spend their time doing? What would they talk about? HOW would they communicate? The amazing thing is that from everything we've heard, these 2 days of shadowing may just turn out to be everyone's favorite part. We are hearing so many amazing stories of our team members just being so incredibly embraced, welcomed, and loved. It sounds phenomenal. Can't wait to hear more about it!
Keep the team in your prayers!
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