Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Card carrying missionaries

After successfully completing a year as "missionaries in training," (Feb 2012), Chris and I received our official World Impact ministry license!

Each month, the entire missionary staff of World Impact L.A. (over 50 missionaries) gathers for worship, prayer, and fellowship.  Here we are at the May 2012 "Gathering" being commissioned for our on-going labors here. We are so blessed to be a part of this team here in L.A.!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

"God permits what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves."  --Joni


 


For nearly 40 years, Dr. Keith Phillips has organized and led the annual prayer breakfast for the Mayor of Los Angeles. This year, Joni Eareckson Tada was the guest speaker. This remarkable woman of God testified to the life of submission and surrender, as only Joni could tell it. "God permits what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves," she explained. She concluded her talk with a special invitation: "Join me in needing God desperately every day!"

Friday, November 25, 2011

LA Fun!

We met Charlene and Larry at Bottega Louie for brunch. Excellent food. We highly recommend this restaurant! Then Bob and I strolled around for a while. Surprisingly, it was a quiet day downtown. I guess all the shoppers were elsewhere.


Egg White Omelet
Smoked Salmon


Grand Central Market


LA Public Library



Bob at World Peace Bell

Chris at World Peace Bell

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Joni & Friends Reunion

On Saturday, November 19, we helped to host the Joni and Friends/World Impact LA Urban Family Retreat reunion. (That’s a mouthful ;-). Eight families attended along with STMs (volunteers) and JAF and WI staff, for a great group of about 60 people. We enjoyed silly games, good fun, casual visiting, and meaningful reflection. Next year’s camp will be July 30 through August 3! Good times!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Recruiting

Now back in Indiana, we are visiting Taylor University students, colleagues, & dear friends who helped to send us out a little less than a year ago to serve as urban missionaries with World Impact. It is a privilege to share God’s abundant provision for us during our initial year as “MITs” (Missionaries in Training)! In what seems like a few brief months, there have been many challenges and lessons learned. This week Chris shared our experiences with students at The King’s Academy (a Christian K-12 in Jonesboro). Bob is sharing with students on the Taylor campus. We want to stay connected with those who have supported and encouraged us during our Indiana sojourn (1995-2010). The students pictured here are senior Christian Educational Ministry majors from the class of 2011 who traveled to Los Angeles last January for their senior capstone course—a two week intensive urban immersion. This week Bob is meeting with the seniors from the class of 2012, who will be experiencing L.A. this coming January. Later this month, three Taylor student teachers will travel to Los Angeles to complete their student teaching experience at World Impact’s Los Angeles Christian School; a fourth student teacher will be at the Newark Christian School in New Jersey.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

TUMI-LA Graduation 2011



Saturday June 25th was not just another beautiful day in Southern California. It was also graduation day for a select class of students who have persevered through the course of studies known as the CAPSTONE of Christian Leadership Studies of the Urban Ministry Insitute of Los Angeles. The graduates--four men and one woman--have studied hundreds of pages of theological material, written dozens of papers, and attended hundreds of hours of evening and weekend classes, all while balancing job, family, and church-ministry responsibilities! The CAPSTONE certificate prepares students for ministry leadership in a variety of settings, by introducing them to the disciplines of Biblical Studies, Theology and Ethics, Christian Ministry, and Urban Mission, and requiring them to integrate what they are learning with their ministry assignments, with the assistance of mentors. This is a holistic, experiential, ministry-equipping approach to transforming urban America, through empowering ministry leaders from among the urban poor.