When and What?

Life is a trip. God has put me on the road to service in the Navajo Nation. To see how the whole story began click here. It seems that the most common two questions I'm hearing now are, "When are you going?" and "What will you be doing?" I expect to be able to arrive in Albuquerque, NM, in order to meet my pastor and friend, Terry Matthews at the airport there sometime in the last two weeks of May. The exact date has not yet been set. Terry will fly out to help me get my feet on the ground. He has been there many times by now and understands much that I will have to learn. I'll meet him at the airport in Albuquerque and we will travel together the rest of the way to Shiprock. I'm sure that he will be a great help to me and I really appreciate the fact that he is willing to give up some of his valuable time in order to be with me. The time available to get to know each other better and have one-on-one conversation is a big plus for me too. I actually expect to leave 5 or 6 days prior to our planned meeting. The drive doesn't take that long, but I want to be able to see a little something of this country as I travel. Some part of the time, I'll travel off I40 and on what little remains of the old Route 66, the Mother Road. That appeals to the romantic in me. I'll post the actual departure date and expected arrival once the date is set. Just exactly what I will be doing is not tightly defined at this time. Rodney Aist, the Director of FCNAM, has drawn up an eight-point job description for me. Each point defines an area of hoped for impact, but until I begin my service, it is difficult to say where we will be most successful. I use the 'we' there to describe the team of Rodney and me. In football terms, Rodney is going to be the player / coach, plan the offense and defense, and call the plays. With his guidance, I'll try to be successful blocking, tackling, and running the ball. Yeah, it is hard to imagine this chunky body carrying a ball, so it is a good thing that I won't really have to run very often. Briefly, here are the eight points defined in the job description: 1) Advocacy Program - Work with the director in developing the initial phases of a ministry advocacy program, i.e., advocating for the Navajos and helping them to advocate for themselves. 2) Men's Ministry - Work with the Shiprock UMC pastor to strengthen the men's programs of the church. 3) Local Missions - Explore possibilities of engaging with the church's local missions program. 4) Congregational Development - Become familiar with the curriculum of the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations and implement its language in the work with FCNAM. 5) Mission Team Program - Work with the Cove church (35 miles away) to develop the congregation's summer mission team program for 2010. 6) Navajo Undergraduate Program - Research and document undergraduate education available for our member congregations. 7) Promotion and Development - As determined by the Director, engage with various local promotional and developmental projects. Liaise with the Western NC Conference and the W-S District in developing ministry support. 8) Administration and Supervision - Needed administrative work as defined by the Director. As you can see, the scope of these areas is wide and exciting with many opportunities for His service. They are areas that are very open-ended and the work on them and the impact from them may well outlast me by years. At least that is my hope and prayer. I hope that this answers, at least somewhat, the two questions I mentioned at first. As always, I ask for your prayers. I know that God will never fail me. I would like for you to pray that I will have the strength and skills not to fail God.

There's More To It Than Just Packin' A Suitcase!

Life is a trip. God has put me on the road to service in the Navajo Nation. To see how the whole story began click here. For the past few days, I've been using almost every means available to begin to raise money for my ministry. I've sent emails, written snail mail letters, contacted Sunday school classes, and talked to folks face-to-face. Now, one of the very hardest parts, staying steadfast in the belief that God will provide and that the money will be available as needed. I've found out that some things will be more expensive than I had hoped, but hey, I'm a fan of peanut butter and Ramen Noodles and I need to loose some more weight anyway. Yesterday, I received the job description for the job I will be doing. There are 8 areas noted on it. I'll have no reason to ever be inactive or bored. The job description excites me a great deal. It provides me with opportunities for research and planning on big picture, long range project areas, hands-on work with the Navajos through our churches and other social advocacy groups, and work with the mission groups that visit the area each summer. There is a lot more detail, but the big thing is that it makes me feel like my prayers about my calling are being answered. There are several items that I'll be able to start work on even before I go out. Can you say "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations"? I've been spending a lot of time with my nose in a monster book called, "The Foundation Directory." I borrowed it from a local foundation in an attempt to find funding for my own ministry. I've not been very successful there, but it has given me wonderful ideas on possible support for our programs. Now I just have to make about a million pages of notes before returning the book. I'm told that the book is very expensive, so I don't think I'm going to buy it just for casual reference. Still 6 or 7 weeks before I start packing my suitcase, but I don't think I'm going to be able to just wait for the time to pass. More later.

The Hardest Part

Life is a trip. God has put me on the road to service in the Navajo Nation. To see how the whole story began click here. Today I begin to work on the hardest part of my call to being a missionary... raising money. I'll be using email, snail mail, the church bulletin and newsletter, speaking to Sunday school classes, applying for grants, and anything else I can think of. I have to make myself remember that I'm not asking for money for myself. I'm asking for money in order to be able to do the things that God wants me to do. When Moses fled Egypt after killing the Egyptian, he left a life of untold wealth and became a shepherd. He had less than nothing when God called him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of captivity. I'm pretty sure that Moses didn't tell God he couldn't go because he had no money. I'm also pretty sure that God didn't plan to pack him a bag lunch. God just expected Moses to begin his mission and assume that he would be provided for. I believe that God will provide the resources for me to make this journey, but He expects me to do the work. Today I intend to write a letter / email to be posted to family and friends asking for donations; a difficult thing to do in this economy. Today I'll also work on comments I want to be able to make to Sunday school classes, during the church hour, or to anyone who will listen. Today I'll begin an address list of family and friends I want to contact. Today I'll contact a friend who understands grants and who has the resources to help point me in the right direction to seek one or more grants. God will provide, but like Moses, I have to at least make the effort to strike the rock with my staff before I am granted water. Prayers for success are requested.