Sunday, August 31, 2008

Prayer Trip


We recently returned from our prayer trip to Cuenca. It was an amazing time and God confirmed our calling to Ecuador. During our time, we met the pastors of the only Foursquare church in Cuenca, Fercen & Patricia Granja. We spent some time getting to know each other as we will be working with them as we acclimate to our new home. Thank you to all of you who prayed and gave.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Our Prayer Trip To Cuenca

In preparation for our move to Ecuador, we (Michael & Jennifer) will be taking a trip to Cuenca in August. While we certainly have many questions we would like to answer before our move, our primary purpose is to hear from God whatever He wants to show us. Logistical planning is important, but we want to be fully prepared spiritually. The dates of our trip are August 14-23. Please pray for us.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Hope For The Nations Church on Yakama

We had a great time at the First Nations Conference back in March. One of the couples we met are Frank & Mary East. Today we had the privilege of sharing at the church they pastor on the Yakama Reservation in Toppenish, WA. Their church blessed us financially, but we are especially excited about the relationship we are developing with them. Frank & Mary have pastored native peoples for over 20 years and have a lot of wisdom to share regarding the challenges we will soon face reaching out to the indigenous people of Ecuador.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Foursquare Missions Intensive

As part of our continuing appointment process with FMI, we were asked to complete a number of different tasks to help prepare us for the transition to Ecuador. One of those tasks was to attend a Missions Intensive. We just completed this eight-day training in Federal Way, WA. This was a wonderful time where we learned a tremendous amount, made some wonderful new friends, and were able to visit friends & family since the training was at our former church. We see the hand of God orchestrating so many things with regards to our preparation. We can't wait to see what God has in store next!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Foursquare First Nations Conference

This weekend, March 14-16, is the annual Foursquare First Nations Conference. It is being held once again in Escondido, CA, the site of the conference in 2004 when the vision for Call to the Nations was birthed. We will have a table displaying our brochures and other information about the ministry. Nastassja and Michael, Jr. will be selling handmade, knitted scarves and other crafts at our display to raise money for their room in Ecuador. You can order a scarf for $5 by contacting us through our website. Please keep us in prayer as we hope to make contacts for raising support at this event.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Mt. Zion Lake Elsinore Foursquare

Today we had the pleasure of sharing at Mt. Zion Lake Elsinore Foursquare pastored by Jason & Rachele Brannon. It is always a privilege to be invited into a church and it is also exciting as we get to go to different churches and see what God is doing there.

To update you on some upcoming events, we have a tentative appointment scheduled with Foursquare Missions(FMI) on Wednesday, February 13th. This interview combined with an invitation from the National Board of Ecuador will get us our official appointment as Missionary Associates. Also, at the end of April, we will be attending an FMI training in Washington state. This training takes place at our former church, Northwest Church, in Federal Way! We plan to combine this week-long training with a vacation to visit friends and family one last time before we move.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

First Nations Church

We have begun to go to churches to raise spiritual and financial support. The first church that we had the privilege of sharing at was First Nations Church in Santa Fe Springs, California pastored by Randy and Cheryl Bear Barnetson. You can find a link to their ministry in the "Links" section of this blog. We will be sharing about Call To The Nations at several other churches in the coming months. We need to raise the financial sponsorships needed for our move, but we also need to raise prayer support! Please pray for God to continue to open the right doors as we continue in this endeavor. Thanks again, Randy and Cheryl!

Friday, January 4, 2008

Foursquare Licensing

Today we had our interview with a Foursquare licensing panel. While this may sound very intimidating, it was actually quite fun! The panel was made up of three pastors from the area whose job it was to ask us questions concerning our personal lives, our doctrine, and our understanding of Foursquare Polity. The four hour interview could have been very intimidating, but the panel went out of its way to make it anything but. Since we have already been through a long licensing process up to this point, their approach was to get to know us and to encourage us. They even provided lunch! The next step is to receive approval from our District Supervisor and the Foursquare Board. When we receive this approval (God willing), we will obtain a Foursquare District License which will enable us to receive our appointment with Foursquare Missions International.