TEAM ministry

A co-worker here on the field told me I just had to subscribe to “Women of the Harvest”, an on-line magazine, specifically for missionaries. This month one of the articles reminded me of a monthly task I face and Carol writes…

“Since the days of Paul and Barnabas, the church has been receiving reports of God's work on the mission field—we can say that is 2,000 years of newsletters! (I, Joy, have only been writing them for about 5 years) But I can give testimony that even in our day of modern technology, it is the humble newsletter that makes the greatest impact in keeping the church connected with the missionary and the task to which they are called. Writing a good newsletter is crucial to help the church (and here I am referring to both the local church and individual supporters/churches at large) feel engaged and a part of what God is accomplishing through you as 'their' missionary. Remembering this fact—that you are not just called by God but 'sent' by a group of believers—will help you to keep your newsletters focused, for the church is your target audience in writing.”

WOW – she couldn’t have said it better! I have said it before – we are a TEAM ministry. That includes you! You are part of our TEAM. Don & I may be called by God to this place, this ministry and this time, but YOU have sent us by your continued encouraging words, prayers, and financial support. That’s why I try to correspond with you so much. Monthly you can read about what your TEAM is doing.

Newsletter – The email list for receiving the newsletter has over 350 people. It’s a report of the work of the Lord. Imagine if everyone really did read it and prayed for the work we are doing and for us – just once a month! That would be amazing. I send this monthly report of the work for that very purpose. Just yesterday I discovered a friend didn’t know we were in the states because she isn’t on the email list and she has even been here to Peru more than one occasion. How she missed out, I’ll never know, but you can help so this doesn’t happen again. Just ask your friends and let us know if they would like to receive the newsletter.

Journal – I also send out a journal, which is a human interest story of something that’s recently happened in our lives that might be of interest to you. This includes some of the cultural experiences we have had, daily life challenges, just reports of what life offers us, or what’s been on my mind recently!

Blog – Weekly I write a blog and post it at http://www.TEAMissionsinperu.blogspot.com It’s a quick little blurb about something that happened that current week, maybe something God did unexpectedly, or it could be a lesson I learned that I want to share with the readers.

Prayer Requests – This is an email that goes to our prayer partners only. This shares specific prayer requests and answers to prayer with our prayer warriors!

Letter a day – Recently I have started to write a personal email a day. There’s only 30 days in a month, so it will take me quite a while to get to you, but I am trying to stay personally connected with those of you who were living life with me daily and now the life has caused us to be distanced a little. Just hearing about you and your family while sharing stuff we are up to, is the plan. Why? When you don’t hear from a long lost cousin or high school friend for years, you cannot relate to them the same. We want to ‘know’ you like we used to. So, hearing about the soccer game, a college semester abroad, your anniversary trip, a new baby, or the car accident, is important to us. Let us continue to be part of your life and you a part of ours. As I said to a dear friend when we were visiting in their home recently, if we don’t hear the “the good, bad and the ugly” we don’t understand what our family and friends are going through. So let’s ‘share life’. I’ll answer all emails sooner or later and would love to hear from you!