Meet the Thurmans
September 3, 2014
April 2009
March 13, 2009
God has given us a property for Refugees-and we need your help
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In June of 1995, I was sitting in a make-shift refugee camp in Osijek, Croatia, filled with refugees from Bosnia who had lost everything in the war. It was here that God first impressed upon my heart the reality that in a world where man has turned from God there will continue to be hatred, oppression and violence of all kind that leads to many vulnerable and needy left in distress. And as God’s people we get the privilege of entering into His grand plan of redemption and are able to be His expression of love and mercy by reaching out and entering into their suffering and meeting needs.
A refugee is someone who flees their own land to a place of shelter and safety because of persecution and threat to life. God’s people have known them as the strangers and aliens among you. God made it clear that from the beginning those who know and walk with Him would recognize the special place they have in His heart. God’s people were once oppressed by human leaders—God defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.(Deuteronomy 10:17-18)— God has also instructed us that we are to love them in the sense of being willing to work for their well-being even if it means sacrificing our well-being to that end. Jesus also told us that He is in the person of the stranger among us and to love them is to love Him— For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. (Matthew 23:25)
God’s plans are perfect, He has orchestrated that our government leaders would invite many refugees from all corners of the earth to come and find refuge and shelter in our country, among us. Today, the refugees among us are in deep distress. They have left difficult lives and much pain with hope of a new start. But instead they face hopelessness as most are not able to find work in our current economic situation. Basic needs such as housing and clothing are lacking and the essential tools to help them survive here, like help with language and job training are deficient.
The A2J community has recently acquired a 4-unit property and in partnership with the International Rescue Committee offering affordable housing to refugees. The property is right in the middle of our community and we look forward to building relationships with our new refugee friends as we help them in this crucial transition period. We will help them in areas such as; how to work their appliances, how to use public transportation, language acquisition and other fundamental areas that are needed for them to succeed in life here. We plan to invite them into our daily life; of eating, praying, studying, and serving together. We believe as we serve them and enter into each other’s lives they will encounter the living Jesus in us. We also know God has much to teach us through them and this is a crucial element in God’s purpose.
God has a great plan in bringing thousands of refugees to Phoenix every year. We are actively asking God to allow us to partner with Him. We know that God’s heart is near the broken and needy and that when we enter into this we most authentically enter into the heart and purposes of God. We also know that God has called us into a revolution of proclaiming the Good News of a new kind of life found in Jesus to every nation— people of every kind—and they are now more and more coming to us.
Recently the property was vandalized and most of the windows and doors were broken, on top of this there are other repairs needed to make this an amazing living environment. We are inviting our friends, and family to join us in this ministry. One way to do this is by donating money and/or your time for the work and repairs. We are estimating that the work needed to be done will cost between $5000 and $7000 depending on how many volunteers who donate their time. We are setting aside Saturday March 21st and Saturday March 28th as work days for the house. We need all kind of help from the unskilled to the skilled. Would you consider donating money and/or time? Financial gifts can be made out to Antioch Network and mailed to the AN office: PMB # 149, 9524 W. Camelback RD.; Ste 130, Glendale Arizona 85305. Please mark refugee property in the memo. You will receive a tax donation for all gifts. Please contact me via email or phone if you have any further questions and also please contact me if you plan on donating time or money. Thanks!
We are grateful,
Ryan & Noleen Thurman
ryanmthurman@yahoo.com cell # 602-791-4892
Here is a list of things that need to be done to the property:
Refugee Property
- 3 AC units serviced
- Water heater installed
- Dry wall work (hole in wall)
- Door frame repaired (from door being kicked in)
- Ceiling fans installed
- Light fixtures fixed
- Windows replaced (12 of them)
- Doors replaced (7 of them interior and exterior)
- Interior painting
- Exterior painting
- Toilet(s) replaced
- Bathroom sink replaced
- Outside motion lights installed
- Insulation added to attic
- Interior cleaning
- Landscape work
- Weed pulling
- Fixing watering system
- Thinning out cactus population
- Trimming trees and bushes
- Insect spraying
February 3, 2009
February Update
We are now 14 adults and 4 kids representing 4 houses and two distinct neighborhoods and mission fields—with more friends desiring to join us. Lord Give us wisdom and discernment to know your timing and purposes and continue to provide for us each day
Take My Life conference
This weekend Feb. 6th & 7th @ Southwestern http://takemylife.org/ The A2J community will be leading a workshop. We will also be hosting one of the speakers for the weekend and his wife & 4 kids and two young adults they are traveling with. Lord help us to show your servant hospitality this week. May you grab the hearts of the hundreds of college students and young adults this weekend and give them a passion for Jesus and missions.
House of Prayer
Since the girls moved into another house we are leaving the house they were at open for now and asking the Lord if he would want this to become a permanent house for night & day prayer & worship for the city of phoenix. Lord confirm this and if it is Your heart bring the people and build the team. Beginning Friday Feb. 20th and every Friday thereafter we will be praying @ the ‘Prayer’ House 7:30pm-9:30pm
Aprendizaje a Jesús
Apprenticeship to Jesus is now being expressed in the Hispanic community. Dannny and Evelyn Malakowsky officially joined the A2J community and team, they have their own discipleship house and are starting to invite their Spanish speaking friends and neighbors that they have been serving to participate in A2J. Lord increase their leadership and gifting, protect them and use them to bless the Spanish speaking world.
Refugee Ministry
We have been serving and working along side the International Rescue Committee for the past 6 months. The Lord continues to affirm that we are called to serve this vulnerable community of refugees here in Phoenix. We are asking the Lord to provide a 4-plex across the street from us to house refugees. Lord provide your resources for this property if it is your will
Feel free to join us for M-F for:
Morning prayer 7:45-8:30 @ Prayer House (115 N. 12th Ave.)
Evening Prayer 8:45-9:10 @ Girl’s House (1305 W. Woodland Ave.)
Needs
Please pray for us we sense a renewed need for prayer—pray for our physical health especially
Anyone have Bunk beds (or other furniture) they want to donate?
Join in supporting the work of the ministry through prayer and finances
January 1, 2009
New Years Day 2009 Update
God provided all our needs despite the economic difficulties
Summer trip to Bosnia confirmed our continued involvement there.
God provided property for Apprenticeship to Jesus (A2J)
A2J Session I was amazingly fruitful—foundations were built upon and the ministry is growing and impacting more young people and bearing fruit in downtown phoenix
2009 Immediate Plans
Jan. 5th-9th—Heading to Frisco, Colorado for annual in-country Antioch Network Gathering, the apprentices will be joining me, but Nols and the kids will stay home.
January 15th—A2J Session II begins & apprentices living with us have doubled
February 6-7th–Take My Life Conference year five http://takemylife.org/
Prayer Requests—“In the midst of Growing Pains”
Another young leader or young couple to come alongside Noleen and I in leadership role(s)
For God’s appointed connections and partnerships with other churches and ministries
That God will continue to bring those he wants to participate with us at the perfect time
Wisdom on communicating Apprenticeship to Jesus—working on an A2J website
More property for the apprentices God is continuing to bring and also property for ministry to serve the vulnerable, needy, and refugees in our community.
For each of the apprentices (see photo below)
Spring 2009 Apprentices: Noleen, Shannon Murphy, Amber Hunter, Kristen Vestal, & Jen Flocken, Ryan, Frederick Moor, Tyler Williams, Jason Sicliano, Jose Baca
November 11, 2008
November Update
Dear friends and family,
Thank for your prayers over the last few weeks for our family and community, we have experienced God's presence and peace.
steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear; your God will come—Isaiah 35:3-4
the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.
Update on Noleen She just returned from her weekly visit with the eye specialist and her eyes continue to show improvement. They are continuing to taper her off the steroid medicine. Thanks for your prayers, we are experiencing God’s gracious healing.
Please Pray:
- That God would continue to give us wisdom and His counsel for whom we are to partner with
- For direction and discernment with who is to live and serve with us in the apprenticeship to Jesus properties
- November 30th community barbecue for our neighbors
- Upcoming 24x7 prayer/worship/fasting weekend Dec. 12th-14th at the A2J property
Request
We sense that God is growing our ministry and will continue to bring young people to us to serve, disciple, train, and release we are asking God for more property in our neighborhood! Do you know anyone who might be interested in buying investment property in our neighborhood that we could use for the ministry. Please contact me if you have any ideas.
As always we are grateful for your love and partnership with us
Ryan, Noleen, Ethan, Keilah, & Micah
The time is now fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15). “Jesus then came into Galilee announcing the good news from God. ‘All the preliminaries have been taken care of and the rule of God is now accessible. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable new opportunity.’ Jesus’ mission compels us beyond ourselves and towards others, reaching out to those on the margins, healing those who are sick, blessing those who are cursed, and combating evil with love and justice. We are invited to join Jesus in his ministry of reconciliation, gathering people up into the kingdom and kingdom living.
October 24, 2008
Apprenticeship Service Trip to Nogales, Mexico
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Through Apprenticeship to Jesus we are trusting Jesus words, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my father I have made know to you” (john 15:15) God calls us his friend. He wants to talk to us personally and frequently. As Dallas Willard writes, “The ideal for divine guidance is…a conversational relationship with God: the sort of relationship suited to friends who are mature personalities in a shared enterprise.” Asking questions, what are you teaching me here God? What are you asking me to do? Or what do you want me to let go of? What in my heart are you speaking to?
Our time in Nogales was rich as we were able to experience in the weekend full expressions of our rhythm of prayer, study, and service as a way of strengthening this friendship with God. Our time was interwoven with corporate prayer as well as times alone with God, we also received great teaching from Brian Donohue about the kingdom of God. The service projects were diverse and rewarding:
1) We made a pancake breakfast at the kids café for the neighborhood kids and then we had a time for crafts and bible stories.
2) We were able to place steel posts in the ground above Miguel’s house to protect his home from another car sliding off the road and into his house. Now Miguel can sleep peacefully through the night something he hasn’t been able to do since a car fell into his kids bedroom last month
3) Some of us were able to facilitate a tea and craft time for the women in the community at the Cuirim House it was a neat way to shower love upon them.
4) We were able to lay a cement floor down for a family in the neighborhood
Enrich, Lord, heart, Hands, mouth in me with faith,
With hope and charity,
That I may run, rise, rest in Thee
-George Herbert
Amber,Ryan & Ethan, Charlie, Tyler, Jason, Breeze, Madison
Charlie, Amber, Jason and Tyler
eating breakfast with Ethan
Carlos and his family are friends of the Cuirim House and they live in a small 8by8 home. The group was able to lay a cement floor for them. They were very grateful.
Pouring the freshly mixed cement
into Carlos' house
Brian, who runs the Cuirim Ministry and Miguel who directs the Kids Cafe, work on putting one of the steel posts to protect Miguel's house. A month earlier a car slipped while climbing the steep road and landed in Miguel's house, fortunatley it wasnt while his kids were sleeping because the car landed in there room on their beds.
Tyler & Miguel oversee the 'child labor'
as the kids mix cement for the steel posts
Tyler and Jason dig three foot holes for the steel posts to protect Miguel's house
one of the
neighborhood boys
eagerly awaits the
next batch of pancakes
to be ready
Amber loving on the neighborhood girls and helping them with crafts
It was awesome having some one on one time with Ethan, he loves going down to the Cuirim House and he loves participating in the service projects, like his mother he is very handy
Jason and Charlie bask in God's light as they wait for morning prayer to begin
Morning prayer in the chapel
A view of the backside of the chapel, overlooking the stone theatre and to the left the library
The cross of Christ is the still-point in a turning world. Everything before leads up to it, everything that follows flows from it. It is the climax of the story the center-piece of the whole drama
-T.S. Elliot
October Update
Dear Friends & Family
I wanted to share with you a devotion I wrote to encourage us in our present difficulties to stop and practice the gift of remembrance, to reflect on God’s constancy and goodness. Click here: http://capturingmoments.wordpress.com/
We also wanted to invite you to join us any day except Saturday for Morning Prayer at the Apprenticeship Property. ( 115 N. 12th Avenue from 8-8:30am).
You are also welcome to join us on Thursday Evenings for dinner at 6pm and prayer and study from 7-9pm.
Please pray for us as the Apprenticeship group travels to Nogales , Mexico this Friday for the weekend to serve at the Cuirim House. http://cuirimoutreach.blogspot.com/ I will be taking Ethan with me and Noleen will stay home with Keilah and Micah.
We are so grateful for your steadfast love and support for our family and ministry!
Love,
Ryan, Noleen, Ethan, Keilah, & Micah
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,” says the Lord. By these words Christ advises us to imitate his life and habits if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our primary effort, therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ.
-Thomas a Kempis
September 4, 2008
September Update
- Confirmation that Bosnia is long-term ministry focus for our family
- Work of reconciliation and discipleship was affirmed after meeting with key leaders
- Reconnection with young men I discipled 7 years ago while living in Mostar
- Confirmation that we are to continue our ministry of encouragement and support to the Bosnian leadership & strengthen the relationships with the men I have been discipling.
- We also believe that the discipleship model that is developing with ‘Apprenticeship to Jesus’ here in Phoenix can be reproduced in Bosnia in the future.
Ryan, Noleen, Ethan, Keilah, and Micah
August 26, 2008
Summer Report Part II Written August 1 2008
Enjoy the photographs and captions from our summer trip to Bosnia
We ended our time in Herrnhut, Germany and drove to the Eifel to reconnect with friends we have built while working with George and Hanna Miley over the past five years. After a short visit we flew out of Cologne to Osijek, Croatia
Bible School in Osijek, Croatia:
I first stayed here 13 years earlier while working with Bosnian refugees. It was a surreal experience, being back and reconnecting with old friends before catching a train to Sarajevo Waiting at the train station
Train to Sarajevo
This is a photo that captures the raw real-life stress and fatigue we encountered on our month long trip, you can see in Ethan's face how much he is 'enjoying' this 8 hour train ride
Driving Mladen's car from Sarajevo to Mostar
Our trip was definitely a planes, trains, and automobiles experience. Although the travel and schedule was intense and challenging God was merciful in all our travel.
Experiencing the birth of a baby goat
Ethan and Keilah were outside the church in Breza playing and we hear them yelling for us to come down and look at something--that something was a baby goat. It was a cool unexpected experience for them both and a good taste of what rural living in Bosnia is like.Ethan and the local Breza Shepherd
Mladen and Violeta and their son Andrej
This precious family has become some of dearest friends in Bosnia, we have a deep committment to them and the church they lead in Breza.
Keilah and Ethan cleaning a rug the 'old-fashioned' way
Ethan and Keilah helping clean Elvis's house
Elvis is a young man whom I have known well for the past 7 years. His Father was the first person to pass away in the Breza church years ago and this past January his Mother died. One of the ways we served the Breza Church was to help them rennovate Elvis's house-it was an 'extreme makeover' Bosnia style. It was such a joy to be able to serve together as a whole family. Ethan and Keilah enthusiastically worked along side us and the whole team. It doesnt get much better that serving with your own familyKeilah Cleaning
Elvis (left)and Sanel (right) at the Prayer Conference
Ryan Andrews with Micah
One of our highlights of our time in Bosnia was having Ryan with us, he was a great asset to our team. It was an important part of our development of a discipleship process that at the foundation is inviting young adults to live and serve with our familyNoleen with Svetljana and girls from a U.S. team we partnered with
Mladen and Violeta praying with a small group at the Prayer Conference
It was amazing to be able to participate in the second of the three prayer conferences in Bosnia this year. This year has been a special focus of prayer for Bosnia. This was the largest gathering of Bosnian christians to gather for the purpose of focused prayer. It was so encouraging to see the unity and focus of the Believers to gather together to pray for their country.A young woman dancing and worshipping freely
One of the ways I sensed God affirming Bosnia as place of focus for my family was the way that God gave me such sweet and powerful times of worship as I worshipped Him through singing songs in the Bosnian language
Basketball at the Bible School in East Mostar
Sejo (left) & Boske (right)
These two friends I have known and loved since I lived in Mostar back in 2001. They were only teens back then but are now in their twenties and trying to figure out life. Sejo
One of the greatest highlights for me was being able to spend time with Sejo. After playing basketball together we spent many hours catching up, when we parted Sejo wept openly. Our friendship is deep, when I lived in Mostar 7 years ago we spent almost every day together and I often ate meals and spent the nigth at his parents house and felt like an extension of his family. Sejo is one of the only young men I know from Mostar who have chosen to follow Jesus, he has little fellowship and support I have dreamed and prayed about bringing Sejo to Phoenix to participate in 'Apprenticeship to Jesus' Some of the faces of Bosnia
Young woman and two older men watch a chess match in Sarajevo
Man in Sarajevo
Woman in Breza
Man in Mostar
The Beauty of Bosnia
Train Station-Breza
Old Bridge-Mostar
Nretva River-Mostar
Nretva River-Mostar
Sunset-Breza
Mostar-A city divided and trying to cover up its pain & shame
“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,” (Isaiah 64:1) This cry of Isaiah communicates the cry of desperation that God would take notice of and act on behalf of the pain, suffering and injustice rampant among His creation. It could be translated, If only you would tear the heavens in two and see what is happening among your creation… If only you would sever this distance that sits between us like a heavy garment… May this be our prayer for the places and people that God has entrusted to us.
Summer Report Part I (Written July 1, 2008
The time together with the AN staff and the many guests from around the world brought strength and richness to our prayer and worship time. The speakers did a great job challenging and leading us. (we recorded the teaching times if you are interested—click here:
We will send out some photos and stories from our time in Bosnia in a later email. Again we want to thank you for your prayers and support that allows us to minister both here in Phoenix and Bosnia