June 2013 Part 2

Dear Ryan, We hope this email finds you and yours doing well.  I was reminded recently that God is His wisdom and kindness has called each one of us to be his instruments of peace and hope to a broken world in spite of our own limitations.  Nouwen hits it home when he writes: "The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God." Thank you for your love and support of our family and our ministry with Antioch Network. Love Ryan and Noleen
Our love and belief in the local church only grows stronger...working for a mission organization and being part of a movement of intentional discipleship communities one might miss this. We have been blessed to be a part of three wonderful churches, Open Door Fellowship, St. Georges, and now Christ Church Anglican and we've partnered with many more.  We enjoy every opportunity we get to serve and enter into the rich life of our Christ Church Anglican community (who love and support us so well) whether it is using our photography 'skills' to chronicle the life of the church or working with the children and youth or helping facilitate outreach with us downtown.  Noleen and I recently were able to work together in VBS (I was the Apostle Paul). We resonate deeply with these words from Jim Wallis,  "The greatest need of our time is for koinonia, the call simply to be the church, to love one another, and to offer our lives for the sake of the world. The creation of living, breathing, loving communities of faith at the local church level is the foundation of all the other answers." Within the ministry of A2J we are to be a voice crying out and declaring God's love for His bride and we are committed to serving and being a blessing to the many diverse local churches we are part of.  newspaper article about upcoming Stolpersteine ceremony on July 1 Leaving for Germany on Wednesday...I leave for Germany early Wednesday morning and have a sense that this is going to be a very significant trip. I would greatly appreciate your prayers of protection for my family while I am gone and also for the time of ministry with George and Hanna.    As I wrote last time we believe this summer is a culmination eleven years of prayer and obedience. We believe God longs to move and bless the people of the Eifel (the region where Hanna was born).      July 1st the Stolpersteine (remembrance stones) will be laid in honor of Hanna's parents kids at Bear Flat When I return from Germany... Nols and I will be celebrating the wedding of Amber and Justan who are dear friends and part of the A2J Mission Team, and then we will head up to Bear Flat as a family to enjoy one another and the beauty of God's creation. God is steadfast love and His kindness endures forever.