January 2010

Greetings and Happy New Year! "Search me, O God.  Renew in me a right spirit."  Another way to look at this prayer is, My "within" (heart) has been formed by my experiences and choices.  I am now at its mercy, Only God can save me.  Jesus saves us by restoring our heart to God and dwelling there with His Father through the Holy Spirit.  The heart thus renovated and inhabited is humanity's only real hope.  By becoming Jesus's apprentices (disciples) we are learning this gentle rhythm of restoration.  It has been one our greatest joys to see the transformation in Christlikeness in the young people we are working with and watching them began to express their leadership and influence in this community and the ministries they are leading!  Two personal highlight for me lately was the birth of my daughter Elyana.  Another is a study I am doing with George Mily on notes he has taken through His numerous readings of Dallas Willard's,Renovation of the Heart

Ministry of  Hospitality  welcoming others as we would welcome Jesus As we have been learning to live this out we have seen the lost find faith and those weak in faith be strengthened as they experience Christ in us. In the past year and a half we have had guests from different states and from around the world come spend time with us in our community.  Our latest guest is Kelvin Davis.  A follower of Jesus here serving and working with local churches.  He needed a place to stay and has been with us for the past month and will be with us until at least the end of this month.  He is a blessing to us.  His genuine faith and sincerity and servants heart is an example to all of us.  "'Incarnation' in following the example of Jesus as given to us in John 1 and Php 2, is the act of proactively entering the world of others.  We do this in an attempt to relate to them, understand them, be a friend to them and witness to them.  Hospitality is the flip side of incarnation.  Hospitality is the act of inviting other people into our world, to accomplish the same things.  We invite them to see Christianity in action in our homes and lives, warts and all." Refugee Ministry 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 from the beginning that those who know and walk with Him would recognize the special place refugees have in His heart.  "God defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien aka refugee, giving him food and clothing.  -Deuteronomy 10:17 Ahmed Ibrahim a 26 year old Iraqi refugee moved into the Refugee property today.  He like the Dawood family is Mulsim.  He is studying English at Phoenix college. Pray that He would encounter the living Christ in us and come to saving faith There is also an Afghanistan family that is in need of a place and we have been asked by the Catholic Charities to help them.  Pray that God would give wisdom on what are involvement should be?  We are also still praying for sponsorships for each of the 4 units to adopt the family/individual(s) in prayer and to help finacially in this crucial adjustment period.  If you interested please contact me Antioch Network Annual International Gathering in Antioch, Turkey Jan 5th-16th  Eight of us from the Apprenticeship to Jesus community will be leaving in a few days for Antioch (modern Antakya), Turkey , near the Syrian border, where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians.  January 9-14, 2010.  As we gather, we will represent a past history of wounds and division: Jews, Arabs, Germans, Turks, Armenians, Orthodox, Catholic and Protestants.  This will be an important time for the whole of Antioch Network and we also sense that God will give specific direction and impartation to the Apprenticeship to Jesus community and ministry. please pray for God's protection in travel for each participant, for preservation of the unity among us, and for discernment of His direction step by step.  Please also pray for Noleen and the kids as I will be away for 11 days.  Please also pray for complete healing of a wound on my hand before I am to leave on Tuesday The Antioch Network team continues to grow, both in numbers and in the impact God is graciously allowing us to have in places like Senegal, Turkey, N. Cyprus, India, China, Germany, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Eastern Europe, The UK, France and across the USA. God is continuing to deepen our understanding of his call on Antioch Network: a commitment to evangelizing the unreached in the world; the championing and facilitation of the role of the local church in reaching the lost; and, pursuit of intimacy with Jesus. With great gratitude Ryan, Noleen Ethan, Keilah, Micah, and Elyana Thurman

December 2009

"often the genuinely significant issues are decided in the small corners of life."   I have been reflecting on this truth in my life that it is the simple decision to obey even when it is costly.  Or the choice to open my eyes to the pain and suffering around me, or a quite prayer of surrender that brings me most fully present to Jesus and His Kingdom here among us. Article Headline Similarly,the significant issues of life and salvation were addressed in a very small corner of this Universe where God entered our world as a vulnerable baby in His son Jesus to an oppressed and weak people and was born of a simple peasant girl in a backwater town in a stable full of animals. Jesus has come to reconcile us to God our Father.  To bring forgiveness of sins, cleansing of sin, and healing from sin, and freedom from sin and His desire is to transform us into the very likeness of Himself to enjoy and serve Him forever.   This is our hope and strength on this day and each day as we await His return!		Join our Mailing List!
We are grateful for your love and support of our family and ministry.   God Bless!  Merry Christmas,    Ryan, Noleen, Ethan, Keilah, Micah, and Elyana Thurman

November 2009

It is now four and a half years since joining Antioch Network, and we thank God for this incredible privilege and for you who have loved us by investing in, praying for and financially supporting us along the way.  Thank You!  We are experiencing such joy and fulfillment in our lives as we live out our God-birthed dreams and passion.  The first two years with AN gave us rich opportunities to serve in places like Senegal, Cyprus, Germany, & Bosnia. These experiences revealed to us the great need for Christians of depth and wholeness.  We also saw the opportunity for new models of discipleship community that could be fruitful in any culture.           Apprenticeship to Jesus (A2J) is one of many creative expressions of Christian community throughout history and today who desire to combine the passion for intimacy with God with the desire to love the world around us, our neighbors.  We often get asked,  "what is A2J about?"  Giving mere information about A2J is very limiting.  It is best portrayed in the beauty and grace of the stories of the people involved, who desire above all else that God will create in them the same qualities, passions and faith that is in Jesus.   It is a community who have been captured by the vision of God 'with us' Who's purpose is to bring healing & restoration not only to our community, but communities everywhere.           This passion for depth in God and for the world is what moved us to birth A2J. We believe that this is a model of discipleship community that can spread beyond the Woodland and Brentwood communities to the ends of the world making disciples and bringing restoration and hope to people everywhere.  As A2J matures we believe God will allow us to help birth more of these communities overseas where He originally planted the vision within us.  We hope you are as excited as we are to be on this journey.   To learn more about the ministry of A2J visit apprenticeshiptoJesus.org

What we are doing:

A2J training program-We have two first year apprentices and four 2nd year amazing interns who we mentor.  They increasingly share in the daily responsibilities of the ministry as they grow in Christ-like character and leadership gifting.  We also give leadership and mentoring to about thirty others who are part of the Woodland and Brentwood communities    Some of the A2J Community Refugee Ministry-God has given us a 4-plex property for providing affordable housing to refugees. We partner with several organizations, who referr to us refugee individual(s) and families that are the most vulnerable and in need, who for a variety of reasons have very limited resources and significant challenges.  We have the goal to create a training program for these refugees that would offer the assistance they need in language acquisition, life-skills and job training that will help them in their new life here.   our kids w/ Fatima and Abdalla our other kids Woodland Restoration Project-The 17 of us that live and serve together in the Woodland Community in downtown phoenix and our friends are committed to working and praying for the restoration of our neighborhood and hope that will arise as God's kingdom comes more fully among us.  We are exploring asset based community development as a tool begin to get to know our neighbors better and begin to partner with them to see positive changes take root.

Ways you can partner with us  1. Join us for events-see our calendar of eventshere 2.  Pray for us 3.  Financially support us

Thurman Family-Our personal salary and the needs of the A2J ministry are provided through the gifts of God's people.  God provides for this ministry through committed monthly gifts, one-time gifts, and sometimes through creative part-time work on our part(I am currently working part-time selling books).  Our monthly giving base is currently at 40%.  We are asking God to strengthen this so we can be devoted full-time to giving leadership to this work.  Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us in this way?   With gratitude and love, The Thurman family-Ryan, Noleen, Ethan, Keilah, Micah & baby (due in 2 weeks)

September 2009

Praise God for changing seasons and specifically for the cooler weather  God has created the seasons to regulate His creation and as we enter this new season may we listen and follow the instruction of God found in Hosea 10:12   Sow for yourselves righteousness,  reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you A2J Year II begins with Celebration    This month we invited friends & those who were part of our first year of ministry.  It was a great night focused on Jesus, sharing all He had done among us in this first year. God has brought further definition to the ministry:  We have developed into two separate communities, the Woodland community and the Brentwood community.  Each community is committed to going deep with God and loving our neighbor holistically in a way that brings transformation to our community.  We run an intensive training program that is rooted in the larger A2J community.  Continued Growth:  This year we have 6 young people going through the intensive training program.  There are another 20 or so who live in community with us, as well as a larger community that is dispersed around the city.  There are also 5 other developing A2J communities who are part of Antioch Network from Frisco, CO to Berlin, Germany.  God is on the move!		P.S. We are having our anual ministry update tonight at our house at 6:30 come by if you are free
Growing Partnership with local churches and ministries   God is continuing to strengthen our call to serve the Church by working towards unity and reconciliation as well as building bridges & partnerships within the body.  One of the beautiful qualities that God has given the A2J community is that there are 12 churches represented among us.  An upcoming ways we get to serve the body of Christ is by facilitating a weekend of prayer.  Here are the details:     The A2J ministry led by the Brentwood Community is taking the lead on an upcoming 24x7 prayer weekend at Crossroads Christian Fellowship (13th St. and Roosevelt) with the goal of drawing people into prayer for unity & community.  This will be a joint effort by several local ministries and churches who are focused on serving the inner city.  It will be October 2nd-4th.  Please come out and pray with us Spotlight on A2J Intern, Frederick Moor  Frederick has been a part of the community since returning from the Philippines last October.  He is in his second year of the A2J training program.  He is an intern, and gives leadership to the community by managing the A2J properties, and other key administrative tasks.  He is also the community gardener and handy man.  Besides these wonderful gifts he is a godly young man with a deep love and commitment to Jesus and in many ways sets the tone for the community by his diligence and character.
As always we are very grateful for your love and support to our family.  Your partnership in this ministry is bearing much fruit!  I leave you with this prayer from Richard Foster to help prepare our hearts in this new season!   Spirit of the living God, be the Gardner of my soul.  In the strong name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask: Clear away the dead growth of the past, Break up the hard clods of custom and routine, Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge, Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word, Cultivate and water and tend my heart, Until new life buds and opens and flowers. Amen.     With much gratitude, Ryan & Noleen Thurman

July 2009

Apprenticeship to Jesus Minstry Update

Life with The Dawoods The A2J Community continues to get the privelege of loving this wonderful family from Iraq  to see more photos click the photo below:   Zoo Trip  We had a great time recently taking them to the Phoenix Zoo.  More and more this family is becoming an intricate part of our lives and the A2J community.

Apprenticeship to Jesus July 2009

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."  Although written 150 years ago these words of Charles Dickens can help give words to how we feel about the world around us today.  Long before Dickens Isaiah spoke even more powerfully about the contrast between light and darkness and empty and purposeful life.  God invites us into a life of purpose and redemption and instructs us through Isaiah the way to experience this life when he writes:   If you get rid of unfair practices, If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places- -Isaiah 9-12 MSG PAR

Partnering with local churches God has called us as a community to serve the church of Phoenix.  We have been able to do that through different prayer and networking events we have hosted and facilitated.  We also have had the privilege of helping ODF with their 24x7 prayer initiatives and working with St. Georges, as well as providing several youth groups unique opportunities of serving here downtown with us.   This week, we connected with a church in the west valley and challenged them to find a way to bless the Dawood family.  We also arranged a time for their youth group and the Dawoods, and some of our apprentices to have ice cream sundaes together and then hear the Dawoods share their story.  It was a powerful time as they wept tears as they talked about the painful experiences of war and being a refugee and the deeep pain of losing those closest to them. At the end of the night we ended with prayer together, it was a beautiful expression of the body of Christ coming together in love and unity honoring and serving the 'down-and-out'  Spotlight on the Apprentices:  Amber Hunter...has been part of the A2J community for the past year.  She has helped us pioneer the ministry.  A deep lover of Jesus and a gifted song writer and worship leader.  We have watched her deal with adversity this past year and come through more beautiful and mature.  She is currently in Chicago working with Jesus People USA but will return in a few weeks to share her experiences with us.  She will be an intricate part of the leadership team in this second year of A2J  Answered Prayer Walking to evening prayer at the girl's house, we walk past the Refugee Property.  One night as I was heading to prayer Asawer and Mustafa (in picture) were on the porch and they shouted out to me from across the street, "pray for us tonight".  I saw this as a great opportunity so I walked over to them and asked for specific requests.   Mustafa, who is 18 told me he just lost his job.  His father was killed in Iraq and he must work to support his mom and three brothers.  He asked me to pray that he would find a new job.  I told him we would pray that night for him.  I didnt see him for a few days and then the next week he came up to me with excitement and said thank you.  I said, "for what", "for helping me get a job", he said.  He had gotten a job and  saw it as a result our prayers.  Praise God for Mustafa knows as well as our other Muslim friends that we pray in the name of Jesus. The First A2J Engagement  Last Month Jose Baca and Jen Flocken were engaged.  It has been a joy for our the A2J community to watch these two apprentices pursue Jesus and honor God in the their dating process.  We are excited for their upcoming Wedding October 17th and excited for what God has for them in this upcoming season!  More Refugees Living with us! Emad is originally from Baghdad, and arrrived here several months ago.  He has been living with us since July.  We are still learning his story, but know that both his parents were killed in Iraq.  His friend Zane, another refugee from Iraq just moved in with him and they both live in the refugee property.  How to get involved +Please join us for morning prayer or evening prayer some time +Consider joining the A2J Prayer Team +Consider joining the A2J Financial Support Team Current Needs we have: +We are looking for someone who can help with the A2J web page +We also looking for help designing and formatting the A2J training program brochure  please let us know if you have any further questions.

'Making the Community livable again' You'll be like a well-watered garden,  A gushing spring that never runs dry. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. -Isaiah 48:9-12 MSG PAR With God's help we are participating in God's redeeming and restoration work as we love and serve refugees, the homeless, the poor, and those without hope among us.  If you know of anyone who might be interested in learning what God is doing downtown among usplease forward this newsletter to them. Thanks for you love and support, The Thurman Family

June 2009

A2J Newsletter June 2009 Apprenticeship to Jesus (A2J) is a training program for young people; rooted in everyday life together in community.  Daily life is structured around a shared rhythm of prayer, study, & service.  The synchronized goals are to prepare young people for life-long discipleship and to be used of God to see transformation take place in downtown Phoenix, where we live.  The rippling effects that go out from the center of Phoenix are limitless.  God has given us a passion to establish a 'house' of prayer for all of Phoenix, where believers from all over can seek the face of God and pray together for our city and it is a place where the lost and broken can stumble into and meet Jesus who has been pursuing them.   We serve together in several ways, such as a growing ministry to refugees, which allows us to bring the mercy of Jesus to one of the most vulnerable 'communities' in our city-the foreigner among you.  It also allows us to get experience in working with diverse cultures so that those who are called to go to the nations will be better equipped.   There are also many in our community who are serving the homeless who live among us.  The A2J leadership team is growing Danny Malakowsky and his wife Evelynn and daugter Ariel have been journeying with us this past year.  Danny is officially joining the Antioch Network Staff this month and we will be working closely together.  Danny is a gifted leader with a Godly heart.  Danny is leading a 'sister' A2J discipleship program with a focus on loving and serving the foreign-born families in their community Please pray for us as we grow in leadership together. We hope this note finds you walking in the awareness of the nearness of our God.  Apprenticeship to Jesus 'Year One' is almost complete. We can say with confidence that during this past year our love for God has grown and we have seen first hand the gift of Discipleship and how God uses it to restore us into His image, by forming in us the character of His Son Jesus.  We are looking forward to what God has in store for us this summer and next year.   Praying in the Name of Jesus Salman and Ehklas are from Baghdad, they like many from Iraq come from great heartache.  Salman's son helped the US military and as a result there home was destroyed, in further retaliation Salman's oldest daughter was shot and died in his arms in front of his house.  They no longer are welcome in their own country and are refugees.  They are now an intricate part of our life and community.  We spend time enjoying things like eating meals together, as well as not so enjoyable things like waiting for our number to be called at the social security office because there social security card numbers have been stolen.   But regardless we are together almost daily, some recent highlights are: One of the apprentices helped the oldest daughter find a job.  Last week in the midst of the crisis with their social security numbers I asked them if I could pray for them in the name of Jesus.  They said yes, I asked God to deliever and rescue them from their trials so that Jesus would be revealed in glory.  Please pray that this precious Muslim family will come to know Isa-Jesus as the Son of God who came to bring peace and life abundant. Refugee Property Renovation    This is one of the 15 windows that was smashed out during the days of opposition we faced in waiting on God's provision of the property.  This past Tuesday the last five windows were donated and installed.  Praise God who is the restorer of broken and run-down lives as well as properties.  We are having our fifth workday this Saturday.  Feel free to come by. Bosnia in our heart...First Bosnian to come to A2J   Several weeks back I was grieving in my heart that we were not able to go to Bosnia this summer.  I have been going there almost every year for about 10 years.  That same day I received an email from a dear friend whom I have discipled, God uses His words to affirm that God had not forgotten my love for this place and people.   God is bringing Bosnia to Phoenix.  Later this month Zoran, a Bosnian from Zenica will be coming to spend the summer with our community to serve and live with us.  We believe this is a forshadowing of A2J becoming more international. Through the financial contributions of friends and like-minded partners we are able to carry out this ministry.  Gifts may be sent to Antioch Network at the address below designated for Apprenticeship to Jesus.  All gifts are tax-deductible. THANK YOU!    PMB #149 9524 West Camelback, Suite 130 Glendale, AZ 85305 USA

April 2009

This has been a very busy, exhausting, and rewarding season for us.  We have seen God faithfully provide and lead us into a fuller expression of the vision of this ministry. We are grateful for each of you, for your love and support.  It has been four years of adventure and growth for our family since joining Antioch Network.  We hope as you read this update you will celebrate with us the goodness of our God and we would love for you to come visit the community soon.   

Love God with all your being, and love your neighbor as yourself

-       Jesus

The Dawood Famly 

God has brought us the perfect first family to start the ministry to refugees.  In this picture is Fatema, she is full of life and mischief, she along with her younger brother love to play over at the A2J girl's house.  They are a Muslim family, we have already had some wonderful conversations learning about their faith and culture and sharing with them about Jesus and what it means for us to follow Him.  Amani, the 16 year old daughter, while talking with Amber about Jesus said, 'there is something different about how you live as a Christian".  Praise God for the opportunities He has given to serve this family and share with them the love and gospel of Jesus. 

The kingdom of God is at hand." Lift up your eyes! Lift up your hearts!

-John the Baptist

+Our support level is down to 40%, some of you know that I was working temporarily with the Census Bureau the past two months to help out financially.  It was very difficult to work a full time job and still give strong leadership to the A2J ministry.  Please pray for God's provision, and join us in praying for new financial partners.

+Pray with us that God will fill the other three units in the refugee propery soon.  We are hoping that Mohammed and Sallal, two young refugee guys from Iraq will move in this week.

+June 8-12 is our bi-anual Antioch Gathering, it will be held in Austin, TX.  We are hoping that the majority of the 'apprentices' will join us for this prayer gathering.  Pray with us that God will open the door for each of them to come and pray that God would use this time to srengthen and envision us for next year. 

Prayer is the soul in paraphrase, and the heart in pilgrimage.

-George Herbert

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 21^st and Saturday March 28^th 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 Update

Apprenticeship to Jesus
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

New Years Day 2009 Update

2008 Highlights

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