My last night in Spain is being spent in Valencia. It is one of my persoanl favorites in Europe because of the historic part of the town. It is fascinating and often sunny (like today almost 70 degrees in February). While in Spain this time we set up our summer ministry for a team in Segovia and Zamora, preached in Zamora, took a week of language school, and attended the Assemblies of God conference in Gandia. We are working with their youth ministries and ICI to equip their youth workers. We were also able to put materials for training short term mission teams into the hands of their mission department.
Having three of our books translated into Spanish enables us to equip a large number of countries in these areas. Kristy came with me this time to help get all those books over here. She left for Madrid this afternoon to get ready to fly out for home, while I head to Poland for another conference where I am speaking and to do set up work for teams in 2010.
So that is the latest greatest from where in the world is Mark.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
well i just finished another atlantic ocean crossing and am on keyboards that give interesting symbols when you don´t want them and the ones you need you can´t find sometimes. spain is one of the countries we have had a long term investment in and will continue to as long as the doors are open. today i delivered almost forty books that will be a part of their correspondece training for youth workers. like most of the rest of the world youth ministries are run by volunteers and our materials are focused on that dynamic. so we get to help train youth workers we will never meet face to face but all the effort and time that a book takes becomes ultimately worth it when you realize what it can do in multiple languagues and long after you are gone. when we are done here in spain we get to do the same delivery thing in poland. wow. it is a priviledge to be able to help out in places where whole generations of youth will be lost if we don´t do what we can to equip the people that already have the zeal and the heart just not the tools and training. thank you jesus. mark
Monday, January 5, 2009
Ready for 2009?
Well we are already a few days into the new year and like many before it, I am already busy and excited about what is ahead. Who would have guessed that when Jesus said go into all the world and make disciples that literally it would be a normal part of life. Already today I have interacted with people about Spain, Germany, Poland, El Salvador, and Brazil.
Making disciples takes time and relationships with people and so traveling on a regular basis to the same countries helps accomplish that. It is also as big of learning curve as it is a teaching challenge. Each country and people have their own things I need to learn before I can pass on what I know.
Just recently I realized that Jesus was faced with the same challenges. He was a carpenter by trade but he worked with fishermen and didn't use his carpentry experience to teach them but their own fishing world to make points they could understand. So we go and grow and pass it on. Hope your 2009 is a positive challenge for you as well.
Making disciples takes time and relationships with people and so traveling on a regular basis to the same countries helps accomplish that. It is also as big of learning curve as it is a teaching challenge. Each country and people have their own things I need to learn before I can pass on what I know.
Just recently I realized that Jesus was faced with the same challenges. He was a carpenter by trade but he worked with fishermen and didn't use his carpentry experience to teach them but their own fishing world to make points they could understand. So we go and grow and pass it on. Hope your 2009 is a positive challenge for you as well.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Actually at Home?
Not being a techie kinda guy my wife has set this up so blog #1 is happening from home. We are here periodically and believe it or not, it can be some of our highest impact time. Things get written here, projects are completed, and future plans get formalized and blogs get started, right? Though the majority of the year has ministry somewhere else we are still actively involved in the lives of students and leaders here in Thurston County.
Yesterday I spoke at one of the alternative schools in town, tonight I will be working parents to understand and prevent suicide, next week I will speak to ten class rooms full of junior high students all here in Thurston County.
Every week is a mixture of working in the here and now with students and leaders, preparing for a future Mission Trip or writing some kind of training piece to pass on what we have learned to this generation. Of course I could be out running too, this Fall I am signed up for half marathon number three, so a few miles a week is normal too.
2 Peter 3:18 is one of my life verses partially because of what it says and who wrote it. I hope it applies to every thing I do. Blessings Mark
Yesterday I spoke at one of the alternative schools in town, tonight I will be working parents to understand and prevent suicide, next week I will speak to ten class rooms full of junior high students all here in Thurston County.
Every week is a mixture of working in the here and now with students and leaders, preparing for a future Mission Trip or writing some kind of training piece to pass on what we have learned to this generation. Of course I could be out running too, this Fall I am signed up for half marathon number three, so a few miles a week is normal too.
2 Peter 3:18 is one of my life verses partially because of what it says and who wrote it. I hope it applies to every thing I do. Blessings Mark
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