International Guests: Catalysts for Change



William & Daniel with
"Big Daniel" & Thomas

September 2010

Thomas visited the US. On this trip, he brought along Daniel, a University student that would become a good friend to our entire family. (We affectionately refer to him around here as "Big Daniel".) Zack had met Daniel while in Jena the prior year, and the rest of us really enjoyed getting to know him.

There are some friendships in life that seem to fall into your lap. You don't intentionally go into them, you weren't pursuing them, but God places them before you and you have an immediate connection. This is how it is with so many of our international ministry friends, like Thomas and Daniel. We always look forward to the opportunity to share with each other, pray for each other, and encourage each other. No matter how short our time together, it is special and cherished. There is little room for small talk in these short visits, so conversations are intentional and very honest.



Outlet mall

October 5 - 10, 2010

In October of 2010, our church welcomed a group of church planters and pastors from Norway. They were visiting Georgia to attend the Catalyst Conference. We offered to host two of them in our home during their stay.



Racing with the boys

So Øyvind and Håkon came and stayed with us in our home for a few days. Most of the team's time was spent in conferences.



But they also had the opportunity to check out some historical sites in Atlanta. And we also all went outlet mall shopping one evening. (If you've ever been to Noway, you know that they were excited about the prices at our outlet malls! The number of bags in the picture above is evidence of this.)



Øyvind & Daniel





Håkon & William

On their last evening, we cooked a dinner for them and just hung out together, enjoying fellowship, games, and music.

We had a great time getting to know them, learning about their lifestyles and their ministries, and just sharing the love of Jesus with each other.



Playing some Johnny Cash



In both the September and October visits (and other encounters we've had in the last few years), it was also encouraging to see how the boys embraced people of different backgrounds, how they were so adaptable to the idea of ministering with people that are here for a short time.

 

On October 10, after attending church with us, they departed and headed for home.

And we were left with a feeling of 'what's next?'

Seeds

In addition to the events I've already shared, God also used many other situations, events, and people to plant seeds, and also to affirm His calling on our family. In fact, as we look back over our lives and our calling into full time international missions, we can see that He's been at work for a long time. Thankfully, He is a patient God who does not give up on us!

SURRENDER
In the summer of 1991, while I (Jenn) was attending CIY (Christ in Youth) camp with my church youth group, I stood up on the stage in front of hundreds of youth from all over the southeast, and I shared that I believed that God was calling me into full time vocational ministry. I didn't know when, where, or how that would happen or look, but I wanted to be willing to do it.

FAMILIE DAVIS
From 2005 to 2008, the Davis family (Jeff, Deanna, Jeffrey, Georgia & Abby) served as a missions family in Jena, Germany. Jeff & Zack have known each other pretty much all their lives. Our paths have crossed multiple times through our adult lives. Always at significant times. It's funny how God works things out like that! An instance that was rather significant was when God led us to a new church in our area (the where we've now been for about 8 years). We learned that the Davis family was there. A few weeks later, we visited. A few months after that, the Davis's departed for Germany, for 3 years of service among university students in Jena. We watched as they left everything familiar behind and followed God's call. We were inspired. We said things like "you guys are great," "it's good there are people like the Davis's that do things like that," and other cliches. But we prayed for them and followed their journey for those three years.

ORPHAN CARE
From early 2010 until this month, I helped start and lead the orphan care ministry at our church. It was an exercise in patience and persistence. It required a lot of time and a lot of organization. It taught us about starting up a new ministry, and also about the unique challenges of doing that in a large church. It gave me the opportunity to work with other ministries and to help children in orphanages all over the world. It is great to look back and see how God has worked over the past two years. It was such a good feeling two weeks ago to hand off this ministry to the new leadership team, knowing that God will continue to work in the hearts of those One.27 comes in contact with, softening their hearts to the call of James 1:27.

CHURCH PLANT/CROSS CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
From the fall of 2010 until just recently, Zack served on the leadership team of a multi-cultural church plant. Again, the experience was filled with lessons on church leadership, the positives and negatives of dependency in a start-up situation, outreach opportunities, cross-cultural varriers, and many others.

ETHIOPIA 2011
I had the opportunity to be a part of a mission team from my church to Ethiopia in the summer of 2011. This was actually my first overseas missions experience. This trip actually came after our big decision, but worked to further affirm God's calling on us. It was also my first time to really do ministry apart from Zack. While I still wish he could have gone on the trip with me, it was a great time for me to really spend some quality time with God in prayer, and see how He's at work all over the world.

GERMANY 2011
The Davis family departed from Jena (Germany) in 2008, leaving the Connexxion University ministry in the very capable hands of the Koch family. We got to know Thomas and Anja through Zack's 2009 trip and through some travel that the couple has done to the states. Zack & I offered to come and help them with their beginning of semester activities, and they were kind to let us do so. In hindsight, I'm not sure how much help we were with the Connexxion events that week! But we learned that sometimes a mission trip may primarily be about your presence for the missionaries/leaders: about giving them encouragement and support.

Getting Organized

Those that know me well, know that getting organized is one my favorite things to do! With all the news we're sharing, I thought the blog could use some better organization.

You should now see some headings just below the banner (photo collage) at the top of the blog. There is a link for "Sharing Our Story" where you can go and read all the blog posts about the changes we have coming up.

I also created links for each of the boys' adoption stories, and included their adoption timelines there as well.

Northern & Western Europe



Oslo

For our long-time blog followers, you may recall that in late 2009, Zack participated in his first international mission trip. (Check out some posts HERE) On that trip, he spent time in Norway & Germany. The focus of the trip was Norway. The team was made up of members of our home church and led by our friend, Jeff (yes, the missions-minded guy I mentioned before!). Jeff asked Zack to go. Zack (thankfully) said yes.

The trip was more of a vision trip than a mission trip, exploring opportunities for support and partnership between our church and Norwegian churches, and scouting out future missions possibilities. There are so many other details that play into the story and the original reason why the team was going to Oslo. But rather than go into those details, I will just say that God really showed up on this trip.

While he was gone, I prayed that God would place people in his path so he could share the Gospel. God did. I prayed that God would connect him with people that would result in long-term relationships/ friendships. God did. I prayed that God would speak to Him in a meaningful way. God did.



Zack in Oslo



I hope I can convince Zack to share some of his side of all of this at some point in this story-telling venture. I will say from my perspective and looking back a couple of years later, God was answering prayers in more ways than we could ever imagine. Zack came home with a heart opened wide to the Great Commission. He came home with connections that we still maintain today. He came home with a stronger friendship and accountability relationship with a dear friend. He came home with new friendships that we are so grateful for, friendships that are strong despite distance. He came back to us with a new excitement and ferver for God.

We didn't make any major decisions at that point, but God was definitely working.

With Daniel, Sven, & Jeff at
Buchenwald Concentration Camp



Share Your Story

We've just begun sharing the story of God's amazing work, and patience, and faithfulness through our family. Be sure to read all the posts to get the full picture. You can scroll down to see them (starting with The Cat's Out of the Bag), or go to Labels and click on "Share Your Story."

We Were Looking for Little Boy Dove

While in Ukraine back in 2007, Zack and I spent time with our American friends who work in Ukraine. One Sunday morning they took us to their church - a beautiful, well-furnished building with a good-sized congregation and rather comfortable seats. Great music, great messages (yes, SEVERAL sermons were preached!), and great people.

Later that day, we rode the rough roads to a nearby village. We went into a small music school building that the local congregation rents for Sunday services. We sat in a room without heat (it was about 35 degrees F outside). Most of the congregation either walks there or asks for a ride from one of the few members fortunate enough to have a car.

Just a few days earlier, their seaside town was hit by a strong hurricane. Much damage had been done to their meager dwellings.

And yet, when prayer time came, a few things stood out to me: 1) Before anything else, they asked if they could prayer for us and our adoption. 2) They named so many reasons to praise God before asking for prayer for how they would rebuild after the storms. 3) Some looked weary. Some were in desperate need of a bath. Others had probably never seen a dentist. And yet, each and every one was so obviously filled with joy that can only come from our Savior. 4) They were being ministered to by a man & his wife, both whose backgrounds were steeped in traditions and political themes common to the area prior to Ukraine's independence.

How had this couple come to know the Lord? Years earlier, a group of evangelical workers came to his town to show the Jesus film. They were looking for translators and his wife signed up. In the midst of her translation, she realized that she wanted to know this Jesus. She surrendered her life that very night. And the next night, she brought her husband. The same thing happened for him: that night, he turned away from his former life and embraced the cross. He became a pastor, and began sharing Jesus in small villages through this area of Ukraine.

We walked away from that experience, our eyes opened to what it means to be on mission. We saw the domino effect of ministry work. We saw what it means to die to self, to leave everything you've known behind, and to wholly surrender to God. Through our American friends and through this Ukrainian pastor, we saw a picture of the Great Commission in action.

And we began to wonder, albeit in a very small & almost insignificant way, that maybe there was something we could do... 

Missions Isn't Our Thing

To elaborate a bit on what we talked about in the video I posted below...

Can you pick us out? Wow, we were so young then!

About 10 or 12 years ago, Zack was serving as a youth pastor in a new, small church plant. It was one of those positions that just kind of fell into our laps. We both had full time jobs, but we enjoyed spending evenings and weekends ministering to kids in middle school, high school, and college. Looking back, that experience provided us many lessons in church planting, church decision-making, operating a ministry, and many other important areas. We also served on the worship team, and as with most start-up's, did whatever we could to help.

One area where we didn't really even attempt to gain experience was missions. When we wanted to get the youth involved in missions, Zack approached his friend Jeff. Jeff was extremely mission-minded, and Zack asked if he'd be willing to lead the students on a local mission project, because "missions isn't our thing."

In 2007, while in Ukraine to adopt William, God began to open our eyes to the ignorance of that statement.

Thankfully, Jeff is humble & kind. He gladly helped us with the missions project. We learned a lot from him that day. In fact, over the years, we've learned so much from him AND his wife. They play a big part in the story of how we got where we are now.

I Can, I Will

I guess an easy place to start is by sharing a video that was shown at our church in November of 2011, as part of a missions emphasis series. It will give you a glimpse into seeds that God has been planting, and a sneak peek into the direction He's leading.

Update: Several people have tried to find more information on the website that it mentions at the end of the video. But keep in mind, this is an older video, so you won't be able to learn any more without staying tuned to this blog :)

The Cat's Out of the Bag...

Many of you have expressed some curiousity as to what's going on with the Dove family. And a few of you have made some very accurate guesses!

Yes, we have some big news to share.
Please be patient with me, as I share our hearts and the journey God has had us on over the past few years. It will take several posts to make it through the story. Bear with me as I try to craft the right words to convey what God has been orchestrating.

And please pray for our family, as there are a number of big transitions ahead for us.

So much to share

We've got a lot going on with the Dove Family, and it's keeping us very busy! I should be able to catch everyone up soon, but for now I hope you'll enjoy some recent pics :)

They love wearing the Ukraine jerseys...

Last Saturday, Daniel scored his very first goal. To say everyone was excited would be an enormous understatement. Daniel is one of the youngest in their age group. There are kids from 7 to 10 years old. He's one of the smallest, too. But he's feisty! And he was playing so hard Saturday, with more determination than I've seen before.

William continues to be such a leader on his team. We're so proud of him!

Relaxing at the lake

Ice Cream!

We really like coffee!

 Hanging out at the Gwinnett Braves game

I should hopefully have more time to blog very soon...

Spring Break & Easter

The boys were on spring break last week, so we decided to take the week off as well. Zack had two wisdom teeth extracted Monday morning, and then we drove to the lake for the week.

We arrived around lunchtime Monday, and after a run to the grocery store, we settled in for a few days of rest and not much else!

Zack was a little under the weather after his surgery, but what better place to recuperate than somewhere away from the every day demands.

The boys played. A lot. They played inside. They played outside. They played soccer. Frisbee. Badmitton. We watched a movie or two. They got in the lake (not for long - it was COLD!). They played with cousins for a couple of days. They spent time with grandparents. We read. We napped.

It was a great 6 days of very few responsibilities, but lots of time to enjoy being together.

We went to church with Zack's family on Saturday evening for an early Easter service - and I neglected to take any pictures :( We went to our church on Sunday morning. Then we headed to my grandparents' house for lunch & an egg hunt Sunday afternoon. Here are a few pictures from Easter Sunday. We praise God, for sending His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. And we rejoice that Jesus is Alive!!!

   

 

At church with two of their favorite friends

Thankful for my grandparents!

Our footballers

Soccer is in full swing, and both boys are having a blast! Their first game went well. William is a little rusty after several seasons off, but by the end of the game he was getting back into his groove. He's one of the oldest on the team, so Zack is challenging him to step up as a leader... and he seems to be accepting that challenge!

Daniel did well in his first-ever soccer match. He and one other boy on our team are probably the smallest players in the age group. But he does NOT let that stop him! He ran hard and fought hard for the ball anytime he was on the field, and his smile showed how much he's enjoying it. He even spent a little time as goalie (it's actually a sweeper position - they can't touch the ball), and made some great saves. He surprised everyone with his level of comfort and skill in that position!

I don't have the game pictures on this computer, but here's one shot from their first practice.

A Post About Nothing

Did you catch the sitcom reference? It's one of our all time favorites. So much so, we had to find the restaurant made famous by it while we were in NYC last year!

The boys start soccer practice next week.We went to the kick-off meeting last night, and Daniel was excited to wear his brand new "cleaks."

They're playing in a small church league and the age range is kind of wide, so they'll actually be on the same team... with Zack as their coach! While it will probably be tough for Daniel having to play with the big kids, it has its advantages, too. It means only one night of practice each week, which is huge. It means he'll have a coach that understands him, which is big. He'll already know two of the players on his team: William and their friend Samuel. And he'll have more opportunities to learn from William in this format. 

There's nothing else in particular of interest to post about right now, so here's a mix of random pictures from the last few weeks...

William came and 'worked' with me for about an hour yesterday.

Zack picked up some bongos at a pawn shop last week. The boys love them. This was a Saturday morning jam session. I'm not sure if they were singing Chris Tomlin or Maroon 5 :)

We got our Disney photo book in the mail last week, and it turned out great! It was kind of expensive, but worth it to have a way to remember an incredible trip.

I love this pic of my three favorite guys at the Magic Kingdom... eating my favorite dessert, a Dole Whip!

Here's a pic of us with my brother, SIL, and kids. I'm so glad we got to share some memories while we were there!

White Chicken Enchilada Bake

I attempted a white chicken enchilada bake and it turned out pretty good! A few adjustments will be needed for next time, but I was pleased with it.

I started out with some crockpot chicken*, cooked with peppers & onions and taco seasoning. Stir together with 1 cup monterrey jack cheese, and half of a can of chopped green chiles (save the other half for the sauce).

In a saucepan, I melted a few tablespoons of better, and stirred in a few tablespoons. Then stir in 2 cans of chicken broth (I used 98% fat free chicken broth). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the rest of the green chiles, and a cup of sour cream. Don't bring to a boil, but heat until it thickens. It's best to whisk it, but I couldn't find a whisk...

 Place about half of the chicken in a pyrex dish.

Pour a little of the sauce over it.

Quarter some flour tortillas (I used a pizza cutter). Place a layer over the chicken.

Place the rest of the chicken on top. Add another layer of tortilla quarters. Pour the remaining sauce over it.

Top with another cup (or two) of monterrey jack cheese or quesadilla cheese blend (I used both).

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Place under the broiler just long enough to brown it.
Here's where I messed up. We cut into it after only about 10 minutes, and it was still a bit soupy. We should have let it set for about 30 minutes, similar to a lasagna. The longer it sat, the thicker the sauce got.
I served it with some long grain rice, cooked with cheese, salsa & sour cream.

Crockpot Chicken - place boneless skinless chicken in a crockpot. Top with a package of taco or fajita seasoning. Add water (about 2 inches deep). Cook on low 8 - 10 hours. Turn up to high, add a bag of frozen peppers & onions, and cook another hour or two. Use a fork and shred the chicken.

The enchilada bake is based on Joyful Momma's Chicken Enchilada recipe (HERE).

I am Mephibosheth

It's a chapter in the Bible I'd read before, but honestly, had never given it much thought. And then I read a story this morning, written by my friend Keri as she shared their (first) adoption story on The Adoption Journey. And she opened my eyes to Mephibosheth, and what David did for him. (2 Peter 9)

Not only did Keri remind me of this Biblical story, but she also opened my eyes to the reality that as a child of God, I am Mephibosheth. I did not come to God in a pristine state. I came to Him as a total mess, and yet He wrapped His arms around me and invited me into His family. He does this for each and every person that accepts salvation through His Son, Jesus.

Let me tell you a little about the Mason family. Keri and I co-lead One.27, the orphan care ministry at our church. In the roughly 2 years since the ministry began, we have gotten to know each other well. I consider her a close friend and I am so thankful that God brought our families together. She teaches Daniel's kindergarten class at church, and is so good with him. Her daughter Eden is one Daniel's favorite friends. And her husband Gene is a talented man that truly uses his gifts of communication and visual arts/graphic design for God's glory. (Remember the How He Loves video? Yeah, Gene did that. Just one of so many things he does at our church to present the Gospel in a true and relevant way.)

I encourage you to visit The Adoption Journey and read about Mephibosheth & the Mason family HERE.

Then, I ask you to prayerfully consider joining the Mason family on their next adoption journey. They are in the process of bringing another precious daughter home from China, and hope to travel in late summer. You can visit their blog HERE.

They have been graciously granted a $5,000 Lifesong for Orphans matching grant. That means between now and March 28, LfO will match all donations made to their adoption fund, up to $5,000! Gifts are tax deductible and can be made via check or online.

As Christians, we are not all called to adopt. But James 1:27 does call all of us to care for orphans. There are many ways to do that: through adoption, foster care, prayer, missions trips - and through financial support of others.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. ~James 1:27

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. ~Psalm 68:5

Disney

We're back, and the trip was great! We've actually been back for over a week, but I had oral surgery (impacted wisdom tooth) the morning after we got back, so I've been a little under the weather from that. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now.

We spent one day at each of the four Disney parks in Orlando. We rode almost every ride that was open, and saw quite a few shows as well. We got the boys on some super scary rides. Sometimes they ended up really enjoying them. A couple of times we had to wipe a few tears (I know, we're terrible parents). We ate lots of good food, laughed a lot, walked a lot, and made some wonderful memories. We really did have a fantastic time! Here are about 2 dozen of the hundreds of pictures we took during our four park days...



Their first mouse ears!



The Claw!

Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater



Pop-Century Resort



William's favorite character



Daniel did NOT like Mission: Space
(honestly, it made Zack me feel a little sick, too! We rode the orange
instead of green, and it was intense!)




Norway




Germany



China

Our Vikings



Just outside of France




Japan



Epcot

Safari at Animal Kingdom
(these guys walked right up to our jeep!)

Elephant!



More Safari fun (this was the first thing we rode. Positive: no
line; Negative: some of the animals weren't awake yet)



Animal Kingdom



Final day was at Magic Kingdom - the
day everyone had been waiting for!



I remember a picture of Zack & me here back in '96.
Wish I could find it!



Added bonus: got to spend a couple of hours
with my brother, SIL & the cousins at MK!



Watching "Dream Along with Mickey" in
front of Cinderella's castle



Defnitely a trip to remember!