Happy Birthday La Iglesia de la Alegria del Senor!

The new evangelical church at the camp is one-month old and had 70 people in attendance on Sunday! They met here like they have the past three weeks on the camp grounds, but this week was special. They had a new roof over their heads. This picture is SO exciting! Shhh...I stole it off Nathan & Amber's blog :) If you have seen our pictures or our presentation from our trip to Costa Rica in Feb. '06, this is the building that was built during our two weeks there. The completed roof is an answer to so many people's prayers! This is a multi-purpose building filling the new role of church, but will be the new dininghall too. I have a passion to see children and youth being ministered to in this building through VBS and camp programs, some hearing the gospel message for the first time. It's a place where a youth group can meet and hold weekly Bible studies and have fellowship. I also have a passion to see children and youth minister as an outward expression of their love to our Savior, through worship in song and drama. A person has already come to this building and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It's just a structure, really. But the Spirit of the Lord has been evident there! So much to thank God for! We can hardly contain ourselves!

God's timing

Yesterday was "the beach or bust" and...it was a bust! We watched the weather report on Friday night and "blow over" light rain was predicted for over Wilmington on Saturday. We got up early. I had been bragging to Ken and the kids about a fun country restaurant I had found on one of my excursions with a friend to do some scrapbooking at a scrapbook store in Wilmington. We found the restaurant and had breakfast there. About halfway through my bacon-n-cheese omelet I heard thunder and it grew dark outside. We left there and got gas in the car and Ken just happened to ask a man at the gas station about the weather forecast for the day. Sure enough, "it will pass over in fifteen minutes", the man said. We decided to do a little school shopping at a nearby plaza where Rugged Warehouse and Ross' were. Hmmm...trying on clothing in a totally dark store is interesting! Needless to say the storm never blew over. We did get to the beach during a 15-minute lull in the storm, though it picked back up again. We had a fun day even though it wasn't quite what we had planned.

It kind of reminded me of a testimony Ken gave at a church service on Thursday evening. We had gotten a phone call from a local church that they were interested in supporting us in some way. We never expected that! In the fundraising process, you always have a standing list in your mind of people you should be following up with, talking too, etc. He continues to move in His timing and in His way! We were reminded this week of this verse from Proverbs 16:1, "We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God's hands".

Two important meetings this week: Friday evening we have a small-group presentation and on Sunday morning. Thank you for your thoughts, and your continued prayers!

Waiting and the bumpy road

It's been a little rough the beginning of this week. Sunday's presentation by Alan & Dana Sims, at least looking at their ministry pictures was hard for Ken & I. We sat and watched with tears streaming down our faces in a congregation of people we had never met before! Uncomfortable, to say the least. We've been to Honduras five times and looking at their pictures brought back memories from a country that will always be close to our hearts. Part of the crying was pure joy at being able to hear and see all that God is doing in their ministry. It was amazing and exciting! A very small part was sadness at still sitting here in the States. We feel homesick to go back to Costa Rica. We've been encouraged and reminded that all of this is in the "plan". We wouldn't choose to change any of this bumpy road! We've grown, we've cried, we've prayed, we've fought, we've surrendered! God loves Ken & Sherri Dundon with an unconditional, unfailing love! And so we continue to wait probably more patiently than we ever have before, not because of anything we have done, but because of all that He has! To Him be the glory!!!

Worship chorus, ministry budget dilemma

What a dilemma to be in and I PRAISE GOD for it! I had given a copy of our budget to the head of our sending team for a presentation she is working on. Not having had time to make a copy I gave her the original and was supposed to get it back yesterday, but had an invitation to attend a missionary presentation, so I wouldn't be seeing her at our home church. Today, I got a phone call that a local church is doing their church budget and needs a copy of our budget by tomorrow evening since they would like to consider supporting us and their budget committee is meeting tomorrow evening regarding this. Thank God for this dilemma and the fact that Global Outreach is emailing another to us this afternoon.

"...Love, so amazing, so divine. Demands my soul, my life, my all. " - Oh, the wonderful cross, Chris Tomlin & Matt Redman.

Thought provoking for me, to say the least.

"Git-R-Done" Ministry Presentation - God style

A phone call, a calendar check and our next presentation is August 18 at 2:00 p.m. That easy. Somebody pinch me! Praise God!!! (Okay, time for the "Skippy Yippy" dance)! :)

Ministry Training-Presentations

Finally...cooler temperatures and less humidty. A northern transplant can only take so many 90+ degree days, you know! I was awakened this morning by the sounds of construction at 6 a.m. I guess that's the price you pay for growth as a new subdivision (200 homes) is going in behind our tiny neighborhood . I am working on some numbers for one of our supporters. She is actually the head of our sending team and she is finishing up a presentation that she will be doing to bring our church up-to-date on our ministry. Tomorrow morning we will attend the presentation of the Sims Family (Alan & Dana) from Honduras as they report back to one of their supporting churches in our area. This will be a training session for Ken & I. While we have done our own presentations, we have not had the opportunity to hear too many other missionaries presentations in the past couple of years and in particular, a presentation where you do a "report back". I am sure there will be something we can glean from their experience. It is always encouraging to hear what God is doing in other countries and through other people. After the service we've been invited to a barbeque to get a chance to visit with Alan & Dana and their six children. We're looking forward to that as well!

"Support" in more ways than one!

Today, someone who works with Ken let him know that they sent in our prayer card to Global Outreach and would be supporting us monthly. I received an email today from a friend who was sharing her thoughts on some of my previous posts. Her words were really encouraging and as usual, she has a gift for throwing in a little humor along the way! Monday night Ken did a side job after work. He came home with a check from the homeowner's made out to Global Outreach. While this was a one-time donation and not for monthly support, I have to say, that it was me when we worked out the final budget numbers who thought there was no way we would ever be able to raise the funds for our outgoing expenses. To date, we have raised more than half of the total amount needed. It is amazing to me how God continues to send us tidbits of encouragement and how He knows exactly what we need and when we need it! Tonight we were also able to finalize the date for our next small-group presentation. We'll be doing one in two weeks on Friday, August 3rd, in the home of one of our supporters for their family and friends. God is good!

#1

We had a relaxed, abbreviated one-on-one presentation last night. Ah, practice makes perfect, they say, though we are hardly aiming for exact perfection here. In the process, that one person became a supporter! "Skippy Yippy", I shout! That's Danielle's saying when she is squealing with excitement over something grand! You know, Jesus would have went to the cross for one person. We did a presentation for one person last night and we'd go to Costa Rica for the opportunity to share with just one person too!

Ministry Ramblings

Lately, there has been much talk about supporting "Ken & Sherri Dundon, the missionaries". Today, I find myself struggling with my own identity. I'm not any different than most people, really. People, just like me, have "callings" to do things either in the business world or through other ministries altogether. I feel like sometimes people have elevated me to something that I can't possibly live up too. I am human and I am still "in process" with regard to my Christian walk. I make mistakes. I say things I shouldn't, hurt people I don't intend to, don't spend enough time with God when I am sometimes busy. It irks me to death that the one person I am trying to be obedient to and serve is often the person who gets my attention at the end of the day when I have the least to offer, though this is happening less and less. I think that's why it is so important to me that people take us out of the equation with fundraising. Our ministry is not about us! It's about what God is doing in us and through us. Giving to missions isn't even really giving to us! The bigger picture is that you are being asked to be obedient to becoming partners with us in God's work in Costa Rica. The ministry there is His, not ours! In essence, we are fundraising for God! Tonight, we have another presentation. I don't know how many people are coming. I do know this! Today, as I make the last preparations my heart is calling out to God, screaming really, "Father, strip me down! Allow me, by your grace and your mercy to bring you honor and glory in all that I say. Just as your Son came with no reputation, allow those who attend to see that we are nothing without YOU". He does not need any of us, but He allows us to join Him for His purposes.

3 John 1:5&8 "Dear friend, you are doing a good work for God in taking care of the traveling teachers and missionaries who are passing through. So we ourselves should take care of them in order that we may become partners with them in the Lord's work".

Presentation

We are in the midst of preparing for a presentation. It will be this Sunday evening at 7 p.m. in the home of one of our supporters from our church. They have extended an invitation to a network of their family and friends to come into their home and hear more about our ministy. Please keep this in your prayers for us. Okay, back to preparing...Adios!

Maybe I am not a "weirdie"?

I've been doing some reading! I hope to finish up the last chapter of Neal Pirolo's book, "Serving as Senders" in the next two days. Then, I've decided that I will read it again. It had so much in it, I just want to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time around (which I'm sure I probably did). It's a book about missionaries and covers the topics of how to care for them as they prepare to go, while they are on the field and when they return home. We have a "team" of supporters in our church reading this along with us. We have some extra copies, so if you attend our church and this book might interest you, just let us know. I've learned that I'm not totally insane! (maybe a little, just not totally). I'm glad to know some of the things we've been feeling over the last year and a half are "normal". I also found a devotional book that I have been trying to put my hands on for a year now! Amber actually enticed me with it on our long drive up to Buffalo, NY last year in June for Global's Missions Conference. It's "Voices of the Faithful", devotionals written by missionaries as they are serving from the field. Beth Moore also has some writings in it, chapter openers. It's a really good devotional book! Hard to find, but well worth the wait. So, I've been reading along in that too. We have another presentation coming up and so we continue to prepare for that. We're continuing to look for monthly supporters to be able to go to Costa Rica! Send me an email if you are interested. "And how shall they (go) preach except they are sent"? Romans 10:15