Pacific Northwest Itinerary

A number of you have been asking me about the exact details of my itinerary this October as I visit churches and individuals in the Pacific Northwest raising support, and I haven't given them to you dominantly because I'm still in the process of setting up even a fluid itinerary. But, since this isn't really that fair for those who are partnering in this mission to Argentina, let me sketch out some of the broad swaths of details:

September 22th - September 29th (ish): Vacation in Indiana
I will be taking a vacation (at least, that's going to be my attempt), visiting my family in Indiana and Ohio, in and in particular my sister and newborn nephew. In the process, I am praying to meet a few people who might be willing to partner with this mission, but to be honest the main goal of this time will be to rest and focus on the month to come.

September 29th - October 6th (ish): Vancouver and Victoria (British Columbia)
During this week, I will be concluding my vacation with a stop in the Vancouver, BC area and visiting those among the many Anglican churches who are interested in my coming and sharing the vision that the Lord has given me and those on the team for ministry in Argentina.

October 6th - October 9th (ish): Western Washington
From that point I hope to head southward to the Tacoma/Seattle (with a few stops beforehand at churches further north) and visit with the dominantly high-church crowd (REC and APA) of that region.

October 9th - October 13th (ish): Eastern Washington
After visiting the churches on the Western side of the state, my hope is to head Eastward and visit the Anglican congregations in that area, many of which are in my own Diocese of Western Anglicans.

October 13th - 17th (ish): Western Oregon
Having canvased the state of Washington, the plan is to move south and visit some of the smaller but vibrant congregations in the state of Oregon (mostly found around the Portland area), and to visit with former missionaries Bob and Meg Jepsen.

October 17th - 20th (ish): The Bay Area
There are clusters of smaller and larger congregations around San Francisco and the bay area, and my hope is to swing by and visit with them as well as veteran missionaries like C.A. McCoy to learn from their experience.

October 20th - 23rd (ish): Lake Almanor
I am looking forward to swinging by St. Andrew's Academy and the congregations in the boondocks of Northern California, not simply to raise support but to see old friends and share the details of the mission in person with many who have been good friends of me and of my home church for a while.

October 23rd - 27th (ish): The Return
After departing Lake Almanor, I will be headed home to San Diego, making stops at churches along the way that are interested in having me speak or share about the mission. Which churches are interested in having me speak will in many ways determine which route home I end up taking.

These dates and areas are still pretty tentative: they depend on churches responding to my request to come and speak: the fewer the churches the more quickly I will be moving and the less time I will be spending away from Southern California. I will keep you all up to date on this itinerary as things continue to develop. In particular, please pray for the following:

1. That many churches and individuals will be willing for me to come and speak to them about the mission.


2. That the Lord would open the hearts of many people to want to partner with me in this ministry.


3. That the Lord would provide for my bed and board while I am on the road as he has promised to do.

Thank you all, and blessings!

David+ 

Visit to Holy Trinity, Ocean Beach

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since I posted a blog entry giving updates here on the website, but that doesn't mean that there hasn't been a lot going on in terms of the mission to Argentina. And this weekend is no exception!

Tomorrow, Sunday September 19th I will be preaching and leading the service at Holy Trinity Parish in Ocean Beach (near downtown San Diego). In addition, I will be leading the Sunday school area on a discussion of missions that will more or less follow the material in the RT Article from June. I am very excited to share this time with the people of Holy Trinity and to be able to share the Lord's work in Argentina with them as well.

If you're interested and in the area, come check it out: service times are at 8:00 and 10:30 AM with Sunday school in between.

Psalm 117,
David+ 

A little update (finally!)

Hey folks!

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to give you a brief little update about how things have been going in the support-raising world, and about what the Lord is doing here with the mission to Argentina!

First, I am very excited to let everyone know that I will be preaching and administering the Lord's Supper at Christ Church in Fallbrook, CA at 1:00 PM, Sunday June 20th.  They were very gracious in allowing me to come and fill in on a Sunday when most of their ministerial staff will be absent, and it gives me a wonderful opportunity to present not only the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also about the mission and ministry he's called me to in Argentina.  I would love it if you could come and support me by attending: it's at an odd hour so many of you may be able to make it!

Second, with the June edition of the Resurrection Times, I've put up a couple of articles that I've written. The first is on the "Why?" of Missions, a follow-up to last month's article on the "What?" of Missions.  The second is a short piece on the Role of Doctrine for us in the Christian life.  I hope you all enjoy them!

Third, I ask your prayers as I try to get out my support letters.  I have my names and addresses in order, but I have a bit of writer's block when it comes to writing the actual letter.  I am really praying that my perfectionism doesn't get in the way of actually getting a tangible letter out to potential supporters, something which is much more important than having the "perfect" letter.

Thank you all for your prayers and interest in the website and the mission!  I'm excited to see what the Lord will be doing next!

A New Website Format Up

Over the last week and a half, this website has seen a lot of changes! Here's a brief overview of some of the changes it's undergone:

1. Structure. The information on the site has been reorganized so that it's easier to navigate. Rather than having long pages with tons of narrative or information, there is now usually a front summary page that can direct readers to more information if they have interest in it.


2. Content. Not only is there more content on the need for missionary work in Buenos Aires, but the mission, vision, strategic plan, and core goals for this ministry are up on the website. Not only has this filled out the website (a lot!), but it has helped sharpen my own articulation of what this mission is all about for myself and for others.


3. Forms. Users can now submit a request for updates or to register to host a visit from yours truly by filling out online forms which record their registrations, and they receive an confirmation email that their form has been received. This should make partnering with this mission even easier!


4. Home Page. There is finally a working home page with a (relatively) brief summary of the mission, its objectives, and how to partner in the ministry!


5. Pictures. There are, bit by bit (pun unintentional), more and more pictures, graphics, and photos on the site. Keep checking in to see the latest!

My support team is about 60% formed ... I'm waiting to hear back from some, and I still need to speak with about three or four more people about serving on the support team. Please pray that the Lord would open the hearts of key individuals not only to be on the team but to catch the vision that he has for this ministry in Buenos Aires.

Please pray for me this Saturday as I head up to Long Beach for a Diocesan Missions Committee meeting, that the Lord would open doors for effective coordinated ministry between churches within our diocese and beyond.

Recent Happenings

Hmm, there's so much to tell about how the mission is going, so let me break it up into a few categories.

Recent Talks. Recently, I've been able to share about my mission to Argentina with two very cool groups of Christians.

First, last Friday night I was able to share about the mission to Argentina with a group of fellow mission enthusiasts, hosted by some friends of mine who used to serve in Egypt. After sharing and answering some questions, we were able to pray for the people of Argentina and for the mission to Buenos Aires upon which God is sending me.  It was a wonderful time, and it was great to get to know some new friends headed to the mission field.

Second, last Saturday I was given the opportunity at the local San Diego Anglicans meeting to share about this mission to Argentina, and it received an enthusiastic response! Besides that, we all had a great time listening to a plenary lecture by Dr. Glen Scorgie on the current state and future of Christianity in Asia.

Recent Website Updates. Fortunately, after the weekend I've been able to pursue getting a little more content up on the website.  The "About" section is coming along great and has improved a lot both for myself, for SAMS, and for Resurrection.  Additionally, my recent Resurrection Times article "What is 'Missions' Anyway?" is up in the "Articles" section.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with your Spirit,
David 

Financial Support Is Online at SCS!

Well, after a long week of setting up the structure of the website and editing the beliefs and bio section of the website, I've finally put what is of great interest to many people: the donation section of the website! Now on the Financial Support page , I've included a list of ways to donate, both via the web and old-school, along with links to finalize the donation.  In addition, I've included a widget on the sidebar that includes links to the three main ways to donate.

So far so good ... on to the next tasks here!

Launched!

Hello everyone!

Less than two weeks after the New Wineskins for Global Missions conference, I am pleased to announce the launch of my missions website!  It still has a long way to go, and not only am I still uploading pictures and formatting the layout, but I am also still editing the content of many (maybe even of most) of the sections on here.  But within a few days I hope to have things looking relatively catchy and informative around here.

Thank you so much for visiting me here and for your interest in the mission that God has for me in South America.  May the Lord bless you all richly through his Son Jesus Christ!