Merry "Cocker" Christmas: Here's our latest NEWSLETTER!

To send Tucker & Tanner Extra Dog Biscuits: 

Click Here!

Hear Our Voices! Hear our Voices! Zowie!

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, you have the unique opportunity to listen our our actual voices as Karen and I respond to questions posed by Brian Albrecht, President of Global Outreach Mission, as a short ministry feature within Global's production of Canada's National Bible Hour.

Never before presented as an embedded element in this blog, you now simply need to click on the play button below to be transported within the the cozy, curtained confines of Global's recording studio deep within our headquarters facility in Buffalo, NY. Recorded in three parts for "the radio version of Gobal Times" this is the first installment.

Brian Albrecht

So make some popcorn, dish up the ice cream, bake some brownies,or grab the milk and cookies, and pull your recliners close to the computer to spend the next 3 minutes and 27 seconds listening to Brian's buttery voice lead us through explaining what we do, why we do it, and what blesses our socks off about our roles with Global!

For the full one-hour broadcast November 6th: Click Here.    

NC to KY to Represent GOM at GMHC!

Last Wednesday, Karen and I drove off to Kentucky to help represent Global Outreach Mission at Global Missions Health Conference 2016. Hosted by Southeast Christian Church, in Louisville, GMHC is the largest conference in the United States focused specifically on medical missions.

Global was one of 150 exhibitors reaching out to approximately 2,000 medical professionals, students, and interested individuals registered for the conference Thursday, November 10th through Saturday, November 12th.

Here we are at our booth just before the conference started.

Conference Venue: Southeast Christian Church

Karen and I share Global's ministry with interested individuals.

We enjoyed 4 plenary sessions of worship and featured speakers in the main auditorium over course of the conference.

There were also 142 seminars for registrants to attend spread out over the 7 "Breakout Sessions".

GOM's "geographic footprint" for medical programs.

Here's our full conference team representing GOM: Greg, Karen & me, Don & Karen

All in all, it was an amazing conference. At times there were more people wanting to talk to us than the five of us could handle. In one instance I ended up talking with six nurses at the same time! But what a blessing. We talked, we prayed, we shared, we listened, we encouraged, we answered questions and asked questions resulting in over 100 personal connections desiring follow-up contact!

Have I said it was all rather amazing? Wow. Karen and I are already looking forward to GMHC 2017.

Thank you for being part of this event through your gifts, prayers, friendship, and encouragement!

Please pray for the 100 people seeking the Lord's will regarding possible service with Global Outreach Mission!

Canada to India, Tennessee to Guatemala, California to Ukraine

Sending Us To North Carolina, So Others Are Sent Around The World
As I sit in Graham, NC, pounding on this keyboard, you are in the process of helping us send new missionaries from Canada to India (Samara), from Tennessee to Guatemala (Joy), and from California to Ukraine (Josiah & Haley). And these are just three of the ten Global Outreach Missionaries we're currently working with.

Thank you for making this possible through your ongoing gifts and prayers!

You make this ministry possible.

Office Routine?
A large part of my office routine (as if anything in ministry is ever routine) is conducting video conferences with our missionaries. When someone is drawn by God into missions, one of their first tests of faith is developing a network of financial and prayer partners who will join them in ministry and send them into service. You have done that for us since February of 1996. And now with Global Outreach Mission, we are privileged help other servants, such as Samara, Joy, and Josiah & Haley, onto and along that same path.

Video Conferences
Video conferences are a highlight of my day. They're a great tool for training, coaching, encouraging, and resourcing our missionaries as they journey from unsupported to fully-supported, from vision to reality, and from wherever they are--to wherever God is sending them. Over the past few days I've had video conferences in Canada, Tennessee, and California.

 Samara lives in Canada and is headed to India to share the Gospel.

 Joy lives in Tennessee and is headed to Guatemala to share the Gospel.

Josiah & Haley live in California and are headed to Ukraine to share the Gospel.

And YOU are a part of each of their ministries as we equip them to "give God the glory, through telling His story, and inviting others to join in."

Investing your lives in ours, enables us to invest our lives in theirs, which equips them to invest their lives in the souls of many, many other lives in India, Guatemala, and Ukraine.

Thank you for investing in God's Kingdom.

Fall 2016 Global Flyer Newsletter!

Here's our latest newsletter!

Heading Into Fall: A Photo Update From K&K

Now that things are back on something like an even keel after the latest Candidate Orientation and September brings a settling of sorts to the community as school begins anew, it's time for a quick photo update on some of the things going on around here.

Here's a new shot of us. Not too bad, considering what the photographer had to work with! 

Thank you, Ken, Debbie, & Allen!

Tucker & Tanner enjoyed Tomato Season 2016.

We've been blessed by bunches of butterflies in our backyard.

We're greatly enjoying our service with Global Outreach Mission. In fact, I just started working with a new couple preparing to join a ministry to the disabled in the Ukraine.

We were able to take a short trip to see our friend, Xavier, catch for the Lexington (KY) Legends, as they took on the Hickory (NC) Crawdads.

And our small group has renewed! We're working through Part 4 (of 5): Responding to Our Call.

Thank you for making our ministry possible through your love, gifts, and prayers. We'll have another newsletter out soon providing a bit more information about what we've been up to on the ministry side of things...and of course, another update from those crazy Missionary Mutts!

Your Prayers Were Answered in Canada!

Your Prayers Helped Prepare Candidates For Ministry in Belize, Guatemala, India, and Sierra Leone!
Thank you for undergirding our trip with your prayers! We enjoyed wonderful driving weather and were graced to make the 24-hour round trip (through NC, VA, WV, MA, PA and NY) without incident. This Summer's Candidate Orientation ran Sunday, July 31 through Friday, August 5 and was held at Global Outreach Mission's Canadian Headquarters in St. Catherines, Ontario. Because of your prayerful involvement, it was an amazing time of preparation, bonding, worship, fellowship, and fun.

GOM Candidate Orientation Class, August 2016

What Were Our Roles As You Prayed?
As part of the six day event, I was privileged to lead four sessions on partnership development while Karen and I led two workshops together--the first on partnership software, the second on communication and interpersonal relationships. We also assisted presenters and participated in discussions as opportunity provided. Karen had the additional responsibilities to organize all the break foods, keep the coffee flowing, and run critical errands so Greg, VP of Personnel; Tom, Member Care Coordinator, and I could keep the event moving smoothly.


Karen's most critical errand was picking up passports overnighted to one of our missionary families and delivering them with 30 minutes to spare before they'd have had to change their flight arrangements for India! After nearly a year of processing paperwork, the Indian Consulate cut things a little too close for everyone's taste. Your prayers were certainly answered in that situation, let me tell you! Wow. What a blessing to see that whole family leave on time for Toronto International Airport!

Karen assists at the white board during one of our sessions.

Leading one of my sessions on Support Development

 

Here we are with Tom and Greg, debriefing in the conference room of our US Headquarters in Buffalo, NY the Monday after orientation.

How Was The Weather?
The weather in Ontario was wonderful. Everyone enjoys the summer orientation. It's our winter session that becomes a bit more of a challenge. With our US Headquarters in Buffalo, NY, and our Canadian Headquarters in...well, CANADA...February's orientation takes on something of a different feel. But that's looking a little too far ahead at this point. An additional weather-related fact we can attest to is that the humidity levels in Ontario are substantially lower than the humidity levels in North Carolina this time of year!

On the US side of Niagara Falls looking toward the Canadian side with one of the Hornblower Cruise ships in the foreground.

Sunset over the marina in Olcutt, NY.

A Special Blessing
We enjoyed an extra special blessing the Sunday after orientation as our good friends, Bob & Lisa, surprised us by driving up from Ohio to spend the day with us. It had been three years since we'd last seen each other. We laughed, acted like tourists, had a picnic on the Niagara River, enjoyed each others' company and it was all very, very good.

Karen & Keith, Bob & Lisa hanging out at "The Falls."

Thanks for being part of our lives and ministry through your love, gifts, friendship, and PRAYERS!

Missionary Mutts Update (and our update, too!)

Greetings from Graham, NC!

Here's the latest update from Tucker & Tanner as part of our latest newsletter:

You can read about our ministry on the page below:

Candidate Orientation went very well. Look for another blog soon that will focus on the orientation itself! WooHoo!

Karen: "On The Road Again...."

"...Just Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again..."
This week has Keith and I preparing to get on the road again! The dogs are bathed and Aunt Maureen and Uncle Vinny are ready for feeding, treats and visiting. Tucker & Tanner are on high alert as they watch us pack. They follow me every step I make as I clean and start making "the pile" (you ladies know what I'm talking about!) of things we need to remember to take with us.

Are you leaving yet?

The Fantastic Flounders

A couple weeks ago we had the pleasure of leading "The Flounders" through a week of Deep Sea Adventure at our church's VBS. What a fun group of kids and a great group of teachers and helpers. Seeds of Truth were planted in these little hearts and I know God will help them grow.

Our VBS "School" of Flounders

Christmas In July
This week I am helping at church for a couple of days to pack up 1200 or so Christmas Child boxes! It's so exciting to fill those boxes knowing the joy that will come to a child learning that they are loved by God and by others.

Karen and Brenda getting ready to pack.

Operation Christmas Child boxes waiting to be filled
in our church's basement.

"The Life I Love is Making Music With My Friends..."

Keith is busy at the office preparing several new seminars he'll present at the GOM Candidate Orientation, July 31 through August 6. I'm preparing "welcome baskets" full of goodies for the missionaries attending the orientation, handling some background logistics, and planning hospitality for breaks and snacks for the week.

We ask that you would pray for us and the Global HR Team as we conduct this orientation. Please pray that each missionary would be able to not only enjoy and assimilate all of the information presented to them over the week, but also be enabled to use it to God's glory in their calling to serve Him around the world. All 25 of us will gather for the event at our Canadian Headquarters in St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada. Keith and I will take a brief vacation with friends at Kitty Hawk, NC (where we were married) and then overnight at one of my brother's in PA on the way up to Canada.

Keith working....No, wait....that's Tanner working while Keith takes a nap on the floor.
 

No, Tanner's taking a nap on the floor!

There. Now it's Keith turn to work!

And This Little Piggie Went Wee-Wee-Wee All The Way Home

There is always some extra excitement when we're busy preparing to go away. We didn't think to get a picture when Keith jammed his little toe into the corner of the raised garden bed Sunday. As he announced he thought he broke his toe I looked down and saw his little toe pointing west instead of north! Not good. It looked like his foot had lost a toe and gained a thumb! He was brave and trusting enough to let me set it! So far he can still fit it in his shoe and it's not giving him a lot of pain. We are thankful to the Lord for that! 

Keith's toe all fixed up and ready to go!
 

Quilting For Cancer

Last week I completed my second quilt for kids with cancer. I love to pray as I work on these quilts with the awareness that God already knows who will receive it.

A quilt for a young man wrestling with cancer.

 

"And I Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again."*

Thanks for following our blog! Keep an eye on your mailbox and/or inbox for our next Global Flyer  newsletter currently rolling into production!

           Apologies to Willie Nelson!

A GOMEX Summit: LOTS OF COOL PICTURES

Summit Opening Day
Our 2016 Global Outreach Policy & Planning Summit opened early Wednesday morning with a cross-cultural dining experience at Stavro's Grill as each of us ordered a plate of "pork brains and eggs." It just seemed the right thing to do before spending the next two days buried in editing, revising, and updating Global's missionary policy manual. Greg is Global's VP of Personnel and works out of our Canadian headquarters while Tom, our Member Care Coordinator, serves in association with our US headquarters.

Me, Greg, and Tom: Three brains and eggs.

Our waitress said it was the first time in 15 years the cook could remember that many orders of brains on one ticket. We're trend-setters, folks. They said they might even put our picture up on the wall.

Once we'd eaten the pork brains in Burlington, we needed to put our brains to work so it was off to our GOMEX Office in Graham to get started.

Official GOMEX mailbox outside the office

Greg (my boss), immediately launched into filling the 20 foot long dry-erase wall with colorful scribbles, shapes, words, arrows and underlines while Tom and I grunted, made comments, and chimed in as invited.

Greg (from Canada) writing in Canadian.

We then spent the next ten hours or so like this:

"Making sausage"

Summit Closing Day
After such a productive first day we started Day 2 a little slower by first stopping at Daily Donuts for Apple Fritters and custom-filled donut holes.

Greg and the filling selections at Daily Donuts.

Then we stopped at Graham's new coffee & crepe shop: Press. Press features hand-brewed coffee (six different methods) and both savory and sweet crepes. It's your choice...brains and eggs or custom crepes with specialty coffee? It is something of a cultural contrast.

Here I am inside Press learning about siphons, V-60's, air presses, french presses, ice drip, some kind of "wave" and more than one could ever imagine about science, physics, caffeine, bean drying methods, and exotic locations. Their hardware comes from Italy, Japan, and Germany. 

Greg & Tom gear up for ten more hours of policy review and revision.

Back at GOMEX, when I wasn't yelling and waiving my arms to make a point, I looked like this...as I waited for a my next chance to yell and wave my arms to make a point.

This ten hour session was broken up by having lunch with the Mayor of Graham, Jerry Peterman, at MEX-AM Restaurant across the parking lot from GOMEX. Jerry welcomed Tom and Greg to town and shared the advantages of living and working in Graham as well as its bright future as various economic factors come together creating new opportunities in this wonderful little town.

Me, Jerry, Tom, Greg. THANKS, JERRY!

Special Thanks to Karen
All in all the summit was a success. Thank you for your prayers over these two intense days. We worked hard, we worked long, we kept our brains about us, and ultimately completed revision of our policy manual. WooHoo.

Special thanks to Karen who was ready at moments notice to run errands, deliver food, grab supplies during the day, and feed us and dessert us every evening. Yay, KAREN!

The Crew

So as Greg and Tom roll six hours northeast for another meeting, and then seven hours northwest on their way back to HQ, Karen and I are cleaning up, straightening up, and setting up for another week of working with you to expand God's Kingdom through helping other missionaries make it to the mission field. Peace, Love, & Jesus!

BONUS PHOTO:

Available here at Food Lion.