A Woman Of Great Courage!

Karen in the Lion's den.

I made an appointment with Karen to spend time in GOMEX this morning training me in how to set up a custom data base in TntConnect, our donor management software. If you know me...and most of you do...I AM NOT a data base/spreadsheet kind of guy. I'm a yellow-pad and gel pen kind of guy.

Karen IS a spread sheet person. Spread sheets are brilliant. Karen in brilliant. She LOVES data bases. I like the output of data bases, not working with them. After 15 years of ministry in close proximity, we've discovered several reasons that make it wise for me to operate from GOMEX and Karen to  operate from home. In some instances we work better together when we're not in the same office. Ministry is better, marriage is better...HA!

Anyway...we've survived the experience, Karen has set me up with a data base I can use and she's excited about it. She says, "Oh we're going to get such good information from this. We can mine this all day long. Shall I input all the data for you?".

My wife. I think I'll keep her.

Getting Closer! Feel The Momentum!

With $100 in new partnership over the past week, 

we're only $500 per month away from our goal!

Your partnership will help sustain

400 Missionaries in 40 Countries!

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An Offer You Can't Refuse!

That's Right! New Financial Partners Needed!

Yes, after twenty years of ministry, we now have openings on our financial support team! 

What does this mean? This means you can now join us as financial partners in ministry. This opportunity doesn't happen every day. I mean, once we're fully supported...

THERE WON'T BE ANY MORE OPENINGS until there are new openings!

How Long Have You Been Waiting For This Opportunity? 

There Are Only A Few Openings Left on Our Team!

Click HERE 

to become a regular monthly financial supporter!

We need $600 in new monthly supporters 

over the next 6 Weeks 

to make our goal!

Become our PARTNER!

BE one of the PARTNERS who

put us over the top!

Please JOIN US 

in sending new workers to the harvest field 

and sustaining experienced workers already on the harvest field.

https://www.missiongo.org/donate/missionaries/keith-karen-dodson

Video: Meet Katie Begbie, Global Missionary to Guatemala

Here's a video of Katie Begbie sharing about her ministry in Guatemala. Katie is one of the twenty or so missionaries Karen and are now coaching, resourcing, and encouraging through their support development process. We just wanted you to meet Katie, and better understand how your financial partnership with us, results in your being part of the process of sending Katie into service!



Our goal is for Katie to be fully supported and ready for deployment shortly after the new year.

Thank you for making our ministry possible, so Katie's ministry can be possible.

Farewell To A Furry Friend

Faces of His Harvest

Here are portraits of the new missionary class you're helping send to the field and sustain on the field in partnership with us!

Sudhakar: India

Sarah: Sierra Leone

Josiah: Ukraine 

Haley: Ukraine

 Ann: International

 Jesse: Republic of Congo

 Stephanie: Guatemala

Jenny: Lebanon 

Thani: Lebanon

 Rob: France

Kristy: France

Walter: International

Thank you for helping make these ministries possible through your encouragement, prayers, and financial gifts!

Back In The Saddle! (BITS)

Your Prayers Were Answered in Wonderful Ways

Thank you for praying for our trip to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada and back (August 4-15) to help lead Global's latest Candidate Orientation Class. Our 2,300 mile round trip was uneventful, the weather in Canada was perfect, and the orientation was a success on every front.

Global Candidate Class of August 2017

Karen and I made multiple border crossings without incident, didn't leave anyone behind, figured out how to navigate alternate canal crossings (to and from our Canadian office) when the inter-coastal bridges were raised for passing ships, and met each of our core objectives for the event. 

Here I am leading Session Two of my three session Partnership 101 presentation.

I led eight sessions related to partnership development, Karen and I led a workshop together, and Karen coordinated/led our Concert of Prayer Wednesday evening. Karen also arranged all the logistics of life and training at our Canadian Office related to in-house snacks, troubleshooting, and behind-the-scenes problem solving. She's the rock on which our orientation hospitality system is built. Yay, Karen!

Karen leads us into Wednesday night's Concert of Prayer.

This was our fourth orientation and it was the best yet. Next week we'll start planning for our orientations in February & August of 2018.

Here I am with Global's President, Brian Albrecht, preparing to distribute certificates of completion to our candidates as part of our closing banquet Friday night.

As part of my role documenting the event...I shot 700 photographs. Here I am taking a photo of missionaries to Ukraine as we have our picture taken by a missionary to Nepal, having his picture of me taking a picture taken by a missionary to France during our field trip to Niagara Falls.

Here's our orientation team debriefing the event Monday morning at our US headquarters in Buffalo, NY: Karen, me, Greg, and Melissa.

There are lots more photos to share! Be watching your inbox and Facebook for our next blog posts!

The sunsets at our retreat house were awesome.

Canada and Back or Bust

Please pray as we head north to help lead Global's next Candidate Orientation 

in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Karen and I'll jump in the Honda early tomorrow (Friday) morning, drive to Canada, and spend the next week orienting 11 missionaries, called to 8 different ministries, for service in 7 different countries!

Be assured that through your gifts and prayers, you're just as much a part of this orientation as we are!

Counting Sheep - Calculating Air Fare

Instead Of Counting Sheep
Sometimes I wonder how much money the internet has cost the airlines. I'm sure you lay awake at night wondering the same thing.

Karen prepares to visit four countries in six hours.

I mean really, just the other day Karen was in Belize, Canada, Guatemala, and Uganda all in a matter of hours all without leaving home. That day was a bit slower for me. I was only in Canada to meet with Karen while she was "in Canada" to work with our boss organizing the logistics for Global's next Candidate Orientation Class.

It's crazy when your wife is at home, you're in the office eight miles away, and you "meet" in Canada for a couple hours. Let's see...what DID that day cost the airlines? Between the two of us, Skype cost your typical domestic airline nearly $5,500 that one day.

That doesn't take into account the week I was in France, Texas, Ohio, Iowa, and Canada (twice) for meetings...ka-ching? There's another $4,800. And that's just air fare...not rental cars, lodging, food, souvenirs...for two people...multiply that by everyone traveling via internet...

Here I am in Iowa (while in our office in North Carolina) meeting with Heather, who's headed to Sierra Leone, Africa.

No wonder the airlines seem grumpier and the skies just a bit less friendly than they used to be.

Speaking of Grumpy
And while we're speaking about grumpy...this is the time of year that Tucker doesn't sleep much at night either. She's busy counting tomatoes that have yet to grow on the plants in our salsa garden. She guards them in her mind at night, counts them in her mind.

Me, grumpy? Do I look grumpy? Where are the tomatoes?

Tanner, on the other hand...doesn't worry about much. He just finds a quiet, private corner and goes into relaxation mode.

Tanner

Some days, in some ways, I wish I'd be more like my dog.

Backyard Bird Blog

It's been a busy time at our backyard bird feeders these past few days. Here are a few shots of our latest feathered friends to stop by!

 Blue Grosbeak (male)

Rose Breasted Grosbeak (male)

Our pair of nesting Eastern Blue Birds

 Northern Cardinal (female)

 Northern Cardinal (male)

 Hairy Woodpecker

Red Bellied Woodpecker (male)

American Goldfinch (male) 

House Finch (male)

 Brown Thrasher

Scarlet Tanager (male)

 Summer Tanager (male)

Summer Tanager (female)

Lions and Gardens and Mom, Oh My!

April brings the month each year that we get to enjoy a visit from Keith's Mom. This year we had lots of rain while she was here but that meant lots of green as everything came to life after the winter lull. Coming from southern California, she really loves seeing all the green of spring here in the east.

Mom, Keith and I with the green trees in the background.

One of our traditions each year when Mom comes is to make the journey to the greenhouse and get our salsa garden plants. Because of the rain we had to wait until after she left to plant this year but, "Thanks for the salsa garden, Mom!" I was able to finally get it planted yesterday.

 The tomato garden at the side of the house

Lettuce growing and newly planted peppers in the back yard.

Even though Mom wasn't here when I planted this year, I did have some fun company while I dug in the dirt. A little toad found a nice place to chill out under my potting bench and stayed there all morning while I worked. Then there was a shy little Skink who was feeling quite interrupted by my presence in the back yard! Usually we have a neon Blue Tail Skink but this one had some red instead of blue.

 The toad resting on the bottom shelf of my potting bench while I worked.

The Skink lizard running from me on the board walk.

We like to meet up with Keith's nephew, Dean and his wife Ali while Mom is here so they can visit and we found a great place to meet! We all got to together and enjoyed the "Toys And Treats Tour" at the Conservator Center north of Mebane. Not a long drive and it was so fun seeing the big cats ans smaller animals up close as they were given treats or things to play with. There are too many pictures to show you all of the animals but if you are local, it's a great place to explore!

The lion's roar shook the earth!

This white tiger was huge and so unusual.

 Mom, Keith, Ali and Dean grabbing some lunch after the tour.

In between tours and gardens I got to help Mom by making some curtains for her kitchen. We enjoyed sewing and chatting and just being together.

Mom's new curtains. There was also a valance for the top.

We are already enjoying the flowers in our gardens and the birds and squirrels continue to entertain us. What a blessing to be in a housing development that allows us to have woods behind us that invite God's wonderful critters to visit!

 The Goldfinches are so bright right now!

Blooming Sweet Williams

That's what's happening behind the scene at 2700 Pepperstone in Graham. What's happening at your house?