Kinder4Jesus = Children 4 Jesus

2006-06-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

Garage Sale Time!

Audra has been busy lately going through our stuff and having a garage sale. The boys were willing to let these cool RESCUE HEROES be sold from their toy collection. We are taking steps towards our soon return to Germany.

We are over 90% there with our budget! We are thankful to the many who have come alongside to support us.

Next stop: GERMANY!!

Until then...auf Wiedersehen!

Dave

Micah trying to beat the heat

2006-05-30T11:31:00.000-05:00

We are having a HEAT WAVE!
Micah is trying to stay cool as we all are during this first wave of heat for the summer of 2006.
We are rising upward towards finishing raising our budget.
We believe that we will reach 100% by the end of June and return to Germany in July!
Stay cool!
Dave

2006-05-01T11:18:00.000-05:00

We have 85% of our budget raised!
We only need $1,000 more in monthly pledge commitments before we can return to Germany! We are getting excited as we near the end of our itineration and see the hand of God providing the necessary funds for our mission. We are hoping to be finished in June and be able to return to Germany shortly thereafter.
Thank you to all who have joined our team!

A Thought from John Bueno

2006-03-22T12:17:00.000-05:00

"A Finnish proverb says, "Happiness is a place between too little and too much."
One of the big issues of our walk with the Lord seems to be balance. Many positive things can become negative when they get out of balance. The enemy will also attempt to turn our concentration towards things that are not important to our real satisfaction and service to the Master.
We have all observed what happens when people seek to accumulate wealth with the ultimate purpose in mind of finding happiness. They invest all their time and energy, only to discover that their happiness does not come with an overabundance of things, but rather with a balanced life of commitment to Jesus Christ.
It is easy for us to get our priorities skewed in the business of life. We may forget that our commitment to Christ leads us to get by with fewer material things and instead focus on things of eternal value. The principle of balance applies to every area of our lives and is one of the greatest issues of Christian living. Even good things in the work of the Lord can become marred when they get out of balance and will eventually detract us from what the Bible points out as essential to our daily sustenance.
God gives us these gentle reminders in Scripture. Sometimes He even uses a proverb. I don't now if the man who wrote the Finnish proverb knew the Lord, but it is certainly a scriptural principle. Let's find that balance in our lives so we will not be disappointed at the end."
--John Bueno, Executive Director of Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM)

Would-be German parents wait for right partner, better economy

2006-03-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

From the German Information Center

The single greatest factor hindering Germans from having children is having not found the right life partner, according to a survey of 40,000 Germans on parenthood presented this week by the public opinion research institute Forsa.

The results of the survey, published in the magazines "Parents" and "Parents for Family," offer insight into Germany's dwindling birth rate, an issue of growing concern for government and society.
Only half as many children were born in Germany last year as 40 years ago. more

76% and counting!!!

2006-03-01T07:58:00.000-05:00

We are on the way up! We had two good months after Christmas and went from 62% to 75% since Christmas! We are excited and thankful for all of the supporters that have joined our team!
We are aiming at June 1, 2006 as our date to return to Germany! We are believing that God will help us with the remaining support we need. The remaining 24% equals $1,700.
We need to return before summertime in order to begin reaching out to children in the warm months of summer. Please pray that we will reach our goal.
Danke!
Dave & Audra

2006-01-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

small

Off to Kentucky!

2006-01-20T11:35:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! (2 1/2 weeks later)
It has been a long time since I have posted a new article to this blog. I guess with all of the Christmas holiday celebration and a very busy November that pretty much explains it.
I will be spending a week in Kentucky (Jan 22-27) meeting with pastors from all over the Bluegrass State.
We are having some really crazy/warm weather here in southern Michigan! It has been really warm--today it's over 50 degrees! I guess that it's all because of global warming, right?
We are all doing well as a family and our budget is currently at 70% raised. We are hoping to be able to return to Germany by April. I must go...I have to pack and visit Mapquest like 100 times so I can find these churches, ha! Bis dann!

Bread in Germany

2005-10-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

Germans love their bread!

You can smell fresh bread being baked in corner bakeries all over Germany every morning. As a matter of fact, there are over 300 different types of bread that are baked in Germany daily.
Of course some of these will be found only in certain regions, and each region has its own tastes.
Bread is eaten at breakfast mainly in little rolls that are covered with a variety of things from meat & cheese to a chocolate/hazelnut spread.

Then they Germans return to their bread in the evening for dinner which they call "Abendbrot" which means Evening Bread.

2005-10-18T19:54:00.000-05:00

America's Dairyland--WISCONSIN

America's Dairyland

2005-10-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

I have been a week in Wisconsin visiting with pastors, missions board members and holding services. It has been a very good week and the next week should also be beneficial. I have been warmly received and many of the churches are considering supporting us. I now understand why the Green Bay Packer fans wear cheese on their heads, because there are so many cows and dairy farms here in Wisconsin.
I cannot wait to return home and hug my family. I miss them terribly.

"I don't eat germs!"

2005-10-03T16:40:00.000-05:00

The other day we were eating oatmeal for breakfast and I (Dave) got out the Wheat Germ to put on top of my oatmeal. I offered some to Micah and he responded with: "No thanks, I don't eat germs."
That tickled me.

2005-10-03T08:58:00.000-05:00

Germany United. The gray states were former East Germany.

Try link at right for more on Germany unification

2005-10-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

I have place a new link on the right for more on German Unification.

Please take a few minutes and read more about the struggle that this country is facing. After 15 years of 'unification' there is still a 'Mauer im Kopf', a wall in the head. They are tearing down entire apartment buildings that housed thousands of people, and young people are leaving East Germany every day as they follow a job opportunity in West Germany or another country altogether.

All the political and economic problems aside, East Germany needs Jesus!! We are going to bring hope and God's message of love to these people who are surrounded by despair. The people are looking for something to bring fulfillment to their lives. God is the only One who can truly bring this fulfillment.

Thank you for your interest in Germany and for praying for the kids in East Germany.

2005-10-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

Germany Unification Day. On October 3, 1990 Germany was once again a united country. This day is a national holiday. See Link at right to read more about German Unification.

2005-09-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Row, Row, Row your boat! We had a 12 foot row boat to go fishing with. One day the wind and waves were really rough, and they got rougher after we were out (downwind). I was concerned about getting back because the waves began to whitecap and our cabin was in the very direction that the wind was blowing from! All three of us prayed for God to calm the wind and waves and I prayed for the strength of 10 men. God answered our prayers and we were back at the cabin safe and sound without much effort. God is so good!

2005-09-09T10:23:00.000-05:00

Swimming in Lake Superior!! We were able to go swimming 2 times in Lake Superior! The water was quite warm considering the Lake Superior is the 2nd largest fresh water lake in the world! We really enjoyed this special treat!

2005-09-09T10:19:00.000-05:00

For those who may not know, or may be 'geographically challenged', this is the U.P. (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan which is truly a beautiful area. Once you cross over the Mackinaw Bridge you are in a totally new land.

2005-09-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

We've been FISHING!! We spent some time in the U.P. of Michigan last week and had a chance to go fishing. The boys and I caught many bluegills and had a great time doing so. I traveled each day to a different city in the U.P. to meet with pastors and share the vision for Germany, then returned to the cabin for a time of fishing.

2005-08-25T13:26:00.000-05:00

The Wartburg Castle

2005-08-25T13:24:00.000-05:00

          The Wartburg Castle

This well-preserved medieval castle is found in Eisenach.
It was inside this castle that Martin Luther hid from the
Pope who wanted to kill him.  While Luther was in hiding,
he translated the New Testament into the common language
of the people for the first time!

2005-08-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

Polar Bears and Wolves fight over a fallen Musk Ox!

2005-08-24T09:56:00.000-05:00

INSIDE CABELA'S: Here are a few shots of the cool display they have of various wild animals. They have a running brook and a huge aquarium filled with fish and turtles, too!

2005-08-24T09:51:00.000-05:00

We had our first Field Trip of the year to Cabela's Sporting Goods. We have driven past Cabela's many times on our way to churches and the boys always ask, "can we go there today?" Well, we needed some fishing tackle for our trip next week to the U.P. and so we let the teacher get the classroom set up while we went to Cabela's. We hope to catch some fish next week...will write more later. Have a great week!

2005-08-19T16:11:00.000-05:00

MK FLAG: You can click any picture to see it larger. Here is the flag for the International Society of Missionary Kids (ISMK). The BLUE FIELD represents the MK's home culture (or passport culture), the YELLOW FIELD is for the host culture (or mission country) and the CHAMELEON is the Missionary Kid (MK) who learns to adapt to either culture. (It's also symbolic because the MK will adapt certain cultural traits from each culture and blend them together, just like mixing yellow and blue creates the color GREEN!

2005-08-19T15:59:00.000-05:00

IT'S TIME FOR SCHOOL!! It's really hard to believe that next week starts the new school year. Thankfully the Salvation Army had a couple of new desks in stock for our two bright new students! This school year is shaping up to be a great one! We have a new teacher who comes to us having graduated with honors...'something something laude' (which means she is very smart, and she is!!). We are so blessed and we look forward to studying many different subjects including a LARGE DOSE OF GERMAN to get our students ready to travel back to Germany! Well, that's all for now, until next time...keep on living for Jesus!!

2005-08-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

We spent the night in Fruitport, MI after a service and went to the beach the next day. The boys had fun playing in the sand and in the water with Dad.

2005-07-26T15:58:00.000-05:00

This year's theme is Finish His Work! We are back home now and have hit the ground running! We are excited to see how God is opening up doors and providing for our needs. Next week we will be flying out to Denver to be a part of the General Council because they have asked us to participate in the Missions emphasis night. We are going to be commissioned after we sing in an all-missionary choir! We are excited and God is GOOD!! Until next time.

2005-07-07T22:24:00.000-05:00

I Love America!!

4th of July "I Love America Celebration"

2005-07-07T22:12:00.000-05:00

Wow!! We were so blessed to be here in Springfield over the 4th of July because we were able to go to the "I LOVE AMERICA" Celebration that James River Assembly of God puts on here! It was the very best show of fireworks and live orchestra along with a choir!! I was thrilled with the whole thing!!
The best thing was that it was evangelistic in nature. There were approximately 110,000 people in attendance and the full gospel message was preached along with an altar call. They even had a video produced which told of a young man who came to last year's fireworks event and he got saved and is now singing in the choir. It was really a great all around event and it made me proud to be an American. I didn't even mind the 1.5 hour wait to get ouot of the field we were parked in afterwards. Have a good one!! God Bless America!

School of Missions at Evangel University

2005-07-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

We have been enjoying our time here on the Evangel University campus while attending classes for Missionary Candidate school. We have been studying the religion of Islam all this week and have really learned a lot about it. The boys are having a great time in their program called MK Camp (Missionary Kids Camp). They had a day where they ate crayfish heads, alligator tail, squid and other fun finger foods!! Next week all the veteran missionaries come flooding in and we will have two weeks with them and then we go back home. It has been very enriching and encouraging. I will write more soon...

PACKED AND READY!!!

2005-06-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

Here's our van packed and ready to go to School of Missions in Springfield, Missouri. Audra once again did a wonderful job packing up all the things we will be needing for the next FIVE WEEKS as we attend the training in Springfield.

2005-06-15T12:22:00.000-05:00

Beating the recent heat wave with a Super Soaker Battle. We had an unseasonably HOT week and we made the best of it. The boy in the yello shirt is from accross the street, his name is Billy.
Posted by Hello

2005-06-02T10:03:00.000-05:00

Streetcar in Germany...a very common sight in East Germany
Posted by Hello

Last Week of School!!

2005-05-31T09:12:00.000-05:00

We are finally at the end of the school year! This Friday, June 3 is the last day for our boys. It will be nice to have them at home for longer than just enough time to get up for school and then get ready for bed. It has been such an adjustment for us all. In Germany, Malachi was finished with his school for the day by 12 noon or sometimes as late as 12:30. It has been quite a change and a challenge.

We look forward to going to Springfield, Missouri in a couple of weeks to attend the School of Missions and Candidate School. We will be there for about 5 weeks total. The boys will be at Missionary Kids (MK) Camp. This should be a great experience for them as the staff has a lot of fun things planned for them every day!! It will also be good for them to be around other MK's and to share in this time together. I understand that those friendships they will make during this camp will last a lifetime!

I will try to write again soon!
Bis dann! = Until then!

2005-05-25T12:49:00.000-05:00

Our Family Picture

2005-05-02T22:15:00.000-05:00

Dave & Audra Daniel