Four Easy-Peasy Ways to Partner with Us

I love the fresh start of a new year!  It's like setting out on the first hike of spring or a putting on a brand new pair of socks - there's nothing quite like it.  The brainstorming and preparing for the next phase of our partner-development push has been in full swing around here for a couple of months and we are happy to be able to share some of our  most recent progress with you.  

Where We Are 
Right now we are sitting at 58% funding of our monthly expenses! Our sending expenses were satisfied in September (for more information on monthly vs. sending expenses click here). We have finished all of WorldVenture required reading for a total of 15 hefty books (reports soon to come Cheryl!). 

Where We Are HeadedWe have developed a workshop for small groups that helps singles and families discover their God-given purpose and craft usable mission statements  for life.  Part of this workshop includes sharing our family's journey of drafting a family mission statement and landing on our life's calling: ministry to TCKs (What's a TCK? Click here to read more).  After hours of stuffing and sticking we have our take-home materials ready, and we are counting down the days 'til go time. The plan is to give this presentation of our ministry to well over 20 groups of people over the course of the next few months. Additionally, we are currently creating an e-booklet which will accompany our workshop and which we will also make available to those of you not in the Cheyenne area.  We can't say too much just yet, but we will share the title: "Carpe Aeternitatem: Developing and Living out Your Divine Purpose, Everyday." Fist pump!  

What You Can Do
As you know there is no "I" in team.  There really aren't any useful words in team except the word "tea" which doesn't help us much here.  The point is, we need you to get involved and here are four ways you can get off the bench:
Subscribe:
If you're getting these e-mails, you're already doing this one, so good for you! Look at you, team player!
Send:
Whether through cash gifts or a monthly/regular pledge all of your generous support goes towards sending us and keeping us on the mission field and in the classroom at ICSB. If you need a reminder, we are with WorldVenture and you can give here.
Share:
This is where you can make a big impact with minimal effort.  We always need to get the word out to more people so head over to our facebook page and give us a like, share our blog posts, pictures and website information on your timeline and with your friends.  If you don't do facebook, you can always forward emails to people who might be interested. Don't forget word of mouth too.  Shoot us an e-mail if you think you could use a stack of our business card, brochures or magnets to pass to friends, colleagues and fellow public-transportation riders. 
Supplicate:
This fancy word simply means pray for us!  To go to Hungary with sufficient funds but insufficient prayer will only result in disaster. We ask you to bring our family and our requests before God as the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-7 .  You can find our current prayer requests here.
Thank you, thank you for your partnership! We cannot wait to see what God will do in the next few months! Stay tuned for updates!

There and Back Again

The trip to Hungary was an eventful week that gave Jenn and me valuable look into the country where we will soon be living. Of particular benefit was the time we spent at the International Christian School of Budapest, where we observed the culture and dynamics of ICSB, where I will be teaching middle-school social studies.       I spent time meeting with my future colleagues at ICSB. Of particular note, I had several productive conversations with the head of school and the middle-school principal. Through our conversations I was able to see the challenges and rewards of teaching at ICSB. Hungary is often a discouraging mission field (Why Hungary?) and this was confirmed on our trip; teachers at ICSB are not immune, even though ICSB is a healthy environment. Candid conversations with teachers instilled in me a deeper understanding of the need for teachers who are committed to serving long-term.      I also gained insight into the diverse nature of the school, where there are currently 22 nations represented. I sampled the social-studies classes and met the students I will be teaching next fall. It was amazing to hear all the different places they are from. The first question every student asked me was, "Where are you from?" I was proud to explain where Wyoming was and inform that it was indeed a state! Because of this trip, Jenn and I both have a clearer understanding of how our ministry vision will translate into action.      After speaking with friends at ICSB and our WorldVenture team in Hungary, we have set our target departure date to Hungary as July 1, 2013. Of course, we will not be going anywhere until we have received pledges for all of our monthly living expenses. Please pray and consider how you can be a part of ministry to TCKs in Hungary! This article was originally published by Dave and Jenn Kelley on another site in early November, 2012.    Want to see pictures from our trip? Look for the slide shows on the Photo Album, Why Hungary? andWhy ICSB? pages!

We can get there, but we can't live there!

Big news this month! Our sending expenses are one hundred percent met! (Insert Jenn's raise the roof happy dance here.) What are sending expenses? This is the category of our budget that encompasses all that we will need to move and set up house in Hungary.  Things like cross-cultural training, language training, plane tickets, visas, driver licenses, vehicle, deposit on a dwelling etc. are included So why aren't we on our way? Well, in addition to funds to get us set up in Hungary we also need to live while we are there. (Dave's teaching job is 100% volunteer and he isn't paid a dime by the school.) Monthly expenses encompass our daily living expenses.  Things like groceries, rent, utilities, health insurance, etc.are a part of this category. As we write, we are 46.5% funded in our monthly expenses category. To be fully funded we need the equivalent of 10 more $100 per month partners, 20 more $50 per month partners and 34 more $30 per month partners.  Please join us in earnestly praying that more people catch the vision of reaching TCKs for Christ and come on board as monthly financial partners. What about those of you that are already giving? Please keep it up! The gifts that you send in have brought us this far and will now continue to build our monthly expenses fund.  Did you notice our Hungary Scouting Trip countdown? Only 12 days left! Look for our October update to be filled with photos and stories about life in Budapest and Diosd. Check out our prayer request page to get more detailed prayer requests! This article was originally published by Dave and Jenn Kelley on another site in late September, 2012.

Servanthood is in the Pee Bottle

It was my turn to comb the easement alongside Taft Avenue for trash as our family slowly made our way north. Dave carried Anna in the Moby wrap and pushed the stroller with the other two and I picked up yet another soda bottle and started to unscrew the cap to pour out the contents before stuffing it into our bulging bag when I glanced at the Dew-like liquid inside. Yuck. I'd heard about other people picking up similar bottles near the highway as others from Element church served our city in "I Heart Cheyenne" month with cleaning, painting, feeding and other projects. I had finally stumbled upon a bottle that some person, presumably male, had peed in and thrown out the window of a passing car. And it was half a twist away from splattering on my sneakers. "What pigs live in this city!", I thought. half way through the 60 hours our family served this month, I admit my attitude was less than immaculate. We all know Jesus served all, including the ungrateful and those that made his job harder, while on earth. We also know serving is our life and mission here on earth; the very reason we exist.  I've heard it said that you can tell whether or not you are developing a servant's attitude based on how you respond when you are treated like one. Oh, ouch. I guess I have a ways to go. Serving should not be an annual event that comes from a challenge; serving should be the daily posture of our lives.  Don't believe me? Consider this, God created Adam and Eve to serve him, and to some extent all of creation, by working in the Garden. Humans failed in that service. To redeem mankind so they could fulfill their destiny, God chose Noah and started fresh. Again mankind failed to fulfill their destiny. God chose a nation from among the people and established the Israelites as his servants on earth. Israel failed. God chose a family from within Israel to serve him always - the line of David. David's dynasty failed. Finally, God prophesied through Isaiah that He would work out the  destiny of mankind with is own arm. The Servant Songs of Isaiah describe this perfect servant. Jesus fulfilled that prophesy. God himself  became a human and served as all mankind was created to serve. The God-man died and rose from the grave so he could pour out his Spirit on all of us that we might fulfill our destiny as well. Wow! All of salvation history points to mankind's destiny to serve. Let us all serve and glorify our Father in heaven and see what happens to our world! This article was originally published by Dave and Jenn Kelley on another site at the end of August, 2012.

Hacked!

This month we received a notice from Google that told us our account had been compromised by someone using an IP address from China. Why anyone would like to use our account, I have no idea! Jenn and I deleted the entire account since we were in the process of transitioning to this site from blogger anyway. That said, our old blog is no longer in existence. From now on, this will be our new blog location. Also associated with our account was our phone number. Our email is the same. Please see the link to the right labeled CONTACT US for our most current contact information. You can also see pictures from this month on the right by clicking PHOTO ALBUM. Jenn and I have been getting to know people in Cheyenne; the going is slow with such a young family. Our small group is a huge blessing to us as we are developing meaningful friendships with the other couples in the group. Tuesday nights are a weekly highlight as we meet with other believers and encourage and challenge one another in the faith. As we are getting to know people in our community, we are beginning to share more about our plans to serve Christ in Hungary. We have been able to tell several couples about our vision. Of particular note, we will have the opportunity to share about our ministry to TCKs in Hungary with our church in Cheyenne after we return from our scouting trip to Hungary in October. Please pray for receptive hearts and minds as we meet with more people in the near future. Jenn and I are beginning to become involved in ministry through the church as well. This Sunday we will begin working in the "Living Room," which is intended for those who attend or visit the church that would like to discuss questions they have with someone. Jenn and I are very excited to be involved in this opportunity to share Christ with others. Please check out our August prayer requests found on the navigation bar to the right by clicking PRAYER REQUESTS. This article was originally posted by Dave and Jenn Kelley on another site in early August, 2012.