Thank you

Thank you

   
  I love November because all month long I anticipate Thanksgiving, and it reminds me almost every day of all there is for which to be thankful.  The list is long.  My Dad's recovery from cancer, my wife Dayna's love, our kids, and our health are all things that I think about.  But I am also humbled by God's constant love, grace, forgiveness, and provision.  We're thankful for you and the team that stands with us to allow us to serve Him with Cru.  It is amazing to me that He calls all of us to work together to invite others to know Him and His love, grace and forgiveness.  

     Thank you for trusting and following God as you invest in us and this ministry.  We are so grateful for your friendship and partnership with us.

   My trip to Germany in October was an example of the kind of work you make possible.  

Unsung Heroes

 
     For a week in early October I was with this group of Cru staff in Geissen, Germany for our Global Crisis Management conference.  We had staff representing 10 of the 13 Campus Crusade for Christ geographic regions around the world.  In this picture are staff from Canada, Ghana, Albania, Cameroon, The Philippines, Korea, and Americans serving the Middle East, Central Asia, Latin America, East Asia, and the U.S.  It is great to be part of a global mission to see everyone know someone who follows Jesus.

The German Headquarters of CCC, where we had our meetings

    We did work like clarifying our global policies for crisis management, but spent a lot of time reviewing some of the crises that we worked through over the past 1 1/2 years.  In Mali there was a coup that impacted our staff in that country, and staff visiting from other countries; we revisited how we responded to the Japan tsunami and nuclear disaster that disrupted our ministry there; we celebrated the end of a 6 year crisis that involved the arrest of over 40 staff in one Southeast Asian country.

     Good crisis management is about caring for our staff, taking steps to ensure ministries avoid the threats that could derail them, and responding to crises in a way that allows ministry to continue.  The folks in this picture step into some of the most challenging situations and help the ministry respond well to any kind of crisis.  It is an honor to work with them.

     And it is an honor to work with you.  We're humbled and grateful for your partnership with our family.

     May your Thanksgiving, and the whole month of November, be filled with thankfulness to God for all He has done.

     With love,

The Impact of Your Gifts

     Recently  Jonathan, a new ministry partner asked me, “So how will my support be used?”  I loved this question and thought I’d share my answer with you too.

    The numerical answer is that 7% of every dollar goes cover Campus Crusade’s administrative costs.   This money pays for the costs of a headquarters, including paying about 300 hourly and salaried staff who do jobs from maintenance to accounting.   Another 5% goes overseas to launch ministries in countries where there is little Christian presence.  The remaining 88% goes to our personal ministry account, where it is used to pay our salary, benefits, taxes, and ministry expenses.

    Jonathan's question was really asking about the impact that he will have through his gifts.  To get an idea of the broader impact Campus Crusade for Christ has had this last year, please visit this link to see some information my friend and fellow staff member Pete Kelly put together.  Dayna and I lead a team of about 60 staff, and part of what they accomplish includes:

• Involving over more than 70 men and women in over 10,000 volunteer hours projects from computer programming to packaging evangelistic tools to landscaping work, saving the ministry over $200,000 annually.

• Sending and resources over 40 one year international missionaries each year.

• Equipping 1,000 staff serving at the World Headquarters in ministry skills, theological education, work skills, and leadership development.

• Resourcing over 1,000 American staff serving overseas and assisting them with transitions, debriefs, and crisis situations.

• Providing connection, encouragement and resources for over 617 children of our staff living overseas through our MK2MK team.  Almost 100 of these staff kids are involved in our international missions project each summer.

•  Over the last year we’ve helped manage crisis situations in Japan, Ivory Coast, North Africa and the Middle East.

    Your gifts are having an impact around the world.  Thank you for your investment in our family and ministry.

Gratitude

     Have you ever eaten at Chick-fil A?  You may have noticed that if you say “thank you,” the workers there answer “my pleasure?”  It actually makes it fun to say “thank you” because I am always looking for the “my pleasure.”

    Expressing thanks, and being thankful, isn’t always that easy!  Thankfulness requires recognizing that my life involves other people.  When I receive a gift, or am blessed because of the actions of another, it means that someone else has taken action that impacts me.  Expressing thanks is acknowledging that person’s actions resulted in a blessing to me.

    It is easy to see the blessing when someone holds the door for me, or hand me the salt and pepper.   However, there are times when I may not recognize actions taken on my behalf, especially if they take place over time.   This can especially happen in our home...where we take for granted the things others do for us.  

    It can also be easy also to overlook the good actions God has taken for me in my life…the blessings those actions bring to my life. 

    Gratitude requires that we look outside of ourselves to recognize how God’s (and others’) actions have impacted us.

    We want to thank you for your actions that bless us.   We are only able to serve in ministry because of your gifts to God.  This is not “Barrett and Dayna’s ministry”, but it is owned by you and the others who give and pray to allow us to serve Him with Campus Crusade for Christ.

    Thank you for the financial support you provide, along with the prayers, encouragement, and friendship.  We are not alone in the ministry, and we are grateful for that fact. 

    May this Thanksgiving be one where you recognize and express to God and others all they do to bless your life.

    With love and thanks,

Update From Home 

 Aubrey, our 3rd daughter, is a sophomore at Rollins College here in town.  She works really hard at school most of the time, but when she and her friends found this blow up obstacle course, they went all in!  Paste this link into your browser and check out THIS VIDEO

Dayna's Dad

Last month we shared how Dayna’s father had moved down to live near us.  Well, just over a week ago he began not being able to get up on his own.  Because we could not be with him 24 hours a day, it was clear he needed more assistance. 

So, a few days ago he was able to move into  an assisted living apartment where there is always a nurse or aide nearby to help him.  He is already improving and enjoying the people.  It is nice to see him doing better.

Thanks again for your prayers, partnership and friendship!!