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Typical Missionary Life Overseas

Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:19:54 +0100

We recently experienced what has become far too common in our lives overseas as missionaries: we had no electricity! As we went to cook dinner the other night in our kitchen, the power went out! Go figure! Here we were with a fridge full of food (we had just gone to the market) and half-cooked dinner with no power! Our phone was out too, so we could not call anyone for help.

In our time of need, God proves Himself to be merciful and kind. Thankfully, He provided a thoughtful neighbor to come to the rescue! This wonderful older lady invited us in to use her phone, and insisted that we bring our food to her place to finish cooking dinner. She literally came into our kitchen, grabbed a pot, and forced us to come over. It was so precious and hospitable. We were able to get our food cooked and call to report the problems with the power. This is a perfect example of what it is to love your neighbor as yourself, one of the central messages in Jesus' teaching. We are so thankful that God provides in times of uncertainty and distress. God continues to amaze us and go before us in planning to take care of His servants. Praise God!

Spreading The Gospel Using Their Technology

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:43:11 +0100

The Importance of Meeting The Unreached Peoples
of the World Where They Are

When doing ministry, it is imperative to meet people where they are. In Acts 17, Paul identified with the "Men of Athens" by using their alter to an unknown god at Mars Hill. He respected the religious nature of the Athens, using their beliefs to springboard into proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just like Paul, we are meeting unreached people where they are with the Gospel using their own technology. By using the cell phones of the nationals, we'll be using a communication medium that they are very familiar with. Over 700 million people in China are using cell phones today! That's 700 million screens in that country, many of which could be used to spread stories from the New Testament Gospels in video format.

It's been shown that unreached peoples are much more receptive to the Gospel when it's presented using native communication patterns. When the Gospel has been spread using a more native approach, the new Christians have been able to maintain that faith in the face of opposing influences. We have a responsibility to use the tools available to us to spread the Gospel in the most effective ways possible. We cannot miss this new opportunity to translate the Bible for the unreached peoples of the world.

The Birth of Josiah Adam Shreve

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 18:31:17 +0100

God has blessed us with the birth of our second son, Josiah Adam Shreve. He was born August 27, 2009.

Josiah is healthy and growing. He's strong and active, loving to play on his blanket. He enjoys falling asleep to classical music and watching his brother.

Ephram is enjoying his baby brother, and has even helped with feeding and caring for Josiah. We praise God for the blessing of children! Enjoy the pictures we've posted below of our new son!

Africa, There and Back Again

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:19:51 +0100

For the last three weeks since I've been home, I have started about a dozen different blogs and I have yet to finish one of them. I've told tons of people that I would write more about the trip, and I have sincerely tried. Initially, I just didn't physically have it in me to recap the experiences. I've now had some time to process things, so I figured I'll give it another shot. And, if this ends up a blank page, at least you'll know I tried.

Where to begin...our trip to West Africa was a long time coming. Adam and I had been planning and dreaming about going to this specific area for about five years. We almost bought plane tickets two years ago, when to our surprise we found out we were pregnant with Ephram. So when the opportunity finally presented itself, it seemed a bit surreal. Even after we had tickets, we would often find ourselves wondering, "Is this really going to happen?" With all the build up, and all the emotion and hard work spent during our four weeks in Africa, it has taken some time to sort through our feelings and really process and understand the experience (something that is far from complete).

Our time in West Africa was split between the capital city and staying in the villages (six, to be exact, spread out across the country). While in the capital city, we were able to spend time with various missionaries working in the area. This was a huge blessing, as it was a great opportunity to get to meet some of them for the first time, and be an encouragement to them. We were able to take them comfort items from America and bring a bit of home to them. I was able to sit around and talk with many of the wives and mothers and share a little bit of life with them. When I reflect over our time in West Africa, these were definitely some of my most enjoyable moments.

Staying out to "the bush" was hard, but so amazing. Seeing the beauty of God's creation and the people that he is drawing to himself, is awe-inspiring. Most of the people living in the villages were much more open to us and welcoming of us than in the capital city. We spent hours on end greeting people, interacting with the people, and laughing with them. We were able to share in literacy workshops, and had the chance to see men over fifty years of age (who had previously never had a written alphabet) study there own language and learn how to read. Adam and I both had random chances to bless some of the locals with clean food and water. It's amazing how much joy it brings to a little one's face to have a glass of water and a loaf of bread. Trust us, “the least of the these” is well worth the sacrifice.

The best experiences during our time in West Africa focused on sharing the Scriptures in one of the local languages. We brought over sixty copies of the New Testament and shared them with some of the local leaders (who had never see this latest draft). It's a priceless thing that honestly has no words strong enough to describe.

To this end I must say, I experienced the love and grace of my Savior in a way I never knew possible. My heart has been broken for His people.

And now, more than ever, I long to LOVE more deeply.

Christmastime was here

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 19:07:46 +0000

We had a wonderful Christmastime with Adam’s entire immediate family. I made gingerbread houses with Becky (Adam’s sister) and Brenda (Adam’s mom), as well as baked and cooked everyday. It was a great time with our family. This was Ephram’s first Christmas where he was really able to interact with his family. He had some fun times dancing on Granny Lou’s kitchen counters, playing cars with his cousin Aiden and eating lots of Christmas treats. We discovered that he doesn’t like mushrooms, just like his mommy. We feel really blessed to have had this time with our family.

Other big news of the day is that Ephram has started walking. He went from crawling everywhere one day to walking across the room the next. He is so proud of himself and loves his new found ability. Everyday, we are reminded how much God has blessed us and we are savoring every moment with our son. Enjoy pictures from Christmas below.