Merry Christmas to our Schmor/Gateway Teams supporters,

It's seems that at Christmas time, needs are more keenly felt. We appreciate your prayers and support for us throughout the year, but we'd ask if you would pray for these special partners of ours who have urgent needs at this time....

Please pray for (and consider helping financially) -

- Pastor Juan & church in Tlahuac, Mexico - serious difficulties in the church's new location

- Pastor Juan & Amanda in Texas - purse stolen containing money, passports, other valuables -please email us if you'd like to help them

- Godwill Ncham in Cameroon (Youth Ministry partner) - we're raising funds for he and his family to attend school in Nigeria in just a few months - please consider giving a gift to help ASAP - we're not at our goal for them yet

Thanks for your prayers, support and help.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Randy

Kameron and Bella, his newest buddy

Happy Thanksgiving! (belated to our Canadian friends... :-))

It's been a little while since we've updated our blog, but as the Christmas season begins, we just wanted to thank you all for your prayers and support this year; and...give you a little update on our lives this fall.

September was spent catching up on some much needed work around our office and home. Kameron began 4th grade, played on a soccer team, continued his piano lessons, and tried out and made the His Kids choir at school! Way to go! We also traveled together to visit one of our supporting churches in Marion, Kansas.

In October, Randy and Shelly really hit the road! We went to Atlanta, Georgia for the Fellowship of Short-Term Mission Leaders (FSTML) Conference, which Randy is on the steering committee for, and enjoyed being with 100+ others who are involved as leaders in short-term missions as we are. Daniel Rickett and Dr. Jin Kim were engaging speakers at this conference talking about partnership and diversity in Kingdom work. We also headed together to Edmonton, Alberta for a multi-church mission conference and a personal visit to a church that is a new supporter of our ministry. In Edmonton, we had also been invited to do one of our Gateway Teams Leader Training Events at Taylor University College & Seminary and had a great time staying in the area with some great friends to boot! Randy then headed straight from Edmonton to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for another mission conference at Sioux Falls Seminary and another supporting church visit to Avon, SD. The SFS mission conference was quite a busy 4 days in classes and other forums, but the relevant theme of "Sharing the Story/Orality" was quite engaging and worthwhile.

And so now, as we head into November, we'll all be heading to Iowa tomorrow for a gathering of Youth Pastors/Workers from around the US and Canada as well as our annual trek to Oklahoma next week to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.

As always, inter-mixed in all this travel (and over the phone and internet) are developing relationships with people who support and pray for us and what we do, join us in the ministry of short-term missions as 'goers' and 'receivers', and challenge and encourage us in our journeys with Jesus.

No matter where you fit in to that...thanks! Thanks for your part in the lives of the Schmors and our work. Enjoy the season!

Randy

Kameron (center) and friends back in 2003.

We received this message (below) yesterday from our Hosting Partners down in Campo Bom, Brazil at the CHAIN of Love Homes regarding one of the house parents there. Although we haven't been there personally for 4 years, we send on average 4-6 Gateway Teams to CoL Homes a year. One of the little boys mentioned, Pablo, is someone that Kameron has stayed in touch with over this time. Please be in prayer for these children and the whole CoL Homes ministry as this must be quite devastating





"This morning we received word that Tadeu, husband of Deni and father of Biological children (grown) Fabio and Deborah and Father to all the Chain of Love Children in house #5 has died. He suffered at least three heart attacks over the weekend and went to be with his heavenly father early this morning.

Please pray for the immediate and extended family of Tadeu & Deni and for all the Children in their home who will be effected by this unexpected loss. As I write this, the Chain of Love psychologist, Mariene is attending to the needs of the family and all the kids. Pray for strength and wisdom for her as well as for Ken & Jerilyn Bayer who are helping everyone through this and who will be handling the service tomorrow (Wednesday).

The children of house #5 are: Regis, Andressa, Carlos, Bruna, Pablo, Taciane, Alexandre Fonseca, Thiarles, Luciano, and Ana Carolina."

Rev. Christopher Kidd
Chain of Love Homes, Brazil





Thanks for your continued prayers,





The Schmors

Gateway Team Leader Randy Schmor checking the paint's consistency (or something!)
Mexico missionary Marcel Mitchell explaining some of the history behind the Basilica of the Virgen of Guadalupe
Overlooking the Mexico City skyline from a high spot on the Basilica of Guadalupe grounds.

Andrew Hildebrandt sharing his testimony at the morning service at Iglesia Cristo Vive with Mexico missionary Moises Ruiz translating.

(Sorry that the blog for the Mission Baptist - Hamilton, ON Gateway Team to Mexico was not completed until today.....thanks for your patience!)

August 23, 2007

Our painting projects continue! The team has accomplished a lot here this week. We’ve pretty much finished painting the interior of an entire building in 5 days. But, the most important thing is that this building and the Retreat Center are used for Kingdom work here in Mexico City! Allison Cannon, one of our Assistant Team Leaders, has had a hand in choosing colors as well and it looks great and our hosts are quite pleased!

The rest of the group had the opportunity to go to the market with Royce Baron, our host, as well and see all the fruits, vegetables AND assortment of meats available there. What’s most interesting about the meats is the way their displayed and the parts of the animals that are sold that are not usually seen in Canada…..! All part of the experience.

Half of the group also had the chance to go the internet café for the first time and catch up on email, etc. which was a fun experience as well. Especially for Laura Hildebrandt, who had a little run-in with a mud puddle that formed after the heavy rains we had yesterday thanks to Hurricane Dean! (Man did it pour!)

Team Meeting was a great time again in the evening as we worshipped and shared from the scripture passage we’ve been studying together this week Ephesians 4. We left the floor open and a number of the Team Members shared what the passage had to say about unity and our responsibility now after having had this experience to help others back home understand their role in the body. All of our Team Meetings have been rich times together. Please pray that the team would finish well as our last day of painting approaches and we have quite a bit to finish to fulfill our commitment here.


August 24, 2007

We’re just about to head for bed and the end of a long day…..and the painting project is just about complete….actually a couple members of the group are going to wake up early to put on one more coat of yellow in one of the 4 rooms designed for married couples to stay in. It was quite ambitious to take on the 4 married couple rooms in the adjoining building to where we did most of our painting but as has been the case all week, the team worked hard all day and all but completed our week’s project! Everything looks great and our hosts, the Barons and Moises Ruiz, who arrived yesterday, are very pleased with the results. Thanks for your prayers for us as everyone stayed safe and for the most part healthy all week!

The other half of the group had an adventure going to the internet café when the one we had been going to ended up being closed. So, we headed another 15-20 minutes further to the center of the town of Tepexpan where we finally found another one! We then headed back with an excursion through a cornfield as a shortcut and a few stray dogs that made the guys nervous. But in the end, we made it back fine just in time for a supper of chicken soup and tostadas!

Olga has been an incredible cook for us here this week. Although she speaks no English, the love that she puts into the meals she serves and into here smile each day showed everyone how much she loves the Lord and us! And to their credit, this team did very well as she served a variety of Mexican meals each day; we’ve had tamales, taquitos, lomo de Puerco, milanesa and bisteck Mexicana, just to name a few of her dishes…amazing!

We had a good team meeting tonight as well where Lukas Hildebrandt and Mike Powell led us in worship and we talked about finishing this mission project well by ‘Saying Goodbye’ appropriately and meaningfully. The next couple of days will be days of goodbyes for this Gateway Team and they were reminded that our presence among these people has been as important, if not more important than the work project (painting) we came here to do. In many cases, this will be the last time that many of these meetings between these Canadian Team Members and these Mexican believers will take place until eternity. So, these goodbyes are meaningful and important this weekend.

Please pray that this weekend will be one filled with meaning for everyone involved in this mission project; Gateway Team Members and Host Missionaries and nationals alike. Also please pray for our safety as we head to ‘El Centro’ tomorrow and experience the national capital area of Mexico City and a great souvenir market!

August 25, 2007

No rest for the weary as we started our excursion with the surprise of seeing the Mitchell family at our door, ready to join us! (Not only that, but 5 of our Team Members got up at 6:00am in order to put one more coat of paint on one of the rooms that was in need of it; they finished before the rest of us even woke up! Way to go guys!) The Mitchells (Marcell, Ingrid and, count 'em, 5 GIRLS!) have been here in Mexico since late June and are a new part of the missionary team here. They just returned from a few days vacation the evening before so we weren't sure we'd be seeing them today!

We decided to go first off to the Basilica of Guadalupe where Marcel explained this to be the center of Mexican Catholicism. It is on the site where it is said that 500 some years ago, the boy, Juan Diego, saw a vision of Mary with dark skin, hence the name for her, the Virgen of Guadalupe. The cloth of this vision's imprint is displayed here as well as 2 large basilicas and other smaller chapels. There is also a large courtyard where pilgrims come year-round to honor the Virgen but where they come in particular on December 12 for the annual pilgrimage to this revered site.

We then headed to the area known as "El Centro" where we shopped a famous artisian market called "Ciudadela" for souveniers and made our way down the 'Avenida Juarez' to Sanborn's restaurant and on to 'Zocalo' (see August 7 entry for more details on these sites). The team really had to move quickly to get to all of these sites (including Starbucks and "Marti", a soccer jersey store) because we had yet another appointment for the evening back at Cristo Vive church where the youth group was awaiting our arrival for a pizza party! But we made it to the church and had a great evening together. We played games for quite a long time, had our pizza, sang some worship songs in both languages, and listened to 3 of our team members share their testimonies with the entire group. It was a good evening together and gave the team another chance to know more and interact with more people from the church.

A very full day of activity; thanks for your prayers as we were kept safe all day and our driver joined us for everything we did today!

August 26, 2007

Our last full day here in Mexico.....and maybe the busiest yet! The team thought that painting was hard work!

We started the day again at pretty much the same time (7:30am) as all of our work days (no sleeping-in here!) and went to church for what would turn out to be around a 3 hour service! Of course, our team contributed to the length of the service with a song and 3 testimonies. Everyone did a great job sharing their testimonies whether in the youth meeting Saturday night or in church Sunday morning and a number of people from the church shared about the impact that they had.

The team was also invited to the front in the service for a round of applause and thanks on behalf of the church for all the hard work that they did painting at the Retreat Center and building relationships with Cristo Vive church. The efforts of the team were definitely appreciated.

After church, the team had the chance to go to Vip's restaurant and have lunch with the entire Ruiz family. Moises had come back to Mexico from Canada on Thursday, but Carolyn and their 3 boys just arrived in time for lunch and so we had a good time and good food together. Vip's is kind of like a Mexican version of Denny's, and we all agreed that this was some of the best 'restaurant' food we had had here (it would be impossible to beat Olga's cooking back at the Retreat Center!).

After some extended good-byes in the parking lot, we finally headed back to the Retreat Center and to our surprise, people everywhere! It seems that a large portion of the church was there for an outting; playing group games, playing soccer and enjoying food. The team joined in to the soccer game right away and had a great time as Mexico defeated Canada! The best part was seeing people using the very rooms that we had painted and enjoying themselves thoroughly.

As it was now evening, it was time for our major De-Brief of the mission with our team which would take some time. We made it through that time and enjoyed recalling all of our experiences of the week, what we enjoyed and learned being in Mexican culture as well as what we enjoyed and learned from working together as a team. After a short supper of mac and cheese, we assigned different parts of the team different areas of the house (where we stayed for the week) to clean. Everyone pitched in, did a great job and we spent the rest of the evening packing for our trip the next day.

Thanks for your prayers for endurance as finishing well is just as important as any part of the mission experience itself. Please pray for the team's (and Randy's, as he is on a seperate flight) flights tomorrow and that they all make it home safely! Thanks!

August 27, 2007

Because the team's (and Randy's) flights were not scheduled until the afternoon, our morning did not have to start too early. It was around 9:00am when our driver came to the door with a friend in another truck ready to haul all of our luggage. And everything went fairly smooth.....Randy's flight was a half hour after the team's, so we checked in at the same time and headed into security at the same time and said our good-byes at the gate (after they switched gates to the totally opposite end of the airport! - so I guess not totally smooth....).

Whether you have been a part of the prayer team for this Mexico Gateway Team from Mission Baptist - Hamilton, ON or are a regular prayer supporter (and reader) of the Schmor/Gateway Teams' blog, thank you for your prayers over this past month of August!

We appreciate you all! Blessings!

Members of our Mexico Gateway Team (Mission Baptist - Hamilton, ON) in action, painting at the Acolman Retreat Center.

August 20, 2007

Well, the full work week begins! There is a lot of painting to be done here at the Acolman Retreat Center here in the northern reaches of Mexico City, so it looks like that will be our main project here this week. Almost all of the painting is over plastered concrete, so it takes quite a bit of paint to cover it well.

Everyone chipped right in and by the end of the day, the Barons and Randy were quite amazed at the progress made by this group of mostly teenagers. There seems to be some good work ethic implanted in these kids! Way to go mum and dad! We’re painting boys’ dorm rooms and bathrooms to begin with; 3 of them in all and also a stairway which requires some scaffolding and ladders.

Our evening team meeting was a great time again of worship and a challenge from Mission Baptist Youth Pastor Mike Powell on Ezra and Nehemiah on confession. We ended the meeting with a meaningful time of confessing sins, struggles, etc. before the group for the purpose of uplifting and encouraging each other in their journeys with Jesus.

Please pray that God would continue to mold each person here to become more Christ-like in all that they are.

We also had to say good-bye today to 2 members of the team, Shelly and Kameron Schmor, who headed home to begin Kameron’s preparations for school this fall. Although both of their flights were delayed, and had to drive 2 hours to Milwaukee from Chicago, they made it home by 2am (Tuesday). Thanks for your prayers for their safe-keeping.


August 21, 2007

Another full day of painting! Sometimes it can be difficult for a Gateway Team that works with their hands like this to see beyond the paint being applied to a wall to the purpose behind that paint; that being the purpose of this Retreat Center (or ‘Acampamento’) as it is called here. This Retreat Center not only provides great facilities for a Gateway Team like this to be accommodated, but also provides a location away from home for campers each summer. Every July, there is an Adolescents Camp (ages 13-17) and a Kids Camp (ages 8-12) here at Acolman where many young lives have discovered their newfound journey with Jesus Christ. Gateway Teams have had a hand in these camps for a number of years as well assisting the staff in a number of ways.

So, the Gateway Team that’s here this week to work on the physical facility of the Retreat Center needs to be reminded that what they are doing here (painting, etc.) has an impact on lives, even though they’re not here to see that impact. Please pray that the team would see this and that the Holy Spirit would encourage and remind them of their overall purpose here.

Even so, the team continues to work hard and make a lot of progress. Everyone is quite tired by the end of day! We also had another great team meeting this evening as we shared in some favorite fun songs but also in some favorite songs of worship. Allison Cannon, one of our female leaders shared a very meaningful challenge and exercise on the misuse of the tongue (James 3). Thank you for your continued prayers Prayer Partners!


August 22, 2007

We shaked up the schedule somewhat today because we planned to head to church (Cristo Vive) in the evening for their weekly prayer meeting. So, we decided to eat on a more ‘Mexican’ eating schedule working straight through until 3 in the afternoon when we would have our big meal of the day (‘Comida’) and then leaving for the prayer service around 5:30pm and returning to the Retreat Center for supper (‘Cena’) around 9:30/10:00pm which was a light snack before bed. It worked out great as the team worked themselves out of all the paint we had! By the end of the day, all of the boy’s dorms had been finished and most of the stairwell as well; and the dining hall/chapel (which includes the painting of a very rough concrete ceiling) had a large portion completed too. Our host missionary, Royce Baron, has been busy with trips to the paint store just to keep us supplied! In between brush strokes, the team members have been able to take turns with Royce to an authentic Mexican market where all manner of interesting sites have been seen!

And, as planned, we headed for the Prayer Service in the evening which was a rich time with the people of Iglesia Cristo Vive (Christ Lives Church). We shared in the prayer time together, heard and prayed for a number of heartfelt requests from those in attendance and also shared some requests for prayer ourselves. Many on the team have mentioned how impressed they are with the openness and willingness of these Mexican believers to share with each other and us!

This is a good example of how a mission team can feel that they are coming to provide something for the these people (in our case, painting here at the Retreat Center), but are surprised to find that they receive from the people at least as much if not more than they are giving. There is so much that we as North Americans can learn from the believers here in Mexico about prayer and many other things. Mexicans are naturally hospitable, but when this is coupled with the love of Christ that is present among brothers and sisters in the Lord, it is an incredible blessing; and our team is definitely been the recipients of that blessing!

Pray that God continues to reveal Himself through the lives of the Mexican believers here who are not going out of their way to show love to our team members, but just do this naturally as a part of who they are. Also, would you please pray for our van driver? He has become a very special person to the team and has also been impacted by the testimony of the other 3 Gateway Teams that have been here at the church and Retreat Center this summer. Please pray that God would continue to work in his live and in the life of his family.

The Retreat Center at Acolman, Mexico. This is just part of it, but the part we´re working on.
In the rain at the Pyramids of Teotihuacan.

A good portion of the Mexico Gateway Team in the new dorm area where we´re working.














August 17, 2007

Our day started very early as we took the Lunas to the airport and were dropped off at our new home for the next week or so in Acolman. The Mission Baptist (Hamilton, ON) Mexico Gateway Team arrived in the afternoon and so we went back to the airport to meet them, changed some dollars to pesos and headed back to Acolman and the Retreat Center where they will work for the next week or so. On the way, a Mexican treat for lunch; McDonalds!

Everyone settled in, had a great ‘real’ Mexican dinner (not McDonald’s) which was made by Olga, an incredible cook and also sister to missionary Moises Ruiz who we’ll meet later in the week. The team also got acquainted with the Barons, Royce and Sue, who are our main hosts here this week at the Acolman Retreat Center. Our first team meeting followed in the evening and everyone was quite ready for bed after a long day that began at 2:00am for the team and 4:00am for the Schmors!

Please pray that everyone would get acclimated well and quick as we begin this new mission!


August 18, 2007

It’s Saturday, but that didn’t matter one bit as the team charged right into our work projects for the week; primarily priming and painting the newly constructed dormitory and other facilities here. Everyone in the group was quite enthusiastic about getting to work and despite the fact that this team is comprised primarily of teenagers, these guys all worked hard and we knocked off a little bit early to play some soccer.

Olga continues to amaze with her creations from the kitchen and everyone is enjoying the authentic Mexican food we have at each meal. The team also found a little time to explore our neighborhood and the ‘tienda’ (store) just across the street. A few tried to harvest some of the cactus fruit here (called ‘tuna’) but ended up with more tiny prickers in their hands and fingers than I think they bargained for!

Church and a trip to the nearby pyramids (Teotihuacan) are up for tomorrow. Please pray as the team shares songs and testimonies at church but also seeks to connect with people. The Retreat Center we are working on is an extension of the ministry of ‘Cristo Vive’ church in Jardines de Morelos where camps, retreats, etc. take place and many young people (and adults) have discovered a new walk with Christ. Attending church with these same people is as important a part of our ministry here as anything we do here at the Retreat Center.


August 19, 2007

We left at 9:00am for church and participated first in a prayer time that preceded the service. The team found much openness in the lives of people as they shared their concerns and prayer requests freely with those present. As the service began, we all participated in the Spanish worship, singing the words as they appeared on the screen with varying degrees of comprehension as to what was being sung! After 45 minutes or so of praise and worship, Pastor Mike Powell shared his testimony as Sue Baron translated. Then, the whole team took to the stage as we sang “My Redeemer Lives” to the congregation, even singing the chorus in Spanish! (‘Mi Redentor Vive’). Then, our Kameron shared his testimony with the congregation; he did such a great job, again his mom and dad quite proud! Allison Cannon then did a great job of in sharing her testimony with the church and the team ended their part of the service by singing in Spanish and English, “Open the Eyes of My Heart”/”Abre Mis Ojos Senor”.

The team really enjoyed the worship experience as Pepe (the youth leader) preached in Spanish and met and talked after the service. It was a blessed time to be together with these brothers and sisters.

Once we had a sandwich lunch back at the Retreat Center, we headed to the Teotihuacan pyramids, but noticed quite dark clouds as we were leaving. It’s rainy season in Mexico from June to October and you can almost set your watch by the afternoon rainstorm that arrives each day. But, the rain didn’t deter as we headed to this world renowned archaeological site. The team did and saw pretty much everything there is to see and do at Teotihuacan; seeing the Temple of the Serpent, climbing the Sun pyramid and exploring the Temple of the Butterfly; all in the rain! The park was quite full when we arrived but emptied out quite quickly as the rain fell. The team marveled as they saw this place that was constructed over 2000 years ago and once inhabited by over 200,000 people until 500 A.D.!

Our team meeting in the evening was one of great sharing of the day’s experiences and worship. Everyone agreed that it was a full, yet very meaningful day! Please pray that the team members would be able to soak it all in; appreciating all the aspects of culture here in Mexico as a part of their total experience on this mission. Also pray for each of them as they consider the challenges they are hearing from us (the Schmors) and the Barons about how they want to consider serving God full-time and how they should use this experience to reconsider how to live back home too. God is definitely at work here and the week has just begun!

August 13-16, 2007

Shelly, Kameron and I enjoyed a few days off between the 2 Gateway Teams this week. We spent some time with the Lunas at their home in Colonia Santa Ursula Coapa (southern Mexico City) and enjoyed an evening in the home of Hugo and Mari Yllescas (from the church in Tlahuac). We also went to San Miguel de Allende, about 4 hours north of Mexico City, for 2 nights. San Miguel is an incredible, authentic Mexican city where many artisans live and exhibit their work; an awesome place to visit and experience! The next team arrives tomorrow from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada to do work projects with our missionary partners in northern Mexico City (Acolman).

Kameron sharing his testimony for the first time and being translated into Spanish by Pastor Juan Luna of Texas.
Isak, Pastor Juan Castro of Tlahuac, Mexico and Pastor Juan Luna of Rio Grande City, Texas on the site of Centro Internacional de Alabanza´s new location.





















At the Pyramids of ´Teotihuacan´.






August 10, 2007

A day of finishing well! It was our last day of Good News Club and we had a great day with the kids. About 5 children responded to giving their lives to Jesus Christ today after Amanda Luna (wife of Pastor Juan Luna, our translators) gave an invitation at the end of the Bible story. Praise God! And then we had some gifts for the children as well to take home and remember their experience this week.

There was some time to ourselves in the afternoon (most went on the Wal-Mart run!) and the ladies treated Anamaria to a trip to the beauty salon. In the evening, Pastor Juan Castro, Hugo Yllescas (lay co-pastor) and Isaac Collin (another lay leader) met with Randy, Mike DeLong and Pastor Juan Luna for a time to discuss issues of church leadership and share struggles the church is having after their 4 years of existence. It was a great time and well received by the 3 leaders of Centro Internacional de Alabanza. We then attended and participated in the Friday night church service with songs, testimonies and a message from Mike DeLong on “Passing the Baton” to the next generation.


August 11, 2007

Today was a cultural day for the team as we went to the pyramids of Teotihuacan just north of the reaches of the city. But, because Tlahuac is in the southeast part of the city, it took 2 to 2 ½ hours to get there! These pyramids and the city below them were built over 2000 years ago by the Teotihuacani people and around 500 AD had around 200,000 people living there. By the time of the Aztecs (like Moctezuma) it was revered as a ‘city of the gods’. It is a full day’s adventure to go to this site with a lot of walking and climbing of steps! And as is the case every day here in this area during rainy season, the rain poured down right on schedule around 4pm and we got soaked just as we were finishing up our time at this historical site.

It was a very full day and we were treated to have around 20 persons from the church join us on the bus we chartered to travel there. The connections we continued to enjoy with folks from the church made the experience and the day even more enjoyable. But, as we headed back home, you could have heard a pin drop on the bus as everyone fell asleep for a good portion of the trip! We were then treated to another great meal at Claudia’s (a lady from the church who owns a walk-up quesadilla stand) and ate to our heart’s content. What an awesome lady, servant and cook! Incredible!

By the time we got back, everyone was ready for bed as we knew Sunday would be a full day as well and our last day here at that.


August 12, 2007

Sunday began with what was to be a very important discussion that Pastor Castor arranged to have at 9am before the Sunday service at 11am. He asked in the beginning of the week, after we had had meetings with a number of the church leaders, if we could have a time with all the leaders of the church to discuss what it means to be a servant leader, how we are to handle conflict in the church and various other issues that these folks would want to discuss. Mike DeLong began the 2 hour session with a six point discussion on what it means to lead as a servant which was very well received and sparked much discussion. Everyone one on the team was encouraged by this meeting and the church leaders that attended (about 25) were very encouraged as well; including Pastor Castro.

This time was obviously a great cap to our time here and it was obvious that prayer had preceded it. Thank you so much for praying for this church; please continue to do so!

Our last church service here was a great experience as well, as we were invited by the worship team to join them in singing “Forever” (Chris Tomlin) in Spanish and English. It was also a very important day in the life of the Schmors! Shelly shared her testimony and touched many hearts with her honesty and our 9-year old son Kameron shared his testimony for the first time as well! We (the Schmors) were so proud of him. Randy also preached on ‘Joshua’ and how his name points to Jesus, the only ‘hero’.
After a time of food and sharing when church was over, our team and a number of folks from the church headed over to the church’s new site a few blocks away. They will be moving there next month. We walked through all the rooms and open areas and held hands in a large circle praying for the church’s ministry in this new location. The new site is very close to a busy interaction and we prayed that this whole new area would have a great impact for the Kingdom. Mexico City has so many needs and has so many un-reached areas; please continue to pray for the impact of Pastor Juan Castro and this church in this part (Tlahuac) of this city of 30 million people.

The evening was set aside for our de-briefing time as the team prepared to re-enter the United States. We discussed our important it is to say good-bye appropriately, how to share our stories with folks back home effectively and probably most importantly, how to integrate this experience into our life’s journey in a meaningful way. The evening concluded with packing, cleaning and generally getting ready for the trip home tomorrow afternoon.

Please pray for safe travel for the 10 members of the team heading home tomorrow and for the 3 Schmors as they head home over the next 2 weeks.


August 13, 2007

Well, departure day is here! And many of new friends came by the church to see the team off as they headed for the airport. It’s amazing how close you can become with people that you just met a few days ago by sharing experiences and more importantly, by sharing the same Holy Spirit. God worked through the team in incredible ways these past days and it will be great to see how this church continues to grow into the future in their new location. It’s also gratifying to know that our team may have something to do with the church’s growth down the road as we shared our lives together.

There was a sense of trust this past week as this was the third time Gateway Teams had come here and Randy had been the leader. Many seeds were planted and ideas sown as this church seeks to follow God’s will for the future. Yes, it was a short week and the time here passed quickly but there was a sense that God was really up to something special during this time. Many in the church sensed it as well as the members of our team.

Thanks so much for being a part of the support of this Mexico Gateway Team’s ministry over these past days of August. Without your prayers, the way could not have paved for the Holy Spirit to be at work. Thank you prayer partners! God bless you for your special role in this project. May His Kingdom come and will be done! Blessings.

PS – the team (10 members) all arrived home safely late Monday night; and the 3 Schmors began to take a few days of rest before leading their next Mexico Gateway Team who are arriving from Canada on August 17…..

sorry, the pics are here! thanks!

August 7, 2007

Another great day here in Tlahuac! It was a day of Mexican culture and understanding as well as a day that included another great evening of our ESL classes. We started the day quite early as we boarded a public bus to head to the nearest Metro (subway) station and make our way to El Centro or ‘Zocalo’; the center/downtown of Mexico City. The traffic while we were on the bus was quite heavy and it took almost an hour just to get to ‘Taxqueña, the closest of the Metro stations. Once we were there, it takes only 20 minutes to get all the way to the center of the city. We stopped first at ‘Ciudadela’, a large market where the team could get some authentic souvenirs of their time here. After 2 hours there, we headed on foot to Avenida Juarez which is a main business district of Mexico City. The team observed a number of landmarks including ‘Palacio de Belles Artes’, a large and beautiful art museum. Close to this museum was our stop for lunch at Sanborns where the team enjoyed a great lunch of authentic Mexican food. We then headed further on foot to ‘Zocalo’, the main center of the Capital where we found the National Cathedral and the Presidential Palace. The National Cathedral is an incredible structure, 350 years old, the oldest building in the Americas. And the National Palace has displays of the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera including a 3-wall mural depicting 2000+ years of Mexican history. By the time we got back to the church via Metro and bus again, we had 15 minutes to spare before the ESL classes began. A very full day indeed!

The classes themselves went very well and were much appreciated. The Delongs did a great job with the advanced group and Kathy and Beth also did a great job with the Beginners. Everyone was smiling, laughing and enjoying their time together. These classes continued to build on the foundation of relationship that is so important for us to formulate with these people before we attempt to discuss some of the aspects of ministry leadership in the congregation that we were asked to come here and help with.

Thanks for your prayers! The Lord kept us safe in all our comings and going today; which were many!

August 8, 2007

Today was the first of our 3 children’s ministry days with the focal point being a “Good News Club”. Around 35 children came for this first day of Club Buenas Nuevas and many of their mothers stayed to watch and participate. When club was over, we had the first of 3 luncheons for the children’s workers of the church. All of the children’s ministry in this church, for ages birth through 14 is led by these 4 ladies who came to the luncheon. We discovered what incredible hearts they have for these kids but they have very little resources or funds to work with. They also find it very difficult to work with the 12-14 year old boys in particular, being ladies and all, but they have such a heart for this and sacrifice much to serve. The other difficulty many of them face, which is common here, is lack of support from their husbands for their service in the church. In the best scenarios, their husbands at least attend church on Sunday, but in many cases, husbands are absent from the role of spiritual leadership in their homes, let alone supporting these faithful ladies in their service to the children of the congregation.
This was a good time of sharing, praying and gathering together, letting these ladies know that they are not alone and that we care about them and their needs.

Wednesday night is also a prayer service night in the church and we were privileged to have Kathy share her testimony with the congregation and have Pastor Juan Luna from Texas, one of our translators and a long-time friend of Gateway Teams, bring a bilingual message on what it means to invite the presence of Christ into our homes.

The team also shared during our team meeting time their impressions of yesterday when we were at the National Cathedral and all that we’re experiencing in trying to understand and appreciate the Mexican culture. There is much to understand about the people we’re trying to serve here. Please pray that we would continue to understand our brothers and sisters here and their needs better and better.

Oh, 2 more things! We can’t forget to tell of the major storm that hit right during church tonight! It brought major amounts of rain and hail which covered and flooded the streets, broke through the tarp covering the church meeting area and forced us to scurry for cover! It was hard for everyone to believe how much hail came down! But after we repositioned ourselves and the sound equipment, the service went on! We also had an incredible meal at Claudia’s after church of tacos, quesadillas and tortas; but nothing like you’ve ever seen in the US! Claudia is a lady in the church who owns this walk-up taco stand and in the Mexican tradition, the team was enjoying this meal around 10:30-11:00pm! “What a feast!” and “Pass the ‘Alka-Selzer’!” were the 2 main comments as we headed for bed afterwards!


August 9, 2007

Another day of Good News Club and for many on our team, the focal point of our time here; meetings in the evening with the leadership of the men’s, women’s and youth ministries. In the case of the men’s ministry, there isn’t any in the church, so imagine our surprise and enthusiasm when 15 men showed up because of their interest in beginning such a ministry in this church! Scott, Mark, Mike and Juan Luna led this time of discussion, presentation and prayer as these men gathered and were challenged on what it means to take spiritual leadership in the home and in the church. They were also encouraged that the young men of the church need them as mentors if the church is going to continue to grow. Young men typically lose interest in the church and fall away, but if this group of men are any indication, God is about to do a great work here and it’s with great joy that we are here to encourage them to move forward. Praise God for this time and how he used the men of our group! Keep praying for these men in this congregation as well in these roles of spiritual leadership.

The women’s ministry time was led by Shelly, Sue, Kathy, Beth and Amanda Luna (translating) and the ladies that came were encouraged to try to find time to meet and especially study together and to just have fun together! The team brought along a Spanish version of Beth Moore’s ‘Daniel’ study and the ladies enjoyed watching this video and discussing the topic. They also enjoyed getting their nails done by the ladies of the team as they met and discussed! Great idea!

Isak la payaso! Isak the clown!

A beautiful little girl at Centro Internacional de Alabanzas park ministry.

August 4, 2007

Greetings from Mexico City! “The Small Group” Mexico Gateway Team from Brookfield, WI that Shelly and Randy are leading to Tlahuac, Mexico arrived Friday night to the home/church of our hosts, Pastor Juan and Anamaria Castro and immediately were a part of the weekly Friday night church service of Centro Internacional de Alabanza. The team is here at the request of the church to help with issues of discipleship and leadership and definitely got their feet wet in the Friday evening service and then with an afternoon outreach on the streets of the ‘Colonia’ for children and for adults in the evening. Randy preached and Mike DeLong and Scott Mathison shared their testimonies at the service on Friday night. The team also helped in a number of ways at the Saturday afternoon outreach as well; leading songs for the children and helping with the set-up and tear-down.

This church is such an example of loving, caring and growth. Their plans include a number of church planting efforts in this part of the city and many members of the congregation have plans to help with these church plants. Pastor Juan and Anamaria view these church plants as mission projects that will multiply what this church is already doing. The Castros themselves are missionaries here in Mexico, sent from their respective churches in Chile and Brazil and the fervor that they have brought here for church planting has definitely been contagious.

The team we have here consists of 9 adults and 4 of our children and we’re looking forward to what God already has done and will do this week. If our first day is any indication by the number of people that came to the Saturday outreach and responded, we are in for many blessings this week.


August 5, 2007

The weekend is an incredibly busy time here at Centro Internacional de Alabanza. The Sunday service is definitely the focal point of the week here and we were privileged to be to play a major role in the service this week. Our team shared 3 songs of worship as a group before Beth Mathison and Mark Kelm shared their testimonies of following Christ. Beth and Mark had 2 young people from the church as interpreters who had the opportunity to translate in public for the first time. It was a little shaky at times but fortunately they were given some help from some other bilingual people close-by and it was a good experience for them.

Mike DeLong was asked to preach in this service and he was interpreted by a long-time friend of Gateway Teams, Pastor Juan Luna of Rio Grande City, Texas. Juan and his wife Amanda are here in Mexico City (originally their home) to help our team with translation in many of the events we’re looking to do here this week. Mike had a great message encouraging the church in all the great things they’re already doing and challenging them to keep their eyes on Jesus as they look to move to a larger facility next month. Mike also challenged the men to be the spiritual leaders of their homes; something that is not always so easy in this culture. Juan Luna is a great interpreter and preacher in his own rite, so it was a great message and it was awesome to see Juan using his interpretive skills.

The rest of the day included an invitation to a church family’s home for a birthday party and a trip to Coyoacan; the “artsy” area of Mexico City. It was a very full day and the entire team shared how they are so impressed with the dedication, passion and servant hearts shown through members of this church. One example of that service is Monica. Monica is cooking meals for us this week but in order to do this, she had to take a week’s vacation from her job which she willing did to serve us in this way! She is just one incredible example of the servant hearts of the people at this church. It is such a blessing to be here.

August 6, 2007

Finally the pace slows down! But, just a little! Today is a day where our plans include our first of 2 ESL (English as a Second Language) classes in the evening, but we knew that much of the morning and afternoon would be given to preparing for these classes and also preparing for the “Good News Club” for children we’ll be offering on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week. The team pulled together and did a great job preparing for these ministry times which enabled us to have some time to explore a near-by market.

That evening, the ESL classes (we offered Beginner and Advanced) came together beautifully as we had a good turnout of people. But really, what everyone realizes is happening between us as a team and the people of this church is relationship. So many of the team members have shared how incredible it is to develop such a bond with these brothers and sisters in Christ in such a short time. The only explanation is our common bond of the Holy Spirit and the oneness that can be felt in the body of Christ.

I’ll also share with you that we have definitely experienced some of the spiritual attacks that we talked about before we came here. Mexico City (and Mexico in general) has been under the influence of much occultic activity for many, many years. And anyone that has ever sought to further the cause of Christ here, including us, has experience opposition. Please pray for us as we seek, with God’s help, to overcome. God has definitely been here at work through us, but we have also experienced efforts to halt that work.

Would you please lift our team and this church up to Jesus right now as you read this? God bless and thank you.

Hey folks,

Thank you for the prayers regarding yesterday's prayer request and the young boy who died at Good Spirit Bible Camp in Saskatchewan.

I just wanted to let you know that there will be a number of blog entries ahead as we head to Mexico City on Friday to lead 2 Gateway Teams.

Thanks for your continued prayers for us. Blessings!

We just received word that a young boy drowned at Good Spirit Bible Camp in Saskatchewan, Canada. Good Spirit has been one of Gateway Teams' hosting partners ministries for the past 4 years, although we weren't able to recruit a Gateway Team for them this year. The young boy would have been there during one of the 2 Native Camps that our teams have assisted with the last 3 years.

Please pray for his family, the camp, and that God will somehow use this very tragic event in His Kingdom plans.

Thank you for praying.

Randy

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Our last full day in Bulgaria! Thank you for praying for us along the way and for your interest in our “investigative ministry” here in this beautiful country. Yes, our purpose was to come and see how we may partner with these churches in the future here, but God has definitely taken advantage of our time here and given us many opportunities to minister to people and be a blessing! But as is often the case, when you go with a servant heart to minister, you are blessed immeasurably in return; and that has definitely been the case here these past 10 days.

Today is a day of travel once again as we make our way back to Sofia for our flights tomorrow morning. We traveled with Pastor Stoicho, his wife Yura and 2 new friends, Nicky and Ana. On the way, we had to travel through the mountains once again and stopped at the ancient fortress (and city) of Belogradchik. (pictures below)







What an incredible fortress that has seen the occupation of the Roman Empire (2nd century), Bulgarians (8th century and present) and the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire (13th – 19th centuries). It is high on a rocky precipice with many interesting rock formations. I couldn’t help to think of the ‘Battle of Helm’s Deep’ from “The Lord of the Rings” movies when walking through this fortress; it was just like the set of the movie! This was definitely a must-see site here in Bulgaria.

Well we were headed for Sofia as I said and the service at the Baptist Church, but our goal was to be there by 6:00pm for the Wednesday night service where I was to preach. We arrived instead at 6:30pm but it was right on time for me to almost just walk straight in and start preaching! It all worked out and we had a chance to say good-byes to the people at the Sofia church and eventually Pastor Stoicho, Yura, Nicky and Ana as they dropped us off at our hotel.

Our group (Sam and Bonnie Nickel – Edmonton, AB; Jim and Daniel Black – Chicago, IL and myself) had a great dinner in the hotel restaurant and shared our impressions and ended by thanking God in a time of prayer for all that He did these past 10 days.

As we were here to discover partnership opportunities for Gateway Teams and NAB, I think we’d all have to say that the answer is definitely yes! But we’re going to let God take the lead as to when and how it pans out. We definitely have some ideas: youth ministry discipleship and leadership training (as I described earlier); pastoral and leadership training and women’s ministry are just the beginning of ways that we discovered to participate in the life of the churches here.

All in all, we had an incredible time here in Bulgaria as we experienced the historical and present-day aspects of ministry and life here. It’s quite obvious to us that God has a plan for future partnership as well!

Thank you all for your prayers for our safety, health and discernment here in Bulgaria! May God bless you for your commitment to prayer for us and may we someday see some of you here on a Bulgaria Gateway Team or in another capacity! Blessings!

Randy

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

A full day in Lom! We spent some time seeing the Baptist Church in Lom and talking and praying with Pastor Stoicho Apostolov and his family. As I said yesterday, there is an incredible amount of history surrounding this church and the NAB Conference and we were able to compare old pictures of the church with what we were seeing before our eyes today!



Lom Baptist Church in 1930 (during a visit from NAB Missions Director William Kuhn)



Lom Baptist Church in 2007 (during our visit!)

We then went to another part of town where there is a Gypsy Baptist Church that also dates it’s beginning back to this time. It is actually the first know Gypsy church in the world! (below)

We had a great time talking and praying with the current pastor of this church and he asked us to pray for many needs in his family and congregation; a very rich time. Since Lom is on the Danube River, we decided to have lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the water and continued to have an enjoyable time with Pastor Stoicho and his family. After this, we had an appointment to visit with an elderly woman who was a little girl back in the 1930’s when 2 female NAB missionaries spent some years here in Lom working with children, youth and women of the church. She reminisced back to her childhood telling us of the kindness of “Lydia and Emma” and how they spoke Bulgarian with a strong German accent! ‘Darinka’ gave us a glimpse into the past and she told us that we were such a blessing to her knowing that we came from the same group of people as these 2 beloved ladies in her early life. (‘Baba’ (Grandma) Darinka below)

After a short late afternoon rest, we went to the Lom Baptist Church where a group of people from the church were gathered and eager to meet us because of our history with the beginnings of their fellowship. We had a great time sharing our own stories with them and receiving thanks and appreciation for our visit. We also had an extended prayer time into the evening (over 2 hours!) where many of these people asked that we would pray for their needs and those of their families. It was really a special time for everyone to know that we were reuniting after 70 years of separation. A very full day in all respects! Blessings!

Randy

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Hello! We had a full and rich day here in Sofia; including 3 services (one of the a baptism service) and I stayed for a youth/young adult meeting in the evening as well. 5 people were baptized in the 2nd service which included an elderly man; it was really a great service and the joy of the people was very evident. Sofia Baptist Church is quite well-known among evangelical ex-pats living in Bulgaria and we met a few of them who regularly attend and others visiting.

In the few hours we had between services in the afternoon, we had lunch with Pastor Teddy Oprenov and had the chance to see the progress being made on the church sponsored cultural center being constructed just down the street from the current church building. (below)



Shelly, Kameron and I saw this cultural center, which was will also house a new
sanctuary, 2 years ago and it is very encouraging to see the progress that is being made on it. Pastor Teddy (below) has incredible vision for this work as it will house a number of different services for the community including – a food bank, a counseling center, an internet café and offices for Sofia based Christian ministries.


Teddy told us of the many amazing ways that God has gone before them in realizing this vision; incredible stories of land acquisition, a top-notch architect and other providential ways God has provided. As Teddy put it, “God is just running ahead and we’re trying to keep up!”.

As I said above, I had a great time meeting with the youth/young adult group of the church in the evening as they asked if I would share more about Gateway Teams’ vision for discipling youth and what that really means. It was great time for me to share about what we may want to partner with them in doing in the future as well as taking a number of questions about their concerns. This is definitely a need here in Bulgaria as I have talked to a number of people about this. God may be uncovering another potential ministry opportunity here in this area of youth discipleship and raising up young leaders!
Thanks for praying.

Randy


Monday, June 11, 2007

Greetings from Lom, Bulgaria! Today was a day of travel into the northwestern part of the country. Lom is on the Danube River right at the border with Romania. Our time in Bulgaria these 10 days has kept us in the western part of the country, but whether going south or north as we are now, the beautiful Balkan mountain ranges continue to impress.

On the way to Lom, we stopped at Varshets, the site of a cluster of Baptist churches and met some of the leaders there and spent time getting to know them and praying for them. Vasil Vasilev was one of these pastors we met. He is also the current President of the Baptist Union of Bulgaria. (below – on the site of the new church property in Varshets)




And then we came to our destination, the historic city of Lom. We’d been anticipating coming to Lom because this is the site of North American Baptist Conference (that Gateway Teams is a part of) work that helped launch the Bulgarian Baptist Union and specifically churches in this area. National pastors in the area in particular were supported by NAB missions and considered missionaries of the NAB Conference. Also, NAB leaders like Fuelbrandt and Kuhn visited this area and the Lom church in support of this work in the 1930’s. The Communist regime branded Kuhn as a spy shortly after this time and all contact was lost between the Bulgarian Baptist Union, the church in Lom and the North American Baptist Conference until the present time. Because of the discovery of this past relationship, we have made our way to Bulgaria at this time! As you can imagine, the pastor and the church were very excited to have us here knowing that we represent people that helped begin their church 70+ years ago!

We headed to bed after a long dinner conversation looking forward to all we would see in the day ahead! Thanks for your prayers!

Randy

Bulgaria Site Trip Blog

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 -

After a number of delays, we did finally arrive in Sofia at around 8pm local time. The day did begin with our Chicago – Milan flight departure delayed for over 5 hours, so after getting to O’Hare on time for the scheduled departure, we (myself and Jim and Daniel Black), ended up spending much of the day waiting there at the airport.

Flying overnight to Milan went quite well and we had 2 ½ hours that turned into more like 4 hours to wait for the flight to Sofia. George Kirov (pastor of Bulgaria Baptist Mission in Chicago) and Sam and Bonnie Nikkel (a pastor of McKernan Baptist in Edmonton) were there waiting for us and we made our way to a hotel for the night for some much needed sleep.




Wednesday, June 6, 2007 –

We had a fairly easy time of it in the morning, getting up when we wanted to and having quite a good breakfast in the hotel. We finally had the chance to sit down and talk with each other about our thoughts in being here in Bulgaria and what some of our possible expectations might be, etc.

We then headed out in a van provided by the Sandanski church (drivers, Iliya and Lazar provided as well) for a 3 hour drive to Sandanski in a south-western region of the country. We drove in valleys through a number of mountain ranges; very beautiful landscape and came, by mid-afternoon, to this town known to tourists for its mineral springs. We had some lunch and had a good question/answer time with Pastor Dimitir. The Sandanski church has been heavily involved in church planting over the past 20 years; dating back before the overthrow of Communism. They’ve planted 34 churches in the region in this time and have established a medical outreach center as well for the community.
It was decided that we would split into 2 groups for the evening. One would stay in Sandanski and be a part of that church’s weekly youth meeting and the other (I, Randy was in this group) would drive over the mountains to another city, ‘Gotse Delchev’, and be a part of a church service there where the congregation met in a converted store. In Gotse Delchev, Jim Black and I shared our testimonies and Jim had the opportunity to preach.

Now, we had been traveling for a long time up to this point; and I was really asking God to help me as I shared my testimony and some words of scripture that it would all make sense and that He would use it some way. And we know that God is already at work here in Bulgaria and our being here is something that is a matter of partnering with Him where He is already at work. So, as I shared, it became apparent that God was really using my life story and somehow combining this WITH what I was sharing from Psalm 78 about discipling the upcoming generation WITH our emphasis in Gateway Teams on helping youth ministries disciple and raise up young leaders AND somehow molding all of this into a coherent message! It really was something hard to explain that God was doing.

So, at the end of the service, the floor was open to questions and a lady who was the leader of this church (they don’t have a full-time pastor) asked me if I still would be interested in working with youth and youth leaders in their church and helping them be more intentional about making disciples. And I just shook my head (which in this part of the world actually means ‘yes’!) in amazement how God had brought us to this town to begin our time in Bulgaria and answered one of the questions I was looking for answers for right off the bat; to discover if God would want us in Gateway Teams to partner to help youth ministries here in Bulgaria in a meaningful way!

An incredible beginning to what I trust will be an incredible time here in Bulgaria this month! Thanks for your prayers for our safe-keeping, for family members we’re apart from during this time and for eyes to be open to what God is asking us to partner with here in Bulgaria. He’s already made some things quite clear already! God bless!

Randy Schmor




Thursday, June 7, 2007

As we woke up this morning, we weren’t quite sure what was in store for the day ahead, but we soon were told that since we are in ancient Macedonia, we would be in for a “Macedonian Call” experience! And with that, we headed to Greece! The border is only 15 miles from here and so we crossed and made our way 2 ½ - 3 hours southeast to the ancient city of Philippi! Yes, the same Philippi that we read about in Acts 16 and the same Philippi that Paul wrote one of his epistles to! It was an incredible experience.

There are many excavated sites to see there including a number of churches dating back to the 4th and 5th century. These churches were built there in large part because of the prison that is there at Philippi where Paul and Silas were set free because of an earthquake. It was very sobering to see what was more than likely the site of this jail that they were in. We also saw a small town just outside of Philippi called Lydia after the first lady that Paul met in the area. It was a very moving experience to be in a place with such historical biblical significance.

Before finishing out our time in “Macedonia” or what is now northern Greece, we had the chance to see the northern Adriatic or “White” Sea and the coast and bluffs off of the city Kavala overlooking the water. Very beautiful.

As we came back to Bulgaria and Sandanski, we were invited to have dinner at the home of a doctor who practices at the Sandanski Baptist Churches medical clinic; an extraordinary vision in itself of outreach into this community. Gabor and Julia served us a delicious meal of Bulgarian favorites and we had some great discussions about his work here in this town and how God has continued to bless them with the means and equipment to work here even though they don’t have a lot of their own resources.

Little by little, we are discovering the possibilities for partnership here in the Sandanski region for the future. Thanks for your continued prayers! God bless.

Randy Schmor



- Philippi – in front of the prison where Paul and Silas were set free by an earthquake and an angel (Acts 16).



- 4th Century Christian Church in Philippi



- Kavala, Greece – possibly where Paul landed (at Neapolis, Acts 16:11)



Friday, June 08, 2007

Hey friends! This was our last full day in Sandanski and we were told that we would be visiting 2 homes where the Sandanski church is involved in helping the mentally retarded. In both cases, the homes are run by the government, but if it wasn’t for people like the Christians in the Sandanski church, things would be much worse than they are.

The first home was a complex just outside of Petrovo for children. It’s heart-breaking to see all of these children who have in many cases been abandoned at this orphanage because of their mental capacity. However, those working there with them seemed quite committed to the work and the children seemed to be happy. We interacted with some of the kids and gave them some snacks that we brought. We also toured the facilities and spoke with the director about what the situation is like.

The second home for adult women we went to was a whole different experience and situation. It was an incredibly run-down facility where these women have been pretty much left there; left there to die. This home was behind fences to keep the women in and it was a long drive to get there, way up high into the mountain away from everyone, very close to the border with Macedonia. The Sandanski church has been at the home laying floor-tile in some of the rooms, but we could see that the walls were badly deteriorating and the ceiling was bowed down and in danger of oollapsing. We then went into the residence hall and the cafeteria. The cafeteria was fairly newly painted, but when we went upstairs to the residence area, there were small rooms were 3-5 women had beds and one very large room with 40 beds all lined up next to each other, a wood floor that was in very bad shape and dirty, and throughout the entire residence hall the smell of human waste. An addition, the buildings of this home, including the residence hall are wood-heated, even the large 40 bed room only had a small wood heater that was obviously insufficient. The director of this home told us that they hoped to install a boiler in the residence hall for heating but that the funds were not there. Being there was very a very frustrating and hopeless experience to encounter these women who have obviously been discarded and literally taken out of society’s view.

We also found out something else which was quite disturbing; only 3 of the 75 women there have actually been diagnosed with a mental disorder, usually schizophrenia, the rest of them are there because of situations of abuse and abandonment by families and husbands. These women can be expected to die at this home without a funeral or any remembrance.
However, although this is a government run institution, the director received us as we asked questions and had tea and welcomed our prayers for her, the staff and the women before we left. But what a sobering look into how people that don’t fit in can just be “discarded” from society; what a place for the church to have an impact, as the Sandanski Baptist Church is and Pastor Demiter.

Our day ended with our group splitting up to go to 2 churches; one in Petrovich, and the other a Gypsy church plant within the Gypsy community of Sandanski. I had the opportunity to preach and share my testimony there and we were welcomed in a big way by these people. The group that went to Petrovich included Pastor George Kirov (the Bulgarian Baptist Church of Chicago pastor who is with us and is doing most of the translating for us) as this was his boyhood home and he had not been back there in many years. George was overjoyed to see how what had been a struggling congregation had just opened their new building up last week and welcomed him back with open arms. It was a very joyful experience for him. The comeback that this congregation made has also been due in large part to Pastor Demiter of Sandanski. We’ve come to discover that Pastor Demiter is an amazing visionary and has had a tremendous impact on this Sandanski region of Bulgaria for Christ in a number of different areas; not the least of which has been in the planting of 34 churches over the past 25+ years as well as all the humanitarian work that the church has been involved in in the area.

A very full day where God has been making it clear that we should continue to develop our relationship with Pastor Demiter into the future and see how God leads us in Gateway Teams to work together in this area. But, we still have 2 more regions of Bulgaria to see over the next week or so in the capital area of Sofia and the northwestern Romanian border region of Lom.

Thanks so much for praying. We have been traveling a lot over very steep mountain roads and have been challenged by quite a hectic pace ever since we hit the ground here in Bulgaria. Please continue to pray for us this weekend in Sofia and in the days to come. Blessings!

Randy Schmor



Saturday, June 09, 2007

Greetings everyone! We left Sandanski this morning after an incredible 3 days there and began to make our way north to Sofia. On the way, Pastor Demiter (not to be outdone, he decided that he would be our driver for today as well!) drove us up into the mountains to visit what is probably one of the most revered sites in Bulgaria; the Rila Monastery. It dates back to the 9th century and is the most holy site in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church as well as being a crucial place in the saga of Bulgaria’s history. It is in a beautiful setting with surrounding mountains and has at it’s center an ornate church (below) which is painted inside and out with countless icons.




Relics (bones/remains) of Rila, the monk who first came to this site in 900 A.D. are kept at this monastery which bears his name as well as many ancient icons that are prayed to by Bulgarian Orthodox Christians. Even the tomb of the last king of Bulgaria, Boris, who died in 1943 is kept inside this church. It is a place of great significance in Bulgaria.

After visiting the monastery, we made it to Sofia and finally had an evening off to recover for more busy days ahead including 2 church services in the Sofia Baptist Church tomorrow morning. I’m looking forward to seeing our good friends, Teddy and Didi Oprenov, the pastor of this church. Shelly, Kameron and I stayed with them here 2 years ago when we had a very brief visit to Sofia in 2005.

Thanks again to all for your continued thoughts and prayers! Blessings!

Randy Schmor

Warm, summer breezes are blowing today and I love to feel them bringing the promise of sunny days and pleasant evenings. I love to be outside whenever I can, I guess that’s why I love summer. There is just something about connecting with God when you are out enjoying His creation. Even the work of gardening is tolerable because in the midst of it, God’s handiwork is all around you. I love to think about God and His work when my hands are covered in dirt. I’m amazed at His creativity in the design of a ladybug or a centipede. I love to think of Him delighting in His creation of people as I listen to the giggles of children playing in a sprinkler or setting up a lemonade stand.
Hmmm…, God delighting in us, His creation, as we delight in Him… could it be that this was His plan all along? The creator Father, loving and delighting in His children. The Maker of the universe finding pleasure in us as we discover and unveil Him in the world around us. The Sovereign God longing to redeem this fallen world and see His Kingdom reign. I’m amazed when I think of the great privilege of seeing God at work and being able to join Him in his redemptive work. That He would see us as worthy of that calling – what an overwhelming and humbling thought. What do warm, summer days cause you to think of? Take some time today to delight in God and all He is. And may we join together in praying …Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Delighting in Him,
The Schmors

(written by Shelly)

Cameroon Gateway Team

Maybe you heard what seemed to be a somewhat brief headline here in our part of the world regarding a plane crash in Africa?

See http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/05/07/ap3692239.html for the story). I saw the headline first on Sunday afternoon after being out of touch for the weekend; a Kenya Airways jet going down and leaving from Douala, Cameroon and my thoughts went immediately to a Gateway Team from California that we had in Cameroon that I remembered was flying home this past weekend sometime and going through Kenya....

I read a little more of the article and saw that among the 114 aboard there was only one American, and was somewhat relieved that the team was probably not on the flight. But I called the Team Leader and left a voice message just to make sure; and received an email this morning that the team was on the same flight 2 days earlier and had considered at one point staying over a few extra days to be on the flight that crashed.

So....relief yes, but sorrow for all of these people that did die in a country that many people have to be shown a map just to know where it is. For us, Cameroon is a place we hear about often, having many North American friends there as missionaries and Cameroonian friends that we have been partnering with over the past years. So, I guess it kind of feels like it hits closer to home.....

Sometimes it can seem like an after-thought to me - "pray for the safety of our Gateway Teams as they go travel" - but then something like this happens and it reminds me that this is not a trivial or trite prayer....

So, to our prayer supporters - please, pray for the safety of our teams as we'll have around 13 more going out before year's end.

Let's thank God as well, for keeping this Cameroon Gateway Team safe from harm.

And...let's pray for the families of those that were on that flight....this tragedy is hitting a number of people very close to home.

Thanks,
Randy

Greetings all,

Some of you have already heard this news, but in case you hadn’t……

Shelly’s grandmother, Lorna Toll, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, March 30 after some difficult months of injury and illness.

Shelly was very close with her having lived with her grandmother in her teenage years in particular. She was a tremendous influence on her life, leading her to Christ at a young age.

Shelly and Kameron traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the funeral (April 3) where her 2 children, 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren as well as spouses and friends all gathered coming from Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. Randy was in Romania on a ministry assignment when the death occurred but was able to make it back just the night before the funeral.

We share this with you all; our prayer supporters, ministry partners and ministry colleagues. Thank you for your prayers, many already given on behalf of the family.

We appreciate you all. God bless.

This is an attempt to chronicle the last 4 days of the Cameroon Sonlife GT looking back so you can have the full journal/blog experience!

Monday was a very early morning and an even longer trip as it took 9 hot, sweaty, dusty long hours to retrace our steps all the way back to Bamenda from Allat. Allat really was an awesome experience and we were sad to see it all come to a close, but we also knew that we were beginning to make our way home as well. We did have 3 mishaps on the way back to Bamenda as well….1) one of the rear brakes gave out on the car and we watched (and were watched by many in ‘Songkolong’) as a 14 year old fixed it! 2) we got another flat (very rough roads) just as we came back into the Ndu tea fields region and 3) we were held up by the Gendarm in the exact same spot where the customs guy held us up on account of my guitar 5 days earlier. The Gendarm guy made issue of Victor’s (our driver) expired insurance the day before, so we “bought enough insurance for the day” from the guy (yeah, right J, paid him off is more like it!).

It was nice to get back with the rest of the team and exchange stories of our experiences. They had the chance to speak in the schools among other things.

Tuesday meant a number of things because it was our last full day in Bamenda (and the country) before heading to the airport. We had a great dinner at the International Hotel (shrimp!), said our good-byes to Godwill and Richard, shopped for souvenirs, had a very important meeting with Godwill’s supervisor and the rest of us regarding the future of our partnership between CBC and NAB youth, said our good-byes and got coffee (!) from the Palmers (the Field Directors), had a great, final Cameroonian dinner with the Grobs, and did our major debrief of the entire mission as a team. This day was packed! And………. we had to pack J for our trip the next morning to the Douala airport.

Our 2 day trip from Bamenda to Chicago began early as we were given the ok to make a stop at the beach (black volcanic sand) in Limbe before getting cleaned up at the rest house, going out for dinner (pizza!) and getting to the airport. By the time our flight finally left at 11:45pm for Paris, we were all exhausted and slept the entire way. Because we had almost a 7 hour lay-over in Paris, we took the opportunity to take a train into the city. In 2 ½ hours there, we froze (man, the wind was cold!), saw the Eiffel Tower, froze, saw the Seine river, froze, saw the Arc de Triomphe and Champ Elysse drive (Paris’ main drag) and froze some more J. We had time for a ‘petit dejeuner’ (breakfast) and to buy a couple of souvenirs before needing to get back to the airport on the train. Our itinerary then took us to Frankfurt, Germany before the trans-atlantic flight to Chicago.

Unlike our arrival in Cameroon, all of our bags made it to Chicago. I was particularly excited to see my family who were waiting there; the other guys would have to wait until they arrived at their various homes later that evening or the next day (or in team member Mark Jaspers’ case February 3 – he went to Uganda from Cameroon).


THANKS! For following the blog of this mission in particular and Gateway Teams in general! So much prayer and planning had gone into this experience for 4 years and to see God’s hand bring it all together was, well just awesome to watch.

Here are the highlights from my perspective that we’re thanking God for –

- great turnouts and response to all 4 Sonlife Strategy Seminars (Yaounde, Kumba, Bamenda and Allat)
- the meeting at the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary to discuss formal youth training for pastors and future modular classes taught by NAB youth pastors and others
- the meeting with Dr. Felix, Godwill Ncham, Richard Aponge, the Palmers and our team to discuss the future of youth ministry in CBC churches – (these 2 meetings were not planned but signified how our team’s presence was used to raise the profile of youth ministry in Cameroon)
- future partnership for NAB youth and CBC youth facilitated by Gateway Teams discussed:
o Follow-up Youth Worker Training - Sonlife Strategy/Foundations follow-up Gateway Team in July 2008
o Youth emphasis Gateway Teams - demonstrating the importance of youth ministry and discipleship by presence and example
o North American/Cameroon Youth Serving Together - Gateway Teams that will serve together with CBC youth on projects within Cameroon
- Validation and encouragement for Cameroonian youth leaders, but especially for Godwill Ncham (the CBC youth dept. president), Richard Aponge (Bamenda area youth president) and Daniel Wango (Yaounde area youth president)
- Health and safety for us the entire way!
- Lastly, a great team of youth pastors that I had the privilege of leading; their servant hearts and selfless giving of themselves made this experience a blessing that will have eternal significance to say the least –
o John Marshall – Bethlehem, PA
o Jud Stade – Edmonton, AB
o Paul Nather – Bismarck, ND
o Mark Jaspers – Beulah, ND
o Chris Borkert – Kansas City, MO
- And…I thank you for your interest, prayers and in many cases financial support of this Cameroon Gateway Team – please continue to pray for wisdom as we navigate the future of this partnership – also, thank you for your prayers for my family (Shelly and Kameron) as this was a tough month saying good-bye to our 11-year old dog Kodi – and please, continue to pray for John Marshall as he comforts grieving families of 2 girls that were in a car accident from his youth ministry; one girl was killed and the other is still in critical condition

Thank you again and please continue to check this blog as we update monthly on the ministry of Gateway Teams and us, the Schmor family! Blessings!

PS – a few pictures from Cameroon below!.....

January 21, 2007

Desert greetings from Allat!

We are on our last full day here in Allat, so here is a short prayer update!

As I said yesterday, the Sonlife seminars on Friday and Saturday went extremely well and were very well received. It has been amazing to discover how much God has been using this team and the one that is now in Bamenda to accomplish this work.

Please continue to pray:

- that the seed that was planted in the training would continue to grow in these youth workers and the pastors that attended
- thank God that they all arrived safely home after up to 8 hours of travel yesterday
- thank God for how He used us in 3 different churches here in the Allat area this morning; my personal experience in Taram was such a blessing. The people were so loving in that little hut of a church. And Godwill Ncham and I were able to talk with the young people of the church after the service and challenge them on their role in the church today, not only tomorrow.
- Please pray for the other team as they have finished their seminar in Bamenda where over 50 youth workers attended. For us here, we ended up having 35 here in Allat; considering that we are in the bush, it was an excellent turn-out.
- Pray for our 8-9 hour car ride on hot, dry, dusty dirt roads all the way back to Bamenda tomorrow.
- Pray for the important meetings we will have with the Evangelism Director on Tuesday
- Thank God for a very good conversation regarding the future of what this partnership between NAB youth workers and CBC youth workers will look like.

Again, thank you for your prayers. God has been doing incredible things here. And, to top it off, we are really enjoying Allat! It’s a great desert-like climate in a great setting here at the mission station and the Hohns have been great to be with as well.

In His Grip,

Randy Schmor