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
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
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
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)
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
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!
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
Randy
Saturday, June 09, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
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
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)
Monday, May 07, 2007
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
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
Friday, April 13, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
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!.....
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!.....
Sunday, January 21, 2007
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
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
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Hello again from Allat, Cameroon!
We've successfully completed our 2 days of training here in this somewhat remote part of Cameroon (close to the Nigeria border and about half-way through the country). It was a blessed and a great time as we had 35 persons in attendance that came from as far away as 9 hours. We heard some excellent response from this group to the teaching and were very encouraged.
Another highlight was the number of pastors that were in attendance as well, showing their support of youth ministry by coming.
Thanks so much for your prayers again. Please pray for our long drive of 8 hours on Monday and the 3 churches that we will be preaching in tomorrow morning.
It's also been a blessing to spend time with Cal and Susie Hohn and their 2 daughters who are here in Allat. They've been great and even now we're enjoying a game of yahtzee!
This has been a tremendous time here in a beautiful high desert type of setting; it was an unexpected surprise to be in such a nice place after the long day of travel on Thursday.....and again on Monday!
Your prayers have definitely been heard and we've seen God at work in meaningful ways. More to come.....
In His Grip,
Randy Schmor
We've successfully completed our 2 days of training here in this somewhat remote part of Cameroon (close to the Nigeria border and about half-way through the country). It was a blessed and a great time as we had 35 persons in attendance that came from as far away as 9 hours. We heard some excellent response from this group to the teaching and were very encouraged.
Another highlight was the number of pastors that were in attendance as well, showing their support of youth ministry by coming.
Thanks so much for your prayers again. Please pray for our long drive of 8 hours on Monday and the 3 churches that we will be preaching in tomorrow morning.
It's also been a blessing to spend time with Cal and Susie Hohn and their 2 daughters who are here in Allat. They've been great and even now we're enjoying a game of yahtzee!
This has been a tremendous time here in a beautiful high desert type of setting; it was an unexpected surprise to be in such a nice place after the long day of travel on Thursday.....and again on Monday!
Your prayers have definitely been heard and we've seen God at work in meaningful ways. More to come.....
In His Grip,
Randy Schmor
Thursday, January 18, 2007
January 17, 2007
Hello from Kumbo, Cameroon,
I apologize that it has been a few days since my last entry, but internet here is not quite as reliable and not quite as available either! We’ve had some incredible days since our seminar days in Yaounde and Kumba (the other half of the team) last weekend. We attended church in Yaounde and had the chance to see the Rainforest Academy Missionary School and made our way to Bamenda on Monday after a long bus ride.
The other half of the team coming to Bamenda from Kumba should have had a shorter trip but ended up coming 3 hours after us because of a truck that was over-turned in the road. But God kept us all safe and continues to.
Our team has spent some incredible days together as well as we were able to see the Mbingo Baptist Hospital on Tuesday and “New Hope Village”. We could not have ever been prepared for going there as we spent time with victims of leprosy, shared Jesus’ love with them and prayed for them. God truly broke our hearts as we prayed for these dear people. We asked if it would be ok if we laid our hands on them as we prayed and when we came over to do that, they all raised there deformed and fingerless stumps up to us for us to hold. None of us could hold back the tears as we prayed for their simple requests – for a light in their village (there’s still no electricity) and that when they died, it would not be in a lot of pain. It was an incredibly humbling experience as I felt that I was truly looking into the face of Jesus and holding His hands as I held what was left of their hands….
God has continued to make ways for us here as well in regards to our main purpose in encouraging the youth ministries of churches. I had the opportunity to be interviewed on the radio in Bamenda to an audience of about 2 million potential listeners about our purpose here as well as discussing the importance of discipleship, especially among young people.
And today, we traveled to the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary in Ndu (about 3-4 hours) to encourage a young missionary family there and have a unique opportunity to meet with the Seminary leaders to discuss how the Seminary could be involved in more strategic ways of equipping pastors in the area of youth ministry. It was an incredible meeting and our host, Godwill Ncham, was ecstatic that such an opportunity presented itself on that level.
And so, we thank you again for you continued prayers for our health and safety, but also for how God is putting together incredible opportunities for us to raise the profile of youth ministry among Cameroonian church leaders. It’s been incredible to say the least!
I’d also ask you to continue to pray for these requests…..
- Our team splits up again tomorrow. Half will go back to Bamenda to do the Sonlife Seminar there this weekend and the others will travel 5-6 hours further inland to Allat to teach a seminar there. Please pray for us as we teach.
- News came from home today for me that our dog Kodi will need to be put to sleep today…this is quite hard on all of us as I am gone from home, but I’d ask that you especially pray for our son Kameron as Kodi has always been there. Please pray…
- Shelly’s grandma, Lorna Toll. There isn’t anything new to report at this time but please continue to pray for her as she is quite frail.
- A member of our team, John Marshall (Bethlehem, PA), had a scary fall off of a ledge at the CBC compound on Monday night as the power went off and he didn’t see a ledge. He fell 5-6 feet, but amazingly, thankfully, he’s OK.
- Please pray for all the guys on our team – Paul, Mark, Chris, John and Jud as we are away from wives, children and families.
God bless you all for your faithfulness in praying for us here in Cameroon. This would not be going as it is if it weren’t for your prayers. Thank you.
In His Grip,
Randy
Hello from Kumbo, Cameroon,
I apologize that it has been a few days since my last entry, but internet here is not quite as reliable and not quite as available either! We’ve had some incredible days since our seminar days in Yaounde and Kumba (the other half of the team) last weekend. We attended church in Yaounde and had the chance to see the Rainforest Academy Missionary School and made our way to Bamenda on Monday after a long bus ride.
The other half of the team coming to Bamenda from Kumba should have had a shorter trip but ended up coming 3 hours after us because of a truck that was over-turned in the road. But God kept us all safe and continues to.
Our team has spent some incredible days together as well as we were able to see the Mbingo Baptist Hospital on Tuesday and “New Hope Village”. We could not have ever been prepared for going there as we spent time with victims of leprosy, shared Jesus’ love with them and prayed for them. God truly broke our hearts as we prayed for these dear people. We asked if it would be ok if we laid our hands on them as we prayed and when we came over to do that, they all raised there deformed and fingerless stumps up to us for us to hold. None of us could hold back the tears as we prayed for their simple requests – for a light in their village (there’s still no electricity) and that when they died, it would not be in a lot of pain. It was an incredibly humbling experience as I felt that I was truly looking into the face of Jesus and holding His hands as I held what was left of their hands….
God has continued to make ways for us here as well in regards to our main purpose in encouraging the youth ministries of churches. I had the opportunity to be interviewed on the radio in Bamenda to an audience of about 2 million potential listeners about our purpose here as well as discussing the importance of discipleship, especially among young people.
And today, we traveled to the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary in Ndu (about 3-4 hours) to encourage a young missionary family there and have a unique opportunity to meet with the Seminary leaders to discuss how the Seminary could be involved in more strategic ways of equipping pastors in the area of youth ministry. It was an incredible meeting and our host, Godwill Ncham, was ecstatic that such an opportunity presented itself on that level.
And so, we thank you again for you continued prayers for our health and safety, but also for how God is putting together incredible opportunities for us to raise the profile of youth ministry among Cameroonian church leaders. It’s been incredible to say the least!
I’d also ask you to continue to pray for these requests…..
- Our team splits up again tomorrow. Half will go back to Bamenda to do the Sonlife Seminar there this weekend and the others will travel 5-6 hours further inland to Allat to teach a seminar there. Please pray for us as we teach.
- News came from home today for me that our dog Kodi will need to be put to sleep today…this is quite hard on all of us as I am gone from home, but I’d ask that you especially pray for our son Kameron as Kodi has always been there. Please pray…
- Shelly’s grandma, Lorna Toll. There isn’t anything new to report at this time but please continue to pray for her as she is quite frail.
- A member of our team, John Marshall (Bethlehem, PA), had a scary fall off of a ledge at the CBC compound on Monday night as the power went off and he didn’t see a ledge. He fell 5-6 feet, but amazingly, thankfully, he’s OK.
- Please pray for all the guys on our team – Paul, Mark, Chris, John and Jud as we are away from wives, children and families.
God bless you all for your faithfulness in praying for us here in Cameroon. This would not be going as it is if it weren’t for your prayers. Thank you.
In His Grip,
Randy
January 18, 2007
Greetings from Allat, Cameroon (about 600 km inland on the Nigerian border),
Thank you for your prayers for us today! Here’s some of what happened –
Our team parted ways this morning as the other half headed back to Bamenda for the weekend and we headed 6 hours further inland to Allat where we all arrived safely. We traveled over quite rough and difficult roads, mostly dirt, over most of today. Our car ended up getting a flat but it happened right as we were entering a village where we were able to get it fixed. We were also able to meet a regional pastor in that town and ate lunch at his home before we got on the road again; so, it was really a blessing that the flat happened right in that village.
Shortly after we left that village, we came to another where there was a routine check that either Gendarm military police do or customs officials. But, we ran into a customs official that decided for whatever reason to hassle us about my 15 year old beat up guitar. He wanted to see a receipt for it of all things! Our host pastor, Godwill Ncham, really handled the situation well and basically called the man’s bluff (he was obviously looking for a bribe). He argued with him about this for about 10 minutes and then the customs guy said he was going to lock us up and he got into our car next to Godwill! It was obviously a ploy when he sat there for about 10 seconds and then got out and told us to go. I’m telling you, your prayers matter! J And we thank God for Godwill’s discernment in handling the situation as well.
After the long ride and these events, and going up and down mountains and across hot, dusty plateaus, we made it to Allat and are now enjoying being at the mission station here and the hospitality of Cal and Susie Hohn and their daughters Ysabelle and Elianna. Susie made a great meal for us here tonight and we’re relaxing before the beginning of our final round of Sonlife seminars tomorrow and Saturday. Allat is kind of like northern Arizona, high elevation, dry and dusty, but very comfortable and incredibly clear skies at night where the stars are more numerous than you’ve ever seen…..
Please continue to pray for us, especially tomorrow as Chris, John and I teach. Pray that our words would be clear and that we would communicate well. We’ve found that people have traveled from a number of hours away to be here in Allat and so we’re continuing to see God’s purpose for us here unfolding.
I’d also ask you to pray for the other half of the team as well in Bamenda as they begin their seminars there tomorrow as well. The Bamenda team this weekend is Paul, Mark and Jud.
Thank you Gateway Teams prayer partners for your continued faithfulness. It truly does make a difference. Blessings!
In His Grip,Randy Schmor
Greetings from Allat, Cameroon (about 600 km inland on the Nigerian border),
Thank you for your prayers for us today! Here’s some of what happened –
Our team parted ways this morning as the other half headed back to Bamenda for the weekend and we headed 6 hours further inland to Allat where we all arrived safely. We traveled over quite rough and difficult roads, mostly dirt, over most of today. Our car ended up getting a flat but it happened right as we were entering a village where we were able to get it fixed. We were also able to meet a regional pastor in that town and ate lunch at his home before we got on the road again; so, it was really a blessing that the flat happened right in that village.
Shortly after we left that village, we came to another where there was a routine check that either Gendarm military police do or customs officials. But, we ran into a customs official that decided for whatever reason to hassle us about my 15 year old beat up guitar. He wanted to see a receipt for it of all things! Our host pastor, Godwill Ncham, really handled the situation well and basically called the man’s bluff (he was obviously looking for a bribe). He argued with him about this for about 10 minutes and then the customs guy said he was going to lock us up and he got into our car next to Godwill! It was obviously a ploy when he sat there for about 10 seconds and then got out and told us to go. I’m telling you, your prayers matter! J And we thank God for Godwill’s discernment in handling the situation as well.
After the long ride and these events, and going up and down mountains and across hot, dusty plateaus, we made it to Allat and are now enjoying being at the mission station here and the hospitality of Cal and Susie Hohn and their daughters Ysabelle and Elianna. Susie made a great meal for us here tonight and we’re relaxing before the beginning of our final round of Sonlife seminars tomorrow and Saturday. Allat is kind of like northern Arizona, high elevation, dry and dusty, but very comfortable and incredibly clear skies at night where the stars are more numerous than you’ve ever seen…..
Please continue to pray for us, especially tomorrow as Chris, John and I teach. Pray that our words would be clear and that we would communicate well. We’ve found that people have traveled from a number of hours away to be here in Allat and so we’re continuing to see God’s purpose for us here unfolding.
I’d also ask you to pray for the other half of the team as well in Bamenda as they begin their seminars there tomorrow as well. The Bamenda team this weekend is Paul, Mark and Jud.
Thank you Gateway Teams prayer partners for your continued faithfulness. It truly does make a difference. Blessings!
In His Grip,Randy Schmor
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Hello again from
Today we had the opportunity to share the Sonlife Africa Strategy material with some youth workers here in
We had about 20 youth workers all together and had the opportunity to share disciple-making principles with them. Some of you are probably familiar with the concepts of win, build, equip and multiply that Sonlife has coined, but for most of these youth workers, this was a new way to look at the life of Christ and His methodology for disciple-making and how it applies to youth ministry.
We (Jud Stade, Mark Jaspers and I) were amazed at how God used us here in this way. We have to confess that even last night as we prayed and went over the material amongst the 3 of us, we felt inadequate to be the teachers of these people and wondered to some extent what God was thinking in bringing us here. (I think we all wonder that from time to time!) But, I Corinthians 2:1-5 was laid on our hearts –
When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
Great words!
And so we headed into the seminar with confidence that if we spoke only what God laid on our hearts; that would be enough.
We ended up sharing our hearts and love for youth, our oneness with these youth workers who have dedicated their time to work with youth, and the Sonlife material as well. And it was all very well received.
Much thanks for this goes to your faithful prayers that God would pave the way for our ministry here in Cameroon; so please continue to pray for us as we begin to make our way on Monday on a 6-hour bus ride to Bamenda where we will encourage missionaries and have the opportunity to possibly share about the Sonlife material and our ministry here on the radio which is quite exciting.
Also, please pray for the other half of our team as we have not been in contact with them since they went to Kumba to share a seminar in that region this weekend. We’re quite confident, however, that God by your prayers has paved a way for their ministry there as well and are looking forward to seeing them on Monday and hearing all that God has done.
I’d also like to share 2 personal requests with you regarding my wife Shelly and son Kameron who are anxiously awaiting Daddy’s return at home…..
- Our 11-year old dog Kodi, is not doing well as he was just diagnosed with cancer. We were hoping that Daddy would be back from
- Also, Shelly’s grandmother in
Finally, a praise would be that all 19 of our delayed bags have made it to
Thank you again for your prayers. Please know that we could not minister with this Gateway Team here in
Blessings!
Friday, January 12, 2007
January 12, 2007
Greetings from Yaounde, Cameroon and the NAB Youth Pastors Gateway Team!
Thanks so much for your prayers as we have already been in need of them! Our training time in Chicago from January 7-10 went very well and the team really developed a bond as we shared time together. We spent time training for cross-cultural ministry, sharing different aspects of the country of Cameroon that we researched and discussing the personal spiritual growth we each hope to see in our lives. And, we had Dennis Gulley, from Edmonton, AB, with us to help us understand how to communicate the Sonlife Africa Strategy Discipleship material.
We discovered early on that the development of relationships with Cameroonian youth workers, hearing their needs and praying for them was to be more important than any thing we could offer them by way of teaching. But, we’ve also discovered upon coming to Cameroon and meeting with our hosts, Godwill Ncham, Daniel Wango and Richard A. that much is being anticipated from our time together. So, we prayed and discussed that we will, above all things, seek out God’s heart for this time and listen closely to the Holy Spirit for the right words and to share the right things.
Please pray that we would do just that!
Thank you for your prayers for our safe travel. We did arrive safely in Douala yesterday evening, but unfortunately 19 of our 22 pieces of baggage (we were carrying a number of boxes for NAB with us as well) never made it here. And only 2 of the 6 members of our team have their suitcases so we are sharing clothes and other items until we receive our own baggage, hopefully on Monday in Bamenda.
The delayed baggage also included a projector and all the copies of the Sonlife participant manuals we had copied for our seminars. So we’re trying to make due here as the team as split up between Kumba and Yaounde for this first weekend, by having some copies of the manuals made.
So please pray that we would have what we need for our future ministry as that delayed baggage comes.
Again, thank you all so much for your continued support of the Gateway Teams ministry in general and for praying specifically for this very important time with this youth worker training team here in Cameroon this month. Please continue to check this blog for more updates as we continue on this month.
Blessings!
Randy Schmor
Greetings from Yaounde, Cameroon and the NAB Youth Pastors Gateway Team!
Thanks so much for your prayers as we have already been in need of them! Our training time in Chicago from January 7-10 went very well and the team really developed a bond as we shared time together. We spent time training for cross-cultural ministry, sharing different aspects of the country of Cameroon that we researched and discussing the personal spiritual growth we each hope to see in our lives. And, we had Dennis Gulley, from Edmonton, AB, with us to help us understand how to communicate the Sonlife Africa Strategy Discipleship material.
We discovered early on that the development of relationships with Cameroonian youth workers, hearing their needs and praying for them was to be more important than any thing we could offer them by way of teaching. But, we’ve also discovered upon coming to Cameroon and meeting with our hosts, Godwill Ncham, Daniel Wango and Richard A. that much is being anticipated from our time together. So, we prayed and discussed that we will, above all things, seek out God’s heart for this time and listen closely to the Holy Spirit for the right words and to share the right things.
Please pray that we would do just that!
Thank you for your prayers for our safe travel. We did arrive safely in Douala yesterday evening, but unfortunately 19 of our 22 pieces of baggage (we were carrying a number of boxes for NAB with us as well) never made it here. And only 2 of the 6 members of our team have their suitcases so we are sharing clothes and other items until we receive our own baggage, hopefully on Monday in Bamenda.
The delayed baggage also included a projector and all the copies of the Sonlife participant manuals we had copied for our seminars. So we’re trying to make due here as the team as split up between Kumba and Yaounde for this first weekend, by having some copies of the manuals made.
So please pray that we would have what we need for our future ministry as that delayed baggage comes.
Again, thank you all so much for your continued support of the Gateway Teams ministry in general and for praying specifically for this very important time with this youth worker training team here in Cameroon this month. Please continue to check this blog for more updates as we continue on this month.
Blessings!
Randy Schmor
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy New Year everyone!
Shelly’s grandmother – Lorna Toll of Broken Arrow, OK. You may have seen a prayer request in our past newsletters for Shelly’s grandma and her health. The past few weeks have been quite rough for her as she approaches her 86th birthday. She’s had 2 broken hips, 2 hip replacements and this morning dislocated one of those hips again. Please keep Lorna, Shelly and her family in your prayers as she is 800 miles away.
As some of you know, I (Randy) will be taking a Gateway Team to Cameroon from January 10-25. If I’m able to, I plan to blog – please take a look over the course of the month if you would as I mention prayer requests and updates on our mission with Cameroonian youth leaders and discipleship.
Thanks again for your prayers and God bless in 2007!
Shelly’s grandmother – Lorna Toll of Broken Arrow, OK. You may have seen a prayer request in our past newsletters for Shelly’s grandma and her health. The past few weeks have been quite rough for her as she approaches her 86th birthday. She’s had 2 broken hips, 2 hip replacements and this morning dislocated one of those hips again. Please keep Lorna, Shelly and her family in your prayers as she is 800 miles away.
As some of you know, I (Randy) will be taking a Gateway Team to Cameroon from January 10-25. If I’m able to, I plan to blog – please take a look over the course of the month if you would as I mention prayer requests and updates on our mission with Cameroonian youth leaders and discipleship.
Thanks again for your prayers and God bless in 2007!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
December 5, 2006
Season of Joy! (not necessarily happiness...)
Let me get right to it. Fresh in my mind today are a number of people in our lives going through some major hardships and because it's this time of year, all the mention of being merry and happy can make it even more difficult. I'll mention some of those prayer requests in a moment, but it's at times like this where we need to know that Jesus has come. We still look forward to a 2nd coming but He has come.
"Joy" to the world is not a fleeting thought or a baseless hope, it is in fact, the reality that we hold to because Jesus has entered this world and through those who follow Him, He, by the Spirit in us, continues to make His presence known "far as the curse is found". It can be tough living here where the "curse is found", but His presence and Kingdom has come. There isn't always happiness or merriment as that Kingdom continues to emerge, but where Jesus is, there can be 'joy'.
Would you pray for....
- Mark and his family, a close friend in need of employment
- a marriage/health situation
- Kelly, a friend with health concerns
- a Pastor friend's (and his wife's) marriage
- the loved ones of Harry (a 50 some year old inner-city pastor, and host of mission teams, in Winnipeg, MB) and Lisa (a 17 year old Gateway Team member from Bismarck, ND)
Also, please pray for me over the next month and a half especially as I'll be traveling most of January to Cameroon and leading a Gateway Team. The team consists of a very special group of youth pastors who will be connecting with youth workers in Cameroon as we meet together, pray for each other and discover together some principles from Christ's life for discipleship.
Prayer requests for the Cameroon Gateway Team (January 7-25) -
- First off, pray for Godwill Ncham (our main host receiver)
o for his responsibilities over this huge area of ministry
o for new leaders that he is investing in
o for his family
- That we take time to invest in Godwill's life and the lives of some new up and coming leaders.
- That we encourage application in local churches and would equip leaders
- That we encourage these leaders to take what they learn and apply it in their ministry
- That we would build upon the foundation of partnership that has already been established - Our Gateway Team’s air and ground travel safety and health
- Our training time in Chicago
- Our families back home during the month of January
Also, please pray for other travel I (and we) have over the next 90 days to the Bahamas, Mississippi, Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, northern and central Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
It's a busy time ahead and we have much to be thankful about. Please join us in prayer for all of these items and folks. And, have a very blessed and joyous Christmas. The Lord has come!
Randy
Season of Joy! (not necessarily happiness...)
Let me get right to it. Fresh in my mind today are a number of people in our lives going through some major hardships and because it's this time of year, all the mention of being merry and happy can make it even more difficult. I'll mention some of those prayer requests in a moment, but it's at times like this where we need to know that Jesus has come. We still look forward to a 2nd coming but He has come.
"Joy" to the world is not a fleeting thought or a baseless hope, it is in fact, the reality that we hold to because Jesus has entered this world and through those who follow Him, He, by the Spirit in us, continues to make His presence known "far as the curse is found". It can be tough living here where the "curse is found", but His presence and Kingdom has come. There isn't always happiness or merriment as that Kingdom continues to emerge, but where Jesus is, there can be 'joy'.
Would you pray for....
- Mark and his family, a close friend in need of employment
- a marriage/health situation
- Kelly, a friend with health concerns
- a Pastor friend's (and his wife's) marriage
- the loved ones of Harry (a 50 some year old inner-city pastor, and host of mission teams, in Winnipeg, MB) and Lisa (a 17 year old Gateway Team member from Bismarck, ND)
Also, please pray for me over the next month and a half especially as I'll be traveling most of January to Cameroon and leading a Gateway Team. The team consists of a very special group of youth pastors who will be connecting with youth workers in Cameroon as we meet together, pray for each other and discover together some principles from Christ's life for discipleship.
Prayer requests for the Cameroon Gateway Team (January 7-25) -
- First off, pray for Godwill Ncham (our main host receiver)
o for his responsibilities over this huge area of ministry
o for new leaders that he is investing in
o for his family
- That we take time to invest in Godwill's life and the lives of some new up and coming leaders.
- That we encourage application in local churches and would equip leaders
- That we encourage these leaders to take what they learn and apply it in their ministry
- That we would build upon the foundation of partnership that has already been established - Our Gateway Team’s air and ground travel safety and health
- Our training time in Chicago
- Our families back home during the month of January
Also, please pray for other travel I (and we) have over the next 90 days to the Bahamas, Mississippi, Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, northern and central Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
It's a busy time ahead and we have much to be thankful about. Please join us in prayer for all of these items and folks. And, have a very blessed and joyous Christmas. The Lord has come!
Randy
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Prayer Requests from Romania
In Romania, Gateway Teams partners with the Hungarian Baptist Convention (yes, that's right!). And I recently had the chance to talk with our Field Facilitator there, Pastor Istvan Gergely (that's him on the left) as he is visiting some of our Gateway Teams participants and supporters in North Dakota, about some things he would appreciate prayer for....
1. Please pray for the 3 church plants made among the Roma (Gypsy) people of the area. It's a great opportunity for outreach that the Hungarians have right in their own regions.
2. Pray for the 18 (yes 18!) churches that Istvan pastors. He has 2 associates that help him, but he is the pastor of all of these congregations. There are many small towns in their Transylvania region of northwest Romania and Istvan has to do a lot of driving to get around.
3. Pray for a Gateway Team that we need to go to Romania next summer to work on the roof for their new church (pictured under construction).
4. Pray for the Falcon Rock Camp ministry that is in need of buildings and development (another open opportunity for a Gateway Team).
In addition to all of his other responsibilities, Istvan is the General Secretary for the Hungarian Baptist Convention of Romania. Please keep Istvan in your prayers and think about forming a Gateway Team in your church or region to go to Romania!
Thanks!
In Romania, Gateway Teams partners with the Hungarian Baptist Convention (yes, that's right!). And I recently had the chance to talk with our Field Facilitator there, Pastor Istvan Gergely (that's him on the left) as he is visiting some of our Gateway Teams participants and supporters in North Dakota, about some things he would appreciate prayer for....
1. Please pray for the 3 church plants made among the Roma (Gypsy) people of the area. It's a great opportunity for outreach that the Hungarians have right in their own regions.
2. Pray for the 18 (yes 18!) churches that Istvan pastors. He has 2 associates that help him, but he is the pastor of all of these congregations. There are many small towns in their Transylvania region of northwest Romania and Istvan has to do a lot of driving to get around.
3. Pray for a Gateway Team that we need to go to Romania next summer to work on the roof for their new church (pictured under construction).
4. Pray for the Falcon Rock Camp ministry that is in need of buildings and development (another open opportunity for a Gateway Team).
In addition to all of his other responsibilities, Istvan is the General Secretary for the Hungarian Baptist Convention of Romania. Please keep Istvan in your prayers and think about forming a Gateway Team in your church or region to go to Romania!
Thanks!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Welcome to the Schmors and Gateway Teams new Prayer Request Blog!
October 2006
Thanks so much for your continued support of this ministry! And thanks for visiting our new blog! We hope to do monthly prayer updates here so you can know how to pray for our ministry. Feel free to check it from time to time. We'll also try to send an email out to remind you to visit the site when we've posted something new!
We'll also try to use this site to blog through our travels, missions, etc. as they happen in the future!
Please pray for Gateway Teams over the months of September-October for the following requests:
September
- Gateway Teams Leader Training Event – September 15-16 – Elk Grove, CA
October
- Gateway Team (CoL) – October 13-30 – from Quail Lakes, Stockton, CA – led by Wayne Bibelheimer
- Gateway Teams Leader Training Event - October 27-28 - Edmonton, AB
Juan Luna
- Juan and Amanda Luna have been Host Receivers for Gateway Teams for over 13 years in Texas and Mexico. Juan has gone through a number of health related issues and surgeries over the past 2 months from which he will be in recovery for some time. Please pray for his health, his wife Amanda, the church he pastors, and the financial difficulties incurred.
2007
- We have a very busy schedule of ministry shaping up for next year. Here's some of the items coming up for which we'd ask your prayers:
- Randy has just been elected to the steering commitee for the "Fellowship of Short- Term Mission Leaders" annual conference in October.
- Cameroon Gateway Team in January led by Randy. The team consists of youth pastors
who will help lead 'Sonlife' discipleship seminars in partnership with
Cameroonian youth leaders.
- More possible Leader and Team training events.
- Leading of other Gateway Teams (TBA).
- Coordinating, planning, recruiting of many other teams.
Schmor Prayer Requests
Kameron – Kameron started 3rd Grade in September and is enjoying being back at school with all his friends. He had a great summer in Colorado and Mexico. He met lots of new friends – especially in Mexico. This fall he is playing soccer and taking piano lessons again as well as attending AWANA.
Shelly & Randy - We also had a great summer. We led a Gateway Leader’s Training Event in September in Elk Grove where we had 32 leaders trained! Praise the Lord! We will be attending a conference in Atlanta and leading another training event in Edmonton in October.
Prayer Requests…
*Pray for Shelly’s Grandma (Lorna Toll) & Shelly’s Mom
. (Sue Burgh)
*Pray for the Schmors as they continue to seek God’s
wisdom for many decisions. Pray that we would effectively minister to and meet the needs of those we are assisting.
*Training Events – that God would raise up many more effective leaders.
*Travel mercies as we once again cover many miles in the upcoming months.
*Family time at Thanksgiving with Shelly’s family in Oklahoma.
In His Grip,
Randy Schmor
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