“…upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 (KJV) Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus. Yesterday the sky was overcast. Today, it is filled with sunshine. What a difference a day makes. Sunshine in the sky. Sonshine in my soul. A perfect combination. ON THE ROAD AGAIN Stateside travel time is upon me/us, and it appears that the weather is going to be good for the first trip out. Three exciting opportunities are taking place in the next 6 weeks. They provide wonderful venues where we, as missionaries,  can engage in dialogue with multiple Pastors, Missions Directors and friends about the particular work God has called each of us to do in His world. They also provide opportunities for us to get to know one another better, to be strengthened by one another, and to be knit together more closely in the spirit of fellowship and Christian love. I am really looking forward to each of them. Nothing ...

Greetings from the Unfrozen North, If the last few days is any indication, then March will be barreling down on us like a pride of lions! Lots of rain and wind in our neck of the woods, and all the snow is gone. While not completely unheard of, this is certainly not our norm. We are so excited about how the school of ministry curriculum is coming together. In spite of the busyness of life – work schedules, kids, deaths in the family, illnesses – Mark has been able to get the basic outline for the syllabus put together for the first phase of the school.  The first part of this process has been identifying the subjects that will serve as the foundation stones for these students. Subjects like, How to Study Scripture, Basic Doctrine, Getting Whole, Practical Reconciliation, and Basic Discipleship. The second part of this process has been identifying the study materials we will be using. This is a daunting task in and of itself if your theological library is anything like ours....

“…those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 NKJV Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, our LORD. We trust all is well with you and yours, and that 2015 is off to a good start for you. It certainly is for LTI. With all the plans for this year, we are going to be busier than we have been in several years. That is exciting! That makes us happy! Some time ago, we began waiting for the Lord to show us the “next step” to take. No answer came right away so we continued to wait on the Lord. The first inkling came as a stirring in Mark’s heart concerning Romania that grew so strong he discussed with me the possibility of an exploratory trip to see if God had something there for LTI. That trip happened last March, and sure enough God did. Romania was/is an open door. Around the same time another “possibility” presented itself. This time ...

Hello All, We hope this newsletter finds you well and full of hope for the upcoming year.  We are well and full of hope for what the Lord is doing; not just through LTI, but in all parts of His body, in all parts of the world. While we are in the opening days of this New Year, we want to take a moment to share with you where we are, the plan for the upcoming year, and our heart for the bigger vision - a “State of the Ministry” letter, so to speak.  In looking forward to 2015, we knew it was time to take stock, and get our bearings. In the process, it feels to us like we are coming full circle; both with LTI and with us personally. As most of you know, the story of LTI started with a heart to meet the overwhelming need in the developing world to raise up pastors and teachers who could shepherd the rapidly growing numbers of believers in those nations. At that point in time, the people of those nations had little to no access to any kind of systematic, structured teachin...

“Follow Me.” (Signed, Jesus) Matthew 4:19 HAPPY NEW YEAR Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus. I trust all is well with you and yours and that you are enjoying the rich blessings of God in your life. Here we are again. A New Year has begun. It is as though we are starting over with a clean slate. I wish for you a year filled with many evidences of God’s grace and goodness to you that propel you onward to a successful and bountiful end when this year closes. We are excited about what is in store for us in 2015. I hope you are excited about what God has for you in 2015. Faith and Hope fill our hearts for more than we may have realized in a while, and our spirits soar with expectation. In this new year let us continue to “… press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14), so that we will be able say that we finished the course God laid out for each of us to follow. The end has not yet come. The trumpet has not yet...

Greetings from the Balmy North, Well, relatively balmy. We’re still in the mid 30’s, downright tropical for mid-December here. But this too, shall pass and soon enough we’ll be buried under several feet of snow and the rise of the mercury will stop in the single digits. Wow! What a trip! Or is that trips? Anyway, what a wonderful time in the Lord and with His family. ROMANIA The main goal for the Romanian leg of the trip was to meet with Pastor Adi and move ahead on the School of Ministry; and that is exactly what happened. A prime example of a divine appointment. We were in complete agreement about the form the school should take, where it should start, goals and timing. So, as soon as the holiday season is past, Mark will start working on the curriculum for the school. We hope to see the first students attending classes in the fall of 2015! Once again, the Father has shown us that He has set the table for us in Romania. While getting the curriculum ready by the fall will be a ch...

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14 It's hard to believe this year has come and gone already, and that 2015 is literally right around the corner. We have had a wonderful year. Another year of changes, but a wonderful year none the less. New great grand babies (and 2 more on the way), new jobs and new ministry opportunities. And for all of these things, we are truly grateful and blessed. One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season (that's different than the Christmas Story), is listening to all of the Christmas songs, from the traditional choir carols to the latest arrangement sung by the newest acapella group. Ever get a line, just one line, from a song that gets stuck in your head and you walk around for days singing that same line over and over again in your head? Sometimes you sing out loud when you think you're all alone and no one is watching (or listening)? Sometimes you hum or wh...