Mom & Me Girls In Action Weekend

I grew up in a traditional Southern Baptist Church learning about missions and missionaries through the GAs. That stood for Girl's Auxiliary when I was young but today it stands for Girls In Action. I credit this program for giving me my first glimpse of missions and sparking an interest in all things "foreign".

This past weekend I was privileged to be one of the missionary speakers at the Virginia WMU's annual Mom & Me weekend. Nearly 1000 GAs in grades 1-5 came with their moms to have a great time and learn about missions. The theme was Magnificent Moldova, the offering collected will be sent to the Ruth School for Gypsy children in Romania, and the mission action project was to bring school items for native American Indian children on the Sioux reservations in North/South Dakota. The weekend was full.

I spoke 10 times in three days telling the girls about Romany (Gypsies) and helping them see through slides what their life is like. I used many pictures of life for the children so the girls could imagine what it would be like if they were there. I had a great time being there.

I met the sisters and mother of Pedro, one of the young men who came with the Virginia Latino Youth team last summer. I met young girls who say they pray for the Romany during their meeting time. I heard from many that participate in the Samaritan's Purse Christmas Shoebox program. We receive those boxes in Hungary. I became acquainted with a staff and volunteers that worked tirelessly to make this a memorable weekend for the girls and their moms.

It was my privilege to be a part of it all. Thank you WMU of Virginia!

New Gypsy Ministry Blog for CBF

The CBF Gypsy Team has its own blog now. Different members of the team will be posting updates from their areas of the world. Take a look and check back often. Pray for the Gypsies, especially in eastern Europe as prejudice rears its ugly head.

CBF Gypsy Ministry Blog:
www.cbfgypsyministries.blogspot.com

Passport Youth Camps & CBF & the Stocks

Passport has been a long-time partner of CBF. Recently while in Birmingham, AL, to share Roma stories at Vestiva Hills Baptist Church, we visited their head office. Passport offers amazing opportunities for young people to experience a week of Bible studies, mission activities, and lots of fun. We also think Passport is great because our daughter, Amy, will serve as Recreation Director, for the Boston & Houston sites this summer. Amy has worked for Passport before and it was a great experience. Give it a try, we recommend it!

On the Mountain with the WMU

The Women's Misssionary Union, a Baptist group, has since its beginning supported missionaries and ministries around the world. The WMU also has been responsible in local Baptist churches for teaching children and adults about missions. I am proud to say I am a product of that teaching, having first learned about missions as a young child in the Sunbeam program and I have fond memories of helping my mom, who served as the WMU director at our church, do various projects.

Since WMU played such an important role in my life it was my priviledge to give a little back to them. I was invited to speak at breakout sessions at the annual North Carolina WMU Extravaganza weekend held at the Ridgecrest Baptist Center in the mountains near Asheville. Ladies come from around the state to enjoy a getaway, participate in awesome worship services, hear missionaries (like me) speak, learn more ways to promote missions, get tips on how they can be of service in their communities, and oh, so much more! The fact that the setting was in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains is an extra bonus!

Saturday afternoon as I enjoyed a hike along one of the many trails around Ridgecrest, I gave thanks to God for creating a beautiful place and for the WMU that gives kids like me an opportunity to learn about His love, opportunities to serve Him, and fosters that call to "go out unto the world". Thank you WMU!