After five months of silence, this weekend we are sending out the first OSM President's Report for 2010. Please pray for this to bring a miraculous response! We need at least $15,000 to meet our basic budget for 2010. That doesn't seem like much, I know, but it will represent a real intervention from God.
Ivy has joined me in faith, believing that that the Lord will deliver us and help us to meet the budget needs and go forward. We have not given up hope for OSM to survive and grow here in Virginia and across the nation.

Back in action again at Christian Aid

Today, Monday February 1, begins my second month directly promoting prayer and support for indigenous missionaries through Christian Aid. I could't be happier having a direct hand in communicating on behalf of so many missionaries (75,000) in so many frontline nations! And of course, it is especially thrilling to be helping native missions in Haiti, Jos (Nigeria) and other trouble spots that came up on the radar during January. This is such a wonderful answer to our prayers.

Like having my first baby

You can always tell the new, first-time moms. They are so excited about their pregnancy. They think they can do it all, and in fact at first they talk excitedly about the birth and how fast they will be getting back to work. Unlike others, they are absolutely certain they will be keeping all the balls up in the air. Husband, job, church and charity will all continue on unchanged.
When I started this journey back in March, I too was so sure I could do it all. Now that I'm nine months into the pregnancy, I'm getting a lot more realistic.
What started out a "The Decade of the International Student" in my mind has now become "The Decade of the International" ... much larger in some ways and yet more focused in others. I now am cultivating 12 (count them 12!) special interest groups I see essential to reaching All Nations -- including not only the students and misionaries but also ethnic churches, indigenous mission agencies, sponsors, mentors, advisors and layers upon layers of prayer partners and supporters.
Now that I'm "big with child" I realize that I can't along without others. In fact, I can barely move without others now. Even getting up out of my spiritual chair is a chore. I am so much more dependent. More humble -- mostly on my spiritual husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, but also on the rest of the family...his body, the church.
Things are so bad, that I wish I had never taken this on! How did I ever think I could do this thing. I'm not a president or leader any more than I'm a mother! Without the grace of God, this will never happen. However, it will happen because our Lord said his Gospel of love would be taken to all nations. That keeps me going. When will this baby ever come?

Counting Down to Next Victory Event

Tonight we gather in Charlottesville to pray for All Nations, including the nations of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Honduras--but our hearts are also on the OSM Great Commission Victory Dinner with Dr. Bob Finley this Saturday night in Charlottesville (March 7). He is the "founder" of our mission and we want to appreciate him in a special way while giving all the honor and glory to God.
This is the only victory event in 2009 that Dr. Bob will be able to attend and so I am praying for some real spiritual breakthroughs here. We already have support from at least two local mission agencies and a number of individuals. This event will help rally the long-term support we will need from central Virginia.
The proposed 2010-2020 DECADE OF THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT needs to dig deep foundations to sustain us to raise up the "Next Generation" of indigenous missions.

Proposing a 2010-2020 "Decade of the International Student"

We stayed up till 12:30 AM Saturday night just talked about the implications of the proposed "Decade of the International Student." Our OSM victory reception in Washington was supposed to end at 8:30 but we couldn't stop talking and dreaming the dream of reaching out to the leaders of the next generation.

Just in the USA alone, a record-breaking 600,000 international students from all nations are preparing to go home to apply what they are learning here in their own cultures. This is an urgent opportunity for American Christians to welcome the world into our homes and churches. The guests at our Alexandria timeshare were as excited as I am about the implications of this proposed ten year effort.

A decade-long campaign to contact these student leaders on over 850 campuses in this country would have to involve at least 1200 churches, 3000 Christian student groups, and hundreds of thousands of "Friendship Families" and "Friendship Sponsors" who would welcome these visitors into our homes.

From here we are taking this to leaders of student movements like Bridges Interantional, International Students, Inc. and IVCF all across the USA and overseas.