I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to you! This is a special time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! Not simply because He is Emanuel, God with us, but because He came to die that we might have life! Thank you Jesus!
We are excited about the coming year and all that God will do build His kingdom! Thank you for the privilege of laboring with you. Please be in prayer with us as students from all over the world will invest time to learn how to have a relationship with Christ and how to grow in their relationship with Christ at strategic New Years Conferences scattered across the US. Literally thousands of students will participate and many will commit to following Christ and others to becoming laborers for Him! It is such an important and strategic time.
It was at a New Years Conference in 1986 that I gave my life to Christ and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. After almost a year of studying the bible with our CO staff and guys on my football team, I began to realize that I called myself a Christian, but I did not really know Christ. For me, it had all been about what I believed and not what God says about Himself and me. It was so liberating to finally know Him, His truth, and His life. I am thankful for people just like you who prayed and gave to help make that possible for me and want to encourage you that it does make a difference! An eternal difference!
How did Jesus impact your life?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Missionary Pre-Deployment Conference
December 10-14 we hosted nine missionaries preparing to serve around the world for a Missionary Pre-Deployment Conference. It was so encouraging to see how God has called, equipped, and now prepared these men and women for their ministries.
During our training sessions we focused on topics like:
Above: Brain and Abbey Harper and Melanie Rogers who are deploying to Belo Horizonte, Brazil to work with the Campus Outreach ministry and Church we helped launch there.
Above: Bobby and Katie Hamlett and Bob and Courtney McGregor who are deploying to Khon Kaen, Thailand to work with the Campus Outreach ministry and Church there.
Not pictured individually is Brian and Jennifer Phillips who are deploying to Brisbane, Australia to work with Campus Outreach and the church there.
Praise God for His glorious mercy and grace that is answering our prayers to send out laborers into His harvest field! Pray with us that God would meet anything that is lacking for each staff as they prepare to leave the USA for new lands!
- Gospel Identity
- Gospel Community
- Gospel Mission
- First Term Expectations
- Cross Cultural Communication
- Cultural Adaptation
- Campus Outreach International Network Field Services
- Longevity In Ministry
Not pictured individually is Brian and Jennifer Phillips who are deploying to Brisbane, Australia to work with Campus Outreach and the church there.
Praise God for His glorious mercy and grace that is answering our prayers to send out laborers into His harvest field! Pray with us that God would meet anything that is lacking for each staff as they prepare to leave the USA for new lands!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Update August 23, 2010
We Are Back!
We are back from our farewell visit to Belo Horizonte. We took all four kids for our time of celebration and farewell. It was such a sweet time of reflection of all the might works that our Lord has done. Thank you for your partnership in this great endeavor. We also had to dispense our worldly goods/personal possessions that had been stored there during our year of sabbatical last year. It was tremendous work, but God sustained us and used many of our friends in Brazil to see us through. Without them we could not have completed our task in the short time we had available.
The kids are now back to school and we are settling into Birmingham, AL. As you can imagine, it has been and continues to be quite a series of transitions. Thankfully God is faithful and we can lose ourselves in Him!
Please keep us in your prayers! Pray with us:
-that we would settle into a healthy routine
-that God would meet all our needs as we seek to raise the additional $2000 of monthly support we need
-for God to continue to use us as a family to draw others to Christ and grant us wisdom to know how to use our resources
It has been a while since I've posted an update on our blog, but we have sent a few email updates asking for your prayers. If you are not getting those please let me know at rlong@campusoutreach.org.
We are back from our farewell visit to Belo Horizonte. We took all four kids for our time of celebration and farewell. It was such a sweet time of reflection of all the might works that our Lord has done. Thank you for your partnership in this great endeavor. We also had to dispense our worldly goods/personal possessions that had been stored there during our year of sabbatical last year. It was tremendous work, but God sustained us and used many of our friends in Brazil to see us through. Without them we could not have completed our task in the short time we had available.
The kids are now back to school and we are settling into Birmingham, AL. As you can imagine, it has been and continues to be quite a series of transitions. Thankfully God is faithful and we can lose ourselves in Him!
Please keep us in your prayers! Pray with us:
-that we would settle into a healthy routine
-that God would meet all our needs as we seek to raise the additional $2000 of monthly support we need
-for God to continue to use us as a family to draw others to Christ and grant us wisdom to know how to use our resources
It has been a while since I've posted an update on our blog, but we have sent a few email updates asking for your prayers. If you are not getting those please let me know at rlong@campusoutreach.org.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Salt & Light - May 2010 Update
Thank You!
Thank you seems like such small words to express the overwhelming gratefulness I feel before God and to you His instruments of grace that have blessed us so richly this past year! But I will say THANK YOU again! Thank you for your prayers! Thank you for your support and encouragement! Thank you for your sacrificial giving, especially in such a difficult year when everyone is suffering! Thank you for partnering with us in God's "Great Commission"!
Thanks to you we have been blessed to complete an incredibly important year of investment and renewal. We have been privileged to invest in our walks with the Lord, our marriage, our family, our children, our vision, our hopes, our dreams, and our future.
Leaving Brazil last year to come to the USA for a sabbatical was one of the most difficult things we've done. It was difficult to leave the "ministry/work" still in process. It was difficult to leave our spiritual children because we love them dearly as a mother loves her children. It was difficult to leave the new Bible studies we had started and those we were evangelizing. God has begun a great work in them that He will bring to completion! It was hard to leave our fellow staff and young leaders we have been helping to grow and develop. It was difficult to leave our young Church plant at such a critical time in its growth and development. It was difficult to leave our "extended family" and friends that God has blessed us with over these years in Brazil. But in all things God meets our needs and has cared for all these concerns and desires. His ways are always best!
What’s Next?
One of the important parts of our time here this year has been seeking God about how He would position us for the second half of our ministry and life. After praying and talking in depth with our leadership team in Brazil we have arrived at our next steps. Here are some of the highlights:
We will be continuing to labor with Campus Outreach and will continue to need your partnership, prayer, and financial support as we move forward “Building Laborers Through the Campus for the Lost World”.
We will not be going back to Brazil at this time in order to provide space, time, and opportunity for the young Brazilian National leaders to grow and truly take on the leadership for the ministry in Brazil. It is a very important time in the development of the ministry and Church where it is Nationalizing in its leadership and function. We are saddened and excited about this. Saddened that we are not going right back. Excited that God has done exactly what He promised and called us to do in Brazil. He has raised up laborers from among the Brazilians to lead and labor in His Kingdom for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. When I look at these laborers and this Church, I can’t help but envision the GENERATIONS of men and women who will be eternally impacted through them as a result of your partnership! I can’t thank you enough for this privilege!
We will be transitioning to Birmingham, Alabama in July where I will assist Kent Bailey with the development of several new initiatives within the ministry of Campus Outreach called Global Development. I have worked closely with Kent for the last sixteen years (in Birmingham and Brazil) and God has given us another exciting opportunity to take on some key initiatives for the Global Campus Outreach Movement. We are at a strategic point in the history and development of the Campus Outreach Ministry where we have years of experience to draw from in order to understand what we are doing well and how can we do it better (DEEPENING). We also want to understand the things we are not doing or doing poorly and how we can help make these things happen and happen better (DEVELOPING). With the commitment to raise up and mobilize even more leaders/laborers, teams, and ministries for God’s Kingdom (DOUBLING/MULTIPLYING). I look forward to sharing more with you about this as we move forward!
This will be a huge transition for our family! We are very excited about all that God has for us to do! We want to thank each one of you for your faithfulness and partnership. This ministry is a partnership! Without you it would not be possible! Thank you for encouraging us and supporting us that we may continue to Build Laborers Through the Campus for the Lost World for the Glory of God!
Prayer
Thank you for all your encouragement this year! We are so thankful for you and appreciate your faithful partnership! Here are a few of our current prayer request. Please join with us in prayer through this transition:
-That we would finish well all that we are currently doing in Atlanta, GA
-That we could raise the additional $1700 in monthly support that we need to replace that which we’ve lost over the past year of economic turmoil and challenge. Thank you again Jesus for meeting our needs for last year’s costs.
-That God would allow us to close on a house and move to Birmingham in June to settle before school and work starts full force there.
-For wisdom as we help the children make a healthy transition emotionally and physically.
-For the growth and development of the ongoing ministry and team in Brazil!
God Bless You and Keep You!
Thank you seems like such small words to express the overwhelming gratefulness I feel before God and to you His instruments of grace that have blessed us so richly this past year! But I will say THANK YOU again! Thank you for your prayers! Thank you for your support and encouragement! Thank you for your sacrificial giving, especially in such a difficult year when everyone is suffering! Thank you for partnering with us in God's "Great Commission"!
Thanks to you we have been blessed to complete an incredibly important year of investment and renewal. We have been privileged to invest in our walks with the Lord, our marriage, our family, our children, our vision, our hopes, our dreams, and our future.
Leaving Brazil last year to come to the USA for a sabbatical was one of the most difficult things we've done. It was difficult to leave the "ministry/work" still in process. It was difficult to leave our spiritual children because we love them dearly as a mother loves her children. It was difficult to leave the new Bible studies we had started and those we were evangelizing. God has begun a great work in them that He will bring to completion! It was hard to leave our fellow staff and young leaders we have been helping to grow and develop. It was difficult to leave our young Church plant at such a critical time in its growth and development. It was difficult to leave our "extended family" and friends that God has blessed us with over these years in Brazil. But in all things God meets our needs and has cared for all these concerns and desires. His ways are always best!
What’s Next?
One of the important parts of our time here this year has been seeking God about how He would position us for the second half of our ministry and life. After praying and talking in depth with our leadership team in Brazil we have arrived at our next steps. Here are some of the highlights:
We will be continuing to labor with Campus Outreach and will continue to need your partnership, prayer, and financial support as we move forward “Building Laborers Through the Campus for the Lost World”.
We will not be going back to Brazil at this time in order to provide space, time, and opportunity for the young Brazilian National leaders to grow and truly take on the leadership for the ministry in Brazil. It is a very important time in the development of the ministry and Church where it is Nationalizing in its leadership and function. We are saddened and excited about this. Saddened that we are not going right back. Excited that God has done exactly what He promised and called us to do in Brazil. He has raised up laborers from among the Brazilians to lead and labor in His Kingdom for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. When I look at these laborers and this Church, I can’t help but envision the GENERATIONS of men and women who will be eternally impacted through them as a result of your partnership! I can’t thank you enough for this privilege!
We will be transitioning to Birmingham, Alabama in July where I will assist Kent Bailey with the development of several new initiatives within the ministry of Campus Outreach called Global Development. I have worked closely with Kent for the last sixteen years (in Birmingham and Brazil) and God has given us another exciting opportunity to take on some key initiatives for the Global Campus Outreach Movement. We are at a strategic point in the history and development of the Campus Outreach Ministry where we have years of experience to draw from in order to understand what we are doing well and how can we do it better (DEEPENING). We also want to understand the things we are not doing or doing poorly and how we can help make these things happen and happen better (DEVELOPING). With the commitment to raise up and mobilize even more leaders/laborers, teams, and ministries for God’s Kingdom (DOUBLING/MULTIPLYING). I look forward to sharing more with you about this as we move forward!
This will be a huge transition for our family! We are very excited about all that God has for us to do! We want to thank each one of you for your faithfulness and partnership. This ministry is a partnership! Without you it would not be possible! Thank you for encouraging us and supporting us that we may continue to Build Laborers Through the Campus for the Lost World for the Glory of God!
Prayer
Thank you for all your encouragement this year! We are so thankful for you and appreciate your faithful partnership! Here are a few of our current prayer request. Please join with us in prayer through this transition:
-That we would finish well all that we are currently doing in Atlanta, GA
-That we could raise the additional $1700 in monthly support that we need to replace that which we’ve lost over the past year of economic turmoil and challenge. Thank you again Jesus for meeting our needs for last year’s costs.
-That God would allow us to close on a house and move to Birmingham in June to settle before school and work starts full force there.
-For wisdom as we help the children make a healthy transition emotionally and physically.
-For the growth and development of the ongoing ministry and team in Brazil!
God Bless You and Keep You!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Quotes of Encouragement and Challenge from Green Leaf in Drought Time
These are quotes from the book “Green Leaf in Drought Time” by Isabel Kuhn, written in 1957, that we have found encouraging and challenging!
“God does not waste suffering, nor does He discipline out of caprice. If He plows, it is because He purposes a crop.”
“How good it is that our salvation does not depend on our feelings! The Lord IS near whether we feel His presence or not. Christ’s blood is sufficient for our sin’s debt whether we ‘feel’ the flush of glowing faith or are shaken with fears.”
Psalms 66:10—13 refuse to question or complain even though the days may seem to have no sense in them.
“Meek endurance and meek obedience, the acceptance of His dealings of whatever complexion they are and however they may tear and desolate our hearts, without murmuring, without sulking, without rebellion or resistance, is the deepest conception of the meekness which Christ pronounced blessed.” Alexander MacLaren
“The wonderful loving Father not only had love for His Son, but also had strength to help His Son. But He did not spare His Son. Why should we expect Him to spare us, both in the great sorrow of our hearts, the unutterable longings, and our present situation. Oh, may we prove trustworthy sons!” Wilda Matthews
“They were trusted to trust without receiving what others received. They were trusted not to be offended.”
“5 Smooth stones that will take down any giant. God is! God has! God can! God will! God does!” Charles Fox
FOUR ANCHORS – Acts 27:27-29 (Just as those who were with the apostle Paul sought help to escape destruction and death from the raging seas, we must rely on our anchors in our time of distress.)
1. Say, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this straight place and in that fact I will rest.
2. He will keep me here in His love and give me grace to behave as His child.
3. Then He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends for me to learn.
4. In His good time He can bring me out again- how and when He knows.
So let me say, I am (1) here by God’s appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time.
“Not to receive it joyfully was to deny the Lord before men. The Son had left heaven, not submitting to do the will of God, but delighting.” …They had been acting like servants who don’t want to do it but have to because they can’t get out of it. What a different attitude was the Son’s! …Phil. 2:13 – “for it is God Himself whose power creates within you both the Desire and the Power to execute His will” Weymouth
Ps. 40:8 – all of Ps 40 is great
Is. 58:11
“They were under the conviction that they were not the victims of a mistake, but His children definitely led by Him into a net. This gave them the meekness to stay in.”
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