Al & Diane Mellinger's Missionary Adventure

Celebrating Volunteers

September 29, 2022 – This week Spring Arbor University sent 4 students and a sponsor to our shop to volunteer to help us for 3 hours.  It is part of SAU’s 150-year celebration.  Their goal is to have the students and staff volunteer 150,000 hours this school year.

The team that came helped us get over 1000 new Christmas items sorted, tagged, and labeled. Which was a big help as we are working hard with local groups getting them to make a number of new items for this coming holiday season. 

We are so thankful for and glad to be helping folks in our part of the world care for themselves and their families.

Watch for. the unveiling of these products in the coming weeks.

Also if you would like a display table of product for your church to sell this holiday season. Let us know.

Continue to pray for God's blessing on the stores - with the economic woes sales are slowing but cost are not.

Pray too for the groups we partner with - pray God's grace on and toward them.

And finally, pray about our funding.

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To help with our personal support click here

Marketplacemanna.com – online store

To help with our development fund click here

 

Keeping it Real!

September 17, 2022 – it has been some time since we updated folks. Here are some ups and downs of the last month.

Diane’s 87-year-old mother passed away. It was not unexpected but still a life experience that needs to be processed. The Memorial Service will be September 29^th in Florida and for those family and friends up north another one on October 8^th in Jackson, Michigan. In addition, we attended Diane’s nephew's wedding as well. Pray for the family and friends as we gather for these memorials. Diane and I will be officiating at the Michigan one.

We have been traveling a little, we had planned to be back in Bulgaria, so we did not have churches scheduled. We have spoken at several organizations about what we do. Pray that we could add a few more speaking dates this fall and winter.

We are still working with the local homeless shelter, elderly home, and other groups. Right now, these groups are helping produce Christmas merchandise as we have to get ready for the upcoming Holiday season. Pray for the folks we work with they are people made and loved by God!

The stores are in a holding pattern. They are covering the monthly expenses but not much more for development. The economy (with inflation) means that many folks no longer have the discretionary funds to spend on many of the items we display.  We finally found another employee for our Ann Arbor location which will help with scheduling and upcoming Holiday hours. We praise God for this answer to prayer.

Our personal support some months continues to fall short. Please continue to pray about this, we know we are non-traditional missionaries but still, find ourselves praying with and serving many who have no way of giving back.  We are finding this a regular act of faith to trust God for what we need.  Pray for us and about our regular needs.

That is the low down on what has been happening in our lives.  Thanks as always for your prayers and support for what we do.

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To help with our personal support click here

Marketplacemanna.com – online store

To help with our development fund click here

Collecting!

August 11, 2022 - We could use your help by helping us collect the following Items.  These are used in our REED Workshops as we work with those in need around us.  Bring them to one of our stores or when we are sharing with your group.

Continue to pray for...

...The REED Workshops

...Our Person Support 

...Our planned trip back to Bulgaria this Fall.

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To help with our personal support click here

Marketplacemanna.com – online store

To help with our development fund click here

August Update!

August 4, 2022 - This week Diane is with Faith (our granddaughter) in Ohio taking her to swimming lessons and loving like crazy on her.

I have been writing and working on all kinds of projects in and around Michigan.  I have said this before there are so many ways to serve the poor around you if you will open your eyes and ask God to lead you to them.  Found another organization that works with folks struggling to function in the world.  We have begun talks about a sewing project with them.  Which is interesting because we were given 5 sewing machines last week.  Don’t know where this will lead but I am always encouraged when God is working and we are listening so we don’t miss the instructions.

(New Gift Bag we are starting to sell this week - made in Jackson)

I have mentioned that I am part of a Rotary club here in Jackson.  I was encouraged to join a few years back by leaders I trust and it has been a great opportunity for me. We are now partnering with several groups because their leaders came and spoke about what they do.  In following up with the speaker it has led to several partnerships that we are grateful for.

It has also let us know how we can help local churches find groups to connect with as well.  If we are going to teach on how to minister and connect with the poor we need to know what it is like. Learning how to contact, connect and follow through has been a learning experience and very rewarding.

Although it is a challenge too, as each group we partner with requires us coming up with not only equipment but also funding to pay for materials, salaries and other miscellaneous expenses.  (if anyone would like to help with this give to the Development fund below).

We were supposed to be in Bulgaria this month but that door seemed to be closed and we are not looking for the next best time to plan our trip. Please pray about this with us. There are things that need to be tied us that require us to be there.

Store sales are still in the summer slowdown. We are watching the economy closely to make sure we are as frugal as we can be with expenses while still expanding and serving the folks that need assistance. What we sell is not essential to most here but very essential to the folks making the product and needing us to sell it to keep them working.  Pray that we would find God’s will in all that we do.

Continue to pray for our support and the ministry funds needed to do what we do.

Thanks again for your prayers and financial support.

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To help with our personal support click here

Marketplacemanna.com – online store

To help with our development fund click here

Summer Update!

July 28, 2922 - Since the middle of June, we have traveled to West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, Kansas, and Oklahoma.  That included being at 8 Annual Conferences, 2 Family Camps, and speaking in 4 churches and 2 family gatherings. We met a great many new friends and reconnected with many old friends as well. God is good and we are tired but feeling blessed.

During this same time period, our finances have improved with some additional folks making one-time gifts and a few signing up for monthly support.

This summer we have met with some local leaders about what we are doing and they are very interested in potentially partnering with us on local projects.

The sales at the camps and Annual Conferences have helped a great deal this summer as the store sales have had the summer dropped off and with the economy what it is at this point.

That being said we are postponing our Bulgaria trip for now. Still hoping to get there this year.

Another praise – we approach the mall about a new pricing structure for our store and they accepted it which will save us over $9000 over the next year. If they didn’t we would seriously be considering closing that location as it is now we are staying open. Praying that sales pick up as fall approaches.

During the travels, we were approached about writing some programs to be used for college students to help them learn and understand about serving the poor. We have started working on the lesson and are enjoying putting what we talk about into a class format.

Still looking for a part-time employee for Ann Arbor – please pray about that.

We are not sensing that we need to make a change in ministry at this point but are walking by faith and pressing on, waiting on God for our next set of instructions. Keep praying for us and the work we are developing.

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To help with our personal support click here

Marketplacemanna.com – online store

To help with our development fund click here