Al & Diane Mellinger's Missionary Adventure

Happy Valentine’s Day

February 13, 2020 – Valentine’s Day another holiday where we are told we need to show people we care! That is a good thing but as followers of Christ, that should happen regularly if not every day.

I am not saying we need to give cards, flowers or candy to people every day but I do think we need to be people who live in such a way that we demonstrate God’s Love to the folks we interact with each day.

We are God’s disciples, His reps, His hands, and feet!  What do the people we encounter see what they interact with us?  For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE his only son…!  God is in the business of giving great gifts and so should we!

Happy Valentine’s day – Go and LOVE the world!

Next week Is the Annual Conference meeting – please pray for all the details we are still working on.  Pray also for the new Elders and CMC’s we will be bringing in. and Pray too for the new church plants that have started this year. (So far 15 this year)

Change

February 6, 2020 - This week I have felt like I am riding a rollercoaster.  As a younger person, I loved roller coasters, as I have gotten older not so much.

In our weekly post we try and keep it uplifting: sometimes stories of things going on, sometimes the vision of what we hope to see happen and sometimes asking for more support from those that get the email.  We try and keep everyone informed and as detailed as we can. 

I wish we could tell you more specifics about all that is going on but right now we are just asking you to pray for the work, the team and change that is coming.  As we can, we will explain all that is happening, what it means and where we will go from here.

Thanks again.

What does a movement look like?

January 30, 2020 - Movement implies “moving” that is going somewhere or doing something.  As our nationals are getting ready to officially assume oversite of the work here the reality is they are already doing it. 

It is an organic movement.  Team Balkans was a catalyst to bring about what God wanted.  Our training, modeling and encouraging was the start and will be here for advice as things move on but they know what needs to be done and are doing it. 

Several of our pastors and key lay leaders are doing all they can by going out on their own and holding services, doing training and bringing people to Christ.

Two examples: 

Recently the National leader was invited to go to Germany for a weekend of training with Bulgarians what now living there for work and they are wanting some spiritual training and connection.  The folks in Germany are connected to some of our church people and that contact has led to this international outreach. The German folks covered all the expenses to make it happen and they what them to come back again so we are working on details through our Bible School and Pastoral training to see what can be done.

Another example:  I was looking through Facebook and saw photos of our Evangelistic young leaders sharing about the service they had in a village about 20 minutes from where we live. They were excited about how it went. These guys are going out on their own time at their own expense to reach people not only in their back yard but their countrymen in other parts of Europe as well.

When you think about why we do missions this is it.  Jesus did it this way.  He came, taught and modeled what life should be like and then left it with the folks to do!  We are so excited to see what God is doing in and through the team He has put together.  Continue to pray for the transitions over the next few months.  Pray that God would lead all of us to make smart choices and to be open to do whatever He has in store!

Thank you from the "Sunny School for Handicapped"

January 23, 2020 - (written by Diane) -

We don’t get to see the children receive the gifts we assemble for the Virtual Christmas Gift Box.  We know that God uses these gifts in ways He sees fit and are grateful to be a part of what He is doing in Bulgaria.  The churches often use these as outreach to children in their community, including the clear message of Christ and a time of fellowship.  Thank you for your support of this part of the ministry.

For many years in Petrich, our church gives to the school (Sunny) for handicapped children.  We have dropped the gifts off before the school Christmas party.  We have also included the teachers with a gift of some kind.  The work they do is difficult many days.  We only are allowed into the lobby, but this year we received a thank you (pictured).  The students probably attached the dot.  I am grateful that we are able to give a smile or something needed or uplifting to a group in our community that are usually overlooked or treated poorly.

Here is our Virtual Christmas Gift Box Thank You Video!

This year we also were able to give from our land that produced potatoes.  Chance and DeeDee Galloway reported how thrilled the pastor overlooking the land was to see the work of his (and God’s) hands blessing people who are extremely poor.  God knows what He is doing and His timing surprises us, though it shouldn’t.

This week pray for the transitions happing over the next month or so with the nationals assuming more and more of the oversite of the work in the Balkans.

Pray too for the missionary team as we adjust to new roles.

Pray for the ongoing church planting projects that have and will be starting this year.

Economic Ministries Update

January 11, 2020 - This week's post is a bit later than usual.  We have been prepping and then traveling as we have been getting ready to launch some new products.  We are adding some Yoga Socks, new styles of Wrist Warmer, Messy Buns and Scarves.  In our sewing group, we are launching Clothes Protectors for senior adults.  More on these in a few weeks after we pick up the new product.

We also completed our year-end report for Marketplace Manna, Inc - our company in the states that help with the distribution of what our folks make as well as our partners around the world - our digital version can be seen here

https://almellinger.typepad.com/MM%20Year%20in%20Review%20%26%202020%20Vision%20A.pdf

It has been another year of growth and change.  A great deal of learning is happening and we still very excited and very passionate about helping the church learn more about how it can make a difference in the stewardship habits.

This week pray for:

The upcoming meetings in Mid February when our group of churches becomes an annual conference in the FM movement.

The future and direction of our companies here in BG and in the US.

The New Church Plants that will be launched in North Macedonia in 2 weeks.