Al & Diane Mellinger's Missionary Adventure

Mother's Day is Coming!

April 24, 2020 - Mother's Day is celebrated on international Woman's Day in March here in Bulgaria but soon it will be happening in the USA.

With the Government shutdown of local businesses, our store in Jackson has been temporarily closed but our online shop is still shipping orders. That is one way you can help us right now.  We can not continue to produce or purchase products from the folks we work with if we do not have sales going out which means income coming in.

We also know most folks are struggling because they too have are not working. So in honor of MOM, we are having a special sale this weekend (until April 27th) and giving all our online orders 20% off their purchase when they use the code: MOM at checkout.

Here is a video that also shows some of the items we think mothers might like.

This week pray for the ongoing feeding opportunities we have in the Balkans

Pray for people to be able to get back to work as soon as it is safe

Pray for us as we work on figuring out what our new schedule for our stateside travels will be.

 

 

What is God Doing During this Global Epidemic in the Balkans?

April 17, 2020 – It has been over a month since the governments of Bulgaria, Serbia and North Macedonia have put their countries on a stay at home lockdown. For our work that meant we could not do our normal training with the church planters and leaders, groups schedule to come were canceled livelihood production suspended with stores closed.

We continued to cover the stipends that we provide our church planters to attend the training as they are needing it now more than ever.

A couple of weeks ago, we received some donations that we were not expecting for church planting and general ministry. Through phone calls and Internet conversations, Team Balkans has kept in communication with our team of leaders in the region and found out that many of our leaders were using their support to help feed and get medicine for folks in their neighborhoods who needed it. But what little they had was gone and folks were still hungry. So, our governing board met and because God provided ahead of time with the extra gifts we have been able to assist 20+ churches in the 3 countries we serve, meet real needs, in real-time.

Our agriculture program has progressed and the team working on it has been able to travel just outside the city (with special work papers) to get seeds planted and the crops in the greenhouse managed.  This will also help with feeding needs in the future. Additionally, during this time we are in negotiations to be given additional property to add to the agricultural program that would help us increase our work and production.

We (Team Balkans) are in awe of what God is doing through the team of national leaders He has raised up.  As they are discipled they make disciples who respond to the needs that they see. We don’t have to tell them to – they come to us and ask for help but they are going to do what they can with what they have because they love Jesus.

This week thanks God for the leaders He has put in place and pray that the work they are doing among the poor and needy will go far and wide.

Pray too for the Missionary Team here – many groups and plan that were on the schedule were canceled and being on lockdown in our homes in another culture can be hard

Pray also for our supporters who have lost their jobs and have no funds to support and keep the mission going.  Pray that God will provide in new and creative ways.

If you would like to give to our feeding programs you can donate directly here.

https://www.gallowayministries.org/donate-now.html?fbclid=IwAR209Hqc85iOtAOLAQrK-4_rzOQKSfmo5eBMC6bPK2ObDPbG6aZuwXbBIyk

Happy Easter - He is Risen!

April 10, 2020 - Good Friday in the west. - (This weekend starts our Holy week in Bulgaria) - Diane and I want to wish all our those who get our weekly update a very Happy Easter.  Even though around the world the Covid 19 has caused closings, shutdowns and stay at home orders our God is not locked up - He is everywhere and just as strong as ever.  And even though this will be an Easter Celebration like none of us have ever had (I am pretty sure), we serve a God who rose from the dead and defeated sin for all of us. 

This one year of not gathering will not be remembered when we are in his presence forever! 

So Happy Easter from us to you!

This week pray for the churches around the world that can not meet physically - may God use their creative ideas to reach more people.

Pray for our plans as to when we can come stateside or get back to work here.

Pray for the folks we work with that are out of work due to everything being shut down.

Reflections of a (n almost) 60-year-old!

Reflections of a 60-year-old!

The Calendar tells me I will soon be 60 years old – the news is saying the elderly (those 60 and older) are at risk.  That is when it hit me “I am no spring chicken” – even though my brain still thinks it’s in our 20’s.

When I take a moment to look back at my life there is much to appreciate and celebrate – not what I have done but what God has allowed me to be a part of.

When I reflect of the jobs I have had and the skills each one taught me, God was always preparing me for something bigger down the road.

As a teen, I did a great deal of babysitting and then working in foodservice.  My first job when I turned 16 was working at Great America (an amusement park) in foodservice.  I started as a dishwasher and moved up to assistant manager of the back of the house.  This taught me a lot about managing and motivating people.

Just out of High School (In fact, I got out early) to travel the US doing puppet seminars. During this time, I saw what God was doing in churches all over the country in all kinds of denominations.  I honed my speaking and teaching skills (who wouldn’t when you were speaking 5-6 nights a week for 11 months). After getting off the road before college I worked for a Christian Bookstore Chain.

During college, I did different jobs during the summer – one summer helping with a church replant in Missouri – one summer I worked at Sky Lodge Christian Camp (Where I met my wife to be) and – one summer for A Christian Bookstore Chain (again).  These were all ministry-related and all helped me to learn things I would use over and over again in ministry.

After college, I got married and we thought we were going to be church planters (this was in the early ’80s when it was not done much) but instead ended up becoming the Directors of Sky Lodge Christian Camp in Wisconsin.  That was quite a job for a twentysomething.  But I learned about the organization of teams, schedule, and planning so that that we had everything we need to give the campers a great experience and encounter God.

From Sky Lodge, we went to work for David C Cook to do telemarking of their Sunday School Curriculum. Here I learned more about the differences in the denominations and how to be articulate with words (as there was no video conferencing at the time).  While here we also served as youth pastors at the Free Methodist church in town.

From David C Cook we began our time doing full-time ministry in churches.  First in Ferndale, Michigan, then in McPherson, KS and finally in Temperance, MI.  In all these churches, I was Associate Pastor for Youth.  Growing the programs both the students in attendance and the team of volunteers.  Creating Ministry teams by raising up student leaders.  Many went on to go into some form of full-time ministry (at last count over 50).

Fundraising to help the students participate in a very active youth program became a big part of my job.  We developed a mindset that fundraising need to not only raise funds but teach a skill or meet a need in the community.  We were not going to just sell candy bars.  This lead to some very creative ideas including running a Putt-Putt Golf course for several summers, concession at every home game for the Toledo Mud Hens, Citywide discount cards, many dinners, sales of subs, gift cards and so much more. 

We also from time to time we're asked to cover the oversight of other areas of church life – Children, Christian Education for all ages, discipleship and many special events.

During this same time frame, I also served as a National Leader for Youth Ministry helping to oversee the youth work across the Denomination.

As Youth Pastor, I started taking the teen overseas to experience missions work. I lead teams to Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Taiwan, Great Britain, Spain, Hungary, Greece, and Romania.  Some summers spending 4-6 weeks on different trips with the teens. These experiences led us to believe that we would someday be doing missions full time.

After serving 25 years in ministry (23 in the local Church) we received the call (literally – February 14, 2006) to go to Bulgaria. Where we moved to having never been there and not knowing a soul.

Thirteen years later there is now a team here operating a holistic ministry of Church planting, discipleship, economic opportunities, humanitarian aid, anti-human trafficking ministries and so much more.  That is a great deal to happen in a short time but when God is preparing you with experiences and skills it just sort of happens!

This is a brief reflection and there are many stories and life lessons that I could share (and maybe someday will). 

As I reminisce in my mind I am grateful for where and how God has led us – we have had a rich life-impacting and being impacted by so many people.  I know that that is not done my mind is still full of all kinds of new ideas (for an elderly person) of how to make a difference for people and the kingdom.

As I turn 60 later this month (even though we are on lockdown here until May 13^th) we will rejoice!

This week – pray for the world and all that it is going through!

AND BY THE WAY WE ARE NOT COMING STATESIDE LATER THIS MONTH - IT IS ALL ON HOLD FOR NOW.