May 29, 2021 - This week we traveled from Michigan to Florida to see Diane’s family (which we did not get to see last year) Monday and Tuesday we were with DeLynn’s (her sister) family, Wednesday & Thursday we were with Doug (Her Brother) and Friday and Saturday we were with Dave’s (her other Brother) family and mother.
We were thankful for the time we were able to spend and to catch up on all that is going on. Here are some photos of Diane with her family.
May 18, 2021 - Now that we are stateside and adjusting to the time difference and have got the store stuff done. We are looking on filling out our schedule. We plan to be traveling to churches on weekends mostly and so we are putting the word out that if you would like us to come and share all that God has done and the vision for the future email me at almellinger@yahoo.com.
If you would like us to come during the week sometime to share with a small group or family do the same (that is email me).
We are very excited about the next phase of ministry God is leading us into and would love to be able to share our passion and plans with everyone who wants to know.
This week pray for the travel schedule. Pray that God would lead us to the right churches and partners that are needed to move the new vision forward.
Pray too for Diane and me as it is new for us too
Pray for the livelihood groups and the sale of the products they produce.
May 15, 2021 – We are a day or so late with this week’s post, but it has been a busy week. If you have been following our post you would have heard we had to move our store in Okemos, MI because of our contract with the mall. We are very happy with the new location and how it all turned out.
Here is a video of what the new store looks like.
If you are in the area stop by and check out the new spot in the Meridian Mall. New items are being added monthly so there is always something new to see.
Pray for the sales of our stores – sales are what we need to help the folks we partner with.
Pray also for our adjustment to new and different ministries roles.
Pray for us as we make appointments and put together our weekend travel schedule.
May 7, 2021 – We want to thanks everyone who prayed for our travels back – the COVID test went great – the flights were smooth and not crowded and we made it back earlier than scheduled (good tailwinds of something)! We know your prayers were a big part of that.
Our transition has begun – We are with Free Methodist World Missions through June 30th and then will be working with Mission Igniter starting July 1st – but support should be switched to Mission Igniter soon so we have a balance to draw from. (Click here to do that online)
We have hit the ground running (partly because there are things that need to be done and partly to get over the jet lag and our body clocks! Here are some things happening:
Week of May 9th we are relocating our Meridian Mall store to a new location in the Mall – if you are in the Michigan area and would like to help – email me at almellinger@yahoo.com and we will let you know the plans.
The Jackson location is participating in a couple of events with the Downtown Business Association – Art Walk and Side Walk Sales this weekend.
We will begin traveling doing presentations in Church, Home and to other groups – if you would like to have us come email me at almellinger@yahoo.com and we will let you know when we will be in your area.
We will also begin meeting with Pastors and other interested parties at figuring out how we can draw alongside folks in need and help them not only find Jesus but also a way forward. Pray for us especially with this.
We are looking forward to being with our oldest son, his wife, and our granddaughter FAITH this weekend for Mothers Day! (We love being Grandparents!)
Pray for...
... upcoming meetings and our schedule that we will connect with the right people.
... you jet lag and getting used to this time zone.
... the transition of the store at the Meridian Mall.
April 28, 2021 – It is less than a week until we get on the plane and head back for an extended period of time in the USA. We are still going to be monitoring and coaching our livelihood programs in the Balkans we just will not be here running them.
Instead, we will be working to help the church understand and respond to ways to really help folks in need around the world. We have many new ideas and programs that we will be sharing soon.
But for the next 5 days, we are focused on all that needs to be done to get stateside. With Covid restrictions still in place, they are extra steps that will need to get done – one of those includes getting a negative Covid Test within 72 hours of flying – but this is a holiday week in Bulgaria – and Yes, I mean a Holiday WEEK – April 30th is Good Friday, May 2nd is Easter, May 3rd is Easter Monday (a holiday) May 4th is Labor Day here (Normally on May 3 but you cannot have 2 holidays on the same day so it has been moved for this year) and then May 6th is St George Day,
Thinking we knew the schedule our flight was scheduled for May 5th – thinking May 4th was a working day – it isn’t and we are not sure we will be able to get tests – although I have been assured we can (I have heard that song before) We are asking that all our supporters pray that we will be able to get this test done with the results in time to make the flights back to the USA.
We will be scheduling church and partner visits soon – so if you would like us to come and share all that God is doing please email me at almellinger@yahoo.com and we will get back to you as to when we will be in your area of the country.
April 22, 2021 – On April 20 we celebrated our 15th year here in the Balkans. We arrived to begin a new work for God and began serving and helping where we could. Within the last 24 months we have been handing over the leadership of the work to the nationals and they are stepping up to take the movement of God to their people and people in surrounding countries.
That now begs the question for us – What are we supposed to do? What is our job and role? After a great deal of prayer and conversations with many advisors and friends, we are retooling our purpose as we feel God is leading. We have hinted at change and asked for prayers.
Below is the letter we sent to our financial supporters after we spoke personally to them about our future. We have been able to speak to most (and if we haven’t talked to you and you are one, we need a working number to reach you).
It was great to chat with you today.
It has been an interesting year for us – with the Pandemic modifying and forever changing how we do ministry. Things that we planned and wanted to do we could not but at the same time things we never thought of doing became reality. We have learned it is best to wait on God and follow His lead.
That being said, there are some more changes taking place with Diane and me. Our work with Free Methodist World Missions (FMWM), doing church planting and leadership development is coming to a close, having fulfilled 3 terms as missionaries.
Recently at a Balkan Conference Board meeting - Bishop Keith Cowart said “I am very excited about the work in Bulgaria and throughout the Balkans. It is one of the shining lights in the Free Methodist World in Europe. We want to encourage you, we want to let you know how much we are proud of you, how grateful we are for your faithfulness as you continue to serve the Lord so well, and to see so much fruit coming out of this great work.”
We have done what we were sent to do and now we are sensing God’s call to draw alongside churches in a new way. Coaching and helping to develop economic programs that will support church plants and the families that are part of them. We are also looking at expanding and helping other missionaries and groups think through how to engage economic ministries in their locations. To do this we are moving on to expand our work as God leads.
We will still be raising our support, but that will mean we operate our support base and giving in a new way. Instead of giving as you have done, we will be working with Mission Igniter out of the Southern Michigan Conference of the FMC.
We will be on support from FMWM until June 30, 2021. If you have automatic withdrawals coming out you will need to notify Free Methodist World Missions (800) 342-5531 or 317-244-3660) and ask for Debra Hancock or Jon Fajardo in the Finance office. Tell them you need to change your automatic giving or stop it. Sign-up to begin with the new support system as you are able, to give us time to create a fund to draw from to live on and operate with after the change.
If you are giving to any special fund or the Church Planting and Development Fund (CPD) for the Balkans we encourage you to continue to do so or if you wish to continue to give through FMWM to the Balkan programs you can give to Galloway Support.
If you have believed in what we are doing, we would ask you to continue to support us in our new and expanded role. Soon we will be outlining some of the new ideas and programs that we will be working on. New partners that we will tell you about and new (as well as old) ways to be involved in the kingdom work of God.
Thanks for your prayers, financial support, and encouragement over the years! You are important to us and the work God has called us to do.
We are returning to the states on May 5th - Please pray for the travel plans with getting PCR Tests and traveling through several countries to get back).
We also request prayers for our support as we transition.
Pray as we work to cast a different vision for people and churches as to how they can be even more involved in missions, starting in their back yard and reaching out to the rest of the world.
A few weeks back we share with you about needing to relocate our Lansing Store by May 1st. That has been moved back and we will now be moving the store the week following Mother’s Day. We have a new location across the center court from where we are now and the retail space is bigger. That means we have some more creative options. We are looking for a fairly large flat-screen TV to use to play videos about our partners if anyone has one that they are not using anymore. We will also be looking for some folks to help us on May 11th or 12th for the move and new location set up. Pray about all the details that will need to be worked out for this project.
(Mockup of the new storefront)
Stateside Return
We are scheduled to return on May 5, 2021, to the US. Flying internationally now requires a negative COVID test within 48-72 hours of your flight. But here in Bulgaria Easter is May 2nd and Monday, May 3rd is Easter Monday a Holiday. Normally, May 3rd is a Labor Holiday here but because Easter Monday is also a Holiday we have now been told that May 4th will be a Holiday to replace the Labor Day events on May 3rd. So, we are concerned about whether or not we will be able to get the test done within the time frame. Please pray about that. Pray that we will be able to find the lab to administer the test and get us the results so we can return to the USA.
Continue to pray for our transition to our new roles and connections – we are excited about what God will do and will keep you all informed.
April 8, 2021 – On any given evening I sometimes engage in an activity to see how many countries, states, and continents I can chat with on messenger. As I scroll to see who is on I am amazed at the acquaintances we have. I have connections on 6 of the 7 continents and over 40 states and about 50 countries.
Now some folks I have not had much contact with for years but we did at one point. Mostly we have done some kind of ministry together somewhere in the world.
To be able to do this makes us very blessed folks. I know that there are many folks who don’t have that many people that they know or can talk to. Many folks (especially right now) feel alone and abandon without anyone to call.
That idea bothers me – not that I want to talk to everyone but that each of us could ask God and then look around and see who in your neighborhood or church or family might need someone to talk to on a regular basis.
There is a family in our church here in Petrich that every Sunday goes and visits an elderly lady that cannot get out. They bring food and other things that are needed. We have talked and some weeks it is not easy and even an inconvenience to do this but this lady has very few if anyone else to care and communicate with.
What if each of us would pray and then look for and begin to serve and care for one family or person that needs to know God’s love. What difference would it make in our world? It would take some time and take some work, but it would make a difference. After all People are the only thing that God Died for and the ones we, His followers are called to serve.
This week pray for…
… plans for the store move in Okemos
… plans for our trip states side in a few weeks
… the livelihood groups as we continue to work toward
April 1, 2021 – No Fooling – since in Mall terms we are short term renters they have a clause in the contract that if a long term (meaning a multiple-year commitment) renter comes along wanting your spot, the management of the mall can move us to another location in the mall.
On Monday, we received an email saying that another store was wanting our location and they want it by May 1, 2021. That means that this weekend we are going to be looking at other locations to determine which one will work and then begin the process of getting it ready to relocate to.
Additionally, this week God has been teaching and challenging me as I am preparing my sermon for Sunday, to understand that circumstances do not dictate my attitude and behavior – I do! I can choose to let the things in life get me down or thrown into a tizzy or I can see them as an opportunity to let God work and get a good witness. That means I am choosing to be positive and now waiting on God to do something amazing in this process.
That being said there is still a great number of obstacles and needs ahead that we need your prayers for.
Diane and I are still in Europe and will not be back before the move has to take place. I am usually the one that does the layout and design of the stores so that means I will be doing this from over here but the work will have to be done by the (small) team in place in the states.
When you move there are additional expenses encountered for setup, displays and signage of the store. (all of which right now we do not have sitting around waiting to be spent).
And then there is the actual move. Needing to take the product to the new location and get it into its place so we can again open. (having just relocated the store in Jackson – we know the work and effort involved.)
I tell you all this so you know and can pray (and help if you are in Michigan and want to).
Pray for us to find the right spot that God has in mind for the work He still has for us to do in and through this location.
Pray for the team that will be getting the new location ready and then set up.
Pray that God would provide all that we need to make the move as far as display, signage and the right design of the store for maximum impact on the customers.
This is also Holy Week and with Easter being on Sunday for y’all – (our Easter will be May 2nd on the Eastern Calendar) – We pray that you may be able to fully celebrate and understand the resurrection of Jesus for your life.
Thanks for your prayers and support - if you want to know more - email me and we can talk.
March 28, 2021 – We missed last week sending out a post. It has been a busy week working on all the details for our transition which I will share more about later this week in our regular blog post.
On March 27, 2021 the Balkan Provisional Annual Conference met (via Zoom) and did business for the second time in their history! Last year we met and I was deeply involved and directing the happenings. This year we were able to be there but we mostly watched all that was taking place. The local leaders were doing the work and leading the movement.
I kind of felt like a parent watching my kid graduate from High School. Proud of them, knowing that they are adults and moving out on their own but still very interested and concerned for what they do all while knowing that other than advise and pray there is not much else for you to do.
For this we THANK GOD! He has led us to the work here and with the team have expanded the work and developed new ministries as God has led. 15 years ago, if you would have told us we would be doing what we are doing – I am pretty sure I would not have believed you or would have wanted to move to where we are but God has a way of preparing you for what is next if you will let Him.
Here is a video that was shown of the work of the Agricultural Program happening here.
This week pray for the national board and leadership.
Pray too for our transition to our new role and ministry
Pray for the people of Bulgaria – Covid has returned and the hospitals are about to reach their limit.
