A big highlight in the month of April was speaking for the Southern California Hispanic Ministries “Conexiones” Men’s Retreat! Around 40 pastors accompanied men from their churches to the event held at the Pinecrest Christian Center Campgrounds in the mountains overlooking the San Bernadino Valley.

My heart was so moved to see hundreds of men at the worship times with hands raised calling out to God. The retreat featured many workshops, plenary sessions, great food and an awesome worship band with a wide repetoire of contemporary worship and praise music.

Larry and Melodee Gruetzmacher, long time friends and veteran missionaires were the Directors of the camp. We’ve worked with them from time to time in Mexico, and now they’ve taken the new missionary challenge of reaching the growing Hispanic populations in the world’s second largest Spanish speaking country, the United Status!

In the past year we have heard a lot of angry and frustrated talk about Hispanics coming to our country. Yet if we can see this from a Kingdom perspective, something remarkable is happening. Missionaries familiar with Mexico know that winning unchurched men to Christ while living there is a very difficult task. Yet when they come to the U.S. all of the cultural and social structures that chain them to darkness begin to break down. Suddenly they are confronted with their isolation, loneliness and empty lives.

It only takes a caring Christian to invite Latins to a church or retreat, and suddenly, hearts are open and a radical transformation can take place. The greatest engine for evangelization is this upheaval in social structure that brings men and woman to Christ! And the reverberations back home are remarkable!

Conducted totally in Spanish, I spoke on themes of character development, living a Spirit-filled and God directed life, and service to others throughout the retreat. All of us were so moved on the final day of the event when hundreds of men raised their hands to indicate they had experienced a powerful encounter with God that was life changing.

Also at the retreat was Richard Larson, one of my most important life mentors. Mona worked for Dick and Jan in Panama City, Panama as a Bible School teacher. After we married, we began our missionary career in evangelism and radio production with them in Madrid, Spain. In the past decade, Dick and Jan have poured their lives into developing this powerful Hispanic Ministry in Southern California. It was so great to be with Dick during this retreat and see the hundreds of people he has so effectively influenced for the Kingdom of God.

Please pray that everyone of the menwho came to this event will experience a deep and lasting transformation as they courageously live by Christian principles in thought and actions. And thanks for helping Mona and me be available for events like this throughout all of Latin America.

I have an older brother, Les. He called the day of the quake and said something had to be done immediately to help. On the heels of the great Haiti disaster, I wasn’t sure if we should go back to our partners and friends and ask again. But Les was unwavering in his call: “You have to do it!” He immediately sent a check for $250 and words of encouragement to help Chile.

We once again took the appeal to Facebook and sent out an emergency mass e-mail appeal. The results were terrific. In the past two months we have sent more than USD $10,000 to Chile to assist in a wide variety of relief efforts, repairs, and support for pastors and persons dramatically affected by the quake.

We can only say thanks to those of you who made such an overwhelming response to our appeal to help the precious people of Chile. Many of our churches and their families suffered terrible damages, personal property losses, job losses, and great trauma. Becasue of your help, we have done what we could at the time of the greatest need. It’s an amazing partnership, and we’re grateful.

Nicaragua Educators Summit

MonaRe was a featured workshop speaker for this international conference for Christian Educators. Hundreds of Bible School teachers and administrators, National and District Officials and missionary colleagues attended her sessions. We both offered a session on Transgenerational Ministry that coincided with the Conference Theme.

A highlight of the conference was the appearance of MonaRe’s dad, Dr. M. David Grams. His plenary session to the more than 325 delegates at the conference dealt with the beginnings of Christian education and preparation of leaders in the early years of AG Missions in South America.

Dr. Grams was joined by Mona and her younger brother, Rocky, the President of the Rio Platte Bible Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina. What an incredible session that graphically emphasied the importance of passing on the torch to the next generation for continuity and growth in the Kingdom of God!

In the second week of February my brother, Ric Shields, is leading a medical team of 4 doctors and 8 workers to Port-au-Prince. They are replacing a previous medical team that was involved in treating many lacerations, infections, some amputations and other health issues related to quake injuries. Thanks for your prayers on their behalf as they work in very difficult circumstances.

This month we’re teaching in the Institute of Advanced Leadership Enrichment going on this entire month in Bogota, Colombia. MonaRé is teaching Didactics (teaching methods in the classroom) while Mike is teaching Principles of Administration and Leadership Studies. There are 52 terrific students from three countries for four intensive weeks of post-grad studies.

On Sunday, February 7, Mike spoke in Great Comission Church for all five services. Beginning at 6:30 AM, the schedule went all day until 8 p.m. Over 3,000 attended the services, and hundreds came to the altar during the day for prayer. There are many churches in the Bogota area that have thousands of people. There is a great growth of the Church. Believe God with us that this generation of Colombian Believers will have a broad and positive impact on their country.

An urgent appeal has been made by Richard Nicholson, AG World Missions Regional Director for Latin America.  The devestation in Port-Au-Prince is an historic humanitarian crisis.

We felt the Lord speak to us here in Mexico City to just open up the gate and send $5,000 from our missionary account.  We are calling on our friends and partners to help us fund this bold step of faith.  The need is so great we felt compelled to act. 

Your gifts will be administrated by the international emergency relief group Convoy of Hope.  We have the highest respect for their integrity and experience in dealing with natural disasters.  Please consider giving an on-line gift to stand with us as sponsor partners to make a direct impact in the lives of people who are suffering so deeply in Haiti.

Thanks for your concern and determined actions at this time of urgent need and great opportunity to show the love of Christ to thousands. 

We’re excited to announce we have a new member of the family this year: Lincoln Northup.  Born on October 13, 2009 he is a healthy, contented little guy who has brought all of us alot of joy.

This year Mom Shields was supposed to meet us in Miami as we came back to the U.S. to spend Christmas.  But Mom has had a series of TIA strokes that radically changed all the plans.  We’ve placed her in full time nursing home care, and will be going to be with her this year.

We’re grateful for Ric and Sheila Shields, Mike’s younger brother, for their love and care for Mom.  Ric is the Executive Pastor at Carbondale Assembly in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He is also the Executive Director of  Open Doors, Inc. which is an international missions agency.  Despite his many responsibilities, Ric along with his wife Sheila have been a great blessing and help to our mom as she has faced physical struggles and life changes.

We’re grateful to the Lord for our family, for bright days ahead, for life and health and strength.  As all of us celebrate Christmas this year we can understand the enthusiasm of the angels the night of Christ’s birth…

JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME!

What an opportunity to participate in the Patagonian Bible Institute’s Spiritual Emphasis week.  Our hosts, Martin & Charlotte Jacobson and Eddie & Diana Echavarria, have done an amazing job developing a beautifully built ministry training school in the heart of the Welsh territory!  This historically rich area is characterized by its isolation and distance from major cities.  Yet God is calling scores of young people to prepare for ministry in the last frontier of the western hemisphere.

All week long MonaRe and I taught four hours of classes each morning, spoke for the morning chapels, and then spoke in the evening Spiritual Emphasis services.  Each day, in so many of the sessions, there was a powerful touch of God on the students.  It was obvious to us the school leadership of the Jacobson/Echavarria team has done an outstanding job of training and teaching those young men and women on how to respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

CHILE - ADVANCED MINISTERIAL ENRICHMENT SEMINAR AND LOCAL MINISTRIES

We have spent the remainder of the month of November in Chile.  MonaRe is part of the team of professors for ISUM (Instituto de Superacion Ministerial) or the Advanced Ministerial Enrichment Seminars.  I have been on an intensive trek of speaking in churches in the south of the country (from Santiago 7 1/2 hours south to Concepcion and back).   We have ministered to hundreds of people many places.

This year we’ll spend Thanksgiving with our ministry colleagues in Chile.  Although we’re 6,000 miles from our Minnesota base of family and friends we are encouraged by the steady stream of encouraging words of so many who keep in touch through Facebook and e-mail.  We are overwhelmed by God’s goodness and give thanks with all of you for blessings that cannot be adequately enumerated.

WE ARE THANKFUL TO GOD, AND THANKFUL FOR ALL OF YOU!

Here’s the FLASH REVIEW:

We traveled 10,000 miles (by air and car) in four states, to 6 churches, going through 7 cities, participating in a dozen services and meetings.  It was so meaningful in each place as we reconnected with many long time friends and all the pastors and staff.

Thanks to everyone for making October 2009 a Missions Emphasis success.

We are able to be in the U.S. during Missions Convention Month and be with our daughter Kristi and husband Wayns or birth of a healthy grandson.  Thanks to everyone who prayed for Kristi and Wayne during what was an arduous pregnancy.  Today little Lincoln is at home, healthy and has a very excited three-yearold  sister!

The church was jammed with people.  The temperature on the platform was around 100 degrees farenheit. (Sure beats January in Minnesota!)  We are privileged to be a part of what God is doing on the island.  The enthusiasm, excitement, and the intensity of our churches in Cuba are testimony to the power of Christ in the lives of everyday people.

On Monday, September 7 we headed out for Ciego de Avila, a seven hour trip to the middle of the island.  This centrist city is strategically located and more easily accessed than far western Havana.  We arrived to conduct a post-grad Advanced Ministerial Enrichment Seminar for two weeks.  Forty-two pastors and wives (eight couples!) came for the intensive post-grad classes.  It was a highly productive and imminently important time of teaching, mentoring, and inspiring leaders in some of the most dificult circumstances in Latin America.

While in Ciego de Avila I spoke serveral times at the Jubilee Christian Center, a great church filled with hundreds of believers in multiple services.  Despite soaring temperatures and crowded conditions, this church is a powerhouse of outreach in the community.  The pastor and his wife, both medical doctors,  left their practices to dedicate themselves full time to this thriving, growing ministry that is transforming the lives of so many people.

In January, in June and then in September we visited many churches, spoke to several thousand people in four cities.  Every where we go, in every place we are asked to speak, there is a wave of enthusiasm, a triumphant spirit in the face of indescribable challenge.  Despite great obstacles, THE CUBAN CHURCH IS ALIVE AND WELL!

Thanks for your prayers and support that makes it possible for us to be a part of the groundswell of Revival in Cuba.

What a meaningful opportunity to connect once again with many long time friends.  Right after MonaRe graduated from North Central University she went to Panama City to teach as the first full time woman missionary professor at the National Bible School.  The present national superintendent of the work was one of her students.  Many others went on to become pastors of important churches, presbyters and leaders of departmental ministries.  

We celebrated out wedding anniversary on September 2.  We spent two days just off the coast of Panama on the little island of Taboga.  We went there just at the beginning of our budding romance as young people still in college.  God has been so good to us over these beautiful years together.