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LUMglobal #117 -- Latest Trip Developments Update -- 7/9/14

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>


                       Issue #117 Update
                           July 9, 2014

Dear Friends, Family, and In-Pact Partners:

There have been some more developments regarding our hoped-for trip to Germany, and because decision time is fast approaching . . . very fast approaching . . . we want you to be informed as to the status so you can continue praying intelligently and responsibly.  So, here is the situation as it stands this afternoon, Wednesday, July 9th.

  • As we reported a week ago, the Myranmar portion of the trip has been cancelled, and that automatically reduced the $20,170 budget to $15,240 for the Germany portion of the trip.
  • Additionally, the Germany portion of the trip has been reduced from two and one-half months to just two months, and that reduced the budget needs another $700 to $14,540.
  • We just learned a few days ago that the owner of the Cafe' Hope ministry with whom we serve when there has offered to pay the rental on the apartment for eight weeks, and that reduces the budgetary needs by another $1,100, bringing it down to $13,440
  • If we really hold the line and minimize our food and transportation costs for the refugees and immigrants, and reduce or eliminate our required medical and evacuation insurance,we can hopefully bring the costs down still more to around $12,200.
  • We currently have on hand or promised $7,730, so we are still in need of $4,170 in order to make the trip in a meaningful and fruitful way.
  • Our current hope is that this two-month trip will include nine Sundays.  This gives us two or three extra opportunities to share biblical truth with the refugees and immigrants.  The other alternative of a six-week trip is really impractical, and we really don't feel comfortable considering less than eight weeks.  Eight weeks is not only a better stewardship of the funds, but provides those much needed times for sharing God's truths.
  • We hope to leave by July 30th or soon thereafter in order to be back in the States by the end of September.  Getting airline tickets during a narrowing window of opportunity is becoming critical, but we cannot afford to spend $3,800 non-refundable tickets until we know we are definitely going.
  • The money that has come in or been promised so far has been generously given by 13 individuals/families and one local church.  We are eternally grateful for their responses.
  • We have more details about our activities ----
    • 1)  We will participate in the Sunday services in the German Free Church (Bob may possibly preach one Sunday, but that is very unclear at the moment),  
    • 2)  We will share the Gospel with the Farsi group on Sunday afternoons and spend time interacting and visiting with them afterwards,
    • 3)  We will conduct teaching session in marriage and the family (the Farsi/Muslim culture portrays a dangerously poor example of both)
    • 4)  We will lead one or more leadership training retreats as we try to help prepare key people to become strong leaders.
    • 5)  We will minister each week at Cafe' Hope and their presentation of the Gospel to people from many countries in numerous languages.  Bob will share the Gospel at least once.
    • 6)  We will be meeting with "F", "V", and "M" (who will be joining us for about 10 days) in developing future plans and strategies for the ever-expanding ministry to Farsi speakers.
    • 7)  We will be doing some video interviews with "F", "M", and possibly others that we will use in our own ministry, telling the story of mentoring, evangelizing, etc
  • When "V" immigrated to Germany from Kiev a couple months ago (he was the first person with whom "M" and I met weekly), he was placed in an immigrant processing facility in Schlüchtern, about an hour and a half from Giessen.  In addition, some of the families are located in Marburg, and in other communities.  As God opens the doors, we will travel to those communities to meet with "V" and other Farsi speakers to share the Gospel, encourage them, pray with them, and minister to them in any way we can.
  • Just yesterday we got an e-mail from our "Aminah" whom we met last year.  God is blessing her greatly.  She now has an apartment in Giessen instead of living in the camp where she once stayed.  She is studying German intensely and is already at level B1 (whatever that means).  She meets regularly with our German friend, Hanna, who is mentoring her.  She is working very hard at getting into a university as soon as possible.  She is highly motivated to make a new life for herself as a free woman.  Sadly, her main struggle is with her own countrymen who have made it very hard on her simply because she is a single woman and they think she should be under the submission of a family or a man from her country.  As a result, she has stopped attending the Farsi group on Sundays or the Cafe' Hope activities on Thursday night.  We plan to spend time each week with her encouraging and mentoring her on a personal level.

So, dear friends, we have given you much to pray about.  The opportunity for making a significant impact in the Farsi community and other people groups is right in front of us, and could begin in a mere three weeks if the rest of the funding comes in.  We hope you have been able to grasp the significance of this opportunity, and will pray for us and with us that the remaining $4,000 will come in right away.

If you have thoughts or questions, please contact us.  If anyone wants to be involved financially, contact us right away at lifeunlimited@pobox.com or 417-693-5149 to let us know.  We trust that everyone will be praying for us and this venture.

In His Bond, By His Grace, and For His Kingdom,

Bob and Jo Ann Tolliver

Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal
Box 228
Collins,MO
64738

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