Celebrating Our First Year!
Just over one year ago, on March 25, 2017, our family pulled up to 152 Pacific Ave at about 4:00 p.m. and walked into our new home in Clermont, Florida. We were a bit dismayed to learn the power had been shut off, but we still had lots to celebrate that evening with our new friends who helped unload the moving vans. Those first two nights without power were like camping with mattresses in a big, cluttered tent. 😊
It’s hard for our family to believe that it’s been a year already since that first week of unpacking, painting, and scrambling to get the kids in school. Looking back, our faith has matured, we have made new friends, and our “family toughness and togetherness” has deepened. We’ve seen God’s power at work in our lives and in the progress Ten Million for Christ has made. One of the things I’ll never forget from our first twelve months was Jasmin’s comment, “Missing my friends so much back home has forced me to grow closer to God.”
Thanks for taking a moment to celebrate God’s goodness, his miracle-working power, and his desire for all of us to grow closer to Him!
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.
They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
So that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor or your kingdom. (Psalm 145:9-12)
We had lots of helpers one year ago when we moved into our home in Clermont. Our yard sure needed some attention too. 😊
A Big Trip to Romania
I’m very excited that plans have come together for my next trip to Romania with a close friend of mine, Duval Denlinger. Duval and I were best friends in grade school and high school and were within a whisker of spending our college years together as well. Duval is one of Ten Million for Christ’s founding board members, and I’m extremely grateful that he will be accompanying me on this visit, April 2-12. Our goals are to strengthen relationships in Galati and Baru, and then broaden our network into a new city, Cluj-Napoca.
Please pray that God opens doors as we share the vision of Ten Million for Christ and that we can encourage the churches in their passion for Christ and His passion for them. I’ll be preaching in at least two services and one, if not both of these, will be in Romanian. Pray that I’ll communicate well in this language that I love but with which I still have a lot of rust. Pray too, that Duval is energized by our time meeting people, seeing the country, and hearing lots of Romanian!
A Blast from the Past! Duval and I played soccer and basketball together at Lancaster Mennonite High back in the mid-80’s, and even though we weren’t smiling, our first love was definitely BBall! Duval is #33. Looking forward to taking our friendship to Romania for the first time!
A Strategic Connection in Orlando
One of Ten Million for Christ’s long-term strategies is to impact the business world with coaches and chaplains who will build people and businesses even as they build a platform to share the gospel. Last fall, the board decided to invest into my participation on the John Maxwell Team (JMT) of coaches and speakers. We were confident this would open doors for me here in the states and perhaps in Romania as well. We knew that John Maxwell was growing internationally, but we didn’t know if that growth included Romania.
At the JMT certification event in February in Orlando, I was delighted to find out that the John Maxwell Team does indeed have a presence in Romania. In fact, I learned that JMT hosts just three certification events each year worldwide—two in Orlando and you guessed it, one in Romania! In addition, nearly thirty Romanians travelled to the Orlando conference where I was delighted to meet many of them. I learned that 900 Romanians have already been certified as JMT coaches and speakers. This will be a great pool of talent for TMFC to recruit from as we build our coaching and chaplain teams.
Jeremy with the Romanian Team at the John Maxwell Conference in February 2018.
Petra Connections in Florida
One of the highlights of this winter has been the visits we received from numerous Petra friends. Titus & Barb Kauffman, Ken & Betty Weaver, Harold & Marian Stauffer, and Bob & Nancy Eberly have all come to see us. We also saw Leon & Carolyn Stoltzfus at the YWAM base when they were down to see their daughter Jeniece and family. These visits are very encouraging to us and we feel truly blessed by our Petra family!
Our gratitude to everyone who was able to visit us in Florida. Bob and Nancy, your encouragement was spot on!
What’s Next for Ten Million for Christ?
After my trip to Romania, I will be in Lancaster at the end of April to continue sharing Ten Million for Christ’s vision with interested individuals and organizations. In addition, TMFC is in the middle of two ongoing projects—our 501c3 application and our strategic plan for the next two years. Finally, our family’s summer outreach in Romania is tentatively planned for late June and I’ll have significant work in preparing for that visit.
What’s Next for our Family?
In the next two months, Jasmin and Michelle will be wrapping up their sophomore and freshman years at Lake Minneola High School. Changing schools has been very challenging for the girls but we are celebrating the fact that each of them has made a good friend at school and we believe more are on the way!
Aryel and Chandler are enjoying their school and playing volleyball and basketball. Aryel is also participating in a local gymnastics program. Chandler just celebrated his tenth birthday on March 17 and was doubly blessed because his cousins were visiting that week!
Gabriela has been busy hosting family the last couple of weeks and continues managing our home and the kids’ schedules. I’m enjoying my work building Ten Million for Christ and I love taking time for people as well. We’ll all be home in mid-June before our family trip to Romania. Hope to see many of you then!
Chandler got to celebrate his 10th birthday all week with his cousins! He’s so thankful there are lots of boys in the rest of our family. 😊
How You Can Pray
Our Family: Please pray that everything will go smoothly for Gabriela, Jasmin, Michelle, Aryel, and Chandler during my time in Romania, April 2-12. Pray for great family times and wisdom for Gabriela as she leads the children.
Ten Million for Christ: Stand with Duval and I for a productive trip in Romania. Pray for favor as we endeavor to deepen relationships, share TMFC’s vision, and broaden our network into Cluj-Napoca.
Romania: Pray for Romania’s political and economic situation. Years of corruption in the government has created intense frustration and has limited economic growth. Pray for new standards of leadership and revival in every part of society.
How You Can Help
Financial Partnership – Would you pray about helping Ten Million for Christ pursue its vision of revival in Eastern Europe? Ministry partners who give monthly will play a huge part in helping TMFC achieve financial strength. Thank you for considering a monthly commitment of $25, $50, $75, or $100. One-time gifts are also needed and very much appreciated. Regular attenders at Petra can set up their monthly giving on Petra’s website or give through the Sunday morning offerings. For those who do not attend Petra, contributions should be sent to Harvest Field Ministries at 565 Airport Road, New Holland, PA 17557. Checks should be made out to Harvest Field Ministries and earmarked “Ten Million for Christ.”
Volunteers – Ten Million for Christ is currently looking for someone to help with a couple of men’s breakfasts that I’m planning on hosting in Lancaster in April and in June. In addition, TMFC is tentatively planning on a major fundraising event – a flag football tournament – later this fall. We’ll need a team of volunteers to help plan this event.
Encouragement & Prayer –Your encouragement and prayers help empower us to conquer the challenges we face, so don’t hesitate to pick up the phone, send us an email, or visit us in Florida! If you would like to be included in our intercessor’s network, please email me and we’ll add you to that team so that you receive updates more frequently.