Update from Howard Shelden

Dear Friends,

Summer is a time for travel and, although we don’t plan any, once in a while we reminisce about the countries we’ve lived in. But it’s interesting that each person in our family tends to miss a different culture.

Deidre misses the people in Galela communities. She did most of the actual Bible translation and spent countless hundreds of hours immersed in discussing nuances of meaning with Galela friends. How are they doing? What happened to so-and-so?

Howard thinks of living out of Indonesian hotels for a week or two at a time. We didn’t do that very much, but that’s how we finished up during the last year or two. There had been religious civil war in the Galela area, so a large Christian city was about as close as we could get. Galela colleagues would meet us there, staying with their own shirt-tail relatives.

Robert thinks of Ambon, Indonesia, but has only vague memories. This provincial capital with Pattimura University, which sponsored our visas, was his most consistent “home” from age five through 10. He’d like to reconnect somehow someday, but the war changed it so much that none of us would recognize it.

Esther thinks of Manila and Davao in the Philippines. These were her pre-teen through mid-teen years. As she viewed American fads and pop culture from an international perspective, she saw through the shallowness and developed more altruistic values. She wouldn’t really fit into Philippine culture, though, so she’s what is called a third-culture kid.

Reminiscence wouldn’t be complete without recalling that our family was fully supported financially and in prayer. Since returning to the U.S., we have been below minimum support levels, even with the children grown and living on their own. Each of us continues to hold full-time assignments with Wycliffe Bible Translators, Howard as Corporate Communications Publicity Writer and Deidre as Strategic Training and Assignment Consultant.

Howard and Deidre Shelden

Howard_Shelden@WBT.org
Dee_Shelden@WBT.org

May, 2009 Report of MTW Missionaries from North Texas Presbyery

Note: this report has been redacted to take out information from our missionaries in sensitive ministries.

MTW MISSIONARIES

FROM NORTH TEXAS PRESBYTERY

Rick & Pam Box #010519 Bogotá, Colombia

Christ Presbyterian, Flower Mound

Rick is working with the Colombian leaders in churches and church plants in four major cities of Colombia. He and his wife, Pam, are working with the growing reformed Presbyterian Church in Colombia, South America. While the primary task is church-based training of Presbyterian pastors and elders (through church planting), ministry opportunities extend far beyond to other evangelical churches and leaders who are hungry for the Word of God.

Andrew & Rebecca Bronson #010731 Thailand

Park Cities, Dallas

Andrew and Becky are in their first year of seminary work at Covenant in St Louis. Andrew is working part-time for MTW while in school, continuing to support the work of MTW Thailand from the States assisting in fund-raising and administration. They plan to spend two months this summer in Thailand.

Ruth Dinkins #011718 Brazil

Christ Presbyterian, Tulsa

The new school year began March 2nd. They have 28 in the 3rd year (graduating class), 28 in the 2nd year and 26 in the 1st year. Ruth has added to her full schedule a music class (flute) and an elective English class (translation) for the guys that plan to go on to seminary. So many of the books in the libraries at the seminaries are in English and they need to know the content of these books. Of course, the girls are allowed to take the English class too.

Peter Dishman #011731 RUF-UNAM, Mexico City MTW/RUM

Town North, Richardson

"We are past the midway point of the semester, and God is at work in the lives of UNAM students. Pray for the group to continue to grow in Christ as I preach through the 10 commandments, small groups knit students together around the word, and we work through individual issues daily. Praise the Lord for a fun and transformative Holy Week retreat in Guanajuato on "a precious faith, a promised future" taught by TE Marc Schiebe - pray especially for the many seekers who heard the gospel clearly there. Praise the Lord for our first RUF couple, whose wedding I co-officiated this weekend! Pray that their marriage will be firmly established in Christ as they finish their majors and move into the work force. Please continue to pray diligently for a ministry location and for the ministry team for next semester."

Caleb & Aimee Dunn #011783 Mexico Church Planter Training

Park Cities, Dallas

In Monterrey where he grew up, Caleb continues ministering as the Director of the Theological Institute of Ministry in partnership with RTS Charlotte. The institute currently supports church planters and lay leaders with a B.A. in Theology, and also offers continuing education for presbyteries. He also continues to work toward his D.Min in Pastoral Counseling at WTS Philadelphia.

Ben Graber #012803 East Germany

Fort Worth PCA

Well into his second year, Ben is starting up a third round of English courses and preparing for summer English camp. His support is now enough to last through the summer, and he is exploring the possibility of continuing his work with the church plant through the end of the year.

Chris & Julie Koiner #14017 Monterrey, Mexico

Heritage, Oklahoma City

Chris and Julie (and 5 children) are in the support-raising phase of the MTW process. They plan to join the church planting team in Monterrey and assist in the areas of finance/administration, evangelism and mercy ministries, short-term team support, training church leaders on financial stewardship, and women’s ministry.

Scott & Mary Ann Nelson #015418 MTW/Wycliffe SIL Support

Trinity Presbyterian, Plano

Based in North Carolina serving translation teams around the world, Scott provides computer support for Bible translators working in Africa, Europe, South America and parts of Asia. He maintains the servers and services to provide email, language/scripture text version control, remote collaboration and other tools used by translators and support staff. Mary Ann serves as a counselor for missionaries and their families with the stresses and issues they face.

Howard and Deidre Shelden #016816 MTW/Wycliffe

New Covenant Presbyterian, Dallas

Deidre directs personnel administrators in the Dallas office of Wycliffe USA, helping with the difficult decisions needed to care for and deploy Wycliffe missionaries. Howard writes promotional and publicity materials about Wycliffe missionaries' achievements and milestones to enhance credibility in academic circles and in foreign government relations.

Doug & Masha Shepherd #016819 Ukraine

Christ Presbyterian, Tulsa

Doug and Masha are continuing to make contacts in L’viv in the hopes of planting a church in this influential western Ukrainian city. The Shepherds are active ministering to university students, working with families, orphans, teammates and interns. “We have recently returned to L’viv after visiting churches in the States and are busy meeting with many young families and students. Please pray for conversions and a core group of believers.”

Dawn Brady Sparks #010572 Ukraine

Fifth Street Presbyterian, Tyler

Dawn and her husband, Steve, are living in Austin. Dawn is continuing her financial and administrative duties from the U.S. supporting the Ukraine team from here, freeing the resident team members for other duties. Steve has almost completed his first distance course from Covenant Seminary and is feeling more confirmed in his desire to pursue his degree there.. You can keep up with them on their ministry blog www.sparksministry.org.

►◄►◄

NEWS FROM BEAMM

Border Evangelism and Mercy Ministries

• Steve Milvain, Village Seven PCA, is the Chairman of BEAMM Partnership.

Next Partnership Meeting – May 14-16 at Catalina Foothills Church (PCA), Tucson, Arizona. The meeting will be preceded by and followed by Vision Trips to Nogales, Sonora (May 15) and El Centro/Mexicali and Tijuana (May 17-18).

Contact Gene Bowman, (915) 838-3747 or glbowman@BEAMM.org, for details.

BEAMM Partners NTP Are: 5^th St., Tyler, Ft. Worth PCA, Redeemer, McKinney, and Westminster, Gainesville. steve@milvain.com

• GREAT NEWS!! The land purchase for a community center in Juarez was completed last Friday, April 24. The Community Center in the city of Ciudad Juarez will become home to Gracia y Paz Church, the San Pablo Seminary, a place to house the short-term teams, and a place of outreach to the nearly two million people in the city.

• Dan Young chosen as Eastern Region Director (Rio Grande Valley border area).

• The donated 14,000 sq. foot building for Dios Soberano (Sovereign God) Mission, Mexicali, Western Region has been dismantled and is being stored at El Centro, CA, in preparation for being exported to Mexicali.

• Missionary Units or Church Planters now headed for the border: Charles & Bonita Davidson have arrived and are settling in to life in El Paso; Ray & Michelle Call are in language school in Edinburg, Texas; Rick & Sharon Marooney, Julio & Arlette Navarro, Gary & Kay Whiting are in various stages of support raising.

• Personnel Needs: English Language Trainers: Intern, Two-Year, Career:

Seminary Instructors: Two-week, Two Year, Career:

Contact Gene Bowman, 915-838-3747, glbowman@BEAMM.org

Summer Interns to host Summer Mission Trips – 2009,

Contact LuAnn Bowman, luannbowman@BEAMM.org

• Special Note to Summer teams – don’t finalize any plans until you have communicated with LuAnn luannbowman@BEAMM.org Circumstances are different this year.

• Check in at www.BEAMM.org to keep abreast of events on the border.

►◄►◄

AROUND THE PRESBYTERY

Planning a vision trip? Other plans to develop mission work in your church?

Notify John Butler. okcalvin@gmail.com

►◄►◄

OUR FEATURED MISSIONARY THIS QUARTER

LUKE SMITH #17118 - CAMBODIA

NEW ST. PETER’S, DALLAS

Luke grew up on a farm in west central Illinois. He went to college planning to pursue a career in agriculture. Through a couple of short-term missions trips with a campus ministry while in college at Western Illinois University, he started thinking about missions. Toward the end of graduate school at the University of Missouri, he was impacted by the missionary biography Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot, and his burden to be a missionary continued to grow. After completing graduate school, Luke went to Dallas Theological Seminary to further prepare for the mission field. While in seminary, he began to have a vision to serve in an area that was unreached and poor. He has continued to prepare by working with refugees in Dallas and serving in his church, New St. Peter's Presbyterian. Luke has been called to work in rural Cambodia training pastors. The majority of the country's population of 13 million live in villages spread throughout rural areas. It is a country struggling to recover from years of famine and civil war. Currently, fewer than 1 percent of the people are considered Christian. He is at 46% in his support raising.

►◄►◄

November, 2008 Reports From Our NTP-MTW Missionaries

Note: we have not listed reports from NTP-MTW missionaries serving in sensitive areas of the world

OUR FEATURED MISSIONARY THIS QUARTER
Scott & Mary Ann Nelson #015418
MTW/Wycliffe Trinity Presbyterian, Plano

Scott and Mary Ann Nelson have been serving as missionaries with MTW and Wycliffe Bible Translators since their acceptance as members in 2000.Their first assignment was with the team in Nairobi, Kenya which provides the Scriptures in the heart language of unreached people groups in Africa.
Now based in North Carolina serving translation teams around the world, Scott provides computer support for Bible translators working in Africa, Europe, South America and parts of Asia. He maintains the servers and services to provide email, language/scripture text version control, remote collaboration and other tools used by translators and support staff. Mary Ann serves as a counselor for missionaries and their families with the stresses and issues they face.
With a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University, Scott worked for 12 years in computing before joining MTW. Mary Ann received her undergraduate degree from Wheaton College, an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary and an M.A. in Marriage and Family Counseling from Southwestern Seminary.
Together with MTW and Wycliffe, they seek to take God's Word-Life!-to those still waiting.
The Nelsons have three children: Leigh Ann, Drew, Peter
Scott_nelson@sil.org

Rick & Pam Box #010519 Bogotá, Colombia Christ Presbyterian, Flower Mound
In Colombia, Rick is working with the Colombian leaders in training and church planting. Rick pastors the only English speaking church in Colombia and assists in the development of three church plants. They are beginning training centers in English and Spanish in their church building this fall.
On a more personal note, Pam was able to be with her father when lung cancer took his life. Our condolences go to the family and praise for his Christ honoring life..
rbox@mtwsa.org / pamelajbox@yahoo.com

Dawn Brady Sparks #010572 Ukraine Fifth Street Presbyterian, Tyler
Dawn is currently in the U.S. on HMA. She and her new husband, Steve, are living in Austin as they seek to determine whether God is sending them back to Ukraine in the near future.
Meanwhile, Dawn is continuing many of her country-wide financial and administrative duties from the U.S. as she supports the Ukraine team from this side of the ocean. Please pray for Dawn and Steve as they seek to follow where God is leading. You can keep up with them on their ministry blog.
dbrady@mtwukraine.org www.sparksministry.org.

Andrew & Rebecca Bronson #010731 Thailand Park Cities, Dallas
“We are well into our first year of seminary work at Covenant in St Louis. Classes are going well, and we've quickly realized we have so much to learn! Andrew is working part-time for MTW while in school, continuing to support the work of MTW Thailand from the States assisting in fund-raising and administration. We continue to pray about the specifics of God's plan for us after seminary, even though that's a few years away - and we plan to spend next summer in Bangkok supporting the team.”
bronsons@mtwthailand.org www.mtwthailand.org

Ruth Dinkins #011718 Brazil Christ Presbyterian, Tulsa
“I arrived back in Brazil the 16th of July and in Patrocínio the 19th. Classes began the 4th of August. I have 2 classes with the first year in their field work, and 2 classes of Christian Education Theory with the 1st year. The rest of my time is observing students in their field work, helping in our work shop, translating materials, producing materials, and informal counseling. I am sorry that I was not able to get to TX to get to know you folks. One of these times it will work out for me to get down your way.”
dinkinsmr@hotmail.com

Peter Dishman #011731 RUF-UNAM, Mexico City MTW/RUM Town North, Richardson
“We are past the midpoint of the semester and headed into the final stretch. The Lord has brought some new students to the group and some newer students to faith. Pray that our group might finish strong this semester, and in particular for interns Josh and Amy Oettle as they finish their term of service here and head back to the US.”
pwdishman@gmail.com http://www.rufmexico.org/ (English) http://www.curunam.org/ (Spanish)


Caleb & Aimee Dunn #011783 Mexico Church Planter Training Park Cities, Dallas
Back home in Monterrey (after HMA), where he grew up; Caleb continues ministering as the Director of the Theological Institute of Ministry in partnership with RTS Charlotte. The institute currently supports church planters and lay leaders with a B.A. in Theology, and also offers continuing education for presbyteries. He also continues to work toward his D.Min in Pastoral Counseling at WTS Philadelphia.
caleb@mtwmex.net / aimee@mtwmex.net

Ben Graber #012803 Eastern Germany Fort Worth PCA
At the end of his first year of two: “How do I talk about a year like this? We were a little church meeting in a cafe when I got here….. But we are a little church with a home, a team of missionaries who have Done Ministry In the Community…. So here we are, trying to grow into the bigness of what He seems to be doing.”
Ben.graber@gmail.com http://bengraber.blogspot.com

Josh & Amy Oettle #015711 UNAM, Mexico City Park Cities, Dallas
The fall semester is well under way for students at the UNAM. Josh and Amy and the team are working with Bible studies and English Clubs and getting in touch with old students and new students. Josh and Amy are soon to finish their short-term mission and return to the States. Pray that their decisions about their future be always glorifying to God.
Josh.oettle@gmail.com http://joshandamyoettle.wordpress.com

Howard and Deidre Shelden #016816 Wycliffe/Dallas New Covenant Presbyterian, Dallas
Deidre directs personnel administrators in the Dallas office of Wycliffe USA, helping with the difficult decisions needed to care for and deploy Wycliffe missionaries. Howard writes promotional and publicity materials about Wycliffe missionaries' achievements and milestones to enhance credibility in academic circles and in foreign government relations.

Doug & Masha Shepherd #016819 Ukraine Christ Presbyterian, Tulsa
Doug and Masha have finished a busy summer training 6 American two-month interns in L'viv. The team also hosted a one week English Camp in the Carpathian Mountains for 53 Ukrianian university students. The team is now busy following up these contacts and starting a few bible studies. The Shepherds are scheduled to visit the States (Home Assignment) for three months this winter. Continue to pray for converts. Free2travel98@yahoo.com

dropping by

via i am probably overthinking this by Ben Graber on 10/29/08

I remember a lot of frustration over the 14 months of my support-raising before I came out here when I realized that I had no Missionary Stories to grab the interest of my hearers and readers, no tales of God's mighty deeds abroad among the heathen and all that.

Eventually you do start to collect those stories, particularly when He sticks you right there on a street corner in the field and makes you visible. Day in and day out, I sit in the entry area of our church, which has a big bright sign and posters in the great big plate-glass windows and interesting-looking pictures on the walls, and people drop in.

read the rest:

A Russian lady wondered if it would be possible to rent out our space for the exercise classes for seniors that she leads. A couple of folks wondered if we knew where a charity grocery service's offices were. Some people are curious about English. Some wonder who we are and what kind of weird church we are. Some remember when this place was a sketchy bar whose proprietor was murdered a decade ago, and how long it sat empty afterward, and they're impressed with the renovations.

And some people have more questions. Another Russian lady said she had never felt comfortable walking into a church with her questions about the basics of Christianity, but she worked up the courage this time. A young father and his little daughter came in because she felt a sudden compulsion to do so; he's an atheist, but somewhat favorably disposed to churches, and he's interested in having his daughter take part in children's programming.

And today - right now, as I write - there is a man who came in saying that he is contemplating suicide, and he's sitting in David's office. Judi and Alex and I prayed for a little while, while the kids here for Kids' Camp ate their snack, while the heating repairman poked around, while all this ministry chaos raged, and I suppose I am still writing this as a prayer that God will show Himself through David right now, that He will save another life, that He will bring this man into the place where he can be healed and know that there is Someone to live for, Someone Who would send His Son to love him and give Himself for him.

Just one little corner of one city of one small continent in this whole world - I try to picture the human experience here, and it's an incomprehensible swirl, a maddening blur of paths crossing and diverging and running parallel, burning passion and dark, cold loneliness, sparks of hope and glow of love, and everywhere need, pushing and pulling them all.

And here we are on one little corner of that little corner, and a lot of paths run by us, and a lot of them run into our home, and we get the stories.

August Reports from MTW MISSIONARIES FROM NORTH TEXAS PRESBYTERY

Rick & Pam Box #010519
Bogotá, Colombia
Christ Presbyterian, Flower Mound
“In Colombia, Rick is working with the Colombian leaders in training and church planting. We are planning to constitute one of the three church plants in Bogotá next month (September). In September, we have six Colombian men scheduled to undergo exam for elder in Cúcuta, Colombia. This is quite a blessing for us since we have been training and preparing these men for several years. We continue to partner with the only English speaking church in Colombia and we hope to begin training centers in English and Spanish in their church building this fall. On a more personal note, please pray for Pam's father who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.”


Dawn Brady Sparks #010572
Ukraine
Fifth Street Presbyterian, Tyler
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine (EPCU) was particularized on April 16! This is a great step forward for the church we work with in Ukraine. Dawn married Steve Sparks on April 26 and they will be thinking and praying about whether God is calling them to return to Ukraine. For the remainder of 2008, Dawn will be on HMA and will be visiting supporting churches and giving reports on the work in Kiev.
Dawn plans to be with us at Presbytery.
www.sparksministry.org.

Andrew & Rebecca Bronson #010731
Thailand
Park Cities, Dallas
"The summer has been a busy time of moving to a new place and diving into full-time academics again. God has been gracious in his provision for us. Thus far, we are really enjoying St Louis and Covenant Seminary. This will be a place we feel we will learn and grow much over the next few years. We have also continued on part-time staff with MTW Thailand assisting with finances and church partnership administration state-side. This is exciting stuff for us to stay involved in; we look forward to continuing to support www.mtwthailand.org

Ruth Dinkins #011718
Brazil
Christ Presbyterian, Tulsa
“I arrived back in Brazil the 16th of July and in Patrocínio the 19th. Classes began the 4th of August. I have 2 classes with the first year in their field work, and 2 classes of Christian Education Theory with the 1st year. The rest of my time is observing students in their field work, helping in our work shop, translating materials, producing materials, and informal counseling. I am sorry that I was not able to get to TX to get to know you folks. One of these times it will work out for me to get down your way.”

Peter Dishman #011731
RUF-UNAM, Mexico City
MTW/RUM
Town North, Richardson
“The first week of school is upon us here at the UNAM, after a summer of interns and trips and retreats! Please pray for us as we connect with students at the beginning of this semester: for students that we know from RUF and the English Club, for students that we don’t know that are coming in from the churches, for students that we would like to know as they see the flyers for our semester activities. Pray that the Lord will bring us the students he wants us to minister to this semester and that we will be ready to receive them!”
http://www.rufmexico.org/ (English) http://www.curunam.org/ (Spanish)

Caleb & Aimee Dunn #011783
Mexico
Church Planter Training
Park Cities, Dallas
Back home in Monterrey (after HMA), where he grew up; Caleb continues ministering as the Director of the Theological Institute of Ministry in partnership with RTS Charlotte. The institute currently supports church planters and lay leaders with a B.A. in Theology, and also offers continuing education for presbyteries. He also continues to work toward his D.Min in Pastoral Counseling at WTS Philadelphia.
Our deepest sympathy goes to Caleb and the family on the home-going of his grandfather Harold Dunn.

Ben Graber #012803
East Germany
Fort Worth PCA
Well into his two-year term, Ben is preparing to lead a children's English camp in the new rented rooms of the church plant he serves in Berlin, where he also hopes to offer adult English courses in the fall. The church held its first worship service there in August and is planning a neighborhood festival and concert to reach out to the community in September.
http://bengraber.blogspot.com

Scott & Mary Ann Nelson #015418
SIL Support
MTW/Wycliffe
Trinity Presbyterian, Plano
“We have been trying to solve a communications equipment problem between the Eastern Congo and Kenyan translation centers. The new equipment was received and we are waiting on approval from the government to be able to use the equipment to connect these folks to each other wirelessly. Pray that the application is approved and the equipment serves them well in their task.”


Josh & Amy Oettle #015711
UNAM, Mexico City
Park Cities, Dallas
The fall semester is just beginning for students at the UNAM. Josh and Amy and the team are preparing for Bible studies and English Clubs to start, and getting in touch with old students and new students. It’s an energetic, busy time. At the first of the month, they had a 3 day CUR (Spanish for RUF) Retreat at the home of Ruth’s parents in Tequisquapan, a city a few hours away. http://joshandamyoettle.wordpress.com

Doug & Masha Shepherd #016819
Ukraine
Christ Presbyterian, Tulsa
Doug and Masha have finished a busy summer training 6 American two-month interns in L'viv. The team also hosted a one week English Camp in the Carpathian Mountains for 53 Ukrainian university students. The team is now busy following up these contacts and starting a few bible studies. The Shepherds are scheduled to visit the States (Home Assignment) for three months this winter. Continue to pray for converts.

another walk

another walk

via i am probably overthinking this by Ben on 5/29/08

Took a walk along the East Side Gallery (the longest still-standing section of the Wall) yesterday. Here's a nice shiny new slideshow for your enjoyment (click on the slideshow window to go to the album and look through at your own pace).