New Videos: The Proverbial Skinny

I had a wonderful lunch and chat with the Rev. Ed Hird, rector of St. Simon's Church (North Vancouver), and he was gracious enough to record some brief interviews with me on his iPhone. They are overviews of topics related to the mission which might interest some and answer the questions of others. Please pass them along to anyone that you think might be interested!

Some Thoughts on Missions in a Chinese Restaurant

My Testimony in Brief: Conversion and Call to Missions

Hope and Vision for Argentina

Dominion and Regent, eh?

Less than ten minutes across the border, it hit me with all the speed of a Peruvian microbus: I'm not in the United States any more. And from the name of the roads (King George St.) to the traffic layout (tiny signs with tiny letters) to the unassuming friendliness of her people, I know that I am no longer in the Federal Republic of my birth, but in her Majesty's Dominion of Canada.

I am sitting in the computer lab at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, recovering a bit from my travels the past few days and enjoying my time with old college friends before I continue searching for partners in this mission to Argentina.

To be honest, the two days of my travel to get to Vancouver from San Diego were long and aruduous, and I have much for which to thank God and give him praise. For starters, on the first day of my travels (from San Marcos to Redding), I encountered two major difficulties. First, I had to get my car's registration renewed, my hair cut, a razor bought, and the car's oil changed before I could make the 12 hour trip to Redding. The Lord graciously helped me expedite all of that, and I was off on the road before 11 AM.

Second, and what was more difficult, Southern California experienced record highs the day before and the day of my travels through the center of California. My trusty automobile does not have air conditioning, and the Lord protected me during my travels as I made it through the strong heat of the San Joaquin valley.

The following day of travel was longer than the first, but the heat was by no means equal to the first day's magnitude. The big concern of the day occurred at the beginning: would my car start? It had not the night before. But the Lord showed his goodness and she started right up and purred all the way to Vancouver.

So, I thank God for his provision, for his protection, and most of all for his "pre-vention" (in the old sense), his going before me on this trip. As I round out my vacation and return to my vocation (to borrow my friend Alex's turn of phrase), I know that he is with me, before, behind, and beside me, and that though I may have left a Republic and entered a Dominion, I have never left his Kingdom.

Recommended Reading

I often have people asking me about what they should be reading with respect to this mission. What do people need to know about missions, cross-cultural dynamics, Latin American culture, Christian ministry, or the Christian life?

What I have done is to create a short Recommended Reading List for those interested in some of the basics of this mission to Argentina. There's plenty to read and take in there, but if you're looking for even more information please don't hesitate to email me and ask for more material!

Vacation Update from Indiana

Well, my first week of vacation is gradually coming to a close: it's been a time of sleep (hallelujah!), spending time with my family, and making a few small advances on my missions support raising work.

My new nephew Ethan Michael Schanely, the main reason why I flew out to Indiana last Wednesday for a few days, is doing very well! I am excited to report that the doctors and nurses say that, despite being 7 weeks premature, he is doing well, and we are all hoping that he will be headed home in the next week or two. Thank you all for your prayers!

Additionally, I have been trying to set up connections with churches, pastors, and individuals in the Pacific Northwest, most immediately in the Vancouver and Victoria areas. By the grace of God I have gotten in touch with a view pastors in the area, and Lord willing will be meeting with church leaders in the first week of October!

Please pray for my continued rest and relaxation this week, and for my trip up to Vancouver (it might require some considerable driving). Please also pray for my meetings with Canadian pastors the following week, especially as I meet with Rev. Rod Ellis, the rector of Church of our Lord Reformed Episcopal Church.

My Call to Missions

I just sent in my Resurrection Times article to the editor for the October Edition. This fifth installment of this six-article series on missions and my mission to Argentina focuses on the Lord's calling on my life to be a missionary, and why I believe that I am called to serve in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Be among the first to check it out!

Pacific Northwest Itinerary

A number of you have been asking me about the exact details of my itinerary this October as I visit churches and individuals in the Pacific Northwest raising support, and I haven't given them to you dominantly because I'm still in the process of setting up even a fluid itinerary. But, since this isn't really that fair for those who are partnering in this mission to Argentina, let me sketch out some of the broad swaths of details:

September 22th - September 29th (ish): Vacation in Indiana
I will be taking a vacation (at least, that's going to be my attempt), visiting my family in Indiana and Ohio, in and in particular my sister and newborn nephew. In the process, I am praying to meet a few people who might be willing to partner with this mission, but to be honest the main goal of this time will be to rest and focus on the month to come.

September 29th - October 6th (ish): Vancouver and Victoria (British Columbia)
During this week, I will be concluding my vacation with a stop in the Vancouver, BC area and visiting those among the many Anglican churches who are interested in my coming and sharing the vision that the Lord has given me and those on the team for ministry in Argentina.

October 6th - October 9th (ish): Western Washington
From that point I hope to head southward to the Tacoma/Seattle (with a few stops beforehand at churches further north) and visit with the dominantly high-church crowd (REC and APA) of that region.

October 9th - October 13th (ish): Eastern Washington
After visiting the churches on the Western side of the state, my hope is to head Eastward and visit the Anglican congregations in that area, many of which are in my own Diocese of Western Anglicans.

October 13th - 17th (ish): Western Oregon
Having canvased the state of Washington, the plan is to move south and visit some of the smaller but vibrant congregations in the state of Oregon (mostly found around the Portland area), and to visit with former missionaries Bob and Meg Jepsen.

October 17th - 20th (ish): The Bay Area
There are clusters of smaller and larger congregations around San Francisco and the bay area, and my hope is to swing by and visit with them as well as veteran missionaries like C.A. McCoy to learn from their experience.

October 20th - 23rd (ish): Lake Almanor
I am looking forward to swinging by St. Andrew's Academy and the congregations in the boondocks of Northern California, not simply to raise support but to see old friends and share the details of the mission in person with many who have been good friends of me and of my home church for a while.

October 23rd - 27th (ish): The Return
After departing Lake Almanor, I will be headed home to San Diego, making stops at churches along the way that are interested in having me speak or share about the mission. Which churches are interested in having me speak will in many ways determine which route home I end up taking.

These dates and areas are still pretty tentative: they depend on churches responding to my request to come and speak: the fewer the churches the more quickly I will be moving and the less time I will be spending away from Southern California. I will keep you all up to date on this itinerary as things continue to develop. In particular, please pray for the following:

1. That many churches and individuals will be willing for me to come and speak to them about the mission.


2. That the Lord would open the hearts of many people to want to partner with me in this ministry.


3. That the Lord would provide for my bed and board while I am on the road as he has promised to do.

Thank you all, and blessings!

David+ 

Visit to Holy Trinity, Ocean Beach

Hello everyone!

It has been a while since I posted a blog entry giving updates here on the website, but that doesn't mean that there hasn't been a lot going on in terms of the mission to Argentina. And this weekend is no exception!

Tomorrow, Sunday September 19th I will be preaching and leading the service at Holy Trinity Parish in Ocean Beach (near downtown San Diego). In addition, I will be leading the Sunday school area on a discussion of missions that will more or less follow the material in the RT Article from June. I am very excited to share this time with the people of Holy Trinity and to be able to share the Lord's work in Argentina with them as well.

If you're interested and in the area, come check it out: service times are at 8:00 and 10:30 AM with Sunday school in between.

Psalm 117,
David+ 

A little update (finally!)

Hey folks!

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to give you a brief little update about how things have been going in the support-raising world, and about what the Lord is doing here with the mission to Argentina!

First, I am very excited to let everyone know that I will be preaching and administering the Lord's Supper at Christ Church in Fallbrook, CA at 1:00 PM, Sunday June 20th.  They were very gracious in allowing me to come and fill in on a Sunday when most of their ministerial staff will be absent, and it gives me a wonderful opportunity to present not only the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also about the mission and ministry he's called me to in Argentina.  I would love it if you could come and support me by attending: it's at an odd hour so many of you may be able to make it!

Second, with the June edition of the Resurrection Times, I've put up a couple of articles that I've written. The first is on the "Why?" of Missions, a follow-up to last month's article on the "What?" of Missions.  The second is a short piece on the Role of Doctrine for us in the Christian life.  I hope you all enjoy them!

Third, I ask your prayers as I try to get out my support letters.  I have my names and addresses in order, but I have a bit of writer's block when it comes to writing the actual letter.  I am really praying that my perfectionism doesn't get in the way of actually getting a tangible letter out to potential supporters, something which is much more important than having the "perfect" letter.

Thank you all for your prayers and interest in the website and the mission!  I'm excited to see what the Lord will be doing next!

A New Website Format Up

Over the last week and a half, this website has seen a lot of changes! Here's a brief overview of some of the changes it's undergone:

1. Structure. The information on the site has been reorganized so that it's easier to navigate. Rather than having long pages with tons of narrative or information, there is now usually a front summary page that can direct readers to more information if they have interest in it.


2. Content. Not only is there more content on the need for missionary work in Buenos Aires, but the mission, vision, strategic plan, and core goals for this ministry are up on the website. Not only has this filled out the website (a lot!), but it has helped sharpen my own articulation of what this mission is all about for myself and for others.


3. Forms. Users can now submit a request for updates or to register to host a visit from yours truly by filling out online forms which record their registrations, and they receive an confirmation email that their form has been received. This should make partnering with this mission even easier!


4. Home Page. There is finally a working home page with a (relatively) brief summary of the mission, its objectives, and how to partner in the ministry!


5. Pictures. There are, bit by bit (pun unintentional), more and more pictures, graphics, and photos on the site. Keep checking in to see the latest!

My support team is about 60% formed ... I'm waiting to hear back from some, and I still need to speak with about three or four more people about serving on the support team. Please pray that the Lord would open the hearts of key individuals not only to be on the team but to catch the vision that he has for this ministry in Buenos Aires.

Please pray for me this Saturday as I head up to Long Beach for a Diocesan Missions Committee meeting, that the Lord would open doors for effective coordinated ministry between churches within our diocese and beyond.

Recent Happenings

Hmm, there's so much to tell about how the mission is going, so let me break it up into a few categories.

Recent Talks. Recently, I've been able to share about my mission to Argentina with two very cool groups of Christians.

First, last Friday night I was able to share about the mission to Argentina with a group of fellow mission enthusiasts, hosted by some friends of mine who used to serve in Egypt. After sharing and answering some questions, we were able to pray for the people of Argentina and for the mission to Buenos Aires upon which God is sending me.  It was a wonderful time, and it was great to get to know some new friends headed to the mission field.

Second, last Saturday I was given the opportunity at the local San Diego Anglicans meeting to share about this mission to Argentina, and it received an enthusiastic response! Besides that, we all had a great time listening to a plenary lecture by Dr. Glen Scorgie on the current state and future of Christianity in Asia.

Recent Website Updates. Fortunately, after the weekend I've been able to pursue getting a little more content up on the website.  The "About" section is coming along great and has improved a lot both for myself, for SAMS, and for Resurrection.  Additionally, my recent Resurrection Times article "What is 'Missions' Anyway?" is up in the "Articles" section.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with your Spirit,
David