Loading the trailer?

North Carolina bound!  
    We are thrilled to announce that we are moving to North Carolina June 7th! Thank you all very much for your generosity and prayers. We will be staying with Joe’s mom while looking for a house. Arriving in June will give us the summer to get settled and acclimated before the beginning of the school year.
    God has given us a word for the campus--Revelation. Our expectation is for supernatural encounters in many forms across the campus and the community.
    Please also join with us in prayer for a safe journey, a fruitful search for a home, and a smooth transition.

Elijah turns two, Josiah headed for 2nd grade
Although Elijah turned two years old on May 12th, he seems to have leapfrogged size-wise to being a four year old. At three feet tall and 31 pounds he is a little ahead of the curve for children his age. He loves to chase birds and tackle his brother as much as possible.
    Josiah has just finished the second grade. He has really thrived at school. He finished the year above grade level in a number of subjects. He still loves NASCAR and football, and is looking forward to “surfing” at the beach this summer.

The boys' attempt at packing

Celebrating Easter

Still not too late to join the UNC-XA team

March Update

       It has certainly been a very chaotic few weeks here and around the world. From the Middle East to Japan, to snow in Tucson, life seems to be shaking. As a family we continue towards our goal of moving to Chapel Hill in June. We launched the 30/20 club on Facebook yesterday as we seek 30 partners to join with us at $20/month. This would complete our budget and allow us to begin ministering at UNC full time. If anyone knows someone whom they might refer us to, we would be happy to meet with them and share in person more of what God is doing in North Carolina at the nation's oldest public university.

       We have purchased a trailer for the move and started packing boxes, creating a small amount of good chaos around our house. Joe returned from a fruitful fund raising trip to North Carolina on Feb 10th only to fall ill with pneumonia for two weeks.
       The boys are getting VERY tall. Josiah just finished his football season with the Steelers and did very well. Elijah continues to develop his personality. Translation: He is loud and full of energy. We celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on March 7th with a sushi dinner. Amazing how fast time goes when you're in love.
       Our shipment of personal items from South Africa has cleared customs in New York, and is headed overland to North Carolina. Step by step we are getting closer. Josiah finishes first grade on May 26th. It is our goal to move soon thereafter.

Fund Raising Update

Hello Everyone,
Here is the latest update on our fund raising effort. As of January 1st, we are in need of $605/month in support to complete our budget. We also have two verbal pledges. If they come in this month we will be down to $530/month needed. Thank you all for your prayers. If you know of anyone that you would feel comfortable referring us to, we would appreciate it.
Blessings,
Joe & Mishael

Merry Christmas!

We want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We pray that this coming year you will walk in God’s joy, peace and love. May His presence and blessing be yours in abundance.

Walking through this year of transition, we have been constantly reminded of how God is in control. Our transition to US Missions from World Missions began in March and became official October 1^st. For those that do not know, we will be serving as campus pastors at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. It is the nation’s oldest public university and home to over 107 nations as represented by the student body.

Our desire was to move in December during the school break. Although we are very close to reaching our goal, we still lack approximately $600 per month in financial partnership. Once that budget is met, we will move immediately to North Carolina to begin ministering there.

Thank you so very much for walking through this process with our family. We could not reach this generation without your help. Many of you by faith have even increased your support. For that we cannot thank you enough.

The boys are doing well, and growing rapidly as boys do. Josiah turned 7 years old in November. He played flag football for the Raiders, loves math, NASCAR, and is in the gifted program at school. Elijah just turned 19 months old. He is now in the 97^th percentile for both height and weight. Very feisty, he is always testing his limits and ours! He rides scooters, climbs bookcases, and tackles his brother every chance he gets.

Merry Christmas,

Joe, Mishael, Josiah & Elijah

Closing in on the goal; headed to CA

We continue to be blessed by new partners in the ministry. We need only about $600/ month in partnership to meet our budget and move to North Carolina!! We are open for meetings and services. Headed to California next week. Trying to book an East Coast swing.

The Next Step: Newell News 0910

Headed to North Carolina
It is with great expectation and enthusiasm we announce our next phase of ministry. We have recently been invited to minister at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill as US appointed missionaries with Chi Alpha.
The door to return to South Africa has closed for now; and we have earnestly sought God’s direction. This path of prayer, fasting, and listening has led us to a fantastic opportunity at UNC.
Our heart’s passion has always been to reach young people. Over the past four years our hearts have been increasingly turned towards the youth of America. At a time where many Americans are lamenting the erosion of faith and values, we believe there is no more strategic place for reaching the next generation of American young people than the university.
It is the greatest single access point to the future parents, business owners, teachers, and leaders in America today.
The university years are also a crossroads of decision, independence, and challenge for many students. In regards to faith, the college years and beyond have proven devastating to the faith of this generation. Only 30% of teenagers that attend church in America still do so by age 30. This has to change.

Partnering for a December move; we need your help
We’ll receive our final budget the beginning of October. If our partner support fulfills that budget, we will be cleared to move as soon as possible to North Carolina to begin ministering at the university. In that scenario, we will move to Chapel Hill when Josiah completes his first semester of school. We need the help of all of our partner churches, families, and friends to meet our goal of ministering at UNC come January.

Transitioning from World Missions to US Missions
Our move from AGWM to USM has taken months to complete. Since there is no mechanism in place for transferring between the two departments, we had to resign from AGWM in March, and apply as brand new candidates with US missions. We will finish that transition September 24th in Springfield, Missouri. At that time we will also receive a new missions account for holding donations.
What to do with support?
Until we receive our new account at USM, donors can: 1) Send in their support marked special/personal 2) Hold their pledge until our new account is setup 3) Give as normal. Please note that if you give as normal, the funds will be forwarded to ministries in Africa, and will not be accessible by us. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us for further explanation.
We are available for services, and would love to introduce your congregation to university missions.

Like weeds I tell ya'; like weeds they are growing
The boys continue to grow up far too fast for our liking. Josiah just started 1st grade and was accepted into the gifted program. He’s very good at math and loves NASCAR and football. He’ll turn 7 years old on November 1st.
Elijah turned one year old back on May 12th. His favorite things are being outside and playing “Tackle Chase” every chance he gets.

In my mind I'm gone to Carolina . . .

There is a well known song by James Taylor where he dreams about going to "Carolina". Well that is exactly where our God path has led us. We recently received and accepted an invitation to minister as US missionaries through Chi Alpha at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. As many of you know, we attempted to return to South Africa to pioneer a university ministry there with the national church. During the course of that effort, two things became increasingly clear: One, our passion for reaching the next generation of America grew stronger and stronger. Two, the large budget required to return to South Africa was not coming in.
In consultation with our missioanry leadership, we re-affirmed our desire to minister on the university level. It was then mutually decided that the open door was here in the US. Following that discussion, we began to engage the US missions department of the Assemblies of God, and their ministry to universities--Chi Alpha.
The long and short is that after much prayer, fasting, and listening, God led us to the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is the nation's oldest public university, and home to roughly 28,000 students.
There is an existing Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship of about 35 students. It is our desire to partner with with them and see the impact in students' lives grown. The university is a key strategic point for reaching youth, and America as a whole. Where else can you reach parents before they become parents? Reach business leaders before they lead their companies? Reach teachers before they teach? Or reach leaders before they lead?
For many students, it is the first time they are on their own, making their own decisions without any supervision. They are experimenting with their identity. They are being taught new world views. They are looking for a community of relationship. It can also be a very challenging time for faith. The Barna research group estimates that 6 out of 10 teenagers attend a church gathering on a weekly basis. However, by age 30 only about 31% attend a church gathering.
At a time where many of us are lamenting the moral and religious decline of America-- led largely by the youth-- there is no better place to enter the battle for souls than in the place where youth are defining themselves and the world around them--the university.
We have a goal of moving to North Carolina in December in order to be in place for the beginning of the second semester. We'll receive our new budget at the end of September. As soon as we have 100% of our budget pledged, we'll be cleared to make the move. We'll need everyone's help; but we also trust that God will make a way.