I had a terrific meeting with Paula Martin this morning from FBC Atlanta.  She is the leader of one of their Sunday School classes:  Common Ground.  They have done an OUTSTANDING job of staying plugged into the apartments.  The recently hosted a Valentines party and soon will help with a Easter outreach.  EXCELLENT!  It’s great to work with gung ho young people!

Been burning up the phone with calls.  Great stuff is happening!  Bob Wiley who is the multi-housing guy with the Georgia Baptist Convention invited me to come speak at a training conference in April.  I told him, “I’m not there to entertain people.  I’m there to start work.”  He agreed to have the end of the conference on Saturday afternoon be an Outreach Event where I can actually take people on site, have a little cook out and show the folks how this stuff is actually done.  I’m excited about that!

Have another regional manager that has agreed (actually begged me) to come work at her complex in Austell.  I have a couple of other partners that can come help with that.  Groovy.

I’m headed over to check on my kids at Azalea.

Peace.

Spoke to the Over 30 class at FBC Forest Park this morning.  They seemed pretty receptive to what I was saying, mainly-GET INVOLVED!

We’ll see what happens.

Spent a couple of hours in Forest Park this afternoon doing a recon on the apartments in the area, taking pictures, talking to maintenance guys and residents and the cops.  I’ll post the results of that this evening.

Spoke at Glover Baptist Church this evening.  I was shocked to hear that Pastor Steve Varner had resigned from there.  He’s apparently starting a new Spanish congregation in the area.  I wish him all the best.  He’s one of my favorites.  I think that Greg and Bill will do a fine job for GBC as well.

I spoke with the rest of the Niger team and showed some of the video that I shot.

Been working on admin stuff since I’ve been home.  Never ends.  C’est la vie, baby.

Peace
Saturday, March 17, 2007

Had a great meeting with my partners at Kensington Station this afternoon. I think the ministry is really starting to pick up over there. The Carters in particular are doing a great job.

Spoke at the missions banquet at FBC Forest Park this evening. That went well. I enjoyed also hearing Tom and Ann Watson speak. They are also MSC volunteers doing evangelism in Forest Park.

I hope to get some work started in the apartment complexes in that area soon. Like before Easter.

Worked out on weights.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Rainy day today.

Went for a 4 mile run while waiting for my internet connection to start working.  I did a LOT of admin work today.  Was out in the field almost the whole time on Thursday and didn’t get to do much office work.  I actually was on my computer till nearly 1am this morning working on the Missionary of the Year recommendation for Bennett Ekandem to the North American Mission Board.  He’s such a great partner and really deserves that recognition.  I sure going to do everything in my power to make sure he receives it.

Went to the book store with Ashley after she got out of school.  I like to look for computer books for Jesse and business books that I think can be relevant to the ministry that we’re doing.  I bought a couple of books specifically on Google applications.  I am a big believer in technology–otherwise I wouldn’t spend the time working on blogs and web sites!

Jesse and I re-worked out home page at www.whirlwindmissions.org.  We streamlined the buttons and organized them more efficiently.

This blog is also at www.whirlwindmissions.org.  Eventually the Xanga blog will disappear and it’ll ONLY be found on our website.  SO!  Make sure you subscribe to the blog from OUR site soon!  Just click on the RSS feed button.

I couldn’t believe it, but Jesse pointed it out to me this afternoon.  I’ve actually been doing this blog since May of 2004!  All of the archives are now posted on our web site.

No excuse not to have enough of Mr. Tim!

It’s after midnight.  Crash out time.  Big day tomorrow.

Peace.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Went over to Springchase this morning to talk with Bennett and Marc and the manager of the property LaCheryl.  I was very disappointed in the manager’s attitude.  I don’t see how she can possibly last more than a year in that position with her uncaring attitude about “her” community.  I was upset, but tried to be nice.  Sometimes I really get sick of being nice.  But the way I see it it’s her loss.  We’re a Special Forces operation.  We’re designed to be mobile.  If we have to move, the Lord always opens another door.  Kensington Station is wide open–four times the size and begging us to come.

So we shake the dust off our sandals, and move on.  As I told Marc and Ashley, we can feel good that when we had the door open at Springchase we went in full steam ahead, did the absolute best we could and made a difference in the community.  As long as we have a feeling of urgency we’ll always succeed.

I am not in Coast Mode.

As I always tell potential new partners, “I don’t know what you’ve heard about Tim Cummins, but if you work with me things are going to HAPPEN–so if you’re in a talking mode, I prefer you don’t talk with me.”

Fortunately, my next meeting was with Todd Harrison.  He is one of our biggest supporters, always super up beat, excited about what the Lord is doing and has his finger on the pulse of getting things done.  We had a great lunch, fired each other up (we’re both easily excitable!) and see the Father moving in BIG ways around this crazy city of ours.

In the parking lot I had another future partner waiting for me, Nicholas Tea from Perimeter Church.  Nicholas is an ex-Campus Crusade guy who did a lot of work with University students.  He is definitely my kind of guy and we had a great time talking about our work in Atlanta.  God has blessed Nicholas mightily and he now wants to get into buying apartment complexes.  We have mutual friends who pointed him my direction.  I cautioned him to be patient right now before getting into the apartment business–at least until we know what’s going to happen with the Latino community and this new anti-immigrant legislation that Georgia is getting ready to put into law come the summer.

Then I went back to Azalea to take boxes of cookies and drinks (Thanks Todd and Pure Fun!) to the mission.  We had a great time talking with my core group of young men who have been with me for nearly a decade.  Many of them are now bigger than me!  I love these guys like my own children.  Fact of the matter is I probably spent more time with them than my own kids.

Peace.

I feel like Charles Dickens:  “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

This morning I had a meeting with one of my favorite partners–Toni Branyon.  We’ve worked together for years and it’s been a real joy to see her grow in ministry.  She is now at Corporate HQ for Chic-fil-a–my favorite of all American corporations.  That is a Godly bunch over there that is not only talking the talk, but also walking the walk.  Today was Mr. Cathey’s 86 birthday!

Toni is leading a new part of the organization called Communities in Transformation.  I’m part of her board of directors.  The rest of the crew are real heavy hitters: work with the Governor, top CEO kind of guys.  At least I wore my black, shiny shoes and not flip flops!

They start talking about needing 4 hour meetings and I’m like “are you nuts?” As long as we get something done, I don’t mind the time.  But talking about getting something done and actually doing something is two different things–at least in my book.

I do think it’s important to give them perspective from the field.  I guess that’s what I provide.

Bottom line, I think that this Communities in Transformation could be a really big deal nation wide and can help millions of people if put together properly.  For me that’s worth the investment in time.

I left there and went to Lithonia where I met two of my new favorite partners from FBC Conyers.  I had one assignment when I was at that missions conference and that was to talk to one Sunday School class.  I had a great time with them and issued a challenge to get to work. They seemed up for it, so I immediately put a plan into action.

We went over to to Pinewood apartments in Lithonia to set up a Easter Hunt outreach.  I think the planning went great and that there will be a positive participation both from the FBC Conyers group as well as the apartment dwellers.

I left there feeling mighty fine.

Then back to Forest Park where I spoke to the youth group at First Baptist Church.  We had a great time together.  I did my “Take the Church to the People” presentation.  It went over well and the kids seemed excited about getting involved.

Again, fine feelings.

Then I get the messages left on my phone.  One is from Mark Lassiter who works at SpringChase and is my daughter Ashley’s partner.  He tells me that he’s been given a notice by the manager that we have 30 days to leave the premises.

I couldn’t believe it.  This was the same manager that BEGGED me to come work over there.  I dreaded coming home to see my sweet Ashley all sad.  She’d been crying, but fortunately I got home around 9pm and she had pretty much worked through her grief.

I put flashers on and ran 4 miles in the cool darkness.  I feel better.  But writing this blog has worked me up again.  Welcome to my world.  It’s the best of times, and the worst of times.

I really do live in Two Cities.

Peace.

Met with Jason Lemming this morning.  He’s one of my favorite partners.  He did a great job while he was working at Perimeter Church.  He’s starting a new ministry church in the area focused on working with the least and the lost.  I got plenty of those!

Worked on my schedule for the rest of the week.  I got a lot of plates spinning–want to make sure I keep them all going!

Knocked out the last of my bi-weekly financial report and delivered it to my treasurer.

Worked out on weights this morning.  Feel like a dad gum Tiger Tank.

I’m headed over to Azalea in a few minutes to check on my kids.

Peace.

Had a terrific meeting with Cindy Hunnicut from Restoration Church of God.

She’s our Regional Director for our work in Marietta off of Holcomb Bridge road–a huge International area.

Looks like she’s taking the plunge to go to work in the community full time.  WONDERFUL news!  Whirlwind Missions is committed to making dreams like hers a reality.  I’m expecting God to do really big things through her intensified focus on the international population in Marietta.

I’m at the office now taking care of paper work.  Not my favorite thing, but you gotta do what ya gotta do.  I’m SO glad I have partners like my Treasurer who do a LOT of the work.

In a moment I’ll go over to Azalea to check on my kids at the mission.

Peace.

We packed up the room and had lunch at Golden Corral at Chickamauga near the battlefield.

On our way back to Atlanta we stopped at New Echota–the capital of the Cherokee nation. That is before the US government decided to throw them off their land and march them on the Trail of Tears. Over 4,000 Cherokees died.

Mighty sad part of our history.

We can’t change the past. I hope that I’m a positive part of the present course our nation is taking. Some of the things I see our government do really makes me shake my head.

My friends, only Jesus can bring peace to the Middle East.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

K and I went to the Chattanooga Nature Center where she rode her bike and I ran about 6 miles.

Later we went into the city where we rode bikes around town and over the bridge to N. Chatt. We enjoyed the artsy folk stores. I took some cool pictures.

We ate BBQ at Sweeney’s and then up to Lookout Mountain Hang Gliders to watch the sun set.

Fun day!

Friday, March 09, 2007

Kathy and I headed off in the morning to drive up to Chattanooga–one of our favorite get away places.

We started out in Marietta where we ate Gyros at the Mediterranean Deli. Sweet! Especially the baklava!

Moved into our room and enjoyed a relaxing evening.

Later we went to see 300–the new movie by Frank Miller about Sparta. It was awesome!

I met with David Clyde and Scott Sharp from Briarcliff Baptist Church this morning.  We went over the service projects that they will be doing with us in Chamblee on April 28th.  They’ll also host Outreach Events in the area.

We went over to Willow Branch to meet with Bennett and most of our Clarkston team went over with us to Cafe Istanbul.  Ray Vaughn, Terry Earl, Toni Branyon, Bennett, David and Scott and I enjoyed delicious Turkish food and even better company!

We then went over to Kensington Station to bring over the monitors for the computer lab that Bennett is setting up.

We also visited the our room under the leasing office where we will start our new after school program.  Kensington Station is HUGE (nearly 1,200 units) and is probably the neediest complex in the whole county.  My prayer is that our team will be up to challenge of reaching this community for Christ.

It’s very exciting to get my partners together.  Man, I get fired up!

Kathy and I are looking forward to getting out of town for a couple of days.

Peace.

Made the first DVD copies of the Niger movie.  It’s about 15 minutes long.  I have tons more stuff to show, but I think for church presentations shorter is generally better.  Some people go on and on and on. . . .

Went to Staples to pick up some school supplies for the kids at Azalea.  They gave us a new door!  Excellent.  Now if I had a key for it.  Jouvens has a copy.  I sure do depend on that young man!  He’s still waiting for word from the Bahamas for his birth certificate.

I’m in the office at FBC Doraville now.  Finished up my email.  GREAT stuff is happening.  I continue to have more teams sign up for the summer work.  I also have two teams coming during their spring breaks.  A third team is supposed to commit soon.  I need all the help I can get.

Got a call this morning about Briarcliff BC coming to help with some service projects.

Also heard from the director of our mission at Huntington Ridge–Ben Sawyer.  He and his family have been living on site at the apartment for about two years.  They’ve done a fantastic job there.  I really have been proud of them.  They’re going to move off site back to their house before the Summer.  Fortunately, they’ll still serve as directors of that mission.  I’m into longevity–whether they live on site or not is immaterial to me.  In fact, most of the folks that live on site end up burning out within a year.  I’d rather them move out and keep working than just flat burn out.  It happens all the time.

I’m leaving in a few minutes to go back to my house in Stone Mountain to prepare for the final night of the Missions Conference at FBC Conyers.  It’s always fun to talk to people about missions!  John Avant, the VP of Evangelism for the North American Mission Board will be speaking.

Go check out the Niger video!  Click on Mission Videos from www.whirlindmissions.org.

Peace.

Been working on the Niger Movie!  I have over 3 hours of video, but I put the best 15 minutes together on a DVD.  I’ll have it uploaded in two parts on our YouTube channel.  The video blogs from Niger will be up there too.  Eventually, I’ll put a lot of  the other video I shot on line as well.

I had a terrific meeting with my partners in the Clarkston area for lunch today.  We met with Aslam Masih from the North American Mission Board over at Madina.  We also had Ray and Shawn from International Teams, Pat Maddox from Friends of Refugees and Bennett Ekandem, Mark Lassiter and Terry Earl–NAMB/MSC folks.  It’s always fun to get together and share what’s going on in the International Village.  I was encouraged to hear how truly unique our work is in Atlanta.  I always kind of assume similar work is happening around the country.  Doesn’t seem to be the case.

A LOT of our success is thanks to folks like YOU praying for us regularly!  Hold the ropes!

Check out the mission videos (click on the button at www.whirlwindmissions.org) from last weekend with Bennett and Ashley.  Plus from the Video Blog you can see what I was up to in Niger.

I came home early today to help take care of my mother in law while Jesse and Kathy go to the dentist.

Peace.