Kathy and I got back home last night after a few days of rest in Chattanooga.  We had a great time.

We bought new shoes on the way up there.

Even drove through a fire on the side of the road.

First day was rainy, but we still had fun!

Long bike rides included 10 miles up to Cash Canyon road, and 8 miles around Chattanooga.

I enjoyed seeing the Orchid Store on the North Shore of Chatta.

One of our favorites was also seeing the Messiah’s Mansion–a true representation of the Sanctuary that Moses built.

It’s good to be home, but the work has piled up!

I finished editing and uploading the video of Ashley/Keith & Cornelia’s commissioning.

Take a look!

Remember yesterday when I bought the glue traps for the rodents?  This morning at 2:00am I heard a ruckus.  Got up and sure enough one of the glue traps had been messed with, but the rat got away.  Then again at 5:15am another noise.  This time it got really stuck.  I searched around for a stick to hit it with.  Finally had to clobber it with a big flashlight.  Gross.

Usually I’m a “live and let live guy.”  I draw the line at rodents near my bed!

No, I didn’t take a picture of it.

So this morning I was running on empty.  Don’t dig lack of sleep.

I went to Pizza Hut to bring lunch for our Chamblee Doraville Property Managers group.

It was a good time and very informative.  Apparently, bed bugs are taking over our city!  Bahd luck.

J is with me today.  We’re going over to Azalea to check on the kids at the mission in a moment.


Been a while since I’ve exercised.  Just been so busy.

Tomorrow, Kathy and I go out of town for a few days.  I’m looking forward to mucho resto.

Love.

Had a fun day today!

Started out going to Lowes to pick up a tarp. 

I’m moving my plants inside tomorrow and need to have something on the carpet so nothing gets messed up.  I have a lot of plants.  It’s cool when they come inside cuz it’s kind of like a jungle!

Unfortunately, the inside jungle also includes rodents trying to escape the cold.  I usually have to put out some glue traps to make sure no rats or mice decide to call my house “home.”

I had lunch with Jerry Counselman today.  He’s one of my favorite missionary partners.  I’m praying that he’ll get more involved with our refugee population in Clarkston.

Spent some time at my office at FBC Doraville.  Worked on email and calls for a couple of hours.

The group of ethnic Pastors from N. Carolina came to my office at about 4pm.  I had a briefing with them where I “took them to Cambodia.” Maybe you’ve heard me give that presentation?

I took them over to check out the folks at the mission at Azalea.  It was really cool to see how well they interacted with my people. I know they’re doing a great job back home!


We made a stop at Carniceria Hispana #1, where I showed them a typical Mexican tienda–store.  It’s fun to see them gawk at the weird stuff.

Then we made our way over to Clarkston and Willow Branch apartments to have a chat with my partner Bennett Ekandem. He did a great job sharing his story with the pastors.

For a special treat we went out to eat to finish the day at Cafe Istanbul. One of my favorites!

Now I’m home working on email again. I’m enjoying watching the “World’s Most Difficult Race” about the Iditarod 1,000 miles of frozen Alaskan wasteland.

Thursday, Kathy and I are headed out of town for some rest. We’ll be back on Sunday. I sure am looking forward to that!

Full speed ahead, baby!

J and started out fast and just kept on going.

Our first assignment was to meet with a couple of new partners in the Marietta area. Rick DeLuco and Greg Griffin’s ministry is called Salt and Light.  They are working in one of the complexes in Marietta.

The Director of the mission at Preston Chase, Mike Anderson, was also at lunch.  And then I had the extra blessing of having Joey Garner drop in!  Joey’s the Missions Director at Eastside Baptist Church.  He one of my favorite partners.

While Jesse and I were driving to Marietta, I made the comment, “Ya know Jesse, usually when I come up here I try and drop in on my buddies. ‘Cause I don’t get over here that much.” Not a minute later I got a call from Joey Garner who was exactly the person I was thinking of! Cool, how God does stuff. I’ve been encouraging Joey to help us in Clarkston and work with the Farsi speaking refugees.

We went to Azalea Springs and talked with the manager.  She is a believer and knew me from First Baptist Atlanta.  She has a heart for reaching the lost in her complex.  The owners are less enthusiastic.  They can make no overtly Christian  moves there.

After checking out Azalea Springs apartments, where we were basically told we could have no open ministry, to Concept 21 Delk who gave us a PERFECT apartment right at the front of the complex right across the parking lot from the tennis courts. We had a prayer time at the new apartment: 101!

Jesse and I then blasted over to Concept 21 Roswell, where we signed the year long lease agreement.

The leasing office is actually an historic farm house!

I felt rushed because I knew that Cathy Wilson would be over at Azalea at 4pm.

J and I got to Azalea right at 4pm so I was glad about that. I hate making people wait. She dove right in and was helping the kids at the mission. We visited several families at Azalea, in particular the ones with young babies or are pregnant.

The printer was out of ink at the mission so I had to go over to Staples to get some more.

A couple of the kids had things due tomorrow. It’s always a crisis mode with these kids. I’m trying to teach them to start early and don’t put all the work off till the last day.

My motto is “Do the hardest thing first.” Then the jobs just keep getting easier.

Jesse and I left the mission at Azalea around 6:30pm. We were both pooped.

I rested for a while then over to Kroger to get groceries. How many of you men do the grocery shopping? Seems like a lot of men shopping the stores. It’s probably for the same reason that I do it. I get the groceries and stop. She just keeps on getting more and more and more. . . .

We were supposed to have the Whirlwind Missions board meeting tomorrow. We’re going to postpone it so that Tito Ruiz can have a chance to heal. His surgery went great last week, but he still needs to take it easy. Lord, bless Tito!

Not having our Board meeting also means I can spend more time with the Ethnic Pastors from N. Carolina. I’ll give them an introduction to our work, show them some of the International Village, then take them over to Willow Branch to meet my partner Bennett Ekandem.

Last night I went to the concert for Family Heritage Foundation–Bennett Ekandem’s organization.

It was held at the Peachtree Christian Church.
I loved this carving of the Last Supper.


Fantastic stained glass!

What a great day!

It was a double pleasure for me because not only did my sweet angel Ashley get commissioned at FBC Mountain Park, so did Cornelia and Keith Harrell!

I enjoyed sharing what we’re doing with the congregation at Mountain Park as well as leading the charge for our new missionaries!




All 5 of Kathy’s brothers and sisters came to the event and also enjoyed lunch with us afterwards at Asian Square.


I’ll try and rest a bit before I go over to Peachtree Christian Church, where my partner Bennett Ekandem is having a concert fundraiser for his ministry.  I’m looking forward to that.  I’ll also help videotape the event.

I had a fun time today with a couples group from the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL.  We had a briefing together about what immigrants go through here in Atlanta.

I was also happy to see Mark and Cathy Wilson from FBC Atlanta come to help! Cathy is one of my NAMB missionary partners. She’s been dealing with some health challenges. GREAT to see her back!

Then we went of a prayer walk/vision trip through the International Village.



We visited a traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy. I think a lot of their cures work!

We enjoyed lunch at a local Mexican food restaurant.  They were shocked when the menu was ONLY in Spanish!  Good food!


Then over to Azalea to host a one day Backyard Bible Club with the kids at the mission.

The team also helped me to clean the place up.  Looks great now!

I’m working on my Annual Report for my Board of Directors.  Hope to get some exercise today too!

Nothing better than having BOTH my kids with me!

Thursday is definitely my favorite day of the week!

We started out driving over to my treasurer Jon Paul’s house where I dropped off my financial report which I completed in the morning.

Then over to Cathy and Tim Palmer’s house where we dropped off the sewing machines and the vacuum cleaner for the mission at Huntington Ridge.

After lunch I spent a long time working the phones from FBC Doraville. Lots of follow up after the last two weekends of evangelism! Also some good prospects for partners. It’s always cool to see how the Lord is working all around us!

We spent a couple of hours at Azalea helping the kids with their big school projects.

The printer (which I just bought a couple of weeks ago!) was having issues. Of course the CD that has the drivers for the printer is gonesville. So that means you have to try and download it from the web. I pay for dial up at the missions, so that’s no fast process.

Finally got it downloaded (at another family’s house who has DSL) onto my flash drive. Or at least so I thought.

So I had to call in Tech Support: Jesse!

PTL he’s with me. He figured out how to get in on the drive then helped me get the computer set up back at the mission.

I’m pretty good with this techno stuff. I love it. But I just couldn’t figure out that printer installation/driver download situation. I’ve probably installed at least 50 printers over the years. But that thing yesterday about made me want to toss it out the window.

And here I have these kids looking at me like, “You gotta help me Mr. Tim. We’re going to make zeros.”

So again, thank God that I have Jesse with me.

Today I’m trying to take a breather. But I’m still making calls, answering email and working on my annual Board Report for next Tuesday.Great news is that our Prayer Cards came in yesterday! I’m looking forward to passing those out!

It’s raining outside right now. We sure need it.

Jesse and I picked up our partners Tim and Grace Hatch at Clarkston International Bible Church today.


They are new partners helping us with the refugees in Clarkston.

We also stopped at First Baptist Church of Doraville to pick up Joe Scott another of my new partners.

We travelled up to the North American Mission Board where I did my presentation on how to generate volunteers for your ministry.  I call it the “5 Levels of Engagement.”
It was fun to catch up with some of my friends at NAMB like Mike Riggins who is in charge of the MSC program at NAMB.

There was a great group of new missionaries coming on board this month.

  I had three of my new partners being voted on by the trustees.  I know they’re going to be a terrific addition to our team.

Got a call from Kathy on the way back from NAMB.  Her van had conked out on her.  Fortunately, she wasn’t far from our house when it happened.  After I dropped off Joe and the Hatches back at the churches, I went home to deal with the tow truck and getting the van over to the mechanic.

Hopefully, she won’t be hard to fix!

Went back to Walmart today to buy two new sewing machines for a project we’re doing with the refugees in Clarkston.  We’re going to teach the ladies how to sew and sell their products to help support their families.

Also got a vacuum cleaner for the mission at Huntington Ridge.  The other one I bought got jacked.  Bahd luck.

Last week I heard something that surprised me.  Jesse told me, “I’d like to work for you, Dad.”

Bottom line is that he’ll spend at least 4 days a week doing ministry with Whirlwind, either with me or Ashley.  After all the heavy lifting last week I started thinking, “Sure would be good to have some young help.”  This is an answer to prayer!  He’s been doing a great job at the mission.  We’ll give him some money every week.  I believe in showing people that I value their work.  He’s a good partner.

We went over to Grace Fellowship Church today (one of my favorites) to pick up the hard drive with the video that NAMB shot.  I sure do appreciate their ministry to us!  The video looks great!

Then we had the pleasure of seeing Todd Harrison–one of our biggest supporters and a true man of God!  Sure do love that guy.  He was really there for me when I needed help.

He helps us a LOT!  Today he gave us 15 full size medical emergency kits.  When he told me he had these kits I was thinking some little white plastic box with some bandaids and antibiotic salve.   These are full on, go to war, medical emergency supplies.  They’re cool too because it’s divided into sealed plastic bags that each contain one crisis (Burn, Not Breathing, Shock).  It has an emergency card to give you instructions along with all the supplies.  They’re really super cool and I think we’ll be a great asset to the mission.

Lord, I know that’s a great gift, but please protect the kids and volunteers so we never have to use them!  AMEN!

Todd also loaded down the car with snacks and drinks for the kids at the missions.  THANKS!

We went over to Chamblee to pick up a partner Joe Scott. 

He’s in the process of being appointed with the North American Mission Board.  He’ll be coming on board with our team in the Avondale and Clarkston areas.  Actually, we’re still laying out options for him.  I believe the best thing we can do for new missionaries is to help the refine what it is they really want to do, and then figure out the place that best suits that call that is close to where he lives.  We went by Oak Forest to talk with the management there about some possible job training courses.

It was good to also see Cathy Palmer and Tim Hatch while we were in Clarkston.  Tim also came with me to check out Oak Forest.

We had a terrific time at OF last weekend with First Baptist Atlanta.  They were one of the locations for “Impact Atlanta.”

Then all the way over to Chamblee to check on “my” kids at the mission.  Mustak and Clinton needed science fair boards.  I picked some up at Office Depot.  I got back to the mission and two of the other kids came by and said they needed them too.  Back to the store.   Ay caramba.

I met with a new friend Derrek Meier who works with Global Frontiers.  He’s been working in Oaxaca, Mexico for the last few months and is going back in a week.  He’d heard about our ministry and wanted to check us out. 

It was fun hanging out with him as I rode back and forth to the office supply place.

Their mission organization is considering Atlanta as a training site for their missionaires and local teams.  Of course I told him that that was a great idea and that I’d help him expedite that!  I’m all about getting people here and getting them to work.

Had a talk with Rosena, Jouven’s Mokombe’s 19 year old sister. I’ve known her since she was a little girl. Today she came to the mission to let me know that she’s four months pregnant! I’ll make sure she gets prenatal help.

I talked with Cathy Palmer today.  She’s working with 8 refugee families very intensively.  She does that and juggles a full time writing career too.  It’s very inspiring!  Check out the Palmer’s blog at   http://palmermissions.blogspot.com/  Cathy always has something worth reading.

On the way home I had a bad experience.  Some people in the religious community I don’t get along with well.  I’m just a little bit much for them to handle.

I’m not the most politically correct person you’ve ever met.  I think in the long run it’s best to be honest with people about whether you think what they’re doing is going to work.  Sometimes just changing direction ever so slightly can pay off big.

But there are many people out there that are so SURE that they are RIGHT!  and they talk in ALL CAPS all the time.

People that are that sure that they’re right make me nervous.

I mean, I know I’m right.  But there’s always a doubt . . .

Can’t we do this better?  Of course we can!  So be open to change.

But some people have been doing the same thing for years.  And they’re so sure they’re right.  So they just keep right on going.