June/July Update

Ministry Update:

Well, as unbelievable as it sounds, it is that time again when all of CRM gathers to do our once every 4 year World Wide Conference - It is hard to fathom that it has been 4 years since our last conference in Santa Barbra, CA... so much has changed since then! Though I now spend more of my time working with The Berean Way, we are still employed by CRM and work with them as opportunity allows. The conference this year will be taking place in Langkawi, Malaysia and will be a time of reconnect with our old team-mates and friends as well as networking, training and equipping. In addition, we will be traveling back through Taiwan to see and visit with some dear friends, supporters and team-mates in the Berean way.

Since returning from Israel (and prior to our departure to Langkawi) I have been doing some consulting and teaching in the areas of discipleship and mission. I would appreciate your prayers as God opens up these opportunities; that I would speak with wisdom, that I would choose those opportunities that are inline with our mission and that more opportunities would come. Also, I have been continuing to solidify and work on our upcoming trips this fall to Uganda, Canada and Nepal. I would appreciate your prayers as I recruit for these trips AND as I sort out balancing family, trips and school this Sept - Nov.

grace and peace,
Tim


Family update:

Hi everyone, just wanted to give you all a brief update on how the family is doing.

We will start with the youngest, Hallie. She has just turned 5 this June and will start half time kindergarten in the fall (not sure I'm ready for full day yet!!!) For one year I will have all four in one school, I'm super excited for that. Hallie is still our independent child that could take on the world herself and come out with a smile! She has a real love for life and she brings so much fun and joy to our clan. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in this last April and never shed a tear (tough chick). God continues to remind me how blessed I am to raise these children of mine and truly how fast this season will go.

McKenzie our third child is still our total sweetheart! She just finished 2nd grade and did super well. She is our painter, drawer and loves to write books. McKenzie's favorite thing to do is have tea!! She truly is our Scottish girl at heart!!! McKenzie is 7 and 1/2 but feels like she is wanting to turn 13. I continue to remind her that make up and fancy hair can wait a few years!!!

Celtin has had a fabulous year in his new school. He is our one that likes stability and routine, so now that life has settle a little he is doing really well. Celtin will enter 4th grade this coming fall and can't wait to hear who his teacher will be. He loves to hang with his dad and brother. He hikes, fishes and enjoys playing with their new friends across the street.

Duncan is the oldest and just turned 10 ~ WOW where did the years go!!! He is a wonderful big brother and has the softest heart around. He has made leaps and bounds in school this year, we are so proud of him. We think with all the moving that he has finally caught up to where he should be for schooling in the US. Praise the Lord!

This has been a big year for me as well with defining my role as a mother and my fit in ministry. I've really limited the ministries I'm involved in to be full time mum. I'm still mentoring young ladies, volunteering in our school, ministering along Tim as needed, but the big ministry I'm doing is called Hearts at Home. I have such a heart for young mom's and this is once a month time of refreshment, encouragement from seasoned moms and wonderful fellowship. All to say I'm so glad that the Lord has been refining me to where my gifts are and where he wants me to serve.

Just to update on my health: I've done wonderful here in Oregon. OK, I've had a tiny bit of symptoms but over all I'm feeling amazing! We also had an extra mold check done on the house which turned up negative (which is good) and then with the fire they recovered every square corner of the house. So the house could not be any better then as if it was new. God continues to provide every step of the way.

Thank you for all your continued prayers,
Britany and the clan

April/May Update + India!

Hey everyone!

To say that the past couple months have been crazy would be a complete understatement! Between traveling to India, having a house fire, living out of suitcases (while moving from house to hotel to apartment to house again), traveling to Canada, "re" moving back into our house (we are still in boxes), writing finals, Hallie's tonsillectomy and preparing to leave to Israel in 2 weeks, there has hardly been time to think... thank you for your patience (and prayers) as we get our feet under ourselves again!

This past weekend The Berean Way held it's first annual silent auction to raise money to reach and train barefoot pastors in the most unreached areas of Northern India. It was an amazing event that exceeded expectations. The evening was filled with bidding, laughter and fellowship while Jeff was able to communicate the need and vision for India. Britany was even able to dress up in a sari as she acted as one of the hostesses for the evening... it was a lot of fun AND its impact will be felt in India in the days ahead.


Just a couple of weeks ago we were able to move back into our house... it has been SO good to be back home. For those who may have missed the story or the specific updates on our house fire they are posted on our blog HERE. Our house looks amazing... we are so thankful to the Jeff and Brian Bohrer at Cornerstone Construction for going way beyond the call of duty and doing it so quickly. It feels good to be back in our neighborhood and we are looking forward to how God is going to use this experience and this house for His glory!


Just over a month ago Brit the kids and I packed up our van and headed up to Canada for a solid week of connecting with the Lethbridge Evangelical Free Church (the supporting church we grew up in), supporters, friends and family... it was 1600mile whirlwind! We had a very good time reconnecting with our supporters and telling them about our vision and direction. We left very excited about future partnerships and old friendships. It is always a joy to be home.


It feels like our trip to India was ages ago. Though I know most of you kept up with our trip on the Berean Way BLOG (if you didn't I would encourage you to look) I wanted to let you know what an impact full time it was. The conference times were fantastic but the spiritual warfare was intense. God had us in the enemies domain yet we experienced His power, strength and support every step of the way. As one of the local Indian missionary/pastors explained, "when I was in South India I saw myself as standing at the gates of hell, breaking down the doors, running in and rescuing the lost and hurting... now that I live in North India I see my self as having moved into hell, grabbing as many as I can and pushing them out the gates." Another pastor told us that we were the first to do any sort of training in the area and that they couldn't even get other Indians to come to their area... it is a very dark place.


BUT!!!


God is doing amazing things! Men, women, children turning to Himself, the fountain of living water for LIFE. God has amazing things for India in a time when the doors have never been so open. Truly the harvest is ready and the work is great... THANK YOU for you part in making this ministry happen. Your prayers, financial support and encouragement have been so appreciated. May God bless you as you have been a blessing to us!

grace and peace friends,
Tim

looking backward & forward

Isaiah 26:3-4

You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Can you believe that it is 2010?

I remember thinking as a kid about how weird it would be to live in the year 2000 and now here we are... 10 years in! So much has happened this last year that it would be impossible (and exhausting) to recount it here - BUT there are noteworthy blessed moments that must be remembered with much thanksgiving.

- After 8 years, this spring we transitioned from our nieucommunities family to begin working with The Berean Way. We praise God for the friends and experiences that we were gifted by nieucommunities and are thankful for their great work.

- After 8 years, this fall we moved back to Portland Oregon. It has been great reconnecting with friends and family as well as seeking out new relationships and ministry.

- The kids started into their third school in three years... one they will (God willing) be settled in for the next season. They love their new school and have begun to really flourish.

- After 10 years, I started back (very part-time) at Western Seminary. I have felt God leading me for many years that it was time to continue my education. As I have found myself doing more discipleship and teaching as of late it has been exciting for me to be in an academic sphere.

- This Fall we were extremely blessed to have Sam Apollos and his family come to Portland for several weeks. It was an amazing blessing to have him here, to talk about the future in India and spend time getting to know them all better.

- After being gone from Glasgow for almost a year and a half Britany and I were able to return for some training and reconnecting... it was fantastic to be able to see our friends and RE:hope.

So what of 2010?

What an amazing year we have ahead of us... starting this February with my first trip back to India in a while. We have been planning, writing/translating material and fundraising for our next trip to the northern boarder of India. We will be doing three different training events for the barefoot pastors there (one of which will actually be in Nepal)... please be praying for money for the events and my visa!!

Beyond that we have plans for travel to Canada in March, Israel in May, Malaysia in July, Uganda in September and back to India in October... we would appreciate your prayers as we navigate all these trips!

Pray also for all the AMAZING opportunities God is opening up here in Portland. We have been so humbled and thankful for the doors that are opening up here. Pray specifically for two different equipping tracks that I am developing/teaching here for our teams and a handful of churches in the area. One is for those going on short-term mission experiences and the other is for those wanting to grow in their discipleship and disciple making. These are things that I have almost stumbled into but am excited to be a part of... God is using SO much of these last years for His work here and around the world.

Finally, would you join us in this prayer... this commissioning - that our minds would stay on our Lord, that we would not be distracted by issues of money, fear or doubt and that all of us would find our perfect peace in trusting in our everlasting ROCK.

Amen Lord. Amen.

pictures AND prayers

Well, after the last few updates ALL the requests have been for more pictures SO, in light of our busy schedules I thought I might share some pictures and some prayer requests!



October is a big month for birthdays and this year we were able to have a party with old friends and family... it was great fun! Celtin and McKenzie were able to eat their share of the cake though!!


Once again the McDonald clan has found the local zoo... not quite as close as the one in San Diego BUT with all the beauty that comes with the Northwest!



We were due for a new family pic and Chase makes seven... why don't we just call this shot, "The Trouble Makers!"




The past month has been a whirlwind that started with a miracle. A little over a month ago we decided that, if God would make it happen, we would like to have Sam and his family come from India to connect with supporters and communicate a clearer picture of the work being done by The Berean Way in India. We prayed like crazy and God did what seemed impossible... He pulled together a passport, three visas and several thousand dollars in less than a month to make it happen! It was a powerful and beneficial time for us as an organization as board members, supporters and key leaders were able to meet Sam and his family. On their 3 week trip we were able to sort through some of the next steps in India AND give Sam's family faces for the names of supporters and prayer warriors. Praise God for this time.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

1 - Pray for Britany as she is traveling for the next 15 days (but who's counting). She is participating in the final training experience with the Women Of Influence in Austria this week. Pray especially for her travel - as many of you know Britany HATES to fly and she has 8 legs to her journey! She will not only be participating but also sharing her story and would appreciate your prayers as she shares. Pray also for me... I will be Mr. Mom alone for the first 5 days until MY mom comes and helps... thank you mom!

2 - Pray for me as I prepare and teach over the next few weeks. I will be teaching at a STM conference on the 24th in Portland (leadership/discipleship), doing leadership training on the 28th-5th in Glasgow AND again at a youth pastor conference in Portland on the 7th. It has been a pretty incredible fall... I prayed that God would open doors and they seem to keep opening.

3 - Pray also for me tomorrow (Oct 18th)... I have my first midterm in over 10 years and I am a bit nervous - its for Greek!

Thank you SO much for all your support and prayers!
Blessings,
The McDonald clan

and so it begins... again!

An update from Britany.


Hey everyone... Well, our transition to Portland has been nothing short of amazing. Everywhere we turn the Lord opens another door for putting down roots. As you can see from our faces our first day of school was filled with smiles (as where last year 4 out of 6 of us were crying as we left each other). Can you also see all those green trees around us... Tim and I have officially decided that we love the cooler, wetter climates. Yes I do know the rain has yet to start in Oregon, so I will let you all know soon how it is going.

Well after 8 years out of the housing market we are "back in the game", thanks to our friend Dave Hopkins. It took a lot of hunting to find a house that was close to work (Jeff & Erin), not too big, with a yard, a place for Tim to finally have an office, on the cheaper side but not a total fixer upper (still not the right season for that) and 200 years of history... o.k., I guess we had to compromise on something! We love our semi fixer upper and could not have gotten all the pieces to fit if the Lord had not led the way. What a wonderful God we serve who knows the perfect spot to place his children. So the cleaning begins... as you can see we have all pitched in!


So we begin setting up ministry life again, although God continues to blow us out of the water. Tim has had one connection after another come along his path. He has had several opportunities to speak/teach and more to come, just what loves to do. He is also developing all the materials for the discipleship training that The Berean Way will be doing. Tim has also started school again after years of the Lord prompting him to get more training. He is taking the slow track to getting his MDiv to be more equipped to teach/disciple people all over the world. Some of the most exciting recent news is that Sam Apollos and his family are here in America as of today for a few weeks. Sam is the director for the Berean Way in India and we are so excited to see all that God is going to do while Sam and his family are here. If you meet them and hear their story your life will be changed and blessed at the same time.

Where am I in all this? Well, I'm doing what I do best which is to get everyone settled. As Tim wrote back in January I pulled back from the daily job of missions because our family needed it. So with a lot of prayer I'm going to get involved in Mom's in touch, volunteering at our kids school, being apart of the team that hosts Berean Way events and volunteering to teach a 3's class for Womens Bible study at our church. I'm thrilled for this season ahead as God really has lead me to these places of service. I have also had the privilege of finishing up a training piece for 18 of us women in CRM. Some of the seasoned leadership women have taken on passing their "nuggets of wisdom" to us younger ladies ~ what a honor it has been to be poured into by these amazing women. Please be praying for our last time together starting October 17th -23rd.

Well, as you can see, we have begun to settle and a new season of life for the McDonald Clan has begun.We would love to hear from you when you have the chance. Many thanks for all your words of encouragement, prayers and financial support! You are amazing.

blessings,
Britany and the McDonald clan

Settling and Running

Settling and running... those are the two words I would use to describe this last month.

It has been very exciting to get our feet on the ground in Portland and begin the process of settling into a rhythm for our family. We have been painting rooms (something we have not done in our 14 years of marriage), unpacking boxes (some that have been packed for almost 8 years) and hosting (family and friends from Oregon, Washington, Alberta, North Carolina and Scotland). We even had the opportunity to attend two weddings of very dear friends - one from Portland and one from Scotland (It was such a blessing to be able to lead worship at one of them). Every step has made it feel more like home. Of course, in a lot of ways, Portland IS home to Britany and I, which has created a strange mixture of the old and the new.


We have had the amazing opportunity to reconnect with so many people (and there are still many we have still not yet seen). Yet, at the same time, we come to Portland with a new vision and the new ministry we are joining with a new set of eyes - new opportunities! Everything feels new... and so we have hit the ground running. We have been eager to meet with new and old friends to ask the question... Lord, what do you have for us here? And who do you want to join us in that work? The common response time and time again has been discipleship - which is so near to my heart and passions that I know it cannot be an accident.


My new job description describes my role like this:

The Director of Discipleship will be responsible for the discipleship branch of The Berean Way – which is found within the Equip and Duplicate mandate. This will include the development/writing/teaching of resources and material for discipleship, discipleship training and leadership development among Berean Way volunteers and indigenous Pastors (in India, Uganda, etc). In addition to basic discipleship development, the DD will also focus on pre-trip and post-trip equipping and leadership development for Berean Way volunteers.

Secondary responsibilities may include (but are not limited to): expanding the relational base of the Berean Way through meetings – for prayer and financial interest, teaching (when given the opportunity) locally and internationally – to generate interest and increase exposure, modeling the mandates of Teach, Equip and Duplicate in everyday life – for integrity of mission and authenticity of message.

So far, since we've been in Portland, this has looked like... getting to know the ministry, meeting with potential volunteers, developing/writing discipleship training material (and tools) and helping strategize and plan for our upcoming trips this next year. It has been pretty exciting to see how much people have been anticipating our involvement here with The Berean Way.

Our most pressing prayer requests are:

1 - That God would bring the right people for our upcoming trips to Uganda, India and potentially Nicaragua. People with a passion for prayer, discipleship and God's Word. We are looking for people to be a part of a 16 session discipleship training that overlaps the trip on both sides AND for people to support those doing the training.
2 - That our kids would have a smooth transition into their new school. They are fairly excited (as excited as kids get to go to school) but very nervous. Pray especially for Duncan as he navigates his new Individualized Education Plan.
3 - Balance. That we would figure out a way to balance all the new relationships with all the old... and that we would BE the people God has called us to be in this place.

grace and peace,
Tim

a place to settle

A lot has happened since our June update.

We have packed up all our earthly possessions and sent them off with our friend Scott.

We have said MANY sad goodbyes to friends and coworkers.

We have driven from sunny Golden Hill, San Diego to SUNNY Portland (including a stop off at our friends Jason and Megan).

We have said MANY hellos to old friends, family and supporters.

We have bought and moved into a home in Tigard thanks to our friend's Dave and Patti.

We have left 8 years of formal ministry with NieuCommunities (though we are excited to continue with NC in a less formal way) and have been seconded to The Berean Way.

And, we have laughed, cried, pondered, sighed, missed, hugged, borrowed, bugged, talked, walked, stayed, played and prayed along the way. We seem to be a family that is on the move but looking for a place to settle... God willing, this will be that place (for a while).

For those of you who may be getting this update and wondering what is going on I encourage you to check out these updates to help "fill in the gaps".

One special prayer request... Thursday the 23rd The Berean Way is hosting an event in Portland to raise awareness of the ministries work and funds for upcoming trips. Please be praying for those coming, for the Spirits work and God's provision.

As always, thank you for your prayers and support as we move in this new direction... we are excited to see what God is going to do!

home...

Kinda feels like we were just here...

Over the course of the last couple weeks we have been undoing what we have spent the last 8 months doing... creating a home. All the pictures, plates and papers that we brought out to make our "temporary" place feel like home are going back in the boxes they came in. We've got piles of boxes all over the house (and in the garage) and our home is beginning to get that rental feel again.

Home... it feels a bit like a surreal idea to us. Partially, it feels like we are moving home OR at least closer to it. We are so excited to move back to Portland and have in fact (God willing) bought a house... a home. Not only closer to friends, we are also closer to Canada and family - there is a lot of excitement in our home right now. On the other hand, it feels like we are leaving what we have known for the past 8 years (the family of NieuCommunities) and trudging off into a new unknown... kind of like leaving home. There are so many things that feel unknown, unfamiliar... it is a strange tension.

This morning I was reading in Acts 2 where Peter was speaking to the crowd and he refers back to a passage from Psalm 16 that goes like this:

You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

I love the hope of this verse... the promise of REAL home. It was a powerful encouragement to a discouraged King David, the incredible motivation that got Jesus through the cross and a picture of God's best for each and every one of us. A picture that we, the McDonald clan, need right now as we walk through this next transition.

The Details:

Now that CRM has given us the "green light", we will be moving to Portland July 10th to begin working with The Berean Way (Check out their webpage if you haven't already). Jeff has just recently returned from India where he had an amazing time of connecting with Pastors there - I would encourage you to read about it here. We are so excited but in need of your prayers as we try to get everything done before our move date.

A part of what we are looking at doing with The Berean Way is the development of the discipleship base for the trips. We desire not only to go to India (and the nations) to teach, equip and duplicate, but to do it with increasing excellence, boldness and power in our local communities and churches. To allow our experiences with our couragous brothers and sisters in Christ around the world to shape us... transform us... unite us. As Paul puts it in his amazing letter to Titus, that we would be like Jesus, "...bringing [HIS] salvation for all people, training... to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." (Titus 2:11-14)

Friends... we are that people... we are His possession... it is time to be a part of awakening that zeal!

Please be praying for us as we move... especially for Duncan, Celtin, McKenzie and Hallie.

Special thanks to Peter Schrock for the photo's!