GREETINGS FROM INDIA
You are the Link. Pray for India.
ON THE MOVE, THANKS TO YOU!
Today's Update from Lee., Rejoice and Please Pray.
GOD IS LOVE
You Are Loved! Wonderful Facilitators. Heading to India - PRAY.
YOU BRING JOY
Happy 2023! Thank You Very Much. Trips Planned for 2023.
ANTICIPATION
Season of Anticipation. South Asian Friends Are Encouraged. Year End Giving Opportunity.
ASCENDING
You are the link to help. Double your impact through November. Ethiopian friends thank YOU.
UNHINDERED
Celebrating God's Care for Us. Windows to the World Event. Remaining Unhindered into 2023!
Join Us for Windows to the World
YOU ARE INVITED!
SERVING IN UGANDA
Invigorating trip to Uganda. Podcast with Stuart Briscoe. Save the Date for Windows to the World!
REMEMBERING A GREAT LEADER
Remembering Stuart Briscoe. Serving in Uganda. Save the Date for Windows to the World!
Windows to the World Event
SAVE THE DATE Windows to the World Event SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022
BUT GOD
Serving BrookLink has been my pleasure. Serving in Czech Republic. Lee resumes serving full time next month!
HOPE FULLY SET ON GRACE
Pray for trainers and trips. Would you prayerfully give?
HUMBLE MISSION
Pray for June trips to Peru and Czech Republic. Part two of Lee's podcast interview. You are a blessing.
SEMINARY IN A SUITCASE
Board of Directors hosts planning retreat. Lee shares about Christian identity on podcast. We thank God for you!
REFLECTIONS
Ways to Show Your Support, Update on Terry.
GOD’S BANNER OVER US IS LOVE
News from Togo trip. Teaching planned in the Czech Republic. Update on Lee.
LIGHT UPON LIGHT
Your generosity is amazing! Pray for teaching in Togo later this month. Planning for 2022.
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS IN EVERY SEASON
Will you prayerfully support and give to BrookLink during this season? We are grateful for God's faithfulness through YOU.
THE SEASON OF GIVING THANKS
Will you prayerfully support and give to BrookLink during this season? God's goodness in South Asia.
SAVE THE DATE #GIVINGTUESDAY
We are one week away from the biggest giving day of the year, #GivingTuesday, where people around the world come together to make an impact. Save the Date - Tuesday, November 30th!
THE SEASON OF WAITING IS ENDING
Please pray for Lee, Ian and Lisa as they travel to teach in person. Will you prayerfully support and give to BrookLink?
LOVING GOD WITH ALL WE ARE
Please pray. Exciting travel plans for Lee and Ian. RSVP today for Zoom Prayer.
YOU HELP TO SEND OUT WORKERS
Please pray. Ethiopia books printed! Global friend coming to Wisconsin, and you can hear him preach.
BELIEVING WITHOUT SEEING
Your support encourages faith. Lee accepted an invitation to teach in Ethiopia. Pakistani partner to preach in Wisconsin. Briscoes share on finishing well in Christ.
THROUGH LOVE SERVING ONE ANOTHER
You serve through your love. Ian's visit to Wisconsin. Lee and Ian travel plans to Ethiopia and Pakistan. Your financial investment makes impact.
THE WORLD NEEDS THE FATHER
The Father welcomes you. Insights from board member, Dick Laabs. Prayer book project continues. Facilitators serving the church in the Czech Republic, India and Peru. Your financial investment makes impact.
RENEWING STRENGTH
Christ renews your strength. Hopeful for travel. Prayer book project in Ethiopia. Update on Zoom "BrookLink at Prayer."
PRAYING FOR ALL THE LORD’S PEOPLE
Your partnership and prayers mean the world to us. Pray with us on May 6th. Keep praying for Lee as he recovers. Keep doing good and don't give up.
GOD’S NEXT CHAPTER FOR BROOKLINK
God has great plans for you and us. Pray for the board of directors. Pray for Lee's recovery and for Terry. Be anxious for nothing.
YOU ARE HIS INFLUENCER
You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Thank you so much for your support. Opportunities abound to be light in a dark world. Listen to Lee's important sermon.
RE-BOUND
Your partnership is extraordinary. God is calling you and us to serve His church. How will you help fulfill the Lord's call? You are deeply appreciated and loved!
RE-POSITION
God provides re-vision to build His church. Your support makes a big difference in overseas virtual ministry. Invitations extended for training in 2021. You are needed!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY on #GIVINGTUESDAY
Our hearts are overflowing! Thanks to generous donors like you, we exceeded our initial #GivingTuesday goal!
TODAY IS #GIVINGTUESDAY
TODAY is #GivingTuesday, where people around the world come together to make an impact. DOUBLE your investment to help global church leaders today.
SAVE THE DATE #GIVINGTUESDAY
We are one week away from the biggest giving day of the year, #GivingTuesday, where people around the world come together to make an impact. Save the Date - Tuesday, December 1st!
RE-STORE
God provides re-vision to build His church. Your support makes a big difference in overseas virtual ministry. Invitations extended for training in 2021. You are needed!
ONWARD AND UPWARD
Nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Get to know Lindsey, BrookLink's new staff member. Your support continues to reach the lost. Looking forward to 2021!
LIVING WATER, LIVING HOPE
Jesus is our living water and living hope. Your support quenches thirsty souls. Prayers answered for virtual VBS. God is richly available through suffering. Our address changed - we moved!
GOD USING YOUR FRAGRANT OFFERINGS
With your help, BrookLink's mission continues. God is at work in India. Our facilitators are creating and teaching online coursework and webinars. You are loved and appreciated!
GRATITUDE FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE
Our global partners express gratitude for your support. Be encouraged! This is our time to trust God and be creative. Thank you for supporting and praying for BrookLink.
YOUR LIGHT SHINES THROUGH DARKNESS
In the midst of this season, God remains faithful. Even in uncertain times, you continue to walk with our ministry partners and help them. Learn how you can make a difference in a virtual VBS opportunity. You are needed. Your help is needed, and we are asking you to give generously at this time.
ENCOURAGING THE FAITHFUL
While we have had to curtail our travel plans, the ministry is not standing still. We are committed to our 18 international partnerships, and are using this time to connect with our overseas partners. Our facilitators serve as consultants to those partners. Our vision remains unchanged, because the needs in the global church remain the same.
UNCHANGING IN A SEASON OF CHANGE
Much has changed in the world, and in our lives, in a very short time. But some important things have not changed, and we celebrated that this past weekend. Certainly, it was a very unusual Good Friday and Easter Sunday as many observed “safer at home” orders and were unable to gather with their church families. I was thinking about how that first Easter must have been similar to our experience this year.
PEACE IN THE WHIRLWIND
I pray this message finds you well as we live through these peculiar times. The entire world is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Church of Christ has an extraordinary and urgent opportunity to minister hope and share “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.”
“I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH”
Jesus predicted it 2000 years ago, and he’s doing it. In our generation and in many parts of the world, the Church of Christ is growing at unprecedented rates. And at BrookLink we get to be part of that story. What a privilege! Next month Jan Ryder and Leslie Osborne will be training 40+ children’s workers for the Kale Heywet Church in Ethiopia. We are currently halfway through a three-year commitment to equip leaders in the Ethiopian church.
FORGING AHEAD INTO THE ROARING 20’S
As the new year (and a new decade) dawns, it thrills me to dream of what God may want to do through the ministry of BrookLink. I believe we are entering a new frontier in God’s global missionary enterprise. Training leaders is the next natural focus in those places where the national church is exploding with growth.
LET’S REACH THE NATIONS: SIDE BY SIDE
Recently we’ve been sharing stories of reaching the nations, why we do it and where we go. The how we do it is because of you. The only way to reach the nations is together, side by side with our supporters. You are the reason we can travel two by two, one invitation and one place at a time. Thank you so much for this privilege you entrust to us year after year for the past ten years!
LET’S REACH THE NATIONS: TWO BY TWO
Have you ever wondered what it is like to serve in a faraway land? Or been curious about the things BrookLink Facilitators encounter when overseas? For a firsthand look read below what Lisa Sinclair, a BrookLink Facilitator, wrote while traveling between teaching engagements in India with her husband Paul this past summer...
LET’S REACH THE NATIONS: ONE BY ONE
Do you ever doubt the power of small actions? We hear catch phrases like “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” or “the snowball effect,” but when you’re laying the first brick or just starting to make the snowball, it can be easy to lose sight of the impact you’re creating. At BrookLink we see the power of your small actions each and every day. When you give a financial gift to BrookLink, YOU are sending us to train in areas where there is a great need; YOU are helping us reach the nations! And we are doing this one by one, two by two and step by step.
SAVE THE DATE #GIVINGTUESDAY
We are one month away from the biggest giving day of the year, #GivingTuesday, where people around the world come together to make an impact. Save the Date!
A NEW CHAPTER FOR BROOKLINK
“They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned…, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.” Acts 14: 21-22a NIV
STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
As we’ve shared with you recently, BrookLink’s facilitator team had a summer of extensive travel. You helped send six members of our training team and affiliates from Europe to Africa to South Asia. The stories they shared upon their return were inspirational, and we want to share them with you!
CELEBRATING OUR PARTNERS
"...for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." Revelation 5:9
A SUMMER UPDATE
In June, BrookLink was invited to return again to Ethiopia to minister in the Kale Heywet churches. Pastor Timothy Ryder of Waukesha, Wisconsin and Pastor Ian Lawson of Alberta, Canada traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to lead church leaders through three days of training.
AN EVENING TO REMEMBER
Thank you to the many of you who were able to join us for BrookLink’s 10thAnnual “Windows to the World” Celebration at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts. Terry and I were touched by the many sweet conversations with friends old and new to the ministry.
PARTNERS IN HIS-STORY
Everyone has a story. When meeting people for the first time I am eager to learn their story. Good stories grab our imagination, invite us in and broaden our understanding! Did you know that over 70% of the Bible was written in story form?
Windows to the World Event
Windows to the World Event SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2019
TEN YEARS AND COUNTING
It is my hope this letter finds you in good health and experiencing the abiding joy of relationship with our God and Father during the Lenten season. As we enter springtime, our hearts delight in extended daylight, rebirth and growth. At BrookLink we are humbled and thrilled to be celebrating ten years in ministry and are steadfastly focused on why this ministry was created a decade ago.
UPDATE FROM THE BOARD
This month, BrookLink’s Board of Directors retreated to Lake Lawn Resort on the shores of Delavan Lake in Wisconsin with President and Founder, Lee Heyward, as well as our staff who skillfully organized the event. These strategic planning retreats occur every 2-3 years. This was my third opportunity to participate as I have had the pleasure to serve on the board for nine years,...
A SPECIAL YEAR FOR OUR MINISTRY
Happy New Year! As 2019 begins I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude to God for what YOU have made possible. I want to convey my heartfelt thanks to you for your generous gifts to BrookLink. Due to your extreme generosity, BrookLink strengthened nearly 4,000 church leaders in 5 countries and finished 2018 well positioned financially for the work ahead. Truly we are “strengthening churches together”!
THE HOW
In the final days of 2018, my hope and prayer is that you will know the nearness of Jesus Christ and how he entered the world in humble fashion “to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). At BrookLink, we count it a privilege to know this same Jesus, and to be involved in equipping pastors across the world and at home to proclaim Him too!
THE WHAT
As my wife, Terry, got off the plane from West Africa in Detroit, Michigan, I was boarding a plane for East Africa in Chicago, Illinois. We spent Thanksgiving Day apart this year. But don’t feel too sorry for us. We were on Kingdom business and following His lead. Last month we talked about why we do what we do at BrookLink. Strengthening the church is WHAT BrookLink is all about. We were invited and available, so off we went.
AN IMPORTANT LETTER FROM LEE
I am humbled and blown away by your response to #GivingTuesday. Your dollars have allowed BrookLink to serve and minster to thousands of church leaders and pastors around the world and here at home for the past 10 years. Without your support, this work would not be possible. I am writing today to update you on what has been going on for the past couple of weeks.
YOU MADE THIS POSSIBLE
Your generosity is astounding! Our fundraising goal for #GivingTuesday was $5,000 and with your help, we were able to raise just over $13,000! And let's not forget the group of faithful donors who pledged to match up to $5,000 bringing the overall #GivingTuesday total to over $18,000. Thank you for helping strengthen churches around the world!
STRENGTHENING CHURCHES TOGETHER: THE WHY
Here’s some great news. When you give a financial gift to BrookLink, YOU are sending us to train pastors who then train and send off their own people. Truly in this way we are strengthening churches together! Last year alone your financial gifts helped BrookLink and its affiliates travel to 8 countries, on 15 different teaching engagements, impacting 2,250 brothers and sisters in Christ.
IT’S NOT JUST THE BREWERS WHO WIN
While witnessing what has been happening in my city, it occurred to me—a team that wins is much like a church that wins. When churches are winning, communities win too! Conversely, when churches are losing, the communities around them miss an opportunity to benefit from them too. That’s why our rallying cry at BrookLink is to strengthen the church—to help the church win!
PRAYERS BEING ANSWERED
Did you know that Armenia is a landlocked Christian country in the Middle East surrounded by non-Christian neighbors? This summer while in Armenia, we were thanking the Lord for the 350 pastors and church leaders from different denominational traditions that we were privileged to train and equip.
SUMMER UPDATE
BrookLink’s first opportunity to equip, teach and encourage Armenian believers happened this summer. Women’s conference meetings and leader’s training took place. Here is what Stephen and Rozik Kashian, the founders of Armenian Relief Mission, had to say about BrookLink’s ministry.
WITHOUT HESITATION
It’s no secret that the Apostle Paul headlines much of the New Testament as a missionary, preacher and church planter. What often gets overlooked however, is a practical consideration. The success of Paul’s ministry, to a certain extent, was due in part to the spiritual and financial support of countless men and women around him.
GO WITH THE FLOW
When you do a google search for the word FLOWING, Dictionary.com says it means “proceeding smoothly or easily, circulating or proceeding from a source.” You inspire us at BrookLink to continue being a flowing stream moving ahead smoothly from our source, the Lord Jesus Christ.
TRAVELING TO AN ANCIENT LAND
Next month, for the first time, I am traveling to Yerevan, Armenia. The opportunity to train and teach Christian leaders in this part of the world is both humbling and astounding. I’d like you to meet my friends, Stephen and Rozik Kashian. I met this amazing couple in 2013 and learned of their medical outreach ministry in their home country of Armenia.
NEAR AND FAR
You have helped to strengthen and resource men and women who provide pastoral oversight, leadership and vision to a network of churches across Nepal. Your sacrifice and kind-heartedness are helping to build relational and missional bridges in the Czech Republic that will reach a predominantly secular and post-Christian population with the gospel. Thank you so very much!
STAGGERING STATISTICS
Did you know that the ratio of theologically trained pastors to people in the U.S. is 1 pastor for every 230 people? Yet the ratio of trained pastors to people abroad is one pastor for every 450,000 people! **
A LEGACY OF SOUND PREACHING
I attended my first Billy Graham Crusade in my hometown at age 10. My mother was a volunteer coordinator for the BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) in March 1966. His tall lanky frame, his piercing penetrating gaze, his buttery-smooth southern accent—but most of all, his iconic words, “The Bible says” captivated me as a youngster.
A STORY MEANT TO BE TOLD
SAVE THE DATE | APRIL 29, 2018
NEW YEAR, NEW OPPORTUNITIES
I want to convey my heartfelt thanks to YOU for your generous gifts to BrookLink during 2017. Due to your extreme generosity at the end of the year, BrookLink finished 2017 in a strong financial position. In Psalm 65 David eloquently praises God saying, “You crown the year with your bounty, your carts overflow with abundance” (vs. 11).
YOUR FAITHFUL GENEROSITY
Imagine living in a country where sharing your faith in Christ is outlawed. That’s exactly the situation in many places BrookLink is invited to train. The freedom of many Christians is increasingly under threat! This January in one such country, BrookLink has been invited to teach courageous followers of Christ.
CONNECTING YOU TO WORLDWIDE LEADERS
“The dire need of the global church is for developing leaders. It’s not just preachers we need to develop. We need to develop leaders just generally for the church.” African Christian “We need training for the trainers. We have never done this before.” German Leader
GIVING TUESDAY IS HERE
Have you ever received a gift that changed your life in a dramatic way? Gifts, small or large, hold potential for huge impact! Your gift to BrookLink allows pastors and church leaders to teach Scripture more accurately, preach Christ-centered sermons, and humbly lead with purpose. Consequently, churches become healthier and stronger and communities are impacted.
FROM THE FIELD | ETHIOPIA
It’s a beautiful morning in Addis Ababa. Tomorrow begins a week of training in a foreign land. Covet your prayers!
YOU CAN IMPACT THE GLOBAL CHURCH
I’m writing to you today to share two examples of the kind of people BrookLink serves. Some of them minister under threat of punishment or imprisonment. Some labor in the shadow of shady governments or threat of civil unrest. Some are anchors of hope in a sea of poverty. All are hungry for God’s truth, eager to learn and poised to make a difference!
COMING HOME WITH GRATITUDE
I had departed Wisconsin on a lingering summer day in early October, and returned to a blustery fall day just a handful of weeks later. The usually long transition, from a summer to a fall mentality, happened this year in a matter of moments. As I drew in a few breaths of crisp air and admired the changing color of the leaves on the trees, my posture turned to one of gratitude.
FROM THE FIELD | CHINA
Arrived late last night in Shanghai amidst typhoon conditions. Heading to Wuhan today to join Erik Burklin and the China Partner team that I'll be with these next two weeks. Covet your prayers!
FROM THE FIELD | S.E. ASIA
It was a very satisfying day and one that brought great encouragement to leaders serving in a terribly difficult place. Thank you for the role you are playing in equipping and empowering church leaders serving in hard places.
FULL SAIL
My father taught all of us three basic principles of sailing. The first was: sailing is all about dependency. All the training, effort and experience will do little good if there is no wind. Likewise, spiritual growth is not guaranteed through following techniques or gimmicks, but through daily and conscious reliance and dependence upon the ‘wind’ of God’s Spirit.
PACKING PARACHUTES
Charles Plumb recounts his story as a jet fighter pilot during the war in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb safely ejected, parachuted and was eventually captured and thrown into a Vietnamese prison for six years.
OFF WE GO
June 1978: My world got turned upside down! Or more likely right side up. Lee and I married on Saturday, packed a small trailer on Sunday, and began the drive from East Point, Georgia to Milwaukee, Wisconsin with all the hope and excitement two newlyweds can muster.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Pray as we continue to tell the “BrookLink story” both locally and nationally. We are exploring new partnerships, cultivating new sources of funding, onboarding new trainers/facilitators and participating in new gospel movements across the globe.
SUMMER’S HERE: A NOTE FROM LEE
This year the Day of Pentecost lands on June 4th. According to Acts 2, Pentecost marked the day God equipped His church with the power of the Holy Spirit so that Christ would be glorified among the nations. In other words, Pentecost is all about mission!
SHARING OUR STORY
Last weekend we hosted our 8th annual "Windows to the World" event at Meadowbrook Church, entitled "The Faces of BrookLink." It was a special evening, gathering many BrookLink faces and friends to share the work that God has been doing through our ministry. Thank you to those of you who were able to attend!
ECFA ACCREDITATION
BrookLink was recently accredited by the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). This accreditation is based on the ECFA Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship, including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fund-raising. We are delighted to add this distinguished award verifying our financial integrity.
BACK TO AFRICA!
I’ve just returned from a ten-day visit to Egypt. I was invited by my friend, Yani Mafdy, to teach at the Tyrannus Missionary School outside of Cairo. The school’s mission is to equip and train Egyptian and Sudanese national evangelists and church planters to proclaim the gospel to unreached peoples across North Africa.
THE FACES OF BROOKLINK
8TH ANNUAL WINDOWS TO THE WORLD EVENT
BRIDGE BUILDING
While bridge building is what I have to look forward to this summer, it is also an apt metaphor to describe BrookLink’s ministry. For the past few months I have been helping ten students (5 men and 5 women) build bridges! Not a literal bridge, but a bridge of understanding through communication and preaching.
FOR UN-ADULTS ONLY
Recently, I preached a message on one of my favorite Bible characters—Zacchaeus! Remember him? Luke is the only one of the four Gospel writers to include his story. Frederick Buechner reminds us, “Zacchaeus was a sawed-off little social disaster with a big bank account and a crooked job, but Jesus welcomes him aboard anyway.”
A NEW YEAR OF MINISTRY
As BrookLink prepares for a new year of ministry in 2017, I want to take this opportunity thank you for your tremendous support during our ministry in 2016.
MAKE A FINAL GIFT IN 2016
During 2016 I have received feedback like this from church leaders we serve: What Dr. Heyward taught us during this conference was the exact opposite of what many of us had believed. It helped us, not only to understand the bigger picture of Bible, but also to see how the Old Testament is related to the New Testament. I learned the value of the Word when it is studied deeply and correctly.
A SEED HAS SPROUTED
As we near the end of 2016 we have already received invitations to North Africa, Congo, Czech Republic, China and Ethiopia in 2017. Please pray with us about these opportunities and help us by planting a seed of your own.
JOIN THE GENEROSITY MOVEMENT
We have a day for giving thanks. We have a day for getting deals. Now, we also have a day called #GivingTuesday, a day devoted across the globe to giving back. It’s sort of an underground movement of generosity.
FROM A FAR COUNTRY
According to Open Doors USA, a human rights organization that monitors Christian persecution worldwide, the country I visited ranks high as a place where Christians suffer for professing Christ. It is not unusual for Christians in this part of the world to be detained, imprisoned or even to face death for their allegiance to Jesus.
UNEXPECTED: A CHANGE OF PLANS
As BrookLink began in 2008, Lee and I agreed that we would continue to follow our philosophy from 25 years in ministry: “If we are asked to go, serve, or teach, and if we are available, we will say YES.” We strongly believe that the Lord is in charge of our schedules, so when the chance to return to China in October came, BrookLink agreed to join the team
JIGSAW PUZZLES AND THE CHURCH
Jigsaw puzzles have been around for hundreds of years. Years ago European mapmakers pasted maps onto wood and then cut them into small pieces. Who of us doesn’t remember learning the geography of the United States using a puzzle map?
IMPRESSIONS OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC IN A POST-CHRISTIAN CULTURE
In June, BrookLink sent Dr. Dan and Lynne Green to the Czech Republic to teach at the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Prague (ETSP). Dan taught a course to pastors and lay leaders, and also continued his consultation with the seminary faculty on the subject of forgiveness research.
TWICE MULTIPLIED
Throughout my more than two decades of ministry at Northbrook Church, the congregation graciously encouraged me to travel overseas to visit our supported missionaries. Once or sometimes twice a year I would step out of my familiar and comfortable setting, travel to a foreign land and witness the extraordinary things God was doing in places quite different from my own.
WANT TO GO FAR? GO TOGETHER!
There is an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.” The Bible says very little about solo ministry. Instead there are an abundance of examples about collaboration: Moses and Aaron; Caleb and Joshua; Esther and Mordecai; Peter and John; Paul and Timothy. The list goes on and on.
SCATTERED BY DESIGN
Today I want to share with you an excerpt from a firsthand report about our recent BrookLink conference. The author, Arash was my translator throughout the training.
WINDOWS TO THE WORLD: MILWAUKEE
BROOKLINK'S 7TH ANNUAL WINDOWS TO THE WORLD EVENT
THE POWER OF STORY
Everyone has a story. When meeting people for the first time I am eager to learn their story. Good stories grab our imagination, invite us in and broaden our understanding!
SAVE THE DATE
BROOKLINK'S 7TH ANNUAL WINDOWS TO THE WORLD EVENT
FROM THE FIELD | ETHIOPIA
There are so many enriching benefits of a short-term mission experience! It is not just about the work you do or the shared experience itself; mostly it is about the relationships you develop.
FROM THE FIELD | ETHIOPIA
I arrived in Awash Afar, Ethiopia Friday night. Earlier that same day Kibru Tadesse met me at the Addis Ababa airport. Kibru is the National Director of Great Commission Ministries (GCM) in Ethiopia, the ministry we are partnering with the whole week. GCM is better known in the US as Cru.
FROM INDIA TO ETHIOPIA…
Imagine a roomful of bright, energetic and inquisitive young people, all of whom are preparing for ministry across the world’s second most populated country. While in India last month, I spent each morning with these students in their morning chapels exploring selected Psalms. I loved it!
FROM THE FIELD | INDIA
Rather than writing my usual trip report I thought I would take a page out of David Letterman’s book and give you my “Top Ten” for the day: #10—My alarm didn’t go off this morning so I overslept. Over-sleeping is over-rated! #9—You can run a ceiling fan and a room air-conditioning unit simultaneously in Chennai in the winter months and still sweat profusely.
FROM THE FIELD | INDIA
I’ve just completed day three of teaching. I spoke this morning to the students and faculty on Psalm 42-43 on “Finding Hope When You Are Discouraged.” No matter what country you’re in it’s not uncommon to find devoted servants of Christ who struggle regularly with discouragement and even depression.
FROM THE FIELD | INDIA
It’s good to be back with old friends this week at The Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in Chennai, India. I’ve been here multiple times and always enjoy the opportunity to interact with a host of young men and women, all preparing for some form of ministry throughout India.
A NEW YEAR TO SERVE
Each December as the final days of the year wind down, I take time to look back on the previous year and think about the year ahead. I recount with joy and gratitude the opportunities God opened before BrookLink during 2015. Included among these...
MAKE A FINAL GIFT IN 2015
In two weeks time I will be traveling to Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in Chennai, India. Recently Chennai underwent record rainfalls resulting in massive flooding across this populated urban area, and the Bible Institute was no exception! Despite these challenges, our friends at HBI are insisting we come to teach and train eager young men and women preparing for ministry.
COME AND HELP US
It is estimated that there are more than two million pastors across the world who have little to no formal training for ministry. When we consider the enormous growth of Jesus’ church in Asia, Africa and Latin America, along with the adversity faced by the church in many places, we begin to understand the need for equipping and encouraging pastors.
CELEBRATE #GIVINGTUESDAY
We have a day for giving thanks. We have a day for getting deals. Now, we also have a day called #GivingTuesday, a day devoted across the globe to giving back. It’s sort of an underground movement of generosity.
THANKSGIVING
At BrookLink we have many reasons to give thanks. Let me share a few with you. We give thanks to you for your faithful partnership with BrookLink. Throughout 2015 you have not only served us, but countless pastors and church leaders have benefitted from the ministry of BrookLink this year.
A LEAP FORWARD
I remember the day well—July 20, 1969. As a fourteen-year old my eyes were glued to a flickering black and white television set. Late that evening, astronaut Neil Armstrong planted his foot in another world and uttered those now famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one GIANT LEAP for mankind.”
COMPASSION FOR THE DISPLACED
It’s hard to miss the heart-breaking stories of the day-to-day crisis developing across the European Continent regarding the tens of thousands of men, women and children fleeing oppressive regimes. The continent of Europe is facing enormous challenges politically, economically, ethnically, and even spiritually.
STUDY–DO–TEACH
In today’s world, we hear regularly the plight of exiles forced from their countries because of famine, war or religious oppression. Stripped from their homeland and driven by desperation, these misplaced peoples risk life and limb for a better future. Who will minister to these displaced people?
MULTIPLIER
It’s been good to be home for a few weeks. June was a busy month for BrookLink with events in Seattle, ministry at the Advocate Summit of Mission Aviation Fellowship in Idaho, and my first-time trip to southeastern Poland to train ‘Free Church’ pastors and leaders in three cities.
FROM THE FIELD | POLAND
On Wednesday, June 24, Pastor Jacek Duda, Rich Frazer and I traveled to Zamosc, Poland. Zamosc is in the southeastern part of Poland and nearby to the Ukrainian border. Purportedly, Zamosc has the cleanest air quality on the European Continent, making it a resident and retiree-friendly place.
SAYING YES!
On June 15, 2015 the evangelical world mourned. Elisabeth Elliot, one of the most influential Christian women during my lifetime, passed away. Elliot was a wise mentor to many, a passionate spiritual writer and a towering model of an obedient follower of Christ. Several of her books are on my shelf. Terry and I remember listening to her inspiring story at an Inter-Varsity Urbana Missionary Conference in 1976.
STORIES FROM GREECE
Recently BrookLink was invited by 222 Ministries to teach and train a group of Iranian church leaders in Athens, Greece. All of them had a story to tell! For a whole week my friend Paul Sinclair and I were teaching these men and women about God as our Father—a heavenly Father, whose extravagant and costly love set Him apart from even the best of earthly fathers.
FROM THE FIELD | GREECE
It is a great privilege to minister here in Greece with Lee and Terry Heyward of BrookLink to Iranian and Afghan refugees. Actually, it has been a complicated trip, and we barely understand ourselves who we have been with!
FROM THE FIELD | GREECE
It’s Thursday afternoon here. I’ve just finished three hours of teaching, or should I say, leading the group in a robust exploration of Luke 15:11-32—the Story of the Prodigal Sons. They have gathered in small groups to study this passage in depth. Paul and I have also used Rembrandt’s famous painting, “The Return of the Prodigal” to engage their imagination!
FROM THE FIELD | GREECE
Greetings from Athens, Greece! Terry and I, along with Paul and Lisa Sinclair, are here this week to teach and train Iranian Christians and to work with the refugee population.
SERVING ABROAD: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
BrookLink will be in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo July 23 – August 2, 2015. Lee will be training at The Mission and Leadership Equipping Center, a ministry of ReachAfrica.
APRIL, MAY, JUNE
About 15 years ago I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Nabeel Jabbour at a missions conference in one of our local churches in the Milwaukee area. I was immediately struck by his personal humility, compassion for Muslim people and godly demeanor.
IMPACT IN CAPE TOWN
This past week I returned from a week of ministry in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Situated at the southernmost tip of the African Continent, the city boasts stunning views from its mountaintops of both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
FROM THE FIELD | SOUTH AFRICA
It’s Wednesday afternoon in Cape Town. It’s much cooler today after yesterday’s record-setting high temperature of 104 degrees. The fires that have been burning across the peninsula since Saturday continued throughout the night.
WINDOWS TO THE WORLD: CHICAGO
WINDOWS TO THE WORLD: CHICAGO SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2015 | 6:30PM | WINNETKA BIBLE CHURCH
WINDOWS TO THE WORLD: MILWAUKEE
WINDOWS TO THE WORLD: MILWAUKEE SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2015 | 6:30PM | MEADOWBROOK CHURCH
THANKFUL FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
It is a blessing to enter into these initial months of 2015 with a palpable sense of excitement and enthusiasm for what the year ahead will bring for BrookLink.
SERVING ABROAD: SOUTH AFRICA
Lee has been invited by John and Barbara Doyle of Cape Missions International to Cape Town, South Africa February 25-March 7, 2015. Pastor Keith Doyle and a team from Winnetka Bible Church in Winnetka, IL will join him.
MAKE A FINAL GIFT IN 2014
As January soon arrives, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the ways that you have been faithfully standing with BrookLink throughout 2014. We are constantly aware of the steadfast ways that you, our partners and God’s servants have said ‘yes’ to helping equip, empower, and release church leaders and pastors around the world.
EXTRAORDINARY
The impact of BrookLink across the world has exceeded my expectations these past six years. But our story would have unfolded far differently had it not been for the significant involvement of people like you!
ON GIVING TUESDAY…
PLEASE TAKE TWO MINUTES TO WATCH LEE'S VIDEO MESSAGE.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
From time to time, Terry and I are invited to speak at area churches about the ministry of BrookLink. These occasions never detract from our work internationally with church leaders. In fact, engaging regularly with US churches always affords us opportunity to keep a pulse on the local church, to bring a much-needed global perspective, and to mobilize area churches for cooperative mission.
RELEASE | R-E-L-A-X
Releasing leaders is all about committing people to the Lord, celebrating their unique giftedness, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide and protect them, and encouraging them to R-E-L-A-X in being who God has called them to be! It’s one of the things I love most about what I do!
MINISTERING TOGETHER IN UGANDA
Partnerships, relationships, friendships are at the core of BrookLink’s ethos. We go, we encourage, meet new believers and renew friendships with people across the world as they invite us to cycle in and out of their lives and ministries.
WAUWATOSA, UGANDA AND BEYOND
It is hard to believe the summer is concluding and the fall season is upon us! 2014 has already proven to be a fruitful year for BrookLink and as we head into these final months, I want to share with you some important developments.
EMPOWER | MINISTRY ABROAD AND AT HOME
I have just returned from South India where Dave Seemuth and I spent 10 days teaching and empowering Indian students and church leaders at the South Asian Institute for Leadership and Cultural Studies. It was a week full of collaboration, adventures and rewarding conversations!
FROM THE FIELD | INDIA
Lee is halfway through his time of ministry in Coimbatore, India. He and Dave Seemuth have been teaching Leadership Development and the book of Romans to the 40-plus Indian students at the South Asian Institute for Leadership and Cultural Studies (SAILCS).
EQUIP | A WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
When Lee Heyward, the Founder and President of BrookLink asked me to join the board of BrookLink in 2009, I was honored and excited. Little did I know that five years later I would be appointed as the Chairman of the Board. It has been an honor and privilege to work with my fellow Board members and to experience firsthand what the Lord has done through Lee and the ministry of BrookLink worldwide.
TOGETHER
Terry and I have a good friend who is a well-known author, speaker and world traveler. When asked how she manages her hectic schedule, she replies, “I just do the next thing in front of my face.”
EQUIP | EMPOWER | RELEASE
Last month I spent 2 weeks in Sichuan Province serving with China Partner. Founded in 1989, China Partner works alongside the “registered churches” of China to train and equip pastors and church leaders to fulfill the Great Commission. It was a privilege to serve with China Partner’s President, Erik Burklin, as well as his sister Linda Pervenecki and translator Teh-An ‘Daniel’ Hsu.
FROM THE FIELD | CHINA
On Thursday, our teaching team boarded the train and took a 2.5-hour train ride from Dazhou to Chengdu. Chengdu is a city of 14 million people and serves as one of the larger cities in Sichuan Province. We arrived in the city, checked into a hotel, and that same afternoon met with the President of the Sichuan Christian Council,...
FROM THE FIELD | CHINA
Early yesterday, I flew from Shanghai to Chongqing (pronounced Shong-shing). Arguably China’s largest city, Chongqing is inhabited by more people than Shanghai, vying with Mexico City as the world’s most populated city (in excess of 30 million people). As we approached landing, I couldn’t help but notice the low cloud cover, only to realize it wasn’t cloud cover—it was smog.
PARTNERING IN CHINA
Just a quick note to inform you that today I leave for China for 16 days. I have been invited by China Partner to visit pastors and leaders among the “registered” churches in three cities in Sichuan Province. This will be my first visit into the interior of the mainland.
TRUSTING DURING TREMORS
Located in southwest Wisconsin, Richland Center is a small town which prides itself as the birthplace of world-renowned architect, writer, educator and interior designer, Frank Lloyd Wright. Years ago Wright was given the impossible task of building the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
30 DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH IN CHINA
From February 20-March 8, 2014 Lee and a team of four trainers from China Partner will be ministering in Dazhou, Chengdu and Yibin in the Sichuan Province of China. Join us each day in prayer that the Lord would lead their conversations, direct their thoughts, anoint their teaching, grant them patience as well as a servant heart while they meet with and teach key Christian leaders.
THANKFUL FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP
I am so thankful to God for your faithful partnership in 2013. Your support during this past year has equipped pastors and church leaders in parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, as well as here in the US. It’s been a privilege to teach and share God’s Word and witness the growing hunger among the men and women called to lead Christ’s church.
WATCH | THE BROOKLINK STORY
I’ve just arrived home from a week of training and equipping church planters in a rural and remote area of Ghana West Africa. The daily temperature in that region of the world hovered around 98 degrees. When I deplaned the airplane, I was met by the near-zero temperature of the American midwest. Nothing like a bit of climatic adjustment!
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2014
On Your Mark! Get Set! GO!!!! When our grandson, William, who is a bundle of running energy, wants to run faster and faster, this is the phrase we use to start the race.