Fleener Ministry Update - Vol. 1 No. 2

[Joe Fleener]

You can download a more complete version of this letter in PDF format @ http://tsbc.digitalexegesis.com/Fleener_Update_Vol_1_No_2.pdf .

 

June 12, 2006 (Vol. 1 No. 2)

 

Dear Friends,

 

Well, things are beginning to look more real! Last Friday we purchased our entry plane tickets to New Zealand (a prerequisite for the Visa applications) and this morning we sent a large envelope containing all our documentation for our visas to the New Zealand embassy in Washington, DC. We are very excited to actually get to New Zealand to be more a part of the ministry on a daily basis.

 

We have several new items of thanksgiving we would like to share with you:

 

1. We received word that there is a van available for us to purchase once we arrive in New Zealand. This van is owned by the same family whose house we will be living in. It will be a great vehicle for our family and is being offered to us at a fantastic price!
2. We received a second quote on the cost of our shipping container, which ended up being about $500.00 less than the first quote!
3. Our house is on the market and in ten days we have had five people come to look at it.
4. We are able to get a lot of the boxes for our packing from a gentleman in our church for free saving us several hundred dollars.
5. We have received two commitments from friends toward our ongoing financial support need!

 

Here is a summary of our summer and travel plans:

 

1. Begin packing our home to be ready to load the container by mid-July.
2. Joe travels to Tennessee to teach an M.Div. course in “Computer Aided Exegesis” from June 18 – 24.
3. Joe will be preaching in our home church June 25^th & July 2^nd
4. Some of Joe’s family will be visiting in early July.
5. Joe will travel to Massachusetts to teach a BibleWorks seminar, July 18^th.
6. We will visit with Mandy’s family in July and August.
7. Depart for Seattle, August 28^th to visit Mandy’s grandparents.
8. Depart Seattle for New Zealand on September 3^rd to arrive in New Zealand on September 5^th.
9. Joe will travel back to Los Angeles, CA, October 14-19 for a series of TMAI meetings.

 

Prayer/Financial needs (Financial support can be sent to our home church):

 

1. $3,000.00 in additional moving/transportation expenses.
2. $5,000.00 in additional “transitional” income (mostly for August).
3. $4,000.00 for the purchase of a vehicle upon arrival in New Zealand.
4. $2,000.00 for ministry support (i.e. books & software).
5. The addition of support partners for our ongoing monthly support.
6. House sale & visa applications.
7. Our family for humble and selfless hearts as we strive to serve each other.

 

Please do not hesitate to email us with any questions you might have about our ministry. We would love to hear from you. You can also keep current with our ministry updates by registering for our Ministry Update Email List.

 

 

In Christ’s service,

 

 

 

The Fleeners (Joe, Mandy, Mekaela, Gavin, & Tabitha)

Home Page - Joe’s Blog – Ministry Update Email List – jfle...@digitalexegesis.com

 

Director of Distance Learning/Library Director (The Shepherd’s Bible College)

Library and Information Services Coordinator (The Master's Academy International)

BibleWorks Trainer

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Fleener jfle...@digitalexegesis.com Site - http://www.digitalexegesis.com Blog - http://emethaletheia.blogspot.com/ BibleWorks Trainer - http://schedule.digitalexegesis.com/bibleworks.html

Director of Distance Learning/Library Director The Shepherd's Bible College PO BOX 8229 Havelock North New Zealand Ph. +64 6 877-8013 Fax +64 6 877-5821 www.tsbc.org.nz http://library.tsbc.org.nz

Library and Information Services Coordinator The Master's Academy International 24307 Magic Mountain Parkway #540 Valencia, CA 91355-3402 (661) 295-6232 www.tmainternational.org

 

 

 

 

 

[Joe Fleener]

You can download a more complete version of this letter in PDF format @ http://tsbc.digitalexegesis.com/Fleener_Update_Vol_1_No_3.pdf .

 

June 29, 2006 (Vol. 1 No. 3)

Dear Friends,

 

As we look around the house we are seeing more and more boxes and each week we have more stuff going to the trash.  I guess we are moving. We sure are. It is at the same time exciting and overwhelming. We are overwhelmed at times with all that has to get done and very excited to see what the Lord is doing, knowing we will soon be in New Zealand.

 

We have several new items of thanksgiving we would like to share with you:

 

1. We accepted an offer on our house this week! Praise the Lord. This is a huge answer to many people’s prayers. Thank you.
2. We received word that our visas have been approved and are on their way back to us! Another huge answer to prayer.
3. We are making progress (albeit slow at times) in packing.
4. Joe had a very fruitful trip to Tennessee last week to teach his class “Computer Aided Exegesis.”
5. Joe has been very involved in assisting a team traveling to the TMAI Training Center in Pune, India to setup a Library Management System.
6. Joe has also been very involved in assisting the staff at the TMAI Training Center in Samara, Russia in the development of the library facility and technology resources.
7. Several individuals have given support to help during these interim months of transition.
8. Someone in our church has offered to build a crate for Mandy’s Double Bass free of charge to ensure it travels safely to New Zealand in the shipping container.
9. We are very thrilled that Joe can serve our home church in the area of preaching both last Sunday and this coming Sunday.
10. On the way home from the store this week, Mandy saw a gas station offering “free gas.” She got in line and sure enough was given a full tank of gas for free! WOW! The Lord provides in various ways!

 

Here is a summary of our summer and travel plans:

 

1. We have a lot of packing to do in the next three weeks.

1. Some of Joe’s family will be visiting in early July.
2. Joe will travel to Massachusetts to teach a BibleWorks seminar, July 18^th.

1. We have scheduled to load our container on July 22^nd.
2. We are scheduled to close on our house on July 31^st.
3. We will be traveling to Anniston, Alabama to visit Anniston Bible Church and The Institute for Biblical Studies, approx. August 2^nd – August 9^th. Joe will teach a Friday/Saturday seminar in the Bible Institute, and present our ministry to the church on Sunday. We are very excited about this opportunity. The pastor of this church was in Joe’s class last week in Tennessee and we are thrilled to be privileged to server them in ministry.

1. We will visit with Mandy’s family in July and August.
2. Depart for Seattle, August 28^th to visit Mandy’s grandparents.
3. Depart Seattle for New Zealand on September 3^rd to arrive in New Zealand on September 5^th.
4. Joe will travel back to Los Angeles, CA, October 14-19 for a series of TMAI meetings.

 

Prayer/Financial needs (Financial support can be sent to our home church):

 

1. $2,000.00 in additional moving/transportation expenses.
2. $3,000.00 in additional “transitional” income (mostly for August).

1. $4,000.00 for the purchase of a vehicle upon arrival in New Zealand.
2. $2,000.00 for ministry support (i.e. books & software).

1. The necessary packing and loading of our container is a big prayer need. The packing is a lot of work and takes longer with three kids compared to the last time we moved! Also the day we load our container will be very challenging. The driver will bring the container to our house and we will have two hours to have it completely loaded! We will need a lot of help. If you are in the area and available the morning of July 22^nd would we appreciate your help! Please let me know.

1. The addition of support partners for our ongoing monthly support.

1. Our family for humble and selfless hearts as we strive to serve each other.

1. The Shepherd’s Bible College will begin their 3^rd term for 2006 on July 17^th.
2. The Shepherd’s Bible College is working toward receiving full accreditation by the end of this year.

 

Ministry Reflections:

 

Why are we going to New Zealand? This is a question we are asked rather frequently.

 

From non-believers it is usually because they think it would be a cool place to visit and wonder why we are “so lucky” to get to move there.

 

On the other hand we are often asked that (if not directly it is indirectly hinted at) by believers who wonder why we are not going to a “more needy place.”

 

“More needy…”

 

A couple of weeks ago we had a neighborhood activity outside on the street where the newly opened Islamic Study Center of Allentown (just around the corner from our house) was distributing literature. I picked up a couple of items to read one item was titled, Who is Jesus? I immediately thought, “That is why we are going to New Zealand.”

 

Who is Jesus?

 

John 20:27-29  ²⁷ Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."  ²⁸ And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"  ²⁹ Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

 

We are going to New Zealand because there are many people who do not know who Jesus is (there is no “greater need”). We are going to New Zealand because there are many men who need to be trained for the Gospel ministry so a country, and region of the world can be influenced for Christ. We are going to New Zealand because the Lord has so clearly provided the opportunity, and people there desperately need to know who Jesus is.

 

We are going to New Zealand because Jesus is Lord and we are his servants.

 

 

Please do not hesitate to email us with any questions you might have about our ministry. We would love to hear from you. You can also keep current with our ministry updates by registering for our Ministry Update Email List.

 

In Christ’s service,

 

 

The Fleeners (Joe, Mandy, Mekaela, Gavin, & Tabitha)

Family Page - Joe’s Blog/Website – Ministry Update Email List – jfle...@digitalexegesis.com

[Joe Fleener]

You can download a more complete version of this letter in PDF format @ http://tsbc.digitalexegesis.com/Fleener_Update_Vol_1_No_4.pdf

 

 

August 4, 2006 (Vol. 1 No. 4)

 

Dear Friends,

 

Thank you all so much for your prayer and concern for us over this last month. We have seen the Lord do great things in our midst. The faithful prayers of His servants on our behalf are truly a blessing.

 

 

We have several new items of thanksgiving we would like to share with you:

 

1. Our house was all packed and our container loaded on Saturday, July 22^nd. What a blessing it was to have so much help from our church family. The Lord held off the rain until just after we closed the doors, no one was hurt (not counting some soar backs the next day) and everything fit!
2. The mortgage company for the buyers of our home agreed to accept a new appraisal value for the house. As a result our house’s price did not have to be lowered.
3. We officially closed on our house! There was a 72 hour period of uncertainly while we waited for some items with the buyers to be resolved, but all is done! God has been so good to us!
4. We are so thankful for the health the Lord has given us. We have all been very healthy, although tired during these weeks of transition.
5. During the remainder of our time in Pennsylvania we will be staying with Mandy’s Dad. This provides us with a nice, consistent, temporary, transitional home, for which we are thankful.
6. We are thrilled to be able to travel to Anniston, Alabama this week to serve Anniston Bible Church and The Institute for Biblical Studies.
7. We are also grateful that this trip to Alabama will allow us to stop and see some friends and Joe’s family one more time before we depart for New Zealand.
8. Joe has continued to be very involved in assisting a team traveling to the TMAI Training Center in Pune, India to setup a Library Management System. What a blessing modern technology can be as Joe has been able to interact with this group via email and online voice/phone conversations.
9. We received a significant gift last month which helped cover our additional moving expenses for the shipping container.

 

                    

Our front room before the container was loaded!                                Our front room after the container was loaded!

Here is a summary of our travel plans:

 

1. We will be traveling to Anniston, Alabama to visit Anniston Bible Church and The Institute for Biblical Studies, approx. August 2^nd – August 11^th. Joe will facilitate an informal BibleWorks training discussion with several pastors, teach a Friday/Saturday seminar on Ruth at IBS, present the ministries of TSBC & TMAI during Sunday School, and preach to a combined evening service with three area churches. This is truly a wonderful opportunity and privilege--one we can see the Lord “behind” in everyway.
2. We will depart for Seattle, August 28^th to visit Mandy’s grandparents.
3. We will depart Seattle for New Zealand on September 3^rd to arrive in New Zealand on September 5^th.
4. Joe will preach in church@riverbend our first two Sundays in New Zealand.

1. Joe will travel back to Los Angeles, CA, October 14-19 for a series of TMAI meetings.

 

Prayer/Financial needs (Financial support can be sent to our home church):

 

1. $2,000.00 in additional “transitional” income for August.

1. $4,000.00 for the purchase of a vehicle upon arrival in New Zealand.
2. $2,000.00 for ministry support (i.e. books & software).

1. The Shepherd’s Bible College will be hosting their annual Impact Bible Conference August 3 – 6. They are expecting between 150 and 200 church leaders from all over New Zealand. Check out the website for more information on this great conference which is being used by God to strengthen His churches.
2. The Shepherd’s Bible College is into their third term.

1. The Shepherd’s Bible College is working toward receiving full accreditation by the end of this year.

1. Our container is scheduled to arrive in New Zealand on August 25^th – before we even leave the US. Please pray that all the details for its storage and transport to our house can be arranged at a minimal cost.

1. The addition of support partners for our ongoing monthly support.
2. Our family for humble and selfless hearts as we strive to serve each other.

 

Ministry Reflections:

 

I don’t know how many times I have read through the Psalms and I am kind of ashamed to admit this, but I don’t recall ever noticing Psalm 117 until this week  - or at least it never jumped off the page and struck me the way it has this week.

 

Psalm 117

 

1 Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! 2 For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!

 

That’s it, two verses! What a blessed Psalm. I don’t want to write a sermon here (I am going to preach from this passage later this week), but here are some thoughts.

 

1. We Gentiles are commanded to praise the Lord!
2. We are to “laud” Him. Specifically, we are to boast about God!
3. Even more specifically, we are to boast of God because:

1.His loving kindness (extremely significant word in the Old Testament – His Hesed) is great toward us, and

2.His faithfulness is forever.

 

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

Please do not hesitate to email us with any questions you might have about our ministry. We would love to hear from you. You can also keep current with our ministry updates by registering for our Ministry Update Email List.

 

You can download a bulletin prayer-insert here.