As a ministry, we could not exist without YOU. You don’t hear it enough. Plain and simple. And it’s not just about thanking you, it’s about connecting with you and empowering you to reach students for Christ. We are committed to listening, learning, and loving you as partners of the gospel of Christ. And before you read anything else, we want to say “Thank you!” With a humble and sincere heart, we thank you for believing in us, the ministry of Wings Global Outreach, and limitless possibilities of impacting the Kingdom for the glory of God.

OUR JERUSALEM

Ever since we moved up here to Georgia, we have been praying that God would show us how to get involved in reaching students through our local church. While we work full-time with Wings, we believe our passion to reach people for Christ, disciple them, and instill a passion for missions should also pour out of our personal lives. While work will require us to be out of town on a regular basis, we want to be available whenever possible to mentor and disciple students in our own Jerusalem.

After meeting with the high school youth pastor at First Baptist Church Woodstock, we will both begin co-teaching junior guys/girls on Sunday morning this month! God is also opening other doors locally. At the end of January, we were able to participate in an evangelistic service with the high school students where 65 students received Christ as their Savior! We will also have the opportunity to minister on the campuses of a few public high schools. Ryan may even lead pre-game chapel services for some high school sports teams!

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

We are still in need of vocalists and musicians for our worship team, Wings of Morning. While the past several months have been filled with interviews and auditions, we are still waiting for God to provide the right individuals. But despite not having a team on the road, we have had plenty to do! God willing, we will have our music team assembled in mid-May for Training Camp to begin touring across the country in June. There are two GO Mission Projects planned for this summer (Nicaragua and Romania), and we already have several Extend Student Leadership Conferences and church events booked for the fall. And we’re still meeting and calling church leaders every week! This fall may shape up to be our busiest in many years!

ROAD TRIP!

For the first half of March, we will be traveling to Texas for a missions conference and for church meetings. We have been invited to Dallas Theological Seminary’s World Evangelism Conference where we expect to have many opportunities to share the vision and passion of Wings Global Outreach. We will also be visiting some of our supporters, as well as some of Katharine’s relatives who have invited us to speak at their local church! Please pray for our safety as we travel and for divine meetings with people that would like to partner with our ministry.

A BLESSING IN DISGUISE?

It is well known that businesses are not the only ones affected by the economy. Churches and organizations like Wings are feeling the crunch all over the world, some more than others. According to a study conducted by The Barna Group, “The typical church has lost, on average, 14% of its budget.” While this statistic is unfortunate, perhaps there is a blessing in disguise nestled within these difficult economic times.

We feel this is an opportunity for the body of Christ to reach out to a lost, hurting, and dying world. We must communicate that there isn’t a need that Christ cannot fill, namely the need of eternal peace with God through the Cross. But Christians will not be able to communicate this well if they continue to find security in bank statements, investment earnings, and material possessions. What a testimony it would be to see believers become more caring, generous, and intentional in their relationships during this time!

Personally, the Lord has revealed to us how He has been providing in ways that we previously ignored. We are learning the attitude that lies behind the words of Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!” And this has brought us into a deeper, more dependent relationship with Him.

Preface: No Excuses (it all starts here)

1. Teach It!

2. Pray Collectively

3. Service Projects

4. Attend Campus Outreach Groups

5. Partner with other Youth Pastors/Leaders

6. Get a Map, Get a Clue

7. Missionary Guest Speaker

8. Sponsor a Child

9. Missions Food Fair

10. Take Them on a Mission Trip

Now what? It’s important to take a step back and look at the implications of what we’ve covered. As I mentioned in our very first post, this isn’t about adding another program to your list of activities. Your ultimate goal with your students should be to make disciples of Jesus Christ and instill (by example) a passion to be on His mission.

Hopefully you never got the impression that any one of these ideas was jotted down simply to fill a gap on our list. Every singe one was intentional; there are some key biblical concepts providing the foundation for each (some require more critical thinking than others).

If you study early Church History (particularly the pages in Acts), you will likely realize there are certain universal characteristics every body of believers should exude. More on this in a later post.

But for now, here are the basic principles (and how we trust our ideas correspond)…

Dedication to the study of God’s Word, for both theology and life-application.

• Ideas 1, 4, 5, 7

Gathering together (both formal and casual) to share life experiences.

• Ideas 2, 5, 7, 9

Prayer (corporate and private) to intercede for friends and strangers, to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit, and give praise & thanksgiving to a worthy Father for who He is and what He has done.

• Ideas 2, 6, 8

Meeting needs through selfless service and generous giving (with believers and the lost).

• Ideas 3, 5, 8, 10

Being a witness in your community by investing time & sharing the gospel.

• Ideas 3, 4, 5, 10

GENESIS 12:1-3 The Lord said to Abram: Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.EXODUS 19:5, 6
Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.

ISAIAH 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:
Who should I send?
Who will go for Us?
I said:
Here I am. Send me.

MATTHEW 24:14
This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.

MATTHEW 28:18-20
Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

MARK 16:15
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.

LUKE 24:46-48
“This is what is written: the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what My Father promised. As for you, stay in the city until you are empowered from on high.”

JOHN 20:21
Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

ACTS 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

1 PETER 2:9-10
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for His possession,
so that you may proclaim the praises
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.

Hmm…it’s almost like that’s the point?

No place in scripture will you see that the call of missions to be compartmentalized within the local church. It is to be the life-blood of a congregation; the underlying passion that drives every aspect of each member’s personal life, as well as every ministry within the church.

I’m not proposing you begin a movement in your congregation to dismantle the mission ministry or string up your missions pastor/director/committee; our Director of Administration is a former missions pastor. Just don’t let the folks in your missions department be the only people focused on missions; their role should be training and facilitating missions throughout the rest of the church. My point is, periodical involvement in a missions program is not enough.

As John Piper states in Let the Nations Be Glad!, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the Church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” GOING on mission is a means, not the final objective. GATHERING worshipers of the Father is the chief aim of the Church because it’s the utmost priority of our God.

If you grasp a proper vision of God’s desire for mankind – that every human being would lovingly and willingly respond to Him in worship (surrender, gratitude, reverence, praise, etc.) and entrust their soul’s salvation to Him alone – then you will have a proper understanding of missions. God desires His creation to worship Him, so the Church must LIVE the MISSION of bringing others to Him in worship together.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION (HOW DO WE GATHER WORSHIPERS)?

Enlightening others to the nature and character of God, informing them of the human condition (born dead in sin) and its consequences, explaining Christ as the only means to salvation, illustrating the new life birthed in you by the Holy Spirit, baptizing those who receive salvation, instilling in them the truths of God’s Word, teaching them how to study the scriptures, helping them discover their spiritual gifts, challenging them to spiritually reproduce themselves, and charging them to maintain a mindset of sacrifice and worship to the glory of their Creator and heavenly Father.

Whether singing in a church, sharing a testimony in a public school, or partnering with missionaries, 2009 can be characterized by “lives captured by the love and power of Christ.” As you read this newsletter, be encouraged by the places God has allowed us to go, the people with whom God has allowed us to work, and the results of all our efforts. You, through your prayers and financial gifts, have had a vital part in all of it. We thank you for your involvement and your faithfulness on our behalf. Together, we are making a difference.

2009 Marks 25-Year Milestone for Wings

A significant mile-marker for the ministry was celebrated in the Summer of 2009. From all over the United States family, friends, and alumni came to honor David and Jackie Edwards, as well as the Lord’s faithfulness, for 25 years of fruitful ministry. What a blessing to know that over 85 alumni are currently involved in full-time ministry! It was a time to remember what God has done, what He is doing, and what He will do through Wings Global Outreach. Wings is making a difference for eternity. Thank you for your prayers as we continue to seek the Lord andmake His name known among the nations.

Mission Trips Blaze New Territory for Wings
Wings takes the Gospel overseas on six GO Mission Projects!

Philippines –Wings ofMorningministered for the first time in the Philippines upon the invitation of former alumni, Daniel DeTablan. Daniel currently directs his own evangelistic musicministry patterned after Wings of Morning called PrAsia. Wings held evangelistic outreachmeetings in schools, open-air plazas and local churches throughout the nation. A unique experience was being exposed to stone-aged cultures in several remote regions. Over 100 people received Christ during this campaign.

Nicaragua –Another first,Wings partnered with Project Hope in Nicaragua. Evangelism, service projects, and a soccer
tournament provided opportunities forWings to see over 2000 responded to Jesus Christ! The soccer tournament alone involved 217 soccer teams and was attended by over 5000 people.

Romania – For the first time,Wings conducted a mission project in the country of Romania. Six college students  participated in the two-week campaign. Each day was filled with building relationships in mountain villages,  evangelistic services in the city, and encouraging the body of believers in the local church. A new partnership was  developed in Romania and we look forward to more projects in the future.

Dominican Republic –Wings has had the privilege of ministering in the Dominican Republic (DR) on 13 different occasions. The DR hosted Wings three times in 2009. Working with Kenneth Balootje, from Word of Life, our purpose was to conduct evangelistic campaigns, discliple young believers and encourage local churches. Wings’ newest  staff members, Ryan and Katharine Hurlburt, lead their first mission trip to the Dominican Republic with a group of 10 high school students from Bozeman, Montana. The team ministered in villages and schools through drama and gospel presentations with the help of Word of Life missionaries.

Churches and Students Equipped Through Music & Missions

In 2009,Wings of Morning had the opportunity tominister in 25 churches and eight schools across the United States. Mission conferences, youth emphasismeetings, youth camps and regular church services provided the  platform for Wings to challenge youth as well as adults through their music and missions emphasis programs. God also opened doors for us to lead four Extend Student Leadership Conferences. Our purpose of equipping next generation leaders through music and missions was evident as we saw over 1900 students exposed to the Gospel and impacted for missions.

Our First Christmas in Georgia!

Christmas trees, stockings, and snow? This year will be a true winter Christmas for us especially for Ryan since he has lived in Tampa, FL his whole life! When we look back on all that has happened in 2009 our hearts are filled with gratefulness to our Lord Jesus Christ for His many blessings. We are celebrating His life this Christmas season and the hope He gives us each day.

We were blessed once again with the opportunity to attend Trinity College of Florida’s annual Mission Conference (this is the Bible college we graduated from in 2007).  Dozens of ministries from (literally) all over the world were represented, continuing to remind and encourage us that God is constantly at work throughout the globe, using so many different people!  We are so humbled, as we trust you are, that God would use people like us to further His kingdom!  While at Trinity, we interacted with many of the students – some interested in singing with Wings of Morning, others burdened to take a trip overseas, while some just needed advice or encouragement as they seek the Lord’s will for their future in ministry.

We hosted two separate “workshops” to discuss the various avenues for college students to get involved with Wings.  During the first one, we shared our heart for international and local missions and the projects we are working on for 2010.  The second workshop was all about the worship band we will be putting on the road early next year.  Our meeting room was filled with vocalists, musicians, and technicians who were curious to hear how they could use their talents for God’s kingdom by investing in the lives of students on a personal level.  Please continue to pray for our ministry as we seek out the individuals God is leading to serve with our ministry next year.

GRANT TRAINING

This month, Katharine has had the opportunity to pursue new avenues of fundraising for the ministry. Not having any previous experience or training in corporate finance and fundraising, she has been seeking out any learning opportunities available.  She has been reading books and material on the subject and recently attended a seminar hosted by the The Foundation Center in Atlanta.  They discussed how to research charitable foundations and write effective grant proposals.  The Center also offers a library filled with resources specifically for non-profit organizations like Wings.  Not only is God opening doors for more long-term and substantial funding, but He has introduced us to several new people and organizations who are interested in partnering with Wings for future mission projects and student conferences. Please pray for Katharine as she continues to study and grow in this area, as she will be taking two more classes this month.

BAND AND VOCAL AUDITIONS

As mentioned before, our ministry is transitioning from a praise team of only vocalists to a worship band with live instruments.  We firmly believe that this is the direction God is leading us, and by His grace we are expecting to see radical expansion and growth in our opportunities to reach students.  We are still auditioning potential team members to serve with Wings beginning in January.  If you know of any college-age person with a heart for the ministry and genuine musical ability, please let us know!

END OF THE YEAR GIVING

It is hard to believe that 2009 is nearly over – we feel that our summer mission trips were only yesterday!  We realize that around this time of year, many people begin to contemplate end of the year giving for their churches and other non-profit organizations.  Your contributions during these next few months are an incredible way to assist us in building our support and setting a budget for the next year.  Remember all donations paid by check must be dated and postmarked no later than December 31, 2009 to receive a tax contribution credit for this year.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Continued growth and health of our marriage
• Fervent passion to love God and serve others for His glory
• New friendships as we get connected at First Baptist Woodstock
• Our monthly support needs
• Katharine’s training in fundraising for the ministry
• Wisdom and surrender to the Holy Spirit for our ministry
• Planning of 2010 missions projects

As we near our 1^st holiday season on staff with Wings and living in Georgia, we are humbled by the faithful support of so many people.  This ministry could NOT survive without the support of people like you.  We are thankful for your prayers and financial gifts.  If you would like information of how you could become a financial partner please contact us.

Our team consisted of six college-age students – all of whom sacrificed their precious time and money to go, including two that had never been overseas before. The dynamic of our group was absolutely wonderful, only something the Holy Spirit could accomplish!

Having been there before, we had many preconceived ideas and expectations for this trip. However, God wanted to show us something completely different. We had more time to spend building relationships with the local people who would serve beside us. We were busy every day, yet our schedule was relaxed. We knew the different tasks we wanted to accomplish before we got there, but we didn’t operate from an agenda or checklist, which allowed us to blend in even more with the people. We felt like we lived out Church with the Romanians every day.

For the first half of our trip, we camped in the mountains with nine Romanian students to minister to some of the villagers. The church in Alba has been trying to build trusting relationships with these people for the last few years, and our role was to get another step closer to their hearts. Half of our group cleared a hillside of small trees for a couple in their 80’s so they could gather hay for the winter, while the other half of us poured a concrete floor for an elderly man’s barn. Many people who live in the mountains cannot afford to buy food, and instead live off whatever they harvest from their land. So, we also left them with three large bags of groceries, consisting of oil, flour, sugar, rice, pasta, and other necessities. They thought we were so strange to work for free which allowed us to share why we had come so many miles to serve them. We openly prayed that they would find peace with God and come to know Christ as their Savior, but didn’t feel led to push for any decisions. We understood that our role was to water the seeds and allow God to harvest them in His time. After our work was finished, we hiked up the mountains to view the landscape – which is absolutely breathtaking! Long story short, we got rained on towards the end, got turned around once, and were absolutely exhausted after 12 miles of climbing and descending. But the team enjoyed the challenge and everyone agreed that of all the places they’ve ever been, the Romanian mountains were among the most beautiful.

The last half of our trip was in the city of Alba Iulia. We hosted a youth meeting for the church where Ryan spoke about what it really means to be a disciple of Christ (from Mark 10). We were able to attend the church services on Sunday, which also happened to be their missions week. The church’s own missionaries from Turkey and Siberia shared about their ministry and Ryan gave the church a challenge about their personal responsibility in missions. During the week, Katharine and two of our team members taught a two-day photography class for the church’s youth – focusing on the basics of a camera, ways to improve their photos, and how to use their passion for photography for God’s kingdom and ministry. The rest of us split into small groups to visit several disabled church members and single moms from the church to encourage and pray with them. Each evening, we headed into the park to share Christ with anyone we could. This was very challenging for our group, as well as the Romanian students. However, it was a great time of learning and growing for us all!

We believe our relationship with the pastor and the church there has a lot of potential. Please pray for us as we seek God’s direction for Wings’ future involvement in Romania.

Summer Mission Projects with Wings of Morning

Wings Participated in back to back mission projects this summer to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. God opened many doors for our team to share their faith in both countries. On a hot afternoon in a city in the Dominican Republic, an entire street was blocked off where Wings was sharing the gospel. As the team shared through music and drama, people would walk by and suddenly stop to listen. Our teamwas then able to share (through an interpreter) the hope found in Christ. That day we saw many people pray to receive Christ into their life.

In Nicaragua, Wings participated in a 5 day Crusade/Soccer Tournament with a ministry called Project Hope from Springfield, MO. Outside the tournament, the team had ministry opportunities in orphanages, prisons, schools, and parks. It was an amazing experience for Wings to participate in this type of sports ministry.

We are thankful for the lives God let us touch through these projects and look forward to seeing the great results in the future.

Celebrating the First 25 Years of Ministry

From July 30-August 2, we had over 150 guests join us in Woodstock to celebrate the 25th year of ministry for Wings of Morning. It waas an honor to see the lives that have been eternally changed as a result of the ministry of Wings. It was a blessing to reconnect with old friends and to make new ones. God’s faithfulness was the most evident thing of the entire weekend. As we celebrated what God has done over the last 25 years, we also looked ahead to what God will do through the next 25 years.

Wings has always provided a platform for young adults to use their gifts and talents to serve the Lord. This goal is still true today and was evident in the weekend’s celebrations. To God be the glory for what He is doing through Wings and our alumni around the world!

We Finally Moved to Georgia!!!

Although our ministry is based in Woodstock, GA we have been blessed with the opportunity to rent a house about 30 minutes away for much less than the cost of an apartment! We officially moved in the last day in June, but are still in the process of unpacking and settling in. We’ve already had visitors, too. Katharine’s brother (who lives about 45 minutes away) has stopped by a few times, Ryan’s family was here the first week of July, then some friends from Idlewild in Tampa came at the end of July, and Katharine’s family was here the first week in August. We are so thankful to be up here with the rest of our staff, to call Alpharetta our new home town, and to have the extra space for people to visit!

Partnering with Heritage Christian School (HCS) in Bozeman, Montana, we spent a little over a week in the Dominican Republic, from February 12^th through the 22^nd – marking our very first mission trip with Wings!  Before we set out to our tropical destination, we first had to trek to snow-covered Bozeman for some pre-trip training with the ten students and four adults whom we would lead overseas.  We spent an entire morning discussing the ins and outs of missions – from ‘why’ to ‘when’ to ‘how’ – and finished our time together practicing a wordless dramatic sketch that we were to present in the Dominican.  After almost forty-eight hours of travel, including two layovers (one overnight in the airport!), we finally arrived in the DR and got settled in our accommodations at SCORE International in Juan Dolio, on the southern coast.

We set out every morning for ministry, took a break for lunch, and continued our ministry all afternoon until dinner time.  The ministry activities varied from day to day – our schedule was set up by Word of Life missionary Kenneth Balootje and his team.  It was very exciting, yet surreal, for all of us when we had the opportunity on more than one occasion to share the gospel IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL, with the teacher present, and several students prayed to receive Christ on the spot!

At a remote sugarcane village, where the children had no shoes and most families were able to afford a decent meal only once a week, we were able to paint several homes and pass out food in hopes of improving their quality of life in any way possible.  Most importantly, we were able to build relationships with the villagers and share Christ with several of them while we worked.  We also partnered with a local church and invited residents from the neighborhood to a special presentation.  We performed the dramatic sketch we had practiced entitled “Chains”, then one of the students would share their testimony, and we would wrap it up with the gospel.  Every time we had one of these presentations we saw people accept Christ!

Unfortunately, many American mission teams visit poor countries with the idea that they are “bringing God to the third world”.  However, the eyes of everyone on our team were opened to the exact opposite.  We were joining God who was already at work! At the end of our week we had presented the gospel – whether through one-on-one relationships or group presentations – to over 1200 people.  And of those people who heard the gospel, over 130 people gave their hearts and lives to Christ!  We were also able to pour into the lives of the students from Bozeman and saw two students recognize that God is directing them to work in full-time ministry.

Having only met the students and adults from HCS three days before arriving in the Dominican, the missionary confessed that he was curious from the start to see how we would work together.  By the time our feet hit the ground in the first village, we had such a strong bond and were able to minister more effectively because of our fellowship in Christ.  We are so grateful that God allowed us the opportunity to disciple them with the Word of God in how to be missional on a daily basis and see several more people join God’s Kingdom!  How blessed we are to call our role with Wings our JOB!

Almost There…

We have been on one of the most humbling and awe-inspiring journeys of our lives for the last seven months as we raise our support for Wings!  I (Ryan) can still remember the first time I heard that Wings staff members had to raise their own finances from individuals’ monthly contributions.  I said to myself, “That will never be me!”  Obviously, God certainly has a sense of irony!  But the process has been so rewarding and humbling for us.  We see His hand moving in the hearts of not only ourselves, but in the lives of those around us as He calls them to sacrifice for His kingdom.

Our faithful support team consists of over 40 families now!  We are currently approaching 60% of our monthly goal of $4,200 and every penny of it is because of His grace!

We are asked quite frequently, “You’re still living in Tampa – why haven’t you moved to Georgia?”  Right now, God has us in Tampa as we continue to raise support.  While He teaches us patience and persistence, we have come to a better understanding of God’s sovereign will and the need to trust Him without any reservations.  As He has us in this period of waiting, we have been able to build more relationships with people who are interested in our ministry, continue working on our goals and vision for our ministry, and most significantly spend time investing in our marriage.  God has allowed us the unique opportunity to spend nearly every day of the first eight months of our marriage together.  Most newly-wed couples come back from their honeymoon and hit the ground running with work and/or school, but God is allowing us extra time to strengthen our relationship with each other and with Him before our daily agenda is submerged in the work of our ministry.

Our prayer is that we would be able to move to Georgia in June and finish transitioning our life to the ministry with Wings.  Although we have been on staff since August, there are some responsibilities which await us that we will not be able to take on until we are around the rest of the staff.  In order for this to happen, our board of directors has advised that we first have at least 85-90% of our monthly support committed.  This means that we must raise an additional $1400 a month from where we’re at now.

We cannot determine who is able to give and who is not; it’s not for us to decide.  We only ask that people would pray and seek God’s direction.  If He is leading them to give, then they must follow Him in obedience.  Ideally, we would like to sit down face-to-face with every person we know and ask that they would consider joining our team.  Unfortunately this is not always possible, whether because of proximity (out of state), conflicting schedules, or simply because we don’t have everyone’s contact information.  So, we feel that there are times when it is acceptable to ask in a letter…

Will you pray and consider joining our monthly support team, help us move to Georgia by June, and continue to expand our opportunities to disciple students and share the gospel around the world?

As we ate a home cooked lunch and talked over coffee with old friends, I realized time is the best gift you can give to someone. No agenda, no schedule, just listening to the heart of a person is what ministry is all about.  Out of all the meetings we had with people while we were in Kansas City, the ones where testimonies were shared or laughter erupted over funny memories were the moments we will always cherish. Thank you for your prayers as we traveled to and from Missouri. We believe God laid the foundation for future ministry partners with many of the friends and pastors we met with. We hope to be working with some youth groups from Leavenworth, KS in upcoming mission trips. The gracious hospitality and genuine appreciation for our work was an encouragement to us as we continue this journey.

OUR 1^ST THANKSGIVING AS ”MR. & MRS.”

After 10 hours of driving through holiday traffic, we made it up to the Firefly Cabin in Hayesville, N.C. with Katharine’s family. Since our time in Florida is limited, we decided to take advantage of spending time with family. The quiet beauty of the mountains was refreshing and we enjoyed having cooler weather. We took advantage of some opportunities to re-visit the past while we were here. Family vacations often brought Ryan up to Brevard, N.C. as a child, which we were able to visit and hike in the Pisgah National Forest. Katharine had two friends that lived close to Charlotte who were roommates with her in 2004 at a Bible school in Austria that we were able to meet and catch up with. God definitely provided these opportunities to reflect and give thanks for all that He has done in our lives!

WHAT’S NEXT?

Many of you may be wondering if we are still in Florida and when we are planning on moving to Georgia. Great question! We are still living in Tampa and our prayer is to move up to Woodstock as soon as we reach 85%-90% of our monthly budget. With the monthly support that has already been committed, we are currently at 36%. We have been blessed with many one-time gifts as well, which have allowed us to receive a paycheck each month from the ministry. As of right now, our monthly support team consists of 26 couples and individuals who are giving in order that we may serve full-time with Wings. Our hearts rejoice and give thanks for each of them, understanding that while giving is a blessing it is also a sacrifice. The eagerness in our hearts is hard to contain and the longing to be in Georgia is intensifying. If you would like to learn more about our ministry goals or would like to join our monthly support team, please email us at: ryan@wingsgo.org or katharine@wingsgo.org.

CHANGES!

Two new changes are starting that involve the media side of our ministry! Our website will have a new look this month and we hope you will take the time to check out important news about Wings! Starting in January 2009, our newsletters will be mailed out only 6 times a year. In the effort to cut back costs, we want to make decisions that honor our ministry’s budget. If you are interested in getting updates via email only, please let us know!