These Are People I Love: Czech Republic

 

  Go Serve: TeachBeyond from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

 

  Go Serve: Czech Republic from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

Have you met my friend, Jessica Weaver?

Read Jessica's biography here:

     I have been a Christian for most of my life, raised in a loving Christian home in Texarkana, Texas. I fell in love with Jesus at a very young age. I was baptized and confirmed at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church in Texarkana when I was in the Sixth Grade. I was very active in my youth group and choir. I followed Him faithfully until my first year of college until I became disillusioned with church. I didn’t give up on God completely, but I did walk away from the church for a couple of years.  

     God began calling me back to Him and to ministry so I joined a Christian music group with a missions focus called Celebrant Singers. For two and a half years, I traveled with them to 45 states and 7 countries, mostly in Latin America, ministering to people through music, personal testimonies and prayer. 

     After my time with the Celebrants, I moved to Arlington, Texas to finish my Theatre degree. I also took a lot of Education courses during this time thinking I might decide to teach later on. I worked full time at a bank while taking a full course-load. When I graduated, I decided to continue working at the bank where I was promoted several times.

     I eventually began became the office manager for a local law firm. I handled all the finances and HR responsibilities. During that time, I began to feel a strong pull back towards missions. I went on a short-term mission trip to Paris and really felt a confirmation to pursue long-term missions. Shortly after that, I was laid-off from my job. It was just the push I needed to take the leap into full-time ministry. I then joined a Christian organization called Educational Services International (ESI) and taught English as a Foreign Language in Cheb, Czech Republic for almost three years. 

     I returned to the states for four years and worked at the Dallas Zoo as the Cash and HR Manager for the retail and food services. Then, ESI asked me to return to the Czech Republic as the Program Director for Central Europe. I oversaw 49 teachers in three countries (Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia). Unfortunately, ESI had to close its doors due to financial reasons in June of 2014. ESI made an informal agreement with TeachBeyond to help teachers who wanted to stay on in their respective countries of service. TeachBeyond hired me to help with this transition and to develop a National Schools TEFL program for them. 

     I feel that I am called to train, mentor, and develop teachers so they can be effective teachers and be empowered to minister outside of the classroom.  This job is the perfect mixture of my past job skills and my calling.

     I am an avid reader. I enjoy classic literature, young adult books and non-fiction. I love to crochet gifts for my friends and family during the long, Czech winter nights. I occasionally sing on the Praise team at my church in Prague. I like attending theatre and visiting museums. I am very interested in learning about other cultures.  

These are People I Love: Uganda

Have you met my friends, Jeremy & Tamara Boone?

Jeremy and Tamara Boone, with Equip International, working for the transformation of Masese Slum in Uganda.

Masese Slum, near the source of the Nile, became a refugee camp for the Karimojong Tribe during times of war and famine in the inhospitable northern region of Uganda. The Karimojong are despised and treated as less than human by their countrymen.

Today, Masese is an overlooked slum of 4,000 men, women and children. The issues of poor sanitation, hygiene, communicable and tropical disease, hunger as well as economic and moral poverty have unnecessarily crippled this community.  

We believe God wants to transform it from the inside-out, and we're working toward that end for His glory.

Go Serve: Jinja, Uganda from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

 

  Meet Jeremy & Tamara Boone from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

These are People I Love: Romania

 

  Go Serve: Romania from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

 

  Go Serve: Romania from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

Have you met my friend, Stefania Tarasut?

Read Stefania's testimony here:

I was born in Romania in 1979. My family immigrated to the United States in 1990 after the revolution. When communism fell, the borders were opened and my mom was quick to get us out before anything changed. Communism fell in December of 1989 and we were on a plane for Portland, Oregon in May of 1990. 

We weren’t churchgoers, but because my parents needed a community, we joined the Romanian church. When I was a junior in High School, I had a friend who was fifteen years old. She went to a summer retreat and fainted in the shower. She drowned in a couple of inches of water. At her funeral, I was able to encounter Christ through the peace and calm that surrounded her family. I wanted what they had and understood that it was God’s love that allowed for that. I surrendered my life to Christ soon after that.

As soon as I gave my life to Christ, I understood that God had called me to be a pastor, but Romanian women don’t become pastors so I tried and failed many things until I finally worked up the courage to embrace my calling my JR year of college.  I had resolved in my heart that I would be a children’s pastor, but God had other plans. I finished my undergrad work, followed by my MDiv at George Fox University. After serving as a children’s pastor for a few years, I became a youth pastor and today I serve as the English Ministry pastor at Eden Presbyterian Church, which is a first generation Korean church.  I’ve been serving at the church for about 12 years.

A couple of years ago, my life took a completely different turn. I started working on my DMin at George Fox University. This program opened my eyes to a world that I could have never imagined.  Through a strange turn of events I had the opportunity to go back to Romania. Through that trip and a few more experiences I understood that God was calling me back to serve Romania. Never in my life did I think that I would ever go back to Romania, but here I am, 25 years after my family left, God has called me to go back and minister to my people. It is such a strange and fantastic opportunity. 

So here I am today. I have over twelve years of intercultural experience under my belt, I’m half way done with my Doctor of Ministry, and ready to close one chapter and begin another.

These Are People I Love: Haiti

Haiti is never far from my mind, and these are sweet people I love.

 

  Go Serve: Darivager Orphanage from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

These Are People I Love: Australia

Have you met my friends, Lynne & Rob Branham?

Rob was born and raised in Moberly, MO and Lynne was born and raised in Newcastle, Australia. They married in 1986 we have three children - Andrew, Josh and Katie. Andrew is married to Amanda with one child Abe. Joshua is married to Shaina with one child Lily with another one on the way in November. They both live in Boise, ID and are pastors at the same Church called Hill City Church. Josh is the lead minister and Andrew is the Family minister. Katie recently started Bible College in Boise, ID, too!

Lynne and Rob have been in ministry for over 30 years. They started serving while attending Central Christian College of the Bible. Lynne and Rob both served on Camp Teams, Weekend Outreach Teams, and Rob preached at small country Churches in the area. The first full time ministry was in Unionville, MO doing youth ministry. They learned so much pouring into the lives of young people and their families. They moved from there to Australia to be closer to Lynne’s family and Rob did a Full Time preaching ministry at her home Church for about 3 years. Then they moved back to the USA where Rob did some more education. Upon graduation, they moved to Fairbanks, Alaska where they ministered at Farewell Ave Christian Church. They lived there from 1995-2006. The Church grew and grew but it took a terrible toll on their family…..near the end of their time in Alaska, they were in need of a break and some redirection. They moved to Australia where Lynne’s parents had left her the family home. They took 2 years to regroup and see what God had in store for them. In 2008, they were asked to join another couple in planting a Church in a new subdivision called Northlakes….in Newcastle, Australia. Northlakes Christian Church was planted….the couple that asked them to join them has since moved back to the US and they are still there! :)

 

  Go Serve: Rob and Lynne Branham from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

These Are People I Love: Russia

 

  Go Serve: Yekaterinburg, Russia from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

Have you met my sweet friend, Olga Fateeva?

These Are People I Love: New Zealand

Have you met my friends Nate & Whitney Hutchison?

In 2007, Nate & Whitney took a big risk and moved to New Zealand from the USA to help start new churches. Raising kids and starting churches internationally is a beautiful mess of a life, and they love it. All three of their kiddos were born in New Zealand. They're little kiwis! They desire to love God, to love each other, and to live in such a way that teaches their children to do the same.

 

  Go Serve: Nate & Whitney Hutchison from First Shreveport on Vimeo.

They started Church Northwest in 2019!