Coxes Quarterly

posted by Ted on Aug 7

During our deputation time, I had a chance to share with many people the tremendous impact Devere and Lee Curtiss have had on our lives.  Not only did they recruit us to missions and to Greater Europe Mission, but Devere has been a personal mentor.

Each year, all the missionaries in Greater Europe Mission’s family come together.  It’s a tremendous time where we catch a vision of the impact our organization is having not just in our particular field, but all across the continent.  We swap ideas, plan partnerships, encourage and energize each other for the coming year’s ministry.

In that context, it’s such a delight to get to share my first conference with Devere and Lee.  Devere shared with me that this may be their last conference.  I’m so glad to be here with them.

posted by Ted on Jul 17

click here for the entire thing

The two most common comments we receive on our newsletters are “I love the pictures” and “I always mean to read them, but never get around to it.” That said, this month there are a lot less words and a whole lot more pictures. I hope you’ll let us know what you think.

posted by Ted on May 27

Library Fine $0.05

Flowers for teachers $10.00

Space bags $30

Shipping boxes to Germany $340

Less than 24 hours until we leave for Germany… Priceless

posted by Brandy on May 25

God is so good! I know in scripture the number 40 is significant. In Genesis it rained 40 days and nights in preparation for the world to have a new beginning. Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days. When he came down he had the directions for making the tabernacle and the arc, in preparation for God to dwell among His chosen people. The Israelites were in the desert for 40 years before entering their promised land. Christ was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by satan before He began His public ministry. We left Colorado 40 weeks ago.

I have to believe that God had this move to Connecticut planned all along. Each of us has learned some extremely important lessons and some fun ones along the way. We were told over and over today that Britt was a very specific answer to prayer. The teen leaders had been praying for a “spark plug” to come and light a fire in the teen club. For all of you that know Britt and know her well, that describes her to a T. I was brave enough to take up playing the djembe. It’s great fun! Faith has learned how to make new friends and learned that “when you’re stuck and can’t really get out, God tries to help you.” Isaac has found a love for soccer and his exceptional trumpet talent while here. He also learned that he loves small communities, which is a huge benefit because our community in Kandern will definitely be small. We’ve all learned very exciting things, but what I can’t wait to find out is what was all this in preparation for? Each time in scripture the 40 days/weeks/years were in preparation for something. So what awesome ministry opportunities does God have in store for us? I can’t wait to find out and share with each of you.

But the first exciting thing we would like to share with you after our 40 weeks is this morning Pastor Paul challenged the congregation of Calvary Chapel to meet our last $95/mo need. We were hugely blessed by not only the $95/mo but $135/mo in new pledges! Our God is good. We are currently at 102%! It’s still 102% of our reduced budget which is very tight, but regardless it’s another amazing blessing from the Lord. We want to thank each of you for your prayers and support of us during these last couple of years while we worked on support-raising. God was preparing us for His work. We can’t wait.

posted by Ted on May 24

Our prayer letter is out for May and June.

posted by Ted on May 21

Oops!  I skipped eight.  I was never really a numbers guy…

We packed yesterday (and Brandy unpacked again this morning).  We’re trying to work out exactly how much we can take on the plane with us.  I keep thinking space will be at a premium, but the problem is really weight.  Each checked bag can be 50lbs.  That sounds like a lot, but it really doesn’t take much to make a bag that heavy.

Today we’re making calls and canceling things.. internet services, supplemental medical plans, all those things we needed here in Connecticut that won’t do us an ounce of good in Germany.  It’s amazing how many tiny pieces there are to a move like this.  Thanks so much for your prayers.  We need them.

posted by Ted on May 19

Another frantic day of errand running is now behind us. I’m writing from Brandy’s computer while Apple puts a new superdrive in mine. We exchanged a mountain of email with the Meyers today hammering through details. Britt has spent most of the night on the phone. Brandy is getting very task oriented, and Isaac is encouragable. Everyone deals with stress in their own way.

Yesterday in church, the sermon was given by a missionary to Turkey who we’ve gotten to know a little while we’ve been here. He began by talking about how his life was going down hill until he found Christ. That thought has lingered with me because it is so much easier to go down hill. Down hill we can coast, up hill is always work. Getting this far has really been an up hill battle for us. I don’t like up hill. I want to coast. One of the lessons God has been teaching me, though, is that coasting down hill is just a quick trip to the pits. My walk with the Lord, following in His will is always going to be work. It’s always going to be up hill. When I’m exhausted and I can’t go any further, He may carry me, but the journey is always climbing, because at the end of the road is the most incredible summit we can imagine. That’s the goal. This side of eternity we will never get there, but we have to keep climbing.

posted by Ted on May 18

I’m predicting there may only be 9 more posts in the “When do we leave” and “Progress to the field” categories.

Our May newsletter went out today on email. I’m uncertain what we’re going to do for print, but it’s likely to be disappointing by comparison this time (and somewhat late), so if you have a chance, check it out online here:

http://www.coxesquarterly.com/cq-email/cq-2008/May.html

posted by Ted on Apr 29

“We’ve got 29 days to make it a foreign shore…”

Today is a big day. Brandy and I are driving in to Rhode Island this morning to pick up the rental I’ll begin driving back to Colorado tomorrow. We have to

get the rest of this house packed up, and loaded into whatever they give us at the rental place, but we also have to pack all our suitcases for Germany (so that we can be sure everything not in the car, or in the suitcases, is stuff we intend to leave behind).

It’s a big day for other reasons as well. Brittany is turning 15 today. She had her party last Saturday, a medieval murder mystery that she insisted I write, complete with a costume sewn by her Grandmother in Missouri and shipped next day so that she could wear it. Personally, I’m still struggling to get a handle on how to be a Dad for the fourteen year old, and she’s already moving forward before I’ve even gotten the hang of it.

 

posted by Ted on Mar 7

Many of you will remember several months ago, we thought we’d found a house in Germany. However, as we looked at the house (via a video skype call) and began to get all the details, it seemed less and less like the right place. We called on the Lord in prayer, and within a few days, the offer was retracted.

Many of you will also remember our mentioning Durand Robinson, the visionary behind Creative Works, our original ministry. Durand and his wife, Ruth, have taken Creative Works to Ireland, where they are focusing on local music ministries for Irish churches (you can read all about their ministry by clicking the Creative Works link in our blog roll). Their home in the Kandern area remains unoccupied. Since they first moved, we’ve thought their house is perfect for us. It has enough space for all of us, is close to everything, and is right next door to the Meyer’s house - our new supervisors with GemStone Media. Unfortunately, we can’t afford to buy their house.

However, we’ve just received word they are taking it off the market, and would like to rent it to us at — wouldn’t you know — almost exactly what we’ve budgeted to pay for rent. Isn’t God amazing?

Their realtor has a few weeks yet to sell before the contract expires. We hope you’ll be praying with us, that if this isn’t God’s will, the house will sell for a good price and bless the Robinsons that way. We did want to share with you, though, how God continues to look out for us, as we move forward in faith.

posted by Ted on Feb 22

From the Times Online:

“Freedom from religion in Britain is becoming as important as freedom of religion, according to a United Nations investigation into religion in the UK. In a 23-page report published this evening, a UN rapporteur claims the 2001 Census findings that nearly 72 per cent of the population is Christian can no longer be regarded as accurate. The report claims that two-thirds of British people now do not admit to any religious adherence.”

posted by Ted on Nov 20

If you’re looking for a way to get involved in missions, a way to grow closer to God, or just a way to focus more deeply this holiday season, I recommend you check out the prayer initiative GEM is doing through the 8th of January. Here’s the summary:

“The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him”. ~William McGill

Announcing 50 Days with God!

This month, Greater Europe Mission begins a prayer initiative, “50 Days with God”. As Psalm 63 (below) announces, we will unitedly and earnestly seek the Lord, thirsting and longing for Him. The goal of the fifty days is to prepare our souls to hear from the Lord as we find renewed delight in His presence. Slated to start this week, I invite you to join in with us in this prayer adventure. It will culminate on January 8th with a full Day of Prayer for Europe… an outcry for the Lord to intervene on behalf of this desperate and needy European continent and a plea to envision and empower those who minister there from the fullness of His presence. Join us and embrace this time as a great opportunity to experience God’s mercy and love in your life to a fuller extent. To register to receive a copy of the prayer guide specifically developed within the mission for this time, go on-line at www.GEMission.org/DayofPrayer or call Greater Europe Mission at (719) 488-8008.

For those of you with a high-speed internet connection and an eagerness to get started, there are 5 messages on prayer by Louie Giglio on this website. I think that you will find them to be encouraging, challenging and well worth the effort of downloading them.

Psalm 63:1-5

1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On behalf of the Prayer Team,
Kirk Cherry
Celia Deneen
Mike and Nancy Elwood
John Gilberts
Jim and Sara Meyer
Howard and Caron Moore
Andrea Zauflik

posted by Ted on Oct 22

posted by Ted on Aug 14

Sunday night we were commissioned from First Presbyterian Church at the evening service. It was a bittersweet moment, as we worshiped together in our home church for what will be the last time for a long time. At then end of the commissioning Dr. Singleton had us kneel on the steps so that friends and family could gather around us, lay their hands on us and pray. I don’t think I can possibly capture how deeply meaningful it was for us, but we wanted to try to share it with you.

posted by Ted on Apr 15

Some days, fundraising feels like this:

If you’re like me, you’ll want to hear the bad news first in the hopes that the good news will redeem things. So I’ll start there. Yesterday we finally got our 2007 financial requirements from the mission and the difference is huge. It was probably the most discouraging moment we’ve experienced in quite some time. The ugly reality is that we’re now back to 62% raised, as we struggle to overcome a stronger Euro, and increasing ministry costs. I won’t lie to you. It is unbelievably disheartening. We need help. We have been living life in limbo for a long time, living by faith and doing our best to follow the path God has laid before us. We have seen so many times how God has delivered, but in every case He has done it through people, many of whom have shared with us their reluctance and the distractions that have held them back from coming to us sooner. We truly believe that this is the moment for action.

Some questions arise: What do we do about the house? As you know, we’re in the process of packing and putting it on the market. Do we stop because of this set back? After some discussion, Brandy and I feel strongly that the answer is no. We press forward. This is scary, but it is the right thing to do. So our house will go on the market this month as planned, and we will move.

How are we going to make up the support? This is a tough question. We’ve been asking ourselves for months where the remaining support will come from. There is an interesting dynamic. Brandy and I are not as extroverted as many other missionaries we know, and that means that we don’t actually know as many people, and it means we’re probably not as effective in making connections with those people we know. In many ways, I think that’s good. I struggle enough with the belief that I can do it all. If I really could, I might be in serious trouble.

The good news, is that God has been telling me for a long time, that I just need to trust Him. I’ve really been struggling to figure out what that means and what that looks like. Yesterday’s news, that our support had gone down was like a punch in the gut. It knocked the wind out of me and left me reeling. Satan stepped in and filled my heart with despair, started me questioning God’s faithfulness, and trying to figure out how I was going to fix this. But today, as I walked among the cherry blossoms in bloom, and saw God’s creation in all it’s marvel and majesty, as I felt the longing God has placed in my heart to reach out to the people here, I heard Him saying “Trust me.”

That isn’t a license to sit back and do nothing, waiting for God to deliver. But I think it is a reminder that I need to stop trying to make a plan, or find some new way to reach people. My job is to step back, take a deep breath, and open myself up to the opportunities God is providing. Those are where my efforts need to be focused.

I wonder if any of you are having this struggle. Are you so caught up in all the stuff of life that you’re missing God’s voice whispering to you that you just need to trust Him and follow the plan He’s laying out for you. If that’s where you are, we’d love to hear from you and pray for you.

posted by Ted on Apr 14

I am red-faced with shame as I begin this posting thinking about my pledge to “do daily blog updates” while on this trip. So far it has been a whirlwind and there hasn’t been a lot of time. That would be a great excuse except that I completely forgot!

That said, I owe a huge debt to those of you who have been praying. This trip has really been wonderful. While I have worked like a slave (our first working day was 15 hours) it has been really positive time. I came hoping to forge a relationship with my future supervisor, and I have really seen that taking shape, both in our professional interactions and in our personal interactions as well. While we are very different, we have a lot of similarities, especially in the developmental building blocks of who we are. That’s an exciting revelation.

We’ve finished principle photography on a training video for GEM’s TEFL program. When I wasn’t nose down in the camera, it was fascinating to learn about how teaching English is such a powerful mechanism to open doors for sharing the Gospel, but also how often poor English instruction, coupled with clumsy evangelism drive people away. As I look toward our language acquisition training in June, I heard a lot of tips in how language should be taught that I think will be beneficial to my own learning.

More than anything, day after day, I experience the urgent need to get here permanently. I feel God’s welcoming hand to this place, see his preparation for our family to live here, settle in and be a meaningful part of the community. The new media organization that is taking shape here is the kind of place where I can belong. God is truly good. He has done so much to pave the way for us, and I know that He will get us here at the perfect time. But I can’t help but feel a desperate longing for this place, and the life that awaits us here.

Thank you so much for your prayers. They are deeply appreciated. May God bless you richly!

posted by Ted on Mar 29

If you’ve followed our blog this past month, you know our ministry in Europe is experiencing some changes, and I’m headed to Europe to help shoot and edit a training video on Teaching English as a Foreign Language, which is a vital opportunity for sharing the gospel all over the world right now. However, my prayer — and I hope you will be praying it with me — is that I can forge a deep and meaningful friendship with my new supervisor, Jim Meyer, and his family. I hope to be spending many years of our lives together, and I aim to get that started the right way. As with our last trip, I’ll try to do daily blog updates about what is happening.

posted by Ted on Feb 23

This is the video we have been using for fundraising the last year, although with some new titles, since some people have said the old titles were difficult to read.

For those of you who have not seen it, this is footage from our 2005 Spark! Project trip to Germany. We like to use this video as a prelude to our claim that Europe is the most strategic mission field on the earth. If that claim surprises you, we’d love to get together and tell you why. Our email is linked to the left.

NOTE: It may take a few minutes for YouTube to actually make the video available.