(June 13, 2004) I have been very busy working on a number of projects at Cadence Headquarters. A couple of months ago I helped give our conference room a face lift. We painted and then installed wainscot around the entire room. Another project which I just completed is a missionary tracking chart for our personnel department. This gives us the ability to “at a glance” find key information about every Cadence missionary in the world.

Ahead this month we are planning for Cadence International’s 50th anniversary celebration June 25-27 held here in Denver. We will be honoring God for what He has done through Cadence during the past 50 years, and for what He will do through Cadence in the future.

One day after the 50th celebration Kim and I will head south to the Colorado Springs area and be a part of Cadence’s annual Member Care Retreat. This is a special time for Cadence missionaries who are coming off the field and need some rest and reflection time, but who also need to be encouraged and cared for. Please pray for Kim and I as well as the other folks from our Personnel Department as we minister to this special group of people.

One last thing that we wanted to share with you is an upcoming trip we are making to Alaska to visit our support team there. We will be in Alaska from July 2 to July 19. We will be meeting with many people both in Anchorage and in the Fairbanks/North Pole area. We would really appreciate your prayers for safety as we travel as well as good times with supporters and with the many friends we have in that part of the world. We love and appreciate you so much. It is a privilege to share our lives with you.

Thank you for praying for us. Thank you for your generosity. And thank you for being a friend to us! We couldn't be here if it wasn't for your part in our lives.

What a joy it has been for us during the past month to serve as a part of the Cadence Headquarters team. My work in the Personnel Department has been challenging but a real joy. In late May we finished our Spring Candidacy and appointed 13 new missionaries. These men and women have a heart for the Lord and a real desire to reach the military community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They now begin the adventure of "People Raising", discovering those who would lift them up in prayer and support them financially. This can be a real faith building time - please remember to pray for them.

In late June we held our second annual Member Care Retreat. This retreat provides a time of rest, rejuvenation, and reflection for Cadence missionaries who have come back from the field. Kim and I as well as other members of our Personnel Staff joined together to make this a special time for our returning missionaries. We received great feedback this year from all of our missionaries. We are encouraged by this because it validates our sincere belief that returning field missionaries need and will benefit from this type of care.

Recently I had a job title change to Director of Member Care. Although I will still be involved with recruiting and mobilization, my primary responsibility will be to pastor new missionaries working on their support and those missionaries who are on Home Assignment. I would really appreciate your prayers as I strive to more effectively care for Cadence missionaries and their families.