Saturday, July 22, 2006

So Mike, How can I support you?


Many of you have asked me how you can sign up to support my missions work in Romania with OC International. Thank you!!! As a faith-based missions organization, OC International relies upon the sacrificial giving of families and individuals like you who consider it a worthwile investment to support missionaries working for God's kingdom around the world. Each month, I have a monthly support requirement to raise. Believe me, everything counts. I do not take your investment lightly--it is a great blessing and encouragment to me and I thank God and pray for each person who joins my support network. So, how can you sign up to support my ministy to the youth of Romania?
  1. Visit the OC International Website (www.onechallenge.org). You can sign up for automated donations right on our Website.
  2. Write to OC International (P.O. Box 36900 Colorado Springs, CO 80936). Please indicate your donations are for Michael Lundell
  3. Drop me an email if you have any questions. (MichaelLundell@oci.org)
  4. Please remember me in your prayers!

Upcoming Ministry Events

(The Romanian National Flag)

The month of August is going to be a very busy month for me in Romania. I could greatly use your prayers for these upcoming events:

  • On July 30th, I leave for camp for about two-weeks with orphan teenagers. Please pray that we would be able to be effective in communicating to these young adults that they can have a real relationship with Christ.
  • I have been asked to help a young church-plant in Bucharest with some retreats and Vacation Bible School programs for their youth in mid-August. Please pray for effective planning and outreach.
  • At the end of August through early September, I will be participating in a city-wide sports evangelism program across Bucharest. I have been invited to help with the volleyball program. Every city park will have some type of activity (including arts & city clean-up) in addition to speakers and Christian music. Please pray that this event will raise publicity for the evangelical churches in Bucharest and that relationships can be started to further disciple and befriend non-Christian youth in Bucharest.
  • I have been asked to start a network meeting this upcoming fall for youth pastors around Bucharest to come together to share resources, prayers, and encouragement. Please pray for me as I continue to network and work with national leaders to develop such an important, needed, and useful group.

I greatly appreciate and thank you for your prayers. God continues to bless me with many opportunities for ministry in Romania, and it is a privilege to be serving Him in this land that I love So much!!!!

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Old Friends are Golden


Now that I have a picture to post, I can tell you what a treat it was to be able to visit and catch up with some of my good friends from my days at Christian Student Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, who came to Romania in June for a few weeks to work in camps with orphan children. Pictured above are Andrea, Jenni, myself, Lance, and Kathy. We all have worked together in camps before and all have been touched greatly by the precious orphans of Romania and the beauty, majesty, and hospitality of the Romanian people and culture. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with my good friends and showing them where I live in Bucharest. Praise God for their service this summer with the kids and for their passion to impact orphans with the message of hope, dignity, and love in Jesus' name. An added bonus was that yesterday I got to visit with Andrea here in Colorado before I head back to Bucharest. She was in Denver visiting relatives, so we got together on my day-off. These are some of my favorite people, so I surely thank God for opportunities to visit.
Well, I am soon off to Bucharest again. I cannot wait! This Romaniac misses his favorite land, and especially the comfort of his own bed :) Please pray for safety in travel and for a good wrap-up to the training I have had with my OC International family here in Colorado. I have learned a lot that has helped me to be a more effective and Christ-centered missionary to the youth of Romania. Mi-e dor de tara mea! (I miss my country: Romania that is!)

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Training Thrills in Colorado

Currently I am in Colorado Springs, CO for several weeks, doing some training for new missionaries with OC International. This week we are looking at the importance of working on a TEAM, and as part of that, we all went whitewater rafting down the Arkansas River for three hours. It was a great exercise in team development. I had a blast! We had many missionaries who were a bit scared, but everyone went down the river. Another thing we are processing is dealing with opstacles and fear on the mission field, so whitewater rafting was a great tool, and a much welcomed break from the daily training routine. I cannot wait to go rafting again and I would love to find a place to take Romanian youth whitewater rafting.

Training at Bear Trap Ranch

Here are some pictures from the ranch where we are staying for these couple of weeks. The location is "Bear Trap Ranch," an InterVarsity camp 9,100 feet up in the Pikes Peak Region on the outskirts of Colorado Springs.
Some of the sleeping cabins

"Bear Trap Ranch" in the Pikes Peak region out of
Colorado Springs is where we are doing are training

Some of my mentors Deb Walker on the left and Liz Leary