Summer is almost gone and fall is almost here! In England we have already felt the temperature dropping and the days getting shorter (our hearts go out to our family and friends in the midwest who have had a really HOT summer!).

The Creative Lab has been working hard on several projects. The primary project we are working on is Albania. We are almost finished with the Book of Hope for Albanian Teens and are in the middle of working on a book for parents. We can't wait to see the final product as the team has worked so hard for so long!

We have also begun working on a series of short videos for Germany. These videos, when put together will make one video 30 minutes long. But we have it broken down into five 6 minute videos that will be able to be downloaded as apps on smart phones. The idea is to have an edgy, relevant video series that German teens can show their friends. We are also doing something similar for Italy.

We are hoping to begin research in Hungary in the next few months and are praying for open doors and ministry partners to work with there.

We are still very much loving our time here and we are so thankful for all of our supporters who have prayed us here and have given financially for us to be here. We love you all and know that there are no words to express just how grateful we really are.

Until next time!

Josh and Kelly

Time in Germany

The Creative Lab is officially under way! Our first project is under way in Germany. We are here and have met with local pastors and church leaders to discuss new ministry ideas for German youth.

Our Creative Lab is made up of 5 young people: Adam-he is from the States, Giovanni-from Italy, Grace-From the UK, Faith-from the UK, and Darbi, who is with us just for the summer, is from the States. Each of these individuals are creative in different ways, and are excited to use those gifts and talents to spread the Word of God to all the children and youth throughout Europe.

Josh and I had the amazing privilidge to go to Italy 2 weeks ago to meet with local Italian pastors and church leaders. We discussed future ministry opportunities and are excited to begin the process of designing new programs.

2011 is flying by, and yet is still filled with incredible opportunities for our team to bring the Gospel to the youth and children of different European nations.

Spring is Coming!

It's hard to believe that March is almost over and April is almost here! 2011 is certianly flying by, and we have enjoyed every minute of it!

We have had a busy February and March, and we are excited to tell you about what the Lord has been doing during those months.

Our ministry partner here in England, United Christian Broadcasters (UCB), has a group of 4 interns. We had the wonderful opportunity to take these four interns to St. Andrews, Scotland to participate in a week long ministry called LIFE Week. LIFE Week is a week full of events with the main purpose of evangelism. LIFE Week is put on by the Christian Union at St. Andrews University. Each day was filled with activities and seminars and lunches that were designed to reach those who don't yet know Jesus. It was an amazing week, and we made friends there that we are still in contact with, and plan to continue to be in contact with for a long, long time. Each of the interns thoroughly enjoyed themselves, as did we, and we were all stretched out of our comfort zones, resulting in a strengthened faith.

Two days after returning from St. Andrews, we flew to Albania, where we spent the first week of March. We met with new OneHope partners, and together we hosted 14 focus groups in two of the main cities of Albania-Tirana and Durres. The purpose of these focus groups was to gather information about the lives of children and youth in Albania. Currently, we are compiling all of the research, and we will send it to our research partners in the States, who will then put all the information in a nice packet that we will take back to Albania in May. When we return in May, we will be meeting with local pastors and we will brainstorm different ministry plans. The goal of these plans is to reach the children and youth in Albania in a relevant and effective manner.

Needless to say, we are so excited about the doors the Lord is opening for us in Europe. In the near future we are looking to travel to many more countries doing research and begining ministry planning as well. Please continue to pray with us as we do more research and as we sit with pastors and plan how to reach these younger generations. Please also pray for us as we have sent off our visa applications, and we are hoping to be approved to stay until December.

We look forward to updating you further as more developments occur. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for partnering with us in prayer and financial support. We couldn't do this without you.

Many blessings,

Josh and Kelly

New Year, New Country

Hello friends! We trust you all enjoyed your Christmas and New Year's celebrations with friends and family. We were able to be home for the holidays, and thoroughly enjoyed the time we had with our family and our friends.

This new year brings with it a new season for our lives. We are now living in Stoke-on-Trent, England. We have been here for about a week and are still trying to learn the European way of life. We have met so many friendly people, and have settled in nicely to our new flat.

While here, we will be doing a lot of traveling to other Western European countries. Our goal while visiting these countries, is to find and establish new ministry partners with OneHope.

We are excited about the opportunities the Lord already has before us here. In just a few weeks, we plan on traveling to Albania to begin hosting focus groups to find out from the people what their needs are. The reason we do this is so we can be more relevent in our approach to ministry in that country. This also helps the local church as they plan outreaches in their communities.

Please continue to pray with us and for us as we will be traveling and meeting with community stakeholders. Pray that we will be full of God's wisdom and that we will be led by His Spirit as we enter new territory.

Peace and blessings,
Josh and Kelly