Leaving

February 10, 2011

Dear Friends and Family,

           

            Thank you very much for all of your prayer, encouragement and financial support over the past year!

            I am very excited to share with you the BIG changes God has brought about over the past few weeks. As you know, I have been on a journey to Spain with a team for the past year and a half. For the past five months I have been waiting for my visa and working hard to raise the final financial support needed.   On January 25^th I received a call from my team leaders, who told me that after waiting over six months for a Spanish visa, they were not going forward, which meant this project would be closed and the team would not be going to Spain as planned.  This was difficult news and I was deeply saddened by the loss of a dream that I had been vigorously pursuing for several years.  However, during this journey, God has given me peace knowing that He is in control and guiding my future.

So in the midst of this change and discussions with CRM about other options, God has opened up some amazing alternative opportunities!

            First, I’ve been invited by Sam Metcalf, CRM’s president, to serve in a role as his ministry assistant for the next year.  This would be a unique privilege to be mentored and discipled by this Godly leader.  It would include extensive travel and ministry in an array of cross-cultural ministry venues though out Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.  This opportunity will allow me to observe and work with a broad number of leaders and teams throughout the world.

            My specific responsibilities will include assisting and supporting the president, working alongside  missionary leaders in their contexts, and overseeing projects delegated to me. Personally, I will have a broad exposure to a variety of ministry venues and possibilities so that I can discern where God may be leading me in the future.  This will also develop my personal leadership abilities and allow me to better understand how I fit into cross-cultural ministry.

Secondly, this role will also mean some extended work in several ministry contexts lasting several months at a time. 

In the next few weeks, I have more work to do in finalizing my team of donors. So I am still in need of about a 15 - 20% increase in monthly support.  But thanks to your generosity and support, I hope to be ready to launch on March 1^st.   I would like to keep you updated on my ministry as much as possible.  The options to do this include:

·      my blog at  http://joshaltmeyer.blogspot.com/

·      email (josh.altmeyer@crmleaders.org)

·      a mailed newsletter.

If you have a preference, let me know.  Otherwise, I’ll be adding you to the mailed newsletter list, called Just Between Friends.

I greatly appreciate your financial investment, prayer support, and commitment to me!  I know that in these difficult economic times like we’ve all just been through, getting missionaries deployed is a considerable challenge.  I’m deeply grateful for the confidence you’ve expressed in me and the opportunity to be launched into a missions career. 

Over the past few weeks, an encouraging verse has been

“ No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Cor. 2:9.

Thanks for being a part of what God is doing in my life.  Thanks on behalf of those who will be on the receiving end of the ministry I’m called to in the years ahead. 

Wherever He leads,

Josh Altmeyer