july 2015—idc mckinney

JULY 2015 | IDCMCKINNEY.COM | PASTOR: JORDAN STONE

IMAGO DEIGospel Partner Spotlight: Joanna

At what point did you feel God calling you to return to full-time missions with Crossover Communications International?

Global missions remained a passion of my heart long after our return from West Africa. For 15 years it seemed so clear that there was more to come, but I had no idea what that would look like or if I would really ever have the opportunity to serve again. Then, the door opened for me to go to the Middle East with Crossover on three short-term mission trips. Following that came the invitation to become their Member Health Consultant (for overseas missionaries and other staff), Care Coordinator, and Prayer Coordinator. It was a great joy to have this opportunity confirmed by my family and church body.

What are your current ministry objectives and how are you pursuing them?

Currently the all-consuming focus of Crossover is to align every missionary to Vision 2020. To make this happen, we are investing in a meeting to be held in Turkey. Before this event, Harry and I will complete “Personal Development Sessions” via Skype with the 28 missionaries attending. While in Turkey, I will lead in the “Team Development” sessions as well as train to use the Clarion website. Upon return to the U.S., I will be processing new missionaries going through our recruitment steps.

As we continue in our series of taking an

in-depth look at each of our Gospel Partners,

we are excited to share about Joanna

(last name withheld) who is on staff with

Crossover Communications International.

Joanna was formerly a covenant member

of IDC, and in the spring of 2014 God led

Joanna to move to Columbia, South Carolina

to join Crossover’s staff. Joanna serves as

the Member Health Coordinator, Prayer

Coordinator and Care Coordinator for all of Crossover USA’s overseas missionary

field staff. We hope these Questions/Answers will draw you closer to the work that

God is doing through Joanna and into faithfully praying for her.



Approximately how many people do you serve in your role and (generally) where are they located?

At this time, I serve 40 overseas missionaries, 17 stateside missionary support personnel, 5 missionaries awaiting deployment, as well as 15 missionary candidates in the recruitment process.

The missionary field workers are dispersed in four Affinity Blocs: 7 in the Malay World, 1 in the Farsi World, 5 in the Arab World, and 27 in the Turkic World. All overseas missionaries are working among the unreached/unengaged. (These numbers do not include our 2 other Crossover bases that have their own member health care consultants.)

What are some encouraging aspects of your work?

The most encouraging aspect is that I not only get to witness, but I get to be a part of this rapid expansion of a very unique mission organization. Crossover is unique because it is made up of multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-denominational missionaries, all who have the same passion: to provide access to the Gospel by planting multiplying churches among the unreached peoples of the world. I am grateful beyond words that you and I get such an intimate look at so many missionaries and their kids scattered out in the fields of the Lord.

What is one of your favorite Bible passages and why?

One of my favorite passages is the beauti-ful prayer in Ephesians 3:16-21. I memorized it while on my first trip to the Middle East with Crossover. It’s such a beautiful picture displaying unity of the church and our utter dependency

on God to accomplish the Great Commission. “For this reason I bow my knees before the

Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory He may grant you to be strength-ened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to compre-hend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abun-dantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”


What is one area of your life that God has strengthened in you since joining Crossover last year?

Since my arrival one year ago, I have been submersed in very intensive missionary consultant training. The complexity of learning all the various instruments and obtaining the certifications necessary was a huge challenge. God stretched me beyond what I imagined, but in His great mercy, He faithfully strengthened and equipped me and is enabling me to use what I’ve learned.

What are some ways IDC can pray for you and your ministry efforts?

There are several ways to pray for Crossover and our efforts, as we are currently preparing for our first missions conference later this summer for all of our missionary field workers. Here are specific ways to intercede:

• Please fervently PRAY over the upcoming mission meeting in Turkey July 30-Aug 11. We have already been met with opposition from the enemy and we can expect that will only intensify as we move forward but we know that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the building of Christ’s church. (Matt 16:18)

• PRAY for the preparation of the hearts of every missionary, that they come in humil-ity with complete openness to examine their ministries and align them with Vision 2020: Planting 2,000 churches by the year 2020.



• PLEASE PRAY for Harry and I. (Harry is my co-worker/consultant, a retired Lt. Col who served 34 years as a chaplain in the army) We will conduct two 3-hour seminars with these 28 missionaries via Skype and then follow up with online 2-hour personal development sessions with EACH couple BEFORE we leave the country!

• PRAY over the language challenges in all our meetings because English is a second language for 14 of our 28 missionaries attending. There is critical information they will be processing. Our president of Crossover Brazil will present Doxa, our president of Crossover USA will train, encourage, and challenge. The week will end with a special ceremony, sort of a re-commissioning.

• PRAY for Jacob, Hayley, and my daughter, Rebecca as they serve the missionaries providing a quality childcare and youth program during our Izmir event. Afterwards, besides visiting Ephesus and Tarsus, I’m hoping Jacob and Hayley will have the opportunity to lead worship in one of Crossover’s church plants.

• After our return from Turkey, PRAY for wisdom and discernment as we process new missionaries and we work with our mobiliza-tion team to strategically place them where their gifts will best be used so they will be most effective.


If there is any other topic of information that you want to share with the IDC body, please do!

I would like to express my deepest apprecia-tion to Imago Dei for all your prayers, encour-agement, as well as your generous financial sup-port. I have learned so much about the power of having strong ministry partners; it’s hard to believe the doors that are opening before us. I am so grateful for our partnership in the Gos-pel of Jesus Christ. May together we flood the nations with Great Commission workers! God

bless your faithfulness at home and abroad.


IMAGO DEIGospel Partner Prayer Requests

John & Jessie ChengCru — Dallas, TX

John and Jessie continue to seek God’s direction as they invest in several communities here in the Dallas area including UTD international students and refugees, as well as Children’s Hospital. Please PRAY:

• A prayer of praise because the Cru summer project in K.C. with young people went extremely well – they bonded with their team, Hope saw new development and God provided a vision for some new ministry opportunities to start in Dallas.

• For Jessie to have a sharp mind and disciplined will as she takes a two-week seminary class. Pray that despite the busyness of class and their staff conference, they would not become exhausted, but rather be refreshed and filled with life.

We are thankful for how the Lord has allowed IDC to partner with many

incredible individuals, couples and families who faithfully work to share Christ,

help plant churches in unreached areas and care for orphans. Here are ways

we can intercede on behalf of our Gospel Partners. To learn more about IDC’s

Gospel Partners, please visit idcmckinney.com/go.

Training Leaders InternationalTLI mentors and sends pastors, seminary

professors and graduate students to bring theological education around the world through short-term trips, long-term sending and school planting. Please PRAY:

• For spiritual protection over Darren & Amy Carlson as they lead TLI initiatives to train and disciple global pastors.

• For more churches to partner with TLI in educating those pastors, specifically at a new location in Bhutan.

John & Kristen MurphyVeritas Church — Fayetteville, N.C.

John and Kristen lead Veritas Church, which was planted in 2013 in order to serve military families near Ft. Bragg. Please PRAY:

• For the individual discipleship John is doing with a few men in order to prepare them elder training and eventual local elder leadership.

• For continued spiritual protection over John and Kristen’s three young children, as their surrounding community is filled with much struggle and darkness.

http://www.idcmckinney.com/go



Kyle & Carrie WileyLifeVesting International — Mobile, Alabama

Kyle and Carrie are launching LifeVesting, which is a sending agency that will connect North American churches with churches in Southeast Asia—specifically Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, where there is little access to the Gospel. Please PRAY:

• For a church home that would fit their entire family and a place where they can love and serve others, be ministered to and be a blessing to many. Also, that they will start building meaningful friendships and find their new groove at they continue getting settled in Mobile, AL.

• A huge prayer of praise and celebration for their oldest child, Laura Kate (7 yrs) who recently became a Believer! After many years of Kyle’s and Carrie’s prayers over Laura Kate, Kyle was privileged to talk with her and lead her into the saving faith of Christ!

Bruce & Denise KendrickEmbrace — Dallas, TX

Bruce and Denise Kendrick lead Embrace, a ministry serving at-risk, foster and adopted children and their families. The Kendricks departed last month to begin their year-long Hometown Tour to equip churches across the U.S. who desire to begin their own orphan care ministries. Please PRAY:

• For the follow-up and follow-thru component of our work. It's one thing to sit in a workshop for a day... it's another thing to implement what's being taught and engage others to share the vision.

• For a woman we met with in Rogers, AR who leads a transition home. It was a great meeting, and it continues to challenge us to think of the gaps Embrace can fill there in Collin County when we return. Be in prayer for clarity regarding future initiatives of our work to stand in the gap and assist in the work of the Church without circumventing it.



Gospel Partners In Asianames/location withheld

This team is based in a remote area of Asia in order to reach an unengaged people group with the Gospel. Please PRAY:

• For intentional social gatherings such as pizza parties that this team is hosting in order to connect with locals. Pray for God to help them make new friends whose hearts are softened toward the message of Christ.

• For the hearts of the “Cat” people who this team will serve in a remote part of the country, Lord willing, after they finish language training.

Gospel Partners in Western Asianames/location withheld

This team is currently raising support in the U.S., and they will soon move to a country in Western Asia to serve refugees and proclaim the Gospel. Please PRAY:

• For our kids (and us) during this season of transition and preparation to move overseas and for our family to continue grow closer to God and together through this part of the journey.

• That the Lord would continue prepare the hearts of the beautiful people we will be reaching out to. Also, for the Lord to protect, sustain and empower our teammates who are already on the ground.

Trace & Christa HaglerTo Every Tribe — Oaxaca, Mexico

Trace and Christa focus on sharing the Gospel with an unreached Zapotec people group outside of Oaxaca. Please PRAY:

• That the Hagler family would find rest in the Lord while they are in the states this summer.

• For the Lord to continue to strengthen the few believers in the SMQ and SJQ villages. Pray also for the Hagler’s teammates as they continue the work in the villages during their absence.


IMAGO DEIOther News

Jacob & Hayley Robbins & Rebecca Parham’s Trip to Turkey

In partnership with Joanna (on staff with Crossover), Jacob, Haley and Rebecca will travel to Turkey in August where Crossover will hold an international conference for all their field staff. Their role will be to minister to the children and youth during the conference while their parents are in training. Please pray for God to give this team creativity and wisdom regarding the planning of activities, and pray for the hearts of the children and youth to be open for God to reveal Himself in a deeper way.

Allison Moline’s Trip to Mozambique

Allison will be traveling to Mozambique on July 16-30! During this trip, she will be part of a team who serves a community there by sharing Christ’s love through many practical and spiritually impactful ways. Allison recently shared some specific ways the IDC body can pray for this trip:

• That we would seek to bring glory to God through all the ways we serve while in Mozambique

• For the VBS our team will do for the orphans

• For the discipleship training materials that we'll go over with the local volunteers

• For a pastor's conference that the men from the team will do in the local village

• For any home based care we have the opportunity to do

• For possible medical training for the local volunteers

We would love to highlight some missions efforts of some IDC members! It is beautiful to see how God is inspiring our

church body to take an active role in missions in various ways. If you have events you would like to share, please contact

the Missions team at [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

july 2015—idc mckinney

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