september 2015—idc mckinney

SEPTEMBER 2015 | IDCMCKINNEY.COM | PASTOR: JORDAN STONE

IMAGO DEIGospel Partner Spotlight: The Wileys

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great,

so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth

shall be blessed. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him…”Genesis 12:1-4

As we continue in our series of taking an

in-depth look at each of our Gospel Partners,

we are excited to share some information

about Kyle and Carrie Wiley. The Wileys

were covenant members of IDC and they

recently moved to Mobile, AL where they

are launching a new global missions agency

called LifeVesting International (LVI)! We hope

these questions and answers will draw you

closer to the work that God is doing through

them and into faithfully praying for them!

How did God call you guys to launch LifeVesting International (LVI)?

As Carrie and I got married, we were both on staff at the same church in Lub-bock — Turning Point Community Church. We both knew that the Lord was moving us toward missions at some point in the future, we just didn’t know when. We were able to be part of a team that went to Thailand in 2006-2007 and were blown away not only by what the Lord was doing,



but also by the love for the area that He planted in our hearts. Carrie’s grandparents were actually medical missionaries with the IMB’s predeces-sor, the Foreign Mission Board, and served in Bang Kla, Thailand in the ’60s and ‘70s. We got to meet some of the people they served as well as worship with the church they had helped plant. We knew that God was calling us to work in Thailand...someday. After seven years with NEXT Worldwide, the doors opened up for us to continue to pursue him and the vision of working in SE Asia that he gave us back in 2007.

What are the current ministry objectives for LifeVesting and how are you pursuing them?

The current ministry objectives for LifeVest-ing are quite clear: help church planters continue to plant more churches, give training in areas where training is needed, and mobilize churches from here in the States to help. To initially pursue these objectives, we are working on both sides of the equation, continuing to work with pastoral net-works in SE Asia as well as continuing to grow our network of pastors here in the U.S. As we continue to share the vision of Life-Vesting on both sides of the world, we also con-tinue to see the Lord open up opportunities for new groups to go with us in the coming years.

What is one area of your life that God has strengthened and refined during the launch of LifeVesting?

Believe it or not, I (Kyle) REALLY don’t like change. I’m the uber C personality I research things for months on end in order to get ev-erything in order and make sure the checklist is good to go. Launching out on an endeavor like this - founding a missions organization - is not something that is in my comfort zone at all. Yet, knowing the vision and love the Lord put in our hearts years ago, the fact that he has continued to stoke our passion for serving in the area com-pels us to continue moving forward. More than that, though, we see the Lord bringing more and more people to worship him through his Son, Jesus Christ, in SE Asia and we want to be part of that movement, plus bring others along to help in any possible way.


What are your favorite Bible passages and why?

Kyle — Psalm 119:45-48. This passage has always stuck in my heart and mind and is one that I pray often. I’m reminded that, although we walk a narrow path, as believers, we have great freedom in Christ because of his Word. That freedom allows us to be bold, regardless where he might place us to speak. We love the Lord and his commandments and joyfully share his gospel with the nations! On top of that, I meditate often on II Chronicles 15:7. Plain and simple, there are plenty of times when the Lord commands us to do something and follow him in certain ways that could cause us to stumble in fear if we focused on the wrong thing. But our eyes, our hands, and our work stays focused on the One who strengthens and we see the reward of that: Christ’s Name exalted!

Carrie — Acts 1:8. We are all called to the nations...not in concentric circles, but to be involved with the gospel going forward in some way within our cities and local areas, our nation, and to the ends of the earth. I love to think about these circles and the way the Lord has called our little family; He has called us to be involved in each circle. It’s a beautiful picture, thinking about the different ways in which these circles interact and intersect and that it’s all for the glory of Jesus.

For each of our children, we have particular verses that we have chosen from the time we knew who they were!

Laura Kate — Isaiah 12:3. We trust that LK’s joy will continually come from her salvation in the Lord and that she will share that joy with all



those she encounters. Her name means “Crown of Virtue” and we pray that she would be ex-actly that as she lives out her joy in the Lord.

Shepherd — Psalm 28:89. Shepherd’s name means “the Strong Shepherd.” The verses we pray over him point to the Lord as our constant Shepherd, our strength and our refuge, which are things that we pray our son would model in his own life as he glorifies God.

Fischer — Matthew 4:19. Fischer Knox means “Fisher of the Hills.” We pray that the Lord would use our second-born boy to be one who takes the gospel to the nations and is a fisher of men to the ends of the earth.

Archer — II Samuel 22:35-36. Archer Leigh means “Healing Warrior.” Though hardened to the point of bending a bow of bronze, the war-rior in II Samuel speaks to the Lord’s gentleness that has made him great. We pray that Archer would be strengthened by the Spirit to go into the world with arrows of the gospel, that he


would send them forth and that he would do it all with a gentle spirit.

Can you give us a glimpse into the lives, personalities, & favorite interests of your four children?

How to give a snapshot into the lives of our four Scouts??? The easiest way is to check out wileyadventures.com, which is Carrie’s blog, to see some of the funniest, sweetest and greatest moments in our lives, especially with these four hilarious little people. But here are a few quick snapshots:

Laura Kate: LK starts second grade here in just a few weeks. Our crazy smart, imaginative firstborn, LK spends a lot of her time devour-ing books (her current favorites are Hank the Cowdog, the Magic Treehouse Series, and we’ve started the Chronicles of Narnia). On top of that, she loves getting to watch certain HGTV shows with Mommy, like “Fixer Upper.”

Laura Kate

Archer

Fischer Shepherd


Beyond those things, she enjoys “mothering” baby Archer as well as playing with her “stable” of make-believe horses while riding her scooter all over the place.

Shepherd: Our little engineer, Shepherd loves getting to play with his cars and tracks, setting up new courses pretty much every day. He loves animals and has begun “taking care of ” different bugs and spiders that he catches in the backyard (he named a pesky fly Carson and refused to let us put Carson outside!). His favorite thing, though, is mowing the yard with Daddy and eat-ing popsicles while running through the sprin-kler on our ridiculously humid evenings.

Fischer: Fischer has lately been really enjoy-ing all things trains, especially his Thomas the Tank Engine track that he got as a reward for pottytraining (hallelujah!). Like his brother and Daddy, he is enjoying watching baseball and even rugby. But, more than anything, our little daredevil likes creating obstacle courses in his

room, the playroom, and our den...especially ones that require some sort of a “leap of faith.”

Archer: Archer is one of the happiest babies we’ve ever seen...mainly because his older sib-lings love getting to entertain him. Aside from making new faces and sounds, he’s getting to learn which new foods he really likes, he jumps in his Jumperoo for what seems like hours, and is probably our snuggliest baby to boot.

What are some ways that your family enjoys quality time and has fun together?

Our family has a lot of different ways that we spend good time together. We often take drives out in the country, we love to play in the backyard and cook out, we eat together, and we have our usual bedtime rituals like worship and dancing. One of our favorite things, though, is our weekly “Pizza Movie Night.” Almost every Friday night, since Laura Kate was very young, we’ve turned out the lights, gotten pizza (or cooked pizza!), and watched a fun movie as a family. Lately, we’re on a Disney kick and have decided that we’re going to watch all of the Disney classics, as well as some newer ones. Being here in Mobile, there are a lot of cool historical things to see, too. One of our favorite new places is Bienville Square, which is down-town. There just happens to be a really good candy shop around the corner, too, but the trees, gazebo, and huge fountain in the middle of the park make this a place that we come to relax, chase squirrels and pigeons, and just enjoy tak-ing time to be together.



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

IDC can pray for LifeVesting and our family on several fronts:

• Pray for us to find a church home, here in Mobile! As anyone can imagine, it’s hard to move and it usually helps when you’re able to immerse yourself in new relation-ships...especially in getting to know broth-ers and sisters in your new city. Over the past month and a half, we’ve been able to visit quite a few churches and have our top three that we’re going back to. Our hope is to be plugged in to our new church home by the end of summer.

• Pray for our kiddos; they have recently started school (LK is in second grade at a new school and the boys started at Christ Church’s K4 and K3 programs a couple of days/week). Pray for new friends and even avenues for Carrie and I (Kyle) to be able to love and serve other families.

• Pray for solid new connections as we get to know our new neighbors and pastors in the area, as well continue to grow Life-Vesting’s network of pastors internation-ally. We are praying that the Lord would continue to guide us in our relationships with discernment and wisdom.

• Pray for support. We want to involve as many people as possible in what we’re doing, so pray for the Lord to open new doors (both personally and corporately) for others to join us in the work that Life-Vesting is carrying out!

• Pray against spiritual attacks that are com-mon with mission work like this, especially as we get things off the ground. There are frustrations over website issues, com-munications with folks, and simply getting used to a different culture and day-to-day routine. The Enemy loves to attack on all fronts.

Anything to share with the IDC family?

Know that we love and miss our IDC family. If you’re passing through this way let us know! We would love to see you. On top of that, we are looking at when the best time for our family might be to make the trek back to the homeland of Texas to see family and all of our friends up there. Thank you guys for your continued prayers, support, texts, phone calls, and being part of our lives and ministry with LifeVesting International!



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,

refugees, and the Children’s Hospital. Please PRAY:• For John as he sets up his aquaponics system

and is networking with the local community leaders and churches. Pray that they would all learn how to unite the social gospel and the proclamation gospel as they seek the welfare of the hungry.

• For more church partnerships to participate with the Chengs in reaching international students at UTD through the Friendship Program. Pray that they would know how to approach local churches and engage them.

• For Jessie to learn how to engage and involve the business and Christian communities in Dallas, as she needs to pull off a gift card drive and holiday event at Children's Hospital. Pray that the Dallas community would desire to meet the needs of the families.

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.

John & Kristen MurphyVeritas Church — Fayetteville, NC

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 for elder training and eventual local elder leadership.

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

http://www.idcmckinney.com/go



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 are currently traveling on their year-long Hometown Tour to equip churches across the U.S. who desire to begin their own orphan care ministries. Please PRAY:

• For their family, especially the kids! They are all juggling school, work, chores, travel, and meals together — which continues to be a circus act on everyone’s part. Please pray for God to orchestrate their travel, ministry training, and homeschool education for the kids (including Genet, who enrolled in online classes for Collin College). Pray for endurance as they enter an even busier season of training and travel.

• Prayers of praise for how God continues to establish connections with churches in new locations such as Lynchburg, VA and Sacramento, CA. Pray for God to lead all of the churches throughout our tour to be faithful in following through with the training and equipping efforts that we have provided.

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 the connections that Kyle has made with pastors in the Mobile area. Pray that God would further the relationships with those he has met this summer and that God would continue leading Kyle to other pastors who share in his heart to reach people in Southeast Asia.

• For God to continue the awesome work He is doing in Thailand, specifically with their friends the Limpanaphiraks! Please continue to lift them up (Dui & Gift), as well as the nation of Thailand.



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 two individuals whom this team has regularly witnessed to in the last several months. Both people seem genuinely interested in the Gospel, so pray for God to soften their hearts that they might believe in Him.

• For the hearts of the “Cat” people whom 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 has just moved overseas to the host country in Western Asia, where God has called them to go and proclaim the Gospel among a large refugee community. Please PRAY:

• For wisdom and discernment as they begin building their daily & weekly schedule and they get acclimated to their host country.

• That the verse God placed on their hearts at the beginning 2014 – which initiated the confirming of their call to go – would continue being their verse for 2015 as they get settled. (Joshua 1:9)

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:

• For God to give Trace and Christa refreshed hearts as they return to Oaxaca after spending the majority of the summer on break in the States. Pray for spiritual protection as they get re-settled and focus again on God’s calling to proclaim the Gospel to the Zapotech people in the remote villages.

• For God to give this family a renewed vision for reaching the people who live in remote mountain villages of SMQ and SJQ, as well as discernment for planning future trips to visit the villages.

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. Specifically, pray for Darren as he has experienced some unusual medical concerns recently.

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


IMAGO DEIOther News

Jacob & Hayley Robbins & Rebecca ParhamJacob, Hayley, and Rebecca recently went to Turkey to join with Crossover Communications, which was hosting a large conference for their field missionaries based in the Turkey area. Jacob, Hayley, and Rebecca played a significant role during the conference as they served the children and youth whose parents were at the conference. They are thankful for IDC’s prayers and support, and here is a brief update from them about their trip.

"What a privilege we had this August to serve alongside Crossover International, providing a conference for the children of church planters in Turkey. Rebecca partnered with a volunteer worker to provide a Vacation Bible School experience for 9 kids ages 2-9. Hayley and Jacob hosted a conference for 13 students ages 12-26."

Rebecca"I first want to thank everyone at Imago Dei for praying for us and supporting us! It was encouraging knowing you all were praying for us. I'm thankful to have had this unique opportunity to work with the missionary families and their children. Zoe, who is a volunteer at Crossover, and I worked with the younger children. Our week was filled with songs, games, and learning to build a strong foundation in Christ like the wise man who built his house on the rock. It

touched my heart to see that by the end of the week, these kids had an unbreakable bond to one another that only missionary kids share. I'm blessed to have gone on this trip because I not only got to see these children grow and be challenged, but I grew as well."

Jacob & HayleyThis was our first ever overseas experience. Spending two weeks in Turkey was an excellent inaugural mission trip. Student ministry with third culture kids provides its own broad range of eases and challenges. For instance, these students were transparent, which meant some showed a real hunger for the Word while others showed a real complacency. The beauty of this is that we never had to guess where our students were spiritually. Some of these students had been very sheltered from the oppression of their faith; while others had even experienced death threats. With such a broad scope of experience and hunger for the Word, we had to rely on the Lord daily to give us discernment as we attempted to guide them through all 4 chapters of Philippians in a week. Thank you so much, wonderful church family, for your prayers, support, shepherding, and love!

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]


IMAGO DEIOther News

Allison Moline’s Trip to MozambiqueAllison recently went to Mozambique to serve communities of people there in practical ways. God moved in and through she and her team in many ways, and she is so thankful for IDC’s prayers and support. Here is an update about how her trip went.

"I'm excited to share a little about my time in Mozambique from this summer and about what God is doing there! We had a small team of 7 people, which included a couple who are 4 months into a year-long stay there. We had the opportunity to serve in a wide variety of ways."

"One way we spent our time was by teaching and training a local group of about 70 volunteers who serve in a ministry called "Rubatano." These volunteers spend time with the orphans to help with household chores, homework, etc. They ultimately go and build relationships to eventually share the gospel with these desperate families. We had a chance to go and do some home-based care with them to see them in action! The families would greet the volunteers with a smile and warmth that showed the effectiveness of their ministry."

"Another way we were able to serve there was by hosting a VBS program for the orphans in 3 different locations with the help of the Rubatano volunteers. It was incredible to see children come out of the trees when they heard music and games. The numbers grew, and soon we had hundreds of children at each location. This was an opportunity for these kids to be served with 2 hot meals, for the volunteers to connect with them, for the kids to have some fun, and for the children to hear the

gospel. It was certainly comical to host games with hundreds of children who only speak Portuguese. God provided, though, and we were really able to connect with them! Spending time in Mozambique was wonderful and an amazing opportunity to see God working in and through people!"

Embrace TexasUpcoming Fundraiser Events

September 17 | North Texas Giving Day

Each year, North Texans have the opportunity to truly maximize their donations. On Thursday, September 17th, every donation of $25 and above will be multiplied with bonus funds and prizes! Embrace’s goal is to raise $10,000 and these funds will be able to provide the expanding administration and program support to at-risk children and foster & adoptive families. To take part in this impactful fundraising effort, visit the Embrace Giving Day Link on September 17th and make a donation!

September 24 | Clay Shooting Tournament Fundraiser

Embrace is hosting their own fundraiser on Thursday September 24th. This will be a fun, action-packed sporting clay event. For more info or to register, go to the Embrace Texas website.

http://www.northtexasgivingday.org/#npo/embrace-texas?blm_aid=17748

http://embracetexas.org

september 2015—idc mckinney

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