Merry Christmas!!!

Nicaragua Benefit Show!

That was delightful!  Thanks to Haley Shaw and Christopher Branch, we were able to raise a substantial bit of money for the big trip. 

Seeking a Masculine Holiness...

I just saw this quote written by C.T. Studd:

"...Should such men as we fear?  Before the whole world, aye, before the sleepy, lukewarm, faithless, namby-pamby Christian world, we will dare to trust our God...and we will do it with His joy unspeakable singing aloud in our hearts.  We will a thousand times sooner die trusting only in our God than live trusting in man.  And when we come to this position the battle is already won, and the end of the glorious campaign in sight.  We will have the real Holiness of God, not the sickly stuff of talk and dainty words and pretty thoughts; we will have a Masculine Holiness, one of daring faith and works for Jesus Christ."

-from Norman Grubb's CT Studd: Cricketer and Pioneer 

Mr. Studd's time was from 1860 to 1931 and I can bet he made the most of it.  He was born into a wealthy English family, but sold most everything in order to spread good news about Jesus Christ to people all over the world.  This is a photo of The Cambridge Seven who went to join Hudson Taylor's China Inland Mission.

I am really enjoying that bit about having a Masculine Holiness...I am not sure what it means just yet, but it makes me want to give up things like worrying, complaining, not succeeding, and ordering vanilla latte's.  Mr. Studd you are, in both deed and truth.

Aaaahhhhh nuts...

...we missed it!  National Nut Day was on Saturday!

I HOPE YOU START FILMING SOON...

The big film project got funded!  Congratulations to KT and all the folks working so hard to get this project rolling...

I Hope You Dance ... and ... I already saw KT dance. Ha!

Sample Support Letter

Once again, The Lord has stirred up a desire in me to serve in Nicaragua.  I cannot logically explain this, but there it is.  And this time our Good Father in Heaven has brought family and even more friends along for the ride!  Sarah and I have been serving as the International Missions Leader’s at DCF for almost 2 years now praying with many others who have had opportunities to serve all over the world.  Now, it is our turn.

We were approached by church leadership before summer to pray about a possible DCF-sponsored trip.  It became readily evident, and was later confirmed, that we should take another group to Nicaragua in partnership with God’s Ministries International.  Since 1998, GMI has been working with families in the poorest barrios of Managua feeding them physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  We will be involved with their feeding programs, praying with their staff, serving in their church, playing with children, and addressing specific needs that they are currently prioritizing.

It is funny how some of the stuff Jesus said thousands of years ago still affects me (along with entire cultures and civilizations) in different ways today.  In the book of Acts Paul quotes Jesus saying, “It is better to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)  Upon my return from Nicaragua in the summer of 2006 this was a verse that really took on new meaning for me.  My intent had been to give to the people I would meet, yet had come back having received much more than I could have imagined.  Now in 2011, a married man and a father - light years away from grad school and the single life – the prayer Jesus taught is what influences me.  Particularly this bit, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  Wow!  …on earth as it is in heaven… in Clemson as it is in heaven…in Managua as it is in heaven…

That is my prayer and that is what I keep hearing.  We pray for His Kingdom to come here in our community and there in the barrios of Managua.  We strive to be His agents of change and express His love to others.  We are listening and doing our best to obey our Good Father in Heaven.

So, we are headed to Managua once again!  This time we will travel during our winter and enjoy the warm, tropical dry season.  We will leave right after Christmas on December 27^th spend the beginning of the new year in Nicaragua then return on January 5^th.  We are taking a group of 25 energetic college students and our favorite little red-head, Ruby Eve!  I am asking for your prayers and financial support.  We are confident that The Lord wants us to minister to families as a family, but we are still incredibly protective of our child.  We need prayers of health, safety, and God’s favor as we travel.  Please also pray as we lead a trip consisting of so many other parents’ lovely children. 

The estimated cost of our trip is $1600.  Please pray that we will meet that goal and please consider giving financially.  We need to raise the $850 for a plane ticket and traveler’s insurance by November 11^th, the balance ($750) is due by December 20^th.  Checks can be made out to Downtown Community Fellowship (DCF) with Nicaragua and my account name (BMudder) in the memo portion.  You can also give online (http://dcfclemson.org/give/) just be sure to designate the funds for Nicaragua and my account.  All financial gifts are tax-deductible.  It is better to give than to receive.  Please be blessed in your giving.

May you enjoy the incomprehensible peace of Jesus.

-Bryan, Sarah, and Ruby Mudder

Give Us Names Indeed...

This group is working to help displaced farming families in Colombia.  DCF hosted a screening of their documentary "Leaving La Floresta" last night.  Good job fellas!

One really easy, powerful way to help is by writing your congress-person and letting them know that the fumigation of coca farms in Colombia is not destroying the supply or production of cocaine.  In fact, it is actually destroying food crops along with the coca, driving farmers off their land.  Farmers who do stay must choose between growing the readily available, easy to sell coca (which can be cultivated very quickly) or waiting several months and attempting to grow food crops again that may never be harvested.

Please check out the Give Us Names website and this solution clip. 

Also, please do not purchase or ingest cocaine or cocaine byproducts.  Write your congress-person and encourage them to stop funding for fumigations under Plan Colombia and make them promise to not purchase cocaine! 

And this is a short article about the ACVC, a farmer advocacy goup that Give Us Names is working with.