The final focus of the year!

OK, gang, the final focus of the year is upon us! Now that you've spent the week giving, receiving, gaining (weight in my case) and so forth. Have you considered giving a gift that has eternal significance? Consider making a year-end gift to Missions Alive.

Why?

Because Missions Alive is in the business of making sure the soldiers on the front lines, i.e. missionaries, are ready to serve. We motivate new missionaries to go, we assist new and current missionaries in getting the word out, mentoring them before and during their mission, and helping churches and others to do the same. Just as a soldier cannot fight alone, he needs his supply. And it has to stretch all the way from the trenches back to his home, so does the missionary's. We fill that role in various places along the chain and help, equip, and motivate others to do the same.

"KidzCan!" is a perfect example of that. Already there have been churches, children, and teens who have heeded the call of God to "Go" and that is exciting. Please help us help others hear "the call" to ministry with a gift that will keep on giving.

Call us at 317-834-2670 for more information or visit http://www.missionsalive.org

Thanks for your support this past year! Please consider moving ahead with us!!

Blessings and a joyous new year!

David Oldham

Whew! Lots going on!!

Been a while since I last posted…sorry about that…oh so much to do….and there’s a lot going on too. Some disappointments, some challenges, but we are moving ahead and have much to be excited about!

We are nearly complete on editing and updating the initial series according to what our test churches, board and staff wanted to see. We have a first draft of the newly commissioned episode 13. We have commitments from most of our actors. We have continued interest from the public in seeing KidzCan! Completed…too much to list.

I have been learning Lightwave, a 3D, an industry leader in modeling and animation application which came with our VT[4] video editing suite. If any of you have watched the cartoon Jimmy Neutron, then you’ve seen Lightwave in action. This is the application I will use to replace some of our real life sets with virtual ones as well as replace the Flash version of Pogi with a 3D version…see links below…more later.

Please keep us in your prayers and please keep sending in your support. Pray that we can get the 13^th episode script completed, taped and assembled quickly. Also pray that the script for the second series will be completed in very short order. The first draft is nearing completion. We are praying about the addition of some writing and editing talent. Pray for Dan as he spearheads this process.

So you see there’s much to be excited about, but we need to connect some more funding dots, so please pray that sources for funding will materialize. That people willing to help will step up and that we hit out production timelines in order to release KidzCan! To the public next year.

Thanks to all who support us and have partnered with us. Keep up the good work!

Nothing to see here. Move Along!

You ever been near the scene of some police activity and over hear an officer tell the crowds, "nothing to see here, move along!" Well, that's basically what it seemed like what I was telling people this past summer. Between the time the test churches finished up their run of the first series until now seemed like a looong time. But my tune has changed. I'm getting excited for the upcoming months where we will be even busier than ever.

The board of Missions Alive has given us a course correction. Because of test church feedback and our own feelings about the first week, were dumping the opening episode and writing a new one to go at the end of Series One. Finally our episodes and week numbers will match!! We are also bringing in some new faces, expanding our cast and bringing in some much needed ethnic diversity. Teachers will also enjoy a lesson plan and a choice of what to have included in the package. We are also looking into Internet delivery, virtual sets among other things that will help enhance distribution and cut production costs.

If you have or know of others who have writing experience for children's productions write me! doldham@missionsalive.org. Missions experience is a plus.

Watch this space!!

Have Proper Placed Confidence!

There's a lesson God taught me years ago, "Only bring the tools you plan to use." Now that statement won't make any sense until I tell you my tale. A true tale it is.

We've all heard the term "starving artist" and except for the starving part...I could stand to loose, well many pounds...that's been the case. Business hasn't been booming for this artist. I've been freelancing most all my career and have never made I thought I needed to make. But my finances is a whole nuther tale.

In the leaner times, God blessed me with a couple of AB cars...they got me from point "A" to point "B." The first one took me an hour south to Bloomington Indiana where I first was paid to learn Flash. Cool. But this is where I first started a pattern that took me a while to recognize. I took tools with me. Sounds practical, especially if you knew the age and mileage of these cars. If I took pliers, hanger wire and rope, I ended up tying up my muffler. Good thing I had those supplies with me huh? Even a pocket knife hasn't escaped use to cut off the end of a hose that had rotted away so I could put a fresh end back on the tube it connected to to get the engine running smooth again. The weirdest one though was where I had a little screw and nut driver set with me. The thermostat was sticking closed. I had the screwdriver to remove the hose from the engine, but my socket set was too small to remove the bolts that held the thermostat to the engine. No one would lone me the wrench needed at the "service" station I limped to.

But an inspired thought struck me, I don't typically think this way on my own. I pulled out the largest nut driver I had and dropped it into the thermostat. I pushed the neck into the hole which opened up the thermostat. The fat end that would go onto a nut prevented the tool from being swallowed into the engine. I put the hose back on, added more anti-freeze, which I also carried with me, and viola, I was back home in no time. Have you all picked up on the pattern? If so, you picked it up much quicker than I did.

There were those trips that I began to NOT take ANYTHING with me. Guess what? No breakdowns. Well there was one. The water pump failed as I was turning onto our street, but God provided a hill and some young men to help me park the car at a business and I walked our sleepy sons home.

Now God has gone beyond that little lesson to some advanced confidence building classes but the lesson is still the same. Do NOT have confidence in the flesh, Philippians 3, and that confidence can be placed incorrectly in people places and things. I have a blessing called a 1994 Toyota Previa. God is reminding me of these previous lessons. Not confident that the vehicle you're driving can get you where you need to go? Good! Have confidence in God, that He will get you to where you need to go. Has someone or place let you down? Were you confident in them? Not good. Have confidence in God, that He will be sufficient in ALL things.

How do I apply that here? I don't know. Search your heart and remember our hope is supposed to be in the Lord. 1 Timothy 1.

David Oldham

Going through the "To File" pile!

Isn't the modern paperless society we live in wonderful?! I couldn't imagine the size of my "To File" pile had we lived in the paper driven society of the past. There are rules like "I" before "E" except after "C" except the word "Society" has an exception to that rule as the does the paperless society.

I've gotten my stack of paper down about one-third...that missing third actually went into the circular file with about half ending up on my "action" pile and the balance going back into the file pile folder and returned to the cabinet.

What's in my stack? Well, contact information, marketing notes, phone call scripts, website ideas and app notes, really good doodles I want to keep, you know, the details behind the action items n my To-Do list! We won't be covering that today.

But we will be needing help with sets, scripts, curriculum, artwork, technical work, notes, props, extras, stand-ins...the list can seem endless at times. What also seems endless is the needs that we have. There is one who I'm so happy is endless. God is bigger than and better equipped to meet all of our needs. Even my stack of papers!

Be of good cheer, He has overcome the world!!

Prayer is a Powerful Thing!

Its been almost a month since the last blog entry. Sorry about that. I'll do better.

The last time we were together I mentioned the $75,000 goal for this summer. We currently stand at $32,000 with just a month under our belts! God's people are incredible!

The prayer thing? Oh, yeah. Also about the same time we assembled a prayer bookmark to send out to our mailing list. A few days after the mailing went out a funny thing happened. Things began to happen! Harvey was able to set-up some speaking engagements, we received large monetary gifts. The door opened to begin proceeding with the next phase of KidzCan anda general lightening of the atmosphere here. Prayer is powerful and we can feel the affects of your fervent prayers as you intercede on our behalf. God is blessing!

For those who didn't receive a book mark, here's a copy:

MISSIONS ALIVE
30 DAYS OF PURPOSEFUL PRAYER

1. Thanks & Praise for 25th Anniversary of Missions Alive
2. “KidzCan!” Program
3. Harvey – Speaking engagements
4. LeAnn – Office work
5. Dave – “KidzCan!” Program Director
6. Melodie – Drama Coordinator
7. Jim – Web Development
8. Staff as they evaluate “KidzCan!” test market results
9. Missionaries all over the world
10. Short “KidzCan!” segments developed for TV network
11. Pray the TV network will use these segments
12. All churches praying daily
13. Missions Alive Outreach
14. Resource Department staff
15. Development of “Heroes of the Faith” series
16. Development of “A Live Visual” series
17. Grant Writers preparing funding proposals
18. Finances & funding for MA
19. MA Board of Directors
20. Actors in “KidzCan!” series
21. Jim – Video development
22. Dan – “KidzCan!” Creative Coordinator and “A Live Visual” Program Director
23. Open the hearts of children to the possibilities of being a missionary
24. Thanks & praise for the sacrifice and work of past missionaries
25. Health and energy of staff as they work to get “KidzCan!” running fulltime
26. Fruition of Grants submitted for funding
27. That word of the “KidzCan!” program will spread
28. Dan’s ear surgery will help hearing problem
29. Harvey’s speaking opportunities
30. Thanks and celebration as Harvey & LeAnn celebrate 45 years of marriage

Maintaining a Presence...Barely

Hey all you out there. There is just so many demands on my time it seems. Between editing short versions of the series to hopefully appear on the TBN Smile of a Child network as bumpers, helping fix washing machines (more later) trying to read up on what's going on out there (some eye openers we will address later) plus everything else that goes into working at Missions Alive.

The web site is still a mess. I've given up on Twiki and a blog application. This is hosted at Blogger. Jim, our webmaster, hooked us up on that on the Missions Alive website and I figured its not worth all the hassle trying to get mine to work., so here we are.

I need to keep you up to speed on what's going on.

Test churches will be receiving a mailing from us regarding what our immediate plans are. I will write about that later. Nothing bad.

Ariel is growing like a weed, it will be difficult making people believe only a week has gone by between Series 1 and 2. I haven't seen Jesse or Abbey yet. All children seem to know how to do is grow.

Please continue to pray for KidzCan! and Missions Alive. We appreciate your prayers and please don't stop. We also would appreciate your continued financial support at well.
We are looking for 75 people, businesses, and churches to give $1,000 apiece to help us reach our funding goal to help us finish the next series of KidzCan! We have some great kidz going to some super camps that have started helping us out on this goal. Thanks to all of you!! Look for Harvey and LeAnn wondering the isles at the North American Missions Convention in Cincinnati this coming week.

Well more next time. Thanks for stopping in.