Our Journey with Christ: April 2014

Burning Embers Summer Tour Across America

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland |0 comments

We are getting ready for our Burning Embers Summer Tour! The last month has been filled with practices, practices and more practices! Dan has headed up practices by researching, scripting and directing 3 of the 4 major dramas for our performance. Dan has done an amazing job!

He has also had some great help. His mom, Patty, has helped edit the scripts and our team has helped come up with great ideas for acting and making it more visual for our audience to enjoy! God has truly gifted our team with many natural actors! Renca has been in countless performances at Gallaudet and other universities and wrote and directed one of our 4 major skits, theature was Brandon's major when he attended college, Kari researched some good dramas to use and is a natural actor, as well as Gabriel and Jonathan! Liza and Gabriel have worked on costume design. We have all pitched in!

Jonathan and Brandon have specially helped me with teaching me how to die properly. To be honest, I have had to be taught a few times. LOL I naturally do not know how to die. No worries, the boys have seen many war movies, and have many options in ways of how to die.

Liza giving Gabriel the cue of when to beat the drum for epic battle scene!

Where Jesus gets all the victory and where I die. Practicing has been fun and we are excited to be able to share the skits with the Deaf community around America! And know that Jesus will touch and draw hearts to himself through them.

There is less than a month, until we are on the road! God has already answered so many prayers and we know He is faithful so will provide everything we need! Please join our team in praying for some of the things we still need before we hit the road June 1st!

Prayer Requests for the Trip:

-15 Passenger Van (Rent/Buy) for a low price

-1 or 2, 4 person tents

-People to sponsor miles for us to get across the country and back

(Total cost of the trip will be an estimated 10,000 dollars)

-Finalization of trip plans (a few cancellations and new opportunities have arisen)

-Grace to memorize lines/stage cues

-People's hearts to be soft, open and sensitive to Holy Spirit moving in them

-FUN on the road and great team bonding time

Here are some flyers that Dan's mom, Patty McClelland, made as a way to get more people involved!

Would you consider partnering with us to send the Burning Embers team across the country?

Every dollar makes gets us another mile!

Gallaudet University: Rockfest and 150th Charter Day Celebration

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland |0 comments

Gallaudet University

Rockfest/Brickfest is a traditional sport competition weekend between Deaf students from RIT/NTID and Gallaudet Univerity. Rockfest is held at Gallaudet University during the even years and Brickfest is held at RIT/NTID during the odd years. This tradition started in 1978, where the schools come together for one weekend a year to promote socialization in the Deaf community and have a competition in every sport you can think of! After 2 days of competition, they end the weekend with a Bash on Saturday night.

This year, 2014, Rockfest was held at Gallaudet University and our team decided all to go and get involved with the action. Many of us saw friends, from Galluadet and RIT that we have made along the years, going back to HS classmates. It was amazing to love them by listening, giving an encouraging word or praying for when we were on campus.

Announcing of the winner of the weekend . . . and the winner is . . . Gallaudet University!

This year is also the 150th year that Gallaudet University has been established. April 8 2014 was the day, 150 years ago that the charter for the school was signed by Abraham Lincoln. Our team, also was on campus, celebrating the day and the opening of a museum explaining the history of Gallaudet.

I bumped into David and Alyce Reynolds, who were in from Freemont, California for the week for the Charter Day Celebration. David was one of the first Deaf people I met in Normal, IL at a Silent Dinner and has been a great influence in my life. He loves Jesus and completely welcomed me into the Deaf community and taught me so much ASL as well as answered all the questions I had about the Deaf community when I was just beginning. He also was the one who encouraged me to attend Gallaudet University for my masters degree in Deaf Education. I was able to share what God has been doing. He shared how he still reads our blogs and is proud of what God is doing in me and through me. I know that was the heart of God the Father speaking through him.

When I met David, I was learning ASL and being introduced to the Deaf community. I had no idea what God would do in my life or how I would share Jesus with others and did not even see the connection between my heart for missions and sharing Jesus with my recent new passion of people who are Deaf. But as I saw him, I was reminded of God's faithfulness and how he loves to use us in crazy ways. I was reminded how how much God can do! I am currently fluent in ASL, with a husband who is on his way to being the same and our full-time job is to disciple Deaf people to know Jesus and make him known in the world! And I love it. I love how creative our God is and I love that the one thing I seek is to see him glorified on earth and in the Deaf community! Because He is worthy of every person's heart and soul because of what He did on the cross! Seeing David, made me praise God and his faithfulness and his amazing plans He has for each of us!

Kyrgyzstan Update from DAN

Posted by Dan and Carole McClelland |0 comments

10.5 hours to Istanbul, Turkey. And then 5.5 hours to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan!

When we arrived we had not slept in beds for 36 hours!

Our main mission for this trip was to pray. We joined with missionaries, and locals from the countries of Central Asia to pray a "wave of fire" across this region of the world. A fresh move of the Holy Spirit over, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkey.

We kept the "fire" going 24 hours per day. We would pray coorprately for 7 hours everyday but there would always be someone in the prayer room to keep the "fire" going and to make sure it never went out.

During the prayer time the Holy Spirit would often identify strongholds that needed to be destoryed over the land or people for the the Spirit of God to be released. Much like in the book of Daniel when he prayed and fasted for 21 days until the messenger angel broke through from the battle against the "Prince of Persia" happening in the heavenly realm. To symbolize the breakthrough moment that was happening in the spiritual realm we would often do a physical act when prompted by the Spirit.

On one occasion, we wrote all of these lies on tea cups. Lies of the enemy that the Spirit showed us needed to be broken over a specific country and after praying out those lies we broke the cups with a sledge hammer.

Strongholds demoslished!

The beautiful mountain view from the house we stayed at in Bishkek.

A local art gallery. Very majestic paintings!

The main square in the capital city, Bishkek.

This is one of the main government buildings called "The White House".

We had the privilege of being in Central Asia during one of the biggest celebrations of the year. The Persian New Year, which is the first day of spring for us.

We went out to eat at a traditional restaurant. Great food!

These are 2 of the main food dishes. Osh, which is basically very oily rice with spices and meat. And the other dish is lamb on noodles. (Traditionally it could be horse meat but ours was lamb).