Prayer Mail July 30

Dear praying partners,

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This week's update:
What a week to sum up. I am back in New York State, and Julie and Lydia are away until Tuesday evening.

1) The memorial service for Julie's mom went well. Julie preached a great sermon. (Subsequently, she and her sister have been working on some matters relating to their mom.)

2) I am making good progress with developing the online education program for Belize. Interest is gaining momentum about all our online programs, and on Tuesday, I met a person on an airplane, a Pentecostal person; after I gave him a briefing on what Anglicanism was, he said that he would be interested in supporting us financially and in taking part in the program for his self-improvement. Praise God!

3) I had an interesting birthday on Saturday. Just about every relative, except Hannah, was out of town. Touched base with most.

4) I had a great time celebrating and preaching at both services at Christ Church, Cooperstown, today.

Prayer requests:

1) We will be at St. Matthew's in Latham, next week. Pray that the Holy Spirit would touch lives through us in a mighty way.

2) For our program preparations over the next month, and for our October plans. The Bp. of Belize would like me to attend the diocesan synod in October, and if things can be worked out, to talk with the Primate of the Church in the Province of the West Indies about our online plans, during the diocesan Synod. Your prayers about this would be appreciated.

3) Prayers about scheduling visits to parishes. We have a few dates in September open and beyond that. Pray that the Holy Spirit would open doors for what he wants to do through us, and to connect with the right people that he wants us to meet.

4) For Lydia as she finishes her summer plans before returning to college, for Hannah as she prepares for her short-term mission trip to Uganda which begins this week, and for Ruth who adjusts to a new workweek schedule, and prepares for music students in the Fall. It would be helpful for Ruth to have an increase in the number of her students.

God bless you, and thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important for us, and I pray for you every day.

In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+
SAMS missionaries, as well as missionaries of the Diocese of Albany
Serving globally.

Prayer Mail July 23

Dear praying partners,
This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This week's update:

We had safe and timely travel back from Belize. We now enter the next phase of preparing our courses, to go live in September.
And, then, as you may have heard, Julie's mom died after a long bout with various mysterious illnesses. We attend her memorial service on Tuesday.
We had a great time at St. Peter's in Albany today.

Prayer requests:

1) I preach and celebrate at Christ Church, Cooperstown, next week. Julie will be in Colorado. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work through me in a mighty way.

2) For our course implementation plans over the next 40 days. Our Orientation course for Belize begins on September 1, and our Biblical Interpretation I course (how to use and study the Bible) begins on September 22. After we have those live versions of our courses underway, we will be in a position to develop 24/7 versions for anyone.

3) For everyone in the family as they grieve. For Lydia as she finishes her summer plans before returning to college, for Hannah as she prepares for her short-term mission trip to Uganda, and for Ruth who teaches cello in Illinois.

Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.
In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+
SAMS missionaries, as well as missionaries of the Diocese of Albany
Serving globally.

Prayer Mail

Dear praying partners,

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This week's update:

Greetings from Belize in Central America. We return shortly. It has been a fruitful mission trip in many ways. Jesus touched many people by our presence. We move forward, one step at a time.

Our hosts, Fr. Juan and Maria Marentes, have been very gracious. We appreciate everything that they have done with us.

Our Tanzanian friends are moving forward with our online education plans for the Kasulu Bible College.

Prayer requests:

1) For the balance of this mission trip in Belize. I preach at St. Ann's in Belmopan on the 15th. There are a few more meetings to go. For safe and timely travel home on Monday. That the Holy Spirit would guide all conversations and actions, and that the next step of our online program would fall into place in God's way, in God's timing.

2) For our Moodle implementation plans over the next month and a half, getting ready for the course to begin in September. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would bring the people he wants to take the courses. Our Orientation course begins on September 1 (how to use the programs for the courses), and our Biblical Interpretation I course (how to use and study the Bible) begins on September 22.

If you or anyone you know would like to participate in our online courses for personal spiritual growth, please send me your name and your email address. In Belize, such participants can join as a family (grandparent with grandchildren or parents or aunts and uncles), or with a friend, or as an individual, whether as clergy for continuing education or as a lay person. This way, people can share computer resources and do things together. The same offer is extended to the people in the Diocese of Albany, and elsewhere. Our youngest prospective student is 12 years old.

3) Next Sunday, Julie and I will be at St. Peter's in Albany making a presentation/preaching.

This week, I have a dentist appointment (replacing a filling) and we plan to be attending a Metropolitan Deanery clergy lunch, both of these events on the same day. Your prayers would be appreciated for all three events this week that the Holy Spirit would touch the lives of everyone involved.

4) For Lydia in Maine, Hannah as she prepares for her short-term mission trip to Uganda, and Ruth in Illinois.

Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.

In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+

Scripture Prayer

2Corinthians 3: 17-18


Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.


Holy Spirit, we thank You for the freedom that You bring and God’s glory that is reflected as we are ever being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. We pray that Father Shaw and Mother Julie Mudge are being guided by You, and that they always reflect the Father’s glory and shine forth with Jesus’ love as they minister in Belize or Tanzania or Albany.

We pray especially for Father Shaw as he preaches at St. Ann’s in Belmopan Belize this Sunday. God, we pray that he will preach and talk about matters as You would lead. We also ask for travel mercies as Shaw and Julie fly back to the U.S. on Monday. Lord, keep them safe.

We thank You for the encouraging results so far in Belize, especially for the enthusiasm of so many people as it is made known that the on-line course materials to be prepared by Shaw and Julie will be available to any Anglican in Belize that wants to know more about You and ministering in Your name.

Lord, we thank You for every blessing. Amen.

Newsletter July 2012

Greetings from Belize!
We are writing this month's newsletter from Belize, the site of one of our on-line educational ministries. Our current update:

Meeting with Prospective Students in Belize: July 7, 2012

Belize: Over the past week, Julie and I have been meeting in Belize with Bp. Philip, the Commission on Ministry, and prospective students. We have been talking about our online program with several parishes and groups of people. People are excited about this. We are planning to begin teaching in September.

We are under the umbrella of the Diocese of Belize's Anglican Theological Institute, and we are the main provider of their theological education. I am Director of their online program. At Bp. Philip's request, I may need to visit the Diocese of Belize again during their October diocesan synod, to continue talks about interactions with other dioceses in the Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI).

In the Diocese of Belize, our courses are going to be available to: lay people, people in the ordination process, current clergy, and those training to become Lay Ministers. Our lay courses are intergenerational (families and friends can work together), and the youngest prospective student is age 12. We plan to be developing an Anglican Track and a Spanish speaking Track.

Educational Software: our Moodle 2.3 test site is up and going. Bill Schrull, our IT expert and a Faith Alive Board Member, plans to switch over to the live version sometime soon.
Website: we will be using a Moodle website, but also a combination of learning tools. To see see some of our updates, go to the Online Anglican Theological College (OATC) website: https://sites.google.com/site/onlineanglicancampus/

Tanzania: Bill Schrull advises us that things are going ahead, and he will be making the final hardware modifications around the turn of the year when he visits Kasulu Bible College (KBC). Our online plans are to complement the traditional courses offered at KBC.
Diocese of Albany: the Diocese of Albany benefits from all the other work being done. Contributions to SAMS on our behalf not only helps the programs in Belize and Tanzania, but also enables us to offer online courses for deacons who are planning to become priests and for any interested lay person, in the Diocese of Albany.

Our upcoming visits.

August 5: St. Matthew's, Latham.
August 12: Calvary Church, Burnt Hills.
August 19: Couples Cursillo team, SLC.
August 26: Lydia, Christ Church, Schenectady.

Ways to support us:
Your prayers and financial support make the online educational ministry happen. Thank you.
Please make checks out to: "SAMS", and put "Mudge" in the memo space. The mailing address is: SAMS, P. O. Box 399, Ambridge, PA 15003-0399.

God bless you,
Shaw+ and Julie+
Missionaries of SAMS and Albany.
Clergy from Belize

Scripture Prayer

From 2Corinthians 12:9



“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”


Lord, we know that when we are weak, You are strong. And that in ministry, more of You and less of us is important. Father, we pray this prayer for Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie Mudge that when they are weak, You are strong. We thank You that they arrived safely in Belize and that Julie had a positive experience preaching Sunday morning. We pray that meetings with the Bishop and the Commission on Ministry go well and that the joint effort with other Caribbean nations comes to fruition. May your Holy Spirit guide all conversations and actions. May the next step of the Mudge’s mission program fall into place in your way and your timing. We thank You Lord, that You always provide for those ministries that are part of your perfect will. Amen.

Prayer Mail

Dear praying partners,
This is our weekly public prayer mail



This week's update:



1) Greetings from Belize in Central America. It is the rainy season. Thank you for your prayers, and please continue praying. Public photos of this mission trip can be found on my Facebook page. Look under my name: Shaw Mudge.



2) Bp. Philip has opened up the potential student population for our online courses to include every Anglican in Belize. And as we go from parish to parish talking about it, interest in what we are doing seems to gain momentum. How many will finally settle into it, is unknown, but there is a lot of interest whenever we talk about it.



3) We have had good meetings with Bp. Philip of Belize, the Commission on Ministry for the Diocese of Belize, and the prospective students in the ordination process from the Diocese of Belize.



4) On the IT side, Moodle 2.3 (Learning Management System/Course Management System) has been uploaded, thanks to our friend Bill Schrull who is a Faith Alive board member. And when we get back, we continue moving forward in preparation for September.



5) Julie preached at St. Andrew's in San Ignacio and St. Hilda's in Georgeville. I talked about our program at both parishes. We are visiting the parishes in support of both the online project and the existing work of other SAMS missionaries (as part of an overall complementary effort): Juan and Maria Marentes and David Alenskis. God's hand has been moving in incredible ways.



Prayer requests:



1) For the balance of this mission trip in Belize. For safe and timely travel. That the Holy Spirit would guide all conversations and actions, and that the next step of our online program would fall into place in God's way, in God's timing.



2) Pray for our remaining meetings and work.



3) For our Moodle implementation plans in the US and in Belize.



4) I am scheduled to preach next week at St. Ann's in Belmopan (the capital city). Pray that I would preach and talk about matters as God would lead.



5) For good weather.



6) For the Diocese of Albany team at General Convention.



7) For the Diocese of Albany area members coming to Belize as part of an ecumenical mission trip in the middle of July.



Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.



In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+
SAMS missionaries, as well as missionaries of the Diocese of Albany
Serving in Belize.

Dear praying partners,

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

This week's update:

1) Lydia passed her driver's test, and then, on the same day, drove a 10 hour journey to Maine. She is now adjusting to her two month summer plans in Maine.

2) I am beginning to prepare for Moodle implementation (Moodle would be the Course Management System for our on-line education courses).

3) We had a great time at Zion Church in Morris on Sunday.

4) It looks like a great couples Cursillo weekend is in the works for August.

Prayer requests:

1) For our mission trip to Belize which is almost upon us. For safe and timely travel. That the Holy Spirit would guide all conversations and actions, and that the next step of our program would fall into place in God's way, in God's timing.

2) Pray for our meetings with the Bishop of Belize, the Commission on Ministry in Belize, and the candidates for the program. A few more prospective students in Belize have sent me their information this past week.
3) For our Moodle implementation plans in the US and in Belize.

4) For Julie's preaching at St. Andrew's and St. Hilda's (San Ignacio area in Belize) this coming Sunday.

5) For good weather.

6) For the Diocese of Albany team going to General Convention, as well as for Jesus' guidance and protection of Bishop Bill in the weeks and months ahead.

Thank you for praying for us. Your prayers are very important us, and I pray for you every day.
In response to recent questions:

Our current Online Anglican Theology demo site (we plan to give this site a more Moodle focus over the next few months):

https://sites.google.com/site/onlineanglicancampus/

Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/shaw.mudge

Prayer and newsletter blogsite: http://MudgeMissionReport.blogspot.com/

Have a great 4th of July, and God bless you,

In Christ,
Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+