Scripture Prayer

Psalm 120: 4-5 and 7

May God grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! 

May we shout for joy over your salvation and in the name of our God set up our banners! 

 May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Father God, we ask that You be with Father Shaw in a special way, guiding his heart’s desire and his plans that they may be fulfilled

according to your perfect will.  May the Mudge family be filled with joy as they trust in You.

Lord, we continue to pray for Fr. Shaw while he is in Belize.  We pray for that Cursillo weekend

 that is going on right now.  May your Holy Spirit be filling all participants to overflowing with love and joy and blessings. 

And we pray for protection and travel mercies as Father Shaw flies home in a few days.  Amen.

Special Prayer for the Belize Cursillo weekend:

God of mercy and God of grace,

Guide us to love each other as you have loved us.

And guide us to serve each other as You have served us;

That in your love we may find peace in the beauty of creation;

And as we serve You, may your grace continue to guide our path to the one true light, Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer Mail

Dear partners in prayer,

This is our weekly public prayer mail.  By the time you read this, I should be in Belize, God-willing.

This week's selective overview:

Preparation for the trip to Belize continues: part A) vocational presentation and meetings, part B) Cursillo weekend.

And it being a Cursillo weekend that is coming up, the spiritual static has been really really intense. However, your prayers have been stronger than the static. In the end, the week did not end up where we ever imagined that it would, yet overall, we appear to be either treading water or in a good place. We have not lost ground.

Julie had a birthday. I like celebrating Julie's birthdays with her.

Prayer requests:

1) Continue to pray for the October and January visits to Belize, for safe and timely travel, and that all would be done to God's glory.

Please pray against the spiritual static, and for the meetings and Cursillo weekend this week.

2) Continuing prayer in good times and lean times for faculty, family, finances, plans, students, and courses. 

3) Prayer for parish visits in November.

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

Scripture Prayer

Psalm 128: 1-2

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Father God we thank You for the Mudges, Father Shaw and Mother Julie and their whole family.  We thank You that you bless them as You bless all who fear You and walk in your ways.  Thank You that their labor will be fruitful and that all will be well with them.

We pray especially for Father Shaw as he gets ready for the trip to Belize.  We pray for protection, both physical and spiritual.  May the travel be as safe and uneventful as possible.  Be with Father Shaw as he meets with his students and the bishop and others considering theological training.  Bless and protect all involved in the Cursillo weekend.  May your Holy Spirit fill all team and candidates to overflowing.  May your love bathe them all in joy.

And Lord, we again lift up Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie and ask for your continuing blessings upon them.  And in particular, we pray the following litany:

For the students whom You want in the program.

For the financing that You want for the program.

For the parish visits that You want the Mudges to make.

For the course development work that You want for the program, and for the appropriate faculty to teach the courses.

For the online campuses in Belize and Tanzania.

That the Mudges are open to what You want them to do.

For the October and January visits to Belize.

For all the Mudge family members that they have your support as they make important decisions, try to implement plans, and face challenges.

You are the Almighty God and we thank You for answering our prayers.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

Prayer Mail October 15

 

Perspectives

.

 

Most of the books in the library at Kasulu Bible College, Kasulu, Tanzania.

Photo provided by Fr. Shaw Mudge.

 

Every once in a while, when I tell someone what I am doing, it occurs to me that the person may not appreciate the impact that online education can have on people in a country such as Belize or Tanzania.

 

This may be for one of two general reasons.

The person wonders, a) "Why can't education be done the way it has always been done? Just send a missionary."

or b) "Anybody can do online education. Why is this special?"

 

In response to the first question: online education is filling educational gaps that have appeared recently. Providing on-the- ground-teachers has become too costly or too dangerous for traditional methods in some areas, especially on the massive scale that is needed. Sometimes, traditional approaches are too limited because of geography. The cost of traditional education favors those who can travel away from home, usually for an overall time period of 3 years, and who can afford the expense of traditional curriculum at theological college.

In response to the second question: our methods are helpful and creative. Not everyone can access audio files or video files in other countries. Those formats may take too much bandwidth. But, as we discovered: many people text, and we took advantage of this opportunity. Interactive texting makes our program special to participants. 

 

What makes the program special, as well, is: a) participants learn important skills; b) there is something prestigious about working with people from the United States; c) participants learn from the courses; and d) online theological education is like liturgy: God is involved with the words and through our presence.

 

Online education is not just about technology or words or ideas, as good and important as these may be. An additional perspective is needed. Like the Gutenberg Bible, our online education program is a way of coming into contact with God through our text.

  

Ways to support us.

Your prayers and financial partnering with us help make our ministry happen.  

 

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.

https://secureq.net/Donations/SAMS/3397

 

God bless you in Jesus' Name,

 

The Revs. Shaw and Julie Mudge Missionaries of SAMS and Albany. 

Newsletter October 2013

 

Perspectives

Every once in a while, when I tell someone what I am doing, it occurs to me that the person may not appreciate the impact that online education can have on people in a country such as Belize or Tanzania.

This may be for one of two general reasons. The person wonders, a) "Why can't education be done the way it has always been done? Just send a missionary."

or b) "Anybody can do online education. Why is this special?"

In response to the first question: online education is filling educational gaps that have appeared recently. Providing on-the- ground-teachers has become too costly or too dangerous for traditional methods in some areas, especially on the massive scale that is needed. Sometimes, traditional approaches are too limited because of geography. The cost of traditional education favors those who can travel away from home, usually for an overall time period of 3 years, and who can afford the expense of traditional curriculum at theological college.



Most of the books in the library at Kasulu Bible College, Kasulu, Tanzania.

Photo provided by Fr. Shaw Mudge.

In response to the second question: our methods are helpful and creative. Not everyone can access audio files or video files in other countries. Those formats may take too much bandwidth. But, as we discovered: many people text, and we took advantage of this opportunity. Interactive texting makes our program special to participants. 

What makes the program special, as well, is:
a) participants learn important skills; b) there is something prestigious about working with people from the United States; c) participants learn from the courses; and d) online theological education is like liturgy: God is involved with the words and through our presence.

Online education is not just about technology or words or ideas, as good and important as these may be. An additional perspective is needed. Like the Gutenberg Bible, our online education program is a way of coming into contact with God through our text.

Ways to support us.

Your prayers and financial partnering with us help make our ministry happen.  

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.

https://secureq.net/Donations/SAMS/3397

God bless you in Jesus' Name,

The Revs. Shaw and Julie Mudge Missionaries of SAMS and Albany. 

Prayer Mail

Dear partners in prayer,

This is our weekly public prayer mail.  

This week's selective overview: 

1) Had another great day on Sunday, making a missionary presentation at a parish in upstate New York. Totally awesome congregation.

2) Additional people seem to be interested in joining the online program this week.

3) Coursework development continues.

4) Preparation for the trip to Belize continues.

Prayer requests:

1) Continue to pray for the October and January visits to Belize, especially for the Cursillo talks in October, and all the arrangements and meetings on the trip. 

The upcoming Cursillo weekend in Belize has been preceded by some spiritual static. What else is new? (It's a Cursillo weekend coming up). Pray, pray, pray.

2) The Bishop has asked me to teach a day on Christian vocation, when I am in Belize in October. Pray for the right comments and the right attendance.

3) Pray for our family members who are: on the threshold of making important decisions, trying to implement plans, or facing challenges.

4) As always, continue to pray for the students, faculty, course development, and finances. You are making a difference.

In Christ,

Shaw+, and on behalf of Julie+ 

Scripture Prayer

Psalm 97: 11-12

Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.  Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

Thank You Father God for the light that You sent into the world, the precious light of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Thank You for the joy of knowing Him and being sure of our salvation.  We rejoice in You, Lord, and give thanks to your holy name.

And Lord, we again lift up Fr. Shaw and Mother Julie and ask for your continuing blessings upon them.  And in particular, we pray the following litany:

For the students whom You want in the program.

For the financing that You want for the program.

For the parish visits that You want the Mudges to make.

For the course development work that You want for the program, and for the appropriate faculty to teach the courses.

For the online campuses in Belize and Tanzania.

That the Mudges are open to what You want them to do.

For the October and January visits to Belize.

For all the Mudge family members that they have your support as they make important decisions, try to implement plans, and face challenges.

You are the Almighty God and we thank You for answering our prayers.

Amen.

Prayer Mail Oct 2

Dear partners in prayer,

This is our weekly public prayer mail.

We thank everyone for their prayers, and also we thank everyone who has been contributing financially.  Both aspects are very important ministries for us, and we are being blessed daily in the way Go dis moving.  The combination of these ministries is your participation with us, as part of our travels and as part of our online teaching.

This week's selective overview:

1. Coursework development continues, including an attempt at translation work in Swahili.

2.  This week, a few people suddenly realized that they could take our 24/7 courses at any time.  This is great!

3.  I went to the travel doctor.  It is amazing what travel doctors can do on the computer.  Also, I have been inoculated against typhoid and two strains of flu.  The CDC says that I do not need anti-malaria medicine for the specific destinations where I am going in October and again in January, in Belize.  I can live with that; or rather, Praise God!

4.  I have been putting North American photos on my Facebook page, in addition to Belizean and Tanzanian photos, for the benefit of people in Africa, Belize, and elsewhere, so that they can see what the USA is like.  Some of my captions, therefore, may appear in Spanish and as an attempt at Swahili.

Prayer requests:

1.  There are several kinds of prayer that I pray daily.  They are as important now as they were on day one.  They will continually be important.  Please join me in these. (It is almost a litany):
For the students whom God wants in the program.
For the financing that God wants in the program.
For the parish visits He would like us to make.
For the course development work that God wants for the program, and for the appropriate faculty to teach the courses.
For the online campuses in Belize and Tanzania.
To be open to what God wants to do.

2.  Continue to pray for the October and January visits to Belize. Your prayers are making a difference in the preparation work.

3.  Pray for our family members who are on the threshold of making important decisions, trying to implement plans, or facing challenges.

In Christ,
Shaw+ and on behalf of Julie+