The Burden of Blessing

“The girl’s not herself,” Dad said. “Is it the flu that’s making her sick all the time?”

“I don’t know,” said Mom, “but she’s still putting on weight. I’ve been trying to get her to the doctor.”

“Is something wrong, Mary?” her fiancé asked.
“Oh, Joseph! You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

And he didn’t —
later when her secret was discovered
and she tried to explain …
neither did the doctor,
or her parents,
or her friends.

The most blessed of all women
was the loneliest person on earth.

Is there not often a burden that comes with a blessing?
And with great blessing
a great burden?

Sometimes the people you love most
cannot, will not
understand.

It took an angel to persuade Joseph.
Did Mary’s parents ever believe her story?
… leaving her little choice but to accompany Joseph
on that painful journey to Bethlehem?

Perhaps, you have friends or family
unable to understand
who do not accept and will not share
the awe, the sense of wonder you feel
at the blessing you have been given
by this same Christ child

making your own journey a painful one.
Embrace God’s blessing, in all its wonder, like Mary,
and trust his grace to help you with the burden
to guide you each step of the way.
© David G. Goodman

Thanks for letting us be your extra pair of hands and feet, raising up leaders to take the Good News where it is needed most.
This was a year of great challenge and even greater progress . . . the best way to characterize it. How often has God allowed you to be pushed outside your comfort zone just so he can get your attention and lead you to a better place? Some of the most painful episodes in my life have been what God used to shape me for the better.

That is the year-end view of Entrust that I thank God for. Some pains I would not want to revisit, but great gain and blessings that remind us God’s way is always best.

Here are some of those counterpoints:

Most discouraging moment: Realizing we would unexpectedly move our office.
Most surprising blessing: Having to move our office.

Biggest disappointment: Losing a senior staff member
Most encouraging moment: Being on the verge of bringing 2 senior staff leaders to Entrust

That is often the way God works. In our discouragement or loss, it feels like God is occupied with other concerns, but suddenly we see that his plan is better than ours. As we wrap up 2016 we feel so blessed!

The most uplifting moment: Seeing in person how our training inspired some of the poorest of people (in Africa) to give sacrificially so AIDS orphans might be given hope and a future.

We are so dependent on your end of the year giving. Perhaps you have waited till the end of the year to determine how you will support God’s work. A third of our annual support comes in these next few weeks. Please pray with us for a great year-end outpouring.

We are so grateful for each of you – your prayers and generosity, which allow us to represent you in this strategic ministry, equipping church leaders for evangelism and discipleship in some of the most difficult mission fields in the world.

So whether you are suffering loss, feeling blessed or the burdens of blessing, we pray you will know the power of Emmanuel, God with us.

David and Nancy

Please mail gifts to: Entrust, PO Box 25520, Colorado Springs, CO 80936-5520 Enclose a note “David &Nancy Goodman”

                                            

The Agony and Ecstasy God Entrusted us with

Being a leader is to embrace all the proverbial Agony and Ecstasy that goes with it . . . feeling the exhilaration of victory and absorbing the pain of defeat. That is a good way to describe our last year.

The Ecstasy is an abundance of new staff on the field and in the pipeline. It is witnessing transformation throughout our leadership trainings on various levels, including the miraculous work of God we experienced personally during our July tour of our ministry projects in Africa.

The Agony was negotiating some painful transitions. Moving our offices was one of those. You all know the agony of moving. Negotiating this unexpected move across town, with all the accompanied disruptions, was a torture our office staff hopes to avoid for some time. The ecstasy is being established in a fresh, flexible high-functioning environment with inspiring views. The marathon – the hours spent digitizing 37 years of history was accomplished with amazing grace so we can travel light and more efficiently going forward. Come visit us if you are in town!

That wasn’t the only change we were faced with. Some of a leader’s greatest challenges are in being willing to embrace every challenge and lead the organization through the inevitable. This year was harder than most. But it feels good to be on the other side, acknowledging God’s presence and provision. I (David) am so thankful God has given us/me a partner with good experience in handling tough issues and faith in God to take care of all we cannot. At such times we are especially thankful for your prayers.

Now . . . more about the Ecstasy!
Nancy describes it this way. Imagine yourself on a mountain hike and you reach a “turning point” where the view is breath-taking . . . Nancy and I feel that way at Entrust right now. I remember a president of another mission telling us seven years ago how he felt after slow growing (7 years prior) . . . his hard work started to pay off and the ministry really started to move. We are there! To God be the glory!

What are we looking at? People! See how God has provided!

God is bringing us some remarkable new recruits this year.

We will not inflict a series of pictures of people you don’t know so we will let Dustin, Miriam and Theo Combs be our poster family as they are now settling into their new ministry in Slovakia, and a new baby who will be born in Slovakia in May!

And more from Nancy . . . lots and lots to thank the Lord for! (Sorry everyone if this is TMI . . . wish you could meet each of these recent new colleagues - it was hard to keep it brief! Just call me Chatty Nancy)

Dynamic . . . wife, mother of Eli and Maddie, is a new staff member, serving to equip women. Her vision and passion is compelling! “As the most educated, privileged, and free women in the world, how are we preaching the gospel and making disciples? We have been entrusted with the greatest treasure in the world.”
Amazing woman joined our Women’s Ministry Leadership Team. She loves the loves the word of God, has published Bible Studies, now serving to guide our curriculum and more! Just finished facilitating full weeks of training in Texas and then in Thailand!
Recent Denver Seminary graduate, tri-lingual including Mandarin and Japanese, fantastic mentee – to intern – to staff member with a passion to serve on our East Asia Team! She whizzed through three weeks of training! One more to go, then she begins her co-facilitating!

Rockford couple – prayer, and then surrender – joined our mobilization team as recruiters, now trusting God for their support-raising. Thank you Lord for these new partners!
Beautiful sister in Christ – I cannot believe we have only known her a year . . . born in Nigeria to Lebanese parents, multilingual. Such deep faith and love for the lost, teaching in difficult places.
Wonderful, experienced couple who have been in ministry all of their lives . . . this is now a new chapter for them with Entrust and a focus on orality.
Another young talent and a heart to serve on our communications team! His gifts are in the areas of the arts and music, photography, creating newsletters and videos. He’s made several short documentaries for various Christian groups.
Volunteers – What would we do without our 4 faithful volunteers who edit, package and mail out materials, and always seem to love to do whatever is needed!
Our super faithful and supportive Board – so thankful for them – if you go to the NEW website you will understand why we enjoy our board gatherings twice a year . . . for prayer, deliberation, and encouragement (http://entrust4.org/basics/people/board). Say “WOW GOD!” ten times!
Also – several couples we are meeting and praying with about significant leadership positions. Excited about new leadership joining our team as we continue to prepare for future ministry expansion.
If you haven’t been on our new website (www.entrust4.org) please take a minute to look, listen and thank the Lord for His working!

The past four years Entrust has participated in Giving Tuesday, a national initiative on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The idea is to encourage people to support charity through financial partnership, volunteering or becoming involved in some way with charitable causes that resonate with your passions.

For Entrust, this can mean:
· Supporting a goat project in Zimbabwe
· Assisting job training in Kurdistan
· Equipping pastors in the Middle East
· Providing translation work for Moldova
· Or a special support gift to help us finish the year in the black

Any gift given online or postmarked by Nov. 29th with a note “for Giving Tuesday” will count toward a generous matching grant up to $30,000 that benefits all of the projects of Entrust. To save the credit card fee you can give online via bank account, (EFT) or send a check as described above. Go to: (www.entrust4.org/GivingTuesday). Thank you!


You can mail gifts to: Entrust, PO Box 25520, Colorado Springs, CO 80936-5520
Attach a note “For the Goodmans.”

        

Children of the Dragon

It seemed like an anomaly. There were few restaurants in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic where I grew up, but one of them was Asian. These restaurants are everywhere. We were all aware it was Asian immigrants who connected our East and West coasts by laying railroad track across the wild interior of our country. Now Asians are doing the same in Africa, only delayed by the lawlessness of the interior. A seminary we have just begun working with in Barcelona, Spain has a complete Asian language track that mirrors their Spanish program, offering identical degrees to expatriate Asians who will pastor expatriate churches all over the world. No surprise this populous people group reaches almost everywhere in its influence. Nancy and I have a heart for the children of the dragon. All the American born Asians I have met are fiercely loyal to their heritage. Entrust is now translating our materials to train the children of the dragon. I cannot share here all we are doing to serve this proud people group, but another blessing for us has been Gabriela H., an Asian born student graduating from Denver Seminary, who asked Nancy and me to mentor her. Gabby is now beginning her one year internship with Entrust, having already served in some translation capacities.  

Speaking of Africa, Nancy and I are making a long overdue trip to Africa in July. We will be in three countries; Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, (six cities) in 16 days. We will facilitate workshops on marriage and mentoring for Kenyan urban professionals, and I have the privilege to deliver a plenary address at the Nairobi Global Mentorship Network Conference http://globalmentorshipnetwork.com. In Zimbabwe and South Africa we are meeting with More than a Mile Deep (MMD) students and staff. MMD is a ground-breaking, very practical accredited leadership training program that equips church leaders to address some of Africa’s most pressing problems such as HIV, systemic poverty, racial conflict, subjugation of women, delivering ageless gospel truths with the most up to date educational understanding and methodology. What I am most excited about is these highly original courses are all written by Africans, Christian Ph. D’s who are practitioners in their respective fields. We want to encourage these African staff members who are serving in very challenging circumstances - see and hear firsthand how God is using MMD to equip churches to see the gospel transform individuals and communities.

 

Would you please pray about considering additional support to our ministry account for this ministry trip? We appreciate your prayers for this need. It is essential that we participate, on location, with these incredible servants who lead in isolated conditions, and our hands-on presence is important.

Quick Update from Nancy 

Relationships - This season has been rich with people, which is a delight to our souls and ministry.  New friends, potential staff, Denver Seminary students. Early February our dear friends Rick and Judy hosted a dinner conversation for about a dozen of us – connecting one Asian ministry founder with one of our Entrust Asia teams . . . delicious food and exciting dialogue to encourage and catalyze ministry for a huge need. We were in Dallas for 12 days packed with Dallas Theological Seminary students, facilitating workshops for their World Evangelism Conference, hosting new staff who live locally, graduates, lay and staff trainers, presenting at Stonebriar Church, meeting with board and potential board members . . . We see God drawing people resources for now and the future – Please keep praying!

Office Move - A strategic change to create an updated ministry environment. January to March, Entrust staff invested hundreds of hours into moving from paper files to digital (still in process), and sorting through archives to prepare for the move. Our new location upgraded our technological capabilities for daily and conferencing purposes, provides an inspiring light-filled space with mountain views. Staff work both onsite and remotely with space designed for both.  Come see us at:  910 Pinon Ranch View #101 Colorado Springs, CO  80907-3311 (PO Box and phone, no change)   

Financially, the mission had an exceptional 2015, and for us, due to your generosity, it was also our strongest year since 2009 when we joined Entrust. We continue to be $1,000/mo. short in our support. It is a walk of faith and as David mentioned, this year we have additional travel expenses to teach and engage with our ministry in Africa. Thanks for praying with us about this need.

Family
Jessica* & Joey, in Thousand Oaks, CA: we are excited to be with them over Memorial Day weekend. Some of you know Jessica was diagnosed with breast cancer almost a year ago, surgery, chemo, radiation, DONE. We thank the Lord this is all behind her. She courageously trusted the Lord in this journey with Joey at her side. We are grateful for prayers and God’s mercies. 

Matt, Monika*, Olive and Rockwell, in Denver: great to be with them at church when we are in town, they moved a short distance, still in South Denver, University Park area. Church camping trip with them in August!

Josh, Megan*, Sophie and Bennett, in Tucson: we celebrated Easter with them – Josh beginning his final year of residency at El Rio Community Health Center – praying about next steps.

Shameless Plug - Monika and Megan launched Girls Can! Crate: a monthly subscription box of learning activities to inspire young girls to believe they can be and do anything, by introducing them to fearless women who made the world better . . .  www.GirlsCanCrate.com  (You can tell we are proud of the three* fearless women God has given us (who really make our family so much better).

 

       Thank you for your partnership, prayers and support!

You can also send gifts to:
Entrust, PO Box 25520, Colorado Springs, CO 80936-5520
Attach a note “For David & Nancy Goodman, M125”
Office: (719) 622.1980
Email: DGoodman@Entrust4.org or NGoodman@Entrust4.org
Web: www.Entrust4.org