Call2All

News from John and jenni Gillespie

Here’s something worth reading if you want to hear a little more about what we’re up to next here in Kona and how some of that unfolded.

So, this April we’re leading a DTS (Discipleship Training School…you can go to www.uofnkona.edu to find out more!) and in Kona each DTS typically has a “focus,” meaning some sort of particular emphasis on a skill, or a geographical region, or maybe a cause. For example, there is a “PhotoGenX DTS” that focuses on developing photography skills and teaches students to use those skills in missions work. Last spring, when Johnny and I were approached to lead a DTS in Kona, we were originally scheduled to lead a “Classic DTS.” Which isn’t exactly a focus. Which sort of makes the above information seem unimportant. Anyhow, we were really quite excited to run a Classic DTS, without a particular focus, because there is so much a DTS offers in and of itself!!

Then at the beginning of this year we had a little surprise come our way. We were asked to lead the “Call2All DTS” instead of the Classic DTS we had been planning on leading. After prayer and a few discussions, we felt led to accept the challenge. It has been a journey, but it is with excitement that we count down the days until April 8th, the Arrival Day for our DTS. Just barely over a week until our students get here! So crazy!

Some people might be curious about what the Call2All focus actually means and what that will look like in our DTS. I could write a ton of stuff about it, but I think for now I’ll just sum it up with a quick piece from their website: “Call2all is a partnership of hundreds of the top missions agencies, denominations, and organizations in the world, including tens of thousands of Christian leaders, all working together and strategizing to complete the Great Commission in our generation. Working together we accomplish what could not be finished if we all act alone.” Call2All was started as a means of networking different organizations to find out exactly what the body of Christ is doing across the nations. It’s a movement that will help us find out more about unreached, unengaged people groups, and help everyone work together to see the entire earth reached with the Gospel. So as we look at doing a Call2All DTS, we’ll be emphasizing a lot of the principles that are used by Call2All. A great resource to find out more is www.call2all.org and you can also just call us up and ask us if you want to know more about what we’re a part of! We’d love that!

Our staff have now arrived (and a few were already here in Kona) and we are all working hard to prepare the school. Welcome baskets, phone calls to students, school binders, door tags, staff meetings… even the menial tasks are thrilling when we think of the lives that will be changed in the months ahead (including our own!). It is an incredible privilege and we look forward to this opportunity with great excitement. Please please please keep us in your prayers. Basically, you could pray anything and we would be blessed. And if you’re the type of person that likes to know specific prayer requests you can read a few below (but it’s most definitely not an exhaustive list)… Thank you everyone for your continued encouragement! We are very blessed!

Please pray…
1) that we would have great faith as we step into this quarter!
2) that the Lord would give us so much wisdom
3) that the students would come, ready to fully engage in every part of DTS
4) for finances…for everyone, our staff and our students. Pray for God’s miraculous provision, but also that we would all be good stewards of the things He provides us with
5) that we would all have good rest leading up to the Student Arrival Day
6) for excellent health in this season!!
7) that all our international students would get the Visas they need to come here!!!