FACEBOOK

Maybe you have noticed that the IOI blog has not been updated since December 2010? But, did you know that we are on FACEBOOK?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indigenous-Outreach-International/330705503101

We are hoping to have Aaron Hardin join us full-time as our media coordinator, but until that happens we do the best we can with communicating the awesome things God is doing. At the moment Facebook has proven to be one of our most effective means of sharing prayer requests and news from the field.

You can also receive weekly prayer alerts and our quarterly newsletter by email. Sign up today at http://ioiusa.org/index_files/Page521.html

Zebra Truck in Christmas Parade

Photo by Aaron Hardin, Jackson Sun
The Zebra Truck made an appearance in the Christmas Parade last night in Jackson, Tennessee. The entry won third place in its division, beat out by an antique fire truck. With a sign that read "This Christmas Support a Child in Ethiopia" this vehicle is gaining a lot of attention for IOI and raising awareness about the ministry in Ethiopia.

Within a few weeks we hope to be finished with the modifications to the truck and ship it to Ethiopia to be used in the training program called Sanctuary Village.

Land Cruiser Purchased for Sanctuary Village

Just a few weeks after sharing with IOI supporters the need for an SUV to be used at Sanctuary Village we have purchased a 1995 Toyota Land Crusier! Supporters responded with gifts of cash and a used Jeep.

In the coming weeks we plan to have the truck detailed, make some cosmetic repairs and have the Sanctuary Village logo applied. We also plan to put a zebra skin graphic on the truck to call attention to it as we use the SUV like a moving billboard here in the USA over the next 6 to 8 months*. Plans are to put lettering on the back window - "Do Something Good... Send this truck to Ethiopia!"

We estimate a need for an additional $12,000 US to ship the truck to Ethiopia. Donors can give money or used cars that we can sell for this project (donors receive a receipt for the full used retail value of the used car donated).

It is our hope that this project will raise enough funds to provide two SUVs for use in Ethiopia and gain more sponsors for the Sanctuary Village project.

*Funds gained from this project may be used to purchase an SUV in Ethiopia rather than shipping this particular truck there if it proves to be more ecconomical.

Merry Christmas

A Mission to Share: Indigenous Outreach International celebrates 10 years

photo by Aaron Hardin
story by Tracie Simer
The Jackson Sun Friday, September 25, 2009

More than 12 years ago, Patrick Beard and his wife, Lana, moved to Ethiopia to become missionaries. Their dreams were ended when they had to return to the United States because she had a complicated pregnancy.

"I came home sick and beaten," he said. "I just knew our missions career was over."

However, he soon had a vision to help native missionaries and pastors like the ones he met in Ethiopia. That vision became Indigenous Outreach International, which celebrated 10 years of ministry Thursday night at Union University.

The ministry now supports 38 missionaries in Ethiopia, two in Brazil and one in Germany. The organization also provides a child care service to meet the needs of 100 poverty-stricken children in Ethiopia, Beard said.

After six weeks, the ministry was supporting seven missionaries for about $250 a month, Beard said.

"Indigenous Outreach International was born in suffering, carried out in simplicity and grounded in ancient roots," he said. "It's simple, really - we saw brothers in need, and we had compassion. We're simply doing what the apostle Paul did when he helped out young missionaries and churches."

Steven Kennedy, missions coordinator for the ministry, said the celebration was a way for people to learn more about what the ministry does and hear about its progress.

"We wanted to make the Jackson area aware of what this ministry is doing," he said. "Scripture says that good news from distant lands brings joy to the heart. We want to encourage (people) that God is working around the world and using people in Jackson to help around the world."

Beard shared the stories of a few missionaries who receive support and who have started their own ministries. Future projects include opening a cafe in Ethiopia to help raise funds and creating training centers for missionaries there, Beard said.

"God has done some amazing things," he said. "I hope we can continue to help others in need."

Kennedy said that aside from financial support, Indigenous Outreach International also offers technical, educational and prayer support.

Visit www.jacksonsun.com and share your thoughts.

- Tracie Simer, 731-425-9629

Slowly by Slowly now on sale!

Available at Xulon Press , http://www.bishopbeard.com/ and Barnes & Noble

Welcome our newest team member

Russ, David, Elizabeth, Jerry, and Meredith Cooper

Greetings brothers and sisters,

As the newest member of the IOI team, I wanted to take this
opportunity to introduce myself to you and thank you for the
support that you give to this ministry. May God bless you richly for the sacrifices you continually make.

God has been preparing me for some time to join with Patrick and Stephen in this great work. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in management, I began ministry in the local church. For 17 years I have served as a youth minister, associate pastor, pastor, and most recently as the administrator at a church-owned retirement center. During that time, God also gave my wife, Meredith, and me a heart for missions and we were blessed to be able to go on several short-term trips. We believed God was preparing us to work in missions after retirement, but in His providence He has allowed us to live the dream now.

My family moved to Jackson from Shreveport, LA the first week of June, and we are settled in and enjoying life in Tennessee. Meredith started a job about 2 weeks ago at the Tennessee State Veteran’s Home (she’s a nurse), and our children Elizabeth (14) and David (10) will be starting school in early August. My mother lives with us as well, and has been a huge blessing to our family and to the ministry of IOI.

As school gets ready to start in Ethiopia, we are faced with some needs that are beyond the ordinary. The TLC project supports 100 children, but only 62 of them are currently sponsored. School
expenses (tuition, uniform, etc.) are $65 per child for the entire year. If you would like to help with these expenses, simply enclose a check in the envelope and mark it for school expenses. We look forward to the day when all of the children are sponsored and these expenses are covered.

Thank you again for your continued support of IOI!

Serving together,

Russ Cooper
Financial Director
russ@ioiusa.org

New Logo

Thanks to Ben Williams of BW Creative for our new logo!

Fruitful Fall Visit

This fall has brought many blessings and many events that have helped to further the ministry of IOI.
We have been blessed to have Negash Gemeda (National Coordinator for IOI in Ethiopia) and his wife Becu with us for the past eight weeks. They traveled to ten states and spoke about the ministry of IOI in Ethiopia.
This was Negash’s third visit to the United States, and Becu’s first. In addition to speaking at church meetings and other gatherings, they had opportunity to visit with friends and extended family. They also visited with the leadership of two sister ministries (The Oromo Project and Mission ONE) that work alongside IOI in Ethiopia.
While in Fort Myers, Florida the Gemedas, Patrick, and Stephen were able to visit with the ministry of ECHO and a couple of former missionaries to Ethiopia. While at ECHO, the group learned some techniques that may be very useful in the future ministry of Sanctuary Village.
The Gemedas, Ecki and Nadine Breitenmoser (missionaries in Bremerhaven, Germany supported in part by IOI), and Dr. James Wilson (IOI Contact for the United Kingdom) joined with several board members and wives for a weekend meeting at Pickwick State Park to discuss the current work of IOI in Ethiopia and the possible expansion of the ministry. They were hosted in part by Patrick’s father Bobby Beard who took the group on a fishing excursion.
Dr Wilson has recently been in Ethiopia for the purpose of surveying the work of IOI, assess the Sanctuary Village proposal and investigate the possibility of youth teams from Northern Ireland serving as volunteers. Currently the ministry of Exodus 360 (a Northern Ireland ministry) is seeking leadership for a possible team to Ethiopia this summer.
In addition to speaking in churches and small gatherings Negash, Patrick and Stephen were invited to the campus of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia where they made many contacts with students.
As the holidays approach, it brings an end to our busy season of sowing. We pray for good fruit to come.

Update on Lauren

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for Lauren!

I have not written much about her lately, but her recovery has been very slow and there has not been much to tell. However, in the past couple of weeks she has really seemed to be her old self, minus the hip displacement. She is eating well and I think maybe even gaining some weight. Her hips are still somewhat tender, or sensitive, but over all she is doing really well. She has returned to her therapy schedule (minus the horseback riding for now) and she is making marked improvement in many ways.

We remain hopeful that she will be able to walk, or at the very least have some level of mobility in the future.

Please continue to pray for Lauren and her complete healing. Praise God for so many answered prayers so far. Pray too for Lana as she continues to try to balance all of her responsibilities while she battles UC.

Yours in Christ,
Patrick

Mission to Ethiopia

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Greetings in the name of Christ.

Dr. James Wilson from Northern Ireland and I just returned from Ethiopia after having an encouraging and challenging visit with our brothers and sister there. Dr Wilson was there to observe the work “on the ground” as well as to see about the logistics of bringing teams from the UK to Ethiopia to work alongside our ministers. I was sent to meet with the missionaries and see how they are doing personally and with the ministry. I was also to chronicle our time there with photos and video footage.

Dr. Wilson and I thought we would do more observing than hands-on ministry, but the Lord had other plans. We went to watch the ministers, but ended up laying hands on them and praying for their needs. We went to hear of the work, but ended up speaking words that were given from the Lord for the building up of the saints. In short, we went with good plans, but the Lord had good works which He had foreordained that we should walk in them. I am glad that God had better plans for our days in Ethiopia because even though we accomplished many things we thought we needed to do, we also were able to be vessels used by our Lord for honorable uses that we could have never foreseen. As I think of all that we were able to see and do, I am reminded of the psalmist saying “bless the Lord, oh my soul, let all that is within me bless his holy name.”

There were many things that I heard while meeting with the missionaries which were of great encouragement, and I look forward to sharing them with their supporters in updates which will come soon. There were two things which I heard over and over as I sat and talked with each minister. These two were encouraging but also an exhortation or a challenge to continue boldly with the task the Lord has given and so I would like to share them with you.

First of all, there was a desire by the ministers to remind us that the ministry of IOI goes much deeper than financial support. The missionaries there have been meeting weekly for prayer and sharing of burdens, along with giving and receiving counsel. One minister said that the money seems insignificant compared to the fact that he has gained brothers and sisters to minister alongside of him. He no longer ministers alone, struggles alone, or carries the good news alone. He is part of a body; he has those who know the burden and uplift him as he walks.

Second, I heard the missionaries saying that they wanted to see the ministry expand and for many others to receive the love and support in the ministry that they receive. More ministers having the blessing of others bearing with them their financial burdens as well as the fellowship and accountability of being a part of the IOI group is a great desire.

Hearing these things encouraged me that we should continue on with what has been given to us. This is a good work and the church is being built up, so we should desire to see more benefit as the missionaries do. So the question is how? I believe by striving for what has already been our burden to see Sanctuary Village built, and Lord willing, 300 ministers will be raised up alongside of those already in place. A place where fellowship and the bearing of one another’s burdens is part of life. We long to see what the ministers long to see. As we embark on this ambitious project, we believe that it can be done if God will give us 100 partners who give $200 per month to raise up these 300 over the next seven years. Please pray with us to this end that the Lord who owns the cattle on a thousand hills will give us what we need to do what He has called us to do. He has done this in the past and we believe He will continue to do so in the future. You all are an encouragement to us. May the blessings of our Lord be with you. The missionaries send their greetings in Jesus name.

Peace of Christ to you all.

By the grace of Christ,

Stephen A. Kennedy
Mission Coordinator

From the Mission Coordinator

How Great the Father’s Love

Brothers and Sisters,
Greetings in the name of Christ.

Chapter three of First John begins by saying “how great the Father’s love for us that we should be called the sons of God”. This great love that God has poured out on us was made manifest in the person of Jesus Christ, particularly in His death, burial, and bodily resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins. As John continues this letter he says “in this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us we ought also to love one another” Surely the love of God causes us to glorify Him and will bring much joy as we grow in our intimacy with our Bridegroom for all of eternity, but there is an outworking that even now is made possible because of His loving us. We are to believe on the Son of God, love one another, and keep His commands (1 John 3:23-24). The work of Indigenous Outreach is a work of love. As Patrick and I seek to tangibly demonstrate the love of Christ to these brothers and sisters it is not just because they have less than we do. There are many in the world that have much less than anyone reading this letter, but why these people? Why is our work with them? Our hearts have been tied with these brothers and sisters by the hand of our Lord, and we have been given a passionate love that longs to see these dear ones succeed in Christ. God has poured out His love on us and our overflowing cups must be directed first to brothers and sisters in Christ both here and abroad. God loved us, so we love them. God has given Himself to us, so we give our days to loving them.

There are many amazing things that the Lord is giving us to do, but be sure as you learn of them that you know the motive of all our efforts is to work out the love that God has given us. I know that as supporters of the ministry you have been given a burden of love for these brothers and sisters as well. I would encourage you that your love is efficacious even as God’s love is. There are tangible benefits that our brothers and sisters are seeing through your tangible love. Do not grow weary in doing good; it is a blessing for us to see your love for our brothers, and it encourages us to continue. God bless you all and may His love for His bride continue to work out through us all toward the beloved.

News from the field
Negash sent word to us that recently ten teams of five blanketed the neighborhood surrounding Militar church. These teams did evangelism and handed out tracts. One story from this day came from Negash’s team. The team had three men and two women in it. The two women talked with two young ladies about salvation through faith in Christ. After their discussion, Negash handed the girls a tract entitled “No Greater Love Than This” The girls seemed very interested and said that they would try to meet with some one from the church later in the week. At the end of the day, all the teams met back at the church to close the day in prayer. As they finished praying, these same two girls came running up to them. The girls’ mother had seen the teams in the neighborhood and was very upset about them being there. When she entered the compound and saw her daughters reading these tracts the woman was outraged and told them that they must return the tracts and talk no more about Jesus or else they would be kicked out of the home. The girls then brought the tracts back to Negash and the others. One of them said, “Here is your tract; take it! We have the message in our hearts and minds, but we have to give you the paper back as our mother ordered” The believers were brought to tears and pray that God will give them more contact with these girls and that they might see them grow in the Lord Who burned the good news of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection into their hearts. Please pray for them.

Announcements
My wife, Shelley, and I are excited to announce the birth of our first child Addison Grace Kennedy. She was born on May 31st and weighed 6lbs 15oz. She is a beautiful gift from the Lord and has had a good first month of life on this earth. Her name means “descendant of Adam with grace”. We pray that as she has the blood of Adam in her veins, as we all do, that the Lord would pour His grace out on her and that she would walk with Him all of her days.

Continue to pray for and make plans to attend the upcoming Robin Mark concerts.
Friday, August 1st in Memphis, TN
Thursday, September 4th in Jackson, TN
More details can be found on our website www.ioiusa.org or by calling the IOI office (731) 664-9960

Peace of Christ to you all. By the grace of Christ,

Stephen A. Kennedy
Missions Coordinator

Robin Mark with WindDance in Cordova, August 1

For tickets go to www.itickets.com

Mid-day of Prayer for Lauren

We have received email and messages from Cambodia, Ethiopia, England, Ireland, Brazil and across the USA as people have been lifting up prayers for Lauren for the past 13 hours.

It is so encouraging to hear from brothers and sisters around the world who are united in prayer for one little girl in Jackson, Tennessee.

"LORD, may you hear the prayers of your children. Although we speak in many languages we speak with one heart in one Body and pray that would would be glorified as your mercy flows from the Throne of Grace."

Day of Prayer for Lauren

Many of you know Lauren personally and you know of her struggles with CP. She is scheduled for major surgery on June 16 for double hip replacement and reformation of both femur bones.

Our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia have set aside Thursday, May 29 as a special day of prayer and fasting for Lauren.

We invite you to join us in prayer.

Upcomming Events

IOI Jackson Awareness Banquet — May 1 & 2
Woodland Baptist Church, Jackson, Tennessee
at 6:30 each evening — Choose the night that is best for you.
Space is limited! Call Tina Varughese (731)616-3589 for reservations

Robin Mark — August 1 at TLC Church Cordova, TN
More information at www.ioiusa.org or (731)664-9960
Robin Mark — September 4 in Jackson, TN at 7:00
More information at www.ioiusa.org or (731)664-9960

Beard Family Update

Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for and encourage my family! The past year has been filled with many changes and blessings.
We were blessed with a home that is handicapped accessible and it has made caring for Lauren easier in many ways.
Alice Calvery moved in with our family a few months ago after serving in Germany with the Brietenmoser family. Alice helps with Lauren in the mornings and often helps to tutor the other children in their studies.
Lana continues to struggle with health issues related to colitis, but she has also seen some improvement. Mornings tend to be the worst time of day for Lana, but having Alice around has been a real blessing. Even with her illness Lana continues to homeschool the kids and keep a warm home. On many Sunday evenings the house is filled with young people from the church.
Anna-Margaret is 16 now and working on getting her driver’s license. It seems like just yesterday that she was a toddler, and now she is looking at colleges. Anna is very interested in music and drama, and she has been working some as a teacher’s assistant.
Joy (age 12) is almost as tall as Anna-Margaret. She is becoming a good student, likes astronomy and her dramatic side is flourishing. Although she can be our most emotional child I am seeing God develop a sense of compassion for others through it as she responds to the suffering of others. She and Emma both look forward to soccer season.
Lauren (age 9) still suffers the effects of her disability, and she also continues to have seizures. However, she also continues to have a very joyful countenance, and is the first one to greeting the new day each morning. She is a blessing to our entire family. Lauren is scheduled for surgery in May. Her hips have not formed properly and it is necessary to form hip sockets to avoid future problems.
Kristin (age 9) is really into crafts and making things with her hands. She is a budding artist, and loves one-on-one conversations. Every day there is a new painting, picture or project that she is working on with precision. She also loves nothing more at bed time than to have her back scratched and talk about her day or her next art project.
Emma (age 8 in April) is not a baby anymore, which she reminds us of often. She is creative like her sisters and loves to tell jokes and stories. She observes the world around her and puts what she sees into words. She is very inquisitive and keeps us all on our toes and laughing.
Please do continue to pray for us as a family and for the ministry that we believe God has called us to.

Patrick's Paragraphs -- Making Progress

“Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
I John 5:5

A friend of mine recently said, “When we feel like we are making progress God will show us that we are not.”
On the surface this quote might seem a bit pessimistic, and imply that we cannot make progress as Christians. I have certainly witnessed this brother in Christ making progress for the better part of 20 years. He obviously does not feel like he has progressed much since his salvation, but his walk with Christ is identified by persistence despite his experience.
On the other hand, certainly there are those who feel that they have made progress in the faith. However, if they despise the Church, and have inflated thoughts of their own righteous deeds it might be evidence that they have not progressed as much as they think. In deed they may not know God at all.
One thing I see in common to most men that I admire is their humility and a almost constant feeling that they simply don’t measure up to God’s standards. Throughout history we read personal biographies of missionaries, ministers and saints who felt that they lacked much more than they had in the realm of spirituality. Indeed even Jesus tells a parable about a justified man who has humbled himself prostrate in prayer, while a pious Pharisee stands looking on in thankfulness that he is “not like” the sinful man on the floor.
As I turned 40 this past month, I have reflected on so much of my life that has been wasted, how little evidence that I see of the faith I proclaim. So much of experience seems to contradict the faith that I claim, yet I know that Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life. I believe by faith that Jesus is Lord and God has raised Him.
Watchman Nee said, “Faith follows truth and experience follows faith.” Our faith is based on what is not seen, otherwise it would not be called faith. Certainly we should see growing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in our lives. Good works should be our lifestyle. But, rather than looking to our experience, we look to Christ himself.
Do you love God? Do you love His Son? Do you love His Bride? If so, that is progress.

Concert and Banquet

Robin Mark Concert
By Stephen Kennedy
Mission Coordinator
On August 16th Robin Mark presented a concert at First Baptist Church, Humboldt, TN for IOI.. The evening was a blessing in that we had many good conversations about the ministry and about life in Christ with brothers and sisters. We would like to thank again all those who helped make the evening what it was. We are looking forward to what the Lord may have for next year and the possibility of bringing Robin back. Pray that the Lord would give us wisdom in how we can best serve the body and encourage each other in worshiping our God.v

Mississippi Banquet
By Stephen Kennedy
Mission Coordinator
Thursday, September 6th, we had the IOI banquet in Tupelo, Mississippi at the campus of Itawamba Community College. Pastor Alex Lobo, an IOI board member, led the music with his wife accompanying him on the piano. Patrick was able to share about the ministry with the freshness of his recent trip and the give up-to-date reports on ministers and children supported through IOI. Arlene Norton is helping to raise supporters for children’s sponsorship in Ethiopia and was there with an information table. We had a good response and some at the banquet who did not know about IOI are looking into going to Ethiopia in January with the team. We praise the Lord for His blessing on the evening. Thank you to all of the table hosts and the volunteers who did so much work, particularly Tina Varughese and Faye Hollingsworth who coordinated the banquet.

ROBIN MARK CONCERT

An Evening of Worship with

ROBIN MARK

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16 at 7:00 pm

First Baptist Church Humboldt, Tennessee

Robin Mark will be joining us again this year for a benefit concert. Robin is an internationally recognized worship leader from Belfast, Northern Ireland
and has produced many albums.

Admission is FREE -- space is limited Reservations are encouraged!

Although we are not selling tickets to this concert we do have a couple of options to guarantee a seat.
You can guarantee a seat in the Reserved General Seating Section
for a donation of $15 or more per person.
Groups of 7 or more are suggested $10 per person.
(Maximum of $40 per family, please indicate the number of adults and children).

The General Seating Section will be open seating, doors open at 6:30 PM.
The other option that we have is that you simply show up on the evening of the concert.
The number of open seats will be limited to availability. An offering will be taken at the door.

Make checks payable to "IOI", and send your donation

(along with the number of seats requested) to:

I.O.I.ROBIN MARK CONCERT
PO Box 10173
Jackson, TN 38308-0102

Click here for information.

An offering will be taken

For a sample of Robin’s music
log on to www.RobinMark.com
Review of Robin's latest album in Christianity Today