God Moments.

There are so many great things about being a cross-cultural missionary.  The most meaningful to me are those "God Moments" when the Father simply opens a door for ministry right before my eyes.  A few days ago, a friend from the USA and I went to visit a village among an unreached people group here in southern Mexico.  We experienced some incredible "God Moments."

The most meaningful was an encounter we had as we were walking to our vehicle to head back home.  As we were walking a man asked us to come and speak with him.  Just so you know, a part of our work in this village was to allow the people to send a video greeting to members of this community in the USA.  My friend from the USA is a staff member of a church in a city where hundreds of people from this village are living.  It is incredible to think that members of indigenous, unreached people groups are living right under our noses in the USA.

This man asked us to video him but as we began talking with him he began to cry.  A few months ago his father had died and now he feels like his life is falling apart.  This man's family was once close but now they are becoming distant because their father was the one who held the family together.  This man wept bitterly about how his family in the USA was not able to come back to Mexico for the funeral.

But God placed words of truth in the mouth of my pastor friend from the USA.  He spoke wonderful words of biblical truth to the man and we prayed over him, his wife, and his son.  This grieving man heard about a Father of comfort, a way to have eternal hope, and was assured that the God of heaven indeed heard his cries of grief.
My pastor friend in the USA will be able to deliver a special video message to the family of this man.  Will you pray for this Mexican man and his family?

Deuteronomy 10:18-20 (ESV)

18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 

19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 

20 You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear.

This is supposedly a people 'closed' to the Gospel but I can assure you that the Father has opened the doors wide because of this church's response to the 'sojourners' living in their community.  Does God have a "God Moment" waiting for your church?  Look around your town or city.  The Father is bringing the nations within reach of many of our Southern Baptist churches.  What will happen if we miss the opportunity?

19 January 2012 Update!

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.   Colossians 2:6-7

We are so grateful for so many of you who are 'partners' in the work here in southern Mexico.  Your prayer support is of utmost importance and your giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and through the Cooperative Program is a huge blessing.  Thank You!

We just wanted to give a quick update to our prayer requests from last week.

• That the people of southern Mexico will have the opportunity to hear about Jesus in a way that they can fully understand the Gospel.
• Your prayers are helping us see the 'hidden things' that we must understand in order to communicate the Gospel.
• Please continue to pray that we will learn the culture here so that we can communicate effectively the message of hope.

• Pray that we will be faithful to the vision God has given us for ministry: A multitude of disciples among all peoples of southern Mexico equipped to fulfill the Great Commission to the ends of the earth.
• Your prayers are strengthening our determination and deepening our desire to work hard among the people of southern Mexico.
• Please continue to pray for this important need.  We must stay focused on our task.  It is so easy to be distracted from our main task by really good things.  One reason southern Mexico is still in need of the gospel is because good things are being done instead of the BEST things.  

• Open doors for ministry here in this very spiritually dark place.
• Your prayers are creating 'divine appointments' where we are able to meet folks that God wants us to connect with.  An example is last week we were looking for good hotels for volunteer teams to use.  God led us to a great place with a very friendly manager and staff.
• We must build relationships.  Pray for this to happen.

• Our families in the USA who must adjust to life with us here in Mexico.
• Our families in Mississippi are our biggest cheerleaders.  Your prayers give them a sense of call to this task, too.
• Please continue to pray for our families in Mississippi.

• Partners from the USA who are committed to doing missions in a responsible way.
• Your prayers are being used by God to send us USA partners who want to make an eternal impact beyond the traditional methods of building a building or sending cash.
• Please pray for God to call out Southern Baptist churches who have a desire to reach southern Mexico with the message of hope.

• Haylee and Jackson adjusting to a new life, new school, new friends.
• Haylee and Jackson are making good friends.  Your prayers have led them to a Wednesday night Bible Study for teenagers.  And, there's frozen pizza here!!!  :-)  Small to you...BIG to us!
• Please continue to pray.

• Finding the house that God has for us.
• Your prayers are helping us to find the best house for our family.  We have negotiated a contract and are waiting for approval from our attorney.  Doing all of this in Spanish is a challenge!  :-)  And, we are blessed to have our dear friends who are keeping Amazon (our dog) for us while we house hunt.
• Please continue to pray for this house-hunting process.

• Favor with immigration officials so we can receive our long-term visa.
• Your prayers have allowed us to find favor with immigration officials who are very helpful.  We should find out more info on Friday.
• Please continue to pray for the long-term visa process.  We cannot get our furniture from Peru until we have our long-term visa.

Thank you so much for your help through prayer!

Please also pray for Jeff as he travels to an unreached people group over the next few days with a friend from California.  Pray that we'll get good research done and that a 'Person of Peace' will be located so that the message of hope can reach these people.

You are a blessing!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson.

Letting Go.

10 January 2012 Update!

The city of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Thank you to all of you who so faithfully pray for our family.  You are such a blessing.  We wish you could all see the impact that your prayers have on every part of our lives as missionaries.  Amazing.

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.  Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.  Philippians 1:3-5

We are here in southern Mexico in the city of Oaxaca.  We are learning our way around and we are really enjoying getting to know the people and places of our new city.  We certainly miss many people in Peru but Oaxaca is a special, special place.  We cannot wait for all of you to come and visit us here.

Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart. Proverbs 17:9

We are in a temporary apartment while we search for the house that God has for us here.  Haylee and Jackson have begun classes at their new school, Oaxaca Christian School.  Amazon (the amazing Peruvian dog) is alive and well here in southern Mexico.  She's staying with some of our dear friends until we can find a pet friendly casa.  Liesa and Jeff are busy getting our new lives going.  We hope to have some type of 'normal life' one day soon.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

We do miss our family and friends in Mississippi and Peru and around the world so much.  But we are at peace knowing that the Father has us here for a reason.  We will search for where He is working here and join Him in His work.  We did not arrive here with some grand plan but we are simply trusting Him to guide our steps to the right people and the right places.

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

Please join us in praying for these requests:

• That the people of southern Mexico will have the opportunity to hear about Jesus in a way that they can fully understand the Gospel.
• Pray that we will be faithful to the vision God has given us for ministry: A multitude of disciples among all peoples of southern Mexico equipped to fulfill the Great Commission to the ends of the earth.
• Open doors for ministry here in this very spiritually dark place.
• Our families in the USA who must adjust to life with us here in Mexico.
• Partners from the USA who are committed to doing missions in a responsible way.
• Haylee and Jackson adjusting to a new life, new school, new friends.
• Finding the house that God has for us.
• Favor with immigration officials so we can receive our long-term visa.

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. I John 5:14

Please allow us the honor of praying for you.  Send us your requests at wigtake@gmail.com.

Our USA phone number is unchanged.  601-914-6705.  That's a Mississippi number.  Call us.

Get SKYPE on your computer so we can talk face to face.

Go ahead and plan your trip down to Mexico to see us.  We want you to come and you will certainly be able to pray better if you see the precious people that we would like to have join us around God's throne.

Love you all,

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson.

Catholic building on the plaza in Oaxaca.

Jackson's School Project.

christmas video a video by Jeff_Holeman on Flickr.

Jackson made a video for his Computer Technology class. He wanted to share it with you. Photos are from a photography field trip to take photos of Brandon Christmas decorations.

Countdown to Oaxaca, Mexico.

We will be leaving the USA on January 5 headed to southern Mexico to the city of Oaxaca.  We are ready to see what the Father has in store through this new ministry assignment.  We'll be moving in a temporary apartment until we can find a house and get our crate full of 'stuff' shipped from Peru.  Haylee and Jackson will begin classes at their new school on January 9th.  And, we already have two ministry trips scheduled for late January with churches from the USA.  So, there will be busy days ahead.  Thank you for your prayer support!

Merry Christmas!

South Half Champs 2011

South Half Champs 2011, a photo by Jeff_Holeman on Flickr.

Did I mention that my brother's Petal Panters won the South State championship this year? They finished 2011 ranked #4 in the state of Mississippi.

15 December 2011 Update!

Just a quick update on what is going on with us.

We are taking advantage of last days in the USA by spending time with family and friends, speaking to a lot of church and mission groups, and trying to have as much fun as possible.  We will be finishing up our responsibilities as Missionaries in Residence at Mississippi College this week and the kids will be taking semester exams.  We are so grateful for the many of you who pray for us regularly.  Here are some specific requests that we would love your help with at this time:

1. The indigenous people groups of southern Mexico are in need of churches to be planted among them.  Pray that the Father would make it possible for new churches to be established among these people groups.  Here is a map for you to pray for groups by name. Click on it to make it larger. -;
2. Pray for Haylee and Jackson as they say their 'See You Laters' to their new friends here in Mississippi and as they prepare for a new place, new culture, and new friends.
3. Pray for all the final pieces of our departure to fall into place so that we can get to work in southern Mexico.
4. Praise God with us for the opportunity to be involved in His work in Mexico.

Blessings to all of you!  Thank you for praying.

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

Don't just give to missions. SEND Missionaries.

You'll hear much over the next few weeks in Southern Baptist churches about giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  You should give!  A lot!  But, don't just settle for giving to missions when you can be a SENDER of missionaries.

Why be a sender?

1. Sending is something God does. Our heavenly Father is a sender.  He was motivated by love to send His Son so that we could be rescued by a message of hope.  Be a part of sending missionaries who are motivated by love to proclaim a message of hope.  When you SEND missionaries you are following the example of your heavenly Father.
2. Sending is the responsibility of the church.  The hope of Galatians 3:14 is that 'hope would  come to the Gentiles.'  Jesus clearly communicated with his early followers that His Church would be His Workers.  As a part of the church you fulfill Christ's command when you SEND missionaries.
3. Sending missionaries is about more than money.  
• We have to provide spiritual support because of the spiritual battles (Eph 6:12).  
• We have to provide emotional support because of the challenges that cross-cultural workers face.  Emotional support can be provided by phone calls, emails, visits to the field, and other expressions of kindness and love.
• We have to provide accountability because iron sharpens iron (Prov 27:17).  Mature, constructive accountability of those you support is a part of your role as a Sender.  Ask questions.  Challenge those you Send to grow spiritually and avoid sin.  Many missionaries are in lonely, isolated places.  Your accountability role can play an important part in their lives.
• We must provide financial support.  It all belongs to God so make sure you're a good steward.
4. Sending brings blessings to the Sender.  You can enjoy the fulfillment of knowing that those who send missionaries share in the great work that is happening around the world.  And, those who send are a part of making disciples and those who make disciples have the promised presence of Jesus.

As you generously give to missions this Christmas, why not make a commitment to be the best Sender of missionaries that you can be?

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Let it begin with me.

Fall 2012 College Student Positions in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Hands On is a semester long mission opportunity for college students and young adults.


Take a look at the positions below, pray, and apply to invest your life in Southern Mexico!

• Cross-cultural Worker Internship!
• Community Transformer!
• Media/Communications/Internet Guru!
• Teach English/Reach University Students!
• Explore the Unreached!

17 November 2011 Update! Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our first Thanksgiving as missionaries was spent in Richmond, VA four years ago.  (Click HERE for that blog post.).  The way God has provided for our family and how He has done so many amazing things over the past four years makes us so thankful.  We are thankful to God and so thankful to each of you who spend so much time praying for our family.

These past couple of weeks have been really busy but a whole lot of fun, too!  Here's some highlights: 

• Liesa's Birthday on November 3.  We celebrated with Liesa's mom and dad and the nieces and nephews on November 2 and then with Liesa's sisters and the brother-in-laws on November 4!  Mucho fun was had by all involved.  We are thankful!
• Petal Panther Football.  Jeff's brother coaches at Petal High School and they have had a great year and are rolling through the play-offs and, hopefully, will win a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.  We are thankful!
• Royal Ambassador Day at Mississippi College on November 5 was a great day!  It was a lot of fun to spend the morning with about 200 young boys and teach them about missions.  Everything worked out fine and 'The Snake Guy' who was with us was a lot of fun, too!  We are thankful!
• On November 6, we spent the day at First Baptist Madison, MS to help raise money for Lottie Moon.  It was fun spending the day with my friend Clay Stegall and his family.  Clay is the student minister at FBC Madison.  We are so thankful for churches like FBC Madison who are one of the top 200 giving churches to Lottie Moon.  Great job Madisonites!  We are thankful!
• On November 7, we spent the evening with the students at the Baptist Student Union of Mississippi College.  We're thankful for the group from MC coming to Oaxaca, Mexico in the Spring to work with us.  And, we're hoping to work out some avenues for MC students to work with us next summer.  We are thankful!



Mississippi College International Chapel 2011 Thanksgiving Celebration

• On November 8, we celebrated Thanksgiving with the students who attend International Chapel. These students are from East Asia and meeting with them each week is a blessing.  For most of these students this was the first time to be in the home of someone from the USA and it was definitely a first for the typical southern Thanksgiving food.  We had a great time sharing Thanksgiving stories and traditions.  We are thankful!
• On Wednesday, November 9, we traveled to New Orleans, LA to tackle the task of trying to get our VISA for Mexico.  Immigration issues are always challenging but the Lord provided a sweet Mexican lady who is a member of evangelical church in New Orleans to handle our paperwork.  We had our VISA within a couple of hours!!  And the nice lady at the Mexican consulate told us she would pray and was thankful of our work in her country.  How 'bout that??  Go God.  We are thankful!
• On Friday, Nov 11, Haylee had her update with her rheumatologist.  All of her test results look good and  Dr. Edelman feels so good about her progress with rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Edelman is a strong believer in Jesus who is so supportive and encouraging to Haylee.  We are thankful!

Holemans and Rankins at an Ole Miss football game.

• On Saturday, Nov 12, we went to the Ole Miss/Louisiana Tech football game with our friends, Dr. Jerry and Mrs. Bobbye Rankin.  It was so much fun being at the game with them.  They had not been to an Ole Miss game in 30 years.  We had a great time but almost froze to death. You  never realize how many cuss words are in your school cheer until you're sitting with the former president of the world's largest mission sending agency.  Quite convicting but I think we still have jobs. We are thankful!
• On Sunday, Nov 13, we spent the evening with the fine folks at First Baptist Yazoo City, MS.  This is Jeff's home church from his high school days and it was fun seeing old friends and making some new ones.  It was great for Jeff to be their 'guest preacher' and to be able to share about what God has been doing through the work of our REAP NORTH team in Peru.  We are thankful!
• On Monday, Nov 14, Jeff was able to spend the day at the Mississippi Baptist Student Minister's Retreat.  It was fun to re-connect with old friends and be able to encourage student ministers to be more involved in missions, especially international missions.  We have been blessed to work with some outstanding student groups over the past few years.  We are thankful!

We have a lot of great things coming up that we're excited about and that you can pray for.

• Early Thanksgiving with some of our Peru Missionary Family!  We'll be meeting the Penningtons and Bredbenners in the big hills of northwest Arkansas for some great fun.  (To say that the Ozarks are mountains would be offensive to our Conchucos friends from the Andes Mountains of Peru.)  It will be good to have all of the crew back together again.  We have a short tradition of spending Thanksgiving Day together.  We are thankful!
• Thanksgiving Day in Petal, Mississippi with Jeff's mom and family.  It is a blessing to be able to be around family during the holidays.  We are thankful!
• Sunday, November 27.  We'll be talking missions at Cato Baptist Church (Rankin County Mississippi) and First Baptist Clinton, Mississippi.  Both of these churches are strong in their giving to missions.  We are thankful!
• Wednesday, November 30.  We'll be at the home church of Liesa's Aunt Pat in Lauderdale County, Mississippi.  Carmel Baptist Church is a special place and Jeff hopes there's Carmel Cake involved.  We are thankful!
• December!  Our final days on the campus of Mississippi College will be bittersweet.  We have grown to love the students, staff, and faculty of this fine school.  We are so indebted to Dr. Eric Pratt for allowing us to have this opportunity.  It is blessing to serve with so many fine servants.  We are thankful!
• Thursday, Dec 1.  Jeff and Liesa will be leading chapel for the employees of the Mississippi Baptist Convention.  We are such close friends with so many of these folks.  It is an honor to work with them in completing the Great Commission task.  We are thankful!
• Sunday, Dec 4.  We're returning to Center Grove Baptist Church in Maben, MS to talk about missions and raise some money for Lottie Moon.  Center Grove is the home church of Chris McMinn, our brother-in-law.  We have been blessed by their encouraging support through the years that we have been serving as missionaries.  We are thankful!
• Monday, Dec 5.  We'll be talking missions with the WMU of First Baptist Church in Yazoo City, MS.  Many of these ladies helped keep Jeff straight during his high school years.  It is wonderful to be able to spend some time with them.  Liesa will speak to them while Jeff rolls all of their yards just for old time's sake.  We are thankful!
• On Dec 6 Jackson will be inducted into the Brandon Middle School Beta Club.  He doesn't really know that Beta Club is for outstanding students and he really doesn't care.  But mom and dad are excited!  We are thankful!
• On Dec 8 to 12, Jeff and Liesa are headed on a CRUISE!  We've always wanted to go on a cruise outside of Disney World and we've saved some money and also found a great deal so we're sailing away to Cozumel, Mexico for a few days.  We're excited about the cruise.  Of course, Jeff has a fear of deep water so he's hoping wearing a life preserver 24 hours a day is socially acceptable on a Carnival cruise. We are thankful!
• On Dec 14 SANDI BRIDGES COMES TO LIVE WITH US!  The only down-side is that it's only for a few days and not forever.  We were honored to work with Sandi in Peru and learned so much from her.  We are ready to spend some gluten-free days with her.  We are thankful!
• On Wednesday, Dec 14 we'll pick up Sandi and head to Jeff's mom's church in Petal.  Petal-Harvey Baptist Church has been a great support for Jeff's mom as she's lived in Petal, MS.  Liesa's former student minister is minister of education at this church.  We'll be talking missions and raising money for Lottie Moon.  We are thankful!
• On Thursday, Dec 15 we'll be speaking to the Prime Timer's Group at Liesa's home church, Crossgates Baptist.  We are going to love this opportunity to spend an evening with some wonderful older adults.  We are thankful!
• On Sunday, Dec 18 we get the privilege of talking missions for ten minutes in the morning worship services at our home church of First Baptist Oxford.  FBC Oxford is our family.  Our hearts still remain with the people there.  There is no way to repay these folks for their encouraging support over the years.  We are thankful!
• January 5, 2012!  We head out to our new missionary assignment in Oaxaca, Mexico.  We cannot wait to step off the plane and hug Caleb, Luke, Elijah, and Hope.  We are thankful!

Blessings to all of you and have a wonderful, happy Thanksgiving!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee and Jackson

In the next five minutes.

International Chapel Thanksgiving Celebration

We have been serving this semester as Missionaries In Residence at Mississippi College.  The best part of our job has been meeting with International Students each Tuesday to learn about Christianity and God's Word.  These students have become great friends and we have been blessed and challenged by them.

Would you continue to pray that several of these students would come to know our Savior?

Another big blessing is being able to spend time with Dr. and Mrs. Rankin.  They have moved to Clinton, MS and although they are 'retired' they haven't slowed down much.  We are always blessed and so encouraged being with them.

1 November 2011 update

Greetings out there in internet land!

Your prayers are always a powerful part of our lives.  We are so grateful for those of you who invest time to pray for us and to support us in so many ways.  Click HERE for a great resource to know how to pray for missionary families.  Click HERE for a resource to use as you pray for unreached people groups.

At this time of year we want to remind you that The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is so important to the work of Southern Baptist missionaries around the world.  Thank you for your generous support of the offering.  If your church does not support the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering you can give directly through the IMB website.  This time of year is always a great time to find out how your church supports missionaries.  If you don't ask, you'll never know.

Oct 31, 2011

We've had a blast over the past few weeks.  Here's some highlights:

• Petal Panther Football.  Jeff's brother, Pete, coaches at Petal High School and they have locked up the #2 seed in the state playoffs.  We've enjoyed being able to see some of the games.
• Sydney McMinn's Birthday Party.  It was a blessing to be a part of Sydney's skating party and to celebrate with her.  Sydney is Liesa's sister's (Missy) daughter.
• Teaching at Mississippi College..  We were able to be a part of Dr. VanHorn's class a few days ago.  Dr. VanHorn was one of Jeff's favorite seminary professors and now we're together at Mississippi College.  Neat experience.  It is a lot harder teaching an 8 am class than simply showing up.
• Baptist Global Response Training.  We were so moved by our time at this training event in Nashville, Tennessee.  We are encouraged to hear that Community Development ministries are expected to be a very important part of future IMB work.

• Lindsey Powers Ward.  We have known Lindsey since our 2007 training in Virginia and we served with her in Peru.  It was such a blessing to be able to see her during our trip to Knoxville.  The orange sweater was ugly, though.
• Sharon Baptist Church,  Powell, TN.  We had a wonderful weekend in Knoxville, TN during our visit to Sharon Baptist Church.  This wonderful church is considering their future mission involvement and we were blessed to be able to dialogue with them.  However, Jeff was a little disappointed we didn't meet anybody named Sharon.
• Halloween.  Some folks like it.  Some folks don't.  We get that.  Haylee and her youth group used the evening as an opportunity to go door to door and deliver info about our church and to pray with folks at their door.  Jackson used the evening as an opportunity to bring some candy home and have fun with his buddy.
• Mississippi Baptist Convention.  This annual event is like a family reunion for many and we had a great time seeing old friends and making some great new friends.  Southern Baptists exist because of missions and we are grateful for the many churches who faithfully support missionaries.

Please pray for these events that are coming up soon:

• Liesa's Birthday is November 3!
• Royal Ambassador Day at Mississippi College.  November 5.  Have we mentioned that we're on the program with 'The Snake Guy.'  We're really hoping Jeremy Nelson will show up for this event.  He's our only weapon against snakes.
• We'll be at First Baptist Church of Madison, Mississippi on Sunday, November 6. We'll be speaking in the morning worship services and we'll be spending the evening with the middle and high school students.
• Mississippi College Baptist Student Union.  We'll be speaking to these great students on Monday, Nov 7.  We've been blessed in the past to work with MC students in Peru.
• Thanksgiving Dinner for our International Chapel Students.  We're having a traditional Thanksgiving Celebration for the students we meet with on Tuesday afternoons.  Jerry and Bobbye Rankin are helping us plan this special event for these students.
• Getting our Mexican Visas.  We'll be in New Orleans on November 9 and 10 to pick up our visas for Mexico.  We think all of our paperwork is in order to get our visas.  Please pray.
• First Baptist Yazoo City, MS.  We'll be in the evening Harvest Celebration with these great folks on November 13.

Here are Haylee and Jackson's latest school photos:

Blessings to all of you out there.  If you're near Brandon, MS please come see us!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

21 October 2011 Update!

Hello world!

Thank you so much to all of you who are praying for us.  We are deeply grateful for your investment in our lives.

October has been busy with all kinds of things happening:

• Mississippi College.  We are having fun being a part of all that is going on at Mississippi College.  Of course, our favorite part is spending time hearing what God is doing in the lives of students.  We are blessed to have this assignment during our time in the USA.  And, the Baptist Student Union at Mississippi College have plans to come to Southern Mexico in the Spring to minister among the unreached people groups of Oaxaca, Mexico.
• Oct 4. Second Baptist Springfield, Missouri.  Jeff traveled to Springfield, Missouri to meet with their mission team about working in Southern Mexico in the future.  It was a tremendous time and Second Baptist is committed to embracing an unreached people group in Southern Mexico.  They'll begin their ministry in 2012.
• Jacinda Melson.  Jacinda is a wonderful part of our family with whom we worked in Peru and Bolivia.  Jacinda is beginning a new ministry assignment and we are so thankful that we were able to spend time with her for a few days.
• The Pennington Family.  Our dear friends from language school and Peru came to Mississippi to visit.  It is always a fun time when Brian, Jen, Jordan, and Trevor are around.  We are hoping to be able to get together with them before we all head down the paths God has for our families in the future.
• The State Fair of Mississippi.  Good friends. Funnel cakes.  Pronto pups.  Deep fried Oreos.  Biscuits filled with molasses. It was a good time.  Thanks Ken Hall for taking us to lunch at the fair and buying us foot-long corn dogs.
• Mistie and Bubba Robinson made a visit to our home here in Brandon and it was so good getting to spend some time with them.  We love and miss our Oxford family mucho!
• Haylee's choir at Brandon High had a Fall Concert and Jackson's football team had a road game at Pearl High School (Eat dirt!).  Both of our kiddos performed spectacularly!

We have some busy days coming up:

• Mississippi College.  On Tuesdays we have been meeting with a group of international students who are interested in learning about Christianity.  We're planning a 'Thanksgiving Meal' with them next week and will continue to answer their questions about our faith.  We'll also be meeting with MC students who are pursuing ministry-related careers to answer their questions.
• We'll be headed to the Baptist Global Response Training Conference in Nashville.  We're looking forward to learning about new ways to help those affected by natural and man-made disasters.
• We'll be spending a weekend with Sharon Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN to prepare them for their work in Southern Mexico in the coming years.  We're looking forward to spending time with our friend Chad Williams for a couple of days.
• The Mississippi Baptist Convention is coming up and if you're in the exhibit hall during the convention look for us at the International Mission Board area.  We're hoping to see many of you there!
• Liesa's birthday is November 3!  Party time.
• RA Day at Mississippi College is coming up on Nov 5.  We'll be there along with a guy with snakes. We'll have to be on top of our game to compete with a guy with snakes.

We'll be speaking at several churches during the coming weeks.  Here's where we'll be:

• Oct 30.  Sharon Baptist Church, Knoxville, TN
• Nov 6.  First Baptist Madison, MS
• Nov 13.  First Baptist Yazoo City, MS
• Nov 27.  Cato Baptist Church, Brandon, MS. /  First Baptist Clinton, MS
• Dec 4.  Center Grove Baptist Church, Maben, MS   /   Petal Harvey Baptist Church, Petal, MS
• Dec 18.  First Baptist Church, Oxford, MS.

Blessings to you all!

Jeff, Liesa, Haylee, and Jackson

A blessing.

There are so many blessings that come from being involved in student ministry.  Kellie Burnham Berry is one of those blessings.  Kellie was a part of the youth group at First Baptist Kosciusko, MS when we arrived there back in 1994.  It has been such a joy to keep up with Kellie through the years, through the boyfriends, through her time on the mission field, and now as she and her husband, Ryan, raise their kids.  Kellie stopped for a visit today and we are so thankful for our friendship.

Go.

Go from AsiaLink HistoryMaker on Vimeo.

Reproducing Disciples That Are Obedient to Jesus.

When making disciples we teach what we know but we reproduce who we are.  A couple of weeks ago David Jett, pastor of Crossgates Baptist Church, made that statement in a sermon.  It's not an original quote to David but one that has been made by others.  Our family Bible studies for the past few days has been in the book of Amos.  One of the conversations that Amos had with God refers to God using a 'plumb line' to examine His people.  Brother David's teaching and the principles from God's Word that I am learning are challenges to examine what kind disciples are being produced through my life.  Am I helping to produce disciples who obey Jesus?

The whole idea of disciple-making has been something I have continued to learn about over the years.  I certainly consider myself a better 'disciple-maker' now than back in 1987 when I had my first 'job' as a student minister.  I'm pretty sure my primary goal as a disciple-maker back then was simply to give people 'information' about how to be be a disciple when my goal now is to 'show' others how to be a disciple.  Years ago I was concerned about my students obeying me whereas now it is much more important that those in my circle of influence simply obey Jesus.  I tried early in ministry to make students obey Jesus, to talk them into it, even manipulating in positive ways if I had to.  I don't have any desire now to force people to obey Jesus.  Sure, I really do desire that they obey Him, especially my children and family and friends, but forcing them to obey Jesus is not on my agenda nowadays.  The experience of being involved in disciple-making has caused these shifts.

God gives me the task of making disciples who are obedient to Jesus  (Matt 28:18-20).  Unfortunately many disciples are not obedient to Jesus but are simply religious reproductions of the discipler.  This is not necessarily an indictment on the discipler but an animadversion on the methods the discipler is using.  The discipler who focuses simply on pouring out information instead of investing in the life of the disciple runs the risk of producing a follower of the knowledge about Jesus.  The goal of our disciple-making effort is to produce followers who are obedient to Jesus.  Too many alleged disciple-makers define success when all the information is given instead of how their disciples are obeying.

As a cross-cultural missionary I have had to hold my tongue as mission volunteers proclaim great success at discipling when I know their so-called disciples are not equipped for long-term obedience to Jesus.  These disciple-makers have given their disciples a ton of information but have not invested time in understanding their world-view, their heart language, and their motivation for wanting to be a follower of Christ.  South America is full of 'informed' followers of Christ.  We need 'equipped' followers of Jesus.  Jesus gave His disciples much more than information.  He shared life with them so they could know who He was.  He invested.  Everything.

Many of you who read these words are disciple-makers.  Have you examined the quality of the disciples you are making?  Are they obedient to Jesus?  I spent years teaching what I knew instead of reproducing who I am.  When I teach what I know I look for better material but when I reproduce who I am I look for a better me.  The only way I can be better is to be more surrendered, more obedient to Jesus.  The disciples of Jesus carried on His mission.  I want my disciples to carry on His mission, too.

Information about following Jesus is good.  However, to produce disciples who are obedient to Jesus requires that they see someone who is obedient to Jesus.  That takes an investment on the part of the disciple-maker.  Get out of the classroom or small group setting.  Find out what makes this person who is the focus of your disciple-making task tick.  Which words open the heart?  Have they seen how you handle failure?  Have you washed their feet?

As you are going into all the world make disciples.  Baptize.  Teach them to obey.  ALL that He commanded.  That's a huge time investment.   And He is with us.

The 4 Amigos.

Haylee, Jordan, Jackson and Trevor.

Jackson and the cousin crew.

Jackson with Megan, Hayden, Cameron and Sydney.

Missionary Family Weekend!

We have had a wonderful few days with the Pennington family and Jacinda Melson.  Jacinda worked with us in Peru and the Pennington's are our friends from language school days and we also served with them in Peru.  We had a great weekend together.

The Play of the Week.

Jackson is #33 in the video.  He makes the bone-crushing tackle at the top of the screen.

4 October 2011 Update!

Hello amigos!

Thank you for your prayers for our family.  We are so grateful for so many who are investing in this interesting life that God has called us to.  It is amazing how God continues to teach us new things all the time and also continue to show us His faithfulness in so many ways.

We've had a busy September!

• Our ministry assignment as Missionaries In Residence at Mississippi College continues to bring huge blessings.  We've met some amazing students who God is using now and will use in the future in amazing ways.  Liesa and Jeff were responsible for putting together 'Global Opportunity Week' on September 18 to 24.  We had a lot of help (Dr. Rankin, Fish, and Jennifer) in making the week a great success as we wanted MC students to consider how they can be involved in disciple-making.  We will spend the next couple of weeks following up with students who are trying to understand how they fit into God's plan for making disciples of all nations.  We also have some opportunities coming up to lead some of the classes in the Department of Christian Studies that we know will be great.  And, please continue to pray every Tuesday at 4 pm as we meet with a group of students from Asia who are interested in learning about Christianity.  This is a priority time for us each week and we love what God is doing in the group.
• We have been heavily involved in work on behalf of the IMB.  On September 7 we were a part of a conference in Atlanta, GA where over 500 church leaders gathered to learn how they can work among the 3500+ unengaged, unreached people groups around the world.  We were able to meet some wonderful folks interested in working in Mexico and we were blessed to see so many of our REAP NORTH partners who are ready to begin new assignments wherever God is leading.  We were also a part of the leadership for the Mississippi Missionary Parents' Fellowship.  Jeff's mom and Liesa's parents were able to participate this year and it was fun being around so many missionary families.  It was good to be able to spend time with some of our wonderful missionary friends who serve in a very challenging place.
• Jeff has been busy speaking at several churches around Mississippi.  He's been able to travel all over the state speaking to student groups and meeting with pastors and missions leaders who are interested in joining God in His work around the world.  On a recent trip to West Heights Baptist in Pontotoc, Jeff was able to meet some new friends who are from Oaxaca, Mexico where we might be moving to in January 2012.  We've enjoyed Skype meetings with future ministry partners and Jeff is looking forward to traveling to Second Baptist Springfield, Missouri on October 5 to meet with their church staff about future work in Southern Mexico.
• Liesa has been busy with duties at Mississippi College and other ministry assignments.  She was able to serve at our state WMU camp during a mother/daughter retreat this month.  She and Haylee were able to serve together in teaching moms and daughters about the work of missionaries in South America.
• Haylee and Jackson are enjoying life here in Mississippi.  Haylee is making new friends and had a good time at Brandon High's homecoming dance.  She's got this boy that is calling and texting all the time, too. Jackson is having fun with the youth group at Crossgates Baptist and is learning how to mix it up on the football field.  Both are bringing home good grades and are the funnest kids around.
• We have been having a blast at Ole Miss Football games.  There's not much good football to see but we have enjoyed being back 'home' in Oxford when we are able.  We are grateful to the Morgan's for always having room for us on Saturdays.  Jeff went to the Maroon People/LSU game in Starkville a few weeks back with Louis Zinc and it was good to see some good SEC football action and to once again experience the aroma of the Maroon campus.
• Living in the Jackson area has been a blessing.  We're able to spend some good times with our families and to catch up with former students who are now dear friends...Jennifer, Kelsey, Lyndsey, Jeremy, Karen, Seth, and the list is endless.  We are blessed to have so many friends and family so close to us.
• October will be busy with some really fun stuff going on.  The Pennington family is coming to Mississippi to spend a few days with us.  We're so looking forward to having them here with us.  We've got a date with the Ole Miss BSU this month and we are always happy to spend time with Ole Miss students.  The State Fair is kicking off this weekend and we are ready to take in that redneck action.  Speaking of rednecks, our Arkansas Razorback friend Jacinda Melson is coming to visit us and we're excited about sharing our indoor plumbing with her.  We are traveling to Nashville to the Baptist Global Response conference and we're hoping to learn some new ways to lead our USA partners in ministry.  And, we'll be heading up to Knoxville, TN to spend some time with the one and only Chad Williams at Sharon Baptist Church.  Sharon Baptist is considering coming to work in Southern Mexico.  And the month ends up with the Mississippi Baptist Convention and we'll have a great time representing the IMB amongst the biggest supporters of missions on the planet.  And, the Rebels play Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn this month so it'll be a while before we celebrate a win.

Well, that's about it for us.  If you're in central Mississippi please come see us.

Jackson, Haylee, Liesa and Jeff Holeman

Found this restaurant in Ecru, Mississippi.

My friend Shawn found this restaurant owned by some fine folks from Oaxaca, Mexico.  I was able to talk with them and will be spending a little more time with them in the future.  Small world.