Drake's Year End Update

Merry Christmas!

The above photo was taken near Munich in Germany where in mid-November Bill spent two weeks and I spent one! It was so lovely to spend time in the snow and cold
weather after such a hot and long summer!
The first week Bill was at the European Leaders Meetings in Mosbach, Germany then went to Bavaria, Germany (also very near to Salzburg, Austria) to stay with a new colleague and his family which is where I joined the trip.
We had a lovely time with Werner and Ushi in their lovely home and got spoiled with great food and warm friendship! Werner is new to OM and is a overseeing all the artists in that part of Germany! It's a totally new way of life for him and his wife and at an age just a little bit younger than we are, making changes like that are exciting but not easy all the time.
We spent time lots of time sharing and talking about his new role, it was sort of like an informal style introduction and training for his new job!

The day after we returned from this trip my dad, his fiance, my sister and her husband and my niece came for a week and a half stay! My nephew, Dan, was going to be getting married November 25th, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Even though the wedding was the main event we managed to squeeze in a baby shower for Sharayah, a birthday party, Thanksgiving AND Christmas, a rehearsal dinner where Bryan the grooms father, made Japanese food for the rehearsal dinner and we decorated in true Asian style with Oragami, paper lanterns, take-out boxes filled with "scripture" cookies, kisses and chop stix! We managed to play a few games, go for walks and visit a Christmas light show. There was never a dull moment but we had lots of fun and everything went very well! It was a joy to have a house full of the relatives and be celebrating such joyous occasions!

The day after everyone went home, Bill boarded a plane to South Africa, for the second time this year! He was gone for two weeks, just long enough for me to get all the Christmas decorations up and the tree trimmed so he could come home and enjoy the year end festivities and the upcoming celebration of the birth of our Savior but also the upcoming birth of our first grandchild! In South Africa he:
1. Had three internal flights
2. Spoke at a church Bible Study and OM Prayer Meeting
3. Met up with the Aidslink leader
4. Shared and sang in two Sunday morning services (a week apart) and gave a concert in each church during each evening.
5. Met with a former Incarnate Student to catch up

These were some of the highlights of the trip, as there was much more in between! He managed to almost lose his voice as well!

Re-Cap of the Year!

Teresa's Corner

The best way I have found to explain what I do is to say that I am like a pastors wife in a smallish sized church, the kind that has the supporting role and works side by side with her husband. No one day looks the same, and yet it can be hard to pinpoint what happened in that day because it can vary so much!

Here are a few of the things I have been able to pinpoint -

1. Keep Bill in-line (a full time job)!
2. Grow in my coaching skills with Optavia - helping people achieve health and weight loss
3. Mentor women in various stages of life near and far on a weekly basis
4. Prepare for the Spiritual Formation piece of upcoming Incarnate starting January 29th 2018
5. Provide meals and give overnight hospitality frequently
6. Took three courses to help better myself for teaching at Incarnate
7. Changed my name back to my given name.
8. Keep Bill in line...oops I already said that!!!

Bill's Corner

Bill is also a difficult one to pinpoint as he has his artsy side where he writes and performs songs and creates CD recordings, he has his speaking side where he is a gifted communicator and teacher, and he has his leadership side where he is involved in leading an international team of people all over the world, involved with ministries from Aids to Business, Art forms to Sports and Muslim ministries to Relief and Development, Justice and Sex-Trafficking.

Here are some highlights of Bill's year:

1. Promoted to Senior leadership in OM which is defined as an "Area Leader"
2. Trained workers in Istanbul, Turkey for creative outreaches
3. Toured in Hungry, South Africa and USA with new Project and CD release Legacy (see www.billdrake.com for more on his 3 part double CD anthology project)
4. Travelled to South Africa (2 times), and Zambia meeting with leaders in Sportslink, Aidslink, Business for Transformation and OM Arts.
5. Took a course and earned a certificate with Teresa on HIV/AIDS
6. Keynote speaker and trainer in Ukraine on how to use the Arts in church planting.
7. Ministered in two church plants amongst the Muslim refuges in Hamburg and Heilbronn, Germany
8. Visited and ministered in three HIV+ ministry centers in Southeast Asia.
9. Wrote three new songs and compiled 3 CD's of his songs since the 80's; The Rock (all his Rock n Roll tunes), The Song (his slower ballads) and soon to come out The Mission (convicting songs about missions). Check it all out on his website www.billdrake.com

What's Ahead, you may be wondering?!

INCARNATE! The 4 month course where we train and prepare artists how to be effective ministers on the missions field, in their communities or wherever the Lord takes them! You may remember that we do this every other year and have been doing it since 2012!
This year it looks like we will be having 20 participants from places like Europe, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Finland, Zimbabwe and of course the USA!
This course takes the participant through Spiritual Formation (learning about themselves and how they view God and gaining insight on some areas of their life where they are hindered in their walk with the Lord. Theology of the Arts is a course Bill mainly teaches in regards to God as creator and how He made us to be creative beings and how that fits into a missional context. We also have guest speakers come as well as provide plenty of time for them to create. After the three months we send them out in teams to other OM fields to practice what they have learned. We leave January 22 and return April 23rd.

Of course this takes resources for us to to this so we are looking for anyone who would like to partner with us in the expenses for our airfare and lodging. Bill and I need to raise roughly $7000 which would help us but also help fund a student from Africa or Asia where raising funds for such things is more difficult. If you feel led to help us, many of you did last time, please donate through the button at the end of this letter and we would be ever so grateful. If you would like contact me through email and get more information please do so it would be great to hear from you!

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude 1:24-25

Give to Drake's support or INCARNATE expenses (USA)

Give to Drake's support or Incarnate Expenses (UK)

We are ever so grateful as we look back over 2017. It was definitely a whirlwind year and I honestly can't believe it's nearly finished! We would never be able to do any of these things without the support of faithful prayer partners and financial partners!
Our hearts are grateful for you all!
May you find this season to be not only a joy-filled, Christ-centered season but a time where you can truly give God thanks for all He has been to you, done for you and through you; looking forward to a year where He will do even greater things in you!

Our mailing address is:
Operation Mobilization
P.O. Box 444
Tyrone, GA 30290

Teresa.drake@om.org

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Operation Mobilization · P.O. Box 444 · Tyrone, Ga 30290 · USA