March Recap

It's been some time since the last posting here. The events surrounding the month of March have made it go by in a blur. Events have also put me into a "funk" that has taken some time to get out of. My thoughts are still in some knots, so hopefully the writing here will be clear enough to understand.

The beginning of the March saw my Dad going to Nepal to observe the work of Trans World Radio, as well as my Mom going off to spend time with her mother. This left me alone at home, with plenty of quiet time to seek God and learning more about support raising. With some direction from some friends and a few sources, I picked up a copy of "People Raising" by William Dillion. When I started reading, there was so much that I wanted to share with you...
but events soon distracted me.

At 6:45pm on the 18th of March, Catherine Murray (my Grandma) went to be with her Savior. The days (even weeks) leading to that day distracted me from... well, everything. I can't recall much of this month. But I can recall that God gave me a peace about it. When my mom sent a text saying that Grandma might not make it, I was driven to my knees in prayer. It wasn't a time of pleading with God for a miracle. Instead, God gave a peace as I sought His will. The time that God had allowed me to spend with my Grandma was amazing, and if He so choose to allow more, that would have been a blessing. But there was a peace when telling God that if it was time, then may it be His will. It wasn't long after some time in prayer that an answer came.

Since that day, our family has spent time healing and trying to get back to our normal lives. I've started to get back into the groove of support raising. It's been a slow process. But I've spent a great amount of time compiling photos and archiving them digitally. It's been fun digging out old photos and talking with my Aunts and Uncle about who the people in the photos are, and recalling the memories held by these images. There are the moments where we stop and get teary-eyed, or laugh over something we have recalled.

Grandma and I headed down to Georgia

Grandma & Grandpa's wedding photo

50th Anniversary
(Typical Murray gathering)

Church Portrait

Over the years God blessed me with many memories shared with my Grandparents. God also blessed me with one last trip with my Grandmother. As our family shared stories and memories, I couldn't help but think of how blessed I am to have had Grandparents like Daniel and Catherine. I will miss them so much. 

Next time I will have more ministry news. And hopefully by then, allergy season won't be hurting me so bad.

- Daryl J. Howard

Coming Soon...

... new posts!

Sorry about the silence. Trying to put the events of this last month into words has shown itself harder than originally thought. But following the lead of one of Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues, “SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation,” I hope to keep a bit more silent till I have my thoughts in order, instead of trying to post meaninglessly. 

Until I gather my thoughts...
Grace & Peace,
- Daryl J. Howard

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME. GOD IS GOOD!

A friendly reminder from The HM Update.

For the LORD is good.

His unfailing love continues forever, 
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

- Psalms 100:5 NLT

HM Update Edition 015

The newest update letter from The HM Update is out.
Hey did you read it yet?
If not, why not view it or download it here!

If you did, why not share what you thought by e-mailing me.

If you want to receive it in your e-mail or by letter, just e-mail or comment below.
ENJOY!
- Daryl J. Howard


P.S.- Know someone who might be interested in reading this... why not share it with friends on Facebook, Twitter, or through E-mail! Just click one of the buttons below.

Daydreaming

There is an issue that plagues me. It's daydreaming. My mind cannot stop doing it. It is a problem that a friend of mine and I had a conversation about just the other day. But here I am again, plagued by my issue.

I'm trying to finish my next update letter for you. But for some odd reason, my mind can't stay in place (could be the caffeine from my coffee). Instead, my mind wanders to projects that I want to do, how to better improve my grammer that my mom constantly has to correct (bless her heart, she tries), maybe there is something I am forgetting to do... the list goes on. But the biggest issue is my work. Each time that I do something, I seek to make it bigger, more intricate, easier to work with, etc. Over the last year and a half that I have been trying to raise support, this mindset has become a big hinderance. Each time a door is shut or the reply is no, I seek to make everything I did up to that "no" better. As if there is something wrong with the material I've presented, how I said things, or even how I introduced myself. This isn't all bad. But instead of "going" like God has said, I keep trying to improve the wheel (can you make it any better?). Today, during a normal mind wandering bit, I decided to take this to God. And through our little talk (though it seemed like I was doing all the talking), God decided to reply through this: Taking the Initiative Against Daydreaming

I think it is funny that I have owned a copy of this devotional for years (I bought it at a library in Seward Alaska on a staff trip). But it seems that no matter how many times I read it, God has something for me to hear, when I need to hear it. This time, it was like a slap in the face. It's as if God is saying, "Stop kicking the tires, checking the pressures and making sure there is enough tread. Go. Get in the car and go where I have directed." Sometimes I'm not sure where He is directing. Alaska is where He wants me. How I get there is another story.

"Arise, let us go from here." - John 14:31 NKJV

Just thought I would put some thoughts down to share with you all. Give you a glimpse into the guy behind the blog.

- Daryl J. Howard

What Is Normal?

Yesterday I anxiously awaited the UPS man. Like clockwork, he usually pulls in at around 3:20-4pm. However, he came more than two hours early. There, in the box he made me sign for God's amazing tool and gift... my old Mac, repaired. After a little test run, everything looked and seemed to run fine. Spent part of yesterday doing some updates and test, and plan on doing some more today.

God has been gracious to me. During my time without this old Mac, God showed how much He has blessed me. Without this amazing piece of technology, support raising can be done... but it was hard. My work for camp became extremely difficult. Getting information out was like trying to tame the cowlicks in my hair. Streaming my favorite TV shows became next to impossible. It also gave me more time to focus on God and see what He was trying to teach me. Life, though tough in my eyes, became much simpler in many ways. Now that I am reconnected to my work and technology, there is a lot to be done in the coming days. Drafts for the next HM Update need to be typed, and other work needs to be taken care of. I can't say everything is back to normal. Because nothing seems normal anymore in life. God is always directing, teaching and showing. For me, it took God taking away my means of "everything" (so I thought) to give me a abrupt sense of redirection and gentle nudge to say, "Hey, everything is under control. I need to you to listen and spend more time with Me. Wait till you see what I have planned next for you."


- Daryl J. Howard

State of my Calling Address

In light of the President's State of the Union address on all forms of public media, I have decided to make a public address on the state of my calling to serve with Victory Bible Camps & Conference Center. In comparison to the annual speech by the President, I'll outline the present condition of the ministry work I am doing, what my agenda is and the priorities that I plan on setting for the future. 

Currently I am single, 27 and living with my parents. (This doesn't sound promising...)

In all seriousness, my current residence is with my parents in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Their living-room and my bedroom double as my office spaces for support raising and a satellite location for working on material for Victory. In my spare time, I've been helping with a local youth ministry named ROCC (Reaching Our Community for Christ), working with youth at Warren Center Baptist's youth group, and assisting local ministries with multimedia needs. With this extended time in Pennsylvania, God has blessed me with being able to spend time with family, reconnect with relatives I haven't seen in years, as well has help siblings move (which will happen again in the near future).

For the last 17 months, I have been raising support for Victory. Support sits at 19.6%, and will be taking another step up as I follow up with some contacts that have been made. Though the number may seem small, God has been gracious in connecting me with some dedicated individuals who are called in joining with the work Victory is doing in Alaska. Since starting to raise support, I have only returned to Victory once to assist with Victory's Alaska State Fair booth. Though the original goal was to be back to Victory by or near the end of the summer of 2012, support raising hasn't gone as fast or smoothly as Victory and I had hoped. 

At this time, all work and support raising is on hold as my late 2006 MacBook Pro is in the shop getting repaired. God blessed me with this amazing piece of technology for over six years, and I've been happy to be able to do all He has blessed me with through it. I am not looking to buy a whole new computer, as in buying a new PC would mean customizing it and buying all new video/photo editing software, and buying a new Mac is not within the budget. So fixing has been the only option at this time.

The computer breaking has been less of a technical problem and more of a spiritual battle. New connects were being made, letters were going out, and new material was being created during the time of the issue. I can say that during this time without my Mac, there has been more time to dig into the Word of God, focus on changes God wants me to make in my life, and come to the realization that I was a little addicted to my Mac. Work is much harder to do on an iPad, of which I am typing on right now, and my graphic work is next to impossible to do on the iPad. But I am thankful that I am still able to stay connected with supporters and Victory.

Whenever the Mac is returned, support raising will commence. My goal is to try to be back to Victory before the end of 2013. There is so much to be done, and the need for someone in public relations is at its greatest right now. Many families will be headed out to the raise support or visit supporters. And without anyone at Victory helping to create material for them to distribute, the task has fallen to me. This task has it's limits, and they are magnified by the lack of my Mac and personally not being at Victory.

Victory has been going through a time of growth. The number of guest groups and the number of youth attending retreats have gone up. Even with the decline in camping within Alaska, God continues to bless Victory Bible Camps & Conference Center. God also has drawn many families and individuals to serve at Victory as well. Since the summer, Victory now has one full-time program director, as well as others filling in conference center roles. There are also many others joining in support raising in hopes of joining Victory in various other support roles. Thank God for what He is doing through Victory, and for allowing us to connect people of all ages to Him through the ministry of Christian camping and conference retreats.

I hope one day to be able to be at Victory and share this information with the many supporters and individuals that are connected with Victory. Much of this information isn't being heard, unless those on the staff at Victory are sharing it with their supporters. This is why the need of public relations staff at Victory is so important. 

Over the last year, I have been told by many to stay in the area and use my gifts in multimedia and presentation. I've also had people tell me I should stay to work with youth in the area. In all honesty, working with youth was my dream when I first entered college. It was the reason I started studying youth ministry at Philadelphia Biblical University (now Cairn University). But during my time studying in college and working in Alaska, God directed me to what He would have me do. I've tried to walk away when I got frustrated. But in the end, God kept drawing me back to serving Him at Victory. It may seem logical to just not worry about raising support and take up a job doing video/photography and working with youth. But this would mean walking off the path God directed me on. I've walked away before. But as I have said, God has kept leading me back. Victory is where He wants me. And until God directs me elsewhere, my goal in this coming year is to keep striving in getting to where God wants to use me. Temporarily, it is here. But serving God in Alaska is the ultimate goal.

I wish I could share more, but I don't want to take up anymore of your time. Thank you for taking time to read this. Continue to pray that doors be open, and that God soften the hearts in the resistance I am facing. Also, thank God for those individuals that have shown interest and have joined in supporting Victory. Pray that God continue to provide for them as they support Victory. Again. Thank you for ready. Have a good night (morning, day or evening... depending on when you read this). 

Grace & Peace,

Daryl J. Howard

P.S.- Sorry for any typos. I typed this up fairly quickly on an iPad. Kind of tricky.