15 more days to Russia!

I'm so excited yet so stressed out at the same time.  There's still more to be done before I leave (still need a few more monthly donors to reach my 50% goal, need to purchase larger luggage, etc. etc.) I feel overwhelmed at time.

Good news is the camp is filling up and my Russian visa is on its way back to me!  I had some difficulties a few weeks ago through the processing of it but I received confirmation last night that it's on it way.  Praise the Lord!! Thank you all so much who prayed for that breakthrough. I was also asked to help lead in music during the camp time so my guitar will be joining me on my trip.  I'm so honored that they asked and nervous at the same time.  Please pray my guitar arrives safely in my travels.

Here's a few specific things to be praying for over my trip (some of these were passed down from the camp coordinator as well).

1. They have almost all the textbooks for camp done. (Remember...they are covering the story of Moses.) They found out the advance level text book didn't get completed by the person responsible so they are frantically working on it. Pray for those volunteers who are jumping in and getting the work DONE.

2. They have a camp doctor lined up. However, she is VERY pregnant and there's a chance she might have the baby early. So, they are praying for a back up nurse or doctor to be with them for that week as well. Please pray for that person to join this camp staff team.

3. They have 100 campers registered. They are hoping for 50-60 additional campers. It is normal for Russians to wait 1-2 weeks prior to commit to camp so they are not worried, but nonetheless would like to have a full camp of people if possible. So, pray that the Lord sends the right people who need to hear the Gospel.

4. There are 30-32 native English speakers that have committed to coming to camp (including our team.) So, pray for those volunteers that are coming from long distances...that their visas get approved and their travel goes smoothly.

5.  That all luggage and equipment make it safely and in a timely fashion to Moscow.  The camp is an hour and a half outside of the main city so we really need everything to be with us when we land.

6.  That I am able to get the last few supporters to be at my 50% goal.  To make this one of my official training trips I need to be at the goal when I get on the plane.  It's been difficult to meet with people during this busy season and it's setting me back on reaching my goal.  Pray that God will lay the people of Russia on peoples hearts and that more would want to partner with me in reaching them with the hope of Jesus Christ. 

7.  My stress level is very high right now.  I've been training for this trip (there's a lot to learn in leading a trip -  a lot of behind the scene things take place to make it successful), doing my normal logistics job for e3 Partners (I help other leaders get their trips out the door as well), helping with our church youth outreaches we've been having for the past month, and we just finished VBS week at our church where I was the upfront dancing and singing weirdo (had such a blast but I'm sooooo tired now!).  Oh and trying to meet with people about supporting me to be a missionary to Russia.  Yeah....I'm spinning a lot of plates right now.  So with this, I'm feeling very exhausted and run down in many ways.  Please pray for strength and mental alertness as I prepare to leave for Moscow in 15 days.

There will be more emails in the days leading up to my departure but I want to include my prayer calendar here so you print and put it somewhere that will remind you to pray for my team while we're in country. 

 I am so thankful for all of you in your prayer support over me.  There are times I am feeling so weak and then a rush of strength from the Lord comes over me - I know it's all of your prayers!  I can't thank you enough.  Also, please let me know of your prayer needs so I can lift you all up as well.

Feel free to share this email with other prayer warriors you know of as well.  God bless you all!!

What's happening in 2014

Almost a month into this new year and so much is happening.  First things first - the Lowry's are MOVING!!  No, not farther away, but actually closer....MUCH CLOSER to our family at Westminster Presbyterian.  We are moving in March 1st to the Adobe house at the top of the property.  Our family is very excited and nervous all at the same time.  Moving is always laborious and it was just over a year ago we made the move from Ramona here to Escondido.  This move though is going to really benefit our family as well as our church family.  Living at the Adobe will lower our overall budget month to month so this allows my fundraising goal to be full time Russia church planter to be less and more quickly attainable!  Please pray that God will grant me the strength of moving as well as the physical and financial needs we will need to make this all happen.

Another change taking place is that I've been filling in for our janitor over the last two months (she's out with a torn rotator cuff).  This has been nice because it's helped meet our immediate financial need during my slow time for logistics however, it's kept me from talking with people about the ministry taking place in Russia (as well as updating this blog as some of you may have noticed).  God took care of our immediate need for winter finances but I've missed sharing about Russia with everyone.  Please pray that God gives me insight and wisdom on how to manage both of these things.  I want to help contribute to our immediate need but I also know that to be able to do the one thing I'm passionate about, I need to make the time to tell others so they can partner with me on God's work in Russia.

2014 - this is the year my oldest son is graduating High School.  I've known this has been coming for awhile but now we are are critical decision moments for what he's going to do afterwards.  As some of you know, he's been gifted musically.  God has given him the ability to pick up any instrument and play it (the kid taught himself piano!)  With this in mind, he feels God is calling him into that area of ministry.  His first thought was college with a degree in music.  But he wants it to be specifically with worship though, not just a general music degree.  Then our thoughts went to a ministry type internship here locally in San Marcos.  As this isn't totally off the table yet, another thought and passion is now entering into this decision process.  Hillsong Leadership College.  Here's a link to this amazing program: http://hillsongcollege.com

If you know my son, you can see that this program is perfect for what he's feeling God's calling him to do.  Because you have to be 18 to enter, he wouldn't be going in until January 2015.  This would allow him to work and save up for this VERY EXPENSIVE (but amazing) program.  However, the cost is greater than what he could save up in 1 year.  Please pray that we hear God clearly with this decision and if it is God calling him here, that he would provide all that's needed.

Thank you all for reading and praying for our family.  With Gods strength and wisdom I know 2014 will be an amazing, memorable year.

2013 coming to a close

I can't believe 2013 is coming to a close.  Please view my year end newsletter - CLICK HERE (the pictures somehow degraded in the uploading process so I apologize that they look weird).

So much has happened in Russia this year and I'm looking forward to 2014!  Please share this blog and link to as many people as you can so they can be a part of what God is doing in Russia by using the Facebook, Google+ and Email links below.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Wow, it's almost 2014!

So with this, I look back at 2013 and see that God has moved in so many amazing ways.  I have a blessings book that I keep record of all the ways God comes through in amazing, unexpected ways.  Speaking of unexpected ways, the missions organization I work with (e3 Partners/I Am Second) is launching our "Jesus in Unexpected Places" campaign.

A few weeks ago we launched our newest film on I Am Second of the Robertson family.  You may know them from Duck Dynasty on the A&E network.  It's a great film about family, faith and ducks. :)  I have for the past year watched this show and laughed my head off with my family.  They profess Christ as their Savior and don't hide it at all on this show.  However, you don't realize where they have come from to get to this point.  We had a Robertson film launch party a few weeks ago at our church.  It was a great eye opener to our youth in the sense of a public family on a reality TV show that didn't always have it together.  And that it was Christ that got them to the place of functional disfunction that we view on TV every week.  If you haven't watched it yet, please click HERE to view this amazing film.

Because of the HUGE publicity I Am Second received from this film, they started the campaign I mentioned earlier.  This page is You click HERE to see what this is all about.  Pure Charity has partnered with e3 Partners/I Am Second to be able to heighten awareness of the need to spread the gospel to all nations.

As some of you know, I feel called specifically to Russia.  To be able to do this full time I need a team, a partnership made up of people like.....you. Yes....you.  I know it may feel overwhelming but there is a HUGE need in Russia (and all over) for the hope that only Jesus brings.  In Russia, there are 140 people groups.  Out of that, 76 groups are considered UNREACHED.  This means that they have never heard the truth that Jesus brings for eternal live.  This means they live without the hope and purpose for life.  When things get tough, they have no one to turn to because they've never been told. It's heartbreaking and for a moment, it can feel like it's too big of a task but, nothing is impossible with God.  As the saying goes, how do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.  Our goal is to reach one group each time we go as well as equipping the nationals that live there to reach as many as they can.


How do you fit in?  Well, please check out the link above on the Pure Charity page and that will help some.  But more than that, I would love to sit down and share with you all that's happening in Russia and the different ways you can partner with me.  $3600 a month is what's needed for me to raise to be full time.  It sounds like a lot but when broken down, it's achievable.  I would love all of you to partner with me to see the Russian people be set free with the truth of Christ.  They need hope - the hope only Christ can give.

This is a team effort and as the saying goes, many hands make light work.  It's such a blessing to be used by the Lord.  Why He choses to use me, a cracked, broken vessel I will never know...but I'm glad He does - And He will gladly use you as well.  Just ask Him how. :)

So blessed

I apologize it's been so long since I posted here. One of our prayers has been that The Lord would sustain us while I raised funds to be a full time missionary to Russia (stationed here in the US though...didn't want to scare anyone). God always answers in crazy ways, and I LOVE IT!!! So how did he do it? Not in the way I would've seen coming. 

Just a little bit of background, I do logistics (helping leaders with all the details to get out to their missin field successfully) for e3 Partners/I Am Second. I get paid per trip i help. I love it however it's like construction - when it's good it's good, then comes the slow season. Winter tends to be that season. So when Jeff and I were looking ahead we saw this slow time coming bit without real answers. So we took our needs to The Lord. The first answer to this prayer came when a temporary position came up at my church to fill in for janitorial until our injured janitor comes back. This is until January and that's all through out my slow season. PRAISE THE LORD!! Not that cleaning is my calling however Paul made tents for awhile til he could get back into the mission field. 

The second answer came when a dear friend of mine at church asked when I was going to teach guitar lessons to her girls who are in our Jr. High program. I was like, "I don't remember saying I was going to teach" and she replied you didn't but you should. My first reaction sadly wasn't all excitement as it really should've been. I was scared, feeling that I don't have anything to give, I'm not professionally taught, how can I teach??? Well as The Lord is so good to be, and so sweet, in my time with Him, He sweetly said "All you have is from Me, am I not good enough?"  Kinda ouchy but in a good way. I called her back and said I'll teach them what I know and share with them how to worship The Lord in it. Within days I had a full class load!!! And I haven't even advertised yet!! Again, another answer to our financial prayer to

The Lord. Thank you Jesus. :)

But with all this I've found that I haven't been focusing on my mission fundraising which is my ultimate calling and goal. I'm thankful for my bestest friend who helped me prioritize so I can get back to telling people about the mission in Russia. So in that I'll be stepping away from a few things I've been doing. All good things but Satan is smarter then to tempt me to be busy with bad things. He gets us so busy doing good things but it keeps us away from the one thing God has made us passionate about. 

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. Please feel free to pass along my blog and let people know if they want to hear more about what's going on in Russia I would love to share with them. Some amazing testimonies from there will be posted here soon. :)

Thank you thank you thank you!

I can't say thank you enough for all your support.  Thank you to all who gave, shared my link or prayed that God would bring the increase.  e3 Partners is still processing the donations from Donor Bridge so I don't know how much or who gave yet.  Hopefully in the next few weeks it'll all be complete and I'll be able to thank all those who gave personally. :)

As some of you know (and others may not) I have been approved as a team leader through e3 Partners to short term mission trips to Russia (specifically).  This mean that I'm forgoing working a traditional full time job to do this full time.  So sadly no, I'm not independently wealthy but this opens up partnerships with people who maybe can't go overseas but still want to make an impact.  The Donor Bridge day was just one day where other organizations partnered to match any donations given to help promote giving and get things started.  But I pray that this wasn't a one time event, but the start to a possible partnership.  Amazing things are about to happen in Russia.  Russia you say?  Yes, Russia.

e3 Partners is labeled as a short term mission organization however, we're more than that.  We are a longterm strategic mission organization.  Yes we take people in and out of the regions through out the year however, there's constant contact and discipleship happening all year long.  e3 Partners does exactly what their name says, partner.  We partner with the nationals that live there, equipping them to disciple and start churches, and build them up as leaders in their sphere of influence.

Soooooo, what's going on in Russia? Some amazing doors have opened up and I'll be sharing those with you over the next few weeks so stay tuned.  Meanwhile, please continue to pray about monthly support or maaaaaybe even going on a trip with me.  :) :) :)

Today is the day!! Donor bridge donation matching

We went live today for donations. We noticed though the "other" drop down menu isn't there like we thought. You now have to put my name and staff number (Franny Lowry #624) in the "notes" section. Please pass this along to everyone you know. Thanks!

Here's the direct link:

https://www.donorbridgetx.org/npo/161680978/

Hoping to get fully funded today. Please continue to ask The Lord about partnering with me monthly as well or maybe even going with me on a trip. :)