The Tooley Family

Our Family is Complete!

2011-12-02T16:17:00.001-06:00

While we have many wonderful stories we'd love to share, we've chosen 5 brief highlights for you – please share these with your local churches as you continue encouraging your people to support us in prayer.

Our first family picture - in the airport
preparing to travel to Costa Rica

In October, we finalized our adoption of Paulina (our 4-year old daughter from Mexico) after a 2-year-long process. She brings so much love and joy into our family and the lives of everyone she meets.
Joel recently helped train 40 young people at the Caribbean Nazarene College in Trinidad in a weekend "cross cultural orientation." As a result of that training event, one young lady from Guyana is preparing to serve as a short-term missionary for 6 months in 2012; the English Field is planning to train and send a sports evangelism team to Ukraine in 2012 during the Euro Cup Soccer tournament; and additional Work and Witness trips to other countries are being planned by local churches in Trinidad.
We were able to attend the first Regional Conference for the entire Mesoamerica Region in Guatemala, where over 700 people were in participation. We helped lead a training session on the ministry strategy that we are involved with - to discover and train new missionaries FROM Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean countries with our purpose to help make Christlike disciples in the nations.
Allison, Nicolas and Annikah are all developing their Spanish language skills terrifically. As well, we have all started to speak primarily in English to Paulina (after being home and primarily speaking Spanish with her for 2 months) to help her quickly learn her second language, as well. As you can imagine, conversations in our home are wonderfully entertaining.
We were invited to speak at a district NYI camp for the northern part of Costa Rica – training nearly 50 young people in the ministry strategy of Youth Mobilization – the new ministry on our region that partners NYI (Nazarene Youth International) and Missionary Mobilization.

As you can see, your prayerful support of our ministry is making an impact – we need you!

Youth Camp in Poas, Costa Rica

Please continue to pray for us in these areas:

We are training 12 new missionaries from 10 countries over the next 3 months – these missionaries will be serving in 7 different areas on our region in the areas of evangelism, discipleship and leadership development for six months.
Pam, as she is involved with translation of Spanish and English ministry resources and training materials and as she disciples new and "young" Believers.
Joel, as he leads NYI and missionary training events in Cuba and Trinidad in January.
The children, as they continue developing their understanding of a 2nd language and developing friendships in Costa Rica.
We are involved with the planning of our regional Nazarene Youth Congress being held in Panama – July, 2012. Pray for God's wisdom and leadership for this event targeting over 800 youth from 30 nations.

We have received a few emails about how to receive cards and packages here, in Costa Rica. While shipping costs can be higher for packages, lighter-weight items are certainly a very welcomed surprise. We can receive cards and letters quite easily, as well. Some people are cautious to send cash, however we've never had any issues with cards/letters being lost or stolen.

Our mailing address here is:

Joel Tooley

SENDAS – Seminario Nazareno

PO Box 3977(Casa #39)

San Jose, COSTA RICA

As we prepare our hearts during this season,

we are celebrating Advent each night by lighting our Advent wreath candles,

listening to Christmas music and reading Scripture together.

We were even blessed to have Grampa & Gramma Tooley join us by video

over the internet one night ~ reading the Advent devotional, singing and praying together.

We are so thrilled to be able to serve Jesus, our long-awaited King.

He has come to bring

hope, peace and redemption

and is coming again to restore His creation in relationship with Him.

What is a Missionary?

2011-10-26T10:43:00.000-06:00

What+is+a+Missionary%3F

Waiting on the Waiting to be Over...

2011-08-21T19:55:00.007-06:00

How long have you waited for something?

I mean...more than things like Christmas morning or your wedding day. More than waiting for your next train or flight to depart...more than waiting for the delivery of your baby in the hospital birth ward.

I'm talking about the kind of waiting like the single woman who has been waiting for a husband; the man with cancer who has been waiting for the "all-clear;" the pastor waiting for his church to "get it."

We've now been waiting for Paulina to come home for nearly 2 years...the only promise we have is that God is faithful.

I told some friends the other day, "God never asked us to have a 'happily-ever-after' life with Paulina. He only asked us to take the steps to bring her home and to trust Him.

I'm tempted to sermonize that point - however, I will simply say that we have taken every step possible to bring Paulina home...and we continue to trust Him, no questions asked.

We are tired; we are sad; we are frustrated; we are ready. We're waiting on the waiting to be over.

Psalm 123:1-3 (The Message)

"I look to you, heaven-dwelling God, look up to you for help.
Like servants, alert to their master's commands,
like a maiden attending her lady,
We're watching and waiting, holding our breath,
awaiting your word of mercy.
Mercy, God, mercy!"

You Can Trust Me...I'm Your Dad

2011-08-11T12:18:00.010-06:00

When I was a kid, I remember playing games with my older brothers - goofing off with friends - and even just playing with other kids in the neighborhood. We had a wooded area that surrounded our little community in University Park, Iowa - population: 318 people, give or take a few. Every kid knew the woods as more than "just" a wooded area - for many, it seemed like the biggest, most adventuresome forest in the world. So many fun memories were made in the woods...and a few bad ones.

I remember the time when I was playing either "war" or "hide and seek" with a group of other kids in the woods...only this time, it seemed that we had gone deeper than we had ever gone before. There were creekbeds, fallen trees, overgrown vegetation and tracks from area wildlife...the adventure was going to be HUGE this time. I don't really recall whether or not I was the one who was "it," but all of a sudden, I clearly realized I was alone - completely.

I yelled out the names of my friends. Nobody answered. I listened for signs of their movement - the sounds of their voices. Nothing - other than the buzz of a distant mosquito and the trickling water in the creek.

Panic.

I started to run - quickly realizing that I had no idea where I was running - I had completely lost all sense of direction. Thorn bushes. Mud. Sun setting.

Time passed.

Lost.

Sheer Panic.

And then...I heard it.

JOEY! (Don't laugh - that was my name as a kid).

JOEY!!!

JOOOOOEYYYY!

Heart pounding out of my chest.

That cry that I had been holding within my throat - you know, that feeling like your throat has a knot the size of your fist in it - that cry suddenly exploded, "DAAAAAADDDDD!!!!!"

DAD! I'm coming! Keep yelling!

Within seconds, I reached the edge of the woods where I had heard my Dad's voice coming from and Dad was in full sight as I ran full-speed into his arms. And then I lost it - I completely fell apart and wept as I buried my head into my Dad's neck, hugging him and crying, "Daddy, I was so scared! They left me and I was lost!"

"I'm here for you, kid - you don't have to be afraid anymore."

That's all he needed to say.

I have no idea why he was there, but he was...and we've never talked about it since.

I'd relegated that experience into the "Almost Forgotten" file of my mind - until this week.

Yesterday, Pam and I took the kids for a short drive outside of Pagosa Springs, Colorado - one of our favorite "get away from it all" places. This has been a restorative place for us over the past few years.

This trip was suppose to be a quick trip:

20 minute drive
15 minute hike up to Treasure Falls - the brochure listed the hike as "EASY."
10 minute hike back to the car
20 minute drive back

When we reached the parking area, the trail that we started out on had a big sign: "TRAIL CLOSED."

So, I did what any good Dad would do. I said, "Come on, kids! Let's see how far we can go!"

Well - a normal 15 minute hike took the Tooleys nearly 85 minutes. I won't go into all of the details - those are memories for my kids to share some day in the future. I will say that there was GOOD reason why the sign said "TRAIL CLOSED."

Trees had fallen, vegetation had overgrown the path, and portions of the trail had eroded away in some pretty treacherous parts of the path.

It was at such a point that I decided to venture ahead of Pam and the kids to see whether or not the trail and the ensuing chasm were crossable. I tried crossing it. It looked terribly frightening, yet - in all honesty it was safe for us to cross. I had a solid footing - there were branches from a long-time fallen tree to grab on to...it was safe.

I'm not sure what brought him to this critical point of hysterical fear, but when Nic saw me cross the eroded path at that high-altitude point in the trail, he went berzerk. He lost it. He pleaded and cried, "No, Daddy! Please don't make us go any further!" He sobbed huge sobs with giant, crocodile tears.

I KNEW we could cross safely. I KNEW we had come so far and the reward was just ahead...I could hear the water falls cascading over the mountain side.

Nic was still crying, pleading to turn back. My fatherly instincts kicked in at this point and I knew that if we turned back - a huge teaching moment would escape my son...and ultimately, me.

At the same time, my heart was absolutely crushed because my son was so gripped with fear. His tears were almost unbearable. I could have just scooped him up and headed home. Instead, I said in a calm voice, "Son? Can you look into my eyes? Look at me." And then I asked, "What is it that you're afraid of?"

He didn't miss a beat. In his small, pleading voice, he said with conviction, "I'm afraid I'm going to fall off the mountain and die." Tears were running down his face.

I replied, "Son - that's not going to happen. You can trust me. You have to trust me. We are not going back - we're going forward and in order for us to do that, we all need you to be brave and to trust Dad."

"What if fall!?" was his immediate response.

"I'm going to be holding on to you so tightly that even if you slip, I won't let you fall."

Now - when I asked Annikah if she was going to cross, she responded with a "YES!" in the same way as if I had asked, "Annikah, would you like to have a million kitties, puppies and your own flower garden?" She had ZERO hesitation. She grabbed my hand...took 2 1/2 steps and was across safely.

I didn't even have to ask Allison - she just grabbed my hand, found her footing and crossed the broken pathway over the ravine.

And then, standing behind Nicolas and rubbing his arms and neck in a way that only a comforting Mother could do, Pam said, "Nicolas - Daddy promises to hold on to you. You'll be safe - you can trust him...and I'm right behind you."

That was it. That's all it took.

He grabbed my hand - took his 2 steps and was safely across.

His fear was gone, instantly - His trust was full.

----------------------------

Today, I found time early in the morning (thanks to a faulty alarm clock that woke me up WAY too early) to go for a wonderful walk to a coffee shop near the place where we're staying. A fantastic double-shot americano (2 Splendas and just the right amount of cream) along with an hour of praying and reading Scripture was what God had arranged for me.

Jeremiah 39:18: "I will save you; you will not fall..., because you trust in me, declares the LORD."

There are so many promises in Scripture - none have ever failed. This particular one was for today.

And then - I opened up Facebook and read through the first 10 updates that appeared on my page. The third one down hit me in such a way that, right there in the middle of the coffee shop, I actually started to cry. My friend had posted something so simple, "'Trust in me, Cindy.' ~ Abba."

Perhaps it was because of the previous day's experience with Nicolas and how my mind kept coming back to it. Perhaps it was because of the promises God had once again laid in front of me through His living, breathing Word.

The image of Father God...Daddy God...Abba - standing at this seemingly impossible precipice that our family is in front of in our journey right now, saying, "Trust me, Joel and Pam. I'm your Daddy and I will save you - you will not fall because you trust in ME."

Our lives have experienced so much uncertainty this past year. I often look at the path in front of me and like Nicolas, cry out, "No! Let's just go back! I don't want to get hurt!"

Our Loving Father - who we can ALWAYS trust, stands in front of us promising, "If you'll hold on to me, I will not let you fall."

Well - after we made it past the "pit of death" as Nicolas later referred to it, I asked him, "Hey, Nic...what do you think of our hike now?"

"Well, Dad...that was the scariest thing I've ever done and I never want to do it again."

(LONG PAUSE)

"...but, I'm really glad we did it."

Me too, son. Me, too.

PS: Shortly after our harrowing experience over the ravine - we stumbled upon a very well-kept, wide and well-marked path. It turns out, the National Park Service had built a new, easier path that started just yards/meters away from where we had started off on our own - down the "CLOSED TRAIL." The falls were marvelous and the journey down the mountain path was quick. Nic was a much happier hiker!

PSS: Dad, I love you. Thank you for never failing me - for always being there at just the right moment.

She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain When She Comes

2011-08-06T23:03:00.003-06:00

There's an old folk song often sung by children in the United States that carries whimsical lyrics and a catchy tune - the air of the folk song lends towards something hopeful...that "something" that is highly anticipated, sought after...just around the next corner. Hopefully.

We returned to the USA from Costa Rica during the 1st week of July - just in time to watch some fireworks and enjoy a small-town Independence Day parade in Georgia. We then drove to Louisville, Kentucky to participate in the quadrennial "Nazarene Youth Conference" - where over 6,000 teenagers from Canada and the USA met together for a week of serving others, worshiping God, and developing as young leaders. Followed by this amazing an event was a time set aside to speak in several churches throughout SW Ohio and Indiana - thanking churches for their faithful giving to World Evangelism and to generate prayer and financial support for our ongoing ministry.

Our intent was to hopefully be interrupted during this time by a phone call from Mexico - telling us that they were ready for us to bring Paulina home.

Instead, we received news that her paperwork was held up - yet again. The news also included the information that the government office that held her paperwork had inexplicably closed for a couple of weeks.

Then, (we can't make this stuff up!) we received a call from the US government informing us that "our fingerprints had expired." We knew this was a possibility, but did not anticipate our journey reaching this inevitable moment. After a few phone calls of attempted negotiation, we were told that we would need to have our fingerprints renewed in El Paso in the middle of August.

All of our highly tentative plans were no longer tentative - they were obsolete.

We WERE planning to return to Costa Rica to complete our final 8 weeks of Spanish language school - with Paulina sitting next to us on Flight #1247, Seat 25B. That could still happen.

THE FAQ (frequently asked question) we receive is, "When is Paulina going to be with you?"

Our answer: "When her little legs are dangling under our dining room table."

So - for now, we're on our way back to our El Paso home to have our fingerprints scanned once again and to spend some time with our little girl in Mexico.

She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes!

(For more information on the background of this song, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She'll_Be_Coming_'Round_the_Mountain ).

Waiting...

2011-07-16T21:38:00.002-06:00

Paulina celebrated her 4th birthday last week with people who love her and are nurturing her beautifully - yet, without her Mommy and Daddy and her brother and sisters.

It turns out that we're waiting on a paper that needs to be signed by someone in a government office who has been on "disability leave" for an undetermined amount of time. We've heard that someone has made contact with the correct government office and that things are once again moving.

Meanwhile, we're waiting. God is teaching us to trust Him more and more. It's easy to trust God; it's not easy to trust people who don't know Him. He is sovereign. He is present - with us and with Paulina. He is in control.

We trust Him...and we wait.

Language School

2011-06-01T10:29:00.002-06:00

Joel and I have now completed 3 months of our 6 months of Spanish language classes here on the campus of Semenario Nazareno de las Americas (SENDAS) in Costa Rica. We have enjoyed our time with our teacher, Gaby, conversing in Spanish about God's work in our lives, and of course mixing in grammar and new vocabulary along the way.

Our Spanish ability has been tested as well, as we participate in church each Sunday and converse with other missionaries in the office, in reality a very international community. This past Sunday we were privileged to go to our pastor's house for Sunday lunch. As we sat around the table for several hours, talking in Spanish and laughing together, I was also praising God for all that we have learned so far.

We are half way through our time of schooling, and we still have much to learn. But, God is faithfully helping us!

We're all waiting...

2011-05-29T18:00:00.007-06:00

When we said, "Yes" to God, we entered a whole new world on this incredible journey of adoption. For over 1 1/2 years now, our life story has been wrapped around "adoption." We're still waiting, of course. Actually - we have decided now that we are all professional "waiters."

Not a day passes by without Allison, Nicolas, and Annikah praying for Paulina...typically Annikah is the one who leads in the prayer. Her typical prayer goes something like this: "Dear Jesus, Thank you for letting Paulina be our sister. Please let her come home soon and help the people who have our papers to look at them. Please help Paulina love you because you love her. Please help all the people who are taking care of her - help them to love Paulina and to love you, too." Annikah is waiting in prayer - anticipating her new sister will learn to love Jesus as much as she does.

Since Nicolas is the practical thinker in the bunch, he has been the one who was always concerned about the adoption time frame, how much everything was costing, and whether or not we were going to have enough money to cover the expense of our adoption. He's also the one who has been preoccupied with not "IF" but WHEN Paulina would encounter mean kids who could possibly hurt her with mean-spirited questions or comments...and how he can protect her. Nicolas is waiting in anticipation of what it means to be Paulina's big brother...to take care of her.

Allison has been one of our best sojourners in this adoption process - she senses when we're worried or stressed and has a terrific ability to share that burden with us. When we're privileged to spend time with Paulina, Allison is the one who makes a special point to talk to Paulina at her eye level and listens to Pau carefully - to pick up on the things she cares about, like the horses; chickens; the park and her friends Mayra, Carlitos and Anita. Allison is waiting to be the best big sister a younger sibling could ever imagine...and she's waiting to celebrate the finalization of this part of our journey.

And then, there's Paulina...Paulina is the one who has been waiting longer than any of us. I've often wished I could have a peak into her precious little mind.

What does she wonder about?
What does she think when she sees us all parade into her life - happy, hugging, kissing, talking, hugging some more, playing, hugging some more and then saying "good-bye" once again. What does she think when we all walk away together, leaving her behind?
What does she think about the nannies who care for her?
What does she think about the other children who share a home with her? They are all children who are specially challenged: some can't see; some can't walk; some can't move at all - most cannot talk. What is she thinking about all of this?

This is really all she knows -- this IS all she knows. This is Paulina's "normal." Paulina has been told that she's going to live with her new family -- but, really...what does that mean to a 3 1/2 year old little girl who only knows the people and place where she currently lives? She's waiting. Paulina is waiting for the unknown - something that everyone else seems very happy about, yet she knows nothing of.

And so...we're all waiting.

Psalm 27:14 (New Living Translation): "Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD."

In our time of waiting - Pam and I have found that if we try to rush things along or push doors open, then we are not waiting...we're doing. This passage (and many others) does not tell us to "Do things quickly and impatiently for the Lord." No, it tells us to WAIT, BE BRAVE AND COURAGEOUS...and then again, WAIT. And of course, the icing on the cake...wait PATIENTLY for the Lord.

We're not worried, we're not preoccupied with the nitty-gritty details in the in-n-out of every day...we have become professional "waiters."

Okay...now for those of you who really want to what's going on while we're waiting...

Two weeks ago, the US received our final paper work from Mexico. During this process (of waiting), the US reviews Paulina's official birth documents, her statement of history, and her status as a legal orphan, along with the official statement that Mexico recognizes us as eligible to adopt her.

Once we receive the final approval from the US government (possibly within the next couple of weeks), our adoption agency will help facilitate setting up our appointments with the Mexican government (not necessarily in this order) to:

Finalize Paulina's adoption in the State of Chihuahua
Getting Paulina's name to be officially changed to "Paulina Fe Tooley" (Fe = Faith in Spanish)
Flying to Mexico City with Paulina
Making an appointment to get Paulina's Mexican passport
After we get her Mexican passport, we have to take her to the US embassy to have her adoption finalized there and to have her Mexican passport changed to a US passport and to obtain her adoption visa.
Then, we will fly back to El Paso, Texas - once she touches US soil, she will have full citizenship rights.

When this will all take place? No one knows...we're anticipating it will happen soon, however. Perhaps in the middle of July...but then again, we're "waiting," so we can't truly begin to plan.

Financially, we've been positioned well - thanks to the sale of our personal vehicle, several garage sales, wonderful donations from several friends and one particularly generous donation from some very dear friends who God had lead them to care for "the least of these" through our adoption.

As international adoptions go, expenses mount up without warning - many revolving around non-glamorous details like translation of official documents, authenticating documents and travel.

We thought that we were doing okay up to this point - however, our adoption agency recently notified us of $2,500.00 in fees that we have not anticipated. If you feel impressed to be a part of this adoption journey with us financially - we would GREATLY appreciate your investment. No amount is too small nor is it too big.

Still...we are waiting...waiting on the LORD.

Paulina to join the family soon...

2011-04-21T23:10:00.001-06:00

Our adoption story actually began in October of 2009 when we felt God impressing us to get involved personally with orphans. From that time, our lives have been changed as we have visited the orphanage Los Ojos de Dios (The Eyes of God) in Ciudad Juarez numerous times and have worked many hours on adoption paperwork and process.

A process that began with our answering “Yes” to God has touched many lives in Mexico and the US and has changed us forever. Although, the process has taken much more time than we planned and would have hoped, we are confident that God continues to work in many lives through the story of this little girl. God is faithful!

The latest news is that we have a court appearance in Mexico on April 27th. We are at the beginning of the finalization. Please pray with us that God’s will would be done in each of our hearts as we continue to say “Yes” to Him.

family picture - Nov, 2010

2011-04-21T23:06:00.004-06:00

In Costa Rica

2011-04-21T23:01:00.001-06:00

Recently, we accepted a new assignment from Nazarene Global Mission to join the Mesoamerica Region and work with NYI and Global Mission. We arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, on March 1 and began Spanish language study the following Monday.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time and our ministry in El Paso, Texas, these past four years. El Paso has become home to us, and God has been gracious to use us to touch people’s lives.
When we talked to our kids about this change in ministry, Allison, age 11, said, through tears, “I know this is what God has next for us.” Her words say for each of us that is difficult to say goodbye, but we are filled with anticipation and joy in continuing to serve God.

We will be working with NYI leaders and those called to serve as missionaries across the region, which includes the 23 countries of the Caribbean, Mexico, and the 6 countries of Central America. This will be a ministry among 4 major language groups and about 75,000 young people.

Please pray that we will be led clearly by God in this new assignment. As always with change, there are many adjustments. The new region is experiencing change as well, but God never changes! We continue to rely on Him!

Paulina

2010-08-05T23:56:00.000-06:00

Paulina in action

2010-08-05T23:55:00.000-06:00

Update on Paulina

2010-08-01T22:59:00.005-06:00

Just a brief update...we are in the "don't contact us, we'll contact you" phase of our waiting for Paulina to come home. We are hoping that things will progress smoothly and Paulina will come home before September.

There are a few items for which we invite you to join with us in prayer:

1) The smooth completion of our adoption of Paulina
2) Due to the continued escalation in drug-related violence in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, the US Consulate has closed for a security review...this could impact our adoption process, but more importantly, it is disruptive to 1000's of lives.
3) We are fully aware that God is at work in the lives of people we are in contact with daily - pray that we will be faithful to Him in His call for us to serve.

If you would like to contribute to the medical needs of the children at Los Ojos de Dios where Paulina lives, that would be a meaningful way to support something we are very passionate about.

Please visit their website at: www.ojosdedios.org

Also, you can view these videos produced for Los Ojos de Dios that feature a part of our story.

http://vimeo.com/13235204

Praying for Mexico with Summer Missionaries

2010-06-09T10:55:00.003-06:00

On May 26, 41 college students made their way to El Paso – each with one heavy suitcase, plenty of excitement and a readiness to share the Good News around the globe in a summer with Youth In Mission.

The Nazarene Border Initiative Center turned into a training arena buzzing with cross-cultural orientation, team building, and spiritual formation.

On the second night of training camp, students were led up to a scenic point in the mountains near the training center for what was intended to be a group photo. Instead, their eyes were opened to so much more. The scenic point overlooks the cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Joel Tooley, Mobilization Coordinator for Global Mission and director of Youth In Mission, shared about the drug war violence in Mexico and how it is impacting the people in cities like Ciudad Juarez. It became a moving moment with tears and deep concern for the people just minutes away from where the group was training for global ministry. Students gathered around Maru Rodriguez, a missionary from the North Mexico Field, as she prayed in Spanish for those affected by the violence and for the dynamic church leaders who are engaging our Mexican churches in making Christlike disciples.

Please pray for the students as they spend their summer overseas in Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, El Paso, India, Italy, Liberia, Mexico, Romania, Senegal, South Africa, Vanuatu, and a Creative Access area in Asia. These students join hundreds more who have been mobilized from each of our Nazarene Universities in the USA and even more from other world areas.

(article submitted by Laura Poff - photo by Marty Hoskins)

Traveling to California

2010-03-18T02:13:00.001-06:00

We've been able to travel together this week, as a family, because the kids are on Spring Break. So, we visited PLNU (Point Loma Nazarene University) in San Diego, CA where we attended chapel; met with some of our ministry team leaders on staff at the university [Brian & Kelli Becker; Melissa Tucker; Christina Pacheco; Mary Paul]; and connected with a great group of MK's (Missionary Kids) who are studying either at PLNU or other area colleges. [MK's/PK's = Julie McKeithen; David McKeithen; Kathryn Louw; Jocelyn Vasquez; Jessica Bird; and Casey Brough].

Besides getting to be "spectators" in an amazing chapel service where we heard our friends, Brian and Kelli Becker share about their recent trip to Haiti with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries; we were able to meet up with a group of students on Spring Break from MNU (Mid-America Nazarene University) at Balboa Park. [MNU group included: Emilie Beckum; Barrett Alexanader; Mitchell Cloud; Randy & Loretta Cloud, and others].

Oh - and today (March 17) was my 39th birthday...along with St. Patrick's Day. Great chapel service, great Mexican food for lunch, great time with friends, great fun at the park and the Fleet Science Museum, great Panera Bread for dinner, and great chocolate cake at the "Extraordinary Desserts" restaurant = a pretty great day.

Mommy's Girl

2010-03-10T02:36:00.000-06:00

Today, when we took Pam's parents to meet Paulina, we walked through the door and I heard her crying. Now, don't be to emotionally charged just yet - it appeared as if she was crying because she had gotten into trouble and was in a short time-out...which led to her unhappy moment.

As soon as she saw me, she cried, "Pa-paaaaa!" and I of course, ran to her rescue. She clung to me for just a moment until she saw Pam. When she noticed Pam coming, she cried, "Pa-paaaa!" again (slight confusion on who is Papa and who is Mama) and grabbed immediately for Pam.

For nearly 30 minutes, Paulina clung to Pam - with her little head pressed into Pam's neck and burrowed in her Mommy's protective arms. The moment was priceless.

Then, without urging, she was fine - and proceeded to play with Pam's dad and some of the other people in the room.

It was a perfect day.

MK's 'r us!

2010-03-09T19:56:00.000-06:00

We recently met with a great group of kids whose families are in a similar vocation as ours. During the week, their parents were involved in a time of spiritual formation. Pam and I were privileged to host this group of kids for a time of retreat.

Adoption Involvement

2010-03-03T15:42:00.007-06:00

Some common responses to our story of adoption:

1) You guys are so amazing!
2) We have always wanted to adopt...hopefully we can some day.
3) Oh my word! How can you afford that? I thought adoption was really expensive!

A few responses to those responses:

1) GOD is amazing...we are simply privileged to be able to join in with what HE is doing. There's nothing amazing about us...just God.

2) Well? Who's preventing you from adopting? There are over 143 MILLION orphans in the world...one orphan is too many. See http://143million.org/ on how you can get involved - even if you can't adopt, you can still impact the life of an orphan. It's actually pretty easy and fun to love on an orphan!

3) Ummm...yes - adoption is costly. However, we didn't ask "How much is this going to cost?" when God lead us into this journey. Practically, however, we need approximately $12,000 to bring Paulina home. We have sold our VW Jetta and are in the process of pursuing some grants. We've been told that most adoption grants are gone now, due to the economy.

We have also started a fundraiser at http://www.justlovecoffee.com/PaulinaTooley. So, if you like coffee or know a human who does - consider buying a few hundred pounds today! Each pound of coffee provides $5 towards our adoption fund.

Thanks for checking these links out - thanks for your help in bringing Paulina home!

We're adopting!

2010-03-03T00:59:00.006-06:00

Paulina - Eyes of God

Have you ever walked into a room or interrupted a conversation when you instantly knew you weren’t supposed to be there…or you at least felt like you weren’t? At times, it seems as if that’s what happens with me in my journey with God – God is obviously at work and I walk in on what He’s doing; feeling like I’m intruding or invading some sacred event that’s not intended for me. That scenario is what happened when God introduced me to one of His most beautiful creations, a two-year old orphan named Paulina.

In 2008, we made the investment for Nicolas and Allison to take a few painting classes from a sweet Mexican lady at our local Hobby Lobby craft store. One evening, the teacher introduced me to another student in the class because she knew of our missionary work with the Nazarene Border Initiative along with the fact that this other Mexican lady and her husband were opening an orphanage in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The director of this orphanage is Patricia Silis – how naïve I was to not recognize then how God was bringing me into His plan.

For several months since meeting Patricia, I had been intending to visit the orphanage to see how the Nazarene Church could possibly connect with them – potentially a NCM Child Development Center; a site for youth group mission trips; Youth In Mission teams, Work and Witness teams, etc. The orphanage, “Los Ojos de Dios” (The Eyes of God) has tremendous potential of being a vital connection in the community for some of our Nazarene churches in Juarez – as well as a good “draw” for people interested in serving with the Nazarene Border Initiative. With all these appealing factors, I simply wanted to make an initial connection with the orphanage to begin exploring how we could partner together.

Los Ojos de Dios is one of the most intriguing ministry centers I've ever visited...very holistic – ecologically green – utilizing reusable resources; providing jobs for handicapped adults; caring for special needs/abandoned children; and ultimately the spiritual development of the children that are in their care. It's a Christian orphanage that is not tied to any single denomination; however they are very interested in partnering with anyone who shares their mission for caring for abandoned children and for taking care of all of God’s creation.

After months and months of good intentions, I finally made the 45 minute trip to Los Ojos de Dios. Another missionary had intended to go with me that day; however, he got tied up with several other projects he’d been working on and I ended up going by myself. I later would learn that this was a blessing from God – He wanted to position me to be in a place where I could silently listen to His voice.

Now, take a jaunt back in time nearly 17 years ago...Pam and I, before we were married had both made it a life priority to adopt a child some day. We knew God’s Word was clear to us in our responsibility to care for orphans and in particular, He placed a desire within us to open our home through adoption…some day. "Some day" was always far away down the road, I think. Throughout the years, we became experts at allowing too many life excuses to get in the way - 1) we have three biological children that are "enough" responsibility; 2) we need to wait until we're more financially stable; 3) we need to wait until we're in a stable living place in our ministry...and the list could go on.

Especially since being in El Paso, God has clearly laid on our hearts His command to minister to the widows and the orphans – feeling that this could be a special niche in the Nazarene Border Initiative. By ministering to widows and orphans – even kids living in broken homes (sometimes kids live in abandonment even with "parents" in the home), we could minister to the very people that God wants to pour out His grace upon. So, this conviction we’ve had has actually begun to play out. We've even rationalized THAT by recognizing the broken families we've already ministered to - the single moms, the kids whose parents are disconnected; the troubled teens; etc. Those "count" don't they? James chapter one’s “test of true religion” certainly would allow those ministry connections to “count,” right? This part of the story is actually a very intimate part of my personal questions/issues I've been wrestling with as I learn to understand more about what it means to serve others as Christ did.

Well...there's nothing like visiting an orphanage filled with children – to grip your heart. The children in this particular orphanage, Los Ojos de Dios, have nannies and "brothers and sisters," but no real home. No mom. No Dad. Not only that, the orphanage is filled to capacity. Every time a child is adopted, another abandoned child receives a new life at the orphanage. Many of the children at Los Ojos de Dios (orphanage) come from the Raramuri Indians of Chihuahua and are abandoned because they have what are considered to be “special needs.” In many places throughout the world, children with special needs are sometimes seen as “cursed” or a result of some terrible sin – and as a result; they are not seen as viable members of the community and are merely thrown out as rubbish.

Imagine. God’s perfect creation – a child – tossed out as if he or she were a piece of rotten food. God’s gift – discarded.

Los Ojos de Dios is the only orphanage in Chihuahua (the largest state in Mexico) that provides specific care for children with “special needs.” All of the children who live at the orphanage have some type of physical, neurological or medical special need.

The time had come; I was finally able to carve out the time to visit Los Ojos de Dios – to explore some possible connections for the Church of the Nazarene. Nothing more.

That was my only plan.

I didn’t intend to walk in on what God was doing that day and I certainly didn't intend for 2 ½ year old Paulina to steal my heart. Several of the children were so eager to be hugged and loved on. It was Paulina who kept running to me and hugging me and wanting me to hold her – then, at once she looked at me as I was holding her and asked, "Beso, Papa?" Now, I’m not typically the guy who is easily swayed, at least emotionally. I’ve worked with children long enough to know that they can be masters at manipulating your heart strings. However, in those moments that day – it was as if God began asking the questions: When are you going to be serious about caring for orphans? Are you willing to choose an orphan to be a part of your very own family? Are you going to move beyond child sponsorship to truly investing in the life of one of MY children?

It was one of those moments when God questions your heart and you inescapably know it’s His voice.

Paulina is from the Raramuri Indians, indigenous people living in northern Chihuahua – connected to the Aztecs. She was born with her right arm developed only to her elbow, missing her forearm and right hand. To some, this condition may be perceived to be a handicap, however that has not crossed Paulina’s mind. She is a resilient, active and very capable little girl – with a smile that will melt the most unsuspecting person.

At just five days old, Paulina’s birth parents brought her to a hospital and left her there.

This is a significant detail in Paulina’s young life.

The Raramuri believe that if a child is born with any type of perceived defect, it is a curse from the Devil – and the remedy is to simply throw them out. It is not unlikely for a child born with Paulina’s profile to be discarded like trash. In fact, some of the children at Los Ojos de Dios have been rescued from dump sites.

This is why Paulina’s story is so significant – her parents cared for her for five days. For five days, they most likely toiled over the difficult decision on what to do with their precious baby. This precious child who they longed to care for after waiting for nine months was now visibly a liability within the community – they would be forced to do the unthinkable and throw her away.

Courageously, this young couple chose life and they carefully took Paulina to a hospital where they new she would receive care – and a future.

The southern gospel singing family, The Isaacs, have a song written about families who adopt entitled, “Heroes.” In the chorus of the song, part of the lyrics sing, “Someone else's burden was their blessing in disguise.”

The hour and a half on the bridge back into El Paso gave me time to listen to God closely enough to know that I needed to talk with Pam about the experience I had. When I got home - it's all we could talk about. We talked about Paulina; we talked about how God has been directing us in Scripture; we talked about the financial factors that would inhibit our ability to adopt; we talked about the impact this would have on the people God allows us to minister to; we talked about the impact it would make on ONE child; we talked about the potential of having our organization either permitting us or even not permitting us to move in this direction; we talked about everything we could think of...and it all made sense. It made sense for us to see how God was leading in this open door. We walked into this unintentionally, yet sincerely and with the peace that passes understanding, sensed God leading us in this journey.

As I was originally writing this memoire, an email popped up from a dear friend of ours. She and her husband are pastoring a Nazarene Church in South Carolina and have two adopted children of their own. Having gone through a similar journey themselves, we wrote to them asking them to pray with us. Here is her response to our story:

"Oh, Joel, your story made me cry. You can have all the excuses in the world until your command from God has a name and calls you Papa. We will be praying for you. It is such a wonderful journey and you will be far more blessed by this little girl than you will bless her life. Money, paperwork, the people around you, etc. are simple details in the hands of our God. If this child is meant to join your family He will take care of it. Here is a scripture that God sent me when we received the call about our daughter and I was seeking wisdom about her adoption:

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing" Psalm 68:5-6a."

By the time I was able to read our friend’s letter, I was miles away from Pam and the kids - sitting in a hotel, preparing for a weekend speaking engagement. As I read this familiar Scripture once again, the tears flowed openly because of God’s grace in my life. You see…this story is not about Pam and me; it’s not even about this precious little girl who is waiting for a family. This story is about God’s grace – His willingness to dwell with us through the lives of the fatherless.

Well, most adoption stories are full of unanticipated twists, turns, roadblocks and victories. We have experienced each of those elements…and we’re still waiting for Paulina to come home. Please pray for us as we wait, fulfill our part of what is known as the “paper pregnancy,” and wait some more. This story is in God’s hands.

International adoption laws are constantly changing and we’re finding ourselves becoming experts in navigating this new world. Meanwhile, every chance we get, we find ourselves making the 45 minute trip from our house to Paulina’s house to visit.

There is so much more to say – these past few months of waiting have unveiled countless stories of God’s confirmation in our lives intertwined with His sovereign plan to use this part of our journey to draw other people closer to Him.
I am so glad God let me walk in on what He was doing that day in October. He had intended for me to invade His plan all along.

This is His story.

Summer Vacation - 2009

2009-07-23T00:34:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Traveling in the sun

2009-07-02T20:29:00.000-06:00

We are in the midst of a 10-week trek across the country - speaking in churches; participating at a youth camp; attending the quadrennial General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando, Florida; and taking a few days of needed vacation.

If you would like to be included in our email updates, be sure to email us at jtooley@nazarene.org.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Easter picture

2009-05-21T15:28:00.000-06:00

Ministry Update

2009-05-21T15:22:00.000-06:00

This spring has been remarkably busy with extra travel and a couple of new ministries. We are so thankful for the prayers that are offered in our behalf as we realize time and again how vulnerable we are without the power and grace of God! He is the one that we serve. His direction is always on time, and His grace is always abundant to meet our need.

One of the ministry areas that God has compelled us to join this spring and summer is a nearby church Re-Start. After talking to the DS of this district, we have been named the strategy consultants for this pastor and church. Our desire is to be led very clearly by God in all that we do and say in order to have the greatest ministry effectiveness in this new church.

An exciting part of our ministry took place recently as Joel was able to participate in the launching of a new Hispanic church here in El Paso. This new church is a part of the Southwest Latin District, under the leadership of DS Roberto Hodgson. As well, Joel was recently able to meet with a ministry strategy team in Tucson, AZ, to develop plans for starting new churches in southern Arizona. Next year, we will be helping facilitate teams of people from every district in the world using GOL 2010 – an evangelistic thrust using sports camp outreach in conjunction with the World Cup Soccer Tournament.

Another ministry that has increased and changed is our connection with World Mission Mobilization. Currently we are working diligently to prepare and train Mission Coaches, people that have the tools and resources to effectively disciple those that have sensed God’s call on their lives toward missions. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to have an impact on the world for generations to come by effectively ministering to future missionaries.

Currently we are also preparing for Youth In Mission training camp. This is one of our favorite times of the year although it is quite busy. On May 26th, we will have 66 university students and about 20 staff members here in the El Paso area for 6 days. The students will be preparing for 8 weeks of ministry around the world in teams of 3 and 4. We are blessed to be a part of this ministry that reaches the far corners of the world and also impacts the university students for future missions involvement and sensitivity!

Some specific prayer requests:

- For the new pastor and wife of this Re-Start church, that they would be powerfully led of God as they begin this new ministry.

- For the Youth In Mission students as they prepare for ministry this summer – for their spiritual preparation most of all, as well as their financial preparation.

- For our family as we travel this summer, that we would be used of God to touch people’s lives as we minister in churches, camps and in people’s homes.

We will be working at General Assembly in Orlando this summer. If you will be at the event, we would love to meet you! Please come and say "hello” to us in the World Mission exhibit.

Global NYI (Nazarene Youth International)

2009-01-14T13:34:00.000-06:00

Joel here...

One of the privileges of our ministry assignment is my connection with Nazarene Youth International. As a ministry partner via my involvement with Youth In Mission (, I get to interact with, rub shoulders with, and enjoy times of ministry strategy and vision with some of the greatest leaders in the Church of the Nazarene.

This week, I am in Orlando, Florida with 25 or so of our church's top leaders from around the world (Brazil, Mexico, USA, Argentina, Paraguay, Guatemala, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, Philippines, Trinidad and Puerto Rico) - planning, preparing for, and anticipating some exciting developments for the Church of the Nazarene.

If you will, please pray for Nazarene Youth International and the future God has for our church.

Update on Baby Sandrita (See Nov. 12, 2008 post)

2009-01-01T13:01:00.000-06:00

Praise the Lord!

We recently heard that Cosme and Sandra took baby Sandrita in for blood work. She was preparing to begin her next round of chemotherapy.

The doctors ran her bloodwork and discovered there was no sign of leukemia any longer!

God has healed this precious baby!

Nic and Joel go to the Sun Bowl

2009-01-01T12:58:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Soldier, the Hospital and Rene

2008-11-17T23:44:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

It was an accidental meeting, I guess – at least I hadn’t intended to stop by. I was at the apartment of Marco and Betty, the pastoral family for our Spanish congregation at El Paso 1st Church of the Nazarene when Pastor Marco introduced me to René, a Mexican man who had been around the facility for a few weeks – helping with the duct work for the furnaces and doing other odd jobs.

Marco introduced me to René and told me his story. There were no jobs for him anywhere, yet he needed to provide for his family. René had obtained documents to enter the USA for work some months or years earlier and had been living in Colorado and later Lubbock, TX. Forced to leave his wife and young son behind in southern Chihuahua since they did not have documents to enter the USA, René worked long enough to earn sufficient money to hire a “coyote.”

In the Southwest part of the USA, a “coyote” is a person who smuggles people illegally across the Mexican border into the USA. The “pollo” (pronounced “PO-yo,”/English translation: chicken) can pay the coyote upwards of $2,000 to be guided illegally into the USA. Well, this particular coyote that René hired was truly corrupt and dropped his wife and little boy off in the middle of the Mexican desert. Upon taking their money, he told them they were in Arizona and then deserted them.

With only the clothes they had on their backs, this young mother and her five-year old son found their way to Ciudad Juárez, the Mexican city that borders El Paso, Texas.

Again on this particular day, René was trying to find work, both in Juárez and in El Paso – to help buy clothes and food for his family. When I met him, René was not the kind of guy who was asking for a handout. He wasn’t coming for welfare assistance. He was simply asking for work so that he could provide for his family. He said, my skills are in construction but I’ll do anything – I’ll wash someone’s car, I’ll pull weeds, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Almost as a side thought, Marco interjected, “Did you hear about Sandrita?” Sandrita is the 6-month old baby of Cosme (pronounced “KOHZ-may”) and Sandra, a young Mexican couple who have been attending El Paso 1st Church of the Nazarene for a while. They committed their lives to Christ and were baptized on the Centennial Sunday of the Church of the Nazarene. Since Baby Sandrita was born in Mexico and doesn’t have documents yet to enter the USA like her parents and her two brothers do, they have been limited in coming to church as a family.

It was during this week that baby Sandrita was diagnosed with leukemia – blood cancer.

The structure of the Mexican health care system is comprised of three components: the social security institute, governmental services for the uninsured, and the private sector that is financed almost completely from out of pocket money. The latter is primarily the system that has the most qualitative care yet is the least common amongst the people who largely live in poverty.

The disappointing news was that she was indeed in a government hospital in Juárez where the doctors were unable to administer intravenous medicine – her veins were too fragile. Surgery was necessary to set up a central line for her chemotherapy.

I immediately asked Marco if we could go visit the family in the hospital the next day and we set the plans for Thursday, the next day. We would go visit Sandrita in the hospital and then visit René and his family – to encourage them.

There were three of us – Marco, Gavin – another missionary, and myself. As we left the church parking lot, I prayed that God would allow us to be a blessing to as many people as He chose for us.

When we crossed the border into Mexico I immediately noticed the difference in law enforcement from when I had last crossed three months prior. Due to the 1,200 (+) murders that occurred in Juárez over the previous 10 months due to warring drug cartels and corrupt law officials, the Mexican military was once again raising security measures.

Since we were in a van, the soldiers directed us to pull off into an area where they could search our vehicle. We got out and waited for the searchers to direct us back to our van. In less than a minute, we were back in the van when one of the soldiers with his machine gun approached Pastor Marco in the driver’s seat. He asked, “Are you a Christian?” Marco replied and the soldier, with fear in his voice told how he was so worried about his family in Mexico City. It’s very common for the drug cartel to pay off law enforcement officials in order to get them to work for them. If they turn against the cartel, they will find their family and will threaten to kill them if they don’t join them. This soldier was a Christian and said that his job prohibited the soldiers from leaving the base outside of their patrolling times (if they went off base, the cartel could get to them and threaten them or pay them off) – so he couldn’t go to church. He asked if Marco would pray for him.

At that moment, I saw God.

As we drove away from that soldier, we marveled at how God brought him to us. There was no external indication that we were “Christian.” No church name on the side of the van; no religious t-shirts; no flashing neon signs; nothing. Only God.

When we arrived at the government hospital, we learned that this type of hospital does not have public visitor access. Each family admitted to the hospital receives one ticket to admit a guest. It appeared that if the hospital did have public access, it would soon be swamped with people packing the halls and patient rooms.

From outside of the hospital, Marco called Sandra, the mother of Sandrita. The baby had just gone into surgery so Sandra, who was completely alone, came outside of the hospital to meet with us. Right there, in the midst of the groups of people waiting immediately outside of the hospital’s doors – family members, friends, and people coming to visit patients they cared for – we gave encouraging words to Sandra, read Psalm 91, and prayed with her.

Psalm 91 (NIV)
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you; no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

So, there we were – with this mother…unsure of life or death; disease or healing…all alone.

I shared with her these words: “Sandra, I have three children in my home – they are all in God’s hands. Daily, I place them in the hands of God. I also have two children who are safe in Heaven. They are in the hands of God. Whenever we are in the center of God’s will – surrendered to Him…that is the safest place to be. The safest place to be is in the hands of God.”

“In the midst of your suffering today, God is suffering with you. While you are weeping, He is weeping with you. Later, when you hold your precious baby girl, you can rest assured that He has been holding her all along. While you can’t be with her in the surgery room right this moment, God is with her holding her and comforting her.”

As the young mother wept, she said, “I know God’s peace – He is in control.”

I saw God.

After we left Sandra to return to the waiting room of the hospital, we were on our way to visit René and his family. I felt impressed to ask Marco to find out where Cosme (Sandrita’s daddy) was working.

Cosme could not get off work to be with his wife and daughter during the surgery. Cosme works for an American company in Mexico. He’s a line supervisor for a company that manufactures home security systems. To take off work would mean he would jeopardize his 100 pesos per day (less than $10 USA) income he needed to maintain in order to provide for his family.

We found out where he worked and met him at the security gate outside.

It was noon.

Alone, there at his factory, Cosme had been watching the seconds tick by so slowly and menacingly - waiting for 4 o’clock in the afternoon when we he could rush to the hospital to see his baby. He wasn’t even certain that the little girl he had held that morning would still be with them by day’s end.

Right there, we shared many of the same words we had just moments before shared with his precious wife.

Psalm 91:1 - “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

We prayed. He wept. And then he said, “I know we are in God’s hands.”

I saw God.

When we arrived at René’s borrowed house, we were graciously invited into a small room furnished completely with two borrowed metal folding chairs and a small wooden end table loaned to him by Marco. On the small, rigged-together counter top, a “hot plate” burner with one pot and one pan along with a couple of plates and cups were all the contents of their meager kitchen. No refrigerator. A sink. A couple of golfball sized apples sat in a cardboard box on the floor. The bags of rice and beans Marco and Betty had provided to them were not visible.

In the next room, a mattress they had found discarded somewhere was laying on the concrete floor as their bed.

The clothes they were wearing.

A car…their most valuable possession.

No job. No food. No money. No heat for the cold, desert-winter nights.

We had gone to visit for a couple of reasons – to encourage this desperate family and to reassure René’s wife that he had indeed been looking for work in order to provide for them.

Undoubtedly, after going through the trauma she had faced, this survivor wife had mounting frustration with their life situation. She was angry with her husband and was questioning what he was doing throughout the day. We told her that he had met with a Nazarene pastor’s wife who managed a local fast food restaurant in El Paso – after completing a food-safety course the next Monday, he would be eligible to work in her restaurant.

This skilled construction worker was going to flip burgers in order to provide for his family. He wasn’t asking for a handout or trying to manipulate a foreign government’s welfare system – he wanted to work – for his family.

I’m nearly certain that once he earns enough money, he’ll attempt to get his family into “the land of opportunity” once again. I wondered at that moment if I might not do that same desperate thing in order to provide for my family.

We brought words of encouragement – the same words I had already offered to Sandra. The words offered to Cosme were now offered to René, his precious wife and their five-year old son. I told this mother, “Whether you are desperately alone in a desert or living in prosperity – God has not forgotten you. He loves you and wants to offer you His mercy.”

Psalm 91:15 – “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”

As we all joined hands and prayed together; they wept.

I saw God.

When we reached the hospital once again, our plan was to call Sandra and have her meet us outside once again. We wanted so badly to go inside to pray with baby Sandrita and offer comfort to Sandra there – so she wouldn’t need to leave the bedside of her baby.

As we walked from the van to the hospital entrance, we had just stepped on to the curb when a car pulled up and a woman got out of her car to approach us. She asked, “Are you Christians?”

This was the second time this question had been asked during the day.

Marco responded and she asked if we would go with her to pray with her brother who was in a diabetic coma. Marco explained to her that we did not have a pass to get into the hospital. She replied, “That’s okay – I have an extra!”

Immediately we marveled at how God brought this woman to us at just the right moment that we needed Him.

Right then, OUR plan was to have Marco go in with this woman while Gavin and I would wait in the van outside. Pastor Marco would go pray with this man and then go meet with Sandra.

Marco left to go call Sandra in order to find out where she was in the hospital. As soon as he left, another young lady appeared out of nowhere and asked us, “Are you Christians?”

Third time.

Her brother had been in a fight when he was struck in the head with a baseball bat. With bleeding on his brain, he was surviving on life-support and in a coma. She desperately wanted someone to come pray with him.

Marco returned – we explained that we did not have a ticket for all of us to go in, but Marco could go with her to pray with her brother.

She said, “That’s okay, I have a ticket and can take one person.”

I saw God.

As we approached the hospital entrance, the guard became distracted – he didn’t even look at the tickets!

We went to the young man with the head wound first. As we walked to his room, people were lying in hospital beds in the hallways throughout the hospital. Very little medical equipment was visible. Limited hospital staff was visible. The floors were unclean.

As we entered the room, his shriveled body surviving with the help of the ventilator was “frozen” in place. Marco spoke with this visibly unresponsive 22-year old young man. He said to him, “God loves you and wants to offer you His salvation. All you need to do is recognize His love for you and receive the grace He offers to save you.” As Marco prayed, he asked God to give us a sign that this man was able to talk to Him and wanted to receive His grace – at that very moment, the ventilator’s alarms made a series of erratic beeps. With tears running down his cheeks, Marco later commented on what had happened and said that God comforted him in that moment – as if the young man was asking in the quietness of his condition to receive God’s grace.

Psalm 91:2 – “I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

I saw God.

When we went with the lady to pray for her brother with the diabetic coma, he was the image of someone lifeless. Another sister was standing next to him weeping uncontrollably. José Francisco needed God’s grace.

Marco shared the same words that had been repeated throughout the day. In the hands of God is the safest place to be. You are not forgotten.

Psalm 91:11-12a – “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands.”

Peace came over the sisters.

I saw God.

Not knowing where to find Sandra and hoping to not be excused by hospital security – for being in a restricted area of the hospital, we walked onto the floor of the hospital as if we knew where we were going.

Walking past the security guard – who happened to be reading her Bible – and the two ladies engaged with their work behind an information desk, we walked directly towards a door where Sandra suddenly emerged from. As if each movement had been choreographed by God and without saying anything, we walked with her directly to the small glassed-in room where Sandrita was sleeping peacefully.

The procedure had been successful and the chemo-therapy would begin first thing in the morning. I noticed that there were no monitors and no medication or fluids being administered to this precious little girl.

Ten miles north, this baby would be swarmed with nurses and an intensive care unit staff to beat all. God knew exactly where Sandrita was – she was right in the center of His hand.
As soon as we finished praying with Sandra once more, the Bible-reading security guard appeared and asked us to leave. It was so peaceful.

I saw God.

As we left the hospital, Marco jokingly told me to hide the Bible I had been carrying throughout the day – otherwise we may never get home.

Later that night, I gathered my family around – they needed to hear how we had seen where God had been that day. We marveled at how God brought the soldier to us at just the right moment. We marveled at how God brought the two women to us at the hospital. We marveled at the promises of God through His Word.

I couldn’t finish the story before my kids were trying to run throughout the house gathering up clothes, blankets, toys, their birthday money and food to help René’s family. They wanted to put action to the compassion they were overwhelmed with.

After praying together as a family, we let them.

Each of us prayed:
· For the soldier
· For Sandra
· For Sandrita
· For Cosme
· For René and his wife
· For Jofi (René’s son)
· For Cosme Jr. and Isaac (Sandrita’s brothers)
· For the man in the diabetic coma and his sisters
· For the man with the head wound, our new brother in Christ
· For us – that we would be faithful to join in where God was working.

That day, I saw God.

Busy Summer

2008-08-26T13:00:00.001-06:00

Nicolas, Annikah and Allison - Aug 2008 - Sedona, AZ

Joel and I started out our summer in 5 weeks of intensive Spanish school. This was a great time of learning language and Mexican culture. We also made a significant connection with our teacher, a lovely Mexican lady and very experienced teacher.

Immediately following that, we attended meetings in San Diego which brought together most of the leaders of the Border Initiative ministry. Nine of the eleven District Superentendents of the border districts of the US and Mexico were present to cast a vision of church growth and development in their individual districts. It was a very exciting time of rejoicing in what God has done and looking forward to all that is ahead.

The following week, Joel, along with Gavin and Jill Fothergill our fellow missionaries, welcomed back the 60 university students that served around the world this summer through Youth in Mission. This Re-Entry Retreat is always a blessing - to hear reports of ministries started and strengthened and hearts and lives won to Christ. Also, we are able to see in these university students a greater understanding and passion for ministry and missions.

The day Re-Entry ended we loaded up the family and began the trip north. We were in Kansas City for a couple of days of meetings at Headquarters, and then traveled on to Olivet Nazarene University for the annual MK Retreat. We are so thankful to be on staff at this wonderful event for Nazarene college-age Missionary Kids, which began 4 years ago. This is a powerful time of connection between the MKs and a rich spiritual retreat.

At the close of the retreat, we loaded up the family again to travel south to our own district campground to serve as the "missionaries in residence." Since El Paso is directly below the middle of the state of New Mexico, we are a part of the New Mexico District. The campground is located in the beautiful mountain town of Ruidoso, and we enjoyed our time there tremendously. We were able to speak in the children's service, the teen service and the NMI mission service, as well as connect with new and old friends.

When the camp was finished, we came home for one day to get ready to leave on vacation. We were able to spend a week with my brother in Sedona, Arizona at a lovely place. My brother and his family serve as missionaries with RCE in Madrid, Spain, and we had not been together with them as a family for a year and a half. So, this time together was so special, and we had a wonderful week of rest.

After vacation, we came home to one week left before school! So, the summer has flown by, and Allison and Nicolas began school yesterday for another year of learning and growing. Please pray for them in 4th and 1st grades this year. Pray that they will be a testimony of God's love to their friends and classmates and teachers.

We are glad to be back home and ready for ministry here in El Paso this fall, and in the Universities as Joel travels for Youth in Mission.

Mobilizing Tomorrow's Missionaries

2008-05-06T22:27:00.001-06:00

Discovering, Developing, and Deploying Missionaries ~ at all levels...

While we live in El Paso, TX and have carried various ministry roles this past year with the Nazarene Border Initiative, our assignment has been recently refocused. Our leaders in World Mission have asked us to contribute much of our energy in developing enhanced methods of mobilizing people to serve in the missionary endeavor of the Church.

It has been an EXCITING year for us — working with a dynamic and creative leadership team at our international office in Kansas City, other missionaries in similar roles as ours throughout the world, and creative leaders with other mission organizations.

Integrating recent research in volunteerism trends with methods developed by Wycliffe Bible Translators, we are helping develop an enhanced system of discovering, developing, and sending missionaries at all levels—short-term volunteers; long term volunteers; career missionaries; youth teams; young adult teams; experienced retirees and the list goes on…

We are in the process of developing mission “coaches” - people who mentor and encourage others who have a desire to serve cross-culturally in ministry. Some of the people we are training are career professionals serving as lay-leaders in local churches. Others are former missionaries who are serving in other ministries now in the USA. These are people who, on average, commit about one to five hours a month contacting; encouraging; advising; etc...in essence, coaching those who have expressed interest in serving in cross-cultural ministry.

Perhaps you’re interested in serving cross-culturally yourself. We’d LOVE to hear about what’s on your heart!

Or, perhaps you’d like to consider getting involved as a mission coach — helping develop others who may have a call to serve. We’d LOVE to hear what’s on your heart in this sense, as well.
Be sure to contact us via email or phone if this is something on your heart.

Decided!

2008-05-06T16:18:00.001-06:00

We recently went through the biannual “Parent/Teacher Conferences” for Allie and Nic — and (of course!) had great comments from the teachers of both of these kids (smile).

One highlight didn’t come from Nic’s teacher, however. The mother of one of Nic’s classmates called us to tell a story that her son’s teacher brought up in their conversation together.

Nicolas goes to this secondary teacher’s class each day for a “gifted” program and she told this other mom that one day, while the children were working on a project (quietly), Nicolas began singing the lyrics to “I have decided to follow Jesus.”

Unintentionally, (he must have been deep in thought working on his project) he was singing the words out loud. The teacher said that before too long, a couple of other kids were singing along with Nicolas—right there in the classroom of his public school.

The teacher couldn’t contain herself and went to Nicolas and said, “Do you know what, Nicolas? I’ve decided to follow Jesus, too!”

¿Habla usted español?

2008-05-06T16:14:00.000-06:00

While our plan is to engage in more formal language study through immersion, Pam has been taking private Spanish tutoring through a local language academy in El Paso in the meantime. One highlight is that Pam’s teacher, Irma, has recently begun attending a home-church group we’ve been participating with through El Paso 1st Church of the Nazarene. Irma has become a dear friend to Pam, so this is an extra blessing!

Another highlight for Pam was to spend a week in Chihuahua, Mexico attending a district wide conference/assembly with several of our pastors and church leaders from northern Mexico. We are so anxious to get a better grasp on the language of our neighbors and our church leaders. Please join us in prayer that the doors will open and that the necessary funds will be available for our family to receive formal language instruction soon.

We are tentatively planning to be in Guadalajara, Mexico for 4-5 weeks of intensive language study this summer -- keep us in your prayers!

Walls - Jerusalem and Juarez

2008-05-06T15:57:00.000-06:00

Joel in Jerusalem - overlooking the Old City Temple Mount

This Spring, Joel was invited to attend the Global Youth Ministry Summit sponsored by Nazarene Youth International. The summit gave leaders from around the world an opportunity to not only visit the Holy Land but also opportunities to interact with Believers from the Middle East. Interacting with leaders from Jordan, Israel, Syria, the Palestinian Territory, South Africa, Guatemala, Ireland, Germany, Argentina, and the USA - issues relating to emerging leaders and youth ministry to the global dynamics of middle-eastern politics were shared formally and informally. What follows are a few comments from Joel's personal journaling:

The short journey from the Jewish Western (Wailing) Wall to Islam’s Dome of the Rock doesn’t give a person nearly enough time to process internally the dynamics of being in a city where three major religions collide with…rather, repel each other. Even as I attempted to soak in as much as I possibly could during my recent participation with Nazarene Youth International’s Global Youth Ministry Summit in Jordan and Israel—all of the phenomenally overwhelming details of being in the land of the Bible; meeting some incredibly dynamic Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian Christian leaders; and trying to sort out all of the lies and truths of the constant political struggle that takes place in that beautiful part of the world —- I couldn’t wrap my mind around all that I was experiencing.

Three things stand out in my mind as I process my 10 days in the middle-east. One, our church has a tremendous future as we consider what it means to reach the lost with the message of the Great Commission — the Believers in the middle-east have a clear vision for reaching their Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth — this gets me so excited! Two, while walls may have good intent at times—to protect, shelter, and shield...they also can serve as symbols of impenetrable bitterness. Walls, whether between Israel and the Palestinian territories or between El Paso and Juarez...tend to say, “Keep Out!” — this seems to contradict the message of grace. While the political discussions on this issue have tremendous legitimacy...and at the same time, fault, my mind keeps asking, “How do walls fit within Christ’s Kingdom?” Honestly, I’m still trying to sort all of that out...it’s a tough issue to deal with.

Thirdly, I am convinced that this is the greatest time in the life of Christianity to be in the “business” of reaching the world with the Good News. We are seeing missionaries being sent from many areas of the world — God is raising up willing servants at all stages of life throughout the world to take His message to those who are lost — what will your part be?

Happy Spring!!

2008-04-23T14:43:00.000-06:00

Here is our Easter picture, taken in our back yard in El Paso. We are thankful for the sunshine that we have most every day.

This spring we will be participating in some services in Iowa and Arkansas, and we are looking forward to being with some of you during that time.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-11T17:46:00.000-06:00

Please click on the following link to view our update letter: http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dgk5tj6h_24kq38bd8

Note there are 2 pages of the letter.

Update

2007-12-13T12:40:00.000-06:00

On the mountain overlooking El Paso - September 2007.

The kids have done very well in school this semester. Both Allison and Nicolas have learned a lot and excelled in their classes, earning places in the Connections programs for their grade levels.

Annikah turned 2 in November and is busy growing and learning. She talks and sings all day, every day.

Everyone is looking forward to Christmas and a break from school. Pam's parents will be joining us in El Paso for Christmas, and we are looking forward to some special family time!

God has been so good to us, directing and sustaining us throughout this first year of our assignment. Joel has had a very busy year of traveling, and now he will be home for 2 months strait. Pam has kept things in order at home and has been able to learn some Spanish as well. We have sensed God's presence so many times, and we know that many people are praying for us!

More pictures from our August vacation

2007-12-13T12:11:00.000-06:00

While we were in Phoenix this summer, we were able to visit the campus of Southwest Indian School, a ministry of World Gospel Mission. This is where Pam lived for 9 years as a child, the daughter of WGM missionaries. It was fun to show the kids the campus, her childhood home and some of her favorite play spots.

Allison and Annikah in front of Pam's childhood home, on the campus of Southwest Indian School.

Summer vacation

2007-09-20T00:23:00.000-06:00

We were able to go to Phoenix, Arizona for a few days of vacation before school started in August. Here is a picture of the kids, with the beautiful Arizona landscape behind them. We had a wonderful time of relaxation and sunshine.

Allison and Nicolas are now settled into the school routine. Nicolas started Kindergarten this year. The first day he was disappointed that they didn't do any writing or math! Allison is in the third grade this year and has already made several friends.

Annikah is enjoying some more one-on-one time with mom. She is also spending a couple mornings a week with friends, while Pam attends Spanish classes and puts in some work hours.

Joel is into his fall travel schedule - visiting the Nazarene universities around the US. God is blessing in many ways, as we continually seek to be available to His leading!

On the road

2007-06-30T14:01:00.000-06:00

We are back home after 2 months on the road. We left home April 25th and traveled north. We spent the weeks in Kansas City - Joel in the World Mission office at HQ, and Pam helping out when needed and finishing the home school year with the kids. On the weekends we had services at 3 churches in Iowa and attended our niece's college graduation. One weekend, we went to Houston for meetings with Mexican and Central American leadership regarding the Border Initiative.

The week following Memorial Day was the Youth in Mission (YIM) training camp. This is the event that Joel plans for the college students participants who have committed to an 8 week YIM team experience. This year 92 students are serving on 21 sites around the world. Training Camp is one of the highlights of our kids' year, as we participate as a family. The kids always make some new friends with the college students and the staff. The picture above shows Annikah entertaining the crowd one afternoon.

After sending the students off to their sites, we wrapped up our time in KC and headed to Mississippi, where Joel's parents live and minister. Pam's parents met us there as well, and we spent a day all together. We had arranged for the kids to stay there with both sets of grandparents, while Joel and I took a ministry trip together.

On June 8th, Joel and I left for Europe, with plans to visit Spain, Scotland, Germany, and the Eurasia Regional office in Switzerland. We were able to visit with missionaries and ministry leaders in each of these places, as well as visit 3 YIM sites and make some connections with missionary potentials. Also, we were able to stay with Pam's brother in Madrid, Spain - Paul and Ellie, along with their son serve as missionaries with OMS, International. The entire trip was a blessing in many ways!

When we returned to the States, the kids were glad to see us. However, they had a wonderful time while we were gone! We are so thankful to our parents for giving them a fun and memorable time. We celebrated Nicolas' fifth birthday the day after we returned.

Earlier this week, we drove the 20 hours home across Texas! Now we are settling into life here again. :-)

We have added one more responsibility to our job description, so you can pray for us as we work together. Through the World Mission office, we are now working directly with young people who are called to missions and helping them to develop and to discover their place.

This next weekend, Joel will be traveling to St Louis, where the USA/Canada Nazarene Youth Conference will be held. He, along with our fellow missionaries Barry and Charlie Carney, will have the opportunity to connect with youth leaders about the Border Initiative ministry.

El Paso is Home

2007-04-21T16:40:00.000-06:00

We have been calling El Paso home for 4 months now, and we truly believe it. We are all making friends, getting to know our neighbors, supporting the local ice cream shop, and loving the warm climate!

Besides all that, we are learning each week a new piece of what ministry here is all about. We are experiencing God's presence in the building excitement around us. We are again realizing God's peace in living within His will.

Here are some pictures of us and our new home.

Nicolas, Annikah and Allison on Easter Sunday - in our back yard.

Annikah hunting for Easter eggs in our front yard.

Nicolas reading for the first time - in our kitchen/ home school room.

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa Tooley in March.

El Paso First Church of the Nazarene, where our offices and training center will be located. This is also where we attend church.

Happy Old Year!

2007-01-01T11:24:00.000-06:00

We asked the kids to highlight one happy memory from 2006...here's what they said:

Nicolas: "Nothing...
Except for everything." (This is "typical" these days...he's officially entered the "pesky brother" phase of his life...he LOVES to tease Allison! Later on in our conversation, he said one of his happiest memories was celebrating his "half" birthday on December 22nd with his dad (we went for icecream). He's very happy to let everyone know that he is now officially 4 1/2 years old.

Allison: "I have too many to say! Meeting Michaela (our neighbor girl from across the street in KC who Allie lead to Jesus this year!); Youth In Mission training camp; having Tiffany (one of her BESTEST friends) move back to Kansas City; and going to Nickelodean Hotel (a GREAT hotel for families in Orlando, FL).

Annikah: Okay...so, Annikah can't talk, but if she could she would say "Cheerios and fudge." She'd also probably say how happy she is to have her surgery behind her and comment about her funny brother and super sweet sister.

UPDATE: Joel leaves for an international conference and meetings with Nazarene Youth International being held in Johannesburg, South Africa (Jan. 1-12) while Pam and the kids will remain in Florida with Pam's parents. Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to our new home and ministry in the next few weeks.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We Have Arrived!!!

2006-12-17T23:01:00.000-06:00

We have arrived! These past few weeks have seemed like a whirlwind of activity – getting ready to move. A terrific highlight for us was on Friday morning, December 15th when our Ethiopian neighbor invited our friends, the Gualbertos (from the Philippines) and us over to her house for breakfast. Stephen and Theresa Gualberto will be living in our house in Kansas City – they recently moved to the USA to work for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries as the International Child Development Coordinator. It has been such a blessing of God to see our home become a new home for this wonderful family.

We then gathered outside with a group of friends for a wonderful time of prayer and blessing before starting our FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY.

After a 17-hour drive through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and then Texas again – we arrived in El Paso just in time to drive through the Franklin Mountains to oversee the beautiful city lights of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juaréz, Mexico.

The kids were literally screaming with excitement in the van and Pam and I were simply smiling to think that we had finally arrived. Allison prayed a prayer of blessing as we drove over the mountain range…one of the things she prayed was, “Jesus, this is such a miracle – we’re FINALLY here in the place you’ve called us to be.” Wow!

On Saturday (Dec. 16) we had Dave Hazel, a pastor friend of ours from Kansas City and a group of five people from El Paso First Church of the Nazarene arrive to help us unload our things from the moving truck into our new home. Two teen girls from the church took care of our kids and the guys helped lift lots of heavy things. Another lady from the church brought by a large box of food items – what a blessing!

So…in the midst of unpacking, moving furniture, and getting to know our new neighbors (yes, before we had even finished unloading half the truck, Allison and Nicolas were pleading for us to go meet our new neighbors) – we are thanking God for this blessing – the blessing of being directly in the center of His plan – His will for our life. We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we are secure in knowing that whatever comes our way, we are a part of His plan.

More to come…

Blessings,

Joel, Pam, Allison, Nicolas and Annikah Tooley

The Countdown Has Begun!

2006-11-29T20:53:00.000-06:00

The Countdown Has Begun!

In just two weeks we'll make the big move to El Paso - we are so excited!

DEVELOPMENT:
A couple of weeks ago, I (Joel) and two others from our leadership team were able to meet with the church leadership board of El Paso 1st Church of the Nazarene. The meeting was a wonderful reminder of how we are called to serve "at such a time as this." As a result of our time together, El Paso 1st Church invited our missionary team to use their facility as a "base" for our ministry administration and coordination...this is a TREMENDOUS blessing!

Also, several of the church leaders offered to help us during our move - unloading, cleaning, taking care of the kids, etc. Again...what a TREMENDOUS blessing!

We are busy packing and getting things ready to move.

We appreciate your prayers and encouragement!

Joel and Pam

El Paso, Here We Come!

2006-11-13T22:22:00.000-06:00

Our "new" House in El Paso!

We are so excited about our new assignment as missionaries with the Church of the Nazarene. We will actually have a lot of the same responsibilities as Joel will continue serving as Global Youth Missions Coordinator for the Church of the Nazarene.

In addition to the exciting ministry we're already engaged in, we will begin a new emphasis with the "Border Initiative," a church planting; leadership development; and short-term mission project thrust amongst the border districts of Mexico and the USA.

We will be serving with various church leaders throughout the southern USA states and the northern Mexican states - as well as a team of two other missionary families.

We invite you to:
1) Pray - that we will serve obediently and with godly wisdom
2) Give - this new ministry will not "just" happen - we will depend on the generosity of people like you to help make a difference.
3) Get involved - personally! Why not consider coming yourself or bringing a team of volunteers to help with a number of practical opportunities through construction; medical relief; children's ministry; youth ministry; life skills training, etc.

As always, we LOVE hearing from you - leave a comment below or send us an email.

We will be moving the week of December 15th - we'll give an update later on.

Blessings,

Joel and Pam Tooley
jtooley@nazarene.org