Tim and Carol Freeman

Merry Christmas! 2007

It’s been another year of God displaying his goodness to us. The year is almost past, so it is time once again to put it on record!

Tim

Cambodia, Brazil (2X), the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Nigeria have found their way onto Tim’s calendar as he consulted with national leaders in opening missionary training schools around the world. Many of you know that Tim works with a 10 year project called GO¹⁰⁰, which aims to start 100 new missionary training schools around the globe by the year 2012. GO¹⁰⁰, at 5 years old, has already surpassed the original goal set for it! The Bethany leadership and our national partners will meet in Nairobi, Kenya in June to review and celebrate the goal, and then to get a fresh sense of God’s direction for the next several years.

On the home front at Bethany International, Tim continues as the Vice-President of Ministry Development. Bethany College of Missions continues to be a focal point, with recruitment goals that are gripping but doable. The Bethany campus concept is to strengthen our own college while opening our campus to training partners from other ministries. We hope to see hundreds of young people studying in various discipleship and missions training programs in the years ahead. Already our partnership with Teen Mania is showing much promise as they run a north campus to complement their main training program in Texas. Tim also enjoys working with Bethany missionaries around the globe. It was a joy for him to personally visit with more than 35 of them on the field during his travels in 2007.

Carol continues to love her work that keeps her busy as the Dean of Women at Bethany College of Missions (BCOM), heading up the Mentoring Department and teaching in the college. She has an awesome crew of volunteer mentors who pour their lives into discipling each incoming batch of students.

She made a trip to the northwest corner of Spain for niece Laura Towner’s wedding last January and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the opportunity to help with the wedding. She also traveled to England in October for her annual SEAN Board meeting. SEAN’s pastoral training materials are used in more than 120 countries around the globe (see www.seaninternational.com for more information). Carol counts it a great privilege to be able to assist this ministry as a board member.

Jenny is now in her second year in a wonderful midwifery ministry to the urban poor in the city of Davao in the Philippines. She has now delivered 55 babies and counting and loves serving as a missionary there. Her Dad had a chance to visit her in October on site and Mom hopes to do the same this next year before she graduates in July. Check out her blog for great stories and pics. http://www.midwifejenny.blogspot.com

David, who is 21, lives at home while studying to be a Personal Trainer (think gyms) through the Minnesota School of Business. To make ends meet he works as a server at Olive Garden. Pictured here with Nitro, the family schnoodle (seriously!).

Rebecca, 15, has entered high school and is working hard at the honors program she chose. She won the Book Worm award last year at her school and I believe Verizon will soon bestow on her the Texting award! She is part of a private orchestra where she plays violin, and has enjoyed playing on her school’s volleyball team last year. Be alert, she is now on-the-road with her driver’s permit!

Michelle and Megan are 8, did a fantastic ballet performance in June and immensely enjoyed spending a week again at Camp Cherith in northern MN this past summer. Now they love being in 3rd grade, and are excited/scared about getting braces next week. Yes, it’s early at 8 years of age, but if they get braces now they may keep all of their adult teeth instead of having several of them pulled due to overcrowding. We will attempt to learn how to budget for this expensive “twin event.”

Family Outings

We traveled to South Dakota to see the 4 Presidents carved in stone at Mt. Rushmore (a first for most of us) and to Florida to visit Tim’s family. We spent a relaxing week with Carol’s brother John and family at a cabin in northern Minnesota. Some of us tagged along with John & Michelle Billman to Walnut Grove in western Minnesota to visit Laura Ingalls Wilder’s childhood home On the Banks of Plum Creek. That was a trip well worth taking, with so many interesting things to see about life in Minnesota as it was a century or so ago. The twins pictured here with a washing machine from that era in ‘Laura’ dresses. Carol sewed the first dress and Aunt Marge rescued her by sewing the second!

Friends

We have enjoyed wonderful visits from many loved ones, including many of Jenny’s awesome college classmates when she returned for a visit in September. Josiah Weihman, younger brother of Kimberly who has been with us for 3 years now, arrived from the Philippines lived with us this summer. He is in college now, living with Carol’s brother John and family in Burnsville. Kimberly and Josiah’s mother Remy has come from the Philippines for a visit to see her kids and travel to share about her ministry with YWAM in the Philippines. We are so enjoying catching up with all the happenings in her life and ministry. We’ve known Remy for more than 25 years and what a dear friend she is! She’s both crazy fun and deeply inspiring! I’m glad we’ve been able to give her a hearty Minnesnowta welcome with our record snowfall this year! It’s been great that Josiah and Kimberly’s dad Christopher has also been able to come up from Missouri for a couple visits with his kids.

We are deeply grateful to God for all his blessings this year. May you sense His closeness to you in a stronger way than ever before.

Blessings,

Tim & Carol and family

Michelle & Megan, 8, gave a beautiful ballet performance with the Continental Ballet Company for their 2nd year in ballet now.

Word Document of Freeman Christmas letter 2006

Hey,it’s been a long time since I’ve posted on our website. Life is very full. But I wanted to share about this trip that has been very meaningful to me.

I will write up a report about the workshop itself soon, but for now, I want to post here the power point presentation I have made to present where I work at Bethany College of Missions to see if they would like to integrate the SEAN materials more fully in our students’ training.

A Case for integrating SEAN more fully at BCOM2

Gloria & Carol

Peter, Jaqui, Gloria & Terry

Peter, Michael & Jacqui who led the Tutor Training

What was that thought? Was it the black olives on my pizza or just a random dream I’ve thought about too long or…could it really have been the Lord speaking? Do you ever debate with yourself like that? In hindsight, we can so easily see how the Lord was moving, but when it is a work in process, it can be tricky. View this power point presentation my mother, Ruth Billman, made up a few weeks ago, that shows the amazing tapestry the Lord wove in His Kingdom through their obedience to His Word to them. It wasn’t easy — they had faced strong opposition when He asked them to go to East Timor in 1963. (View the story in Power Point by clicking on this title here. After you open up the Power Point, click on ‘Slideshow’ and it will come on your screen. Press the space bar to progress through the presentation.)
06-02 Welcome to East Timor1.ppt

The First Day of First Grade

Megan & Michelle Freeman

9-1-05

The minds and bodies of the 6 young ones living in our home were not yet adjusted to school hours. The 3 youngest all missed the bus. Oh well, I thought, we’ll do better tomorrow. Little did I know the bus drama of the day had only just begun.

2:30 I’m waiting for Rebecca to arrive from middle school. No Rebecca. Where could she be? She’s a half hour late! I call the bus company. They suggest I call her friends. That’s silly. She wouldn’t have gone elsewhere without at least calling my cell phone! Uh, wrong. Remember? C’mon, Carol, you’ve done 12 year olds before. Nothing new here. She had taken her friend Melissa’s bus to her house and Read the rest of this entry »