Celebrate this 4th of July...

thanking God for the courage and vision of our forefathers,


and thanking our fellow Americans for their sacrifice then and now to defend that freedom.


God bless America!

Update From Memphis

Greetings friends and family!

Where and how can I begin to tell of the marvelous grace of God that we have experienced in the Memphis, TN area!!!

We arrived 10 minutes before the home school conference was scheduled to begin on Friday the 2^nd of June and have had an incredibly encouraging time sharing with churches and families of the vision of Hope House ever since. We have experienced that true fellowship where you “break off a little piece of yourself and share it with others”.

I plan on filling in the details after we arrive in Pittsburgh this week. Our plans are to set sail, as it were, from Memphis tomorrow, June 19, stopping off at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, arriving in Pittsburgh Wednesday afternoon.

Thanks to all of our friends, new and old, in Memphis who have made us feel so much at home, especially the Richard family at whose house we have camped out these last two weeks. They have been so gracious to us and our children. Thanks to Tonya for always having that cup of coffee ready early in the morning, to Bill for providing all the “technical support” for our rig and for both being such a source of encouragement. Thanks to Jo, Nikki, Sam and Josh for hanging out with Cody and Alissa and allowing us to interrupt your status quo.

There are some many more that I what to mention but I am out of time at the moment so expect an update from us in a few days in which I can properly thank all the folks here in Tennessee!

Be blessed!

If you are in the Pittsburgh area, we hope to see you soon. As soon as I can I will send out local contact information!

Joe “CJ” Burgan

On the Road!

Can you say, "Roadtrip!!" ?

We are heading out this evening in our newly acquired RV! Praise God!!!

From Yuma, AZ, our first stop is Memphis,,TN to visit with friends and share the vision of Hope House International.
Fom there, we set our sights on Pittsburgh, PA for the summer. We will be assisting the church that Joe's Dad has pastored for the last 20 years.

Be praying for us! Drop a line if we are going to be in your area!

Burgan's Update

Greetings one and all!

I wanted to update you on some things.

First, the sale of the land did not go through last week as hoped but should some time this week. Please be praying. This will delay our departure from Yuma but should not affect either our arrival in Memphis or Pittsburgh. But I will keep you posted!

The incorporation papers for Hope House International came through last Friday. Praise God! I will be going up to Yuma this week to set up the banking for the corporation. I also have our first official meeting of the board of directors this Wednesday.

We had been praying for someone to house-sit for us while we were gone but didn't have a clue as to who. I met a gentleman from Washington state who just recently moved to Mexico as a missionary and is needing a place to stay. The Lord worked it out and brought us together to fill both our needs. His name is Joe Avila. Be praying for him for direction, for favor and for clarity of vision!

Of particular interest to the folks in the Pittsburgh area (who had no Christian music radio last I knew) and others as well, is my recent discovery that iTunes, a music program from Apple that works on Macs or PCs has Christian radios stations built right in. You can choose from Air1, our favorite, or K-LOVE or southern Gospel, etc. and have it play through your computer. If you are interested in Air1 or K-LOVE in particular, you can also listen via their websites. I would also like to introduce you all to KNLB out of Lake Havasu City, AZ. Faron and Debbie Eckelbarger are the owners of the station and Miss Debbie does an afternoon program called "Kids' Korner" from 3-5pm Pacific Time. They feature kid's programs and even allow the younguns to call in to request a song or answer the question of the day. You can listen to them on line as well.

Here are the sites:

iTunes from Apple

Air1.com

K-LOVE

KNLB

Also, if you use Windows and have not done so already, there are some major security updates that you need to download from Microsoft.

If you have never seen or heard of "The Wittenburg Door", I have posted a link to their newest newsletter at the "Musings" site. It is published by Christians and allows for a slightly different point of view on current events in Christendom with satire and parody!

Be blessed!

A Tribute to my wife on Mother's Day!

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies. Prov. 31:10 NIV

My wife, Erica, the mother of our two children, Cody age 11 and Alissa age 9, is a rare and wonderful creation. She chose to marry me and begin our adventure together rather than pursue a career or attend college even though she graduated 2nd in her class from a private school and had a grade point average over 4.0. She has, faithfully, followed after the heart of the Father in times of plenty and times of want. Her love for me has never wavered; her devotion never waned as we walked through the deserts or rejoiced on the mountains.

Erica has persevered in loving our children and remained steadfast in her commit to teach them by home schooling. She has laid down her life for them and for me. Even when all others seemed to abandon us, she remained faithful to the call of God placed on our lives. In times of despair and loneliness, we clung to each other and prayed, seeking the face and heart of God.

I am eternally grateful to the Father for choosing her for me and me for her. I have the blessing and privilege of being married to my best friend.

There are those who do not believe that God has chosen a specific “help meet” for each of us. To those I present this challenge. Do you not believe that the Father has established all your days before any one of them existed? Can you not recognize that each of us was created with specific talents, giftings and abilities from in our mother’s womb for a specific calling? Are you unaware that even your physical makeup, your skeletal structure was determined by God? Read Psalm 139.

You might say that it was just chance DNA. Then you would be a fool to believe in chance. I choose to believe in divine intervention. It is called procreation or perhaps it should more appropriately be named “co-creation” in that we are participating with God in the creation of a unique, living, eternal being.

From before the foundations of the earth, God, our Father, chose for Erica and me to walk this journey together.

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Gen 2:18 NIV

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman,'
for she was taken out of man."
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
Gen 2:22-25 NIV

Do not think it chance or “dumb luck” to choose a person with whom you shall be one flesh, a union symbolizing, typifying the union between Christ and His church.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery-but I am talking about Christ and the church. Eph 5:31-32 NIV

Erica was and is the will of God for me and for my children now, even after almost 24 years, and until we finish our course. For that, I thank God daily!

For Mother’s Day – a tribute to my mother!

Charlotte Jane Axton Burgan has been married to that same man, Joseph H. Burgan, Sr., for over 50 years. She has raised three children, me, my brother, Tim and my sister, Joy. Mom and Dad live in the same house that we were raised in which they built in 1959. Mom raised us in the days of innocence. We could walk down the road and out to Null’s Market, almost a mile away without fear of anything happening to us – no abductions, no molesting, nothing.

Every morning that I can remember, my mom got up before the sunrise and would wake us up to get ready for school. Every morning for 21 years, she prepared breakfast for each of us kids and my dad. I can remember going out to the kitchen and listening to Jack Boget on KDKA radio while mom packed my lunch. She says that I was the only one with whom she could talk in the morning because all the others were still asleep even though they were eating their breakfast. So we would chat over breakfast. Then I would pack my stuff and head off to school.

As I got older, I would work in the evenings after school. No matter how late I got home, Mom would have dinner waiting for me. I loved it when she would make chili and leave the pot on the stove to cool before putting it in the fridge. That was when it tasted the best!

Mom made bread and buns at home while I was growing up. There was nothing better that coming into the house after working outside on a cool fall in Pennsylvania and sitting down to a dinner of navy bean soup and home-made bread. The bread would be fresh and hot and sliced about one inch thick. The butter would melt as you spread it on. I hope they are going to serve that kind of bread at the marriage supper of the Lamb. They can ask my mom for the recipe.

The holidays always had a cornucopia of home-made goodies. Chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, pumpkin pie, sugar cookies in the shape of Santa’s face, Christmas trees or stockings which we would decorate with icing and sprinkles of all kinds. The dinners always had turkey and ham, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and potato salad, corn and green beans, stuffing and gravy, fresh vegetables and cranberry sauce. Of course, no dinner was complete if you didn’t have the horseradish!

It would be impossible to calculate the number of hours that mom spent preparing these meals, nor can I fathom the energy she spent to provide us a safe and comfortable place to call home. In the winter, after playing outside in the snow, mom would get us into dry clothes, give us some hot chocolate then we would lay down in front of a heater vent to get warm and fall asleep, content, without a fear or care in the world.

Those days of innocence are long gone along with too much of my hair but I will always be grateful to the Father of a mom who provided for my brother, my sister and me a safe place to call home.

Happy Birthday Joe! The Big 5-0!

Celebrating Joe's 50th birthday with family and friends!

In another 10 years, he'll be middle age !

The Barcelona boys with Alissa and Vanessa!

Adalberto and Rich cooking Carne Asada with our neighbor Ed looks on.

Lori and Doris. Doris made the mango salsa and salsa fresca! Good Stuff!

Erica's great aunts, Rachel and Joann, made the trip down from Palm Desert,CA
along with Dean and Joy.

A thousand thanks to Erica and all who made this a genuine fiesta.
And those to all who came to celebrate with us!

We Celebrate His Resurrection!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?

He is not here; he has risen!”

Luke 24:5-6 NIV

We've added Nevada to our list of visited states.

We are only missing Hawaii. Maybe we can stop over there on our way to Australia!



create your own personalized map of the USA

Back home for a while!

The Burgan's have returned to Mexico after several weeks in Palm Desert, CA with Erica's great aunt, Rachel.

She is doing well, by the way, continuing to grow stronger everyday. God has greatly moved in that she has had virtually no pain through this whole process. Her sister, Joann, is in from Pennsylvania to help with the driving until Rachel can remove the next brace. We enjoyed the opportunity help out around the house.

We are all well. We had a delightful time with Roy and Michelle Pike from Australia. Roy had been raised as a baby by Erica's Grandma Niehaus. Erica hadn't since him since she was 2!

Burgans with the Pikes in Algodones.

Just to give you all a heads up, we are planning on a road trip this summer. Tentatively, we will be leaving Mexico around May 22 with Memphis, TN as our first stop. I am hoping to publish a newsletter with a more definitive itinerary with the next two weeks - the paper and the stamps have already been purchased!

We are hoping to have a yard sell at the end of the month. Basically to eliminate one of the two storage units we have but also to help with the costs of traveling. The Father has already been more than gracious in supplying more than we could hope! The van needed a new water pump and new tires and God supplied! We are so grateful for you who choose to invest in us and the work of the Kingdom through us!

BTW! I did want to let you know that if you use Windows, Microsoft released a series of patches yesterday to fixed security problems in Windows and Internet Explorer. Run Windows Update today!

Here's a picture of Cody and Alissa building a lake in the backyard.

Be blessed!

Pray for Mexico and its national elections this year!

Faith healer protects Mexican presidential hopeful from enemies
Associated Press

VERACRUZ, Mexico – A faith healer known as the Black Wolf brushed basil plants over the face of Mexico's front running presidential candidate on Sunday to protect him against his enemies.

The leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador went through the so-called “cleansing” ritual while campaigning in the southern Mexican town of Catemaco, which is a famous center of faith healers and alternative spirituality.

“I'm defending a just cause that gives me great spiritual and moral strength. This is no more than a cleansing to protect me against any circumstances,” Lopez Obrador said in front of a rally of about 5,000 supporters, who were mostly peasant farmers.

Many Mexican artists and intellectuals go to Catemaco in March to receive cleansings from faith healers such as the Black Wolf, whose real name is Lucio Escobar.

Lopez Obrador, who is the favorite to win the July election according to most opinion polls, has accused his political enemies of plotting to destroy him.

On Sunday, he said his adversaries will not defeat him.

“Nothing will happen to me because good always triumphs over evil,” he said.

-Click on the header to read the entire article.-

Obrador has been the front runner for president of Mexico. The "faith healer", Black Wolf, is in the city of Catemaco, known for its "Annual Gathering of Witches", is where this presidential candidate went for a so-called "cleansing" ritual. It is known as the witchcraft capitol of the world! As the leadership goes, so goes the country! Pray for Mexico, its people as they vote and its leaders! - Joe

Protestant churches gain ground in Mexico

Chris Hawley
The Arizona Republic Mexico City Bureau

In the United States, an influx of Mexicans is transforming Roman Catholic churches. But in Mexico, it's Protestants who are on the rise, led by evangelical churches like the Universal Kingdom of God Church, which runs the Sanctuary of Faith.

Protestants accounted for 8 percent of Mexico's believers in the 2000 census, up from 2.3 percent in 1970. Their numbers are growing 3.7 percent each year, twice as fast as the Catholic population, according to the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Information Processing.

The churches are winning converts through a mix of social programs, charismatic preachers and stirring music.

Christmas Care Packages for Nigeria

Cody and Alissa participated in a program from "Voice of the Martyrs" to send Christmas Care packages to the children of men and women who had been killed for their beliefs in Nigeria. Since 1999, more than 10,000 Christians have been martyred in that country.

VOM readers funded more than 11,000 Christams Care Packs for the Nigerian families. Nearly $600,000 was donated for this outreach that touched many widows and fatherlss children.

To the right is a sample of a 180-page Gospel book distributed to Pakistani people. Click on the picture to see it larger.

Pictures from Tahoe!

Playing pool at the Embassy Vacation Resort!
_______________________________________

Cody and Alissa sliding around at almost 2 miles high!
_____________________________________

You can see most all of the 26 miles of Lake Tahoe from here!
______________________________________

Ice Skating, too!
___________________________

Alissa builds her snowman!
_________________________

Cody and Alissa at the top of Heavenly Mountain - 9,123ft.
____________________

Thanks to Great Aunt Rachel for taking us along with her for a great trip!

The Gondola to the top of Heavenly!

Alissa's turn on the slide! 

Cody sliding on his belly! 

At the base of Heavenly (That's the name of the ski resort!) 

South Lake Tahoe - Tubing! 

Lake Tahoe, CA

We have been blessed with a trip to Lake Tahoe with Erica's great aunt, Rachel McKinney! Check back for more pics this week.

Steelers Win Super Bowl XL

Photo by Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2/6/2006)

I don't know if God is a Steeler's fan, but I know He hears every prayer!

Just in case you didn't know...

Recommended reading: End of the Spear

The sequel, if you will, to "through the Gates of Spendor" is entitled "End of the Spear".

Description:

Steve Saint was five years old when his father, missionary pilot Nate Saint, was speared to death by a primitive Ecuadorian tribe. In adulthood, Steve, having left Ecuador for a successful business career in the United States, never imagined making the jungle his home again. But when that same tribe asks him to help them, Steve, his wife, and their teenage children move back to the jungle. There, Steve learns long-buried secrets about his father's murder, confronts difficult choices, and finds himself caught between two worlds. Soon to be a major motion picture (January 2006), End of the Spear brilliantly chronicles the continuing story that first captured the world's attention in the bestselling book, Through Gates of Splendor.

From Publishers Weekly
In this heartfelt memoir, Saint writes about growing up with the Ecuadoran tribe whose members killed his father in 1956, and about taking his wife and teenage children back to Ecuador in the 1990s to live among them again. Many of Saint's readers will be familiar with the spearing deaths of five American missionaries by Auca Indians a half-century ago, a story recounted by Elisabeth Elliot in Through Gates of Splendor (1996 revised edition). Saint, who was four years old at the time of the murders, adds to that familiarity with this account of his deep, familial bond with his father's assassin. Specifically, Saint debunks myths about the tribe. He explains that Auca, which means naked savage, is a derogatory name given to the tribe by outsiders, and that they are actually called the Waodani. While he does not dispute that they were vicious killers before they converted to Christianity soon after they murdered Saint's father, he takes pains to help his readers understand what led the Waodani to their murderous worldview. In a long passage, he tells the story of the 1956 murders from the Waodani perspective. Most of the book is devoted to his latest experiences with his Waodani family. Although Saint is not a very accomplished writer, his voice is authentic and humble, and his story will undoubtedly inspire many. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In theaters, starting January 20th, 2006.

Go here to see the web site for the movie.

Behind the scenes look at the movie.

Interesting site from Every Tribe Entertainment.

Every Tribe Entertainment Home Site.

Recommended Reading: Through the Gates of Splendor

If you have not read it yet, it is about time to do.
In Through The Gates of Splendor, five young men dared to make contact with a stone-age tribe deep in the jungles of Eduador. The Goal was to establish communication with a people whose only previous response to the outside world had been to attack all strangers. The men's mission combined modern technology with innate ingenuity, sparked by a passionate determination to get the gospel to a people without Christ. This new edition of the book offers fresh information about subsequent developments in Ecuador and in the lives of the five missionary familes that began in autumn of 1955.

The story is also available on VHS or DVD.

"Beyond the Gates " is a feature length documentary film experience about the Waodani Indians and the missionary men and women who have given their lives to reach them. This powerful emotional journey begins with the Waodani describing their way of life before the missionaries visited them in 1956. Narrated by the son of one of the missionaries and each of the wives of the men who died, the audience takes a nostalgic trip back in time to see how the men and women came to meet up with each other in Ecuador, An inspiring story of forgiveness and love.

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2006!


But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isa 40:31NKJV

May this new year find you mounting above the storms,
running the good race,
and walking in integrity
as you rest in He who is our all in all!

Christmas 2005 in Palm Desert, CA!

Merry Christmas to all!

It is my hope that during these days of celebration that you will join with those shepherds and wisemen of long ago and seek out He who was given to us and is Christ the King!

More Black Families Home Schooling

I thought this was an interesting article from the Associated Press - Joe

Dec 11, 6:19 PM EST

By ZINIE CHEN SAMPSON
Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Denise Armstrong decided to home school her daughter and two sons because she thought she could do a better job of instilling her values in her children than a public school could. And while she once found herself the lone black parent at home-education gatherings that usually were dominated by white Christian evangelicals, she's noticed more black parents joining the ranks.

Armstrong said she wants her children - ages 12, 10 and 7 - to have a "moral Judeo-Christian foundation" that public schools can't provide.

Read the entire article at the Yuma Sun.

National Black Home Educators Resource Association

Missions to Unreached Peoples

We took a road trip last week to meet with Bruce and Pat Ernst from Missions to Unreached Peoples.

Bruce is the International Director for Member Care.

MUP has 125 missionaries in 20 countries. They are focused on the 1040 Window. Essentially, the provide independent missionaries the opportunity to go to the foreign field.

Their Member Care division provides pastoral care for those on the field. Currently, MUP has most of their missionaries in Asia. However, they also have folks in eastern Europe. They have openings in both sort term and long term ministry opportunities if you feel so led!

Bruce and Pat were very congenial and open with us about the ministry and their role in Thailand. They are back in the States for the holidays, taking a much needed break. We very much enjoyed our visit with them.

It did remind Erica and I of our original intent when I left the pastorate in 1984 - to work with missionaries on the field, providing everything from pastoral support to babysiting to computer help or just a listening ear.

Pray for all who serve in foreign countries that the Father will provide the nurturing that they need. We, also, covet your prayers.

Alissa's Nativity Painting

The Flu arrived!

First Alissa and then Cody have come come with the full blown flu - headache, runny nose, fever, deep cough. But , praise God, neither Erica nor I have had any symptoms yet. I am just glad that we got that out of the way early!

Don't be afraid to say "Merry Christmas" as you are shopping this season!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

Studying the Chronicles of Narnia

The kids are thoroughly enjoying reading the Chronicles of Narnia. Their only complaint is being able to read only one chapter a day!

Thanksgiving 2005

Giving thanks for God's provision, His goodness and His love as well as for our wonderful family!