Preparation for Chiang Mai, Thailand Sep/Oct 2009

Dear Friends,

As so many of you know Judy and I will be in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in a Jonathan Training seesion, September 28-October 10, 2009. This two week, intense training course is required for all "Jonathans!" We are going to experience and taste in the classroom setting what our Jonathans who eventually will be working with "difficult unreached people groups" experience and taste in terms of classroom training, vision casting and vision setting. We are very excited about this experience.

We have a lot of homework to do in preparation for this Jonathan Training- which training will all be done in English!

• We are reading Garrison's book, CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENTS (www.churchplantingmovements.com/download.php)
• We are working hard on a "people profile." Every Jonathan who is trained is preparing to enter some specific "unreached people group" that they have identified and for whom they sense a calling of God to penetrate for the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a huge part of the preparation for the two weeks of training. I will tell you the "people group" Judy and I have been working on at a later time!
• We are learning new terms and new methods. I suppose a question we can all ask is this: "Can you teach an old dog new tricks?" The general answer is "no." But when you make yourself available to whatever God is up to, and you lay aside all personal ambition, and you check your presuppositions at the door, and you enter without a hidden agenda, you can learn new methods, new concepts, new principles, new paradigms! Our prayer is that we are able to lay aside the past without laying aside our foundation in Christ, and that we are able to grasp and own the new terms and new methods we are learning in the presentation of the Gospel to unreached people groups. In other words we are praying that "these old dogs (Judy and myself) break the mold and in fact do learn new tricks!"
• Ultimately we want to be incredibly effective in finding, challenging, training and releasing new Jonathans- "global Jonathans," who think of the world as their ministry field.
• And we want to be absolutely successful in connecting unreached people groups with churches, groups, individuals, families- whomever, for the express purpose of sharing Jesus Christ and seeing eternal fruit born and mature in the eternal Kingdom!

Well these are just some of the requirements we are currently working at meeting. As we take these methodical steps we move closer to the goals and objectives of THE JONATHAN PROJECT!

We had a really fun weekend with Mission Viejo Christian Church last Saturday and Sunday. Not only did we fellowship with a great church, we met many, many others who are also engaged in all kinds of ministry within the Kingdom of God. Let me say that there are some very passionate people out there...all happily working in the specific ministry to which they have been called by God. It was encouraging to rub shoulders with these fellow servants of the Most High God! "Thanks Mission Viejo Christian Church for hosting should an excellent weekend and for inviting us to be a part of the experience!"

If there is any way we can be of help to you, or, if you would like to know more about STADIA INTERNATIONAL-JONATHAN PROJECT please be in contact: 714.488.7922 or hit us with an email- gjessup@stadia.cc.

In the meantime, we pray the very best for you this week.

Blessings,

Graydon Jessup

Speaking/Traveling Opportunities:

• September 13 LifeSpring Church, Beaumont/Banning with Dwight Addelman. I will be speaking in the morning worship service and then speaking at the afternoon dedication of their new meeting place there in the Beaumont/Banning area. This is a real milestone for this new church!
• September 24-October 11, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Jonathan Training
• October 18, 25, November 1, 8, 2009, Speaking in Churches in Alaska

October 18th Farewell Ave, Fairbanks, AK

October 25th Homer Christian Church, Homer, AK

November 1st Baxter Road Bible Church, Anchorage, AK

November 8th Faith Christian Community, Anchorage, AK

• November 19-22, National Missionary Convention, Peoria, Illinois
• January 2010, India