Quick Overview of our Bosnia Trip so far...

Our trip has gone smoothly, as far as logistics. Bob's head cold has been the biggest hurdle for their performances. Most people can't tell that he's having issues, but for those of us who know what the songs should sound like, we can tell that he's struggling at times.

Please be praying for him especially the next few days. We leave today for Sarajevo and the guys will be performing either at churches or another venue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  He will need a strong voice to make it through those times.

Terry's harmonica and mandolin have been a big hit with everyone.

Funny note! Not that I want to perpetuate this stereotype, but I think it's hilarious that several Bosnians have also recognized the similarity between Bob and Terry and Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets. This seems to reveal itself most often in their dry sense of humor when they're performing. The Bosnians weren't going to tell us, but it kind of slipped out at lunch the other day. Apparently they were laughing about it when the guys were performing at the Coffee Bar the other night. I love it!

Sorry I don't have time to share more, but we're heading out to Sarajevo in a few minutes.

We're Hoping to go to Bosnia!

Terry and I are excited about a chance to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina for a short-term mission trip – our first ever! God has provided the opportunity and the availability of time off for us to travel and we are so very thankful. 

If we can raise the necessary funds, we'll go as part of a team from our church, led by Bob and Helen Ryan.  Helen leads Open Door to the World (ODW) an outreach arm of our church, Open Door Fellowship, in Phoenix and her husband Bob is an amazing musician and songwriter.  The Ryans have been working for years with the people and churches of this struggling nation since the war that tore Yugoslavia apart in the 1990’s.  

Open Door to the World, has worked to help bring hope and reconciliation to Bosnia since before the war's end. Beginning with a long-term assistance program to Bosnian refugees arriving in Phoenix, and working to impact the country with yearly teams to Bosnia itself, ODW has formed long-term relationships in the struggle for peace there. 

Mission:

This year, the Catfish Hunters musical duo (Terry and Bob Ryan) have been invited to perform at various venues in three towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina. What we’ve been asked to do is present songs that speak about forgiveness, hope and reconciliation to this war-scarred country. It's a badly needed message.

Now here’s the awesome part! 

Terry’s part in the team will be to use the musical gifts God has given him to minister in the cities of Mostar, Sarajevo and perhaps one other.  For those who haven’t heard him, he’s now playing guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass and harmonica.  Through the Coffee-bar performances, our Team’s prayer is to reach out to the communities as a connecting point between the Christians and their non-believing friends in those cities.   They'll be playing both at churches, to encourage believers, and in secular “Coffee-bar” venues to bring the message of forgiveness and reconciliation.

I hope to use my photography to capture glimpses of the stories of the Bosnian churches, people and ministries and bring them home to those who want to know more about the work God is doing there.   We also look forward to opportunities to share Christ and to encourage the hearts of the believers, young churches and our own Open Door Fellowship missionary family there (the Tinlin’s) in practical ways as well.    Along the way I hope to provide written and visual updates, whenever Internet access is available.

We hope to be a blessing to the people of Bosnia. And we believe that doing so in God’s name will be a blessing to us. You can share in that blessing – In prayer as we prepare and while we travel, in financially supporting this work, and by keeping in touch with what we find and experience as it happens, through our regular communications during the trip.

In a nation of several million people and fewer than 2,000 evangelical believers, the churches struggle to meet the needs of their members and to have a significant impact on their cities.

Open Door to the World ministry trips are financed through the fund raising efforts and personal contributions of team members.   Your participation with us is a significant investment in the Bosnian churches and their testimony in the surrounding communities. 

And so…

We would welcome any questions you have and will look forward to keeping you abreast of our plans, preparations and travels if you decide to partner with our team. 

Bosnia is still filled with strife and ethnic and political division. Without Christ, there is no solution that will bring these divided people together. Your prayers and financial support will give us the opportunity to use the gifts and talents that God has given us to encourage and minister to the people of Bosnia, using the universal message of music to reach across language and ethnic barriers to share the Good News of Jesus Christ!

To learn more about the goals of Open Door to the World visit www.ODFchurch.org and click on “Outreach”.

We hope you're as excited about this opportunity as we are! Can't wait to get there and see how God will use us to impact these communities.

It's been quite a busy week!
On Thursday we went to the Diamondbacks vs Cubs Playoff game with Andy & Julie and watched the Dbacks win the 2nd of their 3 games to sweep the series! It was a dark & stormy night...well, we had a few drips come down, but I caught a full rainbow on the way home from work before the game! The photo at the end of the post is the downtown sky before the game.

This photo of Terry, Andy & Julie gives just a glimpse into the fun we had together.

Check this out. Tony Clark uses a verse as part of his signature: Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Cool huh? This was up on the huge scoreboard for all to see.
And here's a photo of a die-hard Cubs fan. There were a huge number of Cubs fan there. Did you know that they have now gone 100 years without winning a title? How sad is that! Still after 99 years, this fan still had some hope. His shirt says "It's Gonna Happen!" this had to be a heartbreaking week for all Cubs fans. I guess that's the reason for the beer in his hand...

On Friday Catalyst had a staff and spouse dinner with a few honored guests. It was a gorgeous night! A little too "breezy" at times, but we were thrilled with the cooler temps so we put up with the candles being blown out once in a while. Grace made an awesome Beef Bourguignon and Debbie made homebaked Apple Crisp...mmm delicious!

Saturday night Terry played mandolin with our friend, Bob Ryan at his CD post-release party. What a fun time! Check out Bob's website and buy his CD. His songs are also on iTunes. And his MySpace is quite informative, interesting and entertaining! FYI, Terry didn't play on the CD. Bob played both guitar and mandolin (I think), but couldn't quite manage that when playing live. It was another fun night for all.

Today Terry played bass at church, but I got to sleep in some. The combination of getting ready for the staff dinner, hosting our home group this coming Thursday and the cooler temperatures have motivated me to work on getting out all my Fall decorations. I did a lot of that this weekend, but still more to go. Maybe I'll post a few pics later... we'll see...

Have a great week. I'll be posting my "Mosaic" review in the coming days so check back again.

Another musician friend is playing in Phoenix this weekend.

He's got some great stuff! Stop by if you have a chance.