July/August 2009 Kramertribe update

Cornerstone

Every year Source goes to Cornerstone Festival in Illinois. This year Dana and I went because the Cornerstone staff invited 24-7 Prayer to run a prayer tent and do some teaching about 24-7 prayer. We had a small team go, set up a prayer tent, run a booth and do some teaching. Tim got to fill in for one of Peter's teachings which was an honor because Peter has taught for the last 10 years. Tim taught on one of Source's core values which is being accessible. His teaching ended with a call for the Church to wake up, be a place of belonging so youth don't have to go to sub-cultures such as gangs in search of family and home.

It was great to be able to share the story of 24-7 prayer with people at Cornerstone as well as to pray with many new friends. We were also excited to have conversations with a few people about B4-48, our homeless youth outreach. Several peoples' hearts were stirred with the reality of life for youth on the streets. We hope to see this passion spread across the country and world. The picture to the left is Tim trying to get in conversations at our booth at Cornerstone.

Mom's 60th
The weekend before our biggest event of the year we had the joy of joining Tim's family in Missouri to celebrate his mom's 60th birthday. Tim's family (parents, siblings, spouses and kids) all made it which was great because they had not all been together since our wedding 3 years ago. We had a wonderful and restful time.

Tim's mom was honored to have her kids and grandkids there. Tim's brother put together a slide show with lots of pictures and some videos. What a joy to look back over the years and celebrate together! Tim's dad will be turning 60 next year so we hope to be able to gather together again then.

Art Fest

July 20-25 we hosted an Art Intensive week. We had people from Georgia, Chicago and Texas. It was a week of workshops, teachings and outreach. On Friday night we hosted an independent film festival that kicked off our annual Art Fest. On Saturday, July 25th we hosted our 7th Art Fest. We block off a street and a half, have 4 stages, free food, kids activities and lots of interactive art stations. Despite some rain it was a great day and we had a decent turn out. Everyone was really exhausted after a summer of lots of events. We ended the night with worship and prayer out on the streets. Tim was super excited to invite Grupo Raices, a band that plays the traditional music of the Andes, to play at Art Fest (see picture to left).

Dana did a cameo appearance during Art Intensive week. She played Juliet in Josh's performance of the book Blue Like Jazz.

Kramers
Kramertribe is doing well. Baby is growing and moving a lot. We are so grateful for this gift from God. This summer was really busy, stressful and good all at the same time. We grew a lot in the area of leadership through all the event coordination, teaching, leading outreach, etc. We went on a small trip to OK, AR and MO where we got to see several of you. The rest of August was spent in Minneapolis with friends, working in the garden, labor/birth classes and lots of fun.

This fall is going to look different for us as we prepare for the arrival of this baby. We are in need of a season of restoration and healing. We are in need of a season of refreshing through prayer and intimacy with God. This is our hope for the fall for us as well as all the staff at Source. Please join us in prayer for this fall and what God desires at Source. August was a 'make it or break it' month financially for Source. We (Source) were able to get some money but not as much as we need. We are trusting God but uncertain of what will happen in the coming months. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. See below for random pictures of Art Fest and such.

Tim and Dana and baby Kramer

June 2009 Kramertribe update!

UMT
The last week of June we hosted our annual Urban Ministry Training week. It is a week where we invite people from across the country to spend a week with us in Minneapolis to learn about 24/7 prayer, urban missions, art, etc. This year Dana and I were the coordinators of UMT. We had a small intimate group and had a great time. Some of the highlights were each of us getting to teach, community times of worship, and our friends Seth and Tracy sharing about God's vision of restoration.

Compassion 48
The week after UMT we hosted a week of 24/7 prayer and then hosted a week called Compassion 48. The idea behind Compassion 48 was to raise awareness about homelessness globally as well as our own backyard. We had a group of 10 from the Wesley Foundation at Louisiana Tech join us for the week. They went in groups of 3 to spend 24 hours on the streets with nothing but sleeping bags and water. These 24 hours changed their lives as they got just a glimpse of what being on the streets is like. Tim had the privilege of teaching three times throughout the week on the Kingdom of God, Jesus: a life of Compassion and The Gift of the Poor.

Friday, June 20th we hosted a B4 48 Service which consisted of a meal, spoken word, teaching and worship. We had close to 100 people come with a desire to learn about homeless youth and what they can do to help in their own backyard. God was very present throughout the night and we had a great response. We plan to host weeks like this throughout the year.

"Within 48 hours of a homeless youth hitting the streets they will be propositioned by a member of the sex or drug industry."

What if we could reach them first?

Project Earth
Last year we were invited to be a part of a local festival called Project Earth. It is a jam band, eco-village festival, or at least is advertised as such. In reality it is a weekend party. We were invited back this year and brought a team of a dozen or so. We set up camp, hosted a 24/7 prayer tent and did one of our interactive giant puzzle murals. The atmosphere at the festival seemed a lot darker and more closed this year than last. Nevertheless, we were glad to be light in the midst of darkness.


Baby Kramer
That's right folks, you are looking at baby kramer! We are 4 1/2 months pregnant! Both Dana and baby are doing great. This ultrasound was from a few weeks ago. Baby is holding its hand up by its face. As you can tell by the vague pronouns we are not disclosing the gender of baby or any possible names. You will all just have to wait till mid-November.

Thanks everyone who has been praying for us through these last few years. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for our lives to be changed forever!

August Travels
We have three busy weeks left of summer and then will get some time off in August. We hope to be sharing at East Cross in Bartlesville the morning of Sunday, August 2nd. We will be sharing at Antioch Chruch in Siloam Springs the morning of Sunday, August 9th. We will be in Siloam August 8th-10th and stopping by Kansas City August 10-11th. We look forward to seeing many of you then.