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.