kramertribe happenins

Well, hard to believe but it is almost April already. Equally hard to believe is that we have had Spring like weather for weeks in Minneapolis!

We are just one week away from the beginning of our two month road trip. Unfortunately, the trip has changed significantly. Fortunately, we have learned to be flexible and trust that God is orchestrating all things.
The churchthink retreat has been canceled but we are still going to spend a few days in Colorado with Ben and Robin. We will then head to Albuquerque to be with Tim's parents. Tim's dad has been looking for work for months and recently acquired two jobs. This is wonderful but unfortunately means he will have much less time to teach Tim pottery. The 24-7 prayer gathering will not be in Tulsa so we will not be attending that either! God certainly has something different in mind for this trip.
We recently celebrated the marriage of our friends Levi and Becky in Kansas City. We got to see lots of friends and had a wonderful time. Tim was able to give away some of his first pieces of pottery as wedding gifts!

Shiloh is growing and doing great. He weighed in at 15 pounds 1 ounce at his four month check up. He has been slobbering all over and gnawing on his hands for weeks-teething! Every week he seems to be even more alert, vocal and expressive. He recently started rolling over from his tummy to his back! Here are some pictures of the little one and a video of him rolling over fresh from today!

Kramertribe News

Hello there everyone. It has been a while since we have posted anything on here. As you know, from the previous post, we are no longer on staff with Source.

"So, what are you doing then?"

Here is a bit of what we have been up to lately. We spent 2 1/2 weeks on the road for Christmas and returned home New Year's Day. It was lovely to spend time with both of our families and to introduce Shiloh to family and friends. The picture is Shiloh with his three uncles on Dana's side. We had safe travels and Shiloh did really well for a one-month old baby in the car!

Upon returning to Minneapolis we have been settling in as new parents, adjusting to three (now four-Andrew and Sara had their second son, Leif Justice Howard on Feb. 17) new housemates at our house, resting, spending lots of time together as a family, learning pottery, creating things, connecting with friends, shoveling lots of snow and waiting on God. We have been able to do a lot of things that we just did not have time for before. It has been such a rich time of bonding with Shiloh, who is three months old already!

Though we are still not certain of long-term plans we do have some idea of more 'immediate' things. As of right now we are planning on a wee pilgrimage in April and May. The first 'stop' will hopefully be a retreat in Colorado called 'Churchthink.' You can read more at churchthink.com. The retreat will be a weekend of exploring the kingdom of God and church as the family of God in the Colorado Rockies. From here we hope to go to Albuquerque to spend a month with Tim's parents. Tim is doing a pottery 'internship' right now (some of his first bowls are in the picture to the right) and hopes to continue this with his dad who is a potter. Read more about Tim's pottery endeavors on his blog. We then hope to venture on to Oklahoma to see Dana's family as well as attend the national 24-7 prayer gathering in Tulsa mid-May. From there we would head home to Minneapolis and see what adventures await us there. Most likely the adventures will consist of part-time work, gardening, parenting, pottery, prayer and life!

So, there you have it folks, the latest Krametribe news. Please keep us in prayer as well as our future plans. We are still processing a lot of the last two years with Source as well as waiting on God in regards to the 'next step.' We love you all and hope you are well. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, prayers, things you are hearing from God, etc. Peace be with you.


Kramertribe

Closing of Chapter.

Dear Friends and Family,

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father through his Son.

We hope you are blessed this New Year. We are writing to give you an update about the life of Kramertribe. First of all, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude for all of your loving support through prayer and finances! As you all know we have been living in Minneapolis for the last two years and working at Source Ministries. Over the past two years we have grown in many ways and have seen God at work in many ways. We have developed as leaders, friends and now parents. We have had many hardships as well as many joys.

Over the course of the past year and especially the last few months we have been in conversation with Peter and Jessica about where Source is and is heading. Through these conversations and much prayer we have made a decision to transition out of Source. There are many reasons but mainly it is us being well differentiated from Source. It has been a heart-wrenching decision but we are confident and at peace with our decision. We know that God called us to Source and Minneapolis. We fulfilled our two year commitment in October and have been asking God what the next step ought to be.

We are not entirely sure what our next step will be. For now we will remain in Minneapolis. We are hoping to spend the next season resting, focusing on our new family, being restored and receiving inner healing. We are very blessed to have deep friendships with several folks in Minneapolis who are a source of great strength and encouragement. No matter what our hearts will always be for intimacy with the Father and his Son, for 24/7 prayer, for mercy, for justice, for the kingdom of God to come here now, for the growth and health of the Church, and for friendship with the poor and downcast. These are the things we will be pursuing in the next step and for the rest of our lives.

We cannot state enough our appreciation for each one of you who has prayed, given finances, spoken encouragement and in other ways have journeyed with us over these last 2 years. Thank you! It has been such a joy to partner with you in the work of his kingdom in Minneapolis. Logistically, we will be handing things over in January as we transition out of Source. We will be able to receive support through March 15th as we pursue what God has for us next. If you have any questions about support please contact us.

We would love to hear from any of you with any questions concerning this letter. We would also love to talk with you about supporting us in the future in whatever God leads us to next. We will continue to post on our blog so please check that out periodically. We would ask you to pray for our family in this next season as we wait on God. We would also ask you to pray for Peter and Jessica as well as the Source community in this next season. Thank you all once again for being such amazing friends and family. May you grow daily in a knowledge of the Father’s unending love for you and for all of creation. Peace be with you in Christ.

Love,
Tim, Dana and Shiloh Kramer
kramertribe@gmail.com
kramertribe.blogspot.com
3756 5^th Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55409

Special Kramertribe update

He’s here!!!

Introducing Shiloh Isaac Kramer! Shiloh arrived Friday November 20, 2009 at 4:13pm. He was 7lbs. 4oz. and 20 inches long. He is absolutely wonderful and adjusting very well to life outside the womb. Dana is a champ! She endured 36 hours of intense labor with only 2 ½ hours of sleep in 2 days. She is recovering well.

Shiloh means long awaited one and God’s gift. Shiloh is also the first place that was set aside as a dwelling place for God’s name. It was at Shiloh that Hannah dedicated her promised child Samuel to the Lord.

Isaac means laughter. Isaac was the promised child of Abraham and Sarah who believed in God’s promise though they had to wait so long to receive it. Together Shiloh Isaac means the long awaited gift of God’s laughter. Hallelu Yah!

As most of you know we have been on quite the journey the last 2 years. Being parents has been such a desire of our hearts but it was delayed in being fulfilled. Through all the trials we have held on to God’s promises. One passage of encouragement has been Psalm 126. Verses 5 and 6 say, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”

Here are some pictures of the little fella for you all to enjoy. Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to life together. We love you and all and rejoice with you in this great gift.

Kramertribe

October 2009 kramertribe update

Hey everyone!

Here is what happened in this last month of Tim and Dana

2 year Anniversary
On October 7th we celebrated our 2 year anniversary of living in Minneapolis and working at Source. In some ways it is hard to believe it has been 2 years already but it also seems like we have been here a decade. We are very thankful for the last 2 years and excited for what God has in our future. Thank you all so much for your consistent prayers and support over the last 2 years. We are grateful for God's provision through you to be able to live and work in Minneapolis.
There have been many ups and downs in the last 2 years as well as many surprises. One of the main lessons we have learned, and are still learning, is that God is good. There have been times in the last 2 years that we have questioned and wrestled with this but we can confidently say that God is good. We really do not know what the future holds for us but we are sure it is good!
Here are some random pictures from our last 2 years...

































Mohamoud
Tim got to spend some time with Mohamoud on a Saturday morning in October. It had been a few months since we had seen Mohamoud so it was great to be with him again. Tim got to experience his first ever Somali breakfast which was delicious! Mohamoud served a crepe like thing called 'Anjali' with vegetable soup to dip it in as well as Somali Chai. While we ate we talked about the Qu'ran, Sufi teachings, Jesus and the cross. Muslims believe in Jesus, that he is a prophet of Allah and that he is coming back to establish a kingdom of justice and peace. However, they do not believe that Jesus died on the cross. They believe that Judas, or another was transfigured to look like Jesus, was crucified and that Jesus ascended to heaven. Mohamoud and I (Tim) had a great conversation about why Christians believe Jesus died on the cross and the nature of our need for salvation. Thank you for your prayers for Mohamoud.

Wedding
On October 30th we had the privilege of attending our friend Mandi's wedding. It was a surprise wedding that her fiancee planned and it was a costume wedding! Needless to say it was very unique and a lot of fun. Dana went as a 'Bun in the Oven' and Tim went as a monk. It was very joyful to see Mandi get hitched!





Baby Kramer
Baby kramer is doing great and coming soon. We are just 1 1/2 weeks from our 'due' date. Our family and friends here hosted a marvelous baby shower for us here October 4th. We had a really great time and felt very loved. We were blessed to have Tim's family finally meet a lot of our friends that we live and work with. Here are some pictures from the shower!

kramertribe september 2009 update

hey beloved family and friends! here is our newest update. it is hard to believe another month has flown by in the life of kramertribe. below are some snipets and highlights from September.

24/7 Prayer week

We hosted another week of prayer September 19-26. Each week of prayer we ask God for different themes to pray about. One of the main ones this week of prayer had to do with repentance and regathering. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah actually started sundown September 18th. This directed our prayers as we asked God to bring revelation and grace for the next year for Source. The week was pretty slim in numbers but provided a lot of time for us to spend alone in prayer.

The heart of these weeks of prayer is to regather as a community and focus on intimacy with God. Each week of prayer we have new people come through to get food, prayer, friendship, etc. We are so grateful to provide a place of rest, safety and prayer for our neighbors and friends.

Fall at Source
This fall is a crucial time for Source. It is a season of transition and rebuilding. It is a very difficult season as some of our favorite people are 'moving on.' It is a stressful season as Source is not doing well financially. As a result we are cutting back on outreach and things a bit. In the midst of all of this we are looking to Jesus for direction, hope and peace. Go here to watch a video about our homeless youth outreach, B4-48.
Some of the transition comes from Peter and Jessica believing it is time to go from a para-church mindset to the mindset of a church. Source has always been a para-church ministry but Peter and Jessica want to build a church community that does homeless youth outreach, creative things with the arts, etc. Also, they are not sure how to share the ownership and vision of Source. Needless to say, Source needs a lot of prayer in this season. Dana and I are still committed to Source and hopeful of the outcome of this season. Pray for the conversations and prayers happening in the next several months.
Another part of this fall is a joint Bible study on Wednesday nights. We are going through the book, Stomping out the Darkness. The book looks a lot at our journey from being apart from God to having our identity in Christ.
Tim has been able to do some teaching as a part of this. Last week Tim taught on our sonship and adoption through Christ. The teaching centered around the good news of the gospel that reveals God plan to adopt us as his children through Christ. Tim taught from Romans 8 and other passages that speak about God's love and grace. It is truly amazing that God provided a way through Jesus for us to become his children. After the teaching Dana facilitated a time to reflect on times we have not felt significant, secure or that we belong. Then we got into small groups to pray for one another.

Kramers
~ 6 more weeks until baby kramer arrives! We are very excited for the arrival of this baby. Obviously everything is going to change and we are feeling mostly prepared. One of the major prayer concerns right now is that this baby would turn as it is still breech. We are joyfully welcoming the beginning of a new season for us. Our role at Source will be different but we don't know exactly what it will look like. We will have mid-November to mid-January off to be new parents, love our newborn and pray about our involvement at Source.

We continue to enjoy living in community and are growing a lot. Andrew and Sara, the other family at the house, are expecting their second child in February, so the house is going to get very crazy! We are preparing to harvest our garden for the second year. This year we got a lot more produce including some from last year's compost! Unfortunately we are down to only 2 chickens after losing 2 chicks and 1 hen in the last month!
Above is a picture of Andrew and Sara's son Ezekiel (Zeke) hanging out with Sybil (dog) and Benedict (cat) who like to cuddle.

We love you all and thank you for your prayers and support!

Tim, Dana and baby aka krametribe

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