'Tis The Season!

With the Christmas season upon us, GRM is up to a few good things!

Prayer Partner Appreciation Dessert

Tonight GRM will host a Christmas dessert gathering specifically for our prayer partners. Our ministry is heavily reliant upon the Lord's work through their prayers, and we desire to honor their contribution to our ministry!

Semester Completed

My seminary class, "Equipping Women to Embrace Their True Identity" just concluded, and here's what some of the students had to say:

"This class has been very encouraging & inspiring to appreciate my femininity on a new level. I now believe women are a sacred masterpiece that are unique and designed for special purposes; emotionally and spiritually."

"This class has impacted me significantly. During the course of the class, the Lord has healed certain areas in me needing repair! He's also helped me make some strides in honing my mission statement."

"This class was inspirational for me and gave me value and insight as to who I am as a woman in Christ."

"This is a good course for women's ministry. I learned how to help other women to embrace their true identity."

I'm thankful for all that the Lord did through this class to impact these women and those to whom they will minister in the future. We're discussing the possibility of offering this class outside of the Seminary setting during late Spring of 2009. Stay tuned for further details.

Romania 2009

Plans are formulating for our next trip to Romania in October of 2009! We will partner with I.N. Network again for a women's retreat, while Fred will train and minister to the pastors. We also plan to visit an orphanage. We will update you as plans become more concrete.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pslam 100:4, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!"
We have many reasons for thanksgiving and praise unto the Lord!

We thank Him for:

• A new full time ministry Assistant!
• An office space!
• His provision through our supporters for all of our international trips in 2008!
• Generous donations to fund our ministry!
• A team of prayer partners to support us and our ministry!
• Our health!
• His steadfast love, mercy and grace upon us!

Our list of thanksgiving could continue infinitely. We would like to thank all of you for your financial support, prayers, and general support of Greater Reach Ministries this year! We wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving!

***Be sure to check out our latest podcast on the web-site entitled, "Prayer and Our Husbands". www.greaterreach.com

We're All Together!

We're having an exciting week at Greater Reach! We're all together! Caye is visiting from Florida for the week, and the wheels are turning in our minds for future ministry plans.

Our newest Greater Reach employee, Alyssa Spitale, was included in this picture taken in mid-September at a dinner gathering. At that point, all three of us working together at Greater Reach wasn't even a thought. It's amazing what God can do in a month!

For more details on what's new with Caye, check out her blog at www.CayeSiller.blogspot.com.

Visit our website for the latest podcasts too: www.greaterreach.com.

Camel Ride in Egypt?

Kristin's husband, Pastor Fred, recently took a camel ride during his latest excursion to Cairo, Egypt. He brought our new Sr. Pastor, Jamie Rasmussen, to visit some of their ministry sites.

Seminary Class Update

We're at the mid-point of the semester and it's such a blessing to see what God is doing in the lives of the ladies in the class. Due to cultural and age differences, they are at such varied levels in their understanding of their identity in Christ. It's exciting to see them taking hold of these truths and making positive changes in their walk with God and others.

Here are a couple of comments that I received recently:

Louisa (a seminary doctoral student) - when asked, How do you like the class?

“Very much- I didn’t know that the burden I have carried, women all over have carried too. My culture (Hong Kong), Chinese, has put so much on women. Really, the whole world has hurt women deeply. I thought I was the only one. I can’t believe I have never learned this before.”

Berta (Director of Community Relations at Scottsdale Bible Church)

I wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying your class! I am learning a lot that I will be able to apply in my ministry.

New Events on the Calendar

Greetings Friends!

Just checking in to let you know that we've added a number of new speaking events to the GRM calendar for the coming months and 2009!

Visit our website for more information about where we'll be speaking.

Please be praying for each event and we hope to see you at one or more of them.

Class is in Session

I can’t believe another month has gone by since my last update! I had some much needed vacation time in August, which was wonderful. The class I am teaching at Phoenix Seminary, “Equipping Women to Embrace Their True Identity”, is now underway. We had our first meeting last night, and I have to tell you, I am excited! The women are eager to learn how to equip women to embrace their God given identity!

And we at Greater Reach are exploring a new opportunity that has come our way. We would love for you to pray with us for God’s wisdom as we consider a two minute-three times a week radio program. This opportunity could really help us get the word out about our ministry.

George Barna said, “Mission gives your life purpose, vision gives your life direction, values gives your life character”. I keep that quote on my desk so I can read it regularly. It helps to keep me focused. And I think about what I am doing with Greater Reach in this context: What is our mission? What is our vision? Are we as a staff pursuing godly character? I believe so.

Greater Reach is grounded in the Word of God: our mission is to help women find value, significance, and identity in Christ, equip them to develop their gifts and empower them to engage in fruitful ministry. Our vision is clear: to reach out across the world to lift up women and touch them with a message of hope that inspires and equips them to be all that God made them to be. And we at GRM believe in Christian accountability in order to help us to stay on track, both personally and with regard to the ministry. It always has to be “being” before “doing”. We must be the people of God before we do the work of God.

Thanks for praying for us!

Equipping Women to Embrace Their True Identity

Hello! Having recovered from my latest trip, the Tanzania, Africa adventure, I am now focused again on my writing project. The book I am working on coordinates perfectly with a class I will be teaching at Phoenix Seminary this fall. The class starts Monday (6-8 PM), September 8th and runs for 14 weeks.

As someone who has worked with and ministered to women for many years (try 30!) I have personally observed a problem that is common among them: they are often confused, abused and denied the truth about who they really are. In this course (and in my book) students will explore some historical, cultural and religious reasons why, and develop a biblical worldview of individual personhood that includes identity, gifts, and a call to stewardship.

Finally students will learn significant life principles related to identity that they can apply and teach others. This class will provide strong encourgement to find and invest one's gifts, all for the cause of Christ. Consider joining me! You can register online through Phoenix Seminary: http://www.phoenixseminary.org/

Mission Accomplished!

We’re home again! After a full two days of travel to and from Tanzania we’re still a little jet-lagged and tired, but otherwise recovering well from the trip.
We’re pleased to report - Mission Accomplished!! It was a very busy and tiring 2 weeks, but extremely rewarding.

We spent time at two schools that our church built, one in Mairowa and one in Kondoa, Tanzania. The school in Kondoa looks great! The children there have been at the school for almost two years. An added bonus (that was a benefit to us) was that their English skills were very good. The children recently took academic assessment tests and the 1st graders at the Kondoa Integrity School (KIS) tested equivalent to 3rd graders at other local schools.

We had such an amazing time with the staff and students at the schools. When you see how difficult life is for these kids and then see them at school, laughing and learning with big smiles on their faces, it’s a great reminder of why we’re doing this. These children LOVE their school! In fact, the Headmaster told me that he has to shoo them off the school grounds at the end of the day because they hate to leave. What a blessing to know that the schools are enriching their lives so much.

Most of the people we visited come from the Maasai Tribe. You can learn more about them here. While there we also drove along rutted dirt roads to visit many families in their homes. The traditional Maasai dwellings (called bomas) are small dark structures, built in a dome shape like an igloo, but made primarily of mud. You can see a couple of examples below. In one of our visits a family from our church was sharing their story with one of the single mothers when asked how she could “believe” too. They were able to share the Good News with her and she prayed to receive Christ!! Wow! What a thrill that across the cultural lines and differences, they were able to share the hope of the gospel with this precious woman.

We also had the privilege of visiting and participating in an African church service. My husband, Fred preached, the kids presented a play and 3 team members shared their testimonies. It was a joy to be able to spend time in worship together with them as well.

Another gift was sharing our journey first-hand with two of our board members who came along as well. Rosanne Burck and Barbara Uhlmann chose to enjoy the adventure with their older grandsons. It was an experience that they’ll never forget and will always share as a dear family memory.

People often think that when they take a short-term mission trip, they are going to serve and minister to others. This is true-they are and they do. What they don’t realize, but discover when they are on the trip, is that they are the ones that are served and ministered to by the people they meet. God uses these new friends in faraway places to bless our lives. This trip was no exception: the Tanzanians touched our hearts and our lives.

Thank you so much to all who supported, encouraged and prayed for our trip. As always, the Lord was with us every step of the way. You are a gift to us!

New Website Launched!!!

We're excited to announce that our new website has launched! Please be sure to bookmark it and come to visit often to find out about our latest news, events and travels.

www.GreaterReach.com

See you there!

Ministering in Tanzania

My husband and I are leading a group of ministry friends and their families to Tanzania this month to visit the village our church has adopted and the school we are developing in another small community. This two week long trip will help us in developing relationships with the people of Mairowa and Kondoa: primarily, the many fatherless children we feed and help to educate, the widows we help and encourage, and the women without husbands who are raising children alone.

Two board members of Greater Reach are going with us: Rosanne Burck, our Board Chairperson, is traveling with her grandson, Jordan, and Barbara Uhlmann, our Board Treasurer, is traveling with her two grandsons Mark and Andy Smith. These two women have been instrumental in the development of Greater Reach and Fred and I are delighted that they, along with their families, have such ministry hearts.

Please pray for them, us and the entire team as we seek to bring the love of Christ to this struggling part of the world.

Insights from the Jordan Team

When my husband Mark and I were invited to join Fred and Kristin and Greater Reach Ministries to journey to Jordan, we were both initially apprehensive and in awe of the door that God had opened for us…Why us, Lord?? What do we have to offer to this ministry, how could we possibly be of use to You there??

While most visitors go to Jordan for the sole purpose of seeing the magnificent rock-cut city of Petra, which is truly a feast for the eyes…or the amazing Biblical sites, they may miss the opportunity to experience Jordan’s greatest natural resource… it’s incredibly gracious and hospitable people…never have we experienced such an outpouring of love and warmth!!

We know the Lord went before us, clearing away any obstacles and preparing our hearts and minds and those of the attendees. We were deeply touched by the commitment these couples had to the instruction and the enthusiasm they had to share it with others! It was our joy to be there to share and encourage them. I think we learned more from their open hearts!!

Teaming up with AWT~ Arab Women Today, in a predominantly Muslim, male-dominated society, the concepts taught (conflict resolution, stress management and communication) provided the attendees with new insights, totally unfamiliar to their culture. Only upon our arrival in Heaven will we know the outcome of how our love and support during these seminars will further the message of who God wants us to be and how we are to love and respect one another.

The work being done by both of these ministries is transforming the lives of Arab women! Greater Reach Ministry truly lived up to their name, vision and mission statement!

Lives changed. Hearts blessed. Believers encouraged...

...as we travelled to the country of Jordan, a Muslim country known for its hospitality, biblical sites, and Petra. We conducted three seminars in three different communities over a two week period in mid-May.

• Greater Reach Ministries taught seminars for at least five different church denominations: Baptist, Nazarene, Evangelical Free, Pentecostal, and Alliance
• Topics covered: conflict resolution, communication, developing intimacy in marriage, motivation, seasons of a woman’s/man’s life, stress management
• Seminars presented in three different cities to 100’s of people
• Amman, Husn, and Zarqa were conference targets.

A sampling of comments from those who attended these meetings:

o “This is the first time we have ever learned how to grow deep in our marriage and the first time these topics have ever been taught in our church! Thank you!”

o “The stress management session helped me to realize that I do have a lot of different things causing stress, and it’s not always my spouse’s fault. I am sorry for blaming him for everything”

o “This has changed my life!”

o One husband said, “I realize I have been too selfish. I will start now to be more selfless, even saying yes now to a small request my wife made which I had said no to before.”

o Another woman said, “This conference was life-changing. My husband and I have made a commitment to change our life-style. The time here has shown me that we need to spend time together to develop our spiritual intimacy as a couple.”

Goals Reached: The goal of uplifting women in the Middle East, who are limited in many ways and not as respected as men, was achieved.

• Women and men were equipped and encouraged in their walk with God and in their marriages. Walls were broken down and hurts were addressed.


• The time in Jordan was well-spent:it was God-inspired and God-led.

We're home!

What a ministry trip we had in Amman, Jordan! Our conferences went so well, we can do nothing but thank God for all the answers to prayer, for all the many ways every aspect of our time was covered, protected and God-led. We are grateful!

We were blessed with good health, rest and safety. God wonderfully protected us in every way! Crossing the border between Jordan and Israel is very difficult, yet we passed through safely. International travel can be exhausting, yet each day we awoke rested and ready to go! Our flight connections were smooth and stress-free. What a blessing that was!

We asked that God would raise up visionary leaders to work alongside GRM: we have deepened our relationship with Arab Woman Today, especially our friend Ruba, a visionary leader. She and I look forward to developing more ministries together in the future. She would love for us to come back soon!

We also had a two-day side trip to Nazareth to visit the family of one of our good friends with Christar, which was also a special treat. To walk where Jesus walked in both these countries is such a privilege and thrill. I am always struck by how quickly time goes by when I am there. Two thousand years is nothing in light of eternity, and here we were, teaching God’s Word near where Christ was teaching not so long ago.

Photos and more will be coming shortly so be sure to come back and visit again soon!

Quick update from Jordan

It has been a busy week!

We are now getting a 5 hour breather and then off we go again tomorrow.

Things have gone really well in our first days here! We teach again tomorrow night and then all day Friday, plus lots of individual meetings.

It's been cold in Amman and hot in Nazareth, where we were yesterday and today.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement.

God is changing lives and answering prayers!

Our Trip to Jordan

Well, it won't be long now. My husband, myself and another ministry couple are leaving for Amman, Jordan this coming weekend. I already told you a little about this upcoming trip in an earlier posting, but I wanted to mention it again so you will pray for us that God's Word would be an encouragement to all we meet with. I am excited for this opportunity to partner with Arab Woman Today! I love the Jordanian people and especially Arab Woman Today! The Greater Reach team has been hard at work preparing for this conference, and we stand on tip toe to see what God will do through us.

Irene Marco has a word for you

In this picture: Irene Marco to the left, Kristin Beasley in the middle,
and Caye Siller to the right.

I met Kristin when my husband was in seminary and she was the Dean of Women there. She helped me see who I was in God's eyes and that he had a call on my life. God's call is so much more than being a wife or mother, though those two roles are really important and strategic. But Kristin's ministry has caused me to really seek God's path for my whole life, helping we to look further out instead of just focusing on my current tasks and trials.My friend Kristin is rock solid in God's Word and has a gift to speak living truth into a situation. She is a person that sees the importance of accountability and community. I have watched her as the wife of successful pastor navigate well the ups and downs of ministry life. And no matter how difficult her life experiences have been in the past, she has allowed God to use them to build her into the woman he wants her to be.

Finally, she and Greater Reach gave me a global perspective on God's plan and role for women. Before I met Kristin I never really thought about other women in the world and the struggles and issues they face. If you want to move past the typical women's ministry and become empowered to reach for God's best then this is the ministry for you!

A Priceless Gift by Caye Siller

I am visiting from Florida with the Greater Reach team and I was inspired to write this:

I remember, as a child, receiving a gift from a neighbor. Her name was Mrs. Clapper (funny name, I know! :)). One day she showed me a gold necklace that was in her jewelry box. I was so enamored with it; it was so shiny! Even though I didn't know how valuable it was, and it was very valuable, she gave it to me, and I took it home. My Mom told me, "It's too expensive a gift, you need to give it back." As a child, I didn't understand. I thought, "it's my gift, why should I give it back?" The years have passed, but there is still a part of me as a grown woman, that stuggles to know that I am valuable enough to be given a priceless gift. It's not because of Mrs. Clapper's necklace but because of a world that seems to scream, "you're not good enough!" The good news is that I, you, we all are children of God, and our worth is much greater than a gold necklace-we are priceless to God! "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1

This is what Greater Reach wants you to know: you are a gift from God and have gifts and talents that He wants to see you invest in Kingdom work! Blessings, Kristin

Together - we're bringing hope, training and opportunity

On May 9 & 10, 2008, Kristin Beasley will be plenary speaker at a marriage conference hosted by Arab Woman Today Ministries. The presentations will be on topics that many Arab women have identified as areas in which they need biblically based help.

Presentations will cover the following topics:

• Conflict Resolution
• Communication Issues
• Stress Management
• Motivation
• Handling Difficult People

The core of each message will be that women are special in God's eyes, they have gifts that can be used to uplift the body of Christ, and are uniquely positioned to share their faith and impact lives.


The Budget
The Greater Reach Ministries outreach in Jordan is the first outreach of this new ministry. The costs associated with this ministry trip include travel, accommodations, training material, and the costs associated with ministry administration and growth. The impact of this outreach will be huge. It will also lay the ground work for future Greater Reach Ministries work in the Middle East. It you would like to contribute financially send us an email to Kristin@greaterreach.com or if you simply want more information, sign up for our mailing list on the right hand column. and you will receive the Greater Reach Newsletter.

There is a need

It is apparent to us that there is a universal need for women to be affirmed in their identity. Women have often been abused and denied the truth about who they are. They need help to understand their identity, to identify their gifting and to unleash their gifts to impact the world for the kingdom of God.

“We exist because there is a universal need for women to know God’s love, their priceless value, unique design, and to acquire tools to fulfill their purpose.”

Did you know?

The United States

Women in the Unites States have the vote.

Women in the United States have opportunity for education.

Women in the United States have more freedom than most women in the world.

But American women often do not feel valued, are confused about who they are, and long for lives that count for eternity.

Women in the US are confused. They think their worth is in their role: as career woman, homemaker, or sex symbol. But God created them in His image.

God wants these women to know who they are in Him – woman is created in His image (Genesis 1:27)

Link: The American woman has her own identity issues

Did you know?

The Middle East

There are 22 Countries in the Arab world. 166 million women live there. Most Arab women do not go to school or work. Consequently about 60% of Arab women cannot read or write. Most Arab women don't go to school or work. They are often poor and unable to support themselves and their children. They often do not have the opportunity to even choose their husband. In most cases he is chosen by the young woman’s parents. And men have the legal right to abuse their wives.

22 Arab countries with 166 million women. 60% of them cannot read and write, but: God created them in His image.

God wants these women to know who they are in Him – woman created in His image (Genesis 1:27)
As Christ’s ambassadors we want to be His voice reaching out to the voiceless.

Did you know?

Eastern Europe

After 40 years of communism, there is a great lack of Christian, moral influence. One specific area of Romanian society in which this is most evident is the status of women in society. In both the public arena and the home, women are traditionally looked upon as “second class citizens”, at best. While the evangelical church has recognized this and is attempting to address it, there is much to be done before significant change will be seen.

In Post Communist countries we find that women’s worth is denigrated, but: God created them in His image.

God wants these women to know who they are in Him – woman is created in His image (Genesis 1:27)

As Christ’s ambassadors we want to be His voice reaching out to the voiceless.

The Open House Event

Sunday the 13th of January the Uhlmann Family offices hosted an Open House Event. The event was a great success! All the ministries (Uhlmann Family Offices; Greater Reach Ministries; AssociationMarriageFamilyMinistries; TrueFaced Leadership Catalyst, Inc. StrongFamilies; TCI Holdings, Inc. Wide Open Films and Leadership In Fellowship Together) were able to share the heart of their work with invited guests. For Greater Reach this meant a lot of talking about who we are. We had a lot of people visiting our office, and were able to hand out our new brochure and business cards. This gave us a good start to make known our ministry, as we are heading into more serious work on fund raising. We just want to express our gratitude towards those who have expressed their support in any way. You are truly a great encouragement to us - knowing that you believe in our vision to reach out to women.

Our New Ministry

I am so happy to be launching a new ministry that will encourage and empower you to make a contribution for the Lord! This is an exciting time for women in ministry. We have opportunities as never before to impact women around the world. Join with me and get involved impacting your world for Christ!

On the right: Dr. Beasley, her Romanian partner, Daniela Pribac, and a woman we reached out to from a village in the Carpathian Mountains.