Mid-year 2024
3:15 AM, April 7, 2024 - Mary Lou drops me off at the Van Nuys Flyaway to begin Trip #2! That is good wife-ing, for sure! :)
Two trips are done, and two are coming up!
Trip #1: January/February - Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi
Trip #2: April/May - Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda
Trip #3: August/September - Brazil, Tanzania, Ethiopia
Trip #4: October/November - Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi
One teleconference is done, and one is coming up!
TLT 5: “Teaching the Christian Faith” - March
Looking Back … Looking Forward
Looking Back … Looking Forward to 2024
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Tom and Mary Lou!
Looking Back at 2023
The year began with sadness. Mom died on January 8, 2023, just six weeks after Dad passed on November 22, 2022.
The morning of January 8, I boarded the Van Nuys Flyaway bus for the Trip #1 trip of 2023 and was two blocks away from the station on the way to LAX when my phone rang. It was the overnight caregiver who told me that Mom had passed in her sleep. She fell asleep on earth and woke up in heaven. We had talked about what we would do if Mom passed while I was traveling, and so we initiated that plan. Mary Lou went out to the house, and my brother Michael joined her to process the following steps while I left LAX on my way to Africa. Our decision was then to hold off on a celebration of life for both Mom and Dad until I returned from the trip. I led training in Tanzania, Burundi, and three cities in Zambia, then came home, arriving on February 10. I brought sickness home with me, and Mary Lou and I were too ill to attend the GTN Gathering the following weekend.
However, the following Friday, February 24, Mom and Dad were interred at the US National Cemetery in Riverside with military honors, and the next day, we had a Celebration of Life service for both of them in the Ballroom of Friendly Valley Retirement Community, where they had lived since 1976. The service was well attended. My cousin Kathy, her husband Lee, and her sister Mary flew out from the East Coast to participate in the weekend, and our good friend Holly came from Colorado.
Michael and I began to go through their house and settle the estate. It was a long process to go through all their personal effects and then to distribute all the house furniture, clothing, and household goods. Then, the house was refurbished and prepared for sale. By the end of the year, we received a couple of offers. The first one fell through, but the second one is in escrow.
Meanwhile, I led an online TLT 2 course in March, which drew a considerable number of participants as some of the pastors had participants gather in their churches and homes and participate in our Zoom meeting collectively as a group.
Trip #2 was to Uganda, Malawi, and Rwanda from April 16 to May 20. I led training in four cities in Uganda and then flew to Malawi, where local leaders canceled our course at the last minute. However, while there, I established new connections with Presbyterian ministers, which I hope will develop for future training in Malawi. In Rwanda, I ran into GTN colleagues at the hotel where I was staying, and we had a great time before I left to lead TLT 5 in Kayonza.
Then, in June, I led an online TLT 3 course with a similarly large number of participants.
Trip #3 was from July 16 through August 15 to Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, the driving trip where I left Mwanza, TZ, and traveled up into Kenya, then across to Uganda to Soroti. There were the usual ups and downs - some city directors were well prepared, and some less so. Directors canceled a course in one city because they were fearful of the violent political demonstrations during elections in Kenya. But others were far beyond our expectations, especially Angora, Kenya, where we had more than 70 pastors from 28 denominations attend the course.
Five weeks later, I left for Trip #4 to Brazil on September 19. We had a great time completing MWAT 6 and awarding Advance Trainer Certificates. The following week, we did the TLT 4 course on Preaching. Additionally, I was the guest speaker for two business courses at the Federal University. We also established connections for training at two locations in Jaoa Pessoa for 2024. I returned on October 13.
At the end of October, I flew to Anacortes, Washington, to preach and meet with the church leadership at the First Baptist Church. The interim pastor is my friend Bill Mueller and his wife Diane. We had a great weekend, and the church committed to supporting us beginning in 2024.
On November 8, I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder. We had decided to put it off until I got home from my last trip of the year, and I'm glad we did. I honestly did not grasp the difficulty of the recovery from this procedure, where I would be in an immobile sling for four weeks and have such difficulty sleeping. I didn't start Physical Therapy until week six, and now, in week seven, it is still a struggle, although I can do a little more with my right arm every day.
Mary Lou continues to work in the accounting department of G&B Law, and she has also been a consultant for her old company for the last four years as they go through bankruptcy proceedings. She will be ending this outside work at the end of 2023. This year, she has been battling some health issues yet continues to be a fantastic wife, mother, and grandmother along the way.
During my travels in 2023, I led about 20 courses, got to preach 17 times, and led three online courses from home. So it was a very full year. We continue to attend the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills, which had a leadership change in 2023.
Our four children are all gainfully employed and doing well in their companies. Our two grandchildren are 9 and 7 and are both playing soccer.
Looking ahead …
Trip #1 begins January 14, returning to Zambia to lead MWAT 4 in Mazabuka, MWAT 2 in Livingstone, and MWAT 2 in Lusaka. Then, I travel to Kasulu, Tanzania (near Kigoma) to lead TLT 4: Biblical Preaching, and from Kigoma, I travel to Bujumbura, Burundi, to conduct UTB 4: the Gospels and Acts. I will fly back into Phoenix, where I will meet up with Mary Lou, who will fly from Burbank and attend the GTN annual Gathering in Scottsdale.
I laid out the rest of the year in last month's newsletter. [Link: https://mailchi.mp/27f1636ab8a3/home-for-the-holidays?e=e96bcc7d54
Once again, we thank you for your partnership with us. Our expenses were more significant than our income in 2023, but we anticipated that because we had a surplus from not traveling during Covid. However, for 2024, we are praying for 20 more Ministry Partners who will commit to monthly support as we anticipate more significant costs in all areas of travel. We also pray that our current financial partners will consider a 25% increase in their support for 2024. We plan to continue doing what we're doing for another four years until Mary Lou retires, and then we'll re-evaluate how we live our lives. I anticipate we will continue working in the Kingdom as I can't imagine anything of more value in life.
On a personal note, I had a skin cancer procedure on my right cheek in May, and because of the stitches and scarring, I let my beard grow for the first time since a lackluster attempt in my 20s. I have kept it through the second half of the year but now think I'll shave it off at the new year now that the cheek has healed.
To reduce my gut and strengthen my shoulders because of the trouble I was having sleeping, I began an intense exercise program of body weight and core exercises with cardio on the first of 2023. I was faithful to do these daily, even when traveling up until the day before my shoulder surgery on November 8. But for the last two months of the year, I could not keep it up through the recovery. At the beginning of 2023, my orthopedic surgeon did not think I would need surgery (thus the work to build), but after experiencing a "pop" while on a trip, an MRI showed two tears that needed repair.
I started Duolingo in Portuguese before the first of the year and completed all the lessons and beyond for a 370-day streak. I was able to use Portuguese during my trip to Brazil in September, although I am far from fluent. I hope to do the same in Swahili in 2024.
Mid-year, I began a project to read and meditate on one Psalm a day. I was not legalistic with it, but I am at about Psalm 85, as I write at the end of December. I am impressed that the theme of the Psalms to this point is "enemies." For some reason, this is a new revelation to me about the Psalms, even though I have studied them in the past. Nearly every Psalm seems to seek protection from and then revenge against enemies. It has caused me to pray for the nation of Israel in a new way following the Hamas attack of October 7. But I have also become aware of my enemies. Some people don't like me and do not want me to prosper. Why? I don't know. Perhaps I have offended through my arrogance and sinfulness, or maybe there are jealousies about what the Lord has led me to do in my life and with my family. Yet, I am again encouraged that despite opposition, I am not to walk in the desires of the flesh but to walk with the Spirit of God (Galatians 5), manifesting the fruit of the Spirit as I utilize the gifts of the Spirit which He has determined I should have.
And so we start 2024. You are probably one of our committed Ministry Partners if you have read this far. Mary Lou and I can't express enough how much we depend on you. There is power in prayer; when many pray, there is much power. I have weaknesses that need prayer support. Challenges in this ministry and life in general need your prayer support. Financially, our Ministry Partners fund the ministry. All of our salary, housing, and travel expenses are funded entirely by our Ministry Partners' investment. So, if you are financially giving, please know how much Mary Lou and I appreciate and depend on you. You may not be able to do what I do in travel and teaching, but you own the ministry as you partner with us. If you are not a regular giver in this ministry, please ask the Lord about becoming one with us. We could use your help. Go to our web page at GTN ( https://gtn.org/who/tom-and-mary-lou-shedd ) and scroll down to sign up. It's pretty easy to do. We have partners who give less than $100 per month, many who give hundreds, and even a few who give more than $1000 per month as they direct their tithe to this work. It takes everyone to make it happen. We are asking the Lord for two more monthly partners each month for 2024 to meet our expenses for 2024. Please join our team if the Lord should lay it on your heart to do so.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and then for praying and supporting us.
Much love in Christ,
Tom and Mary Lou
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