“The spirit of the Lord God Is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the  poor; He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of  the prison to those that are bound;  Isaiah 61:1

Dear Family and Friends,                                                             January 2014

We begin this newsletter by sending our love to each of you and praying God’s rich blessings on each one for 2014!

Our letter is in chronological order interspersing ministry times with  family events.

The year 2013 has been full of travels, teaching and touching base with family.

The year began with teaching in an Addictive Behavior Counseling School (ABCS) in Switzerland under Sylvie Bolay’s leadership. Darv taught on Understanding Substance and Behavior Addictions using the Tree of Addiction model and about brain damage caused by various types of addictions. Carol taught Maturation Stages and Attachment Theory.

In March Darv taught on Cognitive Behavior Therapy in a Foundations of Counseling Ministry school (FCM) in Pitangui, Brazil. This school was led by Paulo and Ieda da Silva. 

Also in March Carol and her 2-piano group (Klassical Keyboards) gave a concert at the Piano Gallery in Boulder.  About a 100 people attended  to enjoy a variety of composers – from Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto to Khatchaturian’s  famed Sabre Dance. The KK group again performed at Anthem Ranch with 200 in attendance. From audience report, it was “a smashing success!”   (pic)

Early June found us driving our son’s 1929 Ford Model A truck from Boulder to Eldon, Iowa to be part of Gothic Days parade honoring Grant Wood, his home and his famous painting, “The American Gothic”. That was a driving adventure, indeed!

In June and July, we were invited by our ABMI leader, Jung Mi Park, to help facilitate a workshop in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia. She has started Celebrate Recovery groups in over 40 churches throughout Mongolia. Linda Subris, from Palau, was also part of the leadership. Following the workshop, Jung Mi and Hishgee Bayr led a 3-week practicum to serve communities in Mongolia

In August-September Darv and Linda attended a YWAM University of the Nations workshop in Mexico. These meetings are held every 2 years on a different continent with Loren and Darlene Cunningham, international YWAM leaders and staff teaching and finding direction from God for YWAM. Very inspiring! September is the month for the American Association of Christian Counseling World Conference in Nashville, TN. Darv was a team leader for the addiction track and presented a workshop on the “Tree of Addiction Model”.  AACC generously sponsored 5 of our international ABCS staff members.  

It was during this time that the “100-year flood” hit Boulder. We were attending The AACC Conference with ABC leaders in Nashville, TN. On TV we watched houses in Boulder being washed away, streets flooded, major destruction to the land, especially to the mountain towns above Boulder. We are grateful for NO damage to our home, though there were destructive mudslides just above us. Four people were killed as a result of the flooding – very few, considering the extensive damage; some towns are changed forever. 

In October Darv traveled to Pichilemu, Chile to teach in 3 YWAM Discipleship Training Schools (DTS). He provided a 3-day addiction workshop for staff and students on that YWAM base. This was in preparation for our first ABCS in a Spanish-speaking country.

During October-November we traveled to Cambodia to attend an International Substance Abuse and Addiction Coalition (ISAAC) meeting in Phnom Penh. Marilyn Murray taught on her method for trauma healing – very appropriate information for a nation still impacted by the Pol Pot regime. People had come from 21 different nations with large representations from Egypt, Pakistan, and Russia. This was an amazing Spirit-infused conference. We repacked our bags to head to Amsterdam to teach in an FCM led by Ansel Pronk, an ABC graduate, who plans to reintroduce and lead ABC schools in Amsterdam.

December was dedicated to family get-togethers. All our 4 children were here in Boulder – Carla, Scott, Brett and Melanie and their children. We thank God for good health and the many blessings He has rained down on us.

The new year 2014 will be more teaching and traveling to Salem, OR; to Curitiba, Brazil; to Mongolia and finally to Chile from August to December. 

We wish you God’s best throughout the year to come! 

                                Darv & Carol