Urgent Ellis family Visa Prayer Request!

Hello everyone,
We pray that you all had a wonderful Christmas and are ready for this new year! We are still in California, visiting family and supporters, on our way toward Taiwan. We have an urgent prayer request to ask of you all. In order to apply for our visas in San Francisco, we need some official letters from the government of Taiwan. Our papers were turned in in October, and they still have not been approved. Once they are approved, they still have to be mailed to us here in the U.S. Once we have them, we apply and then it takes at least 3 days to process them here, more time if there are any problems. We leave for the San Francisco area on Tuesday, and only have about 12 days there. We need those papers to be approved and sent from Taiwan and make it here super fast! If they don't, all the options for us are very expensive (like come in on a tourist visa, and then all fly to Hong Kong to process our visas, which would be 6 tickets, hotels, etc...)
We also have to ship our things soon from the U.S. to Taiwan, and have to be in Taiwan when the shipment arrives, so once we send the shipment, we HAVE to be in Taiwan 3 weeks from that time. Visa delays would be a disaster for receiving our shipping.
God has come through in so many amazing ways as we have prepared to move. He has provided finances, confirmations, and encouragement. Just the other day, Katie's mother took us on a tour of a historical site here. Our tour guide had lived in Taiwan, and before that lived in Hawaii! 2 places we have lived. She encouraged our children, and said that they would love Taiwan. She even had moved her kids there and sent them to the same schools that our children would go to! This is the second time something like this has happened. In Yosemite Park this summer, we ate in the lodge and the people who helped us were from Taiwan and Hawaii!
Please pray that God moves miraculously and that the visa is approved, and makes it super fast to us in the mail.
Thank you all for your prayers. We also still need to raised $4,000 for a van and $5,000 to clear dental and medical bills (on our credit card). Praise God and thank you all that we have our tickets, shipping, and some initial start up money already covered!
many blessings,
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai Ellis

Status Update on Our Move for December 18

We just slipped into the last month before our move to Taiwan. Montana is now thousands of miles behind us, as we packed up, sold, or gave away every last item we had there. We treasured our five years serving the Youth With A Mission campus and the School of Biblical Studies. Over 200 missionaries trained, hundreds sent out on long and short term outreaches, and 5 new Bible schools pioneered marked a fruitful time of ministry. After our 200 for $20 fund raiser goal was met, we have the following update on our totals needed for the move:
1) passports/visas, packing materials, & health exams: $2,000 (covered!)
2) tickets to Taiwan: $3,600 (covered!)
3) shipping expenses: $3,000 (covered!)
4) furnishings for apartment: $3,000 (covered!)
5) 2 mopeds: $2,000 (covered!)
6) kids' school fees: $5,000 (still needed)
7) van: $4,000 (still needed)
8) medical/dental bills from time in Montana: $4,000 (still needed)
You can see that over $13,000 in donations has come in already! Praise God! We still need another $9,000 to cover the move, and $4,000 to clear away the debt from things our insurance wouldn't cover. If you would like to give to any of these, you can click on the Donate button on the top right, and use your credit/debit card to give through Paypal. If you would like a tax deductible receipt, please follow the instructions on our support page to mail your donation in by check.
Thank you to everyone who has given, prayed, or encouraged us in the midst of this time. It has been awesome to see God provide and confirm this step into Asia.

Mega 7th Ellis family Fund Raiser Update

Hello everyone,
It has been several days since our last 200 for $20 fund raiser update, and we wanted to let you all know some amazing news! One couple wanted to give for 50 people, and another two people gave for 5 people, so now with some more $20 donations, we are up to 201 for a grand total of $4,020. God and all of you did it! We reached our goal of 200 for 20, and even went $20 over! We have been blown away by all of your encouraging messages and generous offerings since this whole fund raiser began. This money will go a long way in helping us get over to Asia for missions. If you want to see a full update of our progress on the move to Taiwan, you can check out the next blog entry above. If you missed out on the 200 for $20 fund raiser, we still have other needs you can give to listed there. Just click on the Donate button in the top right corner if you would like to give, and leave a note in the comments if you want it to go to a particular part of our move. Check out our new video update below. With each day, we are one step closer to moving to Taiwan for missions.
blessings,
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai Ellis

6th update on Ellis family fund raiser

Hello everyone,
It has been several days since our last 200 for $20 fund raiser update, and we wanted to let you all know the great news! One couple wanted to give for 50 people, and another family gave for 5 people, so now we are up to 136 for a grand total of $2,720. A few people have chosen to go above the $20, and now we are only 64 more people away from our goal! Thank you all, and if you would still like to give, please click on the Donate button in the top right corner. Check out our new video update below. With each day, we are one step closer to moving to Taiwan for missions.
blessings,
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai Ellis

5th update on the 200 for $20 fund raiser

Hello everyone!
We wanted to give you a new update on the 200 for $20 Ellis family fund raiser. Over the weekend, we got 9 more for a total of 79, giving us a grand total of $1,580. That is amazing! We only need 121 more to give just $20 to reach our goal of 200. Some people have asked if they can put in different amounts (like give for 5 people for a total of $100). The Donate feature (top right) of our website allows you to enter any amount, so this is fine. Again, everything helps, and $20 donations really add up with more people. With each day, our move to Taiwan to do missions gets closer. Thank you!
If you would like to give and receive a tax deductible receipt, you can send your donation by mail following the instructions on the support page of our website.
thank you,
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai Ellis

Fourth 200 for $20 Update

Hello everyone,
It is time for the daily update on the Ellis family 200 for $20 fund raiser. I am excited to tell you that after 3 days we skyrocketed up to 70 for a grand total of $1,400! Praise God, and thank you to everyone who has blessed our move to Taiwan. Now, we only need 130 more people who would be able and like to contribute $20 through our website to reach our goal. Giving is easy through Paypal, where you can give with a credit or debit card, or through your normal Paypal account. Just click on Donate in the top right. Check out our new update video as well below.
blessings,
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai

New 200 for $20 Update

Hello everyone!
We have a new update on our 200 for $20 campaign. After our second day, we now have 30, for a grand total of $600 raised! We only have 170 more to go to reach our goal! Again, we set up this fund raiser so that people could give easily, through Paypal, using their credit or debit card on our website. Also, we wanted people to know that everything helps, and even $20 adds up to get us over to Taiwan for missions. If you haven't given, and would like to, just click on Donate in the top right. You can fill in whatever amount you want.
Check out our new video update below too.
Thank you to everyone who has given and prayed for this fund raiser.
blessings,
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai Ellis

200 for 20 update!

Hey everyone,
We wanted to give you all an update on our 200 for $20 campaign. On our first day, we had 18! $340 has come in so far for our move to Taiwan for missions. Praise God! Now, we have only 182 more to go. If you would like to be one of these 182, simply click on the donate button in the top right of our blog site, and follow the instructions on Paypal. You can give any amount, and everything helps us. Again, if you would like a tax deductible receipt, you can mail a check to us with the instructions on our support page (click here). Take a look at our new video update below as well. God bless you.
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai Ellis

Please join our 200 for $20 campaign!

A friend of ours emailed us the other day and wanted to know if he could donate money toward our move through Paypal, the online banking system. We didn't know this was even possible, and as we looked into it, we felt God gave us an idea to help others who might want to give this way. We are starting a new 200 for $20 fund raising campaign for our move to Taiwan for missions. Our goal is to see 200 people give $20 and bless our efforts toward Taiwan with a big boost. We know that many of you are having difficulty with this economy, but would be able and like to give a smaller amount in a one time gift. Now, all you have to do is click the donate button to the right of this post, and follow the simple instructions. If you would like to give an amount other than $20, you can fill that in too. Unfortunately, Paypal will not allow you to count this as a tax deductible donation. If you would like a tax deductible receipt, please follow the instructions on our support page. Thank you all for your prayer and encouragement! We will keep you all updated on how close we are to the 200 people through Facebook, this blog, and email.

Two Monts Until Taiwan!

The time is really flying by now as we continue to pack and prepare for our big move to Taiwan. We have seen some amazing provision from God as well as encouraging words to keep us moving forward. One supporter recently called and said they felt God wanted them to give $4,000 towards our move! We were blown away when the exact amount of money they gave was the exact amount we needed for our airline tickets. Go God! Then, a few weeks later, a couple called late one Friday evening, and said they were giving us $1,000. On top of their donation, they also had us over for lunch and encouraged us in stepping out in faith and watching God provide, as He had done for their family over many years in missions.
Our Prayer Requests
Even with these amazing gifts that have come in, we still need around $10,000 to help us complete our transition overseas. We will need money for furnishing our apartment there, as we won’t be able to take any furniture and can only ship essentials. Here is a full list of needs we have left:
Shipping: $1,000 ($2,000 already given, praise God!)
Furnishings: $3,000
Mopeds/van: $4,000
School expenses: $2,000
We are also still trying to clear some medical debt we incurred in the last two years. Our insurance costs combined with things our insurance wouldn’t cover added up to $4,000 on our credit cards.
In addition to these financial needs, we would also love prayer for our physical, emotional, and spiritual health during this move. Moving definitely comes with a certain level of stress and strain, and we want to do all of this in the strength and joy of the Lord. Please also pray for our children in this time. Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai are each dealing with the change in their own way, and we would like them to feel a peace with God over moving away from friends and leaving what they know behind.
Thank you for all your prayers, support, and encouragement. We couldn’t be in missions without you!
Love,
Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai Ellis

Our Move to Taiwan is Coming Soon!

The time is flying by as we continue to prepare for our big move to Taiwan! During our scouting trip there in July, God confirmed our vision and call to this nation and to the region of Asia. Sean met with leadership there, and confirmed the role he will have there in Taiwan. He will be helping 13 Bible schools throughout Asia, as well as providing mentoring, training, and teaching for the ministry there in Taiwan. Katie had her first visit there, and fell in love with the people and nation. We have seen God move miraculously already to help us on our way.

**all the money came in for our scouting trip in July, and we had a wonderful time there with everyone in Taiwan

**we received a very generous offering which helped to cover our support raising trip to Kentucky and California

**we also received another gift which is helping us with some of our initial costs of getting passports for the kids and buying tubs and boxes for shipping

**the passports came in quickly so we could send them off for the visa application
Our Prayer Requests and Needs for Taiwan

With a little over 2 months to go, we still have many things to do and finances to raise to be able to move to Taiwan. We would like to ask if you would join us in praying for these needs which we have.

Here is a list of the needs we still have:

1) tickets: $5,000- we may have to buy round trip tickets due to visa

2) shipping: $2,500- cost for actual shipping and customs

3) vehicles: $5,000- for 2 mopeds and a used van

4) furnishings: $3,000- we will need furniture and many household items as it is too costly to ship a lot of these items

5) kids' schooling: $1,000 per month in extra support or $5,000 one time gift

We are so grateful for your prayers for these needs...we could not be in missions without you. Thank you very much for being a part of our lives. Please let us know what is happening with you...we would love to be praying for you too!
With blessings and much love,

Sean, Katie, Sophia, Max, Joseph, and Kai

The Need is Great!

Sometimes I get so caught up in the details of running a ministry. I spend hours preparing teachings, creating presentations, managing websites, responding to emails, and all the other daily tasks. The danger is that I can forget WHY I am doing all these things, that they are just a means to an end. That end is creating Christians who not only know the Word for themselves, but are equipped for going out and teaching others how to study and know the Bible. Marysol and DeWet Blomerus run the Titus Project, one of our outreach ministries, in South Africa. They recently finished an outreach to the townships near their base. The area they are ministering is not a safe place, and they were putting their lives at risk to go there at all. Marysol and Dewet interviewed some of the pastors that their outreach team served, and the overwhelming theme from the pastors was "Send more Bible teachers!" They wanted to share this with everyone, so please take a moment and watch their video on You Tube below. It was such a sweet reminder of WHY we labor as a church in missions, and the great need for sending more Bible teachers to Africa (and the whole world!)
You can view the video below or you can see it full size on You Tube by clicking on the link below.
The Need for Bible Teachers is Great
You can also check out more about what is happening in South Africa by going directly to:www.blomerus.org

Ellis family Prayer Request

	Ellis family Update
June 2, 2009
Our Summer Schedule · California: June 23 – July 25 (date tentative) · Taiwan: July 7 - 15 · Kentucky: July 28 – August 17 (dates tentative) Ellis family on the web www.ellisexpress.blogspot.com www.thesbspodcast.com www.sbsinternational.org Our contact information Phone: (406) 844-2045 Address: 18 Mission Lane Lakeside, Montana 59922 Email: skellis6@gmail.com Support information: Living Waters Christian Church: Put check directly in the offering and make note on check “for Sean and Katie Ellis” All Others: Send check to our address above, but make check out to YWAM Montana; do not put our name on the check, but include a piece of paper that says “for Sean and Katie Ellis”	The Ellis family is headed to Taiwan! Most of you have heard by now that God has given us a new direction in missions, and that we will be moving to Taiwan this January of 2010. Our role there will be to help oversee, train, teach, and multiply Bible study programs throughout Asia. The School of Biblical Studies is exploding in many areas of Asia, as the need for sound Biblical training grows with the new churches planted and thousands of new believers each day. Just this fall, we will be starting new schools in Thailand and Cambodia! Taiwan is situated in a perfect location to be able to help resource these new schools, as well as serve as a launching pad for many new schools to come. We will be learning Chinese, and also trying to serve the growth of the Biblical Studies school and ministries there in Taiwan. Our Urgent Prayer Request With our moving to Taiwan, we feel it is very important to come to both California and Kentucky this summer. This will give us an opportunity to share personally with all of you what the ministry will look like in Taiwan and throughout Asia. Also, we will not be able to travel back home as often once we are based in Asia, and want to take advantage of the low cost currently for coming to see you, our friends and family. At this point, we are still short over $2,000 needed to do our summer support raising trip. In addition to these travels within the United States, God has opened an opportunity for Katie and I to go to Taiwan in July and begin to set up our move there. I will be teaching Revelation in the School of Biblical Studies, and Katie and I will have the opportunity to meet with leadership, see what schooling is like there for the children, and scout out places for us to live. This will be Katie’s first trip there, and actually is her first time in Asia! We still need $300 to cover the rest of Katie’s airfare, and some small finances for food and transportation while there. We have already seen God bring in over $1,000 for our travels, and now need to see the rest come in so we can make plans to meet with all of you, book reservations, and set up ministry. Would you pray for this need for us? If God leads you, you can send in financial help with the instructions on the side of this email. Thank you so much for standing with us and God bless you!

Things are Changing Fast!

Things are changing fast and the Ellis family is on the move!
When God called us to Montana to work with the School of Biblical Studies program, we felt that there were many things that God had in store for us. I had been running the SBS in Kona for 7 years, and I was excited to help Montana enter a new season of SBS training. Looking back over the three years we have been here, I can see how God allowed us to be part of the growth of the program. We have gone from schools of 35 students to now 51 students this year. God gave us a whole new strategy for doing the school, by splitting the class in half and offering two sessions of the SBS. Even with all these developments, we also have been blessed to work with Ron and Judy Smith, the founders of the SBS course, who live in Montana. There had been projects on my heart for years that I wanted to work on for the SBS movement internationally. Together, the Smiths and I have seen some of those come to pass as we prepare for our global conference in Germany, have seen our podcast site take off, and have been a part of seeing the school multiply.
As we saw the greater needs and opportunities of the SBS all over the world, God began to steer us toward Asia. The SBS program is growing there quickly with new schools in Cambodia and Thailand just in this year. God had already been showing us a new paradigm for the SBS in creating regional resource centers for the SBS world. Taiwan seemed like an ideal location for one of these centers, and as we talked with leaders there, we began to feel that God wanted us personally to start this center. After much prayer and consultation, we have decided to move to Taiwan and work to establish an SBS International Resource Center there. Our goal is to move there in 2010, and we will be heading over in July to "scout" out the land.
Things are changing quickly for us, and as we were pondering all of this change, a family member sent us the link to this video we included below from You Tube. The video talks about how quickly things are changing in the world today, especially in the area of technology and the Internet. It asks the question at the end, "what does all of this mean?". I am so glad that I don't have to figure that answer out, because God already knows it! He is "ahead of the curve" and we just have to ask Him for wisdom and His strategies for the future. Part of that strategy for us includes the move to Taiwan, as He knows how quickly things are changing in Asia in the growth of the Church there.
If things are changing quickly in your life, or if God is challenging you towards change, let us take comfort in a God who is in control and has plans for blessing our world and us.
Click below to watch the video or click on the link below to view the video full size on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY