Anthony & Shawna Myers Newsletter (Spring 2024)

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-3
As we drove through the TMI property after our tough Gator Annual Mud Run, boy was it quiet! Not so a few hours earlier! Over 625 people came to get muddy at our annual Mud Run, which raises finances for our bases overseas to use for medical supplies, food, and other needs. This was probably one of the largest turnouts we have ever had and we are thankful for the many people that will be helped because of it. Anthony and the land crew put in a lot of hard work getting the grounds cleared and muddy for the run. We didn’t have a lot of rain, but water was pumped from our lakes to make the obstacles muddy! Darin flew home the night before and was able to judge an obstacle. Jessie and Raelynn also came so Jessie could volunteer and spend a few days with us. Jessie and I ran a store of international items that our staff ladies have made, as well as handed out the race t-shirts. We had the opportunity to talk to many people about Teen Missions and thank them for coming and supporting our ministry overseas. Anthony was able to run the trial a few days before. He enjoys doing that.

The above picture with the muddy hand prints, shows the excitement of the runners as they finally reach the finish line. Isn’t that the way it should be with us? So until then let us be able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Tim. 4:7-8

On the family front…Darin has moved back home for the summer and will be starting his two-month internship in Orlando on May 22 (where he will be working following graduation, Lord willing). We are still searching for a vehicle for him, but know that the Lord will work it out in His timing. He will then begin his senior year in August, which is hard for us to believe! We hope to get to as many of his football games as possible in the fall. We have two new grandbabies on the way! Brooke (Brandon’s wife) is due on June 23, and Jessie (husband, John) is due on October 29 so that will make five! We are so blessed.

We had a lot of family and visitors come to see us this Spring. We love it when we can show them the ministry of Teen Missions and where we live. We enjoyed having Anthony’s parents visit us last month. They have not been able to be here for a few years, so we enjoyed showing them the changes here at TMI and we went over to Sarasota for a weekend. We had a great time visiting our special friends Arlie and Marva, who graciously hosted us for a night. We enjoyed visiting Pinecraft (an Amish community) and were able to see their beautiful woodwork and quilting. Of course, you can’t go without eating at Der Dutchman (a huge smorgasbord). These are all places that remind us of being in PA. We also went to Siesta Key Beach and walked on the soft, powdered sand. So beautiful. It was a nice time to relax and get away before the busy summer.

As we look towards the summer, it is going to be a different one where we will have two retreats after the teams leave Boot Camp. One retreat has over 180 people! So the staff here will be running the office as well as helping with the retreats. Summer team registration closed on May 1 so we have over 300 young people and leaders coming on teams to Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Guatemala, Taiwan, Tanzania, Poland, India, Mongolia, Colombia, Philippines, Zambia and Honduras. The year has been spent preparing for these teams so we are excited to see it come to fruition. Please pray with us that Boot Camp, travel, ministry and project time as well as Debrief will go smoothly and many will be blessed. It is exciting to receive the team reports during the summer. We can put them on our website to keep parents and others updated on what the Lord is doing. I will help with keeping in contact with the teams and parents when necessary as well as the bases overseas. There is also a lot of property to maintain here while most of the staff are gone, so Anthony will be in charge of that. When the teams return, they will attend a debriefing time so we will oversee that also. We look forward to sharing with you how the Lord used the teams for His glory.

As well as the US Boot Camp this summer, our bases are running Boot Camps in Cameroon (1), Madagascar (2), Mongolia (1), Malawi (4) and the Philippines (2). We also run in a sensitive country where there will be five Boot Camps there!

Anthony has been getting iron infusions about every four months since his Ferritin is “in the basement” and “the storage tank is empty”. He still goes and goes like usual! He has had home infusions of Skyrizi for his Crohn’s the past few months, but will receive a device that he can do it himself every few months, as they send the medicine, so that is new to him! I have had weeping in my right eye since the fall, so after checking things out, they may need to fix my deviated septum (right). as it is closing up my tear duct. We will see when that happens!

At church the other day, one of the gals prayed, “Just because we may not have set to be missionaries as our career, doesn’t mean we can’t be full-time missionaries in the careers we are set in.” So true! We can be full-time missionaries where we are; it doesn’t have to be overseas, and it doesn’t have to be something big! Either way, we need to pray for those who are sharing the Gospel. It is getting harder everywhere!

We are so thankful for all of you who pray for us and support us faithfully. As of January 2024, Teen Missions has 31 bases in 17 countries, running 28 Bible Schools, 36 Boot Camps, 39 Rescue Units, 10 Matron’s Units and 526 Sunday Schools! You are a valuable part of this ministry as we fulfill this Great Commission together.

Blessings,

Anthony & Shawna