Ya' Way - - - - - - -the before picture

CORRECTION: I had the wrong link in our previous blog for the Big Red Bus website and I wanted to put the correct link here. Here is the correct link http://www.bigredbus.org/index.htm.

We felt pressed upon our hearts that in order to connect with people who we want to reach, we needed to be able to go to them. One of the ways we felt we could do this was with a bus. The bus will allow us to go into neighborhoods, community events, local church functions and can be used for relief aid. The bus will draw people to us so that we can minister to them and develop a relationship of trust and acceptance.

Once we knew that God was leading us to have a bus and deck it out like the Big Red Bus, we were not sure WHERE we would get a bus and how much it was going to cost. Jeff searched around for a little while and even checked on Ebay. During this time, he drove by On the Rock Ministries and noticed they had some buses there that did not look as if they were being used. He was planning on going by there to talk with them about it, but did not get around to it that particular week. Well, that weekend someone from church came up to him and told him that Ken from On the Rock had called to get Jeff's cell phone number because he was wanting to donate a bus to Vision Onward. What???? We got a bus without even having to ask for it???? Apparently, Ken had heard from someone else that Jeff was looking for a bus and God took care of the rest. That is the awesomeness of God!!!! And thank you to Ken for his generosity!!!

So at this point. . . . we have an idea and we have a bus. Naming it was the tricky part. We did not want to name it something meaningless so we began brainstorming. We asked some of our creative friends to help us come up with a name and we had many, many great ideas. Most of us really liked the name Ya' Way - - -which was contributed by our great friend, Jude Henry. Jude has also been a HUGE asset in everything we have been doing. We deliberated over this name for a while and asked a number of people what they thought about it. We were a little concerned about the idea of naming a bus after Yahweh, God, and changing the spelling. We did not want it to be disrespectful to God in any way, nor did we want to offend anyone. We then sought out some wise counsel - -a handful were pastors- - -and I think most, if not all, thought it would be just fine to use Ya' Way as a name. We then learned that Jah (Yah) also meant God in Hebrew. So, by naming it Ya' Way- - -it means God's Way. Thanks Jude for your creative juices that gave the bus an awesome name. Also, thank you for all the time and dedication you have given to Vision Onward- - -you are a blessing to us!

We are currently in the midst of fundraising in order to get the bus ready to go out on the streets for ministry. If you are not sure what the vision is for Ya' Way, please visit this link http://www.visiononward.org/?page=ministries to read more about it. We will keep you updated on how things are coming along with the reconstruction of the bus.

We have been so blessed with many amazing people around us who have been supporting us through time, counsel, donations, ideas, contacts and prayer that we are hoping to be able to say thank you to one or two people with each blog we post. So, today was your day Ken with On the Rock and JUDE- - -THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!

God Bless!!!!

The Beginning of Our Blogging Journey

Hello and welcome to our blog!! I, Marci, will be doing the blogging as Jeff still uses the hunt and peck typing method, but I will be writing mainly about our experiences with Vision Onward as Jeff tells me about them. This will be the first of hopefully many exciting blogs to come. God is moving in amazing ways each and every day and we have finally decided it was time to keep a journal and allow others in on the awesome journey. We could probably post an insanely long blog just to catch everyone up from these past five months, but instead we will just give you a quick recap.

Jeff began feeling God pulling him away from the "business world" and into the "ministry world" in about March or April of this year. It happened quickly and Jeff immediately felt a peace about getting out of all the businesses and being able to devote his full time and energy to doing what God was calling him to do. He rallied some close friends who helped us come up with a name, a mission statement, a website, and a kick-off event. This was the beginning of Vision Onward and we would like to thank all of our friends for their support, wisdom and advice through the beginning. So, here we are in August with our kick-off event, Walk This Way 2007, quickly approaching and we have been watching people come out of the woodwork to help out in one way or another for this event. We want to give a HUGE thank you to Bryan Hindman who has been extremely instrumental in the planning and promoting of Walk This Way and will continue to be throughout the next couple of weeks.

Over the past couple of months, we have also received a generous bus donation from On the Rock Ministries, which we plan to gut and turn into a ministry bus called Ya' Way. It will be similiar to The Big Red Bus in Colorado, which you can view at http://www.bigredbus.org/index.htm. If you want more details on the mission of Vision Onward, you can view our website at http://www.visiononward.org/ .

We would also like to give a big THANK YOU to Chris Collins, who God has blessed with a tremendous gift for designing. He has designed our logo, the T-shirts for Walk This Way, and our website. He has amazing talents. Thanks Chris- - -it has all been GREAT!!

Jeff has met with so many people and we are excited at how God is stirring the hearts of many to reach out to the poor and vulnerable and show them the hope we have in Christ. God is so good and our heart's desire is for Him to use us for His glory. We are humbled every day at how BIG our God is and how amazing are His ways. We have been in complete awe at how He has been orchestrating this entire process. I cannot tell you how many times I have had goose bumps in the past few months by something incredible that God has done. Thank you God- - -we love, honor and adore YOU!!!!

Things have been going so well that we are anxiously awaiting for the spiritual warfare to kick in. We know Satan is planning and scheming for ways to pull us away from what God is calling us to do. There have been some minor things come up, but nothing major yet. So, please pray for us to be alert and prepared when the time for spiritual battle comes upon us.

We love you all and hope you enjoy our new BLOG!!

CONTACT US

VISION ONWARD

PO BOX 252

BARTLESVILLE, OK 74005

918-876-1928

email: jeff@visiononward.org

website: www.visiononward.org

WANT TO GET INVOLVED??

Here are some of the many ways you can contribute to the ministry of Vision Onward:

PRAY.  Prayer is our greatest need.  We are fighting spiritual battles everyday in our neighbrohoods.  We are searching for those who can pray regularly for our ministry.

GIVE.  Support Vision Onward with a donation of $10 / $50 / $100 per month. 
Include Vision Onward in your church's mission budget.
Donate items

COME.  Be a volunteer.  We always need volunteers.  Bring a mission team to help with our annual events such as Walk This Way, VBS camp and work projects.

PARTNER.  Invite Vision Onward to speak at your church.  Join us in unifying the body of Christ.

SERVE.  Help us with your talents and abilities.

Do you have a desire to show the love of Christ to those in need?  Titus 3:14 reminds us that we must "learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs" so that we will not be unfruitful.

Vision Onward shares your heart for servant evangelism, and recognizes that the community in which we live provides us endless opportunity to be the salt and light in the lives of others. Every one of us is uniquely and wonderfully made, and outfitted with a portfolio of gifts and talents. We want you to experience the true joy that comes when giving of yourself, out of those gifts and talents, without the frustration of searching for the right fit or the right need that you are equipped to meet.

That’s why we created Deeds 4 Needs, to be a bridge between you and those in need. Deeds 4 Needs is a place for those in the community who have a pressing need to post their need. For those in the community who are seeking to do a service project, they can go to the website, view the various needs posted, pick one they are suited for and then show the love of Christ through fulfilling that need.

Finding an area to serve your community is that simple. This is an exciting opportunity to show God’s love. Steve Sjogren said in Conspiracy of Kindness, “It seems people don’t necessarily remember what they are told of God’s love, but they never forget what they have experienced of God’s love.” Won’t you join us in showing God’s love to those in need in your community?

If your church is searching for ways to serve the community, we would love to meet with you and further explain the ministry we began a few years ago and share some testimonies of how God has used this ministry in our community. We would love to guide you, teach you and support you in beginning this ministry in your community.

Thank you for It is our prayer that Deeds 4 Needs will allow the body of Christ to make an impact on your community…one family at a time.


"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but TO SERVE, and  to give His life as a ransom for many"  Matthew 20:28

THE VISION

We see passion ignited that is bringing all churches and service organizations together in unity to share time, treasures and talents to a community in need.

We see education and training classes for Moms and Dads that are transitioning their lives, managing finances, acquiring job and interviewing skills, parenting skills and so on.  This includes tutoring and  mentoring for kids.

We see a microeconomics program for transitional families and individuals which provides  job opportunities as we provide housing for up to a year.

We see car clinics, where volunteers from the automotive profession service will repair vehicles for free while teaching participants how to do it themselves.

We pray all of these efforts will be pleasing to God and provide a conduit to one-on-one discipleship with indifiduals in need, their families, and generations to come.

The Mission

Vision Onward strives to bring hope to the hopeless by sharing the love of Christ through both word and works, listening and responding to human needs and collaborating with the wider community to improve quality of life and build mutual respect among people of diverse racial, ethnic and social groups.

Who We Are

Vision Onward's name has meaning for us and the people we impact now and in the future. 

For us, it means  moving beyond apathy to caring.  We are moving beyond talk to action, affecting God's Kingdom, and passing on a legacy that glorifies God; by His grace

For the lives we hope to impact it means sharing a vision of hope and a purpose of life that is faith based.  We share a vision that is beyond self centered interests and establishes a legacy for generations to come.

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."  Psalms 82:3-4