When excitement fades away...

Today we found ourselves full of joy and anticipation when we headed into the CSM Field Directors office in Kaiserslautern (K-town).  We were gonna go to customs together, fill out some paperwork and Julie and I would have a set of wheels to drive on and off base for ministry without having to rely on others.  Well, after 3 minutes at the desk of US Customs officer Harris's desk, our excitement and joy when to frustration and disappointment.  You know, it was like filling a balloon with air and then watching it be released by the prick of a pin and not being able to reinflate the balloon.  That was our day today!  Oh well, our prayer all afternoon has been, "Lord, what lesson is there in this for us to learn and what can we praise You for through this?"

I would love to tell you all that I have the answer to that question and yet, I don't have it yet.  Other than, it provided for some great fellowship with other CSM staff and it also made time for a meal with our field director, Nate Johnson.  That was great...thanks Nate.

Although, when you stop and think about it, the opportunity to spend the evening with my wife in K-town in the youth center was great!  I love hanging out with my wife...so, I am praising the Lord for that!  Also, the opportunity to fellowship with CSM staff members.  All told, we are thankful even when the air was let out of our balloon we held onto oh so briefly.

Despite this additional slow down and set back, as well as the lack of our military ID, ministry is happening and we are loving our students from Baumholder...or B-town as we call it.  The need is great and the opportunity to minister to them and speak into their lives is powerful and wonderful.  It is life changing for us as well.  We are truly blessed by the Lord to be led here and to serve here!

We do know that there is a sense of urgency in our returning in the fall and we find ourselves at the feet of God awaiting His leading and confirmation.  I plan to write on that in the next week.  Until then, know that we are doing what He wants us to do and working with those that He is working in!

We want to thank each of you for praying for us and being a part of our life and ministry to military students in B-town.  Blessing on you and yours!!

When excitement fades away...we know that there is Joy in the Lord and knowing that He is in Total Control of ALL THINGS!!!  Thank you Lord for knowing You provide the peace we need!

Tuesday morning with a Soldier and a Cup of Joe!

Shoe is on the other foot today, at Java Cafe on base today and a soldier bought my coffee...usually I am doing that! What a blessing to share Jesus with him over a cup of joe!   He is here on a transfer from another base for a short time before heading downrange to Afghanistan.  He was open to dialogue about Jesus and His love but no real decision.  My job, plant the seed and water it.  In the face of life, we often need to just be willing to share and not force.  We must share the WORD and LOVE of Jesus and leave the eternal work to the Father.  


Finished my Face to Face read through today! Another sweet time in the WORD with God and a cup of God's brew!!!  Love to see what He has for us in His eternal WORD if we only look and listen.


Now FB time and then study time for youth group teaching tonight!!! Looking forward to it...1600 to 1800 Jr Hi and then 1830 to 2030 for High school...love doing ministry!! Julie is at PWOC a women's Bible study her on base with Lori Alsup!  What else does He have in store for me today...can't wait and see!


Would you pray that our ID cards would happen quickly for us.  We are in need of them and yet, we know we have to wait on Him for them.  Makes shopping for food and other items very difficult as we have to buy of base and it is quite a bit more.  It also is stopping us from being able to drive.  In His time and needing His help.


Thanks for praying!

God is so Good!

This past week has been an incredible week.  We found ourselves running from one event and activity to another since we arrived.  Many of you know that are time here is 10  weeks long and we are now into our second week.  There is so much ministry that needs to be done and we are feeling a strong since of urgency  for us to return full time.

We have started working with the chaplains on our base meeting them personally and in chapel meetings.  The opportunity to serve and work with these chaplains is a real honor!  We are praying that the Lord will direct and guide in these relationships to His Glory.

We are also meeting and being involved in the lives of our students that God has brought into our lives here in Baumholder, Germany.  The students are so great and they are also very welcoming to us.  Julie and I are certainly blessed that the Lord would take our gifts giving by Him and use them here!

We are also grateful that the Lord is allowing us to be able to serve with CSM and to begin to get to know as well a work with them.  What a great staff and family!  They have really blessed us by welcoming us and just making us feel a part of the team!  Thanks and we are looking forward to serving with them now and later.

We would ask you to pray that the Lord would begin to expedite the process for us so that we can return as soon as possible because the need is so great!  We are so excited to return this fall Lord willing!

Also please pray that the Lord would help expedite our I.D. process which is really slowing down the process of intrigrating in to ministry as well as being able to drive and travel without being a burden on other staff.  They are great and sacrificing but it would be easier!

Our love and prayers are with each of you! Thanks for being a member of our team!  Thanks for praying for us and our ministry.

We have arrived!

Julie and I are so excited that to share that we are here in Germany and that the Lord is already working things out.  We arrived in country at 0810 yesterday morning, Wednesday the 2nd.  The flights were uneventful however, we were surrounded by crying babies which it would have been nice to have had Nanny Melanie there with us!  Oh well, the flight went good...thanks for the prayers.

We hit the ground running and we have been enjoying our time.  We were met at the airport in Frankfurt by two fellow CSM staff, Beth and Janessa who live and serve in Kaiserslautern.  We were taken from there to the hospitality house with Lou and Cathy where we are calling home until Friday.  What a warm welcome and great place to stay!  We also met Nate and his family at the house and visited for a while!  Then, to stay awake and beat some of the jet lag, Janessa took us to Ktown for the day to stay awake and see a few of the sights!  What a blast we had.  Then Rich stopped by for a good visit and spent time together talking!  He and Melissa serve in Baumholder and we have the privilege of going and serving them there during our time in country.

Then after a great dinner by Cathy, we loaded up into two vans and went for some dessert...italian ice! What a great time as we celebrated two birthdays of Nate and Louise daughters.  We had a blast and I spent time holding their little boy!  What a cutie!  Then, off to bed and oh did we sleep! It was great!

We started today with our own time in Word and coffee and what a way to begin.  Then a meeting with Nate and Heather, another new CSM team member.  Then, off to lunch with Brad and Debbie Elgen who run the house ministry in Baumholder.  The wiener schintzel was great and the atmosphere was just what Julie likes!!  We really enjoyed our time and our food with them.  Then back to the house for another orientation time with Nate which was good and tonight, dinner with more staff from the local CSM and game night!

Tomorrow, Friday, we are off to Stuttgart and a weekend at SEMP which is our student youth leadership retreat! Pray for safety as we travel, a time of connection as well as a time where God will meet the students and staff in a strong and deep way!

We have arrived and are already rolling.  Thanks for covering us in prayer and with your love.

Departure Day is Near

With only 4 full days left before we embark on an new chapter of our life, we are torn.  Yes, torn.  It has been an exciting time to see what God has and is doing in our lives and yet, leaving family and friends behind is so tough. Therefore, the state of being torn.

And yet, as a dear brother and pastor of ours, Dan Franklin said, "God wants you to put aside your agenda and follow His Agenda!"  You know what, His agenda is definitely the one I want to follow.  His leading is covered by His eternal hands and arms that hold us, secure us and take us where He wants us.  When we choose to follow His agenda, the blessings from His storehouse began to and continue to flow!

We have seen from our airline tickets being covered completely by some outstanding folks that care and love to another team member sharing wisdom and inside from the view of a retired US Army chaplain.  We have witnessed team members sacrificially giving to our monthly support and outgoing expenses.  Our prayer team increasing daily and knowing that the Lord is totally in control.

Also, today, the women of our home church honored my wife by sharing about how her passion for the Lord, His Word and passion for them has encouraged them, motivated them and pointed them to our Eternal Groom, Jesus!!  What a great tribute and way to honor my lady!! That makes me feel great!

Thanks for the love, support, encouragement, prayers and sacrificial giving to ensure that this generation of students in Germany experience the love of Jesus from us through your part of being on our team.

With that, we depart on the 1st of March from PDX to start this new chapter!  Thanks for being a part of ministry that impacts lives around the world.  We will be at the airport at 9 am to check in and then travel to Frankfurt to serve God and to serve our military and the Cadence Student Ministry staff!

Thanks again!  Our love and God's blessing on each of you!  Shack and Julie

The Plane Left Without Me!

Some of you know that I was scheduled to leave on 31 January for our short term assignment with Cadence Student Ministry.  This was changed due to the lack of housing there in Baumholder.  The Lord, as He always does, wasn't surprised by this.  Although I was a bit disappointed, I am thrilled that I get to enter into ministry in Germany with my wife at my side.

We have done ministry for 29 years together and I was not real excited about starting in a new culture with out her.  Now, we leave on 1 March and will be there through the 23rd or so of May.  When we return, we will head off to a Family Camp where I have the pleasure of teaching from the Word of God!! Can't wait.

As for the plane leaving, it has gone, landed and is well, who knows, stranded by ice and snow in the mid west or on the east coast by now.  That is okay...I am here!!

I just finished an email update that was sent out. If you don't receive that and would like to, send me your email address and I would love to add you to our list.  Thanks for your prayers and encouragement as we embark on a new adventure and journey!

If you would also like to join our ministry support team, you can do so by clicking on this link and scrolling to our name, Shackelford, Jeff 10767 and give there. https://dlq4.donatelinq.net/donatelinq4/%28S%28q4t1ko45x14vxiq51xvj5s45%29%29/Donation.aspx?MerchantID=Cadence


Blessing to each of you as you read this and pray for us!

A glimpse into the ministry!

Cadence Student Ministries

The uncertainty military youth feel and their longing for meaningful friendships and lasting truths immediately place Cadence Student Ministries (CSM) youth leaders in a position to influence these students and their futures. These leaders serve the on-base chapel as a youth pastor would serve a church in the U.S., equipping the local parishes and program volunteers to minister to their community’s youth, starting with the youth in the chapel by building a safe community for them, equipping them to minister to their peers, engaging them in a meaningful relationship with their creator, and empowering them to use their gifts to minister wherever they go.

Cadence Student Ministries was formerly called Malachi Youth Ministries. This new name further unifies this student ministry as a part of Cadence International, however CSM continues with its same mission: to reach the youth dependents of U.S. military. To find out more about this ministry, please review www.malachi.org. A new website for Cadence Student Ministries is forthcoming.