Leroy & Patti Hite Missions

Patti's Family -At Her Dad's Funeral

2007-01-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

.

Click on Picture to Enlarge -

Missing are 3 of our Grandchildren:
Jordan, Katelynn & Jackson

Our European Trip - 5/25/6 - 6/10/6

2006-12-06T17:37:00.000-05:00

Bringing new evangelistic opportunities
to the "City of Lights"...

The location of our first internet
seminar on Wednesday.

Discussing using blogs to reach France.

Encouragement from a GEM missionary.

Visiting with the head of French
missions for GEM...

Breakfast with the Stowers...

Patti with other missionaries...

Siminar on Friday about using
blogs to reach Germany.

Blogs & minutes a week can reach
many in Europe and beyond.

The internet is a wonderful new
means to reach European youth.

More encouragement from
missionaries in Germany.

A brief weekend moment to
visit a museum.

Patti preparing a meal for the seminar.

Click on Pic to Enlarge

Page 1

2005-09-17T23:24:00.000-04:00

Europe is calling for North American partners with
a desire to impact an immensely important part of
the world.

...and to be helped on my way there by you...
Romans 15:24

"Internet will be an authentically human place when
Christ's face can be seen and His voice heard, for if
there's no place for Christ, there won't be a place for
man. God bless all those who work with this purpose
in mind. (John Paul II)

How To Partner With Us

2005-09-17T22:54:00.000-04:00

Much of Greater Europe Mission's work is supported financially
by individual donors who make regular monthly, quarterly,
annual or one time gifts. If the Lord is leading you to support
our work, consider making a faith promise by clicking:

HERE!!!

GEM Video

2005-09-17T21:01:00.000-04:00

Startling statements: Europeans speak out about God

Page 2

2005-09-17T20:15:00.000-04:00

Patti and I are very excited to have the opportunity to join Greater Europe Mission
in June with their eDOT (electronic Discipleship Outreach Training) ministry.

GEM wants us to begin immediately with the following undertakings:

1) Train GEM missionaries in ways to use the internet to enhance their ministries
in Europe. This would involve giving them insights on creating websites, helping
them use internet tools to reach out to their communities, and broaden their vision
of ways technology can be used to help their ministry.

2) Travel to Europe to teach local pastors in ways that they can reach the
younger generation in their area for Christ. I would teach them how to evaluate
what internet tools would be best to reach their communities, show them ways to
partner with other organizations to enhance their ministry goals, and help them
create the tools they need. Patti will be using her gifts in hospitality, cooking
& support to make these seminars a success.

3) Discover new ways to evangelize through the internet - especially using Blogs.
I have had success in developing Blogs to reach thousands of people each day in
English. I am excited about the opportunity to use that knowledge in helping ministries
across Europe to reach their language groups for Christ. The Internet is very
underutilized by the Church in Europe and this is mostly due to no one being able
to teach them of its potential.

4) Research Christian Internet technologies and develop partnerships. The Church
in North America has developed many internet tools to reach people. I will be
researching which of these internet technologies would be applicable for ministry
overseas. Once identified, I will be seeking to build partnerships with the organizations
that have a heart to use their tools around the world. This will create a database
of useful tools for ministries in Europe and avoid the expense of developing everything
from scratch.

Page 3

2005-09-17T19:07:00.000-04:00

.

"Internet will be an authentically human place when Christ's face can be
seen and His voice heard, for if there's no place for Christ, there won't be
a place for man. God bless all those who work with this purpose in mind
(John Paul II).

The Web – a Unique Medium

The Internet has become a 21st century Roman road, marketplace, theater,
backyard fence, and office drinks machine. Web evangelism gives believers
opportunities to reach people with the Gospel right where they are, just as
Jesus and Paul did.

The Web’s explosive growth has been remarkable. In ten short years, it has
jumped from being a minority hobby for computer enthusiasts to a
communication medium used by nearly 1000 million people worldwide.

The world impact of the Internet and the digital revolution will be as
far-reaching as the invention of the printing press.

To use the Web effectively, we must understand its nature as a medium. Each
time a new means of communication is developed, people initially think of it
in terms of a previous known medium. Thus, TV began as radio with pictures,
but was soon viewed as a different medium in its own right, as people
learned its potential.

Linear versus non-linear

Many mediums are linear – they communicate a message along a single line.
Radio and TV are essentially linear (although these days, interactive TV can
give the user some control). Fiction books, videos and tracts are also
linear. However, a newspaper is non-linear – it contains multiple messages,
not linked together sequentially. Users can move around as they choose.

The Web is also non-linear. A website is not (usually) a single page of
text, but offers choice between a range of pages and maybe other interactive
options too.

Pull versus push

Outreach literature is a ‘push’ medium. For instance, people offer tracts
into others’ hands. Radio is largely a push medium – within a limited range
of available stations, the user listens (or turns off).

The Internet however is a ‘pull’ medium. It draws people in – but only
within the channels on which they wish to be drawn. It is therefore like a
reference library rather than a literature distribution program. There is no
automatic audience for a website.

Interactive and two-way

One of the greatest attractions of the Web is its interactivity. The user
controls completely what webpages appears on his or her monitor. Each person
will have a unique route of personal choice though any website, and across 4
billion webpages around the world.

The two-way nature of the web means that the user is no longer a passive
recipient. When you listen to radio, the experience is one-way – unless you
can phone in or write a letter. But the Web makes it easy for users to
express opinions and interact with webmasters by email or instant messager,
and discuss a site with other users by bulletin board, blog response form or
chat room. At last, “my opinion counts”.

Just as a newspaper aims to build loyalty among its readers, a website can
generate a ‘sense of community’ - the feeling that users can identify with
the site. Successful sites understand how to create this intangible mood.

Implications of the Web’s properties as a medium

It is a mistake to regard the evangelistic potential of the Web as merely
‘tracts on a screen’. Such a perception will greatly limit its potential for
outreach. Instead, we must understand the Web’s nature as a medium and learn
how to work with its inherent strengths. Only then can we begin to use the
staggering opportunities it offers us.

http://www.evangelismtoolbox.com/

Organizations using web for evangelism:

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Campus Crusade for Christ, International
Chinese Evangelism Resources
The Coaching Center
Probe Ministries
Campus Crusade for Christ Australia
Christian Leadership Ministry
Rusty Wright
Worldwide Challenge
SOON Gospel Literature
Ben Haden Ministry

Does it work?

There is no magic bullet in evangelism, discipleship, or anything else. At
most times and places, people only move upwards in their spiritual journeys
if they have relationships with Christians and see the life of Jesus modeled
in others. You may have read the book The Gospel Blimp [widely available new
and secondhand] which develops this principle within a fictional story. The
Gray Matrix [www.web-evangelism.com/gray-matrix.php] is a useful tool to
help us understand spiritual journeys.

The Internet is unique in its ability to reach people. It is a ‘pull medium’
just like a reference library, it draws people in, but only on the basis of
their interests. Rarely do people accidentally find pages they are not
looking for. If you have zero interest in, say, hockey, when did you last
accidentally find yourself on a webpage about hockey? Probably never!
A website does not have an automatic audience. It is unlike radio or
literature, which can be defined as ‘push mediums’.

It is the only medium which can target any affinity group of people,
on the basis of ethnicity, geographic location, culture, hobby, felt
need or interest, anywhere in the world. The Web can reach out to
people such as ‘Jay’ - an imaginary but typical non-Christian.

God can use the Web alone to bring someone to Him. More often,
it will be just one element in a chain, as this story
[htechnology.ccci.org/stories/athiestgirl.html] of an atheist girl
demonstrates. However, the testimonies below show how effective
the Web can be.

Very early on, the Church became a strong Internet player under John
Paul II. It understood the intrinsic value of its vast collections of art and
texts, and gradually made much of it available online - thereby drawing in
Catholics and non-Catholics. Almost immediately, the Holy See created
versions of its Website in many languages and was among the first major
worldwide institutions to use database-and-object technology online to
publish, moving quickly away from the flat html pages of the mid-90s.

Moreover, the Pope understood the power of networked communication,
especially for the young. He pushed the Church to adopt technology, to
open communications. Here's a quote from one official statement on World
Communications Day (2002):

For the Church the new world of cyberspace is a summons to the great
adventure of using its potential to proclaim the gospel message...I dare to
summon the whole Church bravely to cross this new threshold, to put out
deeply into the Net....

Note the humor in the pun. The Blogging Friar Jack calls John Paul
"the most media-savvy pope ever." As late as last year, in failing health,
he continued to urge the Church to invest in - and embrace - the Internet.
Speaking to a group of French bishops, he commented:

Your conference and numerous dioceses have well understood the positive
character of this change, proposing Internet sites directed especially to
young people, where it is possible to be informed, to be formed, and to
discover the different proposals of the Church. I cannot but encourage the
development of these instruments to serve the Gospel and to promote dialogue
and communication. (From CCC site).

Letters

2005-09-17T18:05:00.000-04:00

.

Howdy, thank-you. You have no idea just how timely in my life your
words are. I have been finding my way back to Heavenly Father after
my own time immersed in "identity politics," seeking for the truth of
the statement that "life is not about finding yourself, but about creating
yourself." I have been considering removing the suggestive images from
my site & going through and editing, if not downright removing, the
entries containing offensive and objectionable material.

You may notice that I will delete your comment from my site, but that is
simply so that people know that it is of my own choice and volition that
I have cleaned up my act, not simply as a bow to an internet bully. The
truth of the situation is stronger than that.

I did want you to know that your words did reach me at an important
time, even if they are no longer there for everyone to see.. Thank-you.

Christine

***

Hello I just wanted to thank you for your thoughts in an e-mail that I
received from your group mailing. it Truly helped me in a time of pain and
feeling deserted. I hope to hear back from you so that I know that you got
this e-mail. in the thought I am talking about, you talked about the stars
and light pollution and then talked about how we must go through trials to
actually see the light..... I am going through alot right now and needed to
hear what you wrote, I was at the brink of suicide, You saved my
life...thank you ..........

Cindi

***

Yours is a site I always take the time to read and digest.
Great humor and thought provoking information! Keep
them coming!

Be blessed!

Kevin

***

Thank you for visiting my blog, Huck's Realm and leaving
a wonderful message. I wanted to visit your blog and was
very impressed by all the hard work you must have accom-
plished to do this. I was captivated upon entering and my
senses were wonderfully challenged by the various characters
and devices used. I commned you for your wonderful talen
in constructing it.

Well done!!!

Take care,
Chuck Hovey

***

Dear Howdy,

I've been getting your newsletter now for several
years. I always enjoy them. Especially the UNC
jokes...lol...... Laughter is very good medicine for
the soul. Keep it up. I know this is a calling and
obedience is better than sacrifice.

Robert A. Elliott,Sr.
Doctoral Student
Computer Science & Engineering

***

Howdy,

I did not wish to be unsubscribed, and tried
to send an e-mail to confirm that I wanted to
continue to receive your side-splitting humour
and healthy faithful advice.

Many thanks for your efforts,

Brian J
Research Fellow
Queen's University
Dept Epidemiology & Public Health
Mulhouse Building
Royal Victoria Hospital

*

Dear Howdy,

I was very busy in the past two weeks.
I'm very much enjoy your
T&H and I'd like to resubscribe.

I hope it's not too late.

Many Thanks,

Nuanrat. (Thailand)

+

Dear Howdy,
I enjoy reading your humorous letters. I
look forward to receiving them also in the
future. With wishes for success,
Sol K.
Department of Chemistry
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa, Israel

+

Dear Howdy,

I would like to continue receiving Thought & Humor.
I have not received it in some time.

John F., MD
Assistant professor
Michigan State University
Colleges of Medicine

*

Hello Howdy,

I have no idea how I first ended up on your mailing list but
I am sure glad you reached me!
I would like to continue receiving your messages, so please
sign me up on the new(?) list.
Keep up the humor and the good work!

Best regards
Karina L.,MD,PhD student
Dept.of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lund University Hospital
Center for Stem Cell Biology and Cell Therapy, Lund University
Sweden

*

Howdy,

Please don't unsubscribe me. I don't know if I can go on if
I don't receive Howdy any longer. I am sure, at bare minimum,
I would suffer sever withdrawal. Thank You.
K.M. (Notre Dame U.)

*

Dearest Howdy,

Please continue to send me "Thought and Humor" - it's just what
I need on those days when laughter is the only medicine!!

Teresa Kimrey
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

*

Dearest Howdy,

I DO NOT want to be PHASED OUT of receiving such a delightful
publication. I enjoy both your clever antics and eloquence of language.
The jokes aren't bad either! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE--DO NOT
TAKE ME OFF THE MAILING LIST. Howdy has become a good
friend and break from the stress of college.
Keep up the good work.
MM (Loyno)

*

Dear Howdy,
We want to inform you that we are interested to obtain Though
and Humor in the case that you can send it us f r e e . We do
not want to be unsubscibed. Send us Though and Humor free
on my e-mail university address:
kss@_____.sk.

We can give it in our library for students. Thank you
very much for your kindness. Greetings. Prof. K.

***

Dear Howdy,

Your newspaper is fun and informative,
but I will unfortunately no longer have
an active e-mail address from the end
of this week- therefore I must unsubscribe,

Thanks,
E Miller (Cambridge University)

+++

Hello Howdy,

I did actually take the time to read your entire e-mail,
which I thought was terribly amusing. I admire your
wordplay and eloquence of language.

Saskia (Oxford U.)

+++

Dear Sir or Ms:
As to your questions, I live in ______, Oregon, USA.
I don't forward your Thought and Humor as I copy them
and place them in a 3-ring notebook. Then I take this
notebook to my camping, gold panning, 8-mile roadside
clean-up campaigns followed by a potluck, 3 days, 2 nights,
geology tours, fishing, boating, etc., along with other stories
and jokes placed in that notebook. Everyone seems to enjoy
reading my notebook. So thank you very much for your stories,
jokes, etc. and for future ones. Why don't you publish a book
full of your stories and Jokes? Shouldn't I get a no-prize book
if and when you do this? Ha, Ha!
Sincerely,
Ellen

+++

Dear Howdy,
One of your subscribers recommended your list on the our-kids
(a forum for families with children with disabilities) listserv. I am
in Island County, WA.
M.D.

***

dear sir,
if possible do not unsubscibe your letters from this address.
Looking forward to them.

Hedvika Suchonova
Univerzitni nam.
the Czech republic

***

Please don't unsubscribe me from your newsletter! I like
it a lot. I think the jokes and brain teasers are great, and
i really like the devotion type things. They really make
me think. yep, those pesky hired howdy hunters
must've been at it again... i'd really like to keep
getting the newsletter.
Thanks and God Bless!

Anna

+

I would like to receive Howdy's Thought and Humor
newsletter at the email below. Thanks for the
opportunity to receive this thought provoking
whimsical newsletter.

Jim M.
Management Research Analyst, Principal
Student Life Assessment Program
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ

***

dear howdy
i would like to continue receiving "thought&humor"
please sign me up on the new (if any)list.

(name withheld)
iran

+++

Howdy, your newsletter in probably the best thing
I've ever gotten by email... never quit, the world
would be a lesser place without the few who
insist on actually using the wonderful cognitive
processes with which the Creator has blessed
us. Your mini-novel was wonderful, and yes we
are responsible for ensuring that as many as
possible have a ticket as soon as possible.
GOD Bless you

IMM

Indira Maharaj-Mikiel
Program Counselor
Marist College Upward Bound
3399 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY

+

Dear Howdy,

Where in the world (besides NC) did this come from???
Who in the world sent it to me?
Where in the world have you been hiding?
Over a million readers??? I don't know how I missed
you or you missed me for so long???

Dr. Robert G. Balnicky

P.S. A lot of mind searching without being boring.
A lot of Humor --- downright good clean fun.

+

Your 'Thought and Humor" have been a great help with the
students that I work with and I would think there are several
of them that are now getting your 'Thoughts and Humor'.
Thank you for making my days better and the students that I work with.
Richard Miller
Gov. Docs and Maps
University of Alaska Fairbanks

+

Dear Howdy,

Please forgive me but I cannot think of any way for you
to improve on your newsletters. They are so creative,
fun and thought provoking, I envy you your dedication
and expertise. I guess my biggest problem is I don't
want to lose any of them. Consequently my e-mail
filled up so I printed them. I am running out of filing
cabinets to keep them in. I am also saving them on
floppies, only about 2 will fit on each disk. I started
that in the spring. So you can imagine how many
disks I have. I have forwarded them to friends and
family. So, to make a long story short, too late,
just keep 'em coming and let me know if there
is an archive I can access so I won't have to
worry about keeping them all myself.

God Bless You,
Patti
STERLING TEAM
"Solid Service"

Your referral based
Golden Rule
Realtor Consultants
For Life

+

I think you are doing a wonderful job! I am finishing up my
4th year here at George Mason University in Fairfax VA,
and have been reading Howdy for about a year now. I have
no idea how i got on the list but i love it! I will soon be moving
to Australia (to study abroad) for 6 months so i'll be sure to
spread it around down there. Keep up the good work!
Josh

***

Suggestions for improving?! NO WAY! I love T&H and I love
forwarding it to people! On weeks when I'm not too busy,
I really enjoy reading as much of it as possible. And those
times when I'm bogged down in work, the lighter side of
T&H is a perfect pick-me-up. You're doing a great work for God's
Commission, Howdy. Thank you!

Blessings,
Ellen
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh

Page 4

2005-09-17T15:00:00.000-04:00

.

Family Picture:
Taken Christmas before last...
Click on picture to enlarge.

Shown are:

6 daughters
2 sons
3 son-n-laws
1 son's fiancé
5 grandchildren (1 born since)

While You Surf

2005-09-17T08:53:00.000-04:00

In Malaysia, there are more than 9.4 million netizens.
And with the government's focus on ICT, the boundary
of our wired world is bursting at the seams. Oops, the
word boundary should not even exist in our e-dictionary :-)
Not only are more people getting on the Net each day,
many of them spend more time online than offline.
People you may never meet on the street are available
online for hours at a time, that is if we care to meet
them on the Net.

MORE!!!

If we ignore the impact of the Net
on people's lives, we risk becoming
irrelevant in today's world.

Christian & Historical Groups Using Web

2005-08-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Family Rated Humor

How to become a Christian

A Short Look At Six World Religions

AMERICA ARCHIVED

American Family Information

BIOTECH POLICY NEWS

Bible - God's Word in different languages...

Bible Study Info

Christian Apologetics

Christian Web Info

Family WWW Protection - Free

For The University Crowd

God Bless America

God Bless America - Kate Smith

God Bless The USA

Great Christians In History

Hard Questions Answered

History of American Christianity

Kate Smith introducing "God Bless America"

Kids For Truth

Lincoln -A Christian

Mission To America

Mr. Contoversial

No One Over 12 Admitted

One Place For Learning

Our Daily Bread

President Lincoln

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

Scout Patriotic Songs

South Carolina Kate Smith Memorial

Stories For Kids

Take The Test

The Church & Israel

The Relationship of the Church to Israel

The Young Earth Club

Who Is Jesus???

WonderZone

Words To Patriotic Songs

Computer Outreach Class

2005-08-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

Unplug the cable connection to your computer and
what do you see. If you look very closely, you might
see millions and millions of people around the world
waiting to communicate with you.

Some may be in dorms, others in offices, homes,
internet cafes, & even prisons. Some will be elderly
and some will have not reached their impressionable
teen years yet. They will not know unless you tell them
your income, social standing, educational degrees,
your age, or even your gender. Here is simply a place
to communicate ideas & viewpoints. Nothing in previous
generations even comes close to this opportunities.

Suppose a group of a dozen or more Christians who
knew how to share their faith contacted many through
this means with their very own computers and reached
out to others? Many of those contacted under 40 pre -
suppose that the computer is a prolongation of their
very lives perhaps it might be elucidated: their very
souls…

During the four to six weekly meetings, participants
would bring their laptops to a Wi-Fi room in the church
or elsewhere and accomplish the following at no charge
(per week):

1) Learn how to establish a somewhat anonymous Yahoo
address & set up a personal blog. Homework assignment
would be to write an article of interest (golf, gardening,
school, etc.) and to relate this in some way in a spiritual
manner.

2) Read blog article to class. Evaluate for effectiveness.
Begin blog surf.

3) Discuss I.M. & chat room opportunities. Continue
blog surf. Add Christian links to your personal blog.

4) Learn how to visit a larger number of blogs in a
smaller amount of time so that you can reach many
around the world.

While the class is in operation, there will be
opportunities to communicate with different
people at different levels of interest. Each
participant will be encouraged to use these
opportunities to reach people with the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.

Care must be taken during these sessions to
always communicate the love of Christ no
matter what the communication received
might say. It must be remembered that the
internet is a cross section of the world &
therefore contains many unbiblical world -
views including pornography, hate & violence.

Every weekly meeting should have a youth leader,
other staff person or church officer available (if
possible). Additionally, there will be letters
received which might be published in weekly
church bulletins.

Your Church Website

2005-08-02T17:08:00.000-04:00

Instructions:

Picture a non-Christian Chattanoogan in the 20 - 40 age
range at his laptop:

1) First he goes to this commercial site:

http://www.mbusa.com/microsite/slr/index.jsp

He clicks on "enter" and then goes through each page.
While on Page 2, he click on "Watch Breathless Movie" -
Sound On!!! Wow!!!

2) He now jumps to this site (with his sound on):

http://www.fordvehicles.com/fordgt/home.asp

and clicks on "Play TV Spot".

3) Next he goes to this church site:

http://www.220power.com/core/readingplan.php

and clicks on "audio/visual" (top).

4) Finally he clicks on your church site:

http://www._______________________

What is the visual message he receives???

(Please ignore the theology shown at site #3)

2005-08-01T17:58:00.000-04:00

Kids: Ben, Mamie, Ellie

2005-08-01T17:41:00.000-04:00

Kids still at home: Ben -14, Ellie - 10, Abby - 16

2005-08-01T17:29:00.000-04:00

Daughters: Emily, Katie & Caroline

2005-08-01T16:54:00.000-04:00

Nathan, me, Lee (son - 20), Ben

2005-08-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

Outstanding Son-n-laws: James, John & Nathan