Happy New Year! Happy, New Lowmans!

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family!  As 2018 draws to a close and we begin 2019, I wanted to give you an update on what is going on with our family.

When last we saw our heroes(in the literary sense), Hurricane Florence had displaced them to Baltimore where an unknown future awaited them.  What would become of them?  Where would they go?  Would Dan ever find a job?  Would they ever move out of his Dad’s house?!  Well let me ease the tension and answer those questions in order.

I don’t know.  They will have an awesome life?  Good stuff?
Germantown, MD.
Yes!
And yes!

Whew!  That was a close one.  So let me rewind and tell you how we got here.  After applying for several jobs in several different fields, in several different areas across the country, with minimal success, I was directed to apply for a few Admin positions at a Medical Research company here in Maryland by some good friends(ya’ll did me a solid, run-on sentences notwithstanding).  It was a pretty stressful time as we were running out of money pretty quickly and really needed a breakthrough.  I then received an email asking me if I was still interested in a position at the Research company.  I responded immediately that I was.  Then nothing.  For over a week.  It was then that I sent out an email asking if they had gotten my previous email.  They responded saying that they would call me the following evening.  So the next day we loaded up the kids to go to Target and it had just stopped raining.  And there, over my car was the most beautiful double-rainbow. 

Double-Rainbow!

Hoping that was a good omen, I awaited the call.  I was sitting in the Target parking lot when I received the call.  After talking a little bit I was told that in the past week a new Admin position had just opened up and if I would be interested in taking that particular job. Oh and it paid a lot more than the three I had applied for(!).  I was definitely floored by being offered this opportunity and immediately accepted.  The Lord provided a good paying job with really good benefits… something I haven’t had in a very very long time.  It was so awesome!  Alaina and I had been praying for God to not only meet our needs but to do something miraculous that we knew we couldn’t do because were pretty discouraged and really needed to feel seen by God.  And being the Good God that He is, He came through with flying colors.   I started my job on December 10th and am super excited to see where this may lead. I work in Bethesda which is between Baltimore and DC, so I get to stay close to my family.  We moved into a Townhome in Germantown, MD that overlooks a lake. We really like the area and are excited to put down roots here.

The View from our Deck

We haven’t found a church yet, but I have no doubt that we will and we’ll see how God wants to
continue to use my giftings in a local body.  We are excited to enter a season of healing and restoration and we know that this is just the beginning.  I want to take this time to thank all of our supporters. Your faithfulness and encouragement in the darkest of times has kept my family aloft. Your prayers have sustained us in a wilderness period that has seemed to last forever.  In May, I felt like God gave me insight into the wilderness period coming to an end.  God reminded me that 40 is the number of wilderness. And He also brought to my mind that it in December it would be 40 months since many of our circumstantial troubles had started.  We have gone through job loss, the deaths of both my mother and Alaina’s, health problems, bankruptcy, isolation, depression, hurricanes, pestilence(seriously) and countless opportunities that have fallen through.  And to be sure, there are some things we are still going through. As whole as we are in Christ, we still wait with expectation to see some of our circumstances line up with what is already true of us in the
heavenly realm.  It has felt like we have been fighting not to drown for so long and were succumbing to the waves when as we were sinking, when a rope has finally reached our hands and we are slowly being pulled up to the surface.  That lifeline has taken the form of many of you who have reached out to us with words of encouragement, job leads, financial support and prayer.  I am dead serious when I say that I have no idea where we would be without all of you.  It has been such a humbling experience to be loved so well by all of you.  Sincerely, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Ravens are in the playoffs... just thought I'd add that.

Our hearts

And as we enter this new season, we are continually spurred on by your example to be as big a blessing to those God brings our way.  Honestly, the ministry part of our lives has been the most fruitful and rewarding thing of the last couple years(that and our kids) and without you it would have been an impossibility to pursue.  You have made a lasting impact on the Kingdom of God and most definitely on our lives and I pray that you are blessed a hundred fold for all you have done.  I also want to give a shout out to my Dad and Brother who so graciously took us in and went over and above to make sure we were taken care of.  I also want to apologize for taking so long to update all of you.  It has been a crazy whirlwind the last few months and it has definitely been an adjustment. I’m not used to getting up at 5am, lol.  But now that we are settled, we’d love to hear from you or have you come visit.  We cherish all of you and when it comes to amazing friends, we are wealthy indeed. Like I said, I’m excited to see what is around the corner.  We have some dreams that have been wilting on the vine, so to speak, that I pray gets to be rejuvenated.  And with this refreshing, I’m excited at the prospect of being able to refresh others.  With that said, don’t ever hesitate to give us your prayer requests and anything else we may be able to do for you.  It is our honor to be in your lives and we do not take that lightly.  We love you all so so much.  We pray as we enter this New Year, that whatever you are going through… whatever dreams may seem to be dying… whatever hopeless circumstances you may be in the middle of… we pray that a new
beginning would take shape for you… that breakthrough would be imminent… that the goodness of God would just overflow into your life.  And that no matter what you are going through, know that Jesus loves you and is sovereign.  Be encouraged… greater is He who lives in you than he who is in the world… and He has overcome the world.  Rest in that.  Happy New Year from the Lowman Family!  Behold!  He has made all things new! We love you!

With Deep Gratitude and Love,
Dan & Alaina & Kai Rey & Kalia & Bronson

P.S. Our new address is:

20032 Lake Park Drive
Germantown, MD. 20874

We love you all!

Bronson loves you, too!

Hurricanes and Hope and Who the Heck Knows

So yeah… I thought that this would be as good a time as any to give you all an update into Alaina and I’s Ministry Adventure.  When we last left our heroes, we had moved to Jacksonville, North Carolina to lead the Student Ministry at Kingdom Life Fellowship and had recently welcomed a new baby girl into our lives.  Since our last update in October, we had continued through many challenges and were in the process of beginning to think about what God might have for us next in the upcoming new year when a little lady named Florence decided to come into our lives this month and change it dramatically.  Just because you’re marked “safe” during a storm on Facebook, it doesn’t mean you're unaffected. 

As we informed our supporters, living in Jacksonville, North Carolina… we were dead in the center of Hurricane Florence’s destruction.  As the Hurricane escalated, it hit our church and the winds blew the shingles off the roof and the rain poured in.  Every room except for two were affected and now the church has to be gutted down to the studs.  This church has been here since 1978.  The good thing is that the church will be able to rebuild a better building that more suits the needs of the community. The other issue with the church being hit so hard is that in August we moved into the church temporarily and now we are currently homeless. We lost a good amount of our stuff at the church but were able to salvage most of our dearest possessions.  Praise God, our storage unit was not really affected and we were able to save everything there.  We know a lot of people who lost everything and are also displaced.  We are very thankful for what we do have. 

What was left of the Youth Room

Sanctuary roof

Front of the church

      

Let me rewind and explain why we were at the church in the first place.  Since February, I had been working at a Music Instrument Store and a Grocery store in addition to being the Youth Pastor at Kingdom Life to make ends meet.  I was working 6 days a week and for barely over minimum wage.  It got to the point we really couldn’t afford our house we were living in and it was suggested that we move into the church for a time to save money.  The church had built 5 guest rooms (for guest speakers to stay in since the church is in a bit of a rural area and there isn’t a ton of lodging options) and we have let families stay there from time to time if they needed to.  So we moved our stuff into storage and moved into the church.  At the beginning of September, I quit both of my jobs in order to pursue job opportunities that paid more.  Some of those opportunities were going to be driving for Uber and Lyft.  The week before Hurricane Florence we had been visiting my family in Baltimore and was about to head home and start my Lyft job when I was told to remain in Baltimore to ride out the storm.  And as angst-filled as those days were, it’s a good thing we did, as we would have been without power and water for 5 days (maybe more… many people around town still do not have either).  I’m so glad we were in Baltimore with the kids and our dog safely away from the destruction.  But, as I mentioned before, the church got hit hard and in one fell swoop we don’t have a home to return to. 

The only place we are able to live right now is with my dad and brother in Baltimore as we can’t afford a place of our own and honestly, the hurricane has wiped out a lot of potential living situations in North Carolina.  So now that we are displaced, I will stop being a Pastor at Kingdom Life Fellowship.  The good news is that literally the day before the Hurricane hit we formally merged with another church who has a Youth Pastor.  We were going to work together but now given that we live in Baltimore, it’s good to know the Youth will still be looked after.  Even in the midst of seeming chaos, God has a plan.  I am grateful that I had this ministry opportunity to work with my Spiritual Dad and mentor and help get this church in a healthier place than before I arrived.  We will miss the KLF family we have gotten to know over the past year or so, especially the students.  I was really blessed to be allowed into their lives and I hope that doesn’t change as the years go by or distance traveled.  We love you guys!       

Now for those of you who are wondering, what does all this mean for us?  I’m glad you asked and I wish I knew.  I’ve never quite been in a situation like this before.  It’s not often in life that the slate is wiped clean and everything is open.  And honestly, it’s a little overwhelming to be faced with so much choice.  Right now, we are unsure of what to do or where to go.  We just know that whatever happens needs to happen fairly quickly.  We know that God has a plan but He hasn’t given us all the details yet.  We may stay in Baltimore or we may end up in Nashville (a place that has been on our hearts of late).  But honestly we are open to wherever God wants us to be and to do whatever He wants us to do.  Whether that is in full-time ministry or not.  We will minister whether we are in ministry or if I have a normal job but it’s a matter of figuring out how God wants to use us now.  It’s a time to dream again.  We would love your prayers as we enter this transition period.  If you need direction in your prayers, here’s what we need:

1.  Direction on where to go.  We are open to anywhere.  We are open to many jobs and are interested in House-Sitting opportunities.   

2.  Finances to start our life over.  I don’t know how long it will take to get a job or to figure out where to go.  We are blessed to be able to stay with my Dad but this is a temporary situation at best. 

3.  The right job, whether in ministry or not in ministry.  We want to be wherever God has called us to be.  We know God has something great for us. 

4.  Rest and refreshing.  We have had quite the tumultuous last 3 years and could use some rest and healing to take place in our lives, physically, emotionally and even spiritually.  We have gone through a lot but I am confident that God will work out all of it for His glory for we love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

I am excited for this next chapter in our lives!  I’d be lying if I told you this wasn’t stressful.  Packing up your life with your two kids and dog and fitting it into a Mini-van for who knows how long has been quite challenging to say the least.  With no job, no permanent place to live, little money and no clear plan, we need some big miracles to happen.  But that’s also what’s exciting about it.  Following God is always an adventure.  So as one chapter abruptly closes, we look forward to the next one.    

We love all of you who have been along with us on our adventure!  We really do have some of the best family and friends there is!  We have been so honored to be loved by so many.  I will be sure to let everyone know where we end up.  Thank you for being there so far… and here’s to the next chapter.  The story continues…

                                                                 With Humbled Hearts and Love,

                                                         Dan, Alaina, Kai Rey, Kalia and Bronson

                                                                        (818) 590-9438

Temporary Address:

2800 Tennessee Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21227

Autumn Ministry Update from the Lowmans!

October 30^th, 2017

Dear Friends and Family,

            I pray this letter finds all of you well.  As we enjoy this beautiful fall here on the East Coast, I thought I’d let you know what has been going on in our lives and ministry.  It has been a crazy adventure so far, so without further ado, I’ll get right into it. 

            On September 9^th we welcomed our beautiful baby girl, Kalia Linlee Lowman into the world.  She is doing well!  She’s already gained around 3 or 4 pounds.  Mommy is keeping her well fed.  She has already displayed quite the lung capacity as she is quite louder than her brother was at her age.  Lol.  She is a little fuss monster and squirms all the time.  She is so strong!  She has already added such wonderful dimension to our family.  Kai Rey loves her and always wants to hold her. 

 

            As we were getting to know our baby girl, I found out that my mom passed away on October 6^th.  Many of you know she had been suffering from Frontal Lobe Dementia.  As hard as this has been, I am happy that she is with her Heavenly Father up in heaven and freed from all of the limitations she lived with for so long.  I could say a lot about her, but I’ll just say this; There is no way I would be doing what I’m doing right now if it hadn’t been for the influence of my mother.  I know that she would be so pleased to know what I do for a living and that she is in heaven right now cheering me on. 

            We are around two months into the school year and God Squad(our Student Ministry) is going strong.  Each week I’m seeing the students grow in their faith and understanding more and more not only who they are as Christians, but who this God they serve is.  Every week we have a prayer time that starts fifteen minutes before Youth Group and we usually have every student there at that time.  Even in their prayers I have seen growth where we initially only had one or two students maybe who prayed, to now most of the students participate when we open in prayer.  Not only that, we are having students initiate prayer at their schools and at their jobs.  We’ve had students lead discussions and step out in faith in their sphere of influence.  It’s been amazing!  The topics we have covered so far this semester is prayer, hearing God’s voice, God’s perspective on race and culture, evangelism, the armor of God, fear and many more.  The group has been growing.  The first meeting I had was 4 students.  We currently have around 12-14 depending on the week.  I have been blessed with a great group of students and am having a blast leading student ministry.  

  

Remember you can follow us on Instagram at godsquad_klf.

Just another night with the God Squad

                      

Praying for Students before school started

            Overall, the church is doing well.  It has had it’s share of obstacles to get over but it is in a much more healthy place than it has ever been from what I hear (I've only been here a few months).  I have had the opportunity to preach and I have really enjoyed that.  I will be preaching a lot more in the months ahead and am thankful to have that opportunity.  The church is filled with wonderful people who love God and it has been great getting to know them and the legacy that they carry with them.  I’m excited about what the Lord is doing here and have been so blessed to be around my Pastor.  Like I said before, we are continuing to develop a divine strategy for how to approach Young Adult Ministry in this body.  I am here to seek God and find out how best to keep the younger generation engaged and thriving as they walk with God so that this church has a generation to turn this work over to and in so doing, continue the legacy here at Kingdom Life Fellowship.  And this is where you come in lovely supporters…

PLEASE PRAY!

We have many needs and limited resources to address them in the natural.  Of course we know that our Heavenly Father has unlimited resources and that He will address them in due time.  This is an opportunity for you to partner with us as we see this work of God flourish. 

·       Pray that students will not only come to know Jesus Christ, but also learn to lead others to Christ.

·       Pray that God would give us courage, boldness and creativity as we aim to share the message of the gospel to this community and beyond.

·       Pray that God would raise up this next generation of leaders to change North Carolina and the World. 

·       Pray for our finances.  We have currently only raised half of our goal as far as Monthly Support goes.  We are still believing for another $1000 a month.

·       Pray for our transportation.  Our vehicle is not financially the best option for us.  We are praying for a car that can carry our family around, has under 90,000 miles and is under ten years old and is also under $7,000.  Pray that we find the perfect car and the money to pay for it. 

·       Pray for a job for me to supplement our income.  Pray that I find a job that doesn’t drain me or take away from ministry opportunities.  Pray that is also meets the financial needs of my family.  Pray that I can minister to the lost at whatever this job may be. 

·       Pray for Kingdom Life Fellowship.  Pray that it grows and that the Holy Spirit would draw people to it.  Pray for a harvest here in North Carolina.

For those of you who do not currently support us financially, please pray about doing so!

We ask that you would pray about supporting Alaina, Kai Rey, Kalia and I.  Funding is difficult for Youth Pastors.  Many churches, including Kingdom Life Fellowship, don’t have any money in their budget to reach out to students even though they want to.  It’s such an important age group… a group that will be our future leaders.  I relish the opportunity to help shape this generation for the Kingdom of God and I want you to have that opportunity as well.  Our desire is to cover our essential resource needs to enable us to effectively minister to the needs of the students. Kingdom Life Fellowship is a generous, loving church but it is a small congregation between 30-50 on any given Sunday and cannot at this time afford to pay my salary.  They did pay to move my family from Fresno and my rent and utilities for one month.  So now, for the time being, we are on our own to provide for ourselves.  We are hoping that in a year, Kingdom Life will grow enough so that they can pay me full-time.         

Like I said, my hope right now is to raise $2,000 a month, if not more, so that we can minister full time here in North Carolina.  With all of the ministry opportunities I have here and with our new baby, I would love to be able to devote all my time to the church and my family.  Please prayerfully consider supporting us financially on a monthly basis or with a one-time gift.  Your monetary support will go a long way to make sure this generation of students has an opportunity to change their campuses and the world for Christ.  Any gift amount helps.  Thank you in advance for whatever God puts on your heart.  And if you don’t have anything to give, don’t worry about it.  God is going to take care of this ministry.  We just wanted to give you an opportunity to be a blessing to these students and to us.  But if you aren't able to give, please know that your prayers are also a huge support. 

To send support to us directly, please make your checks out to Daniel Lowman:

Daniel Lowman

104 Westwind Ct.

Jacksonville, NC. 28546

 If you would like a tax deduction for your donations, please make your checks out to

Kingdom Life Fellowship with “Lowman Ministry Support” in the memo line and mail it to:

KINGDOM LIFE FELLOWSHIP
P.O. Box 1249
Richlands, NC 28574

If you would prefer to give online you can donate at:

http://www.kingdomlife.cc/pages.asp?pageid=Donate

@PMDan

$PMDAN$

                                                                                                                         

Thank you all so much for your love and support.  I look forward to more testimonies that are made possible by your prayers and support.  We love you so much and are so appreciative to be loved so well by you.  God bless and if you ever need prayer or encouragement, please don’t hesitate to hit me up.  I’m here for you. 

In Christ’s love,

Dan, Alaina, Kai Rey, Kalia and Bronson

  

                   

           

Dan and Alaina's Ministry Adventures... The Saga Continues...

Dear Friends and Family,

          I hope all of you are enjoying your summer.  Contrary to popular belief, Alaina and I are not dead, nor have we been kidnapped by aliens.  We have not run off to join the circus(yet) and we are not being held for ransom by our superhuman of a toddler Kai Rey as he plots world domination(I’m not saying he isn’t plotting, just that we aren’t being held hostage).  No, friends and family, our heroes’ stories have led us to continue our Ministry Adventures on the East Coast… namely Jacksonville, North Carolina.  How did we get here?  Just you wait. 

          It was the end of this past November when my spiritual dad and mentor, Wendall Ward, asked if I would prayerfully consider coming out to be the Associate Pastor in charge of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at Kingdom Life Fellowship in North Carolina where he is the Lead Pastor.  After several weeks of prayer, Alaina and I both felt that we should be open to this opportunity.  After telling Pastor Ward of our decision, it took a couple months to put together a two week trip to North Carolina to meet the congregation and to confirm that this was a good fit.  It was this past February, when we were able to fly out for a visit.  I had the opportunity to preach twice and meet all of the different ministries.  We were welcomed with open arms and had a wonderful time getting to know this church.  After those two weeks, Alaina and I felt that this was the right decision for our lives and where God wanted us to be.  It wasn’t the easiest decision as we would be leaving all of the wonderful people at Encounter Church and our extended Fresno family.  The Lord blessed us mightily with a group of friends who we miss terribly, but who are also excited for what God is doing with us in this season.  We were so honored to be a part of what God is doing at Encounter Church!  Love you guys!  Finally, in the second week of May, Alaina(6 months pregnant), Kai Rey(about to turn two), Charley Bronson(Dog extraordinaire) and I loaded up our Jeep, said goodbye to our friends and headed cross country on a 26 day excursion to North Carolina.

Preaching at Kingdom Life Fellowship

       We arrived on June 5^th and I had the opportunity to preach that Sunday.  We have been overwhelmed with how loved we have felt by the congregation.  They have done their best to make our family feel right at home and they have taking a liking to us(I think), especially Kai Rey(which is smart if he one day pulls off that whole world domination thing… but I digress…).  I have been made an Elder here which is an honor I hold with one other person and I will be able to bring the Word on Sunday mornings pretty regularly.

         We are about a month into Youth Ministry and I am really enjoying it!  My second week here, I was able to go to KingsFest with the youth and I had a blast getting to know the students.  Three days on roller coasters, water parks and concerts will do that.  J  Our Youth Group is called “God Squad” which was chosen by the youth and we meet every Wednesday night and twice a month on Fridays for Hang Time. Currently, it serves 6^th grade through 12^th grade.  The Youth Ministry has already began to gain momentum and I see God doing big things in the lives of my students.  Follow us on our Instagram page, godsquad_klf.  I am so grateful for the group of students that God has given me and am excited to pour into their lives over the coming years.  I’m looking forward to the mentoring opportunities and to see these students fully grasp who they are in Christ and who they are called to be. 

Youth Group at KingsFest

Let me give you a couple statistics: 

70% of those 18 and up will leave the faith after college. Only 35% eventually return.  That’s a sobering statistic.  We would try to bridge the gap between High School and Young Adults and keep our young people engaged with Christ.  Youth and Young Adult ministries are some of the most neglected ministries in the Body of Christ.  I have been in churches where the youth and the young adults were not looked after and they did not come back to the church.  And now those churches are looking around and seeing 50 year olds as the youngest people in the church and no one to hand the church over to.

  

Perhaps you’ve heard this statistic: 

  

85% of Christian get saved before the age of 18.  People make the most important decisions when they’re young.

Youth Ministry is so important!  And not only that, Young Adult Ministry is important.  Currently, we are trying to develop a divine strategy for how to approach Young Adult Ministry in this body.  There aren’t a lot of 18-30 year olds(yet).  But I am here to seek God and find out how best to keep the younger generation engaged and thriving as they walk with God so that this church has a generation to turn this work over to and in so doing, have legacy here at Kingdom Life Fellowship last.

And this is where you come in…

   

PLEASE PRAY!

We need prayer to carry out this work.  We are trying to bridge the gap between High School and College and keep our young people engaged with Christ.  Your prayers will go a long way to help that. 

·       Pray that students will not only come to know Jesus Christ, but also learn to lead others to Christ.

·       Pray that God would give us courage, boldness and creativity as we aim to share the message of the gospel to this community and beyond.

·       Pray that God would raise up this next generation of leaders to change North Carolina and the World. 

·       Pray for Alaina’s pregnancy.  We are due to welcome our baby girl into the world at the end of September.

·       Pray for our finances.

  

PLEASE SUPPORT!

We ask that you would pray about supporting Alaina, Kai Rey, Baby Girl Lowman and I. Funding is difficult for Youth Pastors.  Many churches, including Kingdom Life Fellowship, don’t have any money in their budget to reach out to students even though they want to.  It’s such an important age group… a group that will be our future leaders.  I relish the opportunity to help shape this generation for the Kingdom of God and I want you to have that opportunity as well.  Our desire is to cover our essential resource needs to enable us to effectively minister to the needs of the students. Kingdom Life Fellowship is a generous, loving church but it is a small congregation between 30-50 on any given Sunday and cannot at this time afford to pay my salary.  They did pay to move my family from Fresno and my rent and utilities for one month.  So now, for the time being, we are on our own to provide for ourselves.  We are hoping that in a year, Kingdom Life will grow enough so that they can pay me full-time.         

My hope right now is to raise $2,000 a month, if not more, so that we can minister full time here in North Carolina.  With all of the ministry opportunities I have here and our new baby on the way, I would love to be able to devote all my time to the church and my family.  Please prayerfully consider supporting us financially on a monthly basis or with a one-time gift.  Your monetary support will go a long way to make sure this generation of students has an opportunity to change their campuses and the world for Christ.  Any gift amount helps.  Thank you in advance for whatever God puts on your heart.  And if you don’t have anything to give, don’t worry about it.  God is going to take care of this ministry.  We just wanted to give you an opportunity to be a blessing to these students and to us.  But if you can’t give, please know that your prayers are also a huge support. 

To send support to us directly, please make your checks out to Alaina or Daniel Lowman:

 

If you would like a tax deduction for your donations, please make your checks out to

Kingdom Life Fellowship with “Lowman Ministry Support” in the memo line and mail it to:

KINGDOM LIFE FELLOWSHIP
P.O. Box 1249
Richlands, NC 28574

If you would prefer to give online you can donate at:

http://www.kingdomlife.cc/pages.asp?pageid=Donate

@PMDan

$PMDan

 

                                                                

                      

We’re excited for what God is going to do in this new season!  And we are thankful so many of you will be along with us on this journey.  Thanks for your prayers as we take this leap of faith and trust in God’s goodness and greatness.  We love all of you, so so much!  God bless you all! 

                             In Christ’s love,

                             Dan, Alaina, Kai Rey & Soon-to-be Baby Girl Lowman(and Bronson too)