We have so much to look forward to and a lot to be thankful as we head into this next season of outreach ministry.
In February and early March, we filmed some interviews of many amazing ministers to Milwaukee who all operate through the support of BASICS in Milwaukee, Inc.
Appreciation
The idea came to JJ and the presidents of BASICS, Gary and Laurie Hendrickson, after our old friend and brother, Mark Mallwitz, asked JJ to film himself explaining his story for a local church. JJ propped up the camera and microphone in the break room at the MMM office while Sammi compiled questions for an impromptu interview-style video. After it was finished and delivered to the church, and uploaded to YouTube, the idea to share other ministries in the same fashion was the next big, exciting idea for us and BASICS.
Every one of them work tirelessly in the city and the surrounding areas for the good of the communities, families and for the progress of the Kingdom of God. All their missions and services are invaluable to the betterment of the lives of so many unseen and suffering people. It was so special to help our brothers and sisters in Christ serving in Milwaukee to bring awareness and visibility to their work and testimonies.
Contribution
At the end of April, the Media Van prepared to go out for the first public event of 2021 with Immanuel Lutheran Church, School, and Childcare. By the end of the school year, Immanuel Lutheran needed funds for the coming school year to provide better equipment and technology for the classrooms. We came to help them host a tailgate party and silent auction to raise that money and awareness of the school.
This event all depended on fair weather and clear skies, because of the tables and tents set up with the food and items for the auction. Thankfully, there was no need for a rain check, which Immanuel was prepared for, even though there were April snow showers earlier in the week. God is good and kept the skies clear of rain and wild winds.
Attendees arrived at their reserved spots and brought their trucks for the tailgate, and they spaced out the day with videos, music, and food. JJ tried out a new wireless, mobile camera to test the live streaming capabilities, which ran very smooth despite a slight resolution reduction. It was a great success for the school and raised about 90,000 dollars for the 2021/2022 school year.
Communion
Over the last several months, JJ has been a regular visitor of the National Spring and Alignment, Inc. At least once a month, JJ visits them and they have dinner, always with JJ saying grace. Before, this wouldn’t have been the case, but now, the crew and management wouldn’t have it any other way and have JJ as kind of like their “resident chaplain.” If you haven’t been keeping up with us or are a brand-new roadie, here is the short version of the story.
In 2017, after a few years with its old 1970s truck chassis and engine, Big Blue was running on 4 miles a gallon and needed extensive work under the hood in order to keep up with our mission. National Spring and Alignment on Mitchell Avenue was the only garage that had a big enough crane, rigging, and space for the Media Van’s chassis exchange and repair. For 18 months, JJ and Big Blue stayed with the National Spring crew to slowly chip away at the Media Van work and still keep up with the workload of the business. Over that time, the crew and management grew fond of JJ’s presence and his cheery nature. Meanwhile, JJ ministered to whoever would listen. When the Media Van was finally finished in October 2019, the entire crew, company, and several roadies celebrated the amazing work that they’d done with a Packer party in the park.
We’ve been friends and partners with the amazing professionals at National Spring ever since. If you walk into their waiting room, you can see a video JJ made for the company running on a loop, featuring shots from the chassis transfer of the Media Van.
Restoration
Before we meet up with Immanuel Lutheran again at the end of the spring, we must address some small but important maintenance needs. In the first few weeks of May, Big Blue will be taken down to Whitewater to the Nelson Bus Service Company to repair a recurring oil leak. After that’s accomplished, we plan to take the Media Van over to Appleton to Bilco Autobody for some bodywork and a new coat of paint on the front grill.
Our summer is starting to fill up with partnerships with more awesome ministers, churches, and ministries.
If you continue to support us through prayer, please pray for the safety and energy of our partners and volunteers while we are on the streets and in the parking lots as we reach out to plant seeds and water them in the hearts of people. Pray that no sickness or evil entity will have a foothold in our work and that the light of God will be evident in us and that the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of all.
If you support us financially, know that your loving contributions to our mission keeps us moving and moves us to the next place the Lord needs us. Your donations run our screens, fill our gas tank, and keep our lights on. Your funds granted to us in the love of the Lord all go to keep us on the road and are helping reach the hopeless and lost. You are keeping a legacy-in-the-making alive through your devotion and support. We are extremely thankful for all of you.
Sincerely, the Mobile Media team.
