NieuCommunities » Shaun + Maria Sheahan

Sheahan Up-date

Sheahan's Life — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 03:55:20 +0000

Shaun and Maria...admiring His creation!

I realize I’m a little behind…but it’s been worth it. The busyness has been fruitful.
We minister to several very distinct cultures:
Yesterday Maria and I walked into a little church that is known for hosting Refugees in San Diego. We walked in and took the closest seat we could find…then we looked around. On the ‘white’ side of the church were all white folks including us. Across the aisle were “colorful” people mostly with darker skin. They wore bright colors and head wraps. The ladies had outfits that wrapped around and drug the floor and were beautiful. The men were dressed up and pressed. Even the kids were strutting their stuff. This side was where all the Refugees from Africa and Bhutan/Nepal were sitting. Since they were the reason we were there, we changed sides and joined the colorful one’s. They are here at this church because one very overwhelmed man has loved them and his church offers them food. His church is accommodating but not really sure how to embrace these colorful one’s that don't speak English.
   We met 20-year-old Gerald a Refugee from Africa that translated for those who spoke Swahili and 15-year-old Josh from Nepal who translated into Nepalese. Their faith in Jesus is brand new and their hunger to grow is evident. We see potential in these guys which has prompted us to pray about asking them to let us disciple them. We can actually imagine them becoming spiritual leaders among their people. There is also a knot of young girls that seem to be great candidates for discipleship too.
We’d love to add these refugees to our already crowded plate. The need is huge but the workers are few…
Here are a few more things that are on our cultural plates:
1.     Training enthusiastic American young adults to become missionaries. They are fun, high tech, energetic, idealistic, frightened, unsure, pampered, teachable, willing and wanting to make a Kingdom difference. We teach, train, mentor, take them with us in our ministry and then send them off to where God calls them.
2.    Leaders in Tijuana. Strengthening the church in Mexico by strengthening their leaders. It’s the norm for Mexican Christian leaders to never have had any investment or training…ever! That can mean a weak church. It’s amazing to see the maturing that happens when even just a little investment is made. This is awesome to be able to help lift up equipped leaders.
3.    The diverse culture of down town San Diego: Hipsters, Gangs, Homeless, under the radar Latinos. What a beautiful mix of crazy colors and diversity…and we run into them all. They are invited to our monthly picnic in the park, monthly community worship and into friendships with Jesus...and us too.
4.    Helping to create a local coffee shop as one of NieuCommunities missional expressions in the neighborhood of Golden Hill. This is new for us but I can see huge potential.
That’s our world and we love it! YEP, it challenges us in so many ways but it’s so worth it.
Shaun and Maria Sheahan

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January Sheahan’s UpDate

Sheahan's Life — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:54:00 +0000

In NieuCommunities we all get to be a Mentor/Coach to several of the younger one’s but we also are Mentored/Coached by other staff members as well. It’s a vital part of our community and missional training. This last month we were able to receive 3 days of training from a Pro which allowed us to refine these skills. This was so helpful!

This year Shaun is taking on a new apprentice. Chaz is a flaming red headed, married w/o kids, MK that grew up in Japan. He speaks it well. He is a quiet man with a giant appetite to grow godly. This should be fun.

It looks like Maria might be mentoring Carli. Carli is also an MK kid that was born in Spain but grew up in Germany. She is also super excited to figure out how to be God’s woman.

The beginning of each new year is when we all re-covenant to Communion with God, Community with each other and God, ministering to people in our Context and for us on staff, to empower and train the apprentice’s that are seeking to live a missional life.

This year we are going to make a bigger effort to reach out to those in our Context. Shaun will be adding to his ministry a time of ‘hanging’ out with under privileged school kids in an after school program where he hopes to meet the kids families, most of which are Latinos. Feel free to pray of him.

Maria (mostly) and Shaun (assisting) will also be raising leaders in Tijuana. We will be leading a two weekend Life Compass conference with 12 leaders from Tijuana and Ensenada. Life Compass is designed to help people understand God’s direction for their lives and then give them a ‘map’ to follow as well. This will be the first time doing this in Spanish. This is so cool. Pray for Maria who is leading the way.

Housing: We are still the only ones that don’t live in Golden Hill near down town San Diego. We are working hard to find a place that will fit a family of 5 adult sized people and is still affordable. We are considering houses that appear to be ‘haunted’ which is to say really run down and not inhabitable without lots of work. We could use your prayers and if fixing up ‘haunted’ houses sounds like a ministry option for you let us know.

Please know we are grateful for your prayers for the Sheahan family.

Thanks for backing us up and loving us well.

Shaun, Maria, Jeremy, Kaory and Josh Sheahan

Guess who turned 50 in January?

shaun.sheahan@crmleaders.org 619 948-3787 * maria.sheahan@crmleaders.org 619 495-9691 * www.sheahanlife.com

162 1^st Ave Chula Vista, CA 91910

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A Look at NieuCommunities January 2011

Sheahan's Life — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 20:00:49 +0000

Josh, Maria, Shaun, Kaory and Jeremy

We just finished our first full year cycle of teaching through the 6 *postures (*trainings: Listening, Submerging, Inviting, Contending, Imagining, Entrusting) with NeiuCommunities our missional/sending community here in San Diego.

NeiuCommunities is a community of believers that trains young committed believers to live a missional lifestyle and then sends them to wherever/whatever we discover God’s calling for them to be. Maria and I are on the staff that shepherds, teaches, mentors, disciples, creates, ministers and gives cross-cultural experiences to the process of learning. We do this on both sides of the border. FUN!!

We ended this year with Imagining and Entrusting knitted together. Imagining is basically a time that we get our apprentices to “Imagine” or envision what their particular ministry walk with Jesus looks like, and what their particular passions, strengths and aspirations are. We actually cap that time by having everyone write a vision statement. After a time of refining those statements which includes getting feedback from the whole community we then slip into the next posture of “Entrusting”

Entrusting is when the apprentice learns how to entrust God and His people with getting them into their vision statement. This is when we start to send our learners out. I want to share some of the steps/initiatives we have either started taking or are about to take as some first steps in the sending process.

SOCCER league. David and Chaz invited a few neighborhood teens to refine their soccer skills. Thirty teens later they are starting to get to know these kids better and will take the steps to invite little groups to their home to eat and share their Gospel inspired lives.

COFFEE shop with a community missional emphasis. Golden Hill neighborhood does not have a great place to hang out. Matt and 4 others of us can already taste great cup of coffee and see a cool environment and a place where a community hub is created to do events ranging from immigration discussions to live music to worship nights to any topic that impacts our lives, to you name it. Staffed by mostly NeiuCommunities apprentices we can see this impacting the business community as well as all those that live in the vicinity allowing God to speak through a different venue to an unreached crowd.

YOUTH center. In Golden Hill there is a secular non-profit youth center that offers an after school program of tutoring and fun. A bunch of us NeiuCommunity people are in the ‘background check’ process now that will allow us to volunteer. Mostly the poorer Latino kids use this center. Our goal is to help tutor yes, but more so get to know the kids and their families that live mostly under the radar due to their shaky immigration status. Ultimately, we’d like to form a youth group out of this experience, letting the Gospel have its place.

CRASH.inc is a rehab center for women recovering from substance abuse in Golden Hill. Several of our women have been simply walking with these women once a week. The next step is to actually enter their group home and teach some life skills like conflict resolution and communications while deepening relationships. The goal is to form trusted relationships and let God ultimately speak.

INTERMEDIATE Discipleship (Ok, I admit, we need a better name for this). There are new believers and curios onlookers that have come about as a result of God’s work through NeiuCommunities. As a result several of us can see the need to form a group to start the process of discipling these curios non-believers and new believers to what a walk with Jesus looks like and who He really is. That’s exciting.

Grupo, Mexico women have learned to listen to their community, see needs/opportunities and respond in the most loving ways that express the Gospel in life giving ways by serving the poor, reviving the local church and creating small growth groups.

PUBLIC works in developing countries. Nick builds hospitals here in the States. He really would like to create and empower teams that could build hospitals, schools, clinics and childcare in developing countries…works that benefit the community as a whole. He will be traveling to Mexico to join a work there and learn. Then he plans to take a team to Haiti to actually build a public work this year. Wow. How cool is that?

INDONESIA. John and Bri have a heart to mobilize Latinos to reach Muslims. We sent them to Frontiers Missions. They are currently building a team with Frontiers Mission and another missionary couple that spent many years in Mexico. They hope to be in Indonesia with a team of Latinos in late 2011. It’s happening.

Misc.: Poor Tijuana women selling their artisans through a NieuCmmunities outlet enabling them to fed their children. Mentoring young Mexican men in the Home for Boys in Tijuana. Offering Life Direction Discovery seminars in Spanish empowering people in Baja.

Those are some of the place/initiatives we are sending our apprentices too as they become more and mare ready to “GO”. Maria and I get to carry our years of experience, our personal passions, our God given gifts/talents and our own visions into NeiuCommunities in order to help others become “sent”. All I can say is what a privilege and honor to serve in His Kingdom this way.

What would make us much more effective would be moving to the neighborhood of Golden Hill next to Downtown San Diego. We are the only one’s on our team that don’t live there. Housing for a family of 5 is a real challenge. We have been trying for over 10 months to rent or buy but so far we have only found one of these rare affordable beasts and someone else beat us to the punch. Prayer needed.

Shaun for Maria, Jeremy, Kaory and Josh Sheahan

January 1-8-11

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South Africa Mission Adventure

Sheahan's Life — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 16:27:00 +0000

Begin forwarded message:

Subject: An update from Jeremy out of South Africa.

An update?!? This late?!?Ha... yeah

Dear Friends,

Thank you for all your prayers and support. I know it’s been a while since my last update. Oh wait… last time you heard from me I was probably asking you for money… But after a little more than 2 months there is a lot to tell, probably more than I would ever be able to write down. So you can ask me all about it when I get home in a month.

Lets see, how shall I start off this update? English class wasn’t exactly my strongest subject… Let me start off by saying that if you thought I was going to loose weight here in Africa, you were SO wrong. The food here is very delicious and very filling. A standard South African meal usually looks like Pap (a porridge made of ground maize), some sort of meat (usually chicken) and sometimes cabbage or spinach. And you don’t really use spoons or forks. It’s all hands baby! And I must say, I’m getting quite good at it.

I currently reside in a little room behind my host family, the Bocabas. They have 3 kids that are still living at home. Betty (25), Thabang (22) and Morongwa (18). There are also a whole lot of youth that hang out at the house where I stay. I have been making lots of friends and we’re always hanging out or walking somewhere. One of my friends named Sifiso calls me “Lekoah lakah” which means “my white guy”.

Besides doing stuff with the team and my friends like visiting orphanages and other ministry, I have a "personal ministry". My personal ministry is teaching guitar to anyone who wants to learn. Some of these kids are very talented and pick it up very quickly. Others, not so much, but they're trying. But unfortunately, a lot of them don't show up on a regular basis, so it’s necessary to just drop everything and hang out with them when they do come.

Umm… yeah… that’s the update. I’m not exactly sure what else to put in this thing… I’m doing really well. I have been making lots of friends, eating lots of food, reading a lot and getting to know Jesus. What more could you ask for? Not much. Not much.

Again, I would like to thank you for all your prayers and support. Sorry for not sending an update earlier. It’s difficult when you’re busy all the time and the Internet isn’t as accessible. Yep. That’s my excuse.

Thank you,

Jeremy Sheahan

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It’s happening!!!

Sheahan's Life — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:43:57 +0000

This is really exciting: some of NieuCommunities core values are mentoring and sending.

John and Bri Coghlan have been with us for nearly a year now being mentored, challenged, and nurtured for this moment: to be sent.

They will head to Seattle, where John is from, to finalize preparations to go to Indonesia. Yep Muslims!

But

There is an amazing twist. They really want to train Latinos in that context to form teams to reach Muslims. Bri is from Guatemala, John has the heart and language of a Latino…it makes sense. The Coghlan’ are super gifted. In His power they will do this!!!

I had the joy of mentoring John and I will so miss those times and miss the Coghlan’ but that is part of life in a ‘sending’ community. Go! And make disciples!

The world needs GOERs like John and Bri! People like John and Bri really, really need SENDERS like NieuCommuites and you.

John and Bri being sent by us at NieuCommunities:

Shaun and Maria Sheahan

Sheahanlife.com

Crmleaders.com

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Sheahanlife.com posting October 2010

Sheahan's Life — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:56:46 +0000

We just spent time with a family that has been living in San Diego for 17 years, way longer than we have been here. They pay taxes, go to church, and never ask for burdensome help from anyone. They work really hard at several jobs, their kids excel at school...they are good, good people that we would all love to have as our neighbor BUT they are undocumented. They live incomplete limited lives just under the radar. Always looking over their shoulder. Never landing a great job and they won’t be able send their kids to college. All they want is a better life for their kids. It breaks our hearts. They wept in our living room as they realized they hit the low glass ceiling in the Land of Opportunities and Justice for all....well, not all, but some.

I know. They ARE illegal. The parents knew that when they crossed the border many years ago. But their oldest daughter didn’t have a clue what her future would be like when she was crossed as an infant. And now culturally but not legally, she is American. I really feel for her. She’s bright, energetic, ambitions and a girl of integrity. She is a good American…but she’s not ”completely” American.

Living in Mexico for as long I a did I have to admit that If I were in 75% of Mexican’s men’s shoe’s, just wanting to give my kids a break that can’t be found in my own county and looking just through the fence to the north…I might cross that fence too…for my kids…for a better life. What a dilemma borders can cause. I don’t have the answer but I hurt for my friends. How many more are there in this same boat? Is our Gospel big enough for what they face?

A day later we sat in the same living room and listened to Taru and Dissa describe in broken English their journey from Sri Lanka. They ARE documented but it took everything they had. He owned a factory and did OK. They sold everything for an opportunity to educate their kids in the States. Now he cleans toilets at the Hyatt in down town San Diego. "All we want is to give our kids a better life" they say. Five of them live in a 1 bedroom apartment. They smile joyfully as they tell of their hardship...I feel guilt as I think of my complaining over not being able to find an appropriate 3 bedroom house in Golden Hill. We make sure their son gets a ride to the same school our kid goes too.

These are a few of the people we bump into...rub lives with. They are all part of our lives.

Is my Gospel big enough for what they face?

YES! My Gospel, the Good News of Jesus and all that implies, is plenty big enough to give hope to the broken hearted, the alien, the lost, wounded and so much more.

That is why we continue do what we do.

Shaun and Maria Sheahan

NieuCommunities San Diego

PS. Remember Jeremy and his 3 month internship in South Africa

and Kaory and her 3 month bible school/outreach in Austria.

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August – Sheahanlife

Sheahan's Life — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:03:00 +0000

A little of Augusts’ News:

I assisted Matt in doing a 5 day Road Trip. Yep, a Road Trip not a mission trip.

Five people between the age of 20 and 30 joined us for a time of going deeper, stretching wider and reaching higher in the Kingdom of God.

NieuCommuites hosted a time and place to teach and to experience what is it to live a lifestyle of mission in community.

The goal and idea was to inspire our Road Trippers to go further into the Kingdom, get closer with God, and figure out a few more steps toward knowing where they fit into it all.

We showed them the best and worst parts of San Diego, had a neighborhood picnic with them, took them to Tijuana for the day, worshiped and shared our lives through our story and teaching times.

I think lives were changed. It was a great time for sure.

Top L to R: Matt, Shaun, Rob

Middle: Matt, Justina, Maria, Sarah

Bottom: Emily, Amy, Emily

Baby Shower:

Both Amy Chapman and Janny Huckins if NieuCommuites are due anytime.

So what better way to gather a crowd than have a co-ed baby shower with neighbors that need to be loved?

Can’t wait to meet the babies.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Finally: our time in Porvenir. The Great Reunion.

See my FACE BOOK for all the photos

They came from: San Diego, Porvenir, Ensenada, San Antonio, Tijuana and Alabama for a time of refreshment, encouragement and reveling in the Kingdom.

Our house was full.

Laughter and tears flowed.

Being a blessing and receiving blessings…God out blessing us all. You had to be there. Next time.

John, Lili, Alexis, Maria, David, and Alex (Shaun on the other side of the camera)

The Sheahan’s

NieuCommuites San Diego

Shaehanlife.com

PS. Jeremy will be leaving in 4 weeks for a 3 month internship working with the poor in South Africa.

Kaory will be leaving in 3 weeks for a 3 month intensive bible school and outreach in Austria.

Josh just started his Junior year of high school and is working toward getting his drivers license.

I can’t tell you how proud we are of all of them and how much we will miss the one’s leaving…at least we think we might miss them J

Pray for them if you think about it.

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"Patin" (Sheahan’s)

Sheahan's Life — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:53:08 +0000

Meet “The Patin”. (translation: Spanish: Patin = English: roller skate)

We bought this car (below) a few months after moving to the States in 2005 for $500.00. It was our hope that it might last a year before completely dying.

But here it is 4.5 years later with more miles than the odometer can hold, an automatic transmission that has to be manually shifted and a thirst for oil. One of the best spent 500.00 of our life.

It took Jeremy and Kaory back and forth to high school for 3 years – that is a 24 mile round trip a day not to mention all the family driving and trips into Mexico.

Now, next Sunday August 1, Jeremy and his good friend Rainer (known as Bubba) Benito will fill up the massive 6 gallon tank, insert CD’s, and pack their guitars and gear to head out on a much anticipated “ROAD TRIP” up the interstate 5 for 21 glorious days.

San Diego to Vancouver BC, Canada and back(?).

They plan on staying with friends all the way up and down the West Coast. Thanks for opening your homes, hearts, dinner tables, laundry rooms and sofas.

Sounds fun huh? And hopefully it will be a blast for them.

But we think it’s more than that. It’s sort of a right of passage for these two recent high school grads cutting a few more parental strings, hitting the adventurous highway and deepening relationships both Vertically and horizontally.

We wonder if you’d like to rally around them in prayer.

Pray for their safety, yes, but even more so for God to do a deepening work in their lives. They really desire that.

The Patin may break down…fact we may never see the Patin again but we hope that the boys will learn to lean into God and grow more dependent on His presence and provision.

Pray for Jerm and Bubba’s parents too: they will need to learn to let go a little more and further entrust their boys to God. Parenting is not for wimps.

Thanks,

Shaun and Maria

and on the behalf of

Eric and Susan

Jerm and Bubba…Ready to conquer the road!

Heading down the road…

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Friends of the Sheahan’s

Sheahan's Life — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:18:30 +0000

We just arrived back from CRM’s World Wide Conference that is held every four years.

This year is was in Malaysia.

There were 500 plus missionaries and families from all over the world.

At least Forty-two languages were represented.

Nearly 18 different ministry area emphases were represented.

But only one goal: to allow the love of Jesus to reach the nations.

The theme of the conference hit home:

Word: the actually living Word learned, lived out and preached to the nations…

Power: His Power doing things that we can not do.

Deed: the Action behind our faith.

These represent the complete gospel.

We rubbed lives with people we had not known and with people we had not seen for over 20 years.

We were inspired by some and in turn we inspired others as well.

We talked about the strengths of our organization as well as how to overcome some of the weaknesses of our organization.

We worshiped together.

Wept together,

Confessed together,

Celebrated together,

Learned together,

Danced together,

Broke Bread and drank Wine together,

Ate together and

Played together.

Our kids ran with other MK’s (missionary kids) for a full week.

We arrived home jet-lagged but inspired and even more ready to take up our cross for causes way greater than us and for a God that is even Greater still!

Thanks for praying for us during this time.

Shaun, Maria, Jerm, Josh and Kaory Sheahan

NieuCommunities

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NieuCommunities Video

Sheahan's Life — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:03:39 +0000

Last Night Matt Chapman and I took the lead in a night of celebration, foot washing, reflection about our King of Kings, time at His table and worship.

After the evening was over Peter Schrock, one of our NieuCommunities guys, went home and threw together this little (AMAZING) Video.

WE could not be any more proud, inspired and amazed at Peter’s handy work and servant’s heart.

Please check it out, click the link and enjoy.

Shaun for The Sheahan’s

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