JLWilliams.org

Surprise! Dan Apple’s 60th Birthday

November 04, 2010

Dan Apple and Patt J.L. and I had the joy of being in Charlotte to be part of a surprise 60th birthday party for an original New Directions alumnus, Dan Apple. He was TOTALLY surprised!! His wife, Judy, also pictured, did a wonderful job of keeping it a secret. (She wondered if God would forgive her for telling so many lies to get Dan to the venue!) It was our first time to see her since her recovery from breast cancer surgery—a wonderful survivor story—and we had a joyful evening of reminiscing and enjoying each other’s company. That’s when we got the call that Charlie was being flown by helicopter to Carolinas Medical Center for emergency heart surgery. We left the party early and headed over to the hospital in time to meet up with Judy and pray with Charlie. Interesting, isn’t it, that we just “happened” to be in Charlotte and Charlie just “happened” to be flown there AND the best doctor for aortic repair surgery just “happened” to be on call?! I tell you, God’s timing is always perfect!

I hope you enjoy the pictures below.

In His Love,

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A Message to the Williams High School Class of 1969

January 08, 2010

Dear Class of ’69,

Patt and I send you our belated congratulations on your recent historic “40th Anniversary Class Reunion.” Also our Christmas and New Year’s Greetings. We really enjoy getting annual Christmas cards from so many of you. Like us, some of you are already grandparents!

I had really hoped to be in town to see many of you at your reunion – but as usual, I was out of the country. I especially wanted to be in town because 1969 was also the official beginning of “The New Directions” – originally the “Y Teen Caravan.” Little could we have realized that what we thought was going to be a short hiatus in our lives at the YMCA would develop into a life-long ministry! And because of people like Dell Bright, so much of our early ministry was focused at WHS – where each of my four children later graduated as “Bull Dogs.”

Many of you in the “Class of 69” were in those early Bible Studies I led for students in the various high schools around the city and county. Some of you also were an active part of The New Directions during your high school years and traveled with us to countries like Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Haiti and the Grand Caymans. We never imagined that God would grow that ministry from “Alamance County to around the world,” as I often describe it. And like you, we have been celebrating 4 decades of God’s faithfulness. For Patt and me it has been an ever-expanding ministry to the poor and needy in the Two-Thirds World in the love and compassion of Christ.

Little did I realize that one of your own, Lewis Lucke, would be on a parallel track helping to empower the poor through the USA Government. As you can see from his attached picture and resume, Lew held prestigious and powerful positions with USAID in a number of underdeveloped countries. He also held Ambassadorships along the way as America’s highest representative where he served. Unfortunately, Lew and I were largely unaware of each other’s work to uplift and empower the poor – often in the same countries at the same time! I am thankful and honored that he was also a musician for the NDs his senior year at WHS. So he is also one of “our own” also.

Our loss of touch with each other all changed recently when Lew and I met in Haiti for a long weekend – the very days immediately following your Class Reunion! We had a great time re-visiting a country that both of us passionately love – even though it continues to hold the sad title of: “The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” To this day Haiti continues to be the country that NDI has had the most involvement in – leading groups there multiple times a year. Some of you receiving this email went there on the very first trip in 1969. Lew and I plan to meet there again sometime in 2010 – and would love to see some of you go with us. Your classmate, Dan Apple has already signed on!

I have attached a few pictures of “Ambassador Lewis Lucke” in Haiti with me right after your Class Reunion. Hope you enjoy them. Lew is also a very gifted author and wrote a great book I highly recommend: Waiting For Rain; Life & development in Mali, West Africa. Patt and I especially loved the book since we have traveled and ministered in the fabled city of Timbuktu, Mali, that Lew also writes about. Order it through Amazon if you can find it. It is a timely read by one of your classmates who has really “made a difference” – and continues to do so for the disenfranchised and marginalized peoples in Underdeveloped Countries. His book will make you “proud to be an American!”

I also included some photos of Dan Apple and his family.

If you would like to be on my general email list, you can sign up on our Contact page. I would love to keep you updated on my on-going travels and ministry around the world in behalf of the spiritually and physically poor.

Again, congratulations on your historic “Class of ’69 Reunion. Hope I will be in town for your “45th Reunion” in 2014…

In His Faithful Love,
JL & Patt

PS: When you many of you receive this email blast, I will be traveling and ministering in India, Nepal and Bhutan from Jan. 6 – 23. I would covet your prayers for this first trip of 2010 which will be very intense, diverse and fast moving.

Lewis Lucke
Lew visiting one of the house-building projects outside Port-au-Prince

Lew with two of our partners, Mr. & Mrs. Esperandieu Pierre (left) and Pastor & Mrs. Edner Jeanty, Jr (right)

Lew with Dr. Chavannes Jeune, presidential candidate and close friend and partner of JL

Lew & JL with Dr. Jeune after a wonderful dinner briefing on Haiti

letter to President Bush

President Bush letter

Lucke Bio

As a member of the WHS “Class of 69,” Dan Apple was also a member of the “Original NDs.” He traveled to Mexico, Jamaica, and Haiti on the earliest mission trips we took. Like Lew Lucke, Dan returned to Haiti on his own to work one summer—painting radio towers, which no one but Dan would do! He went on to have a stellar career with the FBI and Lab Corps. It has been a joy to see Dan and Judy through the years as they have returned to Burlington to visit family. Recently he was back for the funeral of his mother, who was a legend in her own right! Patt and I enjoyed our brief visit with Dan, Judy, Ben and Scott around the funeral. He has made the “Class of ‘09” proud!

Dan Apple and family
Dan Apple, Judy and their sons, Ben & Scott

Dan Apple and sons
Dan and his sons—some of America’s finest

Patt and Judy together at the funeral

Dan & Judy’s sons, Ben and Scott, who make you proud to be an American

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New Directions Alumni Potpourri 2009

December 30, 2009

Kim and Tammi Daniel
It is a great joy for Patt and me to be able to attend special events for some of our ND Alumni and their sons and daughters. One was the high school graduation of Will Daniel, son of Kim and John Daniel. As many of you will recall, Kim and Tammi are the daughters of Bill and Carolyn Daniel, long time members of the NDI Board.

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2009 ND Christmas Party

December 23, 2009

Here are some photos from our annual Christmas get together.

Christmas party 2009
Girls having fun like they used to on the back of the bus (Left to Right): Jane Frasier, Leah Smith, Sarah Lea, Rhonda Truitt, Martha Denny

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Visit to the “Church of the New Directions”

November 30, 2009

Church of the New Directions

One of the great joys for me this past year was to visit and preach again at the “Church of The New Directions,” in Chennai, India. Many of our ND Alumni and Board Members gave to help build this beautiful church for our 25th Anniversary a number of years ago. This time I had the privilege of baptizing a number of new believers after the worship service—including the pastor’s son! We also did major Tsunami relief distribution from this church in 2004 after that horrific disaster. Since its dedication, the church has gone on to plant several other daughter churches and support a number of full time evangelists working among the unreached tribes in India. And it all started in Alamance country with the “Y-Teen Caravan” in 1969!