The Wolf Family

Dear Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers,

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My name is Markus Wolf. Along with my wife, Helen, and our 9-year-old daughter, Olivia, we serve as missionaries to Ukraine with a focus on children. We were also recipients of the conference scholarship this year.

I wanted to take a moment to share how deeply grateful we are for the conference in Granite City this year. We’re amazed that you made it possible for us to be there and sent us home with so much. Because of our overseas work, our meetings with fellow puppeteers are rare—but so sweet. I’ve reflected a great deal on this time, knowing it was significant, and have tried to put into words why it meant so much to me.

I can go online to learn how to build a puppet or watch outstanding performances from other puppeteers. There are books on acting, technique, and the theology of performance ministry. Those things are valuable and useful—if you know where to look.

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But there’s something truly special about exploring something together with others. There’s something life-giving about cheering on both the beginner and the master. Something deeper happens when we share a meal and tell stories of our victories and struggles. Koinonia—that big Greek Bible word—refers to the communion and fellowship where everyone brings something to the table and we share as one body.

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This is part of being the church, of being connected to the body of Christ. It’s why online church has proven inadequate for living, breathing Christians. Most of us return home to churches and ministries that love us but don’t necessarily “get” us. They don’t appreciate a Muppet movie on the same level - because why would they?

But people who both truly love Jesus and truly love puppets… they’re a special breed. We always make new friends and deepen old friendships at these events. My daughter has dear friends among you like no one else. Following FCP, we already have plans and schemes to connect with three different families while we’re still in the U.S.

We are still waiting to return to Ukraine, but we’ll go back with more skills, ideas, and vision. One dream I have is to help build a puppet team with a Ukrainian church and launch them into ministry. Now, thanks to FCP, I can even give them a full set of characters—resources that would be difficult to get where they live.

There’s a favorite moment from this year’s conference I want to share. At the very last minute, I signed up for Jim and Bonnie Scott’s workshop on blacklight puppets. We don’t even do blacklight puppets, and I had plenty of other things to pack for home.

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I realized I was signing up simply because I wanted to be around the Scotts. Throughout the conference, I’d watched Bonnie sit down with my daughter to help her make her Hat puppet. I’d laughed at Jim’s dad jokes while making puppet eyes with my wife. I noticed their generosity of spirit—how much they loved everyone with open hearts. I want to be more like Jim and Bonnie Scott because I see Jesus all over them. So I made a blacklight puppet—not because I needed one, but because I really, really like them. Hopefully, a little bit of “Scott” rubbed off on me.

I couldn’t get that from a website or a manual. That’s what I personally love about FCP.

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Blessings,
Markus, Helen, and Olivia Wolf