atCentral - Missions Blog

Update from Don & LuJean Stone, Missionaries to Hong Kong

2010-09-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Bro. Rhoades and Church,

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” asked a lady of one of one of our men.

“No, I’m sorry. Should I know you?’ he questioned.

“No, but I recognize you. I have passed you on the street three or four times, and you

always handed me a tract and invited me to this church. I came today and received Christ!”

This was one of the wonderful highlights of our church anniversary August 1st. We had record crowds in both our Saturday congregation and our Sunday congregation. We had a total of 110 visitors and 63 received Christ as their Saviour. It was a time of rejoicing for all of us and has inspired all of us anew and given us an even greater vision of what God can do.

We always expect wonderful things from God and He never disappoints us. During the month of July we had 23 saved, 3 baptized, and 7 transferred their membership to the church. MAny of these people also came because they were given tracts. Please pray with us that more of those won for Christ will follow Him in baptism. This is a veery difficult step for most of them.

We are always moved by your love expressed to through prayers and support. Each month we have renewed strength because of your faithfulness. Thank you for being a part of our ministry and the great things God is doing here. We know we can be here in the ministry because He uses you to help make that possible.

Love in Christ,

Don & LuJean Stone

Update from the Mike Winters family - missionaries to Japan

2010-06-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is a condensed version of the letter from Mike Winters. The full letter will be in the Missionary Books in the auditorium of our church.

Dear Church Family,

Earthquakes, floods, unemployment, and Toyota...these seem to be in the headlines everyday recently. Here in Japan, the economy is really struggling, but fortunately God spared us from the natural disasters that seem to be plaguing the rest of the world. Of course, because of Toyota, Japan has been in the news alot lately. Would you take a minute every time you see a Toyota driving down the road, to pray for the Winters family?

We had a busy year so far planting the seed in a variety of ways. Although we haven’t been blessed with any salvation decisions yet this year, we can see the hand of God on various ministries. In Fukuoka, we have planned a different theme each month to reach the lost. In February, the theme was “a Godly marriage”. We passed out thousands of flyers inviting people to Sunday services. We had several visitors. Please pray especially for the salvation of Wataru Katayama, Mizuho Yoshizato, and the Nagao family. In March, our theme was “Cults vs. the Bible”. We kicked off the month with a weekend seminar on the subject of “Jehovah’s Witness vs. the Bible”. Pastor Kosaki, a former Jehova’s Witness and now Baptist Pastor, was our guest speaker. We had dozens of visitors wanting to know more on the subject. Please pray these will return to church. Our theme for April is “The End Times”. In May and June, I will be speaking on raising children. Please pray God uses these themes and the many invites going out to see precious souls saved.

At the end of March we held two day camps for children. At least 30 of the 48 in attendance were first time visitors. Everything was new for them. We are praying for them to return for Sunday School.

I teach 5 English classes on Fridays and have had several stay after class asking questions about the church. We are slowly building relationships. Please pray for this ministry in Kokura.

We are planning furlough from September 2010 to March 2011. We are praying God will provide a good deal on a used motor home for this furlough and future furloughs. Please contact us if you know someone who would like to give a missionary a good deal on a motor home. mwintersjapan@hotmail.com or www.hakataminamibbc

Thank you for your prayers and support!
Mike & Becky Winters

Update from the Gary Phillips family - missionaries to the Philippines

2010-06-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

Camp!

The Good News...We finished our camp with a total of 629 young people. We saw 107 receive Christ as their Savior and 100 other decisions made. The Bad News...It cost more than we expected. We are still in need of $3,000 to help pay for camp. If you were not able to help us earlier with camp and would be able to now, we would appreciate it.

Gary’s 1 Year Checkup

This past week, we travelled back to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, for Gary’s 1 year checkup. This is something the doctor wants him to do each year for the next five years. Gary had the usual PET scans done. NO ACTIVE CANCER! Because of the stem cell transplant done a year ago, Gary now has to have his immunizations all over again. This time he received five shots. He also saw the neurologist who was responsible for diagnosing him in September of 2008. He ran through tests to determine Gary’s improvement with his hand and it was very evident that he has improved tremendously. You can go to www.phillips2pi.blogspot.com to read all about our visit.

New Ministry

We have started a new ministry with the street kids of Agham road. DSWD is a children’s welfare organization in the Philippines. They have a building nearby and many children are housed there that they have taken in for numerous reasons, whether because they were being neglected or abused. The director has given us permission to go twice a week and hold Bible studies with the children. This is just one more avenue we have to reach these children and to show our love, and teach them the love of Christ. If we can reach them before the age of 10, we have hope that we can help keep them away from a life of crime on the streets.

We appreciate your faithful prayers for our ministry. Thank you for partnering with us to reach the Philippines for Christ!

Gary & Jeanie Phillips

Update from Renae Thompson - missionary to Germany

2010-06-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Pastor and Church,

Several years ago I noticed that many people I knew had dementia. Now it seems I’m surrounded by people who suffer from depression, several of them quiet close friends. It puzzles me that they withdraw from other people when contact seems to do them so much good - obviously I need to educate myself more about the condition. Please pray for Christine, Gudi, Kathi, and Anneleise.

Esther is a young woman whose stepfather rejected her. She had a terrible childhood and bounced around between substitute living arrangements for many of her teen years. She is a Christian, but now at 20 still lacks a high school diploma and the basic confidence to navigate adult life. I am corresponding with her and I am often at a loss to know how to encourage her. Please pray for her.

Over the past few years, more and more Iranians from a refugee home have come to our church’s Persian Bible study and become Christians. On Sunday another was baptized and gave a great testimony about his determination to follow Christ despite family opposition. Pray for him and many others in his situation.

We recently had a brainstorming session to come up with ideas for more seating, as our auditorium is overcrowded. Church planting is in the plans, but still lacks leadership and workers. We collected ideas ranging from building on, to relocation, to other less conventional solutions. Please pray about which should be implemented and also about the form our outreach should take.

Sincerely,
Renae Thompson

Update from Marjorie Browning - missionary to Brazil

2010-06-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Pastor and Friends,

Since my last letter to you I have been busy getting the house in Nova Holanda repaired and back in order. I have been making trips between there and the swamp, packing and moving my things out so that Pastor Denilson and his wife would have the house empty for the repairs to be done in Two Brothers Swamp.

April 4 was a special day at the church in Nova Holanda. That morning seven were baptized and two ladies were saved. The auditorium was filled with approximately 180 present in Sunday School. Because of my impending trip to the U.S. I have not taken on any definite responsibility, but some of the people have expressed to me their opinions as to what they feel I could and should do to help in the church and its missions after my return to Brazil on June 24.

This week I had a checkup with the doctor who performed my tongue surgery in 2004. He found no problem with relation to the cancer; however, he did see a possible problem with some teeth resulting from the radiation treatment which I had and sent me to a dental clinic. I am to return to the dentist on June 14 to correct that problem.

Please pray for me during the next few weeks as I learn to operate my rented Prius Hybrid, which is quite different from the horse which I have been riding for the past three years. I will be making a trip to Springfield, MO, visiting as many of my supporting churches as possible, and spend as much time as I can with my brother who is terminally ill with cancer.

Once back in Brazil and settled in the village of Nova Holanda, even though there is no post office there, I hope to be able to send you letters on a more regular schedule. Thank you for your patience and your faithful support and prayers, which have helped make it possible my living and working in that needy area.

Sincerely,
Marjorie Browning

Update from the Paul Byars family - missionaries to the Philippines

2010-06-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

encourageMENt 2010:

As you can tell by the title our goal was to encourage MEN during our Pastor’s and men’s retreat in Baguio during January this year. The name of our men’s ministry at church is Gideon’s Men - Men of Ministry. Our aim is to edify each other, work as a team to reach other men in our community and to do ministry in the church. God has given us a good group of men to work with.

During this encourageMENt Retreat God allowed 275 pastors and men to join with us in mountains and refresh ourselves with God’s Word and fellowship. Our guest speaker was Dr. Bob Baird. The men were challenged by the missions heart of Bro. Baird. Our men of the church have been “fired up” ever since the retreat. It was a great team building exercise.

12th Anniversary:

This was our first anniversary in our new building. We were all excited to see the building filling up with people. We ran out of chairs and benches and had standing room only. Total attendance was 440. We had 80 first time visitors and 17 professions of Christ. Since we moved into our new location we have seen an increase in our attendance. The ongoing construction on the third floor is still an attraction to the community.

Bible Institute Graduation:

March 28th marked the first graduation of the Bible Baptist Church Bible Institute. It is a two year course held twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday. We thank the Lord for this first batch who finished the studies and are serving the Lord in the Sunday school and extension ministries.

Since the beginning of the year we have had visitors every Sunday and folks getting saved every month.

Ellen and I want to thank you for the many prayers and faithful support. Without your help we could not accomplish the blessing that God has given thus far.

Sincerely,
Paul and Ellen Byars

Update from the Ken Liles family - missionaries "Creative Access Nations"

2010-03-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Pastor and Church,

We need prayer for a Bible Institute in Athens. Two months ago we helped start a Bible Institute in Athens for Persian-speaking refugees. From the 150 refugees that our team works with each week, there were 15 who enrolled and a high of 19 in our first class. We have outlined a curriculum, provided class notes, contacted competent teachers who will come and teach the classes; but we need translators who can translate the teachers’ notes and assist them in class. Please pray for our Iranian Leadership Team, that the Lord will give them wisdom as they lead this Institute to prepare the refugees to be effective witness for Christ in the Persian World.

We need prayer for our “Reformission” Campaign in the United Kingdom. Recently, we held an evangelism and church-planting conference at the White House in Cannock, England. We had around 40 attendees who were church leaders from a cross-section of the country. We believe that the churches in Great Britain need to re-form themselves for twenty-first century missions in a multicultural and Islamizing environment. Pray as we travel to the churches to share a revitalization strategy with them. Perhaps you have heard of the many churches here without pastors and of the churches that are closing their doors; pray for revival and the revitalization of the Lord’s work in this region. If churches do not revive they will not survive, and Islam will become the next religious power in this part of the western world.

We need prayer for our health. Ken has just had a hip replacement and is recovering nicely, but Carrie has contracted shingles and is having some blood pressure problems. We have been reminded of what happens where the kingdom of darkness is being threatened: missionaries suffer. Thank you for praying.

Your Servants for His Sake,
Ken & Carrie Liles

Update from the Paul Dedeyan family - missionaries to France

2010-02-03T14:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

November was very special to us in France, for we were able to baptize five people! - Colette, Gisette, Bibi, Jordane, and Nicholas. The first three are ladies, the last two 10- and 11-year old children. Nicholas, who accepted Christ this summer at camp, is living as a foster child in the home of some of our members. Although it is sad that his parents’ situation has made it necessary for him to live elsewhere, God used it for good by placing him in a Christian home, where he could be exposed to the Bible. He has always shown a keen interest in God’s Word, which is now coming to fruition.

Jordane’s baptism was special to us in that she is of the fourth generation of the Minard family whom I have baptized! Her great-grandfather, Marcel, built our baptistry before he was saved. We were privileged to lead Marcel and his wife, Micheline, to Christ and baptize them in 1974. Later their son Lionel and his wife Patricia accepted Christ, and I baptized them -- then their daughter Celine and eventually her husband Laurent, and now their daughter Jordane. It was a thrill for me to realize that - it is such a blessing to us and a lesson in perseverance.

In December, the church’s Christmas program was particularly delightful, as we were able to take advantage of our new, spacious sanctuary to proclaim again the real meaning of Christmas. A few days later we flew to Texas to spend Christmas with our family there, a rare privilege for us, and to visit with some of our supporters. We’ll be in the States for seven weeks, the longest we have ever been out of France since moving there in 1971. We have some responsible Christians taking care of things in our absence, but still no pastor to take over the leadership. Please continue to pray the Lord will send us a national pastor, or a missionary who will be ready to take over the work in Champigny.

Again, thank you for your faithful prayers and support. We wish each of you a blessed year in 2010, in which we will draw always nearer to our Lord and learn from Him.

Yours in Christ,
Paul & Alexis Dedeyan

Update from the Jim Eberhard family - missionaries to Kenya

2010-01-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hamjambo (Hello),

We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from sunny Nairobi, 70 degrees, green grass, and beautiful flowers await you if you would like to join us for our first Christmas in Kenya.

Pastor Benard invited me and Sybil to teach and play with the children at their fun day. We rode boats, took a ride on the horses and camels, visited a cave, sang songs, played games, and taught the Bible. Owen raised his hand after the message to receive Christ. Sybil had two little ones that were saved. Pastor Benard counseled with them. Praise the Lord for the children who receive the message and accept the Savior. Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me. Owen attends Fellowship Baptist in Kigami.

Malea has spent three weeks as a counselor at camp Lukenya. She had the opportunity to lead Leah to Jesus and got to pray with many more.

December may be the last month of the year, but is the first month of our language training. Learning greetings, adverbs, verbs, nouns, conjugating sentences in Kiswahili are the focus of our daily activities. Language school is well under way. Praise the Lord for our friend, Keith in Kansas, who paid for our first month of language school! This is a $500 monthly expense outside the budget. God prompted him to give and he obeyed, not knowing it was the exact amount we needed to start language training. We thank God for all those whom God prompts to participate in the ministry to reach Kenyan’s for Christ. THANK YOU and PRAISE THE LORD for your faithfulness.

Prayer Requests: Our three teenagers Malea, Larissa, and Javan as they spend their first Christmas away from family and familiar surroundings; Our retention of the studies in Kiswahili; Ole and Konnerup, as they and their 19 boxes made it safely to Kenya.

In His Service,
Jim & Sybil

Update from the Del Hooge family - missionaries to Philippines

2010-01-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

The days fly past in quick succession. It hardly seems possible that we are again at the end of another year of serving here in the Philippines. The year has been filled with joys, as well as disappointments. We can only thank the Lord for His continued grace in granting us strength.

I was looking back over the accomplishments and was amazed at the number of times we were able to minister and touch people’s lives. By my calculations this past year I spoke more than 270 times in places all over the Philippines as well as China and Australia. We have seen over 1,000 come to know the Lord in our BLESS outreaches through local churches and their missions. Here in the home church we have baptized many who have been saved in the establishment of a new congregation here in the south of Metro Manila.

Here at the school we have a security guard who has been watching what is going on for some time. He was always somewhat “sour faced” since he attended a local cult church which is strong against our biblical faith. However, a few weeks ago he asked for an appointment with the national pastor who preaches every Sunday afternoon. The next day there was a BIG smile on his face. He followed the Lord in Baptism the following week.

We had the opportunity to again visit with those who are starting daily discipleship ministries with their children (sometimes called a Christian school) in China. Over 120 delegates attended from over 20 schools. We were again challenged at their determination to give a biblical foundation to their children’s lives even though it goes against the laws of their land. They are taking a strong stand to give a biblical world-view to the next generation as best they can.

In our Missions Conference we had two new missionaries. One is going to Tibet, the other to Vietnam. These men have the ability to go where we cannot go. They learn the language quickly. They assimilate into the culture and soon appear as a native. They are an extension from you through the missionary work here. Both are graduates from the Christian schools and were impacted by the lives of missionaries they studied about in school.

This past Thanksgiving we had the joy of a surprise visit with our children in Springfield for only 10 days. It was a “time to remember” for all. The surprise on their faces was worth the long trip. It was a joy to be there for two of the grandchildren’s birthdays. We are so proud of our kids and grandkids.

Your prayers and support keep us on the field where many are learning of God’s grace and salvation. Thank you so much.

Del & Lora Hooge

Update from the Jim and Laura Hutchinson family - missionaries to Russia

2009-11-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

Please pray for Pastor Vladimir, our Russian pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Moscow. He recently suffered a mild stroke. Please be in prayer for his wife, Vera, and their children.

What do you do when only 2 people arrive at Tuesday evening Bible study? You preach the Work, of course! We had a great discussion about salvation and eternal life that night. I spoke with Nikolai about his need for a Savior. At the end of the evening he was ready to trust Christ as his personal Savior. but he was nervous about praying in public. I reminded him that prayer is simply a conversation between him and God. Then I told him that I had been there before, so I knew exactly how he felt and that there was nothing to be afraid of. The next thing I knew, Nilolai was praying the sweetest prayer expressing his faith in Christ and full reliance on Him. Talk about an exciting evening! Please pray for Nikolai as he deals with the temptations that abound in every day life.

We have just recently become aware of pending legislation that is being pushed through Russian congress. The following are some of the restrictions that would be imposed:

1. Children under the age of 14 would not be allowed to attend church without express written permission of parents.

2. Missionaries would be restricted to preach/teach only within Baptist church buildings with a letter of permission from sending and receiving organization for the specific dates he is to preach.

3. Baptist churches would not be allowed to offer English classes, VBS, or any other social work.

4. Even Baptist church members witnessing to someone inside a public building would become a crime.

Each year our church celebrates “Zhatva”, the Russian equivalent to thanksgiving. It was a wonderful evening of celebrating God’s blessings and provisions with our church members and several guests. Our theme for this year’s celebrations was “In Christ Alone”. I preached a message entitled “How Great Is Our God” highlighting some of the amazing ways that God shows His majesty while still being a very personal God.

Our family wishes you a Blessed Thanksgiving! We are thankful for you, our partners in ministry, who pray or us and enable us to continue to serve in Russia.

For His Glory,
Jim Hutchinson

Update from the Jason Heath family - missionaries BBF Builders

2009-10-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings from the Great North - We are presently working on a project in Minot, North Dakota. We are remodeling an old building for Dakota Baptist Church. We are excited to be here and to be part of this growing ministry. We are also enjoying the cooler weather. We left Peotone, IL, in the beginning of July and we travelled to Wyoming, Colorado, and Oklahoma for deputation. We had a great time at these churches and had time to relax a little between meetings in the nice mountain air. We then went home to Arkansas to clean out the house so we could close on it. Well, we came close, and a problem came up that was out of our control, and we did not close. The Lord is in control of this situation and we praise Him for the closed doors too. I thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for the sale of our house.

We also had a busy June as we travelled to Florida for more deputation meetings and to work on a project at Winter Haven Baptist Church with some other Builders. I will be flying to Texas at the end of the month for deputation at two churches and then will return here to North Dakota to finish this project. After we complete this project here, we will travel to Colorado for a missions conference and then back to Texas to share our ministy and then to Uniontown, PA, to work on a new building there for Bethel Baptist Church.

Continue to pray for our travels as we continue to raise support and work on projects. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

God Bless,
Jason & Kimberly Heath

Update from the Gary Phillips family - missionaries to the Philippines

2009-06-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

We have good news! Gary came through the stem cell transplant, and at this time, has beaten cancer! The first week was very rough from the chemo and he ended up being in the hospital for 8 days. After that, the new cells started engrafting and he was given the green light to leave earlier than the expected 21 days. We feel this is truly a miracle and are grateful for all the prayers.

We have moved back to Oklahoma to be with family while Gary continues to recover. He will go back to the Mayo Clinic the end of July for the 100 day checkup. Our prayer is that he will be cleared and we can start making arrangements to return to the Philippines in December. We came to the states last December 07 for a furlough to raise extra funds to pay off two church buildings in the Philippines. Gary's unexpected illness made us cancel dates and put aside furlough plans. Now that Gary is through with treatments, we would like to schedule dates for Aug. - Dec.

Our work in the Philippines is doing well. We have a great staff and faithful members that have continued on in our absence. In May, Bethel Baptist held their annual DVBS, culminating with a program on Mother's Day. We saw 27 children accept the Lord as their Savior, and during the program on Sunday, one mother got saved! We are anxious to return and continue on with the ministry that God has called us to do.

Prayer Requests:
Financial help: We need $1,500 for our move back to Oklahoma.
Continued healing for Gary.
Ministries in the Philippines. That God would continue to bless our staff and faithful members and we would see more souls saved.

Thank you so much for your faithful support and prayers! We appreciate all you do for us!

Gary and Jeanie Phillips

Update from the Jim Eberhard family - missionaries to Kenya

2009-03-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

March 6, 2009

Dear Friends,

Colten is an 18 year old seeking God's direction on his life in Mineola, TX. He has great dreams of doing medical missions. Please pray for him as he walks with God. In fact, when we were there, he surrendered his life to missions and wherever God would take him. Where is Mineola, TX, you ask? It is 20 miles NE of Tyler, TX, on Hwy 69 population 4994. Mineola is a small town like Iuka, Mississippi. Roy Blair pastors in Iuka population 2987. Larry Balthis pastors in Manchester, Illionois population 300. These are places in small town USA where we have been and have gospel preaching stations. They are reaching folks for Jesus Christ. They remind me of the towns of Riuru, and Kabarnet Kenya, towns where we have met with the believers to pray, preach and seek God's direction. It doesn't matter the size of the town or location, we still want to be a part of reaching people for Jesus Christ.

Answered prayer: Thank you for your prayers and concern for the ministry in Africa and our family. We have 5 new ministry partners in February. Malea is healing from her ACL surgery. As of this time, she is walking some without crutches and is able to go back to school and work. Javan and Larissa received their acceptance letters from Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi. New student orientation is August 10th this summer. Sybil is getting the last of her fillings and crowns this month, so she will be ready for a new dental bridge soon.

New ministry Partners on our February report include: Pastor Harold Brown, Oak Hill Baptist, Somerset, KY; Pastor Roy Blair, Trinity Baptist, Iuka, MS; Pastor John Beeler, Quint City Baptist, Davenport, IA; Pastor Joe Adams, Northside Baptist, Mineola, TX; Pastor Branson Howard, Bible Baptist, Republic, MO.

Our Prayer requests: Family: Malea, recovery from her ACL surgery on February 6th. Finances for Malea's schooling and upcoming BBC mission trip to Costa Rica. Ministry: Pray for the remaining 12% of our support and the other $8,000 we will need toward a vehicle in Kenya. Pray that each of our supporting churches can participate with a gift of $300 or more. So far 14 churches have helped!

In His Service,

Jim & Sybil Eberhard

Update from the Jim Waters family - missionaries to Zambia Africa

2009-02-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

As some of you already know, we lost our little baby boy right before Thanksgiving. Barbie was just at the beginning of her second trimester when her water broke and she lost the baby. We named him Joshua and buried him in the back yard under a tree where the kids play. Because of our remote location there was no where for us to go to get medical help, so we were home alone throughout the ordeal. A couple of days later we made a long and costly trip to the capital to get Barbie checked out and make sure everything was okay. Praise God everything went as good as possible under the circumstances. The doctor said that we should be able to have more children if we want but right now we are so emotionally drained and confused we really don't know what we will do. Please continue to pray for our family. It has been hard but I am pleased to say that God has been faithful through it all.

We had our second baptism since returning from furlough. Please pray for those recently saved. They are such baby Christians with so much to learn. We praise God that not a month goes by where we don't get a chance to lead people to the Lord.

Mbala is not the easiest place to try to start a church. We have been met with resistance and battered with rumors since we have arrived. The first Christmas service we had here no one came. It was pretty discouraging. However over the last two years we are slowly but steadily growing. At our Christmas Eve service this year we had 56 attend with 8 professions for Christ.

Prayer Requests:

1. New tires - the roads are very bad and when we drive into the bush it puts a lot of wear and tear on the tires. A new tire cost $250 dollars, at the moment we are on our last spare.

2. Starting a discipleship program in Mwengu village.

3. The continuing discipling of George Mutale. He has been an extreme help to our ministry since we have been back.

4. This is a very religous area with many cults. Continue to pray for salvation of souls.

5. People to surrender to ministry. We have so much to do, and we know we need help. We have recently asked our pastor to contact some bible colleges to ask for summer interns. We are also hoping that soon some of the nationals will also surrender to help and become more involved.

Update from the Ed Bausell family - missionaries to the Sioux Indians

2008-11-18T11:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Pastor and Co-Laborers,

May this find you abounding in His Grace, rejoicing in His Will, and attempting great things to His Glory. You are loved and appreciated.

God continues to bless with souls saved, baptized, and growing in His Word. The jail ministry has been extremely fruitful, with souls being saved each week. Three professed Christ at the Lakota Baptist Church in St. Francis Sunday evening. Two were baptized at Tiospaye Baptist Church in Mission last week. Glory!

The Lord has allowed us to meet with others involved in Indian ministry to pray and plan for a world Gospel gathering of Indigenous People. It is exciting to see Native and First Americans making an effort to reach the world with the Gospel.

Our hearts have been torn again. Damien, a man of thirty-four, who had yielded to preach, was growing in the Word, and in church with his wife and six kids, was tragically killed in a car wreck Friday. He is in Heaven, but we sorrow for his pregnant widow and six children, and the ministry they could have had. But God is on the throne and rules the affairs of men. To compound the problem, the widow is without transportation. If you have a third or fourth car that is road worthy and not being used, would you consider giving it?

It is also time for the Indian Children's Christmas Toy Drive. The Lord has blessed this effort with the ability to prepare over three hundred toy and clothing sacks. We trust and ask you to pray for His supply again this year. The world and those too closely attached to this world are wringing their hands, but God is on the throne and still rules in the affairs of men!

May God continue to bless and prosper you and yours. "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love..." Hebrews 6:10. We love and appreciate you!

Yours in Jesus' Harvest - Ed L. and Ruby Bausell

Update from the Danny Caldwell family - missionaries to Austria

2008-08-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Just a note to say we aren't going to have internet/phone for awhile. Last night I woke up sweating and it took me a second to realize the fan was off. The last time this happened Danny's aquarium had busted and dripped water into the power strip and threw our breaker off. Thankfully nothing else was hurt. It's still a mystery how it just busted suddenly. ANYWAY... we looked and looked and couldn't figure out what was wrong. When he turned the breaker back on everything went back to normal so back to bed we went. This morning our internet router wasn't working (which affects our phone too), the washing machine is not working and our t.v. is dead. Sooo, either a power surge or the rain we got brought some lightening. We're thankful our computers aren't hurt or our FANS!! haha! Today is a holiday in Austria and the last day of the week. So can't get anything replaced or fixed till Monday. We'll do estimates, etc. then and hopefully it'll all work itself out. God will provide and we'll see where this takes us! We are at a friends house checking email and so we probably won't do this again unless it's urgent.

Have a great weekend and we love you guys!

Krista 4 us

Update from the Jerry Wyatt, Jr. family - missionaries to Tanzania

2008-08-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

August 11, 2008

Dear Praying Friends,

Unbelievable! Another Goliath has fallen!

Wednesday evening (We held our mid-week service on Tuesday.), God performed a miracle showing us that He was on our side! Our team of about 15 or so were out in front of our puppet stage at 6:00pm--the time we set for our last puppet skit--sitting on empty benches, trying to ignore the obnoxious performances just up the road. There was one man on crutches and one small boy waiting for the skit to begin. Just across the road about 30 yards away--and actually out into the road--was the Vodacom crowd that we mentioned in our last letter. I (Jerry, Jr.) led everyone to bow down on their knees and pray for God to work a miracle. After we were done praying, I told everyone that we would just begin as normal and see what God does. Before we had even begun our first song, people started drifting our way and before all was said and done, hundreds had gathered to listen to the skit. Rachel was standing out in the crowd and said it was one of the most attentive crowds so far. God taught us all a lesson. We should prepare as well as possible, but leave the rest up to Him.

On Thursday, in a rather unusual and unexpected turn of events--that again had God’s handwriting all over it--the local manager of the cell phone company came over to our plot to meet with me and I was able to express our concerns about the performances and what they were actually promoting, which wasn’t just cell phones. The manager told me that he was also a Christian and did not really have any control over the performers, who had been sent from the headquarters in Dar es Salaam.

On Friday, we ran out of tracts before the end and had to get more because people were asking for them. The Gospel was presented to hundreds, if not thousands, of people through the skits and our soul winners were busy witnessing one-on-one to all who would stop to listen. Over sixty (60) people believed on Jesus Christ one-on-one with our soul winners. Six of the people saved at the fair were in church on Sunday and two of them followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.

And about the cell phone company…well, they still had their crowds, but to us, they actually seemed non-existent on Friday. The music was much softer and we were told the performances were different. After we were all packed up to go home, I went over to the Vodacom plot to thank them for the change and met a regional manager from Dar es Salaam. He told me that the local manager had expressed our concerns to him. They must have taken them into consideration, because everyone noticed a difference.

“Then said David to the Philistine, …I come to thee in the name of the LORD…This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; …that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.”

It is incredible, but God has miraculously answered every prayer request we have brought to you. This week, we are bringing you yet another. Please take some time today to join with us and hundreds of others in serious and concerted prayer that God would miraculously provide a piece of property large enough to enable us to build a permanent church building and buildings for a Christian school. In a manner reminiscent of the way God led in the registration of Faith Baptist Churches of Tanzania; yesterday, out of the blue, we heard of a miraculous possibility that has been right under our noses for all these years. We are at complete peace that God will provide in His way and in His time in order for Him to receive all the glory—which He deserves anyway! We will let you know what happens!

Thank you again for having a part in what God is doing here in Tanzania through your prayers.

Your Friends and Missionaries,

The Wyatt, Jr. Family

Update from the Scott Edwards family - missionaries to Portugal

2008-07-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

June 28, 2008

This will be a short note and I will follow it up in a couple of weeks. Over the next few months, we will be phasing out the sneportugal@bbfi.org to sneportugal@gmail.com.

Praise: We had our first baptisms on June 15: Ken Schroeder and Bethany Smith. They each gave genuine testimonies of their faith in Christ to the church, their families, and to their friends that attended. We had seven local visitors that don´t know the Lord in attendance. Several of them stayed afterwards and spoke of the message and had questions.

Pray for: Atila, Lucia, Linda, Olivia, Nelson, Tunas, and Helder to be saved.

Prayer Request: I have just been through a battery of tests the last two weeks because I was feeling weaker than normal. I have atrial fibrilation (arrythmea) and no two heart beats are similar. We have another meeting with Doctor Maia in Lisbon on July 3 to determine furthur treatment. We know this is a common but serious condition if not attended to. I believe they want to stop my heart and then get it going again with a normal rythym. All we want is God´s will in our lives that He already has all planned out for His glory. We covet your prayers.

In Christ,
Scott H. Edwards - Portugal

Update and Pictures from the Danny Caldwell family - missionaries to Austria

2008-06-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Family & Friends,

This month I've had some opportunities come my way I wouldn't have imagined. A rainbow, a walk with a friend, a little girl, a friend's daughter having surgery... all gave me a chance to show Christ. Also, Danny has helped our landlord bail hay for the last 2 years and again, just being a light. One lady asked me this week to start a Bible study during the week so she can go. Weekends are not possible for her or her family. Wow--another opportunity just placed in my path!

Danny's sister gave birth to a beautiful girl last week. Zaylee Ann was born to Zandra and Matthew Peyton and we are so excited for them! We wish we could be there, but so is the life we lead. Next month I should be able to tell you about another niece. My brother, Zach and his wife Jill are also expecting!

Thank you for your part in keeping us here. You know the financial stress nearly every missionary is dealing with and we appreciate your prayers and continued support!

Here are a couple of pictures of our boys picking cherries.

In Graz,
Krista

Update from the Roger Akers family - missionaries to the Philippines

2008-06-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

On April 30, 2008, Roger and Tammy Akers wrote:

Dear Fellow Saints,

All about us: God gave us a vision of 50,000 for camp, equipping us to accomplish His goal. Words can not express what the Lord is doing here in the lives of these young Filipinos. Our churches and the Bible College are filling up with those whose lives have been forever changed and who desire to change the "forever" of others through the gospel. In the midst of all this activity it is time for us to return Stateside for furlough.

Keep praying for us: 1. The staff and workers of ABC will keep the vision in front of them and work hard despite our absence. 2. Cell groups that have been formed will stay strong and committed to discipling new believers. 3. Our children will adjust back to life in the USA without too much difficulty. 4. Safety for our son, Jon, currently in Iraq.

Exciting events: 1. While in the states, we will change from the BBFI "short term" mission program to affiliated status with the BBFI. 2. Tammy has officially been accepted to teach again at Faith Academy upon our return next year. This will reduce the fees for all BBFI missionaries with children at Faith. 3. Our son Jon gets "leave" from Iraq this June or July so we may see him and hold him close, it has been a long time!

Rest of our needs: We need you; you are the conduit between the vision God gives us and the fruit you read about in these letters - you empower our hands and feet with your generous giving and faithful prayers. We hope to see all of you face to face in the upcoming year. Until we get established, our contact number will be our sending church Antioch Bible Baptist in Gladstone, Mo.: 816-436-1649. Email: akers4him@juno.com

Sing praise to God: Looking back over the last 4 years in the Philippines, we know all things have been accomplished through the grace and power of our Lord. Beginning our "missionary" journey 8 years ago, we carried with us Jeremiah 10:23 "I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself; Nor is it in man who walks to direct his steps."

Pagpalain ka ng Diyos,
(God Bless You)

Roger and Tammy Akers

Update from the Paul Sudbrock family - missionaries to Germany

2008-06-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

First Quarter of 2008

Upon our return to the field, we were grasping for the rudder and oars. A lot of water flows under the bridge in 4 months. In spite of all the preparation, not everything goes according to plan.

We were immediately confronted with the need of a discipline issue. No pastor enjoys Church discipline. Oh, but when repentance and healing comes. That is what we are earnestly praying for.

The first Sunday back, two of our church members brought us to tears. They very sweetly rewrote one of our favorite songs with words expressing how they had missed us and how that we were not allowed to leave again no matter the cost! It is good to see that you have made an impact.

That same Sunday morning we had a “guest.” This guest came to discuss the breaking up of the church that we have been renting our building from for the last three years. During these years, they have been so gracious in charging only one Euro a month so that we could use their building. However, the little group dwindled to only three remaining members. Three is not enough people to be recognized as a church by the Central association of German Brethren/Baptist. So on this day. I was confronted with three options.

The first two of which were without question impossible:

1. Rent without a contract and have no certainty as the building would also be rented to others who requested its use.
2. Become a part of the central organization.
3. Purchase the building.

At this point our only option is to purchase the building. This seems to be an impossible situation, but we know that our God knows the answer.

Vivian is returning to Germany from her first year at Bible College with no intention of continuing on the direction that God had led her. Please pray her heart will soften to God’s gentle touch.

One of the young men in our church is showing real promise. He has completed more of our discipleship than any of the other men. He is growing, loving his Bible, and serving. Olli has lived alcohol-free for almost a year and God has recently blessed him with a job. Please pray for him as he longs to follow the Lord’s leading.

A tremendous encouragement during April was the many responses we received to our German website. Several have written asking for prayer. We have seen one new visitor because of our internet presence and we are blessed to know that God’s word is reaching hearts via the web.

Here is a note we received recently:

„für Menschen mit Handycap sind Ihre Internet - Seiten eine echte Hilfe und Fundgrube. Auf diese Weise können auch wir an Wort Gottes teilhaben.
herzliche Grüße und danke aus dem Schwarzwald“
„For people with handicaps, your website is a real help and treasure chest. Through this, we can also learn from God’s Word.
Best Wishes and thank you from the Black Forest!”

Thanks for your continued support,
Paul Sudbrock

www.bbfi-europe.org/Sudbrock/
email: p.c.sudbrock@online.de

Update from the Jerry Kinman family - missionaries to Guatemala

2008-06-02T12:19:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

On March 10, a Manna Feeding Center was officially opened as a ministry of our Sumpango church. Through this ministry, we are providing nourishing meals three days a week for over 30 children from very poor families, along with lessons from the Bible. It has been a great outreach opportunity. Each of these children attends either Sunday Services or Saturday Bible Club, and almost every parent has visited. A few of the moms are now faithfully attending. We are not only striving to eliminate physical hunger, but meet their spiritual hunger needs. Please pray that God will bless this ministry!

On Easter, we had a high attendance of 133, and several of those families have continued to come. As our church continues to grow, we have seen the need to train more Sunday School teachers and children's workers. We are planning a Level 1 Teacher Training Course this May. After completing this 6-week course, teachers will receive a certificate and be assigned responsibilities in our children's ministries. It is exciting to see our church people grow and become ready to take the leadership roles. Please pray for our Dedication Service, June 8th, in which we will have an inauguration for our new church auditorium. We will be canvassing the city to invite all of Sumpango to come.

Our hearts are heavy right now as we ask you to pray for our 2-year-old son, Joel. On April 1, we rushed him to the emergency ward of the local hospital. He was unconscious and had a major seizure lasting about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, this was the first of many seizures. He is taking medication now, but continues to have 20-25 seizures a week. We have made the decision to return to the U.S. for an early furlough so Joel can receive the medical care needed. We had already planned a furlough from August to December, but we will now remain stateside, with family, while Joel is being treated and then return to Guatemala in December. Jerry will be traveling back and forth to Guatemala for special events scheduled throughout the summer. Please pray that the doctors will have the wisdom to locate what is causing Joel's seizures and find a way to control them.

Thanks you for your love, concern, and prayers!
Jerry and Mindy Kinman
www.teamguatemala.org
email: kinman@teamguatemala.org

Update from the Peter Abrman family - missionaries to Slovakia

2008-06-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

March - April 2008:

Dear Praying Friends,

Another exciting evening in our SKALA. Evangelist, Allen Buchanek from the USA came and gave his testimony of God’s miracle how he survived a tragic accident. About 40 adults and another 30 teenagers, most of whom frequently visit Skala on weekly basis attend to hear the Gospel. Followup conversations continued for days where several expressed a deep concern of their relationship with God. Please pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

In March, we had an opportunity to reach our community. How? News crew of our local cable TV station came to our church building, and with excitement witnessed the life in the MANNA Center! On this particular morning ten mothers with children came and enjoyed a pleasant atmosphere of the center. As a result of repeated broadcast, several new moms inquired in person within a few days. Our MANNA Family Center is growing! Thank you for your prayers.

Deputation and furlough kept us on the road most of April and May. While touring the States from Texas to California, we marveled at the art of God’s creation (Yosemite Park, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, etc). On this trip we visited a new church and several that have been supporting us for some time. We have had the privilege to entertain a family from Slovakia traveling with us for three weeks. They loved meeting believers from different parts of the US. In Lord’s willing, we will return back to our field on May 28th.

Thank you for your faithful financial support and for standing before the Throne of His Grace on our behalf as we labor in the field of Slovakia.

In His Harvest,
Peter & Zorka Abrman,
Your Missions Outreach in Slovakia

http://www.abrman.sk/
email: abrman@bbfimissions.org

Update from The Danny Caldwell Family - missionaries to Austria

2008-05-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

On May 5, 2008, The Caldwell's wrote:

I just wanted to give an update on how things are going with our Bible study. This past Sunday we met at another family's home instead of ours. It was great! The kids has space to play and lots of toys too. Our home has plenty of space but not near as many toys (this family has 6 kids --- so they had much more of an investment in toys - haha).

For the last 4 weeks we have had visitors. We have 11 adults that take part in the Bible study and between us there are 15 kids too (though 3 of the teens of one family don't currently attend)! We're excited to see where this is going to lead!

Please continue to pray that God would give us wisdom as we seek Him in ministering to these families. Also, later this month I will hopefully begin a ladies Bible study on a weekday morning for some friends who are house wives. The exciting part is there is a possibility of already 4 women attending and none of them attend the current Bible study. The potential for growth is exciting! Our prayer is that the husbands of these ladies will have an interest and allow Danny to lead one for them or to change our format and meet as families so he can lead this group.

It just seems to us, that our time is beginning to show fruit. It takes meeting people and showing them that you really care for them. Our Bible study group is not random people we met last week...it's friendships in the works now for nearly 4 years. There is a trust factor, a sense of loyalty to accept an invitation from us. The same goes for the women I plan on meeting with later this month. This takes time.

The time involved in having numerous cups of coffee, hospital visits at the birth of a baby, play dates, prayer for family members that are going thru depression or a physical illness, a listening ear as they discuss work problems, family problems, marital problems, or just having a good time laughing and building a relationship with each other...is priceless.

That is what it's all about.

Thanks for praying for us. Supporting us. Missing us. Loving us. You never know if it's a day that Satan is really attacking and bringing us down and putting doubts in our minds why God would ever want to use us. We are grateful for a support system back in our other 'home' :)

In Graz,

Krista 4 Us

www.bbfi-europe.org/Caldwell
email: caldwells@ateamonline.info