Baptist International Missions, Inc.

Prayer Requests

March 2024


SOUTH AMERICA, BOLIVIA, MAGDALENA, Ernesto and Amanda Salvatierra — They share the following report with prayer needs: “Four weeks ago, we started a Bible Study in our home with four adults and two children of which all of the adults put their faith in Christ for salvation. As of right now, our Bible Study has grown to six adults and two children, Please pray that the Lord will continue to add more people to this Bible Study.

Amanda has been taking Spanish classes every day and she has come a long way to the point that she is explaining some board games to some people that come to hang out in our home. Esther has just started first grade and she is so excited about that. Please pray for Amanda as she homeschools her.

Our plan is to continue to grow our Bible Study as we look forward to the Grand Opening, which will be the first Sunday in June. We are planning with great anticipation for that day. It is hard to find an empty building that can be used for the church, and we have been looking for a place that we could rent or possibly buy for the church. Please pray that the Lord will lead us to the right place.”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh — They share the following report: “A few months back we celebrated our first anniversary as a church. It was amazing to reflect on the year, seeing how far God has brought the church in so little time. We had 72 people in attendance for the morning service. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to preach a message of hope and then a time of food and fellowship following the service! We also had an early service in the afternoon, moving our evening service time up. After the service, we were able to take 25 servings of leftovers to our local orphanage. Please pray that the Lord provides an opportunity to preach there in the near future. We thank you for your prayers concerning our big day.

Many months ago, I had mentioned that our church was in need of a van to transport people to and from church. After months of praying, the Lord has seen fit to provide us with an 18-passenger van! Not only was it in great condition but it is much bigger than vans normally used here and the price was less than half the cost of other vans in our area and neighboring cities. . . . It is spectacular how God works things out! Thank you for praying with us.”


USA MINISTRIES, Montana, Kalispell, David and Dee Dee Sterling — They share the following with prayer needs: “Thanks to all of you who have joined us in prayer regarding a meeting place for the new work here in Montana. Three weeks ago, we had agreed with the owner of a modular building to rent his building, starting mid-January. Two weeks ago, when checking on when we could start moving things in, he said it would not be ready for at least another month, and that we would have to go through an application and interview process. We realized that this door was closing and we continued our search. Just two days ago before we sent this prayer letter out, we were finally able to secure a meeting room to hold our services. It is not large, but it will suit our immediate needs until we can find something farther west of town. The search has been long and hard. Please continue to pray for us to ultimately find a more suitable meeting place that will meet our future needs.

We would like for you to take a moment to ask you to please pray for two people who were a big part of our lives in Siberia. One was a young man whom we met when we first arrived. Over the years, we saw him grow up and eventually marry. We were privileged to help him start a work approximately 98 kilometers outside of Krasnoyarsk. He just went through an extensive back surgery and will not be able to sit for two months. Please pray for him and his family through this long recovery period. Then we would ask prayer for the first person whom we watched accept Christ in the service at Krasnoyarsk Baptist Church just after we arrived in Siberia. . . . She has suffered from infection/circulation problems in her legs for several years. She has most recently been sent home after another long stay in the hospital as the doctors no longer believe they can help her.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, SAN PABLO, Jeremy and Michelle Blanz — They share the following: “We continue to preach the Gospel throughout the San Pablo and Heredia area. In recent weeks, we have had between 6–8 people sharing the Gospel in both door-to-door visitation and public park evangelism. Last week, while we were witnessing in the park, two individuals professed their faith in Christ for salvation. On Sundays, Jeremy has been preaching from the book of Joshua. . . . Michelle and another lady have been teaching the kids class.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• That God will help us to see more souls saved and added to the church
• That God will continue to strengthen the church in the Faith
• That God will expand the ministries of the church
• That our church plant in San Pablo will honor and glorify God in all that we do”


FAR EAST, TAIWAN, TAIPEI CITY, Jon and April Flowers — They share the following: “We thank God for a great start in 2024. Please pray for a lady and her boyfriend who started coming to church and asked about being baptized. We always enjoy these questions. Anytime we are asked about this, we immediately schedule a Bible Study. So needless to say, we have just started a Bible Study with them. Please pray for their salvation. We looked forward to seeing God work in their lives.

Our family wants to thank each of you for your faithful prayers and financial support this past year. We also want to thank each of you for the cards, Christmas gifts, and offerings. We are very humbled by your love for our family. Thank you.”


USA MILITARY, GERMANY, BEILINGEN, Steve and Debbie Kissling — They share the following report: “This prayer letter was written January 4 early in the morning from Beilingen, Germany. Our first Sunday at Eifel Baptist Church was January 7. The church family welcomed us and the service was well attended. We enjoyed a pitch-in lunch with an afternoon service. We are staying in the church apartment in the town of Beilingen. The church has been here for many years and has a great ministry to Air Force families and people from different countries that attend our services. The church is close to the Spangdahlem Air Force Base. It is a large base built in 1953.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Safety and good health as we serve the church
• For Steve to stay out of A-fib with his heart
• That we will be a blessing and help here at Eifel Baptist as we fill in for the missionaries on furlough
• That we can be a witness to Germans and others as we have the opportunity
• For the safe return of Pastor and Mrs. Pilalas as they end their time in the States on furlough”


SOUTH AMERICA, LIMA, Carolyn Pace — She shares the following: “Since it is summer, we are also busy with summertime activities—children and youth camps, and even a ladies camp. I was invited to share the main message each evening this past week. There were 125 ladies who came from churches all over Peru. Since it was camp, one of the competitions was verse memorization. The winner quoted 60 verses, second place, 47, and third place over 30! I was convicted that it had been too long since I spent time memorizing God’s Word. I made a commitment to start again.

At mealtime I was talking to a lady I did not know and asked her when she had received Christ as Savior. She replied that just the week before, she had run into her friend while in the market. They had not seen each other for many years and began talking and catching up. The friend invited her to come to the camp with her. Everything she was hearing at camp was new to her. On Friday, the last day of the camp, she came to me and all smiles and told me that she had asked God to forgive her and she had received His forgiveness in Christ.”


SOUTH AMERICA, ARGENTINA, SAN MIGUEL de TUCUMAN, Larry and Alma Owens — They share the following: “We went out soul-winning today house to house. I have not been able to go out because of my health; however, we won two souls to Christ. One who accepted Christ says she is coming to church. Her face was disfigured, apparently something had happened in her life that caused this. Another also accepted Christ. He owns a sandwich stand and is supposed to come to the midweek service.

Continue to pray for young people who attended a recent meeting and made decisions. There were many young people who wanted to serve the Lord. One example is one who lives among drug addicts. None of his family comes to church. He accepted Christ and now comes to church in a suit, and he is only 15 years old.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, NEW ZEALAND, DUNEDIN, Bob and Diana Rutta — They write the following with prayer requests: “We have reached new highs in attendance at our church over the last few months. Our building has a maximum capacity of about 80 in the auditorium with chairs packed in tightly. We have had a few Sundays recently where we have only have had ten empty seats in the whole room! We are not seeing that every Sunday, but it is a beautiful thing to look out and see a full room as I preach. It took us many years of struggling to build a foundation and get here. We are having discussions of what our next step will be if we keep growing. We can open a bi-fold door into an adjoining room and add another 10–15 seats, which can be set toward the pulpit. That will help for a while. I honestly feel humbled.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• I would appreciate your prayers for Diana who injured her knee several months ago. Since then she has been seeing a physical therapist and they have helped a bit, but we are still concerned.
• We have had visitors in our services over the last few weeks that are from a variety of doctrinal backgrounds. Prayers are appreciated that we can reach out to them, welcoming them while also discipling them and guiding them to sound doctrine.
• Please pray for our institute classes as we are trying to train and challenge our people to serve the Lord. I have enjoyed listening to some of our men teaching and preaching recently. I have told them that I see definite growth and depth in their messages and preparation.”


WESTERN EUROPE, GERMANY, SALZ, Dan and Tricia Dubbe —They share the following: To heal the broken hearted — Our church is sending and funding a team of counselors to be trained at a nearby school that trains Christian counselors to help the believers move past their wounds and disappointments to become warriors for the Lord. To preach deliverance to the captives — The discipleship program ‘Freedom in Christ’ is being taught after the Sunday morning service. We are encouraged because both young and old are present and wanting to go forward for the Lord. The devil has many believers in bondage long enough and we are declaring war! Jesus can set us free indeed! To preach the acceptable year of the Lord — This year we are planning several evangelistic training seminars and outreaches into our town and surrounding area here. We want to reach more this year than ever before. Germany needs an awakening before it is too late!”


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, KISUMU, Luke and Tonya Shelby —They share the following prayer needs: “Here are some specific prayer requests as we begin on the next phase of our work in Kenya:

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Church Planting — Initiating the establishment of three new churches that have been in the planting stages during our time in the States
• Educational Expansion — Expanding our Bible College classes for young people and pastoral classes, welcoming around 20 more students into our program
• Internship Program — Influencing, training, and developing young people into the next generation of missionaries in Africa. Over our 25 years in Kenya, we have witnessed the population more than double, and there is a projection that most African countries will double again by 2050. Recognizing this, we feel a responsibility to play our part in preparing missionaries for the next generation of lost souls. The growing need for missionaries in the harvest fields of Africa encourages us to launch an Internship Program for Bible College Missions students. This program aims to integrate a student’s internship with their home church alongside a 1–3 month internship in Kenya to enhance their success on deputation and in the initial years on the field.
• KENYA LEGACY FUND #501 — Acquiring land and building church buildings for our ministries in Kenya is becoming more pressing as our ministry is starting new churches at an accelerated pace. Approximately 12 projects require attention and focus over the next several years . . . we have been advised to establish the KENY LEGACY FUND #501 at BIMI for these endeavors.

Any questions about the project can be directed to me via email, and I will provide an updated list and address any inquiries.” His email address is mail@shelbysinkenya.org.


CENTRAL AMERICA, PANAMA, BALBOA, ANCON, Franklin and Brenda Booth — They write the following: “The Iglesias Bautista La Victoria celebrated its 22nd Anniversary with good Bible preaching from my brother-in-law (who was with us in the work’s initial years) and good food and fellowship! We managed to get a church picture at the end, although some had already gone home. Brenda was also able to repeat a photo with some of the teenagers now that were children then. What a blessing!

In December, we celebrated the Day of the Teacher and allowed faithful members to take some of the places of the regular Sunday school teachers and teach. At the end of the service, my wife and I were surprised with a huge cake to celebrate.

Not slowing down, we are preparing for our annual Youth Camp and Conference afterwards. Please be much in prayer. The theme this year is Generation E (Chosen Generation) from 1 Peter 2:9.”


FAR EAST, PHILIPPINES, Layne and Nelia Jones —They share the following report with prayer needs: “We are now helping the graduate on San Vincent Island to build a building. The cost of a new church building is around $1,000 with a room at the back for the pastor. Many of our pastors are still single. We now have five couples, counting one a week for 30 minutes.

Please pray for Samar, Philippines. It is the third largest island in the Philippines. We have land and a church building donated to us from friends in the States. They want a church in Catbalogan, the capital of Samar with a population of 110,000. If you know of any Philippinos on Samar, we could win their lost loved ones and friends.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• My wife’s knee
• Our trip to the States in May and October
• Pastor with cancer of the blood
• One of our Bible students with leukemia (brings visitors all the time)
• One recovering from surgery
• Our family and grandchildren in the States
• Unspoken request”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, MEXICO CITY, E. Josue and Rebekah Ortiz —They share the following report: “The highlight of our ministry is not about numbers, growth, or success. The highest of any ministry is the expansion of His church on earth—that is what it is all about. His name is famous, not ours.

That is why we are so excited to see what He is doing with His people in Mexico City. Last year we celebrated our seventh church anniversary and almost 700 people came together to celebrate the power of the Word. We are eager to see what He will continue to do in the next years, and we are anticipating a great harvest for the sake of His glory

In 2016, we planted Abundant Grace Baptist Church in Mexico City. In 2018, we planted a daughter church in the mountains of Guerrero, about 10 hours from Mexico City. In 2023, we planted our third church, Sovereign Grace in Chalco, about an hour away from where we are. This year we are planting a fourth church in Queretaro, Mexico, and we have additionally stages of training another church planter. Also, we are praying for Trey and Karen Mayfield who will be coming to plant more churches.”


February 2024


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, MEDELLIN, Mark and Katie Gerosin — They share the following with prayer needs: “Our Bible institute is a key tool that we use not only to train future leaders for the harvest and send them out but also to develop those who stay at home. Our last class this year was also the largest with 18 students enrolled. This is a special blessing because the subject of the class was evangelism because this city is bustling with people who need Christ. What a joy to teach this group how to biblically share their faith! May God help us to raise up a new generation of soul-winners.

What started as a discipleship meeting with some young men has borne fruit. One of them, an 18-year-old, has turned into one of our newest leaders. He now helps with the cleaning, evangelizing, teaching in junior church, and leading of our singing. He recently went on a hospital visit with his mom and led an older man dying of pancreatic cancer to Jesus. Pray that God continues working in his life.

PRAISE
• 17 saved
• Approval of BBN Radio

PRAYER REQUESTS
• More souls to be saved and baptized
• Old church property to sell
• Funds for new building/lot to purchase (Need approximately $85,000)
• Spiritual and physical health
• New church plant to grow


NORTH AMERICA, GREENLAND, ILULISSAT, Gage and Aleah Gilbert — They share the following with prayer requests: “It has been a blessing serving alongside the Shells in ministry here. A recently restarted ministry is the prison outreach. Every other Thursday, Gage and Chris Shull meet with the prisoners. Gage brings his violin, and they sing hymns with the inmates and play games. Brother Shull then brings a message from the Bible in Greenlandic. They have only gone a few times now, but already the men are so happy when they come, and they look forward to their next visit. They have averaged eight men joining them each time and even had a prison guard joining them a few times as well. The prison here in Ilulissat is actually one of the main prisons for this region of the country, as many of the small villages do not have one of their own. Many of these men, once they have served their time, will end up going back to their own towns or villages. Because of this fact, we might not ever see or know of the fruit that comes from this ministry, but we are excited to be able to plant and water the seeds of the Gospel in the hearts of these men.”

PRAISES
• Long-term provision of housing
• A wonderful Christmas program

PRAYER REQUESTS
• For the prison ministry
• For fruit to convictions made at the Christmas program
• For understanding Greenlandic”


WESTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN IRELAND, Joshua and Bethany Furan — They share the following: “God has blessed our past four Sundays with 16 first-time visitors and record attendances. Six of these visitors were Irish and the others were from Ghana and Nigeria. Over the last year, we have lost some people due to doctrinal differences, our emphasis on the Gospel, and others simply moving away. We are thankful that despite this, God has consistently grown the church each month. Two new Irish families and two new Ghanaian families have begun attending semi-regularly. While our services are always evangelistic, we have yet to see people get saved. Please pray God would favor us as we have families in our home and endeavor to share the Gospel.

With the fantastic growth in the past year, the church has started a Building Fund with folks giving each 5th Sunday’s offering to that effort. So far, the church has given $1,210 to that fund. Pray as we advance in faith that we will have wisdom and favor.”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPULIC, SANTO DIMINGO, Jeffri and Pamela Polanco — They share the following with prayer needs: “During the month of January, we kicked off the month by daily sharing the Gospel of our wonderful Savior. During the campaign, our goals are to go out more often as a church to preach the Gospel—all with the purpose of having more prospects, seeing more people saved, baptized, and discipled. Also, we are looking forward to starting Bible Studies in the small town of Mata Bonita the first week of February. Mata Bonita is 45 minutes away from Nagua and we are building connections in this town of 10,000 people where there is no Gospel-preaching church. Please pray for guidance as we venture into this new area through the church in Nagua. If the Lord permits, the goal is to establish a church there this year, with the upcoming Bible Studies marking the first stage of this new ministry.”


WESTERN EUROPE, FRANCE, CHARLEVILLE, Danny and Janice Flowers — They share the following: “A young woman has come to our church several times in the past few months. Originally from Nigeria, she is a victim of human trafficking but has been able to start a new life in our area. Recently, I shared the Gospel with her, and at first she was quite confident about her soul and about where she would spend eternity. After reading some Bible verses though, her confidence wavered, and she was visibly shaken. She started to realize that her sin problem was a bigger issue than she had imagined and that it had separated her from God. Please pray with us for conviction in her life.”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, PUERTO RICO, Robbie and Amanda Leonard — They share the following: “December was a great month celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Throughout the month, we enjoyed our Bible and Breakfast time, gift giving, decorating the church, and ended on Christmas Eve with our special Christmas brunch. Everyone brought many excellent dishes and we had a great time of special music and a Christmas message from Pastor Harmon.

We are excited to say our visitation efforts are going strong. We have been able to continue meeting each Saturday to pass out John and Romans in the community. We have also had one new family attending church in the last few months.”


EASTERN EUROPE, ESTONIA, TALLIN, Rob and Angela Willoughby — They share the following report: “Our sermon series for the new year is from the book of Isaiah. We wish there were more people coming, but we realize that people must decide for themselves whether they will attend. In the long term, our hope and vision is that the children and youth whom we are reaching with the Gospel will form the core of our church. For now, we share the Gospel, invite people to come and faithfully attend as a family. We still await a man and his family from Australia, but this transition has proved more difficult than they expected.

Our youth meetings in the fall were well attended. When a preacher came to Estonia in November, we went to hear him as a family and then played a portion of his message to our teens our next meeting. I can tell that some of these teens have heard someone share the Gospel before. Probably some have never personally known anyone who really believes in Jesus Christ and that the Bible is 100% true. My hope is that the Gospel seed has been planted in many hearts and that they will never be able to forget what they heard. Our desire is that the enthusiasm from the fall will carry into the next year.”


CARIBBEAN, GRENADA, ST. GEORGE, Coco Chan — She shares the following: “The year of 2023 was another year filled with the blessings of God. The Lord again proved Himself faithful, and I wish to share with you a sample of His goodness in this letter.

A group of students faithfully attended the lunch hour Bible session. In the secondary school there were about 12 to 15 students coming to the session every Wednesday and five of them were there every week. Not only did they listen well but also they asked questions, which showed their interest in the Word of God. Please pray for God to help them remain faithful and to give me wisdom to share the Bible with them.

As the tradition of the islands, we had an old year night service at 9 PM on New Year’s Eve. There were six young men preaching during the service, some preaching for the first time while others had some experience. Please pray for these young men to determine to live their lives for God. Pray that they would allow God to use them.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, CAMBODIA, Dan and Debbie Board — They share the following: “This month we welcomed three new students into the school. The young man faithfully attends our Children’s Ministry and comes from a family who do not yet know the Lord. The two young ladies both come from families where their parents were recently saved and faithfully attend the church. Debbie and I plan to support one of the ladies to attend the school, as her grandmother who faithfully attends church is unable to pay the tuition.

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of serving in Southeast Asia is not just winning men to Christ but especially seeing men effectively discipled to spiritual maturity. God has blessed the ministry with a great group of men, young and old, who have been saved and who are hungry and willing to grow spiritually. Striving to obey the Great Commission in its entirety has been our aim since the time we planted the church and so we have always been intentional in our training of men to know and obey the Word of God. Join us in praying that 2024 will bring about a great harvest of men who can teach others also.”


WEST AFRICA, IVORY COAST, BINGERVILLE, Bob and Becky Mach — They share the following: “Our churches are doing well. The Bingerville church has taken on an assistant pastor full time who will become its senior pastor within the next couple of years. It is reworking its constitution and continuing on with the construction of its building in preparation for autonomy.

The Man church is also working on its first construction. The wall is currently going up on the property. There are already a church building, classroom space, and restrooms. The pastor will finish his training at the end of this year at which point he will be ordained. Official membership will be established in order to render this church autonomous.

The Zanapledougou church will continue forward as a church plant authorized by the Bingerville church. It will take more time to render it autonomous. A missionary is currently pastoring this church. We hope to complete the building soon.

The Bible seminary and institute had a productive year. We provided eight courses for our students. . . . A total of six different professors taught these classes. We anticipate a graduation service for around ten of our students at the beginning of 2025 with ten more graduating a year later. All of these students will begin graduate studies in our seminary upon completing the institute. As well, these students represent future church plants with which we will be participating.”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW MEXICO, SHEEPSPRINGS, John and April McDaniel — They share the following with prayer requests: “Unfortunately, in recent days we have had a few individuals fall ill or require hospitalization. We kindly request prayer for the recovery of one man who was airlifted to Albuquerque for treatment.

In our last prayer letter, we requested prayer concerning the installation of our church’s furnace. We had a pastor and some men from our state scheduled to come out, but severe weather has providentially hindered our plans for the time being.

In recent months, we witnessed an increase in the attendance of teenagers at church. In December, we organized a teen activity providing them with a valuable opportunity to connect and fellowship with one another. Currently, we do not have a dedicated youth pastor, so it has been a source of joy to see our son step forward and deliver two sermons to our congregation. Witnessing his growth in preaching and observing his dedication has been a true blessing. One of the teens was saved last Sunday. Please pray for him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Souls to be saved
• Youth Pastor and Sunday school teachers
• Construction projects at church and home”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, James and Rebekah Scott — They share the following: “We have spent much time trying to find a property to have church services. Everywhere we looked, it seemed like we would find a place that was a good size but too expensive or we would find a place that was too small but within my price range. The day we were about to settle on a location, I (James) decided to check the Internet one more time. I came across a property that just went on the market. We were so thankful for God’s blessings. The building is just the right size for just the right price, and it is in a great location. We are excited see what God is going to do in this building in the future.

Throughout November and December, Rebekah has continued to meet with the lady that was mentioned in our last prayer letter. Please continue to pray that she and her family will accept Christ as Savior. Also, please pray that everything goes smoothly for the new church building. Pray for hearts to be tender and open to the Gospel.”


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, KISUMU, Erica Bohman — She writes, “We recently sent the youth from the new church in Kisumu to youth camp at one of the Shelbys’ churches about two hours away. We are glad that several more young people were able to attend this year than last. It was a wonderful experience for them to get a week of preaching and fellowship with other Christian youth. A faithful couple from the new church went with the young people, and it was encouraging for them to visit another Baptist church besides the new one where they were saved. Now, they have been to two Baptist churches! The Christian fellowship with other mature believers was a great blessing to these new Christians.

In Kenya the school year ends in December and graduations are generally celebrated before January. Among those who graduated from the Bible Institute were two ladies I had the privilege to teach! I am very proud of them for dedicating themselves to get a Bible degree. . . . One lady in particular has a great burden for children in her area and has done a tremendous job reaching out to them and bringing them to her Sunday school class.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, TORONTO, Cory and April McTague — They share the following report: “As temperatures began to plummet in November, our schedule was filled with strengthening the Young Adult Group and preparing for Christmas outreach programs. We worked to handle 10,000 flyers that would be mailed to all the houses and apartments in a .5 km radius around the church. It was a rainy dreary day that found us toting three large cardboard boxes of flyers to the post office for mailing. After a quick prayer of dedication, we handed them to the clerk.

This is the third year of our Cookies, Cocoa, & Caroling event. . . . We were blessed with 80–90 attendees during the evening. They all had a lovely time singing carols and eating cookies. But most importantly, I was able to share the Gospel and the true meaning of Christmas to the crowd and we finished singing the carols. Most if not all these people would have never attended our church normally. Also, every year we find that the majority are not even aware we meet at the Town hall, due to lack of daily signage. This is why we continue to pray for a permanent meeting place. During the event, we had many people speak to us about wanting to visit our church. Please be in prayer that we will see them soon!”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, Nate and Christine Saint — They share the following with prayer needs: “And we finally launched our church services in downtown Cañete. One family put a lot of work into rehabilitating the old house into a suitable meeting place. We helped some, but they did most of the work in tearing down a wall, installing a new beam, replacing some warped floorboards, running new water pipes, installing new stairs to the outhouse, and painting the walls and ceiling. Their efforts paid off and we now have a decent-looking meeting place that should hold as many as 40–50 people plus a separate classroom for the kids. The walls are not installed, so winter might be interesting, but the man assures us that it should not be a problem.

We are still praying for funds with which to pay off the personal loan that was given to purchase the property (We have received $4,950 of the $39,000 total) as well as funds with which to build a suitable church building (estimated at $20,000 for a basic structure capable of holding up to 70 with classrooms, bathrooms, and plenty of room for expansion). We are also praying about a young man here in Chile who believes the Lord is calling him to work with us in Cañete. He would like to focus on evangelism and in-home Bible Studies while I continue to pastor and lead the church. For our first service, we had 16 people in attendance. Of the three visitors (all men), one is a neighbor of the man who worked on the building who rode into town with us. Another is a colleague of his and the other is a neighbor who received an invite. All three promised to come back.”


January 2024


WESTERN EUROPE, IRELAND, DUBLIN, Daniel and Elizabeth Canavan — They share the following with prayer requests: “We have had a busy fall his year! We had several visitors come to the church and some of them have continued to come. We also had several visitors from the United States come and spend some special time with us. Here are some of the highlights this past fall:

• KJV BBQ Sunday — Brother Stephen Finley was our speaker.
• Anniversary Sunday — Hope Baptist Church celebrated its 19th Anniversary.
What a glorious day to rejoice in all that God has done here in Dublin, Ireland!
• Parenting Conference — On Saturday and Sunday, November 4 & 5, we had a conference on Parenting. . . . Our people were blessed and challenged to have more Christ-like homes. I believe this will strengthen the families in our church and in turn strengthen the church.
• Soul Winning — There is a little anxiety before our weekly session of knocking on doors to share the Gospel. . . . Though it began with some anxiety, it amazes me how we always finish three hours later with deep joy in our hearts.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Youth worker to work with teens
• Soul winning efforts to be Holy Spirit filled and bring forth fruit
• Church offerings to increase
• A teen recently saved that he will go on for the Lord”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, Peter and Zirlene Doolittle — They share the following report: “The church in Eldorado has been going well and people have been coming to the Lord. A young mother who was addicted to drugs accepted the Lord as her Savior. During our Thanksgiving Service, she gave her testimony of how God saved her and is helping her overcome the drugs and struggles of her old life.

On October 12, we had an outreach event for the neighborhood children; many children attended, but the great blessing is that some parents came for the final service and by hearing the Word of God were moved to start coming to church with their kids. We are now working with some parents to bring them to Christ.

We have a great need for teachers, so Zirlene is leading a Sunday school teacher-training course so that we can better care for all the children who have been coming. We also need to add two classrooms, a kitchen, and a fellowship hall to better accommodate the growing church body. Please pray for this project and consider helping if you can.”


WEST AFRICA, NIGERIA, PORT HARCOURT, David and Rose Maskey — They share the following praise report with prayer needs: “Recently, we attended the 2nd Anniversary service of our 7th church plant and God blessed in a special way. We started the church with one of our staff men in November of 2021 in the city of Yenagoa, which is the capital of the next state to the west of us. The Friday before, about 30 of our people took the 2 ½ hour drive there and spent the day soul winning and inviting people to the church, and to God be the glory, we saw 124 souls trusting Christ as their Savior! Our staff man and I talked to a group of teenage boys and nine of them got saved. They all seemed receptive and sincere and some of them even came to the service. On that Anniversary Sunday, they had a record attendance of 287 with 80 first-time visitors! Their small building unfortunately could not contain all the people and some of them had to stand outside and listen. In spite of the crowded conditions, they all seemed tuned in as I preached to them and about 20 raised their hands to receive salvation. It was a wonderful day for them and us, and we are praising God for the good results!”

PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS
• Praise the Lord we were able to purchase a half-acre of land recently for the Omagwa church, our 5th church! Pray for funds for building construction.
• Praise the Lord for 20 churches represented in our Soul Winning, Leadership, and Missions Conference last month! Many made decisions during that 4-day conference.
• Pray for our people as many of them continue to struggle financially due to high inflation and unemployment throughout the country.


FAR EAST, PHILIPPINES, CEBU CITY, Frank and Japhia Denisi — They share the following report: “A couple of months ago, I was shocked to be tagged in a social media post. There was a lady who was looking for a pastor whose name was on the front of a Bible and it was my name! The Bible belonged to her brother who recently was killed in a motorcycle crash. She was reaching out to me to share the story of how that Bible has changed her life and her family. About five years prior to this surprise contact, a young man joined our Bible Study of college students. He was an atheist who was struggling with his gender identity. That is a common problem here. However, after the Bible Study, I gave him my own KJV Bible and signed it and wrote a message of encouragement in the front cover. For about a year after that, he would read it and began to change within. Why? Because he truly had gotten saved. Tragically and suddenly, he died in a motorcycle crash. His older sister knew that he had changed and it had something to do with the Bible. She started her own spiritual journey that led her to a nearby Baptist church, and she too was saved! She contacted me to inform me to keep doing what I am doing. My heart was so encouraged at a time when I greatly needed it. Christian, keep sowing seeds of the Gospel, go soul winning, pass out tracts, invite people to church, and just do not stop doing it!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Church to be paid off
• Bible college students for provision and direction
• More Sunday school rooms
• Church plant in Mindanao
• Vehicle for furlough
• Rental home or apartment”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, NEW BRUNSWICK, Dan and Jennifer Post — They share the following report and prayer needs: “We are grateful to see the Lord working here in the French-speaking city of Saint-Quentin. We are encouraged by those who are coming because they are seeking the Lord or they are young Christians who want to grow. Several times, I have been asked Biblical questions at the beginning of the Wednesday night service and it helps all who hear to understand the difference between relying on religion and true Christianity. The most recent question was about communion and what it means. Please pray for God to continue to work in hearts.

There are several people for whom we are praying to accept Christ. The list is long, but I will share a couple. Please pray for one man and his family. His wife is a Christian and comes to church with their children. He had an accident a few weeks ago and severely injured his arm. They actually had to order material from the States to be able to do the reconstruction surgery. People at the church have been very generous with meals and offerings to help this family in need. It is a joy to see! Please pray that he accepts Christ. Also pray for the salvation of another man. He has been to several of the family game nights we have but has not visited the church. We are praying for these two men as well as for others to receive the Lord.

Please continue to pray for the purchase of a building. Thanks so much for those who have given toward this need. We have received some very generous gifts the past couple of months and it puts the total right at $75,000. We need a total of $110,000. Please pray that the Lord will provide the remaining amount.”


USA MILITARY MINISTRIES, SPAIN, Michael and Deanna Staley — They give the following report: “We had our 2nd Thanksgiving Dinner at the church this year. Even though we did not have as many as last year, we still had 14 people. One of the men in the church volunteered to cook the turkey. We had lots of food and some great fellowship as we sat and ate. One of our military ladies gave thanks that the church hosted the dinner; otherwise, she would have been alone on Thanksgiving. We have the Thanksgiving Dinner for people like her so that no one is left without a place to go.

Serving the Navy community, we have constant rotation of sailors leaving and returning from patrol. The patrols last for four months. Recently, the crew of the Arleigh Burke departed for their patrol. We had several people on that ship who attend our church. With the departure, though, it meant that another ship was able to port. A young man serves on the ship who recently returned. DeAnna was volunteering the day the ship returned and was on the pier when he and his wife were reunited after several months apart. This couple is a blessing and we are glad to have him back.”


WEST AFRICA, THE GAMBIA, Daniel and Sarah Jenkins — They share the following report and prayer needs: “The Christmas season has been very busy for us this year! We just finished hosting our 3rd Annual Biblical Faith Seminar with about 60 pastors, ministry leaders, and missionaries in attendance. Our topic for the seminar was ‘Social Media Evangelism.’ The seminar was a one-day event with sessions taught by a pastor from Senegal as well as BIMI missionary Josh Mead. We also were able to host eight different pastors from four separate West African countries during the week to record and film more than 60 Bible teachings in five different languages. Our goal was to help train, equip, and encourage these men to engage their people groups and language with the Gospel. For some of them, this means certain persecution. Their faith and boldness was astounding to witness and we were thrilled to partner with them in getting the Gospel to these various neighboring countries and people groups using social media as a Gospel tool.

Please continue to pray for our church family and our leadership team here. A few weeks ago, we started several new discipleship and Bible Study groups with new believers and church members. One young Muslim man recently trusted Christ as his Savior as we began this Bible study with him. We praise the Lord for this man and others who are putting their faith and trust in Jesus. Please pray for this ministry as well as the national pastor and our deacon as they meet with these various people each week.”


SOUTH AMERICA, ARGENTINA, SAN MIGUEL de TUCUMAN, Larry and Alma Owens — They share the following report: “In October, we started our first monthly meetings to start churches in small towns throughout northern Argentina. We are in the process of buying a bus and a large tent and other items for the tent meetings. There is a team of soul winners who will go to these communities for three days of tent meetings to win souls and try to establish a future church. In our first meeting in Santiago, my son Joshua was in charge of the meetings. There were 110 in attendance with 20 saved and 12 baptized. There was an important politician from the area who accepted the Lord as his Savior.” Please pray for these new converts and for the establishment of a sound local church in that community!


USA MINISTRIES, NORTH CAROLINIA, HENDERSONVILLE, Ed and Barbara O’Brien — They share the following: “On Thanksgiving evening we had a service and meal together with our people. Most of our people do not have any family nearby and the special service gave us the opportunity to share with those who would have been alone.

We also praise the Lord for the increase in young people who are being faithful in church and are now singing in the children’s choir.” Please pray for the O’Briens as they reach out to the Hispanic population of that area.


BIMI ARM MINISTRIES, Swante and Linda Lindquist — They share the following with prayer needs: “Praise the Lord! We rejoice in all His marvelous works! It has been a joy and blessing to fill in for the John Harris family in BELIZE, Central America, for the past four months. We rejoice in the two ladies who were saved, the faithful attendance of the regulars, and a few new attendees. October brought extremely difficult heat with very high humidity, bringing health issues. The torrential rains made pick-ups for services very challenging with some being unable to attend due to the flooding in the surrounding area. The Belizean people were remarking on the intensity of the unusual heat.

The Harris family returned on November 7 to continue the church planting work they began in Dangriga seven years ago. They would appreciate your prayers as they look to build a church on some newly purchased property. Being a rain forest country near the Caribbean Sea, the challenge and expense of building are great. The property needs to be cleared of all the undergrowth before the foundation can be started, and building materials are costly.”


WESTERN EUROPE, FINLAND, Andrew and Nicole Wippler — They share the following: “The Lord has moved several Christians to Finland who are already grounded in the faith and have begun to worship with us weekly. Having this core group of believers has allowed us to establish the necessary non-profit association that other churches in Finland and the United States hold. This association will enable us to stay in Finland for the long term, but it also adds new challenges as well. For instance, we are now required to hold two business meetings per year. These involve various church-related things such as election of deacons, voting regarding the budget, and a summary review of the events that happened in the church for the previous year called toimintakertomus. While there is still much spiritual darkness in Finland, the Lord is using us as a ray of light. We thank you for your continued prayer for our family as we serve our Lord here.

PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS
• Set a new attendance record of five
• To be a witness in Finland
• As we continue our English ministry through our Finnish church
• To become more comfortable speaking basic conversational Finnish
• That God would provide a space to rent for the church”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, AOMORI, Steve and Kimiyo Canter — They share the following report: “In our last prayer letter, we were still waiting on the Lord concerning the building we are renting. Unlike the bank building, we have signed a letter of ‘Intent to Buy’ and have the confidence we will be able to buy the entire property. A donor approached us earlier in the year asking if there was property we would like to buy. When we asked our landlady about the property, she said, ‘I want to sell to the church and no one else.’ That was exciting news, but it has taken this long to work out the details. Through a series of events with the donor, we have put together enough money to buy the property outright debt free. Our theme for the year Rejoice Evermore is very fitting! Rejoice with us for God’s provision.

God has blessed us with two new visitors and several visitors have returned. Our annual Apple Party was a huge success with 32 attending. Besides the first-time visitors to the Apply Party, two ladies from the neighborhood attended.”


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, NTINDA, Dan and Amie Dwire — They share the following with prayer needs: “After over a year, we have finally received our building plan approval from the national level (the approval step that is the most time-consuming and most difficult to navigate)! We have already submitted our plans to the local authorities who would not accept the application without the national certification. These months of waiting have been a time of prayer and learning patience—both personally and as a church family. Praise the Lord for the faithfulness in the giving of our Faith Baptist Church family throughout this time of waiting on the Lord—not only for the building fund but also in tithes and missions! Please continue to pray for us as we continue to lead the church in this building project.

PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS
• Praise — The approval of our building permits from the national government offices
• Praise — His protection and provision as we have traveled on furlough and returned to Uganda
• Praise — His outpouring of grace and strength as Emilie and Abbie are at college
• Praise — SIX YEARS of Faith Baptist Church! (September 3 the church’s 6th anniversary)
• Pray — Wisdom as we lead Faith Baptist Church in leadership and building project
• Pray — The local approval of building permits for Faith Baptist Church”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW YORK, THE BRONX, Alan and Sabrina Davis — They share the following: “One man has been praying for his wife and family for some time. Recently, he told me his wife was having some emotional problems. So, I asked him it might be possible for Sabrina to give her a call in order to speak with her. Since he said it would be all right, she gave her a call and eventually said his wife had accepted Jesus Christ as personal Savior. We did visit them on Saturday and invited them to church on Sunday. Recently, Sabrina took two girls out on visitation, giving out flyers, tracts, and speaking to people about their eternal destination. They came across one lady who during the conversation began crying over her son who was recently murdered. She did see, however, her need to go to church. Please pray for her. Afterwards, Sabrina took the girls to a thrift store here in the Bronx and bought each of them three dresses.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, SAN FERNANDO, HUIXQUILUCAN, Nick and Patty Sutmaier — They share the following: “A man got saved several months ago and was baptized and discipled. He has a wife and two wonderful children. Their daughter just left the nursery a couple of years ago. He had a very rough home life growing up. After getting saved and baptized, he struggled in many areas of his life, especially with alcohol for several years. He would be faithful to church for a while and then fall off the wagon. He would try to straighten up and come back to church only to fall off the wagon again and again. One day, realizing he was living in a vicious cycle, he decided to wholeheartedly live for the Lord. It is truly amazing to see the difference in his spirit and his life since that happened!

He came to me saying, ‘Teach me to win souls. I am tired of these Christian Diapers. I need to grow up!’ The first of November, Patty received a note from his wife saying how their home life has changed since he started obeying the Lord. . . . He and their family are such a blessing to our lives. They began to homeschool their children this year and are doing an amazing job. Continue to pray for their family as the Lord continues to make them fruitful.”

DECEMBER 2023


EASTERN AFRICA, KENYA, Erica Bohman— She shares the following while on a short furlough: “I have been in over twenty-five churches in nine states reporting on what the Lord has done in Kenya the past term and thanking my supporters and friends for their prayers over the past years. I have also been able to meet with several more pastors and their families to give them a personal update as I pass through their areas on non-church service days. The Lord has blessed with wonderful meetings and safe travels. It has been an incredible blessing to reconnect with so many we met on deputation and to see them faithfully serving the Lord in their areas.

The Lord has used this furlough to greatly encourage me concerning our nation. Although our country is far from where it should be, I am grateful to see that God is still working. I have been able to be in many churches that are seeking to serve the Lord on the mission field. In a recent conference, two young people surrendered their lives to missions! God is working!!”


WESTERN EUROPE, SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN, Rick and Sarah Demastus— They share the following report with prayer needs: “I (Rick) have had the opportunity to meet a few different men while out passing out tracts. One man was saved and used to be a part of the Brethren Church, but fell into sin. Pray for his growth and commitment to come to church. The other man approached me on the street and started pouring out questions about God. I had a follow-up meeting with him this week and was able to give him the Gospel again and provide him with a Bible and reading plan. . . . Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in his heart in what we talked about and that he will receive Christ.

We had a lady start attending our church some time back and had the opportunity to make a follow-up visit. After a few minutes into the visit, I asked her to share her testimony. She said she did not have one. I gave her Scripture on salvation and she began to cry. She told me that she had been looking for hope for the past few years and all the religious people could tell her is that they would pray for her and that she just needed to do more for the church. It was never fulfilling. She bowed her head in her living room and called upon the Lord to save her from her sin. Praise God for divine appointments!”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, David and Debbie Board— hey share the following with prayer needs: “Progress on the educational building is moving right along. Please continue to pray that we will be able to complete this project in time to comply with the government’s requirements as we seek to be granted a permit to operate the academy as an international school that is fully legal. We firmly believe that the academy will be an effective tool to reach many more families with the Gospel.

Many of us have sought to share the Gospel with a lady over the past 13 years and we are so thrilled to report that she accepted Christ recently! It is always a miracle to see someone turn to God from idols but we are particularly thrilled that this dear lady in now saved.”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SANTO DOMINGO, Jeff and Pamela Polanco— They share the following with prayer needs: “This month we initiated a monthly prayer gathering for our church’s men, focusing on discipleship in the various aspects of their daily lives as Christians, fathers, workers, and community members. We had a great fellowship, prayer, and time in the Word of God. Our desire is that the church will cultivate a Gospel-oriented mentality—one where the Gospel of Christ controls our daily living. Please pray for these men as they continue to grow in their faith.

We received the fantastic news that one who has been distant from the church for a year, was returning to our congregation. We welcomed her with open arms and pray that she finds renewed strength and commitment. We also had a return visit of the first young man I discipled in our ministry here. We have surely grieved over his departure, but are delighted by his recent return church attendance. We are praying we can continue to see more of him at church.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, HIROSAKI, James and Rebekah Scott— They share the following report and prayer requests: “We have been very busy. I spent a lot of time searching for a place to start a church. I went to many different real estate agencies, drove around town looking for buildings that were advertised. I quickly encountered some obstacles. . . . And so, as I searched for a building, many owners have expressed their concern with us wanting to start a church. However, at the present, we have found a place that would be perfect to start a church. We are discussing with the real estate agent and the owner and everything seem to be going well. Please pray that we will be able to get this building.

Recently, we were able to get together with the family mentioned in our last letter. The wife and her husband invited us over for BBQ. After eating, the wives took the children to a local park, leaving me alone with the husband. He started to ask why we came to Hirosaki and it was a great opportunity to share the Gospel. After sharing the Gospel, we began to talk about the spiritual state of Japan. I mentioned that Japan is a difficult place to start a church and many people choose not to hear what I was telling him. And then he said something like this ‘Many people in Japan probably would become a Christian, but many don’t know about Jesus.’ Please pray that we will be able to see this family accept Christ as their Savior as well as many others throughout this city. And please pray that God will call many more to come share the Gospel in this needy country.”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, Milton and Sharon Nunes— They write giving prayer requests: “Praise the Lord with us for the souls that have recently trusted in Jesus as their Savior! One had been coming to church for several years. However, it was just recently that under conviction she called on the Lord to save her. Recently, a first-time visitor responded to the preaching of God’s Word and walked down the aisle giving her heart to the Lord. Pray for both and for the many souls we mentioned in the last prayer letter that they will all grow in the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

The gracious Lord has faithfully provided for our financial needs as we have been facing a serious economic crisis (inflation, unemployment, etc.) here in Brazil. Back in September, a 1st grade girl did something that really moved us to tears. She brought in her ‘piggy bank’ and told our school principal that she wanted to give all her money to help the school she loved so much. Please remember our Christian day school in your prayers!

Tabernacle Baptist Church in Bonfim Paulista and Brodowsky continue to have a good number of people attending both. As the Lord provides the funds, we will continue our efforts to build in both cities a place of our own and quit paying for an always increasing rent cost. We trust you will be praying with us concerning the building expenses of both projects. Please pray for our Church Planting ministry!”


ARM MINISTRY, Don and Patsy Drake— They write, “We arrived in Grenada October 12th to fill in for six weeks for BIMI Missionary Joe Childers as he goes to the States. Brother Childers met us at the airport, and we loaded our bags and left for Grenville, about 14 miles away. However, it took more than an hour because of the narrow and winding roads. The city is located on the east side by the coast about midway of the island. It is the second largest town with more than five thousand people.

The Childers have been here for 7 ½ years and God has used them to purchase property and start Lifeline Baptist Church and Lifeline Baptist Academy. The church is doing well and growing. The people are excited about the Academy that has Preschool—5th grade with five teachers and adding a new grade each year.” Please pray for Don as he ministers as Acting Principal of the Academy as well as preaching at the church.


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, Carl and Cynthia Johnson— They share the following report and prayer requests: “A deaf man who visited our church recently was convicted of his sinful life and asked to speak with me. After showing him in the Bible what Christ had done on the cross to pay for his sins, he prayed with repentance trusting Christ alone for his salvation. He asked for prayers in this new life.

In July we started the first class of our new Bible Institute for the Deaf. We had nine deaf enrolled. Each month we are offering one module class. Praise the Lord that all nine students have been faithful! We just finished our 4th module and began another on November 6. Please continue to pray for the students as they work full-time jobs, take care of families, and study at the Bible institute. Also, pray for me as I am having to develop a new curriculum for each class I teach.”


CARIBBEAN, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, Paul and Amy Valles— The share the following: “Paul has been taking one of the church teens out soul winning regularly. He is quiet and though young, he has been through a lot in life already. As we went out visiting together recently, I asked him why he goes visiting with me. I expected a shrug, meaning, ‘I don’t know,’ as a lot of young people respond to spiritual questions, but I was surprised at his answer. He told me he wants to lead someone to the Lord. Most young people only want to go visiting because they are bored at home, want to get out of the house, or enjoy an air-conditioned car. He is very quiet and shy, but that night, he had a great opportunity to share the Gospel with a fellow teenager. Please pray for that teen to understand the Gospel and trust Christ as Savior, and too, pray for my young soul winning partner that God would make him into a great soul winner.”

I led a lady to the Lord who visits the island often. Recently, she came to church and said she would like to talk soon about getting baptized. We praise the Lord for those who have a desire to do as the Lord commands. Pray for an opportunity to talk with B, and to baptize her.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, SAN PABLO, Jeremy and Michelle Blanz — They share the following with prayer needs: “Jeremy has stayed busy preaching through the book of Joshua and teaching the doctrines of the church, while Michelle teaches the children’s class and cares for the children. We are thankful for a faithful man who teaches our teen classes. We have also been continuing our monthly English services, but we may have to make a few changes to that. Jeremy has been unable to drive the church van due to it not passing the emissions test. So we sold it, since the Lord has provided the means for us to purchase a much nicer van and we will have it very soon. In the meantime, we have been using our personal vehicle to pick up people for church.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• That God would continue to save souls and add them to the church here in San Pablo
• That God will lead us as we continually seek his guidance for each next step
• That God will bless those who have blessed us as we seek to bless others with the Gospel”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield — They share the following report: “Where God guides He provides. . . . We are holding on to this promise as we enter the next few months! He has recently guided us into starting a ‘van route’ using our personal vehicle. A local church here lost their pastor and went through a very hard time and shut down their bus ministry. There are dozens of kids who want to come and we have the facilities, but not the faculty or the finances! We have lost quite a few families over the last few months due to various reasons, leaving us short-handed and financially tight. However, God has brought this new opportunity our way, and we are scrambling to make it work. Please do pray for our newly started ‘Victory Kids Club’ on Wednesday nights for the kids. We hope to eventually start bringing them on Sundays. We are in desperate need of help. God has given us quite a few sons and we are in the process of training them. Our two oldest are both driving and have vehicles, but the law prohibits them from picking up minors until they are 18.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, TORONTO, Cory and April McTague— They share the following report: “Our church was blessed recently with two ladies joining our membership. Another lady was recently saved due to a crisis and one of our ladies led her to Christ. She has been faithfully attending since then and is in discipleship. Pray for her to be baptized soon and to grow in her faith. One of our faithful young men is in ‘Discipleship Training.’ He will be a great help as we have a large number of Spanish in our church. Another recently got assurance of salvation, so please pray for her to be baptized and her sons to be saved. A Hindu family started coming after their son attended Day Camp. The father and son come every week. Pray for their salvations! There is also another lady we are praying will be saved soon.”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, SANTIAGO, Clifton and Tiffany Booth— They give the following report: “God has provided us with new workers within our church plant. We have worked for quite a while helping people to grow in their faith through discipleship and other ministries. The people are understanding the need to serve and give of themselves. Every week, we have a good group of people serving in different areas of the church, including working in the children’s ministry.

We have also seen God providing new people in the church with several new visitors in recent weeks. We have had the opportunity to visit with them in their homes. Some are not saved, but we pray they will soon come to Christ for salvation. Others have been away from the Lord for years and recognize the importance of returning to walk with Him. Pray for these new people that they would be faithful and continue in their walk back to the Lord.”

Our first Sunday school is scheduled for December 3 even though the building is not complete yet, but we can begin to use it! Pray for us as we move forward for the glory of God!”


USA MILITARY MINISTRY, JAPAN, TOKYO, YOKOTA AIR BASE, Dan and Haruna McKittrick— They give the following report: “Two young men have been coming to the services and were interested in baptism. We all went out to eat one evening and had some discussions about spiritual things. The next Sunday they made public their profession of faith and then followed the Lord in baptism. Please pray for these young men to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the end of September, we saw another airman saved. He came on Sunday morning and returned that night. Following that service, he came up to talk about baptism. So I shared with him some Scriptures on baptism, he read them and returned on Wednesday night. It was then that I shared with him that baptism comes after salvation. So, there in my office, we went down the ‘Romans Road’ where I focused heavily on the gift of God is eternal life. He stated that he wanted that gift. It was then that he prayed and asked God to save him and the following Sunday, he followed the Lord in baptism. Please pray for him as he left for another assignment that following Thursday (welcome to Military Ministry) that God would continue the good work He has begun in his heart.”


WESTERN EUROPE, FRANCE, CHARLIEVILLE-MAZIERES, Danny and Janice Flower— They share the following: “I was amused the other day when I saw quite a few young people walking in a busy area of downtown Charleville with their heads down, staring at their phones. My amusement switched to concern that they could really get hurt if they did not pay attention to their surroundings. The reality of being distracted is a problem with all cultures and France is no exception! It seems like there is always something more important to the average French person than thinking about God or their spiritual condition. They fill their lives with work, family activities, sports—anything and everything but God.

So our job as missionaries in France, is to remind people that there is something more than what they have going on in their daily lives. There is a God who loves them and sent His Son to redeem them from their sin. We are here to remind them that there is more to life than this little life—there is all of eternity! Please pray that God would use every tract we hand out and every opportunity we have to witness to those around us.”


SOUTH CENTRAL EUROPE, MOLDOVA, SOROCA, David and Stephanie Gross— They share the following report with prayer needs: “In our last prayer letter, I mentioned a man and his choice to believe the Gospel and trust in Christ. When he was in the hospital this last time, he talked with another person about the Bible. What a joy it was for him to call me and ask me for a Bible to give to this person! Please pray for him as his health continues to be very volatile. He currently cannot even walk with crutches due to the weakness in his legs.

Recently, I received a phone call from an 80-year-old man. Many months before, my auto mechanic friend gave him my number. As he sat alone at home, the Lord put on his mind to finally call me. I was able to go right away to visit him. He began coming to each church service and was very open to the Gospel. After going through the Gospel with him one evening at his home, he said he understood and planned to accept Christ later that evening. Shortly thereafter, he moved to the capital for the winter to be with his family. Since then, I have talked to him by phone and it still is not clear if he made the decision or not for salvation. Please pray for him to trust Christ if he has not yet done so.

For several months, our co-workers have been meeting with an older woman, taking her through the evangelistic Bible study we have been using. She has been coming regularly to the services now and continues to have a hunger to know more. Please pray for her to continue to grow in her understanding as we explain the Gospel and Bible truth, and for her to be saved.”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, RIONEGRO, Peter and Elisabeth Putney— They share the following report with prayer needs: “Recently, we have had several open doors to preach in the public schools here in Rionegro. When these opportunities arise, my wife will spend the first 15 minutes teaching English to the teens, and then I will follow that up with about 30 minutes of preaching. We pray that the Lord will use these messages and times of witness to make an impact in the hearts of the young people. I believe the Lord is working on the heart of the administrator that invited us. She is the sister of a man in our church and I have witnessed to her before. While she still has not received Christ, God has used her to allow us to preach to others. Please pray for her salvation.”

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Visa situation of other missionaries
• Salvation of administrator
• Spiritual growth of church members


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, MEDELLIN, Mark and Katie Gerosin— They share the following with prayer requests: “Our annual teen camp titled ‘Watch’ was centered on the last days before Christ returns. There were teens from multiple different churches. They worked hard and got lots of spiritual challenges in between. We saw God move and fortify our youth in a great many ways. It was a blessing to see some trust Jesus for the first time and others dedicate their lives to making a change in their generation as Christ’s coming approaches. Pray that they stand up for truth in these dark days.”

PRAYER REQUESTS
• More souls to be saved and baptized
• Old church property to sell
• Funds for new building/lot to purchase
• Spiritual and physical health”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, QUERETARA, Tim and Brittany Pontius— They share the following report after arriving on the field for their first term: “During the short time in Irapuato, Mexico, I have already had the privilege of leading two men to the Lord. Please pray that both will grow as Christians and will attend church faithfully. We are very thankful for the opportunities our pastor has given us to be involved in ministry here. Please pray that God would help us to get settled in and that He would use us mightily for His glory here in Mexico.”

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Residency appointment to go well
• Safe transportation of our belongings
• Quick and thorough learning of the Spanish language
• Ability to get settled in well”

NOVEMBER 2023


CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, SAN PABLO, Jeremy and Michelle Blanz— They write the following with prayer requests: “It is hard to believe that October is already past. September is one of the busiest times of the year for us as we both have Children’s Day and Costa Rica Independence Day right after beginning a new school year. We have continued to proclaim the Gospel throughout San Pablo. We continue to preach and teach sound doctrine. We met one couple on visitation who is now attending on Tuesday nights. Jeremy also had an opportunity to preach at the language school where new missionaries learn Spanish before service in their fields of service.

Unfortunately, the church van has continued to have several problems. We have now passed the window of time to have it pass inspection and we are no longer able to drive it. Yesterday, we had it looked at by another mechanic and we believe we may have found the problem that has eluded us for a long time. However, there will be significant cost. At this point, we are looking to sell it to someone who can fix it up. Jeremy has begun looking for another van and considering all of the options.

Before sharing our prayer requests, we would like to send special thanks to our sending church West Jacksonville Baptist Church as well as a supporting church in Tennessee that have sent special offerings to help purchase a van. Thank you!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• That God would continue to save souls and added them to the church
• That God would help our church grow spiritually in both faith and in practice
• That God will lead us as we explore the options of getting another van”


SOUTH AMERICA, SURINAME, Mark and Emily Mariner—They share the following with prayer needs: “We are thrilled to share with you some exciting news that is a big answer to prayer. On Monday, October 2, we received the news that our son’s visa to Suriname was approved. . . . With this visa approval we can now proceed to Suriname as we planned.

We ask for your prayers as we face the great transition of moving to another country. While we know this experience will try our faith, we are thrilled to finally be moving to the country where God has burdened our hearts! Our immediate needs are leasing and furnishing a suitable house, purchasing a vehicle, and beginning the paperwork process for establishing residency in Suriname. The next step towards extending our visas will need to begin immediately due to the length of time of the processing.

PRAYERS AND PRAISES
• Prayer – God’s guidance towards a right house and vehicle in Suriname
• Prayer – God’s grace as we face the stresses of a new culture and multiple new languages
• Praise! – A productive three weeks helping New Life Baptist Church in Guyana”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW YORK, THE BRONX, Alan and Sabrina Davis—They share the following with prayer requests: “Recently, after the service in our apartment/church in the Bronx, we traveled with seven people to First Baptist Church in Hicksville, New York, which is an independent Baptist church on Long Island for our baptism. It took an hour and the traffic was very heavy. Like the Ethiopian in Acts 8, one lady professed with all of her heart that she believed in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and she was baptized.

A total of two believers were baptized. Two others were sick and could not make it to Long Island. Another lady followed the Lord in Believer’s Baptism, also professing ‘with all her heart.’ Over the last few years, we had scheduled baptisms, but various problems hindered our plans. The COVID epidemic also delayed our efforts, especially with one of these ladies. SO, pray for them both.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, BIBLE DISTRIBUTION PROJECT, Alan and Donna Brooks—They share an exciting report with prayer needs: “Pastor Holmes shared with me that while he was speaking at a local church, a young man told him he was training to be a preacher and that the ‘Bibleman’ had given him a Bible at his secondary school in Madang. The ‘Bibleman’ is what many of them call me. This young man had trusted the Lord as his Savior and felt the call of God on his life to go into the ministry. He proudly showed the dates he had recorded in his Bible.

I traveled over to Milne Bay to the city of Alatou. We worked on some more remote schools during the day and preached a special meeting at Bemari Baptist Church in the evening. The church is without a pastor and is having a very hard time. On that Wednesday night, a young woman came and raised her hand at the end of the service and one of the ladies of the church led her to Christ. She then told me that I had given her a Bible at her secondary school on August 2, 2017, while she was in grade 11. She still has the Bible and has the date written in it. Thank you to those who have sacrificially given to make this project possible. This shows the power of God’s Word and how reaching one can reach many. Hallelujah!”


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, MASAKA, Thomas and Kristin Irvin—They share the following: “The Lord continues to save souls, but this month came with certain consolation rarely seen in Uganda. Ugandans respond well to reasoning from the Scriptures and as a result, professions of faith abound. The negative is that many of these conversations prove disingenuous in the end. However, from time to time, the Lord blesses us with tremendous conversions that stir the hearts of the men and women who faithfully witness.

Note one of them —
“The city of Masaka has planned to shift its Friday market from the long but temporary location in town. A new building meant to facilitate the Friday market suffered from prolonged plans for the eventual move. We knew it was coming and would have to shift our street preaching location accordingly. The time finally arrived, but the resulting confusion did not match the time taken for planning. The building filled up quickly with vendors until space ran out, leaving numerous vendors in the streets outside the new building. The people set up in the streets to express their frustration, blocking the roads.

To test the waters, the men from our church set up inside the building, which is open to the elements, and with speakers to the front and the back, they filled Masaka with their doctrine. Eventually, the local officials asked them to move outside, but they enjoyed this expansive pulpit while it lasted. They are currently seeking written permission to continue preaching inside the building. If you would pray for them, it would be a blessing.”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, BARBADOS, ST. PHILIP, Robert and Rhoda Smith—They share the following report with prayer needs: “Last Saturday we had a baptismal service. What a joy it was to baptize a little boy, his mother, and another! The mother grew up in church and believed in the Lord but could not remember a time when she had asked Him to be her Savior. So she did just that one evening at our dinner table and she settled the issue of her own salvation. Her son prayed in children’s church to receive Christ. The mother, her husband, and son had been so faithful in church attendance. We have known the husband since coming to Barbados. He has a wonderful testimony. We praise the Lord that little by little our church is growing.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• A home to rent — In the last week of September, we learned that the house we rent has been sold. We have been given until November 30 to vacate the property.
• 10,000 John/Romans — We have almost finished our supply of our John/Romans booklets. Please pray that God would provide for the funds for the personalized covers, the shipping, and so on.
• Sunday school curriculum for Nigerian pastors — We would like to be able to provide another 58 sets for these dear pastors.”


FAR EAST, TAIWAN, TAIPEI CITY, Jon and April Flowers—They share the following: “On our baptism Sunday, I had a lady ask me if she could be baptized. She had been coming to Hope for a few months. I, of course, was very excited to hear this question from her. I immediately asked if she would be willing to do a Bible Study with April and me. The next week, we began studying the Bible with her. On our third week, she bowed her head and prayed to receive Jesus as her Savior. Please pray for her as she grows in her faith. She, like many others, had been to other churches that believe another doctrine and was very, very lost. We praise God for the opportunity to help her and others learn what true salvation is. Please continue to pray for our family and the folks of Hope Baptist Church.”


WESTERN EUROPE, SPAIN, MADRID, Julio and Andrea Velasquez— They share the following report: “In our last newsletter we asked you to pray for several people who needed to be saved. Praise the Lord that in August a mother and her daughter put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior! They have been faithfully attending all the church services and continue with discipleship classes with one of our dear ladies in the church. We resumed our monthly ladies meeting and the attendance for these meetings has increased in a great way. We also began our men’s meeting last week.

The month of October is our stewardship month where we emphasize how we should handle time, talents, and money that God has given us. The first weekend of October, we had a special two-day seminar on marriage. Our son was the guest speaker and almost all our people attended the more than six hours of classes. It was a real blessing. We have several new families attending the church and some are saved already, while others are not. Please continue to pray for the salvation of several.”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh—They share the following report with prayer needs: “I have mentioned in a previous letter that we have some teenagers who go soul wining with us on Saturdays. Five of them have been going with us for several months now, but we have had three others join us in the last two weeks. The ones who have been going for a while are starting to grow in their confidence when it comes to sharing the Gospel. . . . They have not been able to see anyone saved yet, so please pray for the Lord to allow the Holy Spirit to work as we all witness.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Our family’s safety and health
• Wisdom for the decision that must be made
• The Holy Spirit’s power and guidance
• Progression in our Church Building Project
• The growth of our converts
• More opportunities to be a witness
• The Lord to tenderize the hearts of the Ghanaian people when they hear the Gospel and accept Christ as Savior
• Ghana’s economy to recover
• A member’s pregnancy — She and her husband are expecting their second child, a girl in the middle of November. These folks are faithful and are showing signs in their spiritual growth.”


USA MINISTRIES, NORTH CAROLINA, HENDERSONVILLE, Ed and Barbara O’Brien—They share the following report with prayer needs: “It is so exciting to see how the Lord has answered pray and blessed His church. As the church has continued to grow little by little, we have been asking the Lord to give us new families and especially for more workers to help in the ministry. Each Saturday morning we meet together with those who are able and go door knocking and soul winning. As a result, we have had first time visitors nine out of the last 10 weeks and a good group of these have returned several times. Some of those who have come for the first time have now been saved and are inviting others to come to church. The Lord has also blessed us with two new families who drive almost two hours each way to be with us and have now joined our church.

Psalm 13:12 became a reality because of a special blessing the Lord has given us through a family from Honduras. While the husband works, the daughter and her mother go out with us each week knocking on doors and passing out tracts. The daughter will be turning seven years old in a few days. She has no fear but what she does have is a big heart and a heartwarming smile. Recently, after door knocking, she and her mom went to the laundromat to wash clothes. While there, she asked her mom if she could have a tract from the church. She then walked across the room to give it to a young man sitting there alone. She gave him the tract and said, ‘Would you please come to my church tomorrow?’ He replied to her that he would be there and the next morning there he was in church! If a little girl can bring them in then so can we.”


USA MILITARY MINISTRIES, SPAIN, ROTA, Michael and DeAnna Staley—They share the following with prayer needs: “Of the four ships that are stationed in Rota, we have at least one person from each ship who attend on a regular basis. One of the ships, Arleigh Burke, has most of our people. A couple visited last week, and when asked how they heard about our church, the man told me that he had heard people talking about it on the ship. We are thankful for the faithfulness of the sailors to invite people to Bethel.

Another lady was told about our church by Pastor Creed in Virginia where she attended in that area. She arrived earlier this year and has been attending faithfully as her work schedule permits. In September she completed a discipleship program with my wife, and after realizing she was not scripturally baptized, she decided to take that step of obedience. On the first of this month, she was baptized after our morning service. We are grateful for her tender heart and her obedience to the Lord.”


FAR NORTH, GREENLAND, ILULISSAT, Gage and Aleah Gilbert—They share the following with praise and prayer requests: “We are thankful for the ministry opportunities that the Lord has already allowed us to participate in here a Iluisani Baptist Oqualuffiat and are looking forward to several more as we enter the last months of 2023! Now that the Shulls are back, the Greenlandic services have once more restarted, including the Wednesday night kid’s club (Kunngip Klubbia). Another exciting opportunity is going into the local prison several times a month. The Lord has blessed this ministry over the years as many have heard the Gospel and lasting relationships have been made due to the Shull’s faithfulness in this work. We are looking forward to also being involved in this fruitful work. Many of these inmates have no one to love them and show them that they care. Please pray with us that much fruit would come from this effort as the Gospel is given and seeds are sown.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• For long-term housing after May 2024
• For the restart of several ministries
• For understanding of Greenlandic

PRAISES
• Housing provided for 8 months
• Safe return of the Shull family
• Six months on the field”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, NEW ZEALAND, DUNEDIN, Bob and Diana Rutta—They share the following report: “The Lord has given us a wonderful new opportunity to reach people as He is bringing a mission field right to our doorsteps. New Zealand is a farming country and an important part of the economy is the workers at the freezing works (butchers) that prepare the animals so they can be shipped around the world. About five months ago we started getting some visitors at church from one of the larger freezing works, and we had seen some of them get saved. It turns out that this company has decided that it needs to slowly bring in about 120–150 immigrant workers over the course of a year. They are bringing some each month. They are providing housing for their workers in a former Catholic school that has been renovated. All are workers at this point. Eventually, some of these men will want to bring over their wives and families.

Recently, we began having Bible Studies on Saturday evenings with these men in a meeting room in the building where they are all living. They are a mixture of all religions and because of the rough nature of their work, many of them have had no exposure to any religion. Our goal is to win them to the Lord and get them into church. One of the workers is stronger in his faith and is being a big help to get these studies organized. At the Bible Studies, we usually have 2–3 men from our church to speak, rotating between three languages with the goal of making the message clear to as many as possible. We have to do that because some of them speak very little English. I sit and smile and catch what I can. Sometimes one of our men will sit with me and fill in the gaps of what is being said. Some of the cults are already reaching out to these men, so we need to be quick and reach them while we have a chance. As far as I know, we are the only one with an organized Bible Study among them. Please pray that we can reach out to this mission field and get some of them faithful to church.”


WESTERN EUROPE, IRELAND, DERRY, Josh and Bethany Furan—They share the following with prayer needs: “It is so comforting to know that Jesus is the architect, foundation, and supply for establishing local churches. Thank you for supporting the work here in Derry with your prayers and support! Much of the beginning of September was spent preparing and doing outreach for our evangelistic university students and African Sundays. God blessed both Sundays and brought 40+ visitors from Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, China, and the Irish nationalist/Catholic community. The church had its highest attendance ever on African Sunday with 77 people. Pastor James and I preached the Gospel on both Sundays. Please pray that people will truly be born again.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Several people we are dealing with to be born again
• Upcoming baptisms and mature growth of the church
• Grace filled resilience for some unspoken challenges
• Upcoming autumn events and business meetings

PRAISES
• For record attendance and new/returning visitors
• People growing in spiritual maturity”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, SAO PAULO, Dan and Becky Bennett—They share the following report: “As we look back over the past few months, we praise the Lord for the opportunities to serve our gracious Lord. Last month the pastor of the hearing church, where the deaf church meets, asked Dan to preach on Sunday morning. There was a good crowd, and the people listened intently as Dan shared about the need for more laborers among the Deaf. At the invitation, two men responded and talked with Dan and asked how they could help. One man said that he would be willing to preach once a month, while the other man with tears in his eyes said that he and his wife would pray about this ‘open door’ of opportunity. Please pray God would send more laborers among the Deaf in São Paulo and Brazil.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, BURNABY, Russell and Lisa Mackay—They share the follow report with prayer needs: “I was sitting in the cancer clinic getting my weekly treatment when it dawned upon me that we could move our 8 AM Sunday service to our office and not have to pay the Serbian church $550/week. For over 20 years, we had shared this office with the Anchor Baptist Church (a church plant that is just two years younger than our church. Would you please pray for Ben Turner, our dear friend and the pastor of this church? He has just been diagnosed with brain cancer this past Friday). Since COVID, they have had to have their Sunday morning services in the office at 10 AM. So, we meet at 8 AM and they meet at 10 AM. There are some challenges with this location though. The stairs into the office are very steep. So, most of our seniors cannot attend. Also, the office can only seat about 100 people maximum. We had 95 last Sunday. Would you please pray for God to give our church a perfect building to meet in?”


OCTOBER 2023


USA MILITARY, ITALY, Michael and DeAnna Staley—They share the following report: “We were recently invited to a Change of Command ceremony for one of the ships. A man who attends our church was recently promoted from the XO, executive office, second in charge, to the CO, commanding officer, captain of the ship. The ceremony was held on the pier. It was exciting to witness our first Change of Command ceremony. We are excited for the Commander as he takes over the leadership of the ship. Please pray for this Commander as he leads the ship and its crew.

In August, we had Back to School Sunday and recognized the students that would be returning to school. Each one received a small gift; then after the service, we took them to Burger King. We also recognized the military personnel in our church who are continuing their education while serving full-time.

This past Friday we had four of the single guys over for a home-cooked meal. We always enjoy getting to spend time with them while they are in port. In about a month, they will be heading back out on patrol. Pray for these young men and all our military men and women.”


WESTERN EUROPE, NORTHERN IRELAND, LONDONDERRY, Joshua and Bethany Furan—They share the following with prayer needs: “God has blessed various forms of outreach. We had a young man who encountered Pastor James and me on the street. He had just prayed for God to help him and then met us. He has visited a couple of times now and is struggling with addiction. He has a salvation testimony but has been away from the Lord for some time. We have also had the blessing of having several unsaved people to our home who had turned down previous invites. One family said they would visit the church soon. Our street outreach in the city center has had favor and good openness and no hostility. I was thankful to design a new website for Derry Baptist. We will add evangelistic videos on the site soon and pray that God uses it.

PRAYER AND PRAISES
• Several people we are dealing with to be saved
• Fruit from VBS follow up
• Church to be able to rent Methodist hall on Sundays
• Prayer for upcoming special outreaches
• 20 kids attending VBS
• 22 volunteers in a small local church in Derry
• Three precious weeks of in-laws visiting
• Remy visiting and hearts being soften


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, Nate and Christine Saint—They share the following: “We have officially moved into our new church building! Our people really stepped up and gave so we could buy windows, doors, and even flooring, None of them are essential to worship, but they are important for security and cleanliness, and we are thankful for a building that actually looks like a church auditorium. We still have a lot to do to finish the space properly, but we will work on those details as time and money allows and rejoice in what God has given.

Please pray for some dear souls. One is a member’s brother. He is lost and he knows it but says he is not ready to believe. He had come to some of the services with his wife and we pray for his salvation. Another lady recently started coming to church again . . . but please pray for her father who is lost and her husband who is probably lost. The father regularly attends our evening service, but the husband has only come to one service so far. Just this last week, I received a message from another man. He explained that he has been raised in a false church all his life but recently came to conviction that real salvation cannot be lost. He wrote to us because he is looking for a church that preaches the truth. He promised to come to our next youth activity because he is not ready to quit his current church, given that most of his friends and his family are there. He is 20 years old.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, BELMOPAN, CAYO, Jonathan and Elizabeth Shertzer—They share the following: “Some weeks ago I took our teens to a three-day campout with several other Baptist churches form Belize. It was a very enriching trip for everyone. We slept in tents and cooked on campfires. There were several preaching times and breakout sessions for the guys and girls each day. It was also wonderful to hear teens giving their testimonies of how God has changed them. I know that the Lord is working in the hearts of our teens to seek God’s will for their lives. Pray for faithfulness to commitments that were made by the teens this summer.

In August, we also had the blessing to serve with a group from Kendall Park Baptist in New Jersey. Their group of teens and sponsors helped pass out 2,000 invitations for a teen rally at our church. We held a two-day event that allowed us to share the Gospel with many new young people in Belmopan. Please pray for those who responded during the invitation time.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, AOMORI KIRINOSAWA, Paul and Sarah Johnson—They share the follow report: “What a summer! The past couple of months have been incredibly busy with activities, visitors, outreaches, and summer camps. Amid all the activities, plans to purchase the building have progressed as well. As of this writing, we are waiting to get the final fire inspection done, but our church has voted to purchase the building. We will send a comprehensive letter to our supporting pastors, but if we are able to raise $75,000, we will be able to purchase the building and get the needed repairs done. We have been overwhelmed at the way God has provided already and looking forward to seeing Him work in the days to come.

Every year in August, our city hosts its largest festival. For six days, millions of tourists from all over Japan even other countries descend on Aomori. Every evening a two-hour parade is held with large floats, dancers, and music. We took the opportunity to pass out Gospel fans before the parade one evening. It was extremely hot, and the fans were very popular. The fans had several Bible verses printed on one side, and our church information on the other. It was a unique way to get the Gospel into the hands of people and we are thankful for a good response.”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, SANTIAGO, Clifton and Tiffany Booth—They share the following: “God continues to do incredible things in Chile. The month of August in Chile is called Kid’s Month. It started years ago as a marketing campaign by retailers to make mid-year sales, but we use it as an opportunity to reach out into the community to reach kids for Christ. This year we held a mini-Vacation Bible School on Saturday and literally went out into the streets to invite kids and their parents in. We ended up having 27 kids attend and over half were first-time visitors. We were able to share the Gospel with them. We know for sure that two children received Jesus as Savior and many seeds were planted. Pray with us that these seeds would grow and others, including the parents, would come to Christ.


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, Peter and Elisabeth Putney—They share the following report: “‛You won me to the Lord, Pastor!’ Recently, I started discipling a new family that has started attending our church. A lady and her husband were studying with me in my office when I asked her to share her testimony. She told me she had trusted Christ about eight years ago. I asked her to tell about it. She said, ‘You were there, you led me to the Lord.’ I was shocked at her answer until I remembered making a visit to a home years ago to witness to someone. Although the person I had gone to visit did not get saved, she was there listening to the Gospel and afterward she made a profession of faith. Eight years went by and I never saw her in church, but just recently, I had the privilege of baptizing her! It was a strong reminder to be patient as God does His work in the hearts of people.

PRAISES
• God working in the bus ministry
• Souls saved
• New believers being discipled and baptized

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Visa situation with other missionaries
• Bus Ministry
• Furlough planning


WESTERN EUROPE, SPAIN, MADRID, Larry and Brenda Writesel—They share the following: “This past month of August we were able to participate more than ever before. We stepped out of our comfort zone and God truly blessed. The camp in our area is Monte Calvario Campamento Bautista or Mount Calvary Baptist Camp, located in Guadalajara, a small town northeast of Madrid. They have six weeks of camp, small children, juniors, teens, young adults and this year they had two family camps. Brenda and the children went to the teen or Jovens 1 camp week. Everything was on Spanish so it helped strengthen their language training. Our church we attend in Parla had someone in every camp this year. This was a great blessing to see and to hear the children during testimony time at church afterwards. God is blessing this camp and has seen many called into ministry from it.

In September, we started back in language school. And we are thankful for all that God is doing.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Language training
• home schooling for Andrew and Lily
• Elizabeth looking to help in an English training center
• Sarah and Nathan selling their house in Williamsville
• Jereme, Cynthia and Harrison getting settled in Alabama, looking for an affordable site in Fuenlabraba to start a church

PRAISES
• We have been told that our Spanish is getting better.
• Larry has been fully healed from surgery.
• We have had two men visit the church in Parla from Fuenlabraba.”


WEST AFRICA, MALI, Josh and Alyssa Clay—They write, “A blessing to the ministry here was having the Pensacola Christian College basketball team come to do a camp for the basketball center here. The kids instantly connected with the players through the game of basketball. That really helped when we broke into small groups each day and went through the Gospel with them. The first day, we went over the topic of sin, the next day we talked about the judgment for that sin, and the last day we discussed salvation through Jesus Christ. This was great reinforcement to the regular lessons I presented every month, and the kids asked some great questions and as they were really searching for the truth.”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, SAO PAULA, Beca Pape—She writes, “I have just arrived here in Brazil and am looking forward to a wonderful and fruitful trip. I will be in this country for a little over a month and will have the opportunity to visit with four missionary families and see their works. Each of these families is working with the Deaf in southern Brazil and I am looking forward to getting to see and be a part of these ministries for this short time. Though I am looking to work long-term in the Amazon, these families have already been a tremendous blessing and a huge help to me as I prepare for Deaf ministry in Brazil. If you could keep me in prayer that much would be accomplished during my time here, I would appreciate it!”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, BANGKOK, Daniel and Lisa Files—They share the following: “Two weeks ago, we had a baptismal service and four people were baptized, two men and two ladies. Before they were baptized, each one gave testimony about his salvation experience. It was exciting to hear how God had worked in their hearts to bring them to the point of accepting Christ and to following the Lord in baptism because that is a big deal here, and sometimes causing family problems. . . . Pray for them that they would continue to be faithful and grow in Christ.”

Daniel had the opportunity to preach at a church about an hour and a half south of Bangkok in Si Racha, Thailand. This church was started by another missionary and is now being led by the Thai men. It was good to see firsthand what we want to accomplish here and has been done. The next two Sundays we will travel to the other side of Bangkok to fill in for a missionary who us out of town. Pray that we can be a blessing and help in that ministry.”


WESTERN EUROPE, FRANCE, CHARIEVILLE, Danny and Janice Flowers—They share the following: “This summer at a youth camp in Belgium, there were close to 50 teens from all over Europe who spoke Dutch, English, French, and Spanish. The theme was on dealing with modern-day idols that can easily take God’s place in our lives. Each day the teens were divided into two main groups (French-speaking and English-speaking) and were taught important truths through challenging lessons. Each evening all the teens came together for worship and to hear a message that was translated into each language. On the second night, the Lord led me to preach on hell. During the invitation, six kids left their seats and came forward to be dealt with; some seeking assurance of salvation and others trusted Christ. Throughout the ten-day camp, nine young people came to Jesus, and many others dedicated their lives to the Lord. My son’s heart was touched after one of the sermons and he told me, ‘Dad, I can’t wait to get back to basketball so I can witness to my teammates.’ It was probably one of the best summer camps I‘ve ever participated in. The Holy Spirit was truly at work, and the teens were sensitive to His leading. We praise the Lord for this!”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW MEXICO, SHEEPSPRINGS, John and April McDaniel—They write, “This summer has been a fruitful season of ministry for us. One highlight was preaching a funeral service at our church. When giving the invitation, 15 souls responded to be saved. We attended camp at Apache Creek Deaf and Youth Ranch in July. Both of us led young people to the Lord at this camp. God has showed up in our Sunday and Wednesday services. We are having visitors, picking up people in our church van, and people are being saved and baptized. Susannah got saved at VBS and was baptized and in a few days John will be doing a wedding for one’s mother and her fiancé, who was also saved recently. Thank you for praying for our continued discipleship program. We had five complete the course. Glory!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Souls to continue to be saved
• Sunday school teacher.
• Construction projects at church and home”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, NEW BRUNSWICK, Dan and Jennifer Post.— They share the following report, “I want to become a Christian.’ These were the first words that a lady spoke to Jennifer and me as we visited her home. She had been coming to church for several years but was counting on her good works for salvation. Praise the Lord she accepted Christ that day as her Personal Savior! After she prayed to receive the Lord she then said she wanted to be baptized. We are happy for her in her newfound faith and looking forward to a baptismal service. God can!

‘I have a problem with God,’ These were the words I heard as I was helping an elderly man with his firewood. I appreciate the Lord gave us to be a witness. On this particular day, they were more questions of ‘why’ than there were answers. Many people do not have a biblical view of God, which causes them to believe that somehow it is His fault the reasons for so many injustices in the world. We pray that the Lord will soften his heart and that we can be the ‘light’ and the ‘salt’ he needs. Please pray that Christians will grow and that God’s Word will work on others for salvation.”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield.— They share the following report, “We had the busiest summer ever this year. Elijah and I were privileged to join the BIMI CONNECT medical mission trip to the Amazon! He and I had some life-changing experiences. We took a canoe down the Amazon to reach remote villages. We hung tarps to create triage and a medical clinic. While the medical volunteers ministered to the physical needs and gave such things as flip-flops, parasite treatment, eye glasses etc., we were able to have services for the children and adults presenting the gospel. We also went into schools and shared the gospel with over 700 children! We enjoyed using things like balloons and the wordless book to help with the language barrier and preaching with an interpreter was certainly an experience. Thank you to all who prayed and donated to this venture.”

USA CLAIM MINISTRY, Joe and Linda Leleaux. They share the following report, “Since our last report, I have been able to work on a couple of local projects. My friend and co-laborer, Mike West and I were able to do some metal roof repair for Faith Baptist Church in East Ridge, Tennessee. We replaced all of the vent stack boots and tightened screws. I also spend two weeks helping with a remodel project at the BIMI home office. It’s always a blessing to work with Lyle Snakenberg and Tim Leonard.

Lord willing, I will be returning to Honduras for a couple of weeks sometime after Thanksgiving. There are a few areas in the original structure that need some attention as well as planning for the next phase of work.

We do need your continued prayer and financial support. I especially need your prayers for my physical strength. As I approach 70 I can truly say, ‘The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.’”

September 2023


SOUTH CENTRAL AFRICA, BOTSWANA, Mike and Cindy Haley—They wrote the following just before leaving on furlough: “These are some of the blessings that have come of late:

* OUR FIRST ORDAINED DEACONS — This past Sunday three of our faithful men were ordained as deacons to serve Grace Baptist Church AND to also go out as church planters.

*PASTORS COMING TO CHRIST — A friend of ours, working in the northern part of Botswana, conducted a workshop for pastors and taught the doctrine of salvation. Not surprisingly, 11 of these pastors who come from traditional African churches, and the youngest of them being 53 years old, were born again at the end of the week! It so underscores the need to reach many of those here who are sincere in their desire for God but do not know and understand the true Gospel of salvation in Christ alone. We will use Grace Oasis as a place to do this very same kind of work.

* PASTOR MONTE has been filling in for an ailing pastor whom he met in the village where he lives and, of course, has been preaching the Gospel. The pastor, who is dying with liver disease, has been saved, and a man similar to a deacon, and the pastor’s wife, and just recently four other adults as well!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Funds for Grace Oasis
• Approval of our application for permanent residence
• Church leaders and Shane and Emily as they lead the church during the next four months
• Travel safety and God’s blessings as we minister on our furlough
• For our church families as so many are going through difficult and trying times


CENTRAL EUROPE, CROATIA, Ron and Rachel Winkler—They share the following: “D. is one of several people at church currently struggling with health issues. Her many health needs caused her to miss a lot of church for a couple months. Recently, she has been able to consistently be in the services. Many times she arrives discouraged but the hymns and the message always minister to her heart. This past Sunday she was excited when she walked in the church doors. With a smile on her face, she declared, ‘It’s a good day. I’m so happy.’ She told us how she had been at the doctor during the week and had given him a Bible. He was appreciative and expressed great pleasure in the gift. She also made sure to invite him to church. It was a joy to see how God encouraged her heart when she took her eyes off her own problems and cared about someone’s spiritual need.

In our last letter, we told you about the mini-book that is being translated into Croatian. We are happy to inform you that the first step of the translation is done. Right now, we have people proofreading the translation. These projects take time so we ask you to be in prayer during this process. Lord willing, it will continue moving forward and we will have the Croatian translation available to use in the near future.”


USA MINISTRIES, MONTANA, FLATLAND VALLEY, David and Dee Dee Sterling —They share the follow report: “In early June we traveled to Montana to take over a work which needed a missionary to replace the pastor who had left the work months earlier. After two weeks, we did not believe that this was the work where the Lord wanted us to continue our ministry. A good church has taken responsibility for this work and it continues.

The following two weeks we were able to attend a missions conference and preach in two churches east of Kalispell in the city of Evergreen. During this time, pastors and several men impressed on us the need for an independent Baptist work in the West Flathead Valley. This area does not have an independent church and is within the second fastest growing part of the state. After much prayer and time seeking counsel, the Lord began to form a plan and move the pieces to direct us to our next place of ministry. In late June, we began the process of transitioning from BIMI Europe to BIMI USA with the goal of planting a church in Flathead Valley, west of Kalispell, Montana.

In the coming weeks, we will be trying to raise additional support to allow us to pursue the vision the Lord has given us for this future ministry. We have set the date for our first service to be held on February 4, 2024. Having grown up in the northwest, we know this is going to be work that we cannot do ourselves. We look to what the Lord has for us and we earnestly covet the prayers of all our supporters who have been so faithful over our last decades of ministry.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, NICARAGUA, Ricardo and Angela Portillo—They share the following report with prayer needs: “We are so thankful for those Bibles and tracts we received back in April! Praise God, after distributing the first half to other national pastors here in Nicaragua, they shared that their church members were thrilled with having their own copies of God’s Word and even had been able to give out John/Romans as they shared the Gospel with others. Last week, at the monthly Pastors’ Meeting, they were so thankful to each receive another few boxes of Bibles. Please pray for much fruit as God’s Word goes out.

Just a few weeks ago, we held our first VBS. . . . God’s Hand of blessing was evident, and God’s provision was clear as vehicle after vehicle came full of children. We averaged 280 children each day for 3 days, and the church was full with children and their families when we invited them to return for a special service Thursday night. To the glory of God, we saw 82 precious souls trust in Christ as Savior from one-on-one Gospel presentations and another 22 made professions of faith as we followed up on the visitors!

Praise God! Many of these new children from VBS keep coming back, bringing friends and family with them. Please pray for favor with their families and that their hunger and thirst for God will grow.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, CAMBODIA, Dave and Debbie Board—They share the following with prayer needs: “This past week we hosted an evangelistic soccer tournament. Soccer is huge here and we have seen that it provides a great opportunity to build relationships with the lost. Our church entered three teams and our good friends at New Hope Baptist entered one team. Each team had 2–3 lost men playing. Join us in prayer that the prospects living near our village as well as those who played for New Hope will respond to the Gospel with saving faith.

A man and his wife trusted Christ this past month, having been introduced to the Gospel through our Children’s Ministry. Another lady lives just down the street from our church. It was a blessing to have the opportunity to share the Gospel with her and answer some of her questions and then see her turn to God from idols and trust Jesus Christ as personal Savior.

For 50 years, another lady lived in fear under the control of demons and religious traditions. Two weeks ago, through a series of events that helped to prepare her heart, she placed her faith in Jesus Christ and is now rejoicing to know her sins are forgiven and she is justified through faith without the deeds of any religious law. Two others are from an ethnic minority group known as Kuy. One’s cousins are members of our church in Phnom Phenh and they have been burdened for the two of them to be saved. This past week this couple heard a clear presentation of the Gospel, counted the cost, and then placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Their 12-year-old daughter was saved as well.

Please join us in praying for these young believers and others who were saved this past month to grow in their new faith as they are being discipled by older believers. These seven folks plan to follow the Lord in Believer’s Baptism this coming week.”


WESTERN EUROPE, SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN, Rick and Sarah Demastus—They write the following with prayer needs: “Leading up to our Holiday Bible Club, it seemed like everything was against us. The buses had been vandalized, volunteers were saying they could not help out at the last minute, and a former church attender who did me much evil contacted me asking to meet him. It was a lot to take on, but by God’s grace, we took it a day at a time.

Both buses were written off, but a substantial amount of money was given in exchange. The Lord allowed us to purchase a new bus! We agreed to meet up with the former church member a few days before the HBC and he sat across from us in a coffee shop apologizing for how he treated us those couple years prior. The Lord brought about forgiveness and reconciliation!

Though some planned workers could not help, God gave us additional workers elsewhere and provided one of the best HBC we have ever had. We had 166 enrolled that week with over 100 attending each day, close to 1,000 verses were memorized that week, and 23 souls come to Christ. That following Sunday we had two new families attending our church. The month did not start off the way I had expected, but God brought an amazing revival in our church. Thank you for your continued prayer and support for us! It has been an amazing month.To God be the glory!”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, HIROSAKI, James and Rebekah Scott—They share the following: “As many of you already know, our family is getting ready to move to northern Japan to a city call Hirosaki. This city is in the northern prefecture of mainland Japan. Throughout May and June, we searched for housing quite a bit, and so James took a trip to Hirosaki to look for a few places. Although those places did not work out for us, soon after the trip, a house opened up for us and as of August, we will be able to get into the house. Thank you for praying for us during this time.

We have just a few prayer requests. Please continue to pray for the construction of the building taking place in Kobe. Please pray for our family as we make this big transition up to Hirosaki. We are so excited to see what God is going to do in that city! Please pray that all goes well and that we will safely make our way to the city. The next prayer letter that we send out will be written in Hirosaki, and we look forward to it.”


FAR EAST, TAIWAN, TAIPEI CITY, Jon and April Flowers—They share the following: “One evening during camp, two boys were getting ready for lights out and one began to talk with the other about his need to be saved. He asked him if he wanted to pray and ask Jesus into his heart. The boy immediately began to pray and put his faith in Christ. Evidently, the Lord had been working on his heart for some time. We are thankful for him and his faith in Christ. Please pray for him as he grows in Christ. We are thankful for and very proud of the other boy. He has a heart for people, especially his peers, to come to know Christ. Please continue to pray for him as he seeks to do God’s will.

The end of July we hosted our annual English camp. We had a good group of first–third graders in attendance this year. We thank God for the opportunity to teach these kids English, but most importantly, to teach them about the only true God in Jesus Christ. They worked hard and performed a skit for their parents and families. On Saturday, July 29, all the families came to attend their performance. It was a blessing to share with those in attendance about our risen Savior. Since then, we have had one of the families attend our Sunday services. Please pray that we can reach these and more with the truth of the Gospel.”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SANTO DOMINGO, Jeffri and Pamela Polanco—They share the following report: “We are overjoyed to inform you that our Building Fund has reached 100% of the required funds! The enormity of this accomplishment cannot be expressed in words. It is a testament to God’s gracious provision and the generosity of His people. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each one of you who prayed, contributed, and inquired about our progress. Our supporters have been invaluable, and we acknowledge that reaching this milestone would not have been possible without your sacrificial giving. We have signed the purchasing contract, and as we proceed with the final steps involving the government and the Land Court, we seek your continued prayers.

The past weeks have brought a wave of new visitors and familiar faces from the past. We are teaching the church to keep their arms open for when a prodigal comes home (just like our Lord’s arms are open to those who receive those who have wandered away from Him). What a joy to see many individuals return to church after being away! We pray that we can see them commit their lives to Christ. Also, we ended the month of June with an encouraging teen activity. Our teens had a ‘costume event.’ The winner of the event received money to go toward his camp fund (we look forward to updating you about the camp in our next prayer letter). The teens have been so responsive to the Word of God, and it has become quite evident through their obedience, service, and overall attitude. Over the last few months we have emphasized strengthening two of our ministries: teens and marriages, both of which show promising signs of the Lord’s work.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, TORONTO, Cory and April McTague—They share the following report: “A brief overview of those who were baptized — One grew up in a good mission church in Mexico but struggled with doubts. He got his salvation settled in 2020 but never followed the Lord in baptism until now. A young lady had also been saved many years ago, but had never been baptized. And then there is another who grew up in Colombia with a Catholic background. He got saved this past Easter as well as his wife. He followed the Lord in baptism too. We are praying for his wife to be baptized and his sons to be saved and baptized. They are all faithfully attending church!

For the past few years our church family has gone to the local park to offer free Face Painting to families there as a way to connect and evangelize the neighborhood. Many in this city do not have their own yard. They use the city parks for play, BBQ, picnics, and their children’s sports games. This is a great opportunity to interact with people and invite them to church.

For the second year in a row, we held a Day Camp for kids. For one week from 9–3, we offer a Day Camp. We mailed 7,000 flyers to the community, talked to every contact we had, and encouraged our own people to attend the camp. We had 14 kids, three of whom were from the neighborhood mailing and had never attended our church before! After camp was finished, ALL expressed interest in returning to church! One was a Hindu family, newly emigrated from India, and we helped their 7-year-old son to memorize John 3:16. They said they made sure he did not just memorize it, but they took the time to explain the words! Please pray for them. Also, another has recently arrived from Ukraine when his family fled the conflict there. These have all been introduced to the Gospel and we are striving to maintain a relationship with them. Pray that the entire family might be saved. Another lives nearby and we hope will come to church as well. Please pray for them!”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, BURNABY, Russell and Lisa Mackay —They share the follow report: “We had an amazing thejohn316story.com outreach and summit on July 6–8. We had 40 volunteers from our church and other area churches deliver approximately 20,000 of thejohn316story.com tracts here in our city. Also, this year we reached out to pastors in some of the largest multi-cultural populations of Canada and the United States and asked them to join us in using this tool to share the Gospel with the millions in their cities. Pastors from Vancouver (our city) Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, New York City, Houston, and Los Angeles joined us in this summit. Fourteen pastors were able to attend in person and 15 joined us via Zoom. It was so encouraging to share with these pastors my burden to use this website to reach people of all languages with the Gospel. Lord willing, we will produce the Spanish presentation this fall. We are very excited about the future of this ministry! The Lord has allowed us to see souls saved as a result of this ministry. To God be the glory!”

August 2023


CARRIBEAN, TURKS AND CAIOS ISLANDS, Paul and Amy Valles—They write: “Since we have combined our Creole and English services together again, we have seen much good come out of it. More people have shown interest in attending; we have had many first time visitors, and several of them continue to come. Also, the overall spirit of our people has greatly improved, and the people have been an encouragement to each other. I still use my Creole in witnessing to the lost and one-on-one teaching the believers.

The Haitians tell me I speak Creole very well; however, I still have difficulty understanding central regional accents. Our island often gets loads of illegal Haitians who are seeking to escape the many problems in Haiti. One of our main ministries here is witnessing to Haitians who only speak Creole. It seems that if they are not practicing voodoo, serving the devil, they think they believe in Jesus and are also serving Jesus, though they do not trust Him as their Savor. Please pray for their eyes to be opened and for them to call upon the name of the Lord to be saved.”


USA MILITARY, SPAIN, ROTA, Michael and DeAnna Staley—“I remember when we started deputation, someone asked how we would handle it when people get orders and leave to return Stateside. We understood this would be a part of our ministry that would be difficult, but it goes hand in hand with military ministry. At the beginning of this month, the one family moved to their next duty assignment in Virginia. They and their family had faithfully attended our services over the last year. Their children would take notes during the service and receive a treat from my wife at the end. I had the privilege of baptizing both children while they were here. We hated to see them leave, but we will be praying for them and what God has for them next. We presented them with a wooden plaque to help them remember their time here at Bethel.

Recently, some of our people have been on temporary duty at other locations, and several of our men are out on patrol as well. The Lord continues to send visitors our way, for which we are grateful. One gentleman was only in Rota for a Sunday before going someplace else. We are grateful that he took the time to worship with us.”


EAST AFRICA, MALAWI, Eric and Jessica Curtis—They share the following with praises and prayer requests: “One of the greatest frustrations for missionaries is often paperwork and red tape. So much time seems wasted sitting in offices, but it is a necessary part of missionary life. We are praising the Lord that we are able to get an extension on our temporary residency permits until March 2024! We will be applying for Temporary Employment Permits this September, which will enable us to stay here for the next two years without having to regularly leave the country or go to immigration every six months. We would greatly appreciate your prayers concerning this.

The Lord is continuing to bless our outreach ministries. In Phokera, the Bible study is going well. A few have made it clear that they intend on being a part of the church we are starting, including a lady we mentioned in our last letter. Following the discipleship course we are going through with them, we will look into forming a church. We are continuing to meet under a tree at the chief’s house, but we have already begun looking for property for the church. Please continue to pray concerning the start of the church there!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Continued health and safety
• Fluency in the Chichewa language
• Bible college teachers and students
• Evangelism and Bible study in Phokera as we prepare to start a church there
• Prison ministry
• Immigration paperwork
• Water situation to be completely resolved”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW MEXICO, SHEEP SPRINGS, John and April McDaniel—They write the following: “We had VBS last week—the highlight being one girl with tears in her eyes, bowed her head and received Jesus as her Savior. Thanks to First Baptist Church, for their sacrifice and services making it possible to have a great VBS this year! What a blessing!

Please pray with us as we have some projects that need to be completed. We have a beautiful, brand new furnace that was donated to our church that needs to be installed. We also have brand new carpeting that was donated. God has been so good in providing for us! I could use some help and expertise to complete these projects, if you are interested in coming out to help, please contact me ASAP.”

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Souls to be saved
• Baptisms and discipleship to be completed
• Construction projects to be completed at church and home”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh—They share the following report with praises and prayer needs: “The blessings continue to flow abundantly over here. Speaking of coming soon, we have prayed, you have prayed, and he Lord has heard and answered, we have FINALLY been able to purchase some property. This has been an ongoing prayer even before we started services in January. Back in February, the Lord showed us some property that is just about half an acre and He gave us ‘the green light’ to purchase it toward the beginning of July. . . . Now, we are having site plans drawn then we will get them approved, so please continue to pray. We hope to start building within the next few months. The whole church was able to visit the property after the morning service on June 25 for a great time of praise and singing.

We praise the Lord for seven souls He allowed us to guide in understanding and acceptance of the Gospel this past month. . . . Many Ghanaians struggle with the idea that a person cannot stop sinning. They have been taught for most of their lives that good deeds and personal ceasing of sin is what will ultimately get them to heaven. This way of thinking is clearly not what the Bible teaches about salvation, but for them, letting go of that idea is tough and is something that cannot be done without the power of the Holy Spirit. We very much cherish times we get to witness. Please pray the Lord will continue to work in the hearts of these converts, for those who are not already attending our church to come, and for their proper spiritual growth.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, NEW BRUNSWICK, Dan and Jennifer Post—They share the following report with praises and prayer requests: “PRAISES — We praise the Lord for sending us more visitors. Last week we had two first-time visitors and both of them are from our little town. The week before a couple came to visit for the first time and we pray they will come again. THANK YOU to those of you who have given toward our building project. The Lord has provided an additional $9,000, which gives us $19,000 toward the cost of the building. Praise the Lord!

PRAYER NEEDS—Please pray for a lady to see her need of salvation. Please pray for one’s husband to receive the Lord. We are continuing to pray for three others to accept Christ as Savior. We ask you to join us in prayer for the remainder of funds to purchase our building. We believe that the Lord will provide according to His will.”


USA MINISTRIES, NORTH CAROLINA, HENDERSONVILLE, Ed and Barbara O’Brien—They share the following report: “Two years ago we began praying for the Lord to send us a Hispanic pastor who would work with us to see the work grow and eventually to take this church as pastor so we can move on and start another church. We prayed and prayed and waited on the Lord without knowing that the Lord was already working in the hearts of Pastor Albeto Juarez and his wife, Yanet. They were also praying for the Lord to show them where their next assignment would be. The Lord put us together through a mutual pastor friend in April and the Lord has been blessing ever since. This now allows me to concentrate more on discipleship and soul winning. We are also praying that the Lord will call one of the men to preach and that we might train him for the next church plant.

Since our last letter we have personally led six people to receive Christ as their personal Savior while door knocking and we had have several more who have received Christ after church services. Pastor Alberto and his wife are also faithful soul winners and have led many to Christ since being here. We are so thankful to the Lord for His faithfulness.”


WESTERN AFRICA, GAMBIA, Daniel and Sarah Jenkins—They share the following report: “In June, we had the wonderful opportunity to distribute Samaritans Purse gift boxes to children at both of our ministry locations in Busumbala and Latriya. This is always a great avenue to share the Gospel with children and give them gifts that make them light us with joy! Brother L. and Pastor S. headed up this outreach for us and did a great job! More than 80 children heard the Gospel and received a gift box from our church, and praise the Lord two young boys accepted Christ as their Savior!

In addition to the growing Children’s Ministry, our church has been preparing to officially accept our first group of church members and appoint our first assistant pastor and deacon, but before we do that we are planning a special baptismal service with several planning to get baptized. This is an exciting step in the life of our church! We are also working through our church constitution, reading it, and allowing the church to review it and ask questions so that in the coming weeks we can adopt it as a church. Please pray for these important steps that God will continue to guide us and give our church unity.”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield—They share the following with prayer needs: “We ended the homeschool co-op with an interesting field trip to the Creation Research Institute in Dallas. The proofs of the Bible account of creation imbedded in interactive learning displays were incredible. I just returned from taking our teens to a conference where we had tons of fun, but seeing their spiritual growth has been such an encouragement. For the trip, we had a bake sale where they worked hard to earn all the money for the trip.

We have had three people coming to church from our soul winning efforts and two salvations. While out knocking on doors, Stephen and Daniel met a lady. They found out that she had recently moved here but does not have a car. They planned her pickup and she has been coming Sundays and Wednesdays ever since. We have two to four pickups every week in our personal van. Please pray for wisdom and direction as we look for a church van! It would also help to have someone step up to the plate to be the driver as I have so many things to do before church.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• James and Elijah who are in Brazil, July 24–August 4
• Stephen —‘Man Camp’ football camp first week of August.
• Various church events — soul winning, game night, work day, guest speakers, and attendance”


WESTERN EUROPE, SPAIN, JAEN, Michael and Jennifer Helton—They share the following report: “In June we held an evangelism workshop and had one person come. Please pray that our people will see the need for personal evangelism. We also held a fellowship after the last Sunday service and had a great turnout with several university students. They have come to several activities and even a few Bible studies. We enjoy spending time with them and they always have profound questions about faith and the Word of God.

During the summer, many of the people in the city travel to the beach or the mountains to avoid the heat. This gives us the opportunity to take people to cooler places like Granada or the mountains of Cazoria for day trips. Every trip is an opportunity to share the Gospel and talk with others. We will continue our outreach in the city as we pray that God will work in the hearts of the people here.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Outreach and Evangelism
• Growth of Iglesia Baptista de la Garcia in Jaen
• Isaiah and Naomi
• Abbey’s new job
• Discipleship program
• Jen’s health

SALVATION
• Our neighbors (old and new)
• Our landlord and his wife
• New visitors in our services
• University students who visit


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, PUERTO RICO, CEIBA, Robbie and Amanda Leonard —They share the following report: “Things seem to have slowed down a bit here as school ended and summer began. . . . In May, our church celebrated its 47th Anniversary. Maranatha started in 1976 as a military church to serve the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. After the base was closed in 2004, the church continued to faithfully serve the English-speaking population here in Ceiba. The church held a special service May 21 to remember the many years of ministry. We enjoyed seeing the presentation honoring the former pastors and seeing many pictures throughout the years. We ended the day with a special meal and fellowship.

We are excited to announce that we have almost completed our ‘PHASE ONE’ building project. Since the last letter, we have put up interior walls, finished the electrical and plumbing, installed bathroom fixtures and kitchen cabinets, and painted walls. Outside we were able to build a front porch and paint the exterior. We still have a few projects to complete but it is now finished enough that in July our family moved in! We were able to have a special dedication service with the church back on June 25. The ladies surprised Amanda with many house warming gifts, and someone in the church also donated some furnishings and decoration for the house.”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, Peter and Elisabeth Putney—They share the following report: “In June we had our first VBS at our church in Rionegro. Elizabeth and Cathyjo (a friend from the States is who helping us over the summer) worked countless hours on the games, crafts, decorations, etc. I put together a pretty elaborate cowboy play that we performed over the five nights. While the event was designed to attract lost kids from the city, we really did not know what to expect from the heavily Catholic area (95%) which has made it difficult to reach kids in the past. Despite this, we passed out 3,000 invitations, put up flyers, and brought a bike to give away to the kid who brought the most visitors. While I was honestly expecting to have around 50 kids, we ended up having 221 kids come over the five nights! Only about 25 were from our church. Our highest attendance was 156 and our lowest was 126. Many of the parents also came to watch and they heard the Gospel clearly presented each night. Our new facility gave us room and the logistics to do a big event like this. We invested a lot of time, money, and energy into this VBS, but it was definitely worth it!

Over the last several months, we have been amazed at how many people have trusted Christ as their Savior as a result of the ministries of our church. It seems like every week we have had people saved in church, during soul winning, or both. Many of these new believers have started our discipleship program and others are following the Lord in Believer’s Baptism. Please pray for these new Christians that they would continue to follow the Lord and stay faithful to church.”

PRAISES
• Successful VBS
• Souls saved
• New believers being baptized and discipled

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Visa situation of other missionaries
• Wisdom in regard to new missionaries
• Furlough Planning

July 2023


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Jeff Gross—He shares the following report with prayer needs: “Our church is continuing to go forward with our first wedding this past month. Two of our founding members got married! They were both saved and baptized under this ministry. We met them through friends at a nearby university about five years ago. The young man was saved and the bride was saved about two years later. Both have since graduated and have been faithfully attending church. It was a real blessing to see these two get saved, grow in the Lord, and then get married.

The wedding turned out to be a great opportunity to witness because the couple both had lost family members. A clear presentation of the Gospel was given at the end of the wedding. It was interesting that most who attended the wedding, even the believers, had never seen a Christian wedding. So it was a new experience for our group. There was an excellent spirit at the wedding that seemed to touch the hearts of both Christians and non-Christians.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Salvation of M., B., and A.
• Salvation of D.’s sister
• Learning language & culture
• Seeds to take root in hearts”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh—They share the following: “This last month has been one of the busiest months we have had since our arrival. We have been able to lead several to the Lord during that time as well as train others to do the same. Praise the Lord for the growth of our converts! I have been teaching about baptism for the past three weeks; our people have been taught the wrong doctrine their whole lives, so it is taking time to undo what they were previously taught. So far, they are receiving and understanding the biblical way of baptism very well.

There is an opportunity for us to teach English here as a ministry of our church. We have been praying for about a month on the subject. We have received counsel from our sending church pastor as well as other men of God who have had success teaching English on the continent of Africa. We firmly believe this is something the Lord wants us to do, so please pray for wisdom and guidance as we build upon what God is already doing here.”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, Dan and Becky Bennett—They share the following report: “On April 22, Dan was asked by a Christian deaf lady to make a visit, about two hours away, with her mother that practices spiritism. This woman is in her 90s, and all through her house are idols and statues of various ‘saints.’ She invited us in and happily showed us around as we talked. We finally went into the house to sit and talk. She listened to some of the things Dan said, but she was easily distracted by other things. After about 45 minutes of talking about Jesus being the only way of salvation, she abruptly said, ‘Enough!’ She did not want to hear any more, so Dan paused the conversation. After a while, lunch was served, and the deaf lady urged Dan to start the conversation again. For another 30 minutes Dan went over the Gospel message, but this lady’s heart is very hard. She thanked us for visiting and even invited us back again. Please pray for the salvation of this lady and that the Holy Spirit would soften her heart to the Gospel and that she would trust Jesus as her personal Savior before it is too late.”


WESTERN EUROPE, FRANCE, BOVES, Cary and Susan Abbett—They share the following: “It is vacation time here in France—but not really. School may be out in France, but the Lord’s work is an ongoing privilege.

We continue to enjoy having visitors come to the church. One Sunday we had a group of six bikers from Northern Ireland who travel France and Belgium while giving out tracts and witnessing along the way. We never know who the Lord will send our way for services. We are so thankful for your prayers each week.

This month we also started hosting an open door at the church from Tuesday to Friday. Please pray with us that God will be able to use this endeavor to reach folks we would not see otherwise. Pray also for Susan as she hopes to put in place children’s outreaches at the church throughout the summer.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, EL SALVADOR, SANTA ANA, Cesar and Christine Cerna —They write, “Over the past month, we have been making an ever greater effort to share the Gospel with our neighbors. Every week we make it a point to knock on as many doors as possible. Without fail, the Lord allows us to witness to people and invite them to our church services. God also continues to allow me to witness to people at the park as my boys are at basketball practice. Please pray for boldness to witness and that we could always be reliant on the Holy Spirit of God to do (John 16:8–11) the work. We realize the uselessness of doing God’s work in our own strength.

By God’s grace we have been able to rent a nice building in which we can comfortably do church services. It is so affordable that we can still save for a property of our own. It has been more than five years since we started the transition to buying a property. During this time, we have faced situations that we never anticipated. Yes, the pandemic was difficult and unexpected, but it was not the worst of our trials. In spite of all this, we have no regrets. We immensely thank our Lord for carrying us to this point, teaching us lessons, and preparing us for future blessings. Without a doubt, your prayers have gone a long way in strengthening us.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, KIRINOSAWA, AOMORI, Paul and Sarah Johnson—They share the following: “We may have the opportunity to buy the building we are renting for the church. We are currently renting a former café space, but the café is attached to an apartment complex with 12 units. We have been presented with the opportunity to purchase the entire building, apartments included. This would increase the size of the church building by over three times what we are currently renting. There are still several decisions left to be made, but for the time being, we are asking for your prayers for wisdom that God would make His will known to us. We will keep you updated as this exciting opportunity develops.

We held our Annual Spring Barbecue on the last weekend in May. We were blessed to have 32 people come and participate, including one first time visitor as well as returning visitors. We invited Pastor Angu Mawatari from the Kobe area to preach for us and he preached a very clear salvation message. Please pray for those who heard the Gospel that the Holy Spirit would work in their hearts.”


USA MILITARY, SPAIN, ROTA, MICHAEL AND DEANNA STALEY—They share the following report: “In May we had people coming and going. One couple went back to the States for their wedding and then traveled for their honeymoon. Another young lady returned to her home, Sierra Leone, also to get married. At the end of the month, one of our newest couples, who have been a great blessing since they started attending, also left temporarily—he left on patrol and his wife went back to the States during his deployment. The single men are also still on patrol. A couple that attended while visiting their grandson and another lady in our church also returned back to the States for three months. The good news is, Lord willing, they will all be back!

We advertise regularly in the base paper for Bethel Baptist Church. In May the paper did an editorial on the church. It included some pictures of our Sunday morning service and a short article about the church. We are grateful that they highlighted the church and our ministry here.”


WEST AFRICA, CABO VERDE, MINDELO, Nathan and Tin Fritz—They write, “We have been taking classes with the local version of Creole to help with communication and to distinguish ourselves from the myriad of tourists that visit from Europe. We miss so many of our friends in Praia, but God has graciously put some good folks in our lives here in Mindelo.

On the list of new (to us) friends are the folks at Igreja Evangelica Baptista. Our church folks just finished attending a family conference hosted by this congregation. The conference was a huge blessing and challenge to us personally as well as the members of Templo Baptista. One of our first observations upon arrival in Cape Verde was the difficulties facing families in this culture. . . . What a blessing to see like-minded folks taking time to address these issues from a biblical perspective!

The opportunities here are abundant! In our city of 80,000 people, several neighborhoods could use good Gospel-preaching churches. A few fishing villages also need to be reached around our island. Every day we see our mountainous neighboring island of Santo Antao across the channel--a 40-minute ferry ride away—an island with almost 40,000 people, where the Gospel is scarcely preached. Pray for us that God would lead us in a way that we can have the most impact on these islands for His glory!”


SOUTH AFRICA, WHITE RIVER, Richard and Laura Badgett—They share the following report: “One man is a new attendee at Life-Line Baptist Church. He also loves to attend the Calvary Baptist Church in Msholozi. He comes from a different church background but after we shared our salvation testimony with one another we quickly became friends. He and I are going through the A—Z Christian mentoring program, and he is so thankful for the truths that we often take for granted. He is a ‘straight line thinker’ and so with the help of our teacher, the Holy Spirit, he is embracing a closer walk and growing more and more in love with his Savior. He has a burden to teach people stewardship principles and has the skills to help people put them into practice. It isn’t baby steps to put God first in your life and I believe he is doing that and can teach others to do so as well. Please pray for him.

A godly couple has made it possible for the Life-Line Baptist Church to have a new venue here in town. We are in a secure area with adequate parking, dedicated space to worship, a kitchen facility, and an office from which I am writing this letter. We are trying to get a sign designed and placed on the roof and are doing minor uplift to the auditorium area. The Life-Line Baptist Church family is very excited and love meeting in our new place.”


SOUTH AMERICA, PERU, Lee and Eva Johnson—They give the following report: “In the morning of January 18, I was severely injured on my right hand with a hand grinder and using a grinder blade. The result of this injury and after going into required surgery, I lost my index finger. Both my middle and ring finger were scheduled for amputation, but by the grace of God and He using my wife convinced the doctors not to amputate them. After being in the clinic for seven days, Eva and I left for the States and arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, on the 25th and I was seen by the doctors on the 26th in the early morning.

On the 14th day of March at 9:30 AM, my right hand (fingers), except my thumb, were operated on, where the tendons were re-connected. Praise the Lord the operation was a success! On the 13th day of April, I started my therapy and in May it was still going well with an increase in strength as sessions continued. There is still much to accomplish, so please continue to pray for me.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Please pray for a family member of mine who is very sick and needs to receive Jesus Christ as Savior.
• Please continue to lift me up in prayer for my hand situation.”


WESTERN EUROPE, ESTONIA, TALLINN, Rob and Angela Willoughby—They share the following report: “How can replaying ancient battles between Old Testament era armies be used to reach the lost? I have recently had some interesting conversations with locals in the war gaming and miniatures community. The first two people I met mentioned that they are not believers but have had a positive contact with Christians doing outreach in the past. Another young man from Latvia launched into a discussion about truth and the existence of God when he found out I was a pastor. It is interesting what happens when you put your hobbies and interests into God’s service.

Attendance at our Bible Club has been fairly steady. The boys and girls are glad to get to go outside for games now that the weather has warmed up to the 60s. My interest in woodworking led to building a portable gaga ball pit, which adds a unique game option. We are teaching through Paul’s missionary journeys and emphasizing the need to invite friends to Bible Club and tell others about Jesus.

Our VBS is in full swing with this year’s theme—Camp Kilmanjaro with an emphasis on the wisdom of Proverbs. We have a large backdrop to help promote the safari theme. Please be praying for God to work in the hearts of the young campers!”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, BARBADOS, ST. PHILIP, Robert and Rebecca Smith—They share the following report: “We have often found it difficult to get folks to respond to something spiritual, so we thought maybe at best we might have 30 ladies attend. But God had other plans! Our church building was filled with ladies who were eager to hear the teaching of the Word of God. From 9:30 AM to 3 PM, 70 ladies from all over the island came to listen to Mrs. Missy Cogley and Mrs. Jean Scheaffer from First Baptist Church in Hammond teach God’s Word!

In Sunday school the next day, Mrs. Scheaffer taught the ladies while Mrs. Cogley led a lady to Christ. A number of the ladies were asking if we could hold the conference again next year. Pray for God to direct us in this!

In Children’s church service that same Sunday, Rhoda had six children who prayed to receive Christ! What a wonderful weekend it was! Praise the Lord!”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, SAN PEDRO DE LA PAZ, Nate and Christine Saint —They share the following report: “As we bring our project in San Pedro de la Paz to a close, God has opened the door for another project, this time in Canete, and I again am writing to request your prayers and help. As you know, we have been laboring in Canete for almost four years. Celso built a 500 square foot church building on his property, about ten minutes outside of the city itself, and we visited his neighbors to invite them to the services. A few have come to the services, but we have not seen the results that we became accustomed to seeing in that city.

About a year ago, we realized we needed to find a more central location to be able to hold services in the city of Canete if we were ever going to see serious growth. . . . Just recently in a roundabout way, we discovered a property for sale right in the heart of Canete. It is a city lot with a very old and run down building on it that is not reparable and will need to be taken down. Similar lots have sold for upwards of $50,000. For reasons that we cannot understand, the seller has offered to sell this one to us for about $30,000. . . . The property is five blocks from a main city square and two blocks from the main highway that runs through the town. Geographically, it is in the center of the southern half of the city. Ninety per cent of the city’s 31,000 residents live within a mile of this location, while 60 percent possible within a half mile. Public transportation runs right in front of it and there is plenty of street parking available. . . . After praying and consulting with our pastor and field director, we believe God wants us to purchase the property and are moving forward, by faith, to do just that. Please pray with us about the wonderful opportunity!”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SANTO DIMINGO, Jeffri and Pamela Polanco—They share the following: “Upon our return from the States on the last Sunday of May, we celebrated Mother’s Day here in the Dominican. We had a first-time visitor that morning. The lady had received an invitation to church in the past and said the Lord had prompted her to attend church. We look forward to meeting with her once again in the upcoming days to share the Gospel. Please join us in prayer for this lady as the Holy Spirit works on her heart.”

As we have mentioned, the church started the legal incorporation process. We can tell many of you have been praying alongside us. The lawyer was speechless at how fast things were moving. The process, which can take up to six months if everything is in order, was completed and approved in three weeks! We are now waiting on the final papers to arrive from the government. With that completed, we are one step closer to buying the church building this year. Please continue to pray for us; we are currently at 95% of what we need for the building.”


SOUTH CENTRAL AFRICA, BOTSWANA, Mike and Cindy Haley—They share some exciting news, “As most know, we have the opportunity to buy a 10-acre fully developed property called African Casa that is home to a lodge with commercial kitchen, conference center, five beautiful chalets, a bush camp, a small house, a cottage, sports facilities and so much more. . . . We have renamed the property The Grace Oasis (where thirsty souls find Living Water), and we will utilize the property for a Bible college campus, Christian camp, Marriage Enrichment Center, lodging for visiting missions teams, and a host of other ministry outreach opportunities. The property valued at over $600,000 and we are purchasing it for a final negotiated price of $445,000! We had to have a down payment deposit of $80,000 by June 30. The Lord provided miraculously—and I do mean miraculously and over $130,000 was given in just over a month. We have signed the purchase agreement and ordered the funds transferred to pay the deposit. To complete the project WE MUST RAISE THE REMAINING $310,000 IN 90 DAYS! The final payment must be in the bank by September 30. It is a mountain to climb! We will climb on our knees and I ask you who have been so gracious to us and faithful to support this work to pray with us! Time is of the essence, not only to make the payments but also that we are scheduled to leave for a four month furlough in August. Would you specifically pray for us that the Lord would so move that the fund will be secured in a short time so that we can focus on everything else that has to be done in the coming days?”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, CAMBODIA, Dave and Debbie Board—They share the following report and prayer needs. “Recently, we enjoyed a special service of celebration here at Pacific Baptist of Cambodia. We heard testimonies of lives changed by the Gospel, listened to special music by various groups in the church, preached God’s Word, took up a special offering to build a new auditorium for one of our satellite churches, participated in dedicating two babies to the Lord, announced the kick-off date for a 5th church plant in Takeo province, and baptized 26 new believers! It was a packed service but a very blessed time!

Join us in praying that the new auditorium for the congregation in Kompong Chhnang will be an effective tool to see more souls saved and disciples grounded in the Word of God!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Successful completion of the new auditorium in Kompong Chhang province as well as safety for our members as they volunteer on the jobsite—Recently three of the windows were shot out of the building by those who don’t wish to see a permanent building constructed.
• God’s blessing and provision as a new church plant kicks off in Takeo province
• The salvation of two
• New members to be grounded in their faith
• Successful registration of our Christian school with the Ministry of Education in order to be allowed to operate as a private elementary school”

June 2023


WESTERN EUROPE, SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN, Rick and Sarah Demastus—They share the following report with prayer needs: “At the beginning of May, Sarah took a group of ladies to a conference in Wales. It was such an encouragement for them to be around other Christian women surrendered to God’s will. Just before they left, we had a baptismal service for a lady in our church. The rain was pouring that morning, but God cleared the skies for the occasion. Unfortunately, we had to reschedule the baptism on the 7th due to sickness, but we are making plans to proceed in the upcoming weeks.

It was King Charles’ coronation recently and like most Scots, they did not care much for it. Instead, we passed out Gospel tracts that weekend asking people if they had heard about THE KING. Many showed interest until they found out I was referring to Jesus Christ. Regardless, it was a blessed day getting the Gospel out in Aberdeen.

We have finally carved out a time in our busy schedules to have a Men’s Fellowship. We enjoyed a BBQ in 70-degree weather, following continuous rain the previous week.

Since our last update, we have received $65,000 from our supporting churches for the purchase of a church building, which is very good. This is moving us closer to our goal of $200,000 needed for the South Saint Nicholas Church in Kincoth.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• For Sarah’s outreach with the book study, church ladies, and co-ops
• For Open Door Baptist Church and its growth
• For new small groups to start in different homes
• Permanent facility for our church — South St. Nicholas Church will be for sale in 2023–2024.”


FAR EAST, TAIWAN, TAIPEI CITY, Jon and April Flowers—They write, “We would like to introduce you to a lady who started attending our church in December of last year. She came from another church in Taiwan, which like most churches here is heavily influenced by the Charismatic Movement. She was just like many who have come to our church over the years—unsaved and very confused when presented with the truth of the Gospel.

After almost two months of her coming to church, she was willing to have a Bible study with April and me. She was very excited to begin, even buying a new Bible for the occasion. As we started with the lesson titled ‘Salvation Renewed,’ we slowly went through what true salvation is and is not. As we studied together, there were many times when she would exclaim, ‘In my old church I was never taught this.’ The Holy Spirit was working in her heart and by the end of the lesson, she completely understood God’s wonderful Gospel! The next Sunday after our service, I asked if she would like to pray and be saved. So on March 5th, she bowed her head and prayed to ask Jesus to save her.

After we prayed, we turned to First John and talked to her about assurance of salvation. She began to weep and because she finally had peace about her future! Thank God for the peace that comes when people put their trust in Jesus! Please pray for her!”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, GRENADA, Joseph and Donna Childers—They share the following with prayer requests: “Life continues to move along at a rapid pace. In our ministry, we have seen several salvation decisions and two baby dedications, and we have had a young man to graduate from Bible college! For our last school building, God has provided more than 50% of the needed funds already and an additional amount promised.

With the Grenada Bible Project, we had the privilege of preaching and giving out Bibles in three local schools (in Pearls and Grenville). Students from each of these schools come to our church. There have been a number of other opportunities to preach and give out Bibles too, including in primary and secondary schools, workplaces, villages, and the national prison.

Please pray for ministries involving church planting, Christian schools, soul winning, youth meetings, Bible Clubs, the Grenada Bible Project, and discipleship classes. The time and energy with the Christian school has kept us from being able to be as involved in other areas of ministry. Next year we plan to bring on a Grenadian to oversee the daily operation of the school, if God allows.”


WESTERN AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh—They share the following: “During this last month, we have continued to place our emphasis on soul winning. We have also been discipling our converts on Sunday and Wednesday nights as well as having them go out witnessing with us. The last three weeks in our outreach, we have had the privilege to see nine souls who placed their faith in Jesus. And recently, we have found a little pool that we can use for baptism, so I will be teaching on that subject very soon. Please pray that they will understand the meaning of baptism and that we will be able to have our first baptismal service soon.

Our Sunday morning service attendance has been steady and our evening service continues to increase. We are praying about what steps to take as we have outgrown our current location. Please pray for wisdom in our decision making.”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW YORK, THE BRONX, Alan and Sabrina Davis—They share the following report: “Recently, Sabrina and I took the subway over to Queens, New York, to see a lady. Her daughter had called Sabrina asking if we would come to visit her. Many years ago, the lady lived in the Bronx, and I had the privilege of baptizing her.

While walking back to get the subway, Sabrina and I gave out Gospel tracts. One man stood by a subway beam and I gave him a tract and started conversing with him. Taking the Bible, using the Romans Road, I began to explain God’s plan of salvation, and he became very concerned about his sin as he was an alcoholic. Then, recognizing his need of salvation, he bowed his head and prayed to receive Christ as his Savior! After his prayer, I could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. His friend was standing by but would not admit his sinful condition.


SOUTH AMERICA, GUYANA, Noel and Charlene Shrivnauth—They share the following: “We are rejoicing that 128 people have been saved and 9 baptized in the past two months. With many things changing worldwide, it is becoming more difficult to get people to follow the Lord in baptism.

Recently, we started Foundations of My Faith Discipleship Courses and 18 folks have completed the first level of the three level course. All of those have gone on to the second level. We also have some who have started on the first level. Several are single mothers, unmarried couples, and others with difficult problems in their lives.

Our church gives our many tracts each week and someone came up with the idea of making small stand-alone Gospel tract racks in the reception areas of various businesses. Other folks in our church have been taking tracts to stores, shops, hotels, and various businesses. Those who take the tract racks are also responsible for stocking the racks with Gospel tracts from our church. So far it is going well and God is using it to get the Gospel out to people.”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, MEDELLIN, Peter and Elisabeth Putney—They share the following with prayer needs: “We recently finished our Missions Conference and it was wonderful! We had eight missionaries and there was a spirit of excitement and a desire to reach the world with the Gospel. . . . I tell our church that the missions conference is the most important event on our calendar every year and I believe God has blessed our church’s participation in the Great Commission.

We are thrilled to report that after one full year of work, our building renovation is now complete. Our Bible storage building, back patio, and back yard are done and the Bibles and tracts have been moved into the storage room. Just recently, we had the opportunity to distribute Bibles and tracts to multiple churches, and the literature distribution center is fully operational!

Recently, the new communist president passed laws that are making it very difficult for missionaries to get Visas. While this does not affect us personally because we have residency, it is affecting a lot of other missionaries and many are having to leave the country. Please pray for them as they try to find loopholes in the new law or seek to get another type of Visa that would allow them to stay.

Pray for our church as we heal from a difficult situation that we had at the beginning of the year. . . . Despite this, God has given grace and the church is growing both numerically and spiritually. Thank you for your prayers and support.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, MEXICO CITY, Ryan and Sarah Case—They share the following; “The young people of our church went to a youth conference in March taking some teens who had become interested in our church. Several of these received Christ at this conference and have been coming faithfully, excited at what God is doing in their lives.

Recently, we had Children’s Day with a special Sunday inviting children, preaching the Word of God to them, and then, of course, having piñatas and food. The building was full and many new people who started coming faithfully brought their families and friends. Please pray for these new folks to be saved!

Also, I went down to the airport and met a team from West Coast Baptist College which included our two daughters who will be working with us to reach the Jewish people of Mexico City. Please pray for this ministry.”


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, Erica Bohman—She shares the following report: “The Lord has especially been working and blessing in the new church plant in Kisumu over the past two months. Hope Baptist Church is now officially a church! We recently held a special Charter Service. Since our present rental building was too small to hold the crowd expected, we rented an outdoor tent. It was a joy to see it filled and many visitors present. Even some pastors and church members from the Shelbys’ different ministries in the surrounding areas and the group from the Smiths’ church in the United States came together to support the start of this new church. The Lord blessed with one baptized and 16 people signed the charter.

We have continued to outgrow our rented facilities and have filled every seat for several Sundays. What a wonderful problem to have! Recently, the Lord provided a permanent place for our church services just across the street from our current location. We could not ask for a better location as it keeps the church within walking distance for groups to come from several different areas. We are working on clearing the land and making it possible for us to begin holding services there soon. We are slowly working on the building that is on the property. This new place will provide room for a children’s class indoors as well as room for expansion! Praise the Lord!”


USA MILITARY MINISTRIES, JAPAN, TOKYO, Danny and Haruna McKittrick—They share the following: “A single airman found himself thousands of miles from home at his first duty assignment here at Yokota Air Base. Some friends invited him to church and he began coming. God was dealing with his heart and several times after the services he hung around to talk with me or some other men in the church. On March 5, he sat in my office and we opened the Scriptures and shared the Gospel. That time he bowed his head and called on the Lord to save him. He followed the Lord in baptism the next Sunday. This young man is representative of many other young servicemen who are trying to find their way in a sin-cursed world. Would you please pray that he would continue to follow the Lord in growing in grace?

A young family man was searching for the truth. He worked with a man from Yokota Baptist Church (YBC) and was constantly witnessed to. The YBC member and the young man came by the office before and we shared the Gospel with him, but he did not respond. Later on, they came by again. That time, the young man understood the Gospel and called on the name of the Lord Jesus for personal salvation, and the following Sunday night he was baptized. The next week, he and his family moved to Indiana. Would you please pray for them as they get settled in and find a local New Testament Baptist Church where they can attend?”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, BURNBY, Russell and Lisa Mackay—They share the following; “We had six people come to Christ since our last prayer letter. A middle-aged man has been attending our evening service for about a year. He had been witnessed to several times and just a few weeks ago, following the service, I challenged him to accept Christ and he did. We have seen a difference in this man’s life and it is such a blessing to observe his ‘new life in Christ.’

One of our neighbors had been very kind to us over the years. Often, we have given her Gospel literature and have reached out to her with the Gospel. Following surgery, we visited her on Easter weekend. She let us share the Gospel with her and she prayed to receive Christ. Please pray for her to follow Christ. She has many obstacles to overcome.

I met a young man while knocking on doors. He allowed me to share the Gospel with him at his door, and he prayed to accept Christ as Savior. Please pray for him to come to church and grow in the Lord.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, PHILIPINES, CEBU CITY, Frank and Japhia Denisi—They share the following: “The Bible tells us that when the faith of the sending churches is increased, it will allow us as the missionaries to preach the Gospel in the regions beyond you. What a beautiful partnership—it is God’s plan for world missions! Our mission church in Mindanao saw two more rounds of baptisms, began the start of our first youth camp, and had a missions conference! The new members also chipped in and were able to buy a vehicle for the church. My heart is thrilled as a missionary when I see the church becoming indigenous and self-supporting. The people are growing in the Lord and we just give all honor and thanks to Him! My church is being pastored by my dad, It is located at the northwest corner of Mindanao at Nasipit. Thank you for partnering with us in this worthy endeavor! [He] set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many will see it and fear and shall trust on the LORD Psalm 40:2, 3).

We got back from youth camp on a nearby island and saw 14 young people give their lives to the Lord and surrender to full-time service. This is awesome news but also it reminds me of our need to expand our Bible college dormitory and classrooms. Please pray with us that we will be able to accommodate all of these young people who have a desire to serve the Lord in a full-time capacity! It is a blessing and honor to lead and train such a wonderful group of teens and young adults who are so fervent in their desire to serve the Lord.”


WESTERN EUROPE, SPAIN, MADRID (PARLA), Julio and Andrea Velasquez—They share the following report: “A man and his family arrived from Venezuela three months ago. They were saved in Venezuela years ago and when they arrived here they immediately started attending our church. Then he and his wife and their teenage son joined our church. They have a real desire to serve God and reach the lost here in our city.

There is a young couple from Peru who recently started attending. They both were saved in Peru but had not grown spiritually. They wanted to be baptized and get their paperwork done to get married legally since they have been living together. His sister and niece are also attending, but they are not saved. We have two ladies in our church who are studying the Bible with them in order to share the Gospel and we pray they will be saved soon. Please pray for another young man to come to know Christ as Savior. Also, our neighbor still attends our ladies meetings and occasionally a church service, but she needs to know Christ.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Jeff Gross—He writes, “Our church is now going regularly to the local university to witness and hand out Gospel tracts. Our goal is to start a Bible study on campus. Several of our church members are graduates of the university and have a burden for the students. We have been able to sit and talk to many students about the Bible and salvation. We have also had two students visit our church. This month our church printing ministry printed two sets of Chick tracts. We printed 5,000 ‘Charlie’s Ant’ tracts and 5,000 tracts of ‘The Only Way.’ We also had a teenaged boy named Ice to receive Christ as his personal Savior.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Salvation of three
• Salvation of one’s sister
• Learning language and culture
• Churches in Thailand
• Seeds to take root in Hearts”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, CAYO, BELMOPAN, Jonathan and Elizabeth Shertzer—They share the following with prayer needs: “In March, our youth had a wonderful fellowship with the other churches at our quarterly youth rally. All five of our guys completed a Bible memory and workshop challenge (along with 15 others) in preparation for the rally. It is exciting to see young people encouraging one another to give God the glory by studying the Bible together. In July, the youth groups will be doing the first combined two-night campout. Please pray for it to be a time of spiritual enrichment and growth for these young people.

Over the past two months, I have been meeting once a week with two of our young men to help them prepare and practice for their first sermon. In April, we had our first Sunday afternoon Youth Service and each of these young men preached for 15 minutes. One’s brother led a hymn before he preached and another’s brother led a hymn before he preached. Please pray that the Lord will bless their efforts as they continue to glorify God by growing in sharing God’s truth.”


May 2023


SOUTH CENTRAL AFRIA, BOTSWANA, Mike and Cindy Haley — They share the following: “THANK YOU FOR GIVING — Already, we have received $2,500 needed to fund the Partner with a Preacher (PWP) church planting initiative for the 1st year. Our men are so encouraged! This past week I met with the chief of Ganane (Ha-bah-nay) and secured the blessing to start the work there. This past Saturday a group from our church passed out Setswana New Testaments to over 500 homes in a village call Pilane (Pee-lah-nay). Again, there were those who beseeched us to start a church in their village, and one man even led one of the members to a plot of land and said, ‘Here, you can have this land. It is free for the church. Build a church here.’ I do not want to sound like a broken record but Matthew 9:37 is so true. The harvest TRULY is plenteous, but the laborers are few. PLEASE—STOP AND PRAY, EVEN NOW, AND ASK GOD TO SEND MORE MISSIONARIES TO BOTSWANA and even more so to lead us to those here who will answer the call to serve the Lord and be trained in the work of the Gospel. We have also received $600 towards the container of Bibles that we will ship, Lord willing, later this year. It is a great start! Please continue to pray as the Lord provides for these to great endeavors!”


WESTERN EUROPE, BELGIUM, Brent and Jen Hoffman — They share the following report: “We finished filling in at Ghent for the Haleys as they came back from their furlough. The last Sunday we were there, two girls were saved. That was a blessing and a nice way to end our time there. Ghent Baptist Church is a very good church with many wonderful people and we are very blessed to know them. We are going to make sure that Ghent Baptist and Calvary Baptist stay close in fellowship as both grow, Lord willing.

Please pray for a lady that two out of the last three weeks has raised her hand for salvation, but she just cannot quite take the last step. It is almost as though she had a mind block and she just cannot see the exact way of salvation. She told me that she does not think it is fair that God has to keep forgiving us because we still sin after salvation. I told her the whole salvation process is fair for God, but He knows that and loves us so much that He does care even if it seems unfair. She still does not quite get it. She had been very faithful to church and even came to the Ladies Bible Study we have at our house. I believe she is very close to salvation; we just need to keep praying for her.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND, NORTH LAKES, Joe and Melissa Marshall — They share the following with prayer needs: “In Queensland, there is currently a housing shortage combined with rising interest rates and home values. This has caused rent to increase greatly. After nine years of living in the same home, we just received word that we need to move. Please pray that we can find a new place to live.”

From the 2nd to the 6th of January, we were able to have Youth Camp once again. Although the number of campers was low, we had a great week with one profession of faith and two young men surrendering to serve God. We are planning our next camp for June 24–26, 2024.”


USA MINISTRIES, NORTH CAROLINA, HENDERSONVILLE, Ed and Barbara O’Brien — They share the following: “Over the past month we have seen 12 adults and teenagers come to receive Christ as their personal Savior. Please pray that the Lord will work in their hearts to have a sincere desire to start attending church and grow in the Lord. One of the biggest problems we have in this area is the desire of the Hispanic people to work, work, and work. If there were eight days in a week, they would work all of them.

We do rejoice in seeing the Lord work in the hearts of a man and his wife who had been absent from church for several years, but have now returned to our church and are allowing the Lord to use them in the ministry. Please pray for a family in our work in Mexico. Their little girl who received Christ as her Savior just a few weeks ago went home to be with our Lord yesterday. She passed away due to complications of an epileptic seizure. We appreciate your prayers for this family.”


WESTERN AFRICA, CABO VERDE, SAO VICENTE, MINDELO, Nathan and Christina Fritz — They share the following report: “Upon our arrival, I assumed the role of pastor of Templo Baptista em Mindelo. This is the work started 16 years ago by Brother Decarvalho. We meet in a sort of ‘storefront’ that we rent for about $150 a month. The space is about 700 square feet divided into two rooms and a small bathroom. Most Sundays we have about 15 people—our family is 7 of these. There are a few families that for various reasons have walked away from church here. We are seeking to graciously reach out to these people, so pray with us that the Lord would do a work in their hearts that only He can do.

I do not wish to complain or disparage the people here, but Mindelo is a difficult place. It is known for its nightlife, parties, and carnality. Spiritually speaking, the general attitude towards eternal things seems to be apathy. The temporal sinful pleasures of this life are regularly dressed up and (literally) paraded through the streets. . . . I do not know what the Lord will do here, but we trust Him to accomplish His work in and through us.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, EDO, HUIXQUILUCAN, SAN FERNANDO, Nick and Patty Sutmaier — They share the following of a recent convert: “He was one of these guys who grew up where the rules of the street were his schoolmaster. A rough life to say the least! He would raise his hand to be saved after each service and we would deal with him each time. For some people who had done so many bad things in their lives and have never experienced love, it takes a while for it to sink in that they are really forgiven of their past, present, and future sins and it is under the blood of Jesus. When I talked to him about baptism, he realized he needed to obey the Lord now that he was saved and without a doubt knew it. After he was baptized, he started coming to church every Sunday and I talked to him about discipleship. He said he wanted to learn more Bible and grow and be more faithful to the Lord. What a joy it is to sit down with him one-on-one and show him how to find and teach him the books of the Bible!”


CENTRAL EUROPE, MOLDOVA, SOROCA, David and Stephanie Gross — They write, “For nine weeks (middle of January to middle of March) we held weekly Bible studies in the village of Visoca with the group that someone had been bringing to our Soroca services. Being with a mix of believers and unbelievers who are seeking truth, the studies included topics like salvation, Bible study, and prayer. We enjoyed the time getting to know them better and hearing their questions during the studies. Please pray for them to take the next step of faith from where they are now.

For a long time we have been praying for two to start coming weekly to Sunday services in Bulboci. They have trusted Christ through my Bible studies in the village a couple of years ago. After a couple of years of discipleship, they still are not coming to services, though. I stopped meeting with them each week and encouraged them to come on Sundays. With the encouragement of another believer who has been discipling them as well, they have now been coming faithfully for several weeks. Pray for this growth to continue and for them to take the next step of baptism this year.

Around the time I stopped trying to start the Wednesday evening study due to no one coming, the Lord brought a young man into my path. He speaks English well and has been meeting weekly with me. It started with questions about God and now is in a Bible study on Wednesday evenings. Please pray for V as he seeks truth and to believe or not in the God of the Bible.”


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, Erica Bohman — She shares the following report: “ ‘You told me to ask you if I had questions about salvation, so here I am. . . .’ one little girl told me tagging along with me after Bible club. This opened a wonderful conversation about salvation. After a few more weeks of questions and Bible Club, she put her trust in the Lord herself at home. Her simple straightforward faith is precious as she learns about the new life in Christ.

Later, a young boy accepted the Savior. It took this young man longer to understand how God could forgive and keep him, but God is rich unto all that call upon Him whether our faith is strong or trembling. To the Lord’s glory, several children in my Bible Club have been saved and another has received assurance of salvation. One of the salvations took place when an older sibling got the burden to witness to her younger sister. It has been a joy to see the troubled, mocking spirits of some be changed to peaceable, happy ones. Some ‘big kids’ who use to enjoy laughing at or bullying the younger ones now welcome the little ones, hold the babies, and try to help out. We had to laugh one day when a group of three and four-year-olds collected their baby chairs outside to have a ‘Bible Study’ all by themselves.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, PANAMA, BALBOA, Franklin and Brenda Booth — They share the following: “Right at the beginning of January, we participated in Panama’s annual Fires of Evangelism Conference with over 500 attending each night. We were blessed to have a good group from both of our works with various decisions made in their lives personally. Four young people from the Victory Baptist Church surrendered their lives to full-time Christian service!

Not slowing down at the end of January, we had our first Teen Camp and Conference fully in person since 2020! The Lord really blessed and we had a packed camp with 145 attendees! . . . Praise God, eighteen teens surrendered their lives to the Lord! One teen from Victory Baptist Church and the other from Trinity Baptist.

Following camp, about two weeks later, we had Summer Bible Clubs with seven different classes going in seven different locations. Praise the Lord for graduation service on Sunday—we had 170 in attendance at the Victory Baptist Church (about 100 children)! In Trinity Baptist, we had 54 total in attendance with 28 children there. Praise the Lord we had 66 who made professions of faith!”


CENTRAL AMERICA, NICARAGUA, Ricardo and Angela Portillo — They share the following report: “God has been blessing and giving us much fruit. Last week, our church celebrated Friend Sunday. Praise God, we had 276 in attendance with over 100 first-time visitors; 13 precious souls received Christ as Savior that day, and we have so far seen another 3 souls receive Christ during follow up!

We had also started neighborhood Bible Clubs in two of the main areas in town. It has been running for four weeks and we praise God, we have had the joy of leading 14 children to Christ. Some of these new children have been visiting church, two will, Lord willing, be baptized this Sunday. As we have been visiting the kids and meeting their families, three parents have trusted in Christ as Savior.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Chris and Becca Reed — They write, “The mission team at Nong Phur Baptist with help from the mission team from Nongloam Baptist completed the children’s ministry building. The building was used for the first time on March 12. After English classes on Saturday and Bible classes on Sunday, the people gathered to enjoy a meal under the canopy. Please continue to pray for fruit in this ministry and health for the team in Nong Phur.

March 5 was Friend Day at Sila Baptist with several visitors who heard a practical Bible message that clearly gave the Gospel. The kids enjoyed a Bounce House, too.

Please pray for the seeds that were planted during that outreach. Pray for the church members as they foster conversations about the Gospel with their friends and family. As Sila continues to grow, please pray for wisdom to steward outreach opportunities.”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, TEMA, Fredrick and Antoinette Kearney — They share the following report with prayer needs, “We returned from our furlough to find the regular dedicated, faithful, and committed members of the church still present and serving in their various roles and responsibilities. We have jumped right into the work by visiting the shut-ins, sick, and bereaved, and resuming school chapel, soul winning and discipleship. In our absence, the church started the year off with our annual missions conference. Pastor MacDouglass Ampadu, a missionary we support, preached and challenged the church members with the theme “Who will Go?” Upon our return, I preached and encouraged the members to be faithful in their vows and to give to Faith Promise. We saw an increase in their commitment to give for missions!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Provision and protection for one family as they have had to relocate to another city,
• Healing for dear friends who are sick
• Strength and stamina for a doctor as she does her intensive medical residency at a major teaching hospital in Kumasi
• Spiritual growth in purity and integrity for our young adults in every stage of their Christian lives
• To be granted permission to distribute discipleship materials to Ashaiman Secondary Schools and all the senior high schools in Tema
• Our church buses experiencing several mechanical problems and needing to be repaired”


April 2023


WESTERN EUROPE, SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN, Rick and Sarah Demastus — They share the following report with prayer needs: “Be in prayer for those who got saved over the past month. Some are ready to be baptized, and some have started discipleship, while others are a bit reluctant. Praying for wisdom. We started off March with a visiting missionary family from Italy. They presented their ministry to our church and we anticipate helping financially with their new church plant in Foggia this October.

I was not sure what to expect when we started our building project, but God is blessing so much. Since our last prayer letter, we have raised an additional $35,000 for the project.

We have a spring fundraiser at the end of the month and another is scheduled in May. We are that much closer to reaching our goal of $200.000 for the South Street Nicholas Church in Kincoth.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Souls to be saved, baptized, and discipled
• Sarah’s outreach with the book study, church ladies and co-ops
• Open Door Baptist Church and its growth
• Our family as we reach out to our neighbors and witness to them”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh — They share the following: “Ministry life here in Ghana has continued to be busy, but we thank the Lord for the ability He gives to serve Him. Our church is now just under two months old at the time of this writing. We have continued to see an increase in attendance every week, but more importantly, people are getting saved and they are growing spiritually. In our first three weeks, our family was the only people present during our evening service, but now we have anywhere from five to fifteen people on any given evening service.

Toward the end of February, I had an opportunity for a planned sit down with two mothers and their children in our church every Sunday. This opportunity came about because of the relationship the Lord has allowed us to develop with their children through church. After going through the Gospel with them for nearly an hour, they made the decision to pray and accept Christ as their personal Savior. Our church is filled with young people who are eager to learn about God. If we win the hearts of those young people, undoubtedly the Lord will give us opportunities to reach their parents. A handful of parents attending our church right now are parents of children who attended before them. More than anything else, we highly covet your prayers. Please continue to pray for God wisdom, blessing, and protection for our family, and other opportunities He makes available to us.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, DANGRIGA, John and Robin Harris — They share the following with prayer needs: “God has been blessing our ministry here with our Thursday evening service growing each week. Our Sundays have been filled as well. We have two people in discipleship; both have passed level one and are almost ready to pass level two. We are also about to begin supporting our first missionary. This is such a big step for our church.

It is official! We have closed on our property. Our goal is to hopefully lay some of the foundation before we take our furlough toward the latter part of the summer. We still need at least $25,000–$30,000 for the project. Please pray that God will supply these funds!

We are happy to see what has been going on during our youth rallies! The last one was held at the Mount Zion Baptist Church of Santa Elena, Cayo. Many teens have been making decisions. God has been good. We have seen a spark, and the teenagers are really enjoying the rallies.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Pray for more souls to be saved.
• Pray for Pastor Gary Dice need of a heart transplant soon.
• Pray for the funds needed for our building.
• Pray for our family, as we need a 15-passenger van. These vans cost about $5,000–$7,000.”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, Peter and Zirlene Doolittle — They share the following with prayer needs: “We had a WONDERFUL Family Camp this year. As we prayed and prepared for this camp, we had no idea how wonderfully God would work in the lives to those who came.

In Portuguese, the word campaixao means compassion, but if the word is split Com Paixao, it means ‘with passion.’ Our desire this year is for the saved to have Compassion for the lost and needy, but also that they live the Christian life ‘With Passion.’

We saw many come to the altar—some for salvation and many others who felt challenged to ask God to give them COMPASSION for souls as well as the desire to live their Christians lives with more PASSION.

This year almost 1/3 of the campers were unmarried young people 13 and up. What a BLESSING! It was great to see their response to the preaching with many surrendering their lives to live for the Lord. We thank God for surrounding us with pastors and brethren who worked together as a team here as well as for all of you who backed us up in PRAYER. Please continue praying for our church and Guardians of the Faith Boys’ Ministry.”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, SANTO DIMINGO, Jeffri and Pamela Polanco — They share the following: “We have some exciting news to share with you about one of our friends. We have shared the Gospel with him several times, and he has always been a faithful attendee. We have been praying for him for a while, but he had not yet professed Christ as his Lord and Savior. Recently, he had a near-death experience, and while he was in the hospital, he told his wife not to worry because if he passed, he would be with the Lord. We thank God for his salvation and for sparing his life; he is now recovering at home. It is such a blessing to witness his life’s transformation. We can already see the fruit of his salvation through his zeal for the things of the Lord. Please join us in prayer for his continued growth and recovery.

Finally, we want to update you on our building project. We are currently at $124,293.90, which puts us at 83% of what we need to buy the building. We want to thank all the churches for their prayers and participation in this project. We have been amazed at the generosity of so many of you and we know that with God’s help and your continued support we can reach our goal soon.”


USA MILITARY, GERMANY, BELLINGEN, Philip and Karen Pilalas — They share the following: “During these cold months, besides all our regular services, we have been able to have a Teen Christmas Party, an Adult Christmas Party, many potlucks, and game nights. We also had two Parent’s Night Out. That is when we both watch all the children from church and allow the parents to have a few hours free.

All of these activities allow us to invite more people to come, have individual time with our people, and give the Gospel to them one on one. Also, at times like these are when some will come to us with spiritual questions about the Bible, ask for advice about relationships, and be challenged to grow in their faith. January started out with a full church on the 1st Sunday, followed with a potluck where we were challenged to “Continue,” which is our theme for the year.

February brought a lot of sickness to our church, and some of our men needed to leave to help with earthquake relief. Because of this, we have two new wives and their children coming to church to help them get through this time. Now we are all praying for their husbands and hoping they will want to join them when they return. During this time, we take care of these families as best as we can and on Valentine’s Day, we gave them all a sweet treat that we are sure their husbands would have done if they did not have to leave suddenly.”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield — They write the following: “Please excuse the tardiness of this letter. We have been ‘in the trenches!’ We had a great Children’s Christmas program with adult gift exchange and a Christmas meal and a packed auditorium. We can fit more in the auditorium using chairs and it is conducive to rearranging for meals after the service. However, many found the padded pews more comfortable than chairs, so we purchased small cushion covers and cut the old pew cushions to fit. Three of our boys have picked up guitar in the last year that has been a blessing for specials at church. They have been learning from DVDs we bought for them; however, they needed an in-person instructor. A new lady started attending our church as well as the Ladies Bible Study on Tuesday. She volunteered to teach them each Tuesday, and she trades her skill for eggs! She has taught for years and even traveled the States in a Bluegrass band in her younger days. God’s provision is so amazing.

We had twelve couples for the Valentine’s Banquet this year that was served by our teens. Evangelist Caleb Reed challenged us both at the banquet as well as our Sunday morning service.

We have had two children and two adults baptized as well as three new families join our church. . . . I was able to perform my first wedding after Sunday morning service and I trust you will pray for this couple as he was recently saved and baptized.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, BURNSBY, Russell and Lisa Mackay — They share the following report: “The year 2023 is off to a great start here! We were very excited when our church had our quarterly ‘Intercessors War Room,’ and Tyler reported that we have had ten people come to Christ since September. We have had visitors at church almost every Sunday this year. We started providing an interpreter for our Mandarin-speaking visitors and this has brought several new Chinese families to our church. One is a faithful man in a church from China and he sits in a room and interprets my sermons in Mandarin to those special people. It is really an amazing new ministry God has allowed us to begin. We have several coming each week who are not saved. Please pray for God to work in the hearts of these as well as their children.

We had Friend Sunday on February 12 and Lisa’s hair stylist came to church. She is from Albania and grew up under communism. She is 44 and on that special day it was the first time she had ever been to a church service. She told Lisa, ‘I came to church today because you are my friend, but I just don’t believe.’ Could you pray for her? She knows that Lisa loves her and cares for her. . . . Please pray for her to open her heart to the Lord.”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, PUERTO RICO, Robbie and Amanda Leonard — They share the following: “February was Friend and Family month. Pastor focused messages this month on the home and family. During the month, we were challenged to invite friends or family without a home church to join us on this special day. We were blessed to have Pastor Chad Pape and his wife, Cynthia, with us as our special speaker. We also had a delicious catered dinner following the service. Praise the Lord we had one family of seven join us! Please pray as some of the children show interest in coming again!

During the month of February, we also began working on the outbuildings of the property. These are the buildings destroyed during Hurricane Maria in 2017. We have mainly worked on demolition. So far, I have been able to take down the wooden structure of the former parsonage as well as partially cleaning up and reinforcing the concrete building. Amanda and the kids jumped right in to help with as many jobs as they could! Pray for us as there is still a lot of work to be done! We plan to rebuild the parsonage as our Phase One project. Phase Two will be to reconstruct the container buildings into an open-air pavilion. Much of our progress will be contingent on time and money. We have a video explaining more of this project available. Please let us know if you would like for us to email you a copy. You may call me at 423-280-6081 or email robbieleonardwi@gmail.com.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Daniel and Lisa Files — They share the following report: “There is a missionary here in Thailand who has started a Missionary Kid Camp. Once a year, missionary kids from all over Southeast Asia will come for a week of camp. We were asked to assist with the juniors. It was a blessing for our son to get to go and be around other America kids his age. Many of these kids were born and grew up on the mission field and have never had the opportunity to go to a church camp. Some of them came and we could tell they were discouraged and not very happy. By the end of the week, they were having the time of their lives. Remember to pray for your missionary kids.

We have started studying the language with a private tutor who is a Christian and has developed a program to teach us biblical words. Thai has a royal language that they use for speaking to God. So we will learn how to pray and share our faith with others. This past Sunday, Lisa and I both shared our testimony at church in Thai and then I preached a message on the importance of having a testimony and why we should share it with others. We were extremely nervous but I think we did pretty well. I know every word and tone was not correct but the people said they understood everything we said, so we were encouraged.

It is now the burning season in Thailand, so the pollution is always bad here and right now there is a haze of smoke over the country. We have all been struggling with sinus and upper respiratory problems. Pray for our health and continue to pray for our language studies.”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, SANTIAGO, Clifton and Tiffany Booth — They write, “God is doing some awesome things here in Chile. Not only have we seen great advances with the building program but also we have seen great advances spiritually. One is a teenager and the niece of one of our church families. She is currently living with the family because she was removed from her home by the courts due to abuse and placed in the care of the family in our church. She visited our church a few times but claimed that she did not have faith in God and so there was no need to attend. However, she did continue to attend our youth meetings and would occasionally visit during special events. We have prayed for her frequently knowing that God can open the hardest heart. She visited during our special Christmas service where I specifically preached the Gospel message and apparently a seed was planted. A little over a week later, her aunt sent me a text saying, ‘My niece just received Christ as her Savior!’ It seems that after the Christmas service, she began asking questions at home and finally said that she was ready to put her faith in Jesus. Not only is that awesome but also immediately afterwards she told her aunt, ‘I need to start calling people and telling them that I got saved.’ And that is what she did, which reminded me of the woman at the well as recorded in John 4 who left her water pot and went to town to tell everyone that she had met the Savior. Please pray for her and her new walk with the Lord.

Regarding the building, great advances have also been made. The foundation is complete and the walls are going up. It will be a two-story building and so we still have several months’ worth of construction. God has been blessing in this project and our home church is sending a group of workers down to help us. . . . So please continue to pray for many more people to come to Christ.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, SUCCESS, Gary and Sherrie Lester — They share the following: “The last two months have been exciting for us with lots going on. We have seen two new families start to attend our church. One has moved to this area and the other came to us seeking a church that was more biblically aligned with them. Both families are a true blessing and an encouragement to us. We have also seen three people in the church get married, although one is a couple that both attend our church, the other one we will probably lose when she starts attending her husband’s church.

Last month, Gary had an opportunity to work in a youth camp. It was a good time for the kids, however, with temperatures reaching 104 degrees, several struggled and some even had to leave because they became ill.

Our family is busy too, and recently Sherrie had surgery on her hands due to carpal tunnel. She has healed pretty well and is back to most things.

Please pray for the one lady who has attended for over a year now and is yet to be saved. Also pray for all those who have been invited to our Easter Service.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, CAYO, BELMORPAN, Jonathan and Elizabeth Shertzer — They share the following report with prayer needs: “Thank you for praying for us over the last two months. We have seen God’s Spirit working in the hearts and lives of many souls. Several people in our church have been doing a one-year Bible reading plan this year. One of our young men recently approached me after church and excitedly shared how surprised and thrilled he was to know that rainbows are a reminder of God’s promise to never destroy the world with a flood again. His excitement was a good reminder not to lose the joy of discovery in God’s Word. Every part of God’s Word is special and profitable.

Thank you for praying for our church as we established our first membership. Eleven people attended our membership classes for three weeks in January. During a special service at the beginning of February, they read our church covenant in unison and signed it. After voting in our first deacon and church officers, the men individually asked God to use our church faithfully for His glory. We then listened to a prerecorded charge and prayer from Pastor Glen Brown of our sending church and ended the service with communion. Please pray for Faith Baptist Church of Belmopan to be faithful and unified as a church body!”


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, KAMPALA, James and Cheryl Pridgen — They share the following: “So far this year we have seen 53 people saved and four baptized in the church in Kampala. This does not include the ministries in other areas of the country and Rwanda. We have also started another church about three hours from the capital city. Two of our graduates from the Bible college are working at this new church plant. Please continue to pray as we train more laborers for the harvest.

Please be praying for us as we plan to start the first Baptist printing ministry in East Africa. There are tribal languages where the people do not have a Gospel tract or a John & Romans in their language. Through this ministry, we will be able to reach many people with the Gospel. It will also help us in printing materials for churches, Bible colleges, and Christian schools. We have already raised half of the money that we need for the equipment for this project, and we are praying for the Lord to bless as we raise the remaining amount of $25,000. Then we also have to raise an additional $19,000 for building renovations for where we will start this ministry. Please be praying for these needs and also that we can raise some monthly support for this project. Through this ministry some will be able to read the Gospel message for the first time in their language and get saved.”


SOUTH AFRICA, MOZAMBIQUE, Taylor and Lorin Norris — They share the following: “The rainy season had changed the roads drastically here. This reminded us of everyone who gave to help us get our vehicle and we would like to thank you again. I just went out to the village church and there were a few portions of the road that I prayed the whole stretch that I would not get stuck; God answered. Once I arrived, we had a great time together worshipping the Lord and preaching the Word.

We took about a month off from going out there due to the rains and since everyone goes to their fields for weeks at a time, the areas can be several hours of walking from their home to the field. In the meantime, my coworker and I have each taken a Sunday to go and preach and maintain contact with them. We have started back, going out on Wednesdays in March as the rainy season has ended and the fields will not need everyday attention.

Hope Baptist Church continues to grow and go forward for the Lord. We have had in-home Bible Studies in some of the faithful attendees’ homes during the week. Hearing them ask questions as they grow in their faith and desire to know more of the Word of God is a blessing! We are officially registering the church and starting to search for land to build a building on because we will soon outgrow the hotel.”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW YORK, THE BRONX, Alan and Sabrina Davis — They share the following: “One day a lady visited our inner-city work here in the Bronx. While I was preaching and teaching God’s Word, it was evident that God was working in her heart. She certainly enjoyed it and has been coming ever since. She said she got saved and is now awaiting baptism along with two others. Please pray for her.”




March 2023


SOUTH AMERICA, PERU, LIMA, Carolyn Pace (wife of the late Tom Pace) — She writes, “My plans to come to the States in February were changed when my sister went Home to be with the Lord in December. I returned at the end of December for the funeral and to be with my nieces and nephew. Since then, I have been able to visit family and friends in Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan, and New Mexico. I will leave this week to visit supporting churches in Texas and beyond.

Despite the political uncertainty in Peru, God is still working. He is using senior citizens in this area. Meet one of the ladies. ‘I’ve been a Christian and served in the church for many years,’ she told me. ‘But this is the first time I’ve had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with lost people. I am so happy that God has given me this opportunity at my age.’ This lady thought that as a senior citizen herself God could not use her. She thought that she should retire and let the younger generation do evangelism.

Thank you for your prayer support at this time of adjustment without Tom. The Lord has been good in every way, and I am thankful. I hope to see many of you before returning to Peru in June.”


WESTERN EUROPE, FRANCE, CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES, Danny and Janice Flowers — They give the following report with prayer needs: “When we moved to the Ardennes in 2005, we mostly interacted with French people because our area was not opened for mass immigration. However, over the last five years, the demographics have completely changed, and we now have the privilege of meeting and interacting with people of many different nationalities on a continual basis.

This past week, I went out for coffee with a young man whom I met through basketball. He comes from Guadeloupe, a French province in the hurricane alley of the Caribbean, and is a new student at our local university. I had a great conversation with him and was able to broach the subject of his spiritual need. Please pray that he will be open to meeting with me again soon and that his heart will be receptive to the Gospel.

God has recently put us in contact with a French lady in her early 70s. In the process of moving to Charleville around eight years ago, she had irreparable damage to her back and has been partially handicapped ever since. Through her suffering, she began to seek God. She trusted Christ in September 2022 as a result of a good Bible correspondence course that she had come across. We met here soon after that and have started discipling her on Monday afternoons in her home. She is so thankful to be saved and lets us know that each time we see her. PLEASE PRAY FOR HER!”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, ANTIGUA, ST. JOHN’S, Nathan and Renee Owens — “In our prior letters I have explained the situation with our new STL equipment, which has been required by the government of Antigua. We were able to return the first order of equipment for a full refund and order a different brand of equipment, which should be arriving soon. Please pray for the installation of this new brand of STL equipment that it will work satisfactorily and as we go through the duty-free application process again. We are also still working with the generator company’s electrician to fix the small electrical issue with the new generator. Please pray that we can determine and fix this issue shortly.

We are still in need of additional missionary personnel to help with various aspects of the ministry. This has been a prayer and burden of the Caribbean Radio Lighthouse ministry for four years! If you know of someone who might be interested in serving in missions by assisting a radio station, please direct them to our website to watch our videos and to contact me at LighthouseBIMI@gmail.com. We also will be hiring a new local staff member shortly. Please pray with us as we begin in the application and interview process. Pray that the Lord would give us wisdom to hire the person who best fits this ministry.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, ONTARIO, ETOBICOKE, Cory and April McTague — They share the following report: “We are learning more and more that our neighborhood is responsive during special seasons. For the second year, we held our outdoor Christmas caroling event. Our volunteers come several hours early and created a Christmas Village on the front steps of our Town Hall. The event is called, ‘Cookies, Cocoa & Caroling.’ We passed out 10, 000 flyers a week before. As darkness fell, the visitors began to come. We had over 100 people in attendance with only about 15 being our regular attendees. There was a clear Gospel presentation given and Christmas books were given out to all the children. We also had some unsaved volunteers with whom I was able to share the Gospel. We are praying to see lasting fruit from this event. One man began attending regularly as a result of the Christmas event.

Because of the constant issues we have had with the basement tenants in our rental, we have found a new place to live. It was a constant issue for us personally and for the church, as we use our home consistently for church use. God opened up the doors for us very quickly to move in the same neighborhood and no longer have tenants in our home.”


USA MINISTRIES, CALIFORNIA, SANTA CLARA, Ken and Nancy Lalman — They share the following: “At the end of Chinese New Year, which was February 4, a few of us were able to go downtown San Francisco and pass out Gospel tracts in Chinatown. It was a rainy day and the people did not seem as happy as one would expect them to be at a celebration. However, we were able to give out hundreds of tracts and pray that God will use the message of the Gospel to bring people to Him. I was thankful that no one tried to stop us. There were, however, quite a few Mormons passing out their literature.

God is bringing visitors to our church and we are seeing people grow in the Lord. I have another dear brother who goes soul winning with me every week as well. Though our numbers are low, it encourages my heart to see people continue to be faithful and want to bring people to Christ.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, NEW ZEALAND, DUNEDIN, Bob and Diana Rutta — They share the following: “Our year started off with a whirlwind of activity as we had our annual Family Camp for the South Island churches. We rent out a camp and have a week of preaching, fellowship, and fun. Each church takes a part in the work of preaching, providing special music, cooking, cleanup, and activities. We started these camps over 20 years ago and this has been a vital tool that the Lord used to help our churches grow. Our churches are a great distances apart, but this allows our people to see that there are others who believe as we do. In those early years, we could have about 30–40 people. As I made plans, for this year’s camp, I was praying for 120–130 in attendance. That would have matched our highest attendance of the past. I guess I was lacking in faith. The Lord gave us so much more than we could ever imagine as we had over 200 in attendance each day! We packed every dorm room in the facility that we were renting and we had others in tents and campers. At the end of the camp, the pastors always meet together to compare ideas, make suggestions, and appoint the camp director for the next year. I have been blessed by being asked to direct the camp again next year. That will definitely be a challenged, but I honestly love it!”


SOUTH AMERICA, SURINAME, Mark and Emily Mariner — They write, “We continue to work at Victory Baptist Church and after the Christmas break we have resumed Bible Clubs at two schools and the government children’s center for neglected children. We see fruit each week through these ministries. Recently, several more church members have begun volunteering to help assist with these ministries. This has been a tremendous blessing as we endeavor to witness with each child either one-on-one or in pairs. More soul winners and workers to assist the teacher have helped greatly! Last week we were able to see 18 children profess Christ in one club, thanks to having a group of nine soul winners!

Please pray especially for us as we attempt to make a greater impact in the Spanish community on our bus route. I will be working with a faithful teenager who speaks Spanish to share the Gospel with them and invite these dear people to church. Please pray also as we help launch a church-wide organized discipleship program. When we came to Guyana last year to work with Pastor Shrivnauth, he had asked us to work especially in several ministries, one of which was discipleship.”


FAR EAST, PHILIPPINES, RIZAL, TAYTAY, Tom and Jen Behman — They share the following with a special prayer need: “Just four weeks ago, we started a new Bible Club. The Barangay Captain (kind of similar to a small town mayor) graciously allowed us to use a covered tent every Saturday morning. This is a huge blessing because it keeps us and the kids out of the sun. We are averaging around 30 children already. There are even some parents who attend with the children and have expressed their thankfulness for what we do and teach to the children. This is yet another great way to point people to Christ and show His love. Many of the children received Christ last Saturday and we plan to continue guiding them and discipling them each week.”

They are asking special prayer for their daughter Aleena, who has an abnormality in her right occipital lobe (back of her brain).


EAST AFRICA, NIGERIA, PORT HARCOURT, David and Rose Maskey — They share the following: “While we were on furlough last year, one of the faithful men and Bible institute graduates went to his village of Bankana (about 45 minutes southwest of Port Harcourt) and started a church there. So far, they have been averaging 25 in attendance. Recently, they brought some people to be baptized in our church since they do not have facilities there. This makes our TENTH church plant now, and we praise the Lord for that! The progress on our ELEVENTH church plant (in Onne) is also moving forward. Right now, we are in the process of getting all the government approvals and permits to start the building project and it usually take several weeks. Our goal is to get the new church started by the end of the year when the building is complete. Please pray for God’s help and good results with these new churches.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Nigeria is presently going through a cash shortage due to the redesign of their currency notes. Apparently. there is not enough of the new currency to go around and it is making it very difficult for most Nigerians to get anything out of the banks. We also have not been able to make any withdrawals from our bank in the last two weeks and our supply is running low. The situation is urgent, so please pray for God’s intervention in this crisis.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, BIBLE DISTRIBUTION PROJECT, Alan and Donna Brooks — They share the following report and prayer needs: “The theme this year for BIMI is ‘Achieving the Impossible . . . Because God Can!’ When we first started the PNG Bible Project, many thought it could not be done! I must confess I had times of doubt myself, but God has shown Himself strong in so many ways. The simple fact is that 1,100,000 Bible have been shipped into the country and 960,000 of those Bibles have been personally handed out to the students and teachers across the country. Only God’s providential grace could achieve that work. Satan has thrown many obstacles in our way: COVID, robberies, personal health issues, and even the death of dear friends and co-workers. Through all the trials, God’s Word has continued to go forth. . . . We truly need God’s people to hold us up in prayer to the Lord to make the impossible—possible. We have 140,000 Bibles to still distribute. I thank God for all those who have been involved in this project and am excited that Missionary Mickey Schrimshire, who has battled several health issues, is determined to return to PNG to aid in this work. Please pray that we will finish strong!”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, MEXICO CITY, Jorge and Aimee Rodriguez — They share the following with prayer requests: “We are grateful that in the challenges (disappointments, let downs, and frustrations) of searching the community for many months for a place for us to live and also large enough for the church, God opened doors that we did not consider to be possible and met our needs. Not only we sinners’ hearts willing but also the financial need was met to acquire the property for the church, and there is a house on the property for us to live in. We are overwhelmed and encouraged with God’s provision!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Blue prints for the church building to be done by February and groups to come and help us build
• Open doors in a community saturated by Catholicism
• God would provide additional funds to help us build a church sanctuary
• Our daughter who has been having headaches and struggling emotionally
• Aimee recovering from surgery on her left thumb—she won’t be able to use her left hand for six weeks.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, NAGASAKI, SASEBO-SHI, Fred and Roma Rojas — They share the following review of their work in the past year: “What a perfect opportunity to thank God for you all and for the many blessings upon all of us throughout the past year in Sasebo, Japan! By His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, below are just a few of the praises to God for all He has done:

• This quarter our highest attendance of 50 with an average of 42 and a total of 39 first-time visitors
• Seven souls saved during our last soul-winning outreach and after worship services
• Handed out over 600 Christmas Gospel tracts on two Saturdays (two hours each day)
• The wife who had been deported from the U.S. back to Philippines since July reunited with family in U.S.
• Eight first-time visitors during our Friendship Day
• Administered our first Lord’s Supper service
• Shared our ministry with two supporting churches in Canada via zoom
• Provided ministry update to our supporting churches in Massachusetts and Florida via Skype
• Had a great turnout during our first Men’s Prayer Breakfast
• Our Monthly Ladies Bible Study/Fellowship attendance fluctuating but many continuing to be faithful and strong in the Lord.”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh — They write, “We had a wonderful first Christmas here in Ghana. It was much different than what we were used to. We had gotten used to snow around Christmas or at the very least cold weather, but we had over 90 degrees that day. Nevertheless, it was still a wonderful day. I had the opportunity to preach the Christmas Day service for our good preacher friend, Rexford Aning. We also enjoyed a time of fellowship with their congregation after the service before we went home to open our presents. It was overwhelming to also reflect on the year and see how much our lives had changed in 2022. Everything from Ezekiel’s birth to our transition to Ghana.

Gospel Light Baptist Church of Abesim-Dominase officially opened its doors on January 22, 2023! What an awesome day it was! We had ten people in attendance for the morning service, three adults and seven children under 15 years of age. We cannot thank you enough for the time you all spent praying for our Grand Opening. Please pray that the Lord will use our church in a way that only He can get the credit.”


CENTRAL EUROPE, CROATIA, Ron and Rachel Winkler — They share the following: “If you remember from previous prayer letters, we had two large containers of Bibles delivered to us over the past two years. Bibles are handed out on the streets and in the markets. We also spread the news all over Croatia that we will send a Bible to anyone who would like to have one. Brother Sam (a missionary who works with us) heads up the Bible Distribution. He has had tremendous results offering free Bibles through Facebook. We were not prepared, however, for all the requests for Bibles in December. Our family helped package and mail thousands of Bibles. Then just a few days before Christmas another container of Bibles was delivered. The shipment included 40,000 Ukrainian New Testaments. Those have already been delivered to a missionary in Hungary who will distribute them.

This year began with an answered prayer. Our last letter mentioned several prayer requests—one was for visitors. This month we had two visitors. Praise the Lord!! One is from Nepal and left his wife and two kids to come here to work. He has only been in Croatia for a couple of months. At our church now, we hear Croatian, Napoli, English, broken English, and accents—everyone is figuring out how to communicate. Our people have warmly welcomed him and he has responded with eagerness. Please pray for him!

PRAYER REQUEST
We ask that you continue to pray for the spiritual growth of our church. One family in particular is facing a difficult situation. They need the Lord’s strength and guidance. Most importantly, they need to respond with obedience as the Lord teaches and guides. My wife and I could use prayer for wisdom as we counsel this young couple!”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, MATO GROSSO, CUIABA & VARZEA GRANDE, Peter and Zirlene Doolittle — They share the following: “The church has been growing, especially through the children’s ministry with many coming and bringing their friends. We are also conducting multiple personal Bible studies with unsaved and with discipleship with the newly saved. Please pray for the spiritual growth of these ‘babes in the Faith’ who come from backgrounds of Pentecostalism and prosperity-preaching churches and that they will understand the true teaching of God’s Word.

We have eight camps planned for this year! With our theme being ‘Compassion’ as the world around us darkens, we want to challenge the saved to go out with compassion and with a passion to bring the lost to the Light! Our first camp of the year was our Family Camp (February 17–21). Thank the Lord for all who came.”

February 2023


SOUTH AMERICA, VENEZUELA, BARQUISIMETO, Carlos and Susan Arce — They share the following: “Praise the Lord! We had a meeting with almost all of the pastors that have come out of our church. . . . My wife also had a meeting with about 35 pastors’ wives who were able to come. They had a special meal where we shared many gifts of towels, sheets, clothes, shoes, and food that many of you have sent us to be a blessing to the people. It was a sensational day, and we ended up with a devotional, sharing from God’s Word, that my wife gave. At the end, we had a time of questions and answers about the struggles and needs that they have pertaining to the work in their churches. It was great to see how God helped each one of these.

One of the ladies came up to me at the end and said to me, ‘Brother Arce, I came today with a heavy heart and with deep despair and stress for the work of the church. But I feel renewed with a new desire and strength to continue to see how God helped each one of them.’ While the ladies were in their meeting, Carlos was in his office with a time of counseling and helping the pastors who came. Many were making plans for the year 2023 and sharing with me.

May God help me to fulfill the dream of my heart—that God continues to start more churches and we can reach each state in Venezuela.”


USA MILITARY, ITALY, ROTA, Michael and DeAnna Staley — They share the following: “In mid-December a preacher reached out to let us know that a young lady from his church would be moving to Rota, Spain, on her next assignment. A few weeks passed, and Naomi walked in during the Sunday school hour. She has been attending faithfully ever since. Pray for Naomi as she settles here and in her new job.

About six or seven of our faithful attendees come from the same ship, which will be heading out on patrol next month for four months. It is always sad to see them leave, but at the same time, we have the blessing of having a couple of men that will be returning with their ship soon as well.

In February, one of our longest standing members will be leaving. Nazareth and her husband, Corry, will be going to their next duty station in the States. Nazareth is Spanish but has always attended English services. She was saved through a Gospel tract that was included in a box of shoes she bought for her dad. The store where she bought the shoes is run by Samuel, who is now the pastor of their Spanish church.”


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, Erica Bohman — She shares the following report: “The children’s ministry at Hope Baptist Church is continuing to grow both spiritually and numerically. We greatly rejoice that six of our young people were saved at youth camp, and we are working with them through discipleship lessons as they grow in the Lord. Even the young people have habits to break, ideas from false teaching to correct, and to a lesser extent, a past to get behind them. God is working, though, and we rejoice in the new life they can enjoy for all the rest of their days.

It is truly amazing to think of all I have been able to see God do since I first arrived! Having already been on the field two years, I plan to take a furlough starting this summer through the end of the year. . . . I look forward to giving many of you a personal update of what God is doing in Kenya!”


WESTERN EUROPE, FINLAND, Andrew and Nicole Wippler — They share the following report with prayer needs: “Our outreach in December was a different experience. When we delivered baked goods to the neighbor in our temporary Airbnb residence in April, it was received with a good response. However, we received mixed reactions when doing the same thing in our new apartment block. Some were thankful, and others wanted to give us money for the baked goods. Canvassing efforts were a little uneventful, too. Nevertheless, experience is a good teacher.

Even though the advances we tried appeared unsuccessful, the Lord opened up other opportunities. Our English Bible study is growing primarily through connections with those introduced to us by our prayer letter readers. Thank you for participating in growing our church in Finland.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• To be a witness in Finland
• As we continue our home English Bible Study
• That we become more comfortable speaking basic, conversational Finnish”


USA MINISTRIES, WASHINGTON, LYNNWOOD, Perry and Barbara Gibson — They share the following report: “Besides 60 Japanese, 40 other international students, mostly from the closed countries of China, Vietnam, and Indonesia, attended talk time in 2022!

Forty-nine of the Japanese students just graduated in December. Mr. H. just returned to Japan as a baptized believer in Jesus Christ. Also, three young ladies returned to Japan very open to Jesus and have connected with former students that became Christians here and are continuing to attend church. Praise be to the Lord! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of the plowing, sowing, watering, and reaping!”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, James and Rebekah Scott — They share the following with prayer needs: “Our Kids English class continued throughout the month, and praise the Lord for many new children that attended. We have two particular families with whom we have been able to build a good relationship. They attend every Kids English class. It has been wonderful seeing what God is doing through this class. At the end of November, we had our annual Christmas Wreath making activity at the church. We had a number of ladies who came out for the activity, including many visitors. This is one of the most anticipated events for our ladies in the church and they really enjoyed it!

Please continue to pray for our church! We are speaking to many different architects to see how we can get this building built. We are hoping to make a decision this month on which architect will help us with the building. In addition, back in January we started a new season of Kids English Time. Please pray for these classes. We are praying we can see some more of these families come for our Sunday services. Also, please continue to pray for the two husbands that I mentioned in our last letter. We are praying they will get saved very soon.”


SOUTH AMERICA, ARGENTINA, Larry and Alma Owens — They share the following with prayer needs: “Argentina is suffering with some of the worse inflation in the world. Not even winning the World Cup can alleviate the hard times people are going through. The finances at the church have also been affected.

The youth camp is about to begin. Last year the Lord really worked in a great way! Please pray that many young people’s lives would be changed. Vacation Bible School is also coming up. Alma is working extensively in preparation for the event. Please pray that many children and their parents would be reached!

We also need special prayer our Bible college. This is our summer time so we are doing promotions to get new students for the coming school year. We hope to have more dorm students. Because of the COVID crises, our dorm student enrollment went down. Our vision is to train young preachers to go out and start new churches all over Argentina and around the world!”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, MEXICO CITY, Josue & Rebekah Ortiz — They share the following report: “In October, we announced to the church that we will be sending out and helping two church planters in 2023. One of these church planters will start a church about two hours north of Mexico City and the other will be about two hours east of the city. In this same month, we were able to begin a renovation project on the piece of land that we want to purchase for our church. We have not been able to legally buy the land yet, but the owners have given access to it. We are so thankful for this because we were running out of space in our other building! This took about a month and a half and we were able to move into it on December 11. This new location will accommodate about 170 people. Currently, we are having two services with a combined over 300 in attendance. Most probably, we will be going back to three services per Sunday in February. We are thankful for several people who were baptized in the past few months as the Lord continues to add to His church!”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, MEDELLIN, Peter and Elisabeth Putney — They share the following report: “In December we had a new overhang and sliding gate installed over the front patio of the church. This allows us to have better security and park our church van at the church. In addition, we are making a lot of progress in the back of the church. A retention wall was need to be able to level the ground and build a nice new fence around the property. After this, we will add a back covered patio, a grass lawn, a storage building for Bibles and tracts, and playground equipment for the kids.

One of most faithful men and Bible institute graduates, Juan Guillermo, has been preparing for a long time to be sent out of our church as a church planter. Recently, we took a survey trip to the city of Santa Marta on the Columbian coast. This city has around a million people with no fundamental Baptist church. We are trusting the Lord to confirm His will to this important decision. Please pray with us!”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, DANGRIGA, John and Robin Harris — They share the following: “In our last prayer letter, we asked that you pray for more men. Well, one who has been coming on and off since October is lost and I shared the Gospel with him. He did not reject it; only, he could not understand it. He is a friend of a lady who was recently saved and baptized! I am hoping to have the opportunity to talk to him one- on-one about salvation. Please pray for Mike’s salvation!

We have four that are in our discipleship class. They are finishing level one of the Foundations of our Faith. After each lesson, they are to take a quiz and each week they must recite their memory verse to me. Once they are done with level one, we will go to level two.

Please remember our family in prayer. Furlough is tough on us with a reverse culture shock, etc. Please pray for Brother and Mrs. Swante Lindquist who will be here in our place!”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, GRENADA, ST. ANDREWS, GREENVILLE, Coco Chan — She shares the following report: “God’s Word changes lives! A couple of weeks ago I went grocery shopping at the capital city. While I struggled separating two shopping carts, someone gave me a hand. I looked up to thank him and noticed it was a young man I met at the juvenile center. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior sometime last year after I explained the plan of salvation. Since then, he was very interested in knowing more about the Lord, and he memorized numerous Bible verses.
We had a little conversation. It brought tears to my eyes when he told me that God had changed his life. He had finished his sentence four months ago and is now back is school repeating Form 4 (equivalent to Grade 10) and works at the grocery store over the weekend and during the holidays to provide for himself. He attends church services regularly and is captain of the senior football team at his school.

He showed me a video of him giving a testimony at his school on how God had changed his life. He came from a broken home where there was daily conflict. To escape from this environment, he got in with the wrong crowd and ended up in the juvenile center. Since he was saved, he determined in his heart to live a life that would be pleasing to the Lord. He mentioned that the Bible verses he memorized were a great encouragement to him. Please keep him in your prayers, asking God to help this young man to keep doing right and to use him to do great thing for His honor and glory. Pray also for the following young people at the juvenile center: J.B, (15); A.A. (14); L.W. (17); and J.J. (14). They all made professions of faith during our Bible lessons.”


SOUTH AMERICA, PERU, CHICLAYO, Lee and Eva Johnson — They share the following: “Around the first of October, we once again find Peru at the election tables. This is always a problem for us missionaries, pastors, and other church planters, because we are not allowed to have services during the morning hours and are only free in the evening after 6 PM. So we abide by their rules, even though it is hard to understand.
Later in the month, the Lord gave me the blessed opportunity to preach in a church here in Chiclayo for a Christian brother. The church was started a year ago and it was an honor to be a part of the celebration. The Lord worked in the hearts of several members to continue to be faithful to Him!

On the next day, Eva, two young people, and I traveled to the city of Trujillo, located about three hours south of Chiclayo, where I was invited to preach at a youth meeting. Although the youth meeting was part of a continuance of the day before, the church that organized the event decided to have a “PRESENCE” gathering, because the night before was a viral meeting. Several people were a bit scared concerning COVID-19. I felt privileged to be one of the guest speakers alongside a fellow missionary preacher who is a second generation missionary.”



January 2023


SOUTH AMERICA, GUYANA, Noel and Charlene Shrivnauth — They share the following: “In September and October in our church ministries, we saw 106 saved and 6 baptized. . . . Our mid-October Faith Promise Missions Conference went well with promise commitments far above what was expected. In these days of inflation and rising costs of living, this is most remarkable.

Our online Bible college, Lone Star Bible College—Guyana, is doing well....Dr. Shelton Smith and the Sword of the Lord sent us over a dozen books for each of our students in the college. This is a treasure trove of good reading. In itself, it is a Bible college education to be had in the reading of these good books.”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield — They share the following report: We lost a couple families for various reasons. However, God has brought several new families and the growth of the faithful ones is encouraging! A couple has decided to follow the Lord in the matter of tithing and have seen numerous financial miracles as a result (including their insurance reinstated so he can seek medical help). A man for whom we have been praying for years (and to be honest had given up hope) showed up one Sunday. Two weeks later, he walked the aisle for salvation and I was able to not only lead him to the Lord but also baptize him. The change in his life is almost uncanny!”


EAST AFRICA, ZAMBIA, Bryan and Amanda Collins — They share the following: “It has been very exciting to see all that God has done in our ministry over the past year. Yet, there are many places that are void of the Gospel. This has been evident as we have ministered locally and at the lake. Islam has been growing rapidly around the world and Zambia has been no exception. Even in the remote areas of the lake, Islam has a presence. It has been a blessing to see the Gospel spread in that area and churches planted. Discipleship is a key part of the ministry as we have trained young men in the Word of God. They can teach, preach, and evangelize and train locally and at our churches. The Bible college continues to do well. Please pray for the students as they learn and that God would call some of them to the ministry.”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, Sao Caetano do Sul, Bryan and Rebekah Johnson — They give the following report; “We now have one family and seven individuals who have begun discipleship with us this last month. We are so pleased to have so many people who are choosing to take the next step in spiritual growth. We have also had a recent surge in visitors. Praise the Lord for the salvation of one we met while we were out shopping and for the salvation of another in the last two weeks!

Thanks to a generous gift from our supporting churches, we were able to launch a salvation video and an online radio station in Mozambique. This has given us the privilege of reaching more than 45,000 people with the Gospel! Hundreds have reached out to us. Pray that many souls in Mozambique will come to Christ and grow in the Lord through this outreach. It is our desire to reach all of the Portuguese-speaking world with the Gospel.”


WEST AFRICA, NIGERIA, PORT HARCOURT, David and Rose Maskey — They share the following: “Recently, our deaf ministry in the main church had a special promotion and we had 102 deaf attending in that Sunday morning service with 14 of them receiving Christ as Savior! They also had a deaf choir that was a real blessing to everyone. Our deaf workers have done a very good job of reaching the deaf here for Christ.

One of the most recent church plants, Independent Baptist Church of Yenagoa, celebrated their 1st anniversary on November 27 with 140 in attendance and 15 saved. The pastor has been doing a great job in this new church. Please continue to pray for our Nigerian pastors for God’s power, wisdom, and provision.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Building project in Onne
• Land for the Omagwa church
• Laborers”


CENTRAL EUROPE, ROMANIA & MALAWI, Marguerite Gentry — She writes the following: “This past summer we had camp as we usually do and had 700 professions of faith! This is because all of you have supported the ministry faithfully; you all have a part in these who were saved. I praise the Lord for the work of the Holy Spirit both in your giving and in these young people being saved.

I have a prayer request for you. The town of Sighet, Romania (where the camp is located), sits on the Ukrainian border, the border being the river Tisa. At this time, there are tanks and heavy artillery at the riverside because of the war in Ukraine. The people are afraid the war will come their way. They have lived under communism once and do not want to go through this again. I ask you to pray for an end to this war not only for the Romanian people but also for all those who still suffer in cold, darkness, hunger, and fear due to the aggression of the Russian army. There is a man from “Hope for the Future” who is making trips into the Ukraine with food, blankets, and medicine. Please pray for their safety.”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES GRENADA, Joseph and Donna Childers — They share the following report with prayer needs: “You may remember that last year, one of Donna’s relatives went to study in the U.K. leaving her son, to live with us while she was away. We have prayed fervently for his salvation and God has answered that request! With just a few weeks left with us before his mother’s return, after our daily family prayer time one evening, he asked if he could go to heaven. As I explained, I realized that my son Ryan was listening also and they both asked a lot of questions. Ryan is much nearer to understanding than we had previously thought, but that night, Donna’s nephew asked Jesus to save him. Praise God for His love and mercy are working!

The very next day, one of our student’s mother came out to the Sunday morning service. At the conclusion, she raised her hand indicating that she needed to be saved and that God was working in her heart. Donna had the privilege of leading her to a saving knowledge of Christ. It was her second time in a service and her daughter trusted Christ as Savior last year in our school, Please pray for her sister who has been more consistent in church and asking questions but who has not yet made a decision for Christ. For the first time, we have a national leading the adult Sunday school each week. Also, please pray for growth of five young people, currently ages 12–15.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, EL SALVADOR, SANTA ANA, Caesar and Christine Cerna — They write, “Thank you for your prayers as we go out to witness to people here in Santa Ana. Just recently, Caesar had the privilege of witnessing to a man who said that he used to attend an evangelical church for several years. The sad part is that he did not have a clear testimony of being born again. Caesar thanked the Lord that he at least, listened to him as he shared Christ with him. It is even sadder to know that these kinds of stories are not uncommon in El Salvador. Please continue to pray the Lord will give us boldness and wisdom in dealing with people who have a Christian background but are not born again.

We would also like to thank you for praying for two men God has given me the opportunity to minister to lately. As our family went to the States for a week (Rosa visited a potential college), one had some responsibilities in our ministry and he proved himself faithful. The other continues to be faithful in meeting with me weekly and coming to church. Please pray God would use these men to continue to be faithful and to reach others for Christ.”


FAR NORTH, CANADA, TORONTO, ETOBICOKE, Cory and April McTague — They share the following: “Several weeks ago, a regular attendee asked for a meeting so I could discuss some questions her longtime fiancée had concerning God. As he settled into the seat in my office, I asked him what was on his mind. He replied, ‘I have never needed God before. I have always believed in God, but I know that something is missing in my life. Could you help me with that?’ After about an hour and a half of slowly going through the Gospel, he bowed his head and accepted Christ as his Savior. He has been faithfully attending church ever since and he and his fiancée have been discussing marriage! God is good and it is such an encouragement to see His miracle work being done in lives!

We have been praying for the past year that God would enable us to rent a storefront in the same neighborhood where we currently meet. We have several people who walk and commute to church. Recently, we submitted an offer to rent a space in the exact neighborhood we have been praying over, which is a 4-minute walk to the subway station. The realtor encouraged us that the landlord would consider our offer of almost HALF of the amount of dollar per square foot he was originally asking. It is difficult to find space for a church since we have been rejected several times before simply because we were looking for a space for worship. Churches have traditionally struggled to find a permanent home here in the city due to being an excessively expensive city and small spaces.

The church is praying for God’s will concerning this space and the offer we submitted as we step forward in faith. Our estimate is that it will take $10,000 worth of renovations if this proposal goes through. We will need funding for the renovations and building supplies and help to renovate this building from a chiropractor’s office. God’s resources never lacked for God’s will. AND we trust the Lord will make this a reality. We will be sure to let you know if we receive confirmation.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, PHILIPPINES, SAMAR, Layne and Nelia Jones — They share the following report: “The radio station needs a new transformer and a new generator for the radio only so we can have electricity direct to it. We cannot hook up the new 3,000-watt transmitter without more power into the radio station. The cost for both the transformer and generator will be quite a bit. Pray for this need.

PRAISES AND PRAYER REQUESTS
• We have seen many saved during our October/November Campaign. Our Thanksgiving Fall Revival was a great success! The special speaker was a great help.
• We have land in San Jose and will build a new building there in March and April. This is where we started a church back in 1985 with many being saved.
• Please pray for our Graduation Sunday in March! There will be more churches started.
• We need more room for our Annual Youth Camp. Many are coming and sleeping at Camp Judi! Last year some of the girls had to sleep in the garage with not much privacy, so we need to build another girl’s dormitory!”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, NEW ZEALAND, DUNEDIN, Bob and Diana Rutta —They share the following: “As we look back over 2022, we are overcome with the realization of how great that our Lord has been to us! God is so good! This year we watched several families in our church move away looking for work. These are people in whom we have invested our hearts, and we love them dearly. That is never easy to face; however, our attendance has remained consistent as we have reached new people and added them to the church.

Recently, I baptized the teenage daughter of a new family in our church. They were so excited that their daughter was getting baptized that they invited friends and family from all around the South island to be there. We had 17 visitors in our Sunday morning service and several of those came back again on Sunday night! Some drove 7–8 hours to be there. This also gave opportunity to meet some of their family members that live locally. Now that these family members have visited our church and have seen what we are like, our prayer is that they will feel comfortable to come back again. In addition, this family has seven more children!

Please pray for Diana, as she had to return to the States for her 92 year-old dad who is to have surgery!


WESTERN EUROPE, BELGIUM, GHENT, Brent and Jen Hoffman — They write, “After filling in at Gent for a couple of weeks, I finally was able to settle into the church where we will be working. Jen and the kids have been there a few months and have made some good friends already. The church is wonderful and the people have made us feel welcomed. We are looking forward to working with them as we transition over. There is a family in the church who were recently saved and who have a couple of teenage children that are not saved yet. Both teens have struck up friendships with Gabby and Joab and we hope this will open up the doors for influencing then. Please pray for their salvations. There is a young single mom that Jen happened to buy some stuff from in the marketplace. She mentioned that she had visited the church a few times months ago but has not been back. She is not saved but really has taken a liking to the family. She even came over for Thanksgiving. On December 20, she returned to the States. Please pray that someone in the U.S. will reach out to her with the Gospel.”


SOUTH AMERICA, PERU, LIMA, Carolyn Pace — She writes, “It has been a month since the Lord called Tom home. I am very thankful for His presence, His faithfulness, and for His people.

All my children were here for about three weeks, at which time we were able to visit churches and friends in the mountains where we worked for 13 years. I was surprised to see a couple we met in 1965! They are still serving the Lord in their pueblo, Muqui.

I continue to teach senior citizens Bible classes and am so thankful for this opportunity, Occasionally, it is discouraging when considering these folks have believed a lie for 60+ years. It is hard for them to believe they have been deceived. We must continue reading and studying God’s Word and praying He will take away the blindness. Thank you for remembering to pray for us.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, CAMBODIA, Dave and Debbie Board — They share the following: “Please join us in praying for the PrekPnou district of Phnom Penh. It is located 20 minutes from our main church and is in great need of a church that is doctrinally sound. Every Friday, Debbie and I go door knocking there and we are slowly gathering prospects who are willing to listen to the Gospel. In January, we are hoping to find a building that we can rent in order to begin a small group as well as a Children’s Ministry.

A lady lives in a village near our church and sells fish in our village from a bicycle several times each week. The ladies of our church have been intentionally building a relationship with her over the past few weeks. God has used their kindness to tear down some barriers in her life that has caused her heart to become very hard. After meeting her recently, I could tell that she is very close to accepting Christ. Please pray for her to be saved.”


WEST AFRICA, TOGO, KARA, Randy and Jeanette Alderman — They write, “The village of Lidio is in an isolated spot off the beaten path, seemingly unimportant to all but those who reside within its confines. The roads leading to it are not easily traveled. As soon as the rains slowed a bit a few weeks ago, I visited the new church plant to teach and encourage those who are turning from fetish worship to serve the Living God! In spite of its obscurity, the Gospel is lighting the former darkness through the work of a layman teacher who also pastors two other churches! The number of attendees will never be large in man’s eyes, but what an impact for eternity this dear brother is making!

Several weeks after I visited these new believers who had so hungrily taken in the Word of God that day, one of the younger mothers passed away from a snakebite. Because she had accepted Christ as Savior, her future was secure. Even though you, our faithful supporters and prayer warriors, will most likely never meet these precious believers, you can rejoice with us that this sister in Christ had made the right decision.”


USA MILITARY MINISTRIES, JAPAN, NAGASAKI, Fred and Roma Rojas —They give the follow report: “Because of your faithful prayers and support, God has helped us accomplish numerous things both in our personal lives as well as in the church.

We had a total of 37 ‘first time’ visitors during this quarter, several of them attending our Sunday service but most of them are usually underway (deployed by ships). A couple, retired Army and DoD employee, joined our church and are already serving in many areas, including soul winning. I baptized a US Marine who continues to attend faithfully and speaking to others about the Lord Jesus. We are thankful that our soul winning team has grown from just one couple to 12 to a team of 12.”



December 2022


FAR NORTH, BRITISH COLUMBIA, BURNABY, Russell and Lisa Mackay — They share the following report: “God has abundantly blessed and protected our church here during this difficult time. . . . Lisa and I have been able to enjoy many ministry opportunities since returning. In August, we helped with our Junior Camp and then drove our teens to a Teen Camp and helped there, too. Lisa led one of our teens, Bethel, to the Lord on Thursday night of the camp. In October, we had our church’s Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner on a much smaller scale due to limited seating in our current building. We had around 20 unsaved people attend and hear the Gospel! We are currently preparing for our Christmas outreach. We plan to go to a very busy public transit station on December 17 and sing Christmas songs and pass out Gospel literature with an invitation to our church. We are praying for 35 of our church people to go and be the choir for this outreach. Could you pray for God to bless this?

One of our neighbors came to see us on a Saturday in September because his marriage had fallen apart. He was broken hearted and seeking help. We visited with him, tried to comfort him, and pointed him to the Lord. He came to church that Sunday and prayed to accept Christ. We have prayed for him and his family for almost 18 years. We have reached out to him in many ways over these years. We were thrilled to see him come to church and accept Christ. Could you pray for him to follow the Lord in Believer’s Baptism, grow in the Lord, and for his family to be saved?”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW YORK, THE BRONX, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Alan and Sabrina Davis —They share the following: “Our work here in the Bronx is still meeting in our apartment as of this moment. Although the circumstances in the inner city of New York have been very discouraging at times, we have not quit or given up. Our focus is not on the arm of the flesh but on the mighty power of God. We have a remnant of people who are still coming; however, many have already left us because the way was difficult, but if we get a facility worth having, we can get more people.”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, SUNYANI, Daniel and Raquel Akuokoh — They write, “In the last few weeks, during our times of soul winning, the Lord allowed us to see three people saved. Raquel was able to meet with one for discipleship this week, but something came up just as they began. Although that did not go as planned, a mother and her friend were there and began to ask Raquel some questions about the Bible and Christianity. There was a bit of language barrier, so the mother asked Raquel to bring me next time to answer her questions. The mother’s friend is interested in joining our Bible study and has made her home available as a meeting place. Please pray that there will be an opportunity to present her with the Gospel and for God to work on her heart so that she will receive it.”


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, NAIROBI, William and Tammy Brouwer — They share the following report: “In September and October, the third objective of our ministry here (training national pastors and leaders) was emphasized. Our church here in Nairobi hosted a three-day conference for pastors and church leaders. There were over 400 total attendees with over 200 of these being pastors from churches throughout Kenya and Tanzania. The theme of the main preaching sessions was on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. In addition to the main services, there were breakout sessions every afternoon dealing with such topics as church music, preparing expository sermons, knowing your identity in Christ, a biblical perspective on suffering, and other relevant workshops. At the end of the conference, each attendee was given several books for help in the ministry and for personal enrichment. The aim of the conference was to equip and encourage pastors and ministry leaders.

Training national pastors and leaders is crucial for the continued advancement of the Gospel in Africa. Population experts estimate that the population on the continent of Africa will double over the next 30 years. Coupled with the statistic that around 95% of all African pastors have not had any formal theological or pastoral training, we must continue to make equipping, teaching, and training Kenyan and Tanzanian pastors and leaders a top priority. Please pray that God would continue to raise up laborers for His harvest.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, CAYO, BELMOPAN. Jonathan and Elizabeth Shertzer — They share the following with prayer needs: “In September, Elizabeth was invited to teach a Sunday school seminar for a church in the Mennonite community. They also invited Jonathan to teach a marriage seminar in early October. Some of the younger generation of Mennonites here have started separating from the strict Mennonite orders and are turning to Christ alone for salvation. Please pray for these people as they grow in the Lord. At the end of the month, friends visited us from the States who spent a week of fellowship and service with us. They helped with cleaning and painting, and they participated in our quarterly Baptist youth rally with over 50 teens from eight different churches attending. The teens in our church look forward to these rallies.

Our church services continue with a spirit of unity and joy. . . . Three people were baptized recently, and two single mothers committed to raise their children for the Lord. Please pray specifically for three new families that have recently started attending our church. There is need for both salvation and spiritual growth in their lives. As the church grows, we have begun praying and searching for a permanent location for the church. Would you please pray with us that God would show us the right property?”


WESTERN EUROPE, SPAIN, JAEN, Michael and Jen Helton — They share the following: “We have enjoyed several outreach opportunities with the young people and college students we have grown to know. Baeza is a pueblo very close to us which has a special night each year during which they turn off all the lights and use candles to light up the city. We had an enjoyable time with a small group touring the streets and ancient churches and buildings.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Outreach and Evangelism
• Growth of Iglesia Bautista de la Gracia in Jaen
• Growth of Iglesia Bautista El Olivar in Dos Hermanas
• Isaiah and Abbey in college
• Salvation of our neighbor (new and old)
• Salvation of our landlord and his wife
• Salvation of new visitors in our services”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, RIONEGRO, ANTIOQUIA, Peter and Elisabeth Putney — They share the following with prayer requests: “Recently, Peter had the privilege of leading a man to the Lord after our church service. He had been attending our church with his wife for about six months. The incredible part of this story is that we had been praying for his salvation ever since his wife started coming to church seven years ago! How important it is to have patience in the work of the Lord.

We have been praying for a long time about helping our parents find an alternative to putting their children in the perverse public school system. As a result, the Lord has led us to start a Church Homeschool Group this January. Our parents are excited and we currently have 16 students enrolled . . . We would really appreciate your prayers for this endeavor.

A few weeks ago, we received a shipment of 500,000 Romans, 500,000 Gospel tracts, and 10,000 Bibles. . . . While our church will use much of the literature, the bulk will be distributed to other churches in Colombia, Venezuela, and possibly even Ecuador. Once again, we would like to thank all of you who pray for us and support our ministry.”

PRAISES
• 220 in attendance for the inauguration
• Container of Bibles and tracts arrived
• Many salvation decisions

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Remaining building project to be completed
• New Homeschool Group • More laborers”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, MEDELLIN, Mark and Katie Gerosin — They share the following with prayer requests: “REACHING — We have churchwide soul-winning twice each week. We are getting out a lot of material and continuing to reach many with the Gospel. More exciting than all of that is watching God build our evangelistic core with young people. . . . SENDING — We had the opportunity to have our annual missions conference. We brought in a special speaker and prayed that God would help us send more to missions. . . . We are taking on a new missionary in Venezuela and raising our monthly support of the others. TEACHING — Katie was happy to present her top three Sunday school students with an Excellency Award. They had been studying the life of Paul and everything he endured getting the Gospel to unbelievers. . . . GROWING — Pastor Fredy is working hard. Not only are he and his wife working full-time jobs they also are also starting a new church plant. . . . Pray that God gives him strength as he labors the fields and that the fruit springs up and that the church continues to grow.

PRAISES
• 8 saved
• 2 baptized
• Missions conference a success

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Old church building to sell
• Funds for new building/lot to purchase
• A unique new church planting opportunity that has arisen”


USA MILITARY, JAPAN, FUSSA, Daniel and Haruna McKittrick — They share the following report: “In our previous letter, we asked you to pray for a particular man. We had visited in his home and talked with him about the Lord and he promised to come to church. Well, he DID make good on that promise and has continued coming! On October 20, he and his wife came to the church for some counsel and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him again. This time he bowed his head and prayed to receive Jesus as his personal Savior. Amen right there! He is scheduled to be baptized, so thank you for praying for him and his wife and their continued spiritual growth.

Back in May of this year, we passed out 3,000 Gospel fans during the Yakota Aim Base Friendship Festival. About a month later, Daniel received a text message from a young man from Mongolia who is living, studying, and working here in Fussa. He wanted to know if he could attend our services. Daniel wrote him back and told him he was welcomed to attend any and all of our services. Well, he ended up coming to our services and continued to come. Several of our folks reached out to him and shared the Gospel with him. In October, he trusted Christ as his Savior and followed the Lord in Believer’s Baptism. It is wonderful to think how God took a young man from Mongolia, moved him to Japan, and then connected him with an American military church, all to save his soul.”


WESTERN AFRICA, COTE d’IVOIRE, BINGERVILLE, Karie Ferguson — She shares the following: “These past two months have had some firsts, some good and some not so good. First, good! I started reading Bible chapters to a Christian sister and the young girl who is staying with her. Both are illiterate, though the girl is just now learning to read and write. The girl had a rough beginning in life, but she is now living with her sister and loves children’s class at church. Using the Abeka picture book, I have read through Genesis chapter three. These are opportunities to teach her truths from God’s Word without much distraction, as she is behind in her age. I am praying that God’s Word would rest in her heart. Pray for her salvation.

I have just finished another missionary story with the kids at church. Thus far, I do not think I have made any major ‘French blunders’ while telling the stories; however, I recently told my house agency lady that I wanted to drop by and pay my rent and ‘terminate’ my contract for December (rather than ‘renew’ it!). It took a few minutes to learn that I had used the wrong word. I corrected the situation swiftly! I am still adapting and making mistakes and I am glad for the patience and grace shown toward me.

Continue in prayer for the salvation of neighbors and unsaved family; witnessing opportunities; health needs, some tests soon; English class; special unspoken requests; guidance and safety.”


WESTERN EUROPE, SPAIN, PARLA (MADRID), Julio and Andrea Velasquez — They share the following report: “One week before we left Spain to come on furlough, we had the privilege of baptizing five new believers in the church. We pray now for spiritual growth as they receive discipleship classes.

We have been in contact with our neighbor lady in Spain. She has been in our ladies’ meeting and one church service and we are praying for her salvation. Please add her to your prayer list.

We are praising the Lord that one month ago we received approval to complete the remodeling of the church building. The men quickly began work on the outside of the building. The inside is almost completed; however, there are still finishing touches to complete, which we will do as funds are available.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, OKINAWA, Dan and Heidi Gardner — They share the following report: “October is an exciting month for us! JAPAN IS OPEN TO VISTORS! Japan is, finally, officially relaxing COVID guidelines. How does that affect us? Well, this helps the people to relax a bit in where they will go and visit. We are so thankful and humbled by the prayers and faithful support of you all. We are so excited to say that we have had four visitors in the last week of October! One is a 25 year-old man that just moved to our area. He went to college in America and was encouraged by a Christian friend here to look for a like-minded church to attend. Another is an older Japanese lady who has a Catholic background. Others are a sweet older couple who also just moved to our area and have been looking for a good church to attend. They found the church because of a tract they got in their mailbox! Several pastors have told us that passing out tracts do not work. I am so thankful that over the years, we have never stopped because of that. Please pray for these new visitors that we have had that they will continue to come and trust the Lord as their Savior!”


CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, Jeremy and Michelle Blanz — They share the following report with prayer needs: “Last month went by quickly as we continued our work in soul-winning. We have had a little extra help from two other men. One elderly man heard the Gospel and called upon the Lord for salvation. We will continue to visit him, encouraging him in the Lord. . . . We had many new visitors this last month and several returning. Unfortunately, our regular attendees have not been as regular as normal. Several have faced sicknesses and other problems, but we trust to see them back soon.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• That God will help one with her recovery after the eye surgery that left her in much pain
• That God will help us to balance the demands of ministry and keep pressing forward
• That God will help us to see more souls saved and added to the church”


USOUTHEAST ASIA, AUSTRALIA, NORTH LAKES, QLD, Joe and Melissa Marshall —They share the follow report with prayer requests: “On September 18 we had our Friend Day and Baptism Sunday. It was exciting to see our church invite people that they know to this service to hear the Gospel. In the morning service, we had 12 first-time visitors. After the service, we had around 50 people come back to our house for a BBQ lunch and the baptismal service where one was baptized. Please pray for her as she continues in discipleship studies. Also, pray for our visitors to respond to the Gospel.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Please pray for Pursue Youth Camp.
• Please pray for Melissa’s reconstructed knee causing discomfort.
• Please pray for Blessings Playgroup as we continue to use it to reach out to our community.”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Santo Domingo, Jeffri and Pamela Polanco —They share the following report: “During the first week of August, we had a mission group from the States to help us with our VBS and Youth Conference. The Lord blessed us tremendously during that week. During VBS, we saw record attendance for each day. Day One, we had 145; Day Two, 165; Day Three, 194 children. This was not counting the 50+ teens and adults. VBS brought many professions of faith along with many teens. They were also preached to in a separate room. IN ADDITION to that, we were able to take the missions group out daily and we saw many profess that they had placed their trust in Christ. We are so thankful for what the Lord did that week, but we are also thankful for the great enthusiasm from all the church members as they become involved with the events.”

November 2022


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Jeff Gross —He shares the following with prayer needs: “This month we held a Bible conference with family relationships as our focus. Satan has done a tremendous work in changing family structure and family values. It is normal in Thailand for families to leave their children and their care with relatives or even with children’s homes. As a result, many children are not being brought up with the love and nurture they require. Even when they get saved, there is a moral foundation that is lacking. So, one of our aims is to teach men and women character and virtue; i.e., add to your faith virtue; and to faith knowledge. The goal is to build strong Biblical family principles.

In addition, we visited a young man who was saved about four years ago, but he has been out of church for a couple of years. This year he was in a motorcycle accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. He taught me a great spiritual lesson that really touched my heart. He said that his legs were the cost he had to pay to Satan for walking in Satan’s way. I was surprised at his spiritual insight into the cause. He did say he was glad of one thing: he now sees Jesus in a whole new light. He is not bitter at all. Thank you for your prayers and support.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Salvation of M., T., B., M.
• Salvation of D.’s sister
• Learning the language and culture
• Churches in Thailand
• Seeds to take root in hearts


SOUTH AMERICA, VENEZUELA, LARA, BARQUISIMETO, Carlos and Susan Arce —They share the following report: “What a great surprise we received when we saw the first person that was saved when we arrived in Venezuela in 1983! This lady and her mother were the first people who were baptized in our ministry. She is a medical doctor today in Miami. They arrived in our church and spent a few weeks with us. She is still a great soul winner and faithful to the Lord. As I visited some of the new churches to preach, she decided to go with us. What a blessing she was to the people! Helping them as a medical doctor at the end of the services.

We were able to meet another medical doctor who is also a Christian and looking for a Baptist church. While my wife, Susan, has been teaching the pastor’s wives every Wednesday morning, she invited these two doctors to come and share with the women about health instruction. The pastor’s wives were so interested that at the end of the class, they bombarded them with many questions. Our plans are to prepare the leaders, so they can help their churches in all ways. One of the doctors went back to Miami last week, but the other doctor is with us and helping the people here.

This year we have been able to start two more churches. God is good. He is real and sill working in our midst. Keep praying for us.”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, GRENADA, ST. ANDREWS, GRENVILLE, Coco Chan —She writes the following: “K. C. and his two older brothers have been in my Sunday school class for about a year. They have a difficult home life and often wonder if they would have food when they get home. K.C. came to me one day and unwrapped the scarf carefully. There was this beautiful, sweet sugar apple that someone gave him a few days ago. He had it until it was ripe and soft and brought it to me. How sweet! Every bite I took of the sugar apple, I thanked God for this sweet little boy. Please pray for God to work out the situation in K. C.’s home and to help him catch up in school. He came to our school this year and is behind academically. Pray also for his salvation. He once raised his hand in Sunday school for salvation, but he has not made a decision yet.

Another sweet person God brought along by my side is my landlady who is a born-again Christian. Shortly after I moved into her downstairs apartment, she learned that some days I get home late at night. Since there is no streetlight by the house, I would get home in pitch dark unless I remembered to turn on the outside light. One Friday, I forgot to do so, but it was bright when I got home. She turned her outside light on even if it meant her electricity bill would go up! How sweet! God is so good to give K.C. and my landlady to be a blessing and encouragement to me.

PRAISES
• D.D. (16) at the juvenile center made a profession of faith.
• K., my Sunday school student, accepted Jesus as Savior.
• The Bible class at the government schools resumed in September without any hassle this year.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• My bank in Canada still has not finished the investigation. Pray for God to speed up the process and that they are willing to reimburse the funds they took from my account.
• Souls to be saved
• New visitors at church and visitors to return
• Students at school to have understanding and motivation to learn
• Wisdom, patience, love, and strength as I teach


USA MILITARY, SPAIN, ROTA, Michael and DeAnna Staley —They share the following report: “Since our last letter, we had our two highest attended services. The first was when we baptized a couple. Their family invited four families to come to the baptismal service. We also had another family visiting that day as well. With the baptism following the service, it was a great day.

This past Sunday, the Lord gave us another great day with a family visiting that was previously stationed here as well as a new couple that just arrived in Rota. Five of our young men and women that just returned from a four-month patrol joined us as well. It is always great to see them after they had been gone so long.

Since our last prayer letter, several things have happened that should remind us to pray for our military men and women. Not only do they serve and protect our country but also they also deal with issues and problems just like any of us. Many of them are away from home for the very first time.


SOUTH AFRICA, HILLCREST, Jeff Demarest —He shares the following report and prayer needs: “Ministry is always exciting! God always presents opportunities to glorify Him when we listen and follow His guidance. One of the highlights of ministry is the Kidz Klub we hold a Kwanyuswa. The children learn from the Bible the godly principles to live by. They can receive a Bible after they say their memory verses. The children also enjoy a craft they can take home. On Sunday, we may have 15 in attendance and 45 the following Sunday, yet there is a great need in this area that is rife with drugs and alcohol. Pray for these children that they will hide God’s Word in their hearts.

Praise the Lord for five ladies who accepted Christ at the Winston Park Rest Home! This is the last residence these folks will have before they enter eternity. They love singing the old hymns and hearing the Word of God, and of course, we have afternoon tea and cake before we start every service.

PRAYER REQUEST
• Permanent Residence Paperwork to be approved.


WESTERN EUROPE, SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN, Rick and Sarah Demastus —They share the following with prayer needs: “Anniversary Sunday was on October 9 and it was amazing! We passed out 1,000 flyers in Kincoth and invited families whom we have been reaching for the last few years. We encouraged our church families to invite neighbors and friends also. We wanted to double our attendance, which is around 45 each Sunday, and we hit 89 in attendance that day! Many heard the Gospel for the first time. We pray the visits to these homes will provide us an opportunity to reach those who are lost and need to be saved.

We have officially filled the space on the first bus (17 passengers) and were in need of another. The Lord answered that prayer by working on the heart of a church in the States to give. We officially purchased our second bus and are working on getting it set up and ready to go. Pray for us as we seek another faithful driver to go out each week and pick up families.”


USA MILITARY, GERMANY, BEILINGEN, Philip and Karen Pilalas —They share the following: “If you are not familiar with the dynamics of a military church overseas, they usually have big nurseries full of babies and toddlers, then many lower elementary children, and sometimes there are no teens at all or just one or two. That is not the case with us now. Our biggest children’s age group is elementary age children, and then we have 12 faithful teens and only four babies in our ministry. As always, we stay flexible with our rooms and volunteers needed for children’s ministries and are praising the Lord for all the teens we have now.

In the last two months, we have had four new families join Eifel Baptist Church; three are military families and one is Italian. We sit down with them and listen to their salvation and baptism testimonies and see if they have any questions about our church. Praise the Lord for bringing new people! Several of them have already started serving in a ministry.


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, KISUMU, Luke and Tonya Shelby —They share the following: “The outreach for Bible Study has been going very well in several areas. We have a small rented building that started on October 30. The Smiths have been a huge blessing in helping us in areas where we could not because of travels, college schedules, and ministries in other cities. Many have been saved and discipled in the past few months and we are meeting with around 30 adults in three different locations on a weekly basis.

We have started helping Calvary Baptist Church in the village of Sidundo build their permanent church building. They are raising funds for the bricks and mortar and we will come along beside them and match their offerings in completing this building. Please pray for them and the work to be able to be completed in the Lord’s timing.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, EL SALVADOR, SANTA ANA, Cesar and Christine Cerna —They give the following report: “The last four months have been a challenge as I have walked around my neighborhood (five times per week) with the purpose of sharing Christ. By doing this, I can witness to an average of about seven people each week. The Lord is opening doors for me to make friends with many neighbors. I make it a point to write down their names and to pray for them every day. The list has almost 100 names and it keeps growing. Just this past week I was able to witness to one of the security guards who works close to my house. Please pray that the Lord will continue to give me the boldness to approach people and that He brings conviction to these lost souls.”


EAST AFRICA, MOZAMBIQUE, CHIPATA, Taylor and Lorin Norris —They share the following: “Hope Baptist Church is doing great as we see the Lord do fantastic things here in Chipata! We have had from 3-10 visitors every Sunday for the last month. As a result of these visitors, many of them have made professions of faith after we made follow-up appointments. All these folks are coming because of our going out three days a week for around four hours at a time, knocking on doors, or standing on street corners passing our Gospel tracts.

We had a language teacher for a short time, but she ended up getting a new job so now we are looking for a new teacher again. Please pray that we can find the right teacher to help us learn the language well.

We had planned an exploratory trip to Mozambique within the next two months to try to gain more information for an expedition next year following the rainy season! Pray for God’s wisdom and direction in this endeavor.”


FAR NORTH, GREENLAND, Gage and Aleah Gilbert —They write, “We recently switched to a new Danish teacher, and we are really enjoying his style of teaching. His classes are a lot of fun, and he makes one feel at ease. Please pray that he will be receptive to hear the Gospel. We have already had some conversations with him about what we believe, and we would like to continue to have opportunities to share the Truth with him. Also, we have really seen much progress in our abilities in recent days and are thankful for God’s continued grace and strength in our lives through this past year of our language-learning partner.

Just a few months back we were excited to receive our Danish visas and are now planning and working on finishing our final months here in Denmark so we can take that final step in God’s plan for our lives—moving to Greenland!

It has been a great blessing pastoring the Grace Baptist Church here in Copenhagen. Currently, we are going verse-by-verse through the great book of Ephesians and seeing all the rich blessings we have been given as God’s children. Please pray for this church that God would send a missionary to take Grace Baptist Church in Copenhagen!”


CARIBBEAN, PUERTO RICO, Jerry and Liz Harmon —They share the following report: “Soon after our return to Puerto Rico, a lady visited our church. She came forward during that service and said she needed to learn how to pray. Jerry was able to lead her to the Lord. She returned the following Sunday and Jerry talked to her about baptism. She was baptized the following Sunday and has been growing mightily in the Lord. She reads her Bible every day and has made statements how her previous church was not preaching what the Bible says. We were excited to see her growth and Liz has been discipling her weekly now. She recently has begun to bring her father (a Spanish-speaking retired Catholic priest) to church. He says he enjoys it. We have begun to witness to him, and Jerry plans to sit down with him and discuss salvation more clearly. Pray that he will be saved.”


SOUTH AMERICA, PERU, CHICLAYO, Lee and Eva Johnson —They share the following report and prayer requests: “We had a setback in that the cylinder head of our truck gave out and now the truck is in the shop, waiting for parts to arrive in order to get the vehicle up and running again.

Although we had the setback, Eva and I were able to advance with the long awaited and way overdue repair of our church’s roof. The month before COVID arrived in Peru in March 2020, we were about to start the roofing of our church and it had to be delayed. So, since February 2020, we were without use of our church building. Praise our Wonderful Lord for allowing us to finally finish putting the roof back on after all this time! On Tuesday, August 30, the roofing was completed!

Since 1995, Eva and I have been serving in the city of Chiclayo with the Deaf and hearing. C. Q. is a man who was trained in the ministry for the Deaf that we started, In 1998 we started a work for the Deaf in the city of Ferrenafe, located about 40 minutes NE of Chiclayo. In 2004, C. felt called of the Lord to become the pastor in Ferrenafe. After 27 years of working with the Deaf in Chiclayo, the Lord showed me it was time to hand the church over to a national pastor. C. felt the Lord leading him to return to Chiclayo to take over the Deaf church that we have been ministering to for these years, so he is the pastor of the church now.

I will continue to be the pastor of the hearing church in the current location. Our work, with the Deaf will continue as missionaries because two churches far outside of the city of Chiclayo have asked me to help them start Deaf ministries in their churches. Please be in prayer as the Lord directs me in this great and dire need to continue to reach the Deaf in the vast UNREACHED areas of Peru.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, SUCCESS, Gary and Sherrie Lester —They share the following with prayer needs: “As sickness has been overwhelming in the community and at times has limited our meetings, we are glad that we have been able to have services for the majority of this last quarter. Over the last three weeks, we have looked into the first three Gospels and seen how our Lord is pictured as King in Matthew, Suffering Servant in Mark, and the Son of Man in Luke. Now we are able to look at Christ as the Son of God in the book of John.

We are having some exciting things happen lately with our church. Recently, we have had a new young family visiting. We are also looking forward to the new year as some people have been attending and have family moving into the area and are planning to come along as well. God has also allowed us to make more contacts, and I have had the wonderful privilege to give the Gospel on several occasions to some high school students in the school where I teach some classes.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Pray for a lady who has been attending for several months but has yet to receive Christ.
• Pray for all our contacts and all the places where the seed had been planted that we will see ‘fruit that abounds to your account.’
• Pray for Gary’s health as he has been quite ill over the last few months. He has some medical tests coming up and trusting to get some answers.”


October 2022


WESTERN EUROPE, ESTONIA, PEETRI, Rob and Angela Willoughby —They share the following: “The Peetri Fair, based on last’s year success, was focused on attracting children to our booth. Angela prepared dozens of packets containing some Gospel literature, candy, and an invitation to our weekly Bible Club. Box drinks and games completed our child-drawing presentation. The ladder golf and cornhole games were a huge asset to us that day. Many adults stopped by to ask about the cornhole game! One Estonian man in particular knew more about cornhole because he knew the boards and beanbags were not of competition quality. Praise the Lord for every conversation and every Gospel witness!

We used our booth and yard games again at the Café Day, and again our cornhole games drew much attention. While the neighborhood was full of family cafes selling coffee, desserts, and gourmet hamburgers, we offered free American-style desserts and Christian literature. With these outreach events behind us, we look forward to the fall and harvest seasons. Please pray for growth in our weekly Bible Club and for opportunities to witness.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, HONDURAS, EL PROGRESO, Matt and Dallita Goins —They share the following: “Since arriving in Honduras 20 years ago, God has done exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever imagine. We praise the Lord for the power of the Gospel, the support team we have, the wonderful teammates we have had the privilege to work with, the two churches planted, the hundreds of souls saved and baptized, and our ministry partnership that enhance the reach of our local church. We are BLESSED!

Recently, we celebrated Hope Sunday, which focuses on the ministry of Hope of Honduras Children’s Home on our ministry campus. We work with an amazing team that attends to the physical and spiritual needs of the 35 children who live there. There is hope in Jesus!”


USA MILITARY MINISTRIES, GERMANY, Joseph and Laura Passaro —They share the following report: “One of the important ministries concerning a Military work is single soldiers. I mentioned some time back about praying for more single soldiers to come. Your prayers are being answered, but the sad thought is that they come for a time and then seem to just not be interested in God’s Word or standing out as a Christian with their soldier friends. The barracks are a tough place for Christian soldiers with Satan’s presence everywhere. That is why I become burdened for these young people. Please do not stop praying even though we see them drop off from church. We do have one single soldier who has been coming faithfully for over a year now and is growing in the Word of God.”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW MEXICO, SHEEPSPRINGS, John and April McDaniel —They share the following with prayer requests: “We have been blessed to see the return of some of our church members whom we have not seen since 2020. J’s family started coming to church again and he got saved. We had 41 in attendance recently on a Sunday morning.

We are blessed to have one acre of land where we can build a house on the reservation. It is just 150 yards from the church building. We have two ongoing projects on our home site. The first project is our log house that we are saving up for and the second is a mobile home that we purchased from the widow of Missionary Bobby Harjo. We are planning to live in the mobile home until we finish our log house. We still need electricity, running water, a septic system, and much more.” PRAYER REQUESTS
• Souls to be saved
• Baptism and discipleship
• Workers and leaders to be trained


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, NTINDA, Dan and Amie Dwire —They share the following report with praises and prayer needs: “Much of the growth of Faith Baptist Church has been the faithful families God is bringing to our church. As a result, our children’s ministry for 2– 12-year-olds continues to grow as well though we added another room to our rented space back in December that has become too small for our Children’s ministry. In August, our landlord gave us permission to break out the bricks of a partial wall that separated our children’s space from another small room. This additional room increased our children’s space capacity by 50% and two Sundays later that was maxed out as well. We look forward to God’s time and provision of our new church building to be constructed. Please keep praying with us as we await approvals from the town council and as we negotiate the construction contract.”

PRAISE
• The 5th Anniversary of Faith Baptist Church
• The freedom we have in both our host country and birth country to serve the Lord
• The growing number of church members involved in the ministry of Faith Baptist Church

PRAYER REQUESTS
• The unsaved to trust Christ and new Christians to begin discipleship
• Wisdom in planning increased ministry opportunities for our church family in 2023”


FAR EAST, PHILIPPINES, SAMAR, Layne and Nelia Jones —They share the following report with many prayer needs: “Prayer works if we work at praying! We have been praying for more professions of faith in the services. Last Sunday, there were 31 professions of faith! We had a mother and her daughter come who were saved through the street-preaching ministry. In 1985, the population of the Philippines was 68 million; today, there are 110 million.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Please pray for children to come to church. The devil has been really fighting to keep children out of church.
• Please pray that the radio station would be effective in reaching the lost. The radio is running 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Many are listening and some are responding.
• Please pray for faithful electricity. We are experiencing quite a few brownouts. We have to run the generator. We have a 3,000-watt transmitter that needs to be hooked up.
• Please pray that we can get it hooked up soon so more souls will be saved through the radio ministry.
• Please pray for our tract ministry. We have been praying for the tract ministry to be effective. I received a text from a young man who had read a tract and he would like to have a Bible study in his home. Tracts really work.
• Please pray for funds to build a church in San Jose. We now have land and need to build a nice church building. San Jose is a large town and there are families there that want a church building.
• Please pray for the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP). We have been soul winning there quite a bit lately. They have over 11,000 students and they need Jesus. I was able to lead 13 to Christ this past Saturday. Pray for the UEP students to surrender to go to Bible college, and please pray for more students to enroll in our Bible college.”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, SANTIAGO, Clifton and Tiffany Booth —They share an exciting report: “God has once again proven how awesome He is. In our last letter, we explained where the land purchase process was. Well, I am thrilled to tell you that the process is officially complete! We now own the land. All paper work has been done and the purchase was approved by the Chilean government. We are now working with our architect to draw up the plans for the building. Hopefully, within a few days, the plans will be submitted to the local municipality for approval. It should take about 4–6 weeks for review and approval but once we submit the plans, we are then allowed to begin construction. Many issues have come up which need prayer! So please pray that all these problems will be solved and they do not need finances to complete the preparation for the building!


USA MINISTRIES TO SPANISH, NORTH CAROLINA, HENDERSONVILLE, Ed and Barbara O’Brien —They share the following: “We are excited about the growth we are seeing in our people. The Lord gave us the opportunity to have missionary Richar Flores and his family with us several weeks ago. They are on deputation and going to the country of Argentina, South America. Richar and I had the opportunity to go soul winning together and we had 3 adults and 7 teens receive Christ as their Savior. What was so encouraging is that our people came to me and asked if we could support them as our missionaries. It was truly exciting to see this growth in our people and to see them have a heart for missions. We voted in total agreement to support them as our first missionaries.”


USA MINISTRIES, ITALY, AVIANO, Ron and Barb Parrott —They share the following: “We finally made it to Italy to minister at Calvary Baptist Church here in Aviano, Italy. Thank God! Italy finally dropped all their restrictions and opened the door for us to be able to take the church here until the new missionary pastor arrives in December.

Things are looking good for the church since the big turnover, which caused the loss of all their people due to PCS orders. We have seen an increase in attendance within the last three weeks. We also have an Italian Ministry in the church. Yesterday, there was a young Airman who accepted Christ as his personal Savior in the AM service. Pray for his wife who is expecting their first child. God is still in the soul saving business!”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, KOBE, James and Rebekah Scott —They share the following with prayer needs: “A few months back, I mentioned a lady who was our first visitor here in Japan back in 2018. At the end of our furlough, she accepted Christ and it has been a joy to see her growing in the Lord. When she accepted Christ, her husband mentioned that he would like to go to church sometime with her. Recently, he has been attending with her each Sunday. Please pray that he will also accept Christ very soon. In addition, a member of our church invited a friend of hers to church. Eventually, she made a decision to attend church and after attending for a few weeks, she accepted Christ! This encouraged us as well as this church member. But the blessing does not stop here! Just as Philip said to Bartholomew, ‘Come and see,’ she in turn invited her husband to come and hear about Jesus and he has attended faithfully every Sunday. Praise the Lord for how He has been working in our church! Please continue to pray for our church here in Japan.”


WESTERN EUROPE, SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN, Rick and Sarah Demastus —They share the following with prayer needs: “We finished the month of August with a Youth Activity in ‘Jump In.’ It was great to see so many new teens come out and the Gospel was clearly presented yet again for them.

We praise the Lord a new family has recently started attending our church services and this past week the daughter received Christ as her Savior! We officially moved into a new facility this past weekend. It was an interesting time as it was the same Sunday the Queen’s funeral procession was taking place and the road closures caused our service to start later than anticipated, but our people still ventured out and came. Continue to pray for us as we make plans to purchase this facility in the upcoming year.

Over this year, we have been working fervently in getting another 10,000 NTs distributed in Aberdeen. As of last Saturday, we have completed the task! Pray for our missions month as we focus on Faith Promise and our missions locally and globally.

Starting Anniversary Sunday, we will begin fundraisers and a building campaign to raise funds for the South St. Nicholas Church building. The building and parsonage go up for sale in July 2023. Speaking with the minister and faculty, they want to keep it a church and community outreach. After seeing our NBT event in July, they want us to be the next owners. Currently, we do not know the official cost of the facility but are raising L100, 000 to offset the cost. Because of the backlash the Church of Scotland has received due to demolishing properties, we hope they will be more inclined to work with us as we plan to be active in the community.

We ask prayer as we hold services each week in this facility and begin preparation to raise funds. We know five other Church of Scotland buildings will be up for sale at the same time, but this building is in the location where we have been reaching families.”


WEST AFRICA, TOGO, KARA, Randy and Jeanette Alderman —They share the following: “Last month we graduated several from our Bible institute students and sent them out to fill their new roles in ministry. One is joining with Pastor Soapa in the Dapaong area to help strengthen and further develop that area in church planting endeavors. He especially has a heart for the Sableanga church where he was saved, but with his wonderful servant’s heart, he will also be a blessing in that region of the country.

Another is returning to his home area of Tchaloude where we have three young church plants and one established congregation. He has demonstrated both a willingness and a desire to serve the Lord to the fullest. He will be a great blessing and encouragement to Pastor Abalo who serves the congregations in that area.

We praise the Lord that we were able to finish the building at Calvary Baptist Church of Lome II just before the heavy rains! We still marvel at the way the Lord brought this piece of property to us, now located in a strategic area of Kara near the new market. We are presently constructing 75 benches to put in the new building with the hope that many who are seated on them will hear the Gospel and accept Him as Savior.”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, ANTIOQIA, RIONEGRO, Peter and Elisabeth Putney —They share the following report: “As many of you know, we have been in the middle of a gigantic building project for the last four months. I am very happy to report that we moved into our new building on September 18. . . . While the building project will take several more months to complete, we will have the auditorium and kids classes done. Our church has now moved in and turned over the building that we were currently renting to the end of September.

It has been a tremendous blessing to see new believers growing in their faith. We recently had a young man in our youth group follow Christ in baptism. He and his family completed our discipleship course with the assistant pastor. I also had the privilege recently to marry a couple. They were saved in our church during the Easter service and have been doing discipleship. They had previously lived together and wanted to get their lives right and follow Christ. They will be baptized very soon as well.”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, GRENADA, Joseph and Donna Childers —They share the following with prayer requests: “This year the Christian school had 20 children registered for our Preschool through Grade 4. More than half of these children do not attend any church, so we have a prime opportunity to reach them with the Gospel. Please pray for each of the students, for four teachers (three nationals, and our co-worker Sister Coco Chan), and for God’s continued hand upon the school aspect of the ministry. Pray also as we plan for one last expansion next summer, which will allow us to influence these children daily from preschool to secondary school.

The church plant continues to flourish spiritually. The past months have been marked by good unity and impactful spiritual decisions. Our Sunday mornings have taken on a focus of full surrender to Christ with several Grenadians who have pledged their lives 100% to Him for whatever purpose He has for them. Please pray for those who have made such decisions. The enemy wants to snatch that seed and faith away from them!”

PRAISES
• Salvation decisions
• New school building completed

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Godly wisdom
• Finances (school and personal)
• Committed men”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA BIBLE COORDINATOR, Alan and Donna Brooks —They share the following report and prayer needs: “I received the following message from the pastor of Exodus Baptist Church in Mt. Hagen, ‘Praise the Lord, a soul saved today through the phone! A student from Tari town called and I led her to the Lord and she accepted Christ with tears and was so happy that she got saved. I spent two hours to answer some of her questions and she understood so well. Pray for this young lady that she will grow in the Lord through the Word. Brother Alan Brooks, thanks for bringing the Bibles into the country. God bless you.’

This young lady called from the city of Tari in the province of Hela. She courageously made a phone call to someone she did not know to learn how to be saved. To me this is the clear evidence of the Holy Spirit working in the heart of a young person. This town has no Baptist church at this time, so all the Bibles that were given out in that area were stamped with the contact of one of the closest churches, which sadly is six to eight hours away from the area where she lives. What a tremendous need and opportunity for a soul winning church to be started to reach and disciple this new generation!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• That the door stays open to distribute the Bibles with the change in the government due to the election
• That the hearts of the young people in PNG will continue to be open to receive the Gospel
• That God will call someone to start a Gospel-preaching church in areas of need like the city of Tari in Hela
• For safety and God’s protecting hand as we travel to the schools
• For my continued healing during recovery”


August 2022


WEST AFRICA, CȎTE D’IVOIRE, BINGERVILLE, Robert and Rebekah Mach —They share the following: “On the first day of June, the Bingerville church was able to ordain three new deacons, giving the church a total of six. As a part of the Sunday morning service, we went through a time of doctrinal and practical questioning of these candidates elected by the church body. These men were able to demonstrate good Scriptural knowledge and understanding. After the questioning, the three previous deacons and I prayed over these three new deacons individually dedicating them for this service.

We had the privilege of baptizing six converts into the membership of the Bingerville church in the morning service, three men and three women ranging from 18 to 56 years old. It was a pleasure to exercise this church ordinance. In the evening, we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. The six deacons assisted me in directing this service and church ordinance.

This church has already reached autonomy in many different aspects. Once our construction is complete and our future pastor has completed his training, it will be terrific to officially grant autonomy to this church.”


FAR EAST, PHILIPPINES, Layne and Nelia Jones —They share the following report and prayer needs: “During the students’ soul winning last Monday, one of the students was able to lead two families to Christ who had been listening to 104.5 FM Christian radio. I witnessed to a lady who works at the Department of Trade and Industry. She had been listening to our radio station. She got saved! Many more are listening to the radio. Pray we can get the 3,000-watt transmitter hooked up so we can reach many more with the Gospel. There have been nine new students who have moved into the dorms for Bible college. Please pray for more laborers for this great harvest field. Yesterday was our Alumni Meeting. Please pray for all the graduate pastors’ needs. We appreciate so much those who are helping our graduates. We would appreciate your prayers for our World Missions Conference August 15-18.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Jeff Gross —He shares the following with prayer needs: “This year the Lord has opened many opportunities for us to present the Gospel to the lost, and we have seen several saved. A high school boy was invited to church. He stayed with us for about three weeks during school break. Our young men witnessed to him and after about one week he accepted Christ as his Savior. He showed much interest in learning the Bible as well. He is now living at a home for students and going to high school. He has already expressed a desire to come and study with us. Two of his friends are living with us and going to high school while learning the Bible.

We also went to another province and visited a family of two of our members. We were able to spend some time with one’s grandparents and present to them the Good News of the Gospel. We also spent time with the other’s aunt and cousin and were able to talk about the Bible, religion, and salvation. Tradition and ancestry are very important and influencing Thai families. A Thai person feels like they are betraying their family if they trust in Jesus. Many believe that good luck comes from ancestors, so there is a fear not to follow in ancestor paths.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Salvation of several
• Learning language & culture
• Churches in Thailand
• Seeds to take root in Hearts”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, TAUBATE, Ed and Maribel Johnson —They share the following: “Our focus has always been the Great Commission—to preach the Gospel, baptize converts, and disciple God’s people. On Saturday afternoons during our church-wide evangelism time, we have around ten teens and fifteen adult soul winners, who go out door-to-door or visiting on a regular basis. Our one-on-one discipleship program continues to grow and we currently have approximately 15 adults meeting regularly with their disciples.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Our Nehemiah Project (funds for church property)
• Missionary Keith Putnam’s church plant in Pindamonhangaba in August
• More laborers”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, CAYO, Jonathan and Elizabeth Shertzer —They share the following report: “In May I took our teens to Amazing Grace Baptist Church in another district for a youth rally. Our youth enjoyed seeing familiar faces and making new friends during the preaching and activities. One of our young men started taking sermon notes because of the influence of the rally. He and I go over his notes together and have been able to talk about what he is learning from the preaching. I am thankful for this Godly influence in his life, Please pray for unity and growth in our church as we serve the Lord together.

For Father’s Day this year, we invited the men and teen boys to our house for pizza and fellowship. I am truly thankful for the men in our church who have a desire to lead their families according to God’s Word. Please pray for men to follow Jesus. Almost every family in our church has at least one unsaved or spiritually apathetic man for whom we are praying.

At the end of June, we had a couple’s luncheon to celebrate anniversaries. We had a great fellowship of food, singing, and an encouraging devotion. What a blessing to hear the testimony of a couple that has been married for 43 years! May the Lord continue to raise up healthy marriages for His glory!”


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, MEXICO CITY, Jorge and Aimee Rodriguez —They share the following: “We are rejoicing with the blessings of baptizing 10 people on May 29 at the new property. Please pray for their continued spiritual growth and involvement in reaching the lost.

We have been overwhelmed and encouraged with the generous response by friends and church families and their giving toward buying the church property. This has made the church become a more permanent location and identity in the community. We have also been blessed because the struggle in dealing with the difficult landlords had come to an end. Sad to say, but the place we were renting, the owner did not return our deposit.

As the community becomes more aware of the church and its current location, pray that new doors will be opened to evangelize the lost. Because of our new location, a member of our church has invited her sister and husband and they have been coming faithfully for a couple of months. On June 23 I started a Bible study with them. Please pray for their salvation. They have three small children.

Some of the husbands of the ladies who were baptized have not trusted in Christ yet. I have had the blessing of sharing the Gospel with some of them, but they have rejected the Gospel of our Lord. Please pray that these ladies with patience will be a testimony to their lost husbands.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, EL SALVADOR, Adam and Esther Fridenstine —They share the following report with prayer needs: “The third week of May we had an amazing revival meeting Sunday through Wednesday. Honestly, it was one of the best revival meetings that I have ever attended. We prepared with much prayer and fasting and our people were faithful and open. God worked in so many hearts and there is a love, a unity, and a desire in our church family to reach the world for Christ.

We need more churches and we need the churches that are already planted to remain strong and healthy. Folks, in the last few weeks our lives have been full of encouraging and helping pastors and missionaries. We took one couple out to lunch, welcomed another to the country, helped work through some problems here and Stateside with another and have sent one of our couples to cover another who is going on furlough. With all of that, our own Walter and Myra Menjivar (who were discipled and trained and staff members in our ministry) are finishing their deputation and moved to Nicaragua July 7! Please pray and please consider helping us get them settled and equipped so they can jump right in and reach souls with the Gospel.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• The Menjivars need a little more financial support to come in.
• They need help with start-up costs.
• They need a different vehicle.”


SOUTH AMERICA, SURNAME, Mark and Emily Mariner —They share the following: “We are excited that in addition to souls coming to Christ for salvation, we have been able to see new believers grow in Christ. . . . A couple along with another gentleman came to our home for their first discipleship lesson. We are using the “Foundation of My Faith” series published by the Grace to Grow Ministries of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. Emily prepared an excellent meal and we spent time reading and explaining the Scriptures. Please pray for continued growth of this ministry. We desire not only to disciple new converts but also to train and equip others to do the same. The discipleship program will go hand-in-hand with an increased focus on follow up visitation. We will also be employing WhatsApp—a free messenger app that is used by virtually everyone here in Guyana. We will be using this new tool to send sermons, devotionals, and Gospel music and to keep in touch with prospects and church visitors.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Follow up ministry
• Discipleship classes
• Recurring vehicle engine issue to be resolved
• Upcoming survey trip to Suriname”


CLAIM Ministries, Carl and Glenda Vonnoh —They share the following report: “I was privileged to travel to Ushuaia, the most southern part of South America. Missionary Raymond Zacal and his family have established the Counselor Baptist Church and a three-year Bible institute. He was saved and received training in our ministry at Harvest Baptist Church in San Juan City, Manila, Philippines.

Pastor Zacal gave me the invitation to teach couples and preach the organizational service for the church. After I preached the morning service, three young men made professions of faith. The following Wednesday afternoon a new believer braved frigid temperatures (32 degrees F) to follow the Lord in baptism in a cold mountain stream. Praise the Lord for his dedication and obedience! This is a soul winning, discipling church minister interested in reaching Ushuaia and others towns in the Argentine Patagonia. Pray for the Zacal family. They need your prayers and financial support in this missions endeavor.”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield —They write: “We took part in a local fair giving out John and Romans with church tracts along with ice cold water bottles. Andrea did a couple of magic tricks to draw people in and we were able to witness to quite a few. We have had many visitors recently and several returning guests. Two families are starting to become regular and we pray they will join our church soon. One couple has only been married a year and have a two-week old baby. The man had surrendered to preach when he was 15 but never followed through with the call. He feels convicted about it and has asked me to help him learn to preach! Pray for him and his wife as they continue maturing in Christ.

A lady called me out of the blue from Alaska worried about her grandson who lives in Commerce. His girlfriend left him and he is in a bad way. We had been meeting with him and he is accepting counseling. He has been coming to church for the last few weeks faithfully. Please pray for wisdom as I encourage and teach these that the Lord has brought across my path.”


CARIBBEAN, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS, Paul and Amy Valles —They share the following report: “There is incredible pressure here for locals to go to a predetermined church—usually their ‘family’s’ church (grandparents, uncle, aunt, etc.) if they do choose to attend a church at all. If they start attending another church, their family pressures them to come back to their family’s church. Therefore, we might have occasional visitors, but they do not often continue coming because of that pressure. That being said, we have seen people get saved, even given them Biblical assurance of their salvation, but this pressure keeps them from attending our services. They seem to understand the Gospel when we present it, but then we talk to them again, and they have been bombarded by a false gospel works salvation in their family’s church. They do not have any assurance in their hearts of where they are going, but for a moment when we open our Bible and show them. This false gospel has a chokehold on their hearts. Please pray for Satan to be hindered, for people to be saved, and for them to have assurance of their salvation that they might grow.”


FAR NORTH, GREENLAND, Gage and Aleah Gilbert —They share the following: “We are so happy that we have finally been approved for residency in Denmark. However, that was only the first step. We then had to register our address, apply for our health cards, set up our NemID (a personal digital signature needed for all online banking, etc.), and get a bank account. This entailed three trips to the borger service (an all-in-one citizen service for things such as health cards and drivers’ licenses) and one to the bank. Outside of ironing out a few details with our bank, we have been able to accomplish each of those things and have received our health and residency cards. Praise the Lord!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• For our continued learning and understanding of Danish
• For completion of Gospel resources in Danish

PRAISE
• Finalization of our residency
• Decisions made and people saved at our camp”


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, NTINDA, Dan and Amie Dwire —They share the following with prayer needs: “The first week of June is always an intense week for our community. While the past two years were exceptions because of COVID, our neighborhood expects about a million visitors every June as part of the annual Martyrs’ Day Pilgrimage. The religious event remembers 25 Ugandans who died for their faith in the late 1800s. The Catholic and Anglican churches each have special services which draw millions of pilgrims, thousands of security personnel, and hundreds of street vendors. As a missions project, our local church gave funds to print 27,000 high-quality full-color Gospel tracts titled ‘Something Free for You.’ We also had a few thousand tracts in local languages from Fellowship Tract League. It was exciting to see our church work together to fold and distribute about 22,000 tracts over four days. The remaining tracts will be used in our ongoing outreach and evangelism.

PRAISE
• Thousands who received tracts during Martyrs’ Day Week Outreach
• Members of Faith Baptist Church who are stepping into new areas of leadership

PRAYER REQUESTS
• The start of the new semester at East Africa Baptist College
• The favor and approval of our building plans and wisdom in raising construction funds
• The upcoming start of another year of homeschooling”


USA MILITARY, GERMANY, BAUMHOLDER, Joseph and Laura Passaro —They share the following: “Last month our church celebrated Father’s Day with a GIFT for our fathers along with food and fellowship. The Bible message was ‘The Importance of Fathers.’ The key emphasis during the Sunday sermon was ‘The battleground is in our homes and What’s at stake is ‘Our Children and our Marriages.’ I believer Christian fathers are giving up ground to keep peace, which has caused homes to be without SPIRITUAL leadership. Why my concern, because Christian Fathers need to be spiritual leaders of the household, but unfortunately Christian homes are falling away to worldly enticements. Please pray for our military fathers that have trusted Christ Jesus will be leaders in their homes like they are trained to be leaders in battle.”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW YORK, THE BRONX, Alan and Sabrina Davis —They share the following: “Over the past several years we have faced many problems—the pandemic, mandates, restrictions, tight controls, NYC forcing us out of our last main place because the landlord could not, would not, or did not remove all the violations in the building, and health issues. BUT, we are approaching this year with a fresh and greater determination to plant an independent fundamental Baptist church here in the Bronx. Although the ten spies stumble in unbelief, faith says, “We can!” Even though we are still meeting in our apartment for church services, we have made progress on a church facility. When the pandemic hit, our Operation Stability Project #965 also took a hit. However, we have not given up and we are still looking for more friends praying hard to God. Our prayers are twofold: 1) God will provide the Cue Lounge or something better, and 2) The monthly payments will be little to nothing. PRAY!!


July 2022


FAR NORTH, CANADA, ONTARIO, TORONTO, Cory and April McTague —They share the follow report with three prayer requests: “Please pray for our summer outreach. It will include having another Face Painting booth in local parks. In the city, especially during the warm months, the local parks are packed with people. It is a great opportunity to meet people as their children get free face painting and a free balloon or cold bottle of water. It is well received. It opens a lot of doors of conversation to invite people to church and to share the Gospel.

We have several like-minded churches in the Greater Toronto Area who have a desire to help us reach Toronto for Christ. Pray God blesses these efforts to get the Gospel out.

We do believe the Lord is leading us to homeschool our children instead of sending them to a Christian day school. Pray God blesses our efforts to teach our children. This will open up our schedule to reach into our community more as well.”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Joy Wesson and Family —They share the following: “I am amazed how God continues to lead us to more and more deaf young adults. One of these is a deaf young man whom I had the privilege of leading to Christ. Please pray with us for our deaf for their continued growth and commitment to Christ. In a few short weeks we will begin preparing for camp. Our deaf are super excited about this opportunity, and we are trusting the Lord to work in their lives during this special time.

We appreciate your continued prayers for our need for a van. We have not been able to find what we need on the island, and what we found in the States has been out of our price range. We are trusting the Lord to guide us to find exactly what will meet our need!”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, SUCCESS, Gary and Sherrie Lester —They share the following: “First of all, we want to thank everyone for their prayers for our family. After looking at approximately 40 houses (with sometimes as many as 30 applications), we finally were able to find a place that suited our needs and our application was accepted; God answered our prayer. It was the cheapest place we saw, and it was perfect for our family. Our new neighbors grew up about 45 minutes from where Sherrie and I lived in the United States. Please pray for an open door to minister to them.

Please pray for an unsaved lady who has been attending the services now for around five months. She has recently been asking very good questions. Please pray that God would work in her life and we would be able to see her saved.”


WESTERN EUROPE, SCOTLAND, ABERDEEN, KINGSWELLS, Rick and Sarah Demastus —They share the following report: “May finished off with a youth activity at our house. We were supposed to have a scavenger hunt but had to postpone it to a later date. We enjoyed the testimonies from the youth and the blessings of food. The next weekend was our baptismal service. Two of the four scheduled were baptized on the 5th and it was a wonderful day. We baptized at the Dee River, had a fellowship lunch on the Fisherman’s Bothy, and many people stopped to watch the baptism and hear the Gospel message preached.

Sunday evening services have been challenging to begin but have proven helpful for the church. We started a series on ‘Avoiding Confusion’ and it has been insightful for those in attendance. Pray it continues to be a blessing.

Continue to pray for our church families as a couple of them have moved to England and another family is moving at the beginning of August. We have invested in these families for years and it is sad to see them go. Pray for our church to see growth and for these families as they start a new chapter in their lives.”


SOUTH CENTRAL AFRICA, ZAMBIA, Brian and Amanda Collins —They share the following: We are thankful for the many opportunities the Lord has given over the past couple of months. We had the opportunity to share the Gospel at ta three-day funeral of a man near one of the new church plants. The man had recently trusted Christ during an evangelism outreach in the village. There were many professions of faith at the funeral. Several hundred also gathered for a conference at a few of the churches. It is exciting to have things beginning to get back to normal without restrictions.

Please pray as we look at planting a church at a village close to the Congo border. A Bible study group has been meeting for some time there. A ministry has been started to reach mothers and babies at the lake. They have been able to minister by helping with food for mothers that cannot feed their babies. Another orphanage has also been started to meet the needs of orphans at the lake. We praise the Lord for all that He is doing.”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, MATO GRASSO, VARZEA GRANDE, Peter and Zirlene Doolittle —They share the following report: “Though we have been extremely busy with camps and the never-ending construction projects on the property, the work of the church is still a primary focus for us and has been steadily growing for the glory of God.

The young man that we have been training has been a blessing to the church and is beginning to adjust and be embraced by the people. We have had two souls saved in the past month or so. Pray for these ladies. Both have been coming to church regularly and have a hunger to know more about the Lord. Many children have also been faithfully attending and are a blessing and joy to all in the church.

Three believers joined our church recently. A saved couple has joined our church and has been growing quickly. We hope to be able to use their God-given talents to aid in the church ministry—especially with the children. It has also been encouraging to see some of the people who left during the pandemic come back to church again.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, EL SALVADOR, SANTA ANA, Cesar and Christine Cerna —They share the following: “Over the past few weeks, the Lord placed on me an increasing burden for my neighbors. In fact, I have a list of dozens of them that I pray for every day. A great majority of them have heard the Gospel from me over the years; however, just recently I decided to go out for a walk every day in my neighborhood. It is good exercise, but more than this, I pray God will open doors for me to be friendlier to my neighbors and witness to them. I am thankful to say that I have been able to share Christ with some of them recently. Please pray that the Lord would break down the walls of unbelief in the hearts and minds of the people who live close to us.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, OKINAWA, KITANAKAGUSUKA, Dan and Terri Gardner —They share the following: “The month of May seemed to be very busy as we tried to have different events to bring people to church. We were able to have a Mother’s Day service on May 8th that brought some mothers out for which we are thankful. There are still many who do not attend because of COVID and the fear of being around a group. Please continue to pray that the Japanese people would not be so paranoid about COVID.

Also, continue to pray for the Bible college as we have been remodeling the girls’ wing of the building and some of the classrooms. We are putting in new windows, doors, siding, sheetrock, flooring, and ceiling. The next phase of our project is July 25 through August 19. Please pray for the finances of this project and for laborers to help. Because of COVID, we are not able to get any volunteers from America to come to help us, so all the work is done by our missionaries and national pastors plus church members.”


SOUTH AFRICA, PORT ELIZABETH, Michelle Geiger —She shares the following report: “I am enjoying the opportunity to teach/help at Bay Baptist Academy here in South Africa. It is awesome to envision how the Lord is going to use these young people.

A grandmother who is a faithful member of Soweto Baptist Church is raising a sweet little girl and her brother. Their mother died about three years ago, sad to say, but this type of situation is common here. The brother is enrolled in Bay Baptist Academy. Pray that the Lord will provide a sponsor for the girl to attend the school in the future.

Our Xhos churches had their monthly youth meeting and the teens enjoyed the games, fellowship, and preaching. The youth meetings allow the young people time away from the worldly influences to hear from the Word of God. Please pray that the Lord will continue to give the nationals a burden to reach their own people groups with the Gospel.”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, Nate and Christine Saint —They share the following report: “And the best news is that we have often come close to filling up every available seat in our new building! We are now averaging about 30 people every Sunday morning, although Sunday evenings have been more scattered with the cold season upon us. We have had at least one first time visitor almost every week this year. Several of them have turned into regular visitors. Let me tell you about some of them so you can better pray for them. J. and F. and their five-year-old daughter have been coming for the past few months. M. and M. are the wife’s mother and stepdad and they have been coming regularly as well. G. and C. have been coming regularly with their five-year-old daughter. They used to attend a Baptist church that is closing and found us through our website. They have salvation testimonies. P. and K. found us through our Bible giveaway and have been coming ever since. We now hold weekly Bible studies with each of these families, in addition to the regular studies with our church families. We have had little time to spare between mid-week ministries and needed repairs on the church property.”


USA MINISTRIES, NORTH CAROLINA, HENDERSONVILLE, Ed and Barbara O’Brien —They share the following praise report: “As I write this letter, I am reminded of the TV add about the ‘Energizer Bunny.’ It just keeps going and going and going. The Lord has brought fruit in places that we could not have imagined we could ever reach. We praise the Lord for what he has allowed us to be a part of.

A brother who was saved and baptized in our church here in North Carolina is now back home in Nicaragua faithfully preaching the Gospel and teaching the Scriptures by way of Facebook. The first church we started in Mexico is doing well and reaching many more souls for the Lord Jesus. They also support a mission work in Venezuela, which has grown and is now starting another church with a new pastor out of their own work. They had a special outdoor campaign to start off this new church plant and had several saved and baptized. Another brother came out of our church in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and has now started Lighthouse Baptist Church in Sunnyside, Washington.

On May 1 we had five young men in their 20s attend our church here for the first time. Four of the men received Christ as their personal Savior. We praise the Lord for all He has done and will continue to do. To God be the glory! Only eternity will reveal all that the Lord has done!”


WESTERN AFRICA, THE GAMBIA, Dan and Sarah Jenkins —They share the following report: “In April, we began a new preaching series at our church on the Life of Jesus Christ. Since the beginning of our church in 2020, it has been our desire to lay a solid Biblical foundation for our church to grow on. That solid foundation starts with Jesus Christ because without a proper understanding of Christ, the Bible would be nothing more than a religious book teaching us good morals. . . . The response to this new preaching series from our church has been incredible. Many have said to us personally that they greatly appreciate a church that actually preaches and teaches the Bible as opposed to many churches here that preach prosperity gospel and charismatic doctrines. Please pray with us as I take our people through the Gospel books and show them the beautiful redemptive history of Scripture.”


USA MINISTRIES, OHIO, MIAMISBURG, Tom and Renee Border —They share the following report: “The Joy Club continues to attract first-timers. The one in Troy was especially blessed of God with 25 people present for the Mothers’ Day ‘CUPCAKE’ themed gathering. The children enjoyed having their mothers join them eating cupcakes, doing matching and guessing games, making a craft, singing, and playing the Concerto from ‘pots and pans.’ The Gospel was proclaimed and lives were impacted in some great and yet—unknown way.

The 2021/2022 season for the three weekly ladies classes and the two once-a-month craft classes came to an end this week. We were especially encouraged at the ladies’ enthusiasm when doing their group presentation on a HERO OF FAITH of their choosing. As a result of the craft classes, we had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with nine new ladies. Please continue to pray with us for the salvation of several and for one to get plugged into a church in Okinawa and another in Utsunomiya.”


WESTERN EUROPE, FRANCE, CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES, Danny and Janice Flowers —They share the following report: “On May 1 we filled the baptismal pool at the church so that two could be baptized. These young girls (both 8 years old) were saved recently and were ready to publicly declare their faith in Jesus. The children’s class is such a vital ministry in our church. Each week the kids are learning Biblical truths that can help them to grow and mature in Christ. So many children in France have never held a Bible in their hands, much less read a verse! It burdens us to think of a whole generation being raised without God. Please pray that we would be able to reach many more children with the Gospel.

Very few French people practice Catholicism, but they sure enjoy the traditional Catholic holidays such as Ascension. On May 26, we took advantage of the day off from school and work to travel one-hour north to Eglise Biblique Baptiste in Hierges. Eighteen people from our church participated in the special day, which was filled with Bible classes, food, and games. It was a blessing for our church family to be around other Christians and to be encouraged along on their spiritual journey. We believe this is so vital for the long term visibility of God’s work in the Ardennes.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, ATENAS, Rick and Shannon Dove —They share the following: “In March, Victory Baptist Church of Atenas, Costa Rica, celebrated its 6th anniversary. God has been so good to sustain us and encourage us during these six years! While we have had challenges, God has blessed each step of the way. We praise the Lord that the Saturday before the anniversary service, we had a group from our church pass out invitations for our special service. We had a youth activity that Saturday with our special speaker Alex Taylor, missionary to Panama, whom our church supports. God blessed the occasion on Saturday and our anniversary on Sunday! A first-time visitor received the Lord as her personal Savior that day. Please pray for her to continue to grow in the Lord. Along with all these blessings, the Lord has given us three new families and we are excited to see the Lord work.”


SOUTH AFRICA, Katie Dilfer working in Puerto Rico —She shares the following report with prayer needs: “God has done some wonderful things during my time in Puerto Rico. Last month, God allowed a friend and me to see two people accept Christ as Savior while we were out soul winning! It is thrilling to see someone give his heart to the Lord!

As the school year has ended, my time in Puerto Rico has as well. Please pray that God would allow my visa to arrive soon as I can then head to South Africa. While I continue waiting on my visa, I will be involved in many ministries in the coming days including Vacation Bible School and camps. I also am continuing to help with the work in South Africa by making tracts for the different churches and working on the Camp Rhino journal for the coming camping season. Please pray that God would use me to make much for Him!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• That God will save many through the tracts that have been made.
• That the two who were saved to grow in Christ and go to church.
• That my visa would arrive soon.”


June 2022


CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, Jeremy and Michelle Blanz —They share the following report with prayer needs: “Not only have we recently changed locations for the church, but we also moved to a ‘new’ house. We are about the same distance to the church, but from the other direction. We hope that the Lord will open many doors and opportunities to share the Gospel in the new neighborhood. Since arriving, we have had several setbacks . . . roof, electrical, washing machine, and computer problems. Thankfully, we have most of them resolved. As for our family, the kids are enjoying adjusting to their new rooms, and they are doing well in school. Elijah is making significant progress in Spanish.

In spite of the ups and downs, the Lord has been faithful. We are thankful to be able to serve the Lord in Costa Rica, and thankful too for the prayers and financial support from you folks.”

PRAYER REQUESTS

• That the Lord will use us to lead many to Christ
• That God will build up His church and send forth laborers into the harvest
• That God will guide us and lead us as we move forward with the next phase of the church”


USA HOME OFFICE, HARRISON, TENNESSEE, Dan and Sharon Daugherty —They share the following report:

MARCH:
“With careful planning, a host of details were taken care of to prepare for the paving company to come and begin their work.
• For their protection—about a dozen lampposts had to be taken down.
• Water and electric lines were changed or put in.
• Sod was cut to save and to reuse after ditches were dug.

APRIL:
What a change three or four men and their machines can make!
• The paving company did digging and forming roadside ditches.
• Relaying the sod was done plus buying 4 ½ more pallets of sod.
• The paving company dug out five old rusty culverts, replaced them, and added new headers.”
All of this time God has met our daily needs for strength. Thank you for your part in praying and supporting us in the ministry the Lord has given us.


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, KAMPALA, James and Cheryl Pridgen —They share the following: “Mrs. M. was born and raised in a Muslim family. Last year, she was given one of our Gospel tracts and it took her about nine months before she came to church to find out what it meant to be saved. Then at the age of 76, she was born again into God’s family and she also followed the Lord in Believer’s Baptism! In April, the Lord allowed us to see 59 people saved and baptized. Thank you for helping us to reach the people of Uganda and East Africa with the Gospel. Please continue to pray with us for more churches to be started. Within the next few months another missionary will be starting a new church plant in an area where we have seen many people getting saved. He will be starting with two men that we have trained in our Bible college. It is a blessing to start new churches and to also train others to help start churches too. Please continue to pray for us. One of the ministry vehicles has developed an unexpected problem. The mechanic told us it might cost up to $7,000 to fix. Please be praying for this as well. Thank you for praying for us.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, NEW ZEALAND, DUNEDIN, Bob and Diana Rutta —They share the following: “The borders of New Zealand have been virtually closed over the last two years as our government thought that they could keep COVID out of the country. The government is now beginning to accept that it was an impossible job and all they have succeeded in doing is to harm the economy, so the borders are opening in stages throughout the year. International mail delivery has been reinstated, so we can now receive letters again.

Recently, our church song leader and his family moved away as he accepted a job in another town. It is hard to see anyone leave, but it is especially hard when one of your workers moves on. Our church had a fellowship time after his last service with us. . . . During the fellowship two of our men approached me asking if I would train them to take the position. So they both are doing a good job and are excited to be able to serve the Lord. . . . These are definitely unusual times that we are living in. . . . Please pray that those in our church here will remain faithful and that we will be able to reach more people in our community with the Gospel of Christ.”


SOUTH AMERICA, GUYANA, Noel and Charlene Shrivnauth —They share the following report: “In April we welcomed the Mark Mariner family to work with us as missionary interns. . . . They will stay in Guyana until the end of the year and then will move to the neighboring country of Suriname.

Things have opened up significantly since the government imposed COVID restrictions two years ago. Public schools are opened again and we are able to have a Bible club in one of them.

Keep praying for us! It is doing a lot of good and we are seeing victories. By the way, our men’s group had an all-night prayer meeting, and we prayed for many of you.”


FAR EAST, TAIWAN, TAIPEI CITY, Jon and April Flowers —They share the following with prayer needs: “In March God brought four ladies to our church. Out of these four, only two of them had been to some form of church before. The other two had never heard about Jesus and who He is. They had heard that if they go to church they will be baptized and they will be okay. We have been having a Bible study with them to help them understand God’s Word. It has been a great reminder of the importance of preaching and teaching truth. So many are blind to the truth. After a few weeks of Bible study, I asked one of them if she was ready to trust Jesus as her Savior. She responded like so many others, ‘I am not ready. I still have many questions.’ This is the first church she had ever attended. Everything she is hearing, she is hearing for the first time. Please pray for her. Pray for the Holy Spirit to open her eyes to the truth. Would you also pray for the three other ladies: C., A., and M.? Pray that God will give me wisdom as we deal with them and others here in Taiwan.”


USA MILITARY, OKINAWA, OKINAWA CITY, Ed and Elvie Navato —They share the following report: “My wife Elvie led a first time visitor to Christ during the Resurrection Sunday morning service altar invitation. I baptized three on that same day. Pray for them to serve Christ and grow in grace.

We currently have 13 students in Faith Bible Institute, a 3-year Bible Diploma course. We currently have 51 students in Maranatha Baptist Academy. We have four K-5 students and four high school students who graduated at the end of May. Please pray for Maranatha to continue to reach the US military, Okinawa, and the regions beyond for Christ.”


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, GRENADA, Joseph and Donna Childers —They share the following report with prayer needs: “The last two months have been months of considerable spiritual growth within the church plant. We have seen professions of faith in several recent services and each time we have gone door-to-door soul-winning this year. In March, we had another baby dedication, and in April four of our folks (including one of our daughters) were baptized. One of them was a lady who has been coming to the church for four years but had been struggling with obedience and taking that next step. Please pray for their continued growth in Christ. . . . We have seen growth numerically in our Bible institute with a record six students this term. Three of them have been in the church for six months or less and three are returning students.”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, BELMOPAN, CAYO, Jonathan and Elizabeth Shertzer —They share the following report with prayer needs: “At the end of March, a pastor friend invited us to help with his ministry booth at a country-wide expo for two days. We distributed thousands of tracts, Bibles, and portions of Scripture. Elizabeth brought our children and three of the young men from our church to the Expo for the second day. They helped give out materials for a few hours and then went around to do some of the Expo activities. We had met several people recently who said they know us because they were given a tract or Scripture from our church at the Expo. Pray for the Word of God to bring people to a relationship with Christ. . . . Thank you for praying for our family and ministry. Even in the era of instant communication, there is still something awe-inspiring about the fact that one can, at any moment, talk to God about personal cares or the cares of others. . . . He will not leave a prayer unanswered! To God be the glory!


SOUTH AMERICA, ARGENTINA, BUENOS AIRES, D. A. and Debbi Brosius —They share the following with prayer needs: “As we mentioned in our last prayer letter, we are having a Family Camp with just our church. We can report that it went well with a lot of team work, planning, and fellowship. Shana taught the children and played the piano and Debbi worked in the kitchen preparing food for 70 people.

Once again we are offering Bible institute classes in our church. This block is Hermeneutics. We have 15 students this semester. In March, we celebrated 30 years since we began our church in a little garage. Out of this church we also started another church. However, the pandemic hurt both churches, but they have recovered well. We have national leaders in both but no one who is ready to pastor yet, though there is potential there. Please pray for national pastors for both churches. Pray the Lord will send more laborers into the harvest here. In the capital of three million there are only three independent Baptist churches.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, AOMORI, Paul and Sarah Johnson —They share the following: “In our time spent in Japan, most of the contacts we have made and relationships that we have started began with us reaching out to the individual. Whether it was through tract distribution, school events, or just meeting people at the park, the common denominator is that we are usually the ones to initiate the relationship. Because of this, we were amazed recently when several people have contacted us about church. One man called and said that he saw our church sign while walking by our church building. He had previously done some studying with the Mormon church and was interested in knowing more about what our church believed. We were able to meet, and I shared some basic Bible truths with him. He was thankful and asked if he could meet again. Please pray for Mr. ‘O’ as we talk with him.

Over the past month we have also seen an influx of people attending church services as well. While a few people are still watching via livestream because of lingering COVID concerns, several people who have not attended for a long time are coming back to church. We are greatly encouraged to see them wanting to grow in Christ.”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW MEXICO, SHEEPSPRINGS, John and April McDaniel —They share the following report with prayer requests: “We had a great Resurrection Sunday with 39 in attendance and two baptisms. P. and A. were recently saved. A. came to see us while visiting East Mesa Baptist Church. P. and her granddaughter were baptized after the Resurrection Sunday service.

We are praising the Lord for the purchase of a small singlewide mobile home for a very good price. The Lord provided for us to purchase the house debt-free. We will not have a house payment, rent, or anything but utilities (when they get connected). We will be moving in from Shiprock to our home site lease in a few weeks. This will help us have a place to live while we complete the construction of our house. Praise the Lord for His provision and goodness!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• April’s recovery from gall bladder surgery
• Assembly of the playground
• Baptism and discipleship
• Van route and children’s Sunday school class
• Home construction and moving with the connection of our mobile home”


WEST AFRICA, TOGO, KARA, Randy and Jeanette Alderman —They share the following: “Gospel films are a great way to draw a crowd to hear a message that they would not ordinarily hear. We had planned a weekend evangelistic outreach with a film showing at the church plant at Tchintchinda in March, but showers coming in the dry season surprised us both nights and rained us out. Members from three other churches had helped us invite those in the neighborhood to attend. When we could not show the films, Pastor Henock as well as those who had participated in the door-to-door invitations were very discouraged. We were, however, successful in showing the films the following weekend and several accepted Christ as Savior. As a result, there is also an encouraging increase in people coming to the Sunday services.”


WESTERN EUROPE, GERMANY, SALZ, Dan and Tricia Dubbe —They share the following report: “Our church is in the center of Germany, located in a rural setting, but we have had many strangers come from Belarus, Iran, Afghanistan, Africa, and now from the Ukraine. Through a translator I assured a Ukrainian family that they were welcome to our church and we wanted to be a blessing to them.

One of our men celebrated his 60th birthday recently and asked to use the church facilities. It seems he knew everyone in town and a great crowd attended. He gave his testimony to those who in attendance. We prayed to reach the world and the world showed up at the door that evening. Even an auto mechanic who works on our cars was there. The great harvest is coming and we need to be ready. Amen!”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Daniel and Lisa Files —They write the following: “This month we were able to attend the first service of a brand new church that is opening in Bangkok. That was exciting to be a part of that and reassured us of goals and dreams that we have of starting new churches in this country. We also helped another missionary in a town about an hour and a half away paint a new building. This is his second church plant. We are excited to see what God will do in this city with this new church plant!

We have a young man in our church who had been bringing several visitors from his work with him the last couple of months. One particular young lady has been coming every week even when he does not come. Please pray for her salvation.”


USA MILITARY, GERMANY, BAUMHOLDER, Joseph and Laura Passaro —They write the following: “When we finished our last prayer letter, the outbreak of war in the Ukraine had just started with the invasion of the Russian army and because of this our soldiers here are being continually deployed downrange. During these times young people start thinking about eternity, so our prayer is that before they depart, we can be a witness to these soldiers. Also, in the first week of March, our church was able to be involved in sending everyday items to Poland to be a help to the refugees who are fleeing the Ukraine. We thank our Lord that we were able to be a blessing.

Your prayers and support are such a blessing to Laura and me. During days of difficulty or just being down a little, it is always good to know there are churches and individuals praying for this work and us.”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, MEDELLIN, Mark and Katie Gerosin —They share the following: “I went to visit one of our shut-ins recently. She is not able to attend church due to the full-time care of her mentally handicapped adult son. After encouraging her in the Word, I decided to speak to her husband. A retired man addicted to vice and no help to his struggling wife with their son sat and listened intently. After an hour of hearing the Gospel, he gladly bowed to trust Christ. His wife later said he spent the afternoon in his Bible and everything has changed.

It is such a joy to see disciples follow Jesus in Believer’s Baptism. We recently baptized a 12-year-old boy who comes on his own, an older lady newly saved and the daughter of one of our Venezuelan families; Emmanuel, a boy who has been part of our church from the beginning, and an older gentleman who recently arrived after simply seeing our church sign. God continues to build His family one at a time from all spheres of life. It is a privilege to serve Him.”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, OKINAWA, KITANAKAGUSUKU, Dan and Terri Gardner —They write: “Upon returning from Kansai to Okinawa, we started getting ready for a children’s meeting called Tomodachi Time (Friend Time). It is a time when we invite kids to come on a Saturday for games, candy, and a short message from the Word of God. We passed out 2,000 fliers. We were blessed to have 60 children, three adults, and all our workers, which totaled over 75 people. Some of the boys and girls prayed for Christ to save them. What a blessing that was! It was the first event we have been able to have in the past two years.

The next day was Resurrection Sunday, and we had a great day with 13 of the boys and girls coming back for our kids’ service. We also were able to baptize two of our own church members’ children ages 10 and 11, which was a great blessing. Their father had passed away, but they are still faithful to the Lord and His church.”


SOUTH AMERICA, BRAZIL, CACOAL, Garry and Pam Tyler —They shared the following: “In January, we began to expand our auditorium so we could seat 50 people rather than 30. We had to take out some partitions but now we have more room. We also started working on the Constitution of the church so we can register and function with bank accounts, as well as buy land and build or buy a building in the name of the church.

In February, Missionary Raylda Ferreira dos Santos, who works teaching children in public schools having Bible Clubs and Vacation Bible Schools mostly in the city of Salvador, Bahia, came to visit us for a month. We have known her and have helped her over many, many years and what a joy it was to have her in our home. Pam went visiting with her and we all went walking in the neighborhood passing out tracts and talking to people about the Lord. We can still do that here without any problems. People in Cacoal are open to listening to the Gospel but not so quick to receive the Lord.”


May 2022


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, SOROTI, Alan and Elena Sutphen —They share the following with prayer needs: “A man who had attended a Catholic church for much of his life had been helping us with some light work at the church construction site when my right-hand man visited him and shared the Gospel. That day, this unassuming 70-year-old man made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. So after, we unexpectedly had need for an additional teacher in our primary school, and we had been praying for just the right candidate. My right-hand man then mentioned that this new convert had taught in primary school for 40 years and had even been a Head Teacher! We gave him an exam and found him more than qualified. He is experienced, articulate in English, and he has been a great asset to us! It is amazing how the Lord answers our prayers and needs so completely! A qualified teacher, who was previously raking up mounds of dirt on our construction site, is now one of the most humble and industrious teachers. So far, he has been very inquisitive during our discipleship studies and overall has truly been a blessing to us at SOAP!

There are still many documented COVID cases. We pray for cases to decrease; nevertheless, I will not allow the children to go into town until these cases are significantly reduced. Please pray for this conclusion.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Salvation of souls through the SOAP ministry
• Spiritual power of the new convert
• Continued wisdom and progress regarding the church building project
• Healing for one of our teachers who has neuroendocrine tumor (cancer)
• Early salvation and academic growth for new orphans


CARIBBEAN, WEST INDIES, GRENADA, ST. ANDREWS, GRENVILLE, Coco Chan —She shares the following report with prayer needs: “At Lifeline Baptist Christian Academy, my class and I have been striving for excellence. Watching the students grow spiritually and academically is very rewarding. We had good days and days not as good as others, but with God’s help we overcame the difficulties together. It is very comforting that at the end of the day they would still bring me flowers, pictures, and love letters. Thank God for His goodness, especially for the one girl who trusted Christ after the assembly.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• A lady who got saved while we were out soul winning
• Moving again and house hunting for a month and a half with no success
• Problem with my right eye, the retina tending to pull away
• School enrollment for this fall
• Building project this summer to add two more classrooms.”


SOUTH AMERICA, ECUADOR, GUAYAQUIL, Raymond and Anita Bradley —They share the following report: “For more than two years we have been praying to our dear Lord about an assistant pastor. The Lord placed in our hearts Anita’s second cousin whom we trained here for six years in all areas of ministry. Then he moved to take a deaf ministry we started in Ambato. He reached deaf people in different towns around Ambato for six more years. He and his sweet wife of 12 years have a heart for the Lord and for the deaf. The Lord has confirmed to us and our church that he will be the next pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church of the Deaf in Guayaquil. We all pray the Deaf school ministry will be open until the Lord comes back. We will continue to ask for prayer and financial support for our Deaf school in Ecuador.”


FAR EAST, PHILIPPINES, Lane and Nelia Jones —They share the following report with prayer needs: “On March 27, four young men and two young ladies graduated from our Bible college. They will start new churches—L. L. in Bobon, C. A. in Washington and one has taken over his home church in Danao, Calbayog. Please pray for J. G. as she is helping start a Bible college in her home church in E. Samar. One of the graduates has a church started already in Marobay.

We had five new students move into the dorms this summer. Pray they will stay! Recently, the Lord gave us 2,001 children in our children’s extension classes in different areas. There were 101 saved. Please pray we can get the lot beside our church building in Catarman. We need the building and the lot for more Sunday school classes.

We are having many saved on Sundays and the building is full on Sunday mornings. Last Sunday there were 20 saved and 6 baptized.”


USA MILITARY, GERMANY, BEILINGEN, Rusty and Karen Pilalas —They share the following: “We have had the privilege of taking in an extended Ukrainian family who got out four hours before the borders closed for the men. It is a dad and mom, their three adult children, two sons-in-laws, and two grandkids. We rent and live in a 1-bedroom apartment and rent a 2-bedroom apartment above us for extra room. That is where they all are staying. They are thankful to be safe and with other believers. We are bring encouraged by them with their wonderful testimonies and attitudes. Please pray for them as they seek God’s will about where to immigrate. Until then, they are a great blessing to us and our church. One of them translates the services and we even have Russian-speaking visitors come. They are also repairing things all throughout the building and help with cleaning. We have grown to love this family and are so thankful that the Lord guided them to us.”


CARIBBEAN, NORTHERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Jeffri and Pamela Polanco —They share the following report: “Toward the end of 2020, a young mother started coming to church faithfully (her daughter came to church through the bus ministry years prior). We have seen the Lord at work in her life, yet she was unsure of her salvation decision despite sharing the Gospel with her multiple times. In one of the ladies’ Bible studies my wife hosted at home, she finally realized that no work on her part could earn her a place in God’s presence. In tears, she cried to the Lord for salvation in what looked like a regular dull Tuesday night to some but ended up being a special night in Heaven. Her joy and growth have been very evident since. She resigned from her job shortly after to look for a job where she could honor the Lord. Please pray that this young mother would continue to grow and that the Lord would continue to supply for her family needs.”


SOUTH AMERICA, CHILE, SAN PEDRO DE LA PAZ, Nathan and Christine Saint —They share the following with prayer needs: “On March 27, we finally organized Truth Baptist Church in San Pedro de la Paz! We have 17 adult members from nine different families! On that Sunday, we had over 30 people in both services. For each of the past three weeks, we have had a least one new family visit and keep coming back! God’s work is growing, and I sometimes wonder if we can keep up. Andres was a man we met through door-to-door visitation. He started coming to church, asked a lot of questions, spent time speaking with Nathan, and a few weeks after that initial contact, Andres made a profession of faith.

TO TOP IT ALL OFF, on March 30, we finally took possession of the church property we have prayed and waited for during the past four years! I can hardly believe it has taken that long, but the paperwork was finally approved on the 28th and the squatters voluntarily left (we paid them the money we would have to pay the lawyers to evict them) two days later. We found the house in terrible shape, but most of the repairs needed are rather minor and we expect to be able to get it in a suitable condition for less than the amount the construction company paid us to cover those repairs.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Wisdom with using and protecting the property God has given us
• Time to witness and disciple new families
• Safety as we travel
• Growth among our church people (we’d love to see others get involved with the church ministries)
• Our health”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, CAMBODIA, David and Debbie Board —They share the following: “It was a great blessing to join together two couples in marriage over the past several weeks. Our eldest son, Joshua, was married to a wonderful young lady in our church named SreyNech. Her father was the first adult to accept Christ just prior to our planting a church back in 2010. We are so blessed to see our son and daughter faithfully serving the Lord here in Cambodia! I also had the joy of joining another couple together in marriage. His family are faithful members and she is a new believer. We were blessed to see the testimony this couple maintained despite her family strongly objecting to them having a wedding that honored the Lord. Please pray for these young couples to continue to grow in the Lord and follow His perfect will for their lives. Please pray for us over the next month as together with some of our national leaders we anticipate adding additional discipleship groups in several different villages.”


WEST AFRICA, GHANA, ACCRA, Harold and Bridgette Holdbrook —They share the following report: “We are glad to report that the Lord has provided us with the amount of $12,500 for the purchase of a plot of land for the Kwabenya church building. One of our supporting churches in Virginia gave us $7,000 for us to realize our objective. We give God the praise and thank every one of you who contributed so generously for us to reach our goal!

We need prayer for the following:

ADAWSO: The pastor of Jesus Saves Baptist Church at this village was involved in a motorcycle accident and lost his small finger. He has a deep wound in his foot that is not healing. Pray for a quick recovery so he can return to his work.

BOWKROM: This church is doing well with about 40 members with A. O. as pastor. They had been meeting under a tree. Recently, they were allowed to use a classroom in the local village school. They have purchased a plot of land and we are encouraging them to use the land to cultivate a farm and use the proceeds to start their church building. PLEASE PRAY!”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, DANGRIGA, John and Robin Harris —They share the following: “Our attendance has increased and new people are starting to come to church. Once the people enter our church, they are treated with a very friendly atmosphere. We were told that at the beginning of April all of the COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted and now we are starting to hold our mid-week services and also a monthly teen night and a monthly kids night. There is a woman who has been coming to our church for several weeks. Recently, she was saved and I am talking to her about baptism. Pray that she eventually will take this important step of obedience.

Please pray with us as we are in need of some land. We are starting to run out of room at our current location. Land could be pretty expensive as we are on the coast. If you wish to donate, please send it to BIMI and make sure you write our missionary number 1501 in the designation. Please prayerfully consider this.”


WESTERN EUROPE. FRANCE, CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES, Danny and Janice Flowers —They share the following report: “I recently received a handwritten letter from a local man inviting me to visit with him in his home and discuss the Bible. He explained that he had received literature in his mailbox from our church and had some questions for me. Upon meeting him, I was surprised to find that he is a devoted Bible reader. He reads 5–6 chapters a day and has done so for years. Despite this religious fervor, he told me he had no idea where he will spend eternity. In years gone by, he studied periodically with the Mormons. We have read and studied God’s Word with him several times, but he has yet to make a decision for Christ. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to open his eyes to the truth.”


April 2022


CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, MEXICO CITY, Josue and Rebekah Ortiz —They share the following report with prayer needs: “Josue and Paco are currently counseling eight to nine people each week. The need is great! In the past six months, a group of about 15 people in our church have been going through training to become biblical counselors. In the next month, they will finish their training. We will then be able to have an even greater reach for counseling those in our church and community. Please pray for this ministry. It has been amazing to see God work in marriages and broken lives through the use of His Word in counseling.

We are nearing the end of the legal process to obtain a piece of land in order to build. We have had several meetings with our architect and are excited about beginning this project soon! Please continue to pray that all the paperwork and permissions will be granted to us. Because of the pandemic, everything takes longer than normal.”


CARIBBEAN, TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS, Paul and Amy Valles —They share the following: “Around two years ago, I led a teenage boy to the Lord, but I have not seen him since that time. About two months ago, he called me and asked me to meet him. We met and I was able to guide him through the Scriptures and he received assurance of salvation. He has faithfully been coming to our church on Wednesday nights since that time. He goes with his family to another church on Sundays; a church that believes you can lose your salvation. He loves coming to our church on Wednesdays and tells me he is learning so much from our teaching and tries to apply it to his life. Please pray that he would grow in Christ and be a witness to others.”


WESTERN EUROPE, GERMANY, INGELHEIM am RHEIN, Walter and Thrasilla Hornung —They give the following report and prayer needs: “I am writing to you with more than a great burden. Because of COVID-19 and strong different opinions on the COVID vaccination in the church as well as serious criticism and various other problems too much to explain, our pastor resigned as pastor of the church, the Freien Baptistengemeinde Mainz. It started so well for us with our new pastor and it is very difficult and painful to understand. However, our Lord is building HIS church. He has declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We are thankful and confident. As you can imagine, it is not easy for an 84-year-old man to have the responsibility of the church Uon his shoulders again. We do have a number of spiritual, loyal, and capable men in our church.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• For a man of God to be the pastor of our church
• For wisdom in relation to the many refugees
• For more strength, health, and wisdom in this spiritual warfare
• For God’s perfect will to be accomplished in our lives”


SOUTH AMERICA, GUYANA, Noel and Charlene Shrivnauth —They share the following with prayer needs: “In February, we launched our online Bible college. This is something we had in mind to do for a long time. . . . We are glad to partner with Pastor Mike Wells and Parkside Baptist Church in Mesquite, Texas, to start this college.

Another great ministry we launched in February is Saturday Teen Soul Winning. This is going great! Thirty-five to forty teens are picked up on buses and brought to church on Saturday morning for instruction, teaching, a meal and then to the bus routes for witnessing.

In all these things there is great opposition from Satan, but our confidence is in God and in His promises. In the last two months, 105 people have made Christ their Savior and eight have been baptized. Among those who were saved are children and youth from a government-run home for children and families. Please pray that the Gospel will break the stronghold Satan has on these young lives. We hold a weekly Bible club at this facility.”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield —They share the following report: “Our weather here in Texas has been quite schizophrenic! One week the boys are in shorts and T-shirts and the next we are cracking the ice so our animals can drink water. Back and forth, back and forth! Sadly, many people here seem to be like the weather. A few weeks of faithfulness and involvement in the church, then no sign of them! It is frustrating to say the least.

However, we do have a few faithful people that do not change with the weather, and we are so grateful they are in the yoke with us serving Him! The New Year’s Eve party held at our house had a great turn out with 17 children and 8 adults who enjoyed games, food, and fellowship till the early hours of the next year.

We had a fantastic Valentine’s Banquet with 42 in attendance. Evangelist Caleb Reed brought an applicable message. The carnival theme and games for the guys to win their lady a stuffed animal and other prizes provided much laughter and romantic enjoyment.” Please pray for the Mansfield family as they reach out to the lost in Commerce, Texas.


FAR NORTH, GREENLAND, (Language School in Denmark) Gage and Aleah Gilbert —They share the following report: “December and January showed huge rises in COVID cases and so the Danish government reinstated certain restrictions. Masks had to be worn again in public transportation and most indoor places and a COVID pass was needed to eat in restaurants or go to certain places. But then, by February 3, they lifted all restrictions. We do not know all the reasons, but we are thankful for the freedom once again.

During the work on our house, Gage had the opportunity to witness to two of the workers. We have been told that Danes tend to not be very open about their private lives or religious things, but both opened up to us and were willing to listen. One man seems to be an agnostic while the other has a belief in God, but we are not sure he understands his need of salvation.

PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS
• Everyone recovered from COVID.
• COVID restrictions are lifted!
• Pray for the lady in our church with ongoing health problems.
• Pray for the two men to whom Gage witnessed.”


SOUTH AFRICA, John and Chrystal Matney —They share the following report: “God’s goodness and grace continues to flow over our family and His protection is ever about us! I am so thankful for the growth in the members of our church. We have men wanting to grow in their marriages and personal and spiritual lives, and one man wants to start sharing what he gets out of his Bible with others. I am excited to see how God uses these men! The missionary whom we support here out of our church stays busy visiting the ships in the harbor, witnessing, and preaching to the sailors. I went with him a few weeks ago. We visited on the corner of the Durban harbor, which had 3 ships. It took us 4 hours to walk to the ships, visit each ship, and walk back. By the time we finished, we had walked 4 miles. He has visited a total of 32 ships in the month of January, passing out Gospel tracts and Bibles. I go with him when I can, but my responsibilities here and schedule do not allow me to go.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Our visa renewal to be approved soon
• Our church building in dire need of a new roof, costing around $8,000, including removal of asbestos in the roof
• Prayer for church and the spiritual growth of those attending as we continue to disciple new believers”


WEST AFRICA, COTE D’IVOIRE (IVORY COAST), Kristine McLaughlin —She shares the following report: “A lady has long attended a large Methodist church, which is central to the belief system in Sebia-Yao. From the beginning, she has welcomed Bible studies in her home. Although we have shared Christ at length with her, we have not known exactly where she was spiritually . . . until recently.

To begin the year, we decided to give large bags of rice to the chiefs in our area along with smaller bags for the villagers. In Ivory Coast, it is customary to begin the new year by exchanging gifts. When we arrived in Sebia-Yao, we were greeted by the chief’s grandson. He asked questions about the Gospel and later trusted Christ as his Savior that day. From there we went to visit a woman. The Lord blessed with a very good visit, during which she shared a clear testimony of salvation. We praised the Lord with her! The Lord was working beyond this. As we continued talking, she agreed to allow us to move our Bible club to an enclosed area in her yard. What a blessing that the lady who first greeted us in the village is now saved and willing to open her home to ministry!”


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, RIONEGRO, Peter and Elisabeth Putney —They share the following report and prayer needs: “Last month I had the privilege and honor to graduate nine students from our seminary, Seminario Bautista Victoria. These students completed many hundreds of hours of classes in addition to papers, homework assignments, tests, book reading, and much more. . . . Several of these men are called to preach and we will be ordaining one of them as my assistant pastor in April. Another will hopefully be sent out as a missionary very soon. Training others is such an important part of missions and we are thrilled with what God is doing through our seminary!

We have been trying to purchase a building or land for a long time now. Praise the Lord, we are currently attempting to purchase a building that we have found here in Rionegro! This building is about 4,500 square feet and has the possibility of adding two additional floors of the same size in the future. It is already set up to be used by a church and has an auditorium that currently seats 160 and could seat twice that with some renovations. We had agreed on a reasonable price with the building owners, but just lack a permit from the city to have religious services. Unfortunately, this permit has been a challenge to obtain, as the city wants to limit churches to a very small part of land. If we are able to get this certificate, we will immediately buy the building. Please pray fervently that the Lord’s will be done.”


WEST AFRICA, CAPE VERDE, PRAIA, Nathan and Tina Fritz —They share the following; “Our church in Praia was able to host a special Valentine’s Day dinner on the 14th of February. It was not anything incredibly fancy, but a good opportunity to get together with the couples of our church. The theme for the month of February has been the home and the family. I believe it has been a strengthening time for families in our church. One of the great needs in our church is faithful, God-honoring families!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray with us that the truths of God’s Word will override the secular cultural ideas of the roles of husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, etc. • Please pray for us as we are trying to finish up some visa paperwork here in the next few weeks as well.”


EAST AFRICA, UGANDA, KASESE, Matt and Keila Stensaas —They share the following: “We praise the Lord . . . we are now open and back to where we were ministry-wise before the pandemic!

The Bible college started up with 37 students in four locations of the district. Praise the Lord! The graduates from last year are now assisting me in teaching at three of these locations.

We also had our first Tri-annual Bible Institute with over 40 in attendance for the weeklong course. We taught the basic fundamentals of personal evangelism and then had them practice on one another. We also gave different ways to witness to different people and especially those of other religions.

The police had allowed us to start meeting with them at their Monday morning assembly again. I am thankful for the opportunity to preach to them and pray with them. They also recently allowed us to go back into the jails and preach to the suspects. God has opened up the Mubuku Prison to us as well. We had the opportunity to preach to over 400 prisoners at a time. What a blessing it was for me to see the prisoners excited that we were there with them!”


USA MILITARY, JAPAN, YOKOTA, Danny and Haruna McKittrick —They share the following report: “The first two months of the year were somewhat hindered by new/revived restrictions on base personnel. The bases were shut down again early January but, praise the Lord, Yokota Air Base allowed service members to leave base for ‘essential services’ and listed church attendance as ‘essential.’ The restrictions were lifted late in January and things are getting back to normal.

We held our Sweethearts Banquet in February with 10 couples attending along with two individuals whose spouses were away. We had Filipino cuisine complete with chicken adobo, pancit, and lumpia! I gave a devotional message on the blessing it is to be married and then we played Spouseology! Couples were asked questions and if their answers agreed, they scored points. If their answers disagreed, the couples had to perform a funny task such as ‘whistle like the Andy Griffith theme song.’ At the end of the questions, the couple with the most points was crowned the Spouseology Champion!

Please pray for a USAF Lt. Colonel who is attending our services; he is yet unsaved. We are praying for the Lord to work in his heart; will you join us in this matter of prayer?”


FAR EAST, JAPAN, OKINAWA, KITANAKAGUSUKU, Dan and Terri Gardner —They share the following with prayer requests: “Our activities and some of our services have been hindered greatly the last two years because of COVID. We are still not totally in the clear here and on the edge of being put back into a state of emergency. We were able to have a Valentine service and have since had a visitor come for the past two weeks. If you would, pray for him. He is a Christian but needs to be scripturally baptized.

We are still able to go out and pass out Gospel tracts, so please pray that God would use them to open the hearts of the Japanese people. Their traditions and beliefs in many gods and all their superstitions keep them from believing. Please pray that we will be able to continue reaching people with the Gospel.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Terri’s fibromyalgia and nerve issues in her back and foot
• My shoulder as it is healing from my rotator cuff surgery
• More people to be saved and baptized
• God’s leading on new ways to get the Gospel out while we are dealing with COVID
• Our planned furlough this year”


CARIBBEAN, GRENADA, Joseph and Donna Childers —They share the following report with prayer needs: “We are praising the Lord for His working in the Christian school. Just yesterday, one of the students approached Joe after the chapel service. He was able to lead her to Christ. She comes from an unchurched background and her family is steeped in the Rastafarian religion. . . . We are praising the Lord for his provision toward our school expansion. By faith, we are hiring two national teachers from other independent Baptist churches. This summer we are looking to build two new classrooms for their classes (and the next summer we will build one final classroom).

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Godly wisdom
• School growth
• Finances (school and personal)


CENTRAL SOUTH AFRICA, BOTSWANA, Mike and Cindy Haley —They share the following with prayer needs: “Our church and ministry theme for this year is PRESSING ON based on Philippians 3:12–14. Dr. Lee Roberson liked to say, ‘The doors of opportunity swing on the hinges of opposition.’ We are excited about the incredible opportunity we have to preach the Gospel, print Bibles, reach the lost, disciple believers, train pastors and lay leaders, conduct children’s Bible clubs, start a Christian school, and plant churches! Without a doubt—our LORD doth come—and by God’s grace, we will carry on as we watch, wait, and work till the trumpet sounds! Glory to God and Hallelujah!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• $3,000 to pay the $25k for the printing of another 20,000 Setswana New Testaments
• Faith Bible Institute students’ final tests for graduation in May
• Legalities to come together and financial provision (Amantle given land from his father to build a house on)
• Salvation of Mr. and Mrs. ‘S’ and the ‘K’ family
• Our ministry team and our church family—unity, wisdom, patience, and grace as we love one another and labor together”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Dan and Lisa Files —They share the following: “We finished off 2021 with a great service and it seemed like things were leading in the right direction. Then we had a COVID outbreak in our church. We had to go back to live stream only for the first month and a half of the new year. That is not how we wanted to start out; however, we have been able to meet in person as of late. However, not everyone is coming back. Please pray that all our members here will have the courage to come back to church soon. The people here are extremely afraid of COVID. We did have a man who has visited several times bring his wife and daughter for the first time. That was very encouraging!

The Cone family whom we are assisting while studying the Thai language came back this month from their furlough. It is a blessing to have them and their experience back here with us. We still have issues from time-to-time with the language barrier, and it is helpful to have someone to call when we get in a bind.

We are sending in our paperwork to apply for a missionary visa. Our education visa will be up in June. With a missionary visa we will be able to legally be here as missionaries and we only have to renew it once a year instead of every two months like we are doing now. We have had all kinds of issues with visas since we have been here. Please pray that we get approved for the missionary visas before ours expire in June.”


March 2022


SOUTHEAST ASIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, Sam and May Beth Snyder —They share the following: “November and December were busy months with finishing up a term of Bible institute, Kamea literacy classes, and work projects on the mission property. Mary Beth put together a cantata of eight songs for a large choir to sing at our Christmas Day service. One was in Kamea and the rest were in Melanesian Pidgin. On Sunday, she and our children sang ‘Misp’la King B’long Hap Sankamap’ (‘We Three Kings’ that they recently translated).

The past several months there were some issues that came up in the church that required a lot of counseling, helping the leaders in the church to solve some of the problems.

January started off well with many of us church members getting together for a time of fun and some preaching to bring in the new year. We thought that some of the previous problems had been resolved. Sunday, January 2, brought good worship services and time in God’s Word. After the service, we heard of some problems with some living close to us. Those problems became very heavy over the next week, and we ended up flying in a helicopter out of the village on January 9 to avoid a possible dangerous situation.

After seeking the Lord and counsel from others, we have concluded that we should take a 6-month furlough in the States to figure out what is next for us.” Please pray for wisdom for the Snyders!


CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, Jeremy and Michelle Blanz —They share the following with prayer needs: “Last month, we continued to push forward with Jeremy preaching a series on Biblical Priorities. This applies to us both on an individual level and also on a church level. One woman came on a Sunday morning and prayed to receive Christ after the service. As church planters, we have continued to prioritize evangelism and discipleship. We have continued meeting with families that attend with us for counseling and discipleship as well as hosting weekly in-home meetings. Unfortunately, our attendance has dropped somewhat due to a faithful family moving away. However, one couple that has not attended for a while has started attending again. Another blessing is that we found a great location for our church plant. Not only that but the owner is a Christian and also desires to help us in any way he can. We are currently applying for permits. If everything goes according to plan, we should have our own location soon!

PRAYER REQUESTS • That God would allow us to obtain the proper permit for the building we seek to rent
• That God will bring forth an increase as we continue to sow God’s Word in the community
• That God will strengthen each missionary family and clear any obstacles to ministry here in Costa Rica.”


USA MINISTRIES, NEW MEXICO, SHEEPSPRINGS, John and April McDaniel —They write, “A boy, 16, recently called on the Lord for salvation. Pray for him to follow the Lord in baptism and in discipleship.

We have a new theme for 2022 that we are emphasizing. Our new theme is STAND, based on Ephesians 6 and Daniel 3. I want our people to develop a Christ-like boldness that will not cave and conform to this world but rather stand for God and for righteousness no matter what everyone else is doing.

The Steward family has been an encouragement to us, especially in the past two years during the COVID shutdown and afterwards. They came out from Rio Rancho (a suburb of Albuquerque) a few times, bringing needed supplies and food. They love the Lord and I am not surprised at all to find out that God is calling them to plant a church on the Navajo reservation. Recently, while visiting with us and a family in Naschitti, they felt that God is calling them to plant a church there. Pray for them as they are preparing for the next step.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• For the purchase of and assembly of a playground
• For baptism and discipleship
• For a van route and children’s Sunday school class”


WESTERN EUROPE, GERMANY, SALZ, Dan and Tricia Dubbe —They share the following report: “The church Christmas Eve service had a full house and many visitors as well. Fellowship makes one strong and fit for service. Kids were running all over the place with good stuff about the new year and God answering prayer! The best is yet to come!

On Wednesday afternoons, the children’s ministry began with excitement and growth. This is great for the children as well as an opportunity for outreach in the neighborhood. With very few programs presently being offered for children, this is a valuable tool for sharing the Gospel. We are thankful for having bold people that have church gatherings without cutting back!

Prayer meetings are held both onsite in person and over Zoom meetings. A special emphasis on prayer is being delivered through the preaching and teaching in the church. A counseling and prayer team is now being trained. I am personally enrolled in an extensive counseling online training course. Thanks to Pastor Nevin and FBC in MD for making this possible. I am determined not to let the well go dry. We are commanded to pray for one another, and the need here in Germany to see God work is tremendous!”


FAR EAST, TAIWAN, TAIPEI COUNTY, Jon and April Flowers —They write, “Taiwan is not an easy place to plant a church. It takes a lot of sowing before seeing some harvest. We do not see hundreds or thousands saved each year, but we ask that you would pray for us to be faithful sowers. We know God is in control of those who trust Him, and we want to be ready for the time when the harvest does come.

In December, God gave us a wonderful opportunity to sow His seed. We had a tremendous Christmas party and the Lord gave us a great crowd. I had the opportunity after the meeting to talk with one young lady and sow the seed of the Gospel in her life. Please pray that we would have more chances like this to share the Gospel with people who are willing to listen. In previous letters, we have asked for prayer for a lady. Please continue to pray for her salvation.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, SUCCESS, Gary and Sherrie Lester —They share the following with prayer needs: “While a lot of the world is moving on with life as COVID continues on, Australia and more specifically our state of Western Australia is experiencing some of the tightest restrictions we have had yet. The new restrictions include locking the unvaccinated out of everything except essential services and smaller gatherings. Even things like the zoo and some medical services have been locking the unvaccinated out. Our city also made international headlines when a police officer stopped a Catholic service to check the people wearing masks and checking papers of those who were exempt. These things will most likely affect the churches in coming weeks with limits on how many can attend and who can attend, and for us, if our building will be allowed to be used or not. We have recently had visitors and returning visitors, so please pray that God will open the hearts of the students to the Gospel.”


EASTERN AFRICA, UGANDA, KAMPALA, James and Cheryl Pridgen —They share the follow report: “So far this year the Lord has allowed us to see 55 people saved and 11 have followed the Lord in baptism. Please pray with us as we now work to disciple them. It is a blessing to see these precious children back in school and church again. I am thankful that many of these children are now saved. We have two ‘new’ vans—they are both 2010 models and they do not break down every time we go to pick up kids for school or for church. Thank you for praying for this need and for those who gave! These vans will help us to reach more people with the Gospel!

We have started a new semester of East Africa Baptist College with 22 students in Kampala and we may have 15 to 20 coming to the new college in Arua. Attendance is still down a bit as we are just now coming out of COVID restrictions. We have some students who could not come back this term but plan to come back next semester. Please pray for our students as these are our future church planters—men like Pastor H., who is back in Rwanda now starting a new church. . . . Please be praying with us as we need to get another piano.”


USA MILITARY, GERMANY, BAUMHOLDER, Joseph and Laura Passaro —They write, “The last two years have been VERY difficult for everyone with the COVID pandemic being front and center. Through this, you, the churches and individual supporters have been faithful to not only pray for this work but also always give faithfully.

Our church once again had to be virtual for five weeks starting January 16 due to the many cases concerning COVID. Our church was not affected, but a few of our members tested positive and had to be quarantined during this time. However, with that said, the members are shrinking, so we started having in-person services again on February 23.

Please continue to pray for our ministry here to the military in Germany.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Jeff Gross —He writes the following with a list of prayer needs: “Our church started the New Year with a church retreat. We were able to spend two days at a nearby mountain resort. Our theme was Seeking the Lord. We also had a great opportunity to sit down and witness to some family members, all lost. The mother of one of our young ladies came to visit. We spent some considerable time with her mother talking about Jesus Christ, the Gospel, and the Bible. In addition, we were able to explain Christianity to the mother, sister, and her husband, and another member named. No decisions were made but some good seeds were sown!

Our group had the opportunity to teach and train some men from a tribal group called Lahu. One of these men has a church in a neighboring province. Due to restrictions, we were not able to go and visit this village church. They have since started a Children’s Home for their tribe and help look after 14 children. We were able to spend a day in the village. Our group did a Bible play about creation and how sin started. We then had a Bible study. In addition, our foundation gave them some food and clothes. We thank you for your continued prayer and support.”

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Salvation of four
• Salvation of one’s sister
• Churches in Thailand
• Seeds to take root in hearts


FAR NORTH, CANADA, NEW BRUNSWICK, SAINT-QUENTIN, Dan and Jennifer Post. —They share the following: “There is much to be done in this area. Years of a lack of a Gospel witness is so evident in society. What people call normal or accepted in the eyes of man is definitely not accepted in the eyes of God. We are thankful to have had a visitor this last Wednesday night. C.’s friend is interested in coming again and we are praying for her salvation. We are praying that the church will grow and that the Lord will give us a permanent location. Please pray that C.’s family will get saved as well. We also ask you to pray for the husband of a lady who faithfully comes to church. The cancer seems to be in remission. I have witnessed to him and he says that he is saved. Our advantage of having our services over the Internet was that he was able to hear the messages.”


USA MILITARY, ITALY, MARSURE, AVIANO, Chris and Lou Anne War —They share the following report: “This past Monday, I received an email from an Italian man. He told me that he found our church through the Internet and was very interested to come to church to see our services and learn more about Baptists. He speaks English well and was planning on coming to the 11 AM service, which is only in English. Then he could stay for the afternoon service as well. I also explained that between services we could answer any questions he had about what Baptists believe.

He arrived at 9:45 AM and seemed very nice with an open personality. We gave him an Italian Bible as a gift and he appreciated that greatly. He seemed to really enjoy opening his new Bible in Sunday school to learn from the Bible. During the class, he asked questions about what was being taught. Then between services he spent time in conversation with many of our church folks and again seemed to enjoy being in our church. He stayed for the morning service and the afternoon service. He was not in a rush to leave after the service.

He is Catholic and this was all a very new experience for him actually, learning directly from the Bible. Please pray for his salvation! I hope to be able to sit down with him and share God’s simple plan of salvation very soon.”


FAR EAST, MONGOLIA, ULAANBAATAR, Jason and Mary Ritchie —They share the follow report: “I continue to improve each week. All the battery tests show that I am indeed much better than expected at his stage of recovery. I just had an EKG and though I am still a bit tachycardia, everything else looks good. Next month I will probably have a CAT scan, which will map my lungs. For now, I am continuing with the pills, therapeutics, exercise, and rest.

Meanwhile, we help as we can in the ministry from afar. Faith Baptist Bible College is in full swing and this will be the first year we have young people graduate. The students are studying Theology 4, World Religions and Cults, Daniel and Revelation, Church Planting, and Mongolian History. We also have a new student. I had the privilege of baptizing him when he joined our church several years ago and we look forward to helping him in his understanding of the Bible.

Thank God for co-laborers in the ministry! Brother Bradly Kubik and his family have continued to serve faithfully in the church ministries during our absence. Brother Chuck Weber and his family arrived safely back in Mongolia this past December and he is leading the work now until we can get back. A special baptism and membership Sunday was held just before our Vision Conference last month and many that have been discipling came forward to follow Christ in this step of obedience, Praise God! He continues to add to His church! This year our theme at KUBC is Love the Lord Your God. Please pray for us as we develop a greater love for God!”


February 2022


SOUTH AMERICA, COLOMBIA, MEDELLIN, Mark and Katie Gerosin —They share the following report and prayer needs: “Our two faithful workers in charge of our mountain mission in El Brasil recently had a special Christmas service. They invited me to come and preach. We had an excellent turnout and I preached about The Most Precious Gift. Afterwards, two responded to the invitation and were born again. Pray for this work as our desire is to convert it into an independent Baptist church.

One of the wonderful signs of what a wonderful year 2021 has been is in the number of people we have seen follow the Lord in Believer’s Baptism. Recently, we added 5 more to that number for a total of 24 this year. All of them are people actively being discipled either by others or by myself in our church. God called us to win them, baptize them, and make disciples. Praise God He is stirring the waters!

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Old church building to sell
• Funds for new building purchase
• More souls to be saved and baptized
• English ministry to bear fruit
• Our national leader as we begin new church plant”


CENTRAL AMERICA, BELIZE, BELMOPAN, CAYO, Jonathan and Elizabeth Shertzer —They share the following: “During the months of November and December, we looked for specific ways we could encourage the people of our church to get involved in serving the Lord. As we served together, we enjoyed sweet fellowship. Several people came to help us put together invitation packets in preparation for our church Christmas program, which was on December 19. Each packet had a Christmas tract, invitation to the Christmas program, church information card, hot chocolate packet, and a candy cane. One of the ladies who helped make the packets is not physically able to go door-to-door to invite others to church but she was a wonderful help with the preparations. We made and passed out over 300 packets in the neighborhood surrounding the church.

When the day of the program arrived, we were all looking forward to celebrating Christ’s birth and sharing the Gospel message together. Almost everyone in the church had a specific role in the service and all the children did a wonderful job portraying the events of the first Christmas. We had several first-time visitors join us! One of the visitors was the head of the Belmopan police department. His two children have been coming to church with their step grandparents and had invited him to come see them in the program. His daughter trusted Christ as her Savior the following Sunday and his son trusted Christ on the first Sunday of this new year! Please pray for this family as the Holy Spirit is working in this home.”

As we enter 2022, we recognize the impact your prayers make in the hearts and lives of our family and our ministry. Please pray for us as we begin new endeavors for the Lord this year and continue Bible studies, home school meetings, church services, and weekly outreach.”


FAR NORTH, GREENLAND, Gage and Aleah Gilbert —They share the following with praise and prayer needs: “We are so thankful to be here in Denmark because being here brings us closer to Greenland. We took about a week and a half to get settled in and somewhat acclimated to our new life before jumping into language school. We have a wonderful teacher who is patient and kind but also very thorough. We now have several hundred words and phrases in our heads; it is just a matter of remembering them all and saying them correctly. Spoken Danish and written Danish is often very different, so we find it difficult sometimes to remember the correct pronunciation; however, the Lord is giving grace and we are progressing.

PRAISES AND PRAYER REQUESTS
• Application is in process; pray for quick approval.
• Praise the Lord, we have a house!
• Language school is going well; pray for grace and strength to comprehend.
• We give praise for new letterhead and prayer card designs.
• Pray for church meeting and growth despite COVID.”


USA Military, Italy, Sicily, Al and Elizabeth Hamilton —They share the following: “As mentioned in our last prayer letter, we were looking for a place to baptize and the Lord provided. A local farmer allowed us to use his above ground swimming pool—what a blessing we enjoyed as four people who had recently been saved identified with Christ! Regarding discipleship of believers, we have recently had one couple finish, another couple will finish soon, and a single sailor will begin immediately. Praise the Lord!

I asked for prayer that God would raise up new younger missionaries to replace us pastors in these overseas military churches. It appears God has done that for us! There is a recently retired USAF Master Sergeant who recently began deputation to come here. . . . Please pray for his support to be raised quickly so they can arrive sooner than later.”


USA MINISTRIES, TEXAS, COMMERCE, James and Andrea Mansfield —They share the following: “There is nothing more satisfying than serving the Lord. It has its battles, but the rewards are so worth it! I love seeing people grow and mature in the Lord. He has led me to have a separate Sunday school class for new believers or ones needing the fundamental truths. I am praying to expand this class in the new year! We had an ‘Old Fashioned/Western’ Sunday. A guest speaker challenged us and the dinner on the grounds was done in true potluck. My boys are such a blessing and helped as well as challenging the other teens to become vocal in their faith. A girl that received Christ at our church a couple months ago is getting a ride and coming quite faithfully. It is exciting to see young people desire church.”


SOUTHEAST ASIA, THAILAND, Jeff Gross —He writes the following with prayer requests: “The theme of Bible Baptist Church this last couple of months has been ‘The Fruit of the Spirit.’ Studying the fruit of the Spirit made us painfully aware that our understanding of love, joy, peace, gentleness, and goodness . . . is not the same as God’s meaning. The world has an imitation for each fruit, which certainly does not lead to real peace and joy. Real fruit, of course, can only be produced by the Holy Spirit. The study has been and eye opener for our group. We thank the Lord for His Word and for the Holy Spirit to lead and teach us!

About two years ago, we were able to witness to the mother of one of our young men and her second husband. The young man’s father died about 10 years ago. His mother was Buddhist and also worshipped a female god. She showed little interest in the Gospel, but we knew the seeds were planted. We were amazed to hear that her husband accepted Christ several months ago. We are pleased to report that his mother has also accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior. This is truly a miracle, as Thai adults are set in their ways and rarely get saved. She has been on our prayer list for some time now. We thank you for your prayers.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Salvation of four
• Salvation of the young man’s sister
• Learning language and culture
• Churches in Thailand
• Seeds to take roots in hearts”


CENTRAL AMERICA, HONDURAS, Jason and Cassy Tate —They share the following: “During the past few weeks, we had several weddings and new members were added to the church! We were also blessed to see a good number of new believers follow the Lord in Believer’s Baptism.

As we began our new semester, we were contacted by our landlord to inform us that we would need to look for new housing for our family. As we began to pray about what to do, we received word that the house we had purchased and were selling from when we ministered in Ojojona was finally ready to close! That gave us the finances to begin construction on our new home a few blocks away from the Conference Center! In the meantime, we are living in one of the recently built cabins at the Conference Center as we oversee the construction of our home.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• For the man saved since our last prayer letter—we are seeing decisions made on a weekly, if not a daily basis!
• For growth for the nine churches that have been started
• For the eleven seminary students to remain fervent for the Lord
• For the prospective students considering studying in the spring term
• For our twins to have their US visas approved so we can travel as a family when needed”


CARIBBEAN, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Erik and Holly Johnson —They share the following with prayer requests: “In November, we marked another sign of a return to normalcy with our annual Bible Conference. Due to COVID-19, it has been two years since our last conference and we were uncertain how it would be received and attended by our church. For the conference we were greatly blessed to have three terrific pastors from the capital graciously travel up to our city to share the Word of God. Each message was a unique and special challenge for out church. All three evenings we saw first-time visitors come and clearly hear the Gospel. Our final night was the most well attended as it was hard to find an open seat! We praise the Lord for the powerful preaching of the visiting pastors, the faithfulness of the church members, and the dedication of many who serve to make sure that the conference was a blessing.

PRAYER REQUESTS
• Follow up and salvation of many visitors
• Planning activities and outreaches for the new year
• Health, safety and spiritual growth for our family”


WESTERN EUROPE, SPAIN, MADRID, PARLA, Julio and Andrea Velasquez —They share the following: “GOAL REACHED! We are thrilled to inform everyone that we have reached the total amount of $80,000 for the remodeling of our church! We are praising God for providing the money needed. Because of rising prices in construction materials, we have had to raise our expenses by $10,000. If any friend or church would still like to give to this project, just send it to our Mission Board in our name and label it Building Fund. In all, we received money from 10 of our friends and from 22 of our supporting churches. We want to thank each of you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity in giving. May the Lord bless you richly for your generosity.

URGENT REQUEST! We have completed 75% of the remodeling, but have come to a standstill because we still do not have the permits to finish the work and also begin using the building. Please pray with us about this need. With the large amount of COVID cases here in Spain, there is a shortage of workers everywhere, including the government jobs, which includes the office that needs to sign our permits. However, we know that God is able to get the permits quickly. We appreciate so much your prayers in this matter.”


FAR EAST, PHILIPPINES, METRO MANILA, John Mark and Kristin Catalan —They share the following report: “For the past two months, we have been working with my father and brother’s church in Makati City and Taytay, Rizal, both are within 15–20 minutes away from us. Weekly we alternately go to these churches to preach, witness, and help in the ministry. As of now, the Philippine government just put the country to Level 3 restrictions and checkpoints due to the increase in people getting sick because of COVID, which makes it difficult for us to go out to do surveying for a place and soul winning to someone who is a stranger. Despite the restrictions, we keep ourselves busy by contacting people that we know and scheduling to visit them. Please pray as we meet with two families this month. One family is Catholic and in the other family, only a few of them are saved. Our goal is to share the Gospel with them and possibly start a Bible Study that might lead to a church plant, Lord willing. Continue to pray for guidance as we continue to survey and look for leads where we can start a church.”


SOUTH AMERICA, GUYANA, Noel and Charlene Shrivnauth —They share the following report: “In December, we conducted a Christmas tract blitz! We were anticipating giving out 40,000 Christmas tracts. We surpassed the goal and gave out 90,488 tracts. . . . The Christmas paper missionaries were distributing in such places as open air markets, busy traffic areas, shopping areas (where many were Christmas shopping), barber shops, parking lots, and ball fields.

Pray with us that God will use the seeds sown in the hearts of people. Our church is continuing to distribute John and Romans to every house and village around us. Please keep this in prayer. We are planning to launch our online Bible college in January as well as starting a Saturday teen soul-winning program. . . . On Saturdays we will bring the teenagers to our church, teach them life principles from the Bible, have a meal together, and then take them out soul winning on the bus routes. It is our prayer that this will greatly help to reduce the loss of these teens to the world. We are truly excited about this new ministry. Pray with us for strength and wisdom.”


WEST AFRICA, COTE D’IVOIRE, Bob and Becky Mach —They write, “We were finally able to complete the sale of the Yopougon property. This has been an ongoing situation since late 2014. We have passed through many legal battles, many complications, and many threats as well. However, the Lord has allowed for the sale, and we have received the proceeds, which will be used to further the ministry here.

Although this is not a permanent situation yet, we will be positioning one brother in the north of our country to work with the Zanapledougou church. I plan to return there in February to help the church and begin more construction on the property. We are still hoping for a more permanent solution, but this one should help us through the first few months of 2022.”


EAST AFRICA, KENYA, Erica Bohman —She shares the following report: “These past two months have been full of opportunities for us to both reach out to the lost and be a blessing to other Christians. I encouraged the girls in my Bible studies, who are already saved, to focus on reaching out to others. They had an opportunity to do something for others by coming to my apartment for a fun time of decorating cookies to give out to all the children in the Bible club!

Recently, I was able to start Bible studies with two new individuals, including the first regular Bible study I have been able to have with an adult. The lady, who is studying the Bible with me, received a new Bible this Christmas and I look forward to our studies together this year. In reviewing 2021, I thank the Lord for all He has done! Last January, I was just arriving on the field, and what an encouragement it has been to look back and see how God was working throughout the year,”


FAR EAST, OKINAWA, Dan and Heidi Gardner —They share the following report: “Continue to pray for a man who comes occasionally, but his job is moving him south, so he will not be able to come much. However, he brought a friend to English class. He lives in the apartment right NEXT DOOR to us with his parents! He calls me almost every week to come for English. After one class, we went out for dinner together and talked for a couple of hours. His heart is tender. A couple of weeks later, he brought a friend. After class, we ended up playing games for several hours and just talking. Please pray for these young men to be saved! They are so open to talk and I have had several opportunities to share about God’s Goodness and love.

We are thankful that the Lord allowed us to hold several events in December to share what the true meaning of Christmas is all about. First, we had a teen activity with 6 teens; one was a returning visitor. Second, we had the ‘Movie in the park’ again this year. One young lady brought 7 visitors to that. The next day for our Christmas service, 3 visitors from the previous night came AND the young lady brought 8 more people! It is exciting to see her invite so many of her friends and they come. The last event that we had was for the men that one of them works with and their families. We had them over for games, food, and fellowship and to share with them the REAL meaning of Christmas.

PLEASE pray as we follow up and keep in touch with these new friends. PRAY for more opportunities to tell them more about our loving Lord and that they will trust Him.”


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But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.


1 Peter 4:7

PRAY FOR WORLD LEADERS

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men: For kings, and for all that are in authority: that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Please pray for President Luis Arce, Bolivia, South America.