To learn more about cell groups, contact Pastor Mark at markvance@saylorvillebaptist.com.

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
June 21, 2009
Class 8 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes
Download Helps for Good Bible Reading

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
June 14, 2009
Class 7 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
May 31, 2009
Class 6 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes

Chuck DeCleene
AM Service

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Pat Nemmers
AM Service
Deuteronomy 7 and 1 John 2

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
Daniel 1, Daniel 5-6

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
John 2:23-25

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
May 24, 2009
Class 5 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
Luke 16:19-31

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
May 17, 2009
Class 4 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
Ephesians 5:17-33 & Ephesians 6:1-4

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
Luke 11:1-4
Download Matthew Henry’s Lord’s Prayer
Pastor’s Talk On His Mother (And Dad’s Stepping Up To The Plate)

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
Luke 11:1-4
Download Matthew Henry’s Lord’s Prayer

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
April 26, 2009
Class 3 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes
Links to Bible Reading Plans:
From Discipleship Journal - Free Bible Reading Plans

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
2 Timothy 4:1-5 & Psalm 119

Thanks for all of your prayers. This has been an exciting, exhausting and encouraging month. This is a quick note on all that we have asked you to pray about during this critical month. Easter opens the door to communicate to others about what we believe as Christians. Parades in the city, editorials in key newspapers, special services at church, and everything that comes with this month allows for open dialogue on Jesus. With your prayers and support, you are part of this process and we are grateful for you. There is quite a bit to share this month, so this note will be longer than our normal updates. Thanks for taking the time to celebrate with us and pondering the privilege it is for us to be part of this amazing ministry.

Easter

At City Bible Forum and Glorious Hope Baptist, we had many different events throughout the city. City Bible Forum had our talks on during the week and many new people coming along to ask the tough questions about the Bible and Jesus. We work with many different groups from all over city to have evangelistic events within corporations. We assist with the preparation, the talks and communication. The goal of the events are to give people opportunity to come to effective and timely follow up and we assist in teaching these classes called Investigating Christianity. One of Sydney’s largest banks allowed a group within the firm to run not one but four events. This bank is going through very difficult times of redundancies (mass firings), mergers and reorganisation. You would not think this is not an ideal time to be planning evangelistic events, but the result shows that God can do an amazing work all of the time. Inside this bank, we had over 100+ people come to the various events, with upwards of 40+ signed up for courses on finding out more about Christianity.

Church events: We had special services on Friday and Sunday. Russ had the opportunity to preach on Good Friday. He taught through 23-24 Luke and the witnesses throughout the death, burial and resurrection of our Saviour. Many people were challenged to know the Lord and communicate to others about what He is doing in the lives of the people of the church.

Fireproof

Great film, great conversation and great results.

Many of you may have seen this film in the US, but it was not shown in theatres in Australia. After seeing the film, the Urban Fight Club (Men’s’ ministry) committed to have a professional showing of this film for the people of our community. It reflected two of our key values, fighting for our faith and for the family. It was quite a bit of work, but it was worth it. Our goal was to get the non-Christian spouses of our church members to come to this great film. So, we were originally thinking a small group of people on a Friday night. Well, God had different plans. We started giving out tickets and the numbers grew steadily every week and on the night we had over 60 people come to the evening with close to half being visitors. Many atheists, non-Christians, skeptics, single adults and married couples came to the showing of Fireproof. We had good food, nice venue (not at the church) and a good quality film. Explaining to the crowd it has a Christian message, insight into marriage and that it was good entertainment value. After the movie, claps and cheers, but the best part was most people turned their chairs around and started talking. Asking questions and discussing the film. Some complaints from the atheists, but they were impressed with the quality of the event. As a pre-evangelistic event, it was perfect to plant the seeds and for our group to effectively meet with many non-Christian men who would not come to our church in the past. Pray for many of these families and lives of these men.

The Face of Suffering

During this difficult economic time in world history, many people have questions. Where is God? If he does exist, how could he allow things like this to happen? Is he even listening?

During this month it is school holidays in New South Wales (year round school in Australia) and many people are out of the city. CBF is usually at its lowest attendance, but not this year. We had a series delivered by Justin Moffat, ‘The Face of Suffering’ -Three things you can do with God in the face of suffering. Wrestle, Wait and Rely- based out of the book of Habakkuk. (I know not your typical Easter passage, but doesn’t the entire Bible point to Jesus?) What a great series and many people coming along to ask some of the hard questions, also, getting the answers. Again seeing how even the Minor Prophets point us to the redemptive message of Jesus.

Prayer requests:

1. Ladies outreach in the community around Glorious Hope Baptist.

2. Working through the growing pains of a church plant.

3. Thinking through the growth of the church and how to effectively minister within our community.

4. Investigating Christianity courses in the city.

5. Furlough details for 2010

Thanks for hanging in there and reading through this update. It is amazing to see what God is doing in this city. Thanks for your support and prayers.

The adventure continues…

Russ & Cathy Matthews

(To those concerned, we try to use the Australian spellings for our updates. Thanks for your feedback.)

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
April 19, 2009
Class 2 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
2 Timothy 3:15-17

We still need volunteers! Click here to sign up!

We are also making a special welcome to men who have no desire in riding but want to come to fellowship and eat. We still need you to sign up so that we can plan for food.

Click Here for Directions

Directions:

View Larger Map

From the module: “How to Study Your Bible”
Speaker: Mark Vance
April 5, 2009
Class 1 of 8
Download powerpoint / class notes

Membership class is the place to find out what Saylorville Baptist Church is all about and what it takes to become a member. Coming to class doesn’t automatically make you a member, but in order to become a member you must attend membership class. Class will be Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:30pm in the Coffee Cove area. The class will last for 2.5-3 hours. Pie and beverages will be provided.

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
1 Cor. 16:1-4

Mark Vance
AM Service
Revelation 4 & Revelation 5

Pat Nemmers
AM Service
1 Cor. 15:35-58

S-Games Winter Carnival

It might be cold outside, but inside, we are having a party!

Shine Children’s Ministry is holding a special S-Games Winter Carnival on Sunday, February 15th from 5:30-7:30pm. Kids should come prepared for tons of fun!

Parents, please remember that you will need to dress your kids for fun and games this night.

New Women’s Bible Study

Our new women’s Bible study will begin Monday, February 23, at 9AM. Our purpose is not to give you “five easy steps to perfect children” (they don’t exist!) but to encourage young moms as they seek to raise their children in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

**If finding care for your child/children while you attend this study is a concern please indicate your needs when you sign up. We do have limited space for those unable to find their own childcare.**

Sign up online today!

(Recordings from “How to Study Your Bible” are available for free download)

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

Happy New Year! How were your Holidays? Please write and tell us of some of your special events. We would love to hear about them. We are currently taking a one week break from the action. We arrived at a very small beach motel about five hours south of Bangkok on Monday. We were hoping for some relaxation and some sun, but the temperatures have been unusually cold this year. It has been dropping down to the low 60’s every evening here, and not rising to 80 degrees during the day. So here we are at our beach vacation wearing long sleeves . . . no kidding. We will happily settle for the relaxation.

Well, we moved into our new house and church on January 2. The construction portion of the work on the building is about 2/3 done, but since our lease on our apartment expired on January 4 we had no choice but to move in. The first week in our house we had no windows on the back side of the building . . . lots of mosquitoes. Once the windows were installed, we were able to get out of town for a few days.

We have updated the pictures of the progress of the building on our website. Check it out at: www.beckmansinthailand.com and click on”building pictures” on the left hand column.

Our Holidays were quite different than in years past. We spent just about every waking moment cleaning and painting our house and church. On Christmas Day, Nate was asked by a friend to go to a small elementary
school and explain the true meaning of Christmas. It was a great opportunity to plant seed in a new field. He left the house at 6 AM and arrived back home at 2:30 PM. We let the kids open their presents at about 3:30 PM, and then Nate slept for the rest of the day. The following day we were back at painting the building. New Years Day was spent painting and cleaning the building as we moved in on January 2.

Although our Holidays were not filled with all kinds of activities, it was a good time to do the work on the building. Bangkok emptied out around New Years, so there was no traffic when we moved. Also this year
our winter time has been unusually cool, which has been great for when we were working. Praise the Lord for those blessings.

We still have our minds set on opening the doors for ministry in February. Please pray to that end with us. We are so thankful that God has brought in some of the funds needed for the construction. There is
still significant work to be done, and we will continue to move forward as God provides the funds. We will likely open the doors for ministry before the work is finished, so February is reasonable.

While we do the work of getting ready to open our church for ministry, we do have some other ministry opportunities for which we ask for prayer. Every Tuesday evening, during the month of February, Nate will be
teaching at a Bible institute at one of our sister churches. Also every Wednesday from now until the beginning of April, Nate and Maam will have the opportunity to go inside two prisons and teach English and Bible to the Thai prisoners. This is the ministry of another missionary, and we are helping him out for a couple of months as he takes a short furlough. Pray for these opportunities, that God’s Word will go forth with power,
and that we would see some fruit from our labors.

Maam and the kids are doing great. As a personal testimony, I (Nate) am so thankful for Maam’s help during the construction process. I have no idea how things would have gone had Maam not been there to help every
step of the way. Her low key personality and her ability to stay calm when things were not done so well were a great testimony to all observers. Those qualities also encouraged me to do the same, as some of
you know that I can be somewhat excitable.

We will close for now. Thank you for all you do for us, and for your continued prayers.

Blessings,

Nate, Maam, Ryann and Hudson Beckman
BMM Missionaries in Thailand

Parents need time away from their kids.

Parent Time Away is a ministry that is put on by the Middle Schoolers of the church that grew out of a desire to serve. Babysitting is provided at the church by the students for $1 per child giving parents a chance to take a much needed night off and relax.

PTA is Friday, Feb. 6 from 6pm-9pm at the church. Cost is $1 per child.

Sign up online today!

On Sunday, February 15th during the 6:45pm service, we will be holding a special concert of prayer. During this time we will be lifting up our requests up to God and asking Him to answer. If you would like to submit a request for prayer, please use this contact form.

To learn more about Women’s Ministries click here.

Mark Vance
AM Service

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. It has been an amazing year for our family. The opportunities for ministry continue to grow. We have had the privilege of seeing people come to Christ through the various ministries that we participated in this year. We hope that you are receiving our regular communications through our free RSS feed on our website, www.matthewsdownunder.com. Through the Lord’s will and your support we have been able to be a apart of this amazing work in Australia.

We committed to communicating our support levels to you twice a year. With all of the world economic challenges, Australia has been effected by the changes too. We have been very thankful for the continued support from all who have supported us regularly this year. With some of these adjustments we are currently close to our 100% support level, we are only experiencing a shortfall of $80 per month.

We appreciate consideration from you or your churches when evaluating your upcoming budget discussions.

Thanks, again, to God and you for all you have done for us this year. Know we pray for our supporters regularly. Please keep in contact with us. Happy Christmas and New Year.

The adventure continues…

Russ and Cathy Matthews

On November 15th both Camilla and Gabriel were baptized on a very cold day, in a pond at the Rincão churh-plant along with five other people from the three churches. What a family celebration it was in the water after. There is nothing like baptizing your own kids. Thank you for your many prayers for our family. Both Gabriel and Camilla have clubs for their friends where they invite them over to play and have a snack with Bible study moments that they teach.

We met Eduardo and his family in 2007 during a storm while we sought shelter in the mountains near the Guarani tribe in Alto Caraá about 90 minutes from Gravataí. At that time we camped in his garage by the river and shared with him “The Story of Hope”. He put his trust in Jesus Christ in 2007 and we continued to visit his family in 2008 for discipleship through the chronological “Way to Joy” material. Pastor Geferson has taking the lead in this church-plant bringing the young Rincão church into their first missions outreach. In evangelism, we have learned to return to the simplicity the redemptive narrative in scripture where we have seen people like Eduardo trust Christ and be baptized in the face of family persecution for his faith.

After two local tattoo artist trusted Christ (also through the biblical narrative), they helped us put together a visual walk through the Story of Hope burnt into eight leather panels representing the chronological bridge to life from ABWE (God-Man-Sin-Death-Christ- Cross-Faith-Life). We have taken this to into public schools and seen dozens of children understand and respond with faith in Jesus.

Thank you Lord for 2008, please lead us into 2009 toward whatever adventure you have for us. Amen. The Latham’s

After a conference with the chaplain for the NRL (National Rugby League), we are building momentum for the ministry and the potential impact on western Sydney. After the meeting, the heads of the ministry have decided to postpone the event to February 2010.

Please be praying for specifics:

1. Commitment of Christian NRL players who will commit to participating in the event.

2. Youth groups and organizations will partner with the event to bring along attendees in the event.

3. Many young people would come into a relationship with Christ through this ministry.

Thanks for the continued interest and enthusiasm towards this event.

The adventure continues…

Russ

Simeon’s gift: I will be speaking at City Bible Forum and PwC this year. The Evangelistic talk will be ‘Simeon’s gift: Joy in a joyless season.’ Based on the Luke 2 account of Jesus’ presentation at the temple. Please pray that many would come to the talks and here the story from the New Testament of anticipated gift that God promised Simeon, to see the Saviour. Then his response and gift of ‘Simeon’s song’ to Mary and Joseph.

Urban Fight Club Sunday: This Sunday will be the Sunday where the men take over the church. Our Men’s group (UFC) will be doing all of the work and service on Sunday. Serving the ladies and proclaiming the Word as men do. Exciting day and many friends and family will be visiting. Please pray for the men as they have this unique opportunity to serve and present the Gospel to the world.

‘Australia’ the movie: The movie has opened around the world. A campy, epic for this generation. We anticipate that many will come away amazed at the scenery, culture and beauty of this sunburned land. God has created a beautiful land, Down Under. Just a small warning for our supporters and friends. We hope that people do not come away from the film thinking that is today’s Australia. The film is based in Darwin and the outback. The reality of ministry in Australia is in the modern cities. We hope that if you do see the film, that you come on holiday (vacation) to see the land depicted in the film. (That is the desire of the Australian tourism board.) Please go to the Northern Territory and Queensland and enjoy the outback. (Australia could use a boost in tourism.) If you come away from the film and want to come to experience the ministry of Australia, it is nothing like the film. The ministry is in the city, no kangaroos, Aborigines, or vast plains. So, not to dampen your mood after seeing th film, just a small reality check. Come ready to work in the city with people from all over the world. As many who have come before, there are not many times for riding horses, seeing kangas or traveling across the outback. Please pray for our ministry in Australia in the urban jungle, not the fictitious land of ‘The Drover.’ It is an amazing land, amazing opportunities for sharing the Gospel and an amazing open door into taking His Word to the world. (Just a small caveat, we do have a limited number of spots per year for coming to Oz and there is an approval process. So, make sure if it is something your church is planning, contact us early and we can work you through the process.)

‘The mythology of Australia is in the outback, the people (ministry) are in the cities.’ - Peter Jensen

We choose the city.

Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

The adventure continues…

Russ and Cathy Matthews

Chuck DeCleene
AM Service

Mark Vance
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

We are still amazed at what God had planned for Wee Ones Care and Share this year. We had no idea, but are so thankful He did! During the event there were 17 individuals that made decisions to accept Jesus into their hearts. Praise the Lord! This included fathers, a Hope ministries social worker that just drove someone here, many Mothers and even Grandparents. In addition to these there were another 37 that indicated they were interested in bible studies or learning more about God’s grace and the love his son has for them. In all, we served 188 unique families and 586 total people (children, grandparents, parents and family members). To think, we were praying for 100 women to attend, ye of little faith!

This year 5 churches and hundreds of volunteers came together to do our little part in reaching out to those in need. Wee Ones doesn’t end here. As you can imagine with that many attendees we ran out of a few things. Below is a list of specific requests from mothers who came later in the day, after many of the items were gone. If you are interested in donating a new or used item from the list below please leave it in the Church office.

Another way that you can still help with Wee Ones is to make a commitment to mentor a family/mother throughout the year. This could mean a variety of unpredictable things. For example, they may want to go through a bible study, they may need a ride to church or they may just need a solid spiritual influence in their lives. If you are interested in becoming a mentor please call me directly at 515-778-5967 as soon as possible. Lastly, please pray for all the mentors that will be calling on these Mother’s and Families. Pray hearts will be opened, relationships will be built and that it will all be done to God’s Glory.

Thank you to the hundreds of hands that made this outreach ministry possible. A special thank you to the committee members that put in so many hours throughout the year to make this possible, to those people that helped with picking up items week after week, to those that prepared all the food for the event and to those that spent hours in prayer for the event. Thank you to those that refused to take a lunch break because there were Mom’s still in line, to the men who loaded car after car and to everyone working together to quickly move families through the event. We could continue to say thank you to so many more people… thank you and know you have made a difference in someone’s life through Wee Ones.

Proverbs 31:20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

Wee Ones Committee

Items in need:
12 Spanish Devotional Bibles, 1 English Devotional Bible, Children’s Bible
Newborn Winter Coat
Booster High Chair with Tray
3T boy pull ups, Size 3 and 4 Diapers
3 Toddler Car Seats
Booster Car Seat
2 Potty Chairs
High Chair
2 Pack & Play
Stroller and a Double Stroller
Light up Toys
Crib with mattress, separate crib mattress
Bottles
Infant Swing
Clothes for 7 & 10 year old

Russ Matthews
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

All collected items will be distributed during the Wee Ones Care and Share event Sept. 27, 2008 at Saylorville Baptist Church to mothers and children in need of essential maternity and baby items. Through this program, we hope to share God’s love for them and help provide support.

More info:
Saylorville Baptist Church members
Wee Ones church network
Partner organizations

Randy Gaumer
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

It’s been said that, “More isn’t always better; sometimes it’s just more.” This is true, of course, but even if it’s not an indicator of “better”, sometimes it’s still a good thing – something in which we can rejoice!

Event Date Good Thing
English-speaking Day Camp July 28 – August 1 More children attended than ever before (105 on the highest attendance day; over 120 total)!
Teen Camp August 5-9 17 teens attended last summer; 37 attended this summer!
Kick-off teen event September 6 30 attended last September; 61 attended last Saturday!

Other “good things” would include a great European EBM conference in Wagrain, Austria August 25-29 (picture was taken that week 1,991 meters up the Alps). Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the Euro is dropping . . . rapidly! Erin Indovina, the intern currently with us from Purdue University, has been keeping close track of the Euro since she arrived in Berlin on July 15th. The Euro has dropped 17 cents since the middle of July – from $1.58 to $1.41!! For a missionary paid in dollars living on the Euro, this is a good thing!

I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Philemon 1:6; Psalm 84:11).

Praising God for His good things!
Kristi

Online sign up is now closed. If you need to sign up or register, please contact the church office at 515-289-2395.

Map to Retreat in Clear Lake
Map to Golf in Rice Lake

Sunday, August 17th
Morning Services 9:00 & 10:45am
No Shine or Modules
Communion 6:45pm

Sunday, August 24th
Morning Services 9:00 & 10:45am
No Shine or Modules
Evening Service 6:45pm

Sunday, August 31st
Celebration Service 10:45am
No Evening Events

Sunday, September 7th
Morning Services 9:00 & 10:45am
Modules & Shine 5:30am
Evening Service 6:45pm

To see all of the events for the month of August make sure to visit our Calendar Page.

I’m sending this e-mail to you to prompt you to praise God with us for last week AND to pray with us for this week! Tomorrow (Tuesday) starts our Teen Camp. 23 teenagers have pre-registered. This is already five more than attended last summer, and I have heard of others that are thinking of coming. A team from my supporting church in Montrose, PA arrived Saturday morning and is geared up to help run the teen camp. Please pray with us this week! I know that God has GREAT things in store for all involved!!!! Here are a few prayer requests that I shared with our church on Sunday in preparation for the teen camp:

* Health, strength and creative energy for all involved in running the camp
* The hearts of the 20+ teens that have pre-registered
* Salvation and/or spiritual growth for all who attend!
* Teens to enjoy camp and invite their friends
* Equipment to work properly (ie. musical instruments, technology)
* Growth of CrossWay’s youth group as a result of the camp

Thanks so much for joining in the effort this week through your prayers. Looking forward to the great things God will do!

Kristi

P.S. I’ve attached two pictures from last week. The boy in the green shirt (front row, 2nd picture) trusted in Christ as His Savior!

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This Sunday night, August 10th, we are in need of several homes to house our missionaries Bill & Becky Petite. They are bringing a music group with them from Japan (6 gals and a man and wife chaperone.) They told me they would put an English speaking student with a non-speaking student to help with the communication. We are in need of at least 4 or 5 homes, unless some of you can house more than two. They asked if they could have a meal after church and they’ll need breakfast on Monday morning before they leave. Please call the office or respond to this email if you would be willing to be hospitable to our missionaries’ church family.

Thank you,
Judy

I am stunned and completely blessed by your generous and sacrificial gift! From the bottom of my heart I thank you for paying attention to the dollar/euro situation. This extra support could not have come at a better time! May God bless you according to how you are blessing others.

Honored to serve God with you!

Kristi Walker

Mark Vance
AM Service

Chuck DeCleene
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

Lucas Bair
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

Mark Vance
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

Jeff Dodge
PM Service

There will be no evening events.

Mark Vance
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

Click Here for the Article

Remember to caucus this Jan 3rd!

The release of a popular film with major actors that presents a message directly subversive of Christianity is something new. It is not likely to be the last.

Read More –>

WallBuilders is an organization dedicated to presenting America’s history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built.

Are you tired of unused baby items collecting dust around your house? Maybe you’ve tried garage sales and second hand stores. Now what? Before you give the items to a thrift store, please consider donating them to the Wee Ones Care and Share program – a free service for mothers in need of essential maternity and baby items. More Info…

These are exciting times here at Saylorville, especially when it comes to kids.

Will you be apart of it? Fill out a Children’s Ministry Application and begin impacting kids to live God-Centered lives for God’s-Glory!!

Mark Vance
PM Service

Chuck DeCleene
AM Service

Sign up at SBC or send an email to office@saylorvillebaptist.com .

Friday

11:00 am Golf Tournament at Honey Creek in Boone. 4 Man Best Ball. Cost $30. Includes box lunch, 18 holes, and a cart. Transportation to Honey Creek is not provided.
5:00 pm Caravan of cars leave from SBC for camp.
6:30 pm Arrive at camp. Get situated in your room.
7:30 pm General session with Pastor DeCourcy
8:30 pm Testimony and Prayer
9:30 pm Free Time.
“Invincible” (Flag football using car lights.)
Night Time Zipline
10:30 pm Pizza by Stu!

Saturday

7:30 am Breakfast by Stu And Company
8:30 am General Session with Pastor DeCourcy
9:30 am Alone time.
10:30 am General Session with Pastor DeCourcy
11:15 am Testimonies
12:00 pm Lunch by Stu And Company
12:30pm IOWA VS. ISU on the Big Screen!!

God is good and has taken both Christie and I on a journey these past several months that was unexpected and life changing in many ways. One way in Christie’s life is that both girls, Redeemed and Naomi, will be coming and and visiting her and her family for 6 months. I know that I forwarded the e-mail that Christie and her mom sent out and God has been using many people to answer the prayer for the money needed to purchase the 2 tickets for the girls. We still need about $600 more dollars before we are able to purchase the tickets. This has been a faith journey all the way and we want to trust God that He will provide this last bit of money. From the beginning of this trip, God cleared both our paths. It’s been truly amazing to see how God has proven that He can and will provide for His children. Especially the ones that are orphaned. We flew on His wings through all the appointments with the girls….passports, birth certificates, visas, and now the tickets. We have the tickets booked for the 19th of this month, which is this coming Sunday. Thanks to my mom and Mrs. Bigelow we are almost sure we will all be flying together. The best way I can think of to end the trip that Christie and I have been on these past months together…

Thank-you for your prayers and support. I know that my “family” extends to each and every one of you and I thank God for that. I look forward to seeing you all soon….it’s hard to even believe that soon means only a week.

Love you all,

Rachel

“Lest You Be Consumed” - The Tragedy in Minneapolis
by Dr Al Mohler

-Pastor Pat

Mark Vance
AM Service

I know I said that I would try and write sooner, but I’m sure none of you thought this soon. I try not to be too predictable…:) Christie and I had some letter’s that needed to be typed out before our meeting at the Embassy. My parent’s keep asking me how travel in rainy season is going, and up until today it had been going fine. I guess these past couple months the rains been just teasing us, but it’s getting serious about it’s work as of these past couple days. Our usual walk to the Market where we catch a bus was completely flooded. (Water up to our waist on our usual bridge crossing. Christie and i didn’t feel like wading through it since rumor has it a Boa snake and Croc often are seen fighting there…i can just see it…one month to go and i get eaten by a croc!…) We had to turn back, thinking our trip to town was over, but thankfully we caught a motor bike that took us to the bus junction. That ride consisted of getting off a couple times and wading through muddy water for a while. We knew we lived out in the bush, but now with transportation getting harder with the weather we are really feeling it. I guess all that is to say please pray that the rain won’t detour the big steps we have these next couple weeks. In the States it would be no problem, but here it’s a different matter. Monday and Tuesday it’s very important for us to be able to reach town…but God is all knowing and everything will work out in His perfect plan. We are trying to get everything ready for the meetings and so far it’s going smoothly. Pray that the man who’s supposed to work on the birth certificates is doing his job. I will keep you all informed on our next steps.

thanks for the prayers,

Rachel

I’m at a loss on how to catch you all up on the last events of the past couple months. The Lord has been faithful in so many ways and I know that is through the prayers of all of you. This e-mail is going to have to be brief, but I do want to be able to write soon and tell you all that is and has been on my heart.

Christie and I both have been on a journey these past serveral months…almost six as of now. We have experienced things that both of us hadn’t planned on..but thankfully God had. I know I was vague in my last e-mail on everthing that was going on at Dixville, and this e-mail probably won’t be any clearer, but I’m writing for a specific purpose and that is prayer. Christie and I wouldn’t be where we are right now if it weren’t for God and for all of your prayers. Pastor Mike (PM) is not acting as Director of the orphanage now. Praise God. ACFI wasn’t able to take legal action because there wasn’t any proof. We went to the Doctor 11 days after it had happened and by that time it was too late to get any proof, and all that the Doctor was able to say was that there was evidence that she had been raped. ACFI has been through a trying last few months, but I think God has placed some people that will be good staff. Alot of changes are taking place and I know God is doing a work.

Along with this e-mail, I am going to forward one that Christie sent out a few weeks ago. As you will read, God has put a special love in Christie’s heart for a particualar girl at the home, Redeemed. Christie was really trying to hear God’s voice in it and felt that God was speaking to her to have more of an impact in her life than just an acquointance for a few months. She is bordering the line of being too old to adopt, and so these past few months we’ve been trying to seek out different options. We are trying to get her a Visitor’s Visa and it’s amazing how God opened the door to pursue this avenue. The thing is we are against a time dead line. We are trying to get birth certificates done this week. (Also for another girl, Naomi) We have to have them done by Monday in order to get a passport. Our Visa appointment with both girls is this coming Tuesday. We are supposed to have both the birth certificate as well as the passport by then! With God all things are possible. We do have a secondary appointment at the Embassy just in case we don’t get the passports on time. The lady, Marcey, who want to help us with the Visa’s, is leaving at the end of this month. Please pray that we will be able to get everything worked out with her on this end before she leaves. It will be nothing short of a miracle if Redeemed is on the flight home with us. Pray for God’s favor in this. Continual favor from God, the Embassy, ACFI…etc..
God has done a work already in this trip and I know that He can do anything. The Visa interview dates will either be on the 19th of the 23rd of this month.

There is so much to say and I wish I could explain the whole situation to all of you in person instead of over e-mail. I will be able to soon!

Again, I just stress the need of prayer. I hope to keep you better updated in the future. Thank you for all your love and support.

Rachel

P.S.
A HUGE thanks to all of you who participated and helped send that package over to me….it was such a treat and i got it exactly on my b-
day. All the letters were such an encouragement…i was craving hand written letters and you should have seen my eyes when i pulled out a whole stack! Carlos, your puppet was a hit with the kids. Thank you. I don’t think i’ll be able to say thanks enough times. Your controbution was like a gift of love and came at a much needed time. (ya know..it had been like four months since I had had Hot Tamales….Africa is rough on me.) :):)

As you already know this Sunday morning is a Celebration Service out on the south lawn at 9:00.  However, it is also the final day for bids on our SILENT AUCTION.  The bidding will open at 8:30 am and the items will be outdoors.  When the Celebration Service is concluded around 10:00, you can view the items and if you desire, make your final bid as you make your way toward the brunch.  The monies will be collected and winners announced sometime during the eating time.  A note of clarification; all of the monies raised for these items will go towards the ministry of The Pines, the orphanage in South Africa that our ministry team will be going to this fall.  They will not be used for individual expenses.  Thank you for your involvement in this worthy ministry.

I also want to remind you that this is a Friend Day this Sunday as we encourage you to invite your unsaved friends and family.

See you Sunday-LW

Pastor Pat

Pastor wants to remind you that our missionaries to Portugal, Cal & Joyce Voelker, will be with us tonight during the prayer meeting. Please plan on coming to hear how the Lord has blessed them this year in their missionary field at their school.

We hope you are planning on coming this Sunday morning for the OUTDOOR CELEBRATION SERVICE AT 9:00. It will be followed with a brunch. We would like each family to bring a “brunch item” - whatever you like to eat at a brunch in the middle of the morning! Stu will have scrambled eggs, drinks, plates and silverware. Bring your food into the fellowship hall when you first come and then join the church family on the south lawn. If you have lawn chairs, please bring them or blankets on which you can sit and eat. Pray for wonderful weather and a great worship time together. There will not be any children’s church for the 1st through 3rd grade, but the other two younger groups will meet in the church.

There are no Sunday school or Community Groups or service Sunday night.

See you in the yard, Lord willing,

Judy

Ava and I have officially been home for an entire year! Besides one night in the hospital and few other nights here and there, we have been HOME! How GREAT is our God!

We are also going on vacation next week for the first time since Ava’s been born. At least this is the first vacation where doctors, hospitals, and sickness are not involved (God willing!). We are so excited!

Ava is loving summer and we are loving it too! Ava is changing so much lately. She now weighs over 16 pounds (yes, you read correctly) and is getting tall and looking more and more like a toddler. She’s learning the ‘Itsy Bitsy spider’ and can now get down from sitting all by herself (without falling backwards). I don’t think she will ever crawl (even though she could if she wanted to), keeping her hands free is just too important to her. Honestly, it’s just fine with me that she’s not walking or crawling. She gets around just fine and I get to have a ‘baby’ for that much longer. She’s still content sitting and playing on my lap (most of the time) and I love that. She has about 10 teeth and we are looking forward to her eye-teeth coming in all the way. Poor thing has been teething for about 3 months straight.

She’s taking little baby steps in her eating. She took a couple tastes of chocolate pudding the other day voluntarily and when I say tastes, that means she got a little on the inside of her lips and swallowed it without gagging or throwing up. Yep, it’s a slow process and the steps are small, but we get excited over EVERY one!

Thank you for your continued prayer and encouragement!

Rejoicing day by day!

Thank you for praying. Thank you for giving.

This morning I had a great time with Esther in Bible study. This evening Suleima is coming for Bible study. Sometimes I am not sure Suleima is saved as she seems to have a great lack of understanding and continues to attend the church where she has gone. Pray that GOD´s Word will speak to her heart.

A few minutes ago I had a phone call from a lady who worked for my parents. She called to say thank you to me for talking to about the LORD. She especially was thankful to my parents because she heard GOD´s Word and they led her to accept Christ as her SAVIOR. She is attending Bible School. Both she, her husband and 3 of her 4 children are living for the LORD. They are helping to begin a new work on the out skirts of São Paulo. It is so exciting to hear of those who are faithful. Pray for Sandra and her family and the salvation of her son William and his wife Cleide.

Sandra´s Mom also worked for my parents and made a decision but was not living for the Lord for years. Praise GOD she is now and goes with Sandra. Pray for Sandra´s Dad, Geraldo´s salvation. He has a drinking problem.

Someone has given me a trip to MANAUS. I can hardly believe it. When I worked there, at one time I taught a Junior Hi. girls class and had the Jr. Hi youth group. No one in the church would take it. I had a wonderful time and those young people have wanted me to go back and visit and get to know their families. I leave for Manaus July 6th and return to São Paulo the 24th. Pray that GOD will accomplish HIS purpose in taking me there and use me as HE see´s fit. Pray about the opportunities to speak to Ladies groups.

I shall be staying with my former roommate Socorro and her teenage daughter. Socorro has gone through some real heartache lately.

Fabio and Nara were married here at Bet Sar Shalom. They have been living in a town 3 hours from São Paulo. He ran his Grandfather´s Hotel for several years. He has been representing the Hotel in São Paulo, going back and forth. Two weeks ago He and Nara moved to São Paulo with their 5 children. He has said for a few years that GOD wanted him to attrend Seminary. He hopes to start in August. Pray for them as they adjust to São Paulo. They attend Bet Sar Shalom so we hope we have some future helpers. Please pray for Nara to put GOD first in her life.

Thank you,

Delores Woods

serving with Baptist Mid-Missions in Messianic Ministries

São Paulo, Brazil, SA

Greetings from Ohio. We arrived home on May 5, and the last month has
gone by very quickly. Sorry that we have not communicated earlier, but
we have been without a computer up until just two days ago. We have
wanted to keep you all updated on everything that is going on, but
without a computer it is sort of impossible to tell you all we do not

have a computer, if you know what I mean.

We praise the Lord for all that He has done and is doing in our lives,
especially for the opportunity to serve both Nate’s mom and dad during
this time. Mom is fading gradually day by day. Maam and I are helping
to take care of Mom, so that my dad can do his best at keeping up with
his own job requirements. It has been our honor to be able to serve in
this way.

As far as her condition goes, Mom is very weak and can no longer stand or
walk on her own, so we help her get around, help in feeding her meals as
well as whatever else she needs to do. The intense treatments that she
had and the heavy medications that she currently takes have affected her
ability to speak and her memory. She does very little talking now, but
there are many times that we can tell she would like to say something.
She cannot really get it out anymore.

We do appreciate your prayers on Mom’s behalf, and ask you to keep it up.
Please pray that God will continue to mold Maam and me, so that we can
be the encouragement to my parents that they need. Please continue to
pray for Dad also. We have been here for a month, while he has been
taking care of her at this level for close to a year now. Dad is
extremely tired in every way. Pray that God will watch over and protect
him. It is amazing how God gives His Amazing Grace just at the time we
need it most. It has definitely been God’s grace that has sustained Dad
during this time.

Originally we planned to leave Thailand at the end of July; so when the
call came to hurry home to be with Mom and Dad, we had to really get into
gear packing up our house, tying up loose ends, paying bills ahead for a
year, and turning the ministry back over to our coworkers, Ed and Darlene
Weber. It was one of those situations where when we sat down in our
seats on the plane we said to one another, “Hope we didn’t forget
anything.”

It was a blast filling in for the Webers in Kabinburi while they were on
furlough. God did a lot of great things during that time, and it was not
easy saying goodbye to people we love. Please continue to earnestly pray
for the new believers in Kabinburi. Pray for their growth and that God
will continue to do His work in that needy area.

Please also pray for the Webers. They are dealing with some overload.
After we left, our short termer, Amanda Simmers, also went home. Also
another Thai girl who worked with us in the ministry decided to leave.
The ministry went from having four teachers to having two teachers, Ed
and Darlene. Darlene is also pregnant with their third child, due in
September/October. I know they would appreciate your prayers.

Thank you for all you do for us. Please continue to pray for Maam and
me. We need it. Pray for strength . . . physical, emotional and
spiritual. We will continue to do our best to keep you informed on what
is going on.

Yours In Christ,

Nate and Maam Beckman
Baptist Mid-Missions, Thailand

We would also like to ask if there are any of you that would like to work in the Coffee Cove on Sunday mornings?  Several of the current workers are going to be gone for the summer and Scott & Brooke Shrum are in need of more help.  There will be a training session on Monday night, the 25th at 6:00 for all current and new workers.  Pizza will be provided for you that evening.  If you would like to help on a rotating basis, please contact the Shrum’s at brooke_jacobs@hotmail.com or call 963-0592.

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

It has been another outstanding week of VBS here at SBC. Heading into the last night we have had 17-20 professions of faith in Christ! Lord willing, this will produce some great follow-up. God was even working in our nursery. This requires a bit of explanation. Two nights ago Laura Pollak and Natalie Bowman shared their testimonies with the other workers. One young helper, Elizabeth, a ninth grader from Saydel High School acknowledged that she did not have a testimony. She does now! Laura and Natalie had the joy of leading Elizabeth to Christ before the evening was over. Please be in prayer for our final evening of VBS. We will cap it off with a live feed conversation with Brian Niehoff, missionary with The Pines Orphanage in S. Africa. He will have with him some of the orphans who will talk to the kids here at VBS. We have a crazy finale planned at 8:00 followed by root beer floats for everyone. Love to have you come. You won’t be disappointed you did.

In Christ,

Pastor Pat

John was able to speak for the first time this past Sunday evening, and it was so great to see the way the Lord worked. After he preached, the Brazilian Pastor (Celso) went up afterwards to give the invitation and could hardly speak. Through his tears, he did give the invitation, and although no salvation decisions were made, there were approximately 15 Christians who went forward to dedicate their lives completely to the Lord. Continue to pray that God would use us in this new ministry.

We are getting settled into our home, and things are going well. Guess what we have in our front yard? A beautiful poinsettia plant!! Some other good news, our boys are back in the States safe and sound…even though we miss them TERRIBLY, we are thankful that they are “on solid ground.” Continue to pray for them and also for the girls who are adjusting quite well to life in Brazil.

Thank you again for your prayers. We appreciate each one so much! We will send more details in the future.

Sincerely in Christ,
John and Bev Leonard

Ladies, this Sunday night we begin our summer Bible study/Sunday School class for women. The name of the class is, IN GOD’s EYES: A Biblical View of Women. Seeing things from God’s point of view will give us the clarity we need in life: Knowing who God is, who we are as women in Christ and how we need to think based on God’s Word are the major topics being addressed in this class. There will be teaching time and discussion time, with the goal of learning to apply God’s truth to our daily lives. Sign up to join us this Sunday (sign-up is in the foyer). We will be meeting in the fellowship hall, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Dianne DeCleene

I thank God for each and every one of you who have supported me, both financially and in prayer! Thank you! I arrived in Lima without a clue of what to expect, and not knowing what God would be teaching me. Even though it has only been three weeks since I left you, God has already been teaching me a lot! Patience is the first thing. I currently am living in a totally different culture that honestly, I don’t understand. Traffic signs and police officers are not obeyed. Both seem to be friendly reminders that you are on a road. Did you know that in two lanes you can fit two full sized cars and a bus? I didn’t realize that was possible until about ten minutes after I got off the plane. Also, the people are very friendly but they will rob you blind or rip you off. Generally, I am left alone because I am six to twelve inches taller than most full grown men. Another thing you need to know is that there are dogs everywhere. Most are strays or hang out in different neighborhoods. Many will run in small packs of two or three. Not all are friendly. I learned this the first week when a Siberian husky found its way into our kitchen. I heard my roommate yelling at it and I came in just in-time to see it try to attack Titus. At the time, Titus had no shoes on so I stepped in because I was wearing boots and Titus wanted to keep his toes. Long story short: Dog tried to bite Cole, Cole kicked dog hard enough that dog went sliding out door. All of this is not a complaint! I just wanted to let you know that it is very different and is taking some time to adjust.

On the way down, we were picking Spanish names for ourselves.They wanted to name me Caleb because Cole doesn’t translate. I didn’t care so I went around introducing myself as Cole. It turns out that Cole does translate, but not as a name. Cole is pronounced the same, but spelled differently. The word is col, and is used for cabbage or salad. This explains why I had so many funny looks when introducing myself the first two days. You would probably laugh if someone came up to you and said in English, with a heavy foreign accent, “Hello, my name is Cabbage.” People won’t laugh at you here because it is impolite. The kids on the other hand will! The funny looks and laughs drove me to change my name to my middle name which does translate. To the Peruvians, I am Allen, which is easy to remember because their president’s name is Alan.

Finally, I would like to thank all of you who have sent me emails and letters to encourage me. I just completed a course in Linguistics and am taking a two-week module on the Major Prophets. Please continue to pray for me, that I would learn Spanish quickly and that I would have more opportunities to share the gospel. I was able to share with a catholic taxi driver today and it was somewhat frustrating not being able to answer all of his questions. Language is the major barrier and the sooner it is overcome, the more opportunities I will have. Thank you all for your prayers!

In Christ, Cole

We want to remind you about the big week planned for our kids and their friends starting this Sunday night and ending Thursday night. Each night begins at 6:00 and concludes at 8:30. Because of all the activities planned there will NOT be any Sunday school or Community Groups this Sunday night and there are NO Wednesday night (June 6th) youth activities and prayer meeting. If you haven’t signed up yet, you may do so at the table tonight or Sunday morning. Online sign up is also available at www.saylorvillebaptist.com/vbs Tell your kids to invite their friends for an exciting week of music, stories, crafts and games, all with a “Rescue” theme with an emphasis on salvation. I really appreciate all of you who signed up to help. It will be a great week!

If you have any church tables or chairs, they need to be returned TONIGHT because they are all needed for VBS and a wedding on Saturday.

Thanks,

Pastor Abe

Some of you may have heard that 60 Minutes this Sunday night will feature Tim McCloud’s and Ryan Aarhus’ infantry unit in Iraq.  Since the program will conflict with our Sunday evening services, we are planning on purchasing the program and putting it on our web site next week for those of you that would like to see it.  As you may know, we are planning a special evening service with John Leonard as he and Bev along with the girls will be returning next week to Brazil to resume their missionary status.  I hope everyone who is available will be here this Sunday night for this special meeting.

In Christ,
Pastor Nemmers

I have two very important announcements to send your way.  The first has to do with this evening’s service.  Pastor Mark Vance along with Matt LaPine are going to present a special preview of our upcoming FOUNDATIONS MODULE that we are going to offer beginning June 13th.  This promises to be an excellent overview of this tremendous upcoming course.  I will take a moment to deal with one misunderstanding which I have heard.  The FOUNDATIONS class is not just for new believers.  It is understandable that some of you may have thought so, but it is actually for everyone.  This summer’s class will deal with two of the 11 major Bible doctrines that the book covers.  I am convinced that this series will tremendously strengthen your faith.  There is a sign up list in the foyer.  Please take advantage of it tonight or this week-end.

This Sunday Cedarville University’s Heartsong singers will be with us in the morning services.  The music of Cedarville has always brought a great blessing to SBC.  Also, I will be preaching from I Cor. 1:18 and following which presents the cross of Christ against the wisdom of this world.  This would be a great Sunday to invite friends, especially unsaved friends to church.

Hope many of you can make it tonight.

In Christ,

Pastor Pat

HeartSong will be ministering in the morning worship services. This event is free and open to the public.

Just a reminder that there is a VBS workers meeting tonight in the kitchen area.  There is still a need for more workers.  Kindergarten, 1st Grade and 6th Grade are still needing teachers and helpers.  If you would like to help, please come to this meeting tonight.

It is getting very close to “camp time” for our youth.  The following camps still need counsellors:  junior boys needs one more counsellor to be there with Mark Lang, junior high needs a boys and girls counsellor and senior high needs a boys and girls counsellor.  There is no cost for the counsellors.  Please let Pastor Abe know if you could help.

Pastor Lucas

Pastor Abe

To all of you that were praying about Ava’s sedation, it went super. Ava’s tummy was empty so when the ’sleepy’ drugs were put through her NG tube, it upset her tummy a little and she threw some of it up, but then was fine. It started taking effect within five minutes and she even slept through most of getting an IV. She slept through the entire MRI and only started moving her feet at the very end. She woke up very happy and is still a little sluggish, but is acting great.

She did end up getting an IV put in so they could put a contrast dye through it for the MRI. She only had two pokes, but who’s counting!?

The MRI took about an hour and I was able to sit in the room with her while it was being done. They gave us both big headphones to wear to protect our ears from the noise of the machine. I have to admit, I took a little nap while I was sitting there.

We did get to talk to the doctor before and after the MRI. He was actually supposed to be on vacation today, so it was a blessing that he was there at all. We will not find out the complete results for a couple days, but he was able to tell us a couple things. One thing (and the main reason we did the test in the first place) is that he was able to get a look at her left pulmonary veins and they are attached and there does seem to be at least some blood flow through them. The second thing is that he could tell just by looking at the pictures that Ava’s right ventricle has a lot more muscle mass around it than normal. Just to make that more clear, the right ventricle in a normal heart is about 1/3-1/2 the size of the left ventricle and in Ava’s heart they are about the same size. This shows that her right ventricle is working a lot harder than it should which means that there is some pulmonary stenosis. That said, the doctor does not believe that she at risk for heart failure at this time and he may recommend that we take her to a Cath. Lab to get an even better idea of what is going on. But we will not know fully for a couple days.

We continue to wait on the Lord and enjoy our smiley, silly girl. Thank-you for all your prayers, we could definitely feel them today.

Rejoicing day by day!

Jessica Johnson

ChurchPlantingMovement.com

Christie and I have really been encouraged with teaching. We finally feel that our students are grasping some concepts and we aren’t continually “beating” them. Maintaining order is a full time job, but we’ve worked around some of the “beating” and have them pump tires and do squats against the walls instead. I’ve started doing reading in the classroom and they are really catching on with the sounds of the letters and having fun in the process. It’s cute when the students that we’ve had to discipline still come up to us during the day with a smile and a hug. Also, just this past week I’ve started teaching a boy in ABC’s how to read. His name is Jack-Jack. I mentioned it to him one night and he was shy and didn’t really respond except by nodding his head that he was interested in learning how to read. The next day he came running up to me and said, “Rachel, reading lesson?” We’ve had three lessons so far and he’s a determined little guy.

There is some ways that Christie and I have been changing our spending habits on. One is transportation. American’s usually charter a taxi for when they go into town which is kind of expensive when we have them all day and have to pay them by the hour. We now go into town the Liberian way. We walk to a market place called the “Estates” which is about 2-3 miles away. Then we hop on a “bus” (more like a van) which is packed full of people and make the bumpy ride into town. Once in town we hail down a local taxi, which is again packed full to the limits, and go to the place we want. Usually there are three of us going to town, Christie, a Liberian and me. For all three of us it costs only a little over $1 U.S. to get into town, plus we are getting a feel more of the culture. It’s always an exciting time. Once on the way back from town we went to the place where we could catch a bus back to the Estates. There was a line of people wanted to catch a bus and were already filling up all the vans that were on the curb. We walked past the crowd and down the street a little more. An empty bus was pulling up and the guy that was in it waved at us to get to the front of the line where they were pulling their van up and that we could ride in that bus. We had a problem at the line between the man that was guiding the line and letting people in, and the man that told us we had a ride. Eventually we did end up getting on, but I knew it was just because we were Americans that we didn’t have to go back to the end of the line. A couple men were having an argument in the bus as we got started and the word “American’s” was mentioned. The rest we couldn’t understand. When we got off we asked the girl that we were with what they were talking about. She said that the 1st guy was upset because he didn’t think it was fair that we as American’s got to get on and not wait in line. He thought that since we were visiting we should do things culturally and respect their ways. Man #2 said that maybe it was different culturally for us and not to be too quick to judge. They couldn’t agree so they agreed to change the subject and talk about football instead. I had felt guilty the whole way home, but also I was relieved that we had gotten a bus to the Estates before dark. There are many times when Christie and I feel white and that was one of them.

Thank-you for your prayers. It’s encouraging to hear from my parents how many questions they are getting about Christie’s and my trip and how many of you are continually praying for our health and well being. At the 2 month period I was having a day where a lot of things were reminding me about home and I was kind of missing it a lot. Mom and I had talked for maybe 10 minutes, but the calling card ran out before much was said. It seems every time I start feeling sorry for myself, God is always faithful in bringing something or someone into my life which puts my life into perspective and realize how blessed I am. Right after Mom and I had lost connection, there was a knock on our front door and Comfort had come with one of her friends saying that she had a sore. I told her to come in. It was dark and when I saw her sore, and then saw her eyes glazed over with tears, I realized the sore was just an excuse and she really needed to get something off her heart. I asked her what was wrong and big teardrops started dripping down her cheeks and all she said was, “I miss my mom.” I wrapped her in my arms feeling awful and very selfish when I had just talked with my own mother who was alive, breathing, well, and loved me, and here I was hugging poor Comfort whose mother had been killed by a rebel and I could do nothing. I held her for a few minutes, prayed, and then walked her back to her dorm. I am powerless to keep life; but I can be powerful, in Christ,
in my response to life. Be in prayer for me with that.

Christie and I have been blessed with talking with some of the older girls about their Faith. Please be praying for openness and honesty with them. A lot of the African culture is filled with how to Worship God and there is so much we can learn from them with their faith and prayer. Also, though, I think sometimes the relationship with Christ can be overlooked, especially with so many kids, and a lot of the children just know God as a way of life, but not intimately. This Easter weekend we are going to have a sport camp weekend with another organization which I think will be powerful. The man that is leading it is so full of passion for the Lord and faith that God will do what He says He will do. Christie is going to be sharing her testimony and we are going to be involved with helping all weekend. Please be in prayer that many lives will be changed and that it will open doors for in the future interaction with the kids.

This weekend Christie and I came into town and stayed with a married couple that Christie knew from her past trip here. They have a house here and we are welcome to come anytime and stay. We call it our haven of rest. It’s been a time of sweet rest and fellowship. We were treated to pancakes and a fruit salad one of the mornings and all Christie and I could do was drool. So good….Rainy season starts this next month. That will be really interesting as we have already had some spells of some intense rain. It cools everything down, but also makes bug life all the more
interesting. It will really be an adventure to trek into town….

The Lord is working on my heart in many ways. I think these next 5 months will be filled. In many ways I feel that our time has been short here, but then so much has already happened. I’m looking forward to getting more into the lives of the kids. There is so much more to touch.

Thank-you again for your prayers and letters. I love you all so much.

Rachel

Dear Prayer Team,

Thank you so much for your prayers!! Just this past Wednesday, March 28th, John received official medical clearance from the staff (pictured above) at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado!! When John asked the question, “Can I go back to Brazil in May?” at our final conference Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Maureen Preston (see above–blue jacket) responded, “I would say, have at it!!!” We were overjoyed to hear those words, to say the least!! They did a thorough check-up on John–tried everything to find something that wasn’t right, but once again, the Lord was good and they gave him a “clean bill of health.” Please thank the Lord together with us for this wonderful answer to prayer.

Continue to pray as Jerrod and Bev will make quick journeys to Brazil to take care of visa documentation, and also make sure that all is in place for our move to Brazil in May. They will travel separately since we both help out a lot with caring for John.

We greatly appreciate your prayers on our behalf for safety on the roads and also for strength for our speaking engagements. All of our meetings have been such a blessing–it would be hard to pinpoint a “highlight” since each one was unique and God continues to use John for His glory. Our schedule is slacking off now somewhat and we will be able to concentrate more on packing/preparing for our trip. Although it will be different, we are confident that the Lord will see us through and give us wisdom as we go forward with this endeavor. Our plans are for the entire family to go down to Brazil together, and then the boys will be coming back after a week’s stay. They will help us get moved and all settled in.

Here is what our up-coming schedule looks like:

April 10—Bible study at Employer’s Mutual, Des Moines, IA
April 11-13—Conference—Tabernacle Baptist, Coralville, IA
April 15—Floris Baptist Church, Floris, IA
April 16—IARBC conference, First Baptist Church, Creston, IA
April 22—First Baptist Church, Creston, IA
April 29–Senior night for Jerrod–Saylorville Baptist Church, Des Moines, IA

You are a vital part of our ministry!! Thank you!

Sincerely in Christ,
John and Bev Leonard

Thank you all for praying for Phil and MaryRuth over this past weekend with the special mtgs. held at the mother church, Calvary Baptist. God definitely gave me wisdom and strength to preach 4 messages on “Brokenness” - a necessary step for a life of commitment and faithfulness based on Psalm 51:17 along with 34:18.

On the last night of the conference which was Sunday night, God broke at least 20 hearts which included MaryRuth and myself along with Pr. Wilson and Helena, the pastor and wife of Calvary Baptist Church, along with the leadership of the church and several members. Praise the Lord for this tremendous answer to prayer! Amen! Alleluia! Amen! Please pray that each one of us would continue to seek daily before God to have a broken heart and contrite spirit. We are praying that this would be the beginning of a genuine revival at Calvary Baptist Church. Won´t you pray with us toward this end?!

Praising Our Merciful & Gracious Heavenly Father,

Phil & MaryRuth Taylor
Your Missionaries in Curitiba, Brazil with BMM

Mark Vance
AM Service

Lucas Bair
AM Service

Pat Nemmers
AM Service

I am back from the ACFI conference in Buchanan. It was an experience in more ways than one. We got to try the true African way of traveling across the country…a loaded van with all the luggage on top, while we were swaying back and forth traveling at a good speed. Christie and I were in front with three other people, and the rest of the 20 some kids were sardined in the back. During the trip our noses picked up a pretty ranky smell from the back and there was alot of yelling to stop the van! The driver pulled over and all the kids piled out of the back and let the poor little boy run to the bushes. While we were stopped, the driver decided to check the engine which we had been sitting over in the front. (Christie has learned where the phrase “pants on fire” comes from as she sat right above the battery which was over heating.) As he pulled up the seat and unscrewed a cap, boiling oil spurted everywhere. He just poured in more oil, screwed the cap on and we were good to go. God was good in keeping us all in one piece.

The conference was good. There were three sessions a day, which in truth got rather long, especially when at least one of them never failed to go at least 4 hours if not 5. Great preaching and I was challenged in many ways just through my devotions in the morning as well. Christe and I have been putting our dancing shoes on! It’s the African tradition to dance to the offering and also the worship. When I first attended a service all i did was clap. Now, the Lord has loosened my muscles and I have been turning my “happy feet” on. The older women loved to see that we were trying to adapt to there culture. One night when we came home from the last session, a lady who cooks for us was laughing with another women about how Christie and I dance. I guess Americans tend to do a lot with there shoulders….We told Kamah that she would have to teach us some moves, so the next night she found us during the offering and we praised the Lord with our dancing together. Since the conference was in under a tent with dirt, we all got the dust flying.

One day when we were walking back to the house that we were staying at, there was a crazy little old man that wanted some attention. He had a small build, was dressed like a girl in a black blouse and skirt and wearing flowers in is hair.Also, his eyes looked like he was in drugs. I just thought he was begging and couldn’t catch all that he was saying. When he started to get too
close, almost touching us, I was thinking that a good self defense action might becoming in use. Before we had do actually confront him, one of the drivers from the conference was passing us, and I asked him if he would make sure the man wouldn’t follow us home. When we got back to the house and explained the situation, we were told that he was the local crazy man and filled with demons. He has been that way since the war. We ran across him a couple others times, but didn’t have to rebuke him in the name of Christ. During that week we ran across a few more cases like that one, and everyone’s explanation for the case if that “they have been like that since the war. ” It really opened my eyes to the spiritual warfare that is taking place down here and that I will need to have my “armor” on and be prepared for the fiery darts the devil’s going to send my way. At the conference there was a Pastor that is Liberian who is from North Carolina where he is pastoring a church. He fled Liberia 12 years
ago, because the Rebels wanted his life. This was his first time back since he had fled so many years ago. We stayed in the same house as his family, and enjoyed many conversations with him. His testimony is phenomenal. He said that he recognized many people from so long ago. He even, just in that short time that he’s been here in Liberia, has walked past people that he saw slaughter families, children, pastors…just for the sake of killing. He said that Liberia still has so much unforgiveness in their hearts and need deliverance from it. I can only imagine how hard it would be to see the person how killed your family everyday. A lot of bitterness. I can only think of how hard it was for Corrie Ten Boom to shake the hand of the Nazi officer how killed her sister, and look him in the eyes and forgive him.

We traveled back to Dixiville this past Monday. When we pulled up, it actually felt like home. I think we are getting settled! We celebrate our 1 month anniversary tomorrow. The ride home was almost even more eventful than the first, but I just might have to share that one when I get home.

School is on break until March 2nd. Christie and I already have our hands full with kids and forming and controlling our relationships
with them. we really feel a burden for the older girl and desire to start a bible study with them and get deeper into their lives. We are discovering though, it’s very easy to “vex” them. (The Liberian way how they explain that they are angry.) It’s hard to show each of them the attention and the friendship that they are hungry for. They each want to be “the” close one, and will get jealous or hurt over a very little thing. Pray for sensitivity. Wayne says that there has been a lot of abuse done to a lot of the girls at the orphanage, and I’m sure some of the girls are emotionally/physically scarred and are hurting inside. We don’t want to leave these girls with just a surface friendship. We want to go where it hurts and where both our lives will be changed because of it. Your prayers are needed and such a blessing. Thank you. Not only that, but we are still very much involved with the younger kids. Combine the two and it’s a little overwhelming. Wayne was there this past week and he had some words of wisdom. He said not to worry about loving every single kid. The ones that God wants us to love will just find their way to you. It’s been very true. Not that we don’t reach out, but also, there are some kids that are just attracted to Christie more that me, and visa versa. It’s been a joy to discover all these unique individuals here. God is so good.

We made the adventurous trip into town today. Every day I have more and more respect for my little escort back at home. I didn’t know that when I bought it I was buying an “all terrain” rugged vehicle. It’s amazing what these cars go through down here and
still survive after one day of it. The drivers are hard core and would win any demolition derby. (correct my spelling all you car lovers out there!)

Again, there is so much to write down, but I look forward to updating you in the future. Thank you for the prayers. Love you all.

Rachel
Prov 27:1

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The land isn’t the only thing that’s sunburned! It is amazingly hot here as February is the hottest month of the year! It has been so fun to see the Lord work over the last 4 weeks! Four weeks, it’s unreal to think it has already been that long! God has given me a good time of transition into the Aussie way of life over the past few weeks. We began youth group two weeks ago. The first night we had 8 students and had a great time getting to know one another and seeking to find
out what the students desired from their time in youth group this year. Last week we had some different students in the group and began our new study on discipleship training and what it is to be a disciple! The majority of the students are young in their faith and I am so excited to dig into God’s Word and see what He is looking for in followers of Him!

I have yet to be disowned by the Matthews as I wait for the house I have been offered to from a family in our church. The current renters are remodeling their “new” house and are running into unexpected delays! I am very eager to actually get to unpack my three monsterous bags and know where everything is and I’m sure Josh Matthews is looking forward to me getting out of his bedroom! They have been SO encouraging and refreshing to be with! They are doing a great job here and have heaps of cool ministry opportunities!

Please pray for me as I begin teaching my Scripture classes this Wednesday! I will be teaching six classes each Wednesday and Thursday. One class will contain 44 kindies! I’m so eager to get in and begin sharing the Truth with these kids who need to know Him, not merely know about Him!

I pray for Saylorville’s continued ministry in Saylorville and around this world!

Cheerio Mates,
jason parmerlee

“We were pleasantly surprised when we looked out our kitchen window and saw Alis sitting on the ground in the open reading the Scriptures. This man has caused more frustration in our lives than we care to admit, but now because of God’s saving grace he is our brother in Christ. It was Sunday, and he wasn’t going to the village “church” which he has faithfully done for years. He was openly reading the Scriptures for all to see! Praise the Lord for this man and his family. We often wonder what Christians felt when they met their persecutor, Saul, now Paul, now changed and one of them. We were a little skeptical of Alis at first. But we have seen him growing in the Lord over the past month and all we can do is glorify God every time we look at him.” Jason Knapp- Tobo Tribe

ITF teams/Wabo medical:

I mentioned ITF a couple of weeks ago. This is where individuals come for a six weeks and experience what it means to learn a language, live in a tribal setting, and go “bush”. Nate was able to fly a group into the remote tribal setting of Kaulong. There they spent 4 days really living in the tribe. Often it is their first experience in a small airplane. It is great to meet these people and wonder… Who will return and serve alongside us????

Nate was called out this last Sunday. We received word via radio that a tree had fallen on an 8-10 year old boy in a remote tribe. The boy had some severe injuries, a broken pelvis and some head trauma. Nate flew him out here to the Goroka Hospital. Last we heard he was still in very serious condition. We do not know if he is a believer or not. A tribe that was previously reached with the gospel is reaching out and ministering to this neighboring tribe.

MK’s (Missionary Kids) having fun:

Ok, so we seem to always be having fun. Really these kids have such a wealth of activities. This first picture is of the kids doing a mystery dinner where they don’t know which course will come next. Some had desert first, some had salad. We were the “appetizer house” and they had that about midway through Empanadas and tortilla chips made from taco shells (which are made by hand) and then fried, were a big hit. The next picture was on games night where they went on a scavenger hunt for things like…a live bug…an old prayer card…and an old toenail. The last picture was of the kids playing in the rain. Back home you stay in when it rains, here, you go out and play and create a water slide.

Sarah is 15!! Brianna got Braces!!

Sarah turned 15!! So amazing!! We had a lovely meal with Rose and Harvey Ray. They are associates serving here for two years. He is a teacher and she is our Lab administrator. Sarah picked BBQ chicken, and a nice box of Cheery cheesecake we had received in a package and saved for a special occasion.

Brianna got her braces put on! She also had two teeth pulled. She was in quite a bit of pain for about 4 days, but is now adjusting and learning what she can eat. Thanks so much for the prayers for safety!! Brianna was able to fly with her Dad, and I made the trip by van. We were so glad for this provision!

Three heads are better than one:

Last but not least- I told the kids to put their heads together so I could get a picture of them… HA!! I look over and there their heads are all together—”What are you doing?” I asked. They said, “You told us to put our heads together.” Needless to say, was a good laugh!

Great kids Covet your prayers that we will be Godly parents!

Thanks so much for your prayers for us!! We have not decided yet whether to pursue the vehicle option. Still praying.

There is no way we could be here without you!! This verse about peace was so important to me this week. Am I resting, knowing that He is perfect peace? He has overcome the world!! What Power! What Peace! Want each of you to know that we appreciate so much all that you do!! Thanks to each of you for reading these letters, for the encouraging words, for the heartfelt prayers!! We are a dependent people, dependent on God, and on each other!

Prayer:

1. I (Barb) travel to SIL again on Thursday. The orthodontist is willing to take 4 others from New Tribes. We are going to have Brock evaluated to see if he needs braces also. If he does, it won’t be near as severe as Brianna’s was. It is mainly his eye teeth that are sticking out. Pray that we will have wisdom if we are to do this and for safety on the road.

2. We are doing SOOO much better with our colds!! Thanks SOO much for the prayers!

3. That we would be a family of Peace, that our hearts and minds would be set on Him.

Love to each of you!
Love, Nate, Barb, Sarah, Brock and Brianna Schrag

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 1079
Goroka EHP 441
Papua New Guinea

Contribution address:
New Tribes Mission
1000 E. First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
www.ntm.org/give

Thank you for praying and for giving.

The Robert Kilkos stayed with me the week-end before conference and then gave me a ride to Conference. I enjoyed their visit.

It was so good to see fellow Missionaries at Conference. GOD used Pastor Ron Wigand and his wife Leah in our midst. Pastor Wigand´s messages were thought provoking and encouraging. GOD used him to prepare us for the news during the week, of the homegoing of Mrs.Nancy (Daniel) Brower who had cancer. The children enjoyed their VBS parallel to our business meetings

This past Tuesday, Silvana and I were having Bible study when the door bell rang. A lady wanted information about what we did here and what we taught. I invited Claudia in to talk. She said she is not Jewish but attended a Jewish Orthodox organization until they made her leave because she is a gentile. I do not know if all she said was true but I had a great chance to share the gospel with her. Silvana and I were studying some of the promises and prophecies concerning YESHUA´S coming. We happened to be in Isaiah so Claudia read chapter 53 with us and listened carefully. She said she needed to think so did not want to make a decision right then. She lives on the other side of the city. Pray for her salvation and further contacts with her.

Silvana is so excited about all she is learning in GOD´S Word. Pray for her to grow and for the salvation of her husband., William.

Sunday afternoon, the 25th, I shall be teaching a class to parents of nursery children. They want to know how to teach their children in the home. Pray for wisdom as I finish the preparation and teach.

Delores Woods
Baptist Mid-Missions
Messianic Ministries
São Paulo, Brazil

Threats of icy roads preceding the arrival of the snow did not discourage our SE Iowa pastors from coming here to our church on Monday for an all-day workshop led by Prof. Dr. Ernie Schmidt from FBBC on one of the important issues of the day - Covenant Theology.

A busy week of work in our church auditorium will begin on Saturday as the piano, organ and all the old carpeting are removed from the platform in preparation for the arrival on Tuesday of the new carpeting. Sunday night after church all the pews will have be moved to one side.

The emails that arrive on my desk each week from several of our local churches in Germany stagger me with the many home Bible studies as well as a full program of services and activities. The Lord will bless that with fruit. TWO EXCERPTS: Eight couples showed up at the Krauses in Landshut for their first Valentines’ event in that new church. In Ingolstadt Uschi’s Bible studies with Michaela have resulted in Michaela’s decision to go to the court house to have her name removed from the state church roll in preparation for her baptism, a major step for Germans.

The leaders of our churches met on Saturday to make plans for Summer Camp. Todd writes: “26 people were there to begin talking through the details and activities for the week of camp in August. We’re planning on about 120 people and will be at a new camp location. It’s great to see some faithful workers who have been working at camp for many years and some new faces, just getting started in this ministry.” It is not too early to begin your prayer ministry for this very vital and fruitful activity among the young churches in Germany. The preparation of hearts is key also.

Virgil and Dolores Bunjer
Baptist Mid-Missions

This particular trip went very well. I was everywhere from Scranton to Sandusky to Cedarville to Chicago to Moody Bible Institute to Purdue University to Toledo and back to Clarks Summit. The highlights for me were definitely getting to see friends and family. I got to spend quality time with my family over Christmas, including two whole weeks with my niece, Lana. J What a cutie! She’s going on 9 months. Travis & Kaci (her parents) are bringing their youth group over to Berlin this July to help out with our English-speaking Day Camp. By that time, Lana will be 14-months-old and walking!

I also got to see so many friends that have spent time with us in Berlin (several youth pastors and students that were part of the World Cup outreach; many short-termers and interns now back at Cedarville, Purdue & BBC; my teammate, Brittany Good at Moody; and several pastors, BBC faculty members and EBMers that were instrumental in getting me to the field. I thank God for the friendship and partnership of all of these people! It’s hard leaving them all behind to go back, not sure when I’ll see them again – definitely one of the hardest parts of being a missionary!

I am returning to an exciting spring and summer in Berlin. Here are some upcoming things to keep in your prayers:

Feb. 14-19 EBM Germany Field Council Meetings

Feb. 24 – March 3 Friends and fellow BBC Alumni, Matt & Alicia DeWever visiting

March 31 – April 5 Friend, Trisha (Rudolph) Amos visiting

April 20-30 My parents visiting!

April 28 Mom speaking at our ladies’ retreat

June 13 or 14 Dyes leaving for furlough

June 15 Marty Dittmar & family arriving for a month of ministry

Moody student, Ashleigh Burdick, arriving for a 6-week internship

June 16 “CSI: Berlin” (final youth event/outreach for the spring)

July 2-7 English youth ministry in Poland

July 13 Teams arriving from Harbour Shores Church in Noblesville, IN &

Northeastern Baptist in Kalamazoo, MI

July 16-20 English-speaking Day Camp (led by Harbour Shores)

July 18-21 ESDC Teen Camp (led by Northeastern Baptist)

These are a few of the things that will be keeping me busy over the next 5-6 months, on top of the normal ministry activities a part of CrossWay Church. I’d greatly appreciate your prayers as I fly back tomorrow and dive back into life and ministry in Berlin. Again, I’m leaving with bittersweet emotions – excited to be going back and sad to be leaving people I love.

I have chosen Galatians 1:24 as my focus verse for 2007. It says simply, “And they glorified God because of me.” This is my heart’s desire and prayer as I leave the States and return to the field. I want so much for the people I’m leaving behind to glorify God because of the ministry I’ve had while I’ve been home. I’m also crying out to God for those I’m returning to in Berlin. Please pray that my life brings God the glory He deserves! Thank you. For those of you who have encouraged me, loved me, and ministered to me while I was home – God bless you. I love you.

Kristi

berlin.ebm.org