Update from Chmiels

We wanted to share with you the good news of us being back home in Lviv again! Yes, we are back in Ukraine and we are praising the Lord for all His provision. Thank you SO MUCH for praying for us!

We also wanted to thank you for your prayers for our youth group. In our last update we asked you to pray that even though we were gone for some time, that we would be able to pick up where we left off. And it seems like God is really answering that prayer. Not only did all the students come back right away but we even have more students coming on Thursdays than we used to have during the school year! Please pray that God would use us to work in those students’ lives and hearts.

But we also have a specific prayer request to share with you today. One of our students, Kostya (in the picture on the left), is taking the entrance exams for one of the colleges here in Lviv. It is some kind of an art school and he is taking a series of exams this week. We talked to his mom this morning and she said that they were told by the professor in charge that Kostya should not have even applied since he did not do it “their way.” Well, “their way” is that each student who wants to be accepted pays $4,000 a year in advance and for that money they “prepare” him or her for the exams. “Prepare” means they make it possible for those students who pay to be accepted. Kostya did not do that so now they are saying that there is no chance for him to make it into that school even if he did well at all those exams.

We told Kostya that we would be praying for him and he knows that God can do a miracle for him if He chooses to do so. So we wanted to ask you to join us in that prayer. We also thought that if you pray for Kostya (even if you just quickly pray as you read this email) it would be great to let Kostya know. It would be very encouraging for him to know that he is being prayed for and to know that no matter what the result is, God is in control.

So if you pray, please email us and maybe just say “I prayed” or something simple that won’t take a lot of your time. And we will let Kostya know!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Tomasz, Miriam and Hannah

Waama – Ben Jore

There is so much to be thankful for! The corn and bean harvests are in.

The bean harvest is pretty bad, but the more important corn harvest was really good. Last year we harvested 102 sacks of corn and this year we harvested an estimated 125 despite the fact that everybody expected the harvest to be poor. We are extremely thankful. The blessing of this harvest is amplified even more when we look to many areas surrounding the school where the corn harvest failed completely because of a lack of rain. God has abundantly provided for Waama and we are very thankful for that.

Graduation came and went with plenty of work and stress, but otherwise without a hitch. On Sunday, June 28, all 61 students who started the year not only continued to the end, but all of them also passed. That is the first time we have witnessed this here at Waama. It was quite the celebration and it was fun to see many of our students' wives and children. It was a blessed day.

But perhaps the best news of all came the following morning, Monday. As Jesse and I were finishing packing up our house (which we had to vacate so it can be used while we're gone), news came that the power company had arrived and brought the much awaited transformer! So by the time we finished packing our house and left for Arusha the transformer had been installed, though apparently not connected (see picture)! That is great news. Unfortunately, this does no mean that Waama has electricity ... yet. They say that a new transformer has to be "primed" for a couple of weeks before it is operational. During that time the power company also has to run lines off the main "trunk line" to all the individual buildings and install meters. Once this is completed, the switch will be thrown and Waama should be online ... at least all the building which have been rewired and brought up to code. We have more good news about the rewiring too! Our electrician has made it through some health issues at home and is ready to do some more work for us. He is supposed to come today, Tuesday, to Waama and then continue to Arusha to purchase all the needed materials. Thanks to many of you, a lot of money has come through for this project and we think it should get us most of the way through our project. So Jesse and I are very hopeful that Waama will be "on the grid" by the time we get back to Waama in October. Praise the Lord.

Jesse and I have started our trek back to the States. We have made it as far as Arusha (a 2 hour, 45 minute ride from Waama). We have a little time here before we continue on our journeys. On Wednesday morning, I will catch a bus to Dar es Salaam, usually about a 10 hour ride. Then early Thursday morning (July 2nd) I will catch a flight to Minneapolis via London and Chicago. After about 24 hours I will arrive in Minneapolis. Jesse will leave from Arusha on Friday the 3rd. We appreciate all your prayers on our behalf as we travel. We both plan on being in the States for almost 3 months. During this time we will be working some, visiting friends and family, and sharing in many different churches. If you would be interested in having us share about our work, please let us know. I will send out a schedule later on. I hope to see many of you this summer.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. May God richly bless you,

Ben

Tomasz Chmiels

Dear friends,
We are still writing to you from outside of Ukraine but that is soon to change! We are so excited to tell you that Hannah finally got her birth certificate so that means that we should be back home in Lviv soon! Tomasz will already be back in Lviv this Monday and there will again be a youth group meeting at our house on Tuesday! How exciting! After all these long weeks of being in Poland and Czech Republic, waiting for Hannah’s documents, it feels almost unreal to think that in just couple of days we should be back home and back to our ministry.

As we said, Tomasz will go to Lviv on Monday. There will be a youth group meeting on Tuesday and he will take our friend Lydia Johnson to the Lviv airport on Wednesday. He will also try to prepare our home for our return. After that he will come back to get me (Miriam) and Hannah and we will all return to Lviv next weekend. Unfortunately it is not possible for all of us to leave this Monday because there are still couple of last things that have to be taken care of for Hannah before we go back to Lviv for good. But the day for all of us to be back in Ukraine is coming up and we are praising God for that! :)

Hannah is growing so fast! She’s been lifting her head and smiling for a while now and each day we watch her learn something new. We love being her parents! What a gift from God she is!

We also have Lydia Johnson with us these days. Lydia is Hannah’s baptismal sponsor and we are so thankful that there will be such a godly young woman like Lydia in Hannah’s life as she is growing up. Lydia has spent the last three weeks with us helping us and also getting to know the various ministry opportunities here in Central and Eastern Europe. Who knows, maybe one day God will call Lydia to come back as a missionary. :)
Tonight we are going to meet with a youth group in Oldrichovice, Czech Republic. The Lutheran congregation in Oldrichovice invited our Lviv youth group to come for a weeklong retreat in the fall so we are planning and organizing that. We believe that this could be a wonderful opportunity for our Lviv youth to meet young Christians of their own age who are on fire for the Lord, to see Christian families (because none of our students in Lviv have two parents who would both be believers) and spend more focused time in God’s Word.

Thank you so much for praying for us during these months. Please pray for traveling mercies for this week and for short waiting times at the Polish-Ukrainian border. We would also appreciate your prayers for the Youth Group meeting on Tuesday. Pray that even though we were gone for some time, that we would be able to pick up where we left off.

Blessings,
Tomasz, Miriam and Hannah

For those of you who would like to see more baby pictures… :) http://picasaweb.google.com/HannahJoyChmiel “First month” is updated and two more albums were added.

Darwin Jackson - Traveling

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" Corrie Ten Boom

This seemed a good thought on prayer since I'll be doing about 3,000 more miles this coming week. I sure don't want to wait until something bad happens and then cry out to God, I want grip Him, watch, and let Him lead. So far so good, only had a tire problem.

Tomorrow I head to Peace Lutheran Church in Sioux Center, IA. then to The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Toledo, OH. Pray for Gods inspiration as I share with these two congregations.

So far I've had a wonderful time visiting with so many of you in your congregations as last week at the Association Free Lutheran Conference in Fergus Falls, MN. Some I haven't seen in sixteen years!
Thank you  all so much for "getting behind the wheel" in prayer with us, your fellow workers,

Darwin, Mary Ann, Gracie, Cesar, Ernesto and Laura :-)

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Kvale’s Prayer Letter

 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower.  The righteous runs into it and is safe”  (Proverbs 18:10, NASB).

Dear Intercessors,

Thank you for all your love and encouragement in the Lord.  We covet your specific prayers in the following areas.

Please Pray for: 

1.  Our stress level to be placed in the hand of God with our responsibilities and concerns at hand.

2. A steady pace in the current computer project Steve is on with the Wycliffe IT missionaries he works with in FL, NC, and TX.  They are focusing on the IT needs for the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project.  This links the bibleless people groups of the world to devoted intercessors in the world.

3. Glenda’s dad (Warren) as he has had some recent trail-some days in his walk with bone cancer.  And Glenda’s mom (Eleanor) as she continues to recover from her recent eye surgery.

4. Glenda’s family as they come together in care and concern for their parents and to celebrate a wedding.

5. Safety, blessing and anointing on Jason’s mission trip from June 20-27^th(and the whole team he is with) under a YWAM ministry outreach to the devastation caused by hurricane Ike in Galveston, TX and any other opportunities to share the message of Jesus along the way.

6. Personal safety, health and stamina for our family and the team of volunteers helping with a big fireworks tent fundraiser at the Walmart parking lot in Marshall, MN from June 19-23 set-up, and June 24 through July 5^th  for the fundraiser sale.  As we work, may we also be sparkling for Jesus! Pray for receptive hearts for any that visit our fresh water table with gospel tracks available in English, Spanish & Somali.

7. Wisdom in whether to receive this fireworks tent as an annual fundraiser opportunity or to pass it on to someone else next year.

Give God Praise for:

1.  The safe travels recently during harsh weather, health, and enough strength each day to serve Him who makes our joy complete.

2.  The fundraiser project (above) that was presented to us by someone that sees our commitment with Wycliffe as a vital need to the bibleless.

3.  The servant hearts and volunteers that God has raised up and are surrounding us during this fundraiser project.

4.  Praising God that Glenda’s mom and dad know the Lord and take each day as it unfolds.  He holds the future.

5.  Jason raised funds for his mission trip and is excited to go!  God calls and provides.

6.  George Cowan, former translator in Mexico and former director of the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project, began praying for the Sinte Romani speakers of Europe in June, 1983. There are 30,000 Sinte speakers in Serbia alone, with more than 250,000 living in a dozen other European nations. George has been praying for the Sinte speakers for 26 years, but they have waited even longer to receive God’s Word in the language that speaks to their hearts.  Praise God! On the very day marking the 26^th anniversary of George’s commitment to pray, Wycliffe USA received word that the Sinte Romani New Testament will be published this year!   

“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Acts 20:24, NLT).

In His great love,

Steve & Glenda Kvale

AFLC Missionaries on loan to Wycliffe Bible Translators

Personal Website:  www.TranslateTheWord.org

www.wycliffe.org

Connecting the Church to Bible-less People-groups and Bible-less People-groups to the Church.

Hinrichs’ Newsletter

Future of the Bible School

In our last newsletter, we shared about our intention to return to the US and hand the Bible school over to the Polish Lutheran Church. This has been our greatest prayer request in the past months and we trust God with the leadership of the Bible school since it is His. Unfortunately, the board which makes decisions about all the ministries of the Center for Missions and Evangelism (including Bible school) decided to close the . . .

Click here to read the entire newsletter.

Paul Abel's Prayer Letter

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; to declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness by night.”  Psalm 92:1-2 

We are thinking of our AFLC friends in the U.S. as they gather for Annual Conference this week.  May their fellowship be sweet and their decisions godly as they give thanks to God as a church body. 

Our vacation trip was a blessed get-away, something totally new and different for us.  We travelled 5000 kilometers by plane to Recife and back, and another 3500 kilometers in a rented car. It was fun to travel with our friends Gerson and Indioara as we went to visit our missionary friends Gary and Sherry in Petrolina and Ken and Lori in Mossoró.  We passed through six states and had new cultural experiences with foods, language, and different landscapes.  The northeast is usually very dry, but they have been blessed with rain to green things up.  Yet, the shrubbery is all very low, lots of cactus and desert scapes. Drivers need to be aware of goats and donkeys crossing the roads.  Our second week was spent on the beautiful coastal beaches, one more beautiful than the other.  We spent unforgettable moments snorkeling among the colorful ocean fish and taking in the splendid sights of God’s creation.  Our 30^th wedding anniversary was well-celebrated!

Back at the ranch everything went well without us, but there was plenty of work awaiting us upon our return.  The weather has been extremely cold with hard frosts on many nights.  I am especially thankful for the fireplace in our living room which makes for a cozy spot on cold evenings.  I managed to catch a miserable cold which has been hanging on for more than a week now. Many others are suffering, too.

Paul planned an outing last week for the young neighbor kids who are always around here playing and helping out with odd jobs.  I made a big picnic lunch, a man from church made some fishing poles, Paul loaded up the canoe on the trailer pulled by the church bus, and off they went for a day of fun.  We hope these little investments in lives will help them feel loved and want to choose to follow the Lord.

This past weekend we had two special events.  Saturday was the Valentines Banquet at the ARCA for the married and unmarried couples.  Paul gave a very good talk on “Love and Respect” as part of the program. Then on Sunday we had an outreach event in Campo Largo.  We once again went around the neighborhood handing out invitations (as we have done on many other occasions).  In the past we have had difficulty in getting people from this particular neighborhood to come to any events at the church.  So this time we decided to try a food event, and sure enough we had positive results. People came all during the afternoon to buy our Brazilian pastries and listen to live Gospel music presented by five young men from the Bateias church.  We had a drawing at the end of the afternoon preceded by a skit and devotional.  We were pleasantly surprised at how many people came and stayed and seemed to enjoy themselves.  Now we continue to pray that some “brave” souls will decide to visit our church again for spiritual food.         

Our family is well.  The boys are working for Paul’s cousin Tim at his farm in Stephen, MN, for the summer again.  They have special vacation plans for July which include the FLY youth convention in Estes Park, a fishing trip to Canada, and a week at the lake cabin in WI with the Dahlin family. 

We see our girls weekly. Christina was here for brunch today with some of her English students. She does not see much of her husband Daniel these days because of the demanding schedule of his residency program.  Joanna and the little girls were with us Monday night for a special celebration at the Gill household. Paul’s sister Deby and family (11 kids) have returned to Brazil to live. Family is special! 

Please join us in prayer for Joanna and her partners as they seek God’s will for Lighthouse International School.  They now have over 50 students and will not be able to continue on in the same rented quarters next year.  They need wisdom and provision for the next step.  Developing a Christian school is a big challenge, and Joanna would really appreciate your prayer support.

In July we will be traveling to Campo Mourão to lead two Bible Camps, one for children and another for teens.  Pray for us as we teach and bless lives there. 

Right now it is time to head off for church.  My group is leading the worship tonight and I need to get my children’s class ready, too.

Sure hope you have a great summer!  Take time to appreciate people, enjoy God’s creation, and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

Thank you for your interest in our lives and ministry! 

Love, Paul and Becky

Thank You for Praying

A few weeks ago there was a post on the prayer blog about a threat received by retired missionary Lois Raser who attends our church in Jerez.  I'm glad to report that Lois said nothing came of the threat and she can't even remember what they said to her.  Praise the Lord for His protection and care for Lois. 

Todd

Update on Nate Jore

Dear friends,
I want to thank you so much for your prayers as I have been battling malaria this week.  God has been listening. I am far ahead of normal schedule in my recovery.  Let me share a little of my experience with you since you may be unfamiliar with malaria:

Wed: I first started feeling a bit "off" when I went to bed Tuesday night. I woke up Wednesday a bit more off, but still able to eat and do some things around the house.  I crashed on the couch at 6pm with a fever and was up vomiting later that night.

Thur: I spent Thursday in bed waiting and hoping and praying that I would start improving so I could go as planned to pick up the team the next morning.  I didn't realize it was malaria at this point. I went to the clinic at 4pm to test if I had a bacterial infection. I also got a malaria test, just in case, and it was positive. I took my first dose of malaria meds at 6pm.  Rough night: vomiting, high fever under a blanket followed by periods of sweating.

Fri: In bed the whole day.  Chris, the Ugandan pastor who is working with me in training in Butagaya picked up the team.  The first glimmer of recovery came when I left my room for 15 minutes and sat on the couch at 6pm.

Sat: I was up for 2 hours in the morning and got to meet the team and again send them with Chris for their first training day in Naigobya.  My fever was gone, but then returned half-strength causing me to sleep out the rest of the day.  I was up in the evening for a little while again.  Malaria has the potential to mess with the brain and cause hallucinations.  I experienced this as I rested.  Not fun.  Roughest night with more hallucinations and fitful sleeping.

Sun: Woke up feeling much better.  Ate breakfast after three days without eating.  I was able to participiate with the team and led them in a church service in our living room and some sessions in the afternoon.  Much rest still needed.
Mon: Today I feel almost completely well.  I am still moving slower than normal and my body tells me not to push too hard.  The team has gone for training in Butagaya today and will overnight through tomorrow.  I will be continuing to rest while they are gone. I anticipate feeling much better when they return and able to join them in the remaining events planned for the week.

A missionary friend of mine here in Jinja told me that his first bout of malaria was seven days of sickness followed by seven days of slow recovery.  Others have said that the first is often the worst so I am so thankful to be doing so well so quickly.  I was amazed by all the people Rhoda kept telling me that were praying for me.  Thank you and Praise be to our Great God!  I now have a greater understanding of suffering, though I praise God that it was very brief and did not linger with me.

The team is doing VERY well!  They have been very well prepared by Kevin Olson at AFLC headquarters where they had some training with him before coming.  Sam and Rachel Menge, the team leaders, have been here before and are confident to lead the youth out to the village without us.  Chris has also stepped up on this side and helped us out with transporting the team and hiring vans when I was going to be driving.  Rhoda has been the epitomy of a supportive wife through all this: spending a great amount of time on the phone calling the nurse and friends for medical advice, soliciting prayer support, changing diapers, setting up tripple bunks, spanking Judah, feeding everyone, giving me my next meds, washing dishes...  She had an incredible task of caring for me, the kids, and getting the house ready for the team (much of which was on my list). Some of you mentioned in your emails that you were praying for Rhoda's sanity through this crazy time - thanks! She retained it. :)
As I write, the team is in Butagaya village, about 45 minutes north of here.  They taught the training class this morning and will be visiting in the community in the afternoon.  After sleeping in the village tonight they will be sharing in three schools tomorrow morning before coming back to Jinja.  On Wednesday they will be visiting an orphanage, Thursday will be spent playing soccer and interacting with street boys, and on Friday they will be visiting the Children's Hospital in town to distribute blankets and sweaters, followed by a boat ride on the Nile in the evening. We don't go out to the village again until Saturday and I really hope to be strong enough by then to go with them.

Thank you for your prayers for our family during this time.

We praise God for you!
Nate Jore & family

Team Arrives Safely in Uganda

Thanks for praying for our team! They arrived safely this morning, exhausted but happy to be here. They spent the afternoon wandering around town, visiting the market and the craft shops and trying to stay awake. They lasted until about 8pm tonight and then went to bed when our kids did. We are so happy to have them here!

They will be updating their trip on their blog (http://www.aflcstudentmissions.blogspot.com/) if you would like to follow their adventures. Tomorrow they will travel to the village of Naigobya to teach a lesson they've prepared on Gideon. Nate is very disappointed that he will not be going with them. He is still quite sick with malaria. We haven't seen any improvement yet, but we have heard that it can take a long time to recover from a first bout with it. Some of our missionary friends have been down in bed with it for up to 2 weeks. Would you pray that his would not last that long? He has put so much into planning the schedule for the team and would love to be apart of it with them.

Thank you for all the encouraging emails! We are so thankful for your prayers.

Blessings,
Rhoda

Pray for Nate Jore

We found out a few hours ago that Nate has malaria. It's hitting him pretty hard, being that it's the first time he's had it. He's been in bed for the past 2 days now. Our team flies in tomorrow morning, so it's rough timing! We would appreciate prayers for a quick recovery for him so that he can take part in all that we have planned for the team. Please pray that the kids and I will stay healthy too. It's been a crazy week for all of us and we're not getting the usual sleep and good nutrition that we usually do. Pray for the team too as they are currently in the air traveling.

Thank you!
Rhoda and family

Student Mission Trip

The 2009 AFLC Student Mission's Trip started yesterday (June 10).  Ten people left for Uganda.   

Keep up with their trip and pray for them as they minister in Uganda. A blog of their trip can accessed by clicking on the picture.

Gospel Meetings in India

During last month and up  to this week we have been very busy with conducting gospel crusades in many villages.  This year I have been invited to preach the Word of God by other denominations.  Praise the Lord, His name is glorified at all the meetings in villages.  I observed that many non-Christians have heard the Word.

Pastor Al Pinno from the AFLC-Canada has provided us very good sound system and some electrical goods for these kind of gospel meetings.  So will limited funds we have carried on these meetings in many villages.  In each of the villages we conducted meetings for three days;

These are the villages where we conducted meetings so far;

• Bodapadu  
• Govada
• Vijaynagar Colony
• Zillellamudi
• Pothukatla
• Komarnenivaripalem
• Lodidalanka
• Etheru
• Bapatla

Please pray that these meetings would help people to know Jesus Christ and believers to grow in their faith.

In Christ,

Luther Sastry Dasari

Update from April Abel

In January I was able to attend an event called Teen Street. It is a seven-day conference held at a college here in town, directed mainly to the Christian youth of Brazil. This year there were over 1,300 people. Kids come from all over Brazil to attend, and a few from other countries too. The speakers themselves were Irish that now live in America, and they come to speak at this conference every year. The first Teen Street started in Germany, which is where it is the biggest right now. And they also have it in other places like; Malaysia, India, South Africa, Australia and Uruguay. It was a lot of fun and I hope to be able to go again!

In February we had our annual Free Lutheran Carnaval Camp at the Arca. Since there were seven of us from Maringa we went with the bus from Campo Mourão, our neighbor town. It was a good week; I was very excited to find my friend Alisha there, who is doing MTI from Bible School.

A couple of weeks after camp I went to Campo Mourão for a program the Central church was doing at our Bible School with the youth. It was an afternoon with the orphanage kids playing games and stuff, and at night there was a church service. The intention of the day was to pray for and encourage the orphanage kids, but in the end I think they were the ones that encouraged us the most! It really showed us that we have a lot to be thankful for, and it got the youth excited about our program to bring over a kid or two to stay at their homes on weekends. The kids are really fun; some of the girls were sharing with me what their homes were like. Like my one little friend Jani, she just turned 12 this year, and she has had tattoos ever since she was 10! It’s just crazy. But we can see God really changing their lives.

This year I also started attending the cell group of the girls that were in my room at Teen Street. We meet once a week, and usually start out by each one telling how their week went. I joke and say it’s like a group therapy session, but we don’t say hi and then the persons name after it gets to their turn! A lot of the girls go to the same school, and this year one of them started a “prayer room” at their school. It has been a blessing; they started out with six people meeting to pray during recess, and now not quite a month later they have over 80 people coming to their prayer room! One of the teachers volunteered his classroom to them at the very beginning, and it has air conditioner! But now they are already getting too big for that classroom. I am excited though to see what God is going to do!

I also went to a camp with the girls this weekend. It was a camp to get the youth away from the partying of the city on Easter weekend, but I know we had way more fun!

Well, there is a little bit of some of what I’ve been doing lately, but I’ve still got busy weeks ahead of me! God bless you all . 

-------------

April is the daughter of missionaries Jonathan and Tamba Abel.

Dan and Marcela Giles' Website

Dan and Marcela Giles have a new website.  Check it out by clicking here.

Ben Jore Update

Dear friends,

Finals have started! Monday through Wednesday (June 8-10) are final examinations for all the students for the third and final semester of the year. That means that another year has come and all but gone already. Graduation is not until June 28 as the school needs time to harvest their corn and beans - a laborious process done completely by hand. This harvest will provide food for next year's students and hopefully provide a little profit when the excess is sold. As I mentioned in my last update, Jesse and I will be returning to the States shortly after graduation for a brief furlough before returning to Waama for the 2009-2010 school year.

We praise God for the good year of ministry he has given us this year.

It was by far our best year of teaching we have had. Not only are we getting more and more fluent in Swahili, but we have taught a number of our classes in previous years and can build on what we learned those years rather than starting everything from scratch. Since neither Jesse nor I are teachers by profession, it has also taken some time to figure out how to teach well, especially in an African setting. Teaching has been a huge blessing for us and we look forward to another chance to teach again next year.

Our Jesus Film ministry has also been a huge blessing. We are done for the year now, but had a very good year. Though we didn't have quite as productive a year as last school year, we feel that we accomplished more, especially during our seminar and preaching opportunities (during all of our weekend trips we get the opportunity to teach a seminar and preach - an incredible opportunity). God has been incredibly faithful throughout this ministry. Please continue to pray that God would water the seed that was planted and cause it to grow and bear much fruit.

**Electricity Update** Not much to update on... at least not much good news to update on. The power company's truck is still not fixed. But worse yet is that the transformer that was earmarked for the school has disappeared. So now the power company is trying to get another one from Dares Salaam. I have been tempted to get discouraged, but none of the locals seem to be concerned. Elections are coming next year and they say that all the incumbents would love to be able to brag that they brought electricity to Waama. In fact some say that they are probably slowing the process down so that we'll get hooked up closer to election time so that it will be fresh in everybody's mind. Who knows. In any case, money for the internal wiring continues to come in. No more rewiring has been done as of yet, mainly because the electrician has had some health problems - first his own health (we heard that he had to have surgery), but now his child has not been well. But the school is optimistic that he will soon be able to continue his work. This project has been a good "cultural experience" for Jesse and I. Thanks for your prayers and gifts on behalf of this project.

Please continue to keep the school in prayer. This summer (while Jesse and I are in the States), the school will be offering Accounting and English summer courses for the month of July. Then in August the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania will have their biannual conference on campus here. Then as soon as that is done the school will start getting ready for classes to start in early October.

Would you please pray for my financial situation? As you probably already know, Short Term Assistants (like Jesse and I) are not salaried.

Whatever comes in for a given month is the amount we are given. This is quite exciting as the figures can change as much as 10 times from one month to the next. This being said, the first 5 months of 2009 have been on the lower end of things. In fact, so far this year I have received only slightly over 1/3 of my estimated budget. I should probably be quite concerned about this, but I'm only mildly so. God has provided in the past, he is providing now, and I have complete confidence that he will continue to provide in the future. I would, however, appreciate your prayers on my behalf in this regard. Thanks.

Thanks to all for your partnership in this ministry. I hope to see each of you this summer. May God bless you,

Ben

PS If you haven't checked out our blog recently, please check it out!
The address is http://benandjesse.blogspot.com/

Chmiels' Spring Newsletter

We are also very thankful for what God seems to be doing in our friend Mrs. Tanya’s life. Mrs. Tanya always said she believed in God but . . .

Click here to read the newsletter in pdf format.

He Will Enable, by Jim Taylor

Whom God Calls to Serve,He Will Also Enable

When I was a young boy attending Sunday School we were often taught about missionaries serving in far away places such as Africa, China, and India. I wondered what it would be like to be a missionary and, quite honestly, didn’t want God to call me to serve Him in that way. I was afraid that I would have to endure many hardships as a missionary and really didn’t want to do that.

Scripture is full of stories of men and women chosen by God to serve Him. For the most part these men and women were common, ordinary people. They included fisherman, farmers, shepherds, prostitutes, tax collectors and even a Pharisee. Most of them, like those called to be disciples, immediately dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus. A few however argued, cajoled, objected or ran away from God’s call, but like Moses and Jonah, when God made it very clear that He had chosen them, they responded.

All of them, in their own right, were inadequate to carry out the work God had called them to do. In general they all shared the same questionable character traits. They were stubborn, skeptical, rash, prideful, weak, impetuous, reluctant, (sound like anyone you know?) and sinners also, just like you and me. They were slow to understand and sometimes slower yet to obey. But God chose them to be earthly instruments of His will. God knew that He would have to empower them, teach them, care for them, and even give them the words to say in order that they might serve Him and fulfill His purpose.

God continues to use common, ordinary, sinful people to serve Him and He continues to enable them and care for them according to his will. He has a plan for how each of us are to serve Him. We may not all be called to the mission field or the pastoral ministry but we will surely be called and He will enable us through the power of His Holy Spirit to fulfill His purpose. As Christians our role is to remain open to God’s call and to trust Him. God’s love for us is inexhaustible and our very purpose for being is to serve and glorify Him. Whatever God calls you to do, He will also enable you..

Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

This devotional was written by Jim Taylor.  Jim is a member of the World Missions Committee.

VBS Missions Projects

A number of Vacation Bible Schools have a missions emphasis as part of their program.  We are more than happy to supply ideas, photos and other promotional materials to those desiring them for Vacation Bible School.

Again this year we have posted several ideas on our website.  There are downloadable resources on that page as well.  To go to the webpage click here.

Please contact the Missions Office if we can be of any help.

Nate Jores

Greetings from sunny Jinja!

In less than 6 weeks we are flying back to the U.S. for our first furlough. There is so much to do before we leave! After pursuing renters for our house for the last several months & not having any success, we have decided to stop renting this place and to find a new location when we return in January. That means that instead of just packing a few suitcases for our 6-month stay in the States, we now need to pack up our whole house & put it in storage. We're so thankful for wonderful friends here who have offered to let us store our things in their garage.

We can't focus on packing yet, however, because we have a team coming on the 12th to spend 2 1/2 weeks with us. Sam & Rachel Menge and their son, Jericho, are hosting the team of 7 youth from the Midwest. All 10 will be staying in our home. It will be tight, but I think we'll have a good time. :) We look forward to some late night "Settlers of Catan" games with them. The team will primarily be helping with the training that Nate does in Naigobya and Butagaya, as well as staying overnight in those villages and bonding with their host families. They will also be visiting an orphanage, sharing at a few secondary schools (high school), playing soccer with a group of street boys that our missionary friends work with, and going on a safari. Please pray for their protection as they travel here, and for a fruitful time while they are here.

After Nate's students took their 1st set of exams at the end of their 1st term, they took a 2 week break during which Nate worked ahead to prepare the stories that will be taught while we are in the States. Three of his students (Chris, David and Wilson) will be taking over the training during those 6 months. We are so thankful for these 3 men. They are humble & teachable, and we believe that they will do a wonderful job. Please pray that they would be completely dependent on the Holy Spirit as they prepare and as they teach, and that they would remain faithful and be given much wisdom.
Last night our faithful watch dog died, and we believe that he was poisoned. Some of our missionary friends down the street have also recently lost a dog to poisoning and have since had thieves trying to break in. We would appreciate prayer for protection during our remaining weeks here. We are feeling at peace because we know God is our ultimate Protector and will not allow anything to happen that is not in His plan. We are thankful to our friends who have allowed us to "borrow" one of their dogs for our remaining weeks here.

The boys are counting down the days 'til they can be reunited with their grandparents and cousins... 41 more days. :) We are so excited to return "home", and yet we know that we will also be excited to come back in January. Will you pray that we will finish well and that we will have good time management during our final weeks here so that we can finish everything that is important? Thank you!

We updated our blog this past month with recent pictures. Check it out! (www.jorenews.blogspot.com)

We are so thankful for all of you! We look forward to seeing many of you very soon.

Blessings,
Rhoda and Nate Jore
Elijah, Judah and Hannah

Latest Kvale Connection

With gratitude for each intercessor in our Lord Jesus,

     Please continue to pray with us in serving the computer needs of Wycliffe Bible Translators full-time since January 2009.  God has faithfully enabled this to be possible for five months now!  We lift praises unto Him and pray we may serve for the glory of God in reaching the Bible-less for years to come.  We desire to see God’s Word be spread to all nations as we live each day as if it was “that day”!  (See Matthew 24:36 NASB).

     Recently, God's Word has impacted many hearts in the Caquinte language group of Peru. 17 people returned to the Lord. Seven children and three adults came to saving faith in Jesus. In another local area, one young adult, along with her husband and sister, were baptized. From that same village, news came of another young woman who returned to the Lord.  Pray against the stronghold of drunkenness among this language community. Pray that God will help Caquinte believers to take a firm stand, grow in their faith as they hear the Word of God and find new ways to celebrate events and experience joy in being with other believers. Praise God for the Caquinte New Testament, which was dedicated in July 2006. Pray that the translated Word of God would continue to transform Caquinte speakers now and into future generations.

     See our latest Kvale Connection Newsletter (click here) for an update as we serve in a support role praying that this service will aid in making more testimonies such as the above possible through the gospel which is “the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes”. (See Romans 1:16 NASB).

     We serve from our home in the SW MN area.  If you’d like our family to come and share at your church, Christian school, or small group please contact us and we’d be happy to set up a time that would work well with your schedule.

"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God."

(1 Corinthians 1:18, NLT).

Ingrid Giles

The last few weeks have been very eventful!

My uveitis (the eye problem I mentioned a couple of weeks ago) is slowly improving.  My next appointment is a week from tomorrow.  Please continue to pray for healing.

My nephew Robert (Danny and Marcela’s boy) was born a little over a week ago.

I went to the nearby city of San Luis Potosí this last week to get my visa, which makes me legal for another year. 

I'm not sure how aware you are of the situation in Jerez -- there are bad guys from elsewhere who moved in a couple of years ago and took over the town as they have done or are trying to do in many parts of Mexico, and things have been relatively calm for the last several months even though there are an awful lot of them here and the army is here, too.  If it's a battle zone, it's a very quiet one -- even the prison break about half an hour from here was done without a shot fired (apparently they just showed up with a convoy of armed vehicles and a helicopter, knocked on the door, and explained that they were there to remove some prisoners).  It's not like we're dodging bullets or anything like that.  Daily life is just as close to normal as it ever was.

However, Lois Raser, a friend of ours and retired missionary living in Jerez, had a phone call today apparently from the "bad guys", saying they want to talk to her.  We don't know if it was really them or some kind of practical joke.  When they intend to do something bad, they usually don't call people ahead of time to warn them.   In any case, we know that God is greater than any army, "good" or "bad"!   We are praying for his protection for her and her loved ones as well as all the rest of us, and we thank God that He has already freed her from the fear that she felt initially.

Here is my prayer list:

Please (requests):

• Pray for my continued health, including full healing of uveitis.
• Pray for safety for all the missionaries in Jerez.
• Ask God to continue to provide Dan and Marcela’s financial needs and also mine. 
• Please continue to pray for Claudia Gamboa and her kids, for Abril and Cesar, and for Oscar.
• Pray for Nena and Fernando and their family, especially for full forgiveness and restoration.
• Pray for Omar’s family; that they would come to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
• Pray that God would give me the words and phrases necessary to do the best possible job of translating this Sunday School material so that it will be clear to children from all over the Spanish-speaking world.  Also pray that God would use these lessons to speak to the children and teachers who use them.
• Pray that I’d do a good job as Sunday School teacher.
• Ask God to guide me in small and large decisions, and to help me spend my time wisely.

Thank you (praise):

• I have my visa -- and it went well!  (Thank God for good lawyers!)
• Robert is born!
• Fernando is here and seems to be trying to follow God and to be a good dad and a good husband. 
• We have a new family (Omar’s family) in church!
• I have wonderful loving friends and family and I get to spend time with my nieces and nephew every day!
• God is continuing to provide our needs.

Sincerely,

Ingrid Giles

Pray for Mexico

I just got a message from Daniel in Mexico. Lois Raser, a retired missionary who goes to our church there in Jerez, and a dear friend of ours, got a call today from the Zetas, the enforcers for the Gulf Cartel, who have pretty much taken over Jerez. They say they want to meet with her.

There have been instances of people who claim to be these guys who call and try to extort money by threatening people, so we don't know which it is.

Please pray for wisdom and protection for Lois and her family as well as for our family, especially Daniel who has been given the responsibility for the church now while Todd is traveling in the US.

Thanks.

Dan Giles

Chmiels

As you know, Hannah was born 11 days ago and now we are waiting for her documents to be processed so that we can go back to Ukraine. We would really like to be back in Lviv as soon as possible and in a way this time of waiting is really hard. We were told that it will take at least a month before we get Hannah’s birth certificate and passport. But we know that God can do anything so we wanted to ask you to pray that if it be God’s will, that by some miracle, we would receive these documents sooner.

On June 10th, our friend Lydia Johnson (17) is coming to be with us for three weeks. Our plan was that these three weeks would be spent in Lviv and that Lydia would both get to enjoy our little Hannah and also would help us with some of our youth ministry. It would be really great for our youth in Lviv to get to know Lydia, who is just a little older than some of them and could be a great example of someone who is close to their age and is a true follower of Christ. So please pray that if God would like Lydia to be able to be with us in Lviv (not just Krakow) that He would make it possible for us to return to Lviv soon.

As we already said, we know that God can do anything. And we experienced one such miracle even this morning...
We traveled from Krakow to Prague this week to take care of all the needed paperwork for Hannah. Tomasz called this place in Prague where they do this and he set up an appointment for today even though they normally accept these applications only on Mondays and Wednesdays. So we came there this morning all ready to take care of all that was needed to be done only to learn that this process has two parts, done in two different offices, and we only had the appointment set up with one of them.

The lady in the first office was nice and did her part but she said that it was VERY UNLIKELY that the other lady in the other office would help us out since it was not the official day for her to accept our paperwork. We were told that just yesterday there was another couple like us (they too traveled from a different country to submit these documents) and she refused to help them because it was not the right day and they did not have an appointment set up specifically with her. We were also told that there are actually two ladies working in that office and that both are pretty mean and that it is close to impossible that we would succeed with either of them. So that was REALLY DISCOURAGING to hear. We traveled all the way from Krakow for this and we hoped to speed up the whole process by bringing our documents to Prague (instead of submitting them through the embassy in Poland). And now we were told that we would probably have to wait till next week...

Well, when the first lady went to get our receipt and we were left alone in her office, Tomasz said that we would go try the other office any ways and he took couple of minutes to pray to God that He would do a miracle for us... That He would grant us favor with that “mean lady”.

We left the first office and started looking for room 101 where the other part of our paperwork had to be done... And here we see a lady standing in front of the #101 door asking us if we needed help with anything. Yes, it was the “mean lady” asking us if there was anything she could help us with!  So we told her what we needed and we explained our situation and she was very nice and helpful and did everything that we needed her to do. She even said that she will try to have the documents mailed more directly to us when they are ready so that we could get them a little earlier. Isn’t God amazing?

So that was a HUGE ANSWER TO PRAYER and nothing short of a miracle! Our God is so faithful!
We know that if it be His will, He can again do a miracle and get us Hannah’s birth certificate and passport sooner than in a month. We are praying for this and it will mean a lot to us if you join us in prayer. Thank you so much!
Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/HannahJoyChmiel

Blessings,
Tomasz and Miriam

Darwin Jacksons

“The history of missions is the history of answered prayer. It is the key to the whole mission problem. All human means are secondary.” Samuel Zwemer

Well I'm pretty much packed up for my trip to the mid-west. The dates and places we have so far are noted on our calendar on the link below. I'll leave on Tuesday the 2nd of June (Lord willing).

Praise God we had a great visit with Manuel (the Catholic whose wife is a JW). We showed him how to prove to his wife that every believer will be with Jesus in heaven (instead of merely 144,000), then we asked him if he knew for sure he was going to heaven. He said that he was according to his good works... so we lead him through the Gospel and to Jesus alone for assurance.

Our problem with seating in Buenos Aires is getting serious, pray for chairs (see the pic). Our new brother Abel (front right hand of isle) will go with Alfonso (right side w/white shirt) on visit in Buenos Aires while I'm gone, and Pastor Antonio and Abel will take turns going with him out to Mascarenas. 

We had a better group this time in Mascarenas. We are having troube with the Oneness penticostals out there. They are trying to take two of our new families. Pray for wisdom and God's hand of protection out there.

We might be getting Cesar's older brother next week. He is thirteen years old. Evidently he has to be moved from the home he's at now, so they would love to have them together and where he wouldn't have to be moved again.

Mary Ann is really enjoying working at the rescue mission. She pretty much is in charge of the kitchen now. We thank God for this opportunity for her, and for all of you for praying.

Your fellow workers, 

Darwin, Mary Ann and Gracie Jackson... and Cesar.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Dan and Marcela Giles

 

Wow! So much has happened in the last month and a half, I don't know where to even start.  Shortly after my return from the USA, the Schierkolks left for the USA with yours truly left in charge of the church and our son Roberto Emanuel arrived a few days afterward! Yes, on May 21 at 10:30 p.m. central time, our little son made it into this world.  We are so happy!  He is healthy and strong.  7 lbs. and 20 inches long and looks just like his daddy!

The church is doing very well.  This last Sunday (24th) there was an attendance of almost 30 people for the spanish service!  Usually we have around 10 or 12.  We just started a new study so please pray that it is well received.  So far so good. 

Also please pray for the youth group.  Since about a month ago, I had put the youth meetings on hold until our son arrived and it has been kinda hard for a few of the youth.  Lord-willing this Saturday or next we might start again depending how things are at home with Marcela and the kids.

As always, we thank you all and are very grateful for all the support and prayers that are offered on our behalf.  As long as the Lord wills, we will be serving Him here in Jerez with the ministry through your support.

Click here to see more pictures.

In His Service,
Daniel, Marcela, Ariadna, Andrea, and Roberto Giles

New Short Term Assistants

The World Missions Committee has approved two new short term mission assistants.  They are Nathan Olson and Jon Nelson.  Nathan and Jon will be working on summer teams until fall, then they will be serving for nine months in Brazil.  Please be in prayer for Nathan and Jon.

You can view their blog by clicking here.

--------------

People often ask, “What is a Short Term Missions Assistant (STA)?”  Short Term Assistants are people who feel a special burden for particular aspect of foreign mission work.  They come to the AFLC World Missions Committee and receive the Committee’s blessing to volunteer on the mission field.  We have Short Term Assistants working in Mexico, Uganda, Ecuador, Tanzania and now Brazil.  We have had STA’s on other fields as well.

The World Missions Committee realizes the value of Short Term Assistants.  They sacrificially work long days and often carry a heavy load both in terms of work and spiritual responsibility.  Because Short Term Assistants work on a volunteer basis they do not receive a salary or benefits.  They are supported by offerings given for their living expenses.  These offerings can be given through AFLC World Missions.
We urge you to pray diligently for our Short Term Assistants and support them financially as they serve the Lord on the front lines in spreading the Gospel.

Paul Abel's Newsletter

We are trying to help our churches be mission-minded. Some of our churches have a mission Sunday once a month, bringing the needs of the world before our people and challenging them to pray, give and be willing to go to regions beyond. The members reach out to help other churches, they . . .

Click here to download the complete newsletter as a PDF. 

The newsletter is four pages and may take a little while to download.

Jesse Long

Happy Memorial Day!!  No matter how much time I spend living outside the U.S., I will always love American holidays.  In fact, as some of you may know, I have again arranged my scheduled so that I will arrive in the States for the summer on the 4^th of July!  I am sure looking forward to it!  God bless America!

Since my last update (in which I mentioned the beginning of this third semester) we have already started working towards bringing the school year to a close.  The schedule for the coming weeks looks like this:

• May 29-31 – Weekend of Spiritual Meetings for this third semester here at Waama.  Please pray for this weekend that it could be a time of blessing and encouragement for staff and students alike as we focus on the theme of “God’s Call”
• June 5 – Last day of teaching for the school year!
• June 8-11 – Final exams
• June 12-14 – Special seminar on mission work held here at the school for all the students.  This is being put on by some of our Norwegian missionary friends who are working among the Datooga people.
• June 15-27 – WORK in preparation for graduation.  This will include bringing in the year’s harvest of corn, doing some grounds-keeping and clean-up around the campus.  We appreciate your prayers during these weeks especially since Ben and I have been assigned to be the teachers on duty!  Let’s just say we will be ready to be home!!
• June 28 – Graduation Day!!
• June 30 – Travel to Arusha
• July 3 – Fly out of Kilimanjaro International Airport

Because of all this activity in the coming month, this last weekend was our last weekend of village ministry for this year.  Since my last update we had our weekend in the Yaeda Chini – a local region in the Rift Valley.  It was a good weekend ministering among several tribes that we do not normally have opportunity to interact with.  This last weekend (May 22-24), we were a region called Bassotu.  God blessed there as well as we had opportunity to show the film to a total of nearly a thousand people between both Friday and Saturday night.  On Saturday afternoon we taught a number of sessions as part of a Saturday afternoon seminar especially geared for youth and finished out the weekend with Ben giving the message in the Sunday morning service.  We always enjoy these weekends but they do take a lot of energy and there was certainly something very relieving about knowing that we had successfully reached the end of that part of our ministry for the year.

I should also give you the update on our student’s wife who I took to the hospital during our weekend of ministry in the region of Magang.  Unfortunately, the baby was not born on my birthday but rather waited until the next day (May 4^th).  You may also be interested to know that it was a little girl so will most likely not be called Jesse.  Oh well. J  Both mother and child are doing well.

For those that haven’t been on the blog lately, more pictures were put up a couple weeks ago.  I also have more from our recent weekends of ministry that I hope to post as soon as I have a good enough internet connection.  Stay posted.

I am going to sign off at this point but would again ask your continued prayers as we try to bring our classes (as well as other aspects of life here) to a close for the summer.  We also appreciate your prayers for our safe travel when that time comes as well as for all that we need to accomplish while we are in the States.  It is going to be a busy time.  Again, I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible.  God bless you all!!  Keep up the good work.

In Christ,

Jesse Long

Mbulu, Tanzania

Renata Hinrichs

Tim Hinrichs reports, "On Thursday Renata had her colonoscopy and the doctor found her to be completely clean of cancer! It’s an amazing answer to prayer and so we don’t know if she was misdiagnosed in Poland or God simply healed but we are praising the Lord."

Thanks for your prayers as well.

Update from Todd Schierkolks

May 1st was a great day of fellowship and prayer with our fellow pastors and lay leaders from the state of Guanajuato.  It was good to be with Pastor Milton Flores again.  We were able to get together in Aguascalientes and we look forward to getting together again in the future.

Please continue to pray for Fernando and Nena and their marriage.  Also pray for Emilio who has been coming to church with his family for a couple months now.  Emilio has been out of work for a while and he needs a job.  Danny and Marcela are expecting their baby any day now and I know they would appreciate your prayers.

Thanks so much,

Todd and Barb Schierkolk

Dan and Marcela Giles Have New Son

The birth of Roberto Emanuel Giles Lozano was announced.  He was born May 21st at 8:30 pm Central time.

Pray for Our Workers in Mexico

Our workers in Mexico are in constant danger as they live in the country and proclaim the Gospel.  Pray that God would grant them safety from:

• The recent flu epidemic
• The violence coming from drug cartels and crime in general

Last week a prison in Zacatecas, a city near Jerez was broken into and 53 prisoners were released.  Click here to read more about this situation.

Also, please remember Dan and Marcela Giles who are expecting a child any day now.

Exotic Wildlife - Craig Wentzel

In January, I had the privilege and great blessing of traveling to India with Pastors Eldon Nelson, Del Palmer and Kevin Olson and seminarian Bob Lee. I saw (and the Lord taught me) many interesting things.

When I got back, one of the questions that people asked me was: “Did you see any [exotic] animals?” They meant elephants, or tigers, or snakes. I had to answer “No, the only exotic wildlife I saw was in a ‘3-star’ HOTEL!” When we were in Tirupati, we stayed in a hotel that had 3 stars after its name on the sign.

It was there that Kevin noticed a huge SPIDER on the wall.

I believe the hotel (or one place we stayed) was where we saw a GECKO on the wall. As Proverbs 30:28 says: “The lizard you may grasp with the hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.”

And the hotel was where I killed a COCKROACH in the bathroom…. reminiscent of my old California Lutheran Bible School days.

My impression is that people outside the AFLC might wonder why WE are so concerned about sin. After all, we probably don’t have a lot of “visible” sins in our lives (spiritual “elephants”, or “tigers”, or “snakes”) that we can’t ignore. However, I’ve come to see that I have a lot of “spiders” and “geckos” and “cockroaches” in my old nature that keep coming out in my life…things like procrastination…or irritability ….or wrong attitudes….or wrong priorities. It is because we still have sin in the “civilized hotels” of our lives that we still need a Savior!

David, the psalmist, was aware of his old sin nature when he wrote in Ps. 19:12-13: “Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression.”

Even our little sins are serious because, as Isaiah writes in Is. 59:1-2,: “your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” Our sins separate us from God and His answers to our prayers.

And Jeremiah writes in Jer. 5:25: “Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you.”

David realized that we must fight against these sins every day… whenever they expose themselves. Ps. 101:8 says:

“Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,

So as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.”

It is not that we should be focusing on the “insects” of our sins, but rather on the Lord Jesus, the ONLY ONE we can go to, for complete “pest control”. We can bring these “pests” to the Lord because of His great promises to us:

Is. 55:7 says:

“Let the wicked forsake his way

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And let him return to the Lord,

And He will have compassion on him

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.”

Is. 38:17b says: “For You have cost all my sins behind Your back.”

Is. 43:25 says: “’I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.”

We may think we don’t have sin in our lives because we don’t see any spiritual “ELEPHANTS” walking around in our daily behavior, but we still have the “little creatures” of sin that expose themselves to others. Are we bringing THEM to Jesus, as well?

New Addition to the Missions Family

The AFLC World Missions family grew by one today.  Tomasz and Miriam Chmiel announced the birth of their new daughter Hannah Joy.  She was 8 pounds 11 ounces and 22 inches at birth.  Pray that God may bless the Chmiels greatly with this new addition.

Update from Paul Abels

Thank you for your prayers. We are happy to let you know that the Lord answered our requests positively and we would like you to join us in thanking and praising the Lord for His mercies.

• For John Abel -  He was able to recuperate and return to the U.S. to get further treatment there for his prostate problem.
• For our classes at Bible School – We enjoyed teaching, and our hours with the students were a blessing. Part of the homework assignment includes planning the children and youth camps in July, so we will be returning to Campo Mourão for two weeks in July.
• For our time with Del, Jim and Linda encouraging the pastors – They were able to visit 13 Free Lutheran churches here and had contact with all but one of our national pastors. The messages were practical and encouraging, and their presence helped unite us as we look towards the future.
• For our sixth annual Passion Play - About 1000 people came out for the performances this year under star-studded skies and a beautiful full moon.  We pray that the impacting message of the life, death and triumphant resurrection of Christ coupled with the evangelistic message and Gospel tracts given out will draw people to Jesus.  Last week we had a soup supper at the ARCA to thank all the play participants (more than 70) and to see photos of the event.
• For Yara’s missionary trip to Paraguay – She came back with stories to tell of teaching children and encouraging people in hard-to-get-to places, arriving by boat and working in the very hot temperatures.  Yara has also had recent opportunities to share Jesus in the public school here in Bateias.

Other newsworthy items

• Building is underway for the Primavera Project church in Borda do Campo. The metal frame is up and they have a beginning.  The church group in that area is very low income so the continuation of the project will be little by little. Pray for this group of believers as they reach out in their community.
• Our trip to Iguaçu Falls was great!  The congregation was very thankful to share the joy of the dedication of their new sanctuary with a nice group of Americans.  The place was full that night. They have high hopes that the new building will facilitate their ministry and outreach.
• Alisha returned to the U.S. after spending three months with us.  She will be graduating from Bible School this weekend.  Pray for her as she seeks the Lord for the next step in His plan for her life.
• Saturday Paul and I will be leaving on a trip to the northeastern part of Brazil.  We will visit our good friends Gary and Sherry Hauter who direct the Bethany Fellowship Bible School ministry in Petrolina.  We will also visit other Christian friends in Recife.  We understand that there are many cities in the northeast which have no Christian witness.  Perhaps the Free Lutheran church should consider starting ministry in this area in the future.  Another goal of our trip is to relax and enjoy one another as we celebrate our 30^th wedding anniversary. Our good friends Gerson and Indioara (Christina’s in-laws) will be traveling with us.  Pray for safety, good fellowship, and God’s provision for economical places to stay along the way.
• One more prayer request – Jaime’s daughter, Heidy, continues in a psychological treatment program and is not doing well.  She has no will to live.  As the Lord brings her to mind, please pray for this sixteen-year old girl that she might give her life over to the Lord and be transformed.

Hope spring arrives soon for you in the U.S.  I noticed the temperature in MN today is pretty chilly.  Fall is upon us here with the leaves falling and cooler temperatures.  We are thankful for our unchanging God who is the same in all seasons and in all places and for all time.  May He be Lord in your thoughts and actions today!  Take a moment to read His Word and receive His encouragement.

Yours for the Kingdom,

Paul and Becky

Update from Ingrid Giles

We enjoyed a nice long visit from my parents, and now they are back in Phoenix.  Unfortunately for them, they were here when the days began to be hot, and they left just before it cooled off!  The rainy season is giving hints that it will begin soon, and the air is a little cooler than it was for a while.  I have hopes that it will be a good rainy season this year.  There is still some water in the river from last year’s rain!

A few people in town have gotten the swine flu, but the normal everyday flu is still the more usual variety around here.  Schools will be opening again next Monday.  Thank you for praying for us during this epidemic.  It seems to have calmed down a bit but please do keep praying!

Our coworkers the Schierkolks are leaving this week for the States, where they will spend a few months on deputation and visiting family.  Also their daughter Rachel will take some tests in Texas next week (I believe their daughter Megan will be taking a test as well).  Please pray for travel safety for the whole family, for God’s blessings on their speaking in churches, for the girls as they take their tests, and for my brother Danny, who will be in charge of the church here while they are gone.

My nephew Robert is still not born!  He had been developing so quickly that the doctor had moved up the original due date; we are now in the time in between the two due dates.  Please pray for Marcela as she is at the very end of her pregnancy.

Here is my prayer list:

Please (requests):

• Pray for my continued health.  (I am still completely well!)
• Ask God to continue to provide Dan and Marcela’s financial needs and also mine. 
• Please continue to pray for Claudia Gamboa and her kids, for Abril and Cesar, and for Oscar.
• Pray for Nena and Fernando and their family, especially for full forgiveness and restoration.
• Pray for Omar’s family; that they would come to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
• Pray that God would give me the words and phrases necessary to do the best possible job of translating this Sunday School material so that it will be clear to children from all over the Spanish-speaking world.  Also pray that God would use these lessons to speak to the children and teachers who use them.
• Pray that I’d do a good job as Sunday School teacher.
• Ask God to guide me in small and large decisions, and to help me spend my time wisely.

Thank you (praise):

• I have continued to be well!
• Fernando is here and seems to be trying to follow God and to be a good dad and a good husband. 
• We have a new family (Omar’s family) in church!
• I have wonderful loving friends and family and I get to spend time with my nieces every day!
• God is continuing to provide our needs.
• We enjoyed a great visit with my parents!

Sincerely,

Ingrid Giles

Pray for Renata Hinrichs

Please pray for Pastor Tim and Renata Hinrichs.  Renata has some serious and urgent medical needs and she and Tim will be returning to Minnesota on Monday to get the needed medical attention.

The Hinrichs will be returning to the US permanently this summer and seeking a call to a congregation here.

Update from Jesse Long

It is hard to believe the last time I wrote third semester had not even started…and now it is already well underway.  God blessed us with a good break for Easter and a safe return here to Waama on the 20^th of April.  As an item of praise, I am happy to report that classes actually started up later that same week on the 23^rd.  At that point, many of the students had still not returned from Easter break but a prompt start was important for the sake of those who had (not to mention the shortness of this 3^rd semester).

Unfortunately, there are still several pictures from our time off that I have not yet been able to post to the blog.  For now, I will include this one.  It is from the wedding I was able to be a part of on the 18^th between two of our good friends who live in Arusha but are of Indian descent.  It was a good time and the happy couple is off to a great start.

With regards to our work here, classes are going well and we are both enjoying what we are teaching.  The new classes require a bit of work and preparation time but it is fun to be learning right along with the students.

Our schedule has also been busy with weekend village ministry.  Our first weekend after break (April 24-25), we held two very well-attended showings in the region of Antsi, near the Waama campus.  That weekend we were also fortunate to have some Norwegian friends visit from Arusha who wanted to experience a Jesus film showing.  In addition to the 1000-1200 people who were in attendance that weekend, we were blessed this past weekend (May 1-3) to be in the region of Magang where we held two more film showings with a total attendance of around 800 people.  On Saturday night we again had foreign guests join us out in the village but this time 4 girls who are currently volunteering at a mission hospital in the area – 2 from Amsterdam and 2 from Canada.  It is always fun to have the company of other “whities”.  Later that night, around 12:30pm when the film showing was over and we were preparing to call it a day, one of our students (an evangelist who lives in that area and was with us on the trip) came asking if we could take his wife to the hospital as she was ready to give birth!!  Since Ben and I were the only drivers along for the weekend, it delayed me in getting to bed for a couple more hours but it was some fun excitement.  We have not yet heard if the baby has actually been born but it had still not come by the time church was out later that morning.  It just so happened that day was also my 29^th birthday, which I thought was pretty cool and when I told the evangelist he said, “Well, if it’s a little boy, we’ll have to name him Jesse!”

Continue to pray for Waama and the progress of the electricity project here.  The transformer that we have been waiting for has still not arrived but we will continue to move forward as we are able and are very excited about seeing all this completed as soon as possible.  Thanks so much to each one of you who has given to this project.

I am looking forward very much to my fast-approaching time in the States.  Most of all, I hope to see as many of you as possible.  Thank you so much for your on-going love and support as we work here.  Keep up the good work where you are, too!  God bless you all.

In Christ,

Jesse Long

Mbulu, Tanzania

Justo Pillman's Newsletter

I just got back from a 3 day trip with the church youth, mountain climbing.  Our goal was to climb up the extinct volcano El Altar and make it up to the snow line. The snowline here at the equator is about 14,500ft. In total, we hiked around 15 hours during the three days.  Much of the walking was in mud and rain, and as we neared the top
we were uncertain we could proceed because of the dense fog. At that point, we had a time of prayer and praise, and the Lord began rolling back the clouds. It was a powerful
example of the Lords faithfulness to the youth.

On the last day right before beginning the trek home, I was responsible for the devotional. I'd been planning and preparing to share on yielding rights, anger, etc. but during
my personal devotions early that morning things changed. As I stood reading my Bible in the cold and fog surrounded by the mountain peaks, I felt a strong direction from the
Lord to change the theme of my devotional for that morning . . .

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