Jonathan Abels Arrive on Short Furlough

The Jonathan Abels arrived Friday night for a short furlough. They will be attending the AFLC Annual Conference and then visit congregations and individuals before returning to the field. They are planning to return at the end of September.

Rev. Luther Dasari and Wife in US

Rev. Luther Dasari and his wife Vardhini from India are traveling in the United States. Pastor Dasari is the president of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations in India. He is here to attend the AFLC Annual Conference. Luther and Vardhini are pictured as they met with representatives of Faith Search International in Chaska, Minnesota.

Thanks to your support the AFLC of India has a number of ministries including:

• Evangelism and Evangelistic Gospel Meetings
• Pastoral Training
• Church Planting
• Church Building
• Christian School
• Orphanage
• Medical Services
• Food and Relief Service
  

The AFLC of India has thirty-five pastors, eleven Bible women and parish workers, forty-four churches as well as other preaching points.

News from Paul and Becky Abel

The Cold Weather
Time is marching on….. Here we are in June already! Hope you are enjoying warmer temperatures than we are. We have had hard frosts several nights in a row. With no heating in the homes, the chill is hard to bear. We are thankful for nice sweaters and warm blankets and a well-built home. However, our hearts go out to the many poor families who live in clapboard homes where the wind whistles right through and the family members huddle together or all sleep in the same bed to keep warm at night. Count your blessings! Since I’ve never been a fan of cold weather I thought was so smart moving to South America where I would never see snow again. NOT! I’ve felt much colder here that I ever did in Minnesota. The bright side is that usually the sun shines during the day to warm us up and get us ready for the cold evenings. We were blessed by two boxes full of warm, soft scarves (100 of them) lovingly made by the Janesville church women which we happily distributed at church last week. No buildings have heat here so everyone tries to dress warmly when going to school or work or church. A couple of weeks ago we were able to put glass in the windows of a home of a family from our Campo Largo church. We plan to help them with a ceiling to make it a little warmer for their five young children.

Well, what’s happened in the last month?

• Campo Largo Church - Lots, as usual. Paul has been busy with several construction projects, including finishing the wall behind the altar area and putting in a ceiling in the Campo Largo church, re-doing the kitchen roof at the ARCA, and putting a new roof on the Bateias church. He hasn’t actually done the work himself, but has contracted and overseen the various phases of the work.
• Medical Needs - Paul has helped several people with medical needs - running to the doctor and hospital, buying medicines, and finding people to donate blood.
  
• Funerals - We also had two funerals during these cold days with all night wakes. In Bateias the people are very supportive and funerals draw big crowds of people, so these are always great opportunities for sharing the message of hope and eternal life in Jesus.
  
• Couples Retreat -We spent time planning and carrying out a retreat for couples at the ARCA this month which was a big blessing. We had lots of rain that weekend, but the couples were happy to be inside around the fireplace as they learned about God’s plan for their marriages.
  
• Ladies' Tea -This past week I spoke for a Ladies’ Tea that we planned at the ARCA. We were happy to have about 70 ladies participate. It was a special afternoon of fellowship and encouragement as we considered the value of good friendships. This Saturday we will participate in another ladies’ gathering at our Vila Camargo church with the gals from all of our Free Lutheran churches in the Curitiba area.
• Youth Groups -Paul and I have also taken on the challenge of directing the youth activities in Bateias and Campo Largo for the months of June and July in an attempt to attract more youth and teach the youth sponsors how to spruce up their outreach to the young people. Pray for us! One Saturday we took a busload of kids to the new church plant in Borda do Campo for their first reception of new members. It was a night of celebration of a new work being established.
  
• Abused Mother -Another bit of news is that we welcomed Marcia and her two little girls, Amanda and Gleiciele, to move into the little cabin behind our house in the beginning of May. Marcia was being abused by her live-in (father of the two girls) and we felt it was time to help her get a new lease on life. She is a lovely Christian and willing worker. Marcia has had many health issues, including worms in her head, causing terrible headaches. Her daughter Amanda needs surgery to correct a hearing and sinus problem. During this time of medical issues we are supporting this family and hope that eventually Marcia can find a job and start a new chapter in her life. We appreciate your prayers for them as well.
  

Andrew and Matthew
This is just a glimpse, but I know I’ve probably already rattled on more that you would like so I’ll try to wrap it up for this time. We are loving every minute with the boys at home. They are 100% great – always ready and willing to help. Andrew has been giving guitar and drum lessons to many needy kids who are interested in learning. Matthew has been discipling a young man from Bateias weekly. Both boys help regularly with praise and worship at both churches. And they are a joy to have around! I can’t tell you how much they will be missed! Andrew finally finished his big project of making a movie of our Passion Play presentation. Maybe he will put subtitles on it when he gets back to the states so you English-speakers could enjoy it, too.

Tomorrow is a holiday here and we are having a clothing sale at our Campo Largo church to distribute the lovely clothes that our friends in the U.S. have sent us in boxes. Thanks for your contributions to our ministry, whether it be boxes or financial gifts or prayer and friendship. Your participation with us is a blessing!

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!”

Rejoice with us!
Your missionary friends in Brazil,
Paul and Becky

Interesting tidbit: A winter treat here is eating pinecone nuts from our big Parana pine trees. They are best roasted on the woodstove.

The Latest from Ben Jore

“He is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and earth.” Daniel 6:26-27

Dear friends,
Greetings from Waama Bible College!

Third Term at Waama
The third and final term of the school year started a week after Easter. Both Jesse and I continue to enjoy the challenge of teaching, especially the Bible courses. This term I am teaching Daniel, Jesse is teaching I Timothy, and we are both teaching English, computer, keyboard, and guitar. We are continually amazed at how quickly this school year has passed. Graduation is
scheduled for June 24!

Jesus Film Ministry
We continue to show the Jesus Film in local villages virtually every weekend. We find great joy in this ministry as it is an
encouragement to the local churches and a powerful opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to non-believers in their mother tongue.
Recently we have noticed a lot of opposition to these showings (cancellations, technical difficulties, and interference from other
church groups). Would you continue to intercede for this ministry?

Uganda, US, and beyond...
The day after graduation, Jesse and I will begin a journey to Uganda. By the time we arrive with our film projection equipment,
five others from the U.S. will already be there with my brother, Nate, and his family. Together, we anticipate showing the Jesus
Film 17 times during this three week campaign!

After Uganda, both Jesse and I will return to the U.S. for about 7 weeks (mid-July to early Sept). Along with visiting many friends and churches during this time, Jesse needs a check-up with his diabetes doctor and I will take advantage of the opportunity to visit the rest of my family who will all be on furlough. After our time in the U.S., Jesse and I plan on returning to Tanzania to teach at Waama for at least one more year.

Praise God for...

• His protection and provision
• the privilege of serving here

Pray for...

• a strong finish to this school year
• our Jesus Film ministry both in Tanzania and in Uganda
• a successful trip to the US.
  

Thanks for praying. May God bless you,

Ben Jore

PS - A Waama Student's Testimony

Eight years ago, Sam* never would have attended church. He often drank and did not have time for God. One evening, he was thoroughly drunk and happened to stumble past the local Lutheran church where the Jesus Film was being shown outside. He stopped to watch. Despite his drunken state, God touched his heart and saved him that night. Now, he is studying at Waama and looking forward to returning to work as lay pastor of that church. Last month at Sam's invitation, we showed the Jesus Film again at this location, this time in the local dialect. What a moving experience to hear Sam close the evening by inviting the unbelievers among the 750 people who had gathered to accept Christ—just as he had accepted Christ at a similar event eight years before!

*not his real name

Answered Prayer in Jerez, Mexico

We are rejoicing at the recent news we had from Yovana’s mom! They went back down to Mexico City for another open heart surgery after the first one a year ago didn’t accomplish what was needed. Before they operated they did one more test and found that the artery had grown in the month or two since they had the last test done! The next step is to have the artificial valve removed.

Praise God for His tender mercies toward this little six-year-old girl and thank all of you so much for praying for her! Yovanna is also excited because she won’t have to use a pace-maker and she just lost her first tooth.

In Christ,

Todd, Barb and girls

Ugandan Pastor's Wife Needs Prayer

Nate Jore sends the following message. Pictured is Pastor Martin Mukwaka.

Just got word from Martin that his wife, Scovia, is in a coma w/ malaria. They’ve just started her on the drip (quinine) which is very strong stuff. Please pray! When malaria progresses this far it can be pretty serious. What a comfort to know that she’s in God’s hands.

Naomi Andrews - AFLC Receptionist to Minister in Russia

May 27, 2007 I take off for my third short-term mission trip to Russia. My team and I will be teaching in one of the colleges in Petrozavodsk, using the Bible as our curriculum. It is an exciting opportunity to share God’s Word openly in the classroom. For most, if not all of our students, this will be the first time they have heard the Gospel message. Between class and friendship evangelism we pray we will plant many seeds and see these young adults come to Christ."

Psalm 139:17-18 says “How precious to me are your thoughts O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more that the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” Each one of us is so precious to the Lord that His thoughts are more numerous than all the grains of sand in the world! I pray these young adults will come to know Christ and how incredibly precious they are to Him.

Please partner with me in prayer for these young adults we will be encountering in Russia. Please pray for my team as missionaries to be strengthened in our daily walks with Christ, our witness about Jesus, and open to God’s leading in our lives. Please pray for our students; pray that they would have a desire to hear and learn about God and openness to His Word. Please pray for Russia, for God’s hand in its government, and encouragement for Christians there.

I return June 10, 2007 please pray for safe flights there and back. Please pray for good health for me and my team. Please pray for God’s protection through customs and travel in Russia.

In Christ,
Naomi Andrews

Greetings from Chmiels

Greetings from warm Europe! We are definitely getting some pretty hot days here in Prague and we are again learning to enjoy summer without any air-conditioning.

Moving
Our short time in the Czech Republic is coming to an end and in just ten days we will be in Ukraine again. We used our time in the Czech Republic to already start learning some Ukrainian.

Language
We finished the Pimsleur Ukrainian Comprehensive Program (30 lessons of audio tapes) and according to the publisher we should now have achieved spoken-language communication skills at the Intermediate-Low Level. In just ten days we will see for ourselves if it is true that we should now be able to participate in simple conversations on every day topics, we should be able to order food or make simple purchases; and we should be able to establish rapport with strangers in a foreign country.

We realize that we are still far from where we need to be language-wise in order to be able to effectively minister to people in L’viv but we are enjoying each step of this learning process. We are also looking forward to starting lessons with our Ukrainian tutor soon! :)

Visas
We wanted to thank all of you so much for praying for our US visa. We were granted a one-year religious work visa and were told that it should not be difficult to renew after that year. Praise God for that. Having this visa makes it easier for us to be employed by our US mission organization, come back on furloughs etc…

We also went to the Ukrainian embassy this past week to see what we need to do to in order to get a more permanent kind of visa for Ukraine. We have never seen such a chaotic embassy in our whole lives! There were tons of Ukrainian people, everyone seemed nervous, people were pushing and yelling at each other in Russian. But we did find out what kind of documents we need to provide in order to get this “longer” visa. Right now we have to leave Ukraine and come back every three months (we can do this by going to Poland which is about an hour from L’viv).

Tomasz is 30
Tomasz celebrated his 30th birthday this month! He had a birthday party with his family and relatives two days before his birthday and then we had a little celebration of our own on the 10th. Because we both loved “French Silk Pie” when we were in the US, we decided to try to make it on our own and it turned out great! You can see some birthday pictures in our picture gallery: http://www.chmiels.com/gallery

Apartment in Ukraine
Next time we email you, it will be from Ukraine! We already have a temporary apartment ready for us in L’viv. We will be in this apartment until we find a place we would like to rent long-term. From what we heard it should be a nice small apartment but the challenge will be only having water for three hours in the morning and three hours at night!!! We were told that this is typical in L’viv unless you have your own water tank that you use during those in-between hours. We hope to have such a tank in our next apartment but for now we will learn to arrange our lives around those “water-on” times.

Couples Retreat at the ARCA - Report

Thanks for praying for our couple’s retreat at the ARCA over this past weekend. It was a blessed occasion! Sunday morning each participant shared a testimony about what they had learned during the retreat and the changes they would like to make in their marriages by the grace of God. Pictured here are some of the couples who participated.

We taught about the roles of the husband and wife according to biblical principles. There were also sessions about sexuality and forgiveness and emotional healing. We were blessed by the testimony of a couple who have had innumerous hardships and health challenges and how these difficulties have strengthened their marriage and helped them grow spiritually.

Paul and Becky sang a special number during the closing service encouraging all the couples to cherish their spouses as a present from God. João e Elma are pictured holding hands at the Sat. night banquet. For years Elma was bound in spiritism as a spiritist medium, encorporating evil spirits and tormented by the devil. She was freed by the power of Jesus three years ago and has been faithfully witnessing to her husband. She was thrilled that he agreed to come to the retreat. João seemed very open to everything that was taught and both of them are willing to work on their marriage. They have a 13-yr old daughter and a 1-yr old son.

It’s rewarding to see changed lives and realize that Jesus can do infinitely more than we can ask or think! Let Him make changes in your life and marriage for the glory of God!

Yours for the Gospel,
Paul and Becky

Danny Giles - Short Term Assistant

Danny and Marcela Giles are Short Term Mission Assistants in Mexico. They will help with the youth while missionary Todd Schierkolk is on furlough and have become involved in a counseling ministry with several families and individuals from the congregation in Jerez.

Gifts for the Giles ministry can be sent to the AFLC World Missions office. Please mark it "Danny Giles."

Laura Redman & Kari Gudim Going to Ecuador

On May 19th, two rather inexperienced college girls are going to take a leap of faith into the mission field! Laura Redman and Kari Gudim will be going to Cuenca, Ecuador for five weeks.

We will be staying with Pastor and Mrs. Ulloa, the parents of AFLBS student Ruth Ulloa, a good friend of ours. Nearly a year ago they invited us to visit and spend time teaching English at one of the schools, discipling some of the youth, and trusting God to direct.

Laura has never been on a mission trip, I've only been on one, and neither of us have much experience with Spanish and no experience with teaching English. Despite all of this, we are thrilled about this poortunity to join God's work in Ecuador!

We would like to ask you to join us in prayer as we set off on this adventure of following God. Our prayer requests include:

• safe travel
• wisdom as we help teach and disciple
• the formation of friendships
• understanding of Spanish
• discernment to see other ways that we can serve our brothers and sisters in Ecuador

We know that without prayer and God's support, nothing we do will last for eternity, so thank you for brining us before the Throne of God.

We will be keeping a blog updated as much as possible while we are there. You can find it at www.LauraandKari.blogspot.com. Feel free to leave us comments too!

God bless you all!

Kari Gudim

Team of Five Going to Uganda

A group of five young adults will be traveling to Uganda on June 21 to July 20 to show the Jesus Film and evangelize under the guidance of Nate Jore. The group consists of Justin Strand, Sam and Rachel Mange, Joe Faldet and Micah Berger (not shown).

Ben Jore and Jesse Long will join the team from Tanzania where they have been showing the film on weekends.

Saturday, June 2 has been designated as a day for fasting and prayer for this campaign. We know prayer is vital because of the spiritual opposition that is sure to accompany this film showing. The plans are coming together well so far. Please pray for the team from the States and Tanzania who are preparing to assist in this campaign and who will be arriving in just a month.

"We will bury you within 10 days..."

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits..."

Hello dear friends,

Thank you for blessing us with your prayers. We have all been healthy now for the past couple of weeks. The Lord has been faithful. We have recently become aware of some difficult situations around us. The Devil is busy doing his work of stealing, killing, and destroying, and we need your continued prayers to stand against him.

• One young man, a member of our church, is in need of our prayers. He was informed by members of his clan that the demons had selected him to come back to the village and serve full-time in the shrines. They said that the demons had selected him even before he was born and that now it was time for him to fulfill his role. He refused, saying that now he is following the Lord and is free from that bondage. They responded that the demons would come and kill him. "We will bury you within 10 days," they told him. He is not worried because he is confident in the Lord's power over darkness. However, he has been experiencing a lot of spiritual oppression since they came to him.

• A neighbor girl who frequently comes over to play with our boys and to help Rhoda in the kitchen was raped this past week. She is twelve years old and has had to go to the hospital since the incident. Sin is so ugly.

• Another neighbor woman confided to us this weekend that her husband beats her and is "very dangerous." He does not work so she has been trying to provide for the needs of her family but is struggling to make enough money to pay for her kids' education.

• The lady that has lived on our compound and helped Rhoda with housecleaning since shortly after we arrived in November just moved out this past week. She left us with many unanswered questions and concerns, and we were hurt by her deceitfulness to us. We all loved and trusted her and are saddened by her leaving. She just came to the Lord in January, and we are praying, first of all, that her commitment to follow Jesus was real, and if so, that she would stand strong in her young faith as she goes now to live with Muslim family members.

• The "Jinja for Jesus Crusade" just completed here. It sounds wonderful, but the "heavily annointed woman of God" leading it preaches a message that is purely health, wealth, and prosperity. It is so blatant that people are invited to come and receive prayer only after giving money. Benny Hinn was also just here this past weekend announcing, "come and receive your miracle... you will not leave empty-handed." There is a real battle for the truth. The great majority of churches are moving in the direction of prosperity theology. I am thankful that our churches have not gone after that, but we are still concerned that this false teaching here in Uganda is spreading.

• Please join us in prayer for the Jesus Film Campaign we are holding that will run from June 27 - July 15. We have designated Saturday, June 2 as a day for fasting and prayer for this campaign. We know prayer is vital because of the spiritual opposition that is sure to accompany this film showing. The plans are coming together well so far. Please pray for the team from the States and Tanzania who are preparing to assist in this campaign and who will be arriving here in just a month.

Thank you to all who have let us know you are praying for Rhoda's Sunday School kids since we mentioned them in our last prayer update. We have attached a couple pictures of a few of the regulars.

Thank you for standing with us!

In Him, Nate, Rhoda, Elijah, & Judah

Stephanie Nelson to Minister in Nepal

My name is Stephanie Nelson, daughter of Randy Nelson, the pastor of Lisbon Bethlehem Lutheran Church in IL.

After going on a week-long mission trip with my youth group last summer, God made it clear that He had more mission work planned for me. Over the last eight months He guided me as I made the decision to spend this summer serving Him in Nepal, a small country between China and India. I will be going with a group of other teenagers from across the nation from June 23 - August 1 through Royal Servants International. We will spend time doing lots of street ministry and evangelism, as well as volunteering in an orphanage, sharing the love of Jesus with isolated leper colonies, and various other service projects. I am so incredibly thankful that God has provided me with this opportunity; I cannot wait to go share Jesus with the people of Nepal! Though at times it can be overwhelming, it is so encouraging to know that Jesus will go with me everywhere; He'll never leave my side. And this promise is for all of us! May the Lord continue to bless each of you as you support His work!

Thank you for this opportunity to share; it's always exciting to talk about how God is working!

Stephanie Nelson

Couples Retreat at the ARCA

This weekend, May 18-20, the ARCA is hosting a couples retreat for the married couples in our churches. We are expecting 25-30 couples. There is a real need to strengthen marriages and families so that the work of the church can go forward.

We appreciate your prayers for us as we teach and share from God’s Word. Pray for open hearts, willingness to make changes to improve relationships, and growth in fellowship between the participants. Next week we’ll let you know how things went.

Rain is predicted for 5 days now. We are in the midst of remodeling the ARCA kitchen and the roof is not finished yet, so this presents a few challenges.

“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.” Ps. 128:1

Investing in lives for the glory of God,

Paul and Becky Abel

Prayer Requests from Nate Jore

Listed below are a couple of prayer requests from Nate Jore

• We are seriously looking into a vehicle that we could purchase as soon as the end of this week. It is a 1990 Nissan Terrano and would be the kind of vehicle we would need to get back into the bush. Please pray for the Lord’s will to be done; for an open door or a closed one.

• I would like to designate Saturday, June 2 as a day for fasting and prayer for the Uganda Jesus Film Campaign. Ben and Jesse’s latest updates have reminded me of the spiritual opposition that is likely to accompany such a mission and that we need to do battle on our knees. We will be having a pastor’s meeting that day from this end and will commit that time to prayer. I would encourage praying for each showing in each village as well as all the preparation details from the US team, Ben and Jesse, the pastors on the ground, and me overseeing the campaign.

Thanks for praying,
Nate

News from Darwin Jacksons

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:26,27

"...prayer is partnership with God in His planet-sized purposes, and includes the 'all things' beside, as an important detail of the whole." S.D. Gordon

Mary, Mary Ann's mom is doing pretty well considering she has been given only a few more months to live. She is able to walk now from that fall she had. She was up for most of the day the other day cooking, visiting and just enjoying life. My girls are doing good. We miss one another, but are very thankful they can spend this precious time with Mary.

My little brother Lenny has been spending a lot of time with Gracie, as well as visiting Mary Ann and her mom. My brother isn't a Christian yet, but is coming very close. He even took his family to church last Sunday (which is a huge step for him). Please pray for him and his family to come to Jesus soon. They are actually on-the-road right now as they are taking their oldest daughter April to her grandparents in Pensilvania. She has been really giving them a hard time lately (not going to school, staying out all night, maybe drugs, hitting mom and sister) and have decided it's best if she leave for awhile.

I visit Calvary Free Lutheran Church in Everett WA. this Sunday. The time I spent with Atonement Free Lutheran sparked practical talks later on how to practically implement evangelism locally as well as "partnership with God in His planet-sized purposes." I'm also mentoring a brother at our home congregation (Elim Free Lutheran) in evangelism a couple of times each week. Pray for us as we make visits in the neighborhood.

Praise the Lord that as we partner with God to "make disciples of all nations", we can receive His peace as we bring the details of our daily needs as well. I praise God for you as well for partnering with us in prayer.

Your fellow workers,
Darwin, Mary Ann and Gracie Jackson

Update from Jesse Long

We took this picture during a recent weekend of ministry in the village of Donya. It is of the father of one of our students. I just thought you might enjoy how photogenic he is. It was one of those days we felt like we were living inside National Geographic.

Thank you for your prayers on my behalf as I was in Arusha. The week ended up going different than we had hoped but we were able to finally get the speaker fixed on Friday and still do Jesus Film showings in three different locations that weekend. We have been encouraged in a new way to pray that God would protect all our equipment and allow it to function well for a long time to come.

I would also like to ask prayer for a student of ours whose name is Paulo. I think I mentioned him to some of you a couple months ago because I was amazed that he was here at school even though his wife was at home having their fifth baby. Several weeks ago we actually had the opportunity to make a trip with Paulo to see his village, do a film showing at his church, and meet his family. We even got to hold his new little baby!! Well, on Tuesday morning this past week, Paulo came to our door to get some help with bus money to go home. He had just received a call from someone back in his village informing him that his new baby had just died. They said the baby was being spoon-fed milk by the mother and apparently it went down the “wrong pipe” causing it to stop breathing and ultimately pass away. Pray for all involved in the situation: siblings, parents, extended family, church members, and neighbors. It seemed like Paulo was taking it ok but I’m sure that when we saw him (within 15 minutes of getting the news) he had not even had time to comprehend the reality of the situation completely. We pray comfort for all and that God would somehow work good – as only He can – even through this bad situation.

Please continue to pray for all of our weekend ministry opportunities. It is often easy to get frustrated or to feel like there is no visible fruit, but we know there is – why else would the Enemy be trying to put up so many obstacles (equipment failures, competing groups, delayed transportation, etc.)? Furthermore, we received some wonderful encouragement during one of our most recent film showings. The student whose home congregation we were visiting explained that it was actually at a Jesus Film showing just like the one he was now helping to host that he had been saved! How exciting to see this man (who had stumbled in as a drunk those eight years ago) now standing before 750+ people to preach the Gospel! He will be returning as lay pastor of that church after his June 24th graduation here at Waama. God is working and building His Church…even in the most unexpected ways.

One final prayer request: Please pray that God would protect and even multiply the crops here at Waama. We have been receiving a lot of rain in recent days and at this point in the year rain can actually damage and even destroy the corn crop.

Thank you all for your faithfulness. May God continue to richly bless you as you serve Him in your assigned mission field.

In Him,

Jesse

Prayer Request from Dan Giles

Could you pray for Samuel, an eight-year old boy in our church, who was bitten by a poisonous Brown Recluse spider a few days ago and is in the hospital here in Jerez?

A Dream Come True - History of the ARCA

"He who promised is faithful." Heb. 10:23b

Paul and Becky Abel have always enjoyed working with youth, especially in a camp setting. They dreamed of one day having a camp of their own. In July of 1991, Paul eyed an advertisement for a farm for sale outside of the city. The ad mentioned a beautiful property with electricity, city water, phone, bus service, two small houses and a large rabbit barn. The following day they took a leisurely drive away from the busy city to a rural area with rolling hills and small farms. The property was picturesque and the view spectacular as they enjoyed taking a look at the little wooden cabin and small caretaker's cabin before touring the "eyesore" on the property - a large concrete rabbit barn - 160 ft. X 30 ft. As the real estate agent tried to take attention away from the barn, Paul and Becky were already imagining how the building could easily be transformed into a retreat center with dorms at each end and a chapel and dining hall in the middle. There was plenty of space for ball fields and woods galore for hiking on the 21-acre property. What a find! Only one problem - no money!

As they drove back to the city the agent explored their financial resources and soon discovered that the only remote possibility of closing a deal would be dependent on the sale of their home in the city. An hour later the agent appeared on their doorstep with the couple who owned the farm. After a quick tour of the house and property the husband consulted with his wife and promptly asked if the Abels would be willing to trade their home in the city for the farm. By the end of the afternoon the Abels were proud owners of a beautiful farm. Only God can orchestrate circumstances in such perfect precision!

Paul and Becky are very thankful for friends who loaned them funds to add on to the little house on the farm and six months later in January 1992 they moved to the country. They donated seven acres of land and the big concrete rabbit barn to the Free Lutheran work and established a non-profit organization called the ARCA. ARCA stands for Acampamento e Retiro Cristão da Associação which means Christian Camp and Retreat Center of the Association. The simple word "arca" in Portuguese means "ark" and is descriptive of the large camp building set into the wooded hillside. As God was faithful to Noah and all His people throughout history, He has been faithful in providing for all the needs of this developing ministry. During that first year the Lord moved in the hearts of many to miraculously provide for the transformation of the rabbit barn into a camp building. Donations and volunteers appeared regularly to complete the rustic camp building in time for a Free Lutheran Youth Convention in September 1992. 200 people gathered to praise God for His faithfulness in making a dream come true.

Since that first retreat many improvements have been made on the camp and several church groups have enjoyed the blessing of spending time at the retreat center. Thousands of lives are touched through this ministry every year as people get away from the distractions and busyness of everyday life and are immersed in the beauty of God's creation and in the teaching of His Word. The camp is fully equipped to host 120 people comfortably. It is used several times a year for Free Lutheran camps and retreats for children, teens, couples, and families. The remaining weekends are available for other evangelical churches to rent the facilities. As the Word of God is preached and taught souls have come into the Kingdom, and men and women have been called into deeper commitment to Jesus, and some have gone into full-time ministry.

Missionaries Paul and Becky Abel manage the camp as part of their church-planting ministry. The ARCA is a faith project, maintained by rental fees and volunteer contributions. The beautiful grounds and facilities are a testimony of His provision through many generous groups and individuals. In recent years a gymnasium was built which has increased the outreach of the camp ministry. A Brazilian couple, Carlos and Yara, work alongside the Abels in this ministry.

What began as a place to multiply rabbits became a place to multiply souls for the kingdom of God. Praise God who gives the increase! The ARCA continues to depend on the promise from God's Word which they have chosen as a theme verse – “He who promised is faithful.” Hebrew 10:23b Dreams (according to God’s will) really do come true!

Jesus Film Shown to Large Crowds in Tanzania

We got started right away with our village ministry for this term the weekend of April 20-22. It was a wonderful weekend during which we were able to show the Jesus Film in two different villages and participate in 2 different Sunday services. Between the two showings, we estimate around twelve-hundred people were in attendance. Most of these were not a regular part of their local church. The showings were not without their challenges, however.. At the bigger of the two showings (attended by over 750 people), another religious group was having some sort of “special meetings” at the school which was right next to the church. Unfortunately, rather than being willing to peacefully co-exist, they seemed to be more interested in trying to compete. They not only aimed their speaker in our direction but turned it up as loud as they possibly could. They even had people at the back of our group trying to get people to come instead to their meeting. For as loud as they were being you would have thought they had an attendance of several hundred, too, but it was actually only about 50-60. There was really nothing we could do except pray…which we did more than we ever have before. We trust, despite the distraction, that God’s Word was heard and will have an impact. Please continue to pray for us each weekend. We have seen more struggles, complications, and technical difficulties in recent weeks than ever before.

In fact, this past weekend (April 27-29), we were in the village of Donya. During those days we estimate a total attendance of about 1300! Unfortunately, on Friday about 20 minutes into our first showing, our speaker started doing some scratching and cutting out. We were able to finish and then used some of the local church’s equipment the second night. However, now I am in Arusha getting our speaker fixed at the shop we purchased it from. We decided that Ben would stay back to teach the classes during these days and I would go get this taken care of. Fixing it as soon as possible was absolutely critical as we have many village film showings scheduled in the next couple weeks…the first two being this Friday/Saturday.

Plans continue to be laid for the Uganda Evangelistic campaign we will be participating in after Waama’s June 24^th graduation. Please continue to hold this time up in prayer. Pray not only for the preparations that Ben and I are making at this time but also for Nate and Rhoda who are heading up the work in Uganda as well as 5 others who will be coming from the States to help with the campaign (June 24-July 17).

Beyond these specific things, we praise God for His overall provision and protection which we experience on a daily basis. With the many kilometers we travel across poor roads, and the food we eat in these different villages, it really is a testimony to God’s faithfulness that we have never had any major incidences. A small reminder came last term during one of our showings. After setting up, our driver parked the car right next to an 8-foot hole (neither Ben or I knew it was there). I have no idea what it was for…there is a lot of random stuff like that around here (I’m mostly just glad it was not a hole for waste). Anyway, we had walked past it several times in the dark and during the showing Ben and I were resting in the truck. When it was nearing the end, we climbed out of the truck and were going to get ready for the closing. As I climbed out and stepped back to let Ben climb out, I fell right into this hole (!) and twisted my knee. Thankfully, over the past month and a half, it has almost completely healed and we praise God for that little reminder of His protection at times when we don’t even realize it! OK…well I don’t know why I thought to tell that story right now…sorry.

Keep the prayers coming! We need them every day. Thank you again for your part and I look forward to seeing many of you in July/August!

In Him,

Jesse Long

Darwin Jacksons on Furlough

"God hold us to that which drew us first, when the Cross was the attraction, and we wanted nothing else."

Amy Carmichael

Amy prayed that prayer when she overheard some first-class passengers on a ship comment that a missionary has "a very good time," in other words, they've got it easy.

We had great fellowship with our new friends at Grace Free Lutheran in Vally City North Dakota. We left that afternoon to make our way to Washington. We made it as far as Dickinson Montana. There we learned that Mary Ann's mom had fallen and sprained her foot so that she couldn't walk, on top of the news that she has cancer. So I put the girls on a plane the next afternoon (which was no small miracle) from Dickinson to San Diego so that they could take care of her, and I kept driving to WA. Pray that Mary Ann and Gracie will have God's peace, wisdom and grace to minister and be ministered to as they help there in San Diego.

I have spent the week so far getting reacquainted with lots of dear brethren that we've known since we came to Christ in 1989. They have treated me like a king, with food, lodging, even the keys to their car if I so need. Washington is all a-bloom with leaves and flowers, sooooo soft on the eyes. A super contrast to that of Mexico's dusty brown trash infested cement covered environment we become accustomed to. It would be easy to seek "the good life" of all this beauty and friendship. So, I can relate to Amy's prayer, "God hold us to that which drew us first."

I'll be at Atonement Free Lutheran Church in Arlington tomorrow for their annual mission fair. Do pray God has His way amongst us, and that many would be "attracted to the Cross, and want nothing else."

Your fellow workers,

Darwin, Mary Ann and Gracie Jackson

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

Prayer Requests from Todd Schierkolk

Dear praying friends,

Would you please pray for Yovana again. She is the six-year-old girl who has a bad heart. She already had surgery once but it apparently did not accomplish what it was supposed to. She is currently back in Mexico City for more tests to see if she’ll need to undergo another surgery. Yovana comes to our Tuesday Kid’s Club. Her cousins bring her in a stroller.

Would you also pray for Karla (5th grade) and her brother, Brian (1st grade). They also come to the Tuesday club. Their father was killed when something spooked the horse he was on and fell on top of him. In the attached picture, Karla is in the pink, blue and white striped sweater and her little brother is standing right in front of her in the two-toned blue hooded sweatshirt.

Please pray for my family, too. We’ve had an inordinate number of illnesses in these past 4 months among the 5 of us Schierkolks. And also for Dan and Debbie as they travel back to Jerez after their 8-month deputation in the United States.

Thanks so much,

Todd Schierkolk

Chmiels in Czeck Republic

In our last email update we wrote to you about our time in Ukraine. But the pictureis not from Ukraine. As some of you know we had to come to the Czech Republic (where our citizenship is) to take care of some paperwork – Miriam’s name was still Miriam Novotna on all her Czech documents, Tomasz needed a new passport, our Czech driver’s licenses are expiring soon etc. But we are also using this as an opportunity to spend a little bit of time with our families, visit the churches where we grew up, and reconnect with some of our friends.

But even though we are enjoying our time in Prague (Prague is beautiful! Come visit!!) and other parts of the Czech Republic, we are eager to be in Ukraine soon. We study Ukrainian every day and we hope to permanently move to L’viv at the end of next month. Please pray that God would clearly guide us in this move. We would, for example, like to buy some furniture for our new apartment in IKEA in Poland and we even have a guy who is willing to bring it for us to L’viv but we are still trying to figure out what exactly is the correct and legal way to do this. From what we know we should somehow be able to get the Polish taxes back in order to be able to pay the tax in Ukraine. But so far all we hear is that most people just pay something to the customs officers at the border and they let them go without doing it the “official way.” But we really want to do it the right way. We know there is a lot of corruption in Ukraine and we do not want to add to it in any way.

Another thing that you can pray for is our visa interview at the US embassy here in Prague on May 10 (Tomasz’s birthday ☺ ). As you probably remember we applied for our new US visa when we were still in the States but the case was pending and pending so this March we left for Europe without it. We need our US visa to be able to be employed by our American mission organization and also to be able to come back to the States on furloughs. So please pray that if it be God’s will that we would get this visa without any problems.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and your friendship!

Tomasz and Miriam

Pastor Prabhudas Has Surgery

Pastor Prabhudas, from India was finally able to have open heart surgery. From all reports the surgery was a success and he is doing well. You may remember that Pastor Prabhudas has needed this surgery for some time and had even gone in to the hospital to have it only to be sent back home. Praise God that he has been able to have the surgery.

Passion Play at the ARCA

The church in Bateias presented the Passion Play at the ARCA on three consecutive nights. The Lord answered our prayers and disregarded the weather report for rain, blessing us with clear skies each night.




This is the fourth year we have presented the reenactment of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. New scenes were added this year and Andrew re-recorded all the sound tracks. He is pictured above in his light and sound booth. Matthew did a fine job as the Apostle John and even led a real mule in the Triumphal Entry scene. The play was presented to about 1000 people this year and we pray that all who attended have been impacted by the message. MTI students Brent and Wade were with us to help out during the weekend as well.

Becky Abel

Update from Ben Jore

Life has continued to go very well here in Tanzania. The second term here at Waama finished a week before Easter. It was a very good, but long semester. Both Jesse and I were exhausted by the end. We had shown the Jesus Film at a different place almost every weekend. We took the first week of our Easter Break to do two Jesus Film showings. One was a regular multi-village trip. The other was at a region-wide Youth Rally. Jesse and I were also given the sermon slot in the opening session. We taught about 800 youth the Roman's Road. It was a nice way to finish out the term.

We then had about a week of Easter Break left. We decided that we should go to Zanzibar. It was a good choice. The warm, blue-green ocean, white-sand beaches, the palm trees, and a couple rented motorcycles proved to be therapeutic. It was a much needed chance to get away and recoup. We came back to Waama, ready to tackle our third and final term. Classes were supposed to start on April 17, but by the 20th, only 10 of the 45 students had returned from Easter Break. We still don't have all the students back as of the 23rd, but we have started classes none-the-less. We have a very busy schedule again this term. All of our weekends are booked, most with Jesus Film trips. We are also teaching full-time during the week. This term we are teaching I Timothy, Daniel, Computer, English, Guitar, and Keyboard.

Jesse and I are also looking forward to this summer. We have been invited to go to Uganda for 3.5 weeks for a Jesus Film showing campaign. We will be working with my brother, Nate, and his family and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Uganda. A team of 5 from the US will be coming over for that time and we are hoping to show the Jesus Film about 20 times during that trip! We are excited to see what the Lord will do through that ministry.

Thanks to all for your prayers! Just a couple of days ago we heard a story that again reminded us of God's hand of protection over us. One of our coworkers had traveled to Arusha (nearest big city which we visit frequently) to buy a solar panel. The morning after he arrived, he went to the store. On the way, he was robbed at gunpoint. When he reported it to the police, they said that he was lucky to come out alive as a couple of people were shot and killed during a robbery the day before. Who knows how many times your prayers have spared us from unknown dangers.

God bless you,

Ben

Update from the ARCA

In the beginning of March we held an 8-day tent Evangelism campaign in a village between Bateias and Campo Largo. Paul’s folks were the motivation behind this outreach and we are happy to report of several decisions for Christ and new people coming to church. The person that stands out in my mind is a man named Antonio who gave his heart to the Lord during the special meetings. Antonio had been an alcoholic for many years. He has not had a drop to drink since his decision during the campaign and is so thrilled to come to church and be a part of his new family!

Andrew was a great help during the week of meetings. He recorded an announcement and went around the neighborhood inviting people to come to the meetings using a loudspeaker mounted on the pickup. He made another recording to invite people to the Passion Play for Easter weekend. Presently Andrew is helping with another evangelism campaign in Londrina with his grandparents, John and Ruby Abel.

Check out Lumppio's Newsletter

Tom and Lidia Lumppio are graduates of AFLBS and the Ministry Training Institute oof AFLBS. They are missionaries with World Mission Prayer League stationed in Mexico.

You can find read their newsletter by clicking on the link below. To view it just click on the link and then click on April 07.
http://groups.google.com/group/from-the-branches

Do you know of other AFLC members who are missionaries? We would love to tell their story on our News and Prayer Page. Just send us the news and a picture or two.

Judah's Turn

We appreciate all your prayers for Elijah last week! His fever broke on Thursday night & he's been regaining his strength ever since. Today he was back to his usual energetic self which was wonderful. He didn't break out in a rash after his fever broke, so we've ruled out Roseola as the virus he had. We're sure it was a virus, but not sure which virus it was. We are thankful it wasn't malaria.

Elijah has been learning to share, but we were hoping he wouldn't share his sick germs with his little brother. Unfortunately, Judah came down with it yesterday. His fevers haven't been as high yet as Elijah's were, and we're praying that he won't be hit as hard as Elijah was. We gave him a malaria test this morning to rule that out & thankfully it was negative. We'd appreciate your prayers as he battles whatever this is.

Nate spent the night in a village a few hours away this past Saturday night and then preached the following morning at our church in Nairika. There were 120 people there & half of them were kids! (most of the churches average less than 20 per Sunday) There were also 11 baptisms that morning - 8 kids & 3 adults. It was exciting for Nate to see the spiritual hunger amongst the people there.

Thank you for your prayers!

Nate, Rhoda, Elijah & Judah

Waama Starts Third Term

Greetings from the beautiful campus of Waama Bible College! Easter break is over and it is time for the third and final term for this school year to begin. Since I last wrote, much has happened…

• By way of progress on the campus, the well is not only completely dug but has even been constructed and is ready for the pump to be set!! Due to some recent special gifts, progress is also being made on the new library, bathrooms, etc.
  
• The weekend before Easter we made our trip to the region of Katesh as planned to do a couple Jesus Film showings. That weekend, our total attendance was around 650 people. That Sunday (Palm Sunday) we attended the central church for that district as they were hosting a choir competition. Upon our arrival, we were made Judges rather than just attendees!! That was a little nerve-racking. See our blog for more pictures (www.benandjesse.blogspot.com).
• The youth Easter conference the following week was also a blessing. Despite the fact that our evening film showing was rained out, the opening service which was held inside was a blessing with over 800 youth. Ben and I were the main speakers. We presented the “Romans Road” method of evangelism.
• That Saturday was a BIG DAY. My sister, Anna, and her fiancé, Dary Fink, were married in Washington D.C. at 11am!! Thank you so much for your prayers on their behalf. Great strides continue to be made in his health and they are both doing very well.
• That was also the day that Ben and I began our Easter break. It was good to see Christy and spend Easter Sunday at an international church in Arusha…singing English hymns. On Monday, Ben and I continued on to Dar Es Salaam where we were able to secure our Tanzanian Tax Identification Numbers. On Tuesday, we took a 2 hour, express-ferry ride out to Zanzibar. It was a wonderful place to spend about 4 days of our Easter break. Mostly we just rested but we were also able to check out some dolphins, go snorkeling, run around the island on some rented motorcycles, etc. It is another one of God’s blessings for something like that to be in our backyard when people from all over the world pay thousands of dollars to have the same experience. Soon, there will be pictures of all this on the blog, too.
• Now we are back at Waama. Students are arriving today and they hope to start classes up already tomorrow. We are excited about all that the next couple months will hold: Our Bible classes this term are Daniel and Galatians; weekends will be full of village ministry trips; and much planning is going into the Uganda Jesus Film trip which will follow graduation in late June and proceed travel to the States. Pray for Ben as he also considers going to the States during the same time to see his parents who will be on furlough from Brazil and his oldest brother who will also be on furlough from the mission field in Papua New Guinea.

There is always more that could be said but I am really trying to be more brief this time than the last couple emails. God bless you all for the blessing you are to my life through your prayers, letters, encouragement, and support in other ways.

In Christ,

Jesse Long

You Must See Keinanen's Video Report on Uganda

For the last time concerning our time in Uganda, Greetings.

We would like to give you a quick update. We have been back home from Uganda for 17 days. In those 17 days we have often asked ourselves if we had even gone to Africa. It seemed like such a blur to us. We still find it very hard to express what we experienced. There are no words that will serve justice. Often we have found ourselves 'speechless.' People have come up to us and asked us how our trip was. We give them this blank smile, as if searching for a word, but can't find it. Pastor Jonathan has described it best in this way: It is like asking a married couple how 'married' life is, at the reception of their wedding. Our trip was great!, but I do not now why - it just was! To me that speaks great volume to God's greatness. He does things that we cannot describe. So we must go out and experience that ourselves. Kelly and I are glad we had that opporunity. For those that have been on short term missions, you know what I am talking about.

Again, thank you for your prayers. We are getting back up to 100% healthy again. I was sick with some digestive problems, flu-like symptoms, and head-aches. Kelly has been unable to sleep. We think that is due to her malaria medication. We only have one more week of that.

If you have 15 minutes in your day, and you would like to get somewhat of an idea of what we did over there, check out this video: www.makikalem.net/uganda/Uganda_overview.WMV. I trust you will enjoy it! We look forward to sharing more personal stories as time goes on.

Thanks again for partnering with us!

Daniel & for Kelly too