Greetings from Ukraine! - Chmiels

The highlight of the month of May was that I (Tomasz) was able to take part in a youth ministry conference geared specifically towards people actively involved in youth ministry in their congregations (from different denominations). The goal of this conference was to look at Jesus’ ministry and see what we can learn from His example. The teaching was done by our friend and fellow missionary Jay Hughes and was based on Sonlife Classic Strategy materials. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to enjoy this quality teaching but also to have fellowship with other people whose hearts are in ministering among young people here in Ukraine. It was really encouraging to meet these young Ukrainian leaders on fire for the Lord. Oftentimes I am told by young people in the German Lutheran Church that they cannot be more active in church because they need to study a lot for school or they have jobs and they need to work long hours because otherwise they would lose their jobs, etc. It is hard for me, as a foreigner, to judge the validity of these statements so most of the time I just accept them as facts. But it was very encouraging for me to see young Ukrainians who are able and willing to set aside time and energy for ministry. Seeing these young leaders gives me hope that it is possible. Unfortunately it did not work out for any youth leaders from the German Lutheran Church to attend this conference but hopefully next time.

Conference participants. Another thing that was really encouraging was to see so many guy leaders. Not counting foreign missionaries and pastors’ wives, there were two Ukrainian girl-leaders, the rest were all guys. It is great to have women serving the Lord, but since we believe that the Bible teaches male leadership in the church and in the home, it was really exciting to see these young men willing to be trained to be leaders following Jesus’ example. Especially in a culture where in general strong women often tend to be more active than men.

After Tomasz came back from conference, we needed to travel to Poland so we used the opportunity of already being there to take a week of vacation to give Hannah a chance to celebrate her first birthday in her “hometown” (she was born in Krakow, Poland) and also with her grandparents (Miriam’s parents came to Krakow, to be with us on the day of her birthday). We also used our time outside of Ukraine to shop for some things we could not find in Ukraine, like for example a new car seat for Hannah (switching her from her rear-facing seat).
May 18th – Hannah’s first birthday! (More birthday pictures are at the end of this email)

We were staying in the same Lutheran church guest rooms as we did when Hannah was born so on May 22 we took a picture in the same plastic basin in which she took her first bath after coming home from the hospital. Someone has grown a lot over the past year!!! :)

While in Poland and Czech, the dates just happened that we (as Czech citizens) were able to vote in the Czech parliamentary election. The newly-elected parliament will replace the caretaker government that has been in charge in the Czech Republic since last year. Since we have not been living in the Czech Republic for about ten years now, it was special for us to be able to vote like this.

We are back in Ukraine now and we are again working on something that we have not mentioned in our prayer updates yet — we are looking for a new apartment. Right now we are renting a two-bedroom apartment that is sufficient for our family but since all our ministry is also happening in our home (the Lviv congregation also only has an apartment to use as a church and it’s mostly used by the senior pastor) it has been pretty challenging to have guests and meetings (Bible studies, youth group, counseling meetings, confirmation class, etc) all happening in our living room quite a few times a week. So we have been looking for a different place that would work better for both our family and ministry needs.  As we said, we have been looking for another apartment but all the apartments that the realtor showed us so far were not much better than what we have right now and the price was more than twice as much (compared to what we are paying now). Couple weeks ago we got a phone number for a Christian guy who is looking for renters for his house (he is a young doctor working mainly in Kyiv so he wants to rent his house in Lviv long-term). We went to see the place and both the house and the price are perfect (rent would be cheaper than most of the apartments we saw). There would be a kitchen, a living room/ministry room and a guest room on the ground floor (plus a bathroom with a shower) and then there would be our bedroom and two small bedrooms on the second floor. Such layout would allow us to continue doing ministry in our home while it would also allow for a little more privacy for our family. In that sense, this house is exactly what we have been looking for. The only concern we have about this house is the neighborhood... The house is still close to the city center so it should not be difficult for people to come to our house but we are wondering about the safety of this street, especially if Miriam needs to stay home alone. The owner says they have not had any problems so we asked for a week to pray about this and we wanted to ask you to join us. Your prayers for this important decision will mean A LOT to us!!!

The house for rent is the one on the right


A quick update on E..., P...  and Mrs. T...

We have been in touch with E… but unfortunately he kind of backed out of his desire to make a decision for Jesus. He has been saying things like “There is no hope for me anyways” or “I am too bad to be saved”, etc. I (Tomasz) told him firmly that these were lies from Satan because this is NOT what the Bible teaches. I also told him that God loved him enough to pay for his sins with the life of His own Son so there still is hope! But right now E… does not seem to be ready for any change in his life.

P…, on the other hand, is a huge reason for thanksgiving and praising God! What a joy to watch this guy grow in the Lord!!!!! Please continue praying for him. Now that God saved him, we pray that God would also use him in a big way for His own glory.

Pastor Don Richman spent a day with us earlier this month and here he is learning couple new Russian words from P….

Pastor Don also visited Mrs. T…with us and that too was a blessed time spent in God’s Word and fellowship. Mrs. T… says she is especially thankful for what Pastor Don told her about prayer (encouraging her to pray more and pray more specifically). We continue praying for Mrs. T… and her spiritual growth and also for more opportunities for her to consistently study the Bible.

As you are praying for us this week, we would also appreciate your prayers for our traveling to a DELKU Pastors’ Conference in Crimea. All the regular Pastors’ meetings are in Odessa but this is a “family version” of the conference and it is in Crimea this time. As you see in the map, the location of the conference is like the farthest possible location for us still in Ukraine... The thing is that most DELKU congregations are located more in the South and East so for most pastors and their families it won’t be as far as it is for us. Plus Crimea is a popular location so most Ukrainian pastors are probably happy that the conference will be there. But for us it will be three days of travel to get there and three days to get back, which is not something we are looking forward to. It is also really frustrating that even though the conference starts in less than a week, so far we have not been able to find out the exact time of when the conference starts and when it ends. And we still have no idea what the schedule of the conference will be like either. We asked high and low but nobody knows... For people who like to know things ahead of time, this is pure torture :)

All three of us are right now struggling with colds so please pray that we would all get well in the next three days. Also please pray for safe travel and for Hannah to do well for so many hours in her car seat.

And one last prayer request. As you probably know, we are organizing an English day camp here in Lviv (July 19-23). There will be an AFLC student missions team coming to lead the camp. Looking at this invitation (in Ukrainian :) ), please pray for the team that will be coming from the States for God to use them in a big way here in Lviv. And also that God would bring all the students He wants to be there at the camp.  

Thank you again so much for being part of our lives! Thank you for reading our emails, for praying for us, for keeping in touch, for encouraging us!

Blessings,
Tomasz, Miriam and Hannah

Darwin Jackson - Mexico

“In no other way can the believer become as fully involved with God’s work, especially the work of world evangelism, as in intercessory prayer." Dick Eastman

I haven't been too worried about all the fighting going on between the cartel and the police so far. I just watch myself, do what the police and military say and go about my business (or the Kingdom business). But when they posted this banner in town because of our new law allowing police to uphold the federal law, it does cause me to look over my shoulder a bit more. 

Pastor Antonio and his wife Amalia flew to Toluca (north of Mexico City) to visit their daughter Ana last night. Please pray for their travel safety, a good and healing visit with Ana, for her pregnancy and for the Church here in Nogales with their absence. Brother Alfonso will be preaching this Sunday and teaching the Bible study on Wednesday.
Alfonso and I had a great visit with three guys in our neighborhood with Octavio, Tomas and Javier. Octavio has been going to church now for about three months and the other two have just started, yet none of them had assurance of salvation, nor could explain to us how a person can receive eternal life. It was really awesome when afterward the two younger guys Tomas and Javier were able to explain why a person cannot be saved because of his good works, but by trusting Christ and receiving Him as Savior and Lord. They got it! Pray with us that God continue to work His word in their lives.

We are preparing now for a vacation trip up to Wisconsin to spend a week at Hunky Dory. Lord willing, we will be leaving on Tuesday the 1st of June. Afterward we will share at the AFLC conference on the 16th at Medicine lake, Mn. We have been looking forward to this for a long time. Cesar is counting on winning the canoe race this year, watch out Chris :-).
Please pray for Mascarenas. Really a strange thing, the only believers who want to meet are the shut-ins who can't leave. All the others do not. The shut-ins are talking to their neighbors and inviting them to come to the meetings now. Pray for new people to come.

Thank you all for "becoming involved" in the work here along the border through prayer. You are so appreciated,  

Darwin, Mary Ann, Cesar 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

Visit our blog spot at: http://jacksonsfellowworkers.blogspot.com

Jesse Long - Tanzania

I would like to thank you all again for your continued prayers for the dean of Waama, Pastor Zakaria Dallei.  Ben and I were able to make a trip to see him on the 17^th of May and we found him already released from the hospital and staying at home with his family!!   This was an amazing answer to prayer.  Even the different fractures that he sustained (shoulder, rib, etc) have been stabilized and seem to be healing very well.  We have been most concerned with the injuries he sustained to his head which for several weeks seemed to be causing him to be quite unsettled and do a lot of rambling.  When we visited him, however, he was very calm, extremely coherent, and pleasantly conversational.  Even his wife said that his progress in recent days had been very noticeable and they are in very good spirits and quite optimistic.  Please continue to pray for his right eye.  Due to the fracture that occurred on his skull near that eye socket, he still seems to be having some problems with his vision.  I don’t know if we are going to be able to see him again before we head back to the States, but I will do my best to give more updates as they become available.

I need to back up now and share some other exciting news that happened at the beginning of this month.  As you all probably know, I turned 30 on the 3^rd of May.  I was so encouraged to receive greetings from so many of you.  Thank you so much.  The most amazing greeting that I received, however, was from my friend, Eric Paulson, who made a surprise visit May 7-9^th!!  Arusha at that time, and he just came walking into the restaurant where we were having dinner that Friday evening!!  (Ben was in on the whole thing.)  Eric had been up in Switzerland on business and decided it was probably his last chance to see where I have been living and working for these past 4 years!  So, our plans for the weekend changed a little from what I thought they were.  We ended up going to Mbulu the next day, spending a night at our house at Waama, and going on safari at Ngorongoro Crater that Sunday.  We saw lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, buffalo, hippos, etc.  It is hard to explain how much fun it was to show someone from home around this place!  It was also just so encouraging to have such a good friend make such an effort and take time out of such a busy schedule to show interest in my life and this ministry.  God is good…and may he bless Eric a ton! J

Following that exciting weekend, we had our weekend of Spiritual Meetings for this semester here at the school.  We had one guest speaker who did most of the sharing but Ben and I also each took one session as we dealt with the theme: “The End Times”. 

Another piece of big news: this past weekend (May 21-23) was our final weekend of village ministry!!  It is amazing to see the different aspects of our ministry here come to a close.  We spent the weekend in a region called Sabilo and had a good film showing in one village on Friday night, did a seminar in another village on Saturday, but then got rained out for the film showing that night.  Fortunately, however, we were still in that same village for church the next morning so we trust that seeds were planted and God’s Word will not return void.  I should say, too, that we have been trying to figure out what to do with all of our Jesus Film equipment when we leave but have been reminded yet again that God cares even about these small details and is more than capable of working them all out, too.  Over the past several months, we have been approached by various individuals and groups interested in buying different components of our set (i.e. generator, speaker, etc.).  We have felt, however, that since all of this was either donated or purchase for the work of evangelism in this area, that it would be best if it could continue to be used to that end.  To make a long story short, we were approached just a few weeks ago by a missionary couple that lives about 2 ½ hours from us and they told us that they could use another set in their work with the Datooga people.  So, since Sabilo is close to where they live, they came to pick up all the equipment on Sunday morning as we were drawing our weekend of ministry to a close.  This meant that we didn’t even have to haul it back to Waama and it is already now in their hands.  Praise God!

So, now we are wrapping up our third and final semester for this fourth and final year.  I can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support!!  Please continue to keep us in your prayers as…

· We finish up teaching this week.

· The students take finals next week.

· The school’s harvest of corn for the year is brought in over the next couple weeks.

· Preparations are made for graduation on June 20^th.

· Ben and I both prepare to move back to the States at the end of June/beginning of July.

God richly bless you all!

In His service,

Jesse Long

Mbulu, Tanzania

Jonni Sliver Accepts Call to Brazil

The World Missions Committee would like to introduce  our most recent missionary, Jonni Sliver.  Jonni will be commissioned at this year Annual Conference.  She will begin deputation and visiting churches in the near future.

Jonni has been a longtime member of Emmaus Lutheran Church (AFLC), Bloomington, MN.  She is a graduate of Bethany Fellowship School of Missions and has served in Brazil from 1988 to 2004. 

Because of health problems it was apparent that Jonni’s mother could no longer live alone.  Therefore, Jonni came home to care for her mother in 2004.  Last May Jonni’s mother went home to be with the Lord which freed Jonni to return to Brazil.

Jonni will serve at the Miriam Infant home and our Bible school and seminary in Brazil. 

Cyclone Hits AFLC Work in India

A cyclone (hurricane) has hit the area where the AFLC has mission work in India.  We have not had direct contact with those who work there in India.  News reports state that the power is out in the whole area.  AFLC World Missions has relief funds to send to help during this time.  Please pray for those in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh at this time.  For further news you can watch the video below or read the BBC New article by clicking here.

Check out Jore’s Blog

Have you checked out Jore’s blog recently?  There are a lot of great stories like this one.

‘Tis the season for grasshoppers!

Grasshoppers (ensenene - ehn seh neh neh) are a real delicacy around here. They usually come in swarms once or maybe twice a year. . .  Yum! Nate says they taste like bacon.

Check it out by clicking here.

Schierkolk’s Home Safe

Thanks so much to all who were praying for us.  We crossed the border at the new bridge which took us almost completely around the city of Reynosa.  I haven't heard anything about Reynosa so I don't know if anything happened as was anticipated in the news yesterday.   But we thank God for His care once again.  We are very mindful that this world is not our home and that bad things happen to followers of Jesus around the globe who have great faith and some are suffering much.  I was thinking about them on our trip today.  We pray that God may give them grace to endure the heavy crosses they are bearing even as we praise Him for His loving care of our family.  I was also thinking about the things that have happened in this last year or two to pastors and Christians in the USA and it was a reminder of how we all need to keep our eyes on Jesus no matter where we are.  Thank you again for helping us with your prayers.  We are very grateful to each of you.

In Him,

Todd and Barb Schierkolk

Pray for the Schierkolks

We'll be traveling back to Jerez from the border tomorrow morning and we would appreciate your prayers for our family as we go.  I had anticipated that our trip back home would be less of an issue than the trip up to the border but the situation is tense because of news that broke this morning about Reynosa, the city across the border from us.  Thankfully, there is a new bridge open that apparently enables us to go around the city instead of through it so that will help.  We hope to be out of the troubled zone between the border and the city of Monterrey by about 11:00am.

In Christ,

Todd and Barb Schierkolk

Pray for Pastor Nata

We were just told this afternoon that Pastor Nata, Dean of the Seminary/Bible School in Brazil and Pastor for the Central Church in Campo Mourao, contracted Dengue Fever.

Dengue is mosquito born, in and of itself it is a very dangerous disease and can be deadly. However, the extra concern for Pastor Nata is that he had his spleen removed last year after his motorcycle accident which the people here are concerned will affect his bodily interaction with the disease.

Please keep him, his family, his church, and the Seminary/Bible School here in prayer as we proceed with this news!

Only Jesus,
Nathan Olson

Short Term Team in Brazil

Well it’s certainly has been a busy month! We started April off with an Evangelical Outreach in a small town near Curtitiba called Canha. Jon was able to preach on the text of Exodus 14 and the Lord’s faithfullness and provision in all situations. The Lord brought three new people into His kingdom! More people raised their hands for prayer for strength in their current walk with Christ and Pastor Paul Abel had the opportunity to pray and talk with several people after the service. We proceeded to spend Easter in Curitiba celebrating and ministering with three churches in the area. From there we went to Florianopolis and got to tour the East side of Brazil.

The weekend after Florianopolis we went to Foz de Iguacu for an Evangelical Campaign. Pastor John Abel was there for a total of ten days and we were able to be there for the last four. During the campaign seventeen people accepted Christ as their own personal Lord and Saviour! We as a team sang nightly and kept very busy with the childrens ministry. We all had an amazing time working with the children and it was a great opportunity for all of us. While we were there we were able to spend one day sightseeing and being tourists! We went to the bird park and the massive waterfalls Brazil is famous for. God shows His flawless and amazing design through the falls and wildlife in Brazil.

After going to Foz de Iguacu we started preparations for our English camp. Amanda wrote a great piece in their blog about the camp that we’ve inserted:

“Well, the weekend is finished and camp is over. It definitely didn't turn out how we expected! With no pre-registration, it was only by word of mouth that we heard many people were interested in coming. So we were prepared for whatever might come our way! As it turns out so often in life, God's plan is a lot different than ours, a grand total of one student showed up! How did something like that happen? As humans we can't always understand what God is doing, but He quickly showed us that we were going to have an even better weekend than we imagined! There would have been no other way for all of us to have an entire camp all to ourselves for a Christ centered weekend. So thank you for all the prayers!”

We are also excited for future opportunities that are coming up that we will be able to participate in! One of which will be in the month of July while the Bible School here is closed. We will be going with Bethany Mission Fellowship across the country of Paraguay and taking a boat down along a native river and sharing the gospel with the tribal Indians that live along the shore. This trip will be from July 11-18 and will be costing us about $500 for transportation (bus and boat expenses) and our food along the way. Please be in prayer for us as we take an adventurous trip in sharing with some seldom reached people groups.

As we look to the future of our time here in Brazil, we look forward with joy as we have seen so many open opportunities here that God has opened for us and the with excitement as we know that God is faithful to use us according to His good pleasure! We go forward in confidence as we know that we have a Mighty God leading and guiding us and a strong prayer force behind us! With this in mind, please continue to pray for us as we continue in these months before us.

Prayer requests:

-Good health as we start into the cold season here in Brazil (40 degrees outside/inside)

-A continual heart to serve and love the people around us as we minister, as well as encouragement for the pastors alongside us here that are working so sacrificially.

-Continual growth in our learning of Portuguese

-For the kids in the Miriam Infant Home that have been arriving lately as they have no spiritual background and have a time to have exposure to the gospel during their stay here

-For continual assistance as we look to take on our financial needs here.

($200 a month rent, expenses for travel to/from churches for ministry, food, etc.)

Praise Updates:

-We have been able to visit 10 of the AFLC churches here in Brazil so far and share with them in the ministry they are apart of.

-We have been blessed by the Miriam Infant children that we have already had interaction with and have been able to share the love of Christ with. All those who have come to stay here with us we have been able to give a Bible too for their future growth with the Lord!

-By God’s grace, our Portuguese has grown and far exceeded where it was when we first arrived! Communication is getting easier!

-We have had great times in God’s Word with the Bible School students here and have come to build some great friendships with those we are with here in Brazil

-For the opportunities that we have had to get involved in the local community (Amanda and Bethany with city art classes and at the Miriam infant home, Nate and Jon’s house visits with a local Pastor, Nate’s curriculum writing for Ambassador Institute, Jon’s basketball with nearby youth who come most afternoons)

Thanks again for remembering us in prayer! God bless!

Amanda Aldrich, Bethany Marschner, Jon Nelson & Nathan Olson

If you would like to support us in our ministry here in Brazil, please send your support to:

(Amanda, Bethany, Jon or Nathan)

AFLC World Missions

3110 East Medicine Lake Blvd

Plymouth, MN 55441

Mission Update from the Coyles

We are so blessed to be serving the Lord in pastoral ministry in rural Iowa, and have seen God’s hand at work as He has directed our steps since graduating from seminary. As many may know, we had pursued serving fulltime in Russia before the door closed due to visa restrictions. God has been continuing to place before us the need for missions, and one mission field in particular. In just a few days, Monica and I will be traveling to Odessa, Ukraine to check out the possibility of serving with a Lutheran church body to join in a Bible school ministry. Please pray for us as we travel (May 15-22), that God would guide our steps, grant us discerning hearts to know His will, and protect our family while we are apart. We appreciate your prayer and encouragement as we serve our Savior together.

In Christ,

Pastor Andy and Monica Coyle

Paul and Becky Abel on Furlough

Paul and Becky Abel returned from Brazil for a short time of furlough and rest.  They will be in the United States until the first of the year.  Some of their time will be spent attending the Annual Conference and visiting churches.

Schirkolk’s Newsletter

“The secret prayer chamber is a bloody battleground. Here violent and decisive battles are fought out. Here the fate for souls for time and eternity is determined, in quietude and solitude.” – Hallesby

Dear friends,
If you were to drive by Ana’s house you would almost think it was Christmas time because of the colored lights hanging on the front. But as you drive by the house you quickly realize that there is no manger scene illuminated by the lights but rather a grotesque four foot high statute with glowing red eyes of a skeleton wearing a cloak, holding a sickle in its bony hand. Beside the glass encased statue is a poster that reads, “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit we commend ourselves to Holy Death.”

Click here to read the entire newsletter.

Ben Jore

It has been a long time since I last wrote and a lot has happened since then. First of all, let me give you an update on the accident victims.

Thank you so much for praying. It has been a tough time for a number of these men and their families and continues to be difficult for Waama, but your prayers have definitely carried us through. Since my last prayer update, the two teachers from Waama (Pastor Mao and Israeli) made it back to Waama safely, Pastor Mao got his broken collar bone set, and Israeli stepped up and by default began operating as dean of Waama in Pastor Dallei's absence. You would never guess that Israeli was even in an accident. He is working very hard to keep the school functioning while we wait for an interim dean to be assigned by the head office.

Pastor Mao has been resting the whole time, trying to give his collar bone a good chance to heal properly, which it appears is happening. He is hoping to start teaching soon, possibly even this week. Per (the Scripture Mission missionary) is doing very well. The stitches in his head have been removed and his hair around the wound is growing back where they had to shave to do the stitches.

A few days after my last update, Pastor Dallei, accompanied by Jesse, was flown to his hometown of Haydom and was admitted to the Norwegian hospital there. Jesse is fine. I have seen no stress or depression or paranoia or anything as a result of the accident. That is a huge answer to prayer. The only result of the accident is a scab on his elbow which is healing nicely. Pastor Dallei (the dean of Waama) is not doing so great. The good news is that every doctor's report I've heard as well as all the results of all his head examinations say that there is nothing wrong with his head. This is a huge answer to prayer. The bad news is that he still experiences a lot of pain, babbles quite a bit, and actually seems like he is regressing. What Pastor Dallei needs more than anything is to rest so his brain will have a chance to heal from the trauma, but the culturally appropriate thing to do when someone is sick or hurt is to visit that person. So Pastor Dallei is constantly receiving guests and visitors even though the doctors have said that no one is allowed to visit him. Everybody says that when he receives visitors, he gets all riled up, starts talking a million miles a minute and doesn't stop until he gets worn out. Needless to say, this constant stream of visitors is not helping the healing process. Many people have said that head injuries like his can take many months to heal. And all the tests having came back positive, we are hopeful for a complete recovery. Thank you for continuing to pray for him.

Last time I wrote, Adela was here. As it turned out, the volcano in Iceland prohibited her from leaving Tanzania when she was scheduled. So we "suffered" through an extra week together. Actually, it was the best week of our time and capped off a wonderful month together. She is now back at the Association Free Lutheran Bible School in Minneapolis where she is finishing up this school year. She continues to work as an RN doing home health and is eagerly anticipating my return on June 25.

Thank you for your prayers for us as we continue to plan our wedding and look forward to married life.

Waama is going quite well. Teaching is fun and challenging as usual. We are already half-way through our final semester at Waama! Finals are the first week of June and then the students will have 2 weeks to bring in the harvest before graduation on June 20. It promises to be a very busy month and a half! This semester I am finishing teaching 2nd and 3rd year Biblical History (each year-long courses), English, and 1 Thessalonians.

It is such a blessing to teach these men and women.

Our Jesus Film ministry is also coming to a close. Jesse did a weekend trip while I was taking Adela to the airport (the second time =) ) and we showed at a high school the following week. We praise God for the freedom to show the truth of the Gospel in the high school to close to a thousand students of all religions. We have one Jesus Film trip left to the region of Sabilo on May 21-23. Please pray for strength for us and that the seeds which have been/will be planted will bear much fruit.

Also connected with the Jesus Film ministry is the Vista project - the solar-charged, battery-powered Jesus Film kits. We (with the help of some friends in the States) purchased three of these kits and brought them to Tanzania. We have been trying to sell them to local evangelistic teams for roughly a third of the price but they have been having some difficulty finding that sort of money. Now we are happy to say that the first Vista has been purchased, paid in full, and placed in the capable hands of a Tanzanian Lutheran pastor. He was very excited to get the equipment and we are thrilled to see this first kit being used. Please pray for its use and also the sale of the other two kits.

I'd like to share one final prayer request with you. It seems like the first few months of every new year has seen a shortfall in our monthly support. This year is no different. Both Jesse and I have been feeling the financial squeeze. April was the first month in 2010 that I broke 50% of my monthly quota. With a wedding coming up and married life to plan for the temptation is to worry, but God has always been faithful and will continue to be faithful. My hope is in him. Would you pray with me that God will supply for all of our needs?

Thanks for your encouragement and prayers on our behalf!

Ben

Justo Pillman’s Newsletter

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in my every prayer for you making request with joy,  for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now.” Phil. 1:3-5

I have just returned home from
dropping my brother off at the airport
in Guayaquil. Peter was down
here for three months helping with
the ministry. It was the first time for
him to be in Ecuador, and he
learned many things including . . .

Click here to read Justo’s newsletter.

Todd Schierkolk

We had a wonderful confirmation service along with a baptism the Sunday before last.  Six young people were confirmed in their faith and it was really wonderful to hear their testimonies and stories of their faith. 

We also said good-bye to our two MTI interns, Hannah Swanson and Amanda Bellefy yesterday.  It was great to have them hear for three months. 

Tomorrow, (Thursday) we'll be making a quick trip up to the Texas border and we would really appreciate your prayers for us. 

Megan would also appreciate your continued prayers for her as she prepares for her summer missions trip to Ukraine with AFLC Youth Ministries.  We are all praising God that she has received the full amount of support that she needs for the trip.  Thank you to all who were able to help her out in this step of faith. 

We continue to wonder how it is that we have a daughter that is ready to head off to Bible School this summer!  Yes, Rachel is finishing up her high school classes and we're getting ready to take her up to the campus this summer.  My how time flies! 

We continue to be so grateful for your partnership with us through your prayers in this ministry. 

 

In Christ,

Todd and Barb Schierkolk

Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico

Jesse Long - Tanzania

Thank you so much for your ongoing prayers especially on behalf of the dean of Waama, Pastor Zakaria Dallei.  He is still in the hospital in his hometown of Haydom and, although I have not been able to visit him personally (it is about 90Km from Waama), those who are attending to him each day say that progress is very evident.  Praise God!

Since my last update, I returned to Waama and have been so happy to be back teaching for this third and final semester.  As I mentioned in my last email, the plan was for Ben to join me here after Adela flew back to the U.S. on the 17^th.  Due to the volcano in Iceland, however, her return was delayed one week so they both ended up coming back here to Waama for those in between days.

The weekend of April 23^rd-25^th was our first weekend of village ministry for this semester and, even though Ben was taking Adela to catch her re-scheduled flight during those days, I was able to go ahead as planned along with 9 of our students.  It was a good weekend of ministry in a very spiritually needy area.  I ended up showing a video called “Hope” in both of the villages we visited, teaching a seminar (with the help of our students) on Saturday, and preaching in one of the village churches on Sunday.  It was a tiring but good weekend and Ben was able to see Adela off and return safely to Waama the same Sunday afternoon as I (April 25^th).

Another specific praise to report is from this most recent weekend.  As some may recall, we have planned since the end of last year to have 3 weekends of Jesus Film showings during this third semester.  Well, the weekend that I did without Ben was the first.  The second was supposed to be these past couple days (April 30-May 2).  For some reason, however, despite trying to schedule a place to go, nothing seemed to be working out.  Finally, we just decided that maybe God wanted us to have a weekend off.  Then, about a week ago, we were approached by one of our evangelist friends who is now teaching at a local high school for adults who have not been able to previously finish their high school education.  He explained that some of his students had asked if there was any way for them to be able to see the Jesus Film since they had just finished studying the book of Luke as part of a “religion” class!!  So…to make a long story short, last night (Sunday, May 2^nd) we went to this school and did a film showing to almost 1,000 students gathered in a very large hall that the school rents from the government.  What a blessing to see all these people watching the Jesus Film in a government building at their own request as a “bonus” session in their secular education!

Another praise is with regards to our “Acclaimer Project”.  For those that don’t remember, this is the project aimed at establishing local teams equipped with solar-powered video equipment who will be able to carry on the Jesus Film ministry even after we are gone.  Well, the first unit has been entrusted to a pastor from a local district!  Much of the funding for this project came from various people in the States but we felt it was important for the local people who would acquire the equipment to bear at least a portion of the expense.  So, on April 19^th this pastor came with $1200 (donated by 75 different people from his district) to pick up his set!!  I’ve included a picture taken the day this pastor left with his set after receiving training on how to use it.  I praise God not only for this pastor and his people but also for those of you who helped to cover the remaining cost of this set ($1700+).  God bless you all!

I will end here for now.  Thank you for your ongoing prayers on my behalf as I look to the future.  May God guide us all in His perfect will.  God bless you all!!

In Christ,

Jesse Long

Mbulu, Tanzania

Darwin Jacksons

"Pray for prayer- pray till you can pray." Charles Haddon Spurgeon

What did the Mexican fireman name his two sons? Hose-A and Hose-B. Get it? Jose...I know, not so funny. Anyway, I thought of that after leading two men visiting from Sinaloa to Jesus on Sunday with Alfonso, and both of them are Jose.

We received the following letter from the Nogales Consulate: "The U.S. Consulate in Nogales wishes to advise American citizens that a protest is scheduled to occur in front of the Consulate building. We remind American citizens that demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence." Pray for peace. (I pasted the whole letter on our blog)

Pray for Mascarenas as we continue to try to work with our brothers and sisters to re-open the church. We did so on Sunday with a lot of encouragement, but pray they themselves desire to do so from a heart after Christ. We continue to work in the homes of those open to us (Chuy and Jose; Cesilia and Jesus).

Pastor Antonio and I continue to meet for study and prayer about how to implement T&M to our congregation in Buenos Aires. Pray for wisdom as we move forward. Our goal is to multiply workers and congregations.
Pastor Antonio's daughter Elizabeth and her fiancé Edgar are getting married on the 9th of May. Pray it be a great day of celebration for them and the congregation.

We thank God for all of you, you are an answer to prayer, "pray for prayer.

Your fellow workers,

Darwin, Mary Ann and Gracie Jackson

Jonni Sliver – Missionary Candidate

The World Missions Committee would like to introduce  our most recent missionary candidate, Jonni Sliver. 

Jonni has been a longtime member of Emmaus Lutheran Church (AFLC), Bloomington, MN.  She is a graduate of Bethany Fellowship School of Missions and has served in Brazil from 1988 to 2004. 

Because of health problems it was apparent that Jonni’s mother could no longer live alone.  Therefore, Jonni came home to care for her mother in 2004.  Last May Jonni’s mother went home to be with the Lord which freed Jonni to return to Brazil.

Because of her ties to the AFLC, Jonni has applied to be an AFLC missionary.  At this time it seems that Jonni will serve at the Miriam Infant home and our Bible school and seminary in Brazil.  Please be in prayer for Jonni and the World Missions Department as things progress towards a call.

MTI Students in Mexico

Thanks for your prayers.  Things have been going well here and we have less then 2 weeks left before coming back to the states. 

We have been busy with Spanish classes and learning the language and with Kids' Clubs as well as other random things.  Please pray for us as we're learning a new language and trying to learn how to say it correctly. 

 

The Schierkolk's have been sick for a couple of days, so please pray for them and that they would have a quick recovery. 

This last Sunday Memo and Memito went to church, so pray that God would be working in their hearts.  Cesar and Abril's baby girl Valeria was baptized this last Sunday as well-praise God.  Please pray for Claudia as she hasn't been feeling very well and that we would be an encouragement to her and her family.  Also pray for Abraham, that his heart would be softened to the Gospel. 

A huge praise is that Hannah and I have remained healthy and safe our whole time here. 

Also please continue to pray for Fernando and Nena, a couple I had mentioned a couple weeks ago, that God's will would be done and if it's His will that they would be reconciled and stay together.  Also pray for their children Eric and Samuel too. 

Kirstie Schierkolk and 4 others are being confirmed this Sunday, so pray for them.  I know they are nervous, especially Kirstie, but it is also very exciting.  Thank you for your prayers.

In Christ,

Amanda Bellefy

Tanzania – Jesse Long

By now, I am sure many of you have heard that I was involved in a very serious car accident just a few days ago.  Before giving more of an update, I would like to thank those of you who have been keeping us all in your prayers through these difficult days.  It seems to a large extent that we are through with the most difficult parts of this ordeal but there will certainly be recovery time for several involved and the repercussions will need to be dealt for the coming weeks and months.

For those of you who have not heard, I will briefly explain.  The first week of our Easter break was a very enjoyable time as Ben’s fiancé came for a visit and we spent most of our time doing various outings with Eivind, Nadia, and Neli.  For the first time since I arrived here in Tanzania I even had the opportunity to go flying with Eivind and see some of this beautiful country from the air.  What an experience!

As I mentioned in my previous update, the second week of our break was planned to be slightly different.  Ben and Adela went to Uganda to visit Ben’s brother, Nate, and his family and I accompanied three of my Tanzanian colleagues and a missionary friend from Norway to a workshop for East African Bible schools held in northwestern Kenya.  Ben and Adela had a good and uneventful trip to Uganda and even my trip (through Nairobi) to the workshop with these four others was a very enjoyable experience.  Even the days of interactions and various discussions we had at the workshop were very profitable for all of us.

It was during our return trip to Tanzania that the accident took place.  We left Kapenguria Bible Center (where the conference was held) at 7am that Sunday morning (April 11^th).  The Norwegian (whose mission also owned the Land Cruiser we were in) started out driving.  We stopped for lunch around 1pm after which Per asked me to take over driving since he was feeling quite tired.  At about 3pm we were driving through a wide-open, rural area on a paved 2-lane road and came up on a tractor pulling a trailer and another car waiting to pass him.  For a yet unknown reason, prior to either of us passing him, the tractor driver was making frequent and sudden swerving motions.  However, when the car in front of me indicated his desire to pass by honking his horn, the tractor calmed down and remained in his own lane.  That being the case, the car in front of us proceeded to pass.  Since the road was still wide open and the tractor was still continuing in his own lane of travel, I also honked my horn (just to let him know that there was a second car) and pulled out to pass.  When we were almost completely past him, and again for no apparent reason, the tractor driver made a sudden swerve and smashed into the back side-panel of our car, pushing us sideways and instantly sending us out of control and rolling.  We rolled at least twice and finally came to a stop on our side.  Fortunately, as evidenced by the fact that they all fled the scene, none of the three on the tractor were hurt.  It appears that, after hitting us, the driver simply over-corrected and drove down a steep embankment and came to a stop in a field.

Our condition was slightly more serious.  I as the driver, sustained only a sprained shoulder and a scraped elbow.  The Norwegian, who was in the front seat with me, had two very deep cuts on his head that required about 15 stitches but was otherwise ok.  Israel, who is our treasurer at Waama and a teacher as well, was understandably sore but otherwise completely unhurt.  Pastor Gabriel, who is also a teacher at Waama, sustained a broken collar bone but thankfully nothing else.  By far, Pastor Zakaria Dallei, who is the Dean at Waama, was the most seriously injured.  Due to the fact that he was the only one in the car not wearing a seatbelt, he was thrown around quite a bit.  He sustained several broken ribs, a broken shoulder, and fairly severe trauma to his head.  We spent that first night at a hospital in the town of Kisii, Kenya before being flown the next morning to Nairobi where the level of available care is much higher.  It was there determined that in addition to some fairly serious cuts to the side of his head, Zakaria had 3 different fractures in his skull, and some resulting bleeding in his brain which was putting pressure on his right eye and causing double vision.

The following day, with the other three having been satisfactorily patched up, they headed back to their respective homes in Tanzania while I stayed in Nairobi to help keep track of the care Zakaria was receiving and help coordinate his transfer back to Tanzania as soon as possible.  Fortunately, by yesterday morning, in addition to having received several different scans and x-rays, he had been seen by a facial surgeon, an eye specialist, and a neuro-surgeon all of whom agreed that his condition was stable enough to be transported to his home town of Haydom where he could finish his recovery.  As a result, yesterday afternoon a flight was arranged that took him to Haydom (where he was met by a medical team and his wife who is a nurse at the mission hospital there) and I was brought to Arusha.

I have to say that the prayers and encouragement we have received from so many people around the world have been absolutely overwhelming.  The people of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission (having been involved with Waama for the past several decades and even being familiar with several of us in the car including the Tanzanian dean who was most severely injured) have showed especially generous concern.  They actually started a fund to help cover the many expenses that have resulted (flights, hospital stays, x-rays, etc) and the response of the first day alone was simply phenomenal.

So, my plan is to spend the remainder of this week resting up and debriefing with people here in Arusha.  Ben and Adela plan to return here from Waama on Saturday.  Adela will fly out that night and Ben and I will head back to Waama on Monday.  It has been unfortunate to miss this first week of classes but I am simply grateful that it will not be more than that.  In all this, please especially pray for the following needs:

· The 2 weekends of Jesus Film showings we have scheduled for this short semester.

· The classes that we will be teaching – that we would teach well and the students would grasp what is taught.

· The solar-powered Jesus Film equipment sets that we plan to entrust to various local teams in the remaining months.  The first set will be picked up from us this coming Tuesday.

· The complete and speedy recovery of all involved with this accident.

· God’s clear direction for my life beyond Tanzania.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.  I trust you had a blessed Easter celebrating the ultimate victory that we have through Jesus.  God bless you all.

In His service,

Jesse Long

Mbulu, Tanzania

AFLC India – Annual Conference

Where the AFLC India is located, the temperatures are already reaching 110 and they are expecting it may reach 125 this year. In another state they have already reached 125 and there were a number of deaths because of the heat.  Northern India has experienced a tornado which is the first of its kind as far as President Luther Dasari knows.

AFLC India Annual Conference

The AFLCI will be holding its annual conference April 24-26.  200 people to come to the school and this will be a time specifically to strengthen the believers in their faith. Pastor Many from Hydrabad is hosting Messianic Jews and President Luther has invited them to share their testimony and about Israel at the conference.

Ambassador Institute

Training was held on April 9^th & 10^th. There are several people coming from the local community for these classes as well as AFLC Pastors and Bible women. Luther Dasari is designing a one year Graduate of Theology program that they will offer as well as a two year Bachelor of Theology. They are making fliers to advertise the course for this next month and they will begin with the Old Testament Survey. President Dasari  and Pastor  Devasahayam will be the teachers and they will mix the oral training with Bible book overviews.

Unreached People Groups

Regarding reaching the unreached people groups, the AFLCI is working among four people groups:

• The Madiga is the most common that makes up many of the present pastors in the AFLCI.
• The Fisherman Village is a people group of its own. The new schools are the greatest outreach into this community. Many of the Hindus are sending their children to these two schools and they are becoming open to the message of Jesus because the Christians are offering a wonderful opportunity for their children.
• The Mala is the people group that makes up the Pedepi area.  The AFLC is holding gospel meetings in several of the communities around Pedepi. This began as an initial outreach last fall and has become an area wide outreach.
• The Yadava people group is another caste that the AFLC has worked in and among. Pastor Yesu Padam’s church in Batpatla is from the Yadava as well as the village of Budduluratadu and Pastor Padmarou.

Pastor Nanraju, is working in the village of Karamechedu which has been a completely Hindu village up to this point. Pastor Nanraju was trained in Guntur and has been working in this village that is about ½ hour away from Chirala. He has about 10 families that are coming and hearing about Jesus for the first time.

Pray for the work in India, especially the Annual Conference.

Serving the Savior,

Pastor Kevin Olson, Ambassador Institute Department Head

Living to See All Saved

“Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." ~ C.T. Studd

Are you longing for the salvation of the lost souls around you?

Some people may have the call to journey to far away countries like India, Africa, Mexico, or Brazil, but many people will stay right where they’re at in life. No matter the situation, all Christians are called to missions. Everyday we encounter people in our lives that are lost and in need of the transforming power of Jesus Christ yet we often times just sit by and take no action!

We may talk with them about the latest sporting news, the best cooking tips, or what the best shows on TV are but when it comes to talking with them about eternity we often shy away or avoid the subject completely. We find the time to make small talk about things that won’t make a difference in people’s lives down the road but never seem to get around to talking about what will make an impact on someone’s eternity!

As Christians, we need to wake up to the realization that millions around us are blind to any notion of the saving power of Christ! They are going to hell, some of them without ever actually hearing the promise of salvation. What makes the scenario worse is that we as Christians are letting them! We sit by, never reaching out to people, while Satan is gladly watching our feelings of contentment and complacency.

Sadly, many times today we as Christians are our own worst enemies. Satan doesn’t need to distract us or discourage us in sharing the gospel because we lack even the desire or heart for the lost. How can we truly call those around us our “friends” if we don’t care first and foremost about their eternal wellbeing?

BARNA research reports that only 2% of Christians share their faith on a regular basis… Does this sound like the book of Acts, Paul, or Peter to you? No way! Where have we gone that sharing the gospel with even one person a year seems like such a lofty goal that we have to put it as a New Year’s Resolution?

Therefore, let us all as Christians push forward for the salvation of those that are perishing! God’s will and desire is for “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). So let’s live in the will of our Lord Jesus Christ and reach those in this world that are perishing! For our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ “came that they may have life and have it abundantly! (John 10:10)

Keep the faith; just don’t keep it to yourself!

Nathan Olson & Jon Nelson

Accident Update – Ben Jore

Thank you so much for your prayers regarding this accident. I talked with Jesse a couple times and he told me to thank all of you on his behalf. They are very encouraging to him.

As I write, three of the 5 who were involved in the accident are in Arusha, actually within 50 meters of me! They are Per (fellow

missionary) and the two Waama teachers (Israeli and Pastor Mao). Per is back home now and his wife and three children are very happy to have him back. The two teachers are heading back to Waama tomorrow. Actually Adela and I will join them so Adela can see Waama before she flies back to Minnesota on Saturday. Per is doing really well. He just has to be patient for the cuts on his head to heal. Israeli seemed to be doing really well - stiff and sore but well. Pastor Mao has a broken collar bone and he said that he can still hear it grinding if he moves the wrong way. I saw all three of them and talked with them. They seemed to be in good spirits all things considered.

It was decided that Jesse would stay in Nairobi with Pastor Dallei. I talked with Jesse last night and he seemed really down emotionally. I talked to him a couple times today and he seemed a more upbeat, but he complained that he had many hours of sitting around doing nothing when there wasn't visiting hours. So please pray for him as the temptation is to blame himself or somehow feel responsible even though everybody agrees that it was not his fault at all. He knows it wasn't his fault, but there's always the what if's. Pastor Dallei is still in pretty bad condition, but seems to be better than yesterday. When I last talked to Jesse, Pastor Dallei had just seen an eye specialist who said that the double vision was caused by pressure to some of the nerves near his right eye (where he sustained one of his fractures). So she prescribed some strong medicine to help reduce the pressure. She seemed quite confident that if the pressure was successfully reduced then the double vision would clear up. The general consensus is that as soon as Pastor Dallei is better stabilized and all the "specialty" procedures are done (exams from eye specialists, neurosurgeons, etc. and any possible surgeries), then he'll be flown to his hometown of Haydom, Tanzania (about 1.5 hours from Waama) to finish his recovery there. This would not only put him near his wife and 3 daughters, but there is a Lutheran Hospital at Haydom that is significantly cheaper than the Nairobi hospital. When Pastor Dallei returns to Haydom, Jesse will return to Arusha and from there to Waama. There are a lot of logistics that will need to be worked out when that time comes.

Thanks again for upholding these men in your prayers. Thanks to many of you who have written encouraging notes. May God bless you,

Ben

April Update – Paul Abels

One month from today we will be flying to the U.S. to begin our furlough.  Before then, there is a lot to be accomplished.  Please pray for us during this month as we work for closure in our various ministries here and as we organize and store things in our house for another couple to move in while we are gone.

Yesterday I sang and Paul preached at two of our churches.  He had an excellent sermon on baptism and why we baptize infants according to Scripture.  We count it a privilege to have been baptized and lived our whole life as part of the family of God.  We praise God for His faithfulness to our family in preserving each one in their baptismal covenant. Being taught the truths of God’s Word and living in obedience brings joy and blessing to our lives. There is so much confusion and controversy in the evangelical churches of our day over this beautiful gift from God for His people.  May those of you reading this value your baptism and live in the joy of God’s grace and forgiveness today. “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” Mark 16:16

One week ago we celebrated Easter.  It was quite different this year to not be involved in having the Passion Play after six consecutive years.  Instead we participated in a mission outreach with people from the Bateias church to the “back 40.”  The American short-termers were with us for the three-hour ride over the dirt roads to share with the people who eagerly wait for our group to arrive.  We had a special program for the children in the afternoon and an outdoor evening service.  We arrived home about 2:30 a.m. after a great day.  The others from Bateais stayed until Sunday doing more home visits, evangelistic presentations and clothing distribution.  A family in that area has donated land to build a church for whoever wants to help them.  Our people are interested in helping them build a simple wooden structure for a worship center. Saturday night we showed the DVD of the Passion Play at the Campo Largo church. Sunday we had our worship services and a nice family time at our house with John and Ruby and all the Curitiba relatives (about 30 of us).  That evening John and Ruby were in a car accident, totaling both cars involved.  We are thankful that no one was seriously hurt. 

This week John and Ruby are in Iguaçu Falls holding a 10-day evangelistic campaign.  Please pray for this outreach.  Our desire is that people would hear the message of salvation and come to Christ.  These campaigns are also a time for strengthening the local congregation.

Things are going well in Campo Largo and it seems that the group that left us a couple of years ago wants to return. We feel this would be a blessing to both groups and ask that you join us in prayer for a smooth transition. One other newsworthy tidbit is that the church in Campo Largo was able to finish the parking lot so they now have a wonderful place for parking, for outdoor programs, and small sports events.  Paul coordinated that effort and we are happy to have that project finished before leaving on furlough.   

If you would remember a couple of health issues in your prayers we would be grateful, too. Pastor Tom and Patricia’s 1½ year old daughter Hadassa is hospitalized with an unknown condition that causes fever, enlarged liver and spleen.  They are being stretched to the limit physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

 

 

Our little granddaughter Sarah broke her collarbone last month and has her arm in a sling for 45 days.  I managed to turn over a pot of boiling coffee grounds on my forearm last week incurring second degree burns.  Paul is suffering constant pain in his right arm and hand caused by a herniated disk.  We know that the Lord is our Healer and we trust Him for healing.   

 

Also rejoice with us for the five young people who are studying in Bible School this year.  Angélica and Robson (Campo Largo) and Vitor (São Braz) are studying at Bethany Fellowship  in Curitiba, close to home.  Saymon and Thomaz, both from São Braz, are studying at our seminary in Campo Mourão. 

We look forward to returning to the U.S. for seven months to share with our supporters and renew our strength to continue on in the work God calls us to do. Thank you for your partnership with us.  God’s blessings to each one of you!

Love in Christ, Paul and Becky

Your Prayers Made a Difference – Ben Jore

I just got off the phone with Jesse. Early this morning all 5 men were flown to Nairobi where they have been undergoing medical examinations.

Jesse appears to have had a number of minor cuts over his body and some major ones on his elbow, but all in all will be fine. His shoulder was x-rayed and there are no breaks. Israeli (teacher and treasurer at Waama), is plenty sore and stiff, but seems to have come out the best of everyone. Pastor Mao (teacher at Waama) broke his collarbone, but otherwise seems ok. Per (fellow missionary) received 12 stitches last night before going to Nairobi. Upon arriving in Nairobi the doctors there took out the stitches, re-cleaned the wound, and re-stitched - the doctors were concerned that the wound hadn't been sufficiently cleaned.

Otherwise he seems to be fine as well.

Pastor Dallei (Dean of Waama) had multiple skull fractures, one above his right ear, one by his right eye socket, and one at the base of the skull. The fracture above his right ear caused the bleeding out of his ear last night, which means that the bleeding was a lot more minor than originally perceived. He is experiencing double-vision. The doctors aren't sure if this is because of the fracture near his eye putting pressure on it, or if further damage was caused. They are monitoring it and hoping that it will resolve as the swelling goes down. Pastor Dallei also broke a number of ribs and has some minor bleeding to the brain.

The doctors aren't majorly concerned with the bleeding - it seems to have stopped or will stop shortly. Jesse said that Pastor Dallei waved in and out of coherency - sometimes he was completely coherent and conversing as normal, other times he seemed to just be babbling. The good news is that he has no neck injuries and the doctors are optimistic that he will recover quickly, though it looks like he will need to spend at least a week in the hospital in Nairobi.

All except Dallei are hoping to return to Arusha either tomorrow or Wednesday. Fellow missionaries in Nairobi will care for Dallei during his recovery. Please continue to pray with us.

Ben Jore

Car Accident Update from Ben Jore

I received a phone call from Jesse today informing me of his involvement in a car accident. He was traveling with another missionary, the dean of Waama (Pastor Dallei), and two other teachers from Waama - returning from an East African Lutheran Bible School conference in Kenya. I was not with him at the time as my fiancee Adela and I were visiting my brother in Uganda. Jesse told me that he was driving the Land Cruiser and was attempting to pass a tractor. When they had almost passed, the tractor suddenly swerved and crashed into the vehicle. This threw the vehicle out of control, causing it to roll 3 times. Everybody was cut from the flying glass. Jesse sustained some relatively minor cuts and appears to have sprained his shoulder. The two teachers were banged up and bleeding, but seemed to be ok. The other missionary needed 12 stitches for a head-gash but otherwise seems fine. The only major concern at this time is for Pastor Dallei. It appears he did not have a seatbelt on and was tossed around a lot. His collarbone was broken and he was still bleeding some out of his ears and mouth several hours after the crash. He was in a semi-coherent state. We hope and pray that there is no long-term damage. The crash was nearby a relatively large city (Kisii, Kenya) and all 5 were able to receive limited medical attention there. Because of Pastor Dallei's condition, they are hoping to charter a plane and fly him to Nairobi, Kenya first thing tomorrow. The other 4 will travel there as well and will be examined as a precautionary measure.

Please praise God with us that the injuries sustained were minor considering the severity of the crash. I talked to Jesse a few times since the accident and he seems shaken up but otherwise well.

Please pray for Pastor Dallei. His condition is definitely the most concerning. Pray for wisdom for everyone involved. Thankfully some fellow missionaries from Kenya were able to get to the scene of the accident a few hours ago and assist. This is a huge help and morale boost.

Thanks for upholding us in your prayers, Ben

Jesse Long in Car Accident

Please pray for Jesse Long who was in a serious car accident. He seems to be okay but others who were along are seriously injured. Ben and Adiela are with Nate and Rhoda and were not in the vehicle.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Easter Greetings from India

I just talked to Luther Dasari in India and exchanged Easter greetings with him.  Here are some of the Holy Week traditions the AFLC in India observes.

Good Friday

Their Good Friday tradition is to meet at 11:00 until 3:00 in the afternoon for prayer and to go over the 7 last words of Christ on the Cross. On Saturday they decorate the tombs at the graveyards.

Easter Sunday

Sunday they go to the graveyards at 4-5 in the morning for a prayer service like the women did on Easter morning. Then they meet for their regular service at 11:00 am on Sunday.

May the Lord bless you as you worship His this Easter Sunday.

Kevin Olson, Head of Ambassador Institute

Short Term Missions - Brazil

Thank you so much for your support in our ministry here in Brazil. We have seen God working in so many ways in the short time that we’ve been here. One example of God at work was in the lives of three young girls who came to live at the Miriam Infant Home. After living there for only a couple days, they were reunited with their very concerned and loving father, whom they had not seen in months. Please continue to pray for Melina (11), MariaGuarda (8), and Gabriella (5) as they settle back into a safe home life.

God has also shown great faithfulness to His Word as we have had the opportunity to share in churches and with different individuals. When we arrived in Curitiba we were able to visit The Language House, an English school owned by Paul and Becky’s daughter Christina. Over three days, we were able to talk to hundreds of students that came through the school. Many opportunities to share Christ arose, through their questions of what four crazy Americans were doing in Brazil. We are looking forward to going back and spending a bit more time at the English school, developing deeper relationships with some of the students and teachers. Please pray that God would give us the right words to say as we are presented with these witnessing opportunities.

On the weekends, we have been able to visit quite a few of the AFLC churches here in Brazil. We are looking forward to sharing with many more churches during our time here, through songs, puppets, testimonies, and preaching the Word of God. Also, we will be able to share at the tent revival meetings that Pastor John Abel is working on in Iguazu Falls. Keep these meetings in your prayers as they’ll be lasting for two weeks and pray that many hearts will be changed.

We would like to be able to travel to all of the AFLC churches in Brazil, two of which are 36 hours away. As we look into visiting so many of these AFLC churches, we are overwhelmed with the cost of doing so. So far, we do not feel that we have the financial means to make these trips to the churches. We would like to ask for your prayer and financial support as we go forward to do what God has called us to do.

Some other future opportunities that we are looking forward to are an English camp that we are putting together for the first weekend in May and two AFLC children’s camps in July. We are currently putting much work into structuring the English camp since it’s about a month away and we are the primary planners and staff for the camp. Please pray for many opportunities to share with the students that come, and that we would get a good turnout. We are hoping for 100 campers to spend the weekend with us.

Please continue to keep all of these things in your prayers. Check our blogs at: www.bethanyandamanda.blogspot.com and www.preachandteachbrazil.wordpress.com for more prayer requests and other updates. Thank you for joining with us in the ministry in Brazil.

God Bless,

Amanda Aldrich, Bethany Marschner, Jon Nelson, and Nathan Olson

Easter Greeting from World Relief

On Sunday, we will celebrate a major event in our church calendar - the Resurrection of Christ.  As I reflect during Holy Week, I am struck once again by the words of God - "I am making all things new." I am humbled by the role He has given us - His Church - to participate in that process of making all things new.  He has promised to finish the work He began, and He has invited us to be a part of His ministry to a hurting world. When Jesus stood in the temple for the first time, He announced what His ministry was about: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.   (Luke 4:18-19) The AFLC has been an effective part of this ministry - preaching the good news to the poor and proclaiming the Lord's favor - in your communities and throughout the world.  Together, we have empowered local churches to serve millions - bringing physical, emotional, and spiritual restoration in the lives of the most vulnerable. We are so thankful for your partnership, for your hearts to serve, and for your active decision - day in and day out - to be the hands and feet of Christ to the world's most vulnerable. May God richly bless you this Easter season as you live in the power of the resurrection. Christ is risen!

HAITI UPDATE World Relief has been working in Haiti for over 15 years and is committed to working with the local Haitian Church long into the future. We are planning for the gradual shift from emergency response to recovery and development work, even as we respond to immediate needs. Last week, World Relief and the network of Haitian churches we work with provided: 15 days worth of food to 3,000 vulnerable people 40 truckloads of water - totaling 128,000 gallons - to 27,300 families tarps to 2,550 families jerry cans for water to 1,360 families hygiene kits to 160 vulnerable families Learn more about World Relief's work with the Haitian Church here.

Craig Pixley

Senior Church Engagement Director

CPixley@wr.org

Darwin Paccha - Ecuador

Dear Family and Friends,
Praise the LORD in all your circumstances. He is always working in our lives for our good. We hope you continue to follow and trust Him in the good times and bad times. We have many reasons to praise the Lord as we look back on the month of March. . .

Teaching Bible at the Bilingüe 
We will be starting the 3rd and final trimester at the Bilingüe next week. The last trimester is very short with approximately four weeks of regular classes due to extra activities. Darwin will be teaching Bible to two grades during this last trimester. He has always wanted to teach Bible, but the timing seems to be more frustrating than exciting. Darwin has a full plate of activities and these classes have simply been added to his schedule with no change to his other responsibilities. Pray for strength for him as he prepares classes and that he would be an example and encouragement to his new students.

Paz de Dios Church
We had a wonderful night of praise and worship at church on Friday, March 26th. The worship coordinator put together people from each worship team to lead worship for this service. We had four singers, one guitar player, one bass player, two people doing percussion, a pianist (Darwin), and a flautist (Kirsten). Praise the Lord that many people
came to the service. We pray that hearts were drawn closer to our Savior. There will be pictures on the blog later.  A friend took pictures for us, so we do not have them yet. We are going on a family retreat with the church April 1st-3rd for Easter.  The title of the retreat is “Listening to God’s Voice.” Darwin is teaching two times. Pray that the Spirit would speak through him and the other speakers on this retreat. Also pray for safety, a great time of fellowship, and open hearts to God’s Word and His Voice.

Miss Ecuador!
It is finally official! Kirsten is Ecuadorian! Darwin said that now she can run for Miss Ecuador, but of course that is not possible since she is married. Maybe Mrs. Ecuador? I (Kirsten) don’t think so. ☺ Darwin dropped off Kirsten’s papers on a Friday with a girl who was working while the regular man was on vacation. This girl had been to the states
and was a little ‘full of herself.’ She told Darwin how this process of naturalization is supposed to take 15 days, but she could do the process in a week. Darwin just thanked her for her work and left the papers in her hands. The man who normally did this job had told Darwin he needed another type of seal on some of the papers, but this girl and  other workers said that was unnecessary. This little detail is important because this man would not process the papers because of these couple seals. Everything was in God’s hands and His timing. The substitute girl called Darwin back in 4 DAYS! She said the papers were ready. When, we went to get the paperwork, the regular worker was back, but because the substitute had done the work, she finished the process with us. Praise God for using prideful people, including us, in order to finish His work. Now, Kirsten just has to get her Ecuadorian ID card and passport. Pray that
we don’t encounter any more problems in trying to get these two documents. Praise God for His help in finishing the naturalization.

Thanks for your e-mails and prayers!
God’s Blessings!
In Christ,
Darwin and Kirsten Paccha

Praises
*Kirsten is Ecuadorian!
*Safety and Health- healed mosquito bites
*Celebrating Darwin’s 28th Birthday
*Water for the Paccha’s in Santa Isabel
*Marriages being reconciled in our church
*Growing relationship between Gloria and Kirsten
*Great night of Praising God at church
*Easter family retreat April 1st-3rd

Prayers
*No problems getting Kirsten’s ID documents
*Summer camp for senior high students
*Revival among students at the Bilingüe
*Close friends who are seeking God’s direction to
know where to serve
*The 2 young people we are each mentoring
*Pastor of our church: strength and wisdom as he
serves the congregation