Amanda Bellefy arrives in Ecuador

Greetings from Ecuador,

It's crazy to think that I have already been here a week.  I have already learned so much.  Thank you so much for your prayers.  There was some confusion at the airline in New York on my way to Panama City and I had to quickly purchase a $1000 return ticket, but thankfully they were wrong and I get a full refund today.  Praise God!  I am living at the Bible school and on Monday I was put in charge of the five students, mainly in the areas of cooking and cleaning.  Thankfully I have been healthy and have been able to get right to work.  I have felt God's presence strongly, especially in being in a new place and meeting new people.  God has been my comfort and my strength.

Amanda is serving as a Short Term Assistant

Please continue to pray:

1. That I would continue to learn the language

2. That I would be a light and a witness

3. For the spiritual growth of the 5 students here: Taty (Tatiana), Raquel (Rachel), Joanna, Kevin, and Pocho (Christian)

Thank you for your prayers. 

In Christ,
Amanda 

Prayer points from the Schierkolks

"I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry."     -Psalm 40:1

-Praising the Lord for a wonderful Christmas outreach!  The youth did a wonderful job with their puppet skits and the kids were great in their presentation of the Christmas story.
-For the many who received quilts and the kids who received Christmas gifts/children's Bibles.
-Grateful for your continued prayers for
our family spread out in the U.S. and Mexico.

We enjoyed reading your Christmas cards! Thanks for the encouragement of your prayers and support!

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Enabling Change in Brazil

Grandpa with Thomas - Born January 23rd

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, 

you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 

Jesus calls us to take a look at our attitudes and actions and priorities and be willing to change whatever it is that takes us away from being seated in Christ. We are to become as little children who delight in being in Jesus' presence. Evidently Jesus thought change was necessary in the lives of his hearers, even in the lives of his disciples. What needs to change in your life? There is a song in Portuguese that has the following phrase - "If we don't change, everything stays the same." In other words, "Nothing changes if nothing changes." As missionaries we see ourselves as people who enable change in people's lives. As we daily rub shoulders with people we seek to help others find their resting place in Jesus. It's fun to witness the blessing of changed lives. 

Children's Camp - Lives Changed 

January is always camp time at the ARCA. This year I developed the curriculum around the theme of the 10 Commandments and the 2 great Commandments of Jesus, emphasizing the grace of Jesus to cover all our sins and all our attempts to fulfill the law. The 10 Commandments are guidelines for happy living, living God's way. We also used the Wordless book using the 5 colors to explain the way of salvation. We had a fantastic week and the children did a wonderful presentation for their parents on the last day. I was happily exhausted at the end of it all. It was great to have Mafú and 3 nieces and 3 nephews working as counselors. It's fun to have our 8-yr. old granddaughter Deborah camping, too! As I write this letter we are preparing for youth camp which will be the first week in March. Pray for transformed lives. 

A Look Back 

We had a fun night of nostalgia at our church in Curitba. Many people came back that had been a part of our church throughout the years. We sang songs from 20 and 30 years ago and had fun remembering. For us it was a bittersweet moment as we wish that all the people who have heard the Gospel in this church would be walking with Jesus today. Yet, we praise God for His faithful work in the lives of people and continue topray for Him to complete the good work He began in their lives. 

A Look Forward 

We look forward to many things in the coming months. Please pray for us: 

* Youth Camp in Campo Mourão 

* Visit from Charles and Joyce Knapp 

* Annual Women's Conference in March 

* Preparations for Passion Play in April 

* Interactions with people every day 

* Two couples we are trying to impact -  John and Maria/Levir and Rose

A Big Thank You 

Thank you so much for your continued support of what we do in Brazil. Your prayers and gifts sustain us month by month. May you be strengthened in your resolve to live for Jesus and participate in the great calling of being agents of change in a hurting world. If something needs changing in your own personal life, take it to the Lord in prayer and make the adjustments that are necessary to live for the glory of God. Remember - nothing changes if nothing changes! 

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Mafu Abel in Panama

    I have now been in Panama for 16 days and am quite adjusted to the weather (comfortable dry heat with wind), the language (Spanish), and the school schedule. It has been a great two weeks! As usual, time seems to last longer as we undergo big changes, and I feel like I have been here for much longer than 2 weeks. When I came here I was apprehensive because I didn't know the leaders of the base, their personalities, principles, testimony or theology. I now can say confidently that I am blessed to be under good Biblical teaching from godly, Spirit-filled individuals. Though I am mostly learning what I have studied and evaluated before, I am confident that this is the right step for me at this time.
     Here at Jucum Chiriqui we have an hour of personal devotions followed by either an hour of intersession or worship music every morning. These times have been and will continue to be important to me as I seek to receive from God the vision he has for the my future in building the kingdom of God. My class consists of 15 students. The nations represented are Holland, Canada, Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia, Brazil/USA, and Panamá including Latinos, and native Nobe, and Emberá. The subject of the first week of lectures was "Hearing the voice of God and Intercession" and there was a focus on the spiritual needs of the Family. Last week we studied how God's plan of redemption goes beyond individuals, families, generations, Israel, beyond nations, actually extending blessing to all creation. We studied community development and how to use that for the propagation of the Gospel!  
     I was asked to do the translating from Spanish to English for the leadership school in the afternoons (a different course from the DTS that I am involved in). It is a blessing because I get to benefit from another school, yet my mind gets tired from 6 hours-a-day of full attention. I have had a couple of breaks and I will periodically be released from translating duties when there is another translator available. When that happens I get to help with the grounds work. I appreciate your involvement and ask that you would continue to pray for me.


• Pray for continued language learning. (I am currently reading two books + Bible in Spanish)
• Pray for my DTS team; our unity, growth, local ministry and future 2 month outreach.
• Pray for my girlfriend Ednay and her DTS --There is extreme flooding where she is and 568,000 people have had to leave their homes.
• Pray for our Father God to continually guide me in the center of His will.

Pray for Ukraine conflict

“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.” Psalm 37:5

Dear Friends in Christ,

Even though we recently sent out a prayer update, we wanted to specifically ask for prayer regarding three important areas.

Ukraine
Many of you have been following from afar what is taking place in Ukraine. For the past two months, there have been protests against President Viktor Yanukovych and his government. These protests, once limited to the capital city of Kiev, have spread throughout the country as people are tired of the political and economic situation. To understand the depth of this situation, it’s important to understand the historical, economic, and geopolitical foundations, or lack thereof, that make up this country. The opposition will not stop until the present “government” is overthrown. The question then is, what will the future leaders do? Will they actually answer the root issues that have caused the problems, which would require enormous constitutional and economic changes, or will they simply repackage the corruption of the past 20 years. Needless to say, Ukraine needs our prayers. Pray for non-violent resolution to this conflict. Pray that leadership on all sides would not seek their own glory and power, but actually deal with the real issues that have led to the situation in Ukraine. Pray also, that the churches around the country would see this as a golden opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. People want hope and peace, but only in Christ will this be realized. Pray that God’s will be done here in Ukraine. Below are a few links to articles that give a brief summary of the complex situation in Ukraine.

Bloomberg.com
Washingtonpost.com

Bishop-elect Serge Maschewski

National Church Body (DELKU)
This is a very important and historic week for our church body in Ukraine. For the first time in 20 years, a Bishop will be installed (February 15) that was elected from an actual election process by the people here of Ukraine. Please pray for true spiritual unity among this church. Pray that DELKU would be focused on Christ and His mission. Pray for the spirit of Christ to richly dwell in all people throughout these next few weeks of change. Pray for newly elected Bishop Maschewski. Pray for God to give him a humble servant heart as he seeks to serve DELKU. Pray for wisdom and guidance as he seeks to navigate through difficult issues presently and in the future. Pray also for our former Bishop Uland Spahlinger as he moves on to a new ministry in Germany. Uland has been very supportive and involved in the process of our school for which we are grateful. Pray for strength for him and his wife as they make this ministry transition.

Bible School
Among all the celebrations that are taking place next week in regards to our new Bishop, there will be important meetings regarding the Bible School. Our school board will have strategic planning meetings (February 16-17) with DELKU leadership regarding the proposal of an additional year of study. These discussions will not simply approve the idea, but also set the basic purposes and goals of the direction of our Bible School. On a side note, DELKU has formed a national education commission that is to strategize, think, and propose the general and specific direction of education within our church body. I am one of the three members on this council. I am very excited about this simply because people are now beginning to speak about these crucial issues for the future of the church. Please pray for our school board and church leadership as the meet together. Pray for unity of spirit and purpose. Pray for guidance and wisdom from the Holy Spirit as they make decisions.

These are interesting times here in Ukraine. Our trust is in the Lord, who holds us in his hands. Thank you for joining us in prayer regarding these issues.

Coyle blog

In His Grace, 

Andy, Monica, Moriah, Isaiah and Josiah

The Wagners - Pleasures of Life

Makeni sure feels more like "home" now.

We recently spent four weeks (instead of the expected three/four days) in the capital, Freetown, to get our vehicle out of customs. Josh spent several days of those days working on computers, cellphones, etc. for our literacy and translation partners. We were overjoyed to get our car, drive home, and pull into our driveway! Even Elijah exclaimed "Home, home, home!"

Since we returned a week ago, we've had the pleasures of...

• "Running stomachs" for a few days. 
• Driving the three minutes to the local hospital to check on July baby. 
• Caring for a new puppy/watchdog and new bush kitty (both given to us unexpectedly). 
• Practicing Themne in the neighborhood and meeting more neighbors. 
• Worshipping at our village church in Romankeneh (15-minute drive and only Lutheran church in the Northern Province). 
• Printing and distributing copies of Krio liturgy to the church in Romankeneh (not translated into Themne... yet!). 
• Helping draft 2014 goals for Themne translation team. 
• Finishing up end-of-the-year reports... Thank you for your generosity! 
• Hearing the Muslim call to prayer nice and loud, several times a day... reminding us of the very few Christians in our neighborhood and a reason why we are here. 
• Taking on the rough roads with our new vehicle

Update from the Miriam Children’s Home

You know that 2013 was a busy year here in the Miriam Home. We had a record number of children pass through our doors, and it seemed like the children came in waves—little boys, teen age girls, tiny little babies—there always seemed to be a dominating factor in the house. Well as I write you we have the unusual state
of balance!

During the last three years many people have asked if it is possible to sponsor children in the Miriam Home, and the answer has always been no. The reason is...


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January Update from Jonathan and Tamba

New Church Property

While friends/family in the US are experiencing a cold winter, we are in the prime of summer, needing fans and a/c, with lots of summer showers. January has already started with a big bang for this 2014. For Tamba's birthday, she enjoyed having a Ladies' Tea (though only cold juices were served due to a 90 * F day), with a special message about the power of words. Since it is still summer vacation time, we've enjoyed different visitors stopping by. Jonathan has been busy helping the new Bible Camp caretakers (young couple who the wife is granddaughter of the previous caretakers) settle in. They remind us so much of our late Sr. Antonio and wife Vita.

New Caretakers for the Bible Camp

Jonathan has also been preparing for the seminary classes he will be teaching starting next month. Our church finally sold their church property and purchased a more practical one to build on. We just contacted the architect with plans and will submit them to the city for approval. Hopefully we can start the construction in a couple of months! Needless-to-say, we are all excited! "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" (Psalm 118:29a)

Click here to view the Abel's Missionary Profile

Who Cares for You?

William Dixon lived in Brackenthwaite, England. He was a widower who had also lost his only son. One day he saw that the house of one of his neighbors was on fire. Although the aged owner was rescued, her orphaned grandson was trapped in the blaze. Dixon climbed an iron pipe on the side of the house and lowered the boy to safety. His hand that held on to the pipe was badly burned.

   Shortly after the fire, the grandmother died. The townspeople wondered who would care for the boy. Two volunteers appeared before the town council. One was a father who had lost his son and would like to adopt the orphan as his own. William Dixon was to speak next, but instead of saying anything he merely held up his scarred hand. When the vote was taken, the boy was given to him.   —Neil Strait

The decision of the vote reflects what Paul tells us in the eighth chapter of Romans concerning the care and provision we are assured of from our heavenly Father.  The townspeople knew they could entrust the boy to the man who was willing to risk life and limb for his safety.  They knew that if this man was willing to go to such lengths for the boy, he would be willing to do anything in his power for the boy’s good.  Paul writes: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31-32)

The supreme marks of love for us are written on the scarred hands of the crucified Christ.  "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).  Because Jesus loved us, He was willing to “climb the pipe” at the cost not only of his hands pierced by nails, but of His back lacerated by the scourge, His beard cruelly plucked, His head deeply drilled by painful thorns and pounded with sticks, His body badly bruised, and weakened by loss of blood, His person forsaken by the Father because of our sin, and His very life slowly suffered away in the painful ordeal of crucifixion.

Believers can be greatly comforted to be in the care of the One who so loves us that He would endure all this to rescue us from the fire of hell... 

The lad who went home with William Dixon had nothing to fear.  And with Christ, neither do we.

By Pastor Jim Fugleberg

Bible Training Ministry in Ukraine and Beyond

What a crazy time we had in December, with our packing, cleaning, repairing and moving, and settling. God’s grace was abundant through it all, and we praise Him for that. Because of circumstances beyond our control, our move-in date was delayed. Our first night in the new home was December 25th! It was a sweet celebration of our Savior, however, shared with our friends from the Petrodolina congregation and gathered as a family in our new home. Since most Protestant churches celebrate according to the Julian calendar in Ukraine, celebrating Christmas Day on . . .

 

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Christmas Greetings from Jonathan Abels

FROM  JONATHAN & TAMBA ABEL

Warmest wishes to our dear friends and family

Whether in our very warm-hot summer here in Brazil or in your cool-freezing winter in the US, we can share this one thing in common today: REJOICE! We rejoice for many reasons.

• That another year has gone by with God's abundant blessings over the many areas we are involved with.
• How delightful was the teaching at our Seminary and seeing enthusiastic students wanting to learn!
• Watching kind people come all the way down from the US to help a little with the Miriam Infant Home (with gifts of time and things they made/collected back home).
• To see some good Bible Camps happen at our Camp with eager campers! 
• The prayer for selling our church property to buy another more practical one, was answered!
• Our 2 oldest children (Tom & April) have had an exciting year in their lives, with studies, friendships, travels and ministry.  Our youngest one (Michelle) has been growing up so fast, enjoying the company of her puppy that  was an answer to her prayers.
• And of course, having friends and family visit us, for those of you faithfully praying for and supporting us (thank you all)!  Yet the most important reason that we rejoice is because we have the hope found in the birth of our Saviour!  

Let us REJOICE in this New Year, living in this blessed Hope of JESUS!

Wagner Update

Dear Amazing Team,

Wow. We know so many of you have been praying, not only because we were flooded with messages of encouragement and assurance of prayers, but also we sensed them every step of the journey in our move to Makeni, Sierra Leone.

- The sale of our car in MN was smooth and convenient. Gotta love craigslist.

- Elijah slept on every leg of the journey (car, plane, plane, plane, boat) and has adjusted beautifully, considering all the changes.

- We had very gracious ticketing agents and flight attendents with no extra fees along the way. It could have been hundreds of dollars.

- Our welcome to the capital, Freetown, was very warm and eased by our Sierra Leonean partners and LBT supervisor.

- More was accomplished in Freetown than expected, enabling us to move to our home in Makeni on Day 8.

- We've had many helping hands and new friends to help us set up the basics of our home - including water filtration, running water, screens to keep mosquitoes out, stove and fridge, beds, etc.

- ALL our luggage and barrels made it safely to our home. Many contents from one barrel were quite moldy, but thankfully it was the barrel we would have picked if one had to be moldy. :)

- Ruthie was sick (stomach issues, weak, and fainty) for a day... it took an injured ankle, thankfully not broken, and a trip to the hospital to discover we're expecting!!!

- Elijah LOVES our new "home home home." He's been playing a lot in the back, hugging neighborhood kids through the front porch bars, and calling himself "Obotu" ('whiteman') because that's what he's been named by all the kids. *eyeroll*

I know many of you praying aren't sure what to pray about (it's okay, neither are we), Be assured, your prayers are an enormous support, and we consider the above answers to prayers.

Please continue to pray with us during these initial days, especially as we begin formal language learning, which will be our primary task over the next several months.

Lovin' it,

Josh, Ruthie, Elijah, and baby on the way!

And to All a Good Night

From the days of bursting seams, when we had more children in the Miriam Home than we had beds, we have now settled into a bit of a lull.  That is because the juvenile court is trying their hardest to have every possible child with their family (parents or blood relatives) for Christmas. We only have eleven children in the Home right now and the probability is that seven of these will be released to their families within the next two weeks.

Though many of the children will be leaving the house, they obviously don’t leave our hearts. Please pray for. . .

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Merry Christmas from the Jores

Check out the Jore’s Christmas greeting here.

Schierkolks–Boarder Crossings

One of the hardest things about our temporary departure from Mexico in 2011 was leaving Sofia and Georgina with a very sick mom.  Their mom died a few weeks after we arrived in the U.S. leaving the girls in the care of their very unreliable older sister. Many people prayed for them and others were able to help them financially.  God has really taken care of these orphaned girls.  The biological aunt of one of the girls took all of them in.  Georgina and Sofia are living in Mexico City now with the family of Georgina's aunt.  We are so grateful to God for His loving care of these girls. 

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Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines

World Relief is the AFLC World Missions relief agency.  Donations for help with the disaster caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines may be sent to AFLC World Missions or directly to World Relief.  The article below was taken from the World Relief website.

According to CNN, as many as 10,000 are feared dead in the Philippines, while Super Typhoon Haiyan makes its way toward Vietnam. Please join World Relief in responding to this crisis.

Gifts Urgently Needed: Typhoon Haiyan Rapid Response Fund

World Relief is partnering with long-term partner, Philippine Relief and Development Services, Inc. (PHILRADS), the relief and development arm of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) to provide assistance to victims of Typhoon Haiyan. PHILRADS has already mobilized and deployed rapid assessment teams, packed goods at the Department of Social Work and Development (DWSD) which were airlifted to victims, and collaborated with government organizations, faith-based organizations and churches to set up a disaster operation center. BUT MORE HELP IS NEEDED. 

Through our Typhoon Haiyan Rapid Response Fund, PHILRADs and World Relief will focus its Phase One relief efforts to unreached areas beyond the damaged roads and bridges—which includes Palo, Abuyog, La Paz, Mahaplag, Macarthur, St Bernard, San juan, Starita, Tarangnan, Pagsanghan, the city of Tacloban and Ormoc. This initial response will provide:

• 7,000 households with emergency food/relief packages
• temporary shelters
• materials to help rebuild 50 destroyed church buildings (lumber, plywood, nails, G.I. sheets and cement)
• support for on-the-ground coordination efforts and ongoing logistics for a disaster operation center

World Relief is sending technical staff to the Philippines to support PHILRADS, who will supervise the project in close collaboration with Pastors and volunteers from local churches.  Local Pastors/local churches will provide the manpower, facilities and the vehicles for the work, but fuel and materials to support the relief effort (see above) will be provided by generous gifts from World Relief supporters.

By giving to our Typhoon Haiyan Rapid Response Fund, you enable us to rapidly deploy front-line help and resources to the most vulnerable during this crisis. The more we raise, the more we can help. Thank you in advance for your support.

We will continue to update this web page with information about our response as it progresses.

Please Join Us in Prayer

Please join us in prayer for the victims and their families; that the lost would be found, the sick would be healed, that the God of all comfort would be with those who grieve, and that miraculous restoration would come following this tragedy. Please also pray for the safety of the individuals who are risking their lives to provide critical assistance.

Josh Wagners, Leaving for Africa–Nov. 12

Have you ever thought about what you would take if you moved to Africa? You have to consider several things—what kind of house you’ll have, if you’ll be living in a village or city, and how long you plan to live there! Our family is moving to Sierra Leone (try to find it on a map!) on November 12. We already know that we’ll be living in a . . .  Read entire newsletter by clicking here.

Angel At My Door

It's Thursday afternoon and someone is knocking at our door . . . as it seems they do every Thursday.  I open the door to look outside and see who it is and then I call up to Barb and Kirstie,  "Barb, there's an angel at the door!"  

Angel, as in Mike Angel (as in Michelangelo), is a 2nd grade boy who is literally obsessed with Jesus and His death on the cross.  He wants to know if we have the Archbook story of the passion of Christ yet.  "No, not yet, but it's coming."  Angel lives right behind us and we share part of the back wall.  I hear pounding with a hammer and another Thursday, there's Angel at the door again, this time with a couple pieces of wood with six nails pounded into it and a 2nd grade, Picasso-like (trying to be generous) ink drawing of Jesus on the cross.  "It's for you," he says.  Angel can't read yet but in lieu of the Archbook that hadn't arrived yet we gave him a paper-back children's cartoon Bible.  His grandma covered the binding and front and back covers in plastic to protect it and Angel brings it to Kid's Club every week . . . until he lost it.  Then the knock on Thursday afternoon before Kid's Club brought with it a very disappointed Angel who wondered if he had left it in the garage.  "No, Angel, it isn't here."  We prayed with him about it . . . nothing.  A couple weeks later it came to my heart again and I brought it up with the Lord and then the Thursday afternoon knock brought the great news that Angel found his Bible!  It had fallen behind his bed. 

The next Thursday, Angel looked like he was going to throw up in the middle of Kid's Club so I walked him around the corner to His house, praying with him that God would heal the tearful boy of the pain in his stomach.  After I dropped him off I went back to the club and then about 15 minutes later I see his face peeking around the garage door . . . he's better and wanted to come back!  It's Thursday afternoon again and any minute I'm expecting . . . an Angel at my door:)

Thanks so much for your prayers and the encouragement of your support of our ministry here in Mexico!

Blessings in Christ,

Todd and Barb Schierkolk

Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico

News from the Coyles–November

2 Timothy 2:1-2 be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Just a couple of days ago, hidden behind all the craziness of Halloween, was the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Reformation Day! This is a day in which we look back upon and thank God for the theological and biblical insights that were rediscovered through the reformers. Sola Scriptura! Sola Fide! Solus Christus! Sola Gratia! Soli Deo Gloria! These five emphases’ were not, and are not, simply clever Latin phrases that have no real meaning. They are the foundation, source, mode, and purpose of, and for, the Christian life. We have a rich history and tradition that has been entrusted to us. May you continually rejoice in the riches that we have in Christ Jesus that have so clearly been articulated and passed down throughout the centuries.

Our desire in serving here at the Bible School is to . . .  click here to download entire newsletter.

Pray for Pillman’s Visas

We recently received an update on the visa situation for the Pillmans in Ecuador.  Please pray that the Lord would work out the glitches so that they can stay in the country and minister.

Justo received an immigrant visa on Tuesday.  It has no expiration date.  The only limitation is the he will loose the visa if he leaves the country for more than 3 months per year for the next two years.  After that he can leave the country for up to 18 months at a time.

Tricia’s immigrant visa has run into a couple of glitches, but she should receive it in a couple of weeks.

Nathanael currently has a 6 month tourist visa good until mid-April.  They are planning to wait until Tricia and Justo both have valid immigrant visas and then ask the visa office to help them find a solution for him since the rest of the family can legally live permanently in Ecuador.

Thanks for your prayers.  This has been a long process.