Missionaries to Sudan 9.9.08

Greetings from Khartoum,

 

We have recently entered the start of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, in Sudan.  Muslims fast during this holy month from dawn until sunset.

 

It seems during this month there are challenges to the emotional and physical health of many people in this area.  Unfortunately, we have not been exempt from these hard times.

 

The day before Ramadan began Shellie and I started feeling sick and before nightfall, we were both dealing with a violent stomach bug.  We took turns visiting the bathroom all night hoping for relief the next morning.  High fevers, cold chills, sore muscles, and intestinal problems characterized the challenges we faced for a couple of days.

 

The morning after our rough night the power went out all day.  So we spent the day in our bed trying to “sweat” the sickness out in 100 degree heat.

It seemed like we were in the bad scene of a Hollywood movie.  Our power was finally restored by 8pm and we were able to rest more comfortably until midnight when a sand storm came through and knocked the power out again.

 

Thankfully we were able to pick-up some medicine and have now recovered very well.  I’ve started running again and Shellie is feeling strong as well.  We are very thankful that God kept Nathaniel healthy while we were sick.  He may have been hard to keep up with during our sickness but at least he wasn’t throwing up and going through 20 diapers a day at the same time.

Admittedly I was jealous of his diaper wearing ability with my frequent trips to the bathroom.  I thought it might have been a lot easier to put on a pamper and stayed where I was .

 

We are all aware that physical sickness can ultimately lead to physical death if the illness is not treated or the body is not allowed to recover.

In much the same way, spiritual sickness can eventually lead to spiritual death if the cause of the problem is not dealt with.

 

The word “Ramadan” comes from “ramida” which denotes an intense scorching heat and dryness.  As I meet with our neighbors and talk to Sudanese nationals I continually get a feeling that there is a spiritual dryness in their lives.  They fast and pray out of religious obedience but in their lives remains spiritual sickness and death because they have not dealt with the root of their problems: a denial of a living God.

 

We would like to ask for you to pray this month for our Muslim neighbors that they would see in us the light and truth they are searching for.

Please pray that God would grant us the ability to share the “medicine” they need for their dry and weakened spirits.

 

From the sands of Sudan,

Zach

Damian & Nancy McCrink Update 5.12.08

Email Update From Language School in Portugal: 

 

Hello Everyone!

We wanted to give everyone a quick update about our life here in Portugal. We have been here for about 9 months now. Wow! The time has gone really quickly. Each day we are feeling more confident in our speaking and understanding. It really is amazing how long it takes to learn another language. Right now I am working on my first full sermon in Portuguese. I am learning to say what just needs to be said because it so much work so….. NO rambling! But I am really enjoying it.
 

We have been blessed to have some friends and family from home come spend some time with us. Also the Charest Family, one of the missionary families that we will be working with in Mozambique, come through Portugal for a three week refresher course in Portuguese. It was great hearing their heart and call to Mozambique and also getting to know each other.  We are excited to start working with them there.  God has not only provided a team, but also people that we now call friends.  To learn more about their vision for reaching the children of Mozambique check out their website.

  

As you see in the picture above, Nancy is ready to have this baby any day now! We are as ready as we can be, at least we hope so. We visited the hospital where we plan on having the baby and we were really impressed with everything. Another blessing is that Nancy’s parents are coming for a visit right at the time the baby is due, so that will be a great help for those first couple of days. We will send you an email once she arrives. If you could pray for Levi’s adjustment, that would be great…he has a jealous streak

Thank you once again for all of your prayers. They really do make a difference in our lives. And without your financial support we would not be able to do all that God has called us to do.  The Body of Christ is beautiful when we are working together to fulfill His purposes in the world.  

 

Prayer request:

 

Documents- we are learning about all the documents that we will need before we can leave for Mozambique. First we need a SS# for the baby here, then we are able to apply for a passport and then we can apply for our visas to Mozambique. 

Language - I plan on preaching my first sermon in Portuguese here in Portugal before we leave. Pray all that we have learned so far would really come together. 

The move- We plan on moving to Mozambique in late August. A lot has to come together for this to happen. We have heard that safe housing in Maputo (the capital city where we will live) has really jumped in price. In fact, more than our budget has planned. We believe that God can and will make a way to supply our needs. 

The work- The work in Mozambique is already starting to come together. The national church as already started caring for orphans and has invited us to be apart!  We will have more news once we get on the ground there. 

 

 

Damian & Nancy McCrink

Missionaries to Mozambique, Africa

 

Bill and Kim Snider Update 4.15.08

Dear Friends,Warm greetings!

Thank you very much for praying with us for the nationwide broadcast of the Rebound movie in the Philippines on Good Friday evening.  This week, we received some initial numbers from the GMA Television Network.  Of the total number of televisions on during that time, we had over 30% of the audience. Simply put, 4 to 5 million people were watching Rebound across the Philippines!  The prayer and counseling center received many calls.  Over 40 people received Christ in a short period of time during the movie showing. Calls continue to come in.  The website received many “hits”.  The movie is now available in the marketplace and already, we are hearing many groups using it in community and youth outreaches.

On April 26^th at 7:00 p.m., we are doing an evangelism outreach in the town of Calatagan where Rebound was filmed.  The community leaders including the town mayor are very excited about our coming.  There will be lots of publicity.  We are praying that several thousand people will come to watch the movie that was made in their hometown.  Please pray for this outreach.  My dream is that we can see dozens of Bible studies established and very soon, a local church.  There is no Assemblies of God church and only one small evangelical work in the whole town of Calatagan.  Thank you for praying with us.

 

Thank you so much for your support and prayers.  Have a great spring!

Yours in Christ,

Bill Snider

 

 

 

 

Amanda Barber Update 4.4.08

Dumela! (That is “hello” in Setswana) I hope all is well with each and everyone of you. I know it has been a while since you have heard from me and for that I apologize. South Africa is having many electrical supply problems. There has been such tremendous growth over the past few years, that now there is not eough power to supply the entire country with power all at once. We are now in a load shedding stage where they shut off power in certain areas at certain times to supply other areas with power, and power cost are suppose to increase by at least 50% in the next few months. The country desperately needs prayer. Some say the government foresaw this problem a few years ago, and chose to spend money elsewhere instead of creating a plan. Who know, though. So, I’m sure you can see the problems this is causing. So, please keep South Africa and it’s government in your prayers. I say all of this to say, that this makes it very difficult for me to update my blog, being out in the bush, and being without power. Right now I am having problems with my website, so until i get it fixed I will be communicating with all of you via email. Due to the way internet work here I will only be able to attach a couple of photos to the emails. We pay by the MB here and pics take up a lot of space. Once I have fixed the bug with my site, you will all be able to see more pics and read more about missions life in South Africa.

Well, there is definitely never a dull moment living here is South Africa. I awake every morning to the sound of monkeys jumping on my roof, and digging through my trash bin. I have to put very large rocks on the lid so they don’t get in and make a huge mess. I have bravely defended myself from a bat in my room, well……not really bravely, I kinda ran out and made Tom come over and take care of it for me. He hit the bat with the lid from a rubbish bin, while I sat cowered down in a corner. I have seen my first snake, and surprisingly did not freak out. I calmly ran to get Tom and then stood a great distance away while he killed it. Good thing Tom’s around, huh?!

We had our first conference in February, and what a success! We had over 120 delegates, most of which were new to Children’s Ministry and new to JR. They were sucha and exciting and lively bunch. It was great to see people so fired up about Children’s Ministry. We have another conference coming up in April, so please pray that we have a great turn out for this one too.

The Baby Shelter is doing well. We have had several babies adopted into forever families over the past few months. Most of them had been with us for months, and in some cases over a year. It was truly an answer to prayer to see these little ones be adopted. I was able to meet little Joshua’s adopted parents, when they came out to JR to see where he had been staying. It is so hard to see these little ones go, after they have been apart of lives for months, but the minute you see them placed with their forever mommies and daddies, makes it all worth while. Right now we have a toddler in our shelter named, Siphewe. Siphewe has been with us for over a year now, and has seen so many of her little brothers and sisters be adopted. When Joshua left with his family, we were all standing outside the shelter and we said to Siphewe, “Siphewe, come tell Joshua goodbye”, and without a word her shoulders sunk down, and turned around and walked away. Siphewe has been a part of prayers for months now, so I ask that you all please keep her in your daily prayers, and pray that she will soon be adopted.

It is truly great to see what all God is doing here. Thank you all for all your prayers and support. Without them non of this would be possible. If there is ever anything I can pray with you about, please just email me.

Love,
Amanda

PS- I apologize there are no pics with this newsletter, the internet is being very slow for some reason.

Corbin’s March Newsy Bite

A Gift that keeps on Giving:  Joshua’s Story

Over 30 years ago, a four month old baby boy from Ethiopia was adopted by a loving couple from Sweden.  This disadvantaged child, named David, was given hope by being placed in a “forever home” that could properly care for him and give him the advantages of a stable family life.  

Now look what happened…30 years later…David, who understands the importance of adoptive families, travelled to South Africa with his Swedish wife, to adopt an 8 month old baby boy, named.  Is that an amazing story or what?!

Joshua arrived at Jackson’s Ridge when he was only 3 days old.  His birth mother loved him enough to give up for adoption, knowing that she could never adequately care for him.  Rather than allow her baby boy to grow up on the streets, she made her way to a Neo Birth Pregnancy Crisis Centre and made the decision to place him in an adoptive home.  

Joshua lived at Jackson’s Ridge for 8 months. He was loved and cared for by the JR family.  Now he is living a comfortable lifestyle, with two loving parents in Sweden.  YOU made this possible!  It was your gifts and focused prayers that enabled  Jackson’s Ridge to give hope to a little newborn, named Joshua.  

The JR Baby Shelter is supported solely by the generous donations of churches and individuals in the USA.  Thank you for being a part of Joshua’s story!

Ed, Sonja and Cecilia

The Corbin Family

Bill & Kim Snider

Dear friends and partners in missions,
 
Warm greetings!
 
On February 29, we signed a contract with GMA Television Network, one of the largest commercial TV networks in the Philippines, to broadcast our new movie “Rebound” on Good Friday, March 21, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  We have been praying for many months that we would have this opportunity.
 
Good Friday and Holy Week are unique in the Philippines in that all businesses close their doors and most television stations sign off in reverence to the passion and death of Christ.  Only two major commercial networks are on the air at this time.  If they can’t afford to go on vacation, families stay at home.  Many people stay at home particularly by 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday, believing Jesus is actually dead.  What an opportune moment to be on television in Philippine primetime with a strong Gospel message targeting teenagers and young adults!
 
The national church is excited about this opportunity and will be doing a nationwide SMS text blitz to alert our churches and believers to this showing.  We have arranged agreements with a counseling center in Manila and with a website targeting young people to be a part of the follow-up team to this broadcast.  But with all of these, I truly believe “’it is not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit’, says the Lord.”
 
Would you join us in prayer for a genuine outpouring of the Spirit of God in conviction upon literally millions that we anticipate will watch this movie?  Please go to our website and see the trailer, www.reboundphilippinesmovie.com.
 
Thank you for your partnership in missions that makes these moments of ministry possible.
 
Blessings in Christ,
 

Bill & Kim Snider

News from Jackson’s Ridge

His name was Elson∑he was 12 years old and he was tuff as nails.  (I cannot include his photo- for obvious reasons- read on)  He lived with his Granny in an African township outside Johannesburg.  His mother had passed away in 2003 and his father in 2004.  They probably died of AIDS, although that would be impossible to validate∑few South Africans are ever tested for HIV and few are willing to admit that they are infected.  Elson had been keeping company with the wrong crowd for the last year and his respect for adult authority had seriously eroded.

I was Elson’s counselor last month, at a Royal Family Kid’s Camp in South Africa.  RFKC is designed for children who have been traumatized by severe neglect and physical or sexual abuse.  He came to me with a real chip on his shoulder.  He specialized in chasing after the girls, ignoring my directions, breaking the rules, tuning me out, defying me and running off whenever my back was turned.  I had only two kids to look after∑that’s the way RFKC is designed, but I spent ≤ of my time dealing with Elson. This was not a fun week.  My experience was frustrating and at times overwhelming.

RFKC is intended to plant happy memories into the mind of a child who has been living with nightmares.  RFKC gives each child the “royal” treatment for a full five days.  Chapel services are held but no child is coerced into making a decision for Christ.  We do however pray that God will somehow help us to plant the seeds of repentance and hopefully have an opportunity to lead each child to Christ as “we walk along the way.”

My input into Elson’s life paid off, when the chapel speaker asked if any child would like to receive special prayer.  I had just disciplined Elson for acting up in chapel and pretending to fall asleep during the service, so there was tension in the air between Elson and Pastor Ed.  All of sudden, to my utter amazement, he poked me in the arm and asked me to accompany him to the front for prayer.  As we laid our hands on Elson, he broke and began to weep.  I hugged him and asked God to show Elson how much he loved him.  We stood there praying for a long time∑I hugged him tight, held his head and let him cry.  Right then, Elson had his moment with God.  It was a life changing moment that Elson will never forget.  That is what Royal Family Kids’ Camps is all about.

Jackson’s Ridge has launched and now oversees eight RFKC’s across South Africa.  (The program was founded 20 years ago by Wayne and Diane Tesch of Orange County, CA)  Each camp produces changed lives for the kingdom.  Each camp makes a deep impact into the lives of kids who have been victimized.  You have a part in each changed life!  Each time you pray and give a financial gift to support the Corbin’s or Jackson’s Ridge, you are actively involved in changing children’s lives through Royal Family Kids’ Camps.  Thank you for caring enough to become involved.  We love you and thank you for being our friends!

The Corbin’s (Ed, Sonja and little Cecilia who just turned age 9 on Jan. 23rd)

New Year’s Greeting from Belgium

Dear Prayer Partners,

We send this New Year’s Greeting to you trusting our Lord that He will give you His special, Touch, Guidance, Peace, Love, Joy, Protection, Strength, and Healing throughout 2008.

Get to know Belgium from a Christiam Perspective with this wealth of information about this area of the world.  Download now.

Along with this, we send you a paper that I’ve been working on over the past few months called “Belgium-Factors” which is not only an attempt to explain what life and ministry for the Lord is like in Belgium, but also a timely call to greater, knowledgeable prayer for the people of Belgium than ever before<  Belgium needs prayer more than ever at this time as its government is on the verge of collapse.  It has been tending towards this state of collapse for many years, but now is ‘tottering on the edge’ with only an interim government and the king (King Albert II) holding things together until March.

Please read it through (when you have the time) and let us know what you think about it.  I originally used the rough outline of this on itineration to explain what it was like to be a missionary in Belgium, but since then have ‘filled it out’ with more facts, experiences, and references.  I only hope it will be an inspiration to you as you get to know a bit better the country of our calling, without having to travel personally across “the big pond”, the Atlantic Ocean, as the G.I.s of WWII called it.  But, still, you’re more than welcome to come on over for a visit!

God bless you as you pray,

In His Service,

Ken & Marianne Barickman

A/G Missionaries to Belgium

Christmas Wishes from the Bradfords

We wish you and yours a joyous Christmas and a prosperous and happy New Year!  Your friendship, support, and connection are one of the purest reminders in our lives of God’s abundant provision of grace in Jesus Christ.  May the Savior bless you during this season.

As you may know, we were blessed with the birth of a beautiful son on November 12.  It’s a special Christmas to have a baby in the house again.  He sleeps and eats a lot, of course, and has already begun to turn over and loves to spend a long time gazing into the faces of his parents and brothers, Jack and Xander.
Xander turned 7 in August and is in second grade.  He loves games, sports, and people.  I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up!  Here was on “trash day” at his school in Holland!
Jack turned 9 on December 15 and is in third grade.  Jack loves to read, watch movies, and play with his friends.  Jack, along with his brother finished a season of American football in this year and are beginning basketball.  Here he was with his brother the day after Noah was born!

That’s what’s happening with our family!  To learn more about our lives and work, I encourage you to visit our website at www.robbybradford.com.  You can also see our four an a half minute video, explaining what we do at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHT27t3E5Lk.

We hope to be seeing many of you during the coming year as we prepare to move to Paris, France to plant an international church and ministry center called The Bridge!  To

Yours for Europe,

Robby, Tracy, Jack, and Xander Bradford
Bradford Update

Merry Christmas from the Betzer Family!

Merry Christmas from the Betzer Family in South Africa.  We’ve attached
our Christmas Greeting and most recent newsletter for you.  Thanks for
all your prayers and support. We look forward to what God has in store
for 2008 and are thankful for your support in this new year.

AO Newslette
Family Christmas Letter

In  His Service,

David and Janis Betzer