CBC Missions

 Greetings in the name of the Lord!

Ephesians 3:20-21.

Praise God that He is able to do so much more than we ask or think.
Prayer is the key to effective life and service because God can change
things in ways we cannot imagine.

This past Tuesday was All Souls Day in Poland. It is a day when
people go visit the graves of their loved ones. I took the kids to
Kasia’s grave. Each time I visit the cemetery the pain seems to get
less intense although it’s still hard. It is harder to go through
photographs, which bring up memories and a deeper sense of loss. The cemetery seems to accentuate the finality of the whole matter. When I
go there I realize that it’s over and I need to look forward. Although
I don’t celebrate All Souls Day and all that it represents, a holiday
where people go to the cemetery to visit departed loved ones is not a
bad thing. I tend to keep everything in perspective. Our time here
on earth is relatively short. We are all going to the grave (unless
the Lord returns first) and we need to get on with the work of the
kingdom.

In October with Jarek we finished delivering gospel tracts to the town
of Reda. This culminates the three cities we had targeted,
Wejherowo, Rumia, Reda with well over 100,000 people. It took about
one year to complete. We are now moving into the villages surrounding Wejherowo with the remaining tracts. We are also preparing a new
tract for a fresh sowing in Wejherowo. The tract is titled:
“Purgatory a place that does not exist” Almost without exception
everyone you meet in Poland has a spiritual worldview which includes
purgatory. People believe that they are not good enough to go to
heaven (they think of salvation on the basis of their works) and that
they are not bad enough to go to hell, so they will suffer for a while
in purgatory. We are hoping that the tract will stir the waters and
lead some to salvation. Please pray.

This past month I had the privilege of hosting two missionaries from
the IMB (International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist
Convention). James and Ken are relatively new missionaries in Poland
and looking for a place to serve. They wanted to meet with me to get
an idea of what the opportunities are in Northern Poland. Please pray
for the Lord’s leading in their lives.

During the month of October I also took part in an ordination service
of the pastor who lives two hours South from Wejherowo. It was an honor to lay hands on a man who has faithfully served the Lord for many years.

I would ask for prayer for the kids in school. The Polish system is
very demanding and I sense that a couple of the kids are struggling.
Please pray for them, they are still getting over their grief from
their mother’s death and the heavy workload from school is a lot for
them.

Finally I would ask for prayer for the church fellowship in
Wejherowo. Pray not only for new people but for those who attend to
be committed to seeing a vibrant church started in the town.

Blessings,
Chris

 Greetings,
Peace is something that is promised to us through the knowledge of God in the gospel. I am happy to relate that peace is one thing I have been experiencing of late. The pain of losing Kasia is slowly subsiding but what is left is a sense of loneliness and sadness to some extent. It is here though that the Lord gives and multiplies His peace. In the midst of the grief I can say with a degree of thankfulness that I am able to experience God’s peace. 　

In September I was able to attend the annual pastor’s conference in Warsaw. 　This for me now is no small feat. It requires getting someone to stay with the kids, cook meals and be there for them when they get home from school. It also requires getting someone to drive the kids and drop them off at school. Thankfully the Lord provided and I was able to attend the conference. During the conference I had a meeting with the President of the Baptist Union of Poland. He wanted to talk with me because the Seminary Board made some decisions which got his attention. 　We were able to clarify everything and ensure that a new leadership program for the training of workers will take off as planned this weekend (Oct. 7-9th). The 　Seminary Board decided that the new program couldn’t be accredited unless strict criteria were met in keeping with the academic standards of the Seminary. After working through the issues involved we developed a plan to allow for accreditation for certain courses. There were some other issues that we discussed wherein we do not see eye to eye. Please pray that the Seminary can continue to develop along the Biblical lines the board has laid out without getting sidetracked by other matters.　

This past weekend the General Director of the Slavic Gospel Association, Bob Provost, came to visit with me and the kids. This was indeed a kind gesture of support for us in this difficult period of time. Bob’s mission stories fascinated the kids. They were impressed by how much one person can do for the sake of the gospel if they prayerfully put their mind to it. Bob also brought me news concerning the Memorial Commentary Project for Kasia. A donor has come forward and will match any new gifts up to $10,000. If the match is met this would put us over the amount needed for the project and we could begin. To date about $7000 has come in, this leaves $18000 left to raise. Please be in prayer as to what the Lord might possibly have you to do. A number have responded already and I deeply thank each one of you. If someone felt led to donate now the gift will be matched and in effect doubled. To give now would require memo-ing a check “Polish Memorial Commentary- Matching Gift.” (See Caren at CBC for further details).

Please continue to pray for the church plant in Wejherowo, pray that the Lord would give us new people. Please pray for a man named Arek who came to service last week but is lost and need’s the Lord. Pray also for me and Jarek this month for distribution of gospel literature and progress in the gospel.

Blessings,
Chris
2 Peter 1:2

 Dear Partners and Friends of LCCTI,  

Presently I am in Bangalore, India teaching at the South Asia Institute for Advanced Christian Studies, where I will be for the next four weeks teaching cross-cultural missions.　 Below are the events of the past month.

Two weeks ago I had the privilege to teach missionaries and pastors for TENT in Hyderabad.　 These men and women, from as far north as Punjab, Nagaland and Nepal, as well as people from Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, attended my daily four-hour training sessions.　 Most of these people are already involved in ministry and have enrolled in the TENT program (1 to 9 months) to receive new tools on how best to communicate the Gospel to their Hindu and Muslim communities. I am privileged to have a small part.　http://tentindia.org/

From Hyderabad I took a 14-hour train to another state in India called Maharashtra and conducted training in the district of Nashik. Those who attended this course have completed the TENT training, from as far back as 12 years ago, and came to this meeting to gain new insights, give reports on what God is doing in their ministries and be encouraged by one-another.

LCCTI has committed, based on our partnership with TENT, to underwrite these refresher courses, which is basically bus or train fare, food and lodging for the time they are in the sessions. The cost of this refresher course was a bit over $1,000. If any of our partners could help offset this expense from our budget it would be deeply appreciated.

Talking with the pastor of a Baptist Church in Bombay last week, he told me how God has faithfully blessed their church since they decided not to take foreign support but rely totally on God for their needs. I was able to share with him that for over 35 years, Sandy and I have lived by faith for God’s provision. I guess it is true with all of us; we all depend on God for our jobs and our careers. In return for His blessings on our lives we share with others that the Gospel might be preached.

Thanks to all of you who love and support this ministry.
Richard Lewis
Lewis Cross-Cultural Training, Inc.

Greetings from Romania,

Autumn is definitely in the air here in Finate with chilly mornings and evenings at the camp. As we reflect on this summer we feel very encouraged. Although there is much work to be done and we have many needs we know that God is working here and we are blessed. Our building is not finished but it is usable and accommodated overnight campers this summer. We are thankful to those of you who helped us buy the 11 bunk beds we have been able to purchase thus far. Although many campers had to use inflatable beds or sleeping bags, a good time was had by all as they came together to worship God with singing , Bible study, and fun on the sports field that we dedicated to Mrs. Joan Horner who went home to be with the Lord December 5, 2010. For her generous donation and the prayers of her staff we are forever grateful.

To give you some background on why summer camps are so influential in the life of Romanian children, Heather Donnelly a missionary here with us did some research. She learned that the camps became popular under the Communist regime. Children were sent to camps to be taught the communist doctrine and to be conditioned to adapt to this form of dictatorship. Now that the country is a democracy, Christian camps have become very popular. The beauty of this is that instead of the old communist doctrines being taught, we are teaching freedom trough salvation in Christ. We share the gospel and the love of Christ to those who come to camp through Bible study and Vacation Bible School.

We feel very humbled that God has allowed us to be a part of this process.

We have had 4 camps this summer and each one has been a great success. Our first youth group was from Biserica Penticostala Muntele Sionului (Mount Zion) from Baia Mare Romania. It was the first time many of these teens had attended a camp. The theme of their camp was “Staying Pure” during the teenage and young adult years. In addition to day leaders a different pastor came each night and led a service for the youth. Achim and Brenda shared testimonies with the group one night. In their free time, the teens helped us collect and pit cherries to make jam for the camp.

The second Camp was a team from First Baptist Church in Richmond Hill, GA USA led by David and Ellen Johnson. They along with their son Nathan, Sarah Vaught, David Carter, Kevin Corr, Beth Nethery and Thomas Drane held Vacation Bible School at the camp with children from 2 nearby villages. They rented a micro bus and Achim pick up 80- 90 children daily for camp. Pastor Tommy East and his wife Vicky from Bible Baptist provided money for the children’s lunches that week. Many in this group have served in Romania before. We are so grateful that God has given them a heart for the children of Romania and a desire and willingness to travel a long distance and help us bring the gospel to them.

Chris Davis from Southside Baptist in Savannah who is now living in Maryland also worked with the group this week. He accompanied four of the boys previously from the orphanage in Ocna Sugatag to assist the team as leaders during activities and on the sports field.

Kings Baptist Church from Mount Washington Kentucky, USA sponsored the third camp. This group had 15 team members including Pastor Keith Joseph with two assistant pastors John Hedberg and James Risner who preached at different churches every day. Kim Pulliam assisted by her husband Johnny and daughter Kim (second timers) along with husband and wife team Kyle and Chris Harbin, Jonathan Rideout, Karen Murray, Beth Joseph who has worked with the village children for several years along with Isaiah Barnett and Cathy Bond worked tirelessly teaching Bible verses and doing crafts and music mostly with the gypsy children during the day. Pastor Keith shared the gospel with the kids at the end of the week. They also traveled to Baia Mare and did VBS a couple of nights with children at Biserica Sfinta Treime ( Holy Trinity). Coach Mark Hale helped with VBS and headed up a sports camp after each session. We are grateful for Paula Alford, the nurse in the group that completely stocked our medical-First Aid room with much needed supplies. She also met with our village Physician and provided her with supplies and some diagnostic instruments she didn’t have.

We are also thankful to Heather Donnelly and the young Romanian translators that worked with the two teams from US. Lidia Miclaucic, Mada Balanean, Andrea Varga, Alex Vultur and Ioana Tincu, you did a great job and we appreciate your great example and witness to the children of Romania.

Our fourth camp was the youth and young adult class from Holy Trinity Baptist Church in Baia Mare. The group enjoyed fellowship and bible study led by Pastor Claudiu Handaric and Youth Pastor Nicu Vat .They also had a lot of relaxation and fun on the sports field. They ended their week with a big scavenger hunt involving locals in the village which gave the group an opportunity to meet and fellowship with the people in the village. We were encouraged to see how well they as “Pocaiti” (non Orthodox) were received by the people of the village. We feel they were a great witness for the camp.

All of the visiting teams with their leaders and team members were such a blessing to us as we stepped out on faith to start overnight camps for the first time. Everyone was so cooperative, helpful and flexible during each camp.

At our first camp of the summer the kitchen and bottom floor was still under construction. By the time the second team arrived the floor tiles were down but the kitchen still wasn’t finished. When the third group arrived the kitchen was finally finished. By the time the fourth team was here the stair rails to second floor were up. As you can see we were constantly busy in between and during camps. In the middle of all this we had a baptismal service ( 16 people) in the river just a few steps off our back porch.

We also slaughtered two pigs and 45 chickens and prepared them for the freezer and canned over a hundred jars of jam for the camp. When we look back over the summer and how far we have come on so little, we know that God’s hand has been at work and we can only give Him the praise and Glory for it all. He has blessed us with much needed energy and stretched our resources beyond belief. We are also so very thankful to those of you who have kept in contact and continued to support and pray for us while we are on the mission field. Our website has been updated so please take a moment to look at it to see our progress because as they say “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

If you would like to pray for us we would gratefully appreciate prayer for:

1. For improved health issues (neurological) for Brenda

2. For Inout, a young boy from the old orphanage in Ocna who now lives with us at the camp. He needs to be reevaluated for heart valve replacement　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

3. Funding to finish the camp and to buy a bus and more bunk beds and a more efficient heating system.

4. for guidance and direction as we try to start a church and weekly Bible study here at the camp this winter.

5. For guidance and direction as we consider taking in more orphans who are about to be out of the system.

Thank you again for your prayer support.
Serving Christ in Romania,
Achim and Brenda Barbos
www.worldwideorphansinneed.com

Dear Friends and Partners of LCCTI,

We are half way through a busy six weeks.  I just returned from Ukraine and while in-flight home, Sandy and Becky’s two kids were on their way to Senegal to visit Sara and her family.   As you read this, Becky and I will be on our way to Kenya for three weeks.  Sandy will arrive back in the states June 22nd and we will all be reunited July 3rd.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Participants going to places like China, India, Kazakhstan and far east Russia, were the students of our class Response To World Religions in Ukraine this past month.  People committed to taking the Gospel cross-culturally are truly unique and this group of young men and women were fantastic.  I encourage you go to this LINK to read more about this class at KTS.
This will be the third year for me to teach missions at the Africa Theological Seminary in Kitale.  Each time I teach at ATS I also sponsor ten students from outside of the student body to join the class.  These ten people are pastors and missionaries from the churches we worked with for fourteen years when we lived in Kenya.  Our eldest daughter, Becky, will be with me, teaching English Grammar.  Before the three weeks are over I will have taught, preached at the first church we established back in 1977 and have challenged missions to listeners on a local radio station.
We received word that the son of Lorna Geist, Sergeant Thomas A. Bohall, 25, was killed while serving in Afghanistan.  In addition, Lorna’s mom also passed away.  Lorna and Keith have been good friends of our family for many years and Lorna serves on our LCCTI board.  Our prayers are with them at this time.

Richard Lewis
Lewis Cross-Cultural Training

Greetings all,

Philippians 3:12

Slowly I am working through the grief that accompanies the loss of someone dear.  I have begun more to focus on that which is ahead of me and pressing on.  However the pain is still there now coupled with a new sense of loneliness.  Getting over this tragedy is taking some time. However in pressing on in August I began working with Jarek on some new evangelistic outreaches.   We held a Christian concert in the town square in Wejherowo and organized a showing of the film “Luther.” 

In Poland the film was never shown in the movie theaters and the national television network was pressured not to show it.   We also held our first Baptismal service for the church plant.  We baptized two people.  The evangelistic events were well attended.  The concert in the town square had people come by and listen.  I was able to share the gospel and I used Kasia’s death as a backdrop.  I told folks that I knew she is in heaven, not due to her works, but due to God’s grace which is in Christ.  At the Luther film we had about 30 folks show up.  We worked hard to pass out flyers, nearly 5000 we handed out in a week. I also am back to preaching regularly at the church plant.  This is helps in keeping my focus on pressing on.

Yesterday we had the meeting of the seminary board.  Since I am alone with 4 kids I asked the board members if we could meet up here in the Gdansk area instead of traveling into Warsaw.  They agreed and some traveled from the other side of Poland to be here.  We had a good meeting and it is good to see that the seminary is really getting back on track.  Enrollment is up and we approved at the board level a practical training program for the students to be involved through their local churches.  This is one thing that had been on the top of my list of things to get done.  Bible training is only good when it is put to use in service.  There are also some Christian life issue things in the program as well, related to keeping a consistent devotional life, personal holiness, witnessing etc.  I also was glad to hear that the plans for e-learning are shaping up.  We want to be able to offer the seminary program on-line to increase the number of students to whom we reach.  This program will be the first of its kind in Poland.  Lord willing it will come on line in January.  In general I am pleased with the progress we are making at the seminary.  It was really in spiritual shambles when the new board was called two years ago.  The institution is back on Biblical moorings, enrollment is up and we are pressing into new areas.

Please keep us in your prayers, the grieving after losing Kasia is slowly subsiding but it is still there.  As I mentioned above the pain is now settling in with a new sense of loneliness.   You never realize how much the companionship in marriage means until it is gone. Pray also for the work here.  The church plant is small and we are asking God to give us new births.  The ground here in this area is hard, please pray.

Blessings in Christ,
Chris

Greetings all,

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

It is a blessing to know that in all our trials God comforts us that we may be better instruments of comfort for other’s facing trials.  In this it helps to put in perspective difficult times like chemotherapy.  Kasia began her treatments on May 11th.  She is getting the best treatment that is available for her illness.  Part of regiment includes synthetic antibodies which mark her bad cells for killing by the immune system or chemo drugs.  She is tolerating the treatment well but has lost some weight.  Please pray.  We don’t know how many cycles she will have, this will depend on how she responds.  My mom is here and is helping around the house.  This has been a blessing.

Last weekend we held a joint service with the Sopot church coming to Wejherowo.  It was an encouragement to see all the friendly faces from our former church plant.  Please do not forget to pray for them, the transition to a new pastor has not been easy for some. Although the Wejherowo church plant is an extension from Sopot, I try to stay out of the internal workings of the Sopot church as much as I can.  They need to now stand on their own. During the service two people from Wejherowo shared their testimonies of salvation.  We will baptize them later this month. 

The other day during our distributing gospel tracts in the city of Rumia I had an unusual interaction with a resident.  I had no sooner put a tract in his mailbox than he pulled it out an held it out toward me like a soiled diaper. He then called to me and said “Hey, what are you doing putting such unclean things in people’s mailboxes, take this and get rid of it.”  The incident reminded me anew that to some we are the smell of death and to others the smell of life 2 Corinthians 2:16.  To some our proclaiming the gospel ends in their judgment as the Apostle Paul wrote, “who is sufficient for these things?”  It is sad when folks reject Christ, often without even much thought.

I have heard from some about the commentary project and asking for an update as to the funds to date.  I have not yet seen any figures from SGA.  Hopefully some support has come in.  It is a worthy project.

Blessings,
For all of us,
Chris

Dear Friends and Partners of LCCTI,

After the 16 hour journey from the U.S., I took a train into Moscow where I met up with one of my former students who has lived in Russia for over 10 years.  Though an enjoyable lunch I was fighting jet lag and looked forward to taking the night train to Kazan.  Sadly, Russian trains don’t know how to regulate heat.  Though it was 25 degrees and spitting snow outside, inside it felt like it was 90 degrees.  Between the heat and the constant back and forth motion on the top berth, I got little sleep.  I was so tired. I just wished the journey to be over.

Descending from 14 hours on the train we then got in a car a traveled another 2 1/2 hours to a Baptist church in a city in the Mari El district called Yoshkar Ola.  “Finally”, “I thought, “I can get a shower, maybe even get a quick nap.”  Not happening.  I was told that I had just a little over an hour before I was to kickoff the three day pastor’s meeting with a three hour presentation on missions.

In spite of a grueling week of travel and speaking, I can report that the meeting with Russian, Tatatar and Mari Christians was a success.  To understand the importance of teaching cross-cultural evangelism among the people groups of this Russian region you need to read my postings on the, “The Mari People of Russia”   (http://bluepassport.blogspot.com/2011/04/mari-people-of-russia.html) as well as the hot topic of the week, ” People Group Thinking:  Dividing The Church?

For those who know Becky…

She was only 5 years old when we landed in Kenya and only 8 when her dad baptized her in a cold river in the West Pokot District.  A true “third culture kid” (TCK), Becky identifies as well with the African culture as her own. Last summer Becky made a trip back to Kenya along with Sandy and I.  After hearing that Becky has a Masters degree in English, the academic dean of the African Theological Seminary extended an invitation for her to teach.  

On June 14th our eldest daughter  and I will travel together to teach at ATS, my subject will be Introduction to Missions; Beck’s will be English Grammar.   As you know, most of the places I teach they provide housing and food, but do not offset travel expenses.  This trip, like others, is a service/discipleship ministry.

Becky is a working mom and so this trip will be out of her own pocket.  I promised I would send out a letter on her behalf to raise some money and offset the cost of her travel.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to help her in this project, I know she would appreciate it.  Make your donation to LCCTI and  note that it is “for Becky.”

Psalm 40:5

Greetings all,

Although I recently prepared a newsletter that you should be receiving soon,  I thought I’d go ahead and send out an email update as well.  Today is a holiday in Poland, Constitution Day.  In fact in the last 2 weeks we have had 4 holidays and both times they fell over the weekend making back to back long weekends.  In my humble opinion it is excessive but then again I don’t set the rules for the national holidays.   Of course one of the holidays was Easter and for the first time we were really packed out at church.  There were some folks I have never seen before.  Hopefully we will see them again.  The church meets right in the center of town and we have a sign on the building where we meet.  We are about as public as we can be at this time.   Please thank the Lord for the location but pray for our ability to purchase a property.  At this point the church plant is too small to have the resources but it is a need that will grown in time.

Many have written to us about Kasia’s situation.  She is looking and feeling better but we are still scheduled for chemotherapy starting on May 11th.  In the last couple of weeks her cough has subsided and some of her lymph nodes have decreased in size.  She is doing about the best she has done in the past six months.  We are thankful.  We also celebrate 20 years of marriage this month.  It is hard to believe that 20 years have gone by.  You could convince me that we have been married ten years but twenty seems hard to believe. 

In the upcoming newsletter I have put in a piece about a project I have been praying about for some time.  Kasia and I believe for a number of reasons that the time has come to take it on.  Due to the fact of Kasia’s chronic illness I cannot travel as much in Poland as in the past.  She and the kids need me nearby.  I have therefore re-evaluated everything I have been involved in and had to make some adjustments.  For example I resigned as the area oversight pastor for our region. However, there are other things I could and should do for the gospel’s progress here that don’t require lots of travel. One of them relates to literature needs here.  In the Polish language there are very few commentaries available.  At this time, in the Polish language, there is no full evangelical commentary of the Bible.  A couple of years ago, just before the financial crisis hit I was working on an ambitious project to get the MacArthur Bible Commentary into Polish.  We started raising funds but stopped, primarily due to the bad timing with the crisis. To do the New Testament portion of the commentary will require $26,800 at current exchange rates, which tend to keep falling against the US dollar.  This figure is a “soup to nuts” amount including translation costs, editing, layout and printing for 500 copies.  The longer it takes to raise the funds, the more it will cost due to a decline in exchange of the US dollar. From the time I worked through the numbers in early April, the dollar has fallen 4 % in a month.   Hopefully this bad trend will not continue.  However we have already have purchased the publishing rights. There is a project set up at Slavic Gospel under the name “MacArthur Commentary Project: Poland.”  Please pray with us for the funds and that the project can move forward.  From my experience in Poland, I have seen that much weakness in local churches that stems from poor exegesis and application of the Bible.  The lack of exegetical tools in Polish is a big part of that problem. 

The Ukraine ministry among the Gypsies takes place this month.  As noted above I have changed my role.  I will not travel to the Ukraine but have helped organize the work among 5 churches here that are participating.  Others can and should do the work.  After all at the end of the day  I am just a missionary who needs to constantly work myself out of jobs.  

We would like to begin planning a summer furlough for 2012.  There are a number of things, which are variables in the matter, one is Kasia’s health.  However, we walk by faith, not by sight and we sense we should look at furloughing next year.  Please pray for us as we begin planning. 

Blessings in Christ,
For all of us,
Chris

Dear Community Bible Church,

It is some time since I wrote but we keep busy serving the Lord.

Last month we had a camp for young people with around 70 attending. Some of those were from Sea Gypsy Villages and they found some of the sessions difficult. It was a good time of fellowship and all were blessed. A Korean brother did the teaching. As we are still working on our camp site, the young people slept in our church building, girls upstairs and fellows in a long room behind the platform/pulpit. We recently added a kitchen and dining area to our camp site and it was good to have this in use during the camp. As the Lord provides the fund we hope to have accommodation for one hundred.

This weekend we will have a special series of meetings for Easter when another Korean brother will be the speaker. Our choir will be singing at each service and some of the ladies will be busy providing food, a must in this part of the world. We would value prayers for this.

Recently we have experienced severe weather with flooding and landslides which caused the death of many. Tourists on some islands had to be rescued by the Thai Navy as the airfields were flooded. Waves were about 12 feet high and this cause much damage. Last month there was an earthquake in Myanmar near to the northern Thai border. Today I learned that a group of Lahu (a Hill Tribe) were having special teaching in their church which collapsed killing twenty believers. Many people are talking about earthquakes and freak weather and asking why it is happening. This gives us many opportunities to speak about the coming of the Lord.

We do need prayer and thank the Lord for all who remember Thailand in their prayers. 

Every blessing, 

Peter & Peggy Ferry.