CBC Missions

Dear family and friends at CBC,
Rejoice with us that Wendy recently received a call from three ladies working with youth at our Harku community center. Each district government provides services for various age groups. Our little community of 656 residents has a community center housing the pre-school, a lending library with internet point, youth center and community hall. Wendy has been asked to help them improve their English! Of course this is a golden opportunity to interact with leaders who influence an age group near our hearts. In yesterday’s discussion one of these workers observed, “It would be good to have some permanent, constant principles which don’t change with the times”. :-> It’s an open door….

I’ve recently walked through a process in which I initially felt that I came up short. During this time I was drawn to reflect specifically upon the contribution and impact of my life. No, this is not a mid-life crisis, but I am at an age where it is time to make a shift in perspective. As I reflected upon my life, I asked myself if my “soul” or inner life was like any of the soils Jesus referred to in Mark 4 (rocky, beaten path, shallow soil bed, thorny, good soil). I came to the honest conclusion that I had let my inner life become a bed of weeds! Though this conclusion about me is not pleasant, it coincides with awareness that longevity and success in ministry will require cultivation of my spiritual (inner) life, not just obedience and faithfulness to the mission of Jesus. Teacher Brian Rice put it in perspective this way, “The Spirit of God uses slow, sure, steady, ’soaking,’ processes where we learn to become friends with Jesus so we may then missionally engage our little corner of the world”.

Other than the Scriptures, some excellent writing is helping as well:
-Restoring Your Spiritual Passion by Gordon MacDonald
-An Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton
-Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton
-Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton
-Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman
-The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

In matters of life…the heart matters. I want to see my inner life become the garden of God’s handiwork.

On January 18th Krista arrived in Malmö, Sweden to catch a glimpse of her future life and place of service. I joined her the better part of a week. Not only was she introduced to the leaders of Immanuel Church in Malmö, but she also met church planters in Helsingborg and Lulea. Her next steps are to complete her cross-cultural training at the Center for Intercultural Training and complete her financial support discovery. She hopes to be in Sweden in summer 2010.

S.H.A.R.E. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE CONFERENCE is in Sopron, Hungary February 28-March 5. SHARE resources parents to oversee the education of their children while they serve as missionaries. These conferences are top notch and scratch right where we itch! God has used the specialists who teach/train at these conferences to help us overcome significant hurdles in the past. We’ll begin our 25-hour drive from Estonia on 25 February, stopping in Krakow, Poland for an educational day at Auschwitz camps. Wendy, Caroline and Chad will be looking for a local swimming pool instead. Succeeding in educating our children while in cross-cultural ministry is critical to our long-term staying power.

Please PRAY WITH US…
-Pray for God to open the hearts of the youth center workers in Harku and for Wendy to find the right words and attitudes to connect with them. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help them see their sin and need for a Savior.
- Pray for my spiritual growth as I continue to focus on cultivating my inner life. Pray the same for all of us Masons!
- Pray for Krista and also Tony and Gwen along with daughters Jianna and Jensina, as they prepare for a summer 2010 arrival in Sweden.
-Pray for God’s provision for our travel to the SHARE conference.

Wendy and I are extremely grateful for you and your partnership with us!
Kevin for us all
Serving in leadership for UWM in N. Europe and E. Africa
unitedworldmission.org

Dear Family and Friends at Community Bible Church:
Than, in Myanmar, was telling me that God had revealed to her that all religions have some truth and some error in them. Also that Armageddon would not be happening anymore, nor would there be anymore natural disasters, famines, pandemics or wars. Probably within an hour of her writing, Haiti was gripped by the most severe earthquake it had experienced in over 200 years. (Please continue to remember Haiti in your prayers!)
Around the same time, David, in Turkey, wrote, “I saw Jesus Christ in my dream. His hair was long and he was tall. I understood he is Christ. I turned my face away because there was a light on his face. The light was very powerful and you can be blind. Or maybe you haven’t seen a light in your life until now. When I saw him there, I was afraid in my heart because I understand he is Christ. He came for me. I was a Muslim and I was afraid that he came. I don’t know why he came in my dream, but I can say he was Christ, and I saw him.” I directed David to a great video series depicting accounts of dreams and visions of Christ among Muslims. You can watch these amazing, true stories at More Than Dreams. I am praying that God will do something similar for Sam. Sam is a Muslim in Tehran, trying to convert me to Islam by introducing me to the Qur’an, the supposed harmony of its structure and deep concepts of its words. You are not content to continue sinful practices. 1 John 3:9; 1 John 5:18
Even the Apostle Paul said that in his own strength he could not live the way God wanted. But “through Christ,” he said, “I can do all things.” You need to know how the Holy Spirit provides this same power to do God’s will. I’ve also been talking to Timothy, a public official in a small country in Southern Africa. He said he had trusted Christ in March, but it was only in July that he visited Jesus2020.com and recommitted his life to Christ. When his assigned volunteer asked him to read the book of John he did not respond. Nor did he reply to any of our prayer-letter or teaching e-mails.
Not until after 30 days had passed did we hear from him. He had received our automatic final e-mail containing the following convicting words: Did you know that Jesus begins making the following changes in your life when He comes to live in you? “Before, you may have ignored your sins. Now you agree with God about them. Timothy soon confessed, “I cannot resist committing adultery, despite my belief in the promise that temptation is not beyond what I can handle. I try to resist but I can’t. I need the Holy Spirit. Please, I am desperate. I don’t want to go to hell. Paul’s Romans 7:14-24 is what is taking place in my life. This is my heartfelt confession, to God and Man.” Because of the subject matter, Timothy’s response was reassigned to the “Difficult Theological Questions” group. He and I have been talking together for many weeks now. In a recent e-mail, he writes: “Thank you Mike for the 30-minute [devotional] routine [I created for him]. I have started on it already. I have confidence that my life is changing for the better. God bless you for being a blessing to those who were about to lose hope, like me. Thank you again Mike.” We’re now working to establish a consistent habit of time spent hearing from God and responding to Him in Timothy’s life. He signed one of his last e-mails to me, appropriately, “new Timothy.”1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Please join me in prayer that Timothy’s transformation would exemplify everything we would hope to do with the millions of seekers God brings our way each year! At the same time, please remember David and Sam. One of the volunteers in my group received an e-mail from a Muslim contact from years ago who had found Christ after their ongoing conversations and was contacting him again to let him know. What a great reminder—we only have to be faithful to sow broadly and follow up carefully with those who are willing. God is the One Who gives the increase!

Global Media Outreach as a ministry registered 10,502,641 indicated decisions for Christ in 2009. Over 64 million were exposed to the gospel! Although central fundraising had stalled somewhat in November, by the end of December, we were able to return to our regular outreach activity level. So with all its challenges, 2009 was an amazing year, with the most rapid growth over the previous year. Thank you for your partnership, which is part of how God made it all possible! The dreams and visions, the earthquakes in diverse places, cries for “peace and safety,” as well as the rapid spread of the gospel, often make us wonder how much time we have left. What we do know, is that our redemption is: “One day closer!” Romans 13:11
Mike and Cindy Skinner
Please see our latest photos!

To Community Bible Church, This past fall was a time of re-tooling small group leaders so we could begin anew with a “bang” this month. We currently have leaders for five small groups. In our church we find it critically important to have large gatherings and small groups. Wendy begins this evening with a re-formed group for young women. She and I also hope to lead a group on raising children. The meeting times for these groups are on alternate weeks. We have seen lives changed through the life-on-life process in these groups, but we also have a number of prayer requests too - see below.
Rejoice with us that we were able to enjoy Jesus during the holiday season. We also received (and continue to receive!) record snowfall. There aren’t many more places to put it…. Rejoice with us too that the financial shortfall from November has been made up!

This Saturday we join with two other couples to discuss our leadership effectiveness in the church. We also will focus on where we want to go and the obstacles facing us. Praise God for plural leadership which allows learning and growing together and serving and equipping the body.
Krista begins her cross-cultural training in February and hopes to find 100% of her financial support so that she can move to Sweden this summer! She will join in the ministry of Immanuel Church in southern Sweden in Malmö. I’ll be hosting her on a vision trip to both Malmö and the northern town of Lulea Jan 18-24.

PRAYER ITEMS
a. Pray for our small groups to be a place where people experience the presence of God, are built up in Him and who then become serving groups.
b. Pray for our small group leaders to stay close to Jesus and find effective means of equipping people for ministry.
c. Pray that the peace of Christmas will carry with us this month!
d. Pray for our elder team: Miguel and Mai, Mike and Annely, Wendy and me. It takes work to work well together and to find ways to communicate and be understood. Pray for clearer role definition and a fantastic time of fellowship.
e. Pray for Krista to see a ministry “niche” which she could fill. Pray for her to discover 100% of her support team in the next three months. Pray for my family and I as we’re separated from one another on this trip.

Wendy and I are extremely grateful for you and your partnership with us!
Kevin for us all: To see pictures
Mason-Express is the source for news and ministry of Kevin and Wendy Mason in Northern Europe with United World Mission and Expedition237

One year ago this week I got one of those calls that I knew I would have to pray about.  “Would you be interested in being the Program Director for our Winter Conference?”  I knew it would be a big time commitment added to my schedule, there was no job description for it, and I would already be a little behind in what needed to be done.  There was one thing that I really liked about it – Mark and I would be working together on it – the planning and the actual running of the main sessions.  I also knew several people had previously been asked (people were not lining up to do this!) and somebody needed to do it (a lot of people could have done it).  So, I trusted that the Lord wanted me to do this.

                Quite a few times I was wondering, “Why did I say I would do this?”  But late on New Year’s Eve as the conference began to draw to a close, the Lord confirmed to me in many ways that He had been in this event all along.  I’ve never worked so much before and at this conference, but I’ve also never enjoyed it as much as I did this year!  It was blast working with Mark and the rest of the team.  Seeing the Lord impact the 1,000 students in attendance was so encouraging.

                The last night as our Clemson/Southern Wesleyan/Tri-County Tech (by the way, we’re working with those campuses now) group met together for a sharing time, student after student shared about how the Lord had worked in their lives. It was an emotional and visionary time.  It seemed like the Lord had really broken through and “encountered” our students.  We had planned, prayed, and recruited all with the goal of seeing students “Encounter Christ, the Truth” about their past, present, and future.  He was faithful to allow them to do that!  He had met me at my first Christmas Conference 35 years earlier, and He is still working through these conferences.

                On the last day of the conference, the whole conference partnered together with 10 area churches in Greensboro for “Encounter Compassion,” an outreach to the community.  Our group was assigned to paint a gym of a local school that had been adopted by a local church.  We were a little disappointed at first that it wasn’t going to be evangelism, but we began to see how our work would open doors for this church in the community.  Our students made it fun by going to a thrift store and buying “tacky” clothes and making a party out of it.  It turned out to be a great “unifier” of the students between our three campuses.  They even made the local newspaper and made it on the local TV news!
You can see the article at: Collegians_use_winter_break_to_paint_a_gym

Community Bible Church: Thanks for helping us encounter college students with the truth – Jesus!
Barry & Susan Bouchillon
Campus Crusade for Christ
Clemson University

Dear Pastor Broggi and Friends at Community Bible Church,
The Lord created a wonderful thing when he made our sun!  In the morning, we often have a glorious sunrise in our eyes as we drive east from our home to the NTM Headquarters.  The warmth of its rays sure feels good on these chilly days we have been experiencing lately.  When the sun “sneaks” behind a cloud, the cloud cannot hide its presence for long.  The sky seems to explode in colors as sunbeams shoot out in all directions!  What a neat illustration of how our lives as Christian should shine forth the brilliance and beauty of the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts!

With this New Year, we desire to let the Lord use us and shine through us even more in 2010.  It is a privilege to have you as our partner in ministry.  We are encouraged by your faithful prayers and support!  We pray for you and thank the Lord for you often!

In His Sweet Care,
Marty and Charlene Wilson
New Tribes Mission
1000 E. First Street
Sanford, FL   32771

CBC family: It’s hard to believe this is the last month of the year! Sandy and I want to wish each one of you a very Merry Christmas and to thank you once again for your faithful support for our ministry.

Family News:
Sandy is very much involved in a local Bible study and holds down the home fort when Richard is out of the country. Sandy also watches over Richard’s parents when he is on the road.

Projects Loom:
2010 is shaping up to a very busy year training missionaries in India, Kenya, Ukraine and Romania. In the year ahead we have these projects to fund as well as continue to raise monthly support.

Makutano (Kenya) Bible Institute - The Bible institute we established many years ago needs funding for beds and mattresses (some students now sleeping on floor), classrooms, chairs, bore hole, three class rooms. We are praying that our partners will budget some special funds for this vital project.

At this time of the year we are reminded of the God’s marvelous gift to the world, Christ Jesus. To you, our prayer partners and donors, your friendship is a gift to us. May the Lord richly bless you as we together tell the story of our Saviour around the world.
MERRY CHRISTMAS,

Richard Lewis
Lewis Cross-Cultural Training, Inc.
Blue Passport

Today is December 1st and the local Christians are getting prepared for their Christmas program. Our local fellowship will start early with the following program. We need prayer that the Lord will touch hearts and lives. Christmas is not a holiday in Thailand and most people have no idea what the real meaning of the event.

The church here is preparing for the Christmas outreach which will take place over many days next month. On December 12 there will be a special meeting for children. The believers have outreach to children in four areas of Thailand and at this special meeting all the children will be brought together. At the other end of the age group will be a special meeting at the Old Folk’s Home where there is a regular ministry. A special meal is being prepared by the sisters and a special Christmas Service will be conducted at that time.

On the 16th the ladies of the fellowship will have a special meeting when they hope to reach many unsaved. 

On the 20th of December we will have a fellowship dinner to be followed by a special program of singing, drama and music. All of our children and young people will be involved in this.  We will also have three nights of Carol Singing which is always enjoyed by both young and old. In the area where a new church was started last year there will be a special meeting on the 26^th. Last year around two hundred attended this meeting which is held in the open as we have no place large enough to seat so many.

Our sincere thankyou goes out to the fellowship at Community Bible Church for their fellowship with us throughout this past year. May the Lord give everyone a blessed Christmas and New Year for 2010. 

With our love in Christ, 

Peter & Peggy Ferry.

To our friends and ministry partners at CBC:

It is hard to describe how difficult the transition has been (and is) back to the USA. We always heard it to be so, but it didn’t really make any sense.  We like being in our home country and we do miss Russia, but the struggle seems to go way beyond these truths. We fit in here and we don’t. We miss Russia and we don’t. We are glad to be back and we are not. I guess it is like “being conflicted” about so many things at once that we are constantly reminded that we are out of step - no matter which way we turn.  What’s new?  Nearly everyone has a cell phone, credit card purchases and banking are on-line (vs. all cash transactions), digital everything, wireless everything, there is very little written mail, we are developing/maintaining relationships via Facebook rather than long visits while drinking tea, looking up an address or store location on GPS and phone numbers on the internet (vs. using a phone book).

We have an opportunity to help-out (short-term) in Russia.  A supporting church of ours annually visits an orphanage outside of St. Petersburg.  Home to ~70 children from ages 7 – 18, the team seeks to love and laugh, maintain and develop relationships with them.  The trip is in June, 2010.  If God brings our monthly support up to where it needs to be so we can go, we’ll be there!

Our passion is to be used by God to build His church around the world.  Our hearts and heads are both here and there (Stateside and Overseas).  We are being used by Him to encourage and challenge those on their way from here to there.  Many faithful supporters continue to track with us.  Thank you!!!  Yet, our support continues to drop.  Please pray with us that He will supply all our needs.

The Next Generation—they have been called ‘Millenials’ or ‘iGens’.  This latest generation (identified as those between 10-29 years) has captured my imagination. What I love about working with these students is that they are seriously considering some of the most difficult areas in the world to invest their lives.  They are highly relational and interested in ‘being’ as much as ‘doing’.  Notwithstanding all the challenges they have in getting to and staying in a cross-cultural ministry, I am seeing that this current generation could be the key – the one to come on board and take the baton to the finish line. This is not a prophecy, but a strong feeling I get as I reflect on the ways God has wired the ‘Millenials’.

PRAISE THE FATHER:

♥  For His work in our children’s lives
♥  For safety in travels this past summer
♥  For deeper, developing relationships here in Columbia

BESEECH THE ALMIGHTY WITH US:

♥  To strategically use us, as He thrusts out laborers to the fields white with harvest
♥  For increased monthly support ($970 deficit)
♥  For greater joy in the journey

Carl & Debbie Peklenk
The Evangelical Alliance Mission

Happy Thanksgiving friends and family at CBC,
Our last letter told of our involvement in the Philippines Missions Mobilization Movement (PM3)—a group that helps train and deploy overseas Filipino workers (OFW’s) around the globe as tent-making missionaries (Men and women working abroad who also seek to share Christ in their host country). Because of our work with OFW’s, I (John) was invited to a consultation of missions’ scholars in South Korea recently.  The participants were investigating mission opportunities to and from migrant people groups around the world.  The name for this is Diaspora Missions. From this, a presentation will be given next October at the third international gathering of the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization. 
Leaders of missions groups from every country will be attending Lausanne III. It is my prayer that our presentation on Diaspora peoples may spark a new revolution in missions, especially in countries that restrict religious freedom. I was honored to have the opportunity to present a paper on how the church can be involved in sending these missionaries.
 
Back in Cebu: Our second semester at Baptist Theological College and Cebu Graduate School of Theology has begun. I have a wonderful group of pastors and church leaders in both my global missions’ class and preaching class. Jan is teaching her first graduate level class in addition to freshman English. 
Family Notes: Our son Richard will graduate from college in December.  We have been able to work out a short trip back to Florida for this and also to spend Christmas with our family.  In addition, there is a buyer for my mother’s house.  We are glad that our family will be able to participate in the cleaning out of the place that has been called “home” or “Grandmother’s” for so many years.  Please pray for this emotional time for our siblings and our family. 

Culture Corner2: Learning the language and culture of the Philippines continues to be fun and challenging. This month John added another learning experience as he navigated through Seoul, South Korea.  Before leaving Cebu, there was a scramble to find warm, business-style attire. Unlike in the Philippines, these meetings are very formal, and Korea is cold.  Black suits were expected… John managed to borrow one (Thanks, again, Dennis.) and to find a sweater (Imagine!) in a mall in Cebu. He was not so lucky at having to eat the closing dinner with metal chop sticks, which were next to impossible to use. 

Blessings,
John and Jan Baxter
Converge Worldwide Missionaries to the Philippines