Please consider giving a special gift to the Colorado Baptist Missions Offering.  This year, the VGBC Colorado Nicy Murphy Missions Offering goal is $15,000.  This offering funds evangelism outreaches throughout Colorado, church planting efforts, resort and leisure ministries at ski resorts, the Ponderosa Ranch ministry, disaster relief and seminary student scholarships.  Please find a pink envelope from the brochure rack in the church foyer and place it in the offering plate or mail to the church office!

Week of 19 Sep 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES

Emily Skinner: (COS) Emily works at Mission Training International (MTI) in Palmer Lake, Colorado as the Assistant Director for the Children’s Pre-Field Program.  She and her team prepare missionary children for living and thriving in a cross-cultural environment.  She is taking time away to be with her family and develop new donor/supporters in North Carolina.  Please consider a one-time gift or a recurring monthly gift to help her reach one hundred percent support.

Jonathan and Myrna Ferre: (COS) Jonathan is a bi-vocational church planter with the Pikes Peak Baptist Association and the North American Mission Board.  His Spanish-speaking congregation, Iglesia Gracia y Verdad, meets at Garden Ranch Baptist Church on Sunday mornings.  He is just back from Army Chaplains School as a reserve US Army Chaplain.  Pray for the Bible studies and outreaches they perform each week to minister to the Spanish-speaking community.  Pray the Lord would provide him a job that would allow him to handle his pastoral responsibilities while also providing for his family.  VGBC supports this couple with a monthly gift.  You may help this pastor and his family financially by giving to Garden Ranch Baptist Church designated for Jonathan Ferre.

Life Network: (COS) Here’s a testimony from an expecting mother who had an unplanned pregnancy and about her experience at one of the three Life Network clinics here in Colorado Springs.  “They were so welcoming and so helpful.  I never once felt judged.  I felt so comfortable and felt like I could talk to them about everything.  You can tell they have a heart for this type of work.  I am so grateful for having them there to help me as I am a first mom.”   VGBC, your financial and prayer support to Life Network gives families a safe place to learn about their options and empowers them to choose life for their baby.  Please pray for the staff at life Network as they share Christ with mothers and fathers who are thinking about abortion.

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Mark and Lona Webb: (Killarney, Ireland) Praise the Lord Ian received excellent scores on his final exams and has received offers from his favorite university. Now he is trying to make a decision whether to work his first year out of school or attend university.  Praise God for a sister church start in Skibbereen.  Mark has been mentoring Pastor Rob Attridge at Amazing Grace Church in Skibbereen and Grace Baptist Church has been prayerfully and financially supporting this church start.  Your investment in supporting Mark and Lona Webb is helping grow a sister church in a neighboring Irish town!

Herb and Celeste: Pray for Herb and Celeste to be able to minister to their own family while they are in the US.  Pray for their additional team members and their ability to get into their country.  Pray for the team’s unity in spirit and mission.

Dusty and Ashley Jackson: (near Seoul, South Korea) Dusty and Ashley Jackson are previous VGBC members and are school teachers at Gyeonggi Suwon International School.  Dusty is, again, the head coach for the high school cross country team.  Pray they will have opportunities to grow spiritually as they train for their sporting events.  Due to COVID-19, It is not known if they will be competing with other schools yet but pray for their fellowship and spiritual unity.

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) Robbyn has requested prayer for the Trash to Treasure recycling project.  Please pray for Bill and Emily Cheung, Reach Beyond’s North Africa and Middle East, Regional Director and his wife as they travel to Spain mid-September to work on the recycling machine.  Their goal is to make the machine low tech enough that refugee groups can operate it to recycle plastic into useful items.  Converting discarded plastic into useable items could be a way for refugees and refugee camps to make money and clean up their areas.

Ken and Barbie: Pray Swirl believers will remain strong in their faith in spite of persecution.  Some believers have spent weeks in jail being questioned under harsh conditions.  The government wants to quash all genuine Christian activity and replace it with a government’s version of Christianity, which is not real Christianity.  Pray these saints will stay true to the Most, High God.  Barbie’s brother-in-law is now home after weeks in the hospital with COVID.  He is on oxygen and therapy.  Pray for his full recovery.  Pray for Ken and Barbie to have a clear understanding of their new team and mission.

Each September we emphasize the Colorado Baptist Nicy Murphy Missions Offering.  This special offering, just like the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, honors a woman who selflessly gave herself to spreading the Gospel.  In 1955 Nicy Elizabeth Murphy became a pioneer servant among Southern Baptists in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.  The Colorado General Convention was organized in 1956 and Nicy served as the first director of the Women’s Missionary Union.  She gave leadership to teaching new believers and young churches the value of being on mission where they lived and extending their influence all over the world.  This year, the VGBC Colorado Nicy Murphy Missions Offering goal is $15,000.  This offering funds evangelism outreaches throughout Colorado, church planting efforts, resort and leisure ministries at ski resorts, the Ponderosa Ranch ministry, disaster relief and seminary student scholarships.  Please prayerfully consider supporting this offering with a gift!

Week of 12 Sep 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES

Jonathan and Myrna Ferre: (COS) Jonathan is a church planter with the Pikes Peak Baptist Association and the North American Mission Board.  He pastors the Spanish-speaking congregation, Iglesia Gracia y Verdad.  He is just back from Army Chaplains School as a reserve US Army Chaplain.  Pray for Jonathan as he gathers his church back together on Sunday mornings.  Pray the Lord would provide him a job that would allow him to handle his pastoral responsibilities while also providing for his family.

Kevin Green: (COS) The Lord is using Evangelism Explosion’s Equip America events across the country to bring people to faith in Jesus!  Already this year 358 churches have participated in 26 cities in sharing their faith with 1135 people and 306 new believers are now our brothers and sisters in Christ!  This past August Evangelism Explosion held an Equip America event in Willmar, Minnesota.  During this event 33 churches and their teams went out with the express purpose of meeting people and sharing Christ with non-believers.  The result of this outreach was out of 64 people who heard the Gospel, 38 people asked Jesus into their hearts!  Continue to pray for Equip America events across the US.  Kevin will teach a Share Your Faith workshop at VGBC on September 11^th and an EV-2 class begins September 12^th.  Pray and consider being a part of these workshops.  Become equipped to share your faith!

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Herb and Celeste: Pray for believers in their former country as they navigate life in a difficult environment.  Sunshine is a believer who was asked by her church to serve as a counselor at a week-long summer camp.  By serving as a counselor at the camp she would give up her only income – a week’s income as an after school tutor.  After praying she felt the Lord was leading her to serve at the camp regardless of the loss of income.  She was responsible for five elementary girls – one little girl hung onto her arm from morning to evening each day.  Sunshine provided her girls an example of a Godly woman who loves others and lives for Jesus in the midst of a government which wants to dominate people’s beliefs and trust.

Dusty and Ashley Jackson: (near Seoul, South Korea) Dusty and Ashley Jackson are previous VGBC members and are school teachers at Gyeonggi Suwon International School.  A few weeks ago Dusty preached the chapel message about contentment.  After the service one of his students, a senior told him his message helped him with his perspective on the SAT test he was taking the next day.  Other students also shared they were more engaged in the worship service.  Please pray these students will find contentment in Jesus Christ!  Dusty is leading praise team for middle school and Ashley is leading praise team for upper elementary ages.  Pray for them as they disciple these young people to have hearts of service as they lead worship.

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) Robbyn is a missionary with Reach Beyond, formerly HCJB.  She lives in Colorado Springs with her mother.  Her parents were long time missionaries with HCJB in Quito, Ecuador.  Robbyn is in charge of administration (legal and financial) for Reach Beyond ministries in Africa and the Middle East.  A Reach Beyond ministry partner sent books to a listener in a restricted access country.  Later the partner found out the resources helped the listener come out of a serious family problem.  Soon after this, the ministry partner had an opportunity to share the Gospel message with the man and his children.  The man knelt down with the ministry partner and asked Jesus to be His Lord!

Ken and Barbie: Pray for Ken and Barbie as they absorb, digest and organize their thoughts and plans about their fifth new assignment and responsibilities in the past three years.  They are learning a new language and feeling a little overwhelmed!  Pray the Lord would clarify and help their hearts understand how He will use them during this new ministry.  Pray II Timothy 1:7 over them!  Pray for Swirl believers as they are under great persecution.  Pray the Lord would give them holy boldness to share their faith in the face of such persecution.

This is the eleventh week of our Virtual Mission Conference.  This week we want to highlight Kent and Elizabeth Slack, Directors of Christian Challenge at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.  This fall starts their fourteenth year reaching students with the Gospel of Christ.  Their ministry consists of Bible studies and other outreach events where believers can go deeper in their faith.  Non-believers are also encouraged to attend events where they hear the Gospel.  Kent and Elizabeth have invested their lives into countless students who continue to share Christ as business professionals and as ministers of the Gospel.  Please watch and listen to their video this week on our missions web page at 2021 Missions Conference – Vista Grande Baptist Church (vgbc.org) vgbc.org/mc/ to learn about their work and how you can support them.

Week of 29 Aug 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES

Emily Skinner: (COS) The July/August Compass program proved to be a miraculous testimony of God’s great strength and provision for His children.  First – the 71 participants graduated and will take the Gospel message to 17 countries!  During this curriculum a COVID-19 case surfaced throwing the class into a 10-day quarantine.  Thanks be to the Lord asymptomatic and vaccinated staff members were able to come in to serve food and support the class curriculum.  After the 10-day quarantine Emily and the rest of staff were able to come back and resume in-person learning.  Please pray for the right people to apply to fill positions at Mission Training International.  The next Compass class begins September 6^th.  Pray for the staff to recover and rest during the break between classes.  Emily will be going home to North Carolina to develop partners.  VGBC supports Emily financially, but this amount is small.  Please consider becoming a financial and prayer partner with Emily.

Isaac and Becca Herold: (Greeley, CO) Isaac and Becca are in the midst of having people pray for the next 21 days for the Christian Challenge ministry at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.  Please pray for the outcome of student outreach events – that students will have a desire to study God’s word and follow Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.  Here’s the link to their prayer requests for the 21 days before their semester begins…21_Days_of_Prayer_Fall_2021_2022.pdf (mcusercontent.com). 

Brooks Salgado: (COS) There will be eleven student leaders this year.  Also Matthew and Cassie Allan are new Christian Challenge staff members.  Pray for staff and student leadership unity as this semester begins.  Pray upcoming outreach events and Bible studies will be well attended and relationships are started.

Kent and Elizabeth Slack: (COS) Christian Challenge has had a strong attendance at their summer activities.  Pray these 30-40 students will continue to participate in semester Bible studies and outreach events.  Pray for those students who do not know Jesus as Savior.  Pray for students and the lessons learned during Tuesday evening Bible studies that started this past week.  Pray many new contacts are developed from the campus club fair on August 31^st and September 1^st. 

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) The Reach Beyond team in Southern Spain not only minister to the Middle East and Africa, but they minister to their immediate community in Spain.  This past July, three Reach Beyond staffers participated in a project to reach out to people who are out of work, the elderly, struggling young families and those who need encouragement.  The team packed bags of food for distribution and provided an English as a second language class to a Muslim woman.  There are migrant workers, refugees and the poor and needy who need the Love of Christ.  Pray for more opportunities to minister to the immediate area near the Reach Beyond headquarters. 

Ken and Barbie: Barb’s brother-in-law is showing gradual signs of improvement from the COVID-19 virus.  Please pray for his continual improvement.  Last week police raided a meeting in Swirl land.  Many people were taken in for questioning.  Pray the answers to interrogator’s questions reveal nothing.  Pray interrogators eyes and hears will be shielded from what God is doing in this area.  Pray for unity of spirit as members of their team arrive in country.  Pray for Ken and Barbie as they assist their team members with getting settled in their new home.

Mark and Lona Webb: (Killarney, Ireland) Pray for Mark’s walking club contacts and relationships.  Pray for the possibility of Mark and Lona having dinner with one of the club’s couples.  Pray for the new relationship with the young woman from South Africa.  Pray the Lord would use Mark and Lona to bring these people to Himself.  The principal and vice-principal at St. Oliver’s National School where Grace Baptist Church meets are leaving.  Grace Baptist gave them Bibles as gifts.  Both men have said they have explored the Bible.  One of them said it’s a work of art!  Mark reminded him it’s a book to be used to learn about God.  Please pray for these two men.  Praise the Lord, Ian has received his second vaccination.

This next week we want to high light Kevin Green and the Evangelism Explosion ministry.  Kevin is the Western Regional Coordinator for Evangelism Explosion.  This year he and the leadership at Evangelism Explosion are focused on Equip America!  These events across the country are designed to equip churches with the tools to share Christ with their communities and cities.  Please pray for Kevin as he works to equip churches not only here in Colorado but across the western US.  Please watch his video this week at our missions web page at 2021 Missions Conference – Vista Grande Baptist Church (vgbc.org) vgbc.org/mc/ to learn about their work and how you can support them.

Week of 22 Aug 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES

Kent and Elizabeth Slack: (COS) This past week Christian Challenge participated in helping new students move into their dorms!  Pray these initial events will lead to relationships where students will feel safe, loved and can grow in their faith.  And, for those who are not yet believers that they will trust in Jesus as their personal Savior.  Weekly Bible studies will begin Aug 24^th – pray these Bible studies can be on campus.  Pray these Bible studies will nurture students spiritually in their walk in the Lord.  Pray the Bible studies will prompt discussions for those who need to commit to Jesus!  Also pray for the campus club fairs scheduled for August 31^st and September 1^st.  These will be important events where Christian Challenge students can meet new students on campus.

Life Network (COS) The week August 22-31, Rich Bennett and the Life Network team will attend the Care Net conference in San Antonio, Texas.  This event is an evangelical Christian network of pregnancy centers operating across the US.  This event will be an opportunity for enhanced training and refreshment.  Pray for Rich as he leads a workshop and shares his expertise with pregnancy center leaders.  Pray for travel safety, for a time of connecting, team building and renewed excitement for the ministry!

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Oswald and Amanda: It is impossible to reach this people group without a team of like-minded people.  Pray Oswald and Amanda will be able to partner with like-minded people who have a heart for reaching their people group.  Amanda has been meeting regularly with women believers who have their own jewelry business.  With the lifting of some COVID-19 restrictions these ladies hope to start meeting others.  Amanda has been helping these ladies with accounting.  Pray these ladies will be able to serve and lead in their community.

Ken and Barbie: Barb’s brother-in-law in Tulsa has COVID-19 and just this week came off the ventilator and is breathing on his own.  Pray oxygen levels improve.  Pray for Barb’s Mom who is recuperating from knee surgery.  Pray for Ken and Barbie’s team responsibilities.

Mark and Lona Webb: (Killarney, Ireland) Praise – a young woman from South Africa has been attending Bible study, but due to her work schedule, cannot attend worship service on Sunday.  She is new in Killarney and proactively sought out the church.  Her father passed away last year due to the COVID-19 virus.  Pray for her as she seeks fellowship.  Madeleine did not pass her driving test.  Many people fail the first time.  She has an appointment for retaking the test.  Pray for Mark as he interacts with the walking group.  Pray for Lona as she provides a lady in the church a daily Bible study.

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) Reach Beyond engineers recently installed upgrades at radio station Shalom Radio Kabala, Sierra Leone.  People who live many miles away from Kabala have called to confirm they are receiving Christian programming.  Reach Beyond is also installing upgrades in another station in Northern Sierra Leone.  Pray for the new transmitter that is being built for this station and for the solar power company who will provide power for this station.  Pray these stations will help reach the unreached for the kingdom of God in West Africa.  Pray for Robbyn and her mother, Imogene’s healing from several medical maladies.  Please consider becoming a one-time or recurring donor to keep Robbyn in her position supporting Reach Beyond projects in the Middle East and Africa.

Herb and Celeste: Pray for the animator, illustrator and writer who is considering being a part of their team.  Pray the Lord would reveal His truths to Herb and Celeste’s friends on the mainland.  Pray these Christians will have resolve to follow Christ in the face of government oppression.  Pray they will be able to continue to study God’s word.  Pray for Herb and Celeste as they minister to their family in Texas.

Week of 1 Aug 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES

Isaac and Becca Herold: (Greeley, Colorado) In one short year everything in Isaac and Becca’s lives has changed!  They live in a new town, new house, new child to take care of and nurture.  There is a new Christian Challenge (CC) staff, new friends, new students – the transition to new things brings stress and challenges.  Pray for Isaac and Becca as they begin their second school year this fall.  Pray for their marriage relationship.  Pray for the CC leadership selection process.  Pray for late summer events and Bible studies to help guide students to a closer relationship with Jesus.

Emily Skinner: (COS) Emily is the Assistant Director for the Compass CHIPs Program at Mission Training International in Palmer Lake, Colorado.  A few weeks ago MTI graduated another batch of missionaries destined to minister in 17 different countries.  Of the fifty-five people who received training, twenty-two of them were children who learned about Jesus and to love well.  MTI has several job vacancies.  Pray the Lord would send MTI the right people for these open positions and pray the positions would be filled soon.

Kent and Elizabeth Slack: (COS) They have been able to participate in a few student orientations this summer at UCCS.  Pray the contacts made with students result in students getting involved in Fall events and ultimately bringing students closer to following Jesus in their everyday walk with the Lord.  Pray the Lord would bring wisdom to the leadership selection process for the next school year.  Pray students will continue to attend late summer Bible studies and that there would be continued spiritual growth.

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) The Rohingya refugee camps have a much higher COVID-19 rate than ever before.  Reach Beyond’s missionary nurse, Hannah, has been working in this refugee camp.  Thank the Lord she is fully vaccinated.  But with the restrictions she can no longer reach the young expecting mothers she has been ministering to in the past.  Hannah feels she’s losing ground on the gains she has made in establishing relationships with these young mothers.  The government requires people who receive a positive test for COVID-19 to go into a quarantine center.  This experience, especially for a refugee, causes a great deal of fear and stress.

Oswald and Amanda: The COVID-19 restrictions have lifted and Oswald and family are now able to get out into the city and meet others.  They live near a temple which draws members of their target people group into their midst.  They love walking into town – their boys really draw a lot of attention to their family.  Pray this attention will result in new relationships and friend building with their target group.  Pray Oswald and Amanda will perfect the language they are learning to communicate with their people group.  Another like-minded couple is moving into their area at the end of this month (July).  Pray they will be diligent partners in meeting their people group.  Amanda and the wife of the other couple have already met and are planning ways to meet ladies in the area.  Oswald and the husband have played soccer with some of the target people group in order to build relationships.  Pray for relationships and divine appointments.

Herb and Celeste: They are on Stateside assignment visiting family.  Pray they would know how to best serve their parents while in the US.  Pray COVID-19 continues to subside so borders will reopen for missionaries and volunteers to return to their countries.  Pray for their Bible studies and mentorships that continue on-line.  Pray for possible new teammates who would be welcomed, added talent to the team.

Ken and Barbie: This past weekend Ken and Barbie were set free from their fifteen day hotel room stay and they set out for their real home.  They were able to hire a driver and made the 375 mile trek to their home in one day!  Pray for them to get settled.  Pray for the rest of their team as they are trying to enter the country as well.

This Sunday is week five of our virtual missions conference.  This week’s missionary and VGBC church member is Emily Skinner.  Emily is the Assistant Director for the Compass CHIPs program at Mission Training International in Palmer Lake, Colorado.  Compass is a program which prepares missionaries for long-term work in a cross-cultural environment.  Please take a moment to watch and listen to Emily’s video on our missions web page at 2021 Missions Conference – Vista Grande Baptist Church (vgbc.org).  If you’ve missed any of our previous missionary presentations you will find them all on this web page.

Week of 18 July 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES

Kevin Green: (COS) Pray for Evangelism Explosion’s Equip America plans to educate and equip churches throughout the US on sharing the Gospel message with those who need Jesus.  Pray for Kevin as he partners with more churches in the Colorado Springs/Pueblo area.  Also, as the Western Regional Coordinator, pray for Kevin as he encourages Evangelism Explosion volunteers in the Western US to partner with more churches so they can educate their church members on sharing the Gospel message.

Emily Skinner: (COS) Emily is the Assistant Director for the Compass CHIPs Program at Mission Training International in Palmer Lake, Colorado.  Pray for the staff as they work on sprucing up the MTI property.  Pray for Emily as she deals with back pain.  MTI has several job vacancies.  Pray for the leadership to hire the right people for those open positions and pray the positions would be filled soon.  Pray for Emily’s support raising.  Pray the Lord would give her holy boldness to ask people to help her raise financial support. 

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Ken and Barbie: They are back in their ministry country and have already completed their first week of a fifteen day quarantine.  Pray they stay well.  Their country is in full lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions.  After their quarantine period is over, it is likely they will have to remain where they are at, because local transportation to other cities is frozen.  Pray they will be able to travel to their home city after the quarantine is over.  Pray other team members will be able to enter their country.

Mark and Lona Webb: (Killarney, Ireland) Praise the Lord for the 49 people who attended their church service on Sunday morning including the nine new visitors!  Also praise the Lord for wonderful conversations during recent walking club outings.  Pray the advertisement in the local magazine brings interested people to Grace Baptist Church.  Pray for the couple Mark and Lona are counseling. Pray for Grace Baptist’s Sunday school situation as they strive to cope with the COVID restrictions and keep a normal Sunday school routine. 

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) Continue to pray for Robbyn’s mother, Imogene.  Pray new medications and therapies will have the desired effect on her Parkinson’s Disease.  Pray for Reach Beyond’s partners who are providing Christian Arabic radio programming in the Middle East and North Africa.  Pray the listening audience will understand who Jesus is and ask Him into their lives.

Week of 11 July 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES

Brooks Salgado and Matthew and Cassie Allan: (COS) Pray for Brooks and the Allans as they get ready for the 2021 fall semester at UCCS.  Pray they will have opportunities to help move students into the dorms as the semester begins.  Pray for lasting relationships between the Christian Challenge students and newly arriving students.  Pray the Allans will be able to raise financial support to allow them to work full time on the Christian Challenge ministry.

Kent and Elizabeth Slack: (COS) Kent and Elizabeth and their family will be in Texas visiting family and partnering churches for the next two weeks.  Pray new donors/supporters will step up to support the Slacks.  They have been able to participate in several new student orientation events this summer.  Pray contacts with these students will result in students getting involved with Christian Challenge.  Pray for the Christian Challenge leadership selection process and that the Lord would give them guidance in selecting the perfect team for the following school year.  Christian Challenge summer Bible studies have been well attended.  Thank the Lord and pray for continued growth among students.

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Mark and Lona Webb: (Killarney, Ireland) Praise the Lord – Grace Baptist Church continues to enjoy good attendance on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening for Bible study.  Thank the Lord for being able to meet in person.  Pray for Luigi as he prepares to preach this next Sunday.  Pray for the couple Mark and Lona have been counseling and also the new believer Lona is discipling.

Herb and Celeste: Pray COVID-19 cases continue to decline and that travel restrictions are reduced.  Their teammates’ visas have been approved but they are still stuck in the US because of travel restrictions.  Pray Herb and Celeste will be used mightily while in the US.  There are organizational changes coming in the next several months. Pray for leadership wisdom as decisions are made.

Brooks Salgado and Jaymee Collins: (Johannesburg, South Africa) The team arrived back in the US on July 3^rd.  They will stay together and debrief their experiences before continuing home.  Pray they are well and remain so.  Pray for the lives they touched.  Pray the Lord would call some or all of these young people into ministry as it delights the Father. 

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) Ceuta, Spain is a Spanish city in North Africa on the eastern portion of the peninsula which makes up the Strait of Gibraltar.  The area has been flooded with Moroccan immigrants.  Pastor Pedro recently opened his center to help the refugees.  Eighty percent of Ceuta is Muslim.  The streets are full of hundreds of teenagers and children who are homeless.  The pastor is seeking local officials’ permission to allow these children to sleep in his center. Please pray Pastor Pedro will find favor with government officials and for God’s provision!

This week begins the third week of our Virtual Missions Conference.  This week we high light a couple who has been ministering in Asia for the past ten years.  They have a new role in the International Missions Board (IMB) – that of reporting back what is going on in the trenches all over Asia and nurturing partnerships between churches and missionaries.  They are the IMB’s marketing specialists heading a team of creative professionals documenting how God is moving through IMB missionaries all over the Asian continent.  Please take time to watch Herb and Celeste’s video at …2021 Missions Conference – Vista Grande Baptist Church (vgbc.org). 

Also, if you missed any of the previous week’s missionaries, you may also catch up there as well.  Please plug in with your missionaries.  Send them a card or an e-mail encouraging them.

Week of 3 July 2021

HOME MISSIONARIES                

Kent and Elizabeth Slack: (COS) Kent and Elizabeth and their family will be in Texas visiting family and partnering churches for the next three weeks.  Pray new donors/supporters will step up to support the Slacks.  They have been able to participate in several new student orientation events this summer.  Pray contacts with these students will result in students getting involved with Christian Challenge.  Pray for the Christian Challenge leadership selection process and that the Lord would give them guidance in selecting the perfect team for the following school year.  Christian Challenge summer Bible studies have been well attended.  Thank the Lord and pray for continued growth among students

FOREIGN MISSIONARIES

Herb and Celeste: Herb and Celeste are in the US visiting family – pray for peaceful fellowship and renewal time with family and friends.  While in the US, pray the Lord will give them opportunities to serve and share this summer.  Pray the Lord will guide church leaders in their country how to navigate this new season of COVID ministry.  Pray the next virtual Zoom Room on July 13^th will go well and that more people will learn about the needs in Japan and other areas in Asia.

Brooks Salgado and Jaymee Collins: (Johannesburg, South Africa) The team has been in South Africa for four weeks.  Jaymee Collins reports of Bible studies in which they were able to talk about the parable of the man who built his house on the rock.  Brooks talks about being involved with a team who has been discipling three businessmen from downtown. He says they are very eager to grow in their faith and want to share the gospel.  Another team member talks about going to a nearby village and starting a soccer game between themselves and some children.  Before long over 30 children were playing soccer.  Halfway through the game they decided to take a break and share some Bible stories with these children. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and truth sharing!

Robbyn Booker: (Africa/Middle East) In the Middle East it is very difficult to hear about Jesus and Christianity.  But many people in Arabic countries are thirsting for the Gospel!  One ministry partner in an Arabic-speaking country forwarded this testimony.  An Egyptian camera technician reached out to the Christian radio station wanting to know more about Jesus and how to live with Him.  He wanted to know everything to know about Him and Christianity in detail.  Now He is grateful he was shown the road to salvation.  He reads and studies the materials sent to him from the radio partner.  Praise God for new brothers and sisters in these closed countries.  Pray the Lord will provide people to disciple and nurture these new Christians.  Pray these new Christians will share the Gospel with others thirsting for the truth.

Mark and Lona Webb: (Killarney, Ireland) Praise the Lord – there were 37 people attending last Sunday’s service and 7 children.  Grace Baptist is grateful for the relationship they have with Saint Oliver’s National School.  They’ve had good relationships with the principal and vice principal over the years.  Recently the principal took a new national position in the Catholic school system and the vice principal retired after 40 years in the school system.  Grace Baptist has purchased Bibles for them.  Pray these men and their families will follow Christ.  Pray for the new principal and vice principal and that Grace Baptist will be able to establish good relationships with the new leadership.  Praise – a lady who has experienced medical issues for the past 16 months has had some relief from pain.  Praise the Lord for a man who will soon start helping with Wednesday night Bible study and Sunday preaching!