Prayer Spotlight

The past six months have brought a lot of new things. We are new to the Mission (Spring Candidate School 2011), new to full-time ministry (graduated from seminary April 2011), new to this little town, and new to the province of Saskatchewan. Our small town seems to revolve around agriculture, our senior’s home, and Lucien Lake Regional Park that provides swimming, fishing, and camping for the summer months.

We are grateful for: a positive start to relationships within the church family and a strong leadership team at the church; our two oldest children doing well at fitting into a new school; open doors and opportunities to minister in the large seniors’ complex (approx 100 residents) located in town; being able to walk and ride my bike to many of the things that we have been involved in (Around 200 miles on my bike last summer); seeing great things happening in our men’s and ladies’ Bible studies.

Please pray for: opportunities for our church to have a larger role in the school and to be able to establish a good relationship with the staff at the school; provision and patience for ongoing work on the parsonage (a lot has been accomplished already, funds have continued to come in to continue the work, and there is still a lot of work to do to make our family comfortable here); wisdom – there are always more opportunities to be involved in people’s lives and ministry than there is time and energy. Pray that we will be wise, exercise restraint when we need to, and be led to invest ourselves in work that will yield a harvest for the kingdom.

Dear Praying Friends,

We have placed several new missionaries in the last few months. Most are serving on fields that are new to Village Missions. These first few months on any field, but especially on a new field, are critical times in the ministry. We encourage our missionaries to visit extensively in the area and learn the culture. We strongly urge them not to change anything for the first year and instead learn, learn, learn and build relationships with people. Sometimes this approach runs counter to what they have been taught in school, their natural disposition to want to “make an impact” right away, and the normal adjustment they experience in the time it takes to write sermons. However, getting out with the people will be critical to the establishment of their ministry.

Besides all this, in many cases, Satan does not like to give up control over an area where he has held the dominance. So please pray this week for the new fields and our new missionaries! Pray that they would have great starts to their ministries. Pray that the Holy Spirit would move over the community, breaking down resistance from the flesh, the world, and Satan. Pray also that Village Missions would have the finances necessary to provide the salary for these new missionaries.

Please pray for Mike and Judie Jones as they travel to North Carolina next week to visit several Bible colleges and a missionary candidate. Please pray that God will open doors for recruiting.

FROM THE DIRECTOR
Thank you for praying for our trip to Arizona. God protected us in our journeys all the way from our new field in Mayer, AZ, to our field in Double Adobe, and several places in between.

I spoke at Mayer Community Church, Grace Bible Church, and Palm West Community Church.

Please pray for Associates Jim and Jeannie Knight as they serve the new field in Mayer and for wisdom as we seek just the right couple to begin serving there full time. If you would like to see pictures of our visit to Mayer, please click here. Also, please pray that the folks who learned about Village Missions for the first time would want to become partners with us in sending and supporting Village Missionaries in country communities.

Dear Praying Friends,

Please continue to pray for wisdom as we move toward our spring candidate school.

Please pray for wisdom for the District Representatives as they schedule and conduct in home interviews with the candidates.

As we read stories like Dave and Cindy’s (see Stories from the Fields), we’re reminded to pray for travel mercies for our Village Missionaries. Many minister in places where travel is dangerous during this time of the year. Please ask God to protect them as they drive on slippery roads, walk on icy patches, make late-night trips to the hospital, and the many other activities that are prompted by their calling to “love the people,” even in the dead of winter. In addition, many of our missionaries are on local volunteer fire departments, which can be dangerous. We also ask you to pray that the Spirit of God would go before them, drawing needy souls to the Savior.

Please pray for Brian and Carole, as they are in the middle of their Arizona trip.

Thank you for praying!

Blue Mound is on the east side of Kansas, about 30 miles from the state line. About 265 folks live in or near the city. Employment (related mainly to agriculture & farming) is scarce, and those who do work generally commute an average of 35 miles one way. Around town you can still see the old sidewalks in a few places, and here & there the foundation ruins of old homes and outbuildings. While many homes are in good repair, some have been abandoned to the ravages of time. A short drive through town would lead you to believe that once upon a time there was a growing city here.

The Federated Church started as a Baptist church in the 1890s. In the last couple years attendance has been growing, averaging about 60 per week. At one time not long ago, attendance was in the low teens and they were about to close the doors. We do have an after-school kids’ program with about 30 coming weekly. We’ve met many of the parents, yet while they will send the children to church on Wednesday, we seldom see them on Sunday. With some folk it takes a long time to earn the right to be heard. Until then, we will continue to love the people and preach the Word.

We have a number of folks in their 90s who attend regularly. Please pray for the elderly in this community. We have a number of area families who need to bring their children to church. Pray for the families. We have a good relationship with many folks in town. Pray that the gospel will ring true in the ears of many. If you would like to see pictures of Blue Mound taken at a charity hunt in November 2010, click here.

Dear Praying Friends,

Please continue to pray for wisdom as we move toward our spring candidate school.

Please pray for wisdom for the District Representatives as they schedule and conduct in home interviews with the candidates.

Please pray for travel mercies for Brian and Carole as they head to Arizona to represent the Mission.

Also pray for travel mercies for Village Missionaries as they cover many miles in inclement weather and help others in need.

We’re located 10 miles SW of Spokane in what has become more of a bedroom community for the city. The population is growing, with more housing developments springing up in the nearby area.

Please pray that we would be effective in reaching out to those in our neighborhood and those who are moving into the area. Please pray as well that we would be able to develop effective ministries to the youth in the area – children as well as teens.

Located in the picturesque Lardeau Valley in south-central BC, Meadow Creek depends basically on the forestry industry. Unfortunately, like so many other rural communities, our school and local businesses are struggling to stay afloat due to sawmill closures and families moving away in search of employment.

Please pray that our few remaining church families would recognize their role in helping to heal our severely fractured community, and be the beacon that would point the unsaved to Christ.

Dear Praying Friends,

The formal applications for our spring candidate school have been received. We have approximately ten couples in process now, including one couple from Canada. Please pray for wisdom as we review the applications, check references, and conduct background checks. Also pray for wisdom for the District Representatives as they schedule and conduct in home interviews with the candidates. Pray for the candidates and Village Missions’ staff as we seek to determine God’s call upon their lives.

Brian will be speaking at several churches in Arizona at the end of January and first part of February. Here are the locations and times in case you are in the area:
• January 29 10:30 a.m. Mayer Community Church, 10001 South Fifth Street, Mayer, AZ 928-632-9533 This is a new field served by Village Missions
• January 29 5:00 p.m. Grace Bible Church, 19280 North 99th Avenue, Sun City, AZ 623-972-6414 I will be sharing for ten minutes at the evening service
• February 5 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Palm West Community Church, 13845 W. Stardust Blvd., Sun City West, AZ 623-546-2980
Please pray for safety in travel and the various arrangements that are being made.

Please pray for the printing and mailing of our 2011 Annual Report/Country Matters. We have a new printer, Bob Peterson of Firth, NE. This will be his first Country Matters.

Thank you for praying!

Dear Praying Friends,

We praise the Lord that several new Village Missionaries have arrived or will soon arrive on their fields.

Jeff and Nydia Black have started serving in Halsey, Oregon. We sent the first Village Missionary to Halsey in May 2010. Brian took pictures of a visit to Halsey just before the first Village Missionary arrived that you can view here.

New Village Missionaries Mike and Kim Krutsch have arrived in Prescott, WA.

New Village Missionaries John and Cathy Mulvihill have moved from the East Coast to start serving in Meadview, AZ.

Dave and Cindy Fraher are about to start serving in West Bethel, Maine.

Brian and Erica Dedera started serving officially as Village Missionaries in Foothills, WA (Brian had served as Youth Pastor there previously).

New Village Missionaries Tim and Debbie Easterling will soon move from Montrose, CO to our new field in Encampment, WY.

To see pictures of these couples at candidate school click here.

We have also just assigned Associate Village Missionaries Jim and Jeannie Knight to our new field in Mayer, AZ.

Please pray for a good start to their ministries and that God would be pleased to bring many to Christ in their communities. Continue to pray for four other couples who are still in the process of raising support and also hope to be on the field soon. Also, pray that Village Missions will have the finances to provide the salary support where necessary.

Praise the Lord that nine couples have applications in that are being reviewed for the spring candidate school.

Thank you for praying!

Mingo Bible Church is a wonderful growing congregation located in the heart of Mingo, which is officially listed as a “ghost town” (about 12 people live within “city limits”). About half the congregation is from Mingo, and live on or around County Road K, which passes through Mingo. The other half come from Colby and Oakley, 10 and 15 miles away in opposite directions. All around Mingo is a large farming area that needs to be reached with the gospel of Christ. We would like to see more people coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.