October 2006: Grace Ministries Around the World


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Retreat in Tanzania - Last month we asked you to pray for the retreat that Bill and Nancy Rigg would be conducting for our Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia missionaries. PTL that the retreat which was held in Tanzania at a retreat center on Lake Malawi was a time of blessing for our missionaries. Under the leadership of Bill and Nancy Rigg and Pastor Dave Rachoy (who had already been ministering in the grace churches in Tanzania for two weeks), our missionaries had the opportunity during four days to sit under the teaching of God's Word, enjoy times of fellowship, and share experiences together. We are grateful for the willingness of Bill and Nancy and Dave to go to Tanzania and be a blessing to our missionaries in this way.

Missionary Conferences - Please pray for our missionaries Paul and Stella Baily (Australia); Andy and Jeneane Hollier (Australia); Jon and Theresa Marshall (Puerto Rico); Dan and Tina Moyer (Zambia); and Ricki Anne Zanella (Uruguay) who are involved in the Northwest missionary conferences. They began at Grace Bible Church in Grants Pass, OR on September 24 and will end on October 22. From the Northwest a number of our missionaries will be involved in the missionary conference at the Bethesda Church in Minneapolis, MN from October 25 through the 29th. The fall conferences will end in Mobile, AL with meetings November 4-12. Your prayers for these conferences are greatly appreciated.

Update from Tanzania - PTL for the doors that the Lord is opening for Brook Seekins as she ministers with the youth and the young adults in our churches in Tanzania. PTL for the opportunity Brook had in September at the Tanzania Grace Church national conference to teach a group of young men "how to study your Bible." Brook was disturbed to see that few of the youth and young adults have any spiritual food intake on their own. Pray for Brook as she works with the pastors to develop materials to help young Christians study the Scriptures on their own on a daily basis.

News from Costa Rica - On September 29-30 the men of our church took part in a "Men's Retreat" which was led by the pastoral team. A "Women's Retreat" will be held October 13-15. Pray for Chuck and Joy Befus as they begin another marriage seminar for members of the church and their unsaved friends. Pray that the necessary occupancy permits will be granted so the new building can be used. Praise the Lord for the various church work teams that have helped in the construction of the church, as well as those who have given towards the project. Pray that once this first phase of the building is completed that work will begin on the second phase (the sanctuary). Pray also for the cell groups from which they desire to start a new church.

Annual Bible Conference in India - Please pray for the annual Bible conference that will be held in Hyderabad October 19-22 under the direction of Subash Muthyala. Pray for Bill and Mary Bunch and Wayne and Phyllis Schoonover who will be arriving in India on the 17th to take part in the conference. Pray also for them as they minister to Subash and Sandra and their colleagues after the conference. Pray also for the believers in India who face government regulations that place barriers in their way of serving the Lord. One such bill passed prohibits anyone to proselyte. Violators will be heavily fined with jail terms for the Christian leaders.

Kipaka Update - Please pray for the continuing growth of the Kipaka Medical Center. Many of the patients are walking for days to arrive at the hospital for medical care. Through the leadership of Dr. Manara and Fred Vinton and the good reputation of the medical staff, the hospital is becoming well known in the Maniema province. With the increasing costs of medicines yet no increase in the financial capability of the people, we need to provide more subsidy to the hospital. Please pray for this need. Pray also for Fred as he continues to teach Muslim men in Kipaka and with the pastors takes the Gospel to areas where the people have not heard the Gospel.

Language Acquisition - For missionaries to learn the culture of the people with whom they are living and to effectively minister to them, it is imperative that they know the language well and speak it fluently. In this regard, please pray specifically for Cory and Kim Hodgson, who recently completed formal study of Swahili, and Dan and Mary Sue Reed, who will be completing their formal study of Spanish in Bolivia in the next two months.

Prayer for Bill Vinton - Please pray for Bill Vinton (Congo) who has back problems that might necessitate surgery in the near future. Preparing materials for the books he is writing and the classes he teaches at Kindu Bible College requires a lot of sitting at a desk. Yet this is when he has the most pain. Pray for the Lord’s healing, as well as the Lord’s leading in decisions he will need to make.

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