August 2010 - Blogs

Well school at Morro Bay High School has officially started as of Wednesday, August 25th.  I know that I am very excited for school to start.  Not because the students are back in school but because we have an entire school year of ministry ahead of us.  God has given me a refreshed passion for seeing the Gospel go out to the high school for this upcoming year.  Lord willing we will be starting a Fellowship of Christian Athletes club on campus this coming year.  I am stoked to see how the Lord is going to move in the students on campus and show them their need for Him.  Please keep this in prayer as we minister to the high school students at Morro Bay. 

Also starting next month we will be doing our outreach of 5th quarters.  After the 4 quarters at home football games students can come for a 5th quarter after the game for a time of snacks, games, and fellowship.  This is a great opportunity for the kids to invite their friends to an event at the church.  We meet at the church right after the game and hang out until about 1 in the morning.  We have a time of someone sharing their testimony and an altar call at every event so that every student that comes has the opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are always looking for snacks and food for these events so if you are interested in adding to smorgasbord of food please contact me.

On Sundays we a currently going through the book of Genesis and Will McIntosh has filled in perfectly teaching and expounding on the scriptures with the kids.  The students are embracing the foundational principles found in Genesis and its been a fun time.

On Wednesdays we are currently going through the Gospel of John.  Its been sooooooo fun!  Weekly we are being challenged to surrender our lives to Jesus so that we can personally encounter Him in a real and intimate way.  I am excited to see where the Lord takes us in that.

Prayer Requests:

• Fellowship of Christian Athletes club on MBHS campus
• 5th quarters- the gospel to go forth and for lives to be changed
• Times in the Word- to Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

-Pastor Brian

SENT Prayer

Pottengers (Kisumu, Kenya)

Praises

• 13 people got baptized at CCLakesides first baptism! 
• safe trip back to Nairobi
• men from CCL and churches in Kisii are at a pastors conference in Nairobi

Prayers

• For Peg and the birth of baby Joelle, anytime now 
• For all the logistics surrounding the birth. 
• For the church in Kisumu as they are not there, that people would step up and help.

Parks (London)

Praises:

• blessing have visitors and fun, unexpected care packages
• Pastor Tonye just starting leading a study in an area called Islington

Prayer Requests:

• I had the opportunity to go out to lunch with Aga from Starbucks.  She is from Poland and was brought up in the proper catholic church and goes to church on occasion just to please her mom.  Please pray that God will grab ahold of her heart and that she will see the wonderful gift of salvation!
• Other people to pray for at Starbucks are Petra, Jessica, Yudith, Bozena, Annetta, Martina, and Ross.  What a fun crew!  They are all super sweet!  Please pray for more opportunities to share the love of Jesus with these workers
• Please continue to pray for Trevor.  David ran into him a couple of times over the past couple of weeks and he even asked David about studying the Bible together. But so far, once it actually comes to setting something up, he has been unavailable.  Please pray for his deliverance from these addictions and for a complete surrender to Jesus.
• Please pray for the staff members who work at Yumchaa.  Specifically for a Julia and Theo who have been volunteering to work on Wednesday evenings during the study
• A week ago, David, PT, and Landon had the opportunity to visit a drug rehab centre called U-turn located in Brockley which is in South London.  They are praying about having a weekly study there to encourage these men and teach new believers about Jesus.

Merrills (London)

Praise:

• We had an awesome last weekend! We feel so refreshed! It was quiet, yet fruitful. We had a great experience at church on Sunday, and we also had some great conversations with people at the Market.
• We've met some people in our neighborhood. One, including an older gentleman up the street who we think may be living in a convalescent home. We are excited to maybe meet more people there. Pray that we can know how to serve them.
• We are enjoying our time studying the Bible and learning together. This is an adventure with Him!

Prayer

• For us to trust God to provide rest when He knows we need it, and for the other part, just press on. It's hard to draw the line, but we want to be diligent.
• For the people at our work places that we are getting to know, that God would soften their hearts and lead us in conversations with them. We have both already had some great conversations.
• For unity and good communication in the team.
• Deeper love for the people of London.

Meagan Webster (Mexico)

• Meagan got in a little car accident last night.  She and everyone are fine health wise, but have asked for prayer as she is responsible for paying for the other party's vehicle damage.  Please pray that God reveals to her how He wants this situation to be handled and that His Gospel would be made known to the other people involved.

The Ms (Israel)

Praise the Lord  for ministry opportunity- 

• We spent the first week of August with our congregation's youth group in France. The group is made up of young people that are college/career aged, along with members of the ministry called, "The Community of Reconciliation," a ministry headquartered in Switzerland with works here in southern France and in Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord for family- 

• We have spent the last week and a half traveling to the States and then spending time with family members.  The Lord was gracious to provide just enough funds to travel, and just in time to be able to connect with all of our family members.  We enjoyed a family reunion with all of John Michael's nieces and nephews in Toledo Ohio.  We then drove through Indiana and were able to visit with Abra's sister and two of her kids.  We are now at the home of John Michael's parents and grandmother in Minnesota. We continue our vacation time until the end of this week, and then we will begin working on support raising and networking here in the midwest, and then continue on to California.

Prayer Requests

• Outreach-  Please pray for the salvation of the unbelievers we shared with in Marseilles France.  Please pray for the spiritual growth of our congregation's youth, and for those other contacts we have left behind in Israel.
• Citizenship-  The Supreme Court of Israel will remain in recess until after the Jewish high holidays, so there won't be any further developments in my case, until after September. Please continue praying for us to have peace, to maintain a positive attitude, and for the Lord's intervention to hasten and complete this process.
• Health and healing - Praise the Lord for continued good health. Please pray that the Lord will keep John Michael and I in good health during our travels and give us increased energy, good rest, and improved physical fitness.
• Finances and travel-  Please pray that the Lord will enable us to make the most of this opportunity to meet members of His body who desire to be involved in the work we're doing. Please continue to pray for the Lord's grace as we face the challenge of balancing normal living expenses with those of traveling. We will be sub-letting our apartment during the month of September, to help cover the costs of travel. Please pray for wisdom and the Lord's guidance as we desire to be diligent stewards of the Lord's provision.

SP (Thailand/Burma)

Prayer Requests "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."  John 15:13

• Please pray for all of the friends and families of the Karen who have died in defending their unrecognized land and people of Kawthoolei.  As we remembered them on Martyr's Day this year, we prayed there will not be too many more martyrs as the Burmese government tries to eliminate them before their "election" this year!
• Please pray that many more will come to the Lord and receive His salvation as they learn of His love for them through the Bible studies for the FBR and the medical students!
• Please pray for the Lord's continued protection and safety for all of the Karen, and for those who are here and coming to teach the FBR students, including my pastors Rick & Cody! 
• Please pray for the Lord to provide Christians to come and teach at the new YEP (Youth Empowerment Program) school.  It is to train the Karen youth for future leadership, beginning in September and continuing for 8 months.  Anyone interested in teaching, please contact Kwe Htoo at kwehtoo@ksc.th.com

Praise Reports "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness."  Lamentations 3:22,23

• Praise the Lord for new lives in Him!  Three were baptized - one is a soldier and two are relatives of those who live in the village where the FBR training is! 
• Praise the Lord for new lives in Him together - my former high school student of many years ago, Dah Mu, and a Bible school student we supported, Eh Ler Mu, were married after waiting 11 years for God's timing!
• Praise the Lord for the opportunities He's given me to teach His Word to the Karen, and for my safe return to be here for Dah Mu & Eh Ler Mu's wedding!

STAY Prayer

Nancy (Lifewater/YWAM)

praises

• attended one day of a family christian conference with my friend Tamara
• after some tough discussions with her, my mom finally confronted her tenants and they are responding and doing work.

prayers

• I gave a book about how to study Bible to my sister's tenant Amanda that was received with joy.  pls pray she will study and draw my sister in to the study with her and that together they will learn truth about their misconceptions of who Jesus is
• pray for Tamara as she seeks God's vision for possible future ministry to people who are homeless
• I will train to portland tuesday and spend a day with my former housemate Ruth & her family.  pray for God to use my testimony in their lives.  they attend church but I'm not sure where they are really at spiritually. 
• pray for Joshua & Kaylee, the 9 & 11 yr olds I'm spending the day with today, to know & love the Lord in their lives.

Hello all!

Well, the summer 2010 quarter of Shoreline Bible College is drawing to a close. Students are scrambling to finish projects and prepare for finals! Looking back, I am so stoked at what the Lord has done this quarter.

For Thursday night's Old Testament Overview class, we actually pulled it off!! Amidst a touch of skepticism, we managed to do an overview of all 39 books of the Old Testament in 10 weeks! What a ride! It was great getting a zoomed-out perspective on these books. Throughout, the prevailing themes are man's depravity and inability to be righteous, God's righteousness in upholding His standard of righteousness, and His mercy as He urges repentance and promises salvation. Yes, the Gospel runs rampant in the OT!

For Sunday afternoon's Gospel of John, we got a great perspective of Jesus as the Son of God, the Lord in the flesh. His message is consistent throughout: sin causing separation from the Father, the merciful Father sending the Son into the world to perform the Father's agenda of salvation, and this salvation coming only through belief in Jesus. The Son of God further interacted with intellects and outcasts; Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles; in a manner that confirmed this message. AWESOME!

For Tuesday night's Galatians/Ephesians class, we dove deep into these books, looking at main themes, supporting evidence, and key Greek words. Galatians shows the futility of walking away from Christ to return to the flesh (the Law, in this instance). We see Paul's message of incredulity because the Galatians, freed by Christ's blood, seek to be enslaved again! Ephesians was a great study of what God and Jesus have done and how we should act as a result. The Lord's plan from before the foundation of the world was to glorify His Son through the mystery of the Gospel: salvation for anyone (Jew or Gentile) through the blood of Jesus. Furthermore, He decided to allow us to be a part of His plan to glorify Jesus by making us one body, working together to support the Head. Therefore, we should act as a body, serving each other and working for the edification of the whole! What an edifying and challenging couple of books these are!

Looking ahead, we plan to start the Fall 2010 quarter on September 26. Classes will be announced soon, and we have a few more surprises in store for Shoreline Bible College. Be sure to check back often for news and details.

God bless you!
-Pastor Ben

Holydes (London)

• Pray for the Camden Bible Study at Yum Chaa
• Pray for the Soho Bible Study – when to start/logistics
• Pray for men’s study in Islington just on the lip of Hackney – Praise! We met at a place called “Hamlet Cafe”. Once we started the staff kept coming by to see what we were doing. By the time we were done the boss decided to cover all our meals! What a wonderful God we serve.
• Radio: we have now been on the Radio since the beginning of August. People can now tune in and get teaching on the book of Revelation every weekday at 11:30 and 6pm . Pray that the Lord would use this to bring the lost to Himself and edify believers
• Softball: David and i have been recruited to play on two teams. We just played with a team called “Oblivion” for a tourney that made it all the way to the finals. in Each game there have been several great moments of sharing Jesus. This monday we have opportunity to follow up. Praise Jesus!
• Starbucks: The girls have been hitting it off with, of all things, the employees at Starbucks. Trista has been meeting a girl there for lunch and Suzanne has been invited to teach one English. Any guesses on her “textbook?”
• Rehab - Friday we were able to share at Christian-run rehab house in South London. After all of Landon’s searching we discovered it may be the only one left in the city (that is still Christian). It is coincidentally called “u- turn” (no relation with the U-turns in America). The guys were really receptive and we instantly loved them. We may make this a regular friday - monthly occurrence.

Merrills (London)

We are thankful for:

• Luke’s document came from the Home Office that allows him to work while his Visa is processing. However, he still can’t get paid for about another month until he gets a national insurance number (basically a SSN). But God is providing abundantly!
• Our new home! We love it soo much! 

Please pray for:

• God to use us at work. We meet lots of people, and want to be faithful servants. We spend lots of time with people who will know if we live what we say. If that makes sense :)
• Wisdom in what to commit to. What we commit to we want to do well, at the same time as we know God doesn’t need us, and all we need to do is stay close to Him and obey Him. (Psalm 147:10-11)

Pottengers (Kisumu, Kenya)

Praises-

• Safe travel for the family and for Matt as he went back to Kisumu
• The women's Bible study went well! Mama Blessing was very pleased.
• Children's church went well too, and people are stepping up for worship team duties 
• for the Compeans who are hosting Peg and KG 

Prayers-

• For Peg, she is dilated and the baby is engaged. 
• For Travel for Matt as he comes back to Nairobi
• for the first Baptism for CCL, (Sunday, is getting baptized!)
• for Kizito the day guard to surrender his life to the LORD
• For the pastors safe travel to the conference in Nairobi

Compeans (Nairobi, Kenya)

• Please pray as Calvary International Fellowship hosts a one day "youth summit." We call our youth group GYM, for Gospel Youth Ministry, though here in Kenya the youth are better defined as young unmarried people. God has used Brent, our intern from Coastline Christian Fellowship in Oregon, to develop a youth band for the gathering and several dramas will be performed. Please pray as GYM gathers to worship, learn and have fellowship.
• Please thank God with us as we hear God is maturing Calvary Chapel Lakeside in Kisumu with Pastor Stephen Otieno. Please pray for his wife Maureen, their son John Mark and the baby on the way. Please pray as I travel out to visit the church in the coming week.
• Please thank God with us for bringing us through a season of illness. Everyone seems to be on the heal now, but there were a couple rough days. Also please be in prayer as we have opened our home to our dear friends the Pottengers as they are income into Nairobi to have their second born. 
• Jackson has begun his junior year at Rosslyn Academy. This is a big year of SAT and ACT examines. Please pray for Jackson's school year.
• Finally, but not lastly, please thank God with us for his great love for his fallen creation. To reflect on the fact that ALL mankind rebelled and yet God so loved us that he sent his only begotten to restore the relationship we broke is amazing. Please rejoice with us, please thank with us and 

Carolyn Gardella (El Salvedor)

• For the rest of my financial support to come in.
• One of my teammates is currently at 50% of her support goal. Another teammate is at 88%. As you know, we can’t board the plane until we are fully funded. Please pray that by the end of this week they will be at 100%.
• God to continue to prepare our hearts to leave for El Salvador in less than a week and that he would prepare the hearts of the Salvadorians that we will be meeting.
• This is the last week that the summer project is with the students in El Salvador. Please pray that many students will come to know the Lord this week and that the students involved in Vida Estudiantil will take many steps of faith in reaching out to other students.
• Pray for the team as one of their national members has gone home to be with the Lord.
• Thank you so much for praying! I look forward to sharing about the Lord’s faithfulness at the end of this week

STAY Prayer 

Nancey (Lifewater/YWAM)

Praises-

• Reconnected , by divine intervention, with old friend Tamara, hope to also have another meeting about missionary work with her.
• God showing off with the meteor shower, she got to enjoy with her sister. 
• the time to enjoy the area she is in with Kayaking, swimming and other cool activities

Prayers-

• For Bob, raised by Jewish and protestant parents, confused and rejected, and his wife Dorothy, for their salvation. To see Jesus
• Also for her step mom Judy, and her husband Jack to see Jesus. Their dog was hit by a car and only scraped up.
• For her mom to be open in discussions she needs to have with her tenants, when she needs to have them.
• divine appointments on the way south. and God using Nancy in a visit with believing friends.
• for her sister and the sister's tenant to be curious enough about Jesus and the Bible to have a Bible study together.

Paul & Dar Sweeney (Children’s Bible Fellowship, NY)

• Praise: for the souls saved through PG ministry; for the joy of working alongside saints from all over!
• Prayer Request: for transition into retreat season and the need for more staff to come alongside us!

 SENT 

Mark Piester (Russia)

• Pray for Sasha K. and his new medication. Praise that the new medication has been working so effectively.
• Pray for Sasha and Luba C. as they serve the children at risk in their area. Pray for many changed lives during their second camp for youth. Pray also for their medical treatments.
• Pray for the final camp Sasha is holding this month. 
• Praise for the 25 children who repented and yielded their lives to Jesus. Pray for the children who attended that the Bible lessons will form a firm foundation of faith as they grow older.
• A heartfelt thank you for your ongoing support and prayers which give me the opportunity to serve God and the Russian people. Praise to the Lord for his ongoing work of changing and redeeming lives of children, young adults and people for eternity ‐ God is at work through your prayers and financial support.

Tobi (London)

• Transitions 
• The enemy has been working hard to take me down using different tactics for the past chunk of weeks. Hitting really personal areas that have been known to be weaknesses in my past, if its not one, its another and its very interesting
• I praise Jesus daily for the privilege that it is that He has elected to use me to reach others with His love and He is bringing them to us I cannot imagine doing anything else and have never been more on fire and in love with Him and these people and for them to know Him
• That God would continue to strengthen us and draw us nearer to Him  individually and corporately

The Ms (Israel)

Praises for God’s provision- renters to sub let the apt for part of the time...pray that someone else would rent it for the rest of the time.

Prayers for their trip with the youth to France

• and reentry to Israel, A still has a flag on her status
• for the trip to the US
• for the believers they are discipling -praise for technology so they can stay in touch with them
• for the unbelievers , that they will make that choice for Jesus
• Healing for A’s ankle, she reinjured it. 
• for finances for the trip and their normal expenses

Pottengers  (Kenya) 

Praises

• for people stepping up to serve in CCLakeside
• For the growth of the church, 26 kids were in children’s church!

Prayers

•  A peaceful vote and outcome for Kenya Wed. Aug. 4th your 3rd in the evening and through the night. (We will be staying inside Wed. and much of Thurs. until we are confident there are no problems on the streets.)
•  Confidence in the Lord for those rising up to minister in the worship area, ladies Bible study, and Children\'s ministry
• Strength for Peg as she feels weary and ready to have baby on the outside
•  Safe travels and endurance as we travel on Mon. the 9th to Nairobi to see Peg\'s doctor and wisdom for the doctor as he instructs us for the delivery
• A continued desire for the people of CCL to study and know the Word of God
•  Overall health for Team Kisumu (KG\'s fighting a very runny nose)

Parks (London)

Praises -

• for the visitors and gifts from the US
• For amazing evangelism times
• Visit from evangelist Steve Coon

Prayer for -

• those who need Jesus , that they have spoken with, some several times. (Trevor & Colin)
• the study and the possibility of starting a new one in SoHo. 
• for those who have said yes to Jesus and still struggle in their old ways

Holydes (London)

Great meeting with owner of YumChaa. 

Prayer for God’s desire, about starting a new study and the starting of Sunday services

Nancy

• praises for all the help with the move last week!
• for being able to fix a computer problem without having to ask for help!! (well, there was prayer, so we know Who fixed it!)
• for making progress on decluttering my email inbox

prayers:

• these requests from SBS leader Ragaa who will wed Samuel August 5th in Egypt:
  • - We need grace from God to be united together in mind and spirit.
  • - We need grace for our future, specially our first two years, which is already planned, specially next year, God put in our heart to continue leading the next school together. We are so excited about it but it\'s a huge challenge.
  • - The students are going to organize a retreat for one week in August to invite around 150 Young people to come and read the whole Bible all together and to fast. Please pray for the organizers and participants to experience God\'s spirit and be transformed in a big way during this week.
• pray that I have an opportunity to speak with my sister\'s tenant about God, we\'re caring for the animals in my sister\'s absence this week.keep those prayers coming for my faithfulness in the little things.  new habits take a while to get established!
• that I not avoid difficult things with my family, but face them head on