January, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

We want to thank you for your donations and support this past year. We value the work of our PMU. God’s provision for our family has been amazing. Your gifts are helping us to spread the gospel in this country. We are very committed and passionate to win souls for Jesus, and we are appealing to you to share the burden with us.

PROJECT “WINNING THE LOST”

In November our church members were encouraged to invite visitors to our Sunday Services. We worked on our project, “Winning the Lost.” We gave a card to every person asking them to write down seven names of their family members or friends, and we started to pray for them. Then they worked to invite them to our church. I prepared to speak on evangelism. I challenged the church members to invite their friends. All the people who invited a new person to the church on December 25, received a gift. As of December 19, we are happy to say that five new souls were won to Jesus. Octavio Larea, Claudia Gonzales, Jose Cuevas, Enrique Duran, and Daniel Estrada, and two asked to pray for reconciliation with Jesus and forgiveness, Petronila and Yesenia. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will move in the hearts of those who will be saved.

AWANA COMPETITION IN EL ALTO CITY

On December 19, we took 34 of our Awana kids to El Alto city, approximately 45 minutes away from La Paz, to celebrate our annual Awana competition. I had the privilege to begin the competition with prayer. All the kids and their leaders participated. They had great spirit and energy. People were cheering louder and louder. There were no fights, just laughs, cheers, and celebration. It was great to see the leaders and kids from four different churches. Finally the team from “Dios es Amor” won the first place, and our Awana took second place. After the competition we shared 95 bags of popcorn which we had prepared.

WEB SITE AND RADIO STREAM MINISTRY

We continue to broadcast our radio program, “Pastoral Reflection.” In every program we receive at least one phone call requesting prayer. We are helping and counseling people who do not know Jesus. Our audience continues to grow. We are online once a week, Fridays from 8:00 – 10:00 pm (EST Time) through the local radio station 105.7 FM stereo and the Reformed Bible Broadcasting.

Our internet server reported that our program with 24/7 streaming had listeners in 52 different countries in November and December, 2011, including the following: United States, Switzerland , Argentina, Spain, Brazil, Bolivia, Singapore, Mexico, Germany, Finland, Netherlands, Chile, Indonesia, Colombia, Guatemala, United Kingdom, South Korea, Sweden, Italy, Peru, Australia, China, Russian Federation, Japan, Malaysia, Costa Rica, Canada, Ecuador, Poland, Ukraine, Denmark, France, Philippines, Panama, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Israel, Bulgaria, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Romania, Fiji, Egypt, Turkey, Guadeloupe, Venezuela, Lithuania, Hungary, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Uruguay, and Jordan. Please continue to pray for this project. (www.rbbradio.com)

BPC CHRISTMAS PROGRAM 2011

For this season we prepared a separate hymn book with Christmas hymns and carols (60 copies). On December 16, we had our “Musician’s Christmas Concert.” We had many visitors in our church, and the last 30 minutes, the concert was broadcasted by 105.7 FM for the cities of La Paz and El Alto.

On Sunday, December 18, we had our cantata and children’s program. (Our children were practicing many songs three times a week since the last week of November.) The drama of the Christmas story was represented for our children. I read the story of Joseph and Mary seeking a place for Mary to give birth to our Lord Jesus. The presentation was amazing. We had 124 in attendance, and we gave 120 gifts to the congregation; also toys were distributed to children. We really rejoice in commemorating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Two adults and five children accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Also we had our Christmas Eve candlelight service with songs, choral selections, and the Christmas message. May God touch the hearts of the visitors who attended. We thank each of you who kept us in prayer.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Please pray for the distribution of 5,000 gospel tracts in the streets and markets.
• Please pray for us as we plan to preach the gospel in the public squares with small music concerts and drama.
• Please pray for our VBS, January 9 – 14, 2012.
• Please pray for family visitations and Bible studies.
• Please pray for Grover and Alexandra, as their wedding will be held January 21, 2012.
• Pray for our Ladies Bible Studies. (Mondays at 4:00 pm)
• Please pray for our internet ministry, website and stream.
• Please pray for the completion of our church building.

PRAISES

• We praise the Lord for the Christmas program. New souls were won to Jesus.
• The Trinity Bible Society is sending us 200 calendars and 500 Gospels of John. The work of evangelism will continue in 2012.
• We printed 200 copies of the “One year Bible Reading Plan” authored by Dr. John Battle. It was translated into Spanish. Our church is reading, using this plan.
• We praise the Lord for the good health and safety of our family.
• We appreciate your sacrificial support. Please continue to support us in 2012.
• We are excited about 2012, another year in which to serve God. He is definitely worthy of our praise and service.

Thank you for taking time to read our prayer letter. We will still be praying for you.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Yours in Missions,

Rev.  David and Gloria Quisbert, David Jr. and Prisila.

Christians in Brazil grow up in a radical culture. New legislation will make it illegal to discipline according to the ancient standards of God’s Word. Brazil can rightly be called “The Gay Empire.” The annual “carnival” is an effusion of deviant sexuality. Crime is commonplace.  Dishonesty and corruption in finances are the norm. Brazil is dangerous; most live in guarded apartment complexes, and the few brave enough to live in houses are surrounded by walls with electric wires or broken bottles on top. Americans know these evils, but Brazil is perversion on steroids.

The spirituality of Brazil is difficult for Americans to understand. Spiritism is rapidly advancing with the help of major media, the rich and famous, literature, and the many centers of spirituality. Getting in contact with the “dead” is popular culture in Brazil. There are spiritist doctors who perform “spiritual” surgeries. When someone close to you dies in Brazil you can hear them speak to you or have them pass on a message in their own hand-writing (psychography)! Sadly, Spiritism comes in clothes of white ostensibly helping the poor and needy and even using the name of Jesus.

A Brazilian is surrounded by the deadness of the Roman Catholic Church or by the “evangelical” craze of the name-it-and-claim-it/wealth, health, and prosperity “gospel.” Atheism is another growing trend. This austere system leads to the untenable position that “life is meaningless” and will most likely not continue to attract the masses. With these options around it is no major surprise that the ancient pagan religions of animism and spirituality are enjoying a resurgence.

No man can gain the victory in the face of such enemies. Some may ask, “Why fight this battle in Brazil then? Why take your Mid-western wife and six precious young boys into this kind of warfare?” We have already entered the fray. Only negligence or cowardice could keep us from engaging these hostile forces. What is our hope in the face of such enemies? The gospel is our only hope and weapon. We pray that you will join with us in this spiritual battle.  “Ebenezer…’Till now the LORD has helped us.’” (1 Sam 7:12). — Elder Doug Leaman

]]> http://presbyterianmissions.org/ebenezer/feed/ 0 http://presbyterianmissions.org/cambodia-prayer-letter-the-baldwins/ http://presbyterianmissions.org/cambodia-prayer-letter-the-baldwins/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:27:41 +0000 adminkaren http://presbyterianmissions.org/?p=2700

November, 2011

Greetings in the name of our Savior!  Wiwin and I rejoice in God’s goodness and mercy to

us and pray He richly blesses you also.  The ministry here in Cambodia is made possible by the prayers and support of many around the world.  We look forward to seeing many of you when we’re next in the US on furlough, perhaps the summer of 2013.

Vouthia update

Mom is back.  You may recall I told you about a young man who’d been coming to our services in Kpbaom since the beginning.  After much fighting between his unbelieving parents, his mother (like many desperately poor women here) left for Malaysia on a two year contract to work as a maid.  Shortly thereafter the father left the children on their own.  Vouthia and his sister were good students in school and in the church, and we were moved to help them.  We (Wiwin & I, the church and even Team Timothy) have been providing them with rice, food and even a little money to pay school fees, so they can continue to study and, hopefully, graduate.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, Vouthia’s mom (Nop Soknee) was having an even rougher time.  Her employer was holding her passport (which they do to keep their domestic workers in bondage), and first one, then another family mistreated her.  A third family she went to work for beat her, and she went to the police for help.  They forced her employer to return her passport and let her come home.  This is a very typical story of the “foreign domestic worker” and the life they have in Muslim countries.

Soknee was happy to be reunited with her family, and her children were much relieved.  While she is not a believer she came to church to personally thank us for caring for her children.  She stayed through the whole service and heard the sermon and the gospel.  We do pray that God would use this experience to break her heart and turn her to Him.

Our First Anniversary

Wiwin and I have celebrated our first anniversary and taken a prayerful look back over our first year of marriage.  As we expected there were some early adjustments in understanding and helping each other surrounding our differences in age, background and experiences.  Through the help of godly pre-marital counseling, daily Bible reading, daily and weekly Bible Studies, and sharing our personal insights, God has used these trials to exercise and mature our faith and cement a strong bond between us.  We look forward to the life of Christian service we will have together and pray you will rejoice with us as we are expecting our first child in June.  The pregnancy has been hard on Wiwn, and she’ll be unable to venture out much on the back of our scooter, so we covet your prayers for her and our child.

The Trials of Farming

It’s been a difficult growing season for God’s people in Takeo.  The rains were very late this year forcing many to delay planting almost a month.  The rains were also lighter than usual leaving fields still dry and cracked on the very weekend of the worst flooding last year.  The monsoon rains have stayed north in Thailand, flooding the Mekong river in Cambodia and destroying an estimated 10% of the winter rice crop here.  The drought in the south endangers more as the monsoons have finished, and the rice hasn’t even set heads of grain yet.

Our people have been using the pumps some of you provided to flood their fields and protect their crops from the dry weather, but even with this wonderful gift, rice prices are down, and there’s little hope of getting the cash they need for the dry season; they will almost certainly suffer bitterly between now and next year’s harvest. Please keep them in your prayers.

The Gospel’s Reach

While we are planting a church and continue ministering in the same two villages, the ministry in this hard and broken land focuses primarily on spreading the gospel.  There are few here who have ever heard the biblical gospel and fewer still who have received it. Those who receive it face loss of friends, family and status in their village.  They also suffer from being functionally illiterate and having almost no biblical materials available to them in their language other than the local preaching and teaching of the word at a location within walking distance.  Most Christians have no pastor to teach them anything, and so raising up Khmer men to be pastors is the greatest need this land has so that the people may be fed and shepherded once they know Christ as Savior.

While hoping and praying God will raise up local shepherds for His flock, the work of spreading the gospel continues.  This past year we have seen some wonderful opportunities for presenting the message both to those who have heard but not understood and to those who may have never heard.  Many, having heard the gospel, hate it, never come back and forbid their children to ever attend our ministries again. So we pray hopefully and earnestly for those who do not believe but do keep coming to our weekly ministry as well as our special opportunities.

This summer Team Timothy came and held a VBS in our two villages.  Over 700 total people came to at least part of the program and heard the gospel message.  While we have seen more 1,000 come to our special programs in the past, having ten Americans in town still brought many who had never come before.  It was an event to be remembered for a lifetime for all who were involved.

This year we have also seen a number of new opportunities to preach and teach open to us as well.  I have been preaching periodically at a local Reformed Bible college and seminary.  I’ve also had the opportunity to teach over 100 lay pastors there.  We’ve been blessed to teach and preach in a number of other villages here and there where Wiwin’s skills with the children’s ministry have proved a real blessing both to me and the children.

For me, perhaps the sweetest opportunity we’ve had is to get a translator available mid-week (between college semesters) to make a trip by scooter to do pastoral visitation.  The people really need the individual counseling and encouragement from us.  We went as a couple, did a brief biblical encouragement, listened to their issues and ministered to them as best we could in a short time.

Closing Thought

Please continue steadfast in prayer for us, our people, and that our Sovereign Lord would make a way for this ministry to continue in these difficult economic times.

Your Servants in Christ,

Pastor Mark & Wiwin Baldwin

November, 2011

Dear Honored Sponsors and Praying Partners,

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus!

We are now coming to the end of the year. How wonderful is our God who has faithfully supplied all our needs and has been using His unworthy instruments like me.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you for your unceasing prayers and continuous support to the mission work in Myanmar.  I never stop praising the Lord for your partnership with me in the gospel ministry. My great privilege and joy is serving the Lord together with you. The Lord has blessed me and encouraged me so much through your prayers and partnership. “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:4-5).

I also praise the Lord for using His feeble and unworthy instruments like me. The longer I serve Him, the more I realize my unworthiness. At the same time the better I understand His grace and goodness. I enjoy so much serving the Lord. It is my greatest privilege.

I would like to tell you what the Lord has been doing with us since our last prayer letter in June.

Yangon BP Church: The Yangon church is happy to see the Lord bringing new people to attend worship. Pray that they may become covenanted members of the church.

Sharing the Gospel: The BP youth group delivered 1700 gospel tracts in October. We praise the Lord for blessing the BP church with such active and zealous young people for the Lord’s ministry.

Reformed Faith Seminars: The second Reformed Faith Seminar was held on August 23, 2011. The seminar subject was the Five Solas of the Reformation (Part 1). I presented a paper on Sola Fide. People testified that it was a great day for the Reformed believers in Myanmar. On October 20, we held the third seminar at the Yangon BP Church.  It was another remarkable day for us.

Bible Class: The Lord has blessed richly the Bible class in Yangon. We have around 20 people joining the class, mostly BP church members. Some people come to the Bible class to know more about us and the BP church. Please continue to pray for this.

Visiting Friends from Australia: Rev. Edward Paauwe and his group plan to minister to us in January, 2012. They will teach “The Ten Commandments” and “The Five Points of Calvinism.” Please pray for them as they are preparing

It is through your partnership that the Lord has made it possible to keep working the task God has laid upon us. We need your continuous prayer and support to carry on the ministry, even in this next year. I do hope that you will do so. Let’s keep joining our hands for Christ and His church. Myanmar is known as “the land of pagodas.” Your prayer and partnership can help this nation become “the land of churches.” Together we make a difference.

May the Lord bless you abundantly as you have made many sacrifices to “Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people” (Ps.96:3).

Sincerely in His service,

Rev. Khawl Ro Kima

Praises:

• Ten covenant children were received as full covenanted church members in October. Half of them are orphanage children.
• The Lord has blessed the Bible class since the beginning. More students have joined the class.
• The Lord has blessed the orphanage children in many ways, especially in giving them good health this year.

Prayer Requests:

• We are planning to have a gospel concert for evangelizing non-Christians living in our neighborhood.
• Please continue to pray for our children who are receiving TB treatments. They are Elder Zauva’s son (Ram Dina), my son (Andrew) and daughter (Jenny).
• Pray for the future missionary who will continue the mission work at Namhu. Right now we have one candidate.
• Pray also for the future pastor who will take care of the believers at Thinglei. Elder Mawia is  taking care of them at this time.
• Please pray that God will provide the additional $2,500 needed (in addition to our current donations) to cover our expenses in 2012.

With much praise and rejoicing, the year-old congregation in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, is gratefully establishing its testimony in the community with the help of its new building. The renovation work continues little by little, but the building is fully functional and a beautiful place in which to worship. Visitors are making their way to the services on a regular basis, and the body is encouraged by the repeat visits that it sees from folks in the community. A truly blessed dedication service in September, and a special mid-week presentation in October by Mrs. Ruth Moran of Bright Hope Ministries on the grace of God to endure through cancer, continue to bear fruit, along with the regular preaching of the Word.

I intend to begin keeping office hours at the church soon to be more of a presence in the heart of the community, and a suitable area is being prepared and appropriate furnishings secured for that purpose. At the same time, the weekly Bible study in Sandpoint, Idaho, continues to progress toward seeking formal mission status with the Great Western Presbytery with a faithful group of Reformed believers intent upon being salt and light in Bonner County. Thank you for your prayers for the works in Idaho. — Dr. Pine

]]> http://presbyterianmissions.org/idaho-mission-gets-settled-in-new-sanctuary/feed/ 0 http://presbyterianmissions.org/usa-%e2%80%94-dr-len-pine-pmu-north-american-field-director-and-church-planter/ http://presbyterianmissions.org/usa-%e2%80%94-dr-len-pine-pmu-north-american-field-director-and-church-planter/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:04:50 +0000 adminkaren http://presbyterianmissions.org/?p=2531  

Friends, greetings in the Lord’s name. He has been so good and faithful to us this year that it is hard to know where to begin. A good place to start would be to say “Thank you!” for your prayers and support of the work here in North Idaho.

The biggest focal point of the work since May especially has been the renovation of the building here in Bonners Ferry. Once a neglected and overgrown eyesore that made the neighbors wince every time they saw it, the church-turned-business-turned-residence-turned-church-again has risen like the mythical phoenix to be a place that is both delightful to look at and to be in. The entire community has marveled at the transformation, and even in mid-process, the change has made people glad that we moved into town. Since the first Sunday in September, we’ve been enjoying the use of it at last, though there is still much work to do before it is “finished.” Many, many hours of hard work by our small congregation and friends from our Presbytery and the community have resulted in a place that exalts our Lord, as He enabled us.

Church planting is seldom one long, smooth climb toward establishing a mature body. Along the way, there are always ups and downs and the challenges related to beginning something new. This fall, one of our core families was forced to move out of the area due to employment demands, but the Lord has been bringing others to encourage us. We hope the family will be able to return next year but are thankful for the blessing they are being to one of our sister BP churches.

I continue in my role as Field Director at PMU, a necessary and welcome obligation. I spent nearly three weeks away in Cambodia this summer and another at Synod. Then, I fell ill with pneumonia and threw my back out setting up the log posts for the church sign, which has made work very difficult for the past month. Still, the Lord continues to do and keep the work, and I am confident that His testimony in and through us here will be well established. Just this past Lord’s Day, we were encouraged by brand new visitors who assured us they would return. So, the Lord gives us the tokens of His blessings along the way to remind us exactly Who is “at large and in charge,” as a friend of mine likes to say.

The newer church planting work in the city of Sandpoint to the south of us here has also been going well. The group is slowly growing, gaining oneness of mind as we go along, and rejoicing in the study of God’s Word together. Though I’ve started churches before, I’ve never started two at once, and so it is fascinating to me to see the different ways in which the Lord takes His people and molds them into a visible communion. It’s exciting to be part of it, to say the least.

For your times of prayer, here are a few items that I hope you’ll remember as you think of us:

• Over the fall and winter, we hope to begin the process of seeking the Lord’s moving among us to raise up officers from the body here in Bonners Ferry, a momentous step forward in the life of the mission.
• Please keep the Sandpoint preaching point in your prayers as it develops and grows. Specifically, we would ask for avenues of testimony to open up in the community where the power of the whole counsel of God would be appropriately applied in the civic and spiritual lives of the populace.
• Karen, my dear wife, is facing foot surgery this winter, and we would ask for the Lord’s provision of what we need to cover the bills, and cover the work here in the office, a great concern to her. She’ll be off her feet for six to eight weeks, so we’ll definitely have some shuffling to do to get everything accomplished. She continues to do a terrific job in the PMU office, balancing those tasks with the duties of wife and mother.
• Our daughter, Chelsea, continues her college studies in California. She’s doing well, though keeping her health strong is proving to be a challenge this year. She was just diagnosed with mono, and so we are praying for her endurance and return to health.  Costs have also gone up, and so we pray for the Lord to provide a job for her there that will enable her to stay in school, and still do school.
• Our son, Eli, is pressing on full steam ahead with his desire to graduate from the charter high school a year early, and he is doing well. He’s learning a little of the cost of being righteous, as those he counted as friends last year have snubbed him this year due to his lack of enthusiasm for their fallen life-styles and choices. Pray for him to stand strong and be discerning. He desires to be a restaurateur and is eagerly pouring himself into preparing for that profession.
• As for me, your prayers for my physical and spiritual stamina would be greatly appreciated; for growth “from grace to grace” so that I would be a fit vessel to serve the Lord in the three ministries (four, counting my family) that the Lord has entrusted to me; and for an abiding joy and love for the Lord’s people.

Once again, thank you for your love and support of our family as we labor here in Idaho. May God bless and keep you in the safety of His everlasting arms.

Yours for Christ’s service,

Len Pine

 October, 2011

Dear Brothers in Christ:

These last months have been very good. We want to thank you for your sustained support of our mission work in La Paz, Bolivia. We pray that the good Lord continues to reward and bless you. In this letter we are glad to share with you some areas of our ministry.

INDEPENDENCE DAY IN BOLIVIA

On August 6^th we celebrated a new anniversary of Bolivia. While the official celebration was held in Sucre, I had the privilege of participating in the official local program led by the local governor.  We had a public service in the “Murillo square” where I led in song and prayer. We shared gospel tracts with the leadership of La Paz.  I gave thanks to the Lord once again because, in July, we participated in the official service with Bolivian authorities. Now in this opportunity we went with our elders, deacons and my wife Gloria. Thank you for your prayers.

RECEPTION OF NEW BPC MEMBERS

Our Church had the privilege to receive six new church members on Sunday, August 14^th. Our church is growing.  Two new members also received the sacrament of baptism. We had a wonderful service and celebrated the Lord’s Supper with the congregation and the new members. We praise the Lord for the family of God.

MANUALS AND GUIDE BOOKS FOR OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL

One of the greatest needs of our church is manuals and guide books for our Sunday school classes. We wrote and printed 40 books. We know that these materials can help make our Sunday schools more effective and a blessing to our students. We continue writing more manuals and guide books.

AWANA PROGRAM

In September we worked to increase our Awana attendance by visiting some parents of our clubbers. We were sad when we learned that Nicole and Ephaim are going to take their first communion in the Roman Catholic Church in December. Their parents are Roman Catholic and decided for their kids. Please pray for these kids.

On the other hand we thank the Lord because this month we had more kids in our Awana. Most of them are eager to learn the Bible stories and memory verses. We had many competitions and gave prizes and snacks to the kids. Please pray for us. We need adult volunteers, leaders and helpers.

CHRISTIAN LITERATURE, GOSPEL OF JOHN

One of my concerns in the ministry is having available Christian literature and gospel tracts. I have made contact with Bible and tract societies to get Christian literature at a low price.  Two tract societies have sent five thousand gospel tracts, and we are waiting on tracts from the Free Tract Society.

Since last year we started to help in the Bolivian committee of the Trinitarian Bible Society to review the Spanish translation of the Bible (Reina Valera). In Spanish countries there are many committees. We finished reviewing the Gospel of John, and now it is ready. The General Secretary of the TBS of US (William Greendyk) came to Bolivia to meet with the committee. We asked for a printing of the Gospel of John and found out that they have received a donation to print the Gospel of John for free distribution in South America. We presented a project for printing and distribution.  Please pray for us as we seek to share the Gospel of John throughout Bolivia and its neighboring countries.

WEB SITE AND RADIO STREAM MINISTRY

We thank the Lord for our radio program, “Pastoral Reflection.” It brings the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Spanish people. The Bible teaches that there is an eternal hell and an eternal heaven. In order to inherit eternal life in heaven, one must repent and receive Jesus Christ into his or her life.  We share this message.  Listeners call by phone sharing their prayer requests. We praise the Lord for the opportunity to testify about the gospel each week. 24 hours, 7 days a week our English internet broadcasting is also available on: www.rbbradio.com

FEEDING THE HOMELESS IN LA PAZ

On September 23^rd my wife, kids, and I went to help the homeless people who live in the area near our BPC.  Our missionary work in La Paz has an impact by preaching the gospel to these people. We distributed 200 gospel tracts and ten copies of the Gospel of John.

We are now working with the immigrants from “North of Potosi.” The reality is these people are hungry for food and hungry to hear the Word of God. We prepared to explain God’s plan of Salvation because we know about the power of the gospel; it can change people.  A spiritual conversion can break the culture of poverty. It’s sad to see many homeless moms with their kids and older adults living in poverty.

We shared the gospel and urged people to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Many repented and asked for prayer. That morning we shared fresh bread with a cup of milk. Please pray for those people who are living in poverty without Jesus.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Please pray for the distribution of 1500 gospel tracts in the streets and markets.
2. Please pray for our church pre-marriage counseling class.
3. Pray for our Ladies Bible Studies. (Mondays 4:00 pm)
4. Pray for our AWANA program. We need adult volunteers, leaders and helpers.
5. We will celebrate our annual Reformation Day. Pray for our Reformation Day lecture.
6. Please pray for our internet ministry, website and stream.
7. Please remember to pray for our monthly support.
8. Please pray for the completion of our church building.

PRAISES

1. We visited the Zuzo’s family and encouraged them. We also visited Mrs. Irma Calderon at the Military Hospital. She is an older senior with heart problems; now she is at home.
2. On September 23, we fed 150 homeless in La Paz city. We distributed 200 gospel tracts and ten copies of the Gospel of John.
3. On September 25^th we commemorated the 442nd anniversary of the publication of the Spanish Bible (Reina Valera). The members of the church memorized and repeated the Books of the Bible. Each one received a sample of the Gospel of John and our BPC bookmarks.
4. On Wednesday evenings we have our Bible Study and Prayer. We thank the Lord for the conclusion of the studies of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Epistles of John.
5. We praise the Lord for the good health and safety of my family.

 Yours in Missions,

Rev.  David and Gloria Quisbert, David Jr. and Prisila.

www.quisbert.org

Reaching unreached people groups is one of the basic objectives for starting the Bible Presbyterian Church in Myanmar. There are still 41 identified unreached people groups in Myanmar. The spiritual harvest is still plentiful.

Having the same conviction with the Apostle Paul who says, “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20), the BP church in Myanmar has been doing her best to reach the Intha people who are one of the least reached people groups in Myanmar.

The Intha people live in the Shan State around Inlay Lake, the most beautiful and famous lake in Myanmar. It is also one of the most attractive places for tourists. Intha means “sons of the lake.” The majority of the Intha are Buddhists while the minority are animists. The Intha are well known for their one-legged rowing technique which the fishermen developed to enable them to keep two hands free for fishing. Because the Intha people do not have much fertile land, they developed a system of floating gardens on which they grow vegetables, fruits and flowers that support the surrounding area.

Elder Pazar is our missionary working in Inlay. His main focus is to plant a church at Kay Lar village located at the very center of Inlay Lake and then reach out to the surrounding areas. Due to opposition, missionary Pazar and his family are not permitted to stay at the village. This has been one of the main hindrances to the effectiveness of his work. Nevertheless, Pazar has been doing his best. He has a handful of baptized believers there and is now discipling them. Worship service is held on every Sunday.

Though the work is slow, we keep moving forward. Since Inlay is one of the greatest strongholds of Satan in Myanmar, more prayer and effort are needed; long-term plans are also needed.

Please pray for Missionary Pazar and his family that they may have the wisdom and strength for the ministry. Please pray also for the new believers that they be rooted firmly in Christ and growing in the grace and knowledge of their Lord.— Rev. Kima

]]> http://presbyterianmissions.org/inlay-mission-work-in-myanmar/feed/ 0 http://presbyterianmissions.org/cambodia%e2%80%99s-hungry-ghosts/ http://presbyterianmissions.org/cambodia%e2%80%99s-hungry-ghosts/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 23:44:49 +0000 adminkaren http://presbyterianmissions.org/?p=2436 When we visited the countryside with some students from a local Reformed Bible College this past Sunday we were surprised to find so many drunken people of all ages wandering around.  We could see drinking everywhere, and those that were drunk ranged in age from old (60+ here) to those who were obviously still in their pre-teen years.   I later noticed a shrine with an unidentifiable god (perhaps a Buddha or a Ganesh) and a “feast” spread out before it resplendent with food, beer and even a cigarette!  I realized it must be some ancestor worship day but not the standard ones, so I guessed (rightly) that it must be the “Hungry Ghost Festival.”

One of our VBS translators (Socheat) was the leader at this mission point, so when there was a break I inquired concerning the situation.  He confirmed my suspicion and told me many of his students (pre-teens) wanted him to cancel classes, so they could join the party (and get drunk!).  He had politely but firmly refused and asked them to come to his Bible, English and Chinese classes instead.  He had, at least for a few hours, kept them from the debauchery of the day.

The “Hungry Ghost Festival” is a traditional Chinese Buddhist festival and holiday celebrated in many countries.  It is celebrated by many Buddhists, Taoists and Chinese folk religion believers and is linked to the region’s ancestor worship.  On this day they believe the gates of heaven and hell are opened, and the ghosts can visit the living.  Some also view it as a day when the condemned in hell can be pardoned.  As a result rituals are performed; incense is burned, and ritual food offerings are left in shrines and spirit-houses.  Often the families hold feasts and empty seats are set for deceased relatives to join and bless them.  In some areas the poor are also fed to appease the wandering ghosts and to earn a better standing in the next life.

Please pray for the light of the gospel here. — Rev. Mark Baldwin

]]> http://presbyterianmissions.org/cambodia%e2%80%99s-hungry-ghosts/feed/ 0 http://presbyterianmissions.org/new-members-at-la-paz-bpc/ http://presbyterianmissions.org/new-members-at-la-paz-bpc/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:00:06 +0000 adminkaren http://presbyterianmissions.org/?p=2410 On August 14th, six new people were received into La Paz BPC’s membership. The church also held a wonderful fellowship dinner in August.   We praise God for those He is bringing into His church.

Please remember the Quisberts and all those working with the outreaches of the church, including AWANA, radio ministry, and feeding the homeless.