Jun 23
Praying the Word Ministries: ZIMBABWE update
THANK YOU!! To those who have invested, given for Zimbabwe, THANK YOU. We are making a difference, but more is needed. The situation worsens politically and affects everyone.
I just got off the phone with Bishop Emmanuel Bawa from Zimbabwe, Africa. As we were sharing about what is going on in our lives, and what God is doing, I asked questions and a heart-wrenching scenario unfolded.
Across every level of people (except high officials in government), severe hunger and starvation is happening. At a recent government roadblock, a policeman collapsed onto the road, weak from hunger. Later that same week a stranger with a child appeared at Immanuel Chapel Ministries. It is cold there now and both were not clothed for the cold weather. Hungry and shivering from the cold, Bishop Bawa did what he could to help, including giving money out of his own pocket.
Several leaders, those with government type jobs or connections, who are Christians have had their lives threatened, including members of ICM. One recently fired government official we have met and prayed for, is in hiding due to threats and attempted murder on him and his family.
Nelson Chamisa, who ran against the current president of Zimbabwe (the vote count actually showed he won that election), is a pastor and president of the Movement for Democratic Change, has also had MUCH come against him. He remains victorious over all attempts. Keep him in prayer.
BUT God is using the situation and our support to draw people. Many are coming to ICM seeking help who have never been before. Recently on a radio program, the announcer was asked from a call-in if he knew where they could get food. He told them he heard that Immanuel Chapel Ministries in Waterfalls (ICM) was able to help! Our prayer is that this kindness will result in people seeking the God we/they represent!
Please help us help them. These words do not come near expressing appropriately the grief and concern I could hear in Bishop Bawa’s voice for his people, the people of Zimbabwe.
Keep up the prayers, and as you can, please give. 100% of the money goes to ICM/Bishop Bawa. We cover any costs incurred to send.
You can give here – all donations are tax deductible.
Bless you,
Cheryl Coulter
President, Praying the Word Ministries
(SIDE NOTE – to those whose comments question about helping the hungry in the USA – yes we do, and in other countries. However Zimbabwe is the mission field God has called me to minister to, serve in, and adopt as my second home)
Jun 01
GRACE CHRISTIAN OUTREACH MINISTRIES, The Rosendahls
Dear Friends,
God bless all of you!
We pray that you are feeling the calm at the end of the storm as states open up again, step by step, after this trying challenge of the coronavirus. We also pray that the effects of the corona virus on your family and financial livelihood were slim to none. If you or your family were affected significantly by the coronavirus, we pray that God would restore back to you and multiply back to you what was lost! We serve a great, loving God who wants to take care of His children!
Personally, this time of the corona virus pandemic has been difficult in many ways. However, in many ways this time of the coronavirus pandemic has also been a blessing to us, and to the ministry. Usually, as a family, we have at most two weeks together each month. During this time, we have had at least two months together which has been a blessing. We have also been able to accomplish many important administrative things that had been put off for a long time due to my being in Mexico so much. This time has been a blessing by allowing me to get rejuvenated and restored to be at 100% strength when things do open up in Mexico. I will turn 50 in August and when ministering in Mexico, everything goes at a whirlwind pace, so this slower time of focusing on office and administrative work has done a lot for me physically and emotionally.
FOOD
A month ago, God put in the heart of one of our donor couples to provide a very generous amount of food for needy Mexican people being affected greatly by the corona virus, including government lockdowns and loss of work. Through their generous donation, many thousands of people have been blessed with meals that will last them up to a week or more depending on the size of their family. These meals were distributed throughout Mexico by the local pastors. Some of the cities where churches received food care packages to distribute to the needy in their churches and outside of their churches were Ensenada, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Acuna, Puebla, Mexico City and Nuevo Laredo. A church in Oaxaca City took the food care packages to a mountain village far removed from Oaxaca City and blessed the needy people there. In the future, we are talking about starting a church in that village.
In Guadalajara, we were blessed to be able to buy a nice loaded care package with a wide variety of different foods for several dollars. In the other areas we made our own care packages consisting of rice, beans, boxes of elbow macaroni and cans of tomato sauce. The local churches often added other supplies along with the basics. Sylvia and I have worked hand in hand to facilitate this project by many hours on the phone speaking with pastors and pricing the food items in each area.
Pray for Mexico
Please pray for the people in Mexico as the corona virus cases and deaths are still climbing. Pastors have encouraged me not to come to Mexico until things have improved and lockdowns are lifted. Thankfully, pastors and evangelists continue to distribute literature throughout Mexico. A new Bible School has started in Guadalajara and people have seen Jesus’ love through the churches’ distribution of food care packages throughout Mexico. This brings great joy to us as missionaries! The desire of a missionary is to see the national church lead the way in reaching its people for Christ and in spreading the love of Jesus to its people!
Thanks for partnering with GCOM to impact lives for Christ in Mexico and around the world! We appreciate your faithfulness and know that God will reward you for your faithfulness and generosity! Serving Christ,
Rev. Kevin, Sylvia, and Joshua Rosendahl
Ministry Needs
-Continued faithful prayer and financial support for the ministry
-If you feel a desire to help with additional food for the Mexican people, just let us know when you send your donation. Any amount will be a huge blessing!
Prayer Needs –
Pray that the corona virus would rapidly subside and disappear in the U.S., Mexico and around the world
-Pray for Rick Waymire of Body Life Ministries, who prints a lot of the literature that we distribute, as he has been battling severe back pain and incredible tiredness that he cannot seem to shake. Pray for 100% healing of his body and for strength and energy
-Pray for Sylvia as she has been having pain in her liver area. Pray that the pain leaves and for her healing -Pray for Josh as he heads up our ministry IT work. Pray that God uses him mightily to use the computer to spread God’ s Word
–Pray for Josh to be led by the Holy Spirit in all of his decisions, to seek God with all of his heart and to be kept free from the enemy’s lies
-For GCOM’s finances to be blessed to do able to reach more people for Christ
-For wisdom in every ministry, family, and individual decision
Thank you for your partnership! All contributions are tax deductible.
Remember, PayPal is a safe and convenient way to donate to Grace Christian Outreach Ministry.
Go to www.paypal.com. Sign up and usage is free. Payment can be made by either credit card or bank debit. Simply choose the send money tab. Put in our email address ([email protected]) and the amount you wish to contribute
205 Wildwood Avenue
Madison, MN 56256
Phone: 320-598-3094
Jun 01
May Report from Stephanie Baughman, Tasmania, Australia
Dear Friend,
I hope this letter finds you well. Here is your May update a day late. Yesterday was Pentecost. In honor of that, one of the Scriptures I’ve been reflecting on this morning is Galatians 5. When the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the believers, His fruit was a manifestation of that as well. My thoughts took me to the chaos we’ve been experiencing here in the U.S. during the last few days. Paul speaks of the deeds of the flesh and the Spirit being opposed to one another. Repentance for the past and present is needed. Forgiveness is needed. As Christ followers, the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us to give us that fruit in our lives. You know the ones. You may have memorized them as a child, as a pastor’s daughter recently told me she did with a song: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Paul goes on to finish the passage with “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Will you let the Holy Spirit manifest that fruit in your life that comes with your new nature for God’s glory to the ones you meet/call around you today?
May has been spent, in my world, communicating with Tasmanian children, youth, and adults. I learned some new technology skills to keep up with that along the way. I have been discipling Cody. You may remember him. He’s the little boy that when he moved with his Mom to Tasmania, she was determined to raise him Muslim. He’s since become a Christian and been baptized. We’ve been meeting for most of May via video chat, but just last week I worked out how to share screen to show him a video of an object lesson that went with the Scripture passage I was reading with Him and send a file of a coloring page on the story right there on the chat. It’s been good to spend some one on one time with a few of the children. You can see a picture of Cody showing me his recent LEGO creation attached. He also made Noah and the Ark while we were together as we spent two sessions on Noah.
After meeting with Good News Club teachers, also via video, they voted to do what is called “letterbox packs” to all of the Good News Club children as well as some extra children we normally reach through holiday club, but don’t come to a Good News Club. I was actually very proud of them, because that was the option that would take the most work on their end. They delivered these to the children’s mailboxes with a Scripture passage, memory verse game, craft, learning activity, a letter from me, a tract about COVID, and candy.
One of the Good News Club teachers received this response back “Hi its Millie and Jesse, Thank you for dropping of the good news club yesterday. We enjoy doing the little activities and learing about God 🙂 we hope you are well and we hope to see you soon.” I’m attaching to this email also the tract about COVID that all of the children and families received.
We have four churches in Tasmania that operate a youth group together. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned in previous emails, but I am on the youth team. So I’ve been joining in the youth group Friday nights (which is 5 a.m. Friday morning here). We’ve been studying the life of Peter. I was very surprised when the leader said we would be doing a study of Peter as that is what I am studying to teach to the Good News Club children whenever I can return to Tasmania and we can go back to in person clubs. The youth vary in where they are spiritually, but I have noticed some growth in some of them as they discuss things on Zoom that I never saw when we were meeting in person.
There are various other meetings as well such as getting a budget done with my bookkeeper for the ministry year that starts in July in Australia, church morning teas, and Bible study discussion groups. As you can imagine, these things most often take place during the middle of the night while America is sleeping. This brings me to my biggest challenge during this time. Living in two time zones. Perhaps, my biggest prayer right now, is that my body will stay strong while I do this time of living in two different worlds.
I also don’t want to miss the opportunities that God puts right in front of me here in South Carolina though too. In that vain, I am on the teaching team of Christian Youth in Action. Young people are being trained to reach boys and girls around the State of South Carolina this summer with the Gospel. Some of these 5-Day Clubs will be online and some smaller clubs in person. For training, young people will meet in small groups at CEF offices and churches to tune into Google Classroom classes.
I’ll be with two young ladies in person in the Orangeburg CEF office while I teach the rest over Google Classroom. I’ll have two Bible lesson classes, a class on Teaching Children to Pray, and sharing my missions testimony. It will certainly be a new adventure for everyone doing this format of teacher training.
It will be a jump out of my comfort zone relating to American teenagers. While I have picked up on some ideas from the Aussie youth group on Friday night, it is a different culture here. Pray for God to give me more ideas to make this more interactive for them. Pray for the principles of studying a Bible passage, especially come across understandably. CYIA will be June 14-19. The youth will then be released to do 5-Day Clubs in their areas of the state for four weeks.
Prayer Requests:
· Praise God for some special one-on-one time with a few of my Good News Club children.
· Praise God for allowing me to have my birthday with family.
· Praise God for the technology that allows us all to stay in touch and do ministry around the world.
· Pray for God to open the door for me to return to Tasmania.
· Pray for wisdom for the National CEF Board, the Australian Government, and the Tasmanian Government as they work through all situations involved in this.
· Pray for my body’s immune system to be strong in the midst of having a very inconsistent sleeping schedule.
· Pray for Good News Clubs to be able to return in person when it is safe to do so and fits government regulations.
· Pray for Tasmanian church leaders as they work through what it will look like for churches to return in person soon.
· Pray for South Carolina Christian Youth in Action to reach many children this summer.
· Pray for wisdom for CEF directors, staff, and the teaching team who will be working with the young people June 14-19.
· Pray for the technology to work.
In Christ for the children,
Stephanie
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