Farver - October 2010
As usual the last couple months have been very busy. It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed out in the process of raising support. Yet, as I reflect on the happenings of the last two months God's blessings and provisions are abundantly visible! So, we continue to find rest and comfort in God, our refuge and hope! In September and October we traveled repeatedly to Northwestern Iowa, to Illinois, and finished off with a church right here in Des Moines. We started off going to Grace E-Free Church in Denison, Iowa. The following week we were in LeMars Iowa at LeMars Bible Church where we took part in their Mission’s Conference. The very next weekend we were back North in Onawa, Iowa where we were part of Onawa E-Free's Mission’s Conference. After that, we traveled Southeast to Quincy Illinois where we shared with Calvary Baptist Church. Finally, last weekend we shared with Trinity Baptist Church on the South side of Des Moines. Every one of these Churches were welcoming and encouraging to us as we shared our passion and vision for Mango. So we say thank you to the Churches and pastors who have allowed us to share! We are so grateful for the friendships we have made in our travels (this is definitely one of the best parts of pre-field ministry)!
We are also excited to report that we recently received word that Fellowship Baptist Church in Mt. Zion, Illinois (near Decatur) is taking us on for support! This is a great answer to prayer and brings our monthly support level to almost 52%. Another answer to prayer recently was meeting Glenn and Carol Ginder. The Ginder’s were missionaries in Malaysia for many years working with Muslims. They are now back in the Des Moines area and willing to teach us and plug us into Muslim ministry here! Things in Mango continue to progress well, and building will pick up even more with the end of the rainy season. One of the latest projects was the installation of a swimming pool on the Hospital compound. The pool was donated and installed by a company here in the states. It will provide much needed relief from the heat for building teams, missionaries and missionary kids for years to come. Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support! It is a blessing and comfort to know that we are greatly supported by so many faithful friends and family. May God bless you all!
Frost Bite
Get ready Middle School for an overnight trip w/ your friends and leaders!
Details: Meet at the church at 5:30. We will load up the vans and head down to Wesley Woods just outside of Indianola. We will be tobogganing, playing games, and having a white elephant gift exchange, and much more.
Speaking at this retreat will be Greg Pollak from Living Waters Fellowship.
Cost $27
Voelker – November 2010
We’ve asked you to pray with us this school year for our new Nepalese student in the elementary. Uttam needs to learn more English in order to be able to get passing grades and in order to begin to understand God’s love for him. Please continue to pray with us for Uttam’s language development as well as for his academic and spiritual growth.
We rarely have contact with the parents of our five Nepalese students. They do not normally attend any school events or programs. Recently, however, Uttam’s father along with several uncles, and grandparents visiting Portugal came to see the school. Grandfather is a Hindu priest in Nepal. The three high school girls recently shared this in girl’s Bible Study; “Our parents sent us to this school so we could get a good English education and learn manners, but we know that God had other plans.” Imagine the impact these believers can have if God leads them to return to Nepal, a country that is very difficult for foreign missionaries to enter! Soon, in an attempt to have some contact and influence on these parents, our entire group of missionaries hopes to share a meal in one of the seven Asian restaurants these families own. Pray that this will lead to opportunities to share Christ’s love with the parents of our students. One more Nepalese student may soon join our elementary student body.
Milord (pronounced Mee-Lord) is an eleventh grade Nepalese student. He trusted Christ as an elementary student at another Christian school and joined us at Greater Lisbon Christian Academy when his family moved closer to our side of Lisbon. Milord is the only one of the students from Hindu families who has been allowed to attend youth group at Igreja Baptista de Ramada. Recently Milord made the very important decision to follow the Lord in believers baptism. Missionary Ken Lowe went with him when he told his mother that he was a Christian and wished to be baptized. Soon he will be telling his father about this decision. So far his sister and female cousins have not been allowed to attend an evangelical church. Please pray for our students who do not have Christian parents enforcing the truths they are learning at school.
In closing we would like to ask you to pray for the Thomas family who are in their fifth year of ministry in Portugal. They learned on Friday that their one year old daughter has a cancerous tumor on her kidney. More tests will be completed this week to determine the extent of the cancer before recommending treatment that will probably include chemotherapy and surgery to remove her kidney. Please pray for parents, Jeff and Jenny Thomas, and for Maddie, Ellen and Noah, Elisabeth’s older siblings who are all students in our school. Pray that God will continue to give peace and hope to the family and that He will be glorified as they continue to trust Him through this difficult season.
Thank you so much for your partnership as we continue to minister at Greater Lisbon Christian Academy and at Igreja Baptista de Loures. We could not be here without your prayer and financial support.
Believing He is able, Cal and Joyce Voelker
Pray for:
Elisabeth Thomas and her entire family
Uttam to trust Christ and succeed in school
Milord’s baptism on November 7th
Usha, Benjina and Mikky to be allowed to attend church
For our students from Christian fami-lies (Koreans, Germans, Brazilians, Ca-nadians, Americans) to grow in their faith and desire to share Christ with others.
Boyd - October 2010
Setbacks and Blessings
I wrote our last prayer letter when everything was looking good. We were just starting a new Grupo de Impacto and had seen some positive results. Well, since then we hit a brick wall in the ministry here.
We had started a new group in the Medinas’ house, but after a good initial turnout, the attendance dwindled down to nothing. We have decided to suspend the group in their house for a few weeks while we regroup in that neighborhood.
In the group in the Carters’ house, we had seen what we thought was a good core group. That group dwindled down to two adults. Needless to say we were pretty discouraged.
At that point we were feeling somewhat like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We were questioning ourselves and our ministry, but we weren’t questioning God. We realized that God wanted to teach us more humility. And we began to pray more.
A month after hitting that wall, we can say that God has been working in lives and in our ministry plans here.
This last week we opened a new Grupo de Impacto in our home. We had eight adults from our neighborhood come out for our first meeting. The exciting thing is that all of the adult guests except one were invited by Eduardo. He continues to grow spiritually and desire to share the gospel with many of his friends.
One of the rooms of Eduardo’s house burned up, which turned out to be a great blessing. Huh? Yes, as a result, his wife, Maria del Carmen, and his older son Eduardo Jr. have begun attending our group. In fact, I’ve started a Bible study with Eduardo Jr., who suffers from severe fear issues. The first time he came to my house he was trembling, but I’ve become his new friend, and he’s really enjoyed our Bible study. Please pray that God would free him from the greatest fear, which is to face God at the final judgment without Christ (Hebrews 10:31). God has also allowed me to start a new Bible study with a whole family in Taganga. They have been very excited about the study. Please pray for Howard, Stefania, Nelson, and Gladys.
Perhaps the most interesting development in our plans has been the new goal to launch with public Sunday services on December 5th. We had not wanted to pursue that goal for a while because we didn’t feel ready. But God has used the setbacks to help us see that Sunday services will help us spiritually and culturally as well. We have talked to a local Christian musician who is going to be helping us with the music. Now we just need to purchase the needed startup equipment and determine where we will start meeting. At this point we are considering the upstairs hall of our office building, where we think that at least 30 people would fit. We just need to talk to Joaquin, the owner of the office, to see if that would work.
Making contacts in Santa Marta
When we came to Santa Marta in February, we didn’t know a single person. By God’s grace we’ve been able to make contacts with many people here. How have we made these contacts? 
The best way has been by simply being friendly. The other day we were in Homemart (like Lowe’s), and I made a comment to a lady about how cute her two-year old was. That led to meeting her brother-in-law and her husband. They invited us over to their place, and we began a new friendship with them. Another great place to make friends has been at the small pool where Lucas and Eliana have swimming lessons. I just befriended Jesús and Carmen through our conversations at the pool. In each of these cases, we’ve had a chance to share the gospel with these people, praying that God would bring them to salvation.
Our coworkers
Our coworkers here in Santa Marta have been doing pretty well. Alfredo’s health has improved, and he is in the United States this week for a conference on expository preaching. We thank God for both the Medina and Carter families. We would definitely struggle without them here. We rejoice to see how we are so different but so unified in our ministry vision and friendship. We also want to thank you for your partnership in the ministry here in Colombia. Without your faithful prayers and giving we would not be here.
Kids’ corner
Our kids have started up their new school year. Lucas is in 4th grade, Eliana in 2nd grade, and Marcos in “preschool” (okay, he actually just plays with his “busy box” or gets into trouble). They have been enjoying this year’s Sonlight curriculum, with its emphasis on American history. Both of the older kids have improved their swimming greatly, and Lucas wants to start back up with Taekwondo in November. Marcos has entered a difficult (ornery) stage but still shines through with moments of great cuteness (like when he joyfully learned the word “hot dog” last week). Holly’s pregnancy continues to go well. Please pray for our kids’ spiritual and social development.
Serving Jesus in Santa Marta,
Jonathan, Holly, Lucas, Eliana, and Marcos Boyd
What Christians Believe
Why can I trust the Bible? Who is God? Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? What is wrong with the world and how can it be fixed? These crucial questions are the subject of the module: "What Christians Believe". This class gives people inquiring about Christianity a chance to understand more about Christian beliefs. For those who are new believers, this class lays the foundation for life as a Christian. For those who have been Christians for many years, this class will equip you to be able to better explain and defend your faith to others. "What Christians Believe" is a class for everyone because everyone needs answers to the central questions of life.
This class meets Sunday nights at 5:30 in the Coffee Cove and is taught by Mark Vance.