Voelker - February 2010
Teachers 2010-2011
God has provided teachers willing to serve the Lord here next school year. Please pray with us for Sarah Haynie and Erin Wahlstrom who are in the process of raising support to join us for 2010-2011. Meredith Peters came to us last August and has decided to return for another year. Pray for her supporters to be willing to continue to give toward her ministry here. Pray too for Tammy McComb, Laurie Flietstra and Craig and Megan Beatty, and Minne and Michelle Bouma who are currently in North America raising the necessary funds to return as career missionary teachers. God is able to supply for all of these individuals. Pray too for those who are already here as career missionary teachers; Cal, Nick Rachevsky and Phil Schlener. Ask God to con-tinue to use our staff and our school to touch lives for eternity.
Charity Voelker
Our youngest daughter will graduate from Moody Bible Institute in May. God is leading her into missions. Charity plans to do a one year missionary internship with Association of Baptists for World Evangelism. She will be working with the mobilization department, traveling to various college campuses to encourage Bible college students to give their lives to serving God in missions. We are excited about God’s leading in Charity’s life and the way that Charity can use her gifts and passions to serve the Lord in this way. Please join us in praying for her as she raises the financial support she needs to serve in this capacity. Individuals or churches can participate by pledging monthly support for a year or by giving one time gifts. If you are interested, please contact us for more information or to know how to get in touch with Charity.
Prayer
- Benjina’s need for salvation.
- Four unsaved families represented in our school.
- Teachers needing support.
- Church - Pray for Pastor Beto Marques and his family as they serve the Lord by leading two congregations.
- Tobias and Angela Pray for them to find jobs here in Portugal
- Charity - support needs
- Car Fund: Pray for the remaining $2,500 needed in our car fund.
Car Fund
We now have $1,125 in our car fund. If you would like to give toward this project, please send your gift to our ABWE account and mark it “022 Car fund.”
New Design for MatthewsDownUnder.com
Our missionaries to Australia, Russ and Cathy Matthews have launched a new website design. You can visit it at www.matthewsdownunder.com. It was designed by Josh Byers from our Lakeside church plant.
Boyd - February 2010
First impressions from Sant Marta
I wanted to share a few first impressions from Santa Marta, although I don’t have any photos on my computer in this moment to upload (The photo of El Rodadero above, near where we’re staying, is courtesy of somnoliento).
First, the people have been wonderful so far. The costeño (person from the coast) in general is known for being friendly and fun-loving. That has been our experience. We’ve had more conversations with strangers than you can imagine. The funniest was talking to a guy who must have had a few mental problems because he authoritatively talked about all of the Colombia soccer teams as if I were his best friend and knew all of them as well. The truth is I hardly know the names of all of the teams, let alone the best players in the history of the teams from Cali, Tolima, Bucaramanga, etc. He was with two other guys who were talking about soccer, and I counted about eight front teeth among the three.
Second, I have noticed very few Christian churches, at least on main streets. I wonder if this is because I haven’t traveled around much or if it’s because they are located on neighborhood streets. When I’ve told people that we want to start a new Christian church they tend to say something like, “Oh, okay,” and give me a look of pity or bewilderment perhaps. “Why would you want to start another one here when we already have a few? ” seems to be their thought process.
Third, living in Costa Rica a year was great preparation for the coast. The heat is similar, although it’s hotter here than in San Jose. The culture is also somewhat similar, although I would say that costeños here are easier to get to know than the Costa Ricans were. Holly and the kids are doing very well with all of the changes, for which I thank God.
Matthews - February 2010
A great season in ministry
For those in the frozen Tundra (The Northern US), to give you a warmer perspective on things. We are currently in the middle of the hot season here in Australia. It has been unseasonably humid, but February is generally hot every year. (30+ Celsius everyday) Also, this is the time of year when things start to ramp up in ministry opportunities. We would appreciate your prayers on many items that are on our plate at this time. It is exciting to be part of all that is going on in Sydney.
1. Start of City Bible Forum (We are on Facebook City Bible Forum, Sydney, become a fan) and great series. (Did Jesus Say That? , Journey with Jesus -A perspective from John, Ecclesiastes, Counterfeit gods,etc.) Please pray we can find a new and more accessible venue for Wednesday and Thursday. Please pray for a fruitful year of ministry. Pray for our expansion into Melbourne & Adelaide and continued growth in Perth & Brisbane.
2. Sydney Prayer Breakfast - I was asked to be on the board for a first in Sydney. I know there are many prayer breakfasts around the world, but this one is a first for Sydney. Andrew Scippione (Commissioner of the NSW police) will be our speaker. Good Christian man and a big event. More details and website to come.
3. Spiritual Leadership course- Glorious Hope Baptist will be a running a course for the next couple of months for our leaders. Based on the book by J. Oswald Saunders. I will be assisting with the running of the course. Please pray for the leaders for our church to rise up to the opportunities of our growing church.
4. Life of Jesus course and Bible reading groups – All of our new courses are beginning in the city. Pray for many non-Christians to come to these courses and for a fruitful ministry.
5. Urban Fight Club (Men’s ministry) – UFC gets started next week with a good Aussie BBQ. Looking ahead to the year and how we can serve the Lord.
6. Church plants- We could use your prayers on these opportunities. I will send details soon, but I will be in discussions with some key leaders in the city for two fellowship plants in the city, Sydney. We are asking for God’s wisdom in these exciting new ventures.
7. School- We are still homeschooling for this year, but we are considering putting our kids into a great school next year. Challenges are distance from where we live. Thanks for your prayers on this decision.Also, it is a new curriculum for the kids this year (School starts in January in Australia and it is year round). Pray for their adjustment to a web based learning system.
8. Caroline’s health – Caroline started Kindy this year and is excited about all things. She will be going into the pediatric cardiologist for a second opinion on some tissue growing over one end of her aortic valve that shouldn’t be there and if it continues to grow it could cause damage due to disrupting the flow of blood. Thanks for your prayers for Caroline.
9. Footy season begins- Josh will be playing AFL (Real football-check out the promotion on my Facebook page) again this year. pray for his adjustment and protection for the season. Also, we would be a testimony to the players and families who attend each week.
10. Hope and Becca turn 16- I think the prayers for the parents go without saying on this one. Two words – Drivers Licenses. Two more words – White hair. Actually, pray for the girls. They are amazing young ladies and have servants hearts for the Lord. Pray for them during these challenging teen years. Pray they would continue to be a witness for you and testimony of all He is doing in their lives.
Well…that was supposed to be a quick update. My apologies for the length. Please keep in touch with us through signing up for our monthly updates on our website, just enter you e-mail in the RSS feed box. Also, we are on Facebook. Sorry, Skype is not the best option to contact us.
I will finish with a story: a good friend was all excited about the year of talks in Sydney. He had brought a non-Christian friend to the talks. His friend had commented, “You all really focus on Jesus, don’t you?”My friend stated, “Now he is getting it!”
All praise and honour goes to Jesus. That is what we are on about here in Australia. There is much to be done and we look forward to what he has for us in the future. We appreciate your prayers and support.
The adventure continues…
The Matthews Family
Matthews - January 2010
A tale of two nights...
We were given a gift to come and housesit at a mate's house for a summer holiday. We did get some time to relax and rest after a busy year. During that time we had friends stop by for a bbq, a swim and/or coffee throughout the stay. In a matter of two evenings we had the privilege of being part of conversations that challenged and encouraged us. The conversations also were a small glimpse into the spiritual state of Sydney.
Cherrypickin'
Romans 1:19-20
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
We have been trying to get together with a couple in our church for months, the wife is a Christian and the husband is not. We had a bbq and had a few friends over to enjoy the beautiful day in Sydney. Conversation was on Christmas, New Year's and the summer months. Inevitably the conversation moved to the Bible. The topic started with evolution and creation. One of the blokes there turned to our non-Christian friend and asked, “What are your thoughts on this, mate.” Everyone was expecting disagreement or even antagonism, but we all were surprised. My friend stated, “I believe that God created the world.” After a surprised pause, the guys started to ask clarifying questions and even sat down for a definition of what his views were on God. It started out encouraging and then spiraled into a fascinating, twisted, postmodern answer that had us going on for three hours on theological things. My friend went on to explain that he believed in God, respected Jesus, saw the world as God's working hand through the tool of evolution, there is an ever after that exists for all and there is no hell, and that mankind eventually moves to a point of awareness, eventually we become gods to share in God's existence. From that clear definition, the group had a go sharing what the Bible and what God's word states about these points. Then he did it, he started quoting scripture. My non-Bible believing friend started coming up against their arguments with Bible passages. The passages were out of context and misapplied, but beautifully placed and it had its effect. Confusion and backpedaling by the well intentioned Christians, it quieted some of his detractors. Yet, just as Jesus did in the desert, when his word is clarified and utilised properly it is the light for the conversation.
Respectfully, it was asked of him, “Within all you have to say, what do you do with Jesus' statement No one comes to the Father except through me.” He stated, I do not believe that portion. When asked what does he measure all of these things on, what was the standard, the measuring stick? Without any hesitation he said, “Myself and my personal study.” Things continued on for a while longer. Eventually the conversation was interrupted by darkness and exhaustion. All began to leave; my postmodern friend shook my hand and stated he had a great evening. He even text me the next day to thank us for having his family along.
Within his own definition, my friend represents a group of people, Cherry pickers. A definition that comes from the machine used to lift you to high places, usually to move where a person desires to be and to let them pick the things they desire. Cherry picking can used when considering the things of God, too. Apparatuses that lift them to heights to choose the portions of theology they like and leave the other portions to the side. If it does not fit into his basket, they throw it away.
It is fascinating that people chose to do this with God, but we would never do this with other portions of our lives. Driving: Only driving a car with the parts of the engine they prefer. Career: only do the parts of their jobs that they liked. Health: only utilize the advice of a doctor that we like for the sake of our physical existence.
If you choose to cherry pick in these portions of life, you either end up broken down on the side of the road, without a job or simply dead.
Why do people choose to do this with God? In this postmodern, western landscape, this is the mindset we see all the time. Pray that we would be able to continue with our friend and others that we come in contact with to clarify the Bible. Also, explaining that the choosing of these eternal things are not based on our own choosing, but God's. We need to be thankful for this gift of God setting the standard.
The freed captive
Psalm 146:7-8
The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
The next night one of our Urban Fight Club members brought a mate over for coffee. His friend had just been baptised and has only been a Christian for eleven months. He was excited about everything that had to do with God. The answers could not come fast enough to all of the questions. He had come from a life of hard living and the Lord had brought him to this point in his life. He loved the people of his church (not one our family works with, but we do know the church) and he looked forward to sharing all about his new life in Christ. The enthusiasm and desire of new Christians can be described as “just not able to get enough of God.” Then the conversation shifted to frustration, he was being mentored and was in the Bible consistently. Why was he frustrated? He loved his growth in Christ, but in the process he was being told that there was only one translation of the Bible that he should be reading. He loved this new life, but why the limitation on God's Word? He had become a freed captive, moving into freedom in Christ, but a potential captive of legalism.
We went on to describe a recent encounter on this very subject. We had the privilege to hear a Christian archeologist speak a few years back and someone in the audience asked, “Which translation of the Bible do you read?” He smiled with a knowing look of a potential trap and stated, “The original Greek and Hebrew.” But, he did not leave the crowd hanging on that answer. He went on to say, “Read the Bible you are reading, as long as you are reading the Bible. You need to be in the God's Word. That is the important part.”
This is the same advice we gave our new young Christian. He has just been set free in a new life in Christ. Why would we want to make him a captive again? Just getting someone to read the Bible is a huge barrier to overcome. We would hope to not put up unnecessary barriers to keep someone from growing in their love for God and His Word.
Tale of two friends…
Please be praying for our friends, one to be set free from the bondage of sin and the other to grow in his new freedom found in his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Also, for our work in the varying spiritual landscape of Sydney.
Thanks for your prayers in the journey…
Russ & Cathy Matthews
Edmondson - November 2009
This Week in Boston
Last week was a full week of ministry with 10 meetings or Bible studies, in addition to our Sunday morning services. Last Sunday there were 26 in our services, and 25 this week. We are making new friends every week. Our morning fellowship starts with at least 1/2 hour of prayer. Today the prayer time was closer to 45 minutes. For a group our size, we seem to have an inordinate amount of trauma within the fellowship membership. At the same time, our little fellowship is learning to love one another and to share one another's burdens. Our prayer time indicates this. We are gearing up for our annual International Thanksgiving Dinner. This year we plan on having two dinners, with fifty people at each dinner. The goal of these dinners is to show the love of God and to generate evangelistic relationships/Bible studies. Our whole fellowship will need to be totally involved in order for us to meet our goals, and we need you to pray for us daily.
The highlight of this week was the Friday night Bible study. One of our disciples, who came to faith and was baptized in our ministry, initiated this study. It is held in a study room at the Snell Library of the Northeastern University campus. We are reading through the book of Matthew together. This last week there were five of us in the study. It was a tremendous joy hearing our disciple explain to the new Bible study attendees how to find chapter and verses in the Bible and to observe him direct the study. One can almost see him, one day, pastoring a church in the country from which he came. There was also a major disappointment this week, one of our early disciples as decided to abandon the Lord.
I am having a slight physical problem. Driving too much and/or working long hours causes my stomach to hurt. This is an old problem and I understand what causes it. But I need to work long hours, and I need my stomach to quit hurting. Please pray for me. The burden of the city is great and the work that needs to be done, momentous. We thank God that we are thus engaged.
Bill and Deb
Voelker - August 2009
Summers here in Portugal give us a break from the regular school routine. Instead of teaching, Cal spends his time taking care of the grounds, painting and preparing teacher apartments and caring for teacher vehicles. He enjoys the change but is always ready to return to the classroom. He still loves teaching and daily contact with students.
August is vacation month in Portugal. By law, all full-time, contracted workers must be paid 14 months salary each year. Yes, you read that correctly. It was not a typo. Twice a year, in November and in August Portuguese workers receive a subsidy check = to one months salary. They often use the November check for Christmas and the August check for vacation. Four weeks vacation per year is also the norm. It is difficult to plan ministry activities during this month because so many people are vacationing. This significantly affects church attendance and means it is sometimes difficult to find enough teachers, preachers and personnel for other church responsibilities. Along with his usual responsibilities as grass cutter, sound technician and worship team member, Cal has been standing in the gap during the last three Sundays by teaching adult Sunday School. During our eight years ministering in Portugal this is the first time that he has taught in Portuguese. He taught an overview of Paul's 13 epistles. It was quite a challenge to prepare and present his lessons, however, with some help and patience on the part of the students, he did a good job. God was honored and those who were not on vacation, walked away with a booklet to which they can refer in the future as they study these books on their own. His love of teaching and sharing God's Truth helped him through the language challenges. Read more
Nate and Maam Beckman - June 2007
Dear Praying Friends,
Greetings from Ohio. We arrived home on May 5, and the last month has gone by very quickly. Sorry that we have not communicated earlier, but we have been without a computer up until just two days ago. We have wanted to keep you all updated on everything that is going on, but without a computer it is sort of impossible to tell you all we do not have a computer, if you know what I mean.
We praise the Lord for all that He has done and is doing in our lives, especially for the opportunity to serve both Nate’s mom and dad during this time. Mom is fading gradually day by day. Maam and I are helping to take care of Mom, so that my dad can do his best at keeping up with his own job requirements. It has been our honor to be able to serve in this way.
As far as her condition goes, Mom is very weak and can no longer stand or walk on her own, so we help her get around, help in feeding her meals as
well as whatever else she needs to do. The intense treatments that she had and the heavy medications that she currently takes have affected her ability to speak and her memory. She does very little talking now, but there are many times that we can tell she would like to say something. She cannot really get it out anymore.
We do appreciate your prayers on Mom’s behalf, and ask you to keep it up. Please pray that God will continue to mold Maam and me, so that we can
be the encouragement to my parents that they need. Please continue to pray for Dad also. We have been here for a month, while he has been taking care of her at this level for close to a year now. Dad is extremely tired in every way. Pray that God will watch over and protect him. It is amazing how God gives His Amazing Grace just at the time we need it most. It has definitely been God’s grace that has sustained Dad during this time.
Originally we planned to leave Thailand at the end of July; so when the call came to hurry home to be with Mom and Dad, we had to really get into gear packing up our house, tying up loose ends, paying bills ahead for a year, and turning the ministry back over to our coworkers, Ed and Darlene
Weber. It was one of those situations where when we sat down in our seats on the plane we said to one another, “Hope we didn’t forget anything.”
It was a blast filling in for the Webers in Kabinburi while they were on furlough. God did a lot of great things during that time, and it was not easy saying goodbye to people we love. Please continue to earnestly pray for the new believers in Kabinburi. Pray for their growth and that God will continue to do His work in that needy area.
Please also pray for the Webers. They are dealing with some overload. After we left, our short termer, Amanda Simmers, also went home. Also another Thai girl who worked with us in the ministry decided to leave. The ministry went from having four teachers to having two teachers, Ed and Darlene. Darlene is also pregnant with their third child, due in September/October. I know they would appreciate your prayers.
Thank you for all you do for us. Please continue to pray for Maam and me. We need it. Pray for strength . . . physical, emotional and spiritual. We will continue to do our best to keep you informed on what is going on.
Yours In Christ,
Nate and Maam Beckman
Baptist Mid-Missions, Thailand