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Founder Est. 1973 Director
Rev. Fred Potter P.O. Box 692 Bristol, TN 37621-0692 Rev. Mike Nixon
Tel. (423) 354-0342 or (423) 878-5800 e-mail cbmission@juno.com
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This song is about how Fred Potter got saved, written by Danny Minton. |
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It is our privilege to welcome you to the Charity Baptist Mission web page. We hope this will be a testament of what the Lord is doing in America and throughout the world. In 1973 the Lord laid upon my heart to start Charity Baptist Mission Inc., here in Bristol, Tennessee. We started it because we were opening a childrens home in Mexico. From there the Lord continued to bless and increased the areas to other countries by which we could share the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour. It has been truly a blessing to see how the Lord has used missionaries to reach the lost and see them saved. We believe in the Authorized King James 1611 version of the Word of God. It has stood the test of time and we believe this is the only true Bible. To God be the Glory!
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updated 11-14-24 |
Watch Brookside Baptist Church services at:
youtube.com/@brooksidebaptistchurchtn1954/streams
https://www.facebook.com/BrooksideBaptistChurchBristolTN
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Missions Updates
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July - August 2024
Dear Pastors Churches and Fellow Saints.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. Lamentations 3:22
Greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To begin with, I would like to thank the Lord for the time we could be with our family and friends during our stay in America. We miss all of you and are encouraged and blessed to see you again.
While in America we were privileged to preach the word of God and present the work God has called us to in Bulgaria. We visited churches in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee. We are grateful for these meetings and for the prayers and support of all of our churches and individuals.
During our stay in America, I suffered some serious problems with my right knee. The diagnosis was osteoarthritis. The cartilage in the knee joint had deteriorated and the joint was bone on bone. It was determined that I needed to have a total knee replacement.
On August 30th the surgery was successfully preformed. Dr. Bryant was the Orthopedic surgeon who operated on me. Since then, I have been recuperating and getting around with a walker and a cane. I have physical therapy twice a week and things are progressing well. We want to thank all of you that helped us during this difficult time. We appreciate your concern, love and prayers.
We are looking forward to returning to Bulgaria on November 6th. We have lived as missionaries overseas since 1993 and consider it to be "home".
We thank the Lord for allowing us the blessings of being a part of this work all these years. We have seen many souls saved, many churches started, and so many needs, both physical and spiritual, have been met. And you, our dear supporting friends, family, and churches, have had a part in this ministry also.
May the Lord bless each and every one of you as you have blessed us.
All because of Calvary, (A printable PDF version is available here)
Matthew and Jane Welch
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October 2024
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you to all of you who pray faithfully and have supported this work that Brother Ralph Cheatwood began over 40 years ago.
About 25 years ago, after seeing the number of children abandoned at the hospital, especially among the poorer communities in which we worked, Brother Ralph said in church one Sunday that he believed God wanted us to start a childrens home. He wanted a home where these forsaken children could be raised to Gods glory. He also wanted it to be a place where they could be proud to say they grew up in The Fathers House. Now, six years after Brother Ralph went home to be with the Lord, we are continuing the vision the Lord gave him with a new generation of children.
Most of our original children are now grown some married, some moved out on their own and some still here with us all of them still a part of our family and most importantly a part of Gods family, having come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.
In our church, on any given Sunday, we may have our older children - some with spouses, some with their own children, some with boyfriends or girlfriends that they bring to church with them and, of course, the young kids who now have the example of older brothers and sisters to worship with.
We have a middle group of young teens who are all saved, still in school and doing well. Creed, who turns 15 this month, has been leading the singing in our church services for a while now and also sings the occasional special during the song service.
We hired a private tutor to homeschool our three youngest kids. They are 4, 7 and 8 years old, but having grown up virtually homeless, we didnt feel they were ready to be thrown into the school system here. They are doing wonderfully catching up very quickly with the basics as well as learning to speak English. They sit attentively in church and usually ask if we can sing Jesus Loves Me, which is their favorite.
For those of you who had children and nurtured them, especially if you brought them up in church, it would be hard to imagine how far they had to go to catch up. Being very neglected, they could hardly speak at all and were very fragile and undeveloped both emotionally and socially. Dara has done an amazing job with them. First of all, making them feel safe and loved. Then bringing out their amazing little personalities that had been buried in fear and suspicion. It has been a year-long journey that was an around-the-clock job, but the results are such a blessing to see.
The Romanian and Turkish churches in town that I care for are doing well. One of our older daughters, Sheker, has the Romanian meeting in her home and she has been a great help to me.
There is never a dull moment around here but, Praise God, we see Him working on every hand. We cherish your continued support and prayers and we remember you often in ours.
In Christ,
Dave, Dara, Sandy and the kids (A printable PDF version is available here)
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Fall 2024
Halito! Hello!
Its that time of year again when the long, hot summer is almost over. Fall is in the air! This verse comes to mind, (Jer. 8:20) The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. And yet, this year has been a time of labor and travel, a time of seeing the Lord save and restore. Its also been a time of strife in our nation concerning the Nov. election. Its been a time of heartache for those involved in wildfires and the hurricanes. As we travel, Im so glad we can claim this verse, (Prov. 18:10) The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
The last newsletter had us heading for the west coast and Cowlitz Way Baptist Church in Kelso, WA. The folks there are a blessing to us and have supported us for many years. Pastor Dave and the church have been faithful to keep the light on in a place of deep darkness. As we left WA, we knew we were running out of time because we had to be back in OK by the 1st week of September. So, we made our way to New Mexico and the Navajo Nation to be with Grace Navajo Baptist Temple at Mentmore, NM. There Daniel preached and we tried to encourage the Believers. We love these people and always hate to say goodbye.
Upon getting back to OK, Elena had been asked to teach in the fall classes at the Baptist School of Native American Biblical Studies in Stilwell, OK. About thirty women showed up nightly for classes on the Book of Ruth, Biblical Counseling, and Womens Ministries in the church. Such an encouragement to see Natives working together and starting their own school where church members can come and take classes on certain topics. The goal is to grow stronger Christians and stronger Churches.
After that we were asked to go back to NM and sing for the Memorial Service for Pastor Jimmy Walters, his wife, Rachel, and son, Davis, who all passed away in 2020 from Covid. It was an honor to be asked by the family to help remember their loved ones. They were remembered with great testimonies of having lived for the Lord. (Rev. 14:13) And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
In Oct, we were blessed to be back at Concord Missionary Baptist for a revival in Concord, AR. Thank you for your faithful support. We were able to bring Mrs. Shirleys eighty-six-year-old cousin, Ken, with us and it was such a blessing to have family close by. From there, we went home only to have our A/C and heat unit go out (the 1st night of the fall it dropped to the 30's), but, Lord willing, it will be repaired in a week or so. As this is wrapped up, we have more meetings coming up, the Native Men & Women Bible Conference, homecoming meetings, and other services, so even though fall is here, there are still fields to work in. Please help your missionaries pray that the Lord of the harvest would send forth laborers into HIS harvest. The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.
Thank you in Jesus Name,
In HIM, The Higginbothams: Mrs. Shirley, Elena, and Daniel
(A printable PDF version is available here)
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Coats for Kids Prep 10/14/24
In late spring and on into summer, renovations were happening in Avren. A dilapidated house on the property was expertly renovated for ministry and has given our mission group separate and designated spaces for church, dining hall, printing, coats, etc. For this ongoing project, the coat closet was needed for safe storage of materials and tools. The timing was perfect because the need for that space came at the same time as Larrys and my trip (and extended medical stay) to America.
But as the materials were used in the remodel, the space became less needed and today we went out there to put everything back and take inventory of needs. We were excited to see that doors had been added to the attic storage spaces, and a coat of primer had been painted on the walls. Larry got out the vacuum and I moved tables where I wanted them. We organized hangers and added the new, stronger hangers we got for the heavier adult coats. Then we took inventory of what items and sizes we have the greatest need of. Some baskets were full and others were nearly empty. We have some boots but more are needed. I enjoyed the day - I LOVE working in the Coat Closet!
Please pray with us about the upcoming distributions. I look forward to sharing updates!
Love to All,
Carrie M. Leach (A printable PDF version is available here)
P.S. To give toward the needs, please make checks payable to:
Charity Baptist Mission
memo: Larry Leach, Jr. Coats for Kids.
Charity Baptist Mission,
P.O. Box 692
Bristol, TN 37621
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September 2024
ITS COATS FOR KIDS TIME AGAIN!!!!!
I sat down to write a letter about this years coat and sock drive and instead found an old letter retelling stories of Coats for Kids and I decided to recycle it. Why? Because I love these stories and revisiting them bring tears of joy to my eyes. The following is a countdown of my top three favorite Coats for Kids memories:
In late 2009, Naziyes aunt lay dying on a mat next to the wood stove. She had been a member of the Novi Pazar church for many years, and was the sweetest, most precious woman. No matter how warm they kept the room, she remained cold. I had been giving coats and socks to the kids and then went in to see her. She was small, so I found a teenaged size coat and a pair of socks for her. She had no strength and asked me to put the socks on for her. I did. And quite carefully since her skin was paper thin. Such a fragile state. She reached up one trembling hand and touched my cheek. She pulled me to her face and kissed the other cheek. It was then that I knew I couldnt possibly limit the coat and sock distribution to only children.
Eforie 2015. Entering the Container Village in Romania was always emotional for me. Driving through the city dump, down a deeply rutted dirt/mud path was bad enough, but when a row of small dwellings came into view in the midst of trash heaps I always found my heart in my throat. Yet the children there were always so happy. So sweet. So loving. This particular day was no exception. I was inside one of the container houses organizing the coats into piles by gender and age. Outside a line was forming at the door. One-by-one the children entered and were fitted with a coat and a pair of socks. One little girl was antsy for her turn and as soon as she was given the nod she ran and jumped on my lap. We talked a bit and she told me her name. She hugged me over and over. And even again before we left. Her joy both blessed and convicted me. She was the epitome of thankfulness.
Targovishte 2010. Targovishte is a good size city, but the section in which Pastor Nasuf lives and pastors is basically a landfill with a few nice houses, a lot of seriously run down houses, and several cardboard and plastic tarp shacks. On that particular day it was sunny and ice had thawed just a bit to make mud everywhere. Sunny, but cold and muddy. And kids were running barefoot in the streets and in fields full of garbage. Once we got everything set up and sorted at the church, a couple of rough little characters ran in. Disheveled hair. Muddy feet. Snotty noses. Mischievous eyes. I loved them! I fitted them with coats and then went to help one put his socks on. Only, his filthy feet were freezing. I wiped away the mud and then held his small feet between my hands until they were warmed. Then I put socks on him. He giggled the entire time and then hugged me and wiped his nose on me before he took off running toward his next adventure. While the moment itself was precious and unforgettable, it was some time later when the fullness of my experience was revealed to me
You see, I eventually reached a place in parenting, marriage, home, and ministry where I felt completely worthless. Totally inept. I read Christian self-help books and devotionals and was none bettered. I took up jogging. I got a goat. Many things to better my life and bring some kind of joy or fulfillment. I prayed but it felt as if Heaven was brass and my voice rang back with emptiness in my own ears. My teenager was rebelling. Homeschooling was a joke. My goat proved stubborn and I threatened her by telling her I thought Id enjoy BBQd goat ribs, but she didnt heed my warnings. My health had begun to challenge me. My house was unfinished and remained in a construction zone state. My husband was beyond overwhelmed, yet remained busy in the churches. I simply didnt know how much more I could take and I questioned God big time. In my despair I sat with my Bible in the few quiet moments I could steal in a day, and I read again and again the passage of Mary with her Alabaster Box. I cried and prayed and told God that all I wanted for my whole life was to be like Mary and worship at His feet. To wash His feet with my own tears. To give of everything precious to me, just for Him, so how was it that I ended up sitting in a pool of my own tears, alone and bitter. In that dark moment, scenes of Targovishte sprang to mind. Little muddy feet. The Lord revealed to me, even in my ugly state, that Id lost perspective. I wasnt seeing anything beyond my struggles. And every foot I got to clean or warm were His. That one revelation has been the prize and joy of my life. I have touched the feet of Jesus. What a tremendous honor I hope I never again take for granted!
Its not yet cold enough for coats, but it takes quite a bit of time to raise money from America, get it sent here, and begin purchasing. Thats why I write this early. Please pray with us for this years coat and sock distribution, and if you can give anything to help with the need, it will be appreciated more than youll ever know. To give toward this ministry, please make checks payable to Charity Baptist Mission with Coats for Kids in the memo.
Larry Leach, Jr.
C/O Charity Baptist Mission
P.O. Box 692
Bristol, TN 37621
Keep us in your prayers; we need it!
Love to All,
Carrie M. Leach
(A printable PDF version is available here)
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July August 2024
Greetings to all the Churches, Pastors and Friends in the Gospel,
I appreciate all the prayers and concerns for our health. I am doing well from my surgery and even better than the first prostate surgery I had several years ago. Debbie, my wife, is still struggling with taking cancer preventive medicine. We feel it is causing many of the problems that she is suffering with at this time. She has had a couple of steroid shots that helped this summer. Please pray for us as we make decisions concerning this medicine.
We have had a rather busy summer, as we always do every
year, while coordinating and preaching in conferences. In March and August, we
took nationals from all over the world to visit churches in West Virginia and
North Carolina. We are away from home for about a month with this part of the
ministry. I also take four trips to a particular Hispanic country each year, and
sometimes go to other Spanish speaking countries. Please pray for my wife, as
this takes me away from home quite a bit.
When home I am usually preaching on the weekends and sometimes in other states.
This is necessary, to continue our ministry in Spanish speaking countries, as we
present and bring updates while preaching in our supporting churches. We have
had some great services this year! GOD IS SO GOOD!!
If your church is not involved in some facet of missions (whether at home or abroad), you are missing out on some real blessings! A scripture we have used for years concisely states: "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." Proverbs 29:18
I think "perish" not only refers to the people you could have reached had you been involved in missions; but also if we as believers do not have a vision to care for souls, our reason for even existing diminishes. A heart wrenching example is the Ethiopian eunuch. "And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?" He answered frankly and honestly: "And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. Acts 8:31-32
Joyfully Yours,
Farren Caeble 1 Sam 12:24 A printable PDF version is available here
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Ukrainian Crisis Letter - Summer of 2024
Dear Praying Pastors, Brothers and Sisters,
Mid June: We moved back to Ukraine. We Praise the Lord for His protection as we live in Odessa which has missile and drone attacks 1-3+ times a week! We have been Ministering to Lakeside Baptist Church in Lemansky, Ukraine and assisting Slavic our national pastor as we make trips to other parts of Ukraine. Pray for the Churchs outreaches and Growing Correspondence ministry: printing and sending out thousands of tracts weekly.
July 5 and 6 trip to Nikolayev Oblast (Territory formerly Under Russian Occupation): Missionary Casey Kline and Brother Sasha Illchenko needed help with transportation to Preach and distribute 500 Aid boxes in five heavily damaged villages. We had great liberty and many responded to receive Christ as they heard the Gospel clearly for the first time.
July trip to Chernivtsi: Pastor Valera invited me to present the Gospel to visited 45 families who had either lost their Husband, Son or Daughter due to this war: The Lord supplied both physically with a large care package of food and spiritually with a clear Gospel Explanation: Gregory 72 and Lydia 54 called upon the Lord for salvation. The Lord opened up opportunities to present the Gospel at three week long Childrens camps: 65 children and parents, then 100 children in a small town and over 310 came out from five different mountain villages- 90 parents also heard the Gospel.
(Most of the time I use either a large EvangeCube or EvangeFold with pictures to clearly illustrate the Gospel).
*{If interested in this material: https://www.christianbook.com/page/church/outreach/evangecube (watch the video of how to use the eCube *ON SALE). *Large Evangefold: https://www.etsusa.org/church-supplies/evangelism-resources/evangecubes-c6095/
August trip to Chernivtsi: Oksana and I encouraged a few new Churches. We also presented the Gospel on eight Evangelistic Visits as well as teaching the Gospel to 85 and 60 children at two VBSs. I taught a Workshop on Practical Evangelism to 30+ young adults and youth. We also worked at a camp ministering to 35+ widowed wives and wives of soldiers actively serving in the war. I was able to clearly present the Gospel to them and their Children separately.
Praising the Lord for how He works (Philippians 2:13):
Our Son DAVID labored from April-August with Slavic (Oksanas Brother) doing Evangelistic/Humanitarian help & participating in Christian Camps in Odessa. On August 4th he Followed the Lord in Believers Baptism at Lakeside Baptist Church! He also Proposed to His Fiancι Evelyn! She is from Odessa and worked at camps with him for three years.
Our Elisabeth spent the summer here: visiting Refugee friends, as a leader at Camps in Odessa & helping with Lakesides VBS. She is now finishing up her last semester of college and is seeking Gods direction for her Life.
Prayer Needs: 1) Learning to Speak and Preach in the Ukrainian Language. I have preached in Russian for 30+ years, BUT due to this WAR, most Ukrainians dont want to hear the Aggressors --language.} Pray for Me!
2) Slavic (Oksanas Brother) is distributing firewood and Evangelizing families in the formerly occupied Kherson Oblast.
3) Evangelistic visits: Slavics camp is housing 30+ (mainly elderly) displaced souls who we will be visiting to sow the Gospel seed and water it as we minister to these Displaced souls resettling here seeking refuge from the bombings.
4) Bro. Eugene laboring in Sumy Region set up a small bakery; They Preach and distribute large loaves of bread with Gospel tracts while Evangelizing where daily Russian Mortar Attacks are forcing the Evacuation of five border counties!
*{Looking for an Evangelism PROJECT to pray for or participate in: 50 cents will bake a loaf of Bread to reach souls! 5) Project 2: Care Package for Soldiers including: First Aid and Hygiene supplies, Chocolate bar and Gospel Tracts~$15.
Make check to: Charity Baptist Mission, PO Box
692, Bristol, TN 37621-0692
Write in memo: Maher - Ukraine Bread or Maher- Ukraine Care Package
For the Souls of Ukraine,
Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth and David Maher
Thank You all for faithfully praying, supporting & being genuinely concerned for our family and our safety and especially for the souls of Ukraine during this devastating time: Remember Phil. 1:12 Things Happen so God can Further His Gospel! A printable PDF version is available here
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September 2024
Dear Churches and Praying Friends,
"But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day,
and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying,
Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on." (Acts 13:14,15)
Greetings in the name of Jesus, the son of God, the holy one who died, yet was raised by God and saw no corruption. Through this man is preached the forgiveness of sins. It is our wonderful privilege to preach this gospel. We praise the Lord for the many here in Bulgaria who have believed on Jesus, including four young ladies who were baptized this week.
Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the archaeological site of Antioch in Pisidia. They had there the remains of an old church building, basically just the foundation stones. That church, it is said, was built upon the previous building - a Jewish synagogue, where Paul visited and preached after the reading of the law and prophets. Upon hearing the preaching of the gospel many believed.
The reason for our visit in that region was to begin the work of publishing the Old Testament in the Turkish language. Missionary Ralph Cheatwood worked on this translation for over thirty years. His desire was to deliver to the people the right Bible and the right Spirit. He translated the Bible into modern Turkish according to the English King James Bible. Although he went home to be with the Lord several years ago, his work continues. Our publishing method is two-fold. First, we have the Bible on the internet for people to read. Secondly, for those who cannot read (most of our Turkish believers here are illiterate), we have professionally recorded the reading of the New Testament. Now, Turkish speakers anywhere in the world can both read and listen to the New Testament in their language. This year we begin the recording of the Old Testament.
To do things right is not cheap. The professional recording studio in Turkey asked for twenty- five thousand dollars to do this job. I certainly didn't have that kind of money, but thought that the Lord might give it to me. This summer I was back in the states for four weeks for my son to attend some youth camps. I imagined that maybe during those four weeks I might get into a few churches and share our burden for this ministry and that those churches would supply the need, but I quickly talked myself out of that. There's no way, I thought, that the Lord would give us twenty-five thousand dollars in just four weeks. Well, the Lord did give us that money, but in just four days! I believe that He wants His word published. Our prayer is that in old Antioch and the regions round about, the reading of the law and prophets will one day be followed by a word of exhortation concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and some believers will be filled with joy and the Holy Ghost.
We thank you all who have given towards this project. May the Lord of the harvest bless all of your efforts to help publish this gospel among all nations.
In Christ, Zachary LeFevre A printable PDF version is available here
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September 2024
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15
One of the great hopes we have as a child of God is the security of knowing that heaven is waiting for us when we die. It also gives us peace to know this is true for our loved one who died with faith in the Lord. August 29th at around 2:23 PM my mother went to be with her Lord. Words cannot express the impact she had on my life and the lives of my children and grandchildren. She was also Mamaw to many others. She was loved by so many whom she touched by the love she so eagerly shared. Thankfully, we were able to be with her when she went on to be with the Lord. We returned to the States when it became evident that Mom was going to pass. Thankfully we were able to be by her side at home under hospice care, as she peacefully went on to be with her Savior. Please keep my father in your prayers as he adjusts to life without his partner of 62 years.
We will be returning to Bulgaria on October 17th. During this time, we will be waiting for the arrival of two new grand babies. Zack and Haylie are expecting around mid-September and David and Mckenzie around mid-October. We are praying that we will be here for both. The latest we can stay due to our visa process is October 17th. We will be taking this time to assist my father in any way that we can and of course seeing our new grand babies.
The work in Bulgaria has been going well. We have experienced one of the hottest and driest summers on the books and with that have been unprecedented wildfires. The construction project in Avren has gone very well. Im grateful to all those who contributed to this. We still have a little way to go in completing all the interior work; flooring, electrical, plumbing, kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures. We trust the Lord to supply these needs as they arise.
We recently had a Sofra in Avren. A sofra is a special meal and gathering to commemorate or celebrate an event. In this case it was a celebration. Many people came, and it gave us a good example of what we desire to do with the building and church in the future. We all are very excited for what the future holds in Avren.
As always, I am grateful for your prayers and support. We ask that you remember us in these coming days as we prepare to return to Bulgaria a few weeks from now. We will be hosting Brother Duane Moore for a week when we return and look forward to seeing what God will do during the time that he is with us. Please also pray for our daughter and daughter-in-law as they await these babies to come and for my father as he adjusts to life without mom.
God bless you all,
Brother Keith Blalock (A printable PDF version with pictures is available here)
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May June 2024
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints,
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
I am very thankful that the Lord blessed my wife and me with ten beautiful children and eleven grandchildren. Our youngest daughter, Charity, graduated from Pensacola Christian Academy in May. We are very proud of her and thankful for everyone who helped her accomplish this. We are also grateful for the time we could train her in the way she should go.
Im thankful for that way, also known as the gloryland way, the old paths, the gospel road, the right way (Gen. 24:48), his way (Deut. 8:6), the good and the right way (Isa. 12:23), thy way (Ps. 25:4), and Gods way (Acts 16:17). Its a glorious, blessed, satisfying, peaceful, and life-giving way. I entered the way in 1979; I received the Lord Jesus Christ (the way, the truth, the life, John 14:6) as my Lord and Savior and was translated into the kingdom of Gods dear Son. Its a wonderful way.
We are not only admonished to train up a child in the way he should go, but we also have the promise that when he is old, he will not depart from it. Its the way he was trained in, always before him, written in his heart, and he cant depart from it.
I believe the prodigal son was trained in Gods way. Yet when he left, he couldnt help but compare the bad way to the good way. He went from being in want to having bread enough and to spare, from not worthy to be called thy son to this my son, from took his journey into a far country to I will arise and go to my father, from fain have filled his belly with the husks to feasting on the fatted calf, and from sent to the fields of swine to the father having compassion on him, kissing him, and receiving him safe and sound. What a blessing! No matter how far he strayed from his fathers way, he could never get so far that the way he was brought up in departed from him. As a Christian father, I take great solace in the promises of God found throughout the scriptures. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us (2 Cor. 1:20).
Concerning our new building in Avren, Bulgaria, we have started to hold church services. Our families meet here to have an English service on Sundays. Bibles and songbooks in the Bulgarian and Turkish languages are printed and bound here. We are close to finishing the building, but still have a little ways to go. We cannot express enough our thankfulness to all who prayed and helped out financially.
All because of Calvary, (A printable PDF version is available here)
Matthew and Jane Welch
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June July 2024
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you enjoying the Lords word and will. The last two months were spent in meetings in OH, KY, ND, MT, and ID. It was a great blessing to visit with these pastors and their congregations again, even if it were for a few hours. My brother-in-law, Pastor Samuel Witter, asked me to preach a two-day revival, while we enjoyed meeting his new bride, Emily. We were encouraged in these meetings seeing the Lord move during the invitations and an increased interest among young people to help on the mission field.
Weve begun the paperwork process for religious visas to return to Ukraine. We do not know how long the process will take due to the war. Please pray for all that is involved.
My right-hand man in the ministry, Pastor Alexei, has been called up to appear at the local recruiters office. He has had exemption status since the war began which has given him the freedom to lead the ministry. He was in the category that does not require parents of handicapped children to serve. However, Ukraine recently changed these laws making conscription for him a possibility. Please pray with us that they will extend his exemption. There are many legal aspects of our lives, both personal and ministerial, that are in his name. If he were to be conscripted it would affect many, especially his wife and family.
I was hoping to make another short trip into Ukraine during the latter part of August. My vehicle, however, broke down during our travels and repairs were very costly causing us to postpone the trip till later this fall. We are, at the moment, prayerfully considering our family making a three-month trip into Ukraine without waiting for our visas. Such a trip would allow us an opportunity to accomplish much work before winter hits. This would include allowing us to encourage the church, continue trips into eastern Ukraine, prepare our house for our return, put up food, and take care of our paperwork on that side of the ocean.
Please continue to pray for the following requests: 1) the Lords guidance and provision for our next trip to Ukraine; 2) Gods provision for a gas generator, and for a well to be drilled; 3) our paperwork; 4) Gods will for Samuel and Susanna; 5) Gods comfort, wisdom, and safety for our men in Ukraine; 6) the growth of those recently saved; 7) our study of the Ukrainian language; and 8) for the war to end. My family and I would like to thank you all for your friendship, fellowship, prayers, and support of us in this work that God has given us. May the Lord Jesus bless you as you continue to serve Him.
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue
A printable PDF version is available here https://ruemissions.comhttps://www.facebook.com/p/Rue-Family-Missionaries-to-Ukraine-100068352738533/
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August 2024
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Summer 2024
Halito! Hello!
As I write this letter, we are taking a few days breather in Yaak, MT, after being in services Saturday and Daniel preaching Sunday. This place is very special to us as we have been coming here for many years. Many of you have heard us talk about it and the church here. There arent many places you go where you see moose playing outside your door! We love the Yaakers!
When we finished our spring meetings back East (where the Lord met with us and His people) we began the summer work in OK. The summer work is a time of focus on children. The Choctaws do their VBS a little different in that they have adult classes and also close the VBS every night with a preaching service. We started June off helping at Grace Indian Baptist at Talihina, OK. The membership of the church is a blessing because they have stepped up and do their own VBS now. We hang out with them and I teach the mission story, Daniel helps in preaching, and Mrs. Shirley with music, but for the most part they are self-sufficient and I mean that in the best of ways! They rely on God, but have taken off the training wheels so to speak and are following the great commission like white churches! Its like a family atmosphere and we saw four young people come to Christ!
We moved on to Indian Baptist Missions Camp the second week of June. We helped with the teaching, music, and preaching. The crowd was small this year, but we did have some Navajo come from NM. We pray the Lord will restore the ministry the camp has had to many tribes for 30+ years.
The 3rd week of June found us at Keota, OK and New Hope Indian Baptist Church. This church is among the oldest in OK and was most likely started by Choctaw Missionary Peter Folsom. In fact, he is buried here on the church property. It is around 140 years old, with no pastor and the decimation of Covid, the church has only a handful coming, but they are faithful. We were privileged to work with Grace Indian Baptist and help them with a VBS. The members from Grace worked their jobs and then drove the hour and a half one way to hold the VBS every day. The Word was shared and the people of New Hope encouraged. They are not alone and not forgotten by a Heavenly Father who loves them!
The last week of July was spent at Spring Hill Church in Honubia, OK. This week is more like a family camp. Day classes for all ages till noon, followed by lunch and then mandatory singing school learning Choctaw and English hymns. We have nightly services for all enrolled at the VBS, and those that live nearby come also. Mrs. Shirley had to teach the 2-5 year-old class for a couple of days when Mrs. Josephine had to work, and little did she know the young man helping her was one she had taught 30 or more years ago! God is so good! Some that have attended the camp for years have chosen to walk away from truth and the Lord. Its an answer to prayer when they come back and also to see the Lord still save souls along and along like He did young Peyton, this week. This brings us to July and we had one more VBS to work in at Zion Missionary Baptist in McAlester, OK. Once again, we teamed up with Grace Indian Baptist.
Again, we had classes and a service after. We taught on the book of Daniel for four of the five weeks, so we were all familiar with our lessons and it all worked smoothly. The Higginbothams have been going to Zion for about 37 years or so.
Like most Native churches they were in need of a pastor, but they have had Bro. Ron Burning fill in for them in the winter months and now Bro. Ross is helping with preaching on Sundays. Because of this they have had more people coming. Zion has a Godly heritage and I know they were being cheered on by a great cloud of witnesses. Unfortunately, as you leave OK and began to head west this is not the case.
The Choctaws have had the gospel before leaving MS on their trail of tears. Whereas, most reservations have no church of any kind, and especially not a Bible preaching, fundamental church.
We went home to rest a bit before heading to Fort Hall, ID and the Shoshone Bannock tribe. We merged with Missionaries to the Sho-Ban Joe and Lela Copley, Hoopers Creek Baptist from Fletcher, NC, Missionaries Gerry and Sherril Locklear and us! Whew! We have worked with this team several years and its a joy as all hands are on deck. Faith Baptist Church has grown in number since last year! How wonderful! The tribe will not allow us to door knock so its up to the parents to bring the children, which some did! Or Mrs. Lela and Bro Joe to run their normal bus routes. The church was full to capacity every day, with people standing around the walls! We finished the week with four young people coming to know Christ and left some wanting to know more. We believe that God will continue the work started in these young and old hearts. Psalm 119:130 KJV. The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
When we got to Fort Hall, ID we found out that the next two VBS with the Kalispel and Spokane tribes in WA state had been canceled. The church that was going to be working with us locally were unable to work this year and unfortunately neither tribe was responding, leading us to believe that they were not interested in a VBS with their children. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16:9 KJV. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. The Adversary does not want us to labor in these fields and there are times God shuts the door. We pray this is not the case. Does not Christ love these people? Is His arm to short to reach them? Is the Light of His Love grown too dim to shine in these dark places? Or is it that the churches of America have no burden for the lost? My mind goes to the pictures in the old days when a fire broke out on a building and the people would line up and pass a bucket single file, person to person, until the last person poured the water on the fire. Thats how it is when we partner with you, our supporting churches, and then those churches like, Hoopers Creek, and Grace Indian, and then connect with Missionary Copley, arm in arm until finally we drop the seed of Gods Word. And one, or two, or four people come to Christ. Praise the Lord for salvation that reaches to the uttermost!
As we rest a few days before heading to the west coast of WA and then all the way back to NM with the Navajo people, we are rejoicing in what our eyes have seen; people coming to Christ, tribes reaching other tribes, and, the Word of God being planted in new and old places. Pray for us that our strength and faith fail not. We have more miles to go before hitting Oklahoma again and we want to be faithful to Him and give our best for Him. We are thankful for your love and support and prayer for us and the Native people.
In Him, the Higginbothams,
Mrs. Shirley, Elena, and Daniell (A printable PDF version is available here)
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June 2024
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for
the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Revelation 21:23
To Family, Friends, and Fellow Saints,
The older we get and the longer we serve the Lord, the more Heaven means to us.
Maybe it has to do with us having more people over there than here. I was with a
preacher the other day who turned 87. He was on his way to preach in the
prisons. When asked why, he said something to the effect that he was looking to
see old friends. A fellow preacher responded, Youre 87; if youre looking for
friends, theyre more likely in the graveyard than the prison. My old dad would
often peruse the county cemeteries looking at headstones. When I asked why, he
replied, I know more people here than I do anyplace else. Heaven is sweeter
because of the certainty of a reunion.
Maybe Heaven means more because of the vexation of our spirits living in this
wicked world. I know theres nothing new under the sun. I know that history
repeats itself and that the days of Noe and Lot have once again come upon us.
And yet, the days of Noe and Lot run concurrent in our day. In addition,
according to my humble interpretation of scripture, the devil knows he has a
short time left and has redoubled, or trebled, or multiplied his energies at
wreaking havoc. His mask of subtlety has slipped, and his hatred is manifest
everywhere. Every means of media has been infiltrated and blares out with
reckless abandon and obnoxious repetition the odious and outright abominable
message of the age. If you make the effort to shut it out, you still have to
endure the effects on those who take it in. Only in Heaven will we be once and
for all freed from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, having passed out of
the devils domain into the Kingdom of the dear Son of God. Heaven is sweeter
because of its absolute purity, its wholesomeness, its goodness.
Maybe Heaven means more because of the pains we bear. There are physical pains:
pains that come with age, pains that come with disease and illness, that the
passing years exacerbate. There are pains that come with experiences, misfortune
and misunderstanding, trials and tribulations. Sometimes the physical hurts are
easier borne than the emotional. Regardless of their source or sustain, these
burdens grow heavier with the years; or perhaps we grow weaker, too frail to
endure long what we once bore patiently. We long to lay off these weights, soar
homeward, and be at rest. Heaven is sweeter because all of the things that
trouble and have troubled us will be gone forever.
Maybe Heaven means more because we long to worship. There might be some reading
this that view worship as an abstract idea. Youve read the word and even looked
up its definition, but youre unsure of its application. Some folks
understanding of worship is cultural, i.e. what they do down South, or in a
particular church, or at a particular meeting. Some peoples understanding of
worship is based on their negative views of the contemporary church: Well, if
thats worship, I dont want any part of it! (It isnt; and you probably
wont.) And there are even some whove searched the scriptures and can give a
chapter and verse definition of the term, straight from the KJV, who are as much
out of practice or unwilling to participate as the modernists they condemn. But
the lover of the Lord Jesus longs to lay at His feet and bask in His glory. Have
you ever tasted and seen that the Lord is good? Have you ever once experienced
His presence?
Have you ever forgotten your cares and lost track of your requests as streams of
gratitude poured forth from your heart? Heaven will be worship. Hearts
unbounded, free at last, unhindered by any carnal or worldly consideration, will
break forth in unceasing praise of Him who loves us and washed us from our sins
in His own blood. Songs will swell the vaulted corridors of the celestial city.
Jeweled crowns of unimaginable splendor and inestimable worth will sail across
the throne room and clang at the feet of Jesus without a second thought given.
Creatures hitherto unknown and unguessed and unfathomable will chant His praises
in perfect harmony with the saints. Heaven is sweeter because well finally get
to worship the way the soul intends, and the flesh can no longer hinder.
I guess the list could go on and on, couldnt it? In the end, Heaven is what it
is because of Him. Sam Richards, the old, white-haired Sunday school teacher,
would say, Hes the highlights of Heaven. In fact, everything there is a
reflection of Him. Paul, while referencing Moses and the tabernacle, said, He
who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. And just as
everything in the tabernacle pointed to Christ, so everything in the New
Jerusalem points to Him. The street, the foundations, the walls, the gates, the
river and trees Hes in all, over all, above all Lord of all! Not to sound
masonic, but Hes the architect, and everything reflects His genius. Everything
reverberates with His praise. Everything echoes His goodness.
And when I see Him face to face
, thats Heaven. For now we see through a
glass, darkly; but then face to face.
In the meantime, we endure as seeing Him who is invisible; and we walk by faith
until we walk in sight.
Gracious thats not half bad, even if the worst missionary you know did write
it. Until we see Him, were carrying on doing what we can for all we can. Weve
only got a few more weeks left in the country, then were headed back to
Bulgaria. We fly out of Dulles on the 23rd of July. The good Lord has provided
us another apartment in Shumen, only a few blocks away from the one we had to
leave. Were excited about taking up residence in it.
The boys will be attending a couple of youth camps in July, before our return.
Keep them in your prayers. Theres lots to do and get done before our exodus.
Pray we can get it all accomplished.
Bro. Zach wrote in his prayer letter about the Turkish Bible. The proofreading
is finally done. They want to get it recorded, like Scourby, and put the
recordings on the radio in Turkey and on YouTube. To get the whole Bible
professionally recorded will cost a big chunk of money, $25,000. A numbers a
number to God. What seems big to us is nothing to Him. Help us pray.
Because of a living Savior,
The William LeFevre Family (A
printable PDF version is available here) www.facebook.com/bulgarianlefevres
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April 2024
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:9-13
To Family, Friends, and Fellow Saints,
Winter is that season of the year when, due to the earths tilt on its axis, a hemisphere is farthest from the sun. As such it is defined by coldness, being farthest from the source of its warmth, and by darkness, as the hours of daylight are brief. Without heat and light, growth ceases; plants wither and die. The landscape appears barren and lifeless. Creation is held in suspended animation until in the process of time the planet in its orbit draws nearer to its center once again. Our God in His wisdom ordained the earths circuit, and by its placement in the heavens created the seasons we sometimes enjoy and sometimes lament.
You can draw many parallels to life from the circuit of the earth. And yet our text points to a contrast. When the Shulamites Savior appears, calling her to come away with Him, winter is past. Not that winter has passed, as time passes, but is past, as in gone or done away with.
Im fully aware that when the Lord Jesus appears to summon us to Himself, and we go to forever be with our Redeemer, winter will never come again. The long nights will be over, and well bask forever in the unceasing rays of the Sun of righteousness. Not a single cloud will pass between us again.
But I know this as well, that when He comes by His Spirit, through His word, now, in this life, regardless of every contrary consideration winter is past, as if it never occurred. In the presence of Jesus, the dreary, gray clouds pouring rain and portending more vanish, revealing the brilliance of the azure sky. At the sound of His footstep, flowers spring forth, bud, and blossom brightly, exhibiting their most vivid hue. The melody of the song birds fills the air heralding His arrival, every note audible sweetness. The glory of creation flows from Him, reflects Him, and adores Him.
And yet for all that, its to me He comes. My beloved has eyes and ears only for me. How can winter linger when love burns so vehemently? And who could recall the winter in the wonders of such a spring?
Thats a big, fat, flowery way of saying God sure is good, and theres nothing better than being saved! I hope these few scattered thoughts find you faring well and weathering the storm.
We havent quite been everywhere since the last prayer letter; it just seems that way. Weve put some miles behind us, nevertheless. Its been good getting to places and churches new to us, and equally as good revisiting friends and familiar people and places along the way. Its refreshing to meet pastors, who are well aware of the times were living in and see the storm clouds approaching and yet are still eager to do more in defiance of the devil and the age. Praise God. Weve had a number of churches, new to us, take us on for support. Im always humbled by it, as I wouldnt support me. I sure am glad theyre trusting the Lord though.
Weve enjoyed missions conferences, revival services, youth meetings, and just good, old-fashioned church. I cant tell you how much I appreciate Christians meeting with no other agenda than to pray and sing praises and hear the word of God preached. Thats what refreshes the saints. All the programs and extracurricular activities might occupy time and prevent a foray into worldliness, but nothing builds up the child of God like Jesus-centered, Bible-founded worship. Thats our heart and soul. Thats what we want for our family, for your family, for the mission field.
I hear from our fellow missionaries overseas that the building in Avren is nearing completion. Thatll be a blessing. Ive also heard the Turkish Old Testament is nearly finished being proofed. The believers continue to meet monthly in Dabravino for the big Turkish meetings. The pastors are also continuing their monthly fellowship services. Please pray for them. Pray for the children of the pastors. Pray God would touch their homes and help their families.
Keep us in your prayers. Time is running out on our furlough. Pray what time we have left, the Lord would use us to be a blessing.
The Lord bless yall and keep you in His love, praying in the Holy Ghost, and looking for His daily mercies and His soon glorious appearing.
Because of a living Savior,
The William LeFevre Family (A printable PDF version is available here) www.facebook.com/bulgarianlefevres
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June 2024
Dear Brothers Sisters in Christ,
We hope this finds you all enjoying the blessings of our Lord and Savior. This
month marks one year since our ministry drastically changed with the departure
of some of our workers. It happened quickly and we were forced to make decisions
we otherwise wouldnt have considered. We ended up moving to our church in
Calarasi and within a couple of months we fixed up two rooms for my family and I
to live in. This ended up being the best decision for our ministry.
Weve seen the Lord bless our church, sending in people who would never have
come if we werent there. Our family has found so much joy and contentment here
and we feel the Lord is blessing our efforts. It encourages and refreshes us
when we see the Lord working in these peoples lives and seeing new believers
born again into the family of God.
One lady who recently started coming to our morning prayer meetings is named Ati.
Shes a lady to whom our workers owed a large amount of money. I reimbursed her
the money and asked her to come to our services and she promised she would. She
started coming shortly thereafter and we saw the Lord begin to work in her
heart. One week Jacob had a meeting at his church in Pecineagra and I took some
of our believers from Calarasi to the service and Ati came with us. We had a
powerful service where the Lord blessed in a mighty way. The people were crying
and shouting and praising the Lord for all His goodness. On the way home, Ati
said she felt the Lord so strong in the service she started crying and wanted to
shout. Please help us pray that the Lord saves her. She has a lot of influence
in this village and her testimony could reach a lot of people who are Muslims
and want nothing to do with us.
As the weather has warmed up, weve begun having our morning prayer meetings
outside again and just as the Lord continues to bless the devil continues to
fight. Last week during one of our services, as we were singing, someone outside
the gate began throwing rocks over the fence at us. One rock almost hit Teresa
in the head while other rocks hit Brother Marchel. He and I ran out the gate to
try and catch whoever it was, but they were gone. Brother Marchel decided hed
sit outside the gate in the middle of the road to guard us as we continued the
service. Before this happened, I wanted to put up a shed roof over the area
where we meet outside to shade us from the sun, but Ive been so busy, I havent
had time to add the roof yet. After this happened, I knew I could wait no longer
and had to get it done. Last year, some gave money for our bell tower and the
shed roof and this week weve finally been able to pour cement and add the shed
roof. We now have a very nice place for our people to come and worship, shaded
from the sun, rain and protected from any future rocks being thrown at us.
We appreciate all of you, your prayers, and your support for our ministry, and
we pray for each of you, that as the days grow darker and the evil waxes worse
and worse, that your light for the Lord will shine brighter, and your hearts
will be more and more encouraged as we see the day approaching. Please continue
to pray for our other seven meetings and our daily travels back and forth. May
God richly bless you, is our prayer.
From Calarasi, Romania
Nathan, Teresa and Nate Reed A
printable PDF version is available here
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April May 2024
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The months of April and May were
busy with meetings in OH, KY, IN, MI, and NC. During my last visit to Ukraine, I
saw that the Ukrainian language is replacing Russian in regions that previously
only communicated in Russian. I decided that it is time to begin language study
once again, this time in Ukrainian. My family and I are taking lessons twice a
week via Zoom from my long-time friend Oleg, aka Captain Translator. The month
of May was also eventful for Naomi and I as we celebrated our 31st wedding
anniversary.
During my last visit to Ukraine, I was able to gather some vital information
ahead of our return to the field. It will be unavoidable for us to return to our
home because of our residency permits. We are, of course, trying to understand
if it is safe to do so. The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but
safety is of the LORD (Prov. 21:31). I spoke with several men in the know who
explained the situation in Transnistria, a country where a Russian army is
located and whose border is only a ten-minute drive from my house. I now feel
much better about returning. However, the situation in Ukraine makes day to day
life very difficult. We recently received the official schedule from the
electric company in our town. We will have only five hours of electricity in a
twenty-four-hour period, divvied up an hour or two at a time. In addition, there
are water shortages. I will have to make at least one more trip to prepare our
home before the arrival of my family. It would be almost senseless to return to
a house with no water, no power, and no heat during winter! Solar panels for
power and a deep well for water would be ideal and keep us independent of the
utility system which was bad even before the war.
After discussing future plans with Alexei we decided to submit our paperwork for
visas after Michael turns sixteen in July. Ukraine places young people in a
category all their own between the ages of 16 and 18. To avoid a lot of extra
problems and paperwork, which would require us to exit the country, we decided
that this is the safest option. Weve also discussed the nature of the ministry
for the time being. We plan to continue to take the Gospel and aid to Eastern
regions of Ukraine into the formerly occupied territories. They are humbled,
hungry, and listening now.
Possible New Recruits! Even during wartime there are still young people praying
about going to the mission field! My son, Samuel, and his wife, Susanna, are
praying about coming over to help us in Ukraine. He wants to accompany me on my
next trip while praying about the Lords will for their lives after he graduates
Bible Institute. What a blessing! Not to mention my daughter, Miriam, is
committed to returning with us as well. She is a certified bookkeeper and is
working hard to get her online business to the point that she can be
self-supporting on the field. I praise God for the blessing of having a family
that is now producing second generation missionaries that grew up on the field!
Please pray for the men in our church who are carrying a heavy burden during
wartime. Pastor Alexei is doing a fine job overseeing the church. He is under a
lot of pressure from many sides and needs prayer. On the one hand there are
constant threats of missile strikes in Odessa. On the other stands the sobering
possibility that he, or the other needed helpers in the church, could be
conscripted. They also get constant updates from church members and their
families who are fighting now and say that Kharkiv is very hot and that they may
be going soon. In addition to these pressures, the changes that are fast coming
to Ukraine from the West are very discouraging. The Parliament of Ukraine has
already presented a bill that would take the first steps to the legalization of
gay marriage. What a disgrace! The men are between a rock and a hard place. If
Russia wins the war, then our liberty to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ will
almost disappear. If Ukraine wins, then the new form of Western Civilization
(the Hollywood kind) which has replaced the old will come in and make Ukraine a
new colony of the USA and Europe. These new western values and immigration
will change Ukraine forever. Time is short. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.
On a positive note, I spoke with one of our church members who is serving in the
Ukrainian army. He emphatically wanted me to know one thing. He said, Pastor, I
just want you to know that I give to missions as much as I can. He gives to the
Lords work from his small soldiers salary. He listed the several national
pastors and missionaries weve supported over the years. I thought of the past
trials and temptations we encountered while discipling him and his mother. I was
reminded that it is all worth it! It is the fruit that the Lord described
which does indeed remain (see John 15:16).
Another blessing from our last trip was seeing the hand of God at work in those
that were recently saved during our first trip. I was concerned about these new
believers and felt an obligation to help them grow (Matthew 7:6).
We met a man named Sergei during our last trip, who said that he relocated to
the area to help disciple the new converts that we led to Christ last year. I
saw the fruit firsthand when we arrived in a town where we had previously
preached. There were two women in particular who recently received Christ and
who sang a special hymn for me during my first visit. They were happy to see
that I returned to visit them again and then they asked, Did you bring our
pastor with you? I did not know that they had one so quickly, then it was
explained to me that their new pastor was the same Sergei with whom we had been
working! What a blessing to see the Lord provide men where they are needed.
A Ukrainian pastor in eastern Ukraine was present when I preached the Gospel to
a town north of Mykolaiv. He has invited me to return to preach a weeklong
revival in his church in Nova Odesa. Please pray for these meetings.
We need prayer! A lot of prayer! Please continue to pray for the following
requests: 1) the Lords continued guidance and protection on our next trip to
Ukraine; 2) Gods provision for plane tickets, solar panels, and deep water
well; 3) our paperwork; 4) Gods will for Samuel and Susanna; 5) Gods comfort,
wisdom, safety, and strength for our men in Ukraine; 6) the growth of those
recently saved; 7) our study of the Ukrainian language; and 8) our upcoming
meetings.
My family and I would like to thank you all for your friendship, fellowship,
prayers, and support of us in this work that God has given us. May the Lord
Jesus bless you as you continue to serve Him.
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue A
printable PDF version is available here
https://www.facebook.com/p/Rue-Family-Missionaries-to-Ukraine-100068352738533/
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The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. Psalm 68:11
June 2024
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We trust this letter finds you continuing steadfast in the faith and looking for the coming of our Lord. Our heavenly father has been good to us in answering our prayers. In Avren the work on the church buildings continues.
This past Sunday we were able to hold services there in the upper room. Below there is a room for the Turkish church to meet; there will also be a kitchen and bathrooms. It's been about two years ago that we first began to pray for the funds to do this work. Now, the work is almost complete.
The Turkish Bible translation work is nearly complete. This was a work started by missionary Ralph Cheatwood back in 1980. He spent over thirty years of his life working on this so that the Turkish people might have a reliable translation of the scriptures. For several years now the preachers in Bulgaria and Romania have been using his New Testament translation. We have produced these paperback New Testaments here in Bulgaria. Back during the Covid epidemic we began to pray about making an audio recording of the Bible so that those believers who never learned to read could at least listen to the word of God. The Lord has answered this prayer in part. The New Testament has been professionally recorded and is now available for listening on a website, also it can be heard on the internet radio in Turkey. The internet radio station plays the Bible being read eighteen hours a day. As soon as possible we would like to begin recording the Old Testament as well. This project will cost around twenty-five thousand dollars. We will need half of this by August in order to begin. Those of you who know the Lord, ask him to send it to us.
Thank you all for your continued prayer and financial support.
In Christ, Zachary LeFevre A printable PDF version is available here
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June 2024
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I hope this letter finds you well and in His nurturing grace. Im thankful for
how God is working in the meetings this summer. Its become very hot these past
few weeks with the temperatures reaching into the high nineties. The heat can be
very oppressive, but it doesnt stop our believers from coming to our services
and we are thankful for that.
On Sundays, I am in three meetings. We meet at the Childrens Home for our
English service, then afterwards my dad and I, with some Turkish believers, go
to two other meetings in the village about an hour from where I live in
Constanta. At the first meeting in the village there is a man whose house we
meet at that gathers up all the children in his area for the service. His name
is Cerkez and hes a blessing to us all. One day when we arrived, I said to him,
It sure is hot today. He replied, Well its hotter in hell, thank God we
arent there and thank God for this beautiful weather. Talk about putting
things into perspective, this humbled me to my very soul. Ive found that its
easy to complain when we should simply give thanks every day for how good God
has been to us. The children have learned the hymns and sing passionately and
some of their parents have begun to come to the services.
In my last prayer letter, I spoke of a man who comes faithfully to our meeting
in the village of Medgidia. His name is Yildiz and hes handicapped in both of
his feet and walks with a cane. He also cannot speak clearly but we have learned
to understand his speech. Last week, without anyone telling him to, he started
sweeping outside the church. He simply wanted to help clean up even though he
had to use a cane. Both of his feet were burned as a child, and he also damaged
his tongue and vocal cords so badly that its hard to understand what he says.
But after a few years weve learned to understand him and Ive learned it isnt
the great or the learned, its the humble that get blessed. Let that be a lesson
to all of us.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and
God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are
mighty; 1 Corinthians 1:27
With the help of several churches, I have been able to build a church in the
town of Pecineaga, where my wifes parents live, and the Lord has blessed
tremendously. Every Thursday, we have people from different areas around the
village, along with my dad bringing believers from Calarasi, to meet for a
service and a meal afterwards. My wife and I have many nieces and nephews who
attend these meetings, and we are praying for their salvation as well as others
who are now coming. Even though we have adversaries who live across the street
from us, who dont like that we have a church, we are still excited to see what
the Lord has in store for us. Please help us pray the Lord will touch their
hearts and they too will come to our church services and be saved. Thank you all
once again for all you do.
From Constanta, Romania A
printable PDF version is available here
March - April 2024
"...one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon." Nehemiah 4:17
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Servants.
Greetings from the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ that are with us. We have been extremely busy while renovating a Church building in Avrin, Bulgaria. From the demolition of the old structure to rebuilding the new one, it has taken a considerable amount of labor and strength. With God being in the center of it all it has been a blessing and a joy. Sometimes after we were finished with construction for the day we would go and hold our weekly meeting in Ynak. We literally had a trowel in one hand and a few minutes later we had a Bible, "the sword of the spirit", in the other.
I can't express the gratitude we have for all the help and prayers that many of you have had a part in with this project. We could not have done it without you all. May all the praise be to God who has made this happen. May this building always be to his glory and honor.
God has been good to us in letting us see him work amongst us.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew and Jane Welch (A printable PDF version is available here)
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Dear Churches, Pastors, and Friends,
March-April 2024
Greetings to All!
Thanks to all of you who prayed for me during my recovery from surgery. I am
doing great! Three trips were planned during this time: two to Cuba and one to
the Amazon. They were well covered while I was recuperating. The trip to the
Amazon was a first-time training session. About 200 people attended, and it was
very productive. One humorous story, there is not any beef or pork available,
there are no roads into that jungle area; and fish is the main staple food
source. After two days the American pastors asked for hot sauce. Hot sauce is
not normal for this area, but a sister went to her house and brought back a
bottle. After enjoying the sauce for a couple of days, the pastors asked how she
made it. She showed them the bottle and it was full of "fire ants" and also had
a tarantula inside! Oh well, you have to ask what kind of food you are eating
and even then, sometimes you do not know!
In April I made a trip to Cuba with a group. I was sick the whole week, but we
were able to go to all of the services while some of our team did the preaching.
Economically things are a lot worse - as if they weren't already having enough
problems! Cuba's main export is sugar cane and now "they" have decided that the
farmers will not be permitted to grow sugar cane!!! It just doesn't make sense!!
Cubans now only have 4-6 hours of power a day and thousands have fled the
island. It has been speculated that a million people may have fled over the last
year!
For 23 years we have supported these preachers and their families. This allows
them to live and work in their ministry. Pray for them as they struggle to
survive. They remain encouraged and believe the Lord will supply their needs. We
were able to buy several bicycles and Bibles on the last trip. Also, through the
help of several churches, we were able to provide funds for several church
buildings.
Please continue to pray for my wife. She is struggling with taking a
preventative cancer medicine due to its many bad side effects.
Joyfully Yours,
Farren Caeble 1 Sam 12:24 A printable PDF version is available here
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May 2024
And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is
become
the head of the corner: This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Mark 12:10, 11
I pray that this letter finds each of you doing
well. We are doing fine here in Bulgaria and are enjoying the beautiful spring
weather. It has been borderline summer-like at times, with brief moments of
really cool weather, but altogether very nice.
Weve had a few busy months since my last letter, and Ill do my best to fill
you in with the details. The village meetings are going well. We enjoy the
well-attended monthly meetings in Dabravino as well as the monthly meetings with
our pastors and faithful men, young and old. These meetings have been a blessing
to encourage and strengthen us all. We have also seen tremendous progress in the
construction project in the village of Avren.
This is very exciting for all of us, and we are encouraged by how it has
progressed. I cant say enough about the appreciation I have for Brother Matt
Welch and his work on this project. It is his expertise and patience with folks
like me who have little construction knowledge thats getting things done. God
bless you Brother Matt!
The Lord has greatly provided and we are very thankful for everyone who has
contributed. It will cost about $10,000 to finish the building and we fully
believe that God will provide.
Upon completion, we will have a building which will have two large rooms for two
separate church services, one English the other Turkish. It will have a kitchen
with a bathroom and a room for storage. This building will adjoin our current
building where we have church services, the printing room, and a large room
reserved for Coats for Kids storage. When it is completed, we will be able to
have many large meetings here and weekly English and Turkish services. It will
be a beacon of light on the hill in the village of Avren. Please make it a
matter of prayer about what you may do to help with this important project.
Our family is doing well, and we have several things to share. Our son Zack and
his wife Haylie are expecting their second baby in September. We are excited
about this and look forward to this new little one. Please remember them in
prayer. Kylie is doing really well in school, and we are excited to see what God
has in store for her. She just completed a course in phlebotomy and will be
practicing that while she pursues a degree in nursing. Pray for her, as shell
be moving to Blairsville, Georgia to live with Zackary while going to school
there. They are all excited about this move. Also, Zack and Haylie along with
McKynlee and Kylie will be visiting us in June. We are beyond excited about
this. Please pray for them as they travel.
Weve also had some trying times with the health of my brother-in-law Greg
Garrison. In March he had a heart attack. He is alone in the states so, Tracy
flew back to be with him. She was there for about a month until he stabilized,
then she returned here. Within a couple weeks he fell and broke the femur bone
in several places and now is waiting to go into rehab. Keep him in your prayers;
he is having a very difficult time right now, physically, mentally and
spiritually.
Brother Duane Moore with Preachin Time Ministries will be coming to visit for
a couple of weeks in October, and we look forward to his time here. Please make
his visit a matter of prayer, that it may be fruitful.
God bless you all,
Brother Keith Blalock (A
printable PDF version with pictures is available here)
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Dear Praying Pastors, Brothers and Sisters, Ukrainian Crisis Letter Spring of
2024
Feb. 14th to April 10th was a very fruitful trip to Ukraine blessed with great
opportunities to present the Gospel!
Ministering to Lakeside Baptist Church in Lemansky, Ukraine included making
visits to lost loved ones of our Church members and visiting local lost families
to sow the seed of the Gospel in their hearts. Slavic our national pastor
teaches a class for our young preachers every Saturday evening. His Brother
Michael also teaches a class on Homiletics (How to Preach) on Thursday evenings.
I was able to take five of their classes and train them on practical evangelism
including a few practical application lessons during one of which Sergey, a
young alcoholic who has been coming to services decided to attend. It was great
to show them all how to explain the Gospel to this young man and them to see the
Gospel open his understanding and gloriously save his soul. Continue praying for
the Churchs outreaches and the Growing Correspondence ministry which is
printing and sending out thousands of tracts weekly.
Chernivtsi presented many great opportunities to present the Gospel in different
Churches as well as special small groups organized specifically to help 100+
displaced Ukrainians both physically with a box of food, a good meal and
spiritually with a clear Gospel Explanation. After the preaching, Lyudmila (60+)
called upon the Lord for salvation.
On April 23rd I taught a three-part Seminar on Practical Evangelism to over 100
young adults and youth. They then practiced out on the streets in 10 busy areas
of the city. While sowing the seed, they were encouraged to see three out of
four people took the tracts gladly, many read them immediately while others
willingly engaged in conversations.
Chernivtsi Oblast: Oksana and I worked together making many Evangelistic visits
with three smaller village Churches.
Khmelnitsky Oblast: We worked with a local pastor making Evangelistic visits as
we challenged two Churches too.
Praising the Lord for His direction for our ministry. Lord Willing in June well
return permanently to Ukraine and relocate to Chernivtsi, the city where most of
our ministry opportunities and practical language learning will be centered.
Prayer Needs:
1) Learning to Speak and Preach in the Ukrainian Language with the training of a
university teacher. *{Weve preached in Russian for 30 years, BUT due to this
WAR, most dont want to hear the Aggressors language.}
2) Evangelistic visits: Many local pastors are very eager for us to make visits
to sow the Gospel seed and minister to the many Displaced souls resettling here
seeking refuge from the bombings and/or because they lost their homes.
3) Our Son DAVID who is laboring with Slavic, Oksanas Brother to prepare for
summer Evangelistic Camps in Odessa.
4) Brothers keep making outreaches to minister in Eastern towns devastated by
Russian Assaults.
Printing Ministry: We have recently printed 120,000 Testimonial tracts, 20,000
Ukrainian and some Russian copies of The Dying Drummer Boy which is a booklet
tract which is very effective in general witnessing, but especially great when
witnessing to Jews and also printed over 10,000 full-page Tracts entitled The
True History of Passover dealing with the real meaning of the Death and
Resurrection of Gods perfect sacrificial Passover Lamb.
Refugee Help: We recently sent out four boxes of Gospel literature to Europe for
use with Ukrainian Refugees: three boxes to two different Brothers in Ireland
and one box to a Ukrainian Church in Portugal.
Furlough has been encouraging as His Spirit moved hearts. We Thank the Lord for
three new supporting churches.
For the Souls of Ukraine, Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth and David Maher
We would love to Encourage your Church - Call me (513) 969-4229!
We sincerely Thank You all for faithfully praying, supporting and being
genuinely concerned for our family and our safety as well as for Oksanas family
and especially for the souls of Ukraine during this unbelievably heart-breaking
time. (A
printable PDF version is available here)
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February March 2024
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray these brief
highlights of our most recent trip to Ukraine will be a blessing to you. The
Lord graciously provided for another missionary journey into Ukraine during the
month of March. I invited several men to go with me, but only one was able to
make the trip. Brother Matthew Wallace from Friendship Baptist Church
accompanied me and was a needed extra pair of hands. We traveled through
Moldova relying on Brother Hamiltons men and Brother McCurdy to help us with
logistics. I was detained at the airport for a while after they scanned my
suitcases. I packed 2,000 Chick Tracts which the customs agents insisted were
contraband. I was being accused of being a contrabandist and was threatened
with all kinds of stuff. I stayed calm and told them to explain to me in
detail, step by step, what they were going to do. They called the top
supervisor who looked in my suitcase and saw the US Army toiletry bag I bought
in Germany over 30 years ago and thought that I was military. He immediately
lost interest and let me go!
Upon our arrival in Ukraine we spent two days in Odesa dealing with
logistical matters for the refugee work and transportation. The Lord graciously
provided half the funds needed for a vehicle enabling me to secure one for the
future. There was some concern about going into the city of Odesa because of
the news we received a few days before our departure. Russia, for the first
time since the start of the war, did a double tap missile strike killing over
twenty people in Odesa. Thankfully things were quiet while we were in the city.
We spent the next two days with the church in Rozdilna. First, in a mens
meeting where we enjoyed fellowship while grilling shashlik over an open
fire. Two of our men serving in Ukraines armed forces were able to get a few
days off and visited with us. I gave the men what the Lord gave me from the
Scriptures, telling them how the Lord has been leading, giving light to take one
step at a time, into His will. They were very encouraged to hear of the Lords
guidance for us for the future. The Sunday church services were a great time of
reunion and fellowship with dinner on the church grounds and several preachers
preaching.
There were nearly two months of logistical and administrative preparation
before our trip. We had 1,200 prepared care packages, over 5,000 packages of
rice with dehydrated meat and veggies, 800 loaves of freshly baked bread, and
many cases of literature. We spent three days in the Mykolaiv region just north
of Kherson, about 15 miles from Russian occupied territory. We found out from
the people who survived the occupation, where the worst hit towns were located.
We visited seven towns in three days having only a 2008 Volkswagen passenger van
to move over eight tons of food and literature. We worked with the local
authorities asking them to gather people in advance to save time. In every
town, the local authorities were women. Their men had either been killed or
were fighting to protect their homeland.
Our first town was Malozhenivka and was not easy to get to. We had to
travel through many miles of dirt roads around farm fields. Thankfully, the
Lord held off the promised rain for that day.
I doubt we could have returned home over those roads with our van had it
rained. Around sixty to seventy people were waiting for us, fifty of which
gathered in close to hear the preaching. Since I only speak Russian, and not
knowing if this would offend them, we had Brother Sasha open things up in the
Ukrainian language, then he would turn it over to me. After preaching the
Gospel, seven people responded to the invitation and I took them off separately
to deal with them. They all bowed their heads asking the Lord to save them!
Travel time and logistics only allowed for one meeting that day. It
rained the next day. We drove to Liublyne, which was previously occupied by the
Russians who pillaged and killed all their livestock. We hung a tarp over a
grape arbor for protection from the rain and a small group gathered. We
followed the same format preaching the Gospel and seven more people responded to
the invitation. I dealt with them separately and they too called on the name of
the Lord for salvation! After visiting with these dear people, we piled into our
van to go to the next town but it broke down. We tried several things to no
avail. Then I said, Lets pray! Duh! We should have done that first! After
finishing with an Amen, we lifted our heads and saw a car coming down the dirt
road with a trailer! Before I could even consider what was going on, Sasha had
already decided that that car was Gods answer to our prayer and was out the
door running down the street to catch it. The driver agreed to help us and,
thankfully, we were back in business!
After these delays we arrived in the larger town of Novopetrivka. We met
with the local magistrate who politely asked if we could speak in Ukrainian. I
apologized saying that I only spoke Russian which was not a big deal to her.
She humbly replied, It has cost us something to speak our language. Then we
learned how the Russians captured her husband along with around twenty other men
in their town. They were tortured to death. Somewhere around 300 people showed
up in the bullet-ridden meeting place. Around 50 people responded to the
invitation! How many were saved? I cant say. All I know is that the Gospel of
Jesus Christ was preached, and a clear invitation was given. Then I dealt with
them as a group separately asking whosoever will to pray to receive Christ as
their Savior. Dealing with that many people, at one time, was a first for me.
Thankfully, we were able to commission two more cars with trailers who
helped us transport the literature and aid to Partyzanske, Afanasiivka, and
Yurivka. In each town the Lord gave us souls for our labor, with around 15
responding to the invitations. We preached in the dark in Yurivka while the war
thundered on the horizon lighting up the night sky. We went back to Yurivka
again the next morning and preached to a larger crowd before finishing up in
Blahodatne. The destruction there is indescribable. The war raged in their
town for eight months. Almost every house is destroyed, making it hard to
believe that people still live there. We preached to a small crowd of about
thirty people with five responding to the Gospel message. The local magistrate
gave us some tea after the meeting. While visiting with them, an elderly couple
told how their home was destroyed and the magistrate allowed them to sleep in
her bed while the magistrate and her husband slept on the floor. She said that
they are farmers and that the fields have to be plowed and planted. I asked if
the authorities cleared their fields of land mines. She said, No. We did it
ourselves by hand.
I will write more in our next letter. We look forward to our next trip,
while making preparations to return with our family for another term. Please
pray for the Lords provisions and guidance as we prepare to go. We want to
thank each one of you for your concern for our safety and prayerful support of
our ministry. Please continue to pray that this war will quickly come to an
end. Better yet, Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue
Philippians 3:10 (A printable PDF version is available here)
https://www.facebook.com/p/Rue-Family-Missionaries-to-Ukraine-100068352738533/
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Halito! Hello!
Spring 2024
Spring is here and we are thanking God for seeing us through the winter months.
I say seeing us through because weve had quite a bit of sickness this winter
and early spring, but are finally on the rebound. We are now preparing for the
months ahead and the road before us.
Imagine how it would be living in the USA in 2024 and the Bible you are holding
is printed in French. You couldnt read it. It wouldnt have passages marked by
your father or grandfather unless they were of French heritage. Many Americans
have an English Bible thats been handed down and its marked with precious
notes from a relative or mentor in the faith. For most of us reading this
newsletter, the ability to read the Word of God has changed our lives. In April,
we were able to attend the Native American Camp Meeting in Great Bend, Kansas.
Its a meeting for Native missionaries, or missionaries working with Natives, to
come and share their work and burden.
One of the blessings that has been coming to fruition in the last couple of
years is the ability to get the Bible, or parts of the Bible, printed/reprinted
in several tribal languages. Most tribes have NO BIBLE in their language. This
is most likely because the government sent the children to boarding schools and
wanted them to assimilate English. God gave a language to each tribe and they
are now realizing what has been taken from them. These Bibles are being printed
as parallel Bibles, for instance, Ojibwe and English, side by side. They can be
used by the tribe to teach the language. The missionaries that labored in the
1800s translating and printing Bibles for the five civilized tribes, (Choctaw,
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Creek) gave the tribes a great light! These
five are considered the most Christian of the 574 federally recognized tribes in
the US. When we first went to the Choctaw reservation in Mississippi years ago,
I remember seeing the grandmothers bringing their Choctaw Bibles to church and
reading from them. These copies didnt even contain the entire 66 books! How
different the reservations would be if this light had been available all across
North America. Weve given thousands of ENGLISH John and Romans, but giving a
Native American a parallel John and Romans, in their language, is received more
quickly.
Maybe the time has come for this light to shine to more than the five civilized
tribes. Please pray for those involved in the translating and printing. This is
an expensive endeavor. For some people or churches in America there is no
shortage of money, but unfortunately there is a shortage of time. Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105)
We have meetings coming up in May and then start the summer work. We look
forward to seeing you as we go to your area of the country. We just realized we
have been in our field of service for 40 years!! Wow! Thank you Lord, for Your
Grace and love that has enabled us to sew the seed of the Gospel for 40 years.
Thank you, co-laborers, for your love, prayer, and support these many years.
In HIM, The Higginbothams, Mrs. Shirley, Elena, and Daniel (A
printable PDF version is available here)
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January - February 2024
And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our
brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how
they do. Acts 15:36
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Servants,
We send greetings from all the saints that are with us.
Paul and Barnabas had a desire to go again and visit their brethren where they
had preached the word of the Lord and see how they do. The Bible says As
newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby 1
Peter 2:2
While in Bulgaria, we follow a schedule for visiting the churches. The apostles
went out two by two, Paul with Barnabas and then with Silas. I myself go with
national pastor Demir. Paul's program did not change; they prayed, they sang
praises to God and spake the word of the Lord. Acts 16:25,32
It's a real privilege to visit the churches and see how they are doing. In
Acts16:4
they delivered the decrees for to keep
Acts 15:28-31, and through
the preaching of God's word
so were the churches established in the faith, and
increased in number daily. Acts 16:5
It's a real joy to visit the churches every week that are in: Sadovo, Venilin,
Kamindell, Dolgapol, Kamarvo, Bliskovo, Gradenarovo, Provadia, Markov and
Snezna. While there we sing praises to God, pray and preach God's word. We are
thankful for these people, and pray for them, Philippians 1:3,4, while enjoying
our fellowship in the gospel from the beginning to now. To see God working in
them and us makes us long to see each other every week. For God is my record,
how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:8
Through this we are encouraged to stay on the battlefield by God's grace.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew and Jane Welch (A
printable PDF version is available here)
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O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years,
in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2
Dear Brethren, February 2024
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I pray this letter finds you in His nurturing grace.
As we come into a new year I am wonderfully reminded of how good and loving and patient our God is and how he continues to strive with man in His creation. The meetings in Valen and Lespez are going well and continue to grow. When we first started these meetings, it was mostly children, but now in both meetings many adults and young people are starting to come. The Christmas packets were enjoyed more by these two villages because most of these children are so poor, theyve never even celebrated their own birthdays, let alone Christmas. Were very grateful for everyone who helped us make these childrens lives a little brighter because of our Saviors birth.
Last week I was able to take two of my children to the meetings in Medgedia and Castelul. They got in the car after school and most of the car ride was quiet. Fifteen minutes before our first meeting Uriah asked me a question, Dad, why do you get up and go to these meetings? I remembered asking my father the same question when I was younger, and my response was the same. I told him, Well son, I know where God is going to be today, and I don't want to miss Him. He then asked me again, Why would God meet with poor people? I responded by telling him, That is what he did 2,000 years ago when he walked this earth. His message hasn't changed and is still the same. The verse comes to my mind For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth; Psalms 102:19
For the past few months in the town of Pecineagra, the Lord, through the support from the churches and brethren in America, we have been able to build a building to have church and feed afterwards. We meet once a week and pray and in time we want to have morning prayer meetings there also. Many of my wife's family lives in the village and it is an opportunity to reach people who are further away from our weekly meetings. My own nephews and nieces are coming to know the love of Christ and I would be ashamed not to take this opportunity from the Lord. Please be much in prayer for this meeting and us.
I thank all the brothers and sisters in Christ who have contributed and prayed for the work here in Romania. We love you dearly and covet your prayers. Finally brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11
From Constanta, Romania,
Jacob Reed and Family jakereedfamily1994@yahoo.com (A printable PDF version is available here)
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2 Corinthians 4:3-5 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: [4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Friends, February 2024
Greetings from Romania and I pray this finds you enjoying the blessings of our Lord and using them to get the gospel of Jesus Christ to all you can in this new year.
What a wonderful Christmas we were able to have with the 450 packets this year. The excitement of the children was very uplifting and made all the hard work seem as nothing. With the containers from our mission board and the money we received; each kid was able to receive something very special. Thank you to all who helped us make this the best Christmas ever for all these poor kids and families.
We have so many wonderful people coming to the church. Every day I am amazed to learn of new and old things Christ is doing as He continues to build His church in these last days.
One man comes to mind and his name is Marchelle. He is a Romanian man who has been faithful to the church since his conversion. He only knows a little Turkish, but says he feels a real power in our church. He has had little education and has worked hard to take care of his large family. Before his conversion he was a bad alcoholic and would come to church and we would speak of many things over a bowl of soup and one day the subject of alcohol came up and I begin to explain to him how detrimental it is to one's body and ones soul. He would listen and go off on his way and I would see him again drunk down at the open marketplace a few days later. One day he came to the church, and he had a strange burden for his son who had been placed in prison for theft. He was crying and I didn't hear the prayer, but I saw him trying to pray at the end of the service and when he rose from the prayer, I knew something had happened. I believe it was at this point that all the seeds we had sown began to take root and from that point on, he began to be more sober. I was able to baptize him that year and ever since he has been sober and is now one of the best prayer warriors in our church. I found out later he had wanted to go with God earlier in his life, but when he tried to bring his wife to church, his mother-in-laws family had tied him up and beat him with a cable very badly, because they didnt want their family members joining with repenters. Now he goes around the village with his bold voice singing the hymns of God and has been known to break out in testimony of his newfound strength in Christ. Please be much in prayer for him as he leads his family away for the world with the light of Christ.
Please continue to pray for us as we travel to the meetings weekly. We have morning prayer meetings and feeding here in Calarasi three days a week. In the villages we have two meetings on Saturday and three meetings on Sunday.
Thursday, we have meeting in Jacobs village church.
It takes me four hours round trip just in driving, but I try not to ever miss a
meeting if possible. Gas is up to $7.50 to $8 for one gallon. Please keep all
these places in your prayers. We love and appreciate all of you for all you do.
From Calarasi, Romania,
Nathan, Teresa, and Nate Reed momareed15@yahoo.com (A printable PDF version is available here)
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November - December 2023
...The good LORD pardon everyone that prepareth his heart to seek God, 2 Chronicles 30:18 - 19
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Fellow Saints, we greet you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We give thanks for you all and are grateful for your love, prayers and support.
Yunak is just a little village, but the people are faithful and love to come to church. We meet in sister Zaharina's home and everyone has a testimony of God's faithfulness and care. We have an edifying time together when God meets with us. Lately Zaharina's step-son Nasko has been around when we have meetings. He is about 40 years old and is as rough as a cob. It will take nothing apart from a miracle for Nasko to get saved. And thats what it took for us to get saved. We are reminded in the scriptures of when the disciples were told by the Lord that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. After hearing that they echoed most of our sentiments and said who then can be saved? The more we look at lost men and women we often say only half of the verse which says "with men this is impossible". Its easy to give up when we don't look to God. But thank God, when we look to God and his track record we read, "but with God all things are possible" Matthew 19:26. God is able to save anyone that will come to him and believe on His Son. I will admit after getting to know Nasko it seems impossible that he will turn to God. But when I look to God's word, he says Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25 Then it's easy to believe. Jeremiah said it like this Ah Lord GOD....there is nothing too hard for thee... Jeremiah 32:17.
There are definitely two viewpoints: One "with men" and one "with God"
May God help us to see things his way because, Where there is no vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:18
All because of Calvary,
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Matthew Welch and family (A printable PDF version is available here)
Dear Pastors, Churches, and Friends, December 2023 - January 2024
While writing this letter I am reminded of scripture found in Job 24:22 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life. I do not want to be morbid, but in reality, all of us are graveyard travelers! That is why our time is to be used wisely in the short life that we have! On December 23rd I had an emergency surgery. About 10 years ago I had a non-cancerous Turp prostate surgery. The doctor told me that it might last 12-15 years. On December 21st, I began having serious problems and two days later I had the surgery. After two emergency room visits, I was taken to Frye General Hospital by ambulance and the doctor and his team performed another Turp procedure. I am doing well and have recuperated. I had three trips planned for the first of this year. We already had people scheduled to travel and they were able to make these trips successfully without me.
Two trips were made to a Hispanic country, the first in January and the second in February. Both trips were without incident and accomplished all that we had planned with these two groups while visiting and preaching. One of our American pastors preached a message on just being faithful and sticking with it. One of our national preachers was weeping after hearing the message at the church he pastors. He said, I was really discouraged and wanted to give up. Thank you all for coming and for the message! They had special prayer for him before leaving.
We also had a trip to the Amazon planned. It had been several years since I had been able to go into that area. The countries on the Amazon River where we travel and reach are the countries of Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. This trip we had planned to have an institute and teaching sessions emphasizing missions, soul winning and church expansion. Our group went on without me. They returned and had about 200 people attending. They had a great time and the time spent was very profitable. Pray for these people. These areas in the jungle where they minister are really difficult places, not only with transportation, (all on banana boats), but there is a lot of drug trafficking and crime in the area.
Thanks to all of you for prayers for us and the works in these countries!
Joyfully Yours,
Farren Caeble 1 Sam 12:24 A printable PDF version is available here
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Dear Praying Friends and Family, November 2023 January 2024
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. New Years is a time when we stand in the present, while bidding farewell to the old and anticipating the new. It always reminds me of Revelation 1:19. This letter hopefully will provide a past, present, and future understanding about the ministry the Lord has so graciously committed to us for His glory.
The past few months were spent catching up after my last trip into Ukraine, taking meetings in FL, WV, NY, OH, KY. We cherished the holidays where we were allowed to spend time with family. January was full with meetings, tax preparation, and prayerful deliberation about the Lords will for the future of our ministry.
The two most common questions asked during furlough are, When are you going back to the field? and Can you even get back to the field? We have spent some time in prayerful consideration, taking counsel with our people in Ukraine, and monitoring the war. As such we are still committed to the ministry God has given us to finish. The two questions remaining are, Where? and When?
After thirty plus years as a missionary in Ukraine, Ive had enough experience to know both the opportunities and tolls of furlough. At the outset of this furlough, I wanted to accomplish as much as possible seeing that we wont be given another opportunity for a long while. Our next term in Ukraine will require a lot of steadfastness and stability necessary for planting a new church. At the outset, I knew that this furlough was indeed going to be a very full one. After our last stint of seven years on the field, there was much to do: churches to update, new churches to visit to replace lost support, fundraising for certain projects, medical issues to tend to, and children to help get reacclimated in the homeland. Keep in mind that all of this was done during the Covid pandemic. Any one thing in the list could fill up a lot of the traditionally allotted one-year furlough. We did what we could but did not come close to finishing the things on the list. We planned to return to the field anyway and were excited to do so.
Then the war broke out. We decided to continue with our unfinished furlough list while, simultaneously, raising funds for the refugee work. Going back to the field with no unfinished business was a very welcome thought. We also hoped and prayed the war would come to an end and we could just return to our home in Ukraine and pick up where we left off. This was our Plan A and would have been the best for many reasons. First, we have a fully set up home for my family waiting for us. Second, we have an established ministry giving us the ability to easily obtain religious visas necessary for missions work in that region of Ukraine. Thirdly, we have helpers there, consisting of those we led to Christ and trained ourselves, who are anxious to help us with our next phase of ministry. Lastly, all the time-consuming bureaucracy associated with life overseas (bank accounts, insurance, residency registration, background checks, tax identification papers, etc ) were already accomplished.
Seeing we had unfinished business to tend to, it was wise to wait and see what the Lord would do with this war. I am taking the long view of the work in the Lords mission field. I did not want to have a knee jerk reaction and just start doing things to keep me busy for optical reasons. It is now, however, time for Plan B.
It looks like I will need to make at least two trips into Ukraine within the next couple months. The first, Lord willing, will be in March where I hope to accomplish a few things. The Lord graciously allowed me to win more souls in eastern Ukraine in two days than I have in a long time, and I want to go back for more! Another reason is that I need to move my family. It is still not clear what is to become of the Odessa region, so we have decided that it is time to begin making preparations to move to another location. We are not sure which, but we will either move to a safer city within Ukraines borders or to another city just outside its western border. We are praying the Lord will show us the place where we can minister to those displaced by the war and/or from which I can make trips into Ukraine, continuing the progress for our long-range plans. Lastly, I hope to be able to secure a vehicle for our use upon arrival if possible. It is too risky to be sitting in a potential war-zone with no transportation.
My main prayer requests are for guidance, wisdom, preparation, and provision for our return. Please pray for the Lord to make it abundantly clear where He would have us minister. We are also praying for the Lords provision for our return. We need return tickets to the field. I purchased Round Trip tickets when we returned to the USA for furlough. Our original return tickets recently expired and the airline has exhausted our extensions due to Covid and the war. This was another expense that I was not expecting. Another pressing need is to set up a new residence for my family. There are two options from which to choose and Im not yet sure which would be safest and cheapest: one, going and packing up our house and hiring a truck to move everything or, two, just downsizing and starting over. We will probably have to do a little of both but either way, we are going to need extra funds for the move. After talking to my men in Ukraine about future trips and ministry it is evident that Im going to need a vehicle for independent travel within Ukraine, first and foremost. We sold our vehicle in Ukraine prior to returning to the US for furlough to help cover the expenses of relocating. There are a lot of details to consider but Im sure the Lord will sort them all out in His time.
We want to thank each one of you for your concern for our safety and prayerful support of our ministry. Please continue to pray that this war will quickly come to an end. Better yet, Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue
Philippians 3:10 (A printable PDF version is available here)
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https://www.facebook.com/p/Rue-Family-Missionaries-to-Ukraine-100068352738533/
Dear Praying Pastors, Brothers and Sisters, Ukrainian Crisis Letter January 2024
Our Greatest Joy except our own Salvation is knowing that our Children know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. On that note we want to thank so many of you who Prayed for our son David, Halleluiah! He got SAVED!!! Oksana had asked him to read and analyze a few Gospel Tracts (Chick tracts) which we were praying about giving to Feruza, our Muslim friend. As he read them, He realized that he had not really called upon the Lord to Save him from his whole heart. *We began to see the Lord changing our son and could hardly believe our eyes how caring and reciprocating he became as the Spirit of the Lord changed his heart and fruit began to grow instead of thorns and thistles! Christ indwelling us through His Holy Spirit truly does transform the heart and change our desires. (Our hearts rejoiced that he professed Christ openly to his best friend. He is planning to get baptized at Lakeside Baptist Church in Lemansky, Ukraine this summer when the whole family will be there. He is even passing his tithe to the Church through me on our current trip.) Please Pray the Lord will show him His Perfect Will for his life! Pray for him also as he goes to do volunteer work in Ukraine from April 8th - August 12th. {It is true that they cannot get away from Prayer!}
As I write this letter, Oksana is packing our suitcases for our trip to Ukraine from February 14th to April 10th. Upon our arrival in Poland, we will be sending out a box of literature to Ireland to help a missionary reach the Ukrainian refugees in his area. We will also be ministering in a Ukrainian Church in Poland on the 18th. Then we head into Ukraine where a good portion of our trip we will be ministering to Lakeside Baptist Church in Lemansky. Slavic our national pastor could really use some encouragement and help. He is already planning for me to teach his class for our young preachers. Pray for us as we will also be making many Evangelistic Visits among the displaced souls living in the Lemansky area.
**After Lemansky we will be making evangelistic visits in villages around both Chernovtsy and Khmelnitsky.
*** Evangelistic Crusade in the city of Dnipro from March 10th 17th. A group of Brothers & Sisters will be going out with different Baptist churches in the Dnipro Region to make Evangelistic Visits presenting the Gospel of Christ!
[As you Pray for the souls of Ukraine, keep in mind that they are more open to listening and reading tracts than ever!]
Please lift us up in prayer as Oksana and I are
making this trip. Please pray that the Lord will: (1) keep us safe,
(2) use us for His glory and (3) use us to help many Ukrainians understand,
repent and receive Christ for Salvation. (4) Also, Pray that He will show us
where we are most needed - We are planning to move back permanently after we
finish up our furlough this summer.
February 24th will mark two years since the war began and it keeps getting worse, please pray for the salvation of both Ukrainian souls as well as the Russians.
Pray for Dasha & Vitalick whom we met while passing out tracts in Miami, FL. They are actually my in-laws neighbors who recently fled to America from Odessa, Ukraine because their children could (mentally) no longer stand hearing all the explosions.
For the Souls of Ukraine, Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth and David Maher
Also, Thank you for faithfully praying, supporting and being genuinely concerned for our family, Oksanas family and especially for the souls of Ukraine during this unbelievably heart-breaking time. (A printable PDF version is available here)
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February 2024
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtlity,
so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ 2
Corinthians 11:3
This verse of scripture comes to mind as I see what is discussed and debated on social media these days. We now have a bigger platform and opportunity to voice an opinion or doctrinal stand than any other time in history. I feel that this opportunity is really far more than most of us need. Much is said argued and debated. My fear is for a lost and dying world, and many times a departure from the simplicity that is in the gospel.
Ive been blessed many times in the past months of seeing this simplicity exemplified in the lives of the believers here. Tracy and I currently go to seven village meetings each week alongside Pastor Ahmet and his wife Gulzade. We see the gospel testimony in their lives and also in the lives of those in the churches in each village. Many of these faithful believers have limited education and some are even illiterate. The majority could not debate about Calvinism or Arminianism or many theological subjects, but they do know Jesus.
and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus Acts 4:13. What a wonderful testimony to have and it is the witness that many have here in Bulgaria. The greatest witness a changed life and an ever-present Lord working and interceding in daily lives.
To see and hear the testimonies of God working in their lives is what spreads the gospel to others and truly makes a difference in the lives of others and the world that we live in.
In the village of Yankavo, we have the testimony of one who was sick literally unto death. He was placed in the morgue and left for dead. Our God revived him and raised him up to testify of the goodness and grace of God. This is what affects and gains the attention of unbelievers, the manifest presence of God in our lives, not the different stances we have on this issue or that. Do not get me wrong we need to stand for truth, but the greatest thing we can do is give the world Jesus and a changed life. I will get off my soapbox for now, but I am so thankful that I can be around the simplicity of Christ preached and believers who have been with Jesus.
We are doing well here in Bulgaria. The winter has been a little snowier and colder this year, but we have enjoyed the snow days yet missing having the children with us as those days come. We enjoyed Christmas together in our empty nest, and thank God for the technology we have to be able to talk to and see the faces of all those we love.
I want to take this opportunity to thank each one who sent cards and gifts for Christmas. The extra support which was sent as Christmas gifts is always a blessing and we are very thankful for each and every gift given. We welcomed the new year very thankful for what God has done in our lives. He has worked in ways personally that we really never imagined possible and for that we give him glory.
The yearly flour and oil distribution is in progress. Please pray that all goes smoothly and that many will be blessed because of this. God has always been faithful in this endeavor and for this we are thankful. We also have the construction project in Avren where we will be able to have a larger meeting area for church, a kitchen and housing for visiting preachers. We see this as a place for us to be blessed and to be a blessing.
Pray also for our vehicle situation, we still have our van, but while we were on furlough insurance was purchased for the van. To make a long story short, whether deliberately or by accident, it was never entered into their system, so in the eyes of the police we had no insurance. Because of this the plates were removed from our van and we cannot get new ones until June of this year. Our hands are tied and there is nothing we can do but wait. We thought of trying to purchase a small car in the time being, but thankfully Brother William Lefevre is allowing us to use his van while on furlough. God provides!
Continue to pray for Kylie as she attends school in the states. She is doing well and made the Presidents list her first semester. We are so proud of her. Pray also for our other children and grandchildren. God has been so good to us.
God bless you all and thank you for your prayers and faithful support,
Brother Keith Blalock (A printable PDF version with pictures is available here)
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Dear Churches and Praying Friends, January 2024
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a
pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of
faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain
jangling; Desiring to
be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they
affirm. 1 Timothy 1:5-7
I thank God that I have found the end of the commandment: charity. While others may rant and rave about the law and commandments, I continue walking down the old road of preaching the gospel and loving sinners. We are seeing souls saved and lives changed, new converts baptized; young believers sing the hymns every chance they get, and love to hear the Bible preached. The Lord keeps supplying the needs and adds blessing upon blessing: love, joy, peace, answered prayer, fellowship, new doors of opportunity opening, sinners coming to church and hearing the gospel, and then, more joy. James tells us that "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27 A great part of the work in Bulgaria is ministering to the widows and fatherless - people who suffer in poverty. Sometimes their situations are heartbreaking. But, praise the Lord, the poor have the gospel preached unto them! Christ came to the poor and needy, to sinners. If the son of God came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, should not we minister to the same people? Most Americans miss one of the greatest blessings of heaven: that its citizens will hunger no more, nor suffer from heat or cold. The poor saints appreciate it. Our ministry is not to provide heaven on earth by providing their necessities, but to give them the invitation to the great marriage supper of the Lamb. The master has said unto his servants, "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." Luke 14:21 Charles Wesley sang it this way:
Come, sinners, to the gospel feast; Let every soul
be Jesus' guest;
Ye need not one be left behind, For God hath bidden all mankind.
Come, all ye souls by sin oppressed, Ye restless wanderers after rest;
Ye poor, and maimed, and halt, and blind, In Christ a hearty welcome find.
While we go to the heathen preaching the gospel, we remember the poor by all means, but the gospel is our message. Seeing children fed or clothed warms our hearts, but seeing sinners reconciled to God is glorious. Nothing cheers this preacher more than seeing sinners come to church and hear the gospel for the first time.
Brethren, pray for us. Pray for the sinners in Bulgaria. The Lord is supplying every need. He supplies the spirit through your prayers. We desire the spirit's aid, and it is given through your prayers. Please, keep praying.
In Christ,
Zachary LeFevre (A
printable PDF version with pictures is available here)
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Since 1991 the Lord has kept the doors open for Charity Baptist Mission to help feed the poor in Bulgaria and Romania.
The following are the basic costs for carrying on this work.
Bulgaria
We are supplying
food for 18 churches daily. Monthly it costs about $175 per church.
Over 300 children are fed each month through theses churches.
Ten of these churches feed between 20 and 30 children daily.
The
churches are pastored by 8 national pastors trained by the missionaries.
It costs roughly $8.50 to feed a child for the month or 29 cents per day.
We need at least $3,150 each month to continue this work.
It's been a long time since we've gotten in this amount for the feeding. Currently, we receive less than $2,000 per month, so many of the missionaries give out of their monthly support to help with this endeavor. Even with their help, we had to cut the feeding down due to lack of funds.
We can't afford to buy beans every month. Sometimes we have to buy fewer potatoes, rice, and/or oil. This month cabbage will be cheap, so we'd like to get each church a couple barrels of cabbage: they pickle it and use it the rest of the winter. If we had the funds, we could also buy more potatoes this month while they're cheap and then store and use them in the coming months.
Romania
We supply food for 20 feeding centers which feed
15-20 people at each location.
Each month we buy 7,500 loaves of bread for around $2,200 dollars (at 29
cents per loaf)
These are distributed throughout the Romanian feeding centers.
Roughly 280 people are being fed each day at a cost of $2,550 each month.
That comes to about $8.90 per month for a child/person.
Our Missionaries oversee 15 churches with the help of 7 national pastors.
In addition to the bread we are spending about $2,000 a month for food plus about $500 - $600 a month all together on rents and water for the 16 places that prepare food for children. This includes some food for the National pastors and their families. We also have churches in some very poor villages where not only the children, but all those that come to the church can be fed.
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- Please click on the following link for
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A SUMMARY OF 35 YEARS ON THE MISSION FIELD 1975 - 2010
(An overview of what the Lord has done through Sr. Missionary Ralph Cheatwood, who is over the work in Bulgaria and Romania)
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And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Cor 13:13
