Missions’ Praises and Prayer Requests 

Alan and Jan Scholes—Campus Crusade for Christ

• Praise:
  • That both the conference in Taiwan and the meetings in the sensitive Asian country went well. In one city, Alan and his exploratory team were the featured speakers at a conference of more than 300 public- and private-school principals. The doors are now wide open for Alan and the International School Project (ISP) to work with teachers in this critical country.
  • That although the Asian trip was physically demanding for Alan, he returned without any long-term negative effects.
  • That Alan and Jan have now moved in with their oldest daughter, Rebecca, and family on their five-acre farm in Parker, Colorado.
• Prayer:
  • For ISP, which is facing financial difficulties that may delay and/or prevent responding to the openings in the sensitive Asian country and other new opportunities. Please pray for wisdom for Alan and the other ISP leaders as they make some tough decisions this Spring.
  • For patience and endurance for both Jan and Alan as the walkout basement is still under renovation (no bathroom or kitchen) and they try to live and work in the midst of chaos!
  • That Jan heals completely. While Alan was in Asia, a llama panicked and ran over Jan before jumping a gate. Jan has pulled muscles which make it painful to walk or lift anything.

Lynn and Betsy Ragsdale—Christians’ Haven

• Praise:
  • That our students received a 98% testing result in the first year of the school on our campus! What a great beginning for our school.  Praise the Lord with us for this result.
  • For a wonderful staff that works beyond all expectations to provide 24/7 care for our children.  It is a task of love for sure and they are all great jewels for the Kingdom.
  • For faithful supporters who continue to amaze us with their generosity and consistency.

• Prayer:
  • For some very special children who have special needs emotionally due to the trauma of their young lives.
  • For our staff as they plan for the second year of our school that will begin in June.
  • For our High School and College graduates as they enter the next phases of their lives.
  • For God’s wisdom as we select some additional staff for the purpose of expanding the ministry in the Philippines.
  • For God’s direction as we rescue new children to fill spaces made available by young men and women who will be moving to our College House.
  • For increased funding during tough economic times.  The great need does not diminish even in lean times. 

Art and Dorothy Helwig—Converge Worldwide

• Praise:
  • That our present grant looks like it will be extended for another year.
  • That we have found a new Director of Orphans and Vulnerable Children.  Pray for the success for this new role.
  • That our new work plan is in place and will require lots of additional work for our staff

• Prayer:
  • For wisdom as we prepare to write another five-year grant.
  • For safety in travel. We have eight vehicles and sometimes they are all on the road.
  • For safety and physical strength, as Art would like to go to the “bush” to visit the churches that have been planted in a very remote area.  He will need to walk to several of these places.

Jay and Karen—New Missions Systems International/The Crossing Missions

• Praise:
  • For God’s good work in our lives as well as our sons’, Jeremy and Caleb. Living in North Dakota has been refreshing, challenging, empowering, and fulfilling. We are meeting people from all over the USA, as well as from Indonesia up here on the oil field. There are many strong believers up here sharing God’s love. The simple beauty of the countryside and the wide variety of birds and wildlife up here remind us daily of God’s love through His creation.  Jeremy is working here in North Dakota, enjoying time with CA friends, meeting new friends, working hard and serving the Lord in the work place.     He considers it preparation time for overseas ministry in the future.  Caleb continues to serve with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) in Australia.  Over the past 6 months, he’s been teaching and co-leading a group, which included an outreach trip to Papua New Guinea. He is now enjoying his work in the Media Department with video production.
  • That Karen’s Dad is recovering well from a broken heel injury he suffered from a fall in March. We thank God he only needed a cast and no surgery.  Karen was able to go to Michigan for a week to help her dad while her mom went on a planned trip to visit a relative out of state. It was a blessing for Karen to be able to help her family in this way.  While she was there, Karen also held a “ladies’ tea” for the women in her family, including her 91-year-old grandmother.

• Prayer:
  • For Jay as he takes another research/ exploratory trip to Indonesia,  April 26 – May 11th.  We continue to ask for prayers as we walk through the next step as it relates to Church Planting Movements/Disciple Making Movements in Indonesia and our broader network through NMSI. Pray for the contacts Jay will meet, wisdom in his interactions with nationals and foreigners and safety in travel.
  • For the Lord to work in a mighty way in the lives of our co-workers and neighbors here in North Dakota.  We appreciate prayers for Mark, Aaron, Susan, Darla, James, Chuckee, Bucky and Cheryl. As well, we ask for prayers for Rex, Alex, Gunner, Sharon, Allison and Stacy. Our desire to be a light in a dark place and see people come to faith is no different here than it is in Indonesia. Pray that those Jay talks and interacts with would accept the invitation to follow Jesus. Pray that Karen would use every opportunity given to share her testimony, stories of God’s love and the hope that comes only through Jesus.

Ken and Jerilyn Bayer—NAB Conference

• From Norm Poehlke, NAB Vice President of Ministry Outreach:

I invite you to join me in prayer as we lift up Ken and Jerilyn Bayer. In late March, I flew to Brazil to meet with Ken and Jerilyn. Ken communicated that he was experiencing severe burnout, which was affecting him physically, spiritually, and emotionally. He indicated that his condition had led him to make decisions that reflected poorly on him in the Brazilian context. In response, I asked Ken to seek immediate medical attention. Moreover, I arranged for the Bayers to enter Link Care, a professional counseling center in Fresno, California, that specializes in missionary care. The Bayers are now in California and will be residents at Link Care for the next month.

Ken and Jerilyn Bayer have served faithfully for 30 years in Brazil as North American Baptist missionaries. They are the visionary and founding leaders of the Chain of Love homes in Brazil, a remarkable place of love and refuge for abandoned and abused children. Ken was also pastor of the “Good News Baptist Church”, a significant outreach center with wide-ranging impact in the Brazilian Baptist State Convention. Many volunteers from North American Baptist churches have visited and worked with the Bayers, and know first-hand their outstanding hearts for ministry.

I am happy to report that both Chain of Love and the church are flourishing with outstanding leaders in place. The church just recently welcomed a new Senior Pastor, Gerson Garros, who is a tremendous leader, and the Chain of Love ministry has been under the executive leadership of Telmo Camargo, who was installed as the Executive Director of Chain of Love in the spring of 2012. Christopher and Ingrid Kidd, NAB missionaries, continue to work directly with the Chain of Love Homes overseeing accounting and administration. Lyndell Campbell Réquia, NAB’s other missionary in Brazil, continues to teach at the seminary in Brazil and mentor future church leaders. Again, all the NAB supported ministries in Brazil have gifted leaders and are in excellent positions to flourish.

The Bayers arrived at Link Care on Monday, April 15th. We have instructed the staff of Link Care to spare no expense in the healing and recovery of Ken and Jerilyn. We stand ready to do everything we can to ensure the Bayers will continue their faithful ministry to Christ. Thank you for praying with the Bayers and for NAB as we trust God to do great things and receive all the glory.

Amber Carpenter—NAB Conference:

• Praise:
  • For many new English students that have been joining our classes recently.
  • For the salvation and baptism of our good friend Takako. She declared her faith in Christ in January and was baptized on Easter Sunday.
• Prayer:

Please pray for several people who regularly attend events at the Center who are currently seeking for the truth. Pray that God would reveal Himself to them.

• Please pray for Takako as she grows in her faith.

Carol Potratz—NAB Conference (Japan):

• Praise:
  • For the JMF (Japan Missionary Fellowship) Seminar. It was great to hear from a Japanese pastor the truths that I have taught and totally believe, regarding leadership.  Couple this with experiencing the seminar together with my coworkers…WOW!
  • For Noriko Umemoto’s paper’s acceptance. Niko is elated, as you can imagine, as am I—especially because she attributes God with the credit. Thank you for your prayers for the last 18 months on this!
  • For amazing live jazz at our CrossRoad event. Amber invited her friend Tatsuhiro, and he got together three more friends for a GREAT little quartet. God used the music to draw people and then used Tatsuhiro’s testimony to touch the hearts of several who were present!  Thanks to your prayers, we had a great attendance with a third being first-timers.
  • For the success of our events at the beginning of our new term. We have asked God for new students and He is providing an answer to that prayer. Pastor Yuzawa did a good job with his seminar on “Thomas’ Footprints in India”; it was remarkable to think of the very congregations and seminary he went to were ones that Thomas had started. Amber, Becky, and I did a CrossRoad about our time in Nagasaki, tracing the Christian Roots here in Japan. It was eye-opening and exciting to look for and examine the evidence we found.

• Prayer:
  • Thanks for your prayers…two of our friends, Taka-san and Yoshiko-san have been VERY sick—in-and-out of the hospital and unable to come to any events for sometime now (Yoshiko all year and Taka-san for about a month.)
  • For our events throughout May and June, which include special Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events, as well as CrossRoads, monthly events, movie nights, and more.
  • For my niece Debbie. She and her husband Joe desperately need our prayers.  Deb has end-stage kidney failure, dialysis and diabetes. It doesn’t look as if there is anything they can do to bring healing. Joe needs wisdom for difficult upcoming decisions, such as what kind of care facility she should go to.
  • That the Stollers will adjust to North America quickly as they kick into home assignment gear.

Steve and Dawn Liberti—NAB Conference/Proclaim Ministries

• Praise:
  • For Dawn’s safe return for a month long trip to America to help her mother with a major move to Colorado.
  • For our daughter Sofia as she raised $320 for “Invisible Children” through a bake sale she organized at her school.
  • For God’s provision of a new couple that will be joining us here in Germany. Our team is growing!
  • For a short stretch of beautiful weather after one of the grayest and longest winters on record here in Germany
  • For an upcoming “Networking Fellowship” meeting that we pray will unite Kingdom workers here to work together and share resources

• Prayer:
  • For Steve as he travels to Kazakhstan May 13 through 30 for an evangelistic campaign to a predominately Muslim people.
  • For the advance planning trip Steve will go on to South Africa in mid June.
  • For travel safety for Dawn, Bianca and Sofia as they travel to America June 12th without Steve (he will follow later).
  • For God’s provision of resources for Bianca and Sofia’s school tuition for the 2013-2014 school year.
  • For Dawn’s ESL Ministry as she reaches out to German families here.

Teen Challenge International—Alpha Henson Women’s Center

• Praise:
  • For the lives that have been positively changed through our program and God’s grace.
• Prayer:
  • For the many work and material needs we have for the Center, from dry rot to painting and everything in between. (Here is the list of work and material needs.) Pray that God would deliver a way to get these many things accomplished.

Claude and Marilynn Meyers—One Mission Society

• Praise:
  • That the girls are doing extremely well in school.  Keeping them focused can be a chore as they spend five hours in a Portuguese School each morning and we teach them from 2:00-4:00 p.m. each afternoon. They are tired, so we know that many people are praying for them and us.  Keep it up!
  • That Claude built a tree house for the girls. They spend many hours there, especially after 4:00 p.m. They have a rope ladder, a pulley with a bucket at the end of the rope that will bring up “supplies”, a hammock, chairs and a trunk as they go on imaginary adventures around the world. They have few playmates, so this tree house is a huge blessing for them and their parents.
  • That our oldest son’s daughter Shawna was spared major injury when she was hit by a car while riding her bike to school on April 15.  Her bike was broken in 2.  She had a minor concussion and a gash above one eye that required 8 stitches.  She hit on the hood of the car, dented the fender of the car with her knees and feet. No broken bones, C-scan showed no skull fractures, MRI no injuries to her organs or any broken bones. She vomited for about 2 hours but her memory is great.  She just doesn’t remember anything after the impact, for about 15 min.  She’s pretty bummed that she couldn’t play in a soccer tournament the week after her accident.
• Prayer:
  • For our safety and protection, as recent political unrest has resulted in policemen killed in an area about five hours from us. Last Monday, four thugs beat up and robbed a man right at the corner of our yard.  The guard saw it all but would not interfere, as he is too afraid. We have asked him to call us next time. There have been other fights in front of our house recently.
  • That we will stay physically fit for the task. We have retired 3 times now, but there is so much work to be done and we are well and able to do it.  I may be taking on another tent-maker’s child next year for homeschooling in the morning.  Need wisdom for that.
  • That several of our friends who are attending Bible Study each week will be strengthened and grow.
  • For our friend Ann, who is such a lovely person, and we have become dear friends. She is involved in one of the cults that has come out of South America.  I see her seldom now as she has taken a job.  Pray that what I have been able to share will take root in her heart.