Archive for 2014

December Prayer Letter

December 22, 2014 11:14 am

Dear Praying Friends,
Merry Christmas! What a wonderful time of year. As I think about the Lord’s birth I think about the work He established during His life. The local church and its ministries should be our focus today. One of these ministries is missions. I am thankful that God has called us into full time ministry in the area of missions.

From the Field
Many of you prayed for my friend Victor in Argentina. I reported earlier this year that he passed away. I was saddened to learn a couple of weeks ago that his dear wife Alicia recently died too. She gave a clear testimony of knowing the Lord as her savior. I look forward to seeing her again in Heaven.

BIO November Meeting
Each year in November BIO hosts a special meeting in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. At the November meeting this year we honored my friend Neal Beard with what we call the Faithful Man Award. It is always enjoyable to spend time with Bro. Beard and his wife.

At the November meeting we had Bro. Norman Johnston speak for us. Though I met Bro. Johnston only a couple of years ago, he is quickly becoming a good friend and colleague in the area of missions. He challenged us with the fact that Christ commanded us to take the Gospel to the whole world, therefore the Lord had full confidence that we could do so. He then empowered us with the Holy Spirit to carry out the work which He commissioned. Jesus knew exactly the challenges we would face. Christ’s commission to us in the area of world evangelism can be accomplished. Even as someone involved in missions in the way that I am, I was challenged and encouraged by Bro. Johnston’s message to stay in the battle and follow our Commander.

Training Center dedication service

Training Center dedication service

BIO Training Center
After the November meeting we had a dedication service for the BIO Training Center which is in the lower level of the BIO office. This is a project we have been working toward for several months. While the training center construction and outfitting are not complete, we were able to use the space for a SMARTraining module on Leadership Development. If you would like to learn more about our SMART program go to: biomissions.org/smart

Thank you for your continued support for our ministry. We covet your prayers as we seek to honor the Lord in the work He has called us to. May God richly bless you, your family, and your church during this Christmas season.

A PDF version of this letter is available for download and print.

August Prayer Letter

August 10, 2014 3:19 pm

Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support. You are upholding us in an exciting and needed ministry.

Local Ministry
Many preachers will tell you they would rather be part of a funeral than a wedding. It isn’t because weddings are a bad thing, but funerals give you more of an opportunity to minister to people when they are looking for answers. In the last few months I have been part of one wedding and three funerals within our local deaf community. I am thankful for the inroads God has given to us to minister with the Deaf.

Last Sunday I was privileged to preach to a deaf congregation about an hour from our home. This is the second time they have invited me to be with them. I look forward to being a regular speaker for their special services.

Photo of David teaching

David teaching during BIO Training School

Office Ministry
BIO holds an annual Training School that is always busy and exciting. Each year the dynamics of the attending group changes based on who is home from the field. This year’s school was dominantly attended by new BIO missionaries. This gave us a chance to teach the basics of writing prayer letters and contacting pastors. It was a great refresher course for those of us who have been involved in missions work for many years.

I am helping the office in technological needs in both computer system infrastructure and technology planning for the future. It is hard to explain my excitement when I figure out a difficult problem, but I am grateful for the ability to talk to the right people and find the right answers when I am stumped.

Foreign Ministry
My plans were to visit missionaries working with the Deaf in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Botswana, Tanzania, and South Africa during a 4 to 6 week trip in August and September. The Lord gave clear direction that the timing wasn’t right for this trip. I am very thankful for God’s leading.

Because of not spending the money to travel to these places, we have been able to make a sizable personal donation to one of the ministries I would have visited. I believe that money will accomplish much more for the Lord than my presence would have done. Please pray that God will keep us sensitive to His leading in these matters.

A PDF version of the letter can be downloaded and printed.

April Prayer Letter

April 2, 2014 2:31 pm

Dear Praying Friends,
Thank you for your faithfulness in prayers. I believe it makes a difference in the ministry God has given to us.

Local Ministry
One of the greatest opportunities we have had during the last couple of years is an increased involvement with the local deaf community. Both Stephanie and I have been interpreting for various events and appointments. While we can’t always witness openly during these assignments, we constantly look for ways to minister on a personal level. Recently an opportunity presented itself to me.

Photo of my friend Victor

Our dear friend Victor from Argentina died in January. As far as we know, still without Christ.

I was chatting with the husband of the person I was interpreting for while waiting for a class to start. Before we got too far into our small talk, the man asked me if I went to church and if I knew the Lord as my Savior. It always thrills me when someone asks me about my salvation. I told him I was a Christian and that I attended a Baptist church. He confirmed with his signs that he too went to a Baptist church. We continued to talk about the Lord and about our respective churches.

After a short while he began asking me questions about the Bible. At first I wasn’t sure if these were honest questions, or if he was just trying to find out more about what I believed. It became obvious after a few minutes that he was hungry to learn more about the Bible. He has been saved for several years, but struggled with a few things concerning

Christian growth. Over the next half hour, while we waited for the class to start, I enjoyed walking through as much of the book of Romans as I could with my new friend answering his questions.

Foreign Ministry
Throughout the course of the year I will probably be taking two trips to Africa. These trips will include visits to Botswana, Tanzania and Nigeria. I don’t have firm dates on these yet, but I would appreciate your prayers for me and my family as we work out the details. Pray that the trips will accomplish their intended purpose and that God will be honored in those visits. I am praying for a greater burden to grow in me as I visit some works for the first time and others for a second visit.

I will let you know when these trips get scheduled, but they should be towards the end of the summer.

Thanks again for your continued prayers and support.

PDF version of the letter can be printed and posted at your church.