Dear Praying Friends,
What a wonderful whirlwind of activity since I last wrote. April started with a trip to West Coast Baptist College. Since then I have been to 3 other colleges representing BIO and being encouraged by the young people who are looking for ways to minister. We also interviewed a couple of new missionaries working with the Deaf who have applied to the mission board.

Pastor Ruffin and me at camp last year.

I am encouraged by the young people from the various schools who are preparing to serve the Lord. Some of these young people I have known for several years. It is a blessing to see them grow up with a developing passion for God. During this time I have also been blessed to see older friends who continue to serve the Lord faithfully. This last weekend I was in a church that is pastored by a friend I met 29 years ago during my freshman year in Bible college. He surrendered to serve the Lord in ministry as an adult and has continued to be faithful to the Lord.

I am honored again to speak at the Bill Rice Ranch this summer. Pray that God will use us to impact the eternal lives of deaf young people. I will be at the Ranch June 12-16, July 10-14 and July 24-28.

As soon as our last week of camp is over, Stephanie and I will go to the Philippines to visit missionaries Chris and Carol Woodley. The Woodleys are involved in church planting and deaf education. While there, I will speak to public school educators about how to more effectively teach the Deaf. This will be from a Christian perspective and I will use biblical examples so that I can incorporate the Gospel in my presentation. I will also preach to the Deaf in the church. This trip will be August 1-12.

Shortly after we return from the Philippines I will travel to Ethiopia, Africa to preach and teach in the annual Prayer and Thanksgiving Conference that Pastor Bizuayehu Assefa started. Bro. Bizuayehu died last summer and I long to be back with my friends during this conference to see how the churches are doing without our beloved friend. We expect more than a dozen churches to attend this meeting. These are churches that Bro. Bizuayehu had an influence in either starting or training their pastors. Pray for this conference from August 25 to 27.

While I am in Africa I am trying to work out a short trip to visit Bro. Frank Laurent in Tanzania. Bro. Frank is a young deaf missionary who has done a wonderful job in witnessing to and training his fellow deaf countrymen in Tanzania to do the work of the ministry. That trip will probably be immediately after the conference in Ethiopia.

Beyond praying for the spiritual needs for these trips, will you also pray with us for the financial need. Plane tickets alone will be $5000. Pray that God would provide the needed funds and consider that He might want to provide for this need through you.

Important Note: Any regular support or special gifts sent to BIO on our behalf must have BIO (or Baptist International Outreach) in the payee portion of the check. This is because of a change in bank policy. Soon checks will have to be returned to you if they are made out to us personally.

You can download a PDF version of this letter for printing.

Categories: Prayer Letter
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