Archive for the 'Ministry Update' category

Costa Rica Trip

January 14, 2013 3:04 pm

Dan Bode (a friend from church) and I are going to Costa Rica on January 24 to visit national missionary Pablo Ramirez. Pablo has been a missionary with BIO for more than 20 years working with the Deaf. This will be my first opportunity to meet this faithful servant.

Pray that Dan and I will be a blessing to the Ramirez family and the other people we will meet. We look forward to preaching in deaf and hearing churches as well as ministering in any way Bro. Pablo would like us to. We plan to return February 4.

This is Dan’s first trip outside the US. He knows the Lord would have him serve in full-time ministry. He is unsure of exactly where or how he will serve the Lord, but he is eager to seek the Lord’s direction as he actively prepares himself for ministry. I am looking forward to the good fellowship as we serve together in Costa Rica.

Thank you for your faithful support. Because of you, this trip is almost completely paid for. There is a need of only $200 which I know the Lord will supply.

October 2012 Prayer Letter

October 8, 2012 2:19 pm

Dear Praying Friends,
Last week my heart was broken as I walked away from Ben. He is 96 years old and understands his need for a savior, but would not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah. He acknowledged that he could not be saved with his current beliefs. He is a Jew and categorically rejects Jesus’ claims as the Son of God.

The two things that give me hope for Ben are the people in his life and prayer. Ben is Deaf and has people close to him who love him and are praying for his salvation. Ben’s hearing son gave testimony that he (the son) came to an understanding of Christ by reading the Old Testament. Ben’s son is greatly concerned for his father’s salvation. There is also a lady who lives in the same town as Ben and picks him up to take him to church. Ben likes going to the Christian church, but does not want anyone to change him from being a Jew.

We know God can work mightily in a person’s life through prayer. Will you please pray for my new friend Ben?

We had a wonderful retreat with a deaf church in New York last week. That is where I met Ben and his son. Besides having an opportunity to clearly present the Gospel, I enjoyed teaching about prayer. Specifically the weekend was focused on praying for missionaries.

I am excited about an upcoming trip to Ethiopia. I plan to leave the week after Thanksgiving and be gone until December 17. I will meet some dear servants of God for the first time. Bizuayehu and Gomeju have faithfully served the Lord among the Deaf for many years in their native country. Bizuayehu is a deaf pastor and has trained other men to be pastors as well. There are several churches that he has helped start.

Gomeju is in charge of the Vicktory School for the Deaf in Addis Ababa. Those familiar with our mission board have probably been involved in the many projects helping that educational ministry through the years. God has used that work to bring many Deaf to Himself.

A donor will match $750 towards the trip. This will take care of half the plane ticket. Anyone wanting to assist in the other half of the trip can donate through BIO with a notation of “Peach Ethiopia.”

We praise the Lord for new monthly donors. This has been a financial relief for our day to day ministry expenses. Thank you!

Prayer Requests:

  • Ben’s Salvation
  • Successful Ethiopia Trip

October 2012 Prayer Letter PDF

August 2012 Prayer Letter

August 16, 2012 2:04 pm

Dear Praying Friends,
We praise the Lord for the wonderful ministry opportunity that Stephanie and I had at the DeafNation World Expo. We were able to go because of your help and God worked mightily because of your prayers. This event hosted 16,000+ Deaf from more than 65 countries. Though the number of participants was only half of what the organizers expected, God won a great victory. Our team of 36 people were privileged to lead 36 souls to the Lord! Deaf from at least 4 different countries accepted the Lord!

We arrived on Friday evening, July 27. The weekend was filled with prayer and preparation for the event. The leader of our team, David Bennett from Silent Word Ministries International, made prayer a priority during our weekend preparation. It was obvious to us that he had spent much time on his face before the Lord concerning DeafNation. David not only taught us to pray, he showed us how. I am certain the prayer lives of everyone on our team will be forever changed. God used Bro. Bennett’s example of prayer to help all of us focus on the Lord during the week.

Picture of our team in Las VegasBesides preparing our hearts and minds for the work, there were tens of thousands of tracts and videos to make ready for opening day. The main focus of our evangelistic thrust this year was that man cannot be good enough to earn his way into Heaven. God’s Law was clearly presented to help people realize that they are sinners but that God has also provided a Redeemer.

Our group of 36 split up into four teams. I was in charge of one of the two street teams. We walked up and down the Las Vegas strip for several hours each day handing out tracts to anyone who would take them. When we saw Deaf we would give them a Gospel DVD along with the tracts. We engaged as many people, hearing or Deaf, as we could in conversations about the Lord. Though I did not personally lead anyone to the Lord on this trip, I trust that the many seeds planted will soon be harvested by other Christians. God blessed and kept the street teams safe even with the many hours we spent in the sun.

The two teams which covered our booths inside the convention center did the bulk of the witnessing. The convention center provided them a place to carry on long conversations and answer many questions. There were several people who spent more than two hours with our team members before accepting the Lord as Savior. People were not in a hurry to get from one place to another. Most of them were there for the purpose of talking hours on end. We praise the Lord that they chose to talk with the people at our booths.

I want to extend a hearty thank you to each one of you for your involvement in our ministry in Las Vegas. We appreciate the financial support that made this trip possible, but mostly we thank you for your faithful prayers. We know many were praying for our family and the DeafNation team. God truly heard your prayers and answered. Thank you for taking a part in DeafNation World Expo so that many Deaf could learn about salvation through Jesus Christ.

August 2012 Prayer Letter PDF

DeafNation: Midweek Report

August 2, 2012 12:43 am

There wasn’t the turnout expected for this edition of DeafNation World Expo; however, our ministry seemed to be much more effective than it was in the past. I think we made some good changes to help with that. And I think that seeds were planted 2 years ago that were ready to be harvested this year.

We saw one deaf man saved over the weekend while preparing for the beginning of the event. On Sunday night we went to an area packed with hearing and Deaf to distribute our main tract. I have not yet heard a number for how many of those we distributed, but I would guess our number was somewhere around 5,000 that first night. Fewer than 100 tracts were found on the ground by our team of 36 people. We are praying that many people will keep and read the tracts over the coming days.

Monday we saw 16 saved. All Deaf I believe. Tuesday there were 13 (12 Deaf, 1 Hearing). Today (Wednesday), I have not gotten an official count, but the last I heard there had been 6 saved. That makes 36 and more than 3X the number saved from 2 years ago.

The conference ended today, but we are still in Vegas for a couple of days. We will continue to distribute tracts on the streets and try to engage Deaf and hearing in conversations and share the Gospel with them.

Going into the week there were expectations that we would have close to 30,000 Deaf for the conference. No official number has been given, but it would surprise me if we had 20,000. Regardless of the number of people in attendance, God accomplished so much more in this week than what we were able to see with larger numbers last time.

Continue to pray for us. Pray that the team will stay motivated to share the Gospel even though the main event has ended.

The next 2 days will be filled with sharing testimonies and spending time together as friends and co-laborers in the Gospel. Two of our dearest friends from our ministry in Mexico are with us this week. We have had precious little time to enjoy each other’s company. We look forward to catching up with Gary and Ann Layne over the next 2 days.

Final Preparations for DeafNation World Expo 2012

July 26, 2012 1:28 pm

Stephanie and I are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the evangelistic outreach at DeafNation World Expo in Las Vegas. We leave tomorrow morning. Lord willing we will arrive in Las Vegas around 3:00 in the afternoon on Friday July 27. We will be there until Saturday August 4.

While the DeafNation event is Sunday through Wednesday, we will spend the hours leading up to the convention in prayer and preparation of materials. Our group will distribute tens of thousands of tracts and Gospel DVDs. There will still be thousands of Deaf in the area a few days after the close of DeafNation; therefore, we will stay those extra days to continue with our evangelization ministry.

As we stand at the start of the event I have a few requests I would like to ask you to pray for over the next few days.

  • Physical safety in the heat
  • Spiritual safety against Satan’s attacks
  • Wisdom in many decisions to be made
  • Team members will work together and be spiritually pure

I will try to update you with pictures and posts from Las Vegas over the next week. Even if you don’t hear from us (because we will be very busy), we still need your prayers.

July 2012 Prayer Letter

July 9, 2012 12:09 pm

Dear Praying Friends,

On Monday morning June 25 we celebrated the homegoing of my grandmother. My mother spent the last several months caring for her. This allowed us to be physically closer to my grandmother during these precious days. Of all the stories we shared at the funeral my favorites were the ones shared by her friends at church. It was a blessing to hear them tell how much my grandmother requested prayer for missionaries and their needs.

Training School

Our annual training school was terrific! It has been a couple of years since Stephanie and I took part in one of these events. We enjoyed serving the missionaries while they were here as well as getting a blessing from all the great teaching. Among the teachers we had a medical doctor, a language expert, a pastor, a builder and veteran missionaries who taught us how to more effectively accomplish the ministry God has called us to.

Thank you for your prayers for this important week. God used this week to strengthen ministries and form relationships between fellow missionaries. I pray that each one who attended the training was encouraged in the work.

DeafNation World Expo

The DeafNation World Expo is quickly approaching. Within the next few weeks tens of thousands of Deaf will converge on the city of Las Vegas. Our team of Christians is eagerly preparing for the event. We will have literature for both hearing and Deaf ready to distribute. There are also DVDs with a clear Gospel presentation that we will give to the Deaf from close to 100 countries.

Please be in prayer for the DeafNation World Expo. It is a unique opportunity to witness to the Deaf from around the world. Much can be accomplished for eternity through your prayers for this important week. We will be in Las Vegas from July 27 to August 4.

Please pray that this week will have a tremendous impact on eternity. This is the second time this event has been held. We are still reaping a harvest from the convention two years ago. Because of the great reception from the organizers of the event and the good testimony the team showed last time, I believe the foundation is laid for God to do even greater things this summer.

Pray that God will give us boldness to speak His Word with those He leads us to. Please pray for the physical needs of the team too. The summer heat will be a factor that we need to consider. Pray that each of the 35 team members will stay healthy during the event. Our team will fly in from all over the US and at least one foreign country. Pray that we will be patient with the airlines and that we will be sensitive to sharing God’s love with others around us. Many of the team members, ourselves included, are still raising the rest of the money needed for the trip.

Thank you for your continued support of our ministry. We are excited about reaching more Deaf and training others to do the same. We are able to do this because of faithful friends who pray for us regularly. Thank you for being one of those friends.

July 2012 Prayer Letter PDF

May 2012 Prayer Letter

May 30, 2012 3:48 pm

Dear Friends,
Wayside Baptist Church in Hagerstown, Maryland wanted to reach the Deaf in their area but no one in their church knew how to sign. Through God’s leading, Pastor Waddell contacted us about spending two weeks at the church to teach them how to reach their Deaf friends. We recently finished teaching them how to sign and witness to the Deaf.

The church members learned well and we were blessed to be with them. Sometimes, toward the end of a two-week class, we pray that God would give us anyone who would show a small glimmer of hope of interpreting and leading the ministry. That certainly was not a problem at Wayside. God gave us 16 faithful students, many of whom showed great skill and interest in interpreting the services.

We made many contacts in the deaf community. Even though there are other good ministries working with the Deaf in Hagerstown, they all seemed friendly to assist the new ministry and work together to reach the unreached. The church has even had a deaf man visit one of their services already.

Does your church want to reach the Deaf around you? If we can assist you in starting a ministry we would love to help. Our desire is to help churches and missionaries reach the Deaf. If your church already has a deaf ministry but needs more training and encouragement, please contact us about serving you in this way.

DeafNation World Expo

Prayer Requests

DeafNation Outreach
(July 28-August 4)

  • Safety
  • Health
  • Souls Saved
  • Lives Changed

Training School
(June 18-22)

  • Missionaries Helped
  • Godly Fellowship

A man called Silent Word Ministries a couple of weeks ago asking questions about the Gospel DVD in sign language he received two years ago in Las Vegas. The staff at Silent Word shared with him the Gospel via videophone and saw him accept the Lord as his Savior! This is continuing fruit from tracts and DVDs we distributed at DeafNation World Expo in 2010 in Las Vegas.

The biennial event is quickly approaching this summer. Stephanie and I are thrilled with the opportunity to meet Deaf from around the world who need the Gospel. A major part of our ministry will be handing out tracts and Gospel DVDs to tens of thousands of hearing and Deaf during the week of July 28-August 4.

We still need your help to make this trip possible. Your special gifts can be sent to BIO or through the PayPal Donate button at our website. Please mark all donations as Peach Las Vegas Trip. We still need $2000. Please pray for this special opportunity.

Training School

The BIO Missionary Training School is scheduled for June 18-22. Please pray for this important week. Many of our missionaries will be with us. We get to hear from pastors and veteran missionaries on how to more effectively carry the Gospel to the world. Though I am one of the speakers, I also look forward to learning from the others. It is always a great time of fellowship and education.

Thank you for all your prayers on our behalf. We appreciate you partnering with us in our ministry!

May 2012 Prayer Letter PDF

Sign Language Class a Success

May 14, 2012 9:00 pm

The final weekend for a two-week sign language class that we taught went very well. Though our main focus was on Saturday and Sunday, God gave us several opportunities to make new contacts and see some victories in the days leading up to the weekend.

We learned of an interpreting agency in the area that was very friendly and sympathetic to our cause of starting a deaf ministry in a church. They invited us to attend a deaf community meeting on Thursday night. I went to the meeting while my wife finished teaching the class that evening. I met a few of the key people involved in the social activities of the deaf community.

On Friday the church set up a table at the mall’s Deaf Awareness Day activities. We handed out tracts and invited people to our Saturday night fellowship at the church. Again we met other people who seemed to be excited about the church’s interest to reach the Deaf with the Bible. A couple of the students joined the pastor and me at the mall for the day. It was a great introduction for them on how Deaf communicate with one another. Needless to say, I think it was shocking to our new signers as to how fast everything looks when people who are skilled in the language talk to each other.

Saturday night we had a fellowship at the church. We do these as a way to introduce the Deaf in the community to our students and to give the students a chance to practice their skills. One of our Deaf friends was at the event. We played games, did skits, ate and talked. A few of the students were brave enough to try and carry on a conversation with the Deaf visitor.

On Sunday morning Stephanie and I did part of the interpreting while the students did the rest. Three of our students interpreted songs and announcements. They each did very well. For these classes we always leave after the morning service so as to break the dependence on us. A couple of students interpreted the evening service. We heard from one of our other students that they did very well.

We look forward to keeping a good relationship with the church in Leitersburg and helping them to become more effective in reaching out to the Deaf around them.

Week 1 Almost Done – Leitersburg, MD

May 3, 2012 10:12 pm

We are almost done with the first week of a two-week sign language class in Leitersburg, Maryland. There are 16 people who have stuck with us so far and they are all doing well. Thursday night of this first week is always the hardest, but the students are hanging in there and still learning.

The first week is all concentrated on vocabulary. They will learn 900+ signs before we leave! Or, at least I will teach that many. It will take them a few weeks before they feel like they have actually learned these signs. The students are getting them into their heads and certainly know much more now than they did when we started four days ago.

Next week we will spend all our class time practicing and learning how to use the signs properly. I will teach interpreting principles and how they can minister to the Deaf in a spiritual and physical way.

I praise the Lord for the many good students in the class. I am also thankful for the great contacts in the Deaf community we have been able to make. Though there are several deaf churches and deaf ministries within an hour of this small town, the ones I have talked with have been friendly and excited that we are starting a ministry in this little pocket of Maryland. There are three small towns around Leitersburg that have Deaf who would have to drive at least 30 minutes to another ministry. God can use this new work to reach those who have never had a church show interest in them nor share with them the Gospel.

We appreciate your prayers as we continue to teach. The students are doing well but feeling buried under a pile of signs that seem so confusing at the moment. I pray the weekend will be a welcome break for them and that they will be refreshed on Monday to start learning the new concepts.

December 2011 Prayer Letter

December 20, 2011 12:49 pm

Dear Praying Friends,
God has been good to us by showing His hand of protection while at home and traveling. A few weeks ago we were backing out of a gas station parking lot when one of the front wheels of our car fell off! Thankfully we were moving at only 2 MPH in a parking lot and not 70 MPH down the interstate. In less than 3 hours we had the car towed and repaired for about $150. The speedy, and relatively inexpensive, repair was an answer to our prayers. We are grateful to God for His gracious protection.

Recent Prayer Requests

Thank you for praying for two things we specifically mentioned in the last couple of prayer letters: housing and vehicle.

The week before Thanksgiving we moved into a new home. It is fun to unpack storage boxes that are full of treasures we have not seen since we moved to Mexico in 2004.

From the above story you know we are not driving a new car; however, God has blessed us with a vehicle that meets our needs for now. We have done more work to the car to ensure that we won’t have another wheel fall off. We know that anything can break at any time, but we pray for wisdom in avoiding unnecessary mechanical problems.

Support Needs

As you know 2011 was a tough year economically. Some churches have had to cut their mission’s budgets. I know that churches hate writing a letter or making a phone call to tell a missionary that they are being cut, but it has to happen in some cases. We lost $900 in support during this calendar year. That is a significant amount of the support we had. We need to spend time raising new financial support while still working to provide training and administrative services for the missionaries we serve. Pray that we can recover the lost support quickly. If you or your church does not already support us and you would like to, please talk with your pastor on how best to do that.

BIO Office

I have enjoyed getting acquainted with the other BIO directors in a personal way. I am burdened to help our missionaries working with the Deaf in whatever capacity I can. Since coming to the office I have visited one of our missionaries and provided counsel in financial matters to a couple others. I look forward to getting to know our other missionaries better and become a part of their ministry team.

Thank you again for continued prayer on our behalf.

David Peach

December 2011 Prayer Letter PDF