Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas! The Advent of Christ is worth celebrating. As we look forward to the next few weeks, let me catch you up on the last couple of months.

Recruiting
I don’t know if “recruiting” is really the right word for what we were engaged in for the month of October, but that is the common term used. We feel like these trips to visit colleges and talk with young people are about building a relationship with them that will have a long-lasting impact. Over the last decade of “recruiting” I have made friends with missionaries, college students and teenagers that go far beyond having them join our board. We are building deep friendships that allow us to have an influence in the lives and ministries of those seeking God’s will. We don’t take that responsibility and privilege lightly.

We went to the missions conference at The Campus Church of Pensacola Christian College. We spent 10 days in town visiting with college students and catching up with long time supporters. We met a new church while we were there that started supporting us right away.

The next week we were at Ambassador Baptist College in North Carolina. While it is a smaller school, it is hard to overstate how encouraging it is to be with so many young people who are ministry minded.

Spain
This year saw several planned trips canceled. However, we did take an unexpected trip to Spain. While we were there helping a missionary family with some projects, we also had time to do some investigation about future deaf ministry. I am praying for fruit to grow from seeds that were planted about the need of ministry to the Deaf.

While we were there working on a couple of projects, we also spent a little time enjoying the surrounding area. We even took a road trip into France for a day and spent a multi-hour layover in Amsterdam touring the city.

Near Future
We will mostly be home the next two months. I will be preparing to teach a one week modular class on missions at the end of January for a Bible college. I will take part in a Deaf men’s retreat just before that. Then I will also go to Peru for a week of camp at the beginning of February.

As always, thank you for your continued support. Your prayers encourage and uplift us.

David Peach

You can download a printable PDF version of this letter.

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Dear Friends,
Fall is upon us! This is the season of mission conferences and many opportunities to serve the Lord. Currently we are in the middle of a Bible conference in a deaf church.

Camp
The camp summer finished up great. I spoke at 4 weeks of deaf camp. Stephanie and I also spent a week at the Bill Rice Ranch as campers for their Deaf Adult Camp. It was an enjoyable week being with many of our deaf friends.

We saw 12 Deaf saved through the camp ministry this summer. I am encouraged by the reports of several of our missionary and evangelist friends who participated in various deaf camps and reading about the many Deaf saved and surrendered to the Lord.

Where Now?
In some ways it seems like we haven’t really been anywhere since the end of the summer. However, in the 7 weeks since camp ended, we have spent 5 weekends preaching to deaf congregations.

We will be gone ministering in other churches most of October. But until then, we are coming to the end of a 10 week sign language class we have been teaching in the church in east Tennessee that we attend. The students are doing well and we are excited about what the Lord may do through these classes as it relates to ministry opportunities.

New Missionaries
It is great to see new missionaries headed to the field. At our Executive Council meeting last week we approved some new missionaries. The Smith family is starting their deputation to go to American Samoa. And Timothy Pozo is a young man working with our veteran deaf missionaries, John and Tricia Olson. Timothy is the son of deaf parents in Peru. He has been a great help to the Olsons in their ministry and we are glad to have him as a BIO missionary serving with them.

College Opportunities
Once again we will be participating in the missions conferences at a couple of college ministries. The first will be at The Campus Church of Pensacola Christian College in Florida. While this is a church event, we are given access to and speaking opportunities with the college students. Then we will be at Ambassador Baptist College in North Carolina.

These meetings will give us a time to catch up with some of the workers that I spent the summer with. Pray as we have continued opportunity to influence them for the Lord and His service.

David Peach

You can download a printable PDF version of this letter.

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Dear Friends,
Thank you for praying about the Nigeria trip in April. Unfortunately, it did not take place due to paperwork problems and not getting a visa issued in time. This was not a surprise to God and we trust this was all within His plan. I’m still planning to make the trip when we can work out dates and get the paper work sorted.

Training School
We had a great Training School with our missionaries. Each year is a different dynamic based on which missionaries are able to attend. We had a smaller number of attendees this year, but the fellowship and sessions were great. There is a lot of information packed into those 4 days. Along with teaching some of the sessions, Stephanie and I interpreted for one of our deaf missionaries.

Training School ended on a Thursday evening and I packed up the next morning to fly to Orlando. This was so I could be with one of our missionaries to the Deaf during the funeral of her dad.

Then it was back home the next day to get ready for my second of four weeks of camp.

Camp Time!
We completed our second week of deaf camp at the Bill Rice Ranch in Tennessee. I will be at the Ranch one more week this summer (July 10-14) and then go to their camp in Arizona, West Branch, the following week. Please continue to pray that God would use the speakers and staff to make an eternal impact on the Deaf.

We saw 41 people saved in the two weeks of camp that I have been in. Of those, 2 were from our deaf program. We were thrilled to learn that one of our deaf campers from the first week lead 4 other Deaf to the Lord in another camp she attended the following week.

Camp has had a great influence in my life as I am sure it has in yours. On a recent trip to Arkansas to present our ministry at a new church, we stopped by the camp that I spent my teenage years attending. Triple S Christian Ranch in Rose Bud, Arkansas is still going strong and seems to be faithful to the ministry that they have had for over 45 years. It was a blessing to spend a few minutes walking around the camp and visiting spots where I remember memorizing so many Bible verses.

New Support
We are grateful for new supporters over the last few months. This has been a help to us as we continue to encourage the missionaries working with the Deaf through BIO as well as expand our outreach to them and the Deaf they are serving.

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.

David Peach

A PDF version of this letter is available for printing.

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Dear Friends,
We thank the Lord for a good start to this new year. It is a privilege to look forward at the beginning of the year to what the Lord has planned. That does not mean we know all that will take place, but we are confident that He has a plan in which we can take part.

Recent Travel
Unlike the last letter, we have not been burning up the roads recently. This is typically our slower time of the year.

That being said, we have had one significant trip in recent weeks where we put a couple thousand miles under our tires. We were in a new church in Mississippi on our way to Texas for a missions conference. The conference was a great encouragement. The church we were in is in a growing phase and saw a doubling of their faith promise commitment this year! This is a church that is already involved in missions, yet the people saw where they could be more involved in getting the Gospel to the world.

I also participated in a deaf men’s retreat in January. Though I had a brief speaking opportunity, I truly enjoyed being there as a participant learning from the other speakers. And in the last week I participated in a deaf event in Georgia and preached in a deaf church in South Carolina.

SMART
SMART is a ministry that our mission board has in training missionaries in practical matters. In the last couple of months we held two of these classes. The class in January was Basic Electrical Matters which gives a missionary enough information to keep themselves safe when working with wiring and to know how to intelligently talk with an electrician on the field. This was the first time we taught this module. It was well received.

In February, the SMART ministry conducted a Cross-Cultural Adjustments class at a local church missions conference. Six missionaries and four church members attended the class. This class is to help missionaries (particularly new ones) know how living in another culture may prove challenging and how they can make the adjustments needed to thrive in full-time life and ministry on the field. For church members, this is a great class to help them understand how to more effectively pray for missionaries.

These classes are not just for our BIO missionaries. The purpose of SMART is “to build durable missionaries who can keep on going.” If you are interested in attending a SMART class, or if you are a pastor who would like one of these classes taught at your next mission conference, you can contact Bro. Terry Childers who heads up our SMART ministry at smart@biomissions.org.

Nigeria
My next big trip on the horizon is back to Nigeria to take part in the ordination of two pastors to the Deaf. One is Deaf himself and the other is hearing and has become a dear friend since we first met over a decade ago.

There is a man in our church in Tennessee who is interested in taking a trip to see how the Lord would have him be more involved in missions. I don’t know if the Nigeria trip is the right trip for him to take, but pray for us as we work to seek the Lord’s will and prepare for the trip. We should be in Nigeria from April 20 until May 2.

Thank you once again for your prayers for and support of our ministry.

David Peach

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

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Dear Friends,
Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! We are thankful for another year of service to the Lord.

15,000 Miles
This has been a heavier than normal travel year for us. Since our last letter in September we have traveled about 15,000 ministry miles. In the last 3 months we have ministered in eight different states.

We were in four churches to present our ministry in view of support. We are grateful for love offerings that help us with our travel expenses, but added monthly support will help in our ministry to missionaries. We never want to be a financial burden to the missionaries we minister to and visit. Please consider starting, or raising, financial support for our ministry so that we can encourage more missionaries in the work they do with the Deaf.

God’s Grace
In October we visited the church where I first remember hearing the Gospel as a 9-year-old boy. A few years ago we visited this same church and met a young man who had been saved a short time out of a rough, ungodly life. Because of his appearance, I was a bit surprised when he told me he was starting Bible college soon. As I recall, he said only one college that he contacted would accept him with his background.

Fast forward to today and that young man is the associate pastor at that same church. He has graduated from Bible college and has a beautiful wife.

The thing that stood out to me about this associate pastor is that he seems to be thoughtful and careful with decisions he makes: an example of wisdom. I can’t help but rejoice at God’s amazing work of grace in his life.

Another pastor we were recently with was saved in jail. Looking back, there were some incredible circumstances that put him in that position at that time. God has even used the prosecuting attorney in this man’s life to help disciple and grow him into the pastor he is today.

Both of these men would rather have been saved as young people and not had to live the experiences they did. However, God is using them to reach people that you and I might not be able to reach.

Venezuela Trip
The Venezuela trip has been postponed. This was not much of a surprise as the country is in political turmoil. Their embassy in the US is currently not open and they are not issuing visas for anyone to visit the country. While the trip is on hold for now, it is a trip that I hope to do in the future. I am eager to meet our deaf brothers and sisters there.

Nigeria
My next big trip on the horizon is back to Nigeria to take part in the ordination of two pastors to the Deaf. One is Deaf himself and the other is hearing and has become a dear friend since we first met over a decade ago.

Thank you once again for your prayers for and support of our ministry.

David Peach

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

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Dear Praying Friends,
What an amazing summer! Thank you for being part of God’s work with us.

Four Weeks of Camps
I was again part of the deaf camps at Bill Rice Ranch this year. I preached and taught in four of the five different weeks of camp for the Deaf that the Ranch conducted.

During the first week of camp in Tennessee we saw 4 young people accept the Lord as Savior. My second week was spent in Arizona at their camp called West Branch. One boy was saved during the week and we heard that another camper was saved shortly after camp. While I was at West Branch, the Ranch saw 4 Deaf saved. I returned to the Ranch for the next deaf camp where there were 12 young people who accepted the Lord.

Stephanie and I both went to the Ranch for Deaf Adult Week. This is not a week in which we usually participate. We went as campers; however, it was my privilege to fill in for Bro. Ronnie Rice when he was unable to preach one of his sessions.

Training School
Between weeks of camp we had other meetings. One was our annual training school with our BIO missionaries. Stephanie and I interpreted each of the sessions as well as taught a couple of classes. Training school is always a busy, but enjoyable time. Besides our “out front” work during training school, we are also involved in several behind-the-scenes activities. Stephanie helps prepare and serve the meals and I take care of the technical aspects of the classes (video and audio recording as well as computer presentations).

I always look forward to going back to the slower pace of camp as soon as training school ends.

Other Events this Summer
Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement concerning my dad’s death. Since our last letter, we had another service for Dad in Texas. This was held the same weekend as a school reunion that Mom, my brothers and my family attended. It was a good time to be together with old friends from the Christian school where I was saved.

We spent a week with Mom in Florida between weeks of camp. The BIO office is wondering if we are ever going to stay home. I’ve only been in the office 4 of the last 15 weeks.

Spain
Stephanie and I are going to Spain in October to be with one of our missionary families. I normally do these types of trips on my own, but she is able to go with me this time—one of the benefits of our children getting older.

Please pray that we won’t have any problems with COVID restrictions during the trip. If you would like to help with the cost of Stephanie being able to go, you can send a donation to our office with a note that it is for the Spain trip.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. It is an honor to partner with you in serving the Lord together.

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

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Dear Praying Friends,
On Saturday afternoon, May 15, we held a memorial service for my dad, Ernest Peach, who passed away on May 13. At the service I was privileged to share some words about him. The aspect that I chose to speak on that afternoon was about his love.

Dad loved God, Mom and his children. He also showed love to anyone who needed a friend. He was a “dad away from home” to many of our college friends. Now, many of their children look up to my parents as an extra set of grandparents in their lives.

One of our college friends asked Dad to present her to the groom in her wedding. She did not have a loving father like the one my family enjoyed. In the 30 years she has known my parents, she has loved my dad as he treated her like the father she always wanted.

Shortly after Dad died I commented to her about the special relationship she had with him. Through tears she said, “Oh, David, he was the first man who ever loved me!”

Those are what has touched me the most and caused most of my tears through this process. She’s not the only one who has said similar things over the last couple of weeks since Dad passed away.

We miss Dad for ourselves; but, we also grieve for the pain many people feel for losing such a friend.

We appreciate your prayers for our family. Pray especially for Mom as they recently celebrated 53 years of marriage. That is a long time to grow together and suddenly know that she won’t see him again this side of Heaven.

Back to the Philippines
A few weeks ago I was asked if I could participate in a sign language class for a group of Filipino Bible school students. Traveling to the Philippines is difficult at this time, but through the wonders of the internet, it has been possible to teach 15 students how to minister to the Deaf around them.

I recently finished my final class with the students. They learned an amazing amount in the short time we were together. My teaching focus was on the practical application of the signs that the other two instructors were teaching. I taught them about interpreting in church and teaching Sunday School. We also talked about teaching the Deaf who have limited language skills.

In the last class I taught the students how to present the Gospel to the Deaf. Each of the three teachers covered this topic from their own experience. My focus was on presenting the Gospel when you have more time to develop the material; such as when you are teaching at camp or have a Sunday School class with students who are new to church.

Summer Camp and Training School
Once again I will go to the Bill Rice Ranch for camp this summer. Between the various weeks of camp I will be teaching in the missionary training school at our mission board. I also have the privilege of speaking for Deaf Baptist Fellowship of America this summer.

But, before all that, my wife and I are driving to Texas to participate in another memorial service for my Dad. I will have the privilege of speaking once again. I trust that Dad will be properly honored and God will be glorified by the comments made at that event.

I continually thank the Lord for your prayers on our behalf as we serve Him.

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Dear Praying Friends,
We have been in Mexico a month and are enjoying being with so many old friends once again. We are filling in for Bill and Jennifer Green with whom we worked to help get the deaf church in Mérida established. They are out of the country for three months and asked if I could preach for them while they were gone. It was an opportunity we did not want to pass up.

It is a blessing to see the church people growing physically and spiritually. Many of the core people in the church were teenagers when we left. Now most of them are grown and some have children!

Another exciting thing to see is the way the church has expanded far beyond our original contacts. Bro. Bill Green has done a great job of reaching out to parts of the deaf community that we had never contacted before. I believe the ministry is much stronger now that the circle of contacts has reached beyond the one small segment of the deaf with which we started.

We will be in Mérida until the middle of June. Please continue to pray for our safety and that God would use us to be a blessing to the work here in Mexico.

Recent Prayer Requests
I want to thank you for praying for the prayer requests that I mentioned from my recent trips. The camp in Costa Rica was wonderfully used by the Lord. There were many Deaf at the camp with various countries represented. There was even a news crew that came out to film some of the camp. The story aired on the national level. This was positive exposure for the ministry of Bro. Ramirez.

The ministry in Ethiopia is continuing to thrive. Bro. Bizuayehu wrote me this week and asked that we pray for their Resurrection Sunday celebrations. Ethiopia is on a very different calendar than the rest of the world. They celebrate the resurrection of Christ on May 5. They will have a special day of prayer and Easter programs in a few of the deaf churches. Pray that God continues to use the deaf works in Ethiopia for His honor and glory.

If you would like to support either of these ministries, or any BIO missionary to the Deaf, please contact me or the BIO office for information on how you can be involved.

PDF version of the May 2013 Prayer Letter

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