Various Mission Prayer Requests

Dear Update Readers,

Bro. Parker is in South Africa and would greatly appreciate your prayer support. Also, here are lists of prayer needs from the Philippines and Mexico. Please share them with your church family.

B. Jones.

From the Philippines:

We face some challenges much to big for us right now and would really appreciate being lifted before the throne of grace. I can't give details now, but here are some general needs:

1. An influencial pastor needs our prayers.

2. Pray for wisdom for the National leaders as we work through this. Pray for courage, the fear of God, mercy, and Godly love.

3. Pray for 3 pioneering churches. Pray for souls to be saved and completely established in their faith. Pray for their sanctification.

4. Pray for some big financial challenges concerning the National Conference/ Camp/ Training Center Project in Alibagu. Pray that the pledges will all come in.

5. Pray for your weak missionaries. Pray that we will place our whole confidence in a strong Savior. Pray for our steadfastness. Pray for our hearts to be filled with love in spite of the pressures of the journey.

6. Pray for our pastors and their families as well as our Institute and Academy teachers. Pray for their faith.

7. Pray for pastor Jimmy who just today hit a little five year old boy with his motorcycle. The boy is in surgery. And pray for the unsaved father of the boy.

8. Pray for our April campmeeting and General Conference and for John Parker and his team (including your husband) as they come to minister to us.

More grace to you,
Tim Keep

From Mexico:

Here are some prayer concerns for Bible Methodist Missions in Mexico:

A serious concern right now is the continuing physical condition of
Bro. Santiago Hernandez, pastor at Rio Bravo. He is still wheelchair- bound, in therapy and facing a mountain of medical expense. He and his wife have expressed that they are trusting the Lord for healing and their financial needs.

The financial needs of the Institute are also something that we
would especially request prayer for. God knows what we are facing but we know He will supply the needs.

Please pray for the families of Bro. Eli Balderas and Bro. Bernardo
Riviera - they have both recently experienced the death of a family member.

Pray for Marc as he continues his language studies - after 6 weeks
in language school, he's starting to know just how much he has to
learn! He is enjoying it, though and is doing well. I am working my
way through the Rosetta Stone program - making progress - still have a LONG way to go!

Thanks for passing on these requests - we are so thankful for the
prayers of God's people. So many times in the 3 and 1/2 months we've been here, we have felt those prayers lift us up and we've known someone was remembering to pray for us.

Thanks again.
Blessings,
Melodie Sankey

Missions Update from John Parker

Dear Bible Methodist Missions Supporters / Prayer Partners:

Marc Sankey our new missionary to Mexico shared with me yesterday that the funds for the operation of the Bible Institute in Mexico have been completely depleted. This is a result of the decline of Student Aid support which was approximately half of the funding for the Mexico Bible
Institute. For several years the support for this program has been
decreasing year by year and in keeping with our policy of not spending more than what comes in the Missions Board has directed our Missions Treasurer to only send what comes in. The amount coming in is not nearly sufficient for the needs there.

Please pray that God will touch the hearts of those who have given for the Student Aid program and perhaps even new supporters for the Mexico Bible Methodist Institute. Exciting developments are in the works for this vital part of the Mexico work! I look forward to sharing this wonderful news as soon as possible! It is critical that we keep those such as our dear Institute President (a former graduate of the Bible Institute) Rev. Eliazar Balderas and his family encouraged as we transition into an exciting new phase of the work!

Perhaps some church would want to sponsor a student at the Institute.
Contact Bro. Marc Sankey for information on the costs involved.

We need some who will "Stand in the Gap" with us during this time of need! Changes are being made that will remedy this problem in the future. Let's do our part in keeping the Institute going until the needs and challenges have been met.

I leave in a few hours for a 12 day trip to South Africa and a couple
Holiness Conventions as well as a visit to the other Bible Methodist
Missionaries that are laboring there in South Africa and Lesotho. I will appreciate your prayers!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

SEEKING HIS KINGDOM FIRST
John D. Parker - Bible Methodist Missions
JPARKER@BMMISSIONS.ORG

Rev. Blake Jones' conference news - Feb.1

Contact info: bejones@nethawk.com OR (989) 427-3178

Prayer and Praise

• Please lift Bro. Mike Hobbs in prayer as he adjusts to life without his dear wife, Joann. You can e-mail him at happyhobbs@juno.com Also, please pray for his family as they grieve.
• The Evart Missions Team is safely home after ministering in the Philippines. Thank you for your prayers.
• Sis. Linda Kelley will be having hip surgery and she will appreciate our prayers.
• Pastor Jon Watters will be returning to the military and will be pursuing Army Chaplaincy. Please pray for the Concord Church at this time of transition.
• Rev. and Mrs. Bailey are expecting the arrival of another little Bailey this month. Please pray for Sis. Lisa.
• Herb and Christen Woolworth (Concord) are the proud parents of baby Ella Mae.
• The Rock Lake Church has expanded its sanctuary and now is being challenged to reach others to fill the new space.
• Revenna Whispering Pines Worship Center (Sparta/Muskegon) has some new people attending and Bro. Jeff has started a discipleship class.
• Wedding bells are ringing that will bless the Garfield Church with a new young couple. Steve Hough and Lynnette Troyer are planning an April wedding. Also, the Garfield lady that was in the truck accident has recently be able to return to church and bring the brand new baby. Praise the Lord.
• Fifth Sunday Rally was a warm time of Christian fellowship. God helped Bro. Patrick Murray share from the Word.
• Dr. Keaton seems to be making some improvements physically. He has resigned as General Chairman, making Daniel Stetler the from vice-chairman, our general leader as we finish out the last few months of this quadrenium. Dr. Keaton is serving a four month interim pastorship in Idaho.

March ---Bible Methodist Prayer Month

The Pray around the World Day is set for March 12 at 4 p.m. Please make plans to join Bible Methodists at home and abroad as we seek the face of God together.

Michigan IHC

Cedar Springs will be hosting IHC on March 13-15. Please note that the closing service is a Wednesday evening. Please consider lifting your prayer service to attend.

Conference President's Schedule

Saundy and I met with Bro. and Sis. Parker, and the other conference presidents and their wives in Kentucky where we worked to develop a mission's handbook and policy. We listened to Bro. Parker's goals and mission dreams. Each of us has brought home an assignment to work on as we develop our handbook.

While we were travelling we got word that Sis. Joann Hobbs had passed away. How our hearts ached for Bro. Mike and for Pastor Daniel who was in the Philippines.

Our visit with Bro. Scobie was cancelled for the Sunday after our missions meeting so we attended the Burlington church with Cherie and Titus for the day.

On Monday I spoke in chapel at GBS and then spent the afternoon in a General Conference subcommittee. How good it was to be with Bro. Chris Cravens, Bro. Hooker and Bro. Miles. My life is enriched by these great Bible Methodist men. In the evening we drove up to Dayton to attend the viewing and second funeral for Sis. Hobbs. We stayed with Sams that night and enjoyed their lovely hospitality and beautiful home.

Tuesday was the set day for Sis. Hobbs burial and we were honored to stand by the family during that traumatic time. They sang and praised the Lord and then the family wept in their own little huddle.

We got home to remodelling work that was in full swing at the Rock Lake Church. Some walls have been removed and this week the platform is being centered in the sanctuary as well as other cosmetic touches. Please pray that God will build His kingdom here.

Saturday is to be a work day at Jay and Amy Janofski's new girls home. God has lead them on a new venture and we are so excited to see what God is doing in their lives.

Sunday we are to be with the Greenville Bible Methodist Church family.

Thank you for your prayers for our family.

GOD BLESS EACH OF YOU!

Please call anytime!

B. Jones

Report from the Keeps (Missionaries to the Philippines)

Dear friends and family,

Wow! Where has January gone! We’ve certainly been busy and Christmas is already a distant memory. This is Becky writing as I decided to help my husband and write this newsletter. He’s still recovering from his five day trek in the mountains with a team from Evart Michigan. They were thrilled and blessed to visit our churches in the remote villages of Atan (a church planted 5 yrs ago) and Polud (planted 4 yrs ago). We praise God for his protection for this team as they encountered much rain and multiple mudslides along the way. This necessitated even more hiking than what they’d anticipated, as the jeepney couldn’t get the slides. They were weary but excited to see and meet fellow believers in each of these places. Valerie and Timothy Jr. were along for the trip as well and really enjoyed it. They are becoming seasoned hikers now. We promised Jesse that in a year or two he can join also.

We are so excited to have David and Christina Black here with us again. They were warmly welcomed by our local church members here yesterday. Valerie and Roanna are busy catching up. We’re so thankful for our co-workers here in the Philippines.

We also just finished our January Shepherd’s conference. We were blessed to have Rev. Bennie Durr and Rev. Paul Bundy as our special speakers. Daniel Hobbs was here as well with the team from Evart but he returned home early due to the death of his mother. We had a great conference and the teaching/preaching of these men was a great blessing to all of us here.

As you can well imagine, my days and nights are consumed with children. We are so thankful for our family. We seem to have one child in every stage of life right now. Val is a great blessing to me in many ways. I believe that every newborn should come equipped with a teenage sister! And it’s great to see her growing and developing in her own spiritual life as well. She’s very involved with the church youth group and is still teaching the children. Tim jr. is 11 and growing into a young man. He enjoys traveling with Tim and playing his guitar. He tolerates school work but is doing very well. Jesse keeps life interesting and is now learning computer. It’s amazing the software they have for the blind now. Don’t be surprised if you’re online someday and Jesse IM’s you. Carolyn is our little stick of dynamite. She is a bundle of energy and fun. She is learning some Ilocano words and uses them a lot. It’s so funny to hear her speak it. She’s wide awake at 6am and winds down at about 8pm. My mornings are coming earlier and earlier now, as they must if I hope to have any quiet time to myself. Tim has declared to the world that the Lord has finally given us our “calm child” in Sammi Beth. I just hope he’s right! She’s only five months so the verdict is still out. She is a sweet bundle and we all adore her. She sleeps 11 hours every night and is contented most of the time.

Thank you all for your continued prayers. We depend on them. There’s not a moment that passes but what we realize that without the Father’s daily bestowments of grace we would be nothing, and neither could accomplish anything.

Thank you as well for the Christmas cards and gifts. We appreciate your love and support so much!

In Christian love,

Tim and Becky and family

Holiness Won Out Seminar

(editor's note: Click here for the web site & complete schedule & info)

Dear Update Readers,

Bro. Hedstrom sent me this notice about a seminar at GBS. Please look over the attached schedule and spread the word.

God bless you.

Blake E. Jones

Dear Friends:

Please note this "Holiness Won Out" Seminar at GBS on March the 17th 2006. It is a one day seminar designed by conservative holiness people for those who struggle with homosexuality or other gender identity issues and their families and friends, as well as Christian pastors, educators, students, and Christians who want to know how to minister to those struggling with homosexuality.

For more information contact: Rev. Richard Miles 513-721-7944 Ext. 365

Please note the full schedule on the attachment of this e-mail.

In His Service,

Rev. Walter Hedstrom