Pan Bila project

Hello North Shore Church!

We want to thank you for lifting us up in prayer and supporting the Pan Bila project faithfully!

We have been here six years now and it has been great to see how God has used us at Pan Bila. We've had our ups and our downs, we've been discouraged and we've seen miracles.

When we originally came out in July 2008 we were convinced that we would only be here for one year.  My parents, Noel & Manja had been in need of help for some time and we were stepping up to the plate but we set our limits.. We would postpone our plans for one year to do God’s work in Burkina and then carry on with our lives. Little did we know. : )

We were naïve. Young. Inexperienced. But God was able to show us his greater plan and what roles we had in it.  As that first year went by we quickly realized that the amount of work that Pan Bila had required of Noel was so high he was suffering from a burn out. Slowly, he came to realize and accept it too. During this time we had to step up and we were put in charge. In doing so we knew we were committing to staying longer than what our plans were.

We took one year at a time, since we had not raised money to stay long term we put our lives completely in God’s hands and trusted He would provide for all our needs. Looking at the financial needs of Pan Bila and then looking at our needs as well was overwhelming. But by some miracle God always provided! Year after year we have been able to work and live by the grace of God in Burkina.

God has provided for our every need. When we were in need of a car, someone in Belgium, (a person we didn’t even know) just gave the perfect car to us. Now that our oldest son (4) is school age a family from Holland has come to start a Christian school for MKs! Every time we find reasons to doubt, whether we should be here in Burkina Faso God gives us a clear answer.

Living in Burkina is not easy at all, and we work hard in difficult conditions. The culture can drive us crazy and we have moments of great frustration. But knowing that we work for our heavenly Father, to minister to the poor people of Burkina and give them hope is amazing and blesses us greatly.

Once again, thank you for your prayers and your financial support.

May God bless you!

Nathanja, Fred, Jake & Jonah

 

www.panbila.com - www.facebook.com/PanBila - www.tearfund.be

Financiële steun voor het project kan op rekening van Tearfund gestort worden, 

met vermelding: ‘TECHAS’ of Fred en Nathanja: rekening: 435 – 9190001 – 10  

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The latest from Mark and Kris Crooks

Many special greetings to the church family at North Shore!  Thank you for your continued support and prayer! Here is just a brief update on things going on here:  

We are seeing some very encouraging growth in the lives of our "leaders in training". Over the past year our lead Italian couple: 

• put their house up for rent and moved in closer to the church so that they can become immersed in the life of our community.  Pray for courage to continue taking steps of faith like this one!
• is raising funds to start a non-profit, under the umbrella of The Lighthouse (our church) to offer practical help to people in need.  Pray for success in getting this project off the ground and providing support for them and for the church.
• is beginning an intense leadership training course to become more prepared for pastoral ministry. Pray for them to be faithful to study and pass on what they learn to others.

Monday we begin a two week sports outreach camp for kids. We have a team of 6 American coaches that will work with our church to run one week of basketball camp and a second week of multi-sports.  Pray as we will be sharing the Gospel with around 80 children and their parents who are very hard hearted cultural Catholics with no understanding of the grace of God.

This Fall we will re-launch our ESL program under the leadership of one of our church members from the UK. She has caught a passion for the Great Commission and decided to leave her secular work (elementary teacher) and begin using her skills to teach English as an outreach of our church. Please pray as we have had many high hurtles to clear - and many still to go in order to get this program back up and running. It is truly an effective tool in our community for getting to know people, demonstrating the power of the Gospel in our lives and talking to people about their relationship with God.

Our son, Josh, and his wife, Alissa are expecting their first child due in the beginning of September. They are living in Grand Rapids, MI and active the ministry of their church there. Please pray for them as they start this new adventure of raising their own children in Christ!

We have a couple and a single gal here serving internships in our ministry.  Zach & Jordan are a couple from MBI with us for 6 weeks, helping to produce two videos for use in outreach and community life. Alana is a student from Cedarville who is concentrating on cultural and linguistic adaptation. Please pray for them as they serve along side of us and as they seek God's guidance concerning career missionary life in their future. 

Gratefully yours!

Mark & Kris

Ben & Sam

Making Disciples at UW Eau Claire

The latest update from Jess & Jeff in Eau Claire

May 2014 Newsletter PDF

Carlos & Carrie in Mexico City

Learn about the exciting things the Lord is doing through Carlos' ministry:

Many churches in Mexico are looking for ways to be involved in missions

That's where we want to help!

The last trip Carlos took to the Island (Cuba) with a group of pastors was very successful. The pastors made some good connections with leaders there and are seeing strategic partnerships for the future. One of the pastors who went had no previous experience in missions and his church is not involved in missions in any way. God has opened his eyes to God's calling for the church to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth and is practically hunting Carlos down to see what next steps his church can take. Carlos has already gone to their church to preach on missions and is now planning a missions conference and youth trip to a rural area here in Mexico for an outreach experience. The pastor himself is even exploring if God might be calling him to the mission field!

The other pastor who went on the last trip is connected to a group of 6 churches. Carlos has gone to one of their churches and will be going to the other 5 churches to preach on a Sunday about missions. They will also be invited to attend the missions conference and youth trip. The main church has a missions committee that is seeking direction and help for moving the churches forward in missions. Carlos has been meeting with them to help them have goals and a focus.

It seems like everywhere we turn we find more churches wondering how they should be involved in missions. We are also seeing some people looking more seriously at long term service and pastors willing to send their members to long term service. For that reason, Carlos is planning a trip to Spain and Morocco this October. He is going to take a small group of missionary candidates, or pastors wanting to send people from their church, on a trip to open their eyes to the Muslim world. We want new candidates to explore unreached people groups and the 10/40 window. They are going to meet with a Mexican mission agency working in Spain, Mexican missionaries working in these areas, and they will attend a conference about unreached groups in Europe and beyond. We hope that this will inspire the participants to go and be part of the solution to these needs.The group will also have an opportunity to participate in the ministries of the Mexican missionaries that they visit.

Carlos has a new group of pastors wanting to go to the Island in January. This group includes some Hispanic churches from Texas and a missionary from the US that we know. They want to work with a church from their denomination in a needy area and support the work of the pastor there. It looks like a good fit, and we see the potential for a long term partnership between these churches.

Carlos preaching on missions

This is a general update on what is happening right now in Mexico. There are many more details that could be shared but the e-mail would be too long!!! =)

About 6 more weeks and counting I'm 32 weeks along as I write this update (about 7 1/2 months) although it feels like more. Ha! We are expecting a baby GIRL mid-July! We talk to Ian a lot about a baby coming and getting things ready for the baby, but he really has no clue what changes are coming up. Right now he seems happy when we talk about the baby, but that will probably all change! When Carlos is on his trip in October, Ian, the baby, and I are going to be in Rockford. We hope to see those of you who are in the area!

We have the best supporters! Thanks to all of you who so faithfully contribute to the ministry here in Mexico. May God bless you and provide for you each day!

If you would like to give ...

Tax Deductible Gifts can be made out to:

“United World Mission”
P.O. Box 602002
Charlotte, NC 28260-2002

(include a separate note indicating that the donation is for Carlos and Carrie Morales)

OUR MISSIONARIES IN ITALY

What Carmen Chugg would like us to pray for this month:

Pray for Carmen's neighbor, A. She has wanted to come to church for a long time but has been impeded by various responsibilities and things happening in her life. Pray that soon she will be able to make it to a meeting.

Pray now for the Faenza team's desire to start up an Alpha Course in the fall. Pray that the team would be able to publicize the event well and that God would bring many people to the course.

The Gideons have been distributing New Testaments to the high school students in Faenza recently. Please pray that these young people will read the New Testaments and believe in the Lord Jesus!!!
Praise the Lord for the Book Table set up every Saturday morning in the center of Faenza. Recently, along with Italian Bibles, they have given away the Scriptures in other languages. Pray especially for those who have received New Testaments in Arabic. Thank the Lord that His Word is powerful.

Praise the Lord for the patchwork courses that were held in Forli' (joint Faenza/Forli' venture) at the Path of Hope ministry center. The ladies have listened attentively to the devotionals given at the end of each evening. Pray for a good startup in the fall and that more ladies will hear the gospel.


Mark & Kris Crooks ask you to pray about these concerns:

Fabio, a member of the Mestre Church still needs a full-time job. Pray for the right one.

Pray for the English camp June 16-27 at Mestre. Ask the Lord to guide the teachers and that the students would learn well.
Pray for the basketball program in July at Mestre. Ask the Lord to draw many young people to sign up for this program.

Please pray for Alana, the new intern at Mestre, that she would quickly grasp the language and make friends in the Mestre church.

Crooks Spring 2014

Thank You Lord . . .
for creating a beautiful new member of the family, Emma Sophia!

Welcome Emma! We're all so thankful for you! Emma was born to Anna and Ben on September 14th. She is now over two months old and already she has made several positive impressions on both sides of the Atlantic . . . . for example, she has blessed her mom and dad with a colic free start to life and is already sleeping through the night! Over here, she has a whole community of believers who have followed her first two months closely on Facebook and can't wait to meet her in person . . . especially her grandpa and 2 little uncles!

Emma . . . Thank You for making us grandparents!

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Thank You Lord!!
Our long-awaited leadership training program kicked off on November 8th. Here we are, gathered around a table studying what it means to be "a Gospel community on mission". All this month we have been exploring the Word to trace the Gospel story and understand Gospel transformation. Please pray for our next training session on December 8th. Our topic will be, "Living as a Community on Mission".

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Thank you Lord,
that though you sent disaster on Washington, Illinois . . .



. . . you were merciful to Kris' parents, Jim & Annette Carmean, who, though they lost their home, didn't lose their lives in this great tragedy. Pray for them as they literally pick up the pieces and forge ahead with all the decisions that are involved in the big process of rebuilding.

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Thank You! 
From each one of us . . . to each one of you, our giving friends and family, who, even in the midst of trying and uncertain times are faithfully making it possible for us to help Italians come to enjoy and expand God's wonderful Kingdom. Many here at Il Faro say, "Thank You!"

Maybe you have been thinking about joining our support team? We are still lacking $800 in monthly support. You can become a regular monthly giver, or you might consider giving a one-time gift. Giving is as easy as clicking on the "Donate" button below. Or click on www.team.org for details on where to send your check. Thank you!   Donate

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Please pray with us . . . 

 
For God's Spirit to guide us in our December 8th Leadership Training Seminar - "Living as a community on mission". Pray that our team will not have problems with their schedules at the last minute.

For a packed house at our two Christmas season concerts called: "Christmastime at The Lighthouse."

Pray for many friends to come on December 15th to hear popular Christian artist, Lidia Genta. and on December 21st to hear the ever popular, "Christmas Carolers."

For Beka as she travels "home" to see us on December 13th. She will be with us for a month!!

For a different car - we are definitely at that stage where the "old dog" has served us well - but needs to be replaced. If you'd like to give toward this project, please let us know!

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Our mailing address is:

Via Cecchini 23 Mestre, ITALIA 30173

PO Box 969 Wheaton, IL 60187 USA

Bringing Christ to the Incarcerated

Marinette & Menominee Jail Outreach Inc.

Every Monday night (rain or shine) our members conduct visits at both the Marinette and Menominee jails. Our active members number 32. Our purpose is to help them to understand that they, like all of us, are in need of a Savior. We bring hope to those who seek a better life through the teachings of the Bible. The basic process is to help them to realize that they are in need of a new belief system (Cognitive Thinking Course), that will enable them to make better choices in the future. Then, through our personal visits we take them into the Bible and teach them a belief system based on God's love for us. Thus, through God's Holy Spirit, many inmates have accepted Jesus as their Savior and been transformed to a new life in Christ. In 2013 alone, we witnessed 30 inmates come to Christ. It doesn't stop there, when released they are encouraged to attend our weekly support group meetings where they can be mentored and continue to grow spiritually.

Also, over the recent holidays, the Jail Outreach was able to distribute gifts to the children of incarcerated parents. Gifts were provided to over 40 children from 20 families. Gifts were distributed as far north as Ishpeming and as far south as Rockford Illinois. As you can see the Jail Outreach has had a busy and productive year. The Lord has and will continue to bless this most important work. If you wish to get involved, you can volunteer by becoming a member, by contributing financially ( totally privately funded), or by praying for the further success of this life transforming work.

The Marinette & Menominee Jail Outreach can be contacted at : 

Email: transform@jailoutreach.net

Web: www.jailoutreach.com 

Phone : 906-792-8208

Jane Fischer in Tokyo

Jane has been kept busy these past couple of years. What has she been up to? Below is her March 22, 2014 update:

Dear Prayer Supporters,

Thank you for your continued support in prayer! Please keep these requests in your prayers:

1. I am thankful for the opportunities to share the gospel with my student. One of my homeroom students, D., has finished reading the picture Bible, and has shown a continued interest in learning about Christ! She shows a hunger that can only be satisfied by trusting Him. Pray that she makes a decision to accept Christ!

2. In an earlier prayer note, I wrote that Yukari would be baptized in January. Due to church events, her baptism was moved to February. However, in February, we had two weekends of snowstorms, so it was moved to March 23. Tomorrow! This past week, Yukari asked me if I would pray for her and read her testimony in English at her baptism—what an honor! (Unusual for this Japanese church) Please pray for her as a new Christian!

3. Please pray for the transition of 5 middle school students who recently moved or are going to attend a different school. Friday was a day of hugs and tears throughout the Middle School. The girl in 8th grade who left has been at CAJ since kindergarten. Farewells are hard at any time, and they are frequent at our school. Please pray for a smooth transition for the students who left and for adjustment for the students who have not left.

4. Our mission will be meeting together during the first week of April to make plans for the next year. Please pray for good fellowship and discernment as we make decisions.

5. Please continue to pray for me as I finish my final research for my Master’s project/thesis. I am so thankful for the people who volunteered as participants! Pray for wisdom in each step of this process.

I am so thankful for your partnership in prayer, and the encouragement you send. Even more so, I am thankful for the strength of the Lord, for He continually sustains me!

In Christ,
Jane Fischer

5th Sunday Special Needs Offering

What the 5th Sunday Offering is all about! 

Throughout the year whenever there is a 5th Sunday in the month we have an opportunity as the Body of Christ to give extra funds to a missions opportunity. The Missions Committee and Deacons work together to identify a mission opportunity for the church to bless. As the church gives together, we can greatly bless and encourage the spread of the gospel and be a beacon of hope.

Be a Blessing this month!!

The 5th Sunday in March will be a chance to bless the UW-Eau Claire Navigator Spring Break trip. The Navigators at UW-Eau Claire are headed to Pensacola, Florida for a week of camping, fellowship, Bible study, worship and fun, leaving March 16th. We're praying for non-Christian friends and international students to join us on the trip. Students from Egypt and Thailand are already considering going. Each student pays $315 for the 9 day trip and each year many of them need full or partial scholarships to attend. Please pray for God's provision for each student and that God would add to our numbers those who are being saved! YOU North Shore can be a part of this blessing by giving toward their scholarship fund. No one is refused to go if they are a non-believer who wants to spend a week with on fire Christians. Your help can fulfill the trust UWEC Navs are putting in God to provide. 

~ Mission Committee ~

Derochers Return to Kenya - MAF

Fran and Lori found this cold Wisconsin winter a challenge, so they were looking forward to the wonderful climate of Nairobi, Kenya. Fran will continue with his responsibilities as director of African Mission Aviation Fellowship. Lori keeps the books, along with many other interesting activities. Read about their family doings during these months of traveling in the USA HERE.

                               

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”    Jeremiah 29:1