Medical Conferences in the U.S.

Pray for safe travels to the U.S. from the Central African Republic for Dr. Tim, EFCA TouchGlobal International Medical Director and his wife, Ann, who will be attending the Community Health Evangelism Conference and the Global Medical Health Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, in November. This is one of the large medical mission conferences in the country with at least 2,500 medical professionals and students coming to see if God has a place for them in medical ministry worldwide. Pray that Tim and Ann will have many good contacts with potential recruits and that God will lead those of His choosing to join ReachGlobal for medical and holistic ministry in the years to come.

International Conference in the U.S.

Pray for an international conference on Turkey taking place this week in a Midwest city. Turkish church leaders, workers in Turkey and stateside church leaders are gathering to pray and learn how to build Christ’s Church in Turkey. A ReachGlobal couple, who work with a Turkish community, will share about the open door to reach Meskhetian Turks in the U.S.  Pray for God’s blessing during this time of connecting with brothers and sisters serving in Turkey and the desire to bring more Turkish people to Himself.

Update on health concern for missionary family

Thank you for praying for ReachGlobal’s candidate family whose son needed a liver biopsy. The procedure went well but the issue that family faces is to determine if their son should begin receiving “interferon ribavirin” treatments (chemotherapy). This would be a proactive approach in attempting to destroy the Hep C in his body.  If left untreated, there is a very strong possibility that he will develop cancer. Please pray for them as they gather information and consult with the doctor regarding the options.

Post 10/12/10
Pray for a ReachGlobal candidate family raising support to serve in Europe. Their son, who was adopted from Ukraine four years ago, carries Hepatitis C, but it has been dormant since his adoption. Two weeks ago when he had his annual blood work done at a children’s hospital it showed that his “numbers are elevated” and that a liver biopsy needed to be taken immediately. The biopsy will check to see if the Hepatitis C has done any damage and if there is a presence of cancer cells. Hepatitis C ultimately destroys the liver and is treated with a form of chemotherapy. Please pray for God's grace and mercy that there will be no evidence of cancer.  Ask God to give the family peace during these days when they continue to need to lean on Him.

CHE Workshop in Tanzania

Pray for a beneficial Community Health Education (CHE) workshop October 25-29, in a town outside of Dar es Salaam. Betty, ReachGlobal personnel in Tanzania, will be co-teaching with another ReachGlobal staff member on how to start a CHE ministry in this area. Pray that God would use this workshop in the lives of the people who are attending, and give Betty more ideas of how she can implement this type of ministry in Dar es Salaam, especially with the church.

Online Training Course in Latin America

In Latin America, the Church Based Training team is launching their first-ever online training course October 25. The eight-week online course will focus on missionary work and its place in the ministry of the local church. Helping to test this new platform by participating in the inaugural course are Spanish-speakers from churches in Venezuela, Dominican Republic, USA, Peru and Colombia.

Please pray for the students as well as ReachGlobal personnel, Omar and Henry, as they work out any bugs in the system, facilitate the course, and prepare for the expansion of the online learning community. Ultimately, the vision is to provide theologically sound, accessible and affordable courses so that Spanish-speaking believers would be trained to minister effectively in their churches. 

Missions Conference in Washington

Pray for Linda, EFCA CONNECT team member, as she participates in the missions conference at Irondale EFC in Washington on October 23. Ask God to bless her time of sharing her ministry she with short-term teams, preparing new ReachGlobal personnel for ministry and developing training for short-term individuals who go to minister cross-culturally up to twelve months.

Teaching at Bible School

Pray for Ann, ReachGlobal personnel in Africa, who is teaching a number of classes at the Bible School. This is the final year for the students before going out to pastor a church. She teaches cults, world religions and Islam as well as Christian Education principles, especially on a variety of Sunday school ideas. Ann also works with the woman on a Bible lesson, improving their reading skills and discussing health topics. Ask God to bless her preparation and teaching as she equips people to do ministry.

Bible study in Czech Republic

God brought over 20 people to the initial kick-off of the high school girls’ Bible study at the Christian International School in Prague, Czech Republic. Pray that these students would be moved by the Holy Spirit to pursue Him personally, individually first and foremost, but also corporately as the leaders look to have groups available to meet on both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings each week.

Typhoon in the Philippines

Please pray for the people of the far north of the country (200 miles from Manila). The typhoon is traveling across the northern portion of Luzon and seems to have missed most of the populated areas. It slowed upon hitting land and current the local storm center says that winds are running 112 miles per hour with gusts running up to 140 miles per hour. The blessing in all of this is the fact that this is a very mountainous region and not nearly as densely populated as many other parts of the country.

DBM meetings in Minneapolis

The ReachGlobal Division Business Managers are meeting October 19-22, at the EFCA national office. Ask the Lord to grant safe travel for those coming from some distance; pray for the ReachGlobal financial directors facilitating these sessions; ask God to give this group wisdom as they determine the best financial policy that would result in God-honoring stewardship for the organization.

Visas for Brazil

Last month Jeff and Diane, ReachGlobal personnel in Brazil, were informed by the Federal Police that their visas were denied, with no other option except to leave the country. Jeff and Diane are now in the U.S. and working to obtain new visas. Pray for God’s leading and wisdom as Jeff talks to different sources (Brazilian Consulate in Chicago, a consultant in DC, and our German missionary partners in Brazil) about the possible options. Pray for patience and perseverance as they go through this process that is going to take at least three months for approval once they receive all the paperwork.

Discipleship training in Costa Rica

Through a partnership with Sonlife Ministries/International Teams and ReachGlobal, twenty-six Venezuelan youth leaders from the Venezuelan Free Church (ADIEL) are spending a week in Costa Rica, participating in part two of a four-part discipleship training, modeled off the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Please pray for Ernesto from Sonlife as he guides them through the training, and pray for the Venezuelan youth leaders, that they will be encouraged and equipped to reach the youth in Venezuela with the transforming power of the gospel. Pray for ripple effects in their churches as they share what they have learned with other leaders.

PT Live

Pray for Pre-field Training (PT) Live October 13-21, at South Suburban EFC in Apple Valley, MN. Pray for the EFCA EQUIP staff and several guest presenters facilitating this training for future ReachGlobal workers. The focus will be on topics of cross-cultural ministry, teamwork, spiritual warfare, evangelism, disciple-making, and other critical issues. Please pray for effective learning, for great community and for these participants to follow God’s guidance to be better ministers.

Health concern

Pray for a ReachGlobal candidate family raising support to serve in Europe. Their son, who was adopted from Ukraine four years ago, carries Hepatitis C, but it has been dormant since his adoption. Two weeks ago when he had his annual blood work done at a children’s hospital it showed that his “numbers are elevated” and that a liver biopsy needed to be taken immediately. The biopsy will check to see if the Hepatitis C has done any damage and if there is a presence of cancer cells. Hepatitis C ultimately destroys the liver and is treated with a form of chemotherapy. Please pray for God's grace and mercy that there will be no evidence of cancer.  Ask God to give the family peace during these days when they continue to need to lean on Him.

Health concern

Pray for one of ReachGlobal’s personnel in Europe, who has been having abdomen pain for more than a month. She and her family are currently in the U.S. so she was able to see a doctor and get a CAT-scan. The results of the CAT-scan showed that she has an abdominal hernia, (tear in her muscle wall) that needs to be surgically repaired and also has a cyst on her liver. They are meeting with the surgeon today so please pray for their appointment that God would give them peace and clear guidance. The recovery period from this surgery is six weeks, so the family needs wisdom as they figure out the next steps for returning to the field that was planned for November.

Africa DT Meetings

Pray for the ReachGlobal Africa Directional Team meeting in South Africa, October 12-16. Ask the Lord to give the team wisdom and spiritual discernment during this week of prayer, evaluation, and planning for moving forward to implement our vision of seeing 25 million people impacted by the gospel between now and 2020.

Fellowship in the Philippines

Pray for Arlys, ReachGlobal personnel in the Philippines, hosting a Pastors’ Wives Fellowship at her home in Cebu on October 9. Ask God to bless the message she will share and the handouts she has prepared. Pray that the women who come will be encouraged in their faith and ministry. Also, pray for Arlys as she prepares for the Pastors’ Wives Fellowship in Manila on October 23, before coming to the U.S. for a home assignment.

Visa for Bulgaria

David and Sasha, ReachGlobal personnel, are transitioning from ministry in Poland to begin a new work in Bulgaria. Pray for David as he is trying to secure a visa to live in Bulgaria. David will be applying for a visa that allows him to live in Bulgaria long term as a family member of a Bulgarian citizen. This requires a trip to Chicago for a formal interview with the Bulgarian consul, providing evidence of David and Sasha’s marriage, and a wait of up to 40 days for a decision on his case and processing of the visa. They want to get to Bulgaria as quickly as possible, so please pray that the decision and processing go smoothly and quickly.

Team meetings

The EFCA CONNECT Advocate Team Retreat is underway in Cumberland, WI, October 5-7. Pray for this time of prayer for ministry, discussion of strategic issues, team building and annual goal planning.

Arrived on the field

Pray for Roberto, Robin and their children as they adjust to their new home and life in Honduras. Praise God for providing the necessary commitments and funds for the family to be able to serve the Lord. Pray for their transition to Honduras and for their ministry and business as mission development opportunities as well as for the relationship building and the multiplication efforts with the people in Tegucigalpa.

Teaching and training in Portugal

Jonathan and Traci, ReachGlobal personnel in Portugal, have several teaching opportunities during October. Pray for Jonathan who is teaching an Old Testament class at the Bible seminary, preparing a sermon and Sunday school lessons with the youth at Benfica church.  These are key opportunities for him to minister through God’s Word as well as to grow in his fluency in the Portuguese language.  Pray for Traci who teaches English two days a week with a Christian Portuguese home school co-op.  Pray for her students and her schedule on Tuesdays and Thursdays as she balances this ministry and caring for their two young daughters. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give them the capacity, energy and effectiveness to make an impact through each of these works.

REV event

Pray for the Readiness Event (REV) for missionary candidates at the EFCA national office October 2-8. Pray for the 18 candidates attending this key event who are away from their jobs, ministries, families, and responsibilities to focus and discern the Holy Spirit’s leading. Pray for physical, emotional and spiritual stamina for the attendees and ReachGlobal staff involved in REV.