Seremak Family Update- Papua New Guinea
May 25, 2023
Greetings in the lovely name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray this finds you all faithful in the service of our great God and Saviour!!
In our last letter, we excitedly announced that Highlands Baptist Bible Institute here in Mount Hagen had kicked off with 44 registered students. Over the next couple weeks, we had 6 more students register, bringing the entire student body to 50 students. Many of our students come from various places across the highlands, some traveling for hours to come to class on Monday, then staying for 2 days, then traveling back on Wednesdays. We are excited that these folks are still willing to make the required sacrifice for this course of study.
HBBI has provided a wonderful ministry opportunity for Sheila, as she has began heading up the meal planning and preparation for these two days. About 5 ladies have volunteered their time to come and work with Sheila to prepare and serve meals for the 40 or so students who show up early for supper. This has turned out to be a great opportunity for Sheila to have fellowship with some Christian ladies here as well as a chance to serve in a ministry of her own.
At the end of March, I was blessed to be invited to speak at the local high school here in town (Hagen Secondary School). The school was hosting a day of dedication to start the school year. There are quite a few young people from the various Baptist churches in town who attend this school, and they coordinated with the school leadership to have the Baptist churches provide the preaching and dedication prayer. When I showed up on the morning of the event to discover the student body consisted of over 2,500 students, I was extremely humbled to be a part of this event. The meeting went so well, that afterwards, the headmaster asked us if we would come back in October and speak to the student body again. Please pray that God will allow this door to stay open and use this effort to reach the hearts of these many young people.
We also had a great time when my parents were able to come visit us here for 2 weeks at the end of March/beginning of April. It was great to be able to take them around and show them the various ministries we are involved in here. Everyone had a wonderful time catching up, and spending time with grandma and grandpa, but like all such visits, it was over all too soon. We are thankful for a great visit, and pray that God will open the door for more such visits in the future.
Lastly, please continue to pray for the work of unity here in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Our monthly combined service for the churches here has continued to grow, and the spirit has been such a wonderful time of encouragement. We have also begun to hold a monthly gospel outreach in town where all of the Baptist churches come together to preach the gospel, sing gospel songs, pass out tracts, and personally witness to various individuals in town. Please continue to pray that God will continue to work in the area to unite the churches for the glory of God and the furtherance of the gospel. There is definitely a great and effectual door opened unto us, but there are many adversaries.
Kenneth Seremak and Family
Send support:
Word for the World
PO Box 849
Rossville, GA 30741
706-866-8826
Rishel Family – Burkina Faso
| Baptisms in Burkina/Furlough has started |
| Furlough is officially started! By God’s grace, we have all made it back safely to the States and have been able to get settled in, as we spend precious time with our family and home church. God has also allowed us to be a part of two wonderful missions conferences since being back. Please pray for our time in the States, that God will use it in a great way to encourage our supporting churches and that He will help us prepare for the great things He wants to continue to do in Burkina. Our schedule is filling up, but if you would like for us to come by your church while we are back in the States, you can reach us at at [email protected] or at (814) 367-3570.One of the greatest things that God has done over these past four years is to call men from the churches to go into the ministry. There are five men that are finishing their training in our Bible institute and that are serving as assistant pastors in the churches. While we are back on furlough, these men will be continuing to work and oversee the churches, as I help and guide them. After our return, Lord willing, some of these men will stay in the church where they are currently serving and others will go out to see new churches started. This year will be a great testing time for them and we ask that you pray for them. Over the next few months, we’ll introduce these men and their families to you, so that you will know how to pray for them.As a part of helping the men and churches prepare for our departure, I had the pastors organize and direct the Easter services at the two churches in the city. All I did was show up to preach at the second church. God helped the pastors to do a phenomenal job. Pastor Isaac baptized five new believers at the second church and Pastor Drabo baptized five at the first church. It was a special time for us as we saw the faithful hand of God in their lives. It was only three years ago that these men were new believers, being baptized themselves. Now, God has called and prepared them to serve Him in the ministry. Pastor Drabo baptized a young man named Florent, whom he lead to Christ and has been discipling. God has allowed us to see 2 Timothy 2:2 being put into action!In April, God also allowed us to go on the radio for the first time. The pastors and I have been working on recording several messages and we have payed for airtime on one of the popular radio stations to broadcast gospel messages twice a week. Several people have already called asking for followup visits to learn more about Christ and how to know Him. Please pray for this new ministry as it continues to shine light throughout the city of Bobo!Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and support that makes all of this possible! |
Jason, Charity, Levi, & Joshua Rishel
[email protected]
Mailing address:
Jason Rishel
3947 State Route 417
Cooperstown, PA 16317
Garcias – Honduras
The month of May flew by this year. Language studies are continuing, and we are always looking for new ways to practice Spanish.
This month we were able to have a family from church in our home for supper, and that was a blessing. It was quite memorable, too, because half of the evening was spent in the dark because of a power outage, but the electric came back on and we were able to end the night with lights and fans, which was great. Spanish practice doesn’t always go smoothly, though; when we first arrived in Honduras and didn’t have a car a church member gave us a lift somewhere and I accidentally thanked him for “the cage” instead of “the lift.” This month, we visited our local market for fresh produce and Amber tried to ask the vendor if he sold onions, but instead asked for horses. We love these stories, though, because it reminds us that language is about connecting with people, not perfection, and it’s great to be able to laugh at yourself.
Amber got to experience her first Mother’s Day here (it’s the same date as in the USA). In Honduras, this holiday is a major celebration, and everyone goes all-out to spoil the mothers in their lives. It’s also a great time for outreach, and Amber got to attend a ladies church event the week before Mother’s day, and that was a blessing.
Speaking of mothers and children, our second daughter will be arriving soon. Her due date for arrival is June 27th, but we would not be surprised if she makes an early appearance. She is healthy and growing, and we are trying to finish up our long to-do lists in preparation for her arrival. A big highlight of our month was a 2-week trip to the states. We attended two weddings of Amber’s siblings, spent some time with my family in VA, and worked on correcting a bunch of paperwork that we need in order to start our Honduran residency process. God is good, and the trip was a success in every way. The weddings were great, family time was refreshing, and all the paperwork was completed on time before we left. Praise the Lord!
Those weddings made me think about the future marriage supper of the Lamb. As much as I look forward to being there, I also can’t help looking around me and wondering how many Hondurans will be there. They need to know the truth about eternity; that Heaven is gained by faith in Christ, not their works. I am eager to begin the process of church planting and full-time soul winning and discipleship. Would you pray with us that during the second half of this year God will bless our language studies and prepare us for what we will face in Tegucigalpa afterward? We are so thankful we get to be a part of what He wants to do in Honduras! Thank you for being a part of that, too. Thank you for your prayers.
Serving Christ, Andrew and Amber Garcia
Andrew & Amber Garcia
Vision Baptist Missions
PO Box 647
Dawsonville, GA 30534
https://www.facebook.com/ProjectWinHonduras
Broyles to the Balkans
Our family is blessed to have so many churches that love and pray for us. This past month we had many churches and individuals reaching out to let us know that they are praying for us and asking how we have been. This is such an encouragement and blessing to our hearts. You all truly are great!
Preaching and Kids opportunities – This past I had the opportunity to preach the Word of God many times, and is it encouraging to see God use it in the lives of others. We also had the privilege to teach children and youth groups several times. God is working in their hearts and we pray that He would continue to raise up the next generation to reach the world.
Mother’s Day – We were able to spend Mother’s Day at our home church, and I had the privilege to teach and preach.
Children – Our daughters continue to learn and grow each and every day. Audrey is learning quickly how to read and write, and continues to have a hunger to know more about the Bible.
Last month we took Hadassa to the doctor because she was complaining about her ear. She has fluid in her right ear, but the medicine the doctor gave seems to have helped. Please pray that when we go back this month the fluid will have drained so we won’t need to put tubes in her ear.
Scarlett is growing quickly and will soon be 3 months old! She is a joy to our family and we are so thankful for her.
We love and and pray for you all. Thank you so much for your faithfulness. We would love to know how we can pray for you specifically, so please don’t hesitate to email us.
Here to preach the Gospel,
The Broyles
Praises:
-Opportunities to challenge young people to missions.
-Safety as we travel.
-Scarlett is doing great!
Prayer Request:
-Paty’s Citizenship to come through.
-More missionaries to the Balkans.
-Fluid would leave Hadassa’s ear.
Benjamin & Patricia Broyles
PO Box 647
Dawsonville, GA 30534
www.broylestothebalkans.com