"God truly touched and changed hearts on this trip. Relationships were formed for eternity and most of all God was glorified in all that we said and did. We all as a team are eternally grateful for the opportunity that God allowed us to experience traveling to Nicaragua."
Tracy LoAlbo
Managua, January 2017
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We are so grateful we had the privilege of going to Grafton West Virginia. Being a semi-local missions trip it was perfect for our whole family to get involved in the lives of others. While in Grafton we were able to show God's love and grace to many people. We repaired Theresa's home and watched her son come to church for the first time in a long while. We showed love and grace to George a local bar owner who has felt rejected by the church because of his profession. While dining with him at the bar we shared how Jesus calls us to come to Him just as we are and the children sang songs and danced for him. He was deeply moved. The children loved getting involved with the vacation bible school going on that week as well. We worked hard all week and grow in Christ the whole while. God's grace changing our lives and those he gave us to love. To God be all the glory! We are looking forward to returning next year.
Jeff Kroener, Appalachia, West Virginia, June 2016
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Read on, friend,
Grace Missions Team
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Connect
's Beca scholarship program more than doubled this year and is now supporting 18 kids, both boys and girls, to attend school in Nicaragua. This is a huge blessing from God, because it means that eight more children have support in continuing their education to break the cycle of poverty, and, ultimately, have an opportunity to know God. Jeniffer, one of the first students in the Beca program, is now in her third year of University. She was one of the teachers at the Covered by Christ Bible day camp, and is now the leader of the new group of Beca kids.
Connect has started a computer lab with four 2-hour sessions each week. Students can come by anytime during those sessions to work on homework, write letters to sponsors and anything else they may need to do on a computer.
Missionaries Katie and Larrys are now visiting Rio Blanco once a month to share a message at Verbo Rio Blanco. They share meals and spend time with families encouraging them in their faith.
Larrys has a soccer ministry. He is coaching 23 young men. After soccer practice he leads a Bible study and is able to encourage these young men in their walk with Christ and help them in their leadership development.
Kara Stevens is transitioning into her new role as official Connect missionary. She will be helping Katie McGrew and her family, helping with the Discipleship Program that Connect offers, assisting with SALT teams and doing many other things.
The Machados (couple who moved down from WA to work with Connect) are still working on settling in. Claire is learning Spanish. She is working on developing team processes and helps with communications and donor management. Landon is helping leading property projects amongst other things. They both have been very active in the community building relationships.
Our January SALT team lead by Tracy LoAlbo had an amazing time in Managua! They had a soccer camp, conversational English for older adults and helped with a baseball camp with inner city children from Managua. About 25 kids were at the soccer camp, 16 at the conversational English, over 40 kids at the baseball camp. They celebrated a graduation party for 3 Beca girls and two of the Beca girls led the soccer camp and summer camp. Leaders are being produced. God is so at work!!
Our next SALT trip is about to take off for Rio Blanco, Nicaragua April 8-14, lead by Alan Hosack.
For more information on our 2017 trips to Nicaragua, contact Rebecca Clark at: [email protected].
January 2017 trip to Managua!
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Report From Togo
The first 2017 Togo SALT team departs mid-June. The team consists of 4 Grace Bible Church Members who will split up when they get to Togo, two of them will be working at the hospital and two will be conducting Pastor training nearby.
The second team leaves in August and will be holding a Vacation Bible School at the local school, as well as conducting Teacher training.
On March 26th, Christy Sopcisak, Missionary with Fellowship International Mission in Togo, came to visit at Lynnhaven Campus. Christy is pictured below making deliveries to schools on her moped!
Togo Prayer Requests
-establishing a high school at Adeta and adding elementary schools in Northern Togo
-missionaries needed to expand the ministry
-teachers' health and spiritual lives
-students to receive Christ as their Savior
Togo Praises
-24000 books donated
-Seminars being held for the Togolese teachers
-School supplies donated
-Funds given for student scholarships
-Donated money for school buildings
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Report From J1 International Cafe
Around 1400 international students come from over 30 countries to work in Virginia Beach on J1 Visas. The majority of these countries are closed if not hostile to the Gospel.
Grace Bible Church partners with Virginia Beach Community Church (VBCC) and other area churches to provide a welcoming community. J1 Cafe is held Tuesday nights from June 13th through August 8th at VBCC. Students may receive a free meal, meet Americans, improve their English, and learn more about our culture and why we serve them. On August 15th, volunteers may participate in the American Home J1 Cafe by inviting students into their homes for dinner.
Volunteers are encouraged to get to know students outside of J1 Cafe, by inviting them for coffee, to go shopping and see local sites. The outreach also offers Bible discussion groups, Friday night sand soccer, trips to Williamsburg and Washington, DC. Volunteers are welcome to participate in all these events.
J1 Cafe is an opportunity for international students and Americans to meet and learn about each others' worlds and forge friendships which extend across borders and may last for years. Students are eager to make American friends, see how we live and know what's important to us. It's their dream to be able to enjoy the hospitality of an American home. When this happens, it's inevitable that students begin to see who Jesus is in our lives.
Need to know dates:
7pm, April 18 Team Formation Night @VBCC Gym
7pm, April 25 Cross-Cultural Training #1@ VBCC Youth Lounge (upstairs over the gym)
9am, May 6, Saturday morning Bike Repair at VBCC
7pm Friday, May 12 J1 Cafe for Spring Filipino students
7pm, June 13 Summer J1 Cafe Kick off Party
7pm, June 20 J1 Cafe
7pm, June 26 Cross-Cultural Training #2
7pm, June 27 J1 Cafe at VBCC
7pm, July 4 J1 Cafe at VBCC
7pm July 11 J1 Cafe at VBCC
7pm July 18 J1 Cafe at VBCC
7pm July 25 Grace Bible Church sponsored J1 Cafe
7pm August 1 J1 Cafe at VBCC
7pm August 8 J1 Cafe at VBCC
August 15 J1 Cafe held in American homes
If you are interested in learning more about J1 Cafe, please check out the following websites:
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| Report From Thailand |
"God has been keeping us busy. We have had the privilege of being part of ministry Saturday in a village and then I have been given the opportunity to do a number of sermons on Sunday (pray for me) as the pastor has been busy with other duties. I am teaching English two days a week at the moment trying to develop relationships with students. My wife is still active though she has less than two months before giving birth to Grace Hannah. Our church is going to do a few summer Bible camps for kids.
If you could pray for the following we would much appreciate it:
1. Boonjun that he continue to grow in Christ. He
seems to be understanding Christianity and walking with Christ more and more.
2. That we have opportunity with the girls learning English.
3. Outreach through Facebook to people who don't know Jesus.
4. Guidance on how Mon and I should make a living long term.
5. Summer camps.
6. A potentially new area that we might be able to go into (poor village that floods every rainy season near town).
7. My wife giving birth.
8. Our vegetable grove and other agriculture projects (some day it may be a good source of income).
9. English Outreach Camps coming up (1 in 2 months) and one in October (hosted by our church in cooperation with my Parents church in the states - Grace Bible).
10. Believers in our daughter church in the village 30km from us.
11. Church building and property for our daughter church. ~$3,000
12. Rin (our Vietnamese lady) that she will continue to grow in Christ as well.
13. Our church that we can continue to focus on the great commission and have unity.
14. For a Church passenger van that we can use to pick up kids and use (Thais like going places together) >$30,0000.
15. A Church property and building - we are meeting in our joined houses (made into a multipurpose area of ministry for children and others) ~$90,000 and ~$150,000
16. Some development projects that I want to try. A few of them may be good sources of income for members of the church if I can get the details right."
The October SALT to Thailand is still available for sign-up on our web site at:
http://www.gracebible.church/serve-the-world.
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