Santa Monica Summer Project. What is it? It’s where 72 students and 28 staff come together for 6 weeks to be trained in how to share the gospel. Santa Monica is one of the BEST training grounds for such a task because there are people here with various cultural, religious and political backgrounds. This diversity helps us train students in how to learn about others’ world views and beliefs before they enter in with the gospel message.
Each week we would have messages, trainings and special speakers come in to equip us with how to listen, how to engage others in conversation, how to ask good questions and how to share the gospel in a way that can really connect with each individual person. The gospel is so profound and can be related to every person everywhere if we are willing to learn how to connect it to each person with where they are at.
We taught students the difference between a systematic approach in sharing the gospel and a narrative approach (more story telling). We taught them how to learn people’s world views and see how to bring the gospel to people in light of their world views. We taught them how to use surveys, various tracts but also how to get into a conversation without any tools at all. In just those 6 weeks we got to share the gospel with over 1,500 people and saw 7 people put their faith in Christ.

As we’d go out sharing, I began to make relationships with some “regulars” who hung out on 3rd street. Linda was one of those relationships. She’s been living on the streets for 10 years. Beautiful eyes that would look up at me and share in her optimistic way how she has hope each day because she knows God is with her. Every time we’d hang out, I’d get to pray for her. Her biggest prayer was that she’d get into a shelter so that she’d be safer at night. It humbled me to see her joy and faith in Christ even though each day she didn’t know if she’d have food to eat or if she’d be safe.

One of my passions is speaking and I had three opportunities to speak to the students this summer. I opened our summer with giving a talk on having a heart for the lost. Then I taught the women on how to have victory over temptation. And the last week, I got to speak with another one of our staff, Jon, on God’s heart for the World. Jon served in Israel for two years and I served in China so it was a wonderful contrast to show God’s heart for the nations whether there is spiritual fruit or not where we serve. Twenty-Seven students indicated that they want to serve overseas in some capacity which is a huge blessing!

Divine Appointment on the 4th of July

Seeing God move never gets old. Being a part of a divine appointment with another person never stops being a privilege. Seeing the lostness of people and the power of the gospel never ceases to amaze me. And that’s what happened on the 4th of July…
After church, we held a huge outreach on Venice Beach. We had a “graffiti” board where people could answer questions like, “What is your purpose in life?” and “Why is Jesus so controversial?” We also had a display of photos that we called “Soularium”. As people looked at the pictures we would ask them how they saw these photos relating to their souls and their spiritual journeys.
As I was walking up to the booth, I saw a girl and asked if she’d ever seen a graffiti board like this one. She said no. I realized she had an accent and when I asked her where she was from she said China. I told her I had studied there for 2 years. Her name was Ling Ling, and as we continued to talk in English and Chinese. We learned that she is from the SAME CITY in which I served in! It was unbelievable! She was here visiting for just a few months and we just “happened” to meet. I couldn’t believe it! I knew it was a divine appointment!
As we started to talk about spiritual things it was clear she’d never heard of Jesus (even when I shared about Him in Chinese) and that the gospel was completely foreign to her. I was able to use Chinese characters to explain the gospel to her and after an hour of making sure she understood my words, I asked her to reflect back to me the story of the gospel. She was able to explain why Jesus came, why He died and what she needed to do to have a relationship with Him. She prayed with me right there on the crowded beach!
To be honest, I couldn’t stop crying after she walked away. I am truly honored and humbled to be used by the Lord. Please pray for Ling Ling as we go through follow up via email while she is still here in America. And PRAISE HIM for this new life!

(sharing the gospel with Ling Ling)

COMING TO ARIZONA!!!! I am heading to Arizona to connect with family, friends, and ministry partners and would love to see you! I am in town July 17-August 2 and will be visiting Phoenix and Tucson as well. Please let me know if you would like to connect one on one while I am in those cities. Please pray I meet new people who would like to join my ministry team as I am in need of raising $500 in monthly support before the month of August.
DESSERT GATHERING: I will be hosting a dessert at my parents house on July 31st at 7pm if you would like to come. Please RSVP @ 520.458.2151 (Lydia and Wes Ashman). 2232 Piccadilly Ct. Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 I would love to see you there! Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

Holly Ashman

Holly Ashman is serving with Campus Crusade for Christ and is a missionary with Saving Grace World Missions! To learn more about Holly and her ministry please click here!

“Reaching the Nations…One Soul at a time!”

By KATHERINE KERSTEN, Star Tribune

Last update: July 24, 2010 – 6:55 PM

Minneapolis lawyer Sam Kaplan — a DFL fundraiser extraordinaire — was a member of Barack Obama’s national campaign-finance committee. In 2009, Obama rewarded him by naming him ambassador to Morocco.

The exotic posting must have seemed a plum job. Morocco has been known as an oasis among Arab nations — largely free of the repression that mars so many other Muslim countries. It’s “the opportunity of a lifetime for a guy from Minnesota,” Kaplan enthused to the Star Tribune in April.

But since Kaplan’s arrival, Morocco has turned from a diplomatic dream job to a depressing despotic reality. Since March, it has expelled about 100 foreigners, including 50 U.S. citizens. Among the deportees were foster parents at an orphanage,business people and aid workers who taught the poor to grow their own food.

Their crime? Christian “proselytizing” — against the law in this Muslim monarchy.

On June 17, some deportees told their heart-wrenching stories at a hearing convened by Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va, co chairman of Congress’s Human Rights Commission.

Witnesses included Eddie and Lynn Padilla, foster parents at Village of Hope orphanage. The orphanage — which has both Christian and Muslim staff — cared for 33 abandoned children and had operated for 10 years with official approval. But in March, the police moved in and swept through children’s bedrooms while they slept, searching for Christian literature.

After three days of grilling, the Padillas and others were given two hours to clear out, as their children sobbed in anguish. Though no evidence was presented, their assets were seized and their bank accounts frozen. Since their departure, there is evidence that some children have been beaten or drugged.

Witness Michael Cloud, also a Christian, founded 12 centers that treat Moroccan children with cerebral palsy. Cloud testifiedthat authorities barred his reentry as he tried to return from Egypt (where his wife was being treated for cancer). He was held for 13 hours and deported with no explanation. The “hard work” of 14 years was lost, he stated.

So how’s our man Sam Kaplan doing defending American citizens from these egregious human-rights violations?

The Padillas testified that the U.S. Embassy had no time for them during their ordeal: “They just told us, “Do what they are telling you to do.’ They offered no help … [or] any kind of counsel, just pack and go.” Cloud testified that when he sought help, the embassy just gave him a list of lawyers.

At the hearing, international-law expert Sandra Bunn-Livingstone stated that despite victims’ pleas, Kaplan refused to release a Moroccan government diplomatic note with a list of deportees, citing protocol. As a result, “Americans who would like to appeal under Moroccan law … have been refused that right” since they lack written proof of expulsion,
she said. The British and Canadian governments did hand over such notes, she added.

Perhaps Kaplan had other priorities. “A few weeks ago,” Cloud testified, “the American embassy in Rabat brought Moroccans to Washington, D.C., and fed them and housed them to help them brainstorm on how to build businesses in the Muslim world.”

That would make sense. According to the embassy website, Kaplan’s goal as ambassador is “to help fulfill President Obama’s vision of a new beginning for U.S. relations with the Muslim world based on mutual respect and … mutual interest.”

In April, Kaplan responded to critics. He told the Star Tribune he had released a statement saying that the embassy was “distressed” by the expulsions. “We hope to see meaningful improvements in the application of due process,” he wrote.

What’s Kaplan doing to alleviate distress and promote due process?

A top priority seems to be to impress the Moroccan media, which complained that his statement had “stepped over the diplomatic line,” according to the Star Tribune. “When your press has been almost unanimously positive for 5 1/2 months, the change is something that is different,” Kaplan explained.

Cozy relations with the Moroccan monarchyare another priority. According to the Star Tribune, “Kaplan noted that King Mohammed has spoken about judicial reform in the past.”

“We’re not speaking out in contrast to what the government has said,” Kaplan told the paper. “We’re simply joining with His Majesty and saying if we can be helpful, we’d like to do that.”

Wolf rejects this. “An American embassy should be an island of freedom” in the country where it’s located, vigorously
advocating for its citizens, he says. “Every ambassador has to decide whether to represent Americans’ interests in the country they’re in or whether to represent the country they’re in to America.”

Looks like Kaplan has made his choice.

Katherine Kersten is a Twin Cities writer and speaker. Reach her at kakersten@gmail.com.

Promise Child
“Bringing Hope to Children in Need”

Dear Friends, I hope this finds you well. Monday, July 26th a mission team from Calvary Chapel WestGrove, Refuge Calvary Chapel, and Taste of Living Water Ministries will be heading to Haiti to work on a variety of  projects. Our team of 22 would very much treasure your prayers as we partner together in sharing the gospel message of Jesus Christ. Here are just a few of the things we will be working on while in Haiti. 1. We will be hosting a 3-day medical clinic and anticipate seeing hundreds of people. Every person will receive prayer and the gospel message. 2. We will host a 2-day teacher conference for the teachers of  School of Grace who teach the Promise Children. 3. Our construction teams will be working on completing a new kitchen that was funded and built by the Promise Child Haiti Relief fund. 4. We will be partnering with Taste of Living Water Ministries to provide clean drinking water through 2 well projects. These wells were also funded through the Promise Child Haiti Relief Fund. We will also be plumbing Pastor Bastia’s house & the new kitchen so that they may have running water for the first time. 5. Our teams will be passing out 150 solar-powered fixed-station radios to the community, so that they can tune into Calvary Chapel Caneille radio 24/7. These radios were funded by Calvary Chapel WestGrove. 6. We are partnering with Faith Comes By Hearing to distribute solar powered talking Bibles to those who are illiterate. 7. We will be spending time with and ministering to the needs of the displace refugees from Port au Prince at Camp Jerusalem. 8. We will be distributing tooth brushes, toothpaste, and hair brushes to the 130 Promise Children and the refugees at Camp Jerusalem. These items have been donated through the vision of 9 year-old Rachel Frazier who started “Heart for Haiti” and rallied people to donate these items. Great job Rachel! 9. Most importantly, we will be sharing the love of Christ with anyone willing to listen. May all the glory be to our God! We love you all and are so thankful for your love and support. Until the last child hears, Pastor Brent Kaser Founder/Director of Promise Child

Praise Report! From the time we committed to hosting the Take No Glory concert at CCWG, we have had 100 children sponsored and ALL of the new Haiti children have been supported. We are so grateful to the band, everyone who volunteered, those who supported and prayed, and most of all to our ever faithful God! We currently have 10 children available for sponsorship. 100% of every dollardonated to child sponsorship goes directly to the child or designated project. If you know of anyone who would like to sponsor a child, please feel free to forward this email or direct them to our website at promisechild.com Visit our completely re-designed website today! www.promisechild.com

Nairobi, Kenya

Dave and Twinkle Zavala

We are Praising God that we were able to find safe houses to rent! We are still trying to enter into a lease agreement with the landlords, as there are 3 different landlords for the 3 houses (for Ramirez family, FRM guest house and ourselves), it’s been a trying process.

Please pray that if God wills, He would give us favor with the landlords.

Please pray for God’s protection to be upon our family and team here as The Kenyan New Referendum elections our coming up in August, please pray that the elections would be peaceful.

Thanks,
Twinkle and Dave Zavala

CC School of Worship/ Germany

Bruce and Teresa Muller

1. The CCBC.de is lacking in students this semester and need God to bring in another 20 students to fill out our roster for this next year.
2. God’s assistance in helping us finish developing the curriculum for the Worship School and the Bible College.
3. Continued health
4. An increase in financial support.
5. God to pour out His blessing on the European Missions Conference Aug 15-21

–
Bruce and Teresa

Campus Crusade For Christ

Brittany Trujillo

Prayer requests:

- that the 70% I have left would be from 0-30% left to raise in monthly supporters, by December.

-that God would lay it on the hearts of his chosen people to help me in this calling and that they would be obedient to give and give joyfully.

- that supporters, friends and family would have people come to mind that I would be able to talk to and the out pouring would be abundant.

Truly, Madly and Deeply His,

Brittany Trujillo

Esztergom, Hungary

The McCartney Family

Hello from the McCartney family.

We have had a very blessed week. This past Sunday at the 8 am service we hosted a breakfast after the service. This was the first time this had ever been done. We were blessed with two new supporters. Thank you for keeping us lifted up. In July we were at 50%  and now already we are at 71 % supported.

— Pray for perfect timing in getting new renters into our home here in Virginia.

—Pray for working out car insurance details this week. We have been blessed to have free use of a car. We now need to change over the title, plates and insurance.     .

—Pray for Michelle as she continues to heal from an infection that she has.

—Pray for Megan to have a very blessed week as she turns 15 on Tuesday.

—Prayers for details of house and ministry in Hungary. The young couple that has been taking care of our home need to leave in September. We will not return until Nov 3, pray for someone in Esztergom that will be able to take care of the house and ministry.

Thank you all for lifting these prayers up on our behalf. We see the answer to your prayers every week.

Thanks for The McCartney’s

California, USA

The Broniste Family

Praises:  For how the LORD has been moving and working in our lives as a married couple.  Also for a great family weekend which was much needed! J

Prayer requests:

- Wisdom and discernment with raising Josiah.  He has been going through separation anxiety or stranger danger which has made it hard to leave him places.  Pray he will get used to being around people.  We would like him to adjust to the nursery so Chris and I can enjoy church together.  Also pray that we would find a consistent babysitter for our little man.  Last time we left him he cried the entire time.  Pray for us to trust the LORD for our little guy and be able to spend much needed mommy and daddy time with out baby!

- For continued health and protection of our family.

- For Cindy as she learns to balance working from home and taking care of Josiah.  Also pray for her as tries to increase her milk supply which is hard with working too.  Pray that she would not be stressed and be able to increase it and get all she needs to get done.

-For Chris and Cindy as they are working full time and working on support.  Pray for good communication with potential donors.  Pray too for many more references.  Pray that the LORD would provide many more new partners and quickly.  Pray for wisdom on how to balance family time and time to work on support. Pray for encouragement and strength in raising support.

- Pray for Chris as he ministers to the college age guys he is meeting with.  Pray that he can be an encouragement to them as they walk with Jesus.

Thanks for praying! You are a vital part of our lives and ministry and we are so thankful for you!

Love in Christ,

Christ, Cindy and Josiah

Kampala, Uganda

The Kanyike Family

Hi,

Praise Report Jill received her permanent residency in Uganda!  We were told it would be for either 5 or 10 years but when she went to pick it up from immigration they had granted it to her for life!

Please Pray for Jill as she is still having stomach problems, possibly parasites.

Please pray for the upcoming Pastors’ conference and Women’s retreat

Please pray for Brian and Jill as they travel mid Aug to Kitgum for ministry and outreach.

Thanks for praying!

Brian and Jill

California, USA

The Thiemann Family

Please Pray:

•For blessing on our marriage and wisdom and safety for the kids.

•For our support we need to raise at least 200 more monthly to be OK.

•For the East African Pastors Conference

•For Wisdom and direction while building the New Missions Website

•For New missionaries to come on board

•For more volunteers to help with the day to day tasks of SGWM

•Support for all our missionaries during these difficult financial times

•For the Golf Tournament coming up in Aug.

Thank you for your prayers! We love you!!

God bless,
Mike and Erin

Campus Crusade for Christ

Holly Ashman

Praises:  For all that God did this summer in my life and in the lives of the college students who were on the Santa Monica summer project. There were 72 college students and 28 staff on project in Santa Monica.  In just 6 weeks we got to share the gospel with over 1,500 people and saw 7 people put their faith in Christ.

Please pray for Ling Ling (a girl I met from China who receive Christ with me on the beach in Santa Monica) as we go through follow up via email while she is still here in America. And PRAISE HIM for this new life!

Please pray I meet new people who would like to join my ministry team as I am in need of raising $500 in monthly support before the month of August.

Pray for my time as I travel back to Santa Monica to help close up the summer project the first week of project.

Pray too for my schedule in August as I gear up to start back up for the fall semester.

Thanks for praying!

Holly Ashman

USA/ raising support for Greece

The Spencer Family

Please continue to pray for us in these areas:

-Divine appointments for us to be able to share our vision about starting a church in Greece

-We need around $200 a month to pay for Travis’s pills to be shipped from Hungary, since he still cannot get medical insurance in the U.S. because of his pre-existing condition; it is cheaper to buy them there.

-We still need money for groceries and to help out with utilities where we are living

-Language study! We need grace big time to help us learn this challenging language

-Continued health for the girls

-Kristin is having some abdominal pains again, quite frequently, so prayer for wisdom on how to approach this

-For Frank and Suzie, provision to pay off some things in Italy, and also that they would be able to adjust well to living in Hungary, and that they would be a total blessing to the Wilbank family in Sopron (Praise God for a successful Yo-Yo tournament!)

-For the Kula family to have a good rest of their furlough in Southern California (it has been so amazing to see them!)

-God provided for Kristin to get her eyes checked; now we just need money to pay for new glasses. This is a big need because since her old prescription is so different from her new one, she has been dealing with a lot of headaches.

-For our trip to Tahoe and that God would provide us with a time to share with our unsaved family members

Thank you for praying with us!

Travis, Kristin, Ksena, Katienne

Thank you for praying with us! Your prayers are a vital part of our lives and ministry!

The web is such an amazing tool that God has provided us with in order to further the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This happens two ways. One by providing the Gospel message on websites so people who are unreachable in person can be reached through things like Google; where about 2 million people per-day search for God. Two is by providing communication from the missionary side to the “home-front” side in order to stir-up people who are not called to “Go” to send those who are called to “Go.” This has been my passion for sgwm.com for the past 5 years.

When I came on staff at SGWM my first desire was to get a functioning website up and running. It took me about 6-8 months to get the first launch of sgwm.com live and now it has continued to grow exponentially. The next step was to automate the process for the missionaries so they can post updates, prayer requests, videos, pictures, review financial info, etc… from anywhere in the world where they could get online. I accomplished this goal about two years ago. Well, now the next step in my vision has come to fruition. That is to be able to provide our missionaries with the tools needed to simply build themselves and entire customizable website that they can manage, change, update, etc… with minimal effort and training. All of our missionaries now have their own website they have been given where they can communicate to the world regarding the ministry God has called them to. Boy the days have changed when missionary communication took months or even years!
Why is this significant and important? Missionary communication is one of the most important tasks a missionary can do. Paul did it often on his various missionary journeys, simply look at his epistles, now-a-days we have the internet. Our website has provided opportunity for our missionaries to communicate freely and quickly and build a support base around them of well informed prayer warriors and supporters. Since we have launched our website (and online giving) we now bring in $372,000 a year of online financial support for our various missionaries. Isn’t that great!?!? And, that number continues to grow as more people switch from manual giving to online giving.

Now the next step of my vision for sgwm.com – a complete overhaul! We have 50% of this done as we have completed all our missionaries’ websites. Next we have launched a project that will completely redesign the look, feel, and ‘awesomeness’ of sgwm.com.

New SGWM Ministry Partners

Erin and I have been blessed to be able to bring into partnership two new missionaries. The first is a gal Monica Johnson who will be going to Ethiopia for 1-2 years. You can check out her website (that Erin set up for her) and vision at – http://sgwm.com/monica. Also, the Villalobos family who are heading down to Zacatecas, Mexico. You can also check  their website (that Erin set up) and vision at – http://sgwm.com/villalobos.

Thiemann Family Get-a-way

This month we were blessed to be able to attend the CCSG church camping trip up at the Kern River. We had a blast! But I think Malachi had the best time. It was extra special as I got to spend just about all day long with Malachi playing, fishing, swimming, throwing rocks into the water, etc… We really had a good time to connect and we have seen a MASSIVE change in his attitude and behavior.  Kyla is getting so big, she was crawling all over the camp, you blink and then she is in a different spot.  She is such a joy as she loves to play peek-a-boo and play with her favorite person, Malachi.  They are so cute together, we are so thankful for two beautiful healthy children.

We were also able to spend some time fellowshipping as a family and as a church and I was able to spend some good time fishing. And yes… I caught a lot of fish.

This was our first family vacation in about two years and was such a blessing.

Financial Update

We have been praying for our financial support to increase and I am blessed to say that it has continued to steadily go up. Praise God! However, we are not at our goal yet. We are still praying for another 15-20 monthly supporters at $25-$30 per-month. This would help us greatly! Why? Because it provides a steady budget to work from and it is a manageable amount people can afford to sustain long-term.

How you can help

If you are a current donor… first, thank you for your faithful support. Second, if you are able to increase at any amount that would be massively helpful. We currently have 25 regular monthly donors. If each increased by $5-$10 (or any amount) that would bring our budget up by $125-$250… which would be a huge chunk of the goal. Next, if you are not currently financially supporting us on a monthly basis I would ask that you prayerfully consider joining our Ministry Partner team at $25-$30 per-month. Lastly, if you know anyone that would be interested in what we are doing please feel free to pass our information on to them, set up a meeting with all of us, or host a  support dinner for us.

God Bless.

Mike and Erin Thiemann

Visit our blog by clicking here.

Thank you for joining with us in prayer each week! Your prayers are vital to our live and ministry.  Your prayers are helping “reach the nations…One soul at a time!”

Kenya, Africa

The Ramirez Family

Our Family:
1.  We kindly ask that you will pray for the safety of our team  as we live in a difficult part of town, and that Lord willing, God would provide for safer housing.
2.  Please pray for God’s hand of protection to be upon His people especially before and after August 4th 2010 (voting day) and that the new proposed constitution would be rejected.

Our Ministry:

1.  Praises: Calvary Chapel Nairobi’s Women’sConference…Nasiema’s teaching at the conference.  Thank you for praying for her time of preparation in the midst of a busy home life.

2.  Pre-marital Counseling- Nasiema and I have recently been asked to be the “Best Couple”(equivalent to “spiritual parents”) for another couple to be married in November and have begun counseling. I will be officiating the wedding of another couple we have been counseling in December as well…Please pray for wisdom in our counsel, and for the proper esteem of God and His Word in these couples’ lives.

3.  Mombasa Church Plant-  Please pray that God will meet the needs for Benedictor  and his family as he steps out in faith August 2010 and that God will continue to prepare the hearts and logistics of his team members that desire to co-labor with him. Pray for health and protection physically and spiritually over his family (his wife Millicent is in her 2nd trimester with their 2nd child). Please continue to pray for wisdom as I am taking on the additional role as “Missions Pastor”, encouraging and discipling our brothers, being the liaison between CCN and those starting church plants in Africa out of CCN.

4.Congo Church Plant-Please continue to pray for Ibrahim, his wife Masoka and their 9 children that recently joined him in the Congo, for a place to re-settle, for God’s divine intervention in leading him in his vision for a church plant, for the logistics and support needed, against corruption, for health and protection physically and spiritually over his family.  Please continue to pray for adequate translations of the Bible in Kiswahili that many at the conference last month were requesting to replace the many JW translations.

5. Speaking/sharing engagements in the U.S.A- I will be available during the Months of August through mid November to guest speak in churches during our furlough to share what God is doing through our family here in Kenya.

6. Extreme Missions Training Program- Our King has opened a door for me to be a part of Far Reaching Ministries EMT  Program. I will be able to disciple individuals who desire to serve as missionaries. This will entail two months in the States teaching the practicals and theory of missions along with literal application as they return with me to Kenya for 6 months on the mission field. Please pray for my time of preparation to minister to these missionaries-in-training, and for the preparation of their hearts to receive what the Lord has for them during this time.

Thank you again for co-laboring with us for the gospel’s sake.

By His grace, for His glory,
The Ramirez Family, Psalm 73:25-26
Arie, Nasiema, Clay, Joram, and Ezra

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Monica Johnson

Please pray:
-that I would be able to keep God at the center of everything, and that I can rest in Him knowing He is in control
-that I can get all of my final paper work (work permit/business visa) completed and mailed out
-that I can continue to trust in the Lord for all of my finances/support to come in
-that I would continue to prepare myself mentally and spiritually for the big move
-that the rest of my time in Santa Barbara would be spent wisely and I would have quality times with family and friends

in Him,
Monica Johnson

California, USA

Chris and Cindy Broniste

Prayer requests:
1.  Wisdom and guidence with Josiah.  Some times its hard to figure out why he is fussy.  Pray for confidence to know what to do for him! Pray that he would continue to grow healthy and strong.  Pray too that he would come to know Jesus at an early age.

2.  Pray for us as we try to help josiah with seperation anxiety.  We went to see a movie last saturday (so I was gone for 3 hours) and he cried so much and for so long that he threw up. Pray that we can leave him again and that he would do well for a baby sitter.

3.  Clear communication and understanding in our marriage.  That Chris and I would continue to put Christ at the center and love one another with Christ’s unrelenting love.

4. Wisdom on how to best balance working, raising support and raising a family.  Pray that we would not neglect any of those for the others.

5.  Pray for us that God would lead us to those He wants to be part of our ministry team.  We have been raising support for the past two months and it’s going very slow.  We are currently at 34%. Pray that we would trust the LORD for His timing and that we would continue to be encouranged and trust Him!

6. Pray for the family of Violet Willard (one of my supporters) that went home to be with Jesus this past week.  Pray for strength, comfort and healing as they grieve.

7. Pray for Me (Cindy) as I learns balance in taking care of Josiah and working from home. Pray that I would get all I need done each day and am not stressed out.  Pray too for the migraine headaches I has been getting this past week.  I have had 3 of them.

Thank you for praying! We love you!

In Christ,
Chris and Cindy

Esztergom, Slovakia

The McCartney Family

Praise for safe travels for our kids from camp in West Virginia.
Praise for a new church that asked us to share in Buckhannon,West Virginia. The Pastor meet our kids at camp and asked us to share at his church.
Praise two of the kid’s club youth were baptized at the Bible College in Vajta,Hungary
Pray for this week as we are assisting with Vacation Bible School,at our sending church.
Pray for healing for Michelle, infection, not life threatening but very uncomfortable.
Pray for provisions for someone to take care of the ministry in Esztergom. The young couple that is taking care of it now need to leave in Sept. We are returning in Nov.
Pray for a successful yard sale at church this coming Saturday. It will be a fund raiser for the ministry in Hungary and Slovakia.
Thank you all for your faithful prayers on our behalf. Isten Aldjon (God Bless)

Thank you for praying,
Sam, Michelle, Megan and Michael McCartney

CC Rosarito/ Rosarito, Mexico

The Vincent Family
Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for our church planters, Ricardo and Luci Vicencio in Southern Mexico. They are going through some difficult times right now adjusting, and we are sending down an assistant pastor in July to visit and encourage them.
2. That God would continue to provide support for our family, the church, and the families in the church during these difficult economic times.

Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel Vincent

Kampala, Uganda

The Kanyike Family

PRAYER REQUESTS
- Pray for safety in Kampala and for those who were affected by the recent bombings.

- Please pray for the new married couples in our church and those we are currently counseling.

- Pray for the Pastor’s, Elder’s and Leader’s wives as they continue to disciple the girls from the outreach.

- Pray for the single women in our church to continue to grow in the Lord.

- Pray for the upcoming Pastors’ conference and Women’s retreat.

- Pray for Brian’s pastoral ministries and teaching at the church.

-Pray for Brian and Jill as they prepare to go for a week in Aug. to Kitgum for ministry and outreach.

In Him,
Brian & Jill Kanyike

We are truly blessed that you would join with us in ministry through your love and prayers! Thank you for praying with us!

www.sgwm.com

Here I am, Send Me

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for being apart of my life, I feel very blessed by all of you! As many of you know, the Lord has opened up the door for me to be a missionary school teacher. I will teach 4th grade at Bingham Academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this coming school year. Bingham Academy is an International Christian school, located in the nation’s capital (approx. 4 million in the city). There are a large number of embassies and missionaries, therefore there are many “foreign” kids living there. I will be teaching English speaking kids from all over the world. Check out the school website for more information. www.binghamacademy.net

I will be leaving August 2nd and will be there till the end of June. Depending on how the Lord leads I will stay another school year. My teaching assignment is volunteer; therefore I will need to raise support. The support will include insurance, work permit, business visa, immunizations, airfare, food etc. I will be living in an apartment on the school’s compound along with some of the students and staff.

Saving Grace World Missions (SGWM) is the mission organization I will be going through. Their purpose is to “reach the nations one soul at a time.” www.sgwm.com

I am so excited for this next adventure in my life! I cannot wait to be a teacher and serve the Lord in Ethiopia. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me during this process, it is much appreciated. I believe that prayer is so important and powerful. If you would like to support me financially the easiest way is online at
www.sgwm.com/monica
Click the DONATE button on the far right side
Or you can write a check to:
Saving Grace World Missions
Memo: Monica Johnson
17451 Bastanchury Road, #203
Yorba Linda, CA 92886

Thanks so much!!!

“But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24

In Him,
Monica Johnson

mjohnson816@gmail.com

Monica’s Blog

Papa, help us to walk in this reality, in Jesus name.

Our Family:
Nasiema and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this July and I can honestly say that God has done abundantly, exceedingly above all that we could have imagined in and through our marriage. We have been sobered by the amazing intimate hand of God involved in our lives as we have seen God faithfully fulfill promises given to us from His Word over 10 years ago! To His glory alone, we have held his Word above all things, and have witnessed God use our marriage …

Earlier this month our team was robbed at gunpoint. We praise God that Austin who lives directly underneath us was not hurt. Robberies, gunfights at night, and rioting seem to be increasing near our home of late, and we expect it to only worsen in the near future. Currently Kenya is attempting to reform their constitution that contains new highly controversial laws that the government officials as well as Obama are pushing to pass. The Christians and conservatives here are opposed to a few of the new inclusions that greatly infringe on Christian liberties and the stability and peace of this Nation as a whole.

Boys Nairobi Church Plant

*We kindly ask that you will pray for the safety of our team as we live in a difficult part of town, and that Lord willing, God would provide for safer housing
*Please pray for God’s hand of protection to be upon His people especially before and after August 4th 2010 (voting day) and that the new proposed constitution would be rejected

Our Ministry:

Calvary Chapel Nairobi’s Womens Conference…
Nasiema was able to teach alongside Vicky Bentley, Twinkle Zavala, Natasha Chilikina and Ruth Deam at Calvary Chapel Nairobi’s 2010 Women’s two-day conference.The theme was “Put On and Put Off”, challenging

Nasiema teaching womens conference workshop

and encouraging the ladies to live in the victory that is already ours in Christ Jesus. She was so encouraged as many ladies came for prayer and counsel genuinely desiring victory in their own lives. God was truly faithful to help piece together the material for her study in the midst of busy home-life and has been faithful to continue to work the messages into her own heart that she presented during her workshops (“Put off: the Passions of Anger” and “Put on: Forgiveness, Humility, Selfless-Love, and Self-Control”). “Thank you!” to the ladies who prayed for her time of preparation.

Pre-marital Counseling…
Nasiema and I have recently been asked to be the “Best Couple”(equivalent to “spiritual parents”) for another couple to be married in November and have begun counseling. I will be officiating the wedding of another couple we have been counseling in December as well…
*Please pray for wisdom in our counsel, and for the proper esteem of God and His Word in these couples’ lives

Mombasa Church Plant…
We, along with CC High Desert, held another seminar, this time in the highly concentrated Muslim population of Mombasa. The intention was to come along side our Kenyan National, Benedictor, and assist him in laying some foundational ground work for a church plant out of Calvary Chapel Nairobi in the near future.
*Please pray that God will meet the needs for Benedictor and his family as he steps out in faith August 2010 and that God will continue to prepare the hearts and logistics of his team members that desire to co-labor with him.
*Pray for health and protection physically and spiritually over his family (his wife Millicent is in her 2nd trimester with their 2nd child)
*Please continue to pray for wisdom as I am taking on the additional role as “Missions Pastor”,

Arie teaching seminar in Mombasa

encouraging and discipling our brothers, being the liaison between CCN and those starting church plants in Africa out of CCN.

Congo Church Plant…
*Please continue to pray for Ibrahim, his wife Masoka and their 9 children that recently joined him in the Congo, for a place to re-settle, for God’s divine intervention in leading him in his vision for a church plant, for the logistics and support needed, against corruption, for health and protection physically and spiritually over his family.
*Please continue to pray for adequate translations of the Bible in Kiswahili that many at the conference last month were requesting to replace the many JW translations.

Speaking/sharing engagements in the U.S.A…

I will be available during the Months of August through mid November to guest speak in churches during our furlough to share what God is doing through our family here in Kenya. If you would like to have me speak at your church or Bible study,please contact me via e-mail as soon as possible so that I may schedule that time in.

FIC community outreach funded by CCHD

Extreme Missions Training Program…Our King has opened a door for me to be a part of Far Reaching Ministries EMT Program. I will be able to disciple individuals who desire to serve as missionaries. This will entail two months in the States teaching the practicals and theory of missions along with literal application as they return with me to Kenya for 6 months on the mission field. *Please pray for my time of preparation to minister to these missionaries-in-training, and for the preparation of their hearts to receive what the Lord has for them during this time.

We are truly grateful for each sacrifice made so that our family may be here in Nairobi to serve our Lord. May His blessings be upon you all. We humbly request that when enclosing financial gifts on behalf of our family, please be sure to write “Ramirez Family” on the “memo” line of your checks. Should you choose to give us a onetime gift on-line, please write: “Ramirez Family” in the “gift designation box” to ensure that your gift gets to our family. Thank you again for co-laboring with us for the gospel’s sake.

By His grace, for His glory,
The Ramirez Family, Psalm 73:25-26
Arie, Nasiema, Clay, Joram, and Ezra

slavebygrace@yahoo.com

Ramirez Family blog

I wanted to send you a little update regarding our church planters in Southern Mexico. Last December we sent out a family from our church Ricardo and Luci Vicencio, and their three children (Brenda, Emmanuel, and Gracia) down to Southern Mexico to plant a church in their hometown of Teoloyucan Mexico.

They have been there now for seven months and continue to get adjusted and sharing the Gospel. Ricardo has been working long hours in a bakery to support his family, and he is hopeful to begin his own business so he can spend more time on the ministry and the future church plant.

I asked Ricardo to email me a few options regarding business opportunities with the hope that we can find someone that would be willing to loan him (or even give a gift) for him to start this business.

Below is Ricardo’s email with some options on some businesses. With an exchange rate of about 12 pesos to 1 dollar, a 30,000 peso loan to start a good business would cost about $2,500.00 US dollars. (That would be the businesses of either an internet cafe or a food stand.)

A loan to purchase the bakery he is working at would cost 10,000 pesos (or around $8000.00 US dollars)

If you or anyone you know might be interested in investing in one of these businesses to support our church planters, please email me and I would love to share with you some more details.

God bless you!
Mike Vincent- calvarychapelrosarito@yahoo.com

Vicencio family

From: Ricardo Vicencio

Plan de Negocios (Business Plan Options)

Here are several projects that we have to consider:

1. First we have a bakery that we could buy for  100 thousand pesos. This bakery has  been in business a long time and is a very good business for this area.

2. A second option is a chance to put in an internet cafe.  This is a very good idea at this time as there is much demand for this business here in Teoloyucan.  For this project  we will need to invest 30 000 pesos and  with that we can buy computers, rent a place, the permits and anything else  that is needed,

3. The third option  we have is a flour tortilla tortlleria; this business is new here, the investment for this would be  35 thousand pesos, which would cover the necessary expenses.

4. Another good option here is a livestock business of breeding animals such as:chickens, sheep, turkeys, pigs, even cows. This is a very good business here for there are many places to start a farm and because there is much demand for these products. The investment would be 40 thousand pesos to start.

5. Another business option  is a Herreria shop,  (workshop) which is  a good business but its operation would be slower because there are so many workshops and it  takes time to build a  customer base.  The investment would  be 40mil pesos.

6. A  food stand would be another good business here. The investment amounts to 30 000 pesos;

***would pay the loan each month depending on the income we have, but we want to pay as soon as possible.

The best business option for us is the bakery because it is a business that is already making profits.

Well there are many options to consider but these were the cheapest options. Please join us in praying for wisdom and God’s will in our business venture.

Gracias,
Ricardo Vicencio
ricardovicencio@yahoo.com.mx

Reaching The Nations…One Soul At A Time

Over the past few months we have been mentioning the “Church in the City” project that our church has undertaken in several of our updates. We based this project on the book of Nehemiah. As we were studying and reading about how Nehemiah and his friends rebuilt the city of Jerusalem, our church applied this by going out into our community where we did a number of service projects to clean, support, and bless our city.

The culmination of this project occurred this past month as we closed the doors of the church building and went out into the city to hold our services in the public square.

CCR Church at the Beach!

Our summer began with what we called “The church in the Street!” This was a Wednesday evening where we closed down a major street near our church to hold an outdoor evangelistic service along with a free concert and desert.

The focus of our “Church in the city” campaign occurred a few weeks later as we closed the church on a Sunday morning.  We combined all three of our normal Sunday services in order to hold one giant outdoor “church at the Beach” service. The focus of this service was to share the Gospel with the many visitors that joined us for the first time.

Worshipping the Lord!

That morning the weather was beautiful and our 500 chairs quickly filled up as our worship team did a wonderful job leading us all in song. At the same time, our children’s ministry workers had set up shop about 100 yards down the beach where they were having the beach Olympics for the children.

Since this was a special Sunday, we had a couple of special events planned for this service and both of them included our family members. To celebrate Father’s day, Sarah and a few of her friends entertained us all with a traditional Mexican dance. They not only did folkloric dance, but sang an original funny song about the joys of fatherhood. The dance number brought everyone to their feet.

Sarah and her friends singing about Fatherhood!

Later on during the service our new children’s worship band made their public debut. Grace and Daniel both played the piano and sang, while other children (all 10 years and under) played the bass, drums, and electric guitar. It was such a blessing to see our children praising Jesus unashamedly in front of this large crowd of adults.

I was blessed to share that Sunday on “The love of a Father” as we looked at the story of the Prodigal son from Luke chapter 15. At the end of the message I shared the Gospel and several visitors came forward to make first time professions of faith!

Traditional Mexican Dance Presentation

Following the message we walked 50 yards through the sand over to the ocean’s edge where we invited the new believers in the church to be publically baptized. We were amazed and blessed as person after person stepped forward to be baptized. We ended up baptizing over 20 people that Sunday including many older children.

When our church baptizes older children, we ask their parents to first discuss the Christian faith with their children at home. Later at the beach I have the father of the child join me in baptizing their child. It is powerful and uplifting to see these Fathers fulfill the God given role of spiritual leadership in the lives of their children.

Daniel and the children's band leading the church in worship!

The highlight of the entire day for our family occurred towards the end of the baptisms as our 10 year old daughter Grace stepped forward and asked to be baptized. Grace has professed faith in Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and it was an honor and a privilege to baptize her as a Christian. It was the best Father’s day present I could ever receive and I will never forget that wonderful moment we were able to share together.

The afternoon continued with everyone enjoying an all-you-can-eat fish taco bbq and then a worship concert right there on the beach! God blessed our “church at the beach” service far beyond what we could have ever asked or thought.

Presenting the Gospel!

And as God was once again moving and blessing, it reminded us once again that we aren’t working here alone. We are thankful for each one of you for partnering with us.  We couldn’t do any of this work without your love, prayers, and support. We love you!

Prayer Requests:

1.Please pray for our church planters, Ricardo and Luci Vicencio in Southern Mexico. They are going through some difficult times right now adjusting, and we are sending down an assistant pastor in July to visit and encourage them.

Grace was baptized on Father's Day!

2.That God would continue to provide support for our family, the church, and the families in the church during these difficult economic times.

Con amor de Mexico, (With love from Mexico)
Mike, Sarah, Grace, and Daniel

Email: calvarychapelrosarito@yahoo.com

Vincent Family BLOG

Sarah and her friends enjoying the beach after church!

Reaching The Nations…One Soul At A Time