Gordon Woolard in West Africa

Dear Friends,
I’m packing this morning for my trip to Ghana and Benin next Tuesday morning. In go my bug spray, pills, inflatable pillow, and flashlight. May I put your prayers in, too? I’d hate to head over without a sense of our partnership in the Kingdom of God through prayer.

I’ll be working with the francophone pastors who are attending the Church Planters Institute in Accra which will be conducted in English. After that conference I bus on over to Cotonou, Benin to work with the planning committee of Langham Preaching International to put together our seminar for 2009. There are opportunities galore in West Africa for training of all sorts. We need more francophone pastors who can visit. Parlez-vous français?

Marilyn has just finished two heavy months of work as the new liaison for international adoptions for her agency. They are expecting a lot of interest soon in Colombian adoption. Pray for Marilyn as she handles the unique needs of each family (and in Spanish sometimes, too.)

Sincerely for us both,

Gordon

ps I recently attended a conference in Virginia of the West Africa Partnership churches and was able to visit our daughter’s alma mater in Williamsburg.

Update from Marc and Aline Mailloux

Marc and Aline Mailloux minister to French speaking people in the Caribbean and South Florida in the area of Theological Education.  Recently they visited French Guyana to investigate an opportunity to begin an IONA center there.  Click here to read their latest update.

Update from Joan Page Bain – Serving in Guichard, Haiti

Dear Family and Friends,

“Se Bondye ki tout proteksion nou, se li minm ki tout fòs nou . Li toujou pare pou ban nou sekou lè nou amba tray . » Som 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble” Ps.46:1

Greetings. Grace and Peace from the ascended Lord be with you.

It is amazing that the year which was so new is now already four months old!! And this is my first letter to you. Indeed “time waits on no man or woman.”

Joan returned to Haiti just before Christmas. In Jamaica she had only doctor’s visits -literally. She saw four specialists. All but one gave a satisfactory report. Her cardiologist however saw some abnormalities in her heart and has given her medication and a six month appointment. Her health has been favorable since then except for colds. 

May Prayer Letter – Onesimo and Marilda de Arruda

May 2008

Dear Loved Ones,

One more month has gone by and we continue the Lord’s work, by His grace. We have done a lot of traveling this past month and we are thankful for God’s protection throughout that time. Onesimo took Larry and Fay to the airport in Sao Paulo and then we returned to Sao Paulo a week later for Ana Irene’s graduation at Word of Life. Then Onesimo made yet another trip to the north of Brazil, where we were missionaries for many years, to get our things shipped and visit the brothers with whom we worked there. They were very happy to see Onesimo and served him all kinds of typical foods and drinks and also spent lots of time talking to him. It sure wasn’t easy getting there since the car broke down on the way and the last part of the trip had to be completed by motorcycle. It’s the rainy season there now, and by the time Onesimo and others reached their destination, they had mud up to their hair! But we were very encouraged to find our brothers doing well and keeping the Word of God. Onesimo was also able to see friends from town and from the church we attended. The church has grown a lot and that cheered our hearts as well. Lastly, he was able to visit with members of our previous mission board over dinner and share how the Lord is working in our new ministry. We hope that some day we can go back as a family to visit our friends in the village because those people are still very much in our hearts. Thank you so much for your prayers for us during these trips.

Joyfully Serving – Roger and Dianne Smalling, Latin America

Roger and Dianne work with Spanish language churches throughout Latin America.  They recently visited Villa Hermosa, Mexico where they have 12 theological training centers.  Click Here to see their latest update (pdf).

God is At Work – Billy and Sherry McKillop, Missionaries to Jamaica

Billy and Sherry McKillop and their three children are raising support to being ministry in Jamaica.  They are hoping to be there by June.  Click here to read their latest update.

More from Gordon Woolard – Theological Training – French

Dear Supporting Colleagues,

The spider isn’t meant to frighten you. Nor make it seem like I was in a dangerous place. It’s just a three-inch spider who clung to the wall next to me for four days while I taught in Gonaives, Haiti a couple of weeks ago. He’s one of God’s fiercer looking creatures.

The class for thirteen fellows (not counting the spider) on Bible interpretation went very well, by the way. Thanks for your supporting prayers. Haiti still needs enormous help from the believing community to rebuild itself. I have great respect for the dedicated UN troops who keep law and order.

News Update – Gordon Woolard

Gordon Woolard is an MTW missionary who partners with Ministries In Action in the area of Theological Education.  He recently returned to the US after three consecutive trips to Chile, Haiti and Belize.  In Haiti, he met with church leaders in the village of Gonaives, where he taught on the principles of Bible interpretation.

Haitian Class on Hermeneutics

Praying on the Mountaintop for Chile

April Prayer Letter – Arrudas in Brazil

 

Dear Loved Ones,

We trust you had a wonderful Easter, a special day to remind us of our God’s unconditional love and the blessed hope we have for the future, when we will be in His presence for all eternity – (2 Cor. 5:15)

We are happy to report that our computer and modem are finally working again. Wow!! We never imagined how much work they do for us and how limited we are without them.  We would have to go back to handwriting!

 

We are all doing well as a family and in ministry.  The school year, which in Brazil begins after Carnival, has started up now, and I (Marilda) am back to teaching at the village on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and also giving Bible studies to the women in the churches.  Onesimo is teaching Bible to the leadership here in town, using the Dallas course, and he also continues at the Newspaper. They are studying the book of 1 John and seem to be very interested in the truths of God’s Word.  We would love to see conversions in that group.  

Joyfully Serving – Roger and Dianne Smalling – Latin America

Roger and Dianne Smalling are MTW missionaries working in partnership with Ministries In Action in the area of Theological Education.  Click here to read their latest update.