Preparing People for Christ's Return

"We are enjoying our time in Eldoret with Gardner and Ledith Improso. We will be leaving on Friday (Sept. 3) for Mombasa. On our way to the coast we will visit our daughter, Samantha, at Rift Valley Academy. We plan on arriving in Mombasa sometime Saturday afternoon (Sept. 4). We are adjusting to a completely new way of life, but it is going well. We had a chance to eat dinner Monday evening with a family from Grace Bible Church, Eldoret. Their name is Florence and Peter Kibiso. We had a wonderful time of fellowship with them and the Improsos."-Jim Tollar

Keep the Killion Family in your prayers as they travel this week to acquire their visas. “We will leave tonight (Sunday) and travel overnight via bus to Udon Thani, Thailand. From there we will go to Vientiane, Laos where we will retrieve our visas from the Thai Embassy. The entire process in Laos will take a couple days and we are scheduled to return to Chiang Mai early Thursday morning, again by bus. We are so thankful for how God has provided and supplied exactly what we've needed each step of the way in acquiring these visas.” –Nathan Killion

Update: "We thank the Lord that our visa trip to Laos went very well.  In fact, it went even better than planned!  We applied for our visa on Monday and were able to retrieve it on Tuesday afternoon, a day ahead of what we expected.  We returned to Chiang Mai Thursday morning and are eager to complete the next steps in this process: (1) within the next month, Nathan will travel to Bangkok to acquire his work permit and (2) at the end of 3 months the entire family will make a trip to Bangkok so that Jessica and the children can extend their 3 month visa to match the 1 year that Nathan was granted.  Thanks for your many prayers!  God is faithful!"

“Greetings! We praise the Lord for the good news that the LCD projector need was met. Please relay to the donors our heartfelt thanks. God answered our prayers.”- Pastor Jun Cadelina TCM Philippines, Field Director

Pastor Osias "Jun" Cadelina will attend funeral services for Pastor Willy Acal, who helped him with Youth evangelism. He also will preach an evangelistic message at the Naawan Resort later that evening.  On September 4, He will preach during the wedding of Rob van der Zee and Teresa Autida in Davao City. Please pray for Pastor Cadelina as he has a very busy schedule in the upcoming weeks.

Things to Come Mission--Philippines field is sending seven ministers and church leaders to visit Team Cambodia to learn more about how they can be more involved in missions. Pray for renewed passion and vision for those who need to hear the gospel message, Jesus Saves!

There is a new TCM Missionary family in Kenya! The Tollars arrived at 9:05 pm on August 24, 2010. Everything was perfect throughout the trip, including all the luggage arriving and making it through customs. Please continue to pray for the Tollar family as they start their ministry and adjust to living in Kenya. Click Here for more pictures.

Pastor Willy Acal died in a motorcycle accident on August 23. He was a former TCM-Philippines pastor and part-time teacher at International Grace Bible Institute in Ozamiz City (IGBI-Ozamiz), and advisor to the regional youth ministry, GCAMP Ozamiz. Pastor Acal is survived by his wife, Joy, and five children. Pastor Noli Ongos, director of IGBI-Ozamis, is sending his Bible students nightly to attend the services in the Acal home. Please keep the family in your prayers

Those who wish to send their thoughts, assurances of prayer, and fond memories of Pastor Acal, may send to: gcamlife@gmail.com. These notes will be used to prepare a memoir for his family.

Establishing local churches is the driving passion of the “Reach 121 in 2011” campaign at TCM-Philippines. One of the goals of the special church planting program is to produce followers of Christ who will spread the gospel throughout the country and into the world. Pastor Reagan and Jemima Mejia are one of many church planters and have begun their ministry in Agno, Pangasinan.

The Meijas relocated to this coastal city over three months ago and minister mostly to fishermen and their families. Without a steady income they are praising God that he remains faithful and is providing their needs through the people to which they are ministering. They write, “we thank God for His continuous provisions in our church planting ministry.”

Twenty adults and children attend the church service and they offer Sunday school along with three home Bible studies and prayer meetings. Their children’s outreach ministry at the seashore has started with 30 children. Click here for pictures of the children's outreach.

Director Ben Anderson arrived in South Africa on August the 18th. Dean and Sheba Padayhag have been keeping him busy with Bible studies and campus ministries. Sheba says, “Today, August 20th, it is supposedly our schedule to minister at Rhodesfield High with Ben. But we were warned not to proceed. The situation is dangerous due to the ongoing public school teacher strike. Those who don’t join the strike are threatened to be beaten. So right now, Dean and Ben are at Oxford to minister to the high school students there.” Please pray for Ben as he continues his trip and for the Padayhag Family as they minister in South Africa. Click here for more pictures.

One of the greatest needs in Brazil is training leaders to help people grow in their walk with Jesus Christ. Joe and Michelle Campos are involved in meeting this need by recording messages that teach about the good news of the grace of God, offering free literature on their website and developing a leaders training program.

Joe described a recent recording session which “took place in a bedroom and my desk was an ironing board with a mic over it (LOL). I am glad that our Saviour was born in a stable. The plan is to use [the recorded messages] as an evangelistic tool and distribute them to friends and family...” A young man, attending the Recife church, is putting a jingle on the beginning of each message informing people to contact them through email or the website. People are downloading the free literature and using it to teach Sunday school and small groups. The new leaders training program is being promoted in the churches and two modules will be offered on Thursday nights at the Ibura church and through Skype each Monday. Pastor Herman will start another intensive training class in October.

Sheba Padayhag writes, “We are excited to have [Director Ben Anderson] here in South Africa. And just in perfect time, God provided us with a new apartment with 2 bedrooms. We used to stay in a bachelor’s flat (no bedroom). The former tenant here suddenly left last Friday morning. The landlord phoned us that same day offering us to move ASAP. And so this is an answer to our prayer for Ben’s accommodation… as well as for other guests who will visit us later on.”

Genesis Maraat Reports, “I went to Bangkok twice to secure my work permit in the past two weeks and next week I and my whole family will go to Bangkok for the visa of my whole family. This visa is not easy but this is the way it works in Thailand. We are praising the Lord for the provision of the missionary visa.” Please pray for the Maraat Family as they continue to work on acquiring their missionary visas. NOTE: Praise the Lord, Genesis and his family were able to acquire their visas to stay and work in Thailand. Continue to pray for the work in Thailand as they seek to find the best place to begin their ministry.

Recently the Killion and Maraat Families visited the Pakpinkjai Home, a center that houses, feeds, and gives spiritual instruction to 75 children. Most of these children come from broken or very needy homes while a few are orphans. Over the weekend the families played and talked with the children. Nathan was given the opportunity to speak three times to the children about the eternal direction of our lives while emphasizing God’s love through the Gospel.

Click here for more pictures.

Pastor Mel and Freda Guimba report that their desire to have a Church Building in Grace Gospel Church of Christ Dasmarinas City, Cavite Philippines is now a reality. “We are praising God for the construction of a new church Building!”

Freda is enrolled at the Asian Center for Mission (missionary training). She and Mel are preparing to enter their Southeast Asia field by the end of 2010. This communist country makes regular appearances in Voice of the Martyrs. Please pray that the needed support will be raised and that another missionary family will join them.

Join us in celebrating the sending off of the Tollar Family to Kenya, Africa. A Commissioning ceremony will be held in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin on August 15th at Falls Bible Church. The Ceremony will start at 9:30 am. Continue to pray for the Tollar Family as they complete the final preparations for their August 23rd departure date.

Team Cambodia leaders Pastor Ariel and Faith Mahilum and Myra Omictin will begin a new ministry July 30 in Ramon. This is a village near Baipai where the team has ministered for two years. Pastor Ariel writes that they are preparing gifts for the special opening service. Pray for open hearts and minds of the villagers as this will be the first and only Christian witness they have experienced.
Pray also for Myra Omictin as she finishes her study of Khmer in the university by September and teaches children in their mother tongue and continues to meet with university students.
Dr. Ruth Improso will be returning from the Philippines to Cambodia on August 3. Pray for her as she finishes up her ministry term that there will be a good transition and a replacement. Is the Lord calling you to this needy and receptive country?
Pastor Ariel is working with university students to translate the Highway of Life in the Khmer language. Pray for this important ministry.

Update: Pastor Ariel Mahilum writes that Team Cambodia successfully opened the Grace English Center in Ramon village with 130 people young and old attending the festivities. Please pray for Ramon, a village with over 250 families, that hearts and minds will be open to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Until now, Ramon village was one of over 11,000 villages across this country without a Christian witness.

Click here for more pictures.

The Africa Safari is underway with director Ben Anderson and Patrick Kilgo, with his son Robert, ministering in Kenya. Pray for this team as they teach, preach and work on a building project for the Bible School in Thika from July 29-August 12. Ben will continue his travels to South Africa visiting the Padayhags and leaders before joining Tim and Judy Heath and Jesse Vaught for survey trips to two new fields in Malaysia and Singapore from August 25- September 12.

On July 12 South African schools officially resumed classes after a month-long holiday due to the Soccer World Cup. The Oxford Combined College had then given us the go signal to continue our Campus Ministry. As the school’s official pastor, we have permission to minister to grade 1 all the way to high school during break time. OCC has around 600 students. I am teaching high school students Wednesdays and Fridays, 11:20 to 12:00. Sheba teaches primary students Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are free to make our own lessons so we teach Bible both doctrinally and practically in the grace perspective. Please pray for the students to make the Bible the foundation of their dreams, character and lifestyle. Positive comments from both teachers and students show that our ministry has blessed their spiritual lives and studies. Our current youth in church are fruits of our outreach last year. Many are still un-reached. We also join OCC’s fight against illegal drugs, stealing and vandalism in the campus.
We are working our way to start another Campus Ministry at Rhodesfield High School next week. Please for official access by its administrators. For More pictures click here.

We are thankful for news that Gerson Bermejo, Field Director of TCM Philippines, will come out of hospital by tomorrow after suffering slight stroke symptoms due to elevated blood pressure. His son Libney’s quick response brought Pastor Bermejo to Ortigas Hospital and he is ready to get back to work. His work expertise includes pastoral duties, founding CLAG, the pastors’ organization for the island of Luzon. He has overseen the work of all IGBI campuses and in 2008 was elected at the 50th Anniversary to become overall Director.

Team Cambodia missionary, Dr. Ruth Improso sends this report after her sudden departure from Phnom Penh to Davao City, Philippines where she rushed to attend her father who was hospitalized due to extreme abdominal pain. Pastor Sagrado Improso is Treasurer of the Philippines TCM Field, serves faithfully to keep financial matters in hand and also to head up the rubber plantation work which he initiated to help national pastors with their travel needs for evangelism. Dr. Ruth will remain until her dad is off the medical list and requests continued prayer for the next medical tests next week. Note: Dr. Ruth's father is recovering well. "We thank God for the prayers made for him. I firmly believe that it was because of the prayers that he has recovered fast."-Dr. Ruth Improso

The Summer 2010 issue of the International Harvest magazine has now shipped. This issue focuses on Indonesia, a country TCM has worked in since 1973, and the fourth largest country in the world. You can read about the Bible school, church planting efforts and an update from Director Marthen Kambey. Join us for the Southeast Asia conference in Bali in 2012 and you can see this exciting country and work for yourself! For your information: your copy of the International Harvest will have an address covered by a label in the lower part. This was caused by a printer error which required us to re-address the mailing. You can read the new IH online here.

Pastor Jun Pielago is the Field Director of the Philippine Grace churches. Every quarter he publishes an email newsletter of the many events taking place in the Philippines. Some of the topics covered in this issue: the 2010 Annual TCM Conference attended by 277 guests and delegates in northern Luzon, upcoming conferences in the Philippines and Indonesia, the 197 students in the four resident Bible schools and the Reach 121 in 2011 goal of planting 121 new Grace churches by the end of 2011. He ends with a quote from Spurgeon, “The best thermometer of your spiritual temperature is the intensity of your prayer.” Take a look at the newsletter, and pray for the Philippines while you are at it.

In the closing moments of the World Cup on Sunday, bombs were set off in two crowded restaurants in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. TCM missionaries Carlo & Elma Paña report:

Thanks to God for His care and protection! We are safe ,secure and sound by God's grace. In spite of the unexpected bomb blasts last Sunday night, two kilometers away from our apartment. Sixty four (64 )people died on the spot in two places where the bombs exploded. Some of the dead can't be identified. Many more were injured and some are in a very critical situation. Eighty percent of the victims were Ugandans and others were foreigners. What a tragedy! After the exciting event who will be crowned as the champion of the World Cup. Then people just died instantly. People need the Lord. Thank God for the challenges in this life and putting us in the ministry here in Uganda.

Please pray for Steven the chairman of our church who works at the presidential office. He is working hard as an investigator of the bomb blast. He said they will find them. Eight suspects have been arrested, was Steven’s latest report to us.

The age of God's dealing of His grace as Paul called ''Perilous'' and ''last Days'' is very dangerous! But we have to face it and take the challenge, do what we can do for the Lord's work up to the culmination of grace program.'' Death and Rapture'' If we are alive ...Do the work!!!If dead that's it!!! If we are all alive then Rapture...grand reunion. We are forever with the Lord!!! Thanks for your continued moral support and in prayers. God bless! Carlo & Elma

We are excited to announce that Darlene Anderson—missionary to the Philippines, Indonesia, Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa—has been declared cancer-free for another year making five years total since she was treated in South Africa. Darlene and Vernon work in the home office where they mail the many publications produced each month. Praise the Lord for the good report and we pray for many more cancer-free years to come!

A big welcome for Pastor Tim & Judy Heath to the TCM missionary family! At a special board meeting on June 29, Tim & Judy were accepted as missionary candidates to Malaysia. Tim & Judy graduated from Grace Bible College have pastored in several churches during the past 30 years, most recently Cascade Mountain Bible Church of Leavenworth, Washington. Tim is the son of former TCM missionaries Bill & Eunice Heath while their daughter Jessica serves in Thailand with her family. Malaysia is a developing ministry country for TCM since 2009. The Heaths plan to live in Kuala Lumpur developing the Grace congregations in Malaysia and also encouraging and strengthening the Grace believers in surrounding countries.

Announcing the 2011 TCM Thanksgiving Conference to be held April 19-22, 2011 in Cebu City, Philippines. Expected attendance of delegates and participants will be 800. All believers are invited to attend.

The objectives for this conference are to OBSERVE a unified thanksgiving celebration for the success of the 10-year Church Growth Program (2001-2011) of Things to Come Mission, Philippines; to CHALLENGE the members of the TCM family to take up the cause of mission; to DISCUSS strategies for reaching the unreached communities for Christ in the Philippines; to STRENGTHEN working relationship among members of the TCM Family in the Philippines; and to SET new ministry goals for TCM- Philippines.

On a beautiful spring day in June, Jaclyn Anderson, daughter of Ben & Joyce Anderson, married Mr. Vincent Logan of Beech Grove, Indiana. The two met while employed at Fujiyama restaurant in Indianapolis. Vince and Jaclyn are active in Grace Church by leading the youth group. Jaclyn’s father (and TCM director) Ben Anderson officiated at the wedding. The couple is currently honeymooning in Montego Bay, Jamaica. This is the first wedding at our TCM property and we are praying for God to bless this new marriage.

Director Stevens Thobela reports from South Africa that the new Soshanguve Church held its first church service in their new building. This is the second church building for the ABGMSA, Association of Berean Grace Ministries South Africa. This church now joins the Kempton Park church which Dean & Sheba Padayhag are working with. Praise the Lord for providing another church building for His people in South Africa.

“My wife Beth is pictured here with Marquis, one of the prisoners’ kids we have committed to mentoring for the past ten years. We are extremely proud of Marquis for his many life-challenging achievements. He will soon complete Marine Corps Boot Camp training in Parris Island, S.C. The Lord has begun a mighty good work in this young man and is able to complete that which He has begun! Thank you, our friends, for your many years of intercessory prayer and ministry support.” – Bob Xavier with Set Free Youth & Family Ministries in Palmetto, FL.

Pastor Maruli Marpaung is an Indonesian trained in our Philippine Bible schools. He has returned to Indonesia, married his wife Yokhe and is now the pastor of a Grace church in Makassar, a Muslim city on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. During the RAKERNAS II Worker's Conference Balikpapan, Indonesia, in May he met up with Ben & Joyce Anderson and told of his new ministry. Pastor Marpaung says, “It's useless when we claim that we grow in quality but we never evangelize the lost.” Attached is his report. written in English and some pictures.

Bob & Beth Xavier's daughter, Rachel, graduated from Community Christian School as Valedictorian. She rallied her co-students, "I challenge you this next school year to truly impact the world for God. It will be hard, you’ll have to reach out past your group of 5 or so close friends. You’ll have to actually GET TO KNOW some people that may be out of your 'comfort zone' or 'outside the box.' It won’t be easy, but it will be SOOO worth it. Remember as you look at yourselves and others, that Jesus did not come to save 'perfect' people. He came to reach out to save the SINNERS... the tax collectors, the prostitutes, and the unclean. I challenge you to have JESUS COMPASSION." Read the full speech here.

“We are very excited about leaving for Kenya on August 23rd. However, our plans have changed a little bit. We will be moving to Mombasa as rent prices in Nairobi have risen dramatically. Thank the Lord we have found housing in Mombasa through November at African Inland Mission Guest House. We will hire a tutor to learn Swahili while we continue to find a formal language school along with searching for permanent housing. Our tendency is to try to have everything planned out perfectly. But … the Lord wants us to learn to trust Him, so things do not always go as smoothly as we would like. In the end, one can always look back and see the Lord's hand working everything out for His glory. It sure is fun watching the Lord work!”

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