OpenMission

Nelson Newsletter – July 2010

GCM Nelson — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:47:17 GMT

Dimitrov, Ukraine

Danelle and I just returned from leading a week-long sports camp in Dimitrov, a poor mining town in eastern Ukraine. The local church invited us to work with them in this outreach to the youth. Not only did dozens of teenagers and adults hear about the Lord Jesus, but God strengthened our relationship with the church there. He also did some transforming work on our character as well. The living conditions were, let’s just say, rather Spartan! David Henson, a fellow GCM missionary, participated, as well as Dima Gusar, a young Ukrainian lawyer. This was Dima’s first mission trip, and he said he was thrilled to share the gospel for the first time. Andris (in black & red shirt), a young man from Latvia, was staying with us in Kiev, and then he traveled with us to Dimitrov. Andris had come to observe what God is doing in the Ukrainian churches and serve where needed. He said after the first day in Dimitrov, “I think God has me here to learn to live outside of my comfort zone!” We all felt that way during the week in the heat, with only very cold water available from 6-10 in the morning and evening, sometimes not even that. And there was only one “shower” (I use the term loosely) in our entire four story dormitory! Danelle happened to be reading in the book of Job that week and I told her to stop! :-) Today she shared James 1:2-4 with me. Here is the Message translation, “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” We trust that God will bear much fruit for His glory from our being “under pressure” for the gospel. Please pray for Igor and the church there.

“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” John 4:35

Family Matters

Our recent time in America was very encouraging because we saw many of you. Steve was able to attend the installation of his brother Kurt as President of East-West Ministries in Dallas. We both traveled to Omaha for the Great Commission National Pastor’s Conference, where we enjoyed catching up with old friends.

We were refreshed through by being with my mother and our children and their spouses, as well as our grandchildren. We attended Stephanie’s graduation from the University of Georgia and Grace’s graduation from Shorter College. We were also blessed to be present for the birth of our grandson, Ezra Lydon Stansell, on June 6^th. Ezra is growing so quickly that he will be entering his first Peachtree Road Race in just a few years! Finally, Grace became engaged to Ward Bearden, and they will be married November 14^th! We thank God for Ward and how He led them to serve Him together!

Prayer Requests

1. Danelle and I will travel with Timmy and Kenyon to Odessa July 23-25 to teach and encourage the believers.

2. Wisdom to effectively disciple leaders in Kiev. Luke 6:40

3. For God’s wisdom on how to prepare the men in the rehab centers to transition to life, work, and family situations.

4. We will open a women’s rehab center. Pray this would be effective and life-changing.

5. The youth in Dimitrov who heard the gospel to get saved, and the church to love them. Pray for Vitalic, Natalie, and Artom in particular to trust Christ.

Yours in Christ’s love,

Steve and Danelle

* Please go to my Facebook page if you wish to see more pictures from our outreach in Dimitrov.

CEF Newsletter - May 2010

Cutting Edge Foundation — Mon, 10 May 2010 01:45:00 GMT

"The wilderness and the waste land shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose…"Isaiah 35:1

When you see the photos in the newsletter, you will see why we chose the above scripture. Our team in Chad is today working in 116°F+ scorching heat and dust.

We are really excited now that the medical team members are either already living on the campus of Hôpital de Guinebor II or they are on their way. The Lord is recruiting a top quality international team, and we now plan to open the hospital in September after eight years of prayer and much hard work. Many of you readers have been a part of this journey and have seen the Lord work..

Nelson Newsletter – May 2010

GCM Nelson — Mon, 10 May 2010 01:29:01 GMT

Dear Ministry Friends,

Wow, what a crazy time of travel and ministry we have had over the past two months! I honestly don’t know how Jesus and His disciples did it. They walked everywhere! At least we traveled by train, car, or bus to cities in Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania. Jesus and His disciples walked about 25 miles one morning to Samaria. The Scripture tells us in John 4:6, “Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well.” Of course He was tired! But, the beautiful thing about Jesus was that He always thought about others as more important than Himself, even when He was tired and had nothing to eat. Because of this love, He shared the gospel with a Samaritan woman under these challenging circumstances! Remember, Jews did not associate with Samaritans! When His disciples returned with lunch, They were amazed to see Him speaking with a Samaritan and a woman. He said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” John 4:34 Jesus’ food was doing the will of God, it energized Him! What was the will of God in this context? It was caring enough to show respect to this sinful woman, and tell her how to find living water! He met her deepest need – for love and forgiveness!

This is the way we have felt during our travels recently, honored to take the gospel to the thirsty, hurting and lonely. Timmy and I have traveled to numerous cities to help new house churches and share Christ whenever possible. We are thankful that our wives joined us in this ministry on several occasions. Yes, it has been physically exhausting, but spiritually we have been well fed. Our souls were satisfied by doing His work.

DIMITROV, UKRAINE


Timmy teaching organic church principles	Galina, Kristian, & Victor - my new running buddy	Marina, a Ukrainian missionary

ROMANIA

Razvan, Steve and Tudor in Lasi, Romania

My uncle Dave recently told me about a Romanian student, Razvan, who he met on the internet. He suggested I contact him by e-mail, which I did. Timmy and I were taking a trip to Moldova to teach a conference. We were going to be relatively close to Lasi, Romania (pronounced Yash), where Razvan lived, and so I prayed about God giving us an opportunity to meet him. Timmy and I traveled in a public van 3.5 hours to meet Razvan and his friend Tudor. We had a wonderful time getting to know them, their city and country. They were very kind and gracious to show us around for several hours. While we ate on the 15^th floor of a hotel, looking out over the entire city, we shared with them how Jesus Christ changed our lives, how He loved them, and how they too could know Him. They were very open and we had a great discussion. Please pray for God to show them the difference between religion and a personal relationship with Him through Christ. They told us there are 50,000 students in Lasi, and most of them speak English. They also said they did not know of any Christian ministry at these universities! Pray for any future work God may have for us in Romania.

“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” John 4:35

PRAYER REQUESTS

We will be in the US for 6 weeks for the graduations of our daughters Stephanie and Grace from college and the birth of our grandson, Whitney and Micah’s first child.

Quality time with our seven children, spouses, other family members, and friends.
For Whitney to have a safe delivery and healthy baby.
We would know God’s plans for possible trips to Kharkov & Russia when we return June 19^th.
We will go to Moldova for a Simple Church camp July 4-9. Pray for wisdom in preparation for teaching as well as God’s leading in bringing who he wants to be there.
Effective transition of the new believers at the Rehab center to normal life. Recently, we opened a 2^nd center. Praise God for the 25 men have come to Christ in the past 18 months! Pray for plans to open a women’s center.
Ask God to save Razvan, Tudor, and many of other Romanian students.
Please pray for any future involvement in Romania.

Yours in Christ’s love,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – April 2010

GCM Nelson — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:37:50 GMT

Dear Ministry Partners,

This month we decided to do something different. Danelle recently wrote two devotionals for Faithwalkers based on our ministry in Ukraine. We thought you would enjoy them!

GALINA

It is hard to believe that we have lived in Ukraine for nearly 5 years! Our first two years were spent intensely studying Russian with our teacher, Galina. During our first year of class, Galina’s father died suddenly, leaving her as the only caretaker for her invalid mother. Galina’s mother was very unhappy and difficult, and demanded her constant attention. God had given us a special love for Galina, and she for us, but her circumstances motivated us to pray for her even more. While we knew it was likely that we would rarely see each other after we finished our two years of Russian, but we knew we would always be friends.

Many times we spoke with Galina about God’s loved for her personally; about Christ’s death on the cross for her sins. Although she was interested, she wasn’t ready to make a commitment to Christ. And so, it was with great joy that we recently received the news that Galina had become a Christian. We went to see her last week, and we all cried and laughed as she told us her story. She said, “One day I was complaining to myself that I was all alone and without hope. Then I heard God’s voice in my heart say “Who’s alone? I’m with you!!” At that moment I knew it was true and I gave my life to God.” While we weren’t the only ones who shared the gospel with Galina over the years, she said our love and care, and discussions about salvation by grace, were a vital part of her decision to become a Christian.

SASHA

“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” II Corinthians 9:6

A young lawyer named Sasha attended one of our English clubs. Many times we would weave the gospel through our lessons. Sasha even met with Steve privately a few times to ask questions about how to know God, but like Galina, he was interested, but not ready. That is until his roommate had a dream in which Sasha died. Sasha took it to heart, and realized that if he had died, he would have gone to hell. At this point he started to reflect on the things Steve had shared with him about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and immediately decided to trust Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Sasha has continued to grow as a new follower of Christ. Just last week he and Steve had lunch together, because he wanted to learn how to more effectively communicate the gospel with his family.

As I have reflected on our afternoon with Galina, and Steve’s lunch with Sasha, I am reminded that these times are just a sneak preview of what heaven is going to be like. We will see people that we have shared Christ with who later became Christians, but we never knew it! Or we will see others we have lost touch with who have continued to be faithful and obedient to Christ. In heaven we will be able to hear all the stories when we meet together again! Our hearts will be exploding with so much joy and happiness that we will barely be able to stand it!

Finally, when I think of people like Galina and Sasha, it motivates me to notice the people around me and recognize they ARE either going to be in heaven or hell. God will use every instance that we show love to someone, take a risk, and tell them about Jesus. We may see the results on this earth – or maybe not until heaven! Therefore, let’s sow bountifully!

PRAYER REQUESTS

Our trip to Odessa April 21-25^th to train the new house churches.
Our trip to Moldova April 30– May 3 helping with house churches.
Wisdom to help City on a Hill church here in Kiev, & the group meeting Tuesday night.
Wisdom about a sports camp here in June, & simple church training in Moldova in July.
Effective transition of the new believers at the Rehab center into ministry in normal life. We just opened a 2^nd center. Praise God for the 25 men have come to Christ in the past 18 months!
Continued health & a safe delivery for our daughter Whitney & our new grandson, who is due in early June.

Yours in Christ’s love,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – February 2010

GCM Nelson — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:00:42 GMT

3 New Churches in Odessa God has led Timmy Powers and I to be more involved in starting new churches outside of Kiev. We believe He wants us to be more catalytic. Recently, we took our second trip to Odessa to help three new house churches. Misha, Gennady and their wives are leading these new works. Lately, they have been sharing the good news with people in the hospital. Good men! We plan to return with our wives March 5-7. Please pray for God to lead us during this time.


Misha playing guitar	Gennady & his wife Lena	The joy of the Lord is their strength

Baptism of 7 New Believers It was a joy to see these new Christians celebrate their new life by being baptized, especially because we know them personally, and we have been praying for their salvation! Bagdon is baptizing Oksana, one of the orphans living at Safe Haven, where Bagdon & Anya are the house parents.

Trip to Dniprodzerjenck (Easy for them to say!) Timmy and I just returned from…yeah, that place. Victor, a local pastor, invited us to come encourage the church, and the students at their mission school. He shares our desire to start new churches- they have already sent out missionaries. I was able to speak with the students about relationships, and how to be secure in God and His love. One young man poured out his heart to us afterwards. He expressed his deep gratitude for the teaching and our time with him.

Sports Camp - June 25-July 4 This camp is to build relationships with teenagers, and to share Christ with them in a variety of ways. If you are interested in coming to help, please contact me. We need you!

Our Prayer Requests:

Misha & Gennady, as they lead the new house churches in Odessa.
Timmy, Kenyon, Danelle & I as we travel March 5-7 to serve in Odessa.
Wisdom and grace to effectively train disciples all over Ukraine and beyond.
For our future ministry of starting new churches with Victor in Dniprodzerjenck.

Yours in our Savior’s love,

Steve and Danelle

CEF Newsletter - November 2009

Cutting Edge Foundation — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:14:00 GMT

"Oh come, Let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods."Psalms 95:1-3

We at the CEF ministry, are so very thankful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to our faithful supporters who have partnered with us through prayer and financial giving. We hope that this newsletter and project update blesses your heart as you see how the work has continued at the Guinebor II Hospital near N’Djamena, Chad.

Nelson Newsletter – January 2010

GCM Nelson — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:01:11 GMT

New Year… New Decade… New Hope… New Love!

There can be something inspiring and spiritually healthy about a new year. It gives us an opportunity to evaluate our lives; what we have done, and what we want to change - a fresh start. I just finished reading Jeremiah’s prophecy about the Lord’s judgment on Judea and Israel for their rebellion. It was a depressing and hopeless time for God’s people. Then, on January 1^st, I read Lamentations 3:21-24, Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord has a great love for you! His compassions toward us never fail – they never stop! May we all trust in His unfailing love every day of this New Year. I encourage you to remember this and rest in His love every morning!

Christmas in Ukraine

We thank God for making it possible for our daughters, Merry and Grace, to be able to come to Kiev for Christmas. We enjoyed many hours together in our apartment, attending house church, walking in the snow-covered forest, taking in The Nutcracker at the opera house, and running together. They were able to reconnect with their high school friends on many occasions as well.

House Church Growth

Danelle and I have been encouraged by the openness and desire to grow among our house church friends. These men pictured here are all young professionals, and the girls are former orphans who are presently enrolled at the university. Please pray for them by name to embrace God’s vision for reaching the lost and making disciples in Ukraine. Pray for us to love them unconditionally, understand their needs, and build their faith.


Lena, Ivan, Grace, Oksana & Irina	Oksana and Merry	Vitalic & Dima

Awaken 2010

God brought 150 people from all over Europe to Spain for the 2010 Awaken conference. The theme was 24/7 Life in the Kingdom. We heard stimulating teaching, had practical workshops, and had rich fellowship together. I had the privilege of teaching one of the main sessions on How to be People of Influence, as well as leading a workshop on Preparing for Marriage. Our faith was strengthened by believers from all over Europe who also want to influence their world for Christ. Thank you for praying for us!

New Territory… New Requests

Please pray for us as we work with Timmy and Kenyon Powers to begin new house churches and strengthen existing ones in Odessa and several other cities in Ukraine. We will be taking extended trips to train believers in Ukraine and Moldova beginning the last week of January. We need God’s grace. We want to see God make many disciples who will commit to reaching others with the gospel.

Thank you to everyone who gave a special gift at the end of last year. Thank you to all of you who give faithfully each month. Thank you to everyone who remembers us in prayer before God! We are sustained by your efforts of love. May God bless you as you live 24/7 in the Kingdom!

Yours in Christ’s love,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – December 2009

GCM Nelson — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:06:39 GMT

Merry Christmas from Ukraine! –Thanksgiving was last week. I thanked God for each of you on our team! Like Paul said, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints.” Colossians 1:3-4 Now we

Thanksgiving with our house church

are looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior! God is love! He loved us so much that he gave us a Gift - His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. He wanted to make it possible for us to have a relationship with Him through simple repentance and faith. Salvation is a free gift! But, as we know, it cost God everything! We pray that this season you will rejoice in our Savior and look for His second coming each day of the New Year!

Secure In An Insecure World published in Russian! This is the cover. A Ukrainian friend who lives in London wrote, “Steve, just wanted to say how proud am I to know you and to have an opportunity in the past to work with you. Your book is amazing opportunity not just to improve on one's marriage but also to be re-assured in Christ love. And, those Christian who failed in the past (btw this subject is hardly raised) to be re-engaged with Christ and even more believe in his Power and Word and for others get to know the Lord and be saved. I live in the West London, and how little people know God in this part of the world, I mean West Europe. I think I had such a privilege to be born in Kiev and to get to know Christ and saved.” Christmas Gift Idea: Order a copy of Secure In An Insecure World (in English of course) for your friends! It could change their lives! Go to www.gcmnelson.com to order today and receive it before Christmas!

You know that I seldom speak about money in these letters, but this is the time of year when people are looking for ways to give. Our support has dropped off over this past year with the economic crisis. Please consider sending a special gift for our ministry. Here is the address:

Great Commission Ministries
PO Box 7101
Winter Park, Florida 32793-7101

Thank you to those who have faithfully supported us over the years! It means so much to us, and even more to the Lord!

Church Conference in Odessa Timmy Powers and I took 14 men from Kiev down to Odessa. We taught a conference on the church to several small groups of believers. They recently began to function under Christ’s headship (leadership), to meet in homes, and encourage each member to participate. A group of 15 believers also came from Moldova to join us. Timmy, myself, Stas from Moldova, and Maxim Nickolaev (pictured at right), each taught. It was a rich time studying God’s word together and enjoying fellowship with like-minded men and women. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for them! They are charting new waters with God.

Please Pray For:

The Ukrainian leaders we mentor to be humble, teachable and walk with Jesus daily.
The Awaken Conference Jan. 2-6. Steve will be speaking several times.
Grace and Merry are coming to Kiev for Christmas & we will attend Awaken together. Pray for God to make this short time of growing in our love for each other and Jesus.
God to powerfully use Steve’s book to save unbelievers & transform believers.

With Christ’s Love,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – October 2009

GCM Nelson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:31:52 GMT

Fall Greetings from Ukraine – What a beautiful time of the year- its cooler, the leaves are changing and its harvest time! Fortunately, Steve now has a Nimbus 2000 to zip around Kiev and avoid all the terrible traffic! An owl brought it last month for his birthday.

European Summit We met in Berlin last month for our annual leadership summit. These are the men with whom I am linked heart and soul to make disciples and plant churches in Europe. Herschel Martindale, (centered on the couch) along with Joe Dunn, (back row -4^th from right) came to participate with us. Discipleship, leadership and equipping others were discussed, and we had excellent times praying for the Lord to send out workers into the harvest.

Discipleship on the Run Danelle, Ivan and I went to Germany, where Ivan and I ran the Cologne marathon on October 4^th. Ivan’s first marathon! Training with Ivan over the past six months afforded us numerous opportunities for fellowship. God used this time to build this young man’s new faith, as well as mine! Two are better than one! The believers in the Cologne were very kind and supportive. We enjoyed excellent fellowship with Lori Goering, the Fords, and the Bonnets.

Secure In An Insecure World in Russian soon! It has been translated, and will soon be published in Russian! Thank you so much for praying with us for this project. The truths have already transformed the lives of many Ukrainians who read the English version. A resent testimony from a young man:

“I will be sending a copy of your book to someone who I love dearly. Would you please pray for her? She is trying to find herself right now and I am praying and hoping that God will reveal Himself to her and guide her into His will for her life. Thank you for your ministry, and may God bless you.”

Please Pray For:

Many from City on a Hill Church to embrace discipleship.
These disciples to multiply and many unbelievers turn to Christ.
The young adults we meet with on Tuesday night would take real steps of faith.
Our child raising conference October 31^st would equip young families.

Yours for Christ!

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – September 2009

GCM Nelson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:19:11 GMT

Clemson Community Church Reunion “As for the saints who are in the earth, they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.” Psalm 16:3 In August over 200 majestic ones (and their children) gathered in Clemson for our church reunion. God started the church 35 years ago through Herschel and Mardean Martindale, who also attended the celebration. Everyone agreed that it was a rich time of fellowship, worship and testimonies of God’s faithfulness. All praise to Jesus Christ for the transformed lives, disciples, and churches planted from our humble beginnings! Special thanks to the Smiths, Barrie Sergio, Kirby Player, Clemson Community Church and countless others who worked hard to make this a memorable time.

Our Daughter’s Wedding Stephanie and David Shirley were married on August 8^th. “What God has joined together,” is exactly the miracle we observed on that special day. It was a beautiful celebration of God’s grace and love. Stephanie plans to graduate in May from UGA with a degree in Education, and David with a Masters in Counseling. Please pray for the new couple as they adjust to marriage and finish their degrees while living in Athens, Georgia.

Visiting Supporters Danelle and I were able to meet with many of you personally, as well speaking at Riverbend Community Church, the Rock KSU (photo) and Sanctuary Baptist Church. Thank you to everyone for your kindness and love this summer. It is always refreshing to experience sweet fellowship and to sing songs to Jesus in English! We wish we could have met will all of you. Maybe we will be able to next time we are in town.

Book Signing Steve had his first book signing at Sweet Spirit Christian Bookstore in Atlanta. It was fun and successful. His book is being translated into Russian with the goal of printing it this fall. Please pray for the translation to be excellent and for God to use it in the Russian speaking world to build secure, Christ-centered people and marriages. If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please go to our website, www.gcmnelson.com. All of the proceeds will be used to print the book in Russian. One friend in Dallas bought 6 copies for Christmas gifts.

Ministry in Ukraine – Year 5! Wow! We are starting our fifth year of ministry in Ukraine. God has given us a clear vision of what He wants us to do – make disciples of Jesus who will make disciples. It is simple, but will take 100% of our devotion and love, the Holy Spirit and the grace of God. We also need your prayers, your fervent prayers! Please intercede for us & our disciples.

Yours in the love of Jesus Christ,

Steve and Danelle

Care Givers Housing

Cutting Edge Foundation — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Skip Piotrski, building contractor and CEF board member leaves the first week of September for Chad to supervise the construction of the care-givers housing at Hopital de Guinebor ll. Skip and his wife Stephanie, a nurse, both serve on the CEF Board of Directors. They live in Indiana.

CEF Newsletter - Summer 2009

Cutting Edge Foundation — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:19:00 GMT

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."Ephesians 3:20-21

The above scripture expresses our heart as the Lord continues to abundantly bless the CEF ministry. It is now time to introduce you to some of the members of the CEF international team. The Lord is bringing together servants from different languages, nations and continents with a wide variety of gifts, training and skills. I suspect this is just a hint of how it will be in the heavenly kingdom when we gather around the throne of grace.

Nelson Newsletter – July 2009

GCM Nelson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:49:05 GMT

Running For Life Camp.

God did beyond what we imagined during our first running camp! He answered our prayers - 20 high school students participated in Running for Life in Kyiv, Ukraine. We had a fantastic team of 5 Americans come to teach running, basketball, Ultimate Frisbee and share their faith in Christ. The students were enthusiastic about sports, soaked up the love and attention, and openly participated in our small group discussions. They heard 14 different testimonies from Ukrainians and Americans! (left: Margaret & Emily share their testimony as Maksim translates.) Our goal was to develop relationships with the parents as well as the students. Therefore, on the last day we held a track meet and invited the parents. We were delighted that 12 of them came. Many of them expressed their deep gratitude for what we had done for their children. A number said they wanted to continue the relationship and invited us to their homes. Every Saturday morning at 9am, I will meet with students who expressed an interest in going for a run, hanging out and continuing our spiritual discussions. Your prayers were an integral part-thank you!!!


Dima & Aaron with their boys	Anya, Luda, Alona & Nastia	Anya defending Sabina with ball


Sasha shares (left) what he liked about camp.	The American team.	Steve draws in the sand sharing Christ with Anya.

Making disciples of Christ,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – Special Prayer Requests

GCM Nelson — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:14:28 GMT

Kiev Running Camp
June 15-20, 2009

Dear Ministry Friends,

This is a special request for prayer for our Running Camp next week, June 15-20, 2009. We have worked hard this past month to recruit 23 high school students from 6 local schools. There are 5 Americans coming to coach, lead discussions, share their testimonies and lead the camp. We have hired translators, made plans for training, discussions, showing Christian movies, and we even have two Ukrainian Christian Body Builders (Power Team) coming to share the gospel one afternoon.

It reminds me of the verse, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the LORD.” Proverbs 21:31. We are ready, but we need God to bring about the victory: to prepare the hearts of these young people to hear the truth, to fill us with love and wisdom, to save the parents of these students, and to give grace for the unexpected.

Please pray:

The students to show up. They are 13-17 years old and unpredictable.
Their hearts to be open to the truth and come to Christ for salvation.
We would speak boldly, with compassion and wisdom.
For physical strength and health and safety.
For their parents to come on Saturday to the competition.
That Jesus would be glorified!

Thank you for standing with us before God’s throne of grace,

Steve and Danelle Nelson

Upgrade to Service Pack 2 Complete

OpenMission Administrator — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:31:49 GMT

We’ve just completed the upgrade to Service Pack 2 for Community Server 2008.5. This upgrade contains a list of bug fixes, most important of which resolves the problem of Windows Live Writer overwriting images for blog posts. A few of the key fixes in this Service Pack include:

Posts made by the owners of the Section will no longer be process by the SPAM blocker.
Uploading media/image to forum post no longer causes server errors.
Metablog API now saves files in post-specific folders.
The user interface was simplified to support single file uploads.
LiveWriter no longer overwrites images.
Problems with broken URLs have been fixed.
Files are now stored in a specific folder and are stored with a unique filename so uploaded files are not overwritten.
The link in e-mail generated by Change Password no longer results in a "Access Denied" error.

Nelson Newsletter – May 2009

GCM Nelson — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:11:46 GMT

Greetings from Ukraine - where it is finally warm and green! God is showing off His power and beauty with the flowers and new life that surround us. The transformation of the earth reminds us of the power of the gospel to transform lives. The miracle of the new birth in Christ transforms us, holding us spellbound. And it should! We are spellbound at God’s grace that has allowed us to be here in Ukraine and witness lives being trans-formed. Sometimes the transformation in people seems slow and sometimes it seems to happen overnight. But, it is all God’s work. He began it, and He will finish it. We are blessed to be part of GCE, working alongside missionaries with a similar passion (photo). Here is what we have seen recently of God’s transforming grace.
Great Commission Europe Staff -April Conference

House Churches We continue to meet in our apartment on Sunday to worship Christ, build each other’s faith, and reach out to our lost family and friends. Danelle and I have been refreshed by:

- Listening to Vlad and Lena ask heartfelt questions, seeking to grow as young parents.

- Helping Dima and Marina reach out to the lost at the Autistic School. Dima has also helped me recruit students for our sports camp in June.

- Hearing Sasha, a new believer, pray for his roommates and his sister to come to Christ.

- Encouraged by Sergei taking the initiative to share the gospel with some Mormons.

We so much want them to “get it”; to run with the Holy Spirit and make disciples of their fellow countrymen. Pray for us as we mentor them and several house church leaders in the Kiev area.

Family Affairs We flew home last month to hear Grace sing at her final recital. She sang like an angel! Danelle, our other daughters, and our daughters-in-law prepared food for the reception. And thanks to the Batchelors for cleaning up! It was a rich family time that made good memories!

While we were there another major event occurred. Stephanie & David Shirley got engaged! We are so happy for them! David is a godly young man who loves the Lord Jesus and treats Stephanie as his princess. He’d better! ☺ They plan to get married August 8^th in Atlanta, and will live in Athens, GA. David is in graduate school and Stephanie has one more year at UGA.

Running Camp We are presently recruiting high school students to attend our running/sports camp June 15-20. Alan Parrish and a few other coaches are coming to help teach running techniques, lead discussions about health and share the gospel with these young people. We hope to have about 20-30 students attend this event.

Steve’s New Book Do you know someone who is considering marriage; or perhaps a teenager or a single person trying to understand love and relationships? Steve has written a new book, Secure In An Insecure World, addressing our insecurities, fears and doubts that often lead us to unwise, and even desperate decisions regarding marriage. Steve’s book is filled with real life stories from his years of interaction with college students. He offers practical ways to find love and contentment before marriage. To read more or order a copy, please go to www.gcmnelson.com. We published this book here in Ukraine and plan to use the proceeds to have the book translated into Russian. We are excited about the possibility of these truths transforming lives in the former Soviet Union as well.

Prayer Requests:

God would capture the hearts of those in our house churches with His love for one another and the lost.
God would bring students to our camp with open hearts and save many.
God would lead our House Church conference in Kiev, May 21-24.
God would start many new churches outside of Kiev.
God would prepare David and Stephanie to have a Christ-centered marriage. 2 Corinthians 11:3

We are yours in our Lord Jesus Christ,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter - March 2009

GCM Nelson — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:50:00 GMT

Running Camp plans crystallized during last week’s meetings with Alan Parish and the coach, Vladimir Fedorets. God is answering our prayers! The two camps will take place June 8-12 and 15-20. Please pray for the students to attend the camp that God wants. Pray for them and their parents to be open to the gospel. Pray that God would assemble the team of Americans to come and serve these students.

House Church continues to grow as the Spirit of God changes lives! Danelle and I are thrilled with the small group (13 people are involved) that meets in our home every Sunday. This past month two unbelievers, Victoria and Eugene, have attended our meetings. Pray for their salvation. Ask God to empower the believers to lay down their lives for others, and to start new house churches in their homes. We are asking God to bring revival here!

Kostia and I had an excellent time last Saturday talking about knowing God personally as we ran and walked in the park. We met through our English club several years ago and have become close friends. He is a lawyer whose father deserted them, his only brother died in an accident and his mother, with whom he lived, passed away last June. Kostia has shared with me his hardships, as well as his dreams. Please pray for God to open Kostia’s eyes to his need for Christ.

Additional Prayer Requests “but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” Acts 12:5

> Pray for the folks in our house church to multiply; lead others to Christ and make disciples.

> Please pray for our European staff retreat April 8-12 to be lead by God and building to all.

> Pray for Danelle and I to effectively disciple leaders. We are mentoring house church leaders.

> Pray for many new churches to begin as a result of our preaching the gospel in other cities.

Thank you for standing with us financially and prayerfully,

Steve & Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – February 2009

GCM Nelson — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:21:18 GMT

Hello dear friends! How are you holding up? Our world is changing rapidly and leaving many of us uncertain, afraid, and anxious about our future. Isn’t it comforting that we know the One who holds the future in His hands? “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 Satan attacks our faith to destroy it. “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16. We too sense these attacks on our faith, and covet your prayers! Thank you for praying for us, as we fight the good fight of faith here in Ukraine. Here are some recent answers!

Marriage Conference We had ten couples and a few singles attend our one day marriage conference. God answered prayer by preparing their hearts to receive the word of God. Danelle and I both taught, and there were good questions and a lively discussion at the end. Ukrainian marriages desperately need instruction, encouragement, and good role models. Maxim Rakovich translated the teaching, and we plan to put them on our simple church website where anyone who speaks Russian can listen to them, it is also in English. Timmy Powers and others have done an excellent job with this website which reaches out to all the countries of the former Soviet Union. Check it out! www.simplechurch.com.ua

Sasha Neskuba is a young lawyer who began attending our English club last year. Last summer I shared the gospel with him personally. During that time, I asked him, “Sasha, if you were to die today, would you go to heaven?” He said he knew that he would not go to heaven. He thought some day he would become a Christian, but he still had more questions. Then, two weeks ago, his roommate had a dream in which Sasha died. After hearing the dream, Sasha remembered our conversation from last summer, and knew he would have gone to hell if he really had died. That day he asked Jesus to save him! Please pray for his spiritual growth.

Running Camp will be held the last two weeks of June! We are in the process of planning a camp for high school students interested in running. Alan Parish, a coach and teacher from Rome, Georgia, is coming over in March to meet with Coach Vladimir Fedoretz and I to plan the camp. Please pray for the Spirit of God to lead us and draw many to new life in Christ as a result of this camp.

Please pray for us as we continue to study Russian so we can be more effective. Pray for revival in Ukraine; a movement of the Spirit to embolden each Christian to love the lost and share the gospel.

We hope you enjoyed our latest ministry video – Running to Win. You can watch it by going to this site: http://2macaroon.com/mv08/SN_08.php

We thank God for you and pray for you often!

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter - December 2008

GCM Nelson — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Merry Christmas!

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! What a joy it is to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and to freshly wonder that God became a man for us! Our God indeed loves every person in the world and wants them to have eternal life, abundant life, and new life through Christ! It is our prayer for you to experience Christ in 2009 in a very real and deep way.

God graciously gave us seven wonderful children. Here are some of their highlights from 2008.

Scott and Maria gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, James Stephen Nelson, in October. They are in love with him and each other more and more every day. They feel that God has been trying to teach them many invaluable lessons. The financial crisis has brought challenges to Scott’s business. They ask that you pray for their needs and that they listen and pay attention to God.

Micah and Whitney both just graduated with their Masters in Fine Arts. This August Micah spent two weeks in China during the Olympic Games, premiering a documentary commissioned by Coca-Cola. He won a regional student Academy Award, and was a national finalist for an experimental short film he produced. Whitney was recently featured in Peach Magazine in their 2008 "Movers and Shakers" issue as "The Artist". This spring she will exhibit in her first museum group show, and she was awarded three artist residencies.

Matthew, Julie, and Jasper continue their frigid adventures in New York City where Matthew is working towards a Master of Fine Arts (matthewstudio.com); Julie manages her seamstress business (juliesews.com); and Jasper is learning dance, vocal performance, art, gymnastics, and culinary craft, all within the six hundred square feet of their apartment (jasperruns.com). Recent accomplishments for the trio include: Matthew's successful completion of his first semester; Julie's ability to scale four flights of stairs and go through a narrow Subway turnstile while sporting a purse, diaper bag, stroller, six bags of groceries, a new vacuum cleaner, and a squirming two year old (seriously); and Jasper's uncanny expansion of vocabulary, hair growth, and mastery of the summersault.

Matthew and Amanda continue to learn about marriage and enjoy being together. Matthew started a new job as a purchaser for a display manufacturer. Amanda has worked for two years at the same financial company. They are thankful to have their jobs, but need prayer because both of their companies have had several layoffs. They are leading a Bible study group with their church, Trinity Vineyard of Atlanta, where they are deeply involved. They also like peaches! This photo was taken on the Newton farm in Millen, GA.

Stephanie finished the first block of the Early Childhood Education Program at the University of Georgia. She made the UGA Ultimate Frisbee A Team. This spring she will travel with the team to a number of meets, so please pray for safe travel and opportunities to share the gospel with the girls on the team. Most are not believers.

Grace recently finished her first lead-role in the opera The Medium at Shorter College. She is currently working on the opera Cinderella, where she will perform as one of the step-sisters. Next semester she will have a lighter class load, so she will be looking for a job. Please pray for her to find the exact job God wants her to have.

Merry is enjoying her first semester at Georgia College and State University. She has been active on the campus by participating in intramural sports, leading a Bible study in her dorm, and hanging out with her new friends. Also, as Hall council President, she loves to plan and participate in events in her dormitory. She is very glad to be back in the States so she can see her brothers and sisters more frequently. But, she is also looking forward to her visit to Ukraine in January.

These are financially challenging times in which we live, and we need God’s grace and peace to sustain us. A few of our ministry partners have had to cut back on their giving this year. Danelle and I need your financial support to continue our work in Ukraine. Please pray about sending a special gift to our ministry, or increasing your monthly support. Make your gift out to GCM, using the address below. Please know that whatever you do, we are deeply thankful for each of you, and the sacrifice you make each month. We cherish your friendship and look forward to eternity together with you and our Lord!

Maranatha!

Steve and Danelle

Я люблю бежать!

GCM Nelson — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:08:48 GMT

Привет! Меня зовут Стив Нельсон. Я люблю бежать, но я хочу сказать Вам о ком - то, что я люблю больше чем управление.

Я живу в Киеве, Украине. Я был женат тридцать два года, и мы имеем семь детей, двух сыновей и пять дочерей. Мы также имеем внучку. Я люблю мою жену, детей и внучку очень! Но есть кто - то, я люблю даже больше, и я хочу сказать Вам о том, как Вы можете знать его также.

Когда я был ребенком, я полагал, что был Бог, который создал мир, но я не понимал, что я мог знать Его лично. Я думал, что я был христианином, потому что я поверил в Бога, ходил в церковь и попробовал делать то, что было правильно. Я начал понимать, что я нуждался изменяться, когда я был подростком, потому что я не мог прекратить быть эгоистичным (прегрешение). Я любил меня больше чем Бог и многое другое чем другие. Я был непослушен моим родителям, безнравственен в моих мыслях и действиях к женщинам, и травмировал другие с моим словами. Я был рабом к моим грехам и не мог освободиться. Это произвело большую вину и беспокоило мою совесть.

Я понял, что я не знал Бога, наблюдая жизни некоторых реальных христиан. Я понял, что я был потерян и идущий к черту, если я не раскаивался и поворачивался к Иисусу Христу. Иисус умер на кресте, чтобы заплатить штраф за мои грехи. Тогда, чтобы доказать Он - Бог, Он чудесно явился результатом мертвых, и теперь живет на небесах. Я принял этот подарок потребителю от фирмы от Бога, и теперь я имею личные отношения с Ним. Я дал ему контроль моей жизни, когда мне было девятнадцать лет.

Сегодня моя жизнь - растущие отношения с моим Богом, Иисусом Христом. Он помог мне любить другие, даже мои враги. Его Дух дает мне власть жить для Него, Его людей, и нехристиан. Я знаю, что я иду в небеса, когда я умираю, потому что я прощен! Вы когда-либо приезжали к сути, где Вы знаете, что Вы идете в небеса? Хотели бы Вы давать вашу жизнь Иисусу Христу сегодня?

Вы когда-либо приезжали к сути, где Вы знаете, что Вы идете в небеса? Хотели бы Вы давать вашу жизнь Иисусу Христу сегодня? Он любит Вас и хочет быть самым важным человеком в вашей жизни. Он ждет на Вас, чтобы прибыть к Нему для действительности. Пожалуйста войдите в контакт со мной, если Вы имеете какие-нибудь вопросы. Я хочу помочь Вам. E-mail steve.nelson@gcmweb.org 809-7622-8388

I Love To Run!

GCM Nelson — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:03:38 GMT

This is me running the Paris Marathon. Hi! My name is Steve Nelson. I love running very much, but I’d like to tell you about someone I love more than running.

I live in Kiev, Ukraine. I have been married for thirty three years and I have seven children: two sons and five daughters. I also have two grandchildren. I love my wife, my children, and my grandchildren very much! But there is someone I love even more. I would like to tell you about him and how you can meet him too.

When I was a child, I knew there was a God who had created the world, but I did not understand that I could know Him personally. I thought that I was a Christian because I believed God existed, attended church and tried to do what was right. When I was a teenager, I began to understand that I needed to change. I could not stop being selfish - I loved myself more than I loved God and others. I argued with my parents, and I was disrespectful and immoral toward women. I was a slave to my selfish desires, and could not get free. I felt guilty and my conscience bothered me.

I observed the way true Christians lived, and then I understood that I was not a real Christian. I was spiritually lost and eternally separated from God and on my way to hell. I needed to tell God that I was sorry for my sins and trust Jesus as my Savior. Jesus loved me and died on the cross to pay for all of my sins. He proved that He was God by miraculously rising from the dead. He now lives in heaven and offers eternal life as a gift to all who want it. Salvation is not something we obtain by trying hard to be good. The Bible says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT I asked God for this gift and now I have a personal relationship with Him. I gave him control of my life when I was nineteen years old.

Now I am growing in my relationship with my God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He helps me to love the people around me, even those who are selfish and self-centered (like I was). The Holy Spirit in me gives me the power to live for God’s purpose and serve others. I know that after I die I will go to heaven, because Christ lives in me and I’m forgiven!

Do you know if you are going to heaven when you die? Would you like to give your life to Jesus Christ and have eternal life? He loves you! He wants to the most important person in your life. He is waiting for you to come to Him for real life. Please write or call if you have any questions.

I would like to help you!

Email: steve.nelson@gcmweb.org Web site: www.gcmnelson.com Phone: 8-097-622-8388

OpenMission Upgrade Complete

OpenMission Administrator — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:17:25 GMT

The upgrade of the OpenMission Community Server is complete. The upgrade allows the following new and improved features to be used by your missions site:

Wikis The Community Server wiki is an efficient tool for teams to capture, create, and collaborate on information. With built-in workflow and easy, rich text editing, anyone in the enterprise can create content that is visible to team members and available for editing and collaborative contributions. Our wiki also includes permissions and moderation tools, structured or unstructured content, and user voting to visibly rank the value of wiki pages.
Blogs From public to private Web logs, our enterprise blogging application is multi-faceted, easily supporting thousands of blogs and growing according to your needs.
Forums Our forums enable interactive collaboration between individuals and the community. The enhanced user interface includes additional question and answer features that bring verified answers to the top of the thread, providing visibility of valuable information to the reader.
Rich Media & Video Community Server media galleries are a core application that displays multiple types of files, images and videos in a more meaningful way. You can effortlessly integrate video from third-party services such as Flickr and YouTube, and with ratings and tagging functionality, users can express their opinions and sort media for relevancy.
Robust User Profiles Community Server provides full-featured user profiles that include activity lists, a ‘wall’ where other users can post notes to you, and an announcements ‘blog.’ The new functionality makes the user profile a focal point of the community experience.
Groups Now you can create micro-communities within your site! These groups become your own social circle and allow the members of that circle to have exclusive access to group-specific media galleries, blogs and messaging.
Messaging & Social Streams Send an instant message to a friend, an individual in the community, or to the entire group. You can even “micro-blog”! The private messaging feature is its own application in Community Server, making it easy for users to communicate with individuals and with the community at large (including their friends).
Integrated Ratings & Comments Allows users to comment on group posts and encourages collaboration across the organization.
Discoverability of Content (RSS, Tags)Leverage the accessibility of your content with this extensive search capability. With the help of tag clouds, this application helps to bring the most relevant content to your community.
Optimized Control Panel The control panel gives the community managers the tools necessary to easily manage each application. The Community Server control panel is streamlined to simplify common tasks with a new user interface, more efficient workflow, and task isolation.
Ease of Content Creation Community Server offers easy-to-use content management tools that allow you to organize content easily and reduce your management costs. With a WYSIWYG editor, neither technical skills nor developers are required to publish content or to make edits.
Extensibility with Web Services In this release, this full-feature Web services (REST) API gives remote access to all Community Server data (i.e., posts, users, settings), which allows for easier extension of the platform and interoperability with external applications.
Flexible UI Easily integrate your brand across your community with our flexible user interface. Engage users with a consistent look and feel, or even localize your content!
Localization of Content The Community Server architecture is international friendly and gives you the option to publish sites in languages other than English.
Rich Security & Permissions Model Our powerful permissions model allows you to manage the role vs. the user, and our security application empowers you to determine how visitors will access your content.

Check out our list of the OpenMission Technology Stack to see the core technologies used in creating the OpenMission platform.

Nelson Newsletter - November 2008

GCM Nelson — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:46:36 GMT

Greetings from Ukraine! Thank you for your vital part of our work here. Here’s the latest news.

Safe Haven Orphanage Bagdon (with goatee and glasses) and his wife Anya (holding their son) continue their fine work with older orphans at Safe Haven. They invite specific orphans who are interested in spiritual matters, when they leave the state orphanage (have graduated), to come and live with them at Safe Haven. Safe Haven is a Christian ministry which teaches young people life skills, helps them get jobs, and/or attend college. God has radically changed many of their lives! Also, there’s a house church that meets at Safe Haven and the orphans are a vital part of it. Danelle has met with the women of the church several times to study the Bible and answer their questions about marriage and children. We are excited for this opportunity to build into their lives. Recently, they started another church!

Family Affairs On Saturday, October 11^th, my father passed away. Donald H. Nelson lived for 85 years and was happily married to my mother for almost 60 years. We got the call in Ukraine from my family and left the next day for Atlanta. The funeral service was a sweet time of remembering my dad, celebrating his life here and his eternal life with Christ. It truly captured his life and personality and glorified God. My brother, sister and I all spoke, along with his pastor and friend, Bryan Pillsbury. Our daughter Grace sang several songs, and David Carnes played the piano, as requested by my father. The trip was bitter-sweet. We were able to be there for the birth of James Stephen Nelson, Scott and Maria’s first child. And we were able to attend the opera, in which our daughter Grace had the lead. She amazed us all! We thank God for my father and all the great memories he gave us. We miss you dad!

Prayer Requests “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

1. Mentoring. Pray for us to have love and wisdom as we mentor Ukrainians.

2. Revival. Pray for God’s love for the lost to motivate Ukrainians to evangelize.

3. Disciples. Pray specifically for Maxim and Lena, Ivan, Vlad and Lena, and Bagdon and Anya to be committed to God’s plans for Ukraine and to be effective in making disciples.

4. Russian. We continue to need God’s grace to persevere in learning Russian.

5. Sports School. Pray for our future Bible study with Vlad (coach) & Elena. They initiated this!

5. Mother. Pray for God’s grace to strengthen my mother as she adjusts to life without dad.

Yours in our Savior’s love,

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter - October 2008

GCM Nelson — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:20:48 GMT

International Church Conference God brought 50 men and women from Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine for a four day conference. They were invited to participate because they are practicing house/simple church in their countries and want to multiply these churches. It was a unique conference with many open discussions where we shared from our heart what God was teaching us. The love and unity was amazing, considering that most of these believers had never met. We discussed leadership, discipleship, and evangelism. Several times we prayed together, asking God to save specific unbelievers. We also asked God to send out more workers into the harvest. Please pray for our role in their lives. This may involve traveling to their countries to encourage and train them. Did you notice that Danelle has a halo? Is it the reflection from my running jacket, or did I truly marry an angel?

Our House Church We meet in our home each Sunday as a church with a small group of young believers. The concept of each person participating is catching on very well. We would like to see them own this and run with it, leading people to Christ and multiplying these groups across Kiev and Ukraine.

Sports School Outreach Olympic coach Vladimir and his son Anton came to our apartment recently. Danelle and I answered their many questions about God and shared Christ with them. Praise God!

New Ministry Video David Mansfield was here helping us make a new video about our ministry in Ukraine. We are thankful for David’s expertise, and we eagerly anticipate the results!

Prayer Requests

Our language studies: Danelle has a new tutor she likes. We would both persevere.
Our health: it has been one area of spiritual attack.
Our house church: the young believers mature and that God would save people through us.
New churches: in Cherkose, Chernigov, and the countries above.
The birth of James Nelson: for Maria and James to be safe and healthy. It will be soon!
My father (Don Nelson): health problems.

Serving Christ in Ukraine because of you,

Steve and Danelle

Summer News Update

Cutting Edge Foundation — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:10:00 GMT

Greetings from South Carolina,

Summer is passing almost too fast for us. Philippe and Joel have already started high school and Heidi leaves us to return to start her third year at Lee University in Cleveland, TN.

Our only family mini-vacation was a 2,000 mile (round trip) to Delavan, Wisconsin where I (Bert) gave a VOM/CEF presentation to the Christian Dental Society. We all enjoyed the new scenery and Christian fellowship there. Though we have lived in several foreign countries, I was the only one in our family to have visited the dairy state. And, yes, Debbie found a cheese store with the smelly kind at Lake Geneva, WI.

Sad news is that one of our CEF executive committee members, Dr. Mike McMahon, had a heart attack during a hiking expedition with buddies in the Sierra Nevada Mts. three days ago. He underwent an angioplasty and is recovering in a Fresno, CA hospital. Drema, his wife, traveled from their home in VA and is at his side now. Please pray for them and for their daughters, Morgan and Katlyn. We first met the McMahon family when they came to Cameroon to serve with us at Hopital de Meskine in 1999. Mike also serves as a board member with Partners In Compassionate Care. We are praying for Mike's complete recovery. We would also appreciate your prayers for Mike and his family. [Sept 6th update: Dr. McMahon is recovering well. He is to have a cardiac evaluation in one week, and he expects to be back at work in his medical practice part-time in two weeks.]

Another Tech Serve team will leave in a week or so for Chad. They plan to repair the hospital roof which was damaged by a storm, to finish the cabinets and put all the finishing touches on the "big" building. They also plan to build the first 14 bed patient ward. The next container filled with hospital supplies and cement leaves for Chad from Arkansas next week. The shipping charges for this container are being paid by Exxon-Mobil (Chad). Please pray for its safe and timely arrival.

We hope to build two more wards and add more guest housing before we open the hospital next year. Dr. Roy Jones from the UK will start serving with CEF next July (secunded from Africa Mission UK). We hope to start the medical workers training at Hopital de Guinebor II next summer and to open the hospital perhaps in October 2009.

My wife, Debbie, and I will travel to Chad next month to evaluate the project, to sort through medical supplies, to meet with Dr. Roy Jones and his wife, Jane, to discuss recruitment of national staff and deal with other administrative issues with our Chadian staff. We would appreciate your prayers.

CEF board member Debbie Williamson, from Corpus Christi, Texas, is here in South Carolina helping out in the CEF office for six months. She is a real blessing.

Our Chadian administrator, Ndilmbaye Moidi, has informed us that his wife has a serious liver disorder. Their only child is only a few months old. Please pray for this family.

I'll spend one week in Idaho next month, before leaving for Chad, speaking with different groups about the CEF as well as the VOM ministries. I would appreciate your prayers.

Please pray for Chad, a troubled land that needs the Lord.

We thank you for your interest and for your financial and prayer support.

In Christ,
Bert