A God daughter's Growth in Grace

When I (Steve) first met Rosana she was 9 yrs. old. (photo of my mom visiting me shortly after I moved into Rosana's home in 1986).  Her mom and grandma had agreed to allow me to live in their home while I learned the Ilocano language.  She and her sister Tess have become like family to me and Alberta. 

After graduating high school, Rosana came to the  School of Church Planting (SOCP) that Alberta and I served in for 6 years. She married Pastor Eddie Longgat who became my successor in directing the school. When Eddie and Rosana married they asked me and Alberta to become their Ninong and Ninang (god parents) to them, an honor we gladly accepted. 

Rosana has continued developing connections in training for the wider Filipino church community. In addition to her responsibilities in Bethany's school of ministry, she now represents the Philippines for an organization called "The Increase Association". This position of training has taken Rosana to Thailand, Korea and other parts of Asia, providing tools for local churches to enhance the ministry skills of pastors and local leaders. Please pray for Rosana as she juggles many responsibilities locally as well as internationally. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Please pray for our partners in Bangladesh, Omar and Shana (not their real names). Due to the unrest in the country they are considering relocating to Thailand temporarily until the security situation settles down. They are targeted in the unrest since they are leaders of an organization. We will update you further as soon as we know more. 

2. One of our friends, a former missionary with Bethany, Bill Kish was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and has recently been moved to hospice care. Pray with us for a peaceful close to his earthly journey and a smooth transition to his heavenly home. 

3. Pray for us as we get back into the swing of ministry connections after some great holidays with Heather and Krista.

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

You Light Up My Life 

 In the years before GPS, when 'ships were made of wood and men were made of steel', the Hole in the Wall Lighthouse on Great Abaco Island was a sight for sore eyes! After crossing 3000 miles of Atlantic Ocean, it was  the first lighthouse mariners would catch sight of as they passed through the Bahamas on their way to the ports on the Gulf of Mexico. When overcast skies hid the stars they navigated by, the lighthouse announced "Here I am, this is the way," allowing the navigators to guide their ships safely through the dark night. 

Light is a powerful theme of the Advent season. The wise men were led to the stable where Jesus lay, by the light of a bright star. The shepherds tending their flocks near Bethlehem were visited by an angel of the Lord who stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and the shepherds were greatly afraid. 

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied "By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." Jesus is, the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the Word of His power. 

As we approach the Christmas holidays this year, we will experience the darkest day of our calendar year on Dec. 21 followed three days later by our celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. 

In these dark and uncertain times, many people are wandering in their own personal darkness. They are looking for a beacon of hope, a light for their path. In Acts 26.16 we read that Jesus sent Paul to the Gentiles to "open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." 

This Advent season, may Jesus send us to those wandering in darkness that they might finally find their way to Him "in whom there is no darkness at all." May we "let our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. 

Merry Christmas from Steve and Alberta 

    Someone Will be Killed fromYour Church

According to our friends, Omar and Shana (not their real names), this note was nailed to the door of a Catholic Church in their town in Bangladesh - stating "you must close all churches from Sunday or someone will be killed from your church." 

Christians represent only 1% of the population which is predominantly Muslim. Omar and Shana and their group of churches decided to meet at night instead of during the day and to limit singing and anything that might draw attention to themselves. Since they are the leaders and have appeared in a number of pictures baptizing new believers they are praying and fasting about how God might want them to respond to these serious threats. 

Will you pray with us for Omar and Shana, their leadership team and the church members in their house churches? Also, pray for the country of Bangladesh as they move toward a national election in February. There is a lot of jostling for power in the lead up to the vote and tensions are running high. 

Praise Report

1. We are thankful for all of you who read this blog and support us in pray and other ways. Happy belated Thanksgiving!

2. We praise the Lord for my friend, Larry's, safe arrival in Florida. He joined our Bible study of John this past Thursday on Zoom and is very encouraged. He's already found a church and joined a small group!

3. We are thankful for good health and lots of ministry opportunities.  We are looking forward to Christmas in Atlanta with Heather and Krista. 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

Finding Purpose In Forgiveness 

 Larry (on the right in the picture) came to our church about 4 months ago. He left a difficult relationship behind in Florida and hoped to deepen his relationship with his grown daughter and her family who live in Johnson City. One of his neighbors was a member of our church and invited Larry to a service one Sunday. 

Larry was hungry for community and joined just about every small group he could! That included a Bible study I (Steve) was starting with a couple of guys from church. We began in John chapter 1 and Larry was a sponge for the truth. We talked about forgiveness and Larry called up his girl friend of 26 years and asked for her forgiveness for leaving her in a time of trouble. She said "of course I forgive you".

We talked about how everyone needs a purpose when they get up in the morning. Larry, a retired machinist, said purpose was what he'd been lacking in his life. He says the Holy Spirit revealed to him that his purpose was to return to his girlfriend, now disabled, out of work and cash strapped and take care of her. As I write this, Larry and his daughter are driving a U-haul truck to Florida. Pray for Larry as he re-establishes his relationship with his girlfriend. We plan to Zoom him into our Thursday morning Bible Studies this Thursday!

Prayer Requests:  

1. Pray Larry will find a supportive church in his new location.

2. Pray for Bethany's cross-cultural workers just finishing up a retreat in Spain. This is the second in a series of regional retreats designed to update the missionaries on Bethany's direction for the future and bring encouragement to their overseas workers (our retreat of the Americas will be in March of 2026).   

3. Pray for us as a family as we begin to plan our Christmas holidays together. Heather has booked her flight back to the US from Scotland and "its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!"

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

Equipping Men in the Philippines

 

When we lived in Thailand, Alberta attended Equipping Women's Bible study leadership training. Some of Alberta's fellow trainees were from the Philippines. Alberta, along with her Filipina sisters, began to dream of having the EWI training in the Philippines. This would enable them to reduce expenses for travel, making the training available to more ladies.

For the last 3 years that has become a reality. But wait, some of the pastors of the churches in southern Philippines (where the ladies were coming from) started asking “what about us men?” 

In Acts 16:9 Paul had a vision of a 'man of Macedonia' beckoning him to "come over and help us". When Paul arrived - it was to a group of women led by Lydia. Where was the man? Alberta and her Filipina cohort envisioned more training for Filipina women, but obviously God had in His heart for men to get trained too! 

We just learned that a group of men from southern Luzon recently traveled to Isabela to train male elders and pastors of the Bethany churches. Alberta's co-facilitators from the south had begun training the men and now they were passing on what they received to other men! Join us in praising the Lord for this 'equipping of men' in the facilitation of relational learning and pray that each trainee will effectively use what he has learned.

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for our good friends Steve and Pam Shenk. Steve recently had colon cancer surgery and also had to have a blood clot removed from his lung right after the surgery. Pray for healing and strength and grace and peace to the family.

2. Pray for the Bible study I (Steve) am having on the book of John with 3 guys from our church. 

3. Pray for Alberta as she supervises the food preparation at the church for the last fall intergenerational meal this coming Wednesday night at church. They feed about 200 - its a big job!

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

 Nadim in Nepal 

We have shared in previous blogs about our partners, Nadim and Shana (not their real names), who are ministering in Bangladesh. It has been a turbulent year for their country ever since Prime Minister Sheik Hasina was deposed and granted asylum in India. 

Then, when Nadim traveled to Nepal for a conference of the SALT (South Asia Leadership Training) organization - he found himself and his fellow conferees in the middle of one of the worst riots in Asia in years. Over 70 people were killed and many buildings burned including the one in the picture - taken from Nadim's window. On his return to Bangladesh, Nadim and Shana decided they needed to get away for some rest and refreshing and, on our monthly call with them, we heartily endorsed their plans. Jesus also encouraged His disciples to come away from the stress of their travels and engagement with people. Please pray for Nadim and Shana as they take some extended time off next month. 

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for our good friends, the Smith family of Walnut Creek, Ca. Brad, a friend and supporter of many years, passed away mid-August. His celebration of life will be Oct. 12. He and his wife, Lynn, raised 4 adopted kids - which has been such a powerful testimony to us. 

2. Pray for me (Steve) as I've just started a Bible Study on the book of John. Three men from our church are eager to learn more from the Bible. 

3. We are beginning to plan for the Christmas holidays with the girls. Pray for us as we try to coordinate our busy schedules. 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta 

 From a Kidnapping Attempt to Peace

Our contacts in Nigeria, Jamal and his wife, Alika (not their real names) recently had to flee their home after kidnappers attempted to  break into their apartment. The next day they learned that the kidnappers, unable to find Jamal and Alika, kidnapped their next door neighbor. Forced to flee, Jamal and Alika were temporarily housed by friends. 

In this environment of uncertainty, Jamal and Alika and their co-workers in Navigators Nigeria carried through on a planned leadership retreat at Miango Rest Home in northwestern Nigeria. Founded in 1897 by missionaries, this conference center has provided restful and refreshing times away from life and ministries' inevitable challenges. In Jamal and Alika's case, the timing couldn't have been better! The peace of their environment was palpable! 

Alberta and I had the privilege of sharing two 2 hr. sessions on member care for the Navigator's of Nigeria staff by Zoom back in July. Little did we know the difficult situations each of these 13 Christian workers were experiencing as they came together for their retreat. Please pray for Jamal and Alika (they have since found a new and safer living situation) and their co-workers as they bravely serve the Lord in the challenging environment of Nigeria.

Prayer Requests: 

1. Pray for the Lindberg family - Doug and Ruth were cross cultural workers in Nepal with TEAM when we were doing member care from Thailand. Doug passed away two days ago from a long battle with cancer. They have two teenage kids, Maddie and James that are taking it hard.

2. Pray for Alberta as she heads up the food preparation for an intergenerational meeting at church that will feed 200 people on Wednesday! 

3. Pray for me (Steve) as I disciple 3 - 4 new members of our church. We have a surge of growth in our church, 10 baptisms in the last month and several guys wanting to study the Bible. We will meet for coffee and the book of John beginning this Thursday. 

Serving Christ with You, Steve and Alberta