11-20-09 Bob and Georjean Radford--Friday, November 27th we are leaving for Nicaragua to conduct a one-week Bible conference followed by evangelistic meetings, with veteran missionaries Andy and Diane Large. Although the Larges have been missionaries for more than 40 years, they only recently moved to Managua, Nicaragua to establish a new independent Baptist church. Their prior ministry had been in the jungles of Peru, living in a house boat and traveling up and down the tributaries of the Amazon River.
This new ministry in Managua is quite a contrast, as their work is targeting the “professional” culture of Nicaragua—politicians, lawyers, doctors, etc. As the conference will be in the month of December, Andy has asked me to speak on the theme, “God With Us” from Mathew chapter one. Georjean Ann has been asked to teach ladies’ Bible classes as well as to sing in all of the services. Of course, she will do all this in Spanish.
Immediately after the Bible conference, Andy and Diane will take us, along with a team from their church, on a trip (with primitive camping accommodations) to work among the 28 Nancital Islands in Lago de Nicaragua, the largest lake of Central America. That population of Nicaraguan nationals had never been evangelized until exactly one week ago when Andy, Diane and a team from the Managua church went to explore the possibilities of planting a church on one of the islands. As a result of their several days’ work, 30 adults came to faith in Christ.
Next month will be Andy’s second visit to the main village and I will be speaking to brand new believers, not even one month old in the Lord, as well as to the unsaved who will attend. Please pray for those messages and the Gospel presentation, that the Lord will use us to reach the lost and to begin to ground those saints in the faith.
As the Lord brings us to mind while we are traveling November 27 to December 11, please pray for the Bible conference in Managua and the evangelistic endeavors on the islands. We will report back to you shortly after returning home.
10-30-09 Brett ('03) and Katie (Schwarm, '05) Shafer--The members of Victory Baptist Church (Oshkosh) invite you, our friends and neighbors, to join us for the installation of our new pastor, Brett Shafer on Sunday, Nov. 8 @ 3pm. Enjoy a time of fellowship and an opportunity to get to know our new pastor. The guest speakers for the installation service will be Pastor Paul Stephens and Pastor Jim Stevens.Everyone from the community is welcome to experience the beginning of a new era here at VBC-Oshkosh. We are located at the corner of Jefferson St. and Parkway Ave. (behind Burger King). If you have any questions, please contact us at the church (920-426-2726).
10-26-09 Jayson ('02) and Dianna (Marrero, '02) Toth-- The church I pastor, New Hope Baptist Church, was able to purchase its first building!! The church is only a few years old and has been meeting in a hotel. The building is an old Kingdom Hall and is move in ready- just need to put in windows. Our first service is November 8th! Please pray for us as went enter a new chapter in our church's history. Check us out on the web at www.newhopeifbc.org.
10-26-09 Josh ('00) and Wendy (Gardocki, '98) Nelson-- Josh has recently served 14 months in Iraq, re-enlisted and has since been restationed to Fort Benning, Georgia where he is working as a Chaplain's Assistant with Meddac.
10-16-09 Paul ('71) and Betty (Edmonds, '70) Hiscock-- Announcing the "Sermon 'n' Song" Web Open House! Our website has been recently redesigned to help better present our ministry and communicate with our friends. Visit us at www.hymnstories.com. You can also find the latest news and information on our blog at http://hymnstories.blogspot.com/. We invite you to check it out and hope you find the various features interesting.
9-30-09 Jonathan ('97) and Hope (Budahl, '98) Robertson-- Contrary to popular rumor, news reports, and insurgents hopes Bucca remains open. Happily we can report that the TIF (Theatre Internment Facility) that has been the primary mission of Bucca for the last six years has closed. The last detainees were transferred to more permanent facilities in other part of Iraq about a week ago. This means the focus and purpose of Bucca has shifted, but the camp will remain open and active for the duration of our tour.
Last week SGT Porter and I took a trip north to Taji. Four units that are organic to the 2-127th Infantry have been assigned tasks at that base. We wanted to make contact with these units before we began the redeployment process in a few months. Although travel is reliable in Iraq, it is certainly not very user friendly. Our trip was colorful to say the least. We began with a convoy escorting detainees being transferred from Bucca. We then flew on the C-130 with them north. In Baghdad, we sat at the helicopter terminal for 20+ hours waiting for a 15 minutes helicopter ride to Taji. After recovering from the trip we began visiting Soldiers. The trip was well received, and I was strongly encouraged to come back. The trip back included a 20+ hours wait in the Taji terminal before we boarded a Blackhawk and flew to Camp Liberty in Baghdad. We then took a bus to the BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). Another six hour wait was followed by a rather uneventful trip in a Chinook (dual rotor Army helicopter) to Talil. Although the flight time was to be around an hour and half, the whole flight, with a couple of unscheduled stops took about four hours. We arrived in Talil at 4:00am. An interesting note about Talil is that it is considered to be located on or near the ancient city of Ur- Abraham's birth place. We were unable to do any sightseeing but were very happy to get on a Blackhawk the next morning for Bucca. The helicopters touched down at 8:15am, and I was able to play piano for the traditional service at 9:30am.
The trip certainly made us appreciate our "home" at Bucca much more. We are actually having some very pleasant weather right now. Temperatures at night are dropping in the mid 70s and daytime highs are in the low 100s. It shouldn't be long before we record a daytime high under 100 degrees, which will be the first time that has happened since our arrival to Bucca back in May. Better weather and the flickering light at the end of the tunnel has encouraged many that the end is approaching. During this final quarter of the mission, planning for the return to Wisconsin takes in a new urgency. Moving a battalion is an enormous undertaking, so preparation begins well in advance of the actual move. I am gearing up for the reintegration briefs I provide to assist Soldiers making the adjustment to civilian life. Although it may seem strange, Soldiers must be prepared for the newfound freedom when they are released from active duty. Freedom can be a dangerous weapon if not handled properly. Change and adjustment have been our regular experience here at Bucca. Pray for the progress of ministry in the lives of Soldiers as we continue the mission but prepare for our return.
9-30-09 Pastor John ('82) and Judy Erenz-- Please be praying for the Erenz family. Pastor John Erenz went home to be with his Savior this morning after suffering a massive heart attack. Funeral details are forthcoming.
9-22-09 Marianne Domico ('99)--The time of summer is over and the time of the very short fall and the very long winter is full in swing. For me in China, summer is always full of busyness, lots of activity, very few moments for my mind or body to rest. This phenomena has its positives and negatives. Positives: I love feeling busy. I love the high adrenalin rush of students rushing in for summer camp. I love the complete dependence on the Head Teacher required for success. Negatives: I am dead after all of this--not completely, but mostly. Unfortunately in my life, I find that the valleys of fatigue, spiritually, mentally and physically, are right on the heels of the mountains of joy and success. But I have such a faithful head teacher who offers the cool refreshing waters of his spirit and the sustenance of his words to set me back upright. Do you ever find yourself so tired that you can't draw yourself to those waters or so completely hungry you don't even desire sustenance? I must confess that I do, that I have in this recent season, but what an unlovely state it is. I watched it affect my colleagues, my plans, my students, my joy . . . yep, pretty much everything. As I think about this, so many songs come to my head of the head teacher's provision, his invitation to the feast, and I find that the disciples in John 21 must've felt similar.. They come from a high of time with the head teacher to having lost him and along with it their direction. They spend all night fishing without success and then he comes to them again, fish are caught and they are invited to "come and dine" not come and serve, or come and work, but dine. Sit and enjoy eating with him. As I look into the upcoming season, I am ready to dine, to sit with him, find his love for me more than sufficient to produce love for him. I'm so glad he invites us.
My time with students has been limited this semester, but again, the head teacher is not limited in his focus. I'm having several pizza parties at my house in the next few weeks with some former students who were eager to get together again. It's been lots of fun so far. I have one student in particular who's been interning at our office that I'd like for you to remember. Just in this last week, I've seen a big change in her response to the head teacher. She's asked for a teacher's manual and has been eager to learn more about him. The seed of his knowledge has been growing and growing in her life. It's SOO exciting!
More than ever, I am realizing that any blessing I receive must be because of the requests you make to the head teacher on my behalf. I have truly been given so much and have no other source of power to credit for this success. Thank you for your thoughts and for your encouragement.
9-17-09 Christy (Moore, '05) Donlon-- I am starting a new job September 28th working for Philips. They are most known for their lighting and consumer products. I will work in their consumer lifestyles sector. My official title is: Sonicare Field Sales Representative. I will be calling on dentists to educate them on the Sonicare products and benefits with the goal of having them recommend our product or better yet, to sell the product in their offices.
I am excited about this opportunity. I have been looking for a job in medical/pharmaceutical sales for over a year. I wanted to thank Dr. Pfaffe for inviting me to join Linkedin at the beginning of the year. Linkedin is how Philips found me, without joining, I might not have heard of the opportunity!
9-16-09 Shari Lapinsky ('90)-- After working as a teacher for one year at an inner city public school in Dayton, Ohio, I have recently become employed by a rural public school. I feel very blessed to have this new job teaching fourth grade. I spent last year breaking up fights nearly every day. I also had a chair thrown at me. Every day was an adventure, but I'm glad that adventure is over. At my new school, the students are respectful, and my principal is a wonderful Christian man. I feel so blessed that I can hardly stand it! And yes, I can be a witness for God even in a public school. Thank You, God!!!
9-16-09 Paul ("71) & Betty (Edmonds, '70) Hiscock-- This week, we will begin our 9th year of “Sermon ‘n’ Song” ministry. On September 9th, Betty and I completed our last Sunday at Burge Terrace Baptist. Two days later (September 11th) we were clearing out my church office when news of the terrorist attack reached us. I’ve never been able to forget the images of so many who were not prepared for eternity.
During the past few weeks, we have held a “Sermon ‘n’ Song” conference at Bible Baptist Church (Neillsville, WI), presented the Adoniram Judson missionary program for the Mission’s Retreat for Independent Baptist Indian Mission’s Retreat hosted by First Baptist Church (Wayland, MO), and joined Evangelist Ron Comfort for a week of revival meetings at Bible Baptist (Xenia, OH). We also had an enjoyable “Sermon ‘n’ Song Sunday” at Grace Baptist Church (Taylorville, IL). Each series of meetings was very difference, but each had its own special blessings and memories. In another week, we will be at Grace Baptist Church (Hinesville, GA) for a four-day series of “Sermon ‘n’ Song” revival meetings.
On the way to Wayland, Missouri, our van’s transmission started to give us problems. Through the years, our van has carried us and all our equipment from Long Island, NY to Yuma, AZ. with many, many churches in between. When the transmission became troublesome, the people in Wayland were so helpful to check it out. We made it home, but now we are faced with a need. Our church gave us the van about 6 years ago, but now it has 170,000 miles on it and the front seal leaks. To replace or repair the transmission is cost prohibitive. The transmission is still OK for local destinations, but has limited dependability for long and demanding trips. Please pray for the Lord’s wisdom and provision.
We are still busy leading the music at Hazelwood Baptist Church between our other meetings. The preaching by Pastor Steve Rich encourages us to be faithful to the Lord’s calling. Please also pray that meetings will come in for 2010. We are also available for Christmas programs during certain dates in December. Our ministry calendar is on our web site at www.hymnstories.com. Please feel free to schedule us if we can be of help to you and your ministry. Thank you for all for your prayers and concerns for us. “I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 138:5).
9-15-09 Dale ('95) and Christina (Moen, '95) Goetz-- Our 3rd son, Joel was born 9 weeks premature. With much prayer and skill of the NICU Staff, he arrived safely home August 28. He is truly a blessing and through his life has taught us that "Jehovah is the Lord, Protector" as his name means!
9-14-09 Shamar Bailey (’06) improved his professional Mixed Martial Arts record to 12-1 with a second-round technical knockout victory over Raymond Jarman in the welterweight division of the M-1 Challenge on Aug. 15, 2009, in Hilversum, Holland. The 26-year-old former Maranatha wrestler, now an Indianapolis firefighter, has been participating in MMA events since January of 2006.
8-25-09 Jonathan ('97) and Hope (Budahl, '98) Robertson--Army Chaplain, Jonathan Robertson just returned to Iraq after being home on leave to witness the birth of their 5th child, Paul Jonathan on June 27th, 2009. Mom and baby are doing fine!
From Jonathan: “Saying goodbye for another lengthy period of time was difficult, but I am glad to be safely back to finish up the mission here. Everyone has questions about the future of the mission at hand. Bucca is experiencing the transition happening throughout Iraq in response to the draw-down plan and the political agreements made between the two countries. However, the issues that soldiers are facing remain the same, so my task remains unaffected.
Recently some supplies arrived for the soldiers from supporting churches and individuals. It was like Christmas in August. I now have a short supply of ice pops to take on visitation trips. Although I thought the 1000 pops received would last a while, I have been using them up pretty quickly. I figured this would give a 3 week supply, but they may only last two weeks. It takes little imagination to realize how popular I become when I show up with a backpack of frozen flavored ice to offer to a detail of soldiers working in the heat of the afternoon. Through this simple gesture, chaplain visits have changed from something sinister or indicating something bad must have happened back home to smiles and questions about the timing of my next visit. Building relationships is not something magical. Usually, it simply requires thinking about others and putting forth the effort to show them that you are concerned about them personally.
Books also arrived in this shipment, and they will be used to supplement our Readings from the Sandbox program. This is more than simply a cute idea. It is a way that soldiers can connect in a meaningful way with their children. It helps the soldier as well because they are able to think positively and act constructively for the good of their family. I remind soldiers often that marriage relationships are living things that must be actively tended and cultivated though 8,000 miles separate them from loved ones. Finding creative ways to connect with family back home mentally and emotionally requires effort. Often soldiers instinctively know this, however, they many not think about simple ways of accomplishing the task. One of the motivations I had in becoming a chaplain was assisting soldiers with the challenges of deployments and family reintegration. Experiencing a deployment firsthand has helped expose me to the challenges faced. My goal over the remaining months of the deployment is to help stimulate thinking on how marriages can be prepared for the transition. Please pray that the ministry here will continue to effectively transform lives for God’s glory."
8-12-09 Tim ('06) and Hannah (Kutz, '07) Miller-- Exciting news! Tim has completed his MDiv through Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, Lansdale, PA and was just accepted for the PhD program through Westminister for Christian Apologetics! Please feel free to send your congratulations to Tim on his accomplishments!
8-9-09 Marianne Domico ('99)-- I'm pretty sure I've just time warped through these last few months. So much has changed, revolutionized, been answered, and pretty much every other verb you can think of.
Let's start with the job transition . . . My school has agreed to let me teach three classes, one day a week--this is phenomenally miraculous. As I rehearse the conversations I had with my boss, I felt very much like Nehemiah coming before the king. I felt I was asking for such a great thing and having asked it was unsure the king would grant my request. Imagine my marvel, when I was granted not only my request, but above and beyond what I had asked for. As my boss was talking to me, she had two or three phone calls from my colleagues and bosses "demanding" that she do everything possible to keep me as a teacher. I haven't striven to be in a position of excellence, but the reputation of my head teacher had clearly proceeded before me and given me grace in the sight of my overseers. So I have only one day of class, 6 hours. I only need to pay 500 yuan ($73.18US) a month for my apartment and I still get paid 600 yuan a month for teaching! I have an awesome head teacher.
So now for Lifepegs . . . I will begin working full-time as Lifepegs foreign consultant/idea person/manager for at least the next three years--well, as I foresee. Because I am taking a cut in my salary, I have had the need for supplemental monetary support to continue working here in China. During my time here, I've become acquainted with a group of brothers and sisters in Singapore who have a unique vision for Asia and are an extremely eager to use their resources for the expansion of our head teacher's work here. They have committed to supporting me completely with their funds--yet another miracle since most of them have never even met me! Again I find myself humbled at how the head teacher uses those who are surrendered to Him to meet my needs and the needs of the world around me. It's been an exciting adventure!
And now we're at camp . . . This makes camp #5 for me and my fourth year as a director. Every year, I learn lessons of dependence on the head teacher and confidence in his ability. During our training, I was really confronted with my own tendency/sin in considering myself as having arrived, knowing the necessary information, not needing to be further instructed. As we looked at the beatitudes, I was reminded that I am broken--incapable of being fixed. I am without merit and in constant need of his wisdom and knowledge. It's been indeed a blessedness--utter sorrow and despair mixed with the blessing of his sufficiency and abundance towards my condition.
Student camp has been under way for a week. I invite you to check out our daily videos at www.lifepegs.com/en/english-essential-summer-camp/camp-videos You'll see me there looking a bit strange since we are having a space themed camp. Please keep us in your thoughts as we have several campers and teachers that are getting sick, having to go home, spending too much time with our camp doctor, and in general just not feeling well. It is no secret to our competition that we are working for the head teacher, and we are aware that our head teacher has allowed this for a reason. Please ask for protection, grace, and healing as we deal with these trials. As you look at the little kids on our video, remember that they are little students who don't know our head teacher yet--many of them. Already we've seen 3 of them join the head teacher's class, but for the showers we plead! As we play games, act silly, teach English and have fun, we want all of it to count for him and not for our own account. We covet your thoughts for us during this time.
As always, I cherish your thoughts and messages from afar, but far greater is your work for the head teacher. I hope this week finds you being spent for him, finding ways to invest your resources into his school. If that should lead you to China, know that I'll be here waiting for you and eager to show you how he is mightily at work here! I think of you and talk to the head teacher about you often!
7-29-09 Gary ('09) and Jenny (Ruby, '06) Meador-- Gary & Jenny have recently moved and settled in Thorp, WI. With Gary's new job, they've switched over to a new clientele system, and he has been learning about trading on the foreign market. Learning this has caused him to consider working as an advisor for Edward Jones after several years in this job.
Please pray for Gary & Jen as they search for a good church and as Gary desires to begin a teen ministry that God will keep their hearts open to his leading. There is one teen named Jesse who Gary is trying to get to know. He is a pentecostal Christian with a lot to work through. He does have good Christian guardians who are working with him as well.
7-20-2009 Ken ('01) and Kelli Barbic-- Ken has recently joined the DC Office of Western Growers as Director of Federal Government Affairs. He will be working on various issues effecting the specialty crop industry. Ken is fortunate to be joining a great team. Having grown up in Bakersfield, CA, Ken was exposed to the industry at an early age and is excited to be representing western agriculture concerns in DC!
7-20-2009 Jeff ('78) and Jeanne (Lingle, '79) Luttrull--After teaching at Indiana Christian Academy in Anderson for 22 years, Jeanne has taken a position working for Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana. He is truly a godly man who stands for right and seeks to apply biblical values to the affairs in Washington. She is working in his campaign office as Administrative Assistant.
7-16-09 Daniel Backhaus ('09)--I was able to get a job down here through Ryan Wychopen ('08) working at Security International. This company deals with installing fire alarm and security systems. My official job title is estimator/designer--I research construction jobs and put together bids for the fire alarm or security system suggested in the plan. Also, I will eventually be working with AutoCad 2007 as a designer for creating new plans reflecting the jobs we win the bids on.
I moved down to Edinburg, Texas at the end of June (it is like a suburb of McAllen). God allowed me to find an apartment right away and get everything of that nature squared away. Things have just been progressing fairly well as I settle in and get a feel for the culture down here. I currently attend Baptist Temple here in McAllen.
7-16-09 Matt ('09) and Jodi (Love, '03) Uplinger-- Earlier in the year Jodi found out that she was being transferred from Columbus to Allenton. We decided it would be best for us to move closer to her job to save us money on travel and hopefully have a better chance of me finding a job near Milwaukee. We found a real nice apartment that was in West Bend that is only 15 minutes from her work and is cheaper than where we were renting in Waupun, a definite answer to prayer.
At the beginning of June I got a call to come in for a job interview. The interview was a group interview and it was a very different format than I have done before. We were expected to prepare a presentation for the interview and we had to do some other role playing and Q/A time with the rest of the group. While it was a different type of interviewing for me, it was very similar to the way that we held class and I felt very comfortable in it. About a week later I got a call from the company and they offered me a job. Another answer to prayer. We were also praying that I would make enough so I could support us so that if Jodi was to have a baby she could quit and I could handle everything. This is a job that will pay enough so we can do that.
On June 22nd, I started my job as the Local Marketing Specialist for Babies R Us. I am in charge of marketing for the Appleton, Brookfield, and Racine stores. It is my job to go to the OB/GYN offices, hospitals, Family Practices, Pediatrician offices, and anywhere else that would have contact with expectant mothers and create a relationship where we can have them pass out materials promoting the store. I am also in charge of finding and participating various local events and Baby expos to participate in to get the word out about Babies R Us. It is expected that only 8 hours of my work week be in the office and the rest of the week being a road warrior. It wasn't exactly a job or the market that I was looking for, but God had other plans for me and it looks to be a wonderful job and an answer to prayer.
Jodi and I are now looking for a new church to attend since we have moved away from Waupun. So far we have been to two different churches and we are hoping to continue to do the rounds of the local churches. Please be in prayer for us as we are looking for a church that God would have us serve in.
Nate Oats ('98)- 'Dad Oats' all the difference (Detroit Free Press - February 27, 2009)
Coach Nate Oats was awarded both the 2009 State and Regional Coach of the Year by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan for the Class A Division of Boys Basketball. The Detroit Free Press published an article about how he influenced a troubled teen by inviting him to live with them.
Here are Nate’s comments on the article when asked by the Alumni office on April 30: "Green is doing fine and is on pace to graduate. I am still in the process of getting him a scholarship to play basketball somewhere. He has a few scholarship offers now, but we are trying to sort out the best school for him.
He is great around the house; very thankful, very helpful, a great "big brother" to our daughter, Lexie. Vinny still needs a lot of prayer for his spiritual life. He is very tender in that area, but has a lot of questions and a lot of growth is needed."
Robert (Bob) McLain (’81)--Last December, an unsaved man was commenting on the many things in my garage. I shared how great my God had been in answering prayer and supplying me with things I have prayed for. I began telling him of an incident 16 years earlier when my parents, John and Ruth Driggs, were visiting us in New Zealand. Our car was broken into and my mother’s and wife’s purses were stolen. The police told me it was extremely unlikely they would get the purses and contents back again. We immediately began to pray for God to intervene, because my parents’ passports, tickets, and military IDs were all in my mother’s purse.
That night, we drove to one of Whangarei’s most notorious neighborhoods. The "Mongrel Mob" ruled this area. I kindly asked a member of the gang if he could help me get the purses back to my wife and mother. He said he could not help me. A Maori woman came out of a dairy at that moment and heard us talking. She whispered to me, "Go home and wait. I will call you later."
She gave us instructions to come to a specific house address after dark and go to the back door so as not to be seen by anyone. The lady invited us inside and showed us the purses and contents on the kitchen table. Almost everything was there. The only things missing from Mom’s purse were her cash and some jewelry. Polly didn’t get her purse or checkbook back, but did get her wallet, pictures and credit cards. The Lord answered our prayers.
The man interrupted me and asked several very detailed questions about the incident. He proceeded to tell me that the woman was his mother! She was a Maori warden (elder and overseer of young offenders). We stared at each other in amazement and started laughing.
His mother had gone home after talking to me and told this man, then a young gang member, "Son, if anyone knows who took those ladies’ purses, I know you will find out. Get them back so they can return to America and have good things to say about New Zealand." It took him all Saturday night and Sunday to find the kids who stole the purses. It was difficult because four purses had been stolen from other cars that day in the same location. He was home in the other room when we talked to his mother. We were both stunned to learn how the Lord had brought our paths together after all these years.
The man I spoke to was Brian Manukau. I thanked the Lord and gave God the glory as we talked for another hour about how God used Brian to be an answer to our prayers. I said, "Brian, I have a great God who answers my prayers." His response, "Pastor, you sure do have a great God. It scares me to hear you talk about it this way. When I think about my past and recall those memories, it reminds me of the worst days of my life." I said to him, "Brian, God is a debtor to no man. God used you to help me, Polly and my parents. He has sent us to Papakura to be a blessing and help to you. You truly need to think about your need of trusting Christ as your Saviour. That is the greatest debt you have today, and He has paid for that too." I told Brian he needed to go home and tell his family our encounter so many years ago.
A couple of hours later, in our Sunday evening service, I preached a message on Joseph and shared my story of God’s providence 16 years ago. I told the church people that the man who God used was Brian Manukau. The teenage boys in the neighborhood all seemed amazed to learn that God could use a gang member to do His work.
Now I can use the phrase that Paul Harvey used so often on his broadcast, "And now you know … the rest of the story!"
Since the telling of this story to Brian’s family, we have become closer friends. Will you please pray with me that Brian Manukau and his family will soon come to know Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
6-29-09 Randy and LaVerne Peterson ('75)-- Randy was voted in on June 14, 2009 as the new pastor of the First Baptist Church of Akron, Colorado.
6-29-09 Tod Pratt ('84)--Tod has been selling residential real estate full time for the past 16 years. Tod said that good listening and communication skills are keys in assisting his clients toward a successful search, purchase, and closing of their new home. He has also assisted corporate clients in relocating and has been the receipient of several professional designations. In 1993, Tod received the GRI designation (Graduate Realtors Institute), and in 1994, the CRS designation (Certified Residential Specialist).
6-25-09 John ('90) and Sandy (Brown, '93) Buckley-- I just wanted to pass along that my family and I are going to be planting a church. Faith Baptist in Sellersville is the mother church. We will be launching Upper Perkiomen Community Church this fall. We have 19 families from four different churches going with us to see this new work established. Please pray for us.
6-22-09 Jeremy Lingle (03)-- Jeremy graduated from the Madison Area Technical College Law Enforcement Academy on May 8, 2009, and was sworn in as a Police Officer for the City of Watertown on June 18, 2009.
6-18-09 John ('06) and Melody Magnus-- I just finished my second year at Dallas Theological Seminary. I took a position as a JH Intern at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX. We recently returned from our camps with about 30 professions and 70 baptisms, not to mention countless other decisions to have a stronger walk in faith. God is Good.
6-16-09 Mikel ('81) and Kathy Wosnak-- April 29, 2009 was Mikel's 15th year working with Brinks Inc, in Raleigh, NC. He serves as ATM and Compusafe Point Person for Southeastern North Carolina. Mike and Kathy just had their first litter of Dalmatians, They have been showing Dalmatians for three years now.
6-16-09 Nick ('03) and Jennifer (Daron,'03) Oster--Nick has just passed the physical training test to enter our local police academy (Houghton Lake, MI). The academy begins in July and will last for 4 months. Please pray that he can find a job quickly after it has finished.
6-16-09 Michael ('71) and Carole Gordon-- Pastor Michael R. Gordon and his wife Carole were honored by First Baptist Church of Hartford, WI for 35 years of pastoral ministry on Sunday, June 21, 2009, with fellow alumni Leo Mosier as the special speaker.
6-10-09 Caleb (02) & Ecko (Schaumberg, '00) Stein--Caleb and Ecko have recently moved back to Watertown to start deputation for mission ministry in Peru. Please pray for them as they seek to raise their support quickly.
5-30-09 Dave Anderson ('86)--The kids and I, Deb's parents and my parents have been overwhelmed by the multitudinous expressions of love and care toward us. So many came to honor Deb and support us at her visitation and funeral, and many of you have contacted us or dropped us cards and gifts over this past week. What a treasure to have such loving friends and family. We are simply amazed at God's love and encouragement seen through your ministry to us.
Many of you prayed for Danae's graduation last night. God's grace was again evidenced as He helped her through the ceremony and her address, and helped my father as he preached. My heart rejoiced both as a father and as a son.
Though I do not wish to be burdensome, we do covet your prayers for the days ahead. I know we'll need wisdom for decision making, establishing of new and changed routines around the home, maintaining right spirits both with one another and with the Lord. I expect that His grace will continue to be evident to us as we submit to Him and He wonderfully answers your prayers.
5-26-09 Ted and Marjorie Daub (Missionaries to Kenya)-- We are IN KENYA and have finished our 3rd week in the country. We praise the LORD for bringing us back to Kenya and giving us grace to deal with getting settled. The flight was great! All 14 pieces of luggage came through. Jasper arrived 24 hours later after 2 frustrating hours clearing her into the country. We have stayed in the home of dear friends, Larry and Marty Stringfield, for 2 weeks and are now house-sitting for Jerry & Nancy Novak on the other side of the city.
Though it takes 2 and 3 times as long to do things, we have made great progress with Ted’s work permit, Margie’s dependent’s pass, alien registration, driver’s license, personal identification number, shipping matters, buying essential items, relearning Nairobi, buying a car, and looking for our own place to live. Our car is a 2001 Toyota RAV4 freshly imported from Japan with only 20,000 kilometers.
Driving in Nairobi is chaotic! In the midst of disregard for traffic rules, traffic lights mean nothing, there are mannerisms that come into play. Ted has found that driving is not as frightening as Margie has found being his passenger! We are amazed with all the stuff that is available in Nairobi, some reasonably priced and lots with horrible prices. Kenya is more a country of contrast and disproportions than ever. While our RAV4 is a very nice vehicle it is only a modest car compared to others priced twice as much.
We have already observed that Christianity in Kenya is a mile wide and a centimeter deep. Pentecostalism, the charismatic movement, western secular and Christian contemporary influences are having a devastating effect. Especially the youth who have access to radio, TV, and the internet, and are being bombarded with the worst of music and immorality of the west.
In the coming months, we will scout the city for an area to live and plant churches. Please pray in this regard. Security is a serious problem. One major road we often used in the past we will now avoid as it is always congested allowing for car-jacking opportunities at gun point. The housing estate situation I spoke of on deputation is quite different than visualized; meaning we may have to revise our strategy. We have already visited the few good Nairobi Baptist churches in the city, and are impressed. Much must yet to be done with 4 million people. Pray for wisdom as we seek and discuss this with others.
Kenya continues to experience droughts and famine. Hunger is rampant in large parts of the country adding to the fragile political, economic, and cultural circumstances that continue to threaten her peace. We fear that if the rains do not come soon this year that “Kenya may be no more” as one dear friend has commented. It is that serious! While we’ve had several good rains in Nairobi, we do not know about other areas.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE TO HELP US TO RETURN TO AFRICA! We are adjusting to high altitudes, cultural differences, yes, even in Nairobi, and a new way of life. It is great to be back. Please pray as we push on!
5-20-09 Jodi Harrison ('05)--After four years of teaching high school Spanish at Harvest Christian Academy on the island of Guam, the Lord is leading me to serve Him full-time on the mission field. I will, Lord willing, start deputation this fall. I will be serving the Lord in Salamanca, Spain with Baptist Mid-Missions church-planting missionaries, Kent and Belén Albright. It has been such a blessing to see the Lord lead and provide so specifically in this time of transition. I am thankful for the opportunity we have to serve such a faithful God.
5-14-09 Pastor Mitch ('80) and Ruth (Litke, '81) Martin--We have accepted the call to serve the Lord at Bible Baptist Church of Wiscasset, Maine. We will be moving there sometime in the latter part of June. Our prayer request is for the Lord to lead us to a house to purchase and occupy rather quickly. Also, we are seeking to bring on an individual to take the position of administrator in the Christian School and work with music and possibly youth in the church. Thanks to all who have been praying for us.
5-1-09 Kelly Kusik ('08)-- For 2 months following the end of treatment, I was still being fed intravenously 12 hours per day with baby formula. I was also on large doses of steroids in effort to jump start my “sleeping” organs. The clouds started to part at the beginning of this month, at which time I finally had my port removal surgery. (port= metal drum, planted between my ribs, providing for the distribution of all drugs to my blood stream) Learning to eat solid foods after being on IV formula for 7 months is proving to be a challenge. I am still very weak and am sleeping at least 16 hours a day. My crippled foot and leg make getting around difficult, but I’m a pro with crutches. I am indebted to my surgeon, orthopedic oncologist Dr. David King, for choosing the more difficult route of saving my leg. Due to the highly experimental nature of the surgery, Dr. King is just not sure how the reconstructed leg/foot is going to work yet. But we’re both optimistic.
I want to thank each one of you for caring. Around this past Christmas, when things were at their worst, I didn’t want to continue treatment. I was done fighting. A dear friend told me to look at this group on facebook. I went through every single name on the list of members. To see all the people that were supporting me made me want to keep fighting. So thank you, each one of you, for helping me win this battle :)
4-28-09 Ted and Marjorie Daub (Missionaries to Kenya)-- It is Tuesday, 5 days before our departure. All documentation is in hand and nearly all 12 pieces of luggage are packed. The original bill of lading has arrived enabling us to arrange for clearing the shipment in Kenya. Speaking of the shipment, it was boarded on the Andromeda, the new and largest container ship on the high seas, in Rotterdam last week and should arrive at Kenya’s seaport, Mombasa, by the end of May. Please pray it is not hijacked by the Somali pirates.
We no longer have cell phone communication but can be contacted by the same email address tandmdaubafrica@netzero.net we’ve been using even after our arrival in Kenya. Our Kenya mailing address is P.O. Box 124, Sarit Centre, Nairobi 00606, Kenya.
We fly from Philadelphia Saturday evening at 6:20, May 2nd and will arrive in Nairobi at 3:55 p.m. Eastern time (8:55 Kenya time). Please pray all goes well with our flight from Philadelphia to London (7 hours) and our second flight from London to Nairobi (8 hours), that our luggage arrives in good order, and that Jasper, our English Cocker, will arrive safely a day later.
We praise the Lord for your provision during deputation, for those who have supported us financially and/or for those who have faithfully prayed for the Lord’s provision, leadership, and guidance. We are also thankful for the $3300 received in April for a vehicle and other transition expenses. We have just received an email of another $500 to be sent shortly. We credit all of this to the blessings of our mighty, gracious God and the graciousness of God’s people. We have been overwhelmed time and time again with the sacrificial giving and faithful praying of God people such as yourselves.
Our next communication will be from Kenya as soon as we have internet access and have recovered sufficiently from jet lag.
Thank you again for the many ways you have been a blessing to us. May God richly bless you in these troublesome days as you serve our GREAT GOD AND SAVIOUR in America as we will in Africa!
4-22-09 Bob and Georjean Radford--The Lord blessed His Word and opened up hearts to the Lord. Dedicated believers appreciated the Old Testament insights into the mind of Christ during that last week of His ministry. They chose the Easter week to invite us for this conference, asking me to teach on Calvary and the cross and the empty tomb. We even had a 5:30 am Easter sunrise service outside of town on an old coffee plantation. Missionary Andy Large reported to me that a number of hearts were greatly softened toward the Lord and the work of this new church plant. Of course, he will continue to follow up with them.
It was the most unusual mission field work we’ve ever experienced. There has been no fundamental ministry to reach the leadership class of the country of Nicaragua. So here we were in a new Baptist church, meeting in a very comfortable living room at the missionary’s house (capacity 100 persons), surrounded by politicians, lawyers, medical doctors, dentists, former foreign ambassadors and generals and officers of the Contras army. Many spoke superb English, while others appreciated the translation of my messages into Spanish. When we arrived, the church was evidently experiencing some opposition over doctrinal matters and some were a little discouraged. There is a huge charismatic church in Managua and some of this opposition stems from false teachings about tongues and eternal security. Although I was not there to address these issues, it was refreshing for us to see the Lord use the teaching of His Word about Calvary to greatly encourage this new church plant. They want me back for future meetings to teach on tongues and eternal security (“perseverance of the saints”). Flights to Managua are comparatively inexpensive, thus allowing us to consider two and three short trips a year. At least that is our plan now.
Thank you for praying for this ministry. We did endure three plane cancellations and three very serious plane delays, thus making for some rather hasty maneuvers and change of carriers. But even with an unscheduled overnight in Houston, we still arrived in time for Georjean Ann to speak to a ladies’ tea the first evening. We continue to be encouraged and strengthened by your prayers in the work of the Lord of simply teaching His Word.
4-22-09 Paul Scharf ('92)-- Paul was a contributing author to "Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth," which was published late in 2008 by Master Books. This 450-page volume is written in honor of Dr. John C. Whitcomb, and contains forewords by Dr. John MacArthur and the late Dr. Henry Morris, as well as chapter contributions by 13 other writers. The book was edited by Dr. Terry Mortenson (speaker, writer and researcher for Answers in Genesis) and Dr. Thane Ury (associate professor of systematic theology at the United Wesleyan Graduate Institute, Hong Kong). It deals with various themes surrounding the Biblical text of Genesis and the literal history of creation, the fall and the flood.
4-17-09 Matthew Abrahamson ('09)-- Matthew (who will graduate this May) was just voted in last Sunday by First Baptist Church in Hartford to be an Assistant to Pastor Mike Gordon. The position will be part-time and will start June 1 of this year.
4-13-09 Christy (Garver, '91) Monteith--I just wanted to update you about my trip to Mombasa, Kenya, Africa. Thanks to all who prayed for me during this trip. It was an amazing time and the team was able to witness to the people and we saw over 50 lives saved during the trip. Praise the Lord! I was truly humbled by these people and the way that they live. We are so spoiled here in America. The people in the village of Mtepeni were so happy to see us and glad that we were there to minister to them. They are very receptive to us and the children were so sweet and fun. They just wanted to be held and loved on. I could write pages and pages, but just wanted to update you on my trip and to let you know to keep praying for the village of Mtepeni and the work that Pastor Nzaro is doing there for his people.
4-10-09 Aaron Yokers ('07)--I'm currently teaching ESL in Busan, South Korea. I am at a boys and girls middle school. I teach the 1st and 2nd graders (which would be 7th/8th for us). It's been an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience so far. I have almost been here a year(in May), and I'm looking to extend to the end of July. The Lord also led me to a great church in Busan where I've been able to join a small men's group for fellowship and accountability. It's called International Community Church. We have many different foreigners, and of course many Koreans that attend the services. I'm so thankful for this opportunity. And this fall I hope to get a job in Albania. My girlfriend is Albanian and I'm trying to move to Tirana as soon as I can. It's been my goal to get to Albania someday to teach, and to serve the Lord in the church there. So I'm praying and trusting God as He leads me to the next place.
4-10-09 Ted and Marjorie Daub--This is to be a quickie so to keep you informed as we approach our last weeks in the States. All is going well with all arrangements. The shipment is now one week in its safari on the Atlantic to Kenya due to arrive the end of May. All documentation needed for our return is in process.
Three days ago we learned that Margie has a significant cataract on her right eye that must be removed. The surgeon hurriedly scheduled surgery for the coming Tuesday, April 7th, so to allow 3 weeks for healing. Thus we have rescheduled our departure for May 2nd, two week later than previously announced. Please pray that all goes well with the surgery and that this will be the only delay in our return to Kenya.
The coming week we will send a prayer letter with much the same information including progress with the surgery. Thankfully the Lord has been precious and has blessed with sufficient support and a reasonable amount of transition money.
Thank you for the blessing you have been during the past 2 years of deputation and now as you pray with us for our RETURN TO AFRICA!
4-3-09 Butch ('07) and Erin (Jenson, '07) Archambeau-- We have just accepted positions on resident staff at Ironwood Christian Camp in Newberry Springs, CA. We will officially begin in September. Our positions are as home missionaries, which means we will be raising monthly support. We are very excited that God has led us to this ministry and can't wait to see how he provides and protects in the coming years. We would appreciate any prayer support you can offer!
3-19-09 Bob and Georjean Radford-- Wednesday, April 1st we are leaving for Nicaragua to conduct a two week Bible conference with veteran missionaries Andy and Diane Large. Although they have been missionaries for more than 40 years, they only recently moved to Managua, Nicaragua to establish a new Baptist church. Their prior ministry had been in the jungles of Peru, living in a house boat and traveling up and down the tributaries of the Amazon River. This new work in Managua is quite a contrast, as their work is targeting the “professional” culture of Nicaragua—politicians, lawyers, doctors, etc.
They chose the Easter week for this conference and have asked me to teach on Calvary and the cross and the empty tomb. We are even having an Easter sunrise service. Perhaps the Easter season will bring out lots of visitors to the services. We are praying that many will be reached with the Gospel. I am taking many pictures of Israel with me, intending to illustrate the messages.
Georjean Ann has been asked to teach ladies’ Bible classes as well as sing in the services. Of course, she will do all this in Spanish.
Thank you for praying for this evangelistic endeavor as the Lord brings us to mind. We will return on April 14 and will report back to you shortly after.
3-17-09 Rodrigo (Rico) and Deborah (Mather,'05) Gomez Lopez-- Rico and Deborah are serving faithfully at New Hope Baptist Church in Shakopee, Mn where Deborah's brother, John, also serves as Soul-Winning Director. Rico is a deacon and Teen/Youth Director. Deborah is working full- time as RN in pediatric home health care within the Minneapolis/Metropolitan area and seeks opportunities to share Christ, as the Great Physician, with each hurting family. Deborah and Rico are expecting their first child (baby girl) in July. Amazingly enough, Rico was told he couldn't have children. The reality of God's power upon their lives is a clear reminder that God far surpasses the wisdom of man! Praise the Lord for His ever-real miracles!
3-16-09 Marianne Domico ('99)--I am now full swing into the craziest semester ever. But before I tell you about that, I definitely want you to know about my greatest travel adventure. During my Chinese New Year holiday, I decided not to come home and to travel. In about 6 weeks, I visited 6 different countries: Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Australia. It was absolutely fabulous. Words really can't explain how completely refreshing, exciting, and just plain ole fun this trip was. Lessons I learned: 1. Chinese people live everywhere. It's exciting to see that I'm working in a country that is spreading its population all over southeast Asia. I met Chinese people in almost every country I visited. 2. You should always check your tickets. Yes, it seems to go without saying, but . . . . 3. The beauty of creation is so tremendously awesome. There were other lessons too, but those are the ones that stand out. If you've never traveled outside of your country, you should book a flight now. It will change the way you look at the world and your role in it. If you want to see some of my blogging and pictures, you can go to my website: www.bochinko.com I haven't had time to blog and post about everything, but I'm hoping it'll get up there soon.
Once I got back from my trip, I hit the ground running with essentially 2 jobs. I'm still teaching English and history at college, but I'm also a part of a new work called Life Pegs--adventure you can hang your life on--a young adult life skill activity center. Basically, most Chinese students have no options for recreation in their free time and many use that free time in unhealthy forms of recreation. We are creating a community that will provide a healthy haven for these students as well as teach them some valuable life leadership/team skills. Our desire is for this to be a platform of relationship building and a creation of a community that will be hugely attractive to young people by playing some crazy games, going on trips, and offering an international feel to our club. It's non-English driven, so please start asking the head teacher to give me the gift of tongues, as my Chinese is presently woefully inadequate for the task at hand. I'm working with Chinese colleagues and am finding management in China a completely different ballgame that finds me running incessantly to my Father for wisdom and advice. As you can imagine, juggling these two jobs is challenging, but I'm finding that's exactly what I need to keep me focused on Him. Beginning this new endeavor also means that I'll be leaving the "comforts" of my teaching position (salary, apartment, and yearly trip home) and finding support for myself. I'll probably be signing up as a student to get my visa and will be relying on friends (like you) to pay my salary and fuel the work I'm doing here in China. Please consider whether you'd be able to help out financially. I understand it's supposed to be "hard times" in the US right now, but I also remind you that your $1 is equal to 6.80 of my Chinese yuan. So for about $1500 a month I can live most comfortably here in China with an apartment, food, and money to get around town. Your dollar goes far here. You can be a part of Life Pegs by taking a financial role in its success. Of course, I covet your thoughts being brought before our head teacher as I'm entering into unfamiliar territory as a boss and employee in the "real world." It's definitely been an interesting road already. Our opening is March 21 and the preparation plans seems endless right now, but step by step we're moving closer to the goal.
Life is definitely an adventure, and I've been seeing my head teacher at work all around me to reveal himself through my new job, my students, my co-workers--all of it, meant to draw me closer to him, to learn more about him. The lessons haven't been easy, but that's not what he promised. He promised he'd be there and never leave me or forsake me and indeed he has been there every step reassuring me of his goodness and faithfulness. My faithfulness is so unfaithful, so wavering. I desire my eyes to be fixed on him and to do what he would have, but I often do seek my own way stupidly believing I somehow know better. He's faithful to remind me I don't know anything, and I'm learning to be thankful for that lesson. Please keep me and our work here in your thoughts before him. I'm eager to hear from you.
3-11-09 Ted and Marjorie Daub (Missionaries to Kenya)-- Good News! We are within 6 weeks of leaving for Kenya. After 26 months of deputation our support level is 100% and growing. Thankfully the Lord has provided through so many including yourselves!
We fly from Philadelphia International Airport on British Air, Saturday evening, April 18th to arrive in Nairobi 16 hours later. The shipment leaves Newark, NJ, Monday, March 31st. We are presently VERY busy packing the “stuff” to be packed into a 20 foot container Monday, March 23rd.
All of this takes place while we complete deputation speaking in the last 7 scheduled meetings. At the time you receive this we’ll be traveling to Calvary Baptist Church of Watertown, Wisconsin, for our commissioning service, Sunday, March 15th.
God has blessed through the 38 churches that have taken us on for support in the past two years. Seven additional churches have taken us on for support in January and February of 2009. It is amazing how the Lord continues to bless through so many! Again we thank you for the precious blessing you have been to us.
Prayer Request as we finish our last 6 weeks of deputation.
First, that Ted’s work permit, otherwise known as a visa, is approved prior to departure for the sake of the purchase of one way tickets and importing our shipment.
Second, that our flight and shipment will go without complications and if not, that we’ll have the patience and wisdom to deal with whatever faces us!
Third, that we will begin to readjust to Kenya life. Though we have lived in Kenya for many years it is reasonable to expect that adjustments will be necessary.
Fourth, either that the Kenya government will grant income tax exemptions for missionaries or that the matter will remain dormant.
Fifth, that we’ll find the right vehicle to buy and a reasonable place to live in Nairobi. We’ve heard that both are in greater supply.
Major Need We Would Like You to Consider
We still need $6000 for transition expenses that includes shipping and a vehicle. We have already purchase our tickets costing at a reasonable $1512. We have $12,000 toward the purchase of a used vehicle that we expect to cost $15,000. And we have $3200 toward the shipment that will cost an estimated $6000.
Sincerely, for God’s glory and precious Kenyan souls,
Missionaries Ted and Margie Daub
John 20:21-23
3-5-09 Allison (Snavely, '02) Urso--I had the very amazing opportunity to appear as a contestant on the gameshow, Wheel of Fortune!" I taped at Seaworld in December, and the show airs on March 19th! Hope you all will watch! This was a distinct gift from God as we had just been through an open heart surgery with our daughter-the second of our children to have that surgery. Being on the show was definitely an emotional boost and blessing! Not to mention fun!
3-5-09 Mary Strahm ('06)--While still a student at Maranatha, I worked part-time in Trek's Oconomowoc warehouse . Around May 2008, I had the opportunity to interview for a starting office position. I applied, got the job, and worked as an Export Document Specialist for about 4 months. I was in charge of processing all Canadian shipments that were leaving our Wisconsin and California warehouses. I had to create spreadsheets that listed all parts exporting the country and forward the spreadsheets to our broker so they could clear the shipments. In September, I accepted a promotion to a newly created position. I am currently one of two International Compliance Specialists at Trek Bicycles. (I didn't see that coming or I would have taken International Law!) The main responsibility of my current job is post entry. Post entry involves lots of auditing, so attention to detail is a huge must! I currently spend 95% of my time auditing U.S. customs entries. I take entries that have errors to our different brokers and work with them on correcting the entries with customs. I am also working with a team from my department to help resolve an issue that we currently have with our vendors. We have Kaizan meetings about once a month and are working on updating our Import SOP to solve our issue.
3-4-09 Jeremy ('03) and Jeanna (Gessert, '03) Zajicek-- Much has happened in the course of the last several months. We did move back to MN after 13 months in WI. The move to WI was a great experience for Jeanna and me. The Lord opened so many doors for us to get to WI and then once we were in WI, the Lord started closing doors to making the transition final – the sale of our home in MN. So for 13 months, we rented a duplex in WI and also maintained our home in MN.
Despite the difficult financial times the Lord met our every need. One specific story comes to mind. Funds were running low and we had some definite needs looming on the horizon. We received a check in the mail from the closing of our home 4 years earlier. Apparently, the title company was conducting an audit and found an error in our favor from the closing of our home. That check was nothing less than the Lord directly providing for our needs. What a blessing to serve a God that holds the world in his hands! The best part about our time in WI is that we have many more stories of God’s provision. The move was a time of adventure, but more importantly a time of drawing closer to our heavenly father.
So to make a long story short, the Lord did open doors for a good job back in Minnesota and we were able to move right back into our home. I have been working for Hennepin County for 9 months now. I enjoy the work; there are political and cultural challenges to working for local government, but the Lord provided this job for my family for a reason and I am looking for ways to glorify Him. So far my career experience has been in employee benefits and executive compensation/retirement. At Hennepin County I oversee the administration of several benefits and also supervise staff in my unit. The Lord has blessed me with a unique set of leadership skills and I have had the opportunity in many of my jobs to develop into positions above what I was hired for.
I have had opportunity to use my leadership skills to serve in ministry. Quite frankly I receive much more personal satisfaction when I know that my skills are being used for something other than my vocation! I serve as a Deacon for First Baptist Church in St. Francis. The pastor is Steve Brower, also a graduate from Maranatha. I serve on a number of committees, including our Christian School board. Of course I love spending time with my growing family. The latest edition to our family is Natalie June born on December 23, 2008. That makes three children!
3-3-09 Nate ('98) and Crystal (Girton, '97) Oats-- 'Dad Oates' all the Difference'- this is the article that was written up about Nate and Crystal and appeared in the Detroit Free Press this past Friday. Click here to read how these MBBC alum showed compassion for a very troubled teenage boy.
2-20-09 Kelly Kusik ('08)-- Kelly just got the results back from her final scan yesterday afternoon. The doctors say she is Cancer Free!! Praise the Lord! Thank you all for your prayers!
2-10-09 Jeff ('82) and Sandy (Armstrong, '83) Williams-- After 20 years in Pennsylvania, Jeff and Sandy Williams and their four children moved to Sandy's hometown of Anderson, IN, in December 2003. Their oldest daughter Heidi began school at MBBC the fall of 2004 and graduated in May 2008. Jeff and Sandy and family became involved with Tabor Baptist Church near Muncie, IN, in October 2005, ministering in various capacities. On March 2, 2009, Jeff will be ordained as an elder of Tabor Baptist Church. Tabor is pastored by Jim Sandberg, a grandson of John R. Rice. Additional elders include Steve Brogan, Steve Dybwad, and Bill Wehmeier. Jeff considers it an honor and blessing to serve with these godly men.
2-2-09 Caleb ('05) and Sarah (Bursack, '02) Stormer-- Sarah and I are doing good. I have a job as a network engineer at CDW in Madison; Sarah has a job as an HR Admin at Stoughton Trailers. We just bought a nice tri-level home in McFarland. Since we just moved, we are still unpacking and getting things the way we like them. Lots of little projects and things to fix around the house now. It is a lot of fun making changes, decorating, and playing around with different design ideas. It feels good to finally have a place of our own!
No kids as of yet but who knows what God has in store for us down the road. We are going to take a cruise in about a week for an early wedding anniversary. It should be a lot of fun! Neither of us have ever been on a cruise ship before. I hope all the food is not as tempting as everyone says.
1-30-09 Jennifer Luttrull ('08)-- Jenn is currently working for Wilds of New England as they are establishing a permanent camp in New Hampshire. Jenn works at the main office in North Caroline during the school year and at the camp in NH during the summer camping season. She reports that she greatly enjoys the opportunity to serve the Lord in New England.
1-29-09 Shari Lapinsky ('90)-- After searching for a full time job for 14 months, I was offered a position as a fifth grade teacher to inner city kids. What an experience. It's by far the hardest teaching position I've ever had. I'm thankful that God not only provided this job for me,but He also prepared me by having me be a substitute teacher for one year in several public schools.
1-28-2009 Adam ('07) and Christin (Peterson, '08) Kieckhafer-- Here's what Adam had to say about his trip to London with his Slinger, WI Marching Band: We had an absolutely incredibe time in London. The students were well-received by the people of London. We had three concert settings including the London New Year's Day Parade, a concert in Trafalgar Square and a concert at St. John's Performance Hall-Smith's Square. The students were very well-behaved throughout the duration of the trip. The band made the front page of the London Evening Times, page 13 of the London Daily Times, the London evening news, front page on the biggest Pakistani newspaper, a Quatar newspaper and a French newspaper. This was the first time that any American band had any British coverage in the history of the parade!!
Of the 168 member 10-12th grade Slinger High School Marching Band, 121 students and 17 chaperones made the trip. Students raised $349,000 in the last year to go on the trip. The parade was the highlight of the trip. The parade was 2.2 miles long. Approximately 750,000 people watched the parade from the streets, and another 270 million watched on CNN and other news channels.
I never would have dreamed that I would have had the opportunity to travel around the world as a band teacher. I've heard pastors and missionaries say the same thing; I never thought it would be me.
1-19-09 Paul ('71) and Betty (Edmonds, '70) Hiscock--Thank you for your many prayers for us and our ministry this past year. It has been a full year since we began the re-build of both health and ministry. We sense that we are finally getting back to where we need to be. Our “Sermon ‘n’ Song” meetings in 2008 have taken us to many good Bible-preaching churches in Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Paul continues to receive good medical reports. Our music and message materials have expanded to include mission conferences and other special meetings. We have more ideas and upcoming projects in the works that will be a help to churches and their music ministry. Betty helps to keep it all organized. We continue to enjoy preparations for up-coming “Sermon ‘n’ Song” services.
The year 2009 will bring some practical adjustments to our ministry and travelling schedule. We will divide some of our time with the people at nearby Hazelwood Baptist Church where Steve Rich is the Pastor. When not travelling, we will work to establish a music ministry there, including a choir and other music groups. It will give us the opportunity to apply the principles we have been preaching. It will surely keep us busy as we balance that work with “Sermon ‘n’ Song” meetings elsewhere. It also will help us to “level out” the demands of regular traveling, and allow us to be better prepared. We do hope for at least 30 churches for “Sermon ‘n’ Song” meetings and special services this year. We would also like to have for more half-week “Music Conference” type meetings, as they have proved most effective and efficient. Please pray that our schedule will fill in, as several dates are still available. Many of our meetings have been scheduled, simply from word-of-mouth, so pleas e help spread the word!
Our ministry calendar is on our web site at www.hymnstories.com. If we can be of help to your church ministry, please feel free to contact us.
May the Lord’s blessing be upon you all for your prayers and concerns for us.
1-15-09 Mike ('02) and Holly (Bell, '01) Zinn-- Holly and I have made a big change in the last year. I am currently employed by the Henrico Division of Police in Richmond, VA. I began the Police Academy on February 4, 2008 and after 6 months of intense training, graduated on August 18, 2008. I field-trained for about 3 months and am now on solo patrol. Henrico County borders the city of Richmond and has about 500 uniform officers. Holly was also able to get a job with the Planning Department for Henrico County. We both enjoy the new surroundings and are adjusting to Southern life. We have been able to find a small church in the area that we really enjoy.
1-13-09 Crystal Staller ('09)-- Crystal just moved to Tampa, FL after finishing her AS in Christian Ministry from Maranatha. Upon arrival, Crystal had an interview with Office Team (temp agency) and did well on the tests they had her take to see what kind of office skills she had already. At 9:17 the next morning, Crystal got a call from Office Team reporting they had a possible job for her at the Tampa Convention Center. She got to the Tampa Convention Center at 10:45 and walked out at 5:20 with a full time, permanent job as an Administrative Assistant in the Sales & Marketing Dept.! "The Lord is so good! I live 5 miles from the office...so the commute isn't bad at all...traffic is a bit rough coming back because of rush hour, but I am so excited that I get to work an 8-5 shift! I really enjoy my job, and I am so very thankful for the experience from your office (MBBC's Ministry & Alumni Services). I learned a lot while I was there, and now I'm using those skills on a daily basis. So, thank you so much!!"
1-9-09 Jim ('98) and Theresa Schultz-- Our family joined the ministry at Baptist Youth Mission, run by MBBC grad Mike Holmes. We also are helping Pastor Holmes in a church planting ministry in the small town of Sinclair Wyoming. My wife Theresa and I celebrated our 25th Wedding anniversary December of this year (2008). We have been blessed with 4 children.
1-6-09 Kenneth ('74) and Christine (Tischner, '74) Marsh-- The Marsh family just moved from MN to MI. Here's what Ken wrote about their trip. "I can now say we are here! The trip was a trial but God is truly good. After spending two days loading we got away at 7:00 am last Monday. There were 5 vehicles in our caravan - two trucks with trailers, our two vans and Rachel's car pulling the boat. Adam and Rachel came with a friend to help us pack and drive. We had hoped to leave at 5:00 to avoid the rush hour traffic in Minneapolis but there was just too much last minute stuff. As it turned out there was no problem with traffic for us.
We drove for 18 hours (a trip that normally takes 12). The weather and roads were good till we reached the MI border. Though it was windy it was a tail wind and probably helped our gas mileage. We normally would have stopped at the border but because a storm was forecast for Tues we thought it best to press on. Chris had great difficulty driving at night with her poor eyesight so we went very slow. I arranged to have someone drive her across the bridge at Mackinaw. Once we were all across the weather turned bad. The last eight miles we could hardly see where to drive. If it wasn't for the rumble strips which enabled us to hear when we got off center we would have ended up in the ditch. We pulled into the parsonage (our new home) at 2 am.
The next day at 10:00 men from the church came to help us unload. Since we had no plan and the house was so small it became overwhelming and stressful for me and Chris. One of the men suggested that we could unload the next day since I did not have to return the trucks till Friday. That gave us time to come up with a plan on where to put things.
Then next day (Wed) we had everything off the trucks by 4 PM. We took Joel, the friend who came to help to Grayling (90 miles away) so he could be picked up by his parents and attend a New Year's celebration. It started to snow after we left and continued to snow the rest of the night. It was difficult seeing the road. I declared New Years Day a holiday and said we would not work but enjoy our last day together. On Friday we returned the trucks and said goodbye to Adam, Rachel, Anna and Isabel. We tried to check out schools for Sarah but they were all closed. So we opened an account at a Credit Union in Onaway. It started to snow again (are you seeing a pattern here?) Saturday was a slow day of recuperating and resting. Sunday (which was to be my first day in the pulpit) began with a call from a deacon telling me that due to icy roads Sunday school and church would be canceled. Though I was looking forward to the service it was a welcome relief that provided more needed rest from the whirlwind pace we had in packing and moving in less than two months. We did have an evening service but the attendance was thin due to the side roads not being clear. Still it was exciting to be back in the pulpit as pastor. We had fellowship with some church folks after and came home to our new house.
Today we will be looking for a school for Sarah. We have several options but most likely will put her in Roger City public school. Many church kids go there and it sounds like they have good teachers and a good program. There is an in school student lead Bible study.
Well, that is how we are doing. I hope to hear from you about what God is doing in your life."
1-6-09 Andrew Carlson ('05)--Congratulations! Andrew received his CPA certificate on December 1, 2008. He thanks Dr. Pfaffe and all his teachers at Maranatha for his education.
1-6-09 Ben ('02) and Tori (Shaul, '04) Hickok--Tori and I have moved to Michigan where I took a job with Travelers Insurance Co. as an information systems Consultant (fancy title for “I fix the computers, peripherals, and telephone issues”). We found a church in Clarkston MI where we are beginning to get involved and minister-- First Baptist Church of Clarkston. Thank you to those who have prayed for us. This information is also posted on facebook.
12-22-08 Matt ('06) and Rebekah (Wilson, '07) Bowers-- Matthew works at Milford Christian School in Milford, DE. He teaches Math to the Junior High and Science to Jr. High and High School. He also is part time youth director at First Baptist Church of Milford, DE and of course, I help. :)
I work at the Greenwood Public Library in Greenwood, DE and I am the Children's Librarian Assistant. God has greatly blessed us! :)
Merry Christmas!
12-3-08 Justin ('08) and Christina (Adam, '07) Monge-- Hi everyone! Hope all is well with your family and friends as the holiday season of 2009 draws near...The Lord did so much for us this year! You can read all about it in our Christmas Newsletter. Enjoy! We'd love to hear about what the Lord is doing in your lives!
11-23-08 Marianne Domico ('99)--It's been too long since I've last written. If it's any consolation, I've written hundreds of updates in my head as the events of life here in China have unfolded, but I've been remiss in actually sitting down to write them to you. So much has been unfolding recently, so there's much to tell.
First is that I'm beginning a transition into a different job here in China. We're starting a student activity center here that we have dreams of becoming a nationwide phenomena. I'm presently acting as the program coordinator. We're hoping to call it Life Pegs--Adventures You Can Hang Your Life On. Please talk to the head teacher as we begin this endeavor. We've bought the office space, and now I'm being relied upon to make the place look "American." I've NEVER designed an office before. Soon we'll be working on logos and branding, and if I think about it too hard, it's a bit overwhelming! Our first big project is going to be a 2 day, 1 night winter camp. We're taking 80 students and foreigners to a big lake here in northern China and going ice-fishing among other things. It's going to be exciting. As I embark on this new adventure, please bring before the head teacher two things specifically for me: my Chinese learning and my patience. I'm working with 4 Chinese co-workers in this endeavor to train them in how to plan games, execute a good program, etc. and my Chinese woefully inadequate for the task, but I'm so excited!
Holidays are coming up, and they always provide great opportunities for us to talk about the head teacher. Right now, I have several students that are very interested in knowing more about our head teacher. Our seniors will be leaving soon after Thanksgiving. This marks the first group that I've taught all four years, and as I was looking through some pictures of our adventures together I was flooded with the many memories we've had together and the many who've yet to see clearly their need for the head teacher. The opportunities that have presented themselves in these recent days to share with these seniors have been remarkably provident. Keep talking to our head teacher--he IS listening and answering in such marvelous ways. Protection from the "competing" schools is so essential as we enter into this holiday season as well. Thank you for remembering us.
As for me, since the summer, I've been on a real journey to find who I'm really relying on. I have news for you--going to China doesn't solve all your struggles with your flesh! Just wanted to make sure you knew that. Beginning my fourth year here came with a lot of questions about me--what do I want to do? What does He want me to do? Do I want to do that? Why don't I want to do that? Will I ever get to do that? No, I didn't find all the answers--but that's because he's the head teacher, right? I'm finding that I desire to be the teacher, to know all rather than leave my questions and stupidity in his ever-capable hands. Even as I read over what I've written, I realize this is the realization of the ages, of all who've gone before me, but until you discover it for yourself, until you really run to him, until you really see him provide such wonderful opportunities as you invite him into your every moment of the day, you don't really understand and comprehend it's truth. I'm praising him for his faithfulness--he keeps on loving me--and for faithful friends and parents who've reminded me of his faithfulness. For you who continue to hold me before him, I cannot begin to begin to tell you of my thankfulness; yours is the work of greatest import.
A friend of mine has set up a blog for me to post my rambling musings, so if you get to hankering for some more frequent updates or glimpses of what's happening here in China, please go to http://bochinko.com Bochinko's one of my old nicknames from my days at Northside . . . it's a long story.
I miss you all tremendously and glory in our head teacher as we work together for his school!!
11-20-08 Bekah Flaming ('98)-- Since June of 2007, I have been working for three financial advisors in Minneapolis. Recent developments have given me opportunity for additional responsibilities in my office and I welcomed the challenge to use more of my Maranatha-learned skills and job experiences. The new responsibilities keep me very busy at work, but I still have time to enjoy the family that I live close to (two sisters, a brother-in-law, two boisterous nephews, and an adorable niece). I'm enjoying living in Minnesota and am involved in Fourth Baptist Church's adult choir and recently began helping in the children's junior-age choir.
11-18-08 Heather Mroczkowski ('06)-- I am working as an analyst with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in the heart of Washington, D.C. I deal with recruitment, procurement, and budget. It's exciting to apply the things I learned at Maranatha in the real world...though there's always more to learn!
11-4-08 Jon ('96) and Christy (Bradway, '93) Cashner-- Jon was ordained to the gospel ministry on September 26, 2008 at Faith Baptist Church in Champaign, Illinois. He has been in the ministry for 14 years and has been at Faith for the last 6 years.
11-3-08 Kellen and Amber (Lang, '07) Heusinger-- Kellen and I are expecting our first in February, a little boy. We're so excited! We've just moved down to Branson, MO. Kellen has a job here and I'm beginning my search. I have a friend from high school who works for a CPA office in Springfield; I've been talking to her about places to send my resume. The goal is to find a job soon so Kellen can start school again this upcoming semester.
11-1-08 Dave ('86) and Debbie (Wagner, '86) Anderson -- Deb and I met with her oncologist this past Tuesday. The most recent scan showed a slight improvement in (decrease of) the cancer in her bones and liver, but a few new spots in some of the lymph nodes in her chest area. There has been an rise in her blood cancer markers in recent days. The chemo drugs that she has been taking have beat up her bone marrow pretty badly, so she won't be using them anymore. Lord-willing that will mean no more blood transfusions, at least in the near future. We're expecting that her low platelet counts will rebound too. She'll start a new series of weekly chemo drugs (called Cooper's Regimen) on November 10. These drugs aren't as harsh on the bone marrow, so her blood counts should be able to stay within range and we're trusting that the new chemo will be able to keep the cancer at bay.
Deb continues to radiate the joy of the Lord; she's just fun to be around. Whenever I go with her to the medical offices, all the personnel seem to know her and we are all laughing about something in pretty short order! Life with the Lord is good! Thanks for all your prayers.10-31-08 Susan (Knight, '73) Collings-- My husband, Rev. Dean L. Collings,Sr., took the position of President of the Community Bible Institue and Seminary in Richmond, VA. We have three chilren, Candie McGrath, Dean Jr. and Wesley.Our daughter and husband Mark have two children Caleb and Ana. Rev. Collings also pastors a church they started two and a half years ago in their living room. Freedom Fellowship Ministries had doubled in attendance and has moved to the community room at the local fire station.
10-30-08 Earl ('88) and Amy (Romkee, '84) Martin -- I recently took a position at VCY America in Milwaukee, WI. My responsibilities as a ministry assistant revolve around developing new children's programs for both radio and T.V., plus I am an assistant director at Trail Ridge Camp. I also help in the graphics department.
10-30-08 Rocco (’94) and Shannon (Sivula, ’93) Fell-- Rocco is currently working at Brinks, Inc. as a Regional Account Executive in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has been married to Shannon for 14 years now—crazy, I know! They currently have three dogs (chows) and three cats. His life revolves around work and anything with a motor!
Shannon is currently going to school for Interior Design with a planned graduation date of May 2009. The plan is start an interior design business to go along with the bridal design business she currently owns.
10-30-08 Leyanne Oller (’04)-- Leyanne is currently working at First Mennonite Church in Newton, KS, as their Administrative Assistant. Leyanne recently moved into a new apartment as is enjoying having more space.
10-30-08 Kim Robertson (’07)-- Kim is currently working on her Master’s in Biblical Counseling at Maranatha Baptist Bible College. She is the Graduate Assistant/Evening Supervisor at the Cedarholm Library & Resource Center. She plans to graduate in May ’09.
10-30-08 Kevin Miner (’04)-- Kevin is currently working for Kerr Corp as a Master Scheduler/Forecaster in Middleton, WI. He and his wife, Brooke, are living in Lake Mills. They are serving the Lord at Rock Lake Baptist Church where Kevin is the King’s Kids director and church treasurer.
10-30-08 Phil James ('04)-- Phil lives in Morristown, MN and works in Faribault, MN as the dispatcher for the Midwest Regional Terminal for Aldi foods. He works for the company Black Horse Carriers which contracts with Aldi and other companies such as Menards, Pier One, Ford, Affiliated Foods (Shur Fine label), Deli Express, ect. He has been working in Faribault for a year and is spending some of his “free” time working on his house. He attends First Baptist Church in Faribault, MN.
10-29-08 Thomas ('70) and Barbara Stiles -- After graduating from Maranatha in 1970, I was married and began Seminary at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary. I finished two degrees there- M.R.E. ('73) and M. Div. ('79). I also worked on a D. Min. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I pastored three churches before joining NYFRF (New Yorker's Family Research Foundation) in 2000-- County Line Baptist Church (Coopersville, MI), First Baptist Church (Ostego, MI), and First Baptist Church (West Seneca, NY). I serve on the Board of Directors for the New York Association of Christian Schools.
My wife and I have four children and nine grandchildren. Each of my children know the Lord and are serving Him: Wendy- missionary to Japan, Kevin- Associate Pastor in MI, Kim- married to a Pastor in MN, and Kari- a stay at home Mom right now and Jr. High youth sponsor in her local church.
I deeply appreciate the foundation Maranatha gave me for my life and ministry. I hope that the best years of Maranatha are yet to come. May God bless you as you continue to train young men and women for the ministry.
10-19-08 Jason Wredberg ('00)-- After serving on pastoral staff at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, NC, Jason and Josh Wredberg have joined with a group of wonderful families in planting Redeemer Community Church in Fuquay Varina, NC. Jason and Josh both serve as Elders at RCC and have been overwhelmed by the kindness and providence of God in the first two and a half months of this new church's life. God has given us about 30 families to serve alongside of and shepherd as part of this growing local body. You can find out more about Redeemer Community Church by visiting our website at redeemernc.org.
10-18-08 Bob and Georjean Radford--Monday, the 22nd we are leaving for India to teach at South India Baptist Bible College & Seminary. They have asked me to teach the book of Matthew four hours a day for three weeks. Then I will also be speaking in 15 chapel sessions and preaching the three Sundays we're there.
India, with its 1 billion people and 33 million "gods," is in tremendous need of the Gospel. I will have about 100 students in class, comprising the graduate students, the seniors of the college, and some of the college faculty. The students of SIBBC come from India, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Nepal, and South China and represent villages and cities I will never visit in my lifetime. But, once trained, these will go back home to plant churches. Unlike America where there are plenty of churches seeking pastors, there are very few churches where these men are from. Therefore, they will need to start churches of their own. Actually this will be our sixth ministry to this campus.
You probably have been hearing in the news about the persecution of believers in India. Perhaps this serious persecution is Satan’s response to the tremendous revival going on in India with thousands of Hindus coming to faith in Christ. In view of these recent conditions, I have decided to devote every chapel message and Sunday sermon to an exposition from I & II Timothy. When Paul wrote II Timothy he was facing his own martyrdom and wanted to strengthen Timothy to face the coming persecutions. Please pray for this aspect of my ministry in a two-fold manner: #1 These students someday will likely face resistance, even martyrdom, as they go out to establish new churches. #2 I need great wisdom from the Lord on approaching this subject as I have never personally faced persecution for my faith and therefore cannot speak from experience. We will be gone four weeks, returning home November 22--just in time for Thanksgiving.
Georjean Ann has been asked to teach English improvement classes to the college faculty. She will also be giving Bible lessons to both the college girls and the ladies who teach in the Christian day school on the college campus. Over 300 Hindu children attend preschool through grade 10, and many have been saved as a result of this ministry. The faculty ladies are godly, dedicated servants and they appreciate the encouragement as they daily gather to study the Word of God. The children and teachers love to sing and always ask us to teach them new songs and Bible memory verses.
On the way home from India we will stop over four days in Paris to make arrangements to teach classes at a Bible institute in the future.
I have just put together a 12 day Israel tour for Grace Baptist Church in Roanoke, VA for March, 2010, departing Dulles Airport, Washington D.C. Already we have perhaps 20 persons who have said they are going with us. I do not yet have firm airline pricing tor 2010; however, with a projected 8% increase over the ‘09 prices, we are advertising $2,900 for the 12 days. If you have ever wanted to tour the Holy Land or know of someone who would like to go with us, get in touch and I can send a brochure (either electronic or USPS).
Our next ministries will be:
November, 2008—A brief Bible conference at North Star Baptist Church, Bristol, VA.
January, 2009—India, South India Baptist Bible College, teaching the Minor Prophets for 3 weeks; faculty English class; ladies’ Bible classes.
Winter/Spring, 2009—Teaching pastors at Bethlehem Baptist Bible Institute in Papua New Guinea.
April, 2009—Palm Sunday through Easter a church conference with missionaries Andy and Diane Large in Managua, Nicaragua.
Thank you for praying as the Lord brings us to mind. We will return on November 22 and will report back to you shortly after Thanksgiving.
10-11-08 Warren ('94) and Tana (Rodabaugh, '92) Brokering--Warren Brokering, husband, father, pastor, son, brother and friend went home to be with his Lord, October 10, 2008, at 2:55 p.m. (ET). He was surrounded by his wife, Tana, his family, and dear friends. He is no longer in pain, and he is now face to face with Christ his Savior. Although his passing is painful, we rejoice with him as he enters a new, eternal life with Jesus Christ.
The viewing and funeral will be held at DeBaun Funeral Home in Terre Haute, IN. The viewing will be held Monday, October 13 from 4-8 p.m. ET. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, October 14th from 1-3 p.m. with internment at Roselawn Cemetery right afterwards.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Warren Brokering through 5th/3rd Bank at 2511 Poplar Avenue Terre Haute, IN. Phone number: 812-462-0376. Please request your gift to be placed in the Brokering account ending in 001.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me at 734-968-5135 as well as brett.a.marker@jpmchase.com
DeBaun Funeral Home
85 E. Springhill Drive,
Terre Haute, In 47802
(812)-299-5125
Roselawn Cemetery
7500 North Clinton Street
Terre Haute, IN 47805
(812) 466-5221
10-7-08 Randy ('91) and Sarah (Berlin, '89) Arbogast--Randy has accepted the position of pastor for the Baptist Bible Church of Chalmers, Indiana. The work is small, but "little is much when God is in it." I will need to find employment until the church is fully able to provide salary for us. Also, Sarah is currently teaching in Ohio. We are working with our current Pastor to find a replacemnt for her. We also need to sell our home. We have already seen God open to many doors to be fretting about things He already has a plan for. Starting this weekend we will go up on the weekends and return early Monday mornings. From our current home it is about a four hour trip.
10-1-08 Patricia Napolitan ('04)--I have not updated this in a while so I think I will fill you in. Back in 2005, I dealt with the sudden loss of my father and also the loss of my grandmother a week later. God has been so good throughout all this time though. He has been opening up doors left and right for me to walk through. I was able to be a part of the choir at the church I formerly attended and had many opportunities to minister through music. They even chose me to do my first solo! I have been working in ther daycare since 2001 and in September 2005 became their 1st grade teacher, where I am still at today. God took me through a lot of heartaches and showed His grace and mercy. It was after some of those heartaches I met my fiance, Carlos Wiggins, whom I am marrying next fall. God also moved me to my fiance's church, which is a small inner-city church. I have been able to do ministry ranging from serving at dinners to leading prayer and Scripture reading and even teacing Bible study. I started their children's ministry out of the pastor's home. It just has been so exciting to be able to be such a big part in this ministry! Please pray for a few things though. 1. Pray that God sends the funds in for the church's building project. We want to knock the wall down between the 2 row homes, but need the funding for it. 2. Pray that God would guide me as to where I am to go next year as far as teaching. I feel God moving me out of the school I am in, but I am not sure where. Also pray for the school I am in. We are dealing with some finacial issues that if not dealt with correctly or dealt with wholly, the school could possible shut down. 3. Pray for my marriage in the near future.
9-29-08 Duane ('75) and Geraldine Ott ('75)-- Geraldine went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, September 25, 2008. Please be praying for the family. Graveside services for Mrs. Geraldine Johanna Ott, 67, will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday September 30, 2008 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Cemetery in Longanville, WI with Pastor Dean Howell officiating. The family will have visitation services on Sunday, September 28, 2008 from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm and on Monday, September 29, 2008 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Grace Baptist Church in Madison, WI.
9-22-08 Dave ('86) and Debbie (Wagner,'86) Anderson--It's been a while since we've updated everyone with what's going on for Deb. I'll try to be succinct. Deb's oncologist began to use the "big guns" against the cancer in the liver and the bones at the beginning of the summer. She is on two different chemo drugs and a couple of biological drugs as well and a HOST of pills (so many that it's a wonder she's not full after just taking the pills!). The good news is that it appears that the meds are having some impact against the cancer (tumor markers are down in her blood, liver enzymes, which were sky high, have come down some). As expected there have been some challenges trying to keep Deb's blood counts stable. She had to receive a couple of units of blood at the beginning of August and then again last weekend to get her hemoglobin (red blood cells) back up into range. As of last weekend, her platelets were extremely low, so she's trying to do some physical activity to get those back up. She deals with plenty of fatigue, but all-in-all handles her circumstances and her craze family :-) like a trooper. God daily gives us blessings to rejoice in. So many folks tell us that they're praying for her, for us, causing us to be humbled by all the love expressed. Our church family has been abundantly helpful with bringing meals several days a week. Several have come to clean the house (big job -- big family and three big hair-sharing golden retrievers!). A dear lady regularly helps with ironing and Deb's mom loves to do laundry (I can't figure that one out!). We have been ministered to far beyond what we deserve! Thanks for all your love, prayer, and support!
9-22-08 Andrew ('00) and Allyson Burggraff--Andrew recently accepted the Senior Pastor position at Grace Baptist Church in Owatonna, Minnesota. Through God's direction and an overwhelming response from the congregation (98.4% positive vote), the Burggraffs began their ministry at Grace in August. The church celebrated his installation on September 3 with his father, Dr. David Burggraff, as the keynote speaker. Andy is excited about the ministry in Minnesota and looks forward to seeing how the Holy Spirit will work in Owatonna and the surrounding communities. To contact Andy, his e-mail address is aburggraff@gracebaptistministry.org.
9-15-08 Larry ('79) and Susan (Willis, '78) Horner-- Suzie recently accepted the position in ministry as Children's Ministry Director of First Baptist Church of Owensboro, Kentucky where she and Larry are now serving the Lord.
9-12-08 Troy ('07) and Cheri (Gordon, '03) Budreau-- Pastor Troy and Cheri are church planting in the Detroit Metro area. "The New Church will be Faith Baptist Church of Northern Macomb County. We affectionately call it "Faith North" for short. I have been in an internship under the leadership of Dr. Marriott at Faith Baptist of Warren since last September. With his help and the help of the church in Warren we will be starting this new church September 28th.
We are taking 5 families from Faith of Warren (who live up in the area of the new church) to plant Faith North. With help from evangelist Dave Barba we've used "The Phone's for You" to make 34,000 phone calls in Northern Macomb County. With 2,400 people receiving information about the church, we are expecting a wonderful Grand Opening service.
We will be meeting in an elementary school (Crissman Elementary) in Shelby Township. Although the school is a temporary location, God has provided us an amazing situation and a great place to meet as we plant this church."
9-11-08 Matt and Jessica (Aucoin, '07) Asire--Matt and I are doing well, but we've had some recent changes that I would like to update you on. First is an addition to our family :) Our puppy Zeta joined us 2 weeks ago when she was 7 weeks old. It has been a huge adjustment having her, but also great fun. She is a quick learning which made house breaking a breeze! I'll attach a photo for you all to see.
I'm sure many of you remember that before Matt and I were married we were talking and praying about moving out to Ironwood and joining the Ministry Bound Program. We continued to pray after we were married and the Lord closed the door to us. Since then we have been praying about what the Lord would have us to do. Matt has always had a desire and burden to join the Military. So we began specifically praying about that. We started doing our research and we finally decided on the US Coast Guard. The Lord has really been swinging open the doors too! We would like to go the officer route, but when we started talking to a recruiter the pickings for this year had already passed. So the recruiter advised us to enlist and when next years boards came up to apply at that time. Matt was just about done with all of his paper work and ready to had to Cape May, NH for basic training on October 7th, when his recruiter called and said that the Board of Officers had decided to do another board and picking for Officer Candidate School (OCS is how I'll refer to this from now on) for this year! Blessing number 1! So we were able to pull Matt's application for Enlisting and fill out the one for OCS. After doing this Matt was talking with his Uncle who was in the Navy. He told Matt it would be wise to not enlist, because when you do you sign a 4 year contract and the may decide to make you stick to the contract before allowing you to apply for OCS. Which means Matt would have been enlisted for 4 years before being allowed to apply for OCS. We are so thankful the Lord opened the door for another OCS picking this year. I know I'm going to give you some minor details that I could just skip over, but I want you to see with us how the Lord works. We had about 3 weeks to get our application in for OCS. Matt's recruiter called him on Friday before Labor day and said he needed Matt's stuff by Monday (Labor Day) well as many of you know there is no mail on Labor Day! Also on Friday when Matt went to mail his final documents it was going to cost us almost $50 to overnight them down to Columbia, SC. Because of the cost Matt just priority mailed them. They did not arrive in Columbia until Tuesday morning. We were praying so hard that this would be okay. Matt's recruiter called him on Tuesday morning and said it was fine that they really were not due until the 6th! PRAISE THE LORD! We were afraid we were going to ruin our chances if his paper work was late. The Lord knew and answered another prayer. Matt and I had to go to Columbia, SC last Friday morning to sign all of the paper work. Our next step in this process is a HUGE interview. Matt and I will be leaving for Charleston, SC tomorrow afternoon and spending the evening with Matt's brother and sister-in-law. On Saturday at 8 am, Matt has an interview with 3 US Coast Guard Officers. I kind of feel like he is going for an interrogation rather than in interview. This interview will be at the least an hour and a half long. PLEASE PRAY WITH US that this goes well. They will rank him on a scale of 1-7 for everything they ask him. If he receives a 3 or below they do not recommend him for OCS. Anything 4 or higher they will. After the interview we will find nothing more out until November/December as far as if he makes the cuts or not. The odds are very low because out of 400 applicants only about 20-40 are picked to attend OCS. Please pray that Matt will make the cuts and be able to go to OCS. We know the Lord has us in his hands. Please pray that Matt will have clarity of mind for his interview, and he'll be awake! :) I know that sounds weird, but he is not normally a good "morning" person :) We know the Lord is in control and he has a plan for us.
Another answer to prayer is: Our lease was up at our old apartment. Because originally Matt was going to be enlisting we were going to go to NH and I was going to stay with my parents while he was at basic training, but since that changed we needed to find somewhere else to live. Thankfully Matt's Aunt and Uncle own a condo in Greenville. They allowed us to rent from them for the same price as we were paying for our apartment. The Condo is 2-3 times the size of our apartment, which has been SO nice!
What will happen if Matt gets accepted to OCS? If Matt is accepted we will put all of our belongings into storage in Greenville, and go to NH around Christmas time to be with my family. Matt will leave from there for OCS which is in CT (only 2.5 hours from my parents house!) I will live with mom and dad to save money on rent, and not have to live by myself for 4 months. OCS is 17 weeks long. There is a chance I'll be able to visit Matt while he is in school so it will be nice to only be 2.5 hours away.
In the past couple of months some things have changed with my job. I think I wrote most of you to let you know I got a job in February. Since then things have not worked out with it, and I have left that location. God is Good. I was without work for most of the summer, and since Matt and I are not staying in Greenville much longer no one was willing to hire for a short time. Praise the Lord I was able to get a job at Hallmark. Not exactly my "dream" job, but it is better than sitting home and doing nothing. A good thing about Hallmark is that they will be able to transfer me up North when the time comes, and also when we are finally stationed if there is a Hallmark near by I'll be able to transfer there. I don't want to work at Hallmark the rest of my life, but for now while we are in so many transitions it is working out very well. When we are stationed for a longer period of time I will look for more permanent work at that time.
Wow! Sorry this is such a long update, but again there has been a lot going on! Thank you for your prayers thus far and please continue to pray with us that we will follow what the Lord wants. We have been blessed by our home church and our ministry there. Pray for our Church, Faith Baptist of Taylors, SC. Former pastor was John Vaughn. He has retired to be with his family, but they are still members at Faith. We are in the process of searching for a new pastor. Pray the Lord's will in this situation as well. We serve a good God!
9-8-08 Andrew ('06) and Amie (Laudenslager, '05) Vawter--Andrew began his third year teaching social studies and coaching football at McKinney Boyd High School in McKinney, Texas. This summer he was chosen as head coach of the J-V Football Team at McKinney Boyd. His first game as head coach was played on Thursday August 28th against the McKinney North High School J-V Football team. Andrew's team shut out McKinney North with a score of 32-0. The rest of the season may not be so easy, but Andy is looking forward to a great season as head coach. In addition to coaching the J-V team, Andy also serves as one of fourteen coaches with the varsity coaching staff for McKinney Boyd High School. He and Amie love Texas and plan to stay there for the future.
9-5-08 James and Susie (Ferris, '06) Yuen-- Well, it's finally updated! You can see our pictures and updates at www.jamesandsusie.org. I haven't been the best about email correspondence, so hopefully I'll do better at keeping current through our website. I went ahead and included the update text that you can find on our website, in case that's easier for you. Would love to hear from you! Have a great September!
9-5-08 Paul ('71) and Betty (Edmonds, '70) Hiscock--Thank you all for your faithful interest in our unique ministry. It’s been a full year since we began travelling again with “Sermon ‘n’ Song” meetings after months of cancer treatments and follow-up. I am glad that it is only a memory. I continue to get good reports from the doctors.
Our schedule for the past summer was lighter than usual, but we have memories of wonderful meetings. I believe that this ministry is really needed in our churches, for Psalm 135:3 says, “Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.” Since June, we have held meetings in these churches:
Independent Believer's Church (Greenup, IL) – 30th Anniversary Sunday for the church
First Baptist Church (Knox, IN) – The 25th Anniversary Sunday for Pastor
Calvary Baptist Church (Kankakee, IL) – Sermon ‘n’ Song Sunday
Victory Baptist Church (Whiteland, IN) – 25th Anniversary Celebration for Pastor Mark Felber
Burge Terrace Baptist Church (Indianapolis IN) – The 50th Anniversary for the church
Bible Baptist Church (New Buffalo, MI) – Old-fashioned tent meeting with evangelist Gary Gilmore
Calvary Baptist Church (Anderson, IN) – 10th Anniversary Sunday for the church and Pastor David Warren.
First Baptist Church (Lowell, IN) – Sermon ‘n’ Song Sunday
As you can see, this past summer observed several ministry anniversaries. We also spend a week in Greenville, SC working on some accompaniment recordings for our “Sermon ‘n’ Song” programs and an upcoming CD. We will return in October to complete the recording project.
We leave in a few days for “Sermon ‘n’ Song” meetings in Pennsylvania. For the reminder of the year, we have a schedule that takes us to Wisconsin, Tennessee, Illinois, and Indiana. We still have open Sundays in the remaining months of 2008, so please pray that our schedule will fill in and that we might be used to serve the Lord. Our ministry calendar is on our web site at www.hymnstories.com. If we can be of help to your church ministry, please feel free to contact us.
May the Lord’s blessing be upon you all for your many prayers and concerns for us.
9-1-08 Daniel and Christina (Mason, '05) Banks--This year has been a busy one for us. In December, Daniel successfully defended his Thesis and now holds a PhD in Physics from McMaster University. He also received his Masters in Theology from Central Baptist Theological Seminary this year. In March, we were married and I followed my husband to Canada. Daniel holds duel-citizenship between Canada and the US. We are waiting now for my residency paperwork to be completed with the Canadian Government. We are living in a little town of about 4,000 people called Deep River (about 2 1/2 hours Northwest of Ottawa). It is a very interesting community with its own Symphony Orchestra. I am currently a housewife and enjoying the opportunity to stay at home and take care of my husband. Daniel is employed with the National Research Council working at a Nuclear Research Reactor. His official title is Strategic Planning and Communications officer, so he doesn't spend much time doing experiments these days. We are attending a small church about 45 minutes away from our house. There are not many fundamental works going on here in this area of Ontario. Since we just moved to the area about two months ago we have not had much opportunity to get involved in the church, but we are looking forward to being able to do so in the future. We are both looking forward to what God has in store for us!
8-26-08 Michell Jones ('92)--Today was my first day at my new school. I was hired to teach half time 1st grade. However, I was approached by the principal and asked if I would take a full time position as a 5th/6th grade teacher. I had been asking the Lord to lead me to the teaching position that He would have for me--if it was to be full time, even better. So, I took the position. They are hoping that they will get enough students to make the split class into one 5th grade room and one 6th grade room. I would then teach just 6th grade which would be wonderful. So, if the Lord wills it, it is my desire to have one grade--less prep time. Thank you to all who prayed for me. I greatly appreciate it.
8-26-08 Gerald and Tammy (Toftum, '93) Orick--Tammy and her husband Gerald welcomed their "wonder-ful bundle of joy that arrived on August 15, 2008. His name is Hudson Lee Orick. He weighed 6 lbs, 12.8 oz and was 19 inches long. We feel blessed of the Lord that He has given us such a sweet little boy who is a joy to our hearts. Gerald is still in school at the University of Tennessee. He should graduate in May with his Ph.D. in mathematics. I am staying at home with Hudson. What a blessing to be able to stay at home and take care of my two most favorite people—my husband and my son.
8-22-08 Michelle Jones ('92)-- Sterling Christian School in Sterling Heights, MI had to close their doors due to lack of enrollment. I taught at this school from 1992-1998. Many of Sterling's present staff are MBBC graduates. Please keep them in prayer.
8-21-08 Bob and Georjean Radford--After we returned from our spring missions trip to PNG, where I taught the Old Testament to national pastors, we spent the summer months at home in Floyd. Our next trip will be leading a 12-day study tour of the Holy Land with a group from two churches in northern Illinois whose pastors are graduates of Maranatha Baptist Bible College. This coming Friday we will drive to Illinois where we will rendezvous with our tour members and fly out of Chicago. It does require twelve days of ambitious touring to cover all the important Biblical sites (not to mention the souvenir shops!), so in Israel we expect to be out of the hotel and on the road each day from 8:00 o’clock in the morning to 6:00 in the evening. I was once told by our Israeli land tour company that, in over 17 years of business, my itinerary is the most comprehensive list of sites they have ever provided for tours to Israel. I will be teaching at all of the sites alongside our Israeli tour guide, as well as expanding upon the day’s discoveries back at the hotel each evening. Our tour will provide the time needed to truly experience the Holy Land, thrilling at the many opportunities to learn and reflect upon the Scriptures on our adventure through the land of the Bible.
Here is an overview of our recent and upcoming teaching and Bible conference ministries:
July—Brief Bible conference at North Star Baptist Church, Bristol, VA.
August—Brief Bible conference at Heritage Baptist Church, Roscoe, IL.
August/September—Israel tour.
October—Five-night Bible conference at Anchor Baptist Church, Millersville, MD.
October/November—South India Baptist Bible College, teaching the book of Matthew for 3 weeks to 100 future pastors. Georjean Ann will teach an English improvement class to the faculty and Bible classes to the ladies. On our return, we will stop over in Paris and make a trip to nearby Vernon to visit the church and Bible institute ministries of Bernard Dodeler. We hope to be able to teach there in 2009.
November—Brief Bible conference at North Star Baptist Church, Bristol, VA.
January, 2009—India, South India Baptist Bible College, teaching the Minor Prophets for 3 weeks; faculty English class; ladies’ Bible classes.
Winter/Spring, 2009—Teaching pastors at Bethlehem Baptist Bible Institute in Papua New Guinea.
Two more churches have expressed interest in setting up tours to Israel, the dates yet to be determined. If these prospects come to fruition, that means two more Holy Land tours in the near future. What a delight it is to introduce fellow believers to the Land of the Book and see the excitement as their understanding of the Scriptures broadens day by day.
Thank you for praying as the Lord brings us to mind. We will report back between trips and hopefully include some digital pictures.
Throughout our travels, and while at home, you can keep up with the progress of our ministry on our blog at http://theradfordera.blogspot.com. Our son updates the blog for us, which includes photos from our trips.
The Radfords
8-18-08 Michelle Jones ('92)--I had my interview on August 12 and went away knowing that it wasn't the place the Lord would have for me, but encouraged that He would take care of me. The next day, the largest public school district called me for an interview for August 15. I attended and they called me that day and offered me a part time 1st grade teaching position that more than likely will turn into a full time position. I felt at peace with this offer and have accepted it. I begin on August 25 and students arrive September 2. I'm very thankful for this position and am asking the Lord, if it be His will, to provide the school enough students where I can be moved into a full time position. Thank you to those who prayed for me. I continue to ask prayer for my fellow colleagues who have yet to find a job. As far as an update on my uncle's cancer, he has to have his tonsils removed. He will then begin chemotherapy since he has already gone through radiation. Please continue to pray for him. His name is Brett. Thank you.
8-15-08 Jon and Nisha (Adams, '93) Harris--We started full time deputation in June of 07 and we started on our way to Venezuela. In November, the missionaries we were going to team up with in the amazon region, were deported and we had to find another field. In March of 08 after taking a missions trip to the Andes mountains and amazon regions of Peru, we decided God would have us go there. Our goal is to get to the field sometime in 09. We have to go to language school still, so we'd like to finish our deputation in 09 and begin language study. We are currently at 40% of our support, which isn't bad considering we have six of us in our family.
8-11-08 Heather Kinniburgh ('99)--Heather is supervisor at the membership office at The Summit, a health and physical fitness facility related to Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell, Montana. Heather and her tennis teammates just won the Montana State Championship for tennis in the USTA and will be heading to Salt Lake City Aug. 22, 23, and 24th to compete with other leagues from other states.
8-11-08 Jonathan ('97) and Hope (Budahl, '98) Robertson --Jonathan has become a chaplain in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. His Officer's School began at Fort Jackson, SC on June 8, with graduation scheduled for September 5. Thanks to MBBC faculty for filling in the pulpit at Faith Baptist Church in Portage for him this summer.
8-11-08 Steven Mann ('07)--Steve's last day in the Maranatha's Admissions Office was Friday, August 8th. He will be moving back to Pennsylvania to start seminary at Calvary Baptist in Lansdale, PA and to teach music at their Christian school. His new email address will be stevenmichael85@gmail.com
8-6-08 Eric ('86) and Cindy (Rose, '86) Linder-- After 20 years of teaching/administrating, Eric is now a representative for ABEKA books. Eric and Cindy live in Lancaster, CA, and Cindy is now an executive assistant to an attorney/Mayor in their city. They are involved in their local church and love California.
8-6-08 Randy and Debbie (Finup, '84) Craft-- After 20 months of uncontrolled "non-epileptic episodes" with an unemployable status, my husband Randy has had healing and been able to become, not only "employable", but employed. He now works at the Piggly Wiggly in Sparta, WI. Keep praying for our family to recover from the financial crunch of so long without income.
8-4-08 Pastor Scott ('91) and Cindy (Frieling, '89) Estell-- The Lord has directed Pastor Scott and his family to a new ministry in Ypsilanti, MI where Scott is now the Pastor of FaithWay Baptist Church. His new email address is pastorestell@comcast.net.
8-4-08 Caleb ('02) and Ecko (Schaumberg, '00) Stein--Caleb and Ecko were appointed by Baptist Mid-Missions for service in Peru on July 31. Caleb is currently finishing his course work for his ThM, and they hope to begin deputation early in 2009. Pray that God will give Caleb the strength to finish his school work quickly so that they can begin this new ministry.
Alumni News, 2007-08
Alumni News, 2006-07
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