A Miracle Moment in Colombia

As our team from FBC Euless, TX prepared to head back home, we stood in the airport and joked about who might look "suspicious" enough to be asked to go through the "special" check-point. As in most airports these days, there are several security check-points one must go through before finally boarding their plane. Although we joke about how time consuming they can be, I have really learned to appreciate the added security that it brings!

As our team filed through the first check-point, we missionaries were standing behind the security gates, watching to make sure the Spanish-to-English exchange between them & the security officer was being understood. Of course, in a big group like theirs, the officer decided to check at least one of their bags. You'd imagine that when a group says they've been doing "mission" work, that the officers would think you were the most innocent people in the world. In our country, many so called "missionaries" are actually drug traffickers...sad, but true.

Decked out in his new traditional, hand-crafted Colombian hat, our fearless team leader Keith was chosen out of the bunch. He walked over, smiling like he'd one a prize, and watched as his old fashioned, hard cover suitcase was inspected. As the officer inspected his suitcase he founds something interesting...a box. As he opened it, Keith began to explain to him what it was. It was an Evanacube. Keith took the cube, and using his basic Spanish began to explain each picture, opening the cube, showing man's sin, Jesus' death, burial & resurrection, the choice we have to accept his free gift of forgiveness....and the officer stood there staring, listening to every word he said.

We missionaries stood there watching. Keith offered to give the officer the cube...and the Spanish-English New Testament that was also sitting on top of his luggage. (What divine placement of those two items!) After Keith had moved to join the rest of his team members, waiting to check in at the airline desk, we kept an eye on the officer. Immediately he took the cube and showed it to the other 3 officers who were also checking luggage. Serious & stern faces turned to smiles as he opened the cube and began to repeat what he had heard! He then took the cube to show more officers down at the next check point. We all stood there in utter amazement! What might the Lord have in store for this man!?

More than 30 minutes later, we saw the officer, walking down the airport, Bible & cube in hand...I think this was a gift he intended to keep.

Thank you Lord, for preparing Keith's luggage in just the right manner, for giving Keith boldness to use the little Spanish he knew to be obedient and share your Truth. Thank you for opening the heart of the security officer. For giving him the desire to share this new Truth with others around him. Give him the desire to learn more about you, to read Your Word and to come to know you personally.

What we thought was a routine security check-point, might have been the check-point that officer needed to find everlasting security in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have..."

-1 Peter 3:15a

Clay Hilton- Canada Church Plant Update

"Don't you go all religious on me" exclaim Terry's friends "Aw don't worry about that I have a really cool pub-crawling preacher that I really like." That is what Terry, the guy that I met while drinking a diet pepsi at Brewbaker's Pub, is telling his friends.

God is working on Terry. He called this week when I was out and left this message on my phone "Hey Clay this is Terry. I was reading this book that you gave me and had some questions about it. Let's get together and talk about it. Okay talk to ya' soon."

We had some coffee today as we talked about life, love, God, and the kind of life that Jesus wants for Terry.

This is as great of a picture as you get up here. 2 Tim Horton's empty cups of coffee and an open Bible. Terry, a rough edged, blue collar, molson drinking, ladies man teared up as I shared with him John 10:10 and other verses. He is still checkling out Jesus, but wants to come over reguarly to learn more about Him. God has Terry's number please continue to pray for him.

Hope and Help Update

A new Timothy Leadership Institute is just now underway in West Bengal India. The class of 27 men is made up of pastors, evangelists and church planters who are actively involved in ministry but have had no training. These students come from the Indian states of West Bengal and Manipur, as well as the countries of Bhutan and Nepal. The teachers for this TLI are HHI Director Larry Malone and Robin Webb, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. They are teaching Bible Doctrines and Bible Study Methods. The TLI provides a good solid foundation for Christian teaching so that these church leaders will be able to explain why they believe what they are preaching and teaching. The study methods course teaches the men
the proper ways to study a passage so that they will be able to understand the truth of God’s Word. May we ask you to pray for this TLI? Here are a few specifi c prayer requests:

● pray for Larry and Robin as they teach each day

● pray for Rupak who is the local coordinator of the TLI and will do most of the translation work

● pray for the students

● pray for Reuben, Rupak’s brother, who is assisting with the TLI

● pray for the families of the students who are left alone during the TLI class time

● ask God to give Larry and Robin the exact words they need to say in order to make the material clear and understandable

● pray for safety in travel and for good health for the students and the teachers

● as Larry and Robin go into the villages to preach on Sunday, please pray that God will give them opportunities to clearly present the Gospel to anyone who is still in spiritual darkness and to encourage believers

Clay Hilton Update

Here in Fort McMurray there is a really bad sinful side to the city. Few places in the city are as bad as the Boomtown Casino.

Drug deals, prostitution, assaults, and gambling happen all the time at the Boomtown. On Wednesday, October 1st one other thing happened outside the ol' Boomtown Casino- Jesus was shared with a hopeless group of people.

With the sweet, stale, nauseating smell of marijuana in the air Michael and I shared real hope to the people outside the Boomtown.

Michael, a guy that is partnering with me to reach Fort Mac, and I had a really good visit with a guy named Chad. Chad went to a baptist high school in British Columbia and knew he was not living for God. We prayed with him and gave him our contact info. Please pray that Chad and others will bend their hearts to the Lord in this cold sin city.

Clay Hilton- Canadian Missionary

I met Terry a few weeks back when I sat down at a bar, ordered a diet pepsi and then prayed God would send somebody for me to talk with. He sent Terry to sit down beside me at the Brewbaker's Pub.

As you might recall, Terry said that he was interested in "being my first church member". We hit it off and Terry said he wanted to talk again at another time.

Last Sunday, was that other time. I invited Terry over to our home to enjoy some chili (made from chili mix sent up from the Bridger Sunday School class in Alabama). He loved the good ol' southern cooking and had never had chili with cornbread.

We then went downstairs and talked for two hours about life, love, God, and the Bible. As a matter of fact. I gave him his very first Bible. He had never seen the inside of a Bible ever before.

Terry was a little perplexed by all the little numbers and big numbers and different names at the top of each page. I explained to Terry how and where to read in his new Bible and most importantly I shared with Terry how to start a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Terry was not uninterested about a relationship with Jesus, but wanted to think about that decision a bit more. Terry said he would read his new Bible and talk more with me later.

We plan on getting together soon. Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to touch Terry's life and call him to repentance.

Robert and MaryJo Foster- EE Brazil Update

Well, how about a few minutes of breaking, good news? Last month from Brazil, I asked you to pray for our activities there. A lot happened as a result. For example, we were able to advance the project of the videos that need to be filmed, by talking with the young university student who had offered to help. The scripts were finished and a schedule was established. There were many meetings with EE leaders about current projects.

Much of my time in Sao Paulo was spent making various contacts. Here are three highlights:
We visited with pastors and EE leaders of a church that has hosted past clinics about an idea of mine as to how that church could partner with us in a new way, holding what we call a "missionary clinic" in another state/region where we do not currently have a church using EE training. A missionary clinic is not for missionaries. Rather, it operates as a short term missions project.

One Sunday, I visited one of the larger Baptist churches in the capital in order to meet the pastor and to learn a little about the church. This resulted in a meeting with the pastor later in the week. He has been at the church about 9 months and told us: "I want EE in my church!" From there we discussed/shared how to bring this about.
One day while working in the EE office, we received a call from a pastor in the city of Salvador. He asked if he and an associate pastor could meet with us in Sao Paulo the next day. So, the next day we listened to him tell of his desire to train his churchʼs 2,000 cell group leaders by November of this year, in order to reach a large group of people by year's end. He told us that his church's total weekend attendance in five services is now 8,000 and that he is dreaming of having 10,000. Needless to say, he got our attention!
Here is some background on that last contact: In 1999, we held a leadership training clinic in a Brazilian church in Pompano Beach, FL. Both the pastor and his associate from Salvador were clinicians that week, as they were living and pastoring in the area at that time. As we visited and discovered this, it was an important "it's a small world" moment.

Recently, as the pastor began to have a vision for training his cell group leaders, he remembered the training he received in 1999. For this reason, he traveled to Sao Paulo to talk with us. We listened, assured him of our desire to work with him and the church and mentioned our new Workshop.

The next day we talked with other members of our team and were urged to travel to Salvador and work out the details of the Workshop. A few days later we found ourselves riding to the church in the car of the associate pastor, as he pointed to a large favela (shantytown) there in Salvador. He told us, "We have 400 cell groups in that favela."

We learned that the church is 126 years old, making it the oldest Baptist church in Brazil. And, in the next 24 hours, we worked through most of the details of holding the training at their church. To be able to train 2,000 leaders of the church is obviously an incredible opportunity AND challenge for EE-Brazil.

Well, we are still working on a date for the Workshop, as the initial suggestion for October was met with some conflicts in calendars. We are now trying to nail down dates in November.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING so fervently for this trip! As you have just read, the Lord heard and answered. Now, I ask you to pray for the follow-up on these opportunities, especially for this training in Salvador.

One closing bit of news about our family: We spent this past weekend with Brian and Taunya who are expecting their first child in January. They are expecting a boy, our first grandson. Needless to say, we are very excited for them. Please pray for the remaining months of Taunya's pregnancy and all of their preparations.

Thank you for holding us up in prayer! Finances, both personal and ministry funds, continue to be a serious matter for prayer. We remain very grateful to those who support us in this way and welcome others to become financial partners with us, too.**

And, let's pray fervently for our country at this momentous time in history and for displaced Galveston and Houston residents!

Blessings,

Robert & Mary Jo
EE-Brazil

Beach Clubs Kickoff

I wanted to give you our first Beach Club Report this year! It was a great week!

We kicked off 10 clubs!

Clubs: 10
Kids: 446
Leaders: 38 (actual is almost 80)
Total: 484
Professions of Faith: 5

Talk about Miracle Moments!!! I can’t wait to see what God does this week as we kick off our 11th club, Bear Creek!

Privileged to serve,

Tammy Terrell