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From: RiPBarnds@aol.com [mailto:RiPBarnds@aol.com]
Greetings everyone,
Spring has really sprung here, flowers are coming out as well as allergies. We have just 2 weeks left in our 5 week TEFL program. I am writing this early, so that some of you will be able to pray for a meeting Paula has at 10AM on Monday. We know that most of you are asleep at this time but we covet your prayers.
There is a young mother who has been attending our TEFL classes. Paula has had one meeting with her and she is open to spiritual things but she has almost no base with which to start a time of witnessing. Paula gave her a little homework and asked her to read the Book of John. She has a Bible but admitted that it is just for decoration and had been on her shelf for more than 10 years and she had never opened it. WE are praying that the Holy Spirit will convict her of her need for a Savior and she will accept Christ with "childlike faith." Would you join us in prayer for Suzana.
Wileen continues her music lessons and has seen some neat interaction between a student that is an unbeliever and a student that is a believer. This is what we all want to see. Please pray for Eva. The first recital for her students is less than two weeks away.
I returned to preaching through the 8th chapter of Romans this morning at Brzaj. After that we went to Zirovac to visit that church and to support Pastor Vladimir. Continue to pray for him as he has not gained back his strength since his heart problems of 4 weeks ago.
We have a rather urgent prayer request. The approval for the renewal of our residence permits and Wileen's application for her first are being held up by the local police. They have received a complaint about our teaching English here in Sisak. We have been doing this for 11 years and now we do it exclusively in Brzaj. They think that because we teach English for free that we are unfair competition for the private language schools. So these language schools want us kicked out of the country. We know that God is in control of all things. We also know that there is power in prayer. Our defense is that our English programs have a spiritual content that the private English schools don't offer. Also, the church has the right under Croatian law to teach anything in the church as long as it has spiritual content. So we ask you to pray for this.
Let me close with this little story of encouragement. After we gave this prayer request in the church in Zirovac, one lady whom I baptized three years ago came up to Paula with tears in her eyes. She told Paula that if had not been in Croatia, she would not be a Christian today. (We know theologically, that if we hadn't been here, God would have used another means) But that was a special gift of encouragement from God to us through this lady. Thank you Lord.
We thank you for your prayers, they mean more to us than you will ever know this side of heaven.
In His love and ours,
Rich, for the entire Declare team From: RiPBarnds@aol.com [mailto:RiPBarnds@aol.com]
Greetings Everyone,
Whew, busyness has taken control of our lives. Some of it good, some of it wasteful. After 10 beautiful days of cool night and days around 60, it has turned cold and rainy. Tomorrow morning we could have frost, so spring is not in full bloom yet although our flowers are blooming.
This is an exciting week for Wileen as she gets her students ready for their first piano recital. Please pray for this coming Friday evening. We know that some of her students are inviting friends to come to the Brzaj Bible Center to hear them play. Please pray for the students, that their friends will hear the gospel and that God will be glorified.
This coming week is also the final week of our current TEFL program. Please pray for some of Wileen's and Paula's students as they come for appointments and will hear the gospel. We are praying that God will call some to themselves.
We praise the Lord for the one lady and one young lady that are being discipled by Paula. Both are showing continued growth and are very faithful.
We also want to PTL for a young man who confirmed to me that he has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. His name is Tommy. Tommy and I met during TEFL last fall, and I shared the gospel with him over coffee at our house. At the close of that meeting he said that he would have to think about all that I had said. Well, two TEFL's later and Tommy has made his decision. What is really exciting for me is that he has agreed to meet with me for discipleship once every week. We will start this the week after TEFL is over. I have been praying for some time that God would call a man to himself that I could disciple and train. I pray that Tommy is that person. Tommy is 32, single and (like many young people here) unemployed.
Please continue to pray for our residence permits to be issued. This is really a battle with Satan over religious freedom in Croatia. We know that God is more powerful than Satan, but we must be diligent to pray.
JD & Ellen are busy in Houston getting their TEFL team ready for come here this summer in June. Also, JD will be flying here on Friday for a two week stay to organize things for the Baseball Camps that we will have in June in Sisak and Dvor. Please pray, will still need two coaches.
Thank you for praying for us and for your support. You are a very important part of our ministry team here.
In his love and ours,
Rich, for the entire Declare team
From: RiPBarnds@aol.com [mailto:RiPBarnds@aol.com]
Greetings Everyone,
What a wonderful week of ministry we just finished. Thursday evening was the end of our TEFL outreach at Brzaj. We had a great class and we have seen spiritual growth in some of our students, in others we see an openness to spiritual things, and, sadly, others remained closed. One thing for sure, each of our 32 students heard the gospel.
Wileen's piano students had their first recital on Friday evening at Brzaj. Our CO-laborer, Slavek, had never heard of anything like this before so he expected maybe 10 people to attend. His expectations were very low, as we had 30 people come to hear Wileen's students play. Many of those who came were unbelievers. Our expectations (the Declare team) we met and then some. Everyone there heard Jesus Christ receive the glory for what was accomplished and everyone left looking forward to next fall and the next recital. Please pray that Wileen can pick up more piano students, so even more people can be exposed to the gospel.
Yesterday was a great day in the Lord. One of our new believers at Brzaj brought one of our TEFL students to church with her. This was the students first visit. It is always wonderful when our people start doing what we are trying to model.
JD arrived in Croatia on Friday and has begun working on this summer's baseball outreach plans. He is also working with some new boys who have come out for baseball. In fact three new boys received New Testament and promised to read the Gospel of John. JD will be here for 2 weeks. Please pray for his planning and his sharing of Christ.
Wileen leaves today for the States for a 2 month working visit. During this time she will be working on recruiting for our TEFL and Baseball teams, on training teams for this coming summer, and on getting more of the things that she needs for her music ministry. Please pray for her trip today and tomorrow, plus her labors while in the States and her travels there.
Paula and I will be "holding down the fort" here. We both have people that we are discipling and I have an increase in my preaching load as we equip the people for this summer and our evangelism outreaches.
Please continue to pray for the granting of our residence permits. It is so important that we keep this need before God.
Please pray for one of our member at Brzaj. She is a single mother and her employer is downsizing after bankruptcy. She needs her job so that she can provide for her family. Also, she has health problems with her colon and needs prayer for that. Her name is Ivana.
WE praise God that after 8 years the village of Donji Zirovac is getting electricity. This will mean a lot to the people who have endured for all of these years. We are praying that the Baptist Church there will also receive approval to receive power.
Thank you for yours prayer and support. Your part on our ministry team is vital.
In His love and ours,
Rich, for the entire Declare team From: RiPBarnds@aol.com [mailto:RiPBarnds@aol.com]
Greetings Everyone,
God has really blessed us here in Croatia this week. Our discipleship meetings are going well. I had my first one with Tommy this past Tuesday and he came to the Brzaj Bible Center for the first time Sunday, AM. Paula continues to meet with her ladies and they are growing in Christ.
Wileen left for the States this past Monday and is now getting ready for her TEFL training for some of the teams that will be coming this summer. I know that she has valuable work to do over there, but we miss her being here with us.
JD has had a good week as he makes preparations for the Baseball camps this summer. He has recruited 7 new boys to join the junior team and has been practicing with them. He also went to Dvor and put on a baseball clinic in the school gymnasium during the students gym classes. This was the first introduction for most of the kids to the sport of baseball. Please pray for JD as he puts on baseball clinics at two additional schools this week in Sisak. Pray for his flight home on Friday, April 29.
On Saturday we had an all-day prayer meeting at church. The purpose was to get the people focused on praying for the upcoming summer evangelism campaign. Please join us in prayer for this important outreach.
Sunday morning we had a good crowd at Brzaj and the spirit of the people was really great. We had one new visitor and most all of our regular attenders. God continues to build His church.
Please continue to pray for our residence permits, we still are awaiting an answer. We have an important meeting this week, probably on Tuesday, AM, we are hoping will help us. Pray for this meeting.
Praise the Lord that we had a lady from Paula's last English class accept Christ this past Wednesday. The lady is 64 years old. When she came, she knew nothing of God's free gift of eternal life. When she left, she said that one is never to old to learn. God gets all of the glory for the great things which He does.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
In His love and ours,
Rich, for the entire Declare team
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