ABWE - Association of Baptists for World Evangelism

Harry and Bea Ward

• Praise the Lord that the Mango Hospital project in northern Togo has received a gift that brought them to their goal of raising $5.5 million. 
• The Wards’ son and his wife (Andrew & Mary) are currently in Togo in preparation for their future ministry there. Andrew is also doing some ground work for his doctoral dissertation involving Christian schools in Togo. 

Angela Atwell

•  The children’s ministry is opening opportunities to share the gospel with kids each week. Please pray that some of the youth ministry will be interested in the gospel and will want to know more.

Steve and Terri Robinson

• Twelve church planters graduated from the Institute of Church Planting in December. This is our second group of graduates, and now there are 22 church plants across Nicaragua in progress since our ABWE team began this ministry in 2007. Pray for these men and their families to persevere in their ministries and for open doors in their communities to share the Gospel.
• The association of Nicaragua Christian Academy schools has an English speaking campus that is serving around 300 students this year and they are gearing up for Spiritual Emphasis Day on Jan. 27.
• The Nejapa campus (Spanish-speaking) graduated its largest class in December and hopes to enroll around 350 as the new school year begins January 31.
• The association received funds to purchase land and begin construction of a third campus (Spanish-speaking) in the town of Matagalpa, two hours north of Managua.
• Pray that God would raise up leaders from these schools to impact society with the Gospel.

Calvin and Birte Veith

• Calvin and Birte Veith will be phasing out of their ministries at their church by the end of March. Pray for the church members as they take on more responsibilities. 
• They are considering serving the needs of a small church plant that has expressed a serious interest in their help.
• The Kusel church is still awaiting government approval for their new building project. The initial building permit was requested over two years ago, but bureaucracy prevails.

Miriam Tyers

• Miriam Tyers is teaching moral education class for a group of 10 girls at a local junior high school. Pray that they would be saved and learn to walk with the Lord and impact their school. 
• She also has an invitation to teach at a second public school. 
• Nine unsaved ladies study English with Miriam in a weekly class. Four of them watched a Billy Graham DVD with her and showed spiritual interest. Pray for ways to follow them up.
• Pray also for her student Diana, who studied English. She received a Bible and indicated interest in knowing how to read it.

Mike and Rachel Gustafson

• Mike and Rachel Gustafson are reaching out to young men through a Saturday basketball program. Twelve games are played each Saturday and most of the players are not believers. Pray for lasting spiritual fruit from this league.
• The Gustafsons are asking God to lead them as they purchase their first car in Ukraine. 
• Rachel is leading a young wives Bible study.

Rick and Carol Ferrari

• Rick and Carol Ferrari’s church, Gospel Life, ordained Artyom Dyagilev to the ministry of deacon and sent him out as the lead church planter at the Chuguyiv church. 
• Pray for this growing new church plant (1 year old and 50+ attending). 
• Rick finished teaching the Basic Bible Doctrine course in December. Please pray for the upcoming courses in the new year including New Testament Survey, Counseling, and Kairos — a special missions training course that will be held in their church in March 2012.
• Carol has begun a teaching-mentoring small group study for career age women who wanted to share together concerning family, singleness, and reaching their family and friends for Christ.  

Dan and Kelly Cook

• Praise God for providing funds to complete construction on the pastoral home and remodel the bathrooms in the dining hall at Camp Paradise. They hope to complete the construction of the chapel this year. 
• Dan and Kelly will present Good Soil Seminars in seven cities in Brazil this year.

Jerry and Lynda Neuman

• On Jan. 5, the (Brazilian) Maranatha mission approved the Ricardo and Rita Mafra family as missionaries. They have served in the Amazon, but now sense a leading into a church planting ministry in the interior of a neighboring country. This country, with its leader who delights in stirring up trouble, kicked out American missionaries from their country. Please pray for this dear family as they make the transition.  
• Their young adult daughters, Natasha and Sasha, are also preparing to serve as missionaries. 
• Jerry writes, “Pray for us as we seek to care for our MMM missionary family, now composed of six families, one single lady, one short-term family and a number waiting in the wings! We have another couple, Ronaldo and Thalita, being interviewed next Thursday with the goal of going to East Timor!”

John and Yvonne Baab

• Six churches that were without a pastor now have good men leading their congregations. Only one remains without leadership among their fellowship of churches.
• Pray for new students at the Bible College. They have a great group of teachers and John will be able to focus on administrative responsibilities this year. Yvonne will be teaching English.   

Alejandro and Robyn Armijo

• Alejandro and Robyn Armijo will ask the Lord to provide funds this year for the purchase a future construction site for the Missionary Baptist Church in Iquique. 
• The church will send a bus load of young people to camp in Santiago at the end of January. This has been a very fruitful ministry and many young people have come to know Christ as their Savior who are now actively participating in the church’s youth group and Sunday services. The church hopes to provide scholarships for many teens who cannot otherwise afford to attend.