Newsletter 1112-07 Color

the

Missions Banner Presbyterian Missionary Union & Venture Guild International

1650 Love Road, Grand Island, New York 14072 v Phone: 716-775-0442 v Fax: 716-775-3405 Email: [email protected] Web: www.presbyterianmissions.org

NOVEMBER /DECEMBER 2007, #223 u “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples!” Psalm 96:3

La Paz Sanctuary, Ministry Grows Since becoming a PMU missionary this past summer, Rev. David Quisbert has not let any grass grow under his feet! The new sanctuary is slowly taking shape, the new AWANA club (right) is growing, new families have come to the church, and just recently the congregation was blessed to witness the conversion of three more precious souls to Christ! We need churches and individuals to partner with us and with Rev. Quisbert to see the work there continue to grow. We must raise $7000 for David’s annual support, and more funds are needed as well to bring the first phase of the building project to completion. Dr. Pine, Dr. Kevin Backus, Rev. Timothy Miessler, and Elder Philip Resnick will travel to La Paz after Thanksgiving to assist in dedicating the new sanctuary to

News to Know • Team Timothy 2008 The 2008 team is forming up and getting started. Formal announcements of the team members will be posted on our web site shortly after November 15. Please keep the team in prayer as they raise funds and prepare for their summer ministry.

the Lord’s work. We would love to be able to help our brethren get the foundation of a broad future work well established through our gifts, our encouragement, and our prayers. Will you help us? The need is great! Thank you.

It’s all about the ministry: Rev. Quisbert preaching to the workers during a break

• Pine Ministry Schedule Dr Pine’s schedule starts heating up as the weather starts getting cold! ◊ Nov 27-Dec 3, in Bolivia helping to dedicate the new sanctuary in La Paz ◊ Dec 9, with Rev. Keith Burd and the congregation of Pilgrim Presbyterian Bible Church in Kingsville, MD ◊ Dec 27-30, Great Lakes Presbytery Winter Youth Conference ◊ Jan 1-3, Florida/SA Presbytery Youth Convention in Baltimore. 2008 looks busy, too, and we’ll have more news on upcoming trips in future issues. • Presbytery Winter Youth Conferences Scheduled Great Lakes — Dec 27-30, “Pursuing Godliness” Florida/SA — Jan 1-3, “Don’t Waste Your Life” Northwest — Dec 26-29, “Ups and Downs of Christian Living” • Men Under Care SA Presbytery At the last meeting of the South Atlantic Presbytery, meeting at Collingswood, NJ, September 28, Rev. Christian Spencer and Mr. Eric Pastorek were taken under care. Rev. Spencer will be stated pulpit supply at the Collingswood BPC pending his ordination in the BPC.

David and Deacon Martin Irusta on the second floor with the concrete bucket and crane

Bricks for the walls! 4000 more needed The interior of the new sanctuary, looking toward the street

Banner Photo above: Ruins of Inca Temple at Tijuanacu, Bolivia, with Pachamama idol seen through the door

Presbyterian Missionary Union is a non-profit missions agency associated with the Bible Presbyterian Church. Our purpose is to advance the cause of missions that are biblically based and practiced and to stand against any compromise of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. PMU is directed by a Council of Christian leaders who volunteer their time to guide the ministry. To learn more about missions opportunities through PMU, or about the BPC, please contact us. The Missions Banner is published ten times a year for interested individuals and churches. It seeks to promote the clear stand of the BPC by providing a biblical perspective on issues, fads, and theories in missions and church development. Our Editor is Len Pine, and our Publisher is Morris McDonald.

The General Needs Your Help! As we come to the end of another year, we have much for which to thank the Lord. We also have had many opportunities to learn further what it means to wait upon him and trust him to provide for this ministry. Running our third quarter reports gave us one of those opportunities! Almost all of our missionary accounts are in very good condition: all are above 100%, except for Miriam (92%), Dr. Pine (80%), and the General Fund (49%). These funds are in need of additional regular donors, especially the General Fund. Expenses have gone up, while designated giving for that fund has dropped significantly. Now we wait upon the Lord to provide the shortfall through his people. Please, if Dr. Pine and the General Fund especially are not in your church’s missionary budget, please consider placing PMU in your budget. PMU cannot function without the General Fund! It’s not very glamorous, but it is absolutely essential. Miriam, too, could use just a few more donors to make up less than $200 a month which will bring her to a full 100%. Would you make these support needs a matter of prayer, and then give as generously as you can? Thank you!

Mark Baldwin on Shopping and Studying Half a World Away in Cambodia I was standing in my kitchen last week taking stock of my “dtoo jaan” (the dish cabinet that I keep food in) and planning a shopping excursion when a strange craving hit me. I wanted a box of mac-n-cheese like I lived on in college. I know that's probably a strange desire but, well, I am half a world away from home. You can’t imagine my surprise when, walking down one of the isles in a local shop, I saw a familiar shaped box: a Kroger brand mac-n-cheese! Wow, it's a small world! The box was $1.60. I didn't actually buy it after all and had fried noodles with fish sauce for lunch. When I first came to Phnom Penh I expected I'd be forced to shop in the traditional markets scrounging around for anything that looks edible and paying 2x-5x the price locals pay. Meat that's been hanging outside in the heat fermenting all day had me resigned to possible vegetarianism. Then there are the canned goods with Chinese labels concealing content that may or may not be edible and vegetables growing in filthy conditions with no safe water to clean them. I anticipated that hunting, gathering, and preparing food would take up most of my spare time. I had visions of waiting for care packages with a few Prahok (Fermented Fish, in the little bowl at right) with favorite items I could savor. (All my care packages have been stolen, Pork (already eaten — it must have been good!) so just send email, no packages.) I had a package of “Jelly Belly” jellybeans when I came the first time which I limited myself to one a day to make them last. Fortunately there is an alternative when I’m desperate for Western food. Shortly after arriving I discovered a little shop called “Lucky Market.” It was similar to a small inner-city American grocery store. It sells a combination of western and Asian goods with a few local items and obviously caters to foreigners. There are two or three of them around now. Most of them are large and well stocked with American, Australian, French, Japanese, Korean, etc food, household goods, and even clothing. The only limitation is the size and quality of my fridge and, of course, that I must carry the bags on my moto. I end up needing to shop every couple of days. In America I tended to live on Asian food, so I just continue that practice here with local foods and dishes added. I’ve had a pretty good week of language studies. I've finally developed enough vocabulary to have basic conversations...which often lead to laughter. My understanding of grammar and usage is amusingly limited but can now be developed since I know enough words to say things. I finally feel I'm getting somewhere. I guess knowing almost 600 words gives me a sufficient foundation to make a difference. I look forward to learning the grammar and "usage" I will need to actually communicate. For example, I wanted to know how to say "I want to pay the rent." I could find the words in my dictionary and make the sentence, but they can't be used that way. What I really wanted to say was: "I /want to /pay the fee /money /expensive /house." The Khmer word for “rent” is used for "to rent a house" or "a rented house" (verb or noun) but not for the money you pay in rent, though I couldn't figure that out from the dictionary. The pleasant weather continues to hold with highs in the low 90s and lows around 80. Apparently this could continue until sometime in January. This rainy season has been much cooler than two years ago by perhaps 5 degrees or so. My apartment makes it even better, as I get a breeze blowing through the kitchen, long hallway, and living room, though not the bedrooms. Also keep my laptop in prayer. It's failed twice. The last time I lost all my data since my last backup and had to spend a week re-loading all my software and downloading updates. For now “ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:14

PMU Ships Theological Books to Mwingi, Kenya The Mwingi Bible College and Technical Institute, a school of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Kenya, has needed a theological library for a long time. Now, by the grace of God, one is on its way. Thanks to donations of books from two men here in the States nearly 200 books are on their way to Mwingi to be used in the training of young men for the ministry of the Gospel. The writings of Hodge, Calvin, Keil & Delitsch, Sproul, Adams, and many others will be great resources for the students there. We rejoiced to send commentaries, systematic theologies, books on matters of practical theology, general Bible reference, counseling, and Greek study tools to the school. Pray that the books will arrive safely and that the work in Mwingi will prosper.