Newsletter July And August -08

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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

JULY/AUGUST 2008, #230 u “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples!” Psalm 96:3

New Phase Begins in Cambodia Mission This is an exciting time for the PMU Cambodia mission as it is transitioning from ministering through others to ministering in it’s own facilities. A new townhouse has been rented which will allow for living upstairs and running a church/school downstairs. After much discussion, prayer, and exploration, the plan is to begin teaching English at night to meet and evangelize people with the goal of starting church services as soon as possible. Only .4% of the population is “Christian” (including all cults), and since public prosely-

ally no Christian upbringing and 90% of the population under

New Cambodia Mission Site

Mission Kitchen For perspective, the fridge is 5’ tall

Moving Day! This will make a wonderful sanctuary and Bible study area.

tizing is illegal, it may take considerable time to build a functional c h u r c h . With virtu-

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25, church elders will need to be grown from scratch. Equally important are your prayers for Rev. Baldwin as he works to plant the seed of the gospel in Cambodia. Please remember these requests:

God’s opening of hearts to the gospel. Wisdom for Rev. Baldwin as he strives to work under a government that is hostile to the gospel. God’s continued provision of funds needed to sustain this new Mission Station. Safe travel in the city as the traffic grows worse.

Rev. Quisbert Meets with President Morales Following is a delayed report from our missionary in Bolivia, Rev. David Quisbert, due to space restrictions. We print it now for your information. Pastor David Quisbert, missionary to Bolivia, writes of the political conflict within his country. “The political situation in Bolivia today is tense. The Santa Cruz city and the other lowland departments of Bolivia plan to go ahead with a referendum to approve ‘Autonomy Statutes for Santa Cruz,’ setting a new system of government for the department on May 4th, in spite of the National Electoral Court ruling forbidding the referendum and the disapproval of the international community. Speculation and tension continue to soar, and the potential for conflict and even violence is high. In this context the Lord has provided an interview and ‘Apthapi’ (authentic indigenous lunch eating with the fingers, without tables and in community) with the president Evo Morales, Vice president Alvaro Garcia Linera and all their cabinet of Ministers on April 30, 2008. For this event the Biblical churches of La Paz gave me the privilege of speaking in the meeting to Pastor Quisbert with President Morales (Continued on page 2)

News to Know • Dr. Pine in Peru Dr. Pine’s trip to Peru was a great blessing. We thank God for safe travel and opportunities for ministry. • Team Timothy Bolivia We thank God for a wonderful Team Timothy in Bolivia. The Team was greatly used of the Lord to minister in many ways. Look for a full report in next month’s Banner or visit Dr. Pine’s web blog at lenpine.wordpress.com. • Pray for support levels Please pray that God will raise up more faithful supporters for our missionaries and general fund. Banner Photo above: View from 4th floor of Mark Baldwin’s new location in Cambodia.

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.

Missionary Moments from Around the World News from Australia Dr. and Mrs. Edward Paauwe continue to serve the Lord in a ministry that is never static. Dr. Paauwe pastors the Bible -Presbyterian Church of Western Australia. The church holds two services each week (English and Chinese), except on the first Sunday of the month when they combine for the Lord’s Supper. Approximately 160-170 people attend the English service and about 110-120 attend the Mandarin/Chinese service. In addition, the Junior Sunday School regularly has approximately 45-50 children. The church’s theme for 2008 is “With Eternity’s Values in View” (II Cor. 4:18), and Dr. Paauwe has been preaching regularly on that topic. Dr. Paauwe also teaches at Evangel Bible Institute. School will resume on August 6, when Dr. Paauwe will teach Missions and Greek. In addition, Dr. and Mrs. Paauwe labor faithfully, working at youth camps, conferences, and missions stations as opportunities arise. Dr. Paauwe is recovering from back surgery. Please continue to pray for complete healing and full recovery of strength and energy.

News from Bolivia Pastor David Quisbert is busy with the Lord’s work in Bolivia. He continues to pastor the Bible Presbyterian Church in Bolivia. In addition, he has had the privilege of teaching a Hermeneutics class at Saint Paul Seminary this past June and starting a Bible study in May in the El Alto area. Please pray for this Bible study as it meets every Tuesday, at 4:30 PM. Along with his wife, Gloria, and Martin and Gonzaga Irusta, Pastor Quisbert leads the ONSA Program (Awana). It is exciting to see how the Lord is blessing this ministry which is sponsored by the Grand Island BP Church. July has been busy with PMU’s Team Timothy. Seven members formed this year’s team. The ministry has been blessed, and the preparation and hard work of the church is obvious. A full update on this ministry will be in the next Missions’ Banner. Pastor Quisbert also maintains a weekly Bible study, sent via e-mail to over 1,200 subscribers. The church continues to reach their community by handing out tracts. This past year the church was enabled by God to hand out 5,500 tracts in the cities of La Paz and El Alto. Please keep this ministry in prayer, as well as the completion of the building project.

News from Cambodia Rev. Mark Baldwin is beginning the next phase of his

current situation. Rev. Baldwin has made good progress in his language acquisition. Please continue to pray for him as he continues his language training and begins this new phase of his ministry.

News from the Far East Miriam continues to do well. Her newest project is the translation of sound, Biblical books needed for native Christians. Translating into the modern tongue is a slow and arduous task. Please pray for all involved. Miriam will be in the US from late July—early November. Please pray for her as she tries to catch up with family, doctors’ visits, and travels across the US to various BP churches sharing the ministry God has given her.

News from Myanmar Rev. Khawl Ro Kim and his wife, Mawite, continue to do well in Myanmar. God has blessed the work and opened many doors to the gospel. The BP Church of Yangon is now two years old. Membership is strong with approximately 30 people attending regularly. Seven churches in the Chin state have formed their own presbytery and keep an affiliation with the BP church. Recently, the BP Church at Thinglei has been formed at the western boarder of Myanmar near India. Please pray for this young church. Pray for Missionary Pazar as he continues to work at the Inlay Mission. The work is moving slowly due to closed doors to living within the village. Missionary Pazar must live in another area and commute to the Mission.. Church planting work at Aung-tha-pyi and Namhu continue. Pray for the training of the young men who are working in these churches. Two orphanages continue as a part of the BP ministry in Myanmar caring for 24 children. Five children are at Aungthapyi campus and 19 children at Yangon. We thank God that Rev. Kim will be attending this year’s PMU Annual Meeting and the 72nd Synod of the BP Church.

News from the US Dr. Len Pine continues as the Field Director for PMU, located in Grand Island, New York. This year has been filled with many opportunities in various fields as Dr. Pine traveled to four Asian countries, Peru, and Bolivia. Dr. Pine has been busy leading the TT USA in Grand Island in March and the TT Bolivia in July. Karen, his wife, continues as PMU’s secretary. Please pray for wisdom and strength for the ministry as Dr. Pine continues to work at home and abroad.

ministry. Please see the article on page one regarding his

Quisbert, cont. the president. My speech was related to 4 main points. 1) The Church is praying for the rulers; the call for the rulers to look at the blessings that come from heaven, from our Lord. 2) The respect to the life from the conception. The rejection of our church to hate violence and death. 3) The rePastor Quisbert Speaking Before the President of Bolivia spect to the laws and come back to a right state in Bolivia. 4) The call to reconciliation of our country in love. Our Bible was given to the president and the vice president. My Wife and Deacon Martin gave tracts to the Ministers and the concurrence. I had a good dialogue with the president. He is committed to participate this year in the Service of the Biblical Churches for the celebration of Bolivia anniversary. Thank you to the brethren and churches that are praying for Bolivia. This is the testimony of your prayer for us.” The construction of the second floor of the sanctuary also continues. Eleven columns have been placed, all the steel trusses and roof structure have been installed, and it is now ready for the roofing tiles. With funds from a local gift, a new kitchen, classrooms, and office space have also been added, greatly enhancing the functionality of the property. Please continue to pray for this building project, that the Lord would Second Floor of the BPC Church provide even in the midst of the financial crisis across the world.