Dear Brothers & Sisters,
Greetings in the wonderful name of our blessed Savior. I think I have enough strength now to sit up and write and let all of you know what has been happening with Becky and I. Here goes.
When I returned after 8 weeks in Africa, I was scheduled for a total knee replacement. The pain in my left leg never stopped and I was having a difficult time getting around without it locking up at times or just staying swollen and tender. The doctor said my knee was one of the worst he had ever worked on. I guess I waited long enough. The surgery was September 22nd and while I was still in the hospital I had a heart attack. I called Becky at 3AM on the 24th and told her even before I called the nurse because I really thought I was going to glory and just wanted to let Becky know I loved her so much. They rushed me in an ambulance to another hospital and found 2 blood clots in my heart that caused cardiac failure. They removed the clots and put in 2 stents for a total of 11 that I have now. After that, my heart and lungs filled with blood and I was put on oxygen for the next 5 days and was in ICU. Then I developed a fever and infection and had 2 IVs along with several blood transfusion. The stories I could tell about those 5 days. It too my heart 5 more days to go back to a normal rhythm. They changed most of my heart meds and finally released me. I have started some home rehab with my knee, but being unable to since the surgery, it has put my schedule way behind. God is wonderful and full of mercy and grace and answers prayers. God is good.
Becky and I want to thank all of you who prayed us through. I came so close to being with Jesus and I had total peace. It's hard to explain the Grace that goes on and on and on. I am praying for a steady recovery to get back working for the Lord. He is worthy, He is worthy. We have many plans for next year, African and beyond. We must get the Word out while we can. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Words just seem to be not enough to thank each one of you for your prayers, support, and for your love for Jesus and the Bonner family. We love you. To God be the glory, great things He hath done. We have another chance to do something for our KING.
In Jesus Name,
Bobby & Becky Bonner
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Letter from J & L in Turkey
Gateway Newsletter
October 18, 2009
“Turkey and Armenia signed an accord Saturday to establish diplomatic relations after a century of enmity,…” [1]
As Turkey and Armenia were planning historical steps for their future relations and discussing the possibilities of opening the borders, Gateway was at work in Armenia making spiritual steps towards reconciliation, peace and strategic planning of how the Armenian/Georgian Christians along with the Kurdish Churches in their respective countries can work together with Beytel churches in ministry.
We thank all of those who prayed for this trip and help financially support this endeavor. I believe that by doing this you were a part of fulfilling these passages:
Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Ephesians 4:2-3, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(To see pictures of the trip please go to Gateway’s facebook page and become a friend of Gateway Educational) http://www.facebook.com/gatewayeducationalservices
Highlights of the trip:
1. E. to ask for forgiveness on behalf of the Turks: Below I will recount one of the moving moments of reconciliation as recorded in my journal.
Wednesday, October 7:
“E. said that he was privileged to one of the first Turks to be able taste the love and acceptance of his Armenian brothers and sisters in Christ. E. asked for forgiveness for what the Turks did to the Armenians. He said, “I cannot keep from wondering how many brothers and sisters in Christ I would have if we would have not killed them.” He broke down and wept. He could not go on speaking. The translator, church and I did not know what to do. It was very moving. Then all of the sudden an older, white haired, Armenian man in a suit walked on to the platform, hugged and cried with E. This continued for what seemed like hours, then E. walked off the stage. The pastor of the church encouraged those who wanted to reconcile with E. in person to come up and hug him. A line began to form and from young to old the church hugged and cried with E. An old Armenian widow came up to E. When E. saw her he broke down again, she hugged him and told him how they lost their homes and family members during the genocide. She said they never were able to find their son but she told him you are now my new son in place of him! J.
2. Kurdish pastor asked forgiveness from E.:
Here is an account of what heppened while visiting one of the Kurdish pastors and his church.
Thursday, October 8:
This was the first Kurdish services E. and I had ever attended. We met at 1:30pm with the Kurdish church and I was asked to say a few words in Kurmanji. I explained who we were, what our ministry was and asked them to pray for our work. E. also greeted the church and we sang hymns of praise in Kurmanji. After this I said in Kurmanji, “Xwedêyê me Hêja ye, Xwedêyê me Aştî ye û Xwedêyê me Hez kirin e.” Our God is great, our God is peace and our God is love. The Kurdish pastor looked at us and said, “Only by Jesus Christ could we have such love and unity for each other. Just look at this. Here present us Kurds, then Turkish E. and their Armenian friend H., and an American all of us together, all of us at one time enemies but now brothers and sisters!” He began to cry and said to E., “please forgive us Kurds for what we have done to you Turks!” They embraced and we all clapped! J.
3. Challenge for the Armenia church to pray for Turkey:
Whenever we had the opportunity to speak or preach we emphasized the need for the Armenian and Kurdish Churches to pray for Turkey. The best reminder was Mt. Ararat that is clearly seen from the Erivan the capital of Armenia. I explained that the lights on the mountain they can see at night are villages where our ministry is working and that is called Twin Mountain Province. I explained specifically the village of the two girls with the skin disease. I said that those girls in that village look down every night and see Erivan clearly and that when they, the church, look up and see Mt. Ararat I asked if they would please pray for that village and for God’s mercy in Turkey. I challenged them to pray with us Mat. 9:37-38, Col. 4:2-4 and II Thes. 3:1-2. J.
4. Teaching at a missions school:
The church in Armenia has been challenged to reach its Muslim neighbors. A missions school asked E. and J. to speak on how to effectively reach Muslims. J. and E. spoke on potential obstacles and how to overcome these, the importance of Ambassadorship, along with inviting the Muslim into the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.
5. Prayer walk with Armenian church leaders and members:
One morning J. and E. met early with over 20 Christian leaders and members of churches and headed to the Armenian/Turkish border. There we prayed together for Turkey, we had communion together and prayer walked along the border for around 2 hours! Praise God for the heart of the Armenian Christians who are concerned for the welfare of Turkey. The Armenian Christian leaders drew in the dirt a map of Turkey, anointed the map with oil and wine and laid hands on the map asking God to bless and have mercy on the country!
6. Connecting with the three Kurdish fellowships:
Because of our work with Kurds we were excited to meet with the two Kurdish fellowships in Armenia and the main Kurdish fellowship in Georgia. This week one of the Kurdish leaders from Georgia will be joining us in Turkey! Other Kurdish leaders will come and help us with training! These meetings were invaluable for the future work with the Kurds in Turkey! There was one Kurdish woman at one of the Kurdish churches at Armenia that when she met us and heard us speak she was in tears as she told us that she had been praying for 20 years for the other Kurds in Turkey, and now the Lord was answering her prayers. Two Kurdish leaders from Georgia told E. and J. “I feel like I am meeting with two angels, because we thought no one else was trying to reach the Kurds in Turkey and now we can partner with you!”.
Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gatewayeducationalservices?ref=profile
Follow us on Twitter: “E.” and “J.” will be giving daily updates via twitter.
After you create a twitter account http://twitter.com/ Follow us, our name is: gatewayedu
Website: www.gatewayeducation.org
Thank you all for your support and prayers!
J. of G.E.S.
If you feel led to support Gateway’s ministries please send your donations to:
Donations can be made online through New Horizons Foundation: http://newhorizonsfoundation.net/index.php?option=com_dtdonate&Itemid=5
More detailed information about EFT transfers:
EFT Bank transfer Credit/Debit Card Donations. The 15th of every month donations to Gateway can be electronically withdrawn. One can decide in giving if their electronic gift will be a one time gift or monthly. The transaction date for monthly gifts is on the 15th of every month. What is needed is the credit/debit card information (Name, Expiration date, Card Number). If the transfer will be made from a Bank account; a routing number and account number will be needed. Remember the project of the donation is Gateway Missions.
Checks can be made out to:
New Horizons Foundation Inc. (FBO Gateway Missions)
Send to:
New Horizons Foundation, Inc.4570 Hilton Parkway, Suite 203Colorado Springs, CO 80907
-To check out the latest pictures and info please go to our Face book page.-
Face book: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1376664116&ref=profile
Website: www.gatewayeducation.org
Twitter: @gatewayedu
[1] http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/mobile.do?load=wapDetay&link=189541
October 18, 2009
“Turkey and Armenia signed an accord Saturday to establish diplomatic relations after a century of enmity,…” [1]
As Turkey and Armenia were planning historical steps for their future relations and discussing the possibilities of opening the borders, Gateway was at work in Armenia making spiritual steps towards reconciliation, peace and strategic planning of how the Armenian/Georgian Christians along with the Kurdish Churches in their respective countries can work together with Beytel churches in ministry.
We thank all of those who prayed for this trip and help financially support this endeavor. I believe that by doing this you were a part of fulfilling these passages:
Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Ephesians 4:2-3, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
(To see pictures of the trip please go to Gateway’s facebook page and become a friend of Gateway Educational) http://www.facebook.com/gatewayeducationalservices
Highlights of the trip:
1. E. to ask for forgiveness on behalf of the Turks: Below I will recount one of the moving moments of reconciliation as recorded in my journal.
Wednesday, October 7:
“E. said that he was privileged to one of the first Turks to be able taste the love and acceptance of his Armenian brothers and sisters in Christ. E. asked for forgiveness for what the Turks did to the Armenians. He said, “I cannot keep from wondering how many brothers and sisters in Christ I would have if we would have not killed them.” He broke down and wept. He could not go on speaking. The translator, church and I did not know what to do. It was very moving. Then all of the sudden an older, white haired, Armenian man in a suit walked on to the platform, hugged and cried with E. This continued for what seemed like hours, then E. walked off the stage. The pastor of the church encouraged those who wanted to reconcile with E. in person to come up and hug him. A line began to form and from young to old the church hugged and cried with E. An old Armenian widow came up to E. When E. saw her he broke down again, she hugged him and told him how they lost their homes and family members during the genocide. She said they never were able to find their son but she told him you are now my new son in place of him! J.
2. Kurdish pastor asked forgiveness from E.:
Here is an account of what heppened while visiting one of the Kurdish pastors and his church.
Thursday, October 8:
This was the first Kurdish services E. and I had ever attended. We met at 1:30pm with the Kurdish church and I was asked to say a few words in Kurmanji. I explained who we were, what our ministry was and asked them to pray for our work. E. also greeted the church and we sang hymns of praise in Kurmanji. After this I said in Kurmanji, “Xwedêyê me Hêja ye, Xwedêyê me Aştî ye û Xwedêyê me Hez kirin e.” Our God is great, our God is peace and our God is love. The Kurdish pastor looked at us and said, “Only by Jesus Christ could we have such love and unity for each other. Just look at this. Here present us Kurds, then Turkish E. and their Armenian friend H., and an American all of us together, all of us at one time enemies but now brothers and sisters!” He began to cry and said to E., “please forgive us Kurds for what we have done to you Turks!” They embraced and we all clapped! J.
3. Challenge for the Armenia church to pray for Turkey:
Whenever we had the opportunity to speak or preach we emphasized the need for the Armenian and Kurdish Churches to pray for Turkey. The best reminder was Mt. Ararat that is clearly seen from the Erivan the capital of Armenia. I explained that the lights on the mountain they can see at night are villages where our ministry is working and that is called Twin Mountain Province. I explained specifically the village of the two girls with the skin disease. I said that those girls in that village look down every night and see Erivan clearly and that when they, the church, look up and see Mt. Ararat I asked if they would please pray for that village and for God’s mercy in Turkey. I challenged them to pray with us Mat. 9:37-38, Col. 4:2-4 and II Thes. 3:1-2. J.
4. Teaching at a missions school:
The church in Armenia has been challenged to reach its Muslim neighbors. A missions school asked E. and J. to speak on how to effectively reach Muslims. J. and E. spoke on potential obstacles and how to overcome these, the importance of Ambassadorship, along with inviting the Muslim into the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.
5. Prayer walk with Armenian church leaders and members:
One morning J. and E. met early with over 20 Christian leaders and members of churches and headed to the Armenian/Turkish border. There we prayed together for Turkey, we had communion together and prayer walked along the border for around 2 hours! Praise God for the heart of the Armenian Christians who are concerned for the welfare of Turkey. The Armenian Christian leaders drew in the dirt a map of Turkey, anointed the map with oil and wine and laid hands on the map asking God to bless and have mercy on the country!
6. Connecting with the three Kurdish fellowships:
Because of our work with Kurds we were excited to meet with the two Kurdish fellowships in Armenia and the main Kurdish fellowship in Georgia. This week one of the Kurdish leaders from Georgia will be joining us in Turkey! Other Kurdish leaders will come and help us with training! These meetings were invaluable for the future work with the Kurds in Turkey! There was one Kurdish woman at one of the Kurdish churches at Armenia that when she met us and heard us speak she was in tears as she told us that she had been praying for 20 years for the other Kurds in Turkey, and now the Lord was answering her prayers. Two Kurdish leaders from Georgia told E. and J. “I feel like I am meeting with two angels, because we thought no one else was trying to reach the Kurds in Turkey and now we can partner with you!”.
Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gatewayeducationalservices?ref=profile
Follow us on Twitter: “E.” and “J.” will be giving daily updates via twitter.
After you create a twitter account http://twitter.com/ Follow us, our name is: gatewayedu
Website: www.gatewayeducation.org
Thank you all for your support and prayers!
J. of G.E.S.
If you feel led to support Gateway’s ministries please send your donations to:
Donations can be made online through New Horizons Foundation: http://newhorizonsfoundation.net/index.php?option=com_dtdonate&Itemid=5
More detailed information about EFT transfers:
EFT Bank transfer Credit/Debit Card Donations. The 15th of every month donations to Gateway can be electronically withdrawn. One can decide in giving if their electronic gift will be a one time gift or monthly. The transaction date for monthly gifts is on the 15th of every month. What is needed is the credit/debit card information (Name, Expiration date, Card Number). If the transfer will be made from a Bank account; a routing number and account number will be needed. Remember the project of the donation is Gateway Missions.
Checks can be made out to:
New Horizons Foundation Inc. (FBO Gateway Missions)
Send to:
New Horizons Foundation, Inc.4570 Hilton Parkway, Suite 203Colorado Springs, CO 80907
-To check out the latest pictures and info please go to our Face book page.-
Face book: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1376664116&ref=profile
Website: www.gatewayeducation.org
Twitter: @gatewayedu
[1] http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/mobile.do?load=wapDetay&link=189541
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Letter from Lou & Pam Hill
Praise God for His calling which is always accompanied by His enabling!
Having been through the most difficult ear of our lives, Pam and I have continually held on to this truth. Knowing that He has called us to this ministry has been one of the greatest encouragements of all. While there have been many times that our flesh wanted to doubt that God was bringing us through the trials, reminding ourselves that He has called us to this great work has been sufficient to keep that faith He had instilled in us strong and at work. Praise His dear Name!
Since our last letter, chemotherapy treatments have ended and another CT scan done indicating that God truly has taken all the cancer from my body. We had full assurance from Him that this was the case before the last scan was done, but it sure is nice to hear it from the doctors too. If I weren't so dignified I'd have to shout a little in celebration and thanksgiving for God's grace and healing. But wait, I'm not so dignified, so here goes...."WOOHOOO!" What a wonderful God we serve!
Now that I am regaining the physical strength and stamina to resume a full time schedule, the work of the ministry can continue as before my health problems. Please pray for us as we begin to fill our travel calendar again. Please pray for us that we might be a blessing to people across America as we continue our deputation. Most importantly, pray that our vision for the people of Macedonia will increase and that we will be able to see that vision come to fruition as we share it in churches across the nation.
A special thanks to those of you who have begun supporting us monthly. Your faith in God to use us is very encouraging. Your financial support, as well as your prayer support, is very important to us.
Please pray with us for the people of Macedonia; specifically, for the national pastors in Macedonia. With the national unemployment rate approaching 40% in Macedonia, the churches are very poor and the pastors have to do whatever possible when it comes to providing for their families. Pastor Byram Aliti, on of our pastors in Kumanovo, until recently operated a booth in the open market in the gypsy area. Due to economic conditions this is no longer possible, so the Lord will have to supply the needs of this pastor and his family in some other way.
Souls continue to be saved in Macedonia. Thank you for continuing to partner with us.
In Christ for Macedonia,
Lou Hill
Having been through the most difficult ear of our lives, Pam and I have continually held on to this truth. Knowing that He has called us to this ministry has been one of the greatest encouragements of all. While there have been many times that our flesh wanted to doubt that God was bringing us through the trials, reminding ourselves that He has called us to this great work has been sufficient to keep that faith He had instilled in us strong and at work. Praise His dear Name!
Since our last letter, chemotherapy treatments have ended and another CT scan done indicating that God truly has taken all the cancer from my body. We had full assurance from Him that this was the case before the last scan was done, but it sure is nice to hear it from the doctors too. If I weren't so dignified I'd have to shout a little in celebration and thanksgiving for God's grace and healing. But wait, I'm not so dignified, so here goes...."WOOHOOO!" What a wonderful God we serve!
Now that I am regaining the physical strength and stamina to resume a full time schedule, the work of the ministry can continue as before my health problems. Please pray for us as we begin to fill our travel calendar again. Please pray for us that we might be a blessing to people across America as we continue our deputation. Most importantly, pray that our vision for the people of Macedonia will increase and that we will be able to see that vision come to fruition as we share it in churches across the nation.
A special thanks to those of you who have begun supporting us monthly. Your faith in God to use us is very encouraging. Your financial support, as well as your prayer support, is very important to us.
Please pray with us for the people of Macedonia; specifically, for the national pastors in Macedonia. With the national unemployment rate approaching 40% in Macedonia, the churches are very poor and the pastors have to do whatever possible when it comes to providing for their families. Pastor Byram Aliti, on of our pastors in Kumanovo, until recently operated a booth in the open market in the gypsy area. Due to economic conditions this is no longer possible, so the Lord will have to supply the needs of this pastor and his family in some other way.
Souls continue to be saved in Macedonia. Thank you for continuing to partner with us.
In Christ for Macedonia,
Lou Hill
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Manila Flood Follow-up Report
As I circulated through the church, last Sunday, visiting with families and young people before the worship service began my heart was blessed. Story after story was shared with me about how God sustained their lives during the recent flood. LuAnn and I spent time praying for these families during the storm. Seemingly, every other person I spoke with lost most of their belongings in the flood.
Through the Flood...to the Church!
Our conversation was filled with stories of how they made it to church this weekend. Some rode military trucks through flooded areas, till they could catch public transportation. Others paid local boatmen exorbitant fares for a ride. Still others shared how they walked through water that was up to their thighs. But they were there, at church, smiling, singing, giving praise to an almighty God who met their need in the storm.
Not much complaining or whining over the tragedy. In fact, the Filipino people are some of the most resilient people on earth! Filipinos withstand tragedy with a smile!
Worship After the Storm
As the worship service began, the songs were all about living through the storms of life. In fact, our sermon topic on the weekend that the storm hit was, "Turning Tragedy Into Triumph!" This series was planned back in August and this specific message topic was scheduled at that time. Well, I guess God scheduled the topic to work with the coming storm He would allow.
As the people sang the words,
"You are my Rock, in You I stand,
safe in your arms that surround me.
You are my Rock, in You I trust,
safe from the storms that surround me!" I wept.
The Holy Spirit met with us. The people present had lived these words only days before. Often I feel unworthy to stand beside such incredible people of God, but this weekend was special. There were lots of hugs, always a word of gratefulness to God who protected whole families during the flood.
Record Attendance During The Storm!
In our Floodway church, Pastor Julius told me how he had a record attendance during the storm! To my surprise, I asked how that happened. Pastor Julius told me about all the people who crowded in the church to escape the flood. So he decided to hold a worship service! They had 600 people in their small facility. No seating, just standing - elevator style! Some were saved, but because of the circumstance, there was no place to deal with them individually.
Miguel Lazo...Saved Just In Time!
On October 3, during the Saturday service in Floodway, many people were still living in the church as evacuees. So Pastor Julius had all the people push their belongings over to one side of the room and held their regularly scheduled Saturday night service. Twenty-one were saved during the service! One man, Miguel Lazo, age 51, accepted Christ that evening. The next day, Sunday morning, Miguel walked across the street, had a heart attack, and went home to be the Lord. Miguel found Christ in the midst of the storm...just in time!
Many areas of Metro Manila are still flooded. The waters are expected to stay in some of the worst areas for several weeks. There is much to be done!
Thanks for your partnership!
Sincerely,
Greg & LuAnn Lyons
Megacity Ministries
Through the Flood...to the Church!
Our conversation was filled with stories of how they made it to church this weekend. Some rode military trucks through flooded areas, till they could catch public transportation. Others paid local boatmen exorbitant fares for a ride. Still others shared how they walked through water that was up to their thighs. But they were there, at church, smiling, singing, giving praise to an almighty God who met their need in the storm.
Not much complaining or whining over the tragedy. In fact, the Filipino people are some of the most resilient people on earth! Filipinos withstand tragedy with a smile!
Worship After the Storm
As the worship service began, the songs were all about living through the storms of life. In fact, our sermon topic on the weekend that the storm hit was, "Turning Tragedy Into Triumph!" This series was planned back in August and this specific message topic was scheduled at that time. Well, I guess God scheduled the topic to work with the coming storm He would allow.
As the people sang the words,
"You are my Rock, in You I stand,
safe in your arms that surround me.
You are my Rock, in You I trust,
safe from the storms that surround me!" I wept.
The Holy Spirit met with us. The people present had lived these words only days before. Often I feel unworthy to stand beside such incredible people of God, but this weekend was special. There were lots of hugs, always a word of gratefulness to God who protected whole families during the flood.
Record Attendance During The Storm!
In our Floodway church, Pastor Julius told me how he had a record attendance during the storm! To my surprise, I asked how that happened. Pastor Julius told me about all the people who crowded in the church to escape the flood. So he decided to hold a worship service! They had 600 people in their small facility. No seating, just standing - elevator style! Some were saved, but because of the circumstance, there was no place to deal with them individually.
Miguel Lazo...Saved Just In Time!
On October 3, during the Saturday service in Floodway, many people were still living in the church as evacuees. So Pastor Julius had all the people push their belongings over to one side of the room and held their regularly scheduled Saturday night service. Twenty-one were saved during the service! One man, Miguel Lazo, age 51, accepted Christ that evening. The next day, Sunday morning, Miguel walked across the street, had a heart attack, and went home to be the Lord. Miguel found Christ in the midst of the storm...just in time!
Many areas of Metro Manila are still flooded. The waters are expected to stay in some of the worst areas for several weeks. There is much to be done!
Thanks for your partnership!
Sincerely,
Greg & LuAnn Lyons
Megacity Ministries
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