Gateway/EPIC Newsletter
September 9, 2010
Dear prayer partners and supporters,
I cannot express the joy that I have in telling you what the Lord has been doing since we have been back in Turkey. There are many prayer requests and news regarding the ministry here.
Update on E.’s health: Within about one week we will know for certain but it appears that E. just has dysentery not cancer! He has been taking medicine for this and already feels like a new person. Continue to pray for his health as he has one more doctors appointment.
Update on Beytel West: We have been focusing on discipleship of our guys at Beytel and have seen fruit from this already. We are praising God for “C.” from Scotland that has now has joined in our leadership of Beytel. We are greatly blessed by his giftings and experience. Our focus this year is in the area of intense discipleship with Beytel Church. Pray for the spiritual growth at Beytel.
Need for ESL teachers: We will be continuing our ESL program in Istanbul and need committed teachers to help with this. We will partnering with another ministry here and use their facilities as it is in a very central location. Pray the Lord would send the right teachers and that it would be His timing.
Update on Beytel East: E. will be moving back to Istanbul to help with the establishing of Beytel West and the Kurdish church. J. and E. will continue to take trips to the location of Beytel East in Sodom to do follow up and other Eastern provinces that they have open doors to. We will be sending a full team back to Beytel East to establish the base there. Pray that the Lord would send the laborers that would be called to go there. J. and E. leave next week to say goodbye to all those we have been working with and pack E. up and move him back to Istanbul. Pray for safety in their travels and that they may use this time in Sodom to again clearly share the Gospel.
Update on the Kurdish Worship service: We will be meeting once a month to worship in the Kurmanji language. Pray that there would be no fear in meeting to worship. Pray that the Lord would raise up national leaders for this work.
Update from L.: L. has been researching for her dissertation but is having trouble narrowing down a topic. Pray for the Lord’s guiding in this. Also she is now tutoring many children and one with Autism. Pray that she would have a great impact and testimony in their lives.
Short Testimony from J.: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139: 23-24).
I have been praying for quite some time that our King would show me the wickedness in my heart and refine me so I would be a more useful vessel. I asked Him to complete in me that which is lacking and remove the evil. I asked Him specifically for an intense cleansing. This summer our Lord granted my request. During this intense period of a month straight I did not understand that this is what I was going through and I was in despair because of the state of my sin and heart. I felt like I did when I first came to understand the mercy of God and came to Christ. At that time (18 years old) I wept bitterly over my sin but rejoiced in the unexplainable grace.
During this month period this summer almost every day I mourned and wept uncontrollably over the state of my heart. The Lord showed my sins and patterns in my heart and life that I did not know existed. I confessed and repented to our King and then realized that I was nothing more than a worm or a piece of dangling flesh. There is and was nothing good in me, anything that is or was good is only by the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the only one worthy to receive glory, honor and praise. It is because of Him and His work that we do anything good. I then asked the Lord to please hold back on sanctifying me to that intensity, as I could not take it anymore. I thought to myself, if I am this bad now at 31 how much more cleansing will I go through when I am 61, and what else is evil in my heart? The thought scared me. The grace of God is too much.
I praise our King for answering my prayer, even though it was the most difficult month in my entire life. It has lead to a revival in my heart and I pray that this revival leads to a revival in our church in Turkey and an awakening in the many unreached Muslims here. I encourage you all to ask the King to do a similar work in your heart. You will find out that you are worse than you think you are, but at the same time you will experience amazing grace. This at one time was a normal practice in the Christian life, taught and encouraged especially by the Puritans.
“In the spiritual world also I am dependent entirely on thee. Give me grace to know more of my need of grace; Show me my sinfulness that I may willingly confess it; Reveal to me my weakness that I may know my strength in thee… My sins are black and deep, and rise from a stony, proud, self-righteous heart; Help me to confess them with mourning, regret, self-loathing, with no pretence to merit or excuse;…”
[1]-Puritan prayer
God bless you all and thanks for your prayers.
J. from Istanbul
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Thursday, September 9, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
News from Mexico
South O' Border
DR. & MRS LONNIE C. SMITH Sr.
Missionaries to Mexico
Hebrews 6:10
__________________________________________________________________
September 2010
Dear Friends In Christ:
Four more churches in Mexico now have a piano for their worship services. Al Williams a piano tuner and repairman has donated and delivered over 40 pianos to the churches of Mexico. His wife Jodie came with him to deliver these last four. Bro. Angel Zapata pastor of our First BB Church in Reynosa came with help and carried the four pianos into Mexico the day after they were delivered. Pastors from Chihuahua, Veracruz, Queretaro and Cd. Victoria in Tamaulipas will pick them up soon.
Bedford Baptist Temple, Texas pastor Ray Johns and Mission representative Randy Loyd have taken the oversight of Matamoros Baptist Mission. Eli Zapata, our grandson in the ministry is pastor of this Mission. The Baptist Temple is making plans to finish the building that will include housing for Eli and his family. The work is growing and there are over 50,000 people within walking distance of the church.
Reports for over seventy VBS show that God is still in the saving business. Because of the unrest in Mexico the attendance was smaller this year that in pasted years. However over many boys and girls were reached with the gospel. One church reported over 60 professions of faith. Others showed smaller numbers, but in all VBS there were souls saved. The Mexican Baptist church of Brownsville, Texas received help from Bedford Baptist Tempe in the form of school supplies and backpacks for all those attending. This work had three VBS this year. In one 16 were saved. In another over 25 were saved and in another ten were saved. Joel Olazaran is the pastor and director of these works. There was an average of about 30 souls were saved in each of these VBS. Praise God for those who have helped with prayer and financies.
Beloved we are so thankful for your continued prayer and financial help for our ministry. God continues to bless with souls and continued growth in attendance. Our youth camps were blessed this year and many young people surrendered their life to full time service.
Yours for souls in Mexico,
Lonnie & Margie
DR. & MRS LONNIE C. SMITH Sr.
Missionaries to Mexico
Hebrews 6:10
__________________________________________________________________
September 2010
Dear Friends In Christ:
Four more churches in Mexico now have a piano for their worship services. Al Williams a piano tuner and repairman has donated and delivered over 40 pianos to the churches of Mexico. His wife Jodie came with him to deliver these last four. Bro. Angel Zapata pastor of our First BB Church in Reynosa came with help and carried the four pianos into Mexico the day after they were delivered. Pastors from Chihuahua, Veracruz, Queretaro and Cd. Victoria in Tamaulipas will pick them up soon.
Bedford Baptist Temple, Texas pastor Ray Johns and Mission representative Randy Loyd have taken the oversight of Matamoros Baptist Mission. Eli Zapata, our grandson in the ministry is pastor of this Mission. The Baptist Temple is making plans to finish the building that will include housing for Eli and his family. The work is growing and there are over 50,000 people within walking distance of the church.
Reports for over seventy VBS show that God is still in the saving business. Because of the unrest in Mexico the attendance was smaller this year that in pasted years. However over many boys and girls were reached with the gospel. One church reported over 60 professions of faith. Others showed smaller numbers, but in all VBS there were souls saved. The Mexican Baptist church of Brownsville, Texas received help from Bedford Baptist Tempe in the form of school supplies and backpacks for all those attending. This work had three VBS this year. In one 16 were saved. In another over 25 were saved and in another ten were saved. Joel Olazaran is the pastor and director of these works. There was an average of about 30 souls were saved in each of these VBS. Praise God for those who have helped with prayer and financies.
Beloved we are so thankful for your continued prayer and financial help for our ministry. God continues to bless with souls and continued growth in attendance. Our youth camps were blessed this year and many young people surrendered their life to full time service.
Yours for souls in Mexico,
Lonnie & Margie
Monday, August 30, 2010
News from Turkey
Gateway/EPIC Newsletter August 28, 2010
Highlights of the Summer:
1. J. of Istanbul successfully completed three seminary courses along with having many speaking engagements and meetings pertinent to the ministry in Turkey. J. and L. have had safety in all seven thousand miles of driving this summer!
2. L. successfully completed her comprehensive doctoral examinations and is in the process of writing her dissertation in the subject area of Special Education.
3. E. has hosted many groups and individuals this summer in both Istanbul and in Beytel East in Sodom. He and Kenan have shared the gospel with scores of individuals and continue to be a light to those around them.
4. M. and his family have faithfully discipled and been a light in the area of Y.B. (new church plant area). They have hosted many groups and individuals all summer.
5. Meetings with EPIC in Northwest Arkansas. J., L. and the folks at EPIC had several encouraging meetings in Northwest Arkansas with ministry partners this summer and we are praying for fruit to be born from the meetings.
Urgent Prayer Request for E.: E. has been ill for several months and recently went to the hospital. He had four biopsies taken from his intestines and after the results came back he has had three different doctors give him three different diagnoses. The first said it was cancer, the second said it was ulcers and inflammation, and the third said it was none of the above and he needed to be re-tested but in the meantime take antibiotics as that may clear it up. Please pray for E. that he would be healed, pray for wisdom in the diagnosis of the illness and treatment.
Prayer Request for Beytel East and West: Today (Saturday) and for the next several days we will be having meetings with the leadership of our churches to deal with issues in the church (church discipline) and strategies for church-planting and evangelism outreach this year. Please pray with us that those that have strayed off the path would have a contrite and repentant heart and be remorseful and restored to fellowship. Pray with us that the Lord would guide us to do His will in Istanbul and in the East of Turkey.
Prayer Request for L.: Please pray for L. as she works with special needs children this year along with teaching in private tutoring. She will have many opportunities to share with these children and their parents. Pray for open hearts to the Gospel and open doors for her to share clearly with those she has influence with. Pray also that the Lord would guide her in her doctoral dissertation writing, specifically that it would be glorify Him and be used for the Kingdom. (Below L. has a special request for you all.) Thank you for being faithful to pray and support the ministry here to reach the unreached. We love you and pray that the Lord would continue to guide and use you where you are at and here in the Middle East!
J. from Istanbul
(Letter from L.)
Dear Supporters and Fellow Laborers,
As many of you may know God has been directing me into the field of special education over the last few years. As I continue to work in the schools systems in Turkey I am even more convinced that God is leading me to work with children with disabilities and their families. The picture is much bigger than Turkey and I am seeing more and more the need throughout the Middle East for the education of parents and teachers in the area of disabilities and special education. As I talked with my department head at Regent, Dr. Mark P. Mostert, God has impressed upon me the need to get involved in discussing these issues and educating people on disabilities and the ethical treatment of people with disabilities. Dr. Mostert started a wonderful forum out of Regent University called the Institute for the Study of Disability and Bioethics http://www.regent.edu/acad/schedu/isdb/ .
I am interested in getting Christian doctors or anyone with knowledge in this area to help write short opinion pieces and blog spots related to the disabilities and bioethics. If you are a doctor or someone with knowledge in bioethics or know someone who would be interested please e-mail me. With new technology in medicine, the health care reform bill and issues in bioethics and the ethical treatment of individuals with disabilities it is essential that we as Christian respond and share what God’s word has to say on these matters. All over the world people with disabilities are suffering and subjected to poverty, humiliation, and death.
Educating the public on these issues can help us begin to reconcile these men and woman made in God’s image to their society and their God. Pray with me as God leads me to the forum and contacts that will help bring about this reconciliation.
Possible topics for the website are:
1. Their experiences dealing with these issues.
2. How they handle the issues as Christians and how they counsel patients.
3. How they deal with insurance companies.
4. Suggestions for people in their dealings with doctors, insurance companies and illnesses.
Please email me your articles and suggestions at gatewayeducationalservices@hotmail.com
Follow us on Twitter: Gatewayedu
Join us on Facebook: Gateway Educational
Website: www.gatewayeducation.org
Check out the EPIC’s Website: www.epicinternational.org
Highlights of the Summer:
1. J. of Istanbul successfully completed three seminary courses along with having many speaking engagements and meetings pertinent to the ministry in Turkey. J. and L. have had safety in all seven thousand miles of driving this summer!
2. L. successfully completed her comprehensive doctoral examinations and is in the process of writing her dissertation in the subject area of Special Education.
3. E. has hosted many groups and individuals this summer in both Istanbul and in Beytel East in Sodom. He and Kenan have shared the gospel with scores of individuals and continue to be a light to those around them.
4. M. and his family have faithfully discipled and been a light in the area of Y.B. (new church plant area). They have hosted many groups and individuals all summer.
5. Meetings with EPIC in Northwest Arkansas. J., L. and the folks at EPIC had several encouraging meetings in Northwest Arkansas with ministry partners this summer and we are praying for fruit to be born from the meetings.
Urgent Prayer Request for E.: E. has been ill for several months and recently went to the hospital. He had four biopsies taken from his intestines and after the results came back he has had three different doctors give him three different diagnoses. The first said it was cancer, the second said it was ulcers and inflammation, and the third said it was none of the above and he needed to be re-tested but in the meantime take antibiotics as that may clear it up. Please pray for E. that he would be healed, pray for wisdom in the diagnosis of the illness and treatment.
Prayer Request for Beytel East and West: Today (Saturday) and for the next several days we will be having meetings with the leadership of our churches to deal with issues in the church (church discipline) and strategies for church-planting and evangelism outreach this year. Please pray with us that those that have strayed off the path would have a contrite and repentant heart and be remorseful and restored to fellowship. Pray with us that the Lord would guide us to do His will in Istanbul and in the East of Turkey.
Prayer Request for L.: Please pray for L. as she works with special needs children this year along with teaching in private tutoring. She will have many opportunities to share with these children and their parents. Pray for open hearts to the Gospel and open doors for her to share clearly with those she has influence with. Pray also that the Lord would guide her in her doctoral dissertation writing, specifically that it would be glorify Him and be used for the Kingdom. (Below L. has a special request for you all.) Thank you for being faithful to pray and support the ministry here to reach the unreached. We love you and pray that the Lord would continue to guide and use you where you are at and here in the Middle East!
J. from Istanbul
(Letter from L.)
Dear Supporters and Fellow Laborers,
As many of you may know God has been directing me into the field of special education over the last few years. As I continue to work in the schools systems in Turkey I am even more convinced that God is leading me to work with children with disabilities and their families. The picture is much bigger than Turkey and I am seeing more and more the need throughout the Middle East for the education of parents and teachers in the area of disabilities and special education. As I talked with my department head at Regent, Dr. Mark P. Mostert, God has impressed upon me the need to get involved in discussing these issues and educating people on disabilities and the ethical treatment of people with disabilities. Dr. Mostert started a wonderful forum out of Regent University called the Institute for the Study of Disability and Bioethics http://www.regent.edu/acad/schedu/isdb/ .
I am interested in getting Christian doctors or anyone with knowledge in this area to help write short opinion pieces and blog spots related to the disabilities and bioethics. If you are a doctor or someone with knowledge in bioethics or know someone who would be interested please e-mail me. With new technology in medicine, the health care reform bill and issues in bioethics and the ethical treatment of individuals with disabilities it is essential that we as Christian respond and share what God’s word has to say on these matters. All over the world people with disabilities are suffering and subjected to poverty, humiliation, and death.
Educating the public on these issues can help us begin to reconcile these men and woman made in God’s image to their society and their God. Pray with me as God leads me to the forum and contacts that will help bring about this reconciliation.
Possible topics for the website are:
1. Their experiences dealing with these issues.
2. How they handle the issues as Christians and how they counsel patients.
3. How they deal with insurance companies.
4. Suggestions for people in their dealings with doctors, insurance companies and illnesses.
Please email me your articles and suggestions at gatewayeducationalservices@hotmail.com
Follow us on Twitter: Gatewayedu
Join us on Facebook: Gateway Educational
Website: www.gatewayeducation.org
Check out the EPIC’s Website: www.epicinternational.org
Friday, August 27, 2010
News from Mexico
Dear Faithful Pastor and Friends,
We begin this letter with a happy note. We have been serving our Lord here in Old Mexico since May of 1974. We thank God for your faithful support. You have enabled us to be here and you share in the results we report to you.
Our Timothys and fellow laborers:
1. Uriel Hernandez: This 26 year old young man has preached twice at church since we last wrote you and has done so very good. One person was saved and baptized through him.
2. Josue & Sory Suazo: This couple is from the Dominican Republic. Josue's dad led Sory's dad to the Lord three days before he died in their homeland. At the funeral, six others trusted the Lord as Savior.
3. Lupita Mora: This special lady has formed a team to visit the hospital on Sunday afternoons. They have led eight people to the Lord.
4. Jorge Alejandro Montes: This young university student reports four professions of faith in personal soul winning and another three professions of faith in youth meetings.
5. Hector Manuel Padilla and Jorge Alejandro Montes made a trip to visit our national missionary in Tlaxcala, Mexico. They gave out hundreds of gospel tracts and led five people to the Lord while they were there. They were also an encouragement to the missionary and his family.
6. Helga Guiterrez has led five of her relatives to the Lord and three of them are now faithful in church.
7. There have been eight professions of faith here at Living Word Baptist and I baptized thirteen people in July and August.
Our Youth: A total of 42 went to camp this summer. Seven young men and women surrendered their lives to full time service and are planning to enroll in Bible college in September.
Missions: Living Word Baptist has expanded its missionary outreach to support a young Mexican couple preparing to go to Pakistan. Bro. Jorge Luis Gomez and his wife, Irma, are trying to work through all the red tape to get their visas. Please pray for them.
Praise Report: Nineteen year old, Eric Rosales, finally received a kidney transplant in July. The doctors marvel at his recuperation. We praise the Lord!
'Til Jesus Comes,
Lonnie C. Smith, Jr.
We begin this letter with a happy note. We have been serving our Lord here in Old Mexico since May of 1974. We thank God for your faithful support. You have enabled us to be here and you share in the results we report to you.
Our Timothys and fellow laborers:
1. Uriel Hernandez: This 26 year old young man has preached twice at church since we last wrote you and has done so very good. One person was saved and baptized through him.
2. Josue & Sory Suazo: This couple is from the Dominican Republic. Josue's dad led Sory's dad to the Lord three days before he died in their homeland. At the funeral, six others trusted the Lord as Savior.
3. Lupita Mora: This special lady has formed a team to visit the hospital on Sunday afternoons. They have led eight people to the Lord.
4. Jorge Alejandro Montes: This young university student reports four professions of faith in personal soul winning and another three professions of faith in youth meetings.
5. Hector Manuel Padilla and Jorge Alejandro Montes made a trip to visit our national missionary in Tlaxcala, Mexico. They gave out hundreds of gospel tracts and led five people to the Lord while they were there. They were also an encouragement to the missionary and his family.
6. Helga Guiterrez has led five of her relatives to the Lord and three of them are now faithful in church.
7. There have been eight professions of faith here at Living Word Baptist and I baptized thirteen people in July and August.
Our Youth: A total of 42 went to camp this summer. Seven young men and women surrendered their lives to full time service and are planning to enroll in Bible college in September.
Missions: Living Word Baptist has expanded its missionary outreach to support a young Mexican couple preparing to go to Pakistan. Bro. Jorge Luis Gomez and his wife, Irma, are trying to work through all the red tape to get their visas. Please pray for them.
Praise Report: Nineteen year old, Eric Rosales, finally received a kidney transplant in July. The doctors marvel at his recuperation. We praise the Lord!
'Til Jesus Comes,
Lonnie C. Smith, Jr.
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