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TRANSFORMING LIVES
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WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE WE GOING? THANKS TO YOU...
WORLD MISSIONS
Episcopal Diocese of West Texas
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MANOS DE DIOS IN HONDURAS from Patricia Perea
The Manos Team just got back from our annual trip to Danli, Honduras. We had a great trip full of blessings. Our motto this year was Faith in Action. We had a total of 12 individuals going on this trip including persons from different churches: St. Francis by the Lake, St Andrew's in Seguin, Emmanuel in San Angelo, Christian Church of San Angelo, St Mark's in San Marcos and St Anthony de Padua in San Antonio. In addition, we had our Manos Pray-ers Powerhouse led by Libby Templeton from St. Francis, Canyon Lake, following our journey day by day and praying for us along the way.
We have been working in the colonia Nueva Esperanza in Danli, Honduras for the past 15 years. The initial commission for the Manos team was to plant a church in Nueva Esperanza, an underserved neighborhood in the heart of Danli. After many years of work, dedication, generous donations, and constant prayers, we have been able to plant and build a church. In addition, we have built a vocational center and have been able to work in various social areas with the purpose of empowering the members of the community and help them be self-sufficient. This year, in addition to working in Nueva Esperanza, we decided to work in two other villages called Santa Maria and El Porvenir. We worked side by side with members of our sister church Manos de Dios in many ministries.
We interviewed and added 15 new scholarship recipients for our Manos Scholarship Program. All of the selected students not only had a high academic index (92% or higher), but also demonstrated a strong eagerness to do well in school, as well as a financial need. Three of our students graduated from high school in November 2015, and all three are enrolled in college. Alexander obtained a full scholarship from the Honduran electrical company to attend the Zamorano University. Carlos will pursue a degree in Civil Engineering and Celeste decided to study Agronomy Engineering. Marlon graduated in December 2015 with a degree in Agronomy Engineering. We are very proud of Ivette who graduated in 2013 from Zamorano University with a degree in Agronomy Engineering and got a full scholarship for a Master's degree at the University of Puerto Rico. This year we will have a record total of 61 students in the Manos Scholarship Program including 51 in grades 7-12 and 10 students in college. We had a wonderful trip! Lots of great stories to share. My personal favorite is the scholarship program. Also, the Club Aventura (reading club) continues to thrive. The students were very excited to get the Kindle tablets for the club and are reading away El Peregrino by Paolo Coehlo. The sewing micro-enterprise is also doing well. They are doing school uniforms which is a great way to have steady work at least at the beginning of the school year. God is AWEsome.
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YWAM IN MEXICO from Michelle and Mark Sharrow
Hello, dear friends and family! I hope you all are doing well. I wanted to send you a quick update.
We just had our first Mission Adventures team of 2016. The team was made up of 18 students from a Christian high school in Canada. We had an amazing week building a house, serving the homeless and the elderly, and most importantly, encountering God.
Mark just finished teaching the book of Jeremiah in the Bible school, and I already have a midterm for my class on the Old Testament this semester.
At the end of this month we will host two more Mission Adventures teams from a school in Norway followed by at least five more teams in March, and they will just keep coming. Life just doesn't stop!
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REACHING THE TRIBES IN THE PHILIPPINES
from Ginny and George Olson (above - Philippine wedding reception)
Dear friends and family, How blessed we are to be able to serve God in establishing His kingdom, and awaiting His return! Our Christmas holidays were joyous, as we were able to return to Texas and see family, and especially... our first grandchild! Wow!
Unfortunately, it was too short. A 2-week trip back to Texas is pretty brutal on our bodies, and in my weakened condition it was quite taxing. But by the Lord's grace, we made it through! It really was a wonderful and blessed time.
Our work here always keeps us busy! A local Episcopal Church asked me to lead a chronological Bible study for some of the parishioners. I was glad they asked, as of course teaching the Bible is the reason we came here. In this case, the people in the Bible study are already Christians, so it is an opportunity to strengthen the faith of local believers. My main ministry is, of course, coaching and preparing missionaries in tribal locations on their language study progress. Ginny's is teaching missionary kids at Faith Academy. However, to be able to also lead a Bible study at a local church here is a real blessing.
We are continuing to see the Gospel go out! Just this last month, one of the couples we have worked with in language was able to present the Gospel to a tribal group down south. This is in an area where we have one Filipino family working with an expat family. After teaching through the Bible chronologically for months, they finally presented the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
We are just amazed. These people have for centuries been living in animistic darkness, looking to spirits in the jungle to protect them from evil and to ward off sicknesses. Now finally they have heard the Gospel of Christ and are following him!
So, we are all doing well here, continuing to press on in our work for the Lord here in the Philippines. We so appreciate everyone's continued prayers and financial support, both of which we cannot do without. We would like to ask for specific prayer for the safety of our missionaries here in the Philippines. With the rise in Islamic terrorism, there is greater risk working in certain areas. And with deteriorating economic conditions around the world, crime has been steadily increasing. However, our work, and yours that stand behind us in prayer and finances, is an eternal work. One day we will all be together rejoicing with our Savior in the joy of eternal life and in a world that has been completely cleansed from the devastating effects of sin. What an amazing day that will be!
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WE ARE GOERS:
Elisabeth & Peter Engelfield (Resurrection, San Antonio)
After 17 years and 35 visits each to Honduras, looking back we realize that the "NEEDS" of the people is what drives us to keep moving forward. We have been involved in medical, dental, education, schools, orphanages, nutrition, physical and mental rehabilitation and the upgrading and support of several clinics.
Even though many times we traveled alone, we found the Honduran people more than willing, able, and thankful for our presence in learning to become self-sufficient. We were always grateful for help and guidance of lay people and professionals both in the US and in Honduras who gave of their time, talents, and treasure to make a better life for the people.
On our first visit the team found a 9-month-old baby boy in need of a heart operation to survive. Help was unavailable surgically in Honduras. After being asked by one of the team doctors, we took on the responsibility of fund raising and liaison with the family to bring the baby to San Antonio. We eventually returned to Honduras and secured visas for the mother and baby. In the meantime, we arranged flights, medical help, and doctors at University Hospital in San Antonio. This was a success; it was also our first major "NEED" out of many to come. The baby boy, Jorge, is now 17 years old and lives in Villa de San Francisco, He now has a brother and sister named Peter and Elisabeth.
You can be part of this effort to address the "NEEDS" of World Mission by being a Sender, a Prayer, or a Goer; either way you will be blessed.
We DO Believe in Miracles Big and Small.
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WE ARE GIVERS: Marilou and John Long
John and I give to World Mission for two reasons. It is a remarkable reminder of how fortunate we are in this country, and we also know that the funds are going directly to help people in a loving manner rather than being funneled through a large organization.
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I AM A PRAY-ER: Santos Nagao (DWTX Staff)
If someone receives the call to go on a mission trip to share the Gospel and the gifts from God, the only thing I can do is pray and ask God to open the hearts to all who receive the message. I also pray for safety and a happy return because I believe prayers move mountains.
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DID YOU KNOW...
There are THREE components to world mission:
GOING, GIVING, PRAYING.
You know about GOING AND GIVING, but did you know that Virtual Mission is a group of PRAY-ERS who participate in team trips by attending team meetings, reading the team devotional books, staying connected with the team as they go, and PRAYING daily for the team? If you'd like to be part of Virtual Mission, contact Libby Templeton for more information ( [email protected]).
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*****SAVE THE DATE*****
Wednesday, May 11, 6-9 PM
WORLD MISSION TOP GOLF TOURNAMENT
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PRAYER GUIDE & TEAM LIST
DATES | PLACE | TEAM | DESCRIPTION | March 3 | Haiti | Jean Axtell & Linda Jones | Threads of Blessing | March 4-16 | India | Kaitlin Reed, David Chalk, Valerie Kirk | Exploratory trip to Diocese of Durgapur | May 4-6 | Piedras Negras, MX | Connie Bye (Team Leader) | Construction & sewing | May 21-27 | Honduras | Bill Campaigne (Team Leader) | Veterinary mission | May TBA | SE Mexico | Rosine Carter (Team Leader)
| Holistic
| May 30-June 5 | Turkey | Duane Miller (Team Leader) | Evangelism | June 20-July 3 | Guatemala | Gavin Rogers (Team Leader) | Christ Church Youth |
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TO MAKE A DONATION TO WORLD MISSIONS:
(You may give to specific designations or "Where Most Needed.")
Or make checks payable to DWTX and note "MISSIONS" on the
memo line. Mail to DWTX, PO Box 6885, San Antonio, TX 78209.
Or call Betty Chumney 888/210-824-5387.
VISIT US ON FACEBOOK:
Episcopal Diocese of West Texas World Mission
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