Prayer Mobilization Line: The following are praise reports and prayer requests from Nazarene Missions International for Wednesday, 14 January 2015 "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."[1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV]

Prayer Mobilization Line:  The following are praise reports and prayer requests from Nazarene Missions International for  Wednesday, 14 January 2015   "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."[1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV]

PRAISES: Gracyn Peterson   We praise God for the healing taking place in the body of 2-year-old Gracyn Peterson, daughter of missionaries Adam and Stephanie Peterson. Gracyn had an illness for the past three weeks that has been very challenging to diagnosis. On January 9 word was received that she was finally beginning to show improvement. On January 10, Stephanie wrote and said that Gracyn seemed to be responding to the antibiotics and was up playing for the first time in weeks. Lord, please continue to completely heal this little girl’s body. The Petersons serve in Papua New Guinea. Rainey’s Praise   Praise God for reports like this from missionaries Scott and Jenni Rainey, serving in Ukraine: In the midst of great challenges on the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Field this past year, the field saw an increase of 9.45% in attendance in our churches. Our newest missionary family (Global Serve Volunteers), Kyle and Becky Sukanen, and their two young sons (Kilchis and Trask) arrived on our field in August 2014. They are living in Chisinau, Moldova, and are doing well. Pray for them as they adapt to a new culture. The Ukraine district had significant debt three years ago that has now been eliminated.  In October, we had a District Superintendent and mission team strategy development meeting in Armenia. It was fantastic! See the January Missionary Prayer Focus section below for ways to pray with Scott and Jenni.

PRAY FOR: January Missionary Prayer Focus GLOBAL MINISTRY REQUESTS Death Wish   Pray for a lay minister and her daughter who reside on the Asia-Pacific Region in an area hostile towards Christianity. The lay minister has received word that a family has taken action to place a “death wish” on the child because of the mother’s faith. Please pray for this woman and her child, for God’s protection and that somehow, out of darkness, Christ’s light will shine into the eyes of the persecutors. Click here to read more from the Asia-Pacific Region. New Eurasia Region Leaders   The following individuals are taking on new leadership roles on the Eurasia Region: Khalil Halaseh Pray for Khalil Halaseh who takes on the role of Field Strategy Coordinator for the Eastern Mediterranean Field as Lindell and Kay Browning move towards retirement. In his youth, Khalil was often in trouble but through an invitation to a Nazarene church’s picnic, he saw something in the lives of the people there that he wanted. The pastor led Khalil to Christ and he began to develop a deep thirst for the Bible, sharing with others in his Jordanian neighborhood about Jesus. He even put a sign above the front door of his home that said, "Nazarene Church."  Neighbors came by to hear what Khalil had to say, pray together, and study the Bible together. Please keep Khalil, his family, and other Nazarene leaders and lay people who live in the Middle East.  (The Eastern Mediterranean Field is comprised of Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.)  Sukamal Biswas Sukamal Biswas has been assigned as Field Strategy Coordinator for South Asia, stepping into the role as Hermann Gschwandtner retires this year.  Rev. Biswas says his vision for the South Asia Field is to “Be the facilitator…help carry the Gospel into areas and places where it has not been brought so far.” Pray for him, his family, leaders and lay people on the South Asia Field. (The South Asia Field is made up of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). Diego Lopez Diego Lopez takes over the role of Eurasia Region Nazarene Youth International (NYI) leader. Growing up in Colombia, South America, Diego became a victim of bullying and took up Tae Kwon Do as a means of self-defense. At the same time, he noticed something different in his friends who had been going to a local church. He was intrigued and began attending church with them and soon accepted Christ. Diego’s journey has taken him to Spain, Germany, and England where he now resides and will lead the efforts of NYI on the Eurasia Region. Pray for him, his family, and the youth of the region, that the young people will have a personal, growing relationship with Christ. Read more of Khalil, Sukamal, and Diego's stories in the January 2015 edition of Where Worlds Meet, the Eurasia Region’s enewsletter. Diego Lopez steps up as NYI leader by Gina Grate Pottenger,  Eurasia Region Communications Editor’s note: Diego Lopez, of Manchester, UK, was this month named to fill the open position of leader for the Eurasia Region’s Nazarene Youth International (NYI). In this role, Lopez will lead the regional NYI council, develop young leaders and provide strategic vision for building and expanding NYI across the diverse cultures and contexts of the Eurasia Region. He shared his testimony and experience with Where Worlds Meet, as well as his vision for the future of NYI. Diego Lopez was a teenager in Colombia when he began to experience bullying. To defend himself effectively, he began to study and practice Tae Kwon Do, a self-defense martial art. The discipline increased his self-confidence, which repelled the bullies. He earned a black belt and participated in competitions.  Around that time, some of the teens he had hung around with began going to a local church and accepting Christ. Lopez was so intrigued with the dramatic change that took place in them, he wanted to see the church for himself. So he began attending. The people accepted him just as he was, and soon he accepted Christ for himself.  He quickly joined in the church’s street evangelism activities, which he enjoyed and found himself naturally effective in leading people to Christ. While still a teen, he moved to Barcelona, Spain, and joined the Nazarene church there. He tried to continue what he knew about evangelism, but in the Spanish, European cultural context, it didn’t work. He realized the people were skeptical of what he had to say about Christ and the gospel. He began to feel a need for theological education. Lopez attended a Nazarene Youth Congress in Guadalajara in 2003, where he met many Nazarene youth from different cultures, including someone whom had come from England. She suggested that he move to Manchester to learn English, so he would be qualified to study at European Nazarene College (EuNC), which requires a proficiency in English of all its students. He did just that, learning English in Manchester while getting involved in Longsight Community Church of the Nazarene, which embraced him, providing him unconditional support. When he was proficient in English, he relocated to Büsingen, Germany, to study for a two-year Christian Ministry Certificate from EuNC.  After graduation, he felt called back to Longsight, so he returned to Manchester and joined the church’s leadership team as an intern while pursuing and graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Nazarene Theological College in Theology: Youth Work and Ministry. After graduation, he took a part-time co-pastoring job at Longsight. His other job for the next five years was as a staff member of M13, a parachurch youth ministry which deploys youth pastors to the streets of the urban center to work with youth who have complex issues. He has also worked with local councils in social services to teens who come from domestic abuse or other troubled situations. Lopez is passionate about ministering among youth. “I think it’s a very important time in young people’s life; 13 to 19 is a time when you form your political views, your religious views; it’s a key time of transformation,” he says. “Understanding it from within is very important.”  As the new Eurasia Region NYI leader, Lopez has a vision for the regional council to provide leadership and strategic direction for the field and district and local NYI leaders, as well as to listen to ideas and strategies from the local church. “I think whatever we do [regionally] in leadership needs to reflect all the way to the local church,” he says. “The most effective way is to create an effective line of communication from field representatives to NYI presidents to local leaders to anyone who just walks into a local church. NYI everywhere [should have] the same theology and ethos. It will look different in every country and context, but it should reflect the same passions and Wesleyan theology. I think effective communication throughout the systems is very important and we can do so by engaging with new technology and social media.” Diego is married to Palmira, an accounting assistant; he will continue part-time with Longsight and with M13. “Whatever we do in leadership needs to reflect all the way down to the local church. The most effective way is to create a line of communication.”[DiegoLopez] Several missionaries who are part of the January Prayer Focus have sent in requests. Please join Verne Ward, director of Global Mission, and pray for: Mashangu Maluleka, serving in South Africa Please pray for: Wisdom, integrity, traveling mercies and good health for me as I serve the Lord through His people. Visionary leadership and global mindedness on our district leaders. Missional drive on our districts to reach the unreached. Pray that God will raise leaders who will see the opportunity in university ministries. Newly elected district superintendents on the Africa South Field: James Sam of the Free State District, Sipho Ncongwane of the Swaziland South District, and Domingo of the Namibia District.  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit across the field that will result in holy living and demonstration of the power of God through the gifts of the Spirit in the life of the church. Southern Africa conference to be held at Johannesburg in the month of March. Stability across the field. Randy and Joani Goossens, serving in Papua New Guinea Please pray for us as we prepare for our home assignment, May-July 2015. It has been challenging to arrange churches, housing, transportation, etc.  We know that God has plans for us and that they are good plans.   Please pray with us that we will continue to trust Him as He continues to provide the support and resources necessary to return to the field for another term. Please pray for our family that we will continue to learn and grow in our identities in Christ. Priscilla Radcliffe, serving in Papua New Guinea (PNG) Pray that my brother, Ben, and his wife, Katherine’s, visas would come through soon so we can travel to PNG together. I have been waiting on them to buy mine and am hoping and praying we can still be able to travel together. Also, pray that my heart and mind would be prepared to go, both with a deep compassion and heart for those I am going to serve, and a peace and comfort in saying goodbye to those who I am leaving behind. Weston Jordan, serving in Australia I simply want to fall more in love with Jesus in the coming months. Simple and cliché enough, but I don’t want to lose the wonder and awe found just being in relation with Him. I want to grasp the beauty and grace of my Savior in a deeper way and to obsess more over Him because of it—to want nothing more than to be in His presence. Also, that I would grow more selfless in the time I spend in Australia. That I would learn how to meet people where they are and to love them for who they are to God versus who they are to me. That God would reveal to me ways in which I can tangibly share my faith with others. That I’d be bold in sharing and that I’d make the most of every opportunity, despite how I may feel towards it. Finally, that God’s kingdom would come in a greater capacity because of me being where I am and being obedient to Him; that He’d bless me and the work I do in His Name because of my heart for who He is to me.  Bob and Evelyn Shea, serving in Honduras Pray for us as we discern how God wants us to serve Him this year in Honduras – specifically as we assign teams to projects that we will have God’s wisdom. Please pray for our W&W Coordinators who serve in Honduras.  Pray for Kenia, a Honduras young lady that feels God’s call to missions. She is praying for God’s direction as to how she will be able to fulfill that call this year/ Click here to read more about Bob and Evelyn in the Engage magazine profile. Missionary Profile: Bob and Evelyn Shea By Engage on Jan 23, 2012 Robert (Bob) and Evelyn Shea, have served in Honduras since January 1999. They are responsible for coordinating all the Work & Witness and medical teams into Honduras. Previously, Bob served as Work & Witness coordinator for the Northwest District (USA) for about six years, then served as NMI (Nazarene Missions International) district president for the Northwest District for nine years; after that he served four years as Northwest Region representative on the General NMI Council. They have three children and seven grandchildren. Engage: How did you first recognize God’s call to be involved in missions?  Evelyn: As a couple, we had frequently discussed what we would do with our lives after retirement. We wanted to do something for the Lord. We had spent years leading Work & Witness teams to various countries and loved it. We had been to Honduras numerous times and knew the missionary well and knew he had some health issues. Through taking the cross-cultural seminar the general church puts on, and through prayer and Scripture verses the Lord gave me, I felt the Lord wanted me to go to Honduras with my husband to serve. Bob: I would say the first seed was planted when my mother served as missions president in our local church. Then in 1981, I went on my first Work & Witness mission and after that I was hooked! I couldn’t stay away, sometimes going twice in one year. When we took the Cross-Cultural Orientation (along with Greg Taylor) on the campus of Northwest Nazarene College (now Northwest Nazarene University) in 1995, it was a defining moment in my life because I knew beyond a shadow of any doubt where God wanted us to serve – Honduras. Engage: What is your favorite aspect of what you do in your present assignment? Share any relevant stories to illustrate this. Evelyn: I work closely with Work & Witness team members, especially those preparing meals. To see the little hesitation in team members at the beginning of the trip toward the Hondurans turn to genuine love for them is God at work! One lady was so touched by the meager resources a pastor’s wife, Nuvia, had for her two small children, she felt led by God to help. She has been giving faithfully each month. In December, Nuvia’s daughter graduated from kindergarten. Nuvia said she started planning the traditional graduation party not knowing if there would be funds to actually go ahead with it. Then she received the news funds had arrived from our faithful donor friend! Nuvia is praising God for her friend! One Work & Witness trip from Washington state and a family’s life was changed in Honduras! How exciting is that? That’s one reason I love my job! Bob: Seeing God at work “right before our eyes” changing team members and Hondurans alike. The last week of October 2011 we had a medical team from Indianapolis come and in six clinics saw and treated 1865 people. But that was not the most exciting part! This medical team prayed with most of the people and, in very open, non-threatening ways, led well over 200 people to Christ. I saw many leave the clinics with tears in their eyes as Christ lifted their burdens! A young Puerto Rican nursing student from New York was mightily used of our Lord in leading many to Christ and what that did for her -- realizing God was working mightily through her -- was amazing! Engage: What are some of the challenges that you face in carrying out your work? Evelyn: We are in Honduras about seven months out of the year, two to three months at a time. When we are there, we have teams pretty much back to back, so some of the challenge is just keeping up with the groups. Then there is the ever-challenging job of keeping the vans running and safe. Too many stories to tell! Bob: We have communication challenges. I can communicate in Spanish; however, I am not as fluent and I wish I was. Evelyn alluded to the challenges of keeping the vans running; however, God has been very good to us when we have had breakdowns (transmissions gave out two times, water pump broke down twice, etc.). We have always been at a place where we could and did get help, not in the middle of nowhere! God is good! Engage: Please share a story of a significant event or moment that has happened in your current assignment. Evelyn: One of the church projects was located up in the mountains. The team rode an hour in the back of a [four-wheel drive] pick-up truck each day to reach the project. The trip began by fording a river; then the road became a dirt track winding around the mountain. The church site was by the road, but there were only two houses in sight. Where were the people to fill this church? The pastor and a few members of the church were at the site each day, excited about having a church building at last. The Honduran contractor and his workers had put up the cement block walls prior to our arrival. The team of eight men put on the metal roof and mixed concrete on the ground by hand for pouring the floor.   One of the team members had brought 600 New Testaments to give away. How were we possibly going to find that many people here in the mountains? One day on the trip up the mountain they started passing out the Testaments to everyone they saw along the road. People gladly took the testaments. The “Word” went out that day and we believe it will “not return void!” The project was finished and it was time for a Sunday dedication and celebration service. We drove back up to the completed church that Sunday morning with 30 plastic chairs in the back of the pickup and hoped there would be 35-40 people there. We arrived, set up the chairs and the people began to come. There was special guitar music. The people began singing and the families kept coming. The men gave up their chairs to women. Benches were quickly set up using cement blocks and boards. Still the people came. Now there was standing room only. With joyous music, testimonies and preaching, 110 people shared in this special service! God is truly planting His church on this mountain! Bob: We have seen God change projects and locations within two months of the Work & Witness team’s arrival. That really takes being flexible on the team leader’s part and the local church. A couple of years ago we had a team from Ohio that had a number of young professionals and high school- and college-age participants. Evelyn and I began to feel that God wanted them to do something other than what we had planned, and the more we prayed and talked about it, the more sure we became. I shared this with the team leader and he said, “We are willing to go wherever God leads us.” So we changed locations and projects that gave them much more exposure to a vibrant inner city church. They “just happened” to go with the youth group of one of the most aggressive churches in Tegucigalpa to the largest city hospital. It was an evening the team will never forget. The 26-member team divided up into groups of eight or nine with the Cerro Grande youth group and went into the huge, understaffed, poorly equipped hospital (the lights went out during a lightning storm and only part of the lights were restored) and shared the gospel and gave out approximately 550 dinners to family members that lined the hallways and saw many receive Christ there that evening! God had a better plan, so we followed His plan and the team was forever impacted! Engage:  How do you maintain a close relationship with God and your family in the midst of the demands of missionary service? Evelyn: This assignment has been a true partnership with my husband. We each have specific part of the work we do, but every aspect of the team’s care and project is discussed and agreed upon. Seeing God continually at work through the teams and through the support of our friends in the [United] States makes it easy to stay close to God. We share in the team’s daily devotions which are always very meaningful.  Bob: As Evelyn stated we work closely together in praying and planning for each team that comes. I can testify that during the 13 years we have been serving in this capacity, we have grown closer to each other and our Lord! We strongly feel that each team that comes is a confirmation of God’s call on our lives. Sharing in devotions with each team also helps us to maintain a close relationship with our Lord. However, the greatest encouragement is seeing God work through each team in unique and different ways! Engage: What are the rewards of what you do? Evelyn: Being where God is working and seeing so many answered prayers is reward enough! Bob: We have seen God build His Church during the 13 years we have served in Honduras. When I came on my first Work & Witness mission in 1981 there were three Nazarene churches in Honduras. Today there are 107 organized churches and another 25 mission plants that we believe will become organized! Also, seeing children grow into strong, capable teenagers that are leading church services in their own local churches and realizing God allowed us to have a small part in their lives! Engage: What are some aspects of the culture where you live that you have come to love or embrace? Evelyn: The open friendliness of the people -- the hugs and even the kisses on the cheek! Bob: As Evelyn shared, Hondurans are a very warm, friendly people and they are so open and include us in their plans. Once you have made a Honduran friend, he/she will do anything to help you! All you need to do is ask and they will be there asking, “How can I help you, Bob?” Engage: What do you like to do for fun? Evelyn: A quiet dinner at a Chinese restaurant with Bob after the team leaves.  Bob: As Evelyn shared, we do enjoy our “quiet times” with just the two of us going out to dinner at Denny's. We also greatly enjoy Honduran cuisine together. We also enjoy searching for rest and relaxation places to take teams. Engage: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Bob: Some people might think that a Work & Witness coordinator would need a construction background to do what we do, however God called and prepared me 30 years in the insurance business -- working with people -- for what we have been doing the last 13 years -- working with people. Engage: What advice would you have for others exploring a possible call to missions, or embarking on their first missionary assignment? Evelyn: Seek confirmation from God through godly counsel of friends, Scripture and prayer. Try it out first with Work & Witness trips, volunteering and reading. Realizing God may not give you a step-by-step map of what you will be doing, after confirmation of a call, proceed by faith.  Bob: I would add to what Evelyn has suggested the following: God is very clear in His call if He wants you involved in His mission. Many have confirmed His call after going on their first Work & Witness mission; however, do not limit His call to only go on Work & Witness trips. He may have more to say to you after experiencing His love and direction through several Work & Witness experiences. Engage: Other comments? Evelyn: We have just completed our 13th year as volunteers to Honduras and praise God continually He has given us this opportunity in our retirement! We encourage other soon-to-be retired people to try out Mission Corps! Bob:  We are so privileged to be in a place where God is literally pouring out His blessed Holy Spirit on a very needy country – Honduras! Scott and Jenni Rainey, serving in Ukraine Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Partnership meetings in Houston, Texas, February 13-14, 2015. We are attempting to get visas for two participants from the CIS to the partnership meetings. We have had struggles with both.  Bekah Rainey will be missing three weeks of school while we travel to the USA for upcoming meetings.  Vladimir "Taxi,” our taxi driver when we travel to the airport with luggage. We have become friends and we are praying that Vladimir will one day confess Jesus as His all-in-all! Coming from our strategy development meetings in October, we have a new church planting emphasis in the CIS. Please pray as this develops and for future training of leaders. I (Scott) hope to make first trips to the countries of Georgia and Belarus in 2015 to explore possible church development in these two countries where we are not yet. The year, 2015, is the 100th anniversary of the genocide that Turkey attempted in Armenia. Emotions are high in Armenia as they remember over one million people who were killed in 1915. The meetings of my family with the general board in February for possible commissioning.  Our five district assemblies in March. Click here to read more about the Raineys in the Engage magazine profile. Missionary profile: Scott and Jenni Rainey Scott and Jenni Rainey are missionaries serving in the CIS Field (Commonwealth of Independent States, or the former Soviet Union) since April 2012. They are based out of Kiev, Ukraine. Scott is involved with discipleship, leadership development and pastoral mentoring across the field. Previously, the Raineys pastored local churches in the U.S. from 1994-2003. They have two children: Bekah, 9, and Sarah, 5. Engage:  How did you first recognize God’s call to be involved in missions? Scott: My heart has leaned toward missions since I was a teenager. While I had never felt a call to go and serve as a missionary, we always wanted to serve God’s Church with missions at the forefront. At the start of 2011, while I was serving as lead pastor in Houston, I began to feel that God was going to bring a change in my life away from pastoring the local church. In October 2011, at a Eurasia mission conference, we were asked to consider coming as missionaries to the CIS to develop and mentor pastors. After a month of fervent prayer, we knew that God was saying, “This is the way of obedience and peace for you.” We gladly said “yes” again to our Sovereign Savior and within two months our journey began. Engage: What is your favorite aspect of what you do in your present assignment? Scott: I love to “rub shoulders” with the pastors across the field, spending time in their homes and their churches, training through informal conversations, and challenging them to follow God with boldness, integrity, and conviction. Engage: What are some of the challenges that you face in carrying out your work? Scott: I face challenges of distance and time. Our field includes 12 countries. The Church of the Nazarene currently ministers in six of them.  Our churches exist across four time zones and two thousand miles. The balancing act of raising a family of two small children in Kiev while meeting the demands of visiting our churches and pastors is a constant challenge.  Our greatest challenges, however, are fighting the constant attacks of the enemy (the devil) against Christ’s Church. These attacks come in many forms: from government limitations and laws from the outside to internal mistrust and dissention from the inside. Engage: Please share a story of a significant event or moment that has happened in your current assignment. Scott: In the summer of 2013, I was asked to be the speaker at the Ukrainian district youth camp. One hundred youth from all over the country of Ukraine gathered near the Sea of Azov for a week of camp. On our final night together, I shared the simple gospel message and called the young people to give their hearts to Jesus and repent of their sins. One third of the camp (34 young people) responded and came forward to the altar to seek God’s forgiveness and grace. Engage: How do you maintain a close relationship with God and your family in the midst of the demands of missionary service? Scott: My first mentor in ministry used to tell me, “You are never stronger in ministry than you are in your alone time with God.” I continually develop my relationship with God through daily Bible reading, prayer, private worship, and accountability relationships with close friends. As a newer missionary with deep relationships still forming on the field, I keep an accountability relationship with a friend from the States via Skype. I maintain our family relationships by making and taking time for monthly dates with my wife and both daughters. We also take “adventures” together, exploring our city and country as personal and ministry time permit. After traveling alone, I try to always have a “re-entry” day back into our home where I avoid meetings and work. My oldest daughter attends an international Christian school. We use public transportation to take her to school and return her to our home each day. I take her to school and my wife picks her up, giving us some special time with her each day. Jenni homeschools our youngest daughter. Engage: What are the rewards of what you do? Scott: The greatest rewards in our ministry are lost people finding Jesus and a unified church moving forward together to accomplish the mission of the church. Engage: What are some aspects of the culture where you live that you have come to love or embrace? Scott: We enjoy the relational aspect of the culture in the CIS. We love the fact that people are outside walking everywhere. There are always people gathered, sitting, standing, and talking in parks and along the streets. We also enjoy the slow pace that is found particularly in restaurants. When you go to a restaurant, it is quite normal to stay and talk for a couple of hours. Engage: What do you like to do for fun? Scott: We go to the zoo, take long walks to explore, visit the beautiful sites of our city, play games, watch movies at our apartment and read. Engage: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Scott: I moved 14 times (seven different states) before I was 18 years old. Engage: What advice would you have for others exploring a possible call to missions, or embarking on their first missionary assignment? Scott: There is no greater place to be than in the center of God’s will. Be sure of your call so that when the hard times come, you can fall back on what you know God asked you to do. Stay close to God, love the people, and stay on your knees. District Superintendents   Please join NMI in praying for these individuals who God has called to shepherd pastors and churches around the world in the role of District Superintendent. Today’s district superintendents are from states/countries on the USA/Canada Region: H. David McKellips, Northeast Oklahoma David G. Roland, Northeastern Indiana John H. Calhoun, Northern California Wayne H. Brown, Northern Michigan Randall J. Craker, Northwest David E. Bartley, Northwest Indiana Scott J. Sherwood, Northwestern Illinois D. Geoffrey Kunselman, Northwestern Ohio Terry C. Rowland, Oklahoma Stanley W. Reeder, Oregon Pacific Newell D. Smith, Philadelphia J. Bret Metcalfe, Pittsburgh Steven P. Hoffman, Prairie Lakes Bill T. Carr, Rocky Mountain May the Lord add His blessing to the work of these district superintendents. Board of General Superintendents   Please pray for the ministry and safety of the general superintendents as they travel this month: Jerry D. Porter J. K. Warrick Eugénio Duarte David W. Graves David A. Busic Gustavo A. Crocker   HEALTH-RELATED REQUESTS Pastor Rami   Pray for Pastor Rami who was critically injured in a fall as he was clearing ice and snow from the church steps on January 6. He sustained severe head injuries and is in intensive care. Pastor Rami is a Nazarene elder who serves on the Eastern Mediterranean Field. Rodolfo Betiwan   District Superintendent Nicolas Cacho (Mindanao East District in the Philippines) is requesting prayer for Rev. Rodolfo Betiwan who had gall stone surgery on December 26th, 2014. The surgery was successful and pastor Betiwan is recovering, but the hospital bills have been mounting and threatening to overwhelm the family. They are requesting prayer. Clark Armstrong-UPDATE   Thank you for your prayers for missionary Clark Armstrong. Clark’s wife, Connie, reports that the medical procedure on January 7th went very well. The doctor was pleased with the results and Clark is feeling much improved. The Armstrongs anticipate Clark will be released after his follow-up appointment on Friday, January 16. Connie writes: “We have so appreciated all of the kind words and prayers on our behalf.” Clark and Connie Armstrong serve at the Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary in Manila, Philippines.

Thank you for praying. "True faith, by a mighty effort of the will, fixes its gaze on our Divine helper, and there finds it possible and wise to lose its fears. It is madness to say, I will not be afraid; it is wisdom and peace to say, I will trust and not be afraid."[Alexander Maclaren, Week-day Evening Addresses, Delivered in Manchester]

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