I’m so thrilled to share a bit of the journey God has taken me on for the past few years. It’s hard to know where to begin because I truly believe God has given me very specific gifts and experiences for an opportunity such as this. My heart’s desire to live a lifestyle of justice and love has continued to transform as I look to Jesus and His example. In this particular season of my life as I continue to pursue this calling, God has presented me with an opportunity to serve in Tanzania, Africa.

In the summer of 2010 I began praying about missions. It was a God thing, because the direction I was going with my music and studies was not at all geared towards serving in a Third World country. As I continued to pray about it, the Lord placed people in my life that inspired me and challenged me to pursue a mission trip further. Grace Ministries International shared a need with me for serving in Tanzania, Africa, and once again, I began to pray. At first I thought, not me. Not there. I’ll go somewhere where I can still wear a pair of stilettos and not have them sink into a dirt road. But very quickly God began to change my heart. Not only was I beginning to be OK with the idea of Africa, but I soon grew to love the idea of it. After that, all the pieces seemed to fall into place. I will be serving in Mumba, Tanzania, until August 2012.

I will be assisting Brook Seekins in her ministry at the Tanzania Grace Bible Institute as she works with the local youth. We will be preparing for the youth camps that run in June and July, as well as getting ready to put on a worship seminar in August. I will also be studying the local worship services and church choirs to become familiar with the way another culture expresses worship, and so I may know how best to teach them in areas they need growth. I will be leading worship at a weekly missionary Bible study and giving music lessons to any missionary kids interested. I may also be teaching Bible studies for high school students and teaching English to primary schools. This is just a glimpse of all the opportunities I will have to serve because, Lord willing, as needs open up, I will be able to be the hands and feet of Christ in those areas as well.

I’m looking forward to immersing myself in another culture and broadening my worldview as I serve Christ and others. I’m confident the Lord will be able to use me and the gifts he has blessed me with in Africa (even if I won’t be wearing stilettos).  I covet your prayers as this is a huge leap of faith.

From Emily's Blog: On the way to the village

Emily’s blog contains wonderful updates about her time in Tanzania. Her most recent update?

I have settled into life here in Mumba, TZ. I have been immersed in Language School here at TGBI and desire to learn as much as possible so that I may communicate better with the Tanzanians. I have joined a youth choir at our church, and I have been working with Brook to plan the various seminars and camps coming up in the next several months. I absolutely love serving here and working with the missionaries and people of Tanzania. Thank you for your continued prayer and support!   -Emily

Please keep her in your prayers as she continues learning, living, and serving in Tanzania!

                Another Virginia trip is looming for Barbara, but we want to give you at least a small update…   To start off, a few happy “details:” First and foremost, our oldest grandchild, Joshua (6½), who has always been sensitive to God, took the conscious step of accepting Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior on Saturday, January 14! This falls under the category of Extreme Joy and Gratefulness to God. Secondly, though light years away in eternal significance ~ Barbara has now had 3 solid years without dizziness! Another milestone is that all the Field Strength readings have been taken and applied to the next step in the process for obtaining an increase in power for WIVV in Vieques.

                Madeline, who has been with WCGB since 1988 and was promoted to WCGB Operations Manager when the station became part of the Rock Radio Network in 2004, has recently been given additional responsibilities with the “traffic” aspect of programming the 3 stations.  She has proven herself to be very apt in things technical, and would like to institute some useful dynamics to the whole system.  She will be attending to these extra details mainly from her desk here in Juana Díaz, thanks to the flexibility of the internet, computer networking, and Skype.  This does not preclude our continued need for an official Traffic Manager in San Juan, but we salute Madeline for her willingness to add these important tasks to her already full schedule.

Dr. Nelson Matos

             WCGB has added another new, live morning program on Mondays.  Moderated by a Christian doctor, it’s called  “Your Health Up-to-Date”.  We believe physical health as well as our finances, business ethics, sexuality, governmental concerns, and a host of other topics are legitimately addressed within the Christian context, and complement basic Bible instruction.  Why?  Because doctrine is supposed to affect all areas of life; nothing is hidden from God, and all aspects of life are to be under His control.

              The Spanish radio world lost a prominent voice for Truth the end of January.  “Hermano Pablo” (“Brother Paul” Finkenbinder), who has had a dynamic 5-minute evangelistic program on WCGB since the station’s inception in 1967, passed into God’s presence on the 27^th.  He and his wife Linda had celebrated their 70^th (!) wedding anniversary just days before his semi-sudden passing…   Hno. Pablo was well-known and beloved throughout the entire Latin world.  His unique program, “A message to the Conscience”, perhaps more than any other single, or even longer, program, lead to people contacting us all through the years to say they had surrendered their lives to Christ. On Monday Jan. 30 WCGB opened an hour of special live celebration of the ministry of God through Hno. Pablo, with our own Pastor Miguel Ortiz of Juana Díaz Bible Church moderating ~ and of course there wasn’t enough time to do it the justice it deserved!  We praise God for this man and for the men he had trained up to continue the ministry.  Yet the passing of someone like him always brings to mind the thoughts:  There must be younger people God would have His hands on to fill in the gaps others leave; the question is ~ are they (are YOU) listening?

                Barbara’s Bible studies with Francisco have now been turned over to one of the dependable youth of our church, because Francisco (now 13) desperately needs a constant male role model in his life, since his father has been absent for years.  Please do pray for him and Felix Gabriel (Gaby) as they traverse the waters of schedules and Francisco’s active but easily distracted mind.

                Also, her mentoring times with a young lady friend have just culminated in finishing the book “Feminine Appeal” by Carolyn Mahaney.  We both benefited immensely from this study, and recommend it to every follower-of-Christ woman.  The whole point is how to adorn the gospel by our submission to God, through rising to the challenges in Titus 2, resulting in a very hopeful and welcome kind of instruction.

                Have you taken advantage of the must-see film “Courageous”???  It’s one of the most powerful, rubber-meets-the-road Christian films we’ve been privileged to experience.  Juana Díaz Bible Church has a one-year contract to show it wherever we can, as many times as we can, to as many people as we can, and Pastor Miguel announced just yesterday that we may have the opportunity to show the film to a whole division of police officers!  The need for this message is extreme.  Get it ~ use it ~ share it!   

                Our next letter should be out in May ~ Radio Month.   I wonder what exciting things we’ll be sharing with you then?!  By the way ~ has it ever occurred to you to do something particular for your own favorite Christian station during those 4½ weeks in May?

                God bless each of you, shining in the darkness wherever you are.

                Sincerely ~ Lawrence & Barbara Trumbower

Often when driving through a busy intersection here in Santa Cruz you will see Bolivian youth trying to make a little money by washing windshields.  They walk among the lines of traffic carrying a plastic bottle filled with water (and sometimes detergent) and a squeegee.  For washing a windshield they will often receive a 50 centavo coin worth about 7 cents, or if lucky a 1 boliviano coin worth about 15 cents.  Sometimes they wash a windshield and the driver speeds away without paying them anything. A few evenings ago Dan was at an intersection where there were 5 to 6 youth competing to wash windows.  He noticed that there was a young boy about 7 or 8 years old who was trying to do the same.  Since he was so small he had put an extra long handle on his squeegee to be able to reach the windshields.  Dan saw him and called out to him,“Hey you can wash my windshield!” He ran over excitedly and began to work as hard as he could.  As the light turned green, Dan handed him a tract and 2 coins saying, “Good job, here’s 2 bolivianos and I’d like for you to read some important words from this when you have time.” He smiled really big and said, “Gracias [thank you]!” As Dan drove away he glanced in his rearview mirror to see the boy reading these words on the first page of the tract, “You were created with value and worth. God wants your life to count. Did you know God loves you and created you to have a personal relationship with him?” We may never see this little boy again, but Dan planted a seed in his little life and we hope that someone else will come along to water it.

We ended 2011 with a wonderful four-day celebration of the 53rd anniversary of our mission here in Bolivia, Mision Evangelica Bethesda. Then on Jan. 12, Dan picked up Dr. Sam Vinton, Jr., executive director of our mission, Grace Ministries International, at the Viru Viru airport here in Santa Cruz. Our family was able to enjoy two days with Dr. Sam before Dan took him and two other missionaries (a five-hour drive each way) to Monte Blanco , the conference center where the CIMA Youth Missions Conference was being held.  Many had been praying for this special conference which was being directed by GMI missionary, Talo Vergara, from Uruguay. Dr. Sam had been invited by Talo to be one of the conference speakers. Anticipation was high for this national event and we were so excited to hear that 10% of the total youth in attendance were from our own mission churches. Two of our own leaders from our Km 14 La Gracia Church attended. We have heard nothing but good, positive reports. Dr. Sam was so encouraged by the excitement of these youth, he just continued to talk about how wonderful the conference was.

After the CIMA conference, Dr. Sam had about a week in Santa Cruz before heading back to the States. On Sunday he preached at Fuentede Vida Church (Spring of Life). Then on Tuesday morning and afternoon he was given the opportunity to share two sessions of teaching and encouragement with the teachers of our Henry Prince Mission School. Tuesday evening the pastors and leaders of our Santa Cruz churches were invited to a doctrinal workshop with Dr. Sam. Around 70 packed the room with a few even standing against the wall.  They were challenged to study and interpret the Bible correctly. Study booklets were given out and each pastor also received a personal copy of  Things That Differ by C. R. Stam, in Spanish. They were so thrilled to receive these books that they will be able to use in their churches. They really felt honored to be able to sit in on a time of teaching by the executive director of our mission. On Wednesday morning it was Talo’s turn to teach the morning session for the Henry Prince School teachers, and then Dan taught the afternoon session. Wednesday evening a special worship celebration was held at Jesucristo Vive Church (Jesus Christ Lives). Dr. Sam’s message on Man created in the Image of God, was both a challenge and blessing to all who attended from our various churches. At the end of the service a folkloric music group from the mission played music from the Andes using flutes, drums, guitars, and a churango (a small guitar sometimes made out of the shell of an armadillo). Along with the music there were youth in costumes who presented cultural dances.  It was a very special evening!

Early Thursday morning, Dan drove Dr. Sam and Jose (Pepe) Yucra, our Bolivia mission president out to visit our Camp Buena Vista. This beautiful camp is located in an area with jungle surrounding it and the Amboro National Park alongside it. The camp facilities have been upgraded considerably due to the 18 months of construction and renovations that Steve and Lorene Gabler provided. A highlight of this four-hour drive was that Pepe was able to share his heart with Dr. Sam and receive from him counsel and ideas for ministry. Of course, Dan had the interesting job of driving and translating at the same time during the whole trip. It’s very evident that Pepe’s heart was touched by Dr. Sam’s love for God and the ministry here in Bolivia. The trip to camp was then followed by a special lunch of authentic Bolivian food with the Bolivian mission leadership committee. As you can see, we kept Dr. Sam pretty busy during his time here.  It was great to have him stay with us, and our family was able to spend time with him between all of these activities.

The morning after Dr. Sam flew back to the States, leaders from all of our churches gathered for the annual asamblea meeting.  At times there can be some tension at these meetings, but not this year.  Dan started out the morning by sharing a devotional, then each church gave a report, new leaders were elected for some of the committees, many things were discussed.  There was such a spirit of unity and acceptance there. Dan felt that the attitude that was displayed there could only be attributed to the time that these leaders had just spent with Dr. Sam. They had been refreshed and encouraged by him and it was very evident in their attitudes towards each other in this meeting. It was a joy to be a part of this meeting!

Speaking of our Camp Buena Vista again, the Jr. High kids from the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center are enjoying three days of camp there right now. Next week, Trevor and Tasha will be going out there for five days of Sr. High camp. They get back to Santa Cruz on Friday afternoon and then the next day all of the Bolivian youth from our churches head out for their annual four-day camp. It is great to see the camp being used like this!

Thank you for your faithful support of our ministry here in Bolivia.  We are so thankful for your prayers and financial help. If you would like to donate online to our ministry through Grace Ministries International, please click here. We could not be here without your support!

Please pray:

1. for Pastor Guillermo Choquebarra’s son, Ariel, who left in January for five months of YWAM training in Costa Rica.

2. for all the upcoming camps out at Camp Buena Vista.

3. for the health of our family as there have been many cases of dengue fever, which is spread through mosquitoes.

4. for the pastoral searches being done in two of our churches.

Praise:

1.  that Lilibeth Ortega is halfway through her two-year ministry aboard “Logos Hope.” We just received word that the ship is in Cebu, Philippines, at this time.

2.  for Dan’s recent opportunities to speak at Henry Prince, teach at Vida Abundante Church (Abundant Life), and teach at the Km 14 La Gracia Church.

3.  for the wonderful visit with Dr. Sam Vinton.

Serving through Christ,

Dan, Mary Sue,Trevor, and Tasha Reed

Transition times can be quite difficult as change is involved. You leave one place and for some time don’t know where the next place will be. In a real sense you are grieving because you have said goodbye to a place and people that were home, community, ministry and family to you for 16 years. It was very hard to reduce that many years of material goods to just 8 suitcases upon leaving. That process helps you prioritize the things that are worth keeping. Then, when you get here you ask yourself, “Why did I keep this?” It has been great to spend time with our families this past year. We realized recently that we had not spent Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas with both my parents (DeAnna’s) for 20 years. Those times are special. A church here in Grand Haven (MI) Fellowship Bible has allowed us to stay in their “parsonage” house and has been so gracious and kind to us while on home assignment. Jerry and I have had opportunities to teach English to both migrant workers and international students in an adult education program this past year. We will be attending some missions conferences this winter season here in Michigan.

Cochabamba, Bolivia, where the Olsons lived and served for many years.

We lived in Bolivia for 16 years. What a beautiful country and people, so diverse in culture and topography. We had the pleasure of varied ministry oppportunities from leadership development, church planting and strengthening to discipleship, teaching Christian education and English, youth and adult mentoring. What an honor to have been able to be in Bolivia and to have shared our lives with such precious people.

One of Deanna's English Classes

Next stop will be Puerto Rico. We have been reassigned and Jerry has been given a short-term assignment of Camp Director of a Christian camp, “Camp Caribe.” His role will include development, marketing strategies, and incorporation of Puerto Rican leadership into the camp ministry. DeAnna will look for opportunities to teach English and be a team player in the camp ministry. Lord willing, Jerry will go to Puerto Rico the end of March after mission conferences and DeAnna will go in April.

Our EXITE Mission Trip 2012 is to Montevideo, Uruguay.

June 25-June 29: Bootcamp at GBC
June 30-July 12: Montevideo, UR

Age Requirement: at least 14 years old or entering the 9th grade in the fall of 2012

Cost: $850 not including airfare to Uruguay, South America

Join as we partner together with Grace Bible Church in Montevideo to experience what God is doing in this beautiful city situated on the north shore of the Rio de la Plata. Montevideo, a city with a population of about 1,500,00 people, has a rich architectural and cultural heritage but lacks spiritual life.

Our team will serve together with Uruguayan teens to reach out to the community around Grace Bible Church to share the love of Christ through puppets, music, and drama. Our team will also work with Grace Bible Church on the project to enlarge their church building.

Visit Gracem.org for more information.

Reeds in Bolivia

Since our last Bolivia update we have had a lot of different ministry activities we have been involved in. On October 9^th we were invited to the home of Pastor Adolfo Chambi for a dinner and time of sharing. All of the adults from his church, La Gracia, were invited and there was a really good group there. Elections for members of the Supreme Court of Bolivia were held on Sunday, October 16. On election days, people are not allowed to drive or hold public gatherings until 6 pm. Our annual Women’s Retreat was held at our Camp Buena Vista the first weekend in November. It was incredible to be with so many of our women from our different churches (around 60 attended).  On November 13^th, the Km 14 La Gracia church had their much anticipated river trip. We met at church and then most of the kids and leaders walked the ½ mile or so to the river. We drove our vehicle with the grill and food supplies. Our morning service was held right by the river, it was beautiful being outside. On December 1 – 4, we celebrated the 53^rd anniversary of our Bolivian mission, Mision Evangelica Bethesda. It was so special to have people from our churches in La Paz, Cochabamba, and Oruro with us.

Download the whole update here.

Donate to the Reeds here.

Brook Seekins in Tanzania

I pray your Christmas season is full of reminders of the One who was born. The whole season is really just a huge birthday party! Around here, there are very few signs of the season, or at least very few of the normal “western” signs. There are things I’ve come to recognize as normal for the Christmas season here in Tanzanian village life. Choirs are beginning to write songs for Christmas and I’ve helped the youth group write a skit from the Inn Keeper’s viewpoint. As missionaries, we hold on to some of our own traditions and have put up Christmas trees.  But I was chuckling as I went hunting for my tree in the tall grass while wearing sandals and a T-shirt, I had Anatory help cut down the tree with a machete and we used old bricks in a water bucket to stand it up straight. The villagers are preparing in their own ways.  They have already started sprouting corn and millet to make their traditional party drink, Togwa.  For those ladies that weren’t on the ball a couple weeks ago, it’s too late to sprout your grains and then have them dry in time.  After drying them, they grind them and use that flour mixed with boiling water to make a sweet, inexpensive party drink. For us, everything looks like spring.  The grass is growing fiercely in the yard, the garden is starting to produces lots of great things, and flowers are in full bloom. I’ve begun to associate the smell of lilacs with Christmas as they are just starting to bloom outside my kitchen window. It is nearing the end of mango season for which we always look forward, too. Just thought you’d appreciate a glimpse of life in Tanzania at this time of year.

Download the whole update here.

Donate to Brook here.

Hodgsons in Mbeya

Greetings from Mbeya. The rainy season is once again beginning, changing the dry, dusty landscape into lush greenery. Since we last wrote in October, it seems like things never really slowed down for us. We are continually blessed to have people in our home as they travel back and forth across the country. This year has been one of our busiest in terms of guests and our calendar is full until the new year. Please pray for patience and strength for us and a spirit of generosity and hospitality with our many guests. Neema Masomo ya Biblia (Grace Bible Lessons) is picking up steam as well. We recently sent 20 lessons to the northern city of Arusha and at the end of the month we’ll send the same amount to Dar es Salaam on the coast. We’ll also be working on registering students in the Sumbawanga area to our west. Please pray for interest in these lessons and for the Holy Spirit to work on the hearts of those being introduced to the Gospel. The new office has been a great blessing both for me personally and for the correspondence ministry. It is a great space for working and preparing lessons. We ask for your prayers as well for our families.  Several of our extended family members are sick and it weighs heavily on our hearts. We thank you for your prayers and support!

Download the whole update here.

Donate to the Hodgsons here.

Rabenolds in Tanzania

We hope that you had an excellent Christmas and have a super New Year! We are currently blessed to be together as a family. Christmas was a sunny day in Kapenta, with temperature in the 90s. We had a great service in Kapenta church where plays and lots of singing were a big focus! Afterwards we enjoyed an American Christmas meal with our co-workers, the Bentons and Guilzons. We have to cross a big river called Chombe in order to get home. Since it is rainy season, this proves difficult. My rule of thumb is: I can usually cross it with my car if I can wade it. This time I was wrong! We were stuck in the middle of the river for over an hour until I could get about 30 guys from the village and local bar to come and lend a hand in getting us high and dry again. Thanks for your kind support and encouragement as we continue to reach out to local people with the Good News of Christ through Agriculture, Evangelism, and Leadership Development.

Download the whole update here.

Donate to the Rabenolds here.

Note from Dr. Sam Vinton, Jr. – “It is with a profound sense of gratitude that I look back on 2011 and repeat over and over again the truth that GOD IS SO GOOD! This does not mean that everything that happened to us as Christians was good. This is especially true as I think of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are part of the ‘Persecuted Church’ in many countries around the world. There are also many, many Christians facing horrendous economic and health problems. But this does not change the fact that GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. God is good by His very nature which does not change. My challenge to those of us who know the Lord Jesus as Savior and live surrounded by the good things of this world is for us to do everything possible through our prayers, encouragement and gifts to ‘make the teaching about God our Savior attractive’ (Titus 2:10).”

Happy New Year from GMI! We hope 2012 is a wonderful year of growing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and of discovering new opportunities to serve Him!

We just wanted to let you know that pictures from our mission trip to Nicaragua this past August are now up on our website.

Please be in prayer for our first of several mini-mission trips to Nicaragua scheduled for January 5-9. Since 2006 we have taken several mission trips there—about one a year—and we have made several contacts. Just a couple of months ago our mission board here in Costa Rica decided that it’s time to take the next step in our efforts to begin a new work in Nicaragua. So in 2012 we are planning to take up to 8 mini-mission trips there. The trips would last about 5 days each and have a team of around 4-6 members. Our goal for 2012 is to continue developing the contacts that we already have in Nicaragua and continue to make new ones. We believe that the friendships we have with the people there can be much more meaningful if we visit on a more frequent basis instead of just once a year. We’d also like to try to incorporate Bible institute type lessons/classes during our trips so we can further train the folks who are ready to work alongside us in Nicaragua. We are excited about the possibilities, but a lot of work lies ahead. So we continue to ask you to pray for this ministry.

It is football season in the States, but down here Little League baseball has just started now that the rainy season is coming to an end. We often think about a missionary’s life as one that should expect the unexpected—especially in ministry. However, it seems to be true in other parts of life as well. Just a few weeks ago I was taking a look at the website for Jason’s baseball league when I happened across the team’s roster. At the bottom of the roster I found my name…as his coach!

Though it’s an 8-9 year old league, the kids pitch. This last Saturday was the first game and after the second kid reached his pitch limit, I put Jason in as the pitcher. He did well. He struck out a few, walked a few, fielded a ball throwing a guy out at first, and didn’t hit anyone. Whenever runners were on base, however, he would carefully and studiously look over each runner.  After doing this for an at-bat or two, he started throwing the ball at the bases where the runners were.  At first it was kind of cute, but after a while I was thinking he was trying to be too cute, so I told him not to throw the ball around, but throw it over the plate instead. At this point the scorekeeper, who is also in charge of the league, said, “Jeremy, let him do it.  He knows what he is doing. He sees that the runners’ feet aren’t on the base and if the fielder tags them, they’re out. He’s doing the right thing.”  I couldn’t believe it. Not only did he see something I completely missed, but in his first outing, he was trying pick off base runners!

Again, we thank you so much for your encouragement, prayers, and for being a part of our ministry here in Costa Rica!

Jeremy, Andrea, Berea, Jason and Lydia.

If you would like to give online to support our ministry through Grace Ministries International, click here.

We have exciting news from our clinic in the Rukwa Valley – Mercy Medical Missions. But first, watch this presentation given by the Guilzon family in 2009 for a little background:

The clinic building is finished:

People are being treated, and God’s love is shown to the people in the Rukwa Valley:

But the most recent news of all:

The clinic registration has finally been granted!!!

We praise God that we have found favor in the eyes of the Tanzanian government. After months of working, waiting, and praying it is with sweet relief that we finally can send this exciting announcement.

What does this mean?

• We can start hiring and training staff this month.
• We can start moving equipment and furniture into the clinic building.
• We need to purchase necessary supplies.
• Projecting the “grand opening” for the 1st of the year.

Thank you for your commitment to support us. We depend on you to help us make a difference in the Rukwa Valley, one life at a time!

Click here to view more photos from Mercy Medical Missions.

The Guilzon Family, Mercy Medical Missions, Inc.

In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment—called “indulgences”—for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to repent for their sins.

Luther’s frustration with this practice led him to write the 95 Theses, which were quickly snapped up, translated from Latin into German and distributed widely. A copy made its way to Rome, and efforts began to convince Luther to change his tune. He refused to keep silent, however, and in 1521 Pope Leo X formally excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church. That same year, Luther again refused to recant his writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany, who issued the famous Edict of Worms declaring Luther an outlaw and a heretic and giving permission for anyone to kill him without consequence.  (Source)

This is a depiction of Luther refusing to recant from the movie Luther (2003):

Martin Luther is an example of a man who stood up against what was wrong. His 95 Theses stated that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds. Are we willing to defend the faith in this day and age where the gospel is being distorted and the Bible is not taken as authoritative? Read these two passages:

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ….For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7, 10).

“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:3-4).

It is important for us to defend the faith, to stand up against corruption, and to make sure that we do not pervert the grace of God. And let’s not limit this to Reformation Day, but to every day.

Ted and Kim write pretty consistent updates. Past updates are available on their website. Visit their website! Their website also has tons of pictures and information about their different ministries. Check it out!