Prayer Needs for Mission Partners

10/19/2025: Please pray for Cheque and Hope Garcia. Cheque and Hope spent 9 years working in Monterrey Mexico with Back2Back Ministries. Back2Back Ministries is an international Christian non-profit organization dedicated to being a voice for orphans. In 2018, they began the process of setting up a Back2Back presence in the Dominican Republic.

10/5/2025: Please pray for our Youssouf and Awa Dembele. The Dembeles are contributing to the work of the church in Bamako, Mali and throughout the world through leadership in the local church, seminary, evangelical associations, and bible translation projects. Youssouf shares the following: 

• In May, Youssouf taught the topic: Who is Jesus Christ to a Women Camp that gathered more than 1000 Christian women.
• Awa was able to attend the graduation ceremony of their daughter Eliette. Many thanks to the Petersons and the Turners who visited Awa and Eliette and to all the community of the Church for your token of love Awa received. She stayed with Eliette for 2 months.
• They are very grateful to the Lord for the coming of Pastor Luka and Jemima Traore and their family. He is a very young Pastor. The Church Counsel wants Youssouf to mentor him beyond 2026.
• Thankful to the Lord for the two books Youssouf wrote and published this year: A commentary on the Book of Ezekiel and a Summary of major theological themes. The Bible translation ministry continues with the plan to complete the first Parkwa Bible in Cameroon in early 2026. The revision of the Bamanan Bible in Mali is getting close to completion. He continues to work with the Konabere and the Maninka, both teams working on the Old Testament.
• Youssouf’s assistant, Pastor Etienne Diarra, is still unable to walk after he went through surgery in October 2018. Please continue to pray for healing.
• Continue to pray for their kids that they may walk with the Lord and be His witnesses.
• Pray for Youssouf as he is currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He will be attending the United Bible Societies Global Ministry Team’s Meeting.
• Pray for Youssouf as he was chosen to be the keynote Speaker at the General Assembly of the Association of Evangelicals of Mali on October 28-31, 2025.

9/28/2025: Please pray for our missionaries Wayne & Barbara Brink and Gerry Buchholz, who work with Cru and the Jesus Film. Since the Jesus Film was created by Cru in 1979, the film has been translated into over 2,100 languages around the world and continues to play a key role in fulfilling the Great Commission. You can view the Jesus Film HERE for free. It is also available in different languages. Pray through people you know who might be interested in seeing the film and have them over or share the link letting them know the film is available in their language (if applicable). Please pray God would guide ongoing translation projects and continue to use the film to communicate the gospel to those who have not yet heard. We have two Mission Partners involved with the Jesus Film in different roles of support.

• News from Wayne and Barbara Brink:
  • Four men came to disrupt a Jesus Film showing. They sat through the whole two-hour film, but instead of disrupting the film at its conclusion, they took off their vests filled with explosives, walked forward, kneeled, asking Jesus to forgive them and wanting to become new believers in our Savior! These kinds of stories are very frequent showing God is truly desiring to reach our lost World.
  • Praise God Wayne and Barbara are doing very well. Pray they continue to grow in their thankfulness to everything God is doing in their lives.
  • Fall is always their busiest time of year. Pray they stay healthy, focused, and for God to give them insight into doing their best and not just good things.
• News from Gerry Buchholz:
  • Pray God will continue to lead and show the doctors the answers and give complete healing and protection from the enemy for the husband of a couple Gerry has been coaching.
  • Praise God Gerry was asked to briefly coach a young Taiwanese graduate from the U of TX who was attempting to raise support to be an intern on their digital innovation team. She is now fully funded and has moved to Orlando to begin her internship. 
  • Praise God both of Gerry’s hips are doing very well after replacement surgeries this year.

8/10/2025: Please pray for Mike and Ann Wheeler. The Wheelers continue to serve with Serving in Mission (SIM) as part of the US Home Based Team and continue their international ministry from Wascea, MN. As of May, they have been in the US for two years! Occasionally, Mike will travel to Cochabamba, Bolivia or Latin America to work with the seminaries and pastors.

• Mike's ministry has become totally virtual except for when he attends a conference or travels to visit a seminary. He misses teaching and interaction with students but is grateful he can still touch base with his previous Seminary colleagues from time to time.
•  A lot of Mike's time over the last several months has been focused on preparing or adapting manuals and other documents for the new regional theological education association, AFTH. He hopes to have a draft for approval by the AFTH board soon.
• A team visited the Bible Seminary in Cochabamba, Bolivia in April. The Seminary still has some work to do, but it might be done in a couple of months. The written report from the other seminary in Santa Cruz, Bolivia is being reviewed, and if Mike and the others are happy with it, they can schedule an on-sight visit in a few months. Please pray for the preparation and the actual visit. This will be the first time Mike has led an accreditation team.
• Ann is teaching English to Latinos. While teaching English has been fun, it is also challenging. Having learned both Spanish and Quechua, Ann knows how important it is to have "safe" opportunities to practice and make mistakes. So, she has focused more on helping them practice English and less on the grammar. It has, however, provided opportunities to witness to those who do not know the Lord and to mentor those who do. There may be an opportunity to teach English in a more formal setting; we will know more in September. Please pray it will be clear if this is something from Him.
• Ann oversees one of SIM's Home-Based missionary teams, but she has not yet met any of her team in person. Please pray for her as she adjusts to what the Lord places in front of her.
• In the Latino ministry at our church, we have been encouraged to see some new people begin to attend the Sunday evening Bible study which is studying the Gospel of Luke. Please pray for this study as we try to reach out to those who have previously attended sporadically and to develop new relationships.

8/3/2025: Please pray for Carlos and Suzanne Tejada. The Tejadas have been living and serving in Cartago, Costa Rica with ReachGlobal. Carlos is helping in a program to teach hermeneutics to pastors and leaders. He is working alongside indigenous pastors who are planting churches among their people group. Almost every Cabecar pastor does not have any theological training. Carlos desires to plant healthy churches, but for that to happen it is necessary to equip leaders first. This year he is training 8 pastors and leaders from different villages. Suzanne is primarily serving at home with her family and connecting with local pastors to promote Casa Viva, a Christian foster agency.

• One weakness among the Cabecar tribe is good preaching. In many services, they sing for up to three hours and preach for only 10 minutes. We are helping to foster good teaching and preaching in that region. Once a month, a group of pastors and indigenous leaders gather with Carlos to study some hermeneutical principles. It has been wonderful to see them so excited, studying the Bible and preparing sermons. One of the assignments is to prepare a sermon and share it with the rest of the students and we all evaluate their content. Now their messages are deeper and more edifying. We desire to have healthy churches among the Cabecar tribe.
• Pray for Alesa. We are praying and considering the possibility of moving her to a smaller school. We will evaluate different options and need God's guidance.
• After seven years of living in Costa Rica, Carlos finally received a visit from his family in Honduras. His sister and two nephews visited us for a week. One night we invited friends from Costa Rica to our house, and his sister Loyda taught them how to make flour tortillas. It was a lot of fun, and we ate delicious food.

7/14/2025: Please pray for the Barthelemy family. This is their last time as our Missionary Partner of The Week. Specific prayer requests include:

• for all the transitional details they are sorting through, and especially for housing in Chaska, MN – Update praise, they found a house!
• for good goodbyes, emotional strength, and healthy processing in these last few days.
• for provision of workers to step into the holes they are leaving, at UBI and GraceGen youth group.
• for God's nearness and care for each of us through this transition.

6/22/2025: Please pray for Lonnie and Debbie Smith. The Smiths serve with EFCA ReachGlobal in Marseille, France and are involved in church planting and relational evangelism. Please pray for the ministries they are involved in, including the Merlan Church and the university students who had been involved in the FEU this past year (the FEU is the university student ministry of the Merlan Church).

• At the end of May, the Merlan Church joined several other churches in Marseille for a week of Outreach that was called La Semaine de l’Amitié, or a week of friendship. Many events were held in different locations around the city focusing on the theme of friendship. It is our prayer the guests who attended would trust in our one true Friend and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for praying with us for fruit that will last.
• Thank the Lord for the new contacts made with neighbors and students during the Semaine de l’Amitié. Pray for Laetitia and Myriam at the FEU, and all those who were involved, as they rest and recover from a very busy week!
• We left for Home Assignment May 28! ReachGlobal requires us to do four months of what is called “Renew” every five years - as the name indicates, a time of pulling back from all the activities and earnestly engage in rest and renewal. We took two of these months at the end of last year and will complete our time of Renew this year during June and July. After that time, we will be visiting our supporters and supporting churches throughout the Fall.
• We finished the marriage enrichment series at the beginning of May. Please pray these couples will continue to grow to become more like Jesus in their marriages and lovingly serve one another. Pray for other couples at the Merlan Church who were not able to attend due to health issues, but who truly need a special touch from the Lord - to have hope and not give up.
• Praise the Lord with us for the couple, who lost their baby boy at birth about two years ago, are celebrating the arrival of their son. We rejoice with them. 

6/8/2025: Please pray for Leon and Mandy Poplawski, who lead Cru City in Lake County, IL. Leon and Mandy help leaders in the workplace, community, and church live out their callings and learn to communicate their faith. They are part of the Neighbors National Leadership Team, which gives direction to 250 staff around the country. They also coach eight staff members each and lead a virtual POD. A POD is their version of a virtual small group. Their POD includes 15 staff members from around the country they shepherd virtually once a month. Leon continues his Lake County Jail Chaplaincy and Mandy serves with CrossLife's MomCo. Here is their update:  

• Leon had a chance to speak to an inmate while he had his one hour out of his solitary cell. The rest of the prison was locked down. I looked over and immediately knew it was the man for whom I’d been praying. The officer gave me permission to speak with him. I don’t know what effect our conversation had on him. But I do know, God’s love and the Gospel have power to save. To God be the Glory. (2 Peter 3:9)
• Mandy continues to partner with our MomCo group as a Mentor Mom. This year has been exciting, as we have seen new moms come to every meeting. One mom found us on the internet and when she was contacted, she asked, "Do I have to be a Christian to join?” We love moms like that, because we get to help them explore where they are in a relationship with God.
• In April, we had a Faith Story Day. I had the honor of training 2-3 moms to give their Faith Stories to the whole group. I love helping these women craft their stories in ways that are understandable and relatable to all, wherever they are on their journey.
• Also in the Spring, I will be starting a “New Connections” Group. This group allows women to come, learn, and feel safe to ask any questions they have about faith and the Bible. We take a look at the Bible as a whole story and we discuss openly how a relationship with Jesus affects the whole life. It is a great time, and I love doing it every spring.
• We have made the decision that we will retire in July. We have loved our years on staff and stand in awe of the ways God has blessed us, but through much prayer, we believe it is time to leave. We are staying where we are, for now, and we will even continue in some of our ministry partnership.

5/25/2025: Please pray for Francesco and Manuela Grassi. Francesco and Manuela are missionaries with the United World Mission and are serving at the Italian Evangelical Bible Institute in Rome. As a missional scholar for the Theological Education Initiative (a branch of the UWM), Francesco is involved in the ministry of theological education, both residentially as well as in the various decentralized schools around Italy. Together with Manuela, they also serve as mentors, providing counseling and hospitality to students living away from home. Their passion and prayer are for Italian believers to recover the importance of a sound and holistic biblical formation for the life and witness of the church in Italy. IBEI (Rome) is intentionally and concretely invested in this regard. Here is an update and prayer requests from the Grassis:

• 2025 is the Catholic Jubilee, which opened an opportunity to host a seminar on Catholic Theology at IBEI in February.
• They have been encouraged by a few individual increases over the past few months, but overall, in 2024 they have seen a decrease of about 6.25% in their support. If you’re not yet a supporter but would like to know more (click here), they would love to share what God is doing and how you could be part of it. 
• Francesco is currently in conversation with two schools in Africa—one in Kenya and one in Zambia. Both have expressed a great need for theological formation. Please pray the Lord will guide these conversations and make His Will clear.
• Some students will return for their second year, while others will go back to their churches and ministries. Please pray they make good use of what they’ve learned.
• Please pray for the Grassis’ spiritual and emotional well-being as they continue in ministry. It’s all too easy to get caught up in activity and forget how they do things—or more importantly, for whom they do them.
• God blessed the day of Sofia’s and Naomi’s baptisms. Many unbelievers attended the event (even a girl from Sofia’s school). Pray God to soften the hearts of their friends and relatives, who don’t belong to God, yet.
• Due to bad weather, their annual Easter egg hunt was cancelled. They have started to invite kids for their “Treasure Island” Day Camp 2025. Please pray especially for guidance and wisdom for the team being put together
• Thank you for supporting the Grassis in prayer. They really feel and need prayers to finish well this academic year.