Prayer Needs for Mission Partners

4/21/2024: Please pray for Ben and Jeanne Beckner, who serve with a nonprofit organization based in Iowa and live in Perpignan, France. Ben is professor of intercultural studies at a private theological training college located in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also founder and director of a French cultural nonprofit which uses French language teaching as a training tool for cross-cultural outreach and communication. Ben and Jeanne are active members of a local French Baptist church in Perpignan. Their plan is to retire in Colorado in 2025. They have been busy preparing for life back in the USA, helping with grandchildren in various places, visiting supporting churches, and continuing ministries in Europe. Ben is greatly concerned about believers in Ukraine and shares these updates:

• Ben returned from Europe the Thursday of Easter week, and we all rejoiced at his safe arrival after so many far-flung travels. Having just returned from an intense month in France and Eastern Europe, where he spent practically the whole month with Ukrainians, whether refugees in France, or internal refugees in Ukraine, or just normal Ukrainians experiencing daily the unprovoked, satanic, genocidal hatred of Putin’s Russia against their country, culture and people. 
• Pray the remaining churches and believers in the occupied Crimean Peninsula, as well as in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, most of which have gone underground, may stand firm against the evil of this present régime, the malicious propaganda and the vast corruption of the authorities. Pray for the many believers who have fled Crimea and Donbas.
• Pray for the churches and believers in Free Ukraine, who are all the more zealous, in their present suffering, to care for the suffering and needy, to welcome internally displaced persons and families, and to proclaim the "Gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). Pray for these believers who are fighting on the front, for their chaplains, a new phenomenon initiated by Ukrainian evangelicals. 
• Pray for the Ukrainian believers who have scattered throughout Europe, bringing blessing to the countries and cities that welcome them, who are encouraging their churches to become more intentionally and intelligently engaged in spiritual warfare, in Christian compassion and mission, and in intercession for peace and freedom in Eastern Europe.
• We took care of our four grandchildren here while their parents went to visit Rachel and Tim in Scotland for a week. All went well in the midst of potty training the youngest, and seeing that the three oldest got to and from school on time, and with all their paraphernalia! It was a lot of fun, if somewhat tiring at times, but we were so glad to be here to help out. We’re making memories — we hope!
• Ben is also in the throes of teaching an online course through the Geneva Bible Institute, to 18 students of all ages and on several continents, which requires many “Partnering with local churches to mobilize believers for active involvement in reaching the world for Christ”. It is especially complicated because of our eight-hour time difference. He will also be on the jury deliberation for the final theses of six students who are finishing the missions track this spring. And in June he’ll be again teaching a class on the history of mission in person at the Bible Institute. So he’s got a lot on his plate right now.
• We are planning a very quick trip out to California for a week in order to visit some of the churches we couldn’t get to last year and to see some long-term supporters and friends.
• After we come back to Colorado on May 1, we will have not quite two weeks before we leave for the summer in France on May 14. We are looking so forward to seeing our friends back in Perpignan and staying in our little apartment once again. We will have various family visits during those weeks, and Ben will be teaching and preparing for his camps in July. 

4/14/2024: Please pray for Ben and Beth Barthelemy serve in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. In addition to teaching at Union Bible Institute, discipling young women on campus, serving at a local children's home, and learning the isiZulu language, Ben and Beth are also raising four beautiful girls (Norah, Stella, Tess, and Adele). They have returned from home assignment and are settling back into the full swing of life in Pietermaritzburg. The following are their current updates and requests:

4/7/2024: Please pray for Keith and Judy Anderson, who serve with EFCA ReachGlobal through ProMETA. Keith works with the ProMETA team, an online seminary offering master’s level education for Spanish speaking leaders. Some notes and prayer requests from Keith and Judy include:

• Last week, Dr. Javier Sepúlveda, ProMETA’s rector (Keith’s successor), invited four graduate/current students to share with the 30+ ProMETA team members how ProMETA has been used of God in their lives. It was so encouraging to hear how God has provided the training these committed servants of the Lord have been looking for!
• Pray for Keith as he works with Dr. Sepúlveda and his family on immigration issues. Canada has not renewed their visas to remain in Canada as of October, thus they are looking for options offering a healthy and affordable living experience, income for Javier’s wife (she has two master’s degrees), and a platform for leading the ProMETA team for many years to come.
• Praise God for the transformation of ProMETA’s master’s programs into programs accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). This is a big “win” for Latin American ministry leaders. They will now earn a master’s degree which will provide the credentials for teaching in their own countries. The accreditation also certifies quality and integrity of the programs. Three more master’s programs are entering the accreditation process: 1) Christian Leadership, 2) Bible and Theology, and 3) Theology and Contemporary Culture.
• Praise God for graduates who are translating Scripture into the indigenous languages of their culture. ProMETA has provided a strong cultural, biblical and theological background for their ministries.
• Pray for Keith as he works on a commission with the ProMETA board president on crafting a scholarship policy that can be applied to a region with a broad range of economies and challenges!
• Many staff on the ProMETA team are experiencing serious health issues, themselves or family members. Pray for God’s protection and His healing.
• Pray for ProMETA’s leadership team as they seek ways to help them supplement the little financial support they are receiving.
• Pray for Keith as he prepares for a four-month module on Bible and Theology for the doctoral cohort. The cohort will be halfway through their program!
• Pray for Samuel (ProMETA’s academic dean) and Keith as they prepare for a ReachGlobal trip to Brazil in two months. The two will be leading the first part of a three-day discussion on “Transformation through Theological Education.” Pray also for our ReachGlobal Latin American International Leader, Omar Rodriguez, as he prepares for and leads the event.

3/10/2024: Please pray for Mike and Ann Wheeler, who are with Serving in Mission (SIM) in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Mike is involved in training Seminary students in central South America and assists in accreditation of regional seminaries. Anne is involved in several ministries teaching and assisting administratively. They have transitioned back to the United States in Waseca, MN as their home base. These are the prayer requests they have shared:

• Mike is corresponding with about ten seminaries throughout Latin America that are either exploring accreditation, actively pursuing accreditation, or are working toward reaccreditation. Please pray for the three seminaries formally in the process of either accreditation or reaccreditation. Pray also for Mike as he helps them during this process and prepares the teams who will visit them for their final review.
• Thank you for praying for Ann as we decide what her ministry will look like in the coming years. While in the UK we had several days to pray specifically about what she should do in 2024. The Lord clearly showed us the ministry Ann had been considering was not a good match. Ann and that ministry amicably agreed to this at the end of January. We also feel it is time for her to be less involved with Apoyo in Bolivia. So, she will no longer be part of their administrative team, but will still teach courses and coach some Christian leaders. She will also help Crown Financial Ministries as a budget coach, working with one Spanish speaking client at a time. Together with our SIM supervisor, we have agreed Ann will explore needs within SIM that may fit her experience and gifting. In the meantime, she will explore ministry opportunities in Waseca and continue the transition to life in the US, while seeking the Lord for the future. Please pray the Lord will guide us as she explores different options.

3/3/2024: Please pray for Carlos and Suzanne Tejada. Suzanne (Westover) attended CrossLife for many years growing up and then attended our Spanish speaking congregation with husband Carlos. They have been living and serving in Cartago, Costa Rica with ReachGlobal. Carlos is involved in building relationships with pastors across the city, and in other regions of Costa Rica, to form collaborative partnerships among pastors and churches and to provide theological and Biblical training. He is working alongside indigenous pastors who are planting churches among their people group. Around 80% of pastors do not have formal theological or biblical training. Equipping pastors helps them better prepare their teaching and preaching of the word of God more effectively. Suzanne's primary ministry is working with a Christian foster agency, Casa Viva connecting them with local churches. Their current prayer requests include:

2/25/2024: Please pray for Lonnie and Debbie Smith. The Smiths serve with EFCA Reach Global in Marseille, France and are involved in church planting and relational evangelism. Please pray for the ministries they are involved in in Marseille including the Merlan Church and the university students who had been involved in the FEU (student ministry of the Merlan Church) this past year. Requests the Smiths have shared include:

• Pray for the many opportunities to share the Gospel with the large Muslim immigrant population in Marseille including Bible studies, the FEU week of evangelism, and the local church.
• Pray for the Algerian couple seeking refuge from persecution. Pray they will assimilate quickly into their new home and that God will use them to minister to the immigrant population.

2/11/2024: Please pray for Leon and Mandy Poplawski. They are on staff with Cru City and work with individuals and churches in Lake County helping local churches equip “Mon-Fri Workers” for ministry through their callings. This includes leading "Work and Faith" groups and workshops in Lake County. Leon continues to be involved with the Lake County Jail ministry and Mandy works with a local MOP's group. Leon and Mandy also coach a group of staff nationally who are innovators in their cities. A note from Leon and Mandy describes some current ministry updates and their current prayer requests:

• We want to thank you for the warm coats, socks, gloves, and hats that were donated to help Lake County Jail inmates when they are released during the winter season. These acts of kindness made a great impression on not only the inmates, but the administration as well that we try to influence for Christ.
• Leon is training a Spanish speaking Chaplain and it is going well. Alex is learning how to share the gospel, build disciples, and guide inmates on the straight and narrow. Leon is learning more about gangs and gang life from Alex which helps him communicate with lives that are in bondage.
• A recent inmate came to faith in Christ after a Pod Bible study. Pray Deshawn would be transformed into the image of Christ.
• Leon is tracking metrics for 170 CRU staff who last year we saw 1250 people put faith in Christ, through in person conversations.
• Mandy continues her work with young moms, equipping them to be Jesus, not only in their families, but also in their communities.
• She is also leading the team planning and designing our virtual conference to be held on April 10 and attended by 250 staff. Please pray for her.
• Our biggest need, now, is increased donors to partner with us in all God is doing.

1/28/2024: Please pray for Francesco and Manuela Grassi. Francesco and Manuela are missionaries with 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 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. With its focus on two critical needs of the Italian churches – the theological/spiritual/practical formation of believers and the education of the many bi-vocational church leaders around Italy – the school maintains the clear goal of helping the whole church grow to maturity in Christ. Here is an update and prayer requests from the Grassis:

• Perhaps, the most immediate prayer request is the life of a dear friend who is battling cancer right now and just had surgery. Her name is Eveline. She came to visit us a few times while we were at CrossLife. She is family to us, and a “third” nonna for our girls. As I write we are here with her, in Switzerland, helping with day-to-day errands, cooking, taking her to chemotherapy and back home, just sitting and talking and praying with her. Yes, we requested our parents for a week to stay with our children in Italy. Pray for them as well.
• We are organizing a day camp for the kids in Rebecca and Rachel’s classes from June 10-14, which will be held at the facilities of the Bible Institute. For over two years we have been able to make new friends and establish good relationships with the parents. We pray this turns into a great opportunity to share the gospel with the children and their parents. We are open and clear the camp will have a strong Christian component, so this will also be a good test to see their reaction. Pray also for our inherited American tradition of the Easter Egg Hunt which we are having again this year in one of the parks of our community. Those are precious moments for the little ones to hear (and for the adults to “overhear” as they walk around) the Gospel. We covet your prayers.
• Another test will be the launch of a pilot "Summer School at IBEI." For many years this was a ministry and a great opportunity to study God’s word, especially for bi-vocational church leaders or Christians who could never take 1 year off work, or simply couldn’t afford a longer period at the Institute. The idea is having a class that will join history and NT studies with field trips to Rome, Pompei, Ostia, preceded by a prep time in class studying the corresponding bible passage. It is a pilot, so it might rise and die in one season. Please pray for a good opportunity to serve God’s people in Italy in this way and pray for the guy in charge of organizing the curriculum, the courses, and everything in between, whom I don’t trust very much (and I am that guy whom I don’t trust very much (and I am that guy). 
• Pray for our summer planning. God willing, we will come to the US for a couple of months, something our mission suggests doing every once in a while, and which we welcome with great joy as we can see many of you again! I am also planning to spend some time at TEDS writing…if not wrapping up my dissertation?! We will need to start looking for a place to stay, and the campus at TEDS would be ideal. Would you mind praying God opens possibilities in this regard? Also, if you know of options for borrowing a minivan for the summer, or for a cheap rent, that would be of great help.
• Lastly, keep praying that we may always walk in a God-honoring way, in what we do at the Bible Institute, at home as family, in our neighborhood, and our community as disciples of our Lord. We’ve been facing difficult circumstances in the last two years, together with great joys of seeing students growing in their love for the Lord and in knowledge of God’s word and neighbors hearing the gospel for the first time. We feel the healthy pressure of clinging tightly to God for help and assurance.