Spotlight On Missions
Send offerings to BMA Missions • P.O. Box 878 • Conway, AR 72033-0878 • (501) 455.4977 • www.bmamissions.org
Bryan & Pam Risner • Romania
The month of December was full of laughter and lots of busy moments. We had lots of visitors from the States for the Christmas and New Year seasons but continued to work with the ministry in Brasov. Our family visited a few times in the Oradea area to start meetings with the new church plant.
The kids (mostly the girls) love visiting the Christmas markets in Europe. The delicious foods and the Christmas cheer were everywhere that evening.
What a blessing to gift coats and toys to the children for Christmas. The smiles on their faces and the excited voices made all the hassle worth it.
Our family is so thankful for all of our financial supporters and the people who have continued to pray for us. You guys are the reason we can do ministry here.
The Christmas season is full of laughter and love, and one of the ways we love on people here is to gift a tin of cookies. Pam, Candra and the girls made over 200 cookies to give to over 14 families or businesses. Most were extremely thankful and excited and that is all that matters.
Glancing Back and Looking Forward
• Santandrei (Roma/Gypsy) — The Santandrei ministry is very slow but rewarding. The ministry leaders are Lavi and Marius. They have made an enormous difference in the community, and continue to do so weekly. Lavi works with the children weekly and has recently started to use her felt board, which has kept their attention a bit more than usual. The children have begun to understand and ask appropriate questions. Marius has thrived with working with the adults in the community. There is one man in the village who has started reading the Bible in the mornings and praying. Pray that God can use this man, in his family and in his community.
• Brasov (Return Church) — The ministry in Brasov has continued to thrive. They meet weekly as a whole and have a service with songs and a sermon. Please pray for this ministry as we have started to transition out and begin a new ministry.
• Oradea (New Church Plant) — We have been meeting monthly, but at the end of January we began Sunday meetings as a traditional Sunday service that lasts three hours. Bryan and Dani are leading meetings with the Oradea ministry team. Please pray as our family and the Bagosis are still inviting and building our core group of this church plant, and that the other churches around this area will not cause problems for the new church.
Praise Reports
• “Return” church plant in Ghimbav is outgrowing in-home meetings
• Fellowship time with Return Church family
• Carina (Roma ministry) is meeting weekly with Lavi
• Our language comprehension is growing
• Our prayer and financial partners
• The opportunity to serve in Romania
We ask that you join us in prayer for the following:
• Santandrei Roma Ministry (1:1 Bible studies, vandalism issues, fence for property, children’s behavior and Carina’s walk with Christ)
• Brasov Ministry (college ministry with Roma community, weekly discipleship meetings, Sunday meeting location and evangelism opportunities)
• Our transition (in January) to Oradea
• Our new ministry opportunity in Oradea
• Scholarships for the kids’ college
• Our language skills to increase
(risnersinromania@gmail.com / risnersinromania.com)
Mickeal & Sharon Quillman • Zambia
January in Zambia is typically amid the “rainy season,” but this year, like so many other places, the rains have been scarce. The temperatures here were staying in the high 80s to low 90s, which wasn’t bad and would cool down as soon as a shower would come through. However, just like in Arkansas, the humidity would hit as soon as the shower was over.
We had a visit scheduled with Johnmichael Poulin and had given him advance notice of what the weather had been like up until he arrived. It rained daily that week, and the temperature dropped to the mid-60s and 70s. On occasion, it almost felt a little chilly. He swore when he left he would never believe that Africa is hot. We had a great visit with Bro. Johnmichael the week he was here and got to spend a lot of time in the car with him taking him from and to Lusaka for his flights. Since we are still in the middle of language acquisition, most of our time with him was spent talking about how the language works, what things will look like when we finish language school and just getting some much-needed encouragement.
Since we are in the middle of learning the language we thought it would be neat to explain a little of what we’ve learned and what makes it difficult. In English, we have subjects, objects, nouns, verbs, pronouns, etc. and all the tenses rest on the verb. In ChiNyanja, the sentence structure is subject, tense, object, verb; and it all combines into one word. For example:
• “I am praying” is “Nipempela”
• “I have prayed” is “Napempela”
• “I will pray” is “Nizapempela”
• “I was praying” is “Ninali kupempela”
This week, we were working on verb extensions. So instead of saying I am praying we added “for you.”
• “I am praying for you” is “Nikupempelela”
• “I have prayed for you” is “Nakupempelela”
• “I will pray for you” is “Nizakupempelela”
• “I was praying for you” is “Ninali kukupempelele”
Say that last one three times fast. We struggle with just saying it once! If you would like to see a little more of our language homework, check out the poem we had to translate on the Pastor Quill Facebook page at facebook.com/PastorQuillJohn94.
Our land cruiser has been in the shop this week, getting the gearbox replaced so we can get back into the villages when the roads are bad. We will get back to Bible studies and discipleship while we learn the language this next week.
Prayer requests
• Headman of Chibinga village as he is being discipled as a new believer,
• Discipleship of all the new believers,
• Salvation of all unbelievers in Chibinga,
• The gospel to continue into the surrounding villages and
• Our language acquisition classes.
Needs
• Bibles in Tonga and Lozi language,
• Shoes for the children in Chibinga,
• Tires and a new gearbox for our 4x4. (This money has been pulled from our work fund as the need was immediate, but we pray the funds will be replenished.)
(pastorquill@gmail.com)
Doug & Diane Lee • Philippines
World Missions Day — Don’t forget World Mission Day, Feb. 26, 2023! Missionaries are the foundation of foreign missions, but time and cost will never allow them to fulfill the “Great Commission.” The evangelization of the world will happen when we disciple and train nationals in their own country and culture to reach their own people with the gospel.
• Baby Freedom — In the last newsletter, we shared with you about Baby Kloyd Freedom Albes, who is in desperate need of heart surgery. He is the son of Jack Lloyd Albes and Angie Albes, two of our BMA alumnae. Pastor Jack is a Filipino missionary pastor we have been supporting for quite a while, and he is working with a mission about two hours south of Bacolod.
Freedom’s heart condition has worsened. His doctor has said he needs to have surgery as soon as possible because the pulse rate of one of his veins is way higher than normal, which makes it hard for him to breathe.
The cost of the surgery is 500,000 Philippine pesos ($10,000). To schedule the surgery in Manila, they need 200,000 Philippine pesos ($4,000) down payment and the surgery can be scheduled. We are thankful that, after our last newsletter, some of you have responded. His surgery has become urgent. If you can help with any amount, please send funds to BMA Missions Office, P.O. Box 878, Conway, Ark. 72033 or Mill Creek Baptist Church, 11 Old Kiln Rd., Picayune, Miss. 39466. Please specify, “Freedom’s surgery.”
• Three Ordained — We are simply amazed as we watch our students grow in knowledge and maturity from the time they begin their first year at the Bible College, graduate and then go out into the world to begin their ministry. These past few months have been one of those times when we marvel at how God is working in their lives. Three of our graduates were ordained recently and are working in respective missions and churches.
Pastor Jan Ray Opril, a theology graduate, married one of our graduates, Kimberly, who graduated with a Church Music degree. He was ordained and pastors Jerusalem Christian Baptist Church in Cadiz.
Pastor Joel Francisco, a member of the Ata Tribe, who we have been supporting with the help of a church in the US, has been working with three missions in the tribal villages. He was ordained on Dec. 24, and one of those missions was organized as a church the same day.
Pastor Albert Ramos was ordained in December and is pastoring a church in Lublub, Antique, on the island of Panay. Albert is a hard worker and is happy to be in this very remote area working with the wonderful people there. Pray for each of these young men as they continue their ministry.
• From Diane — Some of you have expressed concern for me since I have suffered from back problems these past few months. The doctors in the Philippines did what they could, but to no avail. I flew back to the US a few days before Christmas to see doctors here and undergo tests. Their diagnosis was neuro-spinal stenosis (a nerve root compressed between two lower vertebrae.) On Jan. 17, I had injections in my spine and hopefully, this will alleviate the pain. I am praying all goes well and I can return to the Philippines by the end of this month. Teaching my classes online is not the same as “face-to-face.” I sincerely miss seeing my “kids” at the college but even more so, my husband! We are immensely blessed to have you as our prayer partners in the ministry and as some of the most amazing friends in the world. Thanks to all of you!
• Apples & Candy — The Scroggins and the Lees gifted the tribal (Ata) children with apples and candy! Most of these children had never tasted an apple! Thank you, Pastor Joel and Pastor Jason, for helping with this distribution!
• The Darlene Carey Christian Academy — We currently have over 76 children enrolled at the Darlene Carey Academy. They reenacted the Nativity telling us about the birth of Jesus in songs, poems and Scripture for all the parents, staff, faculty and BMABC students! They concluded with all of them singing “Happy Birthday Jesus.”
• Commission on Higher Education — We have marked another milestone for the BMABC Philippines. We had our review for the CHED (Commission on Higher Education) office for levels three and four. Our staff worked many long hours in completing the documentation of all the activities of the college. It was presented in the CHED format to their personnel on their visit. A very big thank you to all who worked on this project. Students graduating with a certified diploma will be eligible for a better job. Thank you, Lord for helping us make this possible. Pray for us as we start the next process! (edouglee70@gmail.com, dianehusserlee@gmail.com)