Grace
Ministries
Around the World
A Book Titled, The Only Constant - Lynne Warmouth’s childhood dream was to be a missionary to Kama in the Republic of Congo. She grew up hearing stories from four missionary families who had been evacuated from the Congo in the 1960 rebellion. In the process, she grew to love each of them, all their stories, and the people in their stories. While God had other plans for her, she never lost her love of the dream. As a pastor’s wife she had the opportunity to hear Sam and Marie Vinton on numerous occasions and was able to interview Sam Vinton, Sr. several times when he was visiting his family in California. Even though this book on Sam and Marie Vinton is written as fiction, it is historically correct and tells of their dedicated life and The Only Constant they served. To order this book, please contact the GMI office or the author directly (lynne.warmouth@live.com). Good News for Trevor Sherman - Praise the Lord that Trevor Sherman has been accepted into Rift Valley Academy for this school year. Steve and Barb just recently received word and are thankful for this good news! Uruguay Celebration - On July 25 our church in Uruguay celebrated 28 years of God’s faithfulness as they looked back and praised Him for starting and sustaining that ministry. The service was about leaving a mark or a legacy in which the Body, united and using all their gifts, reflects Jesus. They praise God for the growth in both number and maturity. Pray that they will continue to be faithful to leave a legacy that exalts God. Work Teams in Zambia, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica - Tim and Debbe Meier are thankful for the work team from Eastport Bible Church in New York who were such a blessing and encouragement to their school and church during the month of July. They are especially thankful that the slab/floor for the parsonage has finally been laid. Parkside Bible Church from Holland, MI, and Grace Bible Church in Port Orchard, WA, both had teams serving in Bolivia during the month of August. What a blessing they were to the nationals and missionaries as well! A team of 20+ adults and youth from Frontline Bible Church in Byron Center, MI, spent two weeks ministering in Puerto Rico during the month of August doing roofing, powerwashing, landscaping, carpentry, and fencing, just to list a few things. Grace Community Church of Belmont, MI, had a team serving in Costa Rica recently doing projects and ministry, too. Thank you to everyone who gives of their time to participate and join our missionaries for short-term ministry. Campamento del Caribe Update - Jon Marshall is praising the Lord that He allowed the camp in Puerto Rico to have a part of at least 15 campers coming to know Christ as personal Savior and another 17 campers dedicating their lives to God during the weeks of camp this summer. Following are two testimonies from those who served at the camp in Puerto Rico: “This was the perfect trip. I kept waiting for something to happen, but God was good to us! We worked hard, played hard, prayed hard, and laughed until we couldn’t laugh anymore. The mentors and prayer partners we had meant so much to us! My heart was so touched by the whole experiance. I am so humbled by God allowing me to be part of this time in the life of Camp Caribe as well as in Coxes’ ministries in the Barrio. I am so compelled to share the needs of the Puerto Rican people and how the church is meeting those needs in a very real and vital way—actually how God is meeting those needs through very exceptional, ordinary people!” “...I’ve learned so much while I’ve been down here. I’ve made new friends, new memories, new sweat records. I’ve accomplished more than I imagined. Coming down here, I was hoping to improve my Spanish, have an awesome summer and an even more incredible tan—of course, with some God thrown in there. I’ve learned one Spanish word—my vocabulary might be worse than before because enunciation isn’t a big thing down here. My tan is pretty pathetic and you can play “connect-the-dots” with my bites. My summer has been incredible and God has been in every step I’ve taken. Being here, I’ve broken down my own barriers and opened up to unsuspecting people. My generalizations about people have been cast to the side and I now can look for the real person, not just the mask they wear. I’ve also been able to strip away the masks I’ve been holding up to God—my own masks I’ve been hiding behind, and the ones that I’ve hidden Him behind. As C. S. Lewis said, ‘I do not want my image of God, I want God.’ And I’m now on the road to finding Him for who He is, not who I make Him to be...Being here, as cheesy as it may seem, has been a life-changing summer. I haven’t taken a hot shower since I’ve gotten here, and I haven’t wanted to once. I also haven’t been able to have my phone. So when I get it back, I don’t even know what I’ll do with it. I put on anti-itch cream like lotion, and I cut all my shirts into tank tops. I sweat so much and I don’t have any clue what’s going on in the world, but I can’t imagine being anywhere else. There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather spend my last few weeks of summer. This is my fourth trip to Puerto Rico, my first camp experience, and I don’t want to go home next week.”
|