Hey, I need your help. We are planning our second annual ACTS 1:8 Mission Fish'n Bass Tournament on May 16th. From 6 am til 2 pm at Lake Dardenelle State Park, at the tournament pavilion. This could be a tough year. So here are some ideas and way to help.

- Lead your church, group or business to be a sponsor of the tournament by sending in a cash donation or purchase prizes for the tournamen

- Invite business men and women to be sponsors of the tournament.

- Sponsor someone who wish to participate in the tournament, possibly, by paying their way.

- Spread the word to others. Remember this tournament is for anyone who wishes to participate, so tell you neighbors as well.

- Make our posters visible. Ask for posters. I would be glad to send you as many as you need. Hang them at your local outdoor supply stores and local community gathering places.

Remember, this tournament’s proceeds go to support our ACTS 1:8 missionaries. They need your help now more than ever. The economy has affected us all, but I believe our missionaries are suffering the most. If you need more information feel free to call or message me.

I wanted to update you on Eddie Bowerman. Eddie arrived back in the states in Mid-January and immediately received medical treatment. Here is a message from Eddie.

Hello guys! Just a quick note to let you know that my surgery went well today. The anesthesiologist was actually related to me. We have the same great-grandfather and are third cousins (insert Arkansas jokes here). I am bleeding a lot, but it is getting better. I probably have lost at least 1 pint or more of blood easily. I have lots of pain when I go to the bathroom from the catheter that is still in there (I meet with the urologists again on Feb. 23rd and they’ll take it out), but they were able to get both stones in the right kidney. I will have to go through this again with the left kidney later on most likely. He couldn’t do both kidneys because he was afraid that the bleeding could clog up both kidneys and then I would lose kidney function. So I just get through this and go through it again later on.

The urologists also said that we would do a study to see what is causing these stones and perhaps even give me some medicine to stop their formation—that can inhibit some of the calcification in my kidneys. My pain medicine is working well—just before time to take another pill I start to hurt a lot, but I’m sure as I have a few days under my belt I will begin to feel better.

My doctor’s office called and said that I should hear from the transplant center in the next couple of weeks about the appointment and I should know something before March 1st.

Eddie

Please continue to pray for Eddie and LaRhonda and they cope with these medical challenges and transition back into life in the states

-God Bless

Don Matchett

Edgmon's Prayer Requests

I recieved this from Anthony Edgmon.....

We need your prayers. Please pray for the following:- This Sunday February 1st, our church will celebrate its 3rd anniversary! Praise the Lord for an average attendance of 27 throughout 2008.- A friend from the community choir we sing in passed away last Thursday. We have a unique opportunity to lead a memorial service with many of our choir friends. Pray that God would give us words of comfort and hope.- Our residency renewal is getting underway. Pray for a smooth process.- For opportunities that we have to share our faith. May God open doors.- The Spanish economic crisis is effecting so many. Unemployment is at 14%. This also effects the evangelical church. Pray that God would provide for His children. May He strengthen faith and speak to hearts that may be more open to spiritual things because of current conditions.Thanks.

God bless you all.

Anthony & Lea Edgmon

As you will remember, Eddie Bowerman will be coming home from the mission field because an enlarged spleen related to his liver condition. We first thought Eddie and LaRhonda would be coming home in March, but it seems that his condition is such that they more than likely will be coming home in a matter of weeks.

I thought it might be better if you read the information directly from Eddie.

Letter from Eddie:

Hey guys!

I just wanted to update you guys on my health situation.

I have been having problems with hematuria (bleeding into the urine) from the my enlarged spleen (hiperspleenism) for several weeks now. This is from my platelets being so low and I have now lost more than a pint of blood. I saw both my hematologist and gastroenterologist yesterday who concurred that I will need surgery to either destroy part of the spleen (killing off 1/3-2/3 of the spleen) or totally remove it. They are both of the opinion that it is something that should be done before I lose a lot more blood.

My liver specialists told me that he feels that I should consider going ahead and returning to the States and get the procedure done since he prefers that I do the partial splenectomy if possible but that would depend on my Stateside doctor. My hematologist doesn’t even know a doctor here in Panama that does the procedure but said that he would investigate to see, but that probably it would be best to look at my options in the US since I would be doing recovery and everything there.

This is all news to us and not exactly what we were expecting. On a more positive note, my liver function are doing somewhat better which has been great news! PTL! So, LaRhonda and I and our family will discuss this, but if you have some input you would like to give, please do.

A group of Panamanian pastors and leaders came to our house last night to pray for me for God’s healing and to let us know they are with us through this. It was one of the best acts of kindness we have felt during this process. Not to belittle any of the prayers and wonderful sentiments that everyone has expressed, but it was so wonderful to have these men and women of God around us and seeking God’s face with us personally here in our home—it brought home how much a part of Panama we have become and has become part of us.

God bless,

Eddie


I hope you will continue to pray for Eddie, LaRhonda and the kids. This would not be an easy move for a healthy person let alone someone in Eddie's condition. Of course, the news of the move back to the states was sudden, so they are now rushing to get things in order. I hope you will pray for them daily.


Until next time


Don

A few prayer request from Anthony Edgmon in Spain:


Praise God for a good visit with Lea´s parents here in Spain.

Pray for safety on their trip back on Thursday.

Pray for J from our congregation who is dealing with some difficult things.

Also pray for M and her family as they face tough decisions.

Pray that we would have wisdom as we counsel the people of the congregation.

Pray for me as I prepare for the men´s Bible study and for the sermon this Sunday.

Pray that as we study the life of Daniel that it will challenge the men in our congregation to grow in their walk with the Lord.

Praise God for a safe delivery of the twins of our fellow Spain missionaries, Matthew and Brooke Turnbough.

Pray that we will have many opportunities to share with friends and neighbors about the importance of Christ´s birth

What role will you play to expand the reach of the Gospel?

There is an element of missions that is frequently overlooked, but can never be replaced. It is something so valuable that without its presence the mission field would be utterly devastated. Unfortunately, this element is sometimes abused and hardly ever recognized; taken for granted and seldom considered. However, this element must continue to play its part or the cause for Christ will suffer greatly.

Of course the element I am talking about is you. Okay, this is where most people will stop reading, because they immediately associate missions with two things; giving and/or giving up. Most think missions is about giving up the good life for some far away, forgotten place, or opening their wallet to give their hard earned money away. While it is true that God still calls to service, missions involve much more than going. And, while it is true, we should all take our place around the offering plate, giving alone will not fulfill your obligation. Of course, $100,000 would come close. (If you are comedically challenged, the previous line should be read humorously.)

With this subject matter in mind, the next few weeks, I will be writing about your personal involvement in missions. Of course, I will continue to send you the news as I receive it, but in addition, I thought it would be great to help you find your place.

Missions, in and of itself, is a huge topic. Webster’s Dictionary has twenty definitions for the word missions. Thousands upon thousands of books and papers have been written about it. The whole evangelical community was birthed by it. Millions upon millions of lives have been changed because of it. Many laid down their lives to promote it. Since the beginning of time, it has been a topic of discussion, disagreement, development, division, discouragement, determination and delight. Within the foundation of missions lies the greatest story of tragedy and triumph the world has ever known. Missions, in its simplest form, caters to the needs of the needy, and in its greatest form shares salvation with a sinner. It’s legacy will never be forgotten, and its existence is guaranteed until the end of the world.

Let us never forget that the greatest missions endeavor, ever, was when Christ humbled himself to the form of a man. He submitted himself to the cross, to death and to the grave, but only long enough to complete His mission. What was this heaven sent missionary’s mission? His mission was to get us into heaven. That theme still rings loud and clear today. Jesus literally wrote the book on missions, and found it so important that he saved the topic to be His last earthly command before ascending to the father.

I must admit to you, I am awe struck at the absolute enormity of missions; I am often intimidated that God has placed the responsibility squarely on believers, both corporately and individually, and humbled by the role He has chosen for me.

This is a wonderful topic; one that I have given my life to. So, I hope you will join me. It should be quite a journey.

Here are my goals.

• Explain missions; what it is and what it means
• Challenge you to a new level of commitment
• Help you find your place
• Expand your view
• Discuss the various areas and roles
• Create more goals

I will write again soon.

God Bless


Don

I received word today that my friend Eddie Bowerman will be coming back to the states because of declining health. Eddie is our Free Will Baptist Missionary in Panama who has been struggling with a liver condition for sometime. Please pray for Eddie's health, treatment and long term prognosis, as well as his work. Eddie was a key leader in purchasing and launching the Chame Bible Institute. Eddie, as the director of the Institiute, trains Panamanians for fulltime ministry. However, it appears that the Institute will be left in the very capable hands of Steve Lytle until the Bowermans are able to return from the states. Please join with me in praying that Bro. Eddie will have a speedy recovery and will be able to return his mission field asap.