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.