Yoel and Leticia are with World Serve Ministries. Their ministry focus is supporting churches & pastors through food and Bible distribution, offering micro-financial loans, managing warehouses for humanitarian aid, & training children’s leaders.

Pray for:

The pastors and leaders of Cuba in this time of great humanitarian crisis.

The training of 265 pastors and 16 Bible centers that train missionaries.

The massive evangelistic work being done where 10% are responding to the gospel in faith.

More bible and new leaders in Nionos.

Yoel and Leticia’s Daughter and their granddaughter who is in intensive care.

In 2011, KJ and Jennisue established Compass 31 with a mission that holds strong today: to make Jesus known by combating human trafficking through prevention, restoration, and disciple-making. They have witnessed God’s transformational grace accomplishing more than they ever dared ask or imagine. The effect has been immense, with more than 53,000 lives impacted in the past year alone through their prevention and restoration programs.

KJ and Jennisue have taken the lead in orchestrating comprehensive, Christ-centered restoration initiatives on a global scale. These endeavors offer solace and an opportunity for those who have experienced human trafficking to find redemption, heal their wounds, and lead lives brimming with freedom and significance. Their reach recently expanded to Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Gersan and Betty Valcin continue to stand strong in the Lord’s strength in ministering to the unstable country of Haiti.  They have implemented a new format at The Village Church in Port-au-Prince.  People are greatly enjoying the freedom they are finding in worshiping the Lord and taking advantage of the new opportunities to share with one another in the congregation, and come forward at the end of a service to ask for personal prayer!

Since the church’s previous leadership team all left Haiti to come legally to the US under an Executive Order of Biden’s administration, Valcin’s are now building a new leadership team and finding joy and excitement in the new leaders that God has brought to them and lots of people are coming to the Lord!

Pray for their continued safety and security in ministering in Haiti!

Durango Pregnancy Center is here to support and care for parents in La Plata County seeking assistance with pregnancy and parenting. We believe that the best way to support the choice for life is to be for the life of the unborn and the life of the parents. We come along side parents facing challenging situations with material assistance, emotional support, and education. Our clients have bravely and sacrificially chosen life, and we want to help them make the best life possible for their baby and themselves. Our free services include prenatal education, parenting education, emergency and material assistance, and an educational grant fund for single moms.

Our work is a daily blessing which is made even more so by the generous support of individuals and churches like First Baptist. Your support in prayer would be greatly appreciated.

Focused Prayer

• That each client knows the value of their life and seeks relationship with the Lord.
• That the children of each client will be surrounded by love.
• That every donor and volunteer is blessed by their service.
• That all involved in the work of DPC would be sensitive to the Lord’s leading.
• That DPC would always serve with the heart of Christ.

Recently, a team from First Baptist just returned from Nicaragua where they worked with our sister church, Casa de Dios. While there, they helped with Vacation Bible school, they helped build homes, and they also did a food distribution project. Additionally, the members who were sent experienced wonderful fellowship and relationship building with our brothers and sisters in Nicaragua.

The Ricedorff’s are missionaries to Poland. Their primary ministry is preaching the gospel, equipping believers in Polish churches, and theological training. They have started an educational training center they call Logos to help equip people with education similar to that of a seminary. They are currently in the middle of a 3 week furlough here in America and will visit many churches that support them.

Prayer Requests

• Logos Bible Institute. Please keep praying that the school will be fruitful.
• Furlough travels. Please pray for God’s strength for all the travels and that it would be a fruitful time.
• Christine’s health.

As I enter into 25 years of ministry, I am humbled that God uses my ministry to bring the hope and healing of Jesus to hurting children throughout the world. In 2023: Over 230 caregivers of children in crisis from 22 different countries were trained in Trauma and Crisis Care, Working with Children with Disabilities, and Counseling Children. 40 caregivers from Congo, Rwanda, and Morocco were trained in how to use There is Hope for Me, a trauma recovery booklet. There is Hope for Me was translated into four new languages. Everyone who took our training works directly with children in crisis and now is better equipped to help the children heal from traumatic experiences. My prayer is that these children live a life knowing Jesus as their healer and Savior.

After 36 years of serving the Navajo Nation with “Missions Door,” Ben & Matilda Yazzie have retired. They are continuing their passion with sharing the Gospel & training the next generation of leaders with his nonprofit called “iEquip, Inc.” This has allowed other Native leaders to study the Word, gain theological training, & receive ministry mentoring in a way that coincides with their cultural backgrounds. This makes the teachings relevant to their ministry settings & Native communities. They ask that you pray for them to continue taking the Gospel message to other Native tribes where doors open.

One of Treasure Ministry’s biggest events annually is Night to Shine. Night to Shine is a beautiful prom experience provided for our special needs community, celebrating them as kings and queens. This year’s Night to Shine will be hosted in Farmington but will be celebrating guests from Durango, Cortez & Pagosa Springs in addition to Farmington. Please sign up, volunteer & come be a part of a truly amazing night!

Please pray for:

• God to provide volunteers
• Safety and ease of travel for volunteers and participants
• That God would bless the special needs community

Clay and Lauren Kannard are missionaries in Rome Italy. Clay is a co pastor of a church in Rome where their main focus in evangelism, supporting church playing of evangelical churches in Rome, and theological training. Pray for the work they do in terms of mercy missions to refugees, evangelism to Roman Catholic Italians, and the church plants in Rome.

The Rosses moved to Ukraine in 2011 to help local Christian families provide  homes for young people coming out of the orphanages. Their main focus is Safe Haven Transition Home.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has drastically changed ministry for the Rosses and their partners. They moved to Czechia to help Ukrainian refugees, and they work hard  to provide support and aid for various groups in Ukraine, including soldiers, medics, displaced people, etc.

If you would like to follow what is happening with this ministry, you can request to join the Safe Haven Transition Home Kyiv group on Facebook, or email [email protected] to join the newsletter list.  You can also sign up after services today.

Hleb and Sasha grew up in Belarus and were involved in ministry there until the political situation became so bad they had to leave.  They have been in Portugal for a number of years ministering to refugees from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.  It is a challenge to minister to all three groups at once.  Hleb leads a weekly Bible study for this group and they have started a sunday school ministry.  In addition, they help new refugees find housing, employment and and how to navigate a new culture.

Also Hleb does some preaching and translation work for the international church they are affliated with.

Pray for: Oppurtunites to reach more refugees with the Gospel

Wisdom on how to foster peace and love between the three different groups.

Yoel and Leticia are with World Serve Ministries. Their ministry focus is supporting churches & pastors through food and Bible distribution, offering micro-financial loans, managing warehouses for humanitarian aid, & training children’s leaders.

Malcolm and Leah Hillewaert work with Master Plan Ministries in Alamosa, CO, reaching students at Adams State University. They focus on evangelism, discipleship and leadership development. Their main meeting is a weekly Bible study called Anchored, which is held at their home. They live literally across the street from the student union building, and have students over almost every day. They have 3 kids: Ruth (8), John (7) and Zeke (4).
Main prayer requests:
– for students involved to keep catching the vision to lead and to share Jesus with others.
– for Cana, who will be interning with them next semester.
– for Leah’s body to be healed from cancer (which last scans didn’t show any cancer in new places, just the same small spot).v

Gersan and Betty Valcin have the ministries of The Village Church in Port-au-Prince,Haiti and Jacob’s Well Christian Campground in the northern part of Haiti. The Valcin’s reach people for Christ in both the French and Creole language around the world because the Sunday sermons at The Village Church are broadcast live each week over the Internet!

At present, Haiti is in crisis and without stable government. Gangs have taken over the country. Valcin’s personal security is one of their greatest needs. In the climate of fear that exists in Haiti right now, people seek God and Valcin’s know that God’s will for them is to stay in Haiti to share about Jesus, who is the answer to change the culture of the Haiti.

NEW CREATION MINISTRIES: Kigali, Rwanda

New Creation Ministries (NCM) was founded in 1992 by seven Rwandan leaders and an American missionary (Gary Scheer). After the genocide in 1994, the need for Christian leadership training became acute.

Since its founding, NCM has provided training to Rwandans who are doing ministry in their churches, workplaces and homes. Our aim isn’t just to provide our students with knowledge or skills. We want them to be transformed by what they’re learning – to become true disciples of Jesus.

Approximately 70% of Rwandans live in rural areas, without access to theological training in their own language. The Ministy Leader Training exists to meet that need. Over the course of two years, church leaders take courses in Biblical theology and gain skills that they can immediately apply in their ministry contexts. We also provide personalized mentoring and discipleship by visiting students in their homes and observing them in their ministries.

As Rwanda develops, there is a growing desire and need for quality higher education taught from a Christian perspective. We are working to launch the Christian Leadership Institute of Rwanda (CLIR) as an accredited university with bachelor and masters level programs. We have an amazing opportunity to impact Rwandan society by discipling its future theologians, educators, business leaders and community developers.

Rwanda continues to be a largely agrarian society, with many people growing all their own food. As the population of Rwanda increases, land is becoming scarce, food costs are rising, and food shortages are common. Many Rwandans eat only one meal a day. The Agricultural Demonstration program seeks to introduce Rwandans to new ways of growing food and stewarding their land. By connecting Biblical values with improved farming techniques, we seek to address the spiritual and practical needs of our students, their families, and their communities.

Nick Pirolo and Jordi-Michel Musoni are here this weekend to share more with us about this amazing ministry. For more information, go to ncmrwanda.org.

I am Junior Obregón, CRU missionary serving in Nicaragua for over 18 years full-time. I am the National Leader. Our calling is to help fulfill the great commission by winning souls for Christ, edifying the brothers in the Word of God and sending disciples everywhere in the power of the Holy Spirit helping the body of Christ to evangelize and grow disciples. My service to God through this ministry focuses on Evangelism and Discipleship with University Students and young people, training Pastors and Churches to use CRU evangelistic tools, and being an instrument of God carrying the message of salvation. My ministry is also a channel of help to those in need, and seeks to grow together with other believers in our personal relationship with God.

Sharon is a missionary serving in Sao Paolo, Brazil with ABWE International. Her focus is church planting, child evangelism and AWANA. Please be praying for Sharon and her ministry.

It is my pleasure to serve as the Good News Jail and Prison Ministry Chaplain at the La Plata County Jail. It has been a blessing to work with those who are incarcerated and with the Sheriff’s Department staff. We have a full schedule of Bible studies, counseling sessions, and assisting inmates as they transition back into our community. Thank you FBC Durango for your support with volunteers and finances. We provide Bibles and operate a large library. We continue to see inmates accepting Christ. I was asked to provide a picture. I have found I look a lot better if I include my family.

Marv works with a ministry called Missions Door out of Utah. His mission focus is sharing the truth with Latter Day Saints by serving in “Utah Christian Publications” & church plants.

We are deeply grateful for help with meals as Michelle recovers. She has 4-8 weeks remaining of no lifting, bending, or housework. (8-week check-up will determine timing).

God blessed the Rosetta-West Asia trip greatly with many relationships built and gospel conversations with 23 students (mostly Muslims).  We are thankful for the church there who will continue to follow up.

AT FLC God is already drawing students to Himself.  We are thankful for the 36 students who came to events during the first week.  Over half don’t know Jesus yet but are searching. Pray for fruitful conversations & follow-up meetings, and strength since Michelle is very limited. We have many areas you could help, so please contact us for details.

It’s hard to believe I have lived in Romania for two years already. I continue to make trips into Ukraine and am currently meeting with 8 people online to help them with the struggles they face with life and the ongoing war. We will do another retreat for missionaries in Ukraine the first week of October. I am also meeting with people all over Europe who are struggling in different ways as well as meeting with colleagues regularly to get more proactive help available for people. My biggest encouragement this year has been 12 people being trained to do debriefing retreats and they are actually doing them for others. This is exciting as it frees me up to do more trauma work.

Reach Durango is a college/young adult ministry at Fort Lewis College. This year they’ve added two new interns and eight new LEAD team members. They are excited about the potential to do more as it relates to their outreach and marketing and are very passionate about seeing students plug into THIS church! We are looking for volunteers to cook meals for our Wednesday night gatherings where as many as 75 students come and hear the Gospel preached & sung at the FLC Chapel. Please pray that God would change hearts and bring many to a saving knowledge of Himself. Thank you for your support!

Jack starts another semester on August 21st . It will be a busy semester so we ask for prayer for endurance. Pray also that Jack will be able to really minister to his students. Jack has prepared a new class and 2 independent studies for the school.

Jack was able to attend his parents 70th anniversary. That was a milestone that is glorifying to God.

Continue to pray for Lorenzo’s salvation. He is our daughter’s husband. They did renew their vows last Saturday and Jack officiated. It was a very blessed time.

Melissa continues to reach out and pray with students and spend time with grandchildren. She also helps with the women’s ministry team at our church here in Dallas.