Missions - Andrew Ong

Remember what you have learned of Christ and pas sit on to the next generation.

James Clarke - Oct 2011 News

James and Lori Clarke’s
News Bulletin. October 2011

Working with the Albanian Evangelical Mission (AEM) in southern Albania

What’s been happening?
We've now got into the rhythm of the new academic year, and the heavy rain shows that autumn is definitely here. It's great to see how the Lord has used the summer camps; several teenagers have been coming along to meetings for the first time and showing interest. I’ve begun to preach once a month at church in Albanian which I find very challenging and feel a deep need for the Lord’s help in this. Lori helps me a lot with Albanian during preparation.

Gospel Newspaper
Shaun finished another edition of the gospel newspaper which we are currently giving out in Gjirokaster, in villages and at markets. Once again I’ve been struck by its worth. People seem to be much more willing to take and read a newspaper than a tract. Perhaps it seems less threatening to them. This edition included an article commenting on the 20 years since the ‘good news’ was brought into Albania after communism. (Albania opened up in 1991 after almost half a century of communism.) It seems strange to think that while I was being taught the bible in Sunday school and infants school as a child, Albania was still shrouded in spiritual darkness with virtually no access to the light of God’s Word! It’s sobering to think that Albania has had a mere 20 years of this light. Surely bringing the Gospel to Albania should continue to be one our greatest concerns and subjects for prayer!
This weekend Petrit and I are planning to go to the village of Fushbardhe again (the village I mentioned in my last newslatter). Pray that the weather will enable us to go and that the Gospel will find good soil there!
Teenagers
Youth clubs have kicked off again in Tepelena and Gjirokaster with mixed attendance partly do to the rain. With the group of teenagers in Tepelena we’ve begun a new series looking at selected passages from the Bible. Last week we looked at John chapter 1 which stimulated some interesting discussion and gave the opportunity to show that the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was divine and not just a prophet or a ‘wise teacher’. Kristi who has recently shown much more interest continues to come regularly. Sindi and Tea who came every week last year and were also at the summer camp have not been coming so regularly recently. Please continue to pray for God to open their eyes. Sindi, who I mentioned was reading the DaVinci (in my last news) recently said that she would like to read all of the Bible before she makes a decision regarding what she believes. I don’t know if she has started this or not. These teenagers are in their last year of high school (the equivalent of year 13 in the UK) and so have much more homework to do than previously. Also many of them attend private courses to improve their school grades. Pray that they would make coming to the youth club a priority as well as studying hard at school. Alba (18) who came to meetings last year has just gone to University in Tirana to study medicine. We put her in touch with a Christian students union there and encouraged her to go to their meetings. Please pray that she does! Albina came to summer camp for the first time this year and immediately after camp she came to church. However her family stopped her from coming to church again. She then asked for a Bible so that at least she could read it at home. But now her family have forbidden her from having one. I’m sure she has a sincere desire to know God, but faces strong opposition from her parents and relatives who are atheists. Denis (15) moved to Gjirokaster from another part of Albania a while ago. In his home town he attended a ‘hyper-charismatic’ church where he professed faith but sadly didn’t get much biblical teaching. He also has a lot of emotional problems.

Family News
Lori has started teaching English at a foreign language centre here for a few hours a week which she is enjoying. Little John is well and is beginning to stand up while holding on to something for support. He looks very tall when he does this!

Prayer Points:
• For the trip to Fushbardhe village.
• For the teenagers mentioned above.

Thank you again to all who support us.

New Missionaries supported by MRBC

Last Sunday we hosted Paul Davies, from the Albanian Evangelical Mission. It was great to be able to tell him that MRBC are going to support James and Lori Clarke in the mission in Gjirokaster.

Reign in Spain

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” Ephesians 3:20

We arrived in Kansas City in mid August to see our granddaughter’s birth and to raise support. We were asking God to allow us to arrive in time for her arrival and to draw people into His mission in Spain. Both were a success. Tinnley Marie Baker came into the world August 24th beautiful and healthy, and we have gained support and prayer partners! God has done exceeding abundantly above all we asked. Praise His name and to Him be glory forever and ever!!!
The first full day back in KC we met with Jay, our missions pastor, to discuss our goals for what we thought was to be a one-month stay. After looking at our Avant account he said it looks like you need to raise $15,000 and another $1,200 in monthly support. Our Avant account was $14,400 in the red. This was due to a monthly support shortage over the past 12 months and plane tickets back to the states. We want to thank Avant Ministries for carrying that burden for us.
That same week we met with the executive committee at Avant and they confirmed the task and added that we needed to be prepared to stay as long as it took to get the required support. This was not easy for us to hear. We have a team and a work to do in Spain, how could we stay longer than one month? This drove us to our knees to plead with our Father to provide as soon as possible.
Over the next few weeks it became clear that this was not so much about “our” support, but rather “His” mission. God made it clear that we needed to rally the troops to join us in prayer to see God work in Spain. Together with our church planting team in Spain we have already come to the conclusion that if anything happens in Spain it will only happen through “much prayer and fasting”. We are in a cosmic battle for souls and Spain is firmly in the grip of our enemy! So we set out to boldly ask God’s people for support both financial and intercessory prayer.
That’s when God started showing up. So may things happened over the next few weeks that made it clear we would need to extend our stay by a few weeks just to participate in what He was doing. Between our sending church, Graceway (formerly KCBT) and our sister church Midtown Baptist Temple it was non-stop crazy times!
Ally and I arrived back in Spain October 11th. Our Avant account is now back in the black. God has abundantly blessed above all that we asked!
There are so many people that we would love to mention right now and thank you for all your hard work. But we would not want you to have your reward here…it will be much better when our Lord and King blesses you in secretJ. But we would like to mention the events that have impacted us…Our churches love for mission and Kingdom work, our sister churches Tuesday night prayer ministry, all the fundraisers, the BBQ at the lake, the potluck, the Raytown Bible study, the garage sale, the many, many brothers and sisters that took part in these events and the many that have committed to pray for us and the work in Spain…THANK YOU!
And finally pray this week for us as we move to a new apartment. There are so many things to do. Our lease is up on October 30th and God has blessed and given us a new apartment a little bigger and much nicer for the same rent. It is sparsely furnished so we will be roughing it for a while but praying for funds to come in so we can purchase the necessary furnishings.
Pray also for Mayte (30), she is a Spanish friend of ours that has heard the gospel many times, is a schoolteacher and last week she lost the feeling in half of her face. Pray with us for healing.
Pray also for fruit! These are the names of our teams’ closest contacts…Miguel, Mayte (Miguels sister), Alberto, Gemma, Rosa, Carlos, Omar. A few weeks ago our team got together to see how many contacts we have made as a team, that number is 100 souls!
Ally and I want thank you for investing in souls here in Spain.

It’s all for Him,

Steve & Ally

Paul Davies - Missions requires Service

The key to outreach is the relationships we have in the church. Do you have the mind of Christ?

Tarl Reeves - The importance of supporting missions

We have a spiritual obligation to be practical partners and share the blessing of missions.

Brian Clark - Missions, if you can catch me, you can have me

Brian Clark - Sharing the gospel takes focus, dedication and motivation. Count the cots.

Church Day Out

All members are invited to a day out 29th October. Destination to be confirmed.

Missions - How to support missions

Following the teaching of Matthew 28, and as we cannot personally go to all the nations of the World we will support the work of others in other parts of the world.