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Women's Missions and Ministries Prayer Requests

Please pray for the following prayer requests for women's missions and ministries around the world:

From the Combs in Kazakhstan:

As the Holy-day season approaches, we wish to send each of you our special greetings!  2008 has been a good year of getting settled in Astana, Kazakhstan and of learning more and more of God's care and faithfulness.

        * Many relationships have been established with local believers, national leaders, and with neighbors, market workers, and others who need the Lord.
        * This past year we had people from Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia, and Indiana come on four different short term mission teams and assisted in opening doors of                            opportunity for the gospel among many many people. 
        * God joined our hearts with a small group of national believers who desire to see more people won to Christ in Astana and the establishing of small group fellowships across the city.         * Our Lord and Savior was true to His promise as He prepared a place in His Father's mansion for my dad upon his passing on July 25th. 
        * The Great Physician faithfully guided earthly surgeons in helping Diane's dad with an unexpected cancer diagnosis and in his current chemo and upcoming radiation treatments.  
        * The Good Shepherd watched over, protected, and provided for our children and their families through a variety of life's experiences (See additional note below).
        * God sent Christian friends with chocolate malts and other goodies to assist in my recovery from back surgery.
        * With the promise of our Heavenly Father's presence we are prepared to enter 2009 "on mission" with Him!     
                        We pray for each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
KAZAKHSTAN INDEPENDENCE DAY - December 16-17  "Freedom is always purchased with blood." 
        During a Russian language lesson last week with our teacher, Buhtagost (BOOH-tah-gost: which means "little camel eyes" in Kazakh), we discussed the importance of Kazakhstan's Independence Day which is celebrated every year on December 16-17. In the mid 1980s, tired of Russian dominance in the form of a Russian "General Secretary" sent from Moscow to rule over them, the people of Kazakhstan began to ask why their leader couldn't be a Kazakh. Over time, university student protests and uprisings culminated in a bloody confrontation in mid December of 1986 in the former capital city of Almaty. On these two days, the Soviet military responded in such force that several students were wounded or killed. The result of this bloody conflict was the removal of the Russian "General Secretary" and the installation the very next year of their first president, a Kazakh from Karaganda, Nursultan Nazerbaev.
        Buhtagost, a Muslim Kazakh lady, then asked us about how we got our freedom in America, so we told her about how the revolutionary battles with the British military took place in order for America to secure her independence from England. It was then that Buhta (her shorter nickname) exclaimed, "Freedom is always purchased with blood." Oh what a mighty truth this Islamic woman proclaimed. Freedom is always purchased with blood! God help believers in Kazakhstan and us to proclaim the true message of freedom purchased by the blood of your Son, Jesus, which is available to all who will call upon His name! God, help Buhtagost to know of Your love for her and that Jesus shed His blood just for her. May the message of the Christ Child, born in a manger to be crucified on a tree, ring true across this land! Amen. 
CONVERSATIONAL ENGLISH SEMESTER OUTREACH TO BEGIN AFTER THE NEW YEAR!
       Things are moving forward really well for a semester of conversational English to begin around the end of January or early February.  We recently sent a letter to each of the 106 participants from last summer's English course who indicated that they would like to continue with more English study. In the letter, we explained why there has been a delay in starting the semester we had promised to begin last September due to our return to the States for my dad's passing and my subsequent back surgery. The letter also stated that a second letter would soon follow explaining the upcoming semester set to begin shortly after the new year.
        This second letter will go out in the next couple of weeks to invite these 106 participants to come to an interview/registration time for placement into a small group for study with either Diane or I in a semester of classes meeting once a week for 12 weeks. We believe the interest level is still very high and that the foundation that the volunteer team prepared in the lives of their students can be helpful in continuing to share Christian love and the message of hope in Christ to them. 
        The plan is for each class to have 70 minutes of English, a 20-25 minute break with tea/snacks, and a 25-30 minute English comprehension Bible lesson. After the first week, we'll use the comfortable setting of the tea time to do some review of the previous week's Bible lesson and ask leading questions to build interest in that day's lesson. Of course, we might just end up doing the tea time and Bible lesson time together around the table if that proves to be more inviting and conducive to discussion!
        Two Sundays ago we were surprised to meet Nina at church. Nina is a retired doctor who came to the English course last summer but who hasn't thought much about the need for God in her life. She was so happy to get our letter that she wanted to come to church to thank us! 
        * Please pray for Nina, that she will discover the joy of knowing God personally through His Son.
        * Pray also for Aigul (EYE-ghool) a Kazakh girl from this past summer's course who is asking a lot of spiritual questions! 
GODSPEED Anders, Jessica, Addi, and Boden Snyder as you serve on mission with God in Temuco, Chile!
        On the morning following the birth of their son, Boden, our son-in-love, Anders and our daughter, Jessica, were holding their daily devotions together in the hospital room. They were studying through Luke, so Anders opened to that day's passage in Luke 10 and read verses one and two, "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field'"
        This led Anders and Jessica to discuss for several minutes the possibility that God might be calling them to the mission field - an ongoing conversation they had had for a time. They found themselves prayerfully asking, "Lord, do you want us to go?" Anders said, "Let's keep reading." Picking up his Bible, Anders read aloud the first word of Luke 10:3 "GO!" 
        During this past year, Anders and Jessica have been going through the process of application for mission service with the IMB. Not long ago, they received notice that they have been accepted as ISC missionaries (International Service Corp) with the IMB for a two year term of service in Temuco, Chile!
        They, along with their two kids Addi and Boden (the two wonderful grand kids of Gordon and Sonja Snyder and Don and Diane Combs), will move out of their apartment in Denver next week and after spending the Christmas holidays with family in Colorado Springs and elsewhere, they will go to the International Learning Center of the IMB in Rockville, Virginia to prepare for overseas service. Then its off to Costa Rica for 3 months of Spanish language study and by July 2009, they'll begin their time in Temuco, Chile among the Mapuche people.
        * Pray for Anders and Jessica as they begin this new chapter in their lives of leaving behind the familiar to GO with God as He leads them to Chile.
        * Pray for Addi and Boden as they go through several months of change from place to place before they finally settle down in Temuco.
        * Pray for the Grandparents Gordon and Sonja Snyder and Diane and I as we proudly see our kids following God's call - WITH our grand kids in tow!
        * Pray for the IMB family already in Temuco who is preparing for their arrival so that all will go as smoothly as possible in setting up a new home in a new place.
        * Pray for language and cultural acquisition as Anders and Jessica lead their kids in cross-cultural living!
        * Pray that the harvest among the Mapuche people in Chile will bring glory to God as the gospel is shared through each of The Snyders' lives, actions, and words.
LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERING "Live from the Field" Updates Still Available
        Like last year, we've been blessed to visit churches during their Sunday worship services using a live internet video feed for a "Live from the Field" update for this year's LMCO emphasis. Time is still available for Sunday morning or evening or other gatherings of SS classes, mission groups, or home fellowship. A live update can also be done with a simple phone call from us to you! Let us know of your interest and we can set a time!


 

From the Hatchcock's in Ukraine:
Hope you all had a Blessed Christmas! We are thankful for the abundance of God's blessings! and a lot of snow!!!! The girls have already been sledding a few times and love playing in the snow. It has been a peaceful quiet Christmas.
We had a party with our Ukrainian students and it was so much fun!!! We had a time with our LifeQuest team and that was a special time sharing gifts and a great turkey dinner, I am still amazed at how easy it is to find a turkey at the market. We enjoyed Christmas day with our family and went to church that night to see one of our LifeQuest Students playing bells with other Ukrainian students.
During the holiday's we have had a great time getting to know our pastor and youth minister and the work of our church. I am thankful that the pastor has a real heart to share the gospel and start churches in areas where there are not any. One of our goals is to encourage American and Ukrainian students to work together to help start new churches. I was able to attend an evangelistic/student event at our church. They had music, video's, speakers and lots of students. Wow! They are doing this once a month and I will let you know when the next one is coming up so we can join them and pray.
Please pray:
Our church "Transformation" that many students would respond to the gospel and come to know Him. Wisdom for the leaders as they seek the Lord in reaching other students.
We would be faithful to witness as God gives us opportunities during this holiday season. It has only just begun for the Ukrainians ending shortly after the Orthodox Christmas January 7th.
My daughters would be refreshed and encouraged during their break. God has been so faithful to bring them friends and I am so thankful.
Wisdom for me as I prepare the the next semester of school. I also need clear direction from the Lord as we pray about next school year to continue homeschooling or go to a Christian School?????
Ukrainian believers would be aware of the people around them that they can share the gospel and the God would give them wisdom in how to do that.
Happy New Year!