Reaching out

Sasch and Charissa, serve among the Buru people of Asia-Pacific, and continue to enjoy being in the village and having a steady routine. Sunday school is going well, and they are now beginning chapter six of Ephesians in the ladies’ meetings. Sasch continues to make progress with translation. He is working on the first chapters of the book of Mark. They are planning on having their first official check of the newly translated portions of Scripture by the translation consultant in October, including the book of Ruth that their co-worker translated and however many chapters of Mark that will be ready by then. Please pray that Sasch will be able to work steadily and achieve his goal.

Please pray for a group of four to five people from the village that are planning to enroll at the mission’s Bible and Missionary Training Centre in Asia-Pacific. Sasch and Charissa are very glad to see that people have a heart to study God’s Word and have a desire to become equipped to minister.

Pray for each of them to be sincere and steadfast in their desire to learn more of God’s Word. Some paperwork and travel details need completing. Pray that everything will work out and that they can be blessed through their training and as a result become a blessing to others.

Sasch will travel to the USA for the last two weeks of August. He will be giving updates of how things have been going over the last year. Please pray that things will go smoother this time, with less hassle and no quarantine.

After their long break on another island earlier this year, they will have to play catch-up the rest of the year to stay on track with their home school goals. A couple of weeks ago they took their first break since they got back, and while still busy with various things, they enjoyed the change of pace for a short time. Continue to pray for their son Judah’s health, as he seems unable to break free from a cycle of illness and it is taking its toll.

Last month they had another week working at the church building. Even though they did not get to work as many days as they had hoped due to weather and scheduling conflicts, they are thankful for the progress that was made. They hope to be able to install the window frames soon.

Please continue to pray for the dorm ministry. The kids are on summer break right now and the dorm parents appreciate being off duty for a few weeks. They may need to rent a different building to serve as the dorm until their own is built. Please pray for enough funds to finish the next stage and for wisdom in hiring workers. They currently have about 50% of the funds needed to finish the retaining wall around the property.

Please pray for the missionary team and the church as an exciting opportunity has presented itself. There are two neighbouring villages where there was once a ministry presence. The believers there and others who want to learn have asked again for teaching, and the time seems ripe for them to reach out and begin teaching again. Pray for all involved as they move forward. Next week a meeting is planned to verify the invitation to teach, and then they hope to begin immediately. Currently they do not have the personnel to have a permanent presence there; the missionary team and the church need to be faithful in giving time and effort for this outreach. Finally, pray for the field to be ripe for harvest. Pray that many will listen and believe, and that this time they will be able to grow into a sustainable church.