Dear Friends of Mission Surge,
I know that it has been some time since you have heard from me. Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year time has just slipped right on by. Here we are in 2012 and I have a rather lengthy series of prayer requests and information.
Let me begin by reminding you that the vision of Mission Surge is to impact individuals, families, churches, and the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most of what you hear about is our work in the world. I want to begin this newsletter with a prayer request and announcement about our hope of impacting the family with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I just hung up the phone after talking with my friend, Scott Brown, who is the head of the NCFIC (The National Center for Family Integrated Churches). This organization has a wealth of information for fathers and families that I would heartily recommend to you. You can check it out at ncfic.org. They are in the process of translating much of their material, including the NCFIC website, into Spanish. This will prove to be a costly endeavor. The entire project will total almost $30,000.
Part of the project includes translating select audio messages from past NCFIC conferences. This part of the project will include sermons on the sufficiency of Scripture, a love for the church, family reformation, child training, fatherhood, etc. I am convinced that this will be a worthy endeavor and will benefit us greatly as we seek to encourage our Dominican brothers to lead their families well. The cost for this portion of the project is $3125 and Mission Surge wants to help! I encourage you to pray that we are able to raise this money before next Friday, February 17. I will update you on the progress. If you would like to make a donation to help make this project a reality you can click here http://missionsurge.com/631556.ihtml do so. Any help would be greatly appreciated by Mission Surge and NCFIC.
Secondly, I want to update you on our Dominican Republic work. Bro. Gene Pickern, the former missionary to the DR who organizes and arranges our training sessions and trips will be going to the DR in February with his wife Julie. Many of you know they had to prematurely return home from the mission field in July of 2010 due to Julie being diagnosed with Muscular Sclerosis. Julie has been praying and hoping for an opportunity to return to Santo Domingo. Though it seemed impossible, her prayers have been answered. I will let her tell you in her own words.
The IMB and my doctors have given me permission to go back to the DR for a visit! Bless the Lord, O my Soul! It is something that I never thought would happen. Then again, I never thought at one point I would be living or walking. God can do anything. Now I'm going back to the DR! We want to ask you to pray very specifically about some things.
PRAY FOR:
1) SAFETY TRAVELING- in the airport as well as plane and DR. Ask the Lord to help us make our connecting flights with His peace & me not falling down! Also the traffic itself in the DR can be hairy, not to mention how hazardous walking can be, at least for me.
2) OUR HEALTH - while still in the states and in the DR. Pray blood clots do no set in on the plane rides, and that I don't have any MS episodes. Also please pray that Gene's heart remains strong & healthy - no episodes with him either!
3) THE CHURCHES - will be gathering together their Bible Study groups to hear my testimony. Pray God will cause people, lost and saved, to come. Pray HE will prepare their heart to hear. Ask the Lord to me give me HIS words, wisdom, and heart. Please pray for the interpreter (Wilfrido). Pray believers will be encouraged and lost people will be saved. But most of all, pray GOD receives the glory.
In Christ,
Gene and Julie
We praise God for Julie being able to return to the DR and for Gene being able to return with her and minister. He will be contacting many of our church planters and pastors while there to receive an update on their work.
Next, continue to pray that we are approved at as a 501(c)(3) organization. All the paperwork has been turned in. We have answered several questions and sent in more info as it has been requested. The application is still pending, but we are getting closer! Please pray that we get approved soon!
Next, I still have several open dates this year to travel and speak. I would love the opportunity to come share with your church. We can encourage your church with an evangelistic event, a family conference, a church revival, or a missions conference. We can even come and share our "Mission Surge" conference where we define the Gospel and then share how the Gospel impacts individuals, families, churches, and the world for the glory of God. We would love an opportunity to invest in your church family. If we can serve you, please do not hesitate to call!
Finally, take time to check out our website if you have not done so recently. There are some new pictures, new documents, and even some new sermons that have been uploaded. We hope to continue to add more resources to the site in the coming weeks.
So….pray for the translation of the NCFIC resources into Spanish and give to make it reality if you feel so led. Pray for the Pickern's as they travel to the DR this month. Pray for our 501(c)(3) status to be approved soon. Check out and share the website with someone today. And finally, pass this info along to everyone that you can!
In Christ,
Kevin
