Lamar and I are staying busy at Camp Grace. We are so thankful to be here. We are working with two other couples. Lamar is painting a large room that is being converted to two rooms to be used for counselors. The men are also working on a bathroom. This has been their project for this first week. The weather is very cold in the mornings but warms up in the afternoon. It is supposed to be in the 30′s tonight. Our RV is very warm and we are thankful. We women are still working on paper work to contact the campers to see who will be coming this summer. The rolling chapel is out on the road every morning going to the public schools to continue having the public school students come out of the school, one class at a time, into the rolling chapel and hear the Word of God. Thousands of children are reached this way during the school year. How wonderful it is to be a part of a Camp that has this opportunity. I believe 9 schools are involved with this ministry. The head of the schools and parents are allowing this ministry. Thank you for your prayers and support. We are blessed.

Lamar and Dian

Proverbs 3:5,6

]]> http://burgessroad.org/enfinger-letter-february-2012/feed/ 0 http://burgessroad.org/holmquists-february-update/ http://burgessroad.org/holmquists-february-update/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:16:54 +0000 CAG http://burgessroad.org/?p=1789 February 2012

To the Amazon and Back

You never know where God’s providence will take you! Just a few months ago I’d have never guessed that I’d be bathing in the Amazon River, eating alligator meat, and helping build a house in a clearing made by machete in the Amazon rain forest. Here’s how it happened . . .

During the time that our family was in the U.S., a Brazilian missionary couple, Rober and Jandira Guerreiro stayed in our home and helped in the Bible study ministry in Rio. It had been their dream and prayer to return to his native land in the Amazon and minister among his people, the Ticuna Indians. Recently, God allowed him to return. Before he left, he shared his need for a home in his village. Through a series of God-led circumstances, short term missionary Todd Howard and I were able to make the long journey by plane and boat (almost 30 hours in boats!) to help. We helped take Pastor Rober’s wife and daughter from Rio to reunite with him in his village and to begin construction on their wooden home. During the stay, I was also able to preach and share the gospel on four occasions. The Lord granted health and safety during our stay and also planted a burden in our hearts to pray for this spiritually needy people. They don’t have the complete Bible in their language yet, and some village elders sat with us and wept over the lack of teachers of the Word.

The Building- Thanking God

Thank God with us for answers to prayer regarding our rental church building. We had to delay the starting date for holding services because of legal problems with the water and electricity in the building. The problems seemed almost insurmountable at times, but after hours of negotiating it appears that we have reached a resolution. All that waits now is for the water meter to be reconnected. The construction is also coming to a close and we will continue now to purchase the furnishings for the church (pulpit, kitchen appliances, etc.). Our goal now is to begin in early March. For all who have prayed and given toward this project, we want to convey our deepest thanks. To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Prayer Requests and Praises

Praise God for a safe, fruitful trip to the Amazon.

Praise God for resolutions to building problems.

Please pray for preparations to begin holding services in March.

Please pray for the Spirit to prepare hearts for evangelism and discipleship.

Please pray for Sharon, a short term missionary who is spending the month of March with us.

Love in Christ,
Brendan (BJ) Holmquist for the family
Melissa, Myla, Ellie, Daniel and Flavia

Dear Friends,
The story of Christmas can be summarized in three words, “God with us!” Immanuel came once and He is coming again the second time as King. Then there will be complete peace and joy in the presence of Immanuel forever. Eternal Christmas! This is the message that I have the opportunity to share tomorrow night (Dec. 13) at an English class here in Rio. Our co-worker Joy has been teaching at an English school on her road. She asked our family to come for the Christmas special and for me to give the Gospel. We gladly obliged. The Lord has also given us the opportunity to share the gospel/Christmas story at a large family reunion of Brazilian friends on Christmas Eve.

Thank you for your prayers for us. Honestly, it’s been a difficult transition back into life and ministry inRio. The thing that encourages us most, though, is that God is in control and that friends are praying to the sovereign God on our behalf. Progress on the church building has been slower than expected because of the condition of the plumbing, electric and structural issues. But we’ve progressed far enough now to where we have set the official dates of our first services for January 7 and 8! Please pray that everything would come together in a God-honoring way. Many people who have seen us working on the building have stopped to ask about it and several have shown interest in coming. Our deepest thanks go to all who have upheld us in prayer and invested in the ministry of church planting inRio.

It’s amazing how some of the difficulties, inconveniences and problems that we’ve encountered lately with traffic, long lines, building delays and complex counseling situations have opened up gospel sharing opportunities with people. Three instances occurred just last week – one rejected, one debated, and one is almost persuaded. Thank God! We’ll just keep sowing the seed.

Starting next year we hope to send our emails in a different format. We’ll be able to include pictures and make the letter more readable. We know that many people are receiving our email updates on smaller devices and long letters may be burdensome. The main thing we desire is for people to pray and thank God together with us, so we want to do all that we can to facilitate that. Those wishing for more details and family news may follow our blog ministryupdate.blogspot.com (we’ll update later this week!), communicate with us through email, or dial our vonage phone number (aUS number that reaches us inBrazil with no extra charge (517) 580-0704). Again thank you for all that you mean to our family and the ministry here. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Praise- For opportunities to meet people in the community and share the Word.

Please pray for Kennedy’s salvation.

Please pray for God’s provision and wisdom with our plans to inaugurate on January 7 and 8.

Please pray for our co-workers: Joy (Rio), The Patefields (US-furlough), Dori (Brazil-Language School).

By His grace and for His glory,

Brendan (BJ), Melissa, Myla, Ellie, Daniel and Flávia Holmquist

 holmquist1@gmail.com

 Brasil (21) 3734-2867

US(517) 580-0704

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

May-September 2011

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,

II Thessalonians 5:17 “ln everything give thanks: for this is the fill of God in Christ Jesus.” “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” Philippians 1:3

Thank you for time and time again coming to our assistance with your prayers and financial gifts. We are blessed to be laborers together with you.

As a result of your prayers and gifts, we have many blessings to report:

In May, nineteen moms attended our special Mother’s Day Service. Later in the month, we had the privilege of seeing three follow the Lord in Believer’s Baptism.

In June, the first year of pre-school came to a close and summer projects began. Carrie kept Pat busy painting, cleaning, sewing, and making new materials for the pre-school while Robert worked to construct a roof for the sandbox.

In July, it became evident that Robert needed to return to the States for medical needs, many of which he tried unsuccessfully to resolve here in Grenada. As he prepared to leave, you gave and prayed. During this lime, Pal and Carrie had Summer Reading Classes.

In August, Robert arrived in the States and immediately had an unplanned operation. Complications from the surgery sent him to the emergency room, and he was admitted to the hospital for several days. Meanwhile, Pat and Carrie had limited church services and the children memorized Psalm 139 to earn the school supplies provided by your gifts. In the midst of this, Carrie also finished enrolling eleven students for the second year of pre-school.

In September, Robert returned to Grenada from his medical leave He will be on
medications for several months due to a very aggressive infection. Again we say thank you for all your prayers and financial gifts that helped with all the expenses of this trip.

The time between prayer letters has been too long and we apologize. It is not because we are unthankful, but due to the circumstances. We really appreciate your support during this time.

In Christ,

The Mathena’s
Grenada, West India
678-608-2173

Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and enabling.
After 8 ½ years in Thailand I am slowing starting to realize how big and difficult the task is that is before us. Yet in it all, we can see the hand of the Lord working in Thailand.

New Life Baptist, Chiang Mai
The rainy season has been dry concerning new visitors and people being saved. We had one young man (about 24) who was saved and baptized and has been faithful to services since. We have also had a young man (about 23) who has left the church in order to marry an unsaved woman. It is always difficult to see people fall out of fellowship with the Lord, but we thank God for the way He continues to work in many lives. Sakhorn (Bible school graduate last year) has started taking on more responsibilities in the church and now leads a weekly discipleship class as well as a new teen Sunday school class. Next month he will also teach his first class in the Bible institute. It is encouraging to see him continue to grow and serve the Lord. The Bible institute has grown and now includes five men. Three Thai men have enrolled and have all expressed an interest in serving the Lord in some capacity in the future. We now have Bible Institute classes four times a week (two in English and two in Thai). We continue to teach English at the North Chiang Mai University and are trying to make an impact with both the students and professors. Additionally, another opportunity has presented itself to help Thai High School teachers in Northern Thailand with their English skills. Although teaching English is not my priority, this is a very effective way to meet and develop relationships with other Thai professionals. Thailand is a relationship based society, so sharing the gospel is much less confrontational when presented amongst those with whom a relationship has been established.

Newsletter Ministry
The newsletter ministry is finished with mixed results. We were proud of how the members of New Life Baptist church responded by faithfully distributing the newsletters each month. Unfortunately, the responses have been almost non-existent. We can rest in the fact that God’s Word has been spread and perhaps seed has been planted for later harvest.

Family News
In addition to the excitement of our son getting married in January, we just found out that our oldest daughter will be having our first grandchild in April 2012.

Prayer Requests
Please pray for the professors Mike works with: Aom, Ying, Noh, and Ann for salvation. Also, continue to pray for the many backsliden: Ahm, Mae, Bhun, Ayima, Maem, Tom and Ann. Pray for the Bible school students: Tom, Matt, Tiang, Dtom, and Sombhun,. Pray for the Sullivant family (presently helping in Chiang Mai) as they seek the Lord’s direction for their future ministry. They have been such a blessing to our church in the two years they have attended language school, and we will be sorry to see them leave but excited about their future ministry.

We pray God’s blessing on you as you continue to faithfully serve the Lord!

For Christ in Thailand,
Mike & Francis Frederick

BWMOM, Thailand
www.thaimissions.org

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I took a test drive in a car that we were thinking about buying. My neighbor Moses the Mechanic came with me to check out the car. The car salesman wanted to show Moses that the engine, steering and brakes were good, so he got behind the wheel and we raced off. We went over both cobblestone roads and areas of heavy traffic weaving between cars at high velocity, stopping on a dime, and making tight u-turns in front of oncoming traffic. All of this within a few blocks of the dealership! That experience is a good metaphor for our first month in Brazil. We have felt a little like being in a race car – not an out of control car that is spinning and smoking. No, we’ve felt God’s providential hand masterfully turning the wheel. But it has been fast and furious nonetheless. We’re thankful God is in control. We’ve had multiple opportunities for preaching and ministry since our arrival. There is no lack of open doors for ministry. What we need is wisdom from on high to know how to discern what is the best thing to do in the midst of all the good things we could choose to pursue. May the Lord give wisdom and send more laborers into His harvest.

It’s been a good day. As I sit here, I am looking at keys and a contract to a building that God has provided for us to rent. After weeks of negotiation and prayer, today I was able to get the keys. The whole story is really amazing. Our colleague Joy saw a phone number painted on the building as she walked by one day. I called later and our team went to see the building. It was a former pizza place (store front) on the main commercial avenue of the neighborhood.  Everyone who has seen it has commented that it is in an excellent location. Our Brazilian friend Pastor Jose helped us as we began to negotiate with the owner. After several weeks of negotiations and paperwork we were finally able to sign. Pastor Jose was able to get the building for 20% less per month than what the owner was asking. Beyond that, the owner allowed Pastor Jose to write the contract (!) and include clauses that would protect us in the present and help us in the future when we look to purchase a building. I’ll try to post pictures on our blog in the next few days.

Transforming this pizza shop into a building conducive to holding services will take some creative work. We estimate the remodeling costs to be around $2,500. We will also need to begin to purchase items such as a sign, a pulpit, furniture, etc. We are trusting God to provide. Our team has gathered resources to give toward the project. Also, Brazilians burdened for the church are willingly giving of their time and resources. We’ve also opened a special account at our mission designated “Holmquist Building Account” to make it possible for those led by God to give toward this project. Praise the Lord with us that He has provided a building, but we know that a church is made of people not brick and mortar. We want to be faithful in meeting people and spreading the word of truth.

A few weeks ago we held an evangelistic outreach for young people of the neighborhood. Thirty minutes after the start time, twelve young men came. We later found out that many are involved in drug and alcohol abuse. Most listened intently as the Gospel was preached. One young man, Fabio, seemed particularly interested and wants to continue to talk.  We pray that God would open his eyes and that he would seek God and His glory.

Remember, the car ride I talked about at the beginning? We ended up buying that car today. The salesman called it a “white fly” because he said it is extremely difficult to find that particular car with low mileage, in good condition, and in our price range. We thank the Lord for leading us to this car. Incidentally, we didn’t get to bring it home today because the deposit at the bank won’t go through until tomorrow because the bank workers were on strike for part of the day!

Well, it’s been a good day. Now if the Detroit Tigers could win tonight……

Praise: For the Lord providing a meeting place to rent and providing us with a car.
Praise: For a good youth meeting.
Please pray for Fabio and the other young men who heard the Gospel.
Please pray for God’s provision and wisdom as we begin to remodel and
plan to hold services.

By His grace and for His glory,

Brendan (BJ), Melissa, Myla, Ellie, Daniel and Flávia Holmquist

holmquist1@gmail.com

Brasil (21) 3734-2867
US (517) 580-0704

Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Dear Friends,

We wanted to send a quick update to let you know that we have arrived in Brazil.  We thank you for your prayers and thank the Lord for His mercy.  All of our luggage arrived intact and we were greeted at the airport by co-workers in Rio.  After about 24 hours of travel from Central Oregon to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil we were exhausted but excited about what God has in store.  The Bible study and evening service went well on Sunday and our friends at the church presented us with some beautiful orchids to welcome us back.  Amazingly, after just one week here we were able to get a reliable internet connection – something we didn’t have our first 3 years here.  Because of that, we are able to use our vonage phone which goes through the internet connection and dials as if it were a number in the U.S.  Our phone number is (517) 580-0704 and will be connected as long as the internet is.

Our address remains the same:

Holmquist
Rua Corumbiara, 256 fundos
Rocha Miranda
Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21555-060
Brasil
Thank you sincerely for your love and prayers!

Please pray for the salvation of Fernanda, Kennedy and Elias.
Please pray that we could find property to rent or buy where we can begin holding services.
Please pray as we search for the right vehicle (our colleagues are graciously letting us use theirs in the meantime).

Love in Christ,
The Holmquists
Brendan (BJ), Melissa, Myla, Ellie, Daniel, Flavia

–

holmquist1@gmail.com

Sent By Maranatha Baptist Church
Serving with Baptist Mid-Missions
Planting Churches in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Dear Friends,

In just a few days, Lord willing, we will board a plane and return to Brazil.  As I presented the ministry in Rio and preached in a church last Sunday night, I was struck with the fact that next Sunday I will be preaching in Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!  The year in the US, like a vapor, has vanished away quickly.  Our time in the US was filled with wonderful memories that we will take with us of family and brothers and sisters in Christ from all over America who care deeply about God’s work around the globe.  You have expressed God’s love to us in more ways than we could list.  We leave for Brazil very encouraged.

On Sunday night, somebody asked us publicly if we have fears about returning to the big city of Rio.  While we have great joy about returning to the place where God has called us to begin afresh in the work of church planting and to see our beloved friends, we cannot deny that fear is present with us.  There is the challenge of brushing the rust off of our Portuguese and growing deeper in our knowledge of the language so that we can effectively and graciously communicate God’s heart and His truth.  There are the personal questions of family safety and health, of quality education, of helping our children make right decisions and good friendships in a land that will seem foreign to them for awhile.  There is the knowledge that the forces of evil are against us and the transition (as all transitions are) will be turbulent.  There are the old feelings of inadequacy and helplessness that arise before us like a looming mountain range when we think of the great task that God has put in front of us.  Yes we have fears.  And we freely admit we feel like spiritual peons when we read about Hudson Taylor and Adoniram Judson and the trials and situations they faced with such courage.  But we will return- and the only reason we will go back is because Jesus promised, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”  That promise changes everything and fears flee.  Also to know that God’s people are going before Him in our behalf gives us tremendous confidence.  Thank you for what you do.  We thank the Lord for who He is; by His grace He will build His church.

Praise- For safety and health over tens of thousands of miles of travel in the U.S.
Praise- In our last letter we asked for prayer for Deborah’s salvation.  Since that letter she told Lydia, a daughter of our co-workers, that she trusted in Christ the week before Easter!
Please pray for God’s grace during our transition to Brazil: specifically on Thursday and Friday August 25, 26 (the days of our flight) and on Sunday, August 28 (I will be leading a Bible study in the morning and preaching in the evening).  We leave Portland, Oregon on August 25 at noon and fly to Atlanta.  From Atlanta we fly to Rio de Janeiro and are scheduled to arrive at 8:40 am local time.
Please pray for fertile soil for the Gospel to be planted in people’s hearts in Brazil.

By His grace and for His glory,

Brendan (BJ), Melissa, Myla, Ellie, Daniel and Flávia Holmquist

P.S. – See family news and new pictures at- http://ministryupdate.blogspot.com

–
holmquist1@gmail.com
(517) 899-7906
Sent By Maranatha Baptist Church
Serving with Baptist Mid-Missions
Planting Churches in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

January – April 2011

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.”    John I6:33b

The New Year tuned with fourteen saved in our Old Year Service, and our church family dedicated to cleaning up their lives in the New Year! As a church, we started memorizing verses from Psalm 51. Everyone is excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in this New Year.

Mid-January a young man who was recently released from prison became a nuisance in our community.  He began loitering around the area schools and our church and was interfering with the young girls. He left when Robert asked him to. But he came back later that night and broke two windows and the windshield of the church van. He is back in prison, but we have been without transportation for months. Our thanks go to all of the churches who sent gifts to help repair the damage in this trying time.

February 7th is the Grenadian Independence Day, and we have included a picture of the pre-school children dressed in their patriotic colors. Carrie had special activities and a cook-out for the children to celebrate the day. Please remember Carrie in your prayers as she enrolls three year olds for next year! Already a prospective student’s mother has received Christ as her Savior.

Easter was a busy lime for the church and school. We handed out candy filled eggs and encouraged the community that Easter is an excellent time to visit our church. Then Easter morning, we had a Sunrise Service and breakfast that concluded with two receiving Christ as Savior.

Even with the tribulations of the New Year, it is exciting to see God at work in the village of Loretto. We are thankful to be a part of the ministry and are thankful to you for making our presence here possible.

In Christ,

The Mathena’s
473-437-0982
Grenada. West Indies

Psalms 27:14 – Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

This is a passage that encourages me because often serving the Lord involves waiting on the Lord which doesn’t come naturally to most of us. Yet it is a joy to see the Lord break through and work in people’s hearts. Does this mean I have some spectacular news to report? No. It just means I am waiting patiently on the Lord and based on what He has done, I know that He is and will continue to work.

New Life Baptist, Chiang Mai: We were able to celebrate Resurrection Sunday with a sunrise service at a local river. After singing, praying, some preaching, and taking communion together, we returned to church to eat breakfast, fellowship and celebrate the Lord’s resurrection with our regularly scheduled services. We were pushing for a big weekend and had one new unsaved adult visitor! We were also pleasantly surprised at the efforts of one of our ladies to bring several children to church. Unbeknownst to us, she had been doing a Bible club at her home with several neighborhood children, and their parents finally consented to allow them to come to church (mostly 10-12 year olds). This is exactly the kind of effort a church planter wants to see. Often everything rides on the back of the church planter and his programs and efforts. It is therefore a great joy to see the church members taking the initiative in serving the Lord.

Newsletter Ministry: We have been humbled by the many gifts for the newsletter printing that we have received. As a result, almost all of our planned newsletters have been paid for. We are currently editing our final edition; we plan to print 12,000 copies which is twice as many as normal (6000 copies). It will be a special edition containing the testimonies and pictures of many of our members. We are hoping to have a few testimonies in the Northern Thai dialect as well. We trust this will prove to be a good capstone to the foundation laid in the previous newsletters. Please pray that the Lord will use this ministry to penetrate the Thai heart.

Family News: I am happy to say that Matthew (our second oldest) has become engaged to a lovely young French lady who attends university in Chiang Mai. They will be getting married on January 7th, 2012 in Chiang Mai. Please pray for them as they make preparations to embark on a life of service together for the Lord.

Prayer requests: Please pray for the professors Mike works with: Aom, Ying, Noh, and Ann for salvation. Also, pray for Mike’s new students this term (names unknown as of yet). Also continue to pray for the many backsliden: Ahm, Mae, Bhun, Ayima, Maem, and Ann. Pray for the Bible school students: Tom, Matt, Tiang, Dtom, Katae, and Somsri. Pray for the Sullivant family as they seek the Lord’s direction for their future ministry. They have been such a blessing to our church in the two years they have attended language school, and we will be sorry to see them leave but excited about their future ministry.

We pray God’s blessing on you as you continue to faithfully serve the Lord!

For Christ in Thailand,

Mike & Francis Frederick BWMOM, Thailand www.thaimissions.org