Burgess Road Baptist Church

September 2020

Praises

• Housing while in states
• Use of vehicle
• Ministry Opportunities

Prayer Requests

• Jon’s salvation
• Support to come back up
• Leave soon for Costa Rica
• Arrival-quarantine/get settled

1 Corinthians 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

A steward is an investor/servant. As stewards we are to invest in peoples lives. The biggest investment we can make is giving them the gospel. Most times serving others will open the door to them being willing to not just listen but to hear. People need to know that we care. Only 2% of salvations are at church, so 98% of our ministry is outside it! Jesus is the answer for the world today. Let’s be the best stewards we can be with His help.

August has come and gone in a blur. Almost every day we have had opportunities to help someone in one way or another. Many churches in our area have building/maintenance needs and call us to help. Neighbors need handrails on their steps or sod installed. Church members have honey do lists. Partner pastors need help in several areas of the church and at home. There is not a lack of things to do, but let’s not just be busy. Let’s be sure our ministry has eternal significance. Meeting physical needs can open the door to spiritual needs. I believe we can see all through the scriptures how Jesus did it.

We have been in contact with many of our partners and have been able to give in person updates and preach. Some just want us to come for fellowship or activities. We are still in the same temporary house and still have the same borrowed truck. Our monthly support has gone down approx. 25% this past month. It does fluctuate a little here and there but not normally like that. We pray it comes back up soon. Our flights for Sep 3rd have been canceled again and left open for now. Costa Rica is allowing U.S. states in but so far only 12 out of 50 and Florida is not on the list yet. We are more than ready to be there, BUT, not sure when that will be as of this writing.

Kevin finished his marital arts instructor course, hoping to add this to our missionary training center curriculum. We went tubing with the teens in our sending church and our kids were able to have a couple of play days with their friends lately.

Please, please continue to pray for us, send us texts / messages, e-mails and continue to give monetarily so we can go and then stay.

In Christ,
Kevin and Sonya McCoy

September 2020

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and for our family. This has been a very busy month. After arriving in the States we have been able to spend time with my family as well as report back to churches in Indiana and Florida. The time with family was very busy but also very good. Our kids have been thoroughly loved on by family and friends. We are still looking forward to seeing Cori’s side of the family this month and our kids’ love tanks will be overflowing by the end of it I am sure. We will get to spend a solid week with Cori’s parents and several of her siblings are making plans to visit as well.

Also, we have been so encouraged through the fellowship with our supporting churches. With the strict measures in Honduras right now, we are still waiting to be able to have in-person services, so our first in-person services in the past 4 1/2 months took place as we reported back. With all of the negative headlines in the news, there is great hope for America because Gospel centered churches are still striving to proclaim salvation through Christ. May we continue to seek the Lord and pray one for another as a nation.

Back home in Honduras, church is still only on Facebook. But we trust very soon we will be able to meet together corporately again. Just last week, they lifted weekend restrictions allowing a very select percentage of the population to circulate on Saturday and Sunday. But as we wait on God’s timing, we are so thankful that technology really does enable us to stay connected. Even from the States we have been able to continue recording our virtual kids’ class (for Facebook) as our ministry partners continue with the virtual church services (from Honduras). These are incredible times with incredible opportunities to serve the Lord and share the Gospel.

In September we will travel to Texas and visit a couple of churches and then head back to Kentucky where we will prepare to fly back to Honduras at the end of the month. Honduras is now requiring proof of a negative covid-19 test prior to entry into the country so please pray that our entire family continues to stay healthy and we can make our scheduled flight.
 
Prayer Requests

• For the Lord to help us continue to grow in our Spanish speaking abilities, and be able to better minister for the Lord.
• For the Lord to give wisdom and open the doors for us to have in-person services once again.
• For continued spiritual growth in our church family.
• For continued tenderness to the Gospel, and that people would turn to Christ.

Thank you again for your faithful prayers.

In Christ,
Nate and Cori with Mykenzie, Grant, Blake and Savanna

August 2020

Dear praying partners,

Current Situation
COVID-19 has wreaked havoc around the world. My wife and I are currently stranded in the USA for the foreseeable future. We will be staying in Sumter, South Carolina, until Thailand opens for foreigners to return. Currently Thailand is accepting limited returnees, but these include only businessmen and family members. Fortunately, things are easing within Thailand, and our church has started meeting in person again, albeit with distancing and facemasks. We are available to report to our supporting churches during this time of waiting. Churches that desire us to stop-in can contact me at 864-561-5217 or via email.
 
Ministry in Thailand
Even though COVID has been causing havoc, the Lord is still at work. Recently two have been saved! Both are family members of current members. This accepting responsibility for the ministry is exactly what we want to see — friends, and family coming to the Lord. Dtom, our bible student who will graduate soon, currently watches the church and has assumed responsibility for the majority of the preaching. He organized a baptismal service, and it was a joy to see the two new converts baptized and begin their new lives in Christ.
 
Bible Institute
The Bible Institute continues via online instruction. Dtom just finished his last class and is ready for graduation. A ceremony will be organized after we return from the states. Dtom has been a diligent student and is faithfully serving the Lord in my absence. We were hoping that he could do an extended internship while we were on furlough, and it appears that the Lord’s timing is ahead of ours. He is learning a lot while doing an excellent job. The next student to graduate will be Mon, who will likely be ready in 2021. If this COVID situation isn’t resolved soon, we will probably do both years’ graduations together. We continue to organize the course videos for the online school. This is a time-consuming task, but progress is being made.
 
Prayer Requests
Salvation: The husband of a member who has been attending for five years, two members who have not been faithful to church for several months that they would return or find another good church. Continue to pray for Mike’s students and fellow teachers at University.

Faithfulness: Pray for the Bible students to continue steadfast in their studies. Especially pray for Dtom that the Lord would give him wisdom and perseverance in serving the Lord. Pray for a new couple in our church for spiritual growth in being newly married but separated as they wait for her visa to the USA to be approved. Please also pray for other Thailand missionary families and us as we all wait, not so patiently, for Thailand to open for our return.
 
May the Lord bless you richly as you continue to serve Him.

For Christ in Thailand,
Mike & Francis Frederick

www.thaimissions.org Facebook: thaimissions.org
mike@thaimissions.org
(Skype Phone) 864-640-4654
 
P.S.  On August 11th, Mike had a severe heart attack while visiting his daughter in Sumter, SC. He was air evacuated by helicopter to Columbia, SC, where a stent was inserted to open a 100% blocked artery. As of now Mike is recovering well. A follow-up appointment with the heart doctor will determine the extent of damage and a rehab plan going forward. We are covered by military healthcare but still expect our portion to be about $3000. Any help towards this unexpected cost would be very helpful. Please pray for a complete recovery.