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GENERAL SUNSHINE PROJECT UPDATE! We are elated to announce that the Sunshine Project will install solar panels on the roof of the kitchen this winter. This will complete the first half of phase one. This means Faith Home will be generating electricity for the lights, refrigerators, water and fans in the dining hall, a savings of over $400 per month! But the project is only half complete. The second half of the project will install panels on the school. If you or your church have not given, please consider a yearend donation. If you have already donated we sincerely thank you. You are truly blessing Faith Home and the Honduran children when you give to the Sunshine Project. Send donations to General Baptist International Missions: 100 Stinson Drive Poplar Bluff, MO 63901 Make checks payable to GBIM with “Sunshine Project” in the memo line. May God bless you.
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As we approach the end of 2015, Kim’s and my prayer is that God has blessed your church in many ways, but especially that He has multiplied your ministry through welcoming new believers in to our Christian family. We all know that Christmas allows us unique ways to share God’s love for man through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, with our neighbors. But you may not realize that the same is true on our mission fields. Christmas has become a worldwide celebration in an amazing way where people around the world, whether Christian or not, are embracing this season of giving. This blesses us with extremely interesting opportunities to share the true meaning of the season with all our neighbors - our Hindi neighbors, our Buddhist neighbors, and even our Muslim neighbors. From asylum seekers in southeast Asia, to Hindus and Muslims in India, to Buddhists in Japan, there is the amazing opportunity to share the beautiful gospel. Recently, while visiting with Jessey and Brittany Vemula (India), Jessey asked for an evangelist team during the holiday season. Honestly, I was somewhat surprised by the request, until they explained that it is their best opportunity to share the gospel. We were not able to fulfill their Christmas wish this year, but my prayer is that next Christmas season we can send such a team. Imagine making that part of your family tradition and being blessed to spend part of the holiday season sharing the story of the most miraculous birth in history to those who may be hearing it for the first time! —Mark Powell, Director
General Baptist International Ministries 100 Stinson Drive Poplar Bluff, MO 63901
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“Christ tasted death for every man.” Hebrews 2:9
DECEMBER 2015
CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD CHRISTMAS IN THE PHILIPPINES By Phil Warren
The Christmas season begins in September in the Philippines. For four months you hear Christmas music in the malls and the decorations brighten the atmosphere. Filipinos love Christmas! There is a part of me that is cynical when I hear “All I Want For Christmas Is You” over and over, but there is another part that says “Shouldn’t Christmas be in our hearts all year long?” Maybe the Filipinos are getting it right. Christmas here and Christmas stateside have little in common. There are no big trees with brightly wrapped gifts stuffed underneath for most families. The meal does not have a big brown turkey or smoked ham as its centerpiece. Yet, it is still loved as a time for families to gather and share love, laughter and music. Because of the strong Catholic influence, worship is still embraced as an essential part of the holiday celebration. Poverty is still a big part of life here in the Philippines. Especially during December you become so aware, as the people from the mountain villages are allowed to come and beg in this city of over 3 million. At almost every stoplight young women with a child on their hip come to your window with a paper cup and making an anguished face and signing they are hungry. DECEMBER 2015 CAPSULE
Cynical…again it would be easy, but the reality is that they are poor. As I reach into my pocket for pesos, I do so with grace and try to place myself in their situation. With the pesos we give a tract that shares the Gospel story. Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.” When they come, dirty and ragged, I get to help them. I get to show love and acceptance. I get to be Christ to them. I encourage you to love the season of Christmas. Enjoy family and friends and the blessings God has given you. Also, I want to encourage you to not be cynical and see who you can help and share God’s grace with. If you want to give a gift to the Philippines, we have pastors who survive on very little in their rural mountain churches. If you want to give a gift, I guarantee that it will be a Christmas they will remember.
NEWS FROM SAIPAN
By Glenn Jenkins, Interim Missionary in Saipan
Where is Saipan? It’s just a dot on the map; a small island 12 miles long and 5.5 miles wide with a population of 48,200. Yet, it is the largest and capital of a chain of 14 islands in the Northwest Pacific Ocean known as CNMI, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. Yes, Saipan is small, but it is unique in many ways. Saipan is a U.S. territory lying west of the International Date Line, making it the first place in the U.S. to see the sun rise every day. The Guinness Book of World Records has cited Saipan as having the most equable temperature in the world, with an average of 85 degrees the year round; And the Marianas chain forms the peaks leading to the depths of the famed Marianas Trench, which stretches down to 35,500 feet, making it the deepest water on Earth. However, Saipan is most unique in the composition of its people. There are many ethnic groups from Asia, the Pacific Islands, and other parts of the world. This makes for many cultural differences for a small island, and this is also what makes Saipan Community Church unique. On any given Sunday, Saipan Community Church looks like a microcosm of heaven. There are people from many cultures, languages,races and nations worshipping in four different services. These groups form a unique PAGE 1
POPLAR BLUFF, MO PERMIT NO. 164 US POSTAGE PAID ORGANIZATION NON-PROFIT