Archive for December, 2009
Semester Wrap Up
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Many Bethany folk are heading out for the Christmas and New Year holidays to be with family and friends. The students ended their semester Friday and will be gone until the first week of January. New students arrive on campus on January 5th and begin their orientation week.
We have teams going out on Global Internship (16 months) in January to France, Central Asia, and Kenya. An Associate Internship team (4 months) leaves in February for the Philippines. Pray for the final weeks of support raising for these interns, several are still in need of funds, as well as logistical preparations on the fields.
Three mentors received their visas last week and departed for Central Asia. Pray for a good arrival and settling into the culture, and for wisdom as they work with team members to set up everything for the interns due to arrive in January.
As we receive “end of the year” newsletters from our missionaries, many of them have been “stretched” in their finances because of the economy. Yet most of them have been able to take more trips and be involved in more ministry in this past year, experiencing fruitfulness in the midst of challenges they’ve face. God has been faithful! We want to pray a blessing on each of them and their families during the Christmas season, as they find ways to celebrate with their family, or with their fellow workers. Please join in praying that they will feel God’s presence with them in a special way.
GlobeServe’s hub in India is deeply committed to the Field5000 goal. Since we inaugurated Field5000 on June 26, 2008 the schools in India have sent out 61 missionaries, both within India to unreached people groups and outside in Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan. When we surveyed their present graduation rates and plans for the future we received individual school commitments to send out 400 additional missionaries between now and the end of 2013.
The Bethany prayer room will be closed at 5pm on December 23 and will reopen again January 4. Praise God for all He has done this year and for all He will do in the next!
STEM just returned from an outreach to Kenya where they worked with the 
interns and Bethany workers in the northeast part of that country. God used this team to impact elementary and pre-school children by building 45 desks which will be used by 90 kids this year who, previously had to sit on the floor in school. This was part of the strategy by those who live there of connecting with unreached people groups in their area. Other highlights were meeting people who are very simple and unassuming, but have laid their lives on the line for the sake of the gospel because of their love for Jesus and the people He has put in their hearts. One man buried his two year old son, who died of malaria due to the harsh conditions, yet he speaks with tenderness in his voice for the people and the city to which God has called him. Another has endured many beatings and death threats because of his persistence in sharing the love of Christ, yet he too has no harshness or bitterness in his spirit, rather continues to pour out his life for the sake of reaching the unreached. We couldn’t help thinking of the scripture passage, “…They went about…persecuted and mistreated-the world was not worthy of them…” Hebrews 11:37-38
Honoring Staff Residents
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
Once again we had the privilege in our Wednesday Chapel to recognized and honor a couple of our Founding Generation of staff retirees—Henry Krell and Bill Flack. Both served on the Bethany Fellowship staff for many years. They were behind the scenes, get-things-fixed kind of guys. And, still today they are serving, bringing their gifts and passion to Bethany.
Henry Krell - 85
Henry grew up on the prairies of Western Canada. He received Jesus Christ as his savior and spent two years with the worldwide Evangelism Crusade in Canada. It was at Bethany that Henry and Ruth met and were married in 1954. They had four children.Henry was in charge of plumbing and heating. After he retired from his “day job” at Bethany International, he began working at BPI and today continues with a ministry of care and prayer for the employees. Henry is pictured waving as he lifts off in a hot air balloon.
Bill Flack - 70
Bill came to BCOM in 1965 and married Annie in 1968. They have two children. Bill worked as a truck driver hauling Bethany campers. He spent many years as a mechanic in the services department. After retirement, Bill spent several years doing one of his favorite things — driving truck again. Today, he is often keeping some piece of equipment working. He’s pictured here on a John Deere tractor he recently fixed up for resale.
Paul Sunde
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
After several years of battling cancer, Paul Sunde went home to be with Jesus November 28. His funeral was in Japan where he served for nearly 35 years as a Bethany missionary, doing the work of an evangelist and pastoring a church in Osaka. Dan Brokke visited Paul and Reiko, Paul’s wife, in early June. Paul was full of faith and fully submitted to the Father’s will. He served his church, preaching most Sundays. He would go frequently to climb mountains even when hurting from his cancer and was ever positive and praiseful in his spirit. Paul spent much of his last few months in the hospital with Reiko by his side. Let’s continue to lift up Reiko as she adjusts to life and ministry without Paul.
BCOM
This week the January students are taking Communications while the August students take Eschatology.
STEM
The Bethany “Ring the Bell” team partnered with STEM on an urban ministry team to Minneapolis December 3 to 6. They had great opportunities to touch people’s lives through
- Leading in worship and preparing and serving meals at the Marie Sandvik Center
- Serving at a neighborhood food shelf alongside local participants
- Going out on the streets with “Street Level” to talk about Jesus with anyone who will listen
- Leading worship and preaching at Akina (Native American) Community Church
The team stayed at Urban Ventures in the heart of the Phillips neighborhood. Ryan S. of STEM trained the team to lead future STEM outreaches.
