Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am writing this letter to personally request the prayers and intercessions of God’s people for me and my family, as I undergo kidney surgery on Thursday, March 25, 2010.
I hardly know how to begin except to say that I know God makes no mistakes. His promises are true, and He will never put on us more than He knows we can bear.
Most of you already know that three years ago last Sunday, a personal nightmare of great proportions came into our lives when we were struck head on by a drunk driver while serving in Cape Verde, West Africa. God delivered me literally from the jaws of death. Glory to His Name! What followed an emergency medical evacuation from Africa were eleven surgeries, seven months in a wheelchair, and several more long months of rehab, but finally they did manage to put “humpty dumpty back together again.”
However, one terrible side effect from all of these injuries has been an excessive build up of calcium in my kidneys. For the First couple of years the body has needed the extra calcium to mend the 22 breaks and fractures. But now the unneeded calcium has formed a ‘large egg size stone’ in my right kidney that can only be removed by entering through my lower back into my kidney.
For some time now, I’ve endured lots of pain, stress, and physical fatigue, while still trying to continue our ministry. Monday night a week ago I collapsed in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and figured I had come to the end of my road.
There are many things Terri and I are facing at the present. Some are material or financial, some physical, and some even the need of spiritual strength to persevere amidst the ongoing and constant struggle of spiritual warfare. For this reason I write, asking you to pray with and for us, to stand with us, if you can help us. We are asking God for a quick road to recovery, and a ready rejuvenation of all our strengths.
In Luke 13, the story is told of a woman who had been ‘bound’ by a spirit of infirmity for 18 years. I believe Satan uses infirmity and physical ailment to hinder and often times delay the work of God, and weaken the will of God’s servants. Sometimes what is lost is valuable, irreplaceable time. So please pray for us to have a divine assistance in every area of need. God bless you all.
Your Friends and Partners in the Gospel,
Dr. Paul and Terri Pritchard
Cape Verde Updates
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Dear Brethren, Jan. – Feb. 2010
We would like to thank you for your prayers and support for the past five months that we spent in Cape Verde, West Africa. The Lord greatly blessed our time serving there.
During the tenure of our stay much was accomplished. We completed our year of internship with Preach Evangelistic Ministries, served weekly in the church, and paved the way for the upcoming mission’s trip in May. The highlight of our trip, however, was seeing our first pastor graduate from the Theological Baptist Seminary in Pedro Badejo, Cape Verde. We are very encouraged for the future of Cape Verde. The Lord has opened many doors and we are excited to see what He does with us and through us.
We will be returning to Cape Verde at the end of May. Please keep us in your prayers as we will be traveling continually the next five months raising necessary support.
The past year has offered many challenges and obstacles for both stateside churches and overseas missions. Through the trials we have seen that the Lord has been faithful. His faithfulness encourages us for this next year. As we have seen so many times before, His kingdom will prevail.
In this letter we would like to include a special thanks to Coastal Baptist Church who went above and beyond to provide needs while in Cape Verde. We are truly grateful for their faithfulness.
Prayer Requests
We would ask that you pray with us for the missions’ trip scheduled in May to Cape Verde. We are praying for at least 25 volunteers on this trip. We need much help with a new building project as well as a school outreach on another island. If you or someone you know is interested please contact the preach office at 270.872.4390.
Also, Preach Evangelistic Ministries is planning on sending a container of literature and supplies this upcoming March to Cape Verde. Please pray that the funds for this project can be raised quickly.
Sincerely,
Phillip & Sarah Pritchard
Janurary - Feburary 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Dear Ministry Partners,
The Hindus believe in 300,000 gods. Buddhists say there is no deity. The New age followers believe that they themselves are God, and the Muslims believe in a powerful but detached god. Only the Christian believes in a God who is loving and approachable. Only Christianity affirms that there is a personal loving God that can be known, communed with, and welcomes us into a relationship with Himself now in this life. Dear friends, this is our message. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why we do missions. Our world is lost in this maze of the world’s major religions, and someone must go and tell them of our great counselor, comforter and companion, Jesus Christ. I think it is good to periodically remind ourselves why, and for what exact reasons we give and we go. These simple reviews of the simplicity of our beliefs and burdens always sustain us in the hour of discouragement and distraction from God’s global mandate.
We are glad to report on the ongoing work in Guinea Bissau. Like the Cape Verde Islands, in the last three years, Guinea Bissau’s youth has now begun to receive the word of God in their public school classrooms. 30,000 + have already received in hand a copy of God’s life changing word. This work is just beginning and many challenges and obstacles lie ahead. Your prayers, fasting and support are sincerely needed if Satan’s strongholds and the demonic grip of darkness are to be released from this small West African nation.
Our goal for this year’s progress in Guinea Bissau involves first the shipping of two containers. Each container contains 22 tons of the assembled gospel packets particularly designed for the youth of Guinea Bissau. These two containers will help us reach 75,000 - 90,000 more children this year, plus teachers and citizens. Our last container arrived in Guinea Bissau November 2008, and is now empty. That container cost us over $16,000 from port to port. I invite you to prayerfully consider your part in helping get these “Tons of Truth” to the field. We presently have nine containers ready to move. Your prayers for us are felt and your love and commitment to the PREACH Team is most deeply appreciated. Keep the Faith!
For His Global Glory,
Dr. Paul E. Pritchard Jr.
The Hindus believe in 300,000 gods. Buddhists say there is no deity. The New age followers believe that they themselves are God, and the Muslims believe in a powerful but detached god. Only the Christian believes in a God who is loving and approachable. Only Christianity affirms that there is a personal loving God that can be known, communed with, and welcomes us into a relationship with Himself now in this life. Dear friends, this is our message. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why we do missions. Our world is lost in this maze of the world’s major religions, and someone must go and tell them of our great counselor, comforter and companion, Jesus Christ. I think it is good to periodically remind ourselves why, and for what exact reasons we give and we go. These simple reviews of the simplicity of our beliefs and burdens always sustain us in the hour of discouragement and distraction from God’s global mandate.
We are glad to report on the ongoing work in Guinea Bissau. Like the Cape Verde Islands, in the last three years, Guinea Bissau’s youth has now begun to receive the word of God in their public school classrooms. 30,000 + have already received in hand a copy of God’s life changing word. This work is just beginning and many challenges and obstacles lie ahead. Your prayers, fasting and support are sincerely needed if Satan’s strongholds and the demonic grip of darkness are to be released from this small West African nation.
Our goal for this year’s progress in Guinea Bissau involves first the shipping of two containers. Each container contains 22 tons of the assembled gospel packets particularly designed for the youth of Guinea Bissau. These two containers will help us reach 75,000 - 90,000 more children this year, plus teachers and citizens. Our last container arrived in Guinea Bissau November 2008, and is now empty. That container cost us over $16,000 from port to port. I invite you to prayerfully consider your part in helping get these “Tons of Truth” to the field. We presently have nine containers ready to move. Your prayers for us are felt and your love and commitment to the PREACH Team is most deeply appreciated. Keep the Faith!
For His Global Glory,
Dr. Paul E. Pritchard Jr.
Tons of Truth
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Goal: 2009-2010
198 Tons (9 containers)
Behind the varying colors of each persons face, the culture and practices of every people, and the confusing sounds of their tongues, still we have only people. People who wander aimlessly searching for the meaning of their lives, people groping in the darkness without even a hope of light.
John 1:1 says; "In the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was God." The word "Logos" is the Greek word from which is derived the English word "Logic". Jesus is the logic of life! The answer to this world's confusion. By placing in peoples hands the written word of God, we are helping to provide them a map out of sin's maze of madness, and clear directions to the foot of Calvary's Cross.
Tons of Truth is our effort to give them a map. We ship not cartons or crates but containers full of the precious word of God.
Here at Preach Evangelistic Ministries we have arranged through years of reputation and relationships, the facilitation of printing, trucking, and warehousing of these materials. Yet, these Tons of Truth must not be held hostage by indifference or indolence. We as the stewards of the seed, must get it out of the barn:
Your sacrificial gift of $790 pays the shipping from port to port of an entire Ton of Truth.
With every 22 individuals or churches collectively working together, a 40 foot shipping container will be sent from our storehouses to their searching souls. Please help us now to sow this generation with the seed of God's precious word.
For further information, or to contact us, please visit the Preach Teams Website.
198 Tons (9 containers)
Behind the varying colors of each persons face, the culture and practices of every people, and the confusing sounds of their tongues, still we have only people. People who wander aimlessly searching for the meaning of their lives, people groping in the darkness without even a hope of light.
John 1:1 says; "In the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was God." The word "Logos" is the Greek word from which is derived the English word "Logic". Jesus is the logic of life! The answer to this world's confusion. By placing in peoples hands the written word of God, we are helping to provide them a map out of sin's maze of madness, and clear directions to the foot of Calvary's Cross.
Tons of Truth is our effort to give them a map. We ship not cartons or crates but containers full of the precious word of God.
Here at Preach Evangelistic Ministries we have arranged through years of reputation and relationships, the facilitation of printing, trucking, and warehousing of these materials. Yet, these Tons of Truth must not be held hostage by indifference or indolence. We as the stewards of the seed, must get it out of the barn:
Your sacrificial gift of $790 pays the shipping from port to port of an entire Ton of Truth.
With every 22 individuals or churches collectively working together, a 40 foot shipping container will be sent from our storehouses to their searching souls. Please help us now to sow this generation with the seed of God's precious word.
For further information, or to contact us, please visit the Preach Teams Website.
How Do You Reach 360,000 Students?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
There are three aspects to literature distribution in West Africa: printing, shipping, and distribution. Simple as that may sound; each of these is paramount to the salvation of souls in foreign cultures. These three equally important legs strongly support our evangelistic thrust into the heart land of countries in darkness. Actually, this is teamwork at its finest. Let me explain.
The bulk of the printing for Guinea-Bissau has been accomplished by:
Colonial Baptist Press has finished 1,000,000 pieces for this project. BPS told us they had used 245,000 pounds of paper for the New Testaments. Fellowship Tract League has sent over 360,000 tracts. There are not many ministries who have the vision and team spirit to labor on projects this size. Our hats are off to these leaders in God's global mission.
Our home church, Fellowship Independent Baptist Church of Radcliff, Kentucky, and other churches alike, have labored tirelessly preparing the packets for Guinea-Bissau. Whetstone Baptist Church of Mountain Grove, Missouri hosted a packing project for churches in south central Missouri. Packing 360,000 packets demands over 6,500 man-hours of hands on work. Logistic Solutions of Elizabethtown, Ky. allows us storage space in their warehouse for this great undertaking.
All that have labored on this front to support the Preach Team and the volunteer team, and all who will help serve in Guinea-Bissau in November 2009 are promised a great reward. Even with all this complete, lots of work still awaits us on the other side. The nine containers of literature must be delivered to port, shipped overseas, received out of port, pass through customs, be unloaded, and then someone must put their hands and back into moving the 11,250 boxes onto trucks, off of trucks, into classrooms, and finally into the hands and hearts of those who do not know our Savior.
One day the psalmist David viewed the battlefield, heard the defiance of God’s enemies, and cried out, "Is there not a cause?" Our cause is right. Our course is set. Our challenge is before us. Thank you each and everyone who are laboring for God’s glory. TEAMWORK still works!
The bulk of the printing for Guinea-Bissau has been accomplished by:
Colonial Baptist Press of Charlottesville, Virginia,
Bearing Precious Seed of Milford, Ohio, and
Fellowship Tract League of Lebanon, Ohio.
Colonial Baptist Press has finished 1,000,000 pieces for this project. BPS told us they had used 245,000 pounds of paper for the New Testaments. Fellowship Tract League has sent over 360,000 tracts. There are not many ministries who have the vision and team spirit to labor on projects this size. Our hats are off to these leaders in God's global mission.
Our home church, Fellowship Independent Baptist Church of Radcliff, Kentucky, and other churches alike, have labored tirelessly preparing the packets for Guinea-Bissau. Whetstone Baptist Church of Mountain Grove, Missouri hosted a packing project for churches in south central Missouri. Packing 360,000 packets demands over 6,500 man-hours of hands on work. Logistic Solutions of Elizabethtown, Ky. allows us storage space in their warehouse for this great undertaking.
All that have labored on this front to support the Preach Team and the volunteer team, and all who will help serve in Guinea-Bissau in November 2009 are promised a great reward. Even with all this complete, lots of work still awaits us on the other side. The nine containers of literature must be delivered to port, shipped overseas, received out of port, pass through customs, be unloaded, and then someone must put their hands and back into moving the 11,250 boxes onto trucks, off of trucks, into classrooms, and finally into the hands and hearts of those who do not know our Savior.
One day the psalmist David viewed the battlefield, heard the defiance of God’s enemies, and cried out, "Is there not a cause?" Our cause is right. Our course is set. Our challenge is before us. Thank you each and everyone who are laboring for God’s glory. TEAMWORK still works!
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