Good morning and greetings from Costa Rica!

This morning is a gorgeous, sunny 80 degree blast of God’s goodness. J

We just wanted to invite you to rejoice with our family.

After four days of Melissa’s visits made up of long conversations, opening God’s Word and a box of Kleenex, she poured her heart out to the Lord last night.

We have a new sister in Christ and she is A NEW CREATION! She is marveling in His love, her adoption as a Child of God, the miracle of redemption and is still trying to wrap her mind around how He has given her a “clean slate.”  It is a joy to hold her hand through this!

Please continue to pray for these following areas:

· Discipleship – goal is to begin immediately

· the salvation of the father of her baby

· the birth of her baby girl (due in 4 weeks)

· Melissa wants to go to church with us on Sunday and bring her two children – pray that the church would embrace her (so many families are new themselves) and for Melissa to sense God’s leading as to where she may worship and grow in Christ

Thank you for your prayers.  Please know this is such a beautiful example of how He responds to our prayers and such an amazing representation on His Sovereignty…His time, His conditions and the Work of His Holy Spirit to bring conviction and a sense of need for Christ’s cleansing blood. We are so grateful for your encouraging emails, shared excitement and powerful prayer support.

Que Dios les bendiga,

Ryan and Gretchen Rought

Dearest TACTICA 10-19 Partners,

We are wrapping up our time in Michigan quickly this afternoon as we zip closed the last three carry-on pieces and weigh … repack … and re-weigh the check-ins…ah, the joys of furlough traveling J . But all joking aside, this summer has been overwhelmingly full of blessings and joy. We return to the field with a renewed sense of the calling on our lives and a very clear vision for where the Lord is leading our family as well as TACTICA Ministries.

We were able to spend the much desired quality time with both of our fathers, and praise God that He has blessed them both with stable health conditions. The girls made numerous unforgettable memories with both of their grandpas and grandmas, and we cherished every one of those moments all the more.

We have much on our plates in the coming 8 weeks. We desperately need you to be praying for several things. We strongly believe that only through your prayers and God’s provision will the next two to three months see TACTICA Ministries serving the King of kings with excellence, let alone in a fashion that encourages a balanced life, humility and purpose in our service.

• We fly out of Detroit tomorrow morning, August 21^st.

Pray for their financial needs, that they may have a solid walk with Christ, disciplined time in God’s Word, and that God would bless us with a unique sense of team unity which communicates the love of Christ to the Costa Ricans.

Greetings from Michigan,

I have just returned from Chad Africa after 12 days of experiences that are difficult to convey. However let me say that this trip helped me see the importance of literacy training in conjunction with Bible translation.

Three of us went to Chad via Paris. Once in Chad we caught a ride with MAF to Sahr. After 2 1/2 hours in a small mission airplane we arrived at our translation center for Chad. Two of my colleagues taught a literacy class for five days with the intention of establishing a national literacy coordinator. Meanwhile I interviewed two of our office workers who are manually inputting,digitally, on a computer all of our 8 language translation projects.

I was able to visit and encourage Mrs. Ouya Bongo the wife of the national translator and language consultant who drowned early this year. She still has her children even though the culture allows the husband’s family the right to remove the children. Her needs are simple yet profound if you do not have an income source. After visiting we went to a Francophone church and enjoyed a sweet African worship service.

Chad will be a model for our other countries and translation works once we complete the translation center. Good progress is being made on the center, however with staff furloughs and medical needs these things are causing setbacks. So our goal is to have the facility workable in 18 months. With this center it will bring all our office work and consulting efforts for Chad into one location. We will have better and more reliable power then we are experiencing in Sahr.

Thank you for praying and caring. I spoke to Mrs. Ouya Bongo and told her that many in America are praying for her. She expressed her sincere appreciation. Enclosed is an attachment with a picture of Mrs. Ouya and 6 of her 7 children. There is also a picture of the graduation class and the goat roast of which we were invited guests.

Lastly for those who have followed the Waalii translation effort we can now say praise the Lord! We have successfully finished the translation and checking. It is off to the printer with plans for a presentation ceremony in Ghana that is scheduled for November of 2009. Thank you for praying for us and for this Bible. Praise God this language has a Bible for the masses.

We will be leaving tomorrow, July 15th for a trip into Canada and then returning through Wyoming and back to Michigan. It will be a time to visit some supporters and also spend a day in LaRonge Saskatchewan where we began our first ministry. Hopefully we can look up some of the people who were saved when we were there if they are still in the area. Our children want us to take lots of pictures as they have many fond memories of LaRonge and the friends they had and years they spent in the Canadian North.

As always we are humbled by the goodness of the Lord as he continues to supply our needs day by day. His mercy and love is never ending. Your prayers and gifts are so appreciated. We thank you for being a part of our lives and ministries these many years that we have served with BMM.

Serving with you for Christ’s Glory,

Gordon and Cindy Wyant                                                      Bibles International

8144 W. 112^th St.                                                                  Baptist Mid Missions

Grant, Michigan 49327

231-924-3126

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Tomorrow (Saturday) we are heading to Postrervalle and Vilcas as a family.  The last time we did this on our return trip the road fell out from under the jeep.  I am sure my wife is a little concerned.  However, they have recently graded the road.  Please remember us in your prayers as we travel.  We hope to spend some time visiting and encouraging  the believers especially in Vilcas.

Please pray for Brother Ruben Terrazas and his wife Dorilda.  She has been experiencing some health problems especially with one foot that swells and is very painful.  The last I knew she traveld to Santa Cruz to seek medical attention, however she told me once that whenever she goes to Santa Cruz she has blood pressure problems.

Continue to pray for Lorgio and Daiseys’ baby Consuelo.  She is doing well all things considered, but she continues to suffer with health problems and appears to be slow in developing. Also pray that they would desire to do what is right and get their paperwork in order so that they can be legally married. Continue to pray for Doña Jesus.  She is an elderly lady who is suffering heart problems and other medical issues.  She claims to have made a decision for Christ a long time ago, but has not been living for the Lord these past few years.  Her daughter Petronila is a faithful believer in the church in Vilcas.

Jhonny and Saida continue to be faithful even though they walk two hours to church.  Please pray that they will stay on the right track and that they too will get legally married.

Stephanie and I would appreciate your prayers as we both have been fighting a nasty cough that has held on for more than two weeks now.  Thankfully none of the girls have caught it.

Pray for Angela one of our deaf ladies.  She has not been in church as she has gone to Santa Cruz.  She does not know when she will be returning.  The family problems are too numerous to mention here but I fear we are loosing her to the world because of the influence of her family. Nancy is in the countryside helping her family but should return soon.  Lily is here but does not come to church when the others are not in town.

We greatly appreciate your prayers please know that we pray for you as well.

Saved to Serve,

Richard DeVall and family

I Thess. 5:24

The team of Berean youth returned to Michigan this past week, and we are now preparing heavily for Team TACTICA September 2008!  It is always a joy to share how God is working, the fruit that He is bringing, and the ways that He is growing us along the journey.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.  Thank you for your prayers and for the sacrifices that so many of you make to allow this ministry to continue impacting Costa Rica for the glory of God.

Serving the King of kings in Costa Rica,

Ryan and Gretchen

Ryan and Gretchen Rought

Apartado 915-2350

San José, Costa Rica

USA # to reach us in Costa Rica: 269-978-7291

UPDATE
(adam@parmenterclan.com)
In March, time seemed to stand still or perhaps evaporate, and suddenly it’s July. As I’ve written earlier, in February, Marge’s father, Henry Blunier, died and passed on to eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord. Marge has been healing emotionally as have the rest of the family.

Then mid March my father, Allen Parmenter, was getting treatment for a leg ulcer and leg pain. The pain medication made him dizzy and he fell and hit his head resulting in a head injury. I was there for two weeks at their winter Arizona home to help get him out of the nursing home and deal with some serious patient care issues. I’m happy to say that mom and dad are now in their summer home in LaGrange, IN and dad is receiving care in their home. It will take many months of recovery for both the leg wound and the head injury. It’s possible that he will lose one of his legs.
Please pray that my parents will not only be able to focus on dad’s recovery, but that they can enjoy their time with each other.

In May, Marge had outpatient surgery, an excisional biopsy of the breast. Praise God that it was all benign. She recovered well and meanwhile finished her first year of home-schooling with Michael.

In May and June, I’ve been making as many phone calls as I can to churches. I focused on Iowa for a while, but stopped when the area I was calling got flooded. Lately I’ve been making phone calls and sending information to Baptist, Bible and Community churches in central Illinois. People are friendly and I have plenty of follow up calls to make.

We are in the endurance part of our pre-field ministry. We have about 20% of our support, but don’t have many church meetings lined up. It takes making many phone calls and sending out information to locate the churches that feel like we are a good fit for their missions program.

On The Road
We had the opportunity to minister at East Arlington Baptist Church in Lawrence, MI and we enjoyed a day of presenting at Alaska Baptist Church in Caledonia, MI. We shared our testimonies, the spiritual condition of the Czech Republic and our desire to share the gospel in the Czech Republic.

At Home
We are enjoying a weekly bible study with a young couple using the Story of Hope and the Way to Joy materials from ABWE. Marge is also discipling a new believer.

ONLINE
New at www.sharethecrown.com is the “Meet the Parmenters” page. Now is your chance to find out who we really are!

Meanwhile Back on Bank Street:

Maryellen is enjoying our backyard habitat where she studies plants, bugs, fireflies, and other critters. She is also busily preparing for piano day camp. It’s an exciting opportunity for her.

Michael spent two weeks enjoying public service as part of the Serve Kalamazoo event. It was organized by a group of local churches. He’s also diligently keeping his trumpet skills sharp this summer and getting ready for his jazz band’s next concert. His band is called The Shades. You can learn more about them at www.shadestunes.com.

Marge is a wonderful wife and mother, and is busy getting ready for our trip to Pennsylvania for a week of classes at ABWE. We have studying to do on cross cultural church planting and on the Czech Republic in preparation for this training.

Adam is studying to prepare for the classes at ABWE headquarters as well as keeping up on pre-field ministry. My employer recently announced a 20% cut in work force. It is a sensible effort to get costs in line. I should know within a couple months if I’ll be terminated from the company. It wouldn’t be all bad as I might be able to use severance pay to support the family while spending full time raising support. We trust in God’s timing. I recently went for physical therapy to deal with some hip pain. The treatment is helping. I want to deal with it now while I still have health insurance from a large corporation.

PLEASE PRAY

* That I’ll be able to set up a full schedule of church visits so that we can share the exciting news that God is beginning to work in the hearts of Czech people.
* We still aren’t ready to put our house up for sale, but need to do it soon. We don’t expect to make much, because of the housing market. Pray that we will make enough to cover our financial obligations.
* Our weekly bible studies to raise up new disciples here in Kalamazoo.
*
As always, please pray that each day our focus will be on Christ and that we would each have a desire to know and please Him.

PRE-FIELD PREPARATIONS

Church Meetings:
10-August Devon Church 1630 West Devon, Chicago, IL 60660
26-August 58th Avenue Baptist Church 2228 58th Ave., Cicero, IL 60804
5-October Bethlehem Baptist 2031 East Cork Street, Kalamazoo, MI
19-October Bethel Baptist 402 S. Westnedge, Kalamazoo, MI 49001

MONTHLY SUPPORT
If you would like to help with our monthly financial support, send checks to:
ATTN: Parmenter Support #013408
ABWE, P.O. Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8585

Remember to mark it as monthly support if you plan to give each month.

Thanks for taking the time to read and pray for us.

Kind regards,

Adam, Marge & the Kids
1512 Bank Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49001
Cell (269) 762-2202
Home (269) 373-5402
e-mail: parmenters@abwe.cc

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Gordon returned safely from his trip to Europe. Thank you for praying for him during his time of travel. The journey to France and Luxembourg was completed by air and bullet trains. He met with many various peoples and dignitaries in Luxembourg. Glenn Kerr, our Bibles International colleague, was able to check and verify the first effort of the Luxembourgish translation for I Peter chapters 1, 2 and 3. It was humbling to meet with people who are spending so much time and effort in translating God’s Word. A man in France is working at least 8-10 hours a day on a translation work that will be going to a Muslim country. God’s Word in their own language is so precious to these people.

Pray as details are worked out to coordinate these efforts and provide them with the things they need to complete the task. Much can be done over the phone and the Internet now, making the process a bit more expedient.

We are certainly enjoying our home and have somewhat settled in. There is still much to do and we have lots of things to fix but it will be a process of a “little by little”. One project we would like to do is to install an outdoor wood burning furnace to reduce the heating cost during the winter. Propane has really increased in price and we have 8 acres of trees to use.

Pray for Leah as she travels to Israel this next week. She will be working on the film crew for Day of Discovery with Radio Bible Class. It is a wonderful opportunity for her; she will be seeing many Biblical places.

We do have a couple specific prayer requests.

1. Pray for Cindy’s mom, she fell and broke her rib. She is alone a few days a week, Cindy stays with her part of the week.
2. Pray as we continue to travel and visit our supporters. It has been a blessing to share the work of Bibles International.
3. Praise God for our supporters and prayer warriors that have been faithful for so many years.
4. Praise God for those who are committed to providing a Bible to believers who have none, a Bible in every tongue.
5. Cindy will begin helping at BI’s office, pray this will work out with the schedule of helping her mom.

In twenty seven years of ministry we have seldom written to indicate our financial status. However this past winter we have lost some churches that had a substantial part of our support, $675 per month. Pray that the remainder of our faithful supporters will continue so we can fulfill the roll of providing Bibles to those who do not have them in their own language.

We serve a risen Savior who never fails!

In His Service,

Gordon and Cindy Wyant
Bibles International
Baptist Mid Missions

Please join us in prayer as we are in need of our 10-19 partners in a special way:

1. We discovered this morning that our credit card number was stolen. 15 airline tickets to Brazil, New York and Chicago have been fraudulently purchased. We use this card daily while the teams are here to cover all of the expenses. We have officially filed a dispute for the $4600 of charges, however we remain without means to pay for many items for the team (hotel, food, gas, etc.)

2. Ryan arrived with Team TACTICA today to the training site. He was promised the deserted building would be prepped and cleaned for this week’s training as it is an abandoned electrical plant. They had planned to train for responding to Columbine type situations, explosive recognition and hostage rescue.

They arrived to a site with many, many bee hives. Ryan had notified the national police commanders of the need to have all bees and nests removed two weeks ago. This is a problem because Ryan is deathly allergic to bee stings. Please pray for his safety from the bees. Many times the bees that live in these areas are the famous African bees. Apparently even when they are fumigating, hundreds more return. The commander told Ryan that the abandoned building had been their home for 25 years and it will be difficult to remove them from the premises. Please pray for God’s hand to protect the team from this danger.

We will update you soon on how the Lord is working through this amazing team of short-term missionaries… we’ve been blessed with 8 incredible police officers and are so excited to see what God has in store.

Thank you for joining us on our knees.

Trusting in Him,

Ryan and Gretchen and Team TACTICA May 2008

The flowers are blooming and we can watch the wildlife from our dining room window! It has been wonderful being back in Michigan and experiencing the beautiful Midwest spring weather this year. Though we do not have the majestic Alaskan mountain, the rolling hills, huge maple and oak trees, and beautiful Lake Michigan are all creations of our loving Lord God that we are enjoying immensely.

These past months have continued to be a time of learning and indoctrination for Gordon at Bibles International. That being said, he has taken on many tasks and is in the midst of numerous projects that need to be completed. To think that there are churches with believers worshiping around the world today who do not have Bibles in their own language. Not only that, they may not even know how to read, so in the process of translation, there are literacy classes to be held to teach the young and old how to read God’s Word! What a privilege it is to be a part of the process to bring the Truth to these people, not only through missionaries, but through His Written Word in their own tongue! Right now in the country of Chad there are 8 translation projects for which Gordon is responsible. They are the Day OT, The Dagba, The NGamh Ot, TheRito/Lutos, The Sara Kaba Dem Ot, The Sara Madjingaye Ot and The Tumag Ot. On the Ivory Coast there are two translation projects: The Kaowlu and The Neao. In Ghana we have received two nearly completed translations that are in the final stages, they are The Dagare and The Waali. The Sonhghai and The Zarma are still in translation stages. From Togo we have the Kabiye language and then there is a new possible translation effort with The Kabyle language to go into a closed country of Northern Africa.

Gordon will be making a trip this week, leaving on Thursday May 22nd, for Europe. He will be visiting a church in Luxemburg to discuss the possibility of starting work on the translation of the Bible in the Luxembourgish language. In all these centuries, there has never been a Bible in their language. These people have read God’s Word in German, French or another language. Now they are seeking our help for a translation in their own tongue. Then he will meet with a group of people in France concerning a translation in the Kabyle language. We appreciate your prayers for safety as he travels and for God’s wisdom and perfect will in these new translation efforts.

Thank you so much for your prayers these last two months. The adjustment time since the death of Cindy’s father has been hard at times but smooth. Your many cards and letters have been appreciated and read many times. It is humbling to know that so many thought of us and prayed. Thank you from our hearts.

We have moved from the little apartment on the back of Cindy’s parents’ house into a home that we purchase near Fremont Michigan. It is half way between Grand Rapids, where Bibles International is located, and Scottville, where Cindy’s mom is. At the present we do not have a telephone but we continue to have cell phone numbers, though the reception is very poor there. When we do have phone service our internet access will only be dial up so we can not receive photos or huge downloads. We will be living out in the “boonies” on the rural roads of Michigan.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement to us as we continue on in this exciting avenue of missions work. We could not do this without you; it is God’s work, using you and us together.

Serving Him,
Gordon and Cindy Wyant
BMM Bibles International

There are many times in life and especially in the ministry when I wonder why God allows things to happen the way they do. I do not question His ways or His working because I know He is in control but I am a curious person to say the least. Case in point. I returned from a trip to Santa Cruz to pick our our airplane engine, (Praise the Lord it is here) on Friday. Got things around and loaded up the jeep to take the family and a seminary student (Sandivel) to Postrervalle and Vilcas. The plan was that Stephanie and Sandivel were going to do a childrens hour on Saturday in Postrervalle then we would all go to church on Sunday in Vilcas and come out to services Sunday night in Miarana before coming home. We were all loaded up ready to go when I was turning around in Bud’s driveway and the tire exploded. We took it off and inspected things and found the shock absorber broke and punctured the tire. There were no shock absorbers here in Vallegrande for my vehicle so we could not get it fixed in time to take everyone. So Saturday I went on the motorcycle and from Mairana Monday morning I went into Santa Cruz bought shock absorbers and came home. I don’t know why God did not want all of us to make this trip, but I am glad that the jeep broke down in Vallegrande not half way between here and Postrervalle. There is very little traffic on this road and absolutely no help of any kind. Your prayers for our protection as we travel are greatly appreciated!

I have asked prayer for Johnny and Saida Terrazas before and ask that you continue to pray for them. They were in church on Suday and expressed a desire to start coming more faithfully. Pray that it is a true desire and that they will not succumb to temptation to not come to church. They still need to get legally married and get things right with the Lord. Pray that they will continue to work on this.

I am happy to report that Consuelo (Lorgio and Dasey’s baby) is doing very well. Please continue to pray for her health needs and for the financial needs of this family in paying off the debts they have incurred in medical expenses.

Stephanie has continued her Bible study however two of the ladies have not come the last couple of weeks. Please pray for Liset and Sandra who have not come and for Noemi who has been faithful to come. Pray for Stephanie as she prepares these lessons and teaches these young mothers.

We have our engine for the airplane but our exhaust had to be sent to the USA for overhaul and there has been some problems handling all of this from here. Please pray that they get our exhaust done quickly and that we can get it back here without much hassle and get the airplane flying again.

Continue to pray for the political situation.

We have a young lady Melinda Hess who will be coming to spend three weeks with us starting May 28th. She is a missions major with an emphasis in deaf ministries. We are hoping to learn much from her concerning sign language and also look forward to having her teach the deaf in their language while she is here. I am certain she would appreciate your prayers.

Saved to Serve,

Richard DeVall and family

Dear Friends and Family,

This time of the year always fills itself with the many graduations of family members whether from high school or college. After having our sons out of the house for this many years, we are now once again getting ready to have our daughter graduate from school! In the next few weeks we will be celebrating Nina?s graduation. So, she is busy finishing her school work and making preparations for her open house. We are praising the Lord for allowing us to see her accomplish this milestone in her life. Please pray for her as she plans to work for a year and then to attend Faith Baptist Bible College in Iowa. As her father it is hard to believe my baby is getting ready to leave the nest.

The Lord continues to provide as matters and needs present themselves. In talking to our field director, Tom Logsdone, he suggested that it would be helpful if I took a sabbatical for six weeks to get some rest. He put me in contact with a young couple with Baptist Church Planters. They were able to come and take over the ministry as I took some time to off. We were away from the ministry for about four weeks which was a real blessing. The transition was very good, and the Whitcher family did a fine job as we left for some needed R&R. The Lord, indeed, provided what we needed, a Spanish speaking individual. Once again we see the sovereignty of our Lord as He provided at the right time the right person to fill our need. The bonus is we have made friendship with another family member in the Lord.

Please continue to pray for us as we apply ourselves back into the ministry. Pray that the Lord is given all the glory for all that is accomplished. Once again, we have reached this time of the year where we say good-bye to missionaries that have been studying Spanish at RGBI. This Sunday we bid farewell to the Nordland family as they go to Ecuador, the Spink family as they go to Chile, Ruth going to Peru, and the Dominguez family going to intern in another church in the area. As a church we feel very privileged in having missionaries in our church while they study Spanish, and at times it is hard saying good-bye to them, knowing that we may not see them again on this earth.

Prayer Requests:
Pray for growth as a church spiritually and physical
Pray that the doors open to buy this building if it is God?s will
Pray as we make plans for our summer Bible School
Pray for Victor and Karina as they are not walking for the Lord
Pray for workers of our Sunday school
Pray for us as we confront situations each day
We thank you for all your prayers and support.

Los Garcia