Pray for events in Columbia!

“The plans are coming together well for the Women’s National Retreat on October 12-14th, as women from all around the country are planning on attending. Presently, there are 180 women signed up and this could be a record! Please pray for the special times of worship, fellowship, the teaching, and sharing times with Pia Restrepo as our speaker, and as others share and give witness to the Lord’s goodness as ‘We are Born for Such a Time as This’.”

Pia Restrepo, who with her husband Eugenio, are area directors for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Mary Lou and Gary Sander serving in Medellin, Columbia.

“We ask for your prayers for the Colombia Pacto which took on the task of hosting the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches Conference in Medellín,

October 19-24. The theme of this conference is “Bringing Hope in a Desperate World.” Pacto of Colombia’s emphasis is on bringing hope to a desperate world through its churches and ministries, which makes the conference an ideal place for the Pacto to give witness to God’s movement and outreach in Colombia.

•  •  •

A sunset full of HOPE in Medellin

News from the Persian ministry of Words of Hope

Less than one percent of the population in Iran is Christian. Iran ranks high on the list of countries persecuting Christians; Muslim-background converts risk facing the death penalty. All evangelical churches have been forced to close; Bibles may not be published; and people who meet together in house churches live constantly on the brink of discovery and punishment.

AND STILL…Praise the Lord that 19 people were baptized at Words of Hope’s recent Persian Conference. Multiple times per year, Iranian Christians are invited to travel outside their own country to a safe location where they can worship together and learn more about the Bible. For many of them, this is the first time they have had the opportunity to be baptized or participate in a communion service. Pray for these newly baptized believers as they return to their homes.

 •  •  •

Busy times at Akagi Bible Camp in Japan

Hydi Peterson documents through photos the many groups who use Akagi Bible Camp to nurture their faith in community. Communal meals indoors and out, facilities for worship and study, natural beauty surrounding the camp, and of course, a campfire!  Akagi Bible Camp is a resource of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Japan, and Jim and Hydi serve as camp directors.

Hydi had a personal goal to climb Japan’s top 100 mountains and in August she finished #100 by summiting Mt Kurobegorodake!  With this picture of Hydi and Jim on their overnight back-packing excursion, she writes: “Early morning drizzle on the trail but it looks like the typhoon will hold off long enough for us to make it safely to the summit and back today.”

•  •  •