April 2015 – The Armor Bearer
“Dear Praying Friends,”
“Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.” ~1 Chronicles 16:24
Thank you for your prayers and support for AFBM and for our missionaries. The Lord uses your faithfulness to reach our heroes and teach us about His love.
If I had to pick one military base that needs a church immediately it is Camp Casey, South Korea. We receive calls and emails regularly from our heroes and the families of those stationed at Casey. Like me, they have an uneasy feeling of being or having a family member ten minutes from North Korea.
I know five families who began the process of raising support to go there and none have made it. Perhaps, it is the huge expenses involved with Key Deposits (as much as $50,000 for an apartment and potentially double that for a church storefront) or the required insurance with signed backers. The Visa and the vaccinations are arduous at best and wash out all but those called by God. Then there are the guaranteed round trip tickets. Clearly, only those with His call will ever serve.
After years of fasting, prayer, and literally begging the Lord for the right family, He sent us one of our own, Drew & Lela Mahaney. Drew’s parents are Air Force veterans and long-term AFBM missionaries to Korea, and now to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Drew was raised in South Korea attending one of our churches and schools. Drew and Lela are a perfect fit for working with our heroes at Camp Casey. Our plan is to get behind them with a team of veteran missionaries, and with the Lord’s blessing; we hope to plant a church as early as next year.
Pray with us about reaching the 2nd Infantry Division and their families.
I want to highlight another ministry, that of our Servicemen’s Center ministry at Fort Dix/McGuire Air Force Base. As many of you know, the Gormans planted a new church, Freedom Baptist Church; outside of the McGuire Air Force Base. They inherited a servicemen center to our heroes from our dear friends at Harbor Baptist Church. They are open five evenings a week to offer Bible studies, coffee, snacks, refreshing fellowship and most importantly the gospel message to our military personnel. They distribute gospel tracts and copies of John and Romans to our heroes during every shift, and have seen many salvation decisions at the Servicemen’s Center. One airman who accepted Christ as his Savior at the center last month excitedly said he was “going to call his wife and mother right away and tell them how he was saved and how they can be too!”
Even with these great testimonies, the center is still in need of monthly support or one-time offerings. This vital ministry produces much fruit and will be an excellent addition to any missions program.
If you would like to help or request additional information on the two ministries discussed in this prayer letter, or any of our other AFBM churches or ministries please contact us.
We stand ready to serve you and your church in any way we can. We would love to provide missionaries and preachers for your next missionary conference. Also, we can help you plan and coordinate military appreciation days.
Thank you again for your faithful support for our missionaries and our heroes. We cannot thank you enough – you have our respect and prayers.
Your servant,
Brother Doug