We have just completed one of the busiest months since our arrival here in Japan! We celebrated Rachel's birthday, received an amazing, encouraging visit from a member of our advisory board Chris Dewelt and his wife Carol, Nick spent a weekend in Tokyo volunteering at the Passion Conference (a Christian worship event for college students), we hosted two young couples from Ozark Christian College who came on a survey trip of Japan, and we ended the month with a 3 year old birthday bash for Owen. We have made some great memories!

While enjoying Owen's birthday get-together (which was a fall costume party), I looked around our crowded living room at so many happy faces, and funny costumes, listened to people talking and laughing and I couldn't help remember Colette's party in February. Back then we had only been in Japan about a month and all the daily aspects of life were still unfamiliar and overwhelming; it was all we could do to put together a small simple get-together with our teammates. I just barely figured out how to turn on the oven to bake some muffins for everyone. And now, 9 months later, we had (with alot of help from our friends) pulled off a great big party, including bratwursts and chili and three kinds of dessert, and most excitingly, including Japanese friends we hadn't even known would become so dear in so short a time! One of my neighbors and now a good friend came early and helped ice the cupcakes and get the kids crafts ready. What a blessing! We are still painstakingly inching along in our Japanese language learning, and it is easy to forget how far we've come. But our special day celebrating Owen's birthday was a great reminder.

Christ In Youth – Joplin, MO

Something must be done to reach this generation with the Gospel & inspire them to heed Christ’s Kingdom worker call.It is with this motivation & vision, that Christ In Youth has launched a strategic plan to help reach the masses & move a generation to Kingdom worker action.

For more than 40 years, Christ In Youth has sought to change youth & change the world by challenging each generation to boldly live for Christ.Today, Christ In Youth is uniquely positioned nationally to reach youth in partnership with the local church by amplifying the call of Christ on student lives.CIY will work to do this over the next 5 years through ministry & program expansion.

Ministry Expansion will include:

- Double attendance at events & trips by 2012.

- Grow the number of total events.

- Establish 12 new “Beachhead” regions with multiple CIY events.

- Double the number of participating churches.

- Expand curriculum offerings & influence.

- Expand video production & influence.

- Expand web development & influence.

- Launch multi-lingual programming.

- New storage/education facility for program set design, construction, equipment storage & educational space for video/sound/stage production classes.

Program expansion will include:

- 18 new SuperStart! events with a target increased attendance of 14,000 students.

- 9 new Believe events with a target increased attendance of 15,000 students.

- 8 new Know Sweat Service Projects with a target increased attendance of 2,000.

- 7 new Move events with a target increased attendance of 6,000.

- 8 new Discipleship events with a target increased attendance of 2,700.

The Amplifying the Call Campaign is about reaching this generation of students with the Gospel & amplifying Christ’s call to live as Kingdom workers.Every empty seat at a CIY event of mission trip is a missed opportunity to amplify Christ’s call on a student’s life.Multiple programs established in specific regions will be established in specific regions will impact a potential 100,000 Kingdom workers annually.More than 1 million students will be impacted by the Kingdom worker message over the next decade.Christ In Youth stand poised to amplify the call of Christ to this generation in partnership with individuals, churches & foundations.Together, we can amplify the call of Christ on student lives to become Kingdom workers.

Ozark Christian College – Joplin, MO

We’d like to share our good news!Ozark Christian College is nationally accredited by the Association of Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), a Department of Education-recognized body of over 100 Bible colleges/universities.Every 10 years a college’s accreditation is reviewed, & this year was our turn.We completed an extensive yearlong self-study, concluding with a 3-day visit from an ABHE evaluation team just last month.While noting our financial challenges, their comments were glowing.

At the end of their 3 days, the 5-member team said they’d been on dozens of evaluation visits & they’d never had a better visit than ours.They said they’d never had a college better prepared, more hospitable or with as well-kept facilities as ours.Two observations I especially took to heart.First, they had never seen a college faculty & staff with a greater sense of unity & joy.One team member said, “It’s evident that you actually like each other.”Second, they’d never seen a stronger sense of mission in a college workforce.Everyone here knows exactly why OCC exists: to train men & women for Christian service.

Thank you for your recent gift to Ozark, & I hope this good news encourages you.Our team is strong, our mission is clear, & your gift allows us to be about the important work of training Christian leaders.We give glory to God for allowing us to do what we do, & we thank you for your vital partnership with us.We’ll continue to train & equip Great Commission leaders & it’s because of partners like you.May God bless you with His joy!

Darrin & Chrissy King – Puente Ministries – Costa Rica

A great joy for us as we have spent these months here in the States on furlough has been to visit different supporting churches.While we’re not finished with that task just yet, we have already been so blessed by the time we’ve spent with those who partner with us in prayer & financial commitment.One of those places that comes to mind just now is in Braymer, MO.Braymer is a small town just about an hour west of Kansas City, & may not have even a thousand souls in the population.But it is a very special place because of the souls that do dwell there.It is special to our family, in particular to my wife & her parents.Braymer was where the seed of the Word of God fell on the fertile soil of their hearts in a way that produced a saving faith in Jesus Christ.To drive through Braymer doesn’t give the impression of that kind of greatness at first glance.That’s probably because it’s evident that things haven’t changed there in a good long while!Much in the town today is still the same as it was more than 25 years ago when Chrissy lived there with her family.And upon visiting the folks of the Church there, you’ll find many of them are the same, with the notable changes being that their kids have grown up & grandchildren have taken their place in the Sunday School!In a world where it seems that nothing stays the same, a sense of rootedness & being connected with the past is a marvelously comforting thing.Especially for us that have experienced changes of location because of the mission work we do, furlough has to be more than just a break from the usual routine & a chance to rest physically.It is good also for us to remember where we came from, not only physically, but more importantly spiritually.Part of the work that we do in nurturing, training, & equipping of spiritual leaders is just that, helping other believers & leaders remember the connection they have with the larger Body of Christ, both in the world& in history.Please pray for us all as we labor to see that happen in our lives.

Institute & Church Plant – The new congregation in Tres Rios is more than a year old, but it seems more than that.Perhaps that’s owing simply to the way time passes!But it also could be because of the progress it has made in terms of its body life & community.Throughout the various transitions that came with the beginning & finishing of the educational phase of the project, the believers who congregate faithfully have been willing servants at every turn.They are certainly teachable, & have a healthy self-estimate about their own abilities.As you pray for them, you should ask God to make them even bolder in their willingness to be stretched in service.Many need to be more convinced of what God can do in their lives as they surrender to Him & take responsibility for ministry in the Body.Their faith & dependence upon the Holy Spirit will be the key that will make them salt & light in their community.

Points for Prayer:

Pray for the Kings as they continue visiting churches & reporting on the work.

Praise God for his goodness & patience as He works through our efforts in Christ.

Lift up the need for a more central location for the church to meet.

Give thanks for new life in Christ that continues in the believers, & is bringing new believers into the Body.We’ve has some baptisms in the past weeks!

Rodney & Linda Peterson – Team Expansion

This last month we were blessed to participate in the training of 15 new missionary candidates.This group ranged in age from the teen years to a couple in their 70s.The group was characterized by dedication, enthusiasm, & a passion for Christ to be glorified among the least reached people groups of the world.

Different ones are preparing & planning on going to South America, Japan, the Philippines, Asia, & Africa.Some of them will be entering countries where an open proclamation of the gospel message isn’t permitted.

What an important part your prayers & gifts are to the training of missionaries who are going to the least reached people groups where 5% or less are evangelical Christians.

The training week is preceded by a weekend focusing on spiritual formation.This includes a time of prayer & fasting with part of it taking place on the new property of Team Expansion.The trails & prayer shelters woven throughout majestic tall trees dressed in their fall leaves provided a perfect place to spend time alone with God & contemplate on the splendor of his greatness while listening to his voice.Many of us forget to set apart those extended periods of time to just be alone with our Father.

In this recent training week for new candidates, Rodney began teaching a session on the “Rigors of Missionary Life”.It dealt with the areas of adjustments on the field, cultural adaptation, coupled with our own personal experiences.

We also enjoy team teaching on “Emotional Health” & sharing ways couples can protect & enrich the marriages & family life while on the field.We have a heart for encouraging & mentoring missionary couples.

Praises

- For the sale of our house in Mexico

- For the new missionary recruits that just came through Team Expansion

- For the paintbrush of God that has turned this fall season into a majestic work of art

Prayer Requests

- For blessing & safety of travel as we finish up a whirlwind trip in Oregon & Washington.We have been reporting to churches & trying to make new contacts.

- For additional prayer & financial partners

- For missionaries in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania – just the last couple of months, 5 have suffered robberies in their homes

- For doors of opportunity to open up for missionaries & that they would have the ability to make the gospel understandable to the people groups they are working with

Antonio and Berenice Escabedo – Saltillo, Mexico

Many good things are happened these past months; I want but I can’t tell you each one of them. We are doing fine here in Mexico. Berenice and I are fine, she is working as full time English teacher in an elementary private school here in Saltillo. She is doing very well. I am working part time in my dad’s workshop. I can remember that day when my body of Elders of Christ’s Church of Oronogo prayed for us to ordinate us and send us back to work in Mexico. We love you guys and still missed you. We know that our work here in Saltillo will make you proud, thanks for your spiritual protection.Our return to Mexico is a great bless to our home church. We are working in the organization, we learned a lot in United States about it. So we are trying to teach to our ministries’ leaders how to work as team players and teamwork. (And be on time!) I teach them how to do their ministries’ calendar. First week of October we meet to planning October-December, Women Ministry, Youth Ministry, Sunday School Ministry and Pastoral ministry. And 22 of December we will meet again to plan January-March. People here are not just to work in this way, but know they now this is much better. We have two small groups, we call “Grupos de Amistad” (group of friends) and we will open the third one soon. We have leaders of small groups who we call, “small groups pastors”.We went to pray some night, we are stand in the land that we will build our “new spiritual home”, seven acres. We believe that God call us to build His church who will be considered a “column” in our City, State and Nation. We only want to worship sincerely to our Almighty God, and give Him the best from us. In this picture I have in my hands the draws of the building. That night we “anointed” the land and we dedicated this place to honored God, the Father, the Son and the wonderful Holy Spirit

Kritsana Udomsrirat – Asian Christian Women and Children- Thailand

Praise the Lord for always keeping us in His loving care. In mid October, we had VBS for Mea-aw children and all the Eden students had the chance to help. The kids had a great time. They surely enjoyed the food, drink, cookies and games which we prepared for them. We also let them watch the tape about the Lord Jesus. They really enjoyed that. Our Oct. annual Eden camp also went very well. This year our Chiangmai church families didn’t come but would come for our Christmas instead. However, we did have a wonderful time and three of our Eden students were baptized in our fishpond. All the rivers were muddy due to the rain at that time. Our camp speaker was from Bangkok. During the day we divided the class into two. Our guest speaker taught lessons to Christians and I taught the Good News to non-Christians. Our attendant was about 80 and most were teenagers. At night, we had the revival meeting preached by our guest speaker. Everyone was blessed! After the camp we had one week break before the new school semester started, so I went down to Bangkok to spend few days with Nat and Kamon. We went to the beach, get on a boat to an island and stayed there for two days. The ocean was so pretty and the sea food was delicious. Kamon also caught a fish for our supper. The first day was fun but on the second day the weather was bad and rain the whole day. On the way back we were on a speedboat with other passengers for an hour to get to the shore. The wave was high and pretty scary. The boat was jumping up and down and I had to hold on Nat’s arm tight so I won’t get throw out into the sea. All the way I could only pray and thought about how great was our God, Who created this giant ocean. That was quite an experience for me and I didn’t think that I would like to have another chance. That was not fun! In Nov. 2^nd sister Gift’s daughter and her boss brought the medical team to MHS. They set up the clinic for eyes, teeth and general check up. Hundreds of people were benefit by their services. They went to Mea-aw for one day and two days at Naisoi church, and another two days at the boarder close to NS refugee camp and the last day at MHS. I have sent message for that Karan woman to come and have her eyes check, but she didn’t want to come because she couldn’t get permit to go to Chiangmai. I think she has given up. I will try again and see what I can do to help. The medical team doctors were 5 from the States and one from England. Some of our Eden girls and I were able to help with translation. People from the refugee camp could only speak their Karan language. Four of our Eden girls are Koran, so they would translate Karan to Thai, and we translate Thai to English for the doctors. On Wednesday night, we prepared dinner for the team at NS church and had a special revival meeting preached by one of the team member. The message was good and encouraging. The church was blessed. Now the new school semester has started and we are starting to prepare for the coming of Christmas event in Dec. Time is catching up with us and we do need to hurry up. Please continue to pray for us because you prayers meant so much to us! Thanks! Love, Kritsana

Scott & Angie Pagel – Team Expansion – Taiwan

Thanks so much for your faithful prayers--they DO make a difference. If you'll recall, my last update was not exactly full of wonderful,exciting news. Indeed, I was feeling pretty discouraged. Last Sunday Joe, one of the brothers at church, shared a wonderful power-point presentation, complete with pictures, about what he thinks this coffeehouse etc. outreach we've been talking about could be like. I think it helped renew the church's passion for this and though it will take months of planning, they are working on a step-by-step plan along with more focused praying even in our absence. We are greatly encouraged.
God is doing some great stuff at the Yonghe church as well. Last Sunday there were several men and their families who turned out who either hadn't come in a while or were there for the first time. All were glad they'd come and I know that at least two of the men who hadn't been in a while have committed themselves to be more faithful in their involvement from here on out. We praise God for how he's working in these men's lives and pray for continued growth and blessing upon the Yonghe church. We know that prayer changes things.
The final night of the Kid's English Bible class was great! Only a few of their parents came, but one of those who did expressed interest in coming to church sometime. I've attached a picture of us with the kids and some of their family members. The cake I'm holding says "Good Job"--I was afraid it would slide off if I held it up! And the puppet you see is "Squirmy" (Scott) who was our special guest these weeks in helping us teach the kids about the Fruit of the Spirit.
And now for the best news! We all have a new "little brother" in the Kingdom of God and he is our own son, Zachary! He was baptized at a swimming pool after church on Sunday, with much of our church family there as witnesses. He approached us about his desire a couple weeks ago and we've been sharing with him and hearing his heart on the matter since. We are very proud of him and looking forward to traveling on "The Journey" together with him and helping him out. Please pray for him as this is just the beginning!
Prayer Requests:
1. Praise for encouraging times at both branches of the "Taiwan Christian Church"
2. Guidance and protection over the Ankeng church as we're away--progress on the coffeehouse outreach
3. Continued growth and blessing upon the Yonghe church
4. Fruit from the Kids English/Bible Class
5. Zachary as he begins his life as a new creation in Christ Jesus
6. Our health and safety as we travel 

The Bridge – Joplin, MO

End of Year Gift – I keep thinking about what God did through our Odyssey event.I saw so many people that have been supporting this place over the past 9 years.I’ve had several people tell me how powerful it was to leave the event as students lined the driveway holding “Thank You” signs.It was a powerful reminder to me that God has positioned so many good people in support of His struggle on behalf of our teens. We are going to dedicate our next newsletter to a recap of the event with pictures & stories.I’d like to thank each of you for your love and support over the years.I am moved & humbled to be a part of a community of people like you.

The Odyssey event was really just the beginning of a new effort on our part to engage more people in what God is doing here.Of course, what happened at Odyssey exceeded our imagination & it is our hope that the event & the excitement it generated will produce support through the rest of this year.In order to finish strong this year & accomplish our plans for ministry, we need to raise at least $106,800 in gifts by Dec. 31, 2008.We believe this to be possible given the numbers of people that see The Bridge as an important work of God.Each one of us simply doing what we can is all that is required – no more/no less.

Please consider an end of year gift for The Bridge.We promise to work everyday to honor your sacrifice & faith & to fight for our teens.Most important of all, we pledge to be witnesses of God’s mercy & grace for generations to come.

Our promise – We know you have many options, & that there are many worthwhile organizations that need your support.We’re grateful that you take the time to read this letter, to pray for us, to volunteer, & to consider financially supporting the work that we do.Here is our promise to you:

- We will work faithfully every day to love, serve, & change the lives of area teens.

- We will spend carefully, & make sure that every dollar you entrust to us is stewarded wisely & goes to support local youth.

- We will be creative, resourceful, & innovative, & drive down every unnecessary dollar, to maximize your gift.We have one very special donor who has faithfully given $10/month for many years.We are grateful for you, & we don’t take your gift lightly.We will faithfully invest your dollars alongside of our lives for the sake of the kingdom, & for the sake of local youth.