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Dear friends:
Hosea 6:1-3 compares God's mercy and healing to the
spring rains that water the earth, turning winter's barrenness
to beauty. Here in Lancaster, PA, we seem to have gone in just
two weeks from full winter to trees that are white, pink, lilac,
yellow, orange, red, and in the flower beds an entire pastel
palette of colors. It continues to astound us how
completely different the flower colors and even greens of leaves
are from the tropics--or out West. Our God certainly delights in
variety in this planet he's created. And its people as well.
The wide 'palette' of peoples, languages, cultures, even foods
we encounter around the world in the 50+ nations where BCM
International serves is a delightful reminder to us of how much
God rejoices in our creative individuality as humans as well as
those qualities that unite us.
ORISSA UPDATE
Among those peoples, we ask for continued prayer for
the Christians in Orissa, India. To date since those initial
attacks on Christmas day, the total has been
287 homes and 91 churches burned and over two thousand
Christians in refugee status. Of those, nine BCM
churches were destroyed, 243 BCM families left homeless,
including 9 pastors. Seven BCM believers are still in
prison under false accusations. If you have not been following
that situation, it began when a mob was attacking a church. One
man climbed up on the roof to pull down the cross. He fell, the
cross landing on him, and was killed. So the pastor and six
other believers were accused of murder and thrown in jail. Below
is an update on the situation from Rev. Nayak, BCM
missionary/pastor and regional director for Orissa.
Meanwhile, BCM has been
able to help meet immediate needs, the refugees are still living
under make-shift tarps and have no meeting place. Many believers
have been forced to move, which has left several villages
without an evangelical witness. Marty will be traveling to India
second half of June and is scheduled to meet with 71 of these
courageous BCM missionary/pastors who have committed themselves
not to abandon their ministries in the Orissa region.
OTHER TRAVELS:
In other travels, Jeanette
will be in Miami May 15-18 for Expolit, where
she will be speaking at the Tyndale House dinner, book-signing
and interviews related to the Spanish version, Paz Ardiendo, of
her new title Betrayed. In the same week, Marty
will be traveling to Ontario for BCM Canada
board meetings and conference. Then Jeanette
will be traveling to Afghanistan the first two
weeks of June (and, yes, there is some time in between before
Marty leaves for India).
FAMILY NEWS:
One other trip is coming up on the horizon. Our
daughter Ellie, sixteen now and finishing tenth
grade, is planning a missions trip to Spain this summer. She
will be working for six-seven weeks in our BCM camp, La Granja,
in Segovia, Spain, right on the grounds of the royal summer
palace of Spain. She does have to raise $2500 for travel, room
and board, for the trip and will be sending out a prayer letter
of her own shortly. If you would be interested in
helping her with this ministry opportunity, please do keep an
eye out for a letter from Ellie.
Meanwhile, Steve is
enjoying his deployment in Sicily. Steve arrived to find that
his immediate supervisor was cycling out, and instead of
replacing him, Steve was promoted to his job, giving him an E-5
job slot (if you know the navy, he's an E-2 starting out). He's
also been recommended for the medical doctor program. If he is
accepted, he would attend medical school through the navy, then
return to serve. He's also playing on the navy soccer team (as
he has in every post). If you'd like to drop him an email, his
address is:
swindle87@hotmail.com.
Josh continues to work in marketing
in Cheyenne, WY, and is attending community college there.
Michael is still holding two jobs between the
homeless shelter and the group home where he works with troubled
teens.
BOOK NEWS:
Jeanette's new release, Betrayed,
continues to receive exciting reviews. Just this week it came
out on the cover of Church Libraries.
It is widely available now at Christian bookstores, Books a
Million, as well as any on-line catalog. Royalties from
Betrayed, like all Jeanette's titles, go into
ministry funds and are currently making possible a growing
percentage of ministry travel. So if you'd like to pick up a
copy for yourself or as a gift, it's a great way to give to
missions at the same time. Amazon.com and
Christianbooks.com, by the way, are the
industry markers for how well a book is doing, so buying at
either site will help push the book up the Christian fiction
charts. And while you're in there, if you have some extra time,
do consider adding a review of Betrayed
to either site.
IN CONCLUSION!!
We'd love to hear from you! We're
hoping it's the busy time of year that's keeping our in-box so
empty. We love to hear how your family and church is going--and
how we can pray for you--as much as we hope you are praying for
us. Directly below is the letter from Orissa. It is exactly as
we received it. :)
Blessings,
Marty and Jeanette Windle
ORISSA EMAIL:
Greetings to you in the might name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your call regarding the present situation of
pastor Dasarath who is still in the jail.There was scope for him
to release from the jail on bail on last 15th of this month but,
again complaint lodged from the anti christian people who
were demanding the court to give bail at a time to all equally
with other hindu people who are jailed with our pastor Dasarth,
for the reason the district judge rejected the bail.The present
advocate is trying again in high court at Cuttack.
According to your advise to change the present advocate is
quite expensive as you know the committe has already paid
some fixed money to the present advocate.Our committe elders
are decided not to change the present advocate, otherwise we
have to loss the money.Now we all are expecting in the
month of may only.I my self and other pastors went to pastor
Dasarath`s house and gave councelations and prayed for the
family.
Please continually uphold them in your daily prayer.
Yours in His service, |