Apr. 2011 Update

Thank you once again for your faithfulness to God and to us as you keep us in your prayers. You are a vital part of our ministry team. Border News... Steve is continuing to work with the World Radio Network stations along the Border and  is going to be working a little more closely with the Nogales radio station (KNOG) for a while.  Pray for the longer commute on the days he goes to Nogales.  Another item that might be coming up is that the radio automation system that the stations use has come out with a new version.   Pray for the time of testing the new system and for wisdom on how, when, and even if the stations should upgrade their systems. Family & Team News... Pauli's Mother We asked you last time to be praying for the time that Pauli's mother, Blanquita, would be visiting us.  Thank you for your prayers.  On her trip up here to the States at the layover in the Atlanta airport, a lady walked up to her and started talking to her.  It turned out that she was from Ecuador and was also heading to Tucson.  It was a true "God-send" that helped Blanquita navigate through the airports and calm her nerves on the way here. A couple of weeks ago Blanquita had an anxiety attack (nervous breakdown?).  We ended up taking her a couple of times to a doctor across the border in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico and also to see a doctor we knew from Ecuador who now works in a clinic in Nogales, Arizona.  One of Pauli's sisters, Damariz, who was in New York, came to visit and help out for a week.  Blanquita seems to be doing better through our (including you!) prayers and is also on some anti-depressant medicine for a time. Please continue to pray for Blanquita and for wisdom for us as we work out the plans with Blanquita for the rest of her time here.  Pray also for Damariz that her heart would be open to the Gospel as she was asking about the differences in churches on the way home from AWANA last night. The Umbles We also asked you to pray for missionary friends from Ecuador who returned to the States to look for a possible kidney transplant.  Thanks for your prayers.  Randy's wife, Melanie, was found to be a compatible donor for him.  The transplant is scheduled for Thursday (14-Apr): Melanie and I had a consultation with the surgeon today as well as final blood tests. We are scheduled to have transplant surgery at University of Penn Health System the morning of April 14 (Thursday). We appreciate your continued prayers on our behalf! Fellow members of the support team We also asked you to pray for fellow support team members who had had to drop their financial support for us as they lost their jobs.  Thanks for your prayers and here is an update from one family: Andy still hasn't found a job but he has started his own business at home and is really enjoying this.... We hope it can be a permanent thing for him but the first year is always tough especially with our economy.  It has allowed us so much more time as a family though and we can definitely see God using this change to trust more in Him and realize the blessing of family time.  We do appreciate your prayers. From across the Border... A couple of weekends ago, Steve, Keilah, and Kendra went down with a few others to Nogales, Sonora, Mexico to help with a ministry that feeds breakfast to some of the neighborhood kids every so often.  There are three areas of ministry there right now working alongside the local church.  Miguel and his wife Mari live on the grounds of the Kid's Café and Mari really is reaching out to the families there.  Miguel also runs a drug and alcohol rehab center at a nearby location getting people off their addiction to where they might be able to understand the Gospel and the love of God.  Cristian is in charge of the soccer and basketball field used by the community.  Ramon is the pastor of the local church. The group of leaders has been excited about the outreach potential of the area and are looking to plant this model of a local church with ministries alongside the church in a small town about nine hours south of Nogales in Navojoa, Mexico.  One of the leaders that will be involved in this is Juan Carlos.  While talking to him, it was interesting to hear a different take on the ministry of Radio. His thoughts were that many there in the neighborhood didn't have a lot of literature or literacy or even time, but that KNOG (one of the stations Steve supports and is part of the World Radio Network along the Border) was a vital part in the lives of new believers.  He always suggested that the new believers listen to the station throughout the day, but especially for the teaching programs that help them understand their new faith and how it should be lived out.  (You can listen to the station online here.) Spanish Christian radio is an integral part of their lives now. It made me think about how much of what we look for in a radio station or on our Ipod is music to fill the time rather than taking advantage of the time to be challenged to grow in our faith. Please pray for Juan Carlos and the new church plant and ministry in Navojoa, Mexico.  Pray also for Ramon, Miguel, and Mari for strength and wisdom and even times of rest in God while they minster in their area in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Your Help Needed One thing that has been an interest of Steve's is to be able to get Bible study tools in the hands of those that may not have the means to get them (legally, at least). The background is that in Latin America it is very easy to get pirated copies of software and programs for a computer.  If the software was bought legally it would be out of their reach financially.  So, Steve has been advocating alternatives, when the opportunity comes up, that are legally within the reach of the common Latin American person. One of the tools that could help is The Sword Project (click here). The one thing that is lacking is that the owners of the copyrights for the more up to date translations in English and Spanish have not given permission to have their translations published for use with The Sword Project. See this link. Would you be willing to pray for this effort and even write or call the copyright holders so they might give permission to The Sword Project to publish their modules? You can use my name and email address if you would like: Stephen J. McCracken Please let me know how it goes if you decide to help out!	Translations and Their Copyright Holders The American Bible Society/United Bible Societies Reina Valera - 1960 (RV60) Reina Valera - 1995 (RV95) Reina Valera Contemporánea (RVC) Dios Habla Hoy (DHH) Traducción en Lenguaje Actual (TLA) Contemporary English Version  (CEV) Good News Translation (GNT) Baker Publishing Group God's Word Translation (GW) Biblica (formerly International Bible Society) Nueva Versión Internaccional (NVI) Castilian (CST) New International Version (NIV) New International Readers Version (NIrV) Today's New International Version (TNIV) Holman Bible Publishers Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) The Lockman Foundation La Biblia de las Américas (LBLA) Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy (NBLH) New American Standard Bible (NASB) The Amplified Bible (AMP) Thomas Nelson Publishers Nueva Biblia al Dia (NBD) New Century Version (NCV) New King James Version (NKJV) Tyndale House Foundation Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV) New Living Translation (NLT)
We're Praying Continue to pray with us as we host Pauli's mother.  Pray that she will find peace, rest, and health in God as her faith grows. Continue to pray with us for those on our team who have had to drop financial support as they have lost jobs.  Pray for their families and for them to find peace in God during this time.  Pray for God's provision in their lives. Pray for Mari and for wisdom and strength for her as she tries to have an effective ministry and still have some boundaries for the family. Pray for our brother-in-law who has recently been diagnosed with cancer.  See their testimony here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bryankephart Pray for the Umbles as mentioned above. Pray for their kids during this time, too. Pray for God's wisdom for Steve as he works with the Spanish Christian stations along the Border. Pray for Pauli as she is the primary one doing simultaneous translation for a Saturday evening church service. Continue to pray for us as parents as we try to raise our kids in such a way that they love and desire to serve God.