Mission to Montenegro newsletter

May 2013 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.  Is. 53:6

With everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you...

Rejoice with us in the good things the Lord is doing amongst us.

• Our Easter services celebrated the wonderful truths elaborated in Isaiah 53, which by God's serendipitous providence, was the read-through-the-Bible passage that day.  We had a packed morning service including some first-time visitors hearing the glorious news of God's everlasting kindness and mercy.

• We thank God for His good care of Stan, Milijana, and the church while Stan was away in April.  Stan greatly enjoyed both conferences; Milijana will be studying International Relations/Russian at the University of Rochester this fall; the church ministries continued on, blessed by the Lord, for we are His people.

• God brought about an interview with a newspaper reporter who remembered Stan from a public forum meeting over a decade ago.  We actively seek involvement with the local community and this is one reason why--God uses these relationships in unexpected ways.  This reporter asked about the church, our relationship with other faiths, and visited one of our meetings.  The article should be published in the coming week.

 

 

•  We are enjoying a week of music, worship, fellowship, and outreach. The Cranes, gifted musicians and worship leaders, along with two men who are the head organizers for Camp Monty (the evangelistic sports camp held every summer) are here for an intense week of ministry.  We started things off with a night of Christian fellowship (pictured above) but there will be several evangelistic concerts and get togethers.

Upcoming Ministry and Family News:

• We're having a Baptism!  This Sunday, we will be baptizing Andjela, a young woman whose family has been long involved with the church.  She had the privilege of growing up hearing gospel truths and has now fully embraced Christ as her Lord and Savior. Rejoice with us!  Also, it is our hope to be having  another baptism before the year is over as a relative newcomer to the fellowship is growing in faith and knowledge and has a desire to be baptized.

•  The All-Montenegro Believer's Meeting is this weekend, followed by a visit from Lindsay Brown, a long-time evangelist to university students, accompanied by a BBQ bash for both believers and  unbelievers.  Summer ministry has begun!

•  Saying Good-bye is so hard to do.  By the time the next regular newsletter is published, we will have said good-bye to Randi from Denmark who has been with us since last August on a short-term mission assignment.  We will surely miss her as she has become a member of our Christian family here (and has been chief photographer for this newsletter).

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
Mission to Montenegro  

Prayer and Praise Bulletin Points:   

• Praise for God's never-failing mercies which are new every morning.  Pray that God would use our efforts and ministries:  preaching, teaching, counseling, one-on-one studies,  Ladies' Mtg, Girls' Mtg, College Study, and special events for the building up of His People and the advance of His Kingdom.
• Praise that while we sow seeds, God is faithful to the harvest.  Pray for Andjela as she makes a public profession of faith, that God would watch over her, guide her, lead her, strengthen her as His beloved daughter and disciple in this hardhearted world.
• Praise for the many outreach opportunities in the next few months.  Our freedom to proclaim Christ here is a true blessing and window of opportunity.  Pray that the newspaper article would point interested people to come to our services and hear the gospel; pray that the concerts this week would touch the hearers; pray for the unbelievers who heard the eternal message of the Resurrection this past Easter.
• Praise God for workers like Randi and others who come and give of their lives to give life to others.  Pray for the ongoing fruit of her ministry and contact with the young people here, both believers and unbelievers.  Pray for us as we prepare a SPECIAL EDITION newsletter outlining the wonderful opportunities, experiences, and blessings of becoming a short-term missionary here in Niksic, Montenegro.

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