Mission to Montenegro newsletter
Blog entry for 20 June 2015
June 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Matt. 28:18-20a
Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!
One highlight of the busy summer season is our delightful taste of heaven as we join with those (at least in part) "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb." To God be the glory!
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| Last night with the Italian team and local friends |
- The season of summer outreach has officially begun. No sooner did we say good-bye to our Italian brethren than the Great Danes (Rebekka, Tanja, and Andreas) arrived for their fifth(!) summer to pick up and further student outreach. This includes meeting up with students, leading bible studies, being a good friend and helping hand with formal events like the upcoming English Language Camp for university students.
- We've had a renewed awareness to be sober-minded, knowing there is one who seeks to devour. One woman, Ms. S (40ish), has been coming to both our morning and evening services for the past several months. She's been asking questions, listening carefully to the sermons, and desiring to understand rather than be blindly accepting. Last week, convinced in her own mind, she gladly offered to host our mid-week prayer/sermon discussion meeting--and has met with fierce (and ongoing) opposition/persecution from both her immediate and extended family and others.
Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:
- The UK team arrives this coming week and will be here until July 8 as will two American young women coming from New Jersey. The camp will be held in a different venue this year for a week beginning June 29 with both pre- and post-camp activities. Please pray for an abundance of students to sign up. And before our next newsletter, Camp Monty will be in full swing.
- The normal life of the church continues even as the evangelistic outreaches take place and our household size balloons, so please pray for Stan's faithful sermon preparation as well as our visitation and one-on-one ministries to non-students.
Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
Mission to Montenegro
Praise and Prayer Bulletin Points:
- Praise for the many short-term workers God is sending to Montenegro for truly the need is great. Please pray for those leading and organizing the camps, for many unbelieving students to come, for good weather, for tender hearts to receive the word of God, and for fruit-filled follow-up.
- Praise for the love of the saints, our sweet fellowship, and slowly growing congregation. Please pray for Ms. S, that she would persevere, resist the devil, and stand firm in the faith. Also pray for wisdom as to how we can best support her as well as productively engage with her resistant family members.
- Praise that one member of the fellowship has found steady work. Please pray for the many others seeking employment and a means to support their families.
- Praise for the new babies--we had five young children at last Sunday's services. Please pray for both the still-expectant mothers and for someone gifted to come and oversee ministry to young children both within and without the church.
- And lastly, a minor tribute to Athena who passed away recently. We miss her.
