Mission to Montenegro newsletter

August 2014 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.   Is.55: 11

For the Lord is the Great God   

• Several hundred young people, ages 6-21, participated in Camp Monty, the annual summer evangelistic sports outreach held here in late July.   Along with sports and other activities, the gospel was clearly shared, relationships deepened, and results left to God.  (Is. 55:11)

•  Encouragingly, the new teen Bible Study has taken off, made up primarily with young people first reached via Camp Monty: this is our most successful post-Camp follow-up.  For the past few Wednesdays, our living room has been packed with this new high school group hearing the word of God, followed by enjoying food, friends, and fun!

Weds. Evening Teen Bible Study

•  In the midst of all the high-energy happenings of the past month, we were saddened and sobered by the tragic passing of one of our regulars, Miss S, who was baptized in June 2013.   We had our own memorial service that Sunday evening, where Stan preached an encouraging message on the reality of God's sure faithfulness and Christ's victory over death, and gave everyone an opportunity to share heartfelt tears and memories.

 Upcoming Ministry and Family News

• We are entering the "Transition Time" of the year as we switch from summer's special activities (camps, hikes, BBQ's, visitors) to fall's regular routines (new schedules, Bible Studies, one-on-one mentoring, visitations).  It is also time to say good-bye to our students:  Josiah, Milijana, Danica, and Anđela. We will be marking the transition with a church-centered (ie., non-evangelistic focused) BBQ the last Sunday of August.

•  We will be hosting the All-Montenegro Believer's Meeting this October but are finding it a challenge to rent an affordable location for the gathering.

• While we were sad to see Josiah leave for his third year of studies, we were grateful that despite his 2 separate tickets with five flights, he made it all the way to Rochester without missing a connection.  Milijana will be leaving next week to begin her second year of studies, and we are praying her flights go smoothly despite pending volcanic activity in Iceland.

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 God for the well-attended Camp Monty outreach and the hard work of those who came to reach the young people of Nikšić.  Pray for the young people to seek first the kingdom of God.  Pray for the believers who came to continue with encouraging the unbelievers through prayer and personal contact via FB, emails, and Skype calls.
• Praise God for the dozen teens who've come to the Teen Bible Study this past month.  Pray for them to continue, especially with the changes and obligations the new school year brings (and pressure from family and friends not to come).  Pray also for those leading the group (primarily Peter S and Saša) and for those of us hosting and helping out in supportive roles).
• Praise God for His steadfast love that we can confidently proclaim:  "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? ...Thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  While missing her, we can rejoice that our sister Miss S. has finished her race victoriously.
• Praise God for the many outreach opportunities granted us this summer. Pray for the seeds sown to be watered and tended, and for the enemy to be foiled in snatching them away. Pray for a quick settling in to a new rhythm and routine with the start up of the school year.
• Praise God for the unity of spirit amongst the believers here in Montenegro that we even have the privilege and responsibility to organize the All-Montenegro Believer's Meeting.  Pray that we would quickly find a suitable facility, reasonably priced for the event.

Note:  This newsletter only covers highlights of our ministry. If you, or your church, would like and can use a more detailed Prayer Requests report sent by private email that supplements this one (not replaces it), please contact Vicki.  "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."