Chris and Lynne Strange Your missionary connection in the Philippines Communion At The Mission Church
We are pleased to be part of a mission church near the town where we live. There was no church close by in the poor community of families that work the land or farms surrounding the dirt road. A pastor friend of ours responded by planting a church with a handful of believers. God is pleased with their efforts and the congregation is growing as the people hear the truth of the gospel and respond. Recently we celebrated communion and a meal afterward. For some, it was the first time to share the Lord’s Supper. Enjoy these pictures as you pray for this new body of Christ.
How in the world did you do that?
It was a beautiful day when our son Brent started home from work on his bike. Seven minutes into the ride, sudden tornado force winds whipped debris from trees, gravel and dust into a swirling curtain making it impossible to continue. The closest shelter was a brick and concrete sign. The 7′ x 5′ sign looked like a safe haven to wait out the storm. But instead of protecting him, the sign failed to withstand the strong wind and toppled over onto Brent. He raised his arms to try to hold back the 500 pound sign only to hear them snap under the weight.
Flying High
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Chris is flying high — in the new helicopter! He was recently traveling through all three regions of NTM ministry when he had the opportunity to cruise the skies above Luzon.
Tags: Chris, Flight program, helicopter, Lynne, Ministry, New Tribes Mission, NTM, Strange, Tribes
MMI Eye Team helps Banwaon
Inay Tilma's Exam
A recurring theme here in our blog is how man can make their plans, but God directs the steps. A medical missionary team was heading to another country for 14 days and just as they were finalizing their trip, word came that the government would not permit them to enter the country. So what do you do when you have a 30 member team with scheduled time off, packed and ready to go?
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Stumped in praying for missionaries? Check this!
We were sent this wonderful message by Dr. Ed Watke. Our ministry has benefited from many years of prayer that he and his wife, Joyce, sacrificed their time for God’s glory. We are grateful for their friendship and have benefited from their other ministry (Revival in the Home) and teaching over the years. They said they were pleased for us to share this here:
Why and How to Pray for Missionaries
Prepared by Dr. Ed Watke:
First, A Short List:
Pray for the Power of the Holy Spirit upon them, and their ministry. Ask Him to grant zeal, passion and vision in the winning of the lost. Ask Him to impart wisdom in sharing the gospel in difficult language situations.
Pray for God’s Protection over their lives, for health, strength and well-being… in driving, in ministry and daily living. Many live in difficult climates and cultures, danger may abound.
Introducing Amay and Inay Similya
The Banwaon tribal church has 40% of the New Testament translation checked and printed for them to use. Our partners, Albert and Lynne Castelijn, are living in Australia for two years and currently working on Romans 9 as they settle into Australian culture and their four children into school systems preparing them for University. Please pray for them too.
And while you are praying…
God blessed the Banwaon church with godly leadership who teach the believers in our village as well as traveling weekly on outreaches all over the jungle. Last year they sent out their first missionary.
Tags: Banwaon, cholera, Chris, church, Jesus Christ, jungle, Lynne, missionary, prayer, remember, Strange, tribe
October Prayer Requests
Thank you for praying.. We are constantly amazed at the power of prayer - it’s the work within us as we pray that is most amazing. We thank God for the faithful prayer support each day. It’s a real privilege to pray for you as you let us know your concerns, and we do!
As you think of us this month:
Pray for our family:
- Pray for us all to grow in the Lord, draw near to Him and each other. Pray that we ask for wisdom and gain His strength to fight our weaknesses so that we might walk worthy.
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Pogpasalamat (Thanksgiving)
It’s Thanksgiving in the village!
We received a message from the village about this weekend’s feast to celebrate God’s provision for them through the recent harvest. It’s a great time of fellowship as families from all over the jungle gather in our village. They told us they are disappointed we will not be with them. They prayed for the repairs on the airplane to be completed so we might join them but we are all waiting for those answers in His time. We would so love to be there!
It’s such an exciting time! Slaughtering, cooking, laughing, eating and playing fills the whole day. A beautiful time of worship and praise to God with singing, sharing and fellowship follows all night. I can hear all the sounds and enjoy the smells just thinking of these times past!
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Tags: Banwaon, Chris, Family, Lynne, Philippines, Salvation, Strange, tribe, village
Bastun’s Story
Bastun is a Banwaon Bible teacher. His is an amazing story.
He was so tiny when he was born his parents felt he would not live. As was the custom, they planned to leave him out in the jungle to die since it was too difficult to care for an infant they were certain would die anyway. They abandoned their tiny baby deep in the jungle.
God tells us in the Bible that He is always watching and has plans for our lives. God, ever true to His Word, was watching tiny Bastun and had a plan far different from his parents.
Tags: abandoned, Banwaon, Chris, evil spirits, Lynne, missionary, sacrifice, Salvation, satan, Strange, tribe, village
Chris Winging His Way Home!
Even as I type this, Chris is on his way back to the Philippines. It’s an exhausting trip back and we’d appreciate your prayers.
He’s been overseas in a seminar and had a rough time. Almost at the end of his course, he experienced some pretty severe back pain and had to resort to down time and heavy duty medication, but I’m pleased to report from a phone call that he is grateful it is so much better and he finished the course.