HBCM Blog

Dear Friends,
Yesterday evening, Marilyn and I were out visiting.   On our way home, we were in a fairly serious accident.  We were on a country road going eastbound and it was quite foggy,  We came over the crest of a hill and there was a car completely sideways in our lane.  I swerved partially into the westbound land, just missing an on-coming car by literally a few millimeters, but still hit the front drivers side of the stopped car.   The fella was trying to do a u-turn and got stuck.   In this case, following the speed limit was a good thing because otherwise he would have been a dead man.   If I was going any faster, evasive action would have been impossible.    The RCMP officer told us later, “When I arrived on the scene, and looked at the vehicles, I was certain I would be calling the coroner.”   We believe our car is a total loss.   Marilyn has no injuries but I definitely have neck and arm pain.   The other driver tried to claim that he was parked on the side of the road.   Fortunately, the officer said the evidence was contrary and issued him two citations.   As there were no direct witnesses, this will help our case with the insurance company. We’d just appreciate your prayers as we sort out all the many details, appointments, and attempting to find a replacement vehicle during the next few weeks.  We are grateful for the Lord’s protection.   Thank you.

Dave and Marilyn

Our church was in the news last night because Pastor Fox preached about what the Bible says about the issues of racism, marriage, and abortion, and what the US presidential candidates’ positions are. Here’s the link to watch the short segment:

This weekend we traveled to Chetek, Wisconsin for the wedding of my wife’s nephew, Andrew Robertson, who is the Program Director at Camp Chetek. We are spending this week with my in-laws in Chicago. Tonight I will be preaching at our home church, Heritage Baptist in Frankfort, Illinois. Then on Saturday we will be flying to Denver to report on our ministry at Faith Baptist in Longmont and Highlands Baptist in Centennial. This is the most traveling I have done since we arrived back in the U.S. I would appreciate your prayers for health and strength, and that I might be a blessing to these churches.

Things seem to be going well at the Bible college. In just a few days we will have our annual “Seminarians Day” for prospective students. Please pray that many young people would come, and that God would touch the hearts of those who need to be preparing their lives for Christian service. Pray also for our administrative staff as they work on some tax issues that will affect the future of the college.

Pray also for my brother Shawn and the team in Sorocaba at Igreja Batista Esperanca (Hope Baptist Church) as they seek a national pastor to work alongside them. As they continuing planting the church they also want to prepare for a future transition to national leadership.

For His Harvest,
Ed and Jan Alexander

Thanks so much for your prayers and support. Although we do not always see the things the Lord has accomplished because of them, we are always grateful for the opportunities He gives and that you allow us through them.

John on altar steps at Pergamon

The Lord gave us a little break before the school year started. A friend had given us an all-expense-paid trip to Berlin, so we spent three days touring the country’s capital. Berlin was quite a surprise, as it does not at all give the impression of a big, crowded metropolis. John especially enjoyed seeing the papyrus collection in the Old Museum. We also were able to meet with and witness to Maria’s cousin, who lives there.

We were glad to see the church respond generously last month as a financial opportunity to help a mission agency to minister more effectively in Georgia in the wake of the Russian invasion presented itself. John held an information table seminar, and although the Lord did not give the weather to be able to put that learning into practice right away, we will repeat the seminar in the spring for an early summer information table ministry. Two men and one girl from the Sr. Youth group attended, and it was a great time of learning and fellowship.

Maria also had a good opportunity to do some mentoring at a birthday breakfast of one of the ladies in the church, and John helped one of the men in the church do some painting on the house that they just bought. The home Bible study in Schongau had a visitor at one of our last meetings. If she sticks, she would be a great asset to the group. She and her husband are living apart due to a work situation. He is looking to be transferred to the area or to getting a new job. He is also saved and would be the first male addition to the group. Please pray with us for the development of this group and for Lord to burden national men for our current ministry in Murnau.

Again, thanks so much for your prayers and for your support. They make it possible for us to continue ministering here!

Yours for Him,

John & Maria

I know that it has been too long since I have sent and e-report.  We are mailing out prayer letters to churches soon, so I just would like to mention a few things in this e-report.

Katie and I and Cedric took some of our highschool and college aged young people on a three day hiking trip as a reward for their work at personal devotions, church attendance, practical service, and similar things this past year.  We had a wonderful time!  Each person who went had to share a thought in our evening meeting from their morning devotions that day.  This was not easy for everyone, but it was a special treat for Katie and me to listen to them.  We drove through some rainy weather going to the hiking area and saw countless waterfalls cascading down the mountain sides.  We arrived and the Lord answered our prayers for good weather.  The clouds broke and gave us blue skies just about the time we thought we had to cancel the first day’s hike.  The second day was beautiful and we stretched our abilities (almost beyond our limits) and the group hiked 12.5 km (7.7 mi.) up to a peak and back down.  We didn’t even lose anybody!!!

We stayed on a fruit farm in a beautiful valley, and the morning we were leaving, a man over-seeing the farm for the week (while the owners were on vacation) asked me a surprising question.  I was sitting under a nice shade tree reading when he asked, “Have you seen the green mamba?”  Green mambas are quite poisonous snakes that can grow quite large.  “He has been known to hang out in this tree,” Mike said very casually.  I looked up at the tree I was sitting under with increased interest.  I never had the opportunity to see the green mamba, but when I was offering Mike a gospel tract later, he told me about his family heritage.  “I am a great, great, great-grandson of Andrew Murray.”  This was fascinating to me.  I realized with sadness that even with this incredible family heritage, he is an unbeliever.  He said his mom was the one who prayed in the family.  He made it sound like he had heard the gospel more than once and was still rejecting it.  He uses foul language and certainly does not look like you might expect a descendent of Andrew Murray to look.  I could also tell that he did not really have a concept of what Murray believed and the convictions for which he stood.  So, I began talking to him about his great, great, great-grandfather so that I could work in some nuggets of gospel truth while doing so.  I really encouraged him to read the gospel tract and to please phone me if he were willing to talk more.  I would appreciate your prayers for Mike.

We are continuing our normal ministry routines while beginning to prepare for our trip home for furlough at the end of this year.  Katie still teaches Ladies’ Bible study, meets with Siphokazi for disicpleship when possible, and works with a boy in our church to help him in reading.  I am continuing the UTech campus ministry, the weekly evangelistic Bible study at Cedric’s workplace, weekly discipleship with Khomotso, and other pastoral or evangelistic visits as opportunities arise.  Recently I took Lydia (5 yrs.) to help me pass out tracts outside a store by our church.  We ended up in a lengthy witnessing opportunity.  Cedric not only leads the Bible study once each week at his workplace, but he is now discipling two pre-teen boys in our church.  Cedric’s wife, Caren, has had a few friends to agree to start meeting with her weekly for a Bible study through which Caren plans to share the gospel.  This is a great step for Caren, but please pray that the ladies might follow through.

Thank you for your prayers!

Eric, Katie, Abigail, Hannah, Lydia, and Benjamin Graham

We are in a busy time of year here in Surin.  A couple of weeks ago, Drew & Leah, who have been here in Surin for a year teaching English and assisting in the church ministries, went back to the States.  We miss them and their ministry here, but know that the Lord will use them in America.

Last weekend, Surin Baptist Church had it’s 26th Anniversary.  We had a banquet at a local restaurant on Saturday evening with most of the church family and several unsaved community members attending.  Pastor Santisuk, a national pastor in Korat, Thailand, was our special speaker and his messages both Saturday night and Sunday morning were a blessing to the church.  There were a couple of men that Pastor Santisuk was able to witness to on Sunday and one of the men said that he believes 50-50 about becoming a Christian.  Please pray for these men that the Lord would continue to work in their hearts.

I have been teaching Lindsay, Matt & Courtney’s oldest daughter, violin for a couple of months now.  We were able to play a special number for the anniversary and she did a great job.  We will be starting up lessons again in November and I will also start teaching Erica, Matt & Courtney’s youngest daughter, piano.  Please pray for wisdom for me as I have never taught music lessons before!

Jim & Kathi will be going back to America on Thursday for a seven-month furlough.  Matt will be doing most of the preaching through a translator during that time.  Please pray for Matt, Courtney and me as we continue our language studies with Ya that we will progress quickly.  Without knowing the language it is very difficult to effectively communicate and greatly limits our ability to present anything about Christ.

This week, our church young people will be going to teen camp held by the Independent Baptist Fellowship of Thailand.  There are at least 2 of our teen boys going who are unsaved.  Please pray for them as they hear the preaching this week.  Also pray that the others attending will also make good decisions for God.

Starting in November, I am planning to have the young ladies of the church come to my house each Saturday evening for a discipleship time and fellowship.  They all speak some English, but I will be having Ya or Orawan translate so that I am sure they are understanding.  Please pray that the Lord would use this time in our lives.  There are a couple of the girls who are either unsaved or unsure of their salvation.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers.

Vonda