|
||
|
The Brent Spears
Our mailing address:
Home Church:
|
April 2008 ReportGreetings to all in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As of the writing of this letter I find myself in a great deal of sorrow. A man who I consider to be one of my best friends is at this very hour laying on his death bed in Wilmington, Ohio. Bro. Dale Riehly (a member of Wilmington Baptist Temple) has had what he thought was a bad problem with indigestion for quite sometime. Two months ago, it got so bad that he could no longer eat any solid food. After the doctor?s examination, they have diagnosed him with cancer in his stomach and liver and have said that he is beyond treatment. Please pray for him and his dear wife Robin. ROMBLON NEWSPresently we are here in Romblon and have had great services thus far. We have also been able to utilize the motorboat and visit two separate islands and distributed several hundred tracts and John and Romans. The boat is still running very well, and it's great to be back here putting her to good use. Spiritually the Church is doing well; two ladies have come before the Church asking for forgiveness of public sin. Financially, life is still a struggle for many of the members. Some of the men have left the island in search of work, but to no avail. The price of rice has gone from P21.00 (pesos) to P34.00 (pesos) per kilo which is not a good thing for poor people in an Asian country. At this time, one of the greatest needs of the Church here in Romblon is to secure a piece of land. In the past few years many Europeans have moved here to Romblon. Some come here to retire, and others come to make money exporting marble products back to their homeland. The UK pound as well as the Euro are doing very well against the Philippine peso. The problem is that for the average Romblomano, it is almost impossible to buy land, as the Europeans are able and willing to pay such exuberant prices. Approximately one acre of land has come up for sale here next to the Church property. I got excited and thought this maybe the answer to our prayers until I inquired about the price, and found it to be way, way out of our budget. The members here in the Church have been sacrificially giving and saving for the past two years toward the purchase of land and so far have managed to save $1,500.00. Please pray with us regarding the need for land. Please continue to pray for the people here and also the need for a more permanent meeting place. PASTOR CHOY LASTIMOSAHas been filing the pulpit at Providence Baptist Church in Marikina and also taking care of the Mission work since we have been here in Romblon. Please pray that the Lord would continue to strengthen this dear brother. THANKS TO ALLFor your continued monthly support and also Thanks to the Churches who have sent special offerings in for this month. In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears January 2008 ReportGreetings to all once again from the Philippines! This has been an eventful month to say the least. HIGHER GROUND BAPTIST CHURCH......has been blessed this month as they have had 4 new members added to the assembly. Pastor Esguerra has been holding Bible studies with this family for approximately one year, and recently they have been saved and baptized. One of the Church's greatest needs right now is for property. Please pray for them. PROVIDENCE BAPTIST CHURCH OF MARIKINAContinues to do well, we have had two young ladies visiting on a regular basis. I have been praying the Lord would save them but thus far no sign of Life. The Church is still in need of a Pastor, please continue to pray for them that they will remain sensitive to the Lord's leading. THE FAMILYWe had some excitement in our home when we woke up one morning and realized that we had been robbed. It is a terrible feeling to realize that someone has been in your room while you were sleeping. They stole 3 laptops 2 of which were used in the Printing/Translation Ministry by our workers. These laptops were older units but the worst part of it was that we lost a lot of the tracts and booklets, which we have been working on. The third computer was used by my wife and I for Prayer Letters, Financial Reports, Power Point Bible Studies and Sunday School Lesson. The thief also stole my daughter's wallet. Praise the Lord for His providential protection, none of us were harmed. After the robbery, I was advised by the Police to get a dog that would be big enough and loud enough to scare off any future intruders. So we bought a puppy, half Rottweiler and half German shepherd. The animal clinic said the dog needed to be wormed before they could give it rabies' vaccination. We wormed the dog, but then it started to get sick. One night as I was attempting to feed the dog it nipped me on the finger just enough to break the skin and then the dog died the next day. Upon the advice of the doctor, I went to RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) and began taking the shots to prevent rabies. Even when we don't understand the circumstances they are still working together for good. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Rom. 8.28 2008 FURLOUGHLord willing June of this year we will return home for our furlough. As we figure it now the airfare alone will be of considerable cost then we will need to find a vehicle that will accommodate a family of 7. Please be in prayer with us about these needs. EXCHANGE RATEThe peso-dollar exchange rates seem to get worse every day. Approximately 2 years ago, they would give 50-55 pesos to the dollar. Presently, the rate is down to 40 pesos to the dollar. For every thousand dollars we send into the Philippines we currently lose $200 in the exchange. Basically we had our ministry budget based on the exchange rate of 50 pesos to the dollar, then when we started the Printing Ministry, that was an added expense. Presently we are looking for ways to pinch pennies anywhere we can. Please don't misunderstand me; the Lord has always taken care of us. Sometimes He gives His people manna other times He give them quail, but His provision is always sufficient. Please pray that things would stabilize soon. MISSION NEEDS/POINTS FOR PRAYER
HEARTFELT THANKS TO Victory Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO., Grace Missionary Baptist Church, Frankfort, Ky., Bethel Baptist Church, Fairborn, OH., and Concord Baptist Church, for the love offerings that was sent in this month. And to all who support this ministry. In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears and family December 2007 Report(Click below for a .pdf file that shows December's Newsletter) Letter with Photos As we close out this year of 2007 and I retrospectively consider what has been accomplished this past year. It is rather disheartening as in my soul I long to do more but, by God?s grace we have made progress this year.
As I mentioned in the last letter, Lord willing we will be coming home for furlough this year, prayerfully around June. There are however many things that we want and need to get accomplished here in the work first. The greatest need at this time is to find a national pastor for the Church in Marikina . There are five good brethren there who are capable of handling the pulpit while we are away, but from past experience, I have learned that a full time pastor is always best. It is also my desire to visit Bro. Francisco Carasig in Palawan once again in the near future; this brother and his wife need to be encouraged in the faith. Also March, April and May are the summer months here, which mean flat seas and the best time to utilize the motor boat to visit the remote islands. Oh brethren, please pray for us that the Lord will give us divine wisdom as we strive to redeem the time wisely.Thanks to all for your love, prayers, cards and letters. We love you all in the Lord and pray that He would richly bless each of you as you follow HIM. Providence Baptist Church in MarikinaHas enjoyed and endured some glorious mountain peaks as well as some low valleys. But we are confident that both the highs and lows were divinely ordered and sent to us from the sovereign hand of our heavenly Father. Providence Baptist Mission in CaloocanIs doing well. I recently learned that some wolves in sheep's clothing approached Pastor Ambrocio Lastimosa (our missionary) and offered him money to turn his back on the Lord's Church. They tried to convince him that money is more important than Church Authority. But praise be unto the Lord this dear brother turned down the bribe and remained true unto the Lord! In the year of 2007, I have experienced the greatest spiritual warfare of my entire ministry (Proverbs 27:6 has taken on a whole new meaning). But the Lord has also extended unto us a peace that does indeed pass all understanding! Thanks to Bethel Baptist Church , Fairborn, OH., and Concord BC , Leesville , SC for the Special Offering which they have sent it. And to all who take part in this ministry. In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears and family November 2007 Report(Click below for a .pdf file that shows November's Newsletter) Letter with Photos (page 1) Letter with Photos (page 2) Higher Ground Baptist Church in Romblon and Providence Baptist Church in Marikina both celebrated their anniversaries this month. We were greatly blessed this year in particular to have had Pastor Jim Rankin from Calvary Baptist Church, Cincinnati, Ohio, come over to be our special guest speaker. All of the services were very well attended and the Word of God was proclaimed. I know that the Lord mightily used Pastor Rankin not only in the pulpit but also in our personal fellowship. After two weeks of visiting with this brother, I really got my spiritual batteries charged up. Sure Foundation Printing MinistryWe have printed in booklet form this month a lengthy letter written from George Whitefield to John Wesley in 1740. The Title is "Why Preach Electing Grace?" 2008 FurloughLord willing, around mid year of 2008 we will return to the States for furlough. February of '08 will be our 4 year mark. Returning to the States is always a big transition for the whole family. Airfare and terminal fees alone for a family of 7 will be expensive. The last time we went home my wife got pneumonia our first month in. Please pray with us that the Lord will work out all the details of our return according to His will. Thanks toBethel Baptist Church, Fairborn, OH., Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Birmingham, AL., Berea Baptist Church, Bloomfield, NM., and Sherwood Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, OK., for the Special Offering which they have sent. And to all who take part in this ministry, "Each toil He doeth richly repay." In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears and family September 2007 ReportGreetings to all in the mighty name of our gracious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. PROVIDENCE BAPTIST CHURCHWe had a special service yesterday (5th Sunday) in which we invited the members of our Mission to come and attend an early afternoon service. Pastor Choy Lastimosa (our Missionary) was our special guest speaker, he spoke on the importance of Church unity. The message was very timely for us. Please continue to pray for both our Church and Mission work as we strive to follow the Lord. At this time, I believe our greatest need as a Church is to find a full time national Pastor. It seems that good, solid, faithful Pastors are rare as a hen?s teeth these days. Many are the men who will preach for their own glory, few will preach for the glory of the Lord. Please pray. SURE FOUNDATIONS PRINTING MINISTRY...is slowly but surely continuing to grow. Prayerfully a man will be here next week to train us on how to rebind books. This brother is also supposed to be very good when it comes to rebinding leather Bibles. We, after many delays have also reprinted Pastor Laurence Justice's book on Roman Catholicism. We will be using a hot melt glue binder on these later today. HIGHER GROUND BAPTIST CHURCH...there in Romblon continues to heal from all of the sin that has taken place there. I must say that I am sorrowfully amazed at the ripple effects of sin. Please continue to pray for the Church there, and the two families which were directly affected. THE FAMILYWith our insurance, my wife and I are entitled to one free check up per year. Myra who eats mostly fish, fresh fruits and vegetables had a bad cholesterol reading of 275. My cholesterol level was only (if I may use that word) 265. The doctor put us both on cholesterol medicine, but the problem is that they say there is something wrong with my liver and the cholesterol medicine will make maters worse. I am starting to think that the best thing to do is to eat right and stay away from the Doctors, ha! ha! All of our children thank the Lord are all well, fine and healthy. Thanks to Pastor Ken Calia and Bohon Rd. Baptist Church for the designated offering which was sent in. And thanks to all for the notes of encouragement, birthday cards, prayers and continued support. In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears and family August 2007 ReportGreetings to all once again from the Philippines! ROMBLON NEWSIn our previous letter we had mentioned the great problem which the Church there in Romblon was facing. It is not my desire to recapitulate the whole ordeal, (honestly, I don't have the heart to do so). But by God's grace, we have dealt with this sin in the way and manner which is Biblical, and I believe, pleasing to the Lord. The Church there is still hurting and no doubt will be for sometime. Please continue to pray for them. PURGING AT PROVIDENCETwo of the newer members here at Providence Baptist Church in Marikina met with me yesterday after the morning service to inform me that they were no longer blessed in the services and that they would not be returning. After some discussion we had prayer and I told them good bye. After they left, several of the members came to me "sharing" many hurtful things that these two members had said against my family and I. These two members were unwilling to tell me these things to my face (even in our final meeting). Little did I know that they had already gone to some of our new members and shared their "concerns." Among their complaints were: I am fearful now that someone will find out that I was born naked and get upset with me because of that! I have learned over the years to roll with the punches when it comes to personal attacks against my wife and I, but my, it hurts when people attack and criticize your children. You would think after 12 years on the mission field that I would not be so ignorant of Satan?s devices! Please pray for me that the Lord would be pleased to give this poor dumb country boy some much needed wisdom. Also pray for Providence Baptist Church of Marikina that we would have unity among the members, and that the Lord would send them a good permanent Pastor. SURE FOUNDATION PRINTING MINISTRYHas been doing well. We were able to purchase a copier on installments and because we are non profit there is no interest charge. We received one order this month for 10,000 tracts from Pastor Rudy Calayan. 'I would like to request of you, the Lord?s Churches to prayerfully consider supporting the Printing Ministry on a monthly basis. I underestimated the cost of what it would take to carry on a non-profit ministry such as this. On one month, we spent almost $200.00 in paper, not to mention the ink and other consumables. If any of you would be willing to support this ministry, please designate your offering "Printing Ministry" in order to avoid confusion. THE FAMILY...Is all healthy (except for my week long fight with the flu). But honestly, my wife and the two older children are down and discouraged. Please remember them in your prayers. Thanks to all for your prayer, patience, and faithful support for the work here. SPECIAL OFFERINGSWe would like to thank the following Churches for the special offering that they have sent in. Sherwood Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Ok., and Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Birmingham, Alabama. Please pray for us, especially my family. Perplexed but not in despair,Missionary Brent K. Spears and family July 2007 ReportGreetings to all once again in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. SOME HORRIBLE NEWSOn Monday, July 30th, I received a terrible phone call from Bro. Esguerra. He called to inform me that our former adult Sunday school teacher and choir director has been committing adultery with the deacon's wife! Within 2 hours of receiving the call, we were packed and headed for the pier to catch the next ship to Romblon. Our soon to be former deacon, literally wants blood. He wants to kill the "other man" and also do bodily harm to his children. On an island the size of Romblon, where gossip is the national past time, within 2 weeks everybody on the whole island will be talking. The fact that the priest here has molested many young girls, and sodomized numerous young boys will pale in comparison to what has happened here in the Baptist Church, because they hate us. We will be here in Romblon for the next few weeks trying to do damage control (which leaves Providence Baptist Church in Marikina with no pastor for the time being). It seems to me that one or the other of these families will have to leave the Church, but there's no other Scriptural Church on the island to send them to. The children, 9 of which are directly affected truly are the 'broken pieces". It is my first (and prayerfully the last) time to ever deal with a problem of such magnitude in the Church. Please pray for me and the people here. HIGHER PRICES, LOWER DOLLAREither the Philippine peso is getting stronger or the US dollar is getting weaker, and no one seems to be sure which is which. One year ago, the exchange rate was 54 Philippine pesos to 1 U.S. dollar, today we are only getting 44 Philippine pesos to 1 U.S. dollar. On top of all this, the prices here continue to go up. Before it cost $109 to bring our truck on the ship to Romblon, presently due to inflation and devaluation it cost $192, and this is just one way. Please pray that something will stabilize soon. THE FAMILY...thank the Lord is doing much better now. Two weeks ago, my wife and our four youngest children caught some kind of flu which resulted in a 103 fever for two days or so. Thankfully the fever has burned the toxins out of their bodies as per the Master designer's plan, my oh my, but we have a great God! SURE FOUNDATION PRINTING MINISTRY...is going very well. Our saddle back stapler finally arrived and then to our dismay we could not buy the staples here locally, thus, we had to order them also. So far we have printed numerous tracts and the following booklets:
For being the faithful means to the end which God has ordained. By God's grace striving to hold the line,Brent K. Spears and family June 2007 ReportGreetings to all in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. PHILIPPINES/FIELD ADDRESS CHANGEI realize that this is a strange place in a letter to mention our new address, but the reason for doing so is because I don?t want to miss any of your cards and letters, and the old post office is threatening to return our mail if it continues to be sent to our old address, please check your records and confirm that you have our proper current mailing address. It should be; Missionary Brent K. Spears Telephone nos: 011-63-46-572-0688 And please continue sending us cards and letters, they are always a great blessing and encouragement. PROVIDENCE BAPTIST CHURCHIs still in the process of healing, after all that has happened. Currently I continue to fill the pulpit there until they find a permanent pastor. During my time there, we will also be doing some long over due maintenance on the building. Please pray for this Church that the Lord will raise up a sound man who will be a loving shepherd to care for them. SURE FOUNDATION PRINTING MINISTRYHas been blessed with some frustrations this month. Our almost new Risograph machine has broken down. We called the company and their "best" technician (after two visits) is still stumped as to what the problem is. The unit is scheduled to be pulled out today and sent in for repairs. Next our 10 year old copier has been pronounced dead. They say it is not worth what it would cost to repair it due to it being obsolete. On a more positive note, we were able to print a much needed booklet on the subject of Burial or Cremation, written by Pastor Royce Smith. Presently we are still awaiting the delivery of our saddle back stapler. It was suppose to have arrived no later than the end of June, but still we wait. OTHER MISSIONSHigher Ground Baptist Church is doing well there in Romblon. Bro. Esguerra is doing a great job. Providence Baptist Mission in Caloocan is also growing. Presently they need a larger place to meet, which is a good problem. Pastor Ambrocio (Choy) Lastimosa, has proven to be a faithful man thus far. Bro. Carasig in Palawan is set to be baptized along with his wife and son. This brother is also quite the linguist (though he would never admit it) and is doing some translation work for us. Thanks to all who have taken part in this work. I realize, for many Churches there in the States that it is a sacrifice to support missionaries. We would also like to thank the First Baptist Church of Independence, Ky., Pastor Ron Crisp, and Sherwood Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Ok., for the special offering which they have sent in. Thanks to each of you for your faithfulness Yours in Christian love,Brent K. Spears and family May 2007 ReportGreetings to each of you in the name of our Mighty Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have been immensely enjoying the opportunity to minister once again to the saints of Providence Baptist Church here in Marikina City. After having labored there from 1995 until 2000, it is like a home coming for us to be back there. Please continue to pray for the church there, that the Lord will raise up a good national pastor who will feed and lead the people, with a heart of compassion. While here in Manila we have been devoting part of our time to finishing touches on the printing facility. I still need to make some shelves and tables and we have been able to purchase some used desk and tables from other missionaries. Our saddle back stapler is presently is presently somewhere between Ohio and Manila. We will be grateful when it finally arrives. The work in Romblon seems to be doing well. Bro. Esguerra has been a faithful servant there and we are very thankful for this brother and His steadfast service. It seems like good Bible believing men are a rarity here in the Philippines. Pastor Choy Lastimosa ( A missionary sent out of Providence Baptist Church in Marikina) is also doing a great work in Caloocan City here in Metro Manila. Recently a 75 year old retired Pastor began attending the mission work there. This elderly pastor was taught about Scriptural baptism and then told he would need to submit to it if he wanted to become a member. This was a nail biting experience for Pastor Choy, because here in the Philippines, you never correct your elders even if they are wrong. Pastor Choy stuck to the truth and praise the Lord the elderly gentleman gladly was baptized. THE FAMILYMyra, thanks to the Lord and the advice from some of you ladies there in the States is doing well. We purchased an herb called Black Cohosh, and after 8 days she is feeling much better. Thanks so much for your prayers and advice. The children are healthy and staying busy with their school work. PRAYER REQUESTPastor for Providence Baptist Church in Marikina City. Thanks to our home Church, Bryan Station Baptist Church, for enabling and allowing us to purchase a new van. In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears and family April 2007 ReportGreetings to all once again in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many things have taken place this past month, some good, some not so good (at least from a worm's eye view). Pastor Ronald Nepomuceno, the man that I had trained for 4 years who was then called to pastor Providence Baptist Church in Marikina, has resigned. I was called upon to be a moderator in their business meeting on Sunday April 15. Pastor Nepomuceno due to family problems has lost the respect of many of the members and thus, chose to resign. Presently, there is no one to fill the pulpit, so I told them that I would fill in temporarily. Please pray for this Church that they will find a pastor soon, and also for Pastor Nepomuceno and his family. TWO NEW ISLAND VISITEDDuring the first part of April, we were able to visit two new islands there in Romblon, we had the opportunity to pass out tracts and had a good Bible study. Please pray for these people that the Lord would open their hearts to the gospel. THE PRINTING MINISTRYThe printing ministry Is going well, we now have a diligent young man named Peter, working full time and he is doing a great job. We have also ordered a saddle back stapler from the States which will hopefully arrive here in the next two months. There have been several requests for the "Trail of Blood," "The Doctrine of Election," and also a book by Pastor Laurence Justice on "Roman Catholicism." Thus, we are excited to get the stapler. VEHICLE PROBLEMS As some of you may remember, 3 years ago we purchased a Kia 4 wheel drive truck to use in the province. Then our old '98 Kia van we have been using here in Manila. The van has been on its last leg for a while and at present we are having to decide whether to spend major money for repairs or trade it in and get a newer van. At this time the van needs: Frankly, I don't know what to do, on one hand I am reluctant to spend more in repairs than he van is worth. But on the other hand, I don't want to buy another van if I can squeeze more service out of this one. We would just use the truck here in Manila, but it is tight for a family of 7 and with the heat, pollution and traffic here in Manila, I hate for any of the kids to ride in the back. Especially now that we will be traveling more here in Manila to fill in there at Providence Baptist Church. Please pray with us about this issue, and if someone can e-mail some constructive advice, I would sure appreciate it. Thanks to all who take part in this ministry through your cards, letters, prayers and support. In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears and family March 2007 ReportGreetings to all in the name of our gracious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. PALAWAN PRISON TRIPBro. Francisco Carasig (our contact in Palawan) graduated Bethany Baptist Bible College in 1976. He attempted to start some churches many years ago but failed. He then went to work for the Department of Corrections. Though this brother has been far way from the ministry for many years his heart has never left it. One of his main problems in the ministry has been that his wife was always bitter and negative toward the things of God. Praise God, this lady has recently been genuinely saved and the change is of such that only God could have wrought it. Lord willing I will return there next month and baptize this family and after this we will see what the Lord is pleased to do about us starting a work there. SURE FOUNDATION...Printing Ministry is going well, we printed several thousand tracts last month and we hope to reprint Bro. Laurence Justice's book on Roman Catholicism next month. We will be hiring a young man which will work full time, typing, printing, and typesetting the materials to be printed. HIGHER GROUND BAPTIST CHURCHNow has P37,000 Pesos ($755.00) in the bank toward the purchase of a building or property, which ever the Lord provides. This bank balance rejoices my heart because all of this money came from poor hard working Romblomanos. This may not seem like much of an achievement to people there in the States (especially considering they will need at least one million pesos to purchase cheap land). But they have finally learned to give, for this I rejoice. Oh beloved I am excited about the new doors which seem to be opening for us. The prison there in Palawan where Bro. Carasig works, the printing ministry, as well the ongoing work here in Romblon , and the many islands which still need to be reached. Truly the time is short and the labors are few. Please continue to pray for our evangelistic endeavors here in the Philippines. MISSION NEEDSA SADDLE BACK STAPLER We have found a model there in the States, the cost is $400-500 and it will cost another $100 for shipping. We are unable to find one of these locally. The place where we purchased our other printing equipment only has what is called a booklet maker. It folds, staples and trims but the price is too much. Thus, we would like to send one of these machines from the States. In the Surety of His Blood,Bro. Brent K. Spears and family |
|
| © 2008 Sherwood Baptist Church |