77 Hours in the Car?

• By: Matt Postiff

• October 21, 2019

Dan and Liz Thompson reported September 24 from somewhere on furlough:

In a couple days we begin our 5,000 mile journey to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. According to google maps this means 77 hours of quality family time in the car, at least we hope it will be quality time. As we travel, our stops take us to three supporting churches along the way where we are asking the Lord to renew contacts and raise up prayer warriors for the ministry in Chile. We also are looking forward to spending time with friends, individual supporters, and family before heading back to Chile on October 28th. We covet your prayers for safety as we travel, renewal of friendships, and special times with family.

We are thankful for the team God gathered to run the September youth retreat in our absence. God, in his goodness, prepared the service team, counselors, and speakers to serve and challenge over 100 young people. We trust Him for eternal fruit! Continue to pray for these lives and hearts impacted by the preaching of God’s Word to respond in obedience to what they heard during the retreat.

• Please pray for safety as we travel many miles back to Florida.
• Please pray for Cheo and Andrea serving faithfully at camp in our absence.
• Please pray for the approval of permits for the Chapel project. 
• Praise! Give thanks with us for a profitable and blessed time in the Pacific Northwest.
• Praise! Rejoice with us for the many young people who came to the September retreat. May there be lasting fruit for God’s glory!
• Praise! We are thankful for God’s leading and recommissioning to another term of service in Chile. Thank you for being part of our team!

Rejoice with the Stewards: 40 Years Married!

• By: Matt Postiff

• October 3, 2019

“Under the Southern Cross” is the missionary newsletter written by Curtis and Diane Steward. This month, they write:

September 29—our 40th Anniversary—has been marked on the calendar in red for months now, as we planned to share this celebration of marriage with the couples and families in the Punta Mira church as well as friends and Chilean co-workers in the area (the way we shared our 25th with friends in Santiago).

The preparations went on for weeks, and while the reception is over now, we’d like to pause to thank the Lord for the opportunity to bless and be blessed, to encourage and be encouraged, for the chance to renew old acquaintances and to give testimony of what God has done in and through our lives as a couple. “The best is yet to be!”

The newsletter also informs us that the Punta Mira church where the Stewards serve is busy this fall with all kinds of ministries. Please pray for their ongoing meetings with the men, the ladies, the elders in training, and the young people in the church. May the Lord strengthen His church. Let us also rejoice with the Stewards on the occasion of their anniversary.

5 Years in Argentina

• By: Matt Postiff

• October 1, 2019

The Morrells write in their September update:

Happy Anniversary!!! October 1, we celebrate 5 years since our arrival in Argentina. We are thankful for the Lord’s continued provision. Although our support level is at 75%, we have never had a concern for our regular needs being met and even when extra expenses have popped up God has always provided for them in His timing! We praise the Lord “Jehovah Jireh” for His constant hand of provision!

We thank the Lord for an excellent Winter Youth Camp in July with about 60 youth in attendance! Our speaker, fellow missionary, Colby Holmes brought challenging messages on “Giving the Lord the glory due His Name.” Please continue to pray for these youth that the Lord would continue to transform them into the image of Christ Jesus.

As we are gearing up for the summer camp season, we are excited to be receiving our annual work team on October 17 that is put together by Pastor Bill Park. This year we have a combination of two churches (Plantation Baptist in Florida and Cedar Creek Bible Church in Michigan) as well as other individuals which bring us to a total of 18 people! Our focus, Lord willing, will be to complete the second cabin, continue working on the pool, and construct temporary cabins that will later be used as buildings for special games like human foosball and GaZeeball. Please pray for safety for the team, funds to complete the projects and that much would be accomplished for God’s glory.

In July we asked for prayer for the continued struggle with our paperwork in the immigration process. To date we are still waiting for others to complete with what they need to do so we can move forward. At this point half of the family has an expired temporary residence status. I asked if that makes us illegal in the country to which they said no, but “irregular.” We were also advised to not leave the country as they will not let us back in. It is a mess, but we are thankful to be in God’s hands rather than in the hands of men. Please pray for us and fellow missionaries David and Patti West who are in the same boat, that God would move in the hearts of men to complete the work necessary so we can go to the Tri/Country Pastor’s conference in Chile beginning November 4. (For which, in faith, we have already purchased plane tickets.)

Last week I participated in a men’s retreat in San Martin de Los Andes (the southern middle section of Argentina) along with about 60 other men from the area. The topic of the retreat was focused on being men of integrity. We were challenged from God’s word to live lives that reflect and glorify the image of Christ.

The greatest blessing for me was hearing the stories of how God is working in the lives of the men in this area. About a year and a half ago God was working in the life of one man and his family. As they were growing in the Lord they were considering moving to another city because there is no church with sound doctrine close to where they live. They got in touch with one of our pastors, Ricardo Daglio, who lives 325 miles away. Pastor Ricardo encouraged them to stay there and he would travel to them for Bible studies and organize other pastors to do the same. The result is now a fellowship with about 20 in attendance. We praise the Lord as He is building His church. Please pray growth for these new believers and that God would provide a location to worship and a pastor to shepherd them.

Fall Report from the United Kingdom

• By: Matt Postiff

• September 23, 2019

Just in! A 7-page full-color report from Nigel Kissick and the GMSA family in the United Kingdom. Included are articles from Nigel and Charis Kissick, Marcella Wilson, Dan Vallette, Daphne Hall, Matt Postiff, and Trevor Gillanders. There is also news about progress on a cabin at Lican Ray camp in Chile, and a page about the May 2020 work trip to Camp Pirque in Chile.

The report is available here: GMSA UK Report.

Sharon Bisbee September 2019 Update

• By: Matt Postiff

• September 23, 2019

Sharon wrote a short update a few days ago and reported:

I am writing to give you an update concerning my status on returning to Chile. I have had to change my return date from September 10th to December 10th because my support level has not increased enough to return.

I have returned to New Jersey. to stay near my, sending church, Lincroft Bible Church. Please join with me in prayer as I continue to seek to enlist more partners so that I can return to the field. I will be working in conjunction with the mission committee here to find ways to share my ministry. If you live in or near Monmouth county and would like to hear about what God is in Chile, please let me know.

Thank you again for your prayer and support of my ministry.

Love in Christ,
Sharon Bisbee

Hurricane Dorian

• By: Matt Postiff

• September 4, 2019

We received a note yesterday afternoon from general director Tom Gibbons. He wrote say that the mission headquarters in Fort Lauderdale was basically untouched by Dorian except for some light wind gusts and rain Monday and Tuesday. The storm stalled over the Bahamas and left a wake of terrible devastation. Please be in much prayer for our island neighbors.

Dan Thompson Family August Furlough Update

• By: Matt Postiff

• August 31, 2019

As we looked at our furlough schedule, the month of August was going to have the most back to back meetings and activities. This month also signified the start of the new school year for our kids. It also implies one month closer to heading back to Chile. The first week in August we traveled to Coeur d’Alene, ID to pick Micah up after his month of work. Thank you for your prayers for him! He really enjoyed his time and learned much working alongside godly examples. During our time, we visited two supporting churches in Sprague, WA and Southwick, ID. We enjoyed the week between meetings helping and visiting lifelong friends.

We traveled back to the Olympic Peninsula in time to participate in our home church’s family camp on Lake Sutherland. After four days of camping we packed up, headed home to wash clothes and caught the last ferry over to Victoria, Canada. We enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship with friends and the Westside Bible Church family. Upon returning to Joyce, Micah hit the books and prepared for taking the SAT. We are thankful for all who prayed for him. The last two weeks have been filled with paperwork, homeschooling, and continued times of visiting and fellowship. Our hearts and minds are filled with memories and much thankfulness for what God has done over the past month.

• Please pray for our last month in WA.  We want to spend time at our home church and be an encouragement to all we come in contact with.
• Please pray as we work on getting our outfit and passage together before travel back to the field.
• Please pray for Cheo and Andrea serving faithfully at camp in our absence.  There is much to do before the September retreat!
• Praise!  The new school year has started for our kids.  Pray for diligence.
• Praise!  We have enjoyed great times of fellowship with individual supporters, family, and friends last month.
• Praise!  We received several offerings to start work on the new camp chapel.  We need continued prayer for work teams and the remaining funds to complete the project.

Thank you for your support through prayer and financial giving which allow us to labor on the field of Chile.

Danny, Liz, Micah, Matthias, Morgan, and Madeline

Work Trip from UK Planned for May 2020

• By: Matt Postiff

• August 30, 2019

As in years past, GMSA in the United Kingdom invites all interested laborers to join a work trip to Santiago, Chile to work at Camp Pirque. Camp director Dan Vallette will have a list of maintenance, construction, and improvement projects to keep you busy!

The camp is in a strategic location near millions of souls in the greater Santiago metropolitan area. A church is currently being started on the camp, and all kinds of camp ministry is ongoing throughout the year. The work you do will advance the cause of Christ in central Chile for years to come.