October Update

SHARING THE CROWN OF LIFE

Parmenters and the Mission to the Czech Republic

OCTOBER UPDATE

I'm about two weeks behind for this month's newsletter, but here it is.

WHAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED

I've heard ministers encourage us not to take our freedom of worship for granted. Can you imagine living in Central & Eastern Europe under communism just about 16 years ago? Christians were considered uneducated or unenlightened. They were monitored, restricted, and arrested. Click on this link to see the testimony of a young lady, Gabriela Henson, who grew up in a Christian family and came to Christ as a child, while living under the communist regime in Romania. She is interviewed on the show "Giving an Answer."

CZECH NEWS

Is Russia returning to it's imperialist ways? Some in Prague are concerned. Click here to learn more.

GIVING THANKS

Because of a special donation and generous monthly support, I'll be ordering a video projector today. We are thankful and humbled by how God is providing through the generosity of people.

Also, we are giving thanks for an anonymous gift of gasoline gift cards. We were given two $25 BP gift cards. This past weekend we traveled to central Illinois for Marge's parents 60th wedding anniversary. It was an absolutely critical trip, that we were hard pressed to afford. It was also something that isn't strictly missions related so we didn't feel like we could share it as a support need. Even so, God provided through the generosity of other believers and family. What a joy to celebrate with family, and to visit Marge's parents. Marge and I only have 44 years to go to reach our 60th anniversery. Marge also had numerous opportunities to connect with friends and family and share our vision for the Czech Republic.

PLEASE PRAY

• Safety in upcoming travel to Indiana (River of Life Church) and Chicago (Devon Church).
• We need to put our house up for sale early next year. Selling our house will let us focus more time and energy on our pre-field efforts.
• As always please pray that each day our focus will be on Christ and that we would each have a desire to know and please Him.

ADVANCEMENT IN THE CZECH

The Bible study in Ceske Krumlov continues with about 7 attendees. None of those in attendance are Christians. Please pray that those seven will attend regularly and that the Bible study will grow.

Also in Ceske Krumlov, English-as-a-Foreign-Language class will be starting back up. Pray that they will continue to make and build relationships through these classes.

The Baptist Theological Seminary in Pelrimov has launched is very first semester with 7 students. In the meantime, remodeling work on the seminary building is still underway. The building contains both the classrooms and the living quarters. One of the students is doubling as the construction manager, overseeing volunteers. Please pray that the work will continue safely and efficiently.

Ron and Brenda Barnes are making preparations to return to the states for a visit and some speaking engagements. Pray for their safety as well as an enjoyable and productive trip.

PRE-FIELD PREPARATIONS

We are continuing to emphasize home and personal visits. This is an enjoyable way to build relationships and to share our vision for ministry in the Czech Republic.

In the next several weeks we will be visiting in a number of homes with church sponsored small groups and simply with families and friends. October 27th we will be presenting and I'll be preaching at The River of Life church in Warsaw, IN. A more detailed schedule is included at the end of this newsletter.

• Prayer Support

Romans 15:30
"Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me."

We are building a prayer squad at Bethel, and looking to start prayer squads at other churches, and with individuals as well. We have about 13 people so far who have met with us to commit to praying for us daily or weekly. We welcome anyone who would like to be part of our committed prayer support.

We understand that many people are praying for us perhaps when they get our newsletter and whenever God brings us to mind. You are very much appreciated.

However, if you feel called to make praying for the Parmenters in missions your personal ministry, and you would be willing to pray for us one or more times per week, please get in touch with us. We will want to add you to our prayer squad. You will receive a weekly prayer update, special notices as things come up, and as our pre-field work progresses we may even set up a call tree to use in the event of an emergency. We also try to personally visit with all of our prayer squad members.

Financial Support

Currently we are at $100 (or 1.51%) of our required $6,638.33 monthly support. You might be thinking "Hey, it should be more than that, because I'm sending in $?.??." We've received over $1000 in special one-time gifts in the last month (which we will use for the projector). Until you send the same gift three months in a row or designate your gift as monthly support it will be counted as a one-time gift.

FAQ: Where do one-time gifts go? One-time or "special" gifts are counted in our Outfit and Passage account. Prior to leaving for the field, we will need to have $45,000 in that account. Outfit and Passage is a one time fund that pays for travel expenses, shipping household items, purchasing a vehicle, outfitting our home, language study, etc. Because all electrical in the Czech (and much of Europe) is 220v none of our home appliances will work. Also, apartments and homes do not usually come with any cupboards, cabinets or light fixtures. We will have to purchase those furnishings and all our appliances.

At this point, we are using both our monthly support and Outfit and Passage to pay for the start up expenses of pre-field.

FAQ: If I want to be a monthly financial supporter is there a special number or code I should put on the check? Yes, two things:

1. Include our missionary identification number on your check or money order. It is 013408.
2. If you plan to send a monthly amount also note "monthly support" on your check or money order. ABWE will automatically count your donation as a one time gift until you let them know you are a monthly supporter or you've sent the same donation three months in a row.

Send checks to:

ATTN: Parmenter Support #013408

ABWE, P.O. Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8585

• Other special needs?

We are beginning to think about putting our house up for sale. If you know anybody in the Kalamazoo area who may be looking for a starter home, please have them contact us.

Also, another big expense is gas and meals while traveling. Gas cards (BP & Speedway are good) and restaurant gift cards are very useful. Phone cards are nice, but we will typically use our cell phone.

Thanks for taking the time to read and pray for us.