Exciting News From China

The following is a letter from Brittney Hagan.  Wyatt family, you have been such a blessing to me in so many ways, but also to people across the globe. Because of your faithfulness to Christ and your willingness to give and pray for me when I went to China, God has been faithful. I wanted to encourage you all for your efforts and obedience. Although it is approaching two years since I was in China there are still people being impacted there and you were a part of that. I received a letter from Darlene Carey about a girl that I had the chance to meet and do Bible study with, her name is Shirley and when I was there she was not a believer but she was definitely searching for the love that we have in Christ. She told us many times that she wanted to get "saved" but we didn't feel like she understood and was ready for the commitment so we continued to teach her the Word and pray for her. Darlene's letter said,

"I'm writing today not only to touch base and to give you a gift, but also to bring amazing news! You have a new baby sister and her name is Shirley! Yes! Shirley received Christ as her Savior around Christmas time through an unusual chain of events. She attended a Christmas program service put on by a house church. I introduced her to one of my students that is a Christian. In fact Shirley and her mother attended the service. After the music portion a man told a story and a lady gave an invitation. However, her invitation was simply..."Who wants to be happy?" Of course, Shirley raised her hand. The lady asked those to stand and so Shirley stood! The lady pressed further and asked all that stood to come to the front. She then began to explain that she would pray for them and then ask them to pray. It was at that point that Shirley understood what this lady was asking her to do...she felt angry and tricked. However, as soon as the woman began praying the sinner's prayer, her anger faded and the tears began to flow. The Spirit overwhelmed her and she gave her heart to Him. That day we met and spent several hours talking, rejoicing, crying, and hugging. I asked her to pray over the dinner we had prepared together and she prayed such a beautiful prayer, I couldn't hold back the tears. Since that day she has tried to tell her friends about what she experienced. I couldn't help but chuckle at her surprise when they didn't immediately respond favorably. I gently reminded her that her decision was a 2-year investment of time and prayer. So thank you for your prayers and labor of love toward Shirley. It's been long in coming, but the time and effort has been worth it!"

It's like we just heard from Todd Aaron's sessions...there has to be all of the aspects to "World Christians": praying, welcoming, sending, going, and mobilizing. You were the prayers, senders, and mobilizers. Together with Christ we were able to accomplish the great commission in Shirley's life. At Wyatt there are so many opportunities to be world Christians. Don't miss out on getting involved in missions, you don't know whose life will be changed through your support.

Serving Albuquerque

Most everyone loves to travel, see different places, different people, experience different foods and different sights. But on a mission trip you have a specific plan to travel to a special place to benefit specific peoples or groups outside your own culture.  And the great thing about this is that you don’t necessarily have to leave the US.
 
The trip to New Mexico and the All Nations Indian Baptist Church was planned for the same time again - 3rd week in June - we went to the same place, ANIBC in Rio Rancho, NM with the same task - putting on a Vacation Bible School for the children of the church  and community.  Same... but different as well.
 
One thing I have learned in the last two years is that we go as servants, we are part of a team with a common goal - Ambassadors for Christ.  We were so encouraged this year with people from ANIBC joining with us. The goal next year is that we are there to support them as they teach.
 
We are also so excited about the possibility of serving at the Navajo Reservation in Window Rock, AZ with a Bible school. A small group of us traveled to the reservation and met with a home bible study from  the Community Church on the reservation. The people there were very excited about the possibility of us coming. The Christians on the reservation face many difficulties in ministering and evangelizing to the people. Cultural beliefs are prevalent, and sometimes natives are rejected and expelled from the reservation upon proclaiming Jesus Christ. Also there is a on-going problem with the Muslim population growth and a lot of Navajo women marrying into Islam. The trip to the reservation will be a whole lot different that what we have experienced, but I am so excited to join with our Navajo  brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
Mother Teresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with love.” A mission trip to New Mexico or Arizona is not a "great" thing, but by showing God’s love and caring for people outside of our comfort surroundings, we can do "small" things for our Great God. 

Hungry For God's Word

By Laura Little.  Wow. I have recently returned home from my very first mission trip. Jessica Brown, Ryan Taylor, Wes Taylor, and I traveled to Ukraine for 12 days to work with the Kanaykins and a local church to run a children's day camp in the village of Kalush. What an experience! Laura and Andrey are wonderful to work with, and they continue to be such a blessing to so many people all around the globe. I know they would appreciate your continued prayers as they serve God in the Ukraine.

The children's camp was phenomenal!  We had between 250 and 300 children there daily, and what stood out to me most was how hungry these children are for God's Word! I didn't know what to expect on the first day of camp. I didn't know if I would be speaking to them about something foreign that they had never heard of, or if they would even be accepting about what we were there to talk about. But these kids blew me away. A lot of them know who Jesus is, and they just couldn't get enough of it! We taught bible study to very large groups, sometimes as large as 60 or more children at a time, and in most cases they were so well-behaved. They just crave hearing more about Him, and they want to know everything that they can!

Other than bible study, the children also participated in crafts, music, and sports. They are so appreciative of us coming, spending time with them, showing them attention, and teaching them about our amazing Savior. And they let you know all day long by all the hugs and smiles they give you. Language was no barrier when it came to loving these children.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support while we were there. We could definitely feel all of the prayers being lifted up for us and the ministry opportunity we had. Please continue to pray that God uses the local church there to plant seeds in that community for God's love. Also, please don't miss out on a chance to get involved in missions. You never know how many lives will be changed because of your involvement

A Look At Our International Ministry

Loving Internationals

Our Lord tells us to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe everything that he commands (Matt 28:19-20). Rather than an empty, heartless proselytizing or a matter of mere recruitment, this order from Jesus is for those who know him to share their very lives with others who do not. It is about sharing the truth of Jesus with others. It is about sharing the love of Jesus with others. It is about sharing our lives, as we follow Jesus, with every tribe, tongue, and nationality of people.

Back to Espavel

Our church will be sending a team to the remote village of Espavel during Spring break. This will be our fourth trip to work with the church there. The best way to describe our trips to the village of Espavel, Nicaragua is cumulative progress. By God's grace, with each trip we find ourselves more effective for the unique work that God has for us among these wonderful people. This year we have organized our team into three distinct teams that are focusing in different areas of ministry. Our Outreach Team has planned out several creative ways to reach out to the children and adults to express the love of Christ. Our Medical Team will be addressing medical and dental needs of the people while also sharing the answer to their spiritual needs. Lastly, our institute team will be training church leaders for the work of the ministry. These leaders live in remote areas where it is difficult to find opportunities for education. We are honored to carry an education to them. It is less than a month until our departure and we covet your prayers.

Your Team: Adam and Kristel Thomas, Mark and Vicki Harmon, John and Angelia Dolden, Mike and Tina Brown, Jay and Elizabeth Glass, Kelly Bishop, Tim Bolin, John Davis, Scott attebery, Michael Matthews, Clif Johnson, and Garett Taylor.

Items we are Collecting for the trip: Make-up bags, bandaids, Triple Antibiotic cream, travel-size shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, lotion, antibacterial gel, clippers, chapstick, adult/kid shoes, finger/toenail clippers, fingernail files, toothpaste, tooth brushes, floss, hair combs/ brushes, Old Reading glasses, soccer balls, balloons, candy.

Good News From Nicaragua

By: Oscar Gaitan, Nicaragua.  A group of 17 people  from Wyatt Baptist Church,  El Dorado, AR and 5 people from Catarina, Nicaragua left Monday, March 22 at 5am traveling to Espavel, in the rain forest of Nicaragua.  We arrived at 6pm the same day. 

We worked in four different teams:  dental clinic, Bible school for children, visiting homes and giving talks on hygiene, and four professors began what is now a branch of the Bible Institute in Espavel. This is the third Bible institute in Nicaragua. 

The eleven institute students could not believe that in their community they had the privilege of having Bible classes with great professors.  At the beginning of this project, our goal was to have two class meetings per year due to distance and cost, but seeing their interest and happiness they showed, we are now going to have three meetings per year: March, July and November.  For the months of July and November, you must travel 7 hours by car and the next four hours by horse or walking. 

San Francisco de Asis is a community about 25 minutes ahead of Espavel.  It has about 25 houses and a population of about 250.  It is a new community just formed with one street that can be seen from a small mountain.  We decided to go visit with the Wyatt group to have an afternoon of evangelism.  The evangelism coins were passed out in all of the town, and we were very happy when two young ladies gave their lives to Christ.  We immediately invited them to travel back with us to Espavel and present them to the church in the service that night.  On the way back, Mrs. Tamy did not waste time to give them the first lesson in our discipleship lesson to Corina and Cristina: 1) We are born again 2)vWe are no longer a part of this world and 3) We have a place in heaven. 

These two young ladies were presented to the two men who have been traveling to this place to evangeliza and were going to look for a lady who would continue the discipleship lessons.  The father of the two young ladies gave permission to open his home for a cell group (what we call action center) in his home.  He also accompanied his two daughters and had the opportunity to listen to the evangelistic message. 

The church in Espavel did not stop thanking God for not only having Wyatt Baptist Church visiting but also for the first two seeds from San Francisco de Asis, which has now become a new mission point.  Your prayers are asked for the next trip in July, where we will visit again.

 

Wyatt International

By John & Angelia Dolden.  "Are you available?" the question was asked. "Sure" we said, all the time feeling a little unsure. Mark called on Friday to ask if we could fill in on Saturday and pick up the International Students at SAU. He had the whole day planned, with the help of "his team," we just needed to drive the van.  Anything to help, so off we go.

What a surprise! We had such a great day. We met our new friends at "10ish" and drove to ElDorado. We had wondered "What do we say?" "What do we talk about?" That took care of itself! They had questions about us, we asked questions about them. We wondered "Will they be bored?" NO! They ate pizza at "Main Street Pizza," meeting Betty Perdue, Angie and Ava Joiner, and the Hymer's.

Tommy Seabolt gave us a tour of Murphy USA after lunch and we finished our walking tour of the square. The rest of the afternoon was spent bowling and watching a movie. Our day ended with a fire pit, roasted hot dogs, and s'mores hosted by the Warrens and part of the "Cool Kids" of our church.

Our guests laughed and talked, thoroughly enjoying the whole day. Everyone signed up to come again in November! As we returned them to SAU a young lady asked "When will we see you again? This day "has been like a surprise package for us" she said. You never know what God will do when you are available.

Mission Team to serve Native American Church

Our mission endeavors at Wyatt continue to expand into new and exciting areas.  This summer we will not only be ministering to people groups through international trips, we will also be ministering to a very special people group right here inside our own borders.  This people group is Native Americans.  This Sunday morning a team of 16, made up of  people from all ages, will be leaving for Albuquerque, New Mexico.  They will be taking the Sonrock Bible School that we used here at Wyatt and will present it at All Indian Nations Baptist Church.  Our team will be working with Native American pastors Merrit Youngdeer and Raymond Perry.  This team is a very diverse team made up of people from all ages.  Please keep them in your prayers as they travel.  Pray that God will use them to minister to the people and plant gospel seeds that the All Nations Baptist Church can water in the days ahead.   

Pray for Team Ukraine

Team Ukraine is currently on mission. While in the former Soviet nation, they will travel to the city of Kalush. In Kalush, they will work with a local church to minister to children and families. One of the main activities will be a children's day camp where children will learn Scripture, practice English, play games, and make crafts. During two evenings, the team will provide "Family Nights" to attract the children's parents to the church. Please pray for these efforts to support ministry in Ukraine. Team members include Jenna Tucker, Wes Taylor, Mark & Vicki Harmon, Jeffery Harmon, Scott Attebery, Katie Fleming, Jessica Brown, and Michael Rogers. The Team Ukraine Discussion Board is up and running. To leave messages and read posts from the team, login with your username and password. Then, click on "Ukraine Discussion Board" under the heading "Messages with Recent Activity."