November2012 MinistryNewsletter

GRACE BIBLE CHURCH – ARIFWALA

CHRISTMAS CARE PACKAGES

Imagine living in a country where simply attending church is an act of extreme courage. In Pakistan, attacks by church bombings have become almost weekly occurrences. With the approach of the Christmas season, our brothers and sisters are under increasing threats from evil sources of all kinds, which often attack on holy days. This Christmas, many Christian parents in Pakistan will be more concerned about their children's survival than shopping for gifts. You can still let them know that they are not forgotten.

We have almost reached our goal for the year regarding this timeless project that brings confidence into the lives of those who live in constant fear and rejection from the evil that is around them, looking to Jesus Christ, our only HOPE.

December is the month when many are encouraged and some are saved eternally. Beginning in the first day and ending on the last, we are determined to make the most of this month. Throughout December, we

will be sharing with you pictures and stories about these activities and meetings.

GBC Pakistan wants to thank all of you who have participated and who continually lift us up in prayer.

GRACE ACADEMY ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL

The children and staff at Grace Academy welcomed Pastor Faisal John with smiles and roses as he arrived in Pakistan the end of November.

After a few days of rest, it was time for him and the team to prepare and start shepherding a total of fifteen (15) assemblies in the Christmas month of December. In Pakistan this is a tradition that every person following Christ holds to, by beginning and ending the month celebrating their Savior’s birth. They take full advantage of redeeming the time. There will be so many pictures and stories to follow here this month.

"My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love . . ."

- Colossians 2:2

GBCP CHURCH/SCHOOL PRAYER REQUESTS

Prayers Fulfilled

Current Prayers

1. Pastor Faisal’s ticket to Pakistan 2. Christmas Care Packages – $3555 3. Building C – $2000 4. Assistant teacher hired

Thank you all for your faithful prayers

1. (1) Teacher 2. Large generator 3. Christmas Care Packages - $945 4. Remaining cost of Building C next to the

church due February 15th - $3000 5. Monthly gift(s) for transportation van 6. Printing press and/or large copy machine 7. Orphanage – that God bring the laborers of

love 8. Bible College

Your decisions to partner with us in thought (PRAYER), word (PRAISES), or deed (GIVING) are greatly appreciated!

Attention!

New giving mailing address

You can either mail your gift to:

Attn: Mark Clark - Treasurer 1070 San Miguel Rd. #D19 Concord, CA 94518 USA

OR

Use PayPal on our website at: www.gbcpakistan.org

If you have any questions or concerns regarding giving to this ministry, you can email Mark Clark .treasurer@gmail.com

MORE PRAISES & PRAYER REQUESTS

Praises:

� Faithful missionaries serving all over the world. � Pastor Faisal John’s safe arrival in Pakistan. � To YOU for each and every prayer that our Lord fulfilled through

His body in the USA. � For the distribution of 37 copies of The Basics book in Urdu to pastors

and evangelists.

Please pray for:

� The Pakistani court to banish the hold on the application against us on the construction of our classroom additions so that we can advance and finish the work we started. December 11th is the next court date. Many other projects are on hold until this gets resolved. Lord, hear our prayer!

� The 3rd Annual Christmas Care Packages, which is already in full swing.

� Traveling mercies throughout Pakistan with open doors for the sharing of the good news.

� Walls of protection around the workers and receivers. � Fertile ground for seed planting in the hearts of men.

� His Spirit & His Word to be active despite us, with abundant blessings to follow.

� Men who are hungry for the Word to become teachers/pastors. � The preparations for the Pastors Conference in 2013. � The missionaries joining us in 2013. � The Bible College preparations. � The Orphanage preparations.

MINISTRY NEWS FROM THE USA

To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the

eyes of servants look to the

hand of their master, as the

eyes of a maid to the hand of

her mistress, so our eyes

look to the LORD our God,

until He is gracious to us.

Psalm 123:1-2 (NAS)

What an amazing and indescribable God we have by our side, who will never ever forsake us. He who is holy, who is true, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; He is not the God of the dead, but of the living!

Acknowledgments for His matchless grace! We are very grateful and give thanks to the Lord Jesus who opens doors that no one can shut, and who shuts doors that no one can open. We are thankful, Lord God, for opening doors so we can continue to exalt and

magnify His holy name among His beloved saints, and even to this lost and dying world! Since I returned from Pakistan this past spring, we have been on an outstanding journey under His mighty hands. Working behind the scenes, He, the Lord Jesus, took us on a journey into 14 states, into public schools, into youth camps, and into churches as ambassadors of His incredible grace, love, and forgiveness, to carry the good news of eternal life by faith alone in Christ alone. This was all made possible by your positive attitude to the will of God. We are thankful to you all (the body of Christ in the USA) for listening to the Holy Spirit and for every individual pastor, believer, and prayer warrior for being faithful in prayer and monetary support to His on-going, life-changing work here in the USA and in Pakistan. Logos Bible Church – Pickerington, Ohio We are giving all praise to Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), the One who is able to supply for the heavenly & earthly needs of the soul, the divine support needed to confront the spiritual conflicts in day-to-day life, the provision from the providence of God, who provides the solution for the depravity of the human race. We are so thankful to Pastors John Chase & Mike Roddy and to the whole body of Christ for such an amazing welcome and for an elegant time of fellowship in Ohio among zealous believers at Logos Bible Church. Also, for giving me the opportunity to speak at Logos Bible Church about how the sovereignty of God delivered me from the hand of the evil one and how the Lord is using me now in Pakistan.

Fruitful youth retreat! We are grateful for the invitation from Pastor Peter Stadler to attend the youth retreat, which was fruitful and outstanding. It was also a blessing and honor to serve alongside of Ranger Gary Horton as well as with many other awesome believers in Ohio during the youth retreat. I had an amazing time speaking in a public school to students in three classrooms about the freedom I received, the greatest gift ever given, provided by the Lord God Himself! I am especially thankful to God for Joe & Margi Robison, for their beautiful care, love, devotion, and tremendous hospitality. They are wonderful and awesome children of God. I had my first taste of deer meat and enjoyed it. It was a blessed time staying with them as an adopted son! Tucson Bible Church – Tucson, Arizona We are thankful to our Lord El Shaddai (God Almighty) who is all sufficient and all powerful as we deal with all the ups and downs in life. His praise shall continually be in our mouths. On the way to Texas, our first stop was with Pastor John Hintz at Tucson Bible Church. We are praising God joyfully and humbly for Pastor John’s passion and devotion to our living God and his compassion for His sheep. We are so thankful for their open hearts and warm welcome and graceful gift of allowing us to give a presentation about what the Lord God has done and is doing in Pakistan via the GBCP teams.

Arizona Grace Bible Church – Tucson, Arizona We give all credit to Jehovah-Raah (The Lord Our Shepherd), the One who feeds or leads and protects His flock through pasture, through the valley of weeping and worry, through the valley of the shadow of death, comforting His flock in the presence of their enemies; therefore He is there for us in the daily ups and downs of life. We are thankful to Richard & Kelli Nolan for their unpretentious hearts, who demonstrate His goodness because He is good all the time. They

opened their home as an old- fashioned home church, and they have been gathering together in homes for over 12 years. We were given an invitation to share with some of our Royal family about what the Lord has been doing in us

and in Pakistan. We are thankful for their loving welcome and the delightful time of fellowship, sharing God stories with them and with the other loyal believers who study the Word of God online under the teaching ministry of Pastor John Farley at Lighthouse Bible Church. Mineral Wells, Texas We are giving thanks to Jehovah Nissi (The Lord Our Banner). In the field of battle, the Lord Jesus is our battle buddy; our Joshua, the Captain of our salvation who fights our battles; and our advocate and flag of victory, whoever lives to make intercession for His beloved. We are thankful to Ray & Donna Bosn whose God given ministry is “He Knows My Name.” They raise banners all over the globe, clearly proclaiming

the gospel of Christ in the assemblies of God and rejoicing with one noble purpose, simply to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. You have given a banner to those who

fear You, that it may be displayed

because of the truth. Selah.

Psalm 60:4 (NAS)

We stayed with friends Bob & Jen in their home and most of our time was spent praying and asking the Spirit of God to bring everyone to their knees in the United State of America, to have a right relationship with the Lord Jesus, the only Hope and Redeemer and Refuge. Time is short. We raised the banner on our way out at Jeff & April Elison, pictured above. Belton, Texas We are self-effacing, giving thanks to Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts, our Protector) for He is a powerful warrior; the champion who is making history; the One who has universal sovereignty over every army, both spiritual and earthly; the One who fulfills His faithful and unchangeable promises in daily life and delivers those that are His. Last February my wife Carrie was on her way to Pakistan to join me and she met a tall, Texan named CJ Rich while waiting at the Abu Dhabi airport. CJ was also on his way to Pakistan for a mission trip. At the airport they both exchanged their information. According to His timing, later this year we were invited to visit our brother CJ and stay with his family. We had a great time of friendship, meeting and visiting with others believers, and talking about the Pakistan ministry. Carrie also had the opportunity to share her testimony, along with CJ’s wife, Carla, at a women’s weekend retreat.

Austin Bible Church – Austin, Texas We give all glory to Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You), for His indescribable holy mission, to sanctify us with no shame, making us complete in Him. We are thankful to Pastor Bob Bolender for his eager heart and pure devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a genuine blessing in the short time

we had with him and his family. We not only saw a bible teacher, a Jesus follower, a good father and husband, but also a wonderful man who has a heart of passion and compassion for the body of Christ. We are also thankful to all the

elders and deacons in Austin Bible Church for their warm welcome. It was refreshing to be met with such hospitality. Also, we were amazingly blessed with the opportunity given to me to share with the church family on Sunday morning for both hours about the Pakistan mission report, His testimony of how He brought me and Carrie together, and about God’s faithfulness in it all. Spring Valley Bible Church – Plano, Texas We are thankful to Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Our Perfect Peace). There is no one holy like the Lord Jesus. He is our only Mediator (Peacemaker) between God and men. He is our Salvation, and the Truth on a path of never-ending life. Indeed, there is no one like You, Jesus Christ.

We are thankful to Pastor Herman Mattox for opening church doors for us to speak with his congregation about the Lord God’s ongoing and amazing mission in Pakistan. Also, it was an honor to remind the youth group of how the Lord Jesus loves them. We are thankful for Chris & Lori Dague, for opening their home to us and allowing us to stay with them. We had an amazing visit. We are also very thankful for their beautiful servant’s heart, for showing the infinite love of God to the children in their area in order to bring them to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Basic Training Bible Ministries Conference– Uniontown, Pennsylvania We give all praise and respect to Jehovah Rapha (The Lord Our Physician and Healer); therefore He is merciful, a Man of compassion for distressed souls, a Man of forgiveness who restores the sick sinner, He heals broken hearts, and He rebuilds any broken down nation who comes seeking restoration. We are thankful for and to Pastor Gene and Nancy for their marvelous love, zeal and their devotion to study and teach the Word of God, and for their commitment to remain faithful in their calling to go out to the remotest parts of the world. Wow, what an exceptionally eye-opening study about forgiveness from the book of Hosea taught by Pastor Gene Cunningham. I urge you to hear these lessons. It is available online. You will be enriched and blessed by it. We are also thankful to Jonathan and Chris for opening their home and hearts for such a noble and royal welcome. We had so many mountaintop

moments with them in several places, and above all we had an intimate time of fellowship with the royal family of God from all over United States, gathering at Ron and Susan home, where Carrie and I were given the opportunity to cook yummy Pakistani food. And we are also very thankful for their sincere, servant, and meek hearts and lives, which are a living evidence of the love the Lord Jesus has for us. Grace Bible Church of Phoenix – Phoenix, Arizona We give thanks to Jehovah Shammah (The One Who is with us everywhere for He is Omnipresent) for being there as redemption for fallen and sinful man, and for providing healing, victory, peace, sanctification, justification, protection, care, wisdom, help, hope, and answers to prayers. He is ever present as a Guide when anyone has lost their way. Carrie and I were very blessed to have found a home church to serve in, to be encouraged by, and to sharpen our Bible skills and knowledge. Pastor Josh White gave us both the opportunity to share what God is doing in Pakistan through us and the team, and he challenged his flock to participate in the work being done there. Elmwood Park Bible Church – Elmwood Park, Illinois We are grateful to our God and praise His glorious name of Jehovah-Tsid-Kenu (The Lord our Righteousness) for His faithfulness and righteous to us even when we are not faithful. For His goodness is limitless. His forgiveness is endless for sinners. His love never changes and is always right in a hateful and unloving world. His Word is enough for hungry souls in an unsatisfied age. His grace is sufficient to empower the weak men and women to accomplish His plan and purpose in this life on earth. We are more than thankful to Pastor Jeff Babbe, all the elders and the body of Christ at Elmwood Park Bible Church for a warm, family welcome, and

the honorable privilege to speak about deep things regarding the Pakistan missions, church and Grace Academy School. We had a marvelous time of fellowship. And it was a blessing, as always, to visit our earlier home church and see God’s Spirit in action breaking down walls and building up lives. My brother and friend, Cullen Pendleton, who organized Christmas Care Package fundraiser in this local body, started out the fellowship time by giving thanks and then gave a brief description of what God is doing in Pakistan through the Christmas Care Packages. Then I answered some really inspiring questions regarding Pakistani Christian life. We are extremely thankful we had the opportunity to spend time with Carrie’s brother, Gary, and wife, Ann Marie Craig, along with our beautiful nieces, Theresa and Rose. We also have great joy this year as we were able to spend Thanksgiving Day together with my Carrie’s family. I shared about the goodness of God and we gathered before the meal with 95 family members and their children in a large hall. There are so many more things to say before taking off to Pakistan and my heart overflows with gratitude knowing that so many people lift us up in prayer, perpetuating His will and plan in the lives of those around us. Our God knows and our God delivers His children for His name sake. His ambassadors in Pakistan and USA wish you all a jubilant time as you gather together and celebrate our Lord’s birth and remember who Jehovah is. This is my best attempt to write this letter of gratitude to all who have supported us in so many ways. You have no idea the treasure that awaits you in time and in eternity. Pastor Faisal John

Team, in Pakistan and the USA, want to wish you all a very Merry CHRIST-mas