Missionaries
Bekki Ziegler's Mission Trip
The Tijuana Initiative: July
Bekki will be traveling back to Tijuana to help and minister to the children and needy families of Mexico this March. The focus of the mission trip will be to provide adequate housing for families living next to a landfill, to repair and improve the City of Refuge Orphanage, and to participate in community outreach ministry. Please pray for the safety of Bekki and her team as they travel into this dangerous city to minister in the name of Jesus Christ. Please pray for Bekki and her trip.
___________________________________________________________________
Global Ministries Missionary Relationship
Jeffrey Mensendiek, Japan
Ben Salem UCC has been in relationship with Jeffrey since Aug. 2006. Rev. Mensendiek has served with Global Ministries for 19 years. He serves with the Council on Cooperative Mission, assigned to the Emmaus Center in Sendai, Japan where he is the director of youth ministries. He grew up in Japan, the son of missionaries. He married Kazuko Ikawa on July 20, 1998. They have three children, Hana, born October 19, 1999, Tomo, born Spetember 17, 2001, and Stella, born on December 25, 2006.
We had the pleasure of finally meeting Jeffrey when he visited Ben Salem on April 22, 2008 while he was in the United States.
Please keep Jeffrey, his family, his work, and the people of Japan in your prayers.
EMAIL FROM JEFFREY: December 28-2010
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! December 25, 2010
It is snowing outside, and the kids are making a large snow fortress in the back yard. It’s also Stella’s fourth birthday today, and we are having a quiet day at home, which means a lot of commotion over presents and or the energy of the kids playing in the snow!
Highlights of our year were 1) skiing the first three months of the year, 2) Stella entering kindergarten in the spring, 3) the wind orchestra concert this monthr in which Hana played the flute and Tomo the trumpet, 4) hosting friends from Bangladesh and then Taiwan, 5) church activities for the kids, 6) and the great hike up Mt. Myoko (2445 meters) in the summer! Hana, Tomo and Jeffrey ended up hiking for close to twelve hours but we did make it to the top and back!!
The most important segment of the year was to sprinkle my father’s ashes in several of the spots which he loved so much in Nojiri and Sendai. My mother and sisters were together with the family the whole month of August. How often we returned to the fundamental realization that “if it wasn’t for Bill’s adventurous spirit we would not be where we are today.” It was a year of memories and thanksgiving, for a life that bridged cultures.
We wish you the best in this new year – the year of the rabbit.
Jeffrey, Kako, Hana, Tomo & Stella
EMAIL FROM JEFFREY: Sunday, Feb. 14th
Just for now I want to let you know that I will be traveling with five university students to Bangladesh for three weeks starting Feb. 24. This program to south Asia is something we do every year. It's sort of like a pilgrimage to meet both God and neighbor. We will be staying with the Taize brothers, learning about the Bengali culture and people. We wil have homestays with the adivasi (tribal) people, and have a chance to see how faith is put into action to serve those in need. We will also have opportunities to interact with people of the Muslim and Hindu faiths, to see the way the Taize brothers have built trust with them. If you haven't heard of Taize you can find it through the internet. Its a religious community that is doing much to build peace and reconciliation around the world. Blessings to you!
Jeffrey
For more information, please visit Jeffrey on the Global Ministries website.
____________________________________________________________________
For the next three years Matt & Steph Kistler will be working for Mennonite Central Committee in Najile, Kenya. Matt will be collaborating with the Maasai people in developing food security (which means, he is working to limit vulnerability to famine due to drought). Steph will be teaching in a local school. Join them as they begin the adventure of following Christ around the world.
Matt & Steph are proud parents of twins!!!!!!
Thank You Note from Matt and Stephanie Kistler
To Our Dear Ben Salem Family,
2010 has been a year of blessing for Stephanie and me. Our time in Kenya has been challenging but wonderful. God continues to show His faithfulness in so many ways as we work with local community members to serve those in need. Now, we have been doubly blessed by Stephanie's pregnancy with twins. We were able to make it home for about 2 weeks in December, and were again blessed by the unbelievable generosity shown by all of you. We've already used some of the gift you gave to buy car seats, and other baby essentials. Alongside your financial help, your prayers have been tangibly felt as we face various difficulties and confront the systemic brokenness we see here. We are now back in Kenya, preparing for another year of blessing.
Some prayer requests we have for 2011 include:
- Health and safety as Steph gives birth
- A change in attitude of church leaders, from looking to benefit themselves through the development projects to looking to benefit others
- The approval of a new project to bring a sustainable water source to our community
- That we would run the race God has set before us with perseverance
Thank you so much for partnering with us to share God's love to the Maasai people. May God bless you all this new year.
Your Brother and Sister in Christ,
Matt and Stephanie Kistler
Please click HERE to visit their website to learn more.
