missions

How to Pray for Our Missions Team to Trinidad

/ Matthew R. Perry / Leave a comment

map-trinidad_and_tobagoAt the end of September, I and eight others from my church will fly through Houston to Port of Spain, Trinidad, then drive two hours to Point Fortin to our headquarters at the Mount Beulah Evangelical Baptist Church.

Here’s what we will do and how you can pray.

God opened a door for me to speak to pastors the Saturday after our arrival from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 pm at the new seminary they’ve built in Gran Couva. I’ll spend the morning dealing with how Christ is enough in our preaching, with the evening dealing more with the practical matters in executing their sermons, and how to rely on the Holy Spirit all through it. Pray that God would help us all learn from each other in becoming more faithful pastors and preachers of the Word!

The following day, we get to be a part of an ordination service at Mt. Beulah, where I’ll preach on 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5 on “Is Jesus Enough in Your Calling?”  Pray for the two men who will be ordained: one youth pastor and one deacon. Pray they would hang on to their calling in the midst of ministry.

Monday and Tuesday, another door opened in allowing us to get into a local school for teaching, testimonies, and others fun (likely, they will teach us how to play cricket, along with other fun times). In those evenings, we’ll drive about an hour east to Moruga to provide some helpful things for the residents there, along with services in the evening to try to help them plant a church. Wednesday and Thursday, we will spend all day at Moruga, being in the schools as well as continuing on with the services at night.  Pray God would help us make gospel connections in the schools and that many would come to the services at night. And that many would see that Jesus is enough and surrender their lives to Him!

Friday will be our ‘off’ day before leaving on Saturday, where we will head to Maracas Beach in the NW part of Trinidad. It’ll give us a chance to decompress but also assess all we’ve accomplished and all we’ve learned. Pray we would take time to enjoy God’s creation and take the principles we learned there and transfer them to our mission field here in Denver. 


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Bold in the Pulpit, Cold in the Marketplace?

/ Matthew R. Perry / Leave a comment

May it never be!

This morning, our team met the Hungary missionaries at the University of Gyor to plant some seeds and make some relationships with the incoming students. Our goal was to connect them with the missionaries who would help them understand English better through studying the Word at their house church/small group on Sunday morning and Tuesday nights.  So, with two of our men running a flight simulator and the rest of us milling about among the students, we had a great time helping advance the Kingdom one step at a time in Hungary.

On our way, we prayerwalked.  My prayer partner, Dee, and I prayed aloud for various issues and items that God brought before us: the students, the team, etc.  God led me to pray for boldness.  I don’t remember exactly what I prayed, but my prayer in essence was, “Lord, help me not to only be bold in the pulpit and at times when I’m expected to be bold, but Lord, help me be bold in-between those times as well.”  Dee was floored, for in her prayer, she shared how she read during her devotion times through Ephesians 6, and came to the part where Paul prayed “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am already an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20). 

So, twice the term ‘boldly’ occurs in such a short amount of time.  Then God led me to pray that prayer.  But that’s exactly what was needed in talking to these students today.  Who knows how many will start coming to the missionaries’ times of study, but all we can do is plant seeds by engaging them in their thinking, helping them to consider the things of the Lord, and pray they would come to Christ, connect with His church, and commit to Kingdom work.

A funny connecting point today. I noticed that a young first year student was wearing a very familiar hat today.
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If you’ll notice, that’s a Colorado Rockies hat. Imagine seeing that! Pray for Viktor, please!