Voelker – November 2010

BAPTISM: Last Sunday we attended Igreja Baptista de Ramada to attend the baptism of one of our students. Most of our teaching staff were in attendance to witness this important step of obedience. It was a thrill to observe this student’s courage in taking a stand for Christ.

ELISABETH THOMAS: Please keep praying for one year old Elisabeth who is going through chemo therapy to shrink a cancerous tumor in her kidney. On Thanksgiving Day she will have surgery to remove the kidney. God is answering prayer and sustaining Elisabeth, her three older siblings and her parents.

UPCOMING CONFERENCE: We are asking for special prayer for our Association of Baptists for World Evangelism Western European Conference which is held every three years during Thanksgiving week. This year the conference is being held in Southern Portugal. It will be attended by 130 missionaries, national partners, and workers from around the region. Workers in this part of the world face constant resistance to the gospel. The purpose of the Conference is to refresh and encourage the workers through the provision of special worship, the ministry of the Word of God, and various training workshops. Several churches are sending teams to work with the children and teenagers, freeing their parents to attend the adult sessions. Pray that we and the other missionaries and national workers will be renewed in our love for God and return to our fields of service overflowing in faith, joy and zeal to serve Christ.

Thanksgiving is an American holiday. Portugal does not have anything equivalent to it. As in America, shopping malls are already decorated for Christmas and mobs of people are spending their recently received stipends. (Portuguese workers receive two extra months of pay a year, one in August and one in late November) December is one of the months when we observe the most materialism here as shopping carts are piled high and there are LONG lines to have items gift wrapped.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS: Our school will be presenting a Christmas program on December 10th. Please pray that some of our unbelieving parents will attend and be touched by God’s message.

Igreja Baptista de Loures plans to perform its Christmas program on three different days. The goal is to reach people outside our church family with the true message of Christmas. Cal and I will be a part of the music ensemble.

As we think about Thanksgiving and all the things we have to be thankful about, each of you comes to mind. We thank God for each of the churches and individuals who support us. We are also so very thankful for our families who sacrifice much as we spend holidays away from them year after year.

Yours for the Lord of the Harvest,
Cal and Joyce Voelker

Voelker – November 2010

We’ve asked you to pray with us this school year for our new Nepalese student in the elementary. Uttam needs to learn more English in order to be able to get passing grades and in order to begin to understand God’s love for him. Please continue to pray with us for Uttam’s language development as well as for his academic and spiritual growth.

We rarely have contact with the parents of our five Nepalese students. They do not normally attend any school events or programs. Recently, however, Uttam’s father along with several uncles, and grandparents visiting Portugal came to see the school. Grandfather is a Hindu priest in Nepal. The three high school girls recently shared this in girl’s Bible Study; “Our parents sent us to this school so we could get a good English education and learn manners, but we know that God had other plans.” Imagine the impact these believers can have if God leads them to return to Nepal, a country that is very difficult for foreign missionaries to enter! Soon, in an attempt to have some contact and influence on these parents, our entire group of missionaries hopes to share a meal in one of the seven Asian restaurants these families own. Pray that this will lead to opportunities to share Christ’s love with the parents of our students. One more Nepalese student may soon join our elementary student body.

Milord (pronounced Mee-Lord) is an eleventh grade Nepalese student. He trusted Christ as an elementary student at another Christian school and joined us at Greater Lisbon Christian Academy when his family moved closer to our side of Lisbon. Milord is the only one of the students from Hindu families who has been allowed to attend youth group at Igreja Baptista de Ramada. Recently Milord made the very important decision to follow the Lord in believers baptism. Missionary Ken Lowe went with him when he told his mother that he was a Christian and wished to be baptized. Soon he will be telling his father about this decision. So far his sister and female cousins have not been allowed to attend an evangelical church. Please pray for our students who do not have Christian parents enforcing the truths they are learning at school.

In closing we would like to ask you to pray for the Thomas family who are in their fifth year of ministry in Portugal. They learned on Friday that their one year old daughter has a cancerous tumor on her kidney. More tests will be completed this week to determine the extent of the cancer before recommending treatment that will probably include chemotherapy and surgery to remove her kidney. Please pray for parents, Jeff and Jenny Thomas, and for Maddie, Ellen and Noah, Elisabeth’s older siblings who are all students in our school. Pray that God will continue to give peace and hope to the family and that He will be glorified as they continue to trust Him through this difficult season.

Thank you so much for your partnership as we continue to minister at Greater Lisbon Christian Academy and at Igreja Baptista de Loures. We could not be here without your prayer and financial support.

Believing He is able, Cal and Joyce Voelker

Pray for:
Elisabeth Thomas and her entire family
Uttam to trust Christ and succeed in school
Milord’s baptism on November 7th
Usha, Benjina and Mikky to be allowed to attend church
For our students from Christian fami-lies (Koreans, Germans, Brazilians, Ca-nadians, Americans) to grow in their faith and desire to share Christ with others.

Voelker – September 2010

See You At The Pole is an international event held on September 21st where students meet around their school’s flag pole and pray for their school, community and country. Several GLCA students planned the event on their own and most of our student body participated. The interesting thing is that we don’t actually have a flag pole. Very few public buildings do. That did not stop us from gathering on the school’s large veranda to join hands and hearts in worship and prayer. It was a moving experience as we listened to students praying in small groups. Most prayed in English but some chose to pray in their first language, be that Korean, Portuguese, Nepalese or German. We sensed His presence in a special way. Tears came to my eyes as I tried to sing standing across the circle from. Benjina who would not have chosen to participate in such an event before her salvation last Spring. Benjina is the fruit of your prayers. God is changing her heart and working on others. Later that morning I walked past the music classroom and saw the 3rd and 4th graders with bowed heads as their music teacher opened class in prayer. Again God’s Spirit tugged at my heart. Uttam is a new Nepalese student who barely understands any English. I am sure he has no idea why we bow our heads in prayer or what we are saying when we talk to our God. What will God choose to do in Uttam’s young heart and life this year? Please pray with us for his understanding of English to grow so that he can learn and grow academically and spiritually.

Two single teachers and a teacher’s wife are leading a group of High School girls in a weekly Bible study. Participation in the study is growing and girls are opening up, sharing their stories and growing in their understanding of God’s Word. Pray that lives will be changed through this investment of time and energy on the part of the leaders.

Please pray for Carlos Martins, a Deaf man who has come to our church four weeks in a row. He seems to have a hunger to understand God’s truth and a burden for the many Deaf here who know nothing of God’s love. We are not sure if Carlos is saved but are continuing to pray for spiritual understanding. Another Deaf man (also not sure if he is saved), lives about an hour and a half from Lisbon. Sergio has a hunger to understand the Scriptures and wants to become Portugal’s first Deaf Baptist pastor. However, for both of these and for most Deaf, the Bible is very difficult to understand. Pray for David and Sarah Booth and myself as we seek God’s wisdom in how to best minister to the spiritual needs of the Deaf. I began the fourth level of Lingua Gestual Portuguesa this morning. Class was pretty intense and a bit over my head but I have a good teacher and think that I will be stretched and learn a lot.

Cal’s enjoying teaching five classes this school year, one of which is Marriage and Family. He has invited several young couples in to share their stories so that the students are not just hearing from him or from the textbook. Students are asking good questions about friendships and relationships. After class one day, a Nepalese student talked privately with Cal. “My parents have already arranged for a husband for me and I don’t know what to do. Should I obey my parents and honor their wishes when God says I should not be unequally yoked with a marriage partner?” She went on to share that custom would only permit her to date and marry another Nepalese from her family’s class or above. Though there are a number of Nepalese young people here, she does not know any who are believers except one male cousin.

Thank you so much for your partnership as we continue to minister at Greater Lisbon Christian Academy and at Igreja Baptista de Loures. We could not be here without your prayer and financial support. A recent email from a friend was signed “A Work In Progress.” It was a great reminder to me that we are all His workmanship. Please join us in praying Philippians 1:6 for ourselves, our school staff, our students and our church family.

Running the Race,
Cal and Joyce Voelker

Voelker – February 2010

Teachers 2010-2011
God has provided teachers willing to serve the Lord here next school year. Please pray with us for Sarah Haynie and Erin Wahlstrom who are in the process of raising support to join us for 2010-2011. Meredith Peters came to us last August and has decided to return for another year. Pray for her supporters to be willing to continue to give toward her ministry here. Pray too for Tammy McComb, Laurie Flietstra and Craig and Megan Beatty, and Minne and Michelle Bouma who are currently in North America raising the necessary funds to return as career missionary teachers. God is able to supply for all of these individuals. Pray too for those who are already here as career missionary teachers; Cal, Nick Rachevsky and Phil Schlener. Ask God to con-tinue to use our staff and our school to touch lives for eternity.

Charity Voelker
Our youngest daughter will graduate from Moody Bible Institute in May. God is leading her into missions. Charity plans to do a one year missionary internship with Association of Baptists for World Evangelism. She will be working with the mobilization department, traveling to various college campuses to encourage Bible college students to give their lives to serving God in missions. We are excited about God’s leading in Charity’s life and the way that Charity can use her gifts and passions to serve the Lord in this way. Please join us in praying for her as she raises the financial support she needs to serve in this capacity. Individuals or churches can participate by pledging monthly support for a year or by giving one time gifts. If you are interested, please contact us for more information or to know how to get in touch with Charity.

Prayer
- Benjina’s need for salvation.
- Four unsaved families represented in our school.
- Teachers needing support.
- Church – Pray for Pastor Beto Marques and his family as they serve the Lord by leading two congregations.
- Tobias and Angela Pray for them to find jobs here in Portugal
- Charity – support needs
- Car Fund: Pray for the remaining $2,500 needed in our car fund.

Car Fund
We now have $1,125 in our car fund. If you would like to give toward this project, please send your gift to our ABWE account and mark it “022 Car fund.”

Voelker – August 2009

Summers here in Portugal give us a break from the regular school routine. Instead of teaching, Cal spends his time taking care of the grounds, painting and preparing teacher apartments and caring for teacher vehicles. He enjoys the change but is always ready to return to the classroom. He still loves teaching and daily contact with students.

August is vacation month in Portugal. By law, all full-time, contracted workers must be paid 14 months salary each year. Yes, you read that correctly. It was not a typo. Twice a year, in November and in August Portuguese workers receive a subsidy check = to one months salary. They often use the November check for Christmas and the August check for vacation. Four weeks vacation per year is also the norm. It is difficult to plan ministry activities during this month because so many people are vacationing. This significantly affects church attendance and means it is sometimes difficult to find enough teachers, preachers and personnel for other church responsibilities. Along with his usual responsibilities as grass cutter, sound technician and worship team member, Cal has been standing in the gap during the last three Sundays by teaching adult Sunday School. During our eight years ministering in Portugal this is the first time that he has taught in Portuguese. He taught an overview of Paul’s 13 epistles. It was quite a challenge to prepare and present his lessons, however, with some help and patience on the part of the students, he did a good job. God was honored and those who were not on vacation, walked away with a booklet to which they can refer in the future as they study these books on their own. His love of teaching and sharing God’s Truth helped him through the language challenges. Read more