2023: A Year To Remember!   December 27, 2023     Our Mission is the Commission! Matt 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,  and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Matt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:  and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.    Going!Go ye therefore As you can see from the (below pictures), we continue to take the Lord’s command literally.  The Florida Church plant is known in Brooksville and the greater the Hernando County  area as a GOING Church.  Our goal is to make one thousand visits per year.  While I am not sure of the actual number I know that we made hundreds of visits  last year which gave us the opportunity to build relationships and to preach the gospel.   Sis.Terry and I made the commit to go out in the highways and hedges each and every week.  We are joined by a faithful visitation and outreach team that is bringing them in from the fields of sin.   Visitation and door knocking takes great effort and persistence, however we know God is with us  and He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above that which we are able to do in  our flesh.  We have seen twenty seven professions of faith this past year as a result our evangelism efforts.  We go because we are commanded to go but we also go out of a love for the our  Savior and the Souls of Men.     Instead of waiting for people to come to Church we take the Church to them by putting feet to  our prayers. Jesus personal ministry was a going ministry in which He engaged the lost, the lame  and the blind where they were. Going opens many opportunities to care for people which in turns  opens the door to preaching the gospel. The (above) and (below) pictures are of some having  compassion for the lost at a homeless camp we called "Tent City" as well as praying for  a homeless family in 2023.I       Hero's Of Faith One of the many highlights of 2023 is that we were joined by Men of God  from other ABA Churches as well as Missionaries to participate in  "village outreach". Our most recent esteemed and honored guest would  visit us in the last two weeks was veteran Kenya/Ugandan/Sudan   Missionary Ernie Hopper (Above). It was a blessing to fellowship with  Ernie and Cissy Hopper as we went door to door.  It speaks volumes of their heart while home on Furlough.     Teaching and teach all nations,   One of the many lessons our years in Kenya  taught  us was the need to preach the gospel and to ground new converts in the  word of God as soon as possible.  We first and foremost teach the lost  what the Bible says about their need of salvation and what the Bible says about how to be saved.  After salvation, we teach them about the need  to follow Christ in Baptism and then how to observe all things Christ commands. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. We make every effort and afford many opportunities for these new Converts  to be grounded in their faith through one on one Bible teaching as well  as weekly Bible studies.    We are also in the process of teaching and training preachers of the gospel.   (Below)     2Ti 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. The (above) picture is of a young man named Sean Harold. He is currently starting His fourth year of Bible College at Emmaus BC in Brandon. He is a tremendous blessing to the Church plant working with the youth, running van routes as well as giving our weekly doctrinal devotion. We are teaching Him the practical side of New Testament Church planting.         Baptizing baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: In obedience to the commands of Christ, we baptized twenty three precious souls in 2023. Most were new converts but a few were folks who had been saved but never scripturaly baptized.  As of the time of this report we had four more accept Christ over the last three weeks of December and will be scheduling them for baptism in the next two weeks. One of the highlights this last year was a river baptism in which ten followed Christ in scriptural Baptism (Below). Young and Old alike were baptized in the Withlacoochee River.        Building Improvements     On a no less spiritual note, Since purchasing the building last year we have begun to make it our own. To that end we received an offering that allowed us to put in a pavilion in the form of a pole barn. We invested significant sweet equity in this project and it turned out to be a real asset to the Church plant ministries. It doubled our seating capacity for fellowships.   (Below) Finished Pavilion     Steeple Update     The Steeple is now engineered, permitted, painted and ready to place into the installed bracket (Right). We are only waiting for the crane company to set it into its final resting place on top of the roof. We will be excited to see it pointing toward heaven soon.     Prayers for Health     As You can see from the above pictures, 2023 brought health concerns for both Terry and I. Sis. Terry's were very serious as her years in Africa still affect her health. She is making significant health and strength progress since this picture was taken with our daughter Carla about two months ago. Please pray for us as we press towards the mark of the high calling.   As the Apostle Paul said, I spend and I am gladly spent for you. That could characterize my depleted health condition upon return from Kenya in March 2023. We work hard for the Lord and we need our health to continue to improve and remain Strong so that others may hear the good news of the gospel. Thank you for your prayers.     Thank you for Holding the Rope!    Php. 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Once again we want to take this opportunity to thank God for Pastor Tim Myers and His wife Sheila and our sending Church family at 1st Baptist Church East Bay. Additionally we thank God for the Churches of the American Baptist Association as well as individual friends, family and brethren who partner with Sis. Terry and I in East African and Florida. Please keep us and the Lord's Churches Prayer as we push towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus in 2024.   In His Service,   Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez AKA: Missionary Loboduk & Mama Terry Your Missionaries   Sending Church: 1st Baptist Church East Bay 10102 Old Big Bend Rd. Riverview, Florida 33578   Co-Sponsoring Church Dean Springs MBC 2106 Dean Springs Rd. Alma, Ark.

10/40 Update, Brick Making & Tin Roofs

October 29, 2023     10/40/ Update 

Over the last several month’s we have seen God moving in the 10/40 Window of our ministry.  Any of you have followed the work Sis. Terry and have done over the years and are currently doing in Kenya and Uganda know that I do my level best to report on the works we partner regard to great specificity.   We regularly include the names and specific location of the villages we are working in.  We also try to give insight to specific tribes and even the names of many of the precious brethren we have some to know and love over the years.   However, this newest addition to our ministry is one that comes with great risks and rewards.   We cannot for security purposes publish names of the country, location of the district and or people in this report.   To do so would be irresponsible and literally put our brethren lives in danger.    So with all that said, here is what I can tell you:   God has called two Evangelist’s in the 10/40 window of an unreached people group.   They have been baptized into one of our Landmark Baptist  Churches in Kenya and sent out of that Church to preach the gospel.  Those two Evangelist have been trained by Landmark Baptist Pastors that I have personally invested in over the last fifteen years.  This doctrinal training has taken place during the last two years and they have been equipped to preach the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as pastor one of the Lord’s New Testament Churches.   The full proof of their ministry is that they have returned to their country and led twenty seven new converts to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.   Those new converts have subsequently been baptized and organized into another New Testament Church which is believed to be the first and only New Testament Church in their country.    People ask from time to time why Sis.Terry and I stay connected to the work in East Africa and this latest example of an historic work of reaching unreached people groups is exactly why.    We have Churches who partner with us who have been burdened for this nation and now God is answering their prayers through the work we have done over the years in East Africa.  We are both humbled and privilege that God would allow our ministry to be the conduit in which this takes place.   Please pray for this newest work and these brethren are at great risk by professing Jesus Christ as their Savior, especially in light of current world events taking place in the Middle East.   

Brick Making In Progress

As you can see from the (above & below) pictures, brick making in the Kerio Valley continues to be a priority.    Additionally,  this slow laborious process can only take place during the rainy season due to the lack of rain in this semi-arid desert region.    The village of Chespbei does not have a well so it is not practical to bring water from the nearest river five gallons at a time to make the mud for bricks.  They have to capture the rain in small hand dug reservoirs for mixing the mud.  With all that said, they are currently making an additional seven thousand bricks to use for the Landmark Baptist Bible Institute Kerio Valley.  Remember, this is the Bible Institute which will train preachers in that region of Kenya, Uganda and a third unnamed country in the 10/40 window.    

 Below bricks for the Landmark Baptist Bible Institute are being atacked by women and children of the Landmark Baptist Church at Chepsabel.

A New Design

 Not only is brick making taking place but the steel pole and trusses are currently in the process of being fabricated.   The (Above) picture is of a fundi (Welder) who is involved in the welding and fabrication of the poles and trusses for the Dorm/Classroom building.   The (below) picture was taken in March of a school in the Kerio Valley with Pastor Jamie Hogan standing out front.   This new design will be used in all future structures in these hot and semi-arrid regions.   The indigenous tribes love it for it ability to provide extra shade and dissipate heat.    It does an amazing job but has doubled the cost of building.  We are currently at twenty thousand of the approx. forty thousand needed to bring this LBBI Dorm and Classroom structure to completions.   Please pray for God’s continue provision and thank you those who have already given to this worthy cause. 

 

LANDMARK BAPTIST BIBLE INSTITUTE VIDEO

$14.00 Per Sheet of Tin??

The below pictures are of two Landmark Baptist Churches located on Mt. Elgon. LBC Kaborioti & LBC Kamachei.   Over the last year we have provided them with tents to meet under, however given this year is an El Nino year they are having difficulty meeting under the tents in excessive and severe rain storms on the mountain.  They have requested one hundred iron sheets to put up a permanent structure. Normally, we will help put up the entire roof structure but they have raised funds for the foundation and are willing to construct it themselves.  I realize the needs are many but would you pray for these folks and if God puts their plea on your heart then they will be grateful for one or two or ten pieces of Mabati (tin) donated to get them out of the Mt. Elgon rains. 

Landmark Baptist Church Kaborioti

Landmark Baptist Church Kamachei

Thank you for taking time to read this report. We want to thank our God for the Churches of the American Baptist Association as well as individual friends, family and brethren who partner with Sis. Terry and I in East Africa and Florida. Please keep us and the Lord's Churches in Prayer as we push towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

AKA: Missionary Loboduk & Mama Terry

Your Missionaries

Sending Church:

1st Baptist Church East Bay

10102 Big Bend Rd.

River View, Florida 33578

 

Co-Sponsoring Church

Dean Springs MBC

2106 Dean Springs Rd.

Alma, Ark

Thank You For:

Pastors Peter Barasa & Shadrach