Dear Supporting Church Families & Friends,
“…let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.” Psalm 33:8 We have so much to stand in awe of HIM over! Once again we come with a letter of praise and thanksgiving to our wonderful Lord!
October has been a very exciting month for us here on the Tohono O’Odham Nation!
We told you in our last letter of Marcella, who the Lord saved in Ak-Chin. How exciting to see her remain faithful to the Lord and His House! She has come very faithfully since being saved, with an eagerness to grow, marking her Bible, taking notes, and listening attentively! She has also begun to invite others from her area. Please continue to pray for her! We have also mentioned in many letters in the past about Louann’s sister Rosa, a young lady we longed to see saved. She recently reviewed with us her personal testimony of salvation at Summer Youth Camp a few years ago, and how she now has full assurance of her salvation! We praise Him for this. I’m glad and thankful He knows what we need when we pray! It has been a joy to see Rosa grow lately in the Lord. She is certainly one of the most faithful people in Ak-Chin, and even comes when it’s “inconvenient,” or when the devil would offer “convenient” reasons to stay home. Please pray for Rosa, her sister Florinda, and her mother Lucie, all of whom are tremendous blessings to us there in Ak-Chin. We long to see them grow and be used by the Lord to win their own people there in that village!
On the first weekend in October we had our first ever “Family & Friends Day” at both churches. It was very exciting to see the people invite others to church! During the morning hour, the Lord saved one of the visitors! We praise Him for this! It was also exciting to see the Ak-Chin church packed out this night as the Lord sent 32 people our way, including many first-time visitors from the area. We are so thankful for those who God has allowed us to minister to and serve! Many said they will be back again, and we have since been blessed with several other first-time visitors. Please pray that God’s Word will continue to work in their lives, and that soon others will accept Him as their Saviour!
We praise the Lord that on Oct. 19 we had our first service in the new building in Ak-Chin. It is not yet complete, but we were able to get temporary lighting, fans, etc.. (yes, you need fans in October in the desert) J and move in to the new building the Lord provided for us. He has blessed us with a new auditorium twice the size of the old, and we long to serve Him and see Him fill it up with people whose lives will be changed by Him! We are so fully aware that to whom much is given, much shall be required! It is with great responsibility that we press on for Him. Truthfully, who among us has not received way more than we deserve, so how much will be expected from us all! Let’s all do all we can for Him while it is still day!
Other prayer requests and notes:
- The Lord sent a tremendous group of workers from Arbanna Baptist Church in Arkansas to help with the building and remodeling of several buildings in Casa Grande & Ak-Chin. We thank the Lord for their love and expert work in the fields of carpentry and remodeling!
- Christmas time is fast approaching. Many of you have been so gracious to help in the giving of gifts for the children on the reservation. Please pray for this project, and mostly for the children, that God will use this to show His love for them! We pray that wherever they go when they grow up, they’ll always remember those gifts they received as children from a God who loves them so! Please mark all gifts for this special fund appropriately, and we appreciate it so very much!
- Please begin to make your plans to attend the 12th annual camp meeting here in AZ, which will be Mar 29 – Apr 1, 2009. (We may have opportunities for a lower-than-usual hotel rate in the area, due to new hotels recently built.)
Working together with you for HIM,
Brian & Louann, Latanya, Lilly, Rebecca & Brandon Shannon
