Dear Supporting Church Families & Friends,
“This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” Surely the Lord has “overflowed our cup” these past two months with so many blessings. It is so wonderful to get to labor in His field, planting some and watering some, and it is such a blessing when HE gives the increase! Surely the ones who plant and water are nothing, but HE is everything, and so deserving of our praise! This letter will be a bit longer, but there is so much to tell!
July was so busy and full of excitement! We had a few special get-togethers at both churches, and it was a great time to grow closer to each other as a Christian family, as well as meet new people! We were also blessed to travel to Lancaster Baptist Church in CA for their annual Spiritual Leadership Conference in July! What a tremendous blessing this meeting has been in our lives over the past several years. After this meeting, the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to travel back to VA and take part in a Summer Teen Camp Meeting! What a great experience this was! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to preach there! Several teens were saved throughout the meeting, and many others made important decisions for Christ!
August was probably one of the most exciting months of ministry for us here on the reservation (to God be ALL the glory!). We started the month off with a baptism service for the Ak-Chin church in which 5 people were baptized, identifying themselves with Christ! During this same service we also had the Lord’s Supper for the first time there! What an exciting night!
Also in August, the Lord has saved a young mother, as well as two children in Ak-Chin! We’ve also seen an attendance increase by 50% over the past month, with several first-time visitors! We’ve also been blessed by the return of a faithful member who had been out for several months following a surgery and rehabilitation period. What joy to see her walk back in the services one night, and now she is faithfully attending once again. She has also brought another once-faithful member back with her! What an exciting, encouraging time! Surely HE has opened the windows of Heaven a little wider for us this month, and we are so thankful for it. We stand in awe of His working, and desire to serve Him so much more, which is our reasonable service!
We had a group from Sweet Springs Baptist Church in AL come out and do much work at the Ak-Chin church, for which we are very grateful! All buildings have been painted to match, a new ramp was constructed for the entrance, and skirting was placed around the Sunday School building! It is great to see the physical improvements to the Lord’s house!
The Cockleburr Bible clubs have also been wonderful over the past couple of months, with attendance steadily increasing. A few weeks ago, 6 young boys ages 10-14 accepted Jesus as their Savior! Since then, two more kids there have also accepted Jesus! Please pray for these kids, and for the work there in Cockleburr!
We were blessed with several visitors to Arizona during the month, including 2 supporting church groups! We are grateful for the fellowship we enjoyed, and the help they provided in the ministry!
We were also blessed to travel to Flagstaff, AZ for our annual mission board (IBIMI) retreat. This is always a great time of “reunion” with our fellow missionaries as we get to hear some great preaching and updates from each of the ministries! Please pray for all of our missionaries working with Native Americans, and please pray for more laborers! There is such a need for more workers among the reservations!
During August we had many of the teens we work with, along with their parents, over to our home for a time of Bible study, food and games! Please pray for this group (teens & parents). How Satan desires to destroy their lives. It is only through a close personal walk with God individually and together as a family that young people will be able to navigate these teen years successfully. How they need to allow God to work in their lives. Pray for them to be open to and follow His will for their lives! They are currently participating in a contest with several other churches in AZ through the West Branch of the Bill Rice Ranch. This contest involves memory verses, church attendance, personal witnessing, and bringing visitors. It is exciting to see some of them giving the Lord their all through this contest, and sad to see others refuse to give Him their time and talents. Thanks for your prayers for this group that Louann & I dearly love!
We are very thankful for the safety the Lord constantly provides, and were reminded of the reality of this again this month as most all of my family and my parents were traveling in a van down the interstate highway to the Cockleburr Bible Clubs when a tire completely blew out and did much damage to one rear side of the van. Thankfully, the Lord amazingly kept us all safe from harm during this accident that could have been much worse! Thank you so much to those who faithfully pray for us here in AZ. You’re talking to the ONE who knows just what we need and when we need it!
School has started once again here in our home, with Rebecca entering Kindergarten, Lilly in the 7th grade, and Latanya in the 11th grade! Everyone is excited about the new year and new (video) teachers they have. Please pray for our family as we strive to faithfully serve Him together! We are looking forward to a week of vacation in a neighboring state during the coming month, Lord willing!
As many have asked, we believe in the next month to 6 weeks that Lord willing, we will be able to get the mobile mission that so many of you have been praying and giving for! We look forward to this with great anticipation and excitement! Thank you all so much for all you do for us and the dear Tohono O’Odham people!
Working together with you for HIM,
Brian & Louann, Latanya, Lilly, Rebecca, Brandon & Benjamin Shannon
****************
Brian Shannon
Tohono O'Odham Baptist Missions
tobmissions@yahoo.com
