Brad Wallace - SERGE

Dear Praying Friends,

The last four months have been a whirlwind of activity, both in ministry and family, with people coming and going at a rapid pace. In this update we will give a brief summary as God has been faithful in so many ways...

Short-term Mission Teams

Its been quite a busy spring/summer for short-term teams, having sent the most ever for that time period. We are excited to see the number of teams grow, and thankful for all who stepped up to the call to serve. Many have been and will be blessed as a result:

May: Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Martinsburg, WV sent out a small mission team, accompanied by men from NC and AL, to Uganda to begin construction of a large and much needed assembly hall for Christ School Bundibugyo. Working alongside local laborers, the team came close to achieving the goal of completing the foundation for this new building and had the opportunity to not only share the love of Christ with the men they worked with, but also with the children of the school. Our Serge team leader commented that their hard work, sacrifice, and love for God was a wonderful example set before the men and school children of the town.

June:  We sent a team of women and teens to Nairobi, Kenya to work in one of the slum areas of the city to teach the children about Jesus and to provide healthcare services to the poor, neglected, and suffering.

July: Thanks to God's provision we were able to send out multiple teams this month:
    The first team of builders from four different States went to a rural area of Kenya to put the roof on a church addition, allowing the congregation to have a facility large enough to accommodate all of its members and ministries.
   The second team of 52 people from churches all over the U.S., Canada, and Chile participated in our annual LEAP week in the London/Southall church planted by Serge. An area made up of South Asian immigrants, the team members spent a week training and sharing their faith with people of non-Christian religions.

August: A team of twelve adults and youth group members from Sycamore Presbyterian Church in Richmond, VA, went to western London to work with the Serge-planted church in Southall. They put on a Kids Club (VBS) for the children of South Asian immigrants, many of whom had no knowledge whatsoever of the Bible or Christianity. God blessed their work as the number of children participants in the Kids Club grew throughout the week despite coming from families of non-Christian South Asian religions. Please pray that the seed planted in their hearts would bear fruit!

October: During these last two weeks in October we sent a medical missionary to serve in a limited access area of the world alongside our Serge medical team in a sensitive location where physicians are scarce. Please pray for safety and boldness to speak of God's love in Jesus.
 
We are grateful to all who participated on teams this year, and for those whose financial and prayer support made the trips successful. Margarita and I were unable to participate on any of the summer teams ourselves (although Keila did) due to Josh's graduation and other commitments. However, Lord willing, I am hopeful to help lead a number of teams next year.
   
Family News 

We are thankful for the miraculous way God allowed Margarita's parents and nephew to come for a month-long visit this past summer to attend Josh's graduation. Miraculous because: 1) The money was provided in a very unexpected way to pay for their airline tickets. 2) Margarita's father had said that he would never get on an airplane in his lifetime! We had a wonderful time with them and Margarita was overjoyed to spend time with her parents after not seeing them for quite a long time.
Margarita is planning to continue her college studies in the Spring (something she never completed in Chile) with the hopes of earning a nursing degree at the local community college. This would be a real compliment to her other gifts if God calls us to return to the mission field in the future.
Josh is doing well at UVA and getting plugged into some of the Christian ministries at the school. He is also working as a manager for the football team which includes the perk of free tickets for each home game (something that I am enjoying!).
Keila is a junior at the local high school and continues to excel in her studies, earning a PSAT score among the top 50 in our county. She is interested in pursuing BioMedical Engineering in college.
Michael transitioned to Middle School this year and seems to be enjoying the new freedoms that go with that. He continues to play soccer and keep us all laughing.
 
Thank You!

We would like to thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support, without which our ministry would not be possible. If you would be interested in giving to our work, you can do so at: http://www.whm.org/give/missionary?ID=51140
Our account is currently over $6000 in deficit, so if you feel led to give, we would sure appreciate your help at this time!

Thanks again and may our Lord richly bless you and your family.

Brad & Margarita