PrayerletterOct2013

Dear praying friends, since our arrival back in India three months ago, a lot has happened here and we are so very grateful to our Lord—and to you for your prayers to Him on our behalf.

During the last quarter, our Lord enabled me to meet with various Indian brothers for times of counseling, fellowship and instruction.  (Malachi 3.16!)  In addition to these, nearly 60, times, several joined me during some 24-hours’ fasting and prayer sessions—six times over these three months.  There were about 20 other occasions around the city this quarter in which I was involved in teaching Bible to various-sized groups.

In July, I was privileged to teach the Book of Psalms to a batch of students at Pune for three days.  Then in September, Ruth and Stephanie joined me for another trip to that place to be an encouragement in the ministry to the same dear saints.  For three more days, then, I was able to teach concerning The Holy Spirit, The Gifts of the Spirit, The Errors of the Charismatics, The Cessation of the Miraculous and Revelatory Gifts at the end of the First Century, and Finding God’s Will. 

Some other pastors’ fellowships have invited me to speak to them around Hyderabad, and lately I’ve spoken to two such groups, teaching them many lessons for the “Man of God”, mostly from the Pastoral Epistles.

To a place near the border of the next state, Ruth and Stephanie also traveled with me for a few days’ Gospel ministry.  They taught three childrens’ Gospel ministry sessions, on our Lord and His sayings: “I AM the bread of life,” “I AM the light of the world,” and “I AM the resurrection and the life.”  Then Ruth taught three sessions for Ladies.  Two sessions were on the Beatitudes, and one was on Three things which make us Christlike.  I spoke in three evening sessions on Christ as Our Prophet, Christ as our High Priest, and Christ Our King.  Additionally,  a large group met in another assembly in that town and allowed me to teach them The Life Of Christ Seminar for three hours.

Other seminars (in a few other places away from home) which I taught included “Life of Christ”, “Christ our Mediator, Prophet, Priest and King”, “Deuteronomy 6 and Daily Family Devotions”,  “The Holy Spirit, His Gifts, The Errors of the Charismatics and the Cessation of the Miraculous and Revelatory Gifts at the end of the First Century”, “What is the Gospel and How Do We Preach It?” and other topics.

In order to keep up with the expenses of the ministry here in India, we have a special account in the IGM home office which we call our Church-Planters’ Training Fund. We are grateful for each of you who has sent to this special ministry fund over the years.  The amount in that fund, month-to-month, is still quite low, and not sufficient for our current needs.  Just now, for example, I placed a $1000.00 order for Gospel tracts. As our ordinary support levels have eroded by more than 15% per month during the past year or so, may I request you to consider giving something to our Church-Planters’ Training Fund?  Thank you.

Please Pray:

• For our continued good health, and especially for spiritual and moral progress into Christlikeness.
• For more and more opportunities to serve our Lord in the Gospel would open up to us.  I am feeling a little tired these days, but it is a happy tired.
• That our financial support will remain steady.  The Lord is always so good to us, and we are grateful just that He allows us to know Him, and that we are His.
• For the Lord Jesus to be glorified in us at all times.  And for our faith to increase.  May our Lord Jesus answer your prayers, and our prayers for you as well, in all these areas.

Chit-chat:                   Ruth and Stephanie have been invited to conduct monthly children’s ministry meetings in one local assembly.  In the last two times, Ruth taught from Luke 15, and the story of Genesis and Exodus, to acquaint the youngsters with their Bibles better.                               In several local Christian assemblies around Hyderabad, and elsewhere, too, I preached on some Sundays from Psalm 133, “The Brotherhood of Christian Believers” (two times),  John 9.1-7, “Work, for the night is coming”, Matthew 9.14-15, “A Plan For Prayer”, from Deuteronomy 6,  “Maintaining Daily Family Devotional Times”, Exodus through Deuteronomy, on “The Life of Moses (True Greatness—Service to Others)”, Luke 9 & 14, “Self-Denial”, John 17.22, on “The Glory Of Our Lord Jesus”, and from Romans chapter 14, “Sanctification Through the Work of the Indwelling Holy Spirit of God.”                      Ruth boarded a train all by herself early on the morning of the 23^rd August, and traveled four hours to a place where she’d been invited to speak to a ladies’ fellowship. They all had a very blessed time in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.  Ruth returned to us safely the same day at evening. 

In Christian Service,

The Schaefers

 

 

Women meeting

On August 23, Ruth traveled 3 hours on a train and one hour by car to Godavarikhani, a coal mining city in
our state of Andhra Pradesh.  She spent one day their teaching at a ladies meeting.  The women came from around eight different churches in the district.  She spoke for three hours (with some breaks) on the Beattitudes and some of the women of the Bible.  Her interpreter was former student of ours from our first year here in India.  We thank God again for all the opportunities he has opened up to us here in India to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Word&Deed

Word and Deed is a Christian school on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Last month we were invited by the pastoral staff to conduct regular Gospel ministry among some of the students.  

Stephen is speaking twice each month to upperclassmen, and Ruth and Stephanie have a monthly program with about 80 girls in the 7^th and 8^th grades.  

The children that we especially are speaking to are either orphans or come from very poor homes, and have been living at this school since they were very young.

We thank God again for the many ministry opportunities He has given to us here in India.

 

http://indiagateway.net/wdi/home.html  more info about the school

Adilabad2

This past weekend we traveled about 6 hours to another city, Adilabad. Pastor Wilson and his wife, Jubilee, both students of ours when we were at Bharat Bible College, invited us to come and hold some special meetings.  

It started Friday night with Stephen preaching his favorite series on "Christ, our Prophet, Priest and King".  That series was conducted each evening starting on Friday till Sunday.  Ruth also started a three day series for the children.  Her series was the "I Am's of Christ".

Saturday was a full day for both of us.  Ruth had a two part ladies meeting, that was held from 11am till 4pm.  Her series was on the Beattitudes.  At the same time, Stephen was at another location preaching to a men's group for 3 hours on the Life of Christ.   

On Sunday, after Stephen preached in the morning service, on "The Glory of Christ", we had a wonderful lunch, and then Ruth had another ladies meeting.  In the evening, we both concluded our series for the children and the adults.

We truly had a wonderful time with these people.  They were extremely attentive to the messages and overflowed with kindness to us.

 

On our way home, pastor Wilson and Jubilee joined us to go see two waterfalls. They were beautiful.

PrayerletterJuly2013

July 12, 2013
Dear praying friends, thank you for your kindnesses and prayers on our behalf, as always.  Know that you, also, are continually being named before our Father’s throne.

We made it safely back to India last week, right on schedule, and we are very happy to report that we got our new 10-year visas while we were in the USA.  We tried them out for the first time upon re-entering India, and they appear to work just fine!  Thank the Lord for answers to prayer!

Since our last letter, the ministry in India continued as before.  I feel very privileged to instruct men who are in the ministry concerning the things of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It was thrilling to give a two-days’ seminar on The Life Of Christ, and one day, each, to The Pentateuch and the Book of Psalms.  Then, during a 3½ week period in April, I was able to conduct a complete semester’s worth of teaching on Pastoral Theology.  Let the Word of God inform the minds of everyone doing the Gospel ministry!  

Outside of Hyderabad, I traveled to two rural places, to teach two separate batches of pastors over a three day period.  In the first place I also spoke in a local assembly one day.  The topics were Ephesians 4.11-16 (Leadership, Fellowship, Ministry), for the pastors, and II Timothy 2.8, Amos 4.13 and a seminar on important doctrines covering Luther, Justification, Trinity, Deity of Christ, Sabbath, Intermediate State, Resurrection of the Dead, Eternal Punishment.  (Some cults have been hindering the ministry of the true Gospel in that locality for a number of years.)  For the second batch of pastors, in the second location, I taught a one day seminar on the Doctrine of Salvation.

Then in the last couple of days prior to packing our suitcases to make our two-month trip to the USA, I traveled to one town to teach for two days in a local assembly.  The six topics I spoke on were 1) The Inspiration, Authority and Interpretation of Scripture; 2) Galatians chapter 2, Justification By Faith, with a full explanation of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness; 3) True Christian Fellowship, by means of fulfilling the “One Another” Commandments; 4) I Corinthians 1.17, Baptism and The Gospel; 5) I Timothy 3.14-16, What Are Our Sunday Assemblies All About?; 6) Amos 4.12b-13, Prepare To Meet Thy God.

There were also a few days for tracting, and I met certain men for special times of fellowship, encouragement and mentoring on ten other occasions. 

 Please Pray:

• That we would remain healthy and safe.
• That our Lord would open up our eyes to the many opportunities around us for presenting the true Gospel to the non-christians, and motivate us with all the motivation of Him who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• For our daughter Mary, and her sweet family, to complete their own deputation process so that they may be able to depart from the USA for language training by the middle of August, and to their field in Africa by January.

July 1

Tomorrow, we return to India.  We have been in the states for two months.  We were able to renew our Indian visa, and we are still praising God for that. We also had the opportunity to see all our family members.  The daughters and their families are all doing well, we enjoyed playing with our grandchildren. By the way, there is another one on the way for November.  Our second daughter and her family are leaving for the mission field of Togo, W. Africa in the next few months.  We were able to help them with the clearing out of there house by having a large yard sale.

Tomorrow evening, we fly out with Stephanie with us, her last trip to India.  She is starting her senior year of high school.  Her birthday is July 3 and we will be in the air on that day, with the time changes that we go through, she really will not have birthday this year!!

So today, we start to organize the suitcases and, take our last trip to Walmart and K-mart!  Yesterday we said our farewells to people at our church here in Miami.

We are truly ready to get back home!