Minds Renewed, Mission Ready
- Rich Davis
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).
Middletown
Not far from our home here in Pennsylvania is a community called Middletown, but we don’t live there. Even so, we feel like it would be an appropriate place for us as we are in the middle of getting settled in our nearby town. Our house and bodies need repair, and we are working on those issues. We have transitioned from our mission insurance plan to Medicare. Jo Ann has begun physical therapy to strengthen her legs and improve balance. Apparently, things move slowly with government services, and we still need to wait until the end of June for our first Medicare physicals! We have not seen a doctor since contracting Covid in Moldova several years ago, so it would be nice to find out whether we are as healthy as we feel.
Our house had lacked attention for many years while we were living in the Caribbean and Eastern Europe, and we had to invest several thousand dollars in repairs and purchases. These things are normal during the transition to the States, and we are grateful that the Lord has provided for our financial needs through many of you who are reading this letter.
Minds Molded by the Master
We mentioned in our last letter that we are on a quest to renew our preparation to serve the Lord in the ministry we anticipate later this year and beyond. I (Rich) have begun working on the final research paper to complete the Master of Biblical Studies degree. Soon, my PhD mentor from South Africa will join me online to walk with me through this process. Please pray as I complete these studies, which have refreshed my initial biblical studies taken in the 1970s.
Jo Ann and I have now completed some of the courses offered at the ABWE Headquarters, here in New Cumberland. We studied how to become better teachers, evangelists, and church planters. We took some of this training many years ago, and much of it has been updated and improved. Now we are prepared to strengthen churches here in the US and abroad.
Maturing the Master’s Followers
There are teams of missionaries and national leaders on many foreign fields requesting help to strengthen their ministries. Jo Ann and I have planned our current training courses in light of this need. However, we were not alone in anticipating this type of ministry. Our mission, ABWE, also recognized the need and is developing a new ministry called “Impact Teams.” We have had our first interview with one of the leaders of this ministry at the home office and are scheduled for a larger meeting on June 2 to consolidate our ideas on how best to address the felt needs in the field. Again, we would appreciate your prayers as we continue to prepare for and develop this ministry and imitate the Apostle Paul (1 Cor 11:1).
Master’s Apprentices
We remain committed to being apprentices under the Lord and still have further training opportunities before us. I (Rich) am scheduled to attend the ABWE “Summit on International Theological Education” at the mission headquarters at the end of May in hopes of learning something from the brighter bulbs in missions. Then, in June, Jo Ann and I are registered to spend two weeks in the “Roots of Faith” seminar, learning the new evangelistic/discipleship tool developed by ABWE to take people deeper into God’s Word.
Moved by the Call
The New Life Baptist Church of Monterrico in Lima was started 28 years ago in our home in 1998. Through the gift of a wonderful Christian couple, we were able to purchase a private school that would serve as the meeting place for the new church plant and the home of a soon-to-be-born Christian school. The Monterrico Christian School is celebrating 25 years of teaching Peruvian children with a strong gospel influence this August, and they have invited us to travel to Lima for the occasion. I am scheduled to preach at the church, which is still pastored by one of the founding pastors, Salvador Bazan. Both Jo Ann and I are scheduled to speak in chapels for the different grade levels. We are also looking forward to seeing so many friends and colleagues from years past. Please pray that this trip would provide mutual encouragement in our lives and for our many friends in Peru.
Marked by Gratitude
What a blessing it is that many of you are walking through this transition with us. In a certain sense, we feel like we are starting all over again and are back in our Bible College days in Denver. The difference is that we are now bringing 53 years of cross-cultural experience to this training and to our anticipated new ministry. Many of you continue to pray for us, and those prayers have sustained us all these years. Our supporting churches continue to support us financially, for which we are truly grateful. Individual supporters also continue to pray and provide financial support, which is so encouraging. We are thankful for so many who continue to have faith in us and our ministries.
