September 2015 Update

Dear Praying Friends,

September has been a busy month. I began with a trip upriver to Krausirpi and Pansana, to see about setting up a date for holding an evangelistic meeting in each of the two villages the first part of December. Most everyone we talked with was favorable to us coming, in Pansana, one lady said she had no problem with us coming, but she wouldn’t come to the meeting, because she was Catholic. I said that was fine, we just wanted to be sure folks were ok with us coming. Her granddaughter who was there immediately asked, “Can I come, even if she doesn’t want to?” I assured her that everyone was welcome. Pray that the Lord will begin already to deal with hearts in these villages, so that when the Word is preached, some might come to know the Lord as Saviour. We will be going back there the first week of December, Lord willing, with Bro. Rabisin to help preach the meetings.

This trip was made in our old, aluminum john boat, which leaked quite a bit. But thanks to the generous offerings given by several churches and individuals, while I was gone on this trip, our new “river boat” was completed. “Awala Gospelka” or “River Gospel” is now finished and ready to go for the next trip. We have taken it out on the river just a bit to try it out, and will be taking it across the lagoon to town this coming week, so that we can begin the process of getting it registered with the motor that we will use with it, and have everything legal. We are very thankful for those who gave to provide for this much needed boat so that we can better reach the villages upriver.

We have been using our Sunday evening services to teach membership classes, covering the basic doctrines and beliefs that we as Baptists hold to and where they are found in the Bible. In previous months, we covered God, the Bible, Salvation, and the Church. This past month, we covered Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, Biblical separation, and Tithing. Lord willing, we will finish out in October with Marriage, Church membership and Modernism. In a culture that is filled with confusion and false doctrines, it’s important that the people know what we believe and why we believe it, according to the Word of God.

We have a lot coming up, the last Sunday of October is an ordination service of two Miskito pastors, to be held in the village of Tuntuntara. The following Sunday, Nov. 1, we will be holding the constitution service of la Iglesia Bautista de la Biblia, here in Kaukira. We are excited about my Dad being able to come down to represent our church for this special day. We are expecting a record crowd and asking the Lord to let us see souls saved as well. The following day, Nov. 2, we will begin another 3 week session of the Bible Institute.  A lot of work to be done, we appreciate your prayers for strength and wisdom in these busy days to come.

We enjoyed a good visit with Kayla during August, and she is now back at school in Pensacola, classes started the first part of September. Please keep her in prayer, as she is having a bout with mrsa, a very antibiotic-resistant strain of staph infection. She has several spots under her arm. This is the second time she has had this, and she’s on her second round of antibiotics. The medicine that she has been taking so far has caused dizziness, nausea, and weakness. We are looking into some other treatments to see what can be done. There is a danger of this infection spreading and getting into her bloodstream, which could be very serious. Please pray for her, that the Lord will touch and heal her of this infection, and also give us and her, wisdom to know how to treat it.

Thank you all for your faithful prayers for our family and the ministry here.

In Christ, Gene and Robin Trask and family

July-August 2015 Update

Dear Praying Friends and Supporters;

            In June our Pastor (my brother) Philip Trask and his family were in a near fatal accident. We had requested prayer for them in our last letter. At this time they are still in a time of recovery. Bro. Philip was able to begin preaching again in August which of course was a real boost for him. Although not completely recovered and still facing some surgeries he is enjoying being able to be pack in the pulpit. The children are doing well and have mostly recovered physically. Although, the physiological affects of an accident of this magnitude are long term. Mrs. Tracy had the most serious injuries, and is still facing a few more major surgeries before she will be able to get around without a wheel chair. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

In July we were able to take a sixth month break and spend a few days in La Ceiba. Burger King, Churches Chicken, and Pizza Hut are the healthy five star restaurants that we generally hit first, but always there are hardwares, grocery stores, and general merchandise places that we need to get to while in the city. One huge blessing while we were there is that we were able to get some paperwork done on our Visas. The Lord worked it out that we could get things done there in La Ceiba instead of having to go to the capital city. THEN in August when Robin went in to get Kayla she was able to pick up three of our visa cards and at the end of August when she took Kayla back she was able to get the other two. So now we have our visas don till June of 2016, when we get to do it all over again.

            At the end of our stay in La Ceiba we had a group coming in to help work on our house. Bro. Sam Martin the director of Bearing Precious Seed Ministries in Saint Robert Missouri brought a group of six people in to help us. I left La Ceiba on Monday to come get things ready here, and Levi went to San Pedro to guide the group to La Ceiba. On Tuesday Nichin and I took two boats over to Lempira to meet them and bring them over the Bay. Thankfully there were only moderate waves going that day. After getting settled in, the first thing on the list the next day was to start the flooring and get the post for the ceiling secured. From there the work went fast with the young people running the screw guns, the ladies handing boards up for cutting and putting in place, and Robin and Mrs. Martin keeping everyone hydrated and fed. We worked for four days solid getting things done, and then on Saturday afternoon they went with us to the village of Tikuabila to visit and hand out tracts. There are about twenty to twenty five houses in this village which are spread out over about a one mile area. With their help, we were able to cover most all of these houses and a couple of houses on into the next village of Sruji.

            Sunday morning I was able to interpret as Bro. Martin preached the morning message. In the afternoon we went to one of the shut-in’s homes to hold service, and then in the evening they practiced and sang a song in Miskito.

It was a great blessing to have these folks with us for these days, they were a help and encouragement not only to us but also to the folks here.

 The first of August we had a revival meeting in the village of Auka. It is located about twenty miles from the Nicaraguan border in the far south west corner of our state. There are two ways to get there. You can take the river and go inland for about thirteen hours, or you can pay the seven fifty to ride the truck that goes there each day. The truck is not a bad deal for one person with no Luggage, but for the amount of things that we were taking we decided to make a third option. We loaded the four wheeler and trailer on the boat, along with our cargo, and went to Puerto Lempira. There we reversed roles and loaded the boat on the trailer and four wheeler. We were able to leave the boat at a friends house and from there drive to Auka. In Auka five of our six churches were represented and all except two of our pastors and students were there. Except for those of us from Kaukira, all the others had to walk twelve hours to get there. (we had the easy ride)

            It was a good meeting, with great fellowship with the folks there. I taught six times on the three doctrines, God, Bible, and Salvation. During the first session on salvation I was dealing with sin the penalty and punishment being Hell. At the end of the time I felt that the Lord was really working in someone’s heart but in the end no one responded to the invitation. It was an encouraging time for me and I think for the men as well. Levi and Aaron were able to go with me during that time. They were a great blessing fellowshipping with the people and playing guitars for the services. I especially enjoy when I can take our kids with me to meetings.

            During the time we were in Auka, Robin and Lydia went to La Ceiba (the big City) to get Kayla. It was a wonderful surprise for us when someone paid for her to come down for the month of August, before classes started in September. It was particularly good for her to be able to be here with her friends and to play with some of the children that she had worked with before leaving for college. For us it was good to sit and talk with her face to face, enjoying memories and making plans for the future. Please continue to pray for her as she grows and matures in her Nursing studies.  Once again we thank you for your continued prayers and support.

In His Service

Gene and Robin Trask and Family

July 2015 Update

Dear Praying friends and Supporters;

            Seeing growth is a very encouraging thing. Every Sunday morning in July we saw the church building completely full and overflowing a couple of times. Adults in Sunday School averaged around 20, teens 12, children 60. Levi runs the 4-wheeler and had three seniors coming in each Sunday. We are looking to begin building some pews or benches with backs on them. They will be longer than our current benches, and will be able to handle two or three more people each.

            Also our new church plant in the village of Tikuabila is continuing to grow. We now have a pole frame that we put plastic over for meeting under. Salvado; the main man there, is working on getting some braces set so that we can put some planks down as benches for sitting. There have been as many as thirty come in for the services, enough so that another denomination has gotten upset that we are there. A couple of years before they had planned to start something near there but never did. Now that we are there they are trying to raise a group of their own. That, of course, is not my fight, but is the Holy Spirit’s job to work in hearts and show them the truth. It is fun to see the Devil squirm when the Lord starts doing something.

            We had expected to have record attendance the second Sunday of the month, because of having a group from the US in. Five people came from Maranatha Baptist Church in Saint Robert, Missouri, and one came from Houston, Texas. Six in all came down to help us work on the house, visit, and to see a little bit of the area.

            This is the second group that Bro. Martin has brought down. Bro. and Mrs. Martin are missionaries with the Bearing Precious Seed Bible portions ministry out of their church there in Missouri. It is a unique ministry in that it utilizes “seed line churches” to print and assemble the tracts and scriptures. They currently have more than twenty churches from the mid-west and south-east working with them printing, collating, and filling up containers with scripture to be shipped all over the world. It is a ministry worthy of financial support, and is also a great way to excite a church for missions with hands-on work getting the gospel out.

            The group made it out here on Tuesday and started work on Wednesday morning. The first order of business was trying to start the flooring straight on a crooked floor system. After getting started it was hammer down the rest of the way with the flooring, post, rafters, tin, and steps. They also sanded, mudded, primed and painted the walls of the kitchen and living room.

            On Saturday they went with us to Tikuabila to hand out tracts and New Testaments. There are about twenty to twenty five houses in this village which are spread out over about a one mile area. With their help, we were able to cover most all of these houses and a couple of houses on into the next village of Sruji.

            Sunday morning I was able to interpret as Bro. Martin preached the morning message. In the afternoon we went to one of the shut-in’s homes to hold service, and then in the evening they practiced and sang a song in Miskito.

It was a great blessing to have these folks with us for these days, they were a help and encouragement not only to us but also to the folks here.

            The first week of August, Levi, Aaron and I will be headed near the Nicaragua border to a revival meeting in the village of Auka. The last time I went to this village it was an eight hour bicycle ride just to get there. This time we will be taking our 4-wheeler over in the boat and taking it and the trailer there. Lord willing, we should make it in three hours or so.

            While we are in Auka, Robin and Lydia will be in La Ceiba to meet Kayla who is coming to visit us for the month of August till it is time for her to go back to school in Pensacola. We are extremely grateful for those who have paid for her to come visit us for this time.

            The end of August we will be headed to Krausirpi again, looking to hold several classes there teaching in the book of John, as well as meeting with the leaders of the village of Paisana to set a time for us to hold a revival meeting there in their village.

            We thank you for your continued prayers for us and the ministry here. 

In His Service,

Gene and Robin and family

May-June 2015 Update

Dear Praying Friends and Supporters;

               We began the month of May with a trip upriver to the small village of Krausirpi, hoping to conduct some studies with the one man who has been saved there. In days gone by, when you talked about “small town” USA, you would think of a “Mayberry” type atmosphere of familiarity, family, and security. These ideas are so ingrained in my thinking that it is hard sometimes to adjust to the reality that exists here. A small remote village does not in any way resemble those three things. In contrast, it really means that there literally is no law other than what you can personally enforce.

               Pastor Nichin and I arrived right at dark to the village of Krausirpi, only to find that our house there had been dismantled. The floors, siding, and porch boards had all been taken away, the only thing left was the roof and a few studs holding it up. What do you do? They know who took the things from inside, and it is obvious who took the boards from the house, because two of the neighbor’s houses that were not completely finished, now have been completed using boards with a strangely familiar color of paint. There are no jails, no courts, and no police. Even the community government has collapsed in the last year and a half. SO, we now have a house rented with the condition that we do not leave anything in it while we are gone. We were not able to make contact with Roger, the man we hoped to meet with, so we will be going back the last of August to maybe meet with him and also hold some Bible classes.

               Because of the housing situation we decided to leave early and go down river to visit some of the other villages. The village of Paisana has about seventy five people and no church of any kind. We visited most of the houses and explained who we were and what we believed about salvation, and they invited us to come back in August to talk about setting up a Revival meeting there in the village. Please pray as we seek the Lord’s will in this village. The Lord may have used the events in Krausirpi to get us to visit this village and be able to have two points of ministry there.

               Getting back home it was time to get things ready for Bible Institute session which started June first. We had five students, two graduates, and three from here in the community who came just for the class time. The students came in on Saturday and began classes on Monday. For three weeks, Monday through Saturday, I taught two hours each day from the book of John. Bro. Rabasin did the same, but an overview of the poetic books of the Old Testament. My greatest difficulty right now is that I still do not speak Miskito. For that reason some are having great difficulty in the classes and mostly on the test. I am still working toward the time that I can teach and preach in Miskito. It will also be much easier for the students when we have some of the material in their language as well. In addition to the classes in the daytime, we were able to have some evening classes where we helped the men learn some basics of guitar playing, chords, and rhythm, and then just sang thru the hymnal with them. We were even able to pick up a few new songs that we didn’t know before from the hymnal.

               We have spent the last week and a half trying to get things ready for a group from Maranatha Baptist Church in Saint Robert, MO. They are coming down to help us build a porch on our house and also we will be going out doing some special vising in our area and in a couple of nearby villages. We will be going into La Ceiba for a couple of days for some rest and then be meeting them to bring them out here. Please pray for safety during this time and that the Lord would be able to use their visit to stir the hearts of some of the folks here toward salvation.

               Kayla has finished her first year of college, and has spent several weeks visiting with grandparents, and some close friends. She is now spending the next few weeks as part of the MK program with Preachin’ Time Ministries. She will be working several weeks of camp, doing whatever is needed, and also being able to do some special activities with other MK’s who are there during this time. Please pray that the Lord will do a work in her heart, and also allow her to be a blessing to those she is able to minister to this summer. We are thrilled that she will be able to come and spend a couple of weeks with us in August, before going back to school in the fall.

               During the time Institute was in session, we got the news that my brother, who is the pastor of our church, and his family were in a very tragic car accident. A head-on collision required that he, his wife Tracy, and their daughter Jana, be air-lifted to different hospitals. The two younger children, and the older daughter were taken each to different hospitals. We praise the Lord for sparing their lives, but we greatly desire your prayers for them. Philip and Tracy will be a considerable time in recovery, surgeries, and rehab, as a result of broken bones and injuries.

               Also, we have gotten word that our visas are in the last stages of being approved, so this means that we should be traveling to the capital city of Tegucigalpa sometime in the near future. Pray that the Lord will provide the means for us to do this, and also that the Lord would work out the timing of that trip according to His will. 

              

Thank you for your continued prays and support for our family.

In His Service,

Gene and Robin Trask and Family