Grace Missions
Our church has been blessed by God to not only make an impact for the Gospel in River Ridge, LA, but we are also in support of missions work around the globe. Take a moment to read and pray over our mission work.
Mike and Amanda ball
Mike and Amanda serve as missionaries in Fiji with the purpose of establishing churches among Fijian Indians by making disciples and training leaders. The Fijian Indians, descendents of Indians who came to Fiji from India, are mostly Hindu or Muslim. Through developing relationships and personal evangelism, Mike and Amanda seek to begin home Bible studies in order to share the Word of God with families in their heart language (Fiji Hindi). As the Lord saves individuals, it is their desire to disciple them in their walk with Christ and then, as God directs, to train men to be leaders in newly established local bodies of believers. Mike and Amanda have five children: Nathan, Abigail, Lauren, Julia and Tirzah.
To learn more about this outreach to Fiji go to Biblical Ministries Worldwide.
Mario and Paola Iglesias
Mario and Paola Iglesias Gomez are certain of the call to minister in Spain. They believe the first stage of this challenge will be done in the city of Toledo, joining the FAM team (Support Missionary Fellowship) and SEND International foundation for the building of Churches in Illescas, which is a town in the provence of Toledo. They intend also to work on the development of Evangelism Explosion Spain, in the city of Madrid and nearby regions, convinced that training believers to fulfill the Great Commission will be a very effective way to reach others. Initially, they will invest their efforts in supporting the planting of churches and training other believers to share the Gospel.
Mike and Sue Mangerchine
Mike and Sue serve with the Navigators and are planting a movement of the gospel among native New Orleanians. They attempt to live among those they minister to and are engaged in everyday life situations for Jesus’ sake. They have organized large and small reunion events among several networks of people from the past and serve in the community.
Their efforts are to help the nominally-religious and non-religious embrace Christ, to sink their roots deep into Him and to make Him known in their contexts. As part of the effort Mike teaches twice weekly at an established Biblical addiction recovery center, helping establish and equip hungry men to plant the gospel across the city.
Kristine McLaughlin, RS BSN
As a registered nurse, my ministry is “Making Nursing a Tool for Church Planting.” I am working under the leadership of veteran Missionary Bob Mach in Bingerville, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Since our former clinic was placed under the direction of the city hall in 2010, we are now following the necessary steps in order to open an evangelistic clinic.
In addition, the Lord has used medicine to open up doors into our villages. The Ébrié (aye-bree-aye) villages have been traditionally closed to the Gospel. However, we have seen the Lord open these village doors through medical/evangelistic days. Villagers have trusted the Lord as their Savior, and we are now hosting village Bible studies. In January 2012, we began weekly village visitation. We are praying toward one day being able to hold church services in each of the villages.
Bill and Linda Parker
OUR STORY: Bill grew up in southern part of Arkansas, and Linda in South Louisiana (Cajun country). They both accepted Christ as Savior as children, and grew up in Christian homes. During their childhood and youth, they attended local churches and summer camps where they were greatly exposed to missions. They also both went to Bible Colleges but met later while they were serving in youth ministries in the New Orleans, LA area. They married in 1980, planning to go into full-time missions. During the first 12 years of marriage, they prepared for ministry by training and working in different capacities, also by serving in local churches in Arkansas and Texas. They sought God’s will for the “where” and “with what mission” they could be used with their combination of gifts and talents.
In 1988, they joined CAM International, and in 1992, they were at full support and headed to Costa Rica to study Spanish. In 1993, they moved to Honduras. They began working at the Honduran Bible Institute, in the areas of maintenance (Bill), and in music (Linda). Four years later, seeing the greater need — the 2/3 of the population being children and youth- God led them to start the Awana ministry there. The ministry grew along with work demands, so they partnered with Awana for another 6 years. Later they moved to Nicaragua to start a distribution center for the materials for clubs throughout Central America. With a national missionary and staff in place, they felt God calling them to South America where CAM was entering for the first time. They are presently living and working in administration and maintenance of a camp/retreat center “Mi Refugio”, where local and international groups frequent. They are currently “on loan” to SIM (Serving in Missions) which started this ongoing, multifaceted and growing ministry (buildings, continual construction and maintenance, groups, etc.).
OUR FAMILY: Benjamin, 29 yrs. old- married his Honduran sweetheart- Dixie Alvarez (2004). A mechanical engineer at Nav-Air in Lexington Park, MD, Ben and Dixie also serve in a Hispanic church. Kids: Zoe, age 4 & Tobin, 2 years, and Isaac, 1 year old. Lori Beth, 26, married her HPU sweetheart and Texan – David Kampfhenkel. Both graduated from HPU (Lori – drama /Spanish minor) David – major in music/missions minor) and working in his father’s business, but looking for work in those areas. Kids: Aria Anne, 10 months, another on the way. Matthew, 17, is still living at home and very involved in ministry as well. They continue to marvel at God’s miraculous healing in his life and rejoice that God is using him as he attends a very atheistic private school in Montevideo.
OUR MISSION: To develop and administer the retreat center–so that people of ALL ages can be nourished in the faith in an inviting, comfortable and safe environment in which to“come apart” to hear from God, to learn, to be renewed and motivated to go out and disciple others. Presently with CAM International, on loan to SIM (Serving in Missions).
OUR PASSION: To make disciples in Uruguay: by living out Christ’s love and God’s reality in an atheistic society – in our local community and those in our circle of influence.
Link to Bill & Linda’s web site: bparker@caminoglobal.org
Nicole Ravelo-Hoerson
Allain and Nicole are serving the Lord in multiethnic, multicultural and religiously plural South Africa. They are confronting a resistant people group with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through relational evangelism. They also help local churches to think about the issues that surround Islam in that society, so that they will be enabled to respond effectively to its challenge.
Allain is also reaching out to the French-speaking immigrant community. And Nicole counsels female victims of violence, and people involved in the Occult.