Dear Brethren,

Thank you for your prayers through the past few months.  In early September the Lord provided opportunity for the mission to be involved in two weeks of ministry in a limited access country of Southeast Asia.  This is the second time we have ministered in this nation of eighty three million souls.   Despite its laws which prohibit missionary activity, the Lord provided multiple opportunities for seeds of the gospel to be sown. 

On a Sunday morning in early October a GDMMissions team of nine met together at Boston and headed to the island of Yap in Micronesia for three weeks of ministry alongside missionary Paul Zimmer.  Our ministry team included Dr. Melanie Blackburn and her husband Brad from South Carolina, Nurse Grace Swanson and her husband Bill, from Minnesota, nurses Tracy Buotras, and Sarah Higgins.  This team was led by myself and Dr. Jack Mitchell accompanied by his faithful assistant Jennifer.  Our flight took us through Hawaii and on to Guam and Yap. 

It seems that from the very beginning Satan was at work trying to distract and discourage our efforts.  Shortly before departing the Swansons' lost a loved one, but due to the timing of the trip were unable to attend to the family as they would have liked.  Twelve hours into our trip I received word that Emily had been involved in an accident: thankfully Emily and kids were all fine even though the van was totaled. Upon arrival in Yap we found that our entire schedule would have to be shuffled around.  Then half way through the three weeks the Blackburns received word that one of their three young children who were left in the states was diagnosed with the H1N1 virus. 

In spite of these difficult circumstances God allowed us to participate in quite an exciting ministry.  On the “Big Island” of Yap (which isn’t that big, try to find it on Google maps), we worked in two churches and in a location targeted for a church plant.  Each of these ministries provided many opportunities for the gospel message to be shared and relationship to be solidified.   The most exciting time for me was our ministry on the outer island of Fais.  Fais, is a tiny speck of dirt (about 1 mile square) in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 140 miles from any other speck of dirt and 180 miles off the main island of Yap.  Missionary Paul Zimmer has had a burden to see a church started on this island for some time now.  These outer islands are generally off limits to outsiders, and foreigners such as our selves would need to secure an invitation from the island heads.  Medical and Dental services paved the way for the gospel in this instance.   One of the highlights of this trip was one evening service when half the island showed up at 7pm.  There about 130 people sat under the preaching of the gospel for more than two hours.  After dividing the men and the women, and explaining the gospel again, around 9:45pm six men prayed confessing and professing Christ before the other men of the island.  Missionary Paul Zimmer and Pastor Roland (a national) preached and shared the gospel clearly.  The medical staff had many opportunities to address the spiritual needs of their patients.  Much time was spent speaking with individuals one on one.  We praise the Lord for His grace in using us.   Satan’s discouragement, logistical nightmares, typhoon Lupit, flies almost as numerous as the plagues of Egypt, transportation, and equipment issues all made this a challenging trip.  We rejoice greatly in what God accomplished.  After Fais, we spent three days on Ulithy, also a small island where we also witnessed God at work.

After returning from Yap each of us where involved in different missions conferences at BJU, MBBC and ABC.  Please continue praying for us as we recuperate and regroup in preparation for next year’s very busy schedule beginning with Cameroon in January.

In His Grace,

Bryan & Emily Bell