UPDATE: Honduras well drilling project moves forward!

Our project to drill wells and build churches in two communities near Guaimaca, Honduras this year has taken a giant step forward.

The ministry with which we are partnering, BMDMI (Baptist Medical and Dental Missions International), is working to procure the title to a suitable piece of land being donated to the ministry by the community of La Heradura. The land is on the main road running through the community - certainly God has provided a very visible place on which to not only drill a well, but build a building in which to base His ministry to the surrounding area.

Sandy Cheves, who is leading the project in Honduras, has received a reasonable bid in the amount of $4,212 to run electrical power to the property. This includes all material and labor required to build an electrical service from the existing high voltage electrical power line located near the property to a 35’ pole and 25kw transformer to be located on the property.

This will provide the 120/240 volt power source for the electrical panel that will serve the well. It is also of sufficient capacity to provide electrical power to the church when it is built. In Honduras, it is necessary for the customer to provide the high voltage electrical service originating from a nearby power company line, and the transformer to reduce the voltage from 34KV to 120/240 volts.

This is the first major expenditure for the project and must be completed before the well is drilled, as electricity is essential for the well pump to operate. BMDMI awaits the funds before beginning the electrical project.

Please pray that the funds will be donated to move forward with the electrical service by the time the title to the land is procured. If you desire to assist by giving, you may give online by clicking on the red DONATE banner in the left column of this page, and making your donation to the "Honduras Well Drilling Project."

Feel free to contact us with any questions via email - jerry@worldreach.us, or phone - 678-753-3141.

To God be the glory, great things He is continuing to do in Honduras!

A personal prayer request for my upcoming surgery

WorldReach family, friends, and fellow born again believers in Jesus Christ, I have a personal request that needs prayer.

On Wednesday, 1 February 8:00am local time at St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, GA, I am schedule to have a 1" tumor removed from the left frontal lobe of my brain. While indications are good that it is not cancerous, there is no way to be certain until after it is removed. By God's grace, there were no other tumors found in my brain.

Please pray for my family, our church family, and me. God has placed me in the hands of the best neurosurgeon in Athens - Dr. Kimberly Walpert - so please pray for her, and all of the hospital staff that will be assisting her and attending to me while I am there. Also, pray for the total restoration of the right side facial, arm, and hand nerves that have experienced numbness as a result of the tumor. Last, please pray that He who dwells in me will be evident to those around me through all I do and say.

My son Blake will be providing updates via my Facebook page regrading the surgery and post-operative progress. You can friend me on Facebook at Jerry Haas. Blake will also send out Twitter feed updates on my Twitter account - @jerryhaas.

I know God is in control, but I also know God answers prayer. Please pray as the Lord leads. As He wills, I will soon be back mobilizing and equipping the church for global mission!

God bless - and stay focused on Jesus.

Registration for Daytona Bike Week Ministry moved up

The ministry with which we will be partnering in Daytona for sharing the gospel during Datona Bike Week has moved up the final day of registration, so we need to have our team finalized by Friday February 3rd - one week sooner than originally planned.

Information about this short-term mission opportunity may be accessed by clicking here. It will take you to the previous WorldReach blog post describing this mission opportunity.

By the way, you do not have to be a motorcyclist to participate - just a desire to share your faith in Jesus Christ with others.

If you have already made the decision to go, you may sign up by clicking here.

For more information, contact the WorldReach office toll free at 888-540-6534, or email admin@worldreach.us.

UPDATE: Well driling project in Honduras

WorldReach is leading the effort to drill four wells around the Guaimaca, Honduras campus of Baptist Medical and Dental Ministries International (BMDMI).

A couple of weeks ago Bro. Bill Ricketts (Pastor - Prince Avenue Baptist Church), Sky Pratt (College Pastor - Prince Avenue Baptist Church), David Shivar (Campus Chaplain - Prince Avenue Christian School), and I met with Bro. Sandy Cheves, the BMDMI missionary with whom we have been partnering for many years, to review all that needs to happen in order for the wells to be drilled, and develop a list of prayer needs for our WorldReach family and friends.

The communities where Sandy believes the wells should be drilled are already engaged by BMDMI in the village water ministry. This consists of periodically taking a 250 gallon water tank to the villages and distributing the water to the residents. Also, the gospel is already bearing fruit in these areas as there are born again believers who participate in the church planting ministry conducted through BMDMI.

But the task of drilling the wells is not as simple as the decision to do so and raising funds to accomplish it. The wells must be drilled on property owned by BMDMI in order to assure the water will continue to be available to the entire community, and the well maintained in working order. Likewise, the ongoing costs for maintaining and running the well (primarily electrical costs to run the pump), need provision. Fortunately, BMDMI already has a model for this to be accomplished by utilization of a community co-op.

The next step in moving forward with the wells is for the community to donate the land to BMDMI on which the wells will be drilled. Sandy believes this will not be a problem because of the great need for potable water in the communities. But it takes time to complete all of the necessary legal steps to get the community's agreement and to obtain title to the property. Also, there are costs associated with the property transfer; estimated by Sandy to be less than $1,000, but not yet confirmed.

Once the property is obtained, the well drilling equipment must then be scheduled with the Honduras Baptist Association for use on the projects. In addition to the cost of drilling the well using the Honduras Baptist drill and drilling personnel, there are the costs of the well casing, pump, and electrical hook ups. While Sand believes all of this will fall under our $5,000 estimated cost, he is working to further confirm it.

The actual dates for mission trips to drill the wells is dependent upon land procurement and drill equipment schedules - so we do not have any confirmed dates for the trips at this time. Rest assured, as soon as we can confirm trip dates, we will let you know.

Right now, we need you to pray for these specific needs as the Lord leads:

• That the communities look favorably on the offer to drill the wells and to donate the land for this purpose.
• That all legal issues will move along smoothly, quickly, and inexpensively.
• That the Honduras Baptist Association drilling equipment and personnel are available to drill the well (viewed to be much less expensive, and more dependable than hiring an outside contractor) on a timely basis.
  
• That the time line will allow us to drill the wells this year - raising the funds and sending the teams to assist.
• That Sandy will have the wisdom needed to work through all of the issues with which he will be confronted in Honduras as he leads the effort there.

Thanks again for your prayers and support. Please contact us with an questions or make comments by clicking below.

To receive WorldReach Twitter updates, follow @WorldReach.

Sign up for 2012 Daytona Bike Week Ministry!

Registration is now open for the 2012 Daytona Bike Week ministry. I will be leading the WorldReach mission team. The dates are Monday March 12 through Sunday March 18. While you may not be able to go for the entire time, the registration is flexible so that you can be there for any or all of these dates.

If you are going for the full seven days, we will plan on leaving Monday morning March 12 and driving to Daytona for arrival Monday afternoon. Our ministry dates will be Tuesday through Saturday, returning on Sunday March 18. We will be housed at First Baptist Church Daytona Beach.

Having participated in large event ministry at the past eight Olympics, I can testify to the way God moves in the most unusual ways at these most unusual events. You will be thoroughly trained to give your 3 minute salvation testimony, and in sharing the gospel.

Even if you have never shared your faith with anyone, you can do it in Daytona. The first person I ever led to Christ was at the 1996 Olympics. Since then I have personally shared my faith with thousands, and trained hundreds to do the same at large event ministries.

The total trip cost for this event is $175 (this is the pricing being charged by the ministry partner Daytona Bike Giveaway and is a flat rate regardless of the number of nights/days you will be staying). It includes the cost of housing, meals (breakfast and supper), and ministry materials. We will coordinate transportation using team member vehicles - or some may want to ride their motorcycles.

Registration closes February 10, as we will need to confirm our final team with the Daytona Bike Giveaway ministry by February 13 . This gives us time to pray, plan, and prepare so that we can be ready to complete the task to which we have been called in Daytona!

If you are interested in being part of the unique mission team at Daytona Bike Week, click here to register. If you have questions, please contact me via email at jerry@worldreach.us or via phone at 678-753-3141.

Bible Institute classes being offered on two evenings this semester

The Spring 2012 semester of the WorldReach Bible Institute begins next week. Wednesday evening classes hold the first class on January 4th; Monday evening classes on January 9th.

All classes meet on the campus of Prince Avenue Christian School, located at the intersection of Ruth Jackson Rd. and Hwy 78 in Bogart, Georgia. Click here for map.

Course offered during the Spring 2012 semester are as follows:

• Wednesday - Old Testament Survey; Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation
• Monday - Personal Spiritual Life; Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation; Teaching Biblical Messages (prerequisites required).

The semester is 17 weeks in duration with a mid-term break. Wednesday classes meet 6:15-7:45pm; Monday 6:00-8:00pm.

On-line registration is available here. Look for the registrations designated "(WBI Course)." Registration will be available on site during the first two classes in Room 201 of Prince Avenue Christian School, located on the Upper School Hallway at the side of the school facing the football field.

Tuition is $60 per course, and includes the cost of the course guide book. If this is your first time enrolling in WorldReach Bible Institute you will also receive the study Bible that is used as the central text with all of our courses.

WorldReach Bible Institute was established in January 2007. Currently there are six campuses in six countries, with a seventh campus (second campus in Peru) opening in March 2012. WorldReach Bible Institute is a conservative, evangelical Christian Bible institute.

For more information, visit the WorldReach Bible Institute web site at www.wbionline.us, or contact Jerry Haas: mobile 678-753-3140, email jerry@worldreach.us.

The urgent need for biblical literacy

Thought our WorldReach family and friends would be interested to know that what we at WorldReach recognized five years ago is now being confirmed by others. WorldReach Bible Institute was founded in order to combat biblical illiteracy. We held our first class - Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation - in January 2007.

Along comes Ed Stetzer, Vice President of research and ministry development at LifeWay Christian Resources, with an article in Baptist Press today that states, "Churches today face some big challenges. One of the greatest is the evangelical angst occurring in North America. Evangelicals in our country are just not sure of who they are or where they're going . . . Perhaps what evangelicals need most right now is a strategy for biblical literacy." (Full article here.)

WorldReach has that strategy and has established Bible institute campuses in six countries. One is in the Athens/Bogart, GA area. For more information on how you can join the fight against biblical illiteracy, check out the course offerings coming up in our Spring 2012 semester at www.wbionline.us.