Nelson Newsletter – August 2012

Nelson Newsletter August 2012

Dear Friends, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14 What do you boast in? This verse, which we used to sing in our meetings years ago, reminds us that we should only boast in the cross of Christ. I have no other basis (achievement) which makes me pleasing to God, other than the work of our Lord on the cross. With that fact solidly in mind, we are free to live for Christ, His glory, and His purpose. Thank you for making it possible for us to spread the gospel of God’s grace here in America and around the world! We boast in the cross of Christ as we share our latest news!

Steve teaching about the church to students at LINC	Removing 100,000 Africanized bees!

LINC, St. Petersburg, Florida In July Danelle and I were invited to speak in St. Petersburg at LINC (Laborers Impacting Nations for Christ), a Great Commission Ministries training for college students. We went for a week, participated in prayer, evangelistic outreach on a local college campus, taught on the church, and spoke at the local church service on Friday night. Before we left Atlanta, Pastor Mark Trujillo asked if I would do a bee removal in his rental property. We discovered, after we opened the wall, that the bees were Africanized killer bees! Brandon and I were stung, along with many others in the neighborhood. But, we got the job done. Praise God! On our return trip we stopped in Gainesville, Florida to speak with some church leaders for three hours about starting house churches and making viral disciples. Pastor Matt Gordon invited us to help them. God blessed the time, and we enjoyed seeing their desire to reach the lost and grow.

Ukraine Danelle is going to Ukraine, October 1-9, to participate in a women’s conference. Kenyon Powers invited Danelle to come help with a women’s conference she organized. Danelle will also spend time with numerous women she discipled while we lived there. Please pray for her time to be fruitful!

Atlanta House Church Our house church has been growing in their love for the lost. Recently, we have been saying our testimonies to each other on Sundays, and now we are writing them to get them printed. One lady led her brother to Christ recently! Also, one young man will begin college at Emory University, and he wants to reach the lost and make disciples on his campus. He asked for our help, so we plan to go weekly to help him. Please pray for students to be saved. Our daughter, Grace, and her husband, Ward, plan to help us in this outreach too. Pray for our daughter Merry as she begins her new job with Habit for Humanity in Americus, Georgia at the end of this month.

 

Steve removing killer bees		Danelle evangelizing on a local college campus

 

Yours in Christ’s love,

 

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – June 2012

Dear Friends, thank you for your effective prayers for Tanzania! Our first week was spent at a school for orphans in southern Tanzania way out in the bush. There was no electricity or running water. We held Bible studies for the students, and 3-4 of them gave their lives to Christ at the end of the week!

Then we traveled to Mwanza, in northern Tanzania. We spent two entire days listening to the pastors describe their ministries and the challenges they face. We taught them and reminded them of God’s faithfulness and all sufficient grace. We drilled wells in two of their villages. We would drill the well and then share the gospel with the crowds which gathered to watch. Another 10-12 gave Christ their lives!

Some of the most encouraging results were with young Christian men like Detrick and Alfred, pictured below. They exhibited teachable hearts, and could be some of those we work with in the future to spread the gospel and make disciples across the country. Please pray for us to maintain communication, which is not easy. Another blessing was how our team became close as we loved and served one another, working hard drilling wells and preaching Christ. There are more pictures of the mission on our web site.

Detrick (goggles), Alfred (center), Lee( hat), Luke (far right)	Steve sharing the gospel after a day of well drilling

Prayer and Praise

1. Tanzania: Hundreds heard the gospel and about 15 gave their lives to Christ!
2. All had diarrhea, some got stung, others had infections & parasites, but nobody got hurt. Praise God!
3. Dozens of pastors and leaders were encouraged and trained. Pray for them to grow and reach the lost.
4. Two New Granddaughters: Danelle arrived in NY on May 16^th, just in time to help Julie deliver Emilia Dewey Newton. Amanda gave birth to Wilhelmina Hart Nelson on May 25^th. Thank God, all are healthy!
5. Danelle and I enjoyed the Great Commission Pastors-Wives conference June 18-20 in St. Louis. The fellowship was rich and the teaching challenging and refreshing to our faith. Thank you for your prayers!
6. July 15-21 Pray for Danelle and I as we teach students at LINK in St. Petersburg, FL. We will stop in Gainesville, FL on the 21^st to speak to some Gators who are interested in functioning as a house church.

 

Neanda, a Christian teacher at the orphan school
Our team taught & encouraged pastors and leaders for 2 days	Detrick (far right, in glasses) leading Bible study at the school
Some students I shared Christ with on the ferry	Carrie and Melinda leading women’s Bible study

 

Yours in Christ’s love, Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – May 2012

Dear Partners in the Gospel,

Danelle and I praise God for each of you! We are acutely aware of our dependence on your prayers and support. In this newsletter I will be highlighting prayer, especially since I am leaving May 16^th for Tanzania. Your intercession is invaluable for our success. “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” Psalm 127:1 Our team has been praying together every Wednesday morning at 6am because we know the Lord must save souls and build His church in Tanzania, because we can’t.

In this letter I also want to encourage you to “devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 Remember, we don’t have a separate “prayer life,” we have a relationship with Jesus Christ 24/7, and to have a healthy relationship with Him, we must “pray without ceasing.” God tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 to not be anxious about anything, but instead to pray about everything. Then He promises to guard our hearts and minds with His peace. Hallelujah!

Tanzania Why go to Tanzania? God opened the door to go to Tanzania and evangelize through a few nationals that Matt Gordon and the church in Gainesville, Florida know. These men share the same vision of starting a church planting movement in their country. We are going to work with them to find other men and women who also want to make disciples all across Tanzania, especially in the villages. The villages have had little opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ.

What will we do? We will spend the first week in the capital, Dar Es Salaam, teaching orphans in a Christian orphanage. Then we will travel to Mwanza to go to villages in that region. There we will drill wells and evangelize, seeking to make disciples who will start new churches. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” Matthew 28:19

Rehab Center Maxim and Sveta Bagdon recently invited me to speak at the rehab center in Canton, GA. I was impressed by their hunger for God. I spoke about relationships and used my book as a reference, leaving them copies to study. Please pray for these men and for Max and Sveta in this new ministry. (She was my first translator in 1994).Max invited me to teach them on a regular basis. We spoke a lot of Russian since they all had a Russian heritage!

Prayer Requests and Praise Report

1. Tanzania, May 16-June 10 Pray for God to prepare hearts, save many, raise up workers to take the gospel all over Tanzania. Pray for our health, safety, and unity. Pray for God’s wisdom and discernment.
2. Atlanta House Churches Pray for them to grow in Christ and reach out to others while we are gone.
3. New Granddaughters Pray for Danelle as she goes to NYC to help Julie with her new baby, due May 14^th, and then Amanda’s baby, due June 1^st. Pray for safe deliveries and healthy babies.
4. Timmy and Kenyon Praise God, they are both doing well after having their gall bladders removed!

Your partners on mission…Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – March 2012

Dear Friends in Ministry, Thank you for your prayers over the past month for all of our travels and service. Here is a brief report.

Student Conference In February Danelle and I enjoyed teaching singles and college students from the University of Florida about marriage. There were over one hundred enthusiastic young people who came. After each teaching, we had a time for questions, and then broke up into small groups for discussions to talk about practical application. We used the principles about relationships from Steve’s book, Secure In An Insecure World. The folks from Gator Christian Fellowship made us feel very welcome. Thank you!!

Latvia On February 17^th Danelle and I traveled to Kiev, Ukraine to work with our dear friends and missionaries, Timmy and Kenyon Powers for three weeks. The first week we went to Riga, Latvia for the first time. The young people there were eager to listen as we spoke about God’s desire to reach the lost world and make disciples through their lives. It was encouraging to us as well as we recounted how God challenged us in a similar way 38 years ago through Herschel Martindale. We challenged these Latvians to also follow Jesus Christ and fish for men, train them, and function as His body, the church. We also spoke of practical ways to spread the gospel using our testimonies. The very next week several of them told unbelievers how they were saved! Please pray for these two young couples (below) who are leading.

Alice &Andris Dekants, Danelle, Timmy & Kenyon		Marta, Amelija & Raimonds Logins

Odessa Trip We took the overnight train to Odessa and had an encouraging time with the people there. We were very encouraged by Gannadi and Leana and their family, seeing them grow in their personal walk with God, as well as the faith of their teenagers. We spent all day Sunday with the house church at Leana and Misha’s. We are always amazed at how people are drawn to them and are affected by them.

Rehab Center Maxim Nicolaev invited Danelle and I to speak at a meeting with all of the rehab centers in Kiev. There were about one hundred gathered to hear us speak about salvation and how to over-come addictions and sin. I shared God’s promise from Philippians, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” God began the work in them and He would complete it by His grace and Spirit. I encouraged them to rest and trust God with their lives, their all. Then, as Danelle shared her testimony, they hung on every word. Maxim thanked us several times and said he had never heard us speak with such clarity and influence. Praise God, it was all Him! It was so cold inside that we spoke with our heavy coats on, but the Holy Spirit warmed our hearts and bodies!

House Church Conference On March 30-31 we will go to Columbia to join in a house church conference with believers from Riverbend Community Church, as well as others from the southeast. We will seek God to make us more effective in lifestyle evangelism, and to see Ephesians 4:11-16 become more of a reality in our churches.

Family Update My mother fell last week and fractured a vertebra in her back. She was in a great deal of pain initially. Praise God, she is getting better! But it is difficult to walk and will take weeks to recover. On a positive note, both Julie and Amanda are doing well with their pregnancies. Please pray for them.

We visited our Beekeeper friend Nadia in Kiev

Prayer Requests

1. House Church Conference March 30-31. Pray for us to hear from God, encourage one another, and be doers of God’s word when it comes to loving the lost and serving the saints.

2. SE Leaders/Wives Meeting April 13-14 We will meet with pastor’s and their wives for two days of fellowship, encouragement and prayer. Pray for us to more effectively make disciples in our region.

3. Tanzania Mission For God to prepare our team and the nationals for this May 16-June 10 mission trip. Please pray for God to provide the finances necessary to go. Thank you all very much for your support!

4. Timmy and Kenyon Pray for their current health issues, and for leadership development in Ukraine.

5. Mom, Julie, and Amanda Pray for my mother’s recovery. Pray for Julie and Amanda’s pregnancies and deliveries in May and June respectively.

 

Grace and Peace from God our Father,

 

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – February 2012

Dear Ministry Partners,

Thank you for your special gifts at the end of last year and for your continued monthly support! Danelle and I are amazed at the team God has provided for us to be able to spread the gospel and make disciples. Because of your generosity and faithful giving, we have been able to continue in building God’s kingdom here in America and overseas. Here are some events that your partnership and prayers make possible.

Faithwalkers Conference God showed up at our annual Great Commission conference in Asheville, NC. There were over 800 eager learners who were inspired by the teachings and enjoyed the sweet fellowship with dear friends. I taught two seminars and participated in a round table discussion about overseas ministry and they all went very well. Thank you for praying!! Please follow this link to listen to any of the teachings: http://www.gccweb.org/conferences/faithwalkers/east/2011_teachings

Singles Conference Gator Christian Fellowship invited Danelle and I to lead a conference February 10-11 (This weekend!) for singles and students from the University of Florida. Our goal is to prepare these young people for marriage by teaching them how to be secure in God’s love. This security in God will enable them to make a wise decision about who they marry, and for all the right reasons. We will use material from Secure In An Insecure World and other Biblical principles for Christ-centered marriages.

Ukraine and Latvia We will fly to Ukraine February 17th for 3 weeks of ministry with Timmy and Kenyon Powers (in the photo). Please intercede for us as we help teach three conferences in Latvia, Kiev, and Odessa.

Family Update We have some exciting news! Our daughter Julie, and our daughter in law, Amanda, are both expecting little girls this spring! Please pray for everyone’s the health and safety. Here are other requests…

Prayer Requests

1. Singles Conference February 10-11 Pray for us to meet the needs, and for everyone to have a desire to please God and trust Him with their relationships.

2. Latvia and Ukraine. Pray for wisdom to discern their needs, and equip them to make disciples who will multiply throughout each country. Ask God to unite our hearts with our old Ukrainian and Latvian friends. Pray for an effective and encouraging time with the Powers and Hensons.

 

Yours in Christ’s unfailing love,

 

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – December 2011

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas! We hope that you are enjoying your Lord and Savior during this special time of the year. It is a challenge in America to not be distracted from our devotion to Christ with all the activities and busyness of the holidays. Paul wrote the Corinthians, “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3. The Amplified says, “that your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” We pray that you would be able to hear God’s voice when you read His word, love your family and friends, share the good news with the lost, and worship Jesus Christ without distraction!

Columbia House Church Conference Danelle and I helped lead a house church conference with Riverbend Community Church in September. There was a lot of enthusiasm to learn and make disciples in Columbia and throughout the Southeast. Just this week Danelle and I met with Robbie McAlister, Sarah Bedi, and Ray Vaughn to evaluate, plan and pray together for 2012 and how we can be a part of a church planting movement. Look for information about conferences next year which train and inspire us.

Giving Danelle and I thank you for your support! Many of you have stood with us for years. Some of you may wish to send a special year-end gift, and/or being to support us monthly. Please visit the GCM website www.gcmweb.org, or call the office, 407-671-9700 and they will help you. Thanks again!

Ukraine and Latvia in February In February Danelle and I plan to return to Europe and work alongside our good friends and missionaries, Timmy and Kenyon Powers. We plan to travel to Riga, Latvia and work with Andris Dekants and his new wife Alicia (left). They have a heart to reach their country with the gospel. Then we will also return to Odessa, Ukraine to encourage Gennady and Lena Grazdanken (right). We will be teaching the believers in each of these countries for several weeks.

Tanzania Mission in May Lee Gordon, from Gator Christian Fellowship in Gainesville, Florida, invited me to join him and a small team to go to Tanzania in May for three weeks. Our desire is to see a church planting movement started in the remote villages of Tanzania. I have been told there are very few churches in these remote areas, so I am excited to see how God will use us. We will also drill wells and minister in orphanages. We will need your prayer support and will send more information later.

Faithwalkers Conference Danelle, Merry and I will attend the Faithwalkers conference in Asheville again this year. I will be teaching seminars, one on house church and another on relationships, based on

the content of Secure In An Insecure World. BTW, you can order my book for Christmas gift from our web site, www.gcmnelson.com or as an e-book from Barnes and Noble, Amazon or I Tunes.

Housing Update Thank you for praying for us about this. God heard and provided an old house near my mother. It took six intense weeks of remodeling to get it ready to live in. We have been in our house for a week now, but it will still take a few weeks to finish unpacking and finish all the little things - like hanging light fixtures. We praise God that we will be settled, organized and better able to serve others. It is a huge emotional blessing for us to be at this point!

Prayer Requests

1. Faithwalkers Conference. Our teaching at Faithwalkers to minister to everyone’s needs and be a blessing. Pray for God to encourage all who attend. We would come away abiding in Christ and rejoicing in Him more consistently.
2. Latvia and Ukraine. Pray for wisdom to discern their needs and equip them to do the work of making disciples who will multiply throughout each country. Pray for an effective serving with the Powers
3. Tanzania Mission. Pray for our team to be united. Pray for us to have discernment to be fruitful in this culture. Pray for God to raise up many men and women of peace, teachable and filled with faith in God.
4. Please pray for the finances for Danelle and I to minister overseas and here in the Southeastern US.

 

Yours in Christ’s unfailing love,

 

Steve and Danelle

Nelson Newsletter – September 2011

Dear Friends,

Finally! There is a little chill in the air here in Atlanta and we are loving it! We are also excited about what God is doing here in the three house churches. One of our members recently went through an ordeal with her husband’s health. She said, “I think God brought you back just for me!” We continue to seek God, learning how to hear from Him through His word and His Spirit, minister to one another, and reach the lost.

Gospel Opportunities Recently, our son Scott, who is also in one of the house churches, gave a contractor a copy of Secure In An Insecure World. Today this man was working on my mother’s house and said he finds my book very interesting and useful. He told me he is on his fourth marriage and really needs help with relationships. Please pray for him to come to know Christ!

Columbia House Church Conference The weekend of September 30^th Danelle and I are going to South Carolina to help lead a house church conference with Riverbend Community Church, which has 3 house churches at this time. We are eager to see what Jesus Christ will do to build His church in practical ways.

Support Danelle and I greatly appreciate your support! As we continue to adjust to life back in the US, it greatly humbles us to know you have confidence in us. Your sacrifice for God motivates us to be people of integrity. Your gifts help us pay the bills so we can devote ourselves to serving people. They also build our faith in God and affirm we are doing His will. If you wish to send a special gift, and/or support us monthly, you can visit the GCM website www.gcmweb.org, or call the office, 407-671-9700.

Housing Update Waiting! Who likes to wait, and wait, and wait? Not me! Maybe you have been waiting on God for a new job, a spouse, children, or to change the heart of someone close to you. God has been teaching us to wait on Him to provide a house for us close to my mother, to enable us to be settled. It has been challenging to wait for months, and to look at hundreds of potential homes, especially when we already feel a little out of sorts living in the US. “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:31 God has given us grace to persevere and wait. We finally have a contract on a fixer-upper house just a few minutes from my mother. Praise God! Please pray we will close the middle of October and be in by Thanksgiving.

Prayer Requests

1. The believers in Atlanta to grow in love for Jesus, one another, and be faithful to share the gospel.
2. The conference in Columbia, SC. Sept 30-Oct 1. God would inspire, lead and meet the needs.
3. Our financial support increase to keep us going strong.
4. Getting settled in our home by Thanksgiving. There is much remodeling work to be done.
5. Multiply disciples and simple churches in Atlanta, South Carolina, and beyond. (Remind you of Buzz?)
6. We would like to return to Ukraine this winter to minister in Kiev and Odessa. Pray for God’s leading.

 

Yours in Christ’s love,

 

Steve and Danelle