SALISBURY SNAPSHOTS DECEMBER 2023
SEND INTERNATIONAL
P.O. BOX 513
FARMINGTON, MI 48332
Dear Family, Friends, and Faithful Supporters,
Merry Christmas and God bless you all as we head into the Christmas season, although in the Philippines, we’ve been hearing the sounds & celebrating Christmas since September.
Family Update
We are looking forward to spending a few days with our son Jordan and his wife Joci, and our grand boys: Tobiah and Ezra up in the mountains of Baguio. They are enjoying their ministry in the Philippines. Our daughter Jana and her husband Nate live in Huntsville, Alabama with our three other grand children: Matthias, Theo and Evy. They are blessed by their church that they are involved in.
Exciting Change of Direction
For those of you who have not yet heard, this will probably be our last Christmas in the Philippines. Recently, God has confirmed to us a new call that will move us to retire mid spring from SEND International after more than 37 years and begin a new ministry as Discipleship Pastor at Allendale Baptist church in Western Michigan.
We are super excited about this new opportunity to serve the Lord in one of our long time supporting churches that we share a strong passionate vision!
We hope to connect with as many of you as possible as well as finish up some things with SEND in these next few months!
As you can imagine we have been undergoing a lot of transition with returning back to the Philippines as our base which has been crazy good and the to receive this call to move to turning over many new but exciting things! God has given us so many opportunities and we have been extremely busy. Donna has really enjoyed teaching first grade this last year and a half at Faith Academy, and is greatly loved by both students and staff. They have been extremely kindhearted so it has been bittersweet. Hard to say goodbye but very excited and confident about the new beginnings!
Ministry Update
We praise the Lord that Larry has had the opportunity to start church planting training networks!
In Thailand it has been in small ways of just helping encourage and make connections through our co-worker Khem. We have seen two groups of eight and six churches that are in the third and sixth month of a two year plan to start new churches. Please pray these Networks will continue and grow to see many (OBS) Outreach Bible Studies started and new churches planted.
And here in the Philippines, we have started two Church Planting networks, one of 12 churches and one of 16 churches. One of the networks is about halfway through and the other is 3/4 of the way through! Between the two networks we have seen over 500 people come to know the Lord and have over 100 outreach Bible studies. The exciting thing about these networks are that most of these new believers remain in weekly Bible studies, and are being discipled to be disciple makers. Many of these Bible studies will continue to multiply and will be gathered together to become new churches. We are praying and anticipating that by mid year next year, there will be at least 20 new churches.
All of these churches and networks foundations are built on sustainability and I have already phased out and have no doubts that most of them will continue by God’s grace and power to plant churches that will plant churches for years to come!
PLEASE PRAISE & PRAY WITH US:
Praises:
Good Heath
Faithful workers to continue God’s ministries.
House in Florida Sold
Available home for us in Allendale (Larry’s Uncle Franks place)
God’s obvious call & confirmation many times over to Allendale, MI
37 years of fruitful ministry with SEND International
For all of our faithful supporters, friends & family! Our Team!
Prayer:
For our last goodbyes and finishing well here in the Philippines!
For the two small CPT networks in Thailand to continue.
For the two Church Planting Training Networks in the Philippines (Pampanga/Bulacan) to continue to be effective and multiply!
Pray for the many new believers and Bible studies to grow spiritually and in numbers
Pray also that these Networks of churches will raise up and mobilize new church planting missionaries especially for the Unreached Buddhist & Muslims of Southeast Asia!
Pray for our move and transition of ministry from the tropics to Michigan. We leave the Philippines January 8th.
Pray for effective and speedy connection with our ministry team and ABC in Michigan. We really desire to hit the ground running. We are excited to see what God is going to do!
May God bless you this Christmas season as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.
Together We Serve,
Larry & Donna Salisbury