“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” (I Peter 1:6-7)
The Lord continues to offer opportunities for supplying Scriptures for new churches around the world. God has also continued to provide the funds for publishing the Word of God. He must be concerned about providing believers with a copy of His eternal Word. The need is so great!
This month, B.E.S.T. provided 6,000 Scriptures for a group of 9 missionaries from Longview Baptist Temple going to Mozambique to establish a new Baptist church. Our prayers are with these men to be able to preach the Gospel to those Portuguese-speaking people in South Africa. We praise God for the opportunity to provide Scriptures in their language and to help spread the Gospel around the world. B.E.S.T. could not be doing the work it does without those who faithfully pray and give. Only Heaven will reveal all the eternal things that God has allowed us to be a part of.
We are thankful for your faithfulness to pray for our health. For the past year, I have had a lot of pain in my lower back and legs. Over the last six months, four different doctors have each ordered an MRI trying to find the problem. I had surgery on my upper spine in March, and I am now looking at possible back surgery. I’ve had injections in my lower back, which brings relief and allows me to continue to travel on a limited basis. I am meeting with a neurologist in July. Hopefully, he can pinpoint the problem.
My wife is doing fine on dialysis. She is on the kidney transplant list and is in the process of doing all the necessary testing to be qualified. Thank you for your prayers.
I do not understand why the Lord has slowed down our pace, but I do know that God is in control, and He knows what is best. After 52 years of salvation and service, it is difficult to accept that at age 70, my body is slowing down.
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This month, Dr. Curtis Hall and two of his daughters are in Thailand representing B.E.S.T. in Southeast Asia. (This is the first time I’ve not been able to travel with him.) Dr. Hall will be checking on the Bible Distribution Center and visiting local churches and national pastors in Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia. He was able to set in motion some new projects with our printer in Northern Thailand. He also purchased Bibles in three different languages for existing churches in Southeast Asia. What a blessing to be able to provide the Word of God for Bible-less believers around the world!
Please pray for funds to be raised to pay for Thai and Burmese Bibles that are already printed and stored in the B.E.A.M.S. warehouse in Gulfport, Mississippi. Funds are already available for shipping them to Bangkok, which will be our 23rd container. Thank you, First Baptist Church of Hammond, for giving a special offering for this project.
B.E.S.T. Missions has been in existence for several years, but we’ve never held a conference to help promote the work. We have decided to have our 1st Annual B.E.S.T. Missions Conference to challenge churches to be involved in publishing the Word of God. Enclosed is a flyer with information about the time and place. Let me encourage you to attend this meeting. Our main goal is to get churches involved in providing Scriptures for people who have never seen a copy of God’s Word in their own language. Truly the need is great! If you cannot attend, maybe you would challenge your church to take an offering for printing, shipping, and distributing the Word of God around the world.
Thank you for all you do for the cause of Christ. Thank you for your prayers, and thanks to those who faithfully support us with your financial gifts.
“Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (II Thessalonians 1:2)
Into all the world,
Bob Bowen
Philippians 4:13