David W and Teresa Bill

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Prayer Letter/Ministry Update

David Walter Bill (10/18/1954)
Teresa Lee (Graves) Bill (06/10/1955)

Jeremy James (11/21/1986)
Eric David (10/4/1989)
Chandra Graves (3/9/1993)

Congo

Testimonies and backgrounds:

David Walter BILL was the first born to Walter and Marjorie (nee Irvine) BILL October 18th, 1954.
He grew up in the McKeeport area of Pennsylvania.

His mother was saved first.
Dave prayed to receive Christ into his heart during a boy's Sunday school class, was baptized at age 12, but later realized he had never really repented of his sins and was not born again.
During this time his father repented and received Christ.
After great conviction for over a year, Dave repented and received Christ in April 1970 and was rebaptized.
His brother and sister received Christ shortly afterwards.

The Lord immediately began to lead him in prepartion for his life's ministries.
After several years of spiritual growth in church, Christian Service Brigade and summer forestry camps during high school and college at Penn State (McKeesport Campus), where he studied Environmental Resources Management, Dave began to hear God's call to eventually become a missionary.
"It's one thing to save the environment, but since God has given man domination over the creation, if the inner environment-man's heart is not changed, neither will any environment outside of his heart".

After the influence of missionary conferences at church, Dave transferred to Nyack College to prepare for missionary service.

While at Nyack, he was led to go to Gabon, Africa as a summer missionary in 1975.

After graduating from Nyack in 1978 with a bachelor'd degree in Social Science, he attended ASTM, then served as a youth pastor in Mendham, NJ, while finishing his Master's Degree at ATS in 1980.

Until 1985, Dave served as the assistant pastor in charge of outreach in McKeesport, was ordained in September 1982, where he also met Teresa, then was married August 20th, 1983.
Dave spent 2 more years, this time with Teresa, in McKeesport, before being sent to France and Gabon, Africa to begin their missionary career.

Dave has used his preparations in outdoor education all his life in ministries to help reach the unreached in some of the more remote areas of Gabon.

Dave's parents are active in the Murrysville Alliance church and actively support missions in the Alliance.
They have been once to France and thrice to Gabon for visits.

Teresa is the oldest of five children, born June 10th, 1955 to Richard and Athelen (nee Cooke) GRAVES in Stow, Ohio. Her parents divorsed while Teresa was young.

Because of an invitation to church, Sunday school and VBS by a neighbor, who faithfully brought her weekly, Teresa was saved.

Later during her high school years while attending the Stow Alliance Fellowhship, she rededicated her life to the Lord and her desire to serve the Lord in ministry increased.

After listening to a missionary at a conference, she responded to a call to service and went to Toccoa Falls College to begin training.

Teresa ministered with Alliance Youth Corps to the Cree Indians in Alberta, Canada during the summer of 1976.

Although Toccoa Falls College was devastated by a flood during her senior year, this didn't interfere with Teresa graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor's degree in Missions.

Teresa then worked part-time at an Alliance church in Baytown, TX while also working part-time in Houston.

She completed graduate school requirements at ATS in 1982 then ministered at the Crestmont Alliance church in Aliquippa, PA.

Dave & Teresa met at his ordination in 1982.
They were married in 1983, continuing to work at the McKeesport Alliance church till 1985 when they went to Albertville, France for language study.

They arrived in Port Gentil, Gabon, Africa October 2nd, 1986. One month later their first child, Jeremy was born.

The BILL family has served in Gabon Africa from 1986-2005.

Jeremy and Eric are presently attending Toccoa Falls College studying cross cultural ministries and playing varsity soccer.
Jeremy is graduating December 2009 and getting married to Melanie Miner an MK whose parents are C&MA missionaries in Bosnia home on assigment this year. The wedding is scheduled for January 9th, 2010 in Toccoa, Georgia.

Chandra is attending Dakar Academy, Senegal, and is in 10th grade.

Dave & Teresa have been reassigned to the Congo Republic having helped finish the missions church planting in Gabon.
They are spearhead a church planting and formational center effort to the northern parts of Congo through the Approved Special called Northern Congo Outreach.

Please e-mail us at: dave_bill@Kastanet.org or Teresa_bill@kastanet.org to request our newsletter entitled: Congo Current

Recent Newsletter Congo Current

Congo Current
October-November 2011
“A Miracle in the Making”
Prayer is powerful! In our last Congo Current we cited a situation described in the paragraph below:
For some time now we have experienced difficulties to say the least with our national, local leaders in the Ollombo church. Without going into details, I have done all to reconcile the situation, but alas, they have all left the church. We missionaries don’t like to write about things like this, but after refusing church discipline, they will now have to submit to God’s discipline.
Miraculously, and without warning, God turned this situation around and is, at least seemingly, at this time, turning our sorrow to surprise. The national church committee, hearing of our problem, came to Ollombo and brought us together to experience a difficult but rewarding turn of events. To make a long story short, instead of these leaders leaving, they made peace and reconciliation and now instead of one church, with me as pastor and them as leaders, we have three different ministry leaders and three ministry areas with me as overseer.
This works out much better for all, as each is freed to expand the kingdom according to his gifts and preferences and I am freed to oversee, teach them and promote their ministries as God gives me wisdom. They will all report to me, be taught regularly and I will control all funds and uses of them. This is freedom and interdependence at its best balance.
There is one wise condition imposed – that we develop this vision till New Years, and then evaluate its effectiveness. If it is found to be truly born of wisdom from on high, we will continue it and hopefully benefit the expansion of the kingdom in this Northern Congo area.
There is what the vision entails for your prayer consideration:
Celestin, my colleague will begin a new church plant on the more developed side of Ollombo, while Brice, one of the other leaders, will continue the development of the original Ollombo church on the more rural people’s side of town.
Darliche, the third leader will oversee our district village plants of Plantation, Mapeme and Kana as well as begin other church plants.
I will be called upon to help baptize, preach, serve communion, and teach seminars as needed while giving oversight to all of this until a national pastor can take my place.
Each leader will also ask help of each other as needed for their ministries.
We will meet monthly for reporting, accounting and regular formation times. We will, as well, try and meet occasionally for common celebrations such as Christmas or Easter, etc.
This stays in line with us doing ministry that is more reproducible, sustainable and culturally appropriate.
I’m still reeling in the seeming wisdom and effectiveness of this model. Of course much depends on the character and spiritual condition of each leader, but in this system of interdependence and freedom, with God’s help and direction, as overseer, I can help develop this, so please pray for me in my kind of bishop type role and PTL!

Celestin
Please pray for Celestin:
• As he continues directing his private school and staff as a ministry base and support financially for him
• As he seeks to begin a new cell group on this side of town
• As he takes on a secondary job for financial support
• As he continues helping me develop the Oyo property for a Rural Ministry Center
• As he continues helping me with the 7 Tee centers of: Ollombo, Oyo, Owando, Ewo, Gamboma, Djambala and Ngo
• As he turns the children’s ministries over to his wife, Jeanne with Teresa’s oversight till we leave for home assignment
• As he seeks periodically to make visits to conduct missionary conferences in our Brazzaville churches for mission support and awareness
Pray for Brice,
• As he continues to develop the original cell group of Ollombo which ministers to the people of a more rural mindset
• For his spiritual and biblical development as a leader
• For his support and testimony

Brice Darliche
Pray for Darliche:
• As he develops the Plantation, Kana and Mapeme rural cell group plants
• For his support, testimony and safety in his frequent travels
• For his spiritual and biblical development as a leader
Other October Occurrences:
After having left Congo and before beginning her missionary tour in the Spanish speaking churches of New York City, New Jersey and part of New England, Teresa visited our son Eric at TFC. Please also pray for her return trip as she passes through Dakar to visit and attend an Alliance Women’s seminar with our daughter Chandra before returning to Congo mid-November.
After having seen Teresa off, I stayed in Brazzaville to help in mission and mission-church leadership meetings which went rather well, even though they took place over a 6 day, no break period for most. This time also helped me avoid loneliness during Teresa’s absence. Please pray for me during this time that I don’t starve (just kidding) and that I use my time wisely.
Our Congo missionary leadership team:

Wyman Anne Sharon Ron Dave
TEE (Theological Education by Extension) started in Ngo with the course called, “How to Pray - Talking with God”. The six (6) other centers of Gamboma, Djambala, Ollombo, Oyo, Owando and Ewo will start in November. (See next section).
I lead the first of our month-end leaders’ sessions with Brice, Celestin and Darliche to collect their ministry reports, teach and coach them their first months of ministry in the new system described early in the letter.
November Items for your prayer consideration:
We will be teaching the following in the following centers November through January. Please pray for our preparations, travel and class sessions.
• Ewo – Following Jesus
• Owando – The Pastor and His Work
• Oyo – The Pentateuch
• Ollombo – The Christian Family
• Gamboma – The Christian Family
• Djambala – The Pastor and His Work
• Ngo – How to Pray – Talking with God
We’d like to take this time to welcome our new readers. The Congo Current is the monthly newsletter of Dave & Teresa BILL, C&MA missionaries to the Republic of Congo where we church plant and train leaders in the north-central part of the country in charge of 3 of the 9 provinces.
Each edition of Congo Current provides our prayer and support partners with information on what went on the past month and what to pray about the next month, thus the dual month designation.
The name, “Congo Current” was thought of as we were trying our best to keep family, friends, prayer partners and supporters current on what was happening in our lives and ministries while living in Brazzaville next to the currents of the Congo River that are constantly changing and moving along. With this in mind, we hope to keep you constantly current on what is happening in our lives and ministries.
We hope the letter provides you up to date and information for you to join us in living the call together and pushing back the darkness in this still dark continent!
Thank you for you prayer and support!
Photo of the month:

While Teresa has been on a mission tour in the USA, I’ve been serving myself just about every night from the street vendors selection of “surf and turf”, that is more like “swamp and coop” or catfish and chicken.
But every once in a while a real delicacy comes along!
John the Baptist ate locusts.
Can you guess what I’ve been eating that is chock full of protein?
Hint: You can sprinkle them on ice cream!
(By the way, I froze some for our guests who come over to help us).
I try to read a new book a month on the average, and this month highly recommend, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. I also re-read Warren W. Wiesbe’s book, “Integrity Crisis” which, if you haven’t read, is a must.
Please pray for Jeanne as she is expecting.
Our son Jeremy found a job at a kennel for wealthy dogs. While his wife Melanie nannies 3 kids, Jeremy “nannies” dogs. Melanie is expecting their first child (our first grandchild) in May 2012. Please pray they find a house or apartment soon.
Eric is high scorer in the TFC league soccer. Please pray for Eric as his plans after college may include heading up Envision for Gabon.
Chandra is faring well in her last year at Dakar Academy. Thank you for your prayers for her.
Thank you for your prayers for your children!
Dave & Teresa BILL

Celestin, Jeanne MAYALA and Clan
Please Support of our Ministry:
Your giving to the Great Commission Fund of the C&MA supports our family and ministry budget. Money can also be given to the Work of Dave & Teresa BILL for our church planting and special project needs related to our personal ministries. Checks can be made out to:
The C&MA
PO Box 35000
Colorado Springs, CO 80935-3500
Please indicate what your gift is for:
• Support of Dave & Teresa BILL (goes to GCF for all of our Alliance missionaries allowance, benefits, and ministry expenses)
• Work of Dave & Teresa BILL (used for special work projects by the Bills)
• Northern Congo Outreach – (used for our church planting here in Congo)
• Outfit of Dave & Teresa BILL (missionary personal items)
• Gift to Dave & Teresa Bill (not tax deductible; personal gift to the Bills)
You can also give online at:
http://www.cmalliance.org/worker/bill-davidw-teresa/
(Personal gifts cannot be given online).
By credit card: simply call 1-719-599-5999, ask for missionary accounting to contribute to any of our accounts.
Please visit the Congo website at: http://www.webmissions.net/cmacongo/index.html
Or directly to BILL’s ministry page at: http://www.webmissions.net/cmacongo/ollombo.html

Republic of the Congo

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