Krepps Update 9/14/2002

Greetings from the Krepps!  We wanted to give you an update on our lives and ministry over the past few months.  We trust God is blessing you and we would love to hear from you.

TRANSITIONS – As you probably know, we made a huge career change this summer.  After much prayer and seeking the Lord we decided to leave Campus Crusade staff (after serving in the campus ministry for 26 years) and to affiliate with New Mission Systems International.  It has been a good but not an easy transition.  It has been a big step of faith, a big challenge, and we are learning a lot.  We are very glad we made this move.  We are still in the process of transitioning our support team and developing additional prayer and financial support needed for our work with NMSI.  So far we have received commitments for about 45% of our monthly needs.

Even though we are still raising support we have already begun our work with NMSI.  We are now heading NMSI’s Spiritual Formation Division, which exists to stimulate continued growth in Christ and to maintain NMSI’s focus on Christ.  Some of our responsibilities include writing a weekly in-house devotional for missionaries (Anyone can subscribe to the email version by emailing me and asking to receive it.), planning and participating in field retreats around the world, correspondence with missionaries on the field, visiting missionaries on the field to encourage them, crisis care of missionaries and their families when needed, providing and developing resources to help missionaries grow spiritually, and much more.  Our first major overseas trip is to Myanmar ( Burma ), we leave in less than 3 weeks.

NEW MISSION SYSTEMS INTL – has 66 staff and missionaries and ministries in about 20 countries.  We facilitate the planting and maturing of churches, particularly in those hard to access area of the world.  Here are a few examples of the global ministries NMSI has:  We are administering famine relief in Zimbabwe and Malawi, church planting in Malawi, pioneer evangelism to Buddhists in Myanmar, HIV/Aids orphan ministry in Kenya, tribal outreach in the Middle East, Muslim and gypsy outreaches in Bulgaria, church planting in Germany, outreach to high school students in Honduras, etc… We have been very impressed with the people serving with NMSI, they have amazing hearts for the Lord and for people.  It is a privilege to work and serve along side them.

FAMILY – Bob has been helping teach an adult Sunday school class at church on the Gospel of Matthew.  Anne has been helping with children’s church and helping teach in the pre-school.  We are also involved in a couples group at church.  James is in his second year at the University of Arizona majoring in History and Education.  He is very involved in ministry on campus and is part of a great church near campus.  Michael is a High School junior.  He is on the cross-country and track team (the team’s top distance runner) and very involved in church youth group.  The highlight of Michael’s summer was a mission trip to Honduras .  Matthew is an 8th grader.  He is also very active in youth group, a church mid-high singing group, track and band (drums).  Matthew is going with us to Myanmar and is really excited about going.  Our lives are full!  We are thankful for the way God continues to work in and through our family.

PRAYER REQUESTS – Pray for our trip to Myanmar (Oct. 5 – 21) that it will be a fruitful time of ministry, for safe travel and for Michael & James as we are away from home.  Pray that the additional financial support we need will provided, including some still needed for the Myanmar trip.  Pray for our spiritual growth and protection.   We have all been in great health all summer, pray that that will continue.  Thanks!  You are greatly appreciated.  Let us know of anything specific that we can pray for you about and we will definitely pray.

Have a wonderful day, blessed richly by the Lord.

Bob & Anne Krepps