Gil and Denise Thomas
May 2022
We had a group of 37 at the Good Soil training in May made up of 14 missionaries, several pastors and mission leaders. Some of the participants (from the North American Mission Board, Grow 2 Serve, and Lancaster Bible College) were there especially to help us design an online course for the seminar. On Thursday and Friday we were busy evaluating and discussing how to create an online format that could retain the relational, interactive style that is Good Soil. We are excited about the progress and are eager to see this develop over the next several months. We had a special couple attend the class and stay in our home during the seminar. Tony and Mounira are Arabic speakers who will be helping us do some translation work, starting with The Story of Hope. It was a joy to getting to know them and their testimonies. In September we will be in the area where they live and we will be excited to see them again. Please be in prayer about these two important projects.
Special Prayer Request
During Denise’s cardiologist appointment in December, her new congenital heart doctor came into the room and said, “We need to think outside of the box”. She went on to explain that she was familiar with three major hospitals that are using a new procedure to deal for complicated aortic valve replacements which Denise needs. We are excited to be accepted at Cleveland Clinic, one of the aforementioned hospitals. Her appointment is Wednesday, May 25th. The morning will be filled with various tests and in the afternoon, we will first meet with a cardiologist and then a thoracic surgeon. This is an exciting week for us as our spring season of The Praise Him Singers will be culminating with two concerts. The first one will be on Thursday, the 19th, at which a guest group, “The Voices of Zambia,” will also sing. The second concert will be at 4:00 on Sunday, the 22nd, at ABWE’s International Headquarters. It is always a joy to sing praises to the Lord and encourage one another in one voice. If you are in the area, please join us. Upcoming events:
June 2-4 Good Soil Seminar at Baptist Missionary Association of America, Little Rock, AK
June 13-17 Essential Mission Components, Harrisburg, PA
June 20-24 Good Soil Roots of Faith OT course, Harrisburg, PA
We would especially appreciate your prayers for strength through the month of June. Denise has a lot to prepare for with two full weeks of trainings back-to-back. We look forward to reporting back on what God will do through these classes.