December 2009 Prayer Letter

We are blessed….


Greetings in Jesus,

I love this time of year….the lights, the music, the decorating and especially the chance of snow, but the one thing that I love the most is the celebration of our Savior’s birth. God has been so good to our family and to Good News Mission over the last year. He has blessed in ways that have left me speechless one moment and in tears the next. Here is a glimpse of what God has been doing.

In October we had an Halloween outreach in which we served food and had carnival type games. My ladies ran the games and we had about 60+ kids and adults to participate in the different activities. We also had our first girls cooking class. We had 12 girls to attend and we made and decorated cupcakes. The girls were so excited and had such a good time. In November we had another girls cooking class and we expanded our menu a little bit. We fixed pizzas using hamburger buns and we made dirt cake…this has definitely been a big hit… even with the boys. The boys wanted to have a cooking class as well and so we had our first boys cooking class the middle of November. Who would have thought that just a simple thing as a cooking class would be such a big hit with all the children. I think the big attraction is getting out of the house, eating and being with people who care about them and who will listen and pray with them. We are still doing the women’s cooking classes once a month and brainstorming about different service projects that the Mission can do. These ladies are such sweet blessings and it is neat to see how God is using them for His service and glory. They have such servants hearts and want to be a blessing to others. I love to see their eagerness and see how God is working in their lives. Upcoming events that the Mission will be having in December is our annual Holiday Meal on December 13th from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM. We will be asking local churches and organizations to help with certain parts of the meal. The ladies will be helping to serve, decorate and do whatever else needs doing. If you would like to come and volunteer or donate things please let us know. We can always use the help and it would be greatly appreciated and such a blessing.

Our family has been doing ok. We have had a bout with the H1N1 virus that knocked us out for over a week. We all came through that OK. Tim was the only one who didn’t have it and he was a great nurse. Joshua is still doing his therapies and is doing great in home schooling. He is getting so big and we can see big improvements in his behaviors and attitudes. John Allen is your typical teenager with the attitudes and mouthiness that comes with it. I am not liking this stage of parenting to much….LOL….but he has his good days. He is such a good big brother and such a blessing to his parents. Jacob is another story…please be in prayer for Jacob. We have to go to Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN to see a pediatric neurologist on January 29th. Jacob has had some major changes in his behaviors and we had an MRI that showed some asymmetrical abnormalities. Our doctors have said that it is not a tumor or cancer but would feel better if a specialist checked it out. Our doctors are thinking that maybe Jacob has Asperger’s like our other son Joshua. Please be in prayer for us. We are going to have Jacob tested at the Centers of Development for occupational, behavior and speech. We have started the paper work for testing and it looks to be a long process. This road is a familiar, long and challenging one and we ask that you please be in prayer for us that God would guide and direct our steps in every move we make.

We want to thank each of you for being such a sweet encouragement and blessing to our family. We are honored to be co laborers with you in this God centered ministry. God is doing great and mighty things and He is blessing ALL efforts being made on behalf of this special ministry. May God bless you in ALL that you do for His glory and for His kingdom.

In Christ,



Sarah & Tim Tinkel



Sarah & Tim Tinkel BCM Intl.
829 Hi Tech Drive 309 Colonial Drive
Livingston, TN 38570 PO Box 240
1-931-9320 Akron, PA 17501
Set1993@gmail.com bcmintl.org
Tink38570@yahoo.com 1-888-bcmintl
Account #0642

Please make checks payable to BCM Intl. and on a separate piece of paper put our account number and that it is for Tim and Sarah Tinkel‘s support. Please do not put anything on the memo line.

Prayer Request:
1. Our support…this is a serious concern to us
2. Jacob and his doctor’s appt. on January 29th
3. Our children John Allen, Joshua and Jacob
4. Good News Mission and its various ministries

Praises:
1. God’s blessings
2. Our prayer and financial supporters
3. Our children and the growth that we are seeing
4. Good News Mission

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Fall 2009 Prayer Letter
Mood:  a-ok
By faith Abel…,By faith Enoch…, By faith Noah…, By faith Abraham…, By faith Sarah…, By faith Moses…
Hebrews 11:4,5,7,8,11,23


Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…
Hebrews 12:1-2

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus,

Wow…how time is flying by…all the colors of Fall that will soon usher in Winter. I love this time of year…I love the changing of seasons period. A lot has been going on with us and I would love to share my heart with you at what all God is doing. First of all back in September we went to our mission’s (BCM) annual conference in Spring City, PA. The kids loved it and the time spent with fellow missionaries was such a refreshing time for us. Tim was able to attend workshops on new teaching materials that are available and I was able to glean from other missionary moms encouragement and direction concerning children and ministry. Next we headed to New Jersey to visit Tim’s sister and mom. We had a good time and we were able to go into Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross’ house, Ben Franklin’s grave etc. We even got to see the steps that Sylvester Stallone ran up in Rocky and the Rocky statue. Of course this meant nothing to my children but it was exciting to Tim, my mother and me. The end of September our Regional Director and his wife came to visit for a weekend. This happened to fall on a night that my women’s cooking class was in session. My ladies wanted to be servants and bless Ken & Faith by having a good meal ready for them when they came. How precious my ladies are!! They were able to participate in ministering and being such a blessing in the process.

In October we had a work crew to come in from Columbus, GA. Three gentleman, Tim Remaly, Pastor Don and Richard, came and painted the Mission and our house…one of the guys, Tim Remaly, who at one time was a chef in France, found time to cook all the people of the Mission what I call a gourmet meal. Wow… it was so good and the fellowship was sweet. Pastor Don, brought his guitar and lead in praise and worship…and Richard shared his heart about God breaking his stronghold of drug and alcohol abuse. Precious blessings Royce and Virginia Harris came and painted, built a garbage bin, cleaned the nursery and other outside jobs. The week was such a precious week. My ladies came and we made sure that all the workers were fed and spoiled with good food and especially desserts. We thank all these precious men and women who spent a week helping us and giving Good News Mission a much needed face lift. There is still much work to be done and we ask that you be in prayer with us for the funds to complete what needs to be done.

Our family has been going through some discouraging struggles in the last month. In the last three months we have had two supporters who have had to drop us. Our support is getting to a dangerous level that Tim and I are trying not to panic and try to “fix” it as we humans are so known at doing. We believe that God has called us to the ministry of working with the low income people, Bible clubs, and different women’s and children’s ministries of Livingston and surrounding areas and running Good News Mission. We feel that God is not wanting us to go out and get jobs to supplement our income. In order for us to be effective in our ministry we need to not have this worry of low support. We ask that you please commit…really commit to lift us up in prayer that God would open doors of opportunity of ways for us to raise our support. Please commit to prayer at what maybe YOU could do. If we could get 20 people or churches to pledge $20 a month we would have reached the goal at what BCM is requiring for us. No matter what we will be faithful to the ministry God has called us…God is faithful and He will do it.

In the last few months our youngest child, Jacob, has had some extreme behavior changes. We took him to our doctor who order a round of blood, urine and MRI test. The blood and urine came back normal but the MRI came back abnormal. They are trying to get us in at Vanderbilt in Nashville to see a pediatric neurologist. Our doctors have told us that they are sure it is not cancer or a tumor but that there are asymmetrical abnormalities that have showed up. The probability is that it is nothing to worry about but anytime you have to go to a specialist at Vanderbilt it can be overwhelming and scary. Please pray for us and for the doctors for wisdom and discernment.

Our other two children, John Allen and Joshua, are doing good. We are all actively involved in Community Bible Study (CBS), the kids and I go into Cookeville on Thursday mornings for CBS and Tim does CBS on Wednesday night. I go to a ladies Bible study on Thursday night and Tim goes to Men’s Fraternity at our attending church early Thursday mornings. Thursday seems to be our busiest day except for Sundays and Tuesdays our days of ministry held at the Mission.

We thank you so much for the blessings that each of you are to us. When I think about and see what God is doing not only in our different ministries but what He is doing in our family…I cry at God’s grace so abundantly given. We are so blessed and honored to have you co-laboring with us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for ALL that you do to further His kingdom for His glory and for allowing us to be a part of it.

In His Service,





Tim & Sarah Tinkel                BCM Intl.
829 Hi Tech Drive                309 Colonial Drive
Livingston, TN  38570            PO Box 249
931-823-9320                Akron, PA  17501
Tink38570@yahoo.com (Tim)            1-888-226-4685
Set1993@gmail.com (Sarah)            bcmintl.org
Acct. #0642


When sending in support make checks payable to BCM intl. On a separate sheet of paper put apply to Tim and Sarah Tinkel support account #0642.

End of Summer Prayer Letter
Mood:  a-ok
How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NLT)


It is so hard to believe that summer is over! God has blessed so abundantly and we give Him praise glory and honor.

Summer has officially ended and now it is time to home school. John Allen is in 7th grade this year and Joshua is in 1st grade. We will be doing some pre-k work with Jacob as he likes to be involved with  “school” work as well. He thinks that whatever his older brothers do he has to do to. Oh to be the parents of 3 rambunctious boys…it is so exciting and some times frustrating, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Upcoming events for our family are: Joshua will be playing upward flag football. He is so excited and all he has been talking about is going thru the tunnel as Jeremy announces his name. Thank you Jeremy for being so patient and good to our Joshua… he thinks the world of you. Joshua will also start his speech therapy again once the public schools get started and he will continue with his OT/PT therapies. We have had to increase Joshua’s meds and we can see a marked improvement in his behaviors. Joshua’s reading has really taken off but he is having problems in math. Please pray that we can find the right method of teaching him and that it will stick. Joshua is easily frustrated when he doesn’t get a concept and has a hard time staying on task or getting back on task. John Allen will continue his shooting. It is still the off season but John Allen has been practicing in order to improve his scores from last year and hopes to go back to Internationals in Bowling Green, KY. John Allen turned 13 years old in July. My teenager who is no longer a boy. He is growing so fast. Please be in prayer for him as he enters this new stage in his life where hormones are going out of whack and emotions are at a high. Jacob our very rambunctious 3 year old is into everything. It tickles Tim and I at how his speech has taken off. The conversations that we have are precious and we cherish them. He follows his brothers around and is the typical little brother that tries to do everything that his big brothers do. He is aggravating, a pest and is very much loved and watched over by his big brothers. Tim and I are taking a deep breath and getting ready to start up our regular ministries. I will be starting back up my women’s cooking, game and craft classes. My ladies have been such a blessing over the summer. They jumped right in and got involved with ministry of Day Camp. They helped in all areas except for teaching the Bible. They were a joy and Tim and I greatly appreciated all their help and encouragement over the summer. We were able to meet new families and be able to help out in different areas of their lives. Please pray for the children and families we ministered to this summer. Pray for their spiritual condition and for opportunities for us to help them as we are able. In September Tim will be starting up his Bible Clubs. We will again this year provide a meal during this time. Please pray that we will be able to get some much needed supplies, support and donations for Good News Mission. If you would like to help in this area please let me and Tim know. Any money that comes in for Good News Mission (GNM) goes directly into operating cost. Tim and I do not get paid by GNM. Our support is completely separate.

Another area that we are expanding in the upcoming school year is tutoring. We have found that the local children have a very hard time in school….some of them can barely read. At the end of last school year we had started tutoring as needed. This year we will get actively involved in the family unit in hopes of breaking the generational legacy of non readers and being unable to excel academically. Please be in prayer with us that this ministry will be a great help not only to the children but to the parents as well.

August 30th - September 4th is our mission’s, BCM Intl., annual Missions conference. This year, for the first time, BCM will be doing a teen’s missions conference. While the adults and younger children are in their workshops and Bible classes the teens will be in theirs. John Allen has become so excited as on July 22nd he entered that new phase of teenager. Please pray that we will be able to get the remaining cost of conference and the necessary funds to get there and back. The cost of conference for our family is around $385 and right now we have over half.  If you would like to help in this regard it would be greatly appreciated and such a blessing. We get such encouragement, refreshment and joy in the different workshops, Bible studies, worship and share times. We love talking with fellow missionaries and listening to what God is doing in other parts of the world and rejoicing with them at answered prayers.

We thank you so much for your faithfulness and willingness to be prayer warriors, financial supporters and encouragers. At times it gets so tiring and frustrating, but then God blesses by a card, a phone call of encouragement, a hug of gratitude etc. We are so blessed beyond measure to have you on board with us. May God richly bless you above and beyond your expectations.


In His Grip,



Sarah and Tim





Tim & Sarah Tinkel                BCM Intl.
829 Hi Tech Drive                309 Colonial Drive
Livingston, TN  38570                P.O. Box 249
931-823-9320                    Akron, PA  17501
931-823-6513                    1-888-bcmintl
Tink38570@yahoo.com            bcmintl.org
Account #0642

Summer 2009 Prayer Letter
Mood:  a-ok
“Clearly you are a God who works behind the scenes.”  Isaiah 45:14 (The Message)
“Come and see what God has done, how awesome his work’s in man’s behalf” Ps. 66:5


Greetings in Jesus,

Wow! How time is flying by! This summer has been such a busy one. To start off the summer we had a week long day camp in which we averaged close to 40 children and adults. My ladies were so excited to have a part in the ministry. They had a part in the game time, verse time and tried to do songs. They have especially enjoyed the water days with the shaving cream and water balloon fights and the water slide. Some of the ladies even experimented with some of the activities and tested them out before the children… LOL.. The following weeks thru July we are doing day camps two days a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). The kids are having such a good time along with the adults. If you will go to our face book pages you will see different albums full of pictures of our camps.

The end of June we had a fund raising yard sale in order to raise money for our summer ministries. The Mission has been unable to fund the day camps and so Tim and I have done, financially, what we could and with the help of the yard sale we have been able to buy some much needed supplies and other items for the day camps. We still need more supplies and if you would like to help by donating supplies or taking up a special love offering for the Mission’s expenses please let us know. All help would be GREATLY appreciated and considered such a sweet blessing.

The 4th of July weekend we headed to Bowling Green, KY for John Allen to compete in the International BB gun competition. John Allen did such a great job! He scored a 440 out of a possible 500 and his team, the Bend of the River Possums, placed 9th in the nation out of 42 teams! God blessed in such a mighty way John Allen’s hard work and the rests of the teams efforts. Joshua has been doing ok. He goes to OT/PT therapy once a week. Please be in prayer for Joshua… he has been having some major melt downs here lately. We have consulted with the doctor and we have decided to increase his meds to see it that will make a difference. So far it seems to be working… please pray for wisdom and discernment for Tim and I as we try to figure out the best course of action for him. Jacob is a very active 3 year old. He loves being outside playing with his brothers and the other children. On the days we have water day at day camp Jacob becomes our little “helper” in setting up the different stations. Of course he gets to “test” out the different stations and the water slide is his favorite and he tests it over and over and over again to make sure that it is working properly!

We have a young man, Matt, who has come to stay with us this summer through August. He wants to get an idea about different ministries. He is searching the Lord’s will for his life and we ask that you please hold him up in prayer. Pray that God would be with Matt in a mighty way and that God would use him for His glory.

The end of August first of September we will be going to PA to our mission’s (BCM Intl.) annual conference. This is a time of refreshment and a time of getting with other missionaries from different parts of the world to pray and rejoice at what God is doing. This year at conference they are offering a special teen program. John Allen is excited at the prospect of having his own program/conference. It is almost like a graduation to him in which he is leaving the childish things behind and moving on to more grownup things. We have had some precious blessings who have pledged to help out with the cost of conference this year. If you would like to be a blessing by helping with the cost of conference or with the cost of gas/trip there and back, please let us know or send checks made payable to BCM and on a separate piece of paper state that you would like for it to go toward the cost of conference or support. Our kids love going to conference and any help will be greatly appreciated and considered such a great blessing.

We would like to thank each of you for all that you do on our behalf. We are blessed by your faithfulness in co laboring with us in this special ministry that God has called us to. We ask that you please continue to pray for our family and our ministries. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for Tim and me as we minister to our children. We have had some challenges with them, with John Allen turning 13 in July and the hormones and emotions that come with that, Joshua with his special needs that come with his Asperger’s/ADHD and Jacob who is starting to imitate some of Joshua’s bad behaviors, at times it gets a little overwhelming and frustrating. Please pray for our support. We gain and lose some and can’t seem to keep a steady flow. I know it seems that we are always asking for an increase, but BCM has set a goal of $2000 a month for the year 2009 and we are about $300 short of that goal. Although we are only $300 short, we are way below the amount that BCM has set for a family of 5. There will be a new goal for 2010 and we desperately covet your prayers. We are trying to be faithful in doing what BCM has asked us to do and it has become a frustrating challenge. Please pray for more opportunities for us to share our passion and hearts desire for this ministry that God has called us to. I know that God is faithful and that He is with us and that nothing touches us that it doesn’t go through His hands first. Pray that we can keep our eyes on Him when times get frustrating and disheartening. His grace is sufficient during this season in our lives. We love you all and pray God’s special blessings on each of you.

Hearts greatly blessed,


Sarah & Tim Tinkel


Sarah & Tim Tinkel                                     BCM Intl.
829 Hi Tech Drive                                      309 Colonial Drive                
Livingston, TN  38570                                PO Box 249
(931)823-6513 or (931)823-9320             Akron, PA  17501-0249
Tink38570@yahoo.com                              bcmintl.org.org
Set1993@gmail.com                                  1-888-226-4685
angel fire.com/tink38570/families again    Account #0642




For those of you who would like to make a donation to Good News Mission in its operating expenses you may do so by making checks payable to:

Good News Mission
C/O Virginia Harris
108 W. Court Square
Livingston, TN  38570
931-823-9320

Spring 2009 Prayer Letter
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21


Greetings in Jesus,

God is so good and faithful!!! A few weeks ago God laid this verse on my heart to share with my ladies at Good News Mission. My ladies are so precious and each one has a unique gift that God has given her, gifts that they don’t realize that they have. Whether it is the gift of serving, encouragement, companionship, listening, creativity, works, music…there is such a wide assortment. A lot of times my ladies don’t realize what a blessing they are and I wanted them to see what I see…but most importantly what God sees. They are like sponges that soak up God’s word and are learning how to apply it and how it applies to them. I love to see how they light up when they get a concept and how they want to stay after class to discuss it further. I was trying to tell them that the little and big things they do like giving their neighbor a can of soup, toilet paper  (and not expecting them to return the favor at some later date), helping each other, sitting in on Tim’s Bible club and helping with crowd control, help serving a meal to the children after Bible club and on Sundays….they are laying up for themselves treasures in Heaven, the kind of treasures that make a difference in eternity.

Good News Mission has been a bee hive of activity over the last several months. The women’s cooking class has been such a joy and huge success! We are at the point now that the ladies are bringing in recipes that they want to try. There have been some successes and some failures….it has been fun either way. We have grown close in our different relationships with each other. It is neat to see how we all look out for each other and how we keep in contact with each other throughout the week. I have been so blessed through the cooking class and to see the inner beauty of these precious blessings….I wished that others could see what I see. The cooking class has lead into various other get togethers. We are now doing craft days, movie days, and game days throughout the month. Each of us bring a snack to share and have a great time. We have also started walking just about every day depending on the weather. There are quite a few of us who need to lose a few extra pounds! In Bible club and on Sunday afternoons we are averaging 20-25+. I get my ladies involved by helping with crowd control in Bible club and help serving meals afterwards and on Sundays. We are also getting ready for the summer. We are planning on having a couple of weeks of half day day camps, a VBS, and having special activities 2 times a week throughout the summer. I have already tagged my ladies to help out with these different ministry opportunities. The are so excited and are looking forward to the summer. A big project that Tim is planning, with other experts, is a community garden. The ladies and others who want to participate will be helping to put out a garden, tend it and reap the benefits of their labors. The ladies are wanting to harvest and take stuff to the Farmer’s Market to sale and earn money to do special activities.

Our family has been busy with sickness, therapies, home schooling and just a busy schedule in general. John Allen has been having a hard time here lately. I sometimes wonder if we will make it out alive in this preteen stage! LOL…..just kidding! On a serious note he is having problems with sibling rivalry concerning Joshua. We are trying to go out on dates with him, spend time with him apart from Joshua and for a little while it works, but then we get right back into the rut of anger, frustration, rebellion….the list goes on. John Allen is such a blessing and big help especially with Jacob. Please be in prayer for us that God would give us wisdom and discernment concerning our children and especially in the new stage of tweenager. An activity that both John Allen and Joshua participate in is competitive BB gun shooting. Every Saturday Tim and the boys go to Bend of the River to shoot and a few times during the week. This is Joshua’s first year and he is doing very well for a first year student. We have just gotten done with pre states and John Allen placed 6th in the competition. He has a very good chance of going again to Internationals in Bowling Green, KY in July. Joshua is doing pretty good. We are still going to therapies 4 times a week, home schooling, shooting, CBS…..how do we get it all done? He is such a good kid….not to say that he doesn’t have his moments but he is such a blessing (as are all my boys). Joshua had his first experience with the dentist last month. What an experience that was! He had an abscessed tooth that needed to be pulled along with other dental work. Lets just say that the laughing gas did its work. Jacob is growing like a weed! He is growing so fast and losing that baby look. He is growing into such a sturdy little boy with an attitude that needs adjusting at times……and we do adjust it when necessary. He thinks that he can do whatever his big brothers do. All three of the boys are growing so fast and time is flying by.

God is so good and faithful and we give Him the glory and praise that are due Him. We ask that you please continue to be in prayer for us. Pray for our support and for opportunities to share our heart’s desire and passion for our ministries. A praise that we have is that Joshua has been approved for disability. This has raised our support but we have had some of our supporters who have had to drop us. BCM is requiring that for the year 2009 that we have at least a support level of $2000 a month. Right now we are barely there but that leaves not much money for emergencies and extras. Please be in prayer with us that we can maintain that minimum goal that BCM set for us and perhaps even raise more. Please be in prayer for our van. It has over 140,000 miles on it and, as you know, vehicles with this type of mileage start tearing up. Pray that God would provide\bless us with a van that is more reliable and that will require no payments and no fixing up. Pray for our children John Allen, Joshua, and Jacob. Pray for compassion, grace and understanding for John Allen when he becomes frustrated with Joshua. Pray for Joshua that he will learn how to control his anger and frustration. Pray for Jacob that he will learn the importance of obeying. Pray for Tim and me for wisdom and discernment where our children are concerned, for ministry, and our busy schedule.

We thank you all so much for your love and faithfulness toward us and this ministry that we co-labor together in. May God richly bless each of you above and beyond in all that you do for His glory.

Hearts GREATLY blessed,



Sarah & Tim Tinkel


Sarah & Tim Tinkel                BCM International
829 Hi Tech Drive                309 Colonial Drive
Livingston, TN  38570                PO Box 249
931-823-6513 or 931-823-9320                Akron, PA 17501-0249
Angelfire.com/tink38570/familiesagain            bcmintl.org
Account#0642                    1-888-bcmintl

December 2008 Prayer Letter

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:19

Dear Family and Friends,

 

We pray that this finds you all reflecting on the upcoming season of our dear Lord’s birth. As I sit here and write this newsletter I am looking back over the year and seeing how God brought us to this point at the end of another year. It has been a year of struggles, persecution, tears, anger, bitterness, unfairness, desertion of fellow believers, unfulfilled desires and expectations, trials and tribulations. Although it has been a tough learning year …it has also been a year of… seeing God blessing in unexpected ways, seeing His faithfulness in our circumstances, trusting His heart and sovereignty, holding tight to His hand in fear and bewilderment, seeing Him work in my children’s lives, watching my husband be humbled/crushed in spirit and growing closer to Him through unfortunate circumstances, watching him as the ministries that he deeply loved were taken away and then watching as God slowly lifts him up (and beyond those) to His will, and in the process making something beautiful from the ashes… finding out who your true friends are and praising God that your are loved, prayed for and encouraged when they become Jesus’ hands, feet, arms, tears, words and love… Seeing God increase our territory here at Good News Mission and witnessing the response of the children and adults as WE in turn become Jesus’ hands, feet, arms, tears, words and love. Seeing God provide for our financial, physical, and emotional and spiritual needs during times when there seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. God providing in depth Bible studies, for our whole family, with precious men and women of faith. I could go on and on at the goodness and faithfulness of God. He has been so good and faithful even when we were not. We thank you God for loving us in and through our circumstances.

 

As I reflected on Luke 2:19 Mary was overwhelmed at all the attention, prophecy, and the specialness of her precious baby boy. I can only imagine or speculate that Mary soaked it all in and wondered in her heart at what was to come for her precious Jesus. She had to know what was in store for him… but for those few brief moments she pondered the uniqueness, the specialness of this God child. I wonder if she meditated on what was to come and if maybe deep in her heart did she beg God to find another way.

 

In some small ways I can relate to Mary…most of you know by now that our middle son, Joshua, has been officially diagnosed with Aspergers. Even though we have done research there is still so much involved with this area of autism that we don’t understand or comprehend. There have been times where I have pondered at the uniqueness, the specialness and the blessing of this precious boy that God has entrusted to us. I wonder at what life will hold for him and pray that he will do better at trusting and relying on God than what his mom and dad have. Then there are our other two boys. With the many challenges that we deal with on a daily basis with Joshua, a lot of times John Allen gets the short end of the stick so to speak. He feels left out and has to sacrifice a lot in order to make life more bearable for everybody where Joshua is concerned. I can see a small bit of bitterness and sometimes there are burst of anger that has been harbored for a while, coming out. For the time being Jacob is easy going…but he is starting to imitate a lot of Joshua’s behaviors…temper tantrums, yelling/screaming when things don’t go his way and throwing things. I know that this is common for 2 soon to be 3 year olds but we are trying to get a hold on these behaviors before they get out of control.

 

We ask that you please be in prayer for our family as we adjust to possible more therapies for Joshua in a schedule that is already full… for physical, spiritual, and emotional tiredness. I seem to have a harder time in this area than Tim. Tim has been such a rock in this whole, long process. God has really blessed me with such a God seeking, God loving husband who is my treasure from God. Pray for Tim that God would bless all of his efforts, that God would bestow upon him wisdom and discernment in areas of ministries and our family. Pray for John Allen that he would love his brothers and would come to understand the importance of compassion, grace and mercy…pray for Tim and me that God would give us understanding where John Allen’s feelings are concerned and the wisdom to deal with them and build him up. Please keep us in your prayers especially on Jan 5^th. We will be back in Chattanooga at TEAM having a consultation with their doctor about possible physical testing for Joshua. This will be hard especially with Joshua’s fears and phobias….it will be very unpleasant for the Tinkel household.

 

Thank you for being our treasures from God. You all are such blessings and we praise God for each of you. May God bless you this Christmas and in the year to come? We love and appreciate all of you and thank you for being Jesus to us in this long but very BLESSED journey.

Hearts full of joy and blessings,

 

Sarah & Tim

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah & Tim Tinkel                                                  BCM International

829 Hi Tech Drive                                                    309 Colonial Drive

Livingston, TN  38570                                             PO Box 249

931-823-9320                                                           Akron, PA  17501

931-823-6513                                                           1-888-bcmintl

Tink38570@yahoo.com                                       bcmintl.org

Angelfire.com/tink38570/familiesagain

Account #0642

 

 

 

P.S.   

Praise God!!!!!!

I just wanted to give you all an update/praise.  Saturday December 13^th we had our annual Holiday Meal at Good News Mission. With the help of many volunteers who came and served and churches, organizations and individuals who provided for different parts of the meal, we were able to feed 125+ individuals!  This is the most that we have fed/ministered to since we began this tradition. God is good and faithful and we thank all of you who helped make this a blessed success!

November 2008 Newsletter

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11 

Greetings in Jesus, 

Wow! What a busy few months and how wonderful God is blessing! Following are some updates on our family and ministries…  

John Allen and Joshua just finished up their season of flag football. I (Sarah) was assistant coach for Joshua’s team and we all had such a good time. Joshua’s favorite part was running through the tunnel at the beginning of the ball game when they announced his name and seeing Mr. Jeremy (who has such sweet patience with all the children but mainly our Joshua) who did the announcing. John Allen had a great season. He was able to score quite a few touchdowns but most of all he enjoyed his coaches, Lance Mason and Kevin Hughes who were such special blessings and who John Allen will miss greatly. This is John Allen’s last year in Upward and so this season was special and sad at the same time. My kids love playing flag football and it has been such a blessing and special time for our whole family. The boys are doing very well in home school. They are studying very hard and are very diligent. Joshua is learning how to read and it is so cute to hear him read aloud. He loves being able to read to me or Tim and especially to Jacob. Reading has opened a whole new realm for Joshua and it is neat to see how he is responding and sharing new treasures that he discovers with us.  

Jacob is a whole different story!! We are in the process of trying (with a little bit of success) to potty train him. The newness has worn off unfortunately and the battle is on. He is one smart little cookie. He is talking up a storm and thinks that he can do the same things that his big brothers do.  

Good News Mission is being blessed abundantly. Over the last few weeks we have had individuals to donate clothes and other items. We will be having one more give away and anything that is left over we will be having a yard sale in hopes of raising money for the Mission. This will make our second give away and we are praying that we will be able to reach more individuals/families in the community. On Tuesdays we have been having Bible Club and have been averaging over 20 individuals. My ladies come help with crowd control and listen to verses and help out wherever else they are needed. They are such blessings and are excited when they are able to help out with different activities around the Mission. On Sunday afternoons we are having up to 25 individuals. Depending on if it is a weekend that the local children from single parent homes go and spend time with dad, or if the weather is bad, causes our numbers to rise and fall. Whoever God sends we are faithful and are there to feed them and do a Bible lesson. 

On Halloween night we had an outreach at the Mission. We had a few games (ran by my ladies) set up for trick or treaters to come and play. We also served hotdogs, chips and drinks; we passed out flyers of upcoming events and tracts. We then sent them on their way. This was very successful with 70+ children and parents coming to play games and eat. 

A prayer request and concern for Good News Mission: Please be in prayer for the Mission’s support. One of our major supporters has had to cut their support in half. This has caused a concern for us, especially with the winter months coming and the price of gas increasing. Please be in prayer with us that local churches, businesses, and individuals would be willing to receive a blessing by donating toward the Mission’s support/operating expenses. If you would like to start supporting Good News Mission either by a one time gift, monthly or whatever God lays upon your heart, please contact our Secretary/Treasurer Virginia Harris at 931-823-5151. She would be more than happy to talk with you and help you in anyway she is able. Again, any money that comes in for Good News Mission’s support, Tim and I DO NOT get paid. Our support is completely separate and different from the Mission’s.  

Good News Mission upcoming events:  December 13^th from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm is the tentative date that we have set for our annual Holiday Meal. Last year we were able to minister to 70+ individuals by providing a “feast” of a meal that was provided by the participation of many local churches and individuals. This is always such a blessing to Tim and I and the many other volunteers who help serve or donate items. We will be giving away 2 turkeys as door prizes and if “Mr. & Mrs. Claus” can fit it into their busy schedule they will be stopping by to give out goody bags to the kids. If you would like to help in some way with this special event please contact us and let us know. Another event that has been going on for the past couple of months (and will continue in the months to come) and has been quite a success is the ladies cooking class. The response has been overwhelming! I didn’t know how God would bless this special class and group of ladies, but especially me. I am so honored to be able to impart my many years of learning to cook from my mother and at Cedar Lake Camp to such willing and appreciative ladies. There are a few who have already started experimenting at home some of the recipes that we have done, and have been excited that they have actually turned out good!! God is good and faithful!! During our class we discuss different ways to save money while shopping, such as looking at labels for the better bargain, price comparison etc. Most important is our devotional time. These ladies are so “hungry” for the word of God and for acceptance and success. God is doing a great work. Please pray for these ladies…we are having 12-15 to attend. Pray that God would be glorified through this class and that these ladies will have a closer relationship with Him. They are learning a lot and are having such a good time in our times together. 

Tim has ventured into new and exciting territory and I encourage you to check this out. Tim has a blog!!! To access go to www.angelfire.com/Tink38570/familiesagain. Tim shares his heart on many issues and our past (and future) newsletters are on it. I encourage you to go and check this out. 

Prayer Request:  

These are a just a few highlights of what has been going on in our lives. We would ask that you please continue to keep us in your prayers. In November Joshua has another appointment at TEAM in Chattanooga and then in December we will go back just Tim and I for the results of Joshua’s many test. January will see us back at TEAM for Joshua to see their doctor and possibly more test that pertain to him physically. This has been a long process in which we hope to finally have our many questions answered. Continue to pray for our support… we have had one of our bigger supporters to drop us starting the first of the year. This will really put us in a bind, but we know that God is bigger than our finances and can do the impossible. We give Him praise and glory for His provision and are waiting with great expectation with how He will provide, whether it’s Tim or I going back into the secular work force or for an individual or church to receive a blessing of supporting and co-laboring with us. Please continue to pray for His provision of our needs. Pray for Good News Mission and its support…God is doing a great work and is fixing to do an even greater work…why else would Satan be attacking in such a fierce way? Pray for the upcoming events at the Mission….the ladies cooking class, Sunday classes and our Holiday Meal. 

Praises:   We thank God for His goodness and faithfulness in providing for our needs. We praise and thank Him for such good Bible studies that our whole family is attending. Our family is doing Romans through CBS (Community Bible Study). The kids and I go into Cookeville on Thursdays and Tim goes to an evening one on Tuesday nights locally. We all have such great speakers and core group leaders. I am involved with a Thursday night Bible study on 1 Peter called Staying the Course. I am amazed at how God works and how He provides for all areas of our make up…the spiritual, mental and physical parts of who we are. Thank you Lord!!! We also praise and give thanks for our supporters, cheer leaders, encouragers, prayer warriors, friends, family etc. You all are such blessings to us and we thank you for your love, prayers and support. You allow us to minister and you co labor with us and therefore receive blessings. May God richly bless you in all that you do to further His kingdom. 

Hearts greatly and deeply blessed,  

Sarah & Tim 

Sarah & Tim Tinkel                                                           BCM International

829 Hi Tech Drive                                                             309 Colonial Drive

Livingston, TN 38570                                                    PO Box 249

931-823-9320 or 931-823-6513                                    Akron, PA 17501-0249

Tink38570@yahoo.com                                                 bcmintl.org

Account #0642                                                                 1-888-bcmintl

 

Early Fall 2008 Prayerletter

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

1Corinthians 1:9

 

Greetings in Jesus,

 

Wow! What a busy few months we have had! First, I will start with our trip to conference in PA. In our family devotions and prayer time we had been studying about how we need to pray believing that God would answer, and that God is faithful especially when we are in obedience to Him and His will. This had such an impact on our oldest son John Allen. A special blessing had paid for our conference fee and all we had to do was provide the gas money to get there. We were way short of what we needed. Up until the last day that we left we received love donations, but were still lacking. We left believing that God would provide the rest of the money. John Allen and is great grandmother (ganny) had this system that for every “A” he made on his report card she would give him $5. This continued throughout the years and “ganny” would add to the collection for different things. On the way to “ganny’s” house to pick up my mother, who babysat at conference for the missionaries, we prayed that God would continue to provide. Even though we didn’t know how....we were trusting Him knowing that somehow He would. Out of the blue John Allen stated that he had his savings with ganny and that if we didn’t care he would like to help out in getting to conference. What a blessing! I had been praying for John Allen’s spiritual walk. At times he seemed to have a hard edge about him and I had been praying that God would work in his life. This was a tremendous sacrifice on John Allen’s part. Little did I know how much until we got to gannys and they started counting what he had saved...$605!!!!! I was stunned needless to say. John Allen handed us the whole amount and said “Mom take what you think we will need.” We only needed about $400 and that is all I took. God is so good and faithful…not only in His provision but also answering my prayers about the spiritual state of my son. Through this God was reassuring me that Tim and I are doing what we need to do raising our boys to love, know, obey, worship and serve Jesus with all their heart, soul and mind. I pray this for my boys daily and God is answering. Our boys had a wonderful time at conference as did we. We were encouraged, refreshed and excited about what God is doing through BCM in different parts of the world. We had great Bible studies and times of prayer, but we were blessed before we even started our trip by our son John Allen. Isn’t God wonderful!!!

 

What is God doing now that we are back? Tim has started a Bible Club on Tuesdays here at Good News Mission and at our first club we had 31 individuals with parents and children attending! Tim did a lesson, sang songs, played games and then we provided a meal. What a response with a lot of new faces. God is good!!

 

A local church was having a yard sale and asked would we like to have anything that was leftover to be passed out to the people we ministered to. I was invited to come and pick stuff out for my family before the sale, and there sitting on the table was a copier. The ladies were saying they had just gotten a new one for their church, and decided to put the old one, which still worked, in the yard sale. I was sharing how a copier has been on our prayer list for a long time. They wanted me to take it right away but I told them that if it was still there I would pick it up along with the other items that didn’t sell. Instantly they prayed asking God to blind people to it...we now have a copier! It needs to be serviced for minor repairs but otherwise is in great working order! God is so good and faithful. The following Saturday we had a clothes and knick knack give away. With the help of our southeast regional director, Ken Grubb, we were able to minister to 50-60+ individuals! Again lots of new faces and many of them hurting and needing Jesus so desperately. Please pray for this ministry…there are so many ministering opportunities but it takes time to build trust among these people…pray that God would bless our efforts of reaching out to them and that they would see the love of Jesus through all that we do.

 

On Friday, September 26^th,  we will be having our first ever cooking class. Through this class we will learn how to shop on a budget, make simple meals that can be frozen and eaten later, and how to eat healthier. Many of the women eat a lot of frozen or processed foods because they don’t know how to cook effectively and make their dollars stretch. We will learn how to set a table and how to prepare quick easy dishes. We will also be having a devotional and a time of fellowshipping with each other. My prayer is that this will eventually turn into a Bible study either weekly or bi monthly. Right now the plan is just once a month until the Lord leads differently. The women are excited and can hardly wait for Friday to get here.

 

In October the adults of the Mission will be doing an outreach on Halloween night. We will be handing out hotdogs, chips, drinks, candy and tracts at the Mission. We will also have a few games for the children to play for a short time and then we will send them on their way. My ladies (and the men) LOVE to serve and minister and are brainstorming about other things we could do throughout the year. They are precious and are such a blessing. Please pray that God would bless all of their (our) efforts.

 

Please pray for our family in the month of October. We will be making weekly trips to Chattanooga, TN for doctor’s appointments for Joshua. Pray that God would provide gas money for us to get there and that God would give the doctors wisdom and discernment while they test Joshua for possible Asperger’s (high functioning autism). Our prayer is that we will be able to find out how we can best help Joshua with his many challenges that he struggles with on a daily basis.

 

As you can see we have been and are going to be very busy over the next couple of months. God is doing great and mighty things and is blessing our obedience and faithfulness in abundance. Please pray that God would continue to bless our efforts here at Good News Mission.

 

Please be in prayer for our support. This last month was a low month for us. Giving is down not just for us but other missionaries and ministry organizations as well. Pray that God would give us wisdom as to what we need to do. Right now we are praying about possible part time jobs or that God would open doors for us to share our hearts for our ministry with churches and individuals. God has already opened some doors, but no commitments have been made yet. Pray that God would give us boldness to step out of our comfort zones in how we raise support.

 

We thank you all for everything you have done for us. We would like to especially thank those who helped us get to conference…again we were so blessed to be able to go, and then to see how God is working in our boys lives…we are humbled. You all have had a part in our children’s spiritual growth and I thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and willingness. Thank you for your faithfulness and perseverance in co laboring with us in this ministry. May God richly bless you in all that you do in furthering His kingdom.

 

Hearts greatly blessed,

 

 

Sarah & Tim Tinkel

 

Sarah & Tim                                            BCM Int.

829 Hi Tech Drive                                     309 Colonial Drive          

Livingston, TN  38570                              PO Box 240

Tink38570@yahoo.com                            Akron, PA  17501

(931)823-9320                                         bcmintl.org

Acct. #642                                               (717)859-6406

End of Summer 2008 Prayerletter

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

 

Dear family and friends,

 

What an unexpected summer we have had…..but God has been so good and faithful and we give Him all the glory, honor and praise that are due Him. We would like to thank each of you for being so faithful, encouraging, loving and most of all praying for us. This has been a summer full of unexpected turn of events, and one of unexpected blessings as well. Isn’t it neat how it seems God balances everything out in order to keep us encouraged and to keep us close to Him? We thank you God for loving us the way that you do, even when we have to learn the lessons “out on the field trip instead of in the classroom” as Beth Moore puts it.

 

I would just like to give you all an update on our family and summer starting with Jacob. The final diagnosis for his health problems are MODY (Mature Onset Of Diabetes in the Youth). Until his body decides what it is going to do there is not a whole lot that can be done. Right now we just have to keep an eye on his sugars. His sugar readings are all over the board….low, high and just right. It seems that his body is able to regulate itself when it needs to. We thank you all so much for your prayers, letters and calls of encouragement.

 

Joshua is going to therapy in Cookeville two days a week for an hour at a time for occupational and physical therapy. This has made a tremendous difference (for the good) in his behavior and in other areas of his day to day activities. We are on a waiting list at a place in Chattanooga, TN called TEAM. We are hoping to get an “official” diagnosis of his disability, Aspergers (high functioning autism), and then we can get him even more help that he needs. The therapy that he is doing now is just a drop in the bucket of what he needs. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors, technicians, and others who will be involved in this process. This will be a 2 day testing from what I am understanding, that will cover EVERYTHING such as MRI’s, EKGs just to name a few. The representative from TEAM said that the Ronald McDonald house has offered to let families who go to TEAM stay there for a small fee. This is such a blessing to hear as Chattanooga is 2 hours away and we are on a limited budget. As of the writing of this newsletter we have not heard back from them yet. Pray that we will hear something soon.

 

John Allen has been doing very well. The beginning of July we went to Bowling Green, KY for John Allen to participate in the International BB Gun Competition. For a first timer he did very well. He scored 405 out of a possible 500. He shot the best he had ever shot in practice and in other competitions. His coaches said that he was the most improved for the season. A special blessing helped with many of the expenses that the team didn’t cover. On July 22^nd my “baby” turned 12 and in came the hormones, attitude and everything else that comes with being a preteen. Please pray for us that we can teach him to be a man after God’s own heart and that he will grow spiritually and be used for God’s glory.

 

We have been very busy with different ministries this summer. In June we went to Homer, GA to help fellow missionary, Lois Lass, do a VBS at her church. We had one assurance of salvation with new children who have started attending the church off and on all summer. July 14-18 we had our first VBS here at the Mission. What a blessing we received!! I prayed for 20 individuals and God gave us 37-40!! What a blessing and abundant answer to prayer! There is another housing area close to the projects that we have been trying to get into for a long time without much success. We prayed and went to this area and passed out VBS flyers. What a response!!! We had nine children to come from this area and we have had contact with them since VBS. As a matter of fact they were the first children to arrive everyday to VBS. God is so good and faithful!! I had my ladies from my Bible class here at the Mission to help with crafts, serving food, cleaning and crowd control. They loved it!!! A lot of times they would beat me and arrive early to get things set up. We had a lot of volunteers who came and helped….my mom helped wherever she was needed, friend/fellow BCM missionary, Lois Lass, did the Bible verse and Bible enrichment time, Tim did the Bible and Missionary story, songs and games, close friend Shirley Hunley came and took pictures, and Ms. Robbie helped serve food (and ice cream). I was in charge of the food and crafts. Those of you, who know me well, know that I am not a craft person, but with the help of others and a lot of prayer I was able to come up with crafts that the kids (and adults) really enjoyed. Usually at a regular VBS we would take up an offering. Considering who we were ministering to we prayed about what we could do instead of an offering and somehow incorporate it into a contest. As a funny comment I said why not take up canned/boxed food. Almost everyone in the low income housing area may not be able to afford to send money, but they could send nonperishable food items. So that is what we did. Our food pantry is now fully stocked and the kids had a blast. You should have seen all the children bringing BAGS of groceries in order to get points for their team. At the end of the week the Girls ended up winning even though the boys gave it a good shot and won 2 of the 5 days. What a very blessed week we had.  We had one to accept Christ and one assurance of salvation!! I can’t say it enough….. God is so good and faithful!! I would like to thank the local churches and individuals who helped/volunteered and provided the food. This was such a blessing and we were able to feed children and mommies and daddy’s who participated. We had different churches, organizations and individuals who provided for a meal each night of the week. The kids and parents were so thankful for this. These are people who are really having a hard time and any little thing that you can do for them or their children they are very thankful. I will be honest there are some who think you owe it to them and theirs but Jesus said let the little ones come unto me……God has blessed and we thank you for your part in this ministry.

 

July 22-25 we headed to Taccoa, GA to help missionary, Lois Lass with a VBS in the projects. She prayed for ten and God gave us 17 with 29 being on the roll for the week!!! There were two assurances of salvation with one being very serious and searching scripture for answers and learning what God had to say to him. His name is Isaiah and he is an attendee of Lois’ Bible club she does throughout the school year. Please pray for Isaiah that God would continue to reveal different things to him and that God would use him in a mighty way for His glory.

 

Now we would like to update you about our Mission’s (BCM) annual conference. In our last newsletter we had stated that we were having financial difficulties in that we couldn’t afford the cost of conference  and the gas to get there on August 24-28, and then on to New Jersey to visit Tim’s mom and sister. God has blessed abundantly!! A special blessing has paid our conference fees and we have had some money to come in toward our gas expenses!! God is so good in all His ways!! We are still short on gas funds, and again if you would like to help out with this expense please contact us by e-mail, mail or call us. We greatly appreciate and are blessed by those of you who have given already. We love and appreciate all that you do for us as we minister. Your prayers, encouragement, love etc….. We are blessed beyond measure! Please pray for our children… with them not going to Cedar Lake camp this summer they are especially looking forward to going to conference. When we have family prayer time they always thank God for making a way for us to go to conference. What precious faith children have when we adults are anxious and worried about our circumstances. My children humble me so much at their spiritual understanding of things that I KNOW already about God and his promises but worry about anyway.

 

Thank you all so much for your help, love, prayers, compassion, mercy etc. You are such a blessing to our family and to our ministry and we appreciate you so much. Please keep us in your prayers as we are getting ready to start a new year of ministry. Pray as we travel to conference….we know God has something in store for us we just don’t know what it is. This scares and excites us at the same time. Pray that our hearts will be receptive to what He would have us to learn and that we would be willing to act on what He says for us to do.  Again we praise God for each of you and thank you for co-laboring with us in this ministry. May God bless you in all that you do for His glory and for His kingdom.

 

In His Service,

 

Sarah & Tim Tinkel

 

 

 

Sarah & Tim Tinkel                                       BCM International

829 Hi Tech Drive                                        309 Colonial Drive

Livingston, TN  38570                                   PO Box 249                 

931-823-6513 or 931-823-9320                    Akron, PA  17501-0249

Tink38570@yahoo.com                                 bcmintl.org

Account #0642                                            717-859-6406