Dear praying friends,

Having come to France as an apprentice missionary at the age of 17 in 1971, for many years I have had the desire to allow other young people to participate in a similar program: learn the French language, receive Bible training, serve independent Baptist churches around France through evangeliem with a team of French young people. The Apollos Program began in September 2009 with 4 French youth and Rachel Gostlin as the only American young person.

Rachel arrived at our camp on July 15, 2009. In September, we began 12 hours of Bible classes per week to which we added 1 hour of French grammar daily for Rachel. Within three months, she was able to understand the language. Within 6 months, she was singing solos in French, and was able to witness on the street. With her teammates, Rachel has had 475 hours of Bible courses in the French language, as well as hours of grammar classes. Over the past school year, the team served 108 days in evangelism in 22 churches all over France. Rachel and the team now have a good grasp of France as a mission field.

Rachel has expressed the desire to serve the missionary cause in France. We have asked her to come back to work on staff with the Apollos program. We truly need someone to buy and to prepare the food for the team during class days, in order to free up the teachers, missionaries and students. But Rachel will also serve weekly with the team in street evangelism and through song and testimony during our evangelistic meetings. She is also a capable secretary and can help in that area as her schedule allows.

Would you be open to helping Rachel come back to France as soon as possible to continue her ministry with us in this vital training program of future church leaders and missionaries for the French speaking world?

Thank you and may the Lord bless your church and ministry.

Sincerely yours for the Great Commission to the French-speaking world,

Tim Knickerbocker

Update on Rachel

Rachel has completed her ten month course in the Apollos program and is now conversant in the French language and well trained for ministry on the streets and in the churches of France. The Lord has opened the door for her to return to the work assisting us in our efforts. Right now she is travelling with Anne and me as we report to some of our supporters and have the opportunity to present our ministry in some new churches.

Back to France

Anne and I are anticipating our arrival in France towards the end of August. We are very thankful for a special gift from People’s Baptist Church in Brunswick, Ohio to provide for our airfare and travel expenses. We still need to gather $8500 for set up expenses to cover establishing housing and purchasing an adequate automobile and are trusting the Lord to supply those funds as they are needed.

West/Central Africa

A revisit to Cameroon with Yann Jouan is in the works for this Fall to encourage the saints, preach evangelistic meetings in numerous villages, and to lay the ground work for establishing a church in a remote part of Gabon (next to Cameroon) that can be used as a base to reach a host of nearby villages. Please pray for the Lord’s direction, protection, and provision in this venture. A number of people have expressed interest in helping us fund the scholarships for the Tyrannus Scholars, so allow me to mention that now is an excellent time to give since funds for the Fall semester will be needed soon. It takes $1400 a year ($700 a semester) to fund the education and housing for a student and his family.

 Download a printable PDF version of this letter on FRP Letterhead here

We had a successful move from the North to the South driving straight from Lille to Aix-en-Provence, the home church of Lydie Battini, one of our group members.  We stayed for one day before a surprise trip to Toulon for four days where we were able to help with a day camp the church was running, also spending the Easter Sunday with them, Pastors Luciano and (Jean-Paul) welcomed us and made us feel at home by putting us right to work!  We always like when the churches have work planned and ready for us to tackle.

After Toulon the team stayed at Aix-en-Provence for two weeks to aid with a Bible Exposition, which was very well attended, and had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people about the Gospel.  There was even one girl who prayed to accept Jesus as her savior the second week along with many people who began to understand and took Bibles home with the promise to read them.  It was amazing to see the curiosity and hunger for knowledge in old and young alike!  Please pray for the Bibles and John & Romans that we passed out (nearly 10,000) in the streets.  There is one exceptional story of two men who were working on the building next to ours came in one morning to see the Expo.  They left soon after rejecting the Bibles they were offered saying it would make them crazy to read it.  Damaris was especially affected and told us later that she had prayed that God would do something to touch those men.  Later in the afternoon they came back and one of them asked Damaris for a Bible.  They stayed and talked to her for a long time admitting that they were sinners and the one with the Bible said he would read it all.  He was very interested, while the other poked a little fun and was not serious at all.  They both listened attentively when Damaris explained the Gospel and showed them some verses.  After they had gone back to work the second man came running back to ask if he also could have “one of those books” and was quite excited about reading it.   This is the same one that said reading it would make him crazy.

The week after the Bible Exposition we had the opportunity to go to the church of, Michael Oget, another one of our group, called L’Eglise Evangelique d’Arles.  While there, we were reunited with the southern director of the group, Timothy Knickerbocker, and his wife, Elizabeth.  With Tim we had the fun of doing several “plein aire” activities.  We would sing on the side of the street and Tim would give mini-sermons every few songs.  While others were passing out invitations to a special service on the subject of “man in the heart of crisis” and also took polls as a way to start conversations with people.  This was our morning and afternoon activity. In the evenings we had services.  The first was an exhortation service for the church, the second an evangelization service for anyone that wanted to come and the third afternoon we organized a club for kids.  With all of that going on we had tons of fun and were blessed to see God work, smoothing things out so there was nothing to hinder his work.  Sunday afternoon was another service at the house of a wonderful family from the church who invited their unsaved friends to hear the gospel message.

The group will be back together Monday May 3rd to finish the year with a few more churches and classes. By the end of the program this year we will have worked in at least twenty churches all over France.  Thanks you all for your prayers and support this year.  Without good friends, family, and our Savior I would never have been able to handle this year.  And I would encourage any young person who is thinking of going to the mission field to set aside a year as I have to go on the mission field, not as a “trial run” but so that you can see first hand what our great God can do if you put yourself in his hands.

Rachel

‘Tyrannus Scholarships’ 

‘Rachel and the Apollos Team’

The Apollos Team, under the direction of Tim Knickerbocker, continues to have a fruitful ministry of evangelism and encouraging the churches. Our daughter, Rachel, reports that they have been enjoying the blessing of God in Aix en Provence for the past couple of weeks and look forward to returning to their base at Camp Arc en Ciel (Camp Rainbow) for the next phase of work. November through March based in Lille with Greg and Judy Sirmons was filled with challenging and wonderful opportunities to serve the Lord. Taking the Word of God to the streets, the university campuses, and door to door; serving with testimonies and music in the churches; and training with choice servants of God is what the Apollos experience is about. SPECIAL NOTE: Young people from the US who want to learn/improve French, get ministry training and experience, and serve the Lord reaching French people with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ should look into the Apollos Program to see if an academic year of intensive training and service in France would be for them. See the link at frenchredemptionproject.org.

‘Residence in France’ 

The months of April to July are committed to Conferences, Camps, and special meetings in the US and Canada (it was an honor to teach again at the Good Shepherd Baptist Mission – Missionary Training School in Spencer, Ohio the first week of April) as we complete plans to beginning setting up residency in France. Thanks to those who have inquired about the costs associated with travel, housing, and purchasing a vehicle. Please pray with us as we seek to follow the Lord’s leading step by step! 

(Click here for a Printable PDF version of this update on FRP letterhead) 

Orléans:               We arrived Thursday evening and got settled in our rooms.  For the next two days we did evangelization in the form of taking a poll.  We also distributed many Gospels of John and invitations for a conference that was held on Sunday afternoon.  The Apollos group sang and I also sang a special with a member of the church.   A few others from the church also sang or gave testimonies too.  It was a wonderful service.  We stayed until Wednesday morning with doctrine classes in the mornings and evangelism in the afternoons.  The evenings were a time for homework and getting to know our hosts.

La Rochelle:        Arriving on Wednesday evening, we again met our hosts and got settled.  Here we had doctrine classes Thursday through Saturday morning with evangelism in the afternoons.  It amazed us in how God opened the hearts of the people to listen and ask questions.  We were also invited to be involved in the “youth group” to give our testimonies and talk to the teens about the program and what God has done in our lives since it began.  Sunday we presented the Apollos program, and I had another opportunity to sing.  There was a potluck, which they call a ‘repas fraternelle’, after church.  They have some very generous and zealous ladies in their church and it was a pleasure as well as a blessing to hear one of them telling stories of the things she has seen God do in her life!  We stayed until Monday morning and visited a chateau on the way to our next destination.

Bayeux:                We passed one full week at this church.   I must tell you that, if you’re looking for great French cuisine, I recommend the pastor’s wife!  We are thankful for her kindness to cook for us every day.  At this church we also had classes in doctrine with daily bible studies in the morning.   We had a few days of evangelism in the city as we distributed tracts and talked to anyone who was interested.  When it was time for the bible study on Wednesday and the service on Sunday morning we were given specific instructions about what to do that lined up with very well with our specific abilities and gifts.   It was a blessing to function so well as team in singing, giving testimonies, and directing the service.   I thank God for how he has touched our lives and changed us in ways we may never fully realize. 

We are right now in Lille for classes and packing our suitcases!  Next week we will be at the church in Laon and then one more week in Lille before we head back to our original base at Camp Arc en Ciel in the South.   For Easter we will be with the church of Aix-En-Provence again and we are all looking forward to seeing the people we met when we were there in October.

Note:     There are many ways to start a conversation in public.  The method of taking a poll is used by a good number of the Independent Baptist Churches in France because it is polite and many people will speak to you and are even interested in what you are doing, why you are doing it, and who you are with.  The poll that we use most, “The Christian Life In France” is very good for starting the right kind of conversation and makes people think.  Many people reject us at the first thought of religion, but others are very open and will listen and ask questions, giving us a great opportunity to witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apollos Team has been super busy these last few months!  Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support. Please continue to pray for this ministry.

In November, we had the opportunity to attend the annual convention of the Alliance Baptiste de France in Paris.  It included three days of meeting the pastors and members of churches from all over France. The Lord really blessed in that many of those pastors have asked us to come to their churches to help them with ministry projects. 

After Paris we spent two days cleaning up the camp before heading out to Strasbourg where the father of Damaris, one of our team members, is a Pastor.  We spent an entire week with their church doing mass distribution of tracts and bibles, as well as attending prayer meetings, classes with Pastor Olivier Bourrel and Pastor Thiery Jupiter, and the baptism of Damaris! 

From Strasbourg we went straight to Lille where we have our “base of operations” for the winter months.  After only three days in Lille, we left for Rouen to work for two weeks with Pastor Kim Fox.  What a blessing that church is!  It really has a heart for winning souls. They are forging ahead and growing as a church.  While in Rouen, we got quite a bit of on-the-job training in evangelism that has helped very much in the rest of our ministries.

December was a little more laid back. . .not!  We were able to help three churches (Somain, Laon and Lille) with Christmas celebrations and services and joined the choir at two of them.  We also helped with the children’s aspect of each church, which involved a lot of evangelism.  It is always a blessing to learn from the many people that we meet.  Finally, on Dec. 20^th, our Christmas break started!

During the Christmas break I was really glad to have my Dad there to keep me company and take part in the church activities.  We went street caroling in the grand square at Lille with the Sirmons and a group from the church.  Christmas day was spent with the Sirmons, who were very hospitable while we were there, and with several ladies from the church.  There was a New Years dinner at the church which was very well attended and was a great time of fellowship for everyone.

The Program started up again on Jan 11^th with classes from Amelie Coste on the subject of Child Evangelism.  This has been a great course for all of us because it presents a lot of examples and ideas.  We are finishing that course this weekend with a club in St Denis (Pastor Steve Barnes – North of Paris) where we will be serving for the weekend.  Each of us will have a different activity to lead and children to watch over.  I’m looking forward to it! 

In January we stayed close to Lille working in the churches at Somain and Lille.  February has started and we have a full schedule for the next couple of months.  We started the first week in the church of Paris Centre with Pastor Andre Barnes doing street evangelism and a special service for people that wanted to know more about the Apollos program.  We each gave our testimony, had a question/response time, and an afternoon fellowship with many people of the church.

Meetings and/or weekends are lined up for: St Denis, Orleans, La Rochelle, Bayeux, and Laon for the next month.  Please pray for these meetings!

I have been progressing very well in the French language. Please pray that I will gain confidence in using the language, I still make MANY mistakes but am getting a little better each time I speak.

God bless you all!

Rachel Gostlin

 ‘But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus’ – Acts 19:9  

Three prospects from among the Bulu in Cameroon and Gabon who show exceptional dedication to the Lord and good leadership potential have been separated to receive a sound Bible institute education in order to form a cadre of instructors to train pastors in their region. The cost for a pastor, his wife, and lodging for his family for one year is about $1400. Cameroonian churches will be providing the students with foodstuffs and the Bible Institute will allow them space for a garden. This is a collaborative effort to develop a training program designed to overcome the biblical ignorance and lack of proper spiritual standards prevalent in the Southern region of Cameroon. Please consider investing in this immediate and pressing need.　 These hand picked men of God will need support to complete their training for the next three to four years.　 They represent hope for reaching the lost in their region. Gifts may be directed through Beacon International Baptist Mission and marked ‘Tyrannus Scholarship’. 

Bonjour!

At the beginning of 2010 we have two projects to present for your prayer and consideration. Thank you for your faithfulness to uphold us in this work to reach French speaking people with the redeeming gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! We are thankful and privileged to labor for Him.

Establishing Residence in France

Many thanks for those who have been providing lodging for me since last summer in both France and Cameroon while I have been involved in various projects and while Anne has been working on her mid-wife apprenticeship. This hospitality has allowed us to make a great deal of progress on several fronts! This year Anne and I will set up official residence in France. It is with humility and with confidence of your love for the work of the gospel that we share our need to make this transition. The costs for entry documents, airfare, housing set-up, and a modest automobile are estimated at about $11,500. We will give regular updates on the progress of gathering these funds necessary to keep this ministry going and ask that you prayerfully consider helping us. The entry documents and airfare expenses will occur by early summer and the housing and vehicle expenses will occur after August. Beacon International Baptist Mission has an account designated as ‘French Redemption Residency Fund’ for receiving these gracious gifts.

  ‘Tyrannus Scholarship Fund’

 ‘But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus’ – Acts 19:9

Three prospects from among the Bulu in Cameroon and Gabon who show exceptional dedication to the Lord and good leadership potential have been separated to receive a sound Bible institute education in order to form a cadre of instructors to train pastors in their region. The cost for a pastor, his wife, and lodging for his family for one year is about $1100. Cameroonian churches will be providing the students with foodstuffs and the Bible Institute will allow them space for a garden. This is a collaborative effort to develop a training program designed to overcome the biblical ignorance and lack of proper spiritual standards prevalent in the Southern region of Cameroon. Please consider investing in this immediate and pressing need.　 These　hand picked men of God will need support to complete their training for the next three to four years.　 They represent hope for reaching the lost in their region. Gifts may be directed through Beacon International Baptist Mission and marked ‘Tyrannus Scholarship’.

 Thank you for considering the above requests and thank you most of all for your love for our Lord Jesus Christ and for His work with the French speaking people of the world.

Sincerely,

 Mark Gostlin 

(Click here for printable PDF Copy on FRP Letterhead)

Bonjour!

In our last letter which was from Sangmelima, Cameroon during a week of training with pastors, I explained some of the challenges that we were facing with traditions and cultural aspects that are unscriptural and immoral. Preaching in the villages was very fruitful as scores of people responded to the gospel, many of whom considered themselves to be Christians practically from birth but had no real concept of the gospel. Three men who showed good promise and sincere dedication to serve the Lord have been identified to receive a thorough biblical/ministry education along with their wives so that they can form a ‘cadre’ to establish a Bible Institute in the Southern ‘Bulu’ area. Yann Jouan, of France, and I will continue to monitor and mentor these men as well as administer a fund to pay for their education expenses. It will take about $1100 a year for tuition and housing for a student and his family.

 At the end of our month together in Cameroon, Yann Jouan and I returned to France, debriefed with his pastor, Tim Knickerbocker, and participated in the outreach ministries of their church in St Gaudens. I was pleased to be able to join the Apollos Team in street ministry and door to door evangelism. This is the team that our daughter, Rachel, is training and working with until next summer.

After a short visit to Ohio to retool, repack, and be part of a wonderful mission conference at First Baptist Church of New London, I flew to the French West Indies to minister with Kedesh and Stacy Jerome, missionaries out of Victory Baptist Church, Lodi, Ohio. We had a very successful tent crusade as well as the opportunity to minister in middle school classrooms and to preach in churches.

 Anne has completed her LPN training and is well into an apprentice with a mid-wife in Ohio. I will return to France on Monday, December 14^th to join the Apollos Team in their northern Campus with Greg and Judy Sirmons. Please pray for God’s continued power and wisdom to　effectively carry on ministry under　His leadership.　 God is opening doors　to pierce the　spiritual darkness and I am trying my best to be sensitive to His leadership.　 Thank you for partnering with me to preach, teach, edify and strengthen as well as to take advantage of new inroads　for ministry to bring forth fruit for His glory.　

Sincerely,

Mark Gostlin