Chain of Love began in 1993, when a community of people in the city of Novo Hamburgo, Brazil including NAB missionaries Ken & Jerilyn Bayer, was awakened to the plight of street children. A rapidly growing number of children have been hopelessly abandoned to manage for themselves on dangerous city streets. Says founder and director Ken Bayer, ”Everywhere we turned, they were there…very obvious and sometimes stumbled over…yet purposefully avoided and ignored.”

To avoid institutionalization, homes are constructed and staffed with foster parents. Each couple accepts ten children in addition to their own, and agrees to raise them to adulthood and independence. Attention is given to the needs of foster parents as well so that they will have the time and energy to meet the needs of their children. Usually there are eighty to ninety children in Chain of Love in our 9 homes and two youth homes being nurtured in loving and caring homes. The age range is from birth to twenty-one years. The foster parents and the larger Chain of Love community, together meet the physical, social, spiritual, and psychological needs of the children placed in their care.

For more information go to chainoflove.org

Don Blythe serves our community through At the Well Ministries. Don confronts those going into clinics seeking abortions and offers alternative choices and counseling.

John Brouwer ministers in Eastern Europe with Entrust ministries. John spends his time teaching courses in Foudations of Christian Faith and Formation, Christian Character and mentoring students at the Karoli Gasper Christian University in Budapest, Hungary.

As John puts it “My mission is to creatively communicate the reconciling message of Jesus Christ to leaders and potential leaders, so that as their lives are transformed, the surrounding culture is transformed. I do this through teaching, mentoring and publishing.”

Bill Brown is the director of Gospel Center Rescue Mission which has been serving our community since 1948 by providing emergency lodging, food, clothing and programs to help those in need to overcome addictions, complete their education, learn job skills, life skills, parenting, and how to come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray that God will continue to provide the means necessary to continue this essential ministry.

Monty, Tanya, Zhenya, Sofia & Christian Buck are serving with Operation Mobilization in Rubtsovsk, Russia, which is located in Southern, Central Siberia.

Monty works as an Assistant Pastor in the Russian Baptist Church as well as a Missionary in the surrounding region.

Tanya is active in raising our three children, showing hospitality whenever possible while often sharing the gospel with the lost!!

Zhenya is 13 years old and is active in our church and growing in her faith. She enjoys serving God in various ways and is a delight at home!!

Sofia is now two years old and she loves to dance, sing, play and read (in her own little way) the Bible. She already pray’s on her own and is falling in love with our great and awesome God!!

Christian is seven months old! He is very, very happy and is simply a delight to us all. He is a calm and contented little boy most of the time. He makes us all smile daily!!

Our goals are to:

• Help the church to grow in both depth of faith as well as in number;
• Reach out to the lost with the Gospel of Christ both in our city as well as in surrounding villages, some of which have no gospel witness at all;
• Help to disciple men and women for the glory of God.

Please pray for Monty’s language acquisition as he is still not fluent in the Russian Language. Please pray for our family as we are seeking to buy or build a home in 2012, God willing. Please pray for us as we think prayerfully about adopting one or more children at some point. Please pray that we will be effective in reaching the lost for Christ. Please pray that our church will love God with all of our hearts while ever seeking to love each other the way Christ loves us. Please pray that our family will seek God in a manor worthy of who HE is. Please pray that we will raise our children in such a way that we bring great pleasure to our Fathers heart in heaven. Please pray that God will grant us good health as we live in a very cold, and yes, very hot part of our world. Please pray that we will all be very humble as we seek to serve others in various ways. Please pray that God will be our constant preoccupation!!

Thanks you for thinking about us and for praying for us!!

Thank you simply for everything,
Monty, Tanya, Zhenya, Sofia & Christian Buck

Nathan Bunting serves at Faith Academy in Manila, Philippines through Wycliff Bible Translators.

This is Nate's 8th year at Faith Academy, where he teaches both Bible and Business to our high school students. He is also assistant coach of the Varsity volleyball team, and is the advisor for the student council.

Nate is married to Valerie who also teaches at the school. On December 30, 2009 Katrina Jean was born to Nate and Valerie.

Brenda Castelanos is the director of Haven of Peace located in French Camp, CA. The site provides emergency homeless shelter for single women and women with children. Clients stay free of charge where they are provided the tools to help them become self-sufficient. They provide case management, referrals, job search, transitional housing, support groups and lay counseling.

Steve Delph is the regional Director for Partners International. Partners International is a global ministry that works to create and grow communities of Christian witness in partnership with God’s people in the least Christian regions of the world. Steve travels to various parts of the world helping to train and equip Christian leaders to reach their part of the world for Christ.

John Dupree serves through Harvest Gathering, a group dedicated to educating and motivating individuals and churches to fulfill the Great Commission by means of special seminars and courses of study.

Luke Everett is the director of Rancho Sordo Mudo in Mexico. The Ranch takes in deaf children during the school year and feeds, houses and gives the kids an education. Many of the children have never learned sign language and must be taught this before they can learn other subjects. The Ranch also provides training to prepare the young people to make a living for themselves and not be dependent on others to care for them. Along with their training the children are taught about Jesus and introduced to Him as their Savior.

Joan (Henry) Farr serves with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. Joan spent 20 years working on translating the Bible into the Kombio language and is now working with her husband, Jim, also a Wycliffe translator, with the Baruga and Korafe languages.

Manny Fernandez is the director of World Link Ministries and the Spanish Seminary for Theological and Evangelistic Training (SEFOVAN). This ministry is dedicated to training and deploying national leaders, promoting discipleship and evangelizing unchurched people in southern and Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Cuba. They have had great success in reaching the lost in many of these countries.

Manny Fernandez Jr. along with his wife Jamie are serving in Spain with World Link Ministries where Manny is teaching and mentoring students in preparation for full time ministry in Spanish speaking countries.

Regina Johnson is working as an administrative assistant at Rancho Sordo Mudo, Mexico. She is helping the staff with their tasks both in administration and with the children. RSM is a ranch for deaf children and Regina is the first person from our deaf ministry to do long term missions work.

Saul & Sanna Karosas pastor the City Church in Klaipeda, Lithuania. They are in the process of renovating a ministry center where they will be working in the area of addictions and counseling as well as shepherding a growing congregation.

Dr. Chris Marantika is founder of Evangelical Theological Seminary of Indonesia. In addition to seminary studies each student is expected to plant a new church before graduation. This ministry has been incredibly successful and today has 29 branch campuses in addition to the original campus in Yogyakarta. ETSI students have planted nearly 3,200 churches.

Bob & Lisa Margaron are directors of Peniel Mission in South Stockton. The center is a drop-in center for inner city kids where they can find a safe atmosphere and loving acceptance. The goal of the center is to give faith, hope and love to kids and show them a healthy alternative to gangs and drugs. Through Bible Club, recreation, crafts, snacks, camps and the Learning Center Bob and Lisa seek to introduce kids to Christ.

Candace Milton is the director of Pregnancy Help Center. This is a non-profit organization offering a wide variety of free, caring and confidential services to girls, women and families facing an unplanned pregnancy.

Ralph Roberts serves with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at UOP Stockton where he is involved in leading Bible studies, conferences, leadership training, evangelism and mentoring of UOP students.

Marcos & Veronica Schultz lead the Olive Tree Ministries out of Porvenir, Mexico. Marcos enjoys a national platform as a conference speaker and contributor to various Christian publications. His main ministry is to motivate and challenge Latin ministers and churches for the nations.

Jonathan & Traci Shoemaker are our partners in Lisbon, Portugal. Jonathan is now able to teach and preach in the Portuguese language! Both he and Traci are involved in teaching and training of young seekers and Christians through the church in Lisbon. They are also working with an international team in planting a new church in the city.

Under the leadership of Jim Reid, the Senior Chaplain, there are currently over 30 men and women who serve the Stockton Police Department. The chaplains are on call to perform ministry day and night to the police officers, victims and families in our community.

Ron & Joan Stoller serve with NAB Missions in Chita, Japan. The Stoller’s have been serving faithfully in Japan for over 20 years as church planters, Bible teachers, Pastors and leadership trainers.

The Tacketts serve with World Venture in Kandern, Germany where Michael teaches music and arts and mentors missionary kids at Black Forest Academy. Black Forest Academy is a school for children of missionaries who serve in Europe. They are busy teaching, learning German language and culture and raising their two boys, Preston and Brayden.

Dan Torres serves on the staff of San Joaquin Valley Youth for Christ as Assistant Director of Substance Abuse and Point Break Workshops. He oversees programs and ministries that deal with at risk teens.

Joel Wurgler is the Executive Director for Youth For Christ in Stockton. Joel oversees this extensive youth ministry that holds school workshops in anger management, substance abuse counseling and gang prevention/intervention.