May 2023 Update
Grant is 18! – April was a big month in the Snode household with our son Grant turning 18! We’re so thankful for him and so proud of the man he has become. Please pray for Grant as he graduates and takes the next steps God has for him.
VBM Leadership Meetings – April was also a big month at Vision Baptist Missions (VBM). The VBM Pastoral Advisory Committee met for their quarterly meeting in Knoxville at Southside Baptist Church. The pastors on this committee are such a help and encouragement to me and the other VBM leaders. In April, we also had our annual VBM Leadership Retreat, the first in-person meeting of the VBM Board of Directors, and the VBM Annual Missionary Orientation. These meetings were encouraging with great collaboration for world evangelism. Please keep ourselves and all those who serve with VBM in prayer as we partner with local churches to train and send missionaries worldwide.
Golf Tournament – A good friend from our home church had the idea to host a golf tournament fundraiser a few years ago. Following a break for Covid, we held the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament two weeks ago. The Lord blessed and, through the sponsorship of many individuals, churches, and businesses, we were able to raise almost $9,000 for the work of VBM. The funds will help to develop the new campus that the Lord has given us in Dawsonville, Georgia. Please pray for the provision of funds to finish a classroom wing on our Carey Center building and to construct a new dormitory for more students to be housed on our campus.
Graduation & End of the Semester – This past Friday, we had the graduation ceremony for eleven students who finished their coursework at the Our Generation Training Center (OGTC) over the past few years. Several are already serving in ministry and missions, and others hope to be accepted as missionaries soon. Please pray for the work of the OGTC as we finish out this semester and for new students joining us in the fall.
A New Chinese Church in NYC – Every week, we have the opportunity to talk with missionaries all around the world and try to help them in their ministry. We are always so encouraged to hear how God is using them. One wonderful report is from the Bloom family, church-planters out of our home church, who recently constituted a new church in Queens, New York, among the Chinese community there. Many Chinese people arrive in America every week and their first stop is NYC, and there, on their doorstep, is a new Gospel-preaching church.
Thank you so much for partnering with us as we serve the Lord!