"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble". Psalm 46:1

"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land". 2 Chronicles 7:14

• Elizabeth Hope Greer, daughter of Natasha Greer, went to be with Jesus on June 28th. There will be a celebration of life service Thursday, July 1st at Fellowship Greenville. Visitation will be held from 12:45-1:45 with a service immediately following at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Beck Academy Special Needs Dept or the SC Chapter of Make-A-Wish.
• Ella Ault, daughter of Abbie and Daniel Ault, granddaughter of John and Jen Ausland, went to be with Jesus on June 27th. Abbie is currently 7 months pregnant and could also use prayers for the stresses this loss is adding. 
• Cheri Whitley is having surgery later this week.
• Camden Cunningham is asking for prayer as he and his wife settle into Greer and start new jobs.
  
• Eric Carter would like prayers for his life and health to improve.
• Crystal is seeking prayers for full time employment and restful sleep.
• Ginger needs prayers and guidance navigating a new season of life.
• Kimberly Lotz would like continued prayers for her friend, Michelle, who spent 108 days hospitalized with COVID complications. She still faces many challenges ahead.  Her father, Frank, was called home due to COVID earlier this year.

"Christianity’s explosive growth in China—both in the size and the rate of growth of the Church—is of great concern to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The underground house church movement, which operates outside the control of the government, continues to see large numbers of people coming to Christ in spite of opposition. Dr. Yang of Purdue University has stated that if current trends continue 'by 2030 there will be more Christians in China than any other country in the world.' 

To reduce the threat of Christianity, President Xi Jinping has begun a process of 'Sinicization' of Christianity. Laws passed since 2018 extend the reach of the government into churches, the selection of leaders, and the Bible, to make them conform to the political goals of the Community Party. As a result, pastors have been arrested and imprisoned." Via: Frontline Missions

Way to Pray: Please pray for strength and grace for pastors such as Zhang Shaojie, who was arrested in Henan Province in 2014. Since then, he has been subjected to torture and meager rations, and Pastor Zhang still has five years remaining on his prison sentence.

And continue to pray for Pastor Wang Yi, who was the courageous pastor of the Early Rain Covenant Church for many years. He was arrested in Chengdu in late 2018 and has at least seven more years to serve in prison. Also remember to pray for their families who are enduring the lengthy separation from their husbands and dads. Though the persecution of believers has intensified, Jesus still keeps His unstoppable promise to build His Church in China, and it is still growing in unprecedented ways! 

Victoria first knew she was called to missions at age 6 after an encounter with the Lord. Since that moment, the Spirit has led her down a winding path to come to where she is now. One of those twists was to Fellowship Greenville in 2016. Victoria joined the Student Ministry staff, loving and building relationships with students and their families. Two of those families fostered her dream for the mission field and introduced her to Back2Back Ministries. After a scouting trip to Cancun, Mexico, Victoria knew Cancun was home.

Back2Back Cancun focuses on Strong Families. There are currently two community centers Back2Back operates in Cancun, each with unique functions for the specific communities they reside in. The goal of these community centers is to build stronger families that are dependent on Jesus, interdependent on community, and independent through sustainability. Victoria is the mission group coordinator. After six months in Cancun, she is finding a good rhythm and has loved connecting others with Back2Back's mission and vision.

Way to Pray: Pray for wisdom and discernment for the B2B Cancun team as they seek out more national staff (teachers, social workers, and psychologists). Victoria also asks for continued prayer in language acquisition and unity with the staff. Also, praise, that their new staffer who began working with the dads to build relationships just hosted a really successful Father's Day event that 20 dads and their kids attended! This almost quadrupled the attendance of the event from even just two years ago!

Interested in helping children who've experienced the trauma of foster care by helping to put families back together? Grace Church is offering a 2-day equipping event to prepare FG to possibly offer a program called "Families Count" to parents who have lost their children to the foster care system. If you have any interest in learning more about the program and how to assist broken families, please register here. Select "new Families Count partner" in the drop-down box. 

• Praise God that Khalil (Horizons), who was recently in the hospital with COVID and reduced lung capacity, has been able to return home.
• Continue to pray for Dr. Mung in Myanmar as his country faces turmoil and instability due to the coup. On top of that, the country is also facing an increase in COVID positive cases and deaths. Dr. Mung has recently had several friends pass away. Please pray for God's intervention in both of these situations.
• Pray for the Fletchers (Asia) as they continue to figure out the next steps to take with the extreme food allergies Lauren is facing. Please also pray for Joel and the team as they navigate a major conflict over farmland.
• Pray for the Foths (Australia) who had a conference scheduled for international students this weekend. Due to COVID numbers rising there, they are having to reschedule the conference. Pray for discernment as they reschedule. Please also pray for their daughter Annabelle who's birthday party has had to be postponed.
• Pray for Patrick Emery (CCO) as he heads to Jackson, WY to help lead a discipleship trip in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming.

iFace is a local organization that serves the vast number of international students coming to the upstate to study at nearby universities. They have the opportunity every day to show God's love to the world who is on our doorstep. iFace will be welcoming students in August and need volunteers to get involved. If you're interested, check out their Volunteer Training Summer Dates on Sunday, July 11, 2 - 4 pm OR Sunday, July 25, 2 - 4 pm.

Lt. Matthew Clark
Caleb Ford
2nd Lieutenant Parker Lewis
SFC Josh McSpadden
Cpt. Laura Rodgers
Major Tiffany Scheivert
...and the many others who are in active military service.