Keith & Rita Haywood

KEITH & RITA HAYWOOD ~                          Faith Promise Missionaries serving with OMUSA

       

 Keith is the Director of Church Connections, OMUSA

     

Keith & Rita serve with Operation Mobilization USA's Church Connections Team, whose mission is aligning visions and building bridges with U.S. churches to accelerate His mission among the unreached and forgotten. They develop and provide resources to help churches strengthen their mission strategy. Enjoy reading how their OM story began in their own words!

 

May 2023 - “Draw Near” Update 

 

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:7-8
 

Dear friends,
 

In keeping with our theme of “Draw Near” this year, the verses above hold both encouragement and challenge. When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. We just have to take the first step. In our lives we all experience times when we may not feel close to God and wonder if He is still with us. He is. We may need to submit to Him, resist the devil and/or get our hearts back in alignment with His. These verses are definite reminders for us, and I hope will speak to you as well.
 

George Verwer, the founder and leader of OM for many years, drew as near to God as you can get, leaving this earth to be in His presence on April 14, 2023. He was ready to meet His Savior! Many tributes and personal reflections have been written about George. We had our own special memories of times with George.
 

At the Bible College of Wales in Swansea, UK where we met, George was a regular speaker. Rita had come to BCW to prepare to join OM as a schoolteacher for a Dutch family serving on the DOULOS. It was at BCW that I, Keith, first met George and heard of OM. After a struggle in my own heart, I surrendered to God’s calling to be involved in His mission. As God brought Rita and me together, it seemed right for us to join OM together.

 

 George Verwer, the founder, and leader of OM for many years

 

After we graduated, we went to Belgium to meet with George to tell him that we wanted to join OM two weeks after we got married. He said “no”. He told us that the OM policy was to spend a year building a foundation for our marriage and that if God was still calling us after a year, to apply to join then. That was the wisest advice we could have been given. We spent the next year in Rome, GA (Keith’s hometown) getting to know one another.
 

God also led us to Fellowship Baptist Church, a church that supported us for almost 40 years! After that year in Rome, we joined the LOGOS ship, and the rest is history!
 

We appreciated the many meetings we attended with George, and the personal walks and conversations we had with him. He would write to us after almost every monthly newsletter telling us he was praying for us. On one occasion, we took him to visit some of his Dutch relatives in Holland. That was a case study in cross-cultural communication!! Our final time with him in person was during the OM Ships Presidential Briefing in Nashville in November 2022. We had a relaxed time with him and his daughter Christa, just catching up on our personal lives and ministry. We thank God for George, for Drena his wife and for all of those who invested their lives in George’s ministry to OM and the world.

A few days after George’s passing, we heard that Dr. Charles Stanley passed away. We had attended First Baptist Atlanta in the early 90’s and have been supported missionaries of the church for the past 25+ years. Dr. Stanley was very instrumental in OM USA moving to the Atlanta area. When we were exploring options to relocate in the mid-80’s Dr. Stanley hosted a luncheon for pastors to acquaint them to OM. We appreciated his personal preaching/teaching ministry and the way he led First Baptist Atlanta to be a church that has “a passion for God and compassion for people.”

With all that is happening in all of our lives and in the world today, let’s determine to draw near to God daily so that we might experience His presence and power as He draws near to us.
 

Keith & Rita

 

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PRAYER & PRAISE ~ May 17-23, 2023 

 

5/17 AL & LINDA BRIDGES
BEE World, USA/Worldwide
Pray for Al during May 17-27, as he travels and ministers to refugees in Poland. Al will have a team of about four men, including his missionary son Jared, with him. New churches are being established in Poland among Ukrainian refugees (more than twelve million have fled Ukraine). There is a growing need for pastor-training and discipleship in these new congregations.

5/18 KEITH & RITA HAYWOOD (This week's blog guests)
OM, USA/Worldwide
Continue to pray for a positive response to proposals they sent to churches in February related to the Turkey/Syria Earthquake Relief project. As you've read here in this blog, pray for the family of George Verwer, especially his wife Drena.

5/19 BELA & ILDIKO DOBOS
Word of Life Hungary, Hungary
Please pray for WOLH camp registration that they can reach 1,000 or more campers this summer. Pray also for camp preparation that more volunteers may come from the US who could help with teaching English and coaching sports.
 

5/20 DONNA FERCH
Friends in Action International, USA/Bolivia
The radio ministry is still going 24/7, but not at full potential. There are some problems with the radio transmitter and receiver. Pray for wisdom and God’s provision for repairs. Pray for Donna and her family as they are experiencing many trials.

5/21 HUGH & JOANNE ROBERSON
Cru, USA
Pray for Hugh and Joanne as they rethink their personal testimonies and how they might best use them in conversations with others. They are seeking to strengthen their relationships with their neighbors and share Jesus.
 

5/22 AL RHEA
Cru, USA/Southern & Eastern Africa
Pray for Discipleship Ministry Partner Development (DMPD) beginning today through June 30 this year. Ask the Lord to provide ministry partners for eight new staff members so they can carry their work effectively. Pray for LIFE Ministry Malawi’s vision from now to 2030.

5/23 J & R
USA/Central Asia
God has answered prayer and provided a wonderful home for the Haven, a ministry to refugees from J & R’s ministry country. With two offices and four classrooms in a large community center, they are reaching the surrounding neighborhood in which 90% are living in poverty.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” I Corinthians 15:58 (NASB) 

Our monthly Prayer & Praise Calendar is also available on fba.org/globalmissions