Seth & Emily Phippen Newsletter (Spring 2024)

The Gospel in Action!
Madagascar—it’s not a country that many people are talking about. You don’t see it in the news often. But this country is on my mind just about every day. Teen Missions has many ministries operating in Madagascar. Mike is the Country Coordinator for Teen Missions in Madagascar and he is doing an amazing job! Mike and his wife Queen are originally from Zambia. While they have not been in this position for long, they are learning fast. I want to tell you a story that Mike shared with me about the Gospel in Action.

Margarita, a widow at sixty, faced the cruel realities of poverty with her three children after her husband’s death due to lack of medical care. Evicted and homeless, they sought shelter in a market alley, their only refuge from the elements—a flimsy shelter of plastic bags. Tragedy continued to plague them as two of her children were imprisoned on charges of theft, leaving Margarita to care for her remaining child, who has a mental disorder. Despite their hardships, she worked tirelessly in the market to earn meager wages, which she saved to buy rice for their survival. Their lives intersected with Queen, a compassionate Teen Missions staff member, who encountered Margarita in the market. Moved by her circumstances, Queen shared the Gospel with her and offered words of encouragement and hope. When asked what she expected from the Lord, Margarita expressed her desire for salvation and eternal life in Jesus Christ. With Queen’s guidance, she prayed to receive Jesus and felt a newfound sense of peace and hope amidst the trials of her life. Soon after, Mike and Queen took the Bible school students to the market and joined hands to improve the widow and son’s living conditions. While the students weren’t able to build her a new home, they were able to enlarge the living space and provide adequate shelter from the elements. They enclosed their entire home and provided food and other necessities. This story shows the good news of Jesus in action. Jesus works in people’s lives through others and attracts them to Himself through us!
Thank you for partnering with Mike and Queen, through Emily and me, to change lives like Margarita’s in Madagascar!
We can do this because of your partnership!

Germany
Emily and I are excited about the opportunity that we have to disciple 21 teens through Teen Missions Boot Camp missions training this summer. We will spend a little over five weeks teaching these teens and introducing them to various mission opportunities and missionaries in Germany. We will work alongside churches and missionaries that minister to people from various cultures and languages through Bible studies, prayer meetings, community coffee gatherings, and serving food to the needy at the local park. “We desire to see a global community of young people launched into missions and growing with Jesus to bring hope in innovative ways.” This is the vision and prayer of just one of the ministries that we will be working with this summer! We are excited to serve together and we look forward to seeing what God will do in the lives of the teens we will train this summer. If you would like to give toward our team expenses, you can use the coupon provided at the end of this newsletter. Thank you in advance for your partnership with us in this mission to disciple the next generation!

Family
Emily will soon be wrapping up school with the kids. They have been great students this year and learned a lot. The kids are very excited about going to Germany with our team. They are asking plenty of questions and helping Emily and me get things ready. Emily is always juggling many things but always finds time to help me with my work. There are many nights when, after putting the kids to bed, she helps me with the projects I am working on. She has many skills and abilities that have been sharpened because of our time in Africa which make her valuable to the work I am doing here in Florida.

The kids love their Sunday school teachers and classes at church! This has been a great joy for Emily and me. In Africa, our church did not have a Sunday school program like we have here in Florida. This morning (Sunday) when Sadie woke up, the first thing she said was “Yay! we get to go to church today!” The teachers do a great job of making the class fun and teaching the kids truths from God’s Word.

You are making a difference!

All these things are possible only because of the partner team that we have. If you’re interested in supporting this work that God is doing, contact us and learn more about how you can get involved. We are looking for individuals, families, and churches that would partner financially and prayerfully with our ministry.

Praise:
Thank God for all He has done through the ministry of Teen Missions in Madagascar and the staff faithfully serving Him there.

God has given us joy in the ministry that we are part of and a great family in the Teen Missions staff here in Florida.
For our partnership team and all this ministry that has taken place because of them.

Prayer:
Please pray for the Gospel in Action that Teen Missions staff are involved in all around the world, especially, for Mike and Queen in Madagascar. Pray for God to give them wisdom and guide them as they adapt to a new culture.
Pray for the ministry in Germany this summer. We are still looking for people to partner with us—from prayer and financial support to practical supplies, as well as Commissioning and travel food for the whole team. Let us know how you would like to get involved.
Pray for our family that God would establish our steps. Not only in Germany but also here in Florida every day.

Thank you for following this work that God is doing through Teen Missions. Every time that you pray for us, send us a letter, message, or a financial gift you are taking part in what God is doing. Your unwavering commitment to impact the lives of people around the world is truly remarkable and deeply appreciated.
Thank you for your involvement. We could not do this without you.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Seth & Emily Phippen,
 James, Lauren, Emma, and Sadie

Contact us:
Email – [email protected] 
Text number – 321-222-8136
Mailing address – 867 East Hall RD
Merritt Island, FL 32953