Exciting News from Lakeside's World Outreach Missionaries and Ministries!

Because of your generous giving spirit toward Lakeside's Missions, we are able to add additional missionaries to our monthly support list.

Today we are highlighting two new Missionaries!

Pastor Caleb and Sandy Cumper -

Lakeside's New Supported Missionaries

serving in Asia Pacific.

ABOUT US:

Caleb, Sandy, and their 3 kids are Career Missionaries to the Philippines where they are the directors of King's Garden Children's Home on Luzon island. Check out this video to learn more about Caleb and Sandy's ministry - click here.

CALEB AND SANDY'S PREVIOUS MINISTRY"

"Sandy and I both have had a desire to work with orphans and in church planting. We have been serving in Church ministry in Michigan together since 2016 (youth/associate pastors and in kids ministry). Sandy served as a temporary MAPS worker with AGWM in the Philippines in 2016/2017 with Sister Ruth Clark on the island of Cebu. However, after only six weeks, God showed that He had different plans and, through His arrangement of circumstances, Sandy became the interim director of King's Garden Children's Home. At the end of Sandys assignment, I flew over and we were married at KGCH with the kids as our wedding guests. Now we are back at King's Garden Children's Home for our long term position!"

ABOUT KING'S GARDEN CHILDREN'S HOME:

King's Garden was started in 1994 by a sister named Lois Prater who moved to the Philippines from Washington State. She was a 77 year-old widow who heard about the orphan problem in the Philippines (over 1.8 million children living on the streets), she cashed out her retirement, sold her home and moved to the Philippines to independently start King's Garden! She officially gave the orphanage to the Assemblies of God in 2003 when her health forced her to return to the U.S. We are excited to watch Caleb and Sandy build off what she started!

Micah & Taylar Smiley (baby Ezra) Lakeside's New Supported Missionaries in Eurasia

Who We Are:

We both served as Missionary Associates (MA) while we were single. Taylar in Ukraine and Micah in South Asia. From 2017-2021 Micah was a Chi Alpha Missionary at the Universisty of Michigan, his Alma Mater. Taylar joined as volunteer staff for the 2020-2021 year.

Our Journey:

During our MA terms we were called to a lifetime of missions. In January 2020 God began to stir in our hearts a passion to see Ukraine reached for Christ. March 2021 we were approved as Career Missionaries with AGWM to Ukraine. As the war in Ukraine continues to wage on, we felt the Lord redirect us to Tallinn, Estonia.

Our Ministry:

Estonia is known as the "least religious country in the world." We are joining a church plant in Tallinn that uses creative means to reach the community, like an airstream coffee trailer. Through outreach we will be able to connect with Estonians, as well as Ukrainian refugees and meet basic and spiritual needs. Our long-term goal is to pioneer a university ministry in Tallinn and reach many students for Christ.

Please Pray for:

prepared hearts and connections in Tallinn
peace in Ukraine and protection for our friends there
our team that is already established in Tallinn
open hearts to the Holy Spirit's guiding
the ministry coffee trailer to arrive undamaged and without complications

Canaries in the Cave: The Growing Mental Health Epidemic

I am deeply troubled by the “mental health” crisis rocking our nation. It has become almost chic to claim one has mental health issues.

Mood and anxiety disorder labels are far too often and too quickly assigned. Antidepressants (e.g., Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil) and anti-anxiety meds (e.g., Xanax, Klonopin, Restoril) are all too readily prescribed.

It pains me to see so many addicts who enter our recovery program—especially young men and women—medication-dependent (it is the rule rather than the exception). The blank stares, slowed reflexes and sluggish behavior, impaired cognitive capacities.

I don’t deny mental illness. It is real, and it is serious. My dear grandmother struggled vainly with clinical depression most of her life and was hospitalized repeated times. It deeply impacted her family, especially my late mother.

I also realize that psychotropic medications can reduce the crippling effects various dysfunctions have on people as well as enable those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction to begin the journey of recovery. (It is next to impossible to start recovery when one can’t sleep and is irritable and overwhelmed with fear, gloom, and other life-extracting emotions.)

But we must be careful not to equate mental health issues with spiritual issues.

Click here to continue reading.

Jeff Bonzelaar serves as the Executive Director of Adult & Teen Challenge/Life Challenge Ministries and has been employed with the ministry for over 35 years. He is the Great Lakes Regional Representative for Adult & Teen Challenge, USA, and is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. He holds both a MA and a DMin from Fuller Theological Seminary. He has been married to Lori for 33 years and has four wonderful sons, two beautiful daughters-in-law, and two very special granddaughters.

Jeff and his wife Lori were in Pastor Phil Krist's youth group at Brightmoor. They will be ministering at Lakeside Assembly of God along with the Life Challenge group/choir on April 28, 2024, 9 & 10 am services for our Spring Missions Emphasis.

Announcing Lakeside Assembly of God's 3rd Annual Laugh Out Loud Dinner & Comedy event with nationally renowned Dry Bar comedian, Rick Roberts!

465 guests attended last year's LOL-2 event which raised over $35,000 for PROJECT RESCUE, a global, Christian network which searches for and saves women and children trapped within the sex trade. Purchase your tickets online (click here) or call 586-726-1120.

Join Us In Prayer:

Israeli/Palestinian War

This past weekend, the terrorist group Hamas launched an attack against Israel and began a war that continues to escalate. Gaza is completely under siege and more than 1,800 lives have been lost between the two sides, with thousands more injured. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine. We are heartbroken to witness pain, suffering, and trauma. We earnestly pray for peace and righteousness to prevail. May God comfort every person who mourns and strengthen every family who grieves, and extend peace to surpass human understanding that navigates the difficulties and uncertainties that lie ahead. We believe that God sees, hears, and cares deeply for the brokenhearted, wounded, and afflicted.

“Lord, Jesus, may your love, grace, and compassion prevail in a broken world and may light shine in the face of darkness that brings healing to the nations.” Lamentations 3:55-57, “I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: ‘Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.’ You came near when I called you and you said, ‘Do not fear.’” Psalm 108:4-6, “For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.”

Buddhist Communities Need the Hope of Jesus

Please pray for Buddhists who respond to the gospel message to birth church planting movements within their own communities. May God give His people a vision of a victorious church among these peoples. AGWM personnel reports, “Life, for the Buddhist, is a never-ending and demanding labor of trying to achieve enlightenment, gain spiritual favor, and escape the pain of this life. There is neither assurance of a loving God nor hope for a joy-filled eternity in his presence.” May the Holy Spirit use His followers to share the hope of Jesus, a joy-filled message of grace and not works.

Prayer Requests from our Lakeside Missionaries

Missionaries - Because of you, our faithful Lakeside giving Family, our missionary families are spreading the Gospel around the world. Please lift up all of our missionaries and ministries in prayer as they reach out to the unreached and unchurched peoples around the world!

How Should I Pray?

For the Nations of the World

Pray for government officials to make decisions benefiting

the ministry and outreach work of our missionaries,

Pray for a hedge of protection from Satanic attacks

against our missionaries, their ministries and the Christian Nationals,

Pray for a Spirit-empowered revival to flood the nations!

For our Missionaries

Pray for the protection and provision of our Missionaries

around the world in the midst of the unrest that involves so many countries.

Pray for the world for God's Justice, Righteousness and Peace to prevail.

Pray for our service members as they work to protect our nation and people.

How can I Serve in World Outreach?

There are many ways to serve missions....

Pray for our supported missionaries and ministries, especially in these times of unrest all around the world.
Be a part of IMPACT, our Wednesday ministry to the needy and hurting! Contact Steve Addy or Holly Blust in the church office (586-726-1120) for more information.

Lakeside's World Outreach Giving Report 2023-2024

November 2023 - October 2024

2023-2024 Commitment Need (Missionaries & Ministries): $188,700
2023-2024 Total Need (Projects, Community Outreach, New Missionaries): $231,080
2023-2024 Faith Promise Total: $257,529
Nov.- Dec. 2023 Income: $96,925