Prayer & Dates: June 2016

June Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for June. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document. Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

Featured Article: Links & Articles

Every once in a while, we come across good articles that we’d like to share with our missions family. Some are meant to be an encouragement; others are more informative. We hope that these will be a blessing to you. If you have articles you believe would be a help or encouragement to the missions family, please email us and share those!

From Baptist Missionary Women:

Young Missionary Women’s Survey, Part One:
“I think deputation is God’s way of teaching patience, and it is an opportunity to work with and try to be a blessing to hundreds of Christians and other co-laborers you never would get to meet otherwise. So enjoy it! It shouldn’t be a time you look back on with dread. It is also a chance to see God work in ways you haven’t seen yet!”

Young Missionary Women’s Survey, Part Two:
“Practice being positive and making the best with what you have. We all have down days and struggles, but no one has to live there. There are always blessings and things to be thankful for in every situation and generally more than we realize. I believe a happy person and a content person is a thankful person.”

From one of our missionaries in Spain, Lou Ann Keiser:

When God Redirects Your Path

“When God changes your direction, when He moves you, how do you react? Of course, if there’s loss or sickness, you’ll go through grieving, pain, and whatever trial is involved in sickness or disability. How will you react to your new situation, your new path? I don’t think anyone knows before he gets there. But, a Christian is prepared when it happens, even though he might not be aware of it.”

Where’s Home? The Question that Confuses Your Missionaries

“For the new missionary, the answer’s easy. It’s everything he left behind. It’s where he just left. It’s where family and friends are. But, for a missionary with ten years under his belt, he’ll say, “Home? We made our home here.” Or “Oh yes, it’s great to be home.” He’s moved on, his family back home has adjusted, too. And, he’s made new friends and family on his field of service. He’s into the language and culture, and from time to time, he forgets he’s a foreigner. He even dreams in his acquired language!”

From World Wide’s Missions.Today site:

Travel and Credit Card Tips by Gabriel Eiben

“Depending on your field of service, obtaining a credit card linked to an airline that services your field can be a real help with airline ticket costs.”

Guest Room Information

“The Ruwersma family (missionaries to the United Kingdom) has created a database of Guest Rooms in the Northeastern and Southeastern U.S.”

Some of you who currently serve, or plan to serve, in more restricted countries may find this article from Baptist World Missions a great resource to share with friends and family:

Handle with Care: How to safely communicate with missionaries in countries hostile to the Gospel

“Sending a missionary to a foreign country requires great care.  Sending them to a Creative Access Nation—one which forbids missionary endeavor—requires even greater care, especially when it comes to communication.  Here are some suggestions to avoid the ‘minefields.'”

Please note that WWNTBM does not necessarily endorse all of the contents of every site, nor would we necessarily endorse everything by these authors.

From the Memo Board: June 2016

Dates to Know

June 20-24 – the Office will be closed for Family Fellowship Week

July 4 – the Office and U.S. Banks will be closed for Independence Day

Family Week Information

oFamily Week will once again begin with a relaxed meal and opening service. This is to alleviate the challenge of traveling all day and having to rush to prepare for a formal service. Please come in your modest travel clothes. Come early and enjoy the church’s activity fields and facilities! Registration will begin on Monday, June 20, at 4:30 p.m. It will be held at the Radio Station which is on the hill behind the church. Supper will be served at 5:30 p.m. in the picnic shelter next to the Radio Station.

Those who requested lodging will be staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites, located at 1150 Motel Drive, Woodstock, VA 22664. The hotel is off of I-81, Exit #283. Guests may check in as early as 3:00 p.m. Watch your email for important information about children’s activities!

More Graduations

Paul Zimmer, Jr. graduated from high school. Pray for him as he makes plans to attend BJU this fall.

John and Sarah Sinskie recently graduated from Baptist Bible Translators Institute in Texas. Pray for them as they have completed deputation and are preparing to move to the field in the near future.

ESL Classes

We recently asked for your input to help a new missionary who will be teaching English. The information compiled has been published on Missions.Today, and is available by clicking here. Thank you for your help in contributing towards this. If you have more information to add, please let us know.

Sanchez FFW14Spanish Books Available

Bro. Alejandro Sanchez has written two books for Spanish believers. One deals with the subject of divorce. The other deals with definitions of common Biblical words in an effort to make the Bible easier for new believers to understand. More information about these books is available here.

From the Memo Board: May 2016

Dates to Know

May 27 – Adjusted pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 29th

May 30 – The Office will be closed for Memorial Day

June 3 – Adjusted pay date for those who normally receive funds on the 5th

June 20-24 – The Office will be closed for Family Fellowship Week

Bonikowsky Wedding

David and RaquelCongratulations to David Bonikowsky and Raquel Rodriguez, who will be married on Friday, May 6! David grew up in Spain as the son of Andy & Mimi Bonikowsky. In recent years, he has been active in the ministry that his grandparents, Al & Helga Bonikowsky, began in Irun, Spain. Raquel is the daughter of a pastor in southern Spain. Please be in prayer for this young couple as they seek the Lord’s will about future ministry opportunities. They are currently planning to remain in Spain for approximately a year, before returning to the U.S. to raise additional support.

New Baby

Congratulations to Matthew and Jennifer Inboden on the recent birth of Virginia Rose. She was born on March 27 and weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces. Virginia is their fourth child, joining older siblings Julia-Anne (7), Gabriel (5) and Alivia (3). The Inbodens have recently moved to Butte, Montana, where he will pastor the Lighthouse Baptist Church. Please pray for them in this new ministry.

Graduations

Several in our missions family are graduating this spring. Please be in prayer for them as graduation_01they seek the Lord’s will concerning future plans.

Zachary Daab will be graduating from high school. He will be attending college in the U.S. this fall.

Jonathan Newton has completed his physical therapy training in India.

Joseph Zimmer has graduated from high school. He will be attending BJU this fall.

Missions Website

Missions.Today is a blog where missionaries can share resources and tips about life on the field. The goal is to provide a portal of information where missionaries can share and receive materials pertinent to missions and Christian service. The site is user-driven, and is most useful when many individuals participate in sharing information. We encourage you to browse the site and participate by posting your suggestions and ideas.

Vehicle for Sale

Missionary Sean Quinlan has for sale a 2006 Ford Turtle Top Van Terra E-350 XLT. This configuration seats 12 passengers, in addition to a copilot, and is also equipped for Quinlan Vanwheelchair access, although the wheelchair lift is not included. There is room for additional seats to be installed, if desired. The mileage is 136,900, and the engine runs well. There is some minor body work that could be done. The vehicle is located in Kings Mountain, NC. Asking price is $12,300. For more details please contact Bro. Quinlan at [email protected]. Please help spread this news if you know someone who may be interested.

Prayer & Dates: April 2016

April Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for April. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document.  Once you have logged in, click on Files, Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

From the Memo Board: April 2016

Family Fellowship Week Picnic

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This year’s Family Week will again begin with a picnic dinner and a casual time of fellowship. Valley Baptist is blessed to have a picnic shelter and facilities right on the church property.  Last year’s format for the first evening was a huge success, with an overwhelming number of people requesting this again.  If you’ve not yet registered, please be sure to click here to let us know if you will be able to attend or not.

Doctrinal Agreements

If you have submitted your doctrinal agreement statement, your new card for 2016-2017 is now available for you to download and print from your SecureCloud folder.  If you have not yet submitted your annual agreement, please click here, or email Naomi Torberson as soon as possible, indicating that you have read and are still in agreement with our Articles of Faith.  If you have questions or concerns, please contact John O’Malley.

Charitable Contributions

Charitable contributions may be carried into future years if they cannot be deducted in the current year because they exceed your adjusted gross-income limits.  You may be able to deduct the excess in each of the next five years until it is used up, but not beyond that time.  Details of this option are available in IRS Pub 526.  We encourage you to discuss this possibility with your tax preparer, as it may be beneficial during furloughs when the Foreign Income Exclusion may not apply.

An App for SecureCloud

Screen Shot 2016-03-28 at 6.00.36 PMDid you know there is an app called OwnCloud available for your iOS or Android device? This app gives secure access to your SecureCloud account and allows you to view your files on your phone or tablet. At the end of each month, we scan any mail that has come to the Office for you and place it in your online account. This includes check stubs for all bills paid by the Office, as well as information that may have come from your supporters. World Wide does not sell this app; it is provided by the company, OwnCloud, who created the platform we use for SecureCloud.

New Missionary

Stalcups Nov 2015Tim and Kristin Stalcup have recently joined the World Wide family. The Stalcups are sent out of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Kings Mountain, NC, with Pastor Jim Ogle.  Their desire is to reach the Muslims in New York City, specifically the Afghan people. They have one daughter, Anna Faith Shirin, who is 17 months. Pray for the Stalcups as they begin their new ministry.

Bible Institute Resource

Melvyn and Carol Brown are veteran missionaries, and they have shared a resource they have created with our missions family. Their burden is to aid missionaries in starting Bible Institutes on the field and training people for service. You can read more about the materials and pricing at their website.

 

From the Memo Board: March 2016

Family Fellowship Week

oFamily Fellowship Week is fast approaching! Please be sure to make plans to join us June 20-23 at Valley Baptist Church in Edinburg, VA. We will be exploring the theme, Workers Together With God. You’ll not want to miss this exciting time of encouragement with fellow servants. Click here to see what others are saying about this life changing week!

Moving to the Field or Furlough Trips

Are you leaving for the field soon? Planning a furlough? Click here to see a list of tips that might help in your planning stages. These lists are a part of the Missionary Procedures Manual, which is always available on SecureCloud.

Tax Alert

For tax year 2015 a significant change took effect in regards to the Federal Child Tax Credit. It is our understanding that this will affect those living abroad who have children under 17 and who utilize Forms 2555 or 2555-EZ when submitting their tax returns. If this applies to you, you may want to discuss with your tax preparer whether calculating your 2015 return without Form 2555 or 2555 EZ will give you a better outcome. Please discuss with your tax preparer whether this change will affect the amount you should be submitting in estimated taxes for 2016.

Tax Notes

As you prepare to submit your financial documents to your tax preparer, here are some things you may want to remember to give them:

  • List of dates you were in the US vs. out of the country
  • Details of any housing expenses
  • Information on any retirement plans
  • Information on any investments
  • Information about any foreign bank accounts on which you are a signatory
  • Details of any family births or deaths (Names, dates, and SSNs)
  • Details of estimated taxes submitted
  • Information about your health coverage and medical expenses
  • W-2s, 1099’s, and other tax forms received
  • Details of charitable contributions

New Missionary

Sammy and Connie McNeill have recently joined the World Wide family. The McNeill Nov 2015McNeills are sent out of the New Testament Baptist Church in Robbins, NC, with Pastor Darrin Richardson. They have been married for 33 years and have two adult daughters. Bro. McNeill has recently retired as the Chief of Police. His experience in law enforcement and as a coach in local schools has given him a burden to reach the unchurched youth in America. Pray for the McNeills as they begin this new ministry.

New Babies

Congratulations to Fred III and Brittany Daniel on the birth of Carolina Rose on January 28th. Carolina weighed 7 pounds and was 21 inches long. She is the sixth child of the Daniels, and joins older siblings Katherine, Ashlyn, Fred IV, Kevin, and Isabella. The family serves in Mexico.

Congratulations to Stephen and Charity Jenney on the birth of Samuel on January 29th. Samuel is the second child of the Jenneys, and joins his older brother Judson. The family plans to begin deputation this spring to work in the Southwestern United States.

Congratulations to Josh and Joanna Town on the birth of Jennifer Rose on February 16. She weighed 8.14 pounds and was 20 inches long. Jennifer is the third daughter of the Towns, joining Juliana and Jayla. The family currently serves in Lebanon, where they have been preparing for a stateside ministry to Muslims. They plan to transition back to the US later this summer.

Carolina Daniel
Carolina Daniel
Samuel Jenney
Samuel Jenney
Jennifer Town
Jennifer Town

Prayer & Dates: March 2016

March Prayer/Praises and Special Dates

Click the link above to download a PDF of prayer requests and praises as well as the birthdays and anniversaries for March. Note: You will need to login to SecureCloud in order to view this document.  Once you have logged in, click on Files Shared, then Headquarter Happenings, then scroll to the month you would like to view. This step protects people with WWNTBM in restricted access fields.

Tax Time Reminders

Tax season is once again upon us! Here are several reminders concerning tax issues that you may face. We trust that this information will be useful to you, both in giving you a better understanding of your reports and helping you to be aware of items that may affect your personal taxes. Please be sure that you are following published guidelines found in your Missionary Orientation Manual when listing expenses on your financial reports. Thank you!

Tax Paperwork for 2015

Tax related paperwork generated by WWNTBM will be in your SecureCloud folder on February 1st. This includes W-2 forms, MFR Summary Reports, and Estimated Tax letters. If you requested that we submit your tax information directly to your tax preparer, please note that those documents may not be sent until mid to late February. This is to ensure that there is time for us to include any forms that may arrive in our office from other sources. If you have any questions, please contact Naomi.

The Affordable Care Act and Your Taxes

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect your taxes in regards to your Health Insurance coverage. If you are enrolled in the Health Insurance Marketplace, you should expect to receive a Form 1095-A from the Marketplace, which you will need to submit to your tax preparer. If you were not enrolled in the Marketplace, you may still need to discuss your Health Insurance plan with your preparer, as it is our understanding this will affect your tax return this year.

It is our understanding that US residents living overseas who may have returned to the US for more than 35 days in 2015 may also be subject to specific fees regarding the Individual Shared Responsibility Provision of the ACA. Information about this is available on the IRS website by clicking here.

Questions about this should be directed to your tax preparer.

1099 Forms

If churches issued funds payable to you in excess of $600 during the year 2015, they may issue you a 1099 form. If those funds were either mailed to the office, or included on Line 2 of your MFR as extra income, they are already included in the total of your W-2. Our office can assist you in verifying whether the funds were included on your W-2. Your tax preparer can assist you on your return in recording this so that you are not taxed twice on the same income. We recommend that you request churches to make checks payable to WWNTBM to avoid this issue in the future.

Foreign Tax Exclusion

In order to claim the foreign tax exclusion, you must be out of the US for 330 days over a 12 month period of time; however, these days do not have to be in the same calendar year. In order to gain the full benefit of the foreign tax exclusion, your tax preparer may be able to revise your returns based on the actual time you have spent overseas. Because of this, it is vital to provide your tax preparer with all of your travel dates to and from the US. You may also wish to discuss with your tax preparer what dates would be the best travel dates when planning to leave for the field or return on furlough, as this could affect how much you are allowed to claim under the foreign tax exclusion.

Estimated Tax Payments

Missionaries are considered to be self-employed, and are therefore subject to self-employment taxes. Submitting quarterly estimated tax payments throughout the year will help to prevent having a large tax payment due each April. Estimated tax payments can be submitted on your own, or, if you are interested, you may contact our office for information on how we can submit them for you.

Tax Paperwork for those with Foreign Bank Accounts

US Treasury Dept. regulations require that if you have any foreign bank accounts, and if the sum total of all of your foreign accounts has ever been $10,000 at any given time during the past year, you must complete the IRS Foreign Bank and Financial Account Form (FBAR) and give it to your tax preparer. This includes all foreign accounts on which you are a signatory, such as a ministry account. This form, and further information about it, is available on the IRS website at www.irs.gov. It is our understanding that there have been several changes to these requirements in recent years, and you may also need to complete Form 8938. Please refer to the IRS website and your tax preparer if you have any questions.

Ministry Bank Accounts

If your ministry has been chartered and established as a non-profit organization, we recommend having your ministry get a bank account in its name. Funds for purchases such as land may be able to be sent directly to your ministry, thus eliminating your personal tax liability. Please note that there are limitations to this option. Of course, regular support could never be sent this way. Please contact our office for more information.

Utilizing a Tax Professional

Studies have shown that the average person who uses a tax professional, instead of filing their own taxes, receives a much greater tax return. When comparing the returns of those who self file vs. those who use a tax professional, it is estimated that a self-filer loses between $297 and $791 in missed refunds. The savings far exceed the amount spent to hire a professional. (Statistics taken from daveramsey.com.) It is also good to note that not all professionals are familiar with tax situations that might affect you. We encourage all missionaries to use a certified tax preparer who is familiar with special tax situations that affect missionaries. A listing of tax preparers used by other missionaries is available on SecureCloud, under the Forms and Manuals section.