Troy Manning

Updated 1/7/12

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for helping us have such a productive workshop in Haiti in November. We completed the rest of the Psalms! Our goal is to reprint the NT with Psalms and Proverbs next year. That means we need to finish Proverbs this year! The next workshop is in June.
2. Praise Him for His never-ending supply of wisdom and grace for life and ministry.
3. Praise Him for increasing my support so much at the end of 2011. In September it was at 82%, but now it’s at 96%! Pray for the remaining amount to come in. Maybe the rest will come in this month!

Updated 9/15/11

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for a productive Haitian Creole workshop in May-June, a blessed deputation trip to Singapore in July, a successful translator training workshop in the Philippines in July-August, and a profitable Consultant Seminar in August. (Obviously, it’s been a busy summer, because I have a long list of praises spanning many months!)
2. Praise the Lord for enabling me to close on a beautiful house in Michigan in August.
3. Praise the Lord for “dry spells” in my deputation efforts that cause me to depend more on Him. I’ve seen two increases but a counter-balancing decrease such that my support is still at 82%. It’s been at that level since May.

Prayer

1. Pray for successful deputation efforts in Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana in Sept-Oct. Pray for God to move in the hearts of those who got very excited about my ministry when I was at their church in the past, but whom I haven’t heard from since. God can work!
2. Pray for wisdom as I prepare for a Haitian Creole workshop in November.
3. Pray for wisdom as I give continued leadership to our translation, literacy, and linguistics efforts around the world.
4. Pray for grace to do right in “this present evil age.”

Updated 5/28/11

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for raising my support to 82%! (The two future commitments are still not included in that number.)
2. Praise Him that I will most likely be adding a missions conference to my fall deputation schedule and a Wed night meeting in Minnesota.
3. Praise Him for leading me to a very nice house to purchase. Pray as final paperwork is processed. If all goes well, I should close around June 24 or sooner.
4. Praise Him for helping me to finish preparations through Psalm 58 for the Haitian Creole workshop.
5. Praise Him for providing more volunteers to help with various projects.

Prayer

1. Pray for the Lord to continue to enable churches and individuals to join my support team. Though I’m nearing the end, I can’t consider my deputation done yet.
2. Pray for grace and wisdom as I work with the Haitian Creole OT translator for the next three weeks in the workshop here in Grand Rapids.
3. Pray for guidance as I complete the deal to purchase my first home.
4. Pray for wisdom as I will eventually begin preparations for my deputation ministry in Singapore in July and the translator training in July/August in the Philippines.
5. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”

Updated 5/5/11

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for raising my support to 77%! (Unofficially, it’s at around 80% if I include two future commitments.) Pray for churches and individuals who have a desire to support me but don’t have the resources. Pray for God’s blessing upon my deputation ministry. Pray for power, provision, and protection.
2. Praise Him for helping me in the strategic planning issues in March. The planning, however, continues…
3. Praise Him for allowing me to fill all the remaining Sundays that I wanted to fill for 2011.
4. Praise Him for blessing one second visit to a church. Pray for God’s blessing upon another second visit. Pray that the Lord would enable churches, who have a desire to support me, to be able to do so.
5. Praise Him for leading one recipient of my 10 follow-up notes to ask me to come back for a second meeting. Now I need to figure out if it will work with my fall schedule.

Prayer

1. Pray for wisdom as we try to provide mentoring to future consultants, some of whom are/will be working in complex contexts.
2. Pray for direction as I try to fill up remaining slots in my 2011 deputation schedule. I have a few Wednesdays still open during my time in MN; I want to connect with the churches that the Lord wants me to get into.
3. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”
4. Pray for wisdom as I check into possible houses to purchase. Pray that God would provide a “home” before He provides a “house”, if it would be His will.
5. Pray for grace as I prepare for the Haitian Creole OT workshop that begins at the end of this month. We have lots of material to cover!

Updated 4/1/11

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for raising my support to 73%! Pray for churches and individuals who have a desire to support me but don’t have the resources. Pray for God’s blessing upon my deputation ministry. Pray for power, provision, and protection.
2. Praise Him for providing a place to stay in northwestern PA. I didn’t have a good, centrally located place to stay at until I connected with Walnut Creek Baptist Church. Their missionary house is probably the best I’ve ever stayed in!

Prayer

1. Pray for wisdom as I continue to work through strategic planning issues.
2. Pray for wisdom as we try to provide mentoring to future consultants, some of whom are/will be working in complex contexts.
3. Pray for direction as I try to fill up remaining slots in my 2011 deputation schedule. I have a few Sundays and Wednesdays still open and various contacts; I want to connect with the churches that the Lord wants me to get into.
4. Pray as I will be returning to some churches for a second visit. Pray that they will commit to partner with me when they learn about my ministry the second time. The pastors have a heart for it, but they need their people to get fully on board. Pray for God to enable them to support me when their hearts do sense the burden. Resources are so limited in this lean American economy, but God’s resources are not limited!
5. Pray for God’s blessing upon 10 letters I’m sending out to pastors whose church I presented at a year or more ago. I’m hoping to renew their and their church’s interest in my ministry (though their interest may not have actually waned–it’s just hard to know when you don’t hear anything from them).
6. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”

Updated 2/8/11

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that His timing is perfect. My support is still at 69%, but I’m trusting in Him to increase it in His time. Pray for the many meetings I have between now and then, that the Lord would move in hearts to support me both financially and in prayer. Pray that God would move in hearts to make the Word of God a central aspect of the believers’ lives.
2. Praise Him for providing the Military Christian Center in Norfolk, VA. I’ve been able to stay here for 3 weeks and will be here for another 2. What a blessing to have some stability in my schedule!
3. Praise Him for power, provision, and protection on deputation. Please continue to pray.

Prayer

1. Pray as we continue to raise the rest of the money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Pray for the successful completion of these projects.
2. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”

Updated 12/18/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that I finally filled up the two empty slots in my schedule for 2011. In fact, at one point I had two churches contacting me about one of the slots. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end to go to both churches.
2. Praise the Lord for providing a large portion of the $76,000 that we needed to print the 11 Scripture translations.
3. Praise Him for raising up someone to be the Stewardship Coordinator and someone else to be the Office and Finance Manager. The former will start in early January. The latter will need to raise more support before joining us. We’ve needed people in these positions for 2-3 years now, but the Lord knew all that. He provided in His time. Pray for these two ladies as they make the transition into our ministry. This will really ease up the load for the rest of us so that we can give more attention to our main responsibilities.
4. Praise Him for bringing my support back up to 69%, after increases in expenses made it dip down to 65% in late November.
5. Praise Him for helping me to get prepared for the Haitian Creole OT workshop and for helping it to go well. We checked only 20 chapters this time, but the quality of the translation is now quite good. Pray for the translator as he tries to pick up the pace for the June workshop, and for me as I have to prepare for a three-week workshop in June.

Prayer

1. Pray that I would be able to raise all of my support by Easter of 2011. I have 69% now. Praise the Lord for the recent increases! Pray for the many meetings I have between now and then, that the Lord would move in hearts to support me both financially and in prayer. Pray that God would move in hearts to make the Word of God a central aspect of the believers’ lives.
2. Pray as we continue to raise the rest of the money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Pray for the successful completion of these projects.
3. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”

Updated 11/15/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for a profitable time at BMM’s Launch Seminar in September. I learned many valuable things, including ways that I can be a better steward of my finances.
2. Praise Him for a good BI Harvest Dinner in October. Many people came out and gave generously toward the Chad projects.
3. Praise Him that I’ve been able to fill some slots in my deputation schedule. The two remaining slots in Jan/Feb still aren’t filled. (I’m beginning to wonder if the Lord has something other than deputation meetings in store for those days!)
4. Praise Him for providing a few volunteers to help with projects. Pray for God to provide people who can help translate material into Spanish and French.

Prayer

1. Pray that I would be able to raise all of my support by Easter of 2011. I have 69% now. Praise the Lord for the recent increases! Pray for the many meetings I have between now and then, that the Lord would move in hearts to support me both financially and in prayer. Pray that God would move in hearts to make the Word of God a central aspect of the believers’ lives.
2. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $76,000.
3. Pray for grace and wisdom as I prepare for the Haitian Creole OT workshop in December. We’ll be checking at least 35 chapters, so I need to check them this month in preparation.
4. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”

Updated 9/13/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that I have been able to restore all the information that was on my ruined hard drive and that I’m “back in business.”
2. Praise Him that I’ve been able to fill some slots in my deputation schedule. Pray for the two remaining slots in Jan/Feb 2011 would be filled soon.
3. Praise Him for refreshment and rest during my vacation last week.

Prayer

1. Pray that I would be able to raise all of my support by Easter of 2011. I still have 66%. Pray for the many meetings I have between now and then, that the Lord would move in hearts to support me both financially and in prayer. Pray that God would move in hearts to make the Word of God a central aspect of the believers’ lives.
2. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $76,000.
3. Pray for preparations and funding for BI’s Harvest Dinner on Oct. 21. We are trying to raise funds for the Chad translation projects.
4. Pray for wisdom as the work continues to pile up in relation to our projects, but my time still remains limited. Pray for wisdom to prioritize well and for the Lord to raise up qualified volunteers to help.
5. Pray for a profitable time during BMM’s Launch Seminar on Sept 14-17, and for safety traveling to/from the seminar.
6. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”

Updated 8/23/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for answering so many prayers for my Chad trip. The Lord helped us to accomplish much in the workshop, and I was able to collect much valuable information as I met with many different key individuals.
2. Praise Him that my support is now back up to 66%. I haven’t been able to reconnect with pastors yet, because I’ve had problems with viruses on my hard drive. I hope to get my deputation software reinstalled soon so that I can begin making phone calls.
3. Praise Him that I didn’t lose any data even though I had major problems with viruses on my hard drive. Praise Him that my hard drive didn’t lock up on me until after I returned from Chad.

Prayer

1. Pray that I would be able to raise all of my support by Easter of 2011. Pray for the many meetings I have between now and then, that the Lord would move in hearts to support me both financially and in prayer. Pray that God would move in hearts to make the Word of God a central aspect of the believers’ lives.
2. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $76,000.
3. Pray for wisdom as the work continues to pile up in relation to our projects, but my time still remains limited. Pray for wisdom to prioritize well and for the Lord to raise up qualified volunteers to help.
4. Pray for continued grace to do right as a single man in this “present evil age.”

Updated 07/16/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that my support is at 64%. I had to make a few adjustments, so that’s why it’s slightly lower than previously reported. I’m thankful for how the Lord is making up for the fact that I can spend so little time on deputation activities–moving in current supporters to increase their support, prompting pastors to call me back, and allowing me to connect with pastors during the brief moments when I can call.
2. Praise Him for helping me through the rest of the Haitian Creole OT workshop. We weren’t able to cover all of the material intended, but we worked well as a team and helped the translator arrive at a slightly better translation.
3. Praise Him for all He did to help us with the Consultant Seminar. I’m not sure how it all got done, but it did! And the sessions were very profitable for all!
4. Praise Him for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

1. Pray for grace and wisdom as I prepare for the Day OT workshop. I leave on July 24.
2. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $76,000.
3. Pray for increased prayer and financial support, especially during these weeks when I can spend very little time working on deputation. Pray that as I’m overseas for three weeks, I won’t lose the connections that I’ve already established with pastors.
4. Pray for continued grace to do right.

Updated 06/12/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that my support is now at 66%.  Praise Him for providing for all of my needs as I live on partial support.
2. Praise Him for manifesting His presence in two very important meetings last week (June 8 and 10). We need continued grace and wisdom to proceed in the Sango Bible revision and in the issue of Scripture Use.
3. Praise Him for helping me to adequately prepare for the Haitian Creole OT Workshop, amidst many other activities.
4. Praise Him for sanctifying me.

Prayer Requests

1. Pray for the rest of the Haitian Creole OT Workshop to go well.
2. Pray for preparations for the Consultant Seminar in early July. There is much to be done in these few weeks!
3. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $76,000.
4. Pray for increased prayer and financial support, especially during these weeks when I can spend very little time working on deputation.
5. Pray for continued grace to do right.

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Updated 04/16/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that my support is now at 58%.  Praise Him for providing for all of my needs as I live on partial support.
2. Praise Him for helping me to overcome some lingering issues with my back. I still have some issues, but nothing major.
3. Praise Him for enabling me to formulate a Strategic Plan for the Text Production Department. We weren’t able to have planning meetings because of the earthquake in Haiti, but I still established a Plan.
4. Praise Him for giving me such a productive trip to Myanmar and Haiti in Jan/Feb. I was able to accomplish almost all of the objectives that I had for the trip.
5. Praise Him for providing a place in Grand Rapids that I can call “home” and for providing it at such a good price.
6. Praise Him for sanctifying me.

Prayer Requests

1. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $76,000.
2. Pray for increased prayer and financial support.  The support is coming in slowly but surely. Pray as I try to set up meetings in VA in Jan/Feb of 2011 and in IL in Mar of 2011. Pray for me to be able to connect with the pastors/churches that He wants me to link up with.
3. Pray for continued grace to do right.

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Updated 01/06/10

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that my support is now at 55%.  Praise Him for His abundant provisions for me in 2009.
2. Praise Him for leading me to a doctor and a therapist who have been able to help relax the muscles in my back.
3. Praise Him for giving us safety in Haiti, for helping us to accomplish what we did, and for enabling me to preach in French again.
4. Praise Him for sanctifying me.

Prayer Requests

1. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $100,000.
2. Pray for continued healing of my back.  It would be nice if I didn’t wake up at 4 am every morning any more.
3. Pray for increased prayer and financial support.  Many churches may be making budgetary considerations this month.
4. Pray for continued grace to do right.
5. Pray for wisdom as prepare the 2010 Strategic Plan for the Text Production Department.  The planning meetings will take place on Jan 21-22.
6. Pray for preparations for my three-week trip to Myanmar and India in late January and early February.

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Updated 11/28/09

Praises

1. Praise the Lord that my support is now at 55%.
2. Praise Him for giving me a positive report from the surgeon that I saw concerning my back on Wed.
3. Praise Him for sanctifying me.
4. Praise Him for blessing our Annual Banquet on Oct 22, especially in light of the recession.

Prayer Requests

1. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need about $100,000.
2. Pray for continued healing of my back.  It would be nice if I didn’t wake up at 4 am every morning any more.
3. Pray for increased prayer and financial support.  There are at least three churches in PA who are seriously considering whether or not to begin supporting me.  Other churches have expressed their desire but are waiting for giving to increase.
4. Pray for continued grace to do right.
5. Pray for preparations for the Haitian Creole OT workshop that starts a week from Monday.  I need to prepare to consult on 10 chapters.  I also need to be ready to preach in French.  Pray also for safety as we travel and as we are in Port-au-Prince, a very dangerous city.

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Updated 10/17/09

Praises

1. Praise Him for increasing my support to 52%.
2. Praise Him for helping my back to continue to heal.
3. Praise Him for providing victory over temptation.
4. Praise Him for His abundant provision from so many people that I get to know on deputation.
5. Praise Him for the power of truth to save the sinner and stabilize the believer.

Prayer Requests

1. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need $134,000.
2. Pray for the Annual Banquet on Oct. 22.  Those at the office still have much preparation to do.  We also need more table sponsors.
3. Pray for continued healing of my back.
4. Pray for increased prayer and financial support.  There are at least three churches in PA who are seriously considering whether or not to begin supporting me.  Other churches have expressed their desire but are waiting for giving to increase.
5. Pray for continued grace to do right.

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Updated 8/10/09

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for helping the Togo trip to go so well.  Preparations were adequate, and the workshop went better than planned.  Plus, the Lord kept me safe and healthy through it all!
2. Praise Him for increasing my support to 50%.
3. Praise Him for helping my back to continue to heal.
4. Praise Him for helping things to fall into place for the Consultant Seminar.
5. Praise Him for providing victory over temptation

Prayer Requests

1. Pray as we continue to raise money for and complete 11 Scripture projects.  Praise the Lord that most of the funds have come in.  We still need $140,000.
2. Pray for continued healing of my back.
3. Pray for increased prayer and financial support.  I hit the deputation trail again in mid Sept.
4. Pray for wisdom as I lead the Consultant Seminar.  Pray for team unity and cooperation as we have much to discuss.
5. Pray for continued grace to do right.

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Updated 5/9/09

Praises

1. Praise the Lord for continued progress as my back recovers.
2. Praise Him for greater victory over temptation recently.
3. Praise Him for enablement in ministry.
4. Praise Him for good contacts with pastors.
5. Praise Him for profitable times between meetings to accomplish tasks for the BI ministry.  Pray as we are getting a little behind in my Strategic Plan for the Text Production Department.
6. Praise Him for keeping me safe over many miles and for providing for all my needs in so many ways (primarily through gracious people!).

Prayer Requests

1. Pray for continued recovery of my back.  I have started not wearing the brace, and it is going well so far!
2. Pray for God’s continued blessing on my deputation ministry.  I’ve really experienced God’s enablement in ministry.  I’m thankful for the contacts I’m making.  My support has gone up $20 per month in the past month (currently at 45%).  Pray for more good contacts.  Pray for an increase of support to 55% by the end of May!
3. Pray for God’s blessing, protection, and provision on the BI ministry.  We hope to complete 5 Scriptures this year and 4 next year.  The people are working feverishly to get them done so that they can get into the hands of dear believers around the world.
4. Pray for wisdom as I put together for the second time the Consultant Seminar in August.