Kerney Update

Missionary at Refuge Ministries 

It is interesting to be on the other side of the missionary/host church equation. This time, we received the missionary instead of being the missionary. Nathan Schmidt visited Copperas Cove, Texas, and stayed in our home for a week in May. He and his wife, Amy, along with their three girls, are preparing to return to Bolivia. It was a great time to catch up with a Bolivia missionary coworker. He shared about their (Schmidt family) ministry in Bolivia in several of the Refuge Ministries campuses. It was a challenge for believers in the churches to understand the importance of being a part of missions through giving, praying, and/or taking trips.  

Topsey Refuge Ministries Church

We, David and Rachel, pastor Topsey Refuge Ministries Church. It is located about 10 miles from Copperas Cove. We have a fluctuation in attendance, but it is always encouraging to welcome local visitors. One of the unique features of this ministry includes a garden that is flourishing. It is exciting to have fresh garden produce to give away. Another feature is Topsey Trade Day, which is a community activity where people can come to buy or sell organic vegetables, handcrafted items, garage sale items, or other products. This is held the fourth Saturday of each month.  

Kerney Family

David keeps busy with ministry, gardening, construction projects, and learning about beekeeping. David’s biological father, David O. Kerney, recently moved from Illinois to Texas to live with us. He is at a point in his life where he needs some assistance, but he likes helping out with projects around the house. Rachel completed a course in phlebotomy and is presently looking for job openings. Leah came home to Texas (yes, you read correctly, our home is now in Texas) after finishing her freshmen year at Indian Wesleyan University. She is working as summer staff at Riverbend Retreat Center in Glen Rose, Texas. Micah is an intern at the University of North Dakota this summer. 

Prayer Items 

• Opportunities to encourage and promote international missions on Refuge Ministries campuses
• Missions trip to Sucre, Bolivia, that David is planning for October with some men from Copperas Cove

The medical trip to Peru was an amazing experience. We traveled to Ayacucho and visited the local hospital. I was able to help translate for a Pediatrician who was with us. She gave a course on effective post-natal care. After that we traveled to the village of Kana and held a two day clinic. I was in charge of triage taking vitals and assessing the medical need so I could assign them to the different specialists traveling with us. I learned so many good things that I know will contribute to my future medical education. I would definitely do it again.
Thank you for your prayers and support, Micah 

Fourteen Days in Bolivia

As the director of international missions for the Refuge Ministries campuses, David planned a trip to Bolivia in January with a Refuge Ministries pastor and a leader. Some hindrances prevented the Refuge Ministries leaders from going, but David was able to visit Bolivia January 27 - February 12.  

David traveled to Sucre in the Bolivian department of Chuquisaca (similar to our states). He went to visit the University Residence where Christian students live while they study at the university in Sucre. The residence is packed full of students to the extent that one young man partitioned off a space in the hallway as his bedroom. The University Residence is filling a real need in the lives of these students. The university academic program prepares them as a professional, but the University Residence provides security, Christian community, meals, and a good environment that encourages their walk with Christ. These students also have the opportunity to minister in several different churches in Sucre on the weekends.   

Along with Pastor Sergio, David traveled on a bus for seven hours to a small town in Chuquisaca called Molleni. It was exciting for David to be able preach and teach to this congregation, which is a new church. It is the only evangelical church in this town. David and Pastor Sergio had plans to minister to believers in other locations, but rumors of a nationwide roadblock by the truckers changed all of that. They were able to make it back to Sucre safely, even though the last 10 miles were like an obstacle course with a blend of walking and catching different buses.  

There were other opportunities in Santa Cruz to connect with national leadership and friends.  This trip was helpful in preparing and clarifying future trips with teams to Bolivia. 

It is hard to believe, but we are now Texans! We purchased a house in Copperas Cove, Texas. It was neglected and misused, but after three months of intense remodeling, we now have a beautiful, comfortable home. We have been pastoring a rural church, located in Topsey, that is one of the campuses of Refuge Ministries. God is working in and through this family of believers.  

Micah is doing well as as a junior at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. He is excited about a medical trip to Peru at the end of February. He has also asked for prayer as he plans to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) this spring and apply to medical schools. Leah is doing well at Indiana Wesleyan University as she has learned to navigate through college, a job, and snow!  

Rachel also has her nose stuck in a book (actually several books) as she takes a course in phlebotomy. She plans to finish in May and get a job in one of the nearby hospitals.  

We are so thankful to each of you who continue to pray and be involved in this ministry through giving. Even though we live in the USA and serve as pastors, we see that this is a multiplication of missions. We are able to visit the mission field and take teams, which helps others get a vision for ministry in other countries and from other cultures.