Nancy Berends | Serving primarily in Togo, West Africa, based in West Michigan

Updated October 2026

Praises

• God has provided a volunteer physician and Nurse Practitioner to help with our Missionary Healthcare responsibilities.
• I had a fruitful trip to Corban University to establish relationships with them for nursing students to participate with our healthcare mission trips.  This is a benefit to them and to abwe.
• My great-nephew Joshua spent the first 17 months of his life in the hospital in Ann Arbor but was able to be discharged to home two weeks ago.

Prayers

1. I leave for Togo with a Chapel Pointe team on Thursday October 8.  Pray that it will be a good trip for all, and pray especially that Mike Wood and I would be able to help re-configure a few network settings for the hospital that will allow better access.
2. Pray that God would send us a volunteer, 16-hour a week medical director.
3. Pray for wisdom to prioritize well in these days when I am really struggling to keep up with all the work.

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The Caudill Family | Director of Live Global, based in Pennsylvania

Updated July 2026

Praises

• Praise God for a successful Missionary Kid Retreat last month! We loved building into 20 teen missionary kids from around the world for a week, helping them process and prepare for transition as they will soon re-enter their passport country for college or post-high school jobs, etc. What a full house and full hearts kind of week! God answered so many prayers for logistics, weather, health, safety, spiritual conversations, and more.
• Praise God for the 10 individuals joining Live Global this month.

Prayer Requests

• Pray we can be helpful to the 10 individuals joining Live Global this month as they attend orientation. Pray for God to lead and direct them as they begin the fundraising process.

• Please pray for wisdom for Andrew and me as we plan what our next international trip or two will look like. Also pray for wisdom for Andrew as he leads Live Global as part of ABWE.

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Saeed and Saida | Northern Caucasus of Central Asia

Updated September 2026

Praises

• I thank the Lord for the opportunity to share the Gospel with new people. Some of them responded very positively. One of them said he wanted to talk to me about it again.

• I thank the Lord that an unbeliever came up to me and said he wanted to be like me. He wants to be just as respectful of people as I am. I told him that Jesus made me this way. It was very heartwarming to hear those words and to share the Gospel with him.

• I thank the Lord that, by His grace, we can help people with medical needs. A great many people turn to us, and we help them. Some also ask us to pray for their needs.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for the people we’re sharing the Gospel with, that they may become disciples of Jesus Christ.

• Please pray for our family, that the Lord will help us find a larger home so we can have adequate space for our family and for our house church. We also often have guests visiting us for various reasons.

• Please also pray for the translation of the New Testament and for the workshop that begins on September 17 and lasts for 12 days. With God’s help, the next workshop will be held in early March 2027.

The Sanford Family | Serving in Papua New Guinea

Updated October 2026

Praises

• We are very hopeful that our team might be full again within the next few months.
• There have been more surveys done of various people groups in the last year by others in our organization, which means if we must consider another church planting location at least, we won’t be starting at zero. We have information to work with and pursue.
• Our central area conference went well. It was a time of praise, worship, and encouragement with all the missionaries in central Papua New Guinea.

Prayer Requests

• This week we have began conversations with a family interested in joining our church planting team. Pray for wisdom and discernment as we engage with them.
• The Gende people have pulled away from wanting missionaries and there is an increasing concern of violence in the area. We will likely have to consider other people groups in PNG for church planting, which is difficult after all the investment in pursuing the Gende people.
• Pray for the discouragement of having to move away from the Gende people, and that God would make it clear where He would have us.

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Dave & Jan Santos | Serving in São Paulo, Brazil

Updated October 2026

Praises

• Our youngest grandson, Ellis, just turned ONE!! We praise the Lord for his health and also that we’ll be there for a late birthday party.
• We fly back home to São Paulo on the 16th!!
• The missions conference we were part of, as well as Jan’s speaking at the Women’s Missionary Union, and meetings at another awesome supporting church went very well over the last 2 weeks. We are SO thankful for ALL our supporters and the privilege of sharing so much about our GREAT YAHWEH!!

Prayer Requests

• Every year we buy a couple of books to give away to pastors at their annual conference. This time we want to give them to the pastors’ wives instead. So we’re looking at 120 or so books.
• We support a Brazilian missionary whose family is reaching an Indian tribe in north Brazil along with a big children’s ministry. They have almost all they need to finally buy a car. We’ve helped them and challenged others to as well. They’re a little short and any amount would be an encouragement, a HUGE help and a blessing.
• It’s time to repaint the retreat center pool with the special pool epoxy paint. 
• There’s a Venezuelan refugee family that joined our church and they’re AWESOME. We’ve been able to bless them quite a bit, but a longer term amazing blessing would be to help them put their younger daughter into a Christian school because she’s getting bullied a lot, for being a Christian AND for being a Venezuelan.
• For a safe and “eventless” trip home on the 16th.
• For wisdom moving forward as we seek maximum Kingdom Impact in our “twilight” years!
• For our planning for the MK retreat

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The Stevens Family | Serving in England, based in Oxford

The Stevens will be moving back to Michigan later this year to accept the role of Congregation Pastor at Genesis Church in Petoskey. Pray for all the logistics of moving and the emotions of saying goodbye to all those they’ve ministered to in the UK over the last 23 years!

Updated September 2026

Praises

• Our Soul Stirrer evangelistic video series launches in Germany this week!

• We just reconnected – at a wedding – with many leaders we’ve trained over the years. It was amazing to see so many serving as pastors, youth ministers, charity workers, teachers, etc!

Prayer Requests

• Kiera’s spinal fusion surgery for her scoliosis is scheduled for 15 Sept. Pray that date sticks and for her surgery.

• Pray for the timing and logistics of our move back to Michigan

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The Cooper Family | Serving in Togo, West Africa

Updated September 2026

Chris and Lydia Cooper are ABWE missionaries serving in Togo, West Africa at the Hospital of Hope. The hospital cares for patients from over 6 surrounding countries, including many unreached people groups, serving as a church planting catalyst in the region. The Coopers are passionate about meeting the physical needs of unreached families to engage them with their spiritual need for Christ.

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Praises

• Baby Cooper #2 is so far healthy and growing well, and Lydia’s morning sickness has improved in the last couple of weeks.

• Rain! The hot and dry summer is finally over, and temperatures are more bearable.

• The school has come to a temporary solution to the nursery, allowing both of us to still attend class full time.

Prayer Requests

• Please pray for Baby Cooper #2 and that they continue to grow healthy and grow up to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Our anatomy scan to take a closer look at baby’s development is on September 16 and we are praying for continued health and good news.

• Please pray for school starting September 1st, and that we finish this last school trimester well.

• Unfortunately, one of the totes we shipped to Virginia did not make it to the shipping container company to get to Togo. Please pray that UPS finds this missing tote.