— Updates —

July 2024

• Please pray for workers to join the ministry.

• Please pray for the Henderson's needed financial support.

• Please pray for Rich and Marla as they minister to their adult children.

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MARCH 2024

Thanks for reaching out to us!  We so value the relationship we have with Lake Tapps and have had since I first came to the church as a Bible college student in the 80’s when one of my classmates served as the youth pastor.  Over the years our relationship strengthened through Tim Heath, the Hubeeks and the Dave and Pam Page, and so many others.  We recently have been so blessed to have Micah and Andrea Heath join OC and work with us here at our offices in CO. 

Here are some recent ministry highlights and prayer requests along with a 4-minute video that explains a lot of who we are as an organization.  Coming alongside national leaders and helping them accomplish what it is that God is calling them to do.  We tried to find places where God is on the move already and then come alongside those gifted men and women and help them accomplish God’s task.  The Global Church Planting Network is one example of this.  Several OC leaders working alongside thousands of church planters around the globe to plant churches in the neediest of areas.  Church planted by national leaders not western church planters.

Ministry Highlights:

-Marla is the Sr Director of Personnel for OC, overseeing all of OC’s member care, recruitment, training, and MK care (Missionary Kid). OC has a goal to recruit, train, and send 35 new workers in the next 5 years.  Already this year four new workers have joined us including LTCC’s own Micah and Andrea Heath.  We also have 4 new workers in the process of filling out applications currently.

-After 6 years as the Asia Area Director Rich became the US Area Director in 2022.  This was a new focus for OC as we have not focused on ministry designed to come alongside the US church until now.  As our work force grows here in the US we are seeing opportunities to work with churches and other likeminded organizations in Sports, short term missions overseas and here in the US, church planting training, change management for churches as well as missions mobilization, and spiritual coaching and mentoring.

-After 23 years of living in the Philippines and working around Asia, Rich and Marla feel like God has placed them in these leadership roles for a purpose, to the see the multiplication of workers around the world working together to see the gospel available to everyone around the world.  To complete the One Challenge…the great commission.

Prayer Requests:

-Pray that God would continue to lead us to new workers who want to join us in seeking to assist the global body of Christ to complete the great commission.

-pray for support to continue to come in that allows us to keep up with the ministry tasks at hand.

-pray for opportunities to be a blessing to the OC leaders that Marla and Rich serve.

-pray for the continued spiritual growth of our four kids and their significant others.

Here is the link to the Global Church Planting Network video.

gcpn.info/purpose/GCPN Overview.mp4

We are praying for LTCC and the pastoral search.

Blessings,

Rich and Marla

OCTOBER 2023

We have been very busy this summer sending & sustaining global workers.

We are winding down from all of these summer activities. The U.S. Mobilization Center (US-MC) has had lots of ACTIVITY and EXCITEMENT. We here at the US-MC go into high gear to welcome and equip both new and veteran global workers (missionaries). Thank you so much for praying for us as we worked hard all summer!

In June, three different programs took place. One for workers who have been accepted to the mission and are about halfway to their financial support goal. After two months of online training, they come to Colorado to participate in three intensive weeks of pre-field training. Another for workers who are about to deploy & a third for workers who are coming to the U.S. from their fields for furlough/home assignment.

Please pray with us for more workers.  As we have all read “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” and we need more workers.  Thank you for your prayers for Marla - she is recovering nicely from knee replacement surgery in late August.

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MAY 2023

After 23 years of ministry in the Philippines with One Challenge, Rich and Marla returned to the US Mobilization Center for OC in Colorado Springs.  Marla is the Senior Director for Personnel and Rich is the US Area Director. 

Praise the Lord with Marla for her health as she continues to hear from her Drs. no evidence of disease from the Uterine cancer that was discovered in 2018. 

We are praising the Lord also for the house that the Lord provided for us here in Colorado Springs, we are settling in well. 

Pray for the summer programs that Marla is responsible for that begin in June.  OC spends significant time debriefing our missionaries that are returning home on furlough each year, as well as training new workers who are preparing to leave for their ministry assignments. 30+ workers will be participating in these debriefings and trainings.  Pray for Marla and her staff as they provide these trainings and debriefings that God would move mightily in the hearts of his people.

Pray also for Rich and the teams that he leads here in the US as they continue to make strategic plans for opportunities to have an impact with churches here in the US.  OC feels that God is asking OC to be available to come alongside underserved churches in the US to help them accomplish what God is asking of them.  Pray for people and opportunities to work with the US church.

OC is beginning a 5-year strategic plan.  Pray for wisdom for Rich and Marla as they are each leading a portion of this plan.  OC is discerning with God how he may be asking us to change to continue to stay aligned with what he is doing around the world today.

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JANUARY 2023

In the midst of what we sometimes feel is a crazy and disturbing world.   God continues to show himself steady, and loving.   Desiring to draw people to himself.   As the Sr Director of Personnel, Marla is seeing many opportunities to bring more people into God’s mission.   Sending new workers around the world and caring for our workers in many stages of their ministry lives.  In Rich’s role with OC as the US Area Director he is involved in helping our ministries based in the US prepare for the new opportunities available since travel is becoming more possible as many countries open.  One new direction for Rich is working with US based churches to help them accomplish what God is asking of them…to reach their communities.   Helping plug in our ministry personnel who have been effective outside of the US as they seek to encourage the church here in the US.  

-Please pray for Rich as he travels to India, Nepal and the Philippines starting Jan 12-26 to visit our workers who have been isolated for the past two years.  

-Pray for Marla as she travels to the Philippines on the 17th of January for some closure with our ministry partners of the past 25 years.  When we left Manila in May of 2021 the Philippines was still in lockdown and so we were not able to close out many of our partnerships.   

-Pray for continued wisdom as we seek to help OC accomplish what God is asking of us as we do our part to help complete the Great Commission in Matthew 28.  

-Praise the Lord that Marla continues to receive good reports from Drs with “no evidence of disease”.

Blessings 

Rich and Marla

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AUGUST 2022

We are so thankful for the new house. God was in the process even though it felt so long. 

 As far as our jobs go…I, Marla, am loving mine.  I have oversight over all our personnel from the point that they are accepted to the point that they retire.  I direct the teams who recruit, do pre-field training, provide member care for our adults and kids, and I interface with legal, benefits and security entities as well.   It is both challenging and rewarding.  We just had our summer programs where we have our newly appointed missionaries do training in the mountains.  It is intense, but oh so rewarding.  That crossed over into our 2 weeks of rest and renewal for our missionaries who are stateside for their home assignment, which is to connect with supporters and churches.  That is also a very rewarding time as I debrief all of the adult participants on a more individual (couples together) level to see what we as an organization are doing well, what can we do better and just to listen to their stories of the past term of service. 

 Rich is enjoying his new responsibilities as well, as the Area Director for US Ministries.  In this role he is providing leadership oversight over the different streams of ministry being done by our OC workers that happens overseas by our workers who reside in the US.  This is an exciting opportunity to impact the global workforce of OC.  This would include ministries that are ongoing in 30+ countries around the globe. Rich also is continuing to provide support and mentoring for the new Asia Area Director who replaced Rich as the director last May.  This part of the world continues to see the most growth of the gospel and God is on the move in ways we have not seen in the recent past. 

 Please pray for Rich and Marla

1) as we continue to settle into our new home. 

2) for wisdom and discernment as we both lead large teams of individuals around the world. 

3) for continued strong support for the ministry that God is calling us to. 

4) for understanding of how to manage the rest with the never-ending opportunities before us. 

5) for opportunities to encourage our adult children in their relationship with the Lord.

We are so blessed by LTCC, you all are in our prayers.  Please let us know how we can be praying for all of you.

 Blessings

 Marla and Rich

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MARCH 2022

prayer requests

• Pray for both Rich and Marla as they continue to serve OC International in their new positions. Rich is the Asia Area Director and his role is expanding to include the role of US Ministries Area Director. Marla is the Senior Director of Personnel.

• They are looking to purchase a home in a very competitive housing market. They have made several offers but have been outbid each time. They are renting a home but it is only available through May. Please pray that the Lord will direct them to the right house to purchase.

• They have continued to have long standing relationships with Pastors and believers across Ukraine. Pray that these channels will remain open so that they can continue to provide practical assistance to the people in Ukraine during this time.

See how OC is praying for and supporting Ukraine

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October 2021

Rich & Marla will be our featured speakers at this year’s annual Missions Emphasis Weekend, October 29-31.

CLICK HERE to read a letter sent out recently by the President of One Challenge on the impact the Henderson’s new roles will have within OC.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for the transition back to the US.  After 23 years in the Philippines, there are many cultural changes in the US that we are adapting to.

• Pray for our housing situation in CO.  Currently, we are waiting on the Lord for the right opportunity.

• Pray for us in our new responsibilities that we would be focused on leading and following in ways that honor our Lord.

• Pray for our family as all four of our adult children will be located in Colorado Springs as well.

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MAY, 2021

The Henderson’s are on the move. They are moving back to the U.S. after 23 years in the Philippines.

Prayer Requests:

• Please be in prayer as they fly out tomorrow (May 31), just 3 days after their son, Cameron, graduates.

• Pray for Cameron as he says goodbye to lifelong friends and moves back to the US, a country that feels a little foreign to him.

• Please also pray for their transition as they make plans to move to Colorado Springs in September. ​They will be working at the OC headquarters after a short furlough.

From the Henderson’s:

“There is much emotion and change, but it is good and right. We are hoping to take a few weeks in June to rest and process all of this and we will be at the cabin in Montana virtually unplugged.

“Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers these last 23 years. May God continue to use us for 23 more.”

Please note: Lord willing, the Henderson’s will be our Missions Emphasis Weekend main speaker at the end of October.

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December, 2020

Rich and Marla Henderson have served in the Philippines for 22 years in many positions, and are entering their largest transition ever. In June of 2021 they will be moving permanently back to the states, Colorado Springs, to take on leadership positions at the headquarters of One Challenge International. Please pray with them.

1. Pray for Cameron as he finishes this semester of his senior year at Faith Academy online, with the next semester being scheduled to start online also. It has been a difficult year in isolation for him, as it is for many around the world. Pray he would be able to finish his senior year with opportunities to make face to face memories with his friends that he will not see again once he moves to the US for college.

2. Pray for Marla and Rich to finish well the jobs we currently have here in Manila. Marla is the HR Director at Faith Academy and Rich is the Asia Area Director for OCI. Pray we would not spend too much time planning for and dreaming about what the new jobs will be until we are finished with the current jobs. Marla will be the Senior Director of Personnel and Rich will be the US Area Director based in Colorado Springs.

3. Pray that God would provide the finances needed to make this transition to the US. He has sustained us through the enormous support of individuals and churches like LTCC, we are trusting in his provision to the newest calling.

4. Finally, through a special gift from the LTCC Missions Committee, Rich was able to gift his car mechanic of 13 years this Christmas. Teddy had a stroke and due to his recovery and the pandemic has lost much business and his family has suffered. Teddy was thrilled and his faith has increased. All glory and honor to our God!

August, 2020

Currently, like many around the world, we are dealing with the fallout of the COVID 19 virus impact. Since March 15th we have been under government-mandated lockdown with restrictions fluctuating based on how overwhelmed hospitals are with virus cases. This impacts the church greatly here in the Philippines. There are many churches in the Philippines that are doing as LTCC has done over the past few months in being able to do church online. There are also a high number of churches that are not able to hold services in that way because of the lack of internet capabilities. Because of no services, there is also no income for many pastors. Which has led to a large number of pastors who are in serious trouble and cannot feed their families. Our team here in the Philippines is doing all we can to help provide resources for small churches and their pastors to help provide food for them and their congregations. If you are interested in helping us with this project, please email me for more details. (richhenderson@oci.org)

• Pray for our three kids in the US, Garrett who just recovered from having COVID and lives in the Graham WA area. Our daughter Sadie is looking for work in the Seattle or Central California areas and our son Tristan who is working in Colorado Springs.

• Pray for our son Cameron as he begins his Senior year online here in Manila with the possibility of no Varsity Volleyball or Varsity basketball this year. Pray for the ability to deal with these losses in a healthy way.

• Pray for Rich as he leads One Challenge's 100+ workers and families here in Asia in a way that allows us to still be effective in doing what God has called us to do.

• Pray for Marla in her role as HR Director at Faith Academy, to lead the staff towards being healthy education of the 500+ students and that she can encourage her staff towards physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

• Pray also for a new transition for Rich and Marla. In the later part of 2021, Marla and Rich will be taking on two new positions with One Challenge. They will be moving to Colorado Springs CO to the One Challenge headquarters. Marla will be the SR. Director of Personnel for our 400 missionaries around the world. Rich will become the US Area Director, responsible for our US personnel that are focused on ministry around the world. He will also remain as the Asia Area Director for two years until his replacement is ready to take over. Please pray for a strong finish in the Philippines and the logistical change to the US after 22 years in the Philippines.