Born and raised in Botswana, Africa, I

came to Rolla at the end

of summer 2013 to pursue a degree in Mining Engineering at Missouri University of Science and
Technology Rolla Campus. That same year, on a
snowy evening of December 4, Sheri Haselhorst accompanied me to Lambert
Airport to welcome my
husband and two boys
(then 1 and 4). Wrapped in
pink hats, scarves and gloves, (yes boys in
pink), they arrived in Rolla to join me. We
were looking for a living church, a loving and a
lovable church family. As a Christian family,
our goal was to grow and to raise our children
in the Lord. Our prayers were answered when
we found a home in First Assembly of GodRolla where we have been for over two years.
First Assembly of God has been a greater
home than we could ever ask for. The uncompromised word of God, the various Sunday
school classes, childrens programs, and the
reception and hosting of the International
community is beyond description.
As a family we believe in individual
growth in the ways of the Lord, development
of the unique talents that God gave each one
of us as well as glorifying him in cohesion.

Thobo (3)
The family glue and prayer Captain. He enjoys swimming, playing
drums, and is a great fan of Thomas the Train. Steak n Shake is his
best eat-out place. All for their
crispy large servings of French fries! With
ketchup of course!
Teto (7)
The family encyclopedia and Scripture bank.
He is a karateka, a djembe drum player, enjoys fishing, drawing and
painting, and is a great fan of
racing cars and Legos of any
kind. Pastor Brian Feller is Tetos best character! Anything
edible he will eat, but serve
him rice and chicken, and his belly is tickled!
Tshepho and Tsetsa
Married for almost 8 years and parents to the
boys Teto and Thobo. Tshepho is an explosives
technician currently reading for a degree in
Engineering Technology with Penn Foster College. He enjoys working out, playing social
soccer, and farming. Tsetsa, a Mining Engineering Degree student at MS&T, enjoys reading, writing and cooking. Together we enjoy
spending time as a family and traveling.
(Motaneko continued on page 6)

As we contemplate the completion of 2015 and

the beginning of 2016, few of us would doubt that we
are living in the last days. How do we handle it when
the Supreme Court defies the law of God, Israel is under attack as never before, and a world religious leader declares that Christians and Muslims worship the
same God? (See the refutation of this in the October, 2015 newsletter). Do we throw up our hands
and give up? Of course not. In the perilous days of
the first century, Peter asked and then answered a
similar question: Since everything will be destroyed
in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You
ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward
to the day of God and speed its coming. 2 Peter
3:11, 12
How else do the writers of Scripture encourage
us? In Titus 2:11-13, Paul declares that the grace of
God . . . teaches us to say No to ungodliness and
worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright
and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for
the blessed hope the glorious appearing of our
great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Philippians
1:9-10, Paul says, And this is my prayer: that your

End Time Condition

Deception; false prophets
Apostasy; falling away; betrayal of others
Love of many grows cold
Lovers of themselves, lovers of money
Boastful and Proud
Abusive; disobedient to parents
Ungrateful
Unforgiving; slanderous
Having a form of godliness, but denying its power
Scoffers; following ungodly desires

love may abound more and more in knowledge and

depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern
what is best and may be pure and blameless until
the day of Christ. (emphasis added throughout.)
Following the description of the lawless one (the
Antichrist) and those who have not believed the
truth but have delighted in wickedness in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-12, Paul exhorts us to belief in the truth
and to stand firm and hold to the teachings we
passed on to you in verses 13 and 15. Note how all
these exhortations in Scripture to a holy, selfcontrolled, loving and steadfast life are tied in with
the coming of the Lord.
Matthew 24, 2 Timothy 3:1-9 and 2 Peter 3:3-7
list many signs of the end as well as the ungodly lifestyles of many people in the last days. Lets look at
these in the column on the left, but intentionally do
the opposite. The column on the right is how we, as
Christians, should live in these last days and prepare
ourselves for the coming of the Lord. Maranatha!
Come, Lord Jesus.
Ralph and Beverly Flori

Our Response and Role

Love the truth; study the Word of God; be accountable
Hold to the truth; draw near to God; do not forsake assembling together; support and encourage others
Pursue Jesus as your first love; worship and pray
Love others; be generous
Be humble with a servants heart
Be kind in word and action; honor those in authority
Have an attitude of gratitude and a heart of worship
Be forgiving; build up others with our words
Stir up the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind
Honor Gods law; cultivate Godly desires

FOOD DISTRIBUTIONOUR CHANCE TO SERVE

In March 1999, Grace Church began distributing
groceries and USDA commodities to needy families in
Phelps County, in conjunction with The Food Bank for
Central and Northeast
Missouri
(Columbia, MO.) Continuing every month
since then, the ministry has assisted thousands of families with
items from Feeding
America and USDA.
Annually about
15,500 individuals (5,400 families) are helped with more
than 300,000 pounds of food and other needed items.
The ministry was organized as a separate 501c3
organization called Phelps County Faith Distribution in
2006. Members from area churches comprise a local
leadership board, led by founding members David and
Diane Hagni, Gerald Dowdy and Carl Mathews. Carol
Creighton is the organization's volunteer coordinator, and
Brad Pettijohn also serves on the board.
It takes 150 hours of volunteer manpower every
month to make each food giveaway a reality. About
25,000 pounds of food and other items are distributed

monthly to about 550 families (1,500 individuals). When

you offer your time to volunteer, PCFD believes you are
doing something great and that God will reward you richly.
The actual distribution is held the third Saturday
each month at Grace Church of Rolla, 1390 S. Bishop.
First Assembly has agreed to supply the volunteers for
the January 16 food distribution. Email phelpscountyfood
@gmail.com or call 573-368-3040 to sign up for one of
the two shifts that day.

STOCK DONATIONS
One category of a donation to consider, when
giving to a church, is that of donating appreciated
stock. You might wonder how this would be a benefit to you. The benefit will allow deducting the
amount of the charitable donation and relieve you
of unrealized capital gains on the donated stock.
When giving the stock, as a donation, it needs to be
held for more than a year. Otherwise, it will be
treated as ordinary income property.
In addition, stock gifts must be transferred
into the churchs investment account by December
31st to be eligible as a year-end contribution.
Always discuss your options with your CPA or
Investment Agent.
Pansy Bingham, Business Administrator

Mission trips are a unique and bountiful experience for the Christian believer! Something
incredible happens when believers, gathered together in the name of Christ, go and do the Lords
work, united as one group. Ask anybody who has
been on a mission trip, and you will most likely
see a twinkle in their eye and a smile grow
across their face. God moves in wonderful ways
through the hands and work of a mission worker.
But He also works in a wonderful way in his or
her heart. I went to bless others, but found myself blessed is a common phrase I hear. There
are many words come to my mind to describe
what happens inwardly and outwardly, like fulfilling, inspiring, rewarding, or empowering. But
one word I want to focus on is primary and supreme above these others. Obedient. For all of
the wonderful, outflowing blessings of being a
Christian, we must always be anchored in Gods
Word, which calls for us to be obedient to Him. 1
Samuel 15:22 tells us that obedience is greater
than sacrifice.
We have two upcoming mission trips at First
Assembly that will
be wonderful opportunities to participate in Gods Kingdom work in distant
places. Why do we
participate in missions trips?
Matthew 28:19 says, Go
therefore and make
disciples of all nations Jude 23 encourages us to save others by
snatching them out of the fire And Romans
10 reminds us, saying, How then will they call on

Him in whom they

have not believed?
And how are they to
believe in Him of
whom they have never
heard? And how are
they to hear without
someone preaching?
And how are they to
preach unless they are
sent? As it is written,
how beautiful are the
feet of those who
preach
the
good
news! These, and many other verses, not only
encourage but expect that we as believers participate in mission work. In obedience to the Word
and Spirit of God, we lovingly hold out the good
news of Jesus Christ that brings forth eternal life.
Many of you are involved regularly in local projects or in supporting international and local missionaries. Thank you! God is furthering His Kingdom through your faithful and obedient commitment. But I know that there are
many others who need a little spurring on, a little iron sharpening iron.
Please pray about being involved in
some of our upcoming mission trips,
and we trust that the Spirit of God
that led us to these projects will stir
in the hearts of some of you to become a part. Even for those that
cannot go, you can be in prayer for
the trip. You can help sponsor the
costs for another individual who would like to go
but cannot afford it.
Our world today is ripe for harvest! God is

moving and saving souls in every corner of the

earth. His Kingdom is coming! His will is being
carried out through His bride, the Church! We
can and must be a part of what He is doing to
save souls that would otherwise be separated
eternally from Him. God is not wanting that any
should perish, but that all would come to salvation through Jesus Christ.
If you have any questions, please contact
Kathi at missions@rolla-firstassembly.org or 573578-5590, or Sam at kcatsc@rollafirstassembly.org or 573-578-1770, or online at
http://www.rolla-firstassembly.org/missions.
God bless, and thank you! Sam Parker

Spring Break Mission trip to Yucatan, Mexico:

Location-Tahdziu, Yucatan, Mexico. We
will be flying out Friday, March 25th and returning on Saturday, April 2nd. The cost is
$750, which covers the cost of flight tickets.
This project is to help build a small church for
a local congregation. This is a construction
trip, although there may be opportunities also
for direct ministry. We have 20 spots available. Please quickly express your interest to
Kathi Garner, Sam Parker, or Len Miles as we
make all the plans. There are time-sensitive
dates as we finish our plans for this trip. Application for passports must be completed,
along with several required shots. We will also be requiring a deposit by mid-January.
Again, please be in prayer for this trip.
We need your prayers! We need willing hands
to come forth as those who in previous years
are now unable to go! We need you!

December Mission trip to Minden, LA:

Location-Minden Teen Challenge Family
Center. We will be leaving December 28 and
returning January 3. The cost is $100. Sponsorship to help cover some of the cost may be
available. The deadline for signups is December 6. We have limited spots available for this
trip, so please sign up quickly! Projects will
be painting, hanging doors, hooking up electrical outlets and switches, and many other
small projects.

WINTER XTREME FOR TWEENS

Attention Middle School students! Mark your calendar for Xtreme Winter 2015! Well be heading
down to Branson on Sunday, December 27 and be returning Tuesday, December 29. The cost will be
$80. We have to register students very soon, and spots are very limited, so families, quickly get signed
up by contacting Sam either by text at 573-578-1770 or call the church office at 364-1266 and leave
your childs name. Well get to listen to Jeremy Camp, Casting Crowns, For King & Country, and many
more, plus great speakers that will talk directly about issues our kids need to hear! If youre a middle
school student, you dont want to miss this trip!

First Assembly donated 79 boxes this year for Operation Christmas Child. These boxes will be delivered to children along with a
gospel message in countries around the world. Thank you, Chris
Skyles, for coordinating First Assemblys collection!
(Continued from page 1)

Baked potatoes, steak, and green beans are a

great treat for us.
As we wrap up to return to Botswana in a
couple of weeks, we carry with us great memories from Rolla, Missouri. The wonderful people we met, the Christ culture of the Christians here, which is expressed in the eagerness and readiness to share the Gospel at all
times. We wish to be able to emulate the reception of the foreigners in our own land and
always show them the love of Christ. We were
proud to be a part of the annual OperationGO!, the monthly Love Feasts, the All Nations
Christian Fellowships, The Missions day, and
the various Sunday school classes! Thank you
to the leadership and the fellow servants in
First Assembly of GodRolla for making our
lives here a comfortable journey. God bless
the church.
Tsetsa Motaneko

OUR PASTORS

Jason Gibson
Youth Pastor

pastorjason@rollafirstassembly.org

Sam Parker

After School &

Missions Director
kcatsc@rollafirstassembly.org

Brian Feller

Childrens Pastor
pastorbrian@rollafirstassembly.org

Ray Cook

Associate Pastor
fireguy@rollafirstassembly.org

Chuck Whitmire
Lead Pastor

pastor_chuck@rollafirstassembly.org

ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS

Karen Turner, Administrative Assistant office@rolla-firstassembly.org
Mark Berry, Facility Manager office@rolla-firstassembly.org
Pansy Bingham, Business Administrator pansy@rolla-firstassembly.org
Abby Swearingen, Media Assistant media@rolla-firstassembly.org

NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT #116
ROLLA, MO

1608 N Oak St
Rolla MO 65401-2342

MISSION TRIPS

Minden, LA and the Yucatan Peninsula

HOW SHOULD WE LIVE?

Worldview FAQs

PHELPS CO FOOD DISTRIBUTION

When and where

THE MOTANEKO FAMILY

Spotlight family