Thanks for your interest in Montana Missions and your support of the Baker State Missions Offering.

We count it a great privilege to serve as your church planting missionaries in Central Montana. We are so thankful that God called us to serve Him in such a beautiful and incredible place.

It was not quite two years ago that the Lord began working on us about the possibility of planting churches in Montana. Our journey began rather unexpectedly with a visit from a friend. At the time, we were serving a church in Kansas City, Kansas. We enjoyed our ministry there, but knew that God was calling us to plant churches in a pioneer work area, we just didn’t know where exactly. Well one day a good friend stopped by and said, “Have you ever thought about serving in Montana?” I believe I responded with something like, “Well, I don’t know”. But at that moment the wheels began to turn, and as we prayed about and investigated the possibilities for church planting in Montana, we became more and more convinced that this was the place where God was calling us to plant our lives. After a brief trip up to see the area and meet a few people, we were absolutely certain that this was the place we were supposed to be. The time it took us to get through the interview and appointment process seemed like an eternity. In fact during our interviews, we were asked what would happen if we were not appointed to serve. We answered, “Well, this is where God is calling us to serve and we are going whether we are appointed or not.” That sure and certain sense of God’s calling has buoyed and encouraged us through the good times and the times of discouragement, and we hope to be able to spend the rest of our lives serving here in Central Montana.

We are working to start new Bible studies, outreach groups, and churches all across the central part of the state. In the year and three months that we have been working in this area, God has allowed us to have a hand in starting works in four different communities. The first was in Geraldine, a small farming and ranching community. Geraldine Baptist Fellowship has been meeting in the community center for almost a year now. We started out slowly, but over time the Lord has gradually allowed us to see an increase in not only numbers but also in the depth of ministry we are able to have in this community. We had VBS this summer and recently added a second group for children and teens. We also have Bible studies in the Moore and Winifred areas, and have recently begun working to restart the Baptist church in Stanford. In addition to these communities we are always looking for places and opportunities that the Lord may be opening a door for us to start other new churches. A second major part of our task is trying to identify, equip, and release local leaders to take over these new works. As we build further relationships and have a chance to mentor many others, we are looking forward to seeing the Lord raise up a great army to share the good news of the Gospel all across this part of the state.

We believe that God has given us a vision to see every community in Central Montana exposed to the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to see vibrant, reproducing fellowships established where followers of Jesus Christ can grow and mature. We realize that this is a God-sized vision, and one that we are utterly incapable of accomplishing on our own.

We are always looking for people who are willing to pray for our work and for church starting all across Montana.

Why an intercessory prayer team?

· Because we are trying to pierce the darkness with the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

· Because we are trying to retake ground long held by the enemy.

· Because church planting is spiritual warfare.

· Because prayer is not just preparation for the battle, prayer is the battle.

· Because we cannot do this without your help.

If you would be interested in praying for us and for our church planting ministry in Central Montana, or if your church might be interested in adopting an unchurched community or coming for a mission trip, please let us know. We look forward to seeing how the Lord may use you to reach Central Montana for Christ.

Jesse and Kimberly Rust

HC 90 Box 55

Moccasin, MT 59462

(406) 423-5306

Prayer Requests

1) Pray that God would continue to bless the work in Geraldine. Pray that we would be able to make further connections in this community, and that God would begin raising up some local leaders.

2) Pray for the Bible study in the Moore area. We are in the process of making the transition from primarily a ladies Bible study meeting in private homes, to a whole family group meeting in the local community center. Pray that the Lord would allow us to begin making a real impact in this area.

3) Pray for our marriage enrichment Bible study in the Winifred area. Pray that the Lord would bless and protect the marriages of those involved. Pray that this Bible study would grow into a real beacon of light in this community.

4) Pray for the restart in Stanford. There are considerable barriers to be overcome in restarting a church that has closed up once, and we would ask that you pray that the Lord would break down those barriers and allow the people in the community to see that we are there for the long haul.

5) Pray for other places and opportunities that the Lord might be preparing us to be involved in reaching with the Gospel.

6) Pray for workers in the harvest. Pray that the Lord would raise up local leaders with a passion for seeing the lostness penetrated with the good news of Jesus.