Stay tuned for a new website coming really soon. It’ll have more features, easier navigation, and more frequent updates of what the Lord is doing through this ministry. Thanks for your patience and your ongoing support and prayers for RVM.
Your Evangelist to the Nations,
Rick Via
At the end of this week I’ll be headed to Swaziland. I have the opportunity to take Gospel to this great country. It is a small country located in the southern half of the African continent. Please pray that God will use me and our team greatly and that many souls will be saved.
Many of you watched the news reports about the terrible terrorist attack that took place in Mumbai, India. My son Jacob and I watched the reports in disbelief. Only two weeks before the attack took place, we were in a hotel in that exact area where the terrorists killed 175 people. We are thankful that we were not in that area when the attacks occurred.
I am reminded of God’s promise in Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters I will be with you and through the rivers they will not overflow you: when you walk through the fire you will not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon you.”
We are so dependent upon the prayers of our ministry friends and partners as we travel from country to country. God’s call to take the whole Gospel to the whole world is heavy on our hearts. Please continue to pray for us and this ministry as we continue to answer His call. Thank you so much.
North India has become a hot-bed of hostility toward Christians and their churches. Last week’s attacks by radical muslims in the city of Mumbai is just a drop in the bucket to what the Christian church is experiencing almost daily in northern India. (By the way, my son Jacob and I stayed in a hotel just blocks away from the Taj Hotel where much of the brutality happened last week. And we were there just days before the tragic events. So, thank you for your prayers for us. The Lord certainly was gracious.) Christians have been beaten, pastors martyred and churches burned to the ground. That is the situation our Christian brothers and sisters are faced with each day in northern India.
It was an honor and privilege to get to minister to over 500 pastors who preach the Gospel in this difficult environment. You would have been touched by the testimony of one of the pastors as he told his story. He was preaching the Gospel in a village when 300 radical Hindus attacked the church where he was speaking. He told how the Christians formed a wall of protection around him while others took him into hiding. I was humbled to realize that some of the pastors I was preaching to might give their lives for preaching the Gospel.
Thank you for helping me take a message of hope and encouragement to these wonderful men of God. You helped bring support and hope to so many brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you!
Janet and I want to wish you a very blessed Christmas celebration. I hope that you will be able to celebrate the birth of our Savior with those you love the most. We are excited about having our children and grandchildren home for Christmas. Let me give you a quick family update.
Josh, Tasha, Areyna and Ezekiel continue to enjoy their music ministry in Charlotte, NC. They have just released their second CD called “The Healing.” They also plan on traveling more with me in 2009 to help in revival meetings. Their ministry website is joshandtashavia.com. You can also check out their weblogs at joshvia.com and tashavia.blogspot.com.
Jonathan, Kelly, Cana and Kayil are enjoying life in Raleigh, NC. They are excited about their growing ministry at Journey Church in Raleigh. Oh, by the way, they are expecting again! Their third child will be born in July. This child will be our sixth grandchild. You can keep up with them by visiting takeajourney.org, smoothvia.com and smoothandkelly.blogspot.com.
Jared and Danielle are involved in a growing college ministry at their home church, Richland Creek Community Church in Raleigh. They are very excited about moving into their home in a couple of weeks and also thrilled that Jared will graduate from seminary in May ‘09. You can keep in touch with their ministry by visiting twofourworship.com.
Jacob and Keesha are enjoying life as new parents. Ilijah is three-months-old already. Jacob is communications director at Richland Creek Community Church and Keesha coaches volleyball at a local Christian school and was named coach of the year by her conference. Their church website is richlandcreek.com.
Finally, Joy continues her studies at CIU in Columbia, SC and plans on spending the summer in Uganda, Africa working with our ministry and Arise Africa International. We look forward to her being home for Christmas. You can keep in touch with her by sending her an email at joy.via@ciu.com
We pray that all your family will enjoy being together at this very special time of the year. Christ our Savior is born! Hallelujah!
-Rick Via
Thanks so much for your prayers and support for this venture. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. -Rick
Greetings to you from India. My son Jacob and I are in Gujarat, India this week. India is one of the darkest nations in the world. Millions of people worship Hindu idols and shrines. They live in spiritual darkness every day of their lives. People literally starve to death while cows roam the streets eating whatever they desire. The people of India worship millions of false gods that leave them without any help or hope. That is why we are here. We are bringing the light of Jesus Christ into their spiritual darkness.
Please pray that the Lord will use us greatly during this ministry. We are involved in a spiritual battle for the souls of men and women. Your support and prayers make it possible for us to bring the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to these lost souls. Even in the midst of this great darkness, the light of our Savior is shining into the hearts of many of these people. You have a part in bringing this message of hope and salvation to this nation. We are so grateful to have your prayers and financial assistance for our ministry. May our Lord bless you greatly for your generous giving and your faithful praying for our ministry. We are so thankful for all you do. To God be the glory! Great things He has done!
The Lord has graciously allowed me to write a book that has just been published by Xulon Press. It is entitled, God Still Moves. This book is an account of some of the lives we have seen changed by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a testimony to the mighty saving power of the Gospel as it is preached all across the globe. I am praying that the Lord will use this book to bring blessing and encouragement into many lives.
As the cost of mission trips continues to rise, we will be using all the sales and royalties from this book to help fund our missions outreach around the world. You can purchase the book here at xulon.com, and soon on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, or directly from our office.
I’m excited to announce the new addition to our ever-growing Via clan. Our son, Jacob, and daughter-in-law, Keesha, are the proud parents of Ilijah (Eli-yah) Gabriel Via. He has arrived safe and healthy and we are so grateful to our loving Lord. Keesha and Jacob’s address is 11701-112 Coppergate Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614.
Jacob serves full time on the staff of Richland Creek Community Church in Wake Forest. He is also a part time student at Southeastern Seminary with his brother Jared. Keesha is coaching volleyball and soccer at a local Christian school and is loving being a new mother. Please pray for their family and ministry.
We have just returned from a two-week mission in
The crusade services were held before and after the medical clinics and hundreds of people responded to the invitation during the week. Our soul winning stations were able to share one-on-one with hundreds of folks who came through the medical clinics. During the course of the week, we saw over 2000 souls make decisions to follow Jesus.
The churches now have the joy and responsibility of following up on all of these young converts. Please pray that they will find their way into the churches and grow in their new relationship with our Lord.
If you are interested in going with us next year, we would love to talk with you about the possibility. We are especially grateful to those who gave an extra offering to help with the expenses of this mission.
It is exciting to see God continuing to work in
