Greetings from Gravel Ground, Jamaica! Can you believe that Jeff and I are here, doing ministry in the country where it was once said that nothing good would ever become of my life? I’m so humbled and thankful to our Lord for giving me a beautiful life and for allowing me to come back here to share about it. It’s a huge blessing, honor and privilege to be here speaking and evangelizing but the icing on the cake for me this week has been spending time with the kids and distributing toys at the church, orphanage and Manna Feeding Center.

Children struggle tremendously in Gravel Ground due to poverty. For many, the only hot meal they receive is the one that the Manna Feeding Center provides each day. Imagine life for these precious kids: On one day, to distribute toys without incident, we had to lock ourselves inside the church. Afterwards, Pastor Josh had to instruct the kids to stuff the toys in their pockets or under their clothing and RUN straight home. Even adults steal from children here. They steal the shoes right off their feet. One person actually stole a beef patty from a child's hand and ate it. I'm simply heartsick. Please pray for the kids of Gravel Ground and for Pastor Josh and his family as they reach out to this community.

In the days ahead, as we gather together with our families and loved ones for Christmas, lets pray for those less fortunate than us who don’t have a warm or safe home, food to eat, or even someone to hug them. Let’s celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior this Christmas by being thankful for what we have and by sharing that bounty with others.

Thank you so much for partnering with us. Know that your support is reaching people around the world in desperate need of hearing the Gospel. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of so many.

So The World May Know Him,
Jeff & Bernadette Todd

Just a quick note to touch base. Forgive me for not posting sooner but the wheels of my chair have been constantly on the move. For the past 5 months, Jeff and I have been nonstop—ministering in churches, youth camps, home groups, hospitals and classrooms. In fact, as I type this, Jeff is very busy packing and getting last minute things done before we leave for ministry in Virginia.

Great news! On December 14, we'll be going to Maypen, Jamaica to serve alongside Pastor Joshua Morris at Gravel Ground Baptist Church and Anderson House orphanage. Jeff and I are SO excited!! This will be our very first time ministering in my home country! Many of you have been praying with us for that. After our time in Maypen, we will go over to Kingston and spend Christmas with my family.

Please pray for safe travel as we head to Virginia this Saturday. Pray for God to use us in a mighty way and that many would give their hearts and lives to Jesus. God bless you all, and thank you so much for your love, prayers and strong support.

Until next time...
In Christ,
Bernadette

Exciting things are happening! The Lord has opened a wonderful door and given Jeff and I an incredible opportunity to do a series of radio broadcasts for The Lighthouse Report! The Lighthouse Report is a 2-minute daily radio broadcast of Campus Crusade for Christ that airs on more than 1,000 Christian radio stations nationwide and in other English-speaking areas of the world. It's focus is to encourage radio listeners daily to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to reach out in new and exciting ways.

Two of our broadcasts aired last month, one aired this week and there's more to come! Please join us in praying for those who hear it. The daily listenership is estimated in excess of one million people each day. Have a quick listen and let us know what you think! :-)

CONFINED - Are you CONFINED?? Listen to what Bernadette Todd says can confine us all on this 2-minute Lighthouse Report.
Click Here: http://www.lighthousereport.com/mp3/LHR2_05-23-2012.mp3

GOD’S PLAN - God really does work in amazing ways … through prayer. Listen to Jeff Todd share how God answered the prayer of his heart on this 2 minute Lighthouse Report.
Click Here: http://www.lighthousereport.com/mp3/LHR2_05-24-2012.mp3

YOUR STORY - It’s amazing how God can use your story to change people’s lives! Listen to Bernadette Todd talk about it on today's 2-minute Lighthouse Report.
Click Here: http://www.lighthousereport.com/mp3/LHR2_06-04-2012.mp3

THANK YOU for your continued prayers and support of our ministry as we aim to fulfill the great commission. Together we are making an eternal difference in the lives of countless people around the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Your Partners on Mission,
Jeff & Bernadette Todd

It is with great joy and excitement about all the wonderful things that God did during our time in South Africa that I send you this email. As I type, "thank you" seems to really fall short of the deep gratitude and appreciation we have for all of you that support our ministry through your prayers and giving. Because of your faithfulness, countless people in Mitchells Plain will never be the same. Here are just a few testimonies of some of the people we had the privilege of sharing our lives with.

I had an opportunity to counsel and share my testimony with this group of 17 men and women who struggle with drug addiction. When I first arrived, one was sitting with his arms folded and wouldn't even look at me. In the end, I had to fight back the tears as he and 5 others prayed with me to receive Jesus!! Wow, I'm so excited! Lunchtime bible study and support with Pastor John will be available everyday for these new believers and others who may want to join them. Heaven is rejoicing!

This is our new friend Pastor Colin. Jeff and I met him at a Pastor's Fellowship Meeting where I was invited to speak in Mitchells Plain. He has had over 40 surgeries and lives in constant excruciating pain. In despair, he had been wrestling with God, feeling hopeless and even losing faith. He recently prayed and asked God to make Himself real to him again. Imagine this pastor's amazement when he saw me sitting across the room from him about to share my story. He had no idea I was coming. Before I could even start, he began to cry. In the end he came to me and said, "Bernadette, I believe God sent you to South Africa just for me." I was about to give up but God spoke to me today -- through you. Wow.

One Sunday I spoke at a small church in the township of Khayelitsha ... a shanty town with a population of over 1.8 million people located near the city of Cape Town. Three came forward for salvation that morning, including a man who was just released from a 12 year prison sentence that week.

Pastor John received this message from a parent of a young girl who listened to my testimony one Friday evening at a youth meeting held at Westridge Baptist church. "Pastor John, thank you for bringing Bernadette to South Africa. You will never know what this meant to Candice and to us. Absolute perfect timing. Because of Bernadette's message, our daughter is now starting to accept her condition and she is learning to enjoy life in spite of ... She and Bernadette are now Facebook friends and she continues to be encouraged. She is a true inspiration to our daughter... THANK YOU so very much, God bless you."

One Monday morning before classes started, over 1,200 students at Cedars High (a public school) gathered and sat on the ground beneath the hot South African sun to hear me talk about how much Jesus loves them. Imagine the feeling in my heart as I saw hundreds of hands going up for salvation. A teacher told me afterwards that it was the first time a missionary ever went there. Now Pastor John has an open door to do more outreach and bring others to this school. God is SO good! Thank you Lord for this amazing opportunity!

And the list goes on! Praise be to God for what He has done! Once again, Jeff and I wish to express our overwhelming thanks and heartfelt appreciation for your prayer and support. Without your partnership none of what we just shared would be possible. One day, may we all receive the reward of hearing our Lord say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Continuing in His Service,
Bernadette Todd

Just a quick update to let you know that things are going great here in South Africa. Bernadette has been speaking everyday and so far the response has been great.

I wish you were with me on Monday as I watched over 900 hundred high school students sit spell bound as she gave her testimony. We were told by a teacher that the students would be rowdy... that they were going through a lot and that they would be very hard to reach.

When Bernadette gave the invitation to receive Christ so many hands went up that we couldn't even count them all!! The same teacher called Pastor John's house (where we're staying) and said the public school was filled with the spirit of God that day. He told us the students couldn't stop talking about her presentation. We were so humbled to hear that Bernadette's testimony was the topic of conversation in all classes. He said even teachers were crying and touched.

And so it has been day after day. Only God can bring such revival to the hearts and lives of people through a willing and unassuming servant such as Bernadette. Thank you so much for sending us and for lifting us in prayer each day. None of this would be possible without faithful people like YOU standing with us!

Thanking God for YOU…
Your Missionary in South Africa,
Jeff Todd

What are you doing on Valentine’s Day? Jeff and I looking forward to spending 21 hours on a plane together (plus a 12hr airport layover) as we travel to South Africa for our next mission of hope. Enduring long flights might not sound romantic or fun to you, but for us, it’s an incredibly special feeling to serve together in ministry with the one who has made your heart take flight for the past 25 years. Can you believe that it was 25 years ago, on Valentine’s Day, that Jeff asked me to marry him?? Since that day, I’ve been floating on air! So it is with great joy this year that we celebrate our engagement day by embarking on a journey to take the message of God's great love to South Africa!

We'll be serving alongside Pastor John Pascoe at Westridge Baptist Church in an urban area called Mitchells Plain, on the outskirts of Cape Town. Mitchells Plain is an impoverished, heavily Muslim community facing many challenges. Gang activity, HIV, teen pregnancy and drug addiction are rampant in this area. But there is a remnant there that loves the Lord who persist in praying and reaching out to their neighbors by showing the love of Jesus.

THANK YOU for sending us to South Africa! And thank you for going with us in prayer!

With Love to You,
Bernadette

I'm sure by now you've heard about the powerful typhoon that struck the Philippines, triggering floods and cutting power in Manila. Can you believe we left just hours before it hit? We may have been on the last flight out! Thankfully our friends and ministry partners there are all OK... no flooding in their homes and roofs are still in place.

Jeff and I are now in Hong Kong! We met with ministry leaders yesterday about the possibility of bringing my testimony here in the future. Today, the entire city is shut down as Typhoon Nesat edges just south of us. Don’t worry we are safe and are being spoiled by our new friends in China. Resting here for one more day before the looong journey home. :-)

Now the BIG news! We just got confirmation from our team in Manila that a staggering total of 1,133 people gave their lives to Christ through our evangelistic outreaches!!! I'm so humbled by this wonderful news, that God would allow us to be a part of this great harvest. Would you join us in praying for these new believers? Certainly, we understand the spiritual battle that will surely take place in their hearts and minds in the days and weeks ahead.

And to all of you who invested financially and prayerfully through our ministry, you can know that your investment has yielded eternal results! On behalf of all the lives that have been forever changed in the Philippines, I THANK YOU!

Love & Hugs Across the Globe,
Bernadette Todd

Greetings from the Philippines! Exciting things are happening here and God has given us some unique opportunities to take the gospel to places where it's not typically heard. I was invited to speak at a Public School's PTA meeting yesterday. Look how many indicated that they wanted to say the salvation prayer with me!!!

God is moving mightily and the response has been overwhelming everywhere we go with hundreds coming to Christ. Ministry leaders and church planters here are SO excited! I'm simply overwhelmed.

Please keep praying for us. I'm speaking 2-3 times a day and it's usually on the 3rd floor (with no elevator). Jeff is getting quite a workout – and so am I.

Hugs from Manila!
Bernadette

Jeff and I are here safe and sound in Manila, Philippines! We have been feeling your prayers from the very start and God has been answering! To begin with, we were given a whole row of seats on the 15hr flight from LA to Hong Kong and I was able to stretch out and rest. Not only that but we got to share the love of Jesus with the entire flight crew on the way!! Can you believe it? We didn't know it but they had been watching and discussing us amongst themselves for several hours. They were so amazed by Jeff's love and care for me and wanted to know where it comes from. We told them about Jesus!

It has taken me a couple days to adjust to the 12hr time difference and to get over the jet-lag but I'm doing remarkably well considering. I rested yesterday but this morning I spoke to 900 high school students at a public school and later to a group of about 100 parents and teachers. We had a great harvest. More than 400 students, teachers and parents accepted Jesus!! Heaven is rejoicing!
Keep praying, God is doing amazing things here in Manila!

Your Missionary in the Philippines,
Bernadette Todd

Believe it or not, our next mission is right around the corner. Jeff and I are leaving for the Philippines on September 11th! Can you believe it? It’s amazing how God is opening doors around the world! We are so thrilled about this wonderful opportunity we have been given to work alongside missionary Greg Lyons of Megacity Ministries in reaching inner city youth in metro Manila with the Gospel.

Please pray for us as we finalize our travel plans to Manila. As you can imagine, there are many logistical concerns when traveling with a disability to a country for the first time. Pray also for Greg and his team as they prepare for our arrival and for our itinerary as it continues to unfold. Pray that the Lord will bless our time in the Philippines and that many Filipino hearts will be opened to Jesus.

THANK YOU for sending us!! Together we ARE making a difference in the lives of many!

So that all nations might believe,
Bernadette Todd

Our 20-day Brazil "Mission of Hope" has been accomplished!! What a miracle it is that I was able make though our entire itinerary while being sick. We know that God has a purpose in what He allows, but I'm amazed how He used my speaking with a runny nose (and not being able to wipe without help) to touch and convict even the hardest of hearts.

THANK YOU for supporting us with your prayers and finances. God is at work in Brazil and we are so thankful to be a part of it. HUNDREDS of lives were changed as a result of our ministry in both Porto Alegre and Espírito Santo!! None of this would happen without YOU!

Please pray for us as we fly home tonight. Our next mission will be to the Philippines in September and we are so excited to see what God has for us there!

In His Strength,
Bernadette Todd

What an encouragement you are to me! THANK YOU for the flood of prayerful and uplifting Facebook messages, emails and texts as word got out via Facebook that I was getting sick! Don't worry, I'm doing great! My doctor sent me here with medicine "just in case" so I'm well taken care of. In fact, Jeff and I have been able to maintain the full itinerary that Pastor Eduardo prepared for our time in Porto Alegre and countless people have been coming to Christ at our many outreaches in schools, churches and community centers.

I spent 2 days this week in a maximum-security prison for teenage boys. These boys are very hard-core, “worst of the worst” offenders, murderers and such. I was told it would be very dangerous to group them together because of the gangs within the prison so I would have to speak to each unit separately. This would mean being there for two days speaking over and over again to individual groups. They told me that these kids don’t accept outsiders very well and that they may not be interested in what I had to say.

As we entered the first unit, we were locked into a cell that felt like a cage the size of a master bedroom with 17 inmates packed inside. To say the least, I was feeling nervous and a little inadequate to handle these violent boys who have committed such unthinkable crimes. I prayed silently for the Lord to bless me like Samuel: "The Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground." (I Sam 3:19)

As I looked around the room I saw curious and compassionate faces looking at me while trying to maintain a thug-like posture. It was then that it finally hit me – these are just little boys, babies. Their faces were so young and innocent that it simply broke my heart. How could these have murdered. How could these have raped??

I began my talk by explaining my disability and the struggles I face on a daily basis and paralleled my being in a wheelchair full-time and confined in one position to being in a prison. I told them about how Jesus gives me the strength to overcome the painful circumstances in my life… how He gives me hope. I ended by saying, “The choices we make can change the story of our lives” and gently reminded them that it’s because of a choice that they once made why they were in this jail. Some boys were crying at this point. I told them that our story continues as long as we’re alive. I shared with them that the most important choice that I’ve ever made in my life was to open my heart to Jesus. They were so attentive; you could hear a pin drop! In the end, many gave their lives to Christ! And so it went, cell block after cell block – even in the girls jail – lives were being changed.

Well, today is our last day in Porto Alegre. Tomorrow we fly to Vitoria, Brazil where we’ll be working for the next 10 days. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers and for supporting us in this work. We would not and could not be here, reaching people for Christ, without you!

In His Strength,
Bernadette

Last night, we did an inner city outreach at a school in Cachoeirinha and I had to speak outside in 48° F. Jeff bundled me the best he could but I wish I would have had my hat and gloves (I was freezing!). It was a very tough crowd in a very rough area…felt like I could be shot at any moment. One young man was burning himself with a lighter the entire time I spoke. But in the midst of the darkness that surrounded me, I could see that people were listening and people were crying. God was there penetrating hearts. In the end, 23 people gave their hearts to Jesus (including the boy who was burning himself)! Decision cards were collected and it brings tears to my eyes as I read things like, "Eu decidi dexiar Jesus entrar na minha vida" (I decided to let Jesus enter my life) written over and over again. How exciting to know that a pastor will be following up on these people and small groups will now begin in this area!

Do you ever have those moments where you are beyond overwhelmed at the goodness, faithfulness, love, grace and mercy of God? That's how I feel as I type this. THANK YOU so much for sending us. None of this would be possible without your prayers and financial support. I hope you feel the same joy that we feel about each decision made so far because you are a vital part of it.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We will be working in the teen prison for the next two days, speaking 3 times each day.

With love from Brazil,
Bernadette

Well, I'm off to bed but please continue to pray. I'm scheduled to speak at a church in Porto Alegre tomorrow night. We'll go back to the airport first thing in the morning to see if we can fly out. .

Hugs from Brazil,
Bernadette

Sorry for my delay in updating! Jeff and I have been busier than ever the past few months, traveling from church to church, speaking and raising support for our mission projects. In fact, my suitcase has just barely finished cooling off from our recent ministry trip to Pennsylvania and already we're packing again!

This week – on Thursday, June 9th – Jeff and I are flying to Brazil for a 20-day “Mission of Hope”. Can you believe this will be our 4th trip to this amazing country? One more year and we'll need new Visas! We're so excited that the Lord continues to give us opportunities to share His love with the people of Brazil.

We'll be spending the first 10 days of our mission in Porto Alegre (where we were last year) and will work once again with Pastor Eduardo Cardoso of Igreja Batista Passo D'Areia. Together we will share the gospel via my testimony in 6 different cities! After that, the 3 of us (Pastor Eduardo is also my translator) will fly to Vitória, the capital of the state of Espírito Santo where we'll work with Pastor Rogerio Leite of Igreja Batista da Orla for the remainder of our time in Brazil. Can’t wait to see how God will use us!

I received our final schedule this week and God has opened up so many doors that it's PACKED! We will be doing evangelistic outreaches in several churches, schools, orphanages, at a teen prison and at an indoor soccer stadium. Please join us in praying...

1. Our safety in the air and on the road

2. Good health, strength and for my voice to be strong

3. Safe handling of the wheelchair

4. Jeff and I to be increasingly effective in our evangelism

5. Pastor Eduardo, our Porto Alegre host, coordinator and Portuguese translator

6. Pastor Rogerio, our Vitória host and coordinator

7. Brazilian hearts to be opened to Jesus

Many thanks and blessings to each of you as we work together in the task of reaching our world for Christ! The next time you hear from me, we’ll be in Brazil. I’ll be doing most of my updates via my Facebook Page, but I’ll do my best to send you a few emails as time permits. THANK YOU FOR SENDING US!!

So The World May Know Him,
Bernadette Todd

PS - There's still time to support us financially on this and upcoming mission ventures if you haven't already. Visit our Donate Page for details on how you can join our support team!