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This song is about how Fred Potter got saved, written by Danny Minton. |
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It is our privilege to welcome you to the Charity Baptist Mission web page. We hope this will be a testament of what the Lord is doing in America and throughout the world. In 1973 the Lord laid upon my heart to start Charity Baptist Mission Inc., here in Bristol, Tennessee. We started it because we were opening a children’s home in Mexico. From there the Lord continued to bless and increased the areas to other countries by which we could share the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour. It has been truly a blessing to see how the Lord has used missionaries to reach the lost and see them saved. We believe in the Authorized King James 1611 version of the Word of God. It has stood the test of time and we believe this is the only true Bible. To God be the Glory!
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updated 8-9-22 |
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Missions Updates
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Dear Church Family, Spring 2022 Newsletter
In March I made a trip to a Hispanic country and had some trouble going in, but once I was on the other side it was without incident. I had a great time, although I was sick and had to take it easy. I was alone, so it was up to me to do the preaching; and the Lord allowed me to preach several times. Sunday morning’s service was in a church in town, and I will never forget that day. There were about 250 people attending, and I knew the Lord was working. I was expecting people to come forward, but was not expecting what actually happened. I even sensed the Lord was calling someone to preach, though that was not my emphasis in the message. After the service, four young men in their twenties came up to the preacher who is one of my team. Two of the young men were weeping, and all four of them surrendered to preach! A young lady was also weeping and said she wanted to surrender to whatever the Lord wanted her to do in her life. Wow! What can you say? The Lord moved in a great way!
I am also writing with much sadness to tell you some bad news. My wife Debbie has breast cancer. She has been having some pain for several months, so she had a mammogram and an ultrasound. There was an area of concern, so they did a biopsy and confirmed that it was stage one breast cancer. They also did an MRI to get more information. The doctor was very optimistic since it is in an early stage and has not spread. She will be having a small lumpectomy on June 1st, followed up with radiation for about four weeks. We are thankful that it is in the early stages. We covet your prayers at this time.
(Most of you have already seen much of this sent in prior emails, but I wanted to send it again prior to the surgery date.)
The Caeble Family, (A printable PDF of this letter is available here)
1 Samuel 12:24
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Dear Churches and Praying Friends, May 2022
"Now therefore,
our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name." (I Chron. 29:13)
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I thank my God that
he put me into the ministry. It is truly a blessing to be able to witness
firsthand what the Lord is doing for the people over here. He is reaching down
to the dust and lifting up the poor.
This spring we were able again to deliver the flour and oil to our church
families here. Before the prices began to go up, we were able to get everything
ordered. Shortly after our order, the price of oil almost doubled, and was
impossible to buy more than a little at a time. The Lord allowed us to buy
enough for over 1,500 families, and 78 tons of flour. All of the poor people
here received it gladly, and send their thanks to God on your behalf.
Around 100,000 refugees from Ukraine came to Bulgaria; about half of them
traveled through to other countries and half of them stayed here. The Lord has
allowed us to minister to them. We've distributed food, water, clothing,
medicines and other necessities. Our prayer was that we would also be able to
reach them with the gospel. The Lord provided us with gospel tracts and Bibles
both in the Ukrainian and Russian languages, and something even better than that
- a preacher. Last month a Ukrainian preacher came to Bulgaria to minister to
the refugees here, and we were able to direct him to the ones that we had
already been ministering to. He was able to preach the gospel to them in their
own language. Many of the refugees are reading the Bible now for the first time
in their lives. Many of them have told us that now they are believing. Many of
them are amazed at the love that you all have shown them through us. To God be
the glory. It may be that in the ages to come heaven will be inhabited by
Ukrainians who fled to Bulgaria for refuge, but ended up fleeing to God's city
of refuge at Calvary.
Please pray for us as we continue to preach the gospel here in Bulgaria. The
pastors are doing well, and so are their churches. We praise the Lord that he
has provided the funds to purchase vehicles for two of the pastors recently.
In Christ,
Zachary LeFevre
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MAY 2022 - UKRAINIAN CRISIS UPDATE => www.facebook.com/richard.maher.710
Dear Praying
Brothers and Sisters,
Over 14,000,000 people have been forced from their homes; of these 5,900,000
Refugees have fled the country! Videos/pictures show devastation and utter
destruction/leveling of homes, towns and cities, BUT Oh the heartfelt despair
and pain of their broken hearts. “...by sorrow of the heart the spirit is
broken.” Proverbs 15:13b Praising God -He promised, “The LORD is nigh unto them
that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalm
34:18
Recap of God’s Work throughout Paul Gray’s and my travels to: Romania, Bulgaria and Poland - Evangelizing Refugees!!!
Thank You! Your
Sacrificial Gifts and Prayers resulted in a fruitful Month showing God’s perfect
timing!
1) The Lord even Blessed our trip with a $250 cheaper Humanitarian fare which
included three free bags each to carry extra supplies and tracts. The March 14th
departure allowed for our Chick tracts to arrive that morning.
2) We agreed with a printer in Romania, who printed 45,000 thousand copies of
our four most applicable Testimonial Tracts and 5,000 booklets called, “Why is
God Silent?” - Which explains God’s use of such situations to draw us to true
faith in Christ for Salvation. (The Printer first said two weeks, but after the
Lord changed his heart, he said 3-4 days!)
3) While they printed our tracts, we worked three days in Bucharest, Romania
with a Church to witness to the Refugees at the train station and to also offer
them a place to stay with meals until they get settled or transit on to other
countries.
4) Missionary Friends in Bulgaria also printed our Testimonial tracts including
a special QR Code and our Ukrainian Pastor’s Phone #. For three days we helped
visit Refugee centers distributing food and care packages with tracts and
humanitarian aid.
5) Two Printers in Odessa actually started printing again in mid-March, but had
a limited supply of paper. Missionary Mark Priem’s printer found more paper to
keep their presses running. AND the best part is the ONLY Print Orders they have
are from Missionary Mark Priem and from us. In total they have printed 400,000
brochures, including 152,000 Chick Tracts and 25,000 booklets in the last 50
days. These were sent all over for distribution inside Ukraine. On our last day
I contacted Missionary Joe West in Poland. He is now printing tracts and
booklets for our Summer trip.
6) Our Original plan was to drive Brother Paul Gray’s van, but we gave it to
Brother Michael, (A Ukrainian Evangelist friend) who really needed a van for
Delivering Aid into the war torn areas and then for Evacuating Refugees to
safety. Our Pastor Slavick brought my car out so we could take our 70,000 tracts
and Booklets to Poland and travel this summer.
7) Boxes of these tracts and booklets were sent out to Missionaries in Ireland,
Croatia, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, Italy, Czech Republic and three places in
Poland. The last service in Warsaw, Pastor Alexander (who was saved through
street ministry) offered to contact all the Russian Speaking and Polish Churches
which work with refugees to send them tracts. A box of tracts was also sent into
Kharkiv inside the Christian Aid shipped by the Polish Church with which we
worked.
8) We Passed out Gospel tracts in Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. We helped
coordinate and supply tracts to three street preachers who came from North
Dakota to Evangelize w/tracts at the bus and train stations in both Krakow and
Warsaw.
• Other Brothers from the USA are planning to come in June to distribute tracts
in both Krakow and Warsaw, Poland.
9) Pray for the Many Christians who are now scattered abroad (Acts 8:4) across
Europe that God would use them to testify of His Great Salvation. One such
Sister, Marina realized that back in Ukraine she would only be busy gardening,
but now transplanted to a refugee complex in Romania, she has witnessed to 30
families and already one lady got saved!!!
10) Your Monetary Donations have been a God Send to: 1) Print Gospel Literature
(above). 2) Purchase Christian Aid to Bless and Supply for the needs of many
Ukrainian Refugees. 3) We continue sending money to faithful Pastors and
Evangelists in Ukraine who: I) Evacuate Refugees. II) 200+ Tons of Aid
transported and distributed to local Churches who then show God’s Love in action
while Evangelizing those souls suffering and seeking hope to deal with despair,
terror and incomprehensible loss. BLESSING: Many Churches began actively
Evangelizing and also Housing those displaced inside Ukraine. In the town of
Konotop they’re actually starting a new Church! Please PRAY for the Safety of
Eugene, Michael, Slavick, Roma, and Others as they Transport Aid in and Evacuate
Refugees on their return trips: (When we speak, they retell how hard it is to
find Diesel Fuel. If it is found, it costs $7.50 - $9/gallon ~ $250-$300/van
trip.)
11) Pray for the European Ukrainian/Russian Churches that they would Evangelize
and for Many new Churches Needed!
12) Praise the Lord! Oksana’s Parents are now in the USA staying with us, but
will visit their relatives and friends this summer so our whole family can work
with Refugees in Europe. {A large shopping mall just one mile from their house
was destroyed in a recent missile attack.} … Slavick’s family (Oksana’s brother)
is Purchasing and Transporting Food and other Aid to Odessa and serving Refugees
in Romania. Our son David is going there in June/July to help Slavick build a
few necessary buildings, since he plans to hold three camps in July for
Ukrainian Refugee Children. Elisabeth finished her first year of College. She’ll
visit refugee friends in Europe, work with us and be a leader at the July camps
in Romania.
Great GAINS: Many brothers tell of Souls turning to Christ for salvation! But,
WAR also causes Great LOSS of lives: 20 yr-old Nazar from our Church was
recently killed along with his uncle and ~ 250 other soldiers during an
Artillery attack. Shelling/bombing continues in Nikolaev and Odessa as Russia’s
forces would like to take all of Ukraine’s Ports.
Tentative Summer Plans for Europe: PRAY {Wisdom and Open Doors} 1) Working in
Poland with New Church Plants.
2) Evangelizing with European Missionaries -Counseling and Presenting the Gospel
to Refugees in Europe.
3) Ministering to Ukrainians in Refugee Camps in Bulgaria, Romania and Poland.
=>Thank you to each of you for your faithful prayers, support and concern for
Oksana’s relatives and especially for the millions of Ukrainian souls seeking
peace in this chaos. PRAY they’ll truly find it in Christ-“he is our Peace”
Ephesians 2:14.
For the souls of Ukraine, Follow our Posts on ==>
www.facebook.com/richard.maher.710
Richard, Oksana,
Elisabeth and David Maher - - - Questions call me: (513) 969-4229 or
mahers4jesus@gmail.com
SENDING MONEY TO HELP - Make the check-out/send to: Charity Baptist Mission, PO
Box 692
Bristol, TN 37621-0692 *Please write in the memo: Richard Maher-Help for Ukraine
[Sending Money allows us to: (1) Supply money for Christians to fuel vehicles:
for evacuating people and delivering aid or to purchase food or medicine for
those suffering in Ukraine. (2) Print and/or purchase Evangelistic literature
for distribution to the many Refugees fleeing to European Countries.]
(click here to view a printable PDF of this letter)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Praying Friends
and Family, March – April 2022
The Thought of Heaven: The past two months have been an emotional rollercoaster.
One moment we are glad, encouraged, and hopeful; the next we are full of
heaviness and sorrow. Taking a step back and looking at what God has done, and
is doing, in Ukraine helps us to continue constant in the Lord. I often breathe
a prayer of thanksgiving to God that our church and its members are still
standing fast. Many of the women and small children have left. They are now
refugees in Romania, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Moldova, and Slovakia. We stay
in contact with them and do what we can to encourage them to serve the Lord with
what talents they have where the Lord has put them. Others stayed in Ukraine
with their families to help. Several of the men from our church have enlisted to
defend Ukraine from Russia. They are still holding Sunday morning church
services, praying, witnessing, and helping those in need. I realize that several
missionaries have had to watch as their churches were scattered, and, as one
brother said, “they have said they are never returning to Ukraine.” I’m so
thankful that we’ve not been required of the Lord to swallow that bitter pill.
The Lord has encouraged us with the statistics that have filtered in over the
past month regarding the video presentation I had the privilege to give for use
on Pastor Joel Logan’s website targeting Russian and Ukrainian speaking people
with the Gospel. Somehow they have the ability to know how many people have
watched the videos all the way through and how many people have watched them for
30 seconds or more. So far, over 8.5 million people have watched the videos all
the way through, with over 16 million people watching it for 30 seconds or more.
The presentation in Russian is as clear and thorough as we could make it to lead
someone to Christ! The Lord has done exceeding abundantly above all I could ever
ask! They have received many testimonies of people who have prayed to receive
Jesus Christ as their Savior. The thought of what the Lord has done, and is
doing, with this has made the thought of heaven much sweeter!
Ukraine Relief: We have been simply amazed at the outpouring of generosity of
Bible Believing churches in the USA for Ukraine. So far, we have been able to
get over $40,000 in aid to people inside Ukraine who need it, some desperately.
These funds have been channeled to those in need through vetted, Bible-believing
men who have proven themselves faithful over the years. Our relief program had
small beginnings. I simply worked with our men and instructed them to help those
closest to them, because the Lord said, “Love thy neighbor…” I told them to
start with the poorest in the church and then enable those who didn’t need help
to help their neighbors and family members both saved and lost. Every form of
aid was to be given out with the message of the Gospel in spoken and printed
form along with a message from American churches, “This help is from Bible
believing churches in America who love them and are praying for them.”
These funds have provided various things such as food, clothing, medicines,
surgeries, bandages, body armor, and transportation for women and children to
safety. From my end here in the US there has been a constant challenge of
working with the banking system and dealing with bureaucracy to get these funds
inside Ukraine. On their end in Ukraine there has been the challenge of
receiving these funds, rationing, curfews, and limited cash in the banks. They
have to drive over two hours just to make a withdraw from the bank going through
multiple military checkpoints and buying supplies trying to make it back home
before curfew begins. Think about that and thank God the next time you make an
easy cash withdraw from a nearby ATM.
At the present time I have to rely on trusted individuals to move money.
However, we are currently working on trying to get everything set up to move
money through our local church’s bank account. Our church has already been able
to help several national pastors who do not have any documented proof of their
status as ministers to receive aid for their churches from various humanitarian
organizations. I’m so glad I spent all those hours with a lawyer years ago
setting this up for our church to be a blessing to others. At the time it seemed
very tedious, but what a blessing it has been over the years to many
missionaries and ministries in Ukraine.
The first stage of our ministry yielded over ten people receiving Jesus Christ
as their Savior! These were the family members and neighbors of our church
members who were dealt with personally, one on one. We have prayed for some of
them for over ten years to be saved!
We were contacted by several national pastors and evangelists whose families and
ministries needed help. We sent several thousand dollars to men who needed to
get their families to safety while they did personal work along the western
border of Ukraine. We sent funds to men from our church serving in the military
who needed supplies. One brother from our church, Kolya, who is an officer, was
able to lead one of his subordinates to Christ. He was so excited to do so. He
wrote me and said, “Pastor, God has me here for a reason. Thank you for teaching
me sound doctrine!” We’ve also helped another brother, Slava, who is
manufacturing homemade, steel reinforced vests for civilians and transporting
them to safety.
We prayed and discussed ways to help those in desperate need in other areas. Our
region has been bombed several times and there was an attempt to take control of
our town by pro-Russian separatists from Trans-Nistria. Several vans of weapons
and terrorists drove into our town and opened fire on the military enlistment
center. The attackers were neutralized and the weapons were confiscated. There
has been relative peace in our town ever since. However, there is a build-up of
several thousand pro-Russians close to our town in Trans-Nistria, whose border
is just twenty miles from my house. Men from our church are stationed there on
the border to protect our town. Please pray for their safety. While we are
enjoying relative peace in our town we have received requests from refugees for
help from the city Mykolaiv. This has given Brother Alexei a burden to help them
there with supplies and providing transportation to those trying to escape the
rockets that have increased lately. It looks like Mykolaiv could be the next
Mariupol. So, Alexei pledged to sell his car and use the money towards a
passenger van to transport supplies and people to safety. Other men from our
church who are serving in the army gave money as well. One young man gave
$1,000. With these funds and the funds from US churches, we are looking and
praying for the Lord to direct us to the right vehicle to use for His glory.
On The Road Again: While preparing for taxes for 2021 we calculated our miles
travelled to meetings. The total came to be very close to 25,000 miles! Twice we
were almost hit head on by drunk drivers! When I think about the miles we’ve
travelled in our lives just to preach in both Ukraine and the USA I’m reminded
of the statistics of accidents and fatalities. It is truly the gracious hand of
God that has kept us safe.
We hit the road again late February and spent the past two months updating
supporting churches and presenting our ministry in new ones in Texas, Colorado,
Missouri, Ohio, Iowa, and Kentucky. The meetings have been a blessing and we’re
very thankful that we have fruit in some churches along the way in the form of
rededicated lives to Christ, a renewed burden for missions, and we even had a
young woman named Molly walk the aisle to get saved in Brother Schaffer’s church
in Iowa. We are also very thankful for the new churches that have taken us on
for support and for the funds raised for our ministry including the Ukrainian
relief fund.
Rue Crew Review: Our last prayer letter was so long that we could not give a
personal update. The big news in January was that our son, Benjamin, was finally
married to his fiancé, Faith, and they are now blissfully living in their long
awaited “La-La Land of Love!” We are very thankful that they were married
according to the word of God and are growing at the Anchor Baptist Church in
Dayton, Ohio. We have been working at improving our family’s health during
furlough. Each member of our family has some kind of health issue of whatever
degree with Naomi and I being the worse for wear. I will spare you the details
but please be in prayer about some tests on my heart coming up. Also, please
pray for Naomi who has been dealing with thyroid issues for years now. Our other
issues are slowly improving. We feel much better and stronger, getting ready for
our next term of service in Ukraine….one more round!
We still have several open channels to help people inside Ukraine. Not only are
people being helped but it provides a great witness and open door to sow the
seed of the Gospel. If you would like to help please send a check to our mission
board with the words “Rue/Ukraine” on the memo line. My number is (513) 376-1011
if you have any questions.
Thank you for all that you do for the Lord, giving us the privilege to serve Him
in Ukraine. Until our next prayer letter or our meeting in the air!
That Ukraine May Know Him,
(click here to view a printable PDF of this letter with pictures)
Christopher Rue Phil. 3:10
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Dear Friends in Christ, May 2022
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord we are all safe and healthy here in Romania. It is hard to believe that a couple of hours away in Ukraine, lives and homes are being destroyed by war. Shortly after the war began, American missionary Casey Kline and his family fled the bombing that had begun in their town in Eastern Ukraine. After three days in the van with their six kids, they arrived here at the Children’s Home, literally shell-shocked and exhausted from their treacherous escape.
They stayed and recovered with us for about 10 days during which Casey and I found ways to transfer money to Ukrainian national pastors to help the families who were not able to flee. Since then, we have hosted other missionaries and Ukrainian families who have been working tirelessly to get Bibles, Gospel literature, food, water, medical supplies, etc. to the families who have been stranded in the areas where fighting has taken place. Many of these families have been without electricity for weeks and these necessities have been increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to obtain.
While missionary brothers Richard Maher and Paul Gray stayed with us, we had 50,000 Gospel tracts printed in both the Ukrainian and Russian languages. They drove a part of these into Bulgaria to help the efforts of the missionaries working there. Another part, these men took to distribute to preachers and pastors along the many Romanian and Polish border crossings into Ukraine.
We have learned from these missionaries to Ukraine that one of the biggest obstacles they face is having someone, a Ukrainian, who can cross the border into Ukraine and take literature and aid directly into the areas where it is needed. Alex Kamnev is a Ukrainian pastor who escaped the bombing in Mikolayiv. He and his family are staying with another American missionary family near us. He has been making trips into the heart of the war torn areas to take supplies to his churches and families who have not been able to get out. We were able to help him fill a van with medical supplies and he left yesterday on the perilous journey back across the border.
We are grateful to have someone who is willing and able to get supplies, money, and Gospel literature directly into the hands of those who so desperately need it. Please pray for this pastor and the many others who are literally risking their lives to try and help their people. If you are able to supply funds to help in these efforts, I will ensure they get to these brave men who love their brothers and sisters more than their own selves.
As soon as the weather warms up a bit more, we are going to have a baptism service at the Black Sea for the new believers, including some of our Home kids. Thank the Lord for that!
We appreciate all the prayers and support. We love you.
In Christ, Dave & Dara Turner, Sandy and the Kids
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March - April 2022
Dear Pastors, Churches, Friends, and Family,
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine
hand to do it. Proverbs 3:27
As of March 26, 2022, close to 120,000 Ukrainian citizens have poured over the
borders of Bulgaria. About 55,000 have remained in the country. These refugees
are in "our own backyard" which puts on us a burden to help them in their dire
need.
Many of these refugees have left Ukraine in a hurry; exiting with only a
backpack- leaving behind their families and homes. They have no idea when (if
ever) they will be able to return. We missionaries, in Bulgaria, find ourselves
in a place of unique opportunity to help these refugees during such a critical
time.
Because of contributions from churches, family, and friends, we have been able
to minister to these people who are being housed in: Apartments, Homes, Hotels,
Vacant Buildings and Refugee centers.
We have purchased clothing, food, medication, and many other supplies throughout
the month of March. We have personally delivered these supplies to refugees
residing at these different locations. They have expressed their gratitude over
and over again. We tell them that the churches and believers in America want to
help them and are praying for them. That's when they start to cry. And we cry
with them.
We are thankful to at last have gospel tracts in the Russian language. We were
able to pass out hundreds of these at a huge "Peaceful Protest" in Varna, and at
several refugee centers. We also slip a tract or scripture card in with supplies
we give away. That gets interesting and creative. Some of the pictures included
will give you an idea. Please pray for those who receive these "love notes" from
the Lord. May He touch their hearts and may they understand that there is a God
in Heaven that loves them.
We recently have had the opportunity to purchase humanitarian aid for hospitals
and soldiers in Ukraine. The truck made it safely to its destination and from
there the supplies were loaded into vans, and trucks, and taken to the areas
that are in dire need.
Soon we will sponsor another truck into Ukraine that will be loaded with food
and medical supplies. We are blessed to have this opportunity to help in this
way. You, our faithful supporters, have made this possible. Thank you. From the
bottom of our hearts, we thank you. The Ukrainian refugees, with tears in their
eyes, thank you, too. Written from Bulgaria by Jane Welch.
A printable version of this prayer
letter (with pictures) can be viewed by clicking here.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew and Jane Welch
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For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14
March 2022
In this verse of scripture there is a question asked; who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? That question has been on my mind a lot in the past month. With the beginning of the war in Ukraine opportunities in Bulgaria for ministry have certainly increased; but truthfully, we have had the ministry of reconciliation since the day we were born again. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;” 2 Corinthians 5:18
Thankfully, there has been a tremendous increase in activity due to many of the Covid restrictions being lifted each month. We have also seen an increase in attendance of our meetings which has been a huge blessing. Recently in the village of Dabravino, we had a meeting with over 100 believers attending along with several of our national pastors and missionaries. This was the first time we have been able to do so since the pandemic started. We met with boundless joy and testimonies of God’s goodness. It was truly a blessing.
The Lord is still moving and working on hearts in our meetings. Recently, at the end of the meeting in the village of Ruse, a young lady asked that everyone pray that she would have faith, and believe in the gospel, of course everyone prayed for her. Two weeks later she came before everyone in the meeting and confessed that Jesus was her Lord and Savior. Praise the Lord! He still saves.
We are also thankful for God blessing Nasuf with a new car. As you know, pastor Nasuf had an accident and needed a new car. I am glad to say through the love and generosity of God’s people we were able to get him an Opel Mireva. They are happy with it and very thankful for God’s blessings.
I am sure many of you have seen the situation with refugees in Bulgaria. God has opened a great door for us to show the love of God to those around us. I know that most of us did not anticipate the presence of a modern-day Hitler, but the actions of Vladimir Putin have us all seeing the depravity and wickedness of man. The war has been devastating for the people of Ukraine, but it also has opened the door for God’s people to show the Love of their Savior. This door opened for us when our daughter, Kylie, befriended a young Ukrainian girl on social media. Her family is working tirelessly to help the refugees in Bulgaria and help those still in Ukraine. Through meeting her we began to volunteer and donate goods at a Refugee center in Varna. We contacted many of our friends and supporters, and it has been amazing to see the outpouring of love and support for those who are in such need. From that time, many avenues have opened for us to help and to share the gospel. We also started to work through a center in the city of Dobrich. We donated food, clothing, kitchen supplies, household goods, medicines, and we were able to help an expectant mother with many necessary things she had left behind.
We have also helped with a center in the village of Smyadavo, where William Lefevre and Ahmed have two meetings every week. A building that was to be used in the future for the elderly was converted into a place to house about 20 families.
We also took donations to two hotels with around 100 people being helped in each hotel. This led us to the resort area of Golden Sands where many refugees are being sent. There we found one hotel with 900 rooms, which is housing 1,800 refugees and over 1,000 of those are children. Each passing week opens more opportunities. We ask for your prayers as the Lord guides us.
Tomorrow we’re loading a truck which will go to Ukraine. We are using a store like Sam’s Club called Metro to send large quantities of supplies into Ukraine. Over $10,000 worth of goods are being loaded and will include; rice, beans, flour, sugar, water, pasta, ramen noodles, canned corn, peas and green beans, water, boxed milk, diapers, and toilet paper. There will also be insulated blankets provided by fellow missionaries and scripture cards with a QR code for people to access gospel preaching. We look forward to these blessings.
In the city of Shumen, where we live, a Social Center for Ukrainian refugees was opened this week. Tracy and Hannah Lefevre were very involved in helping get this center established, and we were able to help provide some of their needs. The center will be a place where people come and interact with their fellow countrymen and find the help that they need in this difficult time. We have several other opportunities that are presenting themselves. Please pray for God’s guidance in these situations.
This is also the time of year for our annual Flour and Oil distribution. Each year we give to the needs of the Church. It’s a joy to try to fulfill scripture “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:10 About 75,000 Kilos of flour and 7,500 liters of oil will be distributed to our church members. This comes at a time when there is great need due to the skyrocketing cost because of the ongoing war and its effects on Eastern Europe’s economy. It’s a great honor to serve the Lord in this time and make a difference. “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference.” Jude 21-22
God has also blessed us with being able to purchase Russian and Ukrainian gospel tracts. We had 15,000 tracts printed and received 4,000 chick tracts from a fellow missionary. We were able to contact this man through Brother Richard Maher and Brother Paul Gray, missionaries to Ukraine, who spent a few days with us before going to Poland. We gave out hundreds of these at a protest march in Varna, and we are including them in the hygiene packs that we are putting together to give to the refugees. Thank God for His word!
Currently our needs are few. We ask for you to pray that God gives us strength and wisdom and that He guides us to exactly what He would have us do each day. I do ask that you pray for us as we will be preparing to return to the states for a nine-month furlough. We were planning on coming back in the spring of 2023, but due to the timing of our Visas it would be more practical for us to return at the end of this year. With that in mind, anyone who would like for us to visit your church between December 2022 and September 2023, you can email me at blalockstobulgaria@gmail.com or contact me through Facebook messenger at KeithTracy Blalock. We look forward to this time with our family and churches. Please pray for us as we prepare, that it will be a fruitful furlough. I will close this letter by saying that God is so good to us, and I thank him for his blessings. We cannot thank you enough for all you have done. I could never have envisioned some of the things we are involved in now. It’s only possible through your love and giving. God’s people are truly the best. Attached is a printable version of this prayer letter with some photos of what the Lord has been doing here.
God bless you all, Brother Keith Blalock www.facebook.com/Blalocks2bulgaria
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Prayer Letter March 2022
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, ... who is the faithful witness, and the first
begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth … to him be glory
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:1-6
Our praying friends and family in the Lord,
I believe, as perhaps many of you do, that there is significance in the ordering
of the books of the Bible. We know all scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and by the Holy Ghost is both applicable and profitable for whatever your need
whenever it may arise. Yet it seems also apparent that the latter books hold a
special relevance for these latter times. And if you believe, like I do (and I
certainly don’t see why you shouldn’t, as the Apostles declared it), that we are
in the last days, we might look again to those latter letters and find
sustenance to strengthen us for the coming calamities.
With that in mind, let’s cast our eyes to the first line of the last book of the
Bible. There the Holy Ghost, by the pen of John, states emphatically the
priority of almighty God and the prerequisite for all who profess Christ: the
revelation of His Son. What’s the need of the hour? To see Jesus Christ. What
does God want above everything else in this day? That His Son should be revealed
to the world. Moreover, if the Christ hasn’t been revealed to you, what follows
in the book of Revelation will remain a mystery, as it is the revealing of Jesus
that brings all things into perspective. And really, what else would one want to
see? What else can compare? Cousin Pierce LeFever said there were only two
places he wanted to visit in life: Paris, France and Pea Ridge, Tennessee; and
after seeing Pea Ridge, he no longer cared to see Paris. So, too, with Jesus;
once you’ve gotten a good look at Him, who cares to look at anything else?
“Mansions will glisten on the streets of glory… but Jesus will outshine them
all.”
Can I add one more thought to this? I’m going to anyway, it’s my prayer letter,
and I don’t write that many of them; I reckon I’ll write what I want. Do you
know where the Christ was revealed to John? Where did John first see Jesus in
the book of Revelation? From where did he hear Jesus’ voice speaking? In the
midst of the seven golden candlesticks. What are the seven candlesticks, you
ask? Let the Lord Jesus himself give you the answer: “The seven candlesticks
which thou sawest are the seven churches.” In these last days, where will you
see Jesus? Where will you hear Jesus speaking? In church.
So much as happened since I last wrote, I don’t know where to begin. (“Why don’t
you start writing more?” asks Hannah. Wives: can’t live with them, can’t worry
about whose they’ll be in the resurrection.) Quite a few of these things are
updated about regularly on our Facebook page, but if you’re like me and
indulging social media less and less and feeling better and better about doing
so, I’ll recap them here.
We were finally able to replace our vehicle. After almost a year of waiting,
litigating, consternating, and aggravating all the wrong people with all the
right information, we threw up our hands in desperation, and God filled them
with enough to buy a used 2012 Mercedes Vito van. It has low miles and high
expectations of being everything we need it to be. It accommodates all of us,
with room to spare. But most importantly, it gets us where we need to be to
minister to those anticipating help.
I praise the good name of the Lord Jesus for all of you who loved us and gave.
And I thank God for guiding us in the right direction at just the right time to
find this van available.
As a little postscript to this, the insurance company issued their final verdict
via letter a little over a week ago. They concluded that ultimately I was at
fault for a thief sneaking onto the gated property, breaking into the back hatch
of our locked vehicle, climbing into the driver’s seat, prying open the steering
column and hot wiring the car, fleeing the scene in said stolen car, hitting the
gate in the process, finally crashing into a concrete pylon totaling the
vehicle, leaving the scene, and returning on foot to the exact same village in
which we live. Does it seem like this issue makes me a little testy? Listen, I
don’t have anything against the thief; I pray he gets saved. I don’t even
begrudge the loss of that vehicle. It was never ours to begin with. God gave it
to us, and He didn’t need my permission to do whatever seemed best to Him. But,
merciful heavens, Bulgarian bureaucracy can knock the shout out of any man. “But
he giveth more grace,” and at the end of the ordeal, like Job, we’re better off
than when we started. Bless the Lord.
A month ago now, we were able to hold our first big meeting of the year. Our
churches were so sick of this pandemic and its restrictions, and so eager to
meet again, that we went ahead and invited “whosoever will.” Praise God the
“whosoever wills” outnumbered the “I don’t think we shoulds,” and the Great I Am
came to the great In Need; the gospel was preached, the hungry fed, and all who
came empty went home full.
Brother Keith Blalock preached the second of two meetings. He talked a little
about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and mentioned everyone’s fear of Putin
dropping the bomb. Brother Keith said, “I ain’t worrying about the bomb. If he
drops the bomb, I hope he drops it on me first. I’ll be vaporized here and awake
in heaven.” All the Turks took comfort and courage from that message. Most of
them have grown up in and around Islam and were taught that no one can really
know their soul’s final destination. When Brother Keith said with full assurance
that he’d wake up in heaven, it finally dawned on a number of them that they,
too, could have confidence in the work Jesus had done in their souls.
Speaking of the Russian invasion, for all who have asked, we are safe in
Bulgaria, far from the fighting taking place in Ukraine. Only the Lord knows
what tomorrow holds, and He has grace sufficient for what is and is to come.
However, no one is expecting anything like what occurred there to happen here.
Nevertheless, Bulgaria, like every other European country, is taking
precautions.
Those of you keeping up with Hannah on Facebook, or our LeFevre page there, know
the work she and our other missionary friends are doing with the Ukrainian
refugees. To make a long story short, at the start of this war, Brother
Blalock’s daughter, Kylie, had befriended a young Ukrainian girl newly arrived
in Bulgaria. Learning from Yulia what efforts were being made to help the
refugees in Varna, several of our missionary wives, with Brother Keith driving,
went to see what they could do to be of service. After that day of volunteering,
seeing the need firsthand, word began to spread, saints in America began to
give, and the opportunities for outreach began to grow.
Skipping ahead, this last weekend, along with two missionaries from Ukraine,
Brother Richard Maher and Brother Paul Gray, our folks went again, this time
armed with gospel literature, to the center. After a morning’s profitable
venture into some of the areas open specifically for refugee housing, our group
made their way to the Ukrainian anti-war demonstration. There they distributed
to small and great the gospel of the good Lord Jesus. Not a single Ukrainian
refused a tract. More often than not, they would come back, asking for more for
friends or family.
Every day, more and more Ukrainians are crossing the border into Bulgaria. Every
day presents new challenges to meet their needs and new opportunities to give
out the gospel. Pray for us that whatever the need, as much as we’re able, we’d
be able to help. Pray especially for those whom God allows our paths to cross,
that they would have open ears and tender hearts to receive the message able to
quell the war raging in their souls.
Last, but certainly not least, and much to a hungry people’s hearty rejoicing,
we’ve begun to give out flour and oil. Last Tuesday we began early in the
village of Goren Chiflik and wound our way around several villages in that neck
of the woods, distributing to the poor saints what God had provided for their
sustenance. We were met everywhere with smiling faces and empty wheelbarrows and
horse carts. The price of sunflower oil has nearly tripled in the last couple of
weeks, so receiving a five-liter bottle really was like receiving liquid gold to
most of our people. We go this week to our farthest villages, in the Balkan
Mountains, to see their needs met. Pray for us as we go. Pray for them as they
receive. Pray in all things that the Lord is glorified.
Because of a living Savior, The William LeFevre Family
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January – February 2022
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
I already had this prayer letter written in my head two weeks ago…or so I
thought. I can hardly remember what I intended to write now. So much has
happened and things are changing daily regarding the war in Ukraine. While I was
not surprised that Putin would invade and take Donetsk and Luhansk, I was
completely taken back by the scale of this invasion.
From the moment that we understood the magnitude of Russia’s invasion we devoted
ourselves to helping our friends and loved ones in Ukraine get to safety. Our
first concerns were for the safety of the Kline family who were in Kherson, and
for a young lady from our church named Vladislava in Kiev. We were relieved to
hear that the Klines made it out safely. Vladislava, however, was left all alone
in the university dorm building with no one to help her after a rocket hit the
building right next to hers. She had no money nor her traveling passport needed
to leave the country. Thankfully, she met up with the Taraniuks who took her
with them to Ivano-Frankovsk, where they endured some air raids. We were able to
send her money to get to the Romanian border. We were also very concerned for
the welfare of Darina and her two children in Odessa who were there alone while
her husband was working on a commercial ship. She spent several nights in the
bomb shelter before gathering the courage to flee to Romania by herself with her
small children. We were also very thankful to hear, little by little, of other
missionaries who were making it to safety.
Many women and children from our church loaded up what they could and were
escorted to the border by their sons and husbands. They sought safety before any
heavy fighting came and they are now scattered in Romania, Poland, Hungary,
Germany, and Moldova. Several of our men have volunteered and others were
conscripted to fight. Some are serving right on the front at this very moment.
Quite a few people from our church stayed in Rozdilna. Brother Alexei, the
pastor of our church, along with his wife Vika made that difficult decision. She
is expecting their second child and they also have a handicapped son, Vanya. Our
deacon and his wife, Andrei and Ella Bondarchuk, also decided to stay with their
two precious children. I asked them if they needed help getting their families
to the border as refugees. They decided to stay and care for the church and
defend their city in case of an invasion. Both families are looking after the
church’s elderly and shut-ins, along with some of the mothers with small
children who stayed.
Though our people are scattered they are communicating using an app called Viber.
That app was used in the past for things that caused our church much trouble and
heartache. I’m so glad that it is being used of the Lord for prayer requests,
fellowship, Scripture, and valuable information needed for survival. It is quite
evident that they have matured in the Lord. What a blessing it has been to me to
read their posts (see 3 John 1:4). Several came to realization that they did not
truly value their church as they should have during peacetime. To my surprise
they met for church services last Sunday in spite of the danger! Brother Alexei
told me that the sirens of an air-raid began to sound as they prayed! The men
present determined to pray, one by one, till they were done. Alexei said that it
was quite a sight to see. No one flinched. They kept on praying in spite of the
sirens!
As we learned of the conditions along the border to the west, Brother Kline and
I began to discuss the possibility of me making a special trip with my son,
Samuel, to help. However, after a few days, the world-wide media coverage has
prompted quite a humanitarian response. Though the conditions are hard inside
Ukraine’s border, once the refugees make it through, there is plenty of
humanitarian aid to help. The real need is for tracts and reaching people with
the Gospel. I’m told that local churches on both sides of the border are
responding with literature. The apartments and hotels are booked up and there is
little room at the border for us to set up a food line or the like. After
praying about the situation and hearing the reports of what really could be
accomplished by my physical presence at the border, I decided that more can be
done by coordinating aid to get to people inside Ukraine where there is a
greater need. I may make a trip later after the hype is over. We have opened
channels by which we can get money to people in need using their bank cards. I
am also working on getting both Russian and Ukrainian literature for use on both
sides of the border. The men in our church are stocking up on supplies and
storing them in our house, which is also being used as a shelter for some when
the air raid sirens sound their warnings. Brother Alexei, his brother Vitya, and
Andrei are busy buying supplies and taking them to the others in the church so
that there is less risk to the elderly.
We recently opened a second place to help in Dnepropetrovsk, where Oleg, my
translator, relocated to take care of his elderly parents. We have opened the
channel for him to receive money. He has been a friend of mine for many years.
He is one of the best translators I know in all of Ukraine and he has translated
enough material to gain himself a PhD in my opinion. I contacted him about the
possibility of him stepping up and becoming a missionary to the area while there
is such a great need. He agreed! He is currently working to help people with
basic food and medicine, while giving them the Gospel.
We are so thankful to hear that our people who stayed are witnessing and have
even led at least five souls to Christ over the past few days! One sister, who
has tried to lead a soul to Christ for years, finally got two!
The Lord opened a great door to reach Ukrainians with the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Pastor Joel Logan raised the funds to push an advertisement campaign
over four social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TicTok, and another).
When the dear people in Ukraine log onto these websites an ad pops up taking
them to a website that Pastor Logan and his men have started. There are two
presentations of the gospel there: one in Ukrainian and the other in Russian.
Pastor Bevans Welder approached me about filming this gospel presentation in
Russian using the equipment and men in his church. We worked until midnight.
After twenty-two takes we got it down to twelve minutes. They said that it has
already been viewed by almost a million souls by the fourth day! They raised
money to air the ad for ten days! My heart is overjoyed with the thought of
souls being saved as a result of these videos!
We have received many phone calls from dear saints expressing their desire to
help in some way. Now that we have at least two channels open to help people
inside Ukraine we can receive donations to that end. If you would like to help
please send a check to our mission board with the words “Rue/Ukraine” on the
memo line. There is a lot of hype right now, but after it blows over the hard
work and desperate needs will begin. I would like to be ready. My number is
(513) 376-1011 if you have any questions. Thank you for all that you do for the
Lord, giving us the privilege to serve Him in Ukraine. Until our next prayer
letter or our meeting in the air!
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; Phil 3:10
Email: ruemissions@yahoo.com www.ruemissions.com
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UKRAINIAN CRISIS LETTER - MARCH 2022
Dear Praying Pastors, Brothers
and Sisters,
- After 30 years in Missions (29 in Ukraine), I never expected such a tragic
situation would ever develop between Ukraine and Russia. This is worse than
tragic, but I cannot express it with words.
I have prayed and cried with
trusted brothers laboring in Ukraine to provide aid and minister to both saved
and lost souls. (Gal. 6:10) I’m so glad that we are still able to send money
through Western Union to the nationals who are ministering!
From the videos and pictures which Christians have sent me, it is utterly
devastating to see the destruction and how inaccurate the death tolls have been.
We thank each of you and your Churches for your faithful prayers, support and genuine concern for our family, Oksana’s family and especially for the souls of Ukraine during this terribly devastating time.
• I do appreciate each of you
and your particular concerns (questions), which I will attempt to answer now.
• I returned on February 19th and the war broke out on February 24th.
• Praise the Lord Oksana’s Parents and brother’s family are safe in Romania and
helping others there.
• Oksana still has many relatives still in Ukraine.
• Many of the Pastors with whom I’ve worked are still in Ukraine serving their
Churches and towns. Western regions are not being attacked as much as the
Northern, Eastern and the larger cities. Artillery attacks in Mariupol, (where I
labored in March and October of 2021) have left the city without power, water
and heat.
• Some asked: Should we gather goods to send to Ukraine? – It takes too long, or
if done quickly -It’s not cost effective.
• OR SEND MONEY TO HELP! Most efficient and effective at meeting needs!
• Sending Money allows us to: (1) Supply money for Christians to fuel vehicles:
for evacuating people or delivering aid or to purchase food or medicine for
those suffering in Ukraine. (2) Print or purchase Evangelistic literature for
distribution to the many refugees fleeing to European Countries.
I returned safely from my six week trip of evangelistic visits on February 19th
(*see below), but (1) now I and my partner Paul Gray are going back March 10th ~
April (11th) to Evangelize those Ukrainians waiting in lines at the borders and
those refugees who have fled to Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, etc.
2) Pray with us and for us as we look for, print and distribute literature and
aid to help them find Christ.
3) Pray that we can supply the Brethren with good evangelistic literature and
set up distribution points!
4) Please keep these Missionaries in your prayers as they serve Ukrainians
during this Crisis: Mark Priem, Chris and Sam Rue, Dan Bardwell, KC Kline, Henry
Benach, Ron Jackson, Jonathan Skean, John O’Brien, and Ukrainian brethren.
- GIVING TO HELP UKRAINE -
Make the check out to: Charity Baptist Mission PO Box 692 Bristol, TN 37621-0692
Write in the memo: Richard Maher-Help for Ukraine
* The Lord blessed the six weeks of visits by saving five souls and by clearly
opening up the plan of salvation to many very “religious” Western Ukrainians.
Many brothers had one-on-one training as we made visits. Also, eight Churches
requested me to teach two or three hour seminars on practical evangelism.
For the souls of Ukraine,
Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth and David Maher Follow us on - www.facebook.com/richard.maher.710
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Dear Churches and Praying
Friends, February 2022
"We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers;" (I Thess. 1:2)
Truly, the Lord has been good to us in Bulgaria. Since our return we have been able to meet with the national pastors and hear their reports of the Lord's blessings in the different villages. There is still some sickness going around here, but for the most part, it has passed. The people are glad to be back in church again.
I would like to thank the Lord
for providing us with a ministry vehicle. It took some time to get it, as the
dealerships here don't have any new cars for sale. An order has to be made, then
it takes between three to six months of waiting before it arrives. We were able
to find a one-year-old Dacia Lodgy that only had about nine thousand miles on
it. It is a seven passenger minivan that gets about 50 miles per gallon.
The needs in Bulgaria are great. There are people here that are suffering, in
need of the salvation that only the Lord can give. Last month we witnessed a
desperate situation. One of our long-time church members asked us to pray for
her daughter. Several times the girl had complained about her husband's cruelty
and violence, until it finally reached the breaking point. She left her husband
and two children for someone she had met on the internet. The man had sent her
money for a bus ticket to come to him, but when she arrived at his house she
found it to be worse than her previous situation. She was kept like a prisoner
in that house, not even allowed to speak to her family on the telephone. The
last message they received from her was to not call her anymore. The family was
heartbroken and seemingly hopeless. So, we called on heaven. Within a week, the
girl was home with her parents! Please remember her in your prayers, along with
her children.
Last week at the church here in our village we had a good meeting. There was a
good spirit in the church, and some new people have started coming recently.
Right as I finished preaching, before the final prayer, a young man walked in
the door with tears in his eyes and a big, two-liter bottle of beer in his hand.
He came right to the front and set the beer down before us and said, "Save me
from this!" The church got a burden to pray for him. He went home that day and
poured out his beer. This week he was back in church, with the rest of his
family. His mother testified about how good it was to see her son get right with
God. Please remember him in your prayers, along with his children.
Brethren, we give thanks to God always for you all. Please keep us in your
prayers.
In Christ,
Zachary LeFevre
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“I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.” Psalm 77:11
February 2022
Year after year, month to month, week to week, and day by day, it is safe for us
to say that we can look back and see the works and wonders of the Lord. There is
no greater blessing than to see God’s work done from the sanctuary.
I would like to begin this letter by saying thank you for your continued prayers
and support. We are also very thankful for every card and Christmas gift. God
gave us a great Christmas and a blessed new year, and we look forward to this
year to come. Our family has truly seen the hand of God in our lives, and for
that we are certainly thankful. I would like to share some of these blessings
with you.
The last few months have been challenging, but God has been with us. I was
diagnosed with skin cancer on the top of my head and had it removed. I was
facing radiation treatments and decided to have a pet scan which came back
completely clear, so I decided to forego the radiation and we trust the Lord
with the outcome.
We also were able to have 12,000 tracts printed about the pandemic from English
to Bulgarian. Pastor James Melton wrote the tract and gave us permission to have
it translated and printed. The focus of the tract is not Covid-19, but it is
used to point people to the fact that the sickness or disease in man is the
Spiritual disease of sin and the only cure is through the gospel of Jesus
Christ. We look forward to using them in the ministry here.
Another blessing for us came unexpectedly. Tracy and I had talked about having a
van to use for the work here. I would like to say it was something we had
earnestly prayed about for months, but truthfully it was just a desire of our
hearts that our Savior was fully aware of and faithful to provide. How God did
this was amazing, somehow - someway we met a young lady from Shumen, Bulgaria
who had moved to Murphy, North Carolina. We were able to meet with her and her
husband while we were back in the states. To make a long story short, God put it
on this precious couples' heart to buy us a van.
We had also requested help with vehicles for the work here, and we have seen
God’s hand in this. We still have needs for a couple of our national pastors and
trust the Lord to provide.
We also need you to remember to pray about the yearly flour and oil
distribution. God had been faithful to provide for this. We ask that all will go
smoothly with the current aggravations due to Covid-19. We believe this will be
a tremendous blessing here for our churches, because the economy here has been
affected just as it has everywhere else. Everything is more expensive, and it
really makes life more difficult for the poor.
In closing, God bless you all, and thank you so much for your continued support
and most of all for your prayers.
In His name, Brother Keith Blalock
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January 15, 2022
“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 25:35,36
Dear Brethren in the Lord, Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I pray this letter finds you in His nurturing grace this blessed Christmas season, where we celebrate the birth of our precious and Holy Savior.
As a child I had always loved and cherished this time with family and friends. Setting up the Christmas tree, wrapping presents, and singing hymns. As an adult I see that many, many children do not have these same fond memories. Christmas is a foreign concept to some, or simply a holiday for the wealthy. And then some like the Muslims do not celebrate it as it is associated with Christ. But there are people that desperately need to be loved! They’re lonely, they’re not cared for and they have no answers. They’re desperate.
Two weeks before Christmas we were in one of our weekly prayer meetings in the village of Valeni. This village must be the poorest place we come to every week. Children running around with no shoes on in the cold mud. A little boy came into our meeting completely naked apart from a t-shirt several sizes too small. My wife was with me as well as my daughter who happened to have on two pairs of sweatpants and socks and my wife, with the help of her aunt and grandmother quickly dressed the child with a pair of each. Someone also took off their sweater and helped clothe the naked child which reminded me of the verse I placed at the heading of our letter. Ralph Cheetwood would always say, “The righteous do righteousness because they are righteous”.
I want to thank God by His infinite power and love, that a few weeks later we were able to distribute over 350 Christmas packets this year. They had socks, hats, gloves, candy, toys, and fruit with coloring books and markers in all. They were so happy. This is probably the only thing they will get for Christmas. I am still amazed at the power and generosity of our Almighty God, how he in His magnificent strength can hold back the pandemic restrictions for a week, so we can take these gifts to the poor. My prayer is that He continues to hide us under his mighty wings as we try to persevere for the Gospel. May God richly bless you in the upcoming year.
From Romania,
Jacob Reed and Family
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January 24, 2022
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is
blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.” Psalm 37:25-27
Dear Pastors, Churches and Friends,
Greetings from Romania and what a joy to tell you of the workings of our God
through 2021.
2021 was a strange year for our world and despite the confusion produced by the price of gasoline climbing to over six dollars a gallon, now we watch as many food items, along with construction materials double in price. Normally this should slow our ministry down, but as in 1 Kings 17, the widow’s barrel never stopped yielding flour nor did the cruse of oil fail from providing all the days of the famine. We have seen God provide for the ones that have opened their homes to God’s men and children. It is exhilarating to see God provide for his own, as the world shuffles around in panic.
Through our feeding centers God has made a way to reach the poor, who would have no other way to acquire the necessities to survive. We provide meals and food, clothing, children’s diapers and medications for cleanliness and healing. We do this graciously to provide an open door of help and as the Lord leads. We also share the gospel and invite them to church for service and prayer. We feed a lot of children as the parents are struggling to make ends meet with the increasing costs of electricity and heating. As things grow stricter, I believe many will be forced to come to these feeding centers for help and we will be able to share the gospel more clearly to those who have seen no need for Christ in earlier days.
We have been blessed by our mission board church to receive shipments of supplies for our feeding centers. Churches and individual families have been bringing supplies to Brookside Baptist Church in Bristol, TN. which has shipped them to us. Because of this we were able to afford to give the children in the villages a very blessed Christmas packet this year. We had winter socks, hats, gloves, scarfs, candy, fruit, toys, and coloring books with markers. They were so excited to receive these gifts. It always makes our year complete when you see the smiles on their little faces. They would receive absolutely nothing if God didn’t provide and send us to give it to them. It is a lot of work, but nothing to compare to the joy that floods your soul. This verse comes to mind from Acts 20:35 “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” We are now in the process of giving winter coats and heavy jogging suits to all our school age children in the villages. We were told we would be able to give socks and shoes soon, as Brookside has received over 1,000 pairs of new socks and around 400 pairs of new shoes. If you would like to help in this part of the ministry, please contact Pastor Mike Nixon at (423) 646-1352 for more information.
We are happy to let everyone who has helped us with the buildings know that we are in four of the six buildings. It has been a real battle at times, with the lock-downs and rise of prices it truly looked impossible to complete. By prayer and many sleepless nights, God would touch someone, and you came through at critical times. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It is so wonderful to see the people and children coming into a clean and warm place to find all they need spiritually and physically provided from the Lord. The most recent building is in a village where we have wanted to build in, for over 20 years. It has been impossible because of the strong Muslim opposition. Around the first of February we will have a dedication and ordination service for two of our national pastors. These faithful men have served their Lord for many years and have shown themselves faithful by keeping the testimony of God through many oppositions. Looking forward to coming together with all the brethren and missionaries from Bulgaria and laying hands on these men and blessing them and the church at the same time. Please pray for our protection and for the blessings of God to fall upon all of us who need a refreshing time of fellowship in the Lord.
With the ordination of these men, they will be receiving more commitments and I really need to get one of them a Van. It really helps to have a faithful vehicle for traveling as much as we do and truly helps to have one that can carry supplies and construction materials when necessary. We still have two large building projects to undertake in the spring and could use a van to help transport materials. It can save you a lot in transport fees. We will also be able to carry the food supplies to some villages and transport the evangelistic teams at the same time. Gas is very expensive and to make several trips is hard on the vehicle. Most of our villages are at least 3 to 4-hour round trip drives. I can’t explain how important it is to have a team to go into these almost all Muslim villages and sing, preach and pray with power. Many times in a van on the way home they have another meeting, as they sing all the way home, for the joy they have received from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the meetings that day. The children, who travel with us if we have a van, are the ones who get it started most of the time. To be driving in a van and hear their little voices singing to the Lord is almost more than you can take. So please, if you want help with this project just send the money to my name and address and designate it as Van for Romania. We would like to buy one as soon as possible and we will need around twelve to fifteen thousand dollars for a good used one.
From Romania,
Nathan, Teresa, and Nate
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“Wherein God, willing more
abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for
refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:17-18
Our praying friends and family in the Lord, November
2021
Have you ever read stronger verses, verses brimming with assurance and comfort,
verses that engender hope and infuse love; verses that burst forth in song in
the face of the devil’s fury; verses that provide ointment and anointing, a balm
and blessings? Every inspired line, authored by God, penned by Paul overflow
with an all-persuasive peace, and testify both to the nature and nurturing care
of our great Redeemer.
As to His nature, He is God: eternal, immutable, unchangeable; the same
yesterday, today, forever; unaffected by time or the tides of men; tested,
tried, true; terrible and triumphant. As He is, so is His word: inerrant,
inviolate, and, in the person of the Lord Jesus, incarnate; full of glory,
grace, and truth; given by God to man that they might trust in Him.
As to His nurturing care, He is willing. Think about that just for a second, or
an hour, or lifetime. Of all that He is, of all that He has, of all that He can
do, it wouldn’t mean anything to you or me unless He was willing. But not only
is He willing, He is willing “more abundantly.” It is His all-consuming desire
that we rest securely, sweetly in the knowledge He cannot lie and His word
cannot fail; that though our vessel be tossed to and fro, the anchor holding us
will not move the slightest degree.
What a thought! The great I Am condescended to the woeful cannot and offered
eternal refuge. Though the world, flesh, and devil conspire daily to discourage
us, to disqualify us on the basis of our merit, our inability, the author of
eternal salvation reminds us, it is His promise – of which He has sworn, and
taken an oath to uphold – that secures our souls and succours our spirits. The
oath and covenant are both unnecessary, given He cannot lie, but for our sake,
that we might rest in Him without the slightest alarm or worry, He cheerfully
swears.
Are you happier after reading those verses? Goodness gracious, I am. It might be
a gloomy and gray November afternoon, but it’s eternal springtime wherever Jesus
is. What a good God!
Where am I? Oh, that’s right, Bulgaria. Things have been on the slow side here
for the last little bit. Bulgaria is still in pandemic mode, combating the
fourth wave of COVID. Everyone is sick of it (accidental pun intended). The
government introduced a controversial measure akin to COVID passports: green
certificates. Basically, if you want to shop in larger, non-grocery stores, you
have to show proof that you’re not a risk. Bulgarians immediately protested it,
but the alternative is complete shutdown again. Thank God for Heaven: no
sickness and never a shutdown. And there isn’t a single restriction in place, as
there isn’t any need for them; everyone’s free to worship God.
One unintended, or perhaps very much intended, consequence of the unrelenting
barrage of COVID coverage, (yes, we get it here, too) has been the subconscious
fear instilled in people. It has become the new boogeyman, so to speak: Its
specter haunts every potential gathering. Now a sniffle, a cough, or a cold
chill threaten to close down entire communities. Where once we took care, now we
take cover. For weeks on end, we’ve not been able to attend certain meetings due
to flu and rumors of flu. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not downplaying
this virus or its effects. What I am saying is we’ve become more health
conscious than heart conscious, safer but less spiritual; more afraid of
assembling than forsaking the assembly; more apt to trust science than search
scripture; more concerned with spreading the virus than spreading the gospel.
You’d think, being surrounded by this potentially life-threatening illness,
people would prioritize being ready to meet God, but they’re doing everything
they can to avoid Him, saints included.
In addition to fighting the flu’s influences, the entire work has been accosted
with car troubles. Y’all know about the ongoing struggles with my vehicle
situation. If you don’t, I’ll mention it in a minute, hang on. A few weeks back,
Bro. Mitko’s wife, Monika, was in a serious car wreck that totaled her vehicle.
Praise the Lord she escaped with only a mild concussion, as the driver’s side
roof was caved in completely. God spared her and her daughter Eliza, who was
with her. Just after that, Pastor Nasuf, while returning from service alone,
lost control of his vehicle and wound up upside down in a field. Thankfully, God
spared him, as well, and apart from soreness and bruising, he escaped without
injury. My brother Zach’s vehicle suddenly started having transmission trouble
last week. (I haven’t told him yet. We’ll see if he reads my prayer letters.)
Help us pray, please, and believe God to provide what’s needed.
As for our vehicle, I don’t have bad news; I have an opportunity to see God
work. We received a letter from our insurance company stating we defaulted on
our claim, not having turned in the required documents within the prescribed
time. Since the car was stolen in April, I have been to the main adjuster’s
office in Varna at least once every three weeks. Each visit they set another
task, another document to obtain, and each visit we did what was asked. It soon
became evident that what we were doing was the equivalent of “buying blinker
fluid.” It was busy work with the seeming intent to divert and stall us. When we
pushed back, we were given the number of our case worker at the head office, who
then sent us on another wild goose chase. So today, I took the letter to an
attorney to see if anything can be done. I told you before, and I think some of
you thought I was joking, that after the collapse of communism, all the car
thieves transitioned to car insurance.
Where do we stand on a vehicle? At present we don’t have one, but I’m not
complaining. God’s provided. Other missionaries have graciously allowed us to
use their vehicles, for which we are very thankful. For the last few months I
have been using Zach’s (see two paragraphs above). Now he’s due to return just
after Thanksgiving. When he comes back, the Lord will work something else out.
Today we rode the train to town to meet with the attorney. I thank God for the
train. Since we’ve been in this valley, they’ve started road work on just about
all the roads leading into Shumen, where we live. That means, for Ahmed to go to
his mountain meetings, he now has to drive right past our apartment to avoid
construction, and he picks me up on his way. God provides. We live in the center
of town, surrounded by stores containing anything and everything we need. God
provides. Whatever happens, God has, is, and will continue to meet every single
need as it arises. Bless His name.
We’d like to wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving. We love and
miss you, and thank God daily for you.
Because of a living Savior,
The William LeFevre Family
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October 2021
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Galatians 1:3
It is certainly our heart’s desire to see God’s grace and peace poured out on
each of you. We are without a doubt in a season of time where we are in definite
need for His grace and peace each day. We continue to see restrictions and
limitations placed on us because of the pandemic. They now require everyone to
have a green certificate in order to enter businesses, restaurants, and malls.
There is also a 15-person limit in our meetings. We will adapt to each of these
and ask that you pray for the villages where we go. Several meetings are on hold
because of Covid in the villages. This is something we are dealing with
constantly.
The Lord continues to bless us to which we are thankful. While we were back in
the states, to get Kylie, we met a young lady from Bulgaria. She is from the
town of Shumen and somehow made it to living in Murphy, North Carolina. It is
really a small world. We were able to meet with her and her husband while
enjoying a wonderful time of fellowship. They also discussed their burden for
Bulgaria and their own desires for ministering in the Murphy area. We are
thankful to God for allowing our paths to cross and are amazed at His
providential hand. Through our meeting them we have seen God’s hand in a couple
areas of our life. We were able to get a gospel tract dealing with the pandemic
translated, and we hope to get it formatted for distribution soon. Also, this
dear couple has committed to buying us a van for the work, and we should be
getting it sometime in November. God is so good. It was such a blessing for us
to hear her testimony of coming to the states and truly hearing the gospel for
the first time. It still amazes me to hear the testimonies of those who might
have had religion and a form of godliness but never knew the truth. Please pray
that the Lord would guide us in reaching her family who still live in the Shumen
area. It is on her heart for her family to hear the same pure saving gospel that
was able to change her life. Pray that God would grant us this blessing to share
the gospel with her family.
We really enjoyed our short trip to the states. It was great to be around family
and to see the arrival of our 14th grandchild, Presleigh Jane. We also enjoyed
spending time at our home church. We were grateful to be there and preach while
our pastor dealt with Covid-19. I am thankful that he has recovered and is
getting his strength back. We also spent time with my parents and are grateful
to have been able to do so.
We, like all of you, are looking forward to the holidays and are soon
approaching my wife’s favorite time of the year. Thanksgiving! We certainly have
much to be thankful for as we gather this November. We also want to wish
everyone a very Merry Christmas and thank you in advance for your prayers and
Christmas gifts. As we end this year and look into the next, I am so grateful
that each of you have been such a vital part of our lives and ministry.
In closing we do ask that you remember the people here during the harshness of
winter. Many have faced hardship and sickness this year. We ask that you pray
for the needs here as we approach the time of year for the yearly flour and oil
distribution. We trust God to provide this once again and ask that you pray
earnestly about this. God bless you all and a Happy New Year!
The Blalocks
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Dear praying friends,
November 2021
I am enclosing this with my latest prayer letter as a special request. This is
an urgent need in our work right now. We recently had three unfortunate
accidents involving vehicles of our national pastors and one of our
missionaries. Our fellow missionary had his car stolen and totaled. They are
waiting on the process of receiving insurance funds which could take a year or
so. Also, the wife of a national pastor had a tire blowout and rolled their car
several times. Thank God no one was seriously hurt. This week we had the third
incident with a national pastor having a wreck and ending up off the road upside
down. Thankfully, he also was unhurt.
With these accidents it has really put us in a bind concerning getting to the
villages. We are in desperate need of three cars. We are prayerfully asking our
supporters to give toward this important need. We would hope to be able to
purchase three used cars as soon as possible. Over here we can get three good
used cars for around $10,000. We will get them one at a time as the money comes
in, and just ask that you pray that God meets this need quickly.
God bless you and thank you for all you do,
Brother Keith Blalock
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Dear Praying Friends and
Family,
July – August 2021
I hope this letter finds you all well in the Lord and awaiting His soon return.
Update From Ukraine: In the past we’ve trusted the Lord and committed the
ministry into the hands of national preachers many times. There always is a bit
of trepidation and concern when we do. The peace that the Lord has given us this
time around is such a blessing. The ministry is thriving in spite of many
problems and changes. They’ve been involved in evangelism not only locally but
also making trips into new territory with the Gospel. Brother Alosha and several
members of the church set aside a week for reaching out to new towns with
literature and door to door visitation. Each day they visited a new town using
the time for personal work and literature distribution. Brother Casey Kline
graciously drove his van to transport the group each day. I received a report
that this year’s Bible Club went well with around 12 of the older kids
responding to the Gospel message that was thoroughly and personally explained.
Amen!
Building Project Update: We’ve been very encouraged by a couple love offerings
that got us closer to our goal needed to begin the building project. I asked my
assistant to look into prices to see if our estimation was still accurate. It
has been three years since we first started saving and we haven’t checked on
prices since then. Inflation over the past three years and price hikes due to
Covid have increased the starting price by 10k. Seeing that we are already in
the fall season, it looks like we will have to wait until spring to break
ground. There are still two things left to do that will help us prepare for
ground breaking. First, we need to have the city change our current power lines
to three-phase. We are going to need this for all the welding. Secondly, we can
begin searching for a large cement mixer. Our town does not have a concrete
company and ordering a truck from Odessa would be risky and expensive. In the
past, we’ve mixed concrete by hand, but this project will require a little more
than elbow grease.
Deputation/Furlough Update: I am writing this letter “on the road.” I’ve learned
to trust my wife’s driving allowing me to catch up on all the administrative
demands of the ministry. We are currently returning from over two months of
meetings in the North West. During those two plus months we’ve added over 12,000
miles on our van. Our meetings were in North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and
Washington. This part of our deputation/furlough has been exactly what we
needed. We preached, prayed, fellowshipped, and passed out tracts along the way.
I could spend several pages on anecdotes, but suffice it to say that we were
encouraged by the state of the Bible believing churches in this region of the
USA. The pastors of every church we visited were solid in the Lord and the Book!
We are still working on scheduling meetings. Please contact me if you would like
to schedule a specific date. My number is (513) 376-1011.
Thank you for all that you do for the Lord, giving us the privilege to serve Him
in Ukraine. Until our next prayer letter or our meeting in the air!
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue
Phil. 3:1
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Friends, Summer 2021
Who would have dreamed that
this stuff would drag on this long? It causes one to think that the word
“pestilence” used many times in the Bible is a precursor of things to come…. a
“sign of the times”! I know Jesus used the term in Matthew 24 when speaking of
the end times. God always used weather, pestilences, and war to get man’s
attention in the Old Testament. One of the greatest verses used for revival is
II Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Interestingly enough, pestilence is used in the preceding verse as a means of
judgment. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines a pestilence as a “contagious or
infectious disease that is epidemic and mortal.”
I know this, the whole world is
affected by it! I was planning to go to a Hispanic country in the Spring, but
the pandemic spiked there worse than before. I was cautioned not to travel by my
Hispanic contacts. Then, as many of you know, this country had an uprising among
the people which further complicated the matter of traveling there.
I just finished a round of
conferences in WV and we had great meetings. We were there with four National
Preachers, for three conferences. There were tears, there was rejoicing, and
there were challenges given, as these men updated and told about the works they
have in their respective areas. I will probably have to travel to Georgia to
help with some of the conferences in September. Unfortunately, we are
short-staffed because of the trouble getting men in from some of these nations
that are affected by the Covid pandemic.
I hope to travel to this
country in October. We are checking and waiting on word as to when we will be
able to travel. Pray for the brethren who are striving to preach the gospel in
the “regions beyond”.
Joyfully Yours,
Farren Caeble, 1 Samuel 12:24
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“And it came to pass, when
Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand,
Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it
under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on
the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until
the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the
edge of the sword.” Exodus 17:11-13
Our praying friends and family
in the Lord, August 2021
The above verses should be familiar to every child of God. It is the account of
the first direct action the children of Israel saw after crossing the Red Sea.
Their deliverance from the “Iron Furnace” of Egypt, and subsequent death of
Pharaoh and utter defeat of his armies, was a feat God entrusted to no one but
Himself; Moses being His mouthpiece. So, too, our deliverance was the sole work
of a selfless Savior. As Charles Gabriel wrote, “He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own; He bore the burden to Calv’ry, and suffered and died
alone.” Little wonder he followed that with, “How marvelous! How wonderful!” He
could have easily filled the refrain with as many worthy praises as he could
imagine, and we’d Amen every one as recipients of that love. Do you still marvel
at the love expended to ransom you from Hell? Do you still contemplate with
wonder the great machinations enacted by almighty God to woo you to Himself, and
win your soul forever in His safe keeping? Gracious me, if you don’t, sing his
song again!
However, the verses I’m considering aren’t about our deliverance from Egypt, but
from the Amalekites. The Lord dealt with the Egyptians Himself; He left the
Amalekites to Moses. In other words, while our salvation is secure, our success
is in jeopardy. Hold on a second, don’t get sideways. I’m not preaching
Schofield’s notes; hear me out. In spite of certain unbelievers’ perpetual wish
to return to Egypt, God made sure there was no Egypt to go back to. The Egypt
they held in fond remembrance no longer existed; it had been decimated. There
remained only one direction to go, forward, and at this juncture, the Amalekites
stood between them and God’s promise. You know the story from here: When Moses
held his hands up, the enemy fell back; when his hands dropped, they advanced.
In the end, Aaron and Hur, seeing Moses couldn’t do it alone, came to his aid
and stayed up his hands until the victory was won. There’s been a whole lot of
good preaching (and some questionable) along those lines of helping one another
and upholding one another, staying up the preacher’s hands, etc. There’s truth
in it! We need one another. The very best among us are feeble, unable to contend
long or at all against our enemy. We all need help and assistance.
Nevertheless, Moses himself wasn’t the answer to the Amalekites. Moses alone
wasn’t sufficient to win the day. Moses, Aaron, and Hur combined couldn’t even
startle the enemy, let alone scatter them. What then? What forced the Amalekites
to give ground, turn, and flee? Let me draw your attention to what Moses had
with him: “I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine
hand.” That was the rod that stayed up Moses as he wandered a stranger among the
Midianites. That rod became a serpent, signifying God’s power, and swallowed up
all the imitators. That rod wrought wonders in Egypt, called forth plagues, and
leveled judgment. Lifted up, that rod made an impossible way through the
impassable sea. That same rod struck a rock and brought forth a river to slake
thirsty rebels. If you haven’t figured it out yet, that rod is a type of Jesus.
As long as He’s lifted up, the enemy must give way before Him. Have you any
Amalekites hindering you on your journey, withstanding your advance, threatening
your ruin and destruction? Lift up Jesus. Magnify the Lord. Does the Amalekite
of unbelief stand between you and God’s promises? Remember, this same Jesus that
saved you will assist you. His triumph over sin, death, hell, and the devil was
so exact, so complete, so utterly magnificent – that to mention it, to glory in
it, to make it your banner is enough to embolden the feeblest of saints, and
unnerve the most obstinate enemy.
I hope that helps somebody. More often than not, I write those things to help
me. I like to encourage myself in the Lord. I like to see others encouraged in
the Lord. I know this is a prayer letter, and I’m supposed to tell what’s going
on here, but sometimes I get happy thinking on heavenly things and get carried
away. Someone said the other day, “You ought to write a book.” I said, “Did you
read my last letter? It was a novella.”
In the general information category, I’d like to mention our move from the
village of Dabravino to the city of Shumen. We had been living in the Welch
household since our return a year ago. We found this apartment back in early
spring, but it didn’t come available to move into until late June. It’s spacious
enough, and we’re close to a big park where the kids can get out and play.
Additionally, we’re closer to the meetings I attend.
I’ve been waiting until I heard something about our car so that I could update
everyone on it. Here’s the update: Nothing is happening. We’re still waiting on
the insurance company to pay out so we can use the money to buy another vehicle.
Meanwhile, the insurance company says it’s waiting on the police to submit a
final report. The police aren’t sure what the insurance company wants and are
waiting for the insurance company to tell them. It’s a Bulgarian standoff, kind
of like a Mexican standoff without the benefit of enchiladas. Now, seeing as
this is a prayer letter, I have a prayer request: Please pray something gives
and this is all resolved. And while you’re at it, pray that about the time this
gets resolved, that the perfect seven-seater vehicle comes available at the
perfect price.
The other thing I was waiting on before I wrote was our meeting in Dabravino.
This last Sunday saw a good size crowd, undaunted by the present-day pestilence
and its perpetrators and perpetuators, assemble together to sing, pray, worship,
and listen to preaching. After a meal, we recommenced our meeting by the river’s
side, where twelve souls professed publically their faith in Jesus and followed
Him in baptism. Five of those who were baptized were from one family, from our
meeting in Smyadovo. I had the privilege of driving the sister to the meeting,
whose two daughters, two granddaughters, and son-in-law all owned Christ as
Savior. When we met at her house the Monday prior to meeting, all of her
daughters said, “Normally we take vacations to return home and see our friends
and family. This time we took a vacation to testify in church and get baptized.”
After Sunday meeting, on our return trip home, their mother said, “William, I’m
drunk on happiness! I still can’t believe it. I woke up this morning and said,
‘I won’t be needing my cane to attend this meeting.’” She must have had the rod
of God! Pray for these souls. Pray for this work. Pray for its workmen. Pray for
fresh unction.
We love you all and miss you dearly. Hannah, Carrick, Christian, Dixie Joy and
Derrick Wade all send their greetings.
Because of a living Savior,
The William LeFevre Family
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Dear Friends in Christ,
July 2021
I have given a lot of thought recently about John chapter three. We as
Christians love this chapter and rightfully so. We as children learn John 3:16
by heart and it brings comfort to us all unto this day. As comforting as that
is, two verses later should be just as troubling to us. The word condemned is
stated in verse 18 twice. In both cases condemnation is reliant on one thing,
belief in Christ. Belief in him; no condemnation, unbelief and you are
condemned. According to the scriptures the entire unbelieving world is already
condemned, because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son
of God. It could be your neighbor, the young lady taking your order at the
restaurant, the guy sitting behind you in biology class, your cousin, your
father, your child, or spouse, every unbeliever is condemned already. I believe
this should give us a greater sense of urgency within the church to reach the
world with the gospel. Let us pray that God would burden our hearts.
Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and support. God has surely been
good to us through the faithfulness of his children. The work here has been
going very well and we are grateful to be getting back into village meeting
several days a week. I have been going with two of our national pastors to
villages and thankfully am able to go to eight or nine meetings each week. I am
really blessed to once again worship with these dear people. I have particularly
enjoyed worshiping with our oldest church member a dear lady that is one hundred
years old. What a blessing to see her have church in her little one room place
faithfully each week. We were also able to meet in the village of Dabravino to
have a large meeting with several of our national pastors bringing in car and
van loads of believers. We had at least one hundred people gathered for the
first time since the pandemic. What joy was experienced by us all as we met
together to sing hymns, pray and to hear the preaching of the word of God. Our
greatest joy however was hearing testimony after testimony of God’s love and
faithfulness in the lives of these dear people during the difficulties of this
last year. God has truly been good.
Our family is doing well, and I
am certainly thankful to be together with my wife after her time in the states
with the passing of her mother. Kylie is currently still in the states with her
oldest sister finishing her last Bible camp of the summer. We are thankful she
can do this, and it has truly been a spiritual blessing for her. Please remember
my mother’s family in prayer. My grandmother recently passed away, she was
ninety-eight years old and died peacefully in her sleep. We thank God for the
joy we have in knowing the destination of those who believe and trust in the
Lord.
Please keep us in your prayers. I will be making a short trip to the states for
around six weeks on August 25th. There are three reasons for this trip. The
first being we need to get Kylie and bring her back to Bulgaria. We also have a
granddaughter due around that time, and for me it is an opportunity to see my
parents. We have seen in the past few years with the passing of Tracy’s parents
how quickly things can change. It will be a short trip, but we pray God will
bless it. Please pray specifically for Sunday September 5th. We will be having a
missions Sunday at Mount Pleasant Baptist, and we desire God’s presence during
the meeting.
Thank you again for your continued prayers and may God bless you all richly.
The Blalocks
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Dear Churches and Praying Friends, July 2021
"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches..." Rev. 22:16
Once more it is our privilege to bring you greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, our soon coming king. I recently finished reading the book of Revelation again. What a blessing it is to know that when it's all said and done, we win! Christ won the victory and invited us onto his team. He defeated the devil, and holds the keys of hell and of death. I'm on the winning side. One day we will join that great number of the redeemed, praising the king of glory in a land where there is no more pain. In heaven we will not only be united with our loved ones again, but we'll meet the redeemed from every kindred and tongue and people and nation. I trust there will be a great number there from Bulgaria and we will again be able to worship together.
The verse above tells us that Jesus wants these things to be testified in the churches. If Jesus likes to testify in church, so do I. It is an honour to be able to travel to so many of the churches that help us and testify to them both of what the Lord wrote to us in his book, and of what he is doing these days in Bulgaria. The Lord supplied us with a vehicle, and we have already travelled over five thousand miles. Not only do we get to minister to others, but we also are ministered unto - we hear some really good preaching.
Praise the Lord that things have opened up more in Bulgaria. The national pastors there are again able to travel to their village churches on a weekly basis.
Please keep our family in your prayers. This time spent in the states is especially important for the children. Our oldest son Isaac is making preparations to attend a Bible college in the fall, then stay here when we travel back to Bulgaria. We're very proud of him, as we are of his two older sisters who did the same thing.
In Christ,
Zachary LeFevre (629) 999-0843
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Dear Pastors, Churches, and Friends, March - April
2021
As I am reflecting on the events of last year, in my mind I am still trying to
deal with this mess that has been perpetrated by men and by Satan. Who knows how
it all began! It may have taken us by surprise, but we do know that it did not
take God by surprise. As the old cliché states, “Has it ever occurred to you
that nothing has ever occurred to God?” Of course, we know that the world has
had to deal with national calamities before and suffer many times worse. I am
glad that as the child of God, though there are times when we temporarily lose
sight of God, He always knows where we are! “But he knoweth the way that I take:
when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)
I normally do not mention our work here in the United States because we are
always sharing reports of the travels to those countries where we go; but each
Sunday we are preaching in services and providing supporting churches updates of
the work. We also have several mission conferences each year. We were in
Princeton, WV in March and preached and presented the work in a Hispanic
country. I mentioned the continual need of bicycles for our men in one of my
messages, and a young boy came up to me with his grandmother and told me that he
had set aside money for his own bicycle. He said the Lord laid it on his heart
to give that money to help the cause for bicycles over there. Before the week
was over, he had doubled the money given back to him for his charitable giving
of the need there! That is how it works! God could do the work Himself, but He
chose man to have a part in His great work of preaching to every creature the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We were not able to travel to a certain Hispanic country this quarter because of
the pandemic, but we were able to send through a contact enough funds to help
the nationals until the government eases the travel restrictions. We will make a
trip hopefully in May, and we have another trip lined up in June or July. Pray
for the works and our men. This is just another reason why we work through
nationals in their countries, because in this manner the work carries on. Amen!
Joyfully Yours, Farren Caeble, 1 Samuel 12:24
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Dear Friends in Christ, May 2021
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope this finds all
of you doing well, healthy and enjoying God’s many blessings. I do not know how
things have been where you are, but here in Romania and Bulgaria, this past year
has been a difficult time for us.
The virus infection rates are beginning to fall but most of our Home kids have
been forced to do school on-line for about a year now. Just this week they are
returning to in-person schooling. Please pray for our children. It seems to me
that Romania’s on-line schooling did not work very well and the kid’s learning
has suffered terribly.
For us, the biggest hardships have been the ban on gatherings and the
restrictions on travel for Americans between Bulgaria and Romania. Until the
virus hit last year, the missionaries in our group living in Bulgaria were
meeting weekly for an English church service. I was driving down from Romania as
often as I could to be there. For the better part of a year, the missionaries
have not been able to openly meet and, even if they could, I would have had to
quarantine 2 weeks had I crossed the border.
Because of the restrictions, most of our Turkish work has been meeting with the
believers and their families in their homes. A few weeks ago, we felt led to
gather the Turkish believers in this area at the Children’s Home for a meeting.
We had been doing this weekly before the pandemic hit last year. Even though we
were not supposed to be meeting in this way, Bro. Nathan Reed, his son Jacob,
and I gathered around 50 believers and had a meal and then a three-hour service.
The Turks were thrilled to get together and many testified how much strength
there was in getting together again to worship. A couple of weeks later we did
it again and plan to continue, Lord willing, every couple of weeks or so. Pray
that we will not have trouble with the authorities.
Praise the Lord, we have been able to continue to have English church services
here at the Children’s Home on Sundays and Wednesdays. Some of our teenagers
have been inviting their friends to church and several have been coming
regularly. I just preached recently about how it seems, with each passing
generation, fewer and fewer people are choosing to follow and serve the Lord. It
is encouraging seeing these kids showing a desire to share their faith and
getting a burden for their lost friends.
With vacation coming soon, the older kids are hoping things open up enough that
they can get summer jobs. I am already teaching the younger ones to use the
lawnmower so they can take over yard work.
We thank all of you for your continued prayers and support. May the Lord protect
you and bless you and your families.
UPDATE: Before I had a chance to send this letter out, two of the girls in the
Home got saved! Melek (14) and Blue (8) got saved at a very good Mother’s Day
service on May 9th. They have both been coming to the altar and praying a lot
over the last couple of months and we knew the Lord was dealing with them.
During the song service, the Lord moved in and they hit the altar with tears
flowing. Praise God, they said afterward, each in a different way, how the Lord
touched them and they knew they were now saved. Can you imagine what a Mother’s
Day blessing that was for Sandy and Dara! Thank you again, Lord, and Bless Your
Holy Name!
In Christ,
Dave, Dara, Sandy and the kids
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“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And
not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh
patience;” Romans 5:1-3
Our praying friends and family in the Lord,
April 2021
I bless the Lord for His amazing grace. One day by faith alone in the finished
work of Jesus Christ, the Justifier justified me. He didn’t merely acquit me, or
solely forgive my debts, He justified me! He was made sin, my sin, so that by
faith I might be made righteous – free from any and every offense worthy of the
least punishment. In the great and eternal trial for my soul, the Judge of the
universe declared me innocent of all charges, because Jesus Christ put Himself
forth, owning my guilt, accepting my doom, suffering my fate. He purchased my
peace with the blood of His cross. And if that weren’t enough, He, by His
infinite mercy, granted me full and complete access to all the rights and
privileges of the only begotten Son of the Father. By justifying me, He secured
me a place forever with Him and peace forever in Him. That’s enough to make a
Presbyterian shout, I guess. I don’t know any. For all I know, they might all be
secret shouters.
Let me go on. In no mean addition to all that glory, Paul adds one more thing.
Our God loves His justified own to such an immeasurable extent, He so contrived
that their every trial and tribulation would turn to their blessing both here
and hereafter. Our archenemies, the world, flesh, and devil, conspiring toward
our destruction, by the intervening wisdom and will of God, instead contribute
to our well-being. Through their added afflictions, we obtain multiplied love
and the fullness and comfort of the Holy Ghost. Just think about that! Our Lord
has made our sufferings more glorious than our successes. And in addition to
glory here, Paul tells us, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” (That’s in the original
Greek.) Whatever you’ve enjoyed here won’t hold a candle to what you’ll
experience there. I think I hear a Presbyterian now. Shout on, brother, shout
on!
Speaking of tribulation, we’ve had a little, though just a little. Those of you
who still keep up with Facebook might have read that our car was stolen; those
of you who don’t, it was. On the 15th of April at around one in the morning, an
18-year-old boy entered the yard. He forced open the back hatch of our Dacia
Lodgy and crawled inside. Popping the top off the steering column, he hot-wired
the car. He reversed rapidly, striking the left side of the gate, breaking a
tail light. He must have knocked that side of the gate off its hinges and then
got out and set it up again, or an accomplice set it upright. He then took the
car for a joy ride. Alcohol and drugs seem to have been involved. About nine
miles down the road, in the village of Barzitsa, he lost control, went off road,
and struck a concrete viaduct, totaling the car. Though all the airbags
deployed, he remained unscathed and walked back to his mother’s house in our
village, where the police found him later that day.
I discovered the car was gone when I went to take Dixie Joy to kindergarten. I
called Ahmed. Ahmed called the police. While waiting for the police, we both
called on the Lord. The police showed up, took our statement, and in a little
while informed us the car had been found. Ahmed and I drove to the scene of the
crash. It was then I learned someone else had stolen everything they could make
off with from inside the car. I told the investigating officer as much, but he
had heard from an eyewitness that two people were seen rifling the car at around
four that morning. Thankfully, the police had a pretty good idea who they were,
as well. Sure enough, one visit to their place found them in possession of all
our stolen things. The police seized everything, keeping it in their possession
until today, some two weeks later.
The car was fully insured, thankfully. Now we’re learning patience as we deal
with Bulgarian insurance. That’s another story in itself that I really don’t
want to get into. Suffice it to say, it looks like it will be a while before
final approval of our claim, and then a while longer before payment. The police
haven’t even completed their investigation to turn the results over to the
insurance company. In the meantime, we have Bro. Matt’s station wagon at our
disposal until his return. And we’re practicing close communion cramming all
four children in the backseat.
You know, in spite of all that, we’re the most blessed family in the country.
The Sunday prior to the theft, while praying, the Lord’s words to Jeremiah came
to my heart, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and
mighty things, which thou knowest not.” I called, and a few days later, someone
stole our car. It might sound strange, but the theft never troubled me. That
morning it came to my mind, “Now the Lord will do something great and mighty.”
If all He does is grant peace of mind, then that’s great and mighty enough for
me, but He’ll do more still. I bless His wonderful name. No Presbyterian’s going
to do my shouting for me.
Saving the best for last, and providing another opportunity to praise the Lord
(if you’ve missed the last several): when all was said and done, over
eighty-four tons of flour was distributed this year. We began on March 5th and
wrapped up on April 2nd. We distributed the flour in fifty villages, to as many
people as we had the means to. Every family received one hundred pounds of flour
and five liters of oil. Isn’t that good? Reminds me of the widow of Zarephath,
who in the middle of a catastrophe worse than COVID, was fixing her last supper
when right on time, here comes Elijah. Before sunset she had an unfailing barrel
of meal and cruse of oil to see her through hard times. Better than that, she
had a welcomed guest in God’s word residing in her home. Her little boy grew
strong eating cakes cooked by mama, provided by God, while listening to
preaching. Can you tell me anything better than that? We have a bunch of gypsies
in the poorest country in the EU, living off manna from heaven, singing the
songs of Zion, telling friends and neighbors that God’s done it again!
Pray for us. Hannah, Derrick, and Dixie Joy are returning to the states for a
month to participate in Hannah’s twin sister’s wedding. Pray for their safe
travel and soon return. Pray for us boys here. Pray for the work. Things are
opening back up, and we’re excited to return to a regular schedule until the
next pandemic.
We love you all, and miss you dearly.
Because of a living Savior, The William LeFevre Family
www.facebook.com/bulgarianlefevres
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For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake:
because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people. I Samuel 12:22
March 2021
In the day that we are living in, it is a joy to know that no matter what we
endure or encounter we are promised that God will be with us. We are still
dealing with restrictions due to Covid-19 here in Bulgaria, and I am sure where
each of you are, you are still feeling the effects of the virus. Here we are
almost a year later, and I am sure none of us expected to still be discussing
this topic, but even though this is still hindering us; God is with us; we are
still his people and he is still on the throne.
We as a family are doing well and are thankful for God’s hand and blessings on
our life. We recently moved to a new house here in Shumen. We had been in a
two-bedroom apartment. It was nice, but smaller than what we wanted. Our desire
is to be able to have room for people to visit, which really was not possible in
our previous place. Now we have room for visiting pastors and visiting
grandchildren. Kylie is doing well with home school, and Tracy and I are both
learning to speak a little more Bulgarian and Turkish each day.
The work here is opening a little more each month. I write this entering into
March, and we are seeing more of the villages opening back up and for this we
are grateful. We will begin in the first week of this month with our yearly
flour and oil distribution. We received the oil last week and will be getting
the first truckloads of flour this week. With the tough economic times, due to a
lot of business closures due to Covid-19, this will be especially needed this
year. We thank God for each individual and church who have given faithfully to
this yearly blessing to the church. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do
good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:10
We are praying that as we head into Spring that things will open for us to have
complete liberty with our travel from village to village. Now it may be that we
must adapt to a new normal, and we will I am sure learn to live with that. I am
thankful that God is in not any way hindered and that the gospel is still the
power of God unto salvation. Our desire is also that travel opens back up for
people to visit and see what God is doing here among these dear people. We
encourage anyone who would like to visit to contact us. I promise you that if
you have never been to a foreign field, doing so will change you in a way that
you cannot even imagine.
Please continue to pray for us and our family. Our parents need your prayers as
they are dealing with health issues. My father is recovering from the Corona
Virus after a lengthy stay in the hospital and rehab, and Tracy’s mother is
currently in the hospital battling liver disease. We thank God for his hand on
their lives and appreciate your prayers on their behalf.
I was delayed in finishing this letter due to a couple circumstances. As I
stated in the previous paragraph Tracy’s mother has been battling liver disease.
On March 14th she went on to be with her Lord. Thank you so much for your
prayers for her, and please continue to pray for the family during this time.
Tracy and Kylie went back to the states to help be with her mother as they
called hospice in to help with her. She arrived at three o’clock on the 14th and
her mother passed away a couple of minutes before midnight. We are grateful that
she was able to make it back to see her before she passed. Please pray for Tracy
as she handles her mother’s affairs and will return here as soon as she can.
I am also including a few pictures of this year’s flour and oil distribution
that took place during the delay of sending this letter.
Our oldest church member at 100 years’ old.
We thank God for meeting our needs and for the faithfulness of his people. We
are so grateful that as we moved from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished
house that God’s people gave and supplied for that need. I am also amazed how
God spoke to hearts to do this essentially without my help. I have a good God!
May God bless each of you richly, and I pray that God grants you good health and
grace each day.
God bless you all. The Blalocks
www.facebook.com/Blalocks2bulgaria
blalockstobulgaria@gmail.com
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January – February 2021
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you all well in the Lord. We want to thank you all for
your prayers and support. It has been a blessing to see what the Lord has done
over the last two months and we are excited to see what He is going to do with
us during this furlough.
Good News From Far and Near Countries: Change, relocation, and reverse culture
shock left our souls a bit thirsty. Proverbs 25:25 says, “As cold waters to a
thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” We had some great news from
two far countries! I guess that equates to a big gulp! The first bit of news
came from Peru where my brother has been for several years. Micah is my
half-brother, but we hardly know each other because we did not grow up together.
He has PTSD from his time serving as a sniper in the Army Rangers. He did three
or four tours and his life fell to pieces. There is not enough space in this
letter for all the details. Micah and I came in contact with each other five or
six years ago through the internet. He battles alcoholism and didn’t really
believe in God. Our exchanges were… “interesting.” In short, he was trying to
“take it like a man” and “pay for his own sins.” I searched for a missionary
nearby that could help him. Pastor Bevans Welder told me of a missionary in Peru
named Joe Hembrough who himself is a veteran. He began talking with Micah and
was able to put him in contact with a national pastor who gave him some work.
Everyone prayed. Brother Hembrough and I spoke about how to help Micah, seeing
he really needed help of every kind, but of first importance was salvation.
Brother Joe told me his opinion… “He’s either going to self-destruct and die or
find God.” I can’t tell you how relieved I was to hear from Micah in late
December. He called to tell me that alone, homeless, during a downpour, on his
knees in the cold and mud he prayed and received Christ! He said that as he was
agonizing with the Lord in prayer, that the Lord put a blanket of warmth around
him. He said, “He hugged me and made me warm…literally!” Please pray for him. I
am going to try to get down there to Peru if the Lord allows and help him get
back to the USA where he can get into a church and get some help.
A year ago I mentioned one visitor who came to our services while we were
broadcasting during the quarantine. Her name is Xenia, a close friend of Sister
Sveta who trusted Christ about two years ago. Sveta has been praying and
witnessing to Xenia ever since she got saved. She came to church just that one
time and listened closely to the message during quarantine but didn’t receive
Christ. Here we are a year later and the Lord has answered our prayers and Xenia
came to church again. Brother Aleksei told me that she responded to the
invitation to receive Christ a few Sundays ago!
We are also thankful to see fruit here in the USA. Pastor Greer of Branch Hill
Baptist Church gave me the opportunity to preach while he was out of town. It
was my privilege to see a young man respond to the invitation for salvation that
morning. I fully realize that he came ready to be saved due to the prayers and
personal work of Pastor Greer and his people. However, it really did my heart
good to see someone “walk the aisles” and gives me hope that this is a foretaste
of what is to come while here on furlough.
The Lord has added more reasons to rejoice seeing my younger sons getting a
burden for their new friends here in the neighborhood where we live. Christopher
asked me to teach him how to win people to Christ and has been listening very
well and memorizing Scripture. All my younger sons have been praying every night
for their friends to get saved. Please join them in prayer for Uriah, Noah,
Malachi, and Jacob.
The Rest of the News: The majority of our time since landing has been spent just
trying to acclimate to the USA again and stabilize. Housing, transportation,
insurance, delays due to Covid, driver’s licenses, etc… have taken a lot of
time. Getting my office and our home school up and running took more time than
expected in this Covid atmosphere. Helping my teenagers transition to American
life was not something I thought about when I surrendered to the call of being a
missionary. It is as if all the things teenagers do during their high school
years in America have landed on us all at one time! We are very thankful that
Miriam has already found work. The Lord has brought her through some things and
she has gotten to the place where she wants to serve the Lord in Ukraine. A year
ago she told the Lord, “Anywhere BUT Ukraine.” She is teaching English to
foreign students with an online company and wants to be self-supporting by the
time we return to Ukraine. Benjamin and Samuel are still looking for work which
is hard seeing they still don’t have their driver’s licenses. We couldn’t afford
sending them both to driving school so I have been taking the time to teach them
myself. They are very close to being ready to take the test and I’ll be close to
needing medication of some kind!
Meetings: The Lord has given me plenty of opportunities to preach even though
our ministry presentation is not yet ready. There are literally thousands of
pictures to wade through and a lot of blessings to catalog and figure out what
stays and what goes! Lord willing, it will be ready very soon. Please pray that
the Lord will bless the presentation to be a blessing to the saints.
I have begun scheduling meetings and look forward to seeing you all sometime
soon. Please contact me if you would like to schedule a specific date. My number
is (513) 376-1011. If not, you should be hearing from me in the near future!
Thank you for all that you do for the Lord, giving us the privilege to serve Him
in Ukraine. Until our next prayer letter or our meeting in the air!
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue Phil. 3:10
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January – February 2021
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22,23
Dear Pastors, Churches and Saints,
We send greetings from all the believers in the Lord
Jesus Christ in Bulgaria and Romania. We also thank the Lord for your fellowship
in the gospel and your faithful support of our Lord's work here.
In January I returned home to America. My brother Kevin had a cancerous tumor in his throat and he received proton therapy this past January and February. He is doing better now. He also wanted me to thank everyone for their prayers, and praise God for all He has done and His presence through it all. Kevin was in the hospital for 40 days, and no one was allowed to visit him due to the Covid-19 restrictions. But praise God, the Lord is not hindered by their rules and went right in with him and never left the whole time, then went home with him. We praise and thank God Kevin is doing better.
We are also thankful that on February 11th my
daughter Sarah & son-in-law Tyler became the proud parents of Luke Taylor and
Arabella Grace Lyon. They are beautiful and our prayer for them is that they
would get saved at an early age, and that they would be brought up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord.
In Bulgaria we started distributing flour and oil to the families in our churches. Every year the Lord has made it possible for us to give each family a 110lb bag of flour and over a gallon of cooking oil. It couldn’t have come at a better time this year, because of all the sickness and restrictions. I can’t stress how much some of these people need and appreciate these provisions. We tell them that it’s from the Lord and that God used His people in America to provide it to them. They praise God for the food and are thankful for you all.
There is also one other prayer request we have and
that’s for Robbie Carr. He is from our church in Tennessee and was accidentally
shot in the elbow and is mending slowly. God has really used him, and God’s hand
is upon him. Please keep Robbie in your prayers.
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and family
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Dear Praying Brothers and Sisters, February 2021
Urgent EVANGELIZATION Requests:
* February 13th-21st: The Ukrainian International Commission team of seven and
myself travel to Vollinsky Region along Ukraine’s borders with Belarus and
Poland. Pray the Lord will stir up and challenge his children in ~15 small
Churches. Pray especially for Holy Ghost conviction as we explain the Gospel of
Christ during in-home visits!
* Feb. 22nd- March 1st: I travel on to Chernovitsky Region to help four churches
make house to house visits. They’ve been praying fervently since the summer,
while being hindered by COVID outbreaks. Pray for God to work in lost hearts.
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January 8th-19th: When I travelled to Eastern
Ukraine, the Lord answered your prayers working on hearts along Ukraine’s front
lines 5-25 miles from the war torn city of Donetsk. Due to quarantine our
meetings in all eight towns were smaller groups from 15 to 40 people. The Lord
challenged over 150 saints to fervently serve one another and the lost through
personal testimonies as well as gospel tracts. It was also a great blessing to
preach to and answer five men’s questions at the rehabilitation center. Most
visits were not one on one, but instead varied in size from 3 to 15 people per
group. Each opportunity differed from six young soccer players to 12 young
children who come weekly for VBS followed by a bowl of soup. At the two adult
feeding centers, 10 and 15 people listened attentively as I illustrated what the
gospel can do for each of us. Even taught four small groups of English students
taking the final 20 minutes to explain the gospel in both English and Russian
using the EVANGECUBE to clearly demonstrate what “repenting and believing the
gospel” of Christ means through the captivating pictures of the Cube. Testified
at a birthday party where a half drunken coal miner came away with a new opinion
about true Christianity. The Lord blessed as two souls received Christ and over
85 lost souls heard the gospel. The greatest news a soul can ever hear!!!
Regional Men’s Conference: After I spoke, many pastors took our testimonial
gospel tracts and prayer brochures to get their members praying earnestly for
lost loved ones, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
The Lord has opened up doors to preach and challenge local churches about each
members’ part in fulfilling Christ’s great commission.
Odessa International Fellowship invited me to encourage their international
students in English. Pray for their growth and establishment as a church and for
their outreach to Hindi Indians and Muslims!
Lakeside Baptist Church is doing very well and boldly distributed all 8,000+
Evangelistic Calendars in 11 different villages by January 4th. Pray the lost
will read the daily devotions and believe on Christ for salvation.
• Held a Christmas VBS on January 7th (the Orthodox Christmas) for over 50 lost
children and many parents.
• Faithful Sister Riya passed into glory as her aged cancer-ridden body gave out
after her family contracted COVID.
• Over 65,000 calendar tracts and 85,000 testimonial tracts went out in January.
Back to the PRINTERS
• In Sherbanka where L.B. Church has passed out calendars for over 5 years. God
burdened a local to go back to his hometown and plant a Church. Pray for Brother
Victor, their Sunday School classes and services in Sherbanka!
Prayer Requests:
1) Feruza - from Uzbekistan is a Russian speaking Muslim in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Oksana and I have been explaining the plan of Salvation to her. I was able to
send her audio explanations over VIBER. We know she listened to them, because
she came back with questions! PLEASE pray God will reveal Christ to her, so she
will understand in whom she must believe!
2) Continue to pray for two unsaved visitors at Lakeside Baptist Church - Eugene
and Dennis.
3) Pray for David’s Salvation and for direction for Elisabeth’s future.
4) Praying about our upcoming furlough starting in June of 2021.
5) Upcoming Invitations to speak are in Harkov Kiev, Sumskoy region, and
Chernigovsky region.
*** In Ukraine: Praising the Lord for our whole family (in laws and all) got
through COVID without going to the hospital!
*** In the US: My 86 year old mother (with COPD) along with my sister and
brother also recovered quickly from the virus.
Gratefully yours for souls,
Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth & David Maher - Missionaries to Ukraine and the
Russian speaking multitudes
*** Send ALL CORRESPONDENCE to: Berean Baptist Church, 24241 Stateline Rd.,
Lawrenceburg, IN 47021
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Dear Churches and Praying Friends;
January 2021
"O continue thy lovingkindness unto them that know thee; and thy righteousness
to the upright in heart." (Psalms 36:10)
With joy in the Lord we greet this new year. Our hope is in Him and His word.
The future is as bright as the promises of God. The King of Saints is just and
true. He's still on the throne, so what could be wrong? Our prayer is that the
Lord would continue to reveal his lovingkindness to his children this year.
Last year was difficult for many of us here. Although we are a small country,
Bulgaria is reported to be tenth in the world with Covid deaths per million. In
November the local hospitals were overrun. Looking back, we can see the Lord's
mercy. Many of our people were sick, but most of them have recovered. I suffered
from the virus symptoms for a week or so; Verity remained weak for over a month.
Our local church and missionary friends proved their love for us during that
time by ministering to our needs. Other believers here have testified about how
much their church did for them. We know it was our father that put it in their
hearts to show such lovingkindness. After our recovery we have been able to
minister to others.
The restrictions here have prevented us from visiting the village churches. For
the first time in twenty-five years we have only had one church service per
week, and that was usually in our own house. The local pastors have been able to
meet with the village churches, though. Everywhere here people are longing for
the opportunity to meet together again. Christ loved the church. We love the
church. Our people here love the church. The Lord indeed is in our midst, even
when there's just two or three meeting together.
And in these difficult days we have seen some unbelievers who, finding
themselves in need of the mercy of God, have reached out to us. The national
pastors here have preached and testified on social media and received a great
response.
Praise the Lord who doeth all things well!
In Christ, Zachary LeFevre
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Dear Praying Friends and Family, November – December
2020
I hope this letter finds you all well in the Lord and overcoming the spirit of
this world by the Spirit of God. We want to thank each and every one of you for
your continued prayer and support in the work God has called us to do in
Ukraine. Words cannot express how thankful and humbled we feel after receiving
the cards, gifts, and extra love offerings for the holidays. We were able to
help some Ukrainian brothers and sisters in need and my kids send their cheerful
gratitude!
November: It was a busy month for us both personally and ministerially. It was
mainly used preparing for our departure to the US. By God’s grace, we maintained
our ministry and homeschool schedule while packing and setting things in order.
There was a lot of time needed to arrange for housing and a vehicle in the US as
well. We had to change strategies for our door- to-door, soul-winning campaign
due the government extending the quarantine into 2021. Instead, we had a month
of soul winning classes for those who had not yet been trained to lead someone
to Christ, as well as for those who wanted a refresher course. The resulting
testimonies of those who went everywhere witnessing were a blessing. The Lord
gave me an opportunity to witness to the mother of one of our members for about
three hours. We have been praying for her for several years. She did not receive
Christ at that time, but it is obvious that she is very close. It was also an
encouragement to see that those who were saved over the past several months have
been growing and attending church regularly. Our last Sunday in Ukraine was a
day filled with fellowship, tears, prayers, and farewells. We are comforted by
the Lord that the work is being overseen by my assistant, Aleksei Kalinin. The
church also recently voted on our next deacon, Brother Andrew Bondarchuk, after
our last one left to pastor another church. These men, along with Aleksei’s
brother, Victor, are doing a great job leading the work.
December: The month began with the long drive to Kiev to depart the airport
there instead of Odessa. We were praying and hoping that their more relaxed
passport agents would not give us a hard time over my son’s expired
registration. Thank you for praying. All went well. It was one of the most
boring flights we’ve ever had! No threats, detainment, or searches! Blessedly
boring! There were a lot less people on the plane which meant better service,
shorter lines, etc…
My driver’s license had been expired since January of 2020. We spent a lot of
time trying to get it renewed from Ukraine with no success because of the Covid
shutdown. I immediately went to the DMV upon arrival and waited for hours only
to be told that the day before was the last day that I could have renewed. I had
to start all over like a teenager. I breathed a sigh of relief after passing the
test for my temps, then another after taking the driving test. I wasn’t
confident that the driving skills I had acquired in Ukraine would help!
We are so thankful to finally get to see family again. We had a family
get-together during the holidays where I was able to preach and witness to
family members who have not yet believed on Christ for salvation.
Furlough and Future: There are several reasons why we decided to take a furlough
at this time. First, we have been praying specifically about this and the Lord
answered our prayers. Next, it has been over six years since our last furlough
and several pastors have been asking me to come and meet their congregations
again because of so many new members. Another reason was because it was the best
time to take a furlough before entering into the next phase of our ministry.
After years of preparation and prayer we will be finally working to establish a
church in the city of Odessa where we have lived and witnessed for years. We
have been patiently waiting on the Lord’s timing to make this move and we are
excited to begin. Once we put our hand to the plow, so to speak, we will need to
work without interruption for a good long time, or until the Lord comes! Last
but not least, we have children who have grown up and need some help
transitioning to American life.
Prayer Requests: The tasks at hand and ahead are too much for me to figure out
alone. We need God! We need prayer! Please pray for:
• The Lord’s continued blessing and protection on the work in Ukraine.
• Our family to get settled (housing, vehicles, driver’s licenses, insurance,
bank accounts, telephones, etc…)
• Our children’s continued education and employment.
• God’s blessings in preparing our ministry presentation.
• God’s direction in scheduling meetings with our supporting churches to give an
update on our ministry.
• God’s leading in scheduling meetings with new churches to replace support that
was lost over the last six years.
• God’s timing in returning to Ukraine.
We are looking forward to seeing you all and spending some time with the saints
and especially the pastors. I plan to begin scheduling meetings soon. If you
would like to contact me my US phone number is 513-376-1011.
Thank you for all that you do for the Lord, giving us the privilege to serve Him
in Ukraine. Until our next prayer letter or our meeting in the air!
That Ukraine May Know Him, Christopher Rue Phil. 3:10
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November - December 2020
Charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him,
and to make request before him for her people. Esther 4:8
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Saints,
We are writing to you with thanks in our hearts and trusting in the promises of
God who has faithfully met with us. Since March we have been limited in what we
could do concerning church services because of the Covid sickness. We have been
able to visit some of the brethren, who have been a real blessing. Especially
because of God's promise of..."where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there am I in the midst of them”. Matthew 18:20
In the book of Esther the name of God is not found. Yet in the same book is
God's protection and providence well observed and documented. I'm sure it was
difficult for Esther to go through these trials, but because of these dangers
namely Haman's hatred for her people, she was charged by God's servant Mordecai
to ..."go in unto the king"..."make supplication unto him and to make request
before him for her people..." Esther 4:8
In the midst of these troubling times where God is not mentioned nor considered,
may we be encouraged and strengthened by one another to go to the king (Jesus)
Hebrews 4:17, to make supplication unto him 1 Timothy 2:1 and to make request
before him for people. Philippians 4:6 As God turned the tables on Haman who
wanted to persecute and destroy God's people, God will fight for us that we may
have the victory in him. It is also encouraging to ponder the other words of
Mordecai who said to Esther "who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?” In other words, God had you in the place where you
could go unto the King, and through the King, obtain deliverance for God's
people. By the end of the story God's people were blessed with light, gladness,
joy and honor. They celebrated it with a feast and a good day. Esther 8:16-17
May we be encouraged in these perilous days, 2nd Timothy 3:1 by embracing the
promises of God and the knowledge that we are here, that we may be a light and a
witness of his saving power.
I'm also thankful to write that Malco (the man whose house burned down) was able
to move back into his house. He had been living with his family about an hour
away, and he was very happy to get back to his own home. He wanted me to thank
everyone that contributed to rebuilding his house, and wanted to praise God for
all he had done and for the love God showed him through his people.
I would also ask everyone to please pray for my brother Kevin, he is very ill
and would appreciate your prayers. Also, my daughter Sarah and my son-in-law
Tyler Lyon are expecting twins in the beginning of March. I know they covet your
prayers for their family. May God richly bless all of you. Thank you for your
prayers and help.
All because of Calvary,
Matthew Welch and family
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December 2020 news letter.
Dear Pastors, Churches and Friends,
As we reflect over the events of the past year, it made me think of the 44 years
of preaching and our ministry. I have never seen a year like this past year.
Covid took our economy down, shut our schools down and literally brought the
evangelization of the churches almost to a stand-still. These events have caused
all of us to reflect, to search our hearts, to pray and seek the Lord. Little
did I know in January of last year that I would not be returning to this country
for some time. Life is delicate and not to be taken for granted!
I was able to make a trip to a Hispanic speaking country in December as this
year was drawing to a close. Upon our arrival we were harassed and had to answer
many questions, then spent a long time waiting as they searched our suitcases.
It reminded me of old times! We were also tested for Covid before we went
through the immigration line. Man, were they persistent with that swab! I stood
there with tears from the aggravation of the test as I was interviewed!
We had to spend all week quarantined in the house with the nationals who picked
us up. However, it was a time for us to encourage one another, with time that we
have never had in our trips in the past. In a normal week, we are always on the
go, either in Bible Institutes or traveling and seeing the work. We were still
able to accomplish our first objective for making this trip. Thank the Lord we
have not lost any of our people to Covid there. We are planning another trip in
February, as we try to catch up for lost time.
It is sad, but one of our key preachers in Panama died from Covid. I preached
for him last year, and he took me out to eat after the Sunday service. Pray for
his family. He was in his 60’s.
Thanks to all the churches for your faithfulness to the cause of evangelizing
every creature before the Lord returns. We must not lose sight of reaching the
lost at any cost!
Joyfully Yours, Farren Caeble
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Dear Praying Brothers and Sisters, November-December 2020
November 8-12th I made a survey trip to Eastern Ukraine along our Ukrainian front lines 20-25 miles from the war torn city of Donetsk. I was blessed to be able to preach in six different towns. Five of the meetings were in small Churches started since the war began in 2014. Some of these towns were originally occupied, but the Ukrainian Army freed them from Occupation. All six of these Churches were started by a young man named Igor who came to work with us back in 1998. My partner Paul Gray and I and ordained Igor, and then I married him and his wife Faith in 1999. When they were just getting started in ministry, we helped them start a Church in a town two hours north of Lakeside Baptist which is still serving the Lord today with their own local Pastor. In 2006 they moved back to Mirnograd in the Donetsk Region to start a Church in their home town and Praise the Lord now it has grown to 6 small Churches. They also bought a house in a village and converted it into a Rehabilitation Center for rehabilitating up to 10 Alcoholics and/or Drug Addicts. Presently they have five addicts with whom I spoke one evening while I was there.
January 8-18th: Lord Willing! I will be returning to make Evangelistic visits with Igor in those six towns and will be making house to house visits in two new towns with another local preacher, Brother Michael. Please pray the Holy Ghost will convict souls of their need for Christ. We really do covet your prayers for the Holy Spirit to convict the lost souls who will be hearing the Gospel.
October’s Armenia trip was cancelled due to border disputes
which led to a war breaking out between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the end of
September. The war ended with Armenia losing control of some of its territory
and suffering some major losses. {Our Missionary friends Tom & Linda Shreeder
were able to return back to Armenia already!}
My November trip to Chernovitsky Region was postponed by three Churches
experiencing Coronavirus outbreaks.
Thanking God for His great mercy as He leads us through our present physical battle with what appears to be COVID. David and Elisabeth both had a slight temperature for only one day and sniffles for two or three days. Oksana and I both lost our smell and coughed for 10 days- now we are coughing only a few times a day and our smell has returned. Our real concern has been for Oksana’s parents Valeriy and Ludmilla who already have high blood pressure, heart problems and Ludmilla has diabetes. Please pray that they will beat this virus without needing to go to the overcrowded hospitals.
Since we moved from Kiev to Odessa, we’ve been able to encourage and help Lakeside Baptist Church. BUT I’ve been praying for some new open doors to work with both the local and the Odessa regional Churches. Praise the Lord! I will be preaching in a Church on December 20th and was invited to speak briefly on Soul-winning and using Gospel tracts at a regional Men’s Conference, December 12th and also at a Couples Conference Dec. 19th.
Please Pray the Lord will stir these Couples and these Pastors to get their members praying earnestly for lost loved ones, friends, neighbors and coworkers which is the thrust of our Prayer brochure and to start using Gospel tracts.
Throughout both December and January. Lakeside Baptist Church will be almost daily, while traveling to 15+ villages as they distribute the 8,500 Evangelistic Calendars. Pray for the Lord’s boldness as they go to each house and that people would receive the Calendars and believe the Word of God quoted in the daily devotions that they might believe on Christ and be saved.
PRINTING MINISTRY of Tracts and Calendars keeps growing:
70,000 4”x 5” Calendar Tracts on card stock, 120,000 Testimonial Tracts, 14,000
“Humbug” Chick tracts and 30,000 of our Evangelistic Door Hanger/Distribution
Bags. {Such a blessing to see more and more Burdened Ukrainians calling and
writing to request tracts to Evangelize with.}
Prayer Requests:
1) Feruza -is a Russian speaking Muslim in Cincinnati, Ohio. Oksana and I have
been explaining the plan of Salvation to her. Pray for her eyes to be opened to
receive Christ!
2) Continue to pray for two unsaved visitors at Lakeside B. Ch.- Eugene (wife
has prayed for him 10 years) & Dennis.
3) Pray for some of our aged saints at Lakeside Baptist Church who have
contracted COVID that they will recover fully.
4) Pray for David’s Salvation and for direction for Elisabeth’s future.
5) Praying about our Upcoming Furlough starting in July of 2020.
***PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE to:
Berean Baptist Church, 24241 Stateliness Road, Lawrenceburg, IN 47021
Gratefully yours for souls,
Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth and David Maher
Your Missionaries to Ukraine and the Russian Speaking Multitudes
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November 2020
Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God will never leave us or forsake us. This is a
biblical truth that most believers over their lifetime find to be true. Some
days get dark and the road long and wearisome, but we find God faithful through
it all. I think it is safe to say that most of us are feeling that the year 2020
has been one to test our faith and resolve. I can say without a doubt however
that God has truly been with us this entire year, He is faithful.
Things here in Bulgaria have been interesting to say the least. Covid-19 has
certainly influenced our lives and the ministry. In October we began to return
to a lot of our villages and the meetings were spirit filled and the people so
thankful for the church. However, the virus increased during this time and many
lives were affected by it. Our family was directly affected as all three of us
contracted the virus. This was a difficult time for us, as me and Kylie had mild
cases and recovered quickly, but Tracy developed Bilateral Pneumonia and ended
up in the Shumen Hospital for ten days. This was a trying time, but also a time
for Tracy to be able to be a blessing. By divine appointment, Tracy was put into
a room with a 74-year-old Turkish lady. Tracy enjoyed sharing tracts with her
and was able to give her one of our hymn books and a Turkish Bible. It was a
blessing to see the pictures of her reading the tracts and the hymns that our
believers sing in our meetings. Please pray for Reni as she recovers and pray
that God would touch her heart. At the writing of this letter Tracy has been
home for three days and is in quarantine for two weeks. She still has a trace of
Pneumonia and please pray for her as she continues to recuperate.
The work here has been greatly affected by the pandemic. We ask that you pray
specifically for God’s guidance and for him to give us wisdom on how to proceed
in the difficult days that we are experiencing. Our heart is to be in the
village and going to meetings daily. We however want to be wise and thoughtful
of the health of all involved. We have seen firsthand the seriousness of
Covid-19 not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of national pastors
and fellow missionaries. We are thankful that God has brought everyone through
these times, but it is exceedingly difficult to have a loved one in the hospital
and not able to see them. God gives grace and that is for sure during these
times, God is good.
We have a couple things that we need you to pray about. First, we have our
visa’s needing to be renewed in December. This virus has thrown us a curve as we
are behind in the process and cannot do much more toward this until after
Tracy’s quarantine is over on the 26th of November. Please pray that we can get
everything done in a timely manner. Also, pray that if we are late in getting it
done that they will show grace and not impose too strict a fine. God knows our
situation and we trust him to help us. Secondly, pray for God’s help as we look
to move from our apartment to a house here in Shumen. We will be moving into a
larger place that will make it possible for us to have room for visitors and
family to come over and visit. We also are beginning to prepare for Christmas
and the holidays. Last year we gave out around 200 gift bags in the villages
where we minister. We would like to do that again this year. At this time, we
don’t know if we will be able to do so or if we will be restricted due to the
virus. We also do not know how this will affect our yearly flour and oil
distribution later this winter. Please pray about these things.
I will close by saying, God has been good and certainly faithful. Please keep us
in your prayers and the people here as we pray for you there. With the
uncertainty of the elections and the virus we have a lot to pray about, but we
have a God who hears.
God bless you all. The Blalocks
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And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14
Dear Pastors, Churches and Fellow Saints, July-August 2020
Grace unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:2) Now is definitely a time when this world needs a clear witness. May God give us boldness to be witnesses of what God has done for us and to us: to preach the gospel and to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God; and that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It
has been very different for many months now because of all the restrictions from
this sickness. We have not been able to meet with the churches, but God has
still met with all of us. These measures have put a real longing and
appreciation for the freedom to come together. Hopefully this will pass soon.
We were able to put a roof on the home one of our believers, that burned down in February. Brother Malcho was so thankful. Many of the missionaries and national pastors came together to help, which was a real blessing to be together and to see God work.
We covet your prayers for the work here. We were surprised by this sickness and the measures that have been taken to slow it down. Thankfully we have not contracted the virus. Many of our dear friends have it, and our hearts and prayers are for the ones that have been affected by it. May God bring them through this and restore their strength.
Even though there are many restrictions we are thankful God is bringing us through this time. We believe that God has brought us here for "such a time as this" to be a witness for Him.
All because of Calvary, Matthew Welch and family
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October 2020
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called
in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians
3:15-16
Our praying friends and family in the Lord,
Colossians chapter three is one of those passages where, if you’re not careful,
you’ll extract the “dos and don’ts” and miss the “who and why.” How anyone can
overlook the resurrected and reigning Christ and His redemptive work is a
mystery, but there are those who manage. In chapter three we’re commanded, as
resurrected beings, to look and to long for heavenly things. Only those souls
who’ve passed from death unto life, by virtue of the second birth, are free to
rise unfettered, victorious over the world and its pull. The resurrection not
only frees us from things, but frees us to things as well. Being freed from the
service of external and internal sin, we’re at liberty to love and serve one
another. Looking to and loving the living Christ benefits the whole world,
beginning at home.
Tucked right in the middle of this passage are the means for mastering our mess
(if you like alliteration): the peace of God and the word of Christ. They are
contingent upon one another: Peace can’t rule where the word doesn’t dwell, and
the word only dwells in those who dwell in it. To put it another way, get your
head in the heavens and make the word your foundation, and you’ll find out that
come what may, it’ll be alright. You can face a frowning world with the smile of
God’s favor. One more thing on a tangential note - if 2020 hasn’t yet
incentivized you to get a hold of Heaven and find some comfort, just wait ‘til
2021.
What an introduction to a prayer letter! Hello from Bulgaria. It’s been quite a
while since I’ve sent out an update, though we try and post regularly on our
Facebook page “The LeFevres in Bulgaria.” We’ve been back just shy of two
months, returning on the sixteenth of August. Our return trip, though
uneventful, was nevertheless surreal. Having traveled extensively prior to the
global pandemic, we were taken aback by the “new normal”: a sea of highly
regulated masked faces, herded onto half-filled planes, providing minimal
service. The flights passed quickly, and we were in Bulgaria in record time.
Upon arrival, seeing as how America is listed as a hotbed for COVID activity, we
were given the option of quarantining or testing. We opted to take the test.
Thank the Lord all of us tested negative for the virus, though some of us tested
positive for meanness.
Bulgaria, like most everywhere else, has mandatory mask laws, social distancing
requirements, and crowd limitations. And like most everywhere else, the general
population doesn’t seem to bother: Masks are worn as chin straps; distance is
ignored as someone might cut in line, and very few places have ever been filled
to capacity. And yet, what is the one type of gathering that draws the most
scrutiny? Evangelical meetings. Bulgaria has had almost ninety straight days of
mass protests against government corruption. Yet who makes the news for
perpetuating the spread of corona? A church in Plovdiv. As such, the meetings
have been kept very low key. The national pastors continue to minister
circumspectly, endeavoring to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” The
weekly American meeting has resumed, as well.
In spite of COVID, or perhaps because of it, people seem hungrier for heavenly
things. Those souls that brave meeting, leave with full and grateful hearts,
appreciating more what they missed. Pastor Alish testified about a particular
village church he’d almost given up on a year ago. He said that when they saw
him, they asked if he was coming for church. He said, “If you all want church,
I’ll come back next week.” They responded, “What’s wrong with right now?” In no
time, a small crowd gathered, and they had a real meeting. In the village here,
Hannah and her mother went to sing for a widow woman and her daughter. The man
of the house lived and died an atheist, but his loved ones are seeking for
something more. Brother Mitko said that everywhere the virus has taken its toll,
not on people’s health so much, but on their finances and livelihood, and has
them looking for something not subject to change. Praise the Lord we have the
answer in our unchanging God and His eternal word
All the family fares well, and everyone sends you their greetings. All of our
existing visas are secure, so no worries there. We’re working on getting Derrick
his visa. Remember us in your prayers. Remember the ministry.
Love y’all
Because of a living Savior, The William LeFevre Family
www.facebook.com/bulgarianlefevres
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Dear Pastors,
Friends, and Churches, June - August, 2020
Who would have dreamed that the COVID-19 virus would have lasted this long? We
have had several of our national pastors and fellow laborers to contract the
virus. It is with sadness that I inform you that one of our pastors in Panama
died from complications caused by the virus. I preached for him last year in his
church and he took me out to eat afterward. Pray for his family and also for the
church family. Even on the Amazon, a pastor and his family fell ill to the
virus. In Bolivia, a pastors’ associate and his wife got sick due to COVID-19!
We know all this was prophesied in the Bible. In Matthew 24:7, Jesus said in the
last days, “nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places”. The
1828 dictionary describes “pestilences” as follows: any contagious or infectious
disease that is epidemic and mortal. That is a thorough description of COVID-19!
Due to current travel restrictions I have included several older Hispanic church
meeting pictures we’ve attended while on the field. The airports were supposed
to open up in the beginning of August, but that did not happen. However, we were
able to get some support to them in the spring to help out until we can travel
again. We will make a couple of quick trips to get their support to them as soon
as the airports reopen.
In August we returned from our annual conferences in West Virginia. Obviously,
we were not able to bring in men from international countries to these meetings.
Brother Ron Cole, Brother Humberto Gomez and myself preached and showed videos
to cover the conferences. We also closed out our conference in Hickory, NC. We
had great services in all these meetings. However, several churches had to
cancel their services, but the videos were made available online. What a weird
year that we all have experienced! I am glad the Lord knows all about this and
it did not take Him by surprise. He knows where we are!
Joyfully Yours, Farren Caeble 1 Sam. 12:24
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Greetings in the Precious Name of Jesus Christ, July 2020
From February 29- March 8th in the Chernovitsky Region:
The International Commission Romanian team of eight
Romanians and myself made in-home visits in Romanian speaking villages located
along the Ukrainian/Romanian border.
I had the opportunity to present the gospel to over 100 Russian speaking lost
souls in small group settings during the week. Praise the Lord, I saw two
receive Christ during the visits! We finished up the week with a Sunday
afternoon evangelization. Over 130 lost people came out to hear the Gospel and
a 20-year-old lady came forward and prayed. It was a great week and you could
see the Holy Ghost convicting souls in answer to your prayers. When I preached
and challenged the church in the Sunday AM service, God stirred them, and every
member took a packet of tracts and a special praying brochure to begin praying
earnestly for their lost loved ones, friends, neighbors and coworkers. As soon
as our Evangelization ended, the region was put under quarantine, due to the
first case of COVID-19. A month later, the Pastor I worked with came down with
COVID-19 and fought it through with two weeks of high temperatures. In
March: Just before the National quarantine, the Lord opened up a great
opportunity to testify at the European conference of Russian speaking
churches of Europe which was held near Hannover, Germany. It is amazing how
many new Russian speaking churches are being planted all over Europe as
Ukrainians and other Russian speakers travel to almost every country in Europe
to seek higher paying jobs or to immigrate altogether. Since the quarantine:
Sadly to say the COVID-19 quarantine closed everything here and cancelled three
Evangelism seminars and all of our I.C. Crusades for Ukraine and even Belarus.
In April, we moved from Kiev to Odessa, Ukraine to work more closely with
Lakeside Baptist Church again.
Ordination Service on June 28: Brother Slavick Yatskiv was Ordained as the full-time Pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church.
We also Ordained Brother Nick Veselkov as Pastor of the Church which he planted in the town of “October”. Lakeside Baptist sent him out as a Missionary/Church planter in 2004. (Attempting to remove all former Soviet names, the Government recently renamed his town from “October” to the town of “Peter’s faith”.)
As I was praying about what the Lord would have us do next during this trying COVID-19 time:
1) Pastor Andrew (just outside of Kiev) invited me to teach his church about Soul-winning and using Gospel tracts.
2) A fellow Evangelist from Chernovitsky region invited me for an Evangelistic Project to be held in November.
3) A Pastor from Southern Moldova called to encourage me about some new fruit that finally came to fruition from an I.C. Crusade we held back in 2018. A husband (who was then backslidden and now finally got right with the Lord) and his wife (who this year finally came to faith in Christ) are both getting baptized in the end of August.
4) October 1-13th ARMENIA bound - That is Lord willing and the virus doesn’t close the door. The International Commission is planning a crusade of house to house visits in Yerevan, Armenia. Please pray the Lord will prepare hearts for this trip and use us, not only to witness to the lost, but to disciple and challenge the Christians too!!!
5) Feruza - a U.S. Muslim (from a -Stan Country) who Oksana befriended back in Cincinnati, Ohio is in great need of prayer. She seems to be finally ready to receive bible verses - Pray the Lord will work in her heart.
6) Please pray for two unsaved visitors at Lakeside B.C.- Eugene (whose wife has prayed for him for over 10 years) and Dennis.
Thank you all so much for your faithfulness in both Praying and Supporting us in this very, very unusual time.
Gratefully yours for souls, Richard, Oksana, Elisabeth and David Maher.
Your Missionaries to Ukraine and the Russian speaking Multitudes.
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“…and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? “(Esther 4:14)
After the wicked Haman conspired to destroy God’s people Mordecai made this proclamation to Queen Esther knowing that her life would be at risk to deliver God’s people. We certainly are living in a time for our Country that is perilous and more worrisome than we have ever known. Yet for the Christian our hearts desire should be to be a light in the darkest of times, we have hope, we have a future no matter what comes our way here. God has been so good to us and we have so much to look forward to, for this I praise his name!
Since my last letter, we were able to spend some time in the states due to Covid-19. We really enjoyed the time with family and with our church. Usually when we are in the states, we are terribly busy on the road but due to the restrictions we spent more time with our children and grandchildren. We thank God for this blessing of extra time with family that was unexpected. We were able to return to Bulgaria on June 9th and we thank God for safe travels and only a few delays on the way.
We returned to Bulgaria with the country still holding to a lot of restrictions. These have hindered us from keeping our normal schedule in the villages. We are thankful to know that while we are not able to go as normal that the faithful are still gathering until we are able to go as usual. We also have been able to have our English church service each week at the home of fellow missionaries. We have seen God move greatly in these services including the salvation of one of our fellow missionaries’ youngest son. We also are grateful for each opportunity he gives us to reach one person at a time as we have handed out many tracts on our evening walks here in Shumen. We also ask you to pray as we cultivate relationships that God has allowed us to begin with individuals here and that we would lead them to a relationship with our Savior. Each month we wait to see if the restrictions will be lifted. I pray that as you read this letter that these will have been lifted.
We did have an opportunity to help Brother Matt Welch with a building project. One of our faithful believers this past winter was burned out of his home. Brother Malcho who is in his 80’s greatly desires to get back in his home. Brother Welch made it possible to put a new roof on his house and only needed a little help. We are thankful to be able to help this dear brother and thankful for Brother Welch’s expertise in building projects. It was fun to help.
Our family is doing well, and we are so grateful to be back where God has called us. We have just a few things we ask you to pray about. We ask that you pray about Kylie’s Visa situation. Due to travel restrictions for Americans into Romania we are not able to go to the Bulgarian Consulate in Bucharest to continue with her Visa. Please pray about this need. We also ask that you pray about the restrictions to be lifted on the meetings here and that we will be able to reach our churches as we normally would. We also ask that you remember our youngest son Riley as he will be getting married in September, please pray that God would really bless Riley and Christin.
In closing, I want to say thank you all for your faithfulness. I know that these are difficult and trying times for churches and I thank God for every church and person who have been faithful to give to missions.
May God bless you all. The Blalocks,
www.blalockstobulgaria.com - blalockstobulgaria@gmail.com
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Dear Brethren, August 2020
Though we are living in uncertain, precarious days we are held fast by the hands of Almighty God and His omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, and faithfulness have not, and will not be, diminished. Though what we see and hear around us all day everyday are held in suspect, the truth of God changes not. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He is still our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. And there is still only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ His Son. Bless His Name!
God is still saving lost souls! Our son-in-law, Chris Jackson, trusted Christ as his personal Savior two weeks ago and we continue to rejoice. He’s a good young man, an honest, hard worker... but until recently he didn’t know he had such a deep need for Christ. He asked a lot of questions and listened intently to the preaching, pondering his need for weeks. That Sunday, he couldn’t hold back any longer and found himself drawn to the altar. When he video called us, his face shone brightly with a joy we know only comes from Christ. We shouted and cried for joy ourselves. Our son, who was lost, is now found in Christ!
Pastor Ismail and his wife Naziye are faring well, given the circumstances of the day. They had problems with the city septic backing up on their property, but we asked for help from American churches and the need was quickly met. They can once again use their washing machine, wash dishes in the outside sink, use the outhouse... all things we take for granted. Her health is never the best, so please continue to pray for her. She is concerned her yearly bronchitis and breathing issues will put her at risk, either for contracting the virus, or for everyone thinking she has it when she doesn’t. Their younger son in Belgium is battling cancer and this weighs heavily on her heart. Please pray for him as well.
Back in January we made plans to go to America in September for our oldest son’s wedding. As has happened to many, our plans were changed. Jonathan will still be getting married, but we will only be able to attend via video chat, and we’re thankful that is an option! We requested our airfare ticket refund a couple months ago, but the major operators are simply not giving them at this time. Our chosen airline has over two billion dollars’ worth of refunds held in limbo... with our three tickets being a part of that. So, we wait, hoping we don’t take a loss.
We apologize for the lateness of correspondence. Everything has been so up in the air and unsettled. The ministry here continues, though we work in different ways than before. We appreciate all the faithful prayers and support on our behalf. In the future we hope to move from a paper prayer letter to an emailed one, as this seems more certain in this day than postal systems. To be added to our e-mailing list, please write us at larcarleach@gmail.com.
Because He First Loved Me, Brother Larry Leach, Jr.
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“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
CHARITY CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES - NORTH INDIA est. 1979
Dear Pastor, Church family and Friends, August 2020
Greetings to you all in Jesus Precious name. So much has changed since we last wrote to you before COVID-19. The whole world came to a stop, and was shut down, and is still shut down in many countries. Can you imagine 1.3 billion people all shut in their homes in India? With so many people, how can social distancing be maintained? BUT in all this Jesus never changed, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever”. Hebrews 13:8 He knows exactly why, what and when to the questions we have.
God proves Himself to us again and again showing that He is in control. I say this because all the children in the Centers are doing well, none of them have contacted the virus. God is so good, and kind and caring to all these poor and needy children. It was in the month of March when the senior class children were having their final examinations that the schools closed indefinitely. The kids who were to appear for the board exam were given online classes. This posed some challenges, because the kids did not have phones or IPads to attend the online classes. One child who is in the 9th grade is so poor his parents were and unable to provide even a phone for him. So, we arranged to get him a small tablet (7”x 5”). He was so happy that he could attend his classes online. The Kids who had their 12th & 10th board examination did very well and all passed in first division.
In spite of the difficulties and challenges the kids faced due to COVID-19, they still did very well. We talk to many of them over the phone or Skype on a daily basis. We usually connect our conversation to the word of God and teach them the related scripture verses. There are so many stories about these children, both good and sad, which we could share with you if time and space were available. We know you pray for them and continuously support them with your finances. On behalf of all the children we thank you and appreciate each one of you including the kids from the VBS. In everything we give God the Glory for it is He who is in control of this North India Ministry.
May God abundantly bless each one of you.
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