Dear Church Family
It’s with great gratitude that we can report that funds are coming in to do a follow up VBS in the new village of Annanaso. The chieftain has also agreed to physically help in building the missionaries a small house to live in. I purchased a small toilet bowl for them to take so that they can build a small outhouse as well
This follow up will take place Dec 9-16 and we are soliciting your prayers. Michelle and the team will once more trek their way to this isolated village in hope of seeing lives changed
I will again stay back this time and manage the post and the boys while Rehena will stay back and manage the girls. Rehena is disappointed that she will be left behind this time. She needs your prayers desperately as her daughters are getting older and one of them is rebellious and it is preventing her from being placed in the field. Thank you for the prayers for her and her daughter Rena
More good news: While passing through one of the villages a person told our Bible workers that the three kids entrusted to us will not be taken by the rebels. They said their intelligence felt they were in good hands with us. This is overwhelmingly good news especially since our theology is so different from theirs. We are asking the Lord for more funds though as three teenage youth are not easy to feed, clothes and educate. More prayer
More good news: The transmitter for the radio has been given a tracking number and appears to be on the way. The scheduled delivery date to arrive in Manila is Dec 12. We had our meeting with the president of the radio affiliation and it was agreed we would come in under their franchise to secure our legal NTC license to broadcast and if things go right in the future our license could extend beyond the present 1000 watts to an unlimited wattage. This is good news. The cost of the franchise is $3000 not counting travel expenses etc the engineer will ask another $700 to teach me and Jay Jay the automation program that we have settled on and he will fine tune the antenna to the transmitter when it arrives as well as make sure we get up and running. As of today I know for a fact we have $1000 towards these needed amounts which are due in two parts. The first half is due within 2 weeks with the remainder due in 5-6 weeks
I think we have most the rest the pieces needed but knowing how this works I’m sure there will be a few things that will surface as we put it all together for final assembly.
More good news: We talked yesterday with the Dept of Lands and the title for the land is almost finished. It may be here in less than two weeks, so we are praying around the clock for the Lord to send us a buyer for our front lot which contains all the buildings. Property values have risen in our area and we are praying for enough to rebuild the mission post more structurally solid, further away from the road and the tourism that is worsening here. The noise is so bad on sabbath that we are no longer able to worship in the chapel. We have moved our worship to the school for now
Ideally we are praying earnestly for approximately $42,000 which includes enough to buy the Mountain behind us, to run the needed electric lines there, build a road and rebuild the radio tower on that mountain before we sell, so that we will not only have the best radio coverage available but also so that we can safely sell the existing buildings and lot without fear of the new owner not giving us a proper “right of way” and access to the existing radio tower until we rebuild. These are serious concerns in an area such as ours where even the government will not aid us in road rights in fear of upsetting the security of the area we live in ( presently professional squatters have us blocked out of our rear property.)
If you or someone you know has an extra $42,000 that they would like to invest in the future of this mission, please contact us at; cordes@gobedomissions.org
Prayer request
After looking over our financial reports it’s come to my attention that over the past 11 months our Bible worker program has been supported by basically 3 donors only and only one donation has come in at all in the past couple months for bible workers. This does not include unspecified general funds. The question we are asking the Lord is this...
- Is the Lord asking us to shut down the Bible worker program
- Is there something wrong in one or more of us Bible workers including me
- Has our shift to radio caused this with such a small donor base
Regardless of what is happening we will continue to work and pray until their are no more funds available and by God’s help even then He will find a way to sustain us to service these churches and needs of the people deserving of help
We are not asking anyone to give without full conviction as that might go contrary to the Fathers plan. We are just asking you to lift this matter up in prayer with us.
There are many needs in the mission that we sometimes fail to report, not from neglect but because maybe we have failed in helping supporters know where all the funds may go. There are medical needs of worthy individuals and or families, usually with hepatitis and tuberculosis which not only requires housing but also medication and instruction on proper diet and hygiene, not to mention much prayer.
There are electric bills,constant fence and gate repairs, fuel, motorcycle/vehicle payments and or maintenance, insurance, travel, legal documents and help for tribal converts, detoxification of addicts, repairs on tools, care for “ Babe” the ox, etc etc. the funds needed are often overwhelming and as we watch churches and houses deteriorate from the climate and other needs go undone it can become very depressing.
We don’t even have answers for all this however we are praying more often than ever before. Running a full time ministry requires much funding and many of you have responded and we are so very grateful for all you have done. We are walking as we always have one day at a time in Faith and without you none of this could continue. Thank you all!
This past year in the States to meet our visa requirements we came across a startling revelation. Over 10 years ago when we started here, the tithe slips used to have a place in the middle of the card for missions. Then a few years ago it was moved to the bottom but this year we noticed that almost exclusively there was no longer a specified place for missions. Is the 13th sabbath the only outreach we have as a global church now? I’m very confused and disturbed...
I always was brought to believe that the SDA church was a missionary movement with a vision to get the good news out as fast as we could so there would be less eternal casualties than need be. What has happened? Have we been away so long that we have missed something? Please help us to understand
Another note:
We have a wedding coming up Dec 23. Our teacher and one of our longest working Bible workers who is half tribal are getting married. We wish them both the best and we are happy to have them as team members
Well that’s about all we have time for today but before we leave we would like to leave you with these thoughts of encouragement. GoBeDo!
The heart of Christ is constantly drawn out in sympathy towards fallen man. While upon earth, his only mission was to save sinners; although He had a deep abhorrence of sin, He manifested the tenderest compassion towards the sinner. When the repenting sinner, conscious of guilt and unworthiness, comes to Christ, realising that he is deserving of punishment, but relying on the love and mercy of Christ, the pardoning love of God will be revealed to him, and joyful gratitude will spring up in his heart for the infinite compassion and love of his Saviour. The provision made for him in the counsels of heaven before the foundation of the world, that Christ should take upon Him the penalty of his transgression, and impute to him his righteousness, will overwhelm him with amazement, and call forth from his lips songs of gratitude and adoration. Messenger April 12, 1893, par.4
Thank you!...
Love
Mike & Michelle & team
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