NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2004

Celebrating Christmas for the missionary on the foreign field can many times be much different than here in the homeland. The customs and culture of the particular field may be different and in many cases the weather is certainly not “Christmas” like. I remember our first Christmas in Colombia. It was right in the middle of the dry season, which is “summer” in Eastern Colombia. There are no evergreen trees in eastern Colombia and our Christmas tree that year was a piece of plywood on which we placed the Christmas cards that we had received from family and friends in the U. S. We had given a bag of candy and a small toy to each of the children in the mission, which for many of them was the first Christmas gift they had ever received. On Christmas morning our boys opened their gifts and then we went on a picnic and roasted hot dogs over a campfire. That was certainly the most unusual Christmas meal we had ever experienced.

The Christmas season on the mission field offers many opportunities to present the Gospel. Special programs and services will attract people who might not otherwise be willing to attend a service. In one Christmas program in Mexico, our people put on a drama in which a man was passing a church on Christmas Eve and heard the music. Attracted, he went inside and heard the Gospel and was gloriously saved. That program gave us the perfect opportunity to preach to a group of visitors who had not been to a service prior to that night. Around the world our missionaries use this time of the year to organize and present the message of salvation through the special programs and services that they have. Children love to participate in the programs and parents love to see their children perform, so many will come to church for that reason and will hear the Gospel, some for the very first time in their lives.

Pray for your missionaries during this time of the year. Most missionaries do not have time to be homesick, but there is something about the holiday season that makes us all want to be with our families and loved ones. Perhaps you might be a special blessing to a missionary family by giving them a call on Christmas. If you need the phone number of one of our missionaries, you may obtain it by calling the Mission Office at 817-274-7161.

Byrom & Carolyn Martin and their children will be returning at the end of this month to their work with the Mayo Indians of Old Mexico. They are excited about how the Lord has blessed the work during their furlough and are looking forward to many blessings during their next term.

Please continue to pray for our missionaries who have health problems: Miss Bessie Millican remains in very serious condition at home in Mexico. She must be cared for around the clock. Miss Gayle Sparks and two Mexican ladies are taking care of Miss Bessie. Pray that she will be pain free and comfortable as she waits on the Lord’s will to be accomplished. Jack Weaver continues his battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He has lost most of the use of his thumbs now and it is more difficult for him to feed himself or to use the computer. He remains in good spirits and is able to attend church services regularly. Monnie Bacon and Cindee Richards continue their recovery from surgery and both are improving. Debi Harris, Mary Gagnon, Phil Gagnon, Gloria Higgins, Joe Hawkins, Elaine Hawkins, Cecil Henderson, Sandy Janky, Sarah Winters, Lanny Wood all continue their daily battles with illness, and all continue their faithful service to the Lord. Pray for all of these that the Lord will grant healing and grace.

We appreciate your faithfulness to our missionaries in prayer and financial support. Especially do we appreciate the special Christmas gifts that many have sent for our missionaries. This is such a blessing to them. Thank you, also, for your support of the General Fund and your prayers for us who work here in the Mission Office.

Tommy Raley