December 2010 Prayer Letter

Our praying friends and family in the Lord, 

 

 

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…" Isaiah 9:6

 

Rejoicing.  This verse is precious to all of God's children, especially during this time of year.  Though the world seeks to deny our Lord, or, on those occasions when they cannot, at least twist the meaning to their own purposes, I am glad we can still rejoice in the truth.  We do not have to succumb, or partake in their diminishing of our Saviour.  We can still hold forth the word of life, and glory in the 'reason for the season'.  I am thankful that over 2000 years ago, just as the scripture records, in the city of David, a Saviour was born.  I am also thankful that our faith doesn't end with the birth of Jesus Christ (like some would wish): for our God was not only "manifest in the flesh", but also, "justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory"; and because He was "manifested to take away our sins", we can live through Him.

 

This verse is a particular blessing to my wife and I.  We rejoice first and foremost in the birth of God's Son, but the same God that saw His Son safely into the world, saw ours delivered safely as well.  Christian Asher LeFevre, 7 lbs. 10 oz., 21 in. , was born December 20^th at 11:15AM at the Cookeville Regional Medical Center, Cookeville, TN.  The Lord answered so many of yours and our prayers regarding the birth of Christian, that we lack the space to recount them here.  Needless to say, Hannah's entire birth experience was as easy as natural birth can be, marveling the doctor and nurses.

 

Preparing.  So, Lord willing, now begins the final leg of deputation.  We are already applying for Christian's passport, and have been in contact with our Bulgarian attorney regarding our visas.  We have been busy packing our belongings into boxes for shipping, and hope to have them out soon.  Please remember us especially in the next few weeks and months, as they will prove to be the most demanding.

 

Believing.  Thank you all so very much for your faithful prayers for our family.  They have meant, and continue to mean the world to us, as they have secured our needs time and again.  And so I am confident that, through your prayers, the Lord will continue to supply all the way to the field, and beyond.  Please remember Hannah and Christian in your prayers, that they will both remain healthy, as Hannah continues to recover, and the baby continues to grow.  Also, remember us as we travel to a few more meetings before our departure.  The Lord knows the remainder of our needs, and will provide.  He sure is good like that!

 

 

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13

 

 

May the Lord bless you all.  You are in our prayers.  Happy New Year!

 

 

Because of a living Saviour,

 

 

The William LeFevre Family

November Prayer letter

Our praying friends and family in the Lord, 

 

 

This is the season of Thanksgiving, and as children of God, we have much to be thankful for.  We are thankful for our homes, our families, the country we live in, and our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  We are thankful as well, for all the Lord's material provisions he blesses us with daily.  First and foremost, however, we are thankful that Jesus Christ has "made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light". Colossians 1:12  What a priviledge to know that our names are written in Heaven; that simple faith in the word forever "settled in heaven", settled our soul's destination, and set us among princes!  "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Hebrews 13:15

 

Preaching.  Recently I returned from a three week preaching trip.  The Lord opened the doors for me to present the work at Truth Baptist, in West Salem, OH; to preach a revival for one of our supporting churches, Faith Baptist Temple of North Ridgeville, OH; and to present the work and preach at Beacon Baptist in Lorain, OH.  Besides making new friends and fellowshipping with old ones, it was good to 'break the bread of life' and feast on God's word.  One night of the revival I preached about Joseph.  I recalled how the newly exalted Joseph had been set over the storehouses, to meet, not only the needs of the world, but especially the needs of his brethren.  How good it is to know, that our 'Heavenly Joseph' has opened the storehouses to us, and stands ready to meet our needs! 

 

Believing.  It is good to rest secure in the knowledge that our God is able, and that there is nothing too hard for him.  It is another matter entirely to know that the God 'who is able', will; therein is comfort.  As a matter of personal confession, so many times I pray, recongnizing God's ability, but walk away empty-handed and disheartened, never having believed he would.  So it is with many of us, praying over our own needs; but that's the blessing and the necessity of the church; that though we struggle for oursleves, we're strong for others, and others for us.  And so I thank God for you all, for not only praying for our needs, but that your faith has secured those needs.  Please continue to pray for more open doors and opportunities to present the work.  Please continue helping us believe for what we lack.  I know the Lord will provide, and so I offer my thanks to God in advance for meeting all our needs.

 

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  1 Corinthians 15:57

 

 

 

May the Lord bless you all.  You are in our prayers.

 

 

Because of a living Saviour,

 

 

The William LeFevre Family

 

 

PS – Please remember Hannah in your prayers.  It is less than a month now until her due date.

September Prayer Letter

September 2010

My brethren, fellowcitizens, soldiers, and labourers in the Lord,

I trust this letter finds you all rejoicing in the Lord, and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. We have been on the road now for several weeks, and marvel at God's care demonstrated though his people. He has met our needs every step of the way, and secured more praying friends for us and the ministry.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." Psalm 130:5, 6

Waiting. For those of you who don't know yet, we are waiting on the arrival of our second son. Christian Asher LeFevre is due December 16^th. Please keep our family in your prayers, Hannah and the baby especially. Very soon Hannah will have to come off the road, resting until the baby's birth. Also, keep us in your prayers, as we have now applied for our Bulgarian visas. We have been informed that the entire process will take close to six months. This starts the countdown clock for our departure. Please pray for us, and help us believe for the support we lack, and for the finances required for a vehicle once we arrive in country.

"Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified." Psalm 140:16

Rejoicing. We have received word from our missionaries in country, that this last month saw one hundred new believers baptized. What a blessing to hear of former Muslims publicly and unashamedly professing their faith in Christ! Continue to pray for the work overseas, our believers, both new and old, and our missionary families laboring to convert the unsaved, and strengthen the converted.

"...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly…" James 5:16, 17

Praying. We would like to thank each and everyone of you for praying for us. Your prayers of faith, asking God on our behalf, and believing for the answers, have brought us this far. We earnestly beseech you to keep on praying and believing God for us. We are conscious that all that has been gained thus far, has been granted by prayer. And we are doubly conscious of all the prayer we will need as we begin this transition. The Lord knows what we need, and what we will need as our departure draws close. "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Matthew 18:19

May the Lord bless you all. You are in our prayers.

Because of a living Saviour,

The William LeFevre Family

July 2010

My brethren, fellowcitizens, soldiers, and labourers in the Lord,  

One of the many blessings of being a missionary on deputation, are the people God brings across your path to help you.  I'm thankful for every individual that supports us financially, but then the Lord allows some into your life to help you in other ways.  I am not the most internet or technologically savvy person there is, and in an increasingly internet and computer driven society that can be a detriment.  But for my lack, God makes up with his supply.  A few months back we were presenting the work at Westphal Avenue Baptist Church, in Whitehall, OH, just outside of Columbus.  Pastor Toby Cambron had visited my brother Zachary the previous October, and returned with a real burden for the work among the Turks.  Not only did he invite us to share our call to the field, but helped facilitate more meetings in the area.  In addition to helping us with meetings, Bro. Cambron introduced us to Eric Baldwin, one of his members with experience in web design.  Over the course of a meal on Monday night, Bro. Baldwin took our ideas, and utilizing his knowledge, launched www.lefevrestoeurope.org  Lord willing, and with Eric's assistance, over the next several months we hope to utilize the sites full potential for spreading the word about the Lord's work, both in our lives, and among the Gypsy Turks of Eastern Europe.  I couldn't have done this by myself.  Thank you Bro. Eric, for all your help.  And Bro. Toby, thank you, for your burden, not just for the lost, but for missionaries as well.  These are just two examples of God's care demonstrated through his people.  I feel like Paul, writing in Hebrews 11, where he said, "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of…" Tim & Sara Braddock, of Bro. Doug Powell, of Bro. David and Miss Sandra Carpenter, and his parents, Bro. Ray & Miss Brooks; of all the saints at Brookside in Bristol, and Temple Baptist in McMinnville, and the list could go on and on.  I know, according to Psalm 145:9 "The LORD is good to all", but it sure seems like he favors me best.

Keeping with the technology theme, I am apparently so far behind the times that I am still sending the bulk of my prayer letters out via 'snail mail'.  If you would rather receive the LeFevre family prayer letters via email, please drop me a line at wdlefevre09@gmail.com   Anyone else interested in receiving our prayer letters and updates via email, drop me a line at the same address as well.

Keep us in your prayers, helping us believe God about a departure date.  The Lord knows all that we need prior to heading over.  At present we are praying and planning on a departure date of early 2011, but whatever the Lord wills, whether sooner or later, we will follow him.  More than anything, continue to pray that God rests his hand upon us, and keeps it there, that we might bring him glory, and be a blessing.  We love you all.  God bless you.

"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."  Matthew 18:19

Because of a living Saviour,

 

The William LeFevre Family

May 2010

Missionaries to Eastern Europe

My brethren, fellowcitizens, soldiers, and labourers in the Lord,

This last month has been busy. We have been on the road quite a bit, and we are thankful for every opportunity given us to present the Lord’s work among the Turks. We are also thankful for every church that has taken us on for support. By the time this letter reaches you, we will have been in OH, WV, TN, and NC, telling churches what God is doing overseas, and the part He has provided for us in it.

Not long after starting deputation, the Lord helped me realize the value of our supporters. After surrendering to go to the mission field, I began to pray zealously, fervently, that God would quickly raise our necessary monthly support, which he did. Graciously, the Lord moved upon people’s hearts to support us, and within 6 months, close to half our support was raised. But I soon discovered, that financial support alone does not keep a missionary on the road or on the field. God has ordained people to send, to pray, to love, not just to give. My prayer request changed. I began to ask the Lord to give us people who love us, and uphold us in prayer, whether or not they ever contribute monetarily. And again, the Lord’s answered exceeded my request: not only did he add to us more financial support, but he provided us some of the best supporters this side of the heavenly cloud of witnesses. We now have a band of folks who are just as interested in the work overseas as we are, and even more interested in getting us there. God sure is good.

The last few weeks we have had the privilege of hosting my sister-in-law, Rebecca Welch, prior to her going off to college. She arrived in country at the end of April, and has accompanied us in our travels. She’s been a tremendous blessing, not just in her actions, helping out in whatever capacity was presented her; but in spirit as well. She has a love for her Savior that rules her heart and demeanor, and in turn blesses those around her. She will be sorely missed as she heads down to school. Please, please, keep her in your prayers, that God would keep her, and keep his hand upon her. I know her parents covet your prayers as well.

“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 18:19

Because of a living Saviour,

The William LeFevre Family