"These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:" 1 Timothy 3:14
Our praying friends and family in the Lord,
In the village of Shkorpilovtsi, the church continues to thrive. The lady of the house, Nazife, who long ago opened her heart and home to the Lord, has recently returned from Austria. She didn't want to go initially, but her children, who have lived there for years, begged her. In addition to the family reunion, she'd be able to get better health care, having suffered long from the residual effects of chemotherapy. She went, determined to make the best of it. She took with her as many New Testaments and hymnbooks as she could carry in her luggage. While there, she would often call back during our services to hear us singing hymns and would join with us over the phone. After passing the winter idly, she made up her mind to return home. Her family tried to dissuade her, but she was set on returning. The first church service after her return, she cried and hugged everyone. She said, "I got back to my house on Tuesday, but today I'm home." That first meeting, after many tears and testimonies, Nazife asked prayer for her daughter. They had found tumors on her vocal chords, and the doctors had said there was a good possibility, in removing them, that she'd never speak again. That evening we had special prayer for her. The whole week, however, her burdened mother prayed without ceasing. She knew the surgery was scheduled for sometime that week, but had no idea when precisely. Friday morning she received a phone call. She was ecstatic to hear her daughter speaking clearly, praising God for bringing her safely through. This week her family from Austria is visiting. Our dear sister is planning a thanksgiving supper, inviting everyone who will come to rejoice with her in God's deliverance.
In Novi Pazar, through a series of unfortunate events, one of our elderly church members' daughter was arrested. She was held in the local jail until arrangements could be made to transport her to prison. Her mother was devastated at the news. She came to church in such a state that her unbearable burden moved every heart. From every corner she heard that her daughter was beyond help and would likely suffer horribly in prison. But prayer was made by the church, and our hurting hearts moved our heavenly Father. The local authorities transported the young lady to the prison in Ruse, and there left her to be admitted. Soon the prison called back to the local police asking for the woman's paperwork. The police said they had no paperwork, that they had given it all to the prison. The prison said no one had given them anything. After a heated back and forth, the prison said they wouldn't admit her without paperwork. The local police said they couldn't take her back to jail without paperwork. They decided the best course of action was to take her home and forget it ever happened. Our God still answers prayers.
Last Saturday we held an impromptu meeting in Dabravino. There was a sense of urgency leading up to and surrounding the service. Upon arriving, Bro. Cheatwood said it had been on his heart to ordain several of the men that had been laboring with us in the work and had shown themselves called and faithful. I, myself, had been meditating on the necessity of ordination, and the laying on of hands, earlier in the week. Bro. Zach, during his morning devotions, had been studying on first Timothy, concerning the office of a pastor, and had determined, should the opportunity present itself, from there to preach. None of us had known what was on the others' minds, but it seemed certain the Lord desired the separation and sanctioning of these men for His purpose. Having confidence in the will of the Lord, we laid hands on and prayed over four or our nationals: Alish, Ahmet, Alish the elder, and Nasuf. Rejoicing in their ordination, however, we were all reminded of the vastness of this work and the need for more national pastors. Pray with us, please, that the Lord would call others to labor among their own people for the glory of the Lord Jesus, and the saving of souls.
Finally, I'd again like to ask you all for your faith and prayers. Our furlough is fast approaching. Lord willing, we will be departing August 23rd for an extended visit to the States. We are packing up house here in Levski, moving out one more time in preparation for our departure. It's my desire, while on furlough, to see as many of you as possible and get to as many new meetings as the Lord provides. Please, if you have any open dates and would like us in, all our contact info is below. We'd love to come and testify as to the goodness of our Savior demonstrated toward the gypsy Turks of Bulgaria.
Pray for us. As you can imagine, our needs are many, but I'm not asking for anything more than your help in praying and believing. I'm thankful for all that the Lord Jesus does for us and with us here. I bless the Lord in everything, for good times and hard times. I even thank Him for the ol' Devil that fights us, for trials, storms, and valleys. And I thank Him now for what will be, for meeting these things we have need of. I rejoice in their fulfillment. My needs exceed your resources and mine, but not the Lord's. Our heavenly Joseph is in charge of the storehouses of God's bounty, and they stand open to needy souls. Help us pray; believe for us when our faith wanes, and we'll do the same for you. We love you.
Because of a living Saviour,
The William LeFevre Family
No comments:
Post a Comment