An Update

Howdy Bro. Mike,

I pray this short note finds you filled with God's grace and enjoying his love.  Just a quick update on some things happening with us.

Bro. Brett emailed a few months back and asked to keep him posted on our search for a home.  Here's what I wrote him this morning.

"Just to update you on our search for housing.  Two weeks ago Bro. Mitko and I 'scouted' out four villages centrally located around Provadia.  We are interested in this area presently because we don't know where we'll be working permanently.  There are villages closer to Zach as well that we've looked at, but they are on the fringes of the present work.  And any commute to the more established meetings, should it prove necessary, would be substantial.  We looked seriously at 6 or 7 houses, and ruled out a couple.  The going rate is right around 20K lev, rather that's the figure everyone quotes initially; I am assured they can be talked down.  The two we ruled out, though they were cheaper, were on the fringes of the gypsy section in the village of Sava (CaBa).  While we work with gypsies all the missionaries say it's best not to live in the gypsy section.  One home, which Mitko very much liked, was in the Turkish village of Royak.  They are clean Turks, however, and not gypsy Turks.  (The difference being they are pure ethnic Turks, not merely gypsies who have intermarried.)  Still, it is an entirely Turkish village.  We looked at two homes in Petrov Dol, both asking 20k, that would need to be either gutted or torn down completely.  Again, that's what they're asking, Mitko said, more than likely they would go for less.  The village of Chaika is a strong possibility, as there are many empty houses in the village.  The problem is getting in touch with whomever owns the house.  We have made up fliers in Bulgarian with Mitko's contact information, so as they know they're dealing with a Bulgarian and less liable to inflate the price as they would with an American.  In the meantime we have a few people inquiring into apartments for us, as Zach will be returning at the first of the year.  Though I have not been asked yet, it seems more than likely that we will remain in the area of Shumen while Larry returns for furlough to help look after his meetings.  Again, I haven't been asked and the subject hasn't been broached, but that's what I'm thinking."

We completed work on our visas yesterday, turning in the last of the paperwork.  We return in a week to pay for them and process our new identity cards.  This marks the start of our second year visas.

If you think about it, keep us in your prayers.  Support always ebbs and flows, the last three months have marked an ebb, pray a flow comes soon.  The Lord knows and will provide.

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Bro. John Jr., not for Bro. John's sake, but for his wife, children, and mother.  May the Lord save his children, if they are not already.  Reminds me of Dean Bumgardner's mother, while on her death bed she asked Preacher to bring her children to heaven with him.  God help us to pray for them.

I haven't heard lately how Miss Theresa is?  The last news we received indicated she was still taking chemo.  Is she improving? are the treatments working?  I hope and pray so.  She is asked after every week in our meetings.

Miss Jane's told of some real good services she's been in there of late.  May the Lord multiply his blessings upon you all.

Again, thank you Bro. Mike for all you do.  Give our love to the church.  Your family remains in our prayers.

William LeFevre

September Prayer Letter

"...they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" Psalm 78:19

"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." Mark 10:27

Our praying friends and family in the Lord,

This past weekend we held our third baptism of the summer, during another one of our extended meetings. While the crowd wasn't quite as large as at our other meetings, more than 30 believers were baptized. That makes more than 100 souls who have testified of their newfound faith so far this year. It's difficult to explain what baptism means to these new converts. Most of them were raised with a deathly fear of the water, especially the swiftly running rivers. Among the older generation, most of them have never stepped foot in lake, river or stream. For them to surmount their fear, willfully walk down into the river (we baptize right below a spillway) and submit to being plunged beneath the water is quite a testimony. While the soul being baptized wades out into the river, those on the shore sing loudly the songs of the redeemed. Prior to the preacher immersing the convert, all of the preachers present pause and pray for the faith of the new follower. After the baptismal service, we adjourn to the meeting house for several hours of singing, preaching, testifying and praying. At this last meeting, we had to make a special rule that only the new converts and those who came from the farthest villages could testify. Had we not, we might still be in meeting. With those limits explained, the service still lasted until after 10 p.m., having begun just before 6 p.m., with people waiting in line to tell the blessings of being a child of God.

This month we begin the process of applying for our second-year visa. During the spring, our attorney began preparing the paperwork and collecting the government signatures we need for application. Please pray that processing the paperwork will not be delayed, as our visas expire in October. Also, please pray that when the processing is completed, the money will be there to pick them up. The lawyer informed us the visas have gone up since last year. We know the Lord will supply, but pray for our faith.

I don't often mention our family life, as there is so much to say about the work that I haven't the space left to talk about us. We are presently looking for living accommodations, preparing for my brother's return just after the New Year. We want to be close to both of our families and right in the center of the work. If you think about it, pray the Lord leads us to the place He wants us to be. This week, our three-year-old, Carrick, began Bulgarian preschool. A little hesitant at first, he now enjoys the time he spends there. We hope he'll pick up the language. While officially everything is in Bulgarian, most of his classmates are Turks, so he's sure to get a good dose of both languages. Christian, now almost two years old, remains at home with Hannah. At the beginning of the month, we took him to the doctor for help with his congestion. After a thorough examination the doctor informed us Christian has asthma. If you remember, earlier in the year he spent almost two weeks in the hospital with respiratory problems. Please keep him in your prayers. My language studies continue to progress, albeit slowly. I read a portion of Turkish scripture almost every meeting, and I try to express my thankfulness to God for His word. Pray the Lord helps me learn this language for His glory.

We love you all. God bless you.

Because of a living Saviour,

The William LeFevre Family

The Blessings of God

Returned last night from our Turkish Camp Meeting in Romania. I took a load of believers up on Friday night, for a three day meeting.  There were over 100 Turks in attendance, with a little more than half from Bulgaria. Every service was blessed. Friday night Bro. Ralph preached. Saturday morning the Romanian Turkish pastors preached and testified, while the Bulgarian Turkish Pastors took their turn during the afternoon service. By the evening service Saturday night, souls who had come empty were hungry for God, and he spread a table for everyone present. It was the best service I've been in since coming to the field, and one of the very best I've ever been blessed to be in anywhere. Sunday morning the preaching, singing, and testifying were all with strained voice, everyone having exhausted their's praising God the night before. At one point mid someone elses testimony, and man jumped up, begged the forgiveness of the man testifying, but said he had to testify before his heart burst out of his chest. When the floor was opened for other testimonies, people were climbing over one another to be the first one up to tell what God had done for them. That one service was worth everything it costs to be a missionary. I thank God for allowing me to be a small part of it.

William LeFevre

July Prayer Letter

"All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,

and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts..." Psalm 145:10-12

Our praying friends and family in the Lord,

First, let me apologize for the tardiness of this newest prayer letter. The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity, and unfortunately the timeliness of our communication has suffered. The Lord's work is never dull and seldom slow. And we are grateful to be part of it anywhere, but especially here.

We've just returned from our English camp meeting in Romania, and our hearts are full. Three times a year we try and assemble together as a group and exhort one another through preaching and fellowship. We also discuss the state of the work and its needs. I am very pleased to report that, though the devil opposes, the Lord continues to save souls and establish churches. One such new meeting is in Sekulovo, about 45 minutes north of my brother's home. A year or more ago, there was an attempt made at starting a meeting there, but with little interest among the people. Two months ago Alish (the national pastor I'm presently working with) expressed a desire to return. After meeting with some of the people from the village, he said there were two homes that would welcome us. One home was newer, and the family a little better off; however, they were particular about who came to the meeting. The other home was in the poorest section of the village and was plagued with more flies than Egypt, but the woman, a widow, was gracious and hospitable. The Turks asked, "Which one do we go to? The one's a better place to meet, but the other has love." The answer was easy enough; we go where there's love. Our first service commenced with loud and joyful singing. As we began to sing, friends and neighbors began dropping by to see what was going on. By the end of the first service, twenty or more people crowded the room and lingered outside amazed at what we were doing. That scene has been duplicated every time we have returned. Praise the Lord. (Halfway through our first service, mid-singing, I glanced up toward the ceiling and discovered the widow woman's attempt at fly control: she had let a spider build its web across the ceiling. That was the busiest spider I have ever seen.)

We have had three big Turkish meetings since the beginning of summer: one in Romania, two in Bulgaria. The meeting in Romania lasted three days. The others were just protracted services, beginning around 4 p.m. and ending well after midnight. At our last big meeting in Bulgaria, by the working of God, we were able to see over 70 souls, saved throughout the year, follow the Lord in believers' baptism. Two of those baptized were from Sekulovo. Lord willing, we'll have at least one more big meeting in Bulgaria and another Turkish camp meeting in Romania before summer ends.

In Romania we also discussed our present needs for the work. As the Turkish and Bulgarian Bibles are still in the proofing stages, we are not quite ready for a mass printing. Regardless, the demand for Bibles, Bible portions, and hymnbooks continues to rise. Presently, we have one copier/printer working ceaselessly to fill the void. We are praying now for the money to purchase two more copiers and the computers to run them. We can buy a new copier and computer for $2,000.

As always, thank you all so very much for remembering us in your prayers. By the grace of God we are all in good health, marveling at God's blessings. If you think about it, pray for our visa situation. Our yearly visa renewal comes in September, and it entails quite a bit, both bureaucratically and financially. We know the Lord will supply, but pray for our faith. We love you all. God bless you.

Because of a living Saviour,

The William LeFevre Family

PS - If you would like to see pictures from our last baptism go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dBV5sMtaeA&list=UUBHsVxvLAE725H8RknRGD7Q&index=1&feature=plcp  

Updating

Howdy Everybody,

Just a quick update to let you all know what's going on with our family.

After one year on the mission field (as of March), we are more excited today about the Lord's work here, and the Lord's working in our lives than when we first arrived.  The first year we spent in the village of Dabravino (in the home of Missionary Matthew Welch, my father-in-law) forty minutes from the Black Sea.  The first six months we took care of his home while he was away on furlough; the last six months we lived and worked together.  We are so very thankful for the Welches' hospitality; we couldn't have asked for better or more patient hosts.

While Bro. Matt was on furlough, I went to meetings with national pastor Hasan.  Bro. Hasan had 8 churches he looked after weekly.  Sadly (for us), the Lord took Hasan home in 2011.  Upon Bro. Matt's return, he resumed going to Bro. Hasan's meetings, leaving me free to go with another national.  So, for the next six months I attended meetings with our next door neighbor, Bro. Alish.  Alish is a strong young preacher.  He is one of the best Turkish nationals in this work.  It was both a privilege and a learning experience being with him.

At the end of last month we moved out to the village of Zlatna Niva, about an hour West of where we were living.  My brother Zachary took his family back to the States for a much needed furlough, and we agreed to look after his portion of the work as well as his home while he was away.  Now I am traveling with Pastor Alish the elder (at present, he is the oldest national pastor, where Alish from Dabravino was the youngest).  Alish the elder has at present seven meetings he preaches at.  Alish's family have taken us in, and really made us a part, not only of the work in this area, but also their family.  On Sundays I also drive an hour farther West to Targovishte to be with Pastor Nasuf for his Sunday morning services.  Presently pastor Nasuf has a number of young people attending worship service and testifying regularly.

My language studies continue, and I slowly continue to improve.  I am able to understand more than I speak, but am also able to make myself understood.  Since going with Alish the elder, I have been reading a passage of scripture every service, and giving brief testimonies.

Presently, the boys, Hannah and I are all in good health.  The boys have recovered well from their bouts with pneumonia in the Winter.  We are all enjoying life here in Zlatna Niva.  This September Carrick will begin preschool here.  He will be attending with other Bulgarian and Turkish children, so hopefully he'll get the fundamentals of the language.  He's a sharp little boy.  His Momma's been teaching him sign language, so now when he awakes in the morning he signs he's thirsty instead of shouting it.  Hannah's pretty sharp too for teaching him to sign!  Christian (the Turks call him Kristi) is happy, healthy, and a handful.  We love them both; they bring unimaginable joy into our lives.

Please keep us in your prayers.  While at Zach's we need to begin looking for a more permanent dwelling (we can't always house sit for missionaries on furlough).  Please join us in praying the Lord will direct us to where we need to live and minister.  We've no doubt that where ever he leads he will supply our needs; but please help us believe God.

We love and miss you all.  God bless you.

William LeFevre and family

PS - If anyone's interested in hearing about the work first hand, my brother Zachary, veteran missionary here for over 15 years, would be more than happy to stop by.  He's on furlough through January, Lord willing.  His cell number is: 931-952-9194  You can also reach him via email at zacharylefevre@yahoo.com

March 2012 Prayer Letter

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;

he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke 4:18,19

Our praying friends and family in the Lord,

According to Luke's gospel, these words were spoken early in the ministry of our Lord. He had just returned from the wilderness after having been tempted by the devil. It is important to remember that Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, was led of the Spirit into the wilderness; by that same Spirit resisted the devil while in the wilderness; and by the power of the Spirit He returned from the wilderness. At no point during His wilderness experience was He forsaken of the Spirit; that's a comforting thought. It's good to know that while going through a "rough patch," with the devil seemingly around every corner, and that though He can't always be felt, God's Spirit is ever with us.

This winter has been a 'rough patch." And yet we thank God for it, as He has shown Himself, time and again, faithful and able to meet and exceed whatever came our way. Toward the end of February, our littlest son, Christian, was hospitalized with double pneumonia. A week later, Carrick, his older brother, was hospitalized with the makings of the same. When a child is hospitalized here, a parent is required to stay with him. Also, the patient is responsible for everything apart from hospital-administered medicine, and I mean everything. When Carrick was admitted, he was placed in an entirely different facility than Christian. Thankfully, Hannah's sister Sarah cheerfully volunteered to stay with Christian while Hannah moved to the other facility to stay with Carrick. I was left to make sure patients and caregivers had everything they needed. Praise the Lord the boys recovered, the bills were paid, and the Lord's work moves on. And our God illustrated that the hills and valleys are alike to Him, and He's able to do anything His children need. What a Savior!

While we rejoice in what God proved again to us, we sure are thankful for being led out of the wilderness. Our Savior came out of the wilderness and into the pulpit, preaching good news to the poor, brokenhearted, captives, blind and bruised. It's our privilege to tell the same audience that our God is still alive and able to save. And it's the joy of our hearts to hear from them that they've believed the gospel. Bro. Matt Welch preaches at the house church in Dolgapol. The man of the house, though cordial, always refused the invitation to come into the service. Nevertheless, when the service would begin, he could always be found within earshot. After several months of this, one day Bro. Matt arrived to find the man already in attendance right in the middle of the room. When testimony time came around, he was up declaring how after all those months listening in, he had believed the Gospel and no longer would remain on the outside. Praise God, what He's given us is worth coming in for. In the village of Nikolai Kolevo, due to some necessary minor repairs, the church had to temporarily meet in another house. The room dedicated for the meeting was up a steep flight of narrow outdoor steps. One of our believing ladies, though heavyset and infirm, determined to make it to the meeting. When her weakness prevented her climbing the stairs on her feet, she got down on her hands and knees and crawled her way to the top. When she entered the room she greeted everyone individually with a "Praise God" and tears of joy. It's a blessing serving Jesus; whether in the storm or out, He's good all the time. Keep us in your prayers. This month we move out to Zlatna Niva to look after my brother Zachary's place while he's on furlough. While there, I'll also be looking after his meetings. Pray for his churches and myself, that in whatever capacity, God will use me to be a blessing. God bless you all. We love you.

Because of a living Saviour,

The William LeFevre Family

Home

Dear Praying Friends,

Praise the Lord both our boys are home from the hospital.  On Monday Carrick was discharged, and yesterday they released Christian.  Both boys will continue antibiotics and cough medicine as needed, however, they'll both be cared for (spoiled) in the most  loving environment there is.  Both boys are happy, and it's hard to put into words our feelings about having them home again.  Thank you all, so very much, for your faithful loving prayers.  Please continue to pray for full and complete recoveries; as that's what we are trusting the Lord for.  God bless you all.  We love you.

William LeFevre