Author name: Lois Gillespie

Our Mission Field

“Satan attacks, hopes we will falter;
But we have all the power through the Father of Lights
And in that power of God’s Spirit and might,
The victory is ours in the Lord.
So take up the sword and put on the armor,
Watching, always praying pressing on toward the mark
Standing firm, standing firm on the Rock.”

The words to this chorus written by a friend and co-laborer of ours have been running through our minds for the past month as we prepared for and finally arrived here in Niger. It seemed that in the last few weeks we were home, Satan tried to discourage us in many ways. Once we were finally on our way, late and/or missed connections again made us feel weary. At times we thought “Wow, why are we not getting upset?” It was then that God reminded us of your prayers. We want you to know that you have carried us once again. Thank you for ministering to us in this way.

Our Mission Field As we spent this afternoon of July 4th celebrating with others at the American club (games and a cookout – no fireworks), we had the opportunity to meet lots of missionary kids. These MK’s are our mission field, both the ones we will teach directly and others with whom we will interact. We’re glad to be here where God has placed us and are looking forward to the year ahead.

Our next big obstacle is finding a place to live. After looking at 4 possible houses today, we understand why veteran missionaries to Niamey have warned us of this daunting task. While some take huge amounts of work and money up front to be liveable, others have monthly rents out of our price range. We looked at one that might work only to find ourselves on a waiting list of possible renters. Please pray that God will lead us to the right house for us within the next week so that we can make necessary repairs and move in before our responsibilities start at Sahel Academy in August.

Niger, Here We Come!

With just 13 days left before we board the plane for Niger, we find ourselves very, very busy. Last minute details include business arrangements for renting our house and transferring utilities, packing all the ‘stuff’ for 2 years in Niger and all the ‘stuff’ we’re leaving here, and spending time with family and friends. I can’t believe how fast time flies!

We’re praising the Lord today because we just signed a renter’s agreement with a lovely lady who thinks our little house is her dream home. She’s excited about nesting here, and I’m excited about having take care of my little home/our investment. We believe she is a direct answer to the prayers you have been offering up on our behalf in the last few weeks. Please thank the Lord for answering those prayers.

While you are praying, please take our support deficit to the Lord. We currently have 93% of our needed support. We know there are some of you who are considering whether you can support our ministry of Training the Next Generation financially; please know that we still need you. Are you part of God’s answer to this need?

Once again, we want to remind you of how you can give to our ministry of Training the Next Generation. The easiest way to do this is by clicking this online giving link. You can also send your check (marked for the Gillespies) to:

  Evangelical Baptist Missions
  P.O. Box 781438
  Indianapolis, IN 46278

We believe that God will meet this need just as He has met the need of a renter for our house. We are already praising Him for what He is and will do through your prayers on our behalf. Thank you for your faithfulness.

“Is the Lord’s Hand Waxed Short?”

Welcome to those of you who are new to our monthly updates. We hope you enjoy hearing from us. Soon, we hope to be sharing news of how God is working – directly from Niamey, Niger.

We praise the Lord for those of you who are responding to our updates by praying for us and even expressing a desire to support our ministry to MKs (missionary kids). We were privileged to spend this past weekend ‘at home’, enjoying the missions conference at our sending church. We saw once again how dear to the hearts of these missionary parents are their children. The Lord used this time to reinforce our burden to be a ‘help’ to these parents in this important area of MK education.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.” Number 11:23

Because we believe that God wants us in Niger for the coming school year, I believe that the verses I read in Numbers 11 this morning can be applied to us. When God promised Moses that he would provide meat to feed the Israelites for a full month, Moses questioned God by saying that even if they slaughtered all their herds and caught all the fish in the sea, it wouldn’t be enough. My first thought was that Moses had a lot more nerve than I do! But then I realized that maybe I’m doing the same thing; I’m wondering if God really can provide the support we need in time to go. Just like Moses, I’ve seen Him do it before; but I still don’t see how He’s going to do it again.

That’s where you come in. We do believe that as you pray with us specifically for our support needs, God will provide. Although we’ve heard from many of you that you might like to help us by responding to our $25/month challenge of our last newsletter, we’ve received only a few firm commitments. Some have called and asked how to do this. The easiest way to do this is by clicking this online giving link. You can also send your check (marked for the Gillespies) to:

  Lois_Dave_SummerEvangelical Baptist Missions
  PO. Box 781438
  Indianapolis, IN 46278

Even though we haven’t bought our tickets yet, we plan to leave the last week in June. We are very busy spending time with family and friends, and collecting and packing the things that we are taking and shipping, as well as ‘taking care of business’. After nearly a year and a half in the states, these last months seem to be flying. Here’s how you can pray:

Additional support; we need $600/month;
Ability to think clearly and plan wisely;
Emotional strength and peace as we say our good-byes;
Housing in Niamey, as well as other settling-in details.