Author name: Lois Gillespie

We have shared our ministry with many churches since we have been here in the US. We have shared the wonderful stories of God?s protection during gun battles and bombings. We have shared the amazing miracle of how the missionary kids (MK?s) were instrumental in seeing many come to Christ in the little village of Giti. Perhaps though, we have not been portraying our burden for the ministry to MK?s and how important it is to the cause of Christ in West Africa. This article from the November, 2005 NTM@work magazine expresses this importance for us. Please take the time to read it. (http://www.ntm.org/news/pdf/nawnov0572.pdf, p 26.)

MISSIONS WORLDWIDE SHUT DOWN

Mission organizations announced today that all church planting missionaries will have to leave their ministries and return to their home countries. The mass exodus is not caused by illness, or political upheaval or missionary ?burnout?, but is due to a decision of churches to support only ?frontline? missionaries rather than ?nonstrategic? support role missionaries.

As a result, there will be no computer techs available to keep computers running for translation work, no office people to see that the missionary gets his monthly check and no one to deal with the myriad of government regulations the missionary needs to comply with. There will be no teachers in the MK school, and no boarding home parents to care for the children while parents labor in the tribe. Because there will be no instructors in the Bible schools or missionary training centers, no new missionaries will be able to help plant tribal churches.

There will be no missionaries anywhere for churches to support and tribal groups will remain without the Gospel!

Thanks so much for your faithfulness in supporting us through your prayers and gifts. It is now ?crunch time?. We are expected to be on the field by late spring, so it is time to buy tickets and start packing. There is one problem though; we can?t make any plans to leave until we get the last bit of support that we need. We have many people counting on us to leave soon. The school needs us to fill much needed positions. Some of our supporting churches have raised their support to help us go. We have individuals who are sending regular monthly gifts to help us go. Many others are faithfully praying that God will meet this need so we can go. Although it is encouraging to have so many behind us, it is frustrating to be almost there but not yet able to make plans to leave. God knows all about this, and He has always gotten us to the field ?on time?. Perhaps God wants you to step up and help with this last boost to get us there. If 25 individuals or churches commit to just $25/month (or increase their commitment) by May 31st, we can be on the field this spring ?training the next generation?.

Whether you talk to us when we visit your church or contact us by phone, e-mail or ?snailmail?, your interest in our ministry is truly a blessing to us. One thing you ask quite often is ?How can we pray for you?? One dear prayer supporter emphasized that she needed specifics since God was answering her specific prayers. WOW! She is so right; God meets our specific needs and answers our specific prayers. In our last newsletter, we asked you to pray for a renter for our house when we return to the field. God has answered that prayer by sending us a renter who is flexible, so our unknown departure date is not a problem for him?a very specific answer to a specific prayer! We are delighted to share these requests with you:

? MKs:

? In the months to come, MKs in MK schools throughout the world, especially high school seniors, will be saying difficult good-byes to friends who have become more like siblings, and whom they may not see again.

? They are making important career choices, many to follow in their parents? footsteps and become the Next Generation of missionaries.

? Support: we are at 83% of our needed support.

? Housing: our first major ?need? when we get to Niger will be to find housing.

? Adjustments: living in Niger will be very different from living at ICA, our previous home in Ivory Coast. Rather than living on an ?Americanized campus?, we will be living in the heart of Niamey, the capital city of Niger. (We will need to speak French much more often?just one of the differences.)

? Comfort: we, as well as our families, find these separations difficult.

It is our hope that we will be sending our next newsletter to you from Niger where we will once again be ?Training the Next Generation?. In the meantime, we will continue to send our monthly e-mail updates from wherever God has planted us. We are sincere when we say that we want to hear what God is doing in your live, as well as how we may pray for you.

February – the month when Hallmark would have us think of LOVE. How privileged we are to realize God’s love in our lives each month of the year. A lot of times, He uses you to communicate that love to us.

This past week we’ve been blessed through our individual supporters (as opposed to church supporters). Sunday we ate dinner with one of our individual supporters who was having the BIG birthday (?). What a fun time we had as we got to know each other better. Then yesterday, we received an e-mail from some friends from our home church with the very special news that they, too, are going to support us on an individual basis.

So, as of yesterday, we are officially at 81.73% of our support level. It is edging up there slowly, but it is moving upwards. We believe in our hearts that God will have us leaving for Niger sometime this Spring. Please pray with us for the rest of our financial supporters as they may even now be praying about the decision to support this ministry of Training the Next Generation.

If you want to reach us over the next few weeks, please call 330-749-0573 as Bob’s phone is currently out of commission.

Thank you for loving us all year long.

We’re writing our update this morning from full hearts that just want to share with you how God is working, especially since your prayers are being answered.

First of all, we’ve been encouraged from God’s Word once again. In Matt. 16, the disciples were fretting because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus marvels that even after the feeding of the 5000 and then the feeding of the 4000 (both times with lots of leftovers), they still didn’t get it. They found it hard to comprehend that GOD was with them; their needs would be met. Amazing; we have the same God in our midst today.

Secondly, our home church voted this week to increase our support by $550 per month. We are so thankful for this added support which will not only help us get to the field sooner, but also shows us how much they are behind what God is doing through our ministry.

Last of all, our beautiful new granddaughter is providing laughter every time we are with her. Grandma has finally taken time to update our photo album on the web with lots of new pictures. You can find them at www.gillespiesonline.comphotos.htm. 

We ask that you continue to pray that God will bring in the remainder of our support so that we can leave this Spring for the field of Niger and Sahel Academy. Please don’t be discouraged by thinking you can’t do anything to help with our support (or that of other ministries whose work stirs your hearts), because you can. You can pray. God will use your prayers to accomplish His will.