Dear Co-laborers in Christ,
Meaningful follow up of the glorious fruit of summer’s neighborhood Bible Time and distant weeks of camp ‘midst the challenges of desert weather and constant facility and vehicle repairs bespeak the untold value of your prayers and sacrifice for our ongoing native ministries.
We owe you too much gratitude, however, to presume on your enabling or fail to recognize your personal labor with us in our Lord’s eyes: “… For the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit… ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Romans 15:30). May this recounting of some of His blessings reward you as much as they have us!
Where the conversions of 70-year-old Millie’s granddaughter and two of her three daughters had only hardened her in spirit worship and vocal opposition to the gospel, your prayers gave unction to our frequent pleas to trust in the Lord alone and brought her to saving faith in Christ this summer. P.T.L. Millie is now growing in him and one of the most faithful adults despite severe arthritis!
Mid-forties, Salvador and Lorie his wife grew much through weekly Bible studies and church attendance with their three children. Affordable housing for them meant a residence in need of repairs, but the Lord also provided better income for them. PRAY for their transportation and health needs as well as their teenage children’s legal and mental health needs. Rightly rejoice that these enormous, combined pressures miraculously drove them to the Lord rather than to former substance abuse.
The deaths of four 35- to 47-year-old men from substance abuse in September and October alone offer the strongest possible incentives to use every Biblical means to win young Cocopah to the Lord. The youngest man had professed faith as a teen; one had lived out of our contact; and the other two never accepted the earnest gospel invitations of our individual Bible studies or services. The Lord mercifully offered grace for grace in allowing us to assure saved children of their own eternal home after they had endured their loved one’s all-night hopeless wailing cremation ceremony.
How thrilled we were by professions of faith or of assurance by Jaylon, Lilah, Lorenzo, Misty, and Violet through Neighborhood Bible Time. Largely saved juniors and teens loved and grew through Bill Rice’s west Branch Camp, while the Apache Creek Camp was cancelled because of flash flooding.
The salvation and bit by bit maturation of young natives from universally broken and often abusive homes is a thrilling reality evidenced by their excitedly pulling family and friends to Bible clubs and church months or years after first coming. This means driving without monitors to fill our largest bus on two reservations and still reach the third one by van.
Between the Lord’s provisions for engine repairs by brother Nam and a bus yard for our body work we succeeded in keeping at least one bus usable through September’s 100 degree days. North reservation Bible clubs took a break with the heat, NBT, and camps, but P.T.L. at least two of their families are now part of regular church pickups!
Mid October brought a setback to in person ministries when all of us except Jacob and Samuel contracted Covid 19. PRAY much for Dawn and Lydia’s full recovery as their respiratory diseases worsened, suppressing the full benefits of the normal treatment protocol and additional Regeneron infusion. PRAY for the strength, wisdom, and resources while healing and resuming all ministries to adequately prepare for our annual Native Revival looming , December 8-10 on our premises.
Our sincere and heartfelt gratitude for your remembering the following:
PRAISES
- 70-year-old Millie’s salvation after decades of rejection
- Salvador’s successful foot surgery and better job
- Michael’s further improved September cancer evaluation
- Fully paid enormous bus repairs
- Blessed September 21st meeting presenting the Cocopah ministry at Highway Bible Church near Sacramento, CA
- Our emergency funds covered a new church A/C system when the entire system failed in 110+ degree weather
- Michael and Rebekah W’s assistance through their own physical hardships
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Healing of saved teen girls severely traumatized and doubting God over unpunished incestuous family abuse
- Millie’s severe arthritis
- Each of our full Covid recovery
- Personal and ministry Vehicle repairs
- Ladies and Girls Tea Party November 20th
- Eternal fruit through the December Native Revival and Christmas ministry opportunities.
- Travel and housing help for preachers coming for the revival from 200-700 miles away
Sincerely in Christ, Michael and Dawn Veldhuis