April Update 2013

Greetings from Hungary!  We’re delighted to give you another update on what the Lord is doing here in Eastern Europe.

 Family: In March, we sensed from the Lord that we should return to the US this summer.  So this will be our first stateside family furlough since we arrived on the field nearly five years ago. Needless to say, the children are very excited.  Lord willing, we expect to be there for at least one year, traveling and meeting many of you.  We look forward to seeing you, and having the chance to fellowship and pray together.  We also look forward to the ministry opportunities that the Lord surely has in store for us there as we travel.

Since we made this decision, the Lord has been putting together all the details in a truly heavenly way, and we have been very busy making all the necessary preparations for such a big move.  As you can imagine, there are many detailed arrangements that must be made both here in Hungary and back in the US, so this has been a major priority. And of course, this is a very expensive undertaking.  Please pray that the Lord will provide the many things we need, in order to make this furlough possible, as well as the necessary finances.

In April, Charity had a bladder infection.  We prayed for her and the Lord healed her without any medical intervention.  Praise the Lord!

It's been a very wet year here since January, with very few breaks in the precipitation.  As a result, there has been water leaking in the area of the foundation of the home we are renting.  This has caused a first-time mold issue to develop in the children's classroom located in the basement, which the landlord is preparing to take care of.  It's great that the landlord has agreed to do this. However, there are no mold remediation experts here, so a general concrete builder is doing the work with assistance from Len.  Needless to say, the fact that this is not being done by experts presents some health concerns, and is happening at a very inopportune time.  We are thankful to God that He has given us warmer and drier weather during the past week. Please pray this issue will get resolved promptly in a way that will completely and permanently resolve the mold problem.

Ministry:  Since our last update, Elizabeth continues to spend periods of time in the hospital for chemotherapy treatment.  She told Len recently that while she was at the hospital, she stepped out onto the terrace outside with a friend of hers, who was also a patient. While they were praying together, Elizabeth said that she began praying in an unknown language that.  She was so surprised when this came out of her, because she said it never happened before. Len rejoiced and reminded her of what happened in March when she was baptized with the Holy Spirit. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she realized that she had received the evidence of her baptism, glossolalia, or speaking in other languages.  Praise the Lord!

She continues to pray a lot, read her Bible, and hold onto her faith in Jesus. She and her mother are in dire straits financially.  She said her 21-year old son has secured a job that begins in June, which she hopes he will use to support her and her mother.  But they are doing all they can to survive until then.  Her son is not saved and is not the responsible type, so he needs the Lord.  Please continue to pray for her complete healing and for her financial blessing.

Erzsébet, Jennifer, and Len

Meanwhile, Gábor is recovering well from his kidney surgery.  Lab results on the tumor biopsy came back positive for malignancy, but the doctor is confident that he got all of it. And the small piece that remained in Gábor's kidney tested negative, so it is benign.  Gábor is already riding his bicycle, driving, and walking.  Praise the Lord!  Thank you for praying for him.

He plans to move to Germany soon, where there is work for him. In fact, he drove out there to Germany this week with his wife and oldest son, in order to meet his prospective employer.  It was about a ten-hour or 869-mile drive.  He plans to go back for two weeks in May to try out the job and see if it's going to work well.  If all goes well, he plans to return there in June for longer term employment.  He will leave his family here in Hungary, so he can try to earn a living to provide for them, since it is so difficult to make enough money here.

Kriszti and Gábor

Administrative Needs:  Our current bookkeeper, Emily, has notified us that her services to this ministry will end next January.  We really appreciate her giving us this notice, since it can take a long time to find the right person for this volunteer position.  Since this is a role that requires a high level of trust and integrity, we are prayerfully seeking the right person to fill it, whom the Lord has chosen. 

The position involves entering data pertaining to gifts into a user-friendly, accounting software, called QuickBooks, and printing out receipts to mail to our partners.  It also involves balancing the account, as well as generating monthly and annual reports, and sending annual giving summaries to our partners. If you or someone you know would be interested, please contact us.  The start date would be January 2, 2014, but we would like to identify the right person as soon as possible.

Resources:  This month we would also like to encourage you to read the messages called, The Obedience of Faith, Something is Going on in 2013, and Righteous Deeds and White Robes.

As always, Len's entire collection of most popular blogs are at "Writing for the Master".  We welcome your comments on this newsletter, so feel free to leave those below.

In closing, we have much to praise God for, and many opportunities for you to join us in prayer.

Praise the Lord with us for the many answers to prayer:

"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)

1. For the gift of tongues that Elizabeth has received in connection with being baptized with the Holy Spirit recently.
2. For the opportunity to take a Stateside family furlough.
3. For the way Gábor's surgery went to well, and his excellent progress recovering.
4. For our landlord's agreement to take care of the mold issue in his home that we rent.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to provide all that we need here and in the US to make our Stateside furlough possible.
2. For the Lord to reveal Himself to all the non believers in Hungary, whom we have touched.
3. For the Lord to give us wisdom and understanding to know His will in each situation we go through.
4. For Erzsébet ("Elizabeth") to be completely healed of cancer, and her son István ("Steven") to be saved and begin to support her and her mother.
5. For the Lord to further expand the awareness of this ministry throughout the US, Europe, and England, and raise up many new partners.
6. For the Lord to continue to multiply disciples through Dávid V. and the others in his church. 
7. For the Lord to provide a new bookkeeper in time for next January, who will be faithful, reliable, and trustworthy, as Emily has been.
8. For our financial blessing.  

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

There are two ways to donate to Doulos Missions International. You may either send a check or money order by mail to:
Doulos Missions International
PO Box 5526
Manchester, NH 03108-5526

Donate Online