June Update 2013

Greetings from New Hampshire!  We’re delighted to give you the latest update.

Our family at the London airport

Family: In May we finished all our preparations to return to the US this summer for our first stateside family furlough. We sold our van for the full asking price.  We also had everything packed five days before leaving, and by the grace of God, we made it safely back to America on June 5th.  A team from our home church was at the airport in Boston, waiting for us to help us with all our baggage. Praise the Lord!

At the time of this newsletter, we are staying at the apartment of a sister in Christ from our home church in NH, who offered it to us.  She actually moved out for two weeks to live with some friends, so that we would have the place all to ourselves.  We are so grateful to have this place to stay! God is good!

Our plan is to spend our first six weeks in NH, and then make our way down to NC, Lord willing.  We intend to make that our base as we travel to speak at churches and with friends.  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.

More photos.   

Ministry:   Since our last update, Elizabeth continues going to the hospital for chemotherapy treatment. The treatment causes pain all over her body, including her teeth.  It also causes nausea and loss of all her strength.

Elizabeth and her mother, Elizabeth

In May we made one last visit to see her and her mother, Elizabeth. They live out in the country in a very rural area.  It was a beautiful, warm and sunny afternoon under clear blue skies, following heavy rains. We sat outside for fellowship and prayer.  They pumped water out of their well for us, which runs on an electric pump.  Elizabeth explained that when she was a girl, she had to go outside and crank the handle on the manual well, before they had electricity (see "more photos" link).  But eventually they paid a commercial company that is adjacent to their property (about a quarter mile away) to connect that company's electricity to their home.  This was costly, but at least allowed them to get electricity to their home. They pay this business to use some of their electricity each month.  If they were to get the utility company to run a proper transmission line to their home, it would cost around $44,000 USD!  So they continue with this makeshift arrangement.

The single, main wire that transmits the power into their home ran very low, right over our heads as we sat there.  It's only about seven feet above the ground, deteriorated from age and patched with some black electrical tape in the middle.  When we stood up to pray for Elizabeth and her mother, Len looked up just before he raised his hand, redirecting his arm a few inches away from the wire.  The Lord protected Len and Elizabeth, whom he was laying his hands on, as well as Jennifer who was also touching Elizabeth.  Praise the Lord for keeping us all safe from harm!

Len with the Hungarian grandpa's scythe.

Elizabeth and her mother explained that they used to grow their own vegetable crops and raise farm animals on their property many years ago.  They still had an old scythe lying around, which Elizabeth said her grandfather used to cut grass and crops on that property, when he was alive.

The visit was a very difficult one for the two Elizabeth's, even from the moment we arrived, because they were very sad to see us go.  They could not bear the thought of saying goodbye, so they began to weep and kissed us.  But after prayer and farewells, once we had torn ourselves away from them, we returned home to our village, not knowing when we would see them again.

Last month, we mentioned an older lady named Aunty Elizabeth, who is Elizabeth's friend, whom she met at the hospital, and who felt that she was near death.  Aunty Elizabeth also has cancer, is around seventy-three years old, and has been Elizabeth's roommate a couple times.

In May, Len asked Elizabeth how Aunty Elizabeth was doing.  She said, "There were a couple days in the hospital when Aunty Elizabeth had no doctors or nurses caring for her, so I was her only caretaker. I cared for her, and prayed for her.  Then Aunty Elizabeth's condition required that she be moved to the Intensive Care Unit.  During that time, I prayed a lot for her. And now she is better.  Jesus helped her. Thank God"

Also in May, Len had a chance to share the gospel with our next-door neighbor, Rudi.  He is a young, Hungarian engineer in his late thirties, who is married without children. He had made a decision to move with his wife, Orsi ("OR-shee") to Switzerland, in search of a better life.  Back in October 2011, just as they were about to move, he came to our home to help Jennifer with something, while Len was traveling on ministry out of town.  At that time, Jennifer had shared with him that although she was happy for him to be making this move, he needed to be thinking about life beyond this life. He said back then that when he was in the university, he began to think that maybe there is a God, because he saw how perfectly everything was designed.

So in May, Rudi came to our home for a very short visit, on the last evening of a three-day stay at his home in Hungary.  He said it would be the last time he would see us until we return to Hungary, since he was heading back to Switzerland the next day.  When Len shared his testimony and proclaimed the gospel to him, there was a greater openness.  He said that during the past few months, he had begun to see specific good things that were happening to him and Orsi as God blessings.  He had begun to look up and say, "Thank you.  You're a good God."  For him, that seemed like a major step in the right direction.  We also believe it shows he has gone from wondering if there is even a God to actually thanking God for his blessings, and testifying that he did so.  So let's pray that Rudi and Orsi both make a decision to give their lives to Jesus.

Kriszti and Gabor

Meanwhile, Gábor returned from his two-week trial period in Germany, and found the job to be suitable for him.  He has since returned again to Germany for a longer period. 

Meanwhile, a few of our friends indicated they wanted to send their greetings to the churches in the States.  David, a Hungarian disciple, said, "I would like to send my greetings to the churches where you are going! You are in my heart!" In his last conversation with Len before we left Hungary, he said, "God sent you to Hungary just when I needed you, and there was nobody else in Hungary who could help me.  Now I'm multiplying disciples and doing what you taught me.  Even if you only came to Hungary for me, it was worth it."

Vilmos, an elder in Hungary said, "You can include me in the group who send greetings from Central Europe to brothers and sisters...I really appreciate your commitment to serve Churches and people from Europe. It is not a small thing to leave your country and your home and dedicate your time and life for an unknown nation. I also appreciate the time which I spent with you.  There are some points which I learned from you, and I will never forget them...I don't know what is your feeling now... [as you return] home for a time. I still remember your vision [that we should] 'be fruitful and multiply' Let me encourage you. You were 'a man who cast seed upon the soil.' And from the grace of Lord the harvest will come."

Marina, one of the Bulgarian leaders, wrote: "Greetings from Plovdiv! Thank you for your willingness to greet the American churches from Bulgarian churches! It would be WONDERFUL! Please, include Bulgaria in your list! I would appreciate it!" 

Some of the quotes in this newsletter have been edited and paraphrased from the original sources for clarity.

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 Book of Life.  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 helping us with all the preparations for furlough and getting us safely back to the States.
2. For the team that met us in Boston to help get us and our baggage to NH.
3. For protecting us during our final visit to Elizabeth's home.
4. For the opportunity to share Jesus with our neighbor Rudi, and his openness.
5. For the places in NH that the Lord has provided for us to stay for our first six weeks.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to provide all that we need to make our Stateside furlough possible.
2. For the Lord to give us safe travels as we travel around the States.
3. For the Lord to reveal Himself to all the non-believers in Hungary, whom we have touched.
4. For the Lord to further expand the awareness of this ministry throughout the US, and raise up many new partners, who will sponsor us.
5. For the Lord to continue to multiply disciples through Dávid V. and the others in his church. 
6. For the Lord to provide a new bookkeeper in time for next January, who will be faithful, reliable, and trustworthy, as Emily has been. 
7. 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

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