While we got mostly ice and almost no snow where we live, the location that got the most snowfall in the US from that storm was Mount Mitchell, right here in this state, with accumulations peaking at 66 inches.
Then immediately afterward we enjoyed temperatures in the low 70's at the end of January and the beginning of February, which was quite a treat! The children enjoyed playing outside without even a sweatshirt (see photos at the link below). In fact, the sun felt quite hot, even when wearing just a short-sleeve shirt. We thank God for that break in the winter.
In February we celebrated our nineteenth wedding anniversary. We also celebrated Joseph's seventh birthday with a cake and party, where he received gifts and cards. Jennifer prepared a homemade strawberry cake with frosting at his request, which was delicious. On another note, Charity and Hope have posted some new art, which is listed on their site under Recent Artwork.
More photos.
Ministry: Last month we highlighted the Special Ministries of Doulos Missions International, including our literature ministry and online evangelism. We want to make it clear that we were not making a case for eliminating all foreign missionaries, nor did we intend to disesteem them or diminish their value, nor to elevate ourselves above others. After all, we ourselves are foreign missionaries, formerly based overseas, and we did not return to the States because we wanted to. No one of you should become arrogant on behalf of one against the other (1 Cor 4:6b). Rather, we intended to dispel the myths that foreign missions always requires the missionary to live abroad, and that all those who go overseas as missionaries are actually called by the Lord to do so.
We honor and appreciate those who have truly sacrificed their lives, and followed a genuine, apostolic call of God to the foreign mission field to help complete the Great Commission, especially those who are preaching the true gospel with the demonstration of the Spirit and power, making disciples of Jesus Christ. The Lord knows those who are His, and every plant that is not planted by the Father will be pulled up by the roots (Mt 15:13). "Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God." (1Co 4:5)
This month we would like to feature a specific outreach we have to Jews, which we have mentioned previously, called Yeshua Messiah. Not only is it reaching people living in many Gentile nations, like the US, Russia, and Ukraine, but we have even had visits from Israel. Praise the Lord! One of the most popular articles on that blog is called The Brit Chadashah is Jewish, which means "the New Testament is Jewish." Another popular one is Yeshua is Yahveh, meaning, "Jesus is Lord!"
These are supposed to be the pastors of our military personnel, and they are not being given the freedom to do so according to the Bible. In fact, they are being given training that is anti-christian in nature. The military is not only silencing our chaplains, they are also doing so to our servicemen and women as well. They are prohibited from sharing their faith, forbidden from praying publicly, and even dismissed from duty for refusing to surrender their religious convictions. Many of our military personnel are stationed far away from home, away from Church and family, and they may have little or no Christian fellowship. Many are stationed overseas in places where the light of the gospel is very dim, and even in Muslim nations, fighting various wars our nation is involved in. The purpose of this new blog is to touch the lives of those who are on active duty in the military (both domestic and foreign), or who are considering joining, and point them to our other online resources to help them grow in Christ. So this will give them a way to stand firm in the Lord in an environment that is very difficult for Christians to live in. And it will also help to evangelize those who are lost, as well.
On a different note, regarding our Christian literature ministry, Len received the following reply from a Kenyan sister in Christ in Lebanon, in response to a question he had asked about his English articles:
"Thank you very much, sir. In my country Kenya, English is a second language, but very well embraced, especially in towns where people use internet all the time. It's an official language with Kiswahili, which is the real official language and widely spoken in East Africa. We have more than 47 different native languages. If it's a matter of addressing the public or a crowd like street preaching or crusades, people use [the] native language or Swahili. But when it comes to written articles, especially the internet, they are better received in English. You will effectively reach a very good number way more, than the local language. In fact, I wanted to ask if you can make your work to be printed like brochures and with your permission we can print it also, it will benefit many people. who are not able to access internet. like schools, hospitals, bus stations. With some testimonies etc. English books/articles are most read than local language. It's easy for people to read articles written in English and take it seriously for positive impact than local language. If an elderly person does not understand he will always ask his children or grand children to read the article and explain the meaning. Ok thank you, and God bless."
Afterward once Len sent her an electronic link to a number of his articles in PDF format, she replied: "Thank so much, Brother. This is great. It's perfect. Good teaching. God bless you. I will print this and distribute."
These encouraging comments from this sister help to further confirm the effectiveness of our English articles in countries where English is not the first language. The sheer number of people in these countries accessing our websites is proof that there is a high demand for this kind of ministry. We also know by the feedback that we are receiving from our foreign readers around the world that the Lord is using it for His glory. One example is a woman in Zimbabwe, who got saved through our ministry. In our correspondence with her afterward, she testified how the Lord saved her through our articles, although English is not her native language. By the grace of God we were able to provide counsel and discipleship to her, and through prayer she has also received victory from an area of bondage that she sought us for help with. We checked back about a month later and confirmed that she is still free. Praise the Lord!
The Lord continues to encourage us, regarding the effectiveness of online ministry. We have learned that in one of the restricted nations that we are reaching in the Middle East through our online ministry, the Muslim religious scholars there frequently warn their citizens against the dangers of Christian Web sites, which they say entice young Muslims to change their faith. Please pray that the Lord will continue to reach Muslims with the gospel in restricted nations through our ministry.
In January, we continued to minister by email and phone to Kyle here in the US, whom we have mentioned previously is in need of deliverance. We first began ministering to him around October, and after a recent call in January, he wrote to us saying, "Hi, bro. Len. Thank you and your family so much for praying for me. I feel more free tonight! I'm going to continue to pray and read my Bible, so that Jesus Christ will work on my behalf and free me even more. My head feels lighter and less burdened, less oppressed. That's how they attack me. But I'm not feeling it as much. Thank you so very much! God bless you!"
During the past couple weeks, Len has also redesigned one of our original evangelistic websites, Jesus Reigns! This was unexpected but necessary, since the web hosting provider moved to a new systems platform. However, we retained the same address at Jesus-Reigns.org. If you are interested, we invite you to check out the new site and share it with others.
During this current month of February, one of our board members, Olugbenga Oladejo, a pastor in England, is traveling to Lagos, Nigeria for business and ministry. While he is there, he plans to meet with our two disciples there, Deji and Emmanuel.
Doulos Training School (DTS) Update
When he wrote to inform Len of his decision to enroll in our DTS, he said:
"Thank you sir (bro Len), for allowing me to be part of the
vision and I want to thank God for using you as a vessel for changing
our world for JESUS CHRIST. I truly believe that God has reasons why you and your
ministry showed up at this point of my life in Christ. I pray that the
pruning, building, raising,
"As for bro Deji and bro Emmanuel, these brothers have been
great instrument and influence on my Christian life since we came
together through [our] LTG. My Christian life has been experiencing a new
phase of growth since our coming together. I really appreciate God for
their life. I am ready to be part of the next batch of Doulos students come 1st of March 2016. Finally my brethren, I want to say thank you for coming into
my life at this point. May prayer is that, the Lord will hold us firmly
till we get to heaven on the last day in JESUS NAME. Yours in Christ, Olasunkanmi." We give God all the glory for Olasunkanmi's testimony.
The third quarter begins on March 1st, and we have three new students joining us. Olasunkanmi in Nigeria, whom we just mentioned will be joining us, as well as Dina in the UK, and Sherry in Lebanon. That will bring our total enrollment to eight students in six countries.
Sherry shared with us her testimony and the burden the Lord has laid upon her heart to do for Him. With her permission we would like to share a bit of that with you from an email she sent to us, which Len edited for clarity, and which she approved:
"I got save while I was eleven years old in a crusade, and I loved going to Sunday school. I participated in children crusades, but after in college I began living a double life. The Lord was merciful! He stretched His hands and reached out for me and gave me a second chance. Now more than anything I wish to work for Him and spread the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. I feel so much joy and awed, just like the Samaritan woman, as she went shouting in the village for people to come and see who the Lord is. Hallelujah!"
"Thank you, Brother Len and Sister Jennifer, for accepting my application…I wish I could reach out to some of these people [in Lebanon]. Sometimes my heart is broken, because many people here know nothing about Jesus Christ and salvation. They think its just an illusion. Many people believe when you do good things here on earth you will live well in your after life. I pray the Lord will raise a great army here. My dream is once I arrive home to Kenya in April (I will not return to Lebanon), I'll start going to my neighbors immediately. I have saved some money to buy Bibles, and study Bibles. In the villages many Christians depend on their Pastor’s Bible on Sunday in the church when it is read from the pulpit. They don’t have heir own Bibles to read at home. There is so much to be done there and I feel so tied here. I feel so charged to serve the Lord. Thank you so much brother, Len and Jenny, for your Kindness, and the great Mission you are doing. May God bless you so much."
Praise the Lord! However, Sherry was concerned that those who read our newsletter may not understand why she feels restricted from doing gospel work in Lebanon. She explained that it's like slavery there, where she works as a housekeeper, and she is always afraid. The agency in Kenya lied to her and others, before they went to work in Lebanon, and when they arrived there they discovered that everything was a lie. She said they cannot go back once they arrive. They have no freedom to move around. Their boss takes their passport and resident papers. No cell phone is allowed. She can call once or twice a month to speak with her family from a call office. She and the others are in survival mode. Many people commit suicide trying to escape. She said the computer she has is a miracle from the Lord. It's like prison. We were shocked when she told us all this, which she only disclosed to us over two months after we began corresponding with her.
Please pray for Sherry's safety until her work contract in Lebanon is completed. Please lift her up as she prepares to return from Lebanon to her home country of Kenya in April that she will faithfully fulfill what she feels led to do for the Lord.
Finally we believe that it glorifies God to present the need to fund this DTS. Normally in any school there is tuition to pay, in order to cover the cost for administration. All schools have operating costs, and ours is no different, except that we do not charge our students tuition. We operate by faith and accept offerings to support our ministry. We do not ask anyone for money. All of these students are outside the US and most are not in a position to give offerings to DMI to defray the costs of the ministry they are receiving.
Therefore, in order for us to continue giving each student the individual attention they deserve, we need faith partners and churches to sponsor these students. As the school continues to grow each quarter like it has been doing, the cost per student will decrease, but our overall operating costs will remain the same. At our current enrollment level, if someone is prayerfully considering sponsorship of a student, a good starting point to consider would be $2,000 per student per year. Please pray for the Lord to incline the hearts of people to sponsor a student, so that each of them would be sponsored, and that everyone else who wishes to receive this discipleship training through our DTS may do so.
The third quarter begins on March 1st, and we have three new students joining us. Olasunkanmi in Nigeria, whom we just mentioned will be joining us, as well as Dina in the UK, and Sherry in Lebanon. That will bring our total enrollment to eight students in six countries.
Sherry shared with us her testimony and the burden the Lord has laid upon her heart to do for Him. With her permission we would like to share a bit of that with you from an email she sent to us, which Len edited for clarity, and which she approved:
 |
| Sherry in Lebanon |
"Thank you, Brother Len and Sister Jennifer, for accepting my application…I wish I could reach out to some of these people [in Lebanon]. Sometimes my heart is broken, because many people here know nothing about Jesus Christ and salvation. They think its just an illusion. Many people believe when you do good things here on earth you will live well in your after life. I pray the Lord will raise a great army here. My dream is once I arrive home to Kenya in April (I will not return to Lebanon), I'll start going to my neighbors immediately. I have saved some money to buy Bibles, and study Bibles. In the villages many Christians depend on their Pastor’s Bible on Sunday in the church when it is read from the pulpit. They don’t have heir own Bibles to read at home. There is so much to be done there and I feel so tied here. I feel so charged to serve the Lord. Thank you so much brother, Len and Jenny, for your Kindness, and the great Mission you are doing. May God bless you so much."
Praise the Lord! However, Sherry was concerned that those who read our newsletter may not understand why she feels restricted from doing gospel work in Lebanon. She explained that it's like slavery there, where she works as a housekeeper, and she is always afraid. The agency in Kenya lied to her and others, before they went to work in Lebanon, and when they arrived there they discovered that everything was a lie. She said they cannot go back once they arrive. They have no freedom to move around. Their boss takes their passport and resident papers. No cell phone is allowed. She can call once or twice a month to speak with her family from a call office. She and the others are in survival mode. Many people commit suicide trying to escape. She said the computer she has is a miracle from the Lord. It's like prison. We were shocked when she told us all this, which she only disclosed to us over two months after we began corresponding with her.
Please pray for Sherry's safety until her work contract in Lebanon is completed. Please lift her up as she prepares to return from Lebanon to her home country of Kenya in April that she will faithfully fulfill what she feels led to do for the Lord.
Finally we believe that it glorifies God to present the need to fund this DTS. Normally in any school there is tuition to pay, in order to cover the cost for administration. All schools have operating costs, and ours is no different, except that we do not charge our students tuition. We operate by faith and accept offerings to support our ministry. We do not ask anyone for money. All of these students are outside the US and most are not in a position to give offerings to DMI to defray the costs of the ministry they are receiving.
Therefore, in order for us to continue giving each student the individual attention they deserve, we need faith partners and churches to sponsor these students. As the school continues to grow each quarter like it has been doing, the cost per student will decrease, but our overall operating costs will remain the same. At our current enrollment level, if someone is prayerfully considering sponsorship of a student, a good starting point to consider would be $2,000 per student per year. Please pray for the Lord to incline the hearts of people to sponsor a student, so that each of them would be sponsored, and that everyone else who wishes to receive this discipleship training through our DTS may do so.
"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)
Resources: This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called Keeping a Good Conscience, Repentance That Leads to Life, Not Enduring Sound Doctrine, Remember Lot’s Wife,
All of His Works Praise Him, The Cult of Mormonism, and Demons Disguised as Humans. All of Len's latest articles are available at Old News That's Still Fresh - February 2016. Len's entire collection of his most popular blogs are at Writing for the Master.
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:
- For enabling us to be non-residential missionaries conducting Special Ministries.
- For the Lord's leading, guidance, and help operating the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
- For the three new students enrolling in our DTS on March 1.
- For helping Deji and Emmanuel to find another person to join their LTG.
- For beginning to lift the demonic oppression off of Kyle.
- For giving Joseph a wonderful, seventh birthday party.
- For protecting us and keeping our power on during the ice storm.
- For the reach of our evangelistic outreach to Jews.
- For our newest outreach to the military.
- For the lives being touched for Christ around the world through our writing ministry.
- For the words of encouragement we have received from the people being touched.
- For the lessening of Len's back and sciatic symptoms.
- For the Lord to heal Len from lower spine and sciatic trouble, causing chronic pain.
- For the Lord to assist us with the Doulos Training School (DTS), as well as develop through it many disciples who make disciples, resulting in multiplication for His glory. And for the Lord to help each one of them to find an LTG partner to meet with for discipleship.
- For Sherry's safety until her work contract in Lebanon is completed, and the Lord's purpose for her to be fulfilled when she returns to Kenya.
- For the Lord to deliver from evil our brother Kyle, who's suffering from mental illness and demon possession.
- For the Lord to place military people in our path who are ready for the gospel, and who will later be used by the Lord to reach many others for Christ here and in the uttermost parts of the earth.
- For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
- For the Lord to send his angels with Len’s written messages to those who need them, and for an open heaven over them when they receive his messages.
- For the Lord to move mountains to raise up new faith partners, including those who would sponsors our students, and to provide for all our needs -- not only ours personally, but also those of the 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
Doulos Missions International
PO Box 5526
Manchester, NH 03108-5526
Donate Online
