August Update 2018

Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!  We're pleased to share with you the amazing things the Lord has been doing in our lives and ministry.  

Family: In August we celebrated Faith's sixteenth birthday with cake, cards, gifts, and prayer for her. She received a new, mint-colored bicycle, which is her first one since we returned to the States five years ago. It will be nice for her to finally get behind the handlebars once again after so long (see link to album below).

Meanwhile the children are wrapping up the final weeks of summer vacation before they have to return to home school at the end of August.

Len has received further healing in his left knee and it has not been causing him pain lately, although his left knee has been throbbing. He is also presently experiencing a significant measure of relief from the lower back and sciatic pain. Praise the Lord.

More photos.    

Ministry: As we continue to administer our discipleship training school (DTS), we'd like to update you on the good things that God is doing with it. By the grace of God, we currently have nineteen disciples in five nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, and now India. Altogether these students speak a total of seventeen different languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Igbo, Idoma, Hausa, Teso, Yoruba, Darkarchi, Bette, French, Kiswahili, Lubukusu, Ngakarimojong, Bambara, Luo and Gishu. All of them speak English.

A new student named brother Herbert in Uganda has enrolled in our DTS, and will begin his training on September 1. He says he came to Christ in 2006 and is enrolling in the DTS to know more about God and His Word. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve him and look forward to doing so over the next three years. He will be starting a Life Transformation Group (LTG) in Kampala with brother Grace, who is already a First Year Second Quarter student and a pastor in that capital city.

Speaking of brother Grace in Uganda, Len received an email from him in July regarding his progress with the training. He wrote:

Herbert (L) and Grace (R) in Uganda

"Hi brother Len,

I am blessed to be part of this training. In this second quarter, a lot is happening as my life is changed through the teachings. Such lessons like Ultimate Accountability, Apostles Creed, The Judgment Seat of Christ, [the] one standard of judgment [for all], the Testimonies of hell and heaven, etc. I have discovered a lot, I may not mention all here, but really my life has turned around!!!!. Glory to Him!

Brother Grace Okurut"

Glory to God for what He is doing in this pastor's life through our DTS training. Only the Lord can change a life. Praise the Lord!

We also received an email in August from brother John, who is one of our students in Nigeria. He stated:

"The Lord has richly blessed me through the DTS. My spiritual life is growing spontaneously from the study of various Christian articles published by our dear brother in the Lord. We have formed an evangelical group to preach the Gospel to other people in our locality, and the Lord is helping to reach them. By Thursday we will be in Abija in Boki Local Government under the auspices of  the Assembles of God church. Catholics and non catholic are invited to hear more about the Word of God. I really thank DTS for enlightening my knowledge to preach and tell others about Christ. The Word of God is becoming clear to me. Thank God for brother Len and his family and my follow students in DTS.

May God bless you all in Jesus Name."

DTS Photo Album.

In August, another DTS student named Stephen from Nigeria sent in the following testimony by email:

Stephen in Nigeria

"Dear Bro Len, ...I write to testify that DTS has helped me with His teachings. I have been corrected by the teachings of the Word I am learning here...I have to change my ways too with the teachings...[It's] so loving of God to give us enough [chances] to miss hell and make home...

DTS is helping me to live by God's Word, and I am very grateful to God for this Sound doctrine being preached in the midst of Prosperity [-focused], earth-bound messages in this age...

God bless you

Regards

Stephen"

Len also received this testimony in August from our student Albin in India, who has been going through a very difficult experience needing deliverance:

"Dear Brother,

Praise the Lord!

Brother, I have two testimonies to share with you. If you wish, you can add them as seems right to you.

Albin in India

First, as I told you I had some discords with God, out of my unbelief, and hence acted foolishly. Now it seems to me, God allowed that for a beautiful reason.

I had been having negative thoughts towards God and lack of faith and unbelief, as a result of demonic oppression. Even after my bad behaviour, God never left me. He was still there in his love with open arms. And reconciled me. In this way, all the negativeness from the enemy that I had been suppressing in myself, came out and I felt much RELIEF. Before, I was not able to see God's love for me clearly and was not able to worship him truly as I was fighting against the negative thoughts the enemy was dropping on me. But now, I'm able to have a better relationship with God.

Although we cannot get our mind around his boundless love, nevertheless, I have a clearer picture of God love for me. As Romans 5:20 says, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:8). "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "

I give glory to God Almighty for orchestrating my wrong decisions and beliefs about him, into an experience of showing his love for me

Also, by God's grace, this month, I began my college and I got admission in the very college I wanted to be admitted to at the first place.

So praise the Lord God for that, too.

Regards with love,

Albin"

Praise the Lord for the marvelous things the Lord has done for Albin this month! Please pray for him as we continue to stand with him for his deliverance, and he will also need the Lord's special grace as he enters college for the first time.

One of our DTS students in Mali, Africa named Collete wrote to Len near the end of June to let us know that she had accidentally fallen in her bedroom and fractured her thigh. She was told she would need surgery, so she traveled to her home country of Kenya to receive the medical care. At that time she requested prayer for healing, which we have been praying for. Now nearly two months later she emailed us in August with this praise report:

Collete in Mali

"Dear brother Leonard,

The grace and mercy of the Lord be upon you too.  Actually I have been doing very well in the Lord.  I am very grateful to the Most High for what He has just done in my life.  I came to Nairobi a month ago with a fractured femur and the only solution was to undergo a surgery.  The cost was exorbitant (about $7,500) and I had to wait up to September for the specialist.  All this was overwhelming to me since I was in such pain. Besides [that] the doctor had told us to be prepared to lose a lot of blood during the process.  I went to my God in prayers; I cried to Him and told Him His blood on the cross was enough and I did not have to lose even a drop of my blood.  I waited upon the Lord.  Meanwhile not to have the fracture be damaged further we got a nurse to tie a firm plaster around the injured place while we kept on prayers with brothers and sisters in the Lord. I believe that God was able to heal me without the operation.  Last Friday 10th August the plaster was removed and I went for an x-ray and this was the result.

1. There is total hip replacement insitu (i.e., in the normal location)
2. Normal alignment of the hip joint is maintained
3. Joint space and peri-articular fat planes are preserved.
4. The articular margins are smooth and regular
5. Peri-articular soft tissues appear normal.

The doctor could not understand how this healing process had taken place without a surgery.  He did it (my Lord) a miracle! Hallelujah, glory be to his name.  I am now walking with one support and am starting my physiotherapy....I do not have words to express my gratitude.

Stay blessed

Sister Collete"

Hallelujah! Glory to God for this miraculous healing that she has received through prayer. According to the doctor, she received a total hip replacement (as well as other miraculous healing related to her leg and hip) without surgery, which could only be by the hand of the Lord. Please join us in praising God for it and praying for a complete recovery for sister Collete. She is now in her third and final year of DTS, and has continued her studies despite her injury.

We reported last month that our DTS students attending the University of Jos in Plateau State, Nigeria were unable to attend their university classes, since they had been temporarily suspended due to the hostilities and violence from the Muslim Fulani herdsmen who were terrorizing that region. These Fulani herdsmen had actually massacred some villages. The latest report Len received from one of our students there was that there was peace, that classes had been resumed, and they were taking their final exams. Praise the Lord for keeping them all safe in the midst of this dangerous crisis.

Len sent out his monthly edition of Old News That's Still Fresh in August to pastors, elders, and laborers in the harvest in the US, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Although we are not based overseas any more, we are still missionaries and still need your financial and prayer support of our ministry. Please pray and ask the Father if He would have you give.

"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 Walking by Faith, Our God is an Awesome God, and Life by the Spirit, Not Under the Law. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- August 2018. His 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:.

1. For giving Faith a wonderful birthday.
2. For the way He has revealed His love for Albin and lifted him out of a pit. 
3. For the marvelous healing that sister Collete received.
4. For John's ministry of preaching the gospel in Nigeria.
5. For protecting our brethren in Plateau State, Nigeria, especially our DTS students who are attending the University of Jos, and for restoring peace to this area. 
6. For the enrollment of brother Herbert in our DTS. 
7. For the amazing life change that brothers Grace and Stephen have been experiencing through the power of God as they continue with their DTS training.
8. For helping brothers Grace and Herbert in Kampala, Uganda to start a Life Transformation Group (LTG) together.
9. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
10. For the Lord's leading, guidance, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
11. For the lives being touched for Christ around the world through our writing ministry.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to heal Len's lower back and sciatic pain.
2. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema.
3. For complete healing of sister Collete's leg.
4. For the Lord to bring about a mighty revival among the students at the University of Jos, Nigeria, and to help those who are in our DTS to pass their final exams at the university. 
5. For the Lord to assist us with the administration of the Doulos Training School (DTS), as well as develop through it many disciples who multiply disciples. 
6. For the Lord to help Hannah develop herself spiritually so she can be a better, influential believer to the glory of God.
7. For the Lord to help all of our DTS students to find LTG partners (another Christian to meet with weekly for discipleship in a Life Transformation Group). 
8. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
9. 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. 
10. For the Lord to move mountains to raise up new faith partners, and for Him to provide for all our needs -- not only ours personally, but also those of the ministry -- as He releases a financial miracle.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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