September 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.  

Charity

Family: In August the children finished their summer vacation and resumed their home school studies. Hope is now a senior in high school, Faith is a sophomore, Christopher is in eighth grade, and Joseph is in third. Charity continues to work at Chick-fil-A, and the Lord has blessed her with both a much-needed pay raise and more hours. She recently marked her one year anniversary of working there, and has also been encouraged to become a Trainer, which she is prayerfully considering. Please pray that if it is the Lord's will, she will take advantage of that opportunity.

In September, we learned from the news that a category four hurricane named Florence with a diameter of five hundred miles was heading for our state, and the governor declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm. The weather service was calling it "unprecedented" and our home was in the predicted path that the hurricane was expected to take. The meteorologists were saying it was going to be the storm of a lifetime, which was echoed by President Trump and our governor. So we prayed and asked our praying friends to pray along with us for a dome of protection over us and our property. We spoke to the storm in the name of Jesus Christ and commanded it to turn away. We also forbade it from doing any damage on our property.

Then something amazing happened. The storm diminished in power to a category two hurricane as the wind speeds within it decreased. And instead of heading inland toward us, Hurricane Florence tracked southwestward toward South Carolina. Weather Channel meteorologist Greg Postel said. "I've never seen anything like this."  That's because it's supernatural! By the time it made landfall on the coast it had downgraded to a dangerous Category One hurricane with life-threatening winds. The storm is now expected to make a circuitous route in a hook-like fashion, completely skirting around our region's dome of divine protection (pictured left), weakening to a tropical depression by the time it passes by us, and only dropping about five to eight inches of rain here locally where we live.

As this newsletter is being published, the storm is in progress near the coast of North Carolina, tracking westerly toward South Carolina. Half a million are without electricity and that is expected to rise to as many as three million. Two people have already been reportedly killed. Life threatening, catastrophic flash flooding has been forecast for our state through September 18th as the storm slowly moves through with prolonged torrential rainfall. We are grateful that the Lord has shifted it away from us and we continue to trust Him for protection. If you are interested in tracking it, you can use this Storm Tracker and click the plus sign to the upper left to zoom in.

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 twenty-two disciples in six nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, India, and now Rwanda. 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.

Jean Baptiste in Rwanda (L) and Charity in Nigeria (R)

One of our previous students in Rwanda, Africa, brother Jean Baptiste, took a hiatus from the DTS for the past several months and earned his Masters of Divinity degree. He resumed his training with us on September 1, and we are very glad to have him back with us. He is a pastor and evangelist, and part of his ministry is making disciples, so it's with pleasure that we reunite together once again. We are also pleased to have sister Charity from Nigeria back with us again, after she took a brief leave to finish her university degree. We extend a warm welcome back to both of them. Praise the Lord!

We are also pleased to report that a new, Spirit-filled, married couple named brother Uchenna and sister Henrietta in Nigeria have enrolled in our DTS, and began their training with us on September 1. Uchenna is 41 years old and tells how he came to know Christ 18 years ago:

"I had a friend some time in 1999, we were both unsaved and fulfilled the lust of flesh then. But I travel away from my friend during Christmas that December. By the time I came back in January 2000, my friend had been converted to Christ, and I had no other option than to join him, [so I] gave my life to Christ to the glory of God."

He said his reason for enrolling is, "I have the zeal to work for God, and I believe I have the call of God upon me. So I need the knowledge to do the work more effectively."

Uchenna and Henrietta in Nigeria

His wife Henrietta is 31 years old and described her salvation experience 11 years ago in January 2007. She says, "I went for a church service and altar call was made I responded to the call and gave my life to God." She states her reason for joining is, "I want to enroll because the Lord gave me a revelation that my blessing is in serving Him through evangelism. And I want to know more of His Word and more of Him because He has been merciful to me and has delivered me."

Praise the Lord for this precious couple. We look forward to serving them over the next three years. Let's pray for Uchenna to obtain the knowledge to do the Lord's work more effectively and fulfill the call of God on his life, and for sister Henrietta to know more of God and His Word, so that she can fulfill her evangelistic calling.

Len corresponded with brother Herbert in Uganda in early September shortly after he began his training with us. He responded, "Please, I have started and it's inspiring not only me but also my wife whom am sharing with about Who is God? God bless you." Praise the Lord!

Len has been in touch with Albin in India, who is in college now studying for his Bachelor's of Business Administration. He is feeling desperate and in need of deliverance. He does not think he sees any good fruit in his life, and he is still doubting his salvation. These are the same things that have plagued him since he came to Christ in April. Please pray for him to have an assurance of his salvation and receive complete deliverance from all evil.

DTS Photo Album.

Joshua Akin in Nigeria

One of our new students, brother Joshua Akin in Nigera, who has just completed his first quarter of training, wrote to us in August:

"Grace, power and mercy be multiplied in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ..

Glory be to God for your life and the ministry and the unquantifiable blessings and invaluable impartation they all have been to many lives and destinies, especially to me.

Firstly, I want to thank God for the divine impartation, knowledge, and spiritual blessings the DTS teachings have been to my life. All the teachings are a rich treasure and have been transforming my life...

I'm trusting God for a deeper and intimate love relationship, His perfect will be done in every area of my life, and divine restoration and recovery of the years and things the devil has stolen in my life.

Finally, I pray that the new quarter will launch every disciple to the fullness of God's presence, power, and glory, and the God of all sufficiency will deal bountifully with you and every disciple in this great commission.

Thanks, sir.

Yours in the faith,

Joshua Akin"

Glory to God for what He is doing in this brother's life through our DTS training. Only the Lord can transform a life. Praise the Lord! Let's agree with brother Joshua as touching those things he is praying for.

Wedding Announcement

Deji and Hannah in Nigeria

We have great news to share with you. Most of you probably recall that our first student Deji in Nigeria, who began training with us in August 2015 and has only two quarters left of his final year, became engaged to his fiancée Hannah in September 2016. They began their premarital counseling in May 2017, and had initially hoped to get married in December of last year. However, due to finances, their wedding has been delayed up until now. Len received an email at the end of August from Deji saying:

"I [would]...like to let you know that a date has been picked for our wedding. The engagement (traditional wedding) and Church wedding shall take place on the 12th and 13th of October this year to the glory of God. The Lord has been providing for us and we also are preparing. I've gotten an apartment and some household necessities. We trust that the Lord will perfect all that He has began to do. I wish that you were present at our wedding but I understand that the distance and cost of traveling would be much. To God be the glory!!!"

Hallelujah!!!! Glory to God. It has been a long wait for this couple, and it is all finally coming to pass. The Lord will really bless them for waiting. Deji realized only after the wedding date was set for October 13, 2018 that he first met Hannah on October 13, 2015, exactly three years to the day. What a divine coincidence, which seems to confirm that it is the Lord's will for them to be married at this particular time! Let's pray for them as they make all the preparations, so that the Lord would fully provide and that this would be a very special wedding celebration for them.

More DTS Testimonies

You may recall that over the past several months we had requested prayer for one of our DTS students named David in Nigeria (pictured below), who was experiencing severe abdominal pain. We had reported several weeks ago during the summer that his symptoms had subsided significantly. However, Len received an email from him in early September saying, "I am now free from the abdominal pain." Praise the Lord that he is finally healed completely. Thank you for joining us in prayer for him.

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

David in Nigeria and Olugbenga in the United Kingdom

One of our DMI Board members sent Len an email in September to inform us that his wife Hope gave birth to another child on September 9. He wrote:

"Beloved Brother Len,

Grace, mercies and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ abide with you forever, amen.

Hope had a new baby boy on Sunday morning after days of staying in the hospital. Both mother and baby are well. Hope's health has not been looking good, but we thank God for his mercies.

God bless you.

Bro Olugbenga"

Praise the Lord for a healthy baby boy. We agree with brother Olugbenga for the Lord to have mercy on his wife Hope and restore her health.

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 The Authority of the Believer, The Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Belonging to the Lord, Colombian Woman Died, Saw Heaven and Hell, and a special report you don't want to miss on Catholic Priests Molesting Children. Also see Speak to the Storm! Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- September 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 placing a dome of divine protection around us, weakening the hurricane, and shifting its track southward and westward in a circuitous path around us.
2. For Charity's increase in wages and hours and the opportunity to become a Trainer.
3. For the enrollment of brother Uchenna and sister Henrietta into our DTS. 
4. For helping Jean Baptiste and Charity Bisong to earn their Master's degrees and resume their training with us once again.
5. For the amazing life change that brother Joshua Akin has been experiencing through the power of God as he continues with his DTS training.
6. For the definite plans that Deji and Hannah finally have in place to get married in October and the Lord's provision for it.
7. For completely healing brother David from severe abdominal pain.
8. For the safe delivery of brother Gbenga's new baby boy.
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 the Lord to restore the health of brother Gbenga's wife Hope.
4. For the Lord's will concerning the opportunity for Charity to become a Trainer.
5. For Joshua and all our students to have a deeper and more intimate love relationship, for God's perfect will be done in every area of their lives, and for divine restoration and recovery of the years and things the devil has stolen in their lives.
6. For Uchenna to obtain the knowledge to do the Lord's work more effectively and fulfill the call of God on his life, and for sister Henrietta to know more of God and His Word, so that she can fulfill her evangelistic calling.
7. For the Lord to provide all that brother Deji and sister Hannah need to get married on October 12th and 13th, and for his presence to be upon them. 
8. For the Lord to deliver Albin from evil and give him an assurance of his salvation.
9. 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. 
10. 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). 
11. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
12. 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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PO Box 5526
Manchester, NH 03108-5526

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