Tuesday, December 14, 2021

December Update -- 2021

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

Family
: In November, we celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with a time of thanksgiving to God around the table for all of his blessings to us, followed by a turkey dinner with all the fixings and a pumpkin pie for dessert. We had a good time of fellowship together.

In December, Christopher finished his first semester college course, and turned in all of his project assignments on time. One of them was that he had to create a Powerpoint presentation on a subject of his own choice. So he chose to do one that he called Sacrifice of Love: the Greatest Event in the History of Mankind, in which he presented the gospel in a very creative way. You can view his presentation here at this link, which is best viewed in full-screen "slideshow" mode on your computer. After you click the above link, you can switch to full screen mode by either pressing Control + F5 or clicking on the "Slideshow" button above the presentation. In this mode, you will need to advance the slides manually, unless you set it to autoplay as follows: While in this mode, hover over the bottom left corner and click the three dots to open the "options menu". Select "Autoplay" and your choice of advance time. Then click "Play" at the top of that list.

Charity has been experiencing significant, chronic asthma symptoms and carpal tunnel syndrome pain in her right wrist, as well as pain in her lower jaw and feet, so we are praying for her healing from those afflictions. Len had to see the dentist urgently for repair of a filling that came out. Unfortunately he's still having pain in that tooth, so we're praying for healing and would appreciate you joining us. 

Faith continues to look for another job, since the one she has only has her scheduled for one day a week, and that is only for three hours. Please continue to pray that she will find a job right where the Lord wants her that will provide the hours she needs


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 disciples in seven nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, South Sudan, India, and the United Kingdom.

In November, we had two new students in Uganda enroll in the DTS, brother Jimmy and brother Pascal, who are both LTG partners of brother Max, who is also a student.

The Lord led Len to write an article about these three brothers and how Jimmy and Pascal came to know the Lord through a Spirit-led evangelism strategy that the Lord gave to Max. The article is called A Spirit Led Strategy for Evangelism.

Brother Jimmy says he enrolled in the DTS: "To be equipped for the work of ministry of the Lord and also to be spiritually mature." A week after enrolling in the DTS, he wrote: "Praise the Lord! Ever since I started reading about Who is God, my understanding about God has completely changed, because I see God in everything I do. Thank God for DTS. May God bless you, brother Len."

Brother Pascal, who is South Sudanese and living in Uganda enrolled in the DTS for the following reasons: "I want to share my testimony with others, that they may know Jesus and have eternal life." He also stated, "I want to acquire more knowledge to share the gospel, so that, when I reach my country south Sudan I will be able to teach more people who can [then] bring others back to Jesus." 

In November, Len received the following email from Henry from Uganda, who spends most of his time in South Sudan:

"Dear bro Leonard,

I join you to thank God for being so good to us for the healing and the gift of life.

On my side, since I joined the DTS Bible school, my confidence in the Lord has increased greatly. And I thank God that through the LTG groups, we have impacted so many lives in south Sudan. People are giving their lives to Jesus Christ. 

I was [very] moved to know the things of the Spirit, when you shared the revelation about the Holy Spirit, (especially) the evidence of the [baptism with] Holy Spirit in someone's life. May God continue blessing you with your entire family."
 
Len corresponded by email in November with sister Catherine in the UK, regarding one of the articles she read as a First Year Second Quarter student in our DTS. She had read the article on Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God, and shared an amazing supernatural experience that she once had as a youth, while striving to draw closer to the Lord. Len has written an article about her testimony, which you can read here: Supernatural Encounter While Striving to Draw Closer to God.

We believe you will be very blessed when you read it.

In December, Len received the following testimony from brother John, one of our first year students, who is a pastor in India:

"Greetings to you in Jesus' precious name.

Really I am very much blessed by DTS training and have become a blessing for others [in my LTG]. The subjects I study in my DTS Courses are really helpful for my spiritual growth and sermon preparation. I am very thankful to all the DTS authorities, and I am very much grateful to brother Len.

Shalom.
John Sobhan.
India."


In December, one of our graduates, brother John in Nigeria, notified Len that he has been asked to pastor a church called Charismatic Renewal Ministries Church in Kakum community, Obudu in Cross River State. He will soon be moving there with his wife to assume his new pastoral role, for which he has been well equipped. Please pray for him in this transition.

Sister Hannah in Nigeria has two young ladies in her LTG that she is mentoring, and their names are Faith and Peace. Her husband Deji, who is one of our graduates, also has an LTG with two brothers that he meets with for discipleship. 

In December, Len received the following testimony from brother Shadrach, who is one of our Third Year students in Nigeria:

"I give God glory for all that is happening in my life through the DTS. This study has opened my eyes to so much I did not understand about spiritual warfare, consistency, and discipline in the place of prayer; especially while I studied the five fire books. I also thank God for the LTG process, which has so far contributed to my own personal growth and that of my partner. God bless the DTS."


Len also received the following testimony in December from sister Rebecca in South Sudan, who is a first year student. She wrote:

"Dear Bro Leonard,

Praise be to our God!
Ever since I joined DTS, I feel enlightened about the word of God. I always used to read the Bible at the time I am expected to share the Word. It was difficult to get me reading the Word of God; but from the time I started my course -- I can't tell how this happened -- but I realized I had developed a character of reading the Bible daily. I didn't understand the Word [while] meditating [on] the Word of God, but I have gone through practical transformation whereby, if I am not reading the Word, my mind automatically connects to the Word of God. I always desired to preach and to pray, whenever I saw someone teaching I would admire [them]. I always tried to pray, but could only pray for a short time and run out of words. But I thank God, I can now teach the Word of God; and through the devotion prayers that were shared with me by brother Leonard, I just found myself praying for hours.

Stay blessed.
Sis Rebecca."

Moreover, brother Tom in Uganda, who is a Third Year student, gave this testimony of God's faithfulness:

"Greetings to all my brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

I am here to testify of what the Lord has done and is still doing in my life. When I joined DTS as a first year student, I was a church pastor of a very small congregation. Time came when I started engaging myself into serious studies of the material given, including our LTG programme. My level of delivering the message changed. More members were added to us. To tell you the truth, the congregation is looking for a truth-based church, not a philosophical church (a church that teaches human theories other than the gospel). 

During last year's lock down, I was promoted to a full pastoral office that would be able to oversee several churches, unlike a church pastor who oversees only one church. With God's grace and mercy this year, my bishop promoted me to a regional administrator, and my area of operation includes: services, ministry extension, and official handling. 

My special thanks goes to brother Leonard and the family, including all the ministry partners. My appeal to all the family of DTS is let's gain the right knowledge through DTS, and we will eradicate rottenness in the body of Christ.

Be blessed."

Praise the Lord! To God be the glory for the great things He has done.

Len sent out his monthly edition of Old News That's Still Fresh in December to pastors, elders, and laborers in the harvest in the US, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia. We highly recommend reading the articles contained in this edition.

Resources: We would like to remind you that 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:
  1. For allowing us to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday together, and for all the wonderful blessings that we thanked God for.
  2. For helping Christopher to finish his first semester college course and to create his gospel presentation.
  3. For the amazing testimonies submitted by our DTS students.
  4. For the way the Lord is multiplying disciples through our students.
  5. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
  6. For the Lord's leading, guidance, wisdom, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
Next steps and prayer needs:
  1. For the Lord to help Faith find another job since she is not getting enough hours at her new one.
  2. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema, Len from tooth pain, and Charity from asthma, wrist pain, jaw pain, and foot pain.
  3. For the Lord to provide for all the needs of our DTS students in the hardships they're experiencing. 
  4. For the Lord to assist all our DTS students in any life challenges they may be experiencing.
  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 all of our DTS students to find LTG partners (another Christian to meet with weekly for discipleship in a Life Transformation Group). 
  7. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
  8. For the Lord 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.
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

Monday, November 15, 2021

November Update -- 2021

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

Family
: In October, Jennifer took a long, overdue trip to see her parents in West Virginia for her father's birthday (photos at link below). She had a wonderful visit with them and returned home safely to us afterward, for which we are very grateful. 

In October, Charity was sick for a few days, but the Lord healed her. However, our other ones here ended up getting sick with it, and are still getting over it.

In November, we celebrated Hope's twenty-first birthday (photos at link below). However, she caught the illness that Charity had and was sick on her birthday, which was disappointing for her. She continues to teach English as a second language to students from many different countries of the world. Although she recovered from the cold virus that she had on her birthday, she then had to fight a stomach illness of some kind that made it difficult to keep food and liquids down, but the Lord has now healed her. Praise the Lord!

Christopher has finished memorizing the entire book of Revelation, and is in the process of practicing the last couple chapters to make sure he's got everything correct on those. It's been a blessing listening to him recite those chapters each week. Praise the Lord! To God be all the glory for helping him to memorize Scripture.

Since Faith is only getting one day a week at her job, she will begin looking for a second job. Please pray that she will be hired at the place she has in mind to apply with.


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 disciples in seven nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, South Sudan, India, and the United Kingdom.

In October, Len sent out to all the DTS students a Covenant Prayer, as well as another prayer to break ties with the enemy called Divorcing the Devil. Here are the responses he received from students who found these helpful:

Brother Grace, a pastor and DTS Facilitator in Uganda, wrote:

"Hi dear brother Len,

Both the Covenant Prayer and Divorcing the Devil prayer have impacted my life. I'm repeating these prayers and enjoying them. My family is joining  me in saying these prayers; it's really powerful!! This one about Divorcing the Devil is real and changed my life! Even before I finished praying I found my life completely freed from the devil's forces and I want to say that I'm rejoicing; completely free, very confident, the Lord won the battle against the devil. Much blessings to you brother Len in Jesus' Name!

Your brother Grace Okurut." 

Len received many other positive comments from the students after they prayed these prayers. Here were just a few of them: 

"This prayer helps me to live for God and His will alone. It has really blessed my life, encouraged me and gave me direction how to dedicate my life and serve God in the truth and spirit. Jesus you are worthy!" 

"I say this covenant prayer almost everyday. Each time I do that I feel refreshed in my spirit."

"Shalom... thanks for the covenant prayer it made me to be more strong in Jesus."

"The covenant prayer...really moved me to total dependence on God especially the concluding part which says 'Send many workers [into the harvest field]...'"

"The Covenant Prayer...really moves one deeper in the Lord, and I feel a new level of commitment to the one true God in the words of this prayer."

Brother Max in Uganda celebrated his 36th birthday in October and posted on Facebook. He was surprised when a stranger from the Rhino camp for Sudanese refugees came looking for him, having been directed by some lady. The man confessed that he had been involved in witchcraft for many years. After sharing about that, he gave his life to the Lord; glory be to the Lord for what He has done! In addition to that, Brother Max with his team in Uganda have won George to Christ after their LTG meeting prayers. He wrote: 

"Brother Len,

I am forever grateful for what the Lord is doing with our second team of LTG group which is the generational LTG group (formed out of the first one). After our weekly meeting, (in which we ask each other) the five accountability questions and prayer, we also arrange for going out to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, so as to engage the non believer friends whose names appear in our weekly prayer requests. (One of those people was) Brother George, (who) prayed to receive Jesus. We ask our entire LTG team everywhere to pray for the spiritual growth of all those who are praying to receive salvation. Thanks with much love from Uganda west Nile Arua City!"

Brother Martin in Uganda finds the DTS training very helpful as the teachings are changing their lives; this has resulted in sharing with their Church members about it and inviting them to join LTGs. 

Brother Jimmy's ministry is now recognized in his region, and ministers from other Churches are wondering where he received his training!

Brother Grace had told Len recently that there is truly an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that has begun to occur in Uganda where he serves as a pastor. Afterward in October, as Len was discussing this outpouring with Jennifer, which we've been reporting about in this monthly newsletter, Jennifer shared what the Lord had shown her while she was there in Uganda during her internship in 1996. She states:

"While there in January/February of 1996, I strongly sensed that God's favor was on Uganda to bring healing and restoration. In my spirit, I saw a map of Uganda with rays of God's glory shooting forth into nations of East Africa, West Africa, North Africa, and even the Middle East.  It seemed that these rays not only represented laborers being sent forth, but also the testimony of God's goodness that will arise from this nation that has experienced much destruction."

We both feel that this vision is now being fulfilled, and we are getting to participate with God in its fulfillment. One of the ways that Uganda is already impacting East, West, and South Africa is through this monthly newsletter, in which we report what the Lord is doing in Uganda, by which our students in the other parts of Africa are being encouraged as they read of it. Praise the Lord! 


Brother Richard in Uganda wrote to Len in October with a wonderful testimony. Here is an excerpt from it:

"I am so grateful to the Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit, who has prompted three Moslems and one young man, who was a video editor in a [well-known] musical group, to salvation in this month through witnessing Christ.

And [this has also happened] through discipleship and acts of love, showing Christ to our community, and the church members giving out food support to the needy people in the love of Christ.

Many are revived and strong again in Christ.

I am grateful as a student in DTS for the knowledge in scriptures and discipleship courses. We live by caring for others as a ministry.

Thank you bro. Len and DTS
Pray for us.
Richard in Ugandan- Iganga"


Brother Tom in Uganda has seen the numbers of people in the Church he pastors tripling as a result of the training he has received through the DTS. He has experienced great changes in his life and ministry as there are miracles of healing and deliverance everywhere they go.

"Greetings to everyone in the name of Jesus Christ.

I am here to testify what the Lord is doing through our outreach ministry in Lira, Uganda.

It has now been two weeks since we began experiencing the great and mighty hand of God in our midst. For a couple of weeks, we preached to many through radio and YouTube, and the following well-known secular artists got saved: "General eyes" (one of the best artists in Uganda), "Orchard Raymond" (a Sudanese music artist), "Brazen Rule" (one who prophesied about the birth of Lira city some ten years ago), and many others.

Concerning healing and deliverance, many were healed and delivered from the power of darkness. We burnt many charms and evil altars. 

One great mystery occurred when we met a man in the crowd who testified to us that he married a certain lady for nearly four years, who was a demon. He surprised us by saying that every evening and night, he finds eighteen goats or three demon ladies in his room, which would appear without his request. The man got saved on that very day. The demon lady has left his family, but her four children are there. We shall reach his work place where he is renting in Masindi, central Uganda.

I am making an attempt to capture his live testimony and send it to all the brethren around the world.
I have only exhausted not even half of the testimony. May you remain strong in the Lord and serve Him with fear and trembling."

Moreover, brother Isaac Odeke had a conference in Karamoja, Uganda and 1,000 people came to the Lord .There were numerous healings in the conference  and also healings in Ngora hospital. He also reported last month that one of his two LTG partners is a former Muslim whom he led to the Lord, whose Christian name now is Joseph. In October he wrote: "The Muslim man who got born again is greatly doing well and learning a lot in the gospel. I am as well organizing a mission for the purpose of soul winning. And he is one of the good people that I have in the team."

Len sent out his monthly edition of Old News That's Still Fresh in November to pastors, elders, and laborers in the harvest in the US, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia. We highly recommend the three articles contained in this edition.

Resources: We would like to remind you that 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:
  1. For allowing us to celebrate Hope's twenty-first birthday.
  2. For healing Hope from the cold flu and stomach illness.
  3. For enabling Jennifer to travel to West Virginia for a few days to visit her parents.
  4. For helping Christopher to memorize the entire book of Revelation.
  5. For the amazing testimonies brothers Grace, Max, Richard, Tom, and Isaac in Uganda.
  6. For the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening in Uganda.
  7. For the way He is multiplying disciples through our students.
  8. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
  9. For the Lord's leading, guidance, wisdom, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
Next steps and prayer needs:
  1. For the Lord to help Faith find another job since she is not getting enough hours at her new one.
  2. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema.
  3. For the Lord to provide for all the needs of our DTS students in the hardships they're experiencing, especially those in dire need in Uganda. 
  4. For the Lord to assist all our DTS students in any life challenges they may be experiencing.
  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 all of our DTS students to find LTG partners (another Christian to meet with weekly for discipleship in a Life Transformation Group), and help them finish all their course work for the current quarter by the end of this month. 
  7. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
  8. For the Lord 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.
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

Friday, October 15, 2021

October Update -- 2021

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

Family
: In September, our son Christopher, who is sixteen and in his high school junior year (grade 11), was accepted to the technical college program for which he applied, called Career and College Promise (CCP). It's a two-year program for qualifying high school students that is conducted primarily online. The certificate he is studying to obtain is called the Technical Support and Services A+ certificate. His first class is Introduction to Computers, and it began on October 14th. Please pray that he will do well in the CCP program.

Faith has become proficient in her new job, and now just needs to improve her speed at it. But her employer is only giving her a couple days a week on the schedule, so let's pray she gets scheduled for more hours each week.

In October, we celebrated Jennifer's birthday with cake, cards, and prayer for her. 

On Wednesday, September 15th, our dearly loved brother, Dr. Andrew Stenhouse transitioned into his heavenly home. As you know he was one of our board members, and Len's closest friend, about whom he had recently written a biographical book called A Willing Heart to Please the Father. He will be dearly missed. In October, Len wrote a loving epilogue to that book, called Homegoing. Plus, here is a special tribute made to him in his home town's local news. Please pray for the Lord to comfort Andrew's daughter Andrea.


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 disciples in nine nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, South Sudan, India, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In September, brother Max in Uganda, who is one of our new students, sent the following testimony to Len:

"Praise the Lord, I am so thankful that I graciously joined the DTS. Since I started reading and studying the first lesson of Theology, Foundations I, and Discipleship, my desire for knowing the word of God is increasing each day. Reading the word of God is becoming a [way of life] for me, especially in the LTG group. Being accountable on the five questions and praying through the guidelines. This helps me to reflect on my life each day to see if I have some sins to confess and repent from those ways to completely turn to God as the Holy Spirit helps me. There is much more refreshing understanding on being born again. [Regarding] the selflessness of living for God...there things at home that I could respond to, which would look like "to win". But now because of the Discipleship teaching, I am learning to respond with understanding of Scriptures to hear from Holy Spirit, so I can live for God, not to myself even at [home] in the family.

I am praying that the Holy Spirit will lead me throughout this course, so I can have more of what He will have me learn. Thanks DTS, Thanks servant brother Len."

In September, Len received the following testimony from brother Max's wife Rebecca, who is one of our new students in Uganda:

"Praise the living God, I am so privileged to have joined DTS. [Regarding] Theology 1-Who is God?: This topic is so rich with biblical definitions of who God is. Before, I only had bits & bites, but studying this has enriched me, and I am applying them to address my condition daily. For example, confessing that God is holy helps me to be holy in all my dealings. In God bids us to come, I have learnt to come to God in prayer to reason with Him things which concern my life(Isaiah 1:18). In Faith Alone, [I learnt that faith] is complete confidence in what God is capable of doing. I am now exercising complete faith, not partial faith. [In my] LTG, sharing the word, prayer and confession [of sin] is restoring hope to all of us as a team. With these testimonies, to God be the glory."

Brother Jimmy in Uganda is doing well and testifies that God is using him through the knowledge he obtained from the DTS. He says that all the Church ministers in Northern Uganda are wondering where he got the training from.

Brother Tom's ministry is receiving more grace for reaching out to the unreached with the help of the vehicle the Lord that brother Dan in his church dedicated to the Lord, which we wrote about in last month's newsletter. 

Brother Justus is seeing an increase as more people are joining the Church; this has been possible due to DTS. 

In October, Len received the following testimony from brother John in India:

"My dear brother Len,

Greetings to you in His precious name. 

The Articles that I come across in our first quarter of the DTS are very useful to my spiritual understanding of the Word of God...These are really extending my spiritual knowledge...I will present the real impact of LTG more clearly soon. I love this course. Thank you, brother Len. 

John"

In September, sister Hannah in Nigeria finished her three years of training in the DTS. What an amazing accomplishment that was for a wife and mother of two. During her time in the DTS, she became engaged to brother Deji (now one of our graduates and the Facilitator for Nigeria), then eventually became married to him, and later she gave birth to their two children. She continued in her DTS training throughout all of this, by the grace of God. Here is her testimony:

"I want to thank God for the opportunity to go through the coursework. It has imparted in me godly virtues. I want to appreciate the board members of DTS for all the coursework,  how to heal the sick videos, Fire books, and all the practical sessions I needed to do through all the 3 years training I did. Sometimes I wish to go through the fire book and read it all over again. Thank you for all you have done. I appreciate it. God bless you sir.

There are some biblical teachings I was grounded into during the training; and some, my understanding was enlightened. I have started to practicalise the teaching on how to heal the sick on others and my family. A neighbour here complained of serious back pain. I lay my hand at his back and prayed for him. A few days later, I asked him about the pain. He said it has vanished. I was happy that God healed him through me.  

I am grateful to God that I went through the training. During the program, sometimes I was discouraged; but the Holy Spirit encouraged me, and he saw me through.

Thanks

Hannah"

Praise the Lord for what He has done in and through sister Hannah's life. She will continue with her current LTG for a period of time, and is expected to graduate in September 2022, Lord willing, once she makes up for missed time doing her practicum.

We received a wonderful testimony in October about brother Richard Balikalaba's LTG member, Bogere Bakali. Bogere's wife has been touched in a tremendous way through the DTS, even though neither she nor Bogere are students in the school. Since her husband has been meeting weekly with our DTS student brother Richard for LTG, she has begun helping to unite women in Church who will soon be forming their own LTG groups for discipleship. Praise the Lord! This is another great example of how the Lord is using the DTS to multiply disciples.


Brother Fredrick in South Africa shared the following testimony with Len in October:

"Greetings to you all, brethren, in the name of God,

I would like to thank the DTS. As for me personally, I have been a blessing to my group members of the LTG (Life Transformation Group) through sharing personal life issues affecting brethren (such as distancing themselves from God, which leads them to disobedience). But ever since, we regrouped [into an LTG], and [began] drawing close to the teachings, and reading the Scriptures on a weekly basis, asking ourselves how transformed we have been through the Holy Spirit, I was overwhelmed when one of my LTG partners, Mr. Riaan Cobus, received God as his personal Saviour and repented and declared himself a son of God. And praise be to God, because now he's influencing his family, too, through his behaviour at home, hence living an example life of a true way a Christian should. Hallelujah. Amen and we glorify the Almighty."

In September, brother Martin in Uganda sent an email to Len about what the Lord is doing in his life so far through the DTS. Here are some excerpts from it:  

"Doulos Training School (DTS) is one of the biggest blessings to my
life and my LTG!

During the past first week of Doulos Training School, my internet connection was very poor, but now it’s working better for me. I thank God for this.

So far I have learned as a disciple of Jesus, I am required to be reading Scripture daily. A good guideline is to read through at least 25-30 chapters in the Bible each week.  Keeping a daily journal [and] using the LTG Bible reading format is a very big help to me, as I abide by and share even more with the lost souls around me.

I thank brother Len, for offering me the opportunity of joining DTS as well through my Life  Transformation Group (LTG). I am also studying my Foundation 1 and Theology articles, which are all amazing to me.

Thanks
Brother Martin"

In September, Len received the following report from sister Catherine in England:

Dear Brother Leonard and Sister Jennifer,

With the studies I have learnt from, they have brought me much closer to the Lord, and as I have surrendered to the Lord more on a daily basis, I have grown closer to our Lord. Especially the article "Hearing the Lord's Voice." 

When I read Hebrews 2: 1-3. it says, "Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard."

I found that the more I read God's word, the more he guides me and brings what he has taught me to remembrance when I need it, and he continues to speak through my conscience daily, especially when I pray and have a quiet time with our Lord.  I shall continue to study, to grow, and to be more of a service to our Lord and to others.

Thank you for such a valuable Bible study course.
From Sister Catherine"  


Len received the following testimony from brother John in October:

"Greetings Bro Len! 

Hope all is well with you and [sister Jennifer]!

I thank you for your well-researched and well-explained information on [the Holy] Trinity. I am glad to have come across this topic, which confuses most people! But now I have read it keenly and understood well that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit exist as one Triune God. The Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit all exist personally though they operate in trinity! I am really blessed. We thank God for this DTS.

Bro John"

Brother Peter in Kenya wrote to Len in October saying:

"Hey brother Len,

It's been good, just seeking the Lord and appreciating His Almighty presence. For some time now, I've been fasting and making prayers to God for the church and the many things I've been aspiring the Lord to accomplish. The Lord says to wait patiently on Him and He will come at His appointed time. 

I've been trusting God to expand my business and to bless me indeed. 

In short, I have quite a testimony. I went to a certain school for a certain business proposal. I wanted to be offered a job to design logos for their school uniforms. Without knowing that they had a big need! In that, they were looking for someone to make them a full supply. As we are talking now, I have been sent the logo to design and to be sent the money, to start supplying all of their uniforms. I give God all the glory for His working and for the many blessings to come."

Moreover, brother Isaac in Uganda is doing very well in his DTS training. He reports the training is helping him with knowledge of God's Word. He has also formed an LTG with two men, one being a former Muslim whom he led to the Lord, whose Christian name now is Joseph.

Brother Deji, our DTS Facilitator in Nigeria, has turned a backslidden Christian student in the university from the error of his way and started an LTG with him. In September, brother Deji wrote to Len: "I sent him the LTG card. He read it, and I think he is impressed with the LTG as a medium for accountability. He selected 1st and 2nd Corinthians as our weekly Bible reading for this week." Praise the Lord that this new believer is hungry for the Word of God and open to accountability.

Resources: We would like to remind you that 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:
  1. For allowing us to celebrate Jennifer's birthday together.
  2. For the Lord letting Christopher's enrollment application be accepted by the college, and helping him to begin his training in October.
  3. For the Lord's faithfulness in helping sister Hannah to finish her three years of DTS training despite all the other things she had going on at the same time, as well as the way He is using her in healing the sick.
  4. For the wonderful testimonies of the students and the wonderful things He is doing in their lives.
  5. For the way He is multiplying disciples through brothers Martin, Isaac, Richard, and Fredrick. 
  6. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
  7. For the Lord's leading, guidance, wisdom, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
Next steps and prayer needs:
  1. For the Lord to heal our daughter Charity from asthma and restore full lung capacity.
  2. For the Lord to provide for all the needs of our DTS students in the hardships they're experiencing due to the lockdown, especially those in dire need in Uganda. 
  3. For the Lord to assist all our DTS students in any life challenges they may be experiencing.
  4. 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. 
  5. 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), and help them finish all their course work for the current quarter by the end of this month. 
  6. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
  7. For the Lord 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.
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

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

September Update -- 2021

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

Family
: In September, the boys returned to their homeschool education. Christopher is in his junior year of high school (grade 11), and has applied for a Career and College program. If he is accepted, he will be taking college courses in the IT Technical Support program. Please pray that he will be accepted and be able to begin on October 14th, when the next quarter starts. There is only one seat left in the class he needs to take first. 

The Lord blessed Faith with a job as a hostess at a restaurant. She got the job without ever going for an interview or meeting the manager. It was all done over the telephone without them ever having met her in person! Coincidentally, she is being trained by another hostess whose name is also Faith. She likes the people she is working with, so we thank God for opening this door for her.

In September, as Len was encouraging Charity from the Scriptures at the dinner table, she felt like the Lord was standing right behind her almost as if He had His hand on her shoulder.

On Wednesday, September 15th, Dr. Andrew Stenhouse  transitioned into his heavenly home. As you know he was one of our board members, and Len's best friend, about whom he had recently written a biographical book called A Willing Heart to Please the Father. He will be dearly missed. Please pray for the Lord to comfort Andrew's daughter Andrea.


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 disciples in nine nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, South Sudan, India, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In August we accepted several new students for enrollment, who will begin in September. The new ones include brother Henry (Uganda), brother Isaac (Uganda), sister Rebecca (Uganda), brother Max (Uganda), brother Martin (Uganda), sister Rebecca (South Sudan), sister Linda (South Sudan), brother John (India), brother Patauli (France), and brother Fredrick (South Africa). We are very grateful to God for sending them to us to train them, and we look forward to serving them over the next three years. We would like to highlight the salvation testimonies of a couple of them. 

Brother John from India, a fifty-two year-old pastor, who holds multiple masters degrees, gave this testimony of coming to Christ in 1999:

"I come from a Christian background family. I love God’s Word, because that is the only light for people living in darkness. To save my faith in Christ, I left a secure job. God blessed me with a gift of teaching and preaching and serving. I believed no one in the world could redeem me, except Jesus.

Nothing gives me more satisfaction than preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So I love to preach His life-giving Word. I love Jesus. Jesus is my personal Savior. For my cause He shed His precious blood and redeemed me. I believe this is my responsibility to preach this as many as I come across. This is my burden."

He also said, "His Gospel touched my life and encouraged me to preach to all the needy." His reason for enrolling is that "This course will be helpful to increase my understanding about some of the spiritual truths, so that I can touch many hearts for Christ, and they can be saved."

Here is the salvation testimony of sister Linda from South Sudan, who got saved in 2010:

"It was in a vision while I was asleep that I received a message on my phone, but couldn't read it, because it wasn't English nor my mother tongue. So I gave up on that message. Later I received the same message the second time. While still wondering [about this], [the thought] came to my mind to scroll down, so that I might find the sender and the name written in English. [So I scrolled down], and indeed it was! This is what was written: "SENDER: JESUS". It was a shock to me! I started crying.  JESUS had sent me a message, but how could I understand it?  

But [then] something happened! I saw a strong light from above to the extent [that] I fell with my face down. For that light was too strong to the extent [that] I [could not] stand it. And a strong voice spoke to me with authority saying, 'Linda, you must be born again!' And I woke up! But though I opened my eyes, they were still [hurting from the light].

This is how I gave my life to Christ, [even] though I [had already been a very] religious [person]." 

Praise the Lord for her testimony. She also shared the following about how she received the baptism with the Holy Spirit:  

"The first time I spoke in tongues was on my sick bed after an operation, when a man of God came to visit me early in the morning in the hospital. While he was praying, the doctor entered the ward for the routine morning round. On finding the man God praying, he touched him on his shoulder and said, please go out. You will come and complete your prayer after I finish my ward round. 

According to the man of God, the moment the doctor said these words, he saw the whole ward covered with a cloud! And this was what happened. He rebuked the doctor with authority saying: 

'I did not come here with your permission! Neither do I need permission from you, because I came here by the command from above! You are treating, but the healer is God! When He says YES no one can say NO!'

(On hearing those words I received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It was my first time to speak in tongues.)

And slowly without another word, the doctor went and waited [outside the room] till the man of God concluded his prayer. Then he entered and apologised to man of God."

What a powerful testimony that was. Praise the Lord!

Sister Rebecca from South Sudan testified how the Lord saved her soul in 2014:

"I was always not peaceful with the life I used to live, but could do nothing about it until one day I came across a man of God preaching...about Jesus Christ the author of peace. I decided to accept Him and my life [has been] changed to now."

She is enrolling because, "I thirst to know the truth in the Lord and also let others know what I know."

Brother Henry from Uganda, who is thirty-two years old, says this is how he came to Christ in 2012:

"In my life [before Christ] I loved football too much, so in the process of playing I sustained an injury. As I was struggling with treatment, I had a friend who kept on preaching to me, and later she invited me to their church, [which] was a born again church. When I went there I got a word that was encouraging about Jesus Christ. I was touched when they called [for] those who wanted to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savour. I went [up] and gave my life to Christ."

He is enrolling because he says, "I have a desire to be a disciple of Christ, to win souls to Christ, and also to make disciples for our Lord Jesus Christ."


Brother Max in Uganda, who is thirty-five years old, has this testimony of God's saving grace in his life back on December 25, 2005:

"I was such a religious person who didn't understand salvation. But at the age of twenty, I was shared to about Jesus Christ. And after understanding, I believed and prayed to receive Jesus as my personal Saviour. Now I am so glad that I am 'born again'. And when I turned twenty-three, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and I spoke in other tongues from then up to date. I thank God."

Praise the Lord! He says he is enrolling "To learn more on how to train disciples for Jesus."

Brother Martin in Uganda is another new student who enrolled on September 1. He has an amazing salvation testimony and life story about how he was an orphan, forced to be a child soldier on the front lines of combat in Sudan. It's called Former Child Soldier Delivered from Alcohol. He now has a ministry called Children of the Light through which he and his wife Rita minister to women and children refugees in Uganda. He says he is enrolling in the DTS "to learn more from DTS to help me grow more spiritual in Christ." We hope you will take a moment to read the short article Len has written about him at the link above.

Sister Catherine in the UK gave the following testimony after reading Len's article on the Laying on of Hands:

"This awesome article about the laying on of hands showed me that this wonderful gift for the healing ministry is just as important as when the Church began in the second Chapter of Acts in the New Testament. 

When the laying on of hands is for the healing of the sick, it is also with the anointing of oil. The laying of hands is also used to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit for new Christians. The laying on of hands is also used to bless a qualified leader for a specific Ministry to bless others in the Church. 

But I found that in the Church I was in, when I preached about the laying on of hands and the gift of healing, the elders of the Church rejected this part of the gospel. The Lord showed me Luke 9: 3-5, as for those who do not receive you, shake the dust off your feet and leave. It is so sad that so many Churches in the UK, don't accept the gift of the laying on of hands and healing. 

I went to a conference a few years ago and the Leader taught of the power of the laying on of hands and the gift of healing. The Leader asked me to pray over his thumb that was cut to the bone by accident. I know very little about the healing ministry, but I decided to just obey the Lord, so I put my hand on his thumb and prayed for Jesus to heal it, 'in Jesus name,' and it was healed. 

Then a lady came up to me to pray over her as she had stomach cancer and only three months to live. So I put my hand on her stomach and prayed in tongues in the Holy Spirit and afterwards she said, "I didn't know you could speak Spanish," I said, " I don't speak Spanish, the Lord spoke through me, so what did he say to you in Spanish?" She said, "Jesus said, "Now is the time for you to accept me into your heart and be saved and I will heal you." So I prayed over her for her salvation then I prayed again over her stomach and she was completely healed. [Afterward] I gave testimony about the healings on stage before the conference ended. 

So our Lord heals today, as the scripture goes, Hebrews. 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." The laying on of hands is so valuable for the Church today. I only wish the Churches in the UK would accept it and teach it. Maybe they will in the future.

Thank you.
Bless you.
From Sister Catherine Atherton"


In August, Len received the following testimony from sister Juliet in Uganda:

"Praise the Lord brother Len.
Greetings to Jennifer and the entire family. I am...sending in my testimony of what the Lord has done for me during my DTS first quarter. I've had phone problems, [but] I've just got my new phone today!

I bless the Lord for DTS that has opened me up to living a new life. A life of faith. The Lord saved me from covid19. My roommate was first diagnosed with covid, and I too got sick with a heavy chest, difficulty in breathing, and cough. But within two weeks the Lord healed me!

I was later given two days to leave the house where I was staying. The little money that I had [in my possession] had also been stolen, the phone was taken, and I was left at a crossroads. But thanks to God that at such a time I had gone through the topic of Foundations I [and had studied the four-part series] By Faith Alone! I am happy that God blessed me with a very beautiful house where I am staying. 

So happy that my LTG produced two more LTGs that are active in street evangelism, [as well as] door-to-door evangelism, and souls are being won every week since we began this. Some of the members would love to join DTS. 

Thank you."

Praise the Lord! What an amazing testimony. And the multiplication of disciples like she is doing is exactly what our goal is through the DTS and is the vision we are seeking to impart. 

Brother Tom, one of our students in Uganda who is a pastor, sent the following amazing testimony to Len in August:

Dear brother Leonard,

My third year in this great Bible school is not in vain. My testimony goes like this:

Immediately once I was enrolled in my third year, everything about me changed, especially my communication of the gospel. Within the shortest time of the lockdown, I managed to form five different home cell fellowships. They study scriptures together, meditate, pray for one another and the nation(s).

One greatest testimony that kept everyone in total surprise was when all the five cells wrote down the prayer request of what they want God to do for them, and one Christian by the name of Dan, who was struggling financially, appeared last Sunday with a new car to be dedicated to God.

This is what he said with tears rolling down his cheek: "I didn't expect anything like this in my life, since I have been surviving on begging and almost left the church because of great Poverty." He sold his land that has taken years for the buyers to surface. [He then bought a car with the money, as well as another big piece of land for his residence]. [After he was] given time to express his emotion, he concluded by dedicating his vehicle to the church for any ministry service like evangelism, crusade, prison ministry, hospital ministry, and pastoral work.

This should be a very big lesson to us: When we have taken a step of faith to serve God, that is when God begins moving in a very special way to meet our needs (Mathew 6:33).   

I encourage all our students all over the world to reach every community for Christ. May God prosper us in our ministries as we gather knowledge from DTS.

Be blessed."

Praise the Lord! We give all the glory to God for what He has done in brother Tom's life, transforming his ministry and helping him establish five house church groups. It's truly amazing!

In Nigeria, a married couple in our DTS by the name of Stephen and his wife Daniel, are doing very well with their training. Not only are they progressing well with their coursework, but they have both grown their LTGs to the point where they have both multiplied their original groups into two groups. So brother Stephen's original LTG is now two groups and sister Daniel's LTG is now two groups. You may recall that before they moved to the village recently to begin pastoring a church, they had likewise been multiplying LTGs in their previous location where they had lived before. So the Lord is truly using them to multiply disciples. Praise the Lord for the growth! Pray that He will continue to use them that way and that all of our students will catch the same vision and follow suit.

In September, brother John from Uganda sent the following testimony to Len:

"I am so grateful to God for the opportunity to be in this DTS! For sure I am no longer that one who can be tossed here and there by every wind of doctrine! Now I can handle some serious doctrinal truths better than before! And it has helped me to pose questions on our WhatsApp platforms that have made the group excited more than before. Every time they see my post on the platform, many become active in participating in the Bible discussion. This has really lifted my spirit and capacity! I can't thank enough. The joy and blessings [I have] gotten, have [led] me to bring more [students] on board to this DTS. I would like to thank Len and wife, my facilitator, brother Grace, who tirelessly checks on my progress, all the partners supporting this program, and all the students and others praying for this DTS program! God bless you all abundantly in Christ Jesus.

Brother John"

Moreover, one of our newest students in Uganda, brother Isaac, is twenty-seven years old, was saved at age twelve in 2006, and loves to sing. He wrote to Len with this testimony only thirteen days into his training:

"Good morning. My life testimony since I began my DTS: My spiritual life has changed and this training has helped me to time myself on a daily reading of the word. It's also helped to learn that we should not take the glory to ourselves but [give it] unto the Lord. It has changed my prayer life daily. It's taught me how to live the life of a minister of the gospel."

We give God all the glory for the work He has already begun. Brother Isaac has already identified three prospective LTG partners and is praying for them to join him.

Len received the following email from brother Humphrey in Uganda:

"Hello Brother Len,

Greetings, I hope the Lord has kept you and the entire family well. We bless God for this far he has brought us amidst unprecedented times occasioned by COVID19. It has been and is still great being part of DTS. I have learnt a lot.

[I] am perfectly sure [the DTS] offers me a lifetime opportunity as a minister of the Gospel to review, upgrade and correct views previously held in false or partial understanding due to lack of correct teachings. I am glad I am able to rightly divide the word of truth now.

Thank you for allowing this to happen through you .

Brother Humphrey" 

Praise the Lord!

Resources: We would like to remind you that 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:
  1. For providing Faith with a job so quickly and easily.
  2. For giving the boys a great summer vacation and helping them to resume their home school education.
  3. For the Lord's tangible hand upon Charity while Len was encouraging her.
  4. For all the new students from around the world who enrolled in the DTS and began training in September, and for helping brother John to refer most of them to us.
  5. For brother Grace and sister Florence's help in referring new students to us.
  6. For the wonderful salvation testimonies of the new students.
  7. For sister Catherine's testimony of healing through laying on of hands, for healing sister Juliet from covid, for using brother Tom to start five home fellowships, and the amazing story of the Lord's provision for a man named Dan in one of those fellowships.
  8. For the way He is multiplying disciples through brother Stephen and his wife Daniel in Nigeria, as well as the work He is doing in the lives of brothers John and Humphrey.
  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, wisdom, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
Next steps and prayer needs:
  1. For the Lord to enable Christopher's enrollment application to the college be accepted, so he can begin training in October.
  2. For the Lord to help Faith learn her new job and become proficient in it.
  3. For the Lord to comfort our brother Dr. Andrew Stenhouse's daughter Andrea in her loss of him.
  4. For the Lord to provide for all the needs of our DTS students in the hardships they're experiencing due to the lockdown, especially those in dire need in Uganda. 
  5. For the Lord to assist all our DTS students in any life challenges they may be experiencing.
  6. 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. 
  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), and help them finish all their course work for the current quarter by the end of this month. 
  8. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
  9. For the Lord 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.
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