October Update 2012

Greetings from Hungary!  We’re delighted to give you another update on the truly exciting things the Lord is doing here in Eastern Europe.

Lacroix Family in Hungary (click to enlarge)

Family: October 15 marked our fourth year anniversary since the day we settled on the mission field here in Hungary.   Praise the Lord for keeping us during that time, and for all the wonderful things He has done!

Over the past several days, we have been having a bout with the gastrointestinal flu.  Two of the girls seem to have contracted a fairly strong case of it at the Immigration Office, and then it began to affect others in the family here.  The Lord has healed each one in answer to prayer. Currently Len is the only one battling this sickness.

In September we attended two weddings.  One was the wedding of Dora, who is the daughter of pastor Sandor or the church in Erd, which we have helped in the past.  The other wedding was Gabor's, one of the men that Len has been discipling.

Dora and András

What made it a challenge was that both weddings were being held at the same time on the same day!  So although we wanted to attend both, we were unable to do so.  After praying about it, we finally decided to attend Dora's wedding ceremony, followed by Gabor's wedding reception.  So we sat up on the third balcony of the Baptist church where Dora and Andras were married, and once the ceremony was almost ended, we quietly left and went to the nearby Rose Garden Baptist church for the reception of Gabor and Kriszti.  When we arrived, the reception had just started, so it was good timing.  We got to meet many of Gabor and Kriszti's relatives and friends, as well as spend time with the wedding couple and others we already know.

Kriszti and Gábor

One of the highlights of the reception was when Gabor shared with us how his oldest son, Dávid S., recently gave his life to the Lord at a summer camp.  Before he attended the camp this summer, Len met Dávid, who is a senior in high school, and the Lord provided an opportunity for Len to plant a seed, by sharing his testimony with Dávid. At the wedding reception, Gabor said that Dávid attended the camp in August, which was conducted by a sister church from America, called Trinity.  When they gave the invitation at the camp, there were no public responses, so the leader assumed nothing happened.  But that day, Dávid made a decision for Christ.  He was truly born again, and his life has been completely changed.  Gabor was so blessed as he told us about this that his eyes filled with tears.  Even though the camp leaders thought nothing happened, God really used that camp to impact Dávid's life for eternity, and he will never be the same. Praise the Lord!!

Len injured his great toe in August, and thought he may have suffered a contusion. He then re-injured it in Romania, so He is still trusting the Lord to heal the sharp pain that still comes and goes.  Please continue to pray with us for his total healing.

Len and Dávid

Ministry: Len received a great testimony from Dávid V., one of his disciples.  You may recall that Len meets with brothers in a small group format for discipleship, called a Life Transformation Group (LTG).  Now Dávid says that he himself is multiplying disciples this way also.  He wrote: "I've started a LTG with two brothers from my youth group. And they love it. I'm in the youth group leadership and we have a vision. It's mainly about making disciples, and we were thinking about it how we could help young people become one. And then God told me that this is the time I should share the LTG [strategy of making disciples]. So I did. And the leaders started one, and now they've started to grow in Chirst and in fellowship. Now we will start LTGs from the youth group as well. My girlfriend started one with two other girls and they enjoy it very much. God is moving in the youth group and also in our church."  Praise the Lord for this wonderful report.  It means that we are finally beginning to see a second generation of disciples emerge from our labor here in Hungary. To God be all the glory!!

Meanwhile Len is planning to attend a conference in the UK.  When Len told the person in the UK who is hosting the conference that he is in Hungary, she gave him the name of a Hungarian church leader, named Aron, who will also be attending.  When Len called Aron, he learned that he is part of the same church where Dávid is serving, and he knows Dávid very well.  He said that the pastor, named Gabor, will also be attending the conference in the UK.  This is an amazing coincidence, since Dávid has been wanting Len to meet his pastor, Gabor.  Now he will be able to meet him during this conference, and spend time together in fellowship.  Please pray for Len as he goes to the UK, so that the Lord will bless him and establish divine connections with people that will open new doors of opportunity in Hungary and elsewhere. 

Ildika (pastor Geza's wife) with Jennifer at wedding

Back at home in Hungary, we've continued conducting evangelism, and prayerfully planning future ministry activity.  We intend to meet further with the church leaders and disciples in this nation in the fall.

A Russian believer, named Denis N, contacted Len through the Internet recently, after reading Len's salvation testimony online.  Denis accepted Jesus Christ few years ago, and as newborn Christian he enjoyed the Holy Spirit, peace, joy and righteousness poured on him very much; but after few months he walked away from God and turned back to worldly things, beginning to sin consciously and willingly. Then he experienced a fierce demonic attack on his spirit causing insanity to the point that he was placed into the mental clinic for treatment! After that treatment, he returned back to his family and has repented, but he still experiences fear that God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ have left him alone, because of his sins, and do not want to touch him.  Spirits of fear and unbelief totally occupied and terrify him now.  Although he is in Russia, we have been reaching out to him. And we ask for you to pray that the Lord will deliver Denis from the demons that now haunt him, and break every curse in his life, bringing him back into sweet fellowship with the Lord.

Now for another exciting praise report!

Administrative Needs: Our immigration visas (known as resident permits) were due to expire in October, so we were required by law to apply for renewal in September.  Their were ten people involved in the visa project with Len, helping to complete an enormous task in record time, even while he was out of the country in Romania during the last part of the project!  Praise the Lord that everything was submitted on time.

We returned to the Immigration Office to receive their decision in mid-October, and we were so delighted to find that they granted renewal of our residence permits for three years!  Praise the Lord! And thanks to those of you who prayed that it would be granted three-year permits.  There is a great open door of ministry for us here, and we are just relieved to have this expensive and time-consuming visa process behind us for a few years now.

Resources:  This month we would also like to encourage you to read "Crying Out to God Loudly" (see here), and "Taking Heaven by Force" (see here), as well as another about the apostle Paul, called "A Man Who Was Caught Up Into Paradise" (see here).

Once again, if you didn't see it last month, don't miss "Testimonies from Voila" (see here), regarding the amazing things the Lord has done in the lives of pastor Linu and Nella! It will surely build your faith.  As always, Len's entire collection of most popular blogs are at "Writing for the Master" (see here).  We welcome your comments on this newsletter, so feel free to leave those below.

In closing, we have much to praise God for, and many opportunities for you to join us in prayer.

Praise the Lord with us for the many answers to prayer:

1. For the multiplication of disciples in Hungary and the beginning of a second generation.
2. For Gabor's son, Dávid S., coming to know Christ.
3. For all that He has done in and through us during these past four years in Eastern Europe.
4. "May the glory of the LORD be praised in His dwelling place."  (Eze 3:12)
5. For the divine connections with Hungarian leaders through this conference in the UK.
6. For the opportunities to evangelize the lost here in Hungary and the hunger of some for the good news.
7. For granting us three-year residence permits, so that we can continue serving Him here in Hungary.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to reveal Himself to all the non believers in Budapest whom we have touched.
2. For the Lord to continue using all of us in our personal evangelism work, including the children.
3. For the Lord to continue using Len's disciples Dávid V., Greg and Gábor to reach the lost with the gospel, as well as make disciples.  And for the Lord to enable us to spend some extended time in fellowship and prayer with them this fall.
4. For the Lord to continue to multiply disciples through Dávid V. and the others in his church. 
5. For the Lord to deliver and Denis N. in Russia, bringing peace and joy back into his heart.
6. For the Lord to heal Len from the gastrointestinal virus, as well as his injured left toe.
7. For the outpouring of His Holy Spirit here in Diosd to continue to ripple all across Hungary and Eastern Europe.
8. For the Lord to powerfully anoint and help Len as he meets with pastors, elders, and disciples here in Hungary this fall.
9. For our financial blessing.  

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

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

September Update 2012

Greetings from Hungary!  We’re delighted to give you another update on the truly exciting things the Lord is doing here in Eastern Europe.

Faith celebrates her 10th birthday

Family: In August we celebrated Faith's tenth birthday.   We had a birthday party at home and then went to an indoor amusement park together and had lots of fun.  After she finished opening all her gifts and cards, Faith distributed hand-made thank you cards of her own to everyone at the party with a personal note of thanks to each of us.  This is a just an example of the sweet and grateful nature that the Lord has put inside her heart. We've got photos of that event in a separate album, if you want to see all the action play-by-play (see here).  Otherwise, you can find some of our favorite shots from that day in the "more photo" section below.

Len injured his great toe last month, and thought he may have broken it. Since then he has re-injured it and his right great toe as well.  He is trusting the Lord to heal the pain and other symptoms.  Please continue to pray with us for his total healing.

Len with pastor Linu and Nella in Voila, Romania

Ministry: Len traveled to Romania in August and September on invitation from a pastor he knows there. He was in the region north of Bucharest, where he ministered to several pastors and two congregations, preaching the full gospel of Jesus Christ.

Len stayed at the home of pastor Mihail, director of the S.O.S radio station in Ploiesti, Romania.  The signal reaches just beyond Bucharest, which is 40 miles away.  He is a former communist now running this station on the property where he lives.  The S.O.S studios are in the same first floor of his house.

God did amazing things on this trip -- much more than we have space for in this update. One of the highlights was spending three days at the gypsy church in Voila with pastor Linu and his wife Nella (pictured above).  On the first day in Voila, Len was with the two of them personally getting acquainted, encouraging them and praying with them. They have suffered a lot in the past several years as the devil has tried unsuccessfully to destroy this church.  Two of his nine children and two of his grandchildren died tragic deaths.  However, through prayer alone and without medical intervention, he raised from the dead his two grandchildren, Reuben and Sara.  Their mother is his daughter, and in a separate incident, she had incurred fourth and fifth degree burns on 75% of her body!  The doctors told her she would not live, and when pastor Linu prayed for her, she was miraculously healed.  She stood and held her opened hands up, which had moments earlier been clenched tightly into fists from the burns.  The doctors witnessed the miracle.  Len met the two children and their mother, who showed her burn scars to prove it.  She has since given her life to Jesus and dedicated her children to the Lord.

When the above photo was taken of Len with pastor Linu and Nella, they stood in front of the horse stable that had once collapsed in the valley below.  After the picture was taken, Nella said that three or four weeks ago she had a dream in which a man came and encouraged them.  She said that when Len put his arm around pastor Linu for the snapshot, she remembered the dream and realized it had been fulfilled.  There is so much more to their testimony that will surely encourage you, which we cannot include here. So we encourage you to read about it in the exciting "Testimonies from Voila" (see here).

Voila Gypsy Church. Man healed of lump beside Linu (right)

On the second and third day in Voila, Len ministered to the entire gypsy church there.  It's a small congregation of around 23 members.  But pastor Linu said there are 80 youths in this church, most of whom were not present at the meetings on those nights! Len preached the gospel, taught them, and led them to turn to the Lord their God with all their hearts and with all their souls. The Lord confirmed the truth of His Word through works of power.  They brought many sick people to Len to be healed, including little children, and the Lord lovingly touched them.  One man, named Nicolae (pictured above on far right beside pastor Linu), had a lump in his throat that had been there for an unspecified period.  When Len laid hands on him in the name of Jesus, the lump dissolved, the pain disappeared, and Nicolae was finally able to swallow normally once again.  Praise the Lord!

Other sick people also said their pain went away through prayer in Jesus Name. Still others tangibly experienced the fire of the Holy Spirit when Len placed his hands over them and imparted it. They experienced various manifestations, such as the following: One man felt the power of God going through him from his feet all the way up through is body.  Some felt the presence of the Lord, others felt peace.  Some felt the Holy Spirit searching them from head to toe, while most of them felt a literal heat or warmth in their bodies, particularly their hands.  Some trembled, and others said they "felt much better" afterward.

Pastor Linu's wife, Nella, testified at the beginning of the service on the second night that on the first night she saw bright light going from person to person while Len was praying for people.  She felt peace and love. When Len was departing at the end of the second night, he received many customary, holy kisses on the cheeks from the men.  Pastor Linu invited Len to come back again.

Len with pastor Marian after live prayer program at S.O.S

Len also visited the S.O.S church in Ploiesti and ministered to pastor Marian there (pictured left), who is a true man of God, as well as one of his disciples named Stefan.  Stefan experienced the holy fire all over his body especially in his heart and mind. He felt raised, and had overflowing joy like a fountain, so that he began rejoicing in the Lord.  Pastor Marian had a lot of joy on his face and was praising God as he received a supernatural refreshing from the Lord.

He invited Len to greet the congregation on Sunday, and to join him for his live radio programs during the week, which he did.  One of the programs was a teaching on financial stewardship and the other was a live, call-in prayer line from 10:30 PM until midnight.  There were many calls and text messages to the program that night, completely filling up the entire program with unceasing prayer.  Some people specifically requested prayer from Len.  One of those was someone who called with a prayer request for pastor Linu, who had an accident with a horse following Len's meetings in Voila.  He is thankful to survive the accident, but sustained injuries to his head foot, and a dislocated hip.  Please join us in praying for pastor Linu's complete healing.

Pastor George & Len after the meeting at Immanuel Church

Len also accepted an invitation to minister to Immanuel Church in Ploiesti, Romania.  He first spent time getting to know pastor George there, and then preached the Word of God to them.  Afterward the congregation turned to the Lord with all their hearts as the Voila church had previously done.  Then Len ministered to those who wanted the purifying, purging fire of the Holy Spirit, including pastor George.  The Lord was faithful to do what He promised, confirming His Word through signs and wonders!  Their experiences were mostly like those in the Voila church, plus some additional manifestations that were different.  Len's translator, named Nik, is a Romanian missionary to another country in this region that we cannot mention for security reasons.  He experienced a "fresh anointing" from the Holy Spirit.  Someone else experienced "something like a quiet time" in his spirit.  One lady wept.  Another man was completely overwhelmed by the glory of God.  It was an absolutely wonderful evening together with those saints! Everything the Lord did was good.  Praise Him!

As with the things the Lord did in Bulgaria in May, all that happened on this August-September trip to Romania was an overflow of what God is doing in our hearts and home in Hungary.  “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” (Jn 3:21) Jennifer and the children were an integral part of all that happened, as they faithfully prayed for Len back at home while he was in Romania.  And they rejoiced together with him, praising the Lord, as he called them with updates throughout the trip.  All of you who prayed or gave were also a part of it!  Thank you so much for that, and praise the Lord for the great things He has done!  These lives will never be the same.

In addition to the link to more family photos above, if you would like to see more photos of the people Len ministered to in Romania, please see the link below for an album with captioned photos:

Romania Trip Photos

Back at home in Hungary, we've continued conducting evangelism, and prayerfully planning future ministry activity.  We intend to meet further with the church leaders in this nation in the fall.

Gábor, one of Len's disciples, is hosting a house group meeting in his home each week in the little town of Tököl, which will soon become a church plant.  We mentioned last month that Gábor invited Len to come and encourage the believers there, which he did.  Afterward he received good feedback from pastor Géza that it was edifying.

Administrative Needs: Our immigration visas (known as resident permits) are due to expire in October, so we're required by law to apply for renewal in September.  Their were ten people involved in the visa project with Len, helping to complete an enormous task in record time, even while he was out of the country in Romania during the last part of the project!  Praise the Lord that everything was submitted on time.

We will return to the Immigration Office to receive their decision in mid-October.  Now let's pray that we will be granted renewal of our residence permits for three years.  After we finished submitting all our documents, which took two hours, Len asked the immigration official about the prospects of being approved for a three-year residence permit.  She seemed to think it would most likely be granted.  Please pray that it will indeed be granted, since there is a great open door of ministry for us here, and the visa process is both expensive and time consuming.

Resources:  This month we would also like to encourage you to read "Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian" (see here), written lovingly to make sure none of you misses God's highest reward for you, as well as "Discerning the Things of the Spirit" (see here) and Supernatural Power for All Disciples (see here).

Once again, don't miss "Testimonies from Voila" (see here), regarding the amazing things the Lord has done in the lives of pastor Linu and Nella! It will surely build your faith.  As always, Len's entire collection of most popular blogs are at "Writing for the Master" (see here).  We welcome your comments on this newsletter, so feel free to leave those below.

In closing, we have much to praise God for, and many opportunities for you to join us in prayer.

Praise the Lord with us for the many answers to prayer:

1. Praise the name of the LORD!  For Your name alone is exalted; Your glory is above earth and heaven.  (Psa 148:13)
2. For the times of refreshing in His presence in Romania, and the people the Lord healed there.
3. Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations (Rev 15:3) 
4. For the way He imparted the fire of the Holy Spirit in such a wonderful way in Romania.
5. "May the glory of the LORD be praised in His dwelling place."  (Eze 3:12)
6. For those who turned to the Lord with all their hearts and souls in Romania. 
7. Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Praise Him for His mighty deeds; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness. (Psa 150:1-2)
8. For the opportunities to evangelize the lost here in Hungary and the hunger of some for the good news.
9. For our great progress thus far on the residence permit visa applications and the positive outlook.
10. For the wonderful birthday celebrations with Faith.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to heal pastor Linu from his injuries, especially the dislocated hip.
2. For the Lord to reveal Himself to all the non believers in Budapest whom we touched.
3. For the Lord to continue using all of us in our personal evangelism work, including the children.
4. For the Lord to continue using Len's disciples David, Greg and Gábor to reach the lost with the gospel, as well as make disciples.  And for the Lord to enable us to spend some extended time in fellowship and prayer with them this fall.
5. For the Lord to heal Len's injured toes and feet, as well as any sort of misalignment in his back that may be causing the neuropathy in his legs and foot .
6. For the outpouring of His Holy Spirit here in Diosd to continue to ripple all across Hungary and Eastern Europe.
7. For the Lord to prepare hearts in this region to experience revival and receive a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit and fire.
8. For the Lord to powerfully anoint and help Len as he meets with pastors, elders, and disciples here in Hungary this fall.
9. For our financial blessing.  
10. For the Lord to grant us three-year residence permits in October to continue serving Him in Hungary.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

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

August Update 2012

Greetings from Hungary!  It’s time again for an update from us on what’s been happening here.  

Family: In July we traveled to Belgium and stayed at the home of a family there with which we have become good friends.  Whenever we go there, they show us so much love and hospitality.  We had a great time of fellowship with them, as well as prayer and worship at the church there.  They have truly been experiencing revival since February, and the Lord is continuing to manifest His presence there powerfully!  We all enjoyed the times of refreshing!

While we were in Belgium, some boiling, cooking oil splashed into Christopher's eye, causing excruciating pain.  Initially we thought it went directly into his eyeball, but we just prayed for him. Afterward we discovered that it had burned his eyelid.  But the Lord healed it up miraculously, so that the pain went away without using any analgesic, and he was able to sleep like a baby.  Praise the Lord!

The gleeful boys on the plane

This time we flew there by plane, rather than driving.  Our friends picked us up at the airport, which is an hour and a half from where they live, and arranged everything so that we didn't even need to rent a car while we were there.  The children really enjoyed the flights, especially the boys, since it was the first time on a plane for Joseph and although Christopher had flown to Hungary when he was three years old, he no longer remembers it much at all.

Jennifer had to sit separate from us on the plane due to the fact that we did not have reserved seating. She sat next to a young Belgian man, who was returning from the US.  He said he had gone to California to seek spiritual answers.  He was very open and inquisitive about the gospel. She said the Holy Spirit gave her the words to say to him and she felt it was a divine appointment.

Our dear friends, Pastors Sakis and Josy

We also got to spend an evening with pastor Sakis and his wife Josy there in Belgium, talking with them.  They invited us, like they did the last time, to come to their home the next day for the entire day. So we were with them for about eight hours the following day.  That was real quality time for us, which we are very grateful for.

We have included a few photos of the trip in the "More photos" section of this news letter below.  But if you have the time and interest to see two albums, you can also see all of the Belgium trip photos. 

We mentioned last month that Jennifer's parents had been planning to come for a visit in September.  However, they have once again cancelled their plans, since they do not feel led to come.   Naturally that was a disappointment for us, as we had all been looking forward to seeing them.  But we know God is in control.

Len injured his great toe this month, and may have broken it.  Some of you have already begun to pray, and healing is taking place.  Len is walking on it again carefully and has wrapped it to the adjacent toe. Please join us in praying for a complete healing.

Charity immediately following removal of her braces

Charity's braces were removed in August, successfully completing two years of very expensive treatment.  From beginning to end, the Lord provided for it all in the most amazing and math-defying way.  There was a surprise, very large, balloon payment for her retainer on the day the braces were removed.  In direct answer to prayer, the Lord was faithful to provide the needed funds for that, too. Praise His name!

Ministry: Len has continued to meet with and disciple Gábor and Greg. Greg has been attending worship camps and festivals this summer, including one in Serbia, which he says have been really wonderful.  He is also spending the last half of August and first part of September in the States.  So if anyone from California to Tennessee wants to connect with him, let us know and we can arrange it.

Another one of the young men that Len has discipled, named David (pictured below), came to our home for a visit in August.  The Lord truly ministered to him that day in multiple ways, and he would like Len to speak with his pastor.  He has been sharing with us many wonderful testimonies of the Lord's working in his life.  In addition to being one of the leaders of his church youth group, he has also started a new Life Transformation Group for discipleship with one of the young men.  It's so wonderful to see that he has been caring for the sheep, and they held their summer camp in July.  He said:

"It was awesome!  On the last night of the camp, which was Saturday, we had planned a teaching, but it never happened.  The Holy Spirit moved and the presence of the Lord was there.  People were being filled with the Holy Spirit and experiencing the fire.  We continued into the night like that and danced before the Lord."

David and Len during his visit to our home recently

"The next day on Sunday, the rest of the church came down to the camp and joined us for our final service. I led the worship and preached.  It was very exhausting, but a lot of people said they were encouraged by it."

"After the meeting on Sunday, I got a call that two of our youth, who stayed home, were having a house fire." They were at the third floor apartment of the parents of one of the two girls.  And the girls were the only ones home.  "The fire started while they were cooking, and it completely destroyed the apartment.  But thank the Lord they made it out alive, and no one was hurt.  When I got the call, I went to prayer with two of the other youth, who were leading at the camp.  We were crying out to God.  I was asking the Lord to dispatch angels to the girls in the fire.  And we were crying.  God spoke to me through the other leaders with me that He had already sent angels to them."

"The firemen told the family that it was the strongest type of fire, and the temperature in there was 1,000 degrees Celsius.  So they were very blessed to make it out alive.  During the fire, they ran to the living room, which was the one place still free of smoke where they could get some air to breath.  One of the girls ran through the smoke to the door to get out of the apartment.  But the door was locked with a key.  She ran back into the living room and told the other girl.  She then ran to the door a second time to try it and the door was wide open!  She told me that an angel opened it for them, and I was so blessed to hear that.  She ran back to her friend in the living room, and they both got out alive together."

Since the fire, the whole church has been helping them and serving them.  David led a team of ten people on two consecutive days to empty out the apartment of all the destroyed furniture.  Since the elevator was damaged in the fire, they carried everything down the stairs from the third floor. He said, "It looked like something from a horror movie in the apartment.  Everything was charred black."

He said the church is helping the family that lost everything in the fire to get back on their feet. They will help them to get an even better apartment than they had before.  Praise the Lord!  What an amazing testimony of the Lord's angelic protection, and the Body of Christ uniting in love to care for a family in need.

We've continued conducting evangelism, and prayerfully planning future ministry activity.  We have so much fun distributing gospel invitations in busy, public squares.  The presence of the Lord is tangible at times.  Plenty of people refuse to receive the gospel, some politely and others not. But we're so amazed at the hunger of some people for the gospel.  They are the good soil where we're seeking to plant seeds.  We've actually had people on a few occasions come up to us and ask for a tract.  Other times when we reach out to give one to someone, another person nearby will reach out for one, too. Praise the Lord for such wonderful opportunities!

Len still plans to travel to Romania at the end of the summer for ten days into September.  He is going to be ministering to pastors and three churches in the region north of Bucharest.  Would you please join us in praying for a powerful move of God to happen in these churches?  Pray that the gospel will go forth, the Word will be preached, people will turn back to God, the sick will be healed, and the captives set free.

Gábor

Gábor, one of Len's disciples (pictured right), continues to share his faith in Christ with coworkers. Also for several months now, his pastor, named Geza (pronounced "GAY-za), from the Rose Garden Baptist church in Budafok, has been meeting each week with him and a few other people in Gabor’s home out in the village of Tököl, which is about 30 minutes away from the church.

And he said that about four or five elder couples from various churches in the surrounding towns have all agreed to help plant a Baptist church in Tököl.  So now they are just prayerfully waiting upon the Lord for His divine timing when to start the new church.  They have even discovered that believers from Tököl have been traveling to churches in other towns for worship, and the team that is starting the new church has invited those people as well. Gábor says those people believe they will eventually become a part of this new church once it is planted.  He has invited Len to come and encourage the believers in his home group.

He said he and his wife lived together before they were saved, and when they came to Christ, they got married before a justice of the peace.  Now the Lord has made it clear to them that they need to be married in the church.  So they have set the date as September 22. As we mentioned in our last newsletter, this is the same day as Dora’s wedding, but two hours later.  So it looks like we will be attending two weddings that day!

Administrative Needs: Our immigration visas (known as resident permits) are due to expire in October, so we are required by law to apply for renewal in September.  Praise the Lord that He has now provided a Hungarian Christian sponsor! We have been working very hard on preparing all our documentation and gathering finances to cover this expense. Len needs to have that project 99% completed before he goes to Romania, in time for us to apply with the Immigration Office when he returns to Hungary.  So that gives us only two more weeks, and the pastor who represents the denomination that is supporting us is out of the country this week. Please pray that all will be completed and that we will be granted renewal of our residence permits.

Resources:  In our last two newsletters, we have written about the Lord's imminent return and the need for the Church to prepare for His coming.  We would also like to encourage you to read "Is Obedience Optional?" (see here), as well as "Obedience by the Spirit" (see here), and "Now But Not Yet" (see here). Our eleven-year old daughter, Hope now has a blog called Words of Hope, so please check it out (see here).

As always, Len's entire collection of most popular blogs are at "Writing for the Master" (see here).

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 protecting Christopher from the boiling oil and healing his eyelid.
2. For the times of refreshing in Belgium and a safe journey both ways.
3. For the opportunities to evangelize the lost here and the hunger of some for the good news.
4. For the successful removal of Charity's braces after two years of treatment and His provision.
5. For the wonderful ways he is working in the lives of David, Gábor, and Greg, and our opportunities to minister to them.
6. For our progress thus far on the residence permit visa applications.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to reveal Himself to all the non believers in Budapest whom we touched.
2. For the Lord to continue using all of us in our personal evangelism work, including the children.
3. For the Lord to continue using Len's disciples David, Greg and Gábor to reach the lost with the gospel, as well as make disciples.  And for the Lord to enable us to spend some extended time in fellowship and prayer with them this summer.
4. For the Lord to heal Len's injured toe.
5. For the outpouring of His Holy Spirit here in Diosd to ripple all across Hungary and Eastern Europe.
6. For the Lord to prepare hearts there to experience revival and receive a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit and fire.
7. For the Lord to powerfully anoint and help Len as he meets with pastors, elders, and disciples here in Hungary and Romania this summer.
8. For the Lord to send forth laborers to the Hungarian Roma (gypsies), as the Lord is laying a burden on our hearts for them.
9. For our financial blessing.  
10. For the Lord to help us gather all necessary documents and successfully renew our visas in Sept.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

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

July Update 2012

Greetings from Hungary!  It’s time again for an update from us on what’s been happening here.  

Family: We are all grateful to be doing well here right now.  Charity's orthodontist gave her the good news that her braces will be removed in August! In place of them she will receive a permanently bonded retainer on the inner surface of her front teeth.  She will also receive a nighttime retainer that she'll need to wear for a year.  We had a real case of sticker shock when we heard what his fee will be to do all this, since we thought the worst was past.  But even so, we're all looking forward to the big day when the braces will come off.

Charity celebrates her 14th birthday

This news came to Charity the day before her fourteenth birthday, so it was a great birthday gift as well.  She had great weather and we held a little party to celebrate her day.  We had gotten her a used mountain bike back in May, so she and Len went for a ride around the village together.  The children all went out to our back yard and blew bubbles together as well.  And she received a phone call from her grandparents with happy wishes, and a gift they had sent in the mail.

The children and we are all looking forward with great anticipation and joy to Jennifer's parents coming to visit them in September for five days.  It has been four years since we have seen them, and our son, Joseph has never met them!  There have been several other times since we've been here that we hoped they could come, but it has never worked out.  Please pray that this time nothing will prevent it.

Daddy-daughter meal at a kosher restaurant

During the week of Charity's birthday, Len took her for a Hungarian Jewish Heritage Grand Tour in Budapest.  We visited three synagogues, including the second largest one in the world, as well as the Jewish Museum and holocaust memorial.  They capped off the tour with a father-daughter meal at a kosher restaurant (pictured left) in the Orthodox neighborhood.

The holocaust of the 1940's devastated the European Jewish population. By 1945, two out of every three European Jews had been killed.  Hungary had 445,000 Jews in 1933 and 190,000 in 1950. Now there are only 55,000 to 100,000, most of whom live in Budapest. We've posted a few photos of this special tour in our "More photos" section below.

If you'd like, you can also read more about this in Len's new Yeshua Messiah blog, designed with the beloved Jewish people in mind.  This blog has already received nearly a thousand views from nine countries, including Israel, as well as Hungary.  To our amazement and delight, a Hungarian website called Jewish has begun to carry our new Yeshua Messiah blog! If you go to the Jewish website (see here), you will find our blog listed under "Freshest Articles" in the lower right hand sidebar.  You will also find our Yeshua Messiahe blog listed under their "partners" button on the top right menu bar!

We know some precious, Jewish people back in America, and are praying for divine appointments with more Jewish people here in Hungary.  Please pray the Lord would bring about such connections for us here.

Ministry:  We've continued conducting evangelism, and prayerfully planning future ministry activity.  Sometimes when we minister on the streets we are persecuted, and what a privilege it is to be counted worthy of that.  But usually we are treated respectfully.

One highlight this month was a day we set aside to show the love of Jesus to the poor and homeless in downtown Budapest.  Please pray that the lives of all those whom we touched would be saved and set free.

We plan to meet with pastors, elders, and disciples here in Hungary this summer.  Recently we met with Dora, the daughter of pastor Sandor in Erd, whom Len helped last year.  We spent some time in fellowship and prayer together and the Lord ministered to her through the power of His Holy Spirit in a wonderful way.  She announced that she is engaged to be married to a godly man who is in youth ministry at a local church.  We enjoyed meeting him in January, when he came to Faith's baptismal service at our home.  So Dora has invited us to her wedding in September, which we're all looking forward to.

Len has also already met with Sanyi (pronounced SHAN-yee), our friend from the Baptist church, who is a leader of leaders here in this nation.  He is a very humble servant of the Lord, and Len had an excellent time discussing with him.  Sanyi seeks counsel from Len on matters that he is unsure how to handle.  And Len seeks to answer with the wisdom the Lord has given.  Please pray for Sanyi, as he is very open to receiving from the Holy Spirit through His vessel.

Another area for prayer is an open door for Len to travel to Romania at the end of the summer.  He has received an invitation to come and minister to the churches there in the region north of Bucharest.  Please pray that the Lord will prepare hearts there to experience revival and receive a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit and fire, and that the Lord will prepare Len for this ministry opportunity.

Greg during discipleship meeting with Len

Len has also continued to meet with and disciple Gábor and Greg (pictured left). The Lord uses Greg to exhort people through his uplifting testimonies of what the Lord has done in his life.  He's a real encourager and counselor to many, and is loved by those who know him.  He is currently in transition between jobs.  He was laid off in the spring when they closed down Saab in Hungary, where he was the controller and accounting pricing specialist. Since then he has been working as an auditor, which has pushed him to extreme busyness.  Now he is taking a summer holiday, beginning with a summer worship camp (which he is attending at the time this newsletter is published), followed by a trip to the US, and then start a new job in the fall.  He is putting together a worship band right now.  Please pray that now while his time is freed up that he will come to visit with us and receive times of refreshing in the presence of the Lord.

David has also been very busy with final exams, but we hope to have him for a visit, as well.  Would you please pray that the Lord would enable him to visit us soon and receive all the blessings the Lord has for him?

Administrative Needs: In the fall, our immigration visas are due to expire, and we must renew them.  In order to do so, we need a Hungarian church to sponsor us.  The church that sponsored us the last time has lost its status as a church due to a new, draconian law passed on January 1.  This law redefines who can qualify legally as a church.  A church must have either been in existence in Hungary for at least a hundred years, or it must have at least 60,000 members within Hungary.  The Hungarian Free Christian Church has been around for decades and has churches all over Hungary, but it doesn't meet these criteria.  Prior to this law, there were 340 churches in Hungary, and now there are just a few.

So we are at the Jordan, needing to cross over to the other side, and we need the Lord to part the river.  Please pray that He will provide a way where there is no way.

Resources:  We would also like to direct your attention to "Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies" (see here) and the "Holy Fire Baptism" (see here). As always, Len's entire collection of most popular blogs are at "Writing for the Master" (see here).

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 the wonderful birthday celebrations with Charity, including the Jewish heritage tour.
2. For the opportunities to evangelize the lost here.
3. For the news that Charity's braces will be removed soon.
4. For the upcoming visit from Jennifer's parents.
5. For the invitation Len has received to minister to the churches in Romania.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to reveal Himself to all the poor and homeless people in Budapest whom we touched.
2. For the Lord to use all of us in our personal evangelism work, including the children.
3. For the Lord to continue using Len's disciples David, Greg and Gábor to reach the lost with the gospel, as well as make disciples.  And for the Lord to enable us to spend some extended time in fellowship and prayer with them this summer.
4. For the Lord to give us divine connections with His previous, Jewish people here in Hungary.
5. For the outpouring of His Holy Spirit here in Diosd to ripple all across Hungary and Eastern Europe.
6. For the Lord to prepare hearts there to experience revival and receive a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit and fire.
7. For the Lord to powerfully anoint and help Len as he meets with pastors, elders, and disciples here in Hungary and Romania this summer.
8. For the Lord to send forth laborers to the Hungarian Roma (gypsies), as the Lord is laying a burden on our hearts for them.
9. For our financial blessing.  
10. For the Lord to provide a sponsor and help us renew our visas in the fall.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

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

June Update 2012

Greetings from Hungary!  It’s time again for an update from us on what’s been happening here.  This month's update will be brief, as it has not been long since our last update, and we want you to take time to read the important material we've posted in the "resource" section at the end.  We are hearing the trumpet call of God!

Family: We are all grateful to be doing well here right now.   The orthodontist says that he should be able to remove Charity's braces in another month or two.  Naturally, she is very excited about that.  We will also be celebrating her fourteenth birthday at the end of this month!

Len and Charity

We will be wrapping up another fantastic year of home schooling this month.  Charity graduates into the eighth grade, Hope into sixth, Faith into fourth, and Christopher into the second grade.

Joseph also graduated this month -- out of his crib and into a new, youth bed!  He's very excited about that and we've captured a few Kodak moments of the excitement, which you can find in the "more photos" section below.  He and Christopher even helped Len to assemble the bed. He really feels like a big boy now. The morning after his first night in it, Jennifer peaked through the door into his room, and saw that he had made his bed and was kneeling next to it with his Bible praying like his big brother does.

Out with the old crib and in with the new bed

Ministry:  Len has been continuing to meet with and disciple Greg and Gábor.  We've also been conducting evangelism, and prayerfully planning future ministry activity.  One area will be to meet with pastors, elders, and disciples in Hungary.  Another will be to travel to Romania, perhaps in July.

The Lord has us in a place of prayer and intercession right now.  He is moving powerfully and supernaturally in our lives individually and as a family.  We've been documenting and posting some of these things in blogs up on the web, in order to help others.  The reach of that part of our ministry has grown globally even more since we last updated you. We hope you will take time to prayerfully read the latest ones in the "resource" section at the end of this newsletter.

Len with Marina (file photo 2009)

We received an email from Marina, one of our friends in Bulgaria.  She stated: “Seven weeks we had a prayer and fast for our personal and national revival between Easter and Pentecost (in a chain among all AOG churches in Bulgaria)! Thank God, He protected us from a destructive earthquake on May 22d - no human victims but just destroyed buildings - 5.8 on Richter scale! God is good!"

We received an email from David Vadnai, one of Len's disciples. He said, “When I tell my testimony to my brothers in Christ, or non-believers, I always mention you and what God did in my life through you. My Lord always reminds me that I would have not found Him, if my father hadn't died. He will give me back everything that Satan stole from my family and me. God will take revenge, and He takes it even now. God is good!”  For his full testimony, see here.


Administrative Needs: In the fall, our immigration visas are due to expire, and we must renew them.  In order to do so, we need a Hungarian church to sponsor us.  The church that sponsored us the last time has lost its status as a church due to a new, draconian law passed on January 1.  This law redefines who can qualify legally as a church.  A church must have either been in existence in Hungary for at least a hundred years, or it must have at least 60,000 members within Hungary.  The Hungarian Free Christian Church has been around for decades and has churches all over Hungary, but it doesn't meet these criteria.  Prior to this law, there were 340 churches in Hungary, and now there are just a few.

So we are at the Jordan, needing to cross over to the other side, and we need the Lord to part the river.  Please pray that He will provide a way where there is no way.

Resources:  We have been sensing that the Lord's return is imminent, and feel impressed not only to be ready ourselves, but to warn everyone else, including our Christian friends.  Therefore, Len has recently written a blog that we urge you to read, called the "Imminent Return of Christ" (see here)  If you don't have the time, please consider possibly skipping some non-essential leisure activities or physical exercise in order to make time to read the blogs posted at that link. Consider fasting a meal or some sleep, or whatever is necessary, so that you can prayerfully read these, as well as the ones below.  This is a crucial hour!

He has also posted a link to all his most recent blogs, which we feel are extremely important for you to read (see here).  The blogs at this link include "Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies" (see here) and the "Holy Fire Baptism" (see here). If you read about the holy fire, be sure and watch the short video about the church in Alaska that experienced the holy fire. It's truly amazing!

As always, Len's entire collection of most popular blogs are at "Writing for the Master" (see here).

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 the way He is moving supernaturally among us with power.
2. For the opportunities to evangelize the lost here.
3. For David's zeal for the Lord and faithful service as a true disciple.
4. For sparing Bulgaria from great loss of life in this recent May earthquake.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to reveal Himself to Lászlo and Annamaria, Zsolt and Andi (ZHOLT and ON-dee), and our hairdresser, Juszti (YOU-stee). 
2. For the Lord to use all of us in our personal evangelism work, including the children.
3. For the Lord to continue using Len's disciples David, Greg and Gábor to reach the lost with the gospel, as well as make disciples.
4. For the people who read the latest blogs Len has written to be convicted by the Holy Spirit and made ready for our Lord's soon return.
5. For the outpouring of His Holy Spirit here in Diosd to ripple all across Hungary and Eastern Europe.
6. For the Lord to powerfully anoint and help Len as he meets with pastors, elders, and laborers here in Hungary and Romania this summer.
7. For the Lord to send forth laborers to the Hungarian Roma (gypsies), as the Lord is laying a burden on our hearts for them.
8. For our financial blessing.  
9. For the Lord to provide a sponsor and help us renew our visas in the fall.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

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

May Update 2012

Greetings from Hungary!  We’re glad to give you another update on the exciting things the Lord is doing here in Eastern Europe.

Family: We are all grateful to be doing well here right now.  In May we celebrated Christopher’s seventh birthday with a party and some gifts as usual.   Among his gifts was a used bicycle.  He was thrilled to receive it. 

Christopher celebrates his seventh birthday

He was so thrilled that he had a race with Faith on her bicycle, which resulted in an accident.  Faith lost control of her bike and crashed very hard into an iron fence.  She needed stitches on her chin, and is now in the process of healing up.  Thank the Lord it wasn’t worse than that.

The Lord continues to do amazing things among us.  We found some gems in our home (see here), which is part of a greater spiritual awakening and outpouring that we have been experiencing here (see here).  Praise the Lord for the great things He has done.

Ministry:  Len traveled to Bulgaria for ten days to see how the churches there are doing, to preach the gospel to the poor, to encourage the pastors and saints, minister to the sick and those that were bound, and impart gifts to them from the Holy Spirit.

While he was there, he preached and ministered in three different churches in the city of Plovdiv, the town of Stamboljski, and the village of Kalekovitz.  The Lord brought about healing, deliverance, conviction for sin, and heartfelt prayer.  Many believers repented of sin and turned their hearts back to the Lord.  The power of the Spirit was demonstrated, and presence of the Lord was manifested.

The Lord also baptized people with the Holy Spirit and fire with signs following. It is uncertain how many people came to know Christ.  But there were at least three people who did so.

Strahil, Len, and Naiden in Kalekovits, Bulgaria

One lady testified that she was not present at the meeting on the first night, but her son, Naiden (pictured left) was here. He accepted Christ and got the baptism with the Holy Spirit.  She said he is now saved and enthusiastic for the Lord.

Naiden testified afterward that he is so thankful he was healed, saved, and baptized with the Holy Spirit. He was able to start eating again after the Lord healed him.

There were many others who testified that they received healing and deliverance from the Lord.  One gypsy girl, named Girgina, was powerfully delivered from an evil spirit that was tormenting her with pain, involuntary convulsions, and keeping her from speaking. She was set free by the Lord, spoke, and gave her life to Jesus.

For video of the gypsy church in Kalekovits worshiping, click here.

Len with members of the Kalekovits church

The following Scriptures summarize the trip well:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

“And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.” (Mar 16:20)

“God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” (Heb 2:4).

If any man boasts, let Him boast in the Lord.  The Lord has done great things for us.  It is marvelous in our eyes.  All the glory goes to our Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise His matchless and powerful Name!

Zlatka, Haroutyun, and Len

Len enjoyed time with an elder named Haroutyun who shares responsibility for the church in Stamboljski.  He has known Haroutyun for several years, and they mutually encouraged one another.  He was marvelously saved and delivered from cigarettes, and later miraculously raised from the dead after a serious illness.  The Lord spoke to him in an audible voice on both occasions.  Please do not miss his amazing testimonies posted under separate blog at the links below:

Haroutyun raised from the Dead - see here

Haroutyun saved and supernaturally delivered -- see here

After the first meeting in Kalekovits, the leaders of the church came to Timotei and said they thanked God for the message, because they needed to hear it at this time. He said he was also very thankful for Len coming to minister there. Praise the Lord!

On the ride home from the meeting in Stamboljski, Hari said the people were very thankful Len came, very thankful we held a special meeting that they would not normally have, and grateful for the message. They felt they needed this message at this time. Praise the Lord!

Back in Hungary, we continue to evangelize and make disciples. Len received an email from David, one of his disciples.  He is part of the youth leadership at his church, while studying in the university. In this group there are seven young people who have given their hearts to God.

He said, “In my school I asked God to give me all the spirits [souls] there. And I [have] started speak about God... which is going well...God will get my school... for His glory.  It's my purpose.”

David says there are more than six hundred students there that he intends to reach with the gospel. He went on to say, “I'm starting an LTG [Life Transformation Group] with one of my friends from the youth group. I want it to spread in my church, because it must create a personal relationship with God. And that's the plan for making disciples. It's in my heart.”  Please pray that the Lord will help David to spread the glorious gospel of Jesus at his university and to make disciples there and in the youth group he leads.

Lastly, the Lord has been laying a burden on our hearts for the Hungarian Roma people (gypsies) here.  Len discovered a map online that shows where they are located.  One such village, called Őrkeny, is only 45 minutes drive from where we live.  When Len shared about this with Gábor, one of his disciples, Gábor said he owns some land in Őrkeny, which he inherited.  So please pray that the Lord would send forth laborers to the gypsies in Hungary, especially Őrkeny, and that he would show us any part He would like us to have in that.

Len with Timotei and Lydya, in Bulgaria

Resources:  Len has recently written a blog called "Costly Grace" (see here).  Another one that is very encouraging is called "Fishers of Men -- the 419 series" (see here). And then there is "Keeping Sundays Holy -- Part II" (see here).  If you would like to read this or any others he has recently written, you can find them at "Writing for the Master" (see here).

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 the healing He is doing on Faith’s chin.
2. For the opportunities to evangelize the lost here.
3. For the encouragement, healing, deliverance, and salvation He brought about in Bulgaria, and for confirming His word through signs and wonders.
4. For the good report from David, the young disciple in Hungary.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to reveal Himself to Lászlo and Annamaria, Zsolt and Andi (ZHOLT and ON-dee), and our hairdresser, Juszti (YOU-stee). 
2. For the Lord to use all of us in our personal evangelism work, including the children.
3. For the Lord to continue using Len's disciples David, Greg and Gábor to reach the lost with the gospel, as well as make disciples.
4. For the Lord to help David to spread the glorious gospel of Jesus at his university and to make disciples there and in the youth group he leads.
5. For the outpouring of His Holy Spirit here in Diosd to ripple all across Hungary and Eastern Europe.
6. For the Lord to bless the churches in Bulgaria, especially the churches in Kalekovits, Stamboljski, and Plovdiv where Len ministered.
7. For the Lord to send forth laborers to the Hungarian Roma (gypsies), as the Lord is laying a burden on our hearts for them.
8. For our financial blessing.  
9. For the Lord to help us renew our visas in the fall.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

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

April Update 2012

Greetings from Hungary!

It's wonderful to see everything greening up, the flowers blooming, and hear the birds singing here.

Jennifer, Denise, and Joseph

Family: When Len traveled to Belgium in February, the family he stayed with invited him to come back again with the whole family.  They had planned to take time off from school and work during the first week of April, and suggested that would be the best time for a visit. We did not plan to go, but after praying about it, we both felt the Lord wanted us to make the trip.

So we traveled there in our van, across Hungary, Austria, and Germany.  According to the GPS, it should have been a thirteen-hour trip.  But with bathroom and food breaks for the children, it took fifteen hours.  The return trip took seventeen hours!  Len had not driven on the German autobahn since the late 80's.  It was quite an experience going down the autobahn in our family van at over 75 mph, being passed by cars going double our speed and up to or exceeding 190 mph.  Our van held up wonderfully, and the Lord protected us from many dangers. 

We spent a week at the home our new, Belgian friends.  They are a lovely, hospitable family that delights to serve and show kindness. They insisted that we sleep in their master bedroom, plus the children got two extra rooms as well.  Meanwhile, our host and hostess slept on an air mattress in their living room. They thought nothing of this, and said they have done it before.  They said that when men and women of God come to their home, they leave a blessing and don't take it with them when they leave.  So this was their joy to do for us.

Rachel (daughter of Belgian hosts) with Charity

The time of fellowship and fun with them was a gift from God.  And as promised, they took us to see the battlefield near Schönberg, where Len's father had fought in the US Army during World War II in the Battle of the Bulge. But the highlight of the trip was the Sunday worship services, where they have continued to experience a mighty revival ever since February when Len was their last.  The Spirit of God is moving mightily there!  The worship was absolutely wonderful, the preaching was excellent, and the time of prayer was powerful.  They start at 8:45 AM, break briefly at 2:00 PM and resume at 2:30 or so.  They end whenever the Holy Spirit is finished, which was around 6:00 PM.  Afterward, we went back to the home where we were staying, where there were a total of 35 guests for dinner.  We got to sit together with the pastor and his wife, Sakis and Josy, and enjoy edifying fellowship.  They invited us to visit with them again at their home the next day, which we did.  Again, it was a wonderful time of encouragement, strengthening, prayer, and fellowship with them while our host family watched our children.

 Later in the day, they invited our hosts to bring the children over for dinner.  So we were there for nine hours and it didn't seem like we were there that long at all.  Everyone had a great time.   We feel this was a blessing from the Lord for us, since we needed to be refreshed and get away for a time of rest.  It was all that we could have hoped for and more, especially since it seems unlikely at this point that we will be able to go to the States for a break this summer.  However, that is still a matter of prayer, and we have not ruled out that possibility.

Last month we reported that Len had been sick with a sinus infection.  After six weeks with it, he was finally healed.  Praise the Lord.  But four days later, he caught another very bad, head cold from someone, which he is just now starting to get relief from. Thanks for your prayers.

Joseph, Len, and Christopher

Ministry:  We continue to focus on prayer, worship, evangelism, and discipleship right now.  We can truly say the Lord is moving among us.  It has been exciting to experience Him in intimate and supernatural ways these past four months.

Our children are also involved in evangelism now as well! They love to hand out tracts.  And it's a joy to see the gratefulness of some people to receive the message of the good news.

Len recently evangelized a man at the Volkswagen dealership, named Attila Kornhoffer, who was also getting his car serviced.  He said he does not have any spiritual beliefs, since "he only believes what he can see."  After Len spoke with him about the Lord, his car was ready and he had to leave, so Len gave him a gospel tract.  As Attila was getting into his car, a vehicle pulled right in front of him with the license plate number “GOD 947”.  This car went ahead of him as he was leaving the parking lot.   Pray that Attila will personally come to know the Lord Jesus.

Meanwhile, Len has been praying for several months about a trip back to Bulgaria (not Belgium) that he has desired to take.  Please join us in praying that the Lord would give clear direction, open doors for the gospel, and financial provision for the trip.

Len was last their in May 2009 and the Lord has blessed us with some precious friends their that we've grown to love, and some of whom we've known since his first trip their in 1993.

Jennifer is still waiting for an opportunity to meet with our neighbor Annamaria across the street.  Annamaria had indicated a real openness to meet with her about a difficult personal trial she is going through, but when Jennifer has attempted to connect, she has not been available. Please pray for the Lord to open that door, and keep the enemy from stopping her from hearing the gospel, so that she would come to know Jesus.

Resources:  Len has recently written a blog called "God Chooses the Weak Things" (see here).  If you would like to read this or any others he has recently written, you can find them at "Writing for the Master" (see here).

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 our trip to Belgium and all that he did in our lives while we were there, as well as the revival.
2. For the opportunities to evangelize the lost here.
3. For Len's healing from the six-week infection.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to reveal Himself to Lászlo and Annamaria, Zsolt and Andi (ZHOLT and ON-dee), and our hairdresser, Juszti (YOU-stee).
2. For Attila Kornhoffer to personally come to know the Lord Jesus.
3. For the Lord to use all of us in our personal evangelism work, including the children. 
4. For the Lord to continue using Len's disciples Greg and Gábor to reach the lost with the gospel.
5. For the Lord to complete the healing in Len from this current illness since returning from Belgium.  
6. For the Lord's direction, blessing, and financial provision for a ministry trip to Bulgaria.
7. For a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit here in Diosd, in Budapest, and all of Hungary.  And that it would ripple all across Eastern Europe.
8. For the Lord to send forth laborers to the Hungarian Roma (gypsies). 
9. For the Lord to bless the Bosch family, whom we stayed with in Belgium.
10. For our financial blessing.  That the Lord would continue to raise up partners to help us with special gifts and monthly partners, so that we will be able to focus on the ministry in Eastern Europe and accomplish all that He has put in our hearts to do.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

Love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

There are two ways to donate to Doulos Missions International. You may either send a check or money order by mail to:
Doulos Missions International
PO Box 5526
Manchester, NH 03108-5526

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