October 2018 Update

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

Jennifer on her birthday

Family: In October we celebrated Jennifer's birthday with prayer, cards, gifts, and delicious, homemade apple crisp that the girls made for her. It was ten years ago on her birthday that we arrived on the mission field in Hungary for the first time as a family, and we have already been back in the States for five years now. Time sure flies! We are praying for her healing from some health issues that include severe chronic pain and dysfunction in her body, especially her neck, shoulder, and arm, which has a substantially reduced range of motion, as well as pain in various other places like her wrists and hips. She believes it is coming from her neck and is receiving chiropractic care, but it is not better yet. Please pray for her healing.

Charity is planning to take her road test in order to finally obtain her driver's license on Thursday, October 18th, so we are praying she will pass and trust that she will do so. She has experienced a work-related, repetitive motion injury to her wrist and forearm, which has led to the need for her to take medical leave from her job for a few weeks. We have been praying for the Lord to heal her completely and would appreciate it if you could join us in that. We have finally begun to see some relief for her most recently, and are trusting the Lord to complete what He started. On a separate note, Hope registered to vote for the upcoming elections next month, since she will then be eighteen.

In October during a routine service call on our central air conditioning system, mold was discovered inside the air handler (photos here), which is the main compartment in the basement that supplies air to the entire home. It is covered with white mold inside, and since there are soft materials like insulation inside, it cannot be properly sanitized in a way that would be safe for the family. Based on some tell-tale signs we noticed a year ago, we surmise that the mold began growing in there at that time, following a water leak inside the unit, and we've been breathing it since then.

So we realized that it is a total equipment loss, and we've been having three different companies give us estimates on a new system. It is going to cost us around $16,000, depending on which company we go with. Meanwhile we are without heating and cooling, and we have no way to dehumidify our home. So we are running a space heater meant for a single room, as well as using the oven, in order to try and warm the home.

Two of the companies would not be able to schedule an installation of the new system sooner than the end of October or early November. But one company can do it sooner, possibly within one week after we make our decision to accept their proposal, so we are trying to finalize our decision as quickly as possible. Obviously for a decision this big, we want to be sure and make the right choice, so we have been praying and doing a lot of reading to inform ourselves about the various options. This discovery of mold also explains some chronic health issues that we, especially Len, have been experiencing. Unfortunately we won't be replacing all the ventilation ducts throughout the home, which may also contain mold that was blown into them by the air handler, so we will need the Lord to purify them. Please pray the Lord would provide financially for this new system, give us wisdom to make the best choice, enable us to get it installed as soon as possible, and allow the installation to go very smoothly with no new issues along the way.

While we were dealing with all of this, we also experienced flooding in our basement when the hurricane blew through here. The water outside our garage door and basement door was several inches high, the storm drains were backed up, and the water was pouring into the basement through a hole the size of a nickel in the foundation. Additionally there was water pouring in from under the walls of the foundation in almost all directions (see photos). Once we discovered it, we began using the wet vac to clean up the water, and we managed to make only about five trips outside to empty out the vacuum bucket each time it became filled. It was like bailing water in a boat with a hole in the bottom. Outside the rain was coming down in torrents and was blowing sideways in the strong winds. Then before we could finish the job, we lost our power and had to wait a few hours before we could finish the fairly significant cleanup job once the power was restored. The down side is that we have to repair the hole that is still there; plus we probably have water and possibly mold in the hollow-block foundation in the areas around the basement where seepage occurred. However, we can thank the Lord that it wasn't worse, and we had a good "team-building" experience bailing water together.

More photos.    

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

Herbert in Uganda

In September after sending our last newsletter with our testimony about how God diverted the hurricane away from us, brother Herbert who is one of our DTS students in Uganda wrote to Len:

"Prayer moves a mountain. God is Power and great. I was touched by your testimony and God's perfection for Hurricane Florence to behave basing on your prayers. This is a life testimony.

May God continue using you to inspire and encourage us. With your encouragement and training I shall never be the same. I am 40 years old now, but I yearn one time to stand before the people and preach His word. God bless you."

Praise the Lord! With the Lord's help and some training, brother Herbert will surely preach the Word. Amen.

We also received an email in September from brother Charles, who is a pastor and one of our students in Uganda. He wrote:

"Praise the Lord brother Leonard.

I hope you are doing well and the family. I am very very sorry that I could not communicate with you for the last few weeks.

Charles in Uganda

I had written an email to you before leaving and I thought it had reached you, but am sorry that it did not go through. I had actually gone to my home village (Country Home) about 215 Kilometers away from where I do ministry work. I had gone to check on the farm and supervise some work there. It's unfortunate that I had no internet connection and there is no electricity to aid the same...You have acted as a good team leader for purposes of accountability.

I would like you to know that I am very grateful for this opportunity to enhance my Bible knowledge and application. I must say that I have been greatly blessed by each of the course units, and when leaving for the village I printed a hard copy of some of the [First Quarter courses], including a few for the Second Quarter -- (Christology I and Foundations II).

I also would like to certify and affirm that I have completed the [First Year First Quarter] coursework."

Praise the Lord that despite his being out in the country without power or internet access, he still managed to finish the DTS coursework for the quarter and begin his second quarter. What a great testimony!

DTS Photo Album.

Len received the following testimony from brother Grace in Uganda, who is a pastor in Kampala:

Grace in Uganda

"Praise the Lord, brother Len! This training has greatly changed my life in that I'm getting to know many things that have been a mystery to me.

First I want to testify of how the Holy Spirit visited me in a dream in a bodily form. He came being accompanied by another very glorious person that looked to be taller than him [apparently an angel], but both were very glorious, very nice looking. Their attire was shining like sun rays; it cannot be equaled with any beauty and cannot be described. The words I heard deep inside me were: 'This is the Holy Spirit.' Both came very close to me, and in the dream I saw the reality of the Holy Spirit together with this other very glorious creature. They were too swift, and this happened just before I had an encounter with a member of [a sect known as] 'The End Time Message,' which falsely claims that Jesus and the Holy Spirit do not exist, since there is only one God (i.e., they deny the Trinity).

Secondly, the Lord's Day has been and continues to be a subject of contention among different groups. I'm in a better standing now, as I fully now know Sunday to be the Lord's Day. Moreover I used to use it for my own pleasure: outings, parties, (various) occasions, shopping, etc. From this teaching about keeping the Sabbath day holy, I have felt much relief. I have no more guilt, and I have peace in my heart as I now honour the Lord's Day fully, according to Scripture. Glory be to the Lord! I will speak about it everywhere. I am receiving more enlightenment from the Lord, as I continue my training with the DTS!

Blessings,

Grace Okurut."

Praise the Lord for the wonderful things He is doing in this pastor's life. As Peter the apostle explained on the day of Pentecost, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Ac 2:16-17, NIV). This is that! And the Lord is not only revealing Himself more to brother Grace through this particular dream, but He is also giving him better understanding of what pleases Him, including keeping Sundays holy. While this may seem foreign to many people in the Church today, as brother Grace alluded to, it was well understood and practiced by perhaps most sincere disciples, including many famous Christians, a little over a hundred years ago. We're grateful for the way the Lord is using our DTS training to make a positive impact on brother Grace and the lives of those whom he touches.

Wedding Update

Deji and Hannah as newly weds

In our September update, we reported that our first student Deji in Nigeria, (who began training with us in August 2015 and has only two quarters left of his final year), had set an October 2018 wedding date to marry his fiancée Hannah, who is also a DTS student. We are pleased to announce they did tie the knot on October 12th and 13th with a legal marriage ceremony on the first day and spiritual ceremony the next day (see wedding photos). Here is what they both wrote to us together the day after their wedding:

"Dear Brother Len,

Great things the Lord has done for us! We are married now exactly 3 years [from the day] that our paths crossed. The Lord is so wonderful to us. He provided for our wedding; we saw divine provision that were just right on time. My wife was just telling me today how God used people to donate generously to her parents, and we just give glory to God for His mercies.

I am particularly glad that the Lord granted my wish and gave me a wife with whom I can serve Him, Glory to God!

For me, Hannah, I am grateful to God for directing our path to each other. I am also happy because God that has brought us together will help us to build a CHRISTIAN HOME in Jesus name, AMEN!!!

He has given us a prophetic word that we shall be like Aquila and Priscilla and we are holding on to this. Though we look like a far cry of the picture painted by the Word of God about this couple, we have confidence that He will work in us to will and to do according to His will, finishing the good work He Himself has started and perfecting it.

We both wrote this email. The Lord bless you,

With love in Christ,

Ayodeji and Hannah"

Hallelujah! What a wonderful testimony! The presence of the Lord is upon it. Their wedding photos were lovely, too. Praise the Lord for the way He provided and finally brought them together. The Lord has bound them together as one with cords that cannot be broken, and they are now one flesh (Eph 5:31). He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord, so Deji has found a good thing and the Lord will grant them favor (Pr 18:22). Let's pray that special blessings will come upon them from on high, both now during their honeymoon and afterward as they build a peaceful, loving Christian home together.

More DTS Testimonies

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

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

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called David, a Man After God's Own Heart, No Turning Back, Living on Earth as They Do in Heaven, and The Truth About Hillsong. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- October 2018. His entire collection of his most popular blogs are at Writing for the Master.

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

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

1. For allowing us to celebrate Jennifer's birthday and giving us a beautiful day for it.
2. For helping us get the water out of our basement and that it wasn't worse.
3. For helping us discover the source of the mold-related chronic illnesses in our home.
4. For providing for brother Deji and sister Hannah, and enabling them to finally get married.
5. For the amazing things that brother Grace has been experiencing through the power of God as he continues with his DTS training.
6. For what the Lord is doing in brother Herbert's life through the DTS training.
7. For the wonderful testimony of brother Charles.
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, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
10. For the lives being touched for Christ around the world through our writing ministry.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to heal Jennifer from severe chronic pain and limited range of motion in her right arm. 
2. For the Lord to heal Len's lower back and sciatic pain.
3. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema.
4. For the Lord to provide financially for this new central air conditioning system, give us wisdom to make the best choice, enable us to get it installed as soon as possible, and allow the installation to go very smoothly with no new issues along the way.
5. For the Lord to help us get the hole in the foundation repaired, and that he would remove what appears to be mold on the inside of our foundation in the basement due to long-term water seepage.
6. For the Lord to help Charity pass her driver's license road test on October 18th.
7. For the Lord to release special blessings from on high upon brother Deji and sister Hannah, both now during their honeymoon and afterward as they build a Christian home together, and also that the prophecy about them having a ministry like Priscilla and Aquila would come to pass in the Lord's timing.
8. For the Lord to prepare brother Herbert to preach the Word. 
9. For the Lord to assist us with the administration of the Doulos Training School (DTS), as well as develop through it many disciples who multiply disciples. 
10. For the Lord to help all of our DTS students to find LTG partners (another Christian to meet with weekly for discipleship in a Life Transformation Group). 
11. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
12. For the Lord to move mountains to raise up new faith partners, and for Him to provide for all our needs -- not only ours personally, but also those of the ministry -- as He releases a financial miracle.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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 2018

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

Charity

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

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

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

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

More photos.    

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uchenna and Henrietta in Nigeria

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

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

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

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

DTS Photo Album.

Joshua Akin in Nigeria

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks, sir.

Yours in the faith,

Joshua Akin"

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

Wedding Announcement

Deji and Hannah in Nigeria

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

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

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

More DTS Testimonies

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

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

David in Nigeria and Olugbenga in the United Kingdom

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

"Beloved Brother Len,

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

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

God bless you.

Bro Olugbenga"

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

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

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called The Authority of the Believer, The Great Shepherd of the Sheep, Belonging to the Lord, Colombian Woman Died, Saw Heaven and Hell, and a special report you don't want to miss on Catholic Priests Molesting Children. Also see Speak to the Storm! Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- September 2018. His entire collection of his most popular blogs are at Writing for the Master.

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

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

1. For placing a dome of divine protection around us, weakening the hurricane, and shifting its track southward and westward in a circuitous path around us.
2. For Charity's increase in wages and hours and the opportunity to become a Trainer.
3. For the enrollment of brother Uchenna and sister Henrietta into our DTS. 
4. For helping Jean Baptiste and Charity Bisong to earn their Master's degrees and resume their training with us once again.
5. For the amazing life change that brother Joshua Akin has been experiencing through the power of God as he continues with his DTS training.
6. For the definite plans that Deji and Hannah finally have in place to get married in October and the Lord's provision for it.
7. For completely healing brother David from severe abdominal pain.
8. For the safe delivery of brother Gbenga's new baby boy.
9. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
10. For the Lord's leading, guidance, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
11. For the lives being touched for Christ around the world through our writing ministry.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to heal Len's lower back and sciatic pain.
2. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema.
3. For the Lord to restore the health of brother Gbenga's wife Hope.
4. For the Lord's will concerning the opportunity for Charity to become a Trainer.
5. For Joshua and all our students to have a deeper and more intimate love relationship, for God's perfect will be done in every area of their lives, and for divine restoration and recovery of the years and things the devil has stolen in their lives.
6. For Uchenna to obtain the knowledge to do the Lord's work more effectively and fulfill the call of God on his life, and for sister Henrietta to know more of God and His Word, so that she can fulfill her evangelistic calling.
7. For the Lord to provide all that brother Deji and sister Hannah need to get married on October 12th and 13th, and for his presence to be upon them. 
8. For the Lord to deliver Albin from evil and give him an assurance of his salvation.
9. For the Lord to assist us with the administration of the Doulos Training School (DTS), as well as develop through it many disciples who multiply disciples. 
10. For the Lord to help all of our DTS students to find LTG partners (another Christian to meet with weekly for discipleship in a Life Transformation Group). 
11. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
12. For the Lord to move mountains to raise up new faith partners, and for Him to provide for all our needs -- not only ours personally, but also those of the ministry -- as He releases a financial miracle.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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 2018

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

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

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

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

More photos.    

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

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

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

Herbert (L) and Grace (R) in Uganda

"Hi brother Len,

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

Brother Grace Okurut"

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

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

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

May God bless you all in Jesus Name."

DTS Photo Album.

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

Stephen in Nigeria

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

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

God bless you

Regards

Stephen"

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

"Dear Brother,

Praise the Lord!

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

Albin in India

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

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

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

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

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

So praise the Lord God for that, too.

Regards with love,

Albin"

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

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

Collete in Mali

"Dear brother Leonard,

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

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

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

Stay blessed

Sister Collete"

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

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

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

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

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called Walking by Faith, Our God is an Awesome God, and Life by the Spirit, Not Under the Law. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- August 2018. His entire collection of his most popular blogs are at Writing for the Master.

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

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

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

Next steps and prayer needs:

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

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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 2018

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

Charity on her twentieth birthday

Family: In June we celebrated Charity's twentieth birthday with cake, cards, gifts, and prayer for the Lord's blessings on her life. The Lord gave us a beautiful, sunny day for the party. On the morning of her birthday, while she was eating breakfast, a doe stood right outside the kitchen window where she was sitting. That has never happened before. Amazingly, right after the party we had for her in the afternoon, as she was talking with her grandparents on the phone, a doe (perhaps the same one) stood very close to our home in our backyard for a long time. The children took photos of it, which you can find at the link below, along with the party pictures. Enjoy!

In July, Jennifer took the children to a historical site where a Moravian woman told them some of the history of the Moravians. They also got to walk around and see the foundations of structures that were around in the mid 1700s. They saw the foundations from The Single Brothers' House (1755), the Tailor's Shop (1762), and many other places. They also got to see the outside of a log cabin (1834) and the inside of a calf barn. Along the way, they saw a medicine garden, the community garden, and the sleeping hall. Pictures of these are included in the album at the link below.

More photos.    

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

Most of you are probably aware of the volatile situation in Nigeria, since we have reported before that there is hostility toward Christians there and persecution. In June, we received messages from our DTS students there about the terrible bloodshed taking place in Plateau State, where many of our students are attending the University of Jos. Here were a couple of those messages:

Brothers David and Christian in Nigeria

David (pictured left) who is in medical school wrote, "There have been so much unrest and tension in Plateau State. Since Saturday, over 200 people has been killed. Some villages in Barkin Ladi LGA (Local Government Area) were massacred. For about 2 days now, we have not been able to go to school because of the situation.

Praying that the Lord will restore peace in this State.

In Christ."

Meanwhile another medical student named Christian (pictured above) wrote, "Dear Brother Len, I trust your family is fine.  Concerning the present state of Nigeria, [it] is really nothing to write home about. Last Sunday, two villages in Plateau state were attacked by Fulani Herdsmen and over 300 people were killed in cold blood. The contacts of the Security chiefs were all switched off during the attacks and soldiers were even spotted assisting the Islamic herders.

"My school, University of Jos is also situated in a Muslim-dominated part of Plateau state, and going to school has become synonymous with entering a room filled with highly inflammable gas such that the slightest spark might be disastrous. We in this part of the world really need your prayers, Sir."

When Len asked him to clarify what he meant, he stated: "I meant that the campus is situated in one of the most volatile and Muslim-dominated areas such that any spark of violence would put students in danger. We are relatively safe within the confines of the campus walls...However, in recent times, students have been killed on their way to or out of campus, irrespective of the fact that military checkpoints are in close proximity."

We hope you will join us in praying for the safety of our Nigerian brethren.

In July, brother Christian also informed us that he was baptized by water immersion and that he prays for the grace to continue abiding in the Lord's will. Praise the Lord! We congratulate him and pray that he will fulfill that desire.

Sister Hannah in Nigeria

On another note, the fiancée of Deji, one of our new DTS students in Nigeria, has enrolled in our training program. Her name is sister Hannah, and she commented about the impact that the DTS has had on Deji. She said, "I have heard a lot about you. Thank you for giving to the Lord! There was a life that was built up by this DTS (Bro Ayodeji). May God bless you abundantly and I pray that you won't lose you reward here on earth and in heaven." Praise the Lord for what He has accomplished in Deji's life through the training. It has been our pleasure to serve him and watch him grow in the Lord over the past three years.

Hannah shared a brief testimony of how she came to Christ: "Though I was born in a Christian home, this didn't bring deliverance from the power of sin. I still found myself being slave to sin. During a special program in my church for youth, September 2005, I totally surrendered all to Jesus and invited Him into my heart. Since then God has been helping me to please Him." Praise the Lord! She stated her reason for joining is this: "I want to enroll in DTS because I have a strong impression to develop myself spiritually so I can be a better, influential believer to the glory of God." We are pleased to have the chance to serve Hannah over the next three years and look forward to seeing the Lord transform her life.

Please click here to see the full DTS Photo Album.

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

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

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called Walking by Faith, Our God is an Awesome God, and Life by the Spirit, Not Under the Law. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- July 2018. His entire collection of his most popular blogs are at Writing for the Master.

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

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

1. For giving Charity a wonderful birthday.
2. For the beautiful field day the Lord gave Jennifer and the children. 
3. For Christian's recent baptism. 
4. For the enrollment of Sister Hannah in our DTS. 
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, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
7. For the lives being touched for Christ around the world through our writing ministry.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to heal Len's knee, as well as the lower back and sciatic pain that seems to be coming from his spine.
2. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema.
3. For the Lord to protect our brethren in Plateau State, Nigeria, especially our DTS students who are attending the University of Jos. For the Lord to restore peace to this area. 
4. For the Lord to bring about a mighty revival among the students at the University of Jos, Nigeria, and to help those who are in our DTS to pass their final exams at the university. 
5. For the Lord to assist us with the administration of the Doulos Training School (DTS), as well as develop through it many disciples who multiply disciples. 
6. For the Lord to help Hannah develop herself spiritually so she can be a better, influential believer to the glory of God.
7. For the Lord to help all of our DTS students to find LTG partners (another Christian to meet with weekly for discipleship in a Life Transformation Group). 
8. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
9. For the Lord to send His angels with Len’s written messages to those who need them, and for an open heaven over them when they receive his messages. 
10. For the Lord to move mountains to raise up new faith partners, and for Him to provide for all our needs -- not only ours personally, but also those of the ministry -- as He releases a financial miracle.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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 2018

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

Family: In May a mocking bird laid four eggs in a nest in one of the trees in our garden. The children enjoyed monitoring the progress, watching the eggs hatch one by one, and then seeing the little newborns constantly beg for worms from the mother and father birds. Eventually they witnessed one of them leave the nest and take up position in a nearby evergreen bush. We've included some of the photos in our link below, in case you are interested.

At the end of May and first week of June, they all took their final annual standardized tests as they prepared to wrap up another school year by the grace of God. Charity has also written two new poems called "Greater Things Await" and "Life's Basic Training." They are both posted on Verses to the King at the links provided, if you are interested.

While Len has experienced significant relief lately from lower back and sciatic pain, he is still experiencing knee pain, so we continue to trust the Lord for a total healing for him. Faith is still experiencing eczema and so is Len, from which we are continuing to pray for healing. All things are possible with God.

More photos.    

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

Brother Albin in India

One of our new DTS students is a young man in northern India named Albin, who recently gave his life to the Lord at the end of April after corresponding with Len for a few weeks.

We received an email in April from him stating:

"Dear brother Len,

I have liked reading your articles from beginning and continue the same.

I read your article 'To Sin or Not to Sin', and I'm glad Lord used me as an instrument in helping you write this article. It certainly exposed satan's day-to-day tricks, and I'll keep reading it to remind myself that it is easier 'Not to sin' than 'to sin' once we've been freed of strongholds of satan.

The 'Keys to Prayer' and 'The Disciple's Prayer' articles are really good and I would use [those] to show to the people who pray like the Gentiles and don't know how to pray.

I didn't realise that I was still praying like the Gentiles and that Jesus wanted us to use The Lords prayer to structure our prayers rather than chanting it blindly as it is. It's wonderful how The Lord revealed this simple thing that most people fail to understand.

Keep up the good work .

Praise Lord Jesus.

In Jesus,
Albin"

Praise the Lord! We give God all the glory for using the plain truth explained in these simple articles to help this new believer in India. He also wrote to us afterward in May to say that he attended his first worship service in a Bible preaching church, which the Lord helped him to find and attend, although he got a negative reaction from his family for doing so. Please pray for Albin that he will continue to grow in his faith and make great strides in his walk with Jesus, despite the opposition he encounters from his family. And pray that the Lord will break all the chains of darkness off his life.

Brother Joshua in Nigeria

Another one of our new students is Brother Joshua in Nigeria (pictured left), who was invited by another one of our DTS students. He is a thirty year old man who got saved ten years ago in 2008 and has since been baptized with the Holy Spirit. He said he enrolled in the DTS to "know more about God and to be heavenly minded and earthly useful to live a life sold out to God and humanity." He started his three year journey with us on June 1 and we look forward to assisting him in achieving that noble goal.

Len received the following email from brother Grace in Uganda, one of our DTS students who is a pastor there.

"Praise the Lord! I really thank the Lord Jesus for the training and the first quarter I have completed though faced with some challenges like forming an LTG. Of course, we are praying that the members of our church should adopt the culture of studying God's Word. Most of the churches here have not been discipled, and I believe it is the very reason why our churches are crippled and lagging behind. They pray much, but are lacking when it comes to studying God's Word.This requires your prayerful consideration for our groups here. I praise Him for what so far is being accomplished in our lives and need more of it, as I will try to do my best where I'm supposed to. To Him be the glory, majesty and honour forever more, Amen!
Your humble brother, Grace Okurut."

Brother Charles in Uganda

A pastor in Lira, Uganda named Charles contacted us in June to apply for enrollment in our DTS. He stated: "I would like to appreciate and thank God for the training that has impacted many Pastors around the world. As a Pastor of a local church I recognize the importance of acquiring Bible knowledge so that I can impact my community with the message of our Lord Jesus Christ positively. I am writing to request for an online Bible training program, I came to know about this program from Pastor James Odeke, whom I have worked with for a very long time now. Please help me be the Pastor that Lord wants me to be by equipping me with the necessary skills required. The Ministry I lead is less than one year with a membership of about 200 members."

He shared his testimony of how he was saved in 1993 by stating: "I got born again while in high school. [I was] a member of a very stubborn click of students, who were involved in drinking, smoking and all manner of things that kept us out of school for indiscipline. It was in the Second term while in Senior Two in the night [that] I had a dream that I was preaching to a great multitude of people and among them was part of the student community. They were rejoicing and celebrating the manner at which God was using me in that dream. It's then that I knew the Lord wanted me to be born again. The following day I heard a group of born again students praising the Lord in one of the classrooms. [Through that experience] the Lord convicted me to give my life to him."

Praise the Lord for his wonderful testimony and for subsequently baptizing him with the Holy Spirit. Brother Charles is now the pastor and founder of Champions Miracle Ministries, and began his three-year training with us in June.  Let's pray that the Lord uses the DTS to equip him for works of service, so that he can achieve the vision the Lord has given him and fulfill his calling.

In our last update we mentioned that brother Olugbenga, one of our DMI Board Members who is a pastor in England, traveled to his native land of Nigeria on business in April and May. While it was a productive trip and he was able to meet with one of our DTS students, he contracted typhoid fever and his baby Joel who was with him contracted malaria. So he spent a lot of time caring for the baby and making visits to the hospital for treatments. By the grace of God, Brother Gbenga is doing better now that he is back in the UK. He has finished his treatment and is no longer having stomach pain, but is still feeling really exhausted. He is awaiting results of a blood test to determine if the typhoid has been eliminated. Joel's blood test result shows that there are dead malaria cells, but no live parasites in his system, so thank the Lord for that. The doctor has advised Brother Gbenga to take the boy for a medical examination if he develops fever of any kind in the next six months. As you know, malaria is known to recur, but we are praying that the Lord would miraculously prevent any future recurrence of the disease. Let's remember Brother Gbenga and Joel in our prayers.

Please click here to see the full DTS Photo Album.

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

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

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called Against Entropy, Knowing the Lord, Changing the Atmosphere, What Jesus Did Not Do on the Cross, and The Gift of Celibacy. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- June 2018. His entire collection of his most popular blogs are at Writing for the Master.

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

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

1. For helping all of our children with their standardized final exams.
2. For Brother Olugbenga's successful trip to Nigeria and for the Lord healing him from typhoid, as well as Joel's healing from malaria.
3. For the enrollment of Brother Charles in Uganda and Brother Joshua in Nigera to our DTS.
4. For the wonderful testimony of brother Albin in India.
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, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
7. For the lives being touched for Christ around the world through our writing ministry.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to heal Len's knee, as well as the lower back and sciatic pain that seems to be coming from his spine.
2. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema.
3. For the Lord to heal Brother Olugbenga from exhaustion and miraculously prevent his son Joel from any future recurrence of malaria.
4. For the Lord to provide a good job for Deji and help him and Hannah to get married soon, as well as help him to pastor the campus church.
5. For the Lord to bring about a mighty revival among the students at the University of Jos, Nigeria, and to help those who are in our DTS to pass their final exams at the university. 
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). 
8. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
9. For the Lord to send His angels with Len’s written messages to those who need them, and for an open heaven over them when they receive his messages. 
10. For the Lord to move mountains to raise up new faith partners, and for Him to provide for all our needs -- not only ours personally, but also those of the ministry -- as He releases a financial miracle.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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 2018

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

Family: In May we celebrated Christopher's thirteenth birthday with prayer, cake, gifts, and cards. He is now officially a teen. One of the gifts he received was a new mountain bike, as well as a set of binoculars. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to celebrate another year of his life.

Also on one beautiful sunny day in May, Jennifer took the children for a field trip locally in the historic district of a nearby village here that was once the southern province for the Moravian Christians immigrating to America from Germany. They saw a few historic artifacts and two buildings from the eighteenth century, including a Moravian Church that is still in use, as well as an old farm house from that period. They also walked on some trails through the woods to a creek that once provided water to that village. The fields they saw were once part of the original agricultural parcels farmed by the eighteenth century residents. See the link below for photos of the trip.

Len is still experiencing knee pain, as well as lower back and sciatic pain, so we continue to trust the Lord for a total healing for him. Faith is still experiencing eczema and so is Len, from which we are continuing to pray for healing. The Lord is faithful and He will do it.

More photos.    

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

Brother Albin in India

A young man in northern India named Albin gave his life to the Lord at the end of April after corresponding with Len for a few weeks, and also enrolled in our DTS. He is from Uttar Predesh (UP), which is located in the northern part of India, just south of Nepal, and is the most populated state in India. If it were its own country, it would be one of the top ten most populated countries in the world. Only 0.13% of the population has been recorded as Christians there! Of those, half are Catholic, so it is a very dark place spiritually. In fact, UP is the strategic center of heathen worship and practice in India. Around 80% are Hindu and 19% are Muslim. Safety for women is also an issue. In 2016, UP was on record for having the most murders and rape cases in the country. In fact, it has the highest number of crimes overall among any state in India. Moreover, about 40% of the population there lives below the poverty line. If ever there was a place that truly needs the gospel, it is Uttar Predesh.

After Albin had prayed to invite Jesus into his heart, he wrote in part:

"Dear Len,

Thank you so much for helping me and putting up with me. And thanks to Lord Jesus for the same.

I really felt a few changes and feel something more has been added to me. It's like my sixth sense is activated.

Also, thanks for the admission to the discipleship program. And I too look forward to this Journey.

Stay blessed,

Albin"

In a subsequent email, he stated, "Most of all thanks to the Lord for [connecting] me [with] you and then helping me through you to be born again. All glory to God." Praise the Lord for saving Albin's soul and bringing him into the kingdom of God. We look forward to continuing to serve him as a disciple in our DTS. He will be starting his DTS training when the next quarter begins in just two weeks on June 1st. Please pray that the Lord will set him free from every chain of darkness that remains in his life.

Brother Grace in Uganda

One our DTS students named Grace in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, who is a pastor there shared a wonderful testimony with us via email in May. The following excerpts are taken from two emails he wrote:

"Praise the Lord, my dear brother Len! I want to thank God for what He is doing through this training! I'm one of God's children who is really zealous for God's work. Pray with me that I may fulfill what the Lord has called me for before I go back home.

This training is opening my eyes to know and understand more about God just like Aquila and Priscilla explained God's way to Apollos more accurately. This training counts to me and is a gift more than whatever any one could offer to me. I say in my soul I need more of God, His Word, ways, power etc.

There are quite many things to testify of this training, but just...to mention a few: The study of the bodily forms of God the Father,the Son, and the Holy Spirit has greatly touched and inspired me! It's as if in me has been put a new mind to understand the things of God and the old has gone! Today when studying about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and reading through the testimonies of the bodily form of the Holy Spirit and the teaching, I'm over zealous and need more of the Holy Spirit experience.

I recall an instance in my early days [after] conversion when one of our renowned evangelists here...one day was invited to minister in an Anglican church not far from our home. While ministering, the people outside -- both believers and non believers -- saw a dove fly into the church where this brother was ministering at that moment. Immediately [when] the dove entered, there was much noise heard in the church of the evidence of speaking in tongues. That was the first of its kind in that church that started revival in that church. I thank God and I have understood the teaching. It is really great and there is quite a lot I would share if time and space would allow.

Brother Len, thanks for the opportunity, and I'm sure my ministry will never be the same again -- more so, my personal life that has been touched through the training...I count it a blessing to be part of what the Lord is doing through it! Since the training started I totally feel free, relieved, joyous!
There were also things which were a mystery to me [previously]. I thank God for [the] enlightenment [I have received]; more so, it has helped me to master the Bible and I preach with much confidence.

Reading about the 'presence of the Lord ' has changed my life as I often encounter His presence. Sometimes when reading the word, meditating, praying, or singing, I break down with tears and feel much of the Holy Spirit upon me. I have much to share, but generally my life is changed as I'm more conscious about the end times because of this training, so God bless, brother Len and others.

Blessings,
Brother Grace Okurut"

Praise the Lord for that wonderful testimony of how God is transforming brother Grace through the discipleship he is receiving.

James in Uganda teaching the DTS courses to other pastors

Another one of our DTS students James, in Lira, Uganda, who is a pastor located about five-hours drive from brother Grace, has been teaching the other pastors in his church what he is learning in his training with us during his first quarter. He wrote to Len in May to express his appreciation for what he is learning, and to let us know he is imparting it to others. He remarked that he wished he had met Len before he began his ministry. Praise the Lord. As the apostle Paul said to Timothy, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." (2 Tim 2:2).

We received an email in April from one of our DTS students in Nigeria named Blessing with a praise report about her father. She stated:

"Good day sir,

It's been a while... I hope and believe you are doing fine.. I want to specially thank the Lord for a very successful surgery on my Daddy (for kidney stone) although he is still recovering.

Eze Blessing"

Praise the Lord for getting her father successfully through surgery. We pray in Jesus' name that he will make a full recovery.

Please click here to see the full DTS Photo Album.

Another one of our students in Nigeria that we asked you to pray for recently is David, who is attending medical school at the University of Jos. He had been having severe abdominal pain. In the latest update he gave to Len he said the intensity and frequency of the pain has subsided, but not been completely eliminated. Praise the Lord for some progress as we continue to pray for his complete healing.

One of our Board members, brother Olugbenga "Gbenga" Oladejo, who is a British pastor, is currently abroad on a trip to Nigeria. Although he is there on business, he has met with one of our DTS students Deji in Lagos and reports that he is doing well in the Lord. Praise the Lord! We hope you will join us in praying for the Lord to provide gainful employment for Deji and enable him to get married soon.

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

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

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." (Ps 115:1)

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called Multiplying Your Talents, To Sin or Not to Sin, and Keys to Prayer. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- May 2018. His entire collection of his most popular blogs are at Writing for the Master.

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

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

1. For helping us to celebrate Christopher's thirteenth birthday
2. For blessing Jennifer and the children with a fun and interesting field trip to an old Moravian village.
3. For the significant measure of healing from abdominal pain that brother David in Nigeria has experienced.
4. For the wonderful testimony of sister Blessing about her father's successful kidney surgery.
5. For saving brother Albin in India and leading him to enroll in our DTS.
6. For the report that brother James in Uganda is teaching the leaders in his church what he is learning in the DTS.
7. For the wonderful testimony of brother Grace in Uganda about what the Lord is doing in his life through the DTS training.
8. For enabling brother Gbenga from our DMI Board to meet with brother Deji in Nigeria and the good report that Deji is doing well in the Lord.
9. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
10. For the Lord's leading, guidance, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
11. For the lives being touched for Christ around the world through our writing ministry.

Next steps and prayer needs:

1. For the Lord to heal Len's knee, as well as the lower back and sciatic pain.
2. For the Lord to heal Faith and Len from eczema.
3. For the Lord to heal David at the University of Jos from any remaining abdominal pain.
4. For the Lord to provide a good job for Deji and help him and Hannah to get married soon, as well as help him to pastor the campus church.
5. For the Lord to bring about a mighty revival among the students at the University of Jos, Nigeria. 
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). 
8. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.
9. For the Lord to send His angels with Len’s written messages to those who need them, and for an open heaven over them when they receive his messages. 
10. For the Lord to move mountains to raise up new faith partners, including those who would sponsor our students, and for Him to provide for all our needs -- not only ours personally, but also those of the ministry -- as He releases a financial miracle.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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