January Update 2019

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

Family: On New Year's Eve, we brought in the New Year together as a family with prayer as usual. After midnight, Len gave each one a New Year's blessing, following a family tradition handed down from his father. Then on New Year's Day we celebrated with a feast. Speaking of the New Year, let us take this opportunity to pray that the Lord would bless each one of you with His peace, with good health, a closer walk with Him, and a sense of His presence, as you abide in Him in 2019!

Christopher has been making great progress in playing the keyboard and likewise Faith has been making equally excellent progress with her guitar playing. They have been adding a wonderful new dimension to our worship in church as they play skillfully on their instruments. Praise the Lord!

The Lord also blessed Charity with a better job at another restaurant that will provide better pay, more hours, and be closer to home. So she has resigned from her job at Chick-fil-a, and will begin her new job at a cafeteria style restaurant on the 21st of January. Please pray for her to do well in the transition as she learns a whole new job.

Jennifer is in the process of trying to get a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon, and possibly a surgical procedure to address the problem with her right shoulder being painfully stiff and immobile.

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 disciples in five nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, India, and Mali.

Shadrach in Nigeria

A new student named Shadrach from Calabar, Nigeria enrolled. He was referred to us by one of our current DTS students named John, who lives in that same city. He is twenty-four years old, came to Christ two years ago in December 2016, and has been baptized with the Holy Spirit. He tells his testimony like this:

"I was born and brought up in church, but I still didn’t know what I was doing. Even though everybody around me knew me as a Christian; I just knew I had a big vacuum in me that needed to be filled by Jesus Christ. Later a friend of mine invited me to a youth fellowship which was not organized by my church, [which] was where I had an encounter with the Word, and right from that moment something new happened to my life. I got a new fire and passion for Christ (I knew deep within me that I was now saved and was born again)."

What a wonderful testimony that emphasizes the fact that we all must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God, even those who have been brought up as Christians, and who consider themselves Christians.

Here is why he says he enrolled in the DTS: "When I look at how scarce the Word of God has become in the heart of the people around my environment, most especially the youths, I always feel deep in my spirit that God is seeking for a man to equip and release to help men find Him. It is with this reason that I have decided to prepare myself for the task which God is releasing me into, by seeking [to enroll in] a discipleship school that teaches the truth." 

We are delighted to have Shadrach begin his journey with us on March 1st. Let's pray the Lord would indeed equip him, so that he helps others find Christ. As Paul wrote 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." (1 Tim 2:2).

William in India

A fifty-nine year old pastor from southern India named William also enrolled in our DTS in January, so that he can gain a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures. He will begin his training at the same time as Shadrach on March 1st. Here is his testimony of how he was saved in 1979 as a young adult:

"Dear beloved Leonard,

My mother and father are Christians, so I regularly attended Church from my childhood along with them. I heard the Word of God and learned discipline and became a good-character youth. Especially I knew about the kingdom of God, and [when] I heard the Word of God to enter the God`s  kingdom, I repented by the Word [that says]: 'He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.' (Pro 28:13). [I was] saved and born again at the point. This is my [testimony] regarding [being] born again.

Thanking you.

in the Lord,

William"

Praise the Lord for his testimony, which reminds us that everyone, including those with good character, who have been raised in the church all their lives, must still be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of God. We are thankful the Lord has brought William to us, so that we can serve him. We look forward to the journey together with him over the next three years.

David (L) and Christian (R) in Jos, Nigeria

Len received a phone call from one of our DTS students in Jos, Nigeria named David (pictured left). He is in the medical school at the University of Jos, studying to be a medical doctor, and he informed Len about a tragedy that occurred there in mid-September. He said that the Muslims attacked and committed a massacre in Jos, even murdering entire households like they had previously done in June 2018, only three months earlier. The June massacre had claimed three hundred lives.

He said that in this mid-September attack, one of our other students named Christian (pictured above) had a friend who was killed in the attack along with his entire household, except for one sister who survived. And brother David said that he saw the attackers with his own eyes when they struck at the hostile where he and other university students were living. He said some people were trying to repel the attackers, and in the process of doing so, a stray bullet hit a young man named Shadrach in the back of the head and neck. He was brought into the hostile where brother David was, where he lay unconscious for about an hour. But there was nothing he could do for the victim, except pray, since the hospital was very far from there, and there was no way for him to treat such a traumatic head wound. Unfortunately he watched Shadrach die, and although he was a Christian, David is not sure if he was born again.

In addition to all of this, the University lecturers all across the entire country of Nigeria are on strike. They are making demands of the federal government, which brother David says it is in no position to fulfill. This strike has been going on since the fall, so the final exams that were supposed to occur in October and November never happened. Many of the students, like brother David, have returned to their hometowns to live with their families until the strike eventually ends.

Sister Blessing in Jos, Nigeria

Len also received an email from sister Blessing, another one of our DTS students at the University of Jos, describing the bloodshed that took place in September. She stated:

"It was really bad. We lost a number of students, some of which were considered missing and others who were actually killed. Although some missing students were found, while some confirmed dead, it's heartbreaking thinking of it now. Most families lost loved ones. On one occasion an entire family was [killed by] machete. It's really sad... killings without anybody doing anything about it (it's almost normal to wake up in the morning and hear that herdsmen attacked a village and killed a hundred people and that...nothing is done).....and the economy has been at its worse...hunger reached it's peak....It's quite terrible here, but then we have a 'big God that [surpasses] them [all].' We [will] survive by God's grace. Good things still happen down here though."

These DTS students in Jos need our prayers for protection and for an end to the professors' strike, so they can return to their studies. Anyone who says that Islam is a peaceful religion, or that Muslims worship the same God that Christians worship is not in touch with reality. The Koran itself teaches them to carry out this kind of jihad against the so-called infidels, which is what they have done for nearly two thousand years. They need our prayers, too, that they will come to know Christ, who alone can save them.

More DTS Testimonies

Len received an email from Sister Collete in Mali on New Year's Day, in which she stated:

Sister Collete in Mali

"Dear brother Leonard,

I thank God for bringing us into 2019. I have so much to thank God and glorify His name that paper and pen may not be enough.

He has been our all in all in 2018.  He made us overcome many trials and challenges in the last year. We became more than victorious. For Doulos School students, I thank Him so much for using us in various areas to be His witness and proclaim His name in the corrupted world. To your family I thank Him for all wondrous things He manifested in your lives.

My prayer for this year is for Him to take a permanent place in our hearts as we await His return that we may be raptured.

Finally I wish you a blissful year of joy and blessings.

With His Love

Sister Collete"

DTS Photo Album.

Deji in Nigeria

Len received an email from Deji in January, which he has given permission for us to share and excerpt from it here. He said:

"I sense the Lord is asking me to spend more time studying, because he has something he wants me to do which I don't know yet...However,  during a teaching on evangelism yesterday morning, I felt like resigning from my job, going to a place where the gospel has not been established, where I can spend all my time getting people into the Lord's kingdom and studying God's Word. Immediately after that message, I encouraged myself in the Lord..." Then he said that his pastor "...encouraged me to obey the Lord's leading and prayed for me too. Now I have joy and peace in my heart that I can do what I know the Lord is calling me to do as I am also waiting for the Lord's open door to be sent far away to the Gentiles to bring light to them.

Thank you sir,

The Lord bless you,
Deji"

Let's continue to pray that as Deji finishes his final quarter of DTS training with us, that he and his lovely wife Hannah would hear clearly from the Lord, so that they may know the Lord's will for their lives and do it.

Len sent out his monthly edition of Old News That's Still Fresh in January to pastors, elders, and laborers in the harvest in the US, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Southeast Asia. This month's edition included a free, devotional e-book and a free, downloadable calendar, both of which you can find at the above link. Upon receiving it, James Odeke one of our DTS students, who is a pastor in Uganda, replied, "Thank you so much for the help this is what we need."

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.

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called The Active Nature of Faith, Obedient to the Heavenly Vision, Why God Hides His Face, The One Another Commandments, and The Holy Fire Series. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- January 2019. 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 bring in the New Year with prayer, and blessing us with a wonderful feast together as a family.
2. For providing Charity with a better job in answer to our prayers.
3. For the progress that Christopher and Faith are making on their musical instruments and the blessing that is bringing to our worship services.
4. For protecting all our DTS students from harm during the recent massacre in Jos, Nigeria.
5. For the way He brought brother Shadrach to Christ three years ago, and for leading him to enroll in our DTS.
6. For leading William in India to enroll in our DTS.
7. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
8. For the Lord's leading, guidance, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
9. 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 chronic pain and limited range of motion in her right arm (adhesive encapsulitis in her shoulder). 
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 help Charity to do well in the transition, as she learns a whole new job.
5. For the Lord to help brother Deji finish his DTS training with us by February 28th, and to lead him concerning the next step for his life.
6. For protection of our DTS students in Jos and for an end to the university professors' strike, so they can return to their studies. 
7. For the Muslim marauders in Nigeria to come to know Christ, who alone can save them.
8. 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. 
9. 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). 
10. For the Lord to fulfill His purposes for us and our ministry.

Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry.

with love from all of us,

The Lacroixs

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

Donate Online

December Update 2018

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

The Family at Thanksgiving Dinner 2018

Family: In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving together with turkey and fixings, as well as delicious deserts. We had so much to be thankful to God for, and we verbally expressed our thanks to Him together in prayer around the table.

We mentioned last month that we were having numerous issues with the installation of our new central heating and cooling system, that included two system freeze overs, in which the system literally froze up with ice and stopped working properly. At our request they replaced the heat pump under warranty, and took care of most of the other issues, so we trust that we can now put that behind us and move on. We also mentioned last month that we had flooding through a hole in our foundation. By the grace of God, we finally got that repaired. It's nice to have those things behind us now.

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 disciples in four nations including Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, and Mali.

Brother Daniel in Nigeria

In November, Len received a comment on his article You Must Be Born Again from a twenty-three year old man named Daniel in Nigeria, who wrote:

"I believe in Jesus, He died for me on the cross of Calvary. I repent from all my sins today. From now on, only Jesus Christ will be my Saviour. I believe." He went on to say, "I actually want to register [for the DTS]; I am interested, [because] I want to know more about coming of Christ and how to preach gospel. Mrs Collete Toure introduced me to it."

He testified how he actually came to know Christ earlier this year: "Actually as I was sleeping one morning, someone was preaching in the street, saying, 'Repent for the kingdom of God is near.' The voice of that person touched my heart. My heart was troubled. I also had a friend that had just gotten saved at that time, and he was preaching to me too. I was afraid of the coming of Jesus Christ, so I called him and explained to him [what was happening]. I told him that I needed Jesus in my life and I was coming to their church. On Sunday we went to church, and after the service I gave my life to Christ. He prayed for [me] and I got baptized."

Praise the Lord that this man has come to know Jesus as His Savior. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and through the preaching of it, the Lord was able to wake this man up both from his natural sleep and especially spiritually. When Len checked with sister Collete, one of our students in Mali, Africa, to find out more from her about how he decided to contact us, she replied humbly:

Sister Collete in Mali

"Dear brother Leonard,

It is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. It all happened like this. In Africa we have what is called Christian Whatsapp groups for evangelization, encouragement, teachings and testimonies, prayers, and all that concerns Christians, preparing us for the Lord's second coming.

I am involved with several groups. It so happens that Daniel is in one of the groups. Due to my contributions, thanks to the vast knowledge on various topics gained from Doulos Training School, [the Lord] enabled me to be an asset to the group.

It was from this forum that Daniel spotted me and wrote to me that he would like to have more knowledge about Christian life and to grow in the spirit. Well, I introduced him to the school, because I know he will gain more and become a good disciple of Christ.

As I said before this was just from God, because I have talked with several brothers and sisters about the school, but none of them has ever shown interest.

I give God all the glory.

Stay blessed.

Sister Collete"

We give all the glory to God for brother Daniel's life and salvation, and the way He used sister Collete to edify and encourage him, as well as to direct him to our training school, where he can learn to become a disciple. He did enroll in our DTS on Thanksgiving Day and stated that his reason for doing so is, "I want to learn more about Jesus Christ, and how to preach the gospel." Praise the Lord.

Afterward Len connected brother Daniel with brother Deji, since they both reside in Lagos, Nigeria. Let's pray that he will learn more about Jesus and how to preach the gospel.

Brother Geoffrey in Kenya

Daniel has since referred two other people to our DTS, brother Joshua in Ghana and brother Geoffrey in Kenya. When Geoffrey applied for enrollment into our DTS in November, he gave the following testimony of his salvation:

"I was led to the Lord after a twelve-year struggle with addiction, by a pastor who was helping me to overcome alcoholism. Initially, and like it is with all addicts, I had tried all I could to get out of a self-destructive, sinful lifestyle. This being my fourth year of being dry, and walking with the Lord, I received a call for serving and reaching out to others who are still burdened with the yoke of addiction. Due to lack of funds, DTS is ideal, as I can pursue the knowledge of God without the limitations that lack of finances can afford. It's also ideal, as through the Life Transformation Group [LTG], something good can be birthed and nurtured into a fellowship that can be fruitful for the Lord."

Praise the Lord for saving Geoffrey and delivering him from alcohol addiction! What a wonderful testimony of God's power! And we're so pleased to be able to offer him the DTS training free of charge, in order to help him grow in his knowledge of God. As you can see from his reason for enrolling and his comments about LTGs, he's already caught our vision of multiplying disciples. Let's pray the Lord helps him grow spiritually and births something good through him that can be nurtured into a fruitful fellowship in Kenya.

More DTS Testimonies

Len received an email from one of our students in Uganda named Grace. He is a pastor who is having challenges paying his rent, so he accepted an invitation from a sister from his church, who offered him and his family a place to stay. He is now there, but facing transportation challenges. He wrote:

Brother Grace in Uganda

"Praise the Lord, dear brother Len. I am staying with my wife and our five children together in this new place. The challenge is to walk to church almost daily for six kilometres [3.7 miles]. My wife Dina is weak, since she has been sickly from her youth. We are praying for transportation and our own house.

Blessings."

Praise the Lord for the provision of a temporary place to stay. Let's pray the Lord would provide brother Grace and his family with their own house and a vehicle to use for transportation.

Len also received an email from another pastor in Uganda who is also in our DTS, named brother Charles. He stated:

"Greetings From Uganda.

Brother Charles in Uganda

I am very grateful that the Lord made it possible for me to be able to join this training program. I would like to let you know that it has not only widened my understanding in the Word of God, but has also helped me apply the word of God in my day-to-day life and made the Pastoral work easier. I am very optimistic that the next courses will be more impactful.

My regards to the family and partners of Doulos Training School. Let them know that every little support they are giving materially, emotionally, spiritually and financially to make God's word available is being recorded and God will reward each person accordingly.

Thank You Very Much For Continuous Service to Empower and disciple Christian leaders.

Pr Charles L Okello"

DTS Photo Album.

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

In December, he received the following response from sister Collete (pictured above), who receives the Old News That's Still Fresh each month. She wrote:

"Dear brother Leonard,

First may I start by thanking God for keeping us all as students of Doulos [Training] School and our families to enter the month of December. It has been a challenge to most of us, but the grace of God has carried and been sufficient for us.  I especially thank God for your family for the strength and anointing that has sustained you to continue with the school program, as well as the Writing for the Master blog. All glory be to Him alone.

Thank you for the Old News That's Still Fresh - December edition. May the Lord forever replenish those hands and strengthen them to continue serving him.

Forever stay blessed.

Sister Collete"

Brother Deji in Nigeria

As sister Collete mentioned, the DTS training is a challenge for most of our students. This is evidenced by the fact that we have just as many former students, who were once in our training and did not finish, as we do students who are currently enrolled. Sister Collete is now in her second-to-last quarter and is due to finish her training on May 31, 2019. Meanwhile, our very first student, Deji in Nigeria, who began his training with us in August 2015 is now beginning his final quarter, which ends on February 28, 2019. Please pray that the Lord will help all of our students with their training, and especially help sister Collete and brother Deji to complete their training as planned.

Our sister Sherry in Kenya, who is now beginning her third year of DTS training, is encountering some major challenges, as things are "a bit tight," but she is pressing onward and trusting the Lord for a miracle. Let's agree in prayer for her miracle.

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.

Resources:  This month we would like to suggest some articles Len has recently written called Serving Within Your Sphere and Keep Your Lamp Burning. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- December 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 blessing us with a wonderful Thanksgiving Day celebration together as a family.
2. For helping us finally get the issues with our central heating and cooling system resolved.
3. For helping us get the hole in our foundation repaired.
4. For what the Lord is doing through sister Collete's life there in Africa through the DTS training she has received from us.
5. For the way He brought brother Daniel to Christ earlier this year and leading him to enroll in our DTS.
6. For the testimony of brother Geoffrey's salvation and deliverance from alcohol, and for using brother Daniel to bring him to our DTS.
7. For the opportunity to assist each of our students in becoming disciples of Christ and fulfilling their callings. 
8. For the Lord's leading, guidance, and help administering the Doulos Training School (DTS), and for the progress the students are making.
9. 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 chronic pain and limited range of motion in her right arm (adhesive encapsulitis in her shoulder). 
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 continue using sister Collete for His glory through the Christian social media groups she participates in.
5. For the Lord to help brother Daniel as he begins his training in our DTS, so that he may learn more about Jesus Christ, and how to preach the gospel.
6. For the Lord to help brother Geoffrey to grow spiritually and birth something good through him that can be nurtured into a fruitful fellowship in Kenya.
7. For the Lord to grant a miracle to our sister Sherry in Kenya.
8. For the Lord to provide brother Grace and his family with their own house and a vehicle to use for transportation.
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.

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

November 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.

Hope on her 18th bithday

Family: In November, we celebrated Hope's eighteenth birthday with delicious, homemade pumpkin cake, cards, gifts, and prayer. A few days later, Hope got out and voted for the first time in the November elections.

Last month we reported that Charity's arm had been injured and she was experiencing pain and numbness. We are pleased to report that it has improved significantly and she returned to work in October after three weeks of leave. While Charity did not pass her first road test on October 18th, she took it again on November 8th and passed! Praise the Lord!

In October we reported that mold was discovered inside our air handler (photos here), which is the main compartment in the basement that supplies air to the entire home. We took a mold sample and sent it for testing. When we received the results back, we found out that the type of mold in our system is not particularly dangerous, but mainly causes allergies, which is what we had been experiencing when we were using the system. We are grateful that we had the system replaced in October, which was a huge and very expensive project. The new system installation was not without many issues and complications. In fact, as we publish this newsletter, the system has completely failed and cannot heat our home. It is 39 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and we are awaiting a service call in four to five hours. We trust that whatever the issue is will be fixed. On a positive note, we are already feeling better since the mold was removed. Praise the Lord.

We also mentioned last month that we had flooding through a hole in our foundation. Unfortunately with all that has been going on with the heating and air system, we still haven't gotten that repaired.

Ken Boone (Mr. Nick) of We Kids Radio

One of our prayer partners for this ministry, who has been a great encouragement to us as a family, and who has helped to pray us through many trials, is now going through a major trial of his own and needs our help. His name is Ken Boone, and he is affectionately known by thousands of people on his We Kids Radio program as Mr. Nick. In November, a wildfire destroyed his home town of Paradise, CA., including Mr. Nick's own home.  By the grace of God, he escaped alive! In order to help him rebuild and get back on his feet so he can continue serving the Lord in his ministry, we have started a Go Fund Me campaign called Help Mr. Nick of We Kids to Rebuild. Please pray for him and his family and consider giving to this emergency fund that we have set up for him.

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 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, Bette, French, Kiswahili, Lubukusu, Ngakarimojong, Bambara, Luo and Gishu. All of them speak English.

John in Nigeria

In November, Len received a testimony by email from one of our students in Nigeria named brother John. He stated in part:

"Greetings to you and your family in Christ and my follow brothers in faith. By the grace of the Almighty God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord I thank my God for DTS;  I want to make it as plain as possible to avoid any addition of what I have not achieved yet. My testimony is part of my appreciation to DTS and my sincere gratitude to the Lord's servant in the person of Bro. Len and his family. In fact, through DTS, I have come to the level of understanding of scripture as to what is expected of a disciple. What I have learnt in this series is as important and vital as life to me as it has quickened me spiritually even though I'm still in the process of growth. I can't count my testimonies,but the most significant one is that I am trying hard to keep the Sundays holy by keeping myself off from work of my own that may benefit me...My spirit has become willing to obey...though I'm still in the process of repenting and by the Grace of God, He will perfect it in my life.

DTS has also inspired me to love the undiluted word of God whenever it is preached...I wish to use this opportunity to ask for prayers from the readers and DTS family for myself; please help me and pray to God to perfect His  word in my life and to fulfill His own purpose and plan for me."

Praise the Lord for what He is doing in brother John's life there in Nigeria through his DTS training. Let's pray as he asked us to, that the Lord would help him to obey His Word, perfect His love in Him, and fulfill His plans and purposes for John.

More DTS Testimonies

In October, Len received a couple emails from a pastor in India named Joseph Matcha, who found Len's blogs while browsing the internet. He stated:

Joseph and Sony Matcha in India

"Hello sir,

Greetings in Jesus name. Thank you for your boldness and obedience in bringing the truth from His Word...many are wrongly interpreting the Bible according to their tastes, culture; the Word of God is being compromised.

In this evil age,  I thankful to God for raising His fearless servants who preach boldly in the face of wickedness and crookedness...

I was just browsing [the] internet when I came across your website and I was reading your blogs....as the world is consumed with the prosperity gospel, it is so important for the truth to be known.

I would love to enroll in your [DTS] program, but I have limited internet access, and my ministry is based in villages and rural areas, [to which] I constantly travel to preach gospel.

Please pray for my ministry...I have a burning desire for my people who are perishing in following false gods and goddesses. In India we have 3 million gods. Our ministry is touching people who are ignorant, blind, and are indulged in all evil practices (i. e.. witchcraft, idol worship, sacrifices of animals, and pagan worship).

God bless you sir,  keep continuing, praying for you...

Blessings,

Pastor Joseph Matcha"

Praise the Lord for the way He is touching this Indian pastor on the other side of the world through our ministry. Let's pray that the Lord would help him reach those who are perishing, following false gods and worshiping idols.

Another person commented on Len's article called The Afflictions of the Righteous and said, "Excellent Teaching, Indeed. God Bless You."

Another person commented on his article called What Does the Bible Say About Vaccines?, and said, "Very well written and insightful piece! Thank you for such a wonderful resource. I was injured by vaccines and other pharmaceutical abominations as a child and have since found Christ and have chosen to abstain from vaccinations for our children. My 4 year old is the brightest and healthiest child I know. God made our bodies perfect and our capabilities are miraculous through Christ. God bless you for sharing your wonderful research!"

Praise the Lord for the way He has touched these people's lives through our ministry.

DTS Photo Album.

Deji and Hannah, newlyweds in Nigeria

Last month we reported that two of our students in Nigeria, Deji and Hannah, got married. Since then Len has received more wedding photos from the love birds, which we would like to share with you here at this link.

Len sent out his monthly edition of Old News That's Still Fresh in November to pastors, elders, and laborers in the harvest in the US, Europe, Australia, Africa, and 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 The Ironies Between Jesus and Barabbas and There's No One Like the Lord. Len's latest articles are all available at Old News That's Still Fresh -- November 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 Hope's 18th birthday.
2. For helping us get rid of the old, moldy central heating and cooling system and get a new one installed.
3. For helping Charity obtain her driver's license.
4. For the improvement in Charity's arm.
5. For helping our prayer partner Ken Boone ("Mr. Nick") to escape alive from the fire in Paradise.
6. For what the Lord is doing in brother John's life there in Nigeria through his DTS training.
7. For the way He is touching the Indian pastor Joseph Matcha through our ministry. 
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 chronic pain and limited range of motion in her right arm (adhesive encapsulitis in her shoulder). 
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, and help us get all the remaining issues resolved that happened with the installation.
5. For the Lord to help us get the hole in the foundation repaired.
6. For the Lord to help brother John in Nigeria to obey His Word, perfect His love in Him, and fulfill His plans and purposes for him.
7. For the Lord to help Joseph Matcha the Indian pastor to reach those who are perishing, following false gods and worshiping idols.
8. For the Lord to help Ken Boone rebuild following the destruction of his home and home town.
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

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