In the past few weeks, we were enabled by the Lord to extend help to needy brethren in our mission stations. We were able to send timely help because of the quick response from our members and friends to the dire needs of brethren in the mission fields.
Last Tuesday night, immediately after the live-streaming of the prayer meeting, I received the following message from a participant: "Thank God for the blessed message from the praying meeting which just ended. Can you advise me on the amount needed by the GBI students in India, which you mentioned in the meeting? Will send you a cheque. Thank God for your faithful preaching of His Word… My dad died when I was 10, left $10 for my mum to feed a family of 4. As what you have preached just now, God had taken me through a childhood of poverty with much hardship and now has blessed me with abundance, so as to be His channel of blessings. Thank God for His providence."
As we learned last Tuesday night, it is the grateful acknowledgment of the abundant grace of God extended to us that makes us generous givers. Even though we are unworthy of His goodness, the Lord has sustained us daily by His grace and also blessed us with savings for the future. When God gives us abundantly, God wants us to be gracious helpers to those in need. That is what the Lord taught the Israelites – "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth" (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
Similarly, the New Testament reminds us, Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). Therefore, let us "do good, that [we] be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate" (1 Timothy 6:18).
Following are the notes of acknowledgment and thanksgiving from our missionaries.
Dear Rev. Koshy,
Greetings in the blessed name of Jesus Christ!
Praise God for hiding you, your family and the whole church under the shadow of His wings.
I have come back safely from visiting my relatives. We had a good time encouraging one another and discussing family matters.
Although we could not do God’s work in full force, like before, due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are trying to do everything in our power to further the cause of Christ. Please keep us in your daily prayers.
May God bless Gethsemane BPC leaders for their love and support. Once again, thank you for the love gifts sent from the church brethren to the families of all our full-time workers in God’s vineyard.
May the Lord protect you, your family, and all Gethsemaneans in this trying time. Please convey my regards to all. Please pass my regards to your family and the whole church.
(Pastor’s note: Our missionaries Pr Engida Tefera and Pr Imane Dola had called me to acknowledge and express their thanks to all the brethren in GBPC, Singapore, for their prayers and support. Our Board of Elders have also decided to extend support for the two graduates of GBI, Ethiopia, who are assisting the work in Alem Gena. They are Bro. Bayera and Bro. Bedada.)
Dear Pastor,
Greetings to you in our Lord’s most blessed Name!
I checked my personal bank account (ATM) and there was PHP 45,000.00 added to the standing balance which I presumed is the peso equivalent of the gift for the church that you mentioned during our phone conversation. On behalf of the church, please receive our sincere thanksgiving.
With regards to the "cash gifts" that you have advised, here are the names of brethren and the proposed amount that would be given. For easy distribution, we thought of having the amount rounded off to the nearest hundreds.
Total amount distributed is PHP 24,500.00. The remaining balance (PHP 20,500.00) will be used to buy sacks of rice and foodstuffs that we would be giving out to every family and household. The said amount will be sufficient for us to do 2 rounds of distribution.
For transparency purposes, I have cc. this email to the Church Session (Cebu).
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! Pastor, thank you very much!
Dear Pastor Koshy,
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Praise the Lord for His gracious provision. Thank God for the gift that the mother church sent through the church account, amounting to 16,771.00 pesos for the brethren of Bogo and San Antonio churches. Our heartfelt thanksgiving for the gift received.
We will use this said amount to buy rice and food provisions for the brethren of Bogo and San Antonio for the duration of the quarantine. Likewise, we would give cash aids to those who are in maintenance medication.
Praise the Lord for His goodness.
Dear Pastor Koshy,
We thank God for His provisions. I distributed the love-gift from GBPC, Singapore, to the brethren here last Sunday, after the worship service. For the brethren in Anda, I sent it to Bro. Hansel, who distributed it to the brethren there, and the brethren would sign to acknowledge their gifts received.
Thank you, Pastor, for your prayers and care for the brethren in Bohol.
In total, we have distributed PHP 33,900.00. I’m sending to you the list of the brethren from Tagbilaran, Bohol, and Anda, Bohol, who received the love gifts from Gethsemane BP Church, Singapore according to their needs. They are: Archie & Taelma Galigaw, Eutiquiano Bucio, Leah Bucio Rebuyon, Nestor Israel, Michelle Coquila, Angelcito Mendez, and Paterna Locot.
Dear Pastor,
The gifts (SGD 2,000 & SGD 500) transferred to my bank account have been received. Thank you for sending this support for the needy GBI students and worshippers.
I will give to those who are really in need, and will send to you the list of recipients and the amounts I distributed to them. Please know that I would like to give some special help to Bro. Murali, who is awaiting a leg surgery. He had a motorbike accident, and was planning for it in February. But because of lack of funds, he didn’t go for the surgery. Soon came the coronavirus and the lockdown. Now, the surgery can only be in May or June. Since the accident, he could not come for GBI classes. He has pain, and experiences great difficulty in walking. He is on medication for pain management. Another student who has not been well is Pastor Timothy, who is suffering from sickle cell anaemia. He also dropped out of study this semester as he needs to go for blood transfusion on occasions. His brother and mother are helping him, so his financial situation is not so bad.
Lockdown in India is extended for another two weeks. Some of the brethren would join the GYAF seminar - some from Vizag and some from other places. Please plan for an online youth seminar for the youths here. Several youths, who had planned to attend the Youth Seminar that we wanted to hold in March, are interested to join the online seminar, if there will be one.