Spring is springing in Bedford, Indiana.  Ronald and Anna Smith included a poem about spring in their newsletter.  It is reprinted below.

The Miracle of Spring

The willow trees are turning green,

The tulip beds grow warm;

Crocus push up their eager blooms

As spring rides on the storm.

Pussy willows burst their buds,

Daffodils emerge…..

Robins hop upon the grass

And feel the nesting urge.

Who told the birds to fly back home?

Who pointed them the way?

Who leads them all in symphony

At breaking of the day?

A lofty Power that governs all-

A Sacred Majesty!

Has planned for us this Miracle,

A Springtime of Jubilee!

Jessie Stevens Kneal

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Problems continue to develop for believers in Eritrea.  Although we differ doctrinally from the Eritrean Orthodox Church, we do favor religious freedom.  When oppression is focused on one group it is not a time to rejoice because eventually the focus will shift to others and to ourselves.  The following excerpt illustrates the oppression currently takikng place in Eritrea.

SPECIAL REPORT: PART ONE

ERITREAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES CLOSING THEIR DOORS AT AN ALARMING RATE

ICFC has learned that since the Eritrean Government revoked the exemption

of all Orthodox clergy (priests, deacons and monks) from military service

and ordered their conscription in July 2005, over 1400 known Orthodox

priests and deacons have been forced into the military. The research unit

of ICFC, in cooperation with persons who are well placed to have access to

classified information, has undertaken a study to document efforts by the

government to destroy the Eritrean Orthodox Church. The following is a

preliminary report on an ongoing investigation...

If this dangerous policy is not reversed immediately, and the disruptive

blow that has been inflicted on the church is rectified, one ICFC

researcher who participated in the study concludes that more than half of

the 1500 Eritrean Orthodox churches in the country will be closed

permanently within just two decades. This is an immense demographic

catastrophe waiting to happen. Many things can be said about the ruinous

ramifications of the government’s misguided policies for the future of the

country. But the destructive policy of the Eritrean government against the

church will leave behind one of the most insidious and catastrophic

legacies, namely, the ruining of the Eritrean Orthodox Church.

We need to pray for our church people, the orphanage, and the schools in Eritrea.

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Rex and Missy McDowell are excited about their current pregnancy.  We are excited with them; however, they are experiencing some difficulties and need you prayer.  Rex recently wrote an email update.  Some of that email is excerpted below.

I had our monthly pastoral meeting on the first Monday of the month, and other than that I haven’t been out much at all.  The reason I haven’t been out much is because of the hard time that Missy is having with this pregnancy. She has been constantly sick, and I know that it has to be pretty bad considering her pain tolerance. She can hardly eat anything and only finds relief if she is lying down. Last week she seemed to be getting worse…….I took her to the emergency room……..They put her on antibiotics to take care of an infection.……Missy felt a little better on Monday, but on Tuesday she was right back to the same old sickness. This makes a couple of months now that she has been almost constantly sick; it’s getting old. Today she had her monthly prenatal visit………They checked the baby and it is doing fine, for which we are very thankful.

Please pray for the McDowells.  The Lord can help them through this difficult time.

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The Melton family had an unusual event occur.  There is an apartment in San Pedro Sula at the radio station.  Daniel Melton was running errands and doing business while his family stayed at the apartment.  They heard several shots outside then a crash.  Here is what  he writes.

Tiff and boys were in the apt in San Pedro while I was doing some running around.  Out of the blue they heard 8 to 10 shots and then the crunch of metal……..Tiff went out and there were bullet holes in the car.  The guy was making a turn in front of the radio when some one “took him out”……There were 2 men in the car, the driver died and the other one went to the hospital.  We got word that they were both car dealers.  Who knows?  (Maybe dealing something else?) Anyway, it was a bit unnerving to me anyway.  My nerves have been running a little thin every since my accident.  I hope that was not my destruction.  You know if you begin to fear everthing down here it is hard to live normal and eventually burns you out.  I hope the Lord will help me get the victory over all of this because right now I am just looking for some one to plow  into me or run a stop sign.  I guess I have never felt like this here, I have always just brushed it off.  Help me pray this goes away.

We ask that you do pray for the Meltons.  The devil has targeted them at this time.

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In Honduras the word choque usually means an automobile accident.  Last Friday, (3/5,10) Daniel Melton had a “choque” in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.  Fortunately no one was seriously injured.  However, the other car was damaged beyond repair.  Daniel had to appear in court on Monday following the accident and it was a miracle that the court process was not corrupted.  Following is Daniel’s email to everyone.

Dear Friends,

Just an update about how good the Lord is.  As many of you know I had an accident last Friday where the police said it was not my fault but expected someone in headquarters  to change some of the details of his report to favor the other person.  Today, the lady who was in the other car and I had to show up before a judge for her to tell us who was at fault for the accident.  At around 9:30am the judge read the police report to us both and then declared the other lady at fault.

Saturday and Sunday I had asked a lot of you to help me pray that the report would not be changed and that the other people no matter who they knew wouldn’t be able to change the facts.  God did just that, the policeman even made a drawing of the accident and it was perfect or just exactly how it happened.   The lady was not to happy because now she will be paying her own medical bills because they don’t have insurance.  But there were statements made that “it was the gringo’s fault so he was going to have to pay for it” – Thank the Lord not true.  I do still have to pay for the deductable, the wrecker bill and for the parking at the place the vehicle was towed too.  All coming to the sum of around $600.  Pretty expensive for not being my fault.  The lady at fault does say she is going to appeal the decision but the lawyer that the insurance company provided told me there is no way she can win – I trust that is true.

Anyway, Thanks be to the Lord for not letting the police reports be changed!!!!  Thank you so much for helping me pray.

Daniel

Please pray for the Meltons during this tough time.  This shows just how important it is to pray for our missionaries ALL the time.

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A group from the Faith Mission Church in Bedford, Indiana visited the EFM bilingual school in Jalapa, Guatemala.  The group was led by Rev. David Crosley who is the principal of Stone City Christian Academy in Bedford.  The group was hosted by EFM missionaries James and Rachel Rickenbach and Maria Hunsaker.  The group helped in the school which uses the ACE curriculum (as does the school in Bedford).  They also  bound books, painted and performed music programs.  The trip has some travel problems since it was delayed at the beginning by snow in Atlanta, Georgia and automobile problems on their return.  However, the trip itself was a great success and a blessing to both parties.

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The February 2010 medical team has returned safely to the United States.  Nine people not on the EFM staff participated in the team effort.  William Baker R.N., Mary Baker R.N., Joseph Baker R.N., Sarah Baker R.N., Gracie Betts R.N., David Boardman D.O., Joshua Boardman, Sandra Campbell L.P.N., Stephanie Smith R.N.  Myself (Donald Smith M.D.), Daniel Melton and Tiffany Melton (current missionaries in San Luis, Honduras) participated on the team as well.  Our local nurse and national clinic manager, Miriam Rapalo R.N. and local preachers went each day to help.  The team arrived on  Saturday February 20th and the first clinic day was February 22.  Each day (Monday through Thursday) we went to different churches and communities with the team.  We saw several hundred patients and gave out medications, vitamins, parasite medication, toothbrushes and toothpaste.  On Friday we returned to the city of San Pedro Sula so we could leave from the airport on Sunday.  The trip was a great success.  A big thank you to all the people who went.

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Br. Manley recently visited the Costa Rica field for evaluation and strategic planning.  Rex McDowell reports that they had a profitable visit.  On the return leg of the trip Br. Manley was able to go to Fort Myers, Florida for services.  He is back in Indiana.

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The Middletons write the following:

Dear Friends, 

Greetings!!!  I have a letter ready for headquarters, to be sent to all names on our listing, but some of you are so good to email, and we want to update you here, now that there is a breather space!

            I know you’ve not heard from us since our trip to Cuba, and we returned on Feb 4, ages ago, it seems.  We were very weary but spent that evening working on schedules for coming guests.  Then the following week we had a trip to the border  and brake problems, among other appliance breakdowns, plumbing problems and more.  Seems the list was endless.  On Monday, the 15^th we spent a long time in a lawyer’s office, concerning the Km 32 village, before heading to the Airport to pick up Bro. and Sis. Noel Scott, our evangelists for the Holiness Convention which went from the 16^th to 21^st.  The Lord gave us good services but the attendance could’ve been better.  We had a man in the hospital from here in the city, and his care involved several of our group, making it unable for them to attend any of the services.  Sabana Perdida folk had teams coming and going from Haiti, and illness that allowed the Hoffmans only one night of attendance.  Their folk came 2 nights, but they got home late the first night due to bus problems.  It seems the devil works overtime when we are having something special.

            We had to leave the Scotts to care for themselves all day Saturday as we left around 6:15 for the border once again.  Thankfully we had no problems and arrived there withing 15 minutes after the Youngs’  vehicle had arrived from the Haitian side.  We had the back end of our truck filled with sleeping bags, groceries and luggage, and helped Tim Young get back to his work, and at the same time brought Karen Wheeler back to our house to spend the weekend, before she returned to the USA..

              We got home to learn that a young man in the country had passed away.  He died a sad slow death with cancer, leaving 2 small boys and a wife who grew up in our church there.  We were told folk would all be at the house and not attending service so we had to cancel our service and instead, Dave preached to all those who were  accompanying the family at this sad time.  I could think there were around 200 inside and around the outer area at this home.

              Most of you will soon receive our letter via the mission.  Let me add just alittle more about Cuba.  We had hoped to try going by bus this trip, rather than in a rented vehicle.  Many times others think they know what is best for us.  So—again we started out in a little car, but after about 4 hours it had problems and the driver felt it best he return to the capital.  It took another 4 hours before we could get a bus, and we finally arrived at our destination about 4:20 AM with a Cuban brother waiting there at the bus station.  He hired a bici-taxi (2 seater) with a fellow who pedaled us and our luggage thru the town until we reached a home where they planned for us to stay with a widow lady.  She gave us her bedroom and slept in a doorless room.  The bathroom only had a curtain door and no running water as someone was constructing an apartment on the 2^nd floor and didn’t like her plumbing, so removed it!  We enjoyed our time here for 2 days until our friends feared she had too many visitors and someone might question the authorities about us and she would then be heavily fined.  So on the second evening before the evening service, they whisked us away by horse and carriage to another home.

            I was amazed at how many of the brethren knew our whereabouts, as to where to find us and where each service would be held. Even services that were planned for odd hours were well attended.  In between times folk came to visit or counsel or to find answers to Biblical questions.  Some show a real desire for Biblical teachings and the old paths.  One couple prayed through to be sanctified.  Please pray for Ivan and Annia.  They are a young couple who could’ve made big money but felt the Lord showed them to give their lives to Him for full time service.  It was mentioned to us that they are very needy.  They go out into the country on Sundays by some means for transport and then walk the last 6 Km with their 2 small children, to be able to reach their church. They are presently worshipping in what sounds like a rustic gazebo. They desire to build a church and parsonage and live there full time—-someday. 

               We met others who became very dear to us too.  We ministered in a variety of churches where all were receptive to the Biblical teachings.  Cuba has been abandoned for years and folk are hungry for truth.  I feel blessed to have made this trip, and now know the folk and better know their needs.  We were served good meals as they said this was a time of more abundance.  During the summer months food is more scarce.  It is a very needy area.  The evangelist and family that fed us several meals live in 2 rooms without running water and an open sewer outside their only door.  They have dreams of covering this mess and moving things around to hopefully utilize their space in a better fashion, which would also make them closer to their water source.  Cubans have many dreams for a better life.  Christians there are happy in the Lord and talk of Him often.  Pray for Rafael and Raquel too.  He is an evangelist who travels to many areas of the country.  We want to see him become firmly grounded in the ways of holiness.  Opportunities are endless.  There are more invitations than time to get to each one.

   I’ve made this a long “note”.  I need to answer contributors and  my personal mail real soon , so if you are in that group, I’ll try to add more about our trip.

               Feel free to share your life and daily events with us.  We enjoy hearing news from home.  God Bless you and yours.  May your week go well.

                                               Bye for now, – Marilyn, for both of us

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