We have been in the rehabilitation process of the new facility for a few months now. Things are shaping up nicely and the pastor training center and bunkhouse are nearly completed. The challenges continue for me personally, as I have been dealing with a completely different work protocol than typical America standards. The situation is hopeful because people are genuinely humble. They are quite set in their ways of doing things even when an easier way is presented. Fortunately as the projects continue a willingness to try new techniques is surfacing. The Father has allowed me to have many lifetime experiences that have been valuable on this project.
We have some fairly tall buildings, in excess of 20 feet. On one occasion, we had to rent some scaffolding. It was the most unsafe, cobbled together scaffolding that I had ever seen. By God’s grace and provision, we have constructed a makeshift shop that has proved useful for many projects. One of our first projects was to build several sections of scaffolding. We have decided to buy additional equipment from South Africa. We will be getting the brick making equipment up and going, although I am not sure whether it will be fruitful. The main reason of my doubt is probably not what you would expect. I believe we are in the end of days and life as we know it. Change around the world is coming quickly.
God has been preparing all of us. But only if we seek the Lord diligently and be in His Word consistently. He will reveal His will to those who are faithful. There is much deception in the world today. The number of false prophets is staggering and many people are listening to the doctrine of demons. This is Satan’s way of discrediting the Almighty and faith in Him. Do not be deceived, and do not even waste your time listening to such people. Time continues to march forward while the looming onset of the End of Days approaches. We must remain faithful in serving the Lord as though decades of time is left. With the rate that prophetic events are happening, I doubt that the last statement could be true.
Back to our new facilities, I am intrigued that one of the buildings is configured very similarly to the first building and business I owned 35 years ago. Even the little shop that I built is reminiscent of how my place was back then. I had no money, lived in the shop, and relied on what I thought was my own ingenuity to survive. Now I fully realize it was God’s gift and situations He allowed for me to acquire the knowledge that I learned. The experiences that can be gleaned from figuring out how to do impossible projects without the right tools is very rewarding. I thank God for these experiences.
Within ½ hour of completing the scaffolding, that was so desperately needed, people were using it. I was going to get a picture with everyone standing on it, maybe as many as a dozen people. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me, “It sounds like you want to brag about how well you built the scaffolding.” I had to admit that there was an element of pride or satisfaction in completing it. I quickly surrendered that thought to the Holy Spirit and denied myself the opportunity to boast, as there was no purpose in it. Even mentioning this could be considered a form of boasting. That is not my intention, yet instead transparency of how easily we can be tripped up. So many times we do things that seem so innocent, but if we dig deeper, we see that the motives are impure.
God has continued to remind me that we do not need to tell people the number of Bibles we give out, how many locations we have, or the number of people that accept Jesus at our Crusades. Even making a general statement like this somehow seems self absorbed and not proper in the eyes of the Lord. All that matters is that we are doing His will and give Him all the glory. We all eagerly anticipate His next move and prayerfully seek His will. Martin will be on his way to Honduras soon. This is another situation that God allowed for us. Victor and Wendy were the people who managed a house where we stayed a few months ago while traveling in Honduras. Everywhere we go, I am always on the lookout for God presenting a situation to us. Martin has been in contact with Victor and as it turns out, there may be an opportunity for God’s Echo to be involved in Honduras also.
The other amazing connection is that Maria’s favorite human is from Honduras and a fellow classmate at Cedarville. Okay, he is her boyfriend, although they are taking the Biblical pathway in a relationship which puts Jesus first. Apparently Martin will be meeting with many pastors when he is there. I know for sure that God is in the process of rectifying the many man-made mistakes concerning the church. The greatest shakeup in church history will happen before we know it. Satan has infiltrated most churches at a level that is shocking. When you start looking at the Scriptures closely and compare it to the way a lot of churches function, there is a huge gap. Any church that is unwilling to proclaim, declare and operate under the full message of Scripture is in error. Giving messages only to fill the pews is of Satan, not of God.
In far too many cases, we have made church a means of entertainment. Where is the fear of the Lord? Where is the wrath of God taught? Why are the responsibilities of being a true Christian not pushed repeatedly until people start acting on God’s Word? Instead, many churches are more about a rock concert type of environment. They use dim lights, light shows, specific decorations, or any number of other things that have nothing to do with giving the glory to Jesus Christ. With an increasing sense of urgency, the Holy Spirit has been prompting me to speak the truth of His Word. Most of my life, I did not care enough about Jesus to act on His Word. Now that is all that I care about because I know that someday I will give an account for every thought, word and deed. Thank you Lord for grace, mercy and long-suffering to continue to draw me to the path of Your righteousness. I have had visitations from poisonous snakes and spiders. Thank you Good Father for your continued protection.
