“The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land.”
Deuteronomy 28:8
Can you remember some of the events that happened 20 years ago? Here are some:
- Google was founded
- The first Apple iMac came out
- Europeans agreed on the common currency of the Euro • Facebook was launched
- The final episode of Friends was aired
There is one other event that took place in October of 2004. TREC, International became a registered nonprofit organization. Trudy and I started this awesome adventure of missions and we have seen the Lord do many incredible things. Many of you have been a part of TREC for many years and you have personally witnessed what God has done. You have prayed, you have given, and you have gone! LIVES HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR HIS GLORY! As I mentioned in the last newsletter we have no plans to retire as there is so much work to do.
Our mission work started in India and our first missions partners were a Nepali couple name Jiwan and Esther. Over the 15 years we worked with them they taught us so much about prayer, living by faith, and what it means to be fully to devoted to the Great Commission. If there is anyone on this earth I want to model my life after, other than Jesus and the apostle Paul, it is Jiwan. What a tremendous impact he has had on our lives! It is hard to believe that it has been over 7 years since our last mission with him. Several weeks ago we had the privilege of reconnecting with Jiwan and Esther.
I wondered would it be awkward when we met at the airport. I also wondered if the 15 years of work and all the seed that was sown had produced fruit. God never ceases to amaze me and my heart is full. Jiwan and I just picked up where we left off and got right back to work together. We went to many of the villages where we conducted medical camps and all these villages now have a church in them. One of the larger villages has three churches. The small businesses that were started have grown and are now providing for the work there. One was a small provisional store that has grown into a grocery store and they are looking at opening another one in a different town. The name of the store is “Daily Bread!”
Several months ago TREC was able to get funds to India to provide a well for a village that had no water. It was dug right next to a new church plant in a village I had never been to before and I had never met the pastor. We drank tea in this pastors home and the entire time we were there I was trying to figure out where I had met him before. I may not be great with names, but I don’t forget faces. Before leaving I told the pastor that I know that we have met before, but I can’t remember where. He said, “Oh yes we have met! Seventeen years ago you baptized me at the base of a waterfall in Nepal.” I still have a picture from that day and its one of my favorites. It is even more special now.
Almost every time I am with Jiwan he says several things that I have to stop immediately and right down in my journal. This mission was no exception. I asked Jiwan how we could help and how can we get funds to him to help with special projects? He said, “Brother, we do not need money. Now more than ever we need prayer.” Satan is pulling out all stops to try and stop the work. Persecution is getting more widespread and intense. He asked me this: “Will you please have our brothers and sisters in the USA intercede for us. Have them pray that God will turn evil hearts to good.” I am asking you to pray for Jiwan and Esther, for the many churches and pastors, and for all the brothers and sisters in Christ we have in India and Nepal. They live daily under extreme danger advancing the Gospel, but they do it with great joy and intensity. Pray for them like never before. I pray that they will not grow weary in doing good for in due season they will reap a great harvest if they don’t quit.
The other thing Jiwan said to me was that we have much work to do. Jeff (I wish you could here him say my name. It sounds like this phonetically: Jay-f). It is daytime and we must work while it is light. Nighttime is coming so we must work like never before. “Jay-f, what are you doing with the hours you have left in the daytime?”
That’s was a very pointed question and one that I am pondering. You see I look at all the work that has gone on and all the growth that has happened and it is awesome. In reality TREC has played just a small role in this work. Jiwan, Esther, pastors, church planters, and many others work tirelessly to advance the gospel. They never stop, because night time is coming. Here is one of the awesome things about our God, little is much when God is in it! God takes our little faith, our little offerings and somehow multiplies it into much. I’ll close with this quote from Mother Teresa: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
Let’s keep impacting our world one obedient small step at a time! I love you all and count it a privilege to TREC with you!
Go, Fight, WIN BIG,
Jeff
The Team
New churches being built
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Daily Bread Grocery Store
Baptism at the waterfall 17 years ago.
Thank you for supporting TREC through the years! You have done so much good in this world!
Please consider TREC when you start thinking about year end giving. We always want to finish strong and get a running start at the new year. You can give through your bank’s bill pay option, at trecmud.com under the support button, by Venmo to @trec-international or by check to TREC PO Box 242205 Montgomery, AL 36124.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We can’t wait to see what’s next!
