Uncle David’s Message

Can I Slow Down Now, Lord? – By David Gates

“Oh Lord, may I slow down now? It has been so many years working at breakneck speed. It would be so nice to slow down,” 

I presented my oft repeated question in prayer. 

God’s answer so far has been, “Night cometh when no man can work. When it comes then you can rest.”  

Now, I pray for health, strength and energy and He is providing.

For years God placed a small country on my mind. The words,“You need to enter that country as soon as possible,” kept ringing in my mind, but I just pushed it off until later.

Then one day earlier this year, the phone rang. It was the Mission President calling me. He was asking for a visit to discuss opening up a medical aviation service and television broadcasting. I realized the time had come and I scheduled my visit.

After several flights to meet with the Mission administration to coordinate the details for renting a TV frequency and bringing in an airplane, he recently called me to inform me about an evangelical pastor who had a national TV/radio license for sale and asked me to call him. ¡His story was fascinating!

“I could sell my station to several others who are interested for a good price,” said the evangelical pastor. “But God has shown me that it is for the Adventists. They are God’s people and they have a message for the people. God has been leading me and brought me out of the world when He showed me a dream of Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven. I am even considering changing the day of worship for my congregation from Sunday to Saturday.”

Seeing God’s hand leading in this, I immediately made plans to fly to that country. A few days ago, I went directly to the Mission Office and there was the Evangelical Pastor waiting for me. He later took me aside and continued his testimony:

“In a dream the devil visited me as a well-dressed, handsome individual, and he offered to make me very wealthy if I worked for him. At his side was a demon carrying a bag of gold which he offered to me. I recognized immediately that I must reject their offer if I was to work for my God. In the name of the Lord I ordered them away and they left.”

“This is truly the great controversy,”  I thought to myself. But he wasn’t done.

“I then had another dream in which the devil was so angry with me that he brought a whip and whipped me across the back. It hurt very badly.  When I woke up my back was very sore from the whipping.  I prayed and asked God to take it away, and the pain was instantly gone. God has confirmed to me several times that the TV network that was placed in my hands has been reserved for the Adventists to use.  Many other churches are scared of having the Adventists preach on television because they know it comes from the Bible.”

There was no doubt in my mind that God has been working for many years to prepare the way to preach the truth on national television in that country. Two days ago I signed the pre-purchase agreement at the notary’s office and wired the down payment which the Lord provided to GMI through an anonymous check. How God is going to pay for the balance in the next 3 months I do not know yet, but I am certain that God knows and He has prepared the way.

We will be on the air January 1st. PRAISE THE LORD!
 
Once all has been paid completely, I will provide further information. What a privilege to be in God’s Special Forces for these last days. King Jesus is going forth “conquering and to conquer.”  

Will you be willing to join Him?

From the Frontlines,
Uncle David

Frontlines Mission News

Familia Feliz Orphanage, Bolivia

Familia Feliz is an Orphanage and Educational Unit located in South America near the city of Rurrenabaque in northern Bolivia. The property where the school is located for primary and secondary grades is 89 hectares (220 acres). We have 8 classrooms in total. School lasts 4 hours a day and the students are divided into two groups: one group will have class in the morning while the other works and then they switch in the afternoon.  

In addition to meeting the academic requirements, the students have an opportunity to learn how to cook, wash their clothes, cut grass, work in the garden, carpentry and construction. This gives them engaging employment and personal tools for their own future. There is no TV, radio or telephone, so the environment is ideal for the development of children, being away from the city to play in nature without danger. The food we serve is vegetarian and for each meal we teach them how to consume healthy foods like vegetables, cereals, beans, and nuts etc.  

There are boys and girls between 6 and 18 years old. There are six houses on campus, of which two are for women and four for men. They lodge between 8 and 10 boys or girls and each house has three or four volunteers who become their “parents” and are in charge of them 24 hours a day.  Each house has personal and family devotion in the morning and evening, with biblical reflection, songs and prayer. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays we have the service at the Familia Feliz Church, which has a seating capacity of 90 people.

Bolivia has a very high rate of sexual abuse. Nearly 80% of children now at the institution have suffered some type of physical, psychological or sexual abuse in their homes. Since each case is very sensitive, it’s a big challenge to teach them to interact with people without the need of violence or a lack of respect, as well as to gain confidence in a friendly way.  One of the greatest challenges is to teach them, through personal example, that there is a God who loves them no matter what has happened before or what they have done themselves. At the same time, it is a big blessing to see how God transforms lives broken by sin and evil and how children manage to overcome, advancing academically, personally and above all spiritually. 

One of the dreams at Familia Feliz is to become a 100% self-sustainable center for fruit and vegetable production, since we have the land and the training of an agronomist to guide us. We have been planning to start production of Stevia (a plant that produces a sugar replacement, diabetic friendly too) starting with one hectare (2.5 acres) by 2018 with continuing plans to increase the production in the long term. 

Some of the needs that we currently have are:

Monthly solvency USD 2,500 to cover the cost of food, electricity, fuel, medicines, etc.

Our needs:

Volunteers: 

Administrators who speak fluent Spanish

Remodeling:

• $10,000 USD: A well with water for irrigation and a semi-automatic irrigation system.
• $12,000 USD: Stevia plants and tools for crop plantation.
• $8,000 USD: Install water tanks and plumbing for each house.
• $4,000 USD: Pay an agronomist and services for 10 months a year.

We thank each of you for your prayers and the support you have given us. 

God bless you!

Facebook: @Orfanato.Familia.Feliz
Website: http://www.familia-feliz.org/
E-MAIL: familiafelizbolivia2011@gmail.com
PHONE: 011-591-721-08660

Pablo Fernando Romero (Left)
Co-Director

Audrey Techer Romero (Middle)
Education Director

Miguel Tello (Right)
Director

GMI Media, USA

God has been good! Since mid-2017 things have been moving quickly in the media area at our main offices in Tennessee. New equipment, new programs, new sets, new faces have become an important part in the development of new ideas and projects. 

We started out with projects in English, Portuguese and Spanish, premiering new sets for cooking programs and natural remedies with the participation of Peter and Clemencia Carstens of LifeLine Wellness Center, Knoxville, Illinois. These programs were produced in conjunction with Terceiro Anjo, one of our television networks, who joined us from Brazil and came to strengthen the team here in Tennessee.   

The story continues and programs of missionaries across the sea, prophecies and family issues are already in the folder to be recorded at the end of the year with Pr. Hector Torres and Marty Phillips as producers. Pr. Torres will do two interesting series, one on the family, their relationships with each other, and the children, etc. And the other series on prophecy, based on the book of Revelation and its actuality. Marty Philips will take us on a program titled “Down To Earth,” on the path of his experiences in the mission field, to a world of silent heroes, who take the gospel to their different nations at the risk of losing their lives, risking everything to bring good news to tribes and peoples in remote areas of the earth.

God has blessed us and you have been an important part in the new projects that we have produced here in Tennessee so that our channels around the world have quality material, with the message that the world needs today!

We are just beginning and your help through prayers and contributions is needed every day all the more. New sets need to be built. New equipment bought. New faces need to be seen every day in our offices preparing programs, scripts, editing, in the cameras, helping in the logistics that keep us producing.

We need you, if God has given you the talent to be with us, come. If God has given you the talent to provide your resources to the economic needs that we have, contribute. It is time to finish the work, together we can do it.

OUR NEEDS: 

Volunteers 

• Program Coordinator
• Script Writers
• Video Editors
• Camera Runners 

Equipment 

• Studio B 
• Cameras
• Editing Equipment
• 2 Video Switchers
• Sound System
• New Sets for programs produced by GMI
• Lights
• New structure for construction of sets
• Post Production Equipment  

Total Approximate Cost: US $100,000.00

Diógenes Dominguez
Audio Video Production Manager
dio@gospelministry.org | 1-423-473-1841

YouTube @ Gospel Ministries International/videos 

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Mission Life: Long-Term Missionaries

My Story –  Steve Caudill

My life was a “failure”— no college degree, multiple careers, country living, marriage, etc. Nothing was a “success.” Now single, but thanks to my aging parents they’ve supported my new passion – baking. After working in bakeries, and freelancing, I was looking for more opportunities to teach. One day Uncle David and Aunt Becky asked for help with the bakery project in Colegio Adventista San Marcos, Collana norte, Altiplano, Bolivia. I barely knew that Bolivia was a country and I didn’t know Spanish either! 

After a 2 1/2 months “break-in” trip with seasoned missionaries to India, I was excited to go. Landing at the La Paz airport, July 26, 2012 was an emotional “high.” I thought, “I’ve finally arrived where God has called me!” How happy! The school coordinator Dr. Patty called Uncle David, who after a hearty “bienvenida” (welcome), cautioned me, “you’re all happy now, but there’ll be times when you’re discouraged and sad!” Wise advice and how true! But the promises of God have sustained me. Genesis 28:15 “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”

Here are some experiences that I’d like to share with you how God has sustained me through the years: I started out teaching English, but now the bakery is taking all of my time (26 hours a day). Since 2013, we’ve only had 3 other volunteers here and each for only a couple of months or so. I don’t know why no one comes here to help! There are no mosquitoes, but fresh tropical fruit in the city every week! Come join us, we need dedicated SDA teachers, (nearly all subjects), a dean (like a mother), kitchen help, and builders to improve the infrastructure.

God has ALWAYS helped through the difficult and uncertain times, as well as the “happy times”. Sometimes strangers would tell me which minibus to take, or give me some money when I hadn’t brought enough for unknown expenses (medical exam), and immigration paperwork (lots of offices to visit!). God has sustained me in my English classes, when I didn’t know what I was doing. Sometimes God arranged encounters, providing opportunities to have a one-day English seminar in a University, sharing Psalms 90 bi-lingual and later returning to be one of the 3 judges for the 5th year students. Other times in giving one special student a “Steps to Christ”, or showing the vegetarian documentary “Forks Over Knives“ at another university, helping me in my ignorance, and helping with my permanent resident status!

At the Bakery the wholesale supplier is a good friend too, so I can call, and a minibus driver will bring 16, or 50 kg bags (35 or 110 lb bags) and pay later. In our conversations, I’ve shared why carbonated drinks arn’t healthy (using supporting Bible verses). I share Bible verses with another friend where I buy plastic bags. It’s not always appropriate to have a 15 Bible verse Bible study. We just plant seeds. The fruit will come later. 1 Corinthians 3:6 “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase”, 1 Corinthians 3:7 “So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase”.

So my work may be “26 hour a day,” but the Lord sustains me, even when I’m tired, hungry and thirsty. Recently the director has coordinated 2-3 students to help out for a couple of hours each morning. They are students who the alumni pay for their tuition. It’s helping some. The first half of 2016 we worked with a couple of boarding students baking for the cafeteria. So we really need more PEOPLE here. Being a “missionary” isn’t all about being hot, in the jungle, and mosquitoes!

It seems like “everyone” wants to be a pilot; but who wants to clean bathrooms? We need more shinning little candles, not just the big fireworks shows. This is the every-day little things that needs to be doing, or “weekly seeds planting” when we buy our supplies, not just the “big bangs” for a couple of months or two. Yes, everyone gets a big welcome when they first arrive, but what about “settling in” for the “long-haul?” Then again, everyone has been called, but who will respond!!!???

Steve Caudill
Baker
breadbaker.4missions@gmail.com  
Colegio San Marcos,
Collana Norte,
Altiplano, Provincia Aroma,
Séptima Sección,
Dept La Paz, Bolivia.

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