Dear Family and Friends,

 

As we start this New Year, we are reminded again of these familiar verses in Proverbs: Trust in the Lord with all those heart, and lean not into thine own understanding. In all thine ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct the paths.

 

The work God has called each one of us to do is not our own but His. We are so grateful to be a part of His plan. Thank you to all of you who faithfully pray and support us. You a vital part of the ministry here. We are excited to work together with you because God has blessed here in so many ways. Let us share some of the ways God has been working here in Tirokave.

 

Souls Saved:

We have had some souls come to Christ this past month. One man, Beno, has been coming to the church here for years but has never made a commitment to salvation. He has been under the preaching since Ben and Lauren first came. He finally decided to leave his sin and come to Christ the first part of this year. Another lady, Lena, has been searching for some time now to find the Truth through her own good works, but finally realized that she needed to bow before the Lord and accept His True Peace. These two have been such an added blessing to the ministry here. Beno, even before he came to Christ, thought himself to be Keith’s personal bodyguard as he traveled around preaching at the markets.

 

Karafa and Taveo

One blessing we encountered this past month during our service at Karafa was the heavy conviction of the Holy Spirit on the leader ( Toba) there. He has asked the men to come and sit down with him and explain the Scriptures to him. Please pray that God would make this meeting possible this weekend. Keith and the men have tried to set up something but the man had gone to town. We also had an excellent service at Taveo as well. Because of the abundance of rain, everyone had to walk more than an hour to get to this houseline.

School Situation:

Many of our youth have left for surrounding towns and cities for school because of the uncertainty of the school reopening here in the village. We have truly missed each one of them. They have been one faithful group of young people. May God continue to grow them and help them to follow Jesus!

The younger children up to eighth grade will start school here tomorrow if the roads are passable again. Because of the rain and earthquakes it has made it difficult for people to get around.

 

Yababi:

The Lord allowed Keith an unique opportunity to preach at church about 30 minutes away for a three day revival meetings. Some of our church went and stayed for this time, while we traveled back and forth for the services. We really felt the working of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of people that attended. This church at Yababi has had some serious issues within their church, but we believe His spirit was working to change the people involved. Deana and Hudson were able to tell the story of Mary Slessor and do some crafts with the kids, so the adults could focus on the messages. Please continue to pray for the growth of this church.

 

Other Opportunities:

Keith has been able to have a carpentry class with the men of the church teaching them the basics of building. Many of them are preparing to build new homes, and they are learning good skills to help them accomplish this task. Deana is attempting to have a few classes in cooking for the ladies. She was approached by one lady who wanted to learn some different recipes, so Deana is going to attempt to do this about two times a month. The ladies would like to sell some of these baked goods. Although these two classes are not necessary to the ministry, we are trying to build relationships and help give opportunities to the church people here, we also use this time for a bible study. We do so enjoy spending time with them and encouraging them to live for Jesus.

 

Pray 1. Toba, the leader of Karafa, to come to Christ

2. Christians would stand strong in the faith and be good witnesses in their local area and the surrounding houselines.

3. A certain fighting village ( Famu) Keith had the opportunity to share the Gospel with to come to Christ.

4. Taveo and Karafa ministries

5. Continued funds to finish our stay here.

 

Praises:

1. God has provided money to purchase plane tickets to go back home in May. Lord willing, we should be home in the 3rd of May.

2. Souls Saved this past month.

3. We have had many “impossible situations” that God has answered throughout this past year. All praise goes to our Heavenly Father . May God continue to bless you all as you serve Him with JOY in your side of the world!

 

For His Glory,

The Crumrines