Amen, Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom, thanksgiving and honor; with power and might be unto our God forever and ever, Amen. (Taken from Revelation 4:11)
June is the Anniversary month for LTI. This year marks our 34th year of ministry, and the writing of our 408th newsletter. A few days ago, a chorus we learned in the early days of our ministry in Nigeria, began ringing in my spirit, and it reminded me of all the wonderful years of ministry that God has allowed us to have in the many parts of the world that He has sent us to – both prior to and since those days. Sometimes I am asked if it were possible for me to live my life over, would I live it differently. My simple answer is “no.” There are some things in the process that I would do differently, but I would still answer the call and I would still go wherever God would choose to send us. It has been a wonderful 34 years, and I thank God for all of them.
In addition to that, we most certainly thank God for each and every church, business and individual that has joined with us, through all of these years, as partners in this work called “going into all the world”. When God called us, He didn’t call a couple that was independently wealthy, and He knew we would need others to help finance the work He had called us to do. You are a part of that group of financiers, and we cannot ever sufficiently tell you how much we thank God for your faithfulness to the Lord in this regard. Just as surely as there is a reward awaiting Bud and Mary Ann in heaven for going (and I truly believe there is), there is, also, a reward awaiting you in heaven for sending. Again, thank you.
The challenge that lies before us now, is to reach the younger generations, just as it has always been throughout time. I am reminded of the record from Judges 2:6-10 which tells us that once Joshua and all the elders of Israel who had been with him and Moses in the wilderness had died, “…there arose another generation after them that knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel.” The unfortunate result was that this generation, and following generations, forsook God and were taken into bondage and captivity by their pagan neighbors. My heart’s cry is that this scenario will not be repeated in our time, but that we will be able, through God’s help, to ensure that the next generation DOES know the Lord and DOES know the wonderful things He has done for us.
Our methods may need to change somewhat, from time to time, but our message will still be the same. The younger people dress differently than the older generation; they talk differently; and they appreciate different music. But what counts is that they love God, and may He always grant us His wisdom and ability to accomplish this task with excellence, is our prayer.
In closing, I taught the final chapter of our Introduction to the Bible course at our home church just this past Wednesday. What started off as a Student Manual has now developed into a fully fledged book. I wish you could have been there to hear the comments of those who have studied this course with us. It has been a wonderful 18 weeks.
Our next step is to make the final edit and then present it to our board members and selected other ministers for their evaluation and comments with the goal in mind of publishing it in a variety of book formats (printed and electronic) along with a workbook (which has yet to be complied), together with a set of teaching DVDs making a complete set. Please keep this project in your prayers.
Because there are over 4.4 billion people in the world who still need Jesus, I remain
Yours in missions,
Mary Ann Cassidy
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