“Not unto us, o Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake. (Psalm 115: 1)
Dear Brethren,
Christian greetings to you…. When nothing whereon to lean remains, when strongholds crumble to dust; when nothing is sure but that God still reigns, that is just the time to trust. I have to keep reminding myself that there is absolutely no existing situation or any to come in which it is not safe to trust God.
I would like to sincerely thank you for your prayers and financial support. We are blessed to have you supporting us. Through your support, we can continue to work towards our goals in the Ministry on the Island of Trinidad. I valve and respect your constant support. Thank you for helping us.
Ministry Update
The Church is experiencing a time of serious challenges. We continue to feel the pain of extended periods of lockdowns, reduced attendance, reduced offerings and reduced gathering times. The pandemic has caused us to be reexamining the way the Church engages in Evangelism and serves the community of believers. Some of our members have become weary and fearful from the disruptive changes we are experiencing.
Our worship service, Bible study and prayer meeting are still held via the Zoom platform. Over the past two months I was able to meet in-person with some people and conducted counseling and prayer sessions. I am pleased to say I have made connection with another new family over the past month. Therefore, there are three new families that will be a part of our inhouse worship when we go back to the Church building.
In order for our Church to strive amidst the periods of lockdowns, we are making plans to set up small groups in the different communities. These groups of believers will be engaged in activities that will help them grow spiritually and reach their neighbors with the Gospel.
Personal Needs
Since November of 2020, my wife and I are facing extreme difficult times. I have lost about 35% of financial support in recent months. Some of my supporters have passed away, had serious health problems and lost their jobs. For example, the individual that was paying the rent for our apartment, which is US$462.00, has been facing mental health challenges since October 2020 and stopped making that contribution. We are experiencing new prices almost daily. There are times when my wife and I had to put off doctors’ appointments and delayed filling our prescriptions.
Just yesterday I had a meeting with the Church Treasurer and I realized that the Church only has enough money to make one more month’s payment to me. It means that we must experience a breakthrough by the end of October 2021. We need an additional US$1150.00 each month to keep up with our monthly expenditure.
I know you are undergoing your own burden also. We will continue to pray for you. Please pray for us that the Lord will supply our needs.
Other Prayer Requests
- Pray for the new families that are now connecting to our Church.
- Pray that the members of the Church will experience a deep settled peace in the midst of the storm.
- Pray that my wife Dorothy will get the date for her surgery as soon as possible.
- Pray that God will grant us good health and wisdom as we continue to labor in His vineyard.
I continue to pray that Almighty God continues to keep you safe and healthy in these challenging times.
Yours in the service of Jesus Christ,
Garnet Samuels (Pastor)