“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,
I trust you all are doing well and staying healthy in these challenging times.
I know your church has faced tremendous challenges because of the pandemic over the past months but you have remained committed to supporting us in Trinidad. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity. Thank you so much for your gift of love, your prayers, and your support. Lives are being changed. Souls are being challenged and the Kingdom of God is being advanced in Trinidad. We are thrilled and excited that you’ve chosen to partner with us as we continue to grow and reach out into the harvest field which is very ripe.
Ministry Update
The country of Trinidad and Tobago continues to face tremendous challenges especially since April 2021. As the Government tries its best to navigate the pandemic we are placed under more restrictions. We are now under daily SOE and curfew. The population of Trinidad and Tobago is 1.395 million, but since May we have had about 24, 568 new cases of the coronavirus and about 653 deaths. We definitely need your prayers.
Because of the surge of the virus all face to face meetings are not allowed. This has caused us to cancel our in-house gatherings, our baptismal service and our face-to-face outreach ministries.
Each week our worship service, Bible study and prayer meeting are held via the Zoom platform. Our counseling sessions are held at least twice each week via Zoom also. I am putting in place what is called the Pastor’s Zoom Office. This is created to give church members and community members the opportunity to call and talk with me about relational issues, difficult Bible verse or passages, and pray together. I have made connections with two new families over the past two months. I continue to have discussions with them via WhatsApp. One family has six members and the other has three. Please pray that I will continue to make good use of the ministry opportunities. We are praying for the restrictions to be lifted soon so we will be able to launch our Good News Clubs and other Outreach Ministries.
The pandemic has stretched the limits of families, businesses and of course the church. But we know that Jesus Christ is our source and ultimately, we will triumph through Him. There’s a beautiful old song that has a line like this: “many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.”
Health Update
Thanks so very much for your prayers and financial support regarding the surgery for my wife, Dorothy. In April the doctor sent her to do a series of tests in preparation for the surgery. But in May she went and collected the results and while she waited on the doctor to call and give the date for the surgery, a nurse announced that the doctor says because of the surge in the coronavirus the surgeries are suspended until September 2021. We have been trying other doctors but have not succeeded thus far. Many private doctors have scaled down with their operations since the surge of the virus. We pray that she will be able to get it done as soon as possible. Once again thanks for your help.
Other Prayer Requests
Pray for an additional two new converts who are being prepared for water baptism.
Pray that the members of the church will experience peace in the midst of the storm.
Continue to pray for our son, Shanan, who is facing some challenges.
Pray that God will give courage and patience to everyone whose job is endangered by uncertainty.
My prayer is that Almighty God continues to keep you safe and healthy in these challenging times.
Yours in the service of Jesus Christ,
Garnet Samuels (Pastor)