ISSUE XII OCTOBER 2013

*By The Spirit*

In the gospel ministry, we are desirous to see results. We are taught by sound doctrine to do the work for the glory of God, but to leave the results to Him. True. 100%. But we do desire results, and the commands of Christ Jesus in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) do hold out to us the prospect of a ministry where disciples are present, baptisms are being performed, and the continuous ministry of the word of God is active. This is what we must expect, either sooner or later, in both home and foreign missions. Present in our Tigrinya SS class and Friday night Bible study are our two prize baptized believers, and a handful of regular inquirers. It is a very fragile stage in our ministry, and it often feels like we should be doing so much more, or something classy, strategic and exciting to get things moving. Not that we despise small things or small beginnings, but that sometimes we feel helpless and motionless, even though we are obedient to the gospel and are teaching, praying, and serving. There is a phenomenon in the Death Valley, CA which is simply stunning. Rocks, some large & heavy, others small, are moving, apparently, by themselves leaving trails, some up to about 1/2 mile long. The movement of the rocks in the middle of nowhere stuns even scientists. Some have been following the phenomenon for almost 20 years, searching for answers. Magnetic fields, strong gusts of winds, and even aliens from outer space have been suggested as probable causes!! From the ridiculous to the meticulously scientific, hypotheses have been posed. But it yet remains a mystery. As I read a bit about this, I was reminded of how it is that we as gospel missionaries achieve anything at all. Strategies fail, interest from others in the gospel is cold, while opportunities to preach the gospel avail themselves and then disappear without a trace. Mesi & I have seen many who were excited & seemed to grasp gospel truth, only to turn around and never return again. Had I not read Gods Word and some missionary biographies, I might be frustrated by now. But I am not. We are not. Zechariah 4:6, speaking of Gods time to fulfill His plan of grace, says, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the LORD of hosts. Just as powerless rocks are moved by unseen forces in Death Valley, California, so are we moved along by the mighty, and all-wise Spirit of the Living God, to see His purpose fulfilled. His church will be established, not by our scheming, not by our strategizing or classy methods, but by His Spirit, who empowers and enlivens us to move according to His will set down in Scripture. We ask you to pray for us, that we might be further enabled by the Holy Spirit for the task of missions in north Ethiopia. DM

Quarterly: Doug & Mesi

LAST CALL MINISTRIES

Welcome!!!!
We would like to welcome Noah-Sarang to our ministry, since he has become a legitimate ministry, being absolutely dependent upon us for everything in his fresh, young life! We praise the Lord because he is really healthy, growing strongly, and smiling a lot these days. On the 9th he will be 2 months old. We desire your prayers for him us as we raise him here on the field, and that he might grow to be a servant of the Most High. Noah keeps us busy, and we thank God for the new challenge He has deemed fit for our lives. DM

Sun

Mon

Tue 1

Wed 2 9 16

Thu 3 10 17 24 31

Fri 4 11 18 25

Sat

7 14

12

19 26

13 21 20 28 27

15 23 22 30 29

Lords Day Intl Program: a.m. Vision Sport Club Bible Time: p.m. Truth Bible Study (TBS) @ Orphanage: p.m. South Sudanese Students Bible Study: p.m. Tigrinya Bible Study of the Church: p.m. Filipino Friends Bible Study & Fellowship: p.m. Poor Friends Benevolence Visits: a.m.

This prayer calendar gives a good general idea of our weekly schedule, and is informative to help you know how to pray for us according to our most frequent ministry points . Of course, there are many other areas of our lives and ministry which are only complete and successful through your prayers, and we ask you to pray for us that we might be bold, diligent, faithful, godly, joyful, and powerful through the Spirit of Christ our Lord. Please know that we are so thankful for your prayers for us thus far, and thank God for you!!!
Page 2 Q U A RT E RL Y : D O U G & M E S I

~Changes~
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. A truth from Ecclesiastes comforts us in changes that have taken place in our ministry. We take advantage of open doors for gospel preaching, but we can do no more than use the time given to us for the glory of Christ. Here are some changes that have taken place in our ministries: (1) The Filipino Friends Bible Study is no longer held on Tuesdays. Its every Saturday night. Some will, however, be absent due to their upcoming vacation time. (2) The KBLG (Korean Bible Listening Group) is cancelled indefinitely. The Koreans who were attending with us moved away from Mekele to Addis and also to South Korea. Instead, Friday nights are now our Tigrinya Bible Study of the Church programs. This has been, however emotional, a refreshing change, and one in which my preparations take me through Pastor Earl Blackburns book Jesus Loves the Church and So Should You, ( Earl M. Blackburn 2010, Solid Ground Christian Books, Birmingham, Alabama). (3) The other change in our ministry is about those who partner with us. In the last Quarterly, I mentioned a Nigerian couple who had been helping us. They had been our friends for around one year, as we ministered to them upon their arrival to Ethiopia. This past August, the couple, along with others, left our fellowship. The departure was due to the selfish ambition of just a few of these who had already been calculating the dissension. While this change has been negative and harmful, we know that our God is sovereign and will deal justly with His people, and that He will not allow our feet to be moved, as He is the only one who can establish and disenfranchise according to His will. We know He has good for us even in this. Pray for us as we continue to serve Jesus in the preaching of the gospel and worship of His name through these changes. DM

Vision is a football (soccer) club headed up by a Coach Rezana (above left), member of a local evangelical church in Mekele. Committed to the teams in his club, Rezana makes great efforts toward them through his gospel witness, prayers, Christian example and genuine love, on and off the field. Mesi and I partner with Rezana in sponsoring Vision through helping to purchase equipment, encouraging the players and sharing the words of God with them. This is a great team that absolutely loves football, and that is interested in sports altogether. Using the athletic illustrations of excellence in the Scriptures, Mesi and I share the excellence of Christ with our Vision Football Club friends. We have great times together, sometimes just hanging out at local cafs having a snack and playing around, and sometimes seriously reflecting on life, movement, rectitude and power according to the Holy Word. My request to you is that you pray for Rezana and the Vision Club and also for me and Mesi as we enter this season also praying and preparing for our programs together. Please pray for safety, unity, fun, open hearts, gospel light, timely teaching, faithfulness, and, yes.even trophies! DM

Mesi & I share the excellence of Christ with our Vision Football Club friends.

IS SU E X I I

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L A S T C A L L M IN I S T R I E S

About LCM: Last Call Ministries is a 501c3 Organization which began in 1997. Its inception rose out of a growing fellowship of believers interested in gospel evangelism primarily within the inner city of Shreveport, Louisiana. Currently LCM partners with several gospel mission works around the world, including Brazil, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mexico, & Bayou Du Large (S. Louisiana). LCM is currently sponsoring Doug & Mesi, who are commissioned by their home church: Heritage Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. All monies received are currently in the support of the budgeted work underway in Mekele, Ethiopia.

To Support: Last Call Ministries PO Box 4203, Shreveport, LA 71134 USA To Contact: Phone: 318458-9602; Email: joespell@keptprivate.com To Correspond w/ Doug & Mesi: PO Box 1944, Mekele, Tigray, Ethiopia; Email: dglsmerrick@yahoo.com

Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, until He returns, in word, letter and deed!!!

LCM
Learning to Praise...
Learning to praise God in song in a different language is a big challenge. But it is nonetheless a necessary challenge, in leading others to worship the majestic and holy God about whom we are teaching them. What the known manner of song-writing and praising here is, for me, rather like David suiting up for battle in Sauls armoruntested. Also the level of the songs Ive written before now have been on a childrens level. I wrote several from 2009 to 2010. A point came where I stopped and could not write anymore due to an increase in understanding of Tigrinya, and then being somewhat estranged from the very things I wrote due to that increase. I felt then that I could not write songs in Tigrinya, still needing to learn so much about the language. So, I didnt finish a really good song that I felt comfortable about until recently. It could end up estranging me as well, but at least right now it feels good. Then again, it is rather unorthodox and unfamiliar in style. But the message is one of praise for the holiness of God. It might go through its own evolution at some point, but write now its working for Mesis Sunday School class and our Friday night Tigrinya Bible study group. It is simply called, Holy, and is structured after the economy of the Trinity, each verse in turn praising the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for holiness. By the way, Im reading Jerry Bridges The Pursuit of Holiness right now and its probable the input is providentially affecting the output. Here is a picture of the song we are recently singing. Truly, I am still learning to praise. Pray for me in this. Im on a different continent here, with the guitar and songwriting and another language and everything DM
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