I thank the Lord that He is still in control and still working! What a joy it was to see 325 precious souls trust Christ during the months of March and April!
I need to make a correction. I made a mistake (first time for everything) on our last prayer letter. It should have been dated January-February 2020 instead of November-December 2019.
I’m filled with gratitude for the love that God has shown me through my dear wife and the faithful people He has brought to us. I was overwhelmed at the wonderful party they gave me for my 63rd birthday.
We have been in lockdown since March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No one is allowed to be outside their homes or away from their properties unless they have a quarantine pass. One pass is allowed for each home/family. Ester and I live in our apartment on the church property. We have five of our church staff and one college student living here in their dorms. I’ve personally left the property one time since the beginning of March to have two teeth pulled—now that was an exciting little getaway!
God’s timing is amazing. While preparing for our annual Missions Conference, which was to start the week after the quarantine began, we purchased food for the approximately 200 guests who would be staying with us. This, along with donations from members of our church, enabled us to distribute 400 kilos (882 pounds) of rice, canned goods, coffee, and personal needs to the people of our church who were financially affected by the quarantine.
We’ve been doing our best to keep our folks growing in the Lord by having online services, messaging, group chats, etc. We’ve also done different things to make our time productive, such as doing building maintenance and having the folks here at the church teach lessons on various topics, such as the Bible, online soul winning, mechanics, etiquette, music, etc. We also had an online church-wide prayer meeting (other than our weekly one). Many of our folks expressed their thanks for the prayer meeting, and we’re planning to have one regularly.
One of the most encouraging things we’ve seen is the faithfulness of our people during this challenging time. They’ve been faithful to our “live” services and in other areas as well. It’s great to hear from our families that they’ve been having devotions and a family altar. I’m also encouraged at their faithfulness in their tithes and offerings. They have found creative ways to keep giving, such as making online deposits, having their designated person (with a quarantine pass) drop it off at the church, or having our assistant pastor pick it up on his motorbike. The monthly giving has changed very little in spite of the economy and the extra effort needed in order to give. Even though their income is not that great, they see the importance of remaining faithful with their finances.
We are very grateful for God’s grace and your sacrifice to allow us to serve in this amazing harvest field. Thank you with all of our hearts.
Yours for souls,
Courtney & Ester Godsoe