God's Blessing on a New Year

Dear Team,

This issue is brief because we know how much mail you have to read at this time of the year. Lots happened last month. Ron Dissly, our financial officer, had a heart attack, but a balloon and two stints later he’s up and around again! It was scary. We celebrated Volunteer’s Day at ITMI HQ on 11/16 to honor those dear ones who serve the Lord so faithfully. Thanks Team!

Steve Evers returned last month from his most extensive missionary journey ever – seven weeks in which he traveled some 7,000 miles by land and over 26,000 by air through eight countries of Africa (five for the first time). The people he met, the places (and projects) he visited and the experiences he had are the stuff that books are made of. Next month we’ll start to fill you in on the details.

One of our major projects this year is Eshcol – the ‘cluster home’ concept for abused and abandoned children in South Africa. Graham and Jene Des Fountain have opened their hearts and home to these tiny and most vulnerable little neighbors. The home where they presently live is rented.

Recently the owner sold the house and they have until February to find another place. Jene said that he put the "Sold" sign on the house one morning while Belinda (their foster daughter) was at school. When she came home and saw the sign, she burst into tears and said, "Now we are 'homeless.' We will have to live on the street and be street-people." Jene put her arm around her, kissed her and said, "The Lord will provide a place for us to live - just wait and see."

This has added a new urgency to the Eshcol Project and we believe the Lord wants us to trust Him for a miracle. Harriett and I went to see the "farm" which they had written to us about and which I featured in the July issue of In Touch Monthly. It was perfect! In addition to the main house, there are three smaller native stone houses with thatched roofs. Each one would sleep six, plus a house-mom. Peacocks, geese and swan strut around the expansive grass lawn. It would be absolutely ideal for the kind of shelter and rehab Graham and Jene have in mind for the children.

The asking price is around $490,000 which includes everything. We’ve already raised over 10%. Graham and Jene put their life savings of around $43,000 into a fund designed for purchase and ITMI has raised a little over $10,000 toward the project. They still need around $435,000. That is not a problem for the Lord.

Maybe you’d like to have a part in solving this problem with an end-of-the-year tax-exempt gift. Every bit helps, and February is just around the corner.

Yours in His grip,





Bill Bathman