June 2012 Issue VIII

LAST CALL MINISTRIES

Quarterly: Doug & Mesi

Inside this issue:

Painful Perfection (Cover, left) New Sunday School 2 Prayer Calendar Help from God Contact Info The Mesi-sphere
2 3 4 4

As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. ~Luke 8:15
Next month, I will have been coming to Ethiopia for 9 years. It doesnt seem like it has been that long since my first trip. After two short-term trips between 2003 and 2004 and an extended stay from October 2004 to May 2005, I came to reside in Ethiopia in September 2006. In October of 2006 I married Mesi, a jewel of a Christian who bears the marks of Christs sufferings on her body. We have been serving the Lord together in Tigray (north Ethiopia) for over five years. We have endured many ups and downs in ministry, and have been abandoned more than once by ambitious self-seekers who have tried to either usurp authority, make false accusations, or establish a name for themselves. In these instances, Mesi and I were deeply hurt, because we had given generously of ourselves in the love of Christ to these who, in the end, turned against us. Because the Spirit of God has been with us, we have not only endured, but have also grown in the Lord. I thought about the words of our Lord Jesus when he taught the parable of the soils to His disciples. He spoke of the good hearts of His people, who do bear fruit. Get thisthey bear it with patience! I thought about this part. Patience is not quickly borne fruit. Patience, according to James (1:2-4), is borne out of the trials of the Christian life. We fall into various trials; our faith is tested; and patience is borne out laboriously (James says this is patience perfect work). I take that to mean pain. Here the word of God teaches two things: (1) considering these troubles joy is knowing that patience is being produced; (2) letting patience develop in its painful manner produces maturity and abundance in the Lord (James says perfect and complete, lacking nothing). The hurts in our hearts are real, and sometimes inexplicably unjust and irrational on the part of the source from which they come. But Mesi and I have been rejoicing, because we know God is working in us to farm His own fruit, and to make us fit for the great work of the gospel ministry to which Hes called us. I didnt want to soapbox in this Quarterly, but I felt this was too good a chance to pass up in encouraging all our supporters either in personal Christian ministry within the body of Christ or in corporate service to the church. The best fruits and equipping by the Spirit come through some of the most painful trials and testing. And we know this happens to you just as it does to us. Clearly, they are spiritual landmarks for us in our lives of faith! DM.

What you will find in reading this update:

Encouragement for ministry Answers to your prayers Specifics that you can pray for now An increase of faith by seeing how God provides in His own way for our needs Landmarks for us

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Q u a r te r ly : D ou g & M es i

Issue VIII

Sunday School in Tigrinya

Between 20062007, we partnered temporarily with a local church in helping them establish a kids class on Sundays (which they didnt have prior to our arrival). In 2008 we resigned from that work to begin worshiping the Lord in English on Sundays. We are in our fourth year of ministering the gospel in a chapel-like setting to English speaking Christians, both local & foreign, residential & temporary. This year, we started a Sunday School Class hour in which Mesi teaches a handful of Tigrayans the word of God evangelistically. This a landmark for us in ministry, and we rejoice! A new and tender work, we deeply desire your prayers for the gracious sustenance of God for this ministry. Right: Photos of

New Bible Story Class!!! 2012

our new Bible Story class.

June 2012
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

Color Coded Prayer Calendar

Lords Day Services (am) Boys Home Ministry (pm) Prayer Meeting (pm) Truth Bible Study @ Orphanage (pm) Bible Study @ Sudanese Students Apartment (pm) Benevolence Home Visits (am) Mesi discipleship class with baptism prospects & Dougs visitation & outreach

1 3 10 17 24 4 11 18 25 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 14 21 28 8 15 22 29

2 9 16

23 30

The schedule on the prayer calendar is virtually constant, so on into July, August, etc, praying according to the calendar is valid. DM

Q u a r te r ly : D ou g & M es i

Issue VIII

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*Gods Help: South Korean Partners*

God provides for our needs in his own gracious and beautiful way. Last month, May 2012, we were pleasantly surprised by the love offering of a church in South Korea. Our relationship to the church, though, is not surprising, knowing the character of our contact there. Cha-Eun-Chul (left) lived in Ethiopia as a volunteer, and being a Christian, we naturally became friends. He was committed, loyal, and given to worship and the word of God. I benefitted from our friendship because while I was learning to play the guitar for the first time, he was one of the Koreans who taught me. Because of him and another dear Korean brother, Kim-Junsu, I am now writing songs in both English and Tigrinya. Cha-Eun-Chul has been back in South Korea since 2009, but weve stayed in touch, and he and his mom have sent us boxes of clothing for distribution to the needy more than once. Last month, I received an email that his church was sending a love offering to help us in our ministries! How blessed and how timely! It was timely because last month was especially a month of increased ministry but at the same time a month of intensely trusting God to provide for that amount of ministry. With the funds received from these South Korean partners, Mesi and I purchased 300 kilos of flour and distributed them in 10 kilo increments to 30 families. Praise God! This is also the means by which we evangelize many of the needy, so we are thankful to our Lord and to His people in South Korea. Because the donation was substantial, we were also able to begin sponsorship of a football (soccer) team based in the orphanage at which we teach Gods Word weekly. Most of the team members are either children living in the orphanage, or children from the surrounding neighborhood. Saturdays are training days, and days on which we get to see the football team practice or play games. Preaching the gospel to these children who are neighbors to the orphanage children is now a real opportunity. We praise God for our South Korean partners, for their giving and their prayers!!! Here are ways to pray for these ministries:

Asres and Aman before loading up to distribute flour to the homes of 10 needy Christians. This is 1/3 of our purchase last month.

Pray for our benevolence home visits to glow with the goodness and grace of God radiantly, and that the gospel of Christ be readily received as we preach in these homes! Pray for our preaching! Pray for our bajaj taxi driver, Aman, as he helps us distribute the flour. He listens intently to the gospel message we preach! Pray for the light of the knowledge of Gods glory in Christ to shine in his heart. Pray for Asres, a poor Christian girl, rich in faith, serving her church in helping to deliver our flour to the Tehadeso Ten, the 10 poorest members of that church. Pray for her strength and joy! Pray for the football team, the neighborhood kids, and the sponsorship, that liberty for the gospel be granted by God! Pray also for our weekly Bible teaching at the orphanage, for grace and glory!

Last Call Ministries

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

Were on Facebook! Go to: Partnership-Doug & Mesi MerrickLast Call Ministries Mission Workers

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, Chad, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and 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 support monies received solely support of the budgeted work underway in Mekele, Ethiopia.
To Support: PO Box 4203, Shreveport, LA 71134

USA
To Contact: Phone: 318-458-9602; Email:
Support!

lastcallminisries@hotmail.com (or) joespell@keptprivate.com

To Correspond w/ Doug & Mesi: PO Box 1944, Mekele,

Tigray, Ethiopia; Email: dglsmerrick@yahoo.com (This works for Facebook, too!)

LCM

The Mesi-sphere!!!
In her third & final year of nursing school, Mesi is almost a graduate with a degree. The graduation day is on August 4th, this year, and will serve as a landmark for us in ministry. Mesi has been doing practical in a variety of local clinics & hospitals; in that, she shares her faith every chance she gets with students and patients. While she faces opposition from her mostly Orthodox fellow students continuously, Mesi is gold and endures, still mercifully sharing the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! When the students of her class graduate, they will be placed in various clinics, urban & rural, around Ethiopia. Mesi, however, plans to use her degree & skills in a different way. While most of her time will be spent either at home or in our ministry, she will divide two days per week for volunteering in the clinic of Gods choosing (praying about this), for the purpose of compassion evangelism. We ask that you pray with us about this and that we might clearly see Gods leading in this desire. Mesi has done a great job! Mesi: (right) at a local clinic.