Greater Portland Baptist Church

Mike and Debbie Lane: August, September, and October 2007

Greetings dear Co-laborers with God and us,

We promised you in our last newsletter an update of my trip to Africa. The church I had pastored for 14 years, Faith Baptist Church of Tacoma, Washington, invited me to go with them, so I accompanied Pastor Mark Smith, our son Brandon, and Bobby, a young man from the church. During the month of August we taught about 150 pastors from Zambia and Botswana, Africa and were involved in a Bible School for children, consisting of about 2,000 children. Then we preached to more than 8,000 Africans who came together for the general conference. During the month, we also preached in bush churches made of grass, taught in public schools and witnessed in the market places. By the end of August more than 1,200 persons had prayed to receive Christ as their Saviour and, at the end of the conference, about a dozen of us baptized 127 converts in a river that, from time to time, was inhabited by man-eating crocodiles. (a 17 foot croc that had eaten several children was killed in this very spot). It was a FAST baptism! It was an awesome experience and thrilling to see how God is working in certain countries of Africa as well as in Honduras. There is a fellowship of about 200 Bible-believing Baptist Churches that God is using in a great way. We thank Faith Baptist for inviting me and for those of you who gave to help us go to minister in Africa. There is fruit to your account in Heaven for sure. We arrived home safe and sound (praise God, no malaria!) and immediately began visiting churches in our furlough. September, we were in Washington and Oregon. October we are in Alaska, visiting 10 churches. We are praying that some new ones will take us on for support. In November we will be in Texas and Oklahoma and in January, we will go home to Honduras. Pray for us as we are looking for a bigger diesel truck to drive home to use in the work.

We are pleased to say that the work is moving forward in Honduras. Our workers, including several of our young people who have grown up in the work from my wife's Bible classes, are now teaching and preaching in the various missions and churches. They have recently won at least 7 to the Lord. Praise God! My associate, Clemente is preaching a great deal and now, fellow missionaries, Robert and Laura Breaker, are helping with our church in La Esperanza. Pray for them as they just lost their first baby before it came to term. Thank you for faithfully "holding the ropes."

Yours for souls,
Mike and Debbie Lane