LAST CALL MINISTRIES

November 2011 ISSUE VI

Quarterly: Doug & Mesi

Inside this issue:
LCM: A Look Behind the Cover Scenes Prayer Calendar 2

Last Call Ministries: A Look Behind the Scenes

I would like to dedicate this issues cover story to what happens behind the scenes in LCM. I dont believe Ive done that in the few years that Ive been on the field in Ethiopia. The photos (right, below) depict the man behind the scenes, to whom many accolades are due in his personal service to Christ. The director of LCM, Joe Spell, who will probably (lovingly) have my head for doing this story, is the person of whom I am writing. Without his kind and kingdomloving guidance, I wouldnt have the means to do what I get to do. Besides collecting the support to wire to us, Brother Joe has done much to be regarded. He doesnt have to come here. Its costly. But he does. He doesnt use the support designated to us to fly here & work alongside us. He uses his own funds, earned from his job. Hes contributed vast amounts of monies to Bibles in several languages, which were distributed among South Koreans, Chinese, Ethiopians, Japanese, French & Englishspeakers. Hes personally supported us for fur- Joe preparing food baskets, Feb. 2011 loughs & stateside visits & at- churches, he has undertended almost all of our presenta- girded personally. I must tions, though he often knows attribute to him also brothwhats going on in our work before erly, godly advice, financial I stand to present it. Despite medi- counsel, logistical expertise, cal challenges at times & resulting friendly encouragement, and fatigue, Joe has walked great dis- much, much more. In thinktances with me in Ethiopia to share ing of Jesus own words in the gospel & learn the work first John 15:13Greater love hand for prayer. While often unno- has no one than this, than to ticed & aside of the spotlight, he is lay down ones life for his indispensible to our ministry. The friends, I cant help but larger percentage of our support, think about this Christ-like not covered completely by local example I have in the director of LCM. Of course, a non -believer would look at this LCM Director Joe Spell: IOI story and think I was trying Conference, 2011, Ethiopia to gain some desired favor; but in Christ, the brotherly love and fellow-citizenship in the Kingdom of God called for in Scripture is the understanding of true believers. I praise God for good friends, and especially the Greatest (contd, pg. 3). .

Community Involvement 3

LCM: A Look Behind the 3 Scenes, continued. .

Contact Info 4

Wedding Bells!

This Issue:

An Example of Brotherly Love: cover story How to pray for us:

color-coded calendar
Soccer Ministry:

sports evangelism
International Wedding:

Jonathan & Feven

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Quarterly: Doug & Mesi

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. ~ Psalm 55:17

December 2011
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Lords Day Worship (AM) Boys Home Ministry Prayer Night Truth Bible Study @ Orphanage (PM)

1 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

3 10 17 24 31

Widows & Poor Friends Home Visits (Food Gifts in AM) Tigrinya Language (AM)

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Community Involvement: Sharing the Words of Christ!

FREEDOM!!!
that. 2nd, I gave spiritual advice: each player received either a pocket-sized Holy Bible in Amharic or the Gospel of Luke in Tigrinya. An explanation of the message of the Holy Bible then followed the distribution. Search the Scriptures said Jesus from Matthew 5:39, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are those which speak of Me. My advice to the players was to trust only in Jesus Christ, who died and rose again from the dead, for the forgiveness of sins & for peace with God. As a lamp unto the feet, and a light to the path, Gods word also has wisdom for all of life. Afterward, we had sambosas (something like meat pies) & juice. We then provided new soccer balls for the team & prayed for them. Shouting, FREEDOM!, the program concluded. Keep praying, God works, and so we labor in Him!

Thats the cry your likely to hear in any one of their games, practices, or programs, because that happens to be the name of the team FREEDOM. No, its not our team, really. Its their team. We are sponsors of these Ethiopian childrens own ingenuity in sports-wisdom. The coach is an orphan himselfan industrious orphan. We have simply responded positively to his request for sponsorship. October 2011, we had another Freedom Football (Soccer) Feast. The kids came to our home, touting their new socks & shoes, provided by Brother Sung-Min, our South Korean fellow worker in the Lord. The program began! 1st, I gave the kids practical advice: being on the sidelines and observant, I am able to do

LCM: A Look Behind the Scenes (Continued from Cover)

. . .Friend, Jesus, who laid down His life to save me. LCM is much more than just myself & Mesi laboring on the field. It is your prayers, support, encouragement, & all you do to live in partnership for the success of Christs kingdom WITH US, just as the director of LCM so readily & discreetly models in his own service to Christ. I am sure he would not have told you himself due to his own desire to glorify Christ. I, however, am not ashamed to call attention to the praiseworthy when it is something that expresses the concept of Philippians 4:8. I must also express how extremely thankful I am for all God has done thru you, our supporters & partners in the gospel, to help us preach to the nations here in Ethiopia! LCM Director Joe Spell is already planning the January 2012 mission trip to Mekele, Ethiopia. If you are interested in coming also, please use the contact info on the back. DM

LCM Director, Joe Spell: during a support visit, 2011

Last Call Ministries

To Support: PO Box 4203, Shreveport, LA 71134 USA To Contact: Phone: 318-458-9602; Email: lastcallminisries@hotmail.com (or) joespell@keptprivate.com To Correspond w/ Doug & Mesi: PO Box 1944, Mekele, Tigray, Ethiopia; Email: dglsmerrick@yahoo.com (This works as well for Facebook)

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

LCM

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

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

monies received are currently in the support of the budgeted work underway in Mekele, Ethiopia.

International Wedding: Jonathan & Feven

I baptized Feven in 2010, upon profession of her faith in the Lord Jesus & in view of obvious fruits worthy of repentance in her Christian walk. Faithfully, since that time, Feven has walked with me & Mesi in fellowship by the Spirit, praying & worshiping with us at every meeting. Hearing Jonathan was coming from the US to minister to the deaf, we all began praying for him. I personally remember Fevens prayers. Later, while on vacation in the capital, Feven met Jonathan by a stroke of Gods providential guidance while on her way to catch a taxi. Addis Abeba is a city of over 5,000,000 people. The odds of their meeting were like those of finding a needle in a haystack. Since that time, the two grew fond of each other. Fevens nursing skills complimented Jonathans gift in sign language & the two began helping one another minister to deaf in Mekele and the surrounding area. Their mutual love for Christ & their attraction to one another prompted them to begin praying about marriage. These two dear friends agreed to participating in marriage counseling & attended it over the span of nearly a year before reciting the wedding vows on Saturday, November 12, 2011. The service was conducted in English, as many ex-pats attended; was translated into Amharic by Mesi for the Ethiopian crowd & further translated into sign language by a resident worker among the deaf. The wedding was Gods answer to many prayers. Feven even saw her father, whom she has prayed for long, come & hear the gospel at the wedding. Jon & Fevens purity, patience & passion for Gods Word, while waiting for Him, was also a great witness & joy about which to testify to many who seek true love. Praise God that His Son Jesus was magnified & praised upon this special day! ~DM

Jonathan & Feven on their wedding day: Nov. 21, 2011; They minister among Tigrays Deaf