Dear Soldiers of the Cross,
I trust you all are doing well and laboring faithfully in the Lord’s vineyard wherein he has placed you. The Lord has given us a couple of weeks to visit some of our supporting churches in NC and OH, and he has opened doors of opportunities to new churches as well. It was a very restful time and very encouraging for us to have this time with the Lord’s people and to share all that God is doing. I’m reminded of the apostles Paul and Barnabas as they returned from the mission work. They met with the churches and gave their reports. Acts 14:26-27 “And thence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.” What a joy it is to see the hand of God move in your life as you present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. My friends, there is nothing greater than to witness God at work!
The Lord has enabled us to have eight very successful Bible schools on the reservations this year and to see many souls respond to the Gospel. For this I’m very thankful. As last year, I’ve traveled over 50,000 miles for his glory, and I do bear the marks in my body of the hardness of the road. Please pray for me as my diabetes doctor is encouraging me to take it a little slower. It is hard to slow down when I can hear my dear late friend and preacher, Dr. Stinnett Ballew, saying, “I want to do what I can, while I can, so that when I cannot, I will not wish I would have, when I could have.” Beloved, our days of opportunities are passing, so let us use our time wisely for him. Our families and others are depending on us to get the Gospel to them before it’s too late.
The Lord gave us a wonderful opportunity to preach a missions’ conference at Tuscarora Baptist Church on the Tuscarora Reservation in Upstate NY. God met with us in a special way, and many hearts were moved in the services. Please pray for this great ministry. God is greatly using Bro. Walt Printup as he ministers to his people on his reservation.
I would like to share with you a praise report. For some time we have been praying for a mobile work trailer. God gave us one through another ministry. Now we are in need of tools for our building projects, and we also need a 3500 or 4500 dually diesel truck to get things out to the reservations. Please help us pray about this need. If you would like to help us with this need, you can send your support to NAMFM, 3232 Hendersonville Hwy, Pisgah Forest, NC 28768 and mark it “trailer fund.”
God is already filling up our 2023 schedule with many wonderful open doors of opportunities. Please help us pray that we will be sensitive to his leadership and direction for our ministry. Looking forward to seeing you out on the mission field.
As We Labor for Christ,
Gerry & Sheril Locklear
Missionaries to the Native Americans