Dear Soldiers of the Cross,
Jesus said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
I would like to start this letter with a recap of this past year, lest we forget. The highs and the lows that God allowed us to witness in 2024 still have me blessing His Holy Name.
In March, through Independent Baptist Church and Awake America in Clinton, Maryland, God allowed us to be a part of placing a copy of John Eliot’s Bible in every office on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. This was an overwhelming God-given experience for me. My heart is still filled with the joy of having this wonderful opportunity.
Throughout the summer of 2024 our schedule was packed full with nine Bible schools and plenty of God’s people helping in the work. But the wonder of it all was 19 souls asking God for salvation. OH, PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME!
September 2024 will go down into the history books for the Wampanoag People of Massachusetts. One of the greatest miracles God has ever allowed me to be a part of was the reprint of the John Eliot Native American Bible. God’s people helped us raise $70,000 to cover the cost of reprinting this Bible. On September 8th we began placing this Bible back into the hands of the original people, the Wampanoag People. This was the first Bible printed in America, in 1663. The last reprint was in 1685, 339 years ago. What a joy to have it back! Our hearts were overwhelmed to see the people receive this blessed old Book with joy. We were able to put this Bible into three of their communities, but we have three communities left. Please continue to help us pray for this Bible project. We are still raising funds to print another 1000 copies for the other three communities.
We just finished looking at some of the highs in 2024, now let’s look at one of the lowest times I’ve ever experienced. September 27th Hurricane Helene came through WNC and my community with great destruction. I will not be able to put into words the devastation this storm left behind: 104 lives lost in WNC, 43 in my county and 13 in my community. Eleven lives were lost in one family I knew, and they were my friends. More than 1500 landslides were reported in WNC after Helene. Six thousand miles of road were damaged, and hundreds of roads were washed out. 125,000 housing units throughout WNC were damaged or destroyed, with 200,000 people impacted by Helene housing damages. So many trees came down across roadways and on top of homes, and they filled our creeks and rivers. Creeks and rivers have changed their course, and our landscape has changed forever. Many families are still living in tents, campers, motels and shelters. Please continue to pray for our communities.
Please continue to pray for me as I recover from back surgery.
As We Labor for Christ,
Gerry & Sheril Locklear
Missionaries to the Native Americans