Ministry Update: The Seeds are Growing!
Tom and Susan with Pastor Bob and Judy Holmbeck of Gaylord AG.
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, (2Corinthians 9:10, NKJV)
There is power in a seed. The seed is very small, but it contains the blueprint for a great harvest.
Many times we do not realize the effect of the seeds that we plant, yet all the time, they are growing and producing a harvest.
The Seeds are Growing in Gary, Minnesota
In a church service at Good News Fellowship in Gary, Minnesota, in the area where our ministry first began nearly 40 years ago, I worshipped together with children of people who we ministered to years ago. Now, they were there with their children, some of who were in their teens and approaching adulthood. Seeds grow!
I spoke there about “The Healing Anointing” and “The Fishing Guide: the Holy Spirit.” Two couples came forward for an altar call to get their lives back on track with the Lord. How much fruit will come from those seeds?
The White Earth Reservation
I also spoke in a special church service on the White Earth Reservation in Pine Point, Minnesota, where Missionary Karen Brakefield was being honored for 17 years of work on the reservation and where she was passing the baton of leadership of the local church at Pine Point to Pastor David and Dori Bakke.
I shared a message on the Samaritan woman at the well, and we had a very touching time praying blessings over Karen along with many of her friends from the area, followed by prayers for David and Dori for their new ministry as pastors at Pine Point. It’s a new season for David and Dori, and also for Karen, as she will focus on other areas of ministry.
Karen met David and Dori at the Love DL outreach, which we held in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, last summer. One thing led to another, and a transition occurred. The seeds are growing!
Going back further, David and I met years ago at a church service in Park Rapids, Minnesota, where I was ministering. We became friends and ministered together in various places, including the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota.
The Seeds are Growing in Gaylord Minnesota
In July, Susan and I ministered at Gaylord Assembly of God in Gaylord, Minnesota, with Pastor Bob and Judy Holmbeck. Our relationship with them goes back to the time they attended a Gospel tent meeting we held in the Dassel-Cokato area while I was a pastor in Howard Lake, Minnesota. We have been friends for many years, and they have been a great encouragement and support to this ministry, as well as pastors in our lives.
We had a wonderful time of ministry with the saints in Gaylord. I shared about the power of the Gospel, and Susan shared a message called “Wasted Treasure,” encouraging the people to not waste their God-given potential. One person told me afterward that they had made a decision during that service to come back to the Lord during the service. Seeds!
The Seeds are Growing in Benin, West Africa
In 2020, we planted some seeds in Benin, West Africa, by purchasing four sewing machines for a program to train young women in sewing called The Tabitha Project. This year we realized that the seeds we had planted were not growing very well because our partners in Benin were not able to pay a salary for a seamstress/teacher to train the young women.
After prayer, we decided to provide a salary for one year to give the seeds a chance to grow. Our partners came through with $925, which will provide the first seven month’s salary for the teacher.
I am happy to share with you that Viviane, a 26-year-old woman has begun work as the seamstress/teacher with the Tabitha Project in July. She is not only trained as a seamstress, but is also a commited Christian. As we water the seeds in the next 12 months, let us pray that they will grow.
Thank God for Your Seeds!
Susan and I are thankful for all the seeds which you have planted in the work of the Lord through this ministry. Those seeds are bearing fruit all around the world. We also pray that the Lord will multiply the seed that you sow back into your life and increase the fruits of your righteousness. Truly God loves a cheerful giver.
My back has slowly been improving since the trauma of having surgery last January. I am traveling more and able to do more around the house as well, which makes Susan happy. I am looking forward to the time when I can travel overseas once again and continue to take the powerful seed of the Gospel into all the world.