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Next month, I will have been coming to

Ethiopia for 9 years. It doesnt seem like

it has been that long since my first trip.

After two short-term trips between 2003

and 2004 and an extended stay from Oc-

tober 2004 to May 2005, I came to reside

in Ethiopia in September 2006. In Octo-

ber of 2006 I married Mesi, a jewel of a

Christian who bears the marks of Christs

sufferings on her body. We have been

serving the Lord together in Tigray

(north Ethiopia) for over five years. We

have endured many ups and downs in

ministry, and have been abandoned more

than once by ambitious self-seekers who

have tried to either usurp authority,

make false accusations, or establish a

name for themselves. In these instances,

Mesi and I were deeply hurt, because we

had given generously of ourselves in the

love of Christ to these who, in the end,

turned against us. Because the Spirit of

God has been with us, we have not only

endured, but have also grown in the

Lord. I thought about the words of our

Lord Jesus when he taught the parable of

the soils to His disciples. He spoke of

the good hearts of His people, who do

bear fruit. Get thisthey bear it with

patience! I thought about this part. Pa-

tience is not quickly borne fruit. Pa-

tience, according to James (1:2-4), is

borne out of the trials of the Christian

life. We fall into various trials; our faith

is tested; and patience is borne out la-

boriously (James says this is patience

perfect work). I take that to mean

pain. Here the word of God teaches two

things: (1) considering these troubles

joy is knowingthat patience is being

produced; (2) letting patience develop

in its painful manner produces maturity

and abundance in the Lord (James says

perfect and complete, lacking nothing).

The hurts in our hearts are real, and

sometimes inexplicably unjust and irra-

tional on the part of the source from

which they come. But Mesi and I have

been rejoicing, because we knowGod is

working in us to farm His own fruit, and

to make us fit for the great work of the

gospel ministry to which Hes called us.

I didnt want to soapbox in this Quar-

terly, but I felt this was too good a

chance to pass up in encouraging all

our supporters either in personal Chris-

tian ministry within the body of Christ

or in corporate service to the church.

The best fruits and equipping by the

Spirit come through some of the most

painful trials and testing. And we

know this happens to you just as it does

to us. Clearly, they are spiritual land-

marks for us in our lives of faith! DM.

As for that in the good soil, they are those who,

hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good

heart, and bear fruit with patience. ~Luke 8:15

LAST CALL MINISTRIESJune 2012

Issue VIII

Painful Perfection(Cover, left)

New Sunday School 2

Prayer Calendar 2

Help from God 3

Contact Info 4

The Mesi-sphere 4

Inside this issue:

What you will find in read-

ing this update:

Encouragement for ministry

Answers to your prayers

Specifics that you can pray

for now

An increase of faith by see-ing how God provides in

His own way for our needs

Landmarks for us


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Between 20062007, we partnered temporarily

with a local church in helping them establish a

kids class on Sundays (which they didnt have

prior to our arrival). In 2008 we resigned fromthat work to begin worshiping the Lord in Eng-

lish on Sundays. We are in our fourth year of

ministering the gospel in a chapel-like setting to

English speaking Christians, both local & for-

eign, residential & temporary. This year, we

started a Sunday School Class hour in which Mesi

teaches a handful of Tigrayans the word of God

evangelistically. This a landmark for us in minis-

try, and we rejoice! A new and tender work, we

deeply desire your prayers for the gracious suste-

nance of God for this ministry. Right: Photos of

our new Bible Story class.

Sunday School in Tigrinya

Page 2 Quarter ly: Doug & Mesi Issue VIII

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

June 2012 Color Coded PraCalendar Lords Day Se

vices (am)

Boys Home M

istry (pm)

Prayer Meetin

(pm)

Truth Bible S

@ Orphanage

(pm)

Bible Study @

Sudanese Stu

dents Apartm

(pm)

Benevolence

Home Visits

Mesi disciple

class with bap

tism prospect

Dougs visita

& outreach

The schedule on the prayer calendar is virtually constant, so on into July, August, etc, praying according to the calendar is valid

New Bible Story

Class!!! 2012


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*Gods Help:South KoreanPartners*

God provides for our needs in his own gracious and beautiful way.

Last month, May 2012, we were pleasantly surprised by the love offer-

ing of a church in South Korea. Our relationship to the church,

though, is not surprising, knowing the character of our contact there.Cha-Eun-Chul (left) lived in Ethiopia as a volunteer, and being a

Christian, we naturally became friends. He was committed, loyal, and

given to worship and the word of God. I benefitted from our friendship

because while I was learning to play the guitar for the first time, he was

one of the Koreans who taught me. Because of him and another dear

Korean brother, Kim-Junsu, I am now writing songs in both English

and Tigrinya. Cha-Eun-Chul has been back in South Korea since 2009,

but weve stayed in touch, and he and his mom have sent us boxes of

clothing for distribution to the needy more than once. Last month, I

received an email that his church was sending a love offering to help us

in our ministries! How blessed and how timely! It was timely becauselast month was especially a month of increased ministry but at the

same time a month of intensely trusting God to provide for that

amount of ministry. With the funds received from these South Korean

partners, Mesi and I purchased 300 kilos of flour and distributed them

in 10 kilo increments to 30 families. Praise God! This is also the

means by which we evangelize many of the needy, so we are thankful

to our Lord and to His people in South Korea. Because the donation

was substantial, we were also able to begin sponsorship of a football

(soccer) team based in the orphanage at which we teach Gods Word

weekly. Most of the team members are either children living in the or-

phanage, or children from the surrounding neighborhood. Saturdaysare training days, and days on which we get to see the football team

practice or play games. Preaching the gospel to these children who are

neighbors to the orphanage children is now a real opportunity. We

praise God for our South Korean partners, for their giving and their

prayers!!!

Here are ways to pray for these ministries:

Pray for our benevolence home visits to glow with the goodness

and grace of God radiantly, and that the gospel of Christ be readily

received as we preach in these homes! Pray for our preaching!

Pray for our bajaj taxi driver, Aman, as he helps us distribute the

flour. He listens intently to the gospel message we preach! Pray

for the light of the knowledge of Gods glory in Christ to shine in

his heart.

Pray for Asres, a poor Christian girl, rich in faith, serving her

church in helping to deliver our flour to the Tehadeso Ten, the 10

poorest members of that church. Pray for her strength and joy!

Pray for the football team, the neighborhood kids, and the sponsor-

ship, that liberty for the gospel be granted by God! Pray also for

our weekly Bible teaching at the orphanage, for grace and glory!

Asres and

Aman

before

loading upto

distribute

flour to the

homes of

10 needy

Christians.

This is 1/3

of our

purchase

last month.

Page 3Quarter ly: Doug & Mesi Issue VIII


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About LCM: Last Call Ministries is a 501c3 Or-

ganization 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

Bayou Du Large (S. Louisiana). LCM is cur-

rently sponsoring Doug & Mesi, who are commis-

sioned by their home church: Heritage Baptist

Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. All support mon-

ies received solely support of the budgeted work un-

derway in Mekele, Ethiopia.

To Support:PO Box 4203, Shreveport, LA 71134

USA

To Contact:Phone: 318-458-9602; Email:

[email protected] (or)

[email protected]

To Correspond w/ Doug & Mesi:PO Box 1944, Mekele,

Tigray, Ethiopia; Email: [email protected]

(This works for Facebook, too!)

In her third & final year of nursing school, Mesi is almost a graduate

with a degree. The graduation day is on August 4th, this year, and

will serve as a landmark for us in ministry. Mesi has been doing

practical in a variety of local clinics & hospitals; in that, she shares

her faith every chance she gets with students and patients. While

she faces opposition from her mostly Orthodox fellow students con-

tinuously, Mesi is gold and endures, still mercifully sharing the mes-

sage of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! When the

students of her class graduate, they will be placed in various clinics,

urban & rural, around Ethiopia. Mesi, however, plans to use her de-

gree & skills in a different way. While most of her time will be spent

either at home or in our ministry, she will divide two days per week

for volunteering in the clinic of Gods choosing (praying about this),

for the purpose of compassion evangelism. We ask that you pray

with us about this and that we might clearly see Gods leading in this

desire. Mesi has done a great job! Mesi: (right) at a local clinic.

The Mesi-sphere!!!

Last Call Ministries

Were on

Facebook! Go to:

Partnership-Doug

& Mesi Merrick-

Last Call

Ministries Mission

Workers Suppo

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