Celebrating A Birthday!

Throughout the week before Chr1stmas day, Lori and I have invited our friend J0ke over to participate in some of our @meric@n Chr1stmas traditions of baking, singing, and even making a navity set. As we were showing J0ke our decorations we put up in our apartment I asked her if her family put up decorations to celebrate Chr1stmas. She replied “yes, we put up decorations on Chr1stmas day.” 

It made me think twice on why they would put up decorations on Chr1stmas day and not before. After several days of pondering this M@lian tradition, it hit me that the bel1evers here are celebrating a birthday! Just as I would put up decorations on a birthday, the bel1evers here put up decorations to celebrate the birth of our S@vior on H1s birthday. 

On Chr1stmas day L0ri and I traveled to J0ke’s house to w0rship at her ch.rch. As we walked into the small ch.rch we saw many decorations, but not the decorations we would consider to be part of the Chr1stmas season. Instead we saw many streamers and balloons that filled the place of w0rship. A day to celebrate the birth of J.s.s was truly a day to celebrate H1s birthday here with our M@lian friend. This day L0ri and I spent 3 hours singing, dancing, singing some more and listening to a message in this ch.rch filled with many children and young bel1evers of the birth of our S@vior. 

I thank Father for this opportunity to be able to w0rship in M@li on Christmas day with our friend J0ke and for a refreshing new look on how to celebrate Chr1stmas day!

Please pr@y for this young and youthful ch.rch that our friend J0ke is attending. The ch.rch is small, but filled with a youthful group of bel1vers that love to w0rship our S@vior.

A Baby Worthy of Worship.

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together."

Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #10- A BABY WORTHY OF WORSHIP

What a great time to be in M@li and what a GREAT message we have to share at Chr1stmas!

In M@li, holidays are celebrated with big parties, lots of food, and cloth. People buy the new celebration cloth and have an outfit made for the day of celebration. At Chr1stmas it is no different. The ch.rch here designs a Chr1stmas cloth that proclaims the message of J.s.s birth. Since we were going to worsh1p and celebrate with our M@lian friend J0ke, we too purchased cloth and had new outfits made. Our friend "O" had expressed her desire to go with us so we bought some of the Chr1stmas cloth for her, and on Tuesday before Chr1stmas we gave it to her. As we sat on the street holding the cloth, her mom began looking at the picture of the nativity on the cloth. We asked if she knew about it and she said no. She agreed for us to tell her about it, so we began. After selling some ice, "O" joined us listening intently to every detail. At the end, she sat pondering as she always does, then simply said, " If all these things are true, then He truly is a baby worthy of worship."


On Friday before Chr1stmas, we invited "O" to our house for a Chr1stmas celebration. We had created characters in the Chr1stmas story out of sticks and African cloth. We had them all...Mary, Joseph, baby J.s.s. in a watering trough, Gabriel, the host of angels, the shepherds, sheep, the wise men, their gifts and a camel, and the star. We set them all up on a little table and created a visual story to be told. "O" arrived and we showed her the characters and briefly explained who each one was. Then we went on with making cookies and candies to take to our friends who work on the street with "O". After creating the cookies and nibbling on a few, I put lunch on to cook. We shared a meal together using the common bowl and a rice dish that was similar to an African dish. It was delicious! Then we told the stories of Mary, Joseph, the birth of J.s.s, the shepherds and angels, and the wise men to "O". She listened intently to each part of the story and in her usual way, she sat pondering and looking at each set of characters. She acknowledged the miracles in each part. 

Please continue to pr@y for O to understand the truth about J.s.s. and to see that all of these things are true...that He is truly a baby worthy of worship...that He is so much more than just a baby...He is the s@lvation of every person, He is Lord of all Creation, He is the Light of the World, He is the Word made flesh, He is God with US, and the list goes on and on...

Owner of the Cows

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #9- God owns it all and Supplies our Needs
A sacrifice of pr@ise is due our G0d this week!! He continues to show Himself and His activity on behalf of R@dio K@ntiguiya. I went into the city to take care of some paperwork for our truck when He showed up again and demonstrated to me that He owns all things and He is the One Who Supplies our Needs. As I talked with another servant in the harvest here, he told me of another man I needed to talk with about the r@dio. As we were talking about this, in drives a car carrying the man we were just talking about. I smiled...just like our G0d I thought!

As I talked with him, he already knew of the R@dio K@ntiguiya and was even working to find and provide for us the necessary equipment for the solar power. He had done an estimate of the cost of the equipment he has. I sat in amazement as he described each piece to me and showed me the difference in the cost based on a previous estimate. He told me of batteries and pieces of equipment that were of much greater quality and would be much more effective in production for our purposes.He told me how God had blessed His work in other areas and how because of that he had committed this equipment to be used to help the next r@dio station in M@li. R@dio K@ntiguiya came to his attention and will now receive this equipment at a much reduced rate.  I watched as the previous estimate went from $18,500 to the new estimate of $11,500. Then told me that his organization was willing to commit approximately $4000 toward the new estimate. So again, I watched as my G0d continued to supply all of our needs. Now we need only $7500 to complete the r@dio station. This man said to me, "I have everything here in M@li and we are ready to install it. We can have it put in and running by the end of January." Tears fill my eyes as I type this email of pr@ise to our Father. I know we still need $7500, but I am confident that G0d owns it all and that He will supply. I know He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has just sold one to provide for us. He will sell another one to provide the rest.

Another amazing moment was when this young man told me we would not need the generator with this new equipment he was providing. The power that will be produced by it will be enough to power the r@dio from 7am to 10 pm. That means we will be doubling the amount of time we can be on the air and all of that without the cost of a generator and the gas to run it. The generator was another $7000. I stand amazed! I bow in gratitude to the One who is F@ithful!!

Would you pr@y diligently every day for G0d to reveal His provision for the remaining funds for R@dio K@ntiguiya? Would you ask Him to do that according to His time, His way, and through His chosen servants?

If you would like to join G0d in this work and be apart of something Only G0d can do, you can make donations to
Harvest Seekers via the website or send it to

Harvest Seekers International
PO Box 1975
Cleveland, TX 77327

Please designate to R@dio K@ntiguiya.

Thank you for your pr@yers and your f@ithfulness to make sacrifices of pr@ise to our G0d for ALL that He is doing!!

watching Him...
Ps@lm 50:10-15

A Drawing G0d

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #8-In our poverty, G0d draws us to Himself.
I love the economy of our Father! It is so different from our own way of thinking, planning, and doing life. The world beckons to us and says seek wealth, seek to own and possess. It lies to us and says, in your wealth you will have all you need. Yet J.s.s taught us, "G0d blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of He@ven is theirs." The greatness of our G0d exalts the poor because through their poverty they realize the NEED Him. The poor find themselves in a place where this life cannot be lived alone--absent from the Presence and Power and Provision of The One Who Satisfies. In our poverty, we confess our inadequacies and call out to Him--The One Who is More Than Enough for ALL we need.

Gift of Grain
For months we have been praying for the rains to come and the harvest to be enough. In G0d's economy, I believe He has answered. The rains did not come. The harvest is not enough. The people of the B@ye region are experiencing the lack of food. The prices of each bag of grain are going up because there is not enough. As we have prayed, many of my daily readings in our Father's Word led me to the times where G0d used drought and lack of food to draw people to Himself. I believe our Father is doing the same thing here...drawing people to Himself through the drought and lack of food.

Last year, G0d demonstrated His power and provision, His unfailing love and compassion through The Gift of Grain project. He used you--His people--to demonstrate in a very real way that He is the One Who Provides. As you heard of the need, His SP1r1t moved through you to provide more than we had asked for Him to provide.

As I talked with P@stor D@o just before leaving to return to M@li, I could hear the despair in his words as he said, "I would like to inform you also that the price of millet hit a high point in this week. One bag of grain is at 20 000 FCFA. This year the food crisis will be worse in the locality of B@ye. I do not know how the poor family will eat this year. I know one thing-- it's to pray for them."

Our goal and desire is to have at least 200 bags of grain for distribution. The cost per bag is estimated at $45.

Words of Life
Along with the lack of physical nourishment, there is a sp1r1tual poverty among the people with whom we work. They have a need for not only food to eat, but food that will nourish their soul. As we prayed through the Gift of Grain project, we began asking our Father how we can also meet the sp1r1tual poverty...the lack of access to Him, the One on Whom they must depend. We had seen how He used the MP3 player last year, but we knew that batteries in this remote area would be hard for the people to find or afford. I had seen the impact of a solar device with G0d's W0rd on it among the people group with whom a friend of mine works.

As we began researching, we found a solar powered radio/recorder. This device is called a Diplomat. It can be preset to a radio station and oral recordings of G0d's W0rd can be downloaded on them in various languages.  With the opening of the radio station coming soon, these radio/recorders are perfect for not only getting G0d's W0rd into he ears and hearts of the people but also give them access to the radio station. Our goal and desire is to give out 100 of these and to ensure that each chief in the villages surrounding the radio station receives one of these radio/recorders. The cost for one radio/recorder is estimated at $40.


God has placed before us an even greater need--an even greater opportunity to demonstrate Him this year. As you go into this Christmas season, would you consider how you and your family, your small group, or your church could be a part of The Gift of Grain  and Words of Life Projects this year.

If you would like to provide a Gift of Grain or a Word of Life Radio/Recorder, you can make donations via mail or online. You may mail a check to

Harvest Seekers International
PO Box 1975
Cleveland, TX 77327

You may also visit the Harvest Seeker's website at http://www.hisharvesters.org/support.html and click on the "Make a Donation" button at the bottom of the page.  This will open a page for you to donate via PayPal. 

Please designate the funds as "Gift of Grain" or "Words of Life". 

Would you pr@y with us for G0d to draw the people of B@ye to Himself through the difficulties they are facing and through the W0rds of Life they will hear?

Isaiah 42:6

The Great Orchestrator of Details

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #7-The Great Orchestrator of Details
Greetings from M@li!!
Thank you so much your pr@yers! We immediately saw our Father at work as you pr@yed for C@therine's flight! We saw Him begin orchestrating a song to smooth out the way for us to keep our itinerary and plans moving. It reminded me of a scr1pture that has continually been filling my mind since I received word that C@therine was on the ground in NJ and our flight from NJ had been delayed.

"Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the gl0ry of the L0rd will be revealed, and all the people will see it together." Isaiah 40:4-5
Rejoice with us and give pr@ise to the Great Orchestrator of Details!!

We traveled a new route to M@li and it was a very good one! It is always fun (for me) to travel to new places and go on adventure with G0d into new things. This journey allowed me to see even from the sky a new part of the w0rld. I discovered a new place for my bucket list as I looked out the window of the plane and saw this island. The beaches called out to me to come and sit still and swim in the water. Now I just have to find out the name of it..smile!

Please continue to pr@y for us as we adjust to being home, get the apartment cleaned, and get moved in. Give thanks to our Father for a friend who picked us up from the airport, took us to dinner, took us around to get some necessities, and went the extra mile to bring my purse back to me after I left it in her car. Thank you Sh@ri! Also give thanks to G0d for C@rol, J0sh, Just1n, D@ryl and G1enda who have taken care of our apartment and are providing us with a place to stay until our apartment is ready.

grateful to be home and ready to hit the bed...smile

Dep@rture Day

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #6-Called and Sent out

Today we begin the journey back to the people and the place our Father has called us to go! He continues to prepare the way and walk out in front of us! Again, we have each counted the cost, and declare, "I will follow!" As I w0rshipped on Sunday, a flood of emotions overwhelmed me the whole time I stood before the Father. He led me through a series of remembrances, costs, and potential things I might face as I follow Him. As He would have it, together with my family of F@ith we sang the song Walk By Faith by Jeremy Camp. I experienced the vanishing of my emotions and the steadfast Sp1r1t of Chr1st fill me. He became my courage, my focus, my strength, and the One in whom I trust. A calm strength and determination consumed me and then I was able to lay it all before Him...laying everything at His feet...oh He is worthy of laying everything down for!!!

Please pr@y for C@therine and I as we each follow Him and travel behind Him to all the places and through all the situations and into all the relationships He leads us through each day!!

C@therine will be leaving from Ch@rlotte, NC and I will be leaving from H0uston, TX. We will meet in NJ and fly on to B@mako through Be1gium. We should arrive in B@mako on Wednesday @fternoon.

Thank you for walking this journey on your knees with us!!
Talk to you from the other side...
His servant...His witness...

The F@ithfulness of our F@ther

"Come, let us tell of the L0rd's greatness; let us exalt His name together." Ps@lm 34:3

Exaltation #5-The F@ithfulness of our Father
As we come to the close of 2011, we bow before our Father and our G0d! We can declare nothing greater than His f@ithfulness! Since the moment He called this m1ni1stry into being, He has been f@ithful to do ALL that He has said He would do!! He has been f@ithful to guide us, walk beside us, and provide for us! He has done all of those things in ways that cause me to stop, bow down, and declare..." You alone are God! There is none like you! There never has been and there never will be!"

God's f@ithfulness to us has been demonstrated through you--His people! Your support in every way--your prayers, your financial gifts, and your face to face encouragements both here in the states and those who have walked on M@lian soil with us--has empowered this m1n1stry and work of our Father. To Him we give pr@ise and to you we stop to say "Thank you for believing in the G0d who does this work through us, and thank you for your gifts of support to His servants!"
We have had an amazing year in 2011, and we have seen the hand of our Father preparing an even greater year of opportunity for demonstrating Him and making Him known in 2012.

Some of the things we have already seen Him preparing the way for are

• Gift of Grain- The harvest did not produce this year due to lack of rains. Our goal is to distribute at least 200 bags of grain. Each bag costs $35.

• Words of Life- The lack of physical nourishment is also a reminder of the same lack of spiritual nourishment among the peoples with whom we work. This year along with the Gift of Grain project, we believe it is important for us to provide spiritual nourishment as well. G0d has directed our steps to a solar powered device called a Diplomat. It is tuned to a set FM radio station plus you can record oral stories and scr1ptures for the listeners. Our goal is to distribute at least 100 of these in conjunction with the opening of R@dio K@ntiguiya. Each Diplomat costs $40.
  

• R@dio K@ntiguiya- Launching the radio station for evangelism, d1sc1pleship, community development, and health education

• Village house- In order to have a place among the peoples with whom we work, we will be building a simple village home from which HSI servant teams can live and work.
  

• Community Center- The development of a place for outreach, training, and community development among the many villages and peoples groups with whom we work.
  

• Sewing Outreach- The first outreach project through the Community Center. We will teach 20 women to sew while also demonstrating and teaching about the love of G0d as we build relationships with these women. 

• Development of Harvest Seekers Mali- An organization run by M@lian believers to model, mentor, and mobilize f0ll0wers of J.s.s to fulfill the m1ss1ion of our L0rd J.s.s Christ.

• Servant Support/Operating Expenses- The funding needed to provide, protect, and encourage those serving in the harvest field of M@li.
  

Pr@ises:

• For the gift of J.s.s given to each of us
• For the work of our Father in your own heart in 2011
• For the work of our Father through HSI in 2011
• For the lives that have been impacted through the demonstration of His righteousness and love
• For ALL who have joined our Father in this work

Pr@yers:

• For the people of M@li to hear, know, and see the Truth--J.s.s.
• For complete obedience and f0ll0wship of HSI to complete what our Father has planned for us
• For each of the provision from G0d's people for each projects listed above
• For G0d's guidance, wisdom, and Presence moment by moment as we seek to walk in His footprints
• For f@ith to overcome every fear
• For protection from the evil one and those who serve his purposes on earth
• For the ways in which you can join us in accomplishing G0d's purposes and plans

Estimated Budget Needs for 2012: $106,850

 Attached you will find a breakdown for individual needs.

Ways to Support HSI

 Option 1-Check, Cash or Money Order:

1.    Make checks or money orders payable to H@rvest Seekers Intern@tional.

2.   Please mail your contribution to:

      H@rvest Seekers Internation@l

      PO Box 1975

      Cleveland, TX 77327

Option 2-Online Giving:

1.    Go to www.hisharvesters.org

2.    Click on the link “Through Your Gifts” on the right side of the page.

3.    Click on the “donation button” and fill out the online giving form to set up your online donation(s).

All contributions to H@rvest Seekers International are tax deductible and non-refundable.

If you give throughout the year, contribution statements will be sent out by HSI at the end of the year. One time gifts of $250.00 or more will receive acknowledgement from HSI at the end of the year. One time gifts less than $250 will be the responsibility of the donor to keep track of their tax deduction.

As a Non-Profit Organization, HSI reserves the ultimate control over and complete discretion concerning the use of all donations received by Harvest Seekers International.