On The Road Again

Eleventh Hour Laborers
Jun 10, 2016
4 min read

Greetings to you brothers and sisters in Christ, I trust that this news letter finds you encouraged in the Lord.There have been quite a few months silence from our mission blog posts, and for that we apologize. As mentioned in a previous blog, we have been blessed with a new addition to our family on last July 2013. In expectancy of our new arrival, we thought it best that I be home for the latter part of Marion’s pregnancy as well as the first few months after birth. It has been a tremendous blessing to us to have this new bundle of joy in our life, in fact it is almost as though a new light came into our lives, truly God has been good to us. We had shared the testimony that we believe this baby to be special, as he came into our lives as a direct answer to the prayers of the people of India. Nevertheless, the joys of new fatherhood have also been accompanied with sleepless nights, diaper changes, baths, and a myriad of other baby concerns. After a 12 ½ year break, my memory has been thoroughly refreshed that having a new baby is a great joy, but it is also very hard work.

Our son Judah is now 7 months old, and as one can imagine, it has been extremely difficult to be away from home these last couple of months for me. I remember speaking to Marion via telephone about 3 weeks ago and receiving the news that our son said his first words, da-da. She also told me that he was now sitting up by himself, and accomplishing many other milestones. Though I was elated to hear the news, there was still a great longing in my heart to be at home to witness these things personally. Our family had made a pledge to the Lord some years ago to be missionaries for Him, and truly as we look back over the last few years we can say that God has been good to us. Though we have failed him at times, truly we can testify that he has never once failed us, whether we were in the mission field, or out of the mission field. In every place that we have sought to labor for the Lord, He has truly blessed and prospered all of our humble efforts. From a close study of the bible, the record is clear that the Gospel message will triumph, it’s destiny is already set in the concrete monuments of time, and anyone, irrespective of whatever the sacrifice he is called to make for it’s sake, will reap an unfailing reward. The cause of the Gospel requires a sacrifice, and we have answered it’s call. We ask you to pray for us that we would continue to be faithful workers who will continually respond to the call wherever it should lead us, and freely give whatever it should cost us.

After being absent for several months, I was again privileged to visit the country of India to follow up on a few projects that we had begun there some time ago, and also to get an update as to the progress of the work there. I must say that it was indeed a blessing for me. Many who have labored in the cause of God have died, and have not been privileged to see any fruits from their labors, be it great or small. God has so blessed me to re-travel areas where we helped in times past to establish small companies, and I was able to see the work not only thriving in the central location where we began, but in several cases the work has spread to now include neighboring villages and even a few small towns. There is now a vibrant youth group there in the Villupuram District, I visited a particular church one Sabbath day and arrived just in time to interrupt a youth meeting. These youth were assembled together, and forging plans for an evening meeting in a distant district. Though others had tried unsuccessfully in the past, these young people entered successfully and were now the pioneers in serious gospel work in a new District. It was always the vision of my wife and my self to enter into this place, but time, and our extremely heavy work load would not allow us. Words fail to adequately express my joy, as I saw young people, some still in their teenage years, now working as pioneer missionaries. These young people were involved in house to house prayers, bible studies, stop smoking classes, food and lifestyle education classes, substance abuse awareness classes, free tutoring classes to children, natural remedies classes, and they have even designed an outreach program to target India’s extremely large transgender community, just to name a few of their ministries. These young people (some only a few years older than my son Noah) were reaching people and doing a ministry in a way that I had never even dreamed of. I am told that in a few years this place will be it’s own Section, as it now has the ability to be self-sustaining, and it’s membership is much larger and more stable than in recent years. We want to ask you to keep our family in your prayers, and also to keep the work in the entire country of India in your prayers as well.

Though the work is now quite strong in the Villupuram Region, there are still certain areas of need in that field to which I would like to render assistance , so please prayerfully consider us in your giving. May God’s abundant grace be continually extend to you and your family, Yours in Christ, The Simpson Family