Veldhuis

Dear Family and Friends In Christ,

      The Christmas truth that our Lord’s provision for all peoples’ salvation is effectual only to those who trust Him as Savior drives us more than anything to preach Him as our Cocopah’s only Redeemer regardless of their background or response.

“…we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those
that believe.”(I Timothy 4:10)

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,
     Faithful prayers, gifts of every size, and physical help by many of you have gone unrecognized but not
unnoticed or unappreciated ‘midst the past several months’ ministries.  We cannot appeal to e-mails or
other contacts with you as adequate expressions of gratitude or accountability and so earnestly trust this
update to reward your faithfulness with a true sense of what your sacrifices will mean in eternity.
  "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shewed
toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister" (Hebrews 6:10).

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,

Recent surprise encounters in Yuma with 16 and 25 year olds Nikki and Daniel encouraged us beyond measure through evidence of our Lord’s faithful care of converts who've moved away.  How good it was to hear Cocopah we hadn't seen since preteen professions of faith excitingly tell of “doing well” and “walking  with the Lord!”

“…those that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled”(John 17:12)

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,
     Our Lord’s enabling and breakthroughs this winter were too significant and numerous to fail to honor Him for His increase or to thank you for your provisions.

“…ye [indeed] strive together with [us] in your prayers to God for [us]” Romans 15:30b.

Dear Co-laborers in Christ,

While many Cocopah “turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” this summer, “…the God of this world…blinded the minds of [others] lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them” (Acts 26:18a + II Corinthians 4:4).

A Little News From Lydia Veldhuis

Dear Family and Friends,

I just wanted to give all of you a quick update on what I've been doing over the past year. As most of you know, I left West Coast Baptist College after one year because of health problems and transferred to International Baptist College near Phoenix. I finished my second year of college there and greatly enjoyed the new friendships I made and the caring staff members.

Dear Praying Family and Friends,

“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (I Corinthians 15:34)

How responsible are we for the ignorance of people “Who worship the works of their own hands” (Isaiah 2:8)?

Have you ever wondered how the unsaved world views Christians caught up in the materialism of Christmas? Do they view us as hypocrites? Or are they completely unaware “That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (II Corinthians 5:19a)?

Dear Co-Laborers in Christ,

“ I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not:”(Isaiah 65:1a)

Our Lord’s description of how He will save a remnant of His people in the last days could well be applied to His overwhelming grace in calling twenty-something more Cocopah young people and adults to Himself this summer. God’s hand in this is undeniable when one considers that every person left a culture given over wholly to idolatry and self-gratification at any cost to even visit the “White church”.

Dear Praying Family and Friends,

“And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” (John 1:16)

The grace that allowed Dawn and me to resume all Cocopah ministries two weeks after my March 24 bypass surgery was rivaled by your prayers and humbling gifts for the ensuing months’ unending work. We cannot overstate our gratitude for your part in preventing physical setbacks while enabling us to add several new demanding projects to our weekly ministries.

Dear Family and Friends in Christ,

Warmest greetings from all of us back at work on our windy southwest Arizona desert reservations. Cloudless 75- 80 degree days invigorate us for ongoing Cocopah labors and encourage us in the work of preparing individuals, vehicles, and resources for summer’s critical camp and Bible Time ministries.