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Dear Friends:
I begin the last two months’ report with a humbling experience. While working outside of our home/office, somehow I pulled the muscles in my lower back. My dad’s favorite phrase when we were working on his shrimp trawler was “give it a jerk”, so from time to time I have done just that, and guess what? It gives (not the rope coming untied, or the net freed, but) an injured back! Three weeks down with a fourth week only partially recovered, and for what purpose, I do not know, but God helped to get me on the other side of the injury. Many have said they pray for us and our needs daily…well, sometimes in God supplying our need, our need was “humility”.
RADIO—I still enjoy doing radio programs. Our audience has grown with the addition of podcasts. The response is always encouraging. Let me illustrate. A lady from Montreal emailed recently and said she had heard us on an internet station. Somewhere in the program I mentioned our mission work along the rivers in southern Bangladesh. Guess what? She is a native of Bangladesh, now a Christian, and has been praying years for God to save her people and get some local churches established there. What a blessing to hear from this sister in our vast, unseen audience. She has since offered to support our work there (“cast thy bread upon the waters”).
INDIA—Bro. Varghese says that COVID-19 is still alive and even worse in some areas there. The home church in Kerala will be allowed to open soon but with regulations. The Bible school in Orissa is continuing. The students are helping others in the community who are needy and this opens the door to tell them of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Regular classes are going well.
PHILIPPINES—The man who laid the Philippine foundation for FOMMI, Manuel Palit-Ang, went to be with the Lord in November. Our prayers go out to his family. Several years ago, his son, Jeph, picked up the torch. Bro. Jeph writes that recently their area suffered under a strong typhoon. Thankfully no damage, just flooding in the southern part of Luzon. COVID restrictions still prevent Sunday school for children, and social distancing is required for adults. They did have one baptism last month with two more to follow. Home Bible studies are discontinued as no door-to-door visitation nor visiting of the sick is allowed. The Bible school has been postponed until 2021 and perhaps will then only be online. Though the pandemic has halted much local church activity, it has not stopped the work of the Holy Spirit. He asks prayer for their continued good health.
BANGLADESH—God supplied the need for us to continue the building project close to the Vodra River in southern Bangladesh. Two floors out of a five-story building are now complete. This will give us home church, Bible school, and a small medical clinic. This building is accessible and in view to all river traffic (the only way to travel in that area). Bro. Lemon reports that all the little river churches continue on with new converts and a growth in grace for many. I received many comments from the testimony we printed in our last report, so we will give another one. Pray for these people; they excite me!
TESTIMONY OF SHOWPON SARKAR FROM NOLIAN FISHING FIELDS BAPTIST CHURCH—I am Showpon Sarkar; I am 61. I am married and my wife is Chopola Sarkar. We have two sons and one daughter, and two grandchildren. My daughter died last year while she was giving birth to her baby. When I was a little boy my parents came to this place where we are now living. They came here searching for their livelihood from the forest and the rivers. Our small house is on the Big Sibsha riverbank and the other side starts the Sunderban forest. We go for fishing in the deep forest where there are lots of canals and small rivers passing through to the Bay of Bengal. In the rivers and canal waters are lots of crocodiles and on the land of the forest there is Mama (Royal Bengal Tiger). Mama is very dangerous and we lost many of our fellow fishermen for Mama. There is a two-footed Mama in the deep forest (forest robbers) who kill the poor fishermen who can’t give them money.
One day in 2016 when I am coming home from fishing I saw a boat and some people sitting in my house. Our fellow fishermen introduced me to Bro. Lemon and his team. We greeted them and hosted them with our cooked fish and crabs as our village tradition. But when I understood that they have come to preach a new religion, then I was fired and refused them and insulted them. They went back but returned again the next month and I saw many of our families were listening to some stories (Bible stories). I was surprised to see my wife sitting there; even my mom was there. I sat beside my wife and try to listen to the stories from Bro. Lemon. It was the story of the ark of Noah and the flood. After the story, Bro. Lemon told us there is another event that is coming and we are going to be destroyed forever, but there is an ark that can save us from eternal destruction. As a fisherman, I understand the value of a boat or a floating thing that can save us from sinking in the water. So I was eagerly waiting to know the ark that can save us from the final destruction. Finally we understand it is not a boat or big ship or ark that we imagined, but a man who looks like us. He is the Son of God who came to our earth more than 2000 years ago to save our soul. If we believe in Him we will be saved. When the meeting was finished I went to Bro. Lemon and told him that I and my whole family will receive Christ as our Saving Ark. Now we have a bamboo and tin shed church house and we have some more families who received Christ and join the church. I told to Bro. Lemon and his team about many villages where they can go and preach the gospel. Please pray for us and for Bangladesh.
VICTORY BAPTIST PRESS—In 1984,Thomas Woodward, founder and pastor of Victory Baptist Church, expressed his compelling desire to see the Scriptures printed and distributed on mission fields around the world at no charge to those who received them. So with nothing more than his strong faith in the God that doeth all things well and a willingness to work at the task, Victory Baptist Press became a reality.
In May of 1994, Bro. Woodward passed away, and on his recommendation, the church called Tim Fellure as their next pastor. Shortly thereafter I was appointed general director of the printing ministry. Through the years, time has demanded many changes, but at least two things remain the same---our location is still at 4000 Avalon Blvd. in Milton, Florida, and there have been literally millions of Bibles or Bible portions of some sort printed in at least twenty languages and shipped to at least fifty foreign countries and every state in the U.S. with no charge for any Scriptures that VBP has printed.
In almost every Newsletter that we publish we use the slogan, “Those who support Victory Baptist Press prayerfully and financially are helping send the glorious gospel of Christ around the world in its purest form.” Please pray for the continued blessings of our good Lord on the VBP ministry. --VBP Director Jim Fellure
EDITOR’S NOTE: The home church for Munds and FOMMI, Victory Baptist Church, is the homebase for VBP. Check out their website--victorybaptistpress.com.
Thankful for your prayers and financial support,
Dr. A.W. “Fisher” Mund
Fishers of Men Ministries International
PO Box 400
Bon Secour AL 36511
(251) 752-6474
awmund@fomm.org
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