Tom Gilmer: January 2015 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends of Zion:

Linda and I thank you for your continued prayers and offerings.

Dona Ingrid, an 84-year-old Hebrew Christian survivor of the Holocaust, regularly attends our Friday night Friends of Zion meetings.  It has given her a new, exciting perspective of what it means to have been born Jewish.  She received an invitation from the Jewish community to attend a tea for Holocaust survivors, but she was afraid to go for fear of persecution.  Pastor Alexandre’s wife Jane accompanied her, and when she introduced herself as “Ingrid Neuwahl,” she was greeted with excitement and a warm welcome.  Ben Abraham and his wife Miriam were there.  Ardent, Orthodox Jews, they have written books and spoken publicly for many years, telling their personal stories of the horrors they suffered during the Holocaust.  They were thrilled to see Jane, whom they already knew, and she introduced Dona Ingrid as being a part of “our community,” thus identifying her as a Hebrew Christian.  Ben Abraham remembered “Pastor Thomas Gilmer,” a longtime acquaintance, with warmth and respect.  Dona Ingrid looks forward to the next tea for Holocaust survivors, praying she can make more connections and open doors for a greater witness.  Jane, or someone else from our group, will take her.

An email from Ruth, our daughter, rejoiced our hearts: “One of the blessings…is the great change we have seen in Daniel.  God used Snider Therapy to heal Daniel’s eyes.  He is now reading not only for school, but also for pleasure.  In about a month he read about 1400 pages…School is now a joy and not a tearful chore.”  You prayed!  God answered! Praise the Lord!  Now we plead with you to pray for Samuel, a dedicated teenage musician from our first church, Templo Batista de Indianópolis (T.B.I.), whom Linda led to the Lord when he was about twelve.  He participated in Linda’s children’s prayer group when he was little and began developing his musical talent sitting on a stool beside her in church, playing a little flute as Linda played the piano.  Recently Samuel lost the hearing in his left ear due to Sickle Cell Anemia.  He was hospitalized with terrible body pains and could not walk for several days.  His hearing is now partially restored, and he walks with difficulty, requiring physical therapy.  Please pray for recovery.  His desire is to serve the Lord through sacred music.

Sr. Carmelo, a Brazilian citizen whom we have known for over 40 years, retired after his wife died and returned to his native land, Sicily, in Italy, where he herded sheep in his youth.  He requested to be a lay missionary sent by our first church, T.B.I., authorized to start a church, even though T.B.I. could promise only prayer support and orientation at the moment.  We contacted Brother Stetson Planck, a missionary of Mt. Abarim in Verona, northern Italy, about helping Sr. Carmelo.  Even though Sicily is in extreme southern Italy, Brother Planck immediately agreed to do all he can to help.  May this new year of 2015 be blessed with the spread of the Gospel message and souls coming to know the Savior!

Yours for the Messiah,
Tom and Linda Gilmer

PRAISE:

1. Professions of faith: (5)
2. Evangelism notes, only one article lacking.
3. Rainfall returning to normal levels.
4. Opportunity for witness to Holocaust survivors.
5. Grandson Daniel’s vision greatly improved.
6. Brazilian “lay missionary” in Sicily, Italy.

PRAYER:

1. Salvation of Jews and Gentiles.
2. Bible study helps, especially Expanded Edition of Evangelism Notes for secular publisher.
3. New churches, growth of existing ones, reformulating team for Guacuri.
4. APPS, CD, MP3, and AUDIO BIBLE: problems and opportunities; slow progress.
5. Samuel – Sickle Cell Anemia – hearing loss