Tom Gilmer: February 2017 Prayer Letter

Dear Friends of Zion:

Tom was home for Christmas, praise the Lord! Thanks to all of you who sent special Christmas offerings, cards, and notes. We are deeply grateful.

We love the Christmas season because it opens so many doors to witness. While Tom was in the hospital, everyone that came into the room was asked the question, “Has anyone said Merry Christmas to you yet this year?” “No!” was the usual reply. “Well, let me be the first! Merry Christmas!” we would say and give the person a tract emphasizing the true meaning of Christmas, with the address of one of our churches and an invitation to attend the services. Pointing to the website www.bbnradio.org at the bottom of the tract, we would tell the person, “Check this out! At this site you can hear wonderful music and messages, and even go to the chatroom and ask questions or go to the Bible Institute online. The first lesson will tell you how you can know for sure you are going to heaven.” If the person had time to stop awhile, such as when the physical therapist was working with Tom, we would go through the plan of salvation personally. Sometimes the response was positive; sometimes, no. But we endeavored to give everyone a chance to know the Lord Jesus.

Enclosed you should find a copy of our Annual Report of 2016, prepared for Mount Abarim Baptist Mission’s 51^st Field Conference. It gives a brief résumé of the year’s events. It is thrilling to report that in December the Audio Bible with a Braille Research System was released in Portuguese in the Almeida-Corrigida-Fiel (ACF) text, which is published by the Sociedade Bíblica Trinitariana do Brasil, Trinitarian Bible Society of London, and various Bearing Precious Seed and other church-related ministries. This is one of the “ongoing projects” mentioned endlessly in No. 2 of our PRAYER list. Thank you for praying about the “media outlets,” which require much painstaking work and time to make them easily accessible on multiple devices.

MEDICAL UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 20: Tom’s recovery from spinal surgery is very slow. Some days he seems to make good progress, other days he seems to regress. He cannot stay seated in the same position very long at a time. He has to keep moving as part of the recuperation process. We do covet your prayers as he continues physical therapy for the next several months.

Thank you for praying. May God bless you.

Yours for The Messiah,
Tom and Linda Gilmer

Enclosures: Annual Report of 2016, Harold Ralph’s prayer letter

PRAISE:

Professions of faith: (1)
Release of the Portuguese Audio Bible with a Braille Research System to help a blind person locate specific books and chapters in the Bible.
More offerings received for Guacuri church.
Tom recuperating at home from surgery.

PRAYER:

Salvation of Jews and Gentiles.
Ongoing projects (church planting, Bible study helps, media outlets, and warehouse for Bibles).
Guacuri church: $7,300 still needed. Read more in Harold Ralph’s prayer letter.
Tom’s recovery from spinal surgery.