April, 2010
Only those who have sat down to write a regular report know the full extent of what all is involved. Trying to remember what you did a month ago can sometimes be a challenge – especially when you can’t remember what you did five minutes ago. After many years, you find yourself repeating yourself or at least it seems you are.
I am writing this letter just after Mother’s Day. The week before as I prepared my Mother’s Day sermon, I found myself thinking of my Mom more than usual. Some days it is still hard to believe that she is gone. As I paused from time to time to think of her, I found myself being moved with sorrow. A verse that I have preached for many years and have tried to practice is Philippians 3:13 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before”. I very seldom take time to feel sorry or to mediate on past loved one, past successes – or even past failures. When I find myself thinking too much on the past, I quote Philippians 3:13 to myself and move on. I found myself quoting this verse a lot recently.
Printing was very busy in April. The one book that I worked on continued to be almost all consuming. It was over 400 pages and the spacing on the individual pages kept disappearing. I went through the book at least 14 times page by page and set the paragraph spacing. By the time I finished and scanned back over it, all the spacing had reverted back to no spacing. As I said, I went page by page at least 14 times only to have it happen again and again. I spent much of April going through the book one page at a time trying to figure out what the problem was. I talked to several people who use Microsoft Word professionally and they could not help me at all. FINALLY, God did something and it held the spaces and we were able to print it. It is now out the door and we are focusing on other projects that were put on hold during this time.
I continue to talk to missionaries frequently about their reports that they mail to churches. With all of the changes at the post office and with the relative inexperience of most churches and pastors in dealing with post office regulations, we are having more and more missionaries to send us their letters for distribution. Many that I have talked to are mailing their letters themselves from their field. Just last week, I talked to a missionary who was mailing around 80 letters every two months. He was buying his paper and envelopes from a local office store. He was printing them himself on his small inkjet printer. He was then paying first class postage to mail them out. I did some quick math and showed him that we could print and mail 200 letters (the minimum for any kind of discount) for LESS than he was paying for 80. I did ask him if he would mind covering our cost since we would be saving him money and increasing his outreach at the same time. Needless to say, he was more than happy to do so.
Many times when I sit down to write this letter, I simply write from my heart. I don’t always think how people will read and interpret it. Because I often answer with my heart, I don’t analyze every word and think how it can be taken by someone who can’t read my heart. For example, last month, I mentioned that when the Printing Fund is in the “red” I take the money out of my own pocket to cover it. I also stated that there are many good men who are doing a very good work who are seriously struggling financially. My whole point was to demonstrate how much I believe in what I am doing. I strongly believe in the power of the printed word and the importance of printing and preserving good, Biblically based material. I strongly believe in churches and missionaries sowing the seed by truck loads if possible knowing that God can take the smallest seed and use it – directly or indirectly – to save a lost sinner. Well, in speaking from my heart, I have been overwhelmed with support from many friends and churches. I cannot thank each of you enough for you encouragements and even special offerings. I can truly say that that was not my intent. I just speak from the heart sometimes without thinking. May God bless all of you who have been so generous with your encouragement and offerings! I can try to better read what I write but my heart still comes out ahead most of the time.
I am so abundantly bless to have so many friends that sometimes it almost overwhelms me. I thank God for you upon every remembrance of you.
Our most pressing need at the present time continues to be a building to move the print shop to. We are looking and praying but we also know that God is going to have to open the door.
Until next month, may God bless each of you in your labors for Him.
Yours in Christ,
Grace Baptist Church Printing Outreach
Wilbert L. Ellis, Pastor
