John T. Willis

Monday, January 25, 2010

Annual Missions Banquet

Each year, the Highland Church of Christ celebrates a missions banquet. We rejoice gratefully annually because we contribute approximately $350,000 a year for missions, many international and a few domestic. Our goal is to raise over $200,000 in this drive, and the rest comes from the weekly contributions. Our missionaries are all over the world: several places in Brazil, Thailand, Bosnia, Peru, and elsewhere. All of our missionaries were well trained before going onto the field, and we are so thankful for all that our people do great work in their respective parts of the world.

Our speaker this year is Dr. Ellen Little, who worked eight years in Uganda. She has done a marvelous work, and is now a doctor in Abilene, and is on our missions committee at Highland. She told several stories about her experiences and inspired all of us.

Max and Liz Crittenden were present visiting from Bosnia. They have served there for many years. Other missionaries send wonderful video tapes for the whole church. Sunday Randy and Jennifer Porter at Salvador, Brazil shared their recent work. The church there is growing by leaps and bounds. Antenor and Phyllis and Gonzalves and their team in Itu, Brazil [near Sao Paolo] recently opened a tremendous building and the crowd overflows. They are already expanding.

We are thrilled about our work at Highland. Approximately 500 members at Highland go onto the mission field to support and do encouraging work. Evelyn and I go somewhere every year, like so many others. We are planning to spend time in New Zealand, Thailand, and Malaysia, and elsewhere in the USA at least.

God has always been on a mission to reach out to help people. We want to tap into this mission. We pray daily for God's help, and give him all the glory. We are thankful for all of YOU who participate in this marvelous effort.

Share YOUR thoughts and experiences with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis