Psalms 96:1-3 implores us with these words, “Oh sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among the peoples.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As I begin this newsletter, I am filled with praise and thanksgiving, as I ponder the above verses in Psalm 96. I am so thankful that when the Lord saved Dianne and me, that He placed us in a church which had a passion for His great mission among the nations. As new believers, we were immediately taught that the ultimate purpose for our conversion was to glorify God, by fulfilling His global purpose! I testify with the psalmist saying, “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and all that is within me bless His Holy Name. For He has forgiven my iniquities; He has healed the disease of the dominion of sin; He has redeemed my life from destruction; and He has crowned me with His loving kindness and tender mercies! He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God and many shall see it and fear and trust in the Lord!” Oh, dear friends, when I reflect on the spiritually bankrupt condition that this agnostic musician was in, when the Lord Jesus found me, drew me, saved me and changed me, it is quite overwhelming! How grateful I am for His amazing grace that came to seek and to save a wretch like me. When I fell on my knees that autumn night in 1980, I never dreamed that my Lord and Savior would open doors for me to preach His precious Word all over this globe! Never could I have imagined that the Lord would grant me the tremendous privilege to declare the glory of His salvation and the wonders of His Word in over 20 nations and well over 100 foreign mission trips. It absolutely boggles my mind; and it humbles my heart to consider what an awesome blessing it has been, to be His mouthpiece to thousands of pastors, church planters and lay leaders on 4 different continents.

Even as I write these words, I can picture the faces of many of those hundreds of pastors, which represented over 30 different denominations in Uganda and Kenya. In my mind’s eye, I can see the hundreds of Baptist church planters and pastors in eastern Cuba; and I distinctly remember the faces of those Mennonite pastors from all over Nicaragua, that I recently had the great privilege of teaching in January. Also, I can picture many of the faces of unconverted people in recent evangelistic outreach crusades in communist Cuba! Friends, I am absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude, that the King of kings and the Lord of lords would allow this most undeserved servant to be an ambassador for Him, to declare His glory among the nations!

As always, we hope that this newsletter is a source of encouragement to you. Our desire is that when you read through the highlights of each opportunity, you will be encouraged to see how the Lord is using your prayers and your support for His Global purpose. The Lord is using you in ways beyond what you could ever imagine. He continues to open many doors for us to share the glorious gospel. Your prayers and financial support are not only a great and vital help in carrying out this global purpose; they are a great encouragement to us. In addition, one of our prayers for you is that when you see and read about the mighty workings of God, through simple, ordinary vessels like us, you will see the greatness of our God and be in awe of Him.

Friends, with all that is happening in our world today, from the economic chaos, the moral and corrupt downfall of so many, devastating earthquakes, wars etc., we would be remiss not to ponder the 2nd Coming of our Lord. Our God has promised; He will return. Until that day, may we all be consumed with His Global purpose, telling this world of our Great and Mighty God.

We love you dear friends, and thank our Lord and Savior for your faithfulness to Him and your love, your prayers and support for us.

Because He Saves,

 

Ed & Dianne Lacy