2004 December

HOLIDAY  GREETINGS

It is hard to believe that another year  has almost been buried in eternity.  Truly life is short and the past is  irreparable.  What was done cannot be changed, altered or improved; and to think that we must give account of our past to the Eternal God is no trifle.

THANK YOU

Thank you for praying for our  granddaughter Olivia; she has been given her second cast on the 17th.  The doctor was very pleased with her progress and thinks she will only need one more cast change and then wear a brace.

Thank you for the very special Christmas gifts that are always a great help.  God has been very good to us over the past  year even with the very poor foreign exchange rate.  Surely He can still  multiply what we have and magnify Himself in the process. If the exchange rate continues to drop, we will be looking for  ways to cut back; if you are receiving this prayer letter through the Post Office, it would help us to have your E-mail address.  You may write to us at:  joelandtheresa@hotmail.com 

Our recent prayer letters can be read  at:  www.directmissions.com

AIDS PANDEMIC

With all the government programs, the rolling out  of anti-retrievals, awareness campaigns, marches by sportsmen, wearing of red ribbons, funds from abroad, etc., etc., the increase of infections has NOTslowed down.  In South Africa alone we are having  about 60,000 NEW cases a month.  From the newspapers it 'appears'  that even Nelson Mandela's son is infected and in the final  stages of this disease.  It is ravaging this younger generation worse than any plague I have ever read of and they are helpless in its wake.  Sexuality here is deified and when they have fund-raisers for Aids orphans the occasions include all forms of lewd dancing!!  How ironic!!  How absolutely blind!!  How terribly sad!! 

OUTREACH

I spoke to a pastor not long ago about our role in this calamity (he is a good brother) and he just said 'the gospel is the answer'. 

Pray for us as we continue the Open Air meetings and passing out of tracts.  Personally my greatest need in this hour is the very fullness of God.  How can we stem this flood of evil without  Divine intervention (Isaiah 59:19).  If I could ask for something from you in this New Year, I would ask that you seriously PRAY for me as I preach the gospel to hundreds and thousands on the streets who desperately need  our Saviour.

Sincerely Joel & Theresa

Joel and Theresa Bain
P.O. Box 3110
2125 Randburg
Johannesburg
South Africa
tel/fax (use all numbers when  calling from USA)
011 27 11 462 5272
cell: 011 27 72 450 0535
joelandtheresa@hotmail.com
www.directmissions.com
Baptist  International Missions, Inc.
P.O. Box 9215
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37412
423 344 5050