A truck driver came to deliver a 40ft container to our warehouse in Coolville, OH. He was amazed to hear about all the countries we had helped by shipping Bibles, Scripture booklets, humanitarian aid, medical supplies, folding chairs, food, etc. We are blessed to be able to supply church planters who are winning countless souls for Christ!
The driver got to hear the best part about our ministry – the “why” behind everything we do. He heard the Gospel from our founder/director Missionary Paul Deem. He joyfully accepted Christ and then surprised us all with his life’s story. He lived in West Africa but had to flee to the United States because his life was in danger. He escaped a bloody civil war that was raging all around him, traveled to America, and worked hard to get his CDL.
We will never forget what he said, “If my country had Bibles, there wouldn’t have been a civil war.” As Christians, we have been commissioned by God to spread the Gospel to the far reaches of the earth. It is the best way to lift people out of their sins, violence, and false teachings. It is how we can impact and improve the world’s condition. Pray about getting involved with our Bible Club to provide the living Word of God to a dying world.
Make an eternal investment by filling Christmas Joy Gift Bags this year! Over 54,000 Christmas gifts have passed through our warehouse, travelled around the globe, and reached entire families with the Gospel. So many souls have been saved as a result! We know your heart will be blessed as you watch our annual joy bag video and share it with your friends and fellow church members.
Please pray about filling bags this year or increasing last year’s amount! We never have enough bags to cover all the missionaries’ requests. We shipped a 40ft container to Missionary Michael Lambert in Grenada. He shared the contents of the container with around 10 other pastors in the area who are in desperate need of supplies to plant churches and reach souls. He divided his portion of Christmas gifts between himself and the other pastors.
To make the gifts stretch to all the children in his church, he took just a few items out of each bag so every child would get something. Pray that the Lord will increase the number of bags we receive this November.
The needs are so great! Each year, we receive feedback from church planters around the world who use the joy bags as a tool to spread the Gospel and see hundreds of souls spared from Hell. Watch our video and visit our Joy Bag page for more information.
We just received these outreach books in Arabic! We will be shipping them to missionaries in Africa. What a blessing to help them as they spread the Gospel to the many different groups of people living there. We love helping church planters around the world!
Missionary Barry Ritchie in Honduras has a big heart for the people of Central America. He has started numerous churches in Honduras both in the cities and far into the mountains.
Barry and Lisa also started a children’s home that has rescued and transformed the lives of children. They continually work to plant more churches and strengthen the others.
DirectLine Ministry has helped by shipping Bibles, 40ft containers, Christmas Joy Gift Bags, food, and many other useful items. We also have a project to purchase food for the Children’s Lighthouse Home. Several faithful givers donate on a monthly basis so Lisa can buy perishable foods from the local market. This has made a huge difference as they often have to decide between paying the bills and buying food. There is still so much that is needed.
It would be wonderful if we had enough Christians giving on a monthly basis to cover all of their food needs for each month. Last month, they went for two weeks without money for groceries. They had to spend their support money on a girl with a broken arm. Her arm had to be surgically pinned back together or she would lose it forever.
Recently, Barry Ritchie took a mission trip to Nicaragua. Life is not easy there because the country is slanted toward socialism and many other hardships. He went with a group of pastors and Christians who are trying to start outreach churches. How exciting to see people receiving their first Bibles in Nicaragua!
We truly appreciate the members of our Bible Club for making this possible. Barry’s son, Jr and his wife Lordes also visited Nicaragua so they could join this exciting opportunity. They were able to stay in the home of a retired Sandinista Captian who helped in the outreach! God is working in Nicaragua and we are so happy to have a part in giving out the Bibles.
Our warehouse is an exciting place right now as we are simultaneously working on two projects for Africa (Liberia & Ivory Coast).
Our team members and volunteers have been working hard to move things around to make better use of our floor space. As donations come in, it is a little crowded in there!
We are thankful for this problem and we say, “Bring it on!” We still need more items to fill the Liberia container and funds for shipping it. Two of our team members are on their way to a shipping facility in New York to drop off a load for Children’s Lighthouse in Honduras. Getting another shipment out of the warehouse was a blessing.
There is still time for you to be involved with the Liberia container. By donating items, funds or time, you will be helping national pastors, churches, Ebola victims, and children in poverty. Learn more about making a difference in Liberia that will last for eternity:
A growing ministry is always in transition! We have already started rearranging the warehouse, receiving materials, and preparing to fill a 40ft container for Liberia. Pastor Guanue Gbendah and his network of churches are in tremendous need of Bibles and materials. Liberia is on the Top 10 list of poorest countries on Earth.
Liberia is still dealing with the aftermath of a civil war that forced young boys to take up arms. Bibles were taken out of homes and destroyed. The civil war has passed, but Liberians are now faced with other hardships such as Ebola. The Gbendahs had several pastors, friends, and congregation members who passed away because of Ebola. Pastor Gbendah graduated from Crown College in 2002 and soon moved back to Liberia to help his people. He started a church, Christian school, and Bible college.
We challenge you to take a moment to watch this video about starting this new project. After you watch the video, pray and ask God what He would have you to do! Here are several ways you can be involved: donating materials to fill the Liberia container, giving funds for shipping (we don’t have the exact costs yet, but it will be several thousand dollars), and volunteering in our warehouse to sort and itemize donated goods.
You can also help provide Bibles for the Liberian people by joining our Bible Club. We just ordered 1,500 Bibles to help this country where Bibles were once outlawed. All donations for the container need to be made by the end of May. If giving by check, please include a memo for “Liberia.” We plan to continue working with Pastor Gbendah in the future.
Items needed for Liberia: first aid kits, vitamins, powdered laundry detergent, hymnals, generators, school supplies, new blankets, new bed linen, plastic plates, cups, bowls, heavy pots & pans without plastic handles, new or like new clothing, new or like new shoes all sizes, new mattresses, folding tables, new or like new toys, flashlights with batteries, computers, laptops (xp or newer), Sunday school teaching visuals, folding chairs, musical instruments (no large pianos or organs), combs & brushes, deodorant, soap, hand sanitizer, lotion, shampoo, toilet paper, tooth brushes, and toothpaste. He also requested a large TV to be used in their Christian school for showing curriculum videos. If someone donates the funds, we could pick up a television for them at our local Walmart. If used clothing is donated, please have someone at your church organize it and check to make sure it is in good condition. They do not need winter clothing.
Pastor Elizer and the students, staff, and graduates of Lighthouse Baptist Bible College have been working hard as they minister in multiple churches in the Philippines. We received word from pastors who distributed the Joy Bags to children during outreach services. As a result of these special services, there were 154 children and adults who accepted Christ! Now they will work together to disciple those who were saved. Several have followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.
You had a part in reaching these precious souls in the Philippines. How exciting to add fruit to your account! It makes it all worthwhile as you help fill Joy Bags, drive to pick them up, and package them for shipping. Wouldn’t it be great if we could ship a Bible to all 154 new believers who could not afford a Bible on their own? If you would like to join our Bible Club, you can take part in touching countless lives. Thank you for giving and making a difference for eternity! The results speak for themselves!
The missionaries we work with use the Joy Bags as a tool to restore the true meaning of Christmas and spread the Gospel. In much of the world, the celebration of Christmas is nothing more than parading an idol of a saint through the streets of the city. No gifts, no warmth, no Christmas Joy!
The missionaries love using the Christmas Joy Gift Bags as an object lesson to teach about God’s greatest gift – sending His only Son to be born on earth to die for our sins! Hundreds (maybe thousands, only God knows) of kids and parents have accepted Christ as a result of the Christmas project we have organized each year for a decade. Help us restore the Joy of Christmas by filling as many Joy Bags as you can throughout the year!
Philippines – Pastor Arnel Amualla sent us several beautiful pictures of handing out Joy Bags at his church. The children were so happy to receive the gifts. Pastor Arnel is a graduate of Lighthouse Baptist Bible College.
That is the college Paul & Debbie Deem started during their time as missionaries to the Philippines. In addition to pastoring the church, Pastor Arnel also speaks on the radio in a large city and has lead many people to Christ. He has the potential to reach around 500,000 radio listeners each week. It costs him $25 a week to travel and speak on the radio. We are praying for individuals and churches to help him with this expense. If you want to help reach 500,000 souls a week with the gospel, you can contact us for details!
Mexico – The JOY spreads to MX as our team members are currently visiting our Saltillo property/distribution center. The center is used to give Bibles, Scriptures, and a great variety of other materials to dozens of missionaries and pastors throughout MX. Missionary Chris Lanier started a church on the property.
The team members had the opportunity to minister in that church and several others. They helped Bro Ted Dehart in his warehouse for missionary supplies and distributed materials to 6 churches. They also went out on visitation in Saltillo and attended a children’s Bible school service. So far, they have seen 3 people accept Christ! We appreciate their help as we reach souls through DirectLine Ministry!
Missionary Adam Fridenstine handed out Bibles to the local police in El Salvador. We have sent him several shipments of Bibles and Joy Bags. He said by looking at the way they handled them, they acted like it was the first Bible they ever owned.
We appreciate the Fridenstines and all those on the front lines who are sharing the Gospel. We also appreciate the members of our Bible Club. Look at the difference you are making! Give to the Bible Club today and help us provide a steady flow of God’s Word to the mission field.
