Miracles Abound

As of the writing of this story, this newsletter travels to 421 inboxes across north America, and even around the world. How many actually read it, I can’t really know. I get newsletters in my inbox, too; it’s easier to just hit the delete button than to go through several steps of trying to unsubscribe. Don’t hit the delete button this time. I guarantee you will be helped by reading this letter. If I am wrong, email me and I will never again make this claim.

After a busy December of purchasing gifts for family and friends, and spending more than I’d anticipated, I eagerly waited for January 1 to roll around because that meant payday. At the Outpost, we work a month, and then are paid at the end of that month, although direct deposit usually happens on the first of each month. So we’d worked December, and were waiting for our check. Well, January 1 rolled around and I logged on to Bank of America online and my account didn’t show a deposit. Strange. Well, it was a holiday. So December 2, bright and early I once again clicked online to my bank but again, no check. That’s OK, a bit frustrating, but OK. Then January 3 and still nothing. So I contacted the Illinois conference. Here’s how it normally works: our donor donates to the conference earmarked for the Outpost (since we receive no funding from the conference), then the conference pays us. I spoke with the associate treasurer and she had to give me the sad news, our donor had not given any money to the conference.

I called Daniel and he too was in the same predicament. In fact, all the Outpost team members had not received any money. This was especially tough because we’d just spent more money than usual and we had bills due. And to top it off, my wife is pregnant with twins which could come at the end of January! I started to feel like that old Christian song my parents used to play on the stereo:

It’s so easy to get discouraged in this fast-paced world we live in;
With our bills stacking up, our faith breaking down, we wonder where to begin.

Well, not to worry, this had happened in a previous month. The donor was late, and didn’t make direct deposit in time. Also, since direct deposit was missed, the conference would have to issue us an advance, which meant a regular check in the mail, and that would take a few days. I wasn’t too worried, really. I figured it was just a delay.

In the meantime, my family had been saving for a minivan. My wife and I have two kids, and with two more coming, our little Chevy Prizm, which only seats 5, needed an upgrade. We knew exactly what kind of van we wanted: a Toyota Previa. It was the biggest bang for the buck. We only had $3,300 to spend on a van, so we were scouring the internet each week checking out the new deals.

Several months earlier, back in October, the Outpost team was having a prayer time, and I asked them to pray that we get a van. Daniel asked what I wanted and I told him I wanted the captain’s chairs instead of a bench seat, and racks on the roof. He asked, “What color do you want?” I replied, “I don’t care, just something that runs good.” But he persisted, “What color?” So I said, “Green.” Then Chad prayed for me to get a green van. I was embarrassed. I mean, come on, I’m not going to put that on God. I just wanted a good running van, that’s all I asked for. So after prayer I let the team know, “I’m not praying for a green van, just a good running van.” But God heard that prayer.

Let’s get back to January again. I decided to check the internet this particular Monday, my day off. I punched in “Sienna” on my computer because I already knew there were no more Previas listed for that day. Up popped several items, but one caught my eye. It was in my price range, $3450. I clicked on it and it was a 96 Mazda MPV, one owner, 84k miles. Wow, this was something that might work. I started scrolling through the pictures and this thing looked great. Leather interior, CD player and tape player, sunroof, plenty of tread left on the tires, 4WD, roof racks and captains chairs. Oh, and it was green! My daughter was standing next to me looking at the pictures with me. When we got to the picture showing the captain’s chairs she literally screamed and dashed out of the room to go tell mom.

I logged in to carfax and checked the record and sure enough it was a certified one owner vehicle with a good maintenance record. My dad and sister-in-law started doing some online research and found that the 1996 was the best year of the MPV with little or no recorded problems and a reliability rating of 5 out of 5. I won’t go into all the details, but every thing I found out just made it better and better.

We called the seller and she agreed to show it to us first. By this time I knew it was ours because everything was working out perfectly. We got there that afternoon and took it for a spin, loved it, and bought it. It’s sitting in my garage as I type this. The van, which looks like an SUV, is the best vehicle we have ever owned.

We bought the van on a Monday in early January. The very next day I spoke with Daniel and found out that not only would we not be getting any funds on time, we were not getting any funds at all. The donor had stopped paying at the end of November and had not bothered to tell any of us about it. We had worked all December for free.

We had been promised enough funds to provide us at least through June of 2008, but obviously something had gone wrong. Daniel agreed to contact our donor and find out what was happening. At first it was difficult to get a straight answer. Our donor decided to write a check for $500 to each of us, saying that he would get to the conference office and put the rest into payroll. A few days later, the final word came that he would not be able to send any money to the conference. The $500 check was the last I would see from our donor.

I had just spent my entire savings on a van the day before and now I find out that I’m broke with no income! My question might have been, “Why, Lord, did you just lead us to spend all our money?” However, I couldn’t ask a question like that, not after the miracle Mazda MPV. God wanted us to have that van, that was clear. He would not lead us to spend our savings on a van and then starve us the next month. He must have something in store.

We took our $500 and paid our bills. My wife and I have found that God supplies food and clothing very consistently to His children. We knew He would provide. The Outpost had told no one of our financial problems except close family members. But sure enough we were sitting at home one evening and someone pulled into our driveway. In a few seconds there was a knock and as I opened the door a lady stood there and handed me a bag of clothes for my two kids. I didn’t even recognize her. She quickly turned around and headed for her car as I shouted out a surprised thank you! The kids were so happy as they looked at their new outfits. The lady also had left a bag for Daniel’s two children down the road.

A few days later I was playing with my kids in the basement during family time and my cell phone rang. On the other end was Fadia’s mom, Shami. She said that a few days ago our family came to her mind and she was calling to find out the sizes of clothes the children wore. I passed the phone to my wife who, in the course of the conversation, talked with her openly about our financial situation. We assumed she knew because Fadia, her daughter, works for .COM and was in the same predicament that we were in. But Shami didn’t know anything about it and we surprised her with the information. Shami wasn’t calling us because she knew of our need, God had impressed Shami’s heart to help us.

On January 12, we were at church when a sister approached us and asked if we had a current need. When I told her that yes, we did, she said he had a check for $100 for us. Again, no one has been told of our financial status. This letter that you’re reading right now is the first time any of .COM’s needs have been mentioned to anyone outside our working circle. We got home from church and there on our doorstep was a bag of food with a gift card to Meijer for $50. It seemed that every few days God was reassuring us that He was still going to provide for the Outpost team members.

On Monday, January 14, a friend of the Mesa’s came to visit them from Michigan. Her mom had given her $500 and told her to give it to someone who needed it. As the visit with Daniel and Julie was ending, the friend said, “so if I wanted to make a donation, would I make it to you or the team?” Julie blurted out, “make it to the team so that we can split it with the Westcotts!” And so that night Daniel drove down to my house and stuck $250 cash out of his car window into my hand.

We were able to pay some more bills that had been late from December, and to register the van we’d just bought. We had $26.50 left for food for the week. We got out our notebook and started writing down what we could buy. I commented to my wife that it was actually kind of like a game. I guess by this time we really felt like we were living by faith in a kind heavenly Father. We listed out things like beans, potatoes, bread and a few other things. But we knew we couldn’t afford fresh fruit. We walked into Woodmans and there right in front of us, were a few bags of apples on sale at an amazing price. We were so happy! We just couldn’t believe no one else had bought them and we knew God had put them there for us. We bought a bag and they were the best tasting apples!

Later that week, on Friday, January 18, Shami called again asking us to come up and go shopping at the Wal-Mart where she works. We only had about $20 left for gas and food for the next week and needed to save it, and so we said we just couldn’t make it. So Shami and her son hopped in their car and drove 1 ½ hours to our house in below zero weather. They arrived at about 8:30 p.m. and came in with bags of food, and clothes for the kids. It was truly like Christmas! Red lentils, dates, raisins, a church outfit for Asher and a winter coat for Jenna. We’d been looking around different stores for just that thing but couldn’t find anything in Jenna’s size. What a way to open the Sabbath. They left at about 10:00 p.m., but before they did, Shami placed some cash in my wife’s hand. They headed out the door to the Mesa home to deliver some clothes and money.

I’ll keep going. On Saturday night, January 19, the North Aurora Seventh-day Adventist church had a baby shower for my wife, Lisha. Together they provided many of our baby needs, and with cash, checks, and gift cards it totaled over $300, all of which we have of course dedicated to be spent only on the twins.

Then on Thursday, January 24, Daniel walked into the office (which is a room in one of the houses here at Broadview Academy campus) and handed me $700 cash. He said that someone from the church had donated $1600, and then combined with some other funds it totaled $2100, which he split between me and A.D. Keller and himself. I’ll tell you, we just rejoiced. Daniel and I bowed our heads in the office and thanked God for taking care of us.

I’m only highlighting the stories that I have personally experienced. Daniel and his family have had other experiences. A.D. also has his own story to share of how God has provided for him this month.

Perhaps someone reading this knows of a family who would be encouraged by this story. Share it with them. All of us are facing strange circumstances. So many people I know are passing through some of the most difficult spiritual and emotional struggles of their lives. We’re tempted to think maybe the deists are right, God has wound up this world like a clock and left it spinning while He has gone on vacation. I would propose the exact opposite is true. It is because God has not left us that we are struggling spiritually. The ability to trust God in such a crisis as the church has yet to see, does not come instantly. Years of our lives have been spent in a worldly system that requires no faith. If we were left to move into the ferocious end-time scenarios in the condition we’re in now, we might lose faith completely. Instead, God kindly begins removing the crutches which we have learned to lean upon, hoping that we will lean on Him instead. (For more about this, see Desire of Ages, 121.)

When I found out that we were without an income, it precipitated thoughts of what I truly want to do as part of the Outpost. I will confess that I have struggled to really find my place in this ministry. With gifts in music and writing I have wondered how those talents fit specifically with the Outpost’s mission. The possibility of reentering the secular workforce and reducing my time for ministry to that of an active layman, has given rise to some serious thoughts of what really matters to me. The journey is not over, every day I am in conflict with a tendency to be shaped by my circumstances rather than to shape them. Some things, however, are becoming clearer.

• My heart is with the church. So many look at the Adventist church today and see Laodicea written all over their foreheads, and it’s true. I know there are problems in the church, but I am no better than anyone there. A family doesn’t appear to have as many warts when it’s your family. In our ambition to reach the lost, let’s also go searching within our own pews for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

• No one has the answers to satisfy the longings of the human heart. The water of life is still bubbling from its original source in the mountains of God’s Word and cascading down the black letters on the white pages of your Bible. No one can bottle it; you can only drink it at the source.

• Less is more when done with the right motives. The smallest act done from plain love with no hope of a return resounds through eternity. A million hours of church work accomplished by one who is motivated by social or emotional benefit means nothing to God. That’s why mothers are often esteemed higher than presidents.

Someone who teaches nothing but the Bible, accomplishes what is placed before him each day, reaches the lost, uplifts the church—this is a happy person.

O let me walk with Thee, my God;
As Enoch walked in days of old;
Place Thou my trembling hand in Thine;
And sweet communion with me hold;
Even though the path I may not see,
Yet, Jesus, let me walk with Thee.

Inside Scoop

Westney Returns Home to Minister

After witnessing some miracles of changed lives during his holiday break, Westney flew back to Chicago Outpost, packed up his belongings, and drove home to California to continue ministering to those in his home town. Westney began serving last January, 2007 as a Bible Instructor for .COM. We’ve enjoyed having him as a part of the team. We’ll miss you Westney, but God has called you to another part of His vineyard.

A.D. Keller Back from Vacation

A.D. has returned from visiting his family in Oregon during the holidays. He is currently working as a Bible Instructor in our local area. We’re glad to have him back.

Chad & Fadia Still In California

Chad and Fadia are in the middle of an evangelistic crusade being held in California. So far 8 people have made decisions for baptism. It’s going so well that they are considering holding another series in late spring in central California.

FVTV Aires Antichrist Series

Having finished the first half of the series, "Antichrist—the One You've Never Known," I was excited to send it to a local network, FVTV. As I arrived I was pleased to see how appreciative the director was about receiving a 12 part series. He immediately asked if I wanted it played in a consecutive series, to which I agreed. We both went together to see the program coordinator. He said there wasn't a spot for them, except for at the end of each day, due to the varying play time of each program. I prayed, "Lord, I guess You can use it at that time..." He then said, "You know, there's a guy that hasn't given us Christian material in over a year. How does Sunday afternoon at 5 pm sound?" ... Amen.
I am now in the midst of editing more of that series, the first of which can be seen here www.ChicagoOutpost.com/files/video/01Antichrist-Impersonator_web.mov. Keep us in prayer!

God is Faithful: a Testimony from Daniel Mesa

An unexpected thing happened... The first checks for the team this year, 2008, didn't come in. Interested in the situation, the team members called about it. The answer: no money--we're out. Now what? Well, it can be said, a whole month later, that God is faithful. He said He would, could, and will provide, and He has.

My family, right after the same week we found out about the lack of funds, was 'mysteriously' given clothes for our children (twice), food dropped by the front door (twice), 2 letters we should have received weeks before containing $20.00 each, an insurance reimbursement that I never expected came from 10 months earlier which was $195.00, and a donation of $500.00 a friend had just gotten that morning that she had told the giver she didn't need--to which the giver said, "Give it to someone who needs it." Neither of them knew our situation. There is more to tell. Only once before (other than from family) in 8 months, had that happened since we came to this ministry--there was a $50.00 donation given. Why, I wonder, had God decided to impress so many at such a time as this last month?

As I said before, "God is faithful."

New Media

Antichrist Series Part 1

Antichrist—The One You’ve Never Known, part one, is now available for free online viewing. Daniel is working on getting the other parts up. After you’re done watching it, please email the link to your friends who might have an interest in this topic. Click here to watch the video online.

Our Needs

Vegan Vegetarian, Adventist Restaurant Manager

Have you prayed recently, "Lord, give me a restaurant!"? We are looking for someone who will take an opportunity that is opening up to us into their hands. If you are interested, please contact by emailing: ChicagoOutpost@gmail.com.

Missionary workers

We are looking for Adventist missionary workers to come live by faith to spread the message of God to a dying world. Free housing, lots of books to distribute for donation (LE work), and a future of better placement. Currently our previous workers are either missionaries over seas or in other parts of America, or hired on as a lay pastor. Please contact Daniel Mesa for further details: 630-770-5959.

Monthly support

If you’ve read the featured story this month, you’ll know that our most pressing needs are for monthly financial support. To pay our stipends we currently need $5,000 monthly, but currently we have $400 donated each month. But God’s taking care of us!

Computer

Daniel Mesa needs a new Apple computer. Last month his computer took another crash and had to be sent in for repairs. Working with video requires lots of memory and hard drive space. His 3 year old laptop is an iBook G4, 1.2 Ghz, 1.25 Gb RAM, 60 Gb HD. Any Apple computer that is better than that, even if used, would be a great blessing right now.

Printing Press

Jeremy would like to start getting equipment to publish tracts and booklets for .COM. If you have, or know of, any equipment that can be donated, we can work on getting it shipped here.